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| February 13, 2007 | Tuesday | Muharram 24, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan ruling party eyes ban on forced marriage ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (Reuter) - Pakistan's ruling party introduced a bill in parliament on Tuesday aimed at outlawing the forced marriage of women and practices preventing them from inheriting property. The Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill is expected to be referred to a committee that will finalise a draft to be debated and voted upon later. “The credit for this goes to President Musharraf who is endeavouring to give due status to women in society,” the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, told the lower house National Assembly. The bill seeks to end practices such as vani, a centuries-old tradition of marrying women off to settle disputes between families, and the practice of marrying women to the holy Quran, which deprives them of a share of family property, he said. Musharraf promised to push ahead with reforms to empower women after parliament in November adopted a bill curbing the scope of Islamic laws that had made it virtually impossible for women to accuse men of rape. (Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan announces World Cup squad LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 13 (AFP) Pakistan on Tuesday named their 15-man squad for cricket's World Cup starting in the Caribbean from March 13. Squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Rao Iftikhar. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Suicide truck bomber kills 16 near Baghdad college BAGHDAD, Feb 13 (Reuter) - A suicide truck bomber killed 16 people and wounded 38 near a Baghdad college on Tuesday, police said. Police said the truck exploded in a parking lot next to the College of Economic Sciences, a private university in western Baghdad's residential Iskan district. It destroyed one house and severely damaged others. (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Washington using Russia as 'threat': Putin AMMAN, Feb 13, (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of using Russia as a “threat” to secure funds from Congress for its military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and for its anti-missile programme in Europe. “For more than 10 years we have been listening to what our partners have been saying about different topics. We are very patient and very tolerant but we have the feeling that we are misunderstood,” Putin told reporters in Amman. (Posted @ 23:46 PST)
Indian army kills two in “gunfight” in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 13 (AP) Indian army soldiers shot and killed two suspected militants in an alleged ‘gunfight’ in Pashtunpora village, 60 kilometers south of Srinagar, on Tuesday, an official said. (Posted @ 22:06 PST)
Qazi re-elected as MMA President ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (Agencies): The central committee of the Muthaida Majlise Amal (MMA) on Tuesday re-elected Qazi Hussain Ahmad as president of the six party alliance for another term. Addressing a press conference here, the deputy secretary general MMA, Liaqat Baloch, also announced that the decision of MMA legislators to resign en masse from the parliament has been withdrawn for the “betterment of democracy and sagacity of the Parliament”. He also said that the National Assembly sessions would not be boycotted after the 15th of Feb. (Posted @ 22:04 PST)
Govt to continue policy of freedom of expression: Musharraf ISLAMABAD, February 13 (Agencies): President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said that the present government will continue to maintain its policy of freedom of expression. "Electronic and print media has never before enjoyed such enormous freedom than today. However media should also discharge its responsibilities in the supreme national interest", he said while presiding over a meeting of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. He further said that media’s role was very vital in the promotion of democratic norms in the country. It is in the national interest that media should also perform its obligations in a befitting manner, he stressed. The rules introduced by PEMRA should be implemented…the electronic media has boosted the country's image at the international level, he remarked. (Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Development in Balochistan to alleviate poverty: Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said the numerous development projects in Balochistan would generate employment and alleviate poverty. Talking to Governor Balochistan Owais Ghani, the president said the projects were aimed at bringing about a revolutionary change in the lives of the common man. (Posted @ 21:20 PST)
Millions vote in India's Punjab state polls AMRITSAR, India, Feb 13 (AFP) Millions braving heavy rains voted Tuesday in the northern state of Punjab in a poll which analysts say will test the popularity of India's ruling Congress party. Sixty-five percent of 16 million Punjabi voters turned out under a blanket of security to choose from 1,050 contestants vying for 117 seats in the state legislature, national election commission officials said. The Punjab polls will be followed by votes on Wednesday and February 23, in Manipur in the northeast and Uttarakhand in the north. (Posted @ 20:46 PST)
Iran opposes 'any' nuclear proliferation: Ahmadinejad WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (AFP) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country opposes “any” proliferation of nuclear weapons and remained open to negotiations, in a US television interview broadcast Tuesday. Asked if Iran wanted a nuclear weapon, as the United States suspects, the Iranian leader said nuclear weapons were a thing of the past. “We are opposed to any proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons. We believe that the time is now over for nuclear weapons,” Ahmadinejad told ABC. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Company suspends Jerusalem archaeological dig: report JERUSALEM, Feb 13 (AFP) The company which owns land near Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound has abandoned Israeli building work and archaeological excavations, a report said Tuesday. The director-general of the company was quoted as telling the Haaretz newspaper that he had decided to give up on the initial proposal and investigate different solutions. (Posted @ 20:42 PST)
India, Pakistan slowly cutting red tape: WB WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (AFP) India and Pakistan have become marginally more business-friendly, says a new World Bank report released Tuesday. The region as a whole continues to rank last in the world in terms of the legal, regulatory and administrative burden weighing on businesses and investors, said the report. “Some improvements are underway in the region, but the pace of reform must increase if South Asia wants to keep up with the rest of the world,” said Simon Bell, the bank's regional head of financial and private-sector development. The new South Asia study ranked the Maldives top, at 53rd place in the worldwide ranking. Pakistan was next (74), followed by Bangladesh (88), Sri Lanka (89), Nepal (100), India (134), Bhutan (138) and Afghanistan (162). (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
British aircraft destroyed in Iraq, two injured LONDON, Feb 13 (AP) A British Hercules aircraft was damaged while landing in southeastern Iraq and was destroyed by coalition forces because of the risk of mounting a recovery operation, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Two people suffered minor injuries in the incident on Monday night, the ministry said. (Posted @ 20:02 PST)
AFP launches international television service PARIS, Feb 13 (AFP) Agence France-Presse, the global news agency, on Tuesday launched an international television news service, AFPTV, aimed at broadcasters, Internet providers and cell phone operators. AFPTV is initially offering some 150 video news reports a month in English and French from 12 production centres around the world. The reports can be downloaded via satellite or at a dedicated Internet platform VideoForum 2. AFP chief executive Pierre Louette at a news conference said AFP would not aim to provide rival blanket coverage of every news story, like its two main competitors, Reuters and Associated Press. “We intend to be complementary rather than exhaustive. We believe clients want stories that are selective and angled. We want to enter the market with a strong sense of being distinct,” he said. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Watchdog tells British police to apologize over raids LONDON, Feb 13 (AFP) London police were told Tuesday to apologize for “aggressive” tactics during anti-terror raids in which two Muslims were arrested and one was shot by officers, before being released without charge. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it had received 150 complaints from those affected by the “terrifying experience” when police burst into two houses in east London, last June. One officer has been given a written warning over a neglect allegation, but no officer will be prosecuted over three assault allegations, the IPCC said. (Posted @ 19:58 PST)
Millions of low-caste Indians face 'lifetime of abuse': report NEW DELHI, Feb 13 (AFP) Over 165 million people on the bottom rung of India's caste ladder are condemned to a “lifetime of abuse” because of a government failure to protect them, two US-based rights group charged Tuesday. “India has systematically failed to uphold its international legal obligations to ensure the fundamental human rights of dalits (or untouchables)” said the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice and Human Rights Watch in a joint report. “Entrenched discrimination violates dalits' rights to education, health, housing, property, freedom of religion, free choice of employment, and equal treatment before the law,” the 113-page report said. (Posted @ 19:38 PST)
NATO forces kill 22 Taliban in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb 13 (AFP) NATO and Afghan forces killed 22 Taliban rebels on Monday during battles near a besieged dam in Helmand province’s Kajaki district that was captured by the militants, officials said Tuesday. Separately, NATO and Afghan troops killed seven Taliban guerrillas including one of their local commanders on Tuesday near Musa Qala, a town in Helmand. (Posted @ 19:04 PST)
Bush dismisses as 'noise' talk of US attack on Iran WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (AFP) US President George W. Bush on Monday warned of the danger posed by a nuclear-armed Iran but dismissed talk of a likely US attack on Iran as “noise” from his critics. “I guess my reaction to all the noise about, you know, 'he wants to go to war,' is -- first of all I don't understand the tactics, and I guess I would say it's political,” Bush told CSPAN television in an interview. Referring to the nuclear dispute, Bush said he had “a comprehensive policy aimed to solve this peacefully” and vowed to “press hard” for Iran to freeze sensitive nuclear work. (Posted @ 16:28 PST)
Indian, Chinese FMs meet ahead of trilateral talks with Russia NEW DELHI, Feb 13 (AFP) The foreign ministers of India and China on Tuesday held talks to further normalise ties and move past a bitter 1962 border war. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who arrived in New Delhi Sunday, discussed increasing air links and easing visa rules with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee, said an Indian official. Li arrived ahead of Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for talks on Wednesday between the three nations on regional issues such as terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as the situations in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and North Korea. (Posted @ 16:26 PST)
Putin takes Mideast peace offensive to Jordan AMMAN, Feb 13 (AFP) Russian President Vladmir Putin held talks on Tuesday with Jordan's King Abdullah II. Putin arrived to a red carpet welcome at the Basman palace, before going into discussions on efforts to revive Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations, the situation in neighbouring Iraq and bilateral ties. He is also due to hold talks at the airport with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas. (Posted @ 16:24 PST)
Nigeria protests CNN report on troubled oil region LAGOS, Feb 13 (AFP) The Nigerian government Tuesday accused the US cable television network CNN of stage-managing a report on the volatile oil-rich Niger Delta. But CNN strongly denied government accusations that it paid “criminals” to take part in interviews. Information Minister Frank Nweke dismissed the CNN report as “mercenary journalism”. (Posted @ 16:22 PST)
Deal agreed to shut key NKorea nuclear facilities BEIJING, Feb 13 (AFP) North Korea agreed Tuesday to shut down key nuclear facilities within two months in exchange for badly needed fuel. In return, the United States would hold direct talks on diplomatic relations with North Korea and begin looking at removing it from its list of terrorist nations. Chinese negotiator Wu Dawei said an “important consensus” had been reached at the talks, which will resume in Beijing on March 19 to verify that the deal is being properly implemented as agreed. (First Posted @ 14:10 PST Updated @ 16:20 PST)
Google loses court case against Belgian newspapers BRUSSELS, Feb 13 (AFP) Belgian French-language newspapers have won a court case against US Internet giant Google, which they accused of showing their content without permission or compensation, their lawyer said Tuesday. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
OIC lawmakers to ponder Islamic issues KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13, (AFP) - Lawmakers from Organisation of the Islamic Conference nations will gather this week to discuss issues affecting Muslims globally, including anti-Muslim sentiment, officials said Tuesday.The two-day meeting of the council of the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States will bring together 170 representatives from 36 of the grouping's 57 members in Kuala Lumpur. The council's current chair, Ramli Ngah Talib, said one of the top agenda items was a lack of understanding of Islam and negative perceptions of the religion. Discussions which start Thursday will also include the turmoil in Iraq and the plight of Palestinians. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Cricket: Bangladesh name World Cup squad DHAKA, Feb 13 (AFP) - Bangladesh Tuesday named their 15-man squad for the cricket World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13: The squad is: Habibul Bashar (capt), Shariar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Sakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafee Murtaza, Shahadat Hossain Rajib, Tapash Baishya, Syed Rasel, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Rain, hailstorm play havoc in South Punjab, seven die Multan, Pakistan, Feb.13 (PPI): At least seven more persons died and 22 injured in rain-related incidents in Southern Punjab late Monday night when hailstorm and heavy downpour played havoc in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions.Two persons died of lightning in Noorpur Thal, Mianwali..A girl was killed while two others were seriously injured when the roof of a house collapsed in Khushab. An aged womani and her son-in-law died and two children were injured in roof collapse in Multan, two others died in Mianwali district and one each in Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan. (Posted @ 13:55 PST)
Israeli troops kill Palestinian gunman along Gaza border GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, Feb 13 (AP) - Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian gunman and wounded another in a clash along the Gaza-Israel border Tuesday morning, the Israeli army and Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades said. An Al Aqsa commander claimed that one of the Israeli jeeps was damaged and set on fire by the blast, and that Israeli soldiers were wounded. (Posted @ 13:35 PST)
Nine killed, 20 wounded in Lebanon bus blasts BEIRUT, Feb 13 (Reuters) Nine people were killed and about 20 wounded in two bomb blasts that wrecked minibuses near the Lebanese Christian mountain town of Bikfaya Tuesday, security sources said. An army spokesman said one explosion had ripped through a minibus carrying passengers near the town, causing casualties. He said it appeared from first reports that the second blast had hit another minibus in the same area. (FirstPosted @ 12:45 PST, Updated@ 13:30 PST)
One killed, five injured in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Feb 13 (AFP) A civilian was gunned down in northern Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district early Tuesday, the defence ministry said. In the same district, an army soldier was injured when LTTE fired on troops Tuesday. Four special taskforce personnel were also injured in a separate attack in the eastern district of Batticaloa, when Tiger rebels aimed mortar fire against their camp in Vavunathivu, the ministry said. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Cricket- Australia name World Cup squad SYDNEY, Feb 13 (AFP) Australia on Tuesday named their 15-man squad for cricket's World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13: Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Bush taps new ambassador to Saudi Arabia WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (AFP) US President George W. Bush picked Ford Fraker, a financial firm executive with decades of experience in the Middle East, as the new US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the White House said Monday. If confirmed by the Senate, Fraker would replace James Oberwetter, who has served in the post since December 2003. Fraker is currently chairman of the Trinity Group Limited, a private investment banking firm he established in 1996. Earlier in his career, he served as Head of Banking for Saudi International Bank. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Cricket- New Zealand World Cup squad selected WELLINGTON, Feb 13 (AFP) New Zealand on Tuesday named their 15-man squad for cricket's World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13: Stephen Fleming (captain), Daniel Vettori (vice-captain), Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 14.01 points: KARACHI, Feb 13: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11643.76, up 14.01 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 13: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
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