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| January 07, 2007 | Saturday | Zilhaj 15, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Abbas demands that rival Hamas join security forces GAZA CITY, Jan 6, (AFP) - Three Palestinians were killed Saturday in factional clashes in Gaza after president Mahmud Abbas demanded that rival Hamas join existing security forces, a call rejected by the ruling Islamists. (First Posted @ 21:00 PST Updated @ 23:54 PST)
Cricket-South Africa win third test to clinch series CAPE TOWN, Jan 6 (Reuters) South Africa won the third test by five wickets on Saturday to clinch a 2-1 series victory against India. Captain Graeme Smith top scored with 55 as South Africa reached their target of 211 during the final session of the fifth day. (Posted @ 22:18 PST)
Bush offers Democrats cooperation on budget deficit, not Iraq WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (AFP) US President George W. Bush on Saturday offered leaders of Congress cooperation in eliminating the budget deficit and improving education in his radio address. But he avoided the issue of the war in Iraq. “By holding the line on spending and continuing our pro-growth policies, we can balance the budget and address the most urgent needs of our nation, which are winning the war on terror and maintaining a strong national defense, keeping our economy growing, and creating jobs,” he said. (Posted @ 22:08 PST)
Two Palestinian officials abducted in West Bank RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan 6 (AFP) Two senior officials from the Palestinian ruling Hamas movement were abducted on Saturday in separate incidents in the West Bank, security sources said. Masked gunmen abducted the director of the interior ministry office, Ihad Suleiman Ghidhan, in Ramallah. Ghidhan was found an hour later with three bullet wounds in his legs. In the northern town of Nablus, masked gunmen abducted deputy mayor Mehdi Hambali of Hamas, security sources said. His whereabouts remained unknown. (Posted @ 22:02 PST)
Two dead, 36 injured in occupied Kashmir grenade blast SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 6 (AFP) Two civilians were killed and 36 people, including four security personnel, were injured when unknown attackers hurled a grenade at a security patrol in Shopian town, 50 kilometres south of Srinagar, police said. (First Posted @ 19:28 PST Updated @ 21:56 PST)
Kashmiri leader unveils unification plan SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 6 (Reuters) A Kashmiri leader put forward a peace plan on Saturday to unify the disputed Himalayan territory -- claimed both by India and Pakistan -- and give it autonomy. Sajad Gani Lone, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference, proposed in a news conference that a unified Kashmir be administered by its people, while the region's defence could be the joint responsibility of Kashmiri, Indian and Pakistani authorities. Lone said “Achievable Nationhood” -- a 266-page document -- was the first of its kind. Among other things, the document envisages unhindered, tax-free movement of goods between the Azad and occupied Kashmir regions. “Achievable Nationhood propounds the creation of a single Jammu and Kashmir Economic Union which would result in a boundary-less and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Clashes in Baghdad after 27 bodies found BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (Reuters) Iraqi police clashed with gunmen in central Baghdad on Saturday when they went to investigate a report that 27 bodies had been found in one location near a cemetery, police and interior ministry sources said. Clashes were still continuing there. Meanwhile Prime Minister Maliki announced on Saturday what appears to be a major crackdown on militias, vowing commanders in each neighbourhood would come down hard on illegal groups, “regardless of their sect or politics”. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Afghanistan bans Bollywood film KABUL, Jan 6 (Reuters) Afghanistan has banned an Indian Bollywood film about journalists in the war-ravaged country because parts of it were deemed offensive to one of Afghanistan's ethnicities, namely the Hazara, a government official said on Saturday. “Kabul Express” charts a 48-hour journey by three journalists in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Afghans involved in the film including the actors who uttered the sentences deemed offensive would be questioned by a prosecutor, the Afghan official added. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Saudi Arabia urges U.S. to change course in Iraq DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) Saudi Arabia has urged the United States to change course in Iraq and warned against the break-up of the country along ethnic or religious lines, a newspaper said on Saturday. Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz in published comments to the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper also called on Iraqis to launch a national dialogue to end the bloodshed and urged Iraq's neighbours to stop meddling in its affairs. “The kingdom has not and will not interfere in Iraq's domestic affairs, leaving room for its people to find a way out of the crisis they are living through,” the prince added. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Extremists should be defeated in coming elections: Musharraf DI KHAN, Jan 6 (APP) President Musharraf on Saturday said that Pakistan today is at a critical juncture, facing a choice between sustained progress or reversal as preached by extremists. Addressing a gathering here at D.I. Khan, the president said that all differences arising from terrorism, extremism and sectarianism hamper development and progress in the country. He urged restraint in this regard and said that only god almighty knows who is a true Muslim and who isn’t. He said that all extremist, obscurantist and retrogressive elements should be defeated in the coming general elections so that the country continues to march on the road to progress. Later the president announced that natural gas would be provided to D I Khan and five other districts including Kirk, Laki Marwat, Tank, Bannu, Hangu by Dec 2007. He said the inauguration of the Gomalzam dam will be done by March, while the engineering studies for the feasibility of Tankzam dam were currently under way. He also announced the construction of a 22 km long bypass for DI Khan, apart from a 220 KV grid station to solve electricity problems of the area. (Posted @ 20:32 PST)
NATO-led soldiers wounded in Afghanistan attacks KABUL, Jan 6, (AFP) A suicide attacker exploded a bomb-filled car near International Security Assistance Force soldiers in the eastern province of Paktika Friday, officials said Saturday. In another attack on the foreign soldiers, a roadside bomb exploded and struck an ISAF convoy on Saturday in the southern province of Kandahar, a spokesman said. In the eastern province of Khost meanwhile an investigation chief in the provincial intelligence branch was shot dead on his way to work Saturday. (Posted @ 19:26 PST)
Suspected suicide bomber attacks Sri Lanka bus, nine dead COLOMBO, Jan 6 (Reuters) A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew up a bus in Sri Lanka's south coast resort area on Saturday, killing herself and eight passengers and wounding 50, police said. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST Updated @ 19:24 PST)
PM says Saddam hanging Iraqi affair BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday Saddam Hussein's execution was a “domestic affair” and warned countries which have criticised the hanging that his government could review relations with them. Maliki said in a speech marking Army Day that Saddam had received a fair trial and that his execution was for the benefit of Iraq's unity. (Posted @ 19:22 PST)
Fifty feared dead in Bangladesh bus fire DHAKA, Jan 6 (Reuters) Around 50 people were feared killed when a bus packed with some 100 passengers crashed on a highway and caught fire southeast of Dhaka on Saturday. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Saudi urges Lebanon leaders to end impasse DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz urged Lebanese leaders to negotiate an end to their political crisis. “We fear some of the incidents that Lebanon is going through represent dangerous turning points that threaten its economic and political security and stability,” Prince Sultan told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Rebels kill 43 in multiple attacks in India's Assam GUWAHATI, India, Jan 6 (Reuters) Suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) guerrillas in India's restive northeastern state of Assam killed 43 people, mostly labourers and traders, in a series of coordinated overnight attacks, police said on Saturday. The attacks forced the authorities to step up security across Assam. (First Posted @ 10:45 PST Updated @ 16:54 PST)
British councils to help combat extremism LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters): The British government is to give five million pounds to local authorities in its latest attempt to prevent young Muslims from being radicalised, the Daily Mirror reported on Saturday. The newspaper said the money would be used to identify radical Muslim groups, with local government staff also asked to act as “the eyes and ears for police in countering threats”. (Posted @ 16:52 PST)
Anti-Ethiopian protests erupt in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Jan 6: Hundreds of Somalis burned tyres and threw stones on Saturday in protest at the presence of Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu, witnesses said. “All the businesses (near K4) are closed. People are busy defending their businesses,” a resident said. (Posted @ 16:32 PST)
Cricket-Sri Lanka demolish New Zealand by 189 runs SYDNEY, Jan 6: Sri Lanka demolished New Zealand by 189 runs on Saturday to win the fourth one-day international at Auckland, leveling their five-game series at 2-2. Sri Lanka skittled the New Zealanders for just 73 -- their second-lowest total in limited-overs internationals -- after posting 262 for six in their own innings. Chaminda Vaas (3-10) and fellow seamer Lasith Malinga (3-14) captured six wickets between them, while off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan polished off the tail with 2-7. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST Updated @ 16:28 PST)
Police arrest 1,500 activists ahead of nationwide strike, political alliance says DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan 6 (AP) Police have detained about 1,500 activists ahead of a two-day nationwide general strike aimed at forcing electoral reform and the postponement of a general election this month, a key political alliance said Saturday. Nevertheless, the alliance still plans to enforce the strike and transport blockade on Sunday and Monday, said Obaidul Qader, the spokesman for a 19-party alliance led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Grenade attack wounds lawyer, four family members in southwestern Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, Jan 6 (AP) Gunmen hurled a hand grenade and fired at the home of a lawyer in southwestern Pakistan, wounding him and four of his family members, police said Saturday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack late Friday at the home of Mohammed Rafique in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, and a senior police official, Wazir Khan Nasir, said officers were still investigating. The attackers fired a single shot that injured Rafique, he said, adding that as the lawyer's panicked family members tried to take him to hospital the gunmen threw a grenade and escaped. Nasir said police later transported the wounded to a hospital where they were in a stable condition. The motive behind the attack was not known, police said. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
US imposes sanctions on arms suppliers to Iran, Syria WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (AFP) The United States announced sanctions Friday against 24 foreign entities, including Russian, Chinese and North Korean firms, for allegedly selling banned weapons to Iran and Syria. The move drew a sharp protest from Moscow. Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboroneksport was among the highest profile firms hit by the measures, imposed under the 2005 Iran and Syria Nonproliferation Act. The measures took effect as of December 28, a State Department official said. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
U.S. student dies in truck crash on Dominican Republic medical mission SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Jan 6 (AP) An American medical volunteer was killed and several others passengers injured when their truck overturned early Thursday in the northern province of Puerto Plata near the Dominican town of Palo Blanco, authorities and medical officials said Friday. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
U.S. news agency says photographer killed in Iraq NEW YORK, Jan 6 (Reuters) A photographer with the Associated Press has been shot and killed in Baghdad, the U.S. news organization said on Friday. The body of Ahmed Hadi Naji, 28, was found with a gun shot wound in the back of his head, the agency's Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs said in a statement, adding that, Naji, whose body was found in a morgue, had been a messenger and occasional cameraman for the Associated Press (AP) for two-and-a-half-years. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Rice calls for denuclearization moves from North Korea WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (AFP) United States on Friday intensified efforts to resume nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, while confirming it was working with Japan on an emergency plan for a possible crisis in the Korean peninsula. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a joint news conference with visiting South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon that the six-party talks could resume “fairly soon” if Pyongyang signals it is ready for constructive denuclearization steps. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Motorist opens fire in central Paris, no injuries reported PARIS, Jan 6 (AP) A motorist opened fire in a Paris neighbourhood late Friday, but no injuries were reported, police said. The man fired about 20 rounds from the car window at storefronts and bus stops in the 16th district of the French capital, police said, adding that he then abandoned the car at the scene and fled on foot. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Passenger jet makes emergency landing in Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan 6 (AP) A passenger jet flying from India to Slovakia with 177 people aboard made an emergency landing at Azerbaijan's main airport on Friday after a crack appeared in the windshield, an official of Azerbaijan's state-run airline said requesting anonymity. Nobody was hurt when the Air Slovakia Boeing 757 landed at the airport in the capital, Baku. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Roof over Winter Olympics stadium collapses under snow VANCOUVER, Canada, Jan 6 (AFP) An inflated roof over the main stadium for the 2010 Winter Olympics collapsed under a blanket of wet snow Friday, with no reported injuries, the Vancouver fire department said. The distinct balloon-like roof over British Columbia Place Stadium ripped during a winter storm, a Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services official said. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Rains, mudslides kill 24 in southeast Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 6 (Reuters) At least 24 people died in mudslides and more than 8,300 were left homeless this week following heavy rain in southeast Brazil, the Civil Defence said Friday. Most of the deaths occurred in Rio de Janeiro state when shacks built on steep slopes surrounding mountainous towns were swept away. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Five Chinese telecoms workers abducted in Nigeria LAGOS, Jan 6 (AFP) Five Chinese telecommunications workers were abducted early Friday in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta by unidentified armed men, a Chinese diplomat said. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
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