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| March 9, 2006 | Thursday | Safar 8, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, Jordan sign accords to enhance cooperation AMMAN, Jordan, March 9 (Agencies): Pakistan concluded three accords with Jordan Thursday covering tourism, taxation and foreign affairs. Visiting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his Jordanian counterpart, Dr. Marouf al-Bakhit, witnessed the signing of the agreements by their relevant cabinet ministers in a brief ceremony that followed closed-door talks between them. At a joint press conference, Aziz and Bakhet said the round of talks held were "wide-ranging and fruitful" which covered bilateral, regional and international issues including Kashmir, Palestine, Arab-Israel relations, interfaith dialogue, tourism and increased cooperation in private sectors. Aziz, who arrived in Jordan late Wednesday on his way home from Britain, also held a separate meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II. With the King, Aziz said he discussed the issues of inter-faith harmony, blasphemous caricatures and agreed with him that the Muslim Ummah must adopt a unanimous point of view to project Islam in its true spirit. "We not only look at Pakistan as our big Muslim brother, but also see it as their second country," Dr Marouf said, adding that he had served in Pakistan as a liaison officer in 1969. (First Posted @ 19:52 PST Updated @ 20:36 PST)
Pakistan to maintain minimum deterrence: Musharraf ISLAMABAD, March 9, 2006 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday said Pakistan was not in an arms race in the region but at the same time would never compromise on its strategy of defensive deterrence to safeguard its sovereignty. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Centre of Excellence in Science and Advanced Technology (CESAT) NESCOM here, he said "we will guard our defence zealously," adding that the government would continue to develop and equip the armed forces. He expressed satisfaction over the establishment of NESCOM through integration of NDC, PMO, AWC, MTC and all other strategic commissions under NCA through SPD (Strategic Development Planning). He emphasised the need for integrating higher education with the demands of industry and strategic development. "Education has to be dovetailed with industry and we have to produce engineers and technicians," he added. In this connection, Musharraf said the government was in the process of establishing six universities with the assistance of Sweden, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and South Korea.(Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Rice says Iran poses greatest challenge to US WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) Iran is probably the No. 1 challenge to the United States, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday. "We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran, whose policies are directed at developing a Middle East that would be 180 degrees different than the Middle East we would like to see developed," Rice said at a congressional hearing. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday the United States has no plans to attack Iran but warned that US forces would take "appropriate" action to stop Iranian forces infiltrating Iraq.( First Posted @ 21:10 PST Updated @ 23:30 PST)
U.S. says to close Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison BAGHDAD, March 9 (Reuters) The U.S. military will close Abu Ghraib prison, probably within three months, and transfer some 4,500 prisoners to other jails in Iraq, a military spokesman said on Thursday. "We will transfer operations from Abu Ghraib to the new Camp Cropper once construction is completed there," the military said. Camp Cropper is a detention facility in the U.S. military headquarters base at Baghdad airport, not far from Abu Ghraib.(First Posted @ 22:50 PST Updated @ 23:15 PST)
Pakistan, Afghanistan have joint responsibility to safeguard their borders: Aziz AMMAN, (Jordan), March 9 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday said both Pakistan and Afghanistan have a joint responsibility of safeguarding their borders and taking measures to stop any illegal crossings. Addressing members of the Pakistani community here during his day-long visit, Aziz informed the Pakistani community about developments back home and said the structural reform agenda had made a significant improvement in national economy. He also had a long interactive session with the Pakistani entrepreneurs there and responded to their queries.(Posted @ 23:00 PST)
PM meets Prince Al-Hassan, Princess Sarwat AMMAN (Jordan), March 9 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday met Prince Al-Hasssan and Princess Sarwat at the Royal Palace Thursday and thanked them for Jordan's support after the Oct 8 earthquake in Pakistan. He also discussed a wide range of issues, including measures to further strengthen the people to people contacts and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.(Posted @ 22:58 PST)
Rumsfeld says Iraqi forces would handle civil war WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday that if an all-out civil war erupts in Iraq, the plan would be for Iraqi government security forces, not U.S. forces, try to deal with the violence. "The plan is to prevent a civil war," Rumsfeld told a Senate panel in response to questions "and to the extent one were to occur to have the, from a security standpoint ... the Iraqi security forces deal with it to the extent they're able to."(Posted @ 22:54 PST)
Iraq executes insurgents for the first time since Saddam ouster BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Iraq hanged 13 insurgents Thursday, marking the first time militants have been executed in the country since the U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein nearly three years ago.(Posted @ 22:52 PST)
India, Iran, Pakistan to meet on pipeline NEW DELHI, March 9, 2006 (AFP) Officials from India, Pakistan and Iran will meet in Tehran next week to discuss a pipeline project for the export of Iranian natural gas to South Asia, an Indian oil ministry official said. "Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan will lead the Indian delegation, which will arrive in Iran on Monday for three days of official talks," the official said.(Posted @ 21:18 PST)
US urged to abandon force-feeding at Guantanamo LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) More than 250 doctors from seven countries urged the U.S. government on Friday to abandon force-feeding and the use of restraints on hunger strikers at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. The doctors from Britain, United States, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Italy and Netherlands said "we urge the U.S. government to ensure that detainees are assessed by independent physicians and techniques such as force-feeding and restraint chairs are abandoned," the doctors said in an open letter published in The Lancet medical journal. They added that the World Medical Association specifically prohibits force-feeding. "Those breaching such guidelines should be held to account by their professional bodies," the letter added. Authorities at the camp have been accused of inserting a tube into the nose and down to the stomach of a prisoner on hunger strike and keeping him strapped in a chair for hours at a time, forcing him to defecate and urinate in his clothes.(Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Ex-teacher takes 18 students hostage in French school LE MANS, France, March 9, 2006 (AFP) A former teacher took 18 students, a teacher and another man hostage at a school in western France Thursday, officials said, adding that he was armed. The drama was unfolding in a state high school in the town of Sable-sur-Sarthe, west of Paris.(Posted @ 21:08 PST)
Two suspected Taliban, woman killed in Afghan clash JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 9, 2006 (AFP) Two suspected Taliban rebels and a woman were killed in an hour-long clash with security forces in eastern Afghanistan overnight, police said Thursday. Another suspected Taliban member, a child and two policemen were wounded in the fierce exchange of fire in a village in the eastern province of Nangarhar late Wednesday, police added. A purported Taliban spokesman confirmed the incident in a telephone call from an undisclosed location and said "One Talib, a woman in the house, and four policemen were killed." (First Posted@ 11:12 PST Updated @ 21:02 PST)
Prime Minister Aziz urges Jordanian business community to invest in Pakistan AMMAN, Jordan, Mar 9 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday urged the Jordanian business community to invest in Pakistan and take full advantage of the investment friendly environment and policies of his government. Addressing business and opinion leaders there at a local hotel, Aziz said "we welcome investors in all sectors. We are providing the enabling environment…we believe in high level of transparency and the privatization process in Pakistan is a big example of transparent transactions". Speaking on the occasion, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Ziad Faraz, said Pakistan and Jordan have shared values and shared purpose, and stressed the need for them to work together to meet new challenges.(Posted @ 20:38 PST)
Olmert sees final Israeli borders by 2010 -report JERUSALEM, March 9, 2006 (Reuters) Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to draw permanent Israeli borders by 2010 through pullouts from the West Bank, unless Hamas recognises the Jewish state and renounces violence, an Israeli daily said on Thursday. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Olmert said within the next four years he intended to "get to Israel's permanent borders, whereby we will completely separate from the majority of the Palestinian population". Olmert told the newspaper he would give the Palestinian Authority led by Hamas a "reasonable" amount of time to reform, disarm and embrace past interim peace agreements.(Posted @ 20:06 PST)
Palestinians deplore the "Wall" musician's Israel show JERUSALEM, March 9, 2006 (Reuters) Palestinian artists have appealed to Pink Floyd’s singer-songwriter Roger Waters, famed for the 1970s protest song "Another Brick in the Wall" to cancel a concert in Israel out of solidarity with their fight against Israel's West Bank barrier. "How can someone who wants to look like a leftist in the world, fighting against the Berlin Wall, for open borders, and for love between people, come to Israel while they are still building their wall and hold a musical event?" Sliman Manour of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art asked. "I would not rule out going to Israel because I disapprove of the foreign policy any more than I would refuse to play in the UK because I disapprove of (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair's foreign policy," Waters said in comments in his defense published by Britain's Guardian newspaper.(Posted @ 20:04 PST)
Ten killed in Baghdad attacks BAGHDAD, March 9, 2006 (AFP) Ten people were killed and several dozen wounded Thursday in a series of attacks in Baghdad, security officials and medics said. Two civilians were killed and 13 people were wounded when the car bomb exploded outside Yarmuk hospital, the largest in the capital. Earlier in the day, six civilians, including a child, were killed and seven hurt when a bomb exploded near an Iraqi army convoy in the west of the city. Two more civilians were shot dead near the "Green Zone". Four police commandos were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with rebels in the west of the city, and three policemen and a civilian were wounded by gunfire in the southern district of Dura, security officials added. (First Posted @ 12:40 PST Updated @ 17:05 PST)
Government committed to turning Pakistan into energy, trade corridor: Musharraf RAWALPINDI, March 9, 2006 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday said the government is putting in place state-of-the-art facilities to turn Pakistan into an energy corridor for fast-paced development in the region. Speaking to a four-member delegation of British Petroleum, headed by its Chief Executive Exploration and Production Tony Hayward, he said Pakistan will facilitate foreign investors in setting up oil refineries at Gwadar as part of efforts to utilize its key strategic potential. He encouraged British Petroleum to take part in on-shore exploration. "In view of rapidly increasing agrarian and industrial requirements of Pakistan at the back of high economic growth in the last few years, the international investors have an array of promising business possibilities in energy related fields," he said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Mild intensity earthquake felt in northern areas PESHAWAR, March 9, 2006 (APP): A mild intensity earthquake measuring 4.0 on the International Richter Scale was felt in the northern areas on Thursday, March 9.The earthquake was felt at Mansehra, Balakot and Batagram areas. According to the preliminary analysis of the Meteorological Station Peshawar, the earthquake originated at 9:16 P.S.T and its epicentre was about 200 kilometers North East of Peshawar in Hazara Division. There was no confirmation of any death or casualties till the filing of this report. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Iranian president says 'time for bullying is over' TEHRAN, March 9, 2006 (AFP) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Thursday that "the time for bullying" his country was over, the day after the Islamic republic was reported to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme. "Some powers think... they can force the Iranian people to retreat. But all the Iranian nation, young or old, urban dweller or villager, farmer or factory worker are all saying one thing: Nuclear energy is our undeniable right," the president said in a speech in the western province of Lorestan, according to the official IRNA news agency. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Israel reopens main Gaza crossing point for goods GAZA, March 9, 2006 (Reuters) Trucks carrying food rolled into Gaza on Thursday after Israel reopened the strip's main commercial crossing following a closure of more than two weeks. Salim Abu Safiyah, director of security at Palestinian crossings with Israel, said Karni was reopened partially for food and medicine. Trucks were not allowed to leave Gaza for Israel yet, but might be able to from Sunday, he said.(Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Landmines kill one, injure seven in southwest Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, March 9, 2006 (AFP) A man was killed and seven others were injured by landmine blasts Thursday in the Dera Bugti district, officials said.Separately six people, including two children and a woman, were injured when a mine exploded beneath their pickup truck in Deenari Pat, 10 kilometers away from the scene of the first blast, the official added. Security forces also seized dozens of rocket-propelled grenades, recoilless rifle shells, two anti-aircraft guns, two Kalashnikov rifles and three other rifles when they raided a house in Patokh village in the same district, but no arrests were made as the house was empty.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Indian film to be made by Pakistani for the first time MUMBAI, March 9, 2006 (Reuters) An Indian film is to be directed by a Pakistani for the first time ever. Omar Sharif will be the first to debut as a director in India's movie industry by beginning to shoot "Tum Mere Ho" (You Are Mine), starring 1970s Bollywood heartthrob Rajesh Khanna and upcoming stars Ashmit Patel and Aarti Chhabria, from March 26 in the Indian city of Hyderabad. The crew will then move on to Chicago, where most of the film will be set. "We are looking to release the 120 million rupee ($2.7 million) film around October or November before the (Hindu festival) Diwali," the film's U.S.-based producer Masood Ali said.(Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Pakistan arrests 1,000 kite-flyers under terror laws LAHORE, Pakistan, March 9, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan has detained 1,000 people for flying kites and warned they could be tried as terrorists after 10 people were killed in a week by strings coated with glass or made from metal. Days ahead of an annual kite-flying festival in the eastern city of Lahore, police were cracking down to stop more casualties. "Those flying kites with metal wire, nylon string or dangerous cord will be tried under anti-terrorism laws," said Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, chief minister of Punjab province. So far around 1,000 people had been detained for violating the ban on use of dangerous string, and police also seized large amounts of kite-flying material, a senior police officer said.(Posted @ 15:54 PST)
Red Cross helicopter crash lands in Azad Kashmir, two injured MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, March 9, 2006 (AFP) A Red Cross helicopter taking part in earthquake relief crash-landed in Azad Kashmir Thursday, injuring at least two crew members, officials said. The Pakistani official said the Puma transport helicopter made a forced landing near Muzaffarabad and was damaged.The pilot and another crew member have been evacuated to hospital in Islamabad for treatment, but their condition was not immediately known, the official added.(Posted @ 15:52 PST)
Bomb blast kills two, injures at least 13 in Turkey ANKARA, Turkey, March 9, 2006 (AP) A bomb set off by suspected Kurdish guerrillas killed two person and injured 13 others on Thursday in Turkey's Kurdish dominated southeastern city of Van, bordering Iran, the Anatolia news agency reported.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Pakistan court dismisses Indian spy's review plea ISLAMABAD, March 9, 2006 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday dismissed the first of four review petitions filed by Sarabjit Singh, the Indian man convicted of spying and bomb blasts and sentenced to death. Singh's lawyer, Rana Abdul Hameed, said a two-judge bench dismissed the first petition on technical grounds, saying it had been filed too late. Singh was arrested while trying to slip back into India after the bomb blasts. Indian government has pressed for clemency for Singh but has not made a formal request on his behalf.(Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Militants hang policeman, kill Hindu in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, March 9, 2006 (AFP) - Suspected militants hanged a counter-insurgency policeman and shot dead a Hindu member of a self-defence group in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir, police said Thursday. The policeman was hanged within hours of his kidnapping in the district of Pulwama late Wednesday, a spokesman said. Around the same time, in Udhampur district, heavily-armed militants broke into the house of a Hindu who was a member of the village self-defence committee, and shot him dead. Occupied Kashmir is in the grip of a 16-year-old insurgency against Indian rule that has so far left more than 44,000 people dead by official count; twice as much according to unofficial figurers..(Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Unknown Kashmir group claims blasts in Indian holy city SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, March 9, 2006 (AFP) - A hitherto unknown militant group claimed responsibility Thursday for triple bombings that killed 23 people in Varanasi, a Kashmiri news agency said. Lashkar-e-Kahar (Army of the Imperious in a telephone call to Current News Service (CNS) said: "We have carried out the attacks," . Its spokesman who identified himself as Abdul Jabbar alias Abu Kahar threatened more attacks if "India does not stop atrocities against Kashmiri Muslims. Until that happens we will not allow people of India to live in peace."(Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Two soldiers killed in attack by militants in Pakistan near Afghan border MIR ALI, Pakistan, March 9, 2006 (AP) _ Tribal militants launched rockets on a Pakistani military post on the outskirts of Miran Ali Thursday, killing two paramilitary soldiers and wounding another, a security official said. The attack before dawn sparked a two-hour gunbattle in the village of Anghar, the official said. It came a day after a delegation of elders urged President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to end military operations and give them a chance to pacify tribesmen who have accused the military of killing innocent people.(Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Pakistan is almost poppy- free country: Shaukat Aziz LONDON, March 9, 2006 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Wednesday Pakistan was almost poppy- free country and the Government was striving hard to perevent it from becoming a "drug conduit" for the rest of the world. He was addressing British MPs and peers at the Gladstone Room of the House of Commons on the last leg of his three-day official visit to Britain and before flying off to Jordan to begin his short visit. His brief address giving a bird eye view of the latest situation in Pakistan and in the region, was followed by a lively question-answer session.Shaukat Aziz said much needed to be done to eradicate popyy cultivation in Afghanistan and the farmers should be offered alternative crops but this was not an easy problem to be tackled. The world had not done enough to stamp out poppy cultivation, he said adding, its cultivation in Afghanistan had an impact both on Europe and Pakistan Aziz said a strong and stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan. Pakistan is not an aid giving country but even then it committed $250 million for the development projects in Afghanistan because their "stability and development was our stability." Islamabad was still housing three million Afghan refugees and would like them to go back. He said Pakistan's trade with Afghanistan had increased from $25 million five years ago to $1.5 billion now. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Pakistan seeks 'equitable' US approch to Islamabad & New Delhi in nuclear field NEW YORK, March 9, 2006 (APP): Pakistan has urged the United States to adopt an "equitable and balanced approach" to Islamabad and New Delhi in the field of nuclear cooperation. "To realize its strategic and commercial goals, the United States needs nuclear Pakistan's cooperation to prevent proliferation and promote peace in South Asia, cooperation that can be ensured by an equitable and balanced approach to Pakistan and India," Mansoor Suhail, Press Minister at the Pakistan Muission to the UN, said in a letter published in The New York Times Thursday. "Like India, Pakistan also has enormous potential to become an important economic partner of the United States," Suhail said while responding to a recent editorial, in which the Times criticised the "misbegotten" Indo-US nuclear deal, saying it had offset a chance for President Bush to try to bridge the gap between Muslims and the Westerners.(Posted @ 10:10 PST)
U.S., Japan successfully test interceptor missile off Hawai HONOLULU, March 9, 2006 (AP) _ The United States and Japan successfully tested an interceptor missile off Hawai. The test aimed to check how well a Japanese-designed nose cone separated from a U.S.-designed interceptor missile. It was the first U.S. missile defence flight test to use Japanese parts.(Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Former U.S. president Carter criticizes Iraq war as anniversary nears SEATTLE, March 9, 2006 (AP) Former President Jimmy Carter criticized the war in Iraq, urging a troop drawdown as the United States enters its fourth year of conflict in Iraq.`` It was a completely unnecessary war. It was an unjust war,'' said Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner at a news conference before a building dedication at the University of Washington. ``It was initiated on the basis of false pretences. All of those are true, but we can't just pre-emptively withdraw.'' He urged the Bush administration to bring home as many troops as possible within the next 12 months.(Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 210.34 points: KARACHI, March 9, 2006 : At Close of Trading the KSE-100 index was at 10804.35 , up 210.34 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, March 9, 2006 : The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.07 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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