Teen bomber kills 20 in Pakistan

An injured man stands with two other men in Mardan after the blast (image from Pakistani TV channel Express 24/7) The attack targeted the Punjab Regiment Centre

A suicide bomber has attacked an army facility in Pakistan’s troubled north-west, killing at least 14 people and injuring others, officials say.

Police described the bomber, who struck in the city of Mardan, as a male teenager dressed in school uniform.

He attacked as soldiers conducted morning training, residents said.

There had been a relative lull in attacks on the army in the region, where Taliban militants are active, correspondents say.

“It was a suicide attack,” Mardan police official Abdullah Khan told AFP news agency.

“The teenager bomber was on foot and was wearing a school uniform.”

It was not immediately clear how the bomber got into the the Punjab Regiment Centre undetected.

Such army centres are usually heavily guarded.

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However, a bomb attack on the same centre in 2006 killed at least 20 soldiers.

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Banks sign lending and bonus deal

Canary WharfThere is uncertainty whether the agreement will calm anger about forthcoming bank bonuses
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Chancellor George Osborne is set to announce details of Project Merlin, the government’s agreement with the banks.

It is expected banks will agree to lend about £190bn to small and medium-sized firms this year and to reveal more about the salaries of top earners.

But it is not clear how lending will be monitored or if the agreement will actually be binding.

Bank bosses were reportedly “livid” after the government increased a levy on banks on Tuesday.

Details of the long-awaited agreement, expected to be announced after Prime Minister’s Question Time, are also expected to include support for the government’s so-called Big Society Bank, providing finance for medium-sized businesses in economically disadvantaged parts of the country.

Banks have also been asked to show restraint in bonus payments – though these are expected to total £6bn this year.

HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group are set to agree to Project Merlin.

However Santander – which owns Alliance and Leicester and part of Bradford and Bingley – said last month it would go it alone in its talks with the government.

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the government was determined to complete Project Merlin before banks start publishing their end-of-year results and bonus pools next week.

Banks loaned about £175bn to smaller businesses last year and the government wants a commitment that this will increase.

However representatives of small companies have expressed concern that the pledge by the banks will be “academic”.

“The vast majority of businesses are not going to the banks and seeking finance at the moment,” said Andrew Cave from the Federation of Small Businesses.

“And those that do are telling us that the cost of borrowing – both existing and new borrowing – is increasing and those issues are not going to go away with today’s announcement.”

The chancellor said this week that he was taking a further £800m this year in his bank levy, a move he said “cleared the way” for Project Merlin to be agreed.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said executives had not been irked by the sum being demanded, but rather that it appeared to be a case of “bashing the banks” in the face of public pressure.

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Man charged over flat fire murder

Chalmers CrescentStewart Taylor was found with head injuries in the flat on Chalmers Crescent

A 43-year-old man has been charged in connection with the murder of a man whose body was found in a burning flat.

Stewart Taylor, 33, who was originally from Aberdeen, died in the flat in Chalmers Crescent, in Edinburgh’s Grange area, on Monday morning.

A murder inquiry was launched after a post-mortem examination revealed Mr Taylor had head injuries.

His 30-year-old girlfriend was rescued from the fire and is being treated in hospital for serious injuries.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said the 43-year-old man had also been charged in connection with the attempted murder of the 30-year-old woman and would appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court later.

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Southern Sudan minister shot dead

Jimmy Lemi Milla (Photo: Government of Southern Sudan)Jimmy Lemi Milla had been the rural development minister since August 2010

A Southern Sudanese minister has been shot dead inside his ministry building in the capital, Juba.

Jimmy Lemi Milla, Minister for Rural Development, was killed by a driver working at the ministry, said Philip Auger of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

The assailant also killed a guard and then shot himself, Mr Auger added.

After a referendum vote, Southern Sudan is due to become the world’s newest independent state on 9 July.

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Pakistan cabinet quits for revamp

File pic of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been under pressure for some time to downsize his cabinet

Pakistan’s cabinet has quit as part of plans to reduce the number of ministers by more than a third and cut government spending amid an economic crisis.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani paid tribute to his cabinet colleagues as he announced the move live on television.

He has decided to appoint a smaller cabinet in line with the demands of political opponents.

The proposal is to cut the number of ministers and deputy ministers from 60 to less than 40.

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