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| August 10, 2005 | Wednesday | Rajab 4, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Land mine blast kills four in Pakistan tribal area near Afghan border WANA, Pakistan, Aug 10 (AFP) - Four people were killed Wednesday in a mine blast targeting the vehicle of a pro-government tribal elder in Pakistan's troubled border region with Afghanistan, officials said. The elder, Haji Khadeen, who had led a government campaign against Al-Qaeda linked insurgents, was critically wounded while three of his relatives and a passerby died. The attack took place in Dazha Ghandi, 15 kilometres (nine miles) west of Wana, the major town in the rugged tribal region of South Waziristan. "According to our information, four people died when the vehicle hit a mine planted by unknown people," local administration official Wasal Khan told AFP. "Haji Khadeen is in hospital, his condition is serious." It was not immediately clear whether the mine blast was part of a tribal vendetta or linked to Khadeen's role in the campaign against militants in the region, officials said. Witnesses said members of Khadeen's clan later opened fire and threw hand grenades at a Wana market shopping plaza owned by rival tribesmen, but no casualties were reported.(Posted @ 23:28 PST)
Japan provides grant aid worth dollar 22.8 million for various projects ISLAMABAD, August 10 (APP): Japan on Wednesday extended a grant of $22.8 million for various projects including flood forecasting, environmental monitoring and child healthcare. Official Exchange of Notes (E/N) to this effect were signed and exchanged between Charge d' Affaires of the Embassy of Japan Hiroshi Azuma and Secretary, Economic Affairs Division Khalid Saeed here Wednesday. The assistance is a manifestation of Japan's resolve to support various self-help initiatives taken by Pakistan and coincides with Pakistan Prime Minister's visit to Japan. The Government of Japan is actively supporting the efforts of the Government of Pakistan to revive its economy and to reduce poverty, says a press release issued here by Embassy of Japans. Japan's newly approved "Country Assistance Programme for Pakistan" has been prepared keeping in view the Government of Pakistan's own priorities in various sectors, particularly those highlighted in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and Mid-Term Development Framework (MTDF). The Government of Japan extended a grant of 661 million yen (approx. US$ 6 million /Rs. 358 million) for installing a flood forecasting and warning system to secure the citizens of twin cities against any possible flood damages particularly those residing along the banks of Nullah Leh. Presently there is no adequate arrangement to gauge and evaluate rainfall/river water level data. Flood forecasting is not clear and prompt enough to make evacuations. The range of audible warning system is only 10% of the inundation area.(Posted @ 23:00 PST)
Japanese trade minister, opposition leader call on PM TOKYO (Japan), Aug 10 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday held separate meetings with Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Soichi Nakagawa, leader of the opposition and head of Democratic Party of Japan Katsuya Okada and Chairman of Japanese Communist Party Kazuo Shii. The Prime Minister apprised them of Pakistan's reforms and measures taken by the government to bring economic stability. The Trade Minister appreciated political stability in Pakistan and improvement in its economic conditions. He hoped that resumption of Yen loan would usher in a new era of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Japan. He said Japan was serious in forging closer ties with Pakistan in all sectors of economy. The minister thanked the Prime Minister for Pakistan's participation in Expo Aichi and said it would be beneficial for Pakistan and give it the necessary exposure. He said Prime Minister Aziz's visit to Japan was very timely following the initiation of the yen loan programme. The Prime Minister briefed him about Pakistan's economic policies and programmes. He noted Japan's role in the economic development of Pakistan and said it has been rendering valuable assistance in different fields. The Prime Minister said economic and fiscal reforms initiated by his government have led to economic growth in Pakistan.(Posted @ 22:40 PST)
Pakistan, Japan Premiers Hold Wide Ranging Talks Tokyo, Aug 10 (PPI): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi Wednesday held wide ranging talks focussed on boosting bilateral relations and regional and international issues. The talks in Tokyo covered all facets of bilateral relations and regional and international issues. Shaukat Aziz took up specific proposals with Koizumi to further strengthen trade and commercial relations between the two countries. The two leaders discussed regional and international situation particularly situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran besides UN reforms, Pakistan relations with its neighbouring countries and war on terrorism. It is expected Japan will enhance cooperation with Pakistan in education and health. Shaukat Aziz was assisted at talks by Ministers Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Jehangir Tareen, Minister of State Ms Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan. Some Japanese Ministers assisted Koizumi.(Posted @ 22:34 PST)
Slovenian rescued from Pakistan's "Killer Mountain" ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 (Reuters) Army helicopters plucked a stranded Slovenian climber from one of Pakistan's tallest and most dangerous mountains on Wednesday in a daring high-altitude rescue, a military official said. Two helicopters, battling thin air at altitudes above their normal operating ceiling, winched Tomaz Humar off an icy ledge high on a face of the 8,125 metre (26,657 feet) Nangar Parbat mountain in the Pakistani Himalayas. "He is absolutely all right," military spokesman said of Humar, who got stranded at 6,347 metres (20,826 feet) while attempting a solo ascent of the world's ninth highest mountain.(Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Seoul to lobby peaceful nuclear programme for North SEOUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) - South Korea's top negotiator for six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes said on Wednesday he will try to persuade the other five to let the North have a peaceful nuclear programme. "Our position is that North Korea should abandon its nuclear programme and then we will adjust differences (with other countries) to pave the way for them to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme as a sovereign state," Seoul's Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon told SBS television network. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Floods in northeast Iran kill 23, 10 missing TEHRAN, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Overnight floods caused by heavy rains have killed about 23 people and left 10 missing in Iran's northeastern province of Golestan, a doctor said on Wednesday. "Of the 23 dead, two remain unidentified," Rasoul Salahi, a doctor from the town of Kalaleh told the official news agency IRNA. Red Crescent said it had dispatched helicopters to look for survivors in the heavily forested Caspian Sea province.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
At least 28 killed in Iraq, Aug 10 BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were killed and six wounded late on Tuesday in an attack on a patrol near the oil town of Baiji,180 km (115 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement on Wednesday. Police said two Humvee patrol vehicles and a larger armoured vehicle were wrecked.Fifteen people were killed in separate incidents over the past 24 hours in Mosul. There were two policemen among the dead. They were gunned down while heading to work.A suicide bomber killed six people and wounded 14 when he drove a car at a police patrol in the Ghazaliya district of western Baghdad. Two of the dead and two of the wounded were policemen.A mortar bomb exploded at an intersection in the capital's northern district of Aadhamiya, killing a traffic policeman and wounding six civilians, a police source said. Two civilians were killed and another three were wounded when gunmen shot at their car near Iskandariya. Police brigadier Khudhur Abbas al-Salih was kidnapped when he left his house in the capital's northern district of Raghiba Khatoun. A police source said the kidnappers had called his wife, asked for ransom and threatened to behead him if she did not pay. Nine car bombs and 28 improvised bombs were discovered and 32 suspects were detained in operation Quick Strike in Ramadi, 110 km west of Baghdad, a U.S. military statement said on Tuesday. The operation has ended.(Posted @ 19:28 PST)
President says Pakistan addressing extremism prudently RAWALPINDI, August 10 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Wednesday said Pakistan is committed to rooting out extremism through a prudent approach in accordance with the country's ground realities and sought academicians' support in addressing the sensitive issue. "We are not dragging our feet, nor we lack in determination to deal with the complex problem which has to be handled with care - it has to be addressed in its long-term perspective and not through use of force," he emphasized in a wide-ranging interaction with eminent educationists, scientists and researchers. Pakistan, he underlined, is certainly moving in a clearly defined direction to get rid of the malaise of extremism and also confronting terrorism with force and said these are repercussions of 26 years long unrest, militancy and strife in Afghanistan and the region.Identifying illiteracy and poverty as the underlying causes of extremism and terrorism, he said the international community has to tackle these issues collectively in a comprehensive manner.(Posted @ 19:22 PST)
All 14 on crashed Finnish helicopter feared dead STOCKHOLM, Aug 10 (Reuters) - All 12 passengers and two crew on a Finnish helicopter which crashed into the Baltic Sea off Estonia earlier Wednesday are feared dead, the deputy head of Estonia's civil aviation authority said. "They are believed dead. Typically people cannot survive a crash like this. The helicopter dived very quickly," Rein Porro,deputy director of the authority, said by phone from Tallinn. He called it the worst civil aviation accident in Estonia's history. The two crew members of the Copterline aircraft, which was on a regular commercial flight from Tallinn to Helsinki, were Finnish as were six of the passengers. Two passengers were American and four Estonian.(Posted @ 19:05 PST)
Pakistan, India to expedite process of opening bank branches NEW DELHI, Aug 10 (APP): Secretary-Level two-day talks on Economic and Trade Cooperation concluded here Wednesday with Islamabad and New Delhi agreeing to expedite the process of opening scheduled bank branches in both countries to facilitate bilateral trade relations.The two sides decided that aeronautical talks would be held next months (September) to review the existing Air Services Agreement, said a Joint Statement at the end of the talks. A bilateral meeting to review the Shipping Protocol of 1975t would be held in Pakistan in September this year. Both sides expressed the hope that Fibre Optic link between Amritsar and Lahore would be established and operationalized at the earliest, it added. Secretary (Incharge) Commerce, Syed Asif Shah led a six-member Pak delegation at the talks. While Indian side was headed by Commerce Secretary, S N Menon.(Posted @ 17:56 PST)
Spokesman denies India's Singh pondered resigning NEW DELHI, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh considered resigning after leftist allies blocked his reforms and he received little support from colleagues, a newspaper said on Wednesday, but a party spokesman dismissed the report. Quoting senior sources in the Congress party which heads the federal coalition, the Economic Times reported Singh was especially upset after the government put off plans last week to sell a 10 percent stake in state-run engineering blue chip firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. due to communist pressure. "Frustrated at the government's inability to push through critical reforms, he, at times, is understood to have even indicated a wish to relinquish charge," said the front page story. "He feels left alone on almost all controversial issues with little or no backing from his party," the newspaper quoted an unnamed political source as saying. The Congress party dismissed the report as speculative. "This is subjective speculation in the press without any objective or verifiable material," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told Reuters.(Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Iran removes seals at Isfahan nuclear plant TEHRAN, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it had removed seals at its Isfahan uranium conversion facility."The removal of seals has begun at Isfahan plant with the presence of the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, told Reuters by telephone.(Posted @ 17:38 PST)
Two Indian soldiers die in mountain ambush in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, Aug 10 (AFP) - Militants killed two Indian soldiers and injured another in an ambush late Tuesday in the mountainous Bathidhar area of southern Poonch district of occupied Kashmir, police said Wednesday. Army and police have launched searches in the dense forests , he said.(Posted @ 17:22PST)
UN watchdog cancels meeting to allow more talks on Iran VIENNA, Aug 10 (AFP) - The UN atomic agency has cancelled a planned formal meeting Wednesday on Iran's nuclear program because diplomats remain locked in closed-door talks on an EU proposal to stop fuel cycle work, a spokesman here said. The board of governors is expected to meet again on Thursday. "It's off," IAEA spokesman Peter Rickwood said about the day's session.(Posted @ 17:08PST)
Fire kills nine in one house in Indonesia JAKARTA, Aug 10 (AFP) - Nine people were roasted alive early Wednesday when a fire razed their house in the capital Jakarta. The victims -- family members and two housemaids -- were sleeping when the fire caused by gas stove burst broke out at dawn. "They were trapped and could not escape because the house had security railings," Antara quoted a firefighter as saying.(Posted @ 16:58PST)
Rebels blow up rail track, cutting northeast off from rest of India GUWAHATI, India, Aug 10 (AFP) - Separatist rebels blew up a railway track in restive Assam state Wednesday, cutting rail links between the remote northeastern region and the rest of India, police said. Rebels also blew up a gas pipeline and attacked three power facilities overnight, a police spokesman said. Wednesday's blast at Tihu, about 70 kilometres from Assam's main city of Guwahati, damaged a "vital section of rail track"."Repairs have begun but the complete restoration of the tracks is expected to take at least 24 hours," he said. Rebels step up attacks before India's August 15 Independence Day. This year there had been about two dozen attacks since the weekend, officials said, including one which killed four people and wounded nine in a market. On Tuesday two policemen were seriously injured and militants also blew up a state-owned gas pipeline and damaged three power transformers in separate attacks, besides about ntwo dozen explosions, police said.(Posted @ 16:30PST)
Pakistani PM calls on Britain to 'look within' for Islamic extremism TOKYO, Aug 10 (AFP) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday called on Britain to "look within" for the roots of Islamic extremism, saying no links had been drawn between his country and the London bombings. "We have found no evidence whatsoever of any of the incidents which happened in the UK linked to anybody in Pakistan, absolutely none," Aziz told reporters . "The truth is that we publicly said the British authorities ought to look within Britain to see what caused this, and we have cooperation with them," he said. Aziz said Pakistanis living in the former colonial ruler tended to be "economic migrants." "Every country has people living overseas," Aziz said. "Pakistanis living around the world are peaceful, they are hard workers, they would never be involved in any such activities," he said.(Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Governor of Japan Bank calls on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz TOKYO, August 10 (PPI): The Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Mr. Kyosuke Shinozawa and Chairman Nippon Export and Investment Insurance Hidehir Konno separately called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Tokyo Wednesday morning.Talking to them Shaukat Aziz said there is wide scope for Japanese cooperation in infrastructure development, roads, highways, ports, shipping, railways, power generation and social sector.Governor of Japan Bank assured support of the bank in revitalization of Pakistan's economy.Chairman of Nippon assured the Prime Minister to support Pakistan's case for upgradation of its credit rating in the forthcoming meeting of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
US soldier killed in bomb blast in southeastern Afghanistan KABUL, Aug 10 (AFP) - A US soldier died after a bomb attack in southeastern Afghanistan, highlighting rising security concerns just six weeks ahead of landmark parliamentary elections, the US military said Wednesday.The homemade bomb hit an American vehicle in the restive province of Ghazni on Tuesday and one of two US troops who was injured later died of his injuries, the statement said.(Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Pakistan to attract US$3 billion FDI this year: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz TOKYO, August 10 (PPI): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has expressed the confidence that Pakistan would attract three billions dollars worth of foreign direct investment during the current financial year.In his breakfast meeting with media-persons in Tokyo Wednesday morning, he said last year Pakistan received 1.5 billion dollars of FDI, which is largest in the history of the country. Prime Minister who referred to his meetings with the top leaders of Japanese business community and said most of them have committed to make investment in Pakistan in different sectors. He said Honda Motors has announced to set up a plant in Pakistan for exclusive manufacturing of CD-70 brand of its motor-cycles for global marketing.Prime Minister hoped that the decision of Japan to resume official development assistance would encourage Japanese companies to invest more in Pakistan. Shaukat Aziz announced that following successful floatation of the Islamic bond Skuk, which was heavily over-subscribed, Pakistan would go for issuance of Euro Bond by the beginning of next year. He said our goal is to come to the international market once a year to maintain linkages with investors.(Posted @ 15:40 PST)
President Musharraf donates Rs 1 million to trustees of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti tomb AJMER, August 10 (PPI): Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has sent a cheque of Rs 01 million as a donation to the trustees of the tomb of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti here. The cheque was sent to Anjuman, an organisation of of 'dargah khadims' (The Servants of Shrine) that manages all the ceremonies pertaining to the mausoleum and receives donations offered by devotees at Khwaja Sahib, the Indian media reported Wednesday.(Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Occupied Kashmir: Massive protest in Goripora, Narbal SRINAGAR ,August 10 (PPI) In occupied Kashmir, protest demonstration was held, in Goripora, Narabal area, against attempt to disgrace two girls by Indian troops. Residents of Goripora, Narabal in central Kashmir took to roads on Tuesday morning to protest against the molestation of two girls at the hands of CRPF personnel.The residents said that CRPF personnel deployed in the area molested two girls and tried to outrage their modesty. However, they raised hue and cry and managed to escape.(Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Asia to get new telecommunications satellite PARIS Aug 10 (APP/AP) The world's heaviest commercial satellite, which will provide Internet service to 14 Asia-Pacific countries, is scheduled to be launched Thursday aboard a European Ariane-5 rocket.(Posted @ 15:00 PST)
UN watchdog holds emergency talks on Iran's nuclear programme VIENNA, Aug 10 (AFP) - Diplomats at the UN nuclear watchdog agency were locked in intense, closed-door negotiations Wednesday on an EU call for Iran to reverse its decision to push ahead with nuclear activities that the West fears could lead to the production of atomic weapons.In Vienna, Iranian negotiator Cyrus Nasseri said Iran was prepared to continue talks with the EU as long as there were no preconditions and the discussions were in "good faith." (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Taliban kill Afghan woman after spying charge KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 10 (Reuters) Taliban guerrillas have executed an Afghan woman after accusing her of spying for U.S.-led forces, officials said on Wednesday. The unidentified woman was shot dead in her house on Tuesday night in the southern district of Zabul, an official said, adding that Taliban fighters also kidnapped the brother and father of the victim. A spokesman for the Taliban confirmed the report, which was the first execution of a woman by the hard-line group on spying charges.(Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Pakistan not in arms race with India: Aziz TOKYO (Japan), Aug 10 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday said Pakistan was not in an arms race with India and its nuclear programme was aimed at maintaining a strategic balance in South Asia. "We have no intention of matching India's defence, but we will maintain a minimum deterrence," he told media representatives during a breakfast meeting. Aziz also stressed that Pakistan had no role or linkage in the nuclearization of North Korea and the country strictly believed in non-proliferation. "Pakistan has no linkage to what is happening in the Korean peninsula," he categorically said. He also said that the information gathered from the Dr A Q Khan network has been shared with other countries, besides Japan. "We have closed this unfortunate chapter, which was an individual act and grossly overstated," he said. (Posted @ 10:38 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, August 10: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.15 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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