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| January 1, 2006 | Sunday | Ziqa’ad 29, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Withdraw troops from peaceful areas in occupied Kashmir: Omar Abdullah New Delhi, Mar 20 (APP): National Conference President Omar Abdullah has sought withdrawal of Indian troops from the peaceful areas of occupied Kashmir.Billing Kashmir as a political issue, he pleaded for an "out of the box" resolution between India and Pakistan involving all shades of opinion in Kashmir, according to a report carried by Indian Daily 'The Tribune'. He was confident that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President General Pervez Musharraf were capable of solving the Kashmir problem and restoring peace in the region. (Posted @ 13:21 PST)
At least eight soldiers, one rebel killed in latest fighting in Nepal KATMANDU, Nepal, March 20 (AP) _ Communist rebels ambushed an army patrol in central Nepal on Monday, killing at least eight soldiers, officials said. The soldiers were patrolling the area near their camp at Bhakundebeshi, about 80 kilometers east of Katmandu, when the rebels attacked. One rebel was also killed. (Posted @ 12:06 PST)
Withdraw troops from peaceful areas in occupied Kashmir: Omar Abdullah New Delhi, Mar 20 (APP): National Conference President Omar Abdullah has sought withdrawal of Indian troops from the peaceful areas of occupied Kashmir.Billing Kashmir as a political issue, he pleaded for an "out of the box" resolution between India and Pakistan involving all shades of opinion in Kashmir, according to a report carried by Indian Daily 'The Tribune'. He was confident that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President General Pervez Musharraf were capable of solving the Kashmir problem and restoring peace in the region. (Posted @ 13:21 PST)
Withdraw troops from peaceful areas in occupied Kashmir: Omar Abdullah New Delhi, Mar 20 (APP): National Conference President Omar Abdullah has sought withdrawal of Indian troops from the peaceful areas of occupied Kashmir.Billing Kashmir as a political issue, he pleaded for an "out of the box" resolution between India and Pakistan involving all shades of opinion in Kashmir, according to a report carried by Indian Daily 'The Tribune'. He was confident that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President General Pervez Musharraf were capable of solving the Kashmir problem and restoring peace in the region. (Posted @ 13:21 PST)
Withdraw troops from peaceful areas in occupied Kashmir: Omar Abdullah New Delhi, Mar 20 (APP): National Conference President Omar Abdullah has sought withdrawal of Indian troops from the peaceful areas of occupied Kashmir.Billing Kashmir as a political issue, he pleaded for an "out of the box" resolution between India and Pakistan involving all shades of opinion in Kashmir, according to a report carried by Indian Daily 'The Tribune'. He was confident that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President General Pervez Musharraf were capable of solving the Kashmir problem and restoring peace in the region. (Posted @ 13:21 PST)
Al-Jazeera crew members arrested by US forces in Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 1 (AFP) - US forces Sunday arrested three employees of the Al-Jazeera pan-Arab satellite TV channel for filming near a US base in the Afghan capital Kabul, but later released them. Correspondent Waliullah Shaheen, cameraman Nasir Hashimi and driver Mahmood Agha were filming the removal of concrete block barriers which had been installed outside all military bases and offices of foreigners for protection. "We were arrested and detained by coalition for an hour, then handed over to Afghan police, who kept us for four hours before releasing us," Shaheen told AFP. "The American soldiers confiscated five telephones and our camera, and kept it," he added.(Posted @ 22:25 PST)
Zilhaj moon sighted KARACHI, Jan 1 (APP)- Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman on Sunday announced the sighting of Moon of Zilhaj, 1426 Hijri (January 2, 2006). He announced this after a meeting of the Committee held under his chairmanship here at Habib Bank Plaza for the sighting of the new moon.(Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Indian troops kill most-wanted militant in Occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir Jan 1 (AFP) - Indian troops Sunday shot dead a most-wanted militant during a gun battle in revolt-hit Occupied Kashmir, police here said. Ghulam Qadir Mughal, was martyred when troops raided a rebel hideout early Sunday. In a statement, police said Mughal was a self-styled deputy chief of the hardline Harkat-ul-Mujahedin. Harkat wants Occupied Kashmir to secede from India and join with Pakistan.(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
Five Italians kidnapped in Yemen: Yemeni official SANAA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Yemeni tribesmen kidnapped five Italians on Sunday to press for the release of fellow tribe members held by the authorities, a Yemeni official said. The security official said the five were kidnapped in the eastern province of Maarib and that the tribesmen wanted eight people held on criminal charges freed.(Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Three young girls died BATGRAM, Jan 1 (APP): Three young sisters died here Sunday due to eruption of fire in tent at village Gul Dheri, Batgram. Daughters of Qari Muhammad Bashir, named Rehana, 7, Bushra, 5 and Javeria, 3, lost their lives when their tent caught fire from a candle early in the morning. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
India maintain unbeaten record in women's Asia Cup KARACHI, Jan 1 (AFP) - Defending champions India maintained their unbeaten record in the second womens Asia Cup, beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets at the Gymkhana ground here Sunday. India, who won their earlier match against the Islanders by the same margin, demolished Sri Lanka once again with their professional approach, and remain firmly on course to defend the title they won in 2003.(Posted @ 19:04 PST)
