KIEV:

A Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by militants today, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The aircraft, which other sources said was a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, came down near the city of Donetsk, stronghold of pro-Russian rebels, Anton Gerashchenko said, adding that it was hit by a ground-to-air  missile.

There was no further confirmation of the report, although Ukrainian officials said local residents had found wreckage.

Malaysia Airlines said on its Twitter feed it had lost contact with its flight MH-17 from Amsterdam. ‘The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace,’ it said.

Gerashchenko was quoted as saying: ‘A civilian airliner travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has just been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft system … 280 passengers and 15 crew have been killed.’

Interfax-Ukraine quoted another Ukrainian official as saying the plane disappeared from radar when it was flying at 10,000 metres (33,000 feet), a typical cruising altitude for airliners.

It came down at Torez, near Shakhtersk, some 40 km (25 miles) from the Russia border. The area has been the scene of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels.

Ukraine has accused Russia of taking an active role in the four-month-old conflict in recent days and accused it earlier today of shooting down a Ukrainian fighter jet – an accusation that Moscow denied.

(AGENCIES)

KIEV: A Malaysian airliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in east Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are battling government forces, Russian and Ukrainian news agencies reported today, citing aviation and security sources.

The Boeing passenger liner came down close to town of Shaktarsk in the rebellion-wracked region of Donetsk after disappearing from the radar and teams from the emergency services were trying to reach the scene, an unnamed security source told Interfax-Ukraine news agency. (Agencies)

KABUL : Gunmen carried out a pre-dawn rocket attack on Kabul International Airport today, temporarily shutting down the facility and setting off a gunbattle with security forces in which four attackers were killed, officials said.

The militants occupied two buildings which were under construction some 700 metres north of the facility, and were using them as a base to direct rockets and gunfire toward the airport and international jet fighters flying over Kabul, said Afghan army Gen Afzal Aman.

Kabul Police Chief Mohammed Zahir Zahir later said four of the attackers were killed and that the attack was halted without any civilian or police casualties.

The airport was later reopened and operations returned to normal, Zahir said, after security forces inspected the runways for shrapnel and explosives.

The pre-dawn attack comes during a tense time in Afghanistan, as a recount is underway from the disputed second round of a presidential election seen as key to insuring a peaceful transfer of power ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of the year.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the airport attack in a call to The Associated Press.

Aman said several rockets hit the airport but no planes were damaged.

The airport hosts civilian traffic and serves as a base for NATO-led forces that have been fighting the Taliban and other insurgents for more than a decade. Rocket attacks near the airport are not rare, but are not usually this close.

Alarms sounded at the US Embassy in Kabul, as they usually do when there is an attack in the city, as ISAF jet fighters patrolled overhead.

The attack came nearly a week after US Secretary of State John Kerry helped broker a deal to carry out a full audit of last month’s presidential runoff following allegations of fraud by supporters of both candidates.

Unofficial and disputed preliminary results showed former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai well ahead of his rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, but Abdullah’s supporters have said that is only because of widespread fraud.

On Tuesday a suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives near a busy market and a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, killing dozens of people in one of the deadliest insurgent attacks on civilians since the 2001 US-led invasion to topple the Taliban. (AGENCIES)

SRINAGAR, July 17:
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sanctioned ex-gratia relief of Rs one lakh each for the deceased in the two accidents in Srinagar and Kishtwar which claimed 15 lives yesterday.
He has also sanctioned Rs 10,000 each for the injured.
The Chief Minister expressed deep sorrow over the accidents and conveyed solidarity to the bereaved families.
In his condolence message, the Chief Minister also conveyed his sympathy to them and prayed for peace to the departed souls. He too prayed for early recovery of the  injured.
Seven people were killed and two other were injured when an Army vehicle and a passenger cab collided at Shalteng Srinagar, while eight people were killed in Kishtwar accident yesterday. (AGENCIES)

JAMMU, July 16:
Pakistan Rangers violated ceasefire again by firing on outposts along the International Border in Jammu district, prompting Indian troops to retaliate.
Pakistani troops fired at Border Out Posts (BOPs) in Arnia forward area in R S Pura at 2030 hours yesterday just hours after a BSF trooper was killed in an earlier ceasefire violation by border guards on the other side.
“Pakistan Rangers after a brief lull resorted to firing on BoPs along IB in forward belt of Arnia in R S Pura tehsil of Jammu district around 2030 hours yesterday,” a BSF officer said today.
Border Security Force (BSF) troops of 192 Battalion took positions and retaliated back resulting in exchanges which were still going on in the area intermittently when the reports last came from the area, he said.
“There was no loss of life or injuries to anyone in these exchanges,” the officer said.
This is the fourth ceasefire violation by Pakistan this month. BSF authorities have asked all the border guards to be alert on their posts and forward BoPs.
A BSF trooper was killed and six, three of them security force personnel, were injured when Pakistan Rangers fired heavily at Indian forward positions along the International Border in Jammu district yesterday.
The Pakistani border guards fired at forward Pittal outpost in Arnia forward area in R S Pura at around 1115 hours yesterday without any provocation.
Constable Sanjay Dhar, belonging to 192 BSF Battalion, was killed and three BSF jawans and as many labourers were injured in the firing by Pakistani Rangers. The labourers were engaged in agriculture activity.
Senior BSF officers had yesterday reviewed the situation in wake of truce violation by Pakistan.
The ceasefire violations came after the two sides held a flag meeting at Chambiliyal BOP in Samba district on Tuesday to discuss removal of wild bushes along the zero line and adjoining areas to improve visibility during patrolling.
On July 1, Pakistan troops resorted to heavy firing with automatic and small weapons on Indian posts along the LoC in Mendhar forward area in Poonch district.
On July 12, Pakistan Rangers targeted the Indian posts in Pindi belt along the International Border with small weapons.
In June, Pakistan violated the ceasefire five times along LoC and IB in Jammu region. There were 19 incidents of ceasefire violation along the LoC in April-May. (AGENCIES)

JAMMU :  Director General, Border Security Force (BSF) D K Pathak today reviewed security along Indo-Pak International Border (IB) in Arnia sector of Jammu.    Mr Pathak arrived in Jammu and visited the border to assess the situation on the ground where Pakistani rangers yesterday fired on forward Indian posts in which one BSF jawan was killed and seven others got injured.
“I am here to review the situation which at present is peaceful,” Mr Pathak told reporters during his border visit.    He said BSF is effectively retaliating the fire from across the border.
The DG BSF later also visited the Government Medical College and Hospital here to inquire the well-being of injured jawans and civilians in Pak firing.
(AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI :  In the wake of reported incursion attempts by China, India today said such incidents take place due to difference of perception about boundary and leaders of both the countries are in talks to resolve the issue.
“Incursions along the border take place due to the difference of perception about boundary,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters here.
Singh was reacting to reports that Chinese troops had made two incursion attempts in the past few days in Demchok and Chumar areas of Ladakh sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
The incursion bids by the Chinese People’s Liberation (PLA) came even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised on the need to find a solution to the Boundary Question during their meeting in Fortaleza in Brazil on Tuesday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
The Home Minister said heads of both the countries are in talks on border issues and how to resolve it.
Singh said such incursions had taken place in the past too when the Chinese side entered into Indian territory and were pushed back by Indian security personnel. “Sometimes they enter and our forces push them back,” he said.
The latest incident occurred in Charding Nilu Nullah Junction in Demchok sector on Tuesday when PLA personnel entered the area on their vehicles in the wee hours claiming it to be Chinese territory, official sources had said.
The PLA soldiers who wanted to have a round of the area were stopped by the Indian army and personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police, a force which guards the India-China border.
After a 30-minute long stand-off followed by a banner drill where armies of both the countries warned each other against moving a step forward, the PLA personnel returned to their side, the sources said.
The Chinese troops, riding on horses, had earlier entered through Chumar, located 300 km east of Leh, on July 13 only to be confronted by Indian soldiers and after the usual banner drill between the two sides, the PLA patrol went back.
Chumar has been an epicentre of heightened activities of the PLA who had been making increased attempts to enter through this region as India has a dominance in this sector. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI :  India today said it remains committed to building peaceful and friendly ties with Pakistan and expects it to abide by the commitment to prevent its territory and territory under its control from being used for terrorism against India.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha on the government’s policies and programmes for enhancing bilateral relationship with SAARC countries, Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V K Singh said India will continue to engage pro-actively with all members of the grouping.
On Pakistan, he said the government remains committed to building peaceful, friendly and cooperative ties with Pakistan in an environment free from terror and violence.
“It is India’s desire to intensify and accelerate the process of trade normalisation and implement the steps agreed in September 2012 at the Commerce Secretary level,” he said.
The Minister said the government hopes that bilateral relations with Pakistan will progress in economic, cultural and political fields in the same manner that India’s relations with her other SAARC neighbours have progressed in the recent years, built on partnerships for development and mutual prosperity.
“It is India’s expectation that Pakistan abides by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory under its control from being used for terrorism against India,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, underlining that India has a close strategic partnership with Afghanistan covering a broad spectrum of areas including an active role in providing development and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan, he said New Delhi is working with Kabul for its regional integration with the SAARC economy.
Regarding Bangladesh, Singh said that bilateral relations
have received a major boost in recent years and both sides have agreed on a Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development that lays down the road map for future cooperation.
On Nepal, the Minister said key focus areas for further intensification of bilateral ties in the years ahead include hydro-power development, enhanced development cooperation, trade and connectivity as well as close security cooperation, among others.
Referring to ties with Sri Lanka, he said India greatly values its relations with the island nation.
In the recent past, bilateral cooperation has seen significant acceleration and expansion in all areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, he said.
“India has taken up the issue of expediting the process of national reconciliation in a manner that meets the aspirations of the Tamil community. Other important issues taken up include early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment and beyond, fishermen’s issue,” he said. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI :  The Gaza situation rocked Rajya Sabha for the second consecutive day today with a determined opposition demanding an immediate discussion even as Chairman Hamid Ansari said the matter can be taken up at a later date while rejecting the government’s plea against a debate.
Giving his ruling on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s request made yesterday, Ansari said, “I am unable to accede to the request of the Minister” and cited rules in favour of the notices given by the opposition in this regard.
Swaraj had opposed any debate on the issue arguing it is not admissible as it is not primarily concern of Government of India and any discourteous remark could affect India’s relations with Israel and Palestine.
“I do not find any infirmity in the notices given by the Leader of the Opposition and others,” Ansari said, referring to the demand by the opposition for a debate.
In another ruling, he accepted the plea of Leader of the House Arun Jaitley that the issue be not taken up for discussion today and the government will communicate an appropriate date for the same soon.
“Accordingly, in view of the provisions of rule 177 read with the communication received from the leader of the House, the short duration discussion on Palestine has not been listed in today’s agenda paper,” Ansari said.
Citing rules, he said, the “the subject having been already admitted, now requires consultations with the Leader of the House to fix the next date and time for discussion.”
Not finding the issue listed in today’s business of the House, infuriated opposition members were up on their feet and in the aisles vociferously demanding that the important issue be taken up today itself.
Questioning the Chairman’s ruling, opposition members said he had no authority to change the agenda and an item listed yesterday had to be taken up first today.
The Upper House saw three adjournments in the pre-lunch session – two during Question Hour and one in Zero hour. (AGENCIES)

SRINAGAR :  Pilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine resumed from both Baltal and Nunwan Pahalgam base camps after remaining suspended for few hours in the morning due to heavy rains.
With about 11,000 pilgrims paying obeisance before the self made Ice-Lingam at the cave shrine, situated at 12000 feet above sea level, a total of about 2.55 lakh pilgrims had darshan since the commencement of the 45-day-long yatra from June 28.    Yatra officials said pilgrimage was suspended this morning following heavy rains and poor visibility.    However, after some improvement in the weather, fresh batch of yatris, including women and sadhus, left Baltal base camp for the cave shrine at 0730 hrs.
Similarly, yatra was resumed from Nunwan Pahalgam base camp at 0800 hrs, they said, adding that pilgrims, who had night halt at different halting station on traditiional Pahalgam route, have also started their journey towards the cave shrine. (AGENCIES)