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| November 20, 2006 | Monday | Shawwal 27, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
President Musharraf says 2007 polls mother of all elections Karachi, Nov 20 PPI: President General Pervez Musharraf described 2007 general elections in the country as ``mother of all elections'' and asked people they must vote. ``We have to defeat extremist parties and elements who are against progress and step forward movement of Pakistan,'' he said while addressing school function. President Musharraf said ``in order to deal with extremist parties and elements there is need to defeat them in next general elections. People must vote as it carries significance. Please do vote.'' (Posted @ 23:00 PST)
Iraq Shiite ministers escape assassination bids BAGHDAD, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) - Two Iraqi Shiite ministers escaped assassination bids on Monday as insurgents targeted the country's beleaguered government, still battling to curb the raging bloodshed. The attacks came as Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem held talks with top officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, on the second day of a landmark visit. Deputy health minister, Hakim al-Zamili, said he escaped an assassination bid in which gunmen killed two bodyguards. Minister without portfolio Mohammed Abbas al-Oraibi was the second to survive an assassination attempt. He was returning to Baghdad from the southern city of Amara when his convoy was struck by a roadside bomb on the outskirts of the capital, one of his aides told AFP. Fellow deputy health minister Ammar al-Assafar was kidnapped Sunday by gunmen dressed in security uniforms from his home in the Baghdad’s Sunni district of Adhamiyah. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Pakistan says visit by China's Hu to boost ties, investment ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Pakistan (November 23-26) will boost relations between the two allies and pave the way for more Chinese investment, foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly press briefing Monday. Hu will hold talks with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and a number of agreements in the private and public sectors are expected to be signed during the visit, she said but did not confirm Chinese state press reports that Hu will likely finalize a free trade agreement with Pakistan. The Chinese president will also meet Pakistani students, industrial and commercial figures, and visit the historical city of Lahore. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
At least 60 corpses found in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) - Police on Monday found at least 60 corpses of men tortured and killed execution-style in and around Baghdad, a security source said. He said the corpses were found in various parts of the capital and its outskirts. Fourteen corpses had been recovered earlier Monday from a place called Tuwairegh and were found lying next to each other. The 14 corpses were believed to be of Sunni Arabs kidnapped Sunday by militiamen in retaliation for a car bomb attack in Baghdad's al-Mashtel neighbourhood that killed 10. On Sunday police recovered 45 corpses from Baghdad. (Posted @ 23:30 PST)
10 die, 60 injured in train blast in east India KOLKATA, India, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) - At least 10 people were killed and 60 injured Monday when a blast ripped through a passenger train in the east Indian state of West Bengal, an official and a doctor said. The train was travelling from Haldibari to New Jalpaiguri when the explosion hit one of the carriages at Belakoba station, 500 kilometres (310 miles) from the state capital Kolkata, said Prasad Ranjan Roy, the state's home secretary. (Updated @ 22:30 PST)
Solution of Kashmir issue must for durable peace in region KASUR, Nov 20 (APP)- Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri Monday said the resolution of all the outstanding issues including that of Kashmir was must for durable peace in South Asian region. Addressing a press conference he said war was not a solution to any issue. However, he said, Pakistan would never compromise on national prestige and dignity. (Posted @ 21:20 PST)
US says 100 fighters a month enter Iraq from Syria BAGHDAD, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Up to 100 foreign fighters cross into Iraq from Syria every month, the U.S. military said on Monday. "We don't know how much they (Syria) are assisting this effort, but we don't know how much they are trying to preclude it either," U.S. military spokesman Major General William Caldwell told reporters in Baghdad. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
US-bound Bush leaves Indonesia JAKARTA, Nov 20 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush, wrapping up a week-long trip to Asia, left Indonesia late Monday bound for Hawaii -- his final stop before heading to Washington. Bush had traveled to Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Indonesian resort town of Bogor, eager to dispel any worries that his party's defeat in November 7 legislative elections had taken the wind out of his sails. (Posted @ 21:03 PST)
West must recognise new Palestinian govt -Meshaal DAMASCUS, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The West has no option but to recognise a Palestinian unity government whose details are being worked out between Hamas and Fatah, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said Monday. "This is an opportunity for the international community to correct its mistake. Some of its members did not respect the will of the Palestinian electorate. They now have to learn and respect Palestinian consensus," Meshaal said after a late night meeting with Ahmad Qurei, a high level Fatah member sent by President Mahmoud Abbas to Damascus to resolve issues preventing the formation of a new government. (Posted @ 20:15 PST)
China's Hu Jintao begins India visit NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in India Monday for a visit aimed at boosting trade and easing lingering tensions between the two countries. (Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Taliban kill two policemen in southern Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Nov 20 (AFP) - Two policemen were killed and another was missing after Taliban militants ambushed a patrol in Girishk district of southern Afghanistan, police official Amanullah Khan told AFP Monday. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
UN rights chief slams violations on Gaza tour BEIT HANUN, Gaza Strip, Nov 20 (AFP) - The UN high commissioner for human rights on Monday slammed rights violations in the Palestinian territories as she visited the site of a deadly botched Israeli shelling in the Gaza Strip. "The violations of human rights in the Palestinian territories are intolerable," she told reporters not far from the Nasser mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Gaza whose lone minaret is all that remains after the offensive, before heading into talks with President Mahmud Abbas. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Death toll in Afghanistan floods climbs to 123: officials KANDAHAR, Nov 20 (AFP) - Heavy floods killed at least 40 more people and destroyed hundreds of mud-brick houses and crops in southern Afghanistan raising the total death toll to 123, officials said Monday. Fresh floods caused by torrential rain in Uruzgan province late Sunday killed at least 40 people and hurt 20 others. In western Farah province's Purchaman district, 17 people were killed in flooding on Sunday, while the death toll from floods on Thursday in neighbouring Badghis province rose to 66 on Monday after local rescue teams found four more bodies, health ministry officials said. (Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Chirac to lead signing ceremony on international test reactor PARIS, Nov 20 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac is to lead a signing ceremony Tuesday to develop a new breed of experimental nuclear fusion reactor that mimics the energy-producing process powering the sun, officials said. The event in Paris will see representatives from China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States signing the document to formally set up the structure of the 10-billion-euro (12.8 billion dollar)reactor. The facility -- originally called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor but now known officially by its initials ITER -- will be used to create fusion energy, in which atomic nuclei would fuse together. It aims to provide a clean and limitless source of energy that can replace fossil fuel and is far more efficient than the fission process -- the splitting of atoms -- used in current nuclear power plants. One of the attractions of fusion is the tiny amount of fuel needed. The release of energy from a fusion reaction is 10 million times greater than from a typical chemical reaction, such as burning a fossil fuel. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
PM for boosting Pak-Romania economic ties ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz talking to Deputy Prime Minister of Romania Bogdan Pascu Monday called for the activation of the Pak-Romania Joint Economic Commission to institutionalize and streamline cooperation between the two countries. The Deputy Prime Minister of Romania said there was a great opportunity for mutual cooperation between the two countries and Romanian IT companies were keen to enter into joint ventures with Pakistani companies. He said Romania will also hire Pakistani IT professionals. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Bush visits Indonesia amid protests BOGOR, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush showed support for an ally in the U.S.-led war against Islamic militants on Monday with a visit to Indonesia which generated angry protests in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Ending an Asia tour, Bush held talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and presided over a roundtable discussion with Muslim and non-Muslim civic leaders. "I admire your nation's diversity and its plurality. I admire your president and his commitment to reform and strenghthening democracy," Bush told them with Yudhoyono at his side. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
10 killed in violence in Iraq; 14 bodies found BAGHDAD, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Ten persons were killed and 21 injured in acts of violence across Iraq on Monday as police found 14 dumped bodies outside of Baghdad. A suicide car bomber exploded his vehicle near a police check point and killed two people, including a policeman, and wounded six others, including four policemen, in Ramadi where a mortar round landed near a court and wounded three people. A suicide car bomber rammed his car into a joint Iraqi police-army patrol and killed three soldiers and wounded four others, including a policeman, on Sunday in a town west of Mosul. A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol killed two civilians and wounded three others in Ikendariya, while a roadside bomb in a crowded food market killed three people and wounded five others in Jamila district in eastern Baghdad, police said. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Armed man attacks school in Germany; 8 injured, assailant dead BERLIN, Nov 20 (AP) _ A masked man, believed to be a former school student, stormed a high school in Emsdetten, Germany, near the Dutch border, Monday and opened fire with a handgun, injuring eight people. Police said the incident ended with the death of the assailant. Among the injured were several students, a female teacher and the head caretaker, officials said. The motive of the crime remains unknown. (Posted @ 17:45 PST)
45 dead, thousands homeless from heavy Sri Lanka seasonal rains COLOMBO, Nov 20 (AFP) - At least 45 people have died from floods and mudslides caused by heavy seasonal rains in Sri Lanka that left 91,000 families temporarily homeless, the National Disaster Management Centre said Monday. (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Pakistan committed to wipe out terrorism: Rao KARACHI, Nov. 20 (APP): Pakistan is committed to wipe out the menace of terrorism, Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal said Monday at the inaugural session of a seminar in connection with the IDEAS 2006, the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2006 being held by the Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO). We understand that as long as the issues confronting Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir and Palestine remain un-addressed, world peace and stability would continue to be threatened. The international community should address the real causes of terrorism- poverty, discrimination, injustices and suppression of freedom struggles in Kashmir and Palestine, he said. With reference to the IDEAS 2006, Rao Sikandar said that Pakistan’s defence products were extremely reliable, affordable, battle-proven and always qualifying the rigorous testing and evaluation procedures of our armed forces. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
Israel army chief rules out Gaza ground operation JERUSALEM, Nov 20 (AFP) - Israel's army chief of staff Dan Halutz Monday ruled out a large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip as a means to stop persistent Palestinian rocket attacks. "It's very easy to recommend such an operation, but the world is not built solely by resorting to force... There are other factors that should be taken into account in our action," Halutz was quoted as saying by army radio. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Rival parties clash in Bangladesh DHAKA, Nov 20 (AFP) - At least 20 people suffered gunshot wounds Monday in a clash between supporters of rival Bangladeshi political parties, police said, as the opposition began a transport strike. Several small bombs were also detonated during the clash in the northern town of Natore. Local party chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was among those injured during clashes with the opposition Awami League," said police officer Liakat Ali. The clash too place as both wanted to hold rallies at the same place in the centre of the town, he said addding that police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Blair says NATO must focus on Afghan commitment KABUL, Nov 20 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair Monday said NATO must bring its commitment to Afghanistan into "sharp focus" amid a deadly insurgency by the Taliban. Blair, speaking at a joint conference in Kabul with President Hamid Karzai, said Afghanistan had made great progress since US-led forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001. With NATO's summit in Riga beginning on November 28, "now is the time to bring into sharp focus the need to stay with Afghans as they make their journey to progress," Blair told reporters. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Palestinians suspend unity cabinet talks RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 20 (AFP) The two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, on Monday suspended talks on forming a national unity government because of a lack of progress, a Palestinian official said. "We can say that discussions have been suspended. No one is satisfied with the results that we have reached up until now. Hamas should be more cooperative on the make-up of the government and its platform," Nabil Amr, an advisor to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, told a news conference. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
At least seven killed as Indonesian train plunges into river JAKARTA, Nov 20 (AFP) A train accident in which one carriage plunged into a river in Indonesia's Sumatra province has left at least seven people dead, a railway company official said Monday. "One wagon of the train fell into a river and so far seven people have been reported to have been killed," the official said.(Posted @ 13:35 PST)
Iraqi, US forces raid mosque in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 20 (AFP) Iraqi and US forces raided a mosque Monday in Baghdad's Sadr City district which was allegedly used by a cell that was kidnapping, torturing and murdering Iraqis, the US military said. "Iraqi forces entered the mosque in search of cell members, but no one was detained," the US military said in a statement, adding that the cell has more than 30 members and allegedly used the mosque compound as a "place to conduct its illegal activity and store weapons."(Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Blair visits British troops in Afghanistan LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Nov 20 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair flew into Afghanistan Monday to visit British troops serving with the NATO force fighting Taliban insurgents. Blair arrived at the southern Camp Bastion base by military transporter plane and paid tribute to the soldiers' commitment and bravery in difficult circumstances. "Here on this extraordinary piece of desert is where the future of the security of the early 21st century is going to be played out," Blair told troops at the base in Helmand province. (First Posted @ 09:05 PST, Updated@ 11:00 PST)
Lawmakers debate US future in Iraq WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (AFP) US lawmakers Sunday wrestled with how to change the course of the war in Iraq, with top Republicans calling for more troops while Democrats demanded a prompt withdrawal of US forces. In Washington Republican Senator John McCain said the United States could be successful in Iraq if it increased the number of troops there, currently around 144,000. Whereas, Senator Carl Levin renewed his call for a troop withdrawal to begin in coming months. "We must tell the Iraqis that we would begin - starting in four to six months - a phased reduction of our troops," he told CNN. McCain on the other hand said he would not support a troop withdrawal unless the situation there becomes hopeless. But he acknowledged that increasing US troop strength in Iraq would put a strain on the military. "Absolutely, it would be terrible," he said. "We're going to be asking people to go back again and again, maybe even extend their tours. But there's only one thing worse, and that is defeat."(Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Iraq faces 'critical times:' British minister LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) Iraq is facing "critical times" but progress is being made, a British Foreign Office minister said on Sunday during a trip to the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Kim Howells travelled to Basra to meet the governor, political leaders and members of the city's security committee, the Foreign Office said in a statement late on Sunday.(Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Three Muslim men killed in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Nov 20 (AFP) Three men have been killed in a drive-by shooting by suspected militants in southern Thailand, police said Monday.(Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 273.90 points: KARACHI, Nov 20: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10431.97 , down 273.90 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 20: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.9 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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