Shahbaz opposes new provinces on ethnic basis

LAHORE: Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif says he is not against new provinces, adding they should be formed on administrative grounds.

Speaking to newsmen on his return from a private visit to London today, Sharif opposed the idea of creation of new provinces on the ethnic basis. He, however, supported the establishment of more provinces on administrative basis. TrendPK

Balochistan CM sacks Jaffer George

QUETTA: Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani dismissed the Minister for minority affairs Jaffer George from his office, Geo News reported Sunday.

According to government sources, the Balochistan CM sacked the minority affairs minister on receipt of report from the government of Punjab; however, he would continue as the member of provincial assembly.

It should be mentioned that George was arrested for making a scene overnight in Lahore. A complaint against him was lodged at Lahore’s Qila Gujjar Singh police station; however, he was released after arrest.

Pak student dead in Kyrgyz violence

KARACHI: Ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan has left a Pakistani dead among 82 others and more than a thousand wounded, Geo News reported Sunday.

A Pakistani student was killed in the ethnic riots in the second largest city Osh of the country.

It should be mentioned that there are some other Pakistani medical students stranded who have no more live links with their families and government of Pakistan.

Talking to Geo News, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, ‘All channels are being employed for assistance and the government is in persistent contact with our ambassador in Kyrgyzstan.’

He said the slain student belonged to Jhang, adding the remaining students are staying back for their examinations.

At least 1500 Pakistani students are in the country; however, there is no confirmed information in this regard, he added.

‘We are trying our level best to get confirmed report. A student lost his life,’ Qureshi said regretting the incident.

Strong earthquake shakes northern Japan

TOKYO: A strong earthquake rattled northern Japan on Sunday, and authorities said no tsunami was expected in the area.

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Strong earthquake shakes northern Japan

Ethnic rioting spreads in Kyrgyzstan, 80 dead

OSH, Kyrgyzstan: Ethnic violence is spreading across southern Kyrgyzstan, where at least 80 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded.

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Ethnic rioting spreads in Kyrgyzstan, 80 dead

Dozens Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks off Lebanon

TRIPOLI: Dozens of people were missing on Thursday after a ship carrying livestock sank in the Mediterranean off Lebanon in stormy weather, Lebanese naval sources said.

They said three U.N. peacekeeping vessels — one Italian and two German –, Lebanese army rescue boats and Cyprus-based British forces were in the area trying to save the crew of Panamanian-flagged Danny II which capsized in early evening 17 km (11 miles) off the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli.

At least 19 people were rescued and the search was on for the remaining 64 who were believed to be on board. The ship was transporting 43,000 sheep from Uruguay to Tartous in Syria. The crew were mostly from the Philippines and Pakistan.

High waves and wind were hampering the night search, the sources said. Rescue workers said people could not survive more than a maximum of 10 hours in the waters in current weather conditions.

“We were asked by the Larnaca Rescue Co-Ordination Center (in Cyprus) to assist in a rescue effort in the region. We have scrambled one of our air assets to the area,” said Stuart Bardsley, a spokesman for the British bases in Cyprus.

He said the helicopter was scrambled at 2000 GMT but did not have further details on the incident. “We know the weather was pretty bad,” he said.

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has a naval task force that monitors Lebanese waters to prevent weapons from reaching the country’s Hezbollah guerrilla force, which fought a war with Israel in 2006.

Last week an Israel-bound Turkish cargo ship capsized in international waters some 80 km (50 miles) off the Lebanese shore and seven of its crew went missing.

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Dozens Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks off Lebanon was first posted on December 18, 2009 at 3:49 pm.

Blast in Northern Myanmar, 7 killed

YANGON: A bomb planted at a fair celebrating the ethnic Karen minority’s New Year holiday killed seven people and wounded 11 others, state media reported Friday.

The bomb exploded near food stalls at a festival ground in Hpa-pun in northern Karen state where celebrations were under way for the lunar Karen New Year, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported.

Myanmar’s tightly controlled state media typically reports violence several days after it occurs.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast, which the newspaper blamed on rebels from the Karen National Union.

The KNU has been fighting for more than 60 years for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government, but its strength has dwindled over the past decade because of army offensives and divisions within its ranks.

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Blast in Northern Myanmar, 7 killed was first posted on December 18, 2009 at 4:32 pm.