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| October 22, 2007 | Monday | Shawwal 9, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan opposition slams proposed ban on rallies ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (AFP) Pakistan's opposition vowed Monday to defy a ban on rallies in the run-up to general elections, proposed in the wake of last week's suicide bombing on Benazir Bhutto's procession that killed 139 people. “Rallies are part of the election process. We cannot sit idle during the election season,” Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Nazir Dhoki said. “Leaders have to contact the masses and that is necessary for candidates and parties,” he said. Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League also rejected the ban as “unfair and unacceptable.” ”The government does not want political leaders to reach the voters. We will challenge such restrictions in the Supreme Court,” said Raja Zafar ul-Haq, chairman of PML (N). The ban on rallies was also rejected by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of six religious parties. “Musharraf is unpopular. There is hatred against him, he cannot face the public -- therefore he wants controlled and managed elections,” senior leader Liaquat Baloch told AFP. “Political rallies and big meetings to establish contact with the masses is part of election culture in the subcontinent, and people will not accept such restrictions,” he said. (First Posted @ 11:50 PST, Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Afghan Taliban deny link to attack on Benazir SPIN BOLDAK, Oct 22 (Reuters): Afghanistan's Taliban do not attack outside Afghanistan and are not involved in an attack on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi last week, an Afghan Taliban commander said on Monday. Mullah Hayatullah Khan, a commander said, “the Afghan Taliban are not involved in any attacks in foreign countries,” by telephone from an undisclosed location. “I want to tell you, we are not involved in the attack on Benazir Bhutto's convoy,” he said. He said there would be no let-up in their attacks through the winter, when fighting traditionally eases off because snow blocks mountain passes and ruled out peace talks with the Afghan government while foreign troops remained in the country. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Man killed, two hurt in Pakistan’s Karak NGO office blast ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (APP) An explosion at the office of a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the town of Karak in North West Frontier Province killed a man and wounded two others on Monday, police said. Three persons were planting explosives with the wall of the NGO when the explosives went off resulting in the death of a militant and injuries to his two accomplices, police said. Police found two hand grenades and two home-made bomb devices from the possession of the injured. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
US delivers 30 helicopters to Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (AFP): The United States on Monday handed over 30 military helicopters to Pakistan to help fight extremism and provide humanitarian relief in the region. US ambassador Anne Patterson turned over the aircraft during a ceremony at an aviation base in Rawalpindi, the military said. The 26 new Bell-412 and four refurbished Cobra helicopters “will significantly enhance” the military's “operational capabilities”, it said. (Posted @ 18:56 PST)
Pak-India relations best in 60 years: FO ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (APP): Relations between Pakistan and India have been never so good in sixty years as today, the Foreign Office spokesman said on Monday in a weekly press briefing. The spokesman said conflict resolution, nuclear restraint and conventional balance were the three inter-related elements which were required for strengthening Pakistan-India relations. He said the domestic situation in either Pakistan or India would not affect their relations. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
SC adjourns hearing against Musharraf's election till Tuesday ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (PPI): The 11-member larger bench of the Supreme Court on Monday adjourned till Tuesday the hearing of the petitions filed against the acceptance of nomination papers of President Pervez Musharraf by the Election Commission for the next term. In his arguments, counsel for Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmad, Aitzaz Ahsan submitted that General Pervez Musharraf was not qualified to contest Presidential elections on the day he filed his nomination papers, therefore, he cannot be declared a lawful candidate for this office. (Posted @ 20:04 PST)
May 12 carnage: Federal government did not direct Rangers for CJP's security, DAG tells SHC Karachi, Oct 22 (PPI): A Sindh High Court full bench was told on Monday by Deputy Attorney General that no particular direction was issued to Rangers by federal government for security of Chief Justice of Supreme Court Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during his visit to Karachi on May 12, 2007. Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani, heading the bench observed despite SHC direction to federal government to provide security to CJP no measure was taken for same. The bench adjourned matter for November 5, 2007 after hearing arguments of Deputy Attorney General Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqui and Raja Quraishi advocate, counsel for Sindh Government officials. The contempt of court application against Sindh Chief Minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim for allegedly disgracing judiciary and making statement against Judges of High Court will also be taken up at next hearing (Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Nawaz Sharif to leave for London Multan, Oct 22 (PPI): Mian Nawaz Sharif, chief of Pakistan Muslim League-N is ready to leave for London to preside over a meeting of central working committee to finalise the date for returning home. “He will fly from London or Dubai for Lahore instead of Jeddah,” said Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, the party’s acting president while talking to newsmen here on Monday. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Seven hostages seized in Nigeria freed: state govt ABUJA, Oct 22, (Reuters) - All seven hostages seized by gunmen from an offshore oil field off the coast of Nigeria have been released on Monday after two days in captivity, a state government spokesman said. (Posted @ 23:24 PST)
Iraq beats Pakistan 7-0 in World Cup qualifier LAHORE, October 22, (AP) - Midfielder Mahdi Ajeel scored four goals as Asian champion Iraq defeated Pakistan 7-0 in a World Cup qualifier match at Punjab Stadium on Monday. (Posted @ 22:12 PST)
Benazir Bhutto condemns Pakistan's proposed ban on rallies ISLAMABAD, Oct 22, (AFP) - Former premier Benazir Bhutto Monday condemned a ban on large rallies in the run-up to general elections proposed by the government after last week's deadly suicide attack on her convoy. The ban was proposed after two blasts ripped through Bhutto's homecoming parade late Thursday, killing 139 people. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
60 demonstrators arrested outside U.S. Capitol WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) About 60 demonstrators, including several dressed as polar bears, were arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday protesting the Iraq war and global warming, authorities said. “People are being arrested out here because you (Congress) are not doing your job,” antiwar activist Ann Wright shouted into a bullhorn. (Posted @ 20:14 PST)
Doha agreement possible this year: Brazilian president BRASILIA, Oct 22 (AFP): A global trade deal could be sealed by the end of this year if rich countries drop objections in the area of agriculture, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday. “The rich countries have to make concessions in the area of agriculture for the negotiations to be concluded, he said. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Smarties moving from Britain after 70 years LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters): Smarties are moving abroad after 70 years, the latest chocolate to shift production from Britain after Black Magic went to the Czech Republic and Dairy Box to Spain. Nestle Rowntree confirmed the move from York to Germany was to be completed by the end of the year. (Posted @ 19:42 PST)
Ecuador wants military base in Miami! NAPLES, Oct 22 (Reuters): Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa said Washington must let him open a military base in Miami if the United States wants to keep using an air base on Ecuador's Pacific coast. Correa has refused to renew Washington's lease on the Manta air base, set to expire in 2009. (Posted @ 19:26 PST)
Kurdish rebels to declare ceasefire: Iraqi president SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, Oct 22 (AFP): Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Monday Kurdish rebels would announce a unilateral ceasefire later in the day amid Turkish threats to launch an incursion against them in northern Iraq. “The PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) has decided to declare a ceasefire from their side tonight,” Talabani told reporters at Sulaimaniyah airport in Iraq's northern Kurdish region before flying to Baghdad. Senior rebel leader Abdul Rahman al-Chadirchi would not confirm the ceasefire but told AFP the group would make a statement later on Monday. (Posted @ 19:24 PST)
India and Pakistan renew anti-terror push NEW DELHI, Oct 22 (AFP): Indian and Pakistani officials on Monday exchanged intelligence on the latest terrorist incidents to hit the countries and discussed anti-terror measures, the foreign ministry said. “Both sides shared new information on terrorist incidents including those which have occurred since the last meeting,” an Indian foreign ministry spokesman told reporters. “They agreed to continue to work to identify measures, exchange specific information and assist in investigations,” he said. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
At least 7 dead from carbon dioxide poisoning in former mine in Siberia MOSCOW, Oct 22 (AP): At least 7 people died from carbon dioxide poisoning in a former tungsten mine in the Siberian region of Buryatia, Russian news agencies reported on Monday. Seven other miners were saved by rescue workers, ITAR-Tass reported. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
Eight teens die in Chilean detention center fire SANTIAGO, Oct 22 (Reuters): Eight teenagers died in a fire they started in a juvenile detention center in southern Chile, a local official said on Monday. The blaze broke out at around midnight on 0300 GMT Monday in the city of Puerto Montt. Guards tried to enter the burning building but the teenagers had blocked the doors as part of a protest, a local government official said. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
11 die in Burundian rebel infighting BUJUMBURA, Oct 22 (AP): Eleven people died during clashes between rival factions of a Burundian rebel group, an army spokesman said on Monday. The attack on Sunday night occurred at a site housing dissident elements of the National Liberation Force, 20 kilometers south of the capital, Bujumbura. (Posted @ 18:46 PST)
Kurdish rebels an 'internal threat' to Turkey: NATO official BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (AFP): The “terrorist” threat to Turkey is internal and does not warrant military intervention from its NATO allies, a senior official at the alliance said on Monday. “Turkey is under internal threat, as are many allies, from terrorist elements,” the official told reporters, on condition that he not be named. (Posted @ 18:42 PST)
Car carrying Hamas members explodes in Gaza GAZA, Oct 22 (Reuters): A car carrying Hamas militants exploded in the Gaza Strip on Monday, causing several casualties, Hamas officials and medical workers said. Witnesses said the explosion appears to have been caused by an Israeli air strike. (Posted @ 18:38 PST)
Czechs to withdraw most troops from Iraq next year PRAGUE, Oct 22 (AP): The Czech government on Monday approved a plan to withdraw 80 of its 100 troops from Iraq in the second half of next year while increasing its force in Afghanistan, Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova said. The Czech troops are deployed in southern Iraq as guards at a British base. (Posted @ 18:34 PST)
U.S. Navy probe concludes n-submarine crew ignored safety procedures WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (AP): Sailors on the submarine USS Hampton failed to do daily safety checks on the ship's nuclear reactor for a month and falsified records to cover up the omission, a preliminary U.S. Navy investigation shows. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Sanjay Dutt back in jail: prosecutor MUMBAI, Oct 22 (AFP): Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, was back behind bars on Monday after a short reprieve from jail. He was sentenced July 31 to six years in prison for having illegal weapons. But due to a technicality that Dutt had not seen a copy of the judgment against him, he has been out on bail since August. The Supreme Court ordered Dutt turn himself in when his lawyers received the judgement. Sanjay today surrendered in court after receiving the court copy. He is likely to go back to Yerawada jail on Tuesday, the chief prosecutor said. (Posted @ 18:26 PST)
Three soldiers killed in Darfur camp attack: UN KHARTOUM, Oct 22 (Reuters): Three Sudanese soldiers were killed when government forces attacked a refugee camp near the western town of Zalengei in Darfur, the second assault reported on a shelter for displaced people in less than a week, the United Nations said on Monday. The fighting was the latest in a series of clashes just days before planned peace talks between Sudan's government and rebel groups. (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
13 troops, 20 rebels killed during battle at Sri Lankan air base COLOMBO, Oct 22 (AP): Tamil Tiger suicide fighters, backed by the rebel group's tiny air wing, carried out a surprise pre-dawn attack on a Sri Lankan air force base Monday, setting off a huge battle that killed nine troops and 20 guerrillas, the military said. Four other airmen were killed when their helicopter suffered mechanical failure and crashed as they were searching the area for rebel fighters, the military said.(First Posted 08:40 PST Updated @ 17:00 PST)
Controversial mly mission: Japan PM embarrassed TOKYO, Oct 22 (AFP): Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda voiced outrage on Monday after the defence ministry admitted under reporting for years the amount of fuel given to US forces in a controversial military mission. He is facing stiff resistance from the opposition to renewing the naval mission in the Indian Ocean, under which officially pacifist Japan offers fuel to forces from the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. The defence ministry recently admitted that a Japanese ship supplied 800,000 gallons of diesel to a US Navy oiler on February 25, 2003, not 200,000 gallons as initially reported. The ministry issued a report admitting it knew about the error. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
16 killed in China fireworks factory blast BEIJING, Oct 22 (AFP): At least 16 people were killed and 15 injured in a massive explosion at a fireworks factory in southwestern China that also levelled nearby houses, state media Xinhua reported on Monday. One person was also missing after the blast which occurred on Sunday morning in a remote county of Chongqing municipality. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Asif ruled out of third one-dayer FAISALABAD, Oct 22 (Reuters): Fast bowler Mohammad Asif has been ruled out of Tuesday's one-day international against South Africa after failing to recover from an elbow injury. “Asif has been advised to rest for one more match as he has not made a 100 percent recovery,” chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed told Reuters on Monday. The five-match series is tied at 1-1. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Fire at shoe factory in eastern China kills 37, injures 21 BEIJING, Oct 22 (AP) A fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China’s Fujian province’s Putian city killed 37 people and injured 21, the Xinhua News Agency reported Monday. The blaze broke out Sunday night in a workshop making shoe uppers, and was extinguished one hour later, Xinhua said. (First Posted @ 11:00 PST, Updated @ 15:50 PST)
Seven killed as clashes erupt in Karbala KARBALA, Iraq, Oct 22 (AFP): Fierce clashes broke out between militants and Iraqi forces in Karbala late on Sunday, killing six fighters and a soldier, medics and police said. The fighting erupted when gunmen from the Mahdi Army ambushed an Iraqi police patrol, a police officer from Karbala told AFP. He said the patrol was struck by a roadside bomb and later attacked by small arms fire. The clashes erupted hours after the US military declared it had killed 49 “criminals” in Baghdad's Sadr City. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Six killed in post-execution melee in NKorea SEOUL, Oct 22 (AFP): Six people were crushed to death in a melee following an execution in North Korea in early October, an aid group said on Monday. The incident occurred on October 5 when some 150,000 people packed an outdoor stadium at Suncheon, north of Pyongyang, to watch a public execution, the Seoul-based nonprofit Good Friends said in its newsletter. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Government rejects Benazir’s call for foreign experts to help attack probe ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct 22 (AP) – Pakistan’s Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao Monday rejected a call from Benazir Bhutto for foreign experts to help investigate the suicide attack on her homecoming procession. “I would categorically reject this,” he told reporters. “We are conducting the investigation in a very objective manner,” he added. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Iran would need 3-8 yrs to produce bomb-IAEA chief PARIS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Iran would need three to eight years to produce a nuclear bomb, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said in an interview published on Monday. “I cannot judge their intentions, but supposing that Iran does intend to acquire a nuclear bomb, it would need between another three and eight years to succeed,” Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told France's Le Monde newspaper. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Hu Jintao re-elected Chinese Communist Party Chief BEIJING, Oct 22 (APP) President Hu Jintao was elected here on Monday as the chief of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for the second term at the first plenum of the 17th CPC Central Committee. Members of the newly elected Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th CPC Central Committee are Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, state media reported. At this plenum, Hu Jintao was also named chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Military Commission. Hu later told a press conference that he would rely firmly on all other Party members and the people of all ethnic groups, and earnestly accomplish the tasks set at the 17th Congress. (First Posted @ 10:15 PST, Updated @ 14:25 PST)
Suicide bomber targeting British convoy wounds three Afghans KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct 22 (AP) A suicide bomber rammed his car into a British military patrol in southern Afghanistan on Monday, wounding three nearby Afghans, a police chief said. The attack in Gereshk city of Helmand province damaged one of the British military vehicles, but no British troops were wounded, said Mohammad Hussein Andiawal, Helmand's police chief. (Posted @ 14:20 PST)
17 hurt in Israeli prison riot JERUSALEM, Oct 22 (AFP) Clashes broke out between prison guards and Palestinian inmates at an Israeli jail Monday, leaving 17 detainees and staff members injured, a Palestinian prisoners' association said. The Prisoners Club, the main group representing Palestinians held in Israel, said clashes broke out at the Ketziot prison in the southern Negev desert after guards started what it termed “provocative” cell searches. Palestinian detainees responded by throwing things at the guards, who used means of riot dispersal to break up the protest, the group said. Seventeen Palestinian prisoners and an unknown number of Israeli prison guards were wounded in the riot, the group added. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Lebanese presidential vote delayed to November 12 BEIRUT, Oct 22 (Reuters) Lebanon's presidential election had been postponed from Tuesday to November 12, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement Monday. Berri said the delay was to allow more time for rival groups to agree on a compromise candidate to be elected by parliament to replace President Emile Lahoud, whose term expires on Nov. 23. (Posted @ 13:40 PST)
Baghdad bomb blasts kill six BAGHDAD, Oct 22 (AFP) A bomb attack on a bus and a series of roadside bomb blasts in Baghdad Monday left at least six people dead and dozens wounded, police and medics said. The bus was carrying civilians to work in central Baghdad's Karrada neighbourhood when the blast occurred, killing three people, the security officials said. Thirteen others were also wounded and were admitted to the nearby Ibn Nafis hospital, a medic there told AFP. Three people were killed and 11 wounded in a separate attack when two coordinated roadside bombs exploded in the capital's southeastern Al-Zafaraniyah neighbourhood. Eight of the wounded were policemen, a security official said. Another roadside bomb exploded on Baghdad's central Al-Sinaa street and wounded two people, police said. (Posted @ 13:25 PST)
Palestinian rivals agree pact to end Gaza clashes GAZA CITY, Oct 22 (AFP) – Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced Monday that they had reached a deal to end deadly factional fighting that erupted in the Gaza Strip at the weekend. In a joint statement, the rival groups said they had agreed to “completely and immediately end all sources of tension, including withdrawing armed men and lifting checkpoints”. They have also decided to appoint a joint commission to “establish why the incidents happened and come up with a radical solution”. (Posted @ 13:15 PST)
Two U.S. sailors shot dead in Bahrain MANAMA, Oct 22 (Reuters) Two American sailors were shot dead and one was critically wounded at the U.S. navy base in Bahrain, the navy said in a statement Monday. The shootings took place at about 5 a.m., the navy said. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Kyrgyzstan to hold parliamentary elections on December 16 BISHKEK, Oct 22 (AFP) Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev dissolved parliament Monday and called elections for December 16, a presidency spokesman said, after voters adopted a new constitution in a referendum. Bakiyev “signed a decree for the dissolution of parliament and set early parliamentary elections for December 16,” the spokesman said, shortly after the results of Sunday's referendum were announced. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Van crashes on US interstate, killing five and injuring 11 INDIANAPOLIS, Oct 22 (AP) A van carrying Amish on an interstate highway veered out of control, overturned and ejected most of its passengers, killing five people and injuring 11, authorities said. Two adults and three children were killed when the southbound van veered onto the grassy median, flipped over and came to rest in the northbound lanes of the highway about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis, State Police Sgt. Rod Russell said. Some of the victims hailed from an Amish community in the Fort Wayne area, about 50 miles to the northeast. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Polish opposition trounces Kaczynski twins' party: exit polls WARSAW, Oct 22 (AFP) Poland's pro-business opposition thrashed the conservative Kaczynski twins' Law and Justice party in a snap parliamentary election Sunday with a record turnout, exit polls indicated. Exit polls broadcast on public television showed Donald Tusk's liberal Civic Platform with between 43 and 44 percent of the vote, far ahead of the 30 to 31 percent scored by conservative party of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his identical twin, President Lech Kaczynski. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Wildfires rage across Southern California, killing one MALIBU, California, Oct 22 (AP) Nearly a dozen wildfires driven by powerful Santa Ana winds spread across Southern California, killing one person near San Diego, destroying several homes and a church in Malibu, and forcing hundreds from their homes. The Malibu fire was among at least 10 blazes that burned more than 35,000 acres, stretching from north of Santa Barbara to San Diego, as hot weather and hurricane-strength winds marked the height of the traditional wildfire season. Four firefighters and at least 10 other people were injured Sunday in connection with the fire near San Diego, said Matt Streck, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Israeli air strike injures four Hamas gunmen GAZA, Oct 22 (Reuters) An Israeli airstrike injured at least four Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip Sunday, medical workers said. Hamas initially said one its members had been killed, but medical workers said he was still alive. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Fresh fighting flares between rival Gaza factions; one killed, 12 wounded GAZA CITY, Oct 22 (AFP) One person was killed and 12 wounded when fighting flared again Sunday between rival Palestinian factions in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, a medical source said. The clashes in the southern town of Rafah erupted between Hamas militants and its smaller rival Islamic Jihad. Sunday's fatality was an Islamic Jihad militant, a medic said. Hamas arrested about 15 people over Sunday's clashes. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 187.60, points: KARACHI, Oct 22: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 14599.95 ,down 187.60, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 22: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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