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| August 18, 2007 | Saturday | Sha’aban 4, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan army attacks militant hide-outs near Afghan border, no casualties DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Aug 18 (AP) Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships attacked three suspected militant hide-outs in South Waziristan near the Afghan border Saturday and destroyed three militant hide-outs, officials said. However, it was not immediately clear how many rebels were in the area and if there were any casualties. Pakistani forces have been facing tough resistance in this tribal area since Thursday when dozens of militants attacked military convoys and the ensuing battles left 15 militants dead besides 11 soldiers. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Pakistani soldier injured in fresh clashes with militants MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Aug 18 (AFP) A Pakistani soldier was injured Saturday in a new clash with suspected pro-Taliban militants, who earlier fired rockets at a checkpost in North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said. The soldier was injured when militants clashed with security forces near the Christian cemetery in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. Earlier, militants fired up to 20 rockets before dawn at the Banda security checkpoint outside Miranshah, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, the official said. Troops responded with mortar fire and the clash lasted for about two hours, he added.(Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Presidential election to be held as per constitution: President Musharraf BAHAWALPUR, Aug 18 (APP) President Pervez Musharraf Saturday said the presidential election will be held in accordance with the law and the constitution. He was addressing parliamentarians and nazims from the seven districts of southern Punjab here. President Musharraf said both general and presidential elections would be held in free and fair manner. He said for the continuity of economic development and strengthening of fiscal policies, there was a need to ensure political stability in the country. President Musharraf said the country's defence was in strong hands and termed terrorism and extremism as big threats for the country and that those involved in negative activities were proving detrimental for Islam and the country. “To counter the challenge of terrorism, we need to work together,” he said. Regarding development projects, President Musharraf said the government had carried out unprecedented record work to provide basic amenities of life to the people even in far-flung areas. He said due to successful economic policies, the country's budget has been increased to Rs 520 billion which was mere Rs 80 billion a decade back. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Suicide bomber kills soldier in northwestern Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (Reuters) A suicide bomber killed a Pakistani paramilitary soldier and wounded two Saturday in an attack on a security post near the Afghan border, military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said. He said the bomber rammed a car into a checkpost about 30 km north of Mir Ali, a town in the North Waziristan region. Nine soldiers and 17 militants have been killed in bomb attacks and clashes in the Waziristan region since Thursday. (First Posted @ 18:20 PST Updated @ 19:40 PST)
Taliban say hostage talks fail KABUL, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Negotiations to secure the release of 19 Korean hostages have failed and the insurgents' leadership council are now considering their fate, a Taliban spokesman said Saturday. “The talks ended without any result and have failed as our main demand was not accepted,” Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location. “I don't think (further) talks will yield anything. I am awaiting for the decision (on the hostages fate) from the leadership council,” he said. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Palestinian shot dead on Gaza-Israel border GAZA CITY, Aug 18, (AFP) - Israeli soldiers shot dead one Palestinian and wounded two others on Saturday on the border with the Gaza Strip, Israeli military and Palestinian medical sources said. The Palestinian source named the victim as Mohammed Abid, a 17-year-old male civilian from El-Bureij refugee camp. (Posted @ 23:18 PST)
Body of religious scholar recovered TANK Aug 18 (APP) - The decapitated body of a religious scholar was recovered near Jandola area of South Waziristan, sources from troubled agency said on Saturday. The beheaded body of Maulana Zarma Khan was found on road side near Jandola a day after he was abducted. The deceased was resident of Barwand area of Tiarza Tehsil in South Waziristan. (Posted @ 22:44 PST)
Six Indian troops killed in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (APP) - Four Indian troops were killed and eight others injured in two different explosions in occupied Kashmir. Five personnel of Indian Central Reserve Police Force were killed and six others critically injured in a powerful blast at Kawni in Islamabad district, occupied Kashmir, KMS reported. (Posted @ 21:08 PST)
Bush moves away from benchmarks in assessing Iraq WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (AFP) US President George W. Bush Saturday praised what he called “progress and reconciliation” achieved in some Iraqi communities, but pointedly avoided using US government-approved benchmarks in assessing the situation in the country. “Americans can be encouraged by the progress and reconciliation that are taking place at the local level,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. He spent much of his address describing what he called “political gains” made by various Iraqi communities. Bush acknowledged that “political progress at the national level had not matched the pace of progress at the local level,” and benchmarks adopted by the US government as a standard for assessing progress in Iraq had largely remained unmet. The 18 benchmarks call for sustainable progress in national reconciliation and mending the country's broken economy as a condition for continued US support. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
China evacuates 540,000 ahead of typhoon; one killed in Taiwan BEIJING, Aug 18 (AP) China evacuated more than 540,000 people from low-lying coastal areas as Typhoon Sepat roared toward the mainland Saturday after killing at least one person In Taiwan. China cancelled airline flights and ferry services in Fujian province, where Sepat was due to hit land late Saturday with sustained winds of 144 kph, and neighbouring Zhejiang and Guangdong. Earlier, Sepat hit Taiwan at 5:40 a.m. near the eastern city of Hualien. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Flooding leaves 181 Chinese coal miners trapped, feared dead BEIJING, Aug 18 (AP) Floodwaters caused by heavy rains poured into two coal mines in a town in eastern China, leaving 181 miners trapped and feared dead, government officials and state media said Saturday. A dike on the Wen river in Shandong province broke at about 2:30 p.m. Friday, sending water gushing into a mine in Xintai city and trapping 172 miners, Xinhua News Agency reported. A total of 756 miners were working at the time of the disaster and 584 escaped, the report said. At 8:45 p.m. Friday, nine more miners were trapped when floodwaters poured into Xintai's Minggong Coal Mine, Xinhua and China National Radio reported. (First Posted @ 09:30 PST Updated @ 19:20 PST)
Iran's president calls Israel 'the flag of Satan' TEHRAN, Aug 18 (AFP) Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Saturday described Israel as “the flag of Satan” and said the Jewish state was destined to fall apart, the official IRNA news agency reported. “The Zionist regime is the flag bearer of violation and occupation and this regime is the flag of Satan,” Ahmadinejad told an international religious conference in Tehran. “It is not unlikely that this regime be on the path to dissolution and deterioration when the philosophy behind its creation and survival is invalid,” he said. (Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Palestinians say Israel prepared to offer amnesty to 110 more gunmen RAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug 18 (AP) Israel has submitted to the Palestinian Authority a list of 110 more militants it is prepared to stop pursuing, Palestinian officials said Saturday. There was no immediate confirmation from Israel, which offered amnesty to more than 200 other fugitives in recent weeks. Palestinian security officials were calling the 110 militants on Saturday to inform them of the deal by which Israel would stop trying to arrest them in return for their agreement to halt all activities against Israeli targets and turn over their weapons, security officials said. (Posted @ 19:04 PST)
Mortar bombs rain down on Iraqi town, kill seven BAGHDAD, Aug 18 (Reuters) Seven people were killed when a mortar barrage hit the town of Khalis north of Baghdad Saturday, police said. An estimated 17 mortar rounds hit the local market, residential areas and a hospital. (Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Heavily armed rival clan militia kill 18 people in central Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia, Aug 18 (AP) Heavily armed rival clan militia killed 18 people and wounded 15 others in a battle Saturday over scare pasture land and wells in central Somalia, residents and a witness said. “The militia are using rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other heavy weaponry in the fighting, forcing residents to flee,'' the witness said. (Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Turkish soldier killed in rebel clash DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Aug 18 (Reuters) A Turkish soldier was killed in a clash with Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels in southeast Turkey near the border with Iraq Saturday, security officials said. After the clash in Hakkari province, the army launched a large-scale operation in the area to hunt down PKK militants. (Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Iran arrests 85 Africans for drug trafficking TEHRAN, Aug 18 (AFP) Iran arrested 85 African nationals in a crackdown on an international drug trafficking network, Iran's anti-narcotics police chief was quoted as saying Saturday. “In the operation, 90 members of the group including 85 Africans from Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana as well as two Pakistanis were arrested,” Commander Hamid Reza Hosseinabadi said, quoted by Fars news agency. Hosseinabadi said the crackdown was launched on August 15 throughout the country and police had seized more than 54 kilos of heroin and crack from the gang in airports in Tehran and several other cities. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Series of quakes jolt eastern Japan TOKYO, Aug 18, (APP/AFP) A series of earthquakes jolted Tokyo and parts of eastern Japan Saturday but there were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties, officials said. The biggest quake, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, happened at 4:55 pm off Chiba prefecture in the Pacific and 20 kilometres below the seabed, the meteorological agency said. The jolt followed three earthquakes with the magnitude of 4.8, 4.6 and 3.4 earlier in the day in the region. The earthquakes swayed buildings in Chiba just east of Tokyo, they said. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Philippine helicopter crashes during clash with militants ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Aug 18 (AFP) A Philippine military helicopter crashed Saturday during a clash with Al Qaeda-linked militants in the south, killing the pilot, a military spokesman said. The spokesman, air force chief Lieutenant General Horacio Tolentino, denied earlier reports from military sources that the MG-520 went down after the pilot was shot by enemy fire. Tolentino said the helicopter crashed off the coast of Basilan island after unexplained vibrations, adding: “It was not fired upon.” The helicopter was sent in to back up ground troops attacking a camp used by the Abu Sayyaf militant group. The co-pilot of the helicopter was rescued unharmed by a naval vessel, Tolentino said. At least 16 government troops and dozen of militants were killed in fighting that broke out Saturday on Basilan as the military assaulted the rebel camp. (First Posted @ 11:15 PST, Updated @ 16:20 PST)
Turkish plane hijack ends as all freed ANTALYA, Turkey, Aug 18 (Reuters) A Turkish plane heading for Istanbul from northern Cyprus was hijacked Saturday, but the hijackers gave themselves up and released all hostages five hours after forcing the plane to land in Turkey. CEO of Atlas Jet airline Tuncay Doganer confirmed that the hijack of the passenger plane, which was bringing 136 passengers from northern Cyprus's Ercan airport, had come to an end. Soon after the plane was forced to land for refuelling - as it did not have enough fuel to go to Tehran as the hijackers wanted - most of the passengers were either released or broke out through emergency exits. The pilots also left but four passengers and two crew members had remained on board as negotiations took place. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST, Updated @ 16:10 PST)
German woman abducted in Kabul KABUL, Aug 18 (AFP) A German woman was kidnapped Saturday in Kabul by unidentified armed men, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP. “Today at 1:30 in the afternoon, a German woman was abducted by unknown armed men in an alley,” Bashary said. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Six die in Iranian army helicopter crash TEHRAN, Aug 18(Reuters): An Iranian army helicopter crashed in bad weather in a mountainous region near northern Iraq, killing six military personnel, Iranian media reported on Saturday. Five people were injured in the crash, which happened during manoeuvres on Friday, the ISNA news agency reported. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Bangladesh monsoon death toll nears 700 DHAKA, Aug 18(AFP): The monsoon death toll in Bangladesh has neared 700 with thousands more people being taken ill with water-borne diseases in flood-hit districts, officials said on Saturday. The death toll rose by 18 overnight, mostly from drowning and snakebites raising the tally for this year's monsoon season to 680. More than 4,000 people were admitted to hospital with severe diarrhoea in the last 24 hours, a health official said. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Koreas put off rare summit due to floods SEOUL, Aug 18(Reuters): The two Koreas agreed on Saturday to postpone until Oct 2-4 the summit they had planned to hold this month because of the flooding that has killed hundreds of people and made more than 300,000 homeless in the North. The meeting, originally set for Aug. 28-30 between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, will be only the second between the leaders of Asia's fourth-biggest economy and its communist neighbour. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Interpol issues wanted notice for Saddam's daughter BAGHDAD, Aug 18(AFP):The international police organization, Interpol, on Saturday issued a wanted notice for Saddam Hussein's eldest daughter, who is sought by the Iraqi government on suspicion of terrorism. Interpol's Red Notice does not represent an international arrest warrant but is a request for foreign police forces to cooperate in tracking down 38-year-old Raghad Hussein and in extraditing her to face justice in Iraq. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Sharjah's main Gulf cargo port closed after fire DUBAI, Aug 18 (Reuters) The Gulf emirate of Sharjah closed its main cargo port on Saturday for a day after a major fire overnight at a lubricants warehouse, police and port authorities said. It was still unclear when shipping would resume. Officials said the fire, which started around 10:30 p.m (1830 GMT), was large but had been brought under control, though emergency crews were still trying to extinguish the last remnants. “The damage and the reason for the fire are still unknown but the damaged area is very big,” they said. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Series of bombs strike Kirkuk, killing at least 4 KIRKUK, Iraq, Aug 18 (AP) A series of bombs struck a commercial area in a span of three hours in Kirkuk, killing at least four people and wounding 38, police said Saturday. The attacks started about 6 p.m. Friday when a bomb struck a mainly Turkomen open-air market in Qoriyah district in the city centre. Two people were killed and 25 wounded. Another explosion occurred in the religiously mixed area of Hamam al-Saah in southern Kirkuk at 8:20 p.m., wounding five, and about 30 minutes later two bombs struck al-Atiba Street, killing two people and wounding eight others. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
One dead, six missing in Cornwall hotel fire LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters): One man died and six people were unaccounted for after a serious fire swept through Penhallow Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall early on Saturday, police said. Emergency services were called shortly after midnight after reports that fire, fanned by the wind, was sweeping through the building. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan hire Australian rugby trainer KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 18 (AFP) Pakistan Cricket Board said Saturday it had hired a former Australian rugby trainer to the support staff of the national team. David Dwyer would join fellow Australian Geoff Lawson, who is due to arrive in Pakistan Monday as coach, in time for next month's Twenty20 World Cup, it said. “David Dwyer is an accomplished name in fitness training in Australia,” PCB director of operations Zakir Khan told AFP. Dwyer will arrive on a two-year contract and will replace South African Murray Stephenson whose contract was not renewed after Pakistan's first-round exit from the World Cup. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Suicide blast in Afghanistan kills 15, injures 26 KANDAHAR, Aug 18 (AFP) A suicide attack on a US convoy in southern Afghanistan on Saturday killed 15 people, including 11 civilians, and wounded another 26, a provincial police chief said. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
A dozen Taliban killed in Afghan clash KABUL, Aug 18 (AFP) Nearly a dozen insurgents were killed after an ambush on a joint patrol of Afghan police and coalition troops in Afghanistan's Helmand province, the NATO-led force said.There were no losses among the police or coalition soldiers, it added in a statement late Friday. The statement said around 20 insurgents attacked the patrol with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire near a village. Police and troops responded with small arms and artillery fire. “As insurgents attempted to flee, the combined force successfully cut off their escape route. Nearly a dozen insurgents were killed during the battle,” the statement added. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Maldives referendum on new form of government MALE, Maldives, Aug 18 (AP) Thousands of Maldivians voted Saturday in a referendum for choosing a new form of government, but many saw the referendum as an informal vote of confidence on the 29-year-reign of Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Asia's longest-serving ruler. Gayoom is pushing for a U.S.-style political system, with a powerful executive presidency. The opposition backs a British-style parliament. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Two Colombian generals quit over drug tie scandal BOGOTA, Aug 17 Two Colombian army generals have resigned after four officers under their command were arrested for suspected ties to the country's largest drug cartel, authorities said on Friday. Gen. Hernando Perez, head of the army's Third Division, and Gen. Leonardo Gomez stepped down for “reasons of honor” but were not under investigation, said army commander Gen. Mario Montoya. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Nile boat sinks in south Egypt CAIRO, Aug 18(Reuters): A Nile boat sank off the south Egyptian town of Beni Suef on Friday night and police sources said they thought people could be missing. The boat, The Princesa, was hosting a wedding party with several hundred guests about 80 kms south of Cairo. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Typhoon Sepat hammers Taiwan TAIPEI, Aug 18(AFP): Typhoon Sepat pounded Taiwan on Saturday bringing torrential rain and powerful winds that triggered mudslides, uprooted trees and brought disruption to transport across the island. The typhoon made landfall on the eastern coast overnight and was packing winds of around 155kms per hour, said the Central Weather Bureau. It disrupted electricity supplies to more than 70,000 households and forced the evacuation of around 1,600 people in mountain villages, according to the National Fire Agency. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
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