■INDIA
Seven militants killed
At least seven suspected militants were killed in combat with security forces in the northeastern state of Manipur yesterday, a news report said. A group of heavily armed rebels clashed with paramilitary troops in the Imphal East district, 30km southeast of state capital Imphal, the IANS news agency reported quoting police sources. “Based on hard intelligence inputs, an Assam Rifles column went to the area for an anti-insurgency operation when they came under attack from militants with automatic weapons,” a police officer told IANS. The troops retaliated and the encounter lasted for nearly an hour, leaving seven rebels dead, he said.
■THAILAND
Obama invites ASEAN heads
US President Barack Obama plans to invite the 10 ASEAN leaders to Washington next year to further strengthen ties with the region, media reports said yesterday. “Kurt Campbell, the assistant state secretary for East Asia and Pacific, revealed during an informal talk with international participants attending a conference in Washington on Burma [Myanmar] last week that Obama would make an official [invitation] announcement during the upcoming ASEAN-US summit in Singapore,” the Nation newspaper reported.
■AFGHANISTAN
Canadian soldier killed
A Canadian soldier has been killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) that detonated while he was on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan, the Canadian military said on Saturday. Sapper Steven Marshall was killed on Friday 10km southwest of Kandahar City, Canada’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
■ROMANIA
Hawke praises Madonna
Actor Ethan Hawke on Saturday praised Madonna for her boldness in speaking out against discrimination against Gypsies, words that provoked boos from thousands of fans at her concert in Romania. Hawke, visiting Romania to help promote his mother’s charity supporting education for Gypsy children, placed the pop superstar alongside Bob Marley and John Lennon as part of a tradition of artists speaking out against racism. “She transcended being a pop star,” he told reporters. “She drew international attention and shone the spotlight on a level of racism and the need for greater education.” At an August concert in Bucharest on her “Sticky & Sweet” tour, Madonna called for an end to widespread discrimination against Eastern Europe’s Gypsies, also known as Roma. Thousands of fans responded by booing her.
■MALTA
Government denies probe
The Maltese government said on Saturday it “is not prepared” to investigate the testimony of the key Lockerbie trial witness, despite claims his evidence wrongly incriminated the Libyan man convicted of the bombing. The Justice Ministry was forced to issue a denial after British newspaper the Daily Telegraph quoted unnamed Maltese official legal sources saying Malta wanted to look at Tony Gauci’s claims. The ministry said in a statement: “The government categorically denies that any government official said that the Maltese government is preparing to look into the testimony Maltese national Tony Gauci gave during the trial. The Maltese government is not prepared to do any such thing.” Gauci, a shopkeeper, had identified Libyan Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi as the man who bought clothes from his shop later found wrapped around the bomb. Documents published recently by al-Megrahi’s lawyers claim that after the trial Gauci was paid a sum “in excess of US$2 million,” while his brother Paul was paid “in excess of US$1 million” for their cooperation.
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