|
|
| August 31, 2006 | Thursday | Sha'aban 6, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Akbar Bugti’s body recovered ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 31: Nawab Akbar Bugti’s body has been retrieved from the debris of the caved in cave, a private tv station reported quoting the military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan, late Thursday night. The body is in an “advanced stage of decay” Major General Shaukat Sultan said adding that has been examined by the doctors. Burial will take place tomorrow at Dera Bugti, relatives of late Nawab Akbar Bugti are being contacted, he said. (Posted @ 00:02 PST)
Pakistan army sights body of slain Baluch rebel leader QUETTA, Pakistan, Aug 31 (AFP) - The body of the slain Baluch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti has been sighted in the cave hideout where it was buried during a military operation five days ago, officials said Thursday. Army engineers clearing debris at the collapsed cave sighted the body on Wednesday. "The body has been seen, it is under the rubble. It will take another 24 to 48 hours to retrieve it," top military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said Thursday. Meanwhile, traffic on the highway leading to Afghanistan has now been restored, an official said Thursday. Residents in Quetta said shops, commercial centres and gas stations had reopened and that inter-city buses were back on the roads. However, security remained tight following a call by mainstream secular and Islamic parties for a countrywide strike Friday, police said. (Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Pakistani apartment building collapses, killing 3 family members MUREE, Pakistan, Aug 31 (AP) _ An earthquake-damaged apartment bloc collapsed in the mountain resort of Murree near Pakistan's capital Thursday, killing the building's owner, his wife and their son, officials said. Rescuers retrieved one female survivor from the rubble, but several others are feared trapped when last reports came in. The seven-story building, which had been previously ordered to be demolished, collapsed in a pile of bricks, concrete and twisted corrugated roofing iron in downtown Muree at 3 a.m., said Javed Ikhlas, mayor of Rawalpindi district, which includes Muree. At least one other person was spotted trapped underneath debris, but it was unclear if that person was alive, officials said. The building owner's daughter was pulled out alive and was in a stable condition. Scores of soldiers and emergency workers removed rubble from the scene, which some officials have said could take more than a day to clear. (Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Supreme court should take suo motto notice of Akbar Bugti killing: APC ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (Online): All Parties Conference (APC) has held President general Pervez Musharraf responsible for the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and called upon Supreme court to take suo motto notice of the tragedy, ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq said while announcing the joint declaration of APC at a joint press conference here Thursday. Makhdoom Amin Fahim said it is the prime demand of APC that military operation be brought to an end in Balochistan and the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti be handed over to his family members. This conference realizes that Akbar Bugti’s death is an extra judicial killing, which has posed a serious threat to the federation, it said. The government should tell if the parliament or the cabinet had accorded permission for military operation or it was the decision of an individual, the declaration said. APC feels that the decisions imposed at gun point by military regimes in the past led to dismemberment of Pakistan. General Musharraf is repeating this process in Waziristan and Balochistan. Federation of Pakistan has been put at stakes. The democratic forces of the country will have to play their role for the defence of democratic culture and federation, it said. Raja Zafarul Haq said we had warned six months back that the military operation in Balochistan would result in dire consequences. Mutual consultation process is underway on the question of resigning from assemblies, he told newsmen. Liaqat Baloch said the MMA will decide on September 5 whether or not to quit Balochistan coalition government. (Posted @ 21:08 PST)
Canadian Defence Minister arrives ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (APP):Canadian Minister of National Defence Gordon O' Connor, arrived here tonight. He was received by Senior Federal Minister and Minister for Defence, Rao Sikandar Iqbal, and senior defence officials at chaklala Air base. During his stay Gordon O'Connor will be holding meetings with Ministers for Defence Production and senior defence officials.(Posted @ 00:28 PST)
Bush: Iran faces 'consequences' for UN defiance SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug 31 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush Thursday warned Iran that there would be "consequences" if it fails to meet a UN-imposed deadline to freeze sensitive nuclear work. "It is time for Iran to make a choice," Bush said in a speech to a US veterans group as the deadline ticked by. "We've made our choice. We will continue to work closely with our allies to plan a diplomatic solution, but there must be consequences for Iran's defiance and we must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," he said. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Series of bombing kills at least 43 people, wound 126 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Aug 31 (Agencies) - A series of attacks in eastern Baghdad, including one at a popular market, killed at least 43 people and wounded 126 within half an hour. The attacks in the predominantly Shiite area of the capital included two car bombs _ one at a popular market and one on a street about three kilometers away _ four mortar rounds in two locations; two rockets in two separate locations; a roadside bomb and a bomb in a building, police said. A car bomb went off shortly before curfew in the neighbourhood of Al-Amin leaving, killing 14 people and wounding 38, including six women, hospital sources said. Earlier in the day, another 18 people were killed in a series of attacks. Four people were shot dead in various neighbourhoods of Baghdad, and two civilians were killed when a car bomb exploded in the midst of dozens of cars waiting outside a service station, security officials said. Police from Diyala province, of which Baquba is the capital, said at least nine people were killed in the province Thursday. In one of the attacks, gunmen stormed a shop in western Baquba's Yarmuk neighbourhood and shot dead two brothers who owned the shop, police said. Elsewhere three Iraqis were killed while a British diplomatic convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad's Mansur district but no one on board was hurt, security officials said. (First Posted @ 20:08 PST Updated @ 00:12 PST)
Iran refuses to yield as nuclear deadline ticks by TEHRAN, Aug 31, (AFP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday vowed that "Iran will not back down an inch, will not accept being deprived of its rights, and will never renounce peaceful nuclear energy", state radio quoted the president as saying during a speech in the northern town of Mahabad, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on a visit to Jordan that although the deadline had already passed, "I don't think the Council is going to act tomorrow". (Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Donor countries vow to help Lebanon rebuild STOCKHOLM, Aug 31 (AFP) - Donor nations vowed Thursday to help Lebanon rebuild smashed infrastructure, shelter the homeless and remove unexploded ordnance after a blistering 34-day Israeli bombing offensive. "You are not alone," Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson told Lebanon as he opened a conference in Stockholm of some 50 countries and a dozen organisations aiming to raise 500 million dollars. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said the cost of the damage wrought by Israel's offensive would run to billions of dollars, but any aid effort would be undermined unless Israel lifted its blockade. Even before the conference opened several countries had announced pledges for Lebanon's acute needs. Saudi Arabia announced 500 million dollars, Kuwait 300 million dollars and the United States 230 million dollars. The European Union announced an additional 42 million euros, bringing its total aid pledges to 100 million euros. (First Posted @ 15:30 PST Updated @ 20:00 PST)
Security Council approves deployment UN troops in Darfur UNITED NATIONS, Aug 31 (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the deployment of up to 17,000 UN peacekeepers to Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region to take over from a cash-strapped African Union force. Twelve of the council's 15 members voted in favor, while China, Russia and Qatar abstained. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
President Musharraf confers military award on Saudi General ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (PPI) President Pervez Musharraf conferred the award of Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) on Lt. General Hussein bin Abdullah, Commander, Royal Saudi Land Forces at a special investiture ceremony here Thursday. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
Former Saddam general gunned down in Iraq's Ramadi RAMADI, Iraq, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Lt-Gen Wajeeh Thirar Hneyfish, commander of the Habbaniya Air Force base when Saddam was in power, was gunned down in the western city of Ramadi on Thursday, police said adding that the identity of the gunmen was unknown. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
At least 35 feared dead in India boat accident PATNA, India, Aug 31 (Reuters) - At least 35 people were feared dead after a boat carrying around 60 passengers capsized in the Ganges river on the outskirts of Patna, the capital of Bihar province, police said Thursday. "Sixteen people swam to safety; around 35 to 40 people are missing, officials said. (Posted @ 18:46 PST)
10 killed in Pakistan road accident MULTAN, Pakistan, Aug 31 (AFP) - At least ten people were killed and 16 others injured Thursday when a goods truck collided with a passenger bus near Katch Khu, a rural town some 65 kilometers east of Multan in central Pakistan, police said. The truck suddenly joined the highway from a side road and smashed into the moving bus, police said. (Posted @ 17:52 PST)
Tributes as fans remember Britain's princess Diana LONDON, Aug 31 (AFP) - Scores of fans of Britain's late Diana, princess of Wales, left flowers at her former London residence on Thursday to mark the ninth anniversary of the iconic figure's death. Tributes were tied to the gates of Kensington Palace as about 100 people gathered for prayers at an open-air service officiated by Father Frank Gelli,the former curate of nearby St Mary Abbots Church. Diana's sons, Princes William (24) and Harry (21), were remembering their mother in private. (Posted @ 17:45 PST)
India's envoy to Pakistan to head foreign ministry in New Delhi NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (AP) Shiv Shankar Menon, India's high commissioner to Pakistan, was appointed on Thursday as India's new foreign secretary, an official said. Menon succeeds Shyam Saran, who is retiring next month from the top bureaucratic job in the External Affairs Ministry. The government, however, retained Saran as a special envoy to negotiate the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, said ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna, quoting a statement from the prime minister's office. Menon had earlier served as India's ambassador to Sri Lanka, China and Israel.(Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Israel says room for Lebanon prisoner swap JERUSALEM, Aug 31 (Reuters) Israel is prepared to discuss freeing Lebanese prisoners in exchange for two soldiers captured by Hizbollah if the two are handed over to the Lebanese government, a senior Israeli political source said on Thursday. Any negotiations, which would likely take place through a mediator, would be conducted with the Lebanese government and not the Hizbollah guerrilla group, the source said, adding that Israel's position was conveyed to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday.(Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Cricket-India wants cricket umpires' powers curtailed after forfeited Test NEW DELHI, India, Aug 31 (AFP) India will support any moves to dilute cricket umpires' powers following the forfeited Test between England and Pakistan, an official said on Thursday. "For the sake of spectators, television viewers and the game's sponsors, no match should be called off and certainly not by the umpires," said Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah. "Any decision to forfeit a Test should be made by the match referee or the International Cricket Council (ICC)," he said. "An umpire who abandons play without sufficient reason should be sacked," said Shah. "Similarly, teams walking off and forfeiting matches should be penalised and made to pay heavy damages.(Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Taliban attack southern Afghan town; suicide bomber targets police KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug 31 (AP) Militants attacked a southern town Thursday, sparking intense fighting with Afghan troops that left two insurgents dead, the defense ministry said. A NATO airstrike pushed back the militants, who used mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns in the morning attack on Naw Zad, in Helmand province, said a Defense Ministry spokesman. In Zabul province, a suicide attacker plowed his explosives-filled car into a police convoy travelling on the main road, wounding three officers, said police. Before dawn Thursday, two rockets slammed into central Kabul. One landed in an upscale residential neighbourhood, about 10 yards from the army chief of staff's house; the other landed in a park. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, witnesses and NATO said. (First Posted @ 11:10 PST Updated @ 13:00 PST)
At least 22 bombs explode in southern Thailand, 2 dead BANGKOK, Thailand, Aug 31 (AP) At least 22 bombs exploded almost simultaneously Thursday inside commercial banks in southern Thailand, killing two people and injuring 28, police said. The homemade bombs, which were triggered by mobile phone signals, were placed in garbage bins, at newspaper stands and near seats where customers wait for service in the banks in Yala province, authorities said, adding that two suspects had been seized.(Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Bush says troop withdrawal would turn Iraq into terrorist state NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) President George W. Bush says withdrawing U.S. troops too quickly from Iraq would lead to a terrorist Iraq state that would be more dangerous than Afghanistan in the grip of the Taliban militia. Bush, who is beginning a series of speeches Thursday to counter opposition to the war, spoke at a political fundraiser. ``We will stay the course, we will help this young Iraqi democracy succeed and victory in Iraq will be a major ideological triumph in the struggle of the 21st century.''(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
U.S. military says one of its soldiers in Iraq killed by roadside bomb BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug 31 (AP) An American soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb on a route security mission, the U.S. command said Thursday.(Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Woman among five killed in fresh occupied Kashmir violence SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 31 (AFP) Indian troops shot dead three suspected militants in two gunbattles in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir, while a woman and a policeman were also shot dead in separate incidents, police said Thursday. Two of the suspects were killed in Kangan area, about 40 kilometres northeast of Srinagar late Wednesday, while a third suspect was shot dead in southern Anantnag district around the same time. Meanwhile, a policeman was killed when a police patrol was attacked Thursday in the northern district of Kupwara, police said. Two civilians were also hurt. In the neighbouring district of Baramulla, unknown persons shod dead a woman late Wednesday.(Posted @ 11:50 PST)
Israelis end raid into Gaza GAZA, Aug 31 (Reuters) Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza militant stronghold of Shijaiya early on Thursday after a six-day raid, Palestinian residents said. The army did not comment on the pullout from Shijaiya.(Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Pakistani-American teenager, father barred from U.S. LOS ANGELES, Aug 30 (Reuters) A Pakistani-American born in the United States said on Wednesday he has been barred from re-entering the country apparently because he chose a close relative who was convicted of a terrorism-related crime in April in the emergency contact portion of his U.S. passport. Jaber Ismail, 18, arrived in Pakistan with his 45-year-old father, Muhammed, nearly five years ago to study and memorize the holy Quran. He completed that task and tried to return but U.S. Customs officials at the Hong Kong airport told the father and son, "your passports aren't in the system. You have no record in the U.S.". Jamil: "I said, 'I am a U.S. citizen. I was born there.' I showed them my birth certificate, my school ID. They wouldn't listen." He said FBI agents in Islamabad told him that he and his father would be denied entry into the United States unless they submitted to more questioning and a lie detector test. "I was at a mosque. I was memorizing the Quran because it was important to my mom," Ismail said. "I want to go home and finish high school and get a good job."(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Israel kills Palestinian man in West Bank NABLUS, West Bank, Aug 31 (AFP) The Israeli Army killed Thursday a Palestinian local leader of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in the West Bank town of Nablus, security and medical services said. Four other members of the group were also wounded, said the sources.(Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 22.61 points: KARACHI, August 31:At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10063.54 , down 22.61 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, August 31: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.45 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |