|
|
| April 08, 2007 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 19, 2007 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
PARACHINAR clashes continue PARACHINAR, Pakistan, April 8 Sectarian clashes between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims raged unabated in a remote Pakistani tribal region on Sunday. The army used helicopter gunships on Saturday to quell fighting between the two sects in Parachinar, the main town in the Kurram tribal region, near the Afghan border. The fighting subsided in Parachinar but clashes continued in nearby villages. “In Parachinar, there is no fighting but the problem is now in rural areas,” Syed Kamal Shah, permanent secretary at the interior ministry, told Reuters. Sahibzada Mohammad Anis, the top administrator of Kurram, said tribal elders were trying to defuse the situation but warned of “military action” in the rural areas if fighting did not stop. He said the battling tribesmen were using heavy weapons including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Some reports suggested that up to 30 people had been killed. Anis said 15 deaths could be confirmed so far, but the toll could be higher. Scores of people had been wounded, he added. Authorities imposed a curfew and called out the army in Parachinar on Friday hours after clashes erupted in a row over a religious procession. (Posted @ 13:48 PST)
Iran to export 1000 megawatts electricity to Pakistan Tehran, April 8 ( PPI) :- Iran has reached an agreement in principle with Pakistan to export 1,000 megawatts of electricity to that country, Iran's Energy Minister Parviz Fattah told reporters after talks with Pakistan's Water & Power Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi . He said the two sides are preparing text of agreement which is expected to be inked with the aim of strengthening mutual ties in water and power sector. Fattah also said Iran and Pakistan have agreed to establish power plant, dam, exchange of technology, and export of technical and engineering services. “We are going to upgrade bilateral relations in water and electricity sectors as well as exchange of technical know-how in this respect,” Liaquat Jatoi said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Sikh Yatrees arrive for Besakhi Mella LAHORE, April 8-(PPI) - As many as 3000 Sikh yatrees have arrived in Pakistan on Sunday through wahga railway station to celebrate the Besakhi festival at their holy place Hassan Abdal. Later Yatrees left for Nankana Sahib after the clearance of customs and immigration. Chairman Pakistan Evacuee Trust Board (PETB) Lt. Gen (R) Zulifqar Ali and members of Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee accorded warm welcome to Yatrees when they arrived at Wahga station where they took lunch. (Posted @ 23:48 PST)
Six NATO soldiers die in mine blast KABUL, April 8, (AFP) - Six NATO-led soldiers died from injuries sustained Sunday in a mine explosion in southern Afghanistan, the alliance force said in a statement. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers died after the vehicle they were travelling in hit an explosive device, the NATO-led force said. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Sadr urges militia, Iraqi forces to stop fighting NAJAF, Iraq, April 8,(REUTERS) - Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on his Mehdi Army militia and Iraqi security forces on Sunday to stop fighting in the volatile city of Diwaniya and accused U.S. forces of fomenting civil strife. Iraqi and U.S. forces have clashed with militiamen in Diwaniya since launching an operation on Friday to wrest control of the southern city from the Mehdi Army. (Posted @ 22:40 PST)
Cricket: England make 247 against Australia ST JOHN'S, Antigua, April 8, (AFP) - England made 247 all out off 49.5 overs in their World Cup Super Eights match against Australia at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium here on Sunday. Brief score: England 247 all out in 49.5 overs (K Pietersen 104, I Bell 77; N Bracken 3-33, S Tait 3-41, G McGrath 3-62) (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
PML not making deal with any party: PM ISLAMABAD, April 8, (APP) - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday said Pakistan Muslim League in not making a deal with any party however dialogue is part of the political process. He was addressing a public meeting at Ghourghoshti Village, in Attock District. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
One killed in blast as Indian PM flies to restive northeast GUWAHATI, India, April 8, (AFP) - A powerful blast killed at least one person in the northeastern city of Guwahati on Sunday just as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here to attend a function, police said. Twelve others were injured in the explosion that occurred at a crowded railway crossing in Guwahati, the largest city in the insurgency-racked Assam state, a police spokesman said. (Posted @ 19:44 PST)
Taliban say kill Afghan hostage KABUL, April 8, (REUTERS) - The Taliban on Sunday killed the Afghan translator of an Italian journalist kidnapped last month after the government refused to free several insurgent prisoners, a Taliban official said. “We waited a lot, but the government failed to meet our demand. Therefore, we killed him today,” a spokesman for Taliban military chief Mullah Dadullah, Shahabuddin Aatil, told Reuters by satellite phone. (Posted @ 17:44 PST)
Turkish troops clash with Kurd rebels, seven dead DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, April 8, (REUTERS) - Five Turkish troops and two Kurdish rebels were killed at the weekend amid clashes in southeast Turkey as the army launched spring operations against the guerrillas, security officials said on Sunday. At least 3,000 soldiers, backed by helicopters and Turkey's village guard militia, were taking part in the operations in the mountains of Sirnak province, near the Iraqi border. (Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Iraq violence kills more than 23 BAGHDAD, April 8, (AFP) - At least 18 people were killed in an attack south of Baghdad on Sunday as US troops captured a suspected senior Al-Qaeda militant and violence raged on four years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. A security official in Baghdad said the 18 Iraqis were killed and at least 26 wounded when a rocket hit a building in downtown Mahmudiyah south of the capital, but the local mayor said a car bomb had targeted an industrial area. Mayor Moyaid al-Amary said 17 people had been killed when a car bomb exploded in an industrial zone in northern Mahmudiyah. The attack came as the US military announced the deaths of another four American soldiers in a roadside bomb explosion in the restive province of Diyala, where insurgents have becoming increasingly active in recent months. (First Posted @ 16:34 PST Updated @ 18:52 PST)
Two killed in India train attack PATNA, India, April 8, 2007 (AFP) - Maoist rebels shot dead two railway security troops and injured another three in an attack on a passenger train in eastern India early Sunday, police said. The incident took place in eastern Bihar state's Jamui district, about 170 kilometers (100 miles) from the state capital Patna. The rebels killed another six people, including two paramilitary soldiers, in an ambush late Friday night in neighbouring Jharkhand state. The Maoist insurgency began in India in the 1960s as an armed peasant movement and has spread to 15 of the country's 29 states. Last month, the guerrillas killed 55 policemen in eastern Chhattisgarh state in one of their biggest attacks. (Posted @ 13:49 PST)
Big blast kills people in Iraq town-witnesses MAHMUDIYA, Iraq, April 8 A big explosion killed a number of people and levelled many shops in a town south of Baghdad on Sunday, witnesses said. One witness said a number of bodies had been placed on the ground outside the destroyed shops in the town of Mahmudiya, 30 km (20 miles) from the capital. He said the explosion had left a massive crater in the ground. Iraqi security officials could not be reached for comment. (Posted @ 13:49 PST)
Iraq says Iran barred Maliki plane from airspace BAGHDAD, April 8 Reuters) - Iran refused to allow a plane carrying Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on a trip to Asia to cross its airspace overnight, a senior adviser to the Iraqi leader said on Sunday. Sadiq al-Rikabi, who is accompanying Maliki on the trip to Japan and South Korea, said the prime minister's plane entered Iranian airspace at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. “Suddenly the Iranian aviation authorities ordered the pilot to go back,” Rikabi said. “We were obliged to fly to Dubai where we stayed for more than three hours to file a new (flight) plan,” he said by telephone from Bangkok, where the plane was just about to depart for Tokyo. Rikabi said it was unclear why Iran had barred Maliki's plane from crossing its territory. No immediate comment was available from Iranian officials. (Posted @ 11:26 PST)
India troops kill six unarmed men in occupied Kashmir JAMMU, occupied Kashmir, April 8 (AFP) - Six unarmed people were killed by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir Sunday near the LoC, a military spokesman said. “They were going from India to Pakistan in Ranbir Singh sector of Jammu. The troops fired at them when they did not stop despite a warning,” India's Border Security Force spokesman Prem Singh said adding that the victims had not yet been identified. (Posted @ 11:02 PST)
Davis Cup: Pacific Oceania 3, Pakistan 2 APIA, Samoa, April 8 (AP) – Pakistani players lost both reverse singles and thus ended up the three-day tie with two matches to three against Pacific Oceana in Group Three Davis Cup tennis here Sunday. The final result is : Michael Leong (Pacific Oceania) def. Aqeel Khan (Pakistan) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.;West Nott (Pacific Oceania) def. Jalil Khan( Pakistan)6-1, 6-0, 6-0. ^Saturday= doubles= Aqeel Khan and Shahzad Khan ( Pakistan) def. Brett Baudinet and West Nott ( Pacific Oceania) 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3.^Friday= ^Singles= Aqeel Khan( Pakistan) def. Juan Langton( Pacific Oceania) 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.; and Michael Leong( Pacific Oceania) def. Jaleel Khan( Pakistan) 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Iraq: 34 bodies found Baghdad, April8 Reuters) - Police in the town of Baquba, north of Baghdad, said Saturday they found nine bodies with gunshot wounds and showing signs of torture. They said another 18 had been spotted in a river running through the town. It was unclear if the victims were from a mass kidnapping. Seven bodies were also found with gunshot wounds to the head in Tal Afar, about 420 km northwest of Baghdad. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi troops fought gunmen for a second day Saturday in Diwaniya and a source at the local hospital said it had received a total of 13 bodies and 41 wounded in the past 48 hours. This included six people killed in a missile strike on a home in the city centre. A suicide bomber targeting an Iraqi security forces checkpoint killed five people near Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, police said. (Posted @ 10:26 PST)
Rampaging gunman kills 10 in southern Philippines MANILA, April 8 Reuters) - An unidentified gunman killed nine soldiers and one civilian in a rampage inside a patrol base in the southern Philippines, a senior military official said Sunday. “We are not certain yet if the one who went on the rampage was a soldier. He could be the civilian who is among the dead,” Major-General Nehemias Pajarito said (Posted @ 10:14 PST)
Cricket-Bangladeshis celebrate World Cup upset DHAKA, April 8 Reuters) - Bangladeshis took to the streets to celebrate their cricket team's upset win over top-ranked South Africa in a World Cup Super Eights match in Georgetown, Guyana on Saturday. It was 3 a.m. on Sunday local time when the 67-run victory was completed, sparking uproar across the capital with thousands of fans joining in the celebrations. People thronged the streets, waving national flags, filling cars and pedalling rickshaws as they chanted “Tigers tigers Bangladesh Bangladesh”. All the important junctions in the capital including Shahbag, High Court, Chankarpool, Dhanmandi, Farmgate, Maghbazar were jammed with people watching the match on big screens. The celebrations continued for several hours despite a ban on marches and gatherings. There was jubilation in major cities and towns across the country, including the port city of Chittagong, the home town of players Tamim Iqbal and Aftab Ahmed. Special editions of national newspapers praised the team, devoting their front pages to the victory. “Tigers roar again,” was the headline in The Daily Star, while the New Age roared; “Bangladesh trounce world's number one team.” (Posted @ 10:13 PST)
Cricket: We've made history, says Bangladesh skipper GEORGETOWN, Guyana, April 8 (AFP) - Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar hailed his country's 67-run victory over South Africa as the team's greatest ever triumph. “It's an historic win,” said Bashar. “We can now think of moving forward in the tournament.” (Posted @ 09:58 PST)
Cricket: Smith pledges South Africa fightback after Bangladesh humiliation GEORGETOWN, Guyana, April 8 (AFP) - Graeme Smith hopes new surroundings in Grenada and a more positive approach will help South Africa bounce back from their embarrassing World Cup defeat to Bangladesh. “We now have to win all of our three matches. We would love to do that and we really don't want to be relying on other teams to get us through,” said the Proteas skipper after the shock 67-run humiliation at the hands of the Asian minnows here on Saturday. South Africa Tuesday meet the West Indies who are themselves in a must-win situation after losing three of their Super Eights matches. South Africa must also beat undefeated New Zealand on April 14 before their last match against England three days later in Barbados. “It's difficult to come up with answers after the Bangladesh defeat. We didn't do the basics well and gave them an opportunity. They grabbed it with both hands.” Left-arm slow bowlers Abdul Razzak (3-25), Saqibul Hasan (2-49) and Mohammad Rafique (1-25) bowled superbly after paceman Syed Rasel gave Bangladesh two early wickets. “Their spinners bowled very well and I think we allowed them to bowl very well because we were under pressure. We lost a few wickets in a clutch and put ourselves under pressure.” Smith praised man-of-the-match Ashraful.“His innings changed things. He set it well, worked the field well and kept us under pressure through the 50 overs from when he came in to bat.”For South Africa Herschelle Gibbs, batting at number seven with a runner due to a calf injury, top scored with 56. But Smith feared Gibbs may not be available for the crucial match against the West Indies. “His injury is being reassessed and he has a 50-50 chance for the next match.” (Posted @ 09:49 PST)
Solomons tsunami death toll rises to 39 GIZO, Solomon Islands, April 8 (AFP) - The death toll from the Solomon Islands earthquake and tsunami has risen to 39 and is likely to climb sharply in the next few days, aid agency World Vision said Sunday. It said the latest toll was based on information collated on Thursday, three days after Monday's tsunami, and would rise as reports filter back from remote islands in the Pacific archipelago. “They're finding freshly-dug graves when they go into villages but because of the situation they're not in a position to carry out a census (Posted @ 09:36 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 |