|
| March 10, 2007 | Saturday | Safar 20, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Baghdad car bombs kill 28 BAGHDAD, March 10 (AFP) Suicide bombers attacked army checkpoints in Baghdad on Saturday, killing 28 people, a security official said. Six soldiers were among 26 killed when the attacker struck a bridge in central Baghdad. The US statement spoke of only six dead soldiers and 20 wounded civilians, but a doctor at the Sadr City hospital said medics had received 18 bodies and treated 40 wounded. In a separate attack in nearby Jamiya, a car bomber killed one soldier and wounded two more, a security official said. And further south, near Tahariat Square, one civilian was killed in a third blast. (First Posted @ 15:55 PST Updated @ 22:40 PST)
Eleven killed in Afghan insurgency violence KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 10 (AFP) Separate Taliban attacks in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday killed 11 people, including four Afghans working for the US military and two civilians, officials said. An exchange of fire between Taliban insurgents and police in the province of Ghazni left four rebels, two civilians and a policeman dead, officials said. In Khost province, a roadside bomb tore through a military vehicle, killing four Afghan militiamen employed by the US-led military, a provincial official said. Two civilian nomad women standing nearby were hurt in the blast. (First Posted @ 20:30 PST Updated @ 21:08 PST)
PPP announces delegation to MPC ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Agencies) The chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) group, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, on Saturday nominated a high-level delegation for participation in the Multi-Party Conference (MPC) to be held in London on March 24 and 25. PPP spokesperson, Farhatullah Babar, said that the PPP delegation will be led by Makhdoom Amin Fahim and comprise of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Raza Rabbani, Safdar Abbasi, Ms Sherry Rehman, Wajid Hussain and Rahman Malik. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Naval exercise 'Aman 07' of great tactical value: Musharraf KARACHI, March 10 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday said that the 'Aman 07' multinational naval exercise was of great tactical and operational value for Pakistan Navy. Talking to reporters here, he said this was a great naval exercise integrated with so many countries including China, United States, France, Italy, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Musharraf said that this exercise, at the strategic level, brings out the fact that the Indian Ocean and the northern part of Arabian Sea were of great strategic significance. “This is substantiated by the very fact that so many countries are taking part. There are observers from 27 different countries with physical participation from eight different countries, which is manifestation of the importance of the exercise, importance of Pakistan in the security of this region”, he said. (Posted @ 21:02 PST)
German arrested in Pakistan as terror suspect: report BERLIN, March 10 (AFP) Pakistan's secret services have arrested a German with Bosnian citizenship over suspected links to Al-Qaeda, Der Spiegel magazine said in an edition to be published Sunday. Nihad C, a 29-year-old from Pforzheim in south-west Germany, was arrested on January 30 on suspicion of having attended a militant training camp or planning to attend one, the magazine reported. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Pakistani soldier, three militants killed in clash ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Reuters) Pakistani security forces killed three suspected militants in a clash in the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border on Saturday, the military said. The clash took place near a border checkpoint when militants in three vehicles tried to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan, military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said in a statement. One soldier was killed. Several militants managed to escape and security forces were searching for them, Arshad said. (Posted @ 20:36 PST)
Elections to be held in free and fair manner: PM Aziz LAHORE, March 10 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said here on Saturday that the next general elections will be held in a fair and free manner. “We are committed to holding the elections in a transparent manner; the government will welcome any observer to watch the electioneering process,” he said while talking to newsmen at the Governor's House here. Responding to a question, he said no proposal was under consideration regarding postponement of the elections. Regarding the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Aziz said, “whatever has happened is in line with Constitution and law”, adding that the matter was now before Supreme Judicial Council. About opposition's All Parties Conference in London, he claimed that it would have no impact. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Pakistani lawyers rally against suspension of top judge ISLAMABAD, March 10 (AFP) Hundreds of Pakistani lawyers rallied Saturday in protest against the sudden suspension of the country's top judge by President Pervez Musharraf, adding they will launch a nationwide court boycott on Monday. In Karachi, the protesters shouted slogans condemning the removal of chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on misconduct charges as “the murder of the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan.” The lawyers burned an effigy of Musharraf at a rally outside a judicial complex in the southern port city. “We demand immediate restoration of the chief justice, withdrawal of the case against him,” Pakistan Bar Council vice president Ali Ahmed Kurd said after a meeting in Islamabad. He described the charges against Chaudhry as “politically motivated.” Protest rallies were also held by lawyers in the southwestern city of Quetta and several cities in the central Punjab province. (Posted @ 18:42 PST)
