Philippines: Leader of al-Qaeda linked group killed MANILA: Philippine troops on Sunday killed a senior leader of the small al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group blamed for kidnappings and bombings on a remote southern island,a military commander said. Albader Parad and five colleagues were killed in a gunbattle with Marine troops in a forested area at the foot of Mount Tucay on the island of Jolo,Lieutenant-General Ben Dolorfino told reporters. We have confirmed that one of the six bodies found belonged to Albader Parad as confirmed by independent civilian sources,Dolorfino said in text messages to reporters. We consider it a big blow to the cause of Islamic militants in the south,he added. Taliban reject Karzai call for peace KABUL: Afghanistans Taliban on Sunday rejected President Hamid Karzais latest call for peace,despite pressure from a NATO offensive and the capture of its number 2. Karzai renewed his appeal in parliament on Saturday for the Taliban to accept his peace proposal. The Taliban have repeatedly turned down Karzais peace proposals,saying foreign troops should leave Afghanistan first. Amnesty is morally bankrupt,says Rushdie London: Controversial Indian-origin author Salman Rushdie has accused Amnesty International of moral bankruptcy for working with a former terror suspect. Rushdie,whose plight was championed by Amnesty when he was placed under a fatwa for his novel The Satanic Verses,said the charity had done incalculable damage to its reputation by collaborating with Koazzam Begg,a former inmate of Guantanamo Bay. His accusation follows the suspension of Gita Sahgal,former head of Amnesty Internationals gender unit,who raised concerns about the organisations links to Begg. Dutch troops to leave Afghanistan this year AMSTERDAM: Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende says Dutch troops are likely to leave Afghanistan this year. He was speaking on Sunday,a day after his government collapsed when a coalition partner insisted the Dutch troops leave in August as planned. Turkish film,Polanski win top honours at Berlin fest BERLIN: Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglus film Bal (Honey) bagged the Golden Bear for best movie while Silver Bear for best director went to filmmaker Roman Polanski at the 60th Berlin Film Festival here. Kaplanoglus film tells the story about a young boys search deep inside a forest for his missing father, a beekeeper. The silver Bear for the best direction was awarded by the jury to veteran French director Roman Polanski for his political thriller The Ghost Writer. Polanski was not present at the ceremony as he is under house arrest over a conviction for having sex with a minor in 1977. The award was accepted by his producer. China likely to see baby boom in year of tiger,says report BEIJING: China,the worlds most populous nation,is expecting a baby boom in 2010,which according to Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the Tiger. Many couples in China wish to have babies in 2010,wanting them to be brave and strong like tigers. Babies born in this year are nicknamed tiger babies. Hospitals had more expecting mothers than the same period last year,Xinhua news agency reported. Former Bond actor Roger Moore makes acting comeback LONDON: Former Bond actor Roger Moore is making an acting comeback with romantic comedy Connemara Days. The movie is a fictional story about the making of 1952 classic The Quiet Man. The film will be made in the Irish village of Cong where the original,starring John Wayne and Maureen OHara and directed by John Ford,was filmed,the Daily Express reported.
