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| September 25, 2005 | Sunday | Sha'aban 20, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Sports activities extended to grassroots: Ajmal Khan ISLAMABAD, Sep 25 (APP): Federal Minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Muhammad Ajmal Khan said sports activities had been extended to grass roots including FATA and FANA to promote sports and explore the talent of youth. Pakistan Sports Board would also establish sports infrastructure at provincial and district level in far flung areas of the country, he said in a press release here Sunday.(Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Blair admits Iraq insurgency worse than anticipated BRIGHTON, England, Sept 25 (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sunday he was surprised by the ferocity of the insurgency in Iraq, but vowed to keep British troops there until Iraqi security forces could fend for themselves. Blair made his remarks to BBC television before the start of the annual conference of his Labour Party which was set once more to be riven by debate over Britain's decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Asked if he had expected Iraq to be so hard, Blair replied: "No. I didn't expect quite the same sort of ferocity from every single element in the Middle East that came in and was doing their best to disrupt the political process."(Posted @ 22:25 PST)
Lebanese journalist seriously wounded in bomb blast BEIRUT, Sept 25 (AFP) - A prominent Lebanese journalist with the television station LBC was seriously wounded Sunday as a bomb ripped apart her car on the northern outskirts of Beirut, the private station said. May Chidiac, a presenter of news and a political programme for the station, was "wounded in the feet by the explosion of a bomb placed in her car" in Jounieh, it said. "May's condition is serious.”(Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Six Russian soldiers killed in Chechnya VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia, Sept 25 (AFP) - Six Russian soldiers were killed in clashes in Chechnya over the weekend, a Chechen official told AFP on Sunday. Five of them died and six were wounded when their positions came under fire from rebel forces, the source said, asking not to be identified. He said there had been some 14 attacks on Russian positions over the previous 24 hours. Another Russian soldier was killed when an army tanker drove over a mine in the northern Shelkovskaya region. Clashes with rebels near Zumsoy in the southern Itum-Kale region left one Chechen policeman dead, while five were wounded, according to the same source. Russian artillery and helicopters were used Sunday against a group of retreating rebels. Also Sunday, the bodies of two Chechen policemen were found in the Chechen capital Grozny. The bodies had gunshot wounds and showed signs of torture. After a first war waged between 1994 and 1996, Russian troops re-entered Chechnya in October 1999. Now numbering 80,000, they are still fighting and losing men almost every day.(Posted @ 21:59 PST)
Indian delegation due today (ISLAMABAD, Sept. 25 PPI) A four member Indian delegation, led by Mr. Satendra Singh, director general, ministry of Civil Aviation, will arrive tomorrow Monday to hold talks with their Pakistani counterparts on Civil Aviation matters. The talks will be held in ministry of Defence, on 27-28 September, 2005.(Posted @ 20:38 PST)
Proposal mooted for first-ever Joint Indo-Pak expedition to K2 NEW DELHI, Sept 25 (APP): A proposal is under consideration to organize first-ever Joint Indo-Pak expedition to the world's second highest peak, 8,611 metres high Mount K2. The proposal to send a joint team to ascend the peak, towering over Baltoro glacier, the second longest in the Karakorams after Siachen, has been submitted to the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and to the Defence Ministry, according to a news report here. The proposal, which envisages six to eight toughest and most skilled climbers from the two countries making an attempt on the peak in the summer or autumn next year, will now be forwarded to the Pakistan government, added the report quoting highly placed officials. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Arbab inspects on-going renovation work of Rani Kot fort JAMSHORO, Sept. 25 (APP): Sindh Chief Minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim Sunday asked the officers concerned to complete the repair and renovation of historic Ranni Kot fort for making it an attractive place for tourists. Earlier, the Chief Minister was informed that after completion of the first phase of the repair and renovation of Ranni Kot fort, the second phase is also in progress with an allocation of Rs 38.940 millions. Under second phase, he was informed that Rs 6.5 millions have been spent up to June 30.(Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Israeli artillery fires shells near Gaza border JERUSALEM, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Israeli artillery fired shells near the Gaza Strip on Sunday for what a security source described as "range practice" after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed to use all means to stop cross-border rocket fire. Sharon's inner cabinet has given a green light for the unprecedented use of artillery to try to stop militants firing rockets. (Posted @ 14:48 PST)
Baghdad car bomb kills 13 -Iraqi police BAGHDAD, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed 13 police and civilians in the eastern Baghdad district of New Baghdad on Sunday, police said. The bomb targeted an elite police unit. It was not immediately clear how many of the dead were police. (Posted @ 13:19 PST Updated @ 14:50 PST)
Rescuers pull out six bodies, 15 injured from two collided vehicles JAMSHORO, Sept 25 (APP)- Rescuers managed to recover six bodies and pull out 15 injured persons when two passenger coaches caught fire after a head-on collision near Khanote early Sunday morning.Police said the colliding coaches caught fire instantly making it difficult to ascertain the correct number of casualties. In an earlier accident near Sunn, Dadu late Saturday night the toll rose to 34 dead and 65 injured, police said. The buses were carrying devotees to Sehwan Sharif for Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. (Posted @ 13:06 PST)
Rebels kill eight in India's Tripura state AGARTALA, India, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Separatist rebels killed eight Bengali-speaking settlers in India's remote and restive Tripura state on Sunday, police said. National Liberation Front of Tripura militants, who are fighting for an independent tribal homeland, fired indiscriminately with automatic weapons when they raided Santinagar, some 70 km (44 miles) east of the state capital Agartala. "Seven people including three women were killed at the scene. Three were critically wounded and a woman later succumbed in a hospital," Nepal Das, a police superintendent told Reuters. (Posted @ 12:58 PST)
Iran furious over nuclear resolution, but says talks possible TEHRAN, Sept 25 (AFP) - Iran on Sunday blasted as "illegal" a resolution passed by the UN's nuclear watchdog that sets the country up for referral to the Security Council, but in the face of mounting international pressure asserted negotiations were still possible. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki signalled the government was still considering how to respond to the text. "In no way will Iran give up its right to nuclear technology, including the fuel cycle for peaceful purposes, as is enshrined in the (Non-Proliferation Treaty)," Mottaki told the official news agency IRNA, saying the "resolution has no legal foundation and is therefore not acceptable". But he also struck a more conciliatory tone by saying Iran was "committed to the NPT and does not see the path of negotiations closed". (Posted @ 12:49 PST)
Ten Iraqi militiamen killed in clashes with US army BAGHDAD, Sept 25 (AFP) - Ten Iraqi militiamen were killed in the early hours of Sunday in clashes with US forces in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City, an interior ministry official said.The clashes started when US soldiers attempted to arrest Mehdi Army leaders shortly before 1 am Sunday (2100 GMT Saturday) and lasted until about 2:30 am. "It appears we were going out to conduct an operation with the Iraqi army who had thrown a cordon around an area they wanted to search. It looks like they were attacked," the US spokesman said. British forces in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have also come under pressure from Mehdi Army militiamen this week after arresting two of their local leaders last Sunday. (Posted @ 12:49 PST)
US military chopper crashes in southern Afghanistan, all aboard killed KABUL, Sept 25 (AFP/Reuters) - A US military CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in restive southern Afghanistan Sunday and all aboard were likely killed, US military officials told AFP. The chopper came down in Deh Chopan district in the insurgency-hit Zabul province, the US military said in a statement, but it was not known whether it was brought down by hostile fire. Spokesman Lt- Col Jerry O'Hara told AFP that it was unlikely there were any survivors."At this time, it looks like all aboard are dead," he said. another report said all five crew members were killed without giving details on the number of casualties. (Posted @ 12:39 PST)
Chinese premier orders emergency measures for Typhoon Damrey BEIJING, Sept 25 (AFP) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered officials in southern China to brace for Typhoon Damrey and ensure that emergency measures are in place, state press said Sunday. Wen ordered emergency preparations for Hainan and Guangdong provinces and the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as the typhoon roared toward the coast, the Hainan Daily said. It was expected to make landfall by Sunday evening. "We must closely monitor the movements of the typhoon and make full preparations for the safety of reservoirs, step up work on protecting against landslides and flooding in mountainous regions and encourage sea vessels to return to ports," Wen was quoted as saying. Damrey is the 11th tropical storm to hit China this year. (Posted @ 12:38 PST)
Three killed in bomb blast on busy Iraq street HILLA, Iraq, Sept 25 (AFP) - A bomb exploded Sunday on a busy main street of the town of Hilla, killing three civilians and wounding 36 others, an interior ministry official said. The explosion resulted from a bicycle loaded with explosives which was left beside the pavement, he said. (Posted @ 12:38 PST)
Gonzalez and Massu wrap easy win over Pakistan SANTIAGO, Sept 24 (APP/AFP) - Olympic gold medallists Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu brushed aside Aqeel Khan and Aisam Qureshi 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the doubles rubber to give Chile a winning 3-0 margin over Pakistan in their Davis Cup World Group play-off here. The result means Chile retain their place in the elite 16-nation World Group for 2006, while Pakistan stay in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. In the singles Gonzalez crushed Khan 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 and Massu eased to a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 victory over Qureshi. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Klitschko survives three knockdowns, edges Peter NEW YORK, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Wladimir Klitschko survived three knockdowns to score a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Samuel Peter in a heavyweight fight Saturday night in Atlantic City. Klitchscko was knocked down twice in the fifth round and once more in the 10th, but he threw twice as many punches as his Nigerian opponent to get the nod on all three judges' scorecards. All the judges scored the fight 114-111 for the Ukrainian. (Posted @ 10:16 PST)
At least 20 injured as Israel targets militants throughout Gaza GAZA CITY, Sept 25 (AFP) - At least 20 Palestinians were injured early Sunday when Israeli warplanes carried out a series of bombing sorties against Palestinian militant groups across the Gaza Strip, sources on both sides said. In the latest raid, the airforce fired missiles at what the army said was a militant weapons store in Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. A second raid hit the offices of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the nearby town of Beit Lahiya, an army spokeswoman said. Some 20 Palestinians, half of them women and children, were injured during an earlier bombing raid against a school north of Gaza City which was run by the Hamas , Palestinian medics said. The airforce also hit a building in Khan Yunis and a second structure in the nearby town of Bani Suheila which the army said was used by the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades for manufacturing weapons. In the last 24 hours, Israeli warplanes have mounted at least 12 airstrikes in Gaza. (Posted @ 09:58 PST Updated @ 10:10 PST)
Israel arrests over 200 Islamist activists in West Bank: army JERUSALEM, Sept 25 (AFP) - Israeli forces in the West Bank overnight arrested 206 Palestinian activists, mostly Islamists, in an operation that wound up Sunday morning, an army spokeswoman said. "Around 50 of these activists, some of them armed, were picked up in the Hebron region and around 30 others near Ramallah, in the West Bank," she said. "Several times, the arrests were accompanied by exchanges of fire," she added. A dozen political and military leaders of Hamas were among those arrested, a military source said. Israeli public radio reported the arrest of Sheikh Hassan Yussuf, considered one of the main Hamas leaders in the West Bank. (Posted @ 09:20 PST Updated @ 10:00 PST)
India's cricket chiefs to probe captain-coach spat NEW DELHI, Sept 25 (AFP) - Angry Indian cricket officials will this week investigate the growing rift between coach Greg Chappell and captain Sourav Ganguly that has left the national team in disarray. Three former India captains, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghvan, will join a high-powered panel in Mumbai on Tuesday to grill both Chappell and Ganguly on the crisis. "Enough is enough," an angry Ranbir Singh Mahendra, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told AFP. Mahendra will attend the inquest along with his predecessor and former ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Japanese navy hit by drugs scandal TOKYO, Sept 25 (AFP) - Six Japanese submariners have been arrested by police for possession of marijuana and other illegal drugs, a navy official said Sunday. The navy had set up a special team to probe the scandal. The mass-circulation Asahi Shimbun reported Sunday drug abuse was spreading among submarine crew members. Police believe the indicted crew men had been using drugs while they were on shore between missions, the daily reported, adding the number of arrests could rise further. (Posted @ 09:41 PST)
Millions of animals face death sentence in Australia SYDNEY, Sept 25 (AFP) - Millions of exotic animals from camels to cane toads, horses and foxes -- face extermination in Australia under recommendations by a parliamentary committee. A population explosion of species introduced since European settlement began more than 200 years ago is a growing threat to agriculture and native wildlife, the committee has found. "The exotic species need to be eradicated," committee chairman Alby Schultz told AFP."That's the first point I make." Shooting and poisoning would be among methods recommended by the committee, which has been investigating the problem for more than a year and will present its report to parliament by early November, he said. The Department of the Environment lists animals of "significant concern" as including feral camels (500,000), horses (300,000), donkeys (five million), pigs (up to 23 million), cane toads, European wild rabbits, European red foxes, cats and goats. (Posted @ 09:36 PST)
Voting opens in Poland WARSAW, Sept 25 (AFP) - Polling stations opened at 6:00 am (0400 GMT) in Poland for the country's first general election since joining the European Union last year, with the corruption-blighted left expected to be swept from power by a coalition of conservatives and economic liberals. Thirty million Poles will elect 460 members of the Sejm lower house and 100 senators for a four-year mandate. The 25,000 polling stations were to close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT). (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Hurricane rescuers smash down doors but find no victims LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana, Sept 24 (AFP) - Police and fire crews went on a house-to-house hunt in Lake Charles on Saturday looking for bodies but in a snapshot of the Hurricane Rita miracle they found none. Lake Charles is close to where the fearsome hurricane made landfall early Saturday and was one of the hardest hit towns.There was widespread damage, the waters of Lake Charles were rising and a fierce wind blew off the lake, but "it's not as bad as I feared but it's still devastating," said the town's police chief, Don Dixon. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Thousands take to streets in US to condemn war and president SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 24 (AFP) - A mile-long (1.5-kilomter) procession of protesters marched through downtown San Francisco on Saturday, decrying US president George W. Bush's handling of everything from Iraq to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Demonstrators ranging in age from children to seniors were ringed by police as they crammed into a block-square park for a rally calling for Bush to be ousted from office and US soldiers brought home from Iraq Protest organizers from the group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) estimated the crowd peaked at 250,000 people, while police said attendance was probably closer to half that number."We need a new paradigm of leadership in this country," said Hollywood actor Delroy Lindo, who attended to lobby for support of proposed US legislation banning permanent military bases in Iraq. "It was clear after Hurricane Katrina that an incredible number of poor people are disenfranchised in the United States," Lindo told AFP. "It is not just a social problem. It is a political problem." (Posted @ 09:14 PST)
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