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| February 06, 2007 | Tuesday | Muharram 16, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Police foil suicide attack at Islamabad airport, three wounded ISLAMABAD, Feb 6 (AFP) A suicide attacker opened fire at Islamabad’s International airport late Tuesday before blowing himself up with a hand grenade, and injuring at least three people, the interior minister said. The bomber headed towards the VIP section of the airport in a vehicle with two other men, and he began firing after security staff stopped it in the carpark outside, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said. “One of the men started firing at the security staff, injuring a member of the Airport Security Force, an elite police commando and a policeman,” Sherpao said. “They shot back at the attacker, then he tried to throw a grenade at them but when police retaliated, it fell from his hand and exploded and he died,” he said. “The suicide belt he was wearing did not explode, it was still intact.” Sherpao added. Police arrested the two other men in the car, and have cordoned off the airport over fears of further attacks, officials said. Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani clarified that he and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had landed hours earlier at the nearby Chaklala Airbase following a trip to the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, and were not at Islamabad airport at the time of the incident. (First Posted @ 21:54 PST Updated @ 23:30 PST)
Turkey supports Pakistan in Mideast peace initiative ANKARA, Feb 6 (AFP) President Pervez Musharraf said here Tuesday that he won backing from Turkey for his plan to form a group of Muslim countries that will work towards peace in the Middle East and contribute towards a resolution of the Palestinian dispute. Musharraf told a press conference here after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that his plan was in its initial stages. “The idea is to create a voice which is credible, acceptable to all and which is on a reconciliatory course (rather) than a confrontational course,” he said. “Having got this group together, we need to decide on our stand towards a resolution of the Palestinian issue. We will then proceed to get involved into the details of how to resolve the disputes,” he added. Once formed, the group will also contact international players in the region so that “there is acceptability of the group and its ideas,” Musharraf explained. “The recent developments are seriously threatening the security and stability of all Middle East countries. I believe regional countries have a common responsibility to install peace and calm in the Middle East,” Erdogan said. (Posted @ 21:38 PST)
Musharraf says Pakistan, Turkey agree to work together on Middle East peace ANKARA, Turkey, Feb 6 (AP) Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Monday said his country and Turkey agreed to work together to inject new life into Middle East peace efforts. ''Turkey and Pakistan are in full agreement to act together,'' Musharraf told a joint news conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer. ''We are aiming to contribute to efforts to bring peace to our region, to the world and the Muslim world.'' Sezer said: ''Turkey believes that risk of ethnic and sectarian clashes in the Middle East could have consequences beyond the region,'' adding that ''initiatives with common sense should be undertaken to strengthen a peaceful solution.'' (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Singaporean company to operate Gwadar port GWADAR, Pakistan, Feb 6 (AP) Pakistan awarded Singapore's PSA International a contract Tuesday to operate its new deep-water port on the Arabian Sea at a ceremony in the southwestern city of Gwadar. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said his government would exempt PSA from all taxes for a period of 20 years, and that PSA, which is owned by the Singapore government, will operate the port for a total of 40 years. Aziz said the port would help open up trade for neighboring Afghanistan and central Asia. “It will serve as a regional hub for trade and transshipment, competing with the other regional ports with quick, better and cheep services,” he said. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
International talks on Mideast peace likely: Russia MOSCOW, Feb 6 (AFP) Countries are likely to hold international talks to end the bloodshed in the Middle East, the foreign minister of Russia which forms part of a key group of mediators on the conflict, said on Tuesday. “I think the idea of an international conference (on the Middle East) will be taken up by the international community,” the minister Sergei Lavrov told a joint news conference here with Amr Mussa, head of the 22-nation Arab League. “Those which were against (such talks) understand that life is pushing us in that direction,” Lavrov added in a reference to US and Israel. (Posted @ 23:56 PST)
Arabs, Muslims call for halt to Jerusalem construction CAIRO, Feb 6 (AFP) Arab countries and Muslim leaders on Tuesday expressed fury over Israel's decision to start building work in the Jerusalem mosque compound, and called for an immediate halt to construction. The Arab League condemned the construction, calling Israel's decision a “criminal act”. Egypt called on Israeli authorities to immediately halt any activity “which could provoke the sentiments of Muslims and cause their anger”. In Rabat, the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), an offshoot of the Organisation of Islamic Conferences (OIC), called in a statement on member states to bring pressure “to put an end to these criminal acts.” (Posted @ 23:56 PST)
