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| July 10, 2006 | Monday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 13, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
All 45 on board Flight PK-688 die in Multan plane crash MULTAN, Pakistan, July 10 (AP) A Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane crashed soon after takeoff on a domestic flight Monday on the outskirts of Multan city, and all 45 people on board were killed, officials said. The Fokker F-27 twin-engine aircraft slammed into a wheat field about three kilometres from Multan airport two or three minutes after takeoff for Lahore, spiralling in the air before it hit the ground and burst into flames, witnesses said. ``All 41 passengers and four crew members on board the plane have died,'' said Iftikhar Babar, the district coordination officer for Multan. Malik Bashir, PIA's station manager at Multan airport, confirmed there were no survivors. He said the cause of the crash was not yet known, but ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack on the state's carrier's plane. For details click here (First Posted @ 13:10 PST; Updated @ 20:18 PST)
Renowned poet Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi passes away LAHORE July 10 (APP): Renowned poet Ahmed Naseem Qasmi, 90, died of cardiac arrest in the wee hours here Monday at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. He was under treatment for asthma for two days, and suffered a severe heart attack late last night, family sources said. President General Pervez Musharraf has expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the demise of the renowned writer, poet and columnist. In a condolence message, the President paid rich tributes to late Qasmi for his meritorious services in the field of Urdu literature. (First Posted @ 13:35 PST Updated @ 22:38 PST)
Rice meets Kasuri WASHINGTON, July 10, 2006 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Monday at the State Department. "We will have an extensive discussion of our broad and deep relationship," said Rice. US officials said before the talks that the two sides would touch on the full range of relations between Pakistan and the United States, including counter-terrorism and political reform. A US official said that border relations were an "ongoing issue for discussion" in the talks, along with other issues including counter-terror cooperation and political reform in Pakistan. A Pakistani diplomat also said that US-Afghan-Pakistan relations would be an issue for Kasuri. (Posted @ 22:32 PST)
Pakistan troops kill man after blast in North Waziristan tribal area MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, July 10, 2006 (AFP) Pakistani troops Monday shot dead a man after an improvised explosive device went off near a military convoy at Idak village, 15 kilometres east of Miranshah, where pro-Taliban militants declared a truce two weeks ago, security officials said. "It was a remote-controlled bomb planted near a religious school that damaged a military vehicle but caused no casualties," one of the security officials said. The troops retaliated by opening fire, killing one person and injuring two, the official said. Relatives of the victim said the dead and wounded men were "innocent pedestrians". Residents said a local administrator later visited the dead man's family members. (Posted @ 22:30 PST)
Cricket-Rana Naved out of England tour CANTERBURY, July 10, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan suffered a major blow just days before the first Test at Lord's when pace bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was ruled out of their tour of England. "He's going home today (Monday) and leaving the tour because of a groin injury," Pakistan tour manager Zaheer Abbas said by telephone, adding that "we are not expecting him to return." Zaheer was unable to confirm press reports from Pakistan indicating Rana would need surgery. Meanwhile Zaheer confirmed that uncapped 23-year-old left-arm medium pacer Samiullah Niazi was being flown in as cover but added it was too early to say if further replacements would be needed. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
Indian police kill militant behind slaying of politician in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 10, 2006 (AFP) A militant believed to have masterminded a weekend grenade attack that left a politician and four civilians dead has been shot dead by security forces, police said Monday. According to police Reyaz Lone, a district commander of Hizbul Mujahedin, was killed during a gunbattle Sunday near the southern highway town of Qazigund. A Hizbul spokesman told a local news agency that Lone was killed in custody by police after his arrest. Police denied the charge. (Posted @ 22:26 PST)
Hamas leader says no soldier release without swap DAMASCUS, July 10, 2006 (AFP) Exiled Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal said Monday an Israeli soldier captured by a Palestinian group would not be freed without a prisoner swap, but pledged his life would be protected. "They talk about one soldier, we have 10,000 detainees, including 400 minors and 120 women ... this is why we are seeking a prisoner exchange," Meshaal told a rare news conference in Damascus said. "The solution is simple -- an exchange." He added that the soldier was "taken prisoner in a clean military operation which targeted Israeli military servicemen and not civilians, so the laws of prisoners of war are applicable". (Posted @ 22:18 PST)
Two die in Israeli air strike in Gaza GAZA, July 10 (Reuters) An Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least two people, local Palestinian witnesses said. The identity of the dead people was not immediately clear, but witnesses said it came shortly after two rockets had been fired from the area into Israel. An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the air strike, adding that it was the second air strike of the evening. An earlier strike had killed one militant. (First Posted @ 10:30 PST Updated @ 22:15 PST)
Maliki appeals for unity as blasts kill dozen in Baghdad BAGHDAD, July 10 (Reuters) Iraq's prime minister pleaded for Iraqis to "unite as brothers" on Monday as a fresh spasm of violence gripped Baghdad. "We have no choice but to defeat those who want to return us to the black days," Maliki, told the Kurdish regional parliament in northern Iraq. Two bomb blasts in Baghdad’s Talbiya district killed 12 and wounded dozens, while gunmen ambushed a commuter bus in Amriya district and shot dead seven people. In Ammil district, unknown gunmen opened fire on an unmarked car carrying four policemen, killing three, police said. There were conflicting reports about clashes involving militia fighters in Dora district, where the Interior Ministry imposed a curfew until 8 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Tuesday. One police source said six militiamen lay dead on Dora bridge after a shootout with residents. Another said the gunbattles involved militias on one side and the Iraqi police and army on the other and that five soldiers were wounded. (First Posted @ 12:25 PST; Updated @ 22:10 PST)
UK to send almost 900 more troops to Afghanistan LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) Britain plans to send almost 900 more troops and additional helicopters to support its soldiers in southern Afghanistan, Defence Minister Des Browne said on Monday. The first troops will be rushed in from Cyprus within days, defence sources said. The new troops will be a mix of engineers, Royal Marines, infantry battalions and headquarters staff, Browne said. This will increase the British force from the present 3,600 to some 4,500 personnel, Browne told the parliment. (Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Saddam lawyers boycott closing stage of trial BAGHDAD, July 10 (Reuters) Saddam Hussein's lawyers said on Monday they would boycott the toppled leader's trial until a sweeping series of demands were met, following the killing of a third member of the defence team last month. Saddam, who was also absent as the U.S.-backed court heard final arguments in defence of two minor co-accused, said in a letter he had boycotted Monday's session to protest a "malicious American desire" to convict him through unlawful proceedings. In a statement issued as the court was in session, the lawyers made six demands, including more security for them and their families and an investigation into the lawyer's killing. (Posted @ 21:56 PST)
Opposition cries foul before Azad Kashmir election begins MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, July 10 (Reuters) Opposition leaders in Azad Kashmir cried foul on the eve of voting in the earthquake-ravaged region, accusing President Pervez Musharraf of meddling in the election. "The election won't be free and fair because the Pakistan government is openly interfering in it," Ishaq Zafar, president of the Pakistan Peoples Party in Azad Kashmir, said about Tuesday's election to the 41-seat legislature. Zafar accused Musharraf of his overt support to the ruling conservative All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. "What else is it, other than pre-poll rigging, that General Musharraf met with leaders of one party and personally asked voters to elect its candidates?" he asked. Muslim Conference President Sardar Atiq Khan said the allegations were unjust. "We are ruling with a two-thirds majority. We served masses so they will give us another chance and vote us in again." (Posted @ 21:50 PST)
Pakistan ready to allay U.S. concerns on jet deal: FO ISLAMABAD, July 10 (Reuters) Pakistan, eyeing a landmark $5 billion deal with the United States for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets, said on Monday it was ready to address U.S. fears it would transfer the technology to another country. "We are willing to consider what is proposed," Tasnim Aslam, the foreign ministry's spokeswoman, told a weekly news briefing. "We can have some appropriate language that we will not transfer F-16 technology to any third country," she said. "When you purchase defence equipment or transfer of technology there is a standard clause that is put in such defence agreements that such technology will not be transferred to any third country," she added. (Posted @ 21:46 PST)
Chechen leader Basayev killed MOSCOW, July 10 (Reuters) Russia's most wanted man, Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, was killed during an overnight operation by special forces, the state security chief told President Vladimir Putin on Monday. FSB security agency chief Nikolai Patrushev said Basayev, who had claimed responsibility for the bloody 2004 Beslan school attack, had been planning an attack in southern Russia to disrupt the Group of Eight summit of world leaders Putin is hosting this weekend in St Petersburg. (Posted @ 21:38 PST)
Polish president appoints twin brother as PM WARSAW, July 10 (Reuters) Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Monday appointed his identical twin brother Jaroslaw as prime minister. (Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Backing away from Afghanistan no option, U.N. says KABUL, July 10 (Reuters) The international community underestimated the ability of the Taliban to recover from their 2001 defeat and the world should now respond by stepping up support for Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Monday. An announcement by Britain expected on Monday that it will send more troops was "excellent news" and other countries should increase help, whether military, political or financial, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative Tom Koenigs told a news conference. "These are difficult times for Afghanistan. These are difficult times for the south, but backing away is not an option," Koenigs said. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Afghan, coalition forces kill 40 'extremists' in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 10, 2006 (AFP) US-led coalition troops and Afghan security forces destroyed an "extremist safe haven" and killed more than 40 militants Monday in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said. An Afghan soldier was also killed and three coalition troops wounded in the operation in Uruzgan province, it said in a statement. A purported Taliban spokesman confirmed the fighting but said only five Taliban were killed, adding that 50 civilians were killed in coalition bombing. The coalition said it had no reports of Afghan civilians being hurt. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Oil ministers of India, Iran, Pakistan to discuss gas prices next month NEW DELHI, July 10 (AP) Oil ministers from India, Iran and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in Tehran early next month to discuss the price at which Iran will sell natural gas through a planned pipeline that would link the countries, an Indian official said Monday. The two days of meetings, scheduled to start on Aug. 3, are to be followed by talks on how to actually build the pipeline, which would snake through 2,775 kilometres of often rugged terrain and cross heavily militarized frontiers, the official said. Officials say that if all goes as planned, it would be up and running by 2011. Iran wants the price linked to international prices, and is offering gas to India at a price of US$7.2 (euro6) per million British thermal units, with a 3 percent annual increase, the official said. However, New Delhi says it's only ready to pay up to US$4.25 per million BTUs for the desperately needed gas, the official said. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Kuwait names new cabinet KUWAIT, July 10 (Reuters) Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, named a new cabinet for the Gulf OPEC oil producer on Monday, replacing the energy minister, state radio said. The energy portfolio was given to Sheikh Ali al-Jarrah al-Sabah, an energy sector outsider -- keeping the post within the ruling Sabah family. Analysts said they expect the new government -- in which the finance minister kept his portfolio -- to maintain the pro-Western stance and oil policy of Kuwait, which has a tenth of proven world oil reserves. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Turkish troops kill three Kurdish militants DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, July 10 (Reuters) Turkish military forces killed three Kurdish rebels in a fire fight near the Iraqi border overnight, security officials said on Monday. The guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were believed to have crossed the border into Turkey from Iraq. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Former Serb president goes on trial for war crimes THE HAGUE, July 10 (Reuters) Former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, a close ally of late Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, went on trial in The Hague on Monday with five others also accused of war crimes in Kosovo in 1999. Milutinovic, 63, and his co-accused are charged with the persecution of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, the forcible deportation of about 800,000 civilians and the murder of hundreds of civilians by Serb forces. "The evidence in this case will show that these six accused ... were co-participants with Slobodan Milosevic and other Serbian political, military and police officials in a joint criminal enterprise," a prosecutor said in court. The goal was to alter the ethnic balance in Kosovo, which was largely populated by Kosovo-Albanians, to perpetuate Serb control, he added. Milutinovic has pleaded not guilty to crimes against humanity including murder, deportation and persecution, and one charge of war crimes, arguing he had little real power as Serbian president. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Four Taliban killed in eastern Afghanistan KHOST, Afghanistan, July 10, 2006 (AFP) Four Taliban fighters were killed after they attacked a police post in Paktika province late Sunday, a governor said Monday as a major operation against the rebels continued in the south. The fighting lasted several hours with the rebels using small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades against the checkpost near Sharana, the capital of the province. (Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Israeli prime minister says violence won't stop establishment of Palestinian state JERUSALEM, July 10 (AP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday said the current round of violence in the Gaza Strip won't prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. He said he intends on carrying out his planned withdrawal from much of the West Bank. Speaking to foreign reporters, he said his goal is to separate Israelis and Palestinians in order to allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. ``We want to separate in a friendly manner and to live alongside each other ... in a peaceful way,'' he said. ``If the terrorist organizations will impose a violent confrontation, both Israelis and Palestinians will have to bear the consequences. That can't stop the inevitable process of separation of Israelis and Palestinians.'' (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Boy killed, three injured while playing with grenade in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 10 (AFP) - A boy was killed and three of his friends injured in Kulgam district in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir on Sunday when they mistook an abandoned hand grenade for a cricket ball, police said Monday. Arif Shah, 11, was killed on the spot while three other boys aged between nine and 12 were in critical condition in hospital, police said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Palestinian activist killed by Israeli fire on Gaza Strip GAZA CITY, July 10 (AFP) - A Palestinian activist was killed Monday before dawn in the Gaza Strip by fire from an Israeli drone, which also injured four others, a Palestinian security source said. The activist, whose identity was not immediately known, died when a missile hit his vehicle in the Shejaya district. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
13 dead, 14 injured in China traffic accident BEIJING, July 10 (AFP) - Thirteen people were killed and another 14 injured in a traffic accident on a motorway near Shaowu city in southeast China's Fujian province when a bus carrying 27 passengers collided with a truck, state media reported Monday. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 331.19 points: KARACHI, July 10: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9504.85, down 331.19 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 10: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.52 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
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