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| April 30, 2007 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 12, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Afghanistan, Pakistan to boost confidence-building measures ANKARA, April 30 (AFP) - Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan agreed Monday to establish a joint committee with Turkey in a bid to boost confidence between the two troubled neighbours, they said in a joint declaration after talks here. The two leaders pledged “to initiate immediate action on specific intelligence exchanges” as part of their commitment to “deny sanctuary, training and financing to terrorists and to elements involved in subversive and anti-state activities in each other's countries,” the statement said. They agreed to hold another round of talks in Turkey in either late 2007 or early 2008, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer told reporters. Monday's talks, the first between Karzai and Musharraf since September, aimed at easing bilateral tensions over the fight against the Taliban militia, which Kabul accuses Islamabad of tacitly supporting. (First Posted @ 14:20 PST Updated @ 16:54 PST)
At least 136 Taliban killed in fighting in western Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, April 30 (AP) U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces battled with Taliban insurgents for over three days in western Afghanistan’s Heart province, leaving at least 136 suspected militants dead, a coalition statement said Monday. The clashes sparked angry protests by hundreds of villagers Monday. Acting on intelligence about Taliban activity in Herat's Zerkoh Valley, coalition and Afghan forces attacked the insurgents and called in an airstrike, destroying seven Taliban positions and killing 87 fighters during a 14-hour engagement Sunday, the statement said. Another 49 Taliban were killed two days earlier by a combination of gunfire and an airstrike, it said, adding that a U.S. soldier was also killed in the engagement. (FirstPosted @ 11:05 PST, Updated@ 12:22 PST)
Olmert say he will not resign in wake of Lebanon inquiry JERUSALEM, April 30, (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his nation Monday that he will not resign in the wake of the harsh report on his government's failures in last summer's war in Lebanon. (Posted @ 23:48 PST)
Rice will be “polite but firm” to Iranian: Bush WASHINGTON, April 30, (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be “polite but firm” with her Iranian counterpart if they cross paths this week at a conference on Iraq, US President George W. Bush said Monday. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Prince Harry will go to Iraq: army chief LONDON, April 30, (AFP) - Prince Harry will deploy to Iraq, the head of the British army said Monday, after speculation that he may not go because of fears he could be targeted by insurgents. But General Sir Richard Dannatt also said he could yet change his mind, if circumstances change. “I have taken the decision as chief of general staff. It's my decision as chief of general staff. I have full command of everyone in the army, including Prince Harry,” he said in a statement. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
MACH-Four killed in road mishap MACH, Balochistan, April 30 (PPI): Four persons including a woman were killed and another injured when their car plunged into a ravine near here Monday afternoon.Five memers of a family were going to Larkana form Quetta this afternoon. Near Mach the driver lost control and the car fell into deep ravine. As a result four persons died on the spot while the fifth received injuries was removed to a Quetta hospital. (Posted @ 21:16 PST)
Pakistan opens new security project for U.S. exports KARACHI, April 30 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday inaugurated a new container security project for exports to the United States, which officials said would reduce the risk of terrorism and increase the flow of trade between the two countries. They said the International Container Security Project (IC3), built at Port Qasim in Karachi, was the first of its kind in the world, and would save U.S.-bound cargo containers, screened at this facility, from any further checks in the United States. “This facility will clearly make a major difference in easing the flow of goods between Pakistan and the United States,” Aziz said on the occasion. “This will reduce the door-to-door time from Pakistani suppliers to U.S. buyers”, he added. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Suicide bomber kills 32 at Iraq funeral BAGHDAD, April 30 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed more than 32 people and injured another at least 55 when he blew himself up inside a crowded mourning tent in the town of Khalis in Diyala province on Monday, police said adding they expected the death toll to rise. (First Posted @ 20:40 PST Updated @ 20:56 PST)
Pakistan not to stop fencing Pak-Afghan border ISLAMABAD, April 30 (APP): Pakistan will not review the ongoing fencing of its border with Afghanistan and the process would continue, the Foreign Office said Monday. “Not at all...We are doing it (fencing) inside our territory, on our side of the border,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at the weekly Press briefing. She said Pakistan and India would hold talks on Sir Creek on May 17-18 in Rawalpindi, whereas discussions on Wullar barrage would be held on June 26-27 in New Delhi. While declining to comment on the recommendations by Indian External Affairs Minister on Kashmir at a round-table meeting held in New Delhi she said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statements on Kashmir had many positive aspects. (Posted @ 20:14 PST)
Sherpao reiterates firm resolve to root out terrorism ISLAMABAD, Apr il 30 (APP): Making a policy statement on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao reiterated firm resolve of the government to root out terrorism and urged all the political forces in the country to join hands for curbing this menace. He said the terrorists used six to eight kg high explosives in which Russian technology was used and nuts, bolts and pellets were used to enhance its intensity. He said a team headed by Additional Inspector General (AIG) NWFP Fayyaz Toroo and including the personnel from Special Investigation Group (SIG) is probing the case. “Two bodies have not yet been identified and our investigation is furthering on those lines,” he said. (Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Intra-Kashmir meeting backs Pakistan-India peace process NEW DELHI, April 30 (APP): An intra-Kashmir dialogue billed as “Heart to Heart Talk” concluded here Monday, supporting the on -going peace process between Pakistan and India. The interlocutors pledged to facilitate efforts to seek a lasting resolution of the Kashmir dispute in keeping the aspirations of the people of all the regions of the state, said a statement issued at press conference jointly addressed by Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, Chairman of the forum, and Bhim Singh, chief of Panthers Party and convener of the three-day meeting that brought together representatives from both parts of Kashmir. “To promote the process, the meeting feels that it is the time a general amnesty be granted to all those in jails (in occupied Kashmir) so that they can start a new life,” the statement said. The meeting strongly recommended that the old historical and natural links in Kashmir including pony, road and rail routes as they existed before 1947 should be reopened. For further facilitation the movement across the Line of Control, it was recommended to restore the arrangements which existed before 1956. The meeting decided to constitute coordination committees of the legislators, women and the youth and students of Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen and accelerate the “heart to heart talk” among the people on both sides of the LoC. Parliamentarians, academicians, jurists and intellectuals from all parts of Kashmir including, Jammu, Valley, Ladakh, and Kargil participated in the deliberations. Representatives of the Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, National Conference, Panthers Party, JD(S), CPI, CPI(M), ANC, Muslim Conference, and PPP were also among the participants. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
5 British men sentenced to life for plotting strikes on power plants, nightclub, shopping mall LONDON, April 30 (AP) - A judge sentenced five men to life in prison Monday for plotting to bomb several targets in London _ including a popular nightclub, power plants and shopping mall _ in a trial that exposed links between the men and at least two of the suicide bombers who attacked the capital two years ago. Omar Khyam was found guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions made from a chemical fertilizer that could endanger life. Also found guilty were Anthony Garcia, Jawad Akbar, Waheed Mahmood and Alahuddin Amin. Two others, Nabeel Hussain and Shujah Mahmood, were cleared of conspiracy to cause explosions. All were arrested on March 30, 2004. The jury deliberated for nearly a month in the trial, which lasted a year. All of the men are British citizens and were accused of plotting a series of attacks using more than 1,300 pounds (590 kilograms) of fertilizer they placed in a storage unit. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Seventeen killed in attacks across Iraq BAGHDAD, April 30 (AFP) - At least 17 people were killed in attacks across Iraq on Monday. In Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle outside a police headquarters in a western district, killing five people and wounding 12, a security official said. A former brigadier general in Saddam Hussein's army was shot dead in the volatile Dura neighborhood, and three civilians were killed in two separate roadside bombings. The two blasts left 10 people wounded. In al-Bayaa one person was killed and six wounded in a car bombing and another person was killed and nine wounded when three mortar rounds slammed in al-Shaab neighbourhood. The bodies of another three people killed in a gunfight in the capital were brought to Al-Yarmuk hospital in west Baghdad, the hospital said. Further south, gunmen ambushed a checkpoint outside the city of Kut, killing two policemen. Earlier in the day, authorities found six corpses in an area north of the city. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Pakistan tightens nuclear export controls ISLAMABAD, April 30 (AFP) - Pakistan announced Monday a further tightening of export controls on nuclear material and missile technology.A new unit in the foreign ministry, the Strategic Export Control Division (SECDIV), will now be the only authority able to approve the export of nuclear-related items and missile technology, the ministry said. It would also have authority over biological agents and toxins, it said. Representatives from other ministries, including finance, commerce and the strategic planning division, will be part of the export control authority, the foreign ministry's spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told reporters.“The adoption of Export Control Act ... and the establishment of SECDIV are a continuing manifestation of Pakistan's strong commitment to non-proliferation and its determination to fulfill its national and international export control commitments,” she said. (Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Angry Afghans accuse coalition of killing civilians SHINDAND, Afghanistan, April 30 (AFP) - Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets in western Afghanistan Monday, accusing US soldiers of killing scores of civilians in fighting which the coalition said killed 136 Taliban. The protest started in Zerkoh Valley in Herat province, where US Special Forces and Afghan police said they killed the fighters, and moved to the town of Shindand about 20 kilometres away, police said. Locals stoned and torched the offices of the Shindand district governor and police chief in an angry demonstration that lasted several hours. A member of a tribal council in the area, Lal Mohammad, said there were no Taliban insurgents among the dead whom he said included children, women and old men. (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
