|
|
| November 23, 2006 | Thursday | Ziqa'ad 1, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan, China vow to build on their time-tested friendship ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf and President Hu Jintao Thursday pledged to build on a robust and time-tested friendship between Pakistan and China and expand their strategic partnership as the Chinese leader began a four-day visit to the South Asian country. Speaking at a banquet President Musharraf hosted in honour of the Chinese President at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the two leaders described Pakistan-China ties as an example of good neighbourly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. "Friendly ties between Pakistan and China is a shining example of good neighbourly relations. Our friendship has remained constant and unchanged regardless of the transformed global circumstances," President Musharraf said in remarks to welcome his Chinese counterpart. Chinese President, reciprocating the sentiments, said his country was proud to have in Pakistan a great and true friend, and paid tributes to the leaders of the older generation in both countries, who laid the solid foundations for promoting China-Pakistan friendship. "Let us build on past achievement and strengthen traditional friendship, advanced with the time, expand and enrich China-Pakistan strategic partnership so that our friendship will pass on from generation to generation", President Hu Jintao said. "We are good neighbours, close friends, trusted partners and dear brothers", he added. (Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Chinese president arrives in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (AP) _ Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived Thursday in Pakistan, Beijing's longtime ally, for talks on expanding economic ties, and possibly helping with Pakistan's nuclear energy program. In a sign of the importance placed by Pakistan in the visit, Hu was greeted at the airport by the country's top political leadership, including Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Chinese leader to address Pakistanis on state TV ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (AFP) - Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao will address the Pakistani nation live on state television on Friday, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told AFP. "This reflects the sentiments of the nation towards a great friend like China. The strength of our friendship is deeper than the oceans and higher than the mountains", he said. Hu will speak in Chinese from the Islamabad Convention Centre and the address will be shown with subtitles in Urdu, the national language. The only other foreign dignitary to be afforded exclusive airtime on the state tv was the then-US President Bill Clinton when he was in Islamabad in March 2000. Today, the broadcaster cleared its schedules to show Hu's arrival at Chaklala Airbase near Islamabad, where President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat personally greeted him. It also carried footage of Hu's heavily-guarded convoy driving down the motorway surrounded by police outriders, and traditional Punjabi dancers performing at road junctions en route. The moves show the importance that Pakistan attaches to its relationship with economic giant China, which is its biggest defence supplier and has helped with Pakistan's civilian nuclear programme. (Posted @ 19:15 PST)
Bombs kill 144 in Baghdad, injure 236: gunmen storm ministry BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (Agencies) - Up to six car bombs killed 144 people in Baghdad on Thursday. A further 236 people were wounded, police said. Interior Ministry earlier put the toll at 115 dead and 125 wounded. The blasts, which were followed by a mortar barrage aimed at a nearby Sunni enclave, came at the same time as gunmen mounted a bold daylight raid on the Health Ministry. Six parked vehicles each packed with as much as half a tonne of explosives, as well as mortars landing in the area, devastated streets and a crowded market in the sprawling Sadr City slum in east Baghdad, Major General Jihad al-Jabori of the Interior Ministry told Iraqiya state television. The Sadr City blasts destroyed whole streets, leaving bloodied remains amid mangled vehicle wrecks. Fierce fires were left blazing after the attacks. Five people were wounded at the Health Ministry, when about 30 guerrillas fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns into the compound in one of the biggest public shows of force by militants in the city since the U.S. invasion in 2003. The arrival of U.S. attack helicopters and ground troops eventually dispersed the assailants, ministry employees said. Shortly afterwards, a dozen mortar rounds hit Aadhamiya. The Interior Ministry said it was not aware of casualties in the attack. (Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Key agreements during Hu’s visit ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (AFP) - Several key agreements would be signed during the "very significant" visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao who arrived in Pakistan Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. China's official Xinhua news agency said the deals would be "unprecedented". "China has been a consistent and a reliable friend of Pakistan for the last 55 years and we have very deep and strong cooperation in all areas," she told AFP. Hu will hold meetings with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday before heading to Lahore on Saturday. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
