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| November 5, 2005 | Saturday | Shawwal 2, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Toll figure revised; Fourteen dead, 21 missing in Pakistani boat accident KARACHI, Nov 5 (AFP) Divers have recovered the bodies of 14 women and children and 21 people were still missing after a boat capsized in the sea off Pakistan, officials said Saturday, lowering earlier estimates of 70 dead. The overloaded boat was ferrying 70 mourners from Jangisar town, about 100 kilometres southeast of Karachi, to a funeral in a nearby village when it sank on Friday, a Sindh provincial government spokesman said. "About half those on board have been rescued. But the bodies of 14 women and children have been recovered and at least 21 boat passengers are missing, feared drowned," a spokesman said. The spokesman said the toll had dropped from Friday because the accident happened in a remote area and figures gathered earlier from villagers were "conflicting". (Posted @ 13:41 PST)
Six foreign Al-Qaeda suspects killed in Pakistan blast MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Nov 5 (AFP) Six foreign Al-Qaeda suspects including a woman were killed when a bomb they were making exploded in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border Saturday, the military said. "It seems the explosion occurred when these people were busy making an improvised explosive device for terrorist activity," chief military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said. Residents said the blast happened at about 1:30 am (2030 GMT Friday) in a house near Mir Ali, about 20 kilometers east of Miranshah, the main town in the rugged tribal zone of North Waziristan. Sultan said six people were killed, one of whom was female, and they were all believed to be foreigners although their exact nationalities were still being investigated. (Posted @ 13:38 PST)
Unrest continues outside Paris, schools burned PARIS, Nov 5 (AFP) - Urban violence around Paris and other parts of France entered its tenth consecutive night, with schools and cars torched, authorities said Saturday. Two schools in Grigny south of Paris were set alight, officials in the Essone region said, with half a preschool destroyed before the fire was put out. A primary school suffered minor damage. A youth center at Vuilleneuve-Saint Georges, east of Paris was set alight, as was a gymnasium at Noisy-le-Grand just east of Paris.(Posted @ 04:20 PST)
Palestinian boy shot by Israeli army dies of wounds JENIN, West Bank, Nov 5 (Reuters) - A 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot in the head and chest by Israeli soldiers died of his wounds on Saturday, Palestinian officials said. Ahmad al Khateep was critically wounded on Thursday during an Israeli army raid to detain suspected Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.(Posted @ 03:16 PST)
Fourteen feared dead in China bridge collapse BEIJING, Nov 5 (APP/AFP) - Two workers were crushed to death and 14 others were feared dead when a bridge in southwestern China collapsed Saturday afternoon, state media said. The bridge under construction in Guizhou province's Zunyi city, Wuchuan county, suddenly collapsed around 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) while workers were on it, Xinhua news agency reported. Three workers injured in the accident were fighting for their lives in a local hospital, where two of their colleagues were earlier certified dead, it said. Rescuers were searching for another 14 workers buried under rubble, the report said. Many buildings and structures in China are built with shoddy materials and are prone to collapse.(Posted @ 02:25 PST)
Afghan policeman killed in militant attack KABUL, Nov 5 (APP/AFP) - An Afghan policeman was killed in an overnight attack by suspected Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan, the only attack reported since the end of Ramadan, the interior ministry said on Saturday."One Afghan police (officer) was killed when 12 Taliban rebels attacked a police post at around midnight Friday night in Ab Band district of Ghazni province," interior ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanizai said.(Posted @ 00:25 PST)
Four Palestinian youths wounded in West Bank clashes JENIN, West Bank, Nov 5 (APP/AFP) - Four Palestinian youths were wounded Saturday in clashes with Israeli soldiers during a raid in the restive northern West Bank town of Qabatiya, Palestinian medical and security sources said.(Posted @ 23:55 PST)
Militant leader arrested in Philippines MANILA, Nov 5 (AFP) - Philippine police Saturday arrested a senior commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group who was allegedly behind the 2000 kidnapping of foreign tourists from Malaysia, President Gloria Arroyo announced. Police commandos arrested the one-armed Radulan Sahiron on a small island near the southern island of Basilan, a haunt of the Abu Sayyaf, military chief General Generoso Senga told reporters.(Posted @ 23:45 PST)
Fifteen dead in China road accident BEIJING, Nov 5 (AFP) - Fifteen people died when a bus and a car collided Saturday on an expressway in eastern China. The accident occurred on the expressway connecting Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, with Hefei, capital of neighboring Anhui Province. The bus, carrying 48 people, overturned after running into the rear of the car. Fourteen people were killed immediately and another one died in hospital. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Japan to launch quake warning system next year TOKYO, Nov 5 (Reuters) Japan, one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations, plans to launch a seismic alert system next year to capture early quake movements and issue warnings of more damaging tremors, officials said on Saturday. A test version of the system, operating in the northern prefecture of Miyagi since February, was able to sound a warning that a big earthquake would strike the city of Sendai 15 seconds before a 7.2 quake jolted the area on August 16, the daily Asahi Shimbun said. An official at the Japanese Meteorological Agency said sensitive seismic sensors would be installed at 203 places around the country by March 2006 before the system starts operating. (Posted @ 14:14 PST)
China army braces for fight against bird flu BEIJING, Nov 5 (Reuters) China's 2.3-million-strong army has called on soldiers to guard against the potential spread of bird flu in its ranks, the People's Liberation Army Daily said on Saturday. The army's logistics department has issued two urgent notices calling on soldiers to deepen their understanding of the disease and prepare for its potential appearance, the paper said. (Posted @ 14:13 PST)
Indian troops kill two militants in Occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, Nov 5 (AFP) Indian troops shot dead two suspected militants in Occupied Kashmir, days before three crossing points between the Indian and Pakistani zones of the disputed region were opened to facilitate earthquake relief efforts, the army said Saturday. "Two militants were shot dead along the Line of Control (LoC)," an Indian army spokesman said. (Posted @ 14:09 PST)
Cricket-Australia 435 and 283-2 v West Indies 210 - close BRISBANE, Nov 5 (Reuters) Australia were 283 for two in their second innings at close of play on the third day of the first test against West Indies at the Gabba on Saturday. Scores: Australia 435 (Ricky Ponting 149, Corey Collymore 4-72) and 283-2 (Matthew Hayden 118, Ricky Ponting 104 not out), West Indies 210 (Devon Smith 88, Shane Warne 5-48, Glenn McGrath 4-72). (Posted @ 12:56 PST)
Indian FM rejects resignation calls on oil-for-food probe NEW DELHI, Nov 5 (AFP) Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh has rejected opposition demands that he quit his post after allegations that he secretly benefited from deals linked to the UN oil-for-food programme for Iraq. In an interview broadcast by an Indian television channel, Singh said: "Why should I (resign)…the (opposition) BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) can't decide who the foreign minister of India will be." Singh said he enjoyed the full confidence of his Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and would not quit. (Posted @ 12:51 PST)
Gangs of arsonists strike in France, deepening sense of crisis PARIS, Nov 5 (AFP) Arson attacks flared around Paris and in other parts of France early Saturday with more than 750 vehicles torched and police made over 200 arrests as the worst violence seen in decades dragged on into its ninth straight night. (Posted @ 12:51 PST)
UN audit says US firm overcharged over Iraq: report WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (AFP) A UN auditing board has recommended the United States pay as much as 208 million dollars to Iraq for over billing or shoddy work performed by a subsidiary of US oil services firm Halliburton, The New York Times reported Saturday. The work, carried out by Kellogg, Brown and Root, was paid for with Iraqi oil revenues but was delivered at inflated prices or done poorly, the board said, according to the US newspaper. (Posted @ 12:51 PST)
Two US soldiers killed in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 5 (AFP) Two US soldiers were killed in separate incidents on Friday in the Baghdad area, the US army announced on Saturday. A soldier was killed when a bomb exploded as his patrol passed on Friday in the east of Baghdad. And a second soldier "was killed by small-arms fire" south of Baghdad, the military said. (Posted @ 12:48 PST)
Kissinger warns against early retreat from Iraq BRUSSELS, Nov 4 (AFP) Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger warned Friday against the "catastrophic consequences of a debacle" in Iraq and any rushed withdrawal of US forces. "To argue that a collapse of the US in Iraq would not have consequences is simply living in a dream world," Kissinger told a meeting of NATO top brass including US General James Jones and Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. "American abdication in Iraq will have global consequences if a fundamentalist radical state were to emerge in Baghdad." He defended the US military doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against perceived threats but said it should not be defined along purely US national interests. "It cannot be in America's interest to define pre-emption in purely national terms," he said, warning that with the spread of weapons of mass destruction the notion of deterrence would lose its "traditional meaning". (Posted @ 12:47 PST)
Violence flares at anti-Bush protests in Argentina MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina, Nov 4 (Reuters) Anti-U.S. demonstrations at the Americas Summit turned violent on Friday as protesters set fire to a bank, looted stores and battled riot police blocks from a luxury hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush met with regional leaders. The violence came hours after tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets shouting "Get out Bush!" in a peaceful protest against the U.S. leader, who is unpopular among many Latin Americans who oppose the Iraq war and his push for a regional free trade deal. But as the leaders' summit opened, several hundred protesters shattered storefronts and fought pitched street battles with riot police, who responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets. (Posted @ 12:33 PST)
Four charged with stealing U.S. military secrets LOS ANGELES, Nov 4 (Reuters) An engineer at a California defence contractor and three others who authorities say are "foreign intelligence officers" for China have been arrested and charged with stealing U.S. military secrets, according to court documents. Chi, the lead engineer on a classified research project involving quiet propulsion systems, known as Quiet Electric Drive, for U.S. Navy warships, was accused of taking sensitive information about the project, copying it onto CDs and delivering them to his brother, Tai. Tai, according to the affidavit, is accused of encrypting the information and making plans to take it to China with his wife. Chiu is accused of assisting her husband in copying the material. (Posted @ 12:32 PST)
Bush orders staff to attend ethics briefings after Libby’s indictment WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) White House staffers will be required to attend briefings next week on ethics and the handling of classified information after the indictment last week of Vice President Dick Cheney's former aide, Lewis Libby in the CIA leak probe, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Quoting a memo from President George W. Bush sent to White House aides on Friday, the paper reported that the White House counsel's office will conduct a series of presentations next week for those aides with security clearances. (Posted @ 12:28 PST)
US, Iraqi forces launch offensive in western Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 5 (Reuters) About 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers launched a major offensive on Saturday in western Iraq to track down insurgents and improve security before December 15 elections, the military said. "The objectives of Operation Steel Curtain are to restore security along the Iraqi-Syrian border and destroy the al Qaeda in Iraq terror network operating throughout Qusayba," the military said in a statement. (Posted @ 12:21 PST)
Annan calls off Iran trip after anti-Israel remark UNITED NATIONS, Nov 4 (Reuters) U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has canceled his forthcoming trip to Tehran in response to the Iranian president's call to "wipe Israel off the map," the United Nations said on Friday. Annan had planned to visit the Iranian capital in mid-November, presumably to talk about Iran's nuclear policy. "The secretary-general and the Iranian government have mutually agreed that this is not an appropriate time for him to travel to Iran," a U.N. spokesman said. "In light of the ongoing controversy, it would have been difficult to advance the agenda that he had wanted to discuss with the Iranian leadership," the spokesman added. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
Seventy feared dead after boat capsizes in Pakistan KARACHI, Nov 4 (AFP) At least 70 people were feared drowned after an overloaded motorboat taking villagers to a funeral capsized in the Arabian Sea off southern Pakistan on Friday, government and navy officials said. Only ten survived when the vessel ferrying 80 people from Jangisar town, 100 kilometres southeast of the port city of Karachi, sank on way to a nearby village, a Sindh government spokesman said. Navy divers were still at the scene working to rescue any remaining survivors and recover the bodies of the victims, a Pakistani Navy spokesman said.(First Posted@ 14:08 PST, Updated @ 18:10 PST)
Africa to seek international help to fight bird flu KIGALI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Africa will seek financial and technical support next week at a conference in Geneva that will discuss a global fund and strategies to tackle the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus, officials said on Friday. (Posted @ 21:50 PST)
ICRC hits US wall over secret terror detainees GENEVA, Nov 4 (AFP) The international Red Cross said Friday that it had so far failed to reach an agreement with the United States about access to terror suspects held abroad secretly, despite some two years of talks. Following newspaper reports this week about secret CIA prisons for terror suspects abroad, spokeswoman Antonella Notari said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had been pressing Washington on the issue since at least January 2004. (Posted @ 18:45 PST)
Hundreds of vehicles torched in renewed French riots AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France, Nov 4 (Reuters) Rioters set fire to hundreds of vehicles in an eighth night of unrest in the impoverished suburbs of north-eastern Paris as exasperated local officials criticised the response of national leaders. Rioting erupted again late on Thursday despite hopes that festivities ending the fasting month of Ramadan would calm rioters, many of them Muslims of North African origin protesting against race bias they say keeps them in a second-class status. The rioting continued to spread, with firebombing in western Paris suburbs and similar areas near Rouen in northern France, Dijon in the east and Marseille in the south. French media said up to 600 vehicles were destroyed in the whole greater Paris region, including 23 buses at a terminal in Trappes in the southwest near Versailles. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
China plans manned moon landing around 2017 BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) China, which launched its first manned space mission just two years ago, plans to put a man on the moon around 2017 and investigate what may be the perfect source of fuel, a newspaper reported on Friday. The project also includes setting up a moon-based astronomical telescope, measuring the thickness of the moon's soil and the amount of helium-3 on the moon; an element some researchers say is a perfect, non-polluting fuel source. Some scientists believe there is enough helium-3 on the moon to power the world for thousands of years.(Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Cricket-West Indies 182-6 v Australia 435 - close BRISBANE, Nov 4 (Reuters) West Indies were 182 for six in their first innings at the close of play on the second day of the first test against Australia at the Gabba on Friday. Scores: Australia 435 (Ricky Ponting 149; Corey Collymore 4-72); West Indies 182-6 (Devon Smith 88; Glenn McGrath 4-58).(Posted @ 14:28 PST)
Three killed in Vietnam air force helicopter crash HANOI, Nov 4 (AFP) - A Vietnam air force training helicopter crashed close to the capital Friday, killing all three people on board, a defence ministry official said Friday. "The helicopter crashed around 9.00 am (02H00 GMT) in Gia Lam district in the capital's suburbs," the official told AFP. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined, he said. In April, a military officer was killed and another seriously injured when a training aircraft crashed in the city of Nha Trang, 400 kilometres (about 250 miles) north of the southern business capital, Ho Chi Minh City.(Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Six Iraqi soldiers killed in dawn clash BAGHDAD, Nov 4 (AFP) - Six Iraqi soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in a dawn battle with insurgents at a checkpoint in northern Baghdad, a military source said Friday. The attack took place on the day that most Shiite Arabs in Iraq celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq the holiday season has often been characterized by an increase in insurgent attacks.(Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Two US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 4 (AFP) - Two US soldiers died in Iraq on Thursday, the US military announced here. A US soldier died "as a result of non-battle related causes" late Thursday near the town of Tallil, near Balad, some 75 kilometers (45 miles) north of Baghdad, the US military said Friday. Earlier the military said that a military policeman was killed near the town of Baquba, close to Tallil. The MP "was killed in action while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Baquba. The cause of death was an improvised explosive device," a statement said.(Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Suspected militant killed in attack on Thai policeman's home BANGKOK, Nov 4 (AFP) - A suspected militant in Thailand's restive south has been shot dead after he tried to attack a border patrol policeman with a machete, police said Friday. Baze Ha, 21, was shot once after he broke into the home of Corporal Anwar Benhawan, in Saiburi district of Pattani province late Thursday. He was pronounced dead at hospital, police said.(Posted @ 11:12 PST)
9,000 chickens die in latest Chinese bird flu outbreak: OIE BEIJING, Nov 4 (AFP) - Nearly 9,000 chickens have died in the fourth outbreak of bird flu to hit China in just over two weeks, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on its website Friday. Chinese authorities reported to the organisation that the latest outbreak, in the village of Badaohao in northeastern Liaoning province, began on October 26 and was officially confirmed on Thursday.(Posted @ 11:02 PST)
US Secretary of State Rice to visit Middle East, Asia WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (AFP) - The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, will tour the Middle East and Asia from November 10 to November 21, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday. Rice "will visit Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories before continuing on to Asia," McCormack said. There she will travel to Pusan, South Korea, where she will lead the US delegation at the ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the spokesman said.(Posted @ 10:52 PST)
Al-Qaeda claims it downed US chopper in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 4 (AFP) - Al-Qaeda claimed Thursday it had shot down a US attack helicopter in western Iraq that killed two marines, as a radical Shiite Muslim preacher called on his countrymen to unite to "get rid of" Sunni extremists.(Posted @ 10:48 PST)
4,000 birds dead in new avian flu outbreak in Vietnam HANOI, Nov 4 (AFP) - Some 4,000 poultry and water fowl have died in fresh outbreaks of bird flu in northern Vietnam's Bac Giang province, north of the capital, an animal health official said Friday. "The chairperson of the provincial people's committee on Thursday declared that bird flu has hit three communes," said the official from Bac Giang's animal health department, refusing to be named. About 4,000 poultry and water fowl had died in the province's Yen Lu, Van Trung and Tang Tien communes, around 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Hanoi from October 25, he said. The areas are now under a close watch and a quarantine has been imposed. Two people died in central Vietnam's Quang Binh province in late October with symptoms similar to bird flu but doctors said their samples had never been tested. Two-thirds of the more than 60 people killed by the H5N1 strain of bird flu since late 2003 have been in Vietnam.(Posted @ 10:45 PST)
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