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| March 08, 2007 | Thursday | Safar 18, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
President Musharraf rings Iranian President ISLAMABAD, Mar 8 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf spoke with the Iranian President Ahmadinejad on the telephone on Wednesday night. Musharraf expressed the confidence that Ahmedinejad’s visit to the Saudi Kingdom will strengthen the understanding between two important neighbours and have a positive impact on the situation in the region. President Musharraf said Pakistan has always desired peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region. He also informed the Iranian President about the meeting of the foreign ministers of seven Muslim countries in Islamabad on February 25, 2007, and his efforts to resolve problems and reduce tension in the Middle East. Musharraf assured Ahmadinejad that Pakistan would always have Iran's interest close to its heart.(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
Cricket-Waqar asks Pathan to view old footage to rediscover form MUMBAI, India, March 8 (Reuters) Former Pakistan pace spearhead Waqar Younis suggested struggling India seamer Irfan Pathan should view his old footage to draw inspiration ahead of next week's World Cup. “I think one should leave him alone and allow him to sort his bowling out himself. Right now any advice will be detrimental. He has to view his old footage and boost himself,” he added. Waqar expects one of the sub-continent teams -- India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka -- to win the world cup due to the conditions in the Caribbean. “I was just there in the West Indies, the wickets are definitely going to suit the sub-continent teams because they are more of a turner tracks like the ones we play on in the sub-continent.”(Posted @ 21:40 PST)
Musharraf vows to empower women in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Reuters) President Gen. Pervez Musharraf vowed on Thursday to support reforms to empower women in Pakistan. “We have taken many steps to empower you politically and economically but ultimately it is you who have to bring about a change,” Musharraf told an International Women's Day conference in Islamabad. Musharraf rejected the argument that amending the Hudood laws was unIslamic. “These laws are man-made and those who think touching them would violate the spirit of Islam are narrow-minded,” he said. Musharraf said his government would support steps to end violence against women and safeguard their rights.Musharraf said women were playing a much greater role in politics, from national to local level, since he came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999. “Today there are about 40,000 women in Pakistan who enjoy political authority,” he said.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
Cricket: It's painful to miss World Cup, says Shoaib Akhtar ISLAMABAD, March 8 (AFP) Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar Thursday said his failure to make it to the World Cup in the Caribbean had caused him great pain. “I am going through hell. I can't describe it in words what it means to miss an event like the World Cup,” Akhtar said. Akhtar said he had played only one match in the West Indies in 2000 and was anxious to play because every fast bowler wanted to do well in the Caribbean, which is known as a fast bowlers' paradise. Akhtar said it was not new that people doubted his injury. “I have always played to the best of my abilities but people have doubted my integrity. My injuries are always doubted as if I am feigning it and I always had to prove that I am unfit.“ Akhtar said he would start training once the knee injury healed in the next two weeks. “My next target is the Twenty20 World Cup and then we have two good home series against South Africa and Australia, so I will gear up for them,” he said.(Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Afghan warlord splits with Taliban KARACHI, Pakistan, March 8 (AP) Fugitive Afghan rebel leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in an interview said his forces have ended cooperation with the Taliban and suggested that he was open to talks with President Hamid Karzai. In a video response to questions submitted by the Associated Press, Hekmatyar said “the Taliban rejected the idea of a joint struggle against the aggressor”. He said his forces were now mounting only restricted operations, partly because of a lack of resources. Still, Hekmatyar, insisted he had a large pool of fighters who could sustain a long struggle and sent a defiant message to President George W. Bush that he had no hope of defeating the insurgency. Asked if he would consider opening negotiations with Karzai, Hekmatyar said “dialogue can only be fruitful if the aggressors truly allow the Kabul government to halt the fighting, negotiate with the mujahedeen and honor what Kabul and the resistance decide.”(Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Peace efforts with Pakistan working: Indian PM NEW DELHI, March 8 (AFP) India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday peace talks with Pakistan had brought “positive results.” “We have been working purposefully for all-round improvement of relations with Pakistan,” he told parliament. “Efforts we have made are beginning to bring positive results. We will work resolutely.” Singh said New Delhi wants “long-lasting peace, friendship and amity” with Islamabad, and that “peace and security in the region is the key objective of our foreign policy.”(Posted @ 19:25 PST)
Policeman held for role in occupied Kashmir fake encounter SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, March 8 (AFP) Authorities in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir have arrested a policemen for his alleged role in the killing of a Muslim cleric in a fake gunbattle, police said Thursday. The cleric, Shaukat Ahmed, disappeared in Srinagar last October. His relatives said that police arrested and later killed him during a staged gun-battle.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Son of ex-Bangladesh PM arrested in graft crackdown DHAKA, March 8 (AFP) The influential son of Bangladesh's outgoing prime minister was detained early Thursday as the interim government intensified its anti-graft crackdown, officials said. Security forces swooped on the residence of Tareque Rahman, son of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia and slain former president Ziaur Rahman, in the early hours, police said. His arrest was one of a string of detentions in overnight raids which also saw the residence of Sheikh Hasina Wajed, leader of the main opposition Awami League, searched.Rahman holds the position of BNP senior joint secretary. Four other politicians and a national newspaper editor were arrested in the overnight raids, according to officials.(Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Afghan driver killed, military supply trucks torched KHOST, Afghanistan, March 8 (AFP) Suspected Taliban rebels exploded a roadside bomb to strike a convoy of trucks carrying supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing a civilian driver, police said. Later the rebels set fire to the remaining trucks of the convoy that weren’t hit by the bomb, an official said.(Posted @ 17:20 PST)
New US commander says no military solution to Iraq conflict BAGHDAD, March 8 (AFP) The new US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, warned Thursday that there was no “military solution” to the nation's conflict. At a news conference, Petraeus said “Military action is necessary to help improve security... but it is not sufficient. There needs to be a political aspect,” he said. “Putting Iraq above personal and sectarian agendas will be critical as Iraqi leaders and Iraqi people grapple with some very tough issues in the months ahead,” he warned.(Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Looted Pakistani artifacts seized in U.S. returned ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Reuters) Thirty-eight ancient Buddhist artifacts dug up by treasure hunters and smuggled to the United States were officially returned to Pakistan on Thursday. A customs officer in Newark, New Jersey, seized the shipment of artifacts, some nearly 2,000 years old, in September 2005. An investigation then began to determine where they came from, said U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker. “This is a long and painstaking process. Heritage of this value and consequence has to be properly researched and investigated to determine its true origin,” Crocker said at a handing over ceremony at a museum in the Pakistani capital. The collection included a relief panel depicting a dance scene, a frieze showing monks meditating, various Buddha statues and other items from the Gandhara civilisation. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Eight Australian engineers feared dead after plane crash BLANTYRE, Malawi, March 8 (AP) A private plane carrying eight Australian engineers to a mine crashed on Thursday, police said, and all on board were feared dead. “There are no signs of survivors,” said a police spokesman . No further details were immediately available. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Crush at Gaza border crossing kills one, injures seven GAZA CITY, March 8 (AP) A crush of 5,000 Palestinians trying to get through the newly opened Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt on Thursday left an elderly man dead and seven people wounded, Palestinian medics said. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
U.S. military commander: Iraqi insurgents intensify attacks during crackdown BAGHDAD, March 8 (AP) U.S. Gen. David Petraeus said Thursday that insurgents in Iraq have sought to intensify attacks during a Baghdad security crackdown and additional U.S. forces will be sent to areas outside the capital where militant groups are regrouping. Petraeus, the new commander of U.S. forces of Iraq, said the troop buildups outside Baghdad will focus on Diyala province. He stressed that military force alone is “not sufficient” to end the violence in Iraq and political talks must eventually include some militant groups now opposing the U.S.-backed government. “This is critical,” said Petraeus in his first news conference since taking over command last month. He noted that such political negotiations “will determine in the long run the success of this effort.” (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Indian police seize emperor Aurangzeb’s handwritten Holy Quran BANGALORE, India, March 8 (AFP) Police in southern India said they had seized a copy of the Holy Quran purported to be more than 300 years old and transcribed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. They said they raided a Bangalore hotel and arrested a man who was trying to hawk the holy book and an antique Indian painting of the Tanjore school for a total of 50 million rupees (1.12 million dollars). “We have invited experts ... to determine its genuineness,” Police Commissioner N. Achutha Rao told AFP. “If it is indeed an antique and was written by Aurangzeb, it would have great value.” The 1,000-page copy of the Holy Quran, coated with a chemical that made it fireproof, weighed 13 kilograms and contained a signature supposedly belonging to emperor Aurangzeb on the last page. Each page emanated a different fragrance, and the 30 sections were all written in different calligraphic styles, according to local media reports. Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Protests precede Bush's arrival on Latin tour SAO PAULO, March 8 (AFP) Protests erupted Wednesday in Latin America even before US President George Bush set out for a five-country tour aimed at promoting democracy, free trade and cooperation with the United States. Bush leaves Washington late Thursday for a week of meetings with the leaders of Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
