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| December 14, 2006 | Thursday | Ziqa'ad 22, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
400 suspected militants handed over to Afghanistan, Pakistan says ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec 14 (AP) Pakistan arrested more than 500 suspected Taliban militants in Quetta and other cities this year, out of which more than 400 were handed over to the Afghan authorities, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement. (Posted @ 17:54 PST)
Pakistan grab Asiad bronze, qualify for Olympics DOHA, Dec 14 (AFP) Pakistan won the Asian Games men's field hockey bronze medal with a 4-2 win over Japan on Thursday, earning themselves a place in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Match scores summary: Bronze medal match: Pakistan 4 (Adnan Maqsood 11, Shakeel Abbasi 32, Muhammad Waqas 41, 53), Japan 2 (Takahiko Yamabori 9, 57), H-t: 2-1; Classification matches: 5-6 positions: India 4, Malaysia 0, H-t: 1-0; 7-8 positions: Bangladesh 5, Taiwan 1, H-t: 2-0. (Posted @ 19:24 PST)
Iraq kidnap gang releases 29 hostages BAGHDAD, Dec 14, (AFP) - An Iraqi kidnapping gang has released 29 of an estimated 50 hostages it had seized earlier Thursday in a brazen daylight raid on a popular shopping street, a security official said. "They released 29 of those who were kidnapped, some of them in the Shaab neighbourhood, and some in Sadun street," a security official said, naming two areas in east Baghdad a short distance from the site of the mass kidnap. (First Posted @ 14:00 PST Updated @ 23:24 PST)
Ban Ki-moon sworn in as next UN chief to succeed Annan UNITED NATIONS, Dec 14, (AFP) - Ban Ki-moon of South Korea was sworn in Thursday as the next UN secretary general at a plenary session of the General Assembly that also honored the outgoing UN chief, Kofi Annan. General Assembly President Haya Rashad al-Khalifa of Bahrain administered the oath office to the 62-year-old former foreign minister, who will officially take up his post next January 1. (Posted @ 21:46 PST)
Eight killed in Dubai road accident DUBAI, Dec 14 (AFP) Eight people were killed and 29 injured Thursday when a bus crashed into two mini-buses during heavy rain on Sheikh Zayed highway, police said. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)
Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank NABLUS, West Bank, Dec 14 (Reuters) Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, officials said. Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian activist in a refugee camp in Nablus, residents said, and also wounded four other Palestinians during a raid. In an earlier incident, a 29-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead after soldiers fired upon stone throwers in the village of Kafr al-Deek, near Ramallah. (First Posted @ 09:25 PST Updated @ 20:30 PST)
Arab League mediation in Beirut fails BEIRUT, Dec 14 (Reuters) Arab League chief Amr Moussa failed on Thursday to broker a deal to resolve Lebanon's political crisis, a senior political source said. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
"Babel" leads Golden Globes with seven nominations LOS ANGELES, Dec 14 (Reuters) The movie "Babel" earned seven nominations, "The Departed" earned six along with "Bobby," "Little Children" and "The Queen" for Golden Globe awards on Thursday. "Dreamgirls," which scored five nominations overall, was nominated for best movie musical or comedy, along with "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Thank You For Smoking" and "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." Nominees for best actor in a film drama were topped by Leonardo DiCaprio for two movies, "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed." He is joined by Peter O'Toole for "Venus," Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness" and Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland." The nominees for best actress in a film drama were Penelope Cruz for Spanish film "Volver," Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Sherrybaby," and three British actresses, Kate Winslet in "Little Children," Helen Mirren for "The Queen" and Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal. Golden Globe winners will be named in a ceremony in Beverly Hills on Jan. 15. (Posted @ 20:06 PST)
Palestinian PM Haniyeh blocked from entering Gaza GAZA, Dec 14 (Reuters) Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was prevented from returning to Gaza on Thursday after a two-week trip abroad, a spokeswoman for European monitors at the border said. Israeli security sources said that Defence Minister Amir Peretz had instructed the crossing to be closed. (Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Blair questioned by police in cash-for-honours probe LONDON, Dec 14 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair was questioned Thursday by police probing allegations that his ruling Labour Party gave honours to financial backers, his office said. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Princess Diana's death an accident: report LONDON, Dec 14 (AP) A three-year inquiry into the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed concluded Thursday that allegations of murder were unfounded, and that the Paris car crash that killed the two in 1997 was a ``tragic accident,'' a senior police officer said. The inquiry said that blood samples taken from the driver of the vehicle showed his blood-alcohol level was twice the British legal limit. The report also disputed the claim that Diana was pregnant and intended to marry Dodi Fayed. (First Posted @ 17:50 PST Updated @ 18:22 PST)
Annan urges Bush to talk to Iran and Syria on Iraq PARIS, Dec 14 (AFP) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday urged US President George W. Bush to involve Iran and Syria in the search for a solution to the crisis in Iraq. Annan said he felt the brutal situation reigning in Iraq was one of his biggest regrets as he prepares to leave. "Initially, I didn't say there was a civil war because that wasn't the case. But as things have gone along, that has clearly become the case." Annan added that he was against the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq from the beginning. (Posted @ 16:18 PST)
Suicide attack kills at least four in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Dec 14 (AFP) A suicide bomber blew himself up near a police convoy in Qalat, the capital of southern Afghanistan’s Zabul province, killing at least four people and injuring 29 others Thursday, the interior ministry said. (FirstPosted @ 14:00 PST, Updated @ 14:50 PST)
Gunmen attack Iraq vice president convoy, no injuries BAGHDAD, Dec 14 (Reuters) Gunmen attacked the convoy of Iraqi vice president, Adel Abdul Mahdi, in Baghdad Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries, Interior Ministry officials said. An Interior Ministry official told Reuters Mahdi was in the convoy but was not hurt. One of Mahdi's aides had called for help from the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces. He said the convoy was afraid to move forward for fear of roadside bombs. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Hundreds of thousands of Indian public employees strike NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (AFP) Hundreds of thousands of state bank, insurance, port and transport employees were on strike across India Thursday to protest privatisation plans and to demand new labour laws. "Airport, water transport, ports and docks and manufacturing have all been affected," Chittabrata Majumadar, of CITU, a federation of unions that counts 3.8 million workers among its members, told AFP. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Strike shuts down India's communist-ruled states KOLKATA, India, Dec 14 (Reuters) A strike called by one of India's biggest trade unions over prices and lack of jobs shut down schools and offices in the communist-ruled states of West Bengal and Kerala Thursday but it had little impact in the rest of the country. The strike enforced by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions also shut down the airport in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Three shot dead in rebellious Thai south YALA, Thailand, Dec 14 (AFP) Six gunmen burst into a local government office in Yala province and opened fire, killing two Buddhist engineers and seriously injuring a woman. Later Thursday, a 46-year-old Muslim man, a former village chief, was shot dead in Narathiwat province. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Australia all out for 244 PERTH, Australia, Dec 14 (AFP) Australia were dismissed for 244 on the first day of the third Ashes cricket Test against England at the WACA Ground here. Monty Panesar claimed 5-92 for England, while Mike Hussey was not out 74. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)Live Commentary
Eight Taliban killed in western Afghanistan KABUL, Dec 14 (AP) Eight suspected Taliban militants were killed and a policeman wounded in a joint operation by the Afghan police and army in western Farah province Tuesday, a provincial governor said Thursday. Separately in the south, NATO troops launched a ``precision air strike against a known Taliban command post'' in an isolated area of Kandahar province’s Panjwayi district late Wednesday, an ISAF statement said adding that the target was completely destroyed. Local officials said they did not know yet the number of casualties from the air strike. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Bangladesh government in last-ditch bid to end vote crisis DHAKA, Dec 14 (AFP) Bangladesh's interim government said Thursday it was making a last-ditch attempt to meet opposition demands for electoral reform and ensure January polls can go ahead. "Only five percent of the problems now the remaining problems I think the Awami League will take part in the polls" slated for January 23, interim cabinet member Shafiqul Haq Chowdhury told reporters. He also pledged that the army would for the time being "take rest" at their camps while police and paramilitaries would be used to maintain law and order. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Sixteen Saudis held in Guantanamo return home RIYADH, Dec 14 (Reuters) Sixteen Saudis held in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay returned to the kingdom on Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told SPA they will be allowed to meet their kin but did not say when they will be freed. "The returnees will be subject to regulations applied in the kingdom," he said without elaboration. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
US military chiefs urge shift in Iraq war: Washington Post WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff are recommending a shift in the military focus in Iraq from battling insurgents to strengthening Iraqi forces along with a new emphasis on resolving political and economic issues, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Citing sources familiar with the White House Iraq policy review, the report said the top defence officials gave their assessment of what the military can and cannot do in Iraq during a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush at the Pentagon on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff was not immediately reachable for comment. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Two Laotian-Americans shot dead in Thai border town BANGKOK, Dec 14(AFP) Two Laotians with American citizenship were shot dead execution-style in Thailand while returning from their homeland, police said Thursday. Thai police refused to speculate whether the victims were anti-government activists. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
Rocket fired at Israeli town JERUSALEM, Dec 14 (AFP) A rocket fired early Thursday from the Gaza Strip exploded in the southern Israeli town of Sderot but caused no casualties or damage, police said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Troops kill six Tiger rebels in east Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Dec 14 (AFP) Security forces shot dead at least six Tamil Tiger rebels during a confrontation in Sri Lanka's eastern province late Wednesday, officials said Thursday. The troops and a group of fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) clashed near Poonani and security forces recovered the bodies of six Tigers, a military official said. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Gunmen abduct 10 children in Haitian capital PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Dec 14 (AP) Gunmen abducted 10 children after hijacking a school bus and another car Wednesday in brazen daylight assaults in La Plaine, a northern suburb of Port-au-Prince, local media reports said. Police confirmed that several students were kidnapped, but did not know exactly how many had been taken. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Bus crash leaves 21 dead, 30 injured in Peru LIMA, Peru, Dec 14 (AP) A passenger bus slammed into an oncoming truck on a mountain curve and plunged into a river in Peru's Amazonas state Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 30, authorities said. The accident occurred in a mountainous jungle region of Amazonas, 680 kilometers northwest of the capital Lima, police said. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
North Korea appears serious about denuclearisation talks: US WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (AFP) North Korea has indicated it is ready to "deal in specifics" about giving up its newly proven nuclear arsenal when it returns to six-party disarmament negotiations next week in Beijing, the top US negotiator and Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Wednesday. However, Hill predicted "very tough negotiations" and said there were no guarantees the process would achieve its goal of convincing North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program: "At this point I can't tell you if that strategic choice has been made or not.” (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 17.34 points: KARACHI, Dec 14: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10604.43, up 17.34 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Dec 14: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61.05 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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