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Pakistan suicide bomb attack kills 13 in Lahore |
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00 |
|  | | | (BBC) - At least 13 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, police say. More than 60 others were injured when an explosives-laden car targeted a building housing an anti-terrorist wing of the federal investigative agency. The amount of explosives was so large it brought down the two-storey building, correspondents say. Close to the country's border with India, Lahore has been hit several times by militants over the past year. Pakistan's government condemned the attack, blaming the "hired killers who want to destabilise Pakistan". |
| | | A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban told the BBC they carried out the attack.
'Total chaos'
The police said that the blast had taken place at a building housing the offices of the Special Investigation Group, an anti-terrorism wing of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Model Town area of Lahore.
The offices were used to interrogate suspected militants but officials said there were no "important suspects" in the building at the time.
A nearby religious school was also damaged.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says the emergency services are working to free those trapped under the rubble.
Passers-by, including children on their way to school, were said to be among the dead and injured.
Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore told reporters: "It was a suicide attack. We have heard that 40 to 50 people were in the [investigation agency] building when the incident happened. Rescue work is in progress."
Eyewitness Noorul Huda, a student at a religious school, said he was in class when an explosion shook the area.
"With the huge bang, blocks and pieces of the roof fell upon us and six of us were wounded," he said.
"It was total chaos outside and people were running and crying for help."
One resident, Mohammad Musharraf, told Associated Press that locals had urged the authorities to move the anti-terrorism unit as they feared it would be targeted.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, quoted by Agence France-Presse news agency, said the Taliban were involved in almost every blast in Pakistan.
"The ammunition and weapons are coming from Afghanistan."
Pakistan recently stepped up its drive against the Taliban leadership, arresting the military commander of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
A number of other top figures are also reported to have been arrested this year.
FIA offices in Lahore have been the target of two suicide attacks in recent years. More than 26 people died in those attacks.
There have been a number of other explosions in Lahore over the past year.
Last December, two bomb blasts at a busy market killed at least 48 people and injured more than 100. | |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 March 2010 07:56 )
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00 |
(Daily News) - An undertaking should be elicited from all candidates contesting the April 8 Parliamentary Election that they would not permit more liquor outlets to be opened in their areas, MEP leader and Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said yesterday.
Addressing the Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya Maharagama and Pannipitiya at the Divisional Secretariat Maharagama, he said the self-sufficient and rich indigenous economy was turned upside down by the colonial rule.
“From time immemorial the freedom of our people was defended by our national heroes whose blood, sweat and toil were given to protect our country. But during the colonial period, the country was gradually introduced to the habit of alcohol making people weak,” he said.
“President Mahinda Rajapaksa introduced the Mathata Thitha policy of discouraging the alcohol habit. We should get every candidate contesting the Parliamentary Election to give a promise that they will not allow any new wine shops or places where alcohol is served to be opened,” he said.
“During my career as a Parliamentarian I have not permitted any alcohol outlets to be opened in the electorate I represent,” the Minister said.
The Maha Sangha always worked to preserve our national tradition and the freedom of our people.
We have once again certain western powers that helped the separatist terrorists trying to meddle in the internal affairs of our country. It would be the main responsibility of the next Parliament to defeat all such efforts,” he said.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 March 2010 08:02 )
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Earthquake in Turkey kills dozens |
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00 |
| | | | (CNN) -- A pre-dawn earthquake collapsed homes and killed more than 50 people in a mountainous region of southeastern Turkey Monday, government officials said.
About 71 others were injured when the earthquake struck at 4:32 a.m., according to officials. The U.S. Geological Survey registered the quake at magnitude 5.9, while the Turkish earthquake monitoring center listed it as a 6.0.
The quake struck in Elazig province, with the village of Okcular the worst hit, according to Ozcan Yalcin, the press secretary for the province's governor. Most of the mud brick homes in the village were destroyed, he said. Villagers had buried 15 of the people that died, he added.
"The people are sad but they are calm," Yalcin said. "They lost
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| | | relatives and loved ones, they are crying, but all of their needs are being met by the state."
The quake killed 51 people, the office of the Prime Minister and Crisis Center in Elazig province said. The death toll revises an earlier report by Turkey Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek that at least 57 people had died. There was no further detail on the discrepancy.
Dozens of aftershocks, ranging up to magnitude 5.5, shook the region in the hours after the quake.
"According to the information that we got from the technical teams on the ground, there shouldn't be anyone left in the rubble by now. But the search and rescue operations are continuing," said the deputy governor of Elazig, Mehmet Ali Saglam.
"Most of the houses that were demolished in the villages are not cement houses. ... Other buildings, such as schools, were not destroyed," the deputy governor said.
"The Red Crescent is there. They are giving all kinds of help to the people. They are setting up tents. The weather is cloudy, 8 to 10 degrees Celsius (46 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit)."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on television said: "Teams from the state mass housing project have also been sent to the area to study how to rebuild the area in different methods."
Monday's quake occurred near the meeting point of two major fault lines, geologists said.
The Northern Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault juxtapose each other, in an area where other fault lines exist, said Okan Tuysuz, a professor of geology at Istanbul Technical University.
"The Anatolian plate, which is surrounded by these two different fault systems, moves every year 2.5 centimeters westwards," Tuysuz said. "And the movement of the Anatolian plate westwards creates different fault systems in this area. And the earthquake occurred in such a complex geological environment."
Turkey is periodically pummeled by deadly earthquakes. In 1999, two powerful earthquakes hit heavily populated areas near Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, killing at least 20,000 people. | |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 March 2010 07:57 )
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FORMULA 1: Exclusive Karun Chandhok Q&A: It's thrilling but surreal |
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:00 |
| | | | Coming the week before the 2010 season gets underway, the launch of the HRT team (formerly Campos) - and the announcement of second driver Karun Chandhok - was a very last-minute affair. Although he is yet to drive the car, and despite the mountain of work and obstacles still facing the team, it’s a dream come true for 26 year-old Chandhok, who had almost lost faith in realising his Formula One ambitions. The second Indian F1 driver in the history of the sport describes his thoughts as he prepares to make his debut this weekend…
Q: Karun, you’ve finally made it to Formula One racing. How do you feel?
Karun Chandhok: It’s just an unbelievable feeling! I am absolutely thrilled to be able to fulfil a lifelong dream to break into Formula One. We’ve been working for so many years for this |
| | | opportunity, and now that we’ve finally made it, it feels a bit surreal to be honest. I think it will only fully sink in that I am going to be on the same grid as world champions like Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso when I get to Bahrain.
Q: When did the negotiations with HRT start? You signed the contract at the very last minute…
KC: I had been talking to Adrian Campos since Valencia last year, but things were dragging on for various reasons. We started to look at other options, but then Colin (Kolles) called to say he was going to be taking over the running of the team. We were able to work very quickly with him and, along with Mr Ecclestone’s advice, sorted a deal out.
Q: The team has started from scratch and has signed two rookie drivers. It looks like it could be a difficult mission. Are you ready for the challenge?
KC: I am under no illusions about what we’re in for. At the end of the day, we will be a new team with two rookies and no testing at all, so the first few races will be very hard indeed. The team have some very good engineers and designers and Mr Carabante seems very committed, so as the season progresses I’m optimistic we can be in better shape. But certainly the first part will be all about getting reliability and mileage.
Q: You competed with your new team mate Bruno Senna in GP2, but what the team needs is for you two to work closely together…
KC: Yes, in fact I think we’re ideal for that. It’s rare for team mates to be friends, but Bruno and I get along very well. He and his family are great people and we’re both mature enough to deal with the pressures. At iSport we had a great working relationship with the engineers, so I think we can carry that on this year. We always had a similar style and similar requirements from the car, which is good for the engineers as they can carry out parallel programs.
Q: Is this the right moment and the right team?
KC: I believe that you have to take any opportunities life throws at you. Of course everyone wants to drive for a top team, but if the opportunity isn’t there you have to evaluate the options. Undoubtedly I would rather be racing for HRT than a test driver somewhere else under the new regulations.
Q: When you won your first GP2 race at Spa in 2008, you took your trophy and immediately went to see Mr Ecclestone. He said that he was sure that one day you would be in Formula One. Did you ever doubt his prophecy?
KC: Bernie has always been a superb pillar of support to me and my family. It’s amazing how much that man can do in a single day! This last winter has been very hard and it’s taken us a while to get a deal sorted, so there are always times when you have doubts but in the end it all worked out okay.
Q: You’re the second Indian driver to break into Formula One racing. There is already a strong fan base in India, so the excitement back home must be very strong. What feedback have you had?
KC: It’s been fantastic. I have had so many messages on my Twitter page and my website, that it’s been quite overwhelming. There has been so much support from within India and also the Indian communities around the world, who have said that they will come to the races with Indian flags to support me which is great to hear. The media have been very good over the last few days and the coverage back home has been excellent, I hear.
Q: There are just days to go until the Bahrain Grand Prix and the car hasn’t been on track yet…
KC: Well the first race will just be like a test session. Colin works more hours than most people I know and he has done an amazing job to get Dallara, Cosworth and all the people involved to work like mad and get the car ready for Bahrain. There will be problems - even the established top teams have problems during shakedowns - and our shakedown will be the first practice session on Friday, but we have to stay optimistic and battle through the first few races, before we start to see some solid results.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 March 2010 07:51 )
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