Magnitude-6.3 earthquake jolts Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck north Pakistan late Friday night, said the country’s meteorology office.

The tremor was felt in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and other cities in the northwest Khyber-Paktunkwa province and the east Punjab province, local residents said.

“The quake lasted 15 seconds and some people fled homes,” they added.

There were no immediate reports of casualty or damage.

Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake had jolted Hindukush region of Afghanistan.

The temblor occurred at 11:51 p.m. local time (1921 GMT), at a depth of 199.7 km. The epicenter was 75 km south-southeast of Faizabad, Afghanistan and 115 km northwest of Chitral, Pakistan, said the USGS on its official website. SAMAA

China space ride plunge kills six

BEIJING: A space shuttle simulator ride plunged to the ground, killing six people and injuring another10 at a popular south China amusement park, state media reported on Wednesday.

Survivors said there was a power cut and they heard a loud explosion moments before the drop, local daily reported on Wednesday. Five of those injured in the Tuesday accident are still in a serious condition, the paper added.

The “space flight” attraction at Overseas Chinese Town Eastaimed to give riders in 11 four-person cabins the experience of a rocket launch, the official news agency said. The cause of the accident is under investigation, and part of the amusement park in the coastal city of Shenzhen has been shut down for safety checks, agency quoted local official saying.

Head of Israel fleet raid probe threatens to resign

JERUSALEM: The head of an Israeli commission set up to investigate a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla threatened to resign unless the probe is given wider powers, Israeli media said.

Yaakov Tirkel, a retired Supreme Court judge, told Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman that he would leave the post if his demands were not met, the private TV network reported.

He called for “the independent public commission,” whose work officially started on Monday, to become a government commission of inquiry with the power to recommend sanctions against political and military leaders. Tirkel also sought two assistants for the three members and two foreign observers that make up the panel, the report said, adding that the judge agreed to put off his resignation until cabinet considered the changes on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and military chief of staff Gaby Ashkenazi have agreed to appear before the internal commission.

Israel set up the so-called Tirkel Commission under pressure from the United States a fortnight after its commandos killed nine Turkish activists on May 31 after intercepting a six-ship fleet carrying aid to Gaza.

The probe is limited to determining the validity under international law of Israel”s Gaza sea blockade, the deadly raid in international waters, and the actions of the activists and the aid flotilla”s organisers.

Taliban raid foreign base in Jalalabad

JALALABAD: Afghan Taliban insurgents raided a base for foreign troops in Jalalabad on Wednesday, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Local officials and those for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the raid was still goingon at the base in the northeast of the country near the Pakistan border.

Terror infrastructure remained intact in Pak: Indian army chief

NEW DELHI: Indian Army chief Gen V K Singh blamed that terror infrastructure in Pakistan remained intact and Pakistan army also remains steadfast in its Kashmir policy.

“The terror infrastructure in Pakistan remains intact,” said Gen Singh in an interview to Indian newspaper. He said there are, after all, 34 ”active” and eight ”holding” terror-training camps still operational across the border.

Moreover, an estimated 500-600 terrorists are still active within JK, with close to 50% of them being of ”foreign origin”.

The Pakistan army also remains steadfast in its ”Kashmir agenda”, resorting to its old policy of giving ”covering or distracting fire” to help militants sneak across the LoC.

General Singh advised Indian government to take bold political initiatives to provide equal opportunities for masses.

Magnitude 6.5 quake strikes near Oaxaca, Mexico: USGS

MEXICO CITY: A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico early on Wednesday, shaking buildings in Mexico City, the U.S. Geological Survey and witnesses of a UK- based news agency reported.

The quake”s epicenter was 8 miles (14 km) east of Oaxaca, Mexico, the USGS said.

The quake was felt in Mexico City, where some people fled their houses in the city center, a witness reported.

Quake hits northern Peru

WASHINGTON: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit northern Peru early Wednesday morning, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was immediately issued.

The USGS said the quake hit at 0415 GMT, some 131 kilometers (81 miles) north-northwest of the town of Moyobamba at a depth of 125 kilometers. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries associated with the tremor.

Armed Thai troops patrol Bangkok business district

BANGKOK: Thai troops armed with assault rifles moved into Bangkok”s central business district on Monday morning to stop thousands of anti-government protesters and threatening to march down the capital”s financial district.

The government had earlier declared Silom Road, a thoroughfare studded with bank headquarters and office buildings, off-limits to the protesters who have camped in the capital”s main shopping district nearby for weeks.

Troops initially blocked entry into the road, popularly known as Thailand”s Wall Street, but then pulled back almost half its 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) length to protect a key target of the protesters, the headquarters of the Bangkok Bank which was barricaded by barbed wire. Many of the demonstrators, who had earlier faced-off against the troops across an intersection, also pulled back.

The so-called “Red Shirts” claim the bank has close ties to the government. They have protested in front of the building previously on a smaller scale.

Earlier in the morning, soldiers also patrolled the city”s most famous bar strip, Patpong Road, and an entertainment area for Japanese tourists, which are just off Silom. Some took positions atop buildings after searching for possible snipers and along a skywalk running several hundred meters (yards) above the road.

A small contingent of riot police stayed at the entry to Silom as neatly dressed employees walked past to their offices. Some businesses along the road were shuttered.

Quake hits central Afghanistan

KABUL: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit central Afghanistan early Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which struck at 00:58 (2028 GMT Sunday), was centered 191 kilometers (119 miles) northwest of Kabul at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers, USGS said.

Quake Hits Chile at 8.5 – Magnitude

Chile:-  A massive magnitude-8.5 earthquake struck near Concepcion, Chile, early on Saturday, the USGS reported, shaking buildings and causing blackouts in parts of the capital of Santiago.

A Reuters witness reported shaking buildings and loss of electricity in Santiago, which is north of the epicenter.

The earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of Concepcion at a depth of 34 miles at 3:34 a.m./1:34 EST/0643 GMT. The quake was initially reported at a magnitude of 8.3.

The Reuters witness reported a very strong shaking lasted for 10 to 30 seconds.

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Quake Hits Chile at 8.5 – Magnitude was first posted on February 27, 2010 at 12:40 pm.

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