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2 May 2005 Monday 22 Rabi-ul-Awwal 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. Privatization Commission starts dialogue with workers on PTCL privatization ISLAMABAD, May 2 (APP): The representatives of the various employees unions of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) here Monday were apprised on the privatisation process of PTCL to allay their concerns and apprehensions in this regard.(Posted @ 00:05 PST) US has 'significant' deterrent capability against North Korea: Rice WASHINGTON, May 2 (AFP) - The United States has "significant deterrent capability" to thwart North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Monday. She told reporters after talks with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier that "the United States maintains significant, I want to underline significant, deterrent capability of all kinds in the Asia-Pacific region.(Posted @ 00:05 PST) Balochistan to receive gas royalty arrears by December 31 0 ISLAMABAD, May 02 (APP): The Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan Monday recommended to the Balochistan Government and the Petroleum Ministry to calculate by June 30, the amount of gas royalty arrears payable to the province.This was stated by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed while briefing the reporters, after the first sitting of the committee.(Posted @ 22:00 Pst) Israeli minister Sharansky quits over Gaza pullout JERUSALEM, May 2 (AFP) - Israeli cabinet minister Nathan Sharansky, one of US President George W. Bush's intellectual guiding lights, resigned Monday in protest at plans to pull Jewish settlers out of the occupied Gaza Strip.Sharansky, who became the sixth minister to either quit or be sacked in less than a year over opposition to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, warned it would strengthen Palestinian militancy and divide Israeli society.(Posted @ 21:30 PST) Iran and EU should continue talking: ElBaradei UNITED NATIONS, May 2 (AFP) - Iran and the European Union should continue talking and Iran should not move unilaterally to resume uranium enrichment, UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Monday.(Posted @ 21:30 PST) Top US commander in Pakistan for terrorism, security talks ISLAMABAD, May 2 (AFP) - US central command chief General John Abizaid held talks with President Pervez Musharraf here Monday as part of regular top level consultation between the two allies in the war on terror, officials said. A single sentence official statement gave no details of the meeting, saying only that the two "exchanged views on the prevailing geo-strategic international and regional environment".(Posted 20:30 PST) Car bombs strike Baghdad, killing eight BAGHDAD, May 2 (Reuters) - Three car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least eight people in the latest bout of the guerrilla violence that has escalated since Iraq formed a democratic government five days ago.The blasts targeted an Interior Ministry official, policemen and a busy shopping district, police said, putting pressure on a new cabinet that has promised to stabilise the country.In the northern city of Mosul, an important guerrilla stronghold, two suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing a child and wounding 15 people, the U.S. military said.(Posted @ 19:30 PST) 28 Afghans dead, 70 injured in warlord arms dump blast KABUL, May 2 (AFP) - A massive explosion ripped through a secret ammunition dump owned by a warlord in northern Afghanistan on Monday, killing at least 28 people and injuring more than 70 others, police and officials said. The devastating blast wiped out an entire neighbourhood in Bachgah, a small village in Baghlan province some 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of the war-ravaged capital Kabul.(Posted @ 19:30 PST) Roadside bomb kills British soldier in Iraq LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - A British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Iraq on Monday, the 83rd British military death since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003."We regret that a soldier from 12th Mechanised Brigade has died today from injuries sustained in hostile action," a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.(Posted 19:30 PST) 7 killed, 30 injured in road mishap near Muridkey SHEIKHUPURA, May 2 (APP): Seven persons including a woman and her daughter were killed while 30 others injured 15 of them seriously, when a coaster rammed into a stationary truck at a petrol pump, near Murdidkey on GT Road Monday.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) Pakistan Prime Minister to visit Southeast Asian countries Islamabad (dpa) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will undertake an official visit to four Southeast Asian nations from May 5-12, aimed to promote trade and economic ties with them, officials said Monday. "The prime minister will visit Malaysia, Brunei Daresalam, Thailand and Singapore," foreign ministry spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told a press briefing in Islamabad Monday.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) Pakistan bans Malik for one Test for throwing match LAHORE, Pakistan, May 2 (AFP) - Pakistan cricket chiefs banned all-rounder Shoaib Malik for one Test and fined him 75 percent of his next two one day international match fees for throwing a domestic game, an official said Monday.The decision means Shoaib will miss the first Test of his country's upcoming tour of the West Indies later this month.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) 28 Afghans dead, 13 injured in arms dump blast KABUL, May 2 (AFP) - A massive explosion at a secret ammunition dump in northern Afghanistan on Monday killed at least 28 people and injured 13 others, police said. The explosion happened in the Khinjan district of Baghalan province, some 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of the capital Kabul, provincial police chief Fazeludin Ayar told AFP.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) Troops martyr four more Kashmiri youth SRINAGAR May 02 (PPI): In occupied Kashmir, the Indian troops martyred four more Kashmiri youth in fake encounters at different places, the Kashmir Media Services reports. Two of those, were shot dead in the Salar area of Pahalgam in Islamabad district, while one was gunned down at Chokibal in Kupwara district and the other at Koel Muqam in Baramulla district. Also Attiqullah Shah, the nephew of the puppet Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Saeed, who was shot and critically wounded by unidentified gunmen, late Sunday evening, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Srinagar on Monday morning.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) India to launch two satellites on Thursday New Delhi (dpa) - India will launch two satellites on Thursday, the first time in a single mission, reports said Monday. The first satellite is Cartosat I, the country's latest advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1,560 kilogrammes, which will send 3-D images crucial for the country's mapping and town planning. Hamsat, the second satellite, is a micro satellite weighing 42.5 kilogrammes that is expected to revolutionise amateur ham radio communication in South Asia.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) Afghan soldier killed, another injured in Kabul Kabul (dpa) - At least one Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier was killed and another wounded on Monday in an apparent "friendly fire" incident, a spokesman for the defence minister said. "It seems that the soldier opened fire by mistake”, said the spokesperson.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) At least 134 killed, nearly 250,000 displaced in Ethiopian floods ADDIS ABABA, May 2 (AFP) - At least 134 people have been killed and nearly 250,000 displaced in massive floods that have hit southeast Ethiopia since last week, taking a huge toll on livestock and agriculture, officials said Monday. As torrential rains continued to pound portions of the country's Somali state, officials said 162 villages in 11 districts had been ravaged by raging waters of the Wabe Shebell river that burst its banks on April 23.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) Pakistan omits Shoaib Akhtar from West Indies tour KARACHI, May 2 (Reuters) - Pakistan have omitted fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on fitness grounds from their tour of West Indies this month, and recalled Shabbir Ahmed for the two tests and three one-day internationals. The 17 member team includes Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Bazid Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shabbir Ahmed, Rao Iftikhar, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved, Danish Kaneria, and Arshad Khan.(Posted @ 17:30 PST) British soldier killed in Iraq LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - A British soldier was killed in combat in Iraq on Monday, taking to 83 the number of British military deaths in the country since the invasion of March 2003, a spokesperson from UK’s Ministry of Defence said. (Posted @ 16 :19PST) Pakistan not to be pressurized by America on Kashmir: Sheikh Rashid RAWALPINDI, May 02 (PPI): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, while inspecting the National College of Arts (NCA) costume department, said that Pakistan would welcome the efforts of super powers if they sincerely wanted to resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute. (Posted @ 15:00 PST) Indian Troops intensify operations SRINAGAR, India, May 2 (AFP) - The Indian army said on Monday that a campaign to hunt down militants in Kashmir had left 90 rebels dead since the launch of a bus service last month. "The militants were killed in nearly 60 clashes with troops," the officer told AFP adding that the troops had intensified operations to gain an advantage ahead of the normal spring melting of snow, now covering alpine passes along the LoC. Meanwhile, according to police figures, militants killed 45 people since the bus launch, including 10 security force personnel, 29 civilians and six pro-India political workers. Some 95 people were also injured during clashes. Tens of thousands of people have died since the freedom movement in 1989. (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Two car bombs strike Baghdad: BAGHDAD, May 2 (Reuters) - Two car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Monday, one targetting a senior Interior Ministry official and the other exploding in a busy shopping district, killing at least four people, police said. The first bomb exploded in the Huriya district of northwest Baghdad as a small convoy of vehicles carrying Major General Fuleih Rasheed, the commander of a police commando unit, was passing. No one was killed , but Rasheed and three of his bodyguards were wounded, police said. The second car bomb exploded in the Karrada district, a busy neighbourhood in the south of the capital. It detonated outside an electrical goods store on a major shopping street, damaging an apartment building and half a dozen cars. Police said at least four passersby were killed and 12 were wounded. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz talks about Indo-Pak relations Islamabad, May 02 (PPI): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said Pakistan clearly wants to have peaceful relations with all its neighbors, including India. '' If we can live in peace, we can benefit from each other's growth, markets, and talent, he said in an interview to BusinessWeek Online. To a question how rapidly can we expect concrete progress on core issues?, Prime Minister said,'' Of course, issues like Kashmir, which have caused tension in the region, need to be addressed. We have said that the solution of the Kashmir issue will require leadership, magnanimity, flexibility, and courage from all stakeholders in this issue: Pakistan, India, and the Kashmiri people. Eventually, the solution has to reflect the aspirations of the Kashmiri people since they are really in the center of it. (Posted @ 13:00 PST) Top US commander in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, May 2 (AFP) - The top US commander in the region was in Pakistan Monday to hold talks on the war on terror and security with top leaders and senior military officials, officials said. General John Abizaid, the chief of US Central Command (Centcom) arrived in the capital Islamabad on Sunday, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told AFP. US embassy spokesman Greggory Crouch said Abizaid's short official visit to Pakistan was for "routine consultations" with President General Pervez Musharraf and other senior military leaders. "The Centcom chief will be discussing Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terror and issues related to regional security," Crouch added. (Posted @ 13:00 PST) Blair to overhaul British nuclear deterrent system: report LONDON, May 2 (APP/AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair has decided to equip Britain with a new generation of deterrent nuclear weapons, to replace those currently deployed on Trident submarines, The Independent reported Monday. A new nuclear deterrent would cost some 10 billion pounds (14.4 billion euros, 18.5 billion dollars), the paper said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST) Palestinian killed in West Bank shootout with Israeli troops JERUSALEM May 2 (APP/AP) _ Israeli troops hunting alleged Palestinian militants Monday near the West Bank town of Tulkarem shot dead a member of the Islamic Jihad group, who fired at the advancing soldiers, Israeli Army radio said.It was the second consecutive day in which Israeli troops entered the Tulkarem area, which was handed over to Palestinian security control in March as part of a cease-fire agreed a month earlier. (Posted @ 10:45 PST) Taiwan's president calls for talks with rival China TAIPEI, May 2 (AFP) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian Monday called for talks with rival China, seeking reconciliation and a permanent peace, the Central News Agency reported. (Posted @ 10:45 PST) Cricket-Gayle, Sarwan survive and prosper for Windies ANTIGUA, May 1 (Reuters) - Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan survived dropped catches and went on to make unbeaten centuries as West Indies reached 299 for one wicket on the third day of the fourth test against South Africa on Sunday. Gayle was on 184 not out and Sarwan 103 in a record stand of 285 against South Africa, who had declared their first innings on 588 for six. (Posted @ 09:15 PST) Honduras president unhurt in plane crash TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May 1 (Reuters) - The president of Honduras was unhurt after a small plane with him and two others aboard crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near a Honduran beach on Sunday, a presidential spokesman said."President Ricardo Maduro, his daughter Lorena and the pilot of the plane were unharmed," spokesman Jorge Barrios told Reuters. "The plane fell in the water but they were immediately rescued." The Cessna 206, which took off from Tegucigalpa, had a mechanical problem and the engine died as it was about to land (Posted @ 09:15 PST) Karachi Stocks down -271.05 points: KARACHI, May 02: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 6833.60, down -271.05 points from Friday’s close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:00 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, May 02: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.98 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:00 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) 569-3995 webmaster@dawn.com Note: Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.

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