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| December 17, 2006 | Sunday | Ziqa'ad 25, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Wedding fire, stampede kills 27 including bride in Pakistan MULTAN, Pakistan, Dec 17 (Reuters) - A fire at a wedding party triggered a stampede and collapse of a wall in central Pakistan, killing the bride and 26 other women and children, police said on Sunday. The marriage party was underway in a tent near the city of Dera Ghazi Khan on Saturday night when it caught fire. An electrical short-circuit is thought to have caused the blaze. Several women and children died of burns. Many of those fleeing scaled a nearby wall, causing it to collapse. "Twenty women and seven children have been killed. The unfortunate bride is also among them," Nazar Abbas, a deputy superintendent of police, told Reuters. (First Posted @ 09:50 PST Updated @ 19:08 PST)
Pakistan to uphold Kashmir cause: Shaukat Aziz ISLAMABAD, Dec 17 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said Pakistan will continue steadfastly to uphold the Kashmir cause until a just and fair settlement of the dispute is found in keeping with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiris. Talking to a member of UK's House of Lords, Lord Nazim Ahmad in Islamabad Sunday, he said Pakistan will always support the just struggle of the Kashmiris. The Prime Minister emphasised that the ongoing process of composite dialogue with India needs to move from dispute management to dispute resolution and Pakistan has made several proposals to move the process forward. He said that the Kashmiri community living in the UK is an asset and has always played a leading role in highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international level. (Posted @ 23:48 PST)
UK troops to stay in Iraq until job done BAGHDAD, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Sunday British troops would stay in Iraq "until the job is done" and pledged to support the country's weak government as it battles sectarian violence and a raging Sunni Arab insurgency. Blair said he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had discussed the need for national reconciliation and building up Iraq's security forces to fight soaring Shi'ite-Sunni sectarian violence that has pushed the country close to all-out civil war. (First Posted @ 20:48 PST Updated @ 23:26 PST)
PCB retains Inzamam, Younis, Woolmer, Talat till 2007 World Cup KARACHI, Dec 17 (APP)- Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Sunday retained Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Vice-Captain Younis Khan till ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 being held in West Indies in March/April. "PCB adhoc committee also decided to retain coach Bob Woolmer and Manager Talat Ali as the officials till the world cup 2007, PCB Chairman Dr.Nasim Ashraf told mediamen at National Stadium. (First Posted @ 21:14 PST Updated @ 23:18 PST)
Palestinian civilian killed in Gaza crossfire GAZA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - A Palestinian civilian was shot and killed during a gunbattle in Gaza on Sunday, hospital officials said. The 19-year-old woman, a bystander, was shot as clashes broke out between forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and those loyal to Hamas, the Islamist group that runs the government. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Hamas accuses Abbas of "military coup" in Gaza GAZA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The governing Hamas movement on Sunday said the seizure of two of its ministries by forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza amounted to a "military coup". Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, also a senior Hamas leader, demanded Abbas's forces leave the agriculture and transport ministries or said they would be arrested and disarmed. (Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Mortars fired at Abbas's office in Gaza, five wounded GAZA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Gunmen fired two mortar bombs at the office of President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza on Sunday and five members of Abbas's presidential guard were wounded, a Palestinian security source said. The bombs landed nearby but did not hit the building. Abbas is currently in the occupied West Bank. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Grave holding more than 30 victims from Saddam Hussein's regime uncovered in Karbala BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec 17 (AP) _ A grave holding more than 30 bodies apparently from Saddam Hussein's regime was found in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, police said. An Iraqi made the grisly discovery on Saturday when he uncovered bones and old clothes while he was digging a foundation for a house he was building. He informed the police, who found more than 30 bodies of men and women believed to have been killed in 1991 when Saddam's forces brutally crushed a Shiite uprising that followed the Gulf War. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Four die as truck turned turtle on Lahore-Islamabad Motorway CHAKWAL, Dec 17 (APP): At least two persons were killed and two others burnt alive when a loaded truck turned turtle due to break failure, police said on Sunday. According to police, a truck laden with chemical powder carrying seven people was heading towards Faisalabad on Lahore-Islamabad Motorway road when it turned turtle due to break failure. The truck caught fire, resultantly killing four people including two burnt alive while three others were saved last night. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Karzai rejects HRW report on Afghan administration KABUL, Dec 17, (AFP) - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai angrily rejected Sunday a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report which said war criminals were holding positions in his administration. The President "considered the report published by Human Rights Watch as incorrect and expressed his regret at its release," Karzai's office said in a statement. (Posted @ 19:22 PST)
Gunmen attack convoy of Hamas official in Gaza GAZA, Dec 17 (Reuters) Gunmen attacked a convoy carrying Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, a Hamas member, in Gaza on Sunday, security sources said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Gunmen kidnapped two dozen from Iraq Red Crescent office BAGHDAD, Dec 17 (AFP) Gunmen dressed in police uniforms kidnapped about two dozen men from a branch of the Red Crescent medical aid agency in Baghdad Sunday, a security source said. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Suicide attack on NATO convoy in Afghanistan kills one KHOST, Afghanistan, Dec 17 (AFP) An Afghan civilian was killed and three others injured Sunday in a suicide car bombing targeting a NATO convoy in eastern Afghanistan, local officials said. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
England 265 for five at stumps, chasing 557 for victory PERTH, Australia, Dec 17 (AFP) England were 265 for five at stumps on the fourth day of the third Ashes cricket Test against Australia at the WACA Ground here Sunday, chasing 557 for victory. Kevin Pietersen was not out 37 with Andrew Flintoff on two. (Posted @ 15:45 PST) Live Commentary
Australian-based NZealander reportedly killed in Iraq SYDNEY, Dec 17 (AFP) An Australian-based New Zealander working as a security contractor in Iraq has been killed in an attack on a convoy he was guarding, Australian media reported Sunday (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
France to withdraw special forces from Afghanistan KABUL, Dec 17 (AFP) French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie announced Sunday that France would withdraw hundreds of its special forces from Afghanistan within the next few weeks. "We'll pull our special forces out of Afghanistan in the coming weeks," Alliot-Marie told reporters during her visit to the Afghan capital Kabul. Seven members of the French special forces have been killed in action in the war-ravaged country, while 12 others have been wounded. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST Updated @ 14:10 PST)
India police fire teargas on prisoners JAMMU, Occupied Kashmir, Dec 17 (AFP) Police fired teargas at prisoners, including militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, after inmates pelted officials with stones in a protest over discipline, police said Sunday. Nearly 350 inmates of the heavily-guarded central jail near Jammu climbed on rooftops armed with iron rods. "The restive prisoners have come out of their barracks and refuse to climb down," said Jammu police chief S.P. Vaid. Among those in the prison are nearly 40 militants, jail officials said. More than 500 policemen in anti-riot gear were sent to the jail to restore order. Jail authorities said inmates had been complaining of new stricter rules. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Five dead as snow blankets SKorea SEOUL, Dec 17 (AFP) Heavy snow blanketed South Korea Sunday, disrupting air flights and causing traffic accidents that left five dead and 30 others injured, weather officials and police said. Up to 25 centimeters of snow had fallen across South Korea between late Saturday and early Sunday. (Posted @ 13: 45 PST)
Three US servicemen killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Dec 17 (AFP) Three US soldiers have been killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb while on a routine patrol, the US military announced Sunday. The three soldiers died and a fourth was wounded when the bomb exploded near one of their vehicles north of Baghdad on Saturday, the army said. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Kashmir protest after village head killed SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir , Dec 17 (AFP) Indian troops based in revolt-hit Occupied Kashmir on Sunday shot dead a Muslim village chief, sparking anti-government protests, the army and witnesses said. They said Sanaullah Magray was killed when he was heading towards a mosque in Targam village, near the highway town of Qazigund, south of Srinagar, in the early hours of Sunday. "It is an unfortunate incident. He got killed when he moved into an ambush area and ignored repeated warnings to stop," said Atul Malhotra, an army spokesman. Several hundred villagers poured into the streets and started chanting slogans including "We want freedom" and "Down with Indian army," witnesses said. Kashmir is in the grip of a 17-year-old insurgency against Indian rule that has so far left more than 44,000 people dead by official count. Indian troops are often accused of human rights violations. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Protests paralyse northern Bangladesh DHAKA, Dec 17 (AFP) Towns and cities in northern Bangladesh came to a halt Sunday after supporters loyal to former president General Hussain Mohammad Ershad enforced a strike to protest a court guilty verdict against him for squandering state funds in the purchase of patrol boats from Japan, police said. Ershad, who ruled Bangladesh between 1982 and 1990, is the leader of the Jatiya Party, the third largest in the outgoing parliament. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
13 dead in China bus crash BEIJING, Dec 17 (AFP) Thirteen people were killed and 27 injured when two buses collided head-on in northern China's Inner Mongolian region.The accident occurred Saturday morning on icy roads just outside of Tongliao city, Xinhua news agency reported. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
New Zealand 75 for two at close chasing 504 against Sri Lanka WELLINGTON, Dec 17 (AFP) New Zealand were 75 for two in their second innings as they chased a 504-run target against Sri Lanka at the close of the third day's play in the second cricket Test at the Basin Reserve here Sunday. Mathew Sinclair was 10 not out with Stephen Fleming on four when bad light brought an early end to play. Sri Lanka were all out in their second innings for 365 with Chamara Silva unbeaten on 152. (First Posted @ 09:45 PST Updated @ 10:15 PST) Live Commentary
Japanese, US nuclear envoys head to Beijing for six-way North Korea talks TOKYO, Dec 17 (AP) The U.S. and Japanese nuclear envoys headed to Beijing on Sunday ahead of international talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in return for security guarantees and aid. Chief U.S. envoy Christopher Hill was set to meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye Gwan in the Chinese capital, a day before the six-country talks start Monday. Washington and Pyongyang have demanded concessions from each other while offering little in return. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Discovery astronauts unable to fold jammed solar array HOUSTON, Texas, Dec 17 (AFP) US astronauts were unable Saturday to dislodge a jammed solar array panel on the International Space Station during a third space walk, likely forcing a fourth walk, NASA said approving a fourth space walk on Monday. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
One dead in Gaza clashes between Hamas, Fatah members GAZA CITY, Dec 17 (AFP) A member of the Palestinian presidential guard was killed and several others injured Sunday in a clash with supporters of the ruling Hamas, medical and security officials said. A security official said Hamas members tried to storm a southern Gaza training camp for the presidential guard, which Hamas has accused of targeting prime minister Ismail Haniya on Thursday by firing on his convoy. One member of the guard was killed in Sunday's clash, which involved automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. Witnesses told AFP there were explosions and intense exchanges of gunfire. Hamas officials were not immediately available for comment. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
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