Indian soldiers stand guard outside the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in late November. Image: Google hosted news / AFP

India hands evidence on Mumbai attacks to Pakistan

AFP | Monday, January 5, 2009

NEW DELHI (AFP) — India on Monday handed to Pakistan what it said was evidence linking the country to the Islamic militants who attacked Mumbai in November, India's foreign minister announced. The government also said it was launching a major diplomatic offensive to maintain international pressure on Islamabad, which has so far rejected New Delhi's demands to extradite a list of terror suspects. "We have today handed over to Pakistan evidence of the links with elements in Pakistan of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on 26th November," Pranab Mukherjee told reporters. "What happened in Mumbai was an unpardonable crime. As far as the government of Pakistan is concerned, we ask only that it implement the bilateral commitments that it has made at the highest levels to India, and practises her international obligations," he added.

Mukherjee's deputy, Shivshankar Menon, passed the evidence to Pakistan's high commissioner (ambassador) in New Delhi and later pointed a finger of blame at the country's "establishment." "It's hard to believe that something of this scale that took so long in preparation... could occur without anybody anywhere in the (Pakistan) establishment knowing," he told reporters. Islamabad confirmed that it had received the dossier, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani again said he would take action if "credible evidence" was provided. The material includes details of the interrogation of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman -- also known as Mohammed Ajmal Kasab -- who was the lone surviving gunman and who India says is a Pakistani national.

It also details the militants' communications with "elements" in Pakistan during the attack, recovered weapons and other equipment, retrieved global positioning system data and satellite phones. "It is our expectation that the government of Pakistan will promptly undertake further investigations in Pakistan and share the results with us so as to bring the perpetrators to justice," Mukherjee said. New Delhi would share the evidence with foreign ministers around the world and would brief foreign ambassadors in New Delhi, the minister said. The November 26-29 assault on India's financial capital left 172 dead, including nine attackers. Indian officials say the banned Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba trained and equipped the 10 militants who stormed Mumbai.

Israel rebuffs a series of calls for ceasefire

Israel has rebuffed a series of international mediation efforts and vowed to press on with its military campaign for as long as Hamas continues to fire rockets from the Gaza Strip.

The Telegraph.co.uk | Monday, January 9, 2009

An Israeli soldier sits next to artillery shells. Photo: REUTERS

By Damien McElroy in Jerusalem
Last Updated: 7:54PM GMT 05 Jan 2009
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France arrived in Israel on a personal mission to broker a ceasefire. An EU delegation, consisting of the French, Czech and Swedish foreign ministers, also visited Jerusalem. After meeting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, Mr Sarkozy declared that "violence must halt" and was later due to attend a dinner with Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister. The EU delegation was politely rebuffed by Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister and a contender for the premiership in Israel's election due on Feb 10. She said the time for a ceasefire was not at hand. Miss Livni appeared to complain that the European delegation had not understood the fundamental change in Israel's outlook. "Before the military operation, Hamas targets Israelis whenever it likes and Israel shows restraint," she said. "This is no longer going to be the equation. When Israel is targeted, Israel is going to retaliate."

While Israel and Hamas each hope to emerge from the conflict with the upper hand, a cessation of violence is a distant prospect. America has conspicuously refused to put pressure on Israel but growing concern over conditions within Gaza could yet propel Israel to settle on terms with Hamas. "We don't want a band aid here," said one Israeli official. "We want a durable, lasting peace that ensures peace and calm." Tony Blair, the international envoy in the Middle East, predicted that pressure on Israel would increase as fighting stretched beyond a 10th day. "We are doing everything we possibly can to bring about an end to a situation of immense suffering and deprivation," he said. "I know over next few days there are going to be intensive diplomatic efforts. We will increase our efforts to bring about a resolution to this situation."

But foreign envoys have so far failed to find a plan that would satisfy Israel. Even if Hamas promised not to rocket Israeli territory, Israel would hold out for internationally backed "guarantees" that the group would be stripped of its capacity to attack. That would mean sealing the tunnels used to smuggle rockets into the Strip across the Egyptian border under international supervision and imposing a monitoring regime to thwart launches. The government is determined that the group does not replicate Hizbollah's successful efforts to restore its missile stocks in the aftermath of the 2006 war despite the deployment of a French and Italian-led peacekeeping force. Diplomats detected divisions between Hamas leaders inside Gaza and exiled politburo members in Syria. While the exiles indicated they were open to truce offers, the rhetoric from inside the territory was harshly hostile towards Israel.

French soldiers arresting presumed Somali pirates. Image: Google hosted news / AFP

France foils two Somali pirate attacks, holds 19: Paris

AFP | Sunday, January 4, 2009 | 3 hours ago

PARIS (AFP) — A French warship Sunday foiled attempts by Somalian pirates in the Gulf of Aden to seize two cargo vessels and intercepted 19 people, the French president's office said. "Three days after a French vessel thwarted an attack on a Panamanian cargo ship" the frigate Jean de Vienne conducted a "decisive action" against "two new attacks" it said in a statement. "The 19 Somali pirates who tried to seize the two boats were intercepted," it added, saying they carried weapons, ammunition and material for boarding ships. "They will be transferred to the Somali authorities," it added. The French defence ministry said pirates attempted to attack a Croatian and a Panamanian ship and that French forces seized assault rifles, two rocket launchers, and more than 1,000 litres of oil.

On Thursday, a French warship thwarted an attack by pirates, presumed to be Somalis, on a Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel. They arrested eight suspects to be handed over to the Somali authorities. In October, the French navy handed over nine suspected pirates to the authorities in the breakaway state of Puntland in the northeast of the country. Another 12 suspected pirates are currently being held in France. They were arrested during two separate operations to free the crew of two French yachts in April and September of last year. Somalia, which has been ravaged by civil war since 1991, has become a global hotspot for piracy in recent years. An Islamist militia which briefly controlled most of Somalia in 2006 had all but rooted out piracy but attacks surged again after the hardline movement was ousted by an Ethiopian troop invasion.

Residents inspect a collapsed hotel after an earthquake struck in Manokwari, Papua province, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. A series of powerful earthquakes at dawn killed at least three people and injured dozens more in remote eastern Indonesia on Sunday, cutting power lines and badly damaging buildings. (AP Photo/Budi Setiawan)

Series of quakes hit Indonesia, killing 4

The Associated Press | Sunday, January 4, 2009

By MURSIDIN ODE – 4 hours ago
MANOKWARI, Indonesia (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes killed at least four people and injured dozens in remote eastern Indonesia Sunday and briefly triggered fears of another tsunami in a country still recovering from 2004's deadly waves. One of the quakes — a 7.3-magnitude tremor — was felt as far away as Australia and sent small tsunamis into Japan's southeastern coast. Residents near the epicenter in Papua province rushed from their homes in search of higher ground shortly after the first 7.6-magnitude quake struck at 4:43 a.m. local time (1943 GMT), afraid that huge waves might wash over the island. The epicenter was about 85 miles (135 kilometers) from Papua's main city of Manokwari and occurred at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks.

At least four people died, dozens were injured and some 135 homes and other buildings were badly damaged or toppled in the province. Power lines fell, cutting off electricity, and the runway of Manokwari's Rendani airport was cracked, prompting the cancellation of commercial flights. The government initially issued a tsunami warning but lifted it within an hour after it was confirmed that the epicenter was on land, not water. Quakes centered onshore pose little tsunami threat to Indonesia itself, but those close to the coast can churn up large waves that sometimes reach the coastlines of other countries such as Japan. Japan reported tsunamis between 4 inches (10 centimeters) and 16 inches (40 centimeters) high hitting its shores following the temblors.

A huge quake off western Indonesia caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 230,000 people, more than half of them on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra. Four years on, the multibillion dollar rebuilding process is almost complete. Residents in Papua's Manokwari — a jumble of low-lying brick and cement structures home to 167,000 people — remained jittery late Sunday, with thousands prepared to sleep outside for fear of aftershocks. "We don't feel safe," said Simon, 32, who was staying outside with his wife and three kids. "It's just in case there are strong aftershocks." Local officials drove through the streets warning people not to return to structures that might be vulnerable if an aftershock hit.

Israeli soldiers maneuver on the Israeli-Gaza border waiting to deploy into the Gaza Strip. Image: Google hosted news / AFP

US warns against return to status quo in Gaza

AFP | Saturday, January 3, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) — President George W. Bush was briefed on the situation in Gaza where Israel sent in troops Saturday, while the United States warned any ceasefire must prevent a return to the "status quo" with Hamas. Hours after the Jewish state launched a ground incursion into the Hamas-run territory, following a deadly week-long air assault aimed at halting rocket attacks, the White House said Bush had been kept abreast of Israel's activities and US officials were in contact with Israeli, European and regional leaders. As Gaza medics reported at least 460 people killed and thousands wounded, the State Department expressed its concern for potential civilian consequences but reiterated that any ceasefire would have to bar Hamas from more attacks.

"We are working toward a ceasefire that would not allow a reestablishment of the status quo ante, where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza and to condemn the people of Gaza to a life of misery," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "It is obvious that that ceasefire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a ceasefire that is durable, sustainable, and not time limited," he said on the eighth day of the military offensive, Israel's largest since its 2006 war with Lebanon. "The United States is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation and the protection of innocents," McCormack said. "In this vein, we have expressed our concerns to the Israeli government that any military action needs to be mindful of the potential consequences to civilians."

McCormack accused Hamas, which seized power of Gaza in 2007, of staging an "illegal coup against the forces of president Mahmud Abbas," and holding "the people of Gaza hostage." "They have used Gaza as a launching pad for rockets against Israeli cities, and have contributed deeply to a very bad daily life for the Palestinian people in Gaza and to a humanitarian situation that we have all been trying to address," he said. "Hamas has made it very difficult for the people of Gaza to have a reasonable life." While European nations expressed alarm at Israel's actions and called for an urgent ceasefire, a White House spokesman Anthony Warren said Bush "was briefed this afternoon on the current situation in Gaza and the actions of the IDF" (Israeli Defense Forces).