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| September 14, 2007 | Friday | Ramazan 1, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan on October 18 ISLAMABAD, Sept 14 (AFP) - Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto will return home from self-imposed exile on October 18, her party said Friday. Benazir Bhutto, who served as premier from 1988-1990 and again from 1993-1996, will arrive in Karachi, Pakistan People's Party vice chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim told a news conference. “I am giving this good news to the people that she is arriving on the 18th of October and will land in Karachi,” Fahim said to cheers from supporters and a barrage of firecrackers. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Benazir won't be deported: minister ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept 14 (AP) - Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto can return to Pakistan but will have to face corruption cases against her, Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim said Friday, as her party prepared to announce her arrival date. In an interview Friday, Tariq Azim drew a clear distinction between the rights of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan. “Nawaz Sharif's case was different. He went back to Saudi Arabia because of an undertaking he had with the Saudi government,” Azim told The Associated Press. “She was always allowed to come back.” Asked about pending corruption cases against Benazir, he added: “It's for the law to take its own course. Everybody has to face cases against them and the same applies to her.” Azim said the talks with Bhutto were snagged over her desire for the corruption cases to be closed, for a constitutional amendment to let her seek a third term as prime minister, and over the president's re-election. “The talks are continuing but not at the same pace we might have wished. It's in the national interest for a resolution between political leaders to be reached. But it should be in the national interest, not in the personal interest of anyone,” he said. Azim confirmed reports that the chief of the ruling party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had suggested that Musharraf's wife, Sebha, could be a backup candidate for the presidency if Musharraf was ruled ineligible to run. He defended the notion as “traditional” in Pakistani politics. “I don't know if it would be acceptable to the president or his wife,” Azim said. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Six soldiers missing after Pakistan clashes MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Sept 14(AFP): Six Pakistani soldiers are missing after intense battles with militants in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, the army said on Friday. The military also said that more than 80 militants were killed in three days of clashes with security forces in North and South Waziristan, updating the toll from an earlier figure of 70. “We have lost contact with one of our paramilitary posts and six soldiers are either missing or dead in North Waziristan,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. (Posted @ 11:36 PST)
Militants free 11 Pakistani soldiers Islamabad, Sept 14 (AP) - - Militants have freed 11 soldiers kidnapped three days earlier in the northwestern town of Bannu, police official Hamza Masood said Friday. However, insurgents are still holding some 260 soldiers seized in South Waziristan on Aug. 30. (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Suicide attack that killed 16 soldiers in Pakistan likely an inside job, official says ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept 14 (AP) - Investigators suspect a suicide bomber who killed 16 soldiers in the dining hall of a Pakistani commando base had insider help, a military official said Friday. Security officials initially said that Thursday's blast at the Ghazi Tarbela base, about 100 kilometers south of Islamabad, was the work of an attacker driving an explosives-laden vehicle. But a senior army officer told The Associated Press on Friday that survivors said they had seen a man enter the busy dining room and blow himself up, killing 16 troops and wounding another 29. “Now we know for sure that the suicide attacker entered the dining hall,” said the official, who sought anonymity. “It was not possible without the support from some insider, or someone who had access.” (Posted @ 17:25 PST)
14 killed in road mishap in Balakot BALAKOT, Pakistan, Sept. 14 (PPI) Fourteen people were killed when a wagon proceeding from Balakot to Mahandari fell into River Kanhar on Friday. The incident occured in Malkandi area of Kaghan Valley and was caused due to breakdown of tie rod of the wagon. At least 20 persons were in the wagon. Seven bodies were fetched out from the water along with four severely injured persons. Search for the missing persons is underway. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
India adopts three-pronged strategy to end Kashmir self-determination campaign SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Sept 14(AFP): India has adopted a three-pronged strategy, to end the struggle launched by the people of Kashmir against its rule, New Delhi's representative said. New Delhi has launched a “three-pronged strategy: intensifying military operations against freedom fighters, ensuring economic development and taking psychological initiatives” to end the revolt, Governor S.K. Sinha said. The struggle started by Kashmiris in 1989 has claimed at least 42,000 lives. Human rights groups put the toll at 60,000 dead and 10,000 missing. (Posted @ 11:52 PST)
Four killed in held Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Sept 14(AFP): Indian troops killed four militants in occupied Kashmir, police said on Friday. They were killed in southern Kishtiwar district around dawn on Friday, a police spokesman said. They were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, he added. (Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Islamaphobia on rise, especially in Europe-UN envoy; Pakistan condemns trend GENEVA, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The United Nations investigator on racism on Friday condemned a rising trend of Islamaphobia, especially in Europe, where he said it was being exploited by some right-wing political parties. Doudou Diene, U.N. special rapporteur on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, also accused Switzerland's most popular party, the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), of inciting hatred. “In the current context, Islamaphobia constitutes the most serious form of religious defamation,” Diene said in a speech and report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, whose 47 member states were holding a debate on religious defamation. Pakistan, speaking for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), called the rise of Islamaphobia “alarming”. “Recent acts of defamation in the shape of blasphemous sketches in Sweden and posters in Switzerland reinforce this conclusion. Such blasphemy should not be encouraged in the name of freedom of expression,” Pakistan's envoy Masood Khan said. He said the 57-nation OIC, which represents 1.3 billion Muslims, condemned terrorism in all its forms/ (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Cricket-Australia beat England Cape Town, Sept 14(Reuters) - Australia beat England by eight wickets in the Twenty20 World Cup Group B match in Cape Town on Friday. Scores: England 135, Australia 136-2 (M. Hayden 67) (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Two Israelis shot in West Bank JERUSALEM, Sept 14 (AFP) - Two Israelis were shot and lightly wounded in a drive-by shooting near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on Friday during the Jewish new year holiday, the army said. Palestinian gunmen opened fire from a vehicle, wounding the two Israelis driving in their own car near the settlement of Karnei Shomron, southwest of the city of Nablus, the army said. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
116 injured as Indian troops go berserk in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Sep 14 (APP):In occupied Kashmir, at least 116 persons were injured, when Indian troops used brute force against protestors in Sopore and Pulwama. In Pulwama, Indian troops beat up and injured 90 people including three minor girls who staged a sit-in at Pulwama Chowk and shouted anti-India slogans, KMS reported. Pulwama lawyers also boycotted the courts and took out a protest march. In Sopore town, police baton charged and injured 26 persons including five college lecturers when the students of Degree College protested against the killing of student Mohammad Ramzan Shah by Indian troops in a fake encounter. In Surankote town, complete shut down was observed. Vehicles remained off the roads and educational institutions were closed. Meanwhile, Indian troops during house raids arrested four persons from Awantipora. (Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Hundreds throng West Bank barrier, as Israel limits access to Masjid Al-Aqsa QALANDIA CROSSING, West Bank, Sept 14 (AP) - Hundreds of Palestinians thronged two major West Bank checkpoints, trying to reach Al-Asa mosque in Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan, despite tight Israeli restrictions. Only men above the age of 45 and women above the age of 35, who had also obtained special permits, were allowed to enter Al Aqsa Mosque. Tens of thousands of Palestinians offered prayers at the Al Aqsa service, and the crowd dispersed peacefully. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Olympics: Seven cities bid for 2016 Games LAUSANNE, Sept 14 (AFP) - Seven cities are to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Friday. Baku (Azerbaijan), Chicago (USA), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan) had all lodged their intention to bid by the deadline on Thursday night. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Cricket: Sri Lanka beat Kenya by 172 runs JOHANNESBURG, Sept 14 (AFP) - Sri Lanka defeated Kenya by 172 runs in Group C of the Twenty20 world championships here Friday. Kenya were knocked out of the 12-nation tournament with their second defeat, having lost their first game to New Zealand. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 260-6 in 20 overs; Kenya 88 all out in 19.3 overs. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Ten Taliban killed KABUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Afghan and U.S.-led coalition troops killed 10 Taliban guerrillas in firefights on Friday, the U.S. military said. Five Taliban fighters were killed in a raid on a suspected insurgent compound in Helmand province, and five more in a raid on a guerrilla hideout in Ghazni province. “They were killed in firefights,” a U.S. military spokesman said. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Sri Lanka kill 10 Tamil Tiger rebels COLOMBO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan soldiers killed 10 Tamil Tiger rebels in a clash in the north of the island on Friday, the military said, citing intercepts of rebel radio communications. Friday's clash came a day after the military said it had attacked around 20 Tamil Tiger boats, and that the air force had bombed two rebel bases in the far north. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Under-fire Bush orders partial Iraq pull-out WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush announced in a televised speech Thursday he will pull some 21,500 combat troops from Iraq by mid-2008, but ruled out a full withdrawal and promised an “enduring” US presence there. He said he had accepted advice from the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, that would bring some 5,700 troops home by Christmas and a total of 21,500 combat troops out by mid-2008. That would leave about 130,000 troops in Iraq, roughly the number in December 2006. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Three Chechen girls found dead in Polish mountains WARSAW, Sept 14(Reuters): Three Chechen girls, one a six-year-old, died as they tried to cross into Poland illegally with their mother through the mountains at the border with Ukraine, Polish border guards said on Friday. Guards found the exhausted woman, carrying a two-year-old girl, 20 metres from the border late on Thursday and she told them where to find the bodies of her other daughters. (Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Truck bomb kills seven Iraqi policemen BAGHDAD, Sept 14(AFP): A suicide bomber blew up his truck at a police checkpoint in the northern Iraqi town of Baiji on Friday, killing seven policemen, police said. A police officer said the bomber detonated the explosives-laden truck when police stopped him and began to search the vehicle. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Indian captain Dravid wants to resign: TV NEW DELHI, Sept 14(Reuters): Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid has told the cricket board that he wants to quit the post, local TV channels said on Friday. Dravid met board president Sharad Pawar and expressed his desire to step down and not be considered to lead the team for the upcoming one-day series against Australia, they said. (Posted @ 12:51 PST)
Bangladesh ex-president wooed as new BNP chief DHAKA, Sept 14(Reuters): The Bangladesh Nationalist Party of detained former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia is wooing the man she fired as the country's president five years ago to take charge of the divided party. A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, a doctor and a founding leader of the BNP, was sacked by Khaleda in 2002 after she won a second term. She never explained the reason for his dismissal. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
US, Iraqi troops kill three during raid on mosque BAGHDAD, Sept 14(AP): U.S. and Iraqi forces killed three suspected insurgents during a helicopter assault mission west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Friday. Iraqi soldiers led the raid that took place on Thursday on a mosque in Karmah, a town in Iraq's western Anbar province some 80 kilometers west of the capital, the U.S. said in a statement.(Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Man in China throws six children from school window BEIJING, Sept 14(AFP): Police in central China arrested a man suspected of throwing six children out the third storey of a school building, killing one girl and injuring the others, state press said on Friday. The incident occurred on Thursday morning in Hongqiao town, Hunan province, with the suspect grabbing the eight and nine-year-old boys and girls as they lined up in a hallway and tossing them out a window, Beijing News reported. (Posted @ 10:42 PST)
Four killed in Muslim Thai south as Ramadan begins NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Sept (AFP): Rebels have killed four people in the insurgency-hit Thai south, police said on Friday. The three southern provinces beset by separatist violence has seen more than 2,500 people killed since January 2004.(Posted @ 10:03 PST)
Train runs over fourteen Hindu pilgrims LUCKNOW, Sept 14(AP): A train ran over and killed at least fourteen Hindu pilgrims crossing a narrow railway bridge in northern India, sparking angry protests, police said on Friday. Hundreds of people were crossing the bridge late on Thursday night when the train approached, forcing many of them to jump into the river to escape, an eyewitness, told local television reporters. A police official said the death toll may go up. After the accident, protesters set railroad kiosks on fire. (Posted @ 09:01 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 84.20, points: KARACHI, Sept 14:At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 12779.68, down 84.20, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 12:00 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Sept 14: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.82, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 12:00 PST)
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