PM Aziz launches KPT's new dredger, barges KARACHI, April 30 (APP)- Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz commissioned Karachi Port Trust's new dredger and two hopper barges at a ceremony here on Monday. He was happy to note that more bigger dredgers were being acquired. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Suicide bomber kills one, injures three in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, April 30 (AFP) - A suicide bombing in Zhiri district in southern Afghanistan killed a guard employed by a US security firm and injured three of his co-workers on Monday, police said. The bomber rode a motorcycle up to a vehicle owned by the firm before detonating his explosives. The dead man and the injured were all Afghans, officers said. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
BP set to win control of Pakistani oil firm: The Times LONDON, April 30 (AFP) British energy giant BP was tipped to win a majority stake in Pakistan State Oil (PSO) in a deal worth 600 million dollars (441 million euros), The Times reported Monday without citing sources. Other interested parties include Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas and oil marketing company Vitol, the daily newspaper added. BP was bidding for the stake with MerchantBridge, a new London-based investment bank. Pakistan's government owns 54 percent of PSO and has hired JP Morgan, the US investment bank, to sell a 51 percent stake in the company. PSO owns two refineries and 3,700 petrol stations in Pakistan, and posted sales of 353 billion Pakistani rupees (4.3 billion euros, 5.8 billion dollars) in the group's financial year ending in June 2006. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Pakistan Coast Guards apprehend 52 illegal immigrants Karachi, April 30 (PPI) Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) Sunday night apprehended 52 illegal immigrants on charge of illegal immigration to Aghor and Badok (Balochistan) on their journey to Iran. PCG officials during night patrolling arrested 52 illegal immigrants from different vehicles on the Coastal Highway. All these illegal immigrants hail from different areas of country and were destined for their onward journey to the Gulf and European countries. (Posted @ 14:02 PST)
Twelve killed in Sri Lanka clashes COLOMBO, April 30 (AFP) Sri Lankan troops killed 12 people in clashes after a Tamil Tiger air strike on the capital, government officials said Monday. Six people, including five rebels, died when troops stormed a temple on a small island off the northern Jaffna peninsula Sunday. In a separate incident Sunday, government troops killed six Tiger rebels in the northeastern Weli Oya region. (FirstPosted @ 09:08 PST, Updated@ 11:37 PST)
Four U.S. soldiers killed in Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 30 (Reuters) Four American soldiers were killed in Baghdad over the past two days, the U.S. military said Monday. The U.S. military said in a statement that three soldiers had been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad Sunday. An Iraqi interpreter was also killed in the attack. A separate statement said one soldier was killed by small arms fire also in eastern Baghdad Saturday. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Pakistani 'reciprocity' demands stalling terror suspect talks: Daily Telegraph LONDON, April 30 (AFP) Britain's attempts to secure the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a suspect in a terrorist plot involving the explosion of US-bound passenger jets from Britain, from Pakistan are stalling because of Pakistani demands, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. Citing unidentified officials from both countries, the paper said that Pakistani demands for greater “reciprocity” have hampered negotiations to secure Rauf. “Britain has not fulfilled its side of the bargain,” a senior Pakistani official told the paper. “Over the years lists of wanted people have piled up ... England is harbouring all sorts of terrorists and criminals.” According to the Telegraph, Pakistan presented demands for eight suspected members of the Baloch Liberation Army. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Poppy eradication team attacked in southern Afghanistan; four wounded TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan, April 30 (AP) Afghan and U.S. security officials were attacked with small arms, rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire as they hacked away at opium poppies in southern Afghanistan. The Afghan and U.S. agents involved in the poppy eradication operation fled on foot, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopters. Four Afghans were wounded in the attack, NATO's ISAF said at a base in southern Uruzgan province. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Car bomb in Basra kills five, wounds 10 BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 30 (AP) A car bomb exploded Sunday night in the southern city of Basra, killing five people and wounding 10, police said. Two other car bombs were discovered in the area and dismantled by police. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Four dead, several wounded in Kansas City shootings KANSAS CITY, Missouri, April 30 (Reuters) Four people were shot and killed, including an assailant, and at least three others were wounded Sunday in two incidents, including one at a crowded shopping mall in Kansas City, police said. One person was killed in a house and two others were killed at the Ward Parkway mall south of downtown Kansas City about 6 miles away, where police killed a gunman. (FirstPosted @ 08:55 PST, Updated@ 09:29 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 134.51 points: KARACHI, April 30: At the close of the trading The KSE-100 index was at 12369.70, up 134.51 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, April 30: At the close of the trading The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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