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| August 10, 2006 | Thursday | Rajab 14, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan makes arrests after helping UK foil plot ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan made some arrests in coordination with arrests made in Britain to foil a plot to blow up airliners flying between Britain and the United States, Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said on Thursday. "The arrests in the United Kingdom have followed active intelligence cooperation between Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States," Aslam said. "There were some arrests in Pakistan, which were coordinated with the arrests in the U.K.," she said. The suspects arrested in Britain were British nationals, Aslam said, but she was unable to elaborate on who had been arrested in Pakistan. (Posted @ 23:52 PST)
Pakistan detains Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug 10 (AFP) Pakistani authorities have placed under house arrest the former head of Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, and the current chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity group in Lahore, officials said Thursday. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed would be held for a one-month period, a Punjab province home department official said. A Dawa spokesman said the detention order was served by a provincial official late Wednesday, ahead of a public meeting the group had planned to mark Pakistan's August 14 Independence Day. The authorities have also withdrawn permission granted earlier to stage the rally on Saturday in Lahore, the spokesman added. (First Posted @ 11:48 PST Updated @ 15:30 PST)
Israeli soldier killed in south Lebanon JERUSALEM, Aug 10, (AFP) - An Israeli soldier was killed and two others wounded Thursday during clashes with the Hezbollah militia in south Lebanon, the Israeli army said. (Posted @ 23:25 PST)
Fresh fighting dims Sri Lanka peace hopes, rebels say more than 50 killed KANTALAI, Sri Lanka, Aug 10 (AFP) Sri Lankan warplanes bombed Tiger positions as fighting broke out again near a disputed waterway in the troubled northeast Thursday, leaving more than 50 people dead according to the rebels. Defence ministry spokesman Upali Rajapakse said the Tigers were firing artillery and mortar bombs from civilian locations and drawing fire from troops onto civilians. Defence officials said six soldiers were killed and nearly 50 wounded in Thursday's battle. (Posted @ 22:34 PST)
Plot shows US at war with 'Islamic fascists': Bush GREEN BAY, Wis., Aug 10 (Reuters) President George W. Bush said on Thursday a foiled plot to blow up airplanes was a "stark reminder" that the United States was "at war with Islamic fascists." Bush said while the United States was safer than before the Sept. 11 attacks, it was still not completely safe and it would be a mistake to believe there was no threat to the United States. (Posted @ 22:15 PST)
British home secretary says main terror plot suspects arrested LONDON, Aug 10 (AP) British Home Secretary John Reid said Thursday that authorities believe they have arrested the main suspects in a plot to blow up U.S.-bound aircraft. Reid said the foiled plot would have caused death ``on an unprecedented scale.'' He said police and the government were confident all the main players had been arrested, but that Britain's threat status would remain at the highest level for the time being ``as a precautionary measure.'' Meanwhile two U.S. counterterrorism officials said the alleged plot had targeted United, American and Continental airlines. In addition to the highest alert for flights from Britain, the alert for all flights coming or going from the United States was also raised slightly. The government banned beverages, hair gels and lotions from flights, explaining only that liquids emerged as a risk from the investigation in Britain. French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that the suspects in an alleged terror plot to blow up several aircraft flying from Britain to the United States ``appear to be of Pakistani origin.'' He did not give a precise source for the information on the suspects. (First Posted @ 16:56 PST Updated @ 21:36 PST)
Israel drops leaflets on southern Beirut suburbs BEIRUT, Aug 10 (Reuters) Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets over parts of Beirut on Thursday, saying Israel would widen its offensive on Hizbollah-dominated southern suburbs of the capital and warning residents there to leave. "To the residents of Hay al-Sellom, Burj al-Barajneh, and Shiyah, for your own safety, you must flee those suburbs immediately," said the leaflets in Arabic and signed "The State of Israel". (Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Hizbollah destroys several advancing Israeli tanks in Lebanon MARJAYOUN, Lebanon, Aug 10 (Reuters) Hizbollah guerrillas, firing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs, hit at least two Israeli tanks near the town of Marjayoun on Thursday during fierce fighting in the area after a major Israeli incursion. A resident said that later a third tank approached the scene and took away several casualties. The burning tanks were abandoned. Hizbollah said in a statement it had destroyed 11 Israeli tanks, killing or wounding their crews, in fighting in the area. There was no Israeli comment. An Israeli force near Marjayoun headed towards the Khiam town to the southeast, sparking battles with Hizbollah fighters dug in and around the town, residents said. Israeli planes and artillery pounded Khiam as battles raged. Despite the Israeli advance, Hizbollah fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel from hills in the area. Two people were killed in Israel, including a toddler. Hizbollah said it also destroyed three tanks near the village of Ainata to the west. Guerrillas also battled an Israeli force trying to advance towards Qantara village. (First Posted @ 12:35 PST Updated @ 18:32 PST)
Musharraf launches Agosta 90-B submarine in Karachi KARACHI, Aug 10 (APP) The second indigenously built Agosta 90-B submarine was launched at a ceremony here Thursday. President General Pervez Musharraf was the chief guest on the occasion. It is the first submarine of the country fitted with the advanced MESMA Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. Musharraf in his speech said the submarine would give an offensive punch to Pakistan Navy. He also criticised the “drawing room critics and pseudo intellectuals” who talk against the development of the armed forces and expenditure on them and also of reduction in the armed forces. “I want to tell them that security and peace is only guaranteed through force and strength, never through weakness," he claimed. He added that a physical example of this was the tragic events in Lebanon and added that peace can only be guaranteed through strength. (First Posted @ 15:45 PST Updated @ 17:15 PST)
U.N. humanitarian chief calls lack of access to southern Lebanon a 'disgrace' GENEVA, Aug 10 (AP) The United Nations' top humanitarian official criticized Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday for hindering aid agencies' access to trapped civilians in southern Lebanon, calling it ``a disgrace'' their failure to allow convoys to get through. ``The Hezbollah and the Israelis could give us access in a heartbeat,'' Jan Egeland told reporters at the U.N.'s European headquarters in Geneva. ``Then we could help 120,000 people in southern Lebanon. I don't think that any military advantage has been gained in these last days or will be gained in the next few hours.'' (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
Three people killed in separate incidents in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 10 (AP) Police clashed with gunmen in occupied Kashmir on Thursday, and three people were killed in separate incidents, police said. A man whom police claimed to be a militant was killed in a shootout in Pattan town, north of Srinagar. In another village, a man was killed by police in a case of mistaken identity, an officer said. Meanwhile, a police officer was killed in a clash at a shrine about 40 kilometers northwest of Srinagar, the officer added. In Srinagar, police used batons and water cannons to break up a protest by about 200 students over the killing of a college student by paramilitary police. The protesters said the slain man was an innocent youth gunned down Wednesday because of a personal rivalry with some policemen. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
Magnitude 4.0 quake rattles north-western Pakistan; no injuries reported PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug 10 (AP) A mild earthquake jolted parts of north-western Pakistan on Thursday, causing panic among residents but there were no reports of any damage or casualties, an official said. The magnitude-4.0 quake was centered in the mountainous Hazara region, about 200 kilometres northeast of Peshawar, said a meteorologist at the state-run Seismological Centre. The tremors were felt in the districts of Mansehra, Balakot and Batagram and elsewhere, he said. The official gave no further details and only said the quake was felt in the same region where last year's 7.6-magnitude earthquake had killed thousands of people and left many others homeless. (Posted @ 16:52 PST)
Pakistan must fight terror 'bravely': Afghan FM KABUL, Aug 10 (AFP) Afghanistan expects Pakistan to fight militants "bravely" in a bid to stop cross-border attacks here, Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said Thursday. "We believe we're the main victim of terrorism. At the same time I, myself, personally believe that... Pakistan will also become one of the victims" if it does not crack down on militants”, Spanta told a news conference. "We expect Pakistan, our brotherly and friendly neighbour, to cooperate more with us in our fight against terrorism.... We expect them to coordinate this struggle," he added. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Seven police commandos killed in another Baghdad attack BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (AFP) Insurgents ambushed and killed the head of an Iraqi national police brigade and six of his officers Thursday when they conducted a raid in Baghdad’s Al-Maalif neighbourhood, medics and a defence official said. (Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Six killed in Baghdad restaurant bombing BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (AFP) At least six people were killed Thursday when a bomb exploded in a busy restaurant in Baghdad, an interior ministry official said. (Posted @ 16:46 PST)
Suicide bomber kills 35 in Iraq NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 10 (Reuters) A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded over 90 on Thursday at a police commando checkpoint near the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf city. The al-Forat television channel claimed that there were two attacks, including the suicide blast, in the city. Ambulances drove through the streets of Najaf appealing for blood donations as the scale of carnage became clear and the number of injured rose. The dead included policemen and civilians, police and hospital sources said. (First Posted @ 13:30 PST Updated @ 16:42 PST)
Super typhoon slams into China FUZHOU, China, Aug 10 (Reuters) Super Typhoon Saomai, the strongest to threaten China in 50 years, slammed into the southeast coast on Thursday after forcing more than 1.5 million people from their homes. There were no immediate reports of injuries. (First Posted @ 14:10 PST Updated @ 16:40 PST)
Lebanon hospitals cut off, running out of supplies BEIRUT, Aug 10 (Reuters) Hospitals were running out of food, fuel and other supplies in southern Lebanon on Thursday and aid groups said fighting and a ban on movement meant they could not reach thousands trapped in the area. Medecins Sans Frontieres said that since an Israeli air strike destroyed the last coastal river crossing for trucks to the south on Monday, aid agencies had been reduced to carrying supplies by hand over a log across the Litani river. The United Nations World Food Programme said it sent a 15-truck convoy to the eastern town of Baalbek but was still waiting for two planes carrying about 10 tonnes of supplies each which had been delayed since Tuesday. MSF said hospitals were quickly running out of food, medical and other supplies in Tyre and other southern cities. The worst shortage was diesel fuel to run generators. The European Union aid chief Louis Michel also said it was vital to restore access to aid in south Lebanon. He said conditions were also worsening in northern Israel after Hizbollah rocket attacks there. (Posted @ 16:36 PST)
Indian, Bangladeshi border troops exchange gunfire, kill two villagers GUWAHATI, India, Aug 10 (Reuters) An Indian woman and a child were killed and two villagers wounded on Thursday when Bangladeshi troops opened fire at civilians across the frontier in the Katigora area of Assam state, an Indian official said. Bangladesh Rifles border guards said seven Bangladeshi villagers were wounded in the gunbattle which was sparked by tensions over a disputed piece of land on the border. "The situation is still tense...and we are trying to hold a flag meeting with Bangladesh Rifles," the Indian border official said. (Posted @ 16:34 PST)
Verdict in 1993 Mumbai blasts delayed until Sept MUMBAI, Aug 10 (Reuters) An Indian court put off until next month a final verdict on the defendants charged over the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai that killed 257 people. "The trial court has commenced delivery of judgment against all the 123 accused but the final verdict will come on Sept. 12," a public prosecutor told reporters. (Posted @ 16:32 PST)
Britain foils transatlantic aircraft bomb plot LONDON, Aug 10, (Reuters) Britain said Thursday that it foiled a major plot to blow up aircrafts flying between Britain and the United States. British police said they arrested 21 people in the London area and the country's second city Birmingham. Interior Minister John Reid said the plot involved a "number of aircraft" and police sources believed it involved a "liquid chemical" device. Britain stepped up security to "critical", which means "an attack is expected imminently". U.S. government raised its security alert on passenger plans to its highest level - severe or "red" - for the first time. British officials asked airlines to cancel all in-bound flights from Europe into London's Heathrow airport temporarily. They also warned of severe delays due to extra security measures and asked passengers to stay away from Heathrow. Some European airlines cancelled flights to all British airports. Oil prices fell one percent, the pounds slipped against the euro and the dollar and European shares slid as the news was reported. (First Posted @ 11:49 PST Updated @ 16:32 PST)
Kashmiri leader Geelani taken into preventive custody in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, Aug 10 (Agencies) Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani was on Thursday taken into preventive custody in occupied Kashmir, official sources said. Geelani was arrested at Mirgund, about 16 km from Srinagar, when he was on his way to Bandipora, according to the sources. He was to lead the funeral prayers of a Kashmiri youth, Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, a final year student of Amar Singh College, killed by Indian security forces at Dalgate a day before. (Posted @ 16:26 PST)
Militants kill alleged 'US spy' in South Waziristan WANA, Pakistan, Aug 10 (AFP) Pro-Taliban militants shot dead a Pakistani tribesman after accusing him of spying for US troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, local officials and family members said Thursday. Nek Mohammad, 40, was gunned down late Wednesday outside his home near Angoor Ada, a remote border town in the semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan, they said.(Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Israel raid hits old lighthouse in Beirut: witnesses BEIRUT, Aug 10 (AFP) A disused lighthouse in the heart of Beirut was hit by Israeli strikes on Thursday, witnesses told. The tip of the lighthouse, in an open field in the Koreitem neighborhood, was damaged by the strike, they said.(Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Afghan police clash with Taliban, 20 said killed KABUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Afghan police and Taliban guerrillas battled on Thursday in southern Kandahar province, the interior ministry said. The clash was triggered after eight police died in a Taliban ambush on Wednesday night in Panjwai district, west of Kandahar city, ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanizai said. "In the clash, police have killed 12 Taliban so far," he said adding the fighting was continuing. Mawlavi Samad, a local Taliban commander, put the Taliban death toll at one and said the militants had killed 15 police.(Posted @ 12:21 PST)
Two missing crew of crashed US chopper found dead BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (AFP) - The bodies of the two missing servicemen from a US Blackhawk helicopter that crashed in a waterway in western Iraq have been recovered, the military said Thursday. The helicopter crashed Tuesday in western Iraq's Al-Anbar province after experiencing technical problems. Four of the six crew members survived while two had gone missing and a team of divers was despatched Wednesday to search for them. "The two have been recovered. They are dead," said US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson. (Posted @ 11:51 PST)
Israel destroys Gaza homes after warning residents GAZA, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes destroyed the homes of two militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after residents said they received telephone calls from the military warning them to evacuate. Neither the militants nor their relatives were hurt in the air strikes on Beit Hanoun, a town on Gaza's northern border with Israel. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the Beit Hanoun homes were targeted, saying they contained weapons caches. Residents reported blast damage to neighbouring homes. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
Bus plunges into south China river, 24 missing BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Rescue workers in southern China are searching for 24 people missing after a bus plunged off a mountain road into a river, state media reported. The bus, carrying 35 passengers and travelling from Qiaojia county to Zhaotong city in the southwest province of Yunnan on Wednesday, ran off the road into the Niulan river 100 metres below, Xinhua said in an overnight report. Eleven people were injured, Xinhua said. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
One killed in bomb attack on Russian prosecutor MOSCOW, Aug 10 (Reuters) - One man was killed and at least 11 other people were injured on Thursday in bomb attacks on the home of a senior prosecutor in Russia's North Caucasus region, Interfax news agency reported. The first bomb exploded in the early hours outside the home of Gerikhan Khazbiyev, a district prosecutor in Nazran, the biggest town in Ingushetia that borders Chechnya. When members of his family came out to see what had happened, a second blast occurred. Interfax quoted the regional interior ministry as saying the prosecutor's younger brother had been killed and 11 other relatives injured. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
Israeli troops exchange fire with Palestinian gunmen in Ramallah RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug 10 (AP) _ Israeli troops surrounded a five-story building in the West Bank city of Ramallah early Thursday, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen inside, Palestinian security officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Two NATO soldiers killed in accidents, one wounded in clash KABUL, Aug 10 (AFP) Two NATO soldiers were killed in separate accidents in Afghanistan Wednesday while another was seriously wounded in a clash with insurgents, officials said. A Canadian soldier died in a "weapons-related accident" in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, a Canadian defence department said. Separately, a British soldier was killed in a road traffic accident in Kabul, Britain's Ministry of Defence said. In another incident, an ISAF soldier was seriously wounded in a clash with insurgents in the province of Helmand. (Posted @ 09:54 PST)
Three US soldiers killed in western Iraq BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (AFP) - Three US soldiers were killed in action Wednesday in Iraq's restive western province of Anbar, the US military said.They died from enemy action while operating in Al-Anbar province, a statement said. A team of divers was also searching for two US servicemen missing after their Blackhawk helicopter crashed into water in the Anbar province on Tuesday. (Posted @ 09:54 PST)
Israel confirms 15 dead in Lebanon clashes JERUSALEM, Aug 10 (AFP) - Fifteen Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah in south Lebanon Wednesday, a military spokesman confirmed. Another 38 soldiers were wounded in the fierce fighting which was still raging late into Wednesday night, the spokesman added. (Posted @ 09:53 PST)
Israeli units push 7 kms into Lebanon: police RASHAYA, Lebanon, Aug 10 (AFP) - Israeli units early Thursday pushed seven kilometres (four miles) into Lebanese territory reaching the suburbs of Khiam, Lebanese police said. "The Israeli forces are now 500 metres (yards) from the western and southern entrances to Khiam," a police officer said. An Israeli armoured column backed by artillery left from the northern town of Metulla and avoided Bourj al Muluk and Qlaya heading instead for Khiam, a town in the east of south Lebanon, where Hezbollah fighters are entrenched, the police said. The guerrillas fired anti-tank rockets at the Israeli armour, the police said, as Israeli warplanes bombarded Khiam. Later, at dawn, police said another column of Israeli armour was moving toward the town of Marjayun, three kilometres (two miles) northwest of Khiam. Hezbollah indirectly confirmed the Israeli advance, stating in a communique that its fighters "are engaged in fierce combat with a Zionist force that has reached the square of Marjayun." It went on: "Our fighters have destroyed two Merkava tanks, causing dead and wounded in their crews." The advance on Khiam started shortly before midnight after a thousand shells fell on the town Wednesday evening. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
France proposes gradual Israeli withdrawal to end UN deadlock UNITED NATIONS, Aug 10 (AFP) - France on Wednesday proposed that Israel be allowed to carry out a phased withdrawal from Lebanon in a bid to break a deadlock with the United States over a UN Security Council resolution on the Middle East war, a diplomatic source said. France has reportedly proposed putting a paragraph in a new draft resolution saying: "Lebanese troops should start deploying in south Lebanon in coordination with UNIFIL as the Israeli forces start withdrawing behind the Blue Line”, the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel. (Posted @ 09:28 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 130.45 points: KARACHI, August 10: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10525.09, down 130.45 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, August 10: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.57 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
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