Palestinian leaders gather for crisis summit JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Feb 6 (AFP) Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal arrived Tuesday for crisis talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending a power struggle that has cost scores of lives. The two leaders were expected to hold a brief encounter Tuesday evening after meeting separately with Saudi King Abdullah before open-ended negotiations begin in earnest in the holy city of Mecca on Wednesday. (Posted @ 23:54 PST)
Seventeen die in Iraq violence BAGHDAD, Feb 6 (AFP) At least 17 people were killed and dozens more wounded in violence in Iraq Tuesday. Three were killed and 15 wounded in a car bomb attack in the Al-Mashtel district of east Baghdad, a security source said. A second car bomb in Bayah, southwest Baghdad, wounded five people. Another wounded four in the southern district of Dura. In Baquba, north of the capital, eight people, including a university professor, were killed in a series of shootings, police said. Six others died in separate attacks, while four unidentified bodies were found floating in the Tigris river near Suwaira, southeast of Baghdad, police said. (Posted @ 23:52 PST)
China's Hu promises win-win partnership in South Africa PRETORIA, Feb 6 (AFP) Chinese President Hu Jintao said Beijing's deepening involvement in Africa should result in a “win-win” situation after talks Tuesday in Pretoria with the head of the continent's economic powerhouse. South African President Thabo Mbeki and Hu put the seal on their burgeoning relationship by signing a raft of trade agreements after a two-hour long meeting, with both stressing the importance they attached to strong ties. (Posted @ 23:50 PST)
Cricket: CAS to rule on jurisdiction over Pakistan doping case GENEVA, Feb 6 (AFP) Pakistan's Cricket Board has challenged the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) right to rule on a doping case involving bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, sport's top court said on Tuesday. However, Pakistani cricket authorities have agreed to allow a CAS arbitration panel to decide on the issue, the court said in a statement. If arbitrators decide that CAS has jurisdiction, it will then take around four months to rule on the case brought by an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against a lifting of the ban on the two bowlers. (Posted @ 22:30 PST)
Cricket: Injury-hit Pakistan fly in more cover for SA ODIs LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 6 (AFP) Medium pacer Rao Iftikhar is to fly to South Africa to bolster the injury-hit Pakistani team after its massive defeat in the first one-day international, a cricket official said Tuesday. “Iftikhar is flying on Wednesday to join the Pakistani team on the request of the team management,” Pakistan Cricket Board's director of operations Salim Altaf told reporters. (Posted @ 21:44 PST)
Former Indian minister blames US for his ouster NEW DELHI, India, Feb 6 (AFP) A disgraced former Indian foreign minister Tuesday accused Washington of forcing New Delhi to sack him because he had opposed the US invasion of Iraq. “It was a conspiracy of the US in which Congress was also involved ... I was removed under US pressure because I opposed the invasion of Iraq,” Natwar Singh said in Lucknow. Singh said he was framed by a US probe, not only because he opposed Iraq's invasion but because of a conspiracy to clear the name of former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan in the oil-for-food scam. “My name was not there initially (in the US report) but was included later in order to save the skin of Annan,” Singh claimed. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Pakistani stars urge govt to revive film industry ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 6 (AP) Pakistani movie stars appealed for government support Tuesday to revive the local film industry from near-terminal decline, saying it could help reform society and wean viewers away from extremism. Actors, producers and directors from across Pakistan gathered for a two-day seminar. Shaan, Pakistan's top leading man, claimed that “if I tell somebody not to do a bomb blast, they will probably listen to me.” He warned that Pakistan is losing its talented actors and filmmakers to India. “We can teach our society through our films,” said noted female actress Reema Khan. Culture Minister G.G. Jamal said the government would take the seminar's recommendations seriously. He said the government was willing to subsidize films, encourage private banks to extend credit to moviemakers and get provincial governments to build cinemas. He also said movies could promote President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's notion of “enlightened moderation” in society. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)
Pakistan urges India to let senior Kashmiri leader visit ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 6 (AP) Pakistan said Tuesday that it hoped India will allow a senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference(APHC) leader in occupied Kashmir to visit Islamabad for talks on the future of the disputed territory. Asked about reports that Indian authorities were holding Syed Ali Shah Geelani's passport, a Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Pakistan considered Geelani an “important leader” who should be included in the discussions. (Posted @ 19:58 PST)
New outbreaks of deadly bird flu in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Feb 6 (AFP) Pakistan has reported its first cases of deadly bird flu in almost a year after finding the virus in small flocks of chickens and peacocks, officials said Tuesday. All the chickens in a flock of about 40 birds at a house in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, had died or been killed after the H5N1 virus was detected, said Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry spokesman. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Cricket: England beat New Zealand to reach final BRISBANE, Australia, Feb 6 (AFP) England beat New Zealand by 14 runs here on Tuesday to reach the triangular one-day series finals against hosts Australia. Brief scores: England 270-7 in 50 overs; New Zealand 256-8 in 50 overs. (Posted @ 17:24 PST)
India-Pakistan anti-terror meeting next month: FO NEW DELHI, Feb 6 (AFP) An India-Pakistan anti-terror panel set up last year will hold its first meeting in March in Islamabad, the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministries said Tuesday. A three-member Indian delegation would be led by K.C. Singh, the Indian statement said. Pakistan foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly briefing in Islamabad that the meeting would be held on March 6-7. Tasnim said the new forum would enable the South Asian nuclear rivals to share information and cooperate in preventing acts of terrorism. “We already have a working group on terrorism but that group is part of the composite dialogue (peace process) and this is the quick informal method for sharing of information or seeking each others' cooperation,” she added. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
PM Aziz highlights importance of auto industry KARACHI, Feb. 6 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday highlighted the government’s commitment to the growth and development of the country’s auto industry. Talking to the media at the Pak Suzuki's production plant here, the prime minister claimed that the tremendous growth in Pakistan’s automobile industry was due to private sector investment facilitated by the policies of the present government. Aziz said the government was now expecting the local auto industry to position itself as a regional hub and become part of the global supply chain by enhancing exports. The auto industry's share in total manufacturing sector in 2005-06 was 16 percent as compared to 6.7 percent during 2001-02, he said. (Posted @ 16:56 PST)
Two hurt when package explodes at British firm LONDON, Feb 6, 2007 (AFP) - Two people were slightly injured Tuesday when a small package exploded at a business in Wokingham, west of London, police said. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Muslim leader says Israeli work threatens Jerusalem mosque JERUSALEM, Feb 6 (AFP) A senior Muslim cleric urged Palestinians on Tuesday to rush to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem to protest against nearby Israeli public works that he said threatens the holy site's foundations. Tayssir al-Tamami, head of religious courts in the Palestinian territories, claimed that Israeli bulldozers were en route to demolish a mound next to Dung Gate, one of the entrances into Jerusalem's Old City leading to the mosque compound. Israeli authorities say the public works intend to strengthen an access ramp to Dung Gate which was damaged during a snow storm two years ago. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Blast at Sri Lanka freedom exhibition COLOMBO, Feb 6 (AFP) A grenade blast ripped through a special exhibition marking the anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence here Tuesday, injuring at least ten people, officials said. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Iran diplomat snatched in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Feb 6 (AFP) - An Iranian diplomat has been kidnapped in Baghdad, Tehran said on Tuesday, as violence continued in Iraq with at least five people killed and four others found murdered, Iraqi security officials said. Gunmen “linked to the defence ministry” of Iraq kidnapped “Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at the embassy in Baghdad, on Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said. He said the kidnapping took place in front of the Baghdad branch of the Iranian state-owned bank Bank Melli. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
CRICKET- Umpires to use stump microphones in World Cup KARACHI, Feb 6(Reuters):Umpires will be wired to stump microphones in the World Cup to help them make decisions, Saleem Altaf, the Director of Cricket Operations for the PCB told Reuters. “Umpires during the World Cup will be able to use the stump microphones to pick up snicks and inside edges to help them improve their decision making,” he added.The World Cup will run from Mar.13 to Apr.28 in West Indies. The International Cricket Council (ICC) experimented with the idea in 2004 in the Champions Trophy and countries have also tested it in their domestic cricket. (Posted @ 13:35 PST)
Pakistan's military to prepare plans for fencing, mining Pak-Afghan border: Munir Akram UNITED NATIONS, Feb 6 (APP) Pakistan's armed forces have been tasked to work out modalities for fencing and mining portions of the Pak-Afghan border to prevent cross border movement of Taliban and other militants, Ambassador Munir Akram said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released Monday in which he called for stepped up efforts on the Afghan side of the border as the prevention of cross border infiltration by militants going both ways was a joint responsibility of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the coalition forces. In his letter to the UN chief, Akram assured that utmost care will be taken to ensure that sites of selective mining were clearly marked and designated crossing points established. He pointed out that a relevant international convention, to which Pakistan is a party, permits the use of land mines or other measures to address the legitimate security requirements of states while addressing humanitarian concerns. Pakistan, he said, would be open to reviewing the position if better alternatives to mining become available to control the border. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Two killed in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Feb 6 (AFP) Insurgents killed two men in southern Thailand, police said Tuesday. A 34-year-old fire fighter was shot in the head Tuesday morning in Pattani province. In nearby Narathiwat province early Tuesday, a 37-year-old labourer was found dead by the roadside. The victim had been slashed by a machete and severely beaten. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Shops, businesses shut in occupied Kashmir in protest against civilian killings SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 6 (AP) Shops and businesses were closed while public transport came to a halt in Srinagar Tuesday, in support of a call by groups to protest slayings of civilians by security forces. Tuesday's protest was called by Yasin Malik, chairman of Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front, and hundreds of JKLF supporters marched through the heart of the city chanting slogans protesting the slaying of civilians. Malik also began a three-day hunger strike in this regard while thousands gathered all over the state to protest the civilian killings. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Bullet-riddled bodies of two found east of Miranshah MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Feb 6 (AFP) Pakistani authorities found two bullet-riddled bodies Tuesday near Pir Kalay village, some 18 kilometres east of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district, an intelligence official said. “Both men had their hands tied behind their backs and they had been shot several times sometime late Monday,” the official said requesting anonymity. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
Sri Lanka war planes bomb suspected Tiger positions COLOMBO, Feb 6 (AFP) Sri Lankan air force jets pounded suspected Tamil Tiger rebel positions in a jungle area near Morawewa in north-eastern Sri Lanka Tuesday, the military said. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
Attackers lob grenade at Mexican police station MEXICO CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) Unknown attackers lobbed a hand grenade at a police station in the western state of Guerrero Monday. No one was killed in the attack but the grenade caused slight damage to the police station in the town of Tecpan de Galeana, 60 miles west of the tourist resort of Acapulco, local media reported. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Mauritanian, Spanish aid agencies help stranded immigrants NOUAKCHOTT, Feb 6 (Agencies) The Mauritanian Red Crescent (CRM) and the Spanish Red Cross said they had sent urgent aid to hundreds of immigrants stranded off the coast of Mauritania, a CRM coordinator said Monday. The aid will be distributed to an estimated 400 illegal immigrants, including 200 Pakistanis who are “trapped in international waters near the Mauritanian frontier more than 3,000 kilometres north west of Nouadhibou,” the coordinator said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Indian boy dies imitating Saddam execution THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Feb 6 (AFP) An eight-year-old Indian boy died trying to show his younger sister how ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was hanged, police in the southern state of Kerala said Tuesday. Vishnu Sashi fell from a bathroom water tank after tying a plastic cord round his neck Sunday evening in Vaikom town. Saddam's execution on December 30 in Baghdad for crimes against humanity was beamed around the world on primetime television news programmes. At least 10 children around the world were reported to have died in reenactments of the hanging. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
France's Sarkozy against military action in Iran PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) French presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy opposed any talk of military intervention in Iran Monday and said he was a friend of the United States but not an unquestioning one. “There can be no question of a military intervention,” he told a television discussion programme as he answered questions from the audience. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Seven dead in Rio clashes RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 6 (AFP) At least seven people have been killed in three days of clashes in Rio de Janiero between drug-traffickers and police vigilantes fighting for control of the city's sprawling shanty-towns. Six people were killed in gunfire during the weekend in the slums north of the city while a police officer was kidnapped and assassinated Monday in the Cidade Alta slum, police said. A charred body was also found in a burned out car in the same slum. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
One dead in Tokyo shootings TOKYO, Feb 6 (AFP) A senior member of the Sumiyoshi gang, one of Japan's leading crime syndicates, was shot to death early Monday in Tokyo's Azabu district, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday. Assailants also fired bullets into the doors of two apartments in other parts of Tokyo early Tuesday, police said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
US Republicans stall Senate vote against Bush war plan WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (AFP) US Republicans on Monday blocked a Senate debate over a proposed resolution criticizing President George W. Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. In a procedural vote in the 100-member body, Democrats could only muster 49 votes against 47 to proceed on the resolution which expresses disagreement with Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, when they needed 60 votes to go ahead. That blocked the body from moving quickly toward a final vote on the non-binding resolution drafted by Republican Senator John Warner and Democrat Carl Levin. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 42.40 points: KARACHI, Feb 06: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11632.04, up 42.40 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 06: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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