Briefly World

Airport shooting suspect acted alone.

Airport shooting suspect acted alone

FRANKFURT: The suspect in the slaying of two US airmen at the Frankfurt airport confessed to targeting members of the American military,a top security official said Thursday,in a case that German officials are treating as a possible act of Islamic terrorism. Hesse state Interior Minister Boris Rhein told reporters in Wiesbaden that the suspect,identified as a 21-year-old ethnic Albanian from Kosovo,was apparently radicalised over the last few weeks and acted alone,the DAPD news agency reported.

Obama regrets Afghan civilian deaths

KABUL: US President Barack Obama expressed deep regret to President Hamid Karzai over recent civilian deaths in military operations in Afghanistan during a call,Karzais office said Thursday. On Thursday,the US commander of international troops in Afghanistan,General David Petraeus,said he was deeply sorry after nine civilians died in a coalition air strike in Kunar province,northeast Afghanistan,on Wednesday.

NZ ends search for quake survivors

WELLINGTON: Rescuers officially gave up hope of finding more survivors in New Zealands devastating earthquake,saying on Thursday that no one trapped in rubble nine days earlier could still be alive.

Robert Kennedy killer faces parole board

LOS ANGELES: Sirhan Sirhan,who killed US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy in 1968,faced a parole board on Thursday,his 14th such hearing since he was convicted,

officials said.

3 days of mourning announced

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday announced three days of official mourning for Shahbaz Bhatti. Gilani further announced that the national flag would remain at half mast on Friday. The white portion of the flag represents minorities,which shows Pakistans commitment for their rights and welfare, Gilani said.

Must not buckle to extremism

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan must not buckle to extremism,President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday,a day after Taliban militants killed his governments only Christian minister for challenging a law on blasphemy toward Islam. He said Bhattis killing was the result of a negative mindset and intolerance that had led to the killing of a governor in January.

Pak to go ahead with davis trial

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LAHORE: In a setback to US efforts to seek early release of its national Raymond Davis arrested for double murder,a Pakistani court on Thursday rejected his claim that he has diplomatic immunity and said it would go ahead with his trial. The judge said a note by the US embassy was not sufficient to prove Davis diplomatic status.