Tiger rebel kills Sri Lankan soldier

	Sri Lanka army says it was the first casualty since LTTE was defeated

The Sri Lankan military says one of its soldiers has been shot dead by a Tamil Tiger rebel.

According to the SL army, this was the first casualty that it's suffered since May, when it captured the last rebel stronghold and declared victory.

The soldier was reported to have been about to search a boat in Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka, when a man on board grabbed his gun and shot him.

The army said the attacker was captured by other soldiers, and later identified as Nallaratnam Mohan, a regional rebel leader.

The security forces say they've killed more than a dozen guerrillas in recent weeks as they continue operations against the remnants of the Tigers.

Landslide derails India toy train

Darjeeling toy train's birthday

The famous toy train service that ferries tourists in India's tea country in Darjeeling has been hit by a huge landslide in the hill region.

India's north-eastern frontier railway spokesman S Hajong told that the landslide on Tuesday destroyed about 20m of railway track.

The steam engines of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway are a Unesco World Heritage site.

Its antique steam engines are a great draw with tourists.

The toy train journey in the eastern state starts from the plains town of New Jalpaiguri and goes to the hill town of Darjeeling via Ghoom.

The 128-year-old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in December 1999.

However, the railway incurs an estimated 70m rupee ($1.6m) loss annually.

Sri Lanka grants economic zone to China

--BBC--

Sri Lanka has given an exclusive zone to Chinese companies in an effort to attract more investment from Asia's largest economy.
The Sri Lankan investment promotion agency said Hong Kong-based Huichen Investment Holdings will develop the economic zone in Mirigama.
Chinese companies involved in manufacturing information technology related services are expected to set up operations in the zone.
Correspondents say this is the first time a foreign country has been given such a facility in Sri Lanka.New Turn
Media Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa commenting on the exclusive zone said that it was a new turn towards foreign investment in Sri Lanka.
"Under this the Chinese investor will develop infrasture facilities in the 160 acre land and invite his countrymen to begin investments", he said.
Minister Yapa said Sri Lanka is open to any foreign investment but the particular agreement signed to is only for Chinese investment.
Sri Lanka and China share close military and political ties. During the last stages of Sri Lanka's war against Tamil rebels, Beijing had helped Colombo in keeping a western-led resolution to impose a truce off the Security Council's agenda.

North Korean ship 'turned around'

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The US believes the Kang Nam 1 has turned around A North Korean ship being tracked by the United States Navy on suspicion of transporting weapons to Burma has turned around, US officials have said. They said they did not know where the ship was now heading, but South Korean media said it was going home. The UN passed a tough sanctions resolution, Number 1874, allowing for inspections of air, ship and land shipments in and out of North Korea. The resolution followed North Korea's nuclear and missile tests in May. The Kang Nam 1 ship set sail from North Korea on 17 June and appeared to be bound for Burma, as US ships followed it down the coast of China. Sanctions working? It is the first vessel monitored under sanctions that ban the regime from selling arms and nuclear-related material. It has been described as a known weapons trader. Burma denied any connection with it. After sailing southwards past China, the Kong Nam apparently turned around and headed back up north. One official said it was just south of Hong Kong on Tuesday. Others noted it had started travelling very slowly, perhaps to conserve fuel. "We've no idea where it's going," the official said. "The US didn't do anything to make it turn around." The UN resolution allows the international community to ask for permission to board and search any suspect ship. Authorities can ask for an inspection wherever the ship pulls into port. "If the ship is on its way back, it would mean that Resolution 1874 is taking effect and causing the North to retreat," defence analyst Kim Tae-woo told the Korea Herald newspaper. The US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, has confirmed that the US was "pursuing and following the progress of that ship very closely."

Mumbai gets top anti-terror force

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By Prachi Pinglay
BBC News, Mumbai

The National Security Guard is India's elite security force

Seven months after terror attacks in the the Indian city of Mumbai, the city has been allocated its first dedicated elite security force headquarters.

The Indian home minister inaugurated the National Security Guard (NSG) hub in the city on Tuesday.

The move is one of several measures planned by the central and state governments following the attacks.

More than 170 people died in various attacks across Mumbai on 26 November, including nine gunmen.

Intelligence

The NSG was set up in 1984 and has served in several counter-terrorism operations.

In the November attacks its commandos fought militants at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the Oberoi Trident hotel and at the Jewish centre in Nariman House. Two NSG commandos lost their lives in the operation.

Security forces killed all but one of the suspected gunmen in Mumbai

Apart from Mumbai, another three NSG hubs, in Madras, Calcutta and Hyderabad, will be operational from 1 July.

The police were criticised for a lack of co-ordination during the attacks and accused of having ignored the intelligence reports given to them before they took place.

"We have kept our promise to the people… the NSG is an elite force, specially recruited and specially trained. Its principal mandates are counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking," said Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram.

NSG Director General NPS Aulakh said that the "devastating incidents" had "proved beyond doubt that terrorism is no longer confined to particular states or areas".

He added: "Post 26/11, it was felt necessary to relocate NSG at more locations in the country so as to reduce the reaction time, and make the force more effective in dealing with such mindless acts of terror."

The new hub is set up on a 23-acre plot in a western suburb of Mumbai, where more than 200 NSG personnel will be trained. They will move into this campus from November 2009. Presently they are on the adjacent Mumbai police campus.

This force will cover western India and will be flown to any area where help is required, Mr Chidambaram said.

He said that in times of emergency, the state police would remain the first institution to respond, and that the NSG would only take action following a call from the state police authorities.

Overall 1,080 people have been recruited to work in the four hubs, Mr Chidambaram said.

The government says that Mumbai may also get helicopters for police use similar to those used in New York and London. The home minister said a coastal security scheme was also under way.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra police have formed "Force One", a 300-member special task force which will receive training from the NSG.

More task force hubs are proposed in Jodhpur and Guwahati, so as to ensure that the whole country is covered.

Bounty for Pakistani Taliban leader

Mehsud already has a $5m bounty on his head that was promised by the US state department [EPA] Pakistan has offered a $615,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Baitullah Mehsud, the local Taliban leader who is currently in hiding in the tribal belt. Two national Urdu-language newspapers and local papers in the northwestern city of Peshawar carried adverts on Sunday offering rewards for Mehsud, dead or alive, as also for 10 other senior members. "The government has announced a cash reward for anybody providing authentic information leading to the capture of these (11), dead or alive," the advertisement, which listed the men's names and bounties, said. "Innocent people are being killed because of the bloody activities of these so-called defenders of Islam." Pakistani air force jets have been attacking Taliban hideouts for several weeks as the government prepares to launch a ground operation to root out Mehsud and his men. Fayyaz Tooro, home secretary of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), said the reward announcements marked the first time the Pakistan government had put a price for Mehsud's capture. "This list has been issued by the interior ministry and has been published for the first time in close co-operation with security agencies, which provided invaluable information to the government," Tooro said. Hostile territory Mehsud, who allegedly has ties to al-Qaeda, already has a $5m bounty on his head that was promised by the US state department, which considers him "a key al-Qaeda facilitator in the tribal areas of South Waziristan". Pakistan blames Mehsud for a wave of deadly attacks that have killed hundreds of people in the past two years and has vowed to remove him from his fiefdom. In depth Videos: Money worries stir discontent Taliban conducts revenge attacks Conflict reaches Islamabad Police battle Pakistani Taliban Pictures: Refuge for Swat's Sikhs Lahore bombing Diary: Imran Khan Riz Khan: Obama's 'AfPak' strategy Riz Khan: The battle for the soul of Pakistan Interview: Asif Ali Zardari Q&A: The struggle for Swat Your views: Crisis in Swat Focus: The fight for northwest Pakistan Talking to the Taliban Pakistan's war Witness: Pakistan in crisis Profile: Baitullah Mehsud Pakistan's military is likely to try to stir up rivalries among the Taliban in order to gain allies before any operation into the hostile territory Afghanistan's border, analysts and security sources say. But Qari Zainuddin, a rising tribal leader who defected from Mehsud's Taliban group, was assassinated recently in an attack claimed by Mehsud's tribe, dashing hopes of internal divisions. Pakistan's northwestern region has become a stronghold for both al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters who fled Afghanistan following the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government in 2001. Mehsud organised tribal fighters together and formed his Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan group in 2007. Since then, he has extended his reach into North Waziristan and Bajaur among other federally administered tribal areas. A $615,000 reward for Maulana Fazlullah, the Taliban chief of Swat valley in the NWFP, has already been offered by Pakistan. Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan's prime minister, said on Sunday that the military operation in Swat had been almost completed. "The entire nation wants terrorism to be eliminated and law and order restored," he said. "There is no room for any negotiations with the militants. This is the time for a decisive action against them."

US travel advice dismissed

--BBC--

By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo

	Minister says US travel advisory is "totally baseless"

The Sri Lankan government has dismissed a travel advisory issued by the United States warning its citizens about possible dangers in visiting the country.

Sri Lanka says some Tamil Tiger rebels were still at large but that they posed no threat.

Speaking to journalists the defence spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, described the US travel advisory, issued last Friday, as “totally baseless” and said the foreign secretary had written a very strong letter in response.

The warning from Washington said that despite the government’s announcement of victory in its war, the island remained vulnerable to attacks from Tamil Tiger remnants, even renewed insurgency.

Arrested LTTE members

It said there were landmines and armed paramilitaries in the east and north and said the Sri Lankan government was encouraging its people to report foreigners if they found their activities suspect.

The people who have really got involved in destruction, active participation in terrorist activities, would be dealt in accordance with the law of the land Minister Rambukwella on arrested LTTE members

Asked about continuing media reports of LTTE operatives being arrested, and sometimes killed, Mr Rambukwella said there were still “quite a few” at large but not in numbers to cause alarm.

He said a hard core of former LTTE who had surrendered or been captured would be treated strictly.

"The people who have really got involved in destruction, active participation in terrorist activities, would be dealt in accordance with the law of the land," he said.

But a greater number of former rebels, he said, would be rehabilitated as they might have been associated with the group against their will; some could be viewed as innocent victims, he said.

The government is still detaining more than a quarter of a million war-displaced Tamils in camps and screening them for possible LTTE links.