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| September 16, 2007 | Sunday | Ramazan 03, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
CEC amends rules for presidential poll ISLAMABAD: Sept 16 - The Election Commission has amended the Presidential Election Rules 1988 ahead of the presidential elections with the result that Article 63 of the Constitution no longer applies to the president, newspapers reported Sunday. Article 63 lays down various conditions under which a person can be disqualified from being a member of parliament. After the amendment the returning officer for the election can no longer conduct a summary inquiry or reject any nomination paper if the candidate is subject to disqualification from being elected as, or from being, a member of parliament as provided in Article 63 of the Constitution. The chief election commissioner amended the rules with the approval of President General Pervez Musharraf. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
APDM to tender resignations on Musharraf's re-election ISLAMABAD, Sept 16 (PPI) All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) have decided to tender resignations from National and provincial assemblies as soon as the nomination papers of President Musharraf are approved and also that they would part ways with NWFP and Balochistan governments. Addressing a joint press conference, Raja Zafarul Haq, Qazi Hussein Ahmed, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra condemned the amendment in the law of presidential election and invalidating the Constitution Article-63. They also condemned using Saudi Arab for the deportation of Nawaz Sharif. On this occasion, they said September 21 would be observed as a protest day against unconstitutional deportation of Nawaz Sharif. Responding a query regarding Maulana Fazlur Rehman who was not present on the occasion, Qazi Hussein said that he is in persistent contact with Maulana who has acceded to all the decisions. Raja Zafar said that Makhdoom Amin Fahim did contact Iqbal Zafar Jhagra; however, the impression to re-energize ARD is wrong and the national drive against the government would be waged from APDM platform. They also condemned the ban on Imran Khan's admittance to Karachi. (Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Bhutto says Musharraf allies leading Pakistan toward crisis ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept 16: (AP) - Allies of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf opposed to sharing power with exiled former leader Benazir Bhutto are pushing Pakistan toward anarchy, Bhutto said Sunday. Bhutto has been in talks with Musharraf for months. But negotiations have snagged over the reluctance of Musharraf, to give up his sweeping powers, and dismay among his die-hard supporters that they could by eclipsed by Bhutto. In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Bhutto said that group was advising Musharraf to contest a presidential election expected by Oct. 15 without giving up his role as army chief. ''We all know that any election in uniform would be illegal. But they prefer to play with the Constitution and create a crisis rather than have a smooth transition to democracy,'' she said. ''Pakistan can ill afford confrontation and anarchy.'' (Posted @ 21:45 PST)
88 confirmed dead in Thai plane crash PHUKET, Thailand, Sept 16 (Reuters) The death toll in a plane crash on the Thai resort island of Phuket on Sunday was 88, Phuket deputy governor Vorapot Rajsima said. Another 42 people on the flight, which was carrying 130 passengers and crew, were injured, he told a news conference. Initial reports had said there were 128 on board. (Updated @ 20:00 PST)
Cricket: Australia beat Bangladesh CAPE TOWN, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) - Australia beat Bangladesh by nine wickets in their World Twenty20 Super Eights match at Newlands Sunday. Brief scores: Bangladesh 123/8 in 20 overs. Australia 124/1 in 13.5 overs. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Six dead, four missing as typhoon hits S.Korea-official SEOUL, Sept 16 (Reuters) Six South Koreans died and four were missing in South Korea on Sunday after a typhoon hit the country's southern coast, an official from the government emergency agency said. Five were killed and four were missing in the resort island of Cheju as it was battered by typhoon Nari, whose name means a lily in Korean language, an official at South Korea's National Emergency Management Agency told Reuters by telephone. (Posted @ 19:45 PST)
Small explosion rocks Hamas security HQ in Gaza GAZA CITY, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) - A small explosion shook the headquarters of Hamas-run security forces in Gaza City on Sunday, wounding at least four people, witnesses said. The blast came just hours after Hamas's self-styled police force said it had found and defused a bomb placed near the Palestinian parliament building in the Gaza Strip, the latest in a series of such finds. “Executive Force members found a 15-kilogramme (33-pound) bomb near the main door of the parliament building and defused the device,” spokesman Islam Shahwan told AFP. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
US to stick to diplomacy on Iran nuclear drive: Gates WASHINGTON, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) - The United States will continue to pursue diplomatic and economic means to force Iran to halt its nuclear drive, but “all options are on the table,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday. “We always say all options are on the table. But clearly, the diplomatic and economic approach is the one we're pursuing,” he said on Fox News, adding that diplomacy was “by far the preferrable approach.” (Posted @ 19:15 PST)
Cricket: New Zealand beat India by 10 runs JOHANNESBURG, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) - New Zealand defeated India by 10 runs in the opening match of the Super Eights round of the Twenty20 world championships here on Sunday. Brief scores: New Zealand 190 all out in 20 overs; India 180-9 in 20 overs. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Ten killed, 15 injured in bus-truck collision in Kalat QUETTA Sept 16 (APP) Ten people were killed and 15 others including three children got seriously injured when a Kalat-Khuzdar bound passenger mini-bus collided with a truck coming from opposite direction in Retgo area near Surab in Kalat district on Sunday, Saddar police Kalat told APP.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Five killed, four injured due to landsliding in Bilalabad CHAKWAL, Sept 16 (APP):Five members of a family including four children and a woman were killed, while four minor girls received critical injuries in Bilalabad near Talagang due to landsliding Sunday morning.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Israeli troops kill gunman in West Bank raid NABLUS, West Bank, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian militant belonging to Fatah movement during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, local medics said.(Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Six killed in Russian helicopter crash MOSCOW, Sept 16 (AFP) - Six people have been killed in a helicopter crash in far eastern Russia, an official said on Sunday. The accident happened in the Magadan region on Saturday but the wreckage was found on Sunday, the official said adding that a seventh person, believed to be a crew member, survived but is in a serious condition.(Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Muslim astronaut to blast off during Ramadan KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 (AFP) – Malaysia’s first astronaut will also become the first Muslim to fast in space when he blasts off next month during Ramadan. Two Malaysian candidates, a doctor and an army dentist who are both Muslims, are undergoing training in Russia with the winner to be selected before the 11-day space mission starts on October 10.Other Muslims have ventured into space, but none during the fasting month of Ramadan which began last week. The times for beginning and ending the fast would follow the local time in Baikonur, where the launch will take place in Russia. Malaysia's would-be astronauts were chosen from thousands of hopefuls in a nationwide contest.(Posted @ 10:35 PST)
10 killed in Baghdad suicide car bombing BAGHDAD, Sept 16 (APP/AFP) - Ten people were killed and 15 hurt when a suicide bomber blew up his car outside a bakery in southwest Baghdad Saturday evening as Muslims were preparing to break the Ramazan fast, officials said. Meanwhile, security forces found 11 bodies in Baghdad over the past 24 hours of men who had been shot dead.(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
African floods submerge towns, wipe out farms and schools; 150 dead KAMPALA, Uganda, Sept 16 (AP) - Torrential downpours and flash floods across Africa have submerged whole towns and washed away bridges, farms and schools. This summer's rains have killed at least 150 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. In eastern Uganda, nine people have been reported killed and 150,000 have been made homeless . In Ghana torrential rains killed at least 18 people and displaced a quarter of a million, Information Minister Oboshie-Sai Cofie said Saturday. Sudan has “the worst floods in living memory.” So far, 119 people have died and tens of thousands made homeless. In the tiny west African nation of Togo, 20 people are dead and 66,000 displaced after a deluge washed away 100 bridges and seven dams in the last week. The waters also destroyed 46 schools and some college buildings. In Nigeria, 68 people have died and 50,000 are affected, according to the Red Cross. Even the desert nations of Niger, Mali and Mauritania have been hit.(Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Iraq: 11 bodies found Baghdad, Sept 16 (Reuters) - One U.S. soldier was killed and four were wounded in a bomb attack while they were on patrol, the military said. It gave no precise location for the attack.Eleven bodies were meanwhile found in different districts of Baghdad in the past 24 hours, police said adding that U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 14 suspected insurgents and arrested 17 others during operations in central and northern Iraq.(Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Mexico bus crash kills 22 MEXICO CITY, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A passenger bus ran off a road and fell down a 400-feet ravine in the western Mexican state of Nayarit, killing 22 people and injuring 15, a Red Cross official said on Saturday.(Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Israel may release 100 Palestinian prisoners for Ramadan JERUSALEM, Sept 16 (AFP) - Israel could soon free 100 Palestinian prisoners from Fatah, public radio reported on Saturday. “The list of releasable prisoners is not ready because each case has to be carefully examined for security reasons,” a senior official told AFP, asking not to be named. The last prisoner release was on July 20, when Israel freed more than 200 Fatah prisoners. The release of about 11,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons has always be one of the most sensitive issues in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.(Posted @ 09:15 PST)
US had 'very positive' talks in NKorea SEOUL, Sept 16 (AFP) - US disarmament experts had “very positive”talks on detailing a plan to disable North Korea's nuclear facilities during their latest trip to the communist state, South Korean officials said Sunday. “The US-North Korean talks were held in a very positive and businesslike atmosphere,” Lim Sung-Nam, Seoul's deputy nuclear negotiator, said after the US briefing, according to the foreign ministry. An unnamed Seoul official said Pyongyang showed an “unprecedentedly sincere and cooperative attitude” to the visiting team, which also included Chinese and Russian experts. “A report will be made to the six-party talks, expected to resume next week,” Lim said.(Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Protestors in Washington demand end to Iraq war WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (AFP) - Thousands of angry protestors including the families of dead US soldiers marched in Washington Saturday demanding an end to the war in Iraq, the return of US troops, and the impeachment of President George W. Bush. A crowd of protesters some 4,000 to 6,000 strong gathered outside the White House before marching under a clear sky to the US Capitol building. Many waved placards that read “Support our troops, stop the war,” and “Impeach Bush.” Several dozen demonstrators stretched out on their backs in front of Congress, which was not in session, in what they termed a “die-in,” drawing attention to the rising death toll in insurgency-stricken Iraq. One hundred ninety-seven people, including dozens of veterans and activists, were arrested as they crossed police lines, organizers said. Police also used pepper-spray to disperse the crowd. US television networks broadcast pictures of scuffles between protestors and police.(Posted @ 08:55 PST)
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