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| December 01, 2007 | Saturday | Ziqa’ad 20, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Musharraf assigns 3 tasks to governors, chief ministers ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP):-President Pervez Musharraf, addressing the provincial governors and chief ministers Saturday, reminded them of the onerous responsibility regarding general elections that rested on their shoulders. He emphasized three issues that were important and required full and undiluted attention of the Governors and Chief Ministers. First and foremost was fair, free and transparent elections; the second was the maintenance of law and order to facilitate holding of free, fair and transparent elections. He said that agitation in the name of politics must not be tolerated. The third task was that the economic upsurge of the last seven years must continue at a fast pace, he said .In this connection he particularly mentioned the brick lining of canals, construction of water reservoirs, Khushal Pakistan program, provision of clean/safe drinking water, establishment of urban health units, Rozgar scheme, internship program etc. It was the first meeting of the caretaker Chief Ministers with President Musharraf. (Posted @ 20:14 PST)
Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto to meet on Dec. 3 ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (AFP): Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif meet early next week to discuss whether or not to boycott the upcoming election, party officials said Saturday. “Sharif will meet Bhutto in Islamabad on Monday,” Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, Raja Zafarul Haq told AFP. The PPP also confirmed the two former prime ministers were in contact, and that a meeting was likely place next week. “They have approached us for an appointment and a meeting is expected next week,” Bhutto's spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. Bhutto and Sharif could meet as early as Monday or Tuesday, he added. The proposed meeting will be the first between the two leaders since their return from exile. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Benazir asks Pukhtoons, tribesmen to support PPP in elections PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec 1 (APP) Benazir Bhutto Saturday said she returned to Pakistan with the sole objective of providing protection to masses and urged Pukhtoons to support her party (PPP) in the upcoming general elections. Talking to newsmen during a visit to the residence of former NWFP Chief Minister and PPP leader, Arbab Jehangir Khan, she expressed concern about poor law and order situation in FATA and promised to take steps for restoration of peace in the region. She said she particularly needed the support of the Pukhtoons and the people of NWFP in general to achieve this objective. Benazir had earlier announced that she would launch her election campaign from Peshawar where she arrived from Islamabad and was greeted by hundreds of flag-waving supporters. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST Updated @ 18:22 PST)
Turkish President to arrive on Sunday on 2-day visit ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP):- Turkish President Abdullah Gul will fly into Islamabad on Sunday on a two-day state visit to Pakistan at the invitation of President Pervez Musharraf. He will be accompanied by the first lady Mrs. Hayrunnisa Gul, senior officials, business leaders and top media personalities of Turkey. The Turkish President will hold talks with President Pervez Musharraf on a range of subjects encompassing issues of bilateral, regional and global importance on Monday. The fact that President Abdullah Gul is visiting Pakistan within a few weeks of assuming his office, reflects the sense of deep-rooted friendship and solidarity between the two countries. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Pakistan elections: MMA fails to resolve differences ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (AFP) – Pakistan’s main religious alliance, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, remains divided over the election boycott issue, particularly its two major components Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). JUI head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a hardliner and former opposition leader in the parliament, says a boycott would be a blunder. The head of JI, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, however, strongly supports a boycott -- which is also the rallying call of cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan. The top decision-making council of the MMA held a stormy session late Saturday but failed to sort out its differences, an alliance official said. Private tv channels reported that the meeting advised the candidates to pursue the nomination papers until a final decision is made. The other major alliance, the All-Pakistan Democratic Movement, headed by Nawaz Sharif, has taken the election boycott decision but is keeping the options open. In fact, Nawaz Sharif is due to meet Benazir Bhutto next week to discuss the overall political situation in the context of the general elections. (Posted @ 21:08 PST)
Shahbaz Sharif's nomination papers rejected LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec 1 (PPI) Returning Officer Ashtar Abbas Saturday rejected nomination papers filed by former Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Shahbaz Sharif for one National Assembly(NA 119) and two Provincial Assembly(PP 141 and PP 142) seats. Tariq Badaruddin Banday, a candidate from NA 119 filed objection against nomination papers of Shahbaz Sharif that the brother of Nawaz Sharif was a bank defaulter. He submitted documents showing Shahbaz a defaulter of Rs 12 million. The nomination papers of Shahbaz Sharif's son Hamza Shahbaz have already been accepted for above mentioned three constituencies. (First Posted @ 15:00 PST Updated @ 18:44 PST)
Judiciary not people's problem, says Shujaat LAHORE, Dec 01 (APP): President PML(Q) Ch Shujaat Hussain Saturday said that judiciary is not peoples' problem and they want basic amenities of life and employment opportunities. Talking to newsmen after inaugurating a new block in Muslim league House he said , “Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif came to Pakistan saying that they wanted to take part in elections. If now they go for boycott , it would damage their own position.” (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
Benazir betrays Pakistan by running in poll: Imran Khan LAHORE, Dec 1 (Reuters) Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is betraying Pakistan by not joining an election boycott that Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan said Saturday was key to ousting President Musharraf. “It is a complete case of betrayal,” Khan told Reuters in an interview after addressing lawyers in Lahore. “Every day she says there is pre-poll rigging, every day she says there can't be free and fair elections. She says she doesn't trust the caretakers, she says the emergency is illegal...And yet she is participating and legitimising the whole process.” “We want the whole (election) process to be discredited,” Khan added. “To participate...is just playing on his pitch to save him. We are just giving him a lifeline…If all the opposition got together today, the elections would be discredited, then he's gone, because he's no longer head of the army…So then we have free and fair elections and hope for the future.” Khan says Bush's backing for Musharraf is compounding Pakistan's problems. “If they do not ask for the reinstatement of the judges, they are playing Musharraf's game. Basically the impression is George Bush's administration does not want an independent judiciary, because then they won't be able to control the government like a puppet supposedly to fight their war on terror.” “This movement eventually will turn against the U.S. too, like the Iranian revolution.” (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Kosovo will declare independence 'very soon': President Sejdiu SKOPJE, Macedonia, Dec 1 (AP) - Kosovo will declare independence from Serbia shortly, President Fatmir Sejdiu said Saturday. He did not, however, name a date. “At this moment, I cannot define the precise date when Kosovo will proclaim independence, but I can say it will happen very soon,” Sejdiu said after talks with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski. “For us, there is no alternative to independence,” he said. (Posted @ 21:26 PST)
Army further consolidates position in Swat valley Peshawar, Pakistan, Dec 1 (PPI)-- Security forces after gaining successes in various parts of Swat valley and surrounding areas have now established two check posts at Bara Bandai and Ningolai. These check posts are now being manned by Frontier Corps NWFP and Frontier Constabulary to check movement and to apprehend fleeing elements of miscreants. Local police and security forces have also gained control of Road Kanju Shakardara and are patrolling to guard the exit routes of miscreants. Last night, fleeing miscreants were targeted with extensive artillery fire in area Piochar, north of Matta and north East of Charbagh/Khwaza Khela. Reportedly, a large number of terrorists have been killed and injured by artillery fire. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Mufti Naeem of Jamia Binnoria announces support for MQM KARACHI, Dec 1 (APP)- Prominent religious scholar and Mohtamim of Jamia Binnoria Al Almiya, Mufti Naeem, Saturday announced support for MQM in the coming general elections. “We have taken this decision keeping public welfare works carried out by MQM”, he announced at a function. He appealed to the government and City Nazim to help Jamia Binnoria in getting the status of a university. Speaking on the occasion City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal supported the demand and noted that Jamia Binnoria has the potential to produce best doctors, engineers and scientists. “We will do our best to make this institution a centre of excellence”, he said. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Sixth Palestinian killed by Israelis in Gaza GAZA CITY, Dec 1 (AFP) - A sