|
| February 10, 2006 | Friday | Muharram 11, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Four more killed in Pakistan sectarian clashes, toll at 35 HANGU, Pakistan, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) Overnight clashes left four people dead and three wounded, taking the death toll from sectarian violence in northwest Pakistan to 35 (AP put the toll at 38), officials said Friday. "We have reports that four more people died, two in Ibrahimzai village, one expired in the hospital and one was killed in shelling elsewhere," the mayor of the town of Hangu said. Earlier at least 31 people were killed Thursday in a suspected suicide attack on a Muharram procession in Hangu. Sporadic gun and rocket fire could still be heard from villages near Hangu on Friday, an AFP correspondent said. Police and paramilitary soldiers maintained a curfew in Hangu but the situation remained tense and the streets were deserted, while shops torched in Thursday's riots continued to smoulder. (First Posted @11:45 PST Updated @ 15:00)
Turkish PM urges reconciliation ANKARA, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent letters to world leaders urging reconciliation between East and West following Muslim anger of over blasphemous cartoons, officials said Friday. In the letter, released by his office Friday, Erdogan said the row over the cartoons has "created tensions bordering on a polarization between the East and the West, and between the Islamic and Christian worlds as never seen before in recent times. For the sake of global peace... it has now become essential that the statesmen and politicians act with wisdom and common sense and display leadership in taking the joint actions expected from them."(Posted @ 23:12 PST)
Palestinians protest against blasphemous cartoons JERUSALEM, Feb 10 (AP) _ Thousands of Palestinians, some firing in the air, others burning Danish flags, demonstrated Friday against the publication of blasphemous cartoons. In Jerusalem, about 2,000 women, young boys and older men chanted ''Bin Laden, strike again'' as they marched around the Dome of the Rock on the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, trampling a homemade Danish flag. Israeli police tried to prevent violent protests by barring all men under the age of 45 from attending Friday prayers at Al Aqsa mosque. In Gaza City, about 7,000 people attended a demonstration organized by the Islamic Jihad.(Posted @ 20:48 PST)
First new tomb uncovered in Valley of the Kings since Tut's LUXOR, Egypt, Feb 10 (AP) _ Through a partially opened underground door, Egyptian authorities gave a peek Friday into the first new tomb uncovered in the Valley of the Kings since that of King Tutankhamun in 1922. U.S. archaeologists said they discovered the tomb by accident while working on a nearby site. Still unknown is whose mummies are in the five wooden sarcophagi with painted funeral masks, surrounded by alabaster jars inside the undecorated single-chamber tomb. The tomb, believed to be some 3,000 years old, dating to the 18th Dynasty, does not appear to be that of a pharaoh, said Edwin Brock, co-director of the University of Memphis that discovered the site. ``I don't think it's a royal tomb, maybe members of the court,''he said. ``Contemporaries of Tutankhamun are possible _ or of Amunhotep III or even Horemheb.'' On Friday, authorities allowed journalists a first look into the tomb.(Posted @ 20:42 PST)
Musharraf congratulates India and Pakistan cricketers on sportsmanship ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 10 (AP) _ President Pervez Musharraf on Friday hosted a reception in honour of Pakistan and Indian cricket teams at his residence and congratulated all the players of both teams for playing the cricket series in true spirit. According to G. S. Walia, media manager of Indian team, the president knew each and every Indian player by name.``The boys were very happy when the president spoke to them with their names,'' Walia said.(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Thousands protest across Egypt over blasphemous cartoons CAIRO, Egypt, Feb 10 (AP) _ Thousands of Egyptians protested in cities across the country after Friday prayers, denouncing blasphemous cartoons, and clashes erupted with police who tried to disperse the demonstrators with water canons and tear gas. Several thousand heeded the call of the Muslim Brotherhood to protest outside the Al-Taha mosque in the northern Delta city of Mahalla el-Kubra. When they didn't immediate obey police demands to disperse, security forces fired tear gas and water canons. Some protestors threw stones at police and attacked cars, and several were injured and arrested, witnesses said. About 1,000 people protested, some chanting, ``Osama bin Laden, explode Copenhagen,'' outside Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, the oldest and most important seat of Muslim learning. As police prevented them from leaving the mosque, some hit security forces and the police baton charged. At the other historic mosque in Cairo, Amr ibn Al-As, about 1500 people, including some 400 women, also protested chanting slogans. Several thousand also attended protests in the northern town of Kafr el-Sheik and in the southern cities of Luxor and Sohag.(Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Hot air balloon crash kills 2, injures 11 in Kenya NAROK, Kenya, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Two people were killed and 11 others seriously injured when their hot air balloon crashed in Kenya's world-famous Maasai Mara game reserve on Friday, police said. The 12 tourists and the pilot were floating above the park watching wildlife when the balloon crashed, Narok district police chief Joshua Keyum said. A Belgian tourist and a British-Kenyan pilot died in the crash, he said.(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
13 killed, 29 injured in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb struck their patrol near Falluja, 50 km west of Baghdad on Thursday, the U.S. military said on Friday. At least nine people were killed and 28 wounded when a car bomb exploded outside a mosque in the Doura district of Baghdad, police said. Hospital sources said 11 people were killed and 38 wounded. A policewoman was killed by gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms who broke into her house in Baquba, while gunmen ambushed two policemen, killing one and wounding another as they headed to work in Baquba, police said. In a separate incident in Baquba, one Iraqi soldier was killed and another was wounded when gunmen in a car opened fire on them, police said.(Posted @ 19:44 PST)
Turks burns flags in protest of blasphemous cartoons ISTANBUL, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) - Thousands took to the streets across Turkey after Friday prayers, burning European flags and effigies of Danish Prime Minister to protest blasphemous cartoons. The largest demonstration was held in Istanbul where some 2,500 people gathered in front of the historic Beyazit mosque.Police detained nine people from a small group which insisted on holding a march, the Anatolia news agency reported. In the eastern city of Van, 10 people were detained after a group of protestors blocked a street to traffic, Anatolia reported. In Ankara, members of a public workers' trade union laid a black wreath at the Danish embassy, and pelted pictures of Rasmussen with eggs. Protests were also held in 11 other cities and they all ended peacefully, Anatolia said.(Posted @ 19:24 PST)
Indian Muslims join global fury over blasphemous cartoons NEW DELHI, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) - The first major Indian protest against blasphemous cartoons erupted on the streets of Delhi on Friday as some 15,000 joined the rally of black flag-carrying protesters who began the march from Jamia Masjid, the biggest mosque in the region. Ahmed Bukhari, Imam of Jamia Masjid, called on the Indian government to demand an apology from Copenhagen. A convoy of vehicles carrying protesters was blocked by police amid fears that western missions could be targeted. In neighbouring Bangladesh, nearly 20,000 people also protested against the cartoons Friday.(Posted @ 19:14 PST)
Sejdiu succeeds Rugova as Kosovo president PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) - The parliament of Kosovo on Friday elected 54-year-old moderate Fatmir Sejdiu to succeed late president Ibrahim Rugova, who died of lung cancer last month.(Posted @ 19:02 PST)
19 killed in gun battle in Russia's Caucasus region MOSCOW, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP/REUTERS) - 12 gunmen and 7 police died after special forces stormed a house in southern Russia near Chechnya on Friday to flush out unidentified, heavily-armed gunmen, officials said. Russian news agencies said the gunmen were preparing an attack in the area, just northwest of war-torn Chechnya, and were foiled by Russian security forces. The firefight broke out in the village of Tukui-Mekteb in eastern Stavropol region, some 60 kilometres from the border with Chechnya and 10 kilometres from Dagestan. Interfax news agency reported several gunmen were still holding out in the village and that some 300 Russian troops were taking part in the operation. Meanwhile, Russian police detained three members of a separatist guerrilla group from Chechnya's northern Shelkovsky region on Friday and seized ammunition and explosives including hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades and detonators.(First Posted @ 15:05 PST Updated @ 19:42 PST)
