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| December 8, 2005 | Thursday | Ziqa’ad 5, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Militants claim killing of US hostage BAGHDAD, Dec 8 (AFP) - An extremist group in Iraq claimed Thursday it had killed a US contractor taken hostage in the latest spate of kidnappings of Westerners in the war-torn country.(Posted @ 23:40 PST)
King Abdullah, President Musharraf pay homage together at Holy Kaaba MAKKAH, Dec 8 (APP) - In a special gesture King Abdullah had President Pervez Musharraf close to him as Muslim leaders from OIC states prayed together inside the Holy Kaaba after the conclusion of the OIC extraordinary summit here Thursday. The heads of state and governments from OIC member states went to the most sacred places to bow before the Almighty and seek divine blessing for the well-being, unity, progress and strengthening of the Ummah. The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques and the Pakistani president entered the Holy Kaaba together to perform nawafil.(Posted @ 23:36 PST)
China vows to minimize damage to Russia from toxic slick BEIJING, Dec 8 (AFP) Chinese President Hu Jintao has vowed to "spare no effort" to minimize the damage from a chemical spill on Russia as Beijing mulled plans to build a temporary dam to stop the slick. "We will take all necessary and effective measures and do our utmost to minimize the pollution and reduce the damage to the Russian side," Hu told visiting Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. The country's top environmental agency, meanwhile, ordered a nationwide inspection of major factories near rivers to prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future, Xinhua said.(Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Two-thirds of Palestinians living in poverty: UN JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (AFP) Levels of poverty were steadily rising in the Palestinian territories with nearly three-quarters of the Gaza Strip's population living below the poverty line, the United Nations said Thursday. In the five years since the start of the Palestinian uprising, unemployment in Gaza and the West Bank has risen from 10 percent to more than 30 percent, according to the report compiled by all the UN agencies working in the region. The agencies now say they need 215 million dollars in emergency assistance for the Palestinian population. Filippo Grandi, deputy head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, said the situation had been exacerbated by the Israeli army's constant closures in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza from where the last troops were withdrawn in September. The report found that a total of 64 percent of the population as a whole were living below the poverty line, classified as 2.20 dollars a day, half of whom were classified as extreme poverty cases (less than 1.6 dollars). In Gaza, the figure living below the poverty line stood at 78 percent. The agencies said they needed 74 million dollars for food aid and 73 million for job creation schemes.(Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Musharraf meets Egyptian President, Malaysian PM Mecca, Dec 8 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf Thursday held meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Malaysian Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah. The meeting with the Egyptian President on the sidelines of the OIC extraordinary summit discussed the Middle East situation and matters related to the OIC. The discussions with Badawi were focused on promotion of economic and commercial relations between the two countries.(Posted @ 21:48 PST)
Hostile fire downed British plane in Iraq: British minister LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) Hostile ground-to-air fire brought down a British military aircraft which crashed in Iraq in January killing 10 soldiers, British defence minister John Reid said on Thursday. The C130 Hercules transport plane crashed 30 kms northwest of Baghdad on Jan. 30 causing the biggest single British loss of life in Iraq.(Posted @ 19:56 PST)
Music, flowers and candles for Lennon, 25 years on LIVERPOOL, England/NEW YORK, Dec 8 (Reuters) Fans laid flowers and lit candles on Thursday to honour music icon and peace activist John Lennon, 25 years after he was murdered outside his New York apartment. In a small ceremony in the centre of the northern English city of Liverpool where Lennon was born and raised, fans and officials created a shrine beneath a statue of the legendary Beatle and a priest read out a prayer in his memory. In New York, hundreds of mourners were expected to gather at the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park and light candles at 10:50 p.m. EST (0350 GMT Friday), the time Lennon was shot.(Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Palestinian kills Israeli near Jerusalem JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (Reuters) An alleged Palestinian man stabbed an Israeli to death at a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israel Radio said. The report said the Israeli was stabbed in the neck and the attacker was apprehended at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah.(Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Israeli air strike kills two in Gaza GAZA, Dec 8 (Reuters) An Israeli missile struck a house in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing two Palestinians, Palestinian witnesses and medics said.(Posted @ 19:44 PST)
