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| June 28, 2006 | Wednesday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 1, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Indian Ocean's tsunami warning system 'up and running': UN PARIS, June 28, 2006 (AFP) A tsunami warning system for the entire Indian Ocean "is up and running as scheduled", the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which has been overseeing the scheme, announced on Wednesday. A network of 26 national tsunami information centres have been set up in Indian Ocean countries, capable of receiving and distributing tsunami advisories around the clock, it said in a press release.(Posted @ 21:55 PST)
Israel has right to defend itself: White House WASHINGTON, June 28, 2006 (AFP) The White House on Wednesday said "Israel has the right to defend itself" after Israeli troops launched an air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip in search of a captured soldier. White House spokesman called on Hamas to release the Israeli soldier "immediately" and urged Israel to ensure that Palestinian civilians and property were not harmed.(Posted @ 21:55 PST)
Israel complicating hostage crisis: Palestinian PM GAZA, June 28 (Reuters) Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on Wednesday accused Israel of worsening the crisis over the abduction of an Israeli soldier by sending troops into the Gaza Strip. "We stress that the occupation must stop the military escalation in order not to complicate the situation and worsen the crisis," Haniyeh said. "We are following the existing crisis relating to the missing soldier ... We hope that this case will be a concluded in a suitable way."(Posted @ 21:50 PST)
Government fully committed to privatisation process: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, Jun 28 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday reiterated the government’s full commitment to the process of privatization and said the government would respect the Supreme Court's judgment with regard to the Pakistan Steel's case. Chairing the Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCOP), which met here at the Privatization Commission's Office today, Aziz said it is pertinent to note that the apex court had upheld the Privatization Ordinance. This, he said, augured well for the continued process of privatization. Later the CCOP approved the allocation of 10% of shares offered i.e. 7.3% (961,196,474) to KESC's employees out of the government's remaining 25.65% (3,376,925,397) shares on payment of the same price as the bid price of Rs.1.65 per share. The CCOP also approved the Sale of Assets of Lasbella Textile Mills. The CCOP approved the inclusion of SME Bank in the Privatization Programme.(Posted @ 21:50 PST)
Advice from abroad not required on democratic process: FO ISLAMABAD, Jun 28 (APP): Pakistan on Wednesday said it was committed to holding a free and fair general election and did not require any advice from outside on its democratic process. Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam when asked to comment on the remarks of US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on free and fair elections in Pakistan, said Pakistan had strong and functioning democratic institutions and emphasised "there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the elections will be free and fair." "This is the commitment of the leadership and Government of Pakistan," Ms Aslam said.(Posted @ 21:50 PST)
Gas pipelines, power pylon blown up in Balochistan QUETTA, Pakistan, June 28, 2006 (AFP) Unknown persons blew up two gas pipelines and an electricity pylon in Balochistan province, officials said Wednesday. Explosives were used to blow up natural gas pipelines early Wednesday near the town of Sui, a gas company spokesman said. One pipeline supplied gas to Karachi, where domestic consumers would not be affected by disruption, the spokesman said, adding that the gas supply to industry and power plants had been cut.The second pipeline supplied gas to Punjab, but the disruption would not affect the majority of consumers there, he said. Engineers were busy repairing the two pipelines, he added. An electricity pylon carrying a main power line in Dera Murad Jamali district was also blown up late Tuesday disrupting power supply to several villages, a power company spokesman said. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the incidents.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Rana Naved fit to play on England tour KARACHI, June 28 (Reuters) Pakistan paceman Rana Naved has been cleared of a major groin injury and could play in the test series against England, a Pakistan Cricket Board official said. "He has been given a further period of 15 days to rest and resume bowling again. We are hopeful now he can be considered for selection after the first test," PCB director Abbas Zaidi said Wednesday. The first test starts on July 13 at Lord's. Zaidi added that Shoaib Akhtar was undergoing rehabilitation in Lahore and chances were he could be considered for the one-dayers.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Sri Lankan rebels killed five sailors in navy clash COLOMBO, June 28 (Reuters) Tamil Tiger rebels killed five navy sailors and wounded three others during an attack on two small Sri Lankan navy vessels around 100 miles north of the capital Colombo on Wednesday, the military said.Officials had earlier said there were no navy fatalities in the clash, but said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had prevented them from getting near one badly damaged boat. A spokesman added the navy believed around 12 rebels had been killed. The Tigers say only one of their fighters died. (First Posted @ 15:00 PST Updated @ 19:45 PST)
Serb PM pays symbolic visit to Kosovo GRACANICA, Serbia, June 28 (Reuters) Under tight security, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica was visiting Kosovo on Wednesday to mark a centuries-old battle at the heart of Serbia's claim to the breakaway province."There is no better place to repeat what all Serbs should know -- that Kosovo always was and always will be part of Serbia," he told a crowd.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Putin tells agents to hunt diplomat killers in Iraq MOSCOW, June 28 (Reuters) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his state security agents to hunt down the killers of four Russian diplomats abducted in Iraq and wipe them out, Interfax news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying. The head of the FSB state security, Nikolai Patrushev, immediately pledged to see Putin's order carried out. Interfax said Putin made his comments to visiting Saudi prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, governor of Riyadh.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Two dead in accidental Gaza blast GAZA, June 28 (Reuters) An explosion killed two Palestinians at a home in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, security sources said. The sources suspected the blast resulted from an accident and was not related to an Israeli offensive. (First Posted @ 17:10 PST Updated @ 19:05 PST)
China finds 56 bodies as mine disaster strikes again BEIJING, June 28 (Reuters) China has recovered the bodies of 56 coal miners trapped by floods over a month ago, state media said on Wednesday, the same day a gas blast killed 22 people in another mine. The bodies of all the miners trapped on May 18 in Zuoyun county in the northern province of Shanxi had been found by Wednesday, Xinhua new agency said. Wednesday's gas blast also injured 37 in the northeastern province of Liaoning, Xinhua said, adding four were missing.(First Posted @ 12:20 PST Updated @ 19:00 PST)
Three German soldiers injured in attack in Afghanistan BERLIN, June 28 (AP) An attack in northern Afghanistan left three German soldiers slightly injured Wednesday, the military's command centre said. A patrol of two armored vehicles was shot at during the night just south of Kunduz, and the German soldiers returned fire, the command center said. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Pakistan urges restraint in Gaza crisis ISLAMABAD, June 28, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan on Wednesday called for a peaceful resolution of the Gaza crisis, saying further escalation would undermine international efforts to end the violence in the Middle East. "We regret the reports about Israeli incursion into Gaza, the total blockade of the Gaza Strip, and the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "We are concerned over the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Palestine, which would further impede the international effort to stop the cycle of violence and restart the negotiations," it said. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
No amnesty for killers of U.S. troops: Iraqi PM BAGHDAD, June 28 (Reuters) Insurgents who have killed U.S. troops in Iraq would not be pardoned under the Iraqi government's amnesty plan, American newspapers quoted Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as saying on Wednesday. "The amnesty doesn't include those who have killed Iraqis or even coalition forces because those soldiers came to Iraq under international agreements to help Iraq," Maliki said in an interview with a group of newspapers that included The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. Maliki has said the plan is aimed at bringing Sunni Arab insurgents into the political process. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Iraq announces capture of Tunisian militant wanted in Samarra shrine bombing BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Iraq's National Security adviser on Wednesday said authorities had arrested a key al-Qaida suspect, a Tunisian, wanted in the bombing of the Golden Dome shrine last February in Samarra. The official said the ringleader in the operation, an Iraqi he identified as Haitham Sabah Shaker Mohammed al-Badri, was still on the run. The national security chief said the Tunisian Abu Qudama was seriously wounded in a clash with security forces north of Baghdad few days ago. Fifteen other foreign fighters were killed in the confrontation, he said. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Russia warns of Afghan drug threat MOSCOW, June 28 (AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday warned of a continuing drug threat from Afghanistan and said his country was considering increasing its contribution to the United Nations anti-drug funds to help tackle the problem, local news agencies reported. European Union's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner also called on the international community to step up efforts and increase cooperation in fighting Afghan drug trafficking. “We must concentrate our efforts on three priority areas: working in Afghan provinces, actively cooperating in border regions and boosting social work with marginalized segments of the Afghan society,” Ferrero-Waldner said. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Israeli forces enter Gaza, attack power station, bridges GAZA, June 28 (AP) Palestinians dug in behind walls and embankments in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday after Israel sent in troops and tanks, and bombarded three bridges and a power station from the air to pressure militants to release a captured soldier. No casualties were reported. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel wouldn't balk at ``extreme action'' to bring the soldier home, but had no intention of reoccupying Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deplored the incursion as a ``crime against humanity,'' and a leading Hamas politician issued a call to arms against the Israeli troops. Overnight, Israeli warplanes fired at least nine missiles at Gaza's only power station, cutting electricity to 65 percent of the Gaza Strip, engineers at the station said. The station's three functioning turbines and a gasoline reservoir were engulfed in flames, raising the spectre of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, because water pumps in the strip are powered by electricity. (First Posted @ 10:00 PST Updated @ 15:30 PST)
U.S. ambassador to Iraq visits Saudi Arabia BAGHDAD, June 28 (AP) U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad visited Saudi Arabia where he discussed with the kingdom's top officials the situation in the country weeks after a new government was formed, according to news reports on Wednesday. State-run Saudi Press Agency(SPA) said that Khalilzad met Tuesday with King Abdullah, Crown prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal. SPA did not give much details on what was discussed during the meetings but said they ``exchanged cordial talks and discussed matters of mutual concern.'' The Arab daily Al Hayat said the leaders discussed the security situation in Iraq. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Afghanistan's enemies will never win: Rice KABUL, June 28, 2006 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed Washington's support for Afghanistan Wednesday, saying it would not allow the country's "ruthless" enemies to succeed. Rice was in Afghanistan for a short stopover for talks on the US-led "war on terror". The top US diplomat said at a press conference with President Hamid Karzai that the international community stood behind the Afghan government's fight against a "common enemy" responsible for attacks around the world. Rice also met the leaders of the US-led coalition and held talks with leaders of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. (First Posted @ 10:00 PST Updated @ 15:00 PST)
Foreigner found in army of Terracotta tomb builders BEIJING, June 28 (Reuters) DNA tests show China's first emperor employed a foreigner in building his mausoleum, home to the Terracotta warriors, proof of contact between Central and East Asia over 2,200 years ago, state media said on Wednesday. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of a unified China who built the first Great Wall and ordered up a giant mausoleum for himself outside the northwestern city of Xian, guarded by an estimated 8,000 life-size pottery warriors and horses. "One sample has typical DNA features commonly owned by the Parsi in India and Pakistan, the Kurds in Turkmenistan and the Persian in Iran," an anthropologist with Funda University told Xinhua. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Taliban resistance in Afghanistan stronger than expected, British commander says LONDON, June 28 (AP) _ The Taliban's resistance against British troops in Afghanistan has been stronger than expected, a British commander said Wednesday, but he said his forces were equal to the challenge. Major Gen. Peter Wall, deputy chief of joint operations, speaking a day after Taliban fighters killed two British soldiers in Helmand province, said: ``Notwithstanding yesterday's tragic losses, the force that we have has demonstrated it is more than equal to the task.'' ``I don't accept we are involved in mission-creep. I do think that we should have expected a reaction from the Taliban _ perhaps it has been a little bit more virulent than we had hoped.'' (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Chinese Premier Wen expresses concern over North Korea missile SHENZHEN, China, June 28, 2006 (AFP) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Wednesday he was "very concerned" that North Korea could be about to test fire a missile, as he urged all sides involved to ensure tensions did not rise further. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
US Army, Marines cite high cost to replace weapons WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Replacing, repairing and upgrading worn-out equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan would cost $17.1 billion in the next fiscal year, the U.S. Army's top general said on Tuesday, warning that failure to foot the bill could harm troop readiness. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker said that sum included $4.9 billion in "reset" costs that were not funded in fiscal 2006. Military equipment costs in Iraq and Afghanistan were seen at around $12 billion to $13 billion a year for each year they continued and up to three years thereafter, he told a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee said his service faced a bill of $11.9 billion due to the high rate of wear and tear on military equipment. (Posted @ 11:45 PST)
Car bomb kills three in Iraq's Baquba BAQUBA, June 28 (Reuters) - A car bomb killed three men in a group of Iraqis lining up for day labouring jobs in Baquba on Wednesday, police said. A further 12 people, including children, were wounded in the early morning blast. (Posted @ 11:35 PST)
Politician, leftist leader murdered in Philippines ambushes MANILA, June 28 (AFP) - A politician and the leader of a leftwing group that advocates illegal occupation of private farms have been killed in separate attacks in the Philippines, police said Wednesday. Delfinito Albano, mayor of Ilagan, was waylaid late Tuesday in Manila street as he and several armed bodyguards drove past. "He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot, but his bodyguards were unhurt. In an apparently unrelated attack on the central island of Negros, an unidentified gunman shot dead Wilfrecio Cornea, vice chairman of a farmer's group called Task Force Mapalad, regional police said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Soldier killed in mortar bomb attack in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, June 28 (AFP) - Tamil Tiger guerrillas fired mortar bombs at an army camp in northeastern Sri Lanka Wednesday, killing one soldier and wounding three others, the defence ministry said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 392.53 points: KARACHI, June 28: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9434.15, up 392.53 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, June 28: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.75 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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