Thousands demonstrate in Kenya against blasphemous cartoon NAIROBI, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) More than 2,500 Kenyans paraded through Nairobi on Friday protesting against blasphemous cartoons at a sports stadium before joining up with hundreds of others to march through the capital's downtown business district, chanting anti-western slogans, witnesses said.(Posted @ 18:45 PST)
Thousands protest against blasphemous cartoons across Asia KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Thousands of people rallied in Malaysia, Bangladesh and India, while smaller demonstrations were also held in Indonesia and the Philippines against the publication of blasphemous cartoons. In Kuala Lumpur, about 3,000 protesters marched from a mosque to the Danish Embassy. In Bangladesh, more than 5,000 people demonstrated outside Denmark's embassy in Dhaka. Hundreds of protestors demanded an apology from Denmark's prime minister in Manila. Thousands of Indians also poured onto the streets of New Delhi following Friday prayers at India's largest mosque to demand an apology from Denmark.(First Posted @ 14:30 PST Updated @ 18:38 PST)
Thousands march in Pakistani capital over prophet cartoons ISLAMABAD, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) - Thousands of persons burned Danish and US flags and chanted slogans during a march here Friday against the publication of blasphemous cartoons in western media . Around 4,000 protestors marched from a mosque in central Islamabad after the Friday prayers to the capital's main Abpara commercial centre, raised slogans and burnt effigies. The alliance of six parties called the Muttahida Majlis-e Amal organised the rally. MMA also staged protest demonstrations in Lahore and set ablaze flags of Denmark, France and Norway. Several hundred youths belonging to Jamiat Ulema-i Pakistan held a rally outside the press club, and urged the government to sever diplomatic ties with Denmark and called for boycott of products from the countries where media outlets published the controversial caricatures. Hundreds of people including students at religious schools held three demonstrations in the central city of Multan chanting slogans against Denmark, Norway and France.(Posted @ 18:02 PST)
Curfew in Occupied Kashmir town after alleged desecration of holy Quran SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, Feb 10 (Reuters) Authorities imposed a curfew for the second straight day on Friday in Leh, a mountain town in Occupied Kashmir, following clashes sparked by allegations of desecration of the holy Quran, police said. They said soldiers and policemen continued to patrol the deserted streets of the town after clashes had erupted on Wednesday when torn pages of the holy book were found scattered by the road, police said. Also in a separate incident in neighbouring Kargil district on Friday, dozens of protesters set fire to the house of a police officer. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Train collision starts fire in southern Pakistan KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) Two trains collided in southern Pakistan on Friday, sparking a fire, an official said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. A railway official said the collision happened near the town of Kotri and four wagons of the oil tanker train were on fire. Rescue teams were on their way to the site of the crash, which blocked a rail line linking Karachi and Peshawar, the official added. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Eight Afghan soldiers killed in two blasts ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Feb 10 (Reuters) Roadside bombs killed eight Afghan soldiers on Friday, a provincial governor said, adding that seven soldiers were also wounded in the two separate blasts in Kunar province. In a separate incident, four Canadian soldiers were slightly wounded when a roadside bomb hit their armoured vehicle in Kandahar province on Thursday evening, a spokesman for Canadian troops said. A Taliban commander claimed responsibility for that attack.(First Posted @10:45 PST Updated @ 15:12 PST)
Maoists kill 11 in India, loot explosives RAIPUR, India, Feb 10 (Reuters) Close to 200 Maoist rebels stormed a state-run explosives store in eastern India, killing eight federal policemen and taking away a huge cache of explosives and detonators, police said on Friday. Seven policemen were wounded, several seriously with multiple bullet wounds, in the raid on a National Mineral Development Corporation unit located on a hill 450 km south of Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh state. There were no reports of Maoist casualties. Police added that the Maoists had taken rifles from the dead and wounded policemen as well as 2,100 rounds of bullets besides explosives and melted away into the forests. (First Posted @ 09:30 PST Updated @ 15:10)
Two South Africans arrested with heroin at Afghan airport KABUL, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) Police arrested two South African nationals trying to leave Afghanistan's main airport with two kilogrammes of heroin hidden in a photo album, an official said Friday. The men, carrying doctored South African passports, were trying to fly to China Thursday, an airport police chief said. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Gunmen kidnap Iraqi cleric from Baghdad home BAGHDAD, Feb 10 (Reuters) Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms kidnapped a cleric from his Baghdad home, the Interior Ministry said on Friday. Adel Khalil Dawoud, the imam of al-Nuami mosque, was seized on Thursday night by 16 gunmen who arrived at his home in the Karrada district, the official added. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Former CIA official says Bush 'cherry-picked' intelligence on Iraq WASHINGTON, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) A former CIA official who coordinated US intelligence on the Middle East has accused the Bush administration of "cherry-picking" intelligence on Iraq to justify a decision it had already reached to go to war, The Washington Post reported Friday. The newspaper said Paul Pillar, who was the national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, also accused the administration of ignoring warnings that the country could easily fall into violence and chaos after an invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein. "Official intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs was flawed", Pillar said adding that the administration "went to war without requesting any strategic-level intelligence assessments on any aspect of Iraq." (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Bush won't cancel Pakistan trip amid blasphemous cartoon furore WASHINGTON, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) US President George W. Bush is going ahead with his trip to Pakistan in March despite widespread outrage in the Muslim world over blasphemous cartoon, the White House said Thursday. "The president looks forward to going to India, he looks forward to going to Pakistan, we are making arrangements for that trip and that will be in a few weeks," Bush spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters. The US president is due to visit both countries in March. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Three Maoists, two soldiers killed in Nepal KATHMANDU, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) At least two soldiers and three Maoists died when rebels attacked patrolling troops in west Nepal, an army official said Friday. But the rebels on their website said that 25 soldiers were killed and that 10 soldiers had been captured in the attack, but the army denied it. Also latest municipal elections results Friday showed that pro-government candidates had won most of the seats. Results declared by the Election Commission showed three pro-government parties winning 17 mayoralties: 14 for Rastriya Prajatantra Party, including in the capital Katmandu; two for Nepal Sadbhawana Party; and one for Rastriya Janshakti party. Independent candidates won 15 mayoral seats. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Shoaib ruled out of second one-dayer RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Feb 10 (Reuters) Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been ruled out of the second one-day international against India due to a nagging ankle injury, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq told a news conference on Friday. "The injury is said to have become worse and we will now go by what the physio advises us to do and see if he can play the third game in Lahore on Monday," Inzamam said. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Envoy objects to Indian leftists branding Bush head of 'pack of killers' NEW DELHI, Feb 10, 2006 (AFP) - The US envoy to India was embroiled in a new row after he objected to a communist leader calling President George W. Bush the leader of a "pack of killers," a report said Friday. Ambassador David Mulford, already under attack from India's powerful leftists over recent remarks, drew fresh fire after writing a protest letter to the head of Marxist-ruled West Bengal state about his comments on Bush, The Indian Express said. West Bengal's chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee riposted with a "strong letter" to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying the envoy breached protocol by writing directly to a state government, the newspaper said. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Pakistan urges new consensus to achieve disarmament GENEVA, Feb 10 (APP): Pakistan has called on the international community to evolve a new consensus to achieve disarmament and non-proliferation. Ambassador Masood Khan, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to United Nations told the 65-member Conference on Disarmament that the international community's failure to agree on disbarment and non-proliferation reflects deep divergences amongst UN member states. "This is a dangerous trend for peace and security, especially in regions of tension," he said. He reminded the Conference that President Pervez Musharraf in his address to the UN General Assembly on September 14, 2005 had called for a new consensus to achieve disarmament and non- proliferation. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 139.08 points: KARACHI, Feb 10: At close of trading, The KSE-100 index was at 11052.86, up 139.08 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 10: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.87 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 10:30 PST)
31 killed in Pakistan blast, clashes HANGU, Pakistan, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - At least 31 people were killed in a suspected suicide attack on an Ashura procession in Hangu town in the NWFP and in ensuing riots, police and security officials told AFP. Provincial police chief Riffat Pasha said 23 people died in the initial attack and in armed sectarian clashes in the town of Hangu. Separately, four people died when gunmen fired on a minibus in Saidan Banda near Hangu and four truck drivers were shot dead after a mob torched their vehicles in the nearby Ibrahimzai area, a senior security official said.(Posted @ 19:16 PST)
12 killed, 40 injured in mourners' procession in Hangu: Interior Minister PESHAWAR Feb.9 (APP): At least twelve persons were killed and about 40 injured when a bomb blast ripped through Yum -e -Ashur procession in main Hangu bazaar on Thursday, Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherapo said in his initial remarks during a chat with newsmen here.The explosion occurred near the stage where the Ulema and Zakir were to address the mourners. The army and FC troops have been called out to control the situation. The exact cause of the incident has not yet been identified however, it is being looked into from two angles: either an explosion of time devise or suicide attack, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said. He said army troops have taken control of the nearby hill tops to maintain peace. Chief Minister of NWFP Akram Khan Durrani announced setting up of an inquiry committee headed by a judge of Peshawar High Court to probe the matter. He said those found guilty would be taken to task.He also announced Rs.100,000 cash compensation for each deceased and Rs.50,000 for each injured. District Nazim Ghaniur Rehman told APP the situation is now under control. He claimed two bomb explosions had ripped through the mourners procession.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Pakistan attack death toll rises to 22 KOHAT, Pakistan, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - At least 22 people were killed and more than 50 were wounded in an attack on an Ashura procession and the resultant rioting in Hangu town of the NWFP on Thursday. "We have a confirmed death toll of 22 and it is likely to go up. More than 50 were wounded," Ghaniur Rehman, mayor(Nazim) of Hangu town told AFP. Some of the dead included Sunnis killed in subsequent gunfire but the precise tally was not known, he said. "We have reports that some bodies are still lying in the streets and because of the violence and bad security situation they cannot be removed," the mayor added. "The army has reached the town and some order is now restored but it is still a very bad situation is some parts of the city." Mobs were blocking police vehicles, paramilitary trucks and ambulances at Ustarzai, about 25 kilometres east of Hangu, witnesses said. The protesters also torched some passing vehicles. The army units that reached Hangu had come from another direction, officials said.(Posted @ 16:02 PST)
Bush: Terrorist plot to attack Los Angeles thwarted WASHINGTON, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Thursday that the United States and partner countries had thwarted an Al-Qaeda plot to carry out "a catastrophic attack" on Los Angeles in 2002. "We believe the intended target was Liberty Tower in Los Angeles, California," he said in a speech designed to highlight progress in the global war on terrorism and the importance of international cooperation.(Posted @ 21:25 PST)
