The Daily Star: Internet Edition Wed. June 20, 2007

Vol. 5 Num 1085

Wed. June 20, 2007


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International

Taliban overrun Afghan district
Nato-led forces kill 100 people in 3 days
Taliban militants overran a district in southern Afghanistan and are pushing for control of another key area, sparking fierce clashes with Nato and Afghan forces that have left more than 100 people dead

US voices concern over Pak political crisis
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that Washington was concerned about the political crisis in Pakistan and underlined the need for "free and fair" elections.

Troops kill over 250 Afghan civilians this yr
Foreign and Afghan troops have killed nearly 250 civilians in Afghanistan this year and squandered goodwill towards the international military presence, non-government groups charged yesterday.

Sale of Russian fighter planes to Syria alarms Israel
Israel is concerned about reported Russian deliveries of advanced MiG-31 fighter planes to its enemy Syria as part of an armaments drive, the top-selling Hebrew daily reported on Tuesday.

110 people killed in N Korean explosion
Says aid group
A South Korean aid group said yesterday that about 110 people were killed in a gasoline pipeline blast 10 days ago in the northwest of North Korea.

Banking Row Over
US urges N Korea to act quickly
US envoy Christopher Hill called yesterday on North Korea to act quickly on its promises to shut a nuclear reactor, saying a long dispute over frozen funds had finally reached its end.

China slave labour scandal widens amid rampant labour abuses
China's slavery scandal widened yesterday with the state-run press reporting that young girls had been forced into prostitution at a brickyard work camp where abuse and beatings were routine.

15 killed in China storms
Torrential rains in southwest China have triggered flash floods and landslides, leaving 15 people dead and two missing, the government reported Tuesday.

Assam sounds flood alert
The Assam government on Tuesday sounded an alert after heavy monsoon rains and flash floods inundated more than a hundred villages, displacing nearly 150,000 people.

India completes talks on huge warplane deal
India has completed negotiations over an order for 126 fighter jets that could cost up to nine billion dollars, Defence Minister AK Antony said Monday.

Global warming brings early spring to Arctic: Study
In the upper reaches of Greenland, the Arctic spring comes several weeks earlier than it did a decade ago, according to a study released Monday that underscores the far-reaching impact of global warming

Sarkozy reshuffles French cabinet
President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday shook up his cabinet, putting a woman in charge of the French economy for the first time and naming a new government number two, after his party lost seats in parliamentary

Night flights to resume at main Lanka airport
Sri Lanka's only international airport is to resume around-the-clock operations after air raids by the Tamil Tiger rebels forced its closure at night, an official said yesterday.

Thailand to nominate former FM as ASEAN chief
Thailand will nominate a former foreign minister as the new secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional body, a government spokesman said.

Pakistan summons UK envoy over Rushdie award
Pakistan summoned the British ambassador to the foreign ministry yesterday, officials from both sides said, amid mounting anger at the award of a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie.

French police free hostages held by robbers in Paris bank
French police yesterday freed hostages held by armed robbers in a bank in a south Paris suburb after persuading the men to end their siege.

China surpasses US in 2006 carbon-dioxide emissions
Dutch data shows
China for the first time spewed out more carbon-dioxide emissions last year than the United States, a Dutch government research body said yesterday.

Court delays Sanjay Dutt's sentencing
An Indian anti-terror court yesterday delayed its sentencing of Bollywood film star Sanjay Dutt following a legal challenge by others convicted in connection with a series of bombings in Mumbai in 1993.