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| February 1, 2006 | Wednesday | Muharram 2, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Saudi king gets big official welcome on arrival in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah received a big welcome to Pakistan Wednesday after flying in for a two-day visit which officials said would further improve ties between the two Islamic countries. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz personally went to Islamabad International Airport to greet the monarch, who is on the last leg of a regional tour that included India, China and Malaysia. Officials said the two sides are expected to discuss the Iranian nuclear programme controversy, the situation in Iraq, the India-Pakistan peace dialogue, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and bilateral issues. The route of King Abdullah's motorcade from the airport was decorated with giant billboard portraits of him, Musharraf and Aziz and huge welcome messages stretched across motorway bridges. Amidst tight security, school children and hundreds of people waited for the royal motorcade to pass on the way to the presidential compound in Islamabad. State television devoted hours of blanket coverage to the visit. Pakistan's foreign ministry said the visit was "very significant." "The leadership of the two countries will discuss bilateral relations, the evolving regional security situation and international issues of mutual interest," said foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam. King Abdullah is accompanied by a high-ranking ministerial delegation. This is his fifth visit to Pakistan since 2003, but the first as king. The two sides will sign four agreements on cooperation in political consultation, science and technology, avoidance of double taxation and cooperation in technical and vocational education. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Israel halts tax payments to Palestinians over Hamas JERUSALEM, Feb. 1 (Reuters) - Israel halted monthly tax payments – dollars 55 million --to the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday, dealing an economic blow to the cash-strapped government one week after a shock election victory by the Hamas, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. Customs revenue collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinians is the main source of funding for the Palestinian budget and is used to pay the salaries of an estimated 140,000 government workers. Regev said automatic monthly payments going forward were also suspended pending completion of a policy review ordered by interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Palestinian Economy Minister Mazen Sonnoqrot decried what he called Israel's "illegal decision", saying it amounted to "collective punishment." "This is our money and Israel is not a donor country," Sonnoqrot told Reuters. He estimated that about 1 million Palestinians would be affected by Israel's decision, warning: "This may cause chaos". Sonnoqrot said the Palestinians had appealed to the United Nations and Western powers to pressure Israel to "release our money". (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Permanent UN Security Council members agree on UN resolution on Iran VIENNA, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - World powers including Russia agreed Wednesday on a draft resolution asking the UN atomic watchdog to report Iran to the UN Security Council over nuclear work that could be weapons-related, according to a text obtained by AFP. The resolution was to be introduced later in the day to the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency, whose 35-nation board of governors is to meet in Vienna on Thursday to consider whether to bring the Iranian issue before the Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions.(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Saddam trial adjourns BAGHDAD, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - The trial of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been adjourned until Thursday, an AFP correspondent said. In session that involved only three of the eight defendants, the testimony of five witnesses was heard. Saddam and all the other high profile defendants, together with the entire defense team of lawyers, boycotted the session and said they would only return when the current judge has been replaced.(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Three killed by FC in Dera Bugti MULTAN, Feb.01 (PPI): Three persons were killed when a group of Militants attacked a checkpost of Frontier Constabulary in Dera Bugti area on Wednesday. "Some unidentified attackers fired a barrage of 23 rockets at the Frontier Corps Check post located in Naal in Kahan area early Wednesday morning. However all the persons at the checkpost escaped unhurt. When the FC returned fire three of the attackers died and rest ran away leaving the bodies," District Coordination Officer Abdul Samad Lasi said on telephone.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Geelani holds India responsible of booming guns in IHK Srinagar, Feb 01 (PPI)Chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said that Kashmiris carried out a peaceful struggle for 40 years and it was due to the denial of fundamental rights by India that youth were forced to take to guns. Addressing a meeting of the Jamaat-e-Islami he said that the armed struggle would continue till the achievement of their demands.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Troops martyr 67 Kashmiris in January Islamabad, February 01 (APP): Indian troops in acts of state-terrorism, martyred sixty-seven Kashmiris, including eleven in custody and one child, in the month of January. According to Kashmir Media Service, during the period, 428 persons were tortured and critically injured and 409 arrested. Also,fourteen residential houses were torched, ten women were widowed, and seven were raped, while ten persons were kidnapped or disappeared in custody.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
PM approves Disaster Management Commission and Authority ISLAMABAD, Feb 1 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has approved in principle the establishment of the National Disaster Management Commission(NDMC) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to quickly respond with utmost efficiency to all major natural and manmade disasters. According to a press release, the National Disaster Management Commission will be headed by the Prime Minister. NDMC members will include Federal Ministers for Defence, Finance, Interior and Communication, the four Chief Ministers, AJK Prime Minister, Chief Executive of Northern Areas,representative of armed forces, leaders of the opposition in Senate and National Assembly and members of civil society. Governor NWFP will also be a member to represent FATA.(Posted @ 18:45 PST)