10th Muharram procession concluded peacefully KARACHI, Feb 9 (APP): The main mourning procession of 10th Muharram-ul-Haram terminated peacefully at Imambargah Husainian Iranian, Kharadar amid tight security comprising more than 13,000 members of the law enforcement agencies. Large number of small processions converged at Nishtar Park before the start of the procession. Prominent ulema of Fiqah-e-Jafaria and Bu Turab Scouts led the procession which also included alams, tazias and zuljinnahas. The mourners continued reciting nauha, marsia and salam.(Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Anti-extremism, terrorism campaign successful: Maj. Gen. Sultan ISLAMABAD, Feb 9 (APP): Director General ISPR, Major General Shaukat Sultan has said that campaign against extremism and terrorism has remained overall successful. Talking to Voice of Germany, he said about 175 suspected foreign militants and Al-Qadea activists have been killed and 700 localand foreign extremists arrested since deployment of about 75,000 Pakistan army troops in tribal region bordering Afghanistan. To a question he said: "We have halted activities and freezed funds of banned organizations. We have eliminated terrorists who have been present in Pakistan. We have dismantled network of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan." In South Waziristan, the situation is under control. The political administration has full writ and military is fully supporting it. As for North Waziristan, terrorists here are in small groups, he said. He was of the view that the situation in tribal areas has to be judged in perspective of Afghanistan's situation as its situation directly affects border areas of Pakistan. He said total peace in tribal area depends on return of normalcy in Afghanistan.(Posted @ 20:42 PST)
NATO defence ministers focus on violence in Afghanistan TAORMINA, Sicily (AP) _ NATO defence ministers shifted the focus of their Thursday meeting to address protests in Afghanistan sparked by the publication of blasphemous cartoons. The change in the agenda will delay discussion of plans to modernize the alliance until Friday, alliance officials said. U.S. Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Washington still favoured NATO eventually taking full command of the international military effort to stabilize Afghanistan, leaving the separate U.S. force to focus on the anti-terrorism mission hunting for al-Qaida holdouts there.(Posted @ 19:58 PST)
Istanbul blast caused by gas explosion-police ISTANBUL, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A blast which rocked an Internet Café near a police station in Istanbul on Thursday was caused by a gas explosion and injured 16 people, including six police officers, a police source said.(First Posted @ 17:45 PST Updated @ 19:44 PST)
Russia to invite Hamas to Moscow for talks 'soon': Putin MADRID, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Thursday he would invite Hamas officials to Moscow "soon" for discussions on the future of the Middle East peace process. At a joint news conference in Madrid, his host Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Spain considered that "President Putin will have a determining role in dialogue for peace in the Middle East."(Posted @ 19:22 PST)
U.S. to free about 450 Iraqi detainees next week, says deputy justice minister BAGHDAD, Feb 9 (APP/AP): U.S. forces are expected to release about 450 male Iraqi detainees next Tuesday, Iraq's deputy justice minister Busho Ibrahim Ali said Thursday. He said the detainees will be released from at least three prisons, including Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca near the southern port of Umm Qasr near the Kuwaiti border. None of the four or five women believed to be in custody are expected to be freed, he said. More than 12,000 detainees are being held at coalition facilities. Many are awaiting trial, others formal charges.(Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Mansehra, Balakot jolted PESHAWAR Feb 9 (APP): An earthquake of mild intensity was recorded by Seismological network here Thursday. According to preliminary analysis of Meteorological station Peshawar, the earthquake originated at 1248 hours and its epicenter was about 200 kilometers North East of Peshawar in Hazara Division. The magnitude of the earthquake on international Richter scale was 4.4. The earthquake was felt in Mansehra, Balakot and surrounding areas.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Three elephants die in Sri Lanka after stepping on land mine COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Three wild elephants – a female and two baby elephants -- died from their injuries after stepping on a land mine in Sri Lanka because government veterinarians refused to go to rebel-held territory without army and Red Cross escorts, officials said Thursday.(Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Ashura procession in Srinagar turns into protest against blasphemous cartoons SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 9 (AP) _ An Ashura procession Thursday in Srinagar turned into a protest rally against blasphemous cartoons, and 25 people were arrested as police beat back angry demonstrators, an officer said. Police baton-charged the processionists after they tried to break past barricades, hurled stones and shouted ``Down with Denmark'' and ``Down with Israel. Separately, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq appealed to clerics and prayer leaders across the region to hold ``forceful'' but peaceful protests against the cartoons at mosques during Friday prayers(Posted @ 18:08 PST)
