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| May 30, 2006 | Tuesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, UAE agree to further expand ties ISLAMABAD, May 30 (APP): Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates Tuesday vowed to further strengthen their ties in all aspects especially in economy, trade, defence and security. The two countries also signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in development of mega infrastructure projects, bringing in investments totalling US 100 billion dollars, besides granting permission to the Dubai Islamic Bank to operate fifty branches in Pakistan. The signing of the MoUs was witnessed by Vice President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here at the Prime Minister House. The two leaders earlier also held an exclusive meeting. It was followed by a second round, in which their aides joined and discussed wide ranging issues. The first MOU was signed between the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Emmar Properties(EP), under which EP will participate in joint ventures for the development of mega residential, commercial, leisure and real estate projects, industrial parks, free zones and port terminals. The second MOU was signed for the development of Karachi Beach Front. The third MOU pertained to investment in mega infrastructure projects, under which investors from UAE will inject around US 100 billion dollars in various projects, including construction of residential building and towns, highways, airports and commercial development. (First Posted @ 15:05 PST Updated @ 22:45 PST)
President Musharraf hopes for strong ties with UAE ISLAMABAD, May 30 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday expressed satisfaction with growing economic ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and hoped that the two countries would further expand their bilateral relations through increased cooperation. During his meeting with the Vice President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Musharraf identified telecom, housing, tourism and infrastructure as some of the sectors for investment. The two leaders also discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest. Sheikh Makhtoum said the UAE government would encourage its private sector to avail investment opportunities in Pakistan.(Posted @ 22:34 PST)
9 killed, 10 wounded in bomb explosion outside bakery in east Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 30, (AP) _ A bomb hidden in a plastic bag detonated outside a bakery in east Baghdad on Tuesday killing at least nine people and injuring 10, police said. The explosion occurred at 9:15 p.m. (0515 GMT) in New Baghdad, a mixed neighborhood located in the eastern part of the capital, Police Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammedawi said. No other details were available. (Posted @ 23:52 PST)
Iraqi PM impatient with US troops killing civilians BAGHDAD, May 30 (Reuters) Iraq's prime minister said on Tuesday his patience was wearing thin with excuses from U.S. troops that they kill civilians by "mistake" and said he would launch an investigation into killings at Haditha last year. "We are worried about the increase in 'mistakes'. I am not saying that they are intentional. But it is worrying for us," Nuri al-Maliki said in an interview in his offices in Baghdad. He said a timetable of 18 months he mentioned last week for Iraqi forces having overall control of the whole country could even be shorter if U.S.-led forces were serious about giving support and training to the new Iraqi army. He also said he will overrule squabbling parties in his coalition and present parliament with his personal nominees for two key cabinet posts if they fail to agree this week. In the interview, Maliki said that if no consensus were found by the next session of parliament he would exercise his constitutional right to put his own nominees to a vote. Parliament is next due to meet on Sunday. (First Posted @ 19:48 PST Updated @ 23:10 PST)
Policeman killed, 21 wounded in occupied Kashmir attacks SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 30 (Reuters) A policeman was killed and 21 people wounded in a string of attacks in occupied Kashmir on Tuesday. The policeman was killed and four people, including two civilians, were wounded when a grenade was lobbed at a police patrol vehicle in a crowded market in Srinagar. A spokesman for Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in calls to local newspapers. In other incidents, at least 13 labourers were wounded when a grenade was hurled at a security vehicle near a bus stand in Sopore town, 45 km from Srinagar, where four pedestrians were also hurt in another grenade attack. (First Posted @ 14:40 PST Updated @ 23:08 PST)
Baghdad car bomb kills at least 22 BAGHDAD, May 30 (Reuters) The death toll from a car bomb in northern Baghdad on Tuesday has risen to at least 22 people, police sources said. They said at least 58 people were wounded in the blast in a vegetable market in the Husaniya district of the capital. (First Posted @ 20:35 PST Updated @ 23:00 PST)
