|
|
| July 02, 2007 | Monday | Jamadi-us-Sani 16, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf readies new plan to fight Taliban ISLAMABAD, July 2 (AFP) – President General Pervez Musharraf held a special meeting with top Pakistani officials Monday to discuss a new strategy to curb “Talibanisation” along the Afghan border, officials said. The four-hour session was to review the security situation, especially in the border areas, and to prepare a recommendation for a new security initiative to curb extremism and terrorism,” a senior government official told AFP. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the governor of North West Frontier Province, the vice chief of army staff and some ministers were among those attending the meeting at the presidency in Islamabad, the official said. The President will give details of the plan when he addresses the nation later this week, the official said on condition of anonymity. “The plan envisages reinforcement of security... and also establishment of peace committees in the region, that will entail involvement of local people,” he added. “The aim is to isolate foreign elements and their local allies.” (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Pakistan court slams 'scandalous' government claims ISLAMABAD, July 2 (AFP) – The 13-member full bench of the Supreme Court hearing the petition of chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry against a presidential reference criticised government lawyers Monday for filing “scandalous” material about the country's suspended chief justice. A Supreme Court judge also banned intelligence officials from the premises in Islamabad and ordered spy chiefs to sweep not only the building but judges' houses for surveillance devices. On Thursday last, the government had asked the Supreme Court to deal with the entire case after all, and at the same time filed details of the allegations. But on Monday, the government withdrew the application and apologised after complaints from Chaudhry's lawyer and the Supreme Court judges hearing the case. Presiding judge justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday ordered the government to pay costs of 100,000 rupees (about 1,660 dollars) for filing the “scandalous and vexatious” application which he said aimed to damage judges including justice Chaudhry. “What message you will convey to the world about the president, about the head of state, because you have maligned him... you have done all this in his name, he may not be knowing what you are filing,” justice Ramday said. He said the money would go to flood victims in Balochistan province. He also suspended the licence of a legal official whom the government used to officially lodge the documents with the court, and told a senior law ministry officer to appear in court to explain himself. The chief justice's lawyer, barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, showed the court copies of the documents, saying that several were unsigned or incorrectly dated. He said there were also photographs of Chaudhry's house and cars parked outside. (Posted @ 18:14 PST)
Pakistan steps up flood rescue as more rain due QUETTA, July 2 (Reuters): Water levels are falling in some parts of flood-hit Pakistan enabling rescuers to reach areas cut off for days but more bad weather is on the way, officials said on Monday. Hardest-hit has been southern Pakistan. The cyclone and floods, the worst in Baluchistan since records began nearly 100 years ago, have affected up to 2 million people and killed about 110. The weather was generally clear on Monday and rescuers were taking advantage to push into areas that have been cut off for nearly a week, said deputy provincial relief commissioner Ali Gul Kurd. “The water level is definitely going down ... we're slowly reaching even the worst-hit areas,” Kurd told Reuters. (Posted @ 12:22 PST)
Pakistan nuclear scientist wants curbs lifted ISLAMABAD, July 2 (AFP) - Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan said Monday he remains under virtual house arrest after more than three years but wishes the authorities would ease the restrictions.. ”No, we have not been informed, there is no such information with us,” he told AFP by telephone from his closely-guarded house in Islamabad, when asked about reports that the rules had been relaxed. “Obviously I would have wished that it was true but it doesn't seem to be the case.,” Dr Khan added. He would not answer further questions. His wife Henny Khan also denied the reports . “Three months ago he was allowed to see five old friends as a one-time favour. This week they gave the permission again for these five friends to visit him. Other than that it is the status quo,” she added. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told reporters on Monday that there was “no change in status” regarding the restrictions on Dr A.Q. Khan. “He continues to live a quiet life with his family,” Aslam said. (Posted @ 17:54 PST)
Cricket: CAS dismisses appeal against Pakistani cricketers LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 2 (AFP) - International sport's top court has dismissed an appeal by the World Anti Doping Agency over reprieves for Pakistani cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, saying it had no jurisdiction over the dispute. The Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) panel said in a statement on Monday it had reached the conclusion “with some considerable regret.” CAS, which set up a special panel first to examine Pakistani Cricket Board claims that it had no jurisdiction, found that the PCB does not provide a right of appeal to the international sports court. Furthermore, the ICC code did not contain any rules that obliged the Pakistani board to allow appeals to CAS, it added. Akhtar and Asif were both removed from their country's squad for the Cricket World Cup in March and April. The Pakistani board insisted they had missed the event because of injuries. (Posted @ 18:24 PST)
Pakistani soldier killed in tribal area MIRANSHAH, July 2(AFP): Gunmen shot dead a Pakistani soldier on Monday when he tried to fight off an attempted kidnapping in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, a security official said. Three masked gunmen tried to abduct the trooper from a bazar in Mir Ali, a town in North Waziristan district, but shot him dead when he resisted, the official told AFP. The gunmen then kidnapped a tribesman and fled in a car. The dead soldier had come to the area to spend his vacation with family. (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
35 people hurt in clash with police in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, July 2 (AFP) – At least thirty-five more people were hurt on Monday when thousands of villagers chanting, “Death to killers,” clashed with police in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir, accusing them of gunning down innocent civilians. The demonstrations continued on the fifth day as police continued to probe five cases elsewhere in the state in which innocent civilians were detained, killed and passed off as Islamic militants by security forces seeking cash rewards and promotions. The new clashes on Monday, which left 15 policemen and 20 civilians hurt, erupted in Kupwara town. “We've requisitioned more policemen to quell the protest,” senior police officer Vijay Kumar said as police fired shots in the air, used teargas and charged at the protesters with batons. The clashes, in which over 3,000 villagers chanted, “We want justice,” and stoned government buildings, broke out after four people died in police firing last Thursday The villagers insisted all four were innocent. “The three were killed in a fake gunbattle. The woman was shot dead as she was a witness to the killings by police,” said Bashir Ahmed, the president of the Kupwara lawyers' group. Human rights groups frequently accuse Indian troops of atrocities in occupied Kashmir, where sentiment against India runs high. The insurgency has left more than 42,000 dead by official count. Human rights groups put the toll at 75,000, including dead and disappeared. (First Posted @ 15:30 PST Updated @ 19:58 PST)
British police search at least 19 locations in response to failed car bombings LONDON, July 2 (AP) - British police investigating the failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow have searched at least 19 locations, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said Monday. The searches were part of “a fast-moving investigation” in which seven suspects have been detained by police. The two latest arrests came Monday near Glasgow, as details emerged that authorities were closing in on the terror network in Scotland minutes before attackers rammed into the main terminal building at Glasgow Airport. In a statement to the House of Commons, Smith urged Britons to remain united. “Let us be clear: terrorists are criminals, whose victims come from all walks of life, communities and religious backgrounds,” she said. “Terrorists attack the values that are shared by all law-abiding citizens. (Posted @ 20:06 PST)
Controlled blasts at Scottish hospital after Glasgow attacks GLASGOW, July 2, (AFP) - Police investigating a failed car bombing at Glasgow airport carried out two controlled explosions on a vehicle at a nearby Scottish hospital Monday, police said. The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley is where one of two men arrested after the airport attacks is being treated for severe burns. He is said to be in a critical condition. Explosives were not found in the vehicle, which was in the hospital car park, said a spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said. Police moved reporters and pedestrians further away from the hospital while the explosions were carried out. The security cordon around the hospital was later lifted, with access returning to normal. (Posted @ 23:46 PST)
Baghdad market car bomb kills 11 BAGHDAD, July 2, (AFP) - A car bomb tore through a popular Baghdad market on Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 33, security and defence officials said. “A huge car bomb went off right in front of my house. It knocked out all the windows,” said Amer Taqi, a local resident. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Explosion kills 9 people at ancient temple site in northeast Yemen: Police SANA, July 1, (AP) - A car bomb exploded at the site of an ancient temple in Yemen's northeast province of Mareb on Monday, killing 9 people and wounding at least seven, police said. Police in Mareb said six of the people killed were tourists, believed to be mostly from Spain. The other were Yemenis, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (First Posted @ 22:14 PST Updated @ 22:52 PST)
Cameroon police kill 11 after prison escape YAOUNDE, July 2, (REUTERS) - Police in Cameroon killed 11 convicts in a gun battle after they broke out of a remote prison in the centre of the country and stole their jailors' weapons, the justice minister said on Monday. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Two more arrests in British terror alert GLASGOW, July 2(AFP): Police investigating a weekend car bomb attack at Glasgow airport have arrested two more people, a spokesman said on Monday. The arrests of the men aged 28 and 25 brought to seven the total number of people held since a blazing jeep rammed the main terminal building at Glasgow Airport on Saturday. One of the suspects arrested is a Jordanian doctor called Mohammed Jamil Abdelkader Asha, officials in Amman, Jordan said on Monday. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his wife had also been arrested. Asha, 27, is of Palestinian origin and carries a Jordanian passport. He obtained his medical degree in Jordan in 2004. His father Jamil AbdelKader Asha told AFP he had not been informed of his son's arrest and had learnt about it only through the media. (Posted @ 16:44 PST)
British Muslims offer help in bombs probe LONDON, July 2 (AFP) - British Muslim leaders urged their communities Monday to help fight extremism after three failed car bombings, amid signs that the new government may be better able to win over their “hearts and minds.” Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, head of the Muslim Parliament of Britain, urged Muslims to support the government and security services and assured the “government of his support against the forces of anarchy and extremism and called upon the Muslim community to help uproot extremism” in its midst. The British Muslim Initiative (BMI), a lobby group which promotes Muslim participation in public life, echoed the remarks. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
600 civilians estimated killed in Afghanistan this year: UN KABUL, July 2 (AFP) - About 600 Afghan civilians were estimated to have been killed in insurgency-linked violence this year, just over half of them by pro-government forces, the United Nations said Monday. The number of civilian dead in June was the highest in months, spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters. Last month those killed by national and foreign forces supporting the government appeared to “largely exceed” those killed by rebels, Edwards said, without providing figures. However for the whole year, information from various sources indicated that “there are about 600 deaths by anti-government and pro-government forces up till now,” Edwards told AFP later. About 52 percent were by pro-government forces and 48 percent by anti-government forces, he said. “We are reluctant to give figures because it doesn't reflect necessarily the reality. It is just an indication,” he said. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
UN, foreign countries offer assistance to Pakistan in relief efforts ISLAMABAD, July 02 (PPI)- The United Nations and a number of countries have offered assistance to Pakistan in relief efforts for rain and flood affected areas, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at the weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Monday. She said Pakistan has so far not sought international help but at the request of the UN agencies and some countries a briefing was given to heads of the missions and UN agencies. The UN has also enquired if Pakistan needed helicopters for relief supplies. Responding to a question the spokesperson said Pakistan is aware of India's plans to construct dams on river Chenab. She pointed out that under the provision of the Indus Basin Water Treaty, India is required to inform Pakistan of any such activity six months before undertaking any project. Pakistan has asked India to inform about proposals, if any, regarding construction of dams on river Chenab. To yet another question she said engagement with US or any other bilateral or multilateral level on nuclear issue has to be consistent with Pakistan's sovereignty and security. It has to be non-intrusive. Pakistan is open to multi lateral or bilateral cooperation which enhances its own ability to reinforce security of its facilities and materials by inducting where necessary new technologies and best practices. (Posted @ 19:36 PST)
7 Afghan police killed by roadside bomb KANDAHAR, July 2 (AP) - A roadside bomb destroyed a police vehicle patrolling in a dangerous area of the Zhari district of Kandahar province on Monday, killing all seven policemen on board, an official said. Elsewhere in Kandahar, NATO troops opened fire on a motorcycle that soldiers thought was a possible suicide attacker, ISAF said. It said the motorcyclist was injured but a doctor at Kandahar's main hospital said the NATO forces killed one man and wounded three. Over the weekend, Afghan officials said 45 civilians were killed during a NATO and U.S.-led coalition bombing in Helmand province. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Saudi foils 180 'terror' attacks since 2003 RIYADH, July 2 (AFP) -Saudi Arabia has foiled 180 “terrorist” operations by Al-Qaeda since 2003 and averted a catastrophe in the oil powerhouse, the interior minister said in comments published Monday. “The security forces have caused the failure of 180 terrorist operations,” local media quoted Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz as saying. If only 10 percent of these operations had succeeded the kingdom would have faced “catastrophe,” he said, adding that the Islamist extremists' “huge plan” had been disrupted. Prince Nayef said 9,000 people had been arrested during anti-terror operations over the past four years. Most had been released but 3,106 remained in custody. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Five U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, July 2(Reuters): Four U.S. soldiers and one Marine were killed in various attacks in Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military said on Monday. It said two soldiers and one Marine were killed in western Anbar province.Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Baghdad on Sunday, one by small arms fire in southern Baghdad and the second by gunfire that followed a roadside bomb attack in western Baghdad. Two Iraqi policemen were also wounded in that attack. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
US diplomat found dead in Cyprus: Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation NICOSIA, July 2 (AFP) The defence attache at the US embassy in Cyprus, missing for four days, was found dead in a remote part of the Mediterranean island, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday. The 45-year-old diplomat Tom Mooney was found dead in a remote area near Nicosia. He was last seen leaving the US embassy around midday Thursday. (Posted @ 13:56 PST)
Heavy rains leave 43 dead in western India MUMBAI, July 2 (AFP) At least 43 people died over the weekend as heavy monsoon rains accompanied by fierce winds lashed western India's Maharashtra state and left some areas badly flooded, officials said Monday. “The total number of deaths across the state stands at 43 with 4,820 people evacuated across eight districts,” an official in the state's relief and rehabilitation department said. Thirteen of the deaths occurred in Mumbai, the city chief administrator said. (Posted @ 13:55 PST)
WHO urges Asia to prepare for climate change crises KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Reuters): Asian nations must prepare to tackle disasters unleashed by global warming with the same urgency they now focus on fighting disease epidemics, the World Health Organisation said on Monday. With Asia's share of global greenhouse gas emissions from burning fuels expected to grow, urgent action was needed to mitigate the situation, said Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “For environmental issues, if you wait until the crisis happens, it will be too late,” Omi told reporters in the Malaysian capital. (Posted @ 12:18 PST)
Two Thais killed, one injured in southern violence YALA, Thailand, July 2 (AFP) Two people were killed and one was injured in southern Thailand Monday, local police said. A 47-year-old rubber tapper was shot dead in Yala province Monday morning, police said, while a 28-year-old villager was killed by gunfire in nearby Narathiwat province. A bomb in Yala seriously injured a policeman. (Posted @ 10:06 PST)
Bush, Putin hold 'very friendly' informal discussion KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine, July 2 (AFP) US President George W. Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin held an informal discussion here late Sunday as part of their summit aimed at defusing tensions between the two countries. The Bush family swept Putin off for an evening boat ride and a lobster dinner, followed by a two-hour informal discussion that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described as “very friendly.” Lavrov said the two presidents realized that bilateral relations between the United States and Russia “should not become hostage” of presidential elections due to be held in both countries next year. “We have discussed the situation in both the United States and Russia, the evolution of democracies in the two countries,” Lavrov said. “These were specific exchanges conducted with a sense of humour.” (First Posted @ 09:35 PST, Updated@ 09:56 PST)
Israel kills Fatah gunman JENIN, West Bank, July 2 (Reuters) Israeli troops killed a Fatah activist early Monday in a raid in a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Jenin while allegedly targeting armed Fatah members. Palestinian security sources said the 25-year-old was a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. (Posted @ 09:42 PST)
Europeans see US as threat to stability: poll LONDON, July 2 (AFP) More Europeans see the United States as a threat to global stability than Iran and North Korea combined, according to a poll published Monday. The Harris Interactive survey for the Financial Times showed that 32 percent of more than 5,000 respondents in five European countries - Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain - regarded the United States as the biggest threat to stability. China was next on the list, thought of as the greatest threat by 19 percent of European respondents, followed by Iran at 17 percent, Iraq at 11 percent, North Korea at nine percent, and Russia at five percent. (Posted @ 09:28 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 157.24 points: KARACHI, July 2: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 13929.70, up 157.24 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 2: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 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 |