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| January 17, 2007 | Wednesday | Zilhaj 26, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
President Musharraf could get reelected between Sept-Oct ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (APP) A federal cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, was informed here on Wednesday that the present parliament and provincial assemblies could get President Gen. Pervez Musharraf reelected between September and October of the current year. Briefing the media, the Information Minister, Muhammad Ali Durrani, said “the cabinet was told that as per the constitution, the assemblies would complete their term on November 16. According to the constitution, the president should be elected between September and October 2007.” The cabinet also gave the green light to the Interior Ministry to start negotiations with the United Kingdom on an agreement to counter terrorism. The cabinet ratified the draft agreement between Pakistan and UAE on cooperation in customs related matters. It ratified the charter of Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre. It also considered and approved in principle the proposed Prevention of Electronic Crime Bill-2006 moved by the Ministry of Information Technology. The prime minister directed the State Bank to come up with a new design of the Rs.5 note, while the cabinet approved the new parameters of Rs.1, Rs.2 and Rs.5 denomination coins.(Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Pakistan hunts for top Al-Qaeda member after air strike ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (AFP) - Pakistani security forces Wednesday hunted for 10 injured militants including a senior Al-Qaeda member after an army air strike destroyed a training camp in the Zamazula area of South Waziristan on Tuesday, killing an unknown number of militants. Military officials initially said up to 30 militants were believed killed although authorities later said they had so far found only eight bodies. Among those who escaped was Abu Nasser, who holds a senior position in Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, according to security sources. "He was injured in the attack but managed to slip out of the compound along with four other Arab accomplices," a senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said without giving details about Nasser's nationality or position in Al-Qaeda. "He is being searched for now." (Posted @ 12:57 PST)
Hundreds protest against Pakistan army airstrike DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Jan 17 (AP) About 1,000 supporters of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party on Wednesday marched through the town of Tank to protest the Pakistan army airstrike in the South Waziristan tribal region a day earlier, police and witnesses said. About 300 college students burned tires and blocked a road that links Tank with Wana. Most shops in Tank were closed during the protests. A tribal militant, Baitullah Mehsud, vowed to take revenge for the airstrike, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported on its Urdu-language news website Wednesday. Meanwhile, unknown persons targeted a roadside security post with six rockets before dawn on Wednesday near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, an intelligence official said. The rockets landed in a field and no one was hurt, he said. In other protests, at least 60 university students protested against the airstrike in Multan.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
NATO allies cool on French Afghan plan BRUSSELS, Jan 17 (Reuters) A French proposal to create a “contact group” to coordinate international operations in Afghanistan has won little backing from NATO allies, alliance Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Wednesday. Scheffer suggested the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations' group, or the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) for Afghanistan, could be used to better coordinate the often haphazard reconstruction effort. Scheffer also suggested that NATO allies could help Pakistan boost surveillance of the border region with high-tech equipment.(Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan to carry out drugs tests before World Cup KARACHI, Jan 17 (Reuters) Pakistan will carry out drugs tests on the 30 players in its provisional World Cup squad ahead of the tournament to avoid a repeat of previous doping problems, a Pakistan Cricket Board official said on Wednesday. Arrangements have been made to test any squad members who are in Pakistan at the moment, the board's communications manager, Ehsan Malik, said. “The remaining players in the World Cup pool who are touring South Africa will be tested as soon as they return home, around February 16,” he added.(Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Kuwait urges US to talk with Iran, Syria KUWAIT CITY, Jan 17 (AFP) Kuwait's emir urged US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to open dialogue with Syria and Iran in order to safeguard the Gulf's security, the emirate's foreign minister said Wednesday. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah “insisted on the need for (US) dialogue with states neighboring Iraq,” the foreign minister told reporters when asked about talks between the emir and Rice. Rice on Wednesday left Kuwait following a two-day visit as part of her Mideast tour.(Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Baghdad students protest university bombing BAGHDAD, Jan 17 (AFP) Dozens of students demonstrated Wednesday against twin bombings a day earlier at Baghdad's Mustansiriyah university that killed 70 people and wounded nearly 140 others. The students staged a sit-in at the central Karada district demanding more protection for students, professors and teachers.(Posted @ 18:40 PST)
NATO voices reservations over Pakistan landmine plan KABUL, Jan 17 (AFP) The NATO-led force said Wednesday it had “strong reservations” about Pakistan's plan to mine and fence parts of its border with Afghanistan. The matter was one of Pakistani sovereignty, NATO spokesman Mark Laity told reporters Wednesday when asked for the reaction of the International Security Assistance Force. “NATO does not have a fixed view on this issue but I can say that we look at the proposal with deep concern and strong reservations.And therefore it needs careful discussion with neighbours over the practicality and morality of the issue,” Laity said. A Pakistan foreign ministry spokeswoman in Islamabad said Wednesday the Pakistani army “has been tasked to work out the modalities and this is what the army is doing”.(Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Bomb blast kills three Afghan soldiers KHOST, Afghanistan, Jan 17 (AFP) An Afghan army vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the province of Khost Wednesday, killing three soldiers and wounding four others, an official said.(Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Pakistan rejects Indian allegation of firing at troops ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (AFP) Pakistan on Wednesday rejected an allegation that its troops fired at Indian forces along the Line of Control(LoC). “The allegation is totally baseless, false and ludicrous,” Pakistan army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said. The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had earlier said that Pakistani soldiers had opened fire before dawn Wednesday on their position at the Akhnoor sector near Jammu, injuring two troops. Rejecting the charge, General Sultan said that Indian security forces were seen firing late Tuesday night on their side of the border. “In the morning our troops asked them why were they firing, and the Indians said they fired because they observed some movement across the line (border),”Sultan said. The general said Pakistani troops did not observe any movement of people. Pakistan has called a meeting at the commander level to discuss the issue, Sultan said. (First Posted @ 13:12 PST Updated @ 16:43 PST)
Two Pakistanis beheaded in Saudi Arabia JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 17 (AFP) Two Pakistani nationals were beheaded by the sword Wednesday after being convicted of smuggling drugs into the Saudi kingdom, the interior ministry said. Nour Wali Khan Moemen was caught smuggling an undisclosed amount of heroin in his stomach, the ministry said in a statement carried by the SPA state news agency. Fellow Pakistani Ali Anwar Mohammed was also convicted of drug trafficking after being caught trading in hashish and in possession of an undisclosed amount of heroin, it added. (Posted @ 16:37 PST)
U.S. to consider more troops for Afghanistan BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Jan 17 (Reuters) U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday he would consider sending more troops to Afghanistan where U.S. commanders say they expect the Taliban to step up attacks. “They've (US commanders) indicated what they can do with different force levels,” Gates told reporters at the main U.S. base in Bagram, north of Kabul, adding he would take the those ideas back to the U.S. joint chiefs of staff for study. (Posted @ 16:19 PST)
India to send protest to Pakistan over LoC shooting SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 17 (Reuters) India will lodge a protest with Pakistan after two of its troops were wounded on Wednesday in a shooting incident near the Akhnoor sector, a senior security official said. In Srinagar, a strike called by a Kashmiri leader to protest against the planned visit of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference closed shops and businesses, witnesses said. “The scheduled trip to Pakistan is a pleasure trip. The strike is also to make these leaders realise that they are working against the wishes of the people,” Syed Ali Shah Geelani, leader of a breakaway faction of the Hurriyat, said. (First Posted @ 14:10 PST Updated @ 16:04 PST)
NATO says prominent Taliban commander detained in southern Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 17 (AP) _ NATO-led troops and Afghan forces detained a prominent Taliban commander during a raid on a compound in Gereshik district of Helmand province late Tuesday, NATO said in a statement. He had managed to flee the latest offensive operation by Afghan and foreign security forces in the south, NATO said. The operation came a day after Afghan agents arrested Mohammad Hanif, a purported militant spokesman, at the border town of Torkham on Monday, said Sayed Ansari, the spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence service. Two people travelling with him were also detained, he said. (Posted @ 14:09 PST)
Saddam hanging looked like 'revenge killing': Bush WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (AFP) US President George W. Bush charged Tuesday that Saddam Hussein's execution resembled a sectarian “revenge killing” and has made it harder to end deadly violence in war-torn Iraq. Bush told PBS television that the ousted dictator's hanging had “reinforced doubts” about Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and made it clear that his fledgling government “has still got some maturation to do.” (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Maoists start to hand over weapons in Nepal KATHMANDU, Jan 17 (AFP) Nepal's Maoist former rebels began putting their weapons under United Nations supervision Wednesday, a key part of a peace deal in the Himalayan country, a Maoist leader said. (Posted @ 12:48 PST)
Bangladesh army to stay on streets 'as long as is takes' DHAKA, Jan 17 (AFP) Bangladesh's interim government has asked the army to remain on the streets for as long as necessary to enforce a state of emergency while new elections are organised, a government spokesman said Wednesday. “The cabinet decided to keep the armed forces in aid of the civilian administration for as long as it takes during the emergency,” the spokesman said. Some 60,000 troops have been deployed across the country to maintain order following months of political crisis that has included blockades, strikes and deadly street battles. (Posted @ 12:48 PST)
Moderate earthquake rocks Indonesia's Papua JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jan 17 (AP) A 5.9 magnitude earthquake, centered deep below the earth’s surface, rocked parts of Indonesia's Papua province Wednesday, but there were no reports of any damage. The quake hit 129 kilometers southwest of Jayapura, the provincial capital, the U.S. geological survey said. (Posted @ 10:52 PST)
Bush would require Congress approval to increase US troops in Iraq WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (AFP) A top Senate Democrat introduced legislation Tuesday that would require US President George W. Bush to get congressional approval before sending additional US troops to Iraq. In a statement, the office of Senator Chris Dodd said the original US military mission in Iraq, which Congress authorized in 2002, “has been radically transformed by events in the region,” and that Bush therefore must seek an entirely new authorization from the US legislature before expanding it. (Posted @ 10:44 PST)
Wildfires raze 8 homes, wreak havoc in southern Australia MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan 17 (AP) Wildfires destroyed eight houses and cut electricity lines in southern Australia, plunging much of Victoria state into chaos as hundreds of thousands were left without power, a fire official said Wednesday. A fire caused by a lightening strike west of the capital, Melbourne, destroyed one home late Tuesday, while seven others were razed in a massive blaze that has blackened 27,000 hectares in the state's northeast, a Victoria state emergency spokesman said. There were no reported injuries. (Posted @ 10:29 PST)
French parliament adopts presidential immunity bill PARIS, Jan 17 (AFP) France's lower house adopted a bill Tuesday making a president immune from prosecution while in office but leaving the head of state exposed to charges once his or her mandate ends. On another part of the bill creating a US-style impeachment procedure allowing parliament to unseat the head-of-state, lawmakers passed an amendment making this possible only with a two-thirds majority. The bill is now due to go before the upper house Senate at a date yet to be fixed. (Posted @ 10:29 PST)
Israel army chief resigns amid Lebanon probe JERUSALEM, Jan 17 (AFP) The head of Israel's armed forces Lieutenant General Dan Halutz resigned late Tuesday amid a probe into the military's mishandling of the 2006 war in Lebanon, Israel state radio announced. In a letter of resignation to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Peretz, the general said he wanted to “assume his responsibilities.” “I have accomplished the objective that was set for me at the end of the Lebanon war which was to study and learn the lessons from what transpired. I consider under the conditions it is my duty to resign my office immediately,” Halutz wrote. (Posted @ 10:21 PST)
US senators denounce Bush inaction for Iraqi refugees WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (AFP) Several US senators complained Tuesday that President George W. Bush's administration has not done enough to help the two million Iraqi refugees who have fled their war-torn country. While many Iraqis have fled to Syria and Jordan, another 1.7 million have been displaced within Iraq, according to figures from the US State Department and UNHCR cited by the senators. “Like other aspects of the war, we bear a heavy responsibility for their plight. Our nation is spending eight billion dollars a month to wage the war in Iraq. Yet to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the refugees who have fled the war, the State Department plans to spend only 20 million dollars in the current fiscal year,” Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy said at a hearing of the Senate Judicary Committee. (Posted @ 09:44 PST)
Cricket- Bevan retires from first class cricket SYDNEY, Jan 17 (Reuters) Former Australian batsman Michael Bevan announced his immediate retirement from first-class cricket on Wednesday. Bevan, 36, said he hoped to remain in the sport, but was retiring as a player because of niggling injuries that had sidelined him for most of the past two seasons. (Posted @ 09:39 PST)
Dutch national, three Nigerians killed in Niger Delta attack LAGOS, Jan 17 (AFP) A Dutch national and three Nigerians were killed Tuesday in an attack on their boat by armed men near an oil terminal at Bonni in the Niger Delta, industrial and medical sources said. At least six others were wounded in the attack on a boat transporting oil workers between Bonni and the city of Port Harcourt. (Posted @ 09:27 PST)
Philippines military says killed senior Abu Sayyaf chief ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Jan 17 (AFP) The Philippines military said Wednesday it killed Abu Solaiman, a senior leader with the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf who had a five-million-dollar bounty on his head. Initial reports after a clash with troops Monday on the southern island of Jolo had suggested he was wounded and another Abu Sayyaf member slain, however the dead man “was confirmed to be Abu Solaiman” as intelligence agents examined the body. (Posted @ 09:27 PST)
Flooded Chinese iron ore mine traps 36 BEIJING, Jan 17 (Reuters) Thirty-six Chinese miners were trapped in flooded iron ore pit shafts on Wednesday and it was unknown if they were dead or alive, Xinhua news agency said. The miners were trapped in three vertical shafts at the mine near Baotou in the northern region of Inner Mongolia. (Posted @ 09:12 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 24.36 points: KARACHI, Jan 17: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10614.95, up 24.36 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 17: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.95 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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