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| August 11, 2006 | Friday | Rajab 15, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan names key Al-Qaeda suspect arrested over British terror plot ISLAMABAD, Aug 12 (AFP) Pakistan named Friday a British national with suspected links to Al-Qaeda that was earlier arrested over a plot to blow up multiple airliners in Britain. "A key person arrested is British national Rashid Rauf," the Pakistan foreign ministry said in a statement. The statement also said "there are indications of (an) Afghanistan based Al-Qaeda connection." It said the uncovering and foiling of the terrorist plot in London was the result of cooperation among the intelligence agencies of Pakistan, Britain and the United States. The statement said arrests were made in Pakistan following information provided by London, which "triggered arrests on the nights between 9th and 10th August 2006 in Britain." The case had wider international dimensions and the cooperation among the three states was spread over a period of time, it added. Cooperation between the agencies concerning the case was ongoing, it added. Pakistan had earlier said it arrested seven people, two of them British nationals of Pakistani origin. (First Posted @ 10:05 PST Updated @ 23:00 PST)
Pakistan airports on high alert after bomb plot KARACHI, Aug 11 (Agencies) Pakistan said Friday it had stepped up airport security after Britain foiled alleged plans to blow up US-bound flights. Extra armed police stood guard at major airports in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore while passengers were subject to hand baggage restrictions and extra screening. "Passengers are not allowed to carry hand luggage in all the foreign flights," said a security official at Karachi's Jinnah International airport. No flights to Britain or the United States were cancelled due to the security alert but passengers have been advised to reach the airport at least three hours before normal flight time for security checks, he said. Sources added that the Interior Ministry on Thursday had banned hand carry luggage on all international flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) departing from the country. It said the ministry had directed all airlines to make sure that the passengers could only carry their belongings in transparent bags along with them while travelling. (First Posted @ 10:10 PST Updated @ 18:22 PST)
Pakistan close to F-16 fighter purchase WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) Pakistan appears close to signing a potential $5 billion deal for an advanced F-16 fighter-jet package, the official responsible for the sale said Friday. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler, head of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, said he expected a government-to-government pact locking in the purchase to be wrapped up as early as this month or the middle of next month. The agreement would clear the way for the U.S. Air Force to complete a so-called foreign military sales contract with Lockheed Martin Corp., which builds the F-16, as soon as November, he said in reply to queries from Reuters. Bush administration officials beefed up the F-16 related security concerns of certain US lawmakers in ways not made public. "We responded to reasonable requests from members of Congress," Kohler said by email through a spokesman. "And the changes should not be viewed as onerous by Pakistan." The Pakistani embassy declined to comment. (Posted @ 23:12 PST)
EU's Solana arrives in Beirut BEIRUT, Aug 11 (AFP) EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived in Lebanon on Friday to discuss a diplomatic solution to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Solana was due to meet with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora later Friday, officials said. (Posted @ 23:10 PST)
Twenty wounded in occupied Kashmir grenade attacks SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 11 (AFP) Twenty people were wounded Friday in separate grenade attacks by unknown men in two crowded markets in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir, police said. Fifteen civilians were wounded when a grenade hurled at a security force patrol missed its target and landed among pedestrians in a busy market in the town of Sopore. "Two of the injured are in critical condition," a police spokesman said. In a separate attack, five people were wounded when a grenade was hurled into a tailor's shop in Baramulla, near Sopore, the spokesman said. The owner of the shop was among the wounded. Police have announced a cash reward of 100,000 rupees and a government job for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the grenade attacks. (Posted @ 23:06 PST)
Blair thanks Pakistan's Musharraf for help foiling plane plot ISLAMABAD, Aug 12, 2006 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair called President Pervez Musharraf Friday and thanked him for Pakistan's "valuable" help in foiling a plot to blow up passenger planes flying between Britain and US, the foreign ministry said. "The British prime Minister thanked the president, the government of Pakistan and all others for the valuable help they provided in busting the international terrorist network," a foreign ministry statement said. (Posted @ 22:54 PST)
Pakistan FM to visit Lebanon, Syria ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (AFP) Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri will soon visit Lebanon and Syria as part of a delegation from the world's largest grouping of Muslim nations, his ministry said Friday. Kasuri's trip with a group from the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference is to show "solidarity with the people of Lebanon" amid the Middle East conflict, the ministry said in a statement. "The foreign minister will also express deep feelings of the government and the people of Pakistan for the suffering people of Lebanon," the statement added. The statement did not give a date for the visit but Kasuri is expected to travel there "shortly", an official at his secretariat said. (Posted @ 22:50 PST)
War against terror can not be fought without judiciary’s support: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (Agencies): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Friday that war against the terrorism cannot be fought without the support of judiciary. He was addressing the inaugural session of a four-day International Judicial Conference here on Friday. Suggesting changes in the existing system of law, he said laws for the protection of the socially weak, a fair distribution of opportunities in society, and elimination of discrimination needs to be framed and strengthened. He also said "an independent judiciary is vital to ensure accountability of public authorities and to interpret and enforce the terms of the Constitution". Referring to the government's future initiatives he said government is now in the process of implementing second-generation reforms to increase productivity and competitiveness, to improve key governance institutions including the police and the judiciary, and to maintain consistency and continuity of policies". (Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Shujat and Mushahid elected unopposed in PML (Q) elections ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (Agencies): Chaudhry Shujat Hussain has been elected unopposed as the president of PML (Q) for a second consecutive term, while Mushahid Hussain Syed has also been able to retain his seat of secretary general for the second consecutive term. No other candidate contested for the two said posts, sources added. (First Posted @ 18:00 PST Updated @ 21:52 PST)
Britain thanks Pakistan for help in foiling terror plot LONDON Aug 11(APP): British Home Secretary John Reid in a press conference on Friday thanked Pakistan for helping Britain foil an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic air-liners on flight from UK to the United States. "I am grateful for the help and co-operation from Pakistan and have had conversations with several European colleagues. I hope to be able to meet with EU colleagues to discuss matters of mutual interest very soon," said Reid. (Posted @ 21:36 PST)
Hezbollah sinks Israeli gunboat; kills 12 soldiers TYRE, Lebanon, Aug 11 (AFP) Hezbollah said Friday its guerrillas sank an Israeli Super Dvora fast patrol boat off the coast of southern Lebanon inflicting several casualties. "At 2:05 pm (1105 GMT), while an Israeli Super Dvora warship was off the coast of Mansouri, south of the city of Tyre,…the men of the Islamic Resistance attacked the ship with suitable weapons," a Hezbollah statement said. "They scored a direct hit, destroying it, setting off a fire on it and sinking it," said the statement, read on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television. "Other Israeli boats and zodiacs rushed to rescue its crew, made up of 12 officers and soldiers who were killed, wounded or drowned," it said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she knew nothing about a boat being hit. Lebanese television channel LBC broadcasted pictures showing thick clouds of smoke rising above the waters off Tyre, claiming the images showed the aftermath of the ship's sinking. (Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Israeli air-strikes kill at least 14 civilians across Lebanon BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug 11 (AP) Israeli air strikes pounded south Beirut and border crossings to Syria on Friday, killing at least 14 people across Lebanon as ground fighting picked up intensity in the south. Hezbollah announced on Friday the deaths of four of its guerrillas. A statement from the group did not say when or where they died. Jets struck twice at a busy bridge at the Abboudiyeh border crossing into Syria, killing at least 12 people and wounding 18 others, hospital and security officials said. Israeli warplanes also struck three vehicles near the eastern city of Baalbek, killing at least one person and wounding two others, security officials said. A drone fired a missile at a motorbike on the southern coastal highway between Sidon and Tyre, killing its driver, security officials said. In the early evening, loud explosions reverberated through Tyre. There was no immediate word on what was hit, or whether there were any casualties. (First Posted @ 09:25 PST Updated @ 21:32 PST)
Russian, Iranian presidents warn of escalating Middle East tension MOSCOW, Aug 11 (AP) President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, warned Friday of escalating tensions from the month-old conflict in Lebanon, the Kremlin said. The two presidents, who discussed the developments in the Middle East by telephone, agreed that ``the situation in Lebanon and in the region as a whole has become even more tense,'' a Kremlin statement said. (Posted @ 21:30 PST)
UN rights council sets up probe of Israeli attacks in Lebanon GENEVA, Aug 11 (AFP)The UN Human Rights Council on Friday voted to set up a commission of inquiry into "systematic" Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon. Twenty-seven countries in the 47-member Council backed a resolution submitted by Islamic Nations. Eleven mainly Western countries voted against. Eight more abstained. The draft resolution proposed by member states in the Organisation of Islamic Conference "strongly condemns grave Israeli violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law in Lebanon". It also called on Israel to "immediately stop military operations against civilian population and civilian objects resulting in death and destruction" and for the urgent dispatch of "a high level commission of inquiry". The probe by UN human rights experts and experts in international humanitarian law would "investigate the systematic targeting and killings of civilians by Israel in Lebanon", according to the text released here. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Israeli PM orders army to prepare for deeper Lebanon push JERUSALEM, Aug 11 (AFP) Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the army Friday to prepare for launching its expanded ground offensive in Lebanon after diplomatic efforts stumbled, a senior government official said. "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Peretz ordered the army to prepare for launching a ground operation deep inside south Lebanon, in line with the security cabinet decision," the official said. (Posted @ 21:26 PST)
British Muslims criticise UK govt for naming plot suspects LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) British Muslims criticised the UK government on Friday for instructing the Bank of England to publish the names of 19 suspected plotters on its Web site. The bank's action is unusual in Britain. Normally, authorities do not publish the names of suspects until they have been formally charged and identified by the police. But the government defended the move. "The Treasury has informed us that this is a normal procedure," Home Secretary John Reid told a news conference. The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), an umbrella group representing Muslim students, said it was "extremely disappointed" by the government's action. "It is important to wait until a thorough investigation has taken place before pointing fingers and drawing conclusions," a FOSIS spokesman said in a statement. Hizb ut-Tahrir, another group, said it too was dismayed by the publication of the names. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
Israel wants hastened shipment of US rockets: NYT WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) Israel has asked the Bush administration to hasten delivery of short-range anti-personnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, which it could use to strike Hizbollah missile sites in Lebanon, The New York Times reported on Friday. Sourcing its report to two American officials, the newspaper said the request for M-26 artillery rockets, which are fired in barrages and carry hundreds of grenade-like bombs that scatter and explode over a broad area, is likely to be approved shortly. But the newspaper said some U.S. State Department officials want to delay approval because the rockets, while likely effective against hidden missile launchers, would also likely cause civilian casualties if used against targets in populated areas. A senior official was quoted as saying in the Times that it was likely that Israel will get the rockets, but will be told to "be careful." (Posted @ 21:20 PST)
Arson attack on a mosque in Britain LONDON, Aug 11 (AFP) British police were investigating Friday whether an arson attack on a mosque was linked to an alleged plot to blow up US-bound flights. Youths attacked the mosque in Blacon, northwest England, overnight. It is understood that people were inside the building when the attack occurred. A police spokeswoman said an accelerant was poured through the mosque door and set alight. The fire was put out quickly. Nobody was injured, though the blaze caused minor damage. Police said they were investigating the incident as a "faith hate" crime, but said it was too early to say whether it was linked to the alleged bomb plot. (Posted @ 21:18 PST)
Taliban suicide car bomb kills NATO soldier KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 11 (AFP) A Taliban suicide bomber detonated an explosives-filled car near a NATO vehicle in Kandahar province’s Spin Boldak town Friday, killing one of the alliance's soldiers, NATO and the militia said. The soldier's nationality would be released by the relevant country, NATO said in a statement. (Posted @ 21:15 PST)
Pakistani court releases six-year-old boy "robber" KARACHI, Aug 11 (Reuters) A Pakistani court has come to the rescue of a six-year-old boy arrested after police mistook him for a robber and absconder, a police official said on Friday. The case of mistaken identity occurred because the boy's name, Majeed Chandio, matched that of a notorious criminal and both belonged to the same tribe and village, said a district police officer in Sindh province’s Khairpur district. "The investigating officer was misguided by the relatives of the real criminal into believing that the boy's father was the father of the real criminal and noted down his address," said police. (Posted @ 21:12 PST)
President Musharraf calls for putting Pakistan on global space map ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Friday expressed the government's resolve to put Pakistan on the world's map of space-faring nations. "We must explore space and bring its benefits to the people of Pakistan," he said while addressing the passing out ceremony of the first batch students of the Institute of Space Technology (IST), which specializes in disciplines of aeronautical engineering and communication systems engineering. Giving his vision of Pakistan's Space Programme, he asked SUPARCO to develop the country's capacity to make and launch different types of satellites, especially communication, remote sensing and meteorological satellites. "We expect SUPARCO to deliver as the PAEC, NESCOM and KRL delivered in nuclear and missile fields," he said and asked the graduating students to dedicate themselves to the fulfilment of this vision. (Posted @ 18:24 PST)
Protest against Israel held in Muzaffarabad MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 11 (Agencies): Protest demonstrations Friday were held throughout Azad Jammu and Kashmir against Israeli atrocities in Lebanon. The protestors demanded OIC to take practical measures to stop the carnage in Lebanon and sent its troops for its safeguard. (Posted @ 18:02 PST)
Indian policeman's wife, children murdered in occupied Kashmir JAMMU, occupied Kashmir, Aug 11 (Reuters) Suspected militants stormed the house of a policeman in occupied Kashmir’s Gool village near Jammu on Friday shooting his wife and children dead, police said. The family was targeted as the policeman worked in the anti-terrorism squad of the state police, they said. His daughter was six, and son, 14 years old. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST Updated @ 17:50 PST)
Bodies of missing US soldiers found in 'copter wreck BAGHDAD, Aug 11 (Reuters) The bodies of two missing U.S. servicemen have been discovered among the wreckage of their helicopter which crashed in Iraq's Anbar province, the U.S. military said Friday. The cause of the Tuesday crash was a malfunction, not enemy action, and was being investigated, the statement claimed. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
British officials name terror suspects, youngest aged 17 LONDON, Aug 11 (AFP) Britain's central bank on Friday published the names as it froze the accounts of 19 of the 24 suspects arrested by authorities over an alleged terror plot to blow up US-bound planes. The youngest is 17 years old and the oldest 35, while most are in their 20s. The 19 men were: Abdula Ahmed Ali, 25, from London; Cossor Ali, 23, London; Shazad Khuram Ali, 27, High Wycombe, London; Nabeel Hussain, 22, London; Tanvir Hussain, 25, London; Umair Hussain, 24, London; Umar Islam, 28, High Wycombe; Waseem Kayani, 29, High Wycombe; Assan Abdullah Khan, 21, London; Waheed Arafat Khan, 25, east London; Osman Adam Khatib, 19, London; Abdul Muneem Patel, 17, London; Tayib Rauf, 22, Birmingham; Muhammed Usman Saddique, 24, London; Assad Sarwar, 26, High Wycombe; Ibrahim Savant, 25, London; Amin Asmin Tariq, 23, London; Shamin Mohammed Uddin, 35, London; and Waheed Zaman, 22, London. A 20th man was named in several British media outlets -- Don Stewart-Whyte, 21, High Wycombe. According to The Daily Telegraph, at least two women were also arrested. (First Posted @ 09:40 PST Updated @ 17:48 PST)
U.N. aid chief says Mideast anger worst in two decades GENEVA, Aug 11 (AP) U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said Friday the anger on all sides in the Middle East was the greatest he had seen in two decades. ``I've never seen nations as polarized as during this recent visit,'' said Egeland.. ``In Israel, they were a united front to support the strong military measures. In the Palestinian areas I've never seen them as full of hatred collectively as now. It has to be defused,'' he said in an interview. He added that he was counting on the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution that will stop the fighting so that relief workers can deliver aid to people cut off after a month of conflict and serve as a first step to finally concluding a peace settlement in the Middle East. (Posted @ 17:46 PST)
Egyptian police clash with anti-Israel, pro-Hizbollah demonstrators CAIRO, Aug 11 (AFP) Clashes erupted outside Cairo's most renowned mosque Friday as police tried to prevent worshippers from marching in support of Hezbollah after Friday prayers. Dozens of would-be demonstrators lobbed shoes at some 100 police officers who beat the crowd back into the courtyard of the Al-Azhar mosque. At least 500 worshippers, including women, were blocked inside the precinct of the mosque as police cordoned off the area. (Posted @ 17:44 PST)
More than 1,000 people protest killing of prominent Kyrgyz imam KARA SUU, Kyrgyzstan, Aug 11 (AP) More than 1,000 followers of a prominent Muslim leader who was killed during a police shootout with alleged extremists protested his killing Friday and urged authorities to drop terrorism allegations against him. A crowd of men holding signs that read ``People want justice!'' walked to the central square in the southern town of Kara Suu after Friday prayers at the mosque that Mokhammadrafik Kamalov had led for more than 20 years. The demonstration ended peacefully after less than an hour. (Posted @ 17:44 PST)
500 rally in Dhaka to protest against Israeli attacks on Lebanon DHAKA, Bangladesh, Aug 11 (AP) About 500 people rallied in the Bangladeshi capital Friday to protest Israel's assaults on Lebanon, denouncing the Jewish state and burning its flag, police said. No violence was reported immediately, police said. Also on Friday, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia addressed letters to the leaders of the five permanent member countries of the U.N. Security Council and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire in Lebanon, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported. (Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Indian police ask 13 foreign Muslims to leave country LUCKNOW, India, Aug 11 (AP) Indian police said Friday that they have asked 13 foreign Muslims, including three Britons, to leave the country after they were found preaching in a northern hill town. All 13 were staying at a mosque in the town of Roorkee without informing Indian authorities, police said. Three are British nationals, and the others were from Indonesia, police added. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Six die in Iran helicopter crash TEHRAN, Aug 11 (Reuters) Six people aboard a helicopter were killed when it crashed in Iran's Caspian Sea province of Mazandaran on Friday at around 06.00 a.m., an official told state television. "Unfortunately, there were no survivors. The three flight crew, two air force personnel and a member of Iran's National Mountaineering Federation died in the crash," Mazandaran disaster chief said. Preliminary investigations showed that the accident occurred due to overloading, the official said. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Rockets hit northern Israel, several wounded JERUSALEM, Aug 11 (Reuters) Rockets hit the northern Israeli suburbs of Haifa, Nahariya, Safed and Kiryat Shemona Friday, wounding at least seven people, police said. More than 55 rockets have landed across northern Israel so far on Friday, police added. (First Posted @ 14:10 PST Updated @ 17:38 PST)
Sri Lanka jets bomb Tiger base: rebels COLOMBO, Aug 11 (AFP) Sri Lankan war planes bombed a key Tamil Tiger base in eastern Sri Lanka Friday, inflicting heavy casualties, rebel spokesman said. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
'Slow progress' on UN Lebanon resolution: PM BEIRUT, Aug 11 (AFP) Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said Friday that slow progress was being made over finding a draft UN resolution to end the hostilities with Israel. "There is progress, even it is slow, centimetre by centimetre," Siniora told reporters after the talks with US Mideast envoy David Welch. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
US envoy holds talks with Lebanon PM BEIRUT, Aug 11 (AFP) US Middle East envoy David Welch held talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora Friday on a UN resolution to end the hostilities with Israel, after arriving in Beirut on a surprise visit. "They were holding negotiations on the detail of the UN draft," a government source said. Welch made no comment to reporters as he left after the talks before heading into discussions with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
UN rights chief calls for probe of civilian attacks in Lebanon, Israel GENEVA, Aug 11 (AFP) UN human rights chief Louise Arbour on Friday called for a United Nations probe of attacks on civilians in the conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel, urging a "firm and meaningful" response. "There is a clear and urgent need to bring clarity to a situation in which facts and allegations are now given the same credit but without the benefit of systematic, independent, thorough and independent scrutiny," she told a special session of the 47-member UN Human Rights Council. "Nearly a month from its beginning and worsening by the day, this crisis demands a firm and meaningful response from this Council," Arbour said. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Two Pakistani troop posts attacked in Waziristan tribal region DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Aug 11 (AP) Suspected militants fired dozens of rockets at two Pakistani military posts in South Waziristan, a government official said Friday. No one was reported hurt in the renewed violence. In the first attack, 12 rockets landed near a mountaintop security post near Shakai valley. Several hours later, about 15 rockets slammed into a field near another post in Landi Noor village in Shakai, he said. Troops fired back with assault rifles. Also Friday, an intelligence official said a militant from Turkmenistan and his wife were arrested at a roadblock in North Waziristan. The arrests were made Wednesday when the couple was trying to flee North Waziristan in a vehicle, the official said from Peshawar. The man was identified as Abdur Rahim, a suspected member of the group Islamic Jihad in Central Asia. Rahim, in his late 20s, is considered an expert at making improvised explosive devices, the official said. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Roadside bomb kills two Iraqi police KIRKUK, Iraq, Aug 11 (AFP) Insurgents killed two Iraqi police officers and injured four more on Friday by detonating a roadside bomb as a patrol passed, police said. US and Iraqi forces arrested 30 suspects following the explosion, which was triggered on the outskirts of Hawijah, in northern Iraq. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Three killed handling unexploded mortar in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Aug 11 (AFP) Three villagers were killed in Sri Lanka on Friday when they tried to open an unexploded mortar found near a military munitions dump that exploded overnight, doctors said. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
US warns Indian cities may be targetted for attack NEW DELHI, Aug 11 (AFP) Two Indian cities may be targetted for attack by Al-Qaeda militants ahead of next week's Independence Day celebrations, the US embassy in New Delhi warned Friday. There may be attacks by Al-Qaeda in "New Delhi and Mumbai in the days leading to the Independence Day," embassy spokesman David Kennedy told CNN-IBN news channel. Kennedy said the information was based on intelligence inputs gathered along with the Indian government. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Three Al-Qaeda militants killed in Afghanistan: coalition KABUL, Aug 11 (AFP) Three Al-Qaeda militants were killed in eastern Afghanistan on Friday in a joint raid by Afghan forces and the US-led coalition, the coalition said. Another three "associates" were arrested in the operation near the village of YaQubi in Khost province, which targeted an Al-Qaeda member "considered a significant threat to Afghan and coalition forces", it said. No Afghan or coalition forces were injured in the operation, it said. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Typhoon lashes southeast China, killing 98 NINGDE, China, Aug 11 (Reuters) The strongest typhoon to strike China for half a century killed at least 98 people and left 150 missing, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. The 216 km per hour strong Typhoon Saomai tore into Cangnan County in eastern China's Zhejiang province on Thursday after authorities relocated 1 million people in the densely populated commercial province, Xinhua said. But by Friday morning, Saomai had weakened into a tropical storm as it moved into Jiangxi province, which was bracing for heavy storms and flooding, Xinhua said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Israel rejects Russia's humanitarian truce plan JERUSALEM, Aug 11 (Reuters) Israel's U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman rejected on Friday a Russian proposal for a 72-hour humanitarian truce in the month-old war between Israel and Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas. Gillerman said he met Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin to "explain that a ceasefire of this type would serve only one purpose, to allow Hizbollah to regroup and recover". (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon JERUSALEM , Aug 11 (AP) An Israeli soldier was killed in fighting in south Lebanon overnight, the military said early Friday. Israel Radio said the soldier, a reservist, was killed when anti-tank rockets hit a tank and a bulldozer in the village of Labuneh. It said 19 soldiers were wounded, nine seriously, in fighting in south Lebanon over the past day. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Blair sees 'potential' for UN resolution on Lebanon in 24 hours LONDON, Aug 11 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair believes an agreement on a United Nations resolution for the conflict in Lebanon could be reached within the next 24 hours, a Downing Street source said Thursday. "Essentially the prime minister has said this evening that he does see the potential for an agreement in the next 24 hours," a spokeswoman said. Blair spoke with several world leaders Thursday, including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, French President Jacques Chirac and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, she added. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Five suspects in planned airliner attacks still at large: US report WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (AFP) Five people suspected of participating in the terrorist plot foiled in Britain are missing and being hunted by police, ABC News reported Thursday. The network also reported that at least two of the suspects had prepared martyrdom tapes. According to ABC, of the 24 people arrested, 22 are of Pakistani origin, one is of Bangladeshi origin and another is of Iranian descent. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Israeli warplanes strike Beirut BEIRUT, Aug 11 (AFP) Israeli warplanes struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, strongholds of Hezbollah, at dawn on Friday, Lebanese police said. Israeli fighter-bombers staged repeated attacks on the city's southern suburbs, police said, but were not able to immediately say what had been targeted in the raids. Beirut's southern suburbs are now in ruins after repeated air strikes since the conflict began on July 12.
Karachi Stocks down 147.34 points: KARACHI, Aug 11: At 14:48 PST, the KSE-100 index was at 10377.75, down 147.34 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:48 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 11: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.55 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 09:46 PST)
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