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| July 24, 2006 | Monday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 27, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan in large-scale nuclear weapons expansion: report WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) Pakistan is building a reactor that could produce enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons in what would be a major expansion of its nuclear program, The Washington Post reported on Monday. Satellite photos show what appears to be the construction site for a larger nuclear reactor adjacent to Pakistan's only plutonium production reactor, according to an analysis by nuclear experts at the Washington-based Institute for Science, the newspaper said. The analysts concluded that the diameter of the structure's metal shell suggests a very large reactor "operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts thermal," the Post said. "Such a reactor could produce over 200 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium per year, assuming it operates at full power a modest 220 days per year," the newspaper said, quoting the technical assessment. "At 4 to 5 kilograms of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year." Pakistan currently is capable of producing about 10 kilograms of plutonium a year, enough for about two warheads, the Post said. Construction of the new reactor apparently began sometime in 2000. In April 2006, the roof of the structure was still incomplete, allowing a unobstructed view of the reactor's features, the newspaper reported. "South Asia may be heading for a nuclear arms race that could lead to arsenals growing into the hundreds of nuclear weapons, or at minimum, vastly expanded stockpiles of military fissile material," the institute's David Albright and Paul Brannan concluded in the technical assessment, the newspaper said. The article said a copy of the assessment was provided to The Washington Post. Pakistani officials would neither confirm or deny the report, but a senior Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that a nuclear expansion was under way, the Post reported. The newspaper reported that a Europe-based diplomat and nuclear expert and a U.S.-based expert who reviewed the commercially available satellite images and supporting data concurred fully with the institute's estimates. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Pakistan dismisses reports on nuclear weapons facility as "no new revelation" ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): Pakistan on Monday dismissed media reports regarding the Khushab Nuclear Weapons facility as "no new revelation". Foreign office spokesperson, Tasnim Aslam, said Pakistan in fact has regularly exchanged coordinates of the site with India as part of their 1998 agreement. When asked about the details, she refused to go into specifics, but added that it was part of Pakistan’s indigenous efforts to acquire nuclear capability. "We do not want a nuclear and conventional arms race in the region," she said however, when asked whether the new facility would trigger an arms race. "We were not the first to introduce and test nuclear weapons in the region and we will not want an arms race in the region," she added. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
US urges Pakistan not to use new reactor for weapons WASHINGTON, July 24 (AFP) The United States on Monday confirmed but played down news reports that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor and urged Islamabad not to use the facility for military purposes. "We have been aware of these plans and we discourage any use of that facility for military purposes such as weapons development," a White House spokesman told reporters. "Pakistan of course is outside the non proliferation treaty and therefore they do develop their capabilities independently," the spokesman said. (Posted @ 20:12 PST)
Pakistan warns against "hot-pursuit" into its territory: FO ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): Pakistan on Monday warned against "hot-pursuit" into its territory on the pretext of fighting terrorism. "Nobody should make [this] mistake...Pakistan will not allow hot pursuit into its territory or Azad [Jammu and] Kashmir," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told reporters at a weekly briefing. Responding to media reports that Indian security experts were considering to "neutralise" the threat of terrorism, she recalled that in 2001 India had amassed one million of its troops along Pakistan's borders but "even then we had to return to the negotiations table…and that is the (only) option before us." She added that "Pakistan wants to pursue the path of peace, wants the peace process to resume and is ready to discuss all issues." On the issue of consular access to civilian prisoners and fishermen, she said Pakistan on its part has allowed New Delhi to access those held in Punjab on July 18 and those in Karachi on July 24-25. About Pakistan's diplomatic efforts on Lebanon crisis, she said Pakistan was in contact with OIC leaders and other important world leaders starting from the first day of the crisis. "We have no report of any Pakistani injured during the attack in Lebanon," Aslam said, and added that Pakistan's embassy in Lebanon was open and functioning. She said 69 Pakistanis have been evacuated to Damascus and were staying at Pakistan International School there. These Pakistanis, she said, would be repatriated to Pakistan by the first available flight and the first batch will arrive here on July 26. (Posted @ 17:46 PST)
Landslide kills 12 in Azad Kashmir MUZFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, July 24 (AFP) Twelve people who survived last year's earthquake in Azad Kashmir were killed in a landslide at a camp early Monday, officials said. The landslide triggered by flash floods buried tents in the quake survivors' camp in Chela Bandi, on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, capital of Azad Kashmir, deputy commissioner Fayyaz Ali Abbasi said. The rescuers have dug out 12 bodies including women and children who were buried in the mud, Abbasi said. Authorities had already relocated some 10,000 survivors to safer locations due to the danger posed by monsoon landslides, he said. The 7.6 magnitude quake on October 8, 2005 claimed more than 73,000 lives, seriously injured nearly 70,000 people and left 3.3 million homeless in Pakistan (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Heavy Israeli-Hizbollah fighting in south Lebanon JERUSALEM, July 24 (Reuters) Israeli forces battled Hizbollah fighters near a Lebanese border village on Monday and Al Jazeera television said one soldier had been killed. An army spokesman said nine Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded in heavy fighting around Maroun al-Ras village. There was no immediate word from the army about any troops killed. The army said the troops were carrying out operations against Hizbollah positions near the Israel-Lebanon border. Al Jazeera's correspondent said five Israeli tanks had been destroyed in the fighting. According to the Ynet news Web site, Israeli forces had reached the outskirts of the town of Bint Jbeil. (First Posted @ 10:20 PST Updated @ 15:15 PST)
UN refugee chief demands Israel to provide Lebanon aid corridors GENEVA, July 24 (Reuters) United Nations refugee chief Antonio Guterres insisted on Monday that Israel allow access to tens of thousands of people driven from their homes by Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon. "The plight of the displaced in Lebanon is growing more difficult by the hour and it is crucial that we get the humanitarian pipeline flowing now," he said in a statement from his Geneva office. But before moving supplies waiting in Syria to Lebanon, the statement declared, his UNHCR agency "urgently needs assurances of safe passage." (Posted @ 23:48 PST)
Immediate Mideast cease-fire unenforceable: White House WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) An immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah in southern Lebanon would be unenforceable, the White House said on Monday. "I think the notion that you have a cease-fire at this point is unenforceable and does not really get us to the point we need to be at," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. Snow also told reporters that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is in the region, would announce a "significant U.S. commitment in terms of humanitarian aid" to the Lebanese people caught up in the conflict. "Humanitarian supplies will start arriving in Lebanon tomorrow by helicopter and by ship," he said. (Posted @ 22:34 PST)
Israel kills six Palestinian civilians in Gaza GAZA, July 24 (Reuters) Israeli shells killed six people and wounded several others in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including two members of the same family who were travelling on a donkey cart when they were hit, witnesses said. The two killed by a shell which hit the donkey cart were a 60-year-old woman and her 12-year-old grandson, medics said. The three other Palestinians were killed standing outside a residential apartment building in the northern Gaza neighbourhood of Beit Lahiya. Two were civilians and the third was an off-duty police officer, residents said. An Israeli tank shell fired at a housing block later on Monday killed a five-year-old girl and wounded three other children in the area, medics said. (First Posted @ 17:10 PST Updated @ 22:30 PST)
Militant arrested in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 24 (AFP) Police in occupied Kashmir Monday arrested an alleged militant belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, identified as Mohammad Hanief Bengali alias Faheem. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
India, Pakistan officials to hold talks in Dhaka NEW DELHI, July 24 (Reuters) Indian and Pakistani officials plan to hold discussions in Bangladesh next week, the first meeting between the two sides after New Delhi put off peace talks over the Mumbai bomb blasts, an Indian official said on Monday. The talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan were expected to be held on the sidelines of a South Asian conference between July 31 and Aug. 2, the foreign ministry official said. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said although no meeting in Dhaka between the two foreign secretaries had been scheduled yet, talks were expected. "If the foreign secretaries of both countries are there, they would naturally be interacting," Aslam said. Asked if there was contact between the two countries to resume the dialogue, she said: "We have said that the peace process between Pakistan and India is in the interest of both countries ... it is in the interest of this entire region and the world at large and we are committed to the peace process. (First Posted @ 16:52 PST Updated @ 21:45 PST)
Top court annuls six-year jail term for "Spanish Taliban" MADRID, Spain, July 24 (AP) The Supreme Court on Monday threw out a terrorism conviction against the only Spaniard to have been held at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, saying there was no evidence to back up charges he was a member of al-Qaida. The court ordered the immediate release of the suspect, Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed, who in October 2005 was found guilty by a lower court of belonging to a terrorist organization and sentenced to six years in jail. ``There is a total absence of prosecution evidence,'' the Supreme Court said. Ahmed was captured in Afghanistan in late 2001 and held by Pakistani authorities for about four months before being transferred to Guantanamo. He said he had gone to Afghanistan to study at a religious school. (Posted @ 21:40 PST)
Iran denies reports of trouble in gas deal with India TEHRAN, Iran, July 24 (AP) Iran denied on Monday a report that negotiations on a deal to build a gas pipeline between Iran and India have reached a deadlock, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that an interview of Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki gave an incorrect impression because it had been ``partially condensed,'' the Iranian news agency said. Mottaki was quoted on Sunday by Indian media outlets as saying the deal had become ``a little bit complicated because of the changing of circumstances from the time when the contract and agreement (were) signed.'' The spokesman said that pipeline negotiations will continue to see the project through. (Posted @ 21:38 PST)
Women in occupied Kashmir demonstrate against Israel SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 24 (AP) Dozens of female protestors carrying placards and shouting anti-Israeli and anti-American slogans marched Monday to demand an end to Israel's bombing of Lebanon. The rally was organised by the Dukhtaran-e-Millat or ``Daughters of Faith'' group. (Posted @ 21:36 PST)
Pakistan frees 20 tribesmen in North Waziristan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 24 (AP) Pakistan freed 20 tribesmen on Monday held for more than one year on suspected links to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and attacking security forces, officials said. About 200 tribesmen fired guns into the air to welcome the releases in Miran Shah, the capital of the North Waziristan tribal region, a local intelligence official said. Their releases were made as a goodwill gesture to bolster ongoing efforts by tribal elders to mediate a cease-fire announced June 29 by militants fighting government forces, a government official said. Authorities had freed another 32 tribesmen in a similar gesture last Thursday. (Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Avalanche kills two minors in quake-hit Ghari Habibullah MANSEHRA, Jul 24 (APP): Two minors were killed as an avalanche followed by heavy rains lashed their house at Jabi of Ghari Habibullah in the quake-hit Mansehra region and adjoining areas on Monday, police said. The intermittent rains which started in wee hours of Monday took the lives of two minors Faiza Bibi (10) and Mohammad Irfan (2) while a number of houses and shops in Basian area were also severely damaged besides injuring the inmates, police added. Meanwhile, a villager identified as Jamshed resident of Joshal area was also killed due to flooding of the rivers, his family members said. In another incident three children were injured when the roof of their house caved in. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Attique sworn in as new AJK Prime Minister MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, July 24 (AP) Lawmakers in Azad Kashmir on Monday voted in a new prime minister who declared that helping victims from last year's massive earthquake would be his top priority. Sardar Attiq Ahmed Khan, whose Muslim Conference party won a July 11 election, took the oath of office after defeating rival Sahibzada Mohammed Ishaq Zafar in a vote by the 49-member assembly. Khan secured 35 votes while Zafar, from the Pakistan People Party Azad Jammu-Kashmir, received eight, said election official Kashif Zaman. Five lawmakers abstained after protesting that the vote had been rigged, Zaman said. ``Rehabilitating victims of the earthquake will be my first priority,'' Khan said after taking the oath of office in a ceremony also attended by senior government and military officials. Khan also called for easing travel across the Line of Control(LoC) and pledged to support the ``freedom of occupied Kashmir''. (Posted @ 21:30 PST)
