Arizona Shooting Targets US Congresswoman, kills 6

PHOENIX: A US congresswoman was in critical condition after being shot in the head Saturday by a gunman who opened fire in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl.

President Barack Obama called the attack at a public meeting a “tragedy for our entire country” while local senator John McCain called the shooter — reportedly a white male in his early 20s — a “disgrace to Arizona.”

Initial media reports had suggested that Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords had died following the shooting outside a Safeway grocery store.

But the hospital where she was treated said later they were hopeful she will recover despite being shot in the brain, although US federal judge John Roll was among the dead, according to Obama.

“She is in critical condition. They have finished operating on her and at the time period, I’m optimistic about recovery,” said University Medical Center trauma chief Peter Rhee.

“We cannot tell what kind of recovery, but I’m about as optimistic as you can get,” he added.

Giffords was hosting a “Congress on Your Corner” event with constituents at when the gunman attacked, killing six and wounding 12, according to police spokesman Rick Kastigar, while Obama said at least five had died.

Witnesses said the lawmaker was hit at point-blank range in the shooting, for which no motive was immediately known.

National Public Radio said the suspect ran off and was tackled by a bystander before being taken into custody, and that witnesses described him as being in his late teens or early 20s.

Italy: Berlusconi survives no-confidence vote

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has survived a crucial no-confidence vote in parliament by three votes, triggering violent clashes in the streets of Rome that left 90 people injured and dozens more arrested.

Angry protesters banged on the metal blinds of shuttered shops in the centre of Rome as word spread that Berlusconi had won the vote.

Some of the protesters then set cars alight and hurled cobblestones at police in chaotic scenes in some of Rome’s most tourist-heavy streets.

Riot police fired tear gas and could be seen striking some of the protesters with truncheons in running street fights. Several protesters were taken away, some with blood on their faces.

Officials said at least 90 people were injured in the violence, including 50 security officers and 40 protesters, while Forty-one people were detained on charges of violence, vandalism and use of illegal arms.

The clashes came after a peaceful march by several thousand anti-Berlusconi protesters through the centre of Rome. There were also protests in some of Italy’s biggest cities including Genoa, Milan, Naples and Turin.

Policeman among 6 killed in Bannu suicide attack

At least 6 people including a cop and a six-month old minor were killed while 12 others injured in a powerful explosion that said to have hit a police van near Melad Park in Bannu district.

The suicide bomber blew himself up near a police van, leaving 6 people dead on the spot and several others injured.The deceased cop was identified as Safeerullah.

DIG Iftikhar Khan said at least 12 people were injured in the attack.Police and rescue teams rushed the blast site and kicked off the search operation in abutting areas.

Law enforcement agencies cordoned off the blast scene while the rescue activities have been kicked off.

Death toll may further rise, police said.

28 Nato Oil Tankers Set Ablaze in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, News Trends: Unidentified gunmen killed at least three people and set 28 Nato oil tankers on fire carrying fuel for Nato and US forces in Afghanistan in Islamabad on Monday.

Many tankers caught fire during the attack. Rescue sources said at least three people died. The sources added that seven others were injured in the attack.

A vital land route for Nato supplies for Afghanistan that has been blocked for three days will reopen “relatively quickly,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington told a US news channel on Sunday.

Pakistan halted the Nato convoys on Thursday after Nato helicopters killed three Pakistani soldiers.

“I think the supply line will be open relatively quickly,” he said, adding that he expected it would take “less than a week.”

“It’s not a blockade. It’s just a temporary suspension of the convoys moving through,” Haqqani added.

Officials say nearly 70 per cent of Nato supplies and 40 per cent of its fuel requirements are shipped via Pakistan for some 160,000 US-led troops in Afghanistan.

Taliban vow more attacks on NATO supplies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Taliban on Monday vowed more attacks on tankers transporting fuel to NATO troops in Afghanistan, a move likely to prolong the closure of a vital supply route and further strain ties with ally Washington.

Angered by repeated attacks by NATO helicopters on militant targets within its borders, Pakistan blocked one of the supply routes for NATO troops in Afghanistan after one strike killed three Pakistani soldiers last week in the western Kurram region.

The incursions and the sealing of the supply route, now in its fifth day, have heightened tensions between the United States and Pakistan, whose long alliance is often uneasy.

Senior police officer Mirwaiz Niaz said at least a dozen gunmen opened fire on tankers on the outskirts of Islamabad on Sunday, killing three guards. They then set fire to 13 vehicles. Taliban militants claimed

Castro warns of nuclear war between US and Iran

HAVANA: Fidel Castro has used a rare speech to warn that the tension between the US and Iran could degenerate into a nuclear holocaust.

The 83-year-old addressed Cuba”s National Assembly on Saturday for the first time since stepping down as president in 2006.

He looked little different from the closing days of his regime as he entered the assembly chamber wearing his trademark fatigues and sporting his familiar straggly beard, as deputies cheered and shouted “Viva Fidel”.

Although renowned for his lengthy addresses, he restricted his speech to just ten minutes and ignored Cuba”s current financial plight, instead focusing on foreign affairs.

The revolutionary leader revealed that he believes the US and Israel may launch a nuclear attack on Iran, as the dispute about the Tehran government”s own nuclear programme continues.

“If war breaks out the current social order will suddenly disappear and the price will be infinitely greater,” Castro said.

The veteran politician added that nuclear war would change the world order and that it is up to Cuba and other nations to persuade Barack Obama not to attack Iran or North Korea.

Assembly members appeared to hang on every word of Castro”s address, which was broadcast live on television and radio, and many paid glowing tributes to him after the speech.

Fidel handed power to his brother Raul Castro four years ago after falling ill and then disappeared from public view, until making a handful of television appearances last month.

Scores killed and wounded in Iraq explosion

BAGHDAD: The explosion of a power generator, possibly triggered by a bomb, at a busy market in Iraq”s southern oil hub Basra Saturday killed dozens of people and wounded scores more, morgue and security sources said.

A source at the city”s morgue said at least 25 bodies had been taken there. A security source who asked not to be identified said the toll was 45 killed and 162 wounded while a hospital source said 16 had died and at least 110 were wounded.

Witnesses reported that two or three explosions struck the popular market in the centre of Basra and two security sources said at least one of the blasts was the detonation of a car bomb. Basra Police Chief Adil Daham told al-Hurra television the explosion was caused by a malfunctioning generator.

“We”re investigating the cause. We don”t know whether it was a terrorist attack or something else,” said Ali al-Maliki, the head of the security committee in the Basra council.

Fire-fighters and ambulances rushed to the scene, the central al-Ashaar market in one of Iraq”s largest cities. Fierce flames and smoke could be seen.

“There were three explosions in this very crowded area,” lawmaker Hussein Talib said at the scene. “There were women and children and poor vendors.”

“As a lawmaker from Basra I hold the military and police leadership responsible for the blood that has been shed.”

Oil-rich Iraq has remained in a political void since an inconclusive March 7 election while Shi”ite, Sunni and Kurdish political factions try to sort out a coalition government.

Politicians and security officials say insurgents appear to be trying to take advantage of the power vacuum.

Overall violence has ebbed since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006/07 but bombings and suicide attacks still occur regularly. Iraq has the world”s third-largest oil reserves and most of its exports come from oilfields located around Basra.

A man at the scene of the explosions blamed politicians, who have failed in their attempts to form a government in the five months since the election.

“They are all fighting over their chairs. Is that what they want? Explosions in Basra, another one in Mosul. Oh my God, why is this happening?” the man, Furat Yasir, said.

More than a dozen people were killed in other attacks across Iraq Saturday, including four policemen in clashes with gunmen in Baghdad during a raid on a house where car bombs were being made. In the northern city of Mosul a suicide bomber killed a policeman and wounded six other people.

Nearly 400 civilians were killed in bombings and other attacks in July, almost double the June toll, Iraqi authorities say.

Tens of thousands of people were killed during the height of Iraq”s sectarian slaughter in 2006-07.

Scores killed and wounded in Iraq explosion

BAGHDAD: The explosion of a power generator, possibly triggered by a bomb, at a busy market in Iraq”s southern oil hub Basra Saturday killed dozens of people and wounded scores more, morgue and security sources said.

A source at the city”s morgue said at least 25 bodies had been taken there. A security source who asked not to be identified said the toll was 45 killed and 162 wounded while a hospital source said 16 had died and at least 110 were wounded.

Witnesses reported that two or three explosions struck the popular market in the centre of Basra and two security sources said at least one of the blasts was the detonation of a car bomb. Basra Police Chief Adil Daham told al-Hurra television the explosion was caused by a malfunctioning generator.

“We”re investigating the cause. We don”t know whether it was a terrorist attack or something else,” said Ali al-Maliki, the head of the security committee in the Basra council.

Fire-fighters and ambulances rushed to the scene, the central al-Ashaar market in one of Iraq”s largest cities. Fierce flames and smoke could be seen.

“There were three explosions in this very crowded area,” lawmaker Hussein Talib said at the scene. “There were women and children and poor vendors.”

“As a lawmaker from Basra I hold the military and police leadership responsible for the blood that has been shed.”

Oil-rich Iraq has remained in a political void since an inconclusive March 7 election while Shi”ite, Sunni and Kurdish political factions try to sort out a coalition government.

Politicians and security officials say insurgents appear to be trying to take advantage of the power vacuum.

Overall violence has ebbed since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006/07 but bombings and suicide attacks still occur regularly. Iraq has the world”s third-largest oil reserves and most of its exports come from oilfields located around Basra.

A man at the scene of the explosions blamed politicians, who have failed in their attempts to form a government in the five months since the election.

“They are all fighting over their chairs. Is that what they want? Explosions in Basra, another one in Mosul. Oh my God, why is this happening?” the man, Furat Yasir, said.

More than a dozen people were killed in other attacks across Iraq Saturday, including four policemen in clashes with gunmen in Baghdad during a raid on a house where car bombs were being made. In the northern city of Mosul a suicide bomber killed a policeman and wounded six other people.

Nearly 400 civilians were killed in bombings and other attacks in July, almost double the June toll, Iraqi authorities say.

Tens of thousands of people were killed during the height of Iraq”s sectarian slaughter in 2006-07.

Sweden gives green light to new nuclear reactors

STOCKHOLM: Sweden”s parliament voided a 30-year-old ban on building new nuclear reactors on Thursday after a debate pitting the country”s need for low-carbon energy sources against environmental concerns over atomic energy.

The new legislation will allow construction of new reactors at existing plants from Jan 1 next year to replace the 10 ageing reactors that still produce roughly 40 percent of the Nordic country”s electricity.

The vote was passed with a majority of two with 174 voting for the bill and 172 against. Three legislators were absent.

Death toll 10 times official number: Kyrgyz president

BISHKEK: Kyrgyz interim leader Roza Otunbayeva arrived in the southern city of Osh Friday after a state of emergency was declared there following deadly ethnic clashes.

Authorities put the death toll from the riots at 191, but Otunbayeva said the real figure could be 10 times more than the official figure.

Earlier reports said at least 191 people died and 1,971 were wounded in the worst ethnic clashes to hit the impoverished Central Asian nation since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“I would multiply by 10 times the official figures,” Otunbayeva told the Russian daily on Friday, saying there was likely to be many unrecorded deaths in the countryside.

Inciting ethnic clashes was a new form of terrorism that drove many people to bloodshed. Once the regional situation was out of control, the clashes would become a serious issue for the world, she warned.

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