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| November 01, 2006 | Wednesday | Shawwal 8, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan bans dope-tainted Akhtar, Asif LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AFP) - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years and fellow pace bowler Mohammad Asif for one year after they tested positive for a banned steroid, an official said Wednesday. A three-member doping tribunal appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) handed down the verdicts on the pair after hours of deliberations in Lahore. Akhtar and Asif were sent home from the Champions Trophy in India on October 16 after the PCB said the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone had appeared in their samples.(Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Pakistan tribesmen ransack buildings in Bajaur air raid protest KHAR, Pakistan, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) - Pakistani tribesmen went on the rampage Wednesday in protest at a deadly military airstrike, wrecking several buildings including a private school and an electricity substation, local officials said. The mob heading for a rally in Momandgarh town near the Afghan border also smashed up an uncompleted building for security officials and torched two makeshift tents set up by the tribal police in the area, an official said. Police in the town, which is in the rugged Mohmand tribal district, did not intervene and no casualties were reported, the security official said on condition of anonymity. Some 4,000 people later held a meeting in which speakers condemned the air raid on a madrassa in neighbouring Bajaur tribal agency that killed 80 people on Monday. Around 10,000 other armed tribesmen attended other rallies throughout the troubled Pashtun tribal belt that runs along the porous frontier with Afghanistan, witnesses said.(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
British royals visit Pakistani quake survivors PATTIKA, Azad Kashmir, Nov 1 (Reuters) Britain's Prince Charles visited a village in Azad Kashmir on Wednesday where more than 1,600 people died in the Oct 8 earthquake. Accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, the prince visited a health clinic run by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pattika, a village in the Neelam valley a few miles east of Muzaffarabad. "You've got a nice son," Camilla told Nageena Bibi, as the village woman cradled her eight-month-old boy. "I told her that everything was destroyed and God has saved us," Bibi said. Charles, who is president of Britain's Red Cross, squatted to chat with a group of villagers being taught how to better look after their livestock. The royal couple showed plenty of interest in horses being cared for at a veterinary hospital set up by a British animal welfare organisation, the Brooke Hospital for Animals. While they were there, it was announced that Camilla had accepted the presidency of the Brooke, which specialises in caring for horses and donkeys in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and India.(Posted @ 19:00 PST)
US sees signs of plan to topple Lebanon govt WASHINGTON, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) - The White House on Wednesday sounded the alarm over what it called "mounting evidence" that Iran, Syria, and the Hezbollah militia were "preparing plans to topple" the government of Lebanon.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
Seven killed, 15 injured in Chagai road mishap QUETTA, Pakistan, Nov 1 (APP): Seven persons including two women were killed while another 15 injured in a head-on collision between two pickups in Chagai on Wednesday near Pak-Afghan border, Dalbandin Police said. A pickup carrying a body was proceeding towards Afghanistan from Chagai when it was hit by another pickup coming from opposite direction. As a result seven persons were killed and 15 injured. All the deceased and injured were Afghan nationals.(Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Seven Palestinians killed in Gaza BEIT HANUN, Gaza Strip, Nov 1 (Agencies) Israel killed seven Palestinians and wounded 33 people in a series of air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said. Hamas said its gunmen killed an Israeli soldier and wounded others in an attack on Israeli vehicles. (First Posted @ 09:50 PST Updated @ Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Blair admits new probe could be held on Iraq war LONDON, Nov 1 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday that another inquiry could be held into his government's handling of the Iraq war, but insisted now is not the time for such a probe. Seeking to clarify confusion after surviving a parliamentary vote on the divisive issue Tuesday, Blair said an inquiry now would send the wrong signals to both the fledgling Iraqi government and insurgents. "We certainly do not rule out such an inquiry and we said in our own motion that lessons must of course be learnt and it's important always to do that," Blair said during his weekly question and answer session in parliament. "But this is not the time for such decisions."(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Baghdad reels from bombings BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (AFP) Baghdad was battered by a string of deadly mortar and bomb attacks on Wednesday that killed at least 13 people. Two court officials were killed when their jeep exploded as it crossed a bridge leading over the Tigris from a city centre district housing the defence and interior ministries and the main gate into the fortified Green Zone. Elsewhere in Baghdad, a car bomb and a mortar attack killed two police officers and six civilians, while relatives mourned the deaths of 25 wedding guests, including 19 children in a bomb attack the night before. Two army officers, brothers, were shot dead in their car in north Baghdad and a policeman was killed in a clash with insurgents in the south of the city. Downriver of the capital in Suweira, the bodies of 10 murder victims were washed up, mortuary official said. In Mosul, six people were shot dead in separate incidents, police said. The number of US servicemen and women killed in Iraq in October hit 104 with the announcement of the death of a soldier due to injuries sustained while operating in Al-Anbar province. (First Posted @ 14:20 PST, Updated@(Posted @ 19:35 PST)
Mandela receives top Amnesty International award JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1 (Reuters) Anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela received Amnesty International's 2006 "Ambassador of Conscience" award on Wednesday for being a moral beacon in a world plagued by human rights abuses. The award was presented by South Africa's Nobel Prize winning author Nadine Gordimer in Johannesburg at the foundation Mandela founded to raise awareness for humanitarian causes.(Posted @ 19:10 PST)
NATO troops hurt in Afghan suicide attack, three militants killed KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov 1 (AFP) Two NATO soldiers were wounded in a suicide car bomb attack in Kandahar city Wednesday while US and Afghan forces killed three militants in a clash in Khost province. (First Posted @ 16:55 PST, Updated@ 19:05 PST)
Russia hails China's 'special role' in North Korea diplomacy MOSCOW, Nov 1 (AFP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday hailed the "special role" played by China to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme. "We welcome the agreement reached on the resumption of six-party talks and we note the special role played by our Chinese colleagues," Lavrov said after meeting his Serbian counterpart Vuk Draskovic in Moscow. "The date of the resumption of the negotiations is under discussion. We hope it is not too far away," Lavrov said.(Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Abbas, Hamas PM condemn Israeli 'massacre' in Gaza RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 1 (AFP) Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and prime minister Ismail Haniya on Wednesday both condemned as a "massacre" a new Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, in which six Palestinians were killed. (First Posted@15:35 PST, Updated@ 18:05 PST)
Altaf Hussain calls upon party men to help combat street crime, overcome dengue fever problem Karachi, Nov 1 (PPI) MQM chief Altaf Hussain directed his party workers, parliamentarians, sector incharges etc to help the administration combat street crime, and also assist them in combating the dengue fever menace. In his telephonic address to the workers in Azizabad late Tuesday night he expressed concern at the rising wave of telephone and car snatching and warned criminals to leave Karachi and Pakistan forthwith or face the wrath of the people. He asked party parliamentarians, town and union council nazimeen to form teams of sector and unit incharges and their ranks and file to help police and the rangers nab the criminals.(Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Peace process in North Waziristan and Bajour Agencies would continue Peshawar, Nov 01 (PPI) NWFP Governor Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai Wednesday said the peace process in North Waziristan and Bajour tribal agencies would continue. Talking to newsmen in Peshawar, he said military operation in Bajour will have no impact on North Waziristan peace accord. Earlier, addressing a seminar, the Governor said a Rs120 billion development package has been prepared for FATA, for implementation over a period of nine years.(Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Bureau Chief PPI News Agency murdered Islamabad, Nov 01 (PPI) Muhammad Ismail Khan, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Press International PPI News Agency, Islamabad, was murdered in Islamabad on Tuesday night. Police found the body on Wednesday in bushes, about a kilometre from PPI News Agency office in Islamabad. Post mortem conducted at hospital revealed he was hit by a hard, blunt object.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Pakistan to face Malaysia in Asian Games hockey opener KARACHI, Nov 1 (APP) Pakistan will take on Malaysia in the opening match of XV Asian Games Hockey Tournament on December 4, according to draws released by Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Wednesday. Pakistan is drawn in pool "A" with Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Japan while Bangladesh, China, India, holder Korea and Oman are placed in pool "B". Top two teams after the round robin league will qualify for the semifinals to be played on December 12 while final will be held on December 14.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
India's Bangalore city renamed Bengalooru BANGALORE, India, Nov 1 (Reuters) India's technology hub of Bangalore changed its name to its vernacular original Bengalooru on Wednesday. However, the change is expected to take about a month to come into effect legally as it needs federal government approval, a senior state official said.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
ICC takes a swipe at under-performing India NEW DELHI, India, Nov 1 (AFP) India's long-running dispute with the International Cricket Council (ICC) flared up Wednesday after the world governing body poked fun at the losing Indian team. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed told reporters the big money that Indian cricket managed to generate due to its vast television audiences did not reflect the true state of the sport in the country. Speed also took a swipe at the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI), saying he judged sporting organisations by on-field performances and infrastructure, not on how much money they had in the bank. "I judge them on how well the team performs, how they look after stake-holders in terms of facilities on the ground etc, and how well they use resources like population to produce great cricketers," said Speed.(Posted @ 17:10 PST)
NATO chief calls for bigger EU, UN role in Afghanistan BERLIN, Nov 1 (AFP) NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged the UN and the European Union to beef up their role in Afghanistan, calling the mission there "the most important operation" for the Atlantic alliance. In an interview published Wednesday in the German daily Tagesspiegel, De Hoop Scheffer said NATO could help lay the groundwork for Afghanistan's long-term stability but the country needed more than military support. "As NATO secretary general, I ensure that Afghanistan has a prominent place on NATO's radar screen…but I believe that Afghanistan must be equally present on the radar screen of the European Union, the United Nations, the G8 and other international organizations," he said, adding that the neglect of Afghanistan would be a fatal mistake. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Two police killed, six prisoners escape in Pakistan jailbreak QUETTA, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AFP) Gunmen disguised as visitors smuggled weapons into a jail in southwestern Pakistan Wednesday and opened fire at policemen, killing two and allowing six prisoners to escape, officials said. The jailbreak happened in the town of Turbat, some 600 kilometres southwest of Quetta, police said. "The attackers in the garb of visitors managed to take weapons inside the prison then fired at police guards and six prisoners managed to escape during the shoot-out," local police official Mohammad Afzal told AFP. "Two policemen were killed and four others were wounded in the firing," he added. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
16 dead after two buses collide in Bangladesh DHAKA, Nov 1 (AFP) At least 16 people were killed and 50 injured Wednesday after two packed buses collided in northeastern Bangladesh, police said. (First Posted @ 12:10 PST Updated @ 14:10 PST)
Floods kill 20 people in Turkey DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Nov 1 (AFP) Twenty people including four children were killed in floods in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast overnight, raising the death toll to 25, officials said Wednesday. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Pakistani troops cordon off Bajaur tribal region KHAR, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AFP) Hundreds of Pakistani troops Wednesday threw a tight cordon around Bajaur tribal region, witnesses said. "They are not allowing anyone to leave or enter Bajaur, it is completely sealed off," a resident said. Markets and schools in Khar, the main town in Bajaur, also remained closed for a third day. Pakistani authorities said the area was sealed for "security reasons", without elaborating. Part of the neighbouring Mohmand tribal agency was also cordoned off. US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch Wednesday urged the Pakistan government to give journalists and activists access to the shut-off area to establish the facts behind the raid. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
US, Afghan troops kill three militants KABUL, Nov 1 (AFP) US and Afghan troops killed three militants during a clash Wednesday in Khost province, the US-led coalition said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Japan's PM says wants to rewrite war-renouncing constitution clause TOKYO, Nov 1(AFP) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wants to rewrite the country's post-World War II pacifist constitution, including the clause that forever renounces war, in an interview published Wednesday. "I believe this article needs to be revised from the viewpoint of defending Japan," Abe told the London-based Financial Times, adding that "Japanese people should themselves write a constitution that befits the 21st century". (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Hezbollah says in talks on Israel prisoner swap BEIRUT, Oct 31 (Reuters) Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said late Tuesday that indirect negotiations between his group and Israel over a prisoner exchange had begun through a U.N.-appointed mediator. "The delegate appointed by the U.N. secretary-general is conducting this mission and is meeting a Hezbollah delegation and also on the other side Israelis concerned with this file," Nasrallah told Hezbollah's television station in an interview. "The negotiations are ongoing and we have reached the stage of exchanging ideas or more accurately exchanging conditions," the Hezbollah leader said. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
North Korea says it will return to nuclear talks SEOUL, Nov 1 (Reuters) North Korea said on Wednesday it would hold direct talks with the United States. "The DPRK (North Korea) decided to return to the six-party talks on the premise that the issue of lifting financial sanctions will be discussed and settled between the DPRK and the U.S. within the framework of the six-party talks," a statement, carried on the official KCNA news agency, quoted a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman as saying. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 316.57 points: KARACHI, Nov 1: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11011.14, down 316.57 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 1: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.62 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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