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SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir police commandos fought their way into a Srinagar hotel at the crack of dawn on Thursday, killing two heavily-armed
terrorists who took positions there after lobbing grenades and shooting at security forces on Wednesday.

Two people, including a constable, were killed, and 10 others injured in the protracted gunbattle — the first such attack on Srinagar’s business hub of Lal Chowk in more than three years. Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital sources said a civilian, Mohammed Akbar Lone, died because of his wounds on Thursday.

Punjab Hotel, where the two suspected LeT terrorists had holed up, was in flames when police announced the end of the 22-hour siege. Hours after the encounter ended, soldiers were still searching the area for leftover explosives.

Home ministry sources in New Delhi said the terror duo was in constant touch with their Pakistani handlers during the siege. ‘‘Their communication with their handlers revealed that more attacks are in offing,’’ a source said. ‘‘The shifting focus of security forces on Jammu resulted in the attack.’’

J&K police chief Kuldeep Khoda said the hotel’s top floor was first cleared by commandos, who then nailed the first terrorist. ‘‘The other terrorist tried to set the building on afire,’’ he said. ‘‘He was looking to escape but was shot down.’’

Khoda said the attack was planned in Pakistan and LeT was instructed not to own it up. ‘‘That’s why Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack,’’ he said. He identified the two terrorists as Abu Qari, a Pakistani national, and Manzoor Ahmad, from Sopore.

Earlier, darkness forced suspension of the operation on Wednesday evening. ‘‘The operation resumed at 7pm, but the terrorists kept firing at security forces through out the night,’’ Khoda said.

Joginder Singh, owner of another hotel in Lal Chowk, said the assault was a scary experience. ‘‘Heavy firing was on and my staff and I were unable to come out,’’ he said. ‘‘We thought we could die any moment.’’ He said a stray bullet hit one of his employees.

Cops said the two terrorists were planning a suicide attack, which was thwarted when police prevented them from approaching a CRPF camp. The two were stopped during a routine check. The ultras panicked when stopped and began firing indiscriminately besides hurling three grenades. They then took positions and fired at the security forces from the hotel.
source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cape Town — Airline passengers who are citizens of, or fly through, five African nations will undergo more intensive security screening from today before being permitted to board flights to the United States.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the new "enhanced screening" on Sunday.

According to Monday's editions of the New York Times and the Washington Post, the five African nations affected are Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.

Nine other nations - most of them in Asia or the Middle East - are also covered by the TSA's directive, which applies to "nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest." Sudan is regarded by the U.S. as a "state sponsor of terrorism." The Washington Post named the other African countries affected as "countries of interest to U.S. intelligence agencies."

The Post also reported that in a directive to airlines on the tougher screening measure, the TSA had emphasized a "full body pat-down and physical inspection of property".

The TSA's public statement said the directive applies to "every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world travelling from or through" the affected countries.

The directive follows the arrest of a Nigerian for attempting to set off a bomb on an airliner flying from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Vanguard

It was issued as former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo made an appeal urging the international community not to judge all Nigerians by the actions of one person.

"Nigerians are law-abiding people and not terrorists," Vanguard newspaper reported him as saying.

"The young man's case should not be used as a standard to judge Nigerians or in fact, to criminalise all Nigerians... The fact that the boy committed a grave offence as a Nigerian does not say that all Nigerians are terrorists or criminals."

The TSA statement said its new directive "also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S.-bound international flights."
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The New York Times reported that the extra scrutiny of passengers and their carry-on bags could include the use of "whole-body scanners" - which can examine people for explosives or weapons beneath their clothing - where they are available.

But the screening of Americans and citizens of nations not affected by Sunday's directive
could be relaxed. The Times reported that civil rights groups had protested the distinction made between passengers on the basis of their country of origin.

It quoted Nawar Shora of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee as saying the directive wrongly implied that all citizens of certain nations are suspect. "...[T]his is extreme and very dangerous," he reportedly said.
source-http://allafrica.com

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan exchanged the lists of their nuclear installations for the 19th consecutive time under an agreement which prohibits
any kind of attack on such facilities.

The lists were exchanged through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities, a statement by the External Affairs Ministry said here.

Under the agreement signed on December 31, 1988, which came into force on January 27, 1991, the two countries share details of their nuclear installations with each other on the first day of every year.

 source-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com