LAHORE: At least eight people died when armed persons stormed the emergency ward of Jinnah Hospital here, Medical Superintendent said Monday. According to Geo correspondent, two gunmen entered the emergency ward and opened fire at the injured of Model Town and Garhi Shahi attacks. According to Geo, three to four guards and attendants are among the dead. The firing is still underway while police have surrounded the hospital.
At least four gunmen have attacked a hospital in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, killing up to a dozen people and holding several hostage before escaping. “They barged into the hospital building a…
PARIS: Hundreds of people in Paris are clashing with police near the Israeli Embassy after blocking traffic to protest a deadly commando raid on ships carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Police are responding by firing tear gas. Protesters, some covering their faces in black-and-white Palestinian scarves, are charging toward the Israeli Embassy near the Champs-Elysees. The clashes were part of swelling demonstrations that began earlier when riot police forcibly drove back scores of protesters demonstrating outside the embassy. Monday’’s protests came amid an international outcry over the raid by Israeli forces on ships taking humanitarian aid from Turkey to Gaza. At least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.
LAHORE, Pakistan – At least four gunmen attacked a hospital in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday morning, killing up to a dozen people and holding several hostage before escaping, a senior …
LAHORE, Pakistan – At least four gunmen attacked a hospital in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Monday afternoon, killing up to a dozen people and holding several hostage before escaping, a senior…
NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council has begun an emergency session to discuss an Israeli raid on a flotilla of ships seeking to take aid to the Gaza Strip. The talks were requested by Lebanon, which holds the council’’s rotating presidency until 0400 GMT on Tuesday. The country’’s President Saad Hariri “asked the Lebanese delegation at the UN to call for an emergency meeting over what happened today,” a Lebanese official told a foreign news agency earlier. Israel faces a wave of condemnation over the raid, in which at least nine people were killed. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was “shocked” by the deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and demanded a full investigation. “I am shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on boats carrying supplies for Gaza,” the UN chief said at a press conference in Uganda. Israel’’s closest ally Washington said it “deeply regrets the loss of life” and was “working to understand” what caused the “tragedy.” The Jewish state’’s chief regional partner Turkey responded with fury, scrapping plans for joint war games with Israel and recalling its ambassador, as it warned the “flagrant breach of international law” would have “irreparable consequences” for bilateral ties. Tens of thousands of furious Turks poured into the streets with protestors in Istanbul burning Israeli flags, shouting “Damn Israel!” and demanding “A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, revenge, revenge!” The Vatican voiced “deep sadness and concern” and Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair expressed his “deep regret and shock,” as capitals across Europe summoned Israel’’s ambassadors to explain the assault. Greece, which had dozens of nationals in the convoy, also pulled out of joint military exercises with Israel as an aid group claimed that commandos in helicopters had fired on a Greek vessel. Israel said its troops were attacked after they stormed six ships loaded with thousands of tonnes of aid and with hundreds of activists aboard, and that both sides used live fire. Israel, which has blockaded Gaza since its bitter foe Hamas was elected to power three years ago, had called the expedition illegal and warned it would act to stop it. Muslim leaders united in condemning what Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called a “massacre” and Arab League chief Amr Mussa said was a “crime.” Hamas, which rules Gaza urged world Muslims to “rise up” in protest, as Iran’’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denounced the raid as “inhuman Zionist regime action.” Lebanon’’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri described the raid as “dangerous and crazy” and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, chaired by Beirut until midnight in New York. Across the country Palestinian refugees and activists demonstrated to denounce the raid, chanting slogans like “Give us weapons, give us weapons and send us on to Gaza.” The UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, called for a worldwide boycott and sanctions against Israel, saying “those Israelis responsible for this lawless and murderous behaviour” should be held criminally accountable. Pakistan also “strongly condemned” the attack on a “peaceful flotilla,” as politicians, lawmakers and journalists protested in Islamabad against Israel. Egypt condemned the “acts of killing” by Israel forces while Kuwait’’s parliament speaker said the storming of the flotilla, which was carrying 16 Kuwaitis including an MP, was a “heinous Israeli crime.” And Indonesia, the world’’s most populous Muslim nation, said “there was no basis” for Israel’’s assault. In Europe, condemnation was equally swift, with the European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton demanding Israel mount a “full inquiry.” Spain — the current European Union president — France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Greece and Cyprus summoned Israel’’s respective ambassadors, with Madrid slamming the operation as “unacceptable”. France’’s President Nicolas Sarkozy accused Israel of a “disproportionate use of force.” Germany’’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was “deeply concerned” about the deaths, while Italy’’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini “deplored” the loss of civilian life. Russia also condemned a “crude violation” of international law. British Foreign Secretary William Hague deplored the loss of life, saying Israel must “act with restraint” — but also said London had warned of the risks of defying the Gaza blockade. A Cyprus MEP, Kyriacos Triantafyllides, who was involved with the mission, said activists had “expected a strong reaction from Israel.” “But nobody believed it would come to this point, where they would face something akin to an invading army,” he said.
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira on Monday said the government has condemned the act of violence committed by Israeli forces which is against norms and principles of international law and human rights. Pakistan is using all possible means to get information about the well being of the Pakistani journalists present in the Freedom Flotilla, he said. In a telephonic talk with a news channel, he said Pakistan has strongly protested the incident, adding that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has talked to American Ambassador Anne Patterson to use her influence and diplomatic sources to get the latest information about the status of Pakistani journalists as Pakistan has not direct diplomatic links with Israel. The minister said there was no moral and legal justification of this attack and it was also violation of international borders because the “Freedom Flotilla” carrying relief goods was attacked in the open sea. “We are using all our diplomatic resources to locate the whereabouts of two Pakistani journalists, Syed Talat Hussain and Raza Mahmood Agha, and a Pakistani NGO worker, who were on board the Freedom Flotilla at the time of this outrageous attack,” he said when asked a question.
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council has begun an emergency session to discuss an Israeli raid on a flotilla of ships seeking to take aid to the Gaza Strip. The talks were requested by Lebanon, which holds the council’’s rotating presidency until 0400 GMT on Tuesday. The country’’s President Saad Hariri “asked the Lebanese delegation at the UN to call for an emergency meeting over what happened today,” a Lebanese official told AFP earlier. Israel faces a wave of condemnation over the raid, in which at least nine people were killed.
KAMPALA: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was “shocked” by a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and demanded a full investigation. “I am shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on boats carrying supplies for Gaza,” the UN chief said at a press conference following the opening in Uganda of a key conference on the International Criminal Court. “I condemn this violence,” Ban added, as an Israeli television channel reported that as many as 19 pro-Palestinian activists may have been killed in the Israeli military raid. “It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place,” Ban said. “I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation,” he added, moments after delivering a speech hailing the “new age of accountability” heralded by the creation of the ICC in 2002. The Hague-based tribunal, of which Israel is not a member, is the world’’s first permanent court mandated to bring perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide to justice. The UN chief said that a detailed account of the incident was needed before the international community could coordinate its response. “I”m sure that there will be enough time for the international community to assess the proper response including through the United Nations,” he explained. “Right now, what is absolutely vital is that we first have a full account of the incident, what had happened, and Israel must provide the full explanation on this. “For any further course of action I will have to discuss with member states of the United Nations Security Council or other concerned parties,” Ban said. “I understand that the league of Arab states may be meeting in an urgent session so we will actively coordinate with concerned parties,” he added. Speaking from Doha, Arab League chief Amr Mussa slammed the deadly Israeli raid as a “crime” and warned it had thrown into doubt the latest US-backed Middle East peace efforts.
ISLAMABAD: Government has slashed petrol price by Rs6.04 a litre, Geo News reported Monday.