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| June 23, 2006 | Friday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 26, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
China offers to undertake ferry service in Pakistan along the coastal region BEIJING, June 23 (APP): A Chinese company has offered to undertake ferry service along 1100 kilometers coastal region in Pakistan, bringing attraction for tourists. The negotiation to this effect is in progress, to operate the ferry service between Givani and Gadani, said provincial Minister for tourism and Gwadar Development Authority Syed Sher Jan Baloch, in an interview with APP here Friday. The ferry service will provide a link between Karachi and the Gulf region including Iran. This project will be highly significant to develop communication network with the Gwadar seaport and generate enormous socio-economic benefits for the local people. The Central government, he said is providing maximum possible financial support to the province, developing the highly rich coastal region.(Posted @ 23:22 PST)
Turkish troops kill 8 Kurdish rebels in southeast Turkey ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 23, (AP) _ Turkish soldiers killed eight Kurdish rebels Friday in a major clash in the furthest southeastern province of Turkey, a local official said. The clash occurred in the town of Cukurca in Hakkari province, which borders both Iraq and Iran, the official said.(Posted @ 23:16 PST)
US face new 'domestic' terror threat: Gonzales MIAMI, June 23, 2006 (AFP) - US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday that "domestic terrorists" could become as big a threat as Al-Qaeda, as authorities hailed the arrest of seven men accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago.(Posted @ 23:10 PST)
Lone Democrat resigns from Bush cabinet WASHINGTON, June 23, (AFP) - Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, imprisoned with other Japanese-Americans in a World War II US internment camp, has tendered his resignation effective July 7, the White House said Friday. Mineta, commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and later the only opposition Democrat in US President George W. Bush's cabinet, announced the move in a letter to Bush on Friday, spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.(Posted @ 22:18 PST)
Australia trying to take over ETimor, says Portugal's former UN man PARIS, June 23 (AFP) - A retired Portuguese general who once commanded a UN force in East Timor claimed Friday that Australia had provoked the crisis there in order to take control of the fledgling country. "What interests the Australians most is oil and gas," Alfredo Assuncao said in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias. "So what better way to control these enormously rich resources than to be physically present and control the country's political system?" said Assuncao, who was chief of staff of a UN peacekeeping force in East Timor in 2000-01.(Posted @ 21:24 PST)
Islamic courts chairman condemns slaying of Swedish journalist MOGADISHU, June 23 (AFP) - The chairman of Mogadishu's Islamic courts union on Friday condemned the "barbaric" slaying of a Swedish journalist who was shot and killed at a court-sponsored rally in the capital. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said those responsible for the murder of Martin Adler would be punished and that they did not represent the courts, the people of Mogadishu or of Somalia.(Posted @ 21:18 PST)
Netherlands face Australia in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey finals KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (AFP) - A late penalty corner goal gave the Netherlands a 1-0 victory over India Friday and set them up for a showdown against Australia in the finals of the 15th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. The Australians played one of their best matches in the tournament to defeat New Zealand 7-1 in the other semi-final. Sunday's finals will be the first time the Dutch and the Australians have met since the 2005 Champions trophy in Chennai when the Olympic Champions walked off with a 3-1 win.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
US uncovers plot to blow up Chicago Sears Tower MIAMI, June 23 (AFP) - US authorities have arrested at least seven men over an alleged plot to blow up the Sears Tower skyscraper in Chicago, and officials said Friday more arrests were likely. The seven were detained in FBI raids in Miami and media reports citing unnamed officials said the five US citizens and two foreigners, including a Haitian, had organized a plot to attack the 110-story, 442-meter (1,450-foot) Sears Tower, the world's third tallest building, and other buildings in Miami.(Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Bomb blast kills 6, wounds 9 in southern Philippines MANILA, June 23 (AP) _ A car bomb exploded in a public market in a southern Philippine town early Friday as a convoy carrying a provincial governor was passing by, killing six people and wounding nine others, authorities said. The governor, Andal Ampatuan, was unhurt, local army commander Col. Felipe Tabas said. The bomb was placed in or under a parked minibus loaded with fireworks, he said. Two of the dead were Ampatuan's relatives , Tabas said.(Posted @ 18:35 PST)
2 Pakistani journalists freed 3 months after being held for filming air base KARACHI, June 23 (AP) _ A court , freed two Pakistani journalists on bail Friday three months after they were detained for filming at Jacobabad air base once used by coalition forces for operations in Afghanistan, their defense lawyer and an official said. Mukesh Rupeta, a reporter and assistant cameraman Sunjev Kumar working for a private tv channel, were detained on March 6(Posted @ 18:06 PST)
