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| August 13, 2007 | Monday | Rajab 28, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan sends 134 Indian prisoners home as part of independence celebrations WAGAH, Pakistan, Aug 13 (AP) Pakistan sent home 134 Indian prisoners on Monday - mostly fishermen or people who said they had strayed across the border by mistake - as part of ceremonies marking both countries' 60th anniversary. The exchange happened with little fanfare near Lahore at Wagah, the main border crossing between the two countries. India is due to return more than 100 Pakistanis Tuesday, to complete a prisoner exchange, Pakistani foreign affairs official Ghulam Mohammad said. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
FO terms report titled “exact locations” of Pakistan’s N-assets baseless, hypothetical ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (AFP) Foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam during a weekly media briefing Monday rejected the western report titled “exact locations” regarding Pakistan’s nuclear assets as based on speculation and hypothesis. Aslam dismissed the corresponding report which claims that the U.S. has information about the location of Pakistan’s nuclear assets as unfounded and “speculative.” “There is no truth ... essentially such claims are to add spice to contentious speculations and reports that go around,” Aslam said. (Posted @ 19:26 PST)
Four killed in Pakistan’s Swat town ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (Reuters) A roadside bomb killed four people in northwest Pakistan Monday. The bomb appeared to be have been detonated by remote control as a vehicle passed through Swat town in North West Frontier Province, police said. The victims were civilians. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Three pro-Taliban militants killed in Pakistan attack ISLAMABAD, Aug 13(Reuters): Pakistani security forces killed three pro-Taliban militants on Monday in a tribal region near the Afghan border. The troops killed the militants after the insurgents launched a pre-dawn attack on two military checkpoints in South Waziristan. “The gun battle that started at around 2100 GMT continued for two hours,” military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said. No Pakistani soldiers were wounded in the attacks. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Storm-caused landslide kills 22 in northwestern Pakistan village PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug 13 (AP) A wild storm triggered landslides and collapsed houses in a village in Pakistan's mountainous northwest early Monday, killing 22 people, an official said. Many of the casualties were trapped inside collapsing buildings in Rano Mera, a village in Kohistan district, said Saeed Khan Aurakzai, the government's top administration official in the region. Relief and rescue teams, including doctors, were rushed to the village to treat the injured, whose numbers were not immediately known, Aurakzai said. Heavy monsoon rains and storms lashed many parts of Pakistan late Sunday and early Monday. In Islamabad, roads were cut by low-level flooding and falling tree branches. Parts of Karachi remained inundated Monday, four days after a violent storm left at least 35 dead. (First Posted @ 15:45 PST Updated @ 20:10 PST)
Market blast kills three, injures 19 in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 13 (AFP) A young boy and two men were killed and 19 injured Monday in a grenade blast at a busy occupied Kashmir market place, police said.The attack was launched by suspected militants in Bandipora, about 60 kilometres north of Srinagar, police official Imtiaz Ahmed said. “At least 22 people were initially hurt” with two - a nine-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man - dying on the way to the hospital, Ahmed said. The third man died in Srinagar's main hospital three hours later. Ahmed said the blast took place outside a stadium where India's Independence Day celebrations will be held Wednesday. (First Posted @ 15:55 PST Updated @ 20:22 PST)
Benazir says Pakistan not doing enough on militants ISLAMABAD, Aug 13(AFP): Benazir Bhutto, exiled two-time prime minister of Pakistan, said President Pervez Musharraf is not doing enough to wipe out terrorist groups and the country needs to do more. She said Pakistan should be working harder with NATO and the United States to eliminate militants. “Whether General Musharraf is colluding in what is happening, or whether he is ineffective in dealing with it ... the net result is the same,” she said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. She said she did not know why there had been no official confirmation that she met Musharraf in Abu Dhabi last month to discuss a power-sharing deal, but told the newspaper: “We have been in negotiations with General Musharraf. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Freed hostages handed to Korean authorities KABUL, Aug 13 (Reuters) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Monday handed over two freed South Korean female hostages to Korean authorities in Ghazni, an ICRC spokesman said. “The ICRC, as a neutral intermediary, has taken over these two female hostages and drove them in an ICRC Land Cruiser to the building of the Afghan Red Crescent Society... and they have been handed over to Korean authorities,” said ICRC spokesman Jean Pascal Moret. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST Updated @ 19:54 PST)
Iranian president to visit Afghanistan KABUL, Aug 13(AFP): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to arrive in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, where he will meet with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to discuss bilateral issues, officials said. It will be Ahmadinejad's first visit to Afghanistan since assuming office. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
At least 5 killed in bus crash in southern Spain MADRID, Spain, Aug 13, (AP) - A bus crashed on a highway in southern Spain on Monday, killing at least five people and injuring 40 others, authorities said. The accident happened near the town of Lopera in the province of Jaen, about 350 kilometers south of Madrid, when the bus veered off the highway and overturned, Civil Guard Lt. Emilio Garcia said. (Posted @ 23:36 PST)
Musharraf says he is confident U.S. will not launch unilateral strikes in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 13, (AP) - President Pervez Musharraf on Monday vigorously defended his government's independence from Washington, and said he was ''200 percent sure'' the United States would not launch unilateral strikes against terrorists in Pakistan. Speaking in a nationally televised question-and-answer session with hand-picked guests, Musharraf addressed topics ranging from his plunging public support to the role of cricket in building national character. Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, is at the lowest political ebb of his eight years in power. He said he was sure upcoming legislative and presidential elections would be free and fair, and ensure economy stability. (Posted @ 22:44 PST)
Cricket: India win Test series against England LONDON, Aug 13, (AFP) - India won a three-match series against England 1-0 after the final Test at The Oval was drawn here on Monday. England, set what would have been a fourth innings Test record of 500 to win, finished on 369 for six. Matt Prior was 12 not out and Ryan Sidebottom three not out after Kevin Pietersen top-scored with 101. (Posted @ 21:54 PST)
Bombing hits Moroccan town RABAT, Morocco, Aug 13 (AP) A man exploded a gas canister near a tourist bus in Meknes, a town 130 kilometres northeast of Rabat Monday, the MAP news agency reported. No casualties were reported. The man, whose arm was blown off in the explosion, had apparently been targeting the bus, MAP said. (Posted @ 21:26 PST)
Quake, 7.2 magnitude, reported near Vanuatu WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) A 7.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded 46 km east of Santo in the South Pacific island archipelago of Vanuatu, the U.S. Geological Survey reported Monday. The quake was at a depth of 172 km with an epicentre 1,996 km northeast of Brisbane, Australia, the USGS said. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
Explosions kill four policemen in Somali capital MOGADISHU, Aug 13 (Reuters) Explosions in Mogadishu Monday killed four police officers and one civilian in the latest attacks by suspected rebels, police said. “A remote controlled landmine exploded near one of our vehicles carrying policemen. Four police officers died from the blast,” police commander Abdullahi Hassan Barise told Reuters. Three policemen were wounded, he said adding that there could have been civilian casualties as the explosion had occurred in a busy area. In a separate explosion in south Mogadishu, one person died and three were wounded when a landmine targeting a police vehicle exploded and hit a bus instead, witnesses said. (Posted @ 21:16 PST)
US labels Fatah-al-Islam terror group WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice designated Fatah al-Islam, an organization blamed for major fighting at a refugee camp in Lebanon, as a “terrorist” group, the State Department said Monday. “As part of ongoing US efforts against terrorism,” Rice “designated Fatah al-Islam as a specially designated global terrorist” group under US law, the department said in a statement. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Lebanese soldier killed in battle with militants NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, Aug 13 (AFP) A Lebanese soldier was killed Monday in a battle with Fatah al-Islam militants besieged for more than 12 weeks inside a Palestinian refugee camp, the army said. The soldier's death brought to 136 the number of troops killed at Nahr al-Bared camp since fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam began on May 20, according to a new toll given Monday by the army. (Posted @ 20:14 PST)
14 more die in China as rains refuse to let up BEIJING, Aug 13 (AFP) Persistent heavy rains in China have taken at least 14 more lives, Xinhua news agency reported Monday. Eight people were killed and one left missing by flash floods following downpours that lasted more than ten hours in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Xinhua said. The rains also inundated large areas of cropland and damaged roads and houses in Yuanjiang county, local government officials were quoted as saying. In eastern China's Shandong province, six people were killed by flooding that also inundated more than 17,000 houses and forced the evacuation of nearly 70,000 people. An estimated 2.43 million people in 12 cities have been affected by the Shandong rains, Xinhua said. (Posted @ 19:42 PST)
Boucher to discuss security, politics in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (AFP) Richard Boucher, Assistant US Secretary of State for South Asia, is due to visit Islamabad for top level security and counter-terrorism talks, officials said Monday. Foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam confirmed the visit but gave no immediate details. Boucher will have meetings with Pakistani officials, civil society members and political leaders to “discuss political developments, regional security and counter terrorism cooperation,” Associated Press of Pakistan said in a report from Washington. “The visit is part of regular consultations in the region,” it said, quoting a US official. “Pakistan is an important strategic partner on a broad range of matters - education, economic investment, counter-narcotics, security and counterterrorism,” it quoted a US official as saying. “We appreciate the Pakistanis' sacrifices in confronting extremists and fighting terrorist threats.” (Posted @ 19:36 PST)
Two Pakistan soldiers wounded in rocket attack MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Aug 13 (AFP) Two Pakistani soldiers were wounded overnight as militants fired rockets on security posts in the troubled tribal area near the Afghan border, officials said Monday. In a pre-dawn attack, militants fired two rockets on Mana check post near Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan region, a security official said. The militants also fired three rockets on Ghulam Khan post, close to the Afghan border overnight but there were no casualties, officials said. (Posted @ 19:14 PST)
India to free 72 Pakistani prisoners to mark national day NEW DELHI, Aug 13 (AFP) India announced Monday that it would free 72 jailed Pakistani nationals, mainly fishermen who had strayed across the maritime boundary, on Pakistan's 60th Independence Day anniversary. “These include 48 fishermen and 24 others,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said, adding the release followed a decision taken by Indian and Pakistani home ministry officials last month. Sarna said New Delhi had noted the release by Islamabad of 100 Indian fishermen and 35 prisoners Monday. “We had hoped ... that all the Indian fishermen in Pakistani custody as well as 327 boats would have been released,” he added. According to Sarna, 296 Indian fishermen continue to be imprisoned in Pakistan besides 121 others, who had strayed across the land boundary. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Mosque raided as U.S., Iraqi forces seek soldiers BAGHDAD, Aug 13 (Reuters) U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 22 people in operations Saturday which included Iraqi soldiers entering a mosque in search of information about two soldiers abducted in May, the U.S. military said Monday. U.S. soldiers were airlifted across the Euphrates River by helicopter to Yusufiya, a town just south of Baghdad, where they surrounded the mosque, the military said in a statement. Iraqi forces then entered the mosque while the Americans remained outside. “They detained 22 suspected terrorists, including four that had fired upon them as they entered the area,” the statement said. (Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Bush's political guru Karl Rove to resign at end of month WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (AFP) Top White House adviser Karl Rove, who has often been called George W. Bush's political guru and linked to the most controversial decisions of his presidency, said in an interview published Monday that he will resign at the end of this month. The White House confirmed his impending departure, calling it “a big loss.” ”I just think it's time,” Rove told The Wall Street Journal of the resignation, which will take effect on August 31. (Posted @ 17:38 PST)
40 hurt as vessels collide off Istanbul ISTANBUL, Aug 13 (AFP) A Turkish passenger ferry collided with a Ukrainian-flagged cargo ship off Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara Monday, injuring at least 40 passengers, the city's health department said. The maritime undersecretariat in Ankara said in a statement that the passenger ferry had run into the cargo ship, the Semyon Rudhnev, which was anchored at the time. The ferry crashed head-on into the cargo ship about 20 minutes after it left the quay in Yenikapi, on the city's European side, en route to the island of Avsa, lying some 110 kilometres miles southwest of Istanbul. Suffering only minor damage, it returned to Yenikapi. (Posted @ 17:24 PST)
Cricket- Shoaib Akhtar appeals against fine LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug 13 (AFP) Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar said Monday he had appealed against a 300,000 rupee (5,000 dollars) fine imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board after he walked out of a training camp. “I have appealed against the fine because I think I was not given the chance to give my version” of events, Akhtar told AFP. The cricketer was fined 100,000 rupees for leaving a training camp in Karachi earlier this month, and 200,000 rupees for snubbing a subsequent disciplinary hearing. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Seventeen dead as migrant ship capsizes MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte, Aug 17(AFP): Seventeen people, including eight children, were confirmed dead and 19 missing on Monday after a boat carrying illegal migrants capsized off the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, police said. Four survivors were plucked from the waters. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Yemeni forces capture tourist attack suspects SANAA, Aug 13(Reuters): Yemeni security forces captured several militants on Monday who were believed to have been involved in an attack that killed eight Spanish tourists last month, a security official said. The official said the dawn raid was carried out using helicopters in Abyan, an area of wooded mountains in Yemen's southeast. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Six dead, 25 missing in Indian army depot fire SRINAGAR, Aug 13(AFP): A fire at a key Indian military ammunition dump in Kashmir killed at least six people and left 25 more missing, officials said on Monday as the blaze was brought under control. Another 24 people were hurt as security forces began clearing unexploded devices from villages near the depot, the army said. “Six people have died so far and 24 soldiers and firefighters are wounded,”Lieutenant General H.S. Panag told reporters. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Five pilgrims killed in stampede in India RANCHI, Aug 13(AFP): Five women died and 11 people were injured on Monday in a stampede as they queued in eastern India to pour holy water on a column representing the Hindu god of destruction, police said. “Initial reports say five women pilgrims have been killed inside the temple,” said G.S. Rath, a senior police official, adding that the toll could rise. (Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Bomb kills five Iraqi guards near Iran border SULAIMANIYAH, Aug 13(AFP): A roadside bomb killed five Iraqi border guards and wounded three others in an attack not far from the Iranian border on Monday, an Iraqi military commander said on Monday. The bombing, followed by a salvo of rocket fire, happened late on Sunday near Nafit Khana, 20kms south of Khanaqin in Diyala province, said border guard Brigadier General Nadhim Shariff. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
PIA air stewardess caught with weapon KARACHI, Aug 13(Reuters): An air stewardess was caught trying to carry a pistol on board a Pakistan International Airlines flight on Monday, police and airlines officials said. The stewardess, was carrying the pistol in her hand luggage as she tried to board a PIA flight from Karachi to the port city of Gwadar, they said. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Toshiba to sell 10 percent of Westinghouse to Kazakhstan TOKYO, Aug 13(AFP): Japan's Toshiba Corp. said Monday that it had agreed to sell 10 percent of US nuclear power plant maker Westinghouse to Kazakhstan's state-run energy company Kazatomprom for $540 million. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Koreas to discuss summit preparations SEOUL, Aug 13(AFP): North Korea agreed on Monday to hold a working meeting with South Korea to prepare for their second-ever summit as Seoul postponed a major military exercise as a goodwill gesture. The two sides will meet Tuesday at the North's border city of Kaesong to discuss the agenda and other details of the summit on August 28-30 in Pyongyang. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Ten passengers electrocuted as Indian bus touches wire NEW DELHI, Aug 13(Reuters): Ten people were electrocuted when an 11,000-volt power line touched the bus they were riding on in northern India, a newspaper reported on Monday. Sixteen other passengers suffered burn injuries, the Hindustan Times said. The packed bus was travelling through Chandpur village in Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday morning when it touched the low-hanging overhead wire. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Afghanistan clash kills 9 Taliban, 5 police KANDAHAR, Aug 13 (AP) Afghan security forces clashed with Taliban militants Sunday in Kandahar province's Shohrawak distric, leaving nine militants dead, while a subsequent roadside blast targeting a police vehicle killed five officers, an official said Monday. The joint Afghan forces thwarted a planned militant ambush at the district chief's compound, and the ensuing clash left nine militants dead. During a cleanup operation after the battle, a roadside bomb hit a police vehicle in the same district, killing five officers and wounding two others, he said. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Sri Lanka skirmishes leave four dead COLOMBO, Aug 13 (AFP) Four people were killed as Sri Lankan troops launched ground, air and sea attacks against Tamil Tiger rebels in the island's northeast, the defence ministry said Monday. Three Tamil Tiger rebels and a soldier were killed in overnight clashes in Pulmodai, the ministry said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka warplanes pounded a rebel gun position and a training camp in Nedunkerni early Monday. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Iraq: 20 more bodies found Baghdad, Aug 13 (Reuters) Police found the bodies of 17 people dumped around the city of Baghdad during the last 24 hours. The bodies of two women and a man were also found 30 km south of the city of Hilla, south of Baghdad. Meanwhile, mortar rounds landed in Qahira district of northern Baghdad, killing three civilians and wounding 15, police said. On the other hand, Iraqi army said it had killed seven insurgents and arrested 70 others in the last 24 hours as the U.S. forces said they arrested 46 suspects during operations against al-Qaeda. They include 17 suspects in Karmah on the western outskirts of Baghdad and 16 in Sinjar in nothern Iraq near the Syrian border. Others were held in Baghdad, Mosul, Tarmiyah, Samarra and Tikrit. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Five Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan OTTAWA, Aug 13 (AFP) Five Canadian soldiers were wounded Sunday near Kandahar when their convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device and a rocket, local media reported. The soldiers were heading to their base in Kandahar when their vehicle was hit first by a roadside bomb, then by a rocket. Sixty-six Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Tennis: Ivanovic triumphs in Los Angeles WTA tournament LOS ANGELES, Aug 13 (AFP) Serbian third seed Ana Ivanovic defeated fourth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-4 here Sunday to win the 600,000-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Three killed by gunman in US church WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (AFP) Three people were killed and up to five others were wounded Sunday when a gunman opened fire during a church service in Neosho, in the central US state of Missouri. A suspect was under arrest. The shooting occurred during Sunday afternoon service, held in the Spanish language, at the First Congregational Church, attended by some 50 people, Neosho police chief said. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Bus crash in Malaysia kills 20 KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (AFP) Twenty people were killed and seven critically injured when a passenger bus in Malaysia overturned Monday, state media reported. A police spokesman said the bus was making its way down a hilly portion when it hit a road barrier, skidded and overturned before ending up in a ditch. Passengers were flung out or were pinned inside the vehicle which was reduced to a “mangled heap.” (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 262.58 points: KARACHI, Aug 13: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 12750.38, down 262.58 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 13: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.85 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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