Construction of seven new hydropower plants approved ISLAMABAD, Feb 1 (APP): Private Power Infrastructure Board has approved seven new hydropower plants with a generation capacity of 1,620 MW at a cost of $ 2 billion, Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi said Wednesday. The minister also directed the authorities to complete feasibility study of Munda Dam project by May this year. The project would cost over US $ 1 billion, generate 740 MW of electricity and would have water storage capacity of 1.3 MAF.(Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Indian troops shoot dead two freedom fighters in fake encounters SRINAGAR, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - Indian soldiers shot dead two militants during a gunfight in insurgency-racked occupied Kashmir, police claimed Wednesday, but villagers alleged the men were gunned down in a fake encounter.Residents of the remote northwest village of Zangam where the deaths took place said the militants were arrested Tuesday, then killed by soldiers later in the day in a "fake encounter". Army spokesman V.K. Batra later identified one of them as a "battalion commander" of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin. Meanwhile, freedom fighters just outside Srinagar injured a trooper in an ambush early Wednesday, prompting soldiers and police to mount a search of a wide area in quest of the attackers, police said.(Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Indian PM hopes Iran nuclear issue can be solved by diplomacy NEW DELHI, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - India's prime minister said Wednesday New Delhi hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough over Iran's nuclear program instead of possible referral to the United Nations Security Council. "I still believe that this is a matter that should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue," Manmohan Singh said at a nationally televised press conference. Singh declined to specify India's stand on a possible Security Council referral by saying it would review the issue in the "national interest."(Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Abbas sets tough conditions for Hamas government CAIRO, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Egypt took a tough line with Hamas Wednesday, setting a renunciation of violence and the recognition of Israel as conditions for the Islamist movement to form the next government. After a meeting in Cairo between Abbas and President Hosni Mubarak,Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman urged Hamas to take steps on three key issues. "One, to stop the violence. Two, it should become a doctrine for them to be committed to all the agreements signed with Israel. Three, they have to recognise Israel," he told reporters. "If they don't do it, Abu Mazen (Abbas) will not ask them to form the government. Abu Mazen will (instead) form the government with other parties," said Suleiman, who attended the meeting and also met Abbas Tuesday. "If they don't accept to commit themselves to these issues, nobody will deal with them," said Suleiman, who has frequently been the main mediator between Abbas' mainstream Fatah and the radical Hamas in recent years. There was no immediate comment from Mahmud Abbas himself.(Posted @ 18:15 PST)
Fifteen killed in overnight clashes in Nepal: army KATHMANDU, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - Fifteen people were killed in huge overnight clashes between Maoist rebels and security forces in western Nepal, the defence ministry said in a statement Wednesday. "The bodies of four terrorists were found," the statement said. "Four soldiers and seven police personnel also died." The Maoists in a statement however claimed that "dozens of security personnel were killed ... some security personnel and the chief district officer are still under our control." The battle began near midnight Tuesday and lasted until dawn Wednesday. Around 4,000 Maoists attacked at least five targets in Palpa district 400 kilometres west of Kathmandu, the defence ministry statement said. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Riot police, protesters clash during India strike NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Riot police caned hundreds of protesting Indian workers outside Mumbai airport on Wednesday, and in Delhi staff waved flags and chanted slogans as protests against moves to privatise the airports turned violent. At Kolkata airport officials said a strike by ground staff had prevented flights from landing and taking off. "The situation is crippling and it will get worse towards the evening," Pulak Mukherjee, a public relations official, said. Similar protests took place in smaller airports across India. In Mumbai, hundreds of striking employees clashed with baton wielding police in front of the airport amid frenzied slogan shouting. Police surrounded the protesters and stopped them storming the airport. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Indian PM says Kashmir vital to ties with Pakistan NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday the issue of Kashmir was vital to better relations with nuclear rival Pakistan. "We are committed to working with Pakistan to create an environment in which India and Pakistan can have the friendliest possible relations," he said in an annual media conference. He said there had been miovement in the peace process. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
Saddam and defence team boycott trial BAGHDAD, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein and four co-accused refused to attend their trial on Wednesday, along with their defence team, who said they would not return to court until the chief judge they accuse of bias resigns. Chief judge Raouf Abdel Rahman said he would proceed without them and court-appointed lawyers replaced Saddam's team. Speaking earlier to Reuters in the Jordanian capital Amman, Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi accused judge Abdel Rahman, a member of the Kurdish community long oppressed by Saddam, of showing bias and rushing to hand down a sentence. Two members of the defence team have been murdered, chief judge Rizgar Amin resigned complaining of political interference, and his original replacement was shifted aside after being accused of belonging to Saddam's Baath party. (First Posted @ 16:05 PST Updated @ 16:50 PST)
Stricken chemical tanker sinks off northern France CHERBOURG, France, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) -A stricken chemical tanker carrying phosphoric acid sank off the French coast on Wednesday following a collision Tuesday in the English Channel, French maritime authorities said. All of its 22 crew members were rescued the same day. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Twenty killed by Tajikistan avalanche: ministry DUSHANBE, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) - Twenty people were killed by an avalanche that engulfed seven homes in an eastern Tajik village, the emergencies ministry said on Wednesday. "Eighteen bodies have been found" in the village of Djigatal, around 300 kilometres (around 180 miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, an official said. Eighteen villagers were saved after the avalanche struck the village on Tuesday night. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Hingis makes winning return to Pan Pacific Open tennis TOKYO, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) Four-time champion Martina Hingis made a perfect return to the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament on Wednesday, overwhelming Cho Yoon-Jeong of South Korea in just 35 minutes. The Swiss wild card entrant, the winner here in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002, did not surrender a single game to the Korean before winning 6-0, 6-0 in the first round. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Hollywood star Lucy Liu tours Pakistan quake zone ISLAMABAD, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) Hollywood star Lucy Liu met young survivors in earthquake-devastated northern Pakistan on Wednesday, officials and witnesses said. Wearing a traditional black and yellow tunic and headscarf, the "Kill Bill" actress visited a makeshift school in the town of Balakot, which was flattened by the October 8 disaster. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Iran to resist pressure on atomic case: Ahmadinejad TEHRAN, Feb 1 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday rejected international pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions and insisted Tehran would not give up the right to develop a peaceful atomic programme. "I am telling those fake superpowers that the Iranian nation became independent 27 years ago and decides for itself and on the nuclear case it will resist until fully achieving its rights," he told a crowd of thousands of people in the Gulf port city of Bushehr. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Iraqi and three Pakistanis arrested trying to sneak into Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) An Iraqi and three Pakistani nationals with suspected links to Taliban were caught trying to sneak into Afghanistan from neighbouring Iran, officials said Wednesday. The four were arrested by security forces in Nimroz province, south-western Afghanistan, on Monday, said an official. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Tribesmen, Pakistani troops exchange fire; three attackers killed QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) Tribesmen fired rockets and mortars at a base for security forces in the town of Dera Bugti, south-western Pakistan, on Wednesday, sparking a gunbattle with troops that killed three attackers and injured nine, an official said. No soldier was injured in the clash, and rockets fired by the assailants landed in fields near the base, an official said. Wednesday's clash came a day after one soldier was killed and four others were injured when their truck hit a land mine. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Bush calls on Hamas to recognize Israel, disarm WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) U.S. President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address on Tuesday called on Hamas to recognize Israel, disarm and work for peace. Bush said the United States supported democratic reform across the Middle East. He pointed to Saudi Arabia as taking the first steps of reform and urged it to press forward with those efforts. He said United States will stick to its mission in Iraq, saying a sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops would leave the country vulnerable to a takeover by militants like Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He urged the world not to allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. He also accused Iran of sponsoring terrorists in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, saying which "must come to an end." He called for slashing U.S. oil imports from the Middle East by more than 75 percent by 2025, stressing that US should reduce its reliance on foreign oil by developing alternative energy sources, such as ethanol-blended gasoline and hydrogen fuel cells to run pollution-free vehicles. (First Posted @ 10:00 PST Updated @) 11:07)
World Bank head backs aid to Palestinians: report LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) The Palestinian government should continue to receive international aid despite concerns over last week's election victory by Hamas, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said in an interview on Wednesday. Speaking to the Financial Times, Wolfowitz urged Russia, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations to allow the bank to continue working in the region. "What we do now depends on what the Quartet asks us to do," Wolfowitz told the British newspaper. "I hope they will ask us to stay." (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Six Israeli police injured in clashes with West Bank settlers AMONA SETTLEMENT , West Bank, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) Six police officers were injured in clashes with Jewish activists early Wednesday at the unauthorised Amona settlement near the West Bank town of Ramallah. Police arrested four of the 2,000 demonstrators gathered there to prevent the security forces from demolishing the nine houses in the wildcat settlement. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Nine Iraqis killed by Baghdad suicide bomber BAGHDAD, Feb 1, 2006 (AFP) Nine Iraqis were killed and 30 wounded by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt in a southern Baghdad on Wednesday. The bomber approached a gathering point for labourers seeking day work early in the morning before detonating his belt in the southern neighbourhood of Baghdad al-Jadida. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
At least 30 feared dead in Indonesian ferry disaster JAKARTA, Feb 1 (AFP) - Rescuers searched Wednesday for survivors after a ferry carrying scores of passengers capsized in heavy seas in eastern Indonesia, leaving at least 30 feared dead, a rescue official said. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
US soldiers shoot at Canadian ambassador's car in Baghdad WASHINGTON, Jan 31, 2006 (AFP) - The US military shot at the Canadian ambassador's car in Baghdad Tuesday but no-one was hurt in the "unfortunate incident," a US State department official said. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 27.09 points: KARACHI, Feb 1: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10497.07, down 27.09 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 1: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.83 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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