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| May 31, 2006 | Wednesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, India agree to expedite prisoner releases ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan and India on Wednesday agreed to speed up the release of prisoners as they ended two days of talks on fighting crime. Senior officials from the two countries met in Islamabad and agreed to release by June 30 civilian prisoners who have completed their prison terms and whose nationality has been verified and been granted consular access. There are 472 Pakistani prisoners in India while 543 Indians are being held by Pakistan, including 434 fishermen, said Syed Kamal Shah, the head of Pakistani delegation. It was not immediately clear how many of those prisoners would be due for release by the end of June. In a joint statement, the two sides also agreed to the early release of inadvertent border crossers, minors, senior citizens and disabled persons who are not involved in any specific case. The officials also discussed human trafficking and drugs, and reiterated their commitment to fight terrorism. The head of the Indian delegation claimed there had been ``a lot of movement forward'' in the two days of talks. ``If we can leap forward two steps or four steps we must do. If you go through the joint statement you will see there is a lot movement forward,'' he said. (First Posted @ 18:54 PST Updated @ 22:02 PST)
Government committed towards development: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday said the government was committed to development of the country with dignity and equity, without any compromises on national sovereignty. In his opening remarks at the National Economic Council meeting here, he said trade diplomacy, integrating with regional and global economic blocs including ASEAN, ACD, SCO, ECO, SAARC, D-8, along with FTA pacts were helping Pakistan to promote its trade and economic ties. He said the agenda to increase the budgetary allocation for social sectors, village electrification, clean drinking water and gas provision was also at the top. He also said the government was moving towards e-government by placing all major policies and decisions on the web. He said in the year 2005-06, agriculture contributed 0.55 per cent, Industry 1.54 per cent and Services 4.51 per cent in growth. He said poverty reduced from 34.46 in 2000-01 to 23.9 percent in 2004-05. According to him, urban poverty declined from 22.7 to 14.9 percent and rural poverty declined from 39.26 to 28.1 percent. He stressed that the government spent Rs. 1332 billion on poverty related sectors over the last 5 years. He said the per capita income rose from $742 to $847 registering a growth of 14.1 percent. He said 5.82 million jobs were created in 18 months until December 2005 bringing the unemployment rate down from 8.3 in 2001-02 to 6.5 percent during July-December 2005. He said the private sector investment grew by 31.6% while public sector investment rose by 46.7% and exports were up by 17.8% and imports by 40.4% during first ten months. He said the total foreign private investment has pitched at $3.376 billion during first ten months of the fiscal year. He said inflation averaged 8.0% during the first ten months. He said public debt as percentage of GDP is estimated to decline from 85% in 1999-00 to 54.7% in 2005-06.(Posted @ 22:28 PST)
Taliban kill, kidnap dozens of Afghan police KABUL, May 31 (Reuters) Taliban fighters killed at least a dozen Afghan police and abducted up to 40 in two separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, while U.S.-led forces launched an offensive in a nearby province, officials said on Wednesday. In Zabul province, a senior police official, Mohammad Rasoul, was killed and four other people, including two senior provincial officials, were wounded after the Taliban hit their car with a rocket on Tuesday night. An official said more than 10 policemen were killed in the Taliban assault. The raid in Zabul came hours after the Taliban attacked a police base in Chora district of neighbouring Uruzgan province and abducted up to 40 policemen, an official in Kabul said. A Taliban spokesman claimed they had taken the policemen hostage in a telephone call to the press. He said militants had killed 12 police in the attack before kidnapping the others. Separately, coalition and Afghan troops on Wednesday scoured villages for Taliban in several areas of Ghazni province, the region's governor said. Coalition forces captured six suspected Taliban fighters, but there were no reports of fighting, he added. A coalition spokesman could not be contacted for comment. Meanwhile, the capital Kabul was calm on Wednesday following anti-U.S. riots two days earlier, in which at least seven Afghans were killed. A night curfew has been in place in the city, and Afghan troops were patrolling the streets. (First Posted @ 12:25 PST Updated @ 19:15 PST)
Bush vows punishment if laws broken in Haditha WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) President George W. Bush on Wednesday said if an investigation turns up evidence of wrongdoing by U.S. Marines in the killings of civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha, those involved will punished. "I am troubled by the initial news stories," Bush said after a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. "I am mindful there is a thorough investigation going on. If in fact laws were broken there will be punishment."(Posted @ 22:34 PST)
Iranian, Zimbabwean get top human rights award GENEVA, May 31 (Reuters) An Iranian journalist and a Zimbabwean lawyer, both strong critics of their countries' governments, were named on Wednesday 2006 winners of one of the world's top human rights prizes. The jury of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, in a statement issued in Geneva, named the two as Akbar Ganji, currently on conditional release from jail, and Arnold Tsunga, also now out of prison on bail. Ganji, the citation said, served six years on charges of collecting information harmful to Iran's national security. Tsunga, director of Zimbabwe Layers for Human Rights, was constantly harassed and threatened as well as being frequently arrested "for representing victims of human rights violations", the citation declared.(Posted @ 22:06 PST)
31 injured in attack on two Kashmir tourist buses NEW DELHI, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Thirty-one people were wounded Wednesday in grenade attacks at two tourist buses in Srinagar, police said. The blasts, which took place about 10 minutes apart, sparked panic in the area as people ran for cover. No group claimed responsibility for any of the attacks. (First Posted @ 18:56 PST Updated @ 22:04 PST)
Afghan refugee meeting agrees to shut three Pakistan camps DOHA, May 31, 2006 (AFP) UN, Afghan and Pakistani officials meeting in Doha have decided to close three camps for Afghan refugees in Pakistan amid ongoing efforts to help repatriate refugees, officials said Wednesday. The Tripartite Commission, which groups Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), also agreed to hold further talks on increasing the repatriation grant for refugees, said a statement issued after the meeting. "One of the most important decisions was to close the camps of Girdi Jungle and Pir Alizai in Balochistan and Kacha Gari in North West Frontier Province as part of the program to reorganize Afghan refugees remaining in Pakistan," the UNHCR's external relations chief for the Gulf, Mamun Mohsen, said. The facilities will be closed in July, he said. The statement said the commission, which began its 10th meeting in the Qatari capital Tuesday, also agreed that the closure of Jallozai camp in North West Frontier Province would be postponed to 2007 and included within a three-year plan being prepared by the Pakistani government. There are some 2.55 million Afghan refugees remaining in Pakistan and approximately 960,000 in Iran.(Posted @ 22:02 PST)
Religious, general education be given equal importance: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday said religious and general education should be given equal importance but at the same time there should be no compromise on traditions and values. Addressing the concluding session of a two-day National Education Conference organised by Ministry of Education here at the National Library, he said the budget for the education would be increased by 29 per cent in the next budget. He further said the curriculum should be improved and reviewed.(Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Unknown miscreants blow up railway track in Balochistan DERA MURAD JAMALI May 31-(PPI): Some unknown miscreants here in Balochistan blew up a railway track with an explosive device halting all train traffic from Karachi to Quetta. Railway sources said the bomb was planted on a track between Dera Murad Jamali and Nowtal area that blew up at least six feet of railway line. The sources said that the Bolan Express heading to Quetta from Karachi had luckily passed by the same track only a few minutes before the explosion and narrowly escaped the disaster. Railway officials reached the site and repair works were underway.(Posted @ 20:38 PST)
900 kilo WWII mine found in Ukrainian port SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine, May 31, 2006 (AFP) A 900 kilogramme German mine dating from World War II has been discovered in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol, only a few hundred metres from an oil storage tank, officials said on Wednesday. The authorities plan to tow the mine out to sea and detonate it on Thursday after people living within a 1.6-kilometer (mile) radius have been evacuated.