Pakistani Leader Among 29 Killed In Suicide Bombing

Islamabad :A member of the provincial assembly of Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among 29 people killed in a suicide bombing Tuesday, media reports said. Over 50 people were injured.

Independent member Imran Mohmand was killed in the blast at a funeral procession in Mardan, Geo News reported.

Police said the blast took place during the funeral procession of Haji Abdullah, a well-known figure in the area who was killed by unidentified gunmen Monday.

Provincial Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the blast was a suicide attack.

Yousafzai told Geo News there were threats against Mohmand and two policemen had been deployed for his security.

Regional police chief Jaffar Khan told Xinhua the incident took place when a suicide bomber exploded his explosives-laden jacket amid the funeral gathering in Shergarh village of Mardan.

The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital in provincial capital Peshawar.

Police chief Khan said around 10 kg of explosives were used.

Witnesses said over 500 people were present at the funeral.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack.

No group or militant organisation has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

India Becomes Kenya’s Largest Asian Trading Partner

Nairobi : India, which has a thriving diaspora in Kenya estimated at 100,000, became the East African nation’s biggest trading partner in Asia in 2012, surpassing China, a government document says.

India exported to Kenya goods worth $240 million, way ahead of Asia’s biggest economy China, which exported goods valued at $148 million.The figure represents a growth of around 30 percent when compared to 2011.

The figures, according to Kenya’s National Economic Survey 2013, represented 18 percent of Kenya’s imports in 2012, asserting India’s growing influence in the east African region.

Exports to Kenya, according to Indian High Commissioner Sibabrata Tripathi, included petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, steel products, hand and machine tools, yarn, vehicles and paper.

Kenya, on the other hand, exported soda ash, coffee, leather, vegetables, synthetic fibers, wool, cereals and metal scrap to India.

While the figures seem impressive for a small economy like Kenya, with a population of 40 million, Tripathi said they represented less than one percent of India’s total global exports.

“A number of factors contribute to the growing trade between India and Kenya. Relative proximity of the two countries, particularly of ports on the west coast of India, and the quality of Indian products at an affordable cost are among the major factors,” the high commissioner said.

“Close attention is paid by Indian exporters to the specificities of the Kenyan market. The commonality of business language in the two countries also helps,” added Tripathi. Much of the Indian diaspora has its origins in Gujarat and Punjab.

He said Kenya was emerging as a market for Indian tour operators, with some 60,000 of the one million tourists who visited Kenya in 2011 being from India, compared to 47,000 in 2010.

The growth has been spurred by increased direct flights between Delhi/Mumbai and Nairobi, with Kenya Airways and Emirates operating regular flights on these sectors.

“The wildlife safaris of Kenya are increasingly becoming an attractive destination for Indian tourists since they have remained relatively unexplored so far”, Tripathi told IANS.

There was also growing Indian interest in Kenya as an investment destination in areas like communications, petroleum refining, floriculture and medical diagnostics.

Already some 40 Indian firms, including a bank, are operating in Kenya, using the country as a launch pad to the 100 million strong East African Community and the wider Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Among the major companies operating in Kenya are Tata Chemicals, which owns Magadi Soda Ash Company, oil firm Essar and Airtel. The Bank of India has four branches in Kenya.

A major Indian hospital was also planning to open a diagnostic facility in Nairobi, which could cut down on visits to Indian hospitals by Kenyans seeking specialised treatment.

Kenya and the East African region have benefited greatly from Indian education, with thousands of students going through Indian universities via scholarships since the 1960s, a trend that picked in the 1980s.

NATO Hands Over Security To Afghans

London:  NATO Tuesday handed over security to Afghan forces for the whole of Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.
At a ceremony in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that from Wednesday “our own security and military forces will lead all the security activities”, BBC reported.

Tuesday’s ceremony saw the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) hand over control of the last 95 districts in a transition process that began in 2011.

The last remaining districts include 13 in Kandahar province – where the Taliban movement began – and 12 each in Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika, along the border with Pakistan.

International troops will remain in Afghanistan till the end of 2014, providing military back-up when needed.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Taliban have told the BBC that the outfit was opening an office in Qatar capital Doha, possibly Tuesday.

Karzai said he would be sending representatives to Qatar to discuss peace with the outfit.

Karzai called it an historic day and a moment of personal pride.

