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| 27 February 2005 | Sunday | 17 Muharram 1426 |
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Updated round-the-clock, with a major update before 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT).
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Welcome to DAWN, Pakistan's most widely circulated English language newspaper. Updated round-the-clock, with a major update before 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT).
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Rabbani rules out underhand deal with Govt: LAHORE, Feb 27: PPP-P central leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Raza Rabbani categorically ruling out any underhand deal with the government has said that neither Zardari's release nor his appointment as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate was the result of a deal. Raza Rabbani said the parliament has lost its worth and credibility so the PPP-P demands free, fair and transparent elections under an impartial and independent Chief Election Commissioner. Besides, he urged Gen. Musharraf to quit of office of the president and it should filled through holding the presidential election as per constitution. (PPI) (Posted @ 23:35 PST) 
Bus Crash Kills 10 Children: ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: At least 10 children died today when a bus carrying them on a school field trip drove off a highway, officials said. Many of the other 61 people on the bus suffered injuries in the accident near Kalar Kahar, Islamabad, said highway police spokesman Abid Hussain. The children were on their way to see the site of Pakistan's oldest and largest salt mines. The bus swerved off the road into a ditch, then smashed into a roadside safety barrier, said police official Malik Mohammed Sabir. Many of the children were younger than 10; in addition to the deaths, at least 15 were seriously injured. Police have launched an investigation, Sabir said, adding that he suspected the vehicle's brakes had failed. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Saddam's Half-Brother Captured in Iraq : BAGHDAD, Feb 27: Iraqi security forces captured Saddam Hussein's half-brother and former adviser, government officials said today, dealing a blow to an insurgency that some Iraqi officials claim the former fugitive was helping organize and fund, perhaps from Syria. The U.S. military also said two American soldiers were killed today in an ambush in the capital. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan was No. 36 on the list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis released by U.S. authorities after American troops invaded Iraq in March 2003, and he also was named one of the 29 most-wanted supporters of insurgents in Iraq. The United States had a $1 million bounty on his head. Officials in interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's office, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed al-Hassan's capture but gave no details on where it took place or when. Capt. Ahmed Ismael, an intelligence officer in the Interior Ministry, said al-Hassan was detained early today. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 21:55 PST)
Israel Says Will Strike Syria if Needed : JERUSALEM, Feb 27: Israel's defense minister blamed Syria and a Palestinian militant group based there for a suicide bombing that killed four Israelis outside a Tel Aviv nightclub and shattered an informal truce, prompting him to freeze plans to hand over security responsibilities in the West Bank. Syria denied the charges.Israel has attacked Syrian targets in the past and will do so again if it deems necessary, another senior Israeli defense official said today. Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said Israel will attack Syrian targets if it feels that is the way to stop attacks that originate in Damascus. The suicide bombing, which broke two weeks of relative calm, has threatened to derail an informal cease-fire declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It also could spark new tensions between longtime foes Israel and Syria. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Iran, Russia Sign Nuclear Fuel Deal Opposed by U.S.: TEHRAN, Feb 27: Russia and Iran signed a nuclear fuel supply deal long opposed by Washington today, paving the way for Tehran to start up its first atomic power plant next year, state media reported. The agreement, signed by the two countries' nuclear energy chiefs at the Bushehr atomic reactor in southern Iran, came as Tehran faced heightened pressure from the United States, which accuses it of secretly developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge and has received strong backing from Moscow, which is keen to play a major role in Iran's nuclear energy program. "This is a very important incident in the ties between the two countries and in the near future a number of Russian experts will be sent to Bushehr to equip the power station," Iranian state television quoted Alexander Rumyantsev, head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency, as saying. A key part of the agreement obliges Tehran to repatriate all spent nuclear fuel to Russia. Moscow hopes this will allay U.S. worries that Iran may use the spent fuel, which could be reprocessed into bomb-grade plutonium, to develop arms. Rumyantsev said Bushehr would start operating in late 2006. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 21:55 PST)
Tajikistan Holds Parliamentary Elections : DUSHANBE, Feb 27: Voters cast their ballots today in Tajikistan's parliamentary elections that pitted a fledgling opposition against the powerful ruling party of strongman President Emomali Rakhmonov. Critics accuse Rakhmonov, who came to power during the ex-Soviet country's civil war of the 1990s, of stifling dissent. They say recent steps - such as a referendum two years ago giving Rakhmonov the right to seek re-election until 2020 - threaten the country's stability and hopes for democracy. Six parties are contesting 63 seats in Parliament's lower house, with 41 lawmakers to be chosen through direct voting. The other 22 seats will be divided among parties winning at least 5 percent of the vote. Rakhmonov's National Democratic Party is widely expected to keep its majority. The president's only real challenger is the Islamic Renaissance Party, the core of the civil war opposition and now the only opposition party in Parliament, with just two seats. The other opposition parties have scant resources and few candidates. Election officials said today turnout exceeded 68 percent, more than the minimum 50 percent needed to make the vote valid. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 21:55 PST)
Taiwan Skyscraper Blaze Kills at Least 4 : TAIPEI, Feb 27: A fire raged through the top floors of a high-rise building in the central city of Taichung, killing at least four people before it was extinguished, officials said. Rescue workers found the bodies of a 40-year-old security guard and three other employees of the Gold Plaza Tower, officials said. Located close to the railway station, the 25-floor building is crowned by a revolving restaurant. The blaze was visible from far away. No information on what caused the fire was available, but officials said it apparently started on the 18th floor and moved upward. It was not known if the blaze began inside the disco on that floor. The club can contain more than 2,000 people but was not operating when the fire erupted, officials said. Television footage showed flames and thick black smoke billowing out of the top floors. Two helicopters rescued nine people from the roof, officials said. People on the street fled the building covering their heads with bags to protect themselves from falling glass. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 12:55 PST)   Editor: Tahir Mirza The DAWN Group of Newspapers Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan. Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 568-3188 webmaster@dawn.com Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version. |
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