|
| April 1, 2006 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
President orders rebuilding of destroyed houses in quake zone From Apr 7 RAWALPINDI,April 01 (PPI) A meeting chaired by President Pervez Musharraf Saturday decided to commence the process of rebuilding of destroyed houses in the quake zone from the seventh of this month .It also decided to build a new city in place of completely ravaged town of Balakot on modern lines. The meeting attended among others by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz , AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani directed that the governments of NWFP and Azad Kashmir begin distributing forms among the affectees from April 7 and after ten days of processing period start distribution of Rs 75,000 each for the reconstruction of completely destroyed houses and Rs 50,000 to the owners of partially damaged houses. The meeting approved the provision of monthly subsistence allowance of Rs 3,000 to each affected family for six months. The President and the Prime Minister noted that distribution of Rs 4.5 billion in six months will greatly enable the families to stand on their feet. President Musharraf reiterated that the reconstruction should take place under a need based strategy as the government will not just reinstate the damaged facilities but put in place educational institutions, hospitals, government buildings and roads on modern lines.(Posted @ 21:48 PST)
Pakistan, Sri Lanka to sign Custom Cooperation Agreement this year ISLAMABAD, April 1 (APP): Pakistan and Sri Lanka have decided to have an agreement on Custom Cooperation by the end of the year to facilitate two-way trade.The two countries have also decided to identify specific services sectors and initiate negotiations for Trade in Services under the FTA. The bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) covers Trade in Goods as well as Trade in Services. The initiative relating to Trade in Goods has been implemented. President Mahinda Rajapakse, who arrived Friday on a three-day official visit, held talks with President General Pervez Musharraf and also met Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. A joint statement issued in Islamabad said the two sides exchanged views on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues. They reaffirmed their commitment to the promotion of peace, stability, economic development and social progress and agreed to intensify cooperation and consultations on bilateral, regional and global issues by maintaining regular high level contacts. They expressed their determination to address poverty, illiteracy and unemployment issues. Pakistan reaffirmed its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and for the ongoing peace process in the country. The two sides agreed to make every effort to further strengthen their multifaceted and multi-sectoral cooperation in the fields of education, culture, commerce & trade, science & technology, defence and tourism.(Posted @ 19:20 PST)
US helicopter crashes on combat patrol near Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 1, 2006 (AFP) - A US helicopter crashed southwest of Baghdad on Saturday at 5:30 pm (1330 GMT) while conducting a combat air patrol, the US military said. The fate of the crew was not known, the military said.(Posted @ 23:30 PST)
Kashmir militant group derides Indo-Pak peace process ISLAMABAD, April 1 (Reuters) - Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest Kashmiri militant group fighting Indian rule on Saturday derided a peace process between India and Pakistan and said separatists talking with the two governments were gaining nothing. "The fact is that the ongoing dialogue process between India and Pakistan is useless, futile and a waste of time," Hizb said in a statement. "Kashmiri politicians who have joined this process are not going to get anything except breakfast, tours and media coverage, because India is not sincere in resolving this issue," the group's spokesman, Saleem Hashmi, said in the statement(Posted @ 21:42 PST)
Saudi vows gradual reform without violating Islam RIYADH, April 1 (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah on Saturday vowed gradual reform to bring the kingdom closer to the rest of the world without violating the principles of Islam. "We can't remain rigid while the world around us is changing,"the monarch said in his first annual address to the all-male Shura council since his enthronement last August. King Abdullah said the envisaged reforms, which would be debated through a state-sponsored national dialogue would seek to "meet the desires of society and be in harmony with Islamic sharia (law)". The kingdom will also continue liberalising its economy, fighting graft and poverty and improving public governance, King Abdullah added. King Abdullah also promised to stamp out the "straying group of terrorist killers". "There is no place for extremism in the country of the two holy shrines," he told the council.(Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Forty hurt in Bangladesh garment factory stampede CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, April 1 (Reuters) - At least 40 Bangladeshi garment workers, most of them women, were injured in a stampede caused by a false fire alarm at a factory on Saturday, police said. Several hundred workers were busy taking a quick lunch when the stampede occured.(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
One dead, 10 injured in Kurdish clashes in Turkey DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, April 1 (Reuters) - Fresh clashes between Kurdish protesters and police in southeast Turkey killed one protester and injured 10 others on Saturday, security sources said. The clashes erupted near the Syrian border in the town of Kiziltepe where demonstrators set fire to a branch of a major bank and a building used by the ruling Justice and Development Party.(Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Armed clashes over Egyptian political party's leadership injure 23 CAIRO, April 1 (AP) _ Competing factions fighting over the leadership of an Egyptian political party clashed Saturday injuring 23 and setting party headquarters ablaze, police said. With a siege at the headquarters still going on, prosecutors ordered the arrest of one of the contenders for the Wafd party leadership, Noaman Gomaa, blaming him for the violence, state news agency MENA reported. The clashes began after Gomaa and his supporters took control of the party headquarters in a Cairo residential area and a rival faction tried to enter the building. There were reports of one person killed, but police said they were still seeking confirmation. Witnesses said that police outside the building stood by without trying to halt the violence.(Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Chinese PM arrives in Australia for uranium talks PERTH, Australia, April 1(AFP) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Australia late Saturday for a four-day visit aimed at finalising a uranium supply deal and speeding up free trade negotiations between the two nations.(Posted @ 19:38 PST)
Suicide attack, five US troops hurt, lawmaker killed in Afghan violence KANDAHAR, April 1, (APP/AFP) - A suicide bomber exploded a car bomb near an Afghan and foreign military convoy in Maiwand district Saturday while five US soldiers were wounded and a top legislator was killed in two separate attacks, officials said. Coalition troops also came under attack in Kunar province Saturday when a bomb hit their armoured vehicle in Pech district, the coalition said in a statement. Five US soldiers were wounded in the blast. One suspected insurgent was arrested after the attack. In another attack early Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed the speaker of the provincial legislature in northeastern Takhar province after breaking into his home, police said.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Pakistan, Sri Lanka reiterate desire to enhance relations ISLAMABAD, Apr 1 (APP): Pakistan’s Defence Minister Rao Sikendar Iqbal called on the visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Saturday and discussed matters of mutual interest. Pakistan offered defence equipment and training facilities to the armed forces of Sri Lanka. Minister of State for Defence Zahid Hamid, Rear Admiral Ehsanul Haq Chaudhry, Additional Secretary Ministry of Defence and other senior officials of the Ministry were also present.(Posted @ 19:24 PST)
Occupied Kashmir:APHC reiterates bypolls boycott call Srinagar, April 01 (PPI) All Parties Hurriyat Conference has reiterated the polls boycott call in occupied Kashmir. The president of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party Shabbir Ahmad Shah and the Kashmir Bar Association have supported the polls boycott call while APHC leader Syed Ali Gilani has already started a poll boycott campaign from Baramulla district. Addressing gatherings in this connection he appealed the people to stay away from the bypolls ploy, as it was intended to mislead the world public opinion, Kashmir Media Service reported.(Posted @ 19:18 PST)
2 wounded in mine explosion near Sui QUETTA Apr 1 (PPI): Two persons were wounded when a truck hit a land mine near Sui Saturday. According to reports the vehicle hit the land mine in Segari area East of Sui. As a result two persons in the truck sustained injuries.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Afghanistan:Taliban control 3 villages KANDAHAR, April 01 (PPI) Taliban insurgents took control of three villages in southern Afghanistan following a battle in which six militants were killed, an official said. Taliban attacked a police post in Kajaki district of Helmand province at around noon, sparking the deadly battle, deputy provincial governor Mohammad Amir Akhund said. In the battle that raged a couple of hours , six Taleban were killed and three were wounded, Akhund said. There were no casualties among the government forces which had retreated from the villages and were preparing for a counter-attack, he said.(Posted @ 18:04 PST)
Hard work, dedication must for knowledge-based society: Chief Justice KARACHI, April 1 (APP): Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Iftekhar Muhammed Chaudhry, has said that the cherished goal of a knowledge-based society, with a scientific outlook, cannot be achieved without hard work and dedication. "We, as a nation, have to go an extra mile in order to make up for the lost time, if we want to catch up with the pace of advancement in the developed countries", he said at the 9th Convocation-2006 of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology.(Posted @ 17:56 PST)
President commends NAB's anti-corruption efforts RAWALPINDI, April 1 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday commended efforts of the National Accountability Bureau in eradication of corruption. Talking to chairman NAB Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz, who presented the Bureau's annual report 2005, the President particularly lauded the endeavours of NAB in creating awareness about the importance of preventing corruption and the vital role of good governance and transparency in development.(Posted @ 17:54 PST)
Pakistan, Sri Lanka discuss defence, security, economy ISLAMABAD, April 1 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday discussed defence and security, economic ties and cooperation in the war against terror with the visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations between the two countries and stressed the need for further enhancing cooperation in various fields. Shaukat Aziz said the two countries have a strategic partnership in the region and were working for peace and security in South Asia. Pakistan sought Sri Lanka's help in improving gem cutting and jewellery industry besides improving education system in Pakistan.(Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Thailand's ruling party running unopposed in half of seats BANGKOK, April 1, 2006 (AFP) - The ruling party of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is running unopposed in half of the 400 constituencies in Sunday's snap general elections which have been boycotted by three main opposition parties. "There are as of now 200 constituencies in 59 provinces that have one candidate each who is required to gain 20 percent of eligible votes," Election Commission spokesman Major General Ekachai Varunprabha said Saturday. Ekachai said there would be many constituencies in which the candidates would fail to gain the minimum 20 percent required by law. He however declined to speculate on how many seats may be affected.(Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Occupied Kashmir: Indian troops martyr 52 in March SRINAGAR, April 01 (PPI) Indian troops, in their continued acts of state-terrorism, martyred 52 Kashmiris and tortured and critically injured 262 civilians in occupied Kashmir during March 2006, Kashmir Media Service said.(Posted @ 17:08 PST)
Saudi Arabia foiled 90 pct of attacks -minister RIYADH, April 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has foiled about 90 percent of attacks militants had planned to carry out in the kingdom, Interior Minister Prince Nayef told pan-Arab Al Hayat newspaper. He also said authorities will soon put on trial suspected militants and are setting up a special court that will ensure they have a fair trial.(Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Plane carrying 19 people crashes near Rio de Janeiro, killing all aboard RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, April 1 (AP) _A plane carrying 19 people has crashed on a mountainous region outside Rio de Janeiro, killing all aboard, officials said Saturday. The plane carrying 17 passengers and two crew members went missing Friday night about 20 minutes after take off and rescuers found the wreckage some 100 kilometers east of Rio, nearly 10 hours after it disappeared from radar screens.(Posted @ 16:42 PST)
King outlines domestic and foreign policy in speech RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 1 (AP) _ Saudi Arabia will continue a moderate oil policy to ensure a stable world economy, King Abdullah said Saturday. In an address to the Shura Council, the king also said there is ``no room ... for extremism'' in the kingdom and vowed to crush what he described as a ``misguided group of terrorists and murderers.'' ``We will continue our moderate policies in the production of oil, in its pricing and in protecting the international economy from instability,'' the king said.(Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Iraqi gunmen ambush minibus, kill six BAGHDAD, April 1 (AP) _ Gunmen attacked a minibus near Balad Ruz northeast of Baghdad, killing six men and wounding one woman, an official said Saturday. In another incident gunmen killed at least six people in the capital, including three ice cream vendors in the neighbourhood of Dora and a butcher and his son in east Baghad, police said. In the Iskan neighbourhood, gunmen killed the owner of an air conditioner repair shop while a woman and her child were wounded when a mortar shell landed on their house in central Baghdad. A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in the east, wounding two policemen and three civilians, police said. Meanwhile, Police discovered two more bodies of young men shot in the head and wearing handcuffs in Baghdad. West of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi troops killed three suspected insurgents, including a woman, and captured three others in an operation in Amiriyah in Anbar province, the U.S. military said. In Basra, a joint British-Iraqi force detained 14 people, including a policeman, Brig. Patrick Marion said.(Posted @ 16:38 PST)
Unions, students dismiss Chirac compromise on jobs law PARIS, April 1 (AFP) - Trade unions and student leaders appeared more determined than ever Saturday to press ahead with strikes and demonstrations against a new youth jobs law despite a compromise plan by President Jacques Chirac aimed at defusing the crisis. Demonstrators rampaged through the streets in Paris and other cities in protests that lasted until early Saturday to express their rejection of Chirac's move, made in an address to the nation late Friday. In the capital, protesters smashed store windows, damaged cars, threw bottles at police and attacked the offices of a member of parliament during a march by more than 2,000 people across the city. Police said about 100 people were arrested and two police officers were slightly hurt. In the western city of Nantes police teargassed about 300 protestors who tried to march on the offices of the ruling UMP party after setting fire to rubbish bins and erecting makeshift barricades in the city centre. (Posted @ 16:07 PST)
Indian PM offers to talk peace with northeastern rebels GUWAHATI, India, April 1 (AFP) - India Saturday offered to hold talks with rebel groups operating in the country's northeast but rejected demands for independence and any redrawing of state boundaries. "I appeal to all of you (rebels) to shun the path of violence and hold discussions," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters in Guwahati. New Delhi is already holding talks with some rebel groups including representatives of the powerful United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). "If the ULFA want to talk to us they can raise any issue but that does not mean all issues are open for negotiation," he said of the group's demand for sovereignty or independence from India. (Posted @ 16:03 PST)
Two quakes jolt eastern Taiwan TAIPEI, April 1 (AFP) - Two earthquakes measuring 6.4 and 4.7 on the Richter scale rocked eastern Taiwan Saturday, the island's Seismology Centre said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The stronger quake struck at 18:02 pm (1002 GMT), with its epicenter five kilometres east of Peinan town in eastern Taitung county and ten kilometers underground.The second one took place three minutes later with its epicenter seven kilometers north of Peinan and six kilometers underground. High-rise buildings in the north of Taipei swayed, and local television reported electricity failures in Taitung that prompted residents to rush out of their homes. (Posted @ 15:53 PST)
First Brazilian astronaut enters space station MOSCOW, April 1 (AFP) - Three astronauts Brazilian Marco Pontes, Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov and US astronaut Jeffrey Williams entered the International Space Station Saturday after their Soyuz rocket docked with the ISS, according to images from the Russian control centre. Pontes was the first of three to enter the ISS, after the door was opened at 0559 GMT, followed by Vinogradov and Williams. Pontes will return to Earth on April 9, while Vinogradov and Williams are set to spend six months on the ISS. (Posted @ 12:34 PST)
Bomb targeting police patrol in Baghdad wounds five BAGHDAD, April 1 (AP) _ A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol exploded in eastern Baghdad Saturday, wounding two policemen and three civilians, police said. The explosion was near Technical University, on the edge of the capital's Karradah district. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Two dead, two wounded in Thailand's restive south PATTANI, Thailand, April 1 (AFP) - Two people have been shot dead in separate attacks and two soldiers wounded by a bomb blast in Thailand's troubled south, police said Saturday. A 52-year-old senior police officer was shot dead by suspected Islamic separatists in Pattani as he waited outside a school for his wife to finish teaching Friday afternoon. Also Friday in Pattani, a 24-year-old former community police officer was shot dead in a drive-by attack. Two soldiers were critically wounded when a bomb detonated by a mobile phone ripped through a market early Saturday morning in Ruso district of Narathiwat province, police said. (Posted @ 11:54 PST)
Bush offers quake aid to Iran, but warns Tehran on nuclear issue WASHINGTON, April 1, 2006 (AFP) The United States has offered aid to Iran after a devastating earthquake but also kept up pressure over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. President George W. Bush made a point of offering sympathy and assistance while at a North American summit in Mexico Friday. "We obviously have differences with the Iranian government but we do care about the suffering of Iranian people," he said. (Posted @ 11:23 PST)
Indonesian man tests positive for bird flu JAKARTA, April 1 (Reuters) An Indonesian man has tested positive for the bird flu virus, one day after the government confirmed the country's 23rd human death from the disease, a health official said on Saturday.(Posted @ 10:31 PST)
US cuts all contact with Hamas-led government WASHINGTON, April 1, 2006 (AFP) The United States has suspended all contact with the Palestinian government led by Hamas, the US State Department announced Friday. However, the administration will maintain contact with the Palestinian Authority's representative in Washington, Afief Safieh, because "he does not report to the foreign ministry," deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters. The new Palestinian minister of foreign affairs, Mahmud Zahar, is a Hamas hard-liner. "We've advised our mission in Jerusalem, as well as other missions around the world that ... there should be no contact between US government officials and P.A. (Palestinian Autority) officials who are under the authority of the prime minister or any other minister in the Hamas-led government. This includes working-level officials in those ministries," said Ereli. (Posted @ 10:04 PST)
Five killed in chemical lab explosion in east China BEIJING, April 1, 2006 (AFP) Five people were killed and two others injured, one critically, when a chemical laboratory exploded in east China, state media said Saturday. The accident occurred Friday in a lab at the Jusheng Fluorine Chemical Corp. Ltd. in Zhejiang province, Xinhua news agency said. The cause of the blast was being investigated. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Strong earthquake hits Indonesian islands JAKARTA, April 1, 2006 (AFP) A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia's remote northernmost Talaud islands early Saturday but there were no reports of casualties, meteorologists said. The under-sea quake struck at 5:14 am local time (2114 GMT) with its epicentre 42 kilometers (27 miles) southwest of Kepulauan Talaud district, said Lukito of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Jakarta. (Posted @ 09:14 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 |