US says WikiLeaks release would endanger lives

WASHINGTON: The State Department has warned the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks that its expected release of classified U.S. documents would endanger countless lives, jeopardize American military operations and hurt international cooperation on global security issues.

The department’s top lawyer urged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a letter Saturday to keep classified documents off the website, remove records of them from its database and return any material to the U.S. government.

Lawyer Harold Koh said the department has learned that WikiLeaks provided 250,000 documents to The New York Times, The Guardian of Britain and German magazine Der Spiegel.

Some media reported the news outlets may post stories on the documents as early as Sunday and said they have also been given to newspapers Le Monde in France and El Pais in Spain.

The U.S.

German anti-nuclear activists disrupt Berlin trains

BERLIN: German anti-nuclear activists on Tuesday took responsibility for setting a small fire in a Berlin rail station during rush hour that caused widespread disruption to commuters throughout the capital.

Monday’s attack on a power cable in an S-Bahn rail station came just days before many thousands of anti-nuclear activists are expected to protest on Nov. 5-8 against the transport of nuclear waste to a dump in the northern town of Gorleben.

German media reported that responsibility had been claimed by a group called itself “Commando Sebastien Briard” – named after a French anti-nuclear activist killed while trying to stop an earlier nuclear waste transport to Germany in 2004.

Germany gets about 23 percent of its energy from nuclear power but the public remains wary of it and opinion polls show most oppose the government’s plans to extend the lifespan of its

Mine explosion in China leaves 20 dead

At least 20 miners have died in a coal mine explosion in the Chinese province of Henan.
According to the Chinese media the incident took place at 6 in the morning and there were almost 30 miners present inside the mine. The media reported that at least 10 miners are still trapped inside. Operation is being carried out to pull the miners out of the mine.
Augmented demand due to fast growing economy and also because of less security, Chinese coal mines are considered to be the most dangerous in the world. Almost 2900 miners lost their lives in coal mine explosions in 2009 alone.

India, Iran sign aviation, 5 other pacts

NEW DELHI: India and Iran on Friday signed six agreements, covering the sectors of aviation, small industries and science and technology, as it completed the 16th Joint Commission meeting between the two countries.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna co-chaired the meeting with Iranian Finance minister Seyed Shamseddin Hosseini, where they reviewed bilateral economic and cultural cooperation. It was agreed that the next Session of the Joint Commission would be held in Tehran.

The agreements inked include an Air Services Agreement, an agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons, MoU on Cooperation in New Renewable Energy, MoU on Cooperation in Small Scale Industry between National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Iranian Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organisation (ISIPO), Programme of Cooperation on Science Technology and a MoU on Cooperation between Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute of India (CPPRI) and Gorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources (GUASNR).

Israel asks UN to stop Gaza-bound Libyan aid boat: media

JERUSALEM: Israel has asked the United Nations to prevent a Libyan aid ship from trying to breach its blockade of the Gaza Strip, media reported Saturday.

Israel”s ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev sent a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asking that the international community intervene to prevent the ship approaching Gaza, the website of local daily reported.

“Israel calls upon the international community to exert its influence on the government of Libya to demonstrate responsibility and prevent the ship from departing to the Gaza Strip,” local newspaper quoted from the letter.

Shalev also warned in the letter “Israel reserves the right under international law to prevent this ship from violating the existing naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.” Israeli foreign ministry officials could not be reached Saturday.

Britain to hand control of Afghan area to US forces: Reports

LONDON: British troops will withdraw from the Sangin area of southern Afghanistan, handing control to US forces which have increased in number due to the American surge strategy, reports said.

Britain”s servicemen would be pulled out of the volatile district in the north of Helmand province, which has seen many British fatalities, British media reported without citing sources.

It is understood the withdrawal of British troops, which number around 1,000 in Sangin, would not begin for several months.

The decision came as President Barack Obama”s surge pumps more US forces into Helmand, with the number of United States marines there now numbering 20,000.

It also followed Britain handing over command in Helmand to an American general last month.

Sangin is the latest part of the province to be handed over from British to American control.

Around one third of the 312 deaths of British servicemen in Afghanistan since operations began in October 2001 have occurred in Sangin.

Paris Hilton appears in South African court

PORT ELIZABETH: Socialite Paris Hilton appeared in a South African court late Friday, according to a reporter in the courtoom, after her reported arrest for smoking marijuana.

She entered the courtroom in Port Elizabeth with a group of friends at 11:50pm (2150 GMT) Friday, and looked relaxed with her hair in two ponytails.

She was then quickly taken to another courtroom for a closed-door hearing.

A court official told media on condition of anonymity that Hilton was appearing before a magistrate with only lawyers and a few police present.

South African media reported that Hilton was arrested for smoking marijuana at the Brazil-Netherlands quarter-final match.

New ash cloud disrupts UK, Ireland air travel

DUBLIN: A new cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland triggered fresh disruptions in European air travel on Sunday, as Britain and Ireland shut down major airports and a no-fly zone was imposed across southern parts of UK airspace.

The no-fly zone will affect Heathrow, Europe”s busiest airport, and Gatwick from 0000 GMT to 0600 GMT on Monday as the high density of a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland drifts south, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) said.

“The high density ash cloud continues to move further south in the early hours of tomorrow morning”, it said in a statement.

Ash from the same volcano wreaked havoc on European air traffic last month, when some 100,000 flights were cancelled and left millions of passengers stranded. Airlines lost $1.7 billion, the International Air Transport Association said.

Airports included in the no-fly zone include Heathrow, Gatwick and London City, as well as all airfields in Northern Ireland and airports in parts of Scotland, NATS said.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said three northwestern airports were closed from early Sunday and hub Dublin would be shut from 1800 GMT until at least 1100 GMT on Monday, but indicated that the disruption might not last very long.

“The outlook later tomorrow looks better, I wouldn”t be too optimistic for the early part of the day but the later part of the day looks better and as the week goes on, it should improve,” IAA Chief Executive Eamon Brennan told national broadcaster RTE.

North Atlantic overflights through Irish-controlled airspace remain unaffected despite the cloud drifting over the country. Cork and Kerry, as well as Shannon — an important stopover for flights to the United States — are open until further notice.

Western airports Sligo and Ireland West (Knock), shut on Sunday, would re-open at 0800 GMT while Donegal would remain closed until at least 1100 GMT. Other airports, Galway and Waterford, would reopen at 0500 GMT, the IAA said.

“As a result of the disruption to UK airports we are running four additional services on Monday 17th May,” Eurostar said, adding that an extra 3,500 seats would be available on routes linking London and Paris.

British rail operator Virgin Trains said it would provide an extra 7,000 seats through Monday, mainly on the Birmingham to Glasgow and Edinburgh, and London to Glasgow routes.

The UK government had warned that parts of British airspace might have to close until Tuesday with different areas including the southeast, Heathrow is located, likely to be closed at different times.

Teeside, Leeds-Bradford, Blackpool, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Doncaster, Carlisle, Humberside and East Midlands airports fall within the no-fly zone, NATS said. Airports in the Isle of Man will also be affected.

The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland is continuing to erupt with no signs of the explosive activity about to end and an ash plume reaching heights of 25,000 feet (7,620 metres), Britain”s Met Office said.

“The ash cloud is expected to clear the UK during Tuesday as southwesterly winds become established during Monday,” it said.

The Met said that two aircrafts, one from the UK and one from Germany, had flown to investigate the ash plume.

“In many areas the cloud was clearly visible to the naked eye and was described as “a grey-black layer”,” it said. “The pilots … reported that “one should not fly into this layer”.”

Elsewhere in Europe, German airlines” association said no restriction of German air traffic was expected due to the ash, and German airlines were operating flights as normal.

In the Netherlands, an Amsterdam Schiphol airport official said there were no expected closures in Dutch airspace.

India tests Agni II intermediary ballistic missile

NEW DELHI: India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile Agni II off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa, media reported Monday.

The indigenous built Agni II intermediate range ballistic missile which has a range of 2,000 kms was testfired from Wheeler”s Island off the Orissa coast under the supervision of senior Indian Army officials and the Defense Research and Development Organization scientists, the sources said.

The Agni-II is a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) with two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle (PBV) integrated into the missile”s Re-entry Vehicle.

The nuclear capable 2,000-km-plus range missile has a length of 21 meters, a diameter of one meter, weighs 17 tons and can carry a payload of around 1,000 kg. It was first tested on April 11, 1999.

The Agni-II is always be in a ready-to-fire mode and can be launched within 15 minutes as compared to almost half a day of preparation for the previous generation Agni-TD.

Shoaib-Ayesha divorce paper surfaces

HYDERABAD DECCAN: The much anticipated divorce paper of Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian lady Ayesha Siddiqi has surfaced on Wednesday night, Geo news reported.

According to sources, Shoaib and Ayesha signed their divorce paper separately.

Talking to media after being divorced, Ayesha Siddiqi said she was feeling much sigh of relief after receiving divorce from Shoaib Malik, refusing to discuss the matter any further.

“I want to restart my life from a new beginning.” she said adding, “Now, I will concentrate on my health.”

She wished to watch Shahid Kapoor’s movie ‘Badmuash’.

Ayesha could not sleep for many nights due to her marriage controversy, Indian media reported.

Shoaib and Ayesha did not meet each other even on the day of their divorce, media reported further.

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