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| June 08, 2006 | Thursday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 11, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Al-Qaeda's Zarqawi killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, June 8 (Reuters) Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed in a raid north of Baghdad, Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Zarqawi's death was a blow against al Qaeda everywhere. "Today Zarqawi has been terminated," Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced at a televised news conference attended by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General George Casey, and other senior officials. Casey said the body of Zarqawi had been identified and that details of his death would be revealed later on Thursday. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Zarqawi's death marked a "great success". But the ambassador and Casey cautioned that it will not end violence in the country. Jordanian intelligence helped in the operation that led to the killing of al Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on Thursday, a Jordanian spokesman claimed. The announcement of Zarqawi's death had an impact on oil prices. Crude futures were down more than one dollar to $69.82. Also on Thursday, Iraq's parliament approved Maliki's candidates for new defence and interior ministers. By a clear majority, it approved Jawad al-Bolani, as interior minister and General Abdel Qader Jassim, as defence minister.( First Posted @ 12:40 PST Updated @ 14:55 PST)
Zarqawi killed in joint US-Jordanian operation AMMAN, June 8, 2006 (AFP) - Al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed Wednesday in Baquba at 7:00 pm local Iraqi time (1500 GMT) in a joint operation involving the Jordanian intelligence during a joint US-Jordanian operation, a high-ranking Jordanian said Thursday. "It was a land operation with air cover," he added. According to the official, Jordanian-born Zarqawi was "presiding over a meeting of his terrorist group" at the time of the operation. "He died 10 minutes after the operation, along with eight to 10 of his partisans," the official added. He was identified by the agents who carried out the raid, who compared recent pictures of Zarqawi with the body, the official said.(Posted @ 19:28 PST)
India court charges Kashmiri leader Geelani with sedition JAMMU, occupied Kashmir, June 8 (Reuters) Syed Ali Shah Geelani, head of a breakaway faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, has been charged with sedition by an Indian court in occupied Kashmir and ordered into police custody five years after an arrest warrant was issued. Police said Geelani was arrested on Wednesday on arriving in Poonch, a town 144 km northwest of Jammu. Geelani's supporters staged protests in Srinagar on Thursday, and his party called for a strike on Friday. "Geelani is the most influential and trusted leader in Kashmir. His arrest is an undemocratic act and demonstrates the high handedness of authorities," said a party statement.(Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Iran continuing uranium enrichment - IAEA VIENNA, June 8, 2006 (AFP) - Iran is continuing uranium enrichment as well as building new production lines for the centrifuge machines that carry out the sensitive nuclear work, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday in a report obtained by AFP. "On June 6, 2006, (Iran) started feeding UF6 (uranium gas) into the 164-machine cascade (line of centrifuges). Iran is continuing its installation work on other 164-machine cascades," said the report from Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the IAEA. The report said there had in fact been no pause in enrichment since the first batch of uranium was enriched in April, since Iran had carried out testing with two single centrifuges before re-loading the 164-machine centrifuge Tuesday.(Posted @ 21:48 PST)
13 Indian Maoists, one villager killed in gun battles with police RAIPUR, India, June 8 (AFP) - At least 13 Indian Maoist rebels and one villager were killed in gun battles with police on Thursday in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, senior state officials said. At least 10 Maoists were killed in the state's Dantewada district, 500 kilometres from the state capital Raipur, state police chief O.P. Rathod said.One villager, who was taken hostage by the Maoists with a group of up to 40 people, was also killed when security personnel launched a rescue operation, he said. The other villagers were rescued. Five Maoists were injured in the shootout and were taken to a hospital, Rathod said. In a separate gun battle, three Maoists were killed in the state's Sargodha district, Chhattisgarh state home minister Ram Vichar Netam said. Maoists have control of 10 of Chhattisgarh's 16 impoverished districts.(Posted @ 21:38 PST)
Strauss to captain England as Flintoff misses one-day series LONDON, June 8(AFP) - Andrew Strauss will take over from Andrew Flintoff as England captain for the up-coming one-day matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka, it was announced Thursday. Flintoff was told to rest for at least four weeks while he recovers from an ankle injury. Five players uncapped at international level have been named in the squad including Tim Bresnan, Glen Chapple, James Dalrymple, Ed Joyce and Alex Loudon. A sixth, Alastair Cook, has yet to make his ODI debut. Squad: Andrew Strauss (Middlesex), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Glen Chapple (Lancashire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), James Dalrymple (Middlesex), Stephen Harmison (Durham), Geraint Jones (Kent), Ed Joyce (Middlesex), Alex Loudon (Warwickshire), Sajid Mahmood(Lancashire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Marcus Trescothick (Somerset).(Posted @ 21:36 PST)
PM announces security ministries BAGHDAD, June 8 (APP/AFP) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Thursday named Jawad Polani as interior minister, Abdel Qader al-Obeidi as defense minister and Shirwan al-Waili to head national security.(Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Pakistan cognizant of its defence requirements: PM ISLAMABAD, Jun 8 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday said that Pakistan is a peaceful nation but is at the same time cognizant of its defence requirements and will continue to strengthen its armed forces. Talking to Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Ehsan ul Haq who called on him at the Prime Minister House Shaukat Aziz said that the defence of the country has been made impregnable by adequate funding over the last few years and this will ensure peace in the region. He said the government would continue to equip the armed forces with the latest technology and equipment. General Ehsan apprised the Prime Minister of his visit to Singapore where he had gone to attend the Regional Security Forum.(Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan leave out injured Shoaib for England tour KARACHI, June 8 (Reuters) - Pakistan left out injured fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar from a 16-member touring squad announced on Thursday for the test series in England, and recalled pacer Shahid Nazir. Also recalled was pacer Mohammad Sami who has been sidelined since the tests against India in January. Akhtar, Pakistan's most experienced bowler in contemporary cricket with 165 test and 199 one-day wickets, was not considered because of a stress fracture of the ankle. Medical experts told the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)to rest him for six weeks before he resumes bowling. Nazir, 28, has played eight tests and 17 one-day internationals but his last test appearance was in March 1999 against Sri Lanka. He went to India and the West Indies last year but did not play a single match. The first match of the four-test series against England starts at Lord's on July 13. Pakistan have not lost a test series in England since 1987. Pakistan squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Nazir, Umar Gul, Rana Naved, Mohammad Asif, Danish Kaneria.(Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Car bomb kills 7, wounds 17 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, June 8 (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in Baghdad on Thursday, killing seven people and wounding 17 others, police said. The blast hit the northwestern Shi'ite district of Kadhimiya, police said. No more details were immediately available.(Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Election authorities in Pakistani Kashmir reject pro-independence candidates MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, June 8 (AP) _ Election authorities in Azad Kashmir on Thursday rejected nomination papers from two parties in local polls from July 11 because they advocate independence for the divided Himalayan territory, officials and candidates said. The two parties are :Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and little-known United Kashmir People's National Party. ``We cannot accept your papers because you negate the ideology of the state's accession to Pakistan,'' election official Mian Arif Hussain said as he returned nomination papers to Zahoor Ahmed Butt, one of the JKLF's 37 proposed candidates for the 41 seats to be contested. Butt vowed to appeal against the decision in the court.``On the Indian side, we are asked to accept the state's accession to India and on Pakistani side we are said to accept state accession to Pakistan. Both the countries are the same when the question of independent Kashmir comes up,'' Butt said outside the election office. In November 2004, Sikander Hayat, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir, had told journalists that the election law would be amended to allow participation by pro-independence parties.(Posted @ 19:46 PST)
India to modernise another 35 airports at cost of 1.7 bln dollars NEW DELHI, June 8 (AFP) - India's cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal to upgrade airports at 35 major cities at a cost of nearly 1.7 billion dollars. Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters work was likely to begin next year and be completed by 2009 in three phases. Among the airports to be upgraded are those in the tourist cities of Goa, Jaipur, Amritsar, the Taj Mahal town of Agra, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.(Posted @ 19:44 PST)
Five police killed in southern Thai bomb RUE SO, Thailand, June 8 (AFP) - At least five policemen were killed and two seriously injured Thursday when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in restive southern Thailand, police said. The 15-kilo bomb exploded at the foot of a bridge. The bomb was hidden in a fire extinguisher and placed on the road.(Posted @ 19:42 PST)
Sri Lanka violence kills 19 as Oslo talks get under way COLOMBO, June 8 (AFP) - Violence surged in Sri Lanka with at least 19 people reported killed on Thursday as high-level talks opened in Oslo between Colombo and Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said. Two separate mine blasts killed an army officer and two civilians, defence officials said. They said Tiger rebels had also clashed with a breakaway faction in the northeastern district of Trincomalee, leaving at least 15 guerrillas dead. Another man was shot dead in the same district Thursday, police said. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Al-Qaeda confirms Zarqawi death: website PARIS, June 8 (AFP) - The Al-Qaeda terror network confirmed Thursday the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, its frontman in Iraq, in a statement published on a website. "We announce the martyrdom of our sheikh, fighter Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," said a statement attributed to the "information department of the mujahedeen consultative council." His death "would only reinforce our determination to pursue 'jihad', the statement said. The group promised Al-Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden that "his soldiers in Al-Qaeda in Iraq will continue on the path forged by our sheikh Abu Musab." The statement was signed by the "deputy emir" of the group, Abu Adel Rahman al-Iraqi. The statement's authenticity could not be immediately verified but it appeared on the Al-Hesbah site, which is considered Al-Qaeda's main venue for official statements.(Posted @ 19:36 PST)
Suspected Taliban kill two Afghan police, bomb kills three soldiers KANDAHAR, June 8 (AFP) - Suspected Taliban shot dead two policemen and blew up their bodies, while bombs Thursday killed three Afghan soldiers and wounded four coalition troops, officials said. The two men had been patrolling a known Taliban hotbed in Kandahar province late Wednesday when they were ambushed and killed, a police officer said. In another incident Thursday three Afghan soldiers were killed and one was wounded when a remote-controlled roadside bomb struck their vehicle in Ghazni province, brigade commander Mohammad Naseer Hedayat said. And in neighbouring Zabul province four soldiers in the US-led coalition were slightly wounded when an improvised mine struck their armoured vehicle, coalition spokesman Major Quentin Innes said. He did not identify the nationality of the troops. In another incident Thursday, two men on a motorbike opened fire on the vehicle of the police chief for a highway in western Herat province, seriously wounding his bodyguard.(Posted @ 19:34 PST)
At least 12 die in Bangladesh boat sinking DHAKA, June 8 (AFP) - A boat carrying 70 passengers capsized in southeastern Bangladesh on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, police said. The boat was going from Sandwip island, off the coast near the port of Chittagong, to the town of Sitakundu when it was caught in a storm and capsized very close to the landing station, said police officer Nazir Hossain. Most of those aboard swam ashore but about 10 people are still missing, he said.(Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Sri Lanka asking Pakistan for swift military assistance: Jane's LONDON, June 8 (AFP) - Sri Lanka is looking to Pakistan for help to bolster its military capabilities as the ceasefire between the government and rebels appears increasingly fragile, specialist publication Jane's Defence Weekly said Thursday. Sri Lanka has asked Pakistan to facilitate the purchase of military equipment worth around 60 million dollars (47 million euros), according to high-level discussions detailed in documents seen by the defence magazine. According to the magazine, the Sri Lankan army's shopping list has a combined value of 20 million dollars, while the air force's requirements are worth a further 38.1 million dollars. The weekly said that Sri Lanka was looking to build up its military capacity and had also issued a plea to Pakistan to provide swift technical assistance for its T-55 main battle tanks (MBTs) and C-130 transport aircraft. The Sri Lankan army's extensive wish list includes ten Baktar Shikan anti-tank guided missile weapon systems, 300 standard/tandem warheads and two training simulators, respectively worth 1.5 million dollars, 4.5 million dollars and 120,000 dollars.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Washington, allies hail death of Al-Qaeda chief Zarqawi PARIS, June 8 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and his global allies Thursday hailed the killing of Al-Qaeda's chief in Iraq, Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, as a major strike against the "evil" terror network but warned it remained a grave threat."Now Zarqawi has met his end and this violent man will never murder again," Bush said at the White House Rose Garden. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the killing was a blow against Al-Qaeda globally. "We know they will continue to kill, we know there are many, many obstacles to overcome," Blair said. "But they also know that our determination to defeat them is total." General George W. Casey Jr, head of US-led forces in Iraq, said the killing was a "significant blow" to Al-Qaeda. Australian Prime Minister John Howard hailed Zarqawi's death as "great news for the people of Iraq, the real victims of his murderous behaviour". Japan said it hoped his death would help improve stabilise the war-torn nation. Pakistan, a key ally in US-led "war on terror", described it as a "significant" development. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Zarqawi's death was "not the end of terrorism in the world, but a significant step in ridding the world of the menace of terrorism."(Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Belarus retaliates against West with sanctions MINSK, June 8 (Reuters) Belarus said on Thursday it had barred entry to officials from the European Union and United States in response to sanctions imposed by the West to denounce President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election. "Retaliatory measures have been introduced for the European Union and United States," a Foreign Ministry spokesman told a briefing.(Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Iran’s Ahmedinejad says threats won't work in any atomic talks TEHRAN, June 8 (Reuters) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday threats would not work in solving a dispute over the country's nuclear programme but Iran was ready to clear up misunderstandings with the world. Ahmadinejad's televised speech was his first public comments since proposals backed by six world powers with the aim of defusing the nuclear standoff were presented to Iran this week. "We will talk about mutual concerns and solving misunderstandings in the international arena," he said.(Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 425.17 points: KARACHI, June 8: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 9777.19 , down 425.17 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, June 8: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.53 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14.20 PST)
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