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| July 27, 2005 | Wednesday | Jumadi-us-Sani 19, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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President urges youth to seize fleeting moment for steering Pakistan forward RAWALPINDI, July 27 (APP): Emphasizing that Pakistan stands at crossroads of challenges and opportunities, President General Pervez Musharraf has asked the younger generation to discard retrogressive thinking and help steer Pakistan forward as a moderate and dynamic Islamic country. "The status quo will not be tenable - we must rise and not fall - we have a fleeting moment today - the younger generation, particularly, has to seize this moment and take Pakistan towards progress and prosperity," he said Wednesday addressing the inaugural ceremony of Rawalpindi Campus of the National College of Arts. President Musharraf underlined the need to reject obscurantism and project true values of Islamic culture."My vision is that Pakistan moves ahead as a moderate and progressive Islamic society - my prayer is that may Allah guide Pakistan as a moderate, progressive, peaceful and shining country of the Muslim Ummah and the world." (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Five suspected militants killed as strike grips occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, July 27 (AFP) - Indian troops shot dead five suspected militants Wednesday, the army said, as a strike gripped occupied Kashmir y in a fourth straight day of protests since soldiers mistakenly killed three boys. The five died in four separate clashes spread across two districts during cordon and search operations, army officials said. The strike closed government offices, schools and shops and paramilitary troops were out in force. Kupwara district has been strike-bound since the killing of the three innocent youth and violent protests have continued. Several hundred people demonstrated in Kupwara on Wednesday compared to thousands on previous days, witnesses said. The protestors were defying an official ban on gatherings of more than four people. Five policemen and five protestors were hurt Tuesday as police used tear gas, fired in the air and lashed out with batons against chanting demonstrators, witnesses said. (Posted @ 16:43 PST)
Al-Qaeda kills two Algerian diplomats in Iraq: website DUBAI, July 27 (AFP) - The group of Al-Qaeda's Iraq frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it has killed the two Algerian diplomats it kidnapped last week in Baghdad, according to an Internet statement issued Wednesday.The statement published on a website but authenticity could not be verified said the head of the diplomatic mission Ali Belaroussi and the attache Azzedine Belkadi have been killed. Armed gunmen had abducted the two diplomats as they were leaving the embassy in Baghdad by car last week. They appeared in a video posted on a website on Tuesday, in which the group vowed to execute them.(Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Around 600 detained in Pakistan's week-long militant crackdown ISLAMABAD, July 27 (AFP) - Pakistani security forces have rounded up about 600 suspected militants and clerics in a week-long crackdown that followed the July 7 London attacks, officials told AFP Wednesday. Of those arrested, 295 belonged to militant groups banned during the past three years. The remaining 300 detainees included clerics, mosque prayer leaders and others taken into custody for inciting anti-Western and sectarian hatred through sermons and provocative literature, he said. "The campaign against militancy and extremism continues the police is on alert to nab elements promoting extremism and violence," the official said. (Posted @ 16:09 PST)
Turk forces kill 15 Kurdish rebels in southeast DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, July 27 (Reuters) - Turkish security forces have killed 15 guerrillas from the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and seized a number of arms and documents, security officials said on Wednesday.Earlier reports gave the number killed as seven. Security forces clashed with the rebels in a remote part of mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, north of the Iraqi border, during a military operation.The operation, with troops backed up by helicopters, was continuing.(Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Withdrawal from Iraq could start in spring: U.S. general Baghdad (dpa) - The U.S. could begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq as soon as the spring of 2006, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Wednesday. "I do believe that if the political process continues to go positively, if the developments with the (Iraqi) security forces continue to go as (they are) going, ... we will still be able to make fairly substantial reductions ... in the spring and summer of next year," General George Casey told U.S. reporters in Baghdad. Casey was speaking during a surprise visit to the Iraqi capital by U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld.(Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Pakistan, India to discuss new cultural agreement Islamabad (dpa) - Pakistan and India agreed to work out a new bilateral cultural exchange agreement to enable greater human interaction after two days of talks ended Wednesday. They also agreed to double the number of visas for religious pilgrims to 3000, besides adding new holy sites for such visits.They also discussed easing visa restrictions and promoting tourism. A joint press statement issued after the meeting said the talks covered the fields of art, culture, sports, tourism, youth affairs, education, media and archeology. "It was agreed to expand the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on visits to religious shrines to increase the number of shrines in both countries," the statement added. A spokesman of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said officials of the two countries would discuss the proposed agreement when they meet next. He did not provide dates. The previous agreement signed in 1988 lapsed after three years for political reasons.(Posted @ 20:35 PST)
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian during Jenin gunbattle Tel Aviv (dpa) - Israeli soldiers shot and fatally wounded an 18-year-old Palestinian during a gunbattle Wednesday in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinians said. A second Palestinian was seriously wounded. Two Israeli soldiers sustained light wounds in the clash, which erupted as troops arrested a senior member of the militant Islamic Jihad organization.(Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Iraqi police say they've caught al Qaeda suspect KERBALA, Iraq, July 27 (Reuters) - Iraqi commandos have captured an Egyptian said to be a close associate of Ayman al- Zawahiri, al Qaeda's number two, following a raid south of Baghdad, police sources said on Wednesday. Police named the suspect as Hamdi Tantawi and said he was detained following a raid on a farmhouse near the town of Yusufiya, south of Baghdad. They said Tantawi was suspected of financing insurgent operations in the area.(Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Three soldiers killed in Russia's Dagestan MAKHACHKALA, Russia, July 27 (Reuters) - Three soldiers died in rebel attacks in Russia's turbulent Dagestan region on Wednesday, officials and local media said. A colonel trying to stop rebels from crossing into the region from neighbouring Chechnya died from wounds sustained in a late-night firefight in the border town of Khasavyurt, police said. The two other soldiers died in a mortar attack on their base in the republic's mountainous Tsumadinsky region, which also lies on the border with Chechnya, the Interfax news agency reported.(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Police search two more London homes linked to failed bombings LONDON, July 27 (AFP) - Anti-terrorist police on Wednesday searched two more residences in London in connection with last week's attempted bomb attacks on the capital's transport network, police said. Officers raided one house in Finchley and another in Enfield, both in north London, at 6:00 am (0500 GMT), but have made no arrests so far, a police spokeswoman said., "These are in connection with the incident on July 21," when at least four men partially detonated explosives on three London Underground trains and a bus, she added. "Forensic examination is ongoing (at both) residential premises."(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Major fire on Indian offshore oil drilling platform NEW DELHI, July 27 (AFP) - A major fire is raging since 4.30p.m. (1100 GMT) at an offshore oil drilling platform in the Arabian Sea . "There is bound to be some loss of life," Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar told a televised press conference. He said as many as 200 to 300 people could have been working on the platform. "At the moment our focus is on search and rescue for those who can be rescued," he said. The platform is 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of Mumbai . I feel the loss of production may be considerable,he added. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Discovery crew check for damage HOUSTON, Texas, July 27 (AFP) - The crew of the Discovery on Wednesday began checking for damage to the space shuttle's exterior after debris was seen falling off during the landmark launch. The crew used special cameras to study the wings and nose of Discovery. NASA experts on the ground scanned photographs from the launch for signs that a piece of tile and a larger object seen flying off the shuttle on Tuesday could have caused damage that needs repair.It said it is too early to say whether the crew faces any danger. But after Columbia's disintegration on February 1, 2003 was blamed on a piece of insulation foam that fell off, NASA is extremely sensitive to any alert with the shuttle.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Mortar attack at Baghdad bus station kills at least 1,injures 16 BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 27 (APP/AP) _ Mortar attacks on Baghdad's main bus station Wednesday killed at least one and injured 16 others, hospital officials said.Two mortars landed on the bustling station during the afternoon attack, said Dr. Muhannad Jawad of Yarmouk Hospital. Most of the victims are believed to be Iraqi civilians.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
London bombing suspect arrested: Sky News LONDON, July 27 (AFP) - One of the men arrested Wednesday in raids in Birmingham is Yasin Hassan Omar, who was suspected of being a member of the gang that carried out botched bombings last week in London, Sky News reported.Hassan Omar, 24, was named by police on Monday as the man suspected of having tried to detonate a bomb on a London subway train at the Warren Street station on July 21.Police did not immediately confirm the Sky News report that Hassan Omar had been arrested in a raid before dawn in the central English city of Birmingham.(Posted @ 18:45 PST)
Turkish PM rules out early recognition of Cyprus LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed on Wednesday that Turkey would not recognise Cyprus before there was a comprehensive peace settlement on the divided island. Turkey is expected to sign a protocol later this week expanding its customs union with the European Union to 10 new member states including Cyprus, but insists that this will not amount to recognition. The signing is the last obstacle Ankara must clear before opening EU entry talks in October. "There will be no change on the recognition question untilthere is a settlement," Erdogan told reporters at a televised news conference in London after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Britain holds the EU's rotating presidency and strongly supports Turkey's EU bid.(Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Princely gift from Saudi billionaire to house Louvre's Islamic art PARIS, July 27 (AFP) - The Louvre, once a royal fortress and today the world's largest museum, will get a new wing to showcase its vast collection of Islamic art thanks to a multi-million dollar gift by Saudi Prince Al-Walid Bin Talal. Architectural plans were unveiled Wednesday for the 4,000 square-meter (43,000 square-foot) wing, to be built by architects Mario Bellini from Italy and Rudi Ricciotti of France and scheduled to open in 2009. Nearly a third of the 56 million-euro (67.3 million-dollar) project is being underwritten by the Saudi Prince whose 17 million-euro gift is one of the largest in France's history, French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said at a ceremony Tuesday.The French state and oil company Total will cover most of the balance, chipping in 26 million and four million euros (31.2 and 4.8 million dollars) respectively, with the rest coming from future donors. The decision to create a new department of Islamic art in the Louvre came directly from French President Jacques Chirac, who is said to maintain very good relations with Al-Walid.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Indian landslides kill 99, trap more than 100 MUMBAI, July 27 (AFP) - At least 99 people were killed and more than 100 trapped as India's worst-ever day of rainfall triggered landslides and building collapses in western Maharashtra state, an official said Wednesday. Thirty-four deaths were reported in Mumbai which was paralyzed by 944.2 millimeters (37.1 inches) of pounding monsoon rains in 24 hours , flooding the streets with waist-high water. The deaths occurred in the eastern suburban areas of Andheri and in northern Navi Mumbai suburb, the official said. "These accidents were due to dilapidated walls or ceilings in old buidlings and huts built along hill slopes," he said. Other areas in Maharashtra were also lashed by the rains that triggered landslides and flash floods in remote villages and left more than 65 dead with another 100 trapped, said the official. Most of the deaths occurred in Raighad district, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) south of Mumbai. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Three Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan clash, five police wounded KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 27 (AFP) - Three suspected Taliban fighters were killed and two wounded in a gun fight which also left five policemen injured in violence-torn southern Afghanistan, a police official said Wednesday. The fighting erupted late Tuesday in the Shah Joy district of Zabul province, on a main highway between Kabul and the Kandahar province, local police commander Qauoom Jan told AFP. "Three Taliban were killed, two were wounded," Jan said. "They took away their dead and the wounded Taliban. We had five of our men wounded." Taliban spokesman Mullah Abdul Latif Hakimi, calling AFP from an unknown location, said 45 insurgents had initiated the hour-long gunfight and added that none of their fighters was killed and only one was wounded. (Posted @ 16:57 PST)
Eight killed, 14 wounded in latest Chechnya fighting: official VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia, July 27 (AFP) - Russian forces killed three Chechen rebels, but lost four soldiers and a policeman and 14 more were wounded in another day of fighting across the North Caucasus region, a local government official told AFP Wednesday. Rebels fighting to end Russian rule carried out 10 attacks on military positions over a 24 hour period, killing two soldiers and wounding six, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. On Wednesday, the Zapad special forces unit clashed with rebels near the village of Asinovskaya in the west of Chechnya, killing three rebels. One soldier died and two were wounded. Late Tuesday, soldiers were ambushed in the mountains near the village of Dargo. One died and three were wounded, two of them very seriously. A policeman in the local pro-Russian force was shot dead in a marketplace in the devastated capital Grozny. Also, three sappers were wounded by a mine near Chechen-Aul, a village near Grozny. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Blair calls for promoting 'true face of Islam' in anti-terror fight LONDON, July 27 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Wednesday for promoting "the true face of Islam" in the international battle against terrorism after talks here with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Blair, speaking at a joint press conference in London with Erdogan, added that cooperation with secular Turkey had "been excellent both in terms of intelligence and the exchange of information." "We need to look at ways of helping and supporting the proper, true face of Islam in taking on that small fringe of extremism that abuses the good name of Islam," Blair said. Erdogan said : "The aim of terrorism is to bring the West and Islam against each other. We will never, never fall into this trap." Blair said he would open dialogue with Muslim and non-Muslim countries to promote moderate Islam. (Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Egypt links Sharm and Taba bombings, clears Pakistanis CAIRO, July 27 (AFP) - Egyptian investigators have found connections between the bombings in Sharm el-Sheikh and another wave of attacks last October on Sinai resorts further north, security sources said Wednesday.They also ruled out any involvement in the triple attacks of six Pakistanis who had been suspected after reports that their forged passports were found in a hotel. "All clues so far indicate that the group that carried out the Sharm attacks used the same strategy and planning”. The official pointed to similiarities in the timing and the choice of target adding that the explosives used in the attacks were very similar. (Posted @ 16:19 PST)
North Korea offers to dump nuclear weapons if US normalises ties BEIJING, July 27 (AFP) - North Korea Wednesday offered to dismantle its nuclear weapons if the United States normalises relations and pledges not to topple the regime on the second day of talks aimed at ending its atomic drive. "In the word-for-word agreement, the DPRK pledges to liquidate its nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons program verifiably if the DPRK and the US normalise relations, build trust and remove the nuclear threat," North Korea's chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan told the talks, according to a source in attendance. "In return, the United States vows to drop its policy to topple the DPRK system and vows to establish a legal and institutional system for peaceful coexistence," Kim said. (Posted @ 16:02 PST)
U.S. hands over detained Afghans after protests KABUL, July 27 (Reuters) The U.S. military handed over a group of Afghans detained this week to local police custody after angry protests outside its main base in Afghanistan, police said Wednesday. (Posted @ 13:02 PST)
Rumsfeld urges Iraq to meet constitution deadline BAGHDAD, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Wednesday, urging Iraqis to finish their draft constitution before an August 15 deadline. "We don't want any delays," Rumsfeld said. He also said Iraqi leaders should resist what he described as interference by neighbours Syria and Iran. (Posted @ 12:19 PST)
US public doubts America will win Iraq war – poll result WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) A majority of the U.S. public doubts that the United States will win the war in Iraq and believes the Bush administration deliberately misled Americans over Iraq's weapons capabilities, a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll result showed Wednesday. (Posted @ 12:16 PST)
Four men arrested over London bombs LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Four men were arrested on Wednesday in the English city of Birmingham in connection with the attempted London bomb attacks on July 21, police said. (Posted @ 11:14 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 82.77 points: KARACHI, July 27:At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 7218.80, down 82.77 points from Tuesday's close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 15:25 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 27: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.5 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 15:25 PST)
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