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| October 13, 2006 | Friday | Ramazan 19, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
PM Aziz announces Rs19.5 billion development package for Balochistan QUETTA Oct 13 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at a press conference here Friday announced a Rs19.5 billion development package for Balochistan, which includes a Rs2.5 billion special package for Dera Bugti and Kohlu districts, and Rs1 billion each for Gwadar Development Authority and Gwadar International Airport. This package is in addition to Rs31 billion being released during the current fiscal year for the mega projects in the province, he said. He said that currently 138 projects of the federal government were in progress in Balochistan at a total cost of Rs164 billion. He also announced that 32,124 jobs would be created in Balochistan. "5000 jobs from Grade-1 to 16 have been allocated for Balochistan in the federal departments while 6000 jobs would be provided to the local youths under the newly increased job quota of the province from 3.5% to 5%," he elaborated. 7,300 jobs would be provided to Balochi people in the Pakistan Army, he added. Replying to a question, he expressed his satisfaction over the law and order situation in Balochistan. He said the government was ready to talk to everyone in order to form a broad consensus on national issues. Aziz said a senate committee under the chairmanship of Wasim Sajjad was already working on provincial autonomy, and the matter would be taken forward on the basis of its recommendations. (Posted @ 22:06 PST)
Pakistan arrests eight militants behind attack plots ISLAMABAD, Oct 13 (Reuters) Pakistani security agencies arrested eight militants suspected of planting explosive devices at three high security points in and around the capital, Islamabad, the interior minister said on Friday. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said more arrests were likely. "All those arrested are Pakistani nationals, and indications are that they may be linked to al Qaeda," he said. Sherpao added that two more Pakistanis held at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will be released later this week. "They are expected to arrive (in Pakistan) on October 15," he said, adding that “six other Pakistanis held at the Bagram US airbase in Afghanistan were also to be freed this week. After the expected releases five Pakistanis will remain in Guantanamo Bay and 14 will still be at Bagram”, he told reporters. (Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Russia, China oppose 'extreme sanctions' against North Korea MOSCOW, Oct 13 (AFP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday condemned North Korea for issuing a "provocative challenge" with its declared nuclear test but said both Russia and China opposed "extreme sanctions" against the country, Interfax news agency reported. After meeting Tang Jiaxuan, a member of China's state council, Lavrov said Russia and China agreed "on the need to condemn this provocative challenge from Pyongyang…On the other hand, we have a common position with China on the necessity of pursuing a balanced approach, not to give in to emotions, to some extreme sanctions". (Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Coroner says US 'unlawfully killed' British journalist in Iraq LONDON, Oct 13 (AFP) A coroner ruled Friday that British television journalist Terry Lloyd was unlawfully killed by US forces in southern Iraq in 2003 and said he would try to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted. In Washington, the Pentagon rejected the coroner's verdict, saying the troops who killed him followed their rules of engagement. The coroner said the 50-year-old Lloyd, a correspondent for ITN News, was shot in the back after getting caught up in US and Iraqi crossfire, then shot in the head by US forces as he was taken away in a vehicle for medical treatment. "I have no doubt it was the fact that the vehicle stopped to pick up survivors that prompted the Americans to fire on that vehicle," the coroner added. (Posted @ 22:08 PST)
U.S. starts plan to help Hamas opponents JERUSALEM, Oct 13 (Reuters) The United States has quietly started a campaign projected to cost up to $42 million to bolster Hamas's political opponents ahead of possible early Palestinian elections, say officials linked to the programme. The plan to promote alternatives to Hamas includes funding to help restructure President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group and provide training and strategic advice to politicians and secular parties opposed to Hamas. U.S. funds will also be used to encourage "watchdog" groups and local journalists to investigate the activities of the Hamas-led government and parliament. Up to $5 million would support private Palestinian schools offering an alternative to the Hamas-controlled public education system, officials added. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
US soldier killed in northern Iraq BAGHDAD, Oct 13 (AFP) A US soldier was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device in northern Iraq Thursday, the military said Friday. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
EU, India to boost exchange of intelligence HELSINKI, Oct 13 (Reuters) European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed on Friday to boost cooperation in fighting terrorism, particularly by focusing on improving the flow of intelligence. Asked about the role of Pakistan in efforts to combat terrorism, Solana said all countries needed to work harder. "I think everybody has to do more, not only Pakistan, everybody has to do more. All the countries have to do more in order to lower the level of terrorism in the world," he said. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
U.S. inciting Sunni-Shi'ite strife in Iraq: Iran TEHRAN, Oct 12 (Reuters) Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday the United States was encouraging sectarian strife in Iraq. "Making Sunnis and Shi'ites suspicious of one another ... is the policy of the Americans in Iraq," Khamenei told worshippers at Friday prayers, broadcast live on state television. "Our Iraqi brothers need to stand united ... and beware that the enemy plans to turn people against the people," he said. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in Gaza GAZA, Oct 13 (Reuters) Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, three of them Hamas members, Friday, residents said. Earlier, residents said a Palestinian woman was shot outside her home in southern Gaza. (First Posted @ 13:20 PST Updated @ 19:06 PST)
Suicide attack kills nine including NATO soldier in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct 13 (Reuters) A suicide attacker targeting a NATO convoy in the southern city of Kandahar killed eight civilians and a foreign soldier on Friday. Police and NATO said several civilians and two soldiers from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force had been wounded in the blast. A Taliban spokesman claimed the attack, saying several foreign soldiers had been killed. (First Posted @ 11:55 PST Updated @ 19:04 PST)
UK army chief says troops should leave Iraq LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) Britain's army chief said the presence of British troops in Iraq was exacerbating security problems on the ground and they should be withdrawn soon. In comments to the Daily Mail newspaper Friday, Chief of the General Staff General Richard Dannatt criticised post-war planning for Iraq and said the presence hurt British security globally. "I think history will show that the planning for what happened after the initial successful war fighting phase was poor, probably based more on optimism than sound planning," he said. (Posted @ 19:02 PST)
India ready to talk all issues with Pakistan: PM Singh Oct 13(Bureau report): India is ready to discuss "all issues", including Kashmir, with Pakistan, but not publicly, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a Finnish magazine in an interview published Friday. Asked about President Pervez Musharraf's proposal that the Kashmir problem be resolved by giving special autonomy to its people, Manmohan Singh told Kuvalehti magazine: "I would not like to discuss this issue in public with Musharraf,” adding "I have said on many occasions that we cannot discuss moving borders. We have to create a situation in which it is irrelevant on which side of the border the inhabitants of the area live, because goods as well as people can move freely. That is the job of the two governments, and it is the only alternative." Singh said he was satisfied with his meeting with Musharraf in Havana Cuba during the non-aligned summit. "We agreed on common procedures to uproot terrorism…the current constructive dialogue is based on Musharraf's commitment made in January 2004 to guarantee that Pakistan will not allow any kind of terrorist activities in its territory," he said. (Posted @ 17:38 PST)
Development in Balochistan to continue: PM Aziz QUETTA, Oct 13 (APP): Governor Balochistan, Owais Ghani called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Friday. The governor briefed the prime minister on the latest law and order situation, and other matters related to the province. Aziz said the federal government would extend full support and cooperation to ensure development of the province. He added that all resources would be utilized to improve the living standard of the people of Balochistan and to bring them at par with other provinces. He also discussed the mega development projects, and expressed the hope that with the completion of these projects, more jobs would be created and a new era of progress and prosperity would start in the province. (Posted @ 17:18 PST)
Three killed in occupied Kashmir gunbattle SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 13 (AFP) Two suspected militants and an army soldier were killed in a gunbattle late Thursday in Alyapora village, 50 kilometres south of Srinagar, police said Friday. (First Posted @ 14:55 PST Updated @ 16:00 PST)
Bangladeshi ‘banker to the poor’ wins Nobel Peace Prize OSLO, Oct 13 (Reuters) Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for grassroots efforts to lift millions out of poverty that earned him the nickname of "banker to the poor". Yunus set up a new kind of bank in the 1976 to give credit to the very poorest in his native Bangladesh, particularly women, enabling them to start up small businesses without collateral. In doing so, he invented micro-credit, a system which has been duplicated across the globe. The Nobel committee awarded the prize to Yunus and Grameen Bank "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below," it said in its citation. (First Posted @ 14:25 PST Updated @ 15:48 PST)
Police find 14 bodies near Baghdad DHULUIYA, Iraq, Oct 13 (Reuters) The bodies of 14 construction workers, their throats slit and their hands and legs bound, were found in Dhuluiya, a rural area near Baghdad, police said Friday. (Posted @ 15:32 PST)
Bomb in Iraqi police station kills six, wounds 12 HILLA, Iraq, Oct 13 (Reuters) A bomb planted inside a police station in the Iraqi city of Hilla Friday killed six people and wounded 12 others, police said. (Posted @ 14:15 PST)
China, SKorea pledge to work more closely on NKorea BEIJING, Oct 13 (AFP) The leaders of China and South Korea agreed Friday to work more closely on North Korea. Speaking during a break in bilateral talks here, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun told Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao that Beijing and Seoul had cooperated throughout the four years of the nuclear stand-off. "All this time the two countries' governments have been negotiating and cooperating over the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, and I would like to express my high level of appreciation…I hope we will continue to strengthen our cooperation on this issue. In the small group meeting we have also reached consensus towards this end," Roh said. Chinese President Hu Jintao said the meeting had focussed on bilateral ties and the nuclear standoff and described the talks as important. "We have reached ... important consensus and I would like to listen to you Mr President and deepen our exchange of views," Hu said. Roh's national security adviser, Song Min-Soon said "the two leaders agreed to support appropriate and necessary countermeasures by the UN Security Council against North Korea." (First Posted @ 09:20 PST, Updated @ 13:50 PST)
Philippines files rebellion case against 45 plotters MANILA, Oct 13 (Reuters) The Philippines on Friday brought rebellion charges against 45 people, including three military and national police generals, over an alleged plot in February to oust President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The names of two senators, a Roman Catholic bishop and the younger brother of former president Corazon Aquino were dropped from the charge sheet, said a top official of a law enforcement agency that investigated the failed coup attempt. Four communist guerrilla leaders, a leader of a civil society group, a former ambassador, a former state university president and more than 20 soldiers and police officers were charged as conspirators. (Posted @ 12:18 PST)
Banned India can attend Asiad for 50,000 dollars MUMBAI, Oct 13 (AFP) India's weightlifters can take part in the Asian Games in December provided they pay a fine of 50,000 dollars, the sport's world governing body said Friday. But the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) now says it is willing to waive the ban and allow India's participation in the Asian Games in Qatar if it coughs up the money. "India shall pay the fine of 50,000 dollars and remain suspended from membership of the IWF only until the whole amount of the fine is duly paid to the IWF," the federation said in a statement. "The IWF executive board declares that the fine shall be used for the purpose of anti-doping activities." Indian weightlifting chief H.J. Dora welcomed the IWF decision and said he was making efforts to raise the money. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Nepal bus crash kills 10 KATHMANDU, Oct 13 (AFP) An overcrowded bus plunged into a river killing 10 people and injuring 46 on Friday in Dhading district near Kathmandu, police said. (Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Hamas says recognising Israel politically futile DAMASCUS, Oct 13 (Reuters) Hamas sees no political gain in recognising Israel and will resist doing so despite Western sanctions on the Palestinian government it leads, the Muslim movement's leader Khaled Meshaal said late on Thursday. "Hamas will not surrender to those wanting to mount a coup against it, will not recognise Israel and will not abandon armed resistance," Meshaal said at a ceremony to mark the start of the final 10 days of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. (Posted @ 09:53 PST)
Vietnam bus collision kills 12 aid workers HANOI, Oct 13 (Reuters) A van collided with a bus in central Vietnam on Friday killing at least 11 aid workers and their driver, on their way to help victims of a typhoon that hit Vietnam's coastal provinces earlier this month, state media said. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Strong earthquake rocks Chile capital SANTIAGO, Oct 13 (AFP) A strong 6.5 intensity earthquake hit central Chile Thursday, rocking tall buildings on the coast and in Santiago inland, without immediate reports of damage, the University of Chile said. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Nine British soldiers charged with smuggling guns out of Iraq LONDON, Oct 13 (AFP) Nine British soldiers who have served in Iraq face a court martial for allegedly smuggling guns out of the country and selling them for drugs and cash, The Times reported Friday. It cited an unnamed former security official as saying that an AK-47 rifle with 200 rounds could sell for between 2,000 pounds to 3,000 pounds. "This is happening far more often than the authorities choose to admit and it is hard to stop the practice," the source said. (Posted @ 09:38 PST)
South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon set for election as UN chief UNITED NATIONS, Oct 13 (AFP) South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon is expected to be formally elected Friday as the new UN secretary general by the world body's 192-member General Assembly. (Posted @ 09:31 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 44.29 points: KARACHI, Oct 13: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10924.58, up 44.29 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 12:00 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 13: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.75 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 12:00 PST)
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