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LTTE brings
shipload COLOMBO, Sept 30: The LTTE has brought a shipload of heavy weapons and unloaded them at Mullaituvu in the east early this month, quoting Army intelligence, the local media has reported.....more Hi-tech broadcasting COLOMBO, Sept 30: Hi-tech electronic broadcasting equipment has been installed in the "Temple Trees" (Presidential palace) to enable Mrs Chandrika Kumaratunga to have a direct on-line broadcast of her speeches live on television and radio......more 2 suicide bombers COLOMBO, Sept 30: Sri Lankan police has claimed to have arrested two LTTE suicide bombers planning to hit specified targets in the capital ahead .....more |
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US-Taliban discusses WASHINGTON, Sept 30: A Taliban delegation met senior US officials here and discussed, without making any progress, the issues of peace,....more Committee formed to ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: Pakistan’s military Government has constituted a committee to probe into....more Pak provincial ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: A Minister in Pakistan’s Punjab province has resigned reportedly over his.....more |
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LTTE brings shipload of heavy weapons COLOMBO, Sept 30: The LTTE has brought a shipload of heavy weapons and unloaded them at Mullaituvu in the east early this month, quoting Army intelligence, the local media has reported. These weapons, including long-range weapons, artillery rounds and mortars were suspected to have been purchased from a South American country. A defence top brass has been quoted as saying the consignment has been brought down by the LTTE to face the Army fire power that has increased by 50 per cent since the fall of the Elephant Pass having. Launched unceasing Waves IV. Only two days back, more than 100 mortar rounds were fired by the ltte in the Weli Oya General Area. With the Army also hell-bent on recapturing areas lost to the tigers in April and the tigers commencing fresh attacks, the intensity of the war is likely to be increased in the coming days, especially before the October ten polls. It is significant the Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremenayake during one of the election meetings had said that the Army would take back the Elephant Pass from the tigers. (UNI) |
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Hi-tech
broadcasting equipment installed in COLOMBO, Sept 30: Hi-tech electronic broadcasting equipment has been installed in the "Temple Trees" (Presidential palace) to enable Mrs Chandrika Kumaratunga to have a direct on-line broadcast of her speeches live on television and radio. This has been done to enable the President to address various sectons of the people all over the country as she has been advised not to undertake any election campaign meetings due to a threat to her life. For the October ten parliamentary elections, Mrs Kumaratunga has not addressed any public rallies or meetings except attending a few party supporters meetings. The main election campaign is being undertaken by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremenayake. An opposition Parliamentarian has charged that holding elections meetings on temple trees premises is an abuse of power. While opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is going round the country and addressing public meetings, the ruling Peoples’ Alliance leader is electioneering in the backyard of temple trees by bringing in people by Government company buses, said Mr A H M Azwer. "The President sets life in film settings, switching from one scene to the other by replacing different decor to address farmers, fishermen, Government servants, teachers and students," the local media quoted him as saying. (UNI) |
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2 suicide bombers with explosives held in Colombo COLOMBO, Sept 30: Sri Lankan police has claimed to have arrested two LTTE suicide bombers planning to hit specified targets in the capital ahead of the October 10 parliamentary polls in the island nation. They also seized two suicide jackets packed with plastic explosives from the two who were nabbed while being transported here from a Northern Vavuniya town. Police last night demonstrated seized plastic explosives to local television networks stating that the suicide jackets packed with two and a half kgs of plastic explosives were carefully concealed in a television set. One of the arrested LTTE cadre said the explosives were meant to kill former Chief Minister of north-eastern province, Varadarajah Perumal, who has taken to active politics after recently ending a nine year self-exile in India. A senior police official said the LTTE normally used around one kg of plastic explosives in the suicide jacket worn by its human bombers to target top politicians and security officials. Police speculated that there were around 23 suicide bombers in Colombo waiting to target important leaders and officials during the election campaigning. (PTI) |
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US-Taliban discusses peace, Bin Laden WASHINGTON, Sept 30: A Taliban delegation met senior US officials here and discussed, without making any progress, the issues of peace, narcotics, human rights, the rights of women and girls and international terrorist Osama Bin Laden, a State Department official said. The discussions between the Taliban delegation, led by deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrahman Zahid, and Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering and Assistant Secretary of State Karl F Inderfurth yesterday was "frank, and straightforward" States Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters. "I cannot characterise anything as being progress," he said. Each side explained clearly its position. They have had discussions in the past and they look forward to further talks in the future, the spokesman said. "They explained their position. I wouldn’t say whether we accepted it or not. I think it is quite clear we don’t agree on those subjects," Boucher said. Asked whether the issue of expelling Bin Laden to a third country, so that he can be tried as a terrorist, was raised, Boucher said: "the issue of Bin Laden was discussed. We raised it in terms of the UN resolution, which calls for his expulsion for trial." He said the Taliban did not raise the issue of recognition to its Government in Afghanistan. (PTI) |
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Committee formed to probe extra-judicial killings ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: Pakistan’s military Government has constituted a committee to probe into the allegations of extra-judicial killing of the workers of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and implicating them in false criminal cases. The committee, to be headed by the Home Secretary, Sindh, would include the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and representatives from the provincial police and other relevant agencies. Officials say the decision to constitute the committee was taken in the light of MQM leader Shaikh Aftab Ahmed’s meeting with military ruler General Pervez Musharraf some time ago. He said Aftab had apprised Gen Musharraf of alleged extra-judicial killing of the MQM workers and implicating them in fabricated cases by the previous Governments. The official said the first meeting of the committee would be held on October three in Karachi. He said it would also submit its recommendations to the Government about the fate of the cases registered against the MQM workers. It is for the first time that the Government has constituted a committee to look into the MQM’s complaints on a case-to-case basis. The official said if the cases were found false, arrangements would be made to set the arrested accused free after completing due process of law. (PTI) |
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Pak provincial Minister resigns ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: A Minister in Pakistan’s Punjab province has resigned reportedly over his differences with the State Government’s move to retrench its employees. However, Shafqat Mahmood said he had resigned due to personal reasons. Mahmood, an ex-Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Senator, was appointed Information Minister of the province after the military coup last year. The PPP had expelled Mehmood after joining the Cabinet. The Governor has approved the resignation of Mahmood, a Government statement said. It is not known who will replace him. Punjab is Pakistan’s largest and most populous province and home of ousted Premier Nawaz Sharif, who is serving two concurrent life terms for hijacking and terrorism. (PTI) |
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