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| November 18, 2007 | Sunday | Ziqa’ad 07, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Pakistan says US envoy brought 'nothing new' ISLAMABAD, Nov 18 (AP): Pakistan dismissed a call by America's No. 2 diplomat for President General Pervez Musharraf to restore the constitution and free political opponents. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq told Associated Press Sunday that the U.S. envoy brought no new proposals and received no assurances in return. “This is nothing new,” referring to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte's warning that Musharraf end emergency rule. “The U.S. has been saying this for many days. He reiterated it.” The spokesman said the government was taking all steps to hold fair elections. He said any decision to lift the emergency would “be taken according to the ground situation.” (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
U.S. envoy warns Pakistan emergency undermines poll ISLAMABAD, Nov 18 (Reuters) U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Sunday he had urged President Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule, warning it was “not compatible” with free and fair elections. He praised Musharraf's role in the fight against al Qaeda and Taliban militants, saying Washington valued its partnership with their ally, but was blunt in urging him to lift emergency rule. “Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections,” Negroponte told a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Islamabad. He said he had also called on Musharraf to release thousands of opposition figures who have been imprisoned, and to stick to his word to quit as army chief. “If those steps aren't taken, it will certainly undermine the government's ability to conduct satisfactory elections,” he said. Negroponte sidestepped a question on whether the U.S. would withhold military aid to Pakistan unless Musharraf made good on his promises, describing Pakistan and then United States as two “friendly” countries facing common challenges. “We welcome President Musharraf's announcement that elections will take place in January, a commitment he repeated to me yesterday in categorical terms. He also repeated his commitment to retire from his army post before commencing his second presidential term, and we urge him to do so as soon as possible.” “Recent political actions against protesters, suppression of the media and the arrests of political and human rights leaders, runs directly counter to reforms that have been undertaken in recent years... I've urged the government of Pakistan to stop such actions, to lift the state of emergency and release all political detainees.” Negroponte said reconciliation between moderate political forces was “very desirable”. “Engagement and dialogue, not brinksmanship and confrontation, should be the order of the day for all parties,” he said. “If steps were taken by both sides to move back towards the kinds of reconciliation discussions that they have been having previously, we think that that would be very positive.” (First Posted @ 10:05 PST Updated @ 10:40 PST)
One killed in Pakistan train bomb: police PESHAWAR, Nov 18 (AFP): A bomb targeting a passenger train exploded Sunday on a railway track in northwestern Pakistan, killing one man, police said. The remote controlled device carrying about four kilogrammes of explosives went off as the express train from Karachi was heading toward Peshawar, a police officer told AFP. It destroyed one carriage of the train, which was about 20 kilometres from Peshawar, but the death toll was low because all the passengers in that coach had disembarked at a previous station, he said. “Only one railway employee who was sitting in the coach was killed,” the official told AFP. A short section of track was blown up. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Parachinar sectarian clashes kill 90 PESHAWAR, Nov 18 (AFP): Sectarian clashes in Kurram district had claimed at least 90 lives till Sunday. Most of the fighting occurred in the main town, Parachinar. State television said another 150 people were injured. Major General Waheed Arshad said his information was that 80 civilians had been killed. He said 11 soldiers from the army and paramilitary forces had also died with 32 injured in the cross-fire. “Security forces suffered casualties because they were trying to avert the clashes,” he added. Witnesses reported continued fighting overnight despite a curfew in place since Friday. (First Posted @ 12:26 PST Updated @ 17:02 PST)
US concerned at Pakistan unrest: Negroponte ISLAMABAD, Nov 18 (AFP) The United States is concerned at Islamic militancy in Pakistan's northwest and believes it will take some time for Islamabad to overcome the unrest, John Negroponte, the US deputy secretary of state said Sunday. He admitted Pakistan faced “challenges” in the scenic Swat valley, and “it is yet another reason to be concerned about the situation in Pakistan,” he told reporters after two days of talks with President Pervez Musharraf and other key officials. “The situation in Swat is a reminder of the fact that there are issues to deal with regarding violent extremists in this country. The government of Pakistan is undertaking major efforts at the moment to deal with the situation in Swat and I suspect it will be doing so for a while to come.” (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Iran does not want to use oil as a weapon: Ahmadinejad RIYADH, Nov 18, (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that Iran never wanted to use oil as a weapon, but if the US attacked the country it would “know how to react.” We would never want to use oil as a weapon or take any illegal actions ... but if America takes any action against us we will know how to reply,” he said at a press conference on the sidelines of an OPEC summit here. (Posted @ 23:34 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan beat India in fifth one-dayer JAIPUR, India, Nov 18, (AFP) - Pakistan defeated India by 31 runs in the fifth and final one-day international here on Sunday. India won the series 3-2. Brief scores: Pakistan 306-6 in 50 overs; India 275 in 49.5 overs. (Posted @ 22:42 PST)
US secretly helping Musharraf to guard nukes: report WASHINGTON, Nov 18, (AFP) - The United States is helping Pakistan keep its nuclear weapons secure in a top-secret program that has cost Washington almost 100 million dollars, the New York Times reported. Citing unnamed current and former senior officials, the newspaper reported on its website late Saturday. (Posted @ 22:14 PST)
Bangladesh Red Crescent says 5,000-10,000 killed in cyclone DHAKA, Nov 18 (AFP): Up to 5,000 to 10,000 people are believed to have died in the cyclone that ripped through southern Bangladesh, the head of the country's Red Crescent Society told AFP Sunday. (First Posted @ 09:35 PST Updated @ 20:48 PST)
US troops accused of wounding six in Iraq shooting SAMAWA, Iraq, Nov 18 (Reuters): The governor of an Iraqi province, Muthanna, has accused U.S. troops of opening fire on civilian cars south of Baghdad on Sunday, wounding six people, and threatened to suspend ties with U.S. officials over the “brutal” attack. A U.S. military spokesman said no information was immediately available when contacted about the incident. A minibus driver said two of his passengers were wounded when soldiers in a military convoy opened fire. (Posted @ 20:46 PST)
Five killed as car bomb targets top Iraqi official BAGHDAD, Nov 18 (AFP): A car bomb exploded against a passing convoy of a top Iraqi finance ministry official on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding nine more, security officials said. The bomb exploded near the Al-Hurriyah Square in central Baghdad's Karrada neighbourhood, officials said. The finance ministry official, whose identity was not immediately known, escaped unhurt but one of his bodyguards was wounded. (Posted @ 20:18 PST)
More quakes rock northern Chile SANTIAGO, Nov 18 (AFP): More heavy aftershocks shook northern Chile Sunday following a deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake. Two moderate shocks registering 5.5-5.6 on the moment magnitude scale hit early Sunday, one east of Arica close to the border of Peru, and a second offshore 60 kilometers north-northwest of the coastal city of Antofagasta, the US Geological Survey reported. On Saturday eight quakes were registered between 4.6 and 6.0 magnitude in the Antofagasta area, according to the USGS. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Heavy rain cause floods in northeastern Greece ATHENS, Nov 18 (Reuters): Authorities declared a state of emergency in parts of northeastern Greece on Sunday after heavy rain caused floods near the border with Turkey, forcing residents of several villages to evacuate their homes. (Posted @ 20:14 PST)
Jordanian king in Syria on “important” trip DAMASCUS, Nov 18 (AP): Jordan's King Abdullah II arrived in Syria Sunday on a previously unannounced trip, his first to the Syrian capital in nearly four years, Syria's official news agency reported. Jordan's chief government spokesman confirmed the king was in Damascus to meet President Bashar Assad, describing the visit as “important.” He did not, however, detail the topics to be discussed. (Posted @ 20:06 PST)
South Africa defeats New Zealand by an innings and 59 runs CENTURION, South Africa, Nov 18 (AP): South Africa defeated New Zealand by an innings and 59 runs after tea Sunday to win the second test and take the two-match series 2-0. Scores: South Africa 383 (Jacques Kallis 131, Hashim Amla 103; Mark Gillespie 5-136) def. New Zealand 188-9 (Craig Cumming 48 retired hurt; Dale Steyn 4-42) and 136-9 (Stephen Fleming 54; Steyn 6-49). (Posted @ 19:38 PST)
Nine including two children killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov 18 (AFP): Insurgents killed at least nine people including two children across Iraq on Sunday. Three people, including two children, were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a football ground in Baquba. Seven other people, including six children, were wounded. A car bomb attack against a police patrol in Mosul killed three civilians, one of them a woman, and wounded 16 others, said a police spokesman for Nineveh province. Four policemen were among the injured. In Tikrit, a policeman was killed and three others wounded when the roadside bomb they were trying to defuse exploded, a police official said. Two people, one of them a policeman, were killed in an attack by gunmen in Amara on Sunday morning,” said a police official. (First Posted @ 17:04 PST Updated @ 19:24 PST)
25,000 march for Belgian unity, urge politicians to end deadlock BRUSSELS, Nov 18 (AP): Thousands marched in Belgium's capital Sunday to vent their anger about a linguistic deadlock that prevents a government from taking office and has stoked fears the nation of Dutch- and French-speakers may break apart. The 25,000 demonstrators, Francophones and Dutch, gathered at a park to sing the national anthem and hear speakers implore politicians to work for Belgian unity. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
Nepal Maoists rally for end of monarchy KATHMANDU, Nov 18 (AFP): More than 3,000 Maoists rallied in Nepal's capital on Sunday to have the monarchy abolished in a protest a day before the winter session of parliament opens to debate the issue, witnesses said. “Declare Nepal a republic,” and other slogans were shouted before the protesters gathered in the centre of the capital for a rally led by party leaders, an AFP reporter at the scene said. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Greece, Turkey inaugurate joint gas pipeline TURKISH/GREEK BORDER, Nov 18 (Reuters): Greece and Turkey on Sunday inaugurated a pipeline that will pump natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, easing the continent's dependence on Russian energy supplies and boosting ties between old rivals. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Greek counterpart Costas Karamanlis, shook hands in a symblic meeting on a bridge over a river which separates both countries. “We are forming a bridge as an energy transit country,” Erdogan said in a speech at a ceremony held on the Turkish side of the border. (Posted @ 18:08 PST)
28 dead in Saudi gas pipeline blaze RIYADH, Nov 18 (AFP): Twenty-eight people, including five employees of Aramco, were killed in a fire which broke out on a gas pipeline in eastern Saudi Arabia Sunday, a Saudi state oil firm, Aramc,o spokesperson for the told AFP. The official said the blaze erupted on the Haradh-Uthmaniyah gas pipeline, 30 kilometres from a major gas processing plant at Hawiyah. (First Posted @ 15:50 PST Updated @ 17:56 PST)
Taliban hang policemen's bodies from trees: police KANDAHAR, Nov 18 (AFP): Afghanistan's Taliban militia shot dead five policemen they abducted two months ago and strung their bodies in trees in a village, a provincial police chief said Sunday. Alerted to the bodies on display, police went Sunday to the area in Uruzgan province and killed two rebels in a firefight, the police chief said. (Posted @ 16:58 PST)
Jimmy Carter to visit Nepal KATHMANDU, Nov 18 (AP): Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will visit Nepal this week, an official said Sunday. Carter is scheduled to arrive Wednesday for a four-day visit which will include meetings with government officials, political party leaders, the election commission, private organisations and marginalised groups, the Atlanta-based Carter Center said in a statement. (Posted @ 16:54 PST)
Military pounds militant positions in Swat ISLAMABAD, Nov 18 (AFP): Artillery and helicopter gunships Sunday pounded bases of militants loyal to pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah in a troubled northwestern valley, the military said. The helicopters targeted positions in Kanju area of Swat Valley, chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. “A military operation is already underway. Ground forces will also be used to intensify the operation shortly,” he said, adding that militant casualties were heavy. He said about 120 rebels had been killed in the past few days, while five soldiers also died in the clashes. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
39 killed, 50 missing in Ukraine mine blast DONETSK, Ukraine, Nov 18 (AFP): A gas explosion ripped through a Ukrainian coal mine on Sunday killing at least 39 miners, the ministry of emergency situations said. More than 450 people were working in the mine when the explosion occurred. Rescuers were searching for 50 miners in the Zasyadko mine in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, a ministry spokesman told AFP. A fire ignited by the blast was still burning underground, he said. (First Posted @ 15:55 PST Updated @ 20:52 PST)
Floods kill 17 in Papua New Guinea SYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters): At least 17 people were reported killed and several dozen others missing after widespread flooding destroyed about 450 houses in Papua New Guinea following a week of heavy rains, police said. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Four Sudanese soldiers die of thirst in desert KHARTOUM, Nov 18 (Reuters): Four Sudanese soldiers died of hunger and thirst after they got lost in a desert and ran out of fuel, state media reported Sunday. Another 17 of their comrades were found in a critical condition by army patrols who scoured Sudan's remote Northern region for three days looking for them. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Cargo ship sinks in Sea of Japan MOSCOW, Nov 18 (AFP): A cargo ship sank Sunday during a storm in the Sea of Japan after the vessel's Russian crew evacuated onto life rafts in high seas, a news agency reported. The 30 crew members and six passengers were awaiting rescue amid four-metre waves, Russia's Interfax news agency reported, citing a local official with the emergency situations ministry. The vessel sank 180 kilometres south of the far eastern Russian port of Nakhodka, Interfax reported. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Japan-US alliance struggling: media TOKYO, Nov 18 (AFP) Talks between Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and US President George W. Bush reflected major challenges the bilateral alliance faces over issues including North Korea, local media said Sunday. The first summit talks between Fukuda and Bush “tried to stop the bilateral relationship from cooling,” the Nikkei business daily said in its editorial. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Cricket: Australia 111 for 1 to lead Sri Lanka by 407 runs HOBART, Australia, Nov 18 (AFP) Australia were 111 for one in their second innings, holding a 407-run lead over Sri Lanka at the close of the third day in the second cricket Test at Bellerive Oval here Sunday. Phil Jaques was unbeaten on 53 with skipper Ricky Ponting on seven. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 246 in reply to Australia's first innings 542 for five declared. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Nine bodies found in Baghdad, Mosul Baghdad, Nov 18(Reuters) At least nine more bodies have been found by police from various areas in Baghdad and Mosul during the last 24 hours. Five bodies, including that of a police captain, were found dumped in different areas of Mosul, while four bodies were found in various parts of Baghdad. Meanwhile, a roadside bomb wounded two people in Ameen district of southeastern Baghdad, while a roadside bomb hit a police commando patrol near al-Tayaran Square in central Baghdad, wounding two policemen, police said. Several rockets or mortar rounds landed in Rustumiya neighbourhood in southeastern Baghdad but caused no casualties, police said. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Operation kills, wounds 100 Taliban KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Nov 18 (AFP) An operation involving Afghan and Canadian soldiers in Zahri district of Kandahar province has killed or wounded around 100 Taliban, police chief Sayed Agha Saqeb said Sunday. It has also cost the lives of two Canadian soldiers and their interpreter, as well as an Afghan soldier. “Twenty-five Taliban have been buried in one location,” he said. The police chief had no breakdown for his toll, which could not be checked independently. (Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Chavez starts OPEC summit with 200-dollar oil warning RIYADH, Nov 18 (AFP) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez opened an OPEC summit on Saturday with a chilling warning about 200-dollar oil if the United States attacks Iran in a speech that also urged the cartel to be more political. But internal divisions about the role of the oil exporters' group were highlighted when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, OPEC kingpin and key US regional ally, sounded a moderate note, saying oil “must not become an instrument for conflict.” “If the United States was mad enough to attack Iran or aggress Venezuela again the price of a barrel of oil won't just reach 100 dollars, but even 200 dollars,” Chavez said. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Saudi Arabia announces $ 300m climate change fund RIYADH, Nov 18 (AFP) Saudi Arabia announced Saturday a multi-million-dollar fund to tackle global warming at the opening of the third OPEC summit in Riyadh, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz said the kingdom will invest 300 million dollars to develop technology to tackle climate change. “I announce that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is giving an amount of 300 million dollars that will be basis of a programme that will finance research related to the future of energy, environment and climate change,” he said. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Five killed in Brazil prison riot after attempted breakout SAO PAULO, Nov 18 (AFP) - Five inmates were killed Saturday in a two-hour prison riot that followed an attempted breakout at a penitentiary in northeastern Brazil, prison director Roberto Goulart said. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Ex-guerilla claims Kosovo vote victory as independence looms PRISTINA, Serbia, Nov 18 (AFP) - Former Kosovo guerilla leader Hashim Thaci, whose party favours speedy independence, claimed victory Sunday after crucial parliamentary elections in the disputed Serbian province. “I thank all of those who helped our victory and the victory of Kosovo,” Thaci told a celebration of his Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which an unofficial tally showed had won 35 percent of Saturday's vote. Results compiled by independent poll observers had earlier showed the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) of President Fatmir Sejdiu trailed the PDK with 23 percent of the vote. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Muslim couple shot dead in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Nov 18 (AFP) Suspected separatists shot dead an old Muslim couple at their home in Thailand's insurgency-torn south on Saturday, police said Sunday. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
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