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| February 24, 2007 | Saturday | Safar 6, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Muslim ministers to arrive in Pakistan for talks ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (AFP) -Foreign ministers of seven key Muslim nations were due to arrive in Pakistan late Saturday for talks on a collective push to end the turmoil in the Middle East. A conference on Sunday will bring together ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, along with the secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The meeting follows a recent diplomatic shuttle around the Islamic world by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, a key US ally, who is warning that the unrest in the Middle East could spread worldwide. The foreign ministers will prepare the ground for a summit of their leaders to be hosted in Saudi Arabia by King Abdullah at a later date, Pakistan foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.“ The meeting here will consider the Palestinian crisis, the situation in Iraq and the Iran-US tensions,” she said. Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will open Sunday's gathering and the ministers will also call on Musharraf. Iran, Syria and the Palestinian Authority will not be attending the conference in Islamabad, but officials said they would be kept fully informed of the outcome of the deliberations. “Iran has its own specific position on the Israeli-Palestinian row,” said a government official on condition of anonymity. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Blast in Pakistan kills 3 as bombers' bike hits bump CHICHAWATNI, Pakistan, Feb 24(Reuter) Three suspected militants were blown to pieces by their explosives on Saturday when they rode over a bump on a bicycle outside Chichawatni town, some 120 km north of Multan, the main city in southern Punjab, police said. “The head of one man has been blown off,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Bashir Ahmed told Reuters from Chichawatni. Another of the dead men had his legs blown off, while the third had his stomach ripped open and died later in hospital, police said. At least two of the dead men were students at a nearby madrasa, suspected of having links to Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a banned Police were unsure what kind of attack the men on the bike were planning. “We don't know whether they wanted to carry out a suicide attack or plant the explosives somewhere,” Ahmed said, adding that initial investigations suggested the explosive was home-made. (First Posted @ 10:20 PST; Updated @ 13:15 PST)
SBP launches newly-designed Rs1,000 note Karachi, Feb 24 (Agencies) The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Saturday launched a newly designed bank note of Rs1000 denomination, which will come into circulation from Feb 26, 2007. Briefing the media men about the salient features of the new currency note, SBP Governor, Dr Shamshad Akhtar said that the state-of-the-art security features incorporated in it were of international standards that would minimize the possibility of counterfeiting. The new banknotes would help in modernizing the banking industry of Pakistan as they were equipped with machine readable features, she noted. This will facilitate the automation of handling of banknotes by banks and use of equipment to detect counterfeiting while processing the banknotes, she added. (Posted @ 23:36 PST)
Pakistan airline says unaware of EU flight ban ISLAMABAD, Feb 24 (AFP) Pakistan's national flagship airline said Saturday the European Union had asked it to modernise its fleet to meet safety standards, but denied any knowledge of a ban. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it was unaware of a European Commission plan to bar it from flying into the 27 EU member states, after reports experts in Brussels had agreed it did not meet safety standards. “The company's management was fully in contact with the EU authorities over the modernisation of its fleet. Necessary refurbishment of PIA's old aircraft is also in the pipeline as per EU standards,” PIA said in a statement. The airline said it aimed to reduce the average age of its planes from 21 to 12 years by May 2007. (Posted @ 22:08 PST)
Landslide swamps bus in Azad Kashmir, 11 killed MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AP) A landslide triggered by recent snow and rains engulfed a passenger bus on a mountainous road in Azad Kashmir’s Rawalakot town on Saturday, killing 11 people and injuring five others, police said. (Posted @ 21:56 PST)
Four killed in fresh Gaza violence GAZA CITY, Feb 24 (AFP) Four Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Saturday when a clan feud erupted into an hours-long gunbattle. Both the ruling Hamas party and president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah faction were quick to denounce the fighting, which flared after Hamas accused a Gaza Strip clan of killing one of its militants shortly after midnight. (First Posted @ 13:20 PST Updated @ 21:54 PST)
Prodi keeps job as prime minister ROME, Feb 24 (AFP) Romano Prodi will remain as Italy's prime minister but must face a confidence vote in parliament, President Giorgio Napolitano announced Saturday in a move to end a three-day-old political crisis. The 67-year-old Prodi, who offered to resign Wednesday after only nine months in office, is likely to face the confidence vote on Wednesday or Thursday, Italian media reported. (Posted @ 21:48 PST)