Swedish cameraman shot and killed in Somali capital MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 23 (AP) _ An unidentified gunman shot dead a Swedish cameraman during a demonstration in the Somali capital Friday. Another Western reporter who was walking with the victim was unhurt. Swedish Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the Swedish citizen was working for the British TV station Channel 4.(First Posted @ 17:40 PST Updated @ 18:04 PST)
Minor quake jolts southeastern Bangladesh; no casualties reported DHAKA, June 23 (AP) _ A minor earthquake hit southeastern Bangladesh on Friday, but no casualties were reported immediately. The 4.7-magnitude quake jolted Chittagong district, 216 kilometers southeast of Dhaka and lasted for 26 seconds, Bangladesh Meteorological Department said.(Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Indian Maoists kill five comrades for desertion: police NEW DELHI, June 23 (AFP) - Outlawed Maoist guerrillas abducted five former comrades in the insurgency-hit eastern Indian state of Jharkhand and executed them for desertion, an official said Friday.(Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Mosque bombed as curfew imposed in Baghdad BAGHDAD, June 23 (AFP) - At least 22 people were killed in two bombings in Iraq on Friday, including one targeting a mosque, as authorities imposed a sudden curfew in Baghdad. At least 12 people were killed and 20 others wounded when the bomb went off outside the Hibhib Al-Kabir mosque in the village of Hibhib, north of Baghdad, as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers, police said. In the second major attack, at least 10 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in Basra. Basra police said 18 others were wounded when the car exploded near a service station. In Baghdad authorities imposed a sudden curfew from 2:00 pm (1000 GMT) Friday to 6:00 am (0200 GMT) Saturday, state television reported. Elsewhere four members of Mehdi Army were shot dead in Baghdad's neighborhood of Haifa Street, while another worshipper was killed and three wounded in Al-Fadhr neighborhood. Also in Baghdad's Dura district a policeman was killed and four wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol.(Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Taliban behead four Afghans accused of being US spies KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 23, 2006 (AFP) Taliban militants beheaded four Afghans they accused of spying for the US military in southern Afghanistan, a local government official and the insurgent group said Friday. The beheaded corpses of the men were found Thursday in Shajoy district of Zabul province, the official said. A purported Taliban spokesman claimed the beheadings.(Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Ten rebels arrested after entering India from Bangladesh GUWAHATI, India, June 23, 2006 (AFP) Police in India's north-eastern state of Tripura arrested 10 guerrillas after they entered the country from bases inside Bangladesh, police said Friday. A police spokesman said the rebels were members of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) and were arrested late Thursday near Hirachara village close to the border with Bangladesh.(Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Harriet, the world's oldest tortoise, dies aged 176 SYDNEY, June 23, 2006 (AFP) A 176-year-old giant tortoise believed to have been studied by famed English naturalist Charles Darwin, has died in Australia after a short illness. The extremely elderly tortoise, Harriet, was hatched on the Galapagos Islands in 1830 but lived out her final years at Australia Zoo in southeast Queensland where she was the star attraction. "She had been sick yesterday with, in effect, heart failure," a senior veterinarian said.(Posted @ 16:30 PST)
US secretly probing financial records to track terrorists: reports WASHINGTON, June 23, 2006 (AFP) The US government has secretly probed a vast number of international financial transactions since shortly after September 11 in its counter-terrorism effort, leading US newspapers said Friday. Run by the Central Intelligence Agency and overseen by the Treasury Department, the program is based on the president's emergency economic powers and relies on records of a Belgian cooperative, Swift, that routes millions of transfer instructions every day. The secret program relies on broad administrative subpoenas, which has raised concerns about legal and privacy issues. The Times said that Swift, owned by more than 2,200 organizations and virtually every major commercial bank, routes more than 11 million transactions each day, most of them across borders. Described as a "crucial gatekeeper," the Times said Swift provides electronic instructions on how to transfer money among 7,800 financial institutions worldwide. Its database also helped identify a US man convicted of helping an Al-Qaeda member launder 200,000 dollars through a Pakistani bank, prosecutors told the Times.(Posted @ 16:24 PST)
UN rights boss slams abuses in war on terrorism GENEVA, June 23 (Reuters) U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, taking aim at the war on terrorism, reminded all states on Friday of their duty to ban torture and give all security detainees a fair trial. In a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Arbour also voiced concern at the alleged existence of secret detention centres, saying they facilitate abusive treatment. "International law requires that the prohibition of torture be ensured by active measures: in addition to not engaging in acts of torture themselves, states have a positive obligation to protect individuals from exposure to torture," she said.(Posted @ 16:22 PST)
Afghan bomb hits Danish army commander's convoy COPENHAGEN, June 23 (Reuters) A convoy including Danish army commander-in-chief Hans Jesper Helso was hit by a roadside bomb on Friday near Feyzabad in northeast Afghanistan, the Danish central army command said. One soldier suffered slight injuries in the attack and a light-armoured patrol vehicle was damaged. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Pakistan, India water dispute dribbles on ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Reuters) Pakistan and India said at the end of two days of talks on Friday that they would need more time to settle a dispute over India's plans to build a barrage on a river flowing from occupied Kashmir. "There will be a breakthrough when there is perfect understanding and agreement on both sides," J. Hari Narayan, India's secretary for Water Resources told a press conference after the talks in Islamabad. In a joint statement, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the treaty, and said they would continue discussions. Ashfaque Mahmood, Pakistan's Secretary for Water and Power, said the foreign ministries would decide the dates. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
President Musharraf wants more cooperation with Afghanistan in war on terror ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistani president called Friday for more cooperation with neighbouring Afghanistan in the war on terror, the Foreign Ministry said. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf issued the call while meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta in Islamabad. ``President Pervez Musharraf told the Afghan foreign minister that the two countries should further increase cooperation in war against terrorism,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. Aslam provided no further details. According to another government official, Musharraf told Spanta that some Afghans were training and arming local tribesmen in Pakistan's Baluchistan province. ``He did complain about it,'' said the official. (First Posted @ 14:15 PST Updated @ 15:34 PST)
Two killed, 17 wounded in occupied Kashmir violence SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, June 23, 2006 (AFP) Nine policemen and eight civilians were wounded Friday in two separate grenade blasts in occupied Kashmir, while the army shot dead two alleged militants, police said. The blasts were triggered by unknown militants in two busy markets shortly before Friday noon prayers. "Ten people have been shifted to hospital for treatment after a grenade explosion in Batamaloo locality," a police spokesman said, adding that "six of the injured are Central Reserve Police Force men". In a separate attack, three CRPF men and four civilians were wounded when a grenade was thrown at a police patrol in a marketplace in southern Doda town, police said. Police said government troops shot dead two alleged militants in separate incidents in south and central Kashmir on Friday. (First Posted @ 14:20 PST Updated @ 15:35 PST)
U.S. Marine and soldier killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A U.S. Marine was killed during combat in Anbar province, and a soldier died elsewhere in a non-combat incident, the military said Friday. The Marine died Wednesday ``due to enemy action,'' according to a statement by the U.S. military. A Multi-National Division Baghdad soldier also died in a non-combat incident at about 11:40 p.m. Wednesday, the military said, adding the incident was under investigation. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Saddam ends hunger strike BAGHDAD, June 23, 2006 (AFP) Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has ended his hunger strike launched to protest the killing of a member of his defense team, the US military said Friday. "He (Saddam) resumed eating with his dinner meal on June 22," the spokesman of the US-run detainee operations said. On Thursday he said that Saddam had refused his midday meal to protest the killing of Khamis al-Obeidi, one of his senior lawyers defending him in the ongoing trial for crimes against humanity. The spokesman said that other former regime officials had also ended their strike. (Posted @ 09:56 PST)
Six alleged Al-Qaeda members, one policeman killed in Riyadh RIYADH, June 23, 2006 (AFP) Six alleged members of Al-Qaeda and one policeman were killed early Friday in a shootout in a residential district of Riyadh, the Saudi interior ministry announced. A seventh suspect was wounded and captured in the dawn shootout in the Al-Nakhil neighbourhood of the Saudi capital, a spokesman for the ministry said in a statement, adding that other members of the security service were wounded. Residents of Al-Nakhil said the clash started shortly before 2:30 am (2330 GMT Thursday) around a villa. Several ambulances sped to the scene, evacuating the wounded, the residents said. The shooting lasted about half an hour. (First Posted @ 09:45 PST; Updated @ 09:50 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 363.47 points: KARACHI, June 23: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9802.17, down 363.47 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, June 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.75 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
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