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| June 26, 2007 | Tuesday | Jamadi-us-Sani 10, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Cyclone kills 18 on Pakistan coast GWADAR, June 26 (AFP): A powerful cyclone lashed Pakistan's southern coast on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, leaving dozens more missing and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes, officials said. Forecasters said a 7.6-metre (25-feet-high) storm surge was feared. Cyclone Yemyin packed winds of up to 130 kilometres (80 miles) an hour as it made landfall over the southwestern province of Balochistan, said Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, the Director General of the Meteorological Department. “The cyclone is likely to cause widespread destruction and coastal flooding along the Balochistan coast due to extremely heavy rainfall, gale (force) winds and associated storm surge,” Chaudhry said. But he added that the cyclone's intensity had been falling. At least two Pakistani fishing boats were reported to have sunk in the Arabian Sea and several more were missing with their crews, sparking a search by navy and coast guard helicopters and ships. At least 10 people, four of them children, were killed in Balochistan, mainly by flooded rivers in coastal areas, Balochistan government spokesman Raziq Bugti said. The cyclone and rain destroyed or damaged about 1,000 houses in Keti Bandar, Shah Bandar, Jati and other areas of the coastal Thatta and Badin districts. Hundreds of people have been shifted to camps set up in government schools and other buildings in the area. In Karachi four people including an eight-year-old boy were electrocuted by power lines brought down by cyclone-induced rain and winds overnight, hospital sources said. Pakistani navy and coast guard helicopters and ships rescued around 25 people from two ships stranded off the coast, but were searching for another 30 fishermen whose boats sank, said navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali. Another 56 were rescued later from two other stranded ships, he said. Other boats were stranded and had asked for help, he said. (First Posted @ 17:23 Updated @ 20:46 PST)
48 killed in China by lightning, rainstorms BEIJING, June 26 (AFP): At least 48 people have been killed in rainstorms in southern and eastern China over the last five days, with 37 succumbing to lightning strikes, state media reported Tuesday. Twelve people remain missing following the storms, which drenched areas including the lower reaches of the Yangtze river, Xinhua news agency said. Fourteen rural residents were killed in a lightning strike on Sunday when they were working in fields in Jiangxi province, the report said. A 56-year-old woman and her 14-year-old grandson also died when they sought shelter under a corrugated iron roof, the report added, while two residents of Nanchang city were killed while they huddled under a tree, also on Sunday. In nearby Zhejiang province, five people building a tomb were killed in a lightning storm, Xinhua added.The villagers were constructing the tomb on a small hill when the storm struck, the news agency reported, citing a police spokesman. Local meteorological officials in Jiangxi have warned that lightning storms and downpours will continue until Wednesday, the report added. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Europe hit by killer heatwave and floods BUCHAREST, June 26 (AFP): A searing heatwave has killed at least 44 people across southern Europe while in Britain torrential rain claimed three lives and forced hundreds to flee a creaking dam. Twenty-nine deaths have been blamed on the heat in Romania where temperatures on Tuesday hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), four in Greece, three each in Italy and Albania and at least five in Bosnia, Croatia and Turkey. Bucharest was Europe's hottest capital on Tuesday with temperatures at 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) and a heat alert was sounded for much of the south of the country. Northern Europe is meanwhile suffering from torrential downpours. Three people have died in floods in England and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes because torrential threatened to cause a dam to burst. A bridge collapsed in western England. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the country faced “a difficult situation” as flood defences struggled against the weather. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Swiss judge set to wrap up Bhutto money laundering inquiry GENEVA, June 26 (Reuters): A Swiss investigating judge is expected to complete soon a long-running inquiry into alleged money laundering by former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Geneva's chief prosecutor said on Tuesday. But moving the case one step toward possible prosecution does not mean it will come to trial. The latest chapter in the long-running graft case comes at a time when the opposition leader has vowed to return from self-imposed exile to Pakistan ahead of elections. Jjudge Vincent Fournier is probing the charges. The initial verdict was thrown out automatically upon appeal, sparking a new probe. Geneva chief prosecutor Daniel Zappelli said on Tuesday he expected Fournier to hand over the results of his inquiry soon. “The file should be transmitted shortly,” he told Reuters. Fournier, in a separate interview, said that he had heard some Pakistani witnesses called by Bhutto since her appearance in September 2005. He declined to comment further on the case. Once he has the file, prosecutor Zappelli has three options -- to bring the case to trial, suspend it, or dismiss it. To obtain a conviction under Swiss federal law, a prosecutor must prove that graft or other crime has been committed abroad and the proceeds were laundered in Switzerland.The lack of a conviction in Pakistan will make it more difficult to prove a money laundering case, according to Swiss legal experts. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Aisam first Pakistani in 31 years to reach Wimbeldon second round LONDON, June 26 (Reuters): Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi became the first Pakistani player in more than three decades to reach the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday. Qureshi sneaked past Briton Lee Childs 6-3 6-4 7-6 to follow in the footsteps of Haroon Rahim. Rahim advanced to the last 64 in 1975 and 1976. Ranked 279 in the world, Qureshi won three qualifying matches to enter the main draw. He will aim to become the first Pakistani player to reach the third round here when he faces former world number one Marat Safin. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Russia starts production of new long-range missile MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) Russia has begun mass producing an updated version of its intercontinental missiles, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday, the same day NATO's chief visited Moscow for talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to bolster Russia's missile defences at a time when relations between NATO and Russia are strained. Arguments over the United States's plan to build part of a missile shield in eastern Europe, and the reworking of a post-Cold War missile treaty have strained relations between Russia and NATO. Earlier this month, Putin said he would order Russia to aim its missiles back at major European cities. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Militants blow up music shops in Pakistan PESHAWAR, June 26 (AFP): Suspected Islamic militants Tuesday blew up several music shops in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan, police said. At least three shops were destroyed when a bomb went off before dawn in Shabqadar Town, about 20kms northeast of Peshawar, police officer Feroz Shah said. “It was a locally-made device with about 1.5kgs of explosive,” he told reporters. The bomb caused no casualties as the market had not yet opened.Traders in the town said they had received letters from pro-Taliban Islamists warning shopkeepers to stop selling music and video compact discs because they consider it to be repugnant to the teachings of Islam. Islamic militancy is spreading in the deeply-conservative province. Similar threats have been made periodically in the region where militants, emulating the ultra-orthodox Taliban who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, strive to impose their own strict brand of Islam. (Posted @ 19:38 PST)
Nigeria launches $7 billion case against Pfizer ABUJA, June 26 (AFP): A seven billion dollar (5.2 billion euro) lawsuit pitting the Nigerian government against the world's biggest pharmaceutical company Pfizer opened Tuesday with the US giant demanding the court dismiss the charges. The government is seeking the damages following a drug trial which allegedly led to nearly 200 youngsters either dying or suffering deformities. Nigeria has based its case on claims that Pfizer had no authorisation or parental consent to carry out the mid-1990s drug trial, while Pfizer insists it had full approval. The drug test was carried out in 1996 in the northern city of Kano when there was an epidemic of meningitis, measles and cholera. On June 4, Nigeria filed a lawsuit against Pfizer for administering a test antibiotic called Trovan without authorisation or parental consent among children at a field hospital in the heart of the epidemic in Kano. A similar suit was filed a couple of weeks earlier by authorities in Kano, Nigeria's largest province, which is seeking $2.75 billion from Pfizer. “In the midst of the epidemic, Pfizer devised a scheme under which it misrepresented and failed to disclose its primary motive in seeking to participate in giving care to the victims of the epidemic,” the Kano state said in its suit. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
Mubarak predicts Fatah, Hamas reconciliation CAIRO, June 26 (Reuters): Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak predicted on Tuesday that Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian factions would soon patch up their differences through dialogue and said that Egypt was willing to mediate. In an interview with Egyptian state television, Mubarak said repeatedly that the two sides needed a period of calm to come to their senses and resume dialogue. “I believe that after a period of calm, , an understanding between them is bound to come about,” he said. Asked how long the period of calm should be, he said: “Maybe two weeks, maybe three weeks, maybe one month, until people start to think logically and soundly. In that case they are bound to start a dialogue.” Mubarak's approach was a sharp break with recent Egyptian statements on the fighting in Gaza this month, which ended when Hamas took full control and disarmed Fatah forces there. Mubarak had called Hamas's action a coup and his government has said that it recognises only Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah as the legitimate Palestinian leader. But on Tuesday Mubarak said that even if Hamas started the trouble in Gaza, the fighting quickly got out of hand and the Palestinian government made “a big mistake” in losing control. (Posted @ 18:38 PST)
Wife removes ex-BD ruler from party post DHAKA, June 26 (Reuters): The wife of former Bangladesh military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad declared on Tuesday that she had taken control of his Jatiya Party, a day after former loyalists moved to clip the wings of a former premier. Rowshan Ershad, the ex-strongman's political number two, told a hurriedly called news conference that “from now on I am the acting head of the Jatiya Party. Ershad is no longer its chief,” she said. “One man cannot run the party for ever and the time has come to end his absolute authority over the party.” Rowshan, twice estranged from Ershad but reunited with him after his nine-year rule ended in 1990, said on Tuesday she had the support of a majority of Jatiya party seniors and policy makers. Jatiya is the country's third biggest party after the Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led respectively by former premiers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia. Ershad told a separate news briefing he remained at the party helm and vowed: “I will expel her from the party for gross indiscipline and disobedience”. Ershad's followers hit back, saying the “equation will change in a while and the reins will remain with Ershad”. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Bhutto challenges Pakistani voter list in court ISLAMABAD, June 26 (Reuters) Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has filed a complaint over what she said was the exclusion of millions of people from electoral rolls, saying polls held with the lists would be unacceptable. Bhutto, who has lived in self-exile for nearly a decade, filed a petition with the Supreme Court in Lahore, saying millions of eligible voters had not been registered on new electoral lists. “It is an institutionalised fraud in the electoral process,” her lawyer, Mohammad Latif Khan Khosa, told Reuters. Bhutto said in her petition that the electoral process “would not be acceptable to the people of Pakistan” if polls were conducted using the electoral rolls. “Such a fraud perpetrated would endanger the very federation and be detrimental to the interest of Pakistan,” she said. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Five killed in central Iraq clashes DIWANIYAH, Iraq, June 26 (AFP): At least five people were killed when Shiite militiamen ambushed an Iraqi army patrol Tuesday in the central city of Diwaniyah on Tuesday, officials said. Two women were among the dead and another 14 people were wounded, including four teenage girls, according to a security official. The fighting began when gunmen opened fire on the patrol in the northern part of the predominantly Shiite city, setting a Humvee alight. Explosions and gunfire spread across neighbouring areas. “Two police cars have been burned and ambulances cannot reach the area,” a police official said shortly after the fighting began. He later added that five houses and 15 civilian vehicles had been destroyed. (Posted @ 16:53 PST)
Japanese firm unveils artificial hand with 'air muscles' TOKYO, June 26 (AFP): A Japanese robot maker on Tuesday unveiled what it called the world's first prototype of an artificial hand with “air muscles” that can do even delicate work like picking up a raw egg. Squse, a Kyoto-based robot and factory automation manufacturer, said it has developed a 400-gramme (14 ounce) hand with five human-sized fingers with artificial fibres that can be controlled by air pressure. “So far, robots have an image of helping people do heavy lifting, but we aim at delicate work as a human hand can do,” company president Mikio Shimizu said. During a demonstration, the prototype hand grasped a pen and picked up a raw egg without breaking it. The firm plans to ship some 50 prototypes to research institutes and firms, with plans to market them overseas in the near future. (Posted @ 16:47 PST)
Indian Maoist rebels start 48-hour blockade RANCHI, India, June 26 (AFP): Maoist rebels in eastern Indian blew up a section of railway track, attacked trains and paralysed public transport at the start of a 48-hour blockade aimed at derailing government plans to establish special economic zones. Several attacks were reported, with the Maoists cementing their reputation as one of the biggest threats to India's internal security. The rebels called the strike in the impoverished states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar as part of an increasingly violent effort to prevent the setting up of the low-tax business hubs. India's government is planning to build about 250 SEZs across the country, hoping the projects will attract foreign investors, radically improve infrastructure and create new jobs while maintaining the country's blistering economic growth figures. The latest strike by the Maoists -- who say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribes and landless farmers and are active in half of India's 29 states -- has seen government forces again step up security in the east. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
UN inspectors arrive in N. Korea SEOUL, June 26 (AFP): UN inspectors arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for the first time in nearly five years, signalling a dramatic upturn in the pace of international efforts to halt the communist state's nuclear programmes. The four-person team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is led by Olli Heinonen. The arrival of the UN inspectors, confirmed by China's official Xinhua news agency, came as South Korea announced it would resume rice aid, which was suspended last July when the North conducted missile tests. “I think the DPRK (North Korea) will now do what they have been asked to do,” Heinonen told reporters at Beijing airport. Heinonen said he and his team would probably return to Beijing early Saturday. Asked if he was hopeful, he said: “Well, we are always a little optimistic. The IAEA mission follows a visit last week by chief US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill, who became the most senior US official to travel there in nearly five years. (Posted @ 16:42 PST)
Turkey raps EU for avoiding monetary talks BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters): Turkey said on Tuesday it was not satisfied with the European Union's explanation of its failure to extend membership talks to the politically sensitive area of economic and monetary policy and expected progress soon. France prevented the 27-nation bloc from starting negotiations with Ankara on that “chapter” to underline new President Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition to the goal of eventual membership for the EU's largest candidate country. Turkish Economy Minister and chief negotiator Ali Babacan told a news conference after opening talks on two other policy areas: “We are not satisfied with the technical justifications that were given to us and we hope that there will be progress in this matter during the Portuguese presidency (of the EU in the second half of this year).” (Posted @ 16:17 PST)
