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| July 25, 2006 | Tuesday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 28, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Israeli raid kills family of seven in south Lebanon TYRE, Lebanon, July 25 (AFP) A family of seven, including at least two children, was killed in an Israeli bombardment on southern Lebanon early Tuesday, police said. A missile destroyed a house on the outskirts of the town of Nabatiyeh, killing the family members, they said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Israel using cluster munitions in Lebanon: rights group NEW YORK, July 25 (AFP) Human Rights Watch said Monday that Israel has used artillery-fired cluster munitions in Lebanon, killing a civilian, and called on the Jewish state to immediately cease the practice. The New York-based rights group said researchers on the ground in Lebanon confirmed that Israel staged a cluster munitions attack on the village of Blida on July 19, leaving one person dead and injuring 12 civilians, including seven children. The report said researchers had also photographed cluster munitions in the arsenal of Israeli artillery teams stationed at the Lebanese border. "Cluster munitions are unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable weapons when used around civilians," Kenneth Roth, executive directory of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "They should never be used in populated areas." (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Rice leaves Mideast with no ceasefire in sight JERUSALEM, July 26, (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrapped up a lightning trip to the Middle East Tuesday with no sign of a ceasefire in the offing, despite appeals from both Lebanon and the Palestinians for respite from the massive Israeli onslaught. Rice was headed next for an international conference on Lebanon in Rome Wednesday -- but only after backing the Jewish state's continuing blitz on its northern neighbor. (Posted @ 23:48 PST)
Middle East 'storm' brewing, will 'strike violently': Ahmadinejad DUSHANBE, July 25, 2006 (AFP) A "storm" is brewing in the Middle East and will "strike violently," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters Tuesday in the Tajik capital Dushanbe. "A storm is near in the Middle East and this storm will turn against the enemies of humanity and strike violently," Ahmadinejad said. Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and Ahmadinejad signed a joint declaration expressing concern over the conflict in the Middle East and calling on international organisations to intervene. (Posted @ 22:15 PST)
Hockey-Netherlands defeat Pakistan 9-2 in Champions Trophy TERRASSA, Spain, July 25 (AFP) Men's Champions Trophy field hockey tournament results Tuesday: Netherlands 9 (M. Brouwer 1, Evers 14, Reckers 26, R.Brouwer 30, 44, 65, 70, de Nooijer 42, Taekema 58) Pakistan 2 (Abbasi 43, Zakir 53). (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Bomb targets British aid group’s truck in Pakistan, four hurt PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 25 (AP) A bomb planted in a pickup truck belonging to a U.K.-based aid group exploded in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday, wounding its driver and three passers-by, an official said. The bomb, rigged to a timer, exploded in the truck that was parked near a school in Sada Gul village, about 40 kilometres south of Peshawar, said a local security official. The vehicle was owned by Islamic Response International U.K., an aid group trying to improve public awareness of diseases in the remote region, the official said. Four of the group's workers were giving a lecture to several dozen villagers inside the school when the bomb exploded, and no one inside the school was hurt, the official added. The motive for the attack was unclear and there has been no claim of responsibility. (Posted @ 20:56 PST)
Oil drops to $74 LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) Oil fell more than $1 a barrel to below $74 on Tuesday as Arab leaders pressed for an end to fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas. U.S. crude dropped $1.30 to $73.75 a barrel by 1518 GMT while London Brent crude was off $1.22 at $73.39. (Posted @ 20:52 PST)
More US forces to shift to Baghdad: Bush WASHINGTON, July 25 (AFP) US President George W. Bush said Tuesday after talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that US forces would move to strife-torn Baghdad from other parts of Iraq over the coming weeks. The redeployment, coming after the failure of a security thrust to reduce violence in the capital, "will better reflect the current conditions on the ground in Iraq," Bush said during a joint public appearance with Maliki. ``He comes wondering whether or not we are committed. He hears all kinds of things coming out of the United States,'' Bush said. ``And I assured him that this government stands by the Iraqi people.'' (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Indian forces kill three in occupied Kashmir; seven hurt in grenade blast SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 25 (AFP) Indian security forces killed three suspected militants in an alleged gun fight along the Line of Control (LoC) Tuesday, the army and police said. Separately, seven civilians were hurt Tuesday in a grenade attack at a bus stand along a tourist route in a town just north of Srinagar, police said. (First Posted @ 14:05 PST Updated @ 20:46 PST)
Cricket-Afridi gives Pakistan new injury worry MANCHESTER, England, July 25 (AFP) Shahid Afridi gave Pakistan a fresh fitness scare after he was injured just 48 hours ahead of the second Test against England. While batting here Tuesday in the Old Trafford nets, Afridi tried to pull a ball from a member of the Lancashire groundstaff. But the ball hit him on the upper part of the bone of his right elbow. He then had ice treatment and strapping applied and didn't bowl in the nets. "Afridi has a bruised elbow but he should be OK in the next two days. It's a hard ball game and such things often happen," said Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach. "He's a tough Pathan and he'll be OK." (Posted @ 20:42 PST)
British police charge three with murder of man of Pakistani origin LONDON, July 25 (AFP) Police charged three men with murder on Tuesday following the death of a British-born man of Pakistani origin in a mass street fight in Preston, northwest England. Shezan Umarji, 20, a bank worker and business student, was stabbed in the brawl between around 50 white and South Asian youths early Saturday. Police said three men, one aged 17 and two aged 19, had been "jointly charged with murder and violent disorder". They were due to appear in court later to face the charges. (Posted @ 20:32 PST)
ASEAN suspends trade talks with India: Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (Reuters) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has suspended free-trade talks with India because of New Delhi's reluctance to open its markets, a spokeswoman of Malaysia's trade minister said on Tuesday. India had demanded that some 850 goods that it imports from Southeast Asia be excluded from the pact, the spokeswoman quoted minister Rafidah Aziz as saying. An Indian trade ministry official said they had yet to receive official notification on the matter. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Pakistani freed after murder victim found alive ISLAMABAD, July 25 (Reuters) Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered an inquiry into the case of a man who spent three years in jail for a murder that never happened, a court official said on Tuesday. The woman Malik Taj Mohammad was convicted of kidnapping and killing; she was arrested for theft two years ago and was serving a jail sentence in the eastern city of Gujarat. "This woman was presented in court and the chief justice has ordered a lower court judge to conduct a probe, fix responsibility and provide compensation to Taj," a court official said. The woman, Malkani Bibi, was said to have been murdered during a property dispute between relatives, although Taj had maintained that his accusers had performed a mock burial. "On details provided by him, the police located Malkani in jail and produced her before the court," the official said. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Bangladesh opposition holds big protest march DHAKA, July 25 (Reuters) Thousands of opposition activists marched to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka from its outskirts on Tuesday as authorities used armed police and sniffer dogs to prevent any violence. The march ended peacefully, witnesses said. It was the first of six such marches planned by a 14-party opposition alliance, headed by the Awami League party, to force the government to implement electoral reforms. The marchers chanted slogans calling on Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to accept the opposition demands or step down. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Israel says will hold Lebanon security strip JERUSALEM, July 25 (Reuters) Israel intends to control a security zone in southern Lebanon until an international force can be deployed to take it over, Defence Minister Amir Peretz said on Tuesday. Peretz said Israel would control the zone by firing at anyone who enters it. He did not say how wide the zone would be. Israeli government sources estimated the width of the zone at 3-4 kilometres. Western diplomats briefed by the Israeli government said it could be as wide as 5-10 kilometres in some places. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Israeli forces close in on key Hizbollah stronghold JERUSALEM, July 25 (Reuters) Israeli forces battled to take over a second Hizbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon on Tuesday and an Israeli commander estimated at least 20 guerrillas had been killed in the fighting. Calling Bint Jbeil a major Hizbollah centre, Israel's army said tanks and troops had sealed off the town and were engaged in sporadic fire fights with the hold-outs. Hizbollah said at least seven of its men had been killed over the past day, but did not say where. The group said in a statement that fighting with Israeli forces continued on Bint Jbeil's outskirts and in the surrounding area. Al Jazeera television said four Israeli soldiers were wounded in Tuesday's clashes. The army did not comment on fresh casualties, but has said two tank crewmen were killed in Bint Jbeil on Monday while several more soldiers were wounded. (First Posted @ 09:45 Updated @ 20:14 PST)
Israeli planes continue to blast Beirut; 12 civilians killed BEIRUT, July 25 (Reuters) Israeli warplanes bombarded again the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, killing 12 civilians. It was the first strike into Beirut since a Monday visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Lebanese security forces said Israeli aircraft launched more than 100 strikes on the towns and villages. (Posted @ 20:12 PST)
Palestinian shops close up to protest Rice visit RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 25 (Reuters) Shopkeepers shut their doors in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday to protest against the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The commercial strike was called by several Palestinian factions, including the Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas and the ruling group Hamas. The strike was widely followed. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
President Musharraf inaugurates palm oil refinery in Karachi KARACHI, July 25 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday inaugurated a palm oil refinery in Karachi and held out assurances that Pakistan would continue to maintain consistency in its economic policies to ensure an attractive environment for foreign investment. Referring to the talk of punitive action by India as reported in media, he said "nobody should be under any illusion or caste an evil eye at us or talk of punitive action". He said peace was achieved through strength and not by weakness. He said security was a necessity and Pakistan would ensure its security at every cost. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Pakistan nabs three over Allama Turabi’s killing KARACHI, July 25 (Agencies) Pakistani police said Tuesday they had arrested three militants who planned this month's killing of Allama Hassan Turabi in a suicide attack in Karachi. Jahangir Mirza, the police chief of Sindh province, said the men were arrested during a raid Tuesday at a house in eastern Qaidabad. "We recovered 25 kilogrammes of explosives, two hand grenades, a video camera, a computer and disks," he said. The detained men had belonged to various militant organisations and appeared to have established a new group, according to Mirza, though he did not give any names. He said the three men identified a Bangladeshi acquaintance, Abdul Karim, as the bomber. Police found at the house a videotape showing a male claiming to be Karim addressing his family by saying: ``I am performing a noble task. Don't worry about me. I will meet you in heaven.'' (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Cricket-Injured Plunkett misses two Pakistan tests LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) England paceman Liam Plunkett will miss the second and third tests against Pakistan after suffering a side strain. Plunkett sustained the injury playing for his county side Durham against West Indies A last week. The second test starts at Old Trafford on Thursday. Plunkett's place will be taken either by Sajid Mahmood or Jon Lewis. (Posted @ 17:38 PST)
Pakistani tribals protest Israeli attacks on Lebanon PARACHINAR, Pakistan, July 25 (Reuters) Thousands of Pakistani tribesmen demonstrated on Tuesday against Israeli attacks on Lebanon, in the largest protests yet in the country. The protesters, including clerics, tribal chieftains, students and traders, marched through the streets of Parachinar, the main town of the semi-autonomous Kurram tribal region, shouting anti-Israel and anti-American slogans. (Posted @ 17:36 PST)
Rice says need to keep focus on Palestinian state RAMALLAH, July 25 (Reuters) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday there was a need to remain focused on establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel despite the current crisis in Lebanon. Rice met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after visiting Lebanon and Israel. "Even as the Lebanon situation is resolved, we must remain focused on what is happening here, in the Palestinian territories," Rice told a news conference. "On our desires to get back to ... (the) vision of two states living side by side in peace." (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Saudi King says Israel attacks threaten regional war RIYADH, July 25 (Reuters) Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said on Tuesday Israel's military offensives on Lebanon and the Palestinians could ignite war in the Middle East. "Saudi Arabia warns everybody that if the peace option fails because of Israeli arrogance, there will be no other option but war," state-owned al-Ikhbariya television quoted the king as saying in an official statement. Al-Ikhbariya said Saudi Arabia had pledged $500 million to rebuild Lebanon and $250 million for the Palestinians. (Posted @ 17:32 PST)
Coalition soldier, seven rebels killed in Afghanistan KABUL, July 25 (AFP) A coalition soldier was killed in eastern Afghanistan while troops from the US-led force shot dead seven rebels, the coalition said Tuesday. In the capital Kabul a suspected bomb exploded underneath a taxi on a road frequently used by US-led coalition troops, killing the cab driver and wounding four civilians. The foreign soldier, whose nationality was not released, was killed on Monday in a district of Kunar province. Also Monday, coalition forces came under attack from 45 fighters in Paktika province, the coalition said in a statement. One coalition soldier suffered minor shrapnel wounds in the clash in Barmal district on the Pakistan border. (First Posted @ 14:20 PST Updated @ 16:35 PST)
Saudi FM calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon LONDON, July 25, 2006 (AFP) Saudi Arabia's foreign minister called here Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire as a step toward Lebanon establishing full sovereignty over its territory and ensuring regional stability. An immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia operating from strongholds in southern Lebanon would bring about the right conditions, Prince Saud al-Faisal said after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Kadhafi says Libya was close to building nuclear bomb TRIPOLI, July 25 (AFP) Libya was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb before it decided in 2003 to abandon its programme to produce nuclear weapons, its leader Moamer Kadhafi said, according to the country's official news agency. He acknowledged that his hopes of building a pan-Arab nation had been illusory. "We spent a lot of money on military projects but not on civilian projects and reconstruction; our hopes on setting up an Arab nation were immense but unfortunately all failed," he said, recalling that Libya had supported liberation movements in Africa, America and Asia, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA). "This support was indispensable at that time. It was in the name of Arab nationalism, socialism and revolution. Now all that has changed and we have paid dearly for it," Kadhafi said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Ancient Persian drawing found in Afghan Buddhist cave TOKYO, July 25 (AFP) Japanese researchers said Tuesday they found a seventh-century painting of a mythological Persian bird in Afghanistan's Bamiyan ruins, showing the region's Buddhism was influenced by pre-Islamic Iran. The team unearthed an image of what appears to be a Simorgh, the giant and powerful bird that figures prominently in Zoroastrian-era Iranian legends. "This is the first time a vivid image of this creature was confirmed" in Bamiyan, an expert said. Inside the same cave, researchers also found a design of a boar and a lion facing each other. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Israel used 'disproportionate force' in Gaza: U.N. GAZA, July 25 (Reuters) Israel's bombing of Gaza's only power plant was a disproportionate use of force that has had profound humanitarian consequences, the United Nations' chief aid official said on Tuesday. "This plant is more important for hospitals, for sewage, for water, for civilians than for any Hamas or Islamic Jihad man with some kind of a missile on his shoulder," Jan Egeland, the U.N. under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, told reporters as he toured the destroyed plant south of Gaza City. "He doesn't need electricity as much as a mother trying to care for a child," he added. Egeland said fighting on both fronts had to stop immediately if a deepening crisis were to be averted. "The international community has to work with the parties to break this vicious cycle of bitterness and violence," he said. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Launch with 16 fishermen on board sinks in Karachi beach KARACHI, July 25 (APP) A fishing launch with 16 fishermen on board sank in the sea near Karachi’s Cape Mound beach on Tuesday. Edhi sources said their volunteers were making efforts to retrieve the fishermen. Officials said seven fishermen swam to the shore, while one was found dead. The Maritime Security Agency has launched a rescue mission for the remaining eight. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Heavy rains kill five, injure 22 in Punjab LAHORE, Pakistan, July 25 (AP) Heavy monsoonal rains lashed eastern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring 22, an official said. One child died after being crushed by the roof of a private childcare centre that caved in as a result of the downpour, said a spokeswoman for the state-run Rescue Center. Four people died when walls and roofs of houses collapsed on the outskirts of Lahore, the spokesman added. Low-lying areas throughout Lahore, and the capital, Islamabad, were flooded, with water entering hundreds of homes and causing traffic chaos on roads. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Rice says it's 'time for new Middle East' JERUSALEM, July 25 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday it was "time for a new Middle East" as she began talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the two-week-old Lebanon conflict. "It is time for a new Middle East," Rice told reporters before the start of her talks with Olmert in Jerusalem. "A durable solution will be one that strengethens the forces of peace and democracy in the region," she said. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
South Korean, Indian candidates get boost in race for next U.N. chief UNITED NATIONS, July 25 (AP) The South Korean and Indian candidates to become the next U.N. secretary-general got a boost when most members of the U.N. Security Council encouraged them to stay in the race. The other two candidates from Sri Lanka and Thailand did not do as well, according to the informal Security Council poll. The results were obtained by The Associated Press. In Tuesday's informal poll, the 15 council nations will check one of three boxes for each candidate: ``Encourage,'' ``discourage,''and ``no opinion.'' South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon did the best, with 12 council nations encouraging him to run, one discouraging him and two giving no opinion. India's Shashi Tharoor was next, with 10 votes of encouragement, two of discouragement and three giving no opinion. Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai got seven votes of encouragement, three against, and five of no opinion, while Sri Lanka’s Jayantha Dhanapala got five votes of encouragement, six discouraged him and four expressed no opinion. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Akhtar eyeing speedy return against England LONDON, July 25 (AFP) Pakistan strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar has vowed to bowl faster than ever if he recovers in time for the third Test against England later this month. Shoaib, sidelined with knee and ankle injuries for first Two tests, has been working round the clock in an effort to regain match fitness and is optimistic that he may be ready to make his return at Headingley on August 3. "I worked really hard for this series," he said. "I wanted to start right against England. I worked hard but I tried to do too much too early and I got a couple of niggles. "I think I will be a yard quicker when I do come back. I hope to bowl a yard quicker in this series and if I get some good match practice I'll be right up there - I'm not going to get slower, trust me!" "The ankle is good, it's recovering," claimed Shoaib. "I've bowled around three or four times with the full run-up and that's been no problem”. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Dunga named new Brazil coach RIO DE JANEIRO, July 25 (AFP) Former Brazil captain Dunga was appointed as the five-time World Cup winners' new coach here Monday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said. Dunga, who skippered Brazil to victory at the 1994 World Cup, replaces Carlos Alberto Parreira who resigned last week. He has been entrusted with leading Brazil to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and possibly beyond, said CBF President Ricardo Teixeira. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 50.97 points: KARACHI, July 25: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10401.60, up 50.97 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 25: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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