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| October 03, 2006 | Tuesday | Ramazan 9, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, US strategic partners in war on terror: US envoy ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf’s visit to United States and his meeting with President Bush has further strengthened bilateral and strategic relations between the two countries, the US ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan C Crocker, told newsmen here at the US embassy on Tuesday. Crocker appreciated Pakistan's role in the war against terror, and said that with the help and cooperation of its partners "we are going to win this long war." He said negotiations between Pakistan and America were under way to finalise a trade and investment treaty, and also on the issue of establishing reconstruction zones in FATA. Answering a question about Pakistan's agreement in North Waziristan, the ambassador said America supports the agreement. He acknowledged that economic, political as well as social elements were important for a long term solution in the region. He said President Musharraf has also assured to hold fair and free elections in 2007. Regarding New Delhi’s accusations of Pakistani intelligence agencies’ involvement in Mumbai blast, he said, there should be direct contact between the two countries on this issue. On the issue of F16 jets, the ambassador said the agreement has been signed between the two countries after thorough discussion. The American envoy said Pakistan and international community should know more of the links of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadir Khan. He further said that US would continue to provide assistance in the reconstruction phase of Pakistan’s earthquake affected areas. The reconstruction phase, starting this month under USAID's four-year $200 million programme, would complete building 50 schools and 15 healthcare facilities in the first year, he said. (First Posted @ 17:34 PST Updated @ 21:44 PST)
Waziristan truce to achieve peace: Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (Agencies): President Gen Pervez Musharraf said Tuesday that the objective of the Waziristan peace deal with tribal elders was to achieve peace in the area and that the government would not let any anti-state elements to succeed in the country. He expressed these views while talking to NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzai and Balochistan Governor Awais Ghani, who called on him at the Presidential Camp Office in Rawalpindi separately. The president on the occasion was briefed by both governors about the law and order situation in their respective provinces. (Posted @ 22:48 PST)
Afghanistan fighting kills four Afghan, two US troops KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 3 (AP) Two gunbattles in eastern Afghanistan killed four Afghan and two U.S. troops, officials said Tuesday. Meanwhile, a suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked a Canadian military convoy in southern Kandahar city on Tuesday, but no troops were injured, said a NATO spokesman. (First Posted @ 10:00 PST Updated @ 22:30 PST)
More than three dozen killed in Iraq violence BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct 3 (Agencies) More than three dozen people were killed in violence around Iraq on Tuesday, including a state TV employee, a judge and three people in a morning suicide attack on a fish market in Baghdad that wounded 19 others. Police also found seven bodies in an area north of Baqouba. Meanwhile a roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers Monday evening as they were patrolling in northern Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement on Tuesday. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST Updated @ 22:24 PST)
Verdict postponed in Saddam trial BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct 3 (AP) The Iraqi court trying Saddam Hussein announced Tuesday the postponement of the verdict in his trial to give the judges more time to review evidence. The court had been expected to announce its verdict on Oct. 16. But now a court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the verdict could be put off until late October or early November. (Posted @ 22:20 PST)
Tens of thousands uprooted by fighting in Afghanistan: UNHCR GENEVA, Oct 3 (AP) Tens of thousands of people were driven out from their homes by recent fighting in southern Afghanistan and the number could increase, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday. Between 80,000 and 90,000 people have been uprooted by the combat in the southern provinces of Kandahar, Uruzgan and Helmand since July, said Jennifer Pagonis, of the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees. ``This fresh displacement adds new hardship to a population already hosting 116,400 people earlier uprooted by conflict and drought,'' she said in a statement. (Posted @ 22:18 PST)
Tamil Tigers agree to unconditional talks with Sri Lankan government COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Oct 3 (AP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday agreed to unconditional talks with the government, but warned they will pull out of a 2002 cease-fire if the government persists with its military campaign, a spokesman for the insurgents said. President Mahinda Rajapakse would make a final decision on whether to hold talks with the rebels, the government's chief peace negotiator told reporters at a press conference later Tuesday. (Posted @ 22:16 PST)
New ideas needed to boost tourism in country: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday called for generating new ideas and pursuing an effective marketing strategy to fully utilize the county’s tourism potential. Addressing the first-ever convention of tour-operators, DCOs, nazims, and travel agents here at the Prime Minister Secretariat, he said "we have to package, and manage the image (of Pakistan) and market it to the world". (Posted @ 22:14 PST)
