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| November 25, 2006 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 3, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
China, Pakistan vow to take partnership to new level ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (AFP) - China and Pakistan pledged Saturday to take their strategic partnership to a new level. The two countries signed a wide-ranging statement which hailed Hu's visit to Pakistan and the two countries' close ties in the fields of defence, energy, trade, agriculture, information technology, combating terrorism, culture and tourism. "China will continue to view its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective and work together with Pakistan to elevate the China-Pakistan strategic partnership to a new high," the statement said. It added that China thanked Pakistan for its "valuable support on such issues as Taiwan, Tibet and human rights". The two sides also hailed the Free Trade Agreement signed on Friday, saying it would serve as an "engine for balanced growth of volume of trade" between the two countries. The statement said the two sides had decided to fast-track the trade in services, to "make FTA on goods and services more comprehensive" and to increase bilateral trade to more than 15 billion dollars in the next five years. China also offered Pakistan help in the energy and mining sectors. "The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector, including fossil fuels, coal, hydro-power, nuclear power, renewable sources of energy as well as in the mining and resources sector in accordance with the above-mentioned framework agreement," the statement said. Pakistan and China also decided to jointly establish a software industrial park in Pakistan and conduct a feasibility study on laying fiber optic cables between China and Pakistan, it said. The two countries also vowed to jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, saying those "three forces" posed great threats to regional peace, stability and security. Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf accepted an invitation from Hu to visit Beijing, the statement said. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Chinese president attends civic reception at Shalimar Gardens LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 25 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao Saturday attended a reception hosted by the citizens of Lahore at the scenic Mughal-era Shalimar gardens. Speaking on the occasion Hu thanked the government and the people of Pakistan for their warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation and said Chinese people valued their friendship with Pakistan. "Chinese can leave the gold, but they cannot leave Pakistan-China friendship," Hu said addressing the reception from the water-front pavilion. Punjab chief minister Chaudhury Parvez Illahi presented a painting of a historic Lahore building and a hand-knotted carpet to Hu as souvenirs. The Chinese President later met people who chanted fervent slogans "Long Live Pakistan-China friendship." Earlier, Hu visited the tomb of Allama Iqbal, Pakistan's national poet, and laid floral wreaths. Chief minister Parvez Illahi said Punjab province would welcome Chinese investors and was planning to set up a joint economic zone. "We want to set up a joint economic zone managed by Chinese for which Punjab government will provide land free of cost," he said. The zone is one of eight being established outside China and mainly managed by Chinese companies, Xinhua news agency said this week. (Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Chinese president visits Pakistan's cultural capital LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 25 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Lahore Saturday for cultural and business visits after concluding a free trade deal and pledging to boost strategic ties. In historic Lahore, decorated elaborately with Pakistan and Chinese flags and portraits of Hu and Pakistani leaders, Hu was given a warm reception by Punjab governor Khalid Maqbool and chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Illahi. School children lined up along the red carpet laid at the tarmac and cheered Hu as he disembarked from his plane at Lahore's international airport. State television and private satellite channels showed live footage of Hu's arrival.(Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Taliban holding two Pakistani journalists in Afghanistan KABUL, Nov 25 (AFP) - The Taliban movement in Afghanistan said Saturday it was holding two Pakistani journalists because they were not carrying travel documents, after a report said the pair had been kidnapped. The journalists would be delivered to the border, possibly tomorrow, said Mohammad Hanif, a purported spokesman. Leading Pakistani eveninger The Star reported Saturday that one of its journalists, Syed Saleem Shahzad, had called his family to say he and a colleague named Qamar Yousafzai were detained by the Taliban in Helmand on November 21. He said he had been put on trial by a Taliban "court" but did not know why. Shahzad also worked for the Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online. Afghan authorities, the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and the NATO-led ISAF said they had no information about the detentions. Shahzad entered the country on November 19 via the southwest Chaman border, The Star said. The head of the Dawn Group, which owns The Star, urged international organisations to intervene for the release of both men. "They are currently being tried by a Taliban court in Helmand and my strong suspicion is that their lives are in danger unless international organisations intervene to help," Hameed Haroon said in an e-mail to AFP. Italian photojournalist Gabriele Torsello was kidnapped on October 12 in Helmand province, and was released about three weeks later. (Posted @ 19:05 PST)
Israeli strike kills Hamas militant in Gaza GAZA CITY, Nov 25, 2006 (AFP) - Israeli aircraft carried out two raids on vehicles in Gaza City on Saturday, one of which killed a member of the ruling Hamas faction's military wing, medics and witnesses said. Four other members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades were wounded in the missile strike on their minibus in the city's eastern Zeitun district, they said Another strike minutes earlier in central Gaza City hit another vehicle, without causing casualties. The passengers' identity was not immediately known. (Posted @ 00:00 PST)
Blast kills 15 coal miners in China BEIJING, Nov 26, 2006 (AFP) - Fifteen coal miners were killed in a mine explosion in northern China, state media reported Saturday. The bodies of the 15 were recovered after a blast in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Xinhua quoted local sources as saying. Two miners were rescued and one is still missing. The explosion, the latest incident to hit the nation's notoriously dangerous mining industry, is believed to have been caused by a gas leak. (Posted @ 23:45 PST)
Suicide bomber kills US marine, three civilians near Fallujah BAGHDAD, Nov 25, 2006 (AFP) - A suicide car bomber rammed a checkpoint and killed three Iraqis, including two children, and a US marine in the restive western province of Al-Anbar on Saturday, the US military said. The attack against a checkpoint in Khalidiyah, a town between the strife-torn cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, also wounded nine civilians and another US marine. "The insurgency in Al-Anbar continues to demonstrate its complete lack of concern for the people of the provinces," said Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Salas. (Posted @ 23:00 PST)
Industrial sector has shown significant growth during last seven years: PM Aziz Islamabad, November 25 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday said Pakistan's industrial sector has shown significant growth during the last seven years and the rise in share to GDP of overall manufacturing from 23% to 26% and of large-scale manufacturing from 10% to close to 13% is a manifestation of this growth. Chairing a meeting to review the large scale manufacturing statistics, he said it was heartening to note that the growth of large scale manufacturing in the first quarter of the current financial year is in double digits. He asked Federal Bureau of Statistics to completethe next Census for Manufacturing Industries (CMI) as soon as possible, directed the Ministry of Industries to broaden the scope of data collection and involve industry associations in the process, and set up a committee to monitor the entire process of statistics collection, compilation and analysis. (Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Democrats promise 'new direction' in Iraq WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Democrats on Saturday promised to help "forge a new direction" in the Iraq war when they take control of the U.S. Congress in January from President George W. Bush's Republicans. They also vowed to clean up the scandal-rocked Congress, raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade and address such concerns as the rising cost of education, health care and energy. "This we will do, and much more," Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland said in delivering his party's weekly radio address. Hoyer, elected to be House majority leader in the 110th Congress that convenes on Jan. 4, said his party would reach out to Republicans as it seeks to help all Americans. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Pakistan reports progress in Siachen talks NEW DELHI, Nov 25 (AFP) - Pakistan's foreign minister Khursheed Mahmud Kasuri said Saturday progress had been made in talks with India towards demilitarisation of disputed Siachen glacier, but political will was needed to clinch a final deal. He stressed Pakistan's position on the issue was clear. "We understand that there has been a lot of progress. It requires some meetings and given the political will, it should be resolved," he told reporters on arrival in New Delhi on a private visit, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Three killed in Thailand's Muslim south BANGKOK, Nov 25 (AFP) - Three people were shot dead and three others injured in a string of shootings Saturday by suspected Islamic militants in Thailand's troubled Muslim south, police said. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Turkey and Jordan warn against Iraq's partition AMMAN, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Iraq's neighbours, Turkey and Jordan, warned on Saturday that the partition of the country would take the sectarian bloodshed to new levels and plunge the whole region into chaos. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Jordanian counterpart Marouf Bakheet told reporters at the end of talks in Amman "we cannot accept the partition of Iraq; and the partition of Iraq into three parts will increase the intensity of the civil war..." (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Dick Cheney in Saudia Arabia for Mideast talks RIYADH, Nov 25 (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Riyadh Saturday for talks with King Abdullah in a new diplomatic thrust by Washington that will also see President George W. Bush meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on November 29-30 in Jordan. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also due in the Middle East soon. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
UN envoy to Iraq warns of civil war BAGHDAD, Nov 25, 2006 (AFP) - The UN envoy to Iraq warned Saturday that the country risks falling into a "civil war situation" unless political parties engage in an immediate dialogue with the help of the international community. Special Representative Ashraf Qazi expressed his "deep outrage" over Thursday's Sadr City car bombings that claimed more than 200 lives and triggered revenge attacks. "These tragic incidents occurred in the context of an increasingly vicious cycle of sectarian violence that is tearing apart the very political and social fabric of Iraq," said the statement. Qazi said the government,politicians and people must show their determination through real national dialogue "to prevent extremists from destroying Iraq". Neighbours of the war-torn country should come to Baghdad's help, he said, because chaos in Baghdad served no country's interests. (Posted @ 18:53 PST)
Lincou upstages Gaultier to retain Pakistan Open squash title ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (AFP) - Diminutive Thierry Lincou retained his title by beating Gregory Gaultier in four games in an all French final at the US dollars 85,000 Pakistan Open squash event here Saturday. The 30-year-old Lincou, ranked three in the world, overcame a second game loss to beat world number five Gaultier 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-5 in a hard fought 53-minute final. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
2 Afghan civilians injured after suicide car bomb targets security patrol KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov 25 (AP) _ A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle near a convoy of Afghan police and NATO soldiers in the Charkh district of Logar province, 60 kilometers south of Kabul, on Saturday, injuring two civilian pedestrians, an official said. In Kabul, a roadside bomb exploded near an Afghan army jeep, damaging the vehicle but causing no injuries, a police spokesman said. A public bus was also damaged. (Updated @ 16:53 PST)
US forces kill 22 insurgents, teenager in raids north of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 25 (AFP) - At least 22 insurgents and a teenager were killed and a pregnant woman injured in two separate incidents involving US forces Saturday north of Baghdad. A military statement said US forces came under fire as they approached a suspected bomb-making facility near Taji, just north of the capital, and in the ensuing gunbattle 10 insurgents were killed. In another incident north of Baghdad, US forces killed 12 insurgents while en route to capture a militant "associated with the manufacturing of vehicle bombs and facilitating foreign fighters into northern Baghdad area," the military said in a separate statement. There were no coalition or civilian casualties, it said. (Updated @ 16:45 PST)
Pakistan's nuclear pioneer recovered after cancer surgery ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (AFP) - Pakistan's nuclear pioneer Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan had recovered "satisfactorily" after surgery for prostate cancer, his doctors said in a report released by the military on Saturday. The ISPR said it was releasing a Nov 12 report by doctors "verbatim" as an update on the latest state of Dr Khan's health for public information. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Rebels enter town in eastern Chad N'DJAMENA, Nov 25 (AFP) - Chadian rebels entered the main town in eastern Chad early Saturday, a rebel leader and government sources said, as fighting continued with the army troops trying to quash a second rebel offensive in a month."My men have entered Abeche," the rebel general Mahamat Nouri, head of the Union of Forces for Development and Democracy (UFDD), told AFP by satellite telephone. "We control a good part of the city. The fighting continues around the city," he said. A government source confirmed that the rebels had entered Abeche, some 700 kilometres east of the capital N'Djamena. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
21 villagers killed northeast of Baghdad BAQUBA, Iraq, Nov 25 (AFP) - Gunmen overnight raided two homes in a village in strife-torn Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, dragged out 21 males and shot them execution style, police said Saturday. The bodies of the villagers, who came from two families in the village of Imam Mansour, 75 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, were found early Saturday, police said. Police said the gunmen arrived in five cars late Friday and took the men to nearby fields and executed them. They also made off with valuables from the victims' houses. Four more corpses, meanwhile, were found by police around the provincial seat of Diyala. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Hamas threatens third Intifada if Palestinian solution not found CAIRO, Nov 25 (AFP) - Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal warned Saturday of a third intifada if a political solution to a Palestinian state within 1967 borders is not found within six months. "We give the international community six months for real political horizons... There is a historic opportunity for a Palestinian state within 1967 borders," Meshaal told reporters in Cairo. "If our demands are not met, the Palestinian people will close all political files and launch a third intifada," he said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Israeli troops kill Palestinian near Gaza crossing GAZA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Karni border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip overnight, Palestinian medical officials said on Saturday.In a separate incident overnight, the army said soldiers shot one militant near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Sri Lanka says jets bomb rebel suicide fighter camp COLOMBO, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan air force jets bombed a Tamil Tiger suicide fighter camp near the rebels' northern stronghold on Saturday, the military said, adding it believed it had inflicted heavy losses. The LTTE said the air force had dropped bombs a few kilometres away from their nerve-centre of Kilinochchi, but had no details of any damage or casualties. In a separate incident earlier on Saturday elite police commandos said they killed four rebels in a gunfight in the eastern district of Ampara.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
West Indies makes player changes for one-day series BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Nov 25 (AP) _ The West Indies will replace three players who are competing in test matches against Pakistan for the upcoming one-day series. All-rounders Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels will replace fast bowlers Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore and spin bowler Omari Banks, the West Indies Cricket Board said Friday. SQUAD: Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Christopher Gayle, Dave Mohammed, Runako Morton, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor. The one-day matches will be played on Dec. 5 (Rawalpindi), Dec. 7 (Faisalabad), Dec. 10 (Lahore), Dec. 13 (Multan), and Dec. 16 (Karachi).(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Mediators for Asia's intractable conflicts to talk peacemaking SINGAPORE, Nov 25 (AFP) - Mediators who have tried to settle some of Asia's most intractable conflicts will gather in Singapore Monday for three days for a closed-door "retreat" to discuss peacemaking, organizers said. Among those scheduled to attend are government representatives from Sri Lanka, Norway, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Japan, Indonesia, China and Singapore besides Thailand where deadly violence continues in the Muslim-majority southern provinces. Former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage is to give a keynote speech on Monday entitled "Does the US have the credibility to resolve, and mediate conflict?" The moot is being organised by the independent Geneva-based HD Centre, established in 1999 as the Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, which helped conclude in 2002 a ceasefire agreement between insurgents and government forces in the Indonesian province of Aceh.(Posted @ 14:00PST)
Two militants, four soldiers die in occupied Kashmir gunbattle SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Nov 25 (AFP) - Four Indian soldiers and two militants were killed in a fierce gunbattle in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir, the army said Saturday. The fighting erupted late Friday when soldiers raided a hideout in the southern village of Neldora. "In the initial burst of firing by the militants four soldiers were seriously hurt. They later died in hospital," an army spokesman said, adding that two militants were killed in the ensuing night-long gunbattle.(Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Child dies, 58 injured as Malaysian ferries collide KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (AFP) - A three-year-old boy died while 58 others were injured when two passenger ferries crashed into each other near the tourist island of Langkawi on Friday amid rainy weather off the west coast of northern Malaysia, officials said Saturday.(Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Polls open for Bahrain elections MANAMA, Nov 25 (AFP) Bahrainis started casting votes Saturday in legislative and municipal elections. Hundreds of men and women had started queuing outside voting centres ahead of the opening of the ballot boxes.(Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Two communist rebels killed in clash with Philippine troops MANILA, Philippines, Nov 25 (AP) Government troops killed at least two communist guerrillas in a clash Saturday in a province southeast of Manila, an army commander said. Army soldiers encountered about 30 New People's Army guerrillas in San Narciso town in Quezon province preparing to escape by sea following a week-long pursuit by government forces.(Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Britain tries to unravel mystery behind ex-Russian spy's death LONDON, Nov 25 (AFP) British police were working out Saturday how former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko might have been poisoned with a highly toxic radioactive substance, and who could be behind it. A "large quantity" of radiation probably from polonium 210 had been found in Litvinenko's urine, while checks were made on people who had contact with him. The Times newspaper said Saturday that British intelligence agencies claimed the poisoning bore the hallmarks of a "state-sponsored" assassination. It cited a senior official in ministry circles who said evidence yet to emerge pointed to the (Posted @ 09:29murder being carried out by foreign agents.(Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Iraqi president postpones Iran visit BAGHDAD, Nov 25 (AFP) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Friday postponed his visit to Tehran because of a curfew imposed on Baghdad because of soaring violence. "I can't go because the airport is closed. If it is open on Sunday, I'll go then," Talabani told reporters. He had been due to leave for Tehran Saturday to meet his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss the situation in Iraq. Talabani was speaking in the wake of a meeting of the Political Council for National Security to resolve the ongoing crisis.(Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Brazilian tourists die in Chilean copter crash SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov 25 (Reuters)Five Brazilian tourists and their Chilean pilot died on Friday when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in southern Chile, the Interior Ministry said.(Posted @ 09:10 PST)
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