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| November 14, 2007 | Wednesday | Ziqa’ad 03, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Satellite Parameters for DAWN NEWS Satellite: Intelsat 10, Band -C Downlink Frequency: 4126.05 Mhz Symbol rate: 3255 Kbps FEC: 3/4 Polarization: Horizontal |
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Musharraf expects to quit army this month RAWALPINDI, Nov 14 (AP): President General Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday he expects to step down as army chief by end-November and begin a new presidential term as a civilian. He warned that the country risked chaos if he gave in to opposition demands to resign. In an interview with The Associated Press, the military ruler accused Benazir Bhutto of fueling political turmoil, and rejected Western pressure to quickly lift emergency rule, which he indicated was likely to continue through January elections. (Posted @ 20:25 PST)
US says Pakistan must lift emergency before elections WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (AFP): The White House said Wednesday it was “hard to imagine” Pakistan's coming elections could be judged as free and fair if they occur under a state of emergency. “Free and fair elections need to be done without a state of emergency,” said spokeswoman Dana Perino. But Perino refused to say whether Washington was ruling out accepting the results. “We believe free and fair elections be held without a state of emergency. We are urging Pakistan to do that,” she said. The spokeswoman also declined to say when a US “review” of its aid would be complete, stoking widespread expectations Washington will not cut assistance to Islamabad. (Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Benazir seeks opposition unity against Musharraf LAHORE, Nov 14 (AFP): Benazir Bhutto worked the phones Wednesday as she sought to forge a united opposition front against Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf while under house arrest. She has spoken to nine other leading political opponents of Musharraf in the past two days, a senior aide in her party told AFP. They are hoping to reach agreement for an all-parties conference later this month -- possibly as early as next week. The agenda of the talks is the revival of democracy and restoration of the 1973 constitution,” said the aide. “I want to build an alliance, a single point agenda for the restoration of democracy,” Bhutto, who is under house arrest in Lahore said Tuesday. (Posted @ 18:07 PST)
Nawaz Sharif says can work with Benazir Bhutto ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (Reuters): Exiled former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday he was ready to work with Benazir Bhutto, against the military rule of President General Pervez Musharraf. “We are ready to set aside our differences with the People's Party and work for the return of democratic rule,” Sharif told Reuters by telephone from Saudi Arabia. Asked whether there was any possibility of a broad opposition coalition against Musharraf, he said: “It's the need of the hour.” Sharif said the opposition should focus on getting the judges Musharraf dismissed reinstated. “... all other issues will be solved if judiciary is restored. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
India protests Islamabad high commission break-in NEW DELHI, Nov 14 (AFP): India said Wednesday it has lodged an official complaint over a break-in at the Islamabad residence of its top envoy to Pakistan. “The residence of the high commissioner of India in Islamabad was broken into,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “A strong protest has been lodged with the government of Pakistan in Islamabad and with the high commission of Pakistan in New Delhi.” The statement said the break-in occurred on Monday night, but did not provide further details. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
EU hesitant about cutting aid to Pakistan STRASBOURG, Nov 14 (AFP): The European Union urged caution about cutting off aid to Pakistan on Wednesday while stepping up calls for President Musharraf to lift emergency rule. “Any measures to suspend cooperation... would strike a population already struck with many difficulties,” said Portuguese European Affairs Minister Manuel Lobo Antunes, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner stressed that much of the European Commission's aid to Pakistan focused on fighting poverty and improving education. “I think we need to reflect very carefully about any moves to cut aid to the country,” she told EU lawmakers. (Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Lara, Inzamam confirmed for India's rebel cricket league NEW DELHI, Nov 14 (AFP): Former Test captains Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul Haq were Wednesday confirmed to play in India's rebel Twenty20 league following a goof-up over players' lists. Lara and Inzamam, touted as star attractions of the Indian Cricket League (ICL), were missing when the six teams for the inaugural event were announced earlier in the day. ICL officials later clarified both players will take part in the league to be played from November 30. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Afridi, Gambhir fined for on-field collision DUBAI, Nov 14 (AP): Shahid Afridi and Gautam Gambhir were fined Wednesday following their on-field collision and altercation during the third one-day international between India and Pakistan. The International Cricket Council fined Afridi 95 percent of his match fee, while Gambhir was fined 65 percent of his match fee. (Posted @ 20:35 PST)
Deposed SC CJ says he enjoys support of 60 judges Peshawar November 14 (PPI): The deposed Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry in a message read out in NWFP Bar Association said there was no legal ground for imposition of emergency. He said the movement by civil society, lawyers and political parties against the emergency and restoration of the deposed judges would succeed. He said more than 60 judges had refused to take oath under new Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) and supported him. The deposed Chief Justice said those who abrogated the constitution would face legal action and could be tried under Article 6 of the constitution. He said that he and the 60 judges who refused to take oath under PCO still retained their position and no one could dismiss them unconstitutionally. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
PML-Q announces board to decide party tickets ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (APP): President Pakistan Muslim League-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Wednesday announced an eleven member Parliamentary Board to decide party tickets for the next general elections. The board reserves the right to co-opt any other person as member for consultation. The PML Secretary General Senator Mushahid Hussain will be the Secretary of the Board. (Posted @ 19:35 PST)
Gunship helicopters kill 16 militants in Swat PESHAWAR, Nov 14 (AFP): Pakistani gunship helicopters and artillery pounded pro-Taliban militant hideouts in a troubled northwestern valley on Wednesday, killing at least 16 insurgents, the army said. The army said they struck rebel dens in different areas of Swat, a former tourist spot that has been partly overrun by followers of a hardline cleric calling for the imposition of Islamic Sharia law. “Helicopters were used in the operation. They shelled known militant positions on hill tops,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. “Troops have been deployed in the area and will be moved when needed. ”A military statement said artillery was also used. Six militants were killed and a large number injured in the Shangla area of the scenic valley and 10 others were killed in separate incidents, Arshad said. Troops also arrested four militants carrying radio sets and grenades, he said. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Musharraf says will quit 'when turmoil is over' ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (AFP): Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf vowed Wednesday not to quit until the country's political turmoil was over, strongly defending his decision to impose a state of emergency. In an interview with Britain's Sky News television, he reiterated general elections promised by January 9 would be held under emergency rule. “The day when there is no turmoil in Pakistan, I will step down,” he said. “I am not a dictator, I want a democracy.”In brief excerpts released by Sky on its website, Musharraf admitted the political situation was not going well and called for unity. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Olmert sets new condition on Palestinian talks JERUSALEM, Nov 14 (Reuters): Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday talks on Palestinian statehood must be predicated on the recognition of Israel as “the state of the Jewish people”, a new Israeli condition. A senior Palestinian negotiator swiftly rejected Olmert's demand and the issue threatened to complicate attempts to draft a joint document that would serve as the foundation for a U.S.-hosted Middle East conference later this month. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Imran Khan defiant in police custody LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 14 (AFP): Former Pakistan cricketer and chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Imran Khan told AFP from police custody he was trying to start a student movement against emergency rule when he was arrested on Wednesday after more than a week in hiding. “I came to the university to lead a rally of students against the dictator Musharraf and his illegal actions,” Khan said. “I would have presented myself for arrest in full public view but my goal was to set in motion a student movement.” Khan spoke to AFP by telephone shortly after he was detained while trying to lead a rally at Lahore's Punjab University. He said he was betrayed by a group of students. “The majority of the students were with me there but a group of them from Islami-Jamiat-Tuliba collaborated with the administration and police,” Khan said. “They took me into the office and then forced me out into a van. They did not allow me to be arrested publicly.” He added: “I have achieved my purpose. I have started the student movement, I have set the tone for it.” Police earlier confirmed they had arrested Khan and would place him back under house arrest, which he slipped out from more than a week ago. Police said that cricket legend Imran Khan is to be charged under the anti-terrorism legislation. (First Posted @ 12:40 PST, Updated @ 14:30 PST)
