World
Armenians killed in Los Angeles restaurant
Los Angeles authorities said victims of the shooting in one of the local restaurants were Armenians. According to APA, Kharut Baburian, Sargs Karajian, Vardan Tofalian and Haik Egnanian were killed in the restaurant. The authorities said it was targeted murder.
5.04.10
Fourteen killed in India Kashmir clashes
2.04.10 Four Indian soldiers and 10 separatist guerrillas were killed in clashes in Kashmir, the highest number of people killed in firefights in 24 hours in recent months, the army said Thursday.
The new fighting comes amid Indian fears of an escalation in rebel violence in the disputed Himalayan region after a period of relative calm.
The Indian army says Pakistan-based militant groups have stepped up efforts to infiltrate the region after snow started melting on the high mountain passes.
Wednesday, four Indian soldiers and four militants were killed in a gun battle in the Rajouri district, which lies in south Kashmir near the Line of Control, a military line which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
Pakistani troops kill 28 militants in northwest
2.04.10 Pakistani troops stormed militant positions and helicopters destroyed vehicles carrying insurgents near the Afghan border Thursday, killing 28 suspected militants and forcing thousands of civilians to flee, officials said, APA reports quoting “Associated Press”.
The offensive in the Orakzai tribal region is aimed at flushing out Pakistani Taliban insurgents who had fled an army onslaught further south. Government official Sami Ullah said at least 18 militants died in clashes with troops in Orakzai.
As a group of insurgents fled to the neighboring Kurram region, helicopters hit three vehicles, killing 10 more militants and wounding some others, local military commander Lt. Col. Akbar Butt said.
China supports Barack Obama’s call for new Iran sanctions
1.04.10 New sanctions on Iran came a significant step closer today, when China agreed to begin drafting a UN resolution imposing measures aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear programme, APA reports citing Guardian.co.uk web-page.
According to officials with knowledge of the talks, an agreement to begin drafting a new security council resolution was reached in a telephone call involving representatives from the five permanent council members – the US, China, Russia, Britain and France – and Germany.
The negotiations will now move to New York, where diplomats will hammer out a sanctions package. Barack Obama said yesterday he hoped the UN would pass a sanctions resolution quickly.
Two suspected militants were killed and one seriously injured when their explosives packed car blew up in Russia’s volatile southern region of Dagestan
1.04.10 The explosion occurred shortly past last night in the Khasavurtsky region in western Dagestan.
Nine dead in twin blasts in Russia’s North Caucasus
Nine people including the local police chief were killed in two explosions in the town of Kizlyar in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan
31.03.10 The blast occurred in a parking lot near a school. Earlier reports said there was only one explosion. The first blast occurred at 08.45 Moscow time [04:45 GMT], and the other came twenty minutes later.
UK premier admits misleading Iraq war inquiry
18.03.10 Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown admitted on Wednesday that he provided false information to the Iraq Inquiry during his recent testimony, APA reports quoting “Al Jazeera”.
When addressing the question of adequate funding for the UK armed forces for their invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Brown had told the Inquiry on March 5 that Britain’s military budget had been "rising in real terms every year."
This was shown to be contrary to the records of the UK’s House of Commons and led to a rare public outburst from former heads of the armed forces who rejected the claim. Among them was Lord Guthrie, former chief of defense staff, who said the Ministry of Defense had "received the bare minimum from the chancellor, who wanted to give the military as little as he could get away with" according to the BBC.
Al-Qaeda Leader Killed in Yemen Strike: Security Official
16.03.10 A suspected local chief of Al-Qaeda in the south Yemen province of Abyan was killed in an overnight air raid, a security official said on Monday, as air strikes continued for a second straight day, APA reports quoting AL Jazeera.
Jamil Nasser Abdullah al-Ambari, 25, who figured on a list of wanted militants, was one of two Al-Qaeda leaders killed in the attack late Sunday, the official told AFP requesting anonymity. He did not disclose the name of the other militant.
Fights between Islamists and Somali gov’t kills 17
11.03.10 Fighting between Islamist insurgents and government forces killed at least 17 people in the Somali capital on Wednesday, a medical official said.
The head of the Mogadishu ambulance service, Ali Muse, said Wednesday’s fighting also wounded 65 people. The death toll was the highest reported in weeks and most of the dead and wounded were civilians.
Resident Ahmed Ali said the fighting began when al-Shabab insurgents attacked government positions in the north of the city. He said the insurgents briefly overran the government positions but were then pushed back.
’Strong’ earthquake hits Turkey
A strong earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5, hit eastern Turkey on Monday, killing at least 41 people and knocking down houses in at least six small villages, the government said.
10.03.10
Iran: Bushehr nuclear plant to be operational in spring
5.03.10 Iran’s long-delayed Bushehr nuclear plant will be launched within a few months, an Iranian energy official said on Friday, APA reports quoting haaretz.com web-page."This plant will be launched according to schedule at the end of the spring and will run the same as the other nuclear plants in the world," Ali Akbar Saleh, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said in quotes carried by news agency ILNA. The Iranian spring ends in late June.
