|
| March 16, 2006 | Thursday | Safar 15, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Indian Prime Minister ready to hold exclusive talks with Ali Shah Geelani-Azad NEW DELHI, Mar 16 (APP): Chief Minister of Occupied Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad Thursday invited senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to participate in the second roundtable conference on Kashmir in May saying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ready to talk to him separately. "The next round table conference will be held in May this year in Srinagar and I extend an open invitation to political parties, militants, underground and other organisations for the resolution of Kashmir issue," Azad told the Assembly during question hour, according to a news report received here. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ready to talk to the (Senior Hurriyat) leader (Ali Shah Geelani) even if he likes to talk separately," added Azad.The Chief Minister further said, "The issue of Kashmir cannot be settled in isolation in jungles and we have to interact and find out the settlement across the table."He said other organisations, which missed the first roundtable, would be persuaded to attend the May round.(Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Huge quantity of arms seized, two held: ASP PESHAWAR, Mar 16 (APP): Peshawar police have seized huge quantity of arms and ammunition from a car here near Zangali check-post in the jurisdiction of Budaber police station and arrested two smugglers on the spot, ASP Sher Akbar Khan told reporters Wednesday. Addressing a press conference here, he said on a tip off to the chief capital city police that huge quantity of arms and ammunition would be smuggled out in a car to down country raiding party was constituted which recovered nine Kalashnikovs, two repeaters, 40 laser-guided pistols, 640 cartridges of different bores and 15 rounds from a car No.2636 Faisalbad. Muhammad Ayaz and Maazullah, resident of Charsadda have been arrested, he added. Police have registered case and started investigation.(Posted @ 23:55 PST)
Pakistan to launch Dollarbonds next week: Salman Shah ISLAMABAD, Mar 16 (APP): Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah has said that Pakistan would to launch dollarbonds next week. Talking to CNBC TV channel on Thursday, he said two teams for roadshows will leave for this purpose, first team will leave for Singapore, Hong Kong and Los Angles and then return to New York. While the second team will leave for Dubai, London, Boston and New York, where these will be finally priced and its whole size would be determined, he added.(Posted @ 23:46 PST)
US launches largest postwar air assault in Iraq BAGHDAD, March 16, 2006 (AFP) US and Iraqi forces Thursday launched a massive airborne operation north of Baghdad, involving over 50 aircraft and more than 1,500 troops, the military said in a statement. The mission, described as the largest air assault operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, aimed to to clear a suspected insurgent operating area northeast of Samarra, over 125 kilometres (80 miles) north of Baghdad. US forces recently said a number of Al-Qaeda insurgents were ensconced in this hilly area, known as Hamreen.(Posted @ 23:30 PST)
Pakistan bans two Afghan television channels ISLAMABAD, March 16, 2006 (AFP) - Pakistan has banned two Afghan television channels from being carried by cable networks in the country as they have not obtained broadcast rights, an official said Thursday. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has asked all cable operators to immediately stop relaying the Kabul-based Ariana and Tolo television channels, a PEMA official told AFP. "Ariana and Tolo have been banned with immediate effect for the reason that they have not obtained landing rights in Pakistan," the official said. The two channels are mainly watched by Pashtuns in the southwestern city of Quetta and in the North Western Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan.The ban comes amid recent tensions between the two countries over Islamic militants that the Afghan government says are launching attacks in Afghanistan from bases across the border in Pakistan.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Pope asks Christians and Jews to cooperate with Islam VATICAN CITY, March 16, 2006 (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday called on Christians and Jews to cooperate with Islam for "the good of humanity", as he received a delegation from the American Jewish Committee at the Vatican."Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in the one God, creator of heaven and earth," he said. "It follows, therefore, that all three monotheistic religions are called to cooperate with one another for the common good of humanity, serving the cause of justice and peace in the world." "This is especially important today when particular attention must be given to teaching respect for God, for religions and their symbols, and for holy sites and places of worship," he said.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Kashmir. Geelani vows not to deviate from Kashmir stance SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, March 16 (PPI): The chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani has vowed not to deviate from the principled stand on Kashmir. Addressing a public meeting at Goshabugh-Pattan, where two youths were martyred by Indian forces the other day , Geelani said: "The sacrifices of freedom fighters are our precious resource and we salute the sacrifices of our courageous youth”. He said people would continue to raise Azadi slogans till getting freedom. Hurriyat is not against peace, but the government of India wants the” peace of a graveyard in Kashmir”, he added.(Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Kashmir conference backs peace process LONDON, March 16 (APP): Speakers at a two-day International Kashmir Conference backed the current peace process between Pakistan and India, saying, it was the way forward for seeking a peaceful solution for the Kashmir issue. They were speaking at the second and third session of the conference here late Wednesday on the subject of "demilitarization and self-governance as steps to self-determination" and "October 8 earthquake in South Asia: obstacles and opportunities". They were of the view that despite being slow, the peace process was very useful to create a propitious situation for a movement forward on the lingering issue of Kashmir. In his remarks, Larse Rise, former Chairman of All Party Group on Kashmir in Norwegian Parliament said, "Kashmir is an open wound" and was one of the oldest conflict. He said even if there was very small steps as a result of the current peace process even then "it is promising".(Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Four security officers killed in protest over Freeport mine in Papua JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) _ Protesters killed four security officers after clashes broke out Thursday during a rally demanding the closure of a U.S.-owned gold mine in Papua. The officers were either hacked or burned to death, police and witnesses said. It was the third day of violent protests against the mine run by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. of USA. Hundreds of protesters blockaded the road outside a university demanding the government close the gold mine, said to be the world's largest. Several security officers shot at protesters, as the frenzied mob ran down three policeman and a soldier _ bludgeoning two to death with rocks and knives and setting the others on fire. Hospitals said at least 19 police and eight protesters were injured. Sporadic clashes continued throughout the afternoon, with gun shots repeatedly heard across the city. An official said at least 10 people were arrested.(Posted @ 13:00 PST Updated @ 18:15 PST)
Iraq parliament session ends after 40 minutes BAGHDAD, March 16, 2006 (Agencies) Iraq's new parliament adjourned Thursday after a 40-minute session during which all 275 members were collectively sworn in. Parliament is expected to resume sitting after political parties have reached agreement on forming a government of national unity. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said on Thursday he was willing to withdraw his nomination for a second term if asked to step aside. "If my people ask me to step aside I will do this," Jaafari told a news conference after the parliament session was convened.(First Posted @ 13:10 PST Updated @ 14:50 PST)
Bomb blasts disrupt power to thousands in Balochistan, no casualties QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) Seven bombs exploded before dawn Thursday toppling two high-power electricity transmission towers in a mountainous area about 40 kilometres southeast of Quetta, officials said. No one was wounded in the attacks, a local government official said. The blasts disrupted electricity supply to thousands of homes, agricultural and industrial consumers in Quetta and three nearby districts before being restored through alternate lines and a local generator seven hours later, the official added. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attacks.(Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Pakistani forces arrest three, seize grenades in tribal region DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) Security forces arrested three men late Wednesday and seized assault rifles and grenades at a roadblock near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, an intelligence official said Thursday.(Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Deadly bird flu strain likely in Pakistan KARACHI, March 16, 2006 (AFP) Pakistani authorities said Thursday there was a high probability that an outbreak of bird flu detected in chickens last month was the deadly H5N1 strain. "There is an 80 percent probability of H5N1 presence in the country after confirmation of H5 strain both at home and from the UK laboratory," a Food Agriculture and Livestock ministry spokesman said. "We are not confirming it until laboratory tests come out," he said. "…We have already decreed for protective measures as if we are faced with H5N1 virus, considering the high probability of its presence," the spokesperson added.(Posted @ 14:43 PST)
India, Iran, Pakistan's talks end with no deal on pipeline TEHRAN, March 16, 2006 (AFP) Talks between India, Iran and Pakistan on building a new gas pipeline to Southeast Asia ended Thursday without any agreement and a new round of negotiations scheduled for late April. "Iran made a proposal on the price (of gas) that we must examine," India's Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan told reporters in televised remarks. Iran's state news agency confirmed Tehran had proposed a price for gas, but India and Pakistan said they needed time for consultations. The next round of talks is scheduled for Islamabad on April 30, state television reported. "We have told them that a government commitment necessitates a vote in the Iranian parliament and we will need another six or seven extra months for that," Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad-Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said on television.(Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Kurds attack Halabja memorial, govt offices HALABJA, Iraq, March 16 (Reuters) Hundreds of Kurdish protesters attacked a memorial to the 1988 gas attack in the Iraqi town of Halabja on Thursday and stormed official buildings on the 18th anniversary of the deaths of 5,000 local people. Witnesses said shooting broke out after people angered by poor local services heckled Kurdish officials making speeches to commemorate the attack.Two local journalists said they saw several casualties, including at least one person who appeared to have been killed.(First Posted @ 13:10 PST Updated @ 14:40 PST)
G8 seeks answers to world energy riddle in Moscow MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) Ministers from the world's top energy players began talks in Moscow on Thursday. Moscow, hosting a meeting of G8 energy ministers for the first time, has also invited officials from China and India and OPEC in a bid to launch the first ever global energy security dialogue. "Massive investments will be needed to create an effective system of global energy supply resistant to shocks," Russian Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko told the meeting in opening remarks. "The International Energy Agency estimates that this will require $17 trillion until 2030, most of which must be spent on production, transportation and refining of energy resources."(Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Afghan Taliban chief vows "unimaginable" violence KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 16 (Reuters) Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar vowed a ferocious offensive against U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, saying on Thursday they would soon face unimaginable violence. "With the arrival of the warm weather, we will make the ground so hot for the invaders it will be unimaginable for them," Omar said in his message, read by a Taliban spokesman over the telephone from an undisclosed location.(Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Afghans confirm bird flu found in chickens is H5N1 KABUL, March 16 (Reuters) A strain of bird flu found in dead chickens in Afghanistan has been confirmed as the H5N1 strain, the government and the United Nations said on Thursday. "The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has today been confirmed in Afghanistan," they said in a statement.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
India begins culling birds as H5N1 confirmed MUMBAI, March 16 (Reuters) Veterinary workers began throttling more than 70,000 birds in western India on Thursday as tests confirmed the country's second outbreak of avian influenza in poultry was the deadly H5N1 strain. Authorities said the latest outbreak in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra was the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza. There have been no reports of human infections in India. Health authorities said they were not taking any chances and had sent dozens of medical teams looking for people with flu-like symptoms to every household of the affected area.(First Posted @ 13:10 PST Updated@ 14:15 PST)
Iraqi police find 25 bodies in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Police found 25 bodies discarded in various parts of Baghdad overnight, the Interior Ministry said Thursday. The victims, all men who had been shot, were discovered between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, an official said.(Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Israeli soldier killed in West Bank gunfight JERUSALEM, March 16, 2006 (AFP) An Israeli soldier was killed Thursday after exchanges of fire broke out during an operation in the northern West Bank town of Jenin, military sources said. Five Palestinians were also arrested during the course of the operation. (First Posted @ 11:00 PST Updated @ 13:00 PST)
Afghan soldiers caught smuggling heroin in ambulance KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) Police have arrested two soldiers caught smuggling 64 kilograms of heroin in an army ambulance in Afghanistan, the world's top producer of the drug, officials said Thursday.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Protesters snub Rice as "war criminal" during speech on Iraq SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) To Australian protesters' cries of "war criminal" and "murderer", U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended her government's role in Iraq on Thursday. About 15 minutes into her address to students at the University of Sydney's Conservatorium of Music, a protester interrupted her saying "what kind of freedom are you talking about, you are a murderer". One student asked about abuses committed by U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq to which Rice said it had made her "sick to her stomach". However, she defended the use of the prison for foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where human rights groups say detainees are being held in inhumane conditions and their continued detention flouts international laws.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Independent tests confirm H5N1 in Myanmar -FAO BANGKOK, March 16 (Reuters) Independent tests have confirmed an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in central Myanmar, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Thursday.(Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Police say 23 drown after India's Holi festival HYDERABAD, India, March 16 (Reuters) Twenty-three people drowned in Andhra Pradesh state after plunging into rivers and lakes to wash after celebrating Holi, police said Thursday. In the state capital, Hyderabad, 10 people drowned in separate incidents after trying to wash the dyes off their clothes. Four people drowned in the Godavari river. Two teenage girls died elsewhere after they slipped into an irrigation canal. Seven others died in different accidents.(Posted @ 12:45 PST)
US tags Iran as biggest threat WASHINGTON, March 16, 2006 (AFP) Making no apologies for the war in Iraq, the United States warned states like North Korea and Iran Thursday that it will take pre-emptive military action if necessary to protect itself. "We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran," the White House said in a blueprint called the "National Security Stategy" of the United States. North Korea "presents a long and bleak record of duplicity and bad-faith negotiations" the document said, warning: "We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect our national and economic security against the adverse effects of their bad conduct. "The place of preemption in our national security strategy remains the same," the White House said on Thursday. "We do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur." The document branded North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Belarus, Burma and Zimbabwe as tyrannies, but warned that tyrannies that seek weapons of mass destruction "threaten our immediate security interests." The document also restated Washington's support for the creation of a Palestinian state at peace with Israel "if Hamas will abandon its terrorist roots and change its relationship with Israel." (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Pakistan confirms it is holding Syrian man for terrorism links ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan is holding a Syrian-born man with suspected terrorism links, a Pakistani official said Thursday. The official, who declined to be identified, gave no further details, including when or where he was detained. Pakistani authorities confirmed in November that they were trying to determine whether a man detained during a police raid in Quetta was Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, 47, an al-Qaida-linked Syrian native who holds Spanish citizenship.(Posted @ 12:35 PST)
U.S. won't push Australia to sell uranium to India SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) The United States will not push Australia to supply uranium to India, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday. "The issue of whether or not one decides to participate in the fuel supply is a quite separable issue and it is one for the Australians to determine but not one that is at issue with the United States by any means," Rice told a news conference. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the U.S. deal would not influence Australia to change its policy on the sale of uranium to India.(Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Five killed at Thai government office in restive south YALA, Thailand, March 16, 2006 (AFP) Five people were killed Thursday when gunmen opened fire on a local government building in one of Thailand's restive southern provinces, police said.(Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Oxfam suspends some aid work in tsunami-hit Aceh after financial irregularities JAKARTA, March 16, 2006 (AFP) British-based charity Oxfam said Thursday it has suspended some of its operations in Indonesia's tsunami-hit hit Aceh province after auditors found financial irregularities at one of its project offices. The action by Oxfam is the most serious publicised by an aid organisation working in devastated Aceh, where some 168,000 people were killed by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Essential services such as water delivery and rubbish collection would continue but activities such as house building and livelihood support would be suspended, the aid agency said in a statement.(Posted @ 10:00 PST)
U.S. and Australia urge China to grow positively SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) China needs to accept the global responsibilities that come with its emergence as an Asia-Pacific power, and be more transparent about a build-up of its military, the United States and Australia said on Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who met with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in Sydney, said "I heard that there is going to be a 14 percent increase in the Chinese defence budget; that's a lot. China should undertake to be transparent about what that means".(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Bush administration releases first declassified documents from pre-war Iraq WASHINGTON (AP) The Bush administration released the first declassified documents collected by U.S. intelligence during the Iraq war, showing among other things that Saddam Hussein's regime was monitoring reports that Iraqis and Saudis were heading to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks to fight U.S. troops. The documents, the first of thousands expected to be declassified over the next several months, were released Wednesday night via a Pentagon Web site at the direction of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.(Posted @ 09:45 PST)
At least 28 die as river boat sinks in China BEIJING, March 16, 2006 (AFP) At least 28 people died when a boat registered to carry only two passengers sank on the Youxi river in southwest China's Sichuan province, a local official said Thursday. Only 10 survivors had so far been confirmed and rescuers believed the death toll could rise.(Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Japan's top refinery cuts oil imports from Iran TOKYO, March 16, 2006 (AFP) Nippon Oil said Thursday it would slash imports from Iran by 15 percent, in part due to the nuclear crisis, making Japan the first country to cut crude purchases since the start of the current standoff.Japan's top oil refinery was adamant, however, that it was not planning a drastic change in policy toward Iran, which is the third biggest supplier of oil to Asia's largest economy. Nippon Oil's imports from Iran will decrease by 15 percent this year as a result of a change in brokers, a company spokesman said. "One major reason was there was trouble with the previous broker but the risk of Iran's nuclear programme was also considered when changing the broker," the spokesman told AFP.(Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 296.45 points: KARACHI, Mar 16: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10689.36 ,up 296.45 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Mar 16: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.2 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Tahir Mirza
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |