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| May 17, 2005 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Iran considers cancelling nuclear meeting with E.U. trio Teheran (dpa) - Iran may cancel a scheduled meeting with the foreign ministers of the European Union Big Three if common pre-talk terms cannot be agreed upon, an Iranian nuclear delegation spokesman said Tuesday."If the necessary grounds are not prepared, then the scheduled meeting next week might be even cancelled," Hussein Mussavian told Khabar news network."Currently the preparations for the talks are quite tough and therefore difficult to reach common grounds," the spokesman added.(Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Bangladesh opposition party member shot dead DHAKA, May 17 (AFP) - A member of the opposition Awami League party was shot dead Tuesday which sparked a rampage by party members that destroyed several vehicles in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, police said."Khorshed Alam, 40, an Awami League party member, was shot dead at point-blank range in front of his house on Tuesday by unknown assailants," senior police officer said.In response to the shooting, Awami League officials called for a dawn-to-dusk strike in the capital on Wednesday.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Russian forces claim to kill prominent Chechen rebel attacks MOSCOW, May 17 (APP/AP) _ Russian security services killed a prominent Chechen rebel wanted for a series of planned chemical attacks, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday, citing the top spokesman for Russian forces in Chechnya. Maj.-Gen. Ilya Shabalkin identified the dead rebel leader as Alash Daudov, a former police official who was also accused of complicity in the 2002 seizure of a Moscow theater, attacks on police in Grozny and Nazran in 2004,and the seizure of more than 1,200 hostages at a school in the southern town of Beslan in September.(Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Weddding party bus crash in India kills 37, injures 25 NEW DELHI, May 17 (APP/AFP) - At least 37 members of a wedding party died and another 25 were injured Tuesday when their bus plunged down a gorge in a mountainous area of northern India, police said.The overcrowded bus skidded off a winding road and hurtled down the gorge in Rudraprayag district in the state of Uttaranchal, 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of the Indian capital of New Delhi.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Pakistan's Musharraf to stay in power beyond 2007 ISLAMABAD, May 17 (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf will seek another five-year term as head of state after his current tenure ends in 2007, the country's Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said Tuesday.(Posted @ 18:30 PST)
MMA leader warns Newsweek retraction not enough ISLAMABAD, May 17 (AFP) - Deputy Secretary General of MMA, Liaquat Baloch, warned on Tuesday that the anger of Muslims over Newsweek's "humiliating" story on the alleged desecration of the holy Quran will not subside despite the magazine's retraction. "Those who planned and flashed this story in Newsweek must be exposed and punished," he told AFP. "Regrets will not end the anger” he said adding that a worldwide protest will be staged as planned on May 27.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Violence continues in Iraq amid first official Iran visit Baghdad (dpa) – Insurgents shot dead three policemen on Tuesday in al-Mussayib, a southern Iraqi town, police sources said. An official of the government’s committee on combating corruption was also ambushed and killed with his bodyguard in Doha, a spokesman for the committee said. In the border city of Qaim, the bodies of three Iraqi soldiers were found by the army today, a military spokesman said. The violence comes as Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi was expected in Baghdad on the first official Iranian visit to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The planned discussions between Kharrazi and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari were expected to include how the wave of violence in Iraq can be stopped, a foreign ministry statement said.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Dozens feared dead in heat wave in Indian state BHUBANESWAR, India, May 17 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were feared dead in a heat wave in Orissa, an official said on Tuesday, at the start of a harsh summer in which temperatures soar around 50 degrees Celsius. Government officials confirmed seven heat wave deaths while at least 71 more cases were being investigated.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Pakistani clerics declare suicide attacks "un-Islamic" Islamabad (dpa) - As many as 58 Pakistani religious clerics and scholars on Tuesday decreed suicide bombings and attacks on mosques in the name of "jihad" (holy war) as "un Islamic." Mufti Muneebur Rehman, the head of an official Moon Sighting Committee of Pakistan which comprises of clerics from different Moslem sects, said at a press conference in Lahore that carrying out suicide attacks or killing other Moslems at mosques or public places was "Un-Islamic and uncalled for." (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
China opposes four-state proposal on U.N. Council BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) - A draft proposal for U.N. Security Council reform circulated by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan- the four countries lobbying for permanent seats- will undermine the process of upgrading the United Nations and exacerbate differences, China said on Tuesday. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
PM Shaukat Aziz terms 8.35% GDP growth as historic Islamabad May 17 (PPI): The GDP growth during the current financial year was expected at a record 8.35 % against the set target of 6.6 %, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said here on Tuesday. He was inaugurating the Annual Plan Coordination Committee meeting that will approve the annual plan for the next financial year. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Kashmir: Two young men killed in custody Srinagar, May 17 (PPI): Indian troops martyred two Kashmiri youth in their custody, after they had used them as human shields in a crackdown. The incident occurred in the Tral area of Pulwama district, Nuristan, of occupied Kashmir. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Pakistan police raid leaves 3 dead, 20 wounded; fails to catch criminal KARACHI, May 17 (AFP) - A police raid on the hideout of one of Pakistan's most wanted criminals, Rehman Dacoit, on Tuesday left three people dead and 20 wounded in an intense gun battle, but still failed to capture the fugitive. One police sub-inspector was shot dead while 13 other officers were injured in the southern Pakistan shootout that also killed one civilian and wounded seven more in the crossfire, police chief Tariq Jamil told AFP. The gunfight erupted in the Hub area, on the border with the Baluchistan province, when police raided Rehman’s hideout. Police had detained several suspects and recovered many weapons in a search that was still in progress, Jamil said. However, it was not known immediately whether any of the criminals had been killed or wounded, or whether Rehman had managed to get away unhurt. (Posted @15:50 PST)
Iraq's al Qaeda warns Sunnis against constitution DUBAI, May 17 (Reuters) - Iraq's al Qaeda blasted calls by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for Sunni Muslims in Iraq to participate in drafting a new constitution, saying those who did would be infidels, according to an Internet statement posted on Tuesday. "The crusaders' hag (Rice) came to sully the land of the Caliphate and wants the participation of apostates and secularists claiming to be Sunnis," the group led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said in a statement. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Playing against England to be real test of Pakistan cricket team: Imran Khan WASHINGTON, May 17 (APP) - Imran Khan Monday said Pakistan team was in a winning form, set to completely outclass West Indies- but, its real test would be playing against England. At a press conference he said Pakistan team is no more a disjointed bunch. It has gained strength in coordination, placement and confidence. Inzamam has emerged as "the world's best match winner, with batting as his preferred forte." Younus has established himself as an accomplished number three player, and Rana Nazir, who had remained untried, has given an outstanding performance in India. Likewise, Danish Kaneria is a future prospect, while Salman Butt is a talent. "Afridi has an undiminishing talent, and he is set to maintain his excellent tempo in the ongoing play in West Indies." Imran Khan said Shoaib Akhtar was a match winner, and he should have been in the team- "I would have voted for him, on merit." (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Afghan, US forces arrest at least 15 suspected Taliban in mountain caves, officials say KABUL, Afghanistan, May 17 (APP/AP) _ Afghan and U.S. troops arrested at least 15 suspected Taliban after surrounding a group of caves in the mountains of an insurgency-plagued province, Afghan officials said Tuesday. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammed Zaher Azimi said Afghan and American troops battled the rebels in Deh Rawood district of Uruzgan province for an hour before they surrendered, though an Army general said there was no shooting. Azimi said 17 suspects were detained, but Gen. Muslim Hamid said 15 were taken into custody (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
AAC asks India, Pak to set timeframe for solving Kashmir dispute NEW DELHI, May 16 (APP): Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (AAC), a constituent of faction of Hurriyat Conference, on Monday urged India and Pakistan to set a timeframe for resolution of Kashmir dispute. "We are satisfied over the progress of ongoing comprehensive dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad for peace and better ties but urge the leadership of the two countries to set a timeframe for resolution of Kashmir issue," AAC said in a resolution passed at a workers' rally here, marking the beginning of a week-long programme to observe the death anniversary of its founder Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone. The resolution was read out by AAC chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Pakistani Foreign Minister Kasuri welcomes Newsweek retraction Wellington (dpa) - Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri expressed relief Tuesday that Newsweek magazine had withdrawn its report that United States military interrogators had desecrated the Holy Quran while questioning Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Newsweek retracts story on holy Quran desecration under pressure WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Newsweek magazine on Monday retracted a report that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay had desecrated the holy Quran after the story triggered protests in Afghanistan that killed 16 people and White House criticism. "Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered (holy) Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said in a statement, a day after apologizing for the report. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Cricket-West Indies rest Lara for one-dayers with Pakistan LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Brian Lara is being rested for West Indies' three one-day internationals against Pakistan this month so he is ready to face them in the two-test series. Squad: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Christopher Gayle, Xavier Marshall, Runako Morton, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Courtney Browne, Corey Collymore, Daren Powell, Pedro Collins, Ian Bradshaw. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
U.S. reservist found guilty of Abu Ghraib abuses FORT HOOD, Texas, May 16 (Reuters) - A military jury convicted Army reservist Sabrina Harman on Monday on six of seven counts related to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in a scandal that badly damaged America's image abroad. Harman, 27, appeared in some of the most notorious photographs taken at the prison outside Baghdad, including one in which she posed with a pyramid of naked detainees. She could face a maximum of five and a half years in prison. The court will begin the penalty phase of her trial on Tuesday. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 122.29 points KARACHI, May 17: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 7437.79, up 122.29 points from Monday’s close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:40 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, May 17: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.06 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:40 PST)
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