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| May 4, 2006 | Thursday | Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Gunmen attack Pakistan police post near Afghan border, three policemen killed BAJUR, Pakistan, May 4 (AP) Gunmen attacked a police post in a remote northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, killing three policemen before fleeing, an official said Thursday. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack late Wednesday at Koikai in the Bajur tribal region, about five kilometers inside Pakistan, said Abdul Qayyum, a deputy administrator. Mohammed Salahuddin, an area police official, said the bodies of slain officers had been handed over to their families for burial.(Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Pakistan arrests two "planners" in US consulate attack KARACHI, May 4 (Reuters) Pakistani police have arrested two militants suspected of planning a suicide bomb attack that killed a U.S. diplomat and three others outside the U.S. consulate in Karachi in March, an official said on Thursday. "We have got some encouraging leads from both of them. They belong to a jihadi group and were the main planners of the consulate attack," Salahuddin Haider, a spokesman for the provincial Sindh government, said. Haider said he could not release the name of the suspects, but termed the arrests as "a major breakthrough". A senior police official, who asked not to be named, said investigators had found a link between the arrested militants and an al Qaeda-linked militant group operating in Waziristan. "We are also sharing information with the FBI," he added.(First Posted @ 12:52 PST Updated @18:36 PST)
Dubai Ports World eyes developing facilities at Gwadar ISLAMABAD, May 4 (APP): Chairman Dubai Ports World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who met President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday, expressed a strong desire to manage the facilities at Gwadar deep sea port and development of infrastructure in the southern port city and elsewhere in the country. "Gwadar deep sea port is a viable project as it has a major role in serving as a corridor for energy, cargo and services between Central Asia, the Gulf and other surrounding regions," he told newsman at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Sulayem described the President's response to DP World's interest as very encouraging and said that Musharraf hoped for conclusion of a deal in this respect "very soon." During the meeting, President Musharraf informed the UAE business leader that he wants Pakistan to become a hub of regional trade and added that the country is set to serve as a commerce and energy corridor between the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and the fast-growing Western parts of China. The chief of DPW also hinted at expanding business at Port Qasim.(Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Turkish PM calls for re-opening of Athens mosques THESSALONIKI, May 4 (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called for Greece to reopen two mosques in Athens, the European Union's only capital without a Muslim place of worship.(Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Pakistan-Azerbaijan to further expand bilateral ties BAKU, (Azerbaijan), May 4 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday discussed economic and political ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan with President Ilham Aliyev with the two sides agreeing to further expand their ties. Aziz who is here to represent Pakistan at the 9th ECO summit met Aliyev at his Presidential Palace and discussed a wide range of issues. Aziz also extended Pakistan's full support to the stand of Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. He gave Aliyev an overview of the country's economic progress, and also informed him about the progress on the Pakistan-India peace process.(Posted @ 21:52 PST)
Pakistan improving but needs to more to fight child labour: ILO ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan has managed to reduce child labour in industries such as the manufacture of sporting goods, but thousands of children still toil as fisherman and in other industries, U.N. officials said Thursday. In only six towns along the Arabian Sea coast in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, some 5,000 children work as deep sea fishermen, said an official with the International Labor Organization. By 2001, Pakistan had been able to achieve ``100 percent reduction in child labor'' in stitching soccer balls, said a consultant with ILO in Pakistan. The consultant added that child labor has also been reduced in weaving carpets and in the manufacture of surgical instruments, an industry that like soccer making is based in the eastern city of Sialkot. The organization did not have latest numbers for child workers in Pakistan or how many of them worked in making foot balls at that time.(Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Cleric shot dead in southern Pakistan KARACHI, May 4, 2006 (AFP) Unknown attackers shot dead Thursday a cleric belonging to a minority Shiite sect in southern Pakistan, police said. Maulana Maula Bakhsh Jaffry was shot and injured while returning home from a mosque in Kandhkot town, 450 kilometres northeast of Karachi, a police spokesman said. Jaffry later died of his injuries at hospital, the spokesman said. "It does not appear to be a sectarian killing and Jaffry seems to have been mistakenly killed for somebody else as there is rivalry between tribes in the area," the spokesman added. Angry residents and relatives protested the killing and blocked a national highway for some time demanding the arrest of the attackers.(Posted @ 21:00 PST)
US Centcom chief discusses "war on terror" with Pakistani leader ISLAMABAD, May 4, 2006 (AFP) US Central Command chief General John Abizaid held talks Thursday with President Pervez Musharraf about the "war on terror" and also met senior military officials. Pakistani military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said Abizaid was on a routine visit to Pakistan. "They discussed the geo-strategic environment, the regional situation and matters of mutual interest during the meeting," an official statement said. Abizaid's visit coincided with a joint exercise involving special forces of the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan at Cherath in northwest Pakistan. The US commander also visited the army's general headquarters and met Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hyat, the statement said. Separately State Department counter-terrorism official Henry A. Crumpton held talks at the interior ministry to discuss ways to strengthen Pakistani forces along the border with Afghanistan. (First Posted @ 18:24 PST Updated @ 20:58 PST)
10 Iraqis, two U.S. soldiers killed in bombings in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A suicide bomber attacked a crowd of people waiting outside a heavily guarded court building in Baghdad on Thursday, killing 10 Iraqis and wounding 52, police said. Two U.S. soldiers also died in a roadside bomb attack. Police first said the attack near the court was caused by a car bomb targeting a police convoy, but later said it was caused by a man with explosives hidden beneath his clothing. All the casualties were civilians, except for two wounded policemen. The roadside bomb that killed the two U.S. Army soldiers exploded at about 11:45 a.m. in south-central Baghdad, the military said. Shootings in Baghdad and other areas, and a roadside bomb south of the capital, also killed eight Iraqis, including a Shiite tribal leader and an Iraqi army officer, police said. In Ramadi, police said a U.S. aircraft bombed two houses, killing 13 Iraqis and wounding four. But the U.S. military said it had no information about such an attack. On Wednesday, the corpses of 43 Iraqis were found in the streets of Baghdad and other cities, according to the interior ministry. (First Posted @ 12:36 PST Updated @ 20:04 PST)
Judge confirms Moussaoui sentence ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 4 (Reuters) Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, one day after a jury spared his life and rejected U.S. government arguments that the Sept. 11 conspirator should be executed. A U.S. District Judge sentenced Moussaoui, 37, to life in prison with no possibility of release. "God curse America," Moussaoui said right before the judge imposed the sentence. "God save Osama bin Laden. You'll never get him," he added. Three of the 12 jurors found that Moussaoui had limited knowledge of the Sept. 11 attack plans. Some jurors also believed his role in the hijacking plot, if any, was minor. (First Posted @ 09:30 PST Updated @ 19:54 PST)
President Musharraf meets parliamentarians ISLAMABAD, May 4 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday said Pakistan has been put on the path of sustainable democracy and economic stability and pledged to transfer benefits of economic progress across the country. He stated this during a meeting with parliamentarians at his chamber at the Parliament House. The elected representatives, who called on the President included Mian Manzoor Ahmed Watto, Ch. Hamid Nasir Chattha and Muhammad Ijaz ul Haq. They discussed with Musharraf the political environment and the efforts for socio-economic well being of people in their respective areas.(Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Bangladesh unveils voters list, angers opposition DHAKA, May 4 (Reuters) Bangladesh's election commission on Thursday released a list of over 91 million voters for next year's national election, further angering opposition parties which are demanding electoral reforms. "The list is unacceptable because it has been tailored to guarantee Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) win," the Awami League said in a statement. The election commission said it was a draft list open to public verification.(Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Britain takes over NATO's Afghan force KABUL, May 4 (Reuters) Britain took command of NATO's Afghan peacekeeping force on Thursday. "We aim to extend and deepen the areas in which the government of Afghanistan and the wider international community can safely and coherently operate in the interests of the people," the new British commander, Lieutenant General David Richards, said in a speech at a change-of-command ceremony. Richards, taking over ISAF from an Italian commander, said the number of foreign troops is going to double to about 32,500 by July and August, the highest level since the Taliban were ousted.(Posted @ 16:18 PST)
Military action won't solve Iran conflict: French PM PARIS, May 4 (Reuters) Military action is not the solution to the Western powers' standoff with Iran over its nuclear programme, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Thursday. "My conviction is that military action is certainly no solution," Villepin told a monthly news conference. "We should collectively prove our firmness…We must draw the consequences of a refusal by Iran -- if that were confirmed -- to cooperate. It is essential to maintain the unity of the international community," he said.(Posted @ 16:02 PST)
Nuclear energy an 'essential right': Iranian foreign minister BAKU, May 4, 2006 (AFP) Iran insists on developing nuclear energy and hopes the United Nations Security Council will not politicise this "essential right", Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Thursday. Mottaki called on the international community not to violate "the essential rights of countries". "We hope that will not happen in the Security Council," he said at a regional economic conference of the 10-country Economic Cooperation Organisation taking place in Azerbaijan.(Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Ship sinks off South African coast, 27 missing JOHANNESBURG, May 4 (AFP) - Twenty-seven crew members were missing after a bulk carrier sank off South Africa's notoriously dangerous southeastern coast, a spokesmen said Thursday. The Alexandros T, which was sailing from Brazil to China with a load of steel, broke up at around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) Wednesday in stormy weather around 300 nautical miles off the east coast harbour city Port Elizabeth. "There were 33 crew members on board. Six have so far been rescued, but around 27 are still believed to be out there," the spokesman said. "They have their life jackets on and were braving swells last night of between four to five metres (13 to 16 feet)," he added.(Posted @ 13:20 PST)
India must halt sectarian bloodshed: rights group VADODARA, India, May 4 (AFP) - India's Gujarat state must take action to stop Hindu-Muslim riots from worsening, New York-based Human Rights Watch warned Thursday as troops patrolled a city where six people have already died. "The Gujarat government must be vigilant against extremist violence against helpless civilians," said Brad Adams, HRW Asia director. "Instead of allowing this violence to deepen religious hatred, the authorities should launch an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted and punished," he said. The group said it was worried that there could be a repeat of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots which left more than 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims. Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi who is a member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party was Chief Minsiter in 2002 as well.(Posted @ 13:10 PST)
India's Tendulkar signs 40-million-dollar contract NEW DELHI, May 4 (AFP) - International advertising major Saatchi and Saatchi has secured the marketing rights for Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for 40 million dollars, officials and media said on Thursday. "It's great to have a legend like Sachin as the first client of Iconix," said V. Shantakumar, the chief executive officer and managing director of Saatchi's Indian operations but declined to confirm media speculation that the three-year deal was worth 1.8 billion rupees (40 million dollars). "The amount mentioned is a nice sum, but I am not going to say more," he said.(Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Two killed, eight injured in occupied Kashmir blast SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 4 (AFP) - Two people were killed and eight injured Thursday in a grenade attack by suspected militants in Budgam district, police said. "So far we have reports of two civilian deaths and injuries to eight others, including three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel," a police spokesman said, adding that the grenade was hurled at a BSF patrol party. "Some shots were also heard," the spokesman said. More than 44,000 people have died in occupied Kashmir since the eruption of insurgency against Indian rule in 1989.(Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Prime Minister leaves for Baku to attend ECO summit ISLAMABAD, May 4 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz left Thursday morning for Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to attend 9th summit of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Minister for Information Muhammad Ali Durrani accompanied the Prime Minister while Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri is already in Baku.(Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Police station attacked, bakery burnt in Baroda NEW DELHI, May 4 (APP): A mob attacked a police station in Navapura and burnt a bakery in Khenderao Market in Vadodara (Baroda) last night, prompting the police to lob tear gas shells and open fire to control the situation. In Khenderao Market, a bakery was set on fire by a mob and incidents of stone-pelting were reported from certain areas, including Yakutpura. An oil mill was also set on fire in Dahej Road last night, they said. Hundreds of troops patrolled the streets in the city where clashes continued on the fourth day of the communal riots and violence has left six persons dead and over 60 injured after the demolition of a dargah by the civic authorities on Monday.(First posted @ 10:00 PST Updated @ 12:20 PST)
Bomb in SE Turkey injures 11 children, 6 adults DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, May 4 (Reuters) - A bomb exploded beside a minibus carrying soldiers' children home from school on Wednesday in Hakkari in the mainly Kurdish southeast, injuring 17 people including 11 children, a local security chief said. None of the injured -- including 5 soldiers and a passerby -- were in a serious condition, he said.(Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Builders learned now to build sturdy structures: USAID WASHINGTON, May 4 (APP)- Sturdy shelters are being built in the earthquake hit areas of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, to aid vulnerable survivors- in partnership for a better life. The USAID provided tools and materials including plastic tarps, iron sheeting, wood stoves and blankets to construct and supply each structure with basic survival items. U.S. sources Wednesday said, each 4.9 meters by 4.9 meters shelter protects a household of 8-10 people. By the end of the 2005, USAID had distributed more than 6,000 transitional housing kits. "We began distributing kits to widows and other vulnerable people. Now everyone in our villages has received shelter kits. Many have already rebuilt and moved into their transitional homes," said Jack Norman, director of Catholic Relief Services in Pakistan.(Posted @ 11:23 PST)
Pakistan, China to initiate talks on five-year plan of economic cooperation BEIJING, May 4 (APP): Pakistan and China will initiate talks next week in Islamabad to prepare a five-year plan of economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade, energy, road construction, urban development, telecommunication and agriculture. In this connection, a delegation of Chinese officials and economic experts is scheduled to arrive Islamabad Monday. The delegation will be led by the Chinese Assistant Commerce Minister Fu Ziying.(Posted @ 11:18 PST)
Nepal's new government issues challenge to Maoists KATHMANDU, May 4 (AFP) - Nepal's new interim government said Thursday it would release jailed Maoist leaders if the rebels joined talks to end a bloody 10-year insurgency that has left more than 12,500 people dead."We have already called the Maoists to talks and once the dialogue process starts, the rebel leaders detained in various prisons will also be released," cabinet member Gopal Man Shrestha told AFP.(Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Police, residents clash over expansion of US base in South Korea PYONGTAEK, South Korea, May 4 (AFP) Thousands of South Korean riot police Thursday clashed with residents, students and activists opposed to plans to expand a major US military base in Pyongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The clashes occurred when the 3,000 police stormed an elementary school where hundreds of protesters were holed up, AFP photographers on the scene said. As helicopters flew overhead, troops began to erect a barbed wire fence around a vast track of paddy fields to secure the site of the planned military base.(Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Explosion in northern Sri Lanka kills 2, wounds 2 COLOMBO, May 4 (AP) An explosion in the northern garrison town of Vavuniya killed two neighborhood guards and wounded two others on Thursday. The blast struck the guards as they were returning home from night watch duty on bicycles, police said. Two of them were found dead and two were wounded. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.(Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Mexican florists riot, one dead, SAN SALVADOR ATENCO, Mexico, May 4 (Reuters) - A protest by flower vendors erupted into a clash between machete-wielding peasants and riot police on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and several held hostage. Fifty police officers were injured, 11 seriously, state Gov. Enrique Pena Nieto said. About 100 people were arrested. Angry demonstrators from the town of San Salvador Atenco, north of Mexico City, hostaged 11 policemen and refused to release them unless protesters who were arrested earlier in the riot were freed. Trouble broke out when police arrested roadside flower traders.(Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Picasso painting fetches 95.2 million dollars, close to record NEW YORK, May 3, 2006 (AFP) Picasso's painting "Dora Maar with cat" sold for 95.2 million dollars at a New York auction on Wednesday, close to the world record for a piece by the Spanish artist, the Sotheby's auction house said.The 1941 portrait of Maar, a photographer who became Picasso's lover, is so precious that Sotheby's did not print a price estimate for the work in its auction catalogue. Picasso's 1905 masterpiece "Boy with a Pipe" remains the most expensive painting ever sold since it went under the hammer at a New York auction for 104.2 million dollars in May 2004.(Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Four Muslims shot dead in Thailand's restive south PATTANI, Thailand, May 4 (AFP) Suspected militants killed four Muslim villagers, including two local government officials, in separate attacks in Thailand's restive south, police said Thursday. Muslims seen as sympathetic to the government are sometimes targeted by insurgents. The region was an independent sultanate until Thailand annexed it a century ago. Separatist violence has simmered ever since.(Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 37.88 points: KARACHI, May 4: At close of trading The KSE-100 index was at 11690.26 , down 37.88 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, May 4: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.19 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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