Iran forces kill 17 rebels in northwest clashes TEHRAN, Feb 24 (AFP) Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Saturday killed 17 rebels described as “mercenary elements” opposing the Islamic republic in clashes in the northwest of the country, state media reported. (Posted @ 21:44 PST)
Iran brushes off Cheney threat TEHRAN, Feb 24 (AFP) Iran on Saturday played down the possibility of a US military action against its nuclear programme after a veiled threat from Vice President Dick Cheney but said it was prepared for all possible scenarios. “We do not see that the United States is in a position to impose another crisis in the region on its tax payers,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters. “But the Islamic Republic of Iran has prepared for two scenarios. We prefer the second which is based on dialogue and constructive interaction,” he added at a news conference with visiting Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa. Mottaki also called on the parties meeting in London to “take a brave decision and resume their negotiations with Iran because it is to the benefit of all people.” (Posted @ 21:40 PST)
Mass funeral held in India for train blasts victims MEHRANA, India, Feb 24 (AFP) Muslim clerics on Saturday held a mass funeral for the charred remains of 23 people from the firebombing of a train headed to Pakistan. Hundreds of people reached the funeral site at this village, 100 kilometres north of New Delhi. Of the remaining dead, 36 have been identified as Pakistanis, while eight were Indians, a senior Haryana police official said. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
Cricket: Australia still World Cup favourites, says Inzy LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AFP) Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq Saturday said Australia were still the World Cup favourites despite their recent slump in form. However, he said the defending champions' problems have opened the door to other teams. Inzamam said he hoped doubts over strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif would be resolved. “It would have been better to have a full squad confirmed rather than having fitness worries because it doesn't allow you to plan. “But I am not thinking negatively. Akhtar and Asif are our main players and I hope they not only overcome their injuries but reports of their tests also come in our favour,” said Inzamam. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
One killed, dozens hurt in British train derailment GRAYRIGG, England, Feb 24 (AFP) British police said Saturday it was “little short of a miracle” that there were not more deaths when a high-speed train derailed, killing an 80-year-old woman and seriously injuring five people. The nine-carriage train, with about 100 passengers on board, hurtled off the track at 95 miles (155 kilometres) per hour in remote northwest England late Friday, skidding down an embankment and leaving several carriages on their sides. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Olympics: 2012 Olympics costs soars LONDON, Feb 24 (AFP) The cost of staging the 2012 Olympics could soar to nine billion pounds (17.6 billion US) - nearly four times the 2.35 billion (4.6 billion US) estimated by London ahead of sealing the bid. The BBC has alleged Saturday that the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are poring over the massive soar in costs, prompting some ministers to urge officials not to write a blank cheque for the Olympics. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Five killed in spate of bombings in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Feb 24 (AFP) Five civilians were killed and at least 24 wounded in a spate of bomb and mortar attacks across Baghdad Saturday. A defence ministry official said two civilians were killed and five wounded when a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad soon after midday. In another incident, a civilian was killed and five wounded when a bomb placed inside a minibus went off in Al-Jumhuriya street near the Shorja market, also in central Baghdad. In the Jamia district of western Baghdad, two civilians were killed and four hurt in a car bomb explosion targeting Iraqi and US army patrols. In the Abu Tchir district in southwestern Baghdad, 10 people were wounded in a mortar attack, defence sources said. (Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Protests after US troops detain Iraqi leader NAJAF, Iraq, Feb 24 (AFP) Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets in Najaf on Saturday in protest after US troops detained the son of a powerful religious leader as his convoy returned from across the Iranian border. Ammar al-Hakim, the son of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim who heads the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), was arrested on Friday at the Mehran border crossing and held for several hours. (Posted @ 16:46 PST)
Rebel ambush kills 15 police in northeast India GUWAHATI, India, Feb 24 (AFP) Separatist rebels killed 15 police commandos and injured four more in an ambush Saturday in the northeast Indian state of Manipur, officials said. Army and paramilitary troopers have launched a massive hunt to track down the separatists behind the attack. (Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Thousands protest after police kills Kashmiri man SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 24 (AFP) Teargas was fired Saturday to disperse thousands of villagers protesting on the outskirts of Jammu after police allegedly battered to death a Kashimiri man, witnesses said. Villagers said Kewal Ram, a state government employee, had been battered by police during an argument Friday evening. Doctors at Jammu's main hospital declared him “dead on arrival.” Several thousand villagers Saturday blocked the main highway round Jammu and demanded a murder case be filed against policemen. Police admitted using teargas and batons to scatter the villagers, who later re-assembled and continued their demonstrations. Police, however, denied Ram was beaten-up. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
President Musharraf calls Palestinian president ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AP) President Gen. Pervez Musharraf telephoned his Palestinian counterpart to inform him of his efforts to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bring peace to Iraq and Afghanistan, a news report said Saturday. During Friday's 25-minute conversation Musharraf congratulated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on reaching a power-sharing agreement with Hamas in Mecca city earlier this month, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported. Abbas told Musharraf he appreciated the Pakistani leader's peace initiative and “expressed his strong support for his efforts,” the agency said. (Posted @ 16:34 PST)
Pakistan couple hurt in India train bombing returns home with bodies of 5 children LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb 24 (AP) A Pakistani couple injured in a deadly train bombing in a remote Indian village returned home Saturday with caskets containing the charred remains of five of their children, officials said. The five children, aged 6 to 15, were among 68 passengers killed when two bombs sparked a fire that tore through carriages on the Samjhauta Express. Since the attack last Sunday, India has turned over about two dozen bodies to Pakistan, although Islamabad says it has not received a complete list of its dead. Most of those who died in the attack were from Pakistan. Shaukat Ali and his wife took the bodies of their five children across the border via Wagha, on the outskirts of Lahore, said the city's mayor Mian Amir Mahmood. The bodies of unidentified Pakistanis would be buried in India later Saturday. “We requested the Indian government to shift the bodies to Pakistan for burial, which was declined on the plea that the nationality of the victims had not been determined,” an official statement said. It said Pakistan has asked Indian authorities for “proper separate burial with DNA identification to keep the possibility of bringing the remains of identified Pakistani nationals to Pakistan.” (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Sri Lankan troops capture 3 Tamil Tiger bases in northeast COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb 24 (A) Troops have captured three Tamil Tiger rebel bases in northeastern Sri Lanka, forcing the insurgents to flee into the jungles, the Defence Ministry said Saturday. The area is near the port city of Trincomalee, which has a major Sri Lankan navy base and serves as an important supply line to the north. No casualties were reported, as the rebels had fled before the troops moved in. The rebels could not immediately be reached for comment. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Report: Thai prime minister says no autonomy for southern Muslims KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb 24 (AP) - Thailand's Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has ruled out giving autonomy to Muslim-dominated southern provinces wracked by a separatist insurgency, a news report said Saturday. Surayud said in an interview late Friday with Malaysia's national news agency, Bernama, that his government is trying to resolve grievances among southern Muslims through efforts such as reforming the justice system. Asked whether autonomy might be possible for the south, Surayud was quoted as saying: “No, not at the moment.” (Posted @ 11:43 PST)
Two shot dead in latest violence in Thai Muslim south YALA, Thailand, Feb 24 (AFP) - Two Muslims were shot dead and five people were injured in a string of shootings and a roadside bomb attack by suspected separatist rebels in Thailand's violence-torn south, police said Saturday. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
Israel seeks US green light for Iran attack: report LONDON, Feb 24 (APP/AFP) - Israel is seeking permission from the United States to fly its jets over Iraq to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, The Daily Telegraph newspaper said Saturday, citing sources. A senior Israeli defence official told the conservative British broadsheet in a dispatch from Tel Aviv that negotiations were taking place for the US-led coalition in Iraq to provide an “air corridor” over Iraq if the Jewish state decided on unilateral action. “We are planning for every eventuality, and sorting out issues such as these are crucial,” the official said. “If we don't sort these issues out we could have a situation where American and Israeli war planes start shooting at each other.” (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
2 Russians shot to death in Thai beach town BANGKOK, Thailand, Feb 24 (AP) The bodies of two Russian women were found on a Thai beach in the resort town of Pattaya on Saturday, after they had been repeatedly shot by unknown attackers, police said adding that the women were tourists and had recently arrived in Pattaya. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Guerrero recaptures IBF belt, defeats Denmark's Abazi COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb 24 (AP) - American boxer Robert Guerrero recaptured the IBF featherweight title he lost last year when he defeated Denmark's Spend Abazi with an eighth-round technical knockout on Friday. After the eighth round, the ring doctor stopped the fight because Abazi had bleeding around the right eye from a hit in the second round. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Bird flu outbreaks confirmed in Afghanistan flocks WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Two outbreaks of bird flu in small flocks in Afghanistan have been identified as the dangerous H5N1 strain, world animal health officials said Friday It confirmed H5N1 in a flock of backyard poultry in Nangarhar province and in turkeys in Kunar province. Afghanistan imports a large amount of poultry, mostly from Pakistan. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
US rejects ban on cluster bombs WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (AFP) - The United States Friday rejected an international call to abandon the use of cluster bombs, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. “We ... take the position that these munitions do have a place and a use in military inventories, given the right technology as well as the proper rules of engagement,” McCormack said. Forty-six countries meeting in Oslo on Friday pledged to seek a treaty banning cluster bombs by next year, with major user and stockpiler Britain and manufacturer France signing on, Norway said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Baghdad firefight kills two children BAGHDAD, Feb 24 (AFP) - Two Iraqi children were killed Friday and one wounded when US troops got in a firefight with five gunmen firing at each other across the Tigris River, with the latter holed up in a bunker and shipping container, a statement said. US forces “eventually used tank rounds to destroy the bunker and end the attack. ”A patrol then cleared the bunker and it was then that “the soldiers found three Iraqi children at the scene. One was dead. Two others were wounded.” A second child died later. The statement said the military was investigating the circumstances surrounding the childrens' deaths. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Cheney: it would be 'serious mistake' to let Iran acquire nukes SYDNEY, Feb 24 (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney said Saturday that the United States favoured a diplomatic approach to Iran's nuclear programmes but refused to rule out using force to keep atomic weapons from Tehran. “It would be a serious mistake if a nation like Iran were to become a nuclear power,” Cheney warned during a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. “All options are still on the table.” “We've worked with the European Community and through the United Nations to put in place a set of policies to persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations,” said Cheney. “That's still our preference (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Indonesia ex-general in US pleads 'guilty' to arming Tamils WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (AFP) - Retired Indonesian general Erick Wotulo pleaded guilty Friday to trying to supply Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels with US weapons, the US Justice Department said. When he is sentenced on May 25, he could face 15 years in prison, and as many as 20 additional years on the charge of money laundering, to which he has also pleaded guilty. In April and September 2006, Wotulo carried a Tamil Tiger shopping list for firearms, machine guns, munitions, ground-to-air missiles and night-vision goggles. More than 700,000 dollars was transferred between early August and the end of September to a bank account in Maryland, outside Washington. Wotulo was later arrested on the US Territory of Guam, where he was to discuss transport of the weapons with intermediaries who turned out to be US under-cover agents. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
British police: 22 hospitalised after fatal train crash LONDON, Feb 24 (AFP) - British police said Saturday an elderly woman had died and 22 people been admitted to hospital after a high-speed train derailed Friday in a remote part of northwest England. Five people were in a very serious condition. In all, 120 had been travelling on the train, a spokesman said. ”The train left London Euston station at 5:15 pm (1715 GMT) bound for Glasgow Central station and the emergency services were alerted at around 8:15 pm (2015 GMT) shortly after the derailment near Docker Bridge, close to the isolated village of Grayrigg. The nine-carriage train was travelling at approximately 95 miles (155 kilometres) per hour. “It looks like the carriages have just left the rail line itself and fallen down the embankment. It looks like the engine at the front has almost doubled back on itself. We are unsure as to how that has actually happened.” (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
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