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| November 07, 2006 | Tuesday | Shawwal 14, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Terrorism to be crushed at all costs: Musharraf RAWALPINDI, Nov 7 (APP): Terrorism is a threat to national security that will be combated and crushed at all costs, President General Pervez Musharraf said Tuesday at a day long 99th Corps Commanders' Conference here at the General Headquarters. President Musharraf dwelt at length on the international and regional environment and its relevance to the security of Pakistan. On the role of security forces in combating militancy and terrorism, Musharraf said that given the complexity of the issue, various parties were trying to exploit the situation for petty vested interests and to create misperceptions amongst the general public. "We shall never close the option of dialogue and political settlement and it shall continue despite these actions, but we will undertake action wherever we find such militant activity," he said. He stressed on the need to control extremism, sustain economic and democratic reforms and address all issues critical to the country's growth and security. (Posted @ 22:30 PST)
Rockets fired as governor visits Pakistan tribal area WANA, Pakistan, Nov 7 (AFP) Two rockets landed 300 meters from the site where the North West Frontier Province(NWFP) governor, retired army general Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, was addressing a gathering of local tribesmen at a para-military camp in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan region, Pakistani security officials said. "The rockets caused no casualties and the governor completed his speech," a security official said. This was Aurakzai's first visit to Wana since he took over as governor earlier this year. Journalists said the governor was scheduled to formally inaugurate a new building of local press club near the main bazaar in Wana but he curtailed his engagements and returned to the provincial capital, Peshawar. A few hours after the governor left, three more rockets landed near the security camp. One of them hit a wall and injured a soldier on duty, the official said. Security forces responded by firing mortar shells at hills from where the rockets were fired, the official added. (First Posted @ 18:32 PST Updated @ 22:44 PST)
China's Hu set for maiden trip to India, Pakistan BEIJING, Nov 7 (Reuters) Chinese President Hu Jintao will make his maiden trip as national leader to India and Pakistan later this month, China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Hu will visit India from Nov. 20-23 and Pakistan 23-26, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference. (First Posted @ 13:10 PST Updated @ 15:40 PST)
Thousands protest in Chaman CHAMAN, Pakistan, Nov 7 (Reuters) Several thousand people rallied in the Pakistani town of Chaman near the Afghan border on Tuesday, accusing Pakistan of meddling in Afghanistan's affairs. "We demand the government of Pakistan stops playing its game in Afghanistan," Hamid Khan Achakzai, a leader of a Pakistani nationalist party and a former member of parliament, told the rally. "This duplicitous policy poses serious danger to the entire world," Achakzai said. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Kuwait's parliament demands severing ties with Denmark KUWAIT CITY, Nov 7 (AP) Kuwait's parliament voted Tuesday to severe diplomatic ties with Denmark over publication of blasphemous cartoons and to spend about US$50 (euro39.20) million to defend Islam’s image in the West. Both votes were nonbinding, meaning the Cabinet does not have to abide by them. Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammed Al Sabah said any cutting of relations should be part of a group step by other Muslim nations. Sheik Mohammed said Kuwait froze plans to appoint an ambassador to Denmark earlier this year to protest the cartoons published by the newspaper Jyllands-Posten. (Posted @ 22:56 PST)
Israel pulls out of Gaza town, eight Palestinians killed BEIT HANUN, Gaza Strip, Nov 7 (AFP) Israeli troops left Beit Hanun on Tuesday as eight people were killed elsewhere in Gaza, raising to more than 60 the Palestinian death toll in the territory in a week. Roads were left gouged out. Homes, two mosques and a school were destroyed. The historic old town was pockmarked with bullet holes and shell craters, electricity pylons ripped from the ground and sewage spewing in the streets. Residents picking their way through the wreckage mourned their dead, an AFP reporter said. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST Updated @ 22:46 PST)
Government concentrating on education: Musharraf RAWALPINDI, Nov 7 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf said Tuesday that the government was concentrating on education and human resource development in the country. In his address to the Army Public Schools and Colleges System (APSACS) here at the General Headquarters Auditorium, he informed that the allocation of funds for education had been increased from 2.7% to 4 % of the GDP. He said that as many as nine engineering universities were being set up in collaboration with developed countries, out of which, two would start functioning in 2007, while the rest by the year 2008. (Posted @ 22:32 PST)
IEA warns current energy system 'doomed to failure' PARIS, Nov 7 (AFP) The world is facing a crisis-ridden future reliant on dirty and expensive energy, putting an onus on new technology and nuclear power to save the planet from environmental disaster, the International Energy Agency warned on Tuesday. In a stark report assessing global energy needs to 2030, the IEA highlighted the seemingly irreconcilable forces of rising demand and growing carbon dioxide emissions at a time when urgent action was needed to tackle global warming. "The key word is urgency," IEA director Claude Mandil told a press conference in London. "Urgency for immediate policies and measures to promote energy efficiency and facilitate technology development,” he said. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
Moderate quake jolts Balochistan PESHAWAR, Nov 7 (APP): An earthquake of moderate intensity measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted the coastal area of Balochistan here Tuesday. According to the local Met office, the earthquake originated at 5:32 pm (PST) and its epicenter was 1050 kilometers south-west of Peshawar. (Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Pakistan, Hungary agree to further boost relations ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (APP): Pakistan and Hungary on Tuesday agreed to boost cooperation in various fields, including trade and commerce, and also held discussions on various issues including the use of civil nuclear technology. Talking to newsmen here, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri and Hungarian Foreign Minister, Dr. Kinga Goncz, said they discussed the need for enhanced market access for Pakistan to European Union and operationalization of the Third Generation Agreement (TGA). Both foreign ministers agreed to continue talks on civil nuclear technology cooperation in Vienna in their next meeting. Kasuri added that "we also discussed international issues of mutual interest including Pakistan-India relations and the composite dialogue, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Middle East and UN Reforms." (Posted @ 18:54 PST)
British and American hostages freed in Nigeria PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Nov 7 (Reuters) Two oil workers, one Briton and one American, taken hostage in Nigeria were released on Tuesday after five days in captivity, a state government spokesman said. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Saddam urges Iraqis to seek reconciliation BAGHDAD, Nov 7 (Reuters) Toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, back in court two days after being sentenced to hang for crimes against humanity in a separate trial, urged Iraqis on Tuesday to seek reconciliation. "I call on all Iraqis, Arabs and Kurds, to forgive, reconcile and shake hands," Saddam told the court trying him for genocide against ethnic Kurds. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST Updated @ 18:48 PST)
Briton jailed for 40 years over U.S. and UK plots LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) A man who plotted to blow up the New York Stock Exchange and carry out attacks in Britain with gas-filled limousines and a "dirty bomb" was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in jail on Tuesday. British Muslim Dhiren Barot, 34, was sentenced by a London court after pleading guilty last month to conspiracy to murder. (Posted @ 18:46 PST)
Cricket-West Indies' Gayle moves to top of ODI rankings MUMBAI, India, Nov 7 (Reuters) West Indies' Chris Gayle took over as the top all-rounder and moved up to the second position in batting in the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day players' rankings following his stunning performances in the Champions Trophy. The 27-year-old left-handed opener was the tournament's leading run-getter with 474 runs at an average of 79 with three centuries. Australia's Michael Hussey, who won the ICC ODI player-of-the-year award last week, retains his number one position in batting in the rankings released on Tuesday. England's Kevin Pietersen is third in the batting list. Gayle took over as top one-day all-rounder from South Africa's Shaun Pollock, who is still ranked the top bowler. (Posted @ 18:44 PST)
Bangladesh election chief gets vote of confidence DHAKA, Nov 7 (Reuters) Bangladesh's election chief was given a vote of confidence on Tuesday from former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Khaleda called on election chief M.A. Aziz to ignore criticism from her opponents, mainly the Awami League. "There is no need for them (the election commission) to heed to those grumbling for restructuring," she told a huge rally organised by the Bangladesk Nationalist Party (BNP). "They are conspiring to obstruct the work of the commission and hinder the election process," said Khaleda whose five-year mandate as prime minister ended on October 27. She also urged President Iajuddin Ahmed, who heads the caretaker administration, not to be "influenced or misled" by those who were afraid of contesting the polls. (Posted @ 18:42 PST)
Traders' protest shuts Delhi markets, schools NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (Reuters) Police in New Delhi fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse traders who stoned buses and damaged public property on Tuesday during protests against a drive to close illegal shops, police and witnesses said. The protesters also marched through the city shouting slogans against the government and setting trash cans on fire. Authorities ordered Delhi's schools shut on Tuesday and Wednesday as a precautionary measure. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
British soldier killed in attack on Basra base LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) A British soldier was killed Monday during an attack on an army base in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, the Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. (Posted @ 18:38 PST)
Afghanistan rejects Pakistani proposal to fence border KABUL, Nov 7 (AFP) Afghanistan said Tuesday it would "never accept" the fencing of its border, called the Durand Line, with Pakistan. "Terrorism or terror activities cannot be rooted out by fencing the Durand Line," a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai told reporters. "The best way for eradication of terrorism must be targeting the roots and main sources of terrorism…We are against the creation of any dividing line or fencing of the Durand Line and will never accept it," the spokesman added. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
India fires free trade salvo ahead of peace talks with Pakistan NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (AFP) India's foreign minister Tuesday accused Pakistan of placing hurdles in the way of a fledgling South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee warned that a regional free trade agreement reached in January 2004 and implemented earlier this year could collapse if Islamabad failed to fully implement key tariff cuts. "The tariff reduction negotiations have been completed and operationalised from January 1," he told a forum, adding he hoped to convince Pakistan to remove hurdles during two days of talks between foreign secretaries. "Our trade with Pakistan is on the basis of a positive list but Islamabad says that it is not free trade and recently expanded the basket by adding 78 items," Mukherjee said. "But I am not interested in the number of items. I am interested in seeing that the obstructions, which are there, are removed and there should be free flow of trade," Mukherjee added. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
PM Aziz calls for improved governance and reforms within Islamic countries ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (Online): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday emphasized the need for improved governance and reforms within individual Islamic countries. Talking to Mr. Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman, World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) who called on him at the PM's House Tuesday morning, Aziz said all Islamic countries need to adopt a common strategy to tackle their common challenges. "Economic cooperation based on commonality of interest complementing each other will lead to economic revival of the Muslim World," he said. (Posted @ 17:32 PST)
First polls open in US elections WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (AFP) The first polls opened Tuesday in US elections widely seen as a referendum on the Iraq war, with Democrats hoping to wrest back control of Congress from President George W. Bush's Republicans. Polling booths opened at 6:00 am (11OO GMT) in eastern states including New York, Connecticut and New Jersey and in Virginia. The last votes will be cast in far-western Alaska where polls close at 8:00 pm (0500 GMT) on Wednesday. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
UK advises India on counter-terrorism measures MUMBAI, Nov 7 (Reuters) Britain will teach India how to track people behaving suspiciously on public transport systems and lend technological help to prevent attacks, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said on Tuesday. The cooperation is part of a counter-terrorism pact between the two countries who will also share security information about protecting the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the 2012 Olympics in London, she said. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
ICC ends stand-off with rebel India NEW DELHI, India, Nov 7 (APP/AFP) The International Cricket Council has paved the way for securing a billion-dollar marketing deal after ending a long dispute with its commercial powerhouse India, officials said on Tuesday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not only agreed to sign up with the ICC for major events for the next eight years but also withdrew a move to bid for the sport's global TV and marketing rights. "We will sign the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) now because the ICC has addressed our concerns," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said Tuesday. The ICC confirmed that differences with India had been resolved. (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
India announces counter-insurgency offensive in Assam GUWAHATI, India, Nov 7 (AFP) India on Tuesday announced a major counter-insurgency offensive in its restive northeastern state of Assam. Federal home secretary V.K. Duggal said the fresh offensive against separatist rebels would ensure "no civilian lives are lost…You will see the visible changes yourself. Just wait and watch the results". (Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Blair says North Korea will only respond to 'firmness' TOKYO, Nov 7 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Tuesday for a united international message to North Korea, saying it would only respond to "firmness". Blair also applauded China's role in persuading North Korea to agree on October 31 to return to six-nation talks on ending its nuclear program. "The six-party talks will succeed if the main countries engaged in them stick ogether and give a strong and firm message," Blair told a conference in Tokyo via satellite. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Afghan violence leaves five dead, including NATO soldier KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov 7 (AFP) Five people were killed in Afghanistan violence, police and the NATO-led military force said Tuesday. The soldier with NATO's International Security Assistance Force was killed Monday when a bomb struck a military vehicle traveling through the southern province of Kandahar, the force said. An Afghan army soldier was killed the same day when another IED struck a military patrol in the Gereshk area of neighbouring Helmand province, an ISAF spokesman said. In the eastern province of Khost meanwhile, insurgents attacked a highway police post just after midnight Monday, sparking off a gun battle that killed two Taliban and a policeman. (First Posted @ 12:30 PST Updated @ 16:56 PST)
Five civilians hurt as Sri Lanka troops, rebels clash COLOMBO, Nov 7 (AFP) Five civilians were wounded after Tamil rebels and troops in eastern Sri Lanka traded mortar fire Tuesday, the defence ministry claimed and police found three bullet-riddled bodies in the region. (Posted @ 16:54 PST)
Cricket-Absence of Pakistan pace pair will boost West Indies: Lara LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 7 (AFP) The absence of Pakistani bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will boost the chances of West Indies in their series against Pakistan, captain Brian Lara said Tuesday. "I think there is no reason to hide the fact it (the absence of Akhtar and Asif) would definitely give us the advantage," Lara told a news conference. Lara, however, said his team would try to play good cricket to win. "I am not worried about the advantage because what happened to Akhtar and Asif is a sorry situation. I came to know Akhtar in the world series last year and although I don't know Asif much but he has shown potential. It is an unfortunate situation. No team would like to lose their key players but we will have to play good cricket and know we need to improve at Test level," he said. "Pakistan has other good bowlers like leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who has been successful against us in recent times so we will have to be at our best to beat them," said Lara. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
UN calls for immediate freeze on use of cluster bombs GENEVA, Nov 7 (AFP) United Nations humanitarian chief Jan Egeland called Tuesday for an immediate global freeze on cluster bombs following their intensive use during the recent conflict in Lebanon. The United Nations said in a statement that hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon were at risk due to unexploded cluster munitions. "As a matter of urgency, I call on all states to implement an immediate freeze on the use of cluster munitions," Egeland, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, said in a statement. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Two policemen, two militants killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Nov 7 (AFP) Two policemen were killed late Monday and two suspected militants early Tuesday in occupied Kashmir, a police spokesman said Tuesday. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
US, South Korea will not recognise North Korea as a nuclear state SEOUL, Nov 7 (AFP) Senior US and South Korean officials Tuesday welcomed North Korea's decision to return to disarmament talks, but said they would not recognise it as a nuclear-armed state despite its atomic test. In a joint statement, the two sides “reaffirmed the position that North Korea will not be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state." Undersecretaries of State Nicholas Burns and Robert Joseph arrived in Seoul late Monday from Japan and will travel on to China. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Ten more bodies found in Baghdad Nov 7 (Reuters) A total of 10 bodies were found with gunshot wounds during the last 24 hours in different districts of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. Meanwhile, gunmen attacked a Civil Defence Centre and kidnapped four employees, two of whom were later released, in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, the ministry said. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Two killed in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Nov 7 (AFP) Two men were shot dead Tuesday and a school set on fire in southern Thailand, police said. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
Pakistan asks India to tackle Kashmir dispute head-on WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (AFP) The Pakistan-India peace dialogue will end up as a "futile exercise" if New Delhi refuses to tackle the thorny Kashmir dispute, Pakistan's minister for Kashmir affairs Tahir Iqbal told AFP in an interview on Monday. "I think the CBMs (confidence building measures) only will not solve the Kashmir problem. It is the Kashmir problem itself which has to be talked about, has to be discussed and finally find a solution to," he said. While Pakistan has been eager to use the peace dialogue for a quick deal on Kashmir, India sees the process as a means to ending "cross-border" militancy and terrorism, he felt. Iqbal said Pakistan will push for efforts to demilitarize Kashmir and allow for self-governance during secretary-level talks in New Delhi on November 12-15. He emphasized that "the most important" factor in resolving the Kashmir dispute was involvement of the Kashmiris. He also said Pakistan's proposal for troop cuts in Kashmir was essential to set the stage for a permanent resolution to the issue. The demilitarization could take place along the Line of Control or in major towns of the region, he said. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Palestinian leaders hold talks on new government GAZA, Nov 7 (Reuters) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh held talks in Gaza city on Monday for about two hours and broke off for the night to meet again on Tuesday. An Abbas aide who refused to be named said that during the talks the president had rejected Haniyeh's proposed candidate to succeed him as prime minister. The talks are crucial to the formation of a unity government. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Hundreds of US soldiers call for Iraq withdrawal in petition WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (AFP) Hundreds of US soldiers have signed a petition calling for a troop withdrawal from Iraq and the document is to be formally presented to Congress in January, organizers said Monday. "As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for US troops to come home," the petition says. The campaign's website, www.appealforredress.org, says the petition is sponsored by active duty service members based in the Norfolk, Virginia area and by a sponsoring committee of veterans and military family members. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Rice rejects European criticism of Saddam death sentence WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected on Monday criticism from European and other allies over the death sentence handed down by an Iraqi court against former dictator Saddam Hussein. "This is not something for Americans or, frankly, Europeans to comment on. I think this is something for Iraqis to decide," Rice said in a television interview. Rice said Europe's stance against capital punishment was "long-standing" and irrelevant to Saddam's case. "This is an Iraqi process, not an American process or an international process," she said on Fox News television. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 4.72 points: KARACHI, Nov 7: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11017.12, up 4.72 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 7: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.73 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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