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| November 25, 2007 | Sunday | Ziqa’ad 14, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Best moment of my life: Nawaz Sharif LAHORE, Nov 25 (AFP): Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif thanking God after ending seven years of exile said it was the best moment of his life. Minutes after touching down at the airport he told party leaders. Speaking to party workers and supporters who had gathered at the airport he said, “I am very happy to be back... it is the best moment of my life.” “I am thankful to all those who stood up for me. I feel very humbled. I am dedicated to the people of Pakistan” said Sharif, beaming and waving to jubilant supporters at Lahore airport. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
Nawaz Sharif, entourage leave Lahore airport LAHORE, Nov 25 (Dawn News/Agencies): Former prime minster Nawaz Sharif came out of Lahore airportat about 7.35pm PST and left for the shrine of Data Darbar amid a procession of leaders of his party, PML-N, and thousands of party supporters. Earlier he and brother Shahbaz Sharif were moving very slowly in a cordon of security personnel at Allam Iqbal International Airport. The plane carrying about 40 people that included his wife Kulsoom, Shahbaz Sharif other members of the family and party leaders landed at Lahore airport at about 6pm PST. At least 6,000 security personnel were deployed to maintain law and order at the airport and the city. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Supporters mob Lahore airport to welcome Nawaz LAHORE, Nov 25 (Reuters/AFP): Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Lahore Sunday after seven years of exile, Reuters said quoting Dawn Television. Chanting “Long live Nawaz Sharif”, supporters surged towards the airport to give him a rousing welcome home from exile. A hardcore group of around 100 loyalists, some with party flags draped over their clothes, broke through a police cordon to reach the gates of the arrival hall, an AFP reporter said Police brandishing bamboo canes tried to push them back, but another 1,500 managed to gather in the car park outside Allama Iqbal international airport. As the crowd whipped themselves up into a frenzy, they began to chant “Go Musharraf, go.” Elsewhere in the city there was tight security, car horns blared, music boomed from loudspeakers and flags and colourful banners festooned the city. Late into the previous night diehard supporters had danced and enjoyed fireworks in the old part of Lahore. (Posted @ 18:34 PST)
Moderate earthquake jolts Rajanpur PESHAWAR, Nov 25 (APP) - An earthquake of moderate intensity measuring 5.1 magnitude on International Richter scale jolted Rajanpur on Sunday evening. The earthquake originated at 18:54hours PST and its epicenter was about 500 kilometers south of Peshawar in Punjab-Balochistan border region, according to local Met office here. (Posted @ 23:34 PST)
“We want democracy, nothing else” Nawaz Sharif LAHORE, Nov 25 (Reuters): Former prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Sunday he was determined to rid the country of dictatorship. “We want democracy and nothing else,” Sharif told the BBC by telephone on arriving back in Lahore from Medina. “I am here to play my role and also make my own efforts to rid the country of dictatorship.” Nawaz Sharif vows full role in Pakistan politics: party aides: LAHORE, Nov 25 (AFP): Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said he was not out for vengeance. “I thank God that I have arrived in Pakistan,” senior party officials, who were among the first to greet him, quoted Sharif as saying. “We will fully participate in national politics. We don't believe in the politics of vengeance,” Nawaz Sharif said. He said that PML-N would fully participate in the general elections. He was addressing the party workers here at Allama Iqbal International Airport on his arrival from Saudi Arabia after 7-year exile.(First Posted @ 19:18 PST Updated @ 22:48 PST)
Militants burn aid agency food in Waziristan: officials WANA, Nov 25 (AFP): Local militants seized and burned thousands of kilograms of food destined for pregnant women in South Waziristan, officials said Sunday. The food, mainly lentils and cooking oil, was taken from a hospital. It was supplied by the aid charity Save the Children to feed pregnant women suffering malnutrition. A Taliban activist said the food was destroyed because “foreign NGOs want to harm our future generations.” An administration official blamed health ministry officials for “mishandling” the situation, adding “this would not have happened had they consulted us.” Meanwhile in North Waziristan, three people were killed and five wounded when troops attacked suspected militant hideouts, local officials said. The “retaliatory” strikes in Mir Ali destroyed and were launched after militants hit a checkpost with a missile barrage. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Army says 30 militants, two soldiers killed in Swat fighting ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (AP): Troops captured militant positions in Swat Valley, killing 30 fighters and losing two soldier, an army spokesman said Sunday. Three more troops were wounded, the spokesman said. It was the first time ground troops have been used in Swat region, said army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad. In an operation launched late Saturday, troops gained control of mountaintops overlooking three militant-held villages near Swat's main town, Mingora, Arshad said. (First Posted @ 15:50 PST Updated @ 18:56 PST)
Commonwealth calls on Pakistan to remain engaged KAMPALA, Nov 25 (AFP): Commonwealth leaders called on Pakistan on Sunday to remain engaged with the group as they wrapped up a summit here. Leaders from the 53-nation federation “called on the government of Pakistan to respond positively to the Commonwealth's desire to remain engaged and support the return of democratic government and the rule of law.” (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
Strong earthquake hits western Indonesia: seismologists JAKARTA, Nov 26, (AFP) - A strong earthquake of 6.7-magnitude struck Sumbawa island in southeastern Indonesia early Monday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. (Posted @ 23:12 PST)
Nine injured as rockets hit Quetta house QUETTA, Nov 25 (PPI): Nine persons including women and children were injured when a rocket hit their house here late Sunday night.Three children and two women were injured and taken to civil hospital. In another incident two hand grenades were hurled at two houses in Satellite Town. The windowpanes of thehouses were shattered and caused panic in the area. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Bomb explosions kill one, injure 12 in Assam GAUHATI, Nov 25 (AP): Three separate explosions killed one person and wounded 12 others Sunday in northeastern India's insurgency-ravaged Assam state, police said. Two bombs went off, one after the other, in state capital of Gauhati, killing one person and injuring two others, said the state's inspector general of police. He said another bomb went off in the eastern district of Tinsukia, injuring 10 others. There was no claim of responsibility, but police suspect the attacks were carried out by a group fighting for an independent homeland in Assam. (First Posted @ 18:08 PST Updated @ 18:30 PST)
Arab states must not meddle in talks with Palestinians: Israel FM WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (AFP): Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Sunday welcomed Arab states attending a peace meeting in the US but said they should not be involved in bilateral talks between Israel and the Palestinians. “The Arab world is not supposed to define the terms of the negotiations or be involved in them,” she told reporters on board Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plane to Washington. (Posted @ 18:14 PST)
Iran arrests 11 Kurdish rebels: ministry TEHRAN, Nov 25 (AFP): Iranian security forces arrested 11 members of the outlawed Kurdish separatist group PJAK in western Kordestan province, the Mehr news agency reported Sunday. It said the rebel cell had been behind several bomb attacks and had set alight and attacked a police station in the provincial capital Sanandaj. (Posted @ 17:54 PST)
Four Egyptians shot dead in gunfight with police CAIRO, Nov 25 (Reuters): At least four Egyptians were shot dead and six others wounded in a gunfight between police and suspected drug dealers Sunday on the outskirts of Port Said on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, security sources said. Security sources said at least two of the dead were wanted by the police. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
China dam collapse kills six, seven missing BEIJING, Nov 25 (Reuters): A dam collapse in northeast China sent a torrent of mud and debris into two villages, killing six and leaving another seven missing, Xinhua news agency reported Sunday. The collapse of the dam, holding back waste from iron ore production, in Liaoning province's Shiqiaozi village injured another 17, all of whom were in stable condition. (Posted @ 17:14 PST)
Commonwealth: Malaysia wanted delay in Pakistan suspension KAMPALA, Nov 25 (Reuters): Malaysia wanted the Commonwealth to delay suspension of Pakistan over emergency rule last week, but went along with a majority decision, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Sunday. “We wanted the suspension delayed,” Abdullah told a news conference, but added: “anyway, we have to go along with the decision of the majority.” (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Third U.S. general in a week visits Turkey over PKK ANKARA, Nov 25 (Reuters): A third senior U.S. general to visit Turkey in less than a week has held talks in Ankara on ways to combat Kurdish PKK guerrillas based in northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on its Websit. (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
Saudi Arabia frees 1,500 extremists who repent: report RIYADH, Nov 25 (AFP): Saudi Arabia, waging a crackdown on Islamist militants, has released 1,500 extremists after they repented, Al-Watan newspaper said Sunday. The 1,500 were among 3,200 militants with whom a government-appointed “advice committee” met around 5,000 times since it was formed three years ago, said. The paper did not clarify if the rest had refused to renounce the ideology of “takfeer” -- branding other Muslims as infidels in order to legitimise violence against them. (Posted @ 16:52 PST)
Seven Myanmar migrants killed after Thai police chase BANGKOK, Nov 25 (AFP): Seven migrants from Myanmar and a Thai driver were killed Sunday after their pick-up truck plunged into a canal in central Thailand as the vehicle tried to evade police, local authorities said. The Myanmar victims -- two men, two women and three children -- were part of a group of 21 migrants travelling from the southern Thai border with Myanmar, police said. (Posted @ 16:46 PST)
Georgian president resigns ahead of snap elections TBILISI, Nov 25 (AFP): Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili resigned Sunday to launch his campaign in snap presidential elections, as his opponents protested in central Tbilisi for the first time since violent clashes with police this month. The resignation left parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze as interim president. Saakashvili, who came to power four years ago in the pro-democracy Rose Revolution, is now free to contest re-election in the January 5 poll. (Posted @ 16:42 PST)
Former KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov dies at 83 MOSCOW, Nov 25 (AP): Vladimir Kryuchkov, the former KGB chief who spearheaded a failed coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, has died, officials said Sunday. He was 83. Kryuchkov died Friday in Moscow, said a spokesman for the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)
Hollywood celebrities flee, homes gutted as wildfire ravages Malibu LOS ANGELES, Nov 25 (AFP): Hollywood stars were among thousands of people who found themselves homeless Sunday after wind-driven wildfires gutted nearly 50 multi-million dollar homes in the celebrity enclave of Malibu. The fires erupted around 1130 GMT Saturday and spread rapidly, officials said. This is the second major blaze to hit Malibu in a month. By 0100 GMT Sunday, around 1,880 hectares had been scorched and 51 buildings, including 49 homes destroyed. A further 27 structures had been damaged, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said. (Posted @ 16:36 PST)
North Sea oil platform evacuated after fire LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters): A North Sea oil platform was being evacuated on Sunday after a fire broke out on board the rig, rescue officials said. Ninety of the 159 people on board the Thistle Alpha have so far been evacuated from the rig, a Royal Air Force (RAF) spokesman said. There were no reports of casualties. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Nearly 80 Taliban killed in Afghan air strikes: official KABUL, Nov 25 (AFP): Nearly 80 Taliban rebels were killed in a series of air raids by international military forces near eastern Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, a government spokesman said Sunday. About 65 were killed in a single air assault late Saturday in Paktia province said a spokesman for the local administration. Four others were killed in a second assault targeting a vehicle carrying militants in the same province in Patan district, and four in a nearby area, he said. Another three were killed in an air strike near Gardez, capital of Paktia. (First Posted @ 15:40 PST Updated @ 16:26 PST)
Cricket: India poised to win first Test NEW DELHI, Nov 25 (AFP): India, needing 203 to win, were 171-3 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day of the opening Test against Pakistan at Ferozeshah Kotla ground Sunday. Brief scores: Pakistan 231 and 247; India 276 and 171-3. Tendulkar becomes second highest test run-scorer: Sachin Tendulkar became the second highest test run-scorer during the first test against Pakistan Sunday. Tendulkar, playing in his 142nd match, surpassed former Australian skipper Allan Border's aggregate of 11,174 runs when he reached 24 in the second innings on the fourth evening. Retired West Indies batsman Brian Lara heads the list with 11,953 runs from 131 matches. Tendulkar holds the record for most test hundreds with 37. (Posted @ 16:22 PST)
Boat carrying about 100 people sinks near Bangladesh-Myanmar border; one dead COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Nov 25 (AP): A boat carrying about 100 people sank in calm water Sunday off southern Bangladesh near Myanmar waters, leaving at least one person dead, police said. The wooden fishing boat went down near Saint Martin's island, about 120 kilometers south of the coastal resort town of Cox's Bazar, said the local police chief. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Vatican to accept Muslim dialogue call soon VATICAN CITY, Nov 25 (Reuters): The Vatican plans to respond positively and very soon to an appeal by Muslim scholars for an unprecedented dialogue between Christianity and Islam, Roman Catholic cardinals and Islam experts say. Cardinals in Rome and Vatican officials told Reuters many Catholic leaders wanted a serious dialogue with Muslim leaders to help overcome misunderstandings. The Catholic Church, representing more than half the world's two billion Christians, has not yet officially answered the call made last month and hailed by most Christian leaders. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Bangladesh finance chief says cyclone impact 'huge' DHAKA, Nov 25 (AFP): Bangladesh's interim finance minister said Sunday the economic impact of Cyclone Sidr was “huge” but it was too early to estimate the extent of the damage to the economy. “The economic loss of the cyclone is colossal. We are still counting,” Mirza Azizul Islam told AFP. “Its impact will be huge on the economy. It may take some weeks before we know the magnitude of the damage and how it would affect the overall economic growth,” he added. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
12 killed in four Baghdad bomb blasts BAGHDAD, Nov 25 (AFP): Insurgents killed at least 12 people and wounded 44 in bomb attacks across the Iraqi capital Sunday. Nine people were killed and 30 wounded when a car bomb exploded in Bab al-Muazzam district which houses the health ministry, said an Iraqi army spokesman in Baghdad. In another early morning attack, two people were killed and six others wounded when a roadside bomb struck a truck in southeast Baghdad, security officials said. The third attack was a roadside bomb exploding in Al-Waziriyah, killing one person. A second bomb exploded minutes later when Iraqi soldiers arrived at the scene. Six soldiers and two civilians were wounded. (First Posted @ 15:10 PST Updated @ 15:38 PST)
Russian opposition leader Nemtsov, 200 protesters detained SAINT PETERSBURG, Nov 25 (AFP): Riot police in Saint Petersburg detained opposition leader and presidential hopeful Boris Nemtsov Sunday after breaking up an unauthorised demonstration, an AFP correspondent said. Nemtsov, a leading opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was detained by two anti-riot officers. Dozens of other people were also detained. Russian riot police beat opposition activists and detained nearly 200 people at the protest marches. Riot police also detained Nikita Belykh of the Union of Right Forces (SPS) party. Dozens more were detained outside the Winter Palace, and at another rally in central St Petersburg. (First Posted @ 15:30 PST Updated @ 17:12 PST)
Three cities await expo decision PARIS, Nov 25 (AFP): Cities in South Korea, Poland and Morocco await a decision on Monday on which will host the prestigious 2012 International Expo in 2012 and secure a major boost to their economies. Member states of the Paris-based International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) are to choose between Yeosu, Wroclaw and Tangiers respectively, and each has been doing its utmost to secure the prize. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Sri Lanka air force hits rebels; 10 die in clashes COLOMBO, Nov 25 (Reuters) Sri Lankan air force pounded Tamil Tiger rebel positions in the restive north while seven rebels and three security forces personnel died in ground fighting on the island, the military said Sunday. “Air force jets bombed an LTTE satellite communications and coordinating centre in Dharampuram area northeast of Kilinochchi on Sunday morning,” said a spokesman adding that details of casualties were not immediately available. The military said separately that ground fighting on Saturday in Vavuniya and Mannar in the north killed seven Tamil Tiger rebels, while a mine blast in Mannar killed a soldier and a rebel Claymore fragmentation mine killed two police personnel in the eastern district of Batticaloa. The military also said fighting on Friday killed 14 rebels and left three soldiers wounded. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Abbas arrives in US for Mideast talks WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (AFP) Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived in the United States late Saturday to take part in an international Middle East peace conference that opens next week in Annapolis, Maryland. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Pakistan hockey squad off to Kuala Lumpur for Champions Trophy KARACHI, Nov 25 (APP): A 24-member Pakistan hockey squad left here Saturday mid-night for Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to feature in the elite 8-nations Champions Trophy Hockey which opens from November 29. Pakistan team will play two warm-up matches against Canada and Malaysia Juniors bore taking on World Champion Germany in their opening match on Thursday. Pakistan squad : Goal-keepers: Salman Akbar (Captain), Nasir Ahmed. Full-backs: Zeeshan Ashraf (Vice Captain), Muhammad Imran, Kashif Ali, Muhammad Kamran. Half-backs: Ghazanfar Ali, Dilawar Hussain Bhatti, Imran Khan Yousufzai, Adnan Maqsood, Sajjad Anwar. Forwards: Waqas Sharif, Shakeel Abbasi, Waqas Akbar, Abbas Haider, Akhtar Ali, Muhammad Arshad, Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Inayatullah, Muhammad Afzal. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Malaysia's police fire tear gas, water cannons on ethnic Indian demonstrators KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov 25 (AP) Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannons Sunday to disperse more than 10,000 ethnic Indians who tried to stage a rally that had been banned amid government fears it would stir racial hatred. Protesters shouting angry slogans hurled water bottles at police, who chased them through streets surrounding the famous Petronas Twin Towers and doused them repeatedly with tear gas and chemical-laced water.Organizers said hundreds of people were detained. The rally was meant to support a US$4 trillion lawsuit filed in London in August by the Hindu Rights Action Force, a Malaysian rights group, demanding that Britain compensate Malaysian Indians for bringing their ancestors to the country as “indentured labourers” and exploiting them. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Iraq Qaeda group kills 9 abducted officers DUBAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) An al Qaeda-led group said Saturday it had killed nine Iraqi officers and posted an Internet video showing masked militants shooting the kneeling men in the head. The group said the men had been captured in Salahuddin province during a recent attack there by U.S. and Iraqi government forces. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in Gaza raid GAZA, Nov 25 (Reuters) Israeli troops killed two Palestinian militants during a raid in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, local medical workers said. Residents said the two men were killed while the Israeli forces operated close to the Mghazi refugee camp in the central part of Gaza Strip. A spokesman for militants said one of the men was a member of the Islamic Jihad group and the other was aligned with the Popular Resistance Committees. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Slum fire kills six in Bangladesh DHAKA, Nov 25 (Reutrs) At least six people including three children were killed when a fire swept through a slum in Dhaka, police and witnesses said on Sunday. The fire on Saturday night gutted more than 1,200 shanties and left about 5,000 people homeless in Rayerbazar area. Firefighters put out the blaze after a 3-hour battle. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Typhoon rains kill six in Philippines MANILA, Nov 25 (Reuters) Heavy rain from an approaching typhoon lashed the Philippines on Sunday, killing at least six people and destroying homes and rice paddies, officials said. Mitag, packing winds of 160 km per hour at its centre, was slowly moving northwest and poised to make landfall late on Sunday night in the northern provinces of Aurora and Isabela, weather officials said. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Kasparov sentenced to five days in jail MOSCOW, Nov 25 (AFP) Opposition leader and chess legend Garry Kasparov was sentenced Saturday to five days in jail for an unsanctioned rally and refusal to obey police orders, an AFP journalist reported. Kasparov told reporters that his arrest was “unfounded.” ”What happened in court today looks like something unthinkable. Procedure was grossly violated, naturally I will appeal, but there can be no talk of justice anymore,” Kasparov said in comments broadcast by Moscow Echo radio. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
French president in China XIAN, China, Nov 25 (AFP) French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived here Sunday on his first state visit to China that is expected to focus on trade, the environment, and key international issues including Iran. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Quake hits Indonesia's Sumatra JAKARTA, Nov 25 (AFP) A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra on Sunday, but there was no threat of a tsunami, meteorologists said.The quake was also felt in Jambi and Padang provinces, but there were no immediate reports of damage. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
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