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| May 21, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan-China ties everlasting, unique: Shujaat ISLAMABAD, May 21 (PPI) Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said on Sunday that Pakistan-China friendship was unique and most trustworthy as proved the history. Addressing a seminar on the "55 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China", he said the sacrifices of China on Karakurram highway are marked with respect. The seminar was organized by PML, here at PML house. Chaudhry Shujaat was the chief gust on the occasion.(Posted @ 23:50 PST)
Governor of Pakistan's North West Frontier province resigns PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 21, (AP) _ The governor of Pakistan's North West Frontier province has resigned from his post, an aide said Sunday. Khalilur Rahman handed in his resignation late last week in a meeting in the capital Islamabad that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf led to discuss security in the tribal areas, an aide of Rahman said on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to make media comments. Rahman, who was appointed in March last year, has been asked to work until his successor is appointed, which is likely later this week, he said. Rahman was responsible for the administration and security of the tribal regions that border Afghanistan. Military officials have said Arab, Central Asian and Afghan fighters as well as local tribal militants operate in the rugged regions.(Posted @ 23:42 PST)
Germany's Merkel arrives in China BEIJING, May 21, 2006 (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in China late Sunday on a three-day visit in which she was expected to push the Asian giant to assume a greater international role. In her first visit to China since taking office, Merkel will seek to persuade her hosts to match their emerging economic might with a greater diplomatic presence, notably on the Iranian nuclear crisis, German officials said.(Posted @ 23:36 PST)
Malaysia to give 16 million dollars to Palestinians SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 21, 2006 (AFP) - Malaysia Sunday pledged to donate 16 million dollars to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority after a western aid freeze left its Hamas-led government in financial crisis. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the pledge at a meeting of political and business leaders at the World Economic Conference (WEF) in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.(Posted @ 22:24 PST)
Bush says free Iraq will be 'devastating defeat' for Al-Qaeda WASHINGTON, May 21, (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Sunday that the formation of Iraq's new government will serve as a "devastating defeat" for Al-Qaeda, but the US' top diplomat warned sectarian violence remains a major problem in the country. "I fully understand that a free Iraq will be an important ally on the war on terror, will serve as a devastating defeat for the terrorists and Al-Qaeda and will serve as an example for others in the region who desires to be free," Bush told reporters at the White House.(Posted @ 22:16 PST)
Bicycle bomb in southwestern Pakistan wounds four policemen, three civilians QUETTA, Pakistan, May 21, (AP) _ A bomb attached to a bicycle exploded in a town bazaar in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, wounding four policemen and three civilians, an official said. All the victims were passing by when the bomb went off in the main street of Sakran, a small town about 700 kilometers (435 miles) southeast of Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, local police chief Ghulam Haider Baluch said. Among the injured was a woman, her son and another child, who were walking by while the policemen were driving in a pickup truck when the bomb went off, Baluch said. The motive for Sunday's attack was not immediately clear and no one claimed responsibility, Baluch said.(Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Suspected Tamil rebels target foreign aid offices in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 21, (AP) _ Suspected Tamil militants attacked the offices of three international non-governmental organizations in eastern Sri Lanka on Sunday wounding three people, including a Serbian aid worker, the army said. Meanwhile, two anti-personnel mines triggered by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed two government soldiers in Sri Lanka's north and east on Sunday, the military said, in continuing violence that threatens to push the island nation back toward civil war.(Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Indian PM condemns Kashmir attack, vows peace NEW DELHI, May 21 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday condemned a deadly militant attack in the heart of restive Kashmir, saying such attempts could not prevent efforts to bring peace to the Himalayan region. Eight people, including two militants, were killed in a gunbattle at a rally organised by Singh's Congress party in Srinagar, summer capital of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state. "The Prime Minister has condemned the terror attack in Srinagar today," a statement from his office said. "The Prime Minister said that it is only through dialogue that a lasting solution can be found," it said, adding that Singh was looking forward to participating in a major peace meeting in Srinagar on Wednesday.(Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Pakistani farmer killed, another injured in land mine explosion in southwest region QUETTA, Pakistan, May 21, (AP) _ A land mine exploded in a wheat field on Sunday near a restive tribal town in southwestern Pakistan, killing one farmer and injuring another, an official said. The explosion occurred as the two men were harvesting the wheat near Dera Bugti, a town southeast of Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province, local government official Abdul Samad Lasi said. On Sunday, assailants fired five rockets at a gas field near Dera Bugti and one of them struck a pipe at a gas well, disrupting supply from the well to a purification plant, Lasi said. No one was hurt in the attack.(Posted @ 20:52 PST)
Rice says no security guarantees being offered to Iran WASHINGTON, May 21, (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday that no security guarantees have been offered to Iran in a bid to end the dispute over its nuclear research. "Security assurances are not on the table," Rice told. "It's obvious that in addition to the nuclear issue, we have other issues with Iran. We have a state in Iran that is devoted to the destruction of Israel. We have a state in Iran that meddles in the peace process."(Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Taliban plans attacks from Pakistan: Afghan minister KABUL, May 21 (Reuters) - Leaders of the ousted Taliban movement and al Qaeda are living in Pakistan where they organize attacks in Afghanistan, the Afghan foreign minister said on Sunday, in the latest in a war of words between the neighbours. Pakistan and Afghanistan are major U.S. allies in the war on terrorism and both are battling militants along their common border. But relations have been strained over repeated Afghan accusations that the Taliban are getting help on the Pakistani side. "We know that the ideological leadership and also political leadership or military leadership of the Taliban and also other international terrorist groups ... are living in Pakistan," Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told a news conference. Asked if militant attacks against Afghan and U.S.-led troops were orchestrated in Pakistan, he said: "Exactly, that is the case."(Posted @ 20:22 PST)
Pakistani and Iranian experts open talks on Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project ISLAMABAD, May 21 (PPI): Pakistani and Iranian experts Sunday opened talks here for the second time in less than a month to review progress on the $7.1 billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. The Pakistan-Iran Joint Working Group is discussing technical and financial issues, focusing on the finalization of a pricing formula, the officials said. Pakistan had sent a draft gas pricing formula to Iran based on domestic gas pricing mechanism and the two sides are discussing the formula. Iran Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad-Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian, who arrived here early Sunday, is leading the high-level delegation of experts in the talks. Secretary of Petroleum Ahmed Waqar is leading the Pakistan side to the talks. The two sides met in late April in Islamabad and had a wide-ranging discussion on the project. (Posted @ 20:18 PST)
5 killed, several injured in occupied Kashmir attack SRINAGAR, May 21 (PPI) In occupied Kashmir, five persons, including a policeman, were killed and several others injured, when a function organized by pro-India Congress party, was attacked today in Srinagar. According to Kashmir Media Service, the injured included: Inspector General of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Station House Officer of Kothi Bagh Police Station and several senior civil administration officials. details are awaited. The troops, in their fresh act of state-terrorism, martyred one more Kashmiri in Chattergul area of Islamabad district. (First Posted @ 15:32 PST Updated @ 18:42 PST)
China rescues 330 Vietnamese fishermen after typhoon BEIJING, May 21, 2006 (AFP) - Chinese rescue ships have saved 330 Vietnamese fishermen who were aboard 22 boats caught in storms brought by powerful Typhoon Chanchu, state television reported Sunday. The search, which the TV report called "the largest international rescue operation at sea ever conducted by China," had been going on for close to 40 hours and was continuing. Rescuers, who also salvaged 21 bodies, had given the Vietnamese fishermen food, water and fuel, TV said. (First Posted @ 09:00 PST Updated @ 18:38 PST)
20 Taliban killed in Afghan clash that left US soldier dead KABUL, May 21, 2006 (AFP) - Afghan and coalition forces killed 20 "enemy fighters" in a battle in southern Afghanistan last week in which a US soldier also died and seven others were wounded, the US-led coalition said Sunday. The coalition announced the death of the soldier on Saturday but did not say how many militants were killed in the battle in Uruzgan province on Friday.(First Posted @ 12:30 PST Updated @ 18:22 PST)
Congo army kills 9 militiamen in eastern offensive SEJABU, Congo, May 21 (Reuters) - Congolese government troops operating alongside U.N. peacekeepers killed nine militiamen in an offensive aimed at pacifying the violence-prone east ahead of historic elections, the army said on Sunday.(Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Bomb in crowded Baghdad restaurant kills 8 BAGHDAD, May 21 (Reuters) - A bomb ripped through a crowded restaurant popular with police on Sunday, killing at least eight people in the third blast to hit Iraq's capital a day after a national unity government was formed, police said. It brought the death toll in Baghdad on Sunday to at least 14, according to police figures. Dozens of others were wounded. At last 18 people were wounded in the explosion at the Safar restaurant in central Baghdad, police said, citing initial reports. They said the casualty figures included police and civilians but did not give details.(Posted @ 16:28 PST)
Car bomb explodes in Afghan capital killing 3 KABUL, Afghanistan, May 21, (AP) _ A car bomb exploded on a busy road in the Afghan capital Sunday, killing the driver of the car and two civilians, officials said. The attack occurred on a road that links several bases belonging to the U.S.-led coalition and a separate NATO-led peacekeeping force, said local deputy police chief Maj. Pashtun Khan. The blast, however, did not occur near any foreign vehicles, and the target of the attack was not immediately clear, Khan said.(Posted @ 16:24 PST)
Iraq's Maliki to name key security posts in days BAGHDAD, May 21 (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday he will name defence and interior ministers for his government of national unity in the next "two to three days." Maliki told a news conference after his first cabinet meeting his government would use "maximum force" against guerrilla violence but will also hold out the prospect of dialogue with those prepared to join the political process.(Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Bus accident outside Spanish capital kills at least seven MADRID, Spain, May 21, (AP) _ A bus veered off a highway outside Madrid on Sunday, flipped over and hit a tree, killing at least seven people, Spanish National Radio said. Two other people were seriously hurt and 15 suffered light injuries in the accident 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Spanish capital, the station said.(Posted @ 15:20 PST)
West Bank protest against torched Al Jazeera cars RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 21 (Reuters) - Scores of Palestinian journalists gathered outside the offices of Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera in Ramallah on Sunday to protest the torching of three of the broadcaster's vehicles. Unknown assailants set fire to a broadcasting van, the bureau chief's car and a third Al Jazeera vehicle parked in an underground parking lot at the channel's main office in Ramallah late on Saturday, employees and local officials said.(Posted @ 14:58 PST)
Palestinian rocket hits Israeli school - medics JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) - A rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip hit a school in an Israeli border town on Sunday, but there was no immediate word of casualties, the ZAKA rescue service said. (Posted @ 13:25 PST)
Troops in occupied Kashmir master new weapon cell phones SRINAGAR, May 21 (Reuters) - Minutes after a bomb exploded recently in occupied Kashmir and wounded Indian soldiers, a senior member of an rebel group called local newspaper offices to claim responsibility for the blast. A few hours later, troops smashed the door of his hideout and arrested the militant "commander" after a brief gun battle.(Posted @ 13:00 PST)
SKorean president condemns attack on opposition leader SEOUL, May 21, 2006 (AFP) - South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun on Sunday condemned as "intolerable" an assault on opposition leader Park Geun-Hye ahead of the country's mayoral and gubernatorial elections this month. "In a democracy, terrorism or violence must not be tolerated under any circumstances in the electioneering. It is intolerable," Roh told a group of his aides, calling for a thorough probe of the case. Park, chairwoman of the main opposition Grand National Party, had an 11-centimeter (4.4-inch) cut to her right face Saturday when a man armed with a box cutter attacked her while canvassing in downtown Seoul, police said.(Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Envoys want Philippine militant freed MANILA, May 21 (Reuters) – The OIC delegation on a mission to the Philippines to remove obstacles holding up a 1996 peace deal with Muslim freedom fighters have promised to work for the release of a militant leader who led a failed rebellion in 2001. The five-member OIC team also wanted the Philippine government to make permanent a six-day ceasefire on the southwestern Jolo island. "We seek the release of Professor Nur Misuari," Sayed Kassem el-Masry, an Egyptian diplomat and head of OIC mission, told MNLF members during a visit to the former rebels' stronghold on Jolo island on Saturday. El-Masry said the OIC wanted Misuari released so he could lead an MNLF team at a meeting in Saudi Arabia in July to save the 1996 peace deal. He said the OIC was "disturbed" by the situation on Jolo that led to intense fighting in 2005.(Posted @ 09:58 PST)
Israel has approved the expansion of Jewish settlements: report JERUSALEM, May 21 (AP) _ Israel's defense ministry has approved the expansion of at least four Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Israel Radio reported Sunday. The expansions are an attempt to include unauthorized settlement outposts within the boundaries of the settlements with the plan of granting them final approval, the radio said. The settlement watchdog group Peace Now condemned the expansion of the settlements on land that the Palestinians want for a future state, the radio said.(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Swedish ski adventurer dies after Everest fall STOCKHOLM, May 21 (AFP) - A Swedish adventurer trying to ski down the north face of Mount Everest was killed after falling from a cliff, TT news agency said Sunday, quoting the man's father. Tomas Olsson went missing Tuesday after tumbling from a cliff at some 28,000 feet, as he and fellow adventurer Tormod Granheim of Norway were making their descent. The two had begun an expedition on March 29 to try to be the first to ski down the north face, the most difficult, of the world's tallest mountain. The 30-year-old Olsson initially fell some 35 feet after his rope detached from the ice, and then continued to fall an unknown distance. He was found dead Saturday.(Posted @ 09:45 PST)
China mine flooding traps 44, management arrested BEIJING, May 21 (AFP) - Forty-four miners have been trapped in a flooded pit in north China and several managerial staff have been arrested for trying to cover up the disaster, state media said Sunday. The flooding at the Xinjing Coal Mine, in Shanxi province's Zuoyun County, happened Thursday night while 145 miners were at work, the Xinhua news agency reported. A total of 101 miners managed to escape, leaving the other 44 trapped, but management initially said only five were missing, Xinhua said. Police have detained nine managers, while the owner of the mine has gone into hiding, according to the agency.(Posted @ 09:35 PST)
5 dead in U.S. coal mine explosion HOLMES MILL, Kentucky, May 21 (AP) An underground explosion in an eastern Kentucky coal mine killed five miners, while a sixth miner walked away from the blast that sprayed an office building with rock and mud 100 yards outside the tunnel's entrance, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said. The cause of the blast early Saturday in Harlan County was not immediately known. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Thousands of Muslims rally in support of anti-pornography bill in Indonesia JAKARTA, May 21 (AP) Tens of thousands of Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital Sunday in support of the proposed anti-pornography bill urging the parliament to immediately pass the bill, that in its current form would ban kissing in public _ as well as erotic poetry, dancing, drawing, writing, photos and film. ``Ban pornography and stop the sex industry,'' they shouted. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Seven up for Khan BELFAST, May 21 (AFP) Amir Khan won his seventh straight bout since turning professional with a points victory over Hungarian Laszlo Komjathi at the King's Hall here Saturday. Referee Mickey Van raised Khan's arm for a 60-55 verdict after the six round bout as this was no quick knockover job of the kind which has attracted so much unfair criticism during his career to date. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Irish police remove protesting Afghans from Dublin cathedral DUBLIN, May 21 (AFP) A group of 41 Afghan asylum seekers who had spent a week on a protest hunger strike in a Dublin cathedral were removed without incident by Irish police late on Saturday, a spokesman said. "The situation at St Patrick's Cathedral has now ended," Justice Minister Michael McDowell said in a statement. He said the Afghan minors -- the eight protesters aged under 18 -- had been taken into the care of the country's health service executive thanks to the High Court order. The adult protesters have all been arrested by police and are expected to face public order offences. The statement said McDowell "wishes to confirm that no deal was done and that the Department's position remains what it has been since last Sunday -- that our system of considering asylum is fair and up to best practice internationally. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Palestinian woman killed during Israeli West Bank incursion NABLUS, West Bank, May 21 (AFP) - A Palestinian woman was shot dead during a dawn raid by Israeli troops in the Balata Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank on Sunday, a Palestinian security source said. She was apparently hit by a stray bullet during exchanges between the troops and Palestinian gunmen near her home in the West Bank town of Nablus.(Posted @ 09:00 PST)
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