Iran's Ahmadinejad calls for Jewish state in Europe TEHRAN, Dec 8 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday suggested that Israel should be moved to Europe. "Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: 'Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?'." "If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe, like in Germany, Austria or other countries, to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer them a part of Europe and we will support it," he added.(Posted @ 19:35 PST)
Eight militants die in Syrian clash DAMASCUS, Dec 8 (Reuters) Eight militants were killed in a clash between Syrian security forces and a militant group in a farm in central Syria on Thursday, the state news agency SANA reported. "After an exchange of fire with members of the group for about an hour, a big explosion was heard inside the farm. Three of the group members blew themselves up with explosive belts and five others were killed in the clash," SANA said.(Posted @ 19:32 PST)
IOC lifts ban on Pakistan hockey captain LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec 8 (AFP) Pakistan were given a boost in their bid to regain the Champions Trophy hockey title after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended a ban on captain Mohammad Saqlain, an official said Thursday. Saqlain was banned for three international matches and fined 1,000 euros for hitting Australian player Craig Victory in a tournament held in Germany in August this year. "The Arbitration Commission of the IOC has suspended the decision of the International Hockey Federation judicial commission and lifted the ban on Saqlain," a Pakistan Hockey Federation spokesman said. The decision means Saqlain can play in all of Pakistan's matches in the elite six-nation Champions Trophy starting in Chennai, India on Saturday.(Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Mecca summit recognises need to address Kashmir issue: Musharraf Mecca, Dec 8 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday said the Mecca summit has recognized the need of addressing the Kashmir issue and similar disputes confronting the Muslim Ummah. ”The OIC should have the conflict resolution ability and play an effective role in resolution of such issues," Musharraf told reporters here at the Al-Safa Palace during a press conference. He said the Joint Communiqué and the Ten-Year Action Plan, finalised by the Muslim leaders of the 57 member OIC states after two-days of deliberations, have agreed on "a strong-worded" mention of the Kashmir dispute. Musharraf also described the Palestinian issue as a "critical dispute" and said contacts with Israel reflected Pakistan's desire of seeking a resolution of all disputes through negotiations. "We are for the creation of a Palestinian homeland and against the occupation of additional land by Israel," he said. He added that the onus was on the Muslim world to make the OIC summit a beginning of socio-economic emancipation. "It is the Ummah which has to act now. I have recommended a financial contribution of .01 per cent of GDP from all members, or at least .005 per cent, for the creation of an OIC fund which is imperative for achieving the avowed objective of development within the Muslim world," he said.(Posted @ 18:46 PST)
India successfully tests Trishul missile BHUBANESHWAR, India, Dec 8 (AFP) India successfully tested its Trishul missile Thursday in the eastern state of Orissa, defence officials said. The Trishul was fired a day after the Indian military tested its surface-to-air missile, Akash, at the same location of Chandipur-on-Sea. Trishul was being designed for use by the army, airforce and the navy and can transport a 15-kilogramme conventional warhead up to nine kilometres.(Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Israel halts talks on Gaza-West Bank bus convoys JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (Reuters) Israel has suspended talks with the Palestinians on allowing bus convoys between Gaza and the West Bank, despite a deal brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israeli political sources said on Thursday. A U.S. embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv declined comment. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch was due to arrive later on Thursday and was expected to try to bring the sides back to the bargaining table.(First Posted@16:28 PST Updated @ 17:32 PST)
Top Croat war crimes fugitive arrested BELGRADE, Dec 8 (Reuters) Fugitive Croatian General Ante Gotovina, wanted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal, has been arrested in Spain, U.N. chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said in Belgrade on Thursday. Gotovina was indicted in July 2001 for alleged atrocities against rebel Serbs in a government offensive in August 1995 and has been on the run since then.(Posted @ 17:24 PST)
Top court bans "torture evidence" from UK hearings LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) Britain's highest court backed eight terrorism suspects by ruling on Thursday evidence obtained under torture cannot be used in British legal hearings, a blow to the government which has used such information. "Torture is an unqualified evil. It can never be justified. Rather it must always be punished," said Lord Brown, one of seven Law Lords asked to rule on the issue. The panel overthrew the ruling by Britain's Appeal Court in 2004 that secret tribunals hearing cases relating to the terrorism suspects could consider evidence that would not be acceptable in a British criminal court trial.(Posted @ 17:24 PST)
Leaders agree to fight terror for sake of Islam: Saudi foreign minister MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Dec 8 (AFP) Leaders at a summit closing in Mecca on Thursday were united in the need to combat terrorism and defend the image of Islam, the Saudi foreign minister said. "All (leaders) agree on combating terrorism and extremism and stressing the moderate (nature) of Islam," Prince Saud al-Faisal said late Wednesday at the summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). "(They agreed) on stressing the importance of cooperation between Muslims and putting an end to complaints of foreign conspiracies, and concentrating on common efforts to face development challenges," he added.(First Posted 15:15 PST @ Updated @ 17:06 PST)
Musharraf meets Heads of States at OIC summit Mecca, Dec 8 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Extraordinary OIC Summit in the holy city of Mecca. In his meeting with President Ilham Alyev of Azerbaijian, bilateral relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan were discussed. Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan's support for Pakistan's principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir. The President conveyed Pakistan's support to Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. President Hamid Karzai assured Afghanistan’s full support in the rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the quake hit areas. In their meeting, Musharraf and his Tajik counterpart President Rahmanov discussed the electricity transmission projects from Tajikistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan with the assistance of International Financial Institutions and agreed to pursue the matter further. Musharraf assured Prime Minister Begum Khalida Zia of Pakistan's full cooperation in making the Bangladesh Chairmanship of SAARC a success. With President Abdulahi Wade of Senegal, Musharraf exchanged ideas about the OIC reforms and restructuring. Sulaiman Tahiyesh, Member of the Bosnian Troika Presidency also met Musharraf. The two leaders exchanged views on expanding bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bosnia Herzegovina. The President of Mauritania also exchanged views on bilateral relations and reform of the OIC.(Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Saddam's Iraqi lawyer 'threatened' AMMAN, Dec 8 (AFP) The Iraqi lawyer defending Saddam Hussein said on Thursday he was threatened by three people who tried to board his plane as he left Baghdad following the adjournment of the ousted dictator's trial. "I know their names, I know them well but I will not give their names," Khalil al-Dulaimi told reporters on his arrival in Amman from the Iraqi capital, adding that the Iraqi airport authorities refused to allow them to board his plane. Dulaimi arrived in Jordan along with former US attorney Ramsey Clark and Jordanian lawyer Issam Ghazzawi who have been assisting in the defence of Saddam.(Posted @ 16:25 PST)
NATO finalises plan to expand Afghan force BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (AFP) NATO finalised on Thursday a detailed plan to expand its peacekeeping force in Afghanistan into the volatile southern part of the war-scarred country, an alliance spokesman said. British, Dutch and Canadian troops are expected to take leading roles in the NATO push into the south in the spring, with 6,000 extra troops being added to the 9,500-strong force. The so-called "operational plan" notably sets out a "double-hatted" command structure under which the NATO-led ISAF will work more closely with the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). "NATO will be present in three quarters of the country with several thousand more troops in the south," a NATO spokesman said.(Posted @ 16:23 PST)
Rice reassures NATO allies on CIA prisons BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) European allies of the United States declared themselves satisfied on Thursday with new assurances by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that U.S. treatment of detainees was within international law.The issue had dogged Rice’s European tour, with accusations that the CIA has run secret prisons in east Europe and covertly transported detainees in its war against terrorism. "Secretary Rice promised that international agreements are not interpreted any differently in the United States than they are in Europe. That, at least, is a good statement," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters as he arrived for the meeting on Thursday. A NATO spokesman said the discussion at the meeting had cleared the air and that those present appeared to have been reassured.(Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Arroyo's husband accused of Philippine poll fraud MANILA, Dec 8 (Reuters) The husband of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was accused on Thursday of funding vote-rigging on the southern island of Mindanao during national elections last year. Ahmare Lucman, a member of the Lanao Unity Movement for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, told an inquiry that the political group was asked by the president's husband, Jose Miguel, to "ensure the landslide victory" of his wife in the province "at all costs". A lawyer for Jose Miguel Arroyo denied the allegations.(Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Iraq group frees 'fighter' from hospital DUBAI, Dec 8 (Reuters) The Army of Ansar al Sunna insurgent group said it had freed one of its fighters from an Iraqi hospital, killing three guards and wounding five in the process, according to an Internet statement posted on Thursday. The statement's authenticity could not be verified.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Egypt ruling party wins clear parliament majority CAIRO, Dec 8 (Reuters) Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won 102 seats in the final day of voting in legislative elections, official results showed on Thursday, giving the party more than 70 percent of places in parliament. Independent candidates won 18 seats on Wednesday, the last of six days of voting which started on Nov. 9, according to the results read out on state television. The Muslim Brotherhood, which fields candidates as independents because it is banned, says it won 11 seats on Wednesday, giving it a total of 87 of parliament's 444 elected places. Secular parties won only a handful of seats in the month of voting. One member of the liberal Wafd Party won a seat on Wednesday, according to the results.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Seven killed, 50 hurt in Bangladesh bomb blast DHAKA, Dec 8 (Reuters) At least seven people were killed and more than 50 wounded in a suicide bomb attack in Bangladesh on Thursday which took place during the morning rush hour on a crowded street in a district town, police said. Two bombs went off within the space of a few minutes in Netrokona, 360 km north of the capital Dhaka. Police said the wounded included three policemen. Many of the victims were people on their way to work at offices, colleges and markets, witnesses said. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts. Police said they found a suicide bomber among the wounded, with an unexploded bomb strapped to his body. Another suicide bomber was believed to be among the dead.(First Posted@11:30 PST Updated@) 15:45 PST)
Foreign Office clarifies news about inviting Israeli diplomats ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): Pakistan on Thursday categorically stated that no instructions have been issued to its diplomatic missions abroad to invite Israeli diplomats in their functions. Foreign Office spokesperson contradicted the news item published in a section of press quoting BBC saying that Pakistani embassies abroad have started issuing invitation to their Israeli counterparts for official functions.(Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Bomb in troubled Pakistani region kills 12 WANA, Pakistan, Dec 8 (Reuters) At least 12 people were killed and dozens wounded when a bomb exploded on Thursday in a market in Jandola town, in South Waziristan, officials said. Intelligence officials said neighbouring shops selling guns and ammunition were razed by fire. Officials said the blast killed at least 12 people, but a resident said many more people could have died in the explosion that happened at 8 a.m. (0300 GMT). At least 35 people were wounded. Also on Thursday, the beheaded bodies of two paramilitary soldiers were found near Wana, a member of a scouts force said. The men went missing on Tuesday when they and two colleagues went into Wana in civilian clothes. The whereabouts of two others were not known, another member of the force said.(First Posted@ 14:30 PST Updated@) 15:45 PST)
30 killed in Baghdad bus bombing BAGHDAD, Dec 8 (AFP) - At least 30 Iraqis were killed and 25 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in Baghdad on Thursday, a security source said.The bus was completely destroyed in the blast and two nearby stalls selling food and drinks were gutted as the explosion sent shrapnel flying into the air."There were 30 dead and 25 wounded," the security source said. All those killed were civilians.(Posted @ 15:00 PST)
UN worker wounded in Afghanistan drive-by shooting KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 8 (AFP) - A local United Nations worker was shot at and badly wounded Thursday by unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles in Kandahar, an official said.(Posted @ 11:45 PST)
US air marshals kill passenger over bomb threat MIAMI, Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. air marshals on Wednesday shot and killed an American Airlines passenger who claimed to be carrying a bomb in his backpack and ran off a plane at Miami International Airport after being confronted.Federal officials said the 44-year-old American, a resident of Florida, made threats and indicated he had a bomb in his bag as he was boarding a flight to Orlando . He was challenged by two air marshals. He ignored demands to put his bag on the ground and instead reached into it, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said. "Shots were fired as the team attempted to subdue the subject," the spokesman said. Investigators found no immediate evidence of a link to terrorism and no sign of a bomb. A woman who said she was a witness told local tv channel that the man's wife had screamed "my husband, my husband," and said he had bipolar disorder and needed medication. "Her husband ran through the aisle frantically. She ran after him and all of a sudden there were four or five shots," passenger Mary Gardner told the tv station by telephone.(Posted @ 11:35 PST)
US invasion has turned Iraq into terrorist training ground: Turkish PM CANBERRA, Dec 8 (AFP) - Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised military solutions to the so-called "war on terror" Thursday, saying the US-led invasion of Iraq had transformed the country into a training ground for extremists. Military action was not an effective way to combat militants, he said addding that global defence budgets totalled one trillion US dollars annually, with only a fraction of that amount spent trying to eradicate extremism's root causes such as poverty, ignorance and religious intolerance.(Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Goods train explodes in southern Russia MOSCOW, Dec 8 (Reuters) - A goods train went off the rails in the southern Russian region of Dagestan near rebel Chechnya after an unknown device exploded in one the carriages, Interfax news agency reported on Thursday. It said no-one was hurt in the explosion. Violence is common in Dagestan, which has been rocked by an overspill of fighting from Chechnya, where separatists have fought Russian rule for 11 years.(Posted @ 11:15 PST)
74 dead, 32 missing after China mine explosion: state press BEIJING, Dec 8 (AFP) - The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern China was at least 74, with 32 other workers still missing, state media said Thursday, raising the potential number of fatalities to over 100. The explosion occurred on Wednesday at the Liuguantun mine near Tangshan city in Hebei province. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST; Updated @ 10:23 PST)
Coaches fume as India revises Champions trophy schedule CHENNAI, India, Dec 8 (AFP) - A late change in the Champions Trophy field hockey schedule to meet the demands of television drew criticism from rival coaches here Thursday. Additionally, the clash between India and Pakistan has been advanced to Sunday from next Wednesday. German coach Bernhard Peters was livid after being told his team will now play Saturday's opening match against Olympic champions Australia. "The last-minute change is a joke," Peters fumed. "In no sport would such a thing happen. The original programme had us playing Spain in the second match of the day. Now we are suddenly burdened with the first game. "We prepared for a schedule, trained accordingly and concentrated on our first two rivals Spain and India."Now suddenly we have Australia and the Netherlands to deal with first. It is crazy," said Peters. Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans was equally critical. "I am not happy at all," he said. "It is a very unprofessional thing to do but I suppose we have to live with it." Indian Hockey Federation secretary K. Jyoti kumaran defended the rescheduling, saying rules permit the original programme to be changed to suit television requirements. "The International Hockey Federation would not have allowed us to make the change if it was not allowed," he said. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 43.49 points: KARACHI, Dec 8: At 14:40 PST,At close of trading,the KSE-100 index was at 9418.35 , up 43.49 points from Wednesday's close. (Bureau Report) (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Dec 8: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.2 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
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