Female suicide bombers kill 37 in Moscow metro

MOSCOW: Explosions detonated by two female suicide bombers killed at least 37 people and injured dozens more on two packed Moscow metro trains in the morning rush hour on Monday, officials said.

It was the worst attack in the Russian capital for six years.

President Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia will fight terror without hesitation and to the end, ordering security to be stepped up on transport across the country.

"The policy to suppress terrorism in our country and the fight with terrorism will be continued," Russian news agencies quoted Medvedev as telling an emergency meeting convened after the twin blasts.

"We will continue the operation against terrorists without hesitation and until the end," he added.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that the "terrorists" responsible for the twin suicide bomb attacks in the Moscow metro will be caught and "destroyed."

"I am sure that law enforcement agencies will do everything to find and punish the criminals" who carried out the attack, Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying during a visit to the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts but suspicion fell on groups from Russia's North Caucasus, where the Kremlin is fighting a growing Islamist insurgency.

But the head of the Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, said the two suicide bombers were likely from Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus region.

The first blast tore through the second carriage of a train as it stood at the Lubyanka metro station, close to the headquarters of Russia's main domestic security service (FSB), at 0756 (0356 GMT), killing 25 people.

Another blast wrecked the second carriage of a train waiting at the Park Kultury metro station at 0837 (0437 GMT), killing 12 more people, an Emergencies Ministry spokeswoman said.

"The blast hit the second carriage of a metro train that stopped at Lubyanka, at 0756 (0356 GMT)," ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova told Reuters.

She said there were killed both inside the carriage and on the platform. The stations were packed with rush hour commuters.

"Two female terrorist suicide bombers carried out these bombings," Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov told reporters at Park Kultury metro station.

Surveillance camera footage posted on the Internet showed bodies lying in Lubyanka station lobby and emergency workers treating victims.

The current death toll makes it the worst attack on Moscow since February 2004, when a suicide bombing killed at least 39 people and wounded more than 100 on a metro train.

Chechen separatists were blamed for that attack.

Earth Hour 2010: 60 Minutes of Helping Mother Earth

NEWS:  The global event organized by World Widelife Fund or WWF will be held tonight. It is expected that millions of people will join in this event all over the world by simply turning off the lights and other electrical equipments for sixty minutes. This is the way to raise the awareness and send the message to the people about the climate change due to global warming.

The Earth Hour 2010 will take place on this day, 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time. There are more than 90 countries around the world who will participate to this event. From America, Europe, Asia and Australia and other continents, cities, towns and iconic places will cooperate for this world wide campaign.

Join the Earth Hour tonight and get involved to raise the awareness at help to stop nor minimize the cause of global warming. What time is Earth Hour? It is just less than 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Heavy motorbike race held on Lahore-Islamabad motorway

PAKISTAN: A heavy motorbike race was held for the first time on the Lahore-Islamabad motorway on Tuesday.

Fifty motorcycle riders participated in the race which ranged from Toll plaza Lahore to Bhera.

Federal ministers Samsam Bukhari and Imtiaz Safdar Waraich and IG-Motorway Dr Waseem Kausar also witnessed the race.

Motorcycles from 600cc to 1837cc were included in the race.

Punjab minister for local bodies Dost Mohammad Khosa also took part in the race and rode on a 1300 cc motorcycle.

Youth interested in heavy motorcycle race participated from all over the country.

India to buy drones from Israel

NEW DELHI:  India will buy spy drones from Israel.  According to Indian media reports, in a contract inked with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) a few days ago, India has ordered a few more `Heron' MALE (medium-altitude, long endurance) drones, ground control systems and data terminals for around Rs 700 crore, defence ministry sources said.

Under the latest deal, Indian Navy will now get two more Herons to add to its UAV fleet of eight Searcher-II and four Herons, which are being used for maritime surveillance up to 200 nautical miles.

There is also the ongoing Rs 1,163 crore joint IAI-DRDO project for NRUAVs (naval rotary UAVs) or unmanned helicopters operating from warship decks for advanced ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions.

Indian Army is also going in for two more `troops' (8 birds each) of advanced Heron UAVs for Rs 1,118 crore after the Defence Acquisitions Council approved it in February 2009.

No change in policy on Jerusalem: Israel

 Palestinians:  Israeli policy on Jerusalem remains unchanged, the prime minister's office said on Friday, one day after the premier returned from Washington where he faced pressure to freeze settlements.

"The prime minister's position is that there is no change in Israel's policy on Jerusalem that has been pursued by all governments of Israel for the last 42 years," Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu's office said in a statement.

Israel insists a partial moratorium on settlement building it imposed in the occupied West Bank cannot be extended to east Jerusalem as it considers the entire city its "eternal and indivisible" capital.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Netanyahu said on Friday the United States had not agreed to further Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, clarifying a comment made by another aide.

Spokesman Mark Regev said that when Nir Hefez said understandings had been reached, he was "articulating the Israeli position, he is not articulating a joint position."

Netanyahu's spokesman Nir Hefez told Army radio the day after their return from a troubled U.S. visit that Netanyahu had reached a "list of understandings" on policy toward Palestinians with President Barack Obama in their talks in Washington.

But "there were additional points still in disagreement between the sides," Hefez added.

The Americans have reportedly given Netanyahu a series of demands needed to kickstart moribund peace talks with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu will meet his inner forum of seven senior ministers to draw up Israel's response to Washington, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser told public radio on Friday, denying media reports the United States had given Israel a deadline.

"I suggest you wait patiently. The forum of seven is meeting today in the afternoon to discuss things. If there is a necessity for further discussions they will happen," Hauser told the radio.

"All aspects of the issue will be examined and they will formulate Israel's position according to Israel's interests and in the time needed to do so," he said.

Palestinians have demanded a complete Israeli settlement freeze in occupied land including East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim that is not recognized internationally.

The Obama administration had also objected to Israel's latest settlement plans for East Jerusalem, including a blueprint for 1,600 housing units published while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting, igniting new controversy this month.

Hefez said that despite these differences, Obama and Netanyahu had agreed in 90 minutes of talks in Washington on Wednesday that Israeli "construction policy in Jerusalem doesn't change."

Netanyahu left Washington after a three-day visit on Thursday, "with a list of understandings and additional points that are still in disagreement between the sides regarding how to renew the talks with the Palestinians," Hefez said.

Hefez's comments seemed to conflict with indications from U.S. officials they had sought to coax Israel into suspending further East Jerusalem projects and discussing core issues such as borders and the status of Jerusalem in indirect talks Washington seeks with Israel and the Palestinians.

Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs said he had asked Netanyahu to take steps to build confidence for proximity talks so that progress can be made toward comprehensive peace.

"I think we're making progress on important issues. But nothing more on substance to report than that," Gibbs said on Thursday.

Gibbs also said U.S. officials wanted clarification about any further building in Jerusalem, after a city official on Wednesday said final approval had been given to develop a neighborhood from which Palestinians were evicted last year.

Palestinians said they had no indication of any agreement reached in Obama's talks with Netanyahu about renewing negotiations.

"There is absolutely nothing new, as of this moment, regarding the situation facing the peace process," Nabil Abu Rdainah, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters on Thursday.