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| February 17, 2007 | Saturday | Muharram 28, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Suicide blast kills 15 in Quetta QUETTA, Pakistan, Feb 17 (AFP) A suicide bomber killed at least 15 people and injured 35 people when he blew himself up inside a court in Balochistan province’s Quetta city on Saturday, police said. A senior judge, Wahid Durrani, and several lawyers and court officials were among the dead. A doctor at Quetta's main hospital said at least ten of the injured were in a critical condition. The explosion hit when hundreds of people were inside the compound for court cases and police inquiries, as well as those collecting driving licenses from an office inside the complex. (First Posted @ 12:13 PST, Updated @ 15:20 PST)
Telecom sector attracts $ 9 billion investment: Shaukat Aziz ISLAMABAD, Feb 17 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that as a result of government's policies of deregulation, privatization and liberalization the telecom sector has attracted an investment of 9 billion dollars, which includes the cost and upgradation of equipment, equity and license fee. The Prime Minister said this while reviewing the performance of the telecom sector in a high-level meeting which was attended by Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmed Leghari, Minister of State for Information Technology Ishaq Khakwani, the Secretary Information Technology and other senior officials. (Posted @ 22:54 PST)
Five of a family die, some others injured in accident LARKANA, Feb 17 (APP) - Five members of a family including a four-year-old child and two brothers were killed in a road mishap near Kamber, about 35 kilometres from here on Saturday, in the jurisdiction of Kamber Police Station. (Posted @ 21:48 PST)
Two NATO soldiers hurt in Afghanistan gunfight KABUL, Feb 17 (AFP) Two soldiers with the NATO-led force were wounded in a gunfight with suspected Taliban militants in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
US Marine killed in Iraqi province BAGHDAD, Feb 17 (AFP) A US Marine was killed in combat in a western Al-Anbar province on Friday, the military said on Saturday. (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
Syria's Assad arrives in Iran TEHRAN, Feb 17 (AFP) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday arrived in Iran for talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian leaders, official media said. State television said Assad would during his two-day visit be discussing strengthening bilateral ties and the situation in the Middle East region, in particular the instability in Lebanon and Iraq. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Indian officials to visit Islamabad for Iran pipeline talks NEW DELHI, Feb 17 (AFP) Indian oil ministry officials will travel to Islamabad next week to discuss constructing a long-awaited multi-billion dollar gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan, an official said Saturday. “A team (of Indian officials) led by Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan is to travel to Islamabad for talks on February 22-23,” said the official. The delegation would discuss laying of the pipeline, transit fees to be paid to Islamabad and the security of the pipeline, running from the Iranian border to energy-starved India, the official added. Iranian officials were also expected to attend the meeting, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency said. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Pakistan arrests three suspected militants KARACHI, Feb 17 (AFP) Police said Saturday they had arrested three members of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group in the town of Sukkar in southern Sindh province. The suspects were planning attacks in the first week of next month in southwestern Baluchistan province, police added. A suicide jacket, two pistols and eight hand grenades were recovered from the suspects. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Pakistan has achieved economic stability: Musharraf FAISALABAD, Feb 17 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that Pakistan has achieved economic stability and the focus now was on value addition to make further strides in the economic sector. He stated this while performing the foundation stone laying ceremony of M-3 Industrial City, Pakistan's largest industrial estate being established here with public-private partnership. “Our policies are aimed at reduction in poverty and elimination of unemployment and this industrial estate will not only prove to be quite beneficial for the local people but also play a pivotal role in boosting the country's economy,” he said. Sprawling over 4,500 acres of land, the M-3 Industrial City will create jobs for four million individuals, and the development work would be completed within one and a half years, he said. (Posted @ 18:14 PST)
President Musharraf condemns blast in Quetta ISLAMABAD Feb. 17 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday strongly condemned the Quetta bomb blast. In a message the president expressed his grief over the loss of innocent lives and condoled with the bereaved families. He directed the provincial administration to provide all possible medical assistance to the injured persons. He also expressed firm resolve of the government to strictly deal with the terrorists. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
CRICKET: India clinch one-day series against Sri Lanka VISAKHAPATNAM, India, Feb 17 (AFP) India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the fourth and final one-day international here on Saturday to clinch the series 2-1. The opening match was abandoned due to rain. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 259-7 in 47 overs; India 263-3 in 41 overs. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Rice says Iran responsible for Iraq weapons smuggle BAGHDAD, Feb 17 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted on Saturday that the Iranian government be held responsible for the use of Iranian made weapons against US forces in neighboring Iraq, even if no direct link can be proven. “I certainly can't, and I don't believe the US government can, give you chapter and verse about the involvement of the Iranian government,” Rice told reporters travelling with her on an unannounced visit to Baghdad. “But I think you have to hold the Iranian government as a whole accountable for the activities of its constituent parts and that's why we would appeal to the Iranian government to play a stabilizing role instead of a destabilizing role in Iraq,” she said. (First Posted @ 14:13 PST Updated @ 17:36 PST)
New deadly chopper crash in Iran TEHRAN, Feb 17 (AFP) Two people were killed Saturday when their helicopter crashed into a lake in southern Iran while attempting to recover the wreckage of a chopper from a crash two days earlier at the same location. The helicopter crashed at around 11:00 am, killing both occupants, the state-run IRNA agency reported. Officials blamed technical faults for that crash, although investigations are still ongoing. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Ten killed in road collision in Thailand BANGKOK, Feb 17 (AFP) At least 10 people were killed and three injured Saturday when a pick-up truck and an 18-wheel coal truck collided in central Thailand, police said. The victims, eight men and two women, were riding in the back of the pick-up truck in Ayutthaya, 76 kilometres north of Bangkok, they said, adding the pick-up truck fell into a shallow canal after the collision. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Double car bombing kills 10 in Iraq city of Kirkuk KIRKUK, Iraq, Feb 17 (Reuters) A double car bombing killed at least 10 people and wounded 60 in a crowded market in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk Saturday, police sources said. The explosions occurred in Kirkuk's Rahim Awa district. Several cars and shops were burnt out. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST, Updated @ 14:10 PST)
Bus falls off bridge in India, 24 feared drowned BHUBANESWAR, India, Feb 17 (Reuters) Four people drowned and 20 more were feared dead after a bus, carrying well over 50 people, in eastern India fell into a river after colliding with a truck Saturday, police said. The accident took place on a bridge in Keonjhar district, 270 km north of Bhubaneswar, capital of Orissa state. Around 30 people were rescued but 15 of them were in critical condition. (Posted @ 11:35 PST)
Two killed in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Feb 17 (AFP) Insurgents shot a teenage boy and burned his body, while a villager was gunned down in a separate attack in southern Thailand, police said Saturday. Police found the charred body of the 19-year-old boy, who was shot in the head in Narathiwat. Also in Narathiwat, a 33-year-old villager was shot dead late Friday, police said. (Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Two new U.S. fighter jets arrive in Okinawa for first overseas deployment TOKYO, Feb 17 (AP) Two F-22 Raptors, America's most advanced fighter jets, were deployed Saturday in Japan for the first time, the U.S. Air Force said. Ten more F-22s were to arrive at Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa Sunday, the Air Force said in a statement. It said the deployment of the planes and more than 250 personnel from the 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, was a scheduled rotational assignment. While at Kadena, the jets are expected to hold combined exercises with Japan's air force, U.S. F-15s, and the U.S. Navy. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Seven jailed for life for Istanbul bombings ISTANBUL, Feb 17 (Reuters) A Turkish court sentenced seven people to life in prison on Friday for suicide bomb attacks on Jewish and British targets in Istanbul which killed more than 60 people and wounded more than 600 in 2003. A total of 74 people were on trial for the bombings. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Palestinian official at Rafah crossing wounded in shooting on Egyptian side of border EL-ARISH, Egypt, Feb 17 (AP) A Palestinian official at the Rafah border crossing with Gaza was wounded in shooting Friday that Egyptian security and border officials described as an assassination attempt. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Explosion rocks US refinery, sparks fire; at least three injured SUNRAY, Texas, Feb 17 (AP) An explosion rocked a west Texas refinery, critically injuring at least three people and sparking a blaze that sent a huge black cloud billowing into the sky. More than 400 workers were evacuated from the Valero McKee Refinery after the explosion Friday, authorities said. No fatalities were reported. The fire was believed to have started at the refinery's propane deasphalting unit, where fuel is processed at high temperatures. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Two arrested after blast in government building in Colombia BOGOTA, Feb 17 (AFP) An explosion in a provincial government's building in Bogota Friday injured one person and led to two arrests, officials said. Police cordoned off the area and evacuated the building housing the offices of Cundinamarca province, where the explosion occurred in the basement. “One person was wounded and two detained,” Cundinamarca Governor Pablo Ardila said from his office, located on floors above the explosion. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Two killed in Uganda car blast KAMPALA, Feb 17 (Reuters) Two people were killed when their car exploded in the outskirts of Uganda's capital late Friday, police said. “It looks like there was a blast from inside the vehicle,” Ugandan police spokeswoman said. “It is a civilian vehicle.” (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Two quakes rock northern Japan TOKYO, Feb 17 (AFP) Two earthquakes, measuring 6.6 and 4.9 on the Richter scale, rocked the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido within a space of 19 minutes Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The epicentres of the two quakes were located close to each other, at a point some 50 kilometres off Cape Erimo on the island's southern tip, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding that the focuses of the tremors were both 50 kilometres below the surface of the sea. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
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