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| March 15, 2007 | Thursday | Safar 25, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf says judge row is out of his hands ISLAMABAD, March 15 (AFP) President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Thursday that it was up to Pakistan's judiciary to resolve a controversy over his attempt to sack the country's Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. “This is a constitutional and judicial matter,” the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency quoted General Musharraf as telling a large public gathering in the central city of Gujranwala. “The decision would be constitutional and to be taken by the judiciary itself... whatever decision it (the Supreme Judicial Council) takes would be acceptable to me”. Musharraf said he believed the council would “deliver justice” but said he regretted the fact that the issue was “being politicised and used for political point-scoring through the lawyers' community.” ”Once the decision is taken by the SJC, I would address the nation on TV and take them into confidence about the issue,” he added. (First Posted @ 19:25 PST Updated @ 19:50 PST)
US urges care in Pakistan judge row ISLAMABAD, March 15 (Agencies) A senior US official said Thursday that a row over President Pervez Musharraf's move to sack Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was “sensitive” and needed to be handled carefully. “It's a sensitive matter and obviously needs to be handled carefully, but it's something that needs to be handled by the Pakistanis in their own way,” US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said after holding talks with Musharraf. Boucher however hailed Musharraf's commitment to democratic elections in Pakistan, saying: “We support the whole package, including the movement towards democracy.” Boucher also announced that the United States would give Pakistan 750 million dollars over five years to “support the tribal area development strategy”. “This is a good plan, a comprehensive plan to provide economic development, education and other opportunities to the people who live in the border regions of Pakistan, the tribal areas in particular,” he said.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Cricket: Sri Lanka crush Bermuda by 243 runs PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, March 15, 2007 (AFP) - Sri Lanka crushed Bermuda by 243 runs in their World Cup Group B match at Queen's Park Oval here on Thursday. Chasing 322 to win, Bermuda were all out for just 78 in 24.4 overs, the sixth lowest score in the history of the World Cup. (Posted @ 00:45 PST)
Maoist rebels kill 53 police in India RAIPUR, India, March 15 (AFP) Maoist rebels in central India have killed 53 policemen in one of the worst ever attacks of their 40-year-old insurgency, officials said Thursday. A large group of rebels hurled grenades, petrol bombs and fired indiscriminately at a jungle security post in Rani Bodli village in Chhattisgarh state. Some local media reported the toll as high as 60. (First Posted @ 11:00 PST, Updated @ 22:32 PST)
US expresses “deep concern” over Pakistan chief justice ouster WASHINGTON, March 15 (AFP) The United States expressed its “deep concern” Thursday over the dismissal of Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry by President Pervez Musharraf. “It is a matter of deep concern and we believe that the resolution of this matter should take place in a way that is completely transparent and strictly in accordance with Pakistan's laws,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.(Posted @ 22:00 PST)
Boucher, Riaz Khan exchange views on Pak-US relations ISLAMABAD, Mar 15 (APP) U.S. Assistant Secretary of South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, met the Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan here on Thursday and exchanged views on Pak-US relations and regional issues, including Afghanistan. Boucher briefed Riaz Khan about the progress made on the U.S. side on various initiatives, including the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) and FATA Development Plan. Boucher said the US administration was preparing a draft legislation on ROZs which would be introduced in Congress soon. He also stated that the US administration had requested the Congress for funding to support the FATA Development Plan. The Foreign Secretary and Boucher reviewed proposals being discussed by the two sides in areas of economy, education, energy and science & technology. Boucher expressed U.S. support for the Pakistan- India dialogue process.(Posted @ 21:50 PST)
AG directed to ensure access to lawyers for Justice Iftikhar ISLAMABAD, Mar 15 (APP) The Supreme Judicial Council on Thursday directed the Attorney General of Pakistan to ensure free access of the panel of lawyers to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (non- functional) Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, a press release issued here said. The SJC in its order of March 13, 2007 allowed Justice Chaudhry to be represented through a panel of lawyers headed by Aitzaz Ahsan, Senior Advocate Supreme Court. In case of any problem in this regard, Aitzaz Ahsan or any member of the panel may contact the secretary SJC to make their access free and without any hinderance, the press release added.(Posted @ 21:50 PST)
Fakhar Imam meets Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ISLAMABAD, Mar 15 (APP) Former speaker of National Assembly Syed Fakhar Imam, former federal minister Begum Abida Hussain, ex-deputy speaker National Assembly Wazir Ahmed Jogezai, Senator Saadia Abassi, Athar Minullah Advocate and MNA Kh. Mohammad Asif met the Chief Justice (non-functional) Iftkhar Muhammad Ch. at his residence here Thursday. They remained with him for about 40 minutes.(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
General elections to be held by end of current year: Musharraf GUJRANWALA, Mar 15 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday called upon people to vote for forces who are on his side to strengthen democracy and for continuity of the policies of present government. “True democracy has been established in the country. The local bodies and Senate have successfully completed their tenures, while the elections of National and Provincial Assemblies will be held by the end of this year”, the president said while addressing a public meeting here. He also urged the people to reject extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He referred to the recent killing of a provincial minister Zill-e-Huma in Gujranwala by an insane person and regretted that the murderer killed the minister in the name of religion.(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
Six major powers clinch deal on new Iran sanctions: diplomats UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (AFP) Six major powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States have agreed on a draft UN resolution to step up sanctions on Iran for its controversial nuclear activities, the Russian and British UN ambassadors said Thursday. The package is to be formally presented to the UN Security Council's 10 non-permanent members ahead of a vote expected next week.(Posted @ 21:40 PST)
Iraq violence leaves 26 dead BAGHDAD, March 15 (AFP) Car bombs and shootings claimed 26 lives in Iraq on Thursday.Eight people died and 25 were wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his car into a joint Iraqi military and police checkpoint in central Baghdad's Kharmana Square, security officials said.A soldier and a civilian died when another checkpoint was attacked by a suicide car bomber in Baghdad's southwestern Yarmuk district, the officials said. In another attack, five workers were killed and two dozen hurt when a bomb on a bus exploded at the entrance to a factory in Iskandiriyah, 50 km south of Baghdad. Seven people were also reported killed around the city of Baquba, police said. Elsewhere four more Iraqis were killed. (First Posted @ 11:05 PST Updated @ 21:40 PST)
Palestinians unveil unity government GAZA CITY, March 15 (AFP) Palestinians unveiled a new unity cabinet on Thursday. But Israeli immediately said it would not deal with the new coalition, which unites the Hamas movement with president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party. “We hope that this government will mark the start of a new era and enable us to turn the page,” prime minister-designate Ismail Haniya of Hamas said after submitting the list of ministers to Abbas. The Palestinian parliament is expected to vote on the 25-member cabinet on Saturday.(Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Spain refuses to raise troop numbers in Afghanistan MADRID, March 15 (AFP) Spain will maintain its contingent in Afghanistan but will not raise its troop numbers despite a British call for more soldiers in the country, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Thursday. Spain has about 700 soldiers serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the west and north of Afghanistan.(Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan bowling coach Mushtaq breaks nose KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 15 (AFP) Pakistan's bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, a former international leg-spinner, was taken to hospital on Thursday with a suspected broken nose.Mushtaq was hurt during World Cup fielding practice, a spokesman said.(Posted @ 21:15 PST)
Chief 9/11 suspect claims beheading of US journalist Pearl WASHINGTON, March 15 (AFP) Top Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed claimed to have beheaded US journalist Daniel Pearl “with my blessed right hand,” according to a transcript released by the Pentagon on Thursday. Mohammed confessed to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and more than two dozen other attacks and plots in the same closed-door hearing at Guantanamo Bay US military base in Cuba on March 10. In an oral statement, Mohammed said Pearl's beheading was not an Al-Qaeda operation. A British-born citizen, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court for Daniel’s murder in June 2002, but has appealed the verdict. (First Posted @ 12:05 PST Updated @ 21:15 PST)
Pakistan wants full membership in SCO: PM Aziz TASHKENT, Uzbekistan Pakistan's prime minister said his country was seeking full membership in a regional security group seen as created by Russia and China to counterbalance U.S. influence in Central Asia. Pakistan's observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization should turn into a “full-fledged membership,” Shaukat Aziz said Wednesday after talks with Uzbek President Islam Karimov in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, in remarks televised Thursday. “We share the views of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries regarding their response to terrorism and would like to develop efficient cooperation,” Aziz said. Aziz's three-day visit to resource-rich Uzbekistan was aimed at boosting business ties and energy cooperation. (First Posted @ 12:25 PST Updated @ 20:00 PST)
Pakistani cinemas shut down to protest piracy KARACHI, March 15 (Reuters) Cinemas across Pakistan, about 300 in all, stopped showing films for a day on Thursday to protest against the government's failure to curb film piracy, an industry official said. “We will shut down cinemas for a day every week in March and than go on a week-long strike in April,” said association official Nadeem Mandviwalla. Mandviwalla said the strike was an act of desperation by cinema operators facing a threat to their survival.(Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Ditch the dictionary: British think-tank LONDON, March 15 (AFP) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) should no longer be the main authority on the English language because it does not keep pace with today's rapid linguistic changes, a report said on Thursday. Left-wing think-tank Demos said the OED should be replaced by a website -- democtionary.org -- that would allow English-speaking members of the public from Britain and abroad to contribute their own words and definitions. The report's co-author, Sam Jones, said an online dictionary similar to the user-generated Internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia was needed to track the pace of language change and the influence of non-native speakers on it.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Iraq not mired in civil war: Blair LONDON, March 15 (AFP) British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday there is no civil war in Iraq, despite continuing violence four years after the US-led invasion of the country. “It's not a country at civil war. The majority of people in Iraq don't want this violence,” he said in a live interview with Sky News on the situation in the country. “Small numbers of extremists on either side who don't represent the majority are trying to provoke people into a civil war. That's a completely different thing.” He made no apology for the war, saying he had no regrets about backing US President George W. Bush over the 2003 invasion.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Five more US troops die in Iraq BAGHDAD, March 15 (AFP) Five more US troops have died in Iraq, four of them while fighting insurgents and one in a non-combat incident, the military reported Thursday. One soldier was killed Wednesday while on combat duty in the western province of Anbar and a marine died in the same province in a non-combat incident the same day, the US military said. Three other soldiers died in the central province of Diyala. (First Posted @ 10:25 PST Updated @ 16:45 PST)
Four killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, March 15 (AP) A police vehicle travelling in eastern Afghanistan struck a mine, killing one policeman and wounding three others, an official said Thursday. As police were investigating the explosion site, they were attacked by suspected Taliban militants and in the ensuing clash two militants were killed and another two wounded, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. The blast occurred Wednesday in Waze Kha area of Paktika province. In the south, two militants attacked and wounded a police officer Thursday in Kandahar city, police said. The wounded policeman fired back, killing one militant and wounding another. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Ahmadinejad says UN Security Council has 'no legitimacy' TEHRAN, March 15 (AFP) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that the UN Security Council has “no legitimacy.” “Today the enemies of the Iranian people are seeking to use the Security Council to prevent the progress and development of Iran,” Ahmadinejad said in his latest speech on a two-day tour of the central Yazd province. “But the Security Council has no legitimacy among the peoples of the world,” the IRNA agency quoted him as saying.(Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Iraqi forces raid Palestinian compound in Baghdad; one killed, at least 15 detained BAGHDAD, March 15 (AP) Iraqi security forces raided a Palestinian compound in Baghdad Wednesday, detaining at least 15 people after a gunbattle that left one Palestinian dead, officials said, while the Palestinian charge d'affaires Dalil al-Qusous said as many as 80 Palestinian refugees had been detained and demanded their release. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Nine wounded in Palestinian infighting in Gaza GAZA CITY, March 15 (AFP) Nine people were wounded in clashes between the Hamas and Fatah factions in northern Gaza Wednesday, hospital sources said. The clashes broke out in Beit Lahya, where about 12 members of the two factions were kidnapped. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Bomb kills two in Algeria ALGIERS, March 15 (Reuters) Two members of a militant group were killed when a roadside bomb they were planting outside the capital Algiers exploded prematurely, the official APS news agency said Wednesday. Several other militants were wounded when the bomb went off Tuesday in Boumerdes province, some 50 km from Algiers, APS said citing security sources. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Two special service agents killed in Russian Caucasus MOSCOW, March 15 (AFP) Two Russian special service agents were shot dead in their car Wednesday in Russia's troubled Dagestan region, news agencies reported. A third agent from the Federal Security Service (FSB) was wounded in the attack in the city of Khasavyurt near the border with Chechnya, the reports said, citing law-enforcement sources. Earlier, a militant and a policeman were killed during a shootout 200 kilometres to the north in Russia's Stavropol region, police said. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 34.22 points: KARACHI, March 15: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11310.88, up 34.22 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, March 15: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.73 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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