Turkish plane hijacked ATHENS, Oct 3 (Reuters) A Turkish passenger plane flying from the Albanian capital Tirana to Istanbul was hijacked over Greece and later landed in Italy, Greek and Italian officials said on Tuesday. An official said the plane carried 107 passengers and a crew of six. Turkey's NTV said two Turks had hijacked the plane and were ready to surrender. The television also quoted police sources as saying the plane was hijacked in protest at Pope Benedict's pending visit to Turkey. The reports could not be immediately confirmed. (First Posted @ 21:18 PST Updated @ 21:28 PST)
U.S. policy in Mideast to “divide and conquer”: Haniyeh GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, Oct 3 (AP) Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday urged Arab countries not to support U.S. policy in the Middle East. Haniyeh spoke as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was meeting in Cairo with eight Arab allies. ``It looks like Mrs. Rice is adopting the old law, divide and conquer,'' Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza. ``She wants to weaken the states and the nations of the region…We call on all of the Arab countries not to follow the American plans and not to adopt this policy that aims to divide the region,'' Haniyeh said. (Posted @ 21:16 PST)
U.S. soldier in Kuwait found dead KUWAIT CITY, Oct 3 (AP) A female American soldier serving in Kuwait died of a non-combat related injury Sunday and the military is investigating the cause of her death, a U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Iraq may never be peaceful: NATO PARIS, Oct 3 (AP) A top NATO commander said Tuesday that Iraq may never be free of violence. ``Will we see a day in Iraq when violence is completely gone away? I don't think so. It wasn't that way under Saddam,'' said U.S. Air Force Gen. Lance L. Smith, supreme allied commander transformation. ``It's going to be rough. Success will be measured on a political scale,'' he said, adding ``Success in the long term will be measured in the ability of their elected government to take control of those countries''. (Posted @ 21:12 PST)
One Russian soldier killed, three wounded in Chechnya ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, Oct 3 (AP) A Russian soldier died in a mine explosion while a serviceman and two police officers were wounded in separate incidents in Chechnya Monday, police said Tuesday. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Cricket-Sarfraz says he can catch ball tamperers ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct 3 (AP) Former Pakistan test pace bowler Sarfraz Nawaz on Tuesday offered his services to the International Cricket Council to catch bowlers tampering with cricket balls on the playing field. ``I can catch a player tampering with the cricket ball from 1,000 yards,'' Nawaz said. Nawaz said he believes ball-tampering has been going on in international cricket for quite some time. ``It is rampant at the international level and, it's the incompetence of the umpires who cannot catch tampering,'' he said. Nawaz backed Inzamam in the ball tampering saga and has said he believed that, since Pakistan had been accused of ball tampering in the past, ``they (players) would have been foolish to do so, with so many cameras placed all over the grounds.'' (Posted @ 21:08 PST)
Israel should face war crimes probe over Lebanon: UN rights expert GENEVA, Oct 3 (AFP) Jean Ziegler, the United Nations' food rights expert, in a report Tuesday called for an international probe to determine whether Israel was responsible for "grave breaches" of the Geneva Conventions and "possibly, war crimes" under the rules of the International Criminal Court. During its military campaign, Israel destroyed roads and barred aid convoys, hampering efforts to supply the population of southern Lebanon, which bore the brunt of the offensive, Ziegler said. The immediate destruction of the war is set to have a longer-term effect because of the unexploded cluster bombs that litter farmland, he said. In addition, the Lebanese fishing industry has been hit by an oil spill sparked by Israel's bombardment of fuel depots. Israel should pay the Lebanese government for the clean up and compensate fishermen for their economic losses, he added. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
US demands Iran answer in nuclear standoff this week WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (AFP) The United States will give European negotiators until the end of the week to convince Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, and then pursue sanctions if Tehran fails to comply, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told The Washington Times in an interview published Tuesday. Burns rejected a proposal that Washington give Iran a formal pledge not to use military action against the country as part of the deal. Washington does not want to grant security guarantees to Iran because of concerns over its support for militants in the region, Burns said. "We are also very concerned about this nexus of terrorism -- Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas. We think they are coordinating their actions, and we are trying to push back on that," he said. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Iran, Russia in top security talks TEHRAN, Oct 3 (AFP) The head of Russia's security council, Igor Ivanov, was holding talks in Tehran on Tuesday with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. There were no initial details on the content of the discussions. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Russian foreign minister links US, NATO to Georgia crisis MOSCOW, Oct 3 (AFP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Tuesday linked the United States and NATO to the arrest last week in Georgia of four Russian officers, the news agency Interfax reported. "The recent episode with the seizure of our officers took place just after NATO's decision to extend an intensified partnership plan to Georgia, and, incidentally, immediately after a visit by Mikheil (Saakashvili) to Washington," Lavrov said, referring to the Georgian president. Lavrov said that Saakashvili's stated priority of bringing Georgia's two breakaway regions under control was subsidiary to pulling Georgia into NATO. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Singer Katie Melua sets underwater concert record OSLO, Oct 3 (AFP) Singer Katie Melua has set the world record for the deepest underwater concert, held 303 meters (994 feet) under the sea inside the hollow leg of an offshore North Sea rig, the artist and oil group Statoil said on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Irish-Georgian artist and her five-member band, who for the occasion donned orange overalls like those worn by the oil workers, performed for 35 minutes inside the Troll A platform. The record was confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records. (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
India's top media groups to launch new daily together NEW DELHI, Oct 3 (AFP) Two of India's top rival media houses Tuesday signed an agreement to launch a new daily newspaper in the Indian. The Times of India Group and Hindustan Times Media Limited said the new English newspaper to be sold in New Delhi will be run independently of the companies' other ventures. The newspaper is likely to be launched early next year. The companies did not reveal how much they would invest in the new venture. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
US, Britain warn of sanctions in Iran nuclear case TEHRAN, Oct 3 (Reuters) The United States and Britain said on Tuesday Iran could soon face sanctions because it showed no sign of halting sensitive nuclear work. The deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said suspending uranium enrichment would not solve the nuclear standoff. Mohammad Saeedi instead suggested France could invest in Iran's nuclear industry, enabling it to supervise Tehran's work. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said a telephone conversation on Monday with Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was constructive but brought no breakthrough. A French Foreign Ministry spokesman said there were no direct talks between Paris and Tehran. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Saudi Arabia there was no evidence Iran would halt enrichment. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that the United States should not consider acting alone. (First Posted @ 12:10 PST Updated @ 20:02 PST)
Kin of Kashmiri convict asks Indian president to spare his life NEW DELHI, Oct 3 (AFP) The family of a Kashmiri man sentenced to death for conspiracy in a 2001 attack on the Indian parliament on Tuesday asked the president to spare his life, officials said. Mohammed Afzal Guru’s wife also asked for an urgent meeting with President Abdul Kalam to save her husband, a government spokesman said. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Saudi relents on visas for Chinese Muslims in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (Reuters) After weeks of protests outside Saudi Arabia's embassy in Pakistan, Chinese Muslims won their battle on Tuesday to be granted visas to join the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Saudi ambassador Ali Saeed Awad Asseri, after consultation with Chinese officials, told reporters that the visas would be given for the Haj in January. "They have Chinese passports, Pakistani visas and they are on the doorstep of Saudi embassy so really we don't have any other choice than to treat this issue on humanitarian grounds," Asseri said. While relenting this year, the Saudi ambassador said in future all visas should be processed through the embassy in Beijing. (Posted @ 19:24 PST)
Prime Minister Aziz reviews FIA’s performance ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday chaired a high level meeting at the Prime Minister's House to review the performance of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Aziz said the government will provide necessary resources to FIA to enable it perform its functions more effectively, especially in the areas of immigration, human trafficking and intellectual property rights. The Director General FIA, in his presentation, informed the prime minister that with the introduction of the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) at international exit points (in airports), the data of around 22.31 million passengers has been recorded since November 2002. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Bangladesh government rejects talks with opposition at US embassy DHAKA, Oct 3 (AFP) The Bangladeshi government rejected Tuesday an opposition demand that the first round of crucial electoral reform talks ahead of January parliamentary polls be held at the US ambassador's residence. Ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan did not specify why the party objected to the US embassy as a venue, but said the BNP was still ready to hold talks elsewhere and accused the opposition of not being sincere in wanting to resolve the dispute. A US embassy spokesman was not available for comment Tuesday. (Posted @ 17:18 PST)
Rice arrives in Egypt CAIRO, Oct 3 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Cairo on Tuesday on the second leg of a Middle East tour where she was due to attend a meeting of "moderate" Arab foreign ministers. Rice flew in from Saudi Arabia to join talks with foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan and the six monarchies that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. (Posted @ 16:46 PST)
Diplomacy the way to solve Iran, NKorea nuclear issues: Russia MOSCOW, Oct 3 (AFP) The Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues should be resolved exclusively through diplomatic, peaceful means, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. "We proceed from the view that these problems should be solved exclusively by peaceful, diplomatic means," Lavrov told journalists. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Violence driving 9,000 Iraqis from homes every week: IOM GENEVA, Oct 3 (AFP) The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes to escape violence is rising dramatically, and has now reached almost 9,000 per week, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. Spiralling violence has pushed the number of internal refugees in central and southern Iraq to around 190,000, an IOM spokeswoman told journalists. "The displacement is increasingly looking like permanent settlement and there is urgent need for shelter and employment solutions for these families," added the spokesperson. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Three troops killed in Balochistan rocket attack QUETTA, Pakistan, Oct 3 (Reuters) Militants killed three paramilitary soldiers and wounded two others in a rocket attack on Tuesday in Balochistan’s Kohlu district, officials said. Raziq Bugti, a provincial government spokesman, said a paramilitary vehicle came under attack when soldiers were on their way to fetch water from a well, killing three of them on the spot. (Posted @ 15:34 PST)
North Korea to conduct nuclear test in near future TOKYO, Oct 3 (Reuters) North Korea said on Tuesday it would conduct a nuclear test in the future but would never use atomic weapons first and remained committed to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, Pyongyang's KCNA news agency reported. "The U.S. daily increasing threat of a nuclear war and its vicious sanctions and pressure have caused a grave situation on the Korean peninsula in which the supreme interests and security of our state are seriously infringed upon and the Korean nation stands at the crossroads of life and death," North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement carried on KCNA. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Shelter shortfall dire, one year after Pakistan quake ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (Reuters) Close to 400,000 people face a second winter without permanent shelter following last year's earthquake in the mountains and valleys of northern Pakistan, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday. The Oct. 8 killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and 1,500 in occupied Kashmir, and rendered more than three million destitute. "One year after, it is estimated that around 66,000 families are still without permanent shelter, while recent landslides and flooding have also left many quake survivors in a precarious position," the federation said in a statement. (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Cricket- Pakistan get permission to call up Faisal for Inzamam ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (Reuters) Batsman Faisal Iqbal will replace Inzamam-ul-Haq in Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad, PCB official Saleem Altaf said Tuesday. Under ICC regulations, teams are only allowed to replace injured players in their confirmed 14-man squads but the authority had given Pakistan permission to call up Faisal. "Faisal has been selected to play in the Champions Trophy as he has been with the team for a while now, and was also in the 30-member provisional list we sent to the ICC," Altaf said. The 24-year-old Iqbal has played 17 tests and 17 one-day internationals. (Posted @ 13:51 PST)
Ousted Thai PM resigns as party leader BANGKOK, Oct 3 (AFP) Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned as leader of his Thai Rak Thai political party, a top party official said Tuesday. "I must resign because of the new environment. I have to do this to keep the party alive," Thaksin said in a letter dated October 2 and read out by the official at a press conference. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Two wounded in Israeli air raid on Khan Yunes GAZA CITY, Oct 3 (AFP) Two Palestinians were wounded early Tuesday when an Israeli warplane carried out a raid on a metal workshop at Khan Yunes in southern Gaza Strip, security sources said. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Just a 'matter of time' for bin Laden to face justice: Bush RENO, Nevada, Oct 3 (AFP) US President George W. Bush said Monday it was only a "matter of time" until Osama bin Laden faces justice. "I'm just telling you we're dismantling Al-Qaeda one person at a time. We're on the hunt," Bush said at a congressional campaign event in Reno, Nevada. "And it's just a matter of time before Osama bin Laden gets the justice he deserves," he said. About the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, he said it was a "central front in the war on terror." "Success in Iraq will help make this country more secure. Failure in Iraq will mean that we will have left behind a treacherous world for children and our grandchildren…but if you don't take my word, take the word of Osama bin Laden, or Mr. (Ayman) Zawahiri, about the importance of Iraq. The number one and two of Al-Qaeda have made it clear that Iraq is a central front in the war on terror…and their ambitions are to drive the United States out of Iraq…they want us to leave so they can a safe haven from which to plot and plan new attacks against the Unites States of America," Bush said. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 23.52 points: KARACHI, Oct 3: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10592.72, down 23.52 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:00 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 3: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.65 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:00 PST)
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