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| February 23, 2007 | Friday | Safar 5, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan successfully test fires Shaheen II missile ISLAMABAD, Feb 23 (APP): Pakistan Friday carried out a successful test fire of its long range -2000 kilometres Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile Hatf VI (Shaheen II), said ISPR. The missile test was part of continuous process of validation and technical improvement, which Pakistan follows to consolidate and verify its various land based strategic missile systems. Hatf VI (Shaheen II) is Pakistan's longest range ballistic missile system with a range of 2000 kilometres. It is a two-stage solid fuel missile, which can carry nuclear and conventional warheads with high accuracy. The test was witnessed by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Ehsan Ul Haq, who congratulated the scientists, engineers and the staff of Pakistan's Strategic Organizations on achieving an important milestone in Pakistan's quest for sustaining strategic balance in South Asia. On this occasion he said Pakistan's strategy of credible minimum deterrence was fully in place and was a guarantee of peace in the region. He said the defence need of the country would always remain a government priority and the strategic programme particularly, which enjoyed complete national consensus, would continue to be consolidated and strengthened in line with the needs of national security. In separate messages, President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also congratulated the technical team on its outstanding success. (First Posted @ 09:40 PST; Updated @ 11:10 PST)
India to bury 30 rotting train blast victims in mass funeral NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (AFP) -Indian authorities have arranged a mass funeral on Saturday for 30 rapidly decomposing bodies of victims of the firebombing of a train headed to Pakistan, an official said Friday. “They are highly mutilated and badly charred. They are in a terrible shape,” Panipat deputy commissioner Rajiv Ranjan said. They were rapidly rotting in a makeshift mortuary without refrigeration at the town hospital and were a health hazard. The regular mortuary can only hold up to 10 bodies. “The people who come for identification cannot recognize anyone,” he added. The government has agreed to let the burial proceed Saturday afternoon at Mehrana village, close to the hospital at Panipat, north of New Delhi.The bodies -- presumed to be Muslims, as Hindus are cremated -- will be buried in individually marked graves according to religious rites presided over by a local Islamic law board, Ranjan said. Family members who have not been able to find their loved ones may attend, he added. Families still hoping to examine the remains for some clue of their missing relatives must reach the town before morning. “My message is that whoever has taken visa (to come from Pakistan) had better reach (here) tonight to make their identification,” said Ranjan. In New Delhi, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said Thursday all efforts were being made to identify the dead and contact relatives. So far “33 of the 68 dead have been identified. Twenty-seven of these are Pakistani nationals of whom 21 bodies have now been handed over” to relatives, he said. Two Pakistani survivors who were being treated in the Indian capital were taken to Panipat late Thursday to identify the remains of their children. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Top court strikes down Canadian anti-terror measure OTTAWA, Feb 23 (AFP) The Supreme Court of Canada on Friday quashed extraordinary security measure in its immigration act that allows Ottawa to detain foreigners suspected of terror ties without charges for many years. Lawyers for three men with alleged terror links asked Canada's top court in June 2006 to review the so-called security certificates. They were backed by 11 civil rights groups. (Posted @ 21:48 PST)
Occupied Kashmir gunfight kills three SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 23 (AFP) Two suspected militants and an Indian army soldier were killed in a gun battle in the village of Manyali in southern Rajouri district, police said Friday. Three Indian soldiers were also hurt in the incident, police added. (Posted @ 21:06 PST)
Four more US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 23 (AFP) Four more US soldiers have been killed in two incidents in Iraq, the military said Friday. Three of them were killed Thursday, “while conducting combat operations in Al-Anbar Province” of western Iraq, a statement said. And in a second attack on Thursday, one soldier was killed and three others wounded by a roadside bomb near Diwaniyah, 181 kilometers (110 miles) south of the capital, the statement said. (First Posted @ 10:00 PST Updated @ 21:02 PST)
