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| March 18, 2006 | Saturday | Safar 17, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Car bomb wounds four in Occupied Kashmir's main city SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, March 18 (Reuters) Three Indian soldiers and a pedestrian was wounded on Saturday when a car bomb was set off as an army convoy was passing near Rawalpora, a residential area in Srinagar, the army and witnesses said. No group claimed responsibility for the explosion, which also damaged an army bus. Also late on Friday, soldiers shot dead four alleged militants in a gun battle in Rajouri district, southwest of Srinagar, police said. (Posted @ 11:29 PST)
Pakistan whip India in C’wealth Games hockey MELBOURNE, March 18 (AFP) - Adnan Maqsood scored two goals as Pakistan opened their Commonwealth Games field hockey campaign by drubbing India 4-1 here Saturday. In other matches, Malaysia blanked lowly Trinidad 8-0; New Zealand registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Canada; and England defeated Scotland 3-1 in a robust match. A three-goal burst in the second half saw Pakistan comfortably home against India after the teams were locked 1-1 at half-time. Tejbir Singh gave India the lead in the 14th minute, but Mudassar Khan drew level 10 minutes later with a hard strike from the top of the circle. Tariq Aziz and Maqsood netted two goals in as many minutes soon after resumption before Maqsood sealed India's fate by deflecting in a penalty corner shot in the 58th minute for his team's fourth goal. Mohammad Saqlain wasted a penalty stroke by scooping wide off the post.(First Posted @ 15:00 PST Updated@ 16:35 PST)
U.S. must resist temptation to leave Iraq: Bush WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Saturday urged Americans to resist a temptation to retreat from Iraq but Democrats pressed him to offer a plan for drawing down U.S. troops and warned Iraq was moving closer to a civil war. On the eve of the third anniversary of the launch of the war, Bush acknowledged setbacks and the prospect of more bloodshed in Iraq, where bodies are piling up amid waves of sectarian violence. Bush used his weekly radio address to insist that despite "horrific" images in Iraq, progress was being made on the political and military fronts. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, delivering the Democratic response, said the Bush administration "must show the American people that they do have a strategy to make the long overdue progress needed in Iraq, and show that they are ready to pursue it."Three years into the war, Feinstein said, Iraq "remains bitterly divided. Sectarian violence is on the rise. And each day civil war draws closer."(Posted @ 21:40 PST)
16 bodies found in Baghdad Baghdad, March 18 (Reuters) The bodies of sixteen victims of shootings were found Saturday in different areas of the capital, police said. In several acts of violence two gunmen were killed and 18 suspects arrested when the Iraq Army launched a search operation near Baquba, Iraqi military said. Two civilians were found dead inside their car near Dujail, 50 km north of Baghdad on Saturday. The bodies of two brothers were also found in the same area on Friday, police said. A police officer and his brother were killed by gunmen in Baiji, 180 km north of Baghdad, police said. Two U.S. soldiers were killed and another wounded in an attack northwest of Tikrit on Thursday, the U.S. military said Saturday. Five Iraqi soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in Baghdad, while three policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their patrol in northern Baghdad. Two pilgrims walking to the holy city of Kerbala were killed and eight wounded by a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad, police said.(Posted @ 21:33 PST)
Hamas PM-designate expects Abbas to approve cabinet GAZA, March 18 (Reuters) - Hamas prime minister-designate Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday expressed confidence the Palestinian president would approve his cabinet and he also urged foreign donors not to cut off financial assistance. Speaking at a news conference in Gaza after Hamas officials said the group had completed forming its cabinet, Haniyeh said he would present the line-up to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday evening. "We have no doubt in succeeding in shouldering our responsibilities and to run Palestinian affairs," Haniyeh said. "I have agreed with the president to hold a meeting between the two of us on Sunday evening to present to him the final formation of the cabinet and to discuss the next steps toward presenting the government to the parliament," he said.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
Thousands join Iraq war protest in London LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - At least 14,000 anti-war protesters marched through London on Saturday, three years after the invasion of Iraq, calling for U.S. and British troops to pull out. Some marchers held placards bearing a photograph of U.S. President George W. Bush and the words "World's Number 1Terrorist". Others carried banners saying "Peace not Profit" and "End the occupation, don't attack Iran". A handful of protesters donned orange boiler suits and wore shackles on their wrists to mimic outfits worn in the U.S.Guantanamo Bay prison, and carried photographs of prisoners. "We want to achieve two things: to hurry the British government into leaving Iraq and to make it aware of public opinion that it can't join the American government if it attacks Iran," said John Rees, co-founder of Stop the War Coalition. Organisers said the march was one of several planned worldwide to protest against the Iraq war, from Australia to Japan to the United States. The turnout of 14,000 was a police estimate.(Posted @ 21:15 PST)
One killed, five injured in blast in India's northeast GUWAHATI, India, March 18(AFP) - A woman was killed and six people injured in a grenade blast Saturday in India's restive northeastern state of Asom, officials said. A police spokesman said militants lobbed the grenade at a group of people in the heart of Guwahati. Press Trust of India news agency said police suspected the attack was carried out by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) separatist group. ULFA's fight for independence has claimed at least 15,000 lives since 1979.(Posted @ 21:15 PST)
One killed, five injured in blast in India's northeast GUWAHATI, India, March 18(AFP) - A woman was killed and six people injured in a grenade blast Saturday in India's restive northeastern state of Asom, officials said. A police spokesman said militants lobbed the grenade at a group of people in the heart of Guwahati. Press Trust of India news agency said police suspected the attack was carried out by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) separatist group. ULFA's fight for independence has claimed at least 15,000 lives since 1979.(Posted @ 21:15 PST)
Curfew in Koparkhairane (Mumbai) following unabated violence - NEW DELHI, Mar 18 (APP): Curfew was imposed at Koparkhairane village in Navi Mumbai Saturday after the spate of violence continued unabated for the third day in succession. Police baton charged a crowd this afternoon after rioters ransacked shops, damaged private vehicles and set them on fire. The entire Navi Mumbai satellite township has been witnessing violence for the past three days in the aftermath of the incident in which Mathadi workers (porters) allegedly molested a girl from Ghansoli on the festival of Holi. The agitation has now spread to adjoining villages, police said.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Former Afghan governor among 16 killed in Taliban attacks KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 18 (AFP) - At least 16 people including nine policemen and a former provincial governor were killed in attacks across southern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday. A bomb blast Friday claimed the lives of nine policemen who were escorting the bodies of four Albanians kidnapped and killed by Taliban fighters last week in an area between Kandahar and neighbouring Helmand province. Kandahar governor Asadullah Khaled on Saturday confirmed that nine policemen were killed. On Saturday, suspected Taliban rebels killed former Ghanzi province governor Taj Mohammad, known as Qari Baba, and his four companions. Baba was currently working as advisor to Ghazni governor Sher Alam. Also on Saturday, an attempt to kill Sher Alam failed while three of the attackers were shot dead by security personnel. Taliban rebels also killed an Afghan soldier during an attack on a convoy of Afghan and US-led coalition troops, US military spokesman Lieutenant Mike Cody said Saturday. In another attack, also claimed by the Taliban, four Afghan soldiers were wounded in a clash with Taliban fighters in Zabul, a local commander said.(Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Train rolls over participants in Uruguayan TV reality show, killing seven MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) _ Seven residents of a Uruguayan town were killed Friday when they were run over by a train they were moving manually as part of a reality television show aimed at raising funds for a local hospital, police said. Several hundred townspeople from Young, about 380 kilometers west of the capital of Montevideo, were hauling a locomotive and two attached cars down a track _ pushing and pulling from different sides _ when some participants fell under the wheels, a police department spokesman said. Seven were killed while several others were hurt, three of them critically.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Commonwealth Games boxing: 3 Pakistanis win MELBOURNE, March 18, 2006 (AFP) – Three Pakistanis moved up while one was eliminated in Commonwealth Games boxing on Saturday:- In Lightflyweight (48kg) Muhammad Nisar (PAK) beat Thomas Essomba(CMR) on points 40-20;in Flyweight (51kg) Jitender Kumar (IND) defeated Nouman Karim (PAK) on points 14-5; in Bantamweight (54kg) Abid Ali (PAK) beat Gyanendra Kumar (FIJ)on points 17-5; and Meharullah (PAK) defeated A.K.G. Kamal Sameera (SRI) on points 22-8.(Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Afghan guard killed, two missing KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 18, 2006 (AFP) - Suspected Taliban rebels stormed a private construction company site in southern Zabul province on Friday, killing one of its guards while two others were missing, officials Saturday. In another attack also claimed by the Taliban, four Afghan soldiers were injured in a clash with the Taliban fighters, Zabul's military commander said.(First Posted @ 10:45 Updated @ 16:50 PST)
Afghanistan destroys 25 heroin laboratories JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 18 (AFP) - Government forces helped by locals destroyed more than two dozen drug laboratories in Nangarhar province,an official said Saturday. "We were helped by hundreds of villagers and together we destroyed 25 labs," said district chief Sayed Sher Zaman. He said some opium was also seized and destroyed in the province's Shinwar district, the largest opium producing region in Nangarhar.(Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Security Incidents in Iraq BAGHDAD, March 18 (AFP) - One Iraqi civilian was killed in southern Baghdad by a roadside bomb, and at least five Shiite pilgrims were wounded by a separate roadside bomb in the Yarmuk neighbourhood of western Baghdad on Saturday, an interior ministry official said. The string of attacks on pilgrims, making their way on foot to the main Monday commemoration in Karbala, for the Chehlum (end of the 40-day mourning period for Hazrat Imam Husain) has prompted US and Iraqi forces to bolster security. The US military has called up an additional 700 troops from Kuwait for this purpose. In other acts of violence Saturday, eight policemen were wounded in two separate bomb attacks in the east and northeast of Baghdad, security officials said. A car bomb injured two civilians in the capital. Two insurgents were also killed and 19 others arrested, including a Jordanian, when Iraqi forces Saturday raided an area near Baquba, northeast of the capital. One soldier was also wounded in clashes, the military said. Meanwhile, British forces Saturday announced the arrest of seven people in Basra. "The operation was targeting people suspected of being involved in serious criminal or terrorist activity," said military spokesman Major Martin Thirsk. British forces had previously detained 43 Iraqis, including 13 policemen, on terrorist charges.(Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Bush vows to finish the mission in Iraq WASHINGTON, March 18, 2006 (AFP) - Three years after the war in Iraq began, US President George W. Bush said Saturday that it was "the right decision" and vowed to overcome bloody violence that has killed some 2,300 US soldiers. "We will finish the mission. By defeating the terrorists in Iraq, we will bring greater security to our own country," the embattled president said in his weekly radio address.(Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Shaukat Aziz approves Centre for Earthquake Prediction ISLAMABAD, Mar 18 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has approved setting up of Centre for Earthquake Prediction to develop indigenouscapabilities in fields related to seismic and earth sciences and to accurately predict any future earthquakes. It will be a regional centre and will cater to the needs of South Asia, Central Asia and Middle East.The Centre will be attached to The National Centre for Physics, (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
No Bird Flu virus infected found in Pakistan (ISLAMABAD, March 18 PPI)Though millions of birds have been killed throughout the world particularly in India but no human so far have been found infected by the bird Flu virus.According to statistics several birds were found inflected in several states including Maharastra, Gujreat, Uttar Paradesh in India following which the authorities had no alternative but to undertake a mass destruction against H5NI virus. In Pakistan too the authorities killed Lakhs of chicken in Abbottabad and other places but there was no victim of the virus detected so far. The destruction of chickens on the apprehension of their being infected has almost destroyed the poultry industry. Many of the poultry owners claimed that they have been economically destroyed and they do not find any chance of recovery from the disaster. (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Kashmir. Mirwaiz welcomes change in tone of 'Pro-India' parties Srinagar, March 18 (PPI) Chairman Hurriyat Conference-A, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has welcomed change in the stance of pro-Indian parties. Addressing a gathering he said that it is a matter of satisfaction that these parties and politicians are now talking of a permanent solution of Kashmir issue. He welcomed that a similar feeling is growing in Jammu and Ladakh As well. He wished that these people should have talked in similar tones much earlier. "this would have made our stand stronger and our struggle for justice, much easier. The issue could have been resolved long before and the immense loss of life and property could have been easily avoided" Mirwaiz said.
Hamas completes forming cabinet -spokesman GAZA, March 18 (Reuters) - Hamas on Saturday completed forming a Palestinian cabinet and will present the line-up to President Mahmoud Abbas, a Hamas spokesman said.(Posted @ 14:30 PST)
India, Denmark agree to delay Danish PM's visit NEW DELHI, March 18, 2006 (AFP) - A visit to India by Denmark's leader has been delayed, the Indian foreign ministry said Saturday, amid reports New Delhi feared the trip could provoke new anti-Danish protests by Muslims. "The two sides have found that the proposed timing for the visit was not optimal," the ministry said in a statement. "India and Denmark look forward to the visit of the Danish prime minister to India at an early date." Newspapers said the Danish government had agreed, at New Delhi's request, to delay Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's visit which the reports said was due to begin April 2.(Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Two pilots die in Indian trainer aircraft crash BANGALORE, March 18, 2006 (AFP) - Two Indian pilots died Saturday when their trainer aircraft crashed in the southern state of Karnataka, an air force spokesman said. "The Surya Kiran aircraft was among two other trainers participating in a flying formation when it changed course suddenly and crashed," spokesman V.M Raghunathan said. "Both pilots died." Raghunathan said an investigation would be conducted to know the exact cause of the crash. The home-grown Surya Kiran trainers also(Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Iran frees high-profile dissident TEHRAN, March 18, 2006 (AFP) - Iran's most prominent political prisoner, dissident journalist Akbar Ganji, was released overnight after six years in prison, one of his relatives told AFP on Saturday. "He was freed after 2,244 days in prison. He is doing well and is in good spirits," the relative said, adding that he had lost "a lot of weight." Ganji, 46, was detained in 2000 and sentenced to six years in prison in 2001 after he wrote articles implicating several regime officials in a string of gruesome murders of opposition intellectuals and writers in 1998 -- crimes that shocked Iran. In what he called "disclosure by drip", the outspoken critic of the regime published one article after another explaining how shadowy operatives selected their victims and executed them.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Construction of a full-fledge cancer hospital in Karachi to start next year: Imran Khan KARACHI, Mar 18 (APP) Diagnostic centres will soon be launched while construction of a full-fledged cancer hospital will start from next year in Karachi, Imran Khan said while addressing a fund raising programme arranged here on Friday night to raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore. Top British film star Eleizabeth Hurly was also present at the fund raising dinner. "The first bone-marrow transplant will be carried out soon at the Shaukat Khanum as the patient requiring this treatment has been admitted at the hospital," Khan informed the gathering. Speaking on the occasion, Elizabeth Hurly said: "It is my first visit to Pakistan and I will keep coming in future as well for a noble cause like this". She quoted Imran saying "Just because you are poor you shouldn't die in pain," and she hoped that he would build more such hospitals all across the country. Elizabeth also informed that she had visited the earthquake zone and witnessed the ongoing relief activities being performed by a number of social organizations including that of Imran Khan.(Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Cricket-Dravid retains captaincy until end of World Cup MUMBAI, March 18 (Reuters) Rahul Dravid has been retained as India captain until the end of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, according to board secretary Niranjan Shah. "The selectors decided this at a meeting on Friday night," Shah told reporters on Saturday. (Posted @ 11:33 PST)
Two US soldiers killed, one wounded in Iraq attack BAGHDAD, March 18 (Reuters) Two U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were killed and another was wounded in an attack northwest of Tikrit on March 16, the U.S. military said in a statement on Saturday. It said the soldiers were killed and wounded in an "indirect fire attack" on Contingency Operating Base Speicher. (Posted @ 10:43 PST)
US, Australia and Japan call on Iran to resume negotiations SYDNEY, Australia (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts from Australia and Japan on Saturday called on Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment activities and resume negotiations over its disputed nuclear program. In a joint statement following trilateral regional security talks, they also called on North Korea to unconditionally and immediately return to six-party nuclear talks.( First Posted@09:36 PST Updated@ 10:17 PST)
Sharapova beats Hingis to reach final INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) Maria Sharapova advanced to the final of the Pacific Life Open by defeating Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-3 in a match of former No. ones on Friday. Sharapova will face either top-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne or Elena Dementieva of Russia in Saturday's final. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, March 18: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.38 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 11:25 PST)
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