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| February 08, 2007 | Thursday | Muharram 19, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Cricket-Pakistan's Afridi faces possible ICC ban KARACHI, Feb 8 (Reuters) Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi was charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday for conduct unbecoming after an incident during the first one-day international against South Africa. As the Pakistani player walked up the stairs towards the dressing room a spectator apparently said something and Afridi reacted by appearing to push his bat at the person in an aggressive manner, causing the spectator to take evasive action. If found guilty of a Level 3 offence, Afridi faces a ban of between two and four test matches or four to eight one-day internationals. The ICC said that until the hearing takes place, Afridi remains available to play for Pakistan. (Posted @ 21:15 PST)
Cricket: India, Sri Lanka ODI abandoned due to rain CALCUTTA, India, Feb 8 (AP) The first limited-overs international between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned Thursday as a draw after heavy showers rendered the ground unfit for play. Sri Lanka scored 102 for three in 18.2 overs before heavy unseasonable rains disrupted play. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Britain asked to protect Israelis accused of war crimes JERUSALEM, Feb 8 (AP) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked the visiting British foreign minister this week to push for a law preventing the arrest in Britain of any Israeli military officers on suspicion of war crimes against Palestinians, an Israeli official said Thursday. British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett responded favorably to the request, said an Olmert's spokeswoman. (Posted @ 20:55 PST)
Israel considering Webcast from Jerusalem operation JERUSALEM, Feb 8 (AP) Israel is considering broadcasting real-time, 24-hour video from its construction site near Al Aqsa mosque to allay Muslim fears the holy site will be harmed by recently launched repair work, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Antiquities Authority said Thursday. The Israel Antiquities Authority, which is carrying out the repair work and associated excavations, said it was looking into how much the Webcast would cost. Chairman of the Waqf foundation, the Muslim trust that oversees the complex, rejected the proposal and instead asked Israel for Waqf to do the renovations. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
West Bank gas station explosion kills three RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb 8 (AP) Welding at a gas station set off an explosion Thursday that killed at least three people and wounded 17, police and hospital officials said. Four of the wounded were in serious condition. (Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Heavy snow shuts airports, causes disruption in England LONDON, Feb 8 (AFP) Airline passengers were grounded on Thursday after unusually heavy snow forced the temporary closure of runways at several airports in England and Wales and caused disruption on the roads and rails. Between 10 and 15 centimetres of snow fell overnight on large parts of southern and central England and Wales, with about five centimeters on London. The snow forced London's City, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports to shut their runways for several hours. Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff airports also closed their runways. London's main Heathrow airport was open, but about 32 mainly short-haul flights were cancelled, a spokesman said. Elsewhere, schools were closed, traffic crawled and London's underground train network and some mainline train services were disrupted by the adverse weather. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
French court hears of Pakistani link to Australian terror plot PARIS, Feb 8 (AFP) A Paris court on Thursday heard evidence that a French Muslim convert Willie Brigitte was sent to Australia to plot a terrorist attack on the orders of suspected Pakistani extremists. Brigitte was accused of being in contact on telephone with a Pakistan-based operative for the militant Lashkar-e-Taiba group and another man, who was arrested in Britain on terrorism charges. Brigitte protested his innocence and asked:”I accepted Allah as my Lord... I committed myself to the Muslim community to help my brothers and sisters in need, and to deepen my faith…does that make me a fundamentalist, an Islamist, an extremist?” (Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Iran successfully test fires land-to-sea missile TEHRAN, Feb 8 (AFP) Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards successfully test-fired Thursday a land-to-sea missile with a range of about 350 kilometres and payload of 500 kilo, state television reported. (Posted @ 20:15 PST)
Iran warns US against attack TEHRAN, Feb 8 (AFP) Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday warned that Iran would hit back at American interests worldwide if the United States attacked the country to thwart its nuclear programme. “We believe that no one will make such an irrational and erroneous move and will not jeopardize his nation's interests,” Khamenei told air force commanders during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Islamic revolution. The Iranian supreme leader, 67, also scoffed at rumours on US websites that he was gravely ill or even dead. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Top official held, 36 killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 8 (AFP) US-backed Iraqi troops arrested the Iraq health ministry's second highest official Thursday, charging that he murdered opponents and funnelled millions of dollars to rogue militia groups. Meanwhile, another 36 people were killed and dozens wounded in a string of attacks in several parts of the country. US forces killed around 13 fighters in an air strike near the western district of Ameriya, a US statement said. At least 20 people were killed and 45 wounded by a car bomb in Al-Aziziya, 70 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Another car bomb in the eastern part of Baghdad killed 10 people and wounded another 10. In Baquba, four policemen and a civilian died during an attack on a patrol, a security source said. (First Posted @ 13:55 PST Updated @ 20:05 PST)
Four US marines die of wounds in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 8 (AFP) Four more US marines died after being wounded while fighting in Iraq, the military said on Thursday. A statement from US headquarters said the four had died on Wednesday of wounds sustained in two earlier incidents in the western province of Anbar. (Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Israel intensifies flights over Lebanon border JERUSALEM, Feb 8 (AFP) Israel intensified controversial military flights over the Lebanon border Thursday but stressed it wanted no escalation after Israeli and Lebanese soldiers traded fire for the first time in decades. “We are going to continue our flights and even bolster our aerial activities our Lebanon,” General Alon Friedman told public radio hours after the exchange on the volatile Israeli-Lebanese border. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora also ordered his army to respond to any new violation of Lebanese sovereignty. (First Posted @ 10:45 PST; Updated @ 19:55 PST)
Israeli defence minister demands halt to Al-Aqsa works JERUSALEM, Feb 8 (AFP) Israel's defence minister has written to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asking for an immediate halt to public works near Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque. Amir Peretz said work on a new access bridge should stop, citing fears that the security situation will deteriorate, an official said. Meanwhile, Israel was continuing initial excavations for a third day on Thursday. Around 100 Palestinian and Arab Israelis demonstrated peacefully against the work next to Dung Gate, but police banned Jerusalem mufti Mohammed Hussein from accessing the area, a police spokesman said. (First Posted @ 14:10 PST, Updated @ 19:50 PST)
Riyadh denounces 'hostile' Israeli works RIYADH, Feb 8 (AFP) Saudi Arabia on Thursday denounced Israeli works near the third holiest site in Islam, the Al-Aqsa mosque, as a “hostile action”. The kingdom urged the international community to intervene in order to halt “this flagrant Israeli aggression... which is a provocation to the feelings of Muslims worldwide,” said an official statement carried by the SPA news agency. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Pakistan rights group condemns terror ”disappearances” ISLAMABAD, Feb 8 (AFP) Pakistan's top human rights body Thursday accused the government of President Pervez Musharraf of unlawfully detaining hundreds of people in the name of the fight against terrorism. In its annual report launched here the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said cases of the so-called “disappeared” was the most pressing problem facing the country. “The people who have disappeared are either people who are suspected of attacks on the president, or nationalist Baluch, which are the largest, or Sindhi nationalists,” commission head Asma Jahangir told reporters at the launch. “We see that there is a dysfunctional state of affairs in the country, that nothing seems to be working, there seems to be a complete breakdown of institutions, a complete breakdown of law and order,” Asma added. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Pakistan probes claims NATO led forces trespassed border QUETTA, Pakistan, Feb 8 (AP) Pakistani authorities are investigating claims by residents of a remote border village that NATO and Afghan forces crossed into Pakistan to search for suspected Taliban militants and killed a local tribesman, officials said Thursday. Afghan troops entered the village of Qamar Din on Wednesday morning and began shooting, killing one villager, a spokesman for Balochistan government said. Villagers reported that the Afghan border security forces also wounded two Pakistani tribesmen and detained 11 villagers who were taken to Afghanistan, the spokesman added. The government has ordered authorities in the area to investigate the alleged incident, he said. A spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said that no ISAF forces were involved in the incident. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Released suspect slams 'police state' for British Muslims LONDON, Feb 8 (AFP) A British man of Pakistani origin released by police after being arrested in anti-terror raids last week lashed out Thursday at the “draconian” treatment, which he says makes the country a “police state” for Muslims. Abu Bakr, who is working for a doctorate in Political Islam in Birmingham, also said he believed his arrest was aimed at diverting attention from the “cash-for-honours” investigation which is threatening to taint Prime Minister Tony Blair's final months in office. “These terror laws are designed specifically for Muslims…We are feeling the brunt of it all,” Bakr added. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
Eight 'terrorists' captured, two killed in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb 8 (AFP) Afghan forces arrested eight “terrorists” Thursday who confessed to a string of killings in the southern city of Kandahar, officials said. In other violence, Taliban fighters attacked a US-led coalition convoy in the adjoining province of Zabul, sparking a gunbattle that left two rebels dead and three foreign soldiers injured, the US military said. Three coalition soldiers, whose nationalities were not revealed, were in a stable condition, it said in a statement. (First Posted @ 10:30 PST Updated @ 18:15 PST)
Pakistani militant leader denies links to attacks DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Feb 8 (AFP) A wanted pro-Taliban militant leader has denied allegations that his fighters were to blame for a deadly wave of attacks in Pakistan, a senator said Thursday. Militant commander Baitullah Mahsud told a council of tribal leaders at a secret location in South Waziristan tribal region on Wednesday that he was not involved in the attacks, said senator and council leader Maulana Saleh Shah. “I had announced I would seek revenge for the Zamzola attack in anguish over the violation of the peace agreement by government, but I have repeatedly denied my role in attacks in Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Islamabad,” the senator quoted Mahsud as telling the elders. The commander told the tribal elders that “If there is proof of our involvement, the government must show it to us through a jirga (tribal council)”. Mahsud also told the delegation that he was unaware of a purported militant leader Maulvi Omer who called newspaper offices this week and claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks in Islamabad and Peshawar, Shah said. The tribal council would soon meet the governor of North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan and brief him about its meeting with Mahsud in a bid to restore peace in the tribal region, Shah said. (Posted @ 18:05 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan's Nawaz says Hair motivated by money KARACHI, Feb 8 (AFP) Former Pakistan great Sarfraz Nawaz Thursday took a swipe at umpire Darrell Hair, saying his legal action for alleged racial discrimination was motivated by money and had stained the image of cricket umpires. “Hair is seeking publicity through this racial charge and will come up with a book in the near future,” said Nawaz. Former Pakistan umpire Mahboob Shah believed Hair was half right and half wrong. “Hair's charge of racism is wrong. But he is right in asking why no action was taken against Doctrove, because both the umpires are equally responsible in a match,” said Shah. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Cricket: ICC rejects Hair's racism claim LONDON, Feb 8 (AFP) The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Thursday it would “vigorously defend” itself in legal proceedings for alleged racial discrimination brought by Australian umpire Darrell Hair, insisting they were without merit. In a statement issued from its Dubai headquarters, the ICC said: “The ICC has noted reports that umpire Darrell Hair has instructed his lawyers to issue an application to the London Central Employment Tribunal alleging racial discrimination by the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board. The ICC does not believe there is merit in this claim and will vigorously defend the matter. Given the ongoing nature of proceedings, the ICC will not be making any further comment on the issue at this stage.” (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
India set to buy 40 Russian fighter jets by March BANGALORE, India, Feb 8 (AFP) - India's air force chief chief S.P.Tyagi Thursday said the government expects to sign by the end of March 2007 a contract to buy 40 Russian-built Sukhoi-30 fighter planes to bolster its air strike capability. Each plane will cost an estimated 40 million dollars Tyagi said in Bangalore. He valued the deal at 1.6 billion dollars. Indian air force also wanted to buy 80 heavy-lift helicopters and was negotiating the purchase of six transporters, he said. It also wanted to buy 126 multi-role fighter aircraft, a deal potentially worth nine billion dollars. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Pakistan strong, dedicated ally of United States in war on terror Washington, Feb 8 (PPI): Pakistan has proven to be “a dedicated ally” of the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. “Pakistan was right there after U.S. and coalition forces began major combat operations in Afghanistan with substantial assistance to the U.S.,” Navy Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani said on return after overseas trip that included stops in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. “As always, any relationship can get better, and our relationship with Pakistan improves on a day-to-day basis, and everyone should remember that. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)”
Karachi Stocks up 140.05 points: KARACHI, Feb 08 : At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11868.13, up 140.05 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 08 : The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.72 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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