Magnitude 7.7 quake hits northern Chile WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters): A powerful 7.7 quake hit northern Chile on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It said the quake, 60 km deep, was centered 106 km west of the town of Calama and struck at 1540 GMT. The quake was initially reported at 7.8 magnitude by the agency and later verified at 7.7 (Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Dutch minister, Karzai discuss Afghan mission KABUL, Nov 14 (AFP): Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Dutch defence minister held talks Wednesday as the Netherlands studies whether to keep its 1,500 troops here. The Dutch parliament is due to decide within weeks on whether to continue the controversial mission after its mandate expires August 2008, with a poll last month finding the majority of Dutch oppose an extension. (Posted @ 20:35 PST)
Switzerland suspends arms exports to Pakistan GENEVA, Nov 14 (AFP): The Swiss government said Wednesday it was temporarily suspending arms exports to Pakistan in light of the political crisis engulfing the country. Pakistan is still awaiting delivery of some 15 anti-aircraft batteries and ammunition, after Switzerland's Federal Council approved the sale of 21 such systems for a total of 136 million Swiss francs ($121 million) last December. The economy ministry said that the first six systems had already been delivered at a cost of around 38 million Swiss francs. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Polish soldiers charged over Afghan killings WARSAW, Nov 14 (Reuters): Prosecutors said Wednesday they had charged seven Polish soldiers over the shooting to death of six Afghan civilians. Prosecutor Karol Frankowski said the killings, which took place in August, were not accidental and did not happen in response to any life endangering situation. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
India to boost eastern naval fleet KOLKATA, Nov 14 (Reuters): India will strengthen its naval fleet on the eastern front, the regional commander said Wednesday, adding destroyers and frigates among other ships, in an apparent move to counter Chinese interest in the region. Over the next five years, India's plans to station an aircraft carrier in the Bay of Bengal along with at least half of the 32 new warships and six submarines India plans to add to its fleet, Vice Admiral Raman Suthan said in Kolkata. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Suicide bomber kills two in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 14 (Reuters): At least two people were killed and six wounded when a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives attacked a gathering of Sunni Arab tribal sheikhs in Iskandariya, 40 kms south of Baghdad on Wednesday, police sources said. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Iraqi forces shut down HQ of powerful Sunni group BAGHDAD, Nov 14 (AFP): Iraqi government soldiers shut down the Baghdad headquarters of one of the most powerful Sunni Muslim groups in Iraq on Wednesday, the group said. Soldiers moved into the Um al-Qura mosque in a Sunni district of western Baghdad where the Committee of Muslim Scholars is based and ordered the occupants out, according to a statement on the group's website. (Posted @ 18:55 PST)
Italian admiral chosen as NATO top officer BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (AP): NATO defence chiefs chose Italian Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola on Wednesday as chairman of the alliance's military committee, the alliance's senior military post. Di Paola was voted in ahead of rivals from Spain and Poland. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Palestinian police arrest 18 in West Bank NABLUS, West Bank, Nov 14 (AFP): Palestinian security services on Wednesday arrested 18 people, mostly members of the Islamist Hamas movement, in a northern West Bank village, police and Hamas members said. Police said those detained were wanted by the Palestinian Authority security services, four of them for alleged criminal activity. (Posted @ 18:25 PST)
Cyclone poised to slam into Bangladesh, eastern India DHAKA, Nov 14 (AFP): A cyclone packing high winds and heavy rains could slam into Bangladesh as early as Thursday and India a day later, forecasters said. Bangladesh went on alert on Wednesday as weather officials said Tropical Cyclone Sidr, hovering over the Bay of Bengal, could hit the southeastern coast of the disaster-prone country within 24 hours. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
Georgia vows to lift state of emergency on Friday TBILISI, Nov 14 (AFP): Georgia will lift a state of emergency on Friday, the speaker of parliament said Wednesday, a week after violent disturbances in the capital Tbilisi and growing international pressure. “Georgian life will return to normal on November 16,” Nino Burjanadze said in televised comments. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Eurostar begins high-speed London to Paris service LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters): The first Eurostar train slid out of the elegantly refurbished St. Pancras station in London Wednesday at the start of a new high-speed run to Paris. Trains will run from St Pancras in north London to the Channel Tunnel on a new line, allowing them to touch speeds of 299 km. The upgraded link will shave around 20 minutes off average journey times to Paris and Brussels, taking two hours 15 minutes to the French capital and one hour 53 minutes to the Belgian capital. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Election commission to finalise details ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (AFP): The election commission met Wednesday to finalise arrangements for the general election that has to be held before January 9, officials said. “The meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq is expected to finalise the election schedule and all election related matters,” a commission spokesman told AFP. An announcement of the date for the polls would not come until after the dissolution of the federal parliament on Thursday and, on November 20, that of Pakistan's four provincial assemblies, he said. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
I am not ready yet, says Shoaib Akhtar GWALIOR, Nov 14 (AFP): Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar admitted Wednesday he was not in shape for the ongoing series against India, despite impressive recent performances. “I was not ready for the one-dayers,” Akhtar told reporters. “I wanted to play three-four games before playing in the series. I also needed to train more in the gym and get into shape before the series. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Musharraf considered resignation: Britain's Sky News LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters): Britain's Sky News said Wednesday that President General Pervez Musharraf had told it in an interview he had considered resigning. In an interview due to broadcast later, Sky said Musharraf had considered his position but now felt he was the man to lead Pakistan into democracy. (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Roadside bomb wounds eight paramilitary troops in northwestern Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 14 (AP): A bomb hit a military convoy injuring eight paramilitary soldiers near northwest Pakistan’s Batkhela town (in Swat Valley), the military said Wednesday, without providing any details. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Pakistan parliament to dissolve midnight Thursday ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (AFP): Pakistan's parliament will be dissolved at midnight Thursday, deputy information minister Tariq Azeem said, giving details of the process leading to general elections President Musharraf promised by January 9. The assembly is completing its full term under the shadow of the state of emergency declared by President Musharraf on November 3. A caretaker government will be sworn in Friday to guide the country before elections. “The national assembly will get automatically dissolved Thursday midnight (19:00 GMT) on completion of its five-year term,” Azeem said. He said the name of the interim prime minister was also expected to be announced Thursday. “This is a historic moment for all of us,” Azeem said, adding it would be the first time for 22 years that an assembly was completing its mandate. Remaining provincial assemblies will dissolved on November 20. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
NY lawyers, judges rally for besieged Pakistani colleagues NEW YORK, Nov 14 (AP): Several New York area bar associations rallied on the steps of a courthouse Tuesday to show support for lawyers and judges in Pakistan who have been under siege since the imposition of emergency in the country. New York City Bar Association president Barry Kamins told the crowd of about 200 at the rally, ''It is shocking that so many lawyers and judges in Pakistan have been detained and imprisoned, and we are learning that at least some of these lawyers are being mistreated, perhaps tortured.'' At least 55 judges, 19 of them from the country's highest court, were placed under house arrest, Kamins said. The Manhattan rally, co-sponsored by six bar associations and Amnesty International, was a reaction to the ''horror'' of learning that ''judges and lawyers arrested and persecuted for doing what they are supposed to be doing - advocating for an independent judiciary and the rule of law,'' Kamins said. (Posted @ 11:45 PST)
Benazir Bhutto set to stay under house arrest LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov 14 (AFP): Security officials in Pakistan said former premier Benazir Bhutto was likely to stay under house arrest Wednesday. About 1,000 police kept a security stranglehold around Senator Latif Khosa’s residence where Benazir was assigned to house arrest in Lahore. The house is encircled on all four sides by barbed wire. Wooden barricades, heavy containers and police vehicles are also in place. A senior security official said the seven-day house arrest order - issued in the early hours of Tuesday - was set to continue at least during Wednesday with police concerned she may still try to join the procession. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Bush calls for end to Pakistan emergency NEW ALBANY, Indiana, Nov 14 (AFP): US President George W. Bush said Tuesday he hoped President Musharraf would end a state of emergency and hold elections soon while remaining a staunch ally in the war on terrorism. “He understands the stakes of the war, and I do believe he understands the importance of democracy,” Bush told the Fox Business Network in an interview. The US president noted that he had urged Musharraf by telephone one week ago to lift the state of emergency, hold elections, and quit as army chief. “He's agreed to hold elections in January, and he's agreed to take his uniform off. And our judgment is, is that the sooner he can suspend his emergency decree, the faster Pakistan gets back on the road to democracy,” he said. “When I talked to him, I said: 'You got to get Pakistan back on the road to democracy as quickly as possible.' And that means elections, and that means that, in my judgment, the road to democracy means you can't be the head of the military and the president at the same time,” said Bush. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Britain to pledge $500 million if progress in Mideast LONDON, Nov 14 (AFP): Britain would pledge 500 million dollars in aid for Palestinian reconstruction if there is tangible progress on improving security in the region, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Chinese gets death for giving secrets to Japan TOKYO, Nov 14 (AFP): A former official at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo has been sentenced to death for leaking military secrets to Japan, a news report said Wednesday. Japan's Kyodo News, quoting unnamed sources in Beijing, said Wang Qingqian admitted in court that he passed on the information to Japan and demanded compensation. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
PMs of two Koreas hold first talks for 15 years SEOUL, Nov 14 (AFP): The prime ministers of North and South Korea held talks Wednesday for the first time in 15 years and promised to implement a sweeping reconciliation pact signed by their leaders last month. The North's Kim Yong-Il and his counterpart Han Duck-Soo are holding a three-day meeting on ways to implement the October 4 summit declaration by President Roh Moo-Hyun and the North's leader Kim Jong-Il. . (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Iran ex-nuclear official 'gave secrets to British embassy' TEHRAN, Nov 14 (AFP): A former Iranian nuclear official briefly imprisoned earlier this year has been charged with giving classified information to the British embassy, the intelligence minister said Wednesday. Hossein Moussavian, a close ally of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was released on bail after his detention in May but his case is not closed. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Four US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 14 (AFP): Insurgents killed four American soldiers and two Iraqis in separate attacks, officials said on Wednesday, as the US military suffered further losses in its deadliest year since the 2003 invasion. One American soldier was shot dead Wednesday during combat operations near the northern city of Mosul, a military statement said. Another two soldiers were killed in an explosion while conducting operations in the volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad on Tuesday, another statement said, adding that another four were wounded. (First Posted @ 16:35 PST Updated @ 20:05 PST)
Politicians take step foward in Bangladesh DHAKA, Nov 14 (AFP): A Bangladesh political party which held power until last October has re-opened its central office 10 months after it was closed due to the country's state of emergency, officials said Wednesday. The offices of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which led a coalition government under former prime minister Khaleda Zia, were shut down following the imposition of the emergency on January 11 and a ban on all political activity. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Iranian engineer kidnapped in Afghanistan HERAT, Nov 14 (Reuters): Unknown gunmen have kidnapped an Iranian engineer in western Afghanistan, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. He said two pickup trucks full of armed men snatched the man from the Ghoryan district of Herat province, close to the Iranian border, where he was working on a project to build a rail link from Iran. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
US ships make first north Vietnam stop since war HAIPHONG, Nov 14 (AFP): Two US Navy ships on Wednesday became the first since the war ended to dock in northern Vietnam, the US embassy said, reflecting growing bilateral ties. The USS Guardian and the USS Patriot would stay in Haiphong port until Sunday to allow their crew to tour the city, visit schools and meet Vietnamese authorities, it said. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Russia could counter US with missiles in Belarus: general MOSCOW, Nov 14 (AFP): Russia could counter a planned US anti-missile defence system in central Europe by deploying missiles in neighbouring ally Belarus, a senior Russian general said Wednesday. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Chad schoolchildren stage anti-French protest N'DJAMENA, Nov 14 (Reuters): Hundreds of Chadian schoolchildren shouting anti-French slogans demonstrated in the capital N'Djamena on Wednesday to protest against an attempt by a French group to fly children out of the country to Europe. The protesters, aged between 14 and 18 and wearing school uniforms, yelled slogans outside the French embassy and school and threw stones at vehicles driven by white foreigners or carrying diplomatic plates. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
One dead in blast near Tajik presidential palace DUSHANBE, Nov 14 (AFP): A strong blast shook a conference centre near Tajikistan's presidential palace on Wednesday killing a security guard and scattering debris, just as a European Union-run conference was due to start. The blast, described as a terrorist act by the prosecutor general, occurred at the centre only 350 metres from President Emomali Rakhmon's palace. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Seven die as Chinese elevator plummets 34 floors BEIJING, Nov 14 (Reuters): An elevator in eastern China plummeted 34 floors, killing seven workers and severely injuring 10 on Wednesday, state media said. The accident happened at a nearly finished block of flats in Wuxi City in coastal Jiangsu province, when 17 construction workers entered the elevator around noon. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Low caste Indian man killed after beating bull: report NEW DELHI, Nov 14 (AFP): A low-caste Indian man was stabbed to death and his body burnt in central India after he beat a bull that had charged into his courtyard, a report said on Wednesday. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Blackwater killed 14 Iraqis without cause: FBI report WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (AFP): FBI investigators have found that Blackwater guards shot 14 people with no justification in the controversial September 16 incident in Baghdad, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Seventeen people were killed when Blackwater private security guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad neighborhood. At least 14 of the shootings broke rules for private security guards in Iraq regarding the use of deadly force, the Times reported, citing unnamed civilian and military officials briefed on the case. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Two killed in blast near Baghdad's Green Zone BAGHDAD, Nov 14 (AFP): A roadside bomb attack targeting a US patrol near Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone killed two Iraqi civilians and wounded three Wednesday, security officials said. One heavily armoured Stryker vehicle of the US military was badly damaged in the blast near the Green Zone, an AFP correspondent at the site reported. The blast occurred around 8:10 am at a time when hundreds of Iraqis queue up to enter the Green Zone, which houses the US and British embassies and the Iraqi parliament. (First Posted @ 10:40 PST, Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Rebel politicians get police protection in Bangladesh DHAKA, Nov 14 (Reuters): A rebel faction of one of Bangladesh's main political groups entered the central offices of their party under heavy police guard Wednesday, signalling a major change in the country's political landscape. The offices of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of detained former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia had been locked since January when the army-backed interim government took charge and banned all political activity. Witnesses said police cordoned off the BNP headquarters in Dhaka to allow reformists to enter the building. The BNP rebel faction, led by Khaleda's former finance minister Saifur Rahman and ex-commerce minister Hafizuddin Ahmed, has been invited by the Election Commission (EC) to talks on November 22 to prepare for delayed elections. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Roadside bomb blast kills four Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov 14 (AP): Sri Lankan soldiers triggered a roadside bomb in northern Sri Lanka’s Mannar district Tuesday evening, killing four Tamil Tiger rebels, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said Wednesday. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Several Taliban killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov 14 (AP): U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces clashed with militants and called in airstrikes in southern Afghanistan, leaving several militants dead, the coalition said in a statement. Insurgents attacked the joint force with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades in Deh Rawood district, in Uruzgan province Tuesday, before fleeing into a civilian home, the statement said. ''Shortly after the combined force determined the enemy's positions, four separate precision air strikes effectively eliminated the insurgents who were trying to reinforce the enemy positions,'' the coalition said late Tuesday. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Moderate quake strikes Indonesia's North Maluku JAKARTA, Nov 14 (AFP): A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's North Maluku province Wednesday, seismologists said, but there were no reports of casualties or damage. The deep undersea quake hit at 1:29 pm, 97 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital of Ternate at a depth of 50 kilometres under the seabed, the Indonesian meteorological agency said. It was felt in Ternate and Maluku, an official at the agency said. (Posted @ 10:12 PST)
US has no good option in a Pakistan nuclear 'nightmare' WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (AFP): The US armed forces are virtually powerless to prevent Pakistan's nuclear arsenal from falling into militant hands if the political crisis in Islamabad spins out of control, analysts warned. Instead, they said, Washington can do little but help to resolve the crisis and preserve its strong ties with Pakistan's military elite, whether or not General Pervez Musharraf stays in power. “There's no good military option at all,” Daniel Markey, a former US government policy planner for South Asia, told AFP Tuesday in Washington. It would be an “incredibly ugly scenario,” he said, for US forces to try to find and secure the nuclear sites in the event of a militant takeover because they lack the intelligence needed to do so in such a large country. Leonard Spector, deputy director of the James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, doubted there was much of a military option. “The idea that somehow we're going to step in, I think that's a very remote possibility,” Spector said. Andrew Koch, a defence and security analyst with the consulting firm Scribe Strategies and Advisors, said Pakistan's atomic weapons are for now in the hands of a “very professional, pro-western elite” operating a secure network. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Three US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 14 (AFP): Insurgents killed three US soldiers and wounded four others in two separate insurgent attacks in Iraq, the American military said Wednesday. One soldier was shot dead Wednesday during military operations near Mosul, a military statement said. Two soldiers died in an explosion while conducting operations in Diyala province Tuesday, a separate statement said. Four soldiers were wounded in the blast and evacuated to hospital. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
North Koreans arrive in Seoul for first North-South prime ministers' talks in 15 years SEOUL, South Korea, Nov 14 (AP): North Korea's premier arrived Wednesday in Seoul for the first prime ministerial talks with South Korea in 15 years, to discuss implementing a wide-ranging reconciliation agreement that their leaders signed at a summit last month. Kim Yong Il was scheduled to hold three days of talks with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The two sides last held prime ministerial talks in 1992 that were suspended amid the first crisis over the North's nuclear weapons program. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Explosion in Tajik capital kills at least one DUSHANBE, Nov 14 (Reuters): An explosion rocked the centre of the Tajik capital Dushanbe Wednesday, killing at least one person, witnesses said. A witness saw at least one body lying on the pavement outside a conference hall located 300 metres from the presidential palace. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Two Philadelphia officers shot and wounded while serving warrant PHILADELPHIA, Nov 14 (AP): Two undercover narcotics officers were shot and wounded in northeast Philadelphia Tuesday while trying to serve a warrant. The suspected gunman was believed to be still inside a house where the shooting occurred, police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said. Several hours after the shooting, police took up to seven people from the house into custody. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Gunmen kill 21 Cameroon troops near Nigeria border YAOUNDE, Cameroon, Nov 14 (AP): Unidentified gunmen killed 21 Cameroonian soldiers and wounded ten in an attack near Nigeria's border Monday that also left about 10 assailants dead, officials said. The gunbattle in the formerly disputed Bakassi peninsula border region with Nigeria was reported Tuesday by Nigerian military officials, who said their country's armed forces were not involved. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Russia closes last military base in Georgia TBILISI, Nov 14 (Reuters): Russia said Tuesday it had formally ended its military presence in Georgia after more than two centuries, closing its last base in its small neighbour. Russia's commander of military forces in the Caucasus, Andrei Popov, signed documents handing over to Georgia the territory of its last base at Batumi in the Ajara autonomous republic. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Danish PM wins third term COPENHAGEN, Nov 14 (Reuters): Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen led his centre-right coalition to a third term in power in parliamentary elections Tuesday, promising voters he would lower taxes and maintain a tough stance on asylum-seekers. Rasmussen, 54, fought a close race with Social Democrat leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 40, who argued in her campaign that Danes would have to sacrifice better welfare for tax cuts. Rasmussen's Liberal-Conservative coalition and its far-right ally, the Danish People's Party (DPP), took a total of 90 seats in the 179-seat parliament. (Posted @ 08:45 PST )
Karaoke fire kills at least 11 in north China BEIJING, Nov 14 (Reuters): A fire swept through a Chinese karaoke bar early Wednesday killing at least 11 people, Xinhua news agency said. The fire broke out around 4 a.m. at the bar in Chengde county, 230 km northeast of Beijing, Xinhua said. (Posted @ 08:40 PST )
Karachi Stocks down 305.51 , points: KARACHI, Nov 14: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13315.58, down 305.51 , points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Nov 14: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61.18, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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