Fifteen children die in occupied Kashmir boat accident SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 30 (Reuters) At least 15 school children died Tuesday after their boat capsized in Wular lake, about 65 km north of Srinagar, police and army officials said. A teacher and an office assistant also drowned. "The children were on a joy trip on an Indian navy boat when some of them shifted to one side of the boat causing the mishap," an army spokesman said. Two teachers and 12 children were rescued, the spokesman added. (First Posted @ 20:04 PST Updated @ 22:58 PST)
Cricket-Indian PM acknowledges sporting ties boost with Pakistan LAHORE, May 30 (Reuters) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has praised the role of cricket in boosting sporting relations with Pakistan, a senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday. In a letter to the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar Khan, Singh said the Friendship Cup series between the two countries in Abu Dhabi in April had taken sporting relations between the nations to new heights. "We appreciate and value the letter from the Indian premier. That he has acknowledged the role of cricket in Indo-Pak sporting relations in his letter is very encouraging for us," PCB director Abbas Zaidi said on Tuesday.(Posted @ 22:24 PST)
Timor gangs continue rampage; Gusmao takes charge DILI, May 30 (Reuters) Gangs loosely allied to feuding factions of East Timor's armed forces defied international peacekeepers on Tuesday and went on a rampage of arson and looting as the president took charge of national security. Xanana Gusmao told a news conference that he had taken sole responsibility for the nation's security, including information and intelligence services, after a week of violence sparked by a split in the army. He said he had made the decision in close collaboration with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. Gusmao also said he alone would coordinate with a 2,500-strong Australian-led peacekeeping force that East Timor asked for last week to help put down violence that has claimed at least 20 lives. Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta admitted on Tuesday that the government had failed the people and that cabinet changes would likely follow. The head of the 2,500-strong peacekeeping force, Brigadier Mick Slater, told the same news conference that over half the Timorese army had already surrendered their weapons and were accounted for. But he admitted the police, some of whom also allied themselves with army factions, had been more reluctant to come forward. (First Posted @ 9:30 PST Updated @ 21:18 PST)
Witness claims Saddam 'victims' alive, case built on bribes BAGHDAD, May 30, 2006 (AFP) A defence witness in Saddam Hussein's trial over the killings of Iraqi Shiite villagers claimed many of those allegedly executed were still alive and said the prosecution case was built on bribes. The anonymous witness said he was a teenager in Dujail in 1982 when an attempt on Saddam's life led to what the prosecution has termed a massive crackdown on the village, hundreds of arrests and the execution of 148 men. "The prosecutor said they were executed but I am telling you I ate with them some time ago" and that 23 of them were alive, said the witness. "Many of them have gotten rich and occupy powerful positions," he said, as he testified from behind a curtain, going on to write down names for the judge. The trial was adjourned until Wednesday. (First Posted @ 13:30 PST Updated @ 20:36 PST)
1,500 more US troops to Iraq: Pentagon WASHINGTON, May 30, 2006 (AFP) The US military has deployed about 1,500 additional troops to Iraq to back up US and Iraqi forces in western Al Anbar province, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, ordered the deployment of two armoured battalions from Kuwait, said a Pentagon spokesman. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Bush picks Paulson to replace resigning Snow WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) President George W. Bush announced on Tuesday that Treasury Secretary John Snow was resigning and that he has nominated Goldman Sachs chairman Henry Paulson to replace him. In a White House Rose Garden announcement, Bush said that Paulson would be pursuing long-standing White House economic policies. In addition, he said Paulson will be an important representative of the United States in trying to open markets for U.S. goods.(Posted @ 20:02 PST)
NATO chief says success in Afghanistan 'vital' PARIS, May 30, 2006 (AFP) NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Tuesday that the success of the alliance's stabilization mission in Afghanistan was "vital". "Afghanistan remains our number one priority, and it is absolutely vital, both for the people of Afghanistan and for NATO, that we are successful," he said in a speech to the NATO parliamentary assembly meeting in Paris. He called on the members of the transatlantic alliance to "ensure that this operation continues to receive the full political and military support required to ensure its success." Meanwhile NATO's top general in Europe, General James Jones, told the same meeting that the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan is big enough for now to handle the threats it faces, ranging from Taliban insurgents to drugs cartels. He said the remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda forces overthrown in the U.S.-led invasion were not the only enemy. "Absolutely, we must tackle the narcotics problem," he said. Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of heroin and the drugs trade has been identified as one of the leading sources of funds behind the insurgency. (First Posted @ 15:00 PST Updated @ 19:54 PST)
Indonesia quake death toll nearly 5,700: official JAKARTA, May 30, 2006 (AFP) The death toll from the earthquake that rocked Indonesia's main island of Java at the weekend has risen to at least 5,698, the social affairs ministry said late Tuesday. The majority of those killed in Saturday's 6.3-magnitude quake -- 3,580 people -- lived in Bantul district, south of the central city of Yogyakarta. More than 1,660 others died in Klaten district, in Central Java province, the ministry said. The ministry had previously put the death toll from the catastrophe at 5,427. Officials at the ministry put the total number of injured at nearly 10,700, three-quarters of them seriously hurt. (First Posted @ 10:11 PST Updated @ 18:12 PST)
NAM backs Iran, condemns Israel's "brutal" occupation KUALA LUMPUR, May 30, 2006 (AFP) The 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on Tuesday backed Iran in the standoff over its nuclear ambitions and condemned Israel for its "brutal" occupation of Palestinian lands. The communiqué issued by the grouping of mostly developing nations after two-day talks in Malaysia said "the ministers reaffirmed the basic and inalienable right of all states to develop, research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes". "Any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities -- operational or under construction -- poses a great danger to human beings and the environment, and constitutes a grave violation to international law," it added. The grouping condemned Israel for its military campaign "which has resulted in the continued killing and injury of Palestinian civilians by use of excessive and indiscriminate force, targeted attacks and extra-judicial executions." It added that "the ministers expressed their deep regret that the Palestinian people continue to suffer under the prolonged and brutal Israel military occupation of their land since 1967 and continue to be denied their fundamental human rights."(Posted @ 17:52 PST)
China, India sign military accord BEIJING, May 30, 2006 (AFP) China and India signed an agreement Tuesday to expand defence ties, the Chinese foreign ministry said, in a deal that is expected to see the neighbours conduct more military training exercises. The memorandum of understanding was signed during a visit by Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told reporters. The agreement would aim to develop a "strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity between India and China," and enhance trust between their two militaries, the ministry said. Mukherjee held meetings with his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Monday, then met with Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday. During his five-day trip, Mukherjee will also visit military bases in Beijing and Shanghai as well as in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest China's Gansu province, the Indian embassy said.(Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Pakistan, India open talks on terrorism, drugs and prisoners ISLAMABAD, May 30, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan and India opened talks in Islamabad Tuesday on combating terrorism and drugs trafficking as well as on practicalities for the exchange of civilian prisoners, officials said. In a goodwill measure between the nuclear-armed rivals ahead of the two days of talks, India released 59 Pakistani fishermen before Islamabad reciprocated freeing 71 Indians. Indian Home Secretary V. K. Duggal told reporters after his arrival in Islamabad late Monday that the two sides would finalise a Memorandum of Understanding on increased cooperation in curbing drug-trafficking. (Posted @ 17:46 PST)
Iran says may talk if U.S. "changes behaviour" PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, May 30 (Reuters) Iran said on Tuesday it might resume direct talks with the United States over its nuclear programme provided Washington changed its behaviour. "For the time being, we have suspended direct talks (with the United States). After a change of their behaviour we may consider again," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said. Speaking after attending a meeting of non-aligned states in Malaysia, Mottaki told reporters Iran was open to talks with other parties but would not accept any pre-conditions. Meanwhile the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday that it would welcome direct talks between the United States and Iran, but it is for Washington and Tehran to decide. "If you ask me if I would be happy if that took place, I would say 'Yes'," he told lawmakers. (Posted @ 17:25 PST)
EU court rules airline data deal with US illegal BRUSSELS, May 30 (Reuters) The European Union acted illegally when it agreed to transfer airline passenger data to the United States as part of U.S. efforts to fight terrorism, the bloc's highest court said on Tuesday. Under a May 2004 EU-U.S. agreement, European airlines have been obliged to give U.S. authorities 34 items of information on passengers flying to the United States, including name, address, all forms of payment and contact telephone numbers. The European Court of Justice ruled that the EU Council of Ministers' decision to sign the agreement lacked an adequate legal basis. It gave the European Commission and member states four months to find a solution by maintaining the legality of the decision to sign the agreement until Sept. 30 "for reasons of legal certainty". The court did not rule out on the lawmakers' claims that the agreement infringed on passengers' privacy rights.(Posted @ 17:18 PST)
President Musharraf telephones Indonesian counterpart to express support ISLAMABAD, May 30 (APP) : President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday called his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono to express Pakistan's grief and total support in the wake of last weekend's earthquake that claimed more than 5000 lives and caused widespread destruction in the Java province. He informed Yodhoyono that another consignment of relief goods worth US dollars one million was on its way to Indonesia. The Indonesian President expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Iran says willing to negotiate on some centrifuges TEHRAN, May 30 (Reuters) Iran said on Tuesday it was willing to negotiate the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges it uses for research, but stressed it would not stop running the devices entirely as the U.N. Security Council has called for. The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi were the clearest sign so far that Iran could curb some centrifuge work to try to defuse a standoff which could lead to sanctions or even military action against the Islamic Republic. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST Updated @ 16:48 PST)
Italy won't turn its back on Iraq, says minister NASSIRIYA, Iraq, May 30 (Reuters) Italy will redouble its efforts to help the reconstruction of Iraq even after withdrawing its troops this year, new Defence Minister Arturo Parisi said on Tuesday. "The withdrawal does not mean we are turning our back on the Iraqis," Parisi said during his first visit to Italy's military contingent in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya. "Italy's commitment will proceed through strengthened political, civil and humanitarian assistance, and support for (Iraq's) institutions and the reconstruction of the country." However, Parisi said it was too early to say whether Italy would keep civilians in Iraq after its soldiers had left.(Posted @ 16:46 PST)
Suspected Taliban kill three aid workers in Afghanistan MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, May 30 (Reuters) Suspected Taliban guerrillas on Tuesday shot dead three Afghan women working for a Western aid agency in northern Afghanistan, a provincial official said. The women from Action Aid were travelling in a car to the northeast of Shiberghan, the capital of Jowzjan province, when they were attacked by militants on motorbikes. Their driver was also killed. The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment.(Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Top Indian court tells students to end quota strike NEW DELHI, May 30 (Reuters) India's Supreme Court on Tuesday directed thousands of medical students, interns and junior doctors to end a strike against higher college quotas for lower castes, saying patients were suffering. Citing earlier judgements, the court warned doctors they could face contempt charges if they failed to comply.(Posted @ 16:40 PST)
12 Sri Lankan workers killed execution-style COLOMBO, May 30, 2006 (AFP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels lined up and shot dead 12 construction workers in an execution style massacre in the island's restive eastern province, the military said Tuesday. A total of 14 construction workers from the majority Sinhalese community had been taken away by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels and shot on Monday, a military official said. The attackers had also torched a tractor and a motorcycle used by the workers. The report of the massacre came as the European Union banned the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).(Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Three Bosnian Serbs jailed for up to 14 years for war crimes BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Hercegovina, May 30, 2006 (AFP) A Bosnian Serb court sentenced three former Serb soldiers to a total of 36 years' prison for killing and torturing Muslim civilians during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, an official said Tuesday. The court found the three former guards in a wartime detention camp guilty of murdering two Muslims: Omer Filipovic and Esad Bende, who had been detained in the camp, a court official said. The court also concluded that "from June until August 1992, as guards in the detention camp of Manjaca, they tortured and psychologically abused prisoners, mostly non-Serbs," the official added. Zeljko Bulatovic, 46, and Sinisa Teodorovic, 35, were sentenced to 14 and 12 years respectively. Zoran Gajic, 42, was sentenced to a 10-year term.(Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Malaysia captures 12 militants KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Reuters) Malaysian police have captured 12 militants, most of them from Indonesia, who are suspected to have planned terrorist attacks in the region, a local newspaper said on Tuesday. The dozen men were arrested recently after six months of police surveillance in the Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo island, the daily said, quoting unnamed sources. Malaysia's police special branch were not immediately available for comment. Indonesia welcomed the report on Tuesday, saying it would help weaken militant networks in the region.(Posted @ 14:42 PST)
Japan approves US troop pullout TOKYO, May 30 (AFP) - The Japanese cabinet Tuesday approved an agreement with Washington to pull 8,000 of the more than 40,000 US troops from Japan, shifting them from the southern island of Okinawa to the US territory of Guam. However, it skirted over intense controversies over both how much it should pay for the move and the status of a key US air base.(Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Pakistani tribal chief killed near Afghan border TANK, Pakistan, May 30 (Reuters) - Masked gunmen shot dead a pro-government tribal elder and wounded two people in Waziristan region on the Afghan border, officials said Tuesday. Five gunmen ambushed Mehr Dil Khan as he was travelling in a van to Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, killing him and wounding two other passengers on Monday. "It was a targetted killing as he was a government supporter and a member of the region's council," they said.(Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Seven Palestinians killed, Israeli ground troops in Gaza GAZA CITY, May 30 (AFP) - Seven Palestinian militants were killed Tuesday by Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip where troops took part in a first ground operation since pulling out of the territory last year. Four Palestinians, including three militants from Islamic Jihad, died in an Israeli helicopter attack in the north of the Gaza Strip, near the town of Beit Lahiya. Nine Palestinians were also wounded. Israeli military confirmed the Gaza strike and said an infantry unit had been engaged in the combat. In separate incidents in the northern West Bank two members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were killed while exchanging gunfire with Israeli forces at Kabatiya, near Tulkarem and the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. A third man, a member of Islamic Jihad's armed Al-Quds Brigade, died during an Israeli incursion at Kabatiya. Three other Al-Quds militants were wounded.(First Posted @ 10:05 PST Updated @ 12:40 PST)
Bomb blast near Greek Minister's home, no injured ATHENS, May 30 (Reuters) - A powerful bomb exploded near the home of Greek Culture Minister George Voulgarakis on Tuesday,wrecking cars, but causing no injuries, police said. "It happened just before he left for work, he was still at home. It was really strong, it was aimed at Voulgarakis," a police official said.(Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Geelani urges people to raise voice against immorality New Delhi, May 30 (APP): Senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in a statement Tuesday appealed to the people of occupied Kashmir to unite and raise their voice against immorality and sale and purchase of liqour. Meanwhile, in an interview to a private TV channel, Geelani termed the Kashmir situation as grim and added that "prominent citizens were being harassed" in Sopore. Despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's announcement (maximum restraint, minimum discomfort to innocent people) no change in the ground situation has been witnessed, he observed. Defending his decision of rejecting the invitation for the just-concluded round table, Geelani said: "we did not attend the conference as there appears no serious talks to resolve Kashmir issue in the meet".(Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Indian subcontinent a major worry in AIDS pandemic: UN report GENEVA, May 30 (AFP) - The Indian subcontinent is a major cause of concern in the global AIDS epidemic, with India alone accounting for two-thirds of HIV cases in the whole of Asia, according to a new report by the United Nations released Tuesday. India has overtaken South Africa as the country with the most people living with the HIV virus. It has 5.7 million known HIV cases to South Africa’s 7.7 million. Drug use was at the core of the problem in Pakistan, said UNAIDS. "The country will need to improve its prevention efforts if it is to avoid serious HIV outbreaks", it said adding that only two percent of HIV-infected people in Pakistan were receiving antiretroviral drugs. Elsewhere in the region, an estimated 75,000 people -- 0.5 of adults -- were HIV-infected in Nepal. In Bangladesh, HIV rates remained low -- 11,000 people, or 0.1 percent of adults; and in Sri Lanka, around 5,000 people were estimated to be living with HIV, or less than 0.1 percent of adults.(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 128.80 points: KARACHI, May 30:At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10118.80 ,down 128.80 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, May 30: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.65 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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