Italian hostage in Gaza freed ROME, Jan 1 (Reuters) - An Italian hostage kidnapped during a visit to the Gaza Strip has been freed, according to an Italian member of the European parliament, Luisa Morgantini. "He has been freed," Morgantini told Reuters by telephone, speaking from the Gaza Strip.(Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Iraqi kidnappers release Cypriot hostage after four months NICOSIA, Cyprus Jan 1 (APP/AP) _ A Cypriot man kidnapped in Iraq four months ago has been released after payment of a US$200,000 ransom, relatives said Sunday. His brother, Avo Jekerjian, told The Associated Press that he was released in Baghdad Saturday afternoon after the family paid a ransom of US$200,000 to the kidnappers.(Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Moderate quake rocks Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh BANDA ACEH, Jan 1 (AFP) - An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale rattled Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh on Sunday, causing panic but there were no reports of casualties, an official said. The offshore quake occurred at 3.47 pm (0847 GMT), with the epicenter 91 kilometres (56 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Banda Aceh, said Syahnan, chief metereologist in Aceh. The quake was felt strongly at Calang in West Aceh but there were no reports of casualties or damage. "In Calang residents ran out of their homes in panic," he said. Aceh was the hardest hit by the 9.3-magnitude quake off the coast of Sumatra that triggered tsunamis on December 26, 2004. The waves killed about 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.(Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Fires destroy homes as heat wave hits Australia SYDNEY, Jan 1 (AFP) - Raging bushfires destroyed at least 10 homes and threatened scores more in southeast Australia as a scorching heatwave hit Sydney with its hottest New Year's Day on record. Temperatures soared up to 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit) as hundreds of firefighters backed by aircraft battled the blazes and sweltering residents of coastal cities flocked to the beaches.(Posted @ 17:38 PST)
11 schoolboys killed in Indonesian road accident JAKARTA, Jan 1 (AFP) - Eleven schoolboys were killed and 14 seriously injured Sunday when a truck rammed into them on the Indonesian island of Madura, hospital staff and reports said. The junior high school students were walking alongside the road in the town of Pamekasan when the incident occurred. "The students died on the scene," Purwati, an official at the town's general hospital told AFP, adding that 14 others were seriously injured. Four of the injured were transferred to a state hospital in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, because their injuries were life threatening, she said. The truck swerved and hit the students, a local policeman told the state Antara news agency. The driver fled with his truck but was arrested later Sunday, Elshinta radio reported. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Saudi says haj pilgrimage to peak on Jan. 9 RIYADH, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said the climax of this year's haj pilgrimage, in which more than 2 million Muslims will retrace the footsteps of Islam's Prophet Mohammad, would be on Jan. 9. The most important day of the pilgrimage will see worshippers climb Mount Arafat, the site of Mohammad's last sermon 14 centuries ago. The four-day Eid al-Adha (feast of sacrifice) holiday will start on Jan. 10, one of the country's religious bodies said in a statement on the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday. The pilgrimage takes place in the 12th month of the Islamic year, which began on Sunday. Islamic years are lunar and thus dates depend on sightings of the moon. Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can afford the trip must perform haj, one of the five pillars of Islam, once in his or her lifetime. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Pakistan, India exchange lists of nuclear installations ISLAMABAD, Jan 1 (APP): The Governments of Pakistan and India Sunday exchanged lists of their respective nuclear installations and facilities in accordance with Article II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks Against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India of December 31, 1988. Zaheer A. Janjua, Director (India), Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over list of Pakistan nuclear installation and facilities to an officer of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad at the Foreign Office on Sunday. The Indian side handed over their list to Muhammad Khalid Jamali, First Secretary of the Pakistan High Commission at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. (Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Foreigner kidnapped in Gaza GAZA CITY, Jan 1 (AFP) - A foreigner was kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen in the town of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian security sources said. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
11 dead, 38 injured in Algerian road accident: report ALGIERS, Jan 1 (AFP) - Eleven people died and 38 others were injured overnight when a bus overturned near the Algerian city of Constantine, public radio said Sunday. Seven of the injured were in serious condition. The bus which was on the way from the capital Algiers to Annaba, 600 kilometers (400 miles) to the east of the capital, crashed on a steep slope which is known to be extremely dangerous. The radio said the bus was speeding. (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Five children, woman burned alive in eastern India PATNA, India, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Five children and a woman were burned to death in their home on Sunday by a rival family over a dispute about missing buffaloes in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, police said. The gruesome incident took place at dawn in Raghopur town, about 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Patna, the state's capital. "The house was set on fire when the victims were all asleep. Only the man in the family managed to escape," a local police officer told Reuters by telephone. Three people had been arrested in connection with the case, he said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Russia begins to cut off Ukraine's gas supply MOSCOW, Jan 1 (AFP) - Russia began lowering the pressure of natural gas entering Ukraine's pipeline system, a spokesman for Russia's Gazprom energy company said Sunday, assuring supplies to the rest of Europe were not at risk. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Large explosion in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Jan 1 (AFP) - A large explosion rocked central Baghdad Sunday morning, sending a plume of black smoke into the sky. The explosion occurred at 0855 am (0555 GMT). At least 15 people were killed Saturday in a series of attacks in and around the Iraqi capital the previous day, security forces said. A US soldier was killed in southern Baghdad in a mortar attack, the US military said. Four policemen and four civilians were killed in two bomb and a mortar attacks in Baghdad, while five people died in an explosion targeting the local headquarters of the Sunni-based Iraqi Islamic Party in Khalis, north of Baghdad, police said. A policeman was also shot dead in the north of the capital. Five bodies were also found south of the capital. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
London, Edinburgh see in 2006 with blaze of fireworks LONDON, Jan 1 (AFP) - Britons rang in the New Year as massive firework displays filled the wintry night skies above London and Edinburgh with smoke, light and colour. Crowds in London packed the banks of the River Thames to see the 10-minute blaze of fireworks focused on the London Eye -- the landmark ferris wheel on the south bank -- which sent booms across the still city air. The dramatic sequence lit up the Eye in the colours of the five Olympic rings to celebrate London being awarded the 2012 Games. Trafalgar Square, as on July 6, was packed with cheering crowds, as revellers gazed down Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament. All eyes were on the famous clock tower, counting down the seconds as the Big Ben bell chimed out midnight, triggering the first salvo of pyrotechnics. However, as the clock struck 12, a strike on the London Underground trains threatened to make the journey home grim for some on Sunday morning once the fireworks fizzled out. At 1:10 am (0110 GMT), some 33 of the of the 275 stations were closed due to the union action, mostly in the suburbs. In Edinburgh, around 100,000 revellers were out in the streets for what the Scots call Hogmanay, to take part in one of the biggest global New Year parties. Edinburgh's main event was the free Royal Bank Street Party in Princes Street, the main thoroughfare, which was limited to the 100,000 lucky enough to have a ticket. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Rebel group captures 9 Iranian soldiers-Arabiya TV DUBAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - A little-known Sunni rebel organisation says it has abducted nine Iranian soldiers to pressure Tehran to free imprisoned members of the group, Al Arabiya television said on Sunday. A caller speaking for the Jundollah (God's Soldiers) said the soldiers were seized near Iran's border with Pakistan, and demanded the release of 16 group members, the satellite television channel said. Iranian officials were not immediately available to comment. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Palestinian gunmen blow up U.N. club in Gaza City GAZA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Masked gunmen stormed into a club for United Nations workers in Gaza City on Sunday and blew up the drinking hall. The attackers tied up the security guard and struck him with gun butts. Then they set explosives in front of the bar, unrolled a detonator cable and blew up the charges, ripping up the roof and shattering the windows, reports said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. "The club has been there for 50 years," said one U.N. security worker. "This is the first time anything like this has happened." (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
New York's Times Square fills with New Year crowd NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) - New Year's Eve revellers swarmed into New York's Times Square on Saturday to greet 2006, undeterred by cold, wet weather and tight security. The estimated one million people began arriving Saturday morning to stake out prime spots so they could watch the giant crystal ball lowered at midnight to ring in the new year. Security was a primary concern amid the festive atmosphere. Police officers led bomb-sniffing dogs throughout the party zone while biochemical hazard teams and decontamination centers were all on standby in case of attack. A mobile laboratory was also on hand to test the air for suspicious substances. Metal detectors were used to check the revelers and large bags and backpacks were banned from the area. Snipers were deployed on rooftops while helicopters circled the area and police patrolled the city's waterways on boats. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Two Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in Gaza GAZA CITY, Jan 1 (AFP) - Two Palestinians were killed Saturday evening by Israeli fire in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said. According to witnesses, the two men were killed by a missile fired by an Israeli drone which was followed up by artillery fire. An Israeli military spokesman said the missile had targetted a group "which was preparing to fire rockets in the direction of Israeli territory". Both men were residents of the town of Beit Lakhia and were not active in any armed group, sources said. The deaths bring to 4,924 the death toll since the Intifada began in September 2000. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
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