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| October 19, 2006 | Thursday | Ramazan 25, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Bush sees possible parallel between Iraq, Tet WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush says he sees a possible parallel in the increase in violence in Iraq and the 1968 Tet offensive that prompted Americans to lose support for the Vietnam War. Asked in an ABC News interview Wednesday whether he agreed with an opinion by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that the current violence in Iraq was "the jihadist equivalent of the Tet offensive," Bush said: "He could be right." "Look, here's how I view it," Bush said of the situation in Iraq. "First of all, Al Qaeda is still very active in Iraq. They are dangerous. They are lethal. They are trying to not only kill American troops, but they're trying to foment sectarian violence. "They believe that if they can create enough chaos, the American people will grow sick and tired of the Iraqi effort and will cause government to withdraw," he said. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
President expresses full confidence on country's defensive deterrence capability RAWALPINDI, Oct.19, (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday expressed full condidence in the country's defensive deterrence which is potent and much credible than ever before. "We shall continue to improve upon it," he said while addressing the Armed Forces Officers of Islamabad and Rawalpindi Garrisons here. He said induction of hi-tech weaponary to enchance the fighting punch of the three services is proceeding as per the envisaged force goals, while restructuring of the Army has resulted in improving teeth to tail ratio while making resources available to add to the Army's potency. The President gave an overview of the domestic environment and spelled out four areas which are and will continue to be his focus. These inlcuded economy, combating militancy and extremism, efforts to sustain democracy and strengthening national integration. He said all efforts were being made to bring Balochistan at par with other provinces. In FATA, the President expressed optimism in the ongoing political process under Governor NWFP. He expressed satisfaction on the improvement of environment in North Wazirastan Agency. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Rocket attack in Pakistan suspends train service QUETTA, Pakistan, Oct 19 (AFP) - Suspected insurgents Thursday attacked a passenger train with a rocket and small arms fire near Mach, 65 kilometers south of Quetta, causing suspension of train services in the region, an official said. The attack damaged the engine but caused no casualties, railway official Javed Ahmed told AFP. Quetta Express was coming from Lahore when it was attacked, he said. "We have suspended train services in the region for the time being," Ahmed said adding that an engine had been sent to bring the train, which is sheltering in a tunnel, to Quetta. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Pakistan to send back immigrants deported from Spain ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A planeload of illegal immigrants landed in Pakistan from Spain on Thursday, but officials found that most of the passengers were from occupied Kashmir and planned to send them back to Spain. Pakistan embassy in Spain issued "emergency passports" to the 42 illegal immigrants but informed immigration officials in Pakistan that it was unsure about their nationalities. "To the surprise of our staff, there was only one Pakistani among them," said Tariq Pervez, head of the Federal Investigation Agency, which deals with immigration. He said most of the passengers were from occupied Kashmir. "We are interrogating them and will send the non-Pakistanis back to Spain," Pervez said. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
50 killed, 130 injured in Iraq BAGHDAD, Oct 19 (Reuters) – About 50 persons were killed and over 130 injured in acts of violence in various parts of Iraq on Thursday, while bodies of five people were found with gunshot wounds in the town of Mahmudiya, 30 km south of Baghdad, police said. A suicide bomber blew up a fuel truck outside a police centre in Mosul, killing 11 people, and rebels fired mortar rounds at another station and clashed with police, killing nine more. A total of 26 persons were injured in the two incidents. A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed three policemen and two civilians and wounded 12 (nine civilians and three policemen) in Baghdad's southern Dora district, an Interior Ministry source said. In Baghdad, gunmen attacked a police station and killed four policemen and wounded 10 civilians, while a car bomb and a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed a civilian and wounded five others. Several mortar rounds landed in a residential district, killing two people and wounding three from the same family in the town of Mahmudiya, and several mortar rounds landed on a town near Mahmudiya, killing two people and wounding four others, police said. A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed at least eight and wounded more than 70 in Kirkuk, while stray incidents of killings and bomb blasts took toll of life in several other cities. (Posted @ 19:04 PST)
Fifteen people killed in Uzbekistan Airways plane crash TASHKENT, Oct 19 (AFP) - Thirteen soldiers and two crew members were killed when an Uzbekistan Airways plane crashed due to poor weather while trying to land near Tashkent on Thursday, the government said. "It lost control and carried out an emergency landing outside the grounds of the airport, it said adding that it was not immediately clear whether anyone on board the small Antonov-2 had survived. (Posted @ 22:46 PST)
British soldier killed in Afghanistan attack LONDON, Oct 19 (AFP) - A British soldier died in an attack in Lashkar Gah in the province of Helmand on Thursday, the defence ministry in London said Thursday. (Posted @ 20:42 PST)
Pakistan delays Briton's execution for two months: jail officials ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (AFP) Pakistan has delayed the hanging of a British national by two months from its scheduled date of November 1, jail officials said Thursday. Officials at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi told AFP they had received a letter from President Pervez Musharraf's office ordering a two-month stay of execution for Mirza Tahir Hussain. (First Posted @ 14:36 PST, Updated@ 14:50 PST)
India puts off hanging of Afzal Guru after mercy plea NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (Reuters) The hanging of Afzal Guru has been put off until a decision on a mercy petition filed by his wife, India's home (interior) ministry spokesman, Onkarmal Kedia, told Reuters Thursday. "Since his petition is pending before the president, the hanging will not take place tomorrow," Kedia said.(Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Gunmen kill 38 in south Sudan attacks-officials JUBA, Sudan, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Gunmen have killed 38 civilians including women and children in at least five attacks in southern Sudan, a regional government official said on Thursday. "A group of armed men yesterday killed 38 people, among whom were women and children, and destroyed several cars on roads between Juba and the eastern bank of the Nile," South Sudan's Interior Minister Paul Mayom Akec told reporters in Juba. (Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Rind for expediting registration process for Afghan refugees ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (PPI) Minister for States and Frontier region Sardar Yaar Muhammad Rind Thursday stressed the need for expediting the registration process for Afghan refugees to ensure their safe and early repatriation to their country. Addressing a news conference he said there were around 2.468 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and the government wanted to complete their repatriation in three years. Chairman Nadra Brigadier Saleem Ahmed Moeen said fifty-two sites have been made operational across the country for the registration purpose while another forty six will be made operational soon after the Eid. The registration process will continue till the year-end. The minister said those who fail to register will not be entitled to any financial aid and would be prosecuted for illegal stay. (Posted @ 19:58 PST)
PM directs Bait-ul-Maal to extend its reach to remotest areas RAWALPINDI, Oct 19 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday asked Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal to extend its reach to country's remotest areas to help the poor and announced doubling the amount allocated under the self-employment scheme to Rs 800 million to enable more people stand on their own feet. Addressing a gathering on the occasion of making Eid gifts among the marginalized sections of the society here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the Prime Minister also directed the extension of the scheme to cover all parts of the country. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
12 Chinese detainees released KARACHI, Oct 19 (APP): Sindh Advisor for Home Affairs Waseem Akhtar Thursday arranged release orders of 21 Chinese nationals held in Central Prison Karachi. Earlier, the Chinese Consul General at Karachi, Sun Chun Ye, had met the Advisor and informed him about their arrest at Karachi airport while proceeding to Europe on fake Korean passports and had sought their early release as court cases against them had already been disposed of. They were expected to fly back home by 11 p.m. flight Thursday. (Posted @ 18:56 PST)
Rs. 60 billion distributed among earthquake affectees: Altaf Saleem ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (APP): Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) Altaf M Saleem, Thursday said Rs. 60 billion have so far been distributed among the earthquake affectees in AJK and NWFP. Speaking in a PTV programme, he said the amount has been distributed among owners of damaged houses, dead and injured of the October 8 earthquake. He said 95 percent quake affectees have been provided GIC sheet shelters to protect them from snowy winter. Replying to a question he said that under livelihood programme selected affected families would be paid Rs 3,000 per month. (Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Afghan suicide raids kill several civilians LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Several Afghans were killed when a suicide bomber threw himself at a NATO patrol in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, on Thursday. British Defence Ministry in London said several of its soldiers were wounded in the attack, but none were killed. An Afghan army officer had earlier said two NATO soldiers were killed while NATO in Kabul said the patrol comprised only Britons. "The bomber was on foot and hurled himself at the convoy of NATO," the Afghan officer, Shamsuddin, said. In a similar attack a few hours later, a police officer was killed and four others injured outside the southeastern town of Khost, officials said. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Boat collision kills at least 50 south Sudan soldiers KHARTOUM, Oct 19 (Reuters) - At least 50 soldiers from the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army were drowned on Wednesday night after two steamboats collided on the Nile, state media and officials said Thursday. A southern Sudan official said the toll was as high as 75. (Posted @ 17:54 PST)
Iran will not back down on nuclear plans: Ahmadinejad TEHRAN, Oct 19 (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday reaffirmed in a live broadcast on state television that the country will not back down even "an inch" from its nuclear programme, including enrichment of uranium. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Eleven US soldiers accused of murder in Iraq to stand trial CHICAGO, Oct 19 (AFP) - Eleven US soldiers will be court-martialed on charges of murdering Iraqis, including four accused of killing a raped girl and her family, the military said. Four other soldiers are charged with murdering three Iraqi prisoners they had seized in a raid and threatening to kill a fellow soldier if he reported what happened. Three more are to stand trial for allegedly dragging an Iraqi civilian from his home and shooting him in cold blood, a military court ruled. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
OPEC agrees 1 mln bpd output cut: Venezuela DOHA, Oct 19 (AFP) - Members of OPEC have agreed on an oil output cut of one million barrels a day but have yet to decide whether it will be based on official quotas or actual production, Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said Thursday. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
China envoy holds talks with Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang BEIJING, Oct 19 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy delivered an important message Thursday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il as part of a "significant" mission to Pyongyang, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters. "This is a very significant visit against the backdrop of major changes in the situation on the Korean peninsula," Liu said. The meeting was the first confirmed face-to-face contact between a Chinese official and the North Korean leader since the nuclear test, and was thought to be the first time Kim had met any foreigner since then. Two vice foreign ministers -- Wu Dawei, who is also China's top negotiator to the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, and Dai Bingguo -- are part of the delegation, Liu said. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Rice, Ban warn of grave consequences of second nuke test SEOUL, Oct 19 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her South Korean counterpart Ban Ki-Moon on Thursday warned of "more grave consequences" for North Korea if it stages a second nuclear test. At the start of their meeting, Rice assured her South Korean counterpart of Washington's defence commitment to Seoul. ``I did want to come out and to really reaffirm our strong defence commitment here in South Korea, our strong friendship and I know that we will be able to cooperate strongly to help return peace and security to the region and the Korean Peninsula,'' Rice told Ban Ki-moon. (First Posted @ 14:00 PST, Updated@ 14:50 PST)
China warns against expanding North Korea sanctions BEIJING, Oct 19 (Reuters) China warned on Thursday against "willfully" expanding U.N. sanctions put in place against North Korea after it said it had tested a nuclear device. "We believe resolution 1718 is a balanced one. All sides need to consider how to implement resolution 1718 in a balanced way and not to devise ways to willfully expand the sanctions," a Foreign Ministry spokesman told a regular news conference. "Sanctions are a signal, not the goal," he said.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Wild elephants kill five people in Bangladesh CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, Oct 19 (AP) A herd of wild elephants rampaged through a village in southeastern Bangladesh early Thursday, killing five people from the same family, police said.(Posted @ 13:35 PST)
40 feared drowned as bus plunges into lake in India BHOPAL, India, Oct 19 (AFP) At least 40 people were feared drowned Thursday when their bus plunged into a lake in the east of Madhya Pradesh state capital Bhopal, police said.(Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Bush warns North Korea against selling nuclear arms WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) U.S. President George W.Bush warned North Korea on Wednesday of a "grave consequence" if it tried to sell nuclear arms. "If we get intelligence that they're about to transfer a nuclear weapon, we would stop the transfer, and we would deal with the ships or the airplane that was dealing with taking the material to somebody," Bush told ABC News in an interview. He also agreed with a New York Times columnist's comparison of the strife in Iraq with the Vietnam war. "He could be right," Bush said, adding "there's certainly a stepped-up level of violence." (First Posted @ 09:10 PST Updated @ 12:45 PST)
Saddam trial resumes BAGHDAD, Oct 19 (AFP) The trial of Saddam Hussein and six others on charges of genocide against the Kurds resumed on Thursday.(Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Explosions rock Serbian army depot BELGRADE, Serbia, Oct 19 (AP) Explosions rocked a Serbian army ammunition depot near Paracin, about 150 kilometers south of Belgrade early Thursday, injuring at least 10 people, police said. (First Posted @ 11:55 PST, Updated@ 12:10 PST)
Two killed, three injured in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Oct 19 (AFP) Suspected insurgents killed two men and injured three soldiers in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province, police said Thursday.(Posted @ 11:55 PST)
One Indian soldier, four militants killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 19 (AP) An Indian soldier and four suspected militants were killed in the Machil sector late Wednesday, the Indian army said Thursday. (First Posted @ 10:40 PST, Updated @ 11:15 PST)
Two US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Oct 19 (AFP) Two US soldiers were killed in fighting in Iraq, one in the Ramadi city and one in Baghdad, the US military reported on Thursday.(Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Adulterated medicine kills 26 in Panama PANAMA CITY, Oct 18 (Reuters) A government-made cough syrup adulterated with diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent commonly used for brake fluids or as an engine coolant, killed 26 people, health officials said on Wednesday.(Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Rice, Abe agree on defense cooperation TOKYO, Oct 19 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Thursday to step up cooperation on defense in response to the threat from North Korea, an official said. Abe and Rice "talked about the importance of cooperative defense measures such as intelligence-sharing and missile defense," a US State Department spokesman told reporters.He said Rice and Abe also talked about the nuclear ambitions of Iran. Rice later headed to South Korea, the second stop on a tour that will also take her to China and Russia.(Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 165.42 points: KARACHI, Oct 19: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 11565.25 , up 165.42 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:00 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 19: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.6 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:00 PST)
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