Lazranim world news
nedjelja, 24.05.2009.
Pakistan army 'progress' in Swat
The Pakistani army says it has seized parts of the Swat valley, as it begins the second day of an offensive against Taliban militants in the main city. The military says Mingora is surrounded, most of the militants' ammunition dumps are destroyed and their supply routes cut off. Meanwhile police said a French tourist had been kidnapped by gunmen in the southern Baluchistan province. Four other French nationals travelling with the tourist reported the kidnapping, near the town of Dalbandin 80km (50 miles) from the Afghan border. 'Slow offensive' The BBC's Shoaib Hassan, in Islamabad, says the Swat battle is the most important yet in the army's offensive against the Taliban in the north-west. |
Boatpeople found near Australia
A boatload of 77 suspected asylum seekers has been intercepted near Ashmore Reef off Australia's northwest coast. The vessel is believed to be carrying 73 passengers and four crew, Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said in a statement on Sunday. The group will be transferred to Christmas Island where they will undergo health and security checks. Mr Debus said the Royal Australian Navy discovered the vessel about six nautical miles north of Ashmore Reef. "The Australian government is committed to strong border security arrangements and is determined to deal effectively and appropriately with people smugglers," he said. It is the 13th boat carrying suspected asylum seekers to be intercepted in Australian waters this year. |
Japan's Toshiba to cut costs by $3.5bn
Japanese electronics giant Toshiba plans to reduce fixed costs 10% more than previously announced, a news report said on Sunday. It will cut costs 330 billion yen ($3.5 billion), which should allow it to secure an operating profit of 100 billion yen in the 2009 fiscal year which runs to March 2010, the Nikkei business newspaper said. Toshiba, which posted an operating loss of 250 billion yen in fiscal 2008, is one of many major Japanese electronics firms that suffered a slump in sales due to the global slowdown. Sony said Thursday that it would cut its number of suppliers by more than half to reduce procurement costs by $5.3 billion a year. |
Papua New Guinea: Looters shot during raid
Two looters were shot dead as a wave of attacks on Chinese-owned shops spread in Papua New Guinea, bringing the death toll to four. The two men were killed and three others were wounded as a mob tried to raid a store in Wabag, capital of Enga province, police said. Asian shops in several towns have been attacked in the past week with protesters and looters accusing them of overcharging and demanding they be taken over by locals. |
Mongolians vote for new president
Voters in Mongolia are electing a new president, a year after vote-rigging claims in parliamentary polls triggered deadly riots in the country. Current President Nambaryn Enkhbayar of the former Communist party is being challenged by Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of the main opposition Democratic Party. Polls opened at 2300 GMT on Saturday are due to close at 1400 GMT on Sunday. One of the main election issues has been the distribution of income from Mongolia's vast mineral resources. Last year, five people died and hundreds were hurt in protests over alleged fraud in the general elections. In 1990, Mongolia abandoned its 70-year-old Soviet-style one-party state and embraced political and economic reforms. Democracy and privatisation were enshrined in a new constitution, but the collapse of the economy after the withdrawal of Soviet support triggered widespread poverty and unemployment in the sparsely populated landlocked country. |
Sydney passengers cleared of flu
Four cruise ship passengers tested amid a swine flu scare on arrival in Sydney yesterday have been cleared of infection. Dawn Princess had returned to Sydney from a 35-night Pacific cruise during which it had stopped in the Hawaiian islands for three days in early May. Two passengers who tested positive for influenza-A during the trip had recovered 10 days ago. The body of another passenger was removed from the ship in Sydney and one more was taken by ambulance to a Sydney hospital but neither had suffered any respiratory illness. It was almost 6pm before authorities announced that the passengers would be allowed to disembark and those waiting could board. The ship was due to set sail about 4pm on Saturday but weather delays and the temporary quarantine was expected to delay her departure until late evening. |
Lull prompts Mogadishu flight
Residents are streaming out of Somalia's main city, taking advantage of a lull in violence as troops battle anti-government fighters. The deaths on Saturday come on top of the nearly 45 lives lost the previous day when government forces launched a pre-dawn offensive against the two main anti-government groups. The aim was to drive al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam - who have pledged to topple the government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed - from their Mogadishu strongholds. Witnesses said at least four members of al-Shabab and a journalist were among the victims of Friday's clashes. |
Bad weather delays Atlantis landing
Thunderstorms have prevented space shuttle Atlantis from returning to its home base in Florida for a second straight day. Nasa mission control chiefs will re-examine prospects for a safe landing on Sunday. As the astronauts settled in for another day in space, Barack Obama, the US president, announced that Charles Bolden, a former shuttle commander, was his choice for Nasa's next administrator. Obama told the Atlantis crew earlier in the week by telephone that an announcement was imminent. Mission Control relayed the news to the astronauts two hours later. "I guess it wasn't any of us in the flight after all," Altman joked. If confirmed by the senate, Bolden would become the space agency's first black administrator and only the second astronaut ever to hold the post. |
Battles rage in Pakistan's Swat
Pakistani soldiers have entered the main town in the Swat valley and engaged in fierce street battles with Taliban fighters, the military has said. Military commanders have stressed that they are under orders to avoid collateral damage and avoid using heavy weaponry in built-up areas. The offensive in Swat and surrounding areas in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has triggered an exodus of nearly two million refugees from the region. While some of those displaced have taken refuge in government camps, a majority of them have taken shelter with friends and relatives. The military has said it had inflicted heavy losses on the Taliban, with about 1,000 fighters reported to have been killed. Meanwhile, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan's prime minister, has played down the suggestion of Asif Ali Zardari, the president, that the military offensive could be extended to the sem-autonomous South Waziristan region. |
