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| February 16, 2007 | Friday | Muharram 27, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Cricket: Pakistan starts dope-testing players KARACHI, Feb 16 (APP) Vice-captain Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria and reserve player Muhammad Sami will undergo dope tests on Saturday. Another member of the team, Shahid Afridi, who is in London, will undergo the test after returning home. Samples of the test will be sent to Kuala Lumpur's accredited laboratory approved by the International Olympic Committee and Anti Doping Agency. In the meantime the dope tests of other members in the World Cup squad started at the National Cricket Academy at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. (First Posted @ 19:55 PST Updated @ 21:13 PST)
Afghans remember civil war massacre and call for justice KABUL, Feb 16 (AFP) About 200 people gathered here Friday to remember one of the worst massacres of Afghanistan's 1992-1996 civil war, calling for justice. Speakers at a ceremony in the Afshar neighbourhood in west Kabul recalled the killings, rapes and abductions in 1993 when factions from Pashtun and Tajik ethnic groups attacked a Hazara community. Villagers at the ceremony called on the authorities to try those responsible, including those in top government jobs. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
OIC supports Iran, calls for end to Israeli construction KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (AFP) Lawmakers from member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference on Friday backed Iran's nuclear programme for peaceful purposes at a meeting in the Malaysian capital. They also urged the UN Security Council to take “immediate measures” to halt Israeli construction work near Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque. Other issues in the 27-page declaration were security situations and continuing crises in Iraq, Darfur, Sudan and Somalia. Lawmakers condemned all terrorist acts against the Iraqi people and backed the government's attempt to develop its own security and armed forces in anticipation of the “evacuation” of multinational forces from Iraqi soil. (Posted @ 20:48 PST)
Afghanistan's Taliban hang three 'spies' KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb 16 (AFP) Taliban militants hanged three Afghans after accusing them of informing US and NATO military forces about rebel bases and hideouts, police and the extremist movement said Friday. The men hanged in the Gereshk area of the southern province of Helmand on Thursday were two “ordinary villagers” and a former policeman who had surrendered to the rebels, a police officer said. (Posted @ 20:35 PST)
British university offers 'degree in death' LONDON, Feb 16 (AFP) A British university has become the first in the country to offer a degree for funeral directors, it said Friday. The course at Bath University, in south-west England, will cover everything from bereavement counselling to the disposal of remains. Organizers say it is necessary because traditional funerals are dying out in Britain, where more and more people opt for ceremonies featuring quirky touches like motorcycle hearses, and ashes being launched heavenwards in fireworks. (Posted @ 20:35 PST)
US denies reports that Iraq Qaeda chief wounded BAGHDAD, Feb 16 (AFP) The US military said Friday that it believed reports that the Egyptian leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, had been wounded in a gunbattle with Iraqi troops were incorrect. Iraq's defence ministry also failed to confirm the rumour. (Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Abandoned ordnance explodes in Rawalpindi, one killed ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 16 (AP) At least one laborer was killed and three others were hurt when they struck an abandoned ordnance while excavating on a construction site near a public park in Rawalpindi on Friday, police said. The explosion created panic among residents and police and rescue workers rushed to the site of the blast, fearing some one might have planted a bomb in the area. (Posted @ 20:15 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan cricket fans to get World Cup visa help ISLAMABAD, Feb 16 (AFP) West Indian authorities are setting up a temporary visa office in Pakistan to help fans planning to travel to the Caribbean for next month's World Cup, an official said Friday. “The Caribbean authorities have promised they would be sending someone to set up temporary visa arrangements in Islamabad,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Roadside bomb kills doctor in Pakistani tribal region KHAR, Pakistan, Feb 16 (Reuters) A roadside bomb killed a doctor and wounded three people on Friday in Bajaur tribal region regarded as a hotbed of support for the Taliban, officials said. The doctor was killed when his car was struck by the bomb while returning to Khar, the main town in the region, after attending a tribal gathering to promote a polio vaccination campaign. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Industrialization to help tackle unemployment: Musharraf LAHORE, Feb 16 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday said that the government was tackling the problems of unemployment and poverty by accelerating the process of industrialization in the country. “Public sector should formulate the policies and facilitate the private sector in strengthening the industrial base,” he said after inaugurating the Sundar Industrial Estate, some 25 kilometers from Lahore. Terming Sundar Industrial Estate (SIE) a public-private partnership model in Pakistan, the president said that this model should be emulated in other provinces of the country as well. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Pakistan arrests three 'suicide bombers' KARACHI, Feb 16 (AFP) Police on Friday arrested three suspected suicide bombers who were allegedly planning attacks in Karachi city, officials said. Agents raided their house in the city and after a shootout recovered suicide jackets and other weapons including hand grenades, police said, adding that six other suspects had managed to escape. “They were all trained by foreign militants in Wana,” the main town in the semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan, a senior investigation officer said. (First Posted @ 14:20 PST Updated @ 15:45 PST)
Bridge collapse injures more than two dozen Philippine girl scouts MANILA, Philippines, Feb 16 (AP) A suspension bridge in Batangas province's San Juan town collapsed Friday, injuring more than two dozen girl scouts who were crossing it, officials said. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Occupied Kashmir city shut over Israeli dig near al-Aqsa SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 16 (Reuters) A strike called by activists to protest against Israeli excavations near al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem closed most shops and businesses in Srinagar Friday. Traffic was thin and most streets in Srinagar were deserted. “We appeal to Kashmiri Muslims to protest against the nefarious designs of Israel,” a group said in a statement, while another group backed the call. Scores of Muslims shouting “al-Aqsa mosque is crying ... down with Israel” took to streets of Srinagar and also burnt Israeli flags. (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Cricket- New Zealand beat Australia by 10 wickets WELLINGTON, Feb 16 (AFP) New Zealand beat Australia by 10 wickets with 22 overs to spare here Friday in the first of three matches in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series. Australia were all out for 148 in the 50th over and New Zealand reached the target without loss in the 28th over. (First Posted @ 10:30 PST, Updated @ 12:30 PST)
Govt trying to dock ship in Mauritania believe to have illegal Pakistanis ISLAMABAD, Feb 16 (APP) Minister of state for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar Friday said that the government was in contact with Mauritania for the docking of a ship believed to have illegal Pakistanis aboard. Speaking in the National Assembly during the Question Hour, Khusro said he also talked to the Spanish ambassador in Islamabad about the issue as the ship is registered in Spain. “We are trying to ascertain the nationality of the people aboard the ship and we believe they also include a number of Pakistanis,” he said adding that 2,234 Pakistanis are detained in UAE for travelling on fake documents and the number of such Pakistanis is 393 in Saudi Arabia. He said once the nationality of these Pakistanis is established, the relevant embassy provides them consular access and also arrange for their air tickets if they do not have money. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Sri Lankan navy destroys two Tamil Tiger boats COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb 16 (AP) The Sri Lankan navy said it destroyed two Tamil Tiger rebel boats ferrying hundreds of thousands of steel balls used in bomb making Friday. (Posted @ 11:57 PST)
Pelosi says Congress approval needed for invasion of Iran WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (AP) Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President George W. Bush lacks the authority to invade Iran without specific authorization from Congress. Pelosi noted that Bush consistently said he supports a diplomatic resolution to differences with Iran, ''and I take him at his word.'' At the same time, she said, ''I do believe that Congress should assert itself, though, and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Iran.'' (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Putin appoints Kadyrov as Chechen president MOSCOW, Feb 16 (Reuters) Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday appointed Ramzan Kadyrov, a 30-year-old former rebel, as acting president of Chechnya after removing Alu Alkhanov from the top job, a spokesman for Putin said. “Vladimir Putin signed a decree on accepting the resignation of President Alu Alkhanov and on appointing Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov to temporarily fulfil the duties of President of Chechnya,” the spokesman said. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
US not looking for an excuse to go to war with Iran: Gates WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (AFP) The United States is not looking for an excuse to go to war with Iran, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, seeking to dispel suspicions aroused by US charges of Iranian meddling in Iraq. Gates said US assertions that the Qods Force is training Iraqi extremists and supplying them with armour piercing bombs and other weapons are based on “hard fact.” But he said, “For the umpteenth time…we are not planning a war with Iran.” While U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday it was likely Washington will seek another U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution on Iran because of its nuclear program. “We are certainly exploring it and I think we probably think, at this point, it's likely we would pursue one, but we haven't made the decision,” Rice told reporters. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Japan imposes nuclear trade sanctions on Iran TOKYO, Feb 16 (Reuters) Japan decided to impose sanctions on Iran Friday including freezing some financial assets in an effort to block the state's nuclear development programme, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference. Shiozaki said the measures are based on a resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council in December to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in nuclear materials and technology. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 88.56 points: KARACHI, Feb 16: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11379.40, down 88.56 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 16: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
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