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| June 26, 2006 | Monday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 29, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Suicide car bomb kills seven Pakistani soldiers in Waziristan MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, June 26, 2006 (AFP) Seven Pakistani soldiers died and 20 were hurt Monday when a suicide bomber blew up his car at a checkpost in North Waziristan tribal region, officials said. Security officials said paramilitary troops ordered the explosives-filled station-wagon to stop as it neared a roadblock six kilometres east of Miranshah. "As the car stopped it blew up, killing seven soldiers who were guarding the checkpost and injuring another 20," one official said. The injured soldiers had been washing outside a mosque adjoining the checkpoint where they had come to offer prayers, another official said. Military helicopters airlifted them to hospital. All roads in the area were closed off after the attack. The bombing came hours after Pakistani authorities cautiously welcomed a one-month truce offered by pro-Taliban militants operating in the area. A purported spokesman for the militants, said in telephone calls to newspaper offices that the attack was not targeting security forces but that the man blew up the explosives in panic when he was stopped. The spokesman said that the truce offer was still intact and added that two other cars driven by suicide bombers and carrying explosives were ordered to return to their bases. Meanwhile Pakistani authorities arrested 35 Afghans from the nearby Bajaur tribal agency and deported them to Afghanistan, an administrator said. They also demolished the house of a local tribesman in Bajaur on suspicion of collaborating with pro-Taliban militants and detained six people, the official added. (First Posted @ 17:40 PST Updated @ 23:14 PST)
Ten students kidnapped, dozens killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, June 27, 2006 (AFP) Ten students were kidnapped in Baghdad and at least 32 people killed across Iraq on Monday one day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki unveiled a peace plan aimed at easing the violence. Moscow meanwhile confirmed the killing of four of its Baghdad embassy employees following an Internet statement by their kidnappers, an Al-Qaeda-led insurgent grouping, that they had been executed. The students were kidnapped by gunmen who arrived in five sports utility vehicles with tinted windows and stormed into a hostel on Oqba bin Nafaa square in the capital's Karradah district, security officials said. Five Iraqi army soldiers were killed when a car bomb exploded beside their patrol in Baghdad's western Ameriyah neighbourhood, the interior ministry official said. In the southern Saydiyah neighbourhood, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a police commando checkpoint, killing three commandos. Also in the capital, gunmen attacked the convoy of senior MP Adnan al-Dulaimi, killing his bodyguard. Elsewhere in Iraq 23 others were killed in a series of shootings. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Rice to visit Pakistan WASHINGTON, June 26, 2006 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will leave Washington on Monday for visits to Pakistan and Russia, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.(Posted @ 22:52 PST)
Iran's Ahmadinejad planning to visit Iraq: report TEHRAN, June 26, 2006 (AFP) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is planning to visit neighbouring Iraq "soon", the semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday. Quoting an informed source, the report said Ahmadinejad was hoping to meet with "high-ranking officials and visit religious sites". Ahmadinejad's office could not be reached for comment.(Posted @ 22:42 PST)
Pakistan can benefit from Germany in railway technology: Musharraf RAWALPINDI, June 26 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Monday said Pakistan will develop its railways as an efficient mass transit service as well as an elaborate communication network for promoting regional commerce. Speaking to a delegation of German investors in the field of locomotives and passenger coaches, he said Pakistan Railways offers tremendous prospects for investment and the country would like to benefit from German expertise and technology.(Posted @ 22:06 PST)
Olmert says army ready for major Gaza operation GAZA, June 26 (Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday he had put the army on standby for a major offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza as officials tried to secure the release of a kidnapped soldier. Troops and armour have been massing on Gaza's borders. "Let it be clear: We will reach everyone, no matter where they are, and they know it," Olmert said in a speech in Jerusalem. "There will not be immunity for anyone." Olmert held both Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the raid. Hamas dismissed Olmert's tough talk. "Such threats do not frighten us. We warn against enlarging the Israeli escalation because it will lead to more reactions by Palestinian parties," said a Hamas spokesman.(Posted @ 21:46 PST)
Iraq troop moves based on conditions on ground: Bush WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) President George W. Bush said on Monday he had met with the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General George Casey, who has drafted a plan for troop withdrawal, but said any decision on troop reductions would be based on conditions on the ground. He also said that the revelation of a secret U.S. program to examine thousands of private banking records in the pursuit of terrorists was "disgraceful." "Congress was briefed. And what we did was fully authorized under the law. And the disclosure of this program is disgraceful," he said, adding that "If you want to figure out what the terrorists are doing, you try to follow their money. And that's exactly what we're doing."(Posted @ 21:42 PST)
Eight killed in occupied Kashmir violence SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, June 26, 2006 (AFP) Eight people were killed in occupied Kashmir, including four alleged militants, police said Monday. Police alleged that 14 militants were trying to sneak across the Line of Control when the gun battle took place. "The gunbattle continued for several hours and the bodies of four militants were later found at the scene," a police spokesman said. The others were believed to have fled into dense forests nearby. A fifth militant was killed elsewhere in a village, he said. Two other people, one a police constable, were found in other locations with their throats slit after separate incidents, the spokesman added.(Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Three Japanese soldiers in Iraq injured in traffic accident TOKYO, June 26 (AFP) Three Japanese soldiers serving in Iraq were injured on Monday when their light armoured vehicle overturned in a traffic accident, Kyodo News said.(Posted @ 17:44 PST)
Extremists hiding out in Lebanon: President Assad DAMASCUS, June 26 (Reuters) Extremist groups with an ideology similar to al Qaeda have found shelter in Lebanon after escaping Syrian security forces hunting them, President Bashar al-Assad said in remarks published on Monday. "Most of them are trying to obtain financing for their operations, because they think they are fighting for Islam." Assad said. "They are only linked amongst each other by takfiri thought, which is influenced by what is happening in Iraq," he added.(Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Algerian forces kill 19 militants ALGIERS, June 26 (Reuters) Algerian government forces killed 19 militants in attacks on mountain hideouts of rebels who have rejected an amnesty aimed at ending years of strife, newspapers reported on Monday. Backed by helicopters, some 800 troops and paramilitary police raided bases of Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) on Sunday in the eastern province of Annaba, reports said. Authorities were not immediately available for comment. The operation was still going on.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Government committed to providing safe drinking water by 2007: Aziz ISLAMABAD, June 24: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday said the government was committed to provide safe drinking water to the entire population. He said 6036 water filtration plants costing more than Rs.7.8 billion would be installed by December 2007 in the country. Chairing a meeting at the Prime Minister's House to review the progress of the programme 'Safe Drinking Water for All', the Prime Minister described water borne diseases as one of the major hazards for public health. He said that under the first phase of the programme, 500 water purification plants will be operational by the end of 2006; one each at every tehsil level and by the end of 2007 every Union Council of the country will have at least one water purification plant. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Army general killed in blast near Sri Lanka capital COLOMBO, June 26 (AFP) - One of Sri Lanka's most senior army generals was killed Monday in a powerful bomb attack just outside Colombo, dealing another blow to the island's rapidly unravelling peace process, officials said. Major general Parami Kulatunga was driving along a main highway when his car was hit in an explosion that killed three others and wounded several more, police said. Kulatunga's car took the full impact of the blast, police said, adding that the bomb was probably rigged up on a motorcycle parked on the side of the road. "The bodyguards who brought in General Kulatunga identified his body," hospital spokeswoman Pushpa Soysa said. "Another army officer and a man in civilian clothing were also killed in the attack." One other victim was taken to a separate hospital closer to Pannipoyiya, where the bomb attack took place, officials said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST; Updated @ 09:25 PST)
East Timor's PM resigns DILI, June 26 (AFP) - East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned on Monday after weeks of pressure to step down in a move expected to ease tensions in the impoverished nation. "I declare I am ready to resign my position as prime minister of the government," he told reporters. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Pakistan to support every step for stability in Iraq: FO ISLAMABAD, June 26 (APP): Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam on Monday said Pakistan will support every step aimed at bringing political stability in Iraq. In an interview to PTV she said Pakistan was against the military action in Iraq, adding "we wish for an earlier normalization of situation there". To a question she said, Pakistan wanted a stable and progressing Afghanistan adding "we have been extending all possible cooperation in this connection". There exists great potential for the expansion of trade ties between Pakistan and Central Asian states which can only be explored when there is peace and stability in Afghanistan, she said. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
India, China hold parleys on boundary dispute New Delhi, June 26 (APP): India and China on Monday opened the eighth round of talks in Beijing to find an early solution to the intractable boundary issue. India's Special Representative to the boundary talks, K Narayanan first held one-to-one rendezvous with his Chinese counterpart, Dai Bingguo and later went for full-delegation-level talks. The official-level eighth round of boundary talks is scheduled to last by tomorrow, said news reports. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Flash of blast originated from ground, Nishtar Park tribunal told Karachi, June 26 (PPI): The flash of the bomb blast originated from the soil of the ground near the front side of the stage, an eyewitness told the Nishtar Park inquiry tribunal on Monday. Zahoor Ahmed, who was present in the front row of the sitting area of the congregation at Nishtar Park on April 11, 2006, said he was sitting towards the left side near the centre of the stage when all of a sudden he saw a flash emerging in front of the stage. He said the flash emerged just two or three feet away from the last row of people offering prayers adjacent to stage. "I had not seen any person standing near that place," he said, adding that he also did not see any thing lying on the ground at the same place. "I simply saw a flash emerging but do not know from which particular article or thing it originated (from)," he added. The tribunal also examined the statement of another witness, Mohammad Zafar Qadri, who was present on the stage at the time of explosion. A cameraman of a local TV channel also produced a CD before the tribunal containing a video of the congregation at Nishtar Park. The tribunal adjourned its proceedings for Tuesday. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Heat wave claims 16 lives in Punjab province Multan, June 26 (PPI): Health authorities confirmed the death of 16 people, including two women, due to heat stroke in the southern area of Punjab province during the last 24 hours. The health authorities added that they were receiving reports of deaths of four to five people daily from different areas of the province due to the weather. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Tibetans in India protest against train to Lhasa NEW DELHI, June 26 (Reuters) Tibetan exiles living in India scaled the fence at the Chinese embassy and set fire to Chinese flags on Monday, protesting against a nearly-completed railway linking Tibet with the rest of China. Several protesters were arrested after a violent scuffle with embassy guards and police in New Delhi's diplomatic enclave. China says the link will promote development in Tibet but Tibetan activists say it will only increase Chinese migration into the region, diluting Tibetan culture. A limited passenger service is due to start on Saturday. The Chinese embassy refused to comment on the incident. (First Posted @ 09:32 PST Updated @ 15:00 PST)
Blair urges more action on G8 poverty promises LONDON, June 26 (Reuters) British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday that the Group of Eight had failed to make progress on some of the commitments it made at a summit last year to tackle global poverty. Writing in the Independent newspaper, Blair said the problems of poverty and climate change could not be solved "overnight", but urged more action, particularly on trade. "These are long-term problems and the solutions will be long-term too," he wrote in a joint article with his Finance Minister Gordon Brown and Development Minister Hilary Benn. Blair singled out trade as the "one key element of the 2005 agenda where we have failed to make the progress we hoped" and urged World Trade Organisation members to have the "courage and imagination to remove obstacles" to a deal. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Poland to send half number of pledged troops to Afghanistan WARSAW, June 26, 2006 (AFP) Poland will send only half the number of troops it pledged to Afghanistan to serve in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the defence minister said Monday. "We will send half the 1,000 soldiers promised but they will serve longer tours of duty," Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was quoted as saying in the daily Dziennik. Sikorski did not specify when or for exactly how long the 500 soldiers would serve under ISAF in Afghanistan. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Gunmen kill alleged bandits in Pakistan's Waziristan PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 26 (Reuters) Masked gunmen killed a bandit chief and four of his gang on Monday in North Waziristan, a government official said. The bandit, Guldawar Khan, was shot in his home along with his followers in the Shawal area in North Waziristan, a local government official added. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Iran road crash kills 22 people -TV TEHRAN, June 26 (Reuters) - A bus and a truck collided head-on on a highway between the cities of Birjand and Nahbandan in eastern Iran on Monday, killing 22 and injuring many others, state television reported. (Posted @ 13:16 PST)
Sports hall collapse in China kills seven children BEIJING, June 26, 2006 (APP/AFP) - Seven children were killed when a sports hall in Shaanxi province in northern China collapsed on a group of about 20 students while they were having a martial arts class on Sunday, a government official said Monday. Shaanxi-based Huashang newspaper said the hall collapsed due to the storms, hail and heavy rain. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
5 aid workers kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan released, police say KABUL, June 26 (AP) _ Five Afghan aid workers, including two doctors and another employed by a Swedish agency, were released late Sunday after four days in captivity, a police official said Monday. The five had traveled to inaugurate a health clinic in a remote village and on the return trip were kidnapped in a mountainous area in the Kamdesh district. (Posted @ 11:56 PST)
Coalition soldier dies in Afghanistan KABUL, June 26, 2006 (AFP) - A coalition soldier has died from injuries he sustained on Sunday in combat in Peche district of the eastern province of Kunar, the US-led force said Monday, bringing the number of coalition fatalities here to seven in less than a week. The soldier's nationality was not released. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
Suicide attack near main US base in Afghanistan: police KABUL, June 26 (AFP) - A suicide car bomber blew himself up near a coalition convoy on Monday just outside the main US base in Afghanistan, near the capital, and wounded two children, Afghan police said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by an Afghan man wanting revenge for the death of two of his brothers in a May 29 road accident involving a US military vehicle that sparked riots in Kabul. Police said a station-wagon laden with explosives approached a coalition convoy a kilometre outside of the Bagram base and exploded. The suicide bomber was killed and his vehicle blown to pieces, said Yousuf Stanizai, spokesman for the interior ministry. Two children were wounded, he said. There were no coalition casualties, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fitzpatrick said. (Posted @ 11:37 PST)
Four held in Morocco over Britain's biggest cash robbery RABAT, June 26 (AFP) - Four Britons were arrested here Sunday in connection with the February theft of more than 90 million dollars from a cash depot, considered Britain's biggest ever bank robbery, police said. The "dangerous" suspects were captured inside the Mega Mall shopping center in the posh Souissi district of the Moroccan capital in an operation involving some 30 police officers and Scotland Yard, a police statement said. "Due to the danger posed by the suspects, specialists in martial arts and firearms, Moroccan police had to use special techniques to neutralise them ... without posing a risk to citizens nearby at the time of the arrest." (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 402.83 points: KARACHI, June 26: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9404.70, down 402.83 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, June 26: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
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