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| February 13, 2006 | Monday | Muharram 14, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf calls for U.S. mediation in Kashmir dispute ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Monday appealed to the United States to help mediate in its bitter dispute with India over Kashmir. Musharraf said Pakistan and India have to resolve the protracted dispute between them, and that the time was ripe for a resolution, stressing that the United States had a responsibility as the only superpower to help reach a solution. His call came ahead of a planned visit next month by U.S. President George W. Bush to India and Pakistan. ``President Bush is coming here. I hope he understands the reality,'' Musharraf told a group of journalists. ``They have to resolve all political disputes which all concern Muslims, unfortunately, at the moment,'' he added. He said he was concerned that negotiations with India were not making progress, but said people on both sides of the disputed region wanted a solution. ``I believe now, at this moment, Kashmir is ripe for a resolution,'' he said. ``The people of Kashmir…are for peace.'' He also said Pakistan stood by its plans for a transnalational pipeline that would bring gas from Iran to Pakistan and onto India, saying Pakistan's growing economy demanded it. ``Pakistan wants gas. Iran wants to sell it. What is the problem?'' Musharraf said. ``We need the gas. If anybody is against it, they should provide us financial assistance.'' (First Posted @ 17:30 PST Updated @ 19:33 PST)
Pakistan, Bangladesh sign four MoUs to boost bilateral cooperation ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (APP): Pakistan and Bangladesh Monday signed four MoUs to boost ties in agriculture, tourism, promotion of exports and to have standardized quality controls. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Bangladeshi counterpart Begum Khaleda Zia witnessed the signing ceremony here at the PM House. Aziz and Begum Zia at a joint press conference following the official talks also agreed to speed up the process leading to a Free Trade Agreement by 30th September between the two countries. They said they had held wide ranging discussions covering bilateral ties, defence and security, the regional and international situation and the future of SAARC in their meeting. Aziz said Pakistan can get help in micro finance and population planning from Bangladesh while it can assist it in IT and economic reforms. Pakistan also increased the number of scholarships to 100 for the Bangladeshi students studying in Pakistan. Begum Khaleda said "our discussions today will pave the way for a more meaningful and cooperative bilateral relations." (Posted @ 20:55 PST)
Police teargas 7,000 protestors; Musharraf condemns blasphemous cartoons PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) Police fired tear gas and baton-charged about 7,000 students protesting the blasphemous cartoons Monday in Peshawar. The protest began in the morning when students began marching out from universities in Peshawar, urging people to join their demonstration. The crowd threw stones at Edwards College, and also broke windows at the Peshawar Press Club. Police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged the protesters when they tried to march on the provincial governor's residence. Batons and tear gas were again used when a group of students went to the city's main business district and threw stones at shops. Later Monday, President Pervez Musharraf told a group of visiting journalists from the U.S. and Asia that "I don't understand how any civilized person can take the excuse of freedom of the press to hurt feelings of over one billion Muslims". This is stretching freedom of press beyond its limits and also being totally oblivious of the consequences for the world peace and harmony, he said. He condemned the publication as "sad and pathetic". (First Posted @ 13:25 PST Updated @ Updated @ 22:00 PST
Urgent action urged in quake zone on Pakistan landslide threat: Report ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (Reuters) Landslides present a substantial threat to survivors of last October's catastrophic earthquake in Pakistan and urgent action is needed ahead of summer rains to prevent large-scale loss of life, experts Professor David Petley of the International Landslide Centre at Britain's University of Durham and Dr Mark Bulmer of the Landslide Observatory at the University of Maryland in the United States who visited the quake zone in northern Pakistan in January, said in a joint report made available on Monday. The experts noted that a number of tent villages were located in highly dangerous positions and that "near perfect" conditions had been created for fresh slides and flash floods. "We predict there will be a very high incidence of slip failures during the July monsoon season and many of these failures will be large-scale and destructive," it said. The report said the potential for a "catastrophic breach" of a dam created by the landslides at Hattian Bala was very high, a greater than 80 percent chance, and summer rains presented a serious threat of a second "large-scale disaster". Colonel Baseer Haider Malik, a spokesman for the government's earthquake relief commission, said he did not believe there was any immediate danger to populations. He said spillways had already been created to release water from the lakes and added that he was confident other necessary work in the quake zone would be completed by the time of summer rains. (Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Blast outside Baghdad bank kills 15 BAGHDAD, Feb 13 (Reuters) Fifteen people were killed and more than 30 wounded in Baghdad on Monday when a blast ripped through a crowd of people queuing up outside a bank, the Iraqi police and U.S. military said. The U.S. military said the blast was caused by a roadside bomb planted near the busy bank. Elsewhere four Iraqi policemen were gunned down in the town of Baiji. In Baquba, four men, three of them brothers, were shot dead by gunmen in cars early Monday. One of those killed was an official in the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. South of the capital, in the town of Iskandiriyah, a roadside bomb also killed two police officers. In Baghdad, a bomb exploded next to a motorcade of former electricity minister Ayham Al-Samarraie, injuring three bodyguards and one female passer-by, as it passed through the upscale neighbourhood of Al-Mansour. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST Updated @ 22:30 PST)
Four U.S. troops killed in Afghan blast KABUL, Feb 13 (Reuters) Four U.S. troops were killed in a bomb blast in Uruzgan province on Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement. (Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Abbas gets power boost from outgoing Palestinian parliament RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb 13 (Reuters) The Palestinian parliament boosted President Mahmoud Abbas's powers on Monday in what Hamas officials said was a last-minute bid to keep them in check after a sweeping election victory. Hamas said it had chosen one of its leaders to be the next Palestinian prime minister, but refused to name him and said it was poised for formal talks with other factions on forming a national unity government. Fatah lawmakers approved an amendment to an existing law that will give Abbas the authority to appoint judges to the Palestinian constitutional court without seeking legislative approval. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Iran defiant over UN sanctions: Ahmadinejad WASHINGTON, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview published Monday that nations calling for economic sanctions over his country's nuclear program would lose far more than Tehran. "The people of Iran have stood on their own two feet throughout history, and despite the bad intentions of their adversaries have been able to move forward," he said. He added that Washington, in its diplomatic and military affairs "wants to talk to other countries from a position of overbearing strength. This cannot be a good basis for constructive dialogue." (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Saddam trial adjourned until Tuesday BAGHDAD, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) The trial of Saddam Hussein was adjourned until Tuesday after a chaotic session Monday that saw the deposed Iraqi dictator shout and deride the proceedings. Saddam Hussein appeared in court for his trial on Monday saying he was forced to attend the proceedings, a witness said. He appeared with his seven co-accused. "This is not a court, this is a game," he said. (First Posted@15:25 PST Updated @ 20:40 PST)
Iraqi president condemns British abuse of youths BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani condemned the abuse by British soldiers of Iraqi youths that was caught on film in 2004, describing it as ``unjustified,'' his spokesman said Monday. Talabani's criticism came as the British Ministry of Defense announced that one man had been arrested over the video that showed soldiers dragging several young Iraqis into a compound and beating them with fists and batons following a street demonstration. (Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Watchdog asks U.S. to free journalists from Iraq and Guantanamo jails PARIS (AP) A press watchdog group called on United States Monday to free two jailed journalists held ``unjustly'' in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay. Reporters Without Borders said that Abdel Amir Yunes Hussein, who works for CBS News in United States, and Sami Al-Hajj, employed by the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera, have been neither tried nor even charged after months of detention. ``These journalists have been denied justice'' along with other journalists arrested in Iraq, a statement by the Paris-based organization said. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Four killed in Occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) Security forces killed four suspected militants in Occupied Kashmir, police said Monday. Two died in a lengthy gunbattle Monday in Yaripora village in southern Anantnag district, a police official said. The two other suspected militants were shot dead in separate incidents in northern Baramulla and Kupwara districts late Sunday, the official added. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
US Navy contingent hands over equipment used in quake areas MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 13 (APP): A US Navy Construction Battalion Monday turned over to Pakistani military equipment worth 2.5 million dollars as part of the ongoing transition from relief to reconstruction in the quake-hit areas. The equipment includes three D-7 bulldozers, one 15-ton and nine 20-ton dump trucks, seven 100-kilowatt generators and four skids. Since arriving in Pakistan in October, the battalion cleared 50,000 cubic yards of debris apart from building 70 temporary shelters and 15 transitional shelters which were now being used as schools. These feats were primarily accomplished in Miani Biani, Kardala and Muzaffarabad region. (Posted @ 18:25 PST)
Manmohan Singh invites Yasin Malik for talks NEW DELHI (AP) Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, on Monday invited the pro-independence leader of the Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik, for talks on ending the decades-old Kashmir dispute, a government official said. The talks with Singh are scheduled for Feb. 17 in New Delhi, Sanjaya Baru, an adviser to the prime minister, said. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Pakistan to raise border attack with Afghan president ISLAMABAD, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) Pakistani leaders will discuss the latest cross-border attacks in which two women from a nomad community were killed Saturday night with Afghan President Hamid Karzai when he visits the country this week, the foreign ministry said Monday. Karzai will meet President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during his three-day visit, which starts on Wednesday. "We have seen reports of the attack. I think this issue will be discussed both with the Afghan president and the Tripartite Commission," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly briefing. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Iraq: Roadside bomb hits US truck convoy, Pakistani killed, 3 US troops injured BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A U.S. logistics convoy was attacked by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, killing one civilian believed to be a Pakistani truck driver and wounding three American soldiers, the military and Iraqi police said Monday. The attack happened late Sunday near Taji, about 20 kilometers north of Baghdad near a major U.S. air base, said military spokesman Maj. Joseph Todd Breasseale. Three U.S. soldiers in the convoy were injured, while a civilian was killed when a civilian truck was attacked, Breasseale said. Iraqi police Lt. Alaa Kamal said the convoy consisted of three fuel tankers and another truck, which was destroyed by fire. Police found the body of the vehicle's driver inside the truck and identity documents said he was Pakistani. (Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Rebels call strike to protest civilian deaths in India's Assam state GAUHATI, India (AP) Separatist rebels enforced a strike in Assam Monday to protest civilian deaths at the hands of security forces, forcing businesses to close and leaving roads deserted across the northeastern Indian state. The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) called the daylong statewide shutdown. Assam's leading student organization, the All Assam Students' Union, has called another dawn-to-dusk strike for Tuesday. (Posted @ 13:25 PST)
Bangladesh parliament condemns Prophet cartoons DHAKA, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) Bangladesh lawmakers have condemned the publication of blasphemous cartoons, saying they are designed to "provoke Muslims", state-run BSS news agency said Monday. The parliament unanimously adopted a resolution late Sunday condemning the cartoons and calling on countries where they were published to "seek apology for their misdeeds and take punitive action against the offenders". "The lawmakers said this incident was not an isolated one. Rather, it was a calculated and well-planned design of the Western clique, who are trying to provoke Muslims and subsequently fish in troubled waters capitalising on the situation," BSS said. The resolution was supported unanimously by lawmakers from both the government and the main opposition parties, who rejoined the House Sunday after a 13-month boycott. (Posted @ 13:15 PST)
Taliban ambush Afghan militia unit, two dead KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb 13 (Reuters) Taliban guerrillas ambushed a militia unit working with U.S. forces in southern Afghanistan, killing two men and capturing six, the leader of the militia group said on Monday. Militia commander Dawood said the ambush took place late on Sunday in the troubled province of Helmand, where 3,300 British troops will soon be based as part of a NATO plan to expand its Afghanistan peacekeeping force. A Taliban commander, Mullah Mujahid, said his men had killed five of the militiamen and captured six. One Taliban fighter had been killed, Mujahid said by telephone. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Cricket-Injured Sehwag, Harbhajan to return home LAHORE, Feb 13 (Reuters) Indian opener Virender Sehwag and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh will return home from Pakistan to recover from injury. Sehwag was ruled out of the third one-dayer against Pakistan on Monday due to a shoulder problem, while Harbhajan has not played in the series due to a finger injury. "Keeping in mind the volume of cricket in the near future, the team management, in consultation with the selectors, have decided the two players should return to India for rest and recovery," chief selector Kiran More said in a statement. India play England in a home series with the first test due to start on March 1 in Nagpur. More said Sehwag and Harbhajan should be fit for the England series. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Cricket-Mohammad Sami called up for one-dayers LAHORE, Feb 13 (Reuters) Pakistan pacer Mohammad Sami has been called up to join the squad for the last two one-day internationals against India. Sami replaces fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who was sent home to recover from an ankle injury, for the last two matches in Multan (Feb. 16) and Karachi (Feb. 19). "Sami is playing a domestic match in Rawalpindi today and will join the squad tonight," a team official said. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Iran delays planned nuclear talks with Russia TEHRAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) Iran said on Monday further talks with Russia to discuss a proposal to process fuel on Russian soil for Iran's nuclear stations would not be held this week as scheduled. "Talks with Russia have not been cancelled but the date should be discussed," government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a weekly news conference. The proposal has been put forward by Moscow to ease international concerns that Iran could produce bomb-grade material at home through enrichment. But Elham said the proposal was only acceptable if it was in addition to enrichment facilities in Iran. "The government insists on enriching uranium and the proposal should be adjusted based on the new circumstances," Elham said. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Iranian newspaper calls for cartoons on the Holocaust TEHRAN, Iran, Feb 13 (AP) A prominent Iranian newspaper on Monday opened an international competition seeking cartoons about the Holocaust in what it said was a test of whether the West would be as supportive of freedom of expression over the Nazi genocide as it was with caricatures of the Holy Prophet. Hamshahri, one of Iran's top five newspapers, published the call for cartoons under the title: ``What is the Limit of Western Freedom of Expression?'' on its Web site. The announcement was also to appear on page 31 of the print version of the paper, said Davood Kazemi, executive manager of the contest.``We don't intend retaliation over the drawings of the Holy Prophet. We just want to show that freedom is restricted in the West,'' Kazemi said.``We expect those papers who published the blasphemous cartoons to reproduce the cartoons which will be selected during our competition,'' Kazemi said. ``Even Israeli cartoonists could send their works to the contest.'' He noted, however, that the paper would not accept any``insulting'' cartoons. May 5 is the deadline for entries. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Indian cricket fans face Internet ticket bottleneck in Pakistan LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 13 (AP) Hundreds of Indian cricket fans faced missing the start of Monday's third limited-overs international between Pakistan and India, due to delays in collecting tickets booked over the Internet. About 3,900 Indian fans had gone online to book their tickets for Monday's day-night match in Lahore, with most of them arriving Sunday and running straight into a ticket bottleneck. ``It's 8:00 p.m. and so far I have not got my ticket that I booked on the Internet on Feb. 4,'' said Amrit Sethi, a 61-year-old eye surgeon from India's southern Punjab province who said he had been in queue for over two hours Sunday night. ``We have just seven people to distribute the online tickets and most of the fans arrived today,'' Sohail Ahmed, who was handling the Internet bookings said. Ahmed blamed the delays on the three-day visa.``They should have at least been issued visas for five days so that they could have come early and collect their tickets,'' he said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Gunmen kill Pakistani doctor suspected of links with al-Qaida LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 13 (AP) Gunmen on a motorcycle Monday killed a Pakistani doctor who had been detained three years ago for suspected al-Qaida links, police said. Ahmad Javed Khawaja was attacked while he was going to his clinic in Lahore, said Mohammed Ali, a police official in Lahore. About 500 people joined a protest that erupted after the shooting. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Iraq suspends Australian wheat deals over bribery probe SYDNEY, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) Iraq has suspended dealings with Australia's monopoly wheat exporter AWB over allegations that it paid bribes to the former regime of Saddam Hussein, the company said Monday. The suspension would remain in force until an official inquiry into the charges is complete, AWB Ltd executive chairman Brendan Stewart said in a statement. The decision knocked the AWB out of the running for a contract for a million tonnes of wheat announced by the Iraq Grain Board two weeks ago. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Hamas will end armed struggle if Israel quits territories: leader MOSCOW, Feb 13, 2006 (AFP) Hamas will end its armed struggle against Israel if the Jewish state withdraws from all occupied Palestinian territories, its leader told Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta in an interview published Monday. "If Israel recognizes our rights and pledges to withdraw from all occupied lands, Hamas, and the Palestinian people together with it, will decide to halt armed resistance," the radical Islamist group's supremo Khaled Meshaal said. In earler statements Meshal had only said that Hamas could agree to a "long-term truce" with Israel if it were willing to return to the 1967 borders and recognise the rights of Palestinians to self-determination. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 165.75 points: KARACHI, Feb 13: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11218.61, up 165.75 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 13: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.92 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
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