Cricket: Inzamam lauds Hafeez after South Africa whipping PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, March 10 (AFP) Pakistan have found a surprise match-winner in opener Mohammad Hafeez, who played a crucial role in his team's two successive victories in the World Cup warm-up matches. “Hafeez is in form and he is the key member of the team. He is now looking forward to the main competition. It always helps when a top-order batsman scores briskly,” said Inzamam. Inzamam said the team's confidence was sky-high after two consecutive wins. (Posted @ 17:52 PST)
Blasts rock Iraq peace conference BAGHDAD, March 10 (AFP) Three explosions rocked an area near the Iraqi foreign ministry Saturday causing slight damage to the building as it hosted a peace conference of 16 world and regional powers. Iraqi soldiers carrying shards of shrapnel from the scene said that three mortar rounds hit a building less than 50 metres from the ministry. Journalists resting outside the building while envoys from Middle Eastern countries and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council held talks inside, were hustled inside after the first two detonations. There was no initial news of any casualties from the blasts. (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
Eight killed in Sri Lanka wildlife park COLOMBO, March 10 (AFP) Suspected Tamil Tigers shot dead four security personnel and four park officials inside a wildlife sanctuary Friday, the military said Saturday. The bullet-riddled bodies of the eight men were found following a search operation in the Wilpattu national park in the northwest of the island. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Iraqi PM urges firm stand against terrorism BAGHDAD, March 10 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki called on countries attending a conference of regional and world powers Saturday to take a firm stand against terrorism in Iraq. “We call on all to take moral responsibility by adopting a strong and clear stance against terrorism in Iraq and cooperate in stamping out forces of terror,” Maliki said in a written version of his speech to the opening session of the conference. “Our meeting with you today in Baghdad demonstrates support for the Iraqi people and Iraq's national unity government in our effort to confront all forms of terrorism in the country,” Maliki said. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Pakistan for peaceful resolution of Iran nuke issue: PM Aziz LAHORE, March 10 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday said that Pakistan supports the resolution of Iran's nuclear issue through negotiations. “Pakistan has never supported military solution to any issue,” he said while talking to newsmen at Governor's House here. Punjab Governor Lt Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool was also present on the occasion. Shaukat Aziz said that a diplomatic solution should be sought to the Iran issue. Commenting on Pak-Iran ties, he said both countries enjoy very cordial relations. He said Pakistan is not only negotiating with Iran over laying of a gas pipeline, it is also importing electricity from this neighbouring country. Prime Minister hoped that construction of the Iran- Pakistan-India gasline will add depth to the existing relations between our two countries. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Baghdad peace conference opens BAGHDAD, March 10 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a regional conference in Baghdad Saturday that national reconciliation was crucial to saving Iraq. Iraq called the meeting to enlist regional support to stop the violence that has racked the country, killed tens of thousands and displaced about 1.7 million since the U.S.-led invasion four years ago that toppled Saddam Hussein. “The reconciliation initiative is the ship that will save us,” Maliki said in his opening speech to delegates to the regional conference, attended by deputy foreign ministers and other such officials from Iran, Syria and the United States. “Iraq with its strategic location, must be seen as a key factor and an important player in the regional and international field,” Maliki said. The one-day conference brings together mid-level officials from Iraq's neighbours, the permanent U.N. Security Council members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - and Arab countries. (First Posted @ 13:35 PST, Updated @ 14:28 PST)
Palestinian unity government deadline extended GAZA CITY, March 10 (AFP) Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has extended by two weeks the deadline for prime minister designate Ismail Haniya to form a unity government, a government spokesman said Saturday. “Prime minister Ismail Haniya asked Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a phone call yesterday to extend the deadline to form a unity government... and the president agreed to allow two additional weeks to the prime minister designate,” government spokesman Ghazi Hamad, said.(Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Cricket: Younis buries pitch fears to shape Pakistan win PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, March 10 (AFP) - Younis Khan overcame a controversial pitch with an attractive half-century as Pakistan whipped South Africa by seven wickets in the final World Cup warm-up match here on Friday. The top-order batsman smashed 79 to help his team surpass South Africa's modest total of 199 with more than five overs to spare in a match which was held up for nearly 10 minutes in the morning due to poor pitch conditions.South Africa are in Group A with Australia, the Netherlands and Scotland, while Pakistan are in Group D with the West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe. The top two sides from each group will advance to the next Super Eight stage.(Posted @ 13:00 PST)
