Briefly World

The Sri Lankan government on Sunday formally accepted the resignation of Gen Sarath Fonseka as the Chief of Defence Staff and asked him...

Sri Lanka accepts General Fonsekas resignation

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government on Sunday formally accepted the resignation of Gen Sarath Fonseka as the Chief of Defence Staff and asked him to retire with immediate effect,rejecting his plea to serve till December 1. The top general,as the Army chief was the architect of the annihilation of the rebel Tamil Tigers in a military offensive in May. In a communication to Gen. Fonseka,Lalith Weerathunge,Secretary to the President,said,You will cease to hold office as Chief of Defence Staff,also with immediate effect. This decision has been arrived at having giving anxious consideration to the fact that you yourself believe that the President and the government have lost the trust and faith bestowed upon you.

Irans first lady makes rare speech

ROME: Irans first lady made a rare public appearance and even more rare,a speech,at a Rome forum on the eve of a UN summit to fight hunger. The wife of Iranian Mahmoud Ahmadinejad almost never appears in public with her husband and is believed never to have addressed a public gathering. First Lady Azam al-Sadat Farahi came to a forum of wives of heads of state on Sunday. The summit on strategy to fight world hunger begins Monday at the Rome headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

N Korea activates missile radar

SEOUL: North Korea briefly activated radar for its surface-to-ship missiles on Sunday,forcing South Korean naval vessels to move away from a disputed western sea border where the two countries navies clashed last week,news reports said.

North Korea had warned it would take unspecified military action to defend itself following Tuesdays skirmish. Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea detected signs that North Korea activated its radar systems for anti-ship missiles at a western coastal site for about one hour starting around 1 pm.

Bid on life on Afghan visit: German minister

BERLIN: A helicopter convoy carrying German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg came under fire from the ground during a recent visit to troops in the area,media reported. None of the three helicopters in the convoy were hit during the attack,which happened on Friday morning after the minister visited German soldiers in the northern area of Kunduz,the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said.