Fighters push south towards Iraqi capital

BAGHDAD: Fighters were pushing towards Baghdad Thursday after capturing a town only 90 kilometres (56 miles) to its north, in a lightning three-day offensive the Iraqi government has failed to stop.

Fighters from the Iraq and the Levant seized the town of Dhuluiyah, a municipal councillor, a police colonel and witnesses told by telephone.

The nearby Muatassam area has also fallen to militants, the municipal council member and witnesses said.

ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani promised that the battle would "rage" on Baghdad and Karbala, the SITE Intelligence Group said Wednesday.

"Do not relent against your enemy... The battle is not yet raging, but it will rage in Baghdad and Karbala," Adnani said, according to a SITE translation of an audio statement.

On Wednesday, the militants were repulsed in heavy fighting when they tried to enter Samarra, to the north, bypassing it and heading to Dhuluiyah.

Army Staff Lieutenant General Sabah al-Fatlawi said soldiers and "elite forces" backed by air strikes defeated a "fierce attack by ISIL members," and that troops were regrouping to counter attack.

ISIL militants have spearheaded a major offensive that began early Tuesday and has since overrun the entire northern province of Nineveh and significant parts of Kirkuk to its southeast and Salaheddin to its south.

Fighters push south towards Iraqi capital

BAGHDAD: Fighters were pushing towards Baghdad Thursday after capturing a town only 90 kilometres (56 miles) to its north, in a lightning three-day offensive the Iraqi government has failed to stop.

Fighters from the Iraq and the Levant seized the town of Dhuluiyah, a municipal councillor, a police colonel and witnesses told by telephone.

The nearby Muatassam area has also fallen to militants, the municipal council member and witnesses said.

ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani promised that the battle would "rage" on Baghdad and Karbala, the SITE Intelligence Group said Wednesday.

"Do not relent against your enemy... The battle is not yet raging, but it will rage in Baghdad and Karbala," Adnani said, according to a SITE translation of an audio statement.

On Wednesday, the militants were repulsed in heavy fighting when they tried to enter Samarra, to the north, bypassing it and heading to Dhuluiyah.

Army Staff Lieutenant General Sabah al-Fatlawi said soldiers and "elite forces" backed by air strikes defeated a "fierce attack by ISIL members," and that troops were regrouping to counter attack.

ISIL militants have spearheaded a major offensive that began early Tuesday and has since overrun the entire northern province of Nineveh and significant parts of Kirkuk to its southeast and Salaheddin to its south.

 

Twin blasts rock largest city in Thai south

BANGKOK: At least six people were wounded in twin blasts in southern Thailand´s main commercial city of Hat Yai -- the gateway to the kingdom´s insurgency-stricken deep south, authorities said Tuesday.

The blasts rocked the city in the early afternoon with one detonating near a convenience store and the other exploding by apartments being built for local police.

Television footage showed thick billows of smoke near the apartments as firefighters battled a blaze sparked by the device which was hidden on a parked motorcycle.

"There were two bombs attacks, at least six people were injured -- none of them is in a serious condition," Grisda Boonrach, Songkhla provincial governor told.

Local police said the bombs were around 25 minutes apart and confirmed the casualties.

Although authorities were not immediately sure who carried out the blasts, suspicion will inevitably fall on insurgents from Thailand´s three Muslim-majority southern provinces which border Malaysia.

Hat Yai, the largest city in Thailand´s south which is popular with Malaysian and Singaporean tourists, was targeted in 2012 by a car bomb at a city hotel which sparked a blaze that killed three people, wounded hundreds and left parts of the city centre resembling a war zone.

New tornadoes tear through US South, 17 dead

WASHINGTON: Fresh storms hit Mississippi and the US Southeast Monday, threatening tens of millions of people a day after tornadoes killed 17 and ripped up homes in nearby states.

A tornado swept through the northern city of Tupelo around 2.30 pm (1930 GMT), the National Weather Service said, adding that a crew was en route to survey the damage.

Parts of Alabama were also at high risk of severe storms, with a moderate risk affecting portions of Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi as the system traveled east, with numerous tornadoes expected.

The National Weather Service said more than 49 million people living in the watch areas were threatened by the storms, upwards of 1.4 million of them in high-risk areas.

In the hardest-hit parts of Arkansas, emergency crews intensified their search for survivors, as residents of the close-knit community of Vilonia surveyed the damage.

Dozens of Arkansas National Guard troops were assisting local authorities with medical evacuations, fresh water deliveries and search and rescue operations.Vilonia police chief Brad McNew said the town of 4,000 had been rendered unrecognizable.

"It´s houses completely down to the foundations," he told NBC television. Through the night, rescuers used searchlights in blacked-out areas, sifting through mountains of rubble in the hopes of finding someone alive.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said 14 people had been killed in the state -- an earlier figure of 15 was revised as one victim was counted twice -- while an official in Oklahoma state said there were at least two tornado victims there.

Local media reported another fatality in the state of Iowa. McNew said more would have been killed if not for emergency sirens that warned people the twister was about to hit.

"I went to a tornado shelter myself with my family which was a couple miles away from where we were at.

A lot of people in the community were there. And so, it did work," he said."If you see the destruction that is here, even though we´ve lost some lives, there are many lives that was saved because of the storm warnings.

"Vilonia was struck three years ago by a tornado that took almost the same path, but Sunday´s twister was "a lot worse," McNew said.

Twisters also devastated large sections of the town of Mayflower, population 2,300, just northwest of the Arkansas state capital, Little Rock.

Netherlands to bowl in South Africa World T20

CHITTAGONG: Netherlands captain Peter Borren won the toss and sent South Africa in to bat in their group one super-10 match in the World Twenty20 in Chittagong on Thursday.

South Africa made one change from the side which beat New Zealand by two runs in their second match on Monday, bringing in Beuran Hendricks in place of paceman Morne Morkel.

The Netherlands, shot out for the lowest-ever Twenty20 international total of 39 against Sri Lanka on Monday, kept the same side.

Five teams are competing in each of the two groups in the super-10 stage, with top two teams from each group qualifying for the semis.

The final will be played in Dhaka on April 6.

Teams:

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Beuran Hendricks, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Netherlands: Peter Borren (capt), Michael Swart, Stephan Myburgh, Wesley Barresi, Tom Copper, Logan van Beek, Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Timm van der Gugten, Ahsan Malik, Pieter Seelaar.

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Bruce Oxenford (AUS)

TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)

Match referee: David Boon (AUS

South Africa can help Pakistan in coal, power industry: Envoy

KARACHI: High Commissioner of South Africa in Pakistan Mpenduio here on Thursday said his country can assist Pakistan in coal mining and coal-based power generation.
" We can provide Pakistan coal to gas technology for power generation to meet its energy challenges ," the High Commissioner said during his interactive session with members of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here. He was accompanied by Deputy Head of African mission in Karachi, Sarel van Zyl and its Honorary Consul General here, Ghulam Muhammad.
The High Commissioner said that during meetings with Punjab and Sindh Chief Ministers he had held detailed discussion on energy of Pakistan and offered his country's technical support especially in coal based power generation.
He informed the business community that three trade delegation from South Africa were scheduled to visit Pakistan before the end of this year and they would visit Karachi as well. He underlined the need for more exchange of business delegations and enhanced economic cooperation including entering into more joint ventures in different potential sectors on both sides. " We should benefit from our mutual potential trade and investment opportunities.
There is much scope in this economic relationship for improvement. It is my role and that of my High Commission to promote and enhance this relationship," he added. South African diplomat said the economic diplomacy has become the buzz word in modern diplomacy.
The mandate that he has received from his Government is to increase exports from South Africa to Pakistan and to promote South Africa as a safe environment for investments from Pakistan. Of course, the ultimate goal is to increase the level of total bilateral trade between our two friendly countries.
He said that a number of Pakistani companies have already invested successfully in various parts of South Africa and discussions on several new investment opportunities are in progress. South Africa is rich in mineral and other natural resources, and its government wishes to encourage foreign investors to set up their manufacturing plants there.
" We offer many incentives to investors and, more importantly, South Africa is regarded as a gateway to Africa," he remarked. South Africa also offers excellent transport facilities including ports and international airports for the exports of goods manufactured there. The High Commissioner informed the KCCI members that African continent is the second fastest growing region after Asia.
" We are ready to assist you with your inquiries regarding investment opportunities in South Africa, whatever sector you may wish to target," he said.
He said that the total trade between South Africa and Pakistan in 2012 figured $ 510 million. South Africa exports mainly iron and steel, aluminum and coal to Pakistan and imports cotton and yarn, textiles and leather goods from Pakistan. There are many other sectors that could be targeted for South African export to Pakistan. "We wish to invite members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to approach us in this matter", he said.
South Africa and Pakistan share a history dating back many years when Pakistan was supporting the liberation struggle against apartheid. " Let me use the opportunity to thank the Pakistani people for their support, which led to freedom for all South Africans in 1994," he said. South African diplomat said that he had already visited several chambers of commerce and industry in major cities of Pakistan to share information on trade and investment existing in both the countries.
South African Deputy Head of the mission here, Serel van Zyl also stressed on increased people to people contacts especially school groups of both the countries. Pakistani sports goods are popular in South Africa. To a query, he said the delay in issue of visa was already under discussion. To another query, he said that more work is needed to be done on both sides to decide about warehouses facility in South Africa for Pakistani exporters. " We want some more details from you in this regard," he said.
President KCCI Aamir Abdullah Zaki briefed the visiting diplomats about the role of Karachi Chamber in promoting trade and industry within and outside the country.