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| November 11, 2007 | Sunday | Shawwal 29, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Musharraf says elections before January 9 ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (AFP): Pakistan should hold elections before January 9, President General Pervez Musharraf announced Sunday, saying parliament would be dissolved within days. He said the national assembly would be dissolved Thursday so elections could be held between 45 and 60 days from then, adding that he wanted the vote as soon as possible. “We should have elections before the 9th of January,” he told an Islamabad press conference. “I leave it to the election commission to decide on the exact date.”
Reiterates vow to take oath as civilian: President General Pervez Musharraf vowed Sunday to take the oath of office for another term as a civilian, hanging up his military uniform, but gave no date when that would happen. He told a press conference in Islamabad that he was still waiting for the Supreme Court to validate his October 6 presidential election victory, at which time he would quit as army chief. (Posted @ 15:10 PST) No date yet for lifting emergency: General Pervez Musharraf said he could not give a date for lifting the state of emergency he imposed one week ago. (Posted @ 15:30 PST) Accuses chief justice of wrongdoing: President General Pervez Musharraf accused sacked Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry of corruption and illegal interference, saying he would never get his job back. Musharraf said Chaudhry and the six other Supreme Court judges who refused to retake the oath of office under emergency rule had forfeited their positionsHe accused Chaudhry of illegal interference in court cases, “personal corruption,” harassment of civil servants and seeking influence in privatisation processes, he alleged. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
US has plans to safeguard Pakistan's nukes: report WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (AFP) The United States has developed contingency plans to safeguard Pakistani nuclear weapons if they risk falling into the wrong hands, but US officials worry that their limited knowledge about the location of the arsenal could pose a problem, The Washington Post reported Sunday. “We can't say with absolute certainty that we know where they all are,” the newspaper quotes an unnamed former US official as saying. If an attempt were made by the United States to seize the weapons to prevent their loss, “it could be very messy,” the official said. The officials would not discuss details of the plans, but several former officials said the plans envision efforts to remove a nuclear weapon at imminent risk of falling into terrorists' hands, The Post said. The plans imagine, in the best case, that Pakistani military officials will help the Americans eliminate that threat, according to the report. Former and current administration officials however say they believe that Pakistan's stockpile is safe, the paper said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan sends wicketkeeper Ahmed to India KARACHI, Nov 11, (REUTERS) - Pakistan is flying out Sarfraz Ahmed to India as a reinforcement for injured wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Sunday. (Posted @ 23:26 PST)
Hockey: Pakistan chief coach replaced for Champions Trophy KARACHI, Nov 11, (REUTERS) - Pakistan's head coach Islahuddin Siddiqui is furious at being replaced for the Champions Trophy world hockey tournament in Kuala Lumpur after he injured his foot. (Posted @ 22:54 PST)
At least 10 killed, three injured in road accidents ISLAMABAD, November 11, (PPI) - At least ten persons were killed and three others injured in two different road accidents Sunday in Punjab. Seven members of a family were killed when their car collided with a bus going to Peshawar near Sanjwal toll plaza in Attock district this afternoon. Meanwhile, three members of another family were killed and three others injured seriously after their car rammed into a tree on Faisalabad road near Sahiwal this afternoon. (Posted @ 22:14 PST)
Indian PM arrives in Moscow for trade talks MOSCOW, Nov 11, (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Moscow on Sunday at the start of a two-day visit expected to focus on nuclear energy ties and military cooperation, an AFP reporter at the airport said. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)
At Arafat tomb, Abbas says peace meet 'historic opportunity' RAMALLAH, Nov 11 (AFP): Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Sunday hailed an “historic opportunity” for peace as his people marked the third anniversary of the death of his iconic predecessor Yasser Arafat. In a speech before tens of thousands of people in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah, Abbas said he considered a planned peace meeting a “historic opportunity to turn a new page in the history of the Middle East”. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Northern Ireland's Ulster Defense Association renounces violence DUBLIN, Nov 11 (AP): The major Northern Ireland Protestant paramilitary group, the Ulster Defense Association, announced Sunday it was formally renouncing violence, but offered no immediate pledge to surrender its weapons to international disarmament officials. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Syria likely invitee to US peace conference: Rice WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (AFP): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday it was likely that Syria would be invited to an upcoming Middle East peace conference in the United States. “This meeting is about Israel and the Palestinians. But we understand that ultimately there has to be a comprehensive agreement and there has to be progress on the other tracks as well,” she told ABC television. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Police hold 180 in Iran religious clash TEHRAN, Nov 11 (Reuters): Police detained 180 people in a western Iranian city after unrest involving Sufi Muslims, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Sunday. Details about Saturday night's incident were unclear and could not be independently confirmed. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Turkish military detains eight freed soldiers ISTANBUL, Nov 11 (Reuters): Turkey's military has detained and brought charges against the eight Turkish soldiers recently released by Kurdish separatists for disobeying orders that have facilitated “catastrophe,” military sources said on Sunday. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
French World War One veteran salutes war dead PARIS, Nov 11 (Reuters): One of France's last two surviving veterans of World War One braved chilly winds at an Armistice Day ceremony on Sunday to commemorate the country's war dead. “I'm here for the moment, this year. I don't know how it will be next year,” said Lazare Ponticelli, 109, at a small ceremony in the working class Paris suburb of Kremlin Bicetre. “It's very difficult when you're my age,” he told reporters. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
HR group slams Musharraf poll pledge as 'sop' ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (AFP): Human Rights Watch on Sunday dismissed a promise of elections by January 9 as a “cynical sop” designed to deflect criticism over emergency rule. “Genuine elections in Pakistan are not possible so long as Pakistan's constitution remains suspended and the country remains under emergency rule,” the New York-based rights group said in a statement. “Musharraf's announcement is a cynical sop to the international community meant to deflect attention from his ongoing power grab,” it added. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
7,000 families return to Iraq: PM BAGHDAD, Nov 11 (AFP): Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday that 7,000 families who fled the war-ravaged country have returned to their homes on the back of a sharp drop in violence. “Due to the improvement in the security situation, 7,000 families have returned to Baghdad and other provinces,” Maliki told reporters, without giving a time frame. (Posted @ 19:34 PST)
Rice welcomes Musharraf's vote pledge WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (AFP): US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Sunday welcomed President General Pervez Musharraf's vow to hold parliamentary elections by January 9 but called for the state of emergency to be lifted. Interviewed on ABC television, Rice said the election and his latest pledge to quit as army chief were a positive element, but she urged him to lift the emergency “as soon as possible.” (Posted @ 19:22 PST)
250 PPP workers arrested in Karachi KARACHI, Nov 11 (AFP): Police rounded up about 250 Pakistan People’s Party workers Sunday in Karachi. The party had planned a series of rallies in Karachi and other cities in Sindh to galvanise opposition to President General Pervez Musharraf's state of emergency. A police official told AFP at least 250 party workers had been picked up in Karachi. Among them were parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani and provincial chief Syed Qaim Ali Shah. (Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Four PPP workers injured in police firing KARACHI, Nov.11 (PPI): Four Pakistan Peoples Party workers were injured, when police resorted to firing on peaceful protesters in Bhan Saeedabad town in Jamshoro district Sunday morning. One of the injured was shifted to Hyderabad in serious condition. Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto condemned the incident. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Musharraf wants Daily Telegraph to apologise ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (AFP): President General Pervez Musharraf said Sunday he expected the Daily Telegraph newspaper to apologise over an editorial which contained an expletive. He was speaking a day after his government ordered three Daily Telegraph reporters, including its regular Islamabad correspondent, to leave the country within 72 hours because of the “foul and abusive language. Musharraf responded angrily when questioned about the expulsions at a news conference. “Would you accept a word of that sort if I was to use it, if any one of my reporters were to use (it) against your president?” he asked. (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
PPP supporters welcome Benazir in Lahore LAHORE, Nov 11 (Reuters): Chanting supporters welcomed Benazir Bhutto in Lahore on Sunday. “I am here for democracy,” Bhutto said on arrival at Lahore airport, where several hundred party activists and supporters managed to negotiate their way past barricades manned by police in riot vests wielding batons and shields. Bhutto intends to lead a procession of vehicles to Islamabad on Tuesday to demand Musharraf quits as army chief, end the emergency and restore the constitution and frees thousands of detained lawyers and opponents. (Posted @ 18:14 PST)
