Egypt military beats protesters, fires shots

CAIRO: Military police dispersed hundreds of protesters remaining in Cairo’s Tahrir Square from of the biggest demonstrations since Hosni Mubarak was ousted using tasers and batons late on Friday night, a witness said.

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied during the day to pile pressure on the interim military rulers to meet demands including the prosecution of Mubarak.

But after the curfew, set from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., military police and state security officers surrounded the square, fired shots in the air, used tasers and batons and arrested protesters to break up the crowd, a witness told Reuters by telephone.

“They are moving in on us with very aggressive force, I can see people running in every direction,” Mohamed Fahmy, 29, said, while the sound of screaming and gun shots, which he said were fired by the police into the air, sounded in the background.

The military has enjoyed broad support since it took control of the country on February 11, but complaints against its rule are growing. Attention is now focussed on the perceived tardiness of legal measures against Mubarak and his entourage.

Mubarak and his family have been living in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since he left Cairo. The military has said the 82-year-old president, himself a former military officer, is banned from leaving the country.

“The corrupt perpetrators must be held accountable for what they have done, that is why we are here,” Fahmy said.

The military had forcibly dispersed protesters before from Tahrir Square, the main theatre for the demonstrations that swept Mubarak from power, leaving the army led by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi in charge.

In that case, the military apologised the next day, saying there had been no order to assault the protesters and called the incident unintentional. AGENCIES

Dutch police arrest Somalis over terrorism plot

Dutch police arrested 12 Somalis on Christmas Eve on suspicion of plotting an imminent terrorist attack in the Netherlands.The alleged plot was uncovered in a country seen as a potential target for militants over its former military role with NATO forces in Afghanistan and due to the growing influence of an anti-Muslim party at home.
Twelve men aged between 19 and 48 were arrested late on Friday after a message was received from the Dutch intelligence and security service AIVD, prosecutors said in a statement.
Somalis were the largest sub-Saharan asylum group in the Netherlands, most often unemployed, and young men aged between 15 and 25 were relatively often involved in criminal activities, a study commissioned by CBS found in 2005.

Judge grants appeal to free actress Lindsay Lohan

LOS ANGELES: A judge late on Friday granted an appeal to release actress Lindsay Lohan from jail less than nine hours after she was placed behind bars on a charge of violating her probation by failing a drug test.

Judge Patricia Schnegg, an assistant supervising judge in the Los Angeles courts, signed the order to free Lohan, set bail at $300,000 and ordered the “Mean Girls” actress to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet, a spokesman said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department, which runs the jails, was notified Lohan was free to go, but a spokesman was not immediately available Friday night to say whether she had been released.

Schnegg’s order came at the end of a day of fast-changing events in which the 24-year-old actress was first denied bail and sent to jail for violating probation on a 2007 charge of drunken driving and cocaine possession, due to

All conspiracies against democracy would be thwarted: President

President vows that all conspiracies against democracy would be thwarted. He asks Ministers not to be deterred by the negative propaganda against the government.
President Asif ali Zardai co-chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet along with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at Presidency late on Friday.
Participants of the meeting reposed full confidence in the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman President Zardari and PM Gilani. They also resolved that democracy and the constitutional amendments adopted by parliament would be defended and protected at all cost.
President urged the ministers to strive for strengthening the country economically. He said once we are strong economically, we will be able to tackle all the challenges. The meeting reviewed in depth the progress made by the government, the challenges faced by it and the way forward and resolved to continue making strides to strengthen democracy and address the problems faced by the people.
Presidents spokesperson, Farthatullah Babar, later told media that during the four-hour meeting, participants expressed their views candidly on all political, economic and security issues. He said the meeting has also resolved that democracy, parliament and the unanimous constitutional amendments adopted by parliament will be defended and protected at all cost.

100 dead after DR Congo tanker truck explosion

KINSHASA: At least 100 people died when a tanker truck filled with oil exploded and set fire to a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said Saturday.
“A tanker truck coming from Tanzania overturned in the village of Sange. There was a crush (of people) and a petrol leak, there was an explosion of fuel oil which spread through the village,” said Vincent Kabanga, spokesman for the South-Kivu regional government.
“The toll is more than 100 dead. It is a provisional toll. We are going to the scene to have more precise figures,” he added.

The village is located around 70 kilometres (40 miles) south of the Sud-Kivu county town of Bukavu, close to the border with Burundi.

Dozens of mostly earth and straw constructed homes in Sange were engulfed in the blaze after the accident, which a police officer based in Bukavu said had been caused by the truck”s “excessive speed.”

“We don”t yet have an exact toll but it could go over 100 dead,” said the officer, who asked not to be named, adding that many of those who surrounded the vehicle before it exploded were children.

Fuel tanker explosion kills 200 in Congo: governor

KINSHASA: More than 200 people were killed and 100 injured when a fuel tanker overturned and exploded in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo late on Friday, a local governor said on Saturday.

“Some people were killed trying to steal the fuel, but most of the deaths were of people who were indoors watching the (World Cup) match,” said Marcellin Cisamvo, governor of south Kivu province, where the accident took place.

He said some U.N. peacekeepers were killed as they tried to prevent people from going near the tanker, but could not give further details. A U.N. spokesman said he was trying to check the report.

Govt. not to write letter for reopening of Swiss suits: sources

ISLAMABAD: The sources privy to government have disclosed the latter’s intention of not writing a letter to Swiss government to ask for reopening of lawsuits against President Asif Ali Zardari, Geo news reported Friday night.

According to sources, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani chaired a high-level meeting comprising ministers from PPP here at President House Camp late on Friday evening.

The meeting came to conclusion of not writing a letter to Swiss government requesting for reopening of lawsuits against President Asif Ali Zardari despite Supreme Court’s insist to do so.

The decision came on the pretext that the letter will not be written unless parliament withdraws immunity for President, decided the meeting together with government’s resolve not to confront with judiciary in any case, sources also confirmed to media.

Also the parliament will defend its decision of passage of 18th amendment, sources added.

5.1 magnitude quake hits southern Iran

TEHRAN: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the area between Iran”s southern provinces of Bushehr and Fars late on Friday but no casualties were reported, a local news agency said.

The quake struck at 23:19 pm (18:49 GMT Friday) near the town of Dalaki in Bushehr province bordering Fars province.

The news agency reported no casualties from Dalaki but said that people were in shock after the quake.

Iran, including the capital Tehran, sits astride several major fault lines in the earth”s crust, and is prone to frequent quakes, many of which have been devastating.

The worst in recent times, of magnitude 6.3, hit the southern city of Bam in December 2003, killing 31,000 people — about a quarter of its population — and destroying the city”s ancient mud-built citadel.

Sri Lanka crush Windies by 57 runs

BARBADOS: Sri Lanka defeated West Indies by 57 runs in Super Eights match of ICC Twenty20 World Cup here late on Friday, Geosuper television reported.

After putting up a difficult target of 195 for 3 in allotted 20 overs, Sri Lanka restricted West Indies to 138 for 8 in 20 overs.

WIndies set Ireland 139-run target

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: West Indies were 138 for 8 in allotted 20 overs against infant Ireland in ICC World T20 WC’s second counter on the opening day here late on Friday night, Geosuper television reported.

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