At least 11 killed in Mogadishu attack MOGADISHU, March 8 (Reuters) Insurgents hit a restaurant in Somalia's capital Mogadishu with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing at least nine people in the building, residents said Thursday. They said two other people were killed in the clash between insurgents and peacekeepers Wednesday. (Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Eight children die, six people hurt in New York City fire NEW YORK, March 8 (AP) Eight children died and six other people were seriously injured in a building fire early Thursday, firefighters said. The fire was in a three-story building in the city's Bronx borough, and was reported shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, a Fire Department spokesman said. (Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Strong earthquake hits seas off Japan's eastern coast TOKYO, March 8 (AP) A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 occurred in Pacific Ocean waters off Japan's eastern coast, Japan's Meteorological Agency said Thursday. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage. The quake was centred about 140 kilometres below the earth's surface, near the island of Tori-shima, about 580 kilometres southeast of Tokyo, the agency said. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
Militants fire rockets on Pakistan paramilitary base MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, March 8 (AFP) Suspected pro-Taliban militants fired rockets on a Pakistani paramilitary base near the Afghan border Thursday causing damage to the building but no casualties, local officials said. Militants lobbed two rockets at the headquarters of the Tochi Scouts in Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan tribal region, they said. One rocket, landing inside the complex, damaged the wall while the other fell about a few hundred metres away, a security official said. “The room was empty and there were no casualties,” the official, requesting anonymity, told AFP. A local administration official confirming the attack said “two rockets exploded early morning with a big bang but luckily no one was hurt.” Residents said soon after the incident, two Cobra helicopters were seen flying over Miranshah. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Four die in occupied Kashmir forest gunbattle SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, March 8 (AFP) Indian troops shot dead four suspected militants during a gunbattle in Wadarbal forests of northern Kupwara district late Wednesday, army spokesman A.K. Mathur said Thursday. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
U.S. senators propose pressuring Pakistan to fight terror WASHINGTON, March 8 (AP) Democrats in the U.S. Senate proposed legislation Wednesday that wants to pressure Pakistan to do more to fight terror but stops short threatening to cut off military aid. The proposal by leading members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would not go as far as a measure approved by the House of Representatives, which would tie aid to Pakistan's counterterror efforts. The Senate resolution was ''intended to put Congress on record as making clear that military assistance to Pakistan will be assessed in the context of efforts in cracking down on the Taliban and al-Qaida.'' It implied that follow-up legislation would be introduced if Pakistan does not heed that warning. At stake is the long-delayed sale of 18 new F-16 jet fighters, an option to buy 18 more, and refurbishing of 34 used aircraft in the Pakistan air force's arsenal. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
US arrests ex-navy man for spying for Al-Qaeda WASHINGTON, March 8 (AFP) A former US Navy sailor was arrested for supplying a pro-Al Qaeda website with information on US ship movements and vulnerabilities, US justice authorities said late Wednesday. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
China accuses U.S. of rights abuses BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) China accused the United States of hypocrisy Thursday in its annual response to Washington's criticism of Beijing's human rights record, saying it had no right to blacken the name of other countries. “As in previous years, the State Department pointed the finger at human rights conditions in more than 190 countries and regions, including China, but avoided touching on the human rights situation in the United States,” said the report, extracts of which were carried by the official Xinhua news agency. “Relying on its strong military power, the United States has trespassed on the sovereignty of other countries and violated human rights in other countries,” Xinhua quoted the document as saying, released by the State Council. It cited foreign media reports in detailing the number of civilian deaths in Iraq. “The document says the United States has a flagrant record of violating the Geneva Convention in systematically abusing prisoners during the Iraqi war and the war in Afghanistan,” Xinhua said. The report also took aim at crime, civil rights infringements and racism in the United States. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Chinese mine explosion kills 15 BEIJING, March 8 (AFP) Fifteen miners were killed in a gas blast at a coal mine in central China's Hunan province, Xinhua news agency said Thursday. Miners were carrying out maintenance underground when the blast struck. Seventeen miners escaped when the explosion occurred Tuesday morning at Hongfa Coal Mine in Niumasi town, Shaodong county, Xinhua said. Damaged ventilation shafts were believed to be the cause, according to the officials. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 137.57 points: KARACHI, March 8: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11283.84, up 137.57 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, March 8: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.75 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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