US slams Nepal vote as 'hollow' exercise WASHINGTON, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - The United States slammed Nepal's violence-plagued municipal elections Wednesday as a "hollow attempt to legitimize power" by King Gyanendra. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the polls were marred by the government's detention of many political activists, restrictive media coverage, violence by Maoist rebels and a lack of monitors. "The United States believes Nepal's municipal elections called by the king today represented a hollow attempt to legitimize power," McCormack said in a statement read at the department's daily press briefing.(Posted @ 17:28 PST)
Indian police reopen nearly 1,600 cases on Gujarat riots AHMEDABAD, India, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Indian police have reopened nearly 1,600 cases related to communal violence in the western state of Gujarat in 2002 in which some 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed, a top official said Thursday. Police will also hold inquiries into the conduct of 41 police officials who investigated the bloodletting. The move comes after India's Supreme Court asked police in Gujarat to reinvestigate 2,020 cases it had closed. "We have sent a fresh monthly report to the Supreme Court. The report says we have reopened 1,594 cases, of which 13 are fresh cases," said Gujarat police director general A.K. Bhargava, who heads a committee probing the riots.(Posted @ 17:18 PST)
Three more US soldiers die in Iraq's Anbar province BAGHDAD, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - The US military announced Thursday the death of three members of US forces across Iraq's restive Al-Anbar province in the last three days. One marine was killed when his vehicle was hit by by a roadside bomb during combat operations near Baghdadi, west of Ramadi, on Monday, while another marine died in a car accident in Qaim, in the far west of the province along the Syrian border. A third soldier with the 14th cavalry regiment was killed when a roadside bomb detonated by his vehicle during combat on Sunday.(Posted @ 17:18 PST)
41 Pakistani workers detained over Afghan cartoon protests KABUL, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Afghan authorities have arrested more than 40 Pakistani workers for inciting violence during a protest against blasphemous cartoons in which four people were killed in Qalat in southern Zabul province, an official said Thursday. The men were arrested with their Saudi boss in Qalat where police opened fire to quell rampaging demonstrators Wednesday. “We have proof that these men were involved in turning it to violence," provincial spokesman Gulab Shah Alikhil told AFP.(Posted @ 17:12 PST)
Pakistan's Musharraf to visit China BEIJING, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf will visit China from Feb 19 to 23 as part of events to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the two nations establishing diplomatic ties, the foreign ministry said Thursday. He will hold talks with President Hu Jintao and other top Chinese leaders during the visit, ministry spokesman Kong Quan said. "This is a very important state visit because China and Pakistan are friendly neighbours. We share an all-weather friendship and all dimensional cooperation," Kong said. Several agreements will be signed, Kong said, but he did not elaborate. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Islamabad in April last year, when 20 military, trade and other agreements were signed.(Posted @ 17:08 PST)
South African Muslims protest against cartoons in Cape Town march CAPE TOWN, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - An estimated 15,000 South African Muslims took to the streets in Cape Town Thursday to condemn blasphemous cartoons. They marched to the town hall to hand over a petition to the Danish consulate. A second demonstration, also organised by the Muslim Judicial Council representing South Africa's estimated 1.5 million Muslims, will take place in Pretoria on Friday.(Posted @ 16:56 PST)
Five dead in Sunni, Shiite clash in Afghanistan: doctor HERAT, Afghanistan, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - At least five people were killed and 52 wounded Thursday in sectarian clashes in western Afghanistan during the observance of Ashura, a doctor said. "So far we have received five bodies and 52 wounded people," said doctor Mirajuddin Arabzada of the main hospital in Heart city. Sectarian trouble is rare in Afghanistan.(First Posted @ 16:42 PST Updated @ 17:34 PST)
