Pakistan carries out hostage raid

Pakistani security forces have freed 30 hostages who were being held by militants at an army base in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad.

Military officials said three hostages were killed in the operation along with at least four hostage takers, one of whom was wearing an explosives belt.

One insurgent has been taken alive and the operation is ongoing as more militants are at large in the compound.

The insurgents had attacked Pakistan's military HQ on Saturday.

Six soldiers and four militants were killed in the initial assault.

'Very skilled'

The sound of blasts and gunfire rang out as Pakistani special forces entered the compound for the pre-dawn raid.

Military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said the forces had met with resistance.

They found the hostages being held in a room "with a terrorist who was wearing a suicide jacket", he said.

Gen Abbas said the commandos had "acted promptly" and shot the suspected hostage taker "before he could pull the trigger".

"Three of the hostages were killed due to militant firing," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Senior military officials and civilian personnel were reported to be among the hostages.

Gen Abbas said the raid had been a "very skilled rescue" and that security forces were continuing to conduct "mopping up and clearance operations" in the area.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's assault, but the Taliban has been threatening to carry out attacks unless operations against the militant group were stopped.

The militants' attack came as the Pakistani army prepared for a major operation against the Taliban.

High profile

Witnesses said that the gunmen had driven up to the army compound in a white van just before midday local time (0600 GMT) on Saturday.

They took up positions, fired on the compound and threw hand grenades, security officials said.

The military reported that the attack had been repelled after a gun battle lasting around 45 minutes but later admitted hostages had been taken.

The attack followed a series of bombings in north-western Pakistan. On Friday at least 50 died in a blast in Peshawar.

In recent days Taliban positions in the tribal areas have been bombed by the air force, amid speculation that the army's offensive there is soon to be intensified, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad.

There was a period of relative quiet in August after Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed, but the rate of militant attacks has increased since then, he adds.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the government now had "no other option but to launch an offensive" in the insurgent stronghold of South Waziristan.

"What happened in Peshawar, Islamabad and today, all roads lead to South Waziristan," he said.

Islamist militants have carried out a number of attacks against high-profile, high-security targets in recent years.

In March this year gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in the city of Lahore. Six policemen and a driver were killed and several of the team were injured.

In the same month, dozens of people were killed when a police training centre on the outskirts of the city was occupied by gunmen.

Anti-India protest demos on Eid-ul-Fitr in held Kashmir

SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, the Eid-ul-Fitr, today, was marked with massive Eid gatherings, anti-India protests and clashes between the Indian police and demonstrators.


Indian troops after using brute force foiled an attempt by a large number of people to break the police siege around the residence of senior Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani to bring him out for Eid prayers.

Dozens of people were injured on the occasion and many were arrested. The senior leader continued to remain under house arrest for the 12th day, today.

Thousands of people, chanting pro-freedom slogans, took out a procession from Eidgah in Srinagar, which was intercepted by the police at Kawdara. The troops resorted to heavy baton charge to break up a demonstration in Lal Chowk. People took to the streets in Sopore, Baramulla, Islamabad and other towns and cities to protest against the Indian state terrorism.

Addressing a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people in Eidgah, the APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq reaffirmed Kashmiris' resolve to continue the liberation struggle till it reached its logical conclusion.

He denounced the restrictions on Syed Ali Gilani and continued detention of Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Mussarat Aalam Butt and Mohammad Salim Nunnaji.

Mirwaiz hoped that Pakistani and Indian leaders would sit together on the sidelines of the forthcoming UN General Assembly session in New York and would agree upon ways to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Addressing a similar Eid congregation in Budgam, APHC leader, Syed Agha Hassan Al-Moosvi said India would not be able to suppress Kashmiris liberation struggle by brute force.

Iran welcomes US shelving of missile shield

TEHRAN: Iran on Monday welcomed the US move to abandon plans for a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe and denied that the Islamic republic posed a missile threat, Geo News reported.

"The Islamic republic welcomes any action that serves to decrease arms races," it quoted foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi as saying.

US President Barack Obama last week announced he would shelve plans to site parts of a missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, and instead deploy more mobile equipment targeting Iran's short- and medium-range missiles.

Ghashghavi called baseless and unsubstantiated the idea that the missile plan had been to counter a military threat from Iran.

"The claim that Iran is a missile threat was made by the United States with political, opportunist and domineering intentions," he said.

Ghashghavi put the original shield plan down to "missile competition between Russia and the United States, and in order to expand the big power's penetration into central European countries."

On Sunday Obama denied that Russian objections had influenced his decision to abandon the shield plans launched by his predecessor's administration.

Pak-Afghan bordering areas epicenter of terrorism: Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON: U. S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has said that Pak-Afghan bordering areas were the focal point of terrorism and added that if Taliban again gets control over Afghanistan, then Al-Qaeda outfit will stage a come back.

In a TV interview, Hillary Clinton said that U. S. government aims at ensuring protection to the U.S. and its allied countries from the terrorists holed up in Pak-Afghan bordering areas.

U. S. Secretary of State referring to some saying that Al Qaeda has been wiped out of Afghanistan, said that if Taliban again gets control over Afghanistan, then one could not imagine how swiftly Al Qaeda would be back.

Hillary Clinton said that Obama Administration on the basis of best available information striving for comprehending all the factors related to Afghan issue and its resolution.

Earthquake strikes off Bali coast

An earthquake off the Indonesian holiday island of Bali has sent people running from their homes in panic.

At least seven people have been injured - some were hurt jumping from buildings while others had been hit by falling debris, an official said.

The quake - measuring 5.8 according to the US Geological Survey - struck at dawn 75km (45 miles) south of Denpasar.

No tsunami warning was issued and there were few reports of serious material damage, local officials said.

"I was frightened because it was strong," Dutch tourist Ernst Raynaldo was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"I ran out immediately as I saw many others rushing into the swimming pool," the closest open space.

"When the quake happened I was in a market and some people started shouting and running out of the market building, leaving their belongings behind," Putu Suartana, a resident in Singaraja in Bali, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

The roof of a shopping centre in Denpasar collapsed.

Two weeks ago, an earthquake on the main Indonesian island of Java left at least 50 dead.

In December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people around Asia.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most active areas for earthquakes and volcanic activity in the world.

Bear attacks tourists in Japan

An Asian black bear has been shot dead after attacking a group of tourists at a bus station in central Japan.

Four people were seriously injured in the attack in Takayama, Gifu prefecture, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

After the attack, the 1.3m (four foot) bear fled through the bus terminal, and into a souvenir shop.

Employees then trapped it inside the shop, and the bear was later shot dead by officials.

Bite marks

The male bear attacked a group of nine people, mostly tourists, waiting for a bus to take them to the nearby mountains.

According to Kyodo, four men were seriously hurt, with injuries including facial bite marks.

"I saw a man being attacked by the bear," one eyewitness told reporters.

"I tried to help him but the bear kept attacking him. It seemed his face was seriously injured."

An expert on Asian black bears told Kyodo it was unusual for them to attack humans.

Pop legend Michael Jackson buried

Friends and family of Michael Jackson have paid their last respects to the singer known as the King of Pop at a funeral ceremony outside Los Angeles.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor, actor Macaulay Culkin and music producer Quincy Jones were among the 200 invited guests.

Gladys Knight sang at the service while civil rights campaigner the Reverend Al Sharpton was one of the speakers.

The ceremony was due to begin at 0200 GMT at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park but began more than an hour late.

The delay was caused by the late arrival of the singer's family, who eventually arrived in a motorcade of 31 vehicles.

Jackson's brothers - Randy, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon - acted as pallbearers as his gold-plated coffin was removed from a hearse.

All were dressed identically in black suits, with each wearing a solitary white glove - a fashion statement made famous by their legendary sibling.

The singer's children - Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II - sat in the front row next to his parents, Katherine and Joe Jackson.

Comedian Chris Tucker, producer Berry Gordy and Lisa Marie Presley, Jackson's ex-wife, also attended.

The service took place after dark in the open air outside Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum.

It came more than two months after Jackson died of a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs at the age of 50.

Last week Jackson's death was ruled to be a homicide by the Los Angeles coroner.

The verdict increases the chances of criminal charges being brought, although no-one has been named a suspect.

A statement from the Jackson family said the pop star's casket was interred at 2143 local time (0443 GMT).

"The Jackson family wishes to once again thank all of Michael's fans around the world for their generous outpouring of support during this terribly difficult time," the statement read.

Jackson's family and mourners attended a post-funeral reception at an Italian restaurant in nearby Pasadena.

Security was tight ahead of the ceremony, with fans and media kept away by a heavy security presence.

Police had cordoned off roads leading to the Forest Lawn site throughout the day.

A live TV feed was provided of the guests arriving, though the footage ceased once the service began.

Jackson, known for such hits as Bad, Thriller and Smooth Criminal, was originally due to be buried on 29 August on what would have been his 51st birthday.

However, the date was pushed back to allow more time for the planning of the ceremony.

Jackson joins a long list of famous stars who have also been buried in the Forest Lawn cemetery.

Screen stars Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn and Clark Gable have all been laid to rest there.