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| August 26, 2007 | Sunday | Sha’aban 12, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistani soldier and five militants killed in tribal area clash MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Aug 26 (AFP) A Pakistani paramilitary soldier and five suspected pro-Taliban militants were killed after an attack on a checkpost in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said Sunday. The soldiers deployed at Ismailkhel post, some 45 kilometres west of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal district, were hit by rockets and small arms fire late Saturday, a security official said. Security forces responded after the attack and according to initial reports five militants were killed and seven others were injured, the official said. Separately, Pakistani troops posted at Banda checkpost outside Miranshah fired artillery shells at suspected militant hideouts overnight, but there were no immediate reports about casualties, he said. Separately suspected militants late Saturday shot dead a 40-year-old tribesman in Bajaur, another tribal district, accusing him of spying for US forces in Afghanistan, officials and witnesses said. The militants also fired rockets at a checkpost outside Khar, the main town of Bajaur. The attack early Sunday damaged the checkpost, but there were no casualties, another security official said. Military officials said 60 soldiers and 250 militants have been killed in violence in little more than a month. (First Posted @ 10:20 PST Updated @ 13:15 PST)
Suicide bomber kills four police in northwest Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Aug 26, (AFP) - Four policemen were killed in a suicide bomb attack Sunday in a remote northwestern Pakistani mountain town, an official said. Several people were also injured in the attack in Machar hamlet in scenic Swat valley in the North West Frontier Province, the official said. “At least four policemen were killed, after the bomber blew himself up,”administrator of neighbouring Mingora district, Syed Mohammad Javed, told AFP. The suspect was trying to flee from a checkpoint where he had been signalled to stop, Javed said. He triggered explosives strapped to his body to avoid arrest, Javed said. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Strike marks death anniversary of Nawab Akbar bugti Quetta Pakistan Aug 26 (AP) Shops closed and public transport was scarce across Baluchistan province where more than 76 opposition activists were detained in a general strike marking the first anniversary of Nawab Akbar bugti Sunday. In Baluchistan's capital, Quetta, police and paramilitary troops patrolled deserted streets, detaining more than 50 people for trying to block roads with stones and burning tires, said Baluchistan police spokesman Rehmatullah Khan Niazi. Twenty-six other people were detained in four other Baluchistan towns for trying to force shops to close and disrupting peace, Niazi said, adding that no one has yet been formally charged. The strike was called by the Jamhoori Watan Party, the political party led by Nawab Akbar Bugti who was killed when his cave hide-out collapsed during a military operation Aug. 26 last year. On Sunday, police and paramilitary troops parked armored vehicles and manned sandbagged bunkers with guns to deter attacks. Niazi said no ''untoward'' incidents had been reported. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Afghan forces strike Taliban inside Pakistan KABUL, Aug 26, 2007 (AFP) US-led and Afghan troops struck Taliban positions inside Pakistan in fresh clashes with the extremist Islamic militia that left at least 19 rebels dead, security forces said Sunday. The US-led coalition said it received permission from Pakistan to attack across the border on Saturday, but this was denied by the chief military spokesman in Islamabad. Afghan and coalition forces used mortars and artillery fire to destroy insurgent attacking positions on both sides of the border after a military post in Afghanistan came under attack, the coalition said in a statement. The Afghan army saw Taliban fighters firing mortars and rockets from several positions and Pakistan's military confirmed three of the firing sites were on their soil, the statement said. “The Pakistani military gave permission for the Afghan National Security Forces to fire on the targets located within Pakistan,” it said. Six insurgent firing sites were destroyed, three on each side of the border, and more than a dozen insurgents were killed. A Pakistani military spokesman denied any permission was given. “There was no attack, no firing from our side of the border. And there was no permission asked by them or given by us,” Major General Waheed Arshad said. US military spokeswoman, Captain Vanessa Bowman, insisted to AFP however that “this was fully coordinated with Pakistan and agreed on.” ”There is a very close working relationship (with Pakistan) to eliminate this kind of threat,” she said. (First Posted @ 10:35 Updated @ 17:00 PST)
Two Chinese engineers killed in road mishap SHANGLA, Aug 26 (APP) - Two Chinese engineers were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling fell into a deep ravine at Konsi near Basham on Sunday. The two engineers were on their way back from the construction site of Raniyal Dam project when the accident took place. (Posted @ 23:12 PST)
Samarra: 7 civilians killed in U.S attack BAGHDAD, Iraq, August 26, (AP) - The U.S. military said it dropped a precision bomb on a house in Samarra after 12 men who fought U.S. troops escaped into the structure. City police and hospital officials said seven civilians, including five children, were killed. Spokesman for U.S. forces north of Baghdad, said a gunfight broke out when the 12 men ran into a house where U.S. troops were conducting surveillance. The 12 opened fire on the Americans, then escaped in a truck and were tracked by an unmanned drone above the city. They were seen darting into the house that was subsequently bombed. (Posted @ 22:44 PST)
Human organs bill will soon be passed: PM KARACHI, Aug 26 (APP) - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while expressing concern over the illegal trade of human organs in Pakistan has said that the government would ensure passage of the bill aimed at ending the illegal trade and transplantation of organs in the country, which has recently been approved by the Federal Cabinet. He said this while talking to Director Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Prof Adeeb- ul- Hasan Rizvi, at the Governor House here Sunday. (Posted @ 22:16 PST)
New fire on island north of Athens kills 5, total death toll at 56 ATHENS, Greece, August 26, (AP) - A fire that broke out Sunday on the Greek island of Evia north of Athens killed five people and injured two more, the fire department said, bringing the total death toll in the country's wildfires to at least 56. Massive wildfires have been burning across Greece for three days, and the vast majority of deaths were from the Zaharo area of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. (Posted @ 21:56 PST)
Cricket: South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 28 runs HARARE, Aug 26, (AFP) - South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 28 runs here on Sunday in the final one-day international to win the three-match series 3-0. Brief Scores: South Africa 323-9 off 50 overs (AB de Villiers 107, J Morkel 97) Zimbabwe 295-7 off 50 overs (T Taibu 107no) South Africa won by 28 runs and series 3-0. (Posted @ 21:50 PST)
US 'friendly fire' strike kills four Iraqi Kurdish policemen BAGHDAD, Aug 26, (AFP) - A US air strike on two Kurdish police outposts on Sunday killed four policemen and wounded eight others in the restive province of Diyala in what seems to be a case of “friendly fire,” officials said. “Four policemen have been killed and eight wounded when two US helicopters and two planes carried out an air strike this morning against two police outposts north of Baquba,” Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for the Kurdish militia told AFP. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Dozen Taliban killed, claims of civilian casualties KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 26 (APP/AFP) - Soldiers killed dozen rebels near one of the Taliban's largest strongholds in Afghanistan, the US-led coalition said Sunday, as locals said several civilians were killed or wounded. The coalition denied there were any civilian casualties in the fighting late Saturday in the southern province of Helmand, which sees some of the fiercest fighting between the Taliban and security forces. (Posted @ 20:38 PST)
Iran vows to use 2,000-pound 'smart' bomb against its enemies Tehran Aug 26 (AP) Iran vowed Sunday to use a new 2,000-pound ''smart'' bomb against its enemies and unveiled mass production of the new weapon, state television reported. Tehran first announced development of the long-range guided bomb Thursday, saying it could be deployed by the country's aging U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 fighter jets. The defense minister continued his threats as state television showed him unveiling a mass production line for the weapon in Tehran. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
13 dead in southwest China storm: report BEIJING, Aug 26 (AFP) Thirteen people died and another person was missing after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in southwest China, state media said Sunday. Bridges, roads and homes were swept away by floodwaters following heavy rain in Sichuan province since Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency said. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
NKorea building fence along border with China: report SEOUL, Aug 26 (AFP) North Korea is constructing a fence along its border with China to stop an exodus of its refugees, a news report said Sunday. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting residents in China's border city of Dandung, said North Koreans had been spotted erecting posts for wire fences along the Yalu River that forms the border since a month ago. The 10-kilometre fence, covering a narrow tributary used for illegal border crossers, parallels one already constructed by China last year, it said. (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Taliban offers new direct talks on SKorean hostages GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 26 (AFP) Afghanistan's Taliban said Sunday they were ready for more direct talks with South Korea over 19 hostages held for six weeks but negotiators would have to bring something new to the table. Mujahed, one of the Taliban's main spokesmen, told AFP the Islamic militant group was ready to resume negotiations if the Koreans and Afghan authorities “come up with something new.””Our gates for face-to-face talks are open. But they shouldn't repeat what was said in the previous talks,” he told AFP by telephone. “They should accept our demands,” he said, repeating calls for the release of Taliban militants in jail in exchange for the hostages. Kabul has rejected the condition. Mujahed said telephone contacts between the rebels and the South Koreans had continued. The South Korean embassy in Kabul also said “communication channels” were still open. (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Iranian general replaces Ahmadinejad aide in key post TEHRAN, Aug 26 (AFP) An Iranian army general on Sunday replaced a top aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a key interior ministry post in charge of organising elections, state broadcasting said. Armed forces spokesman General Alireza Afshar took over the job of deputy interior minister for political affairs from Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, one of the president's closest advisers. According to the report on the website on Iran's rolling news channel, Samareh Hashemi said: “The reason I am leaving this job is that I was too busy.”Samareh Hashemi, who has known Ahmadinejad since university, served as his top adviser while he was Tehran mayor and is still rarely seen far from his side. He will remain in his other post as top adviser to the president. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Seven more bombs found in blast-hit Indian city HYDERABAD, India, Aug 26 (Reuters) Police in the Indian city of Hyderabad found seven more unexploded bombs on Sunday, officials said, less than a day after three blasts killed 43 people and wounded dozens. On Saturday night itself, soon after one bomb went off at a crowded street food-stall and two at an amusement park, police teams located 12 explosive devices -- fitted with timers and placed in plastic bags -- at road junctions, cinema halls, pedestrian bridges and bus stops. The city police commissioner Balwinder Singh told reporters if some of the 19 unexploded bombs had gone off, “they could have killed hundreds”. Officers on Sunday defused some of the latest bombs found near a public water tap, close to a movie hall, and at a bus stand. (First Posted @ 10:35 PST Updated @ 11:30 PST)
Eight bodies found in makeshift prison in Iraq BAGHDAD, Aug 26 (AFP) US troops killed three suspected militants from a helicopter before ground forces found eight bodies in a makeshift prison they had allegedly been running north of Baghdad, the military said Sunday. The alert was sounded on Saturday by seven Iraqis who managed to escape the prison in Khan Bani Sa'ad near the town of Taji, about 30 kilometres from Baghdad, and informed troops patrolling the area, a military statement said. The seven escapees identified the three as their captors and led troops to the makeshift prison, the statement said. “Soldiers found eight bodies which the escapees identified as fellow prisoners,” it said. (Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Musharraf urges artists to help counter extremism, terrorism ISLAMABAD, Aug 26 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday asked the artists to contribute in countering the menace of extremism and terrorism the country was facing, through their art. Inaugurating the Rs 456 million National Art Gallery built on a small hillock opposite the Parliament, Supreme Court and the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President urged the artists to project a soft, peaceful and tolerant image of Pakistan. “This nation has a great cultural heritage that extends back into centuries and needs to be projected abroad,” President Musharraf told a gathering of country's leading artists; painters, singers, writers, intellectuals, dramatists and musicians. “This centre will house the creative genius of our people, dating back to centuries and show the world our rich cultural past and present, he said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
7 die in Iraq car bombing BAGHDAD, Aug 26 (AP) A car bomb exploded Saturday in busy Oruba Square near Baghdad's most important shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim, killing seven people and wounding at least 30 others. Despite the force of the blast, casualties were relatively low because many people were indoors during the broiling noontime heat or had left for the holy city of Karbala to attend ceremonies. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Six dead when truck crashes into Canadian crowd VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug 26 (Reuters) A truck struck a pre-wedding party near Vancouver, killing six people and injuring 17, police said. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Record-breaking opium crop destabilises Afghanistan KABUL, Aug 26 (Reuters) A United Nations report due on Monday will announce that Afghanistan is now producing nearly 95 percent of the world's opium, up from 92 percent in 2006, officials and diplomats say. “It is a very bad situation definitely, and the government has not been able to deal with it in the right way, otherwise it should have at least been stabilised or contained,” said Christina Oguz, the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan. “The same goes for the international community.” Afghanistan is locked in a vicious circle in which drug money corrupts government and helps fund the Taliban insurgency. That weakens state control over parts of the country, which in turn leads to more insecurity and more drug production. The scale of the problem is huge. Opium and the heroin made from it are estimated to be worth some $3 billion to the Afghan economy, about a third of its gross domestic product. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Six children killed in Mozambique landmine blast MAPUTO, Aug 26 (AFP) Six children from the same family were killed when a landmine left over from Mozambique's1976-1992 civil war exploded in a field behind their home near the village of Namacura, the interior ministry said Saturday. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
70 dead in India cholera outbreak BHUBANESWAR, India, Aug 26 (AFP) The death toll from cholera in the eastern Indian state of Orissa has risen to at least 70 people while another 1,500 people are hospitalised, officials said Sunday. The water-borne disease broke out in the districts of Rayagada and Koraput, about 500 kilometres southwest of the state capital Bhubaneswar, officials said. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
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