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| December 2, 2005 | Friday | Shawwal 29, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
England fight to save third Pakistan Test LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec 2 (AFP) England, trailing by 348 runs, were 121-2 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day of the third and final Test against Pakistan here on Friday. Pakistan lead 1-0 in the series following their 22-run victory in the first Test at Multan. Scores: England 1st innings 288 (P. Collingwood 96, M. Vaughan 58, M. Trescothick 50), Pakistan 1st innings 636-8 declared (M. Yousuf 223, Inzamam-ul-Haq 97, K. Akmal 154), England 2nd innings 121-2 (M. Trescothick 0, M. Vaughan 13, I. Bell not out 60, P. Collingwood not out 37; S. Akhtar 34 – 2)(First Posted @ 17:36 PST Updated@ 20:22 PST)
Ten marines killed near Iraq's Fallujah BAGHDAD, Dec 2 (AFP) - A roadside explosion killed 10 US marines and wounded 11 more outside of the troubled Iraqi city of Fallujah, the US military said Friday as they launched a new operation in the nearby city of Ramadi. The deadly attack against a foot patrol occurred Thursday, a US military statement said, and was the bloodiest single attack on US military since August. The violence also coincided with the issue of a report by a Washington-based research group that suggested the insurgency was thriving and could get even stronger. The marine patrol near Fallujah "was attacked with an IED (improvised explosive device) fashioned from several large artillery shells," the military said. The deaths brought the US military toll in Iraq to 2,125 soldiers and defense personnel killed since the start of the US-led war in 2003, according to Pentagon figures. The Fallujah blast came shortly after US and Iraqi forces launched a joint operation in nearby Ramadi where militants had staged a symbolic attack a day earlier.(Posted @ 23:28 PST)
President to leave on 4-day foreign visit today ISLAMABAD, December 02 (PPI) President General Pervez Musharraf is paying a 4-day visit to Kuwait and Yemen from today (Saturday) and will attend 2-day 3rd extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference at Makkah Mukarramah beginning from December 7. The visit to Kuwait and Yemen are aimed at strengthening economic relations with these countries. The President will meet their leadership to exchange views on a host of bilateral, regional and international issues. He will also meet speakers of the parliaments, key cabinet members, business leaders and members of the Pakistani community. (Posted @ 23:10 PST)
Pakistani consulate likely to be operational in Mumbai in January ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam expressed the hope that Pakistan's consulate general would become operational in Mumbai in January. Efforts were being made to settle all matters in this connection with India and hopefully the process would be accomplished soon, she told a private television channel. She said the talks on Nankana Sahib-Amratsar bus service would be held on December 20-21. To a question she said no date has been fixed yet for the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Pakistan.(Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Denmark issues warning to travellers to Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (AFP) Denmark said Friday it had issued a warning to travellers to Pakistan after offers of a reward were made for the deaths of cartoonists who drew the Holy Prophet Mohammed (P.B.U.H) in a Danish newspaper. Copenhagen altered its travel advisory after an alleged official from Jamaat-e-Islami allegedly offered the 500,000-rupee bounty, Denmark's ambassador to Islamabad, Bent Wigotski, said. The Danish ambassador said the change in the travel advisory was based on a report published in an Urdu language newspaper on November 15. A spokesman for Jamaat-e-Islami denied offering any reward for the deaths of the cartoonists. "This is absolutely foolish and baseless news. We do not believe in violence and we never had any such policy because we are a democratic party," spokesman Shahid Shamsi said. "However, we are strongly against drawing sketches of our Holy Prophet," Shamsi added.(Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Large earthquake shakes northern Japan, after moderate one TOKYO, Dec 2, 2005 (AFP) A large earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale, hit northern Japan late Friday at 10:13 pm (1313 GMT), according to the meteorological agency. Although there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, the quake was strong enough to shake skyscrapers in central Tokyo. The quake followed a moderate earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter Scale that hit central Japan.(Posted @ 19:24 PST)
Indian PM pledges probe into new oil-for-food allegations NEW DELHI, Dec 2 (AFP) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged Friday to probe new allegations that the country's former foreign minister, Natwar Singh, and the ruling Congress party were involved in a scam to profit from a UN oil-for-food deal in Iraq. "We are determined that truth must prevail in this matter," the Congress party premier told parliament as opposition members jeered. The pledge followed allegations by India's envoy to Croatia, Anil Maithrani, that the former foreign minister Natwar Singh and Congress got special vouchers to purchase oil cheaply from Baghdad when the Congress party was out of power. These statements, aired on an Indian television sparked chaos in parliament and demands for Natwar Singh to be prosecuted. Singh told the parliament the wing of the finance ministry, which probes financial irregularities, would consider the fresh allegations as part of its investigation into the matter.(First Posted@ 15:38 PST Updated@ 19:15 PST)
India unveils naval blueprint for Indian Ocean dominance NEW DELHI, Dec 2 (AFP) India announced Friday ambitious acquisition plans for its navy and said the new military hardware would give it greater clout in the strategic energy corridors of the Indian Ocean. "The Asia-Pacific region holds immense promise for political, economic and military cooperation and the vital role maritime forces play in this regard makes the Indian Navy a key component of the nation's foreign policy," Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash told a news conference in New Delhi. The navy has also embarked on its grandest mission to indigenously build an aircraft carrier, Prakash said. "There are 36 more ships on the cards and I don't think there is any navy in the world which currently has such a large project in hand," he added. Senior military officials said the navy was also shopping for 30 long-range helicopters to replace its British-built Sea King rotorcraft and was awaiting a US offer to lease to India two anti-submarine warfare P-3 Orion aircraft. The navy was also awaiting delivery of a refurbished Soviet-era aircraft carrier from the Russians as well a wide-bodied Illushyn-76 aircraft -- re-configured for maritime surveillance. Admiral Prakash said the navy, which has bases in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, was also working on a complex project to link up its warships and submarines via satellite.(Posted @ 17:25 PST)
U.S., Iraqi troops launch operation in Ramadi RAMADI, Iraq, Dec 2 (Reuters) U.S. and Iraqi troops launched an operation designed to disrupt guerrilla activity in Ramadi on Friday ahead of Iraq's Dec. 15 elections. Some 300 American Marines and 200 Iraqi army soldiers began Operation Shank. "The purpose of the operation is to disrupt a terrorist group that utilises an area of Ramadi as its base for attacks on local Ramadi citizens, Iraqi and U.S. military," said a U.S. military statement.(Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Secret CIA flights: At least two stopovers made in France: report PARIS, Dec 2 (AFP) Aircraft hired by the US Central Intelligence Agency possibly to transport prisoners have made at least two stopovers in France, in 2002 and 2005, the daily Le Figaro reported Friday. British newspaper The Guardian said Thursday it had seen navigation logs showing that more than 300 flights operated by the CIA had passed through European airports, as part of a network that could be involved in clandestine detention and possible torture of terrorism suspects.(Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Sri Lanka's north strikes in protest at killings JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Dec 2 (Reuters) Protesters burned barricades and blocked major roads in Sri Lanka's government-held Jaffna peninsula on Friday as part of a general strike over the killing of two Tamil men. They blamed the government and the EPDP, an anti-rebel minority Tamil party that is an alliance partner of new President Mahinda Rajapakse, for the killings. The military denied the charge.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Bangladesh police find five bombs, arrest 20 over attacks DHAKA, Dec 2 (Reuters) Police hunting suicide bombers in Bangladesh said they had found five bombs and arrested 20 suspected militants on Friday following three bomb attacks this week that killed 13 people and wounded nearly 100. The bombs were found on a street corner in south-western Khulna city, 350 from the capital Dhaka, they said.(Posted @ 17:08 PST)
Israel successfully tests anti-missile system JERUSALEM, Dec 2 (Reuters) Israel carried out a successful test of its missile-interceptor system on Friday when an Arrow II missile downed an incoming rocket designed to simulate an Iranian Shahab-3, the defence ministry said. The test, the latest in a series, came a day after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel could not accept the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran, though he steered clear of threatening military action against the Islamic Republic.(Posted @ 16:58 PST)
Cleric shot dead in Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec 2 (AFP) Gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead a cleric Friday in a remote south-western Pakistani town, police said, in the latest suspected sectarian killing to hit the country. Religious leader Allamma Badar-ud-Din was ambushed by two armed men as he left his home to go to a mosque in Dera Murad Jamali, some 240 kilometres south of Quetta, police said. The small town was tense after the attack and security has been stepped up with extra police deployed in Quetta. A spokesman for Lashkar-e-Jhangvi called newspaper offices in Quetta and claimed responsibility for the attack.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)
China sending 150 tons of activated charcoal to help Russia cope with spill KHABAROVSK, Russia, dEC 2 (APP/AP) China is sending Russia 150 tons of activated charcoal at no cost to help its neighbour cope with the consequences of toxic spill from a Chinese plant, regional authorities said Friday. The charcoal is already at the border and will be shipped via train into Russia to help filter water affected by the benzene slick expected to cross the border around Dec. 11,A spokeswoman for the Khabarovsk regional government said.(Posted @ 15:43 PST)
Turkey to reopen consulate in northern Iraq town ANKARA, Dec 2 (APP/AFP): Turkey is to reopen a consulate in Mosul, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in Ankara on Friday, describing the Kurdish-dominated area around the northern Iraqi town as a Turkish "hinterland." Turkey already has an embassy in Baghdad.(Posted @ 15:43 PST)
Tribal violence leaves six more dead in northeast India GUWAHATI, India, Dec 2 (AFP) Tribesmen killed six people, including a woman and an infant, and torched two dozen homes before dawn Friday in running ethnic clashes in India's northeastern state of Assam, police said. Armed Dimasa tribesmen attacked Shirrkongnep village in the troubled Karbi Anglong district, 330 kilometers east of Assam's main city Guwahati. All the dead were from the majority Karbi tribe.(Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Nepal rebels extend truce as anti-king rally starts KATHMANDU, Dec 2 (Reuters) Nepal's Maoist rebels extended a unilateral ceasefire by one month on Friday as thousands of protesters rallied against King Gyanendra who seized power in February and cracked down on political dissent. Political parties immediately welcomed the statement.(Posted @ 15:27 PST)
Cricket-First day's play washed out in Chennai test CHENNAI, India, Dec 2 (Reuters) Heavy rains washed out the opening day's play in the first test between India and Sri Lanka on Friday. After weather concerns in the run-up to the match, hopes of any play on the first day ended quickly with heavy showers throughout the morning, influenced by a tropical storm swirling off the coast of Chennai.(Posted @ 15:24 PST)
Pakistan closes Afghan bordering crossing after spat ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (Reuters) Pakistani security forces closed the country's main border crossing on the western frontier with Afghanistan after both sides accused each other of beating up their soldiers, officials said on Friday. The crossing between the Pakistani town of Chaman and Afghanistan's Spin Boldak was closed late on Thursday after Pakistani forces accused their Afghan counterparts of "kidnapping" a paramilitary trooper and beating him. "The soldier was released late last night but he was badly thrashed," a senior official of Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps said. He said Pakistani forces closed the crossing and were awaiting orders before reopening the crossing point.(Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Inzamam joins the 8,000 club LAHORE, Dec 2 (Reuters) Inzamam-ul-Haq became the 14th player in test history to score more than 8,000 runs as his Pakistan side headed for victory over England on the fourth day of the third test on Friday. The Pakistani captain, who resumed batting on 35 on Friday after having retired hurt on day two with a wrist injury, was run out three runs short of his 25th test century as Pakistan ran up a huge total of 636 for eight declared.(Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Seven jailed suspected Islamists on hunger strike: Russian rights group MOSCOW, Dec 2 (AFP) - Seven Muslims, jailed in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan in August on suspicion of membership in the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic organisation, are on a hunger strike in protest of their conviction, the Memorial rights group said. "First reports of the hunger strike came on Monday, November 28. Local rights activists quote a note which one of the inmates managed to get out -- 'November 21, 2005 in the name of Allah we are starting a hunger strike as protest against our illegal conviction on faked charges'," the Memorial said in a statement late Thursday. A total of nine people were found guilty of charges that included terrorist activity, organising a criminal group and inciting religious strife, but they denied the charges, only admitting to carrying out propaganda work with the help of educational literature.(Posted @ 10:01 PST)
UN chief calls off Asia tour UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called off a planned tour of Asia, including visits to China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, because of "pressing matters," a spokesman said Thursday. He said the move was "in particular" because of "discussions over the UN budget, and other urgent political issues."(Posted @ 09:58 PST)
Pakistan has emerged as preferred country for product sourcing: says Commerce Minister LOS ANGELES (California), Dec 1 (APP)- Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan Thursday asked U.S. businessmen to visit Pakistan to see for themselves the extraordinary benefits Pakistan now offers as a preferred country for product sourcing, especially in the textile and apparel sector. At a luncheon meeting the minister provided members of the Southern California business community an update on the current economic and political situation in Pakistan, stressing the importance Pakistan places on building long- term business relationships with companies in the United States. Meanwhile, the minister visited the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles to sign a Memorandum Of Understanding to explore a cooperative relationship that may include exchanges and collaboration between FIDM and the premier fashion and design school in Pakistan, the Pakistan School of Fashion Design in Lahore.(Posted @ 09:08 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 145.88 points: KARACHI, Dec 02: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9226.41, up 145.88 points from Thursday's close. (Bureau Report) (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Dec 02: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.15 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
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