"Asian century" with India, China cooperation: Hu Jintao MUMBAI, Nov 23 (AFP) - Asia will dominate the next century if China and India can strengthen their trade and business links, China's President Hu Jintao said Thursday at the end of a visit to India. "We need to move towards a free-trade agreement and boost bilateral trade further, particularly along the borders," he said. "If India and China take the necessary steps to strengthen trade and business, the 21st century will be Asia's," he told business and government leaders from both nations before heading to Pakistan on the final leg of his South Asian tour. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Israeli soldiers targeted in Palestinian explosion GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, Nov 23 (AP) _ Palestinians set off an explosion near Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the military said adding that the blast might have been caused by a female suicide bomber. There was no immediate word of Israeli casualties. The incident took place near the Jebaliya refugee camp, where Israeli forces have been operating against Palestinian rocket squads. (Posted @ 21:25 PST)
Police kill 3 suspected militants in occupied Kashmir JAMMU,occupied Kashmir, Nov 23 (AP) _ Police killed three suspected militants during a shootout in Doda district on Thursday, a senior officer said. He gave no further details. (Posted @ 21:20 PST)
Pakistani Senate passes Women’s Rights Bill ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Pakistan's upper house of parliament, the Senate, passed the Women’s Rights Bill on Thursday, paving the way for President Pervez Musharraf to sign it into law. The National Assembly, or the lower house, passed the Women's Protection Bill last week. (Posted @ 20:53 PST)
Quake rattles northwest China - agency SHANGHAI, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake jolted parts of northwestern China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region late on Thursday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The magnitude 5.1 earthquake was strongly felt in the cities of Usu, Kyutun and Yining, Xinhua cited the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Seismological Bureau as saying. No casualties had been reported. (Posted @ 20:38 PST)
Pakistan, China to sign landmark agreements ISLAMABAD, Nov. 23 (APP): Pakistan and China are set to sign a raft of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding on Friday to develop their socio-economic partnership in various sectors, Pakistan ambassador to China Salman Bashir told APP. A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be the highly important document to be signed. "We are expecting to take volume of bilateral trade to dollar 15 billion within next five years, with the implementation of the FTA," he said. The two countries will also sign a five-year plan of economic cooperation to put in place a comprehensive structural framework for boosting economic ties. They will also sign an agreement for setting up a joint investment company, while another agreement will envisage collaboration in expanding Saindek mining project in Balochistan. Replying to a question about cooperation in the energy sector, the ambassador said this would be done under a general framework agreement signed between the two countries in February this year. Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the agreements between public and private sectors would further strengthen bilateral economic, social and cultural relations, enhance trade and pave the way for more Chinese investment in Pakistan. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Chinese President accorded warm welcome ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): A very warm welcome was accorded to the Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday as he began his four-day official visit to Pakistan to further deepen the "all-weather relations" the two countries enjoy. "I am visiting Pakistan to deepen friendship, expand cooperation and plan for the future of our relationship," President Hu Jintao said in an arrival statement. "I look forward to having in-depth exchange of views with President Musharraf and other Pakistani leaders on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest," the Chinese President said. He said China and Pakistan are "good neighbours, close friends, trusted partners and dear brothers." "As history has shown, China-Pakistan friendship meet the fundamental interests and shared aspirations of our countries and peoples and contributes to peace, stability and prosperity of our region," the statement said.(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Gunmen attack Iraq health ministry BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (AFP) - More than 30 gunmen attacked the Iraqi health ministry in central Baghdad on Thursday, a security source said, following a series of recent attacks against officials from the ministry. "Fierce clashes are going on at this moment between the gunmen and guards of the building who are backed by Iraqi army soldiers," the source said. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
Pakistan open quarter-final squash results ISLAMABAD, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) - Results in the Pakistan Open squash championship here on Thursday (x denotes seed): Quarter-final: Karim Darwish (EGYPT x 6) bt James Willstrop (ENGLAND x 5) 10-11, 11-10, 10-11, 11-6, 11-10; and Ramy Ashour (EGYPT x 8) bt Anthony Ricketts (AUSTRALIA x 3) 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Three killed, nine injured in train station blast in India's northeast GUWAHATI, Nov 23 (AFP) - Three people were killed and nine injured early Thursday morning when an explosive device went off at the Guwahati railway station parking lot when a large crowds had packed the area. Police said three passenger trains were waiting at the time of the blast, adding that the " bomb was concealed in a sack and kept on the rickshaw." (Posted @ 19:35 PST)
Pakistan bring in paceman Sami for third Test MULTAN, Pakistan, Nov 23 (AFP) - Pakistan have brought back paceman Mohammad Sami for their 15-man squad for the third and final cricket Test against the West Indies, chief selector Wasim Bari said Thursday. "We have made only one change in the squad for the third Test, with Sami back in place of spinner Abdul Rahman," Bari said. The third Test starts in Karachi on November 27. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Iranian football federation suspended ZURICH, Nov 23 (AFP) - The Iran football federation has been suspended by the sport's world governing body for governmental interference and non-adherence to their statues, FIFA said Thursday. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Two Palestinians killed in Gaza as more rockets hit Israel GAZA CITY, Nov 23 (AFP) - Two Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip on Thursday as Israel pressed on with an offensive there aimed at curbing near-daily rocket fire into the Jewish state. One Palestinian was killed as Israeli tanks fired shells in the northern Beit Lahiya region. A second Palestinian was killed in clashes near the Jabaliya refugee camp. Four other Palestinians were wounded in clashes. Also in northern Gaza -- where around 1,000 Israeli forces have been deployed -- one soldier was “moderately wounded” and two others were lightly wounded in Beit Hanun area clashes, the military said. Meanwhile, four more Palestinian rockets landed in Israel, causing no casualties or damage, an army spokeswoman said. On Thursday, Israeli warplanes attacked a building in Gaza City used by Fatah and destroyed a money changing shop in Gaza City overnight, military sources said. (Posted @ 19:25 PST)
Two Pakistani boxers banned for six months for cannabis ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (AFP) - Pakistan's Asian Games medal hopes were badly hit when two of their leading boxers were banned for six months after testing positive for cannabis, officials said Thursday. Meherullah Lassi, who won a gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games at Busan, South Korea, and Faisal Kareem tested positive during the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in Colombo, Sri Lanka in August this year. "The Pakistan Sports Board has informed us that the two boxers have been banned for six months, which is bad news for us," Pakistan Boxing Federation spokesman Shakeel Durani said. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Lebanon leaders lash out at Syria after funeral BEIRUT, Nov 23 (AFP) - Leaders of Lebanon's pro-Western governing coalition lashed out at neighbouring Syria Thursday in fiery addresses to huge crowds gathered for the funeral of slain anti-Damascus minister Pierre Gemayel. After paying their respects to the latest victim of an assassin's bullet in Lebanon, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and then Sunni leader Saad Hariri, speaking from behind a bullet-proof glass screen, railed against Syrian meddling in Lebanese affairs. (Posted @ 18:55 PST)
Pakistan, China to quickly set up Joint Investment Company to implement economic cooperation plan ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): Pakistan and China have agreed to quickly set up the Joint Investment Company to implement economic cooperation plan, as the two countries are set to sign a number of MOUs on Friday. This was decided in a meeting between Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr. Salman Shah and a high-level delegation led by Vice Governor of China Development Bank, Lie Kegu, here Thursday. The joint investment company would work as a window of the China Development Bank for evaluation of joint ventures between the two countries. (Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Shujaat asks MMA to withdraw decision to resign for sake of democracy ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): President of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has asked opposition MMA to withdraw its decision to resign from the National Assembly for the continuity of democratic system. He told a private TV channel he was in contact with MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman and urged them to withdraw their decision so that the assemblies could complete their tenure. However, he made it clear that the government would hold by-elections if MMA resigned from the assembly. He also said the Women Protection Bill would get passage without any amendment from the Senate. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Sri Lanka tanks, jets battle rebels as war escalates COLOMBO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's military battled Tamil Tiger rebels with tanks and fighter jets along a shared "border" in the island's east on Thursday, with seven soldiers injured, but no details of any rebel casualties. In a separate incident in district Ampara three policemen were killed in a firefight with Tigers, officials said. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Militants kill soldier, shopkeeper in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Nov 23 (AFP) - Suspected Kashmiri militants shot dead an army soldier in Kangan, 40 kilometers northwest of Srinagar, a day after warning Kashmiri youths not to join the Indian army, police said Thursday. In a separate incident, suspected militants shot dead a shopkeeper in Baramulla district, police said. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Iran vows to press on with Arak reactor TEHRAN, Nov 23 (AFP) - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Thursday Iran would press on with its Arak heavy water reactor with or without help from the IAEA. "It is part of the agency's duties to help (on Arak) and if they do not help we will do it on our own," Mottaki told reporters. According to Iranian officials, the Arak plant being constructed about 200 kilometers south of Tehran will be fully operational in 2009. It is of a type that could be adapted to produce plutonium for atomic warheads. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
UN agency shelves Iranian reactor request: diplomats VIENNA, Nov 23 (AFP) - The UN atomic agency Thursday shelved Iran's request for technical help in building a nuclear reactor that the United States fears could provide plutonium for weapons, diplomats said. The decision of the IAEA’s 35-nation board of governors came after three days of divisive meetings on technical cooperation that ended with a compromise between Western and developing states. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
US troops open fire on civilians, Afghan doctor killed KABUL, Nov 23 (AFP) - US troops opened fire on a civilian car on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, causing a traffic accident that killed an Afghan doctor and wounded four other people, officials said Thursday. ISAF said in a statement a civilian van was "observed driving suspiciously" Wednesday near a US patrol, signalled for the vehicle to stop and fired a number of shots. The driver subsequently lost control and crashed, killing one and injuriung four others, it said. Afghan interior ministry confirmed the dead man was a doctor. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Terrorist attacks spreading in India beyond occupied Kashmir: PM Singh NEW DELHI, Nov 23 (AFP) - India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday that terrorist attacks in the country had spread beyond occupied Kashmir, which is in the grip of a 17-year-old separatist insurgency. "Attempts to take this threat to other parts of the country to create fear in the minds of our people are in evidence," Singh told a gathering of top police and intelligence officials in New Delhi. Home Minister Shivraj Patil also told the conference Wednesday that terrorist threats to India's infrastructure including its atomic plants had risen in the wake of a planned civilian nuclear energy deal with the United States. The prime minister said India stood firm in fighting terrorism and "ideologies that justify it". (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Three quakes shake northern Afghanistan, eight hurt MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Nov 23 (AFP) Three minor earthquakes shook Afghanistan's northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Thursday with eight people wounded in a scramble to flee buildings, an official said. No immediate measurement of the strength of the quakes was available as the country does not have systems for recording seismic activity. The first quake struck around 5:00 am. The second quake was hours later and less powerful, but one at around 11:00 am sent people back into the streets fearing that buildings might collapse.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Ethiopian premier says ready for war with Somali Islamists ADDIS ABABA, Nov 23 (AFP) Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Thursday said his country had completed preparations for war with a powerful Somali Islamic movement after efforts for dialogue failed.(Posted @ 13:55 PST)
Bangladesh government names new election chief DHAKA, Nov 23 (AFP) Bangladesh's interim government Thursday named a former judge to replace the election chief who was forced to step aside by mass opposition protests, an official said. It was not clear if the opposition would accept Mahfuzur Rahman as the acting election chief in place of M.A. Aziz, who opted to go on extended leave after mounting pressure for his resignation crippled the country. The Awami League and its allies have held mass protests and brought the country to a standstill with a nationwide transport blockade.It said it would decide later Thursday whether to call off the protests following Aziz's decision to go on leave and allow the interim government to hold elections without him. (First Posted @ 09:50 PST, Updated@ 13:50 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan promotes anti-racism code MULTAN, Nov 23 (Reuters) Pakistan is for the first time promoting the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-racism code at its test venues."We are taking the anti-racism code as seriously as the anti-doping measures, although we have not had complaints of racist behaviour at our venues," Saleem Altaf, director of cricket operations, told Reuters on Thursday. "These are steps to ensure people are aware of the serious penalties they could face if caught indulging in racist or insulting behaviour," he said. Altaf said local language posters would be erected "very soon" to allow the majority of spectators to understand them. The ICC in September adopted an amended code that allows countries to impose a range of punishments on spectators found guilty of racial abuse, ranging from ejection from the venue to a life ban.(Posted @ 13:00 PST)
US forces kill four Iraqis BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (AFP) US forces killed on Thursday four Iraqis and wounded eight more, including two women, in Baghdad's Sadr City, an official from Moqtada al-Sadr's movement said. A medic at the district's Sadr City hospital said "four people were killed and eight were wounded, including two women."The US military was not immediately available for comment.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Four dead, schools burned in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Nov 23 (AFP) Suspected militants shot dead three people, while a teenager was killed after a shootout with defence volunteers in southern Thailand, police said Thursday. Militants also bombed a local elementary school and set fire to another one in the region.(Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Three US marines killed in western Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 23 (AFP) Insurgents killed three US marines in the western Iraqi province of Al-Anbar, the military said Thursday. The three died Wednesday "from wounds sustained due to enemy action", the military said.(Posted @ 12:25 PST)
British oil worker hostage killed, Italian injured LAGOS, Nigeria, Nov 23 (AFP) A kidnapped British oil worker was killed and an Italian injured Wednesday when Nigerian security forces attempted to rescue a group of seven foreign oil workers held hostage by armed men in the Niger Delta, the Italian oil group Eni said in Rome.(Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Dutch Christian Democrats keep power in election AMSTERDAM, Nov 23 (Reuters) The Dutch Christian Democrats held on to power in a parliamentary election but face a battle to form a coalition government after support shifted away from centrist parties to the far-left and far-right.Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Christian Democrats (CDA) won 41 seats in the 150-seat parliament in Wednesday's vote, projections based on an almost complete vote count showed.(Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Palestinian leader in Cairo to discuss prisoner exchange DAMASCUS, Nov 23 (Reuters) Palestinian leader Khaled Meshaal arrived in Cairo on Thursday to discuss Egyptian mediation efforts for a prisoner exchange between Palestine and Israel, a high-level Hamas member said on Thursday. "The delegation, led by Khaled Meshaal, will follow up on Egyptian efforts to reach a deal acceptable to the Palestinian people," Izzat al-Rishq told Reuters. Palestine had demanded that Israel free 1,400 Palestinian prisoners, including all women and minors, simultaneously with the release of the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.(Posted @ 09:30 PST)
British trade minister to visit India, Pakistan LONDON, Nov 23 (AFP) British trade minister Ian McCartney said Thursday that he would visit India and Pakistan this month, accompanied by business chiefs, to strengthen trade links. McCartney was due to visit India from Thursday to Monday and Pakistan from Monday to Tuesday. "Throughout this visit, I will have opportunities to meet with senior Indian and Pakistani ministers to talk about how we can work together to continue to achieve our shared goals in the international arena, particularly on trade and investment issues,” McCartney said.(Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Gas pipeline explosion leaves eight dead in Indonesia JAKARTA, Nov 23 (AFP) Eight people were killed and two more missing after an underground gas pipeline exploded near a mud volcano in Indonesia's East Java province, police and hospital staff said Thursday. The pipeline exploded at about 10:20 pm Wednesday.(Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 220.85 points: KARACHI, Nov 23: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10867.11 , up 220.85 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.93 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |