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| August 25, 2007 | Saturday | Sha’aban 11, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Militants kidnap army officer, 3 others in northwestern Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (AP) Militants kidnapped an army officer, two of his guards and a government official near an army base in northwestern Pakistan, officials said Saturday. The four men were seized late Friday in Ladha, a town in South Waziristan. No one claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, and a security official in the area, who sought anonymity said officers and tribal elders were trying to ensure the release of the kidnapped men. The official identified the kidnapped officer as Lt. Col. Mohammed Shahid, but provided no other details. No Pakistan army spokesman was immediately available to comment. A senior army official on condition of anonymity confirmed the incident but said he had no information on the whereabouts of the kidnapped men. Militants kidnapped 16 soldiers in South Waziristan two weeks ago and later killed one of them. Local tribal elders and government officials say they are in touch with the militants and hope to secure the release of the remaining 15 others. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Pakistan test fires new air-launched cruise missile ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (AFP) Pakistan Saturday successfully test fired a new air-launched cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the military said in a statement. The locally developed Ra'ad (Hatf-8) missile has a range of 350 kilometres and uses stealth design and materials, it said. The missile “has been designed exclusively for launch from a variety of Pakistan's air platforms, providing these with a strategic stand-off capability on land and at sea,” it said. “The Ra'ad can carry all types of warheads and has an accuracy comparable to Pakistan's longer Babur cruise missile,” the statement said. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz congratulated the scientists and engineers involved in designing the new cruise missile, it added. “Pakistan's defence will continue to be strengthened as an imperative of national security,” the military statement quoted the two leaders as saying. (First Posted @ 18:06 PST Updated @ 18:16 PST)
President Musharraf to talk to Saudi govt about Sharif brothers’ return Islamabad, Aug 25: President Pervez Musharraf while talking to Pakistan Muslim League MPs said Saturday he will talk to the Saudi government regarding the decision of former premier Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif to return to Pakistan as Saudi Arabia had allegedly brokered an agreement, under which the brothers had agreed that they will live aboard for at least ten years without indulging in politics, local private television channels reported. (Posted @ 19:14 PST)
PM Aziz reshuffles portfolio of two Federal Ministers ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday reshuffled portfolio of Federal Minister for Law Wasi Zafar and Federal Minister for Privatization and Investment Zahid Hamid. According to the official spokesman, Aziz assigned portfolio of Federal Minister for Privatization and Investment to Wasi Zafar and Federal Minister for Law to Zahid Hamid. (First Posted @ 18:24 PST Updated @ 21:34 PST)
People have high expectations from judiciary after July 20: Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Addressing a role signing ceremony of the advocates of the Supreme Court here Saturday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said the people of Pakistan have high expectations from the judiciary when their faith was restored as a result of the landmark Supreme Court decision of July 20, a private television channel reported. He said the responsibilities of the judiciary have increased and that it should live up to the expectations of the Pakistani people and urged that the judiciary make independent and impartial decisions. (Posted @ 20:06 PST)
13 including three guards killed in Afghan unrest GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 25(AFP): A roadside bomb killed three private security guards on Saturday while a policeman and nine Taliban died in fighting overnight in fresh violence in southern Afghanistan, officials said. Two guards were also injured by the bomb that struck their vehicle on a road in Zahiri district of Kandahar province. Nnine Taliban rebels and a policeman were killed in intense fighting on Friday night in Ghazni Province, a district administration official said. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Blasts in south India city kill 30 NEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Reuters) About 30 people have been killed in two explosions, one of them due to a bomb, in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, a senior government official said Saturday. “I will be able to confirm around 30 dead,” R.V. Chandravadan, a senior city government official, said on the NDTV television channel. (First Posted @ 20:08 PST Updated @ 23:04 PST)
Eight Afghan police killed in roadside blast KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 25 (AFP) A roadside bomb tore through a police vehicle in southern Afghanistan Saturday, killing at least eight police officers and wounding two others, police said. Another police officer was missing following the powerful blast in the Shahwali Kot district of Kandahar province, a police official said. “A roadside bomb exploded under one of our vehicles and eight policemen in it were killed, two were injured and another one is missing,” he said. (Posted @ 22:38 PST)
Greece declares national state of emergency ATHENS, Aug 25 (Reuters) The Greek government declared the entire country in a state of emergency Saturday after forest fires killed at least 44 people in the southern Peloponnese region. “All regions of the country are declared in a state of emergency,” Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in an address to the nation. Scores of fires have swept through the Peloponnese and other regions since Friday, trapping hundreds in villages. Karamanlis said the multiple fronts “can't be a coincidence” and promised the culprits would be found and punished. (First Posted @ 11:45 PST Updated @ 21:16 PST)
Sheikh Rashid sees broad based government after general election ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP) Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Saturday said the ongoing political environment in the country indicates that there will be a broad based government after the general election. Talking to a private television channel, Rashid said at present the top priority of the ruling coalition is the presidential election. After the presidential election, some major political parties would join the ruling coalition and an environment of national consensus would be created, he said. To a question he said that Pakistan Muslim League would make seat adjustments with like minded parties in the next general election. Responding to a question regarding the reports of some PML members quitting the party he said, some people always remain on the boundary line and make their political choices in personal interest. He however said that PML has decided to take stern action against those who violate party discipline. (Posted @ 20:06 PST)
PML can hold talks with parties in national interest: Chaudhry Shujaat MULTAN, Aug 25 (APP) President PML Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said Saturday that the party can hold talks with any political party provided the initiative serves the best national interest. Talking to newsmen at Multan Airport here, he said talks can be held with PML-N, adding that there should be no pre-condition attached to it. ”We are ready to talk to PML-N without any pre-condition,” he added. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that all the allied parties including MQM will be taken into confidence on all important matters. He ruled out the possibility of martial law stating that national and provincial assemblies will complete their term and things would move ahead as per constitution and law. He said President Musharraf attaches great importance to constitution. The PML president said that the party will win the forthcoming general elections with a convincing majority. (Posted @ 19:54 PST)
Cricket- South Africa beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets HARARE, Aug 25 (AFP) South Africa beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the first one-day international at the Harare Sports Club here Saturday. Zimbabwe: 247-7 off 50 overs (S Williams 54, S Matsikenyeri 52; D Steyn 3-65); South Africa: 251-2 off 39.1 overs (G Smith 96, H Gibbs 111) (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Bangladesh says 144 arrested for violating curfew DHAKA, Aug 25 (AP) Bangladeshi police said they have arrested 144 people for violating a curfew aimed at halting days of violent anti-government demonstrations, as a court ruled Saturday that police can continue to interrogate two teachers and a student leader over the protests. At least five teachers at two prominent universities who backed the student-led protests have been arrested since Thursday in raids on their homes. At least 144 people have been arrested since Wednesday for violating the curfew, police said Saturday. The curfew has been relaxed during daytime hours, allowing businesses to reopen and traffic chaos to return to city streets. (Posted @ 19:44 PST)
North Korea says 600 dead or missing in floods SEOUL, Aug 25 (AFP) North Korea reported Saturday that at least 600 people are dead or missing following devastating floods that swept the country causing huge damage to all sectors of the economy. At least 600 are dead or missing and thousands injured, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing figures from the Central Statistics Bureau. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
PML-N for return of Sharif brothers before Sept 10 ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP) The Central Executive Committee of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) here Saturday recommended that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif should return to the country before September 10. The recommendation came in a resolution adopted at the meeting presided over Raja Zafar-ul-Haq here at PML Camp office, two days after the Supreme Court ruled the two politicians had “inalienable” right to return and remain in the country. The Committee discussed the return plan and decided that a final schedule would be announced after the visit of a high-level party delegation to London soon for talks with the leadership. Ruling out any deal with the government, the meeting vowed that the party would continue it efforts for the restoration of democracy. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Hamid Ali Khan appointed new Chief Commissioner Federal Capital ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP) The Government here Saturday appointed Hamid Ali Khan as new Chief Commissioner of the Federal Capital in place of Khalid Pervaiz. Meanwhile, Shahid Nadeem Baloch has been appointed Acting Inspector General of Police in place of present IGP Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Indefinite vehicle curfew in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Aug 25 (AFP) An indefinite vehicle curfew has been imposed in Baghdad and the outskirts of the Iraqi capital from 6:00 pm Saturday, state television reported. “The vehicle curfew is imposed in Baghdad and its outskirts for an indefinite period starting 6:00 pm today,” the report said quoting Brigadier General Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Iraqi military in Baghdad. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
Suicide bomb wounds six in Kabul KABUL, Aug 25 (AFP) A suicide car bomb exploded near a convoy of vehicles in the Afghan capital Kabul Saturday, wounding six people including two foreigners, the Afghan interior ministry said. “It was a suicide car bomb against a convoy of two four-wheel-drive vehicles. Six people - two foreigners and four Afghans including a policeman - were injured,” ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP. Kabul deputy police chief General Zalmai Uriakhil said earlier that the blast happened near a foreign military convoy and that at least three Afghan civilians had been injured. (Posted @ 18:55 PST)
Pakistani court adjourns cases against Sharif ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (Reuters) A Pakistani anti-graft court adjourned Saturday a hearing into corruption charges against exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, saying he should attend the proceedings in person. The court last week accepted a government request to re-open corruption cases against Sharif, ousted in a 1999 coup and later sent into exile by Pervez Musharraf. “The Supreme Court has allowed the accused person to come back ... therefore, this court will have to wait until the accused person reaches Pakistan,” a deputy attorney general, Zulifqar Bhutta, told Reuters. The next hearing was set for September 7. After the 1999 coup, Sharif was convicted of graft and given a life sentence for hijacking. The hijacking charge related to his refusal to allow landing rights to an airliner bringing Musharraf back from Sri Lanka, despite it being short of fuel. The army quickly launched a coup to save its chief. (Posted @ 18:34 PST)
Govt to consider possible options upon return of Sharif brothers: Durrani MULTAN, Aug 25 (APP) Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani said here Saturday that the government would consider all possible options and decide its strategy upon the return of Sharif brothers to the country. He was talking to reporters at the local airport before his departure for Makhdoom Rasheed house to offer condolences to Makhdoom Javed Hashmi over the death of his younger brother Makhdoom Mukhtar Hashmi.The government would consider all possible options and will take a decision regarding the Sharif brothers when the time comes, he said in response to a question. He said, “We remain committed to promoting national political reconciliation.” Durrani said President Pervez Musharraf had already stressed the need for national reconciliation to protect the best national interests. “It is positive thinking and there is a need to take practical steps to move forward to further improve the political environment in the country,” he said. Replying to a question, he said that a representative government of the people would be elected as a result of the forthcoming general elections to be held in a free, fair and transparent manner. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Student killed, three wounded in groups’ clash in Karachi KARACHI, Aug 25: A student was killed and three others wounded when two student groups exchanged fire in Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital Saturday. The incident affected regular hospital operations and caused panic in the area. (Posted @ 18:26 PST)
Hockey- Pakistan announce squad for Asia Cup KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 25 (AFP) Pakistan Saturday announced an 18-member squad for the men's Asia Cup hockey tournament starting at Chennai, India next week. Squad: Salman Akbar, Nasir Ahmed, Ihsanullah Khan, Mohammad Mudassar, Imran Khan, Mohammad Imran, Imran Warsi, Rana Asif, Rehan Butt (captain), Yasir Islam, Shakil Abbasi, Tariq Aziz, Akhtar Ali, Kashif Ali, Waqas Zafar, Waqas Sharif, Abbas Haider and Arshad Mohammad. (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
At least 13 killed in Nepal landslides KATHMANDU, Aug 25 (AFP) Landslides triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 13 people over the past two days in remote western Nepal, officials said Saturday. “Seven people were buried in a landslide at Arkha village on Friday night,” said a police officer from Pyuthan district, 230 kilometres west of Kathmandu. Another six people, including a family of four, were killed after a landslide levelled a house in a neighbouring district of Gulmi late Thursday, said deputy superintendent of police Rajendra Prasad Chaudhary. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
Quake hits southern Iran, four hurt TEHRAN, Aug 25 (Reuters) A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck a southern region of Iran Saturday and injured four people, the state broadcaster's Web site reported. The quake, which struck in the morning, hit areas around Haji Abad and Orzuiyeh, more than 900 km south of Tehran. The Web site said the affected area included about 14 villages each with about 35 families. (Posted @ 18:18 PST)
Seven Palestinians killed in clashes with Israel GAZA CITY, Aug 25 (AFP) Israeli soldiers shot and killed two armed Palestinians heading for a collective farming village after infiltrating Israel, during a surge in clashes that has left up to seven Palestinians dead. The Israeli army said one of its soldiers was also wounded in a shootout with the infiltrators who opened fire on an Israeli liaison office near the Erez border crossing with Gaza. Soldiers from Israel's elite Golani regiment killed the two after they were summoned to the scene, he added. The Popular Resistance Committees, Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades, and an armed group from the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility for the latest “joint attack on Israeli territory.” (First Posted @ 12:40 PST Updated @ 17:48 PST)
China mine blast kills seven BEIJING, Aug 25 (Reuters) A gas explosion in a Chinese mine killed seven people Saturday. Twenty-three people were working underground in the Liyuan mine in northern Inner Mongolia region at the time of the blast, in the early hours of Saturday morning, but the others escaped, the Xinhua news agency reported. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
Lebanese army resumes raids on refugee camp NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, Aug 25 (AFP) The Lebanese army resumed its air raids and shelling of militants holed up at Nahr al-Bared Saturday after evacuating the last remaining civilians from the battered refugee camp. Helicopters carried out repeated raids dropping 250- and 400-kilogram bombs on the small area still controlled by the Fatah al-Islam militants while tanks shelled the camp, an AFP correspondent witnessed. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
New racist attack in Germany, Sudanese badly hurt MAINZ, Germany, Aug 25 (AFP) Two Africans were attacked by right-wing extremists last weekend in Mainz, in western Germany, local authorities said Saturday, the same night as a brutal mob assault on eight Indians in east Germany. Mainz authorities said they delayed releasing the information for a week so as not to hamper the inquiry into the incident, in which a Sudanese man in his 20s was seriously injured. They said a group of young right-wing Germans had attacked the Sudanese man and an Egyptian on the fringes of a wine festival in Guntersblum in the Rhineland Palatinate region. Three suspects, all in their 20s, were arrested. (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
Bangladesh relaxes curfew despite sporadic violence DHAKA, Aug 25 (Reuters) Dhaka was bustling again Saturday after authorities relaxed a curfew imposed after university student clashes with the military this week. “The curfew will remain relaxed from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday,” a statement from the home ministry said. The curfew, which shut down public transport, schools, banks, clinics and pharmacies, was imposed in Dhaka and five other cities Wednesday after student-led protests against the presence of troops on the Dhaka University campus turned violent and spread across the country. (Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Two Somali peace delegates injured MOGADISHU, Aug 25 (AFP) Two Somali peace delegates were injured in an attack on a Mogadishu hotel, police said Saturday. Insurgents overnight hurled three grenades at Hotel Lafweyn where delegates attending the Somali National Reconciliation Congress are staying, injuring the pair, said police spokesman Abduwahid Mohamed. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Seven killed in Baghdad car bombing BAGHDAD, Aug 25 (AFP) Seven people were killed and 30 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a Baghdad neighbourhood Saturday, medical and security officials said. The blast happened at around noon in a public square in Kadhimiyah packed with unemployed workers hoping to pick up casual jobs, security officials said. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
10 Kurds, 2 Turkish soldiers killed in clash ANKARA, Aug25(AP): Ten Kurdish rebels and two Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash near the town of Uludere, in Sirnak province, close to the border with Iraq in southeast Turkey, the Dogan news agency reported on Saturday. This is the highest number of casualties in a single clash in recent months. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Salman Khan arrested JODHPUR, Aug 25(AFP): Top Bollywood actor Salman Khan was arrested on Saturday after an Indian court rejected his appeal against his conviction last year for killing a rare gazelle, police said. Police arrested Khan in f Jodhpur where the actor arrived by plane from his home in Mumbai. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Local brew kills 13 people in Indonesian Papua JAKARTA, Aug 25(Reuters): Thirteen people have died in Indonesia's Papua province after drinking a concoction containing 70 percent alcohol, a leading daily reported on Saturday. The victims bought the alcohol from a pharmacy, and combined it with an energy drink and condensed milk. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Hot air balloon catches fire, crashes in British Columbia; at least 11 hurt, 2 missing SURREY, British Columbia, Aug 25 (AP) A hot air balloon caught fire and crashed in a trailer park and campground Friday evening, injuring as many as 11 people, police said. Two other people were unaccounted for. The cause of the accident was not known. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Bomb blast kills 1, injures 11 in Thailand's restive south BANGKOK, Aug 25 (AP) A bomb exploded as Buddhist monks collected alms in Thailand's restive south, killing a man and injuring 11 other people, including six soldiers who were guarding the monks, police said Saturday. The bomb was hidden underneath a table in front of a grocery shop in Pattani's Muang district. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Bush says offensive in Iraq just beginning WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (AFP) US President George W. Bush signalled Saturday his unwillingness to consider early US troop reductions in Iraq, saying new offensive operations there were just in their “early stages.” “We are still in the early stages of our new operations,” the president said in his weekly radio address. “But the success of the past couple of months have shown that conditions on the ground can change -- and they are changing.” He argued that every month since January, US forces have killed or captured on average more than 1,500 Al-Qaeda fighters and other insurgents in Iraq. Young Iraqi men are signing up for the army, Bush went on to say, police are patrolling the streets, and neighbourhood watch groups are being formed in Iraqi cities. Bush said Iraqis are now volunteering important information about insurgents and other extremists hiding in their midst more frequently, which has led to a “marked reduction” in sectarian murders. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Islamic Jihad militant killed in West Bank JENIN, West Bank, Aug 25(AFP): Israeli forces killed a member of Islamic Jihad on Saturday in the northern West Bank town of Jenin, a Palestinian security official said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Two boys killed, seven children hurt in Cambodia grenade blast PHNOM PENH, Aug 25(AFP): Two Cambodian boys were killed and seven other children seriously wounded when a grenade they found and were playing with exploded, an official said on Saturday. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Raymond Barre, former French prime minister dies PARIS, Aug 25(AFP): Raymond Barre, a prominent economist who served as French prime minister during the presidency of Valery Giscard d'Estaing in the 1970s, died on Saturday aged 83, a family member said. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
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