President Musharraf calls for appropriate legislation to resolve problems RAWALPINDI, Jul 24 (APP): President General Musharraf on Monday stressed upon the need for appropriate legislation to resolve the problems of masses, particularly issues related to women. He made these remarks at a consultative meeting held here, which was also attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The meeting was aimed at bringing the laws of the country in conformity with the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, and providing quick and inexpensive justice to people at their doorsteps. Aziz said that law ministry was working in consultation with jurists and religious experts for amendments in various laws, adding that once the drafts were ready, they would be laid before the Parliament for debate. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Hunger-striking Saddam boycotts court hearing BAGHDAD, July 24 (AFP) Deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein boycotted the latest hearing in his trial for crimes against humanity on Monday, amid reports that a 17-day-old hunger strike has hospitalized him. No defence lawyers and only one of Saddam's co-defendants came to the hearing at the Iraqi High Tribunal in Baghdad. On Monday a spokesman for Saddam's US jailers said his life was not in danger. "Saddam Hussein continues to maintain his hunger strike and is voluntarily receiving nutrition through a feeding tube. His condition is constantly monitored by medical personnel," said a US official. The trial was adjourned. (First Posted @ 15:05 PST Updated @ 20:44 PST)
UN appeals for 150 million dollars to help Lebanon BEIRUT, July 24 (AFP) UN relief chief Jan Egeland launched on Monday an urgent appeal for 150 million dollars to help hundreds of thousands of civilians made homeless by Israel's offensive on Lebanon, warning that prolonged attacks will add to the humanitarian catastrophe. Egeland made an appeal for "a total of 150 million dollars to meet the needs of some 800,000 people over the next three months." Egeland said the ongoing Israeli military "has caused enormous damage to residential areas and key civilian infrastructure such as power plants, seaports, and fuel depots." "Hundreds of bridges and virtually all road networks have been systematically destroyed leaving entire communities in the south inaccessible," he said. The sum of the urgent appeal included a call by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for 23.8 million dollars to help Lebanese children who have borne the brunt of Israel's military onslaught on the country, UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman said in a statement. (Posted @ 20:42 PST)
Plan to end Lebanon ‘catastrophe’ 'within days': Blair LONDON, July 24 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Monday he hoped a plan would be announced "within the next few days" to bring about an immediate end to the violence in Lebanon, which he called a "catastrophe". Urgent diplomatic efforts are under way to hammer out the proposal, which would include a ceasefire on both sides, a release of captured Israeli soldiers and an international force deployed in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel, Blair said. Blair was flanked by visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He said he hoped the plan would "try to make sure we put in place some mechanism that will allow greater stability in the region." (Posted @ 20:38 PST)
Rice 'concerned about humanitarian situation' in Lebanon BEIRUT, July 24 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday she was "deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring," as she held talks with Lebanese leaders on a surprise visit. "I am obviously concerned about the humanitarian situation," she told reporters after going from a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to another with parliament speaker Nabih Berri. Her discussions in Beirut were to be followed by talks with Israeli leaders later Monday as Rice made her first visit to the Middle East since the violence on the Israel-Lebanon border erupted on July 12. (First Posted @ 15:35 PST Updated @ 20:34 PST)
Jordan 'central hub' for CIA’s illegal transfer of suspects program: Amnesty LONDON, July 24 (AFP) Jordan is a "central hub" in the secret and illegal transfer of people the CIA suspects are terrorists, Amnesty International said Monday. The London-based human rights group report details the cases of "dozens" of individuals who have allegedly been tortured in Jordan, "ten of whom appear to be rendition victims." Amnesty said that the men were taken to Jordan from several countries, including Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan and the United States. Some of the men were held and tortured for months in Jordan before being moved to the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or various other "secret" prisons, Amnesty charged. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Malaysian PM condemns UN 'paralysis' in Mideast conflict KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (AFP) Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Monday condemned the United Nations for not acting decisively to put a halt to Israel's military offensive in Lebanon. "Even the UN, our best hope for international peace and security, is in apparent paralysis and unable to act," he said during a visit to Indonesia. "Quite clearly, the power of veto is at work not only in the corridors of the United Nations but also on the ground in the Middle East," he said in a speech. He added that "…we Muslims cannot prevent an invasion of Lebanon on our own. Our own internal sectarian conflicts have weakened us and these have been the major cause of Muslim disunity". (Posted @ 19:14 PST)
Kosovo bids for independence face-to-face with Serbs VIENNA, July 24 (Reuters) Kosovo formally made its pitch for independence face-to-face with Serbia on Monday at their first top-level talks since NATO bombs drove Serb forces from the province in 1999. In the one-day meeting in Vienna, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian president said independence was "the beginning and end of our position." "The will for independence cannot be ignored or negotiated away in talks," said Fatmir Sejdiu. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said Belgrade could offer "substantial autonomy". But it "cannot accept the creation of a separate state on 15 percent of its territory." (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Hizbollah shoots down Israeli combat helicopter JERUSALEM, July 24 (Reuters) An Israeli combat helicopter crashed in northern Israel on Monday, causing two casualties, the army said. The army did not say whether the two were dead or wounded. Al Arabiya television said the two soldiers were killed and several were wounded in the crash. Al Jazeera said the helicopter had been carrying wounded soldiers. Israel Radio said the Apache helicopter hit a power line near the border. However Hizbollah said its fighters had shot down the Israeli helicopter in fierce fighting near the Lebanese border. (First Posted @ 15:35 PST Updated @ 17:06 PST)
EU states ready to join Lebanon force: Solana BRUSSELS, July 24 (Reuters) Several European Union countries are ready to contribute to a peace force for Lebanon but problems remain in ensuring it can fulfil its mission, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday. "It's a real possibility. It is not an easy force to deploy but we have been working since Wednesday to try to construct a concept that would make it possible to deploy under the umbrella of the U.N. Security Council," Solana said after meeting Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri in Brussels. Solana said the aim of the operation would be to implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1559 that led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and called for the disarmament of militias. (Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Hundreds of Taliban attack police post KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 24 (Reuters) Hundreds of Taliban guerrillas firing rocket-propelled grenades attacked a police station on Monday in southwestern Afghanistan. The Taliban suffered heavy casualties in a raid on the police station in a remote district of western Farah province before retreating, a police official said. Separately, Taliban guerrillas killed two local employees of an international aid agency World Vision, in neighbouring Ghor province, an official said, and a car bomb wounded two soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition. Their injuries were serious, but not life threatening, a coalition spokesman said. The soldiers' identities were not given. (First Posted @ 12:30 PST Updated @ 16:58 PST)
Iraqi PM says foreign troops will not take years to leave Iraq LONDON, July 24 (AFP) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said his talks in Britain Monday would focus on ending violence in Iraq and enabling foreign troops to leave Iraq, something he insisted would not take years. Speaking on BBC Radio before meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair later Monday, Maliki added that his government was grappling with both a sectarian conflict and violent crime, but that Iraq would not descend into civil war. Asked how long foreign troops were needed in Iraq, he replied: "Definitely not decades, not even years. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
India tests surface-to-air missiles BHUBANESHWAR, India, July 24 (AFP) India tested two surface-to-air Trishul missiles Monday in the eastern state of Orissa, a day after a similar launch from the site, defence officials said. They declined to say whether the tests were successful.(Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Children biggest victim of violence in DR Congo: UNICEF LONDON, July 24 (AFP) Some 1,200 people die every day in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than half of them children, as a result of violence in the war-torn country, a report published Monday by the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) found. The conflict that engulfed the former Belgian colony for nearly a decade has claimed more victims every six months than the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami that struck in December 2004, the report claimed. Former BBC war correspondent Martin Bell, now a UNICEF ambassador and author of the report, which was released in London, said: "Peace is the missing link between a violent past and a more hopeful future.” (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Two policemen, one gunman killed in Dagestan fighting MAKHATCHKALA, Russia, July 24 (AFP) Two policemen and a suspected freedom fighter were killed in a security operation in the Russian Caucasus province of Dagestan, close to the Chechen border, police said Monday. The operation involving armoured vehicles was continuing Monday in Endirei village of Khasavyurt district, police said. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Greek police arrest smugglers with 51 immigrants ATHENS, July 24, 2006 (AFP) Greek police have arrested two Ukrainians on suspicion of people smuggling after they unloaded 51 illegal immigrants on the Methana peninsular south of Athens, officials said Monday. Their human cargo, mainly Iraqis and Pakistanis, have been put up in an old gymnasium where they have received medical aid and food. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
G6 talks collapse, trade round in doubt GENEVA, July 24 (Reuters) Last-ditch talks by major trade powers to save the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round collapsed on Monday, leaving the future of negotiations on a global free trade deal in doubt. A well-placed trade diplomat said: "The G6 talks have collapsed. It's not immediately evident what options are available other than suspension (of the Doha Round)." (Posted @ 15:05 PST)
India protests to US after spy arrests NEW DELHI, July 24 (AFP) India has lodged a protest with the US embassy here, accusing it of using an initiative against Internet crime as a cover for spying activities, a report said Monday. The protest follows the arrest of three senior officials -- representing India on the cyber security forum - for maintaining "unauthorised contacts" with a US diplomat, the Indian Express reported. The officer of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, and two others from the National Security Council Secretariat, were booked under the Official Secrets Act after confessing to meeting the US diplomat without approval. The intelligence officer, arrested Thursday, has also admitted to having 10 portable computer memory devices, the report said. When brought to the notice of the US ambassador David Mulford, "the American side was as surprised over the developments as the Indians," the Express said. The US embassy refused to comment on the report. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Lebanon civilian killed in Israel raids TYRE, Lebanon, July 24 (AFP) One Lebanese civilian was killed and 10 wounded in a new wave of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon early Monday, police said. The death came in the village of Hallusiyeh, north of the port city of Tyre, when a missile struck a house. Further south, four residents of the village of Hinniyeh were wounded by missile shrapnel. Six civilians were also wounded by air raids on the village of Dweir, near Sidon. Israeli military said it carried out some 40 raids on Lebanon overnight, some targeting rocket launchers. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Three dead in grenade attack on Afghan postman KHOST, Afghanistan, July 24 (AFP) Attackers hurled grenades into the home of a village postman in eastern Khost province, killing three of his daughters, officials said Monday. The postman and another of his daughters, a young girl, were wounded in the attack in Yaqubi village, district chief Mirza Jan Nimgari said. On Sunday a man detonated grenades in a taxi at a police checkpost in the province, killing himself and another person and wounding three others, provincial police chief Mohammad Ayoob said hours after the attack. The man exploded the grenades after suspicious police stopped the vehicle, Ayoob said Monday. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Kasuri, Iranian FM discuss Lebanon situation ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): Iranian Foreign Minister Manocher Mottaki contacted Foreign Minister Kasuri on Monday through telephone to discuss the deteriorating situation in Lebanon. They agreed that the OIC members of the ASEAN Forum could meet on the sidelines of the ARF meeting in Kuala Lumpur (July 27-29). (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Bomb blast kills soldier, wounds 2 others in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, July 24 (AP) A roadside bomb blast on Monday killed one soldier and wounded two others in northern district of Vavuniya, the army said. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Politician killed, deadly explosives recovered in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 24 (AFP) Suspected militants shot dead a politician in occupied Kashmir, police said Monday. Fateh Mohammad Dar, a member of India's ruling Congress party, was shot dead Sunday evening in Larkipora village of southern Anantnag district, a police spokesman said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
No OIC emergency meeting on Mideast: Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (AFP) The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will not call an emergency meeting on the Middle East crisis despite a request by Iran's president, the bloc's chair Malaysia said Monday. The group may instead hold an "executive committee meeting" as it is impossible to get all 57 members together at short notice, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told the official Bernama news agency. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Intelligence officer: Hezbollah may try to capture more Israeli soldiers or attack abroad TEL AVIV, July 24 (AP) Israeli army's chief of intelligence Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told a news conference in Tel Aviv that he `` reported Sunday to the Cabinet that Hezbollah is trying to create a situation in which it frays the nerves of the residents of Israel by promising ``surprises,'' Asked what those ``surprises'' might be, Yadlin said: ``Hezbollah is threatening to fire rockets with an even longer range. Therefore, this is no longer a surprise. Hezbollah may try to surprise us by mounting another operation to kidnap soldiers or civilians. Hezbollah might attempt to take action against the state of Israel abroad.'' (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Police kill 8 suspected Maoist rebels in gunbattle in southern India HYDERABAD, India, July 24 (AP) Police raided a Maoist rebel forest hide-out in Andhra Pradesh, killing a guerrilla chief and at least seven others. Top rebel leader Burra Chinnaiah, the state chief of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist group, was among those killed Sunday, Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen said. Five women also were among the dead. The clashes took place in Daraboilupenta forest, about 350 kilometers south of Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, Sen said. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Some 60,000 North Koreans displaced, 100,000 tons of food lost in heavy rains SEOUL, South Korea, July 24 (AP) Floods in North Korea have forced about 60,000 people from their homes and damaged farmland, causing a potential loss of 100,000 tons of food, the U.N. food agency said in a report. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Hezbollah leader says Israeli ground invasion will not protect northern Israel from rocket attacks BEIRUT, July 24 (AP) Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in remarks published Monday that an Israeli ground invasion would not prevent Hezbollah from firing rockets into northern Israel.``Any Israeli incursion will have no political results if it does not achieve its declared goals, primarily an end to the rocketing of Zionist settlements in northern occupied Palestine,'' Nasrallah told As-Safir newspaper. ``I assure you that this goal will not be achieved, God willing, by an Israeli incursion,'' he said. Responding to reports about diplomatic efforts to end the fighting, Nasrallah said the priority was to end Israeli attacks on Lebanon, but added he was open to discussing initiatives. Nasrallah would not take a stand on proposals to send an international force to southern Lebanon to keep the peace, but said it was ``very noteworthy'' that Israel first rejected and then accepted the idea of a NATO-led force. ``This shift in Israel's position must be studied and considered well before taking a positive or negative stand on this idea,'' he said. He said Israel's losses in the fighting for Maroun al-Ras showed the weakness of the Israeli army. Israel has said five soldiers were killed in the fighting there. Hezbollah reported three of its fighters killed in the area. Israel said Sunday two guerrillas were captured. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Champions Trophy field hockey results TERRASSA, Spain, July 24 (AFP) All three matches on the second day of the Men's Champions Trophy field hockey tournament ended in draw on Sunday. Results are: Pakistan 3 (Abbas 27, 38, Abbasi 57) Germany 3 (C. Zeller 2, 22, Witthaus 68); Argentina 1 (Argento 70) Spain 1 (S. Freixa 18); Australia 1 (Elder 29) Netherlands 1 (Taekema 35) (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Saudi FM calls on US to support Lebanon ceasefire calls WASHINGTON, July 24 (AFP) Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Sunday pressed President George W. Bush to support calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, during talks at the White House with the US leader and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "We requested a ceasefire to allow for the cessation of hostilities that would allow ... Lebanon to establish sovereignty over the whole of its territory," the Saudi foreign minister told reporters after the White House meeting. "I did not see any objection to a ceasefire," he told reporters. "I found the president very conscious of the destruction and the bloodshed that the Lebanese are suffering," he added. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Hayden wins USA Grand Prix MONTEREY, California, July 24 (AFP) USA's Nicky Hayden won his home Grand Prix here Sunday, guiding his Honda to the chequered flag ahead of Spain's Dani Pedrosa and Italy's Marco Melandri. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Puerto Rican teenager wins Miss Universe crown LOS ANGELES, July 24 (AFP) A tearful Miss Puerto Rico, Zuleyka Rivera, was crowned Miss Universe 2006 on Sunday, the fifth time the crown has gone to a woman from the US island territory in the Caribbean. Beauties from 86 nations competed in the 55th Miss Universe pageant in Los Angeles, vying to succeed Canadian Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 93.00 points: KARACHI, July 24: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10350.63, up 93.00 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 24: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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