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| July 1, 2005 | Friday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Afghan blame of entering Pakistanis again into its territory LAHORE July 01-(PPI): Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab for Religious Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Mehmud Ashrafi, contradicting allegations levelled by the Afghan government against Pakistan, has said that Pakistanis released from jail, had not entered again into territory of Afghanistan for "Jehad". Talking to the newsmen after getting released Pakistani prisoners from Kot Lakhpat Jail here on Friday, he said the Afghan government was attributing these Pakistanis arrested 4 years ago as detained the other day in Afghanistan which was totally baseless and mischievious propaganda against Pakistan to defame it on international level. He said if the Pakistan government did not help against terrorism, government of the president Hamid Karzai could not establish.(Posted @ 23:35 PST)
US says some prisoners accuse Iraqi forces of abuse WASHINGTON, July 1 (AFP) - The US military said Friday that some prisoners held by the new Iraqi army had alleged they had suffered physical mistreatment. Although he did not give exact figures, Major General David Rodriguez, commander of the multi-national force in northwest Iraq, said he believed that only a small proportion of detainees had been abused. He estimated the number of cases at five percent of the Iraqi detainees. "For most it is for physical mistreatment," he told a briefing of Pentagon reporters from Iraq. "Either they have been physically abused, either being too rough like that or they are alleged to have tried to get confessions by physically abusing them.(Posted @ 23:30 PST)
Russia cuts gas supplies to Ukraine MOSCOW, July 1 (AFP) - Russian gas giant Gazprom said Friday it would cut natural gas supplies to Ukrainian consumers in retaliation for the loss of a large quantity of gas that Ukrainian officials say can no longer be retrieved from an underground storage facility. In a statement, Gazprom said it had informed Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz that it would supply only 1.1 billion cubic metres (38.5 billion cubic feet) of gas to the Ukrainian market by the end of this year -- around 10 times less than anticipated. The decision relates to some 7.8 billion cubic metres of gas held in an underground chamber that Naftogaz says can no longer be retrieved due to technical problems.(Posted @ 22:30 PST)
Woman hurt in Beirut car explosion BEIRUT, July 1 (AFP) - A woman was badly wounded Friday when a grenade exploded in her car in the Lebanese capital, police said. Authorities said 32-year-old Abir Mohammed Harb had just left a private beach in the southern district of Khaldeh and opened the door of her parked car when the blast occurred. She was reported in stable condition at St. Georges hospital in south Beirut, where hospital officials said she sustained burns on her right side. The blast was a fairly weak one and caused only minor damage to the car. According to the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah's television station al-Manar, the motive for the attack was domestic in nature. Beirut has been plagued this year by a series of high-profile bombings, but after being questioned by police at the hospital, Harb said that the attack was not politically motivated.(Posted @ 22:25 PST)
Taliban kill 15, lose 13 in Afghan attacks KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 1 (Reuters) – Taliban guerrillas killed nine village elders, four policemen and two other civilians in a fresh wave of violence in southern Afghanistan in which 13 guerrillas also died, officials said on Friday. The nine elders were killed in the village of Lander in the central province of Uruzgan on Thursday night, a day after security forces killed seven guerrillas in an attack on a security post, Uruzgan governor Jan Mohammad Khan said. He said the guerrillas released a 9-year-old boy to bring news of the killings and to offer to exchange the bodies of the elders and the guerrillas. "They said the elders had been cooperating with the Americans," he said. Early Friday morning, guerrillas also attacked a security post in Charcheno district of Uruzgan, killing four policemen, he said adding that five guerrillas were killed and one was captured . In another attack on Thursday, two civilians were killed when rockets aimed at a district office landed northeast of the city of Khost.In the southwestern province of Helmand, one Taliban fighter was killed and another captured after trying to attack a convoy of U.S. troops, provincial spokesman Haji Mohammad Khan said. He said no U.S. troops were hurt.(Posted @ 20:15 PST)
Blair announces informal summit for EU later this year LONDON, July 1 (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain, which took over the EU presidency Friday, will host an informal summit later this year to allow leaders to debate the future direction of Europe.(Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Pakistan and Bahrain to increase defence cooperation ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday said Pakistan and Bahrain have close defence relations and the recent visit of Prime Minister of Bahrain will further strengthen the existing friendly relations between the two countries. Talking to Maj. Gen. Shaikh Mohammad bin Essa Al Khalifa, Commander National Guard, Kingdom of Bahrain, who called on him at the Prime Minister House he said Pakistan is keen to promote economic, diplomatic, cultural as well as people-to-people contacts with Bahrain.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Rain lashes Pakistani city, five dead LAHORE, Pakistan, July 1 (Reuters) - Heavy rain lashed the Pakistani city of Lahore on Friday causing widespread flooding and five people were killed in accidents caused by the downpour, officials said.Three children were electrocuted and died when they fell off their father's motorbike after it hit an electricity pole, and two people were killed when the roof of a cafe collapsed, a city official said. Up to 129 mm of rain fell in four hours, the heaviest in a day in Lahore in six years,said meteorological department official Mohammad Hanif. More rain was expected over the next 24 hours, Hanif said.(First Posted @ 17:30 PST Updated @ 19:25 PST)
Hu, Putin vow security, economic cooperation at Moscow summit MOSCOW, July 1 (AFP) - The Chinese and Russian presidents held a summit Friday aimed at strengthening security in volatile Central Asia and toughening economic ties between these two giants once seen as the West's main threat in Cold War days.President Vladimir Putin hailed Moscow's growing bilateral ties with its communist neighbour, saying "We have resolved almost all the essential political questions between our two countries." "There are vast possibilities for interregional cooperation. We intend to develop our military ties and cooperation between our defence ministries," he said at the close of talks. Chinese president Hu Jintao highlighted what he said were the countries' common security goals. "We are increasing coordination and cooperation on important regional and international questions, such as guaranteeing stability in Central Asia, the Shanghai group, the form of the United Nations and the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula," Hu told journalists.(Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Blair to visit Saudi on Saturday: official RIYADH, July 1 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will make a brief visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with crown prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, a Saudi official said Friday. Blair will be in Riyadh for a few hours late Saturday, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.(Posted @ 19:15 PST)
Kashmir:Troops martyr 128 Kashmiris in June Islamabad, July 01 (PPI): Indian troops martyred 128 Kashmiris including three women during June. Eight of them were martyred in custody. In addition , 407 persons were tortured or critically injured, 133 arrested, 43 homes and shops arsoned, 19 persons were kidnapped or went missing, 19 women were widowed, 38 children orphaned and 7 women were gang raped or molested by occupation forces during the month under review, Kashmir Media Service report said.(Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Kashmir :Four CRPF soldiers injured in blast) Srinagar, July 01 (PPI): In occupied Kashmir, four Central Reserve Police Force, (CRPF) personnel were injured in a landmine explosion At Wanpoh in the district of Islamabad Friday morning. According to Kashmir Media service, a landmine went off at Wanpoh on Srinagar-Jammu highway when CRPF Road Opening Party (ROP) was patrolling the area. Four CRPF personnel were injured in the blast.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
PM's helicopter did not cross the LoC: Official Spokesman ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (APP): The government Friday strongly denied news reports that the helicopter of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz crossed the Line of Control (LoC) near Chakothi on Thursday. A Government spokesman said the report was "baseless and misleading."(Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Vice Admiral Sikandar Viqar assumes charge as Commander Pakistan Fleet KARACHI, July 1 (APP)- Vice-Admiral Sikandar Viqar Naqvi has taken over the charge of Commander Pakistan Fleet from Vice Admiral Mohammad Haroon, who has been appointed as Chief of Staff Pakistan Navy. In capacity of Commander Pakistan Fleet, which is a key operational appointment of Pakistan Navy, Vice Admiral S.V. Naqvi would be in-charge of all naval frigates, missile boats, mine hunters, submarines and air units, said a Pakistan Navy press release here.(Posted @ 17:18 PST)
New Zealand cricket authorities confirm Zimbabwe tour will go ahead WELLINGTON, July 1 (AFP) - New Zealand's cricket's governing body said Friday the planned tour to Zimbabwe in August will go ahead despite strong public and political opposition amid human rights abuses by President Robert Mugabe's government. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Martin Snedden said it was impossible for New Zealand to withdraw from the tour without being hit with a fine of at least two million US dollars as well as compensation for lost revenue. "It's a fact of life we have no choice, we have to proceed with this tour. New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said he accepted New Zealand Cricket's position. "As I've said on many occasions, they are between a rock and a hard place," Goff said.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
US reconnaissance team missing in Afghanistan after chopper crash KABUL, July 1 (AFP) - US forces are searching for a small American reconnaissance team which has been missing since a special forces helicopter sent in to extract them was shot down in Afghanistan, the military said Friday.Sixteen personnel, including eight US Navy SEALs, were killed when their MH-47 Chinook crashed after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade on Tuesday. "The helicopter went in to lift them (the reconnaissance team) out of that area.We have not located them as of yet" The US military also said a number of Afghan guides for the US forces were also missing following the Chinook crash. Taliban said earlier this week it had captured and executed seven Afghans working as "spies" for the Americans, and that one of the men had called in the helicopter to help.(Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Nine killed in India's troubled northeast GUWAHATI, India, July 1 (AFP) - Five Indian soldiers and at least four separatist guerrillas have been killed in fighting in India's restive northeastern state of Manipur, police said Friday. Indian troops Thursday launched a raid on a hideout of the outlawed People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the Thangjing hills, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Manipur's state capital Imphal. "The operations are continuing and according to our reports some more militants were killed though we are yet to get details," army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Santanu Dev Goswami told AFP. Goswami said a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including AK-47 assault rifles , rocket launchers, grenades and radio sets were recovered(Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Aide to Iraq spiritual leader killed, bomber targets PM office BAGHDAD, July 1 (AFP) - A top aide to Iraq's Shiite spiritual leader was among 18 people killed in insurgent attacks across the country on Friday,including a bombing near an office of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari's party. A senior advisor to Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani,Sheikh Kamaleddin al-Ghuraifi, was shot dead with two others in Baghdad on his way to Friday prayers, the defense ministry and Sistani's office said. A suicide car bomber also blew himself up near an office of Jaafari's Islamic Dawa Party in western Baghdad, killing one and wounding another, a defense ministry source said. Other attacks in Baghdad and in and around the restive city of Samarra further north killed 14 police and soldiers and wounded at least seven, police and army sources said.(Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Germany's Schroeder loses confidence vote BERLIN, July 1 (AFP) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder lost a parliamentary confidence vote he engineered Friday, raising the prospect of early elections and a widely predicted change in government. The Bundestag lower house defeated the measure with the help of deputies from Schroeder's coalition of Social Democrats and Greens who followed the chancellor's call to abstain in his bid to bring the general election forward by 12 months. In a speech before the confidence vote, the embattled leader said his painful economic reform drive had cost him crucial support that he now hoped to regain. "Without a new mandate, it is impossible to continue with my policies," Schroeder told the chamber. "If we want to continue with the reforms, and we must, we need to seek a new mandate through elections."(Posted @ 16:38 PST)
Blast in Russia's Dagestan kills 10 interior ministry soldiers MAKHACHKALA, Russia, July 1 (AFP) - Ten interior ministry soldiers died and seven were injured in an explosion Friday in southern Russia's volatile Dagestan republic, Dagestan's deputy prosecutor, Zaur Issayev, said. The explosion occurred outside a public baths in Dagestan's capital Makhachkala.(Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Britain takes over E.U. presidency London (dpa) - Britain Friday took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union with disputes about farm subsidy reform and the country's three billion pounds (5.5 billion dollars) annual rebate set to overshadow budget talks. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Turkish police shoot dead suspected suicide bomber ANKARA, July 1 (Reuters) - Turkish police shot dead a suspected suicide bomber near Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's office in Ankara on Friday. Witnesses said the suspected bomber was unable to detonate his explosives. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Pakistan, China call for compromise on UN reforms BEIJING, July 1 (APP): A two-day International Symposium on the UN, which concluded Friday, said that a feasible outcome of the Security Council enlargement issue can be achieved through compromise and negotiation. Delegates including those from Pakistan at the meeting underlined the need for finding a consensus-based solution to the disputes on the issue. Other attendants included Argentina, Australia, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden and Thailand, as well as representatives from the UN-related international organizations. (Posted @ 12:32 PST)
Blast at Afghanistan school kills two students KHOST, Afghanistan, July 1 (AFP) - Two students died when a time bomb exploded at a high school in the Yaqobi district of Khost province, police said Friday. No militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Israeli army reopens Gaza settlements JERUSALEM, July 1 (Reuters) - The Israeli army reopened the Gaza Strip's Jewish settlements area Friday, a day after it declared it a closed military zone, the army said. (Posted @ 09:57 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 14.48 points: KARACHI, July 1: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 7464.60, up 14.48 points from Thursday's close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:45 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 1: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.45 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:45 PST)
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