China to build 37 airports in remote west: report BEIJING, March 10 (AFP) - China plans to invest 52 billion yuan (6.7 billion dollars) in building 37 new airports and expanding 31 others in the west of the country over the next four years, the People's Daily said Saturday.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Bangladesh launches massive demolition drive DHAKA, March 10 (AFP) - Bangladesh authorities have launched a massive demolition drive in Dhaka to ease the capital's chronic traffic congestion, an official said Saturday. Thousands of illegally constructed buildings in upmarket areas of the city are being reduced to rubble by bulldozers and hundreds of workers with pickaxes. The drive began late last month but demolition crews had now moved into high gear, officials said. “Already we have demolished thousands of illegal structures. We will clear all the roads in the city in a bid to ease traffic congestion,” said the chief of the capital's development authority, K.A.M. Harun.“Any building which is constructed contravening our guidelines will also be demolished. We will not spare it, even if it is a 15- or 20-storey building,” he said.(Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Gunmen shoot and kill two in northwestern Pakistan DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, March 10 (AP) Assailants in two separate incidents in Dera Ismail Khan, a town in North West Frontier Province, shot and killed a junior government official and a retired soldier, police said Saturday. In the latest incident Saturday, gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed Safdar Hussain, a junior government official, said Bawahal Khan, an area police chief. He said a retired soldier, Munir Hussain, was also killed by unidentified gunmen in the city late Friday.(Posted @ 12:00 PST)
France's President Chirac to announce retirement PARIS, March 10 (AFP) President Jacques Chirac is expected to announce Sunday that he will retire after more than 40 years at the top in French politics. The 74 year-old leader is to reveal in an address to the nation on radio and television whether he will stand in the presidential election to be held in six weeks. The content of his declaration has been kept secret by the Elysee palace, but the near universal consensus was that he will explain why he has decided not to seek an unprecedented third mandate.(Posted @ 11:45 PST)
Curfew in Nepal villages after bloody clash KATHMANDU, March 10 (Reuters) Authorities imposed curfews on two south-western Nepali villages Saturday, a day after one person died in clashes between ethnic Madhesis protesting for more autonomy and villagers defying their strike. More than a dozen people were also wounded Friday in the clashes in Khajura and Kohalpur villages during a general strike called by the Madhesi People's Rights Forum, police said. The Madhesis belong to a large ethnic group living in Nepal's southern plains and have been demanding a greater share in government jobs and seats in parliament.(Posted @ 11:15 PST)
US hints at willingness to talk bilaterally with Iran WASHINGTON, March 10 (AFP) The United States says it could be willing to hold bilateral talks with Iran, as it calls on Tehran and Damascus to help Iraq hours ahead of a regional security conference in Baghdad. Outgoing US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad Friday suggested the United States could be willing to hold bilateral talks with Tehran. “If we judge that a bilateral meeting (with Iran) would be useful, and we will be prepared to do so ... we would be willing to do that. We have said for some time that if it is useful, we will be willing to sit down with the Iranians, and talk about Iraq,” Khalilzad said.(Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Algerian security forces kill three suspected militants ALGIERS, Algeria, March 10 (AP) Algerian security forces killed Friday three suspected militants, the Interior Ministry said. The three were shot to death in the centre of M'sila city, about 250 kilometres southeast of the capital, Algiers, the ministry said in a statement.(Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Ten bodies found shot dead in Baghdad BAGHDAD, March 10 (Reuters) Ten bodies were found shot dead in different parts of Baghdad Friday, a police source said, while a senior leader of an al Qaeda-linked group was arrested in Iraq, state television Iraqiya said.(Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Insurgents storm Iraqi police station, 10 missing BAGHDAD, March 10 (Reuters) Ten Iraqi policemen were missing after insurgents attacked a police station north of Baghdad Friday, killing one policeman and wounding three more, a police source said. The source said a group of insurgents stormed the police station in Hibhib, in Diyala province, setting fire to vehicles and destroying the building.(Posted @ 09:10 PST)
US marine killed in action in Iraq BAGHDAD, March 10 (AFP) A US marine was killed in combat operations in Al-Anbar province, west of Baghdad, Friday, the military said. The death brought to 3,192 the US military's losses in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures.(Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Village official, six others murdered in Philippines BACOLOD, Philippines, March 10 (AFP) Unidentified gunmen shot dead a village official and six of his followers and wounded four other people in an ambush in the central Philippines, police said Saturday. District chairman Lidio Baylon and his supporters were attacked as they were riding in a truck through La Libertad town in the island of Negros Friday, the town police chief said.(Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |