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| May 3, 2006 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 4, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
India and Pakistan to launch new Kashmir transport links NEW DELHI, May 3, 2006 (Agencies) India and Pakistan agreed Wednesday to launch a truck service and a second passenger bus route this summer across the LoC, a joint statement released at the end of the Indo-Pak technical level talks for cross LoC trade said. The Indian delegation was headed by Shri Dilip Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and the Pakistani delegation was led by Mr. Syed Ibne Abbas, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The statement said “Both sides reviewed the operation of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service and of the five crossing points. Both sides agreed to expedite clearances of applications. Both sides also agreed to start the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad truck service to facilitate cross-LOC trade in the first half of July 2006. The two sides exchanged indicative lists of goods for trade. It was agreed that the delegations from Chambers of Commerce from either side of the LOC will undertake visits at the earliest to discuss various aspects of the trade. The two sides agreed that Poonch-Rawalakot bus service would commence from 19 June 2006. The procedures, documentation and modalities will be the same as for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service. Initially the bus service will operate on a fortnightly basis. The two sides discussed modalities for operationalising the meeting points along the LOC as agreed upon earlier." (First Posted @ 15:02 PST Updated @ 15:25 PST)
Indian PM, Kashmir panel to set up talks system NEW DELHI, May 3 (Reuters) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kashmir's main political leaders said on Wednesday they had agreed to establish a system to discuss a solution to the long-running territorial dispute in the Himalayan region. The decision came after two hours of talks between Singh and leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella alliance of nearly two dozen political separatist groups. "We have agreed to work together to discuss specifics with a view to ensuring an honourable, peaceful and lasting settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir," Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said. "To carry this decision forward we have undertaken to evolve very shortly a mechanism to carry out a continuous dialogue," he told reporters.(First Posted @ 19:35 PST Updated @ 22:02 PST)
Pakistan ridicules report placing it among failed states ISLAMABAD, May 3, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan Wednesday rejected as "absurd" a report listing it as one of the world's most unstable countries. "Pakistan is a stable country, its economy is strong and our institutions are vibrant," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. "Such analyses are therefore an exercise in absurdity," she said when asked to comment on the Failed States Index compiled by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace. "We have seen even superpowers failing while the so called failing states remain strong," Aslam said. According to the Index, Sudan topped the list of the world's most unstable countries while Pakistan was positioned at ninth, one place ahead of Afghanistan. Pakistan has gone up the list from last year when it was at number 34. The index said Pakistan's score had worsened due to an "inability to police the tribal areas near the Afghan border" as well as "fallout from October's devastating earthquake in Kashmir and simmering ethnic tensions."(Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Italian president refuses new term, prolonging transition for Prodi ROME, May 3, 2006 (AFP) - Italy's 85-year-old President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said Wednesday he would not seek a second seven-year term, dashing prime minister-elect Romano Prodi's chances of forming a government by next week to cap nearly a month of political uncertainty.(Posted @ 23:45 PST)
US civilian killed, two wounded in Iraq road bombing BAGHDAD, May 3, 2006 (AFP) A US civilian was killed and two others were wounded Wednesday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Nasiriyah city, a British military spokesman said. "I can confirm that one US civilian was killed and two wounded in the incident," the spokesman said, without providing details. The US military and embassy had no reports of the incident.(Posted @ 22:15 PST)
Prime Minister Aziz meets Uzbekistan President Islom Karimov ISLAMABAD May 03 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Wednesday that Pakistan provides the shortest land route to Uzbekistan to connect it with the Arabian Sea and is ideally located to promote cooperation between South Asian and Central Asian countries. During a one-on-one meeting with President Islom Karimov who called on him at the Prime Minister's House on Wednesday, he said Pakistan values its relations with Uzbekistan and is keen to enhance its bilateral cooperation with it over a broad spectrum of sectors. Karimov also hoped his visit to Pakistan will go a long way in enhancing cooperation between the two countries. Later, the two leaders were joined by their respective delegations and discussed various ways to expand cooperation. The two sides reiterated their commitment to continue their fight against terrorism. Both sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of energy and develop transportation links to promote trade.(Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Musharraf rules out assemblies' dissolution ISLAMABAD, May 03 (PPI) President General Pervez Musharraf Wednesday ruled out the dissolution of assemblies prior to completion of their constitutional tenure. Talking to the Speaker National Assembly, Chaudhry Amir Hussian, and members of treasury benches at the Presidential Chamber of the Parliament House here, he categorically said the chapter of assemblies' dissolution prior to completion of their constitutional tenure has been closed for ever. He also vowed to strengthen constitutional institutions in the country. He also assured to protect the rights of minorities, women, children and oppressed classes. MNAs who called on the President Musharraf in his chamber included Sardar Shah Jahan Yousuf (Mansehra), Rashid Akbar Khan(Bhakkar), M.P. Bhandara (minority).(Posted @ 22:08 PST)
Palestinian PM slams US for pressuring banks not to transfer funds GAZA CITY, May 3, 2006 (AFP) Palestinian premier Ismail Haniya said Wednesday his government has collected enough money from Arab and Muslim states to pay employees but slammed Washington for pressuring banks not to transfer funds to the territories. "The Palestinian government has managed to collect the necessary money from Arab and Islamic countries. This money is largely enough to pay salaries but we have had problems in terms of getting the money," he said. "The problem is the result of the Israeli occupation, the American administration and Europe's weakness as well as banks refusing to fulfil their tasks," he told a news conference in Gaza City. He accused the US administration of exerting "pressure so that the money we have collected does not reach citizens or civil servants" in the West Bank and Gaza.(Posted @ 22:06 PST)
Afghan police kill four Taliban, militants gun down court official KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 3, 2006 (AFP) Afghan police and troops killed four suspected Taliban in Helmand province Wednesday, officials said. Security forces also seized a vehicle and some ammunition. In eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday an explosion rocked the office of a provincial governor but there were no casualties. "There were no casualties but the car in which the explosion went off and another car nearby were destroyed," an official said. The explosion shattered windows in the office of Governor Gul Agha Sherzoi, who was in a meeting at the time. A purported spokesman for the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.(First Posted @ 11:40 PST Updated @ 21:06 PST)
Huge earthquake measuring 8.0 shakes Tonga region of Pacific LOS ANGELES, May 3, 2006 (AFP) A huge earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 rattled Pacific islands in the Tonga region early Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The USGS called it a "great" quake which struck at 4:26 am local time (1526 GMT) in the middle of the islands that make up Tonga. Details were not immediately available.(Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Hamas willing to match Israeli peace moves: Meshaal DAMASCUS, May 3 (Reuters) Hamas could reciprocate Israeli moves toward peace if the Jewish state agrees to withdraw from all lands occupied in 1967 and recognises Palestinian rights, the group's leader Khaled Meshaal said on Wednesday. Israel, however, is unlikely to make such commitments in the foreseeable future, leaving the Palestinians no option but to continue to resist occupation, Meshaal told a packed auditorium at Damascus University. "The main Israeli parties have four NOs; they are unanimous in their rejection of the 1967 borders, Jerusalem, the right of return and dismantling the settlements, so there is no chance for a compromise," added Meshaal. "We are for war if it is being waged on us; we are for peace if it is not on the expense of our rights and dignity," he said.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Nepal's new government declares truce to match rebels KATHMANDU, May 3 (Reuters) Nepal's new, multi-party government announced on Wednesday an indefinite truce to match a ceasefire declared by Maoist insurgents nearly one week ago. The new cabinet headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala also decided to seek the withdrawal of Interpol arrest warrants against rebel leaders, a spokesman said.(Posted @ 19:38 PST)
U.S. body criticizes religious freedom in Pakistan and other US allies WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) A U.S. government commission warned on Wednesday of rising religious persecution in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its annual report to Congress and President George W. Bush's administration, also harshly criticized three key U.S. allies: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, for their poor performance on religious rights. The commission designated 11 countries as being "of particular concern" because of extreme religious persecution: Burma, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Another seven states were placed on a watch list because of serious violations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria. The performance of Pakistan, an ally in the "war on terror," improved its efforts to protect minorities but still fell short, the report said.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
PM Aziz to attend the 9th ECO summit BAKU, May 3, (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is arriving here Thursday to attend the two-day 9th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Aziz will be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders from the ten ECO member states, on the sidelines of the summit. Foreign Minister Kurshid Mahmoud Kasuri arrived in Baku Wednesday to attend the meeting of 16th ECO Board of Foreign Ministers ahead of the summit.(Posted @ 18:04 PST)
Top Indian politician dies after being shot by brother MUMBAI, May 3, 2006 (AFP) A senior Indian Hindu nationalist party leader and former federal minister Pramod Mahajan died Wednesday in hospital after being shot by his brother last month. "We regret to announce the untimely death of Pramod Mahajan who battled hard for 12 days but finally succumbed to bullet injuries," a hospital spokesman said in Mumbai. Mahajan, 56, and key strategist in India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Police allege his younger brother, Pravin, who is in custody, shot Mahajan three times because he resented his success and felt ignored and humiliated by him.(Posted @ 18:02 PST)
Indian military rehearse Pakistan's dissection in mock battles NEW DELHI, May 3, 2006 (AFP) India's top military strike force backed by aircraft were practicing lightning attacks aimed at slicing Pakistan in half in the event of actual war, officials said Wednesday. "The manoeuvres are being held in stages and they will culminate on May 19 in a theatre of 10 to 15 square kilometres," an Indian army spokesman said in New Delhi. The mock battles, codenamed Sangha Shakti (Joint Power), involve more than 40,000 soldiers from India's 2nd Strike Corps. The spokesman said the three-week exercises were being conducted near Pakistan's borders in northern Punjab state's Jullandhar district. Military commanders said India had alerted Islamabad in advance. The spokesman said a "mixed compliment" of transport and strike aircraft of the Indian Air Force were backing Sangha Shakti. On Wednesday, the 2nd Strike Corps, backed by troops from the army's 14th Rapid Division, practiced dry runs with T-90 Russian battle tanks. "This will put to test our 2004 war doctrine to dismember a not-so-friendly nation effectively and at the shortest possible time but since my statement is not politically-friendly I would not like to be identified," a commander said. The comments were an obvious reference to Pakistan which went to war with India in 1947, 1965 and 1971.(Posted @ 17:24 PST)
EU suspends talks with Serbia over Mladic BRUSSELS, May 3 (Reuters) The European Union broke off talks on closer ties with Serbia on Wednesday over its failure to arrest and fugitive indicted genocide suspect Ratko Mladic to the U.N. war crimes tribunal, the bloc's enlargement chief said. The EU wants the former Bosnian Serb military commander, who is wanted for genocide in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims, extradited before advancing Serbia's hopes of eventual EU membership.(Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Moonshine kills 15 Iranians TEHRAN, May 3 (Reuters) Toxic moonshine killed 15 Iranians and blinded another in the southern province of Kerman, Kayhan newspaper said on Wednesday.(Posted @ 16:18 PST)
Low-intensity earthquake measuring 4.5 jolts NWFP Peshawar, May 03 (PPI): An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale jolted Northern areas and NWFP on Wednesday morning. The quake originated in the Hazara division, and rocked Mansehra, Balakot, Abbottabad, Shankyari, Muzzafarabad and Kaghan. There were no reports of injuries or damage. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
France refuses entry visas to Hamas members PARIS, May 3, 2006 (AFP) France on Wednesday refused entry visas to two senior members of Hamas, the foreign ministry said. The officials are Salah Muhammad al-Bardawil, spokesman for the Hamas parliamentary group, and Hamas member Mohammad al-Rantissi, a French ministry spokesman said.(Posted @ 15:30 PST)
At least 18 dead in Iraq suicide bombing FALLUJA, Iraq, May 3 (Reuters) A suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of men waiting to sign up to join the police force in the Iraqi city of Falluja, killing at least 18 people, doctors said on Wednesday. At least 20 people were wounded, most of them critically. No further details were immediately available. (First Posted @ 12:35 PST Updated @ 15:05 PST)
Iraqi provincial governor unhurt in kill attempt BAGHDAD, May 3 (Reuters) - The governor of Iraq's rebellious Anbar province has survived an assassination attempt unharmed, but 10 other civilians died, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. A suicide bomber drove his car towards governor Maamoun Sami Rasheed's vehicle in the provincial capital of Ramadi, on Tuesday and blew himself up. At least five people were also wounded. A U.S. Marine detachment with the convoy exchanged fire with unknown gunmen during the attack, a U.S. military statement said. Hospital staff in Ramadi said three of Rasheed's bodyguards were killed in the attack. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Gunmen storm Sri Lanka news office killing two COLOMBO, May 3 (AFP) - Gunmen stormed a Tamil newspaper office in Sri Lanka's Jaffna peninsula late Tuesday night killing two people, Media Minister Anura Yapa said in a statement. The killers had demanded to see a journalist who was not on the premises of the daily which supports LTTE. "Gunmen went inside looking for some senior reporters," an Uthayan journalist said. "They were not there, but the gunmen opened fire," he added. Yapa said it was not known if journalists were among the casualties but said the attack had been timed to embarrass the government as it celebrates International Press Freedom Day Wednesday. Tuesday's attack came after Sri Lankan journalists held a candlelight vigil in Colombo for dozens of their colleagues from various countries who were killed in the line of duty. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Four college students shot dead in Baghdad; 34 bodies found BAGHDAD, May 3 (AFP) - Four college students were shot dead in Baghdad's Al-Dura neighborhood Wednesday, an interior ministry official said. "Insurgents set up a checkpoint on the highway in Al-Dura and stopped a minibus full of college students. They pulled four students out of the bus and shot them dead," the official said. Police also found 34 bullet-riddled bodies overnight across Baghdad, he said. He said 14 bodies were found in eastern Baghdad Wednesday, while 20 other corpses were recovered from various areas in the capital late Tuesday. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Four militants, three Indian security men killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 3 (AFP) - Four suspected militants and three Indian security men were killed in revolt-hit Kashmir, the army said Wednesday, hours ahead of talks in New Delhi between key separatists and Indian Premier Manmohan Singh. Three of the militants died in a fierce gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar, army spokesman Lt-Col Vijay Batra said adding that two Indian soldiers and a policeman were also killed in the gunbattle that lasted for several hours after troops launched a raid on a hideout. "The fourth militant was shot dead during another gunbattle in (northern) Bandipora town," Batra said, adding the army was checking the identity of the dead persons. The freedom movement in occupied Kashmir has left more than 44,000 people dead since 1989. Separatists say the death toll is at least twice as many. (First Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Oil marches towards $75 as Iran tension heats up SINGAPORE, May 3 (Reuters) - Oil rose to almost $75 a barrel on Wednesday, near record highs as mounting tension over Iran's nuclear plan compounded worries of global supply disruptions amid forecast of falling fuel stocks in the United States. U.S. light, sweet crude traded up 34 cents at $74.95 a barrel by 0331 GMT, within striking distance of their all-time peak of $75.35 a barrel on April 24. IPE Brent crude matched Tuesday's record of $74.97 a barrel, but was later trading at $74.80 a barrel, up 16 cents. Prices have soared nearly $5 over the past four days amid a fresh surge of fund investment that has also lifted gold to a 25-year high on a weak dollar, and platinum to a record. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
Muslim man burnt to death in new rioting in India AHMEDABAD, India, May 3 (Reuters) - A Hindu mob burnt to death a Muslim man in his car in new violence in Baroda early Wednesday, raising the toll in clashes sparked by demolition of a Sufi shrine to six, police said. More than 70 people, including 10 policemen, have also been injured in clashes since Monday when the two-centuries-old shrine was demolished by civic authorities in Baroda. The 30-year-old victim, who worked in an oil refinery, was returning from a late shift when he was surrounded by a mob of hundreds, and was burnt to death in his car. (First Posted @ 09:50 PST; Updated @ 11:20 PST)
All 112 passengers on crashed Armenian airline are dead MOSCOW (AP) _ An Armenian passenger jet crashed in bad weather early Wednesday off the Black Sea coast shortly before it was to land in the Russian city of Sochi, killing all 112 people aboard, officials said. The Airbus A-320 disappeared from radar screens just under 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the shore and crashed after making a turn and heading toward Adler airport near Sochi. Rescue officials said all 112 people aboard the plane, including five children, were killed. The plane went down while trying to make a repeat attempt at an emergency landing, officials said. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST; Updated @ 10:55 PST)
Summaries of Abu Ghraib abuse claims show U.S. military had early knowledge NEW YORK, May 3 (AP) _ A U.S. Army document summarizing 62 allegations of detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan was circulated two weeks before the public release of pictures of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, according to government records released Tuesday by American Civil Liberties Union. It proves military leadership was aware of widespread abuse before a public outcry over the release of the photographs in spring 2004. ``For the government to continue to pretend that the detainee abuse was the work of rogue soldiers is entirely disingenuous and it's blatantly contradicted by this document,'' Amrit Singh, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project said. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Top US senator accuses FBI of spying on anti-war groups WASHINGTON, May 3 (AFP) - A top US senator took the FBI to task Tuesday, accusing the federal agency of spying on groups opposed to the war in Iraq. Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, complained that there was "evidence" the federal agency was monitoring peace groups, including the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Justice, a Roman Catholic organization from Pennsylvania, and the "Raging Grannies" group of elderly women activists. "What possible business does the FBI have spying on law-abiding American citizens simply because they may oppose the war in Iraq?" Leahy, who cited internal FBI reports, asked FBI director Robert Mueller during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Mueller said that surveillance of the Thomas Merton Center was part of an investigation into identifying an individual and that FBI agents "were not concerned about the political dissent." He also denied that the FBI had monitored Quakers or the Raging Grannies. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Top US envoy ignores king in quickfire Nepal trip KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 3 (AFP) -Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, ignored Wednesday Nepal's humbled monarch in a quickfire series of meetings here with the country's new power brokers. Boucher met the newly-appointed prime minister, the head of the army and political leaders but stayed away from the royal palace. "I had a limited amount of time in Nepal. The question before us was how best to spend my time and I wanted to see the political parties, I wanted to see the political leaders, I wanted to see the people in whose hands decisions of the future of this country now rest," Boucher told journalists before heading to New Delhi on Wednesday. "The king through his actions made it very, very difficult for the people of Nepal and the leaders of political parties to work with him," he said, adding that the Maoists would remain on the US terror list despite plans by the new interim government to begin peace talks with the rebels. "It's not a question of what they say in the press or what they do temporarily, its when they stop the terrorist behaviour," Boucher, who arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday, told journalists at the US ambassador's residence. "The only way to be sure of that is for them to lay down their arms and join the political process." (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Pakistan rape survivor, now rights advocate, honored at UN UNITED NATIONS, May 3(AFP)– Mukhtaran Mai whose gang rape in her native village sparked an international outcry, was honored at the United Nations Tuesday for becoming a leading women’s rights advocate. "I think it is fair to say that anyone who has the moral courage and internal strength to turn such a brutal attack into a weapon to defend others in a similar position is a hero indeed and is worthy of our deepest respect and admiration," UN Under Secretary General for Communications Shashi Tharoor said as he introduced the Pakistani woman. She was invited by Secretary General Kofi Annan and Pakistan’s UN Mission. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Security Council to discuss Iran nuclear issue Wednesday UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (AFP) - The UN Security Council will meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss Iran's refusal to comply with demands that it halt uranium enrichment, its president said. "We'll be looking at it tomorrow and we'll see what action needs to be taken," Congolese Ambassador Basile Ikouebe told reporters, referring to the assessment report received from IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei last Friday. He said the council would decide at a later date whether to summon ElBaradei here for a briefing. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Darfur peace talks extended by 48 hours ABUJA, May 3 (AFP) - The African Union extended Wednesday for another 48 hours peace talks aimed at ending a three-year-old civil war in the devastated Sudanese region of Darfur, just moments before a midnight deadline was set to expire. (Posted @ 09:18 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 155.35 points: KARACHI, May 3: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11727.93, up 155.35 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, May 3: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.15 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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