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| January 16, 2007 | Tuesday | Zilhaj 25, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan army strikes coupound in South Waziristan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 16 (AP) Pakistan army carried out an early morning airstrike on Tuesday using gunship helicopters at suspected militant hideouts in South Waziristan tribal region, killing 10 people and injuring 10 others, officials said. The army said the dead were all militants, but a resident said the slain men were in fact Afghan laborers. An army statement said intelligence sources confirmed the presence of 25 to 30 foreign terrorists and their local facilitators occupying five compounds in the thickly forested area of Zamzola village. Pakistani forces backed by helicopter gunships attacked them, destroying three of the compounds. Chief army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, said some of those killed were foreigners, but “no high-value target was believed to be there.” No security forces were hurt, he added. An intelligence official in the area said an unmanned Pakistani spy plane had been used for surveillance of the area before the attack was launched by Cobra helicopters that flew from Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, and completed their operation within one hour. (First Posted @ 09:16 PST Updated @ 16:38 PST)
Tribesmen protest against Pakistan air strike WANA, Pakistan, Jan 16 (AFP) Hundreds of tribesmen held a rally Tuesday to protest against an air strike on a remote town in the South Waziristan region, saying the dead were all innocent labourers. Some 600 people gathered in Tank town, blocked the traffic and chanted anti-Musharraf and anti-Bush slogans, witnesses said. A tribal leader addressing the rally said there were no foreigners present and the victims were all “local labourers who were cutting trees when the raid was conducted.” Khan said the tribesmen wanted to show the bodies to the media in Tank, but dropped the idea as they were burned in the air strike. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Pakistan won't allow anyone to use its soil for terrorist activities: Musharraf RAWALPINDI, Jan 16 (Agencies): President General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said terrorism is a threat to Pakistan’s national security that needs to be eliminated at all costs and assured that noone would be allowed to use the country for terrorist activities. Addressing the 100th Corps Commanders' Conference at the General Headquarters, the president rejected the notion that Pakistan was fighting terrorism under any foreign pressure. Musharraf dwelt at length on the international and regional environment and its relevance to the security of Pakistan. He briefed the participants on the on going Pak-India peace process. Expressing optimism and hope in the process, the president said that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute is essential for achieving durable peace in the region. He also expressed satisfaction on progress made over the Sir Creek and Siachin issues. The participants then had a comprehensive discussion on situation along the Pakistan-Afghan border. The participants also reviewed the four pronged strategy being followed in Federally Administered Tribal Areas. (Posted @ 20:58 PST)
Cricket-Gibbs lodges appeal against test ban CAPE TOWN, Jan 16 (Reuters) South African Herschelle Gibbs officially lodged an appeal Tuesday against his two-match ban for making derogatory remarks about Pakistanis during the first test in Centurion. “We expect that the appeal will be held within the next 10 days,” South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) chief executive, Tony Irish, said in a statement on Tuesday. (Posted @ 23:14 PST)
Gates says cross-border attacks in Afghanistan a “problem” KABUL, Jan 17 (AFP) US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday a surge in cross-border insurgent activity from Pakistan is a “problem”. “There is no question there has been a significant increase -- I don't know the exact amount-- but a significant increase in attacks across the border, particularly from north and south Waziristan, and it is a problem,” he said at a news conference. Gates said the border issue would have to be pursued with the Pakistanis “to see if there is a way to reduce the violence from that side of the border”. Gates also met with President Hamid Karzai. (Posted @ 23:10 PST)
Taliban spokesman arrested in Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 16 (AFP) Afghanistan's intelligence agency said Tuesday it had arrested one of the top spokesmen for the insurgent Taliban movement as he arrived in the country from Pakistan. Mohammad Hanif was arrested on Monday at the Torkham border post about 80 kilometres from Jalalabad, an intelligence agency spokesman said. (Posted @ 22:48 PST)
Afghan forces find 40 truckloads of “Taliban” weapons KHOST, Afghanistan, Jan 16 (AFP) Afghan forces have uncovered 40 pick-up truckloads of weapons, said to belong to Taliban insurgents, that were hidden in mountain caves in eastern Paktika province's Gomal district, a military general said Tuesday. (Posted @ 22:42 PST)
Airliner makes safe emergency landing at Pakistani airport LAHORE, Pakistan, Jan 16 (AP) An airliner flying from Thailand to Uzbekistan made a safe emergency landing at the airport in Lahore late Tuesday after developing a technical fault, an airport security official said. The official said the Russian airliner with 155 passengers on board was heading from Bangkok to Tashkent. The airport had reopened for air traffic after the safe landing. (Posted @ 22:38 PST)
Olmert faces criminal probe over bank deal JERUSALEM, Jan 16 (Reuters) Israel's state prosecutor on Tuesday ordered a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's role in the 2005 privatization of an Israeli bank, the Justice Ministry said in a statement. Israel's state controller is looking into whether Olmert promoted the interests of two businessmen, described in media reports as close friends of the prime minister, in the state sale of a bank two years ago. (Posted @ 22:26 PST)
Bangladesh chief completes team to prepare for poll DHAKA, Jan 16 (Reuters) Bangladesh's new interim administration chief named five members to his council of advisers on Tuesday, completing his team and setting the stage to prepare the country for national elections. Fakhruddin Ahmed now has 10 advisors who will together function as his cabinet. (Posted @ 22:14 PST)
U.S., North Korean officials meet in Berlin WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) Senior U.S. and North Korean officials met in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss how to pave the way for a resumption of six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the U.S. State Department said. (Posted @ 22:12 PST)
U.N. warns of “looming crisis” in Iraq's Kirkuk BAGHDAD, Jan 16 (Reuters) The United Nations warned on Tuesday of a “looming crisis” in the oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk where it said ethnic Turkmen and Arabs were being intimidated by Kurdish forces. Kirkuk could become a regional flash-point, a U.N. report said. The U.N. report warned that violence was also rising in Mosul, another city near Kurdistan where Kurds and Arabs live in uneasy coexistence. (Posted @ 22:10 PST)
At least 90 killed in Iraq violence Baghdad, Jan 16 (Reuters) A car bomb and a suicide bomber killed 60 people and wounded 110 more, including many female students, at the Mustansiriya University in Baghdad on Tuesday, police said. A police colonel survived a roadside bomb that exploded near his car, killing one civilian and wounding four, including two policemen, in Kirkuk. Gunmen shot dead one person in the town of Hawija. A roadside bomb followed by a second blast killed 15 people and wounded 70 more in central Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. A bomb inside a car killed six people and wounded 11 in Sadr City district in eastern Baghdad. A roadside bomb killed two policemen and two civilians and wounded 10, including three policemen, in Karrada in central Baghdad. (First Posted @ 14:07 PST Updated @ 22:08 PST)
Blair defends dropping probe involving Saudi royals LONDON, Jan 16 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended Thursday the dropping of a corruption probe into BAE Systems' dealings with the Saudi royal family. “There is no doubt whatever in my mind…that had we proceeded with this, the result would have been devastating for our relationship with an important country with whom we cooperate closely on terrorism, on security, on the Middle East peace process and a host of other issues,” Blair said during his monthly news conference. “And that is leaving aside the thousands of jobs that we would have lost,” he added. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Iraqi forces kill dozens of militants, arrest 147 BAGHDAD, Jan 16 (AFP) Iraqi security forces killed at least 38 militants and arrested 55 suspects, most of them in Diyala province, the defence ministry said Tuesday.In a separate statement earlier Tuesday, the ministry said another 92 militants were arrested Monday and many caches of weapons seized in a raid by Iraqi forces south of Baghdad. (Posted @ 19:16 PST)
India PM offers talks with northeast rebels DIBRUGARH, India, Jan 16 (AFP) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reiterated his government's offer for talks with separatist rebels, including the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), in the restive northeast Assam state. Singh told reporters after reviewing security in the remote state that he had been assured by the government of neighbouring Myanmar that it would take action against militants fighting Indian rule from its soil. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Indian army wounds six Kashmiri protestors SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 16 (AP) Six people were hurt when Indian soldiers baton charged villagers protesting against the arrest and torture of two locals in the village of Wadar, officials said Tuesday. Also Tuesday, a soldier and a policeman were shot and wounded while trying to arrest a suspected militant in the nearby village of Chunjmulla, the army said. (Posted @ 18:02 PST)
Rice receives cautious Saudi backing for Iraq plan RIYADH, Jan 16 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received cautious Saudi support Tuesday for Washington's new Iraq plan. “We agree with the objectives” of the US plan to bring peace to the war-torn country, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at a joint press conference with Rice in Riyadh. “We cannot comment on the means that will be applied ... We're hoping that these objectives will be implemented, but the means are not in our hands. They are in the hands of the Iraqis,” he added. Rice also met the Saudi King Abdullah outside Riyadh late Monday. (First Posted @ 10:55 PST Updated @ 16:42 PST)
Two Palestinians wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza GAZA CITY, Jan 16 (AFP) Two Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli fire on Tuesday in the northern Gaza Strip, medics and witnesses said. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Sri Lanka captures Tiger frontline, kills 30 rebels COLOMBO, Jan 16 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's military said Tuesday it had captured a stretch of the Tamil Tigers' forward defence line in the Batticaloa region in the island's east and killed around 30 fighters, but the Tigers denied it. “One soldier died and 15 were injured. More than 30 dead bodies of Tiger terrorists are lying in the area,” a spokesman for Media Center for National Security said. (Posted @ 14:54 PST)
Bangladesh army arrests senior BNP official CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, Jan 16 (AFP) The army Tuesday arrested a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party official in a crackdown on underworld-linked politicians after a state of emergency was imposed last week, an armed forces spokesman said. Dastagir Chowdhury, general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)'s southeastern Chittagong city unit, was arrested from his residence. (Posted @ 14:24 PST)
Bombs defused near army HQ in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 16 (AFP) A “major tragedy” was averted when sniffer dogs detected two powerful roadside bombs planted by suspected militants near an Indian army headquarters in occupied Kashmir’s Srinagar city early Tuesday, an official said. (Posted @ 14:19 PST)
Cricket- England beat New Zealand by three wickets HOBART, Australia, Jan 16 (AFP) England defeated New Zealand by three wickets in the triangular series one-day cricket match here Tuesday. It was England's first win since arriving in Australia in early November, although the win came at a price as captain Michael Vaughan appeared to suffer a hamstring injury. Brief scores: New Zealand 205-9 in 50 overs, England 206-7 in 49.5 overs (Posted @ 12:31 PST)
Iraqi vice-president 'caught by surprise' by executions LONDON, Jan 16 (AFP) Iraq's vice-president on Monday told a British television news programme that he was “caught by surprise” by the executions of two former Saddam Hussein loyalists. “We have not been consulted and I was caught by surprise because the Presidency Council had made an appeal to postpone this execution, but nevertheless this execution was affected by the government without any pre-consultation with us,” Hashemi told Channel 4 News during a visit to Britain. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Spy agency differed with govt on Saudi probe: the Guardian LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) Britain's overseas spy agency has challenged a statement by Tony Blair's government that a corruption inquiry into a huge defence contract with Saudi Arabia threatened national security, the Guardian newspaper said Tuesday. London dropped the investigation into deals involving Saudi officials and people working for BAE Systems last month.At the time, Lord Goldsmith, the government's top lawyer, said Blair and security service chiefs believed prolonging it would “cause serious damage” to national security. But the Guardian newspaper, citing government sources, reported John Scarlett, the head of MI6, later refused to sign up to a government dossier saying his agency agreed with this assessment. These sources also said that Goldsmith's statement to the House of Lords was incorrect. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Death toll from winter storm reaches 39 ROCHESTER, New York, Jan 16 (AP) A storm blamed for at least 39 deaths in six states spread into the Northeast, coating power lines and roads with a shell of ice up to a half-inch thick and knocking out power to more than half a million consumers. In the Midwest, more than 160 flights were cancelled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow since Friday lead to at least 15 deaths in Oklahoma, eight in Missouri, eight in Iowa, four in New York, three in Texas and one in Maine. (First Posted @ 09:17 PST, Updated@ 10:22 PST)
Military says two policemen killed in bomb blast in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan 16 (AP) At least two policemen were killed when suspected Tamil rebels triggered a bomb in the northern Sri Lanka town of Vavuniya Tuesday, the Defence Ministry said. The policemen were on a routine patrol duty when the bomb, strapped to a bicycle, was triggered by remote control. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 83.41 points: KARACHI, Jan 16: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10590.93, up 83.41 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:16 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 16: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.97 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:16 PST)
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