US keeping 'all options' open on Iran: Cheney WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (AFP) US Vice President Dick Cheney vowed the United States would “do everything” it can to deprive Iran of nuclear weapons, and refused to rule out military action in a US television interview Friday. “We haven't taken any options off the table,” Cheney said in an interview with the US ABC News network from Australia, where he is traveling. “We need to continue to do everything we can to make sure they don't achieve that objective.” (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Waziristan pact bearing fruit: governor PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 23 (Reuters) Up to 50 families of foreign fighters have begun leaving Waziristan tribal region as a result of a peace deal between the government and militants there last year, governor North West Frontier Province (NWFP) said on Friday. Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai said “the positive results of the Waziristan accord are now coming to fore”. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
Pakistan frustrated by lack of train blast list ISLAMABAD, Feb 23 (AFP) Pakistan said Friday it was “intrigued and frustrated” by India's failure to provide a complete list of passengers on a cross-border train that was firebombed at the weekend, killing 68 people. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said the list was necessary to help identify Pakistani nationals among the 35 remaining bodies following Sunday night's attack. Tasnim said the Pakistani government was under pressure from Pakistani people whose relatives are still unaccounted for. “What we can do for our citizens depends on the kind of cooperation we receive from India -- and we really do not know why they are not sharing it with us,” Aslam added. (Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Bird flu outbreak in Afghanistan confirmed as H5N1 strain PARIS, Feb 23 (AFP) Two outbreaks of bird flu in Afghanistan were caused by the highly pathogenic form of the H5N1 avian virus, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Friday. The outbreaks occurred among 202 birds in Nangarhar and Kunar, 73 of which died, according to an outbreak report that the OIE received from the Afghan ministry of agriculture. (Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Cricket: No dope test, no World Cup for Akhtar, Asif KARACHI, Feb 23 (AFP) Pakistan cricket authorities made clear Friday that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not travel to the Caribbean for the World Cup if they fail to take a dope test. PCB director operations Salim Altaf also rejected suggestions the PCB was risking life bans for the pair if they test positive a second time. “If they failed tests which took place in September 2006 and this is now February 2007, the process is the same for everybody,” Altaf said. Akhtar said he still hopes to be fit for World Cup. “I am going for another reassessment of my knee and hamstring injury in England later this week and only after that I am able to know about my chances of playing in the World Cup,” Akhtar said. Asked when he was due to appear for testing, Akhtar refused to comment and said his first priority was to get over his injury. “My chances of playing in the World Cup are 50-50 and I will take a final decision only after having a reassessment of the knee. The doctor has stopped me from bowling until February 27,” he added. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Cricket: 18 Pakistan players pass dope tests KARACHI, Feb 23 (AFP) Eleven of Pakistan's 15-man World Cup squad and seven reserves have passed the pre-World Cup dope tests, an official said Friday. A Pakistan Cricket Board director communication Ahsan Malik said that results from captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who were tested on Sunday and Friday respectively, will be received later. Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who have both had doping bans controversially lifted, will be tested later this week, Ahsan said. Two players outside the five official reserves were also tested in case they were needed in an emergency, he added. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
NA passes resolution to condemn terrorism ISLAMABAD, Feb 23 (APP) The National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution to condemn the acts of terrorism in Bajaur, Damadola and Waziristan. The resolution was moved by MMA's Aisha Munawwar. “The perpetrators of such acts are out of the limits of Islam,” the resolution said, which also called for adequate compensation to those killed in these incidents. The National Assembly also strongly condemned the killing of Punjab Minister Zille Huma Usman and sought strict action against the culprits. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Security scaled down for Bangladesh party leaders DHAKA, Feb 23 (AFP) Bangladesh's interim government has withdrawn special security teams assigned to the outgoing prime minister Khaleda Zia and leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina Wajed, a senior official said Friday. Awami League secretary general Abdul Jalil said he was “seriously concerned about the withdrawal,” and added that he would take up the issue with officials. (Posted @ 16:46 PST)
Thousands gather to support Afghan warlords KABUL, Feb 23 (AFP) Around 25,000 supporters of former Afghan warlords, including some senior government figures, filled a Kabul stadium Friday in a show of support for a controversial proposed war crimes amnesty. Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a notorious former anti-Soviet commander and now a parliamentarian, said the bill passed this week ruling out prosecution for war crimes was intended to “bring peace, stability and reconciliation.” Another notorious warlord, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, warned the media against “insulting” mujahedin leaders. Abibullah, an elderly supporter of warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, also accused of severe abuses, said: “Human rights groups are saying they should be tried. We came here to condemn this.” (First Posted @ 12:55 PST Updated @ 16:34 PST)
Saddam's lawyer plans book on president's 'secrets' AMMAN, Feb 23 (AFP) Saddam Hussein's Iraqi lawyer said on Friday he will write a book revealing “many secrets” told to him by the executed dictator about the fall of Baghdad, his arrest and imprisonment. “The book will contain information never before revealed and many secrets about the fall of Baghdad,” Khalil al-Dulaimi said in an interview. “It will contain 200-300 letters, poems and other texts handwritten by President Saddam while the rest will be devoted to stories he revealed to me during more than 140 interviews in jail,” Dulaimi said. The book will be more than 500 pages long and “could be out in a year,” he added. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Pakistan must protect civilians in tribal areas: HRW ISLAMABAD, Feb 23 (AFP) Pakistan must protect civilians in its tribal areas from attacks by the Taliban, which have soared since Islamabad signed peace deals with militants in its tribal areas, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday. Militants have set up a vigilante-style moral policing system featuring public beheadings as the semi-autonomous region bordering Afghanistan becomes increasingly “Talibanized,” the New York-based group said. “Taliban attacks on civilians in the tribal areas have soared since the Pakistani forces pulled out, and the government can't just turn a blind eye to the violence,” HRW South Asia researcher Ali Dayan Hasan said in a report. The group also called on the Taliban, tribal leaders and their supporters to respect human rights and criticized the militants for their attacks and efforts to curb the rights of women. (Posted @ 16:13 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan gets Gul fitness boost ahead of World Cup LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 23 (AFP) Pakistan's injury-hit bowling line-up got a boost ahead of the World Cup on Friday with the recovery of paceman Umar Gul. The 24-year-old Gul, who returned home from Pakistan's tour of South Africa earlier this month with an ankle injury, featured in Pakistan's tune-up camp for the World Cup which started here from Friday. “I am ready to perform my duties and hopefully we will have a fit bowling attack which can help the team win,” Gul said. (Posted @ 15:57 PST)
US used Ethiopia bases to attack Al-Qaeda in Somalia: report WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (AFP) The US military used bases in Ethiopia to attack leaders of the Al-Qaeda network in Somalia last month, The New York Times reported Friday, citing unnamed US officials. US and Ethiopian officials also shared intelligence on the location of the Al-Qaeda members, with US officials even supplying satellite pictures, the Times reported. A secret US commando team also entered Somalia after being deployed to bases in Ethiopia and Kenya, the unnamed officials told the newspaper. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Muslim nations to hold Mideast talks in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Feb 23 (AFP) The foreign ministers of seven key Muslim nations will meet in Pakistan this weekend to discuss a joint strategy to end the worsening turmoil in the Middle East, officials said Friday. The conference on Sunday will focus on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the ongoing strife in Iraq and tensions between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme, Pakistani foreign ministry officials said. The ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Malaysia, Egypt and Indonesia will prepare the ground for a summit of their leaders to be hosted in Saudi Arabia by King Abdullah at a later date. The secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference is also due to attend. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
25 feared dead in fire at Latvian disabled home RIGA, Feb 23 (AFP) Around 25 people were feared dead after a fire ripped through a home for disabled people in the town of Alsunga in western Latvia overnight, officials said Friday. Extremely cold temperatures of minus 30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) hampered the rescue effort. (Posted @ 15:47 PST)
Britain in talks with US on hosting 'son of Star Wars' LONDON, Feb 23 (AFP) Britain is in talks with the United States about whether a controversial “son of Star Wars” missile defence system could be based on British soil, Downing Street said Friday. The talks are at a very early stage with Britain bidding to be “kept in consideration” as a possible location for the system, a spokesman added. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Britain to send extra troops to Afghanistan: reports LONDON, Feb 23 (AFP) Britain is to announce that it will send up to 1,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, according to media reports Friday. Defence Secretary Des Browne will give further details in a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons Monday, the BBC and the Guardian newspaper reported. Britain currently has around 5,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based in Helmand Province. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
India renews pressure on Pakistan over militants NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (Reuters) India wants better ties with Pakistan but the peace process will only bear fruit if Islamabad fully curbs “cross-border terrorism”, the Indian president said on Friday. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, laying out the government’s policy at the start of parliament's first session of the year, said New Delhi was still worried about the infiltration of militants into India from Pakistan and attacks launched by them. “The success of the dialogue process is predicated on Pakistan fulfilling its commitment not to permit any territory under its control to be used to support terrorism in any manner,” he told lawmakers. Referring to the Samjhauta Express train attack, Kalam said “we should not allow this tragic event to affect our common quest for normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan”. Also on Friday, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav told parliament that urgent steps were being taken to strengthen and modernise the Railway Protection Force which is responsible for security across Indian train stations. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
New DNA test confirms cleric, not Kashmir rebel, was killed: police SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 23 (AFP) - DNA test has proved that a body claimed to be that of an Islamic militant killed by security forces in occupied Kashmir was that of an innocent Muslim cleric, police said Friday. It was the second time in as many days that police admitted civilians had been killed in “fake encounters” or staged executions. DNA tests conducted on the body matched with the relatives of cleric Shaukat Ahmed who went missing in the summer capital Srinagar last October, police said. On Thursday, it was announced that DNA tests conducted on the body of another alleged militant who security forces claimed was killed in a gunbattle in December last year matched with the relatives of a small-town carpenter called Abdul Rahman Padder. Padder also went missing in Srinagar. He was reportedly taken to neighbouring Gandherbal district, killed quietly and passed off as a hardcore Pakistani militant. DNA tests on three more alleged victims of fake encounters, including that of a perfume seller, are still awaited. “The (DNA) samples have matched with the relatives of a carpenter and a cleric,” a police officer told AFP, saying they were waiting for three more tests. (Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Pakistan, India working out agreements on outstanding issues: Kasuri NEW DELHI, Feb. 23 (APP): Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said here that Pakistan and India are actively engaged in working out agreements on outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir to promote peace and harmony in South Asia. Speaking at a dinner hosted by SAFMA, he said both the countries are putting efforts to shape an agreement in such a way that enjoy the support of parliament, opposition, media and other segments of civil society. Kasuri said he had productive and meaningful talks with his India counterpart that were focused on settlement of outstanding issues. “We have made progress on all issues. Atmosphere has improved in South Asia,” he observed. Answering a question, he said the solutions being worked out will not be made public to prevent any negative fallout. He referred to the secret visit of the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to China in 60s which was the need of that time because of the powerful media of the US. To another question on liberalization of the visa regime, he said he had given proposals to Indian side, about 80 to 90% work has been done to reach an agreement, to this effect. Earlier, welcoming the Minister, K. K Katyal, President of SAFMA, India Chapter said SAFMA supports peace process. He said it wants liberalization of visa Regime. There should be free movement of journalists across the border, he added. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Cheney issues rallying call not to abandon Iraq SYDNEY, Feb 23 Reuter) U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney issued a rallying call on Friday not to abandon Iraq or other nations he said could provide a haven for terrorists, warning a defeat in Iraq would see violence spread in the Middle East. “Having tasted victory in Iraq, the jihadists would look for new missions, “ he said in a speech during a visit to Australia. “Many would head for Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban, others would set out for capitals across the Middle East.” (Posted @ 12:43 PST)
Four killed as remote Indian state goes to poll GUWAHATI, Feb 23 (AFP) - Four people were killed in insurgency-hit Manipur overnight as the remote northeastern Indian state began voting Friday in the last part of a three-stage assembly election, officials said. One soldier and three civilians died, according to police in the state capital Imphal. “It appears the attacks were election-related, with militants targeting political workers. The identity of the rebels is not immediately known,” said an officer who did not disclose his name. Six people were also killed during the second stage of voting on February 14 in the state, where more than 10,000 people have been killed in the last two decades. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Six world powers to discuss Iran in London Monday WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (AFP) -Six world powers will meet early next week in a bid to defuse the nuclear crisis with Iran, while the United States and its allies seek stiffer UN sanctions, US officials said Thursday. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns “will be going to London on Monday” for consultations with his Russian, Chinese, British, French and German counterparts, said State Department spokesman Tom Casey. The meeting announcement came after the UN nuclear watchdog agency concluded in a report Thursday for its 35-nation board that Iran had not suspended its nuclear fuel enrichment as the UN Security Council demanded. (Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Test blast in Nevada desert that recalled image of mushroom cloud scrapped by Pentagon WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (AP) - Facing stiff opposition from two Western U.S. states, the Pentagon scrapped plans for a 700-ton non-nuclear test blast that would have produced the first mushroom cloud of dust over the Nevada desert in decades. The Defence Department said Thursday it would find other ways to test the United States' ability to penetrate underground bunkers that produce and store weapons of mass destruction. The cloud may have reached an altitude of 10,000 feet over the site about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, an eerie echo of long-ago open-air nuclear testing. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Prodi aims to stay on after winning allies' backing ROME, Feb 23 (Reuter) - Italy's centre-left leaders have agreed to back Romano Prodi's bid to stay on as prime minister, boosting his chances of ending a crisis that risks plunging the country into political paralysis. Prodi clinched the deal at a late-night meeting on Thursday, a day after he resigned following a revolt in his Catholics-to-communists coalition. With the agreement under his belt, he now needs to convince President Giorgio Napolitano, who has been holding talks to resolve the crisis, that he has mustered enough support to carry on as head of government. “We have all agreed to the programme so that he can continue to govern,” Prodi's spokesman Silvio Sircana told Reuters. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
British officials fear US will attack Iran: report LONDON, Feb 23 (AFP) - Senior British government officials fear that US President George W. Bush will attack Iran before his final term in office ends in a little less than two years time, The Times reported in an early edition of its Friday newspaper. They fear that Bush will seek to “settle the Iranian question through military means,” the daily reported, quoting unidentified senior British government sources. “He (Bush) will not want to leave it unresolved for his successor,” one of the sources told The Times. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Cricket: Australian paceman Lee out of World Cup: official SYDNEY, Feb 23 (AFP) - Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee was Friday ruled out of next month's World Cup in Caribbean with an ankle injury, Cricket Australia said. Stuart Clark, who was a controversial omission from the original 15-man squad named last week, is his replacement, pending International Cricket Council approval, CA said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Australian soldier shoots dead East Timorese civilian in Dili DILI, Feb 23 (AFP) - An Australian soldier shot dead an East Timorese civilian Friday after being attacked with steel arrows, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) said. “He defended himself by shooting the attacker, resulting in the death of one Timorese national,” a statement said. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
US soldier gets 100 years in prison for rape, murder of Iraqi girl FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky, Feb 23 (AFP) - A US soldier was sentenced Thursday to 100 years in prison for his role in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slaying of her family. Sergeant Paul Cortez, 24, said he was among five soldiers who plotted the March 2006 rape and murders in Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad, while they were drinking gin and whiskey and playing cards at a traffic checkpoint. Cortez was the second soldier to plead guilty in the high-profile case. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 64.86 points: KARACHI, Feb 23: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11607.84, up 64.86 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:03 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:03 PST)
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