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| September 21, 2005 | Wednesday | Sha'aban 16, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Aziz for controlling population growth through education, awareness ISLAMABAD, Sept.21 (APP): Describing bourgeoning population growth as a serious problem, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Wednesday that the government was doing its utmost to cut down fertility rate through education and creating awareness on the issue. "We do not want to be a country number one on the list of high population growth; we want to be low down the list," he said while inaugurating the Population Summit being attended by national and international experts and representatives of donor countries. (Posted @ 17:03 PST)
Benazir says she is not aware of Swiss bank accounts ISLAMABAD, Sep 21 (APP): Benazir Bhutto told a Swiss Examining Magistrate that she was unaware of the funds held in Swiss banks in the name of off-shore companies, her husband Asif Zardari, Nusrat Bhutto and other relatives at the time she was prime minister, a government spokesman said Wednesday. The magistrate questioned Benazir and her agent Jens Schlegelmilch in the Swiss money laundering case from 10:45 am till 7:00 pm on 19th September. Benazir offered no explanation when told that the offshore companies had received millions of dollars as `commission' for awarding of the SGS-COTECNA contracts, the spokesman said. She also denied having been influenced in any way by her relatives to approve the PSI (Pre-shipment Investment) contracts. When the magistrate asked Benazir to choose between trying by the court with jury or without jury, she chose the court without jury. The magistrate directed Benazir to make herself available for the next hearing, which will be summoned within the next weeks in Geneva.(Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Cricket-Inzamam to replace Tendulkar in Super Series NEW DELHI, Sept 21 (Reuters) India's Sachin Tendulkar opted out of next month's challenge series between Australia and a World XI due to an elbow injury and was replaced by Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. Inzamam, who has played 101 tests and 347 one-day internationals, confirmed his availability to replace Tendulkar on Wednesday. "I have just been told by the board to give my confirmation for the Super Series," Inzamam said. "I am available to play because it is a big honour to play alongside the world's best."(First Posted @ 13:30 Updated @ 20:56 PST)
Five die, 14 hurt in cinema house blast in Multan Multan, Sep 21 PPI: At least five people were killed and 14 injured seriously in a cinema house explosion at Village Haveli Koranga in Multan on Wednesday. According to details, a live match thrown on a stock of fireworks caused the blast. The police termed the blast an "accident” caused due to “the recklessness of viewers and cinema owner”.(Posted @ 21:16 PST)
Storms in Bay of Bengal kill 64, causes massive damage to coastal India HYDERABAD, India, Sept 21 (AFP) At least 64 people have died and hundreds of thousands displaced after powerful storms left a trail of devastation across the Indian and Bangladeshi coasts in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Wednesday. The southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh bore the brunt of the storms, which killed 58 people in the region, a provincial Chief Minister said.(First Posted @ 10:53 Updated@ 21:28 PST)
Hurricane Rita develops into Category 4 storm MIAMI, Sept 21 (Reuters) After lashing the Florida Keys, Hurricane Rita with winds increased to 135 mph was upgraded on Wednesday into a more powerful Category 4 storm as it headed across the Gulf of Mexico on a course that could take it to Texas and dump more rain on Katrina-battered Louisiana. The upgrade put Rita in the same strength classification as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama last month.(Posted @ 19:27 PST)
Israel says it sets international border with Gaza JERUSALEM, Sept 21 (Reuters) Israel declared its frontier with the Gaza Strip an international border on Wednesday. Israeli Interior Minister Ofer Pines-Paz called the measure, which he signed, "a first step to civilianise the passages and to turn them into borders" between Israel and Gaza after Israel completed a military pullout from the territory on Sept. 12. However chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that "I don't think we can classify it legally as an international border now because Gaza is not free of occupation."(Posted @ 19:15 PST)
Cricket-Indian police surprised over Flintoff’s shooting claim NEW DELHI, Sept 21 (Reuters) Indian police have expressed surprise over England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff's claims that he was shot at during a one-day series in India in early 2002. Flintoff, hero of the Ashes triumph over Australia, has said in his autobiography 'Being Freddie' that shots were fired at him while he was fielding in a one-dayer in New Delhi and that England team management asked him to keep quiet about it. However, Delhi police expressed surprise at the claims.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
41 percent of Afghan voters were women KABUL, Sept 21 (AFP) Women made up 41 percent of the six million Afghans who voted in landmark legislative elections at the weekend, around the same as in last year's presidential poll, organisers said Wednesday. "We project out of total number of votes cast, 41 percent are by females and 59 percent by males," a spokesman of the UN-backed Joint Electoral Management Body said. Women have been guaranteed a quarter of all seats in the lower house of parliament and 30 percent of those in the provincial councils.(Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Gunbattle in Baghdad kills eight, child dies in north BAGHDAD, Sept 21 (Reuters) At least eight people were killed on Wednesday in a gun battle in Baghdad between troops and insurgents and the U.S. military said a child died in a fire fight in the northern city of Mosul.(Posted @ 18:42 PST)
India rules out controversial plan to link northern rivers DHAKA, Sept 21 (AFP) India shelved a controversial plan to link the Himalayan-fed rivers that flow into Bangladesh and will focus instead on linking rivers in the south of the country, Indian Water Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi told his Bangladeshi counterpart Hafizuddin Ahmad during two days of talks on water issues in Dhaka. (Posted @ 15:28 PST)
Cricket-Bangladesh 186-9 when rain stops play COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept 21 (Reuters) Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Fernando took 5-60 to leave Bangladesh struggling on 186-9 when rain stopped play shortly before tea on the second day of the second and final test on Wednesday. Earlier Sri Lanka had declared on 457-9. Bangladesh still need another 72 to avoid a 258-run follow-on target. (Posted @ 15:23 PST)
Iraqis demonstrate against British troops in Basra BASRA, Iraq, Sept 21 (AFP) Hundreds of Iraqis, including policemen in uniform, protested on Wednesday against the presence of British troops in the southern city of Basra after a police station was stormed to free two British soldiers. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, meanwhile, was to hold talks in London, where public concern was on the rise over Britain's deployment in southern Iraq. (Posted @ 15:23 PST)
EU strikes in principle accord on Turkey standoff BRUSSELS, Sept 21 (AFP) - European Union ambassadors reached an agreement in principle Wednesday on two key issues which have threatened to block the start of EU entry talks with Turkey next month, diplomats said. The accord, which was expected to be formally approved later in the day, covered both a declaration on Turkey's refusal to recognize Cyprus, as well as the negotiating framework for talks due to start on third October. (Posted @ 14:28 PST)
Sardar Qayum pleads third option on Kashmir New Delhi, Sept. 21 (PPI) Former Azad Kashmir Prime Minister and leader of the Muslim Conference, Sardar Mohammad Abdul Qayum Khan pleaded the third option to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Addressing the "Intra Jammu and Kashmir Heart to Heart Talks" here, he said that traditional stances of both Pakistan and India on Kashmir were now outdated. "There is a need to draft the third agenda to resolve the Kashmir dispute and end sufferings of Kashmiris without wastage of time" he said. (Posted @ 13:55 PST)
Taliban vow to step up war after Afghan poll "drama" KABUL, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The Taliban vowed on Wednesday to step up their war against foreign troops in Afghanistan and dismissed legislative polls held at the weekend as an American drama rejected by the Afghan people. Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said only four million had voted, less than 15 percent of a population he put at 30 million.”Taliban are thankful to the Afghan people for rejecting the U.S. drama," he said. Hakimi said Taliban defectors who took part in the election had nothing to do with the guerrilla group. Four defectors stood for seats, including former foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil and Mawlavi Qalamuddin, a former minister for the religious police. (Posted @ 13:41 PST)
Japanese parliament chooses Koizumi as PM TOKYO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A special session of Japan's parliament re-elected Junichiro Koizumi as prime minister on Wednesday, clearing the way for him to press on with a reform programme including privatisation of the postal system after his party's landslide election victory this month. "I have been promoting structural reform until now, and I want to put it on a solid track," Koizumi told a news conference after the lower house voted for him to remain prime minister. "I want to enact the postal bills in this special session of parliament," he added. (Posted @ 13:23 PST)
Three explosions rock Pakistan's southwest, no casualties QUETTA, Pakistan, Sept 21 (AFP) - Three explosions rocked provincial capital Quetta on Wednesday but police said there were no casualties. The blasts broke windows of some houses in three neighbourhoods but did not cause any casualties," police said. (Posted @ 11:33 PST)
Kasuri briefs Palestinian FM on contacts with Israel UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (APP) -- Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri met his Palestinian counterpart Nasser al-Kidwa in New York Tuesday and briefed him on his Sept. one meeting with Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom in Istanbul. He told the Palestinian foreign minister that Pakistan's stand on Palestinian question remained unchanged, envisaging a two-state solution – Israel and a viable Palestine with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital living side-by-side in peace. Al-Kidwa expressed his appreciation to Kasuri for the briefing, which he said had enabled him to better understand Pakistan's rationale for the move to open contacts with Israel. (Posted @ 11:26 PST)
Saudi says U.S. policy handing Iraq over to Iran NEW YORK, Sept 20 (Reuters) - U.S. policy in Iraq is widening sectarian divisions to the point of effectively handing the country to Iran, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said on Tuesday. "(Iraq's) people have been separated from each other, " Faisal told the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. "You talk now about Sunnis as if they were separate entity from the Shi'ite." He urged the United States to work "to bring these people together." "If you allow civil war, Iraq is finished forever," Faisal said. Such a conflict, he said, would bring in Iran because of its interest in the Shi'ite-dominated southern part of Iraq, the Turks because of their concern about an autonomous Kurdish surfacing in the north, and Arab nations in the region. "We fought a war together to keep Iran out of Iraq after Iraq was driven out of Kuwait," said Faisal . "Now we are handing the whole country over to Iran without reason," he said. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Strike over bombs and price rises hits Bangladesh DHAKA, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Bangladesh enforced tight security and sought to stop street marches on Wednesday as a day-long strike called by the opposition over recent bombings and spiralling commodity prices disrupted transport and business. Awami and 13 smaller parties jointly called the strike. Senior Awami leader and former home minister Mohammad Nasim said: "The opposition will call for bigger protests if the authorities try to frustrate the stoppage by using force." (Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Three Russian policemen gunned down in Ingushetia MOSCOW, Sept 21 (AFP) - Three Russian police officers were killed and another injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen in the republic of Ingushetia, neighbouring Chechnya, official agencies reported. The attackers fired grenade launchers and automatic arms at two police cars on a road in central Karabulak, the local interior ministry radio channel reported. (Posted @ 11:01 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 120.94 points: KARACHI, September 21: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 8187.11, up 120.94 points from Tuesday’s close. (Bureau Report) (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, September 21: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.17 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:35 PST)
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