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| August 9, 2005 | Tuesday | Rajab 3, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Cricket-Sri Lanka clinch 18-run victory over India COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka clinched a tense 18-run victory against India to win the triangular series final on Tuesday night. The hosts successfully defended their 282-run target despite a whirlwind 22-ball 48 from Virender Sehwag and a fine 69 from 99 balls from Rahul Dravid. India, apparently cruising home on 186-2, crumbled in the last 15 overs in the face of tight spin bowling and lively fielding and were restricted to 263 for nine.Chaminda Vaas, playing his first game of the tournament after a hamstring injury, eventually bowled Sehwag but India maintained a steady momentum into the final overs.West Indies were the other side in the tournament.(Posted @ 22:25 PST)
Pak, India discuss agenda items to enhance trade cooperation NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (APP): Pakistan and India on Tuesday held talks on Economic and Trade Cooperation within the framework of Composite Dialogue process and discussed agenda items. Secretary (Incharge) Commerce, Syed Asif Shah is leading a six-member Pak delegation at the talks. Indian side is headed by Commerce Secretary, S N Menon. Discussions were held in a "positive and cordial atmosphere" delegation sources said adding Joint Statement is expected to be issued tomorrow at the end of the two-day talks. The agenda items discussed on the first day of the talks included expansion of Positive list and Transit routes. Other items of the agenda deliberated on the occasion included Air, Shipping, Road, Rail and Financial Services besides insurance and banking. Roadmap for Joint Study Group also came under discussion during the parleys.(Posted @ 20:28 PST)
PM urges overseas Pakistanis to build country's positive image TOKYO, Aug 9 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday urged the overseas Pakistanis to work hard and build a positive image of the country, reflective of an enlightened, tolerant and progressive nation. Addressing a big gathering of Pakistani community here on the second day of his visit, he said Pakistan required the expertise and experience of its overseas community and asked them to invest in any of the diverse sectors available for the investors.(Posted @ 20:17 PST)
Pakistan hockey team leaves for Europe ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (APP): A 22-member Pakistan hockey squad left for Hamburg (Germany) on Tuesday to feature in two hockeytournaments in Europe. The team will vie in a single-league 4-nation tournament at Hamburg from August 12 to 14 and later in an 8-nation tournament in Holland.(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
IAEA to remove seals at Iran atomic plant - Iran TEHRAN, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog will remove seals at a mothballed section of Iran's Isfahan nuclear facility before Wednesday afternoon, Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said on Tuesday. "The agency has promised us it will remove the seals by noon(0730 GMT) on Wednesday because the installation of(surveillance) cameras has been completed," Saeedi told Reuters by telephone.Iran resumed uranium conversion at the Isfahan plant on Monday. It did so without breaking any U.N. seals at the plant. But in order to run the whole plant -- which turns uranium concentrate into a gas which can then be enriched into reactor or bomb fuel -- some seals must be removed.(Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Nepal says Maoist rebels kill 40 troops KATHMANDU, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Nepal's army said on Tuesday it had found the bodies of 40 soldiers killed fighting Maoist rebels while 76 other troops were still missing two days after a fierce gun battle in the west of the country. The bodies were found after hundreds of troops were rushed in teeming monsoon rain to hunt for soldiers missing after the fighting in the remote Kalikot district, 600 km (375 miles) from the capital, Kathmandu. The rebels said on Monday they had killed 159 troops and captured another 50 in the firefight that began late on Sunday. The army rejected the claim, and said nothing was known about 100 civilians who were also working on the project.(Posted @ 19:58 PST)
16 militants, one US soldier killed in Afghanistan firefight KABUL, Aug 9 (AFP) - One US soldier and at least 16 militants died when insurgents attacked a patrol of Afghan and US troops in the latest clash to rock Afghanistan ahead of key elections, the American military said Tuesday. Warplanes blasted the rebels after the ambush on Monday in Deh Chopan, a district in the southern province of Zabul. "Battle damage assessment is currently ongoing. Initial estimates indicate at least 16 enemy forces were killed. Non-combatants were not involved in the attack," it said.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
New Saudi king revives hopes for reform DUBAI, Aug 9 (AFP) Three reformists serving jail sentences for seeking a constitutional monarchy in Saudia Arabia, their lawyer, an Islamist activist and a number of Libyans accused of plotting assassination received royal clemency on Monday. Western diplomats in Riyadh joined in applauding King Abdullah's move.(Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Several Japanese companies to invest in Pakistan Tokyo,August 09 (PPI Several Japanese companies have announced to make new investments or expand their operations in Pakistan. The commitments were made during meetings of heads of these companies with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Tuesday. Those who called on the Prime Minister included Chairman ITOCHU Corporation, Chairman of Japan gasoline Corporation JGC Corporation, Chairman of JETRO and President of Honda Motors. Chairman of ITOCHU corporation , a trading company with expertise in textile, said his company is keen to make investment in textile and auto industry; Chairman Japan Gasoline Corporation showed keen interest in electricity and gas pipelines; and President Honda Motors said that in view of increase in demand for motorcycles his company would establish another plant in Pakistan.(Posted @ 18:55 PST)
PM invites Japanese enterpreneurs Tokyo,August 09 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has urged Japanese entrepreneurs to help Pakistan meet its infrastructure needs and take advantage of the increasing scope of investment and growth. Addressing members of the Japanese business community at a luncheon meeting hosted by the Japan Pakistan Business Cooperation Committee and Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry he said major investment opportunities existed in oil refining, petro-chemical, power generation, oil and gas pipelines, agri business, real estate, tourism, IT, telecommunication, engineering and auto industry.He also urged Japanese enterpreneurs to use Pakistan as a manufacturing base to serve markets of South Asia, Central Asia and Middle East.(Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Occupied Kashmir :PDP Leader and two troops Injured In Attack,Blast Srinagar, Aug 9 (PPI) In occupied Kashmir, a leader of puppet Chief Ministers party, and two troops were injured on Tuesday, reports Kashmir Media Service. Mufti Saeed's PDP leader Ghulam Hassan Bhat was shot at and injured at Agland Wachi in Pulwama district on Tuesday. He was admitted to hospital in Srinagar. Two Indian troops of BSF personnel were injured in a grenade blast at Takiabal in Sopore town.(Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Occupied Kashmir:Maulana Hamadani Martyred in Custody Srinagar,August 09 (PPI)In occupied Kashmir, Maulana Ashiq Hussain Hamadani, maternal uncle of Jamiat Hamadani Chief Patrton, Maulana Riyaz Ahmad Hamadani, has been martyred in custody after arrest at Beeru, in Budgam area, and his dead body was retrieved from a stream. Reporting this, Kashmir Media Service says, the maulana had gone to his sisters residence at Beeru, and was taken into custody on the pretext of not having identity card with him. He was later killed in custody. Jamiat Hamadani has announced protest demonstration on August 12 against this brutal killing. President of the pro-India National Conference has emphasized that the Maulana was killed in custody and described it as the worst kind of human rights violation.(Posted @ 18:26 PST)
Kashmir: Six more killed in IHK Srinagar, Aug 09 (PPI) Six More persons were killed and nine others were injured across the valley in militancy related incidents during the past 24 hours. According to details, truck conductor Sham Sundar was killed due to a landmine explosion at Charsoo-Awantipora. Almost a dozen shops were also damaged. Militants fired a grenade on CRPF personnel of 112 battalion at Cement Bridge in Sopore, which exploded without causing any causality. Gunmen shot at a police sub inspector Mohammad Yousaf at Sangdan-Qazigund . He died later . Two children were also injuredt. Police recovered the dead body of a farmer in Tral. He was abducted three days earlier. .(Posted @ 18:22 PST)
Pakistan-India need to address Kashmir dispute "squarely": PM TOKYO, Aug 9 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday said status quo on Kashmir was unacceptable and Pakistan and India need to address the issue "squarely" without pushing it to the back burner. "Status quo is not the answer and we have to think out of the box," the Prime Minister said in response to questions after delivering a talk here at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. He said Kashmiris must get an opportunity to decide their future and any solution must reflect the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He said the three stakeholders have to sit on the table to arrive at a solution.The Prime Minister said resolution of disputes and differences, especially Kashmir, will allow South Asia to fully realize its enormous potential for development and cooperation.Replying to a question he said the history of international terrorism in Pakistan's neighbourhood has a history that goes back to the days of Soviet invasion in 1979. He said the than world, in particular the West, got united to resist this ingress and to assist the afghan jehad. He said around 30,000 arab mujahideen brought in the 80s to fight the Soviets coalesced into Al-Qaeda in the 90s with their own Middle east specific agenda. He said Pakistan was in the forefront in the war against terrorism and extremism and the world needed to cooperate in the efforts to make it a safer place to live for the coming generations. To a question about the Gawadar port, the Prime Minister emphasised that it was not a defence establishment. "It is an open city, with beautiful beaches and a five star hotel in its final stages, being developed as a tourist resort." He said the commercial port was being set up with the Chinese cooperation as an alternative to Karachi port.(Posted @ 18:06 PST)
President calls for removal of barriers for expanding trade among OIC countries RAWALPINDI, Aug 9 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday called for greater trade between the Muslim countries through removal of barriers for their rapid and sustainable socio-economic development. He was addressing a meeting pertaining to the reform of the Islamic Development Bank aimed at making it an effective institution, capable of facilitating speedy development of the Muslim world through enhanced trade and investment. "The Bank should be enabled to lead initiatives in bringing down trade restrictions and expanding the trade volume from its current mere 12 per cent so that the Muslim countries may complement each other's economies through utilization of their enormous resources," he said. The President recommended that the IDB should be able to finance various projects that may help the Muslim world stem poverty, step up human resource development, achieve scientific and technological advancement and encourage investment among the members of Organization of Islamic Conference. An 11-member commission has been formed under the chairmanship of former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad to introduce far-reaching reforms in the Islamic financial institution. The initiatives for IDB reforms are part of the Muslim countries efforts to make the OIC and the IDB vibrant bodies. President Musharraf had highlighted the importance of reforms in the IDB at the OIC Summit in Putrajaya in 2003.(Posted @ 17:54 PST)
President approves Rs 20 denomination note RAWALPINDI, Aug 9 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday approved the issuance of new Rs 20 denomination note on the eve of Independence Day on August 13. Governor State Bank Dr Ishrat Hussain presented a prototype of the new note, already approved by the Cabinet. He informed the President that the bill contains state-of-the-art international standard security features which are very difficult to counterfeit. The SBP will also introduce Rs 5000 denomination note and plans to phase out all existing bills gradually.(Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Shuttle Discovery lands safely in California EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Aug 9 (Reuters) – Space shuttle Discovery and its seven astronauts returned to Earth safely on Tuesday, bringing a successful end to NASA's troubled return to human spaceflight 2 1/2 years after the destruction of sister ship Columbia. Discovery made its fiery re-entry into the atmosphere and swooped across the Pacific Ocean before gliding to a smooth landing at 8:12 a.m. EDT (1212 GMT) at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert after a 14-day mission that included a stay at the International Space Station.(Posted @ 17:33 PST)
Over 22 killed in Iraq, Aug 9 BAGHDAD, Aug 9 (Reuters) At least 10 Iraqi policemen were shot dead in five separate attacks in Baghdad on Tuesday, an Interior Ministry official said. In just one attack, four policemen on patrol were killed by insurgents with automatic weapons on a major highway in the eastern part of the capital. At least three Iraqis were killed and 32 injured by a suicide car bomb targeting a police convoy on a busy central Baghdad street, police said. Three pilgrims were killed and eight injured when gunmen sprayed their minivan with gunfire near the town of Baquba, medical sources said. The pilgrims were heading to neighbouring Iran to visit a shrine. Two people were burned to death when insurgents stopped their truck and set fire to it in an area called Abu Khamis, just north of Baghdad, police said. It was unclear why the truck had been targeted. Two Iraqi civilians were killed and a third critically wounded on Monday when gunmen fired on their car while they travelled on a main road near the violent town of Latifiyah, just south of Baghdad, police said. One police commando was killed and another injured by an explosion in Baghdad's Mansour district, and one policeman was killed and another injured when gunmen fired on their patrol car in the centre of Baquba.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Baghdad mayor says gunmen ousted him from office BAGHDAD, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The mayor of Baghdad said on Tuesday he was ousted on Monday after 120 gunmen surrounded his office and installed the city's governor in his place. Alaa al-Tamimi told Reuters he wasn't at the office at the time but the gunmen installed Baghdad Governor Hussein al-Tahhan in his place. His account of events could not be immediately confirmed. "I am appointed by the state. I handed in my resignation three times because I knew there would be trouble, " Tamimi said.(Posted @ 17:25 PST)
British diplomats see 'soft side' of hardline Pakistani madrassa KARACHI, Aug 9 (AFP) - A hardline Pakistani madrassa opened its doors to two British diplomats Tuesday, denying that religious schools of its kind promoted terror attacks like the July 7 suicide bombings in London. The British deputy high commissioners (ambassadors) in Islamabad and Karachi, Simon Butt and Hamish Daniel, received a tour from staff at the Jamia Islamia seminary in violence-prone Karachi, officials at the school said. "We invited them to visit our madrassa to prove that madrassas or Islam have nothing to do with terrorism. I am glad they accepted our invitation," a spokesman for the madrassa, Abu Hurrairah, told reporters. "They stayed for more than an hour, during which they visited different classes and enquired about the education here," Hurrairah added.Jamia Islamia madrassa has some 750 students, all Pakistanis. "We used to have some foreign students but all of them had left much before the government announcement that they should leave Pakistan," an official at the madrassa told AFP.(Posted @ 17:23 PST)
Eight dead in Berlin fire, arson suspected BERLIN, Aug 9 (AFP) - Eight people, four of them children, were killed in a fire suspected to have been caused by arson in an apartment building in Berlin, authorities said Tuesday. Rescue operations were complicated by the fact that most of the residents spoke Arabic and little German and were unable to understand instructions from firefighters. As terrified tenants fled their apartments they became trapped in the stairwell, where authorities believe the fire started. Eight other people were injured, six of them seriously, in one of the most deadly fires in the city since World War II, the head of Berlin's fire services, Albrecht Broemme, said.(Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Indian Sikhs accuse inquiry commission of whitewash over 1984 riots NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (AFP) - Indian Sikhs protested Tuesday against what they charged was an inquiry commission whitewash of Congress leaders accused of orchestrating and participating in deadly 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "We want justice, we want justice. (Those responsible) should be hanged," widows and other relatives of some 3,000 of the riot victims shouted near parliament. Several Congress leaders have been accused by witnesses as leading mobs of party workers and others who hunted down Sikhs and bludgeoned them to death or burnt them alive. In particular, the commission said Jagdish Tytler, a junior minister in Manmohan Singh's cabinet, was "very probably" involved in organising the riots and recommended taking steps against him. Incensed Sikhs collected near parliament and also outside Tytler's residence, demanding his resignation from the cabinet and legal action. "We will not rest till he is hanged," said one enraged woman.(Posted @ 17:18 PST)
Most Americans say Iraq war has made US more vulnerable to terrorism: poll WASHINGTON, Aug 9 (AFP) - By a record 57-34 percent margin, most Americans believe the Iraq war has made their country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to a poll published Tuesday. And by a 56-41 percent margin, Americans believe some or all US troops should be withdrawn from Iraq -- a record 33 percent said all troops should be pulled out, according to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll. By a 54-44 percent margin, the 1,004 adults polled by telephone August 5-7 said the Iraq War was a mistake and by a 56-43 percent margin, they felt the war was going badly. The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, found that President George W. Bush's approval rating was 45 percent -- one point higher than his lowest score -- and his disapproval rating 51 percent.(Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Slovenian climber trapped on "killer" Pakistani mountain ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (AFP) - Pakistani rescuers are trying to reach a top mountain climber from Slovenia trapped for five days on a Himalayan peak nicknamed The Killer, officials said Tuesday. Tomaz Humar has been stuck on a narrow, snow-covered ledge 6,000 metres (19,800 feet) up Nanga Parbat mountain since Thursday and is said to be battling frostbite and hypothermia. Repeated attempts to airlift the 36-year-old out by army helicopter failed due to bad weather and avalanches but rescue attempts will continue, Pakistan Alpine Club officials said. "It is windy and cloudy, making it impossible to rescue Tomaz by helicopter" the club's president Nazir Sabir told AFP. "Hopefully when weather conditions improve after Tuesday more attempts will be l made ."An army helicopter made two attempts on Sunday to get to Humar and came within 40 meters of him, but mist and clouds forced it to abandon the mission. It has been snowing solidly since late Sunday. Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri who directed the army to provide full supporting rescue mission also spoke to his Slovenian counterpart and assured him that Pakistan would facilitate the arrival of any aid from Slovenia, Sabir said.(Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Bangladeshi troops fight Myanmar rebels, capture three COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Aug 9 (Reuters) Bangladeshi soldiers captured three Myanmar rebels from a forest on Tuesday in an operation to flush out foreign guerrillas from the country, a security official said. The captured rebels said they were members of the National United Front of Arakan fighting for the independence of Arakan, a western state of Myanmar, the official said.(Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Palestinians must allow orderly Gaza pullout: Abbas GAZA, Aug 9 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that Palestinians must make sure Israel's Gaza withdrawal takes place in an orderly and civilized manner. Addressing a special session of the Palestinian parliament in Gaza City, Abbas said Palestinians should conduct themselves during Israel's pullout in a way that shows the world they deserve a state. The withdrawal is due to start next week.(Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Afghan doctor gunned down by suspected Taliban militants KABUL, Aug 9 (AFP) An Afghan doctor was shot and killed by suspected Taliban militants in the Andar district of Ghazni province, the interior ministry said Tuesday. Two suspected Taliban were also wounded in the attack when police returned fire, the ministry official added. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Eight injured in two bomb blasts in India NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (AFP) At least eight people including an old woman were seriously injured Tuesday when two bombs exploded at a bus station in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a report said. Police suspect the blasts to be the handiwork of Indian Maoist rebels.(Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Thieves steal $68 million in biggest Brazil bank heist RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Aug 8 (Reuters) Thieves tunnelled into a bank in north-eastern Brazil and stole $68 million, the biggest bank heist in the nation's history, police said Monday. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Nagasaki marks 60th anniversary of Atomic bombing NAGASAKI, Japan Aug 9 (APP/AP) A siren wailed and a bronze bell rang out through the air Tuesday as Nagasaki marked the exact moment 60 years ago that an American airplane dropped the plutonium bomb "Fat Man," killing some 80,000 people and sealing Japan's defeat in World War II. Nagasaki’s Mayor Iccho Itoh had some angry words for the leaders of the nuclear powers, and especially the United States. "Is your security enhanced by your government's policies of maintaining 10,000 nuclear weapons, of carrying out repeated sub-critical nuclear tests, and of pursuing the development of new `mini' nuclear weapons?", he said. (Posted @ 10:13 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, August 9: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.25 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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