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| February 18, 2006 | Saturday | Muharram 19, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
McKinnon says Musharraf won't say when he'll quit military post ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) President Gen. Pervez Musharraf knows he can't continue to be both a political and military leader, but he is giving no indication when he will stop serving the dual role, the Commonwealth's leader said Saturday. The issue was raised Saturday when the Pakistani leader met with the group's secretary-general, Don McKinnon. Musharraf argued that his uniform was not ``a hurdle in the working of democratic institutions,'' a presidential office official said. ``The fact that he is holding both those positions now, he sees this as part of the maturing process, but he does know that it does have to come to an end,'' McKinnon said after the meeting. ``He knows that these two particular issues are not compatible for a democracy and he certainly is going to address this issue,'' he added. But Musharraf gave no indication when he might make a decision, McKinnon added. ``He certainly knows that 2007 is a critical factor, but clearly he wants to ensure that he knows things are going to continue in a peaceful way here,'' he said. McKinnon would not speculate on how the Commonwealth might react if Musharraf did not act before the next presidential elections, expected in October next year. McKinnon said the merits of a Pakistani president also commanding the military in the face of terrorism and extremism were not raised in discussions Saturday.(First Posted @ 16:12 PST Updated @ 18:56 PST)
Pakistan bans rallies in capital amid blasphemous cartoon row MULTAN, Pakistan, Feb 18 (Reuters) Pakistan banned demonstrations in the capital Islamabad on Saturday as protests over blasphemous cartoons grew and four people were wounded when shots were fired during a rally in a central town. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the ban would apply to a protest planned on Sunday by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). "MMA leaders have been told that protests and rallies will not be allowed in Islamabad," he told a news conference. But MMA said its protest would go ahead. "The rally will be held in Islamabad. It will be a peaceful rally," Shahid Shamsi, an MMA spokesman said. Four people were wounded Saturday when shots were fired during a protest in Chiniot town, Punjab, police said. About 12,000 women took part in a peaceful Karachi rally today, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami. Police detained around 40 people in Multan as they tried to stage a demonstration. (First Posted @ 12:15 PST Updated @ 21:55 PST)
Libyan blasphemous cartoons protest death toll rises to 11 TRIPOLI, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) The casualty toll from riots in the Libyan city of Benghazi against blasphemous cartoons rose to 11 dead and 35 injured, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam said Saturday. Libya suspended its security minister while in Rome, Italian reform minister Roberto Calderoli resigned after Libya blamed his anti-Islamic insults for igniting the demonstration. Calderoli had appeared on television Thursday wearing a T-shirt printed with the blasphemous cartoons. The Libyan deaths took place after about 1,000 people had gathered to protest outside the Italian consulate after which police fired upon them when they resorted to violence. In a telephone conversation Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the Libyan leader agreed that the anti-Italian violence should have no "negative repercussions" for bilateral relations, Berlusconi's office said.(First Posted @ 09:25 PST Updated @ 22:40 PST)
All religions need to work for interfaith harmony: PM ISLAMABAD, Feb 18 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday underscored the need for interfaith harmony while talking to a delegation from Norway this evening which comprised of Islamic Council of Norway and Church of Norway members. Rejecting the publication of blasphemous cartoons on the pretext of freedom of expression, Aziz said, freedom of expression goes in tandem with respect for feelings and sensitivities of others. He hoped that the members of the delegation will convey this point of view to the people of Norway and other European countries. The members of Norwegian Church regretted the publication of blasphemous cartoons and said that they felt the pain along with other Norwegian Muslims.(Posted @ 22:28 PST)
Bold decisions needed for resolution of Kashmir issue: PM ISLAMABAD, Feb 18 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday said Pakistan and India need to demonstrate stronger will and passion to solve the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir as the resolution of the issue is critical for sustainable peace in the region. He said this while talking to Vijayendar Nath Kaul, the Auditor General of India who accompanied by Shivshankar Menon, High Commissioner of India called on him at the Prime Minister House here. "The true potential of South Asia can only be leveraged after the resolution of this issue", Aziz said.(Posted @ 22:26 PST)
US soldier among six killed in Iraq bombings BAGHDAD, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) A US soldier and five Iraqis were killed in bombings Saturday, while the British military reported that two Macedonians were abducted Thursday in Basra. In central Baghdad, a US soldier died when his vehicle struck an explosive device, the military said. In the east of the city, a pair of bombings killed three Iraqi security guards and a policeman, the interior ministry said. And near Baquba a roadside bombing killed one civilian and left five others wounded, police said. The bodies of two unidentified men were also discovered early Saturday in Baghdad. In Kirkuk, two more bodies of men who had been tortured were discovered, police said. Security forces in Basra said two Macedonians working for a German contractor were abducted on Thursday after leaving Basra airport.(First Posted@12:15 PST Updated @ 22:26 PST)
Hockey-Butt scores twice as Pakistan defeat India 3-1 CHANDIGARH, India (AP) Rehan Butt scored two goals to fashion Pakistan's 3-1 victory over arch rivals India in the second field hockey test match Saturday. The victory gave Pakistan a 2-0 lead in the annual six-test series, having won the opening test match 2-1 Friday. The third test match will be played Monday in the northern Indian city of Jalandhar. Both teams will then cross the Wagah border between India and Pakistan to play the remaining three tests in Pakistan.(Posted @ 21:46 PST)
Foreign hostages being used as human shields in Nigeria LAGOS, Feb 18 (Reuters) Nine foreign oil workers being held hostage in Nigeria will be used as human shields by militants who intend to launch more devastating attacks on the oil industry shortly, the kidnappers said on Saturday. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said they wanted more local control of the Niger Delta's vast oil wealth and the release of two ethnic Ijaw leaders in return for the hostages, who are employees of U.S. oil services company Willbros. The hostages include three Americans, a Briton, two Egyptians, two Thais and one Filipino.(First Posted@16:44 PST Updated @ 19:34 PST)
India confirms first bird flu cases in poultry MUMBAI, Feb 18 (Reuters) India confirmed its first bird flu infections in poultry on Saturday after 50,000 birds died in western Maharashtra state, the state's animal husbandry minister said on Saturday. A federal health ministry official said there were no reports of human infections. State husbandry minister Anees Ahmed said tests had confirmed the presence of the H5N1 avian flu virus in some of the dead chickens in Nandurbar district, about 450 km north of Mumbai. In New Delhi, an emergency meeting of the cabinet secretariat was called, a TV report said. Culling of the birds starts from Sunday, the official added.(Posted @ 19:26 PST)
Heavy fighting kills seven in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Feb 18 (Reuters) At least seven people were killed and more than 20 others wounded when rival militias using mortars and anti-aircraft guns clashed in Somalia's capital on Saturday, residents said. They said civilians including women and children were among the casualties when heavy fighting over territory broke out between gunmen loyal to Mogadishu's Islamic courts and a local warlord in the south of the capital. Hospital officials in the capital said at least 25 casualties were brought in.(Posted @ 19:24 PST)
Aid group says 100,000 remain without aid in remote Pakistani quake region ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) More than 100,000 survivors of Pakistan's massive earthquake have gone four months without receiving any aid in a remote north-western tribal region, an aid group said Saturday. The mountainous area, about 60 kilometres north of Mansehra, didn't request any assistance immediately after the Oct. 8 quake because the villagers were fiercely independent, said Rita Alfred, spokeswoman for World Vision in London.``These communities are used to fending for themselves,'' Alfred said. ``They are not townies. They are hardy, fierce, independent people and they've lived like that for generations.'' But three weeks ago, tribal leaders came down from the mountains and requested building materials and medicine, Alfred said. She said aid workers who have gone to the region and assessed the need have estimated that there are about 13,000 households, or about 104,000 people, who have gone without aid. A spokesman for the Pakistani federal relief effort said he had not heard about the tribes and was sceptical that they've gone without aid for so long. ``It's really surprising to me'' that they survived, the spokesman said, adding that officials would check on the aid group's claims. World Vision and the Pakistani aid agency Organization for Development Coordination were arranging aid drops for the region in the next couple days.(Posted @ 19:05 PST)
Thousands protest in UK over blasphemous cartoons LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) Thousands of people protested in central London on Saturday to express their anger over the publication of blasphemous cartoons. The Muslim Action Committee (MAC) which organised the event said they expected 40,000 to rally peacefully in Trafalgar Square. A police spokeswoman said 10,000 were present. "We held the rally so the mainstream Muslim community could express their anger," the national convener of MAC said. "The mainstream Muslim community has a message to give which is that enough is enough," he added. On Saturday, protesters carrying placards such as "Free Speech = Cheap Insults" said it was important to speak out.(Posted @ 18:56 PST)
Pakistani train returns after historic journey to India ZERO POINT, Pakistan, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) A Pakistani train returned here with Indian passengers after a historic journey to India Saturday marking the reopening of a rail link between the nuclear-armed rivals that was closed for four decades. The train dropped about 165 Pakistanis in the Indian border town of Munabao before coming back hours later with some 260 passengers. Earlier, hundreds of people on the platform cheered and a band played lively tunes as the train chugged into Munabao from Karachi. The train, whose service was suspended following the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, will run once a week, carrying passengers back and forth.(First Posted @ 11:10 PST Updated @ 17:36 PST)
Hamas leader Haniyeh to be PM - parliament speaker RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb 18 (Reuters) Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh will be the next prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, the Hamas official due to take over as parliament speaker said on Saturday. "Hamas has decided that Ismael Haniyeh will be the prime minister for the next government," Aziz Dweik told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah ahead of the swearing-in of the parliament.(Posted @ 16:22 PST)
Abbas asks Hamas to form Palestinian government RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb 18 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday asked Hamas to form the next Palestinian government and said he expected it to respect a commitment to talks with Israel. Abbas said in a speech at the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament that the government must follow all agreements signed with Israel. "The Hamas movement has become the majority in the Legislative Council and it will be tasked with the formation of the new government," Abbas said. Hamas has five weeks to set up its government. Abbas will go to Gaza on Sunday to formally ask the Hamas prime minister to form the next cabinet. The parliament session was held in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Lawmakers in the Gaza Strip joined in via a video link since Israel had rejected requests to allow Hamas legislators to cross its borders.(Posted @ 16:16 PST)
Afghans await Pakistani action on militant list: Karzai KABUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) Afghanistan gave Pakistan detailed information about members of the Taliban who Afghanistan alleged were orchestrating a stubborn insurgency from Pakistani soil, President Hamid Karzai said Saturday. "We gave our brothers a lot of information, very detailed information about individuals, locations and other issues," Karzai told a news conference in Kabul. Karzai declined to give details of the information handed over to Pakistan, or give the identities or say how many suspected militants the Afghans had identified. "If the series of attacks ... on Afghanistan continues, does not stop, or is not reduced, then Afghanistan will make its stance clear," he added. He did not elaborate but said talks were the best way forward for both countries.(Posted @ 16:14 PST)
Kashmiri militants dubious of Indian PM's peace overtures NEW DELHI, Feb 18, 2006 (APP/AFP) As Indian premier Manmohan Singh met Kashmiri pro-independence leader Yasin Malik Friday, other militants said they would not attend a roundtable on ending a decades-old dispute over the Himalayan region. "India should first declare Kashmir as a disputed state and revoke the 1995 parliament resolution declaring Kashmir as an integral part of the country," Syed Ali Geelani, head of the hardline wing of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, told AFP. Geelani said that a Indian home ministry official had contacted him by telephone Thursday to ask if he would participate in the meeting. "I told him that India is not serious to resolve the Kashmir issue," said Geelani. Other factions of the Hurriyat grouping are meeting to decide how to respond to the invitation. A list of around 50 people, including representatives of the main Kashmiri political parties and separatist organisations, have been drawn up for invitations to the talks, according to news reports. No specific agenda had been set for the meeting to be held in the last week of February. In a statement published in the Kashmiri press, senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah said that the conference "would only create more confusion." One rebel group has asked Kashmiri political leaders to refrain from attending the conference. "It is part of the game plan of Indian leaders to deceive the international community and its timing was planned with the visit of American President George W. Bush," Abu Atif, spokesman for the militant Al-Badr group, told a local news agency. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Philippine police placed on full alert nationwide amid coup threats, planned protests MANILA, Feb 18(AP) The 117,000-strong Philippine police force has been put on full alert nationwide due to a new coup plot against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and planned protests by groups seeking her ouster, a police official said Saturday. The red-alert status went into force Friday night, requiring at least two-thirds of police personnel to be on standby, said police spokesman Senior Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Indian minister offers dollars 11.5 million reward to behead cartoonists LUCKNOW, India, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) An Indian state minister has offered a reward of 11.5 million dollars for the beheading of any of the cartoonists who drew the blasphemous caricatures. The offer by Mohammed Yaqoob Qureshi, a minister for minority affairs and Haj in Uttar Pradesh state government, was announced at a protest rally after Friday prayers in the city of Meerut, some 40 kilometers east of Delhi. The minister said he would give "the avenger" 510 million rupees (11.5 million dollars) and his weight in gold. "Drawing a cartoon of the Holy Prophet is blasphemous and Muslims will not tolerate this insult," he said in speech as demonstrators cried, "Death to France, Death to Denmark". "The money will be paid by the people of Meerut," said Yaqoob. The government of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and which has a large Muslim community, said the minister's statements were "his personal wish" and did not violate government rules. "The announcement has been made taking into account the feelings of the people," home secretary Alok Sinha told reporters. Yaqoob reiterated his offer Saturday. "The Muslim community will give a reward ... to anyone who beheads the cartoonist," he told AFP by telephone from Meerut. Yaqoob's declaration Friday came on the same day as a cleric in Pakistan offered a one-million-dollar reward for killing any of the cartoonists responsible for the drawings. While there have been large demonstrations against the cartoons in India they have been mainly peaceful. (Posted @ 13:40 PST)
Islamic group resolves to raise cartoons' issue in UN General Assembly UNITED NATIONS, Feb 18 (APP) A meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Group at the U.N. resolved Friday to raise the issue of the publication of blasphemous cartoons in the General Assembly as part of its efforts aimed at preventing the recurrance of such incidents. The meeting held at ambassadorial level, took up a proposal by Pakistans UN Ambassador to adopt a resolution to be tabled in the 191-member Assembly. The date for the discussion of the issue in the General Assembly will be fixed after consultations with other delegations. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Slain Chinese flown home BEIJING, Feb 18 (Reuters) The bodies of three Chinese engineers gunned down on Wednesday in an ambush in the industrial town of Hub, west of Karachi in troubled Balochistan province, were flown home on Saturday. Pall-bearers wearing business suits carried the flag-draped coffins down a red carpet on the tarmac after a China Southern Airlines Boeing 757 touched down in Hefei, capital of China's southern province of Anhui, state media said. Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Shahzad Wasim accompanied the remains of the engineers to China. A Pakistani military plane had flown the bodies to Urumqi, capital of China's Muslim region of Xinjiang near Pakistan, on Friday but mechanical failure had delayed its departure for Hefei, the media said. Families of victims received 400,000 yuan ($50,000) each. (First Posted @ 10:20 PST Updated @ 12:30 PST)
California Muslims protest cartoons in front of Danish consulate LOS ANGELES, Feb 18 (AP) Chanting ` slogans and waving large banners and placards, about 300 Muslims demonstrated in front of the Danish consulate to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures. The gathering, organized by the western branch of the Muslim Student Association, started with Friday prayers in a park a few blocks from the consulate. ``We can debate anything they want, even terrorists who misrepresent our faith, but the Holy Prophet is off limits,''said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic relations in Southern California (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Quake relief operations discussed at U.S. Commanders' meeting WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (APP) Relief operations in Pakistan was one of the topics discussed the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) meeting held Friday in Tampa, Florida, at which President George Bush was briefed by General John Abizaid, Commander U.S. Central Command, and General Doug Brown, Commander U.S. Special Operations Command. In respect of Pakistan, a Press release said: "In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Pakistan last fall, CENTCOM is coordinating American military relief operations with the Government of Pakistan, the United Nations, and relief NGOs." CENTCOM, it added, had also established the Disaster Assistance Centre Pakistan. The announcement cited the accomplishments as: 18,600 local citizens were evacuated; there were 3,700 medical evacuations; about 34,000 patients were seen to date; 12,400 short-tons of humanitarian aid was delivered; Strategic Airlift from the U.S.: 374 aircraft, 9,240 short-tons; Sorties in theater: 4,480; and Military personnel: about 630/1200 (at peak). (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
China lauds Pakistan's non-proliferation efforts BEIJING, Feb. 18 (APP): China appreciates the vigorous nuclear non-proliferation efforts made by the government of Pakistan in recent years, said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. In an interview with APP in Beijing, he said China and Pakistan will continue to work together promoting non-proliferation. About President Pervez Musharraf's State visit to China beginning Sunday, he hoped it will lift their bilateral ties to a new stage, bringing the two countries more closer to each other in all fields of common interests. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Trucks collide in Bangladesh, kill 12 people, injure 50 others: DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb 18 (AP) Two trucks collided head-on Saturday at Mirzapore on Dhaka-Tangail highway in central Bangladesh, killing at least 12 people and injuring 50 others, a news report said. Officials could not immediately be reached for comment. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Rice sees Palestinian statehood if Hamas renounces violence WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday offered rapid and redoubled efforts to create a Palestinian state if the militant group Hamas renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Speaking to Arab journalists before a trip to the Middle East, Rice unveiled a carrot-and-stick approach reiterating a threat to cut off aid to a Hamas-led government, but expressed resolve to "work hard" to implement the US-backed peace "road map" leading to a Palestinian state if Hamas cooperated. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
US asks Palestinians to return 50 million dollars WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (AFP) Washington has asked for the return of 50 million dollars in unspent Palestinian Authority aid to prevent the money from going to a government that doesn't recognize Israel, State Department said Friday. "In the interest of seeing that these funds not potentially make their way into the coffers of a future Palestinian government that might not recognize the right of Israel to exist ... we've asked for it to be returned. And the Palestinian Authority has agreed to return it," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Mountain of mud swallowed Philippine village TACLOBAN, Philippines, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) A sea of mud up to 30 metres (100 feet) deep buried a farming village in the central Philippines where officials estimate up to 3,000 people are missing, rescuers said Saturday. "All they are finding are dead bodies," said Jimmy Angay, a reporter for DYVL radio, from the scene of Friday's disaster at Guinsaugon in the south of Leyte island. Army Lieutenant Colonel Raul Parnasio said his men were on top of an elementary school where 206 students and 41 teachers are among the missing. "But there was another wall of mud that came down today so they ran away from the site," he told DZRH radio in Manila, estimating the depth of the mud at 30 metres in some places. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
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