DUBAI: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri said the group would spare no effort to free Aafia Siddiqui as well as the hunger striking inmates at Guantanamo Bay, according to an audio recording posted on the Internet on Wednesday. “The (hunger) strike by our brothers at Guantanamo unmasks the true ugly face of (the United States of) America,” Zawahri said in an audio recording posted on an Islamist website and whose authenticity could not be verified.
Road accidents kill 24 in Karak, Nawabshah
PESHAWAR: At least 24 people, including women and children, were died in two separate traffic accidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak and Sindh’s Nawabshah towns in Pakistan on Tuesday.At least 17 people, including three children, burned to death in northwest Pakistan when a gas cylinder exploded on a bus after it collided with a truck, officials said. The bus was carrying passengers to the city of Bannu when the collision happened on a highway around 140 kilometres (87 miles) from Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Egypt’s ousted Morsi ‘well’: EU’s Ashton
CAIRO: EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met Egypt’s ousted president on Tuesday, saying he was “well,” but the country’s political crisis seemed no closer to resolution despite her efforts. Neither the interim government nor supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi showed any indication that they had shifted their positions after talks with Ashton, who left Cairo on Tuesday. And Morsi loyalists said they would continue their demonstrations throughout the day, despite stern warnings from the military and National Defence Council and the deaths of 82 people at a protest on Saturday.
53 million dollar jewellery heist shocks Cannes
CANNES: A robber carrying an automatic pistol stole jewellery and watches worth millions of euros from the luxury Carlton Hotel in Cannes on Sunday, police and judicial sources said. A man wearing gloves, with his face hidden by a scarf, burst into the hotel in the late morning and demanded to be handed several bags containing jewels and diamond-encrusted watches. “Everything happened very quickly,” a judicial source said, adding that there was no violence.
Pakistanis to submit 3,000-pound bonds for British visas
LAGOS: Britain’s Home Office confirmed Monday it will demand a 3,000-pound ($4,630) refundable bond for visas for “high-risk” visitors from six former colonies including Pakistan. The bond will be refunded when the visitor leaves Britain. The pilot scheme has brought warnings in Britain and abroad that it will damage trade. Britain said in a statement Monday that it will go ahead with the pilot scheme despite the outrage, charges of discrimination and warnings of retaliation.
Pakistan stocks end lower, rupee weakens, o/n rate rise
KARACHI: Pakistan’s main stock exchange closed lower on Monday, with the benchmark 100-share index of the Karachi Stock Exchange falling 0.77 per cent or 181.92 points to 23,315.15. Profit taking in cement and banking stocks caused the index to fall by 0.77 per cent. Media reports that the International Monetary Fund may insist that the government of Pakistan increase interest rates also affected investor sentiments, dealers said.
Ecuador striker Christian Benitez dies aged 27 in Qatar
QUITO: Ecuador striker Christian Benitez has died suddenly in Qatar at the age of 27, his agent Jose Chamorro said Monday.Speaking to Ecuadorian Gama TV, Chamorro claimed Benitez, known as “Chucho”, had suffered a heart-attack. He had complained of abdominal pains and was transferred to a hospital, where he died on Monday, Chamorro said. Benitez, who was top scorer in the Mexican league last season with Club America, had just signed for Qatari outfit El-Jaish and had travelled to the club to undergo a medical before completing his move.
Balochistan CM announces peace talks with militants
QUETTA: Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has announced to hold dialogue with all militant groups operating in the restive province of Pakistan. Speaking in the Balochistan Assembly over worsening law and order in the province on Monday, Dr Baloch said a high powered committee comprising members of the assembly would be formed to hold dialogue with all militant groups operating in Balochistan.
Mobilink-owner Vimpelcom eyeing Warid bid: sources
DUBAI: Telecoms group Vimpelcom has agreed to sell two of its sub-Saharan assets for about $100 million and is bidding for Pakistan’s mobile operator Warid Telecom, two banking sources familiar with the matter said. Vimpelcom is the major shareholder of unit Orascom Telecom, which operates under the name Mobilink in Pakistan and is the sector leader. Vimpelcom has hired Citigroup Inc to advise on the potential acquisition of Warid Telecom, put up for sale by its Abu Dhabi owners, and the bidding process has already started, the two sources said.
Pope Francis: ‘Who am I to judge’ gays?
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis reached out to gays on Monday, declaring that it is not his place to judge them – while also condemning the Vatican’s reported gay lobby as a “serious problem”. The remarks to journalists as he flew back to Rome from a high-profile trip to Brazil appeared to be more conciliatory towards homosexuals than his predecessor Benedict XVI. “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?” the pope asked.
