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| October 18, 2007 | Thursday | Shawwal 5, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf condemns Pakistan blasts KARACHI, Oct 19, (AFP) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf condemned deadly bomb blasts Thursday that targeted a convoy carrying former premier Benazir Bhutto, describing the attack as a “conspiracy against democracy.” President Musharraf said he condemned this attack in the strongest possible words,” according to a statement released by state media. (Posted @ 03:40 PST)
Death toll rises to 115 from blasts targeting Bhutto KARACHI, Oct 19, (Reuters) - A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 115 people on Friday in an attack targeting a vehicle carrying former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto through Karachi on her return from eight years in exile. Dr. Ejaz Ahmed, a police surgeon, told Reuters that 80 dead had been brought to three hospitals of the city. (First Posted @ 00:20 PST; Updated @ 02:40 PST)
Benazir embarks on procession through Karachi KARACHI, Oct 18 (AFP/AP): Former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto began her procession through Karachi on Thursday to greet hundreds of thousands of her supporters on her return from eight years in exile. She rode atop a specially modified lorry but chose to stand in front of bullet-proof screens specially fitted for her safety to wave to her supporters. The crowded vehicle moved at a crawl through the throng of more than 250,000 loyalists cheering her name and waving flags of her political party, AFP reporters said. Security was tight along the route of the procession from the airport to the mausoleum of Pakistan's founding father. Earlier: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto wept as she stepped onto Pakistani soil Thursday for the first time in eight years, ending her self-imposed exile, an AFP correspondent said. An emotional Bhutto descended slowly from her plane from Dubai and waited for several moments on the last step before finally planting her foot on the tarmac at Karachi airport. A tearful Benazir Bhutto said it feels “very good” to be home. (First Posted @ 14:40 PST Updated @ 18:44 PST)
Benazir to stay in Karachi for next three days KARACHI, Oct 18 (APP): Chairperson, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto will be staying in Karachi for the next three days. This was stated by the party’s Deputy Secretary Information Waqar Mehdi, here at the welcome procession near Star Gate, Sharea Faisal on Thursday. He said during her stay, party meetings will be held to discuss the party agenda and matters relating to the upcoming elections. He said, Pakistan Peoples Party had planned no meeting with the government during these three days. (Posted @ 19:22 PST)
Benazir heads home with 'message of change' DUBAI, Oct 18 (AFP) - Benazir Bhutto said Thursday she was heading back home with a message of change and hope for democracy as she prepared to end eight years of self-imposed exile. “I am going home with a message of change and hope for a better future for democracy, and I hope that this moment for democracy succeeds,” she told reporters at Dubai airport before boarding a plane bound for Karachi. “My journey back home marks the beginning of a march towards a better future for Pakistan,” she said. “I am for the poor. I am their leader and I live for them and I will die for them. My journey reflects the aspiration of the 160 million people of Pakistan.” Asked if she feared the personal risks her return to Pakistan posed, Benazir said: “I don't want to think of the risk, I want to think of the opportunity for my people.” Her flight to Karachi was delayed by half an hour to 0630 GMT. (First Posted @ 11:48 PST Updated @ 11:56 PST)
Swiss judge wraps up Bhutto money-laundering probe GENEVA, Oct 18 (Reuters): Swiss investigative judge Vincent Fournier said on Thursday that he had completed a long-running probe into alleged money laundering by former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband. The judge said he would hand over his confidential findings next week to Geneva chief prosecutor Daniel Zappelli for action. Zappelli has three options -- to bring the case to trial, suspend it, or dismiss it. Fournier conceded that money-laundering allegations would be harder to prove under Swiss law after President Pervez Musharraf granted an amnesty to protect Bhutto from corruption charges at home. “It is not impossible, but much more difficult,” he said. At least $13 million remains frozen in bank accounts in the Swiss city in connection with the criminal case, which relates to alleged kickbacks from Swiss cargo inspection companies in the 1990s, officials said. Pakistan's Supreme Court has still to rule on the legality of the amnesty. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Benazir begins journey home to Pakistan DUBAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto set off on a journey home to Pakistan on Thursday to end eight years of self exile, leaving her residence in Dubai shortly after 7.00 a.m. (0300 GMT). A few dozen PPP loyalists gathered outside her home, carrying portraits of their leader and bearing placards. They tied a green and black band containing religious verses to Banazir’s shoulder before she left, observing a Muslim custom to wish a traveller a safe journey. Benazir Bhutto, wearing a green shalwar kameez (loose-fitting trousers and tunic) and white headscarf, waved to well wishers as she was driven past in a black Mercedes, seated alongside her two daughters and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari. (Posted @ 10:16 PST)
Pakistan court rejects Musharraf martial law fears ISLAMABAD, Oct 18 (AFP) - Pakistan's supreme court rejected Thursday concerns that President Pervez Musharraf would declare martial law if it rules his controversial election victory invalid. The Supreme Court is hearing challenges against his landslide victory in the October 6 presidential election, which was boycotted by most of the opposition. “These threats have no value for us. This is an issue to be decided in accordance with the law and according to the merits,” justice Javed Iqbal, who heads the bench hearing the challenges, told the court. “The case will be decided in 10 to 12 days,” he told the court. The court started Wednesday hearing petitions against Musharraf's victory lodged by two candidates in the election who say Musharraf was ineligible to stand while he is still army chief. The court had ruled earlier this month that the election could go ahead but the official result could not be announced until it resolved the challenges. (Posted @ 13:38 PST)
Rebels pledge no landmines in Indian Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 18 (AFP): Kashmiri militants have pledged not to use anti-personnel mines in their fight against Indian occupation, a campaign group said on Thursday. The declaration was signed this week by members of the United Jihad Council (UJC), after a two-week mission to Indian occupied and Azad Kashmir by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). The militant groups ruled that using mines was indiscriminate warfare, and therefore prohibited under Islam, the ICBL said in a statement. The Geneva-based campaign group said most mines in Kashmir are situated near the Line of Control. The Indian military uses mines. (Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Myanmar says 380 people still detained over protests YANGON, Oct 18 (AFP): Myanmar's military government is still detaining about 380 people across the nation following the junta's bloody crackdown on dissent, state television said on Thursday. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
British actress Deborah Kerr dies aged 86 LONDON, Oct 18 (AFP): British actress Deborah Kerr, star of films including “From Here To Eternity” and “The King And I”, has died at the age of 86, her agent said Thursday. (Posted @ 20:02 PST)
Private security guards shoot three Iraqi civilians KIRKUK, Oct 18 (AFP): Guards from a private security company opened fire on Thursday on a taxi that approached their convoy in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk wounding three civilians, including a journalist, police said. This was the third such incident in little over a month after guards from US firm Blackwater killed 17 civilians in a shooting on September 16 and employees of an Australian-run company shot dead two women on October 9. (Posted @ 19:58 PST)
Rail strikes hit Germany for second time in a week BERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters): German commuters struggled with disruptions for the second time in a week on Thursday when train drivers staged a nine-hour strike to back pay demands, but German railways said their protest was running out of steam. (Posted @ 19:56 PST)
Thousands of protesters rally in call for Latvia's PM to resign RIGA, Latvia, Oct 18 (AP): Thousands of protesters called on Latvia's Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis to resign on Thursday in a mounting political crisis over the government's efforts to fire the Baltic country's top anti-corruption investigator Aleksejs Loskutovs. Police said some 5,000 people, gathered outside Parliament for one of the biggest political protests in Latvia since it regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
US welcomes Pakistan political wrangling WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (AFP): The White House on Thursday welcomed discussions among Pakistan's political players and said it would encourage them to build a stable democracy that can help battle Islamist extremists. Spokeswoman Dana Perino did not directly react to former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto's return home. She told reporters, “Pakistan has shown a willingness to work towards making sure that they can have a stable democracy. We encourage them in that,” she said. The United States hopes to see “a peaceful, democratic Pakistan, an Islamic state that is a moderate force in the region and one that can be an ally to help us fight extremism and radicalism in the region,” she said. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Two killed in Iran army helicopter crash TEHRAN, Oct 18 (Reuters): An Iranian army helicopter crashed in Kermanshah province bordering Iraq on Thursday, killing both people on board, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. It said the cause of the crash was not yet known. Kermanshah, which has a large Iranian Kurdish population, lies south of Kurdistan province. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Four police officers shot dead in Russia's troubled southern region NAZRAN, Russia, Oct 18 (AFP): Gunmen opened fire at a police car in Russia's Ingushetia region on Thursday, killing four federal police officers, authorities said. The latest violence targeting law enforcement agents in the troubled southern province occurred around lunchtime just outside the region's capital, Magas, the regional prosecutor's office said. Two officers died at the scene and two succumbed later to their wounds, while a fifth policeman who was also in the car was unhurt, it said. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
South Africa beat Pakistan in first one-day LAHORE, Oct 18 (AFP): South Africa beat Pakistan by 45 runs to win the first day-night international here on Thursday, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Brief Scores: South Africa 294-5 in 50 overs; Pakistan 249 in 46.3 overs. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
India, Pakistan pledge to maintain ceasefire NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (AFP): India and Pakistan pledged on Thursday to maintain a ceasefire after resuming talks as part of their slow-moving peace process but reported no specific progress on issues under discussion. A joint statement said a meeting between mid-ranking diplomats here was “cordial and constructive,” despite fresh accusations from India ahead of the talks of Pakistani support for terror groups. “Consultations continued with the aim of strengthening the ongoing process of confidence building,” the statement said. The two sides reiterated their commitment to uphold the ceasefire. (First Posted @ 13:26 PST Updated@ 19:02 PST)
Bangladesh border with India becomes restive DHAKA, Oct 18 (APP): Indian security forces killed a Bangladeshi farmer on the Bangladesh border with on the night of Eid-ul-Fitr. India’s BSF killed the farmer near Dhantala border in Thakurgaon district. The BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) took action and there was a gun battle lasting 20 minutes, and the Indians retreated. On Eid day the Indians shot five Bangladeshi youth went near the border at Dhantala, seriously injuring one. BSF personnel deployed at Khostai camp opened fire on the Indians forcing them to retreat. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
60 shops reduced to ashes in Neelum valley MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 18 (APP): Nearly 60 shops were reduced to ashes in a fire that broke out in Kundal Shahi market of Athmuqam district in the wee hours of Thursday causing an estimated loss of Rs10 million. The fire began in a local hotel in Kundal Shahi in Neelum Valley when a gas cyclinder exploded and the fire broke soon engfuled the market completely and gutted 60 shops. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Sarkozy separation is 'divorce': official PARIS, Oct 18 (AFP): The separation announced on Thursday between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia is a “divorce”, the Elysee palace said Thursday. “What is intended by the word separation is divorce,” an aide to the president said. Earlier the Elysee put out a statement reading: “Cecilia and Nicolas Sarkozy announce their separation by mutual consent. They will make no comment. (First Posted @ 16:50 PST Updated @ 18:40 PST)
Israeli prime minister to visit Moscow to confer with Putin on Iran MOSCOW, Oct 18 (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to fly to Moscow on Thursday to discuss Iran's nuclear program with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has just returned from talks with leaders in Tehran. The two leaders also were expected to discuss an arms deal that Russia is to sign with Syria and Russia's role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts. Olmert's one-day visit was announced only after Putin had returned from Iran. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Russia, India sign fighter development accord MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters): Russia and India will jointly modify a fifth-generation Russian fighter aircraft for Indian use under a deal signed on Thursday, Russia's federal service for military and technical cooperation said. State-run Sukhoi Corporation will develop the fifth-generation fighter for Russia, and under the accord signed after two days of talks, it will then be jointly modified for India. The two countries agreed to improve cooperation in arms development and production after Putin made an official visit to India earlier this year. (Posted @ 17:32 PST)
Sri Lanka military says 27 Tamil rebels killed COLOMBO, Oct 18 (AFP): Sri Lanka's military said on Thursday that its troops killed 27 suspected Tamil Tigers in renewed clashes in the island's north, although the rebels dismissed some incidents as attacks on civilians. The rebels also accused Sri Lanka warplanes of bombing a civilian settlement in a rebel-held area in the north on Wednesday, Tamilnet.com reported. (First Posted @ 10:24 PST Updated @ 16:40 PST)
Abkhazian customs official killed in clash with Georgian border guards TBILISI, Oct 18 (AP): Georgian and Abkhazian border guards clashed along the boundary dividing Abkhazian-controlled territory from the rest of Georgia, in a gunfight that killed an Abkhazian customs officer, Georgian police said on Thursday. The skirmish was the second bout of violence to break out between the two sides in a month. (Posted @ 15:14 PST)
Six killed in Afghan bomb blasts KABUL, Oct 18 (AFP): Bomb blasts killed six members of the Afghan security forces on Thursday while the US-led coalition said nine of its soldiers were wounded in an ambush in new attacks linked to a Taliban-led insurgency. Four policemen were killed and three injured near the border with Pakistan when a remotely detonated bomb blew up their vehicle as they were patrolling a remote area of the eastern province of Khost, police said. In another attack, two members of a militia working with the US military were killed in rugged northeastern Kunar when a bomb exploded on a road they were walking along, the provincial police chief told AFP. The US-led coalition announced separately that nine of its troops were wounded in an ambush in the southern province of Kandahar. (First Posted @ 14:24 PST Updated @ 15:02 PST)
US should set a date for Iraq withdrawal: Putin MOSCOW, Oct 18 (AFP): The United States should set a date for its final pull-out from Iraq to force the war-torn country's leadership to build up its security forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. (Posted @ 14:52 PST)
250,000 in Karachi to welcome Benazir : police KARACHI, Oct 18 (AFP) - More than 250,000 supporters of Benazir Bhutto gathered in Karachi on Thursday ahead of the former Pakistani premier's return from exile, police said. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party however put the figure at more than one million, saying that most were massed around the airport. “It is around 250,000 now,” a senior Karachi police official said. “More than 150,000 people have come from outside and around 100,000 are from within the city,” he said on condition of anonymity. Aerial television footage showed several miles of the six-lane highway from Karachi airport jampacked with Bhutto loyalists waving flags and chanting slogans. (Posted @ 13:56 PST)
Israel agrees to include core issues in peace document JERUSALEM, Oct 18 (AFP) - Israel has agreed to touch on core issues of the Middle East conflict in a statement that will form the basis of a planned US-sponsored peace meeting, a senior official said Thursday. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after a meeting on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice agreed to outline solutions to all the outstanding issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians -- refugees, Jerusalem and borders -- in the joint statement to be presented at the conference, the official said. “We will make reference to all the core issues in the joint statement, we will offer directions for the talks, although the statement will not offer the full solution to the questions,” he told AFP. (Posted @ 11:38 PST)
9 killed in Iraq bombings BAGHDAD, Oct 18 (PPI): A roadside bomb killed seven Iraqi policemen near the city of Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, Wednesday, military officials said. One officer was among those killed when the police vehicle was hit by the blast on the main road between Diwaniyah and the town of Afak to the east, the officials said. Meanwhile, two civilians were killed and two injured in Zafaraniyah blast. (Posted @ 11:06 PST)
Russia test fires ballistic missile MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday launched an inter-continental ballistic missile from its Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, ITAR-TASS said, quoting a spokesman from the Russian strategic rocket forces. Officers and soldiers from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome are set later on Thursday to take part in Russian President Vladimir Putin's Internet and telephone question-and-answer session with the public. (Posted @ 10:48 PST)
Eight killed as more floods hit Vietnam HANOI, Oct 18 (APP/AFP): At least eight people have died and three are missing in fresh floods in central Vietnam that have forced authorities to evacuate thousands of people, officials said Thursday. (Posted @ 10:36 PST)
Three Palestinians killed in violence in Gaza GAZA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - At least three Palestinians were killed and 30 wounded in Gaza on Wednesday in clashes between Hamas and a clan loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, hospital officials said. A Hamas security officer and two members of a clan loyal to Fatah movement were killed in the fighting in Gaza City, the officials said. A second Hamas officer was critically wounded, they said. Local residents said the fighting started when Hamas security forces tried to arrest one of the Fatah members. (Posted @ 10:18 PST)
Twelve killed during police raid in Rio slum RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 18 (AFP) - Brazilian police said 12 people were killed, including an officer of the law and a four-year-old girl, during a crackdown Wednesday on drug traffickers in a slum of western Rio de Janeiro. Three police officers were also wounded during the shootout that broke out when some 500 police officers backed by helicopters and armed vehicles tried to arrest a group of drug traffickers in the Coreira slum, police said. (Posted @ 10:08 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 165.05 , points: KARACHI, Oct 17: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 14755.22 , up 165.05 , points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 17:The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.5 , to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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