(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Saddam prosecutor on defensive over bribe claims BAGHDAD, May 31, 2006 (AFP) The chief prosecutor in the trial of Saddam Hussein was forced to defend himself in court Wednesday against accusations he had fabricated the case. And for a second time since the trial opened in October 2005, the judge ordered Saddam's half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, out of the court after they argued over the judge's ethnic origins. Defense witnesses have accused prosecutor Jaafar al-Mussawi of coaching witnesses and offering bribes if they testified against Saddam. "He gave me 500 dollars and they threatened me if I ever told anyone about it," one witness said of Mussawi. "They wanted me to give false testimony against Saddam Hussein in an American military base in March or April 2004," added the anonymous witness. At the start of the latest hearing, the defense showed a video of a man said to be Mussawi attending an anti-Saddam rally sponsored by several of the complainant witnesses in Dujail. Mussawi denied he had ever been in Dujail and produced in court an official from the Dawa party, who looks like the prosecutor and had himself attended the rally. Later witnesses reiterated accusations that many of the supposed victims of the Dujail massacre were alive and well or had died of natural causes. And another witness still insisted the prosecutor had been to Dujail. The trial was adjourned until June 5.(Posted @ 20:02 PST)
US conditionally ready to join Iran nuclear talks: Rice WASHINGTON, May 31, 2006 (AFP) The United States, in a policy shift, is ready to directly join talks on Iran's nuclear program if Tehran suspends all uranium enrichment activities, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday. Rice made the offer of the first substantive talks with Iran since diplomatic relations were broken off 26 years ago as she prepared to leave for a crucial meeting of world powers in Vienna on Tehran's nuclear program. "To underscore our commitment to a diplomatic solution and to enhance the prospects for success, as soon as Iran fully and verifiably suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities, the United States will come to the table with our EU-3 colleagues and meet with Iran's representatives," she said in prepared remarks.(Posted @ 19:58 PST)
East Timor violence returns as rebels reject move DILI, May 31, 2006 (AFP) East Timor's rebel leader on Wednesday rejected an agreement designed to end days of violence in the tiny nation and demanded the sacking of the country's embattled prime minister. As gang violence and arson attacks again broke out across the capital Dili, Major Alfredo Reinado said President Xanana Gusmao made a "mistake" Tuesday by assuming emergency powers but not sacking Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. Reinado spoke from his base outside Dili, where he is holed up with nearly half the 1,400-strong military, who were sacked by Alkatiri after going on strike over alleged discrimination against troops from the west of the nation. On Wednesday, gangs moved towards the airport in the late afternoon where they set fire to a roadside market. International troops arrived in about 10 armoured personnel carriers to disarm the youths and re-open the airport road. A block of homes and shops in Becora was torched before dawn. Many houses were unoccupied as frightened locals have been spending the nights in shelters.(Posted @ 19:20 PST)
EU inks Sri Lanka rebel ban, urges end to killings COLOMBO, May 31 (Reuters) The European Union on Wednesday formalised a ban of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, and urged both the rebels and the island's government to halt a rash of killings that are threatening to plunge the island back into civil war. The ban by the 25-nation bloc, which was agreed behind closed doors in Brussels on Monday, will freeze the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) funds and assets in member states as well as prohibit the provision of financial services to them. "The EU still sees a need for the LTTE to amend its violent course and return to peace talks," Austria, current EU president, said in a statement on behalf of the bloc. "The EU stresses that its decision is directed at the LTTE and not at the Tamil people." "The upsurge of violence is not caused by the LTTE alone," it added. "The EU strongly urges the Sri lankan authorities to curb violence in government-controlled areas. The EU notes with concern the growing number of reports of extrajudicial killings."(Posted @ 19:18 PST)
Iraqi PM declares state of emergency in Basra BASRA, Iraq, May 31 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for a month in Basra. "We hope after this month that we will come back to Basra and see that the situation has improved a lot," Maliki told reporters. Security forces will be deployed in the streets of Basra day and night and they will also conduct search operations, a government source said, giving more details. Maliki earlier vowed to crack down with an "iron fist" on gangs threatening security in an address broadcast live on television. (First Posted @ 15:20 PST Updated @ 19:12 PST)
U.S., Vietnam sign trade deal to put Hanoi in WTO HO CHI MINH CITY, May 31 (Reuters) Former enemies Vietnam and the United States solidified peacetime ties by signing a new trade deal on Wednesday in the historic palace where communist tanks ended the war in 1975. Vietnamese and American trade officials signed the pact, which will open the Southeast Asian country's markets in virtually every sector, in the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. It paves the way for one-party Vietnam to enter the World Trade Organisation this year, 11 years after it began applying.(Posted @ 18:58 PST)
US probe finds Haditha victims were shot WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) U.S. military officials say the killing of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha in November appears to have been an unprovoked attack by U.S. Marines, after an investigation found the victims died of gunshot wounds, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. The findings of the investigation contradicted Marines' claims that the civilians were victims of a roadside bomb, the newspaper said. The Times report, citing an unidentified senior military official in Iraq, said the investigation in February and March led by Col. Gregory Watt, an Army officer in Baghdad, uncovered death certificates showing the Iraqis were shot mostly in the head and chest. In an interview with CNN, new Iraqi ambassador to the United States Samir al-Sumaidaie said there appeared to have been other killings of civilians by Marines in Haditha, where some of his family lives. The ambassador said Marines shot and killed his cousin during a house-to-house search several months before the November incident. He said three other unarmed youths were shot dead by Marines in a later incident in the area. "They were in a car, they were unarmed, I believe, and they were shot." Watt's investigation also reviewed cash payments totalling $38,000 made within weeks of the November shootings to families of victims, The New York Times said.(Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Indian troops kill three in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Indian troops have killed three alleged militants during a two-day gunbattle in occupied Kashmir’s Tral town, the army said Wednesday. The army said a fourth militant was trapped inside the hideout that was raided Tuesday evening by heavily-armed soldiers after a tip-off. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Global media bodies condemn killing of Pakistani TV cameraman KARACHI, May 31, 2006 (AFP) International media watch groups Wednesday strongly condemned the killing this week of a Pakistani cameraman while he was covering a tribal feud in southern Sindh province for a local television. Munir Ahmed Sangi, 30, who worked for Sindhi language Kawish Television Network (KTN), was killed on Monday while covering an armed clash between rival tribes in the town of Larkana, police said. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded an investigation into the incident. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which represents some 500,000 media professionals in over 110 countries, described it as a targeted killing. Pakistan's journalistic community in Karachi, Larkana and some other cities also held demonstrations after the killing and demanded the arrest of Sangi's killers.(Posted @ 16:08 PST)
Three German women suspected of plotting suicide attacks held BERLIN, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Three German women who converted to Islam have been apprehended in Germany for expressing the desire in Internet chat-rooms to stage suicide attacks in Iraq or Pakistan, local media reported Wednesday. The daily Der Tagesspiegel quoted a high-ranking security expert as saying that German authorities had managed in recent weeks to stop the women from leaving the country. It said that two of the women planned to take their babies with them on suicide missions in Pakistan or against US troops in Iraq. The women in their late 20s to 40s became radicalized under the influence of their extremist spouses and in repeated visits to ‘radical’ chatrooms, the expert was quoted as saying. Investigators are reportedly probing whether the women had contact with the Iraqi extremist organization Ansar al-Islam.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Germany worried about situation in Afghanistan: defence minister BERLIN, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Germany is worried about the situation in northern Afghanistan, where its troops will on Thursday take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Defence Minister Franz-Joseph Jung said on Wednesday. "There are ambushes by the Taliban in the north. This is what we are worried about," Jung told a television channel. "The south and the east are more dangerous but intervention in the north is not without risks and we will have to examine the situation with care." Jung said Germany was also concerned about an increase in "terrorist attacks". He declined to speculate about a date for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.(Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Troops in Afghanistan fired in self-defence: coalition KABUL, May 31, 2006 (AFP) The US-led coalition in Afghanistan said Wednesday an initial investigation showed that troops opened fire in "self-defence" this week after a deadly traffic accident that set off widespread rioting. Afghan officials had told the coalition that 20 people were killed and 160 wounded in the accident and subsequent rioting that engulfed the city Monday, a coalition spokesman said, giving a new toll for the day's events. The crowd had gathered after a heavy US military truck lost control and ploughed into several vehicles at the northern entrance to the city during rush hour. The mob "became increasingly hostile, throwing rocks and threatening US forces", the spokesman said. "There are indications that coalition soldiers did in fact use their weapons in self-defence," he said, adding that it was not clear who had fired first. The spokesman said the driver of the 60,000-pound truck was not arrested.(Posted @ 15:52 PST)
UN probe finds no evidence Milosevic poisoned THE HAGUE, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic died of natural causes, an official UN probe confirmed Wednesday, saying there was no evidence he was poisoned or committed suicide. The report by the UN court in The Hague which was trying Milosevic on war crimes when he died March 11 said the arrangement allowing him to conduct his own defence "compromised security" that allowed him to get unprescribed medicines. However it added that "proper care" was taken by the tribunal in providing Milosevic with medical attention.(Posted @ 15:46 PST)
Two die in protest at occupied Kashmir boat tragedy SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Two people were killed Wednesday when Indian soldiers opened fire during a protest at a Kashmiri lake where 20 children and two adults died in a boat tragedy, witnesses and the army said.According to one witness, soldiers opened fire when villagers attacked an army patrol with sticks near Watlab army camp on the shores of Wular Lake, about 70 kilometres north of Srinagar. The incident, in which two people were also injured, came after divers had pulled another five bodies from the lake where an Indian navy boat giving school children a ride had capsized Tuesday. The bodies of 15 children and two school staff were recovered Tuesday from Wular. Locals alleged that two sailors in charge of the vessel had jumped out before it sank. The army denied that it opened fire at the demonstrators, saying soldiers had responded after coming under attack. (First Posted @ 10:43 PST Updated @ 15:45 PST)
Diana crash investigator says has fresh evidence LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) The detective leading a British investigation into the death of Princess Diana says he has found new witnesses and fresh evidence about the fatal car crash in a Paris road tunnel in 1997. Sir John Stevens, a former chief of London's Metropolitan police who is heading an inquiry into the crash, refused to give any detail, but said: "We've got new witnesses and new forensic evidence". Stevens was speaking during an interview at a literary festival in southern England where he is launching a book. His comments were reported in British media on Wednesday. A spokeswoman at London's Scotland Yard police headquarters said she had nothing to add to Stevens' comments at this stage."The inquiry is ongoing," she said. According to newspaper reports of his comments, Stevens said his team had completely dismantled the Mercedes car involved in the crash as part of his investigation. He also said he would deal with each and every conspiracy theory.(Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Iran to build two more nuclear plants, seeks bids TEHRAN, May 31 (Reuters) Iran plans to build two 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactors and will solicit bids within the next two months, a senior official said on Wednesday. The tender will be open to domestic and international firms. "We want to build two nuclear power plants through an international tender," said Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation. He did not say where the reactors would be located.(Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Missile hits Gaza City GAZA, May 31 (Reuters) An Israeli missile hit an open area in Gaza City on Wednesday, causing no casualties, Palestinian medics said. The Israeli army had no immediate comment.(Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Rockets fired on Pakistani security posts in tribal region WANA, Pakistan, May 31, 2006 (AFP) Unknown persons fired 80 rockets and mortars at four security check posts overnight in South Waziristan's Shakai tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of any casualties while authorities said they had launched a search operation in that area from where the bulk of the rockets were fired late Tuesday. Officials said two soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in a separate incident in Shakai early Wednesday.(Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Artillery duels rock northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, May 31, 2006 (AFP) - Heavy artillery exchanges rocked northern Sri Lanka Wednesday, a day after the government ruled out military action to resolve a long-running ethnic conflict following a European ban on Tiger rebels. The rebel TTE) and the military exchanged artillery and mortar bomb attacks along the Muhamalai front line in the Jaffna peninsula, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website said. There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side.(Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Election campaign starts in Azad Kashmir MIRPUR , May 31 (APP): Formal election campaign by political parties and independent candidates has started for the forthcoming elections to the Azad Kashmir legislative assembly. Prominent among the political parties contesting the polls for the 41 seats include the ruling Muslim Conference, electoral alliance comprising the sitting opposition PPP-AJK, PP-JK and MMA-AJK, the allianace comprising various religious parties including Jamaat-e-Islami,Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the alliance comprising recently-formed Peoples Muslim League (PML) and Pakistan Muslim League Jammu Kashmir.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Maharashtra Govt identifies three properties in Mumbai for Pak consulate- NEW DELHI, May 31 (APP): Maharashtra government has identified three properties in Mumbai for Pakistan to choose for opening its consulate, Press Trust of India reported. The information has been conveyed to Pakistan High Commission and a reply is awaited, it said. India and Pakistan had decided in April last year to reopen their consulates in Karachi and Mumbai respectively by January 1 this year. While India completed renovation work on its consulate building in Karachi, Pakistan identified a bungalow where it wanted to establish the consulate. However, as soon as it finalized the deal, it became the subject matter of litigation on behalf of the residents welfare association of the area. Initially, Pakistan had urged Indian government to allow it set up the consulate at Jinnah House.(Posted @ 12:40 PST)
42 bodies found in Iraq BAGHDAD, May 31 (Reuters) - Forty-two bodies have been found dumped in various parts of Baghdad over the last 24 hours, many of them shot, bound and showing signs of torture, police sources said. Meanwhile, gunmen killed a civilian and wounded two others on Tuesday night outside a mobile shop in Kirkuk, police said.(Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Arab League chief expresses worries over nuclear proliferation BEIJING, May 31 (AFP) - Arab League chief Amr Mussa expressed worries over nuclear weapon proliferation in the Middle East as foreign ministers from member states gathered in Beijing for a forum, state media reported Wednesday. "The goal (for) us is to establish a zone free from nuclear weapons in the Middle East," the Secretary General of the Arab League, told the official Xinhua news agency in an interview. "It is not a nuclear issue of Iran but a nuclear issue of the Middle East."(Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Foreign investment in Pakistan doubles at $2.2 billion in 2005: WB report WASHINGTON, May 31 (APP)- In Pakistan, privatization and resource-related FDI led to a doubling of foreign investment from $1.1 billion in 2004 to $2.2 billion in 2005, World Bank's 2006 Global Development Finance Report released Tuesday said. Pakistan's GDP growth in 2005 was estimated at 7.8 percent. The report adds that private capital flows to South Asia reached a record $23.6 billion in 2005, up from $9.7 billion in 2000. This growth was largely driven by India, which received the majority of capital flows to the region. GDP growth in South Asia in 2005 accelerated to an estimated 7.7 percent: 7.8 percent in Pakistan, 13.8 percent in Afghanistan, 8 percent in Bhutan, and 8 percent in India. GDP growth in Sri Lanka slowed to 4.1 percent. Slower growth in Bangladesh was tied to flooding, while political strife in Nepal cut into tourism, slowing GDP growth to 2.5 percent.(Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Iran's Khatami urges more oil money to Palestinians KUWAIT, May 31 (Reuters) - Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatam speaking at a meeting of the Islamic Development Bank called on Muslim oil-producing countries to give 1 percent of their oil revenues to the cash-strapped Palestinian government led by Hamas. Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have pledged funds totalling more than $200 million. But the Palestinian Authority cannot access the money because banks have balked at making the transfers, fearing sanctions by Washington. Khatami said the money from 1 percent of oil revenues would amount to between $2 billion and $3 billion and should be divided between donations and a long-term, interest-free loan.(Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 318.04 points: KARACHI, May 31: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 9800.69 ,down 318.04 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, May 31: 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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