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| May 18, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan is recognised as a strong economic and political power: Khusro ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar said on Wednesday that Pakistan had emerged a strong political and economic power in the region. He said this had become possible under the wise policies adopted by President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. He said Pakistan was recognised as a modern Islamic state all over the world. This has greatly helped Pakistan to enhance its image. All the Muslim states respect it for upholding the ideals of Islam in true spirit.(Posted @ 00:15 PST)
Afghan defense ministry unhappy over US coalition operations after death KABUL, May 18 (AFP) - Afghanistan's defense ministry Wednesday called on the US-led coalition to coordinate operations in consultation with Afghan forces after an old Afghan man was shot dead during a raid by US troops. The US military said its troops had shot dead a man during a search operation Monday in the southeast province of Khost in which three suspected bomb makers were also arrested.(Posted @ 00:10 PST)
Sport: Malik may face another scrutiny: ICC LAHORE, May 18-(PPI): The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday showed its concerns that Shoaib Malik might face scrutiny by the match officials at any time while playing International cricket and said that any bowler once cleared could not be considered clear for ever.(Posted @ 00:10 PST)
UN invites Pakistan cricketers to serve as its ambassadors of peace KARACHI, May 18 (AFP) - The UN has commended the Pakistan-India cricket series which helped promoted peace between the cricket-mad nations and invited the Pakistan team to serve as its ambassador for 2005, an official said Wednesday(Posted @ 00:10 PST)
Pakistan arrests two suspected Sunni militants LAHORE, Pakistan, May 18 (AFP) - Pakistan has arrested two suspected militants in the eastern city of Lahore and questioned one of them about the murder of an Iranian diplomat, officials said Wednesday.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Shujaat, Jamali meet Prime Minister ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): President Pakistan Muslim League Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain and senior leader of PML Mir Zafarullah KhanJamali called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here at the Prime Minister House and discussed the current political situation.They agreed that there is a complete unity in the ranks of the party and discussed organizational matters relating to the party,said a press release.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
President, PM see tremendous benefits of high agricultural growth RAWALPINDI, May 18 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday that 7.5 per cent agricultural growth achieved this year bodes well for Pakistan's economy and vowed to encourage still higher growth rate in the agriculture sector for poverty alleviation and sustained all-round development.Speaking at a meeting which reviewed progress of the Rs. 66 billion project for brick lining of water courses across the country, the President said by the Grace of Allah Almighty, hard work by the farming community and agriculture-friendly policies of the government, a robust growth had been witnessed in the agriculture sector which forms the backbone of the nationaleconomy. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also attended the presentation. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Pakistan and Britain sign arms deal ISLAMABAD, May 18 (AFP) - Pakistan and Britain on Wednesday signed an arms deal Memorandum of Understanding to allow Islamabad to purchase British military hardware, a defence ministry statement said. Britain's visiting Under Secretary of State for Defence, Kevin Tebbitt, signed the document with his Pakistani counterpart, Lieutenant General Ali Muhammad Jan. The two sides also agreed to hold "joint exercises, exchange observers and to jointly fight the war on terror."(Posted @ 18:45 PST)
Polish company to explore oil and gas reserves in Pakistan Islamabad (dpa) – The government of Pakistan on Wednesday granted a petroleum-exploration licence to the Poland Oil and Gas Company (POGC) in the towns of Dadu and Lasbella located in Sindh and Balochistan provinces respectively. "The POGC experts will carry out exploration in an area covering 956.22 square kilometers, under an agreement signed between officials of the Oil and Gas Development Authority of Pakistan (OGDC) and POGC," a petroleum ministry spokesman said in Islamabad.(Posted @ 18:45 PST)
Weapons, ammunition seized in Pakistan CHAMAN, May 18 (APP): Police recovered rocket launchers, LMGs and ammunition from Gulistan near the Pak-Afghan border on Wednesday, the local administration informed. The recovered arms included two rocket launchers, seven LMGs and one machine gun along with a large number of cartridges and shells. No arrests were made.(Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Manmohan Singh to be Prime Minister for full term: Sonia Gandhi NEW DELHI, May 18 (APP): Ruling out that she’ll reconsider her decision to give up the post of Prime Minister, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that Manmohan Singh would head the UPA Government for his full five year term. "Why should I reconsider the decision? There is a Prime Minister who is a man of integrity and doing exceedingly well. There is no question of reconsidering the decision (to renounce the top post)," Gandhi told the newsmen while responding to a question on Tuesday.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Two Iraqis killed for working for U.S. army Cairo (dpa) - The Ansar al-Sunna militants killed two Iraqi men for allegedly working for the U.S. army, an internet video released by the group on late Tuesday confirmed.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Proposal under consideration to establish nine more cancer hospitals, NA told ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): The National Assembly was informed on Wednesday that a proposal was under consideration to establish nine more cancer hospitals in the country. Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Mrs. Raheela Yahya Munawar,said that currently there were 13 cancer hospitals operating in the country under the auspices of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) which provided treatment to 3,30,000 patients annually. She said nine more cancer hospitals would be set up at Gilgit, Gujranwala, Bannu, Nawabshah, Swat, Dera Ismael Khan, Rahimyar Khan, Mirpur Khas and Azad Kashmir.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Six shot dead, three injured in Sukkur SUKKUR, May 18 (APP)- Unidentified armed men killed six people belonging to the Lakhan tribe near the Old Numaish Ground of old Sukkur at about 9.00 A.M on Wednesday, police said. Three others, including two passersby were also injured and rushed to Civil Hospital.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Pak, China to establish trade zone at khunjrab BEIJING, May 18 (APP): Pakistan, China have agreed to establish a joint frontier free trade zone for promoting mutually beneficial cooperative partnership, the NWFP Minister for Local Government and Urban Development, Sardar Muhammad Idress, said who is visiting China at the 11-member official delegation. As per the initial plan, the zone will be covering 10,000 square meters and will include 100 stalls, 50 each for Pakistan and China. It will be located at Khunjirab dry port, within Tashikurgan County.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Palestinian parliament passes new election law Ramallah (dpa)- After weeks of delay and quarrelling, the Palestinian parliament passed the new national election law in its third and final reading Wednesday. Under the bill, the new parliament will have 132 seats, one-third of which will be elected through proportional representation with two-thirds allocated to constituencies.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Fire destroys 100 Afghan refugee shops in Pakistan PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 18 (AFP) - Around 100 shops mostly belonging to Afghan refugees were gutted on Wednesday in a pre-dawn fire at a market in Peshawar, police and shopkeepers said. The fire was apparently caused by an electrical short-circuit and engulfed the entire market. "It happened around 2:30 am, moments after a windstorm lashed the area overnight," a police official told AFP. It took several hours to bring the fire under control, he said, adding that the blaze caused no casualties as the market was closed. Afghan traders said that losses ran into millions of rupees.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Pakistan holds British al Qaeda suspect PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan security forces have arrested a British national on suspicion of having links with al Qaeda, security officials said on Wednesday. The suspect Shehzad was arrested four days ago in Shabqadar, a village on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar, a security official told Reuters. "We suspect him to be an al Qaeda member," said the official but gave no other details.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Interior ministry official assassinated in Baghdad BAGHDAD, May 18 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead an Iraqi interior ministry official as he left his home in Baghdad on Wednesday, police said. The wife of Brigadier Ibrahim Khamas, who worked in the ministry's criminal intelligence department, was wounded in the attack. The al Qaeda network in Iraq, led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for the killing.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Bodies of seven Iraqi Turkmen dumped west of Baghdad RAMADI, Iraq, May 18 (Reuters) - Seven Iraqi Turkmen captured in an ambush on a security convoy were found dead south of Falluja in the Anbar province on Wednesday, police said. According to a police official all bodies had gun shot wounds in their heads. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Suicide car bomb kills two Iraqi police BAGHDAD, May 18 (AFP) - Two Iraqi police personnel were killed in a suicide car bomb attack near the oil refinery town of Baiji early Wednesday morning, a police captain said. The bomb targeted a US-Iraqi convoy at around 3 am (2300 GMT) on the road near Siniya, 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Baghdad, the source told AFP. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Palestinian killed in exchange of fire in Gaza GAZA CITY, May 18 (AFP) - A Palestinian was killed in an exchange of gunfire overnight with Israeli soldiers in the southern West Bank city of Rafah, Palestinian security sources said early Wednesday. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Seventeen people killed in storms in Bangladesh DHAKA, May 17 (APP/AFP) - At least 17 people died and more than 1,000 homes were destroyed Tuesday in pre-monsoon storms in northwestern Bangladesh, police officials told AFP. The storms uprooted trees and flattened hundreds of bamboo and tin roofed dwellings, killing 13 people in Natore district. Four others died in adjoining Rajshahi district (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
At least 50 rebels, nine security personnel killed in Nepal KATHMANDU, May 18 (AFP) - At least 50 Maoists and nine security personnel were killed in a major clash between the two sides in southeastern Nepal, a state-run daily reported Wednesday. State-run radio Nepal Wednesday said that "eight bodies of rebels were found scattered at the clash site, while over 40 bodies were recovered from the Gobari area adjoining the site." (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Opposition strike shuts down Bangladesh capital DHAKA, May 18 (Reuters) - Shops and businesses shut down in Bangladesh's bustling capital Dhaka on Wednesday and streets were deserted after the main opposition party called a strike to protest against the killing of a party official. Khorshed Alam, a legal affairs secretary of the Awami League, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen as he stepped out of his home in Dhaka's Tejgaon area on Tuesday. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Abu Ghraib abuser sentenced to six months prison FORT HOOD, Texas, May 17 (Reuters) - Sabrina Harman, 27, a U.S. Army reservist convicted of attaching wires to an Iraqi prisoner in a photographed scene that outraged the international community was sentenced on Tuesday to six months in prison, one of the lightest punishments handed down in the Abu Ghraib cases. She had faced a maximum of five and a half years and the prosecution had sought a three-year sentence.The jury found Harman guilty on six of seven abuse-related charges (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 89.58 points KARACHI, May 18: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 7348.37, down 89.58 points from Tuesday’s close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:40 PST)
Forex update: : KARACHI, May 18: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.65 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:40 PST)
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