“This has been one of my greatest desires and pursuits, and I am glad that I, as an Afghan citizen and an Afghan president, have reached this objective today,” BBC quoted Karzai as saying.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Afghan forces were taking up the role with “remarkable resolve” but said there was still 18 months of hard work ahead for ISAF troops.

“We will continue to help Afghan troops in operations if needed, but we will no longer plan, execute or lead those operations, and by the end of 2014 our combat mission will be completed,” Fogh Rasmussen said.

The number of Afghan security forces has increased from less than 40,000 six years ago to nearly 350,000 at present.

ISAF currently has about 97,000 troops in Afghanistan from 50 contributing nations, the bulk of whom – around 68,000 – are from the US.

By the end of 2014, all combat troops will leave and may be replaced by smaller forces that will only train and advise.

Woman Jailed In Italy For Dumping Baby In Toilet

Rome:  A court in Rome Tuesday sentenced a young Romanian woman to four years in prison on attempted murder charges after she abandoned her newborn baby inside a toilet in a restaurant.
Andreia Grancea, 21, gave birth to the baby in the restaurant in Rome in December last year.

She fled the scene, and the baby was rescued by two girls who entered the toilet minutes later.

The case is similar to the Chinese baby who survived in May after being flushed down a squat lavatory by his 22-year-old single mother.

India-Born Amol Rajan Is Editor Of London’s The Independent

London:  Indian-born Amol Rajan has been appointed editor of the London morning daily The Independent, making him Fleet Street’s first non-white editor, the newspaper reported Monday.
Rajan, 29, was previously the daily’s comment editor.

Oliver Duff, who was executive editor and news editor of The Independent, has been named editor of sister title, i, while another executive editor, Lisa Markwell, has been named editor of The Independent on Sunday.

This means two women and two men will serve as editors of the four titles owned by Evgeny Lebedev.

Sarah Sands is the editor of the group’s fourth title, the Evening Standard.

The Independent’s previous editor, Chris Blackhurst, has been given the new post of group content director, charged with the responsibility of overseeing editorial output and content creation across the newspapers, the website, and London Live TV scheduled to be launched next spring.

“Our businesses are at a critical stage and a bold approach is needed for our industry,” Lebedev was quoted as saying in a statement after the new appointments.

“Today I am continuing this approach by appointing as editors two highly talented young journalists. Their energy, creativity and resourcefulness will invigorate both The Independent and i.”

He added that the group’s goal “is to develop a pioneering and integrated newsroom for the 21st century, providing print, digital and television output 24/7”.

According to the Huffington Post, Rajan, who is a columnist for the Evening Standard, has long been seen as a potential future editor.

He had previously served as deputy comment editor and sports and news correspondent in the newspaper.

According to the Post report, he is also a keen cricket fan, and has authored a book on cricket’s best spin bowlers.

Rajan, who was born in Calcutta, as Kolkata was then called, moved to Britain when he was three and studied at a state school.

2018 FIFA World Cup.

Moscow:  Nearly 70 percent of Russia’s population of 140 million will be involved in the preparation and execution of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking Thursday, Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko however did not explain how the massive workforce would be apportioned out but said jobs would be created through the construction or renovation of 12 World Cup stadiums in 11 Russian host cities.

He noted transportation and tourism infrastructure would be developed over the next three years, also creating jobs.

For example, only Moscow, Sochi, St. Petersburg and Kazan meet the FIFA requirement of 60,000 hotel rooms for host cities, World Cup deputy CEO Alexander Djordjadze said last month.
Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don and Saransk are lagging behind.

The sports ministry has said it will need $44 billion to organise the FIFA World Cup which runs from June 8 to July 8, 2018. Individual regions have already asked for federal funding to improve antiquated roads and transportation hubs, including airports.

Prime minister Dmitry Medvedev Thursday told his cabinet the World Cup would cost about $20 billion, with more than half coming from the federal budget

Over 90,000 Killed In Syria Conflict: UN

Paris:  The number of documented deaths resulting from the conflict in Syria between March 2011 and the end of April 2013 has reached 92,901, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay announced Thursday.

“The constant flow of killings continues at shockingly high levels – with more than 5,000 killings documented every month since last July, including a total of just under 27,000 new killings since December 1,” Pillay said.

“Unfortunately, as the study indicates, this is most likely a minimum casualty figure. The true number of those killed is potentially much higher.”

The latest study, carried out by specialists on behalf of the UN Human Rights Office, updates an earlier one which listed some 60,000 documented deaths up to Nov 30, 2012.

It was conducted using a combined list of 263,055 reported killings, the final results only listing victims fully identified by name, as well as the date and location of the death.

Any reported killing that did not include at least these three elements was excluded from the list, which was compiled using data from eight different sources, UNHRO said in a statement on its website.

The statistical analysts who produced the report noted that despite the possibility of some duplicate or erroneously reported deaths being included, the total is likely to be an underestimate of the actual toll.

“This conclusion is based on the fact that 37,988 reported killings containing insufficient information were excluded from the analysis, and that there is a strong likelihood that a significant number of killings may not have been reported at all by any of the eight sources,” UNHRO said.

US ‘Snooping’ Outrages Young Indians

New Delhi:  Reports that India is the fifth most tracked nation by the US intelligence system has invited strong reactions from youth, who consider it an intrusion into their privacy.

A recent revelation by the UK-based Guardian newspaper about the extensive spying operations of the United States National Security Agency has exposed the regular interception and monitoring of electronic communications between ordinary people across several countries, including India.

“People share their most intimate details over the Internet. To think it is being spied upon is absolutely shocking,” Salma Sultana Ahmed, 23, a student of mass communication, told IANS.

“The level of insecurity will increase after this episode,” she said.

Prashanth Perumal, 24, a media professional, felt the reasons given by the US government that its agencies snooped around in India for security considerations, does not hold ground when ordinary citizens with no past criminal record are subject to surveillance.

“What danger does a common man pose to the mighty US? It already has wide-ranging tracking mechanisms specifically intended for people with questionable backgrounds. To spy on entire sections of society is unacceptable,” Perumal said.

Shrikant, 25, an architectural designer, was more emphatic in his criticism, and said that the US’ move was ironical.

“It is not surprising that they (US) have done this. Many countries in the past have demonstrated their snooping capability citing security reasons. It is ironical that a country like the US which promotes individual liberty as a value does this,” he told IANS.

According to Sudarshan, dean, School of Government and Public Policy at O.P. Jindal Global University, the entire episode has surprised the Indian government.

“As a individual, I find it totally undesirable and unfortunate. The fact that the Indian government has chosen to respond in a formal manner shows the seriousity of the allegations,” he told IANS.

“The US is a country of paradoxes. On one hand they preach and promote personal liberties but recent events show their poor track record in protecting the rights of people,” he added.

Oprah Winfrey Donates 12 mn Pounds For Museum

Los Angeles:  Actress-talk show host Oprah Winfrey is donating 12 million pounds to help build Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

The 59-year-old star will have the facility’s 350-seat theatre named after her as a special thanks, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“I am so proud of African American history and its contributions to our nation as a whole. I am deeply appreciative of those who paved the path for me and all who follow in their footsteps,” said Winfrey.

“By investing in this museum, I want to help ensure that we both honour and preserve our culture and history, so that the stories of who we are will live on for generations to come,” she added.

Winfrey, who has been a member of the museum’s advisory council since 2004, previously donated one million pounds to the museum in 2007.

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director, said: “We are inspired and profoundly grateful for Ms. Winfrey’s generosity at this important time.”

“Her gifts will forever be associated with harnessing the power of art and creative expression to build bridges between cultures and enrich people’s lives,” he added.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is currently under construction and is set to open in late 2015.

Five Terrorist Suspects Arrested In Spain

 Madrid:  Police in Barcelona arrested five people of Tunisian origin on suspicion of terrorist activities Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

Spain’s Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz confirmed that the operation was aimed at neutralizing the “threat of lone wolves”, and added that the five men had spent time using internet to spread speeches from Osama bin Laden or Al Zarqawi, videos of terrorist attacks and instructions on how to prepare explosive devices.

The interior ministry said police discovered a large quantity of material, among which were 400 archives of photos, videos and texts with images of attacks, speeches from radical leaders and training instructions as well as links to websites connected to or with a close relationship to Al Qaeda.

The ministry adds that those arrested have undergone “a serious process of self-radicalization”, which had “caused them to fully embrace the thesis of jihadi salafism”. They had been under investigation since the start of 2012.

Wednesday’s arrests in Barcelona take to 10 the number of suspected Islamist terrorists arrested in Spain this year. The last two arrests took place on April 23 in the cities of Zaragoza and Murcia with the detention of two suspected members of a cell of the group Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb.