|
|
| November 28, 2006 | Tuesday | Ziqa'ad 6, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Benazir Bhutto welcomes women protection bill LONDON, Nov 28 (APP): Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, on Monday evening welcomed the passage of the Protection of Women Bill from the parliament. Speaking to the media in central London, she described the bill as a positive measure by the present government and added that her party would support all such decisions taken in the interest of the masses. Benazir urged the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) parliamentary members to reconsider their decision to resign from the National Assembly (NA) over the bill, and said that such a move would not strengthen democracy in the country. She added that she would be disappointed if MMA members went ahead with their decision to resign. She also said that her party members would not resign from NA over this particular issue.(Posted @ 13:45 PST)
US forces kill five Iraqi girls in Ramadi BAGHDAD, Nov 28, 2006 (AFP) - US forces fired tank rounds into a home in the restive Iraqi city of Ramadi on Tuesday during a clash with insurgent gunmen and killed five young girls, a US military statement said. Two insurgents opened fire from the roof of a house on a US patrol disarming a roadside bomb, prompting the soldiers to reply with tank fire, the statement said. Following the pre-dawn barrage, US troops carried out "an extensive search of the house and found one male and five females, ages ranging from infant to teenaged, dead," it added. (Posted @ 00:00 PST)
Two NATO soldiers killed in Afghan blast KABUL, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - Two NATO soldiers were killed and other wounded when their patrol struck an improvised bomb in a province near the Afghan capital Tuesday, the NATO-led force said. An interpreter was also wounded when an International Security Assistance Force combat patrol was struck by an explosive device in Logar province, it said in a statement. (Posted @ 23:00 PST)
Iran tells Talabani that US-led forces must leave Iraq TEHRAN, Nov 28 (AFP) Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei told visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday that US-led forces had to leave Iraq if security was to be restored in the country. "The first step to solve the security issue in Iraq is the exit of the occupiers from this country and leaving the security issues to the people-based Iraqi government," Khamenei was quoted as saying by state television. "Americans will absolutely not succeed in Iraq and the continuation of Iraq's occupation is not a mouthful that Americans can swallow," Khamenei said during a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Abbas believes unity talks at "dead end" RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 28 (Reuters) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told Jordan that unity talks with Hamas have hit a "dead end" and he will pursue other options, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday. (Posted @ 20:55 PST)
Suicide bomber wounds two Syrians at Lebanon border DAMASCUS, Nov 28 (Reuters) A suicide bomber blew himself up at the Syrian side of Jdaidet Yabous crossing point with Lebanon Tuesday, wounding two Syrian security officials, the official SANA news agency said. SANA said Omar Hamra, was the military commander of a militant organisation called al-Tawheed Wal Jihad, which is pursued by Syrian authorities. A Lebanese security official said earlier that the man was killed when his own grenade exploded during a clash with Syrian police on the crossing point into Lebanon. (First Posted @ 20:05 PST, Updated @ 20:50 PST)
Bush reaffirms backing for Georgia NATO bid RIGA, Nov 28 (Reuters) The United States will continue to support Georgia's aspiration to join the NATO alliance despite strong Russian opposition which has caused tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi, President George W. Bush said in a speech Tuesday at the University of Latvia. (Posted @ 20:35 PST)
Positive lead found to nab culprits of Dargai incident: Sherpao ISLAMABAD, Nov 28 (APP) Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao Tuesday said the government has got a positive lead to nab culprits of Dargai incident for which some suspects are being interrogated. "We have got a positive lead and some people are being interrogated to apprehend culprits of incident in Dargai," he said while addressing a press conference at Parliament House Cafeteria. The Minister informed that investigations also indicated linkage of Dargai incident with Al-Qaeda elements. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
U.S. Marine killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 28 (AP) A U.S. Marine died Monday from wounds sustained while fighting in Anbar province, the military said Tuesday. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Bush rejects early US troop withdrawal from Iraq RIGA, Nov 28 (AFP) US President George W. Bush on Tuesday ruled out an early withdrawal of US troops from Iraq "before the mission is complete", amid growing pressure for him to bring the forces home. "One thing I won't do, I am not going to pull the troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete," he said in a speech in Riga, Latvia, ahead of a NATO summit. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Jordan will reject 'unjust' Mideast settlement, reiterates support for Baghdad AMMAN, Nov 28 (AFP) Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday pledged his country will reject any "unjust settlement" of the Palestinian issue that could undermine Amman's own stability and development. "My government ... commits itself to offering all possible support to the Palestinians," the king said. "Jordan will not accept an unjust settlement of this issue, nor will Jordan accept any settlement that comes at its expense," he told the upper and lower chambers of parliament. Speaking ahead of a visit Wednesday to Jordan by US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to discuss Iraq's security situation, the monarch reiterated his support for Baghdad. "My government will continue to stand by the Iraqi people, and by Iraq's unity, sovereignty, security and stability," he said. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Nepal government, Maoists sign crucial arms accord KATHMANDU, Nov 28 (AFP) Nepal's government and Maoists signed an accord Tuesday mandating the United Nations to begin monitoring rebel weapons and troops. "We have signed a 12-page agreement on disarmament. There are many issues covered in the agreement, including verification of Maoist weapons and army and the role we would like the United Nations to take in monitoring," Pradeep Gyawali, a government negotiator said. (Posted @ 19:43 PST)
Cricket-Shabbir's action cleared after tests: PCB KARACHI, Nov 28 (Reuters) Banned paceman Shabbir Ahmed had his bowling action cleared by biomechanics experts in Australia, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said Tuesday. "The preliminary reports sent to us after Shabbir underwent tests at the University of Western Australia show his action is now within the tolerance level allowed by the International Cricket Council (ICC)," Saleem Altaf, the PCB's director of cricket operations, told Reuters. The ICC tolerance levels allow bowlers to extend their elbows up to 15 degrees. "In view of these reports we will be approaching the ICC to allow him to resume playing international cricket as soon as the ban period ends on December 19," Altaf said, adding that "the detailed report is expected within a week after which we will go for the clearance.” (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Correa official victor in Ecuador's presidential election QUITO, Nov 28 (AFP) Leftist Rafael Correa on Tuesday was officially named the winner of Ecuador's presidential election, carrying a 15.8-point lead over rival Alvaro Noboa, with 90.1 percent of the votes tallied. (Posted @ 19:25 PST)
Blair vows fullest probe into Russian spy poisoning COPENHAGEN, Nov 28 (AFP) No stone will be left unturned at home or abroad in the investigation into the poisoning death of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday. In his first public comments on the affair, Blair told a news conference here that the ex-KGB agent's death was a "very, very serious matter" and police were determined to find out exactly what happened and who was behind it. "There is no diplomatic or political barrier in the way of that investigation going where it needs to go," he said after talks with his Danish counterpart Anders Fogh Rasmussen. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Jordanian king, Abbas urge revival of Mideast peace process AMMAN, Nov 28 (AFP) Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday discussed ways of reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks on the eve of a visit by US President George W. Bush, and a day after Israel offered to renew peace negotiations, the royal court said. (Posted @ 19:13 PST)
Turkish PM greets pope on tarmac at Ankara airport ANKARA, Nov 28 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the unusual step Tuesday of personally greeting Pope Benedict XVI as the pontiff arrived on the tarmac at Ankara airport for a four-day visit to Turkey. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
US F-16 pilot not at crash site: military BAGHDAD, Nov 28 (AFP) A US pilot whose F-16 fighter plane crashed northwest of Baghdad was not found at the crash site and the US Air Force said on Tuesday it did not know what had happened to him. (Posted @ 18:55 PST)
Two suicide bombs hit Afghanistan HERAT, Afghanistan, Nov 28 (AFP) Two suicide car bombs struck Tuesday, killing a policeman and wounding a NATO soldier in attacks. Afghan police said meanwhile that scores of militants alleged to be with Al-Qaeda stormed a checkpoint on the eastern border with Pakistan, sparking an hour-long battle that left at least two rebels dead. (First Posted @ 14:00 PST, Updated @ 18:53 PST)
NATO chief lashes allies over Afghan troop commitments RIGA, Nov 28 (AFP) NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hit out Tuesday at alliance countries for failing to provide reinforcements in insurgency-hit Afghanistan, as world leaders gathered for a summit in Latvia. NATO has lost a record 3,700 troops this year, four times more than last year, according to an official report. "It is not acceptable that our mission in the south still lacks 20 percent of its requirements," Scheffer said. "When you have a situation where people are actually being shot at, you have combat operations…10 or 15 percent becomes more important," Jones said Tuesday at a pre-summit conference in Riga. He said that shortfall could make all the difference in a tough battle. "You lose one or two infantry battalions, you lose helicopter mobility, you lose reconnaissance capability, you lose some of the critical enablers that you need," he said. Troop numbers aside, commanders on the ground are also frustrated by the caveats or conditions that nations are placing on the use of their forces. "Caveats take away operational effectiveness," Scheffer said. "We can ill afford reconstruction armies that cannot handle combat." (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Blair warns NATO credibility at stake in Afghanistan COPENHAGEN, Nov 28 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged NATO allies Tuesday to do more in Afghanistan saying the alliance's credibility and global security were at risk. "NATO's credibility is at stake here. If you don't succeed in Afghanistan the whole of the world will be less secure," Blair told a news conference with his Danish counterpart Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "Only if NATO gives a sign of strength…will we make Afghanistan a country that makes progress," Blair added. (Posted @ 18:15 PST)
Up to 17 killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 28 (AFP) Insurgents killed up to 17 people and injured dozens more in Iraq on Tuesday, including four in a triple car bomb attack at a Baghdad hospital morgue, security sources said. Three car bombs exploded outside west Baghdad's Yarmuk hospital killing four people and wounding at least 40 others waiting to collect bodies of relatives from the morgue. In the town of Mahmudiyah, insurgents attacked a water treatment plant, killed five employees and injured several others, while at least seven people were killed and many others injured in Baquba. In Kirkuk, a suicide bomber attacked the governor of the province Abdel Rahman Mustafa who escaped unhurt. However, one bystander was killed and 18 other people were wounded. (Posted @ 18:05 PST)
Police crackdown ahead of protest march in Baluchistan KARACHI, Nov 28 (Agencies) Police Tuesday made a series of arrests ahead of a planned anti-government march, detaining some 50 people including Akhtar Mengal, a former chief minister of Baluchistan, officials said. "About 50 people, including the BNP (Baluch National Party) chief and members of the party's central committee have been detained for breaching the peace," police officer Ghulam Ali Lashari said. They were taken into custody from Sakran, a small town 80 kilometers west of Karachi, from where BNP leaders were heading to Gwadar to lead a march Thursday. The BNP claimed police swoops over the past few days had netted as many as 200 party workers to thwart the rally. Another report said, Akhtar Mengal has been put under house-arrest because of his attempts to create law and order situation. (First Posted@ 17:10 PST, Updated @ 17:50 PST)
OCCUPIED KASHMIR: Indian army Major killed, youth martyred in clash Srinagar, occupied Kashmir, Nov 28 (PPI) In occupied Kashmir, an Indian army Major was killed and a Kashmiri youth was martyred in a clash at Baba Mohalla in Bejbehara on Tuesday. According to Kashmir Media Service, a soldier was also injured in the clash, which followed after troops cordoned off the locality and conducted house-to-house searches. Military authorities in Srinagar said that the martyred youth was a top Mujahid commander. Meanwhile, forceful protest demonstrations were staged at Rampora, Bandipora against stepped-up Indian state-terrorism. The protesters told newsmen that the troops, during a crackdown, destroyed five residential houses in the area and subjected residents to torture. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Six tourists among 10 wounded in occupied Kashmir attack SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Nov 28 (Reuters) Ten civilians, including six Indian tourists, were wounded when suspected militants threw a grenade in a resort town in occupied Kashmir on Tuesday, police said. The tourists were attacked in Tangmarg on their way back from the ski resort of Gulmarg, about 35 km from Srinagar. At least 15 tourists have been killed and 55 wounded this year in attacks on visitors in insurgency-hit occupied Kashmir. (Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Public, Private partnership vital to build stronger Pakistan: PM ISLAMABAD, Nov 28 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday said the public and private sector together can meet the development challenges facing the country and build a stronger, prosperous Pakistan. Inaugurating a two-day forum on Integrating Resources for Development Prime Minister Aziz he said "our people are looking for a better future and together we will give them one." He said the government has structured the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme that includes establishment of a Task Force including all key stakeholders. The Task Force will formulate a policy, regulatory and legislation structure for the PPPs. "This programme will revolutionise the way infrastructure is procured in Pakistan, and transform our public service delivery at par with the best global standards," he added. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Pakistan desires enhanced trade, economic relationship with UK: PM ISLAMABAD, Nov 28 (APP): Underlining the importance of longstanding diplomatic, political and economic linkages between Pakistan and the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said Pakistan desires to further strengthen economic and trade relationship through greater interaction of private and public sectors. Talking to Ian McCartney, UK Minister for Trade and his 10-member delegation comprising representatives of London Stock Exchange, financial institutions and senior officials he said Pakistan desires to initiate talks on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with European Union and sought Britain’s support in this regard. Ian McCartney said the private sector is keen to invest in Pakistan in health-care, financial and oil and gas sectors through joint ventures with Pakistani companies and on public private partnership basis. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Cricket-Australia name unchanged squad for second test MELBOURNE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australia named an unchanged 13-man squad for the second Ashes test against England starting in Adelaide on Friday, Cricket Australia said. It is: Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
Satellite to track elusive Pakistani snow leopards ISLAMABAD, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Conservationists in Pakistan have for the first time attached a satellite tracking collar to a snow leopard with the aim of gathering crucial information for efforts to save the endangered big cats. The study is being carried out by WWF-Pakistan, the Snow Leopard Trust conservation group and the wildlife department of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. There are between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards left in the world, between 200 and 420 of them in Pakistan, according to the Snow Leopard Trust. The conservationists hope to catch and collar five of the leopards for the Pakistani study. A second was recently caught in a special humane snare but it managed to escape. The WWF has started an insurance scheme under which farmers who lose animals to snow leopards can get compensation, aiming to dissuade villagers from hunting them down. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
NATO chief sees handover to Afghan troops in 2008 RIGA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - NATO forces should be able to hand over responsibility to Afghanistan's security forces gradually in 2008, the alliance's secretary-general said Tuesday in a speech to a security conference hours before the start of a summit of alliance leaders in Latvia. But De Hoop Scheffer said that at present any talk of withdrawals in Afghanistan was premature. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
At least forty-five bodies found in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 28 (AFP) The bodies of at least 40 people were recovered Monday by police from several areas of Baghdad, police sources reported. Another security source reported the discovery of five more bodies on a roadside between Baghdad and Baquba, some 50 kilometres to the north. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Al-Qaeda controls western Iraq: US intelligence report WASHINGTON, Nov 28 (AFP) US forces can neither crush the insurgency in western Iraq nor counter the rising popularity of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network in the area, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing a secret Marine Corps intelligence report. The five-page report was written in August but as of mid-November the problems remained the same, a senior US intelligence official told the Post.(Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Bush refuses to talk of 'civil war' in Iraq TALLINN, Estonia, Nov 28 (AFP) US President George W. Bush refused on Tuesday to talk of civil war in Iraq, saying recent violence there was part of a spiral of sectarian unrest taking place for the past nine months. "We have been in this phase for a while. What you are seeing on TV started last February," Bush said in the Estonian capital, after holding talks with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. Replying to another question he urged NATO countries to "accept difficult assignments" in insurgency-hit Afghanistan adding that the members “must provide the forces NATO military commanders require.”(Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Hizbul Mujahedin chief sets three conditions for occupied Kashmir truce SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Nov 28 (AFP) Hizbul Mujahedin and United Jihad Council chief, Syed Salahudin, told a Srinigar-based news agency on Tuesday that a truce can be made if New Delhi frees jailed fighters, cuts troop levels and ends rights violations. "We are ready to announce a truce even today, but for that India will have to accept our three conditions," Salahudin told the Urdu-language Current News Service (CNS). Salahudin added that he "would be the happiest person if guns on both sides stop roaring". But he also criticised the process of talks with New Delhi. "The talks have served no purpose so far," said Salahudin.(Posted @ 14:50 PST)
China, U.S. and North Korea nuclear envoys meet BEIJING, Nov 28 (AP) Negotiators for China, the United States and North Korea met Tuesday to discuss details of restarting six-nation talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. China hopes that ``relevant parties can have an in-depth exchange of ideas in order to promote the early resumption of talks,'' the spokeswoman said at a regular briefing. (First Posted @ 09:55 PST Updated @ 14:10 PST)
Gunmen kill Russian soldier in Chechenya ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, Nov 28 (AP) Gunmen killed a Russian soldier and wounded two others Monday evening in Gudermes city, regional police said Tuesday.(Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Bollywood star Dutt convicted for arms possession MUMBAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) Top Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was convicted on Tuesday of illegally possessing weapons but cleared of conspiracy charges in connection with a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai that killed 257 people in 1993. Sentences will be handed after all the verdicts are delivered, expected to take two more weeks.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Afghanistan's "opium economy" unprecedented: UN, World Bank KABUL, Nov 28 (AFP) The scale of Afghanistan's "opium economy" is virtually unprecedented, a UN and World Bank report said Tuesday, warning it threatens to ruin the country's attempts to rebuild after years of war. Efforts to cut back Afghan opium production -- which makes up more than 90 percent of the world total -- were being hampered by corruption, with wealthy opium producers paying bribes to stop eradication, it said.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
US chopper goes down in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 28 (AFP) A US helicopter was forced to make what the military called a "hard landing" during operations southwest of Baghdad, a US spokeswoman said Tuesday. “Coalition forces on board sustained no injuries. There was no collateral damage in the incident," the spokeswoman added.(Posted @ 11:35 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 12.45 points: KARACHI, Nov 28: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10762.86 , up 12.45 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 28: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.85 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 |