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| August 22, 2007 | Wednesday | Sha’aban 8, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Closing Pakistan refugee camp may cause crisis:UN GENEVA, Aug 22(Reuters): The United Nations asked Pakistan on Wednesday to delay closing a refugee camp for 100,000 Afghans because it could trigger a humanitarian crisis over the winter. The Jalozai camp in North West Frontier Province is due to be closed on Aug. 31. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said more time was needed to ensure those repatriating to Afghanistan could do so safely and sustainably. (Posted @ 21:26 PST)
Militants kill four Pakistani soldiers MIRANSHAH, Aug 22(AFP): Militants killed four Pakistani soldiers in two rocket attacks on an army camp and a security post in the northwest tribal zones, officials said on Wednesday. Six paramilitary soldiers were wounded in a rocket attack on a checkpost in the tribal town of Tiarza in South Waziristan near the Afghan border, chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said. “One soldier later died of his injuries in a hospital,” he said Three soldiers were killed overnight when several rockets struck an army camp at Bannu, close to Waziristan region. (First Posted @ 10:05 PST Updated @ 21:02 PST)
Govt lawyers seek delay in Nawaz case hearing ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(Reuters): Government lawyers asked on Wednesday for a three-week adjournment of a Supreme Court hearing into a request by exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to come home so he can take part in elections. (Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Japan should maintain Afghan support mission: minister ISLAMABAD, Aug 22(AFP): Japan said on Wednesday that Tokyo should maintain its naval mission in support of US-led operations in Afghanistan. If Japan stops its operation in the area that would give a negative message to international society as well as terrorists,” Defence Minister Yuriko Koike told a news conference here. Koike said she had discussed the global fight on terror and bilateral ties in her meetings with President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
Bangladesh imposes indefinite curfew DHAKA, Aug 22(AFP): Bangladesh's government imposed an indefinite curfew in six cities, including the capital Dhaka, from Wednesday night after a string of violent demonstrations, a government official said. “The government has declared a curfew in six divisional cities from 8:00pm until further notice,” said government spokesman Fahim Munaim. All colleges and universities in the cities would also be closed, he added.(Updated @ 16:00 PST)One dead, 50 hurt in student clashes: Earlier - One person died 50 people were hurt and six vehicles were burnt on Wednesday as students clashed with police in Bangladesh for a third straight day, with protests spreading from Dhaka to other cities, officials said. The violence flared despite the government's decision to pull army personnel out of Dhaka University after two days of clashes with students.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
14 US soldiers killed in Iraq helicopter crash BAGHDAD, Aug 22(AFP): Fourteen American soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq on Wednesday, the US military said. “Fourteen Task Force Lightning soldiers died when the aircraft they were riding went down in northern Iraq Wednesday,” a US military statement said. Two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters were on a night operation when one of the aircraft crashed, it said.(Posted @ 13:22 PST)
Bhutto urges Pakistan power-share deal by end-August WASHINGTON, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a US television interview on Tuesday urged President Pervez Musharraf to present a power-sharing reform package by the end of August. “I have shared with General Musharraf that my party is getting very upset, because elections are around the corner, and that, by the end of this month, we really need to know where we stand,” she told the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). “We either have a package or we don't have a package,” she said. “And if we have a package, well, then, we need the measures that we've agreed upon to come into play.”Bhutto, who served as Pakistan's prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, was asked by the television network how long it would take for her to conclude that Musharraf was not serious about sharing power with her. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Hurricane Dean weakens after hitting Mexico POZA RICA, Mexico, Aug 22, (REUTERS) - Hurricane Dean weakened to a Category 1 storm on Wednesday after making landfall in the Mexican Gulf state of Veracruz, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. (Posted @ 23:45 PST)
Somali pirates free Danish ship: reports NAIROBI, Aug 22, (REUTERS) - Somali pirates on Wednesday freed a Danish cargo ship that was hijacked in June with its five Danish crew, local residents told a shipping official. The MV Danica White was carrying building materials from Dubai to Kenya when it was seized off Somalia. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
UN envoy urges more Israeli steps for peace JERUSALEM, Aug 22(AFP): The UN special envoy to the Middle East Michael Williams urged Israel on Wednesday to take further measures to bolster Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to sustain efforts to renew peace talks. He also urged Israel to agree to reopen crossings into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the overcrowded and impoverished territory. (Posted @ 22:02 PST)
Iraqi Red Crescent says 500 killed in Yazidi attack BAGHDAD, Aug 22(Reuters): More than 500 people were killed in last week's suicide truck bombings that targeted the minority Yazidi community in northern Iraq, the Iraqi Red Crescent said on Wednesday. If the Red Crescent toll is correct, it would make the Aug. 14 bombings in the worst attack since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
Three killed, ten missing after storms in Polish lake region WARSAW, Aug 22(Reuters): Polish police and rescue troops were searching for ten people on Wednesday who went missing when a storm ravaged Poland's lake region. Police said three peoplewere killed on Tuesday after strong winds caused havoc for boats and kayaks. Hundreds of rescue workers using helicopters, airplanes and dogs were searching for the missing people in the popular tourist region of the Mazury lakes. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Georgia accuses Russia of second airspace violation TBILISI, Aug 22(AFP): Georgia on Wednesday accused Russia of violating its airspace for the second time in a month. The foreign ministry said that Georgia on Tuesday had twice tracked the violation of its state border and incursion into its airspace from the Russian Federation. The statement said the plane had crossed into the northwest of Georgia, near the separatist region of Abkhazia, and flown five kilometres into Georgian airspace. A top Russian air force official immediately denied the accusation. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Two soldiers killed, 11 injured in Taliban raid on NATO base ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Aug 22(AFP): Taliban militants wearing Afghan army uniforms attacked a NATO base on Wednesday in the northeast, killing two Afghan soldiers and injuring 11 NATO troops, the international force said. Several Taliban fighters were also killed in the attack in the mountainous and wooded province of Nuristan. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Iraqi president rejects French proposal for peace conference PARIS, Aug 22(AFP): Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has rejected a French proposal for a Paris conference to promote dialogue between rival factions, Le Monde reported on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner discussed the proposal during a three-day visit to Baghdad. Kouchner's visit to Baghdad, which ended Tuesday, was the first by a senior French official since Paris led opposition to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. (Posted @ 17:16 PST)
Japan calls on India to join Asian 'arc of freedom' NEW DELHI, Aug 22(AFP): India and Japan vowed on Wednesday to seal an economic partnership deal by December as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged New Delhi to join Tokyo in the creation of an Asian arc of freedom. Abe laid out his vision for a new four-way “arc of freedom and prosperity” bringing together Australia, India, Japan and the United States. (Posted @ 17:14 PST)
Afghan governor survives suicide attack, guard killed KHOST, Aug 22(AFP): An Afghan governor survived a suicide attack on Wednesday which killed his security guard in Khost province, officials and medics said. Seven people were also injured when the bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the convoy of Khost governor, Arsala Jamal, as it drove through the town.(Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Russia challenges EU over IMF top job MOSCOW, Aug 22(AFP): Russia on Wednesday challenged the traditional EU monopoly on choosing the head of the IMF by naming its own candidate and asking the European Union to allow fair competition for the post. Moscow announced it was nominating former Czech central bank chief Josef Tosovsky to stand against the EU's candidate to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF), former French finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn.(Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Police fire on protesters in eastern Indonesian JAKARTA, Aug 22(AFP): Police fired on protesters, wounding at least seven, as they tried to break up a demonstration on Wednesday in eastern Indonesia over local elections, witnesses and reports said. Three police officers were also hit by stones during the protest by supporters of the local traditional ruler, Sultan Mudafar Syah, state Antara news agency said.(Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Sudan floods death toll reaches 89 KHARTOUM, Aug 22(Reuters): Some 89 people have died in flooding in Sudan as heavy rains that washed away homes and spread water-borne disease continue to batter the country, a government official said on Wednesday. The unexpectedly early rains destroyed more than 70,000 homes.(Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Rebels kill one, wound six in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Aug 22(AFP): Suspected rebels in Thailand's restive south on Wednesday opened fire at a pick-up truck carrying 10 people, killing a Muslim man and injuring six others, police said. The attack occurred in Yala, one of three insurgency-torn provinces bordering Malaysia, they said, adding that an eight-year-old girl was among the wounded.(Posted @ 14:55 PST)
24 killed, 83 wounded as suicide bomber hits Iraqi police station BAGHDAD, Aug 22(Reuters): A suicide bomber rammed a fuel tanker into a police station in the northern Iraqi oil city of Baiji 180kms north of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 24 people and wounding 83.. Police said the bomber struck the front gates of the police directorate. The directorate had just moved into a new headquarters in the past few days, after an identical attack on their original station in June killed 27 people.(First Posted @ 14:15 PST Updated @ 20:54 PST)
Australian troops to exit Iraq in 2008 if Labor wins SYDNEY, Aug 22(AFP): Australia's Labor leader Kevin Rudd said on Wednesday he would withdraw combat forces from Iraq by mid-2008 if he is elected prime minister later this year.Rudd, who is leading conservative Prime Minister John Howard in the polls, said any withdrawal would not be immediate because the current government has already committed to deploying a new rotation of troops early next year.(Posted @ 13:45 PST)
ASEAN ministers to finalise FTAs with Japan, China MANILA, Aug 22(Reuters): Southeast Asian economic ministers will finalise a blueprint for economic cooperation in the region and push free trade deals with six dialogue partners at a weekend meeting in Manila, Philippine officials said on Wednesday. The 10-member ASEAN would prioritise free trade pacts with Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India as talks with these six dialogue partners have already started, Philippine Trade Secretary Peter Favila told Reuters.(Posted @ 13:35 PST)
S. Lanka warplanes attack rebel base COLOMBO, Aug 22(AFP): Sri Lankan warplanes bombed a Tamil Tiger base in the northeastern district of Mullaittivu on Wednesday causing heavy damage, the defence ministry said. The base was being used as a training facility and a key supply route for the guerillas, the ministry said.(Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Myanmar arrests 13 dissidents to quash protests YANGON, Aug 22(Reuters): Myanmar's military rulers arrested 13 leading dissidents on Wednesday in a series of midnight raids in Yangon designed to quash protests against rising fuel prices and falling living standards. The junta also deployed armed police at street corners in the former capital, as well as truckloads of men from its feared Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) network. In a rare announcement in all state-run newspapers, the junta said the dissidents had been arrested for “agitation to cause civil unrest” and “undermining peace and security of the state”, charges that could put them in jail for up to 20 years.(Posted @ 13:15 PST)
Niger rebels claim killing 15 govt soldiers NIAMEY, Aug 22(Reuters): Tuareg-led rebels in Niger said late on Tuesday they had killed 15 government soldiers in a clash at Gougaram in the West African country's remote Saharan north, where uranium is mined. “There was a clash and 15 of them were killed and two vehicles destroyed,” the rebel Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) said on its blog http://m-nj.blogspot.com/.(Posted @ 13:05 PST)
EU resumes fuel shipments to Gaza power plant GAZA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The EU resumed fuel shipments to Gaza's main power plant on Wednesday, a Palestinian official said, after Brussels received assurances revenues would not be diverted to the Hamas group which controls the territory. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Violent protest leaves 13 injured, forces closure of airport in east Indonesia TERNATE, Indonesia Aug 22 (AP) - Police used tear gas and water cannon to repel thousands of protesters, some throwing rocks and glass shards, at an airport in eastern Indonesia, officials said. At least 13 people, including two security officers, were injured when riot police moved in to end the violent protest at Sultan Khairun Babullah Airport in Ternate. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Strike shuts Nepal capital KATHMANDU, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - A strike called by local groups demanding greater rights closed businesses and schools and left the streets of Nepal's capital deserted on Wednesday. “Kathmandu is shut down. But so far there have not been any reports from the field on any destruction, casualties or damage,”.(Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Bush draws Vietnam parallel in warning over Iraq withdrawal KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush in a speech on Wednesday will warn that a US withdrawal from Iraq could produce a catastrophe similar to what occurred in Southeast Asia after US forces left Vietnam. According to excerpts from Bush's address released in advance on Tuesday, the president charges that an early exit from Iraq would “pull the rug out” from under American troops just as their efforts are paying off. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Israeli strikes kill five in Gaza GAZA CITY, Aug 22, 2007 (APP/AFP) - Two children and three militants were killed on Tuesday in separate Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 81.76 points: KARACHI, Aug 22: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 12326.38 , up 81.76 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 22: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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