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6, April 2005 Wednesday 26 Safar 1426 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).

to return to the regular issue please click here. Chinese Premier, Thai Deputy PM meet Aziz ISLAMABAD, Apr 6: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Dr. Surakiart Sathirathi on Wednesday held separate meetings with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on the sideline of the 4th Asian Cooperation Dialogue Ministerial Meeting. "There was a complete unanimity of views regarding enhancing cooperation for making the ACD as an effective forum for the realization of economic development of the Asian people," a statement released after the meeting said. (APP) (Posted @ 16:30 PST) British high commissioner welcomes resumption of Srinigar-Muzaffrabad bus service ISLAMABAD, April 06: British High Commissioner Mr. Mark Lyall Grant has in a statement warmly welcomed the resumption of the bus service from Muzaffrabad to Srinigar after so many years and congratulated the Governments of Pakistan and India for the flexibility and vision both sides have shown to make the service happen. (PPI) (Posted @ 16:10 PST) COP ambushed, another injured QUETTA Apr 5: A Police man was killed and another wounded in an ambush here Tuesday night Police men Tariq and Habibullah spotted three armed men snatching a motor cycle from a person They overpowered one of the robbers while two others escaped. When they were taking them to Police Station, their accomplices who were hiding in the area, opened fire on the policemen. Constable Habibullah died condition of Constable Tariq is stated to be serious. (PPI) (Posted @ 16:10 PST) Pakistan seeks friendship with all: Maulana Fazlur Rehman DHAKA, April 06: Opposition leader in the National Assembly of Pakistan and chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said his country seeks friendship with all and enmity with none "All human beings have the right to enjoy equal rights and privileges and none should dominate others," Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who was on a private visit to Bangladesh and attended an Islamic conference organized by JUI, Bangladesh, said in an interview with a leading Bengali daily, The Inqilab. (PPI) (Posted @ 16:10 PST) Second Int. Conf. of Pakistan Studies from April 29 to May 1 WASHINGTON, Apr 5 - A three-day Second Biennial International Conference of Pakistan Studies will be held at the University of Pennsylvania, from April 29 to May 1, the organizers announced Tuesday.The scholars and educationists invited to speak are Zulfiqar Gilani, Director, Centre for Higher Education, Transformation; Ashraf Adeel of Peshawar University; Brian Spooner, University of Pennsylvania; Nilofer Shaikh of Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur Mirs; Rasul Baksh Rais, Lahore University of Management Sciences; Ayesha Siddiqa, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center; Faisal Masih, University of Punjab; Shahid Javed Burki, formerly of World Bank; Stephen Cohen of Brookings Institution; and Terisita C. Schaffer, Council for International and Strategic Studies. (APP) (Posted @ 16:10 PST) Iraqi parliament begins session to nominate president BAGHDAD, April 6 - The 275-member Iraqi parliament convened Wednesday to pick the first freely elected president in Iraq's history. (APP/AFP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Dr. Khuhro rejects conspiracy theory in asking Aga Khan Foundation to help improve examination system WASHINGTON, Apr 5 - Sindh Education Minister Dr. Hamida Khuhro Tuesday said that the decision to involve the Aga Khan Examination Foundation to help improve examination system was a healthy and helpful measure.Addressing the daylong conference on 'Reforming Education in Pakistan: Constraints and Opportunities.'she said, "aware of the many shortcomings of the Examinations the country, the Federal Government asked the Aga Khan Educational Foundation to establish a Board to which English medium schools both public and private could affiliate themselves." Dr. Khuhro said: "The issue was blown out of all proportions as some sort of attempt to sabotage islamic values of the people." (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Prince Rainier has died - official MONACO, April 6 - Prince Rainier of Monaco has died at age 81 after spending several weeks in hospital, officials here said Wednesday. (APP/AFP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Iraq hero honored at Pentagon ceremony WASHINGTON, April 5 - The children of the first US soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Iraq unveiled a commemorative plaque in the Pentagon Tuesday, adding the name of Sergeant First Class Paul Smith to a roll call of American combat heroes. Smith, who was posthumously awarded the highest US military honor Monday by President George W. Bush, was killed April 4, 2003 while fighting off an attack by Saddam Hussein's forces in the battle for the Baghdad airport. (APP/AFP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) In three and half years, Musharraf govt has done a lot: Dr. Rice WASHINGTON, Apr 6 - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that in three and a half years, "the Musharraf government has done a lot." And that includes, she said, "fighting up in the federally administered tribal areas, where Pakistani military forces had not been present ever." Dr. Rice was responding to a question in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday. "If I look at the trajectory, and I look at what's been achieved, it's a tremendous set of achievements," she stated, asked was Pakistan doing what we think they can do. "Well, when I look at where Pakistan was three and a half years ago and I look at where Pakistan is now, it's really night and day." "The trajectory is just I won't say 180 degrees, but it's 150 degrees from where it was." (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Prof. Akbar to receive Humanitarian Award from Chapel of Four Chaplains on April 19 WASHINGTON, Apr 6 - The Chapel of Four Chaplains has announced grant of its highest humanitarian award to Dr. Akbar S. Ahmed, Professor of the Ibn Khaldun Chair of the American University in recognition of his singular contribution towards interfatih dialogue. The award would be handed over at a panel discussion at Kay Spiritual Life Center on April 19, at 4 pm, entitled 'The Abrahamic Covenant: Shared Values, Shared Future.' The speakers will be: Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Rabbi Kenneth L. Cohen and Rev. Mark Schaefer. (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Pakistan committed to implement MDGs for country's progress NEW YORK, April 6: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that Pakistan is totally committed towards the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as these laid down goals would enable the country to improve and strengthen its broad range of social sectors.In an interview to the UN Radio the Prime Minister of Pakistan said a strategy has been worked out to adopt and to achieve the laid down goals. (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Pakistan, China hold third round of defence and security talks BEIJING, April 6: Vice Chief of the Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hayat and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Xiong Guangki held 3rd round of Sino-Pakistani Defence and Security Consultation here Wednesday. Defence sources told APP that the two sides agreed to further strengthen military-to-military exchanges and cooperation, in a spirit of safeguarding national sovereignty and promoting regional peace, stability and development. (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) It is time for cricket diplomacy: Secretary Rice WASHINGTON, Apr 6 - It was time for cricket diplomacy when President Musharraf was going over to India to watch a cricket match.U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice remarked this, while talking to the National Conference of Editorial Writers Tuesday. Dr. Rice referred to her recent visits to Pakistan and India, and stated that both President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "are committed to good relations.""They are working hard. Now, it doesn't mean that there won't be difficulties between them, but you do sense that they recognize the importance of rapprochement between the two sides and that they both have a lot of stake in that rapprochement." (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Pak, India committed to carry the peace process forward- Natwar NEW DELHI, April 6: Lauding the peace initiative of Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf, Indian External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh on Wednesday said that both countries are committed to the ongoing peace processHe was talking to a delegation of retired Ambassadors Association of Pakistan, which called on the Minister here. During the meeting, Natwar Singh expressed that this visit was an important event in the process of Confidence Building Measures between the two sides.A ten-member delegations of retired Ambassadors Association of Pakistan led by former Ambassador Khalid Mehmud earlier arrived here yesterday on the invitation of the Association of Indian diplomats. (APP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Success story of TCF in spread of education in Pakistan WASHINGTON, Apr 6 - Ambrin Hayat, advisor to The Citizens Foundation (TCF), has said that education remains a mission and it must be pursued likewise in Pakistan. She said this in response to a question in the afternoon session of at the daylong conference on education in Pakistan held at the Johns Hopkins on Tuesday. The conference was titled 'Reforming Education in Pakistan: Constraints and Opportunities,' and the participants included educationists, scholars and officials; and was inaugurated by Ambassador Jehangir Karamat. (APP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Annan gives Hague court list of accused in Darfur UNITED NATIONS, April 5 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan gave the International Criminal Court on Tuesday a list of 51 people suspected of slaughter, rape and pillaging in Sudan's Darfur region, the first step toward a war crimes prosecution.The sealed list was gathered by an independent commission sent by the U.N. Security Council to Darfur last year. (Reuters) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Lawmakers find British Muslims feel stigmatised LONDON, April 6 - British Muslims feel victimized by the "war on terrorism" and community relations have worsened since the Sept. 11 2001 attacks on the United States, lawmakers said in a report on Wednesday. The report comes a day after Prime Minister Tony Blair called an election in which the parties will fight hard for Muslim votes. "Muslims in Britain are more likely than other groups to feel they are suffering as a result of the response to international terrorism," said a report by parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee. (Reuters) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Kansans amend constitution to ban gay marriage KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 5 - Kansas voters on Tuesday approved an amendment to the state constitution that bars same-sex couples from marrying, making the conservative farming state the 18th in the nation to take such a stance. (Reuters) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Cricket-Sri Lanka 351-3 v New Zealand (561) - close SYDNEY, April 6 - Sri Lanka were 351 for three wickets in their first innings at the close of play on the third day of the first test against New Zealand in Napier on Wednesday. Scores: New Zealand 561 (Hamish Marshall 160, Nathan Astle 114, Brendon McCullum 99, James Franklin 55, James Marshall 52; Lasith Malinga 4-131); Sri Lanka 351-3 (Marvan Atapattu 127, Mahela Jayawardene 118 not out). (Reuters) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Police catch two trespassing tourists at Windsor Caste days before wedding LONDON, April 5 - Two tourists wandered into a restricted area of Windsor Castle before being caught by police, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, just days before Prince Charles is due to hold a wedding reception there. (AFP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) One dead, 20 injured as blaze breaks out at Paris home for handicapped PARIS, April 6 - A young woman was killed and 20 people were injured, six seriously, after a fire broke out Tuesday night at a home for the handicapped in the French capital, officials said.More than 100 firefighters were called out to battle the blaze that broke out in a bedroom at the Maison Sainte Germaine in the south of the city. (AFP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Sri Lankan century-maker Atapattu dominates New Zealand bowlers NAPIER, New Zealand, April 6 - Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu notched his 16th Test century and Mahela Jayawardene was heading for his 13th as the wicket in the first Test turned into a bowler's graveyard on the third day at McLean Park here Wednesday. At tea, Sri Lanka were 276 for two with Atapattu on 124 and Jayawardene on 83, and within 86 runs of avoiding the follow on after New Zealand made 561. (AFP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Suspected rebels kill ruling party official in Kashmir SRINAGAR, India, April 6 - Suspected freedom fighters overnight shot dead an official from Indian Kashmir's ruling party, a day ahead of the historic launch of a bus service across divided Kashmir, police said Wednesday.Ghulam Rasool, an active member of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was shot dead inside his house in the village of Seer Hamdan in southern Anantnag district, a police spokesman said. (AFP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Four killed in latest violence in Thai south PATTANI, Thailand, April 6 (AFP) - Four people, including three Muslims, were shot dead as a bomb exploded near a train station in separate attacks blamed on Islamic insurgents in Thailand's Deep South, police said Wednesday. (AFP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) US soldier killed in bomb, small arms attack in Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 6 - A US soldier was killed in a bomb and small arms ambush in Baghdad early Wednesday, the US army said in a statement. "A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed when his patrol hit an improvised explosive device and took small arms fire from anti-Iraqi forces," the statement read. (AFP) (Posted @ 11:25 PST) Man arrested for breaking into house of Japanese crown princess's parents TOKYO, April 6 - A Japanese man curious about Crown Princess Masako, the former career diplomat who has withdrawn from public life due to stress, was arrested for breaking into her parents' house, news reports said Wednesday.The man, who entered through the unlocked main door said: "I wanted to see the house of Crown Princess Masako," the man told police. (AFP) (Posted @ 10:20 PST) Serb war crimes suspect arrested in Croatia Zagreb (dpa) - Croatian police Tuesday arrested a Serb who has been sentenced in Croatia for war crimes committed against ethnic Croats during the 1990s war, state-run HRT television said. It said that Sava Sasic was arrested at the border crossing with Bosnia-Herzegovina and transported to a penitentiary to serve a 10-years jail sentence to which he was sentenced in 1993 in absentia. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:20 PST) CBS cameraman in Iraq mistakenly shot by U.S. troops Washington - An Iraqi journalist employed by CBS News was shot by U.S. troops Tuesday after his camera was mistaken for a weapon, the U.S. military said. Abdul Amir Younis Hussein, also a freelance reporter, was expected to make a full recovery after the incident in northeastern Mosul, CBS News said. The military said the shooting was under investigation. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:20 PST) Bush to name Khalilzad as next ambassador to Iraq Washington - U.S. President George W. Bush intends to nominate Zalmay Khalilzad, current U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, to the top diplomatic post in Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday.Khalilzad helped guide the Afghans to elections and form a new government and now he will turn to the unique situation in Iraq," Rice said (DPA) (Posted @ 10:20 PST) ROUNDUP: Novelist Saul Bellow dies at age 89 Washington - Saul Bellow, a Nobel laureate in literature who was among the most important American novelists of the 20th century, died Tuesday at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was 89. The death of the author of such works as "Humboldt's Gift", "Herzog" and "Henderson the Rain King" was announced by his lawyer and friend Walter Pozen. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:20 PST) 2ND ROUNDUP: Al-Qaeda clash ends with 14 militants dead Eds: Updates Cairo/Riyadh - A gunbattle with suspected Islamic militants was "ended successfully" after more than two days late Tuesday by Saudi security forces, an Interior Minister official said. At least 14 militants were reported killed in the clash, which began when authorities attempted a raid on what they described as suspected terrorists linked to the al-Qaeda network Sunday in the northern town of al-Ras in Saudi Arabia's al-Qassim region, about 350 kilometres north of Riyadh.Five additional militants were wounded, and a sixth surrendered to police. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:20 PST) Koizumi to visit India, Pakistan, Luxembourg, Netherlands Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit India, Pakistan, Luxembourg and the Netherlands starting later this month, local media reported on Wednesday. According to Kyodo News, quoting government sources, Koizumi will visit the four countries from April 28 to May 3 during Japan's Golden Week holiday season. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:00 PST) China viewed as growth hotspot for the next five years Singapore - Executives in the Asia-Pacific region named China as the hotspot of growth for the next five years, a survey showed on Wednesday. Fifty-six per cent of those queried by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) picked China, significantly higher than the 15 per cent who picked India. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Developing Asian economies to grow strongly over next two years Hong Kong - Developing countries in Asia will see robust growth this year and economic expansion of 6.5 to 6.9 per cent over the next two years, a major report predicted Wednesday. The Asian Development Bank report said the region would shrug off the effects of the December 26 tsunami and high oil prices to build on their "spectacular" 2004 performance. (DPA) (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Karachi Stock down 206.10 points: KARACHI, April 06: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 7614.71, down 206.10 points from Tuesday's close. (Bureau Report) (updated @ 16:10 PST) Forex Update: KARACHI, April 06: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs. 59.85 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (updated @ 16:10 PST) Founder: Quaid-I-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah 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 Note: Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.

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