|
ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit quake-hit Pakistan this week after his country took a leading role in rescue efforts, officials said Tuesday. "He is coming here to sympathise and visit earthquake-affected areas," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told AFP. Aslam did not give the exact date for Erdogan's visit, but diplomatic sources said the Turkish leader would arrive in Islamabad Thursday--AFP.
Last Australian to fight in WWI dies
SYDNEY, Oct 18: The last Australian to fight in World War I has died at the age of 106, officials said Tuesday. Veterans Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly expressed her sorrow at the death of William Allan, who enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy as a 14-year-old and saw action in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during WWI before going on to serve in World War II. "With Mr Allan's passing, we have lost an entire generation who left Australia to defend our nation, the British Empire and other nations in the cause of freedom and democracy," Kelly said--AFP.
India turns down Pak request
for copters without crew
NEW DELHI, India, Oct 18: India rejected Tuesday Pakistan's request for helicopters without crews for relief operations, as Islamabad tries to cope with 3.3 million people left homeless by the huge South Asian earthquake. Analysts are asking if the South Asian rivals are missing an opportunity to join hands after the October 8 quake that hit Kashmir, which is at the heart of their bitter rivalry since 1947--AFP.
Proton might as well be shut
down if not needed :Mahathir
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18: Malaysia's troubled carmaker Proton might as well close down if people believe it can not compete against foreign manufacturers, former premier Mahathir Mohamad said in remarks published Tuesday. "If the country does not need an automotive industry, it should be closed down. The Proton management should also consider closing down," Mahathir was quoted as saying by the Sun daily--AFP.
Thailand extends emergency rule in Muslim south
BANGKOK, Oct 18 (AFP): Thailand on Tuesday extended emergency rule in its three mainly Muslim southern provinces by another three months, as the death toll nears 1,000 in nearly 22 months of unrest. "The cabinet approved the extension of emergency rule in three southern provinces for another three months," General Vinai Phattiyakul, head of the National Security Council, told AFP after the cabinet's weekly meeting--AFP.
Italian could face death in Thailand on drug charges
BANGKOK, Oct 18: An Italian could face execution after being arrested Tuesday on drug trafficking charges in northern Thailand, police said. Stefano Pelliccia, 50, from Rome, was apprehended at a checkpoint in Mae Sai district of the northernmost province Chiang Rai, along the Myanmar border, allegedly with 1.4 kilograms (three pounds) of pure heroin strapped to his body--AFP
EU seeks to reassure as bird flu alarm mounts
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 18: The European Union must act swiftly to reassure the public that it can cope with a feared pandemic as bird flu outbreaks multiply, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Tuesday, report agencies. Straw, speaking as EU foreign ministers gathered for emergency talks including on the bird flu scare, sought to allay concerns but said Europe must be prepared for the worst if necessary. The EU must ensure "above all that there are the most adequate contingency plans across Europe to deal with any transfer of the avian virus to human beings," he told reporters. --AFP
|