Zardari, army chief were aware of Osama's whereabouts
Pakistan's top civilian and military leadership knew about Osama bin Laden's presence in the country much before the United States navy SEALs killed him in a raid in Abbottabad in May 2011, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, the defence minister at the time, said on Tuesday. Mukhtar told CNN-IBN that President Asif Ali Zardari, then army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the joint chief of staff were aware that the Al Qaeda leader was living in Abbottabad. Mukhtar’s comments run contrary to Pakistan's claims that it was unaware of Bin Laden’s presence until the US raid.
Russia rejects Dutch MH17 crash report
Russia was quick to dismiss a Dutch investigation report that concluded that the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukrainian airspace in July last year, was hit by a Soviet-made surface-to-air Buk missile. The report followed a 15-month investigation by the Dutch Safety Board, which was released on Tuesday to some of the relatives of the 298 victims of the crash. The report said that the missile detonated very close to the cockpit of the aircraft, killing the two pilots and purser immediately. Some of the passengers may have survived for 60-90 seconds before the aircraft crashed, it said. Russia, however, called the report an obvious “attempt to make a biased conclusion, in essence to carry out a political order.”
3 killed, 5 injured in Jerusalem violence
In what was the worst day of violence since the escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestine in mid-September, three people were killed and five more injured in two separate incidents in Jerusalem on Tuesday. In the first incident, two Palestinians armed with a knife and a gun launched a deadly attack on a bus, killing two Israelis and injuring three more. Almost simultaneously, an assailant rammed a car into a bus stop and proceeded to stab bystanders, killing one and injuring two others. The violence began last month with clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and quickly spread across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Myanmar may postpone elections
The landmark Myanmar general elections due for November could be postponed due to the worst flooding in decades in the country, following a discussion between the country’s election commission and political parties on Tuesday. More than 100 people have been killed and over a million "critically affected" by the flooding in recent months, according to the government and the United Nations. The upcoming elections are considered a milestone in the country's transition from a military dictatorship to democracy. President Thein Sein's had invited hundreds of international leaders to witness Myanmar’s first free and fair vote in 25 years.
Turkey launches probe into bombings
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday ordered a special state investigation into the Ankara suicide bombings last week, which killed 97 people. Erdogan said he had received intelligence reports indicating the attack had its origins in Syria. The Turkish government has maintained that the Islamic State militant group is the prime suspect behind what was the deadliest terror attack in the country, which saw two suicide bombers blow themselves up in a crowd of leftist and pro-Kurdish activists during a peace rally.
he worst flooding in decades in the country
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Pakistan's top civilian and military leadership knew about Osama bin Laden's presence in the country much before the United States navy SEALs killed him in a raid in Abbottabad in May 2011, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, the defence minister at the time, said on Tuesday. Mukhtar told CNN-IBN that President Asif Ali Zardari, then army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the joint chief of staff were aware that the Al Qaeda leader was living in Abbottabad. Mukhtar’s comments run contrary to Pakistan's claims that it was unaware of Bin Laden’s presence until the US raid.
Russia rejects Dutch MH17 crash report
Russia was quick to dismiss a Dutch investigation report that concluded that the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukrainian airspace in July last year, was hit by a Soviet-made surface-to-air Buk missile. The report followed a 15-month investigation by the Dutch Safety Board, which was released on Tuesday to some of the relatives of the 298 victims of the crash. The report said that the missile detonated very close to the cockpit of the aircraft, killing the two pilots and purser immediately. Some of the passengers may have survived for 60-90 seconds before the aircraft crashed, it said. Russia, however, called the report an obvious “attempt to make a biased conclusion, in essence to carry out a political order.”
3 killed, 5 injured in Jerusalem violence
In what was the worst day of violence since the escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestine in mid-September, three people were killed and five more injured in two separate incidents in Jerusalem on Tuesday. In the first incident, two Palestinians armed with a knife and a gun launched a deadly attack on a bus, killing two Israelis and injuring three more. Almost simultaneously, an assailant rammed a car into a bus stop and proceeded to stab bystanders, killing one and injuring two others. The violence began last month with clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and quickly spread across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Myanmar may postpone elections
The landmark Myanmar general elections due for November could be postponed due to the worst flooding in decades in the country, following a discussion between the country’s election commission and political parties on Tuesday. More than 100 people have been killed and over a million "critically affected" by the flooding in recent months, according to the government and the United Nations. The upcoming elections are considered a milestone in the country's transition from a military dictatorship to democracy. President Thein Sein's had invited hundreds of international leaders to witness Myanmar’s first free and fair vote in 25 years.
Turkey launches probe into bombings
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday ordered a special state investigation into the Ankara suicide bombings last week, which killed 97 people. Erdogan said he had received intelligence reports indicating the attack had its origins in Syria. The Turkish government has maintained that the Islamic State militant group is the prime suspect behind what was the deadliest terror attack in the country, which saw two suicide bombers blow themselves up in a crowd of leftist and pro-Kurdish activists during a peace rally.
he worst flooding in decades in the country
