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| September 23, 2006 | Saturday | Sha'aban 29, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Ramazan moon not sighted in Pakistan LAHORE, Sept 23 (APP): The sighting of the new moon signalling the beginning of the holy month of Ramazan was not sighted from any parts of the country, Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, announced at a meeting held here at Radio Pakistan Building Saturday evening. He said that the first of Ramazan would now fall on September 25 (Monday). (First Posted @ 20:10 PST Updated @ 20:42 PST)
Pakistan cannot confirm French report on bin Laden death ISLAMABAD, Sept 23 (AFP) Pakistan said Saturday it had no information to confirm a French newspaper report that Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had died of typhoid in Pakistan. "No, we do not have any such information with us," Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said in Islamabad. The French newspaper l'Est Republicain reported Saturday that Saudi intelligence had concluded that bin Laden might have succumbed to typhoid fever between August 23 and September 4 while hiding in Pakistan. Security officials hunting Al-Qaeda in Pakistan also rejected the report. "There is an excellent cooperation between Pakistani and Saudi intelligence services and no such information has been shared," a senior security official said. The official said it was "inconceivable that an event of this nature would remain unnoticed in Pakistan where we are constantly on the Al-Qaeda hunt." French President Jacques Chirac also said earlier that the newspaper report was "in no way confirmed." The United States also said it could not confirm the report. "We don't have any confirmation," said a State Department spokesman. (First Posted @ 13:19 PST Updated @ 19:58 PST)
Bush hails Karzai, Musharraf, ahead of summit WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (AFP) US President George W. Bush on Saturday praised presidents Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan as "two courageous leaders" worthy of US help as they prepared for three-way talks next week. "These two leaders are working to defeat the forces of terrorism and extremism," Bush said in his weekly radio address. He praised Musharraf for "siding with the forces of freedom and moderation and helping to defend the civilized world" and said terrorists had tried to kill the Pakistani leader "because he's working to build modern democratic institutions that could provide an alternative to radicalism…And it is in America's interest to help him succeed," said the US president. Bush also hailed Karzai for doing "the work of building a safer and brighter future for his nation" and noted that more than 40 countries, including many from the NATO alliance, were trying to keep order there. "These forces are fighting the extremists who want to bring down the free government that the people of Afghanistan have established," he said. "Working with President Karzai's government, we will defeat the enemies of a free Afghanistan and help the Afghan people build a nation that will never again oppress them or be a safe haven for terrorists," said Bush. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
At least 10,000 protest wars in Iraq, Afghanistan before British Labour Party conference MANCHESTER, England, September 23, (AP) _ At least 10,000 anti-war demonstrators marched through the northern English city of Manchester on Saturday, protesting the presence of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on the eve of the governing Labour Party's annual gathering. Protesters packed Manchester's central Albert Square before setting off on a march around the conference center where delegates will meet. The five-day Labour meeting begins Sunday. (Posted @ 23:26 PST)
Rice meets Libyan counterpart amid controversy over AIDS trial NEW YORK, Sept 23, (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met her Libyan counterpart here Saturday for the first time since Washington renewed formal ties with Libya following years of diplomatic rupture. The meeting between Rice and Foreign Minister Abdurahman Shalgam, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, was expected to include a renewed US appeal that Libya release five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of injecting Libyan children with the AIDS virus. (Posted @ 23:12 PST)
Hingis crushes Mirza to enter Kolkata Open final KOLKATA, Sept 24, (AFP) - Top-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland stormed into the Kolkata Open final with a crushing 6-1, 6-0 victory over local favourite Sania Mirza here on Saturday. The former world number one will now meet unseeded Russian Olga Poutchkova, who overcame qualifier Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan 6-4, 6-4 in the other semi-final. (Posted @ 22:38 PST)
Carnegie hosts discussion with President Musharraf WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf late Friday visited the Carnegie Endowment Centre and addressed the policy think-tank on issues facing Pakistan and shared his vision on regional and international issues. Carnegie President Jessica T. Mathews welcomed the President on his arrival at the center for an interactive round-table attended by distinguished foreign policy-makers. In his address, President Musharraf highlighted emerging issues in Pakistan, focusing specifically on the country's leading role in the fight against international terrorism. He also spoke on the ongoing peace process with India and other regional and international issues including Palestine, situation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Pakistan-US relations. (Posted @ 20:56 PST)
Danish soldier killed by roadside bomb in Iraq COPENHAGEN, Sept 23 (Reuters) A Danish soldier was killed in southern Iraq on Saturday after his patrol vehicle hit a bomb by the side of the road south of the city of Basra, the Danish central army command said. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Pakistan no more a weak country internally: Musharraf WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (APP): Pakistan has come a long way in the last few years and is no more a weak country internally, President Pervez Musharraf told a gathering of Pakistani Americans Friday evening. "Pakistan is no longer a weak country and that is why we project our country and its position strongly," he stated. He also recounted a string of successes in the fields of economy, counterterrorism and improvements in education and health areas. He also made it clear that the writ of the government would be established in all parts of the country. "The biggest obstacle in the way of development is extremism, the moderate forces must stand up against the menace and be counted," he emphasized. He asked the Pakistani Americans to strive for projecting Pakistan's image in good light and counter any malicious propaganda against the country. "You should have pride in your country and counter any propaganda against Pakistan," he said. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Ramadan begins in several Arab countries CAIRO, Egypt, Sep 23 (AP) Muslims in several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday began observing the holy month of Ramadan after announcing the sighting of the new moon. Arab nations, including Egypt, Jordan, and Syria announced that the new moon had not been sighted Friday night, and that Sunday will be the first day of Ramadan. Countries that have begun observing the month also include Qatar, Libya, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, and Yemen. Ramadan has also started for the Palestinian territories. Sunni Muslims in Lebanon and Iraq began observing the month Saturday. But the top Shiite cleric in Lebanon has declared that Ramadan begins Sunday. For Shiites in Iraq, the month is expected to start Sunday or Monday. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Prime Minister Aziz for maintaining sanctity of Ramazan ISLAMABAD, Sep 23 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz called upon all sections of society including parliamentarians, businessmen, government servants and the public at large to play their due role and fulfil their personal and collective responsibilities in maintaining the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan. Talking to a group of parliamentarians who called on him here at the PM House Saturday, Aziz said "The noble qualities of patience, spirituality, sacrifice and the realization of the pains of less fortunate and the deprived can become the basis of a society based on social welfare, equality, justice, tolerance and a sense of caring and sharing". He reiterated the government's commitment to provide maximum relief to the public during Ramazan and said any artificial price hike will be encountered with the full force of the law. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
Palestinian leader Abbas says national unity talks back at square one CAIRO, Sept 23 (Reuters) Palestinian efforts to forge a national unity government are back at square one, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters after talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas accused Hamas of reneging on agreements with Fatah. "Unfortunately after this agreement was signed there were regressions from it...and unfortunately we are back to point zero, and we will examine the issue anew," Abbas said. Abbas said the U.S. and European states in the U.N. Security Council did not find Hamas's position "conducive to building a national unity government". Abbas said Thursday's attempt by the Arab League to get the the Security Council involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not intended to seek a new decision by the Council, but an effort to have the U.S.-led road map for Middle East peace implemented. Abbas said the Palestinians would accept nothing less than pre-1967 borders for a Palestinian state, nor would they accept temporary borders. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Indian soldiers kill two in occupied Kashmir; two soldiers wounded SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Sep 23 (AP) Two suspected militants were killed and two paramilitary soldiers were wounded Saturday in separate incidents in occupied Kashmir, police said. Soldiers cordoned off a house in Chanti Bandi, a village north of Srinagar, after receiving a tip that militants were hiding there. As the soldiers closed in on the house, the inmates began firing and the soldiers retaliated, police said. At least two suspected militants were killed, but there were no casualties among the soldiers. There was no independent verification of the police claim. In a separate attack, an explosive device wounded two paramilitary soldiers in Sopore town, also north of Srinagar, police said. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Indian PM calls for more Muslims in security forces NAINITAL, India, Sept 23 (Reuters) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged regional leaders on Saturday to recruit more Muslims into the police and intelligence agencies to help counter a growing sense of insecurity in the minority community. Singh said there was an underlying sense of insecurity among Muslims due to what he called erroneous links made by the West between terrorist attacks and Islam, leading to the entire community being tarnished. "I think it reflects a great weakness of the law-enforcing mechanism when it lines up the entire population of a locality for questioning," Singh told a conference of heads of 14 states in the northern Indian hill station of Nainital. Singh said the sense of insecurity among India's Muslims could have "terrible consequences for the country's polity" and called for pro-active efforts to erase it. The prime minister also reiterated a warning about the possibility of more terrorist attacks. "The concern is that there could be a further intensification involving use of 'fidayeen' elements," he said. (Posted @ 18:46 PST)
Arabian Sea cyclone threatens Pakistani coastal towns KARACHI, Sept 23 (AFP) Pakistani authorities Saturday braced for a cyclone in the Arabian Sea that meteorologists said was likely to hit the country's two coastal towns in the next 24 hours. The towns of Badin and Thatta in southern Sindh province were put on high alert and officials warned people to move away from the coast to safer ground. "The cyclone has moved its position to the southeast posing threat to Thatta and Badin, but Karachi is safe," a Pakistan's meteorological department official said. Thatta is 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Karachi, the country's main port, while Badin is 170 kilometers southeast of Karachi. "We have declared emergency in the areas," said Sindh province information minister Salahuddin Haider. Fishing boats were cautioned against sailing and those already at sea were called back. (Posted @ 18:14 PST)
Britain's top soldier defends military performance in Afghanistan LONDON, Sept 23 (AFP) Britain's highest ranking officer on Saturday dismissed criticism of the air force's performance in Afghanistan as isolated and said the armed forces were "doing an extremely good job." "If the odd person has had a disappointment in that an airstrike being called in has not identified the target or has identified the wrong target,that is understandable in the fog of war and the heat of battle," the chief of the general staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, told BBC radio. Sky News reported Friday that e-mails written by an unidentified major condemned the Royal Air Force as "utterly, utterly useless" and underlined that more soldiers and equipment were needed "desperately." (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Russia to send troops to Lebanon, but not under UN flag: Putin COMPIEGNE, France, Sept 23 (AFP) Russia intends to send troops to Lebanon, but not as part of the UN peacekeeping force there and only if all parties in the region agree, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday. Moscow is prepared to send "a small deployment of engineers to Lebanon," Putin said after a three-way summit with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel north of Paris. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
Estonian ex-foreign minister Ilves elected president TALLINN, Sept 23 (AFP) Estonian former foreign minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves was Saturday elected president of the Baltic state, garnering 174 votes in a 345-member electoral college, the national election commission said. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
US embassy contractor killed in Iraq rocket attack BAGHDAD, Sept 23 (AFP) A United States national working as a contractor for the US state department in Iraq was killed in a rocket attack Friday in Basra city, the US embassy’s charge d'affaires said Saturday. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Nuclear talks with Iran may start without U.S.: report BERLIN, Sept 23 (Reuters) France, Britain and Germany would be willing to begin talks with Iran even if it has not suspended its nuclear enrichment programme first, but Washington would not take part, a German magazine reported on Saturday. Citing unnamed German diplomatic sources, weekly Der Spiegel said the goal of this new strategy would be to lure Tehran to the negotiating table to discuss a package of incentives offered by six world powers in June in exchange for a suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment programme. After several delays, EU’s Solana and Iran’s Larijani are expected to meet somewhere in Europe next week, diplomats have said. Der Spiegel said the meeting would probably take place in Brussels. (Posted @ 16:22 PST)
Helicopter with 24 aboard missing in Nepal KATHMANDU, Sept 23 (Reuters) A private helicopter carrying 24 people, including a junior minister and at least five foreigners, disappeared in eastern Nepal on Saturday, authorities said. Tourism minister Pradip Gyanwali said the aircraft had been missing since noon local time (0615 GMT, but could give no further details. The Himalayan Times online service said the helicopter was also carrying staff of the WWF global environmental conservation group, but officials were unable to confirm this. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Insurgents derail freight train in bomb attack in Turkey; no injuries ANKARA, Turkey, Sept 23 (AP) Insurgents set off a remote-controlled bomb, derailing a freight train in the Turkish province of Elazig, officials said Saturday. No injuries were reported. (Posted @ 13:40 PST)
Al-Qaeda ally captured north of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Sept 23 (AFP) A leader of a group allied to Al-Qaeda has been arrested north of Baghdad, the prime minister's office announced Saturday in a message carried by Iraqi state television. Sheikh Montasser al-Juburi and two aides were arrested in Muqdadiyah, 100 kilometers northeast of Baghdad in Diyala province. Juburi was described as a leader of the Ansar al-Sunna, an extremist group allied to Al-Qaeda. The statement did not specify exactly when he was captured. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Death toll rises to five in German gas explosion LEHRBERG, Germany, Sept 23 (Reuters) The death toll from a gas explosion in southern Germany that destroyed a bakery and apartment block Friday has risen to five, police said Saturday. An additional 16 people had been injured in the blast, which tore through buildings in the village of Lehrberg in northern Bavaria. (Posted @ 12:52 PST)
Car bomb kills 37 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Sept 23 (AFP) A car bomb attack near a service station killed at least 37 people and injured 34 in Baghdad's district of Sadr City Saturday, police said. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST; Updated @ 22:40 PST)
Gunmen shoot dead pro-royal Nepal politician KATHMANDU, Sept 23 (AFP) A pro-royal parliamentarian in Nepal, MP Krishna Charan Shrestha, as shot dead Saturday by unidentified gunmen who burst into his house and opened fire, police said. The three gunmen also killed one of his aides in Siraha district, 350 kilometers southeast of Kathmandu. Two of the gunmen were killed while the third escaped on a motorcycle, police said. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Lebanese army takes up position on Israel border NAQURA, Lebanon, Sept 23 (AFP) The Lebanese army, backed by UN peacekeepers, took up positions Saturday for the first time in decades on the "Blue Line" border demarcation with Israel, after more Israeli troops withdrew from the region. An infantry unit of some 200 soldiers supported by tanks were deployed at two points on the border's western sector, at Naqura on the Mediterranean coast and Labbuneh, three kilometres inland, an army spokesman said. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Cycle bomb kills two in Pakistan, injures 20 ISLAMABAD, Sept 23 (AFP) A bomb planted on a bicycle exploded at a crowded bus terminal in the city of Dera Ghazi Khan, 480 kilometers southwest of Islamabad Saturday, killing two people and injuring 20, police said. "There were lot of commuters at the bus stand when the explosion occurred," local police officer Tehsin Ahmed said. He said the injured were taken to hospitals and some were in critical condition. (Posted @ 12:23 PST)
Eight killed, 50 wounded in bus accident near Pakistani capital ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept 23 (AP) A bus lost control and collided head-on with another on a narrow road in Rawat, a town near Islamabad Saturday, killing at least eight passengers and wounding about 50 others, police said. The injured were transported to hospitals and were listed in a critical condition, said Ghulam Mustafa, an area police official. He gave no further details. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Four police injured in Thai south’s first bomb blast since coup BANGKOK, Thailand, Sept 23 (AP) Four police officers were injured Saturday by a bomb blast in Thailand’s Pattani province, the first attack since Tuesday's coup that overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, police said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
More corpses found in Iraq BAGHDAD, Sept 23 (AP) Five corpses were turned in Saturday to the morgue in Kut, 160 kilometers southeast of Baghdad. The bodies were shot in the head and chest and had been found dumped into the Tigris river near Suwayrah, 40 kilometers south of Baghdad, the morgue official said. The victims were blindfolded with their arms and hands bound, and showed signs of torture, he said. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Clinton raises $7.3 bln to help tackle world woes NEW YORK, Sept 23 (Reuters) Former U.S. President Bill Clinton wrapped up his second annual brainstorming summit on Friday with commitments worth $7.3 billion to combat illness, poverty, religious and ethnic conflict and climate change. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Three die in Colombia anti-drug helicopter crash BOGOTA, Colombia, Sept 23 (Reuters) Three Colombian police officers were killed when their helicopter crashed as it escorted airplanes fumigating fields of illegal coca leaves used to make cocaine, authorities said Friday. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Israeli forces carry out raid in Gaza GAZA, Sept 23 (Reuters) Several Israeli tanks rolled onto farmland near the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip Saturday, but there were no clashes. "We are trying to stop cells from going into these areas and carrying out rocket attacks," a military spokesman said. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
West bars Arab bid at IAEA to rap Israel atom "threat" VIENNA, Sept 23 (Reuters) Western nations foiled a bid by Arab and Islamic states on Friday to declare Israel's reputed nuclear arsenal a threat that must be removed in a politically charged vote at IAEA. Canada sponsored a 45-29 "no-action" ballot that prevented IAEA member states from voting on a motion demanding Israel use atomic energy only for peaceful purposes and help set up a Middle East nuclear arms-free zone. But the gathering voted 89-2 for a milder resolution on Israel, also initiated by Arab states, "affirming the urgent need for all states in the Middle East to accept full-scope IAEA safeguards on all their nuclear activities". (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Police expect up to 25,000 on anti-war march MANCHESTER, Sept 23 (Reuters) Up to 25,000 anti-war demonstrators are expected to march in Manchester on Saturday against the government's Middle East policies, police said. Speakers will include maverick politician George Galloway, rights activist Bianca Jagger, musician Brian Eno and former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray. Protesters will lie down in a "mass die-in" outside Manchester's G-Mex Centre, where Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party starts its annual conference on Sunday. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Japan launches satellite to explore sun TOKYO, Sept 23 (Reuters) Japan launched an observation satellite on Saturday on a joint mission with the United States and Britain to explore the sun. It aims to improve scientists' understanding of solar flares and eruptions that can have devastating effects on satellite systems. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
U.N. extends peacekeeping mission in southern Sudan until Oct. 8 UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23 (AP) The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to extend the mandate of U.N. peacekeepers monitoring a peace deal that ended a 21-year civil war in southern Sudan. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
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