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| October 1, 2005 | Saturday | Sha'aban 26, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Bombs rock Indonesian island of Bali, at least 23 dead JIMBARAN, Indonesia, Oct 1 (AFP) - A series of near-simultanous bomb blasts ripped through popular tourist spots on the Indonesian island of Bali on Saturday killing at least 23 people including several foreign tourists. The injured totalled well over 50, at least 35 of them foreigners.Two explosions struck seafood restaurants 100 metres apart in the beachside area of Jimbaran during the evening meal. Minutes later at least one blast hit a restaurant in Matahari Square in Kuta, a popular late-night shopping area.The attacks came just 11 days before the third anniversary of the bomb attacks on two nightclubs in Kuta which left 202 people dead. A French diplomat who visited two hospitals in Bali said at least 23 people had been confirmed dead . In Kuta, shattered glass littered bloodied streets around the Matahari Square shopping center which was packed with hundreds of people when the blast went off.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
Pakistan's Aziz spells out "roadmap" to Muslim economic development KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (AFP) - Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday outlined a "roadmap" to economic progress for Muslim countries, including overcoming crippling conflicts and promoting better governance. Addressing officials and business leaders at the opening of the World Islamic Economic Forum he said Muslim nations had so far failed to realise their economic potential despite holding vast resources of 70 percent of the world's hydrocarbons and exporting 40 percent of raw materials globally. Outlining his "roadmap" to make the most of this potential , he said countries' economies had to be restructured through deregulation, liberalisation and privatisation to promote growth, while ensuring good governance to attract investment. He also called for a strengthened role for the Islamic Development Bank, with greater emphasis on good governance in funding initiatives. Other components of his roadmap include greater unity and cooperation among Muslim nations, better social services such as health and education, more resources for education, and a more prominent role for the 57-nation OIC. Aziz also said that the conflicts dogging some Muslim nations had to be overcome because they had distracted leaders from pursuing economic progress. Aziz said negative perceptions of Islam, including links made between terrorism and the religion, were the biggest problem facing Muslims, and that it could only be overcome by better economic progress. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Taliban a ruthless threat, says top US general in Afghanistan PARUN, Afghanistan, Oct 1 (AFP) - Taliban-linked militants have become a "ruthless threat", targeting civilians rather than military forces, the top US general in Afghanistan, General Karl Eikenberry told reporters on a visit to the northeastern province of Nuristan on Saturday.(Posted @ 21:30 PST)
SAARC ministers agree to setup energy centre in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Oct 01 (PPI) The SAARC Energy Ministers here Saturday agreed to establish the SAARC Energy Center in Pakistan. A Joint Statement said the ministers observed that cooperation among member states In ensuring and developing sources of energy was the basic component for strengthening economic resilience of the individual member states as well as the economic growth and prosperity of the SAARC region.(Posted @ 21:05 PST)
1,106,348 Taxpayers filed Income Tax Returns Upto September 30:CBR ISLAMABAD, Oct 1 (APP): A total of 1,106,348 taxpayers filed Income tax returns upto September 30, 2005 as against 968,051 returns filed in the same period of last fiscal year, an increase of 14% , CBR spokesman Habib Fakhruddin said.(Posted @ 20:51 PST)
PM, Maldives President call for making SAARC more effective KUALA LUMPUR, Oct.1 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and President of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Saturday discussed issues relating to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and agreed to expedite the efforts to make the organization more effective and vibrant. The two leaders are currently in the Malaysian capital to attend the inauguration of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF).In their meeting, held on the sidelines of the three-day moot, Prime Minister Aziz and the Maldives' President agreed to emphasize the need of implementing the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) during the upcoming summit in Bangladesh next month. They stressed that the regional countries would have to resolve conflicts to be able to leverage full economic potential of South Asia and its peoples. The two leaders also discussed the restructuring of the OIC and agreed on the need of making it an effective voice of the Muslim Ummah in the world.(Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Pakistan signs MoU with Chinese Academy of Sciences ISLAMABAD, Oct 1 (APP): Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Saturday on cooperation for research, education and training in the fields of weather and climate forecast. The MoU signing ceremony was held in the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing .(Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Neutral Swiss expert to inspect controversial dam in Indian occupied Kashmir JAMMU, Oct 1 (AFP) - A World Bank-appointed expert said he would begin inspecting Sunday the controversial Bagliar dam being built by India in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan fears the one-billion-dollar Baglihar project could deprive its wheat-bowl state of Punjab of vital irrigation water. It says the project violates the 45-year-old Indus Water Treaty brokered by the World Bank. "We're going to visit the site just to try to understand," Raymond Lafitte, a civil engineer, told reporters Saturday in Jammu, but declined further comment, saying he had a "duty to report to the governments of India and Pakistan first." He promised his work would be "totally transparent." He did not say when the report would be presented to the two governments. Lafitte, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, said he would spend three to four days at the dam site on the Chenab River . He is accompanied by Indian and Pakistan government technical teams. Under the terms of the 1960 treaty, Lafitte's decision will be final and binding, the World Bank has said.(Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Thirteen die in India after drinking bootleg booze GUWAHATI, India, Oct 1 (AFP) - At least 13 people died and nearly two dozen others were in hospital in Assam state in northeast India Saturday after consuming homemade liquor, officials said Saturday. The deaths occurred in Tezpur, some 180 kilometers north of Guwahati.(Posted @ 20:15 PST)
Security incidents in Iraq, Oct 1 BAGHDAD, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Three policemen and a civilian were killed and ten others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol in Kirkuk, 250 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad, police and medical sources said. Police earlier said the blast had killed four civilians. Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and three wounded when gunmen attacked them while they were heading to work in Miqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad. Police said a U.S patrol was struck by a roadside bomb in western Baghdad. One civilian was injured in the incident, a witness said. The U.S. military had no immediate information. A U.S. soldier was killed when a roadside bomb struck a patrol at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) in central Baghdad, the military said in a statement. Another U.S. soldier was killed when a patrol hit a mine near the oil refining town of Baiji, 180 km north of the capital, the military said in a separate statement. Fifteen people were arrested in Mahmudiya, just south of Baghdad. Iraqi Islamic Party said most of them were party members(Updated Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Bush praises Iraqi forces WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush boasted Saturday of the "increasing effectiveness of fledgling Iraqi security forces, even after the Pentagon said the number able to fight without US support had dropped. "I'm encouraged by the increasing size and capability of the Iraqi security forces. Today they have more than 100 battalions operating throughout the country, and our commanders report that the Iraqi forces are serving with increasing effectiveness," he said. His comments came after the top US commander in Iraq disclosed Thursday that only a single Iraqi battalion was capable of independent operations and acknowledged conditions may worsen there even if a constitution is approved .General George Casey told skeptical lawmakers that the number of Iraqi battalions at the highest readiness rating had shrunk from three to one over the past few months because readiness assessments have become more rigorous.(Posted @ 19:35 PST)
One Danish soldier killed, others injured in Iraq roadside bomb attack COPENHAGEN, Oct 1 (AFP) - A soldier in a Danish patrol was killed and two others seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up near Al Harta in southern Iraq on Saturday, the Danish defence ministry said. A fourth soldier was slightly injured, and the remaining six soldiers in the patrol were unharmed. The two seriously injured Danes were transferred to a British field hospital, the ministry said.(Updated Posted @ 19:10 PST)
President says obscurantism has to be defeated for Pakistan's development KAKUL, Oct 1 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday underscored that obscurantist and anti-progress forces have to be defeated militarily and socially as they pose the gravest threat to Pakistan's progress and development. "Our society today stands disturbed due to the narrow-minded and short-sighted attitudes of these few who have taken upon themselves to impose their will on the moderate majority. "Such anti-progress, obscurantist forces have to be defeated militarily and socially," the President said while addressing the passing out parade of 112 PMA Long Course and Integrated Course-31. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Iran says may hold back oil sales if sent to UN DUBAI, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Iran, the world's fourth biggest oil producer, may hold back on oil sales if its nuclear programme is referred to the U.N. Security Council, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview published on Saturday. "If Iran's case is sent to the Security Council, we will respond by many ways, for example by holding back on oil sales," Ahmadinejad told Dubai’s English-language daily, the Khaleej Times. He did not specify what he meant (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
US frees 500 more prisoners from Iraqi prison BAGHDAD, Oct 1 (AFP) - The US military released about 500 detainees from the notorious US-run Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad on Saturday. the second group to be released ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On Monday, a first batch of 507 inmates were freed from Abu Ghraib. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Civilians cleared from Pakistani tribal village amid clashes MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Oct 1 (AFP) - Women and children have been asked to leave North Waziristan tribal area's Khatey Killay village near the Afghan border, the military said Saturday, as hundreds of soldiers prepared to assault the remote Pakistani tribal town. Authorities using loudspeakers urged the civilians to leave the village as troops tightened their cordon, local officials said. "We have warned the militants to surrender and hand over their weapons, otherwise we will use full force against them," a military spokesman told AFP. Local officials said as many as 30 suspected militants have been killed since the operation started on Thursday. They said troops have retrieved five bodies of suspected militants from the battle zone. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Pakistani and Indian cricket teams appointed peace spokespersons: UN UNITED NATIONS, Oct 1 (APP):The national cricket teams of Pakistan and India have been appointed as spokespersons for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education (IYSPE) 2005, the UN Special Adviser on Sports announced Friday."I believe that both national cricket teams are pioneers in the quest for peace and stability in South Asia and can serve as role models for other countries and regions around the world," Adolf Ogi, UN Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sports for Development and Peace, told a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Malaysia assures full support to Pakistan to become ASEAN's Full Dialogue Partner KUALA LUMPUR, Oct.1 (APP): Pakistan and Malaysia Saturday expressed satisfaction over their growing multi-faceted ties as Premier Abdullah Ahmed Badawi assured Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz his country's full support to Islamabad becoming a Full Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Aziz held over an hour long exclusive meeting with Badawi on wide-ranging issues. The two leaders continued discussion lasting more than two hours at the lunch hosted by Mr. Badawi in honour of the Pakistani prime minister. Pakistan is also seeking Malaysian support for getting membership of ASEM (Asian Europe Meeting), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Indian Ocean Rim for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Military says 29 detainees on hunger strike at Guantanamo SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Oct 1 (APP/AP) _ The U.S. military said Friday that 29 detainees are participating in the hunger strike at the American prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba.Among those on strike, 16 are being force fed at theprison hospital, it said. Last week, a Guantanamo spokesman said 36 detainees were striking _ down from a high of 131 in mid-September. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
TROOPS MARTYR TEN MORE KASHMIRI YOUTH SRINAGAR, Oct 01 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their fresh acts of state-terrorism, martyred ten more Kashmiri youth at various places. Three were shot dead in Qazigund area of Islamabad district, in a military crackdown, two each were killed in Batmaloo, in Srinagar, Ali Pore, Budgam and Kokernag, Islamabad. One was martyred in Kralagund, Kupwara. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
STRUGGLE FOR RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION TO CONTINUE SRINAGAR, October 01 (APP): In occupied Kashmir, Secretary General of the Jammu and Kashmir Mass Movement, Maulvi Bashir Ahmad has reaffirmed Kashmiris' resolve to continue struggle for securing their right to self-determination. Addressing a gathering in Doda, he said peace and prosperity in South Asia depends on the just solution of Kashmir issue. He urged India to adopt positive and serious attitude to resolving Kashmir issue in line with the aspirations of Kashmiri people. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Chechen rebels kill two Russian police, wound five MOSCOW, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Rebels killed two pro-Moscow police and wounded another five in battles in Russia's disputed Chechnya, local media reported on Saturday. News agencies reported that rebels opened fire on police checking houses in the village of Terskoye just outside regional capital Grozny, killing two and wounding two more. In a separate incident, three servicemen were injured in a bomb explosion in the village of Avtury in Shali region. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Pakistani forces attack militants in tribal region MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Pakistani forces attacked al Qaeda-linked militants in mountains near the Afghan border for a third day on Saturday, pounding their hideouts with helicopter gunships, security officials said. "Fighting is still going on and we are facing quite a resistance from the other side," a military spokesman said. "We are pursuing them," he said, adding that helicopter gunships were being used. Four soldiers and a paramilitary official had been killed since Thursday, he said, denying media reports of heavier casualties and that 22 soldiers were missing. "We have not suffered any further casualties," he added . "The army is asking militants to put down their arms. They are using loudspeakers," said a resident of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
U.S. forces launch new offensive in western Iraq RAMADI, Iraq, Oct 1 (Reuters) - U.S. forces, backed by helicopters, launched another big offensive in the far west of Iraq near the Syrian border on Saturday to hunt militants linked to al Qaeda, the U.S. military said. Around 1,000 marines, soldiers and sailors launchedOperation Iron Fist in the early hours against insurgents in the town of Qaim, 12 km (7 miles) from the Syrian border, and nearby settlements including Sedea. It is at least the third major offensive U.S. forces have conducted in the area over the past four months. Previous operations appear to have failed as insurgents have quickly returned to reoccupy the towns and resume guerrilla activities. A doctor in the main hospital in Qaim, Amir al-Obedi, said 10 people had been killed and eight wounded in fighting. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Indian Maoist rebels kill 5, thousands flee homes RAIPUR, India, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Maoist guerrillas shot dead five people in India's central Chhattisgarh state in fresh rebel violence that has forced thousands of tribespeople to flee their homes, police said on Saturday. "The rebels killed five people and dumped their bodies in the forest. The bodies were found today," Inspector-General of Police M.W. Ansari said. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
OIC urges Islamic free trade area KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (AFP) - The 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference on Saturday urged Muslim nations and business leaders to support an Islamic free trade area, saying it was the way forward for economic progress. The initiative would "enable us to overcome the obstacles and bottlenecks that hinder the development of trade and investment between our countries," OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in his address at the World Islamic Economic Forum. While the share of intra-OIC trade in Muslim countries' overall trade had improved in the last few years from 10 percent in 2000 to 13.5 percent in 2003, it remained low, he said. "Such a situation is the result of a large number of major obstacles, which impeded the wide expansion of trade and investment, namely tariff, non-tariff and administrative obstacles and lack of communication and transport means and inappropriate financing schemes," he said. Ekmeleddin warned that Muslim nations would be disadvantaged if they failed to forge multilateral trading alliances.More than 500 government officials and business leaders from 44 countries are attending the three-day forum, which is aimed at boosting economic links between Muslim communities. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Malaysia and Pakistan sign trade pact KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (AFP) - Malaysia and Pakistan on Saturday signed a trade pact ahead of a wider free-trade agreement as part of efforts to boost economic ties between the two majority-Muslim nations. "Malaysia and Pakistan agreed to pursue an Early Harvest Programme aimed to deliver benefits to the private sector of both countries ahead of the FTA as well as to provide impetus for an early conclusion of the FTA negotiations," Malaysia's trade ministry said in a press release. Under the Programme, effective next January, Pakistan and Malaysia will grant reduced tariffs on 125 and 114 export items respectively. The initiative will expire upon implementation of the FTA, or March 31 2007, whichever is earlier, it said. Among the Pakistani products affected are machinery, mechanical equipment, plastic products, chemical products, rubber and timber products. Malaysia's list of goods include textile and clothing, agricultural products and jewellery. (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
India, Pakistan to sign military trust-boosting deals: reports NEW DELHI, Oct 1 (AFP) - Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan will next week sign accords to improve trust between their militaries including one giving advance warning of ballistic missile tests, newspaper reports said Saturday. The agreements are expected to be signed during a four-day visit by Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh to Pakistan starting Sunday. Another accord to be signed would establish a hotline between the coast guards of the two countries. These agreements come after New Delhi and Islamabad also recently agreed to set up a hotline to stop an accidental nuclear exchange. Singh, making his second trip to Pakistan since February, would also push for an extradition treaty, reports in The Hindu and The Times of India newspapers said. (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Thousands evacuate as munitions explode in Russia LONDON, Oct 1 (Reuters) About 4,000 people were forced to evacuate villages in Russia's eastern Kamchatka region late on Friday after munitions exploded at artillery depots, Itar-Tass news agency reported. One person had been hurt by flying glass but there were no other reported casualties. (Posted @ 11:35 PST)
US 'space tourist' blasts off aboard Soyuz BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan, Oct 1 (AFP) A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan early Saturday, taking an American "space tourist" Greg Olsen on his 20 million-dollar trip to the International Space Station accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and US astronaut William McArthur. Two other "space tourists" have preceded Olsen in what is becoming a profitable sideline for the Russian space programme; American, Dennis Tito, in 2001 and South African, Mark Shuttleworth, in 2002. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Russia converts half its weapons-grade uranium as part of accord with US WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (AFP) Russia has converted half of its weapons-grade uranium for use as fuel in nuclear power plants in the United States, a joint statement issued by the US and Russian governments said on Friday. Some 250 tonnes of highly enriched uranium, enough to produce 10,000 nuclear warheads, was converted to low enrich uranium over the past 12 years, the statement added. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
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