Suicide blasts kill 11 tribesmen in southern Yemen

The officials say Sunday s attacks took place in Abyan province, where al-Qaida-linked militants have been taking advantage of Yemen s political turmoil to capture and control territory in the south.

The officials say in the first attack a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden car into a checkpoint manned by anti-al-Qaida tribesmen, killing eight and wounding 20.

They say a suicide bomber carried out the second attack, blowing himself up in the middle of a gathering of tribesmen. Three men were killed in the second attack.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

New Zealand mine rescue stalled as hopes fade

SOUTH ISLAND: Efforts to rescue 29 men trapped in a New Zealand coal mine stalled for a third day on Monday, with authorities fearing the colliery is a powder keg of explosive gases and relatives praying for a miracle.

The agonizing wait for an all-clear to enter the mine was etched on the faces of rescue officials as they told reporters that teams were now unlikely to be allowed into the mine until Tuesday, four days after an explosion tore through it.

For the first time since the blast on Friday, officials spoke openly about the possibility that men might have died in the explosion, which experts say would have sent a searing fireball through the mine, leaving a smoldering cocktail of toxic gases.

“We are planning for the possible loss of life as a result of what’s occurred underground,” police commander Gary Knowles said, adding the police were trying to

Israeli on trial for leaking military documents

TEL AVIV: A 23-year-old Israeli went on trial on Monday on charges of “serious espionage” for allegedly leaking secret military documents and could face a maximum of life behind bars.

Arriving at the Tel Aviv district court, Anat Kam said she was happy to finally leave her home after five months under house arrest. Monday”s hearing was held behind closed doors. She is accused of stealing about 2,000 documents, including details of operational planning and force deployment, during her military service between 2005 and 2007.

Tribal gunmen kidnap 2 American tourists in Yemen

SAN”A: Yemeni officials say tribal gunmen have kidnapped two American tourists and are demanding the release of a jailed tribesman for the pair.

The U.S. Embassy in San”a says it doesn”t have any information about the kidnapping.

Security officials, a taxi driver and tribesmen say the two, a man and a woman, were seized Monday as they were traveling west of the capital in al-Hudaydah province.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren”t authorized to speak to the media.

Taxi driver Mohammed Saleh, who was driving the two, says six gunmen stopped them on the road and took them to al-Hamra village. Al-Sharda tribesmen say the hostages are “guests”” in their village.

Kidnappings are endemic in Yemen and are usually carried out by disgruntled tribesmen hoping to win concessions from the government.

In the past few years, however, al-Qaida has begun kidnapping foreigners as well, often with lethal results.

The kidnappings often take place outside the heavily guarded Yemeni capital, San”a, underlining the fragility of security in rural areas.

Patel resigns to protest Coordinators murder

Unknown miscreants have shot dead two persons including the coordinator of MNA Qadir Patel in Saeedabad locality here in metropolis, taking the politico-target killing tally to 39 within three days, Dunya news reported in the wee hours on Friday.
Talking to media in protest against the murder of his coordinator, PPPs MNA Qadir Patel who is also the chairman of parliaments standing committee for interior affairs, has announced to resign from the office.
Asked by media about the identity of assassins, Qadir Patel said that he will reveal the identity of miscreants before police as he does not want to politicize this issue.
Justifying his resignation resolve, he said that the dead was like his son and being a government representative, he takes responsibility of security breach, which allowed murderers to kill him.
On the other hand, PP’s Karachi division President Najmi Alam has also resigned in the same protest.

Times square bomb suspect claims Taliban support

The Times Square bomb suspect claimed during his lengthy interrogation that he received financial support from the Pakistani Taliban for his failed one-man operation, two U.S. law enforcement officials close to the probe said Friday.
Investigators believe funding for Faisal Shahzad in the United States was channeled through an underground money transfer network known as hawala, the officials said. But, one official told, there’s a belief that no one in the U.S. who got him the funds was aware of what they were for.
The Pakistani-American was the only person in the United States who was operational in the plot to attack Times Square with a crude gasoline-and-propane car bomb on May 1, the official said. The bomb did not explode and no one was hurt.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation has not been completed.
The attempted attack set off a massive probe involving hundreds of federal agents in several cities. Nearly three weeks later, investigators have so far concluded that once he was funded, Shahzad acted alone, the officials said.
Three men were arrested last week in New England on immigration charges as authorities followed the money trail. Authorities said they were suspected of providing money for Shahzad; a prosecutor said one had Shahzad’s cell phone number and his first name written on an envelope in his apartment.
All have denied knowing anything about the plot.
They have no connection to this man, Saher Macarius, a lawyer for two of the men, said Friday.

Suicide Attack on Iraq Mosque, 11 killed

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Suicide Attack on Iraq Mosque, 11 killed was first posted on October 16, 2009 at 5:54 pm.

Liberty Tours New York, Helicopter Crash

Liberty Tours New York, Helicopter Crash, A small plane carrying three people collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people Saturday, sending debris into the Hudson River and onto the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront.

Two officials at New York City emergency response agencies said at least one person was confirmed dead and they knew of no one being rescued. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak before Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives an expected mid-afternoon media briefing.,

A helicopter and small plane have collided over the East River, witnesses said.

The two aircraft crashed near West 14th Street just before noon, with wreckage falling into the water and on land on the New Jersey side, witnesses told the New York Post.

It is unclear how many passengers were involved. Witnesses said the small plane was a Cessna.

Witnesses said one victim was already pulled out of the water and taken to Pier 40.

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Liberty Tours New York, Helicopter Crash