Saudi king donates $100 million to UN anti-terror centre

RIYADH - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has announced a further donation of $100 million (75 million euros) to set up a United Nations centre for fighting terrorism, Saudi media reported on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with the UN in 2011 to create the centre and the oil-rich Gulf monarchy has already donated $10 million towards its launch.

Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen

ADEN: A US drone killed at least six suspected Al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Wednesday, officials said, a day after US and British embassies evacuated some staff because of growing fears of attacks.

It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks and follows warnings of potential attacks by militants that pushed Washington to shut missions across the Middle East, and the United States and Britain to evacuate staff from Yemen.


Witnesses and local officials in the province of Shabwa said the drone fired at least six missiles at two vehicles in a remote area some 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Ataq. Both vehicles were destroyed.

Residents who rushed to the scene found only charred bodies, they said.

Gunmen kill 13 bus passengers in Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan: Dozens of gunmen disguised in police uniforms shot to death 13 people they pulled off of a convoy of buses in southwest Pakistan and dumped their bodies in a nearby ravine, officials said Tuesday.

The motive for the attack Monday night was unclear since no one has claimed responsibility. But suspicion may fall on separatists who have been waging a low-level insurgency in southwest Baluchistan province for decades.The buses were headed to central Punjab province, and the separatists have a history of attacking Punjabis who they view as outsiders encroaching on their independence. The province is also home to many Islamic militants who have carried out attacks in the past, especially on minority Shiite Muslims.

Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri is said to have ordered terrorist attack

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the head of the terrorist group’s Yemen affiliate to carry out an attack, according to intercepted communications that have led to the closure of U.S. embassies and a global travel alert, said a person briefed on the case.

In one communication, Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden, gave “clear orders” to Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the founder of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to undertake an attack, the source said. McClatchy newspapers first reported the exchange on Sunday.

Top Pak cop likens Taliban, police relationship to that of 'bowler and batsman'!

While speaking to the media on Monday, he said that the police was the batsmen as the Taliban keep bowling. Sometimes the police scores a six and many a times lose a wicket.

Inspector General Police (IGP) Ihsan Ghani of Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P) has compared the relationship between the Taliban and police as one between a batsman and a bowler.

Three killed in blast inside Karachi-bound Shalimar Express

KARACHI: Three people were reported killed in an explosion that took place inside a bogey of the Shalimar Express near Punjab province's Toba Tek Singh district on Monday.

Fifteen people were also injured in the explosion that occurred inside the Karachi-bound train which had begun its journey from Lahore.

Syria crisis can only be solved by 'striking terror with iron fist': Assad

DAMASCUS: Syria's crisis will only be solved by stamping out “terror”, President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday, in reference to rebels fighting his regime.

In a rare speech on Syrian state television, Assad also dismissed the political opposition to his regime as a “failure” that could play no role in solving the country's brutal war.

“No solution can be reached with terror except by striking it with an iron fist,” said Assad.

Blast kills nine in southern Afghanistan: officials

KANDAHAR: A roadside bomb blamed on the Afghan Taliban tore through a police vehicle in southern Afghanistan at the weekend, killing nine people and wounding 15, officials said on Monday.

The bombing took place late Sunday in the Shahjoy district of Zabul province, on the main Kabul-Kandahar road which is a hotspot of the Taliban insurgency.

Deadly wave of bombings and shootings claim 50 lives in Iraq

At least 50 people have been killed in bombings and shootings across Iraq. In the deadliest attack, a bomb in a parked car exploded in a busy market killing 14 people in central Muqdadiya, 80km (50 miles) northeast of the capital Baghdad ."I was sitting in my neighbour's shop when suddenly we heard a big explosion," said eyewitness Salim Aziz.

"I had no time to see anything, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself at the hospital and I was injured in my right hand and left leg, surrounded by dozens of wounded people," he added.A car bomb targeted a market in the centre of southern city of Basra killing at least three people, security sources told Al Jazeera.

Karzai sets conditions for Pakistan visit

Pakistan on Sunday sent its top diplomat to offer further assistance to Afghanistan's efforts to reach a deal with Taliban to end 12 years of war.

Foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz held talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and met Karzai to deliver in person the invitation from new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif -- already extended twice by telephone.

On Monday the president's office said Karzai accepted the invitation "in principle".

Karzai sets conditions for Pakistan visit

Pakistan on Sunday sent its top diplomat to offer further assistance to Afghanistan's efforts to reach a deal with Taliban to end 12 years of war.

Foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz held talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and met Karzai to deliver in person the invitation from new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif -- already extended twice by telephone.

On Monday the president's office said Karzai accepted the invitation "in principle".

Suicide bomber attacks Iraq army convoy, killing 25

A suicide bomber attacked an Iraqi army convoy in the northern city of Mosul early on Monday, killing at least 22 soldiers and three passers-by, police said.

The bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives up to a military convoy in the eastern Kokchali district of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, before blowing himself and his car up."A suicide bomber was following the convoy and when it stopped in the middle of road, he detonated his vehicle right behind it," said a policeman at the scene who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Pakistan backs Afghan-led peace process

KABUL - Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz on Sunday visited Kabul to hold talks with Afghan leadership and assured that Pakistan would extend its full support and cooperation in holding intra-Afghan talks for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

During his day-long visit, Sartaj Aziz held talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Zalmay Rasul. The two sides discussed ways to further promote bilateral relations and prospects for peace in Afghanistan.

Later addressing a press conference Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan was ready to help in holding of intra-Afghan talks for peace and stability in Afghanistan, if the Afghan leaders asked for it.

Six injured in grenade attack on police vehicle in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Four policemen and an undertrial were among six persons injured on Wednesday in a grenade attack by militants on a police vehicle in Batamaloo area of the city.

Militants lobbed a grenade on a police vehicle carrying an undertrial at busy Batamaloo bus stand around noon, police said.

The grenade landed and exploded inside the vehicle, resulting in injuries to four policemen and the undertrial Shakeel Ahmad Khatana, police said.

Pro-Assad militia kills Syrian reconciliation team in Homs village

At least six mediators have been killed by pro-government militiamen in the Syrian province of Homs, reports say.

The men were reportedly trying to broker talks between Sunni Muslims and members of the minority Alawite sect in the area when they were shot dead.

Around 300 militants across Line of Control ready for infiltration in Jammu, says Army

Jammu: Pakistan-based militant groups have intensified their infiltration attempts along the border and around 300 militants continue to be active on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), just along the Jammu region, the Army today said.

However all those infiltration attempts have been successfully foiled by the troops at the border, General officer commanding (GoC) 16 corps Lieutenant General DS Hooda said, while giving out the figures.
He said the militants are now changing the tactics and targeting Army posts at the LoC in a desperate bid to carry out infiltration.

No double standards, says Nawaz

FAISALABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said here on Monday that unlike the previous government, his government would not adopt double standards on the issue of drone attacks. The previous regime used to criticise drone attacks, but silently supported them, he said.

“We hope that drone attacks will end in the days to come,” Mr Sharif said in an address to industrialists, exporters, traders and media personnel.

Mumbai is our next target after Bodh Gaya, claims IM

A Twitter account purportedly belonging to terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s Bodh Gaya serial blasts and also warned that the next target would be Mumbai.

More than 12 hours after the early morning blasts, a tweet by @IndianMujahidin — which claims to be the IM’s official Twitter handle — said: “9 Dhamake Humne Karay (We carried out the nine blasts)”.

The tweet about Mumbai —dated July 6, a day before the Bihar blasts — reads: “Hamara Agla Target Mumbai Hai. Rock Sago Toh Rock Lo, 7 days Left (Our next target is Mumbai. Stop us if you can. Seven days left)”.

Militant commander killed in Mastung

QUETTA: A militant commander of a defunct sectarian organisation was killed in an operation conducted by security forces in Mastung district of Balochistan on Wednesday.

An intelligence official told Dawn.com on the condition of anonymity that security forces conducted an operation, which lasted for more than an hour, in Dasht area of Mastung district.

He added that two militants of the banned organisation were picked up during the operation and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition was also recovered.

Dozens hurt as car bomb hits Hezbollah Beirut stronghold

A car bomb exploded on Tuesday in a Beirut stronghold district of the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group that has been fighting in Syria’s civil war, wounding at least 38 people, a hospital official told Reuters.

Reports that one employee had been killed in the parking lot where the explosion occurred in Beirut’s southern suburbs could not be confirmed by hospital officials. Sectarian tensions in Lebanon have been high following the intervention of the Shiite Hezbollah in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces fighting a two-year revolt.