THE WORLD OVER

Sermon for Pakistan

New Delhi: Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna said that there is no question of resuming the composite dialogue with Pakistan till Islamabad completely dismantles the terror infrastructure on its soil. Krishna said the perpetrators of 26/11, including Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed, must be punished. This comes as New York Times reports that Lashkar has become stronger and richer since 26/11 and determined as ever to strike India again. India will continue to talk to Pakistan but there’s no guarantee that the composite dialogue is going to be resumed, he said. Krishna also said that there won’t be a reversal on Sharm-el-Sheikh. — Agencies

Six Afghans killed

KABUL: An airstrike on a compound in southwestern Afghanistan killed at least six civilians, a local tribal leader said on Thursday, after the US military reported that ground forces were coming under fire from inside the residence and called in aircraft.

Civilian deaths have been a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and US military commanders and have infuriated many ordinary Afghans, who claim international

soldiers use heavy-handed tactics.

In Helmand province, local tribal leader Ghulam Mohammad Khan said a farmer, his wife and four children were among nine dead in the airstrike on Wednesday evening. He said three guests at the compound also died, but he did not know their identities. — AP

Journo’s shoe act

ISTANBUL: A student journalist threw a shoe at IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Thursday and ran toward the stage shouting "IMF get out!" as the finance official answered questions at a university in Istanbul. The white sports shoe bounced off another student's head but missed the IMF chief before landing beside him on the speaker's platform. Some students applauded. Strauss-Kahn moved to the side, and a security guard rushed to protect him. Other guards quickly blocked the man — a student and a journalist with a small left-wing newspaper - from reaching the platform.. — AP

Drug boost for HIV+

Washington: In a significant advancement, about 42 per cent of people in the developing world who are infected with the AIDS virus and should be taking antiretroviral drugs are now receiving them, according to a new report. The greatest increase has been in sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the world's HIV-positive people reside. At the end of 2008, 2.9 million Africans were on the

lifesaving therapy.—AP