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| August 16, 2006 | Wednesday | Rajab 20, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Cabinet opens twice delayed meeting BEIRUT, Aug 16 (AP) _The Lebanese Cabinet on Wednesday opened a twice delayed meeting with President Emile Lahoud telling reporters as he entered the meeting that ``the Lebanese army will deploy (in the south) and will be for all the Lebanese.'' Hezbollah's top official in south Lebanon, Sheik Nabil Kaouk, told reporters in Tyre that the guerrillas welcome the Lebanese army's additional deployment in the south. ``Just like in the past, Hezbollah had no visible military presence and there will not be any visible presence now,'' he said.(Posted @ 20:55 PST)
Lebanese turn out in hundreds to sign up for Hezbollah aid BEIRUT, Aug 16 (AP) _ Lebanese turned out by the hundreds Wednesday to sign up for aid from Hezbollah, which is offering rent money, reconstruction money and even money for new furniture. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah went on television earlier this week shortly after the cease-fire with promise to help rebuild Lebanon, including providing money for civilians to pay rent and buy furniture. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people have returned to their shattered villages in eastern and southern Lebanon as well as Beirut's southern suburbs to find their homes either damaged or totally destroyed in the month of fighting. Nasrallah said 15,000 housing units were hit during the war. In Tyre, Hezbollah's commander in south Lebanon, Nabil Kaouk, said the group's goal is to ``bring south Lebanon back to its real life and to rebuild it better than it was before the war.'' The white-turbaned cleric stood in front of a demolished building that used to house his office. Hundreds of workers were in the streets of the southern suburbs Wednesday, clearing streets and removing rubble. Some areas were completely closed by Hezbollah members for fear of theft and only residents were allowed to enter after getting special passes.(Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Grenade blast kills 2 in Hindu temple in India's northeast GAUHATI, Aug 16 (AP) _ A grenade blast in Hare Krishna temple during a Hindu religious festival killed two people in India's northeast on Wednesday, an army spokesman said. Another 17 people were injured in a stampede that followed the blast in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, while Hindus were celebrating the birthday of Hindu god Krishna, he said.(Posted @ 20:35 PST)
London-to-Washington flight diverted to Boston BOSTON, Aug 16 (AP) _ An overseas flight from London's Heathrow Airport to Washington, D.C. was diverted and escorted to Boston by two fighter jets on Wednesday after the pilot declared an emergency because of a passenger disturbance, the airline said. A female passenger aboard United Flight 923 had Vaseline, a screw driver, matches and a note referencing al-Qaida, a spokesman for Boston's Logan International Airport said. The flight, with 182 passengers and 12 crew members landed safely, and Police and federal agencies instantly took control of the plane after it landed.An airline spokesman said the suspect woman passenger was seen engaged in some “activity” but would not explain.(Posted @ 20:35 PST)
Bombs kill at least 13 in Baghdad, gunfights in Basra and Mosul BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (AP) _ Bombs killed at least 13 people in the Iraqi capital Wednesday, as British troops drove off dozens of gunmen who laid siege to the governor's office in Basra. Eight people, most of them day laborers waiting for work, were killed when a bomb exploded in Nahda district, police Lt. Bilal Ali said. Two other bombs went off Wednesday evening in central Baghdad, killing five and wounding 28 people, police said. In Basra, clashes occurred when armed men attacked Basra governor's office, but fled after British armored vehicles arrived. Basra Gov. Mohammed al-Waeli said one policeman was killed and four others wounded. Seven attackers were arrested, he added. In Mosul, armed clashes erupted Wednesday between police and assailants in three neighborhoods. At least five gunmen were killed and six were arrested. Also Wednesday, a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army patrol north of Hillah, killing three soldiers and wounding four, police 1st Lt. Osama Ahmed said. In Baghdad, an American soldier was killed as he was distributing candy to the children. In Kut, 160 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, authorities found three bodies floating in the Tigris. All were bound, blindfolded and showed signs of torture, officials said.(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Four Hezbollah fighters killed in ceasefire breaches: UN BEIRUT, Aug 16 (AFP) - UN peacekeepers in Lebanon said on Wednesday they had recorded three breaches of the ceasefire deal over the past 24 hours which left four Hezbollah guerrillas dead. It said the Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters exchanged fire close to the village of Haddatah in the central border area, and UNIFIL patrols later observed four bodies of Hezbollah militants being taken away in a ambulance. The Israeli army also fired a tank round from its side of the border towards the Lebanese village of Markaba, but there was no response from the other side, UNIFIL said. It also said that an Israeli aircraft violated Lebanese airspace in the eastern sector of the border region.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Pakistan, Malaysia Foreign Minister meet Syrian President Damascus, Aug 16 (PPI): Visiting Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri alongwith his Malaysian counterpart, and representatives of Qatar & Senegal as part of Organization of Islamic Conference Contact Group Wednesday called on Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, who briefed them on latest situation in Lebanon. Later, talking to newsmen Kasuri said international community especially big powers should address the root cause i.e. Palestinian issue which is basic cause of turmoil in Middle East. Kasuri later left by car to Beirut as air travel is suspended.(Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Pakistan-China sign two agreements on defence cooperation and military assistance RAWALPINDI, Aug 16 (APP): Pakistan and China signed two agreements on defence cooperation and military assistance at the end of the 4th Round of Defence and Security Talks held at Joint Staff Headquarters, Rawalpindi. The talks were led by General Ehsan Ul Haq, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Lt-Gen Zhang Qin heng, Assistant to Chief of General Staff People's Liberation Army. The two sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far and shared a commonality of perception on all important regional and international issues, said a press release.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
South Africa pull out of Sri Lanka tri-series COLOMBO, Aug 16 (AFP) - South Africa have withdrawn from the tri-series against India and hosts Sri Lanka due to security concerns, Sri Lanka Cricket media manager Samantha Algama told AFP. A South African source said earlier: "The players are in no mood to play the series. We are just waiting for the green signal to fly home." The Proteas had agreed to extend their stay in Colombo pending a security assessment by the ICC which was expected to be announced later. India decided not to cancel their tour following increased security and positive indications from New Delhi's diplomatic mission here.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Lebanon's Hizbollah says disarmament not an option TYRE, Lebanon, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Hizbollah said on Wednesday the idea of disarming its guerrillas "was not on the table" -- especially with Israeli forces still in south Lebanon. Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, the group's top official in the south, reiterated Hizbollah's right to fight Israeli troops remaining in Lebanon before the deployment of the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers, expected in the coming days and weeks. "Today, the issue of Hizbollah relinquishing its weapons is not on the table. There are priorities and obligations that the state should do first before that," Kaouk told reporters in the city of Tyre. "The presence of Israeli tanks in the south is an aggression and the resistance reserves its right to face such aggression if it persisted," he said.(Posted @ 18:25 PST)
U.N. says 2,000 peacekeepers could start overseeing Lebanese army deployment and Israeli withdrawal UNITED NATIONS, Aug 16 (AP) _ The United Nations says the 2,000 U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon can start overseeing the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of the Lebanese army very quickly if all parties agree. But the U.N. hopes 3,500 well-equipped international troops can reinforce the U.N. contingent within 10 days to two weeks to help consolidate the fragile cessation of hostilities and create the conditions for Israeli forces to head home, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hedi Annabi said.(Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Mayor of south Lebanese town reports discovery of 32 bodies in past two days BEIRUT, Aug 16 (AP) _ Rescue workers have retrieved 32 more bodies from the rubble in the south Lebanese town of Srifa, Mayor Afif Najdeh said Wednesday. On July 19, Israeli airstrikes had flattened 15 houses. At the time, officials said 30 people lived in those houses, but rescuers could not reach the area, 3 kilometers south of Litani River.(Posted @ 18:00 PST)
In Indian city, historical manuscripts go digital KOLKATA, Aug 16 (AFP) - Centuries-old manuscripts at a colonial-era library in Kolkata are set to become available online as government has started a project to make the valuable manuscripts available in digital format. They include a 1783 book of Islamic holy scripture and a copy of the 18th-century British ban on the practice of widows committing suicide on funeral pyres. The project is expected to be completed by early next year, Raj Bhavan librarian Uma Majumdar said.(Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Iran ready to discuss suspension of nuclear enrichment: FM TEHRAN, Aug 16 (AFP) - Iran is ready to discuss suspension of its sensitive nuclear enrichment work, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday.(Posted @ 17:41 PST)
Former militant chief challenges house arrest in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - The former head of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, Wednesday challenge in Lahore High Court his month-long period of house arrest, his lawyer said. The court has called for a report from the provincial government and fixed a hearing date for August 23, he said. Saeed was placed under house arrest in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, on August 9, a day before British authorities arrested more than 20 Britons, mainly of Pakistani origin, who were allegedly involved in the bomb plot. Pakistan has denied Saeed’s arrest was linked to it and has also denied that the charity now headed by Saeed, Jamaat-ud Dawa, was being investigated for transferring funds to extremists.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
New exhibition at Mohatta Palace Museum Karachi, Aug 16: After eight weeks of public previews an exhibition titled Tale of the Tile: the Ceramic Traditions of Pakistan will be formally inaugurated at the Mohatta Palace Museum tomorrow (Thursday) at 6.30 pm by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Senator Mushahid Hussain. The exhibition presents a panoramic view of Pakistan from the Indus Valley civilization c.3500 B.C. to the present day reflected in its ceramic traditions. Displayed in eight magnificent galleries on the ground floor, it includes over four hundred objects. A number of historical objects have been borrowed from the Quetta Museum, the Sindh Provincial Museum, the Department of Archaeology Punjab, the Auqaf Department Punjab, the Lahore Museum, the Department of Culture Sindh and the National Museum of Pakistan together with a number of private collections. Those objects include architectural elements, tiles and vessels from Mehrgarh, Multan, Uch, Sitpur, Lahore, Sehwan, Kamarro Sharif, Thatta, Hala and Hyderabad along with calligraphic panels. Apart from these displays, techniques of production, design sources and studio ceramics have also been included. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Bush frustrated by lack support for US in Iraq: NYT report WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (AFP) President George W. Bush is frustrated by Iraq's slow progress and lack of support for the US military effort, The New York Times said Wednesday quoting people who attended a private meeting with Bush at the Pentagon this week. In particular, Bush appeared to be uncertain of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's effectiveness, said some of the participants. Bush also voiced frustration at the Iraqi people's lack of appreciation of the US sacrifices in their country, noting especially an huge anti-American and pro-Hezbollah rally held in Baghdad recently. The White House refused to comment on the lunch meeting. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Israeli army could stay in Lebanon for months JERUSALEM, Aug 16 (AFP) Israel's army chief of staff Dan Halutz said Wednesday that Israeli troops could remain in south Lebanon's border area for months, according to a parliamentary source. General Halutz was reacting to an assessment presented by military intelligence chiefs to parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee. "The full deployment of the strengthened UNIFIL will take months," one intelligence chief was quoted as saying by a member of the committee. (Posted @ PST)
Indian security forces kill seven in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 16 (AFP) Indian soldiers shot dead five suspected militants in occupied Kashmir on Wednesday, the Indian army said. Soldiers were still battling militants in the northern Machil sector after the fighting erupted late Tuesday, the spokesman added. Separately, two young men died in a crossfire late Tuesday between security forces and militants in southern Anantnag district, enraging locals who poured on to the streets in protest, police said. Afterwards police said they wounded a man and three women when they opened fire on residents of Khandaypora village protesting the youths' deaths. Police said they began firing after the demonstrators tried to break through a security cordon thrown around the protest. The army has ordered a probe into the incident. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
US and Afghan troops detain eight 'terrorists' KABUL, Aug 16 (AFP) US-led coalition and Afghan troops raided two suspected Al-Qaeda sanctuaries in south-eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province Wednesday and detained eight "terrorists," the US military said. The compounds near the villages of Paru Kheyl and Jabeh "were suspected of being sanctuaries for al-Qaeda facilitators," the statement said. Several women and children were also present within the Paru Kheyl compound and were not harmed, it said. The troops also seized assault rifles, ammunition, telecommunication devices and improvised explosive device material at the sites during a search, it added. (Posted @ 11:10 PST)
UN peace plan 'good first step' to lasting peace: Rice WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (AFP) The UN peace plan for Lebanon will be difficult to implement, but is a "good first step" to a lasting peace in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a letter published Wednesday by The Washington Post. Rice said UN Resolution 1701 passed on Friday that has led to a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, would also represent, once implemented, "a strategic setback" for Syria and Iran, who "sought to prolong and intensify the war". Crucial for the short-term success of the peace plan, Rice said, was "full cessation of hostilities ... the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers" and "the sevenfold" increase of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. She said Washington had increased immediate humanitarian assistance in Lebanon to 50 million dollars. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Chinese envoy urges Iran to come back to denuclearization talks BEIJING, Aug 16 (AP) China's top envoy in charge of non-proliferation issues has urged Iran to accept an incentives package offered by China and five other countries in exchange for suspending uranium enrichment, state media said Wednesday. Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai told his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani in Tehran on Tuesday that China ``hopes that Iran will seize the opportunity to respond to the package in a positive way,'' the official Xinhua News Agency said. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Six Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan OTTAWA, Aug 16 (AFP) Six Canadian soldiers were wounded Tuesday in a mortar attack attributed to Taliban members in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman for Canada's Defense Ministry said. A Canadian patrol came under mortar attack in Zhari district, about 25 kilometers west of Kandahar, at about 6 pm local time, the spokesman, John Nethercott, told AFP. "During that attack, six Canadian soldiers were injured. None of the injuries is life-threatening," he said. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Gaza GAZA CITY, Aug 16 (AFP) Two Palestinian men were killed early Wednesday during an Israeli raid into the southern Gaza Strip at Khan Yunis, a medical official said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 259.37 points: KARACHI, Aug 16: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10576.78, up 259.37 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 16: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.57 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 09:55 PST)
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