Fire kills six Bangladesh textile workers DHAKA, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Six people died and about 10 were injured in a fire at a textile factory near Dhaka, police said Thursday. The fire engulfed a warehouse and parts of the factory at Shafipur, some 50 kilometres north of Dhaka, at around midnight Wednesday.The cause was believed to be an electrical short circuit.(Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Two armed Palestinians killed at Gaza crossing EREZ CROSSING POINT, Gaza Strip, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians Thursday as they staged a pre-dawn attack on soldiers guarding the Erez crossing between northern Gaza and southern Israel, military and Palestinian security sources said. Although two of the attackers were fatally wounded, a third is believed to have escaped uninjured, they added.(Posted @ 16:36 PST)
Shiites mark Ashura in Iraq amid fear KARBALA, Iraq, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of Shiites observed the Ashura here Thursday amid a heavy Iraqi security. Large processions of mourners were seen marching towards the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussein since early morning , and the number was likely to swell to over one million by noon, officials said. There have been similar Ashura processions in other parts of the country. "There has been no mishap. We have tightened security further. We are not even allowing authorised vehicles to come near the mausoleum," they said. Some 8,000 security personnel are deployed in and around Karbala to provide protection for Ashura pilgrims which include hundreds of pilgrims from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the other countries.(Posted @ 16:34 PST)
South Africa's Tutu appeals for Muslims to forgive cartoon offense NAIROBI, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - Former South African Anglican archbishop and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu appealed Thursday for Muslims to forgive the offense caused by blasphemous cartoons and reject violence. "We are in deep distress at what has proved to be offensive to our brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith," he told a meeting of the All-Africa Conference of Churches in the Kenyan capital. "It is our message of hope that they will be able to find it within themselves in the end to forgive what has upset them," Tutu said, noting that Christians would take offence at similar portrayals of Jesus Christ and Jews at Holocaust revisionism. "Our hearts are pleading with them to be persuaded for peace," said Tutu.(Posted @ 16:18 PST)
Hezbollah insists on apology for blasphemous cartoons BEIRUT, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - The head of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah insisted on an apology over the blasphemous cartoons, as hundreds of thousands of Shiites gathered Thursday in southern Beirut to mark the Ashura ."There will be no compromise until we receive an apology," Hassan Nasrallah told the mourners. "We want European parliaments to draft laws that ban newspapers from insulting the Holy Prophet," he said.(Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Arab escapee leads attack in Afghanistan: video PARIS, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - One of four Arab militants who escaped from a US military prison in Afghanistan has led an attack on Afghan security forces, according to an Internet videotape posted Thursday. "Several apostates were killed while the others were taken captive or ran away," in the attack which took place on January 7, said the tape showing Libyan Mohammed Hassan, who is also known as Sheikh Abu Yahia al-Libi.(Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Egyptian diplomat kidnapped in Gaza GAZA CITY, Feb 9, 2006 (AFP) - An Egyptian diplomat was kidnapped Thursday by gunmen in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of central Gaza City , Egyptian officials and a Palestinian security source said. The diplomat, identified by Egypt's representative offices in Gaza City as Hossam al-Musseli, was heading toward his office when masked gunmen surrounded his car and forced him into a separate vehicle, the police source said. The kidnappers then took off on a coastal road heading toward the southern Gaza Strip, the source added. Egyptian officials said the diplomat worked as a military advisor in the diplomatic mission.(Posted @ 15:54 PST)
Main "Zuljinah" procession taken out from Nisar Haveli LAHORE, Feb 8 (APP): Main "Zuljinah" procession, marking Ashura-e-Muharram, was taken out from Nisar Haveli, inside Mochi Gate here Wednesday night. The procession will pass through its traditional route which has been heavily-guarded. The procession will pass through Masjid Wazir Khan, Dabbi Bazaar, Rang Mahal, Said Mitha Bazaar, Bhati Gate and will terminate after reaching at Karbala Gamey Shah where Majlis-e-Sham-e-Ghariban will be held in the evening. (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Tahir Mirza
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |