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| February 22, 2006 | Wednesday | Muharram 23, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, China multifaceted relations irreversible: Musharraf CHENGDU, Feb.22 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf declared on Wednesday that the multifaceted strategic relations between Pakistan and China were "irreversible" and vowed to take the ties to new heights. "We have a resolve to take forward the broad-based relations between Pakistan and China and take our bilateral economic interaction to new heights in future," the President said while talking to Governor of the Sichuan Province, Secretary of the Communist Party, Zhang Xue Zhong and other provincial leaders. Musharraf arrived in Chengdu, capital of southwest Sichuan province, on Wednesday from Beijing on the second and last leg of his state visit to China. Musharraf Wednesday also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to declare Pakistan’s Punjab and China's Sichuan as sister provinces. He said he was very pleased to be in Chengdu which is the gateway to Western China that borders on Pakistan. Referring to the Jf-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, jointly produced by Pakistan and China, Musharraf described it as a great success and a landmark in Pakistan-China ties. Earlier, welcoming the President, the Secretary of Community Party Zhang Xue Zhong described him as the "best friend" of China. Mr. Zhong said that were currently 12 projects worth 800 million dollars being undertaken between Pakistan and Sichuan province. (Posted @ 23:29 PST)
PM Aziz stresses inter-faith harmony in the country ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday said that the condemnation of blasphemous cartoons by the Christian community of Pakistan reflects their sensitivity for their fellow Muslims and will help promote interfaith harmony in the country. He said this while talking to a delegation of Bishops belonging to various parts of the country who called on him at the Prime Minister's House today. On promoting tolerance and interfaith harmony, Aziz said the provincial governments have been directed to set up coordinating committees at district levels to promote understanding among followers of all faiths. He also assured the delegation that law enforcing agencies have been directed to trace out the perpetrators involved in the unfortunate incident of torching the churches in Sukkur who will be awarded exemplary punishment. (Posted @ 23:32 PST)
Pakistan, China agree to intensify defence cooperation BEIJING, Feb 22 (APP): Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangehuan called on President General Pervez Musharraf here on Wednesday and discussed the existing defence ties between the two countries. The two leaders agreed to further strengthen their defence relations with joint defence production and development. They also agreed to increase collaboration in the areas of defence training and joint exercises. In this connection both countries on Tuesday signed a framework agreement following talks between President Musharraf and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. President Musharraf and the Chinese Defence Minister and agreed that their close relations were vital for the peace and stability of the region. Later Musharraf left Beijing for China's southwest Sichuan province on the second leg of his state visit to China.(First Posted@ 15:20 PST Updated@ 18:40 PST)
Bush to push Indian, Pakistani leaders to resolve Kashmir conflict WASHINGTON, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) US President George W. Bush said Wednesday he would push the leaders of India and Pakistan to resolve their long-standing dispute over Kashmir during his visit to the South Asian nations next week."I will encourage them to address this important issue," Bush said ahead of his meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Noting that the two governments were now engaged in a dialogue about the difficult question, Bush said they "now have an historic opportunity to work toward lasting peace.” He added that “for too long, Kashmir has been a source of violence and distrust between these two countries," he said.(Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Blast shatters holy shrine in Iraq's Samarra BAGHDAD, Feb 22 (Reuters) Bombs wrecked the holy shrine dedicated to Imam Ali al-Hadi and his son Hassan al-Askari in Samarra city on Wednesday that sparked demonstrations and calls for revenge by angry crowds. The country's top cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for protests against the attack, and Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari went live on television to declare three days of mourning. Local officials said there were no reports of casualties after gunmen entered the Golden Mosque at dawn and set off charges that destroyed the celebrated dome of one of the four holiest sites in Iraq. A U.S. military spokeswoman described the damage to the roof as "catastrophic".(First Posted @11:50 PST Updated @ 15:30 PST)
Two soldiers killed, eight hurt in southwest Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Suspected tribesmen ambushed a military convoy with rockets and machine guns at Pinjra Pull, 70 kilometres southeast of Quetta, on Wednesday, killing two soldiers and wounding four, officials said."The troops, who were on their way to nearby Sibi town for a routine deployment, retaliated and the exchange of gunfire continued for about half an hour," an official said. The attackers fled into the mountains after the ambush, the official added. In a separate incident, four soldiers were injured when a landmine exploded beneath a military vehicle in Sibi on Tuesday, officials said.(First Posted@ 15:20 PST Updated@23:20 PST)
Bush urges India cooperate on nuclear plans WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged India to produce a plan to separate its civilian and military nuclear programs to bring its civilian plan into the international mainstream. Bush, in a speech to the Asia Society previewing a trip next week to India and Pakistan, said India should bring its civilian nuclear program under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "Implementing this agreement will take time and it will take patience from both our countries," he added. (Posted @ 23:19 PST)
French photographers fined a euro for Diana crash pictures PARIS, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Three French photographers have each been fined a symbolic one euro by France's appeals court for taking pictures of Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed on the night they were killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, justice officials said Wednesday. The appeals court also ordered the photographers to pay for the publication of its ruling in three "national or international newspapers chosen by the civil plaintiff," Mohammed Al-Fayed. There was no immediate reaction from Mohammed Al-Fayed, who has blamed paparazzi photographers for hounding his son and Princess Diana to their deaths.(Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Pakistan hunts for Taliban fugitives on a list from Afghanistan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan was hunting for Taliban fugitives whose names were on a list provided by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said Wednesday. ``We did receive information about these suspects, and we will capture them, if they are here,'' he said. Sherpao declined to say how many names were on the list or provide other details about the fugitives. But a security official told AP that between 100 and 150 suspects, mostly Taliban remnants, were listed and authorities have begun searching.(Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Indian troops kill two Kashmiri children; eight others killed in gun fights SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, Feb 22 (Reuters) Indian police said four Kashmiris, including two children, were killed Wednesday in an alleged exchange of fire between gunmen and soldiers in Doodipora village near Handwara town, 80 km north of Srinagar. Hundreds of protesters, who came out on to the streets after the killings, blamed the Indian soldiers for the deaths, police said. The army denied the charge. Also on Wednesday Indian security forces clashed with suspected militants in three alleged separate gunfights in Occupied Kashmir, leaving seven armed men and one soldier dead, an army official said. The first alleged battle was sparked after soldiers and police launched a search operation in Udhampur district. ``After a two-hour long gun battle, three militants and an army soldier were killed while another soldier was injured,'' an army spokesman said. Elsewhere in the Mendher region of the Punch district, two more alleged militants were killed in a shootout with Indian troops. Troops also killed two others in a separate gunfight also in Punch district.( First Posted @ 16:05 PST Updated@ 19:30 PST)
Thousands protest against blasphemous cartoons in Larkana KARACHI, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Around 10,000 Pakistanis marched through Larkana Wednesday in the latest protests against the blasphemous drawings, police said. Traders also went on strike during the demonstration, police added. The rally was jointly backed by Pakistan People's Party and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal. Protest rallies were also held on Wednesday in several other towns in southern Sindh province, including Hyderabad, Sukkur and Nawabshah. Police women also escorted around 600 women during a peaceful rally in Islamabad, which was called by the women's wing of Jamaat-i-Islami party. (First Posted @ 16:00 PST Updated@ 19:20 PST)
‘Distinct' possibility of bird flu in humans: Indian official NEW DELHI, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Preliminary reports of human tests suggest there is a "distinct" possibility that some have been infected with the bird flu virus, an Indian government official said Wednesday. The announcement came four days after India's first outbreak of bird flu was confirmed among chickens."Some human samples are under various stages of being analysed and we will come to know of it by tomorrow. We do not rule out possibility of humans being affected and it is a distinct possibility," the official said.(First Posted@14:45 PST Updated@ 19:10 PST)
Sir Ben's documentary to draw world attention to Pakistani quake areas ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP): Academy Award-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley announced Wednesday he would appear in a documentary film production focusing on the continued needs of the survivors of the October quake tragedy. Addressing a news conference here, he said the documentary has been produced in partnership with Relief International; a leading Los Angeles- based humanitarian aid organization. "It has been an honour for me to tour the earthquake ravaged zones of Pakistan and Kashmir with Relief International", Sir Kingsley said. Arriving in Pakistan on February 16, Sir Ben Kingsley and his documentary film making team travelled through NWFP and Azad Kashmir, including villages such as Hilkot and Bhogermang, and the towns of Balakot, Muzaffarabad, the Neelum and Jhelum valleys. "All I have witnessed during my…visits tells me that in the face of unimaginable catastrophe the people's faith runs deep," he said.(Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Arab League chief urges Hamas to recognise Israel BRUSSELS, Feb 22 (Reuters) Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa urged Hamas on Wednesday to recognise Israel by backing a 2002 Arab peace formula calling for independent Israeli and Palestinian states. "The Arab initiative is the proper door for Hamas to recognise the peace process in general with all its tenets," Moussa told a European Parliament hearing in Brussels. "This is the recognition that is needed -- recognition by both parties of the two states," he said. Arab leaders had launched in 2002 a peace initiative which offered Israel normal relations in return for withdrawal to 1967 borders -- something Israel has repeatedly rejected.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Blast aimed at NATO kills Afghan, wounds German MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Feb 22 (Reuters) An explosion aimed at NATO peacekeepers killed an Afghan civilian on Wednesday and wounded 13 people, including a German peacekeeper, in the northern town of Kunduz, police said.An ISAF official in Kabul confirmed that the attack was aimed at its troops but said he had no more details.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
US to spend $200 million for education and health in quake areas: Crocker SHINKIARI, Feb 22 (APP): United States Ambassador in Pakistan, Ryan C. Crocker, on Wednesday said that the US would spend $200 million over the next few years to supplement the government's efforts in reviving educational and health facilities in quake-hit areas of NWFP and Azad Kashmir. He was talking to the media here at a ceremony where US medical equipment was handed over to the government. The US Navy Marine Corps Combined Medical Response Team 3 (CMRT 3) served the medical needs of the quake affected people in NWFP and also restored 12 local medical facilities damaged by the October 8 earthquake. Last week, the CMRT-3 unit donated 900 bottles of paediatric medicines and more than 300 pounds of construction material.(Posted @ 17:23 PST)
Bush to visit India from first March NEW DELHI, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) US President George W. Bush will visit India for three days from March 1, sources said Wednesday. Bush will arrive in New Delhi on March 1 on the first leg of a South Asia tour that will also take him to Pakistan from March 4, Indian and US sources said. He will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 2 and pay a brief visit to the southern Indian technology hub of Hyderabad the next day. Bush will wrap up his India visit on March 4 before heading to Islamabad, the sources said.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Hockey-Singh's late equalizer earns India 1-1 draw against Pakistan LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) Indian forward player Tejbir Singh scored off a reverse flick seven minutes from full time Wednesday to earn a 1-1 draw in the fourth hockey test against Pakistan. Pakistan, which won all the three test matches on the Indian leg of the series, was a far better team at the National Hockey Stadium in this eastern city before Singh surprised with the late equalizer. The fifth test match will be played Friday in Faisalabad, followed by the last encounter in Rawalpindi on Sunday.(Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Cricket-Bangladesh secures first ODI win over Sri Lanka BOGRA, Bangladesh, Feb 22 (Reuters) Bangladesh held their nerve to record a four wicket win over Sri Lanka on Wednesday, easing to the victory target of 213 for six with two overs to spare in registering a first one-day triumph over the visitors. Mohammad Ashraful led the home side with a stylish 51 as Bangladesh evened up the three-match series at 1-1 in a contest reduced to 49 overs per side after fog had delayed the start. The third match is in Chittagong on Saturday before the sides play two test matches.(Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Pakistani tribal elder dies in drive-by shooting WANA, Pakistan, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Suspected militants travelling in a car opened fire on the vehicle of a tribal elder, Malik Arsala Khan, in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, on Wednesday, killing the man and injuring two others, officials said. The attackers fled after the attack and an investigation has been launched, the official added. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Separately two roadside bombs exploded Wednesday near the village of Angoor Adda, 45 kilometres west of Wana, just before a paramilitary convoy was due to pass, a security official said. Rockets were also fired at a paramilitary checkpost in South Waziristan's Shakai valley late Tuesday, but caused no damage or casualties, he added.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Pakistan announce Sri Lanka cricket tour itinerary KARACHI, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan will play two Tests and three one-day internationals during next month's tour of Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Wednesday. Pakistan will start the tour with a warm-up one-day match in Colombo on March 13 before taking on Sri Lanka in the first one-day international at the SSC ground in Colombo on March 15. Pakistan are also due to play two one-day internationals against India in Abu Dhabi on April 18 and 19 to raise funds for victims of last year's earthquake in the sub-continent. Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka March 13 - Warm-up one-day match in Colombo, March 15 - First one-day international in Colombo, March 17 - Second one-day international in Colombo, March 19 - Third one-day international in Colombo, March 21-23 - Three-day side game at Dambulla, March 26-30 - First Test in Kandy, April 3-7 - Second Test in Colombo.(Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Sri Lanka peace talks get underway in Geneva GENEVA, Feb 22 (Reuters) Sri Lankan government officials and senior Tamil Tiger rebels began two days of talks in Switzerland on Wednesday aimed at halting a slide back into war. But even before the meeting got underway, the rebel group accused government forces of launching a fresh attack in which one fighter was killed in the eastern Sri Lankan district of Batticaloa. The island's Tamil-dominated north and east has been calm since the two sides agreed to meet, but if the Geneva talks collapse, many fear the end of a fragile 2002 truce and a return to a civil war which has killed over 64,000 people. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Condoleezza Rice meets with democracy activists, adviser to top Islamic cleric CAIRO, Egypt (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with democracy activists Wednesday as she continued a Mideast trip complicated by disagreements over the militant group Hamas. For the first time, Rice also planned to meet with an adviser to the sheik of Al-Azhar mosque, in an apparent attempt to bridge gaps exposed by the controversy over cartoon drawings of the Prophet.m(Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Oil prices drop: 62.23 dollars in New York LONDON, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) World oil prices fell on Wednesday, as the market paused for breath after recent sharp gains owing to violence in Nigeria that has cut production in Africa's biggest producer of crude. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Indian PM roundtable on Kashmir is "agenda-less conference": Farooq NEW DELHI, Feb 22 (APP): Former Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah said he was disappointed and felt sad with regard to the "agenda-less conference" on Kashmir convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on February 25. "It is unfortunate and I feel sad the way it is being handled. The roundtable conference would have been a very good move provided there was some ground work done," Dr. Abdullah said at a news conference in Srinagar. "What is the ground work done before such a roundtable conference, what is the agenda and so far no papers have been distributed." Expressing inability to attend the conference due to "personal engagements," he said that the National Conference president Omar Abdullah would be attending. He parried questions on New Delhi's sincerity towards the Kashmir issue but said, "I cannot jump to the question of sincerity." Referring to his and Omar Abdullah's meeting with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, he said that the minister had told them that the proposal of autonomy will be considered. Mr Patil, he said, even asked them to suggest names for a high level committee. But nothing has moved forward even after being reminded repeatedly, he added. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
India says rebel infiltration into occupied Kashmir falls: reports NEW DELHI, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) India said the number of separatist militants entering revolt-hit occupied Kashmir dropped by more than half in 2005, media reports published Wednesday said. "The estimated number of terrorists who infiltrated through the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir was 231 in 2005 and 11 in 2006 till February 15," the United News of India quoted Home Minister Shivraj Patil as telling parliament. That represented a drop of 54 percent in 2005, Patil was quoted as saying (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Sectarian violence in Nigeria leaves 24 dead LAGOS, Nigeria, Feb 22 (AP) Christian and Muslim mobs rampaged through two Nigerian cities Tuesday, killing at least 24 people in violence that followed deadly protests against blasphemous cartoons. In the mainly Muslim northern city of Bauchi, violent protests by Muslims claimed the lives of 18 people, the Nigerian Red Cross said. In the predominantly southern Christian city of Onitsha, residents and witnesses said at least six Muslims with origins in the north were beaten to death Tuesday by mobs which also burned two mosques there. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Canada pledges 17 million dollars to help Pakistan earthquake victims OTTAWA, Feb 22 (APP/AFP) Canada will send another 17 million dollars in aid to help the victims of an earthquake in Pakistan in October last year. Canadian International Development Agency will distribute the funds (20 million Canadian dollars) through three United Nations relief agencies for food and shelter, to help affected children and farmers, and to boost reconstruction efforts, officials said. Canada had already provided some 49 million dollars (57 million Canadian dollars) in humanitarian aid to the devastated region. An earthquake on October 8 killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
UN rights chief shocked by tales of Russian abuse in Chechnya MOSCOW, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, said on Tuesday she was deeply disturbed by accounts of torture and kidnappings in Chechnya, where the Russian military has for over a decade been engaged in the bloody repression of militant separatists. She made the comments during a meeting in Grozny with the public prosecutor for the region, Valery Kuznetzov, the agencies said. Arbour cited accounts of civilians disappearing, interrogators using force to extract information and pressure being exerted on witnesses who reported abuse by members of the security forces. She recommended the creation of an independent body to investigate crimes committed during the Russian military's attempts to restore Moscow rule over the breakawy republic. But Kuznetzov dismissed her suggestion. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Britain in war on 'evil' Islamist terrorism: defence minister LONDON, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Britain is facing a war against "evil" Islamist extremists, Defence Secretary John Reid told Wednesday's Daily Express newspaper. Reid warned that modern terrorists wielded dangerous weaponry and would stop at nothing to destroy every non-Muslim. He also highlighted the dangers confronting British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, where remnants of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror network are lingering. "This is a war against evil, make no mistake," the Scot told the British tabloid daily. "Evil is the same, whether it is dressed in Nazi uniforms, the supposed socialists of the Red Brigades and so on or the IRA (Irish Republican Army) in Northern Ireland. "The terrorists want to commit mass extermination. And if they can get their hands on the material to do it, they will. "These people want to destroy the state of Israel. They want to destroy every Jew they can, and every non-Muslim they can," Reid said. "These evil terrorists are intent on gaining the technology of mass destruction. "The terrorists today have the Internet and chemical and biological weapons. "They are an absolute threat to our wellbeing, to our civilisation and our society. The only people who stand between them and us are our soldiers. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Bush strongly backs UAE port takeover deal, amid outcry WASHINGTON, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) US President George W. Bush on Tuesday locked horns with a virtually united Congress over plans by an Arab company to take over operations at six major US ports, threatening to veto any bill that could delay the deal. "The transaction should go forward in my judgment," said Bush told reporters. Unless US lawmakers prevent it, Dubai Ports World's acquisition of the British firm which currently manages the ports is to be finalized on March 2. Ports affected by the deal are in New York; Miami; New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bush suggested that going back on the arrangement would be viewed dimly by US allies in the Middle East, given that the ports for years have been operated by another foreign company -- Britain's Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co (P and O). "I think it sends a terrible signal to friends around the world," the president said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Nearly 100 dead in US custody in Iraq, Afghanistan: report LONDON, Feb 22, 2006 (AFP) Nearly 100 prisoners have died in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since August 2002, the Human Rights First organisation said ahead of the publication Wednesday of their report. At least 98 deaths occurred, with at least 34 of them suspected or confirmed homicides -- deliberate or reckless killing the group of US lawyers told BBC television Tuesday. Their dossier claims that 11 more deaths are deemed suspicious and that between eight and 12 prisoners were tortured to death. However, charges are rare and sentences are light, the report said. The report alleged that one person was made to jump off a bridge into the Tigris river in Iraq and another was forced inside a sleeping bag and suffocated. The number of deaths in custody discounts those due to fighting, mortar attacks or violence between detainees. They were directly attributable to their detention or interrogation in American custody, the BBC's Newsnight programme said. The report's editor Deborah Pearlstein told Newsnight: "We're extremely comfortable with the veracity and the reliability of the facts here. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, told the BBC: "If those reports are true, of course they would be terrible abuses and they would be illegal things. Those who are responsible for them would be investigated and they will be punished." (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 90.69 points: KARACHI, Feb 22: At close of tradiing, the KSE-100 index was at 11446.33, down 90.69 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 22: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.1 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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