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| October 27, 2007 | Saturday | Shawwal 14, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Benazir Bhutto prays at father's grave GARHI KHUDA BAKSH, Pakistan, Oct 27 (AFP) Thousands of supporters cheered Benazir Bhutto as she visited her ancestral village amid tight security Saturday. Benazir travelled to the remote corner of southern Pakistan to offer prayers at her family's mausoleum, which was surrounded by heavily armed guards. Crowds in the village danced and chanted “Long Live Bhutto” as she arrived in a bullet-proof jeep from the nearby city of Sukkur, where thousands of supporters had showered her with rose petals. “Good Muslims will never attack a woman. I will reach out to my people everywhere in Pakistan,” she said inside the mausoleum. Benazir late Saturday urged Musharraf's government to compensate the families of those killed in the blasts. “The government should give compensation to the victims of the bomb blast. It was the failure of the government,” she told a press conference at her nearby family home. Crowds savoured her visit Saturday despite the delay, waving flags in the streets of Garhi Khuda Baksh village near Larkana as Benazir spread flower petals at the tomb of her father inside the mausoleum. Her father, the late prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, is buried at the mausoleum. The site is also the resting place of the former premier's two brothers - Shahnawaz, who was poisoned in southern France in 1987, and Murtaza, shot dead in Karachi in 1996. Benazir earlier flew into Sukkur from Karachi, about 600 kilometres south, where supporters chanted “Bhutto Prime Minister” and threw rose petals as she left the airport for the short drive to the village. (First Posted @ 10:10 PST Updated @ 21:02 PST)
Ruling coalition to contest and win polls together: PM Aziz KARACHI, Oct 27 (APP) Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz Saturday said the ruling coalition will stay united and emerge triumphant in the upcoming general elections. Talking to media after his meeting with the Chief of Pakistan Muslim League (F) and spiritual leader of Hurs, Pir Pagara here at Kingri House, the Prime Minister said: “We will win the upcoming general elections and continue to stay together in the next government.” President Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Sindh Governor, Dr. Ishrat- ul- Ibad Khan and Chief Minister, Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim were also present. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz termed the meeting with Pir Pagara as “very important” because “the Chief of PML (Q) Chaudhry Shujaat has also come to meet with Pir Sahab.” To a question about the meeting between Pir Pagara and Chaudhry Shujaat, Aziz said: “We are one and the same and working for the progress of the country.” President PML (Q), Chaudhry Shujaat, on the occasion said: “I am only a worker of the Muslim League while the Chief of the Party is Pir Sahab Pagaro,” adding “Right from the day one we considered him (Pir Pagara) our Chief.” When asked if the PML (Q) will be able to overwhelmingly beat Pakistan Peoples Party in the Punjab (in the upcoming general elections), Chaudhry Shujaat said “(not just in Punjab but) across the country.” Chief of PML (F), Pir Pagara in reply to a question regarding the formation of grand alliance said it is totally up to the President. “If he has taken lessons from the past experiences, then definitely he would be able to choose right people for the alliance,” he added. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Pakistan Army to fully eradicate extremism: General Kayani KAKUL, Pakistan, Oct 27 (APP) Vice Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Saturday said Pakistan Army will spare no effort as part of the national strategy to assist the Government and eradicate the menace of extremism and obscurantism with the support and help of the people of Pakistan. “We would like to continue on the path of progress, so that our future generations live in peace, prosperity and security,” he said while addressing the passing out parade of 116 PMA, 30 Graduate, 35 Integrated Course and second Ladies Integrated Course at Pakistan Military Academy. Addressing the parade, he congratulated the passing out cadets on successful completion of training and on grant of commission in Pakistan Army. The Vice Chief of Army Staff said the country is faced with a difficult environment. “Our country is facing a significant threat from forces of extremism and obscurantism. Despite being in minority, they have the potential to destabilize our socio-political order and retard economic progress achieved in the last decade,” he said. He said the only way to foil and defeat full spectrum of the threats is through a comprehensive national effort, where all segments of the society play their rightful role. Pakistan Army is fully capable of ensuring security and integrity of Pakistan, with the people of Pakistan firmly behind it, he said. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Dictatorship leads to terrorism: Benazir Bhutto GARHI KHUDA BAKSH, Pakistan, Oct 27 (Reuters) Thousands of party faithful feted former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Saturday as she visited her stronghold in southern Pakistan. Chanting “Long Live Bhutto”, around 4,000 jubilant supporters of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) cheered and clapped as Benzir arrived in a bulletproof vehicle at her father's vast mausoleum in their ancestral village of Garhi Khuda Baksh, near Larkana town in Sindh province. Benazir draped a shawl inscribed with Islamic verses and sprinkled rose petals on her father's grave. “I feel very emotional. I wanted to visit the tomb of my father, the leader of the people, and offer prayers,” Benazir told reporters afterwards, before being driven to her family home flanked by paramilitaries in jeeps mounted with machineguns. “There is still danger of attack, but Allah can protect everyone and I am not scared of these people (militants),” she added, saying she now felt better about her security. “This great nation is not scared of a bomb explosion and terrorism,” she later told a news conference at her ancestral home. “We are against dictatorship. We believe that whenever there is dictatorship there is terrorism.” (Posted @ 21:12 PST)
India TV channels pulled after massacre expose: reports NEW DELHI, Oct 27 (AFP): Officials in India have blocked television channels that aired secretly recorded footage allegedly exposing government involvement in the 2002 mass killings of Muslims, reports said on Saturday. The riots in Gujarat state left at least 2,000 Muslims dead and many victims and rights groups at the time accused the Hindu nationalist-ruled local government of backing the violence. On Friday cable operators in Ahmedabad received written orders to block the Aaj Tak and Headlines Today channels, the Indian Express newspaper reported Saturday. Channels that covered the expose, which comes as the state readies for assembly elections in December, were also ordered to be pulled, it said. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Aitzaz Ahsan elected as SCBA President LAHORE, Oct 27 (APP) Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has been elected as President Supreme Court Bar Association while Chaudhry Mohammad Amin Javaid advocate got the slot of Secretary of the SCBA. Ghulam Nabi Bhatti was elected Vice President (Punjab) Imadad Awan Vice President (Sindh) and Sakhi Sultan Vice, President from (Baluchistan) in SCBA elections, Chaudhry Mohammad Amin Javaid said Saturday. (Posted @ 21:16 PST)
17 decomposed bodies found near Iraqi city BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (AFP) Iraqi troops found 17 decomposed bodies of unidentified men near the city of Baquba Saturday. Colonel Arshad al-Tamimi said the bodies were found in an open area five kilometres west of Baquba, the capital of Diyala province. Doctor Ahmad Fuhad of Baquba General Hospital confirmed the bodies were brought to the medical facility and were in a decomposed state. (Posted @ 21:06 PST)
US forces seize rogue Sadr militant BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (AFP) US forces seized a militant and shot dead two others Saturday, accusing them of ignoring cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's order to freeze militia's activities. The US military said its troops launched an early morning operation in Fawwaliyah village in Diyala province to capture the militant. Without revealing the identity of the militant, the statement said he had ties with an Iranian intelligence cell. Another 14 suspected militants were also detained at the site. (Posted @ 20:14 PST)
Future of NRO in Benazir’s hands: Sheikh Rashid LAHORE, Pakistan, Oct 27: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid said Saturday the future of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is in Benazir Bhutto’s hands, a private television channel reported him as saying. “The process of reconciliation can be stopped if Benazir Bhutto continues her irresponsible statements,” Rashid told reporters after a visit to the Mughalpura Workshops here. The cabinet was against the NRO but supported it on the president’s advice, Rashid said. He said Benazir has confidence over foreign agencies but if they were as active they would have traced Mullah Umar. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Cricket- Pakistan's Razzaq reverses retirement decision LAHORE, Pakistan, Oct 27 (AFP) Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq on Saturday reversed his decision to retire from international cricket, saying he will fight to get his place in the national team back. “I reconsidered the decision after consultation with my club people, especially my coach Azhar Zaidi, who all advised me to continue playing. So I am back and available for Pakistan,” Razzaq told AFP. The 26-year-old announced his retirement in August after being excluded from the Pakistan team for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa. “I took the decision in the heat of the moment and got a lot of calls from fans and supporters who asked me to change the decision,” said Razzaq. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Iraqi insurgents' clash with Qaeda kills 16 BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (Reuters) A battle between al Qaeda in Iraq and another insurgent group called the Islamic Army killed at least 16 militants Friday near Samarra city, a senior security officer told Reuters Saturday. A security source in Salahuddin province, requesting anonymity, said two non-Iraqi Arabs and an Iranian were amongst those killed in the battle. “The clashes ended yesterday with militants from the Islamic Army taking control of the area,” he said. The area had been controlled by al Qaeda for months. (Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Three policemen killed in attack on check post at Chaar Bagh in Pakistan Swat, Pakistan, Oct 27 (PPI) Three police personnel were killed Saturday when miscreants attacked a check post at Chaar Bagh on Kalaam Road in Swat. NWFP Home Secretary Syed Badshah Gul said security personnel including police and Frontier constabulary returned the fire when miscreants attacked the check post. He said exchange of fire continued for quite sometime, forcing the miscreants to flee. He said now there is calm in the area. Mingora bazaar is also now open. Meanwhile, in Tehsil Matta, unknown persons set on fire the house of District Nazim Jamaal Nasir. Militants have blocked Matta-Mengora road and helicopters are hovering over the area. (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
Protests in Turkey against Kurd rebels SIRNAK, Turkey, Oct 27 (AFP) Some 2,000 people, mostly Kurds, took part in a protest Saturday against Kurdish rebel violence at a Turkish town near the Iraqi border. Another anti-rebel protest was staged near the US embassy in Ankara. Protestors gathered in the main square of Sirnak, capital of Sirnak province, which is on the border with Iraq and has been one of the worst hit areas for attacks by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
More than 160 hospitalised in northern Jordan AMMAN, Oct 27 (AP): Over 160 people were hospitalised in northern Jordan on Saturday for poisoning, which health officials attributed to either bad food or contaminated water, in the third such case over the past four months. In the latest poisoning episode, 168 people were admitted to three hospitals in northern Jordan since early Saturday, suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting and high fever, said an on-duty doctor at a government hospital. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Niger rebels say killed 12 soldiers in ambush NIAMEY, Oct 27 (Reuter): Niger's Tuareg-led rebels said on Saturday they had killed at least 12 soldiers and destroyed two army vehicles in the desert north of the landlocked central African country. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Police chief kidnapped from checkpost BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (Reuters): A senior police chief in an area of Iraq riven by sectarian violence was detained at an army checkpoint along with seven bodyguards on Saturday and has not been heard from since, police and interior ministry sources said. They said chief of police in Miqdadiya town Colonel Amer Nussayif Jassim, was stopped at an army checkpoint while driving to work in a two-car convoy, bundled into the trunk of a car by soldiers and taken away. Interior ministry sources said Jassim managed to radio colleagues as he was being taken away, and police later arrested 13 people at the checkpoint. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Turkish PM slams Europe over Kurdish militants ISTANBUL, Oct 27, 2007 (AFP): Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed European countries Saturday for failing to arrest and extradite wanted Kurdish militants to Turkey. Turkey has repeatedly called on European Union countries to act against militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other outlawed Turkish groups. “Unfortunately, no European country has done this so far,” Erdogan said in a televised speech. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of plotting invasion ASMARA, Oct 27 (Reuters): Eritrea accused arch-foe Ethiopia on Saturday of plotting to invade the Red Sea state ahead of a late-November deadline to mark their disputed border on maps. The Asmara government said its security agents had uncovered a plot by Addis Ababa. “...to launch an invasion in the first week of November 2007 with the blessing of the U.S. administration,” the statement said. It did not provide any evidence. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Algerian forces kill 15 militants ALGIERS, Oct 27 (Reuters): Algerian government forces, stepping up attacks on al Qaeda-aligned armed groups, killed 15 militants and captured seven in the past two days near the Tunisian border, newspapers reported on Saturday. One army officer was killed in the offensive, which was launched by a combined force of the army, police and municipal guards, based on information provided by a rebel who had surrendered, the independent newspaper Liberte said. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Omanis vote for advisory body MUSCAT, Oct 27 (AFP): Omanis went to the polls on Saturday to pick the 84 members of a consultative council amid some calls in the pro-Western Gulf monarchy for the advisory body to be given more power. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
At least six killed in heavy Mogadishu fighting MOGADISHU, Oct 27 (Reuters): Heavy fighting killed at least six people in Mogadishu on Saturday as Ethiopian troops clashed with militants in the worst battles for weeks. Residents said the violence began before dawn in the heart of the Somali capital, where an interim government installed by Ethiopia and Western nations is struggling to impose its authority. “Ethiopian troops and insurgents are fighting in every alley,” a terrified resident said. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Turkey hunts PKK rebels after Iraqi talks fail SENOBA, Turkey, Oct 27 (Reuters): Turkish military planes scoured the Iraqi border for Kurdish rebel camps on Saturday, army sources said, after diplomatic talks in Ankara to avert a major cross-border operation into northern Iraq failed. Turkish-Iraqi talks collapsed on Friday evening after Ankara rejected a series of proposals by the Iraqi defence minister to tackle Kurdish guerrillas as insufficient and taking too long to take effect. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Bombs kill five south of Iraqi oil city KIRKUK, Oct 27 (AFP): A series of coordinated roadside bombs killed five people, including a group of truck drivers, on Saturday in Kirkuk, police said. Six other people were also wounded when the bombs struck a convoy of trucks one after the other, the Kirkuk police captain said. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Suicide attack kills five in eastern Afghanistan KHOST, Oct 27 (AFP): A suicide bomber blew himself up near a military base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday killing four Afghan soldiers and a civilian, officials said. The attacker dressed in a military uniform walked up to the main gate of the Bermel military base in Paktika province before detonating his explosives, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Two Americans found dead in Hong Kong hotel HONG KONG, Oct 27 (AP): Authorities are investigating the deaths of two Americans whose bodies were found at one of Hong Kong's most luxurious hotels, police and reports said Saturday. Cleaning staff found the two men's bodies in a room at the Grand Hyatt hotel on Friday afternoon, a police spokeswoman said. (Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Eight killed in Baghdad bomb blast BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (AP/AFP): Eight people were killed and 13 wounded in a bomb explosion on Saturday in Jisr Diyala, 20 kms southeast of Baghdad. The blast targeted restaurants frequented by government employees and construction workers. Two police officers and two women were among the wounded, officials said. Last Wednesday, eight people were killed and 24 were injured when a bomb struck the same area. Also on Saturday, the U.S. military announced the death of a soldier killed during small arms fire while conducting operations in Salahuddin province. In another incident, US forces in Iraq captured a militant and killed two others, accusing them of ignoring Moqtada al-Sadr's order to the Mahdi Army militia to freeze activities.. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Woman, child killed in Gaza house blast GAZA CITY, Oct 27 (AP): A large explosion went off in a house in southern Gaza on Saturday, killing a woman and a 4-year-old child, Palestinian medics and witnesses said. The cause of the blast in the town of Khan Younis was not immediately clear. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST, Updated @ 14:10 PST)
103 Chadian children’s kidnapping: president promises punishment N'DJAMENA, Oct 27 (AP): President Idriss Deby said attempts by nine French citizens to fly 103 African children out of Chad were “shocking,” and promised that all those found involved would be punished. The authorities arrested the French citizens. State television showed Deby visiting the children, many of them in tears. He called the situation “intolerable” and “shocking” and said: “Everyone who is implicated will be punished.” Rama Yade, France's junior minister for human rights, said that the group acted “illegally and irresponsibly.” (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Nobel DNA expert Arthur Kornberg dies at 89 LOS ANGELES, Oct 27 (AFP): The US biochemist Arthur Kornberg, who won a Nobel prize for shedding light on the construction of human DNA, died on Friday at the age of 89, Stanford University said. Kornberg, a professor of biochemistry at Stanford, won the 1959 Nobel Prize for synthesizing DNA -- the genetic material that determines human heredity -- in a test tube. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Afghan suicide blast kills 4 outside US base KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 26 (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing three Afghan soldiers and one Afghan civilian, a U.S. official said. Initial reports indicated the bomber walked up to the first security gate outside Forward Operating Base Bermel in Paktika province, said Maj. Christine Nelson-Chung, a U.S. spokeswoman. She said three Afghan soldiers and one civilian were killed and that four Afghans were wounded, and that no Americans were hurt in the attack. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
occupied Kashmir shuts down as separatists mark 60 years of Indian army presence SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 26 (AP) - A general strike called to mark 60 years of Indian military presence in occupied Kashmir shut down much of the divided Himalayan territory Saturday. Shops, schools and businesses were closed and public transport stayed off the roads in Srinagar. Government services were also affected, with civil servants staying home. Various political parties and other groups plan rallies, protest marches, rallies and meetings during the day to demand the right of self-determination for the Kashmiri people. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Olmert promises Gaza sanctions will not trigger humanitarian crisis JERUSALEM, Oct 27 (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday that he would not cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, despite his government's declared intention to carry out power cuts to the territory in an attempt to curb Palestinian rocket attacks into southern Israel. He made the pledge over a two-hour working lunch with Abbas, responding to Abbas' concern that electricity stoppages could hit hospitals and other essential services, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the “road map” peace plan, which envisages an independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
17 killed in Maoist rebel attack in India RANCHI, India, Oct 27 (AFP) - At least 17 people, including a former minister's son, were killed and four others injured overnight when Maoist rebels opened fire on a group of football spectators in eastern India, a police official said Saturday. Between 30 and 40 heavily armed rebels stormed a village around midnight and opened fire with automatic weapons on some 150 people gathered there for a football match, police said. “Seventeen persons have been killed in the attack,” district police superintendent Arun Kumar Singh said in India's Jharkhand state. The son of former chief minister Babu Lal Marandi was in the village for the football match, which was to be followed by cultural performances. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Flooding kills at least 30 in Congo capital KINSHASA, Congo, Oct 27 (AP) - Flooding in Congo's capital left at least 30 people dead and about a hundred injured after rivers overflowed from heavy overnight rain that caused landslides and brought down bridges, officials said. The death toll was likely to rise as relief workers had not been able to get into houses in many flooded neighbourhoods. The rains started falling Thursday and continued into early Friday. “The rain led to landslides, and the overflowing of rivers. Even bridges have given way,” said Communications Minister Toussaint Tshilombo Send. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Chinese bus plunges into ravine, at least 9 dead BEIJING, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A bus with 30 people on board plunged into a ravine in southeastern China on Friday, killing at least nine and leaving a dozen missing, the Xinhua news agency said. The bus was heading for Shangyu City near Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, when it veered off the road as the driver attempted to avoid hitting a bicycle, the report said. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Archaeologist uncovers 11,000-year-old artefacts in Syria DAMASCUS, Oct 27 (AFP) -Deep in the heart of northern Syria, close to the banks of the Euphrates River, archaeologists have uncovered a series of startling 11,000-year-old wall paintings and artefacts. “The wall paintings date back to the 9th millennium BC. They were discovered last month on the wall of a house standing two metres high at Dja'de,” said Frenchman Eric Coqueugniot, who has been leading the excavations on the west bank of the river at Dja'de, in an area famous for its prehistoric treasures. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
One dead, 12 injured in bomb attack in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Oct 27 (AFP) - At least one woman was killed and 12 others were wounded when a bomb exploded in front of a food stall early Saturday in Thailand's restive Muslim-majority south, police said. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
India's poorest march on capital PALWAL, India, Oct 27 (AFP) - A serpentine column of India's poorest of the poor is moving across cities, determined to reclaim their land taken over in the name of the country's heady economic boom. About 25,000 landless farmers, many of them using plastic bags for shoes, are on the final leg of a march which will take them to their goal, the Indian capital New Delhi, on Sunday. The marchers settled down for the night just south of the city. The protest march, swelling each time it passes a town or village, began in the central India city of Gwalior on October 2 -- Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Seven people have died of fatigue or illness during the 600-kilometre trek, doctors tending to the rally said. The marchers want India to introduce iron-clad legislation on holdings, deeds and tenancy rights -- replacing the current system where ownership can easily be disputed and taken by the rich and powerful. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
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