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A SUICIDE BOMBER killed at least 45 people today at the main Pakistan-India border crossing, the blast tearing through crowds of spectators leaving after the colourful daily ceremony to close the frontier.
The blast came at Wagah border gate near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore after the “flag-lowering” ceremony, a display of military pageantry that attracts thousands of spectators every day and is popular with foreign tourists.
Suicide attack
“It appears to have been a suicide attack. At least 45 people have been killed, two Rangers officials are among the dead and women and children were also killed,” Mushtaq Sukhera, the Punjab provincial police chief, told AFP.
Lahore police chief Amin Wains confirmed it was a suicide attack.
“People were returning after watching the parade at Wagah border when the blast took place. Ball bearings were found at the scene,” he said.
Huge crowds gather on both sides at Wagah each sunset to see the display of military pageantry that accompanies the formal closing of the border post:
Taliban insurgency
Pakistan has been wracked by a homegrown Taliban insurgency that has killed thousands of people in recent years.
But attacks, once a near-daily occurrence, have tailed off since the army launched a major anti-militant offensive in the northwest.
In June the army began a long-awaited operation against militant hideouts in the North Waziristan tribal area, after a bloody raid on Karachi Airport ended faltering peace talks between the government and the Taliban.
More than 1,100 militants and 100 soldiers have been killed since the start of the operation and more than 100 militants have surrendered, according to the military.
Wagah is the main land crossing between arch-rivals and nuclear powers India and Pakistan, and much of their trade transits through it.
The neighbours have had frosty relations since independence from Britain in 1947, fighting three full wars, two over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
Profit,Profit and even more profit and on the other side……..Austerity, withdrawal of services,”restructuring” water tax etc. Anybody else see that Laissez-faire does not work for anybody except for the multinationals. The filter down policies are a fantasy, wealth and money is traveling only in one direction!
Maybe if people were more concerned with making profit than sitting on the dole we wouldn’t have so many people whining about austerity.
Austerity is hitting everybody especially those who are honest taxpayers who are hit even harder than those who are unfortunate enough to have to depend on the state for survival.
Get off the dole and do a bit of work then Fantastic!
So whats your answer to the problem you describe,god forbid we should inovate and build up our own multinational companies instead of relying on tax breaks to entice other countries talent to create jobs and employment here,but that would take dedication hard work and a belief in our own ability, are we up for it,highly unlikely judging by the rush for exits when the going gets tough.
I can read this article and appreciate it for all that it is, but President Higgins’ address last week in Chicago in which he stated that ” society needs to measure prosperity” by differing methods strikes more resonance with me.
What’s that thing they have in Bhutan (I think?) they have a “happiness index” or some such?
Budget cuts for 2013 : 4 Billion Euro
Cost to the exchequer of 12.5% corporation tax NOT being enforced: 4 Billion Euro
Do the math.
It would be interesting to see what % corporation tax each of the 10 paid on their profits.
Ireland inc. the best little country in the world to do business. Slave labour aplenty and taxes are only for the little people. We’ll send any amount of people to the poorhouse to protect your profits. Rob us blind, but don’t forget your TV licence or your billionaire ass is going to jail.
Hear hear……… tell it straight Jammin
Why not make it 25% and make a few quid
The majority of top companies are….not Irish. Neo liberal agenda in full swing. Ireland like a third world country being drained by multinationals.
So much for entrepreneur culture here. A complete myth
Those “not Irish” companies employee a hell of allot of full blooded Irish people, who spend their hard earned money on Irish food and products, putting meals on Irish plates and clothes on Irish peoples backs, whilst also keeping people off the Irish doll queues!
To build an entrepreneur culture, you need to have allot of entrepreneurs, all with great ideas which can be developed into something enormous, otherwise it wont make even a dent in the Irish economy.
Comparing Ireland to a third world country is ridiculously idiotic, to put it mildly!
You mean businesses employ and pay people? We know that. A bit of an idiotic comment if you don’t mind me saying. Maybe you might like to take a look at the real issues here?
How are Ryanair not included?
Or Intel?
Because they don’t really employ anyone in Ireland. Very few staff, all the rest are “contractors” employed by outside agencies. Really, as a company Ryan Air contribute very little to the Irish economy.
I assume you are joking @Larry. how many tens of millions of people do Ryanair bring here every year. Im sure their Vat bill alone is huge.
How does CRH manage to stay at the top? Their IT department is a joke. My bf worked there for a year, worst job he ever had (same for a friend who worked in their accounting dept).
They make loads of money, thats why they’re there.
Dell is in the top 10? An awful kip of a place to work. Soul destroying, global multinational, bureaucratic hell hole
What about Ryanair ? They would have got my vote and they are Irish too !
Got a shock when I read this story. First thing I saw was the add banner for labour and I thought to myself
“Jaysus Gilmore must be a great fella to work for”
Didn’t see Irish startup EnergyElephant on the list there…
It’s gearing up competition against Nest which was recently acquired by Google for $3.2 Billion.
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