Nearly 200 arrested in south Thailand NARATHIWAT, Thailand, June 26 (AFP): Nearly 200 people have been detained in a crackdown on an insurgency in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, where three Muslims were killed in fresh attacks, officials said on Tuesday. The latest violence came as the military announced it had detained almost 200 suspected militants since last week. “As of now almost 200 suspects, including six women, are detained for interrogation at a military base,” army spokesman Colonel Acra Tiproch said. The region has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Russia says split with NATO on missile shield, Kosovo MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) Russia and NATO remain split over U.S. plans for missile defence and Kosovo independence, a senior Russian official said on Tuesday as President Vladimir Putin prepared to meet the alliance's secretary-general. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer that “hard work” lay ahead in Moscow talks over U.S. plans for a missile defence shield in Europe and the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. “The positions of Russia and the countries of NATO are still not very close on the problem of anti-missile defence, the problem of the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty and the problem of Kosovo,” Lavrov told reporters. Russia's ties with the United States and the European Union have chilled and Russian officials warn of a confrontation over Kosovo as Western powers push for independence, which Russia has opposed. (Posted @ 15:46 PST)
No EU-Serrbia accord till Mladic arrested BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters): The European Union should not sign an agreement on closer ties with Serbia until former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic is arrested, U.N. war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said on Tuesday. “There should be no signing of the stabilisation and association agreement (SAA) before Ratko Mladic is arrested and full cooperation (with the U.N. war crimes tribunal) established,” del Ponte told a hearing of the European Parliament. Mladic is charged with genocide over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims. Del Ponte said the new government in Serbia had finally understood the importance of handing over the last four fugitives sought by the Hague war crimes court and appeared to have the political will to arrest Mladic.(Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Blast kills five women in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, June 26 (Reuters) A suspected bomb blast killed five women outside a busy market in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, witnesses said.Residents said an explosive device was apparently detonated by the burning of garbage in the city's central Howlwadag area. “Five died, I could not count the wounded. They were all women who were cleaning the streets,” said Hawa Ibrahim, a cleaner who witnessed the blas. The latest blast came after heavy clashes overnight in the north and south of the city between suspected Islamist fighters, police and Ethiopian troops.A senior policeman in the north said assailants armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery mounted on trucks attacked police in Horuwa. Residents in the area said three people were killed and others wounded when a rocket crashed into a family home.(Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Dam collapse fears in England as floods kill 3 SHEFFIELD, June 26 (Reuters): Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in northern England on Tuesday as officials warned a dam could collapse following severe flooding that has killed three people. A 68-year-old man and a teenager died in Sheffield and another man, in his 20s, was killed in Hull as torrential rain brought chaos to much of England and Wales. Police and local authority officials said they had moved about 250 people from their homes near Rotherham in South Yorkshire after cracks appeared in the Ulley Dam. The M1 was closed in South Yorkshire because of the flooding.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)
UN inspectors in NKorea on crunch mission SEOUL, June 26 (AFP) - UN inspectors arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for the first time in nearly five years. Before leaving Beijing for Pyongyang, the head of the four-person team from the IAEA) Olli Heinonen, expressed optimism that the North would finally begin to disarm.But he said he was not sure whether the IAEA team would be allowed to visit the Yongbyon reactor, the linchpin of the North's nuclear weapons drive which is to be sealed under a six-nation disarmament deal reached in February.
Troops, squatters clash in the Philippines, 9 dead MANILA, June 26 (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed and dozens injured when Philippine security forces clashed with dozens of slum dwellers resisting the tearing down of their homes in northern Kalinga province, police said Tuesday. Soldiers and police officers traded gunfire with dozens of people illegally occupying private land on Monday. “Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded, including 10 police officers, during almost 10 hours of fighting,” a spokesman said. (Posted @ 11:33 PST)
Indian 'teen surgeon' parents booked for attempted murder CHENNAI, India, June 26 (AFP) - Police in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu said Tuesday they had charged a husband and wife doctor team with attempted murder for encouraging their schoolboy son to a carry out a caesarean section. The pair had been remanded in custody for 15 days and had been booked for “several serious criminal acts” including attempted culpable homicide, causing grievous bodily harm, endangering life, forgery, giving false information to police and hiding evidence. “Apart from the criminal prosecution, we have also made a reference to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council as Dr Murugesan and his wife Dr Gandhimathi have violated the medical council code of professional conduct,” police said.(Posted @ 11:26 PST)
Baghdad road bomb kills US soldier BAGHDAD, June 26 (AFP) - A roadside bomb killed a US soldier in an eastern sector of Baghdad, the military said Tuesday, taking its losses to 74 in this month alone. The bomb exploded near the soldier's vehicle and wounded three more troops.(Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 30.62 points: KARACHI, June 26: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 13571.07 , up 30.62 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, June 26: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61.2 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
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