12 militants killed in Afghanistan

Kabul, October 27: At least 12 Taliban militants were killed in a series of cleanup operations since Saturday, the Afghan interior ministry said Sunday. "Afghan National Police conducted several clearance operations with the cooperation of the army, National Directorate for Security and the NATO-led coalition forces in Kunar, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Wardak, Farah, Helmand and Nimroz provinces over the past 24 hours. As a result 12 armed Taliban were killed, 10 wounded and seven others were arrested," Xinhua quoted the Afghan interior ministry as saying in a statement. The Afghan National Police also seized weapons and defused several improvised bombs, the statement said. The security forces have intensified operations against Taliban and other militant groups recently, and the insurgent has responded with bombings and armed attacks.

Indian expats world’s top remitters back to home country: World Bank report

Abu Dahbi, October 27: Indian expatriates have topped the charts worldwide for being the top remitters for the developing world, a new World Bank report revealed. The World Bank data released for 2013 showed that amounts transferred by the migrant workers of India and the Philippines to their families and friends will hit 97 billion dollars and that the total transfers will increase, Gulf News reports. According to the report, the two countries will likely represent nearly a quarter of the remittance volumes to the developing world this year. The report estimated that money transfers to developing countries are likely to increase to 414 billion dollars (6.3 percent) this year and are expected to swell further to surpass the half-trillion mark by 2016.

Police: Roadside bomb kills 18 Afghan civilians

Kabul, October 27: Police say a roadside bomb has killed 18 civilians and wounded five as they rode a small bus home after attending a wedding in a lawless district of eastern Afghanistan's Ghazni province. Deputy provincial police chief Col. Asadullah Ensafi said the blast occurred today in the Andar district as the bus travelled from one village to another. He says the dead include 14 women, three men and a child. Ensfai says the wounded are all women and two are in critical condition. Roadside bombs are the Taliban's weapon of choice and are responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties. Andar is one of the few districts in Ghazni where the Taliban retain some measure of control and often attack security forces, mostly by laying bombs along roads.

Iran MP says Fordo nuclear site a 'red line'

Tehran, October 27: A prominent Iranian lawmaker said today Iran would never agree to shut down its Fordo underground nuclear enrichment facility as demanded by world powers. It is possible that they set some conditions such as shutting down Fordo, which definitely will not happen," Mehr news agency quoted Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the parliament's foreign policy committee, as saying. Fordo, with nearly 3,000 centrifuges and dug deep into a mountain near the holy city of Qom, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Tehran, is at the heart of international concerns over Iran's nuclear drive. The site, whose existence was revealed in 2009, began in late 2011 to enrich uranium to purities of 20 per cent, a few technical steps away from the 90-per cent level needed for a nuclear weapon. Iran says it is enriching to this level to provide fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes, and denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons. Closing Fordo or limiting enrichment activities has been a key demand by six world powers -- permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- in negotiations with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme. In return, the powers are offering to ease some sanctions against the Islamic republic, such as those imposed on trade in gold and on the petrochemical sector. Iran and the P5+1 resumed talks mid-October in Geneva during which Tehran presented a new proposal that its chief Nuclear negotiator Abbass Araqchi said could settle the dispute "within a year". Experts from both sides are to meet at the end of this week in Vienna to prepare for the next round of talks, in Geneva on November 7-8. Israel and to a lesser degree the US has refused to rule out military action against Iran should it continue its Nuclear enrichment program. However, Boroujerdi warned against any military action, saying Iran was prepared to deter any foreign attack. We have created the conditions in America and the Zionist regime in a way that they will never think of Attacking our nuclear sites. Our missiles are a deterrent ... But Fordo is one of our red lines," he said, without elaborating. Some experts warn that Iran next year may reach "critical capacity" -- the point at which it could, in theory, process enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb before being detected. But since becoming president in August, Hassan Rouhani, seen as a relative moderate, has raised hopes that the Long-running crisis can be resolved and threats of military action silenced for good.

Iran's Rouhani says 'terrorists' must be expelled from Syria

Tehran, October 27: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told visiting UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi today that part of a solution to the Syria crisis is to expel "terrorist groups" from that country, a report said. Iran believes that by continuing humanitarian aid, preventing the entry (and) expelling terrorist groups from Syria and the complete destruction of chemical weapons will be first important steps for achieving stable peace in Syria," Rouhani said in comments reported by the official IRNA news agency. Syria's regime refers to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad's regime as "terrorist groups" Taking orders from foreign states. Brahimi is on a Middle East tour to garner support for a planned peace conference next month in Geneva between regime and rebel representatives. Rouhani said a major obstacle to resolving the Syria crisis was the lack of consensus among regional and international Players. The first problem is divided among the Syrian opposition, the presence of terrorist groups between them... And the lack of consensus among Syria's neighboring countries and the world's major powers," he was quoted as saying. He added: "Iran is ready to play a positive role in any movement that would contribute to stability in Syria, and it makes no difference whether this effort is called Geneva II conference or anything else." The so-called Geneva II conference has been repeatedly postponed amid wrangling among the Syrian opposition, and a Dispute over which countries, including Iran, should participate. Brahimi said in Tehran yesterday that Iran's participation is "natural and necessary". But he stressed that no invitations had yet been sent out for the proposed international peace conference which the United Nations hopes to organize for late November. Prospects for the initiative to appear dim as the fractured Syrian opposition has yet to decide whether to attend and as Assad has said the "factors are not yet in place" for a conference. The conflict has killed more than 115,000 people since it erupted in March 2011, when a government crackdown on peaceful protests escalated into civil war.

11 Taliban rebels surrender in Afghanistan

Kabul, October 27: At least 11 Taliban rebels surrendered with arms to the Afghan authorities in the country's Nangarhar province, a source said Sunday. "An 11-member group of armed opponents gave up fighting and handed over their arms to the authorities in Shinwar district Sunday," Malik Nazir, provincial High Peace Council chief, told Xinhua. Peace and stability would be further strengthened in several parts of the province with the insurgents' surrender, he added. The Afghan government set up a 70-member High Peace Council and launched the peace and reconciliation process in 2010 to encourage Taliban to disarm and give up militancy against the government. Over the past week, more than 40 Taliban fighters joined the process across the country, officials said.

90-year-old Saudi widower remarries

Dubai, October 27: A 90-year-old man in Saudi Arabia remarried, to honour his dying wife's wish, Gulf News reported Sunday. The five daughters of Fatees Al Thaqafi, from Taef in western Saudi Arabia, spent three months looking for the right bride for their father, the newspaper reported on its website. Al Thaqafi had initially refused to remarry after his wife died earlier this year following a prolonged illness, but after his daughters and sons insisted he honour their mother's wish, he agreed. The couple had five daughters and seven sons. The daughters did not want a young woman and looked for a mature woman. Eventually they found a childless 53-year-old widow in a remote village who accepted the marriage proposal. The elderly man paid 25,000 Saudi riyal ($6,665) in bride's price. A large number of relatives and friends attended the marriage ceremony.

Afghanistan to grill Pak about Mullah Baradar's whereabouts

Islamabad, October 27: Afghanistan will demand an explanation from Pakistan on the whereabouts of a former Taliban second-in-command Mullah Baradar. Afghan leaders will seek answers from Pakistan when the leaders of both countries meet next week to discuss how to end years of the insurgency, an Afghan official said. According to the Daily Times, the whereabouts of Baradar has been the source of intense speculation since Pakistan announced his release on September 20. Pakistani sources said that he is kept in a safe house and is closely watched by his Pakistani handlers. Afghanistan believes Baradar's prolonged stay in Pakistan may have marred his reputation among fighters. Aimal Faizi, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said that Baradar is still under strict supervision. He added that Afghanistan will be seeking an explanation from Pakistan on his whereabouts and how Pakistan can facilitate direct talks between him and the High Peace Council. Faizi said Karzai would raise the issue when he meets Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London next week for a summit hosted by Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, the report added. (ANI

Iran MP says Fordo nuclear site a 'red line'

Tehran, October 27: A prominent Iranian lawmaker said today Iran would never agree to shut down its Fordo underground nuclear enrichment facility as demanded by world powers. It is possible that they set some conditions such as shutting down Fordo, which definitely will not happen," Mehr news agency quoted Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the parliament's foreign policy committee, as saying. Fordo, with nearly 3,000 centrifuges and dug deep into a mountain near the holy city of Qom, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Tehran, is at the heart of international concerns over Iran's nuclear drive. The site, whose existence was revealed in 2009, began in late 2011 to enrich uranium to purities of 20 per cent, a few technical steps away from the 90-per cent level needed for a nuclear weapon. Iran says it is enriching to this level to provide fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes, and denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons. Closing Fordo or limiting enrichment activities has been a key demand by six world powers -- permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- in negotiations with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme. In return, the powers are offering to ease some sanctions against the Islamic republic, such as those imposed on trade in gold and on the petrochemical sector. Iran and the P5+1 resumed talks mid-October in Geneva during which Tehran presented a new proposal that its chief nuclear negotiator Abbass Araqchi said could settle the dispute "within a year". Experts from both sides are to meet at the end of this week in Vienna to prepare for the next round of talks, in Geneva on November 7-8. Israel and to a lesser degree the US have refused to rule out military action against Iran should it continue its nuclear enrichment programme. However, Boroujerdi warned against any military action, saying Iran was prepared to deter any foreign attack. We have created the conditions for America and the Zionist regime in a way that they will never think of attacking our nuclear sites. Our missiles are a deterrent ... but Fordo is one of our red lines," he said, without elaborating. Some experts warn that Iran next year may reach "critical capacity" -- the point at which it could, in theory, process enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb before being detected. But since becoming president in August, Hassan Rouhani, seen as a relative moderate, has raised hopes that the long-running crisis can be resolved and threats of military action silenced for good.

Iran hangs 16 rebels in retaliation for border deaths

London, October 27: Iran has hanged 16 rebels in retaliation for the deaths of at least 14 border guards in an ambush. The rebels were linked to groups hostile to the regime, Mohammad Marzieh, the attorney general of Sistan-Baluchistan province said. They were hanged in prison in Zahedan , northeast of Saravan, where the border deaths took place overnight, the BBC reports. It is not clear what link, if any, those hanged had into the border attack. (ANI)