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| December 14, 2005 | Wednesday | Ziqa’ad 11, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Anti-development elements cannot deter process of progress: Musharraf KOHLU (Balochistan) Dec 14 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday said saboteurs and anti-development elements cannot deter the process of socio-economic progress. Announcing a series of Rs. 1.5 billion development projects for the Kohlu district at a public gathering, he said "we are not deterred by anti-development elements and will continue to steer the country on the path of socio-economic development; with your support we will together move forward". Musharraf said the Gawadar deep seaport would ready by next mid-summer. "We will run Gawadar as a modern port - it will not only bring massive economic development to the province and the country but also serve as a trade corridor for Central Asia, Afghanistan and the Gulf region."(Posted @ 19:34 PST)
Rockets fired as Musharraf visits Pakistani town QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec 14 (Reuters) Suspected militants in Pakistan fired eight rockets at a paramilitary base on the Frontier Corps base near Kohlu in Balochistan province on Wednesday as President Pervez Musharraf visited it, police said. No one was hurt in the attack, they said. A man who identified himself as Mirak Baluch and said he was a spokesman for the Baluch Liberation Army (BLA), telephoned a press club in Quetta and claimed responsible for the attack. "We Baluchis are being treated like slaves. We are at war with the general and we will continue such attacks," the caller was quoted as saying.(Posted @ 16:24 PST)
Unstoppable Aussies storm into Champions Trophy final CHENNAI, India, Dec 14 (AFP) Olympic gold-medallists Australia stormed into the Champions Trophy field hockey final here on Wednesday defeating the Netherlands 3-2 to record their fourth consecutive win in the six-nation tournament, making their last league match against Pakistan inconsequential. Defending champions Spain (six points) and Germany (five) clash in another crucial game on Friday after ousting Asian giants Pakistan and India from the medals race. Spain swept aside Pakistan 4-2 with Pol Amat scoring two goals and David Alegre and Xavier Ribas one each. Pakistan reduced the margin through Mudassar Khan and Mohammad Saqlain, but were confined to the bottom of the table with a solitary point from four matches.(Posted @ 22:40 PST)
Bush accepts responsibility for faulty intelligence in Iraq war WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) President George W. Bush urged Americans on Wednesday to be patient as Iraq prepares for its election and vowed he will not be swayed by critics demanding a quick U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. In the last in a series of four speeches in two weeks laying out his Iraq strategy, Bush again accepted responsibility for faulty intelligence pointing to weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that he used as the foundation for his decision to go to war in 2003. "It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq, and I am also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities and we're doing just that," he said. But he called the decision to topple Saddam the right one. "Saddam was a threat," said Bush, adding that Americans and the world are better off because he is no longer in power.(First Posted@ 21:55 PST Updated @ 22:38 PST)
Israel to postpone, limit Gaza-West Bank passage JERUSALEM, Dec 14 (Reuters) Israel will delay implementing a U.S.-brokered deal allowing bus convoys between Gaza and the West Bank, political sources said on Wednesday. Israel was to permit limited Gaza-West Bank travel by Thursday under a deal brokered last month by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that led to the opening of Gaza's border with Egypt under European monitoring. However, Israeli political sources said the convoys would not begin running until next week.(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
Pentagon planning to place stealth pro-US stories in foreign media: report WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (AFP) The Pentagon plans to launch a 300-million-dollar operation to place pro-US messages in foreign media and on items such as T-shirts and bumper stickers without disclosing the US government as the source, USA Today reported Wednesday. Managed by psychological warfare experts at the US Special Operations Command, the media campaign is aimed at countering terrorist ideology and swaying foreign audiences to support US policies, one of the military officials in charge of the program told the daily. The program will operate throughout the world, including US allies, and will be handled by SYColeman of Washington, Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, California, and Lincoln Group of Washington.(Posted @ 21:44 PST)
Greek minister dismisses Pakistani abduction claims as a 'misunderstanding' ATHENS, Dec 13 (AFP) The Greek public order minister on Wednesday strongly denied claims that a number of Pakistani immigrants were abducted and interrogated in Athens after the July bomb attacks in London, arguing that the whole affair was a "big misunderstanding". "This is a big misunderstanding that has come close to embarrassing our country," George Voulgarakis told reporters in a media briefing. "If such an incident had happened we would know, nothing of the sort happened, and do not underestimate Greek police," Voulgarakis said. Voulgarakis also discussed the issue with Pakistani ambassador to Athens Rashed Saleem Khan, the ministry press office said. A ministry release later noted that according to the ambassador, "the embassy of Pakistan has never been informed in any way (of) such an incident, since no member of the Pakistani community in Greece has ever reported anything relevant".(Posted @ 21:42 PST)
Yemen rights group wants release of ex-Guantanamo detainees SANAA, Dec 14 (AFP) A Yemeni rights group demanded Wednesday that the government release from prison five men who were freed earlier this year by US authorities from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba. All five, released in April, May and August, were immediately locked up in Yemeni prisons pending trial, without the authorities specifying what charges the men would face in most of the cases. One of the men, Karama Khamisan, was scheduled to appear in court Sunday on charges of being a drug dealer who tried to smuggle in narcotics from Pakistan, where he had gone in 2001, but a judge postponed the trial.(Posted @ 21:40 PST)
Aziz announces Rs.25 million for squash promotion, England wins World title ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday awarded Rs. 25 million to the Pakistan Squash Federation for the promotion of squash in the country. Aziz gave away the winners trophy to the England team that beat Egypt to clinch the title of the 20th "Big-Time" World Team Squash Championship at the Mushaf Squash Complex on Wednesday. France came third in the tournament, Canada finished fourth, Australia fifth, Malaysia sixth, Pakistan seventh and Wales eighth. In an exhibition match just before the final, Jansher Khan beat Jahangir Khan 9-1. The match helped raise Rs. 800,000 for the earthquake victims. (First Posted@ 20:56 PST Updated @ 21:30 PST)
Bangladesh shatters Pakistan’s dream to set final with India in SAF tournament KARACHI, Dec 14 (APP): Reigning champions Bangladesh shattered Pakistan's dream of playing in their maiden final of SAF Football Championship with a hard fought 1-0 victory on Wednesday evening. Earlier today India advanced in the final of SAF Football Championship with a solitary goal victory over Maldives at Peoples Stadium here on Wednesday. Bangladesh will now clash India in the final on Saturday.(First Posted@ 21:10 PST Updated@ 21:25 PST)
Pakistan backs Iran-EU dialogue on nuclear row ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (Reuters) Pakistan on Wednesday reiterated its support for talks between Iran and the European Union on the row over Tehran's nuclear programme. Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri in a meeting with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said "Pakistan is against the use of force on Iran's nuclear issue." Kasuri said the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme should be settled within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency; he hoped the talks between Iran and the EU, expected this month, would lead to an "amicable solution" to the standoff. He added that Pakistan supported Iran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Mottaki, who arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday on a two-day visit, said he and Kasuri had discussed expanding economic cooperation and the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan. "Fortunately, Iran and Pakistan have common positions on almost all issues, crises and problems, and also the solution for those crises," Mottaki said. The two ministers also discussed a proposed $7 billion pipeline that would carry Iranian gas to India via Pakistan. Kasuri said Pakistan wanted early implementation of the project and officials from Pakistan and India would discuss the project at talks this week in New Delhi.(First Posted@ 18:48 PST Updated@ 21:08 PST)
Eleven jailed for life over Gujarat riots NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (Reuters) Eleven people were jailed for life by an Indian court on Wednesday for killing 11 men, women and children in the deadly 2002 riots in western Gujarat state, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. The court in Godhra acquitted 18 others in the same case for lack of evidence. The accused were charged with attacking a group of Muslims who had taken shelter in a village school in Panchmahal district, the news agency said. Armed with sharp weapons, they attacked the group and killed 11 people, including six women and two children who were thrown into a well, while two elderly persons were burnt alive, it said.(Posted @ 21:00 PST)
EU assembly approves rules on anti-terrorism data STRASBOURG, France, Dec 14 (Reuters) The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted new rules drawn up by the European Union to store phone and Internet data for up to two years to fight terrorism and other serious crime. The measure was approved in record time after being proposed by the European Commission in September, and is part of the 25-nation bloc's response to the terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004 and in London this year.(Posted @ 20:58 PST)
Israel kills four in Gaza air strike GAZA, Dec 14 (Reuters) Israel killed four Palestinians in an air attack in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Witnesses said an Israeli aircraft fired on a car near the Karni crossing between Gaza and Israel, killing three members of the Popular Resistance Committees. A spokesman for the group vowed revenge for the attack.(Posted @ 20:52 PST)
Lahore bus on trial run to Amritsar returns LAHORE, Dec 14 (APP): The Lahore bus that was on trial run to Amritsar reached back at Wahga Border at 4:00 pm on Wednesday. The Managing Director PTDC, Hashim Khan, said that the Lahore-Amritsar route was feasible for a regular bus service between the two cities. "We have checked the route, the bus terminal at Amritsar, crew's facilities and other arrangements there, which were satisfactory," he added. A Pak-India technical level meeting scheduled in Islamabad on December 20-21 will finalise dates for Lahore-Amritsar regular bus service, besides discussing viability of Nankana Sahib-Amritsar bus service, he said.(Posted @ 19:58 PST)
Calls for probe into US plane movements 'completely absurd': Blair LONDON, Dec 14 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday dismissed as "completely absurd" calls to probe all US government plane movements through Britain in the wake of the CIA "extraordinary rendition" row. Blair said there were a "whole series of reasons" why Washington requested stops at British airports and restated his government's lack of knowledge about so-called "extraordinary rendition" flights and its opposition to torture.(Posted @ 19:02 PST)
Gunmen shoot down cleric in southern Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 14 (AFP) Unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles on Wednesday shot dead a well-known pro-government cleric in Kandahar, police said. Mullah Ahmad Shah, a member of Kandahar's Ulema Shura was attacked and killed when he was going to a mosque in the city center, a police official said.(Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Bangladesh arrests military head of banned militant group DHAKA, Dec 14 (AFP) Bangladesh's elite security force said Wednesday it has arrested Ataur Rahman Sunny, the military head of Jamayetul Mujahideen, from a hideout in Dhaka. Police have linked Jamayetul Mujahideen to a wave of nationwide bomb blasts in August and suicide bombings late last month.(Posted @ 18:55 PST)
Asian leaders hail new cooperation after first-ever summit KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (AFP) Regional leaders held the first-ever East Asia Summit here on Wednesday, trying to find common ground for half the world's population on issues like trade and security. "The first East Asia Summit was a success, there's no doubt about it," Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said of the gathering, which brought together Australia, China, India, Japan and a dozen other nations. "We all agreed that the East Asia Community will be a reality as cooperation brings us together to grow stronger," he said.(Posted @ 18:52 PST)
Man killed planting bomb at Afghan shrine MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Dec 14 (Reuters) A man was killed in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday when a bomb he was planting in the garden of a shrine exploded prematurely, police said. The blast happened shortly before Minister for Youth Affairs Amina Afzali had been due to visit the Hazrat Ali shrine in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, a provincial police chief said.(Posted @ 17:46 PST)
Shooting erupts outside Fatah HQ in Gaza GAZA, Dec 14 (Reuters) A gunbattle erupted outside the Gaza headquarters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party on Wednesday, pitting rival gunmen against one another in a new sign of turmoil ahead of next month's parliamentary polls. Three people including one bystander were wounded in the clashes, which broke out after dozens of gunmen from the ruling party poured into the building to demand jobs, complaining of discrimination. An official said the offices would reopen later on Wednesday after receiving assurances they would be protected.(Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Israel approves 200 homes in West Bank settlement JERUSALEM, Dec 14 (Reuters) Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has approved 200 new homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, a government official said on Wednesday, despite a call by a U.S.-backed peace plan for a halt to such construction. The official, from the Defence Ministry, said the 200 houses were planned for Maale Adumim, the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank and that Mofaz also approved preparatory steps for expanding two isolated settlements, Bracha and Nokdim.(Posted @ 16:26 PST)
Cricket-Ganguly dropped from India test side NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (Reuters) Saurav Ganguly was dropped from India's test squad on Wednesday, all but ending the international career of the country's most successful captain. The 33-year-old batsman was left out of the 15-man squad for the third test against Sri Lanka starting in Ahmedabad on Sunday after scoring 40 and 39 in the second test in New Delhi. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Six killed in Occupied Kashmir shootout SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, Dec 14 (AFP) Troops gunned down six Kashmiris on Wednesday in a shootout inside Khag village in the central Badgam district of Occupied Kashmir, an army official said. (Posted @ 15:44 PST)
China wants to boost trade, military ties with India KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (AFP) China on Wednesday said its level of trade with India was too low and pressed for more cooperation between the world's two largest developing nations. "Both countries feel a common responsibility to promote progress and development in the world," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said after the inaugural East Asia Summit here. He said Beijing was hoping for an increase "as soon as possible," adding that an original target of 20 billion dollars a year by 2008 would be reached ahead of schedule. China and India were two of the 16 nations that gathered in the Malaysian capital for the East Asia Summit, which ended with a declaration of greater cooperation in the region. (Posted @ 15:44 PST)
Iran's Ahmadinejad says Holocaust a myth TEHRAN, Dec 14 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the Holocaust was a myth, reiterating a view that has caused international uproar and drawn a rebuke from the United Nations Security Council. "They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he said in a speech delivered to a crowd gathered in Zahedan on Wednesday. Ahmadinejad reiterated his view that Israel should be moved from "dear Palestine" to Europe, America or Canada. ”If your civilisation consists of unjust acts, oppression and poverty for the majority of the globe to provide your own people welfare, then we shout at the top of our voices that we hate your frail civilisation," he added.(First Posted@13:30 PST Updated@ 15:42 PST)
England cricketers arrive in Karachi under tight security KARACHI, Dec 14 (APP): England cricket squad arrived here Wednesday afternoon from Lahore amid stringent security to take on Pakistan in third One-day International at National Stadium on Thursday. (Posted @ 15:42 PST)
Earthquake felt in New Delhi, second in two days NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Residents in the Indian capital felt a mild earthquake on Wednesday, a day after New Delhi was shaken by a 6.7 magnitude quake centred in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan.The Meteorological Department confirmed a quake in northern India, but did not have details such as the magnitude immediately available. There were no initial signs of damage or injuries. Scores of houses were damaged in Afghanistan by Tuesday's early morning earthquake, the biggest since the devastating Oct. 8 South Asia quake that killed almost 75,000.(Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Cricket-India win second test v Sri Lanka by 188 runs NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (Reuters) - India beat Sri Lanka by 188 runs after lunch on the fifth day of the second test on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Scores: India 290 all out (S.Tendulkar 109, M.Muralitharan 7-100) and 375-6 decl. (I.Pathan 93, Y.Singh 77 not out) Sri Lanka 230 all out (M.Atapattu 88, A.Kumble 6-72) and 247 all out (M.Atapattu 67, A.Kumble 4-85) (Posted @ 13:15 PST)
Tanzania foreign minister set for presidential win DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Tanzanians went to the polls on Wednesday with foreign minister Jakaya Kikwete expected to win the presidency and extend the ruling party's four-decade grip on one of Africa's most stable countries. Outgoing President Benjamin Mkapa is stepping down after two terms in accordance with Tanzania's constitution -- an example winning respect around a continent where incumbents have often sought to prolong their rule by any means possible. Polling stations opened at 0400 GMT although voters had formed queues to vote an hour earlier.(Posted @ 11:42 PST)
China to enhance its imports from Pakistan to correct trade imbalance BEIJING, Dec. 14 (APP): Pakistani mangos and oranges will be imported by China at zero tariff from next month, while Chinese textile machinery and organic chemicals will enjoy free duty in Pakistan, Chinese Commerce Ministry e announced Wednesday. Under the Early Harvest Programme (EHP) signed last Friday in Beijing, more than 3,000 categories of products will have zero or lower tariff from January 1, 2006. Some 486 categories of Chinese goods exported to Pakistan will enjoy the zero-tariff treatment, mainly vegetables, fruit, stone materials, textile machinery and organic chemical products. China will similarly give zero-tariff treatment to 769 categories of goods imported from Pakistan, mainly vegetables, fruit, stone materials, cotton fabrics and man-made fabrics.(Posted @ 11:33 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 47.81 points: KARACHI, December 14: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 9403.54 , down 47.81 points from Tuesday's close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 2:40 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, December 14: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.15 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 10:35 PST)
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