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| November 01, 2007 | Thursday | Shawwal 19, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Man who dropped first atomic bomb dies CHICAGO, Nov 1 (AFP): The man who dropped the first atomic bomb, which devastated Hiroshima during World War II, died Thursday in his Ohio home, a spokesman said. Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. piloted a B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay which dropped the bomb on August 6, 1945. (Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Three US soldiers killed by roadside bombs in northern Iraq BAGHDAD< Nov 1 (AP): Two U.S. soldiers were killed in an explosion near their vehicle in Iraq's northern Ninevah province, and one other died in a roadside bombing in Salahuddin province, also north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Thursday. The deaths occurred on Wednesday, the military said, adding that two other soldiers were wounded in the Ninevah blast. (Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Czechs jail communist prosecutor after 57 years PRAGUE, Nov 1 (AP): A Czech court sentenced an 85-year-old former communist prosecutor to 8 years in prison on Thursday for her part in the hanging of a pro-democracy politician in 1950, news agency CTK reported. Former prosecutor Ludmila Brozova-Polednova was found guilty of complicity to murder for helping lead the case against Milada Horakova. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Jordan's king holds talks with Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP): Jordan's King Abdullah II and President Pervez Musharraf held talks on the situation in the Middle East here Thursday, officials said. The Jordanian monarch arrived on a day-long visit from China. The two leaders discussed bilateral ties, a foreign ministry statement said. Jordan's state-run Petra news agency quoted the king as telling Musharraf: “Jordan supports Pakistan's efforts to fight terror, which targets the country's security and stability.” In China, Abdullah urged Beijing to play a greater role in the Middle East and met President Hu Jintao. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
66 rebels surrender weapons in Assam: police GAUHATI, Nov 1 (AP): A group of 66 separatist rebels surrendered their weapons to authorities in India's remote, insurgency-hit northeast on Thursday, police said. Assam state's police chief, R.N. Mathur, said the rebels belonged to the United Liberation Front of Assam or ULFA, which has been fighting for an independent homeland in the state since 1979. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Rebels kill 23 Eritrean troops: Ethiopian media ADDIS ABABA, Nov 1 (AP): Eritrean rebels say they have killed 23 Eritrean soldiers and freed prisoners jailed in the Red Sea State's remote Afar region, Ethiopia's pro-government Walta Information Service reported on Thursday. Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a 1998-2000 war that killed 70,000 people, and tensions are rising again ahead of a deadline this month for them to demarcate their disputed frontier. Both sides routinely trade accusations of encouraging instability in the region by supporting each other's rebels. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
London police convicted over 2005 Brazilian killing LONDON, Nov 1 (AFP): London's Metropolitan Police force was convicted Thursday of breaching health and safety laws after officers shot dead a Brazilian they mistook for a would-be suicide bomber in 2005. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
At least 887 Iraqis killed in October BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (AFP): At least 887 Iraqis were killed in Iraq in October, ministry data showed on Thursday, slightly higher than September which saw a total of 840 people killed across the nation. Data from Iraq's interior, defence and health ministries showed 758 civilians, 116 policemen and 13 soldiers were killed in attacks across Iraq in October. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
77 more Indian child workers rescued NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (AFP): Indian police on Thursday rescued 77 child textile workers in the third raid this week following reports that a local supplier to US clothing chain Gap was employing minors. The children were embroidering saris and Indian wedding clothes in dingy rooms in a New Delhi neighbourhood when police and activists accompanied by reporters and television crews arrived. (Posted @ 18:55 PST)
Fifty Taliban killed in western Afghanistan: police HERAT, Nov 1 (AFP): Afghan forces said Thursday they had killed 50 more Taliban militants in the heaviest fighting in a western province since 2001. An operation by local and NATO troops to retake a district in the increasingly troubled Farah province entered its third day, the provincial police spokesman said. “The fighting is still ongoing in Gulistan district. We killed 20 more Taliban since yesterday. Five soldiers and seven police have also been killed so far.” On Wednesday Afghan police said up to 40 Taliban militants were killed and 20 wounded. The Taliban dispute the casualty figures and maintain they control of the district. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Top US commander visits Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Nov 1, 2007 (AFP) - US Central Command chief Admiral William Fallon arrived here Thursday for talks with Pakistani officials, the military said. During his stay, Fallon, whose area of responsibility covers Central Asia and the Middle East, will hold talks with the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Tariq Majid, and other officials on Friday, a military official told AFP. Admiral Fallon is also expected to call on General Musharraf. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Jordan's king in Pakistan for talks ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP): Jordan's King Abdullah II arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for a brief visit including talks with President Pervez Musharraf on terrorism and the Middle East, the official Associated Press of Pakistan said. The king was received by Minister for Law and Justice, Zahid Hamid and senior officials after flying into Islamabad for the day-long trip, He drove to President House to hold talks with Musharraf, it said, without giving details. Jordan's state-run Petra news agency quoted the king as telling Musharraf that “Jordan supports Pakistan's efforts to fight terror, which targets the country's security and stability.” Abdullah came from China where he urged Beijing to play a greater role in the Middle East and met President Hu Jintao. (Posted @ 18:25 PST)
Bangladesh party squabble heads to Election Commission DHAKA, Nov 1 (Reuters): A controversy over leadership of prime minister Khaleda Zia's party, is headed for the country's Election Commission (EC). Just who will be at the helm of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) -- the leaders chosen by Khaleda or those who overturned her choices -- looks set to be determined in the short run by the EC. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
31 Tamils killed in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Nov 1 (Reuters): Sri Lankan troops killed 31 Tamil Tigers fighters in a series of clashes in the north of the island, as warplanes bombed rebel training camps on Thursday, the military said. Two soldiers were also killed and 17 wounded in the clashes with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northwestern district of Mannar and neighbouring Vavuniya. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Six powers to meet in London on Iran LONDON, Nov 1 (AFP): Representatives of the six major powers involved in talks about Iran's nuclear program will meet in London on Friday, the British government said on Thursday. A Foreign Office spokesman said “political directors” from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China would meet as part of a pattern of regular exchanges at senior official level. He added that no ministers would attend the meeting. would allow representatives to discuss “how they see the process going forward”. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan arrive for India tour NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (AFP): Pakistan's cricketers flew into India on Thursday to play five one-dayers and three tests on the six-week tour. The 15-man squad, captained by Shoaib Malik, was received by local officials and security staff at Indira Gandhi international airport after a 45-minute flight from Lahore.(Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Chimpanzee that learnt sign language dies WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP): Scientists have announced the death of the first animal to break the language barrier, a female chimpanzee called Washoe who could communicate 250 words in human sign language. Washoe was not only the first animal to learn a human language, she also passed on what she had learnt to her adopted son before dying on Tuesday at the ripe old age -- for a chimp -- of 42. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
11 Afghan policemen killed KABUL, Nov 1 (AP): The Taliban on Thursday attacked a police checkpoint in Nad Ali district in Helmand province, killing five officers and wounding three others, the provincial police chief said. In Farah province, six police officers were killed and two others wounded, and 14 Afghan army troops were missing after clashes with Taliban militants on Wednesday, said Governor Muhaidin Baluch. A large number of Taliban have crossed into Farah from neighboring Helmand province and are still in control of Gulistan district, he added. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Suicide attack on Pakistan air force bus kills eight ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) - A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden motorbike into a bus carrying Pakistani air force officials on Thursday, killing at least eight and wounding 40 others, officials said. Private TV channels reported that the death toll had risen to nine. “The bus was carrying trainee flying officers when it was attacked by the suicide bomber” in the Sargodha district of central Punjab province, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP. Eight air force officials died and around 40 were wounded, he said. “It was a suicide attack and the target was the bus which was carrying the air force officials,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said. The dead included a squadron leader, two airmen and five trainee flying officers, security officials said. The bomber's dismembered head was found at the scene while some pieces of his body were stuck to the exterior of the bus,a police officer said. The bus itself was badly mangled in the blast. “It was a huge bang and heard several kilometres away,” he said. Ambulances raced the casualties to local hospitals where an emergency was declared. Some of the injured are in critical condition, another police officer said. He said three school children were also hurt when shrapnel hit the van in which they were travelling. (First Posted @ 09:05 PST, Updated @ 17:05 PST)
Retired army general says conflicts could keep U.S. in Middle East for 50 years PITTSBURGH, Nov 1 (AP): It might take as long as half a century before U.S. troops can leave the volatile Middle East, according to retired Army General John Abizaid. “Over time, we will have to shift the burden of the military fight from our forces directly to regional forces, and we will have to play an indirect role, but we shouldn't assume for even a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home,” Abizaid said Wednesday at Carnegie Mellon University. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Indian lawmaker, three others arrested for allegedly beating journalists PATNA, Nov 1 (AP): A state lawmaker and three supporters were arrested Thursday on charges of badly assaulting three television journalists who worked for the NDTV and Asian News International television channels in eastern India, police said. The journalists visited lawmaker Anant Singh's home in Patna to question him about the reported rape and murder of a local woman, New Delhi Television and other news channels reported. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Czech Deputy PM Cunek quits amid scandals PRAGUE, Nov 1 (Reuters): Czech First Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek resigned on Thursday over an investigation into alleged bribe taking. Cunek, leader of the junior government partner, the centrist Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), said he wanted the ruling three-party coalition to stay intact. He said his resignation would take effect next Wednesday. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Japan ends 'war on terror' mission TOKYO, Nov 1 (AFP): Japan on Thursday ordered home ships engaged on a refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean, ending its role in the “war on terror” due to domestic opposition. Japan supplied fuel to US and other forces operating in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued orders at 0600 GMT for Japan's two ships in the Indian Ocean -- the destroyer Kirisame and the supply ship Tokiwa -- to return to Japan. The main opposition party, which controls one house of parliament, has vowed that Japan should not take part in “American wars.” (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Benazir leaves for Dubai KARACHI, Nov 1 (AFP): Former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto left for Dubai on Thursday by Emirates Airlines flight EK-607 officials said, after cancelling the trip overnight due to rumours of an impending state of emergency. “I am going to Dubai to see my children and ailing mother,” Bhutto was quoted as telling members of her party at Karachi airport by a senior party official. “I will return to Pakistan on November 8,” he quoted her as saying. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Bombs kill 16 in separate attacks in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (AP): Bombs killed at least 16 people on Thursday in scattered attacks across the Iraqi capital and its northern suburbs, police said. A roadside bomb exploded near a convoy carrying the police chief of Balad Ruz, police said. Six of his guards were killed and eight others hurt, but the chief escaped injury. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed five people near a shelter used as a police recruiting center. Six other people were wounded. In Sadiyah, 95 kilometers north of Baghdad, a cluster of three attacks took place around 10:40am, killing three soldiers and two civilians and wounding 18 others. Another explosion went off near a hospital in Sadiyah, and police said there were casualties but could not confirm the number or severity. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Two US soldiers killed by roadside bomb in northern Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (AP) Two U.S. soldiers were killed by an explosion near their vehicle in Iraq's northern Ninevah province, the U.S. military said Thursday. Two more soldiers were wounded by the blast, which occurred Wednesday, the military said in a statement. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Suicide attack on Pakistan air force bus kills eight ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) - A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden motorbike into a bus carrying Pakistani air force officials on Thursday, killing at least eight and wounding 40 others, officials said. Private TV channels reported that the death toll had risen to nine. “The bus was carrying trainee flying officers when it was attacked by the suicide bomber” in the Sargodha district of central Punjab province, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP. Eight air force officials died and around 40 were wounded. Cheema said,“It was a suicide attack and the target was the bus which was carrying the air force officials,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said. The dead included a squadron leader, two airmen and five trainee flying officers, security officials said. The bomber's dismembered head was found at the scene while some pieces of his body were stuck to the exterior of the bus, police officer Hamid Javed said. The bus itself was badly mangled in the blast. “It was a huge bang and was heard several kilometres away,” a police officer said. Ambulances raced the casualties to local hospitals where an emergency has been declared. Some of the injured are in critical condition, a local police officer said. He said three school children were also hurt when shrapnel hit the van in which they were travelling. (First Posted @ 09:05 PST, Updated @ 15:35 PST)
Musharraf vote ruling unlikely until after Nov 12 ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) - Pakistan's Supreme Court is unlikely to rule on the legality of President Pervez Musharraf's victory in a presidential election until November 12, judges and lawyers said Thursday. The verdict on the October 6 vote had been expected by the end of this week, but legal arguments were taking longer than predicted and the court is not sitting next week, presiding judge of the 11-member bench justice Javed Iqbal said. The timing for the case will now be tight, as Musharraf's term as president ends on November 15. “It was our effort to wind up the case by Thursday or Friday but it has lingered on due to lengthy arguments by the lawyers,” justice Javed Iqbal told the court as he adjourned proceedings for the day. “If this case does not conclude by tomorrow it will not be heard next week due to engagements of one of the judges and will be then heard on 12 November,” he added. Pakistan's attorney general and other government lawyers have yet to conclude their arguments, while the lawyers presenting the petitions against Musharraf's election win are also expected to need more time. The court is dealing with two appeals against the presidential election that focus on Musharraf's role as army chief and on the fact that the vote was carried out by the outgoing national and provincial parliaments. Aitzaz Ahsan, the main lawyer for the petitioners, said it appeared the case would now go on after November 12 and accused the government of adopting delaying tactics.“ The government seems to have changed its strategy and I feel there is something black at the bottom of it,” he told the court. Former premier Benazir Bhutto abruptly cancelled a trip to Dubai on Wednesday night after saying that she had heard rumours that Musharraf may declare a state of emergency. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Pakistan says up to 70 militants dead in new clashes ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) - Pakistani security forces backed by gunship helicopters killed up to 70 militants in two days of clashes in scenic Swat valley of North West Frontier Province, the army said Thursday quoting police and paramilitary sources. A ceasefire broke down in the troubled Swat Valley on Wednesday and fresh fighting erupted early Thursday when militants loyal to a hardline pro-Taliban cleric attacked a security checkpost, the army said. “Police and Frontier Constabulary sources have confirmed death of 60 to 70 miscreants,” an army statement said. On Wednesday night officials gave a death toll of 20. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Fighting resumes in Pakistan’s Swat valley; five militants killed ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AP) - In the scenic Swat valley of the North West Frontier Province, where recent clashes between security forces and supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric have claimed more than 100 lives, fighting resumed after a two-day lull on Thursday. Early Thursday, militants attacked hilltop positions of security forces in the Khwaza Khela area, triggering a gunbattle, said Ali Rahman, a local police official, adding that troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery continued targeting militant facilities, killing at least five. The security forces suffered no casualties, he said. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Taliban overrun another Afghan district HERAT, Afghanistan, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Taliban rebels have overrun district Bakwa in western Afghanistan while fighting continues in nearby district of Gulistan in Farah province which they had captured earlier this week, a provincial official said Thursday. “Bakwa district centre fell into the hands of the Taliban in an attack yesterday afternoon,” said Maulvi Yahya, the district chief of neighbouring Delaram. “During the confrontation 14 Taliban insurgents and two Afghan police were killed and the Taliban set the district centre building on fire,” said Yahya. Some 50 Taliban have been killed around Gulistan since Monday, while fighting has also continued around the town of Arghandab, 12 km from the main city of Kandahar. Canadian forces in Kandahar said it was one of the most organised Taliban offensives they had seen and said it appeared to be aimed at a move towards the city. Prominent Taliban leader Mullah Mansour Dadullah vowed the insurgents would extend their fighting to the north of Afghanistan during the winter. “Our operations are blazing across the southern provinces, and we shall reach the northern provinces in the same manner,” he said in a video posted on the Internet on Wednesday. Mullah Mansour took over as commander of Taliban forces in Helmand province in May from his brother, Mullah Dadullah, who was killed in a raid by British forces. Mullah Mansour said the Taliban also had contact with insurgents in Iraq. (Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Pakistan court keeps Musharraf waiting on re-election ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court will resume hearing on Friday on whether President Pervez Musharraf's re-election early last month was valid, but has scheduled the following session for Nov. 12 -- three day's before his current term expires. “This bench will not be intimidated by any threats,” Justice Javed Iqbal who heads the 11-member bench said after petitioners’ lawyers' noted some ministers had warned emergency rule or martial law could be imposed if the case goes against Musharraf. On Thursday, Attorney General of Pakistan Malik Mohammad Qayyum continued his arguments in the case when the court rose for the day. He will resume arguments on Friday, to be followed by arguments from counsels Wasim Sajjad and Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Israel arrests wanted Hamas commander NABLUS, West Bank, Nov 1 (AFP) - Israeli troops Thursday arrested Omar Tirawi, 40, from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades command in Nablus, in the city's El-Makhfiah neighbourhood in the northern West Bank. Omar was wanted by the Israelis for three years. Soldiers arrived in about 30 jeeps and surrounded the building where he was hiding. They opened fire into the air but Tirawi surrendered without resistance, a Palestinian security official said. An Israeli military source said soldiers also arrested 16 other wanted Palestinians in raids across the West Bank overnight. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Rafsanjani warns Iran of 'unprecedented' US threats TEHRAN, Nov 1 (AFP) -Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Thursday warned Iran to be alert in the face of “unprecedented” actions by the United States. “Since the revolution, the enemies have plotted a lot but the current situation is unprecedented. Therefore everybody must be alert,” the powerful cleric said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. “The movements and the presence of US forces and their supporters in the region is unprecedented, as is the creation of a menacing climate of fear,” he told army commanders in a speech. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Pakistan police convicted in Chief Justice case ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (Reuteers) - Pakistan's Supreme Court sentenced Islamabad’s police chief and four other officers to jail time on Thursday for manhandling its top judge after he was suspended by President Pervez Musharraf earlier this year. Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was made non-functional on March 9 but was reinstated on July 20 when the court quashed misconduct charges against him . After his suspension, officials shoved him days later when he refused to use an official vehicle and instead tried to walk up to the Supreme Court building to attend a hearing. “They (officials) have not only ridiculed the dignity and honour of superior judiciary but also acted recklessly,” Justice Rana Bhagwandas, head of a three-member bench hearing the case, said announcing the punishment. “It is for this reason that despite the bonafide repentence and remorse expressed by them, it is found necessary to convict them and award punishment.” The judge awarded prison terms ranging from 15 to 30 days to the police officers, four of them senior. The court also symbolically punished two top officials from the federal administration in Islamabad, imprisoning them during Thursday's sitting. However, on an appeal by a defence lawyer, the court suspended the sentences for 15 days pending appeal. (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Rafsanjani warns Iran of 'unprecedented' US threats TEHRAN, Nov 1 (AFP) -Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Thursday warned Iran to be alert in the face of “unprecedented” actions by the United States. “Since the revolution, the enemies have plotted a lot but the current situation is unprecedented. Therefore everybody must be alert,” the powerful cleric said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. “The movements and the presence of US forces and their supporters in the region is unprecedented, as is the creation of a menacing climate of fear,” he told army commanders in a speech. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Pakistan supreme court orders report on Benazir procession bombing ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AP) - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered top government officials to file a comprehensive report on the Oct. 18 bombing that targeted ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's homecoming in Karachi, killing 145 people. The court held a hearing into the incident, expressing impatience with an investigation that has yet to identify the culprits or their motive. Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry Chaudhry, leading a four-member panel of judges, ordered senior officials to file a “comprehensive report” on the bombing within a week, at which time the next hearing will be set. The officials include the federal interior minister, and the chief secretary and police chief of Sindh province. “Let us see what they are doing” about the investigation, justice Chaudhry said. “They should know that we are fully aware of the gravity of the situation.” In a separate development, Benazir’s Pakistan Peoples Party in a letter Thursday to Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said valuable evidence was lost because the bomb scene was not properly preserved. (Posted @ 13:15 PST)
Fifty more Taliban killed in western Afghanistan HERAT, Afghanistan, Nov 1 (AFP) - Afghan forces said Thursday they had killed 50 more Taliban militants in the heaviest fighting that entered third day in an operation by local and NATO troops to retake a district in the increasingly troubled Farah province, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Gul Sarjang said. “The fighting is still ongoing in Gulistan district. We killed 20 more Taliban since yesterday,” Sarjang said. “Five soldiers and seven police have also been killed so far.” On Wednesday Afghan police said up to 40 Taliban militants were killed and 20 wounded. The Taliban dispute the casualty figures and maintain they are in control of the district. The insurgents also attacked another district of Farah on Wednesday night, sparking a six-hour fight, Sarjang said. “Taliban attacked Bakwa district last night. Thirty Taliban were killed in six hours of fighting, two police were wounded,” Sarjang said. Taliban militants have taken over several districts in Afghanistan for brief periods of time but have kept control of only one, Musa Qala district in southern Helmand province, which they captured almost a year ago. Separately police said on Wednesday that they had surrounded more than 200 militants and killed 50 in Arghandab district, close to Kandahar. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Bomb kills five near police recruiting centre in northeast Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (AP) A roadside bomb killed five people Thursday near a shelter used as a police recruiting centre in northeast Baghdad, police said. The explosion went off at around 9:20 a.m. on a road leading to an Interior Ministry building used to process police recruits in the Binouk neighbourhood, police said. Six other people were wounded, they said. Most of the victims were recruits lining up outside the shelter. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
14 rebels killed in new Sri Lanka fighting COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov 1 (AP) - Two fierce battles erupted between government troops and Tamil Tigers in northern Sri Lanka on Thursday, leaving 14 rebels dead, while air force jets pounded a rebel base, the military said. Rebels attacked government's forward defence line at Muhamalai at dawn, prompting soldiers to push forward and destroy four rebel bunkers. Eight rebels died in the fighting. In Mannar district west of Muhamalai, six rebel fighters were killed in another clash on Thursday, officials said. Ten soldiers were wounded, he said. Also on Thursday, air force jets pounded a guerrilla training base in the rebel-held Mullaithivu district, he said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Cricket: Injured Asif pulls out of limited-overs series against India ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AP) - Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif on Thursday was ruled out of the five-match limited-overs cricket series against India due to an elbow injury. The series begins in Guwahati on Nov. 5 and the Pakistan team is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi later Thursday. “Asif is not 100 per cent fit and needs some more time to fully recover,” Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer Pakistan Cricket Board, told reporters. “He felt pain after playing in the one-day international at Multan last week and the doctors have advised it's better he should stay back and regain full fitness,” Naghmi said. “It's a rare injury and only the player himself knows whether he is fit or not,” Naghmi said. “It doesn't need surgery nor can it be treated with medicine, Asif can only regain fitness with exercises and strengthening the muscles around his elbow,” he added. No replacement was announced for Asif and Naghmi was not sure whether Asif would regain full fitness ahead of the test series that begins from Nov. 22. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Jordan's king to visit Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AP) - King Abdullah II of Jordan will discuss the situation in the Middle East and other issues with Pakistani leaders during a daylong visit to the country's capital Thursday, a foreign ministry spokesman said. He will meet President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and other government officials in Islamabad before returning to Jordan later Thursday, said foreign ministry spokesman, Mohammad Sadiq, who provided no further details. Pakistan has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, and backs the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Asif likely to miss India one-dayers KARACHI, Nov 1 (Reuers) - Pakistan's top pacer Mohammad Asif is unlikely to travel with the national squad to India on Thursday due to a chronic elbow problem. A Pakistan Cricket Board official said Asif had not made a complete recovery from the injury and was being pulled out of the squad for the five-match one-day series in India starting from Nov 5. “Doctors say he needs more time to be 100 percent fit,” the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. “The idea is he get more rest and be ready for the test series that follows later this month.” Asif also missed four of the five one-day matches at home against South Africa last month because of the elbow problem, which has affected him since last year. (Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Jets bomb Sri Lanka rebels, troops kill 7 Tigers COLOMBO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Fighter jets bombed Tamil Tiger training camps in Sri Lanka's far north early on Thursday and troops killed seven rebel fighters, the military said. “Troops killed six terrorists and 10 soldiers were wounded in a confrontation in North of Giant Tank in Mannar,” said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. He said troops also killed one rebel in a separate confrontation in Vavuniya and destroyed a rebel bunker. (First Posted @ 09:30 PST, Updated @ 12:15 PST)
Suicide attack on Pakistan air force bus kills eight ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) - A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden motorbike into a bus carrying Pakistani air force officials on Thursday, killing at least eight and wounding 40 others, officials said. Private TV channels reported that the death toll had risen to nine. “The bus was carrying trainee flying officers when it was attacked by the suicide bomber” in the Sargodha district of central Punjab province, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP. “Eight air force officials died in the terrorist attack,” Cheema said, and around 40 were wounded. “It was a suicide attack and the target was the bus which was carrying the air force officials,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said. The dead included a squadron leader, two airmen and five trainee flying officers, security officials said on condition of anonymity. The bomber's dismembered head was found at the scene while some pieces of his body were stuck to the exterior of the bus, police officer Hamid Javed said. The bus itself was badly mangled in the blast. “It was a huge bang and was heard several kilometres away,” a police officer said. Ambulances raced the casualties to local hospitals where an emergency has been declared. Some of the injured are in critical condition, local police officer Anwar Ali said. He said three school children were also hurt when shrapnel hit the van in which they were travelling. Sargodha was the scene of a failed suicide attack a few months ago when the attacker managed to sneak into a police compound but was shot dead before he could blow himself up. (First Posted @ 09:05 PST, Updated @ 12:05 PST)
90 Indians arrested in UAE ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (APP) At least 90 Indians have been arrested in the weekend violent protests by workers in Dubai while their 3900 compatriots have been released after a brief detention. Over 4500 South Asians, mostly Indians, were taken into custody after protests by workers to press for better wages and working conditions at a labour camp. Of them, 159, including 90 Indians, were identified as being allegedly involved in violence. “Investigations are underway to find their exact role in the violence,” Indian Ambassador to UAE Talmiz Ahmed said, The Times of India reported Wednesday. They would be deported after the probe. (Posted @ 11:45 PST)
More than 11 tons of cocaine seized in western Mexico MEXICO CITY, Nov 1 (AP) Mexican authorities seized more than 11 tons of cocaine in the western port city of Manzanillo, and said it was one of the nation's biggest drug busts ever. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
Pakistan court gives 15-day suspended jail sentences to officers for mistreating top judge ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AP) Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday handed down a 15-day suspended jail sentence to the former Islamabad police chief, his deputy and three other senior police officers for maltreating Pakistan's top judge Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on March 13. The officers have the right to appeal. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
Fighting resumes in Pakistan’s Swat valley ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 1 (AP) In the picturesque Swat valley of North West Frontier Province, where recent clashes between security forces and supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah have claimed scores of lives, fighting has resumed after a two-day lull. Early Thursday, militants attacked hilltop positions of security forces in the Khwaza Khela area, triggering a gunbattle, an official in the district's police control room said requesting anonymity. There was no immediate word on casualties. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Three killed in US military raid in eastern Afghanistan; six police killed in the west KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov 1 () A nighttime raid late Wednesday in Bati Kot district in Nangarhar province sparked a gunbattle that left three people dead, including two children, while six policemen were killed in clashes with the Taliban in the west, officials said Thursday. In western Farah province, six police officers were killed and two others were wounded in clashes with Taliban militant on Wednesday, said Baryalai Khan, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. A large number of the Taliban have crossed into Farah province from the neighbouring Helmand province and are still in control of Gulistan district in the province, said Farah's governor, Muhaidin Baluch. The police have been battling militants for three days in the area, and several of the guerrillas have been killed, Khan said. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
19 bodies found across Iraq Baghdad, Nov 1 (Reuters)- At least 19 bodies were found across Iraq during 24 hours ending midnight Wednesday. Police found six bodies around Baghdad while the bodies of eight people including three policemen were found shot and burned in two districts in Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad. These were in addition to five bodies found in different areas of Baghdad on Tuesday. Meanwhile, U.S. forces killed three militants during an operation targeting al Qaeda in Kirkuk, the U.S. military said. The Iraqi army also killed 10 militants and detained 44 during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Three killed in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Nov 1 (AFP) Suspected rebels in southern Thailand shot dead an army sergeant and two civilians in the embattled region, police said Thursday. Two men aged 48 and 65 were killed early Thursday in Yaha district in Yala province, local authorities said. In nearby Pattani province Wednesday, a 41-year-old army sergeant was killed in a drive-by shooting, police said. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Americans see Iran greatest threat to world stability: poll WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP) People in the United States see Iran as by far the greatest threat to world stability, with China a distant second, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. The Gallup poll of 1,000 adults, carried out over October 25-28, showed 35 percent of people see Iran as the biggest threat to world stability. Nineteen percent ranked China the main threat, while North Korea ran third at 10 percent and Iraq fourth at nine percent. Eight percent of those polled saw the United States itself the greatest threat, while Russia was singled out by only four percent. On the new economic sanctions on Iranian institutions, 34 percent said they were in support while nine percent said they opposed them. But 57 percent said they did not know enough about the situation to make a judgement. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Cricket: Australian squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka SYDNEY, Nov 1 (AFP) - The Australian squad to play Sri Lanka in the first cricket Test at the Gabba in Brisbane starting on November 8 will comprise Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Suicide attack on Pakistan air force bus kills eight, injures 40 ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) - A suicide bomber rammed his explosive laden motorbike into a bus carrying Pakistani air force officials Thursday, killing at least eight and wounding 40 others, the interior ministry said. “The bus was carrying trainee flying officers when it was attacked by the suicide bomber” in the Sargodha district of central Punjab province, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP. “Eight air force officials died in the terrorist attack,” Cheema said, and around 40 were wounded. “It was a suicide attack and the target was the bus which was carrying the air force officials,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said. Security forces have cordoned off the scene of the blast. Witnesses said ambulances raced the casualties to local hospitals where an emergency has been declared. Some of the injured are in critical condition, local police officer Anwar Ali said adding that three school children were also hurt when shrapnel hit their van. Sargodha was the scene of a failed suicide attack a few months ago when the attacker managed to sneak into a police compound but was shot dead before he could blow himself up. (First Posted @ 09:05 PST, Updated @ 10:35 PST)
Death toll rises to 81 as Tropical Storm Noel heads toward Bahamas PIEDRA BLANCA, Dominican Republic, Nov 1 (AP) Tropical Storm Noel triggered mudslides and floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, pushing the regional death toll to 81 on Wednesday. With Noel slowly curving toward the Bahamas and rains still falling two days after the storm first hit, rescuers were struggling to reach communities cut off by flooding on the island of Hispaniola. As they did, they found a rising toll of death and damage - at least 56 dead in the Dominican Republic, 24 in neighbouring Haiti and one in Jamaica. Before dawn Monday, a swollen river overflowed its banks and swept away the hamlet of Piedra Blanca in central Dominican Republic. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Sri Lankan jets bomb Tiger territory COLOMBO, Nov 1 (AFP) Sri Lankan war planes bombed a suspected Tamil Tiger training facility inside rebel-held territory Thursday, the defence ministry said. Government jets attacked a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) training centre in the northeastern coastal district of Mullaitivu, the ministry said, adding that “pilots confirm that the LTTE terrorist training camp was severely damaged.” There was no immediate reaction to the claim from the LTTE. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
U.S. attack helicopter opens fire south of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 1 (AP) U.S. helicopters opened fire after a ground patrol came under attack southeast of Baghdad, and Iraqi police said three officers were killed and one wounded in the strike. The fighting occurred Wednesday near Salman Pak. Ground forces called for air support after coming under small-arms fire near the city, some 25 kilometres southeast of Baghdad, a U.S. military official said, requesting anonymity. A U.S.-Iraqi joint security station in the area had come under fire three times earlier in the day, the official said. A local policeman claimed three officers were killed and one wounded when an Iraqi patrol vehicle was hit in the airstrike. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Floods kill 13, leave five missing in central Vietnam HANOI, Vietnam, Nov 1 (AP) Floods triggered by heavy rains have killed 13 people in central Vietnam and left five others missing over the past two days, disaster officials said Thursday. Previous flooding the last two weeks killed 11 people in the region. In Thua Thien Hue province, six people drowned, said provincial disaster official Nguyen Van Song. Nearly 8,000 people have been evacuated. Disaster officials in the provinces of Quang Ngai, Quang Tri and Quang Binh reported five flood deaths and one missing person. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Second quake hits California SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 1 (AFP) A 3.7 magnitude earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday, one day after a stronger temblor rattled the region. No injuries or damage were reported from the quake, which struck near the epicentre of Tuesday's 5.7 magnitude tremor. The United States Geological Survey said Wednesday's quake hit at 3:54 pm with its epicentre in the same area as the earlier tremor, near the town of Alum Rock, 82 kilometres southeast of San Francisco. Local reports said Tuesday's shock was felt as far away as the city of Eugene, in the northwestern state of Oregon. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
US image chief quits WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP) Karen Hughes, the US State Department's top image maker and a longtime confidante of President George W. Bush, is quitting her post after barely two years. Hughes' resignation, effective mid-December, was announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said her 50-year-old under secretary for public diplomacy was returning to Texas. Her departure follows that of top Bush political strategist Karl Rove and senior adviser Dan Bartlett - the troika widely credited with the former Texas governor's rise to the White House. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Six killed in suicide blast on Pakistan airforce bus ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (Reuters) At least six people were killed and 40 wounded in a suicide attack on a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bus near the city of Sargodha, the military said. “The bus was carrying PAF personnel when it was struck by a suicide bomber near the Sargodha airbase,” Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, a PAF spokesman told Reuters. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Four killed in suicide attack in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (AFP) At least four people were killed Thursday when a suicide bomber rammed his motorbike into a bus carrying Pakistan air force officials in central Punjab province, officials said. (Posted @ 08:55 PST)
Regime change — for a fee? By Jawed Naqvi
IN August 2007, CNN reported that the US firm of Barbour, Griffith & Rogers had ‘begun a public campaign to undermine the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’. The network described BGR as a ‘powerhouse Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the White House’.
CNN also mentioned that former Iraqi premier Ayad Allawi is both al-Maliki’s rival and BGR’s client, although it did not assert that Mr Allawi had hired BGR to undermine Mr al-Maliki.
On Monday, a report in The New York Times widened the scope of the lobbying firm’s activities. For starters, it turns out to be headed by Robert D. Blackwill, a former US ambassador to India, who was especially dispatched to New Delhi at the start of the Bush administration’s innings in 2001. It turns out that Mr Blackwill has his fingers in many a pie.
Apart from India, his clients include Serbia, Taiwan, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Alfa Bank in Moscow and Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister of Thailand and a billionaire communications tycoon who was ousted in a coup in 2006. He also lobbies for Eritrea, the nation in the Horn of Africa that the US State Department has been threatening to designate a terrorist state for its support of Islamic rebels in Somalia.
Mr Blackwill’s clout is enormous. Since late 2005, lobbying disclosure reports at the Justice Department show that he helped bring in fees to Barbour Griffith & Rogers from foreign clients that total more than $11m. This is not an unusual story out of Washington. Lobbyists there have supported Saddam Hussein too.
We of course remember Mr Blackwill as the man who maintained a studious silence on the massacres in Gujarat, but who was quick to raise Cain when a blast occurred in Kashmir or elsewhere in India, in which Muslim extremists were apparently involved.
This of course somewhat balances out the equation for Pakistan which is said to have hired former diplomat Robin Raphael as its lobbyist in Washington DC. Given Ms Raphael’s access she had to the Clinton administration Pakistan may be a clear winner if Hillary Clinton becomes president in January 2009. The former top diplomat for South Asia during the Clinton administration is a senior vice-president with Cassidy and Associates, apparently hired by Pakistan to lobby its case at a yearly cost of US$1.2m.
If Mr Blackwill pleased his future clients in New Delhi by keeping quiet over Gujarat, Ms Raphael, who retired from the foreign service a few years ago, had pleased Pakistan in the 1990s by questioning the authenticity of the instrument of accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh that resulted in the state of Jammu and Kashmir becoming part of India. Some equation this — one lobbyist was wishing away the Gujarat pogroms, the other was wishing away India’s claim over Kashmir!
But the reason for India to hire Mr Blackwill’s current services is even more startling. According to The New York Times, Delhi has paid BGR $1.24m since Mr Blackwill began lobbying for it in late 2005. And what pray may India be lobbying for? It has hired him, ‘among others, to push for a nuclear deal between the United States and India that has run into resistance in Congress and in the Indian Parliament’.
In fact on April 2, Justice Department filings show, says NYT, that Mr Blackwill met on the issue of United States-India relations R. Nicholas Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs and the administration’s point man on the nuclear deal.
This is a strange turnaround. Here we thought that good old President George W. Bush was so enamoured of India and its prime minister that he was willing to move heaven and earth to get New Delhi a premier deal on nuclear cooperation, which aimed to solve its chronic energy problems. And now we are told that India in fact had to lobby hard for the deal courtesy the good offices of Mr Blackwill.
There is another aspect to the controversial deal that has a connection with the NYT story. One of its chief architects was strategic analyst Ashley J. Tellis, an American of Indian origin and author of the voluminous book India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture. Mr Tellis was brought to Delhi as a chief adviser to Mr Blackwill, and was one of the most sought after officials at the US embassy during the 2002 nuclear standoff between India and Pakistan.
As far as I remember, Mr Tellis had calculated that there would be no war despite the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation that lasted through much of the year. Did the deal take shape during Blackwill’s tenure in Delhi with Tellis marshalling the technical support? If so where was the need to hire him later as a lobbyist? And, by the way, who are the American firms that have a stake in the deal’s successful closure and how much have they paid Mr Blackwill?
There are two more vignettes in the NYT story which link up with events in New Delhi in the past week. In the mid-1970s, Mr Blackwill worked for Helmut Sonnenfeldt, the counsellor to Henry Kissinger, then secretary of state. There is another reference in the story to Mr Blackwill’s affinity with Mr Kissinger. He ‘has a wily, Kissinger-like ability to cut through layers of government, is also a gifted raconteur who mixes policy, politics and personality in his analysis of issues’.
So the penny drops. Mr Kissinger happens to be in India currently, meeting everyone from Indian opposition leader Lal Kishan Advani to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, lobbying hard for the stalled deal to be quickly revived. Following the meeting with Mr Advani, the BJP has significantly toned down its opposition to the deal. Prime Minister Singh too remarked on Tuesday that it was not yet the end of the road for the deal.
And for a good reason too. Mr Kissinger is known to have a quick temper. He once threatened to make a horrible example of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He is said to have issued a similar warning to Indira Gandhi. Last week, he was back in business, quite possibly at Mr Blackwill’s behest, warning India that its failure to implement the civil nuclear deal with the United States could be bad news for Delhi’s credibility.
‘It would certainly, in an intangible way, affect calculations because when an American leader goes down a certain road, he stakes his prestige on the ability to get it executed. So in that sense, it would undoubtedly be a setback,’ he told CNN-IBN. ‘Definitely, people would make that argument,’ Mr Kissinger said, when asked whether questions could be raised in the US regarding India’s reliability if the nuclear deal failed to get through.
So there you have it. Mr Blackwill has got an American president to ‘stake his prestige’ on the deal’s success. Therefore, can he not be safely described as the world’s second most powerful man — if equally dangerous and reckless too?
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