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| November 15, 2005 | Tuesday | Shawwal 12, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Car bomb kills three outside KFC in Karachi
KARACHI, Nov 15 (Reuters) A small Suzuki sedan exploded outside a KFC fast-food restaurant in Karachi before 9 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding 15, police and doctors said. Some victims suffered severe burns in the bombing, which blew a metre-wide (3-feet-wide) hole in the street and engulfed it in a fireball that gutted six or seven other parked cars in the centre of Pakistan's commercial hub. Provincial authorities said they suspected extremist militants were to blame and cast doubt on a claim of responsibility by a separatist group from nearby Balochistan province which said it had targeted an office of a state-run Pakistani oil company. The bomb gutted the restaurant on the ground floor of the six-storey block, shattering all the windows in the building which houses several oil and gas exploration firms, including Pakistan Petroleum (PPL). "Indications are that extremist and militant organizations could be involved in the blast," a spokesman for the Sindh provincial government in Karachi said. Police said they had found some clues from security cameras mounted on the Pakistan Industrial Development Corp (PIDC) building. "This is an act of terrorism and apparently KFC was the target," Manzoor Mughal, chief of investigation for Karachi police, told Reuters. The restaurant was shut at the time, but the street, one of Karachi's busiest, was full of people arriving for work. Two security guards for the Muslim Commercial Bank died at once and a third died later in hospital, police said. Doctors said six people had been admitted to hospital in a critical condition, some with severe burns. The materials used, 5 kg (11 lb) of military-style RDX explosive and gunpowder, made the blast particularly intense, police added. (Updated@ 23:40 PST)
Security agencies put on high alert
KARACHI, Nov. 15 (APP) Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan Tuesday put the security agencies on high alert, directing them to beef up security and revamp three sensitive security zones. He constituted two specialized teams of experts to investigate the bomb blast that killed two persons and wounded 15 others in front of PIDC House at a law and order review meeting held at Governor House today. DIG Investigation Manzoor Mughal and DIG CID Wajid Durrani will head these teams. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui, Information Advisor Salahuddin Haider, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman, IG Sindh Asad Jahangir, Principal Secretary Saleem Khan besides high civil and military officials.(Posted @ 18:36 PST)President, Prime Minister condemn bomb blast in Karachi ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf condemned Tuesday morning's bombing incident in Karachi as an act of terrorism and directed the concerned authorities to launch an immediate and thorough investigation into it. "We condemn this dastardly act-whoever is responsible for this should be held accountable in accordance with the law," he said. He asked the concerned authorities to provide the best medical treatment to the injured. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday also condemned the bomb blast in Karachi and ordered an enquiry into the incident.(Posted @ 18:14 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan want England to play in Karachi despite bomb MULTAN, Pakistan, Nov 15 (Reuters) Pakistan cricket authorities would like England to play a one-day international in Karachi next month despite the bomb blast there on Tuesday. The bomb blast outside a fast food restaurant that killed two people and injured around 15 was close to where the England team is scheduled to stay for the third one-dayer of their tour. "Bomb blasts have been a part and parcel these days and if Australia can play in England after the London blasts and if Sri Lanka can play in India after Delhi blasts then England can play in Karachi," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters. "We hope the blast will not affect the tour and we will not take any decisions on the Karachi one-dayer in panic and are in constant touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan government." Khan said the already strict security at grounds where England was playing would be further enhanced. There was no immediate reaction from the England management. (Posted @ 14:59 PST)
Cricket-Trescothick out, England close on 24-1 MULTAN, Pakistan, Nov 15 (Reuters) England, chasing a victory target of 198, were 24 for one when bad light ended play early on the fourth day of the first test against Pakistan on Tuesday. Captain Marcus Trescothick was the only wicket to fall, bowled for five after dragging a wide delivery from Shabbir Ahmed on to his stumps. Ian Bell was unbeaten on 12 and Andrew Strauss had made seven not out.(Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Pakistan to have national arbitration center for dispute resolution: PM ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Tuesday the country will have a National Arbitration Center, which will serve as an alternative tool for quick resolution of disputes. The arbitration center, to be run in the private sector, will be opened through amendment in the existing arbitration act, the Prime Minister announced while addressing the closing session of a conference on arbitration "Privatization of Justice" here. Terming this decision to be a major headway in the country's justice system, Aziz said, in the modern world, arbitration is an affective tool of disputes resolution and avoiding unnecessary delays.(Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Internal party differences can be resolved amicably: PM ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday said differences within the party could be resolved through mutual consultation and appreciated the offer of President Pakistan Muslim League Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to meet the aggrieved parliamentarians. He was talking to the media here at the PML House, along with President PML Chudhry Shujaat Hussain, Secretary General PML Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and other leaders and federal ministers including Tariq Azeem, Nasir Khan, Wasi Zafar, Gohar Ayub and Muhammad Ali Durrani. Replying to a question, Aziz said he had not seen any list of 35 aggrieved parliamentarians but added that PML President Chaudhry Shujaat had offered to meet them to resolve their misunderstandings and apprehensions.(Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Israel pushing Palestinians to civil war: Abbas RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 15 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel on Tuesday of trying to avoid peace talks and push Palestinians into civil war by insisting that militants be disarmed ahead of any negotiations on statehood. Abbas said in a televised address that Israel was acting as though it had "no peace partner". "(Israel) is seeking to impose a very dangerous option, and that is a long-term solution based on setting up a state with provisional borders controlled by the Israelis, divided by settlements into isolated cantons," Abbas said. In another speech delivered on his behalf at a conference in Israel marking the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Abbas said he believed a deal could be possible. "If we have an Israeli partner willing to engage in these negotiations, mark our words we do not need more than six months to conclude an historic permanent status treaty," he said.(Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Rice brokers Israeli-Palestinian deal on Gaza borders JERUSALEM, Nov 15 (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a crucial deal on Gaza border crossings on Tuesday after brokering marathon talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. "I am pleased to be able to announce today that Israel and the Palestinian authorities have approved an agreement on access," Rice told a news conference, revealing the rare breakthrough in Middle East diplomacy. "This agreement is a good step forward." She said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, was targeted for reopening on Nov. 25, and the deal also called for Palestinian convoys to start travelling between Gaza and the West Bank within a month. Rice said construction on a Gaza seaport could also begin. An Israeli Defence Ministry source said a compromise was reached whereby Israeli and Palestinian security officers will man a control room a few kilometres from Rafah monitoring remote-control cameras at the border crossing. (First Posted@ 14:15 PST Updated@ 15:56 PST)
Afghan, Iraq laws link Islam and democracy VIENNA, Nov 15 (Reuters) The presidents of Afghanistan and Iraq told a three-day conference called "Islam in a Pluralistic World" on Tuesday in Austria that their countries' new constitutions proved democracy, civil rights and women's equality were compatible with the holy Quran. Presidents Hamid Karzai and Jalal Talabani were among several Muslim leaders at the gathering urging Westerners to stop linking their religion with violence just because a tiny minority misused Islam's name to justify terror. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried stressed Washington's view that Islam and democracy were compatible. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi said "Women's rights are a common problem in all Islamic countries…today many governments hide behind the shield of Islam to justify tyranny by presenting a false and distorted interpretation of Islam," she said. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami politely chided the organisers of the conference for focusing only on how Muslims had to adapt to changing times. "Many Christians have an especially radical (negative) approach to pluralism as some Muslims do, both are mistaken," he said.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Afghan roadside bomb kills U.S. soldier KABUL, Nov 15 (Reuters) One American soldier was killed and another wounded on Tuesday when their armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in south-eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement. Two Afghan security men and a civilian were also wounded in the blast in Paktika province, the statement said.(Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Militant attack on Kashmir rally kills two, wounds 60 SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, Nov 15 (Reuters) Suspected militants threw a grenade and opened fire at a political rally near Tangmarg, 45 km west of Srinagar in Occupied Kashmir on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding at least 60, including a former state minister, police said. Hundreds of people were at the rally organised by the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a partner of the ruling Congress party-led coalition in Occupied Kashmir. Police said the wounded included two senior police officers and former Occupied Kashmir state tourism minister Ghulam Hassan Mir. Many of the wounded were in serious condition.(First Posted@ 17:45 PST Updated@ 18:50 PST)
Shah condemns cold blooded killings in Occupied Kashmir (Srinagar, November 15 PPI) In Occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, Shabbir Ahmad Shah condemned the cold-blooded killings by Indian troops of two students at Palhalan, Pattan, in Baramulla district. The students were used by troops as human shields in a clash with Mujahideen in the area. Addressing a public gathering, Shah said India has stepped up human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir at a time when it was engaged in a peace process with Pakistan.(Posted @ 18:40 PST)
One dead as soldiers storm hotel to end two-day Kashmir siege SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, Nov 15 (AFP) A militant was killed and another arrested Tuesday when police stormed a hotel to end a two-day siege that began with a deadly attack on a police post in Srinagar, police said. "The operation in Lal Chowk is over. We have killed one militant and arrested another," a police chief said. Heavily-armed militants had attacked a federal Central Reserve Police Force post in Lal Chowk, a central market square, on Monday, killing two policemen and two civilians. The militants then escaped to a nearby hotel and exchanged fire with police from Monday until the Tuesday afternoon raid by police.(Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Iraq investigates abuse of prisoners in govt bunker BAGHDAD, Nov 15 (Reuters) Iraq is investigating allegations of abuse after more than 160 prisoners were found locked in an Interior Ministry bunker in Baghdad, many of them beaten and malnourished and some apparently tortured. The detainees were discovered on Sunday night during a raid by U.S. troops who were searching for a missing teenage boy.(Posted @ 21:40 PST)
Israeli officer cleared in Palestinian girl's death JERUSALEM, Nov 15 (Reuters) An Israeli army captain accused of riddling with bullets the body of a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza after she was shot by his troops was cleared by a court on Tuesday of any wrongdoing, the army said. The girl Iman al-Hams was shot some 20 times on Oct. 5, 2004 near an army outpost on her way to school in Rafah. The army had launched the probe after soldiers told local media that after they had shot and killed the girl, the officer had gone out, shot her twice and then riddled her body with bullets from head to toe. The case has revived human rights groups' charges that Israeli troops use excessive force against Palestinians and are almost never punished by the military for their actions.(Posted @ 21:36 PST)
US says 30 insurgents killed in west Iraq offensive BAGHDAD, Nov 15 (Reuters) U.S. and Iraqi forces pursuing a 10-day-old assault on al Qaeda militants have killed around 30 fighters since Monday night in western Iraq, capturing some who tried to escape by crawling among a flock of sheep, the military said on Tuesday. Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops have been sweeping through towns near the Syrian border as part of Operation Steel Curtain, which was extended on Monday to the town of Ubaydi, on the Euphrates river, 20 km from the Syrian border.(Posted @ 21:36 PST)
Two killed in clashes as tensions rise in SE Turkey DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Nov 15 (Reuters) Two people were killed and at least 10 injured on Tuesday when police clashed with pro-Kurdish rebel demonstrators in the province of Hakkari, security officials and eyewitnesses said.(Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Japan to double aid for Palestinians RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 15 (AFP) Palestinian foreign minister Nasser al-Qidwa announced Tuesday that Tokyo had decided to double its level of aid to 200 million dollars after he held talks with Japan's envoy to the Middle East. "This reflects a political decision by the Japanese to help the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority," the minister said.(Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Jordan 'bomber' had three brothers killed in Iraq AMMAN, Nov 15 (AFP) An Iraqi woman who dramatically confessed on Jordanian television to her role in the deadly multiple bombings on Amman hotels last week had three brothers and a brother-in-law killed by US forces in Iraq, officials and family sources said Tuesday. Jordanian officials said the woman captured Sunday, Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, 35, had provided few leads apart from her apparent motivation and that the investigation was now focused on whether the bombers had accomplices in Jordan.(Posted @ 19:58 PST)
Widespread fraud reported in Egypt runoffs CAIRO, Nov 15 (AFP) Egyptians were voting Tuesday in runoffs for the first phase of parliamentary polls, which the opposition Muslim Brothers charged were rife with fraud by President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party. Of the 164 first-phase seats, most of the 133 still undecided contests were pitting candidates from the ruling National Democratic Party against independents running as Muslim Brothers. The elections were planned in three two-round phases. The second, which includes Alexandria, is due to kick off on November 20. All 26 governorates in the country will have finished voting by December 7.(Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Spain to probe CIA prisoner plane allegations MADRID, Nov 15 (AFP) Spain said Tuesday that it would investigate claims that US Central Intelligence Agency planes carrying extremist suspects made secret stopovers on Spanish soil. Announcing the move, Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said the matter could damage relations between Madrid and Washington. The US embassy here refused to comment on what it termed "such a sensitive issue."(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
UN official calls for 'unconditional' inspection of Guantanamo Bay VIENNA, Nov 15 (AFP) UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak urged the United States on Tuesday to allow unrestricted inspection of the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, noting that China had agreed to a similar investigation of its jails. "The situation is very clear: if the United States does not accept an unconditional inspection, we will not go," Nowak said. He warned that “a refusal would reinforce the suspicion that there are still a lot of things at Guantanamo Bay which should not be seen." Serious allegations of human rights abuses have been made concerning the conditions under which the 520 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are being held without trial, and a number have gone on hunger strike.(Posted @ 19:44 PST)
Illegal immigrants riot in Malaysian detention centre KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (AFP) Scores of the 168 Indonesian and Pakistani illegal immigrants rioted in a Malaysian detention centre on Borneo island Tuesday, leaving two officers wounded, officials said. The detainees were angered by delays in bringing their former employers to trial, which has kept them behind bars for five months, a report said. The riot ended within about 15 minutes, when wardens and immigration officers coaxed the detainees into returning to their blocks, where they were to continue their wait for the case to go to trial.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
India's Sonia Gandhi vows action against guilty in oil-for-food scandal NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (AFP) Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi pledged Tuesday the Indian government would take action against anyone found to be involved in making money out of the UN oil-for-food program in Iraq. "If they are not innocent then action will be taken," Gandhi told a conference in New Delhi. "It made me extremely angry." India's former chief judge R.S. Pathak will inquire into the naming of Singh as a beneficiary of four million barrels of Iraqi oil. (Posted @ 14:27 PST)
Sharon's son pleads guilty in Israeli funds scandal TEL AVIV, Nov 15 (Reuters) The son of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pleaded guilty on Tuesday in an Israeli campaign funds scandal that could pose a challenge to the Israeli leader ahead of expected early elections. Omri Sharon, a Likud Party lawmaker and key adviser to his father, had previously said he would argue in his defence. He was accused of fraud, breach of trust and perjury – charges carrying a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison. Allegations that shell companies were set up to funnel foreign donations to Ariel Sharon's successful 1999 race for the right-wing Likud party leadership fuelled political opposition to the prime minister. Foreign funding of political campaigns is illegal in Israel. (Posted @ 14:26 PST)
Indian security forces kill two Maoists in new clash NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (AFP) - Police killed two Maoist rebels Tuesday in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, two days after the guerrillas launched a daring attack in a neighbouring state, a top official said. "The encounter started early in the morning in Hazaribagh area and after exchanging fire for nearly two hours, the rebels appear to have retreated," said the director general of Jharkhand police, V.D. Ram. "We have killed two Maoist rebels but they have pulled the bodies to where they are sheltering," he said adding that the police had encircled around 100 to 150 Maoist rebels in Hazaribagh district's Keredari area. Hundreds of rebels attacked a jail in neighbouring Bihar state Sunday and freed 341 jailed Maoists, including some top militant leaders. Five people died in the attack. (Posted @ 12:33 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 51.49 points: KARACHI, Nov 15: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 8889.75, up 51.49 points from Mondays's close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:23 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 15: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.85 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:23 PST)
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