Security forces fort attacked in Bannu

Militants have attacked security forces fort in near Bannu on Wednesday.According to sources, militants attacked security forces fort with light and heavy weapons in Karam Gari area. The attackers were managed to flee after retaliatory action by security forces. Search operation has been launched after the attack.

Dr. Qadeer’s detention: Federation asked to reply in 15 days

Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the federation to submit reply within 15 days to the petition filed by the imminent nuclear scientist against his detention. The initial hearing of the petition filed against the detention of Dr. Abdul Qadeer was held here today in the court of IHC Chief Justice. Dr. Abdul Qadeer’s lawyer, S. M. Zafar was not present on this occasion, but after hearing the arguments of other lawyers, the court directed the Deputy Attorney General to file a reply within 15 days on behalf of the federation, explaining under which law Dr. Qadeer was being kept in detention.

Pakistan, India seek to ease tensions:Rice

Pakistan must act with "urgency and resolve" in cooperating with Indian investigations into last week's Mumbai attacks, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday."We have to act with urgency and act with resolve. Pakistan needs to act with urgency and with resolve," Rice told reporters prior to talks with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.Rice said that her visit to India aimed at expressing solidarity with the government and people of India over terror strikes in Mumbai. She said there is a need to step up cooperation to avoid such terror attacks in future. US Secretary of State said that President Asif Ali Zardari had assured her of Pakistan’s cooperation in this regard. She said terrorists and non-state actors wanted to destabilize states and they were carrying out their activities in India, Pakistan and US.

6 special trains to be run on Eid-ul-Azha

The Pakistan Railways has decided to run six special trains on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in the wake of additional rush of passengers.Spokesman of the Pakistan Railways told in a statement issued from Lahore that the first special train would depart from Quetta at 12-30 pm on December 6 and reach Peshawar at 9-45 pm next day.Second special train will leave Quetta at 12-30 pm on December 7 and reach Rawalpindi at 6-00 pm next day.The third special train will go from Karachi Cantt at 1-00 pm on December 6 and reach Peshawar Cantt next day at 7-15 pm.The fourth special train will leave Karachi Cantt on December 7 at 1-00 pm and going via Multan-Shorkot will reach Faisalabad next morning at nine O’clock.The fifth special train will go from Peshawar Cantt at 12 noon on December 8 and reach Lahore at 8-45 in the night.The sixth and the last special train will leave Peshawar Cantt at 12 noon on December 12 and reach Karachi Cantt at 7-30 in the next evening.

11 school girls die of poisonous gas in China

Eleven schoolgirls died of carbon monoxide poisoning in north China as they tried to warm themselves around a charcoal heater amid plummeting temperatures.According to officials, this incident occurred in China’s north province of Shaanxi on Monday night where some girl students lit fire for protecting themselves from cold in a secondary school due to which the room was filled by poisonous gas. The girls, all of them fourth-graders around 10 years old, were discovered early Tuesday morning and rushed to hospital, but 11 died, the report said.Another girl remained in hospital in a stable condition. China is just moving into winter and temperatures in the north of the country have already started falling below freezing.

Taliban kill Afghan district governor

An Afghan district governor was shot dead Monday by two men on a motorcycle, a government official said, in a killing claimed by the insurgent Taliban movement.The governor of the volatile Andar district in the province of Ghazni, south of Kabul, was killed as he left his home, provincial government spokesman Ismail Jahangir said."Abdul Rahim Desiwal was moving to Ghazni town when he was attacked by two motorcycle riders. He was he martyred and his guard was wounded," he said. "This is the Taliban's work." A spokesman for the Taliban confirmed the militia had carried out the assassination. "Our men killed Abdul Rahim Desiwal when he left his house," Zabihullah Mujahed said.

US has no reason to doubt Pakistan: White House

WASHINGTON: The United States has no reason to doubt the Pakistani government's assertion that it was not involved in the recent deadly attacks in Mumbai, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Monday.