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| April 27, 2006 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, India to halt building army posts in Kashmir ISLAMABAD, April 27 (AFP) - Pakistan and India agreed at peace talks here Thursday they would not set up any new military posts along the heavily defended frontier in Kashmir. But the Indian side rejected a Pakistani proposal to move heavy artillery outside the boundaries of the disputed Himalayan territory, a Pakistani official said. In a joint statement after the talks, India and Pakistan said they had reached agreement on "no development of new posts and defence works" along the Line of Control. They also agreed to hold quarterly meetings between commanders along the LoC, and pledged to quickly repatriate civilians who inadvertently cross the 760-kilometer frontier.( In the past many Kashmiris from both sides who crossed the LoC by accident have spent years in jail.) Pakistani delegation chief Tariq Osman Hyder later told reporters that his side made a "very major proposal" to move large guns, rockets and mortars out of the region, saying they were only needed for offensive operations. "The Indian side was not ready to accept this and their point of view was that it is their sovereign right to keep their formation," he said. "We trust... the Indian side may wish to come back to this." On Wednesday Pakistan and India agreed to work towards finalising a draft agreement reducing the risk of an accidental nuclear conflict. (First Posted @ 18:05 PST; Updated @ 18:25 PST)
UN Security Council must be ready for Iran action - Rice SOFIA, April 27 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council must be ready to take action on Iran over any failure to comply with international demands to curb its nuclear ambitions, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday. Speaking at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sofia, Rice said it was "highly unlikely" that Tehran would comply with international demands that it suspend uranium enrichment. “It goes without saying that the United States believes that in order to be credible the U.N. Security Council of course has to act," Rice told a news conference before a session of talks in which NATO allies were due to discuss possible steps. (Posted @ 23:30 PST)
Pakistan, Germany agree to develop closer defence cooperation BERLIN, Apr 27 (APP): Foreign Minister, Khurshid M. Kasuri held a cordial and productive meeting with German Defence Minister, Franz Josef Jung in Berlin today and the two sides agreed to develop closer defence cooperation. In his detailed parleys with Mr. Jung, Foreign Minister Kasuri discussed ways and means to strengthen defence cooperation between Pakistan and Germany. The two ministers also exchanged views on many international issues of common interest, including Pakistan-India peace process, Afghanistan, Iran and fight against terrorism. (Posted @ 22:50 PST)
Russian politician wounded in gun attack ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) _ A member of the Russian liberal opposition party Yabloko survived an apparent assassination attempt Thursday in St. Petersburg, a party spokesman said. A man wearing dark glasses and a black baseball cap shot Andrei Borisov, a city council member, twice in the head as he was leaving his home around noon, said Yabloko spokesman Alexander Shurshev. “Borisov was placed in intensive care but he survived,'' the spokesman said. (Posted @ 22:30 PST)
China to increase cooperation with Africa ABUJA, Nigeria, April 27 (AP) _ Chinese President Hu Jintao said Thursday his government will seek closer ties with Africa, after signing oil and other agreements with Nigeria and granting the West African giant an aid package Hu, on the second and final day of his visit to Nigeria, addressed the country's parliament on China's relations with Africa. ``Africa has rich resources and market potentials, whereas China has available effective practices and practical know-how it has gained in the course of modernization,'' Hu said. (Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Nepal king appoints prime minister KATHMANDU, April 27 (AFP) - President of the main opposition party Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala was appointed Nepal's prime minister by King Gyanendra Thursday evening, the royal palace said. Koirala, 84, was unanimously recommended by the top leaders of the seven party alliance after three weeks of intense "people's movement" that forced the nation's monarch to restore parliament after a four-year gap. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
PM vows to raise teachers' prestigen Islamabad, April 27 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday assured teachers of every effort to raise their prestige, respect and emoluments. Addressing a function in connection with” Education for All” week he said the Government would consider raise in the emoluments of the teachers during the forthcoming budget but reminded them that the Government and the nation expected them to help raise standard and quality of education and transform students into a valuable asset for the country. He expressed confidence that Pakistan would double the literacy rate and achieve gender parity by 2015. Presently almost 2.7 percent of the GDP is being spent on education and the target is to increase it to four percent, he said. (Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Indian seniors cricket team defeats Pakistan seniors SHEIKHUPURA, Apr 27 (APP): Indian seniors cricket team won the third one-day cricket match by five wickets defeating Pakistan seniors here Thursday. Pakistan seniors scored 211 in 37.2 overs, opener Muhammad Azam Khan contributing 61 (one six and ten fours). Indian seniors team achieved the target in 33.3 overs for the loss of five wickets. Surjit Sharma scored 66 with the help of seven fours. (Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Raids on Iraqi checkpoints kill 11 BAQUBA, Iraq, April 27 (Reuters) - At least 11 people, including two civilians, were killed when hundreds of insurgents attacked several police checkpoints in Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad, on Thursday, police said. The afternoon raids, including mortar fire, lasted several hours and the rebels were only repelled when U.S. forces came to the aid of the police. Police Major-General Ghassan Adnan al-Bawi said four rebels were killed and 16 arrested. "The attack took place at 2:15 p.m. (1015 GMT) from six directions," he said. "I estimate there were 400-500 fighters." He said police might launch a counter attack later in the day. The dead included five policemen, and six police and two civilians were wounded. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Struggling without salaries, Palestinians scrape by with creative solutions NABLUS, West Bank, April 27 (AP) - With their salaries weeks overdue and savings depleted, Palestinian families are finding creative ways to survive the Hamas-led government's deepening financial crisis-- buying on credit, selling gold dowries, forgoing tobacco and other small pleasures. Even banks and utilities are helping out by allowing customers to overdraw accounts or pay their bills late. Hamas officials say the Palestinians would rather face starvation than give up their principles. ``All of the Palestinians are standing together,'' said government spokesman Ghazi Hamad. ``The government has repeatedly affirmed that we are not going to compromise.' (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Excavation trucks enter ground zero as construction of Freedom Tower begins NEW YORK, April 27 (AP) After months of wrangling for control of buildings and money at ground zero, excavation trucks rolled out Thursday to mark the beginning of construction of the Freedom Tower, the symbolic skyscraper designed to replace the World Trade Centre that collapsed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.``It is going to be a symbol of our freedom and independence,'' Gov. George Pataki said at a news conference on the ramp into the site. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Pakistan must prevent Talibanisation in Afghanistan: UN KABUL, April 27 (AFP) - Pakistan must help prevent the spread of the resurgent Taliban militia in Afghanistan and within its own borders, the United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan said Thursday. The two countries must also cooperate instead of constantly accusing each other publicly of failing to act against the Islamic fighters, Tom Koenigs told reporters in Kabul. Koenigs said he was optimistic about the security situation in Afghanistan in the medium term because of the number of foreign forces in the country. "The government of Pakistan is aware they have to prevent a Talibanisation of Afghanistan and Pakistan", he said. "Blaming the neighbour doesn't help, cooperation does." (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Pakistan ties top Afghan priority - foreign minister KABUL, April 27 (Reuters) - Improving relations with Pakistan is Afghanistan's foreign policy priority and Kabul hopes the sometimes uneasy neighbors can work together to fight militancy, the new Afghan foreign minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. Spanta, a German-educated former foreign policy adviser to President Hamid Karzai, said Pakistan would only gain from a stable Afghanistan, which could be a commercial "corridor" linking Central Asia with South Asia and the Middle East. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
4 gunmen killed, 2 police wounded in shootout in troubled Russian ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, April 27 (AP) _ Police killed four gunmen during a shootout in a troubled Russian North Caucasus region overnight that also left two police officers wounded, authorities said Thursday. In Chechnya, meanwhile, one police officer was killed and two others wounded when gunmen fired on a police vehicle escorting several government officials near Nozhai-Yurt, 60 kilometer southeast of the capital, Grozny. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Thai Supreme Court meets to resolve political crisis BANGKOK, April 27, 2006 (AFP) - Thailand's Supreme Court met Thursday to consider invalidating snap elections held earlier this month, in a bid to resolve a months-long political drama that has forced out the prime minister. The unusual gathering of all the court's 87 justices was prompted by a rare political intervention from Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who Tuesday demanded they find a solution to the crisis. "I believe that our solution will be fair and just to all parties," Chief Justice Charnchai Likhitjittha told reporters after the meeting. He and the chiefs of two other powerful Thai courts will meet Friday to reach a final decision, but Charnchai refused to give details of their deliberations. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Clashes break out as Egypt punishes pro-reform judges CAIRO, April 27 (AFP) - Police attacked Cairo demonstrators Thursday rallying in support of two pro-reform judges Mahmud Mekki and Hisham al-Bastawissi who had been hauled before a disciplinary board for accusing the judiciary of helping fix elections. A group of a few hundred activists camped outside the court to support the two judges were assaulted by police. Some of them were beaten with sticks and an undetermined number arrested. Many others were arrested before they reached the block which houses a number of courts and the syndicates for the country's journalists, judges and lawyers, witnesses said. Similar clashes took place late Wednesday, during which one judge was wounded and at least 14 members of the pro-reform Kefaya movement were detained as they demonstrated in solidarity with the two judges. US-based Human Rights Watch urged the Egyptian government to investigate the fraud that marred the poll and stop intimidating the judges who reported it. "The government is punishing judges just for doing their job," said Joe Stork, deputy director of HRWs Middle East and North Africa programme. (Posted @ 17:23 PST)
Six Sindh TV employees, two women die in accident HYDERABAD, Pakistan, April 27 (PPI): The eight persons including a director, drama in-charge and two cameramen of Sindh TV, a Sindhi language channel, died in a road accident on Indus highway on Thursday morning. At least five others of the same family were seriously inured. The deceased included director Ghulam Murtaza Khokhar, dramain-charge Ghulam Mustafa Khokhar, cameraman Altaf Hussain Khokhar, and Munir Khokhar, all real brothers, Ms. Uroosa Khokhar, Ms. Shahzadi Khokhar, cameraman Sarwar Abro and an unidentified person believed to be the driver of the ill-fated van. Another woman and her three children besides a minor were among those rushed to hospital with serious injuries. According to reports they were proceeding to Larkana to attend a wedding and do some recording. At the turning of Manjhand town, the van collided head- on with a trailer. The van was completely destroyed. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Hezbollah children remember Qana massacre BEIRUT, April 27 (AFP) - About 2,000 children marched through the streets of Beirut on Thursday armed with fake rockets in a rally organised by Hezbollah to mark the anniversary of an Israeli massacre 10 years ago. Rows of boys wearing military fatigues and red berets marched with mock Katyushas resting on their shoulders in memory of an Israeli bombardment on a UN base in Qana in southern Lebanon that killed 105 people. Girls in white head-to-toe chadors carried effigies of white doves bearing blood stains reading the names of several southern villages where civilians have been killed in Israeli shellings over the past decade.(Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Separatist rebels kill two Turkish soldiers TUNCELI, Turkey, April 27 (Reuters) Two Turkish soldiers were killed and one was injured in an attack by separatist rebels on a military post, the governor of the eastern province of Tunceli said on Thursday.(Posted @ 14:35 PST)
IAEA must retain 'key' role on Iran nuclear impasse: Putin TOMSK, Russia, April 27, 2006 (AFP) The UN nuclear watchdog agency must retain a lead role in resolving the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Thursday. "We believe it is the IAEA that must play a key role and unload this weight onto the back of the Security Council," Putin said. "It is too early to run ahead and say what decisions we might take together. The main thing is that any decisions that are made must be made in agreement" among all involved, Putin said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "We all have a big interest in the international community acting together and showing Iran through diplomatic means that it must abide by international agreements," Merkel added. (First Posted @ 14:15 PST Updated @ 14:33 PST)
Iraq's Sistani calls for dismantling militias NAJAF, Iraq, April 27, 2006 (AFP) Iraq's spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Thursday called for dismantling militias. "Weapons must be in the hands of government security forces that should not be tied to political parties but to the nation," Sistani was quoted as saying in a statement released after his meeting with Iraq's prime minister designate Nuri al-Maliki in Najaf. "The first task for the government is fighting insecurity and putting an end to the terrorist acts that threaten innocents with death and kidnapping," Sistani's statement said. He also pressured the Americans to expedite the path to democratic elections.(Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Tourists among 17 injured in Occupied Kashmir blast SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, April 27, 2006 (AFP) Seventeen people including tourists were wounded Thursday in an explosion in Occupied Kashmir's main mountain holiday destination Pahalgam, a police spokesman said. Police also said that no foreign tourists were involved.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Rice, Rumsfeld praise Iraq leaders, urge unity BAGHDAD, April 27 (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday she and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld found the leaders building Iraq's new government "inspiring" and urged them to create a team for all Iraqis. Rice told reporters that the Iraqi government representatives she met, including Prime Minister-designate Nuri al-Maliki, outgoing prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and former prime minister Iyad Allawi, were "focused" and "serious". Asked what the new government needed to do establish its credibility and to quell violence, Rumsfeld said: "The first step, obviously, for the government, is to fashion a cabinet and the heads of the various ministries soon… and then to continue to work to develop the Iraqi security forces." Rumsfeld also met military leaders working on trying to develop better ways to counter the threat caused by roadside bombs.(Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Blast kills three Italian soldiers, one Romanian in Iraq ROME, April 27 (Reuters) Three Italian soldiers and one Romanian were killed on Thursday when an explosive device ripped through their convoy in southern Iraq, the Italian defence ministry said. The ministry said in a statement a fourth Italian soldier was seriously wounded in the explosion.(Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli strike GAZA, April 27 (Reuters) Two Islamic Jihad members who survived an Israeli missile strike that tore apart a car in the Gaza Strip on Thursday were killed soon after by another missile as they ran from the scene, Palestinian security sources said. "There was an air strike on a cell that was en route to carrying out a terror attack," an Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the attack.(First Posted @ 11:30 PST Updated @ 12:10 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Afridi reverses decision to quit tests KARACHI, April 27 (Reuters) Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has put back his decision to quit tests until next year's World Cup, a Pakistan cricket board official said on Thursday. "Afridi spoke with board chairman Shaharyar Khan who after a long discussion convinced him his decision was not in his own interest or that of the team," PCB spokesman Abbas Zaidi said.(Posted @ 11:40 PST)
Gunmen kill sister of Iraqi vice president BAGHDAD, April 27 (Reuters) Gunmen killed the sister of Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi in Baghdad on Thursday, Interior Ministry sources and two officials in his political party said. They said Meysoun Hashemi was gunned down in the Hay al-Ilaam section of Baghdad. The brother of another leading politician, Saleh al-Mutlak, was found dead earlier this month after he was kidnapped. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Rights group tells India to use lawful methods to combat Maoists NEW DELHI, India, April 13, 2006 (AFP) India must use lawful methods to tackle Maoist violence, a human rights group warned Thursday, fearing "serious abuses" in a strife-torn state. Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the government to repeal the Special Public Protection Act in central Chhattisgarh state or amend it to conform to international legal standards. The New York based group said the act and the appointment of a "known human rights abuser as security advisor to the state "are likely to lead to serious abuses." India's most celebrated policeman Kanwar Pal Singh Gill agreed earlier this month to join the fight against Maoist rebels. The government should "remove the special adviser K.P.S. Gill who led the Punjab police at a time of widespread rights violations," HRW said.(Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Nepal's Maoists call three month ceasefire KATHMANDU, April 27, 2006 (AFP) Nepal's rebel Maoists called a three-month ceasefire on Thursday. "Our party once again declares a unilateral ceasefire, effective immediately, for three months," said rebel leader Prachanda.(Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Oil prices fall below US$72 a barrel on weakening U.S. gasoline demand SINGAPORE (AP) Oil prices eased Thursday after U.S. government data showed motor-fuel demand weakening, apparently in response to higher pump prices. The data also showed that domestic inventories of gasoline shrank for the eighth consecutive week, and that may have moderated the selling, analysts said.(Posted @ 9:30 PST)
China launches research satellite into orbit BEIJING, April 27 (Reuters) - China sent a science research satellite into orbit on Thursday, state media reported, marking the country's first space mission this year. The 2,700 kg Yaogan 1 satellite was launched by the "Long March 4B" rocket and successfully entered its flight plan, Xinhua news agency said. It will be used for land resources surveying, crop yield estimates and disaster forecasts. China regularly launches research satellites and has ambitious space exploration plans. In 2003 it became the third nation to successfully send a man into space and it followed that with a second second manned space flight last October.(Posted @ 9:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 226.15 points: KARACHI, Apr 27: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 11683.94 , down 226.15 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Apr 27: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.32 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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