Six Afghan tribal elders shot dead HERAT, Nov 11 (AFP): Gunmen on motorbikes shot dead six pro-government tribal elders Sunday as they headed to a prayer service in western Afghanistan, the police chief of Gozara district said. The gunmen opened fire on the elders as they were travelling to a mosque in Herat province, he told AFP. A Taliban spokesman denied his group was involved in killing the elders. Two men were detained at the site of the shooting. (First Posted @ 16:50 PST Updated @ 17:58 PST)
Encephalitis kills 21, affects 200 in Bangladesh DHAKA, Nov 11 (Reuters): Encephalitis has killed 21 people mostly children and affected some 200 others in a remote part of Bangladesh over the past week, health officials said Sunday. But they said they were yet to confirm what caused the disease. At least 30 people are still in hospitals. (Posted @ 17:52 PST)
Cricket: South Africa beat New Zealand JOHANNESBURG, Nov 11 (AFP): South Africa beat New Zealand by 358 runs on the fourth day of the first Test at the Wanderers Stadium here on Sunday. Scores: South Africa 226 and 422-3 declared. New Zealand 118 and 172. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Airbus wins $20 billion order at Dubai DUBAI, Nov 11 (AFP): Airbus overshadowed its US rival Boeing at the Dubai air show Sunday, winning orders from Emirates worth more than 20 billion dollars. Airbus executives said the order -- for 70 midsized A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) aircraft and 11 A380 Superjumbos -- was the biggest in the European constructor's history. (Posted @ 17:08 PST)
Spain's king tells Chavez: 'Just shut up' SANTIAGO, Nov 11 (AFP): Spain's King Juan Carlos I told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to “just shut up,” bringing an Ibero-American summit to end in spectacular fashion on Saturday. The monarch stormed out just before the scheduled end of the forum, visibly furious at Chavez's description of his former prime minister as a fascist. The dispute was a dramatic finale for the 17th meeting of the heads of state and government of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, and Spain, Portugal and Andorra, which started Thursday. (Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Italian politician parades pig on mosque site: press ROME, Nov 11 (AFP): Italy's former deputy education minister has provoked a scandal by parading a pig on the site of a planned mosque in the country's north, news reports said Sunday. “We have 'blessed' the ground that the Padua authorities want to transfer for the mosque,” said Mariella Mazzetto, a member of the populist right-wing Northern League party in the city. She walked the pig on a lead accompanied by about 10 party members, Italian daily newspapers reported. (Posted @ 16:54 PST)
Syria accuses US of interfering in Lebanon vote DAMASCUS, Nov 11 (AFP): Syria accused the United States on Sunday of interfering in Lebanon, where parliament is deadlocked over the election of a successor to President Emile Lahoud. “The United States is always urging everyone not to interfere in Lebanese affairs, including the presidential election. And the US administration is always interfering everywhere in the world, including Lebanon,” wrote the ruling Baath party daily, Al-Baath. (Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Three dead in land-grab protests in India KOLKATA, Nov 11 (AFP): The death toll rose to three in more clashes in a West Bengal farming region where several people died this month in protests against plans to build a massive industrial park, police said. The toll from Saturday's clashes stood at three after two more people died Sunday from their injuries, the state police inspector general told AFP, as more violence was reported Sunday. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Baghdad to host international film festival BAGHDAD, Nov 11 (AFP): Baghdad will play host to an international film festival next month, the first major cinematic event in the war-ravaged capital in more than two years, an Iraqi film director said Sunday. Films for the Baghdad International Film Festival will be submitted mainly from Egypt, Jordan and Iran. The event is being staged by the Association of Iraqi Filmmakers Without Borders and will run from December 16 to 19 at a venue still to be decided. (Posted @ 16:38 PST)
India beat Pakistan in third one-dayer KANPUR, Nov 11 (AFP): India defeated Pakistan by 46 runs in the third one-day international here on Sunday to gain a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Brief scores: India 294-6 in 50 overs; Pakistan 248 in 47.2 overs. (Posted @ 16:34 PST)
Operation in north Iraq nets 200 suspected militants BAGHDAD, Nov 11 (AFP): A huge military operation against Al-Qaeda in four provinces of northern Iraq has netted more than 200 suspected militants in a week, the US military said Sunday. Operation Iron Hammer, involving three US brigade combat teams and four Iraqi army divisions, had made “significant progress against Al-Qaeda” since it was launched on November 5, a military statement said. (Posted @ 16:32 PST)
Media body condemns expulsion of British reporters BRUSSELS, Nov 11 (AFP): The world's biggest group representing journalists has condemned the Pakistani government's decision to expel three British newspaper reporters, saying such acts would only encourage instability. “Banning international media and gagging local journalists will not solve problems,” said Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, said in a statement issued in Brussels late Saturday. (Posted @ 16:24 PST)
Court orders Hasina Wajed’s sister to surrender DHAKA, Nov 11 (Reuters): A Bangladesh court on Sunday ordered the only sister of detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to surrender herself within the next seven days to face extortion charges. Sheikh Rehana -- now living abroad -- was recently implicated in an extortion case in which Hasina is one of the principal accused. “As per the order Rehana must surrender by Nov. 18, otherwise the court might take other legal steps to bring her to book,” a court registrar said. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Bomb misses US convoy in Baghdad, kills boy BAGHDAD, Nov 11 (AP): A roadside bomb missed a U.S. convoy in eastern Baghdad on Sunday but killed a 12-year-old boy and wounded four other Iraqis, police said. U.S. soldiers sealed off the area in Baladiyat area following the blast, a policeman said. The Iraqi victims were all civilians. There were no reports of American casualties. In western Baghdad, assailants in a speeding car hurled a hand grenade at a minibus traveling to Baiyaa. Three minibus passengers were seriously wounded, a policeman said. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
S.Korean protesters clash with riot police SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters): South Korean protesters opposed to a free trade deal with the United States fought pitched battles with riot police on Sunday, as thousands of demonstrators jammed the streets of downtown Seoul. Police, using truncheons and water cannon, detained scores of farmers and student activists, according to Reuters witnesses. Organisers estimated 50,000 people took part in the protest, while police put the number of demonstrators at 20,000. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Russian oil tanker breaks up off Crimea MOSCOW, Nov 11 (Reuters): A severe storm broke a Russian oil tanker in two between the Azov and Black Seas, stranding 13 crew members and spilling fuel oil into the sea in what a Russian official said was an “environmental disaster”. The tanker, Volganeft-139, was on its way from the port of Azov in the southern Russian region of Rostov to Kerch in Ukraine's eastern Crimea when high waves broke its hull at around 0145 GMT) on Sunday, Russian media reported. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
100 Israeli police seize Olmert graft probe documents JERUSALEM, Nov 11 (AFP): Some 100 Israeli police on Sunday confiscated documents at 20 public sites related to investigations into alleged misconduct by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a spokesman said. “One hundred officers from the department of fraud on Sunday began confiscating documents related to corruption affairs in which Olmert has been implicated,” the spokesman told AFP. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Hindu nationalists to take power in Karnataka BANGALORENov 11 (AFP): Hindu nationalists will take power on Monday in southern India for the first time after a five-week political standoff that finally ended with the reconciliation of uneasy coalition partners. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be sworn into office in Karnataka state, with the Janata Dal-Secular party (JD-S) as the junior partner in a renewed coalition, party spokesmen said. (Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Soldier with US-led force in Afghanistan dies KABUL, Nov 11 (AFP): A soldier with the US-led coalition fighting Taliban-led extremists in Afghanistan has died of injuries suffered during battle, the coalition said Sunday. The soldier was wounded in fighting in Kapisa province, north of Kabul, on Saturday, the coalition said in a statement. The latest casualty follows the deaths announced Saturday of six soldiers from a separate NATO-led force fighting in eastern Afghanistan. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Indian troops kill two militants in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Nov 11 (AFP) Indian troops killed two militants who had holed up in a hotel four days ago in Sopore, about 55 kilometres north of Srinagar, police said. Six security force members were wounded in the siege, police said. More than 42,000 people have died in occupied Kashmir since the eruption of an insurgency against New Delhi's rule in 1989, according to official figures. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Bomber kills five Afghans near NATO convoy KANDAHAR, Nov 11 (AFP) A suicide bomber killed five civilians Sunday when he blew himself up near a NATO convoy just outside the town of Gereshk in Helmand province, officials said. District chief Abdul Manaf said the bomber was on foot. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
12 rebels, 1 soldier killed in latest Sri Lankan clashes COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov 11 (AP) Clashes between government troops and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels left 12 guerrillas and one soldier dead in Sri Lanka's restive north, the military said Sunday. Soldiers pushed into rebel territory in northern Mannar district on Saturday and attacked a line of bunkers, killing nine insurgents, a military official said. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Bush, Merkel discuss tougher sanctions on Iran CRAWFORD, Texas, Nov 11 (Reuters) German Chancellor Angela Merkel told U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday she would be willing to support a third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran if Tehran continues to resist demands to halt sensitive nuclear work. Merkel, in a visit to Bush's ranch in Crawford, also said she would consider possible cuts in her country's brisk trade flows with Iran should other efforts fail to secure Tehran's cooperation over its nuclear program. Bush agreed with Merkel that diplomacy was the best way to resolve the standoff with Iran. “We were at one in saying that the threat posed through the nuclear program of Iran is indeed a serious one,” Merkel said at a joint news conference with Bush. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Moderate quake strikes Indonesia's Sumatra JAKARTA, Nov 11 (Reuters) An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia's Sumatra island on Sunday, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, the meteorology agency said. The epicentre of the quake lay 129 km southwest of Bengkulu at a depth of 10 km. There was no tsunami warning. The tremors were followed by a 5.7 Richter aftershock. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Busy schedule for Musharraf, Bhutto ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 11(Reuters) Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was expected to set off for the eastern city of Lahore Sunday noon on the latest phase of a campaign to restore democracy in the country, while President Pervez Musharraf was due later on Sunday to hold his first news conference since imposing emergency rule on Nov. 3. Benazir Bhutto plans to lead a “long march” from Lahore to Islamabad, beginning on Tuesday, to put more pressure on Musharraf to revoke emergency rule, restore the constitution and the sacked judges, quit as army chief, hold elections in January, and release thousands of detainees. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
China coal mine death toll rises to 35 BEIJING, Nov 11 (AFP) The number of miners killed in a gas leak in Qunli coal mine in Guizhou province has risen to 35, after rescuers found bodies of the last three missing workers on Saturday and early Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. The gas leak occurred when 86 miners were working in the shaft. Fifty-two people were rescued. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Justice Iqbal appointed Chairman Press Council of Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf has appointed Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal as Chairman of the Press Council of Pakistan with immediate effect and for a period of 3 years on salary, allowances and perquisites admissible to a judge of the Supreme Court. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Guantanamo builds tent city for war-crime tribunals, amid uncertain future GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba, Nov 11 (AP) A network of canvas tents has been custom designed for the U.S. military's embattled war-crime tribunals _ with flexibility to pick up and move in case Guantanamo closes. Nearly 100 tents and a windowless courthouse made of corrugated metal will form the US$12 million Expeditionary Legal Complex which is scheduled to open in the spring to hold trials for dozens of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Navy base in southeast Cuba. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Canadian bridge collapses, injuring 5 TORONTO, Nov 11 (AP) A bridge being built near Lucknow, Ontario, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of Toronto collapsed, injuring five construction workers, one of them seriously, police said. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Explosion on US Navy cruiser injures 6 SAN DIEGO, Nov 11 (AP) An explosion in the hull of a US Navy cruiser during routine maintenance injured six workers on Saturday, two of them critically, authorities said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Commonwealth debate Pakistan suspension on Monday LONDON, Nov 11, 2007 (AFP) Foreign ministers will debate whether Pakistan should be suspended from the Commonwealth over President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule at an extraordinary meeting Monday. Monday's meeting in London is likely to act as a curtain raiser for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, on November 23 to 25. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Election chief gunned down in Philippines MANILA, Nov 11 (AFP) The chief legal officer of the Philippines' elections commission has been shot and killed outside a hotel in Manila, a report said Sunday. Alioden Dalaig, 64, was already dead by the time he was taken to hospital, the Philippine Star reported. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Lights dim on Broadway as a second strike hits US entertainment NEW YORK, Nov 11 (AFP) -The fabled lights of Broadway dimmed Saturday as stagehands walked out, the second labour crisis in a week to rock the powerhouse US entertainment industry on the heels of a separate film and TV writers' strike. The stagehands' strike plunged Broadway into the dark as the backstage workers pushed for a pay raise, producers and theatre owners said. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
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