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| October 23, 2007 | Tuesday | Shawwal 10, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Benazir receives new death threat KARACHI, Oct 23 (AP): Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said Tuesday she had received a new death threat but will start campaigning in Pakistini cities in the next couple days, avoiding mass rallies. She said the letter was addressed to her lawyer, Farooq Naik, and had been left for him at the Supreme Court in Islamabad. She said Naik was writing to the chief justice to alert him of the threat. (Posted @ 20:06 PST)
Benazir Bhutto mulls 'virtual' rallies WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (AFP) Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto said Tuesday she is considering “virtual” mass rallies and campaigning via phone to avoid mass violence after last week's deadly suicide attack on her convoy. She wrote her suggestions in a Wall Street journal opinion piece, a day after she condemned the government's plan to ban large rallies in the run-up to January's general elections. “Intimidation by murdering cowards will not be allowed to derail Pakistan's transition to democracy,” wrote Benazir. “We are now focusing on hybrid techniques that combine individual and mass voter contact with sharp security constraints,” she said. “Where people have telephones, we can experiment with taped voice messages from me describing my issue positions and urging them to vote. In rural areas we are contemplating taped messages from me played regularly on boom boxes set up in village centres. “Instead of the traditional mass caravans of Pakistani politics, we are discussing the feasibility of 'virtual caravans' and 'virtual mass rallies' where I would deliver important campaign addresses to large audiences all over the four provinces of Pakistan.” (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
US ambassador meets Benazir Bhutto KARACHI, Oct 23 (APP) - United States ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson Tuesday called on former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto at Bilawal House here. Earlier, Anne Patterson also paid visit to the mausoleum of founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. (Posted @ 23:14 PST)
Top intelligence official says two suicide bombers behind attack on Benazir ISLAMABAD, Oct 23 (AP) A pair of suicide bombers were apparently behind last week's bloody attack on opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, a top intelligence official said Tuesday. Police had initially said only one suicide bomber participated in the attack, but the official, requesting anonymity, said the two severed heads found at the scene - and the fact that no families had emerged to claim either one - suggested two men were responsible. ''One of the attackers wanted to blow himself up under Benazir Bhutto's truck. When people tried to catch him, he detonated the bomb,'' he said, quoting witness accounts. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Fire injures 100 people in occupied Kashmir village JAMMU, occupied Kashmir, Oct 23 (AP): At least 100 people were injured when a fire destroyed scores of houses in Indian occupied Jammu-Kashmir, an official said on Tuesday. The fire took place after midnight Monday in Margi village, 250 kilometers north of Jammu city, the local district commissioner said. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Three terrorist killed, two arrested in Dera Bugti action QUETTA, Oct 23, (APP) - Three miscreants were killed while two other arrested from a temporary Ferrari camp in Kordan, some 10 km in the west of Dera Bugti town during law enforcement agencies action on Tuesday, DCO Abdul Samad Lasi told APP on telephone. (Posted @ 22:18 PST)
NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Oct 23, (AFP) - A NATO soldier was killed and two wounded in a battle on Tuesday with insurgents in mountainous northeastern Afghanistan, the alliance's International Security Assistance Force said. ISAF did not release the nationalities of the soldiers, leaving this up to their home nations. (Posted @ 22:46 PST)
US offers Russia compromise in missile shield row PRAGUE, Oct 23 (AFP): The United States unveiled Tuesday fresh proposals to overcome Russian hostility to its European anti-missile shield, offering to delay making it fully operational and allowing a Russian presence. Moscow is adamantly opposed to US plans to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, saying they threaten Russia's national security. (Posted @ 21:38 PST)
Spain charges 22 with recruiting fighters for Iraq MADRID, Oct 23 (Reuters): A Spanish court charged 22 people on Tuesday to recruiting people in Spain to fight for Al Qaeda in Iraq. Judge Baltasar Garzon charged 18 of the accused, with belonging to a terrorist group and four with collaborating with terrorists, according to a high court news release. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
EU-Iran nuclear talks open ROME, Oct 23 (AFP): EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana began talks here on Tuesday with Tehran's new nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
US welcomes South Korean troop extension in Iraq WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (AFP): The United States Tuesday welcomed plans by South Korea to keep its troops in Iraq for another year despite an announcement that their total will be halved to 600. (Posted @ 21:18 PST)
Baghdad to shut offices of Kurdish rebels: PM BAGHDAD, Oct 23 (AFP): Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Tuesday Baghdad will shut down the offices of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and not allow the “terrorist” group to operate on Iraqi soil. (Posted @ 21:06 PST)
Uzbek man masterminded bomb plot in Germany: report BERLIN, Oct 23 (AFP): German federal police identified an Uzbek man as one of the masterminds of a suspected plot to bomb a major US base and other targets in Germany, a report said on Tuesday. The man ordered attacks on the US military airbase in Ramstein and US and Uzbek consulates in Germany, the ZDF broadcaster reported. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Britain ready to push for tougher sanctions on Iran LONDON, Oct 23 (AFP): Britain is ready to push for tougher sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear programme both through the United Nations and the European Union, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday. “We are absolutely clear that we are ready and will push for further sanctions against Iran,” he told reporters at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in London. (Posted @ 20:48 PST)
Russia warns U.S. on missile defense, says Iran not a threat TOKYO, Oct 23 (AP): Russia is concerned that U.S.-led missile defense initiatives in Europe and Asia are based on an erroneous assessment of the threat posed by Iran, Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday. “North Korea poses a fundamental threat, but Iran does not,” Lavrov was quoted as telling Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
Gunmen clash with security forces in Iraq's Basra BAGHDAD, Oct 23 (Reuters): The leaders of political parties in Basra held urgent talks on Tuesday to calm tensions in the volatile city after gunmen clashed with Iraqi security forces, the British military said. Details were sketchy, but a military spokesman said shots had been fired at the Shatt-al-Arab Hotel, headquarters of the Iraqi security forces and some other areas. British forces are keeping a lower profile in Basra since they pulled out in September. (Posted @ 19:56 PST)
Pakistan beat South Africa by six wickets FAISALABAD, Oct 23 (Reuters): Pakistan took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series of one-dayers after beating South Africa by six wickets at the Iqbal stadium on Tuesday. Scores: South Africa 197 in 49.2 overs (Graeme Smith 48, Justin Kemp 42, Rao Iftikhar 3-33, Shahid Afridi 3-37); Pakistan 202-4 in 48.1 overs (Mohammad Yousuf 58 not out, Shoaib Malik 42, Shahid Afridi 32, Albie Morkel 2-30). (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
One killed in Israeli air-strike in Gaza GAZA, Oct 23 (Reuters): An Israeli missile killed a Palestinian in a car in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Israel army and a Palestinian group said. Witnesses said a missile destroyed the car in the attack, which took place on a coastal road in Gaza. Medical officials said one person was killed in the attack and one wounded. (Posted @ 18:54 PST)
11 Iraqis, including at least 6 civilians, killed in U.S. air strike north of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Oct 23 (AP): A U.S. helicopter opened fire on a group of men as they were planting roadside bombs north of Baghdad, then chased them into a nearby house on Tuesday, killing 11 Iraqis, including at least six civilians, the military said. (Posted @ 18:46 PST)
Kerala ties up with Dubai to build major IT zone THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Oct 23 (AFP): Dubai's Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (TECOM) will start construction work next month on a $385 million IT park in India's Kerala state, officials said Tuesday. The foundation stone would be laid in the first week of November for project near Kochi (formerly Cochin). Kerala signed a memorandum of understanding with TECOM to develop “Kochi SmartCity” last May. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
500,000 ordered to flee California wildfires LOS ANGELES, Oct 23 (AFP): Half a million Californians have been ordered to evacuate their homes and flee spreading wildfires blazing across southern California Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times reported that the wind-driven infernos had destroyed some 700 houses and businesses and led authorities to urge some 500,000 people to leave their homes, mostly in San Diego area in south-eastern California. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Kashmir teachers strike to protest colleague's killing SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 23 (AFP): Schools across Indian occupied Kashmir were closed Tuesday as teachers went on strike to protest last week's killing of a colleague by Indian troops. Residents accused troops of killing Abdul Rashid Mir in cold blood last week during the frisking of civilians in northern Kupwara district. The army expressed regret over the death and ordered an enquiry. It also arrested one soldier. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
More than 300 dead in India encephalitis outbreak LUCKNOW, Oct 23 (AFP): An outbreak of encephalitis in northern India has claimed 339 lives since July despite massive efforts to contain the disease health officials said on Tuesday. “In total 42 districts are prone to the virus but due to a shortage of vaccine, only 18 have been fully covered,” said a top medical official in Uttar Pradesh. The deaths were also reported from areas where children were immunised. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
20 militants killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Oct 23 (AP): A battle in central Afghanistan killed up to 20 suspected militants but also several civilians, Afghan officials said Tuesday. Afghan officials said up to 12 civilians and 20 militants died in fighting Monday in a remote area of Wardak province, west of Kabul. NATO's force in Afghanistan said 50 fighters trying to set up an ambush and aircraft dropped two bombs on their position. A NATO spokesman said soldiers had investigated possible civilian fatalities but found no evidence. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Four tourists drown saving children in Portugal LISBON, Oct 23 (AP): Four tourists -- three Britons and a German -- drowned in southern Portugal when they rescued three children from the sea, officials said Tuesday. The children were in the surf on a beach near Sagres, 200 kilometers south of Lisbon, when they were caught by a strong current Monday, daily paper Diario de Noticias reported. The tourists went into the water and rescued the children but were trapped by the current and strong waves. One died in the sea and three others on the beach. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Two killed in south Thailand NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Oct 23 (AFP): Two Buddhist women were shot dead Tuesday in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, where separatist rebels are fighting a nearly four-year insurgency, police said. The women, aged 30 and 38, were found dead with bullet wounds to their chests in Narathiwat, one of three provinces along the Malaysian border where an insurgency is raging, police said. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
India promises to do more against Myanmar: UN envoy NEW DELHI, Oct 23 (Reuters): India has given an undertaking to do all it can to push for democracy in Myanmar, U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari said on Tuesday, amid growing pressure on New Delhi to take a tough line against its military regime. “I am encouraged by the undertaking given to do everything possible ... Several issues have been put on the table,” Gambari said after talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Iraq promises Turkey it will crack down on Kurdish rebels BAGHDAD, Oct 23 (Reuters): Iraq pledged on Tuesday to crack down on Kurdish separatists launching attacks on Turkey from hideouts in northern Iraq, in a bid to avert a Turkish military incursion onto its territory to hit the rebels. Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said this in Baghdad after crisis talks with Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan. Earlier, Babacan rejected a conditional ceasefire offer from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) saying Ankara would not deal with a terror group. Babacan was to hold talks later with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani. (First Posted @ 13:20 PST,Updated @ 16:20 PST)
15 rebels killed in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Oct 23 (AP): Army forces stationed along the frontier with rebel-held territory in northern Sri Lanka repelled two assaults by Tamil Tigers, killing 15 of the attackers, the military said on Tuesday. No soldiers were killed in the fighting late Monday afternoon in Vavuniya area, said a military spokesman. A rebel spokesman confirmed the fighting but said no rebel fighter was killed, he said. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
South Africa make 197 against Pakistan in 3rd ODI FAISALABAD, Oct 23 (AFP): Shahid Afridi took 3-37 and paceman Rao Iftikhar grabbed 3-33 to restrict South Africa to 197 in the third day-night international here on Tuesday. Afridi dismissed Jacques Kallis (13), Justin Kemp (42) and Shaun Pollock (one) to trigger a middle-order slump as the tourists found the going tough on a pitch of variable bounce at Iqbal Stadium. The five-match series is level at 1-1 after South Africa won the first match by 45 runs and Pakistan took the second by 25 runs. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Police arrest 17 from Italian-Canadian mafia clan ROME, Oct 23 (Reuters): Italian police arrested 17 members of a mafia clan that operated in Canada and cities across Italy in a pre-dawn operation on Tuesday, police said. The Rizzuto clan, linked to the notorious Cuntrera Caruana family that played a key role in drug trafficking, is accused of mafia and financial crimes such as insider trading, using illicit funds for financial transactions in Switzerland and market-rigging. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Palestinian prisoners in Israel on hunger strike JERUSALEM, Oct 23 (AFP): Palestinian prisoners held in Israel went on hunger strike on Tuesday to protest against what they condemned as heavy-handed repression of a prison riot that left one inmate dead, officials said. The Prisoners Club, the main group representing Palestinians held in Israel, said the one-day hunger strike was being observed by most of the some 11,000 Palestinian security detainees in the Zionist state. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Suicide bomber blows up minibus in south Russia MAKHACHKALA, Russia, Oct 23 (Reuters) A suspected suicide bomber blew herself up in a minibus taxi and wounded five passengers Tuesday in the southern province of Dagestan, police said. The minibus exploded at around 0700 GMT around 100 metres from a police post. It was halfway from the town of Khasavyurt, west of the regional capital Makhachkala. “Apparently a young woman wrapped in a suicide-bomber's belt was responsible for the blast,” the officer said. He said the suspected bomber was the only casualty. (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
US air strikes kill 10 north of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Oct 23 (AFP) At least 10 people were killed and another 10 wounded early Tuesday when US helicopters were called in to support ground troops near Tikrit, police said. An officer at police headquarters in Tikrit said the deaths occurred in and around the town of Dijla between Tikrit and Samarra. The US military confirmed that an operation was carried out in the area. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Kashmir is disputed territory, not part of India: Pakistan tells UN UNITED NATIONS, Oct 23 (APP) Pakistan Monday rejected an Indian claim that Kashmir is a part of India, saying United Nations resolutions have recognized the Himalayan state as disputed territory. “Jammu and Kashmir is not 'an integral part' of India, nor has it ever been,” Pakistani delegate Ahmad Raza Kasuri told the General Assembly's Fourth Committee, which deals with decolonization questions. Kasuri was exercising his right of reply to an earlier statement by Indian delegate Rameshwar Oraon claiming Kashmir to be a part of India, and insisting that Pakistan's call for self-determination for the Kashmiri people was “unwarranted and completely irrelevant” to the Committee's work. Ahmad Raza Kasuri pointed out that numerous UN Security Council and United Nations resolutions stated that the territory's future would be determined by a referendum. Those resolutions remained to be implemented, he said, adding that no electoral exercise could substitute for a free and impartial plebiscite, Kasuri said while responding to Oraon's assertion that occupied Kashmir had a democratically elected government. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Afghan official replaced over Israeli invite KABUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) An official at Afghanistan's embassy in Germany has been replaced for inviting an Israeli diplomat to a function, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday. “He was a political employee of the embassy and has been replaced because of inviting the Israeli diplomat,” said Sultan Ahmad Baheen. Afghanistan does not recognise the Jewish state and hence has no diplomatic ties with Israel. The invitation to a function celebrating Afghanistan's Independence Day in August was issued to the Israeli diplomat due to a “technical mistake”, Baheen added. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Pakistan economic aide stresses more privatization WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) Pakistan is eager to deepen economic reforms that have delivered historic growth in the country despite political turmoil, Salman Shah, an aide to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Monday. He said Islamabad was eyeing “second-generation reforms” to follow a bank privatization program that helped power five years of 7 percent growth and doubled Pakistan's GDP during the seven-year tenure of President Musharraf. “These second-generation reforms would mean a leaner government and a much more active and aggressive private sector,” he said in Washington, where he attended the semi-annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Shah appealed to foreign investors and governments to maintain interest in Pakistan, and said: “In the war on extremism, it's very important that we succeed in Pakistan and that's for the entire world.” “On our own, we are not going to be able to sustain it.” (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Israeli troops kill two Palestinian militants JENIN, West Bank, Oct 23 (Reuters) Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin Tuesday, the army and Palestinian officials said. The two were identified as members of the Islamic Jihad militant group, a Palestinian security official said. An army spokesman said the militants were killed in an exchange of fire. One Israeli soldier was wounded, while six wanted militants were arrested. Palestinian officials said the operation was continuing. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Turkish troops head toward Iraq after Kurd ambush leaves eight soldiers missing, 12 dead SIRNAK, Turkey, Oct 23 (AP) Dozens of Turkish military vehicles loaded with soldiers and heavy weapons rumbled toward the Iraqi border after an ambush by rebel Kurds that left eight soldiers missing and 12 dead. Turkey's foreign minister said his country will pursue diplomacy before it sends troops across the rugged frontier. The military said Monday that it had had no contact with the eight soldiers after Sunday's clash and said 34 guerrillas had been killed so far in a counteroffensive. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Five injured as Hungary police, protesters clash BUDAPEST, Oct 23 (Reuters) Five people were injured Monday in Budapest as thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with police ahead of the anniversary of Hungary's 1956 uprising against Soviet rule. The demonstrators threw molotov cocktails to set a water cannon truck on fire near Budapest's Opera House where Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany was attending a state event ahead of the October 23 anniversary of the uprising. Police used water cannon and fired tear gas during the clashes, one year after protests in 2006 in which hundreds were injured over several weeks of demonstrations. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Ethiopian rebels claim killing 250 government troops NAIROBI, Oct 23 (AFP) Ethiopian rebels Monday said they had killed 250 government troops in renewed clashes in the Ogaden region. Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) spokesman Abdirahman Mahdi said the movement's fighters killed “counted at least 250 Ethiopian troops killed” near the Wardheer and Jijiga townships. On Sunday, the ONLF said in a statement that almost 1,000 of its fighters attacked Ethiopian troops near Wardheer early Saturday, killing more than 140 of them. Ethiopian information ministry spokesman Zemedkun Tekle denied Sunday that the any attack had taken place. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Colombia grenade blast kills two in pre-vote attack BOGOTA, Oct 23 (Reuters) A grenade attack on a local Colombian party campaign headquarters killed two and wounded at least six others Monday in the latest violence authorities blamed on guerrillas before next week's municipal elections. Two men lobbed the explosive into the campaign office of a candidate for mayor in Puerto Asis in Putumayo province near the Ecuadorean border. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
One soldier killed, two wounded in roadside bomb in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Oct 23 (Reuters) Police said they found five bodies dumped across Baghdad Monday. Separately, five bodies, including one of a female lawyer, were found in various parts of Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, police said. While, a roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol killed one soldier and wounded two others in the Jamiea district of western Baghdad, police said. Iraqi security forces arrested Abdul Hadi al- Mohamadawi, the head of Sadr office in Kerbala, 110 km southwest of Baghdad, and his aide in a raid on the Sadr office in the city, police said. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
More than 500 homes destroyed by California fires LOS ANGELES, Oct 23 (AFP) More than 500 homes have been destroyed by the wildfires raging across California, officials and local media said Monday. Around 300 residences were razed to the ground by fires in Rancho Bernardo, San Diego county, according to firefighters at the scene, while a further 100 homes were destroyed at Fallbrook, 80 kilometres north of San Diego. A further 128 homes were reported destroyed at the mountain resort town of Lake Arrowhead, KNBC reported. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 72.39, points: KARACHI, Oct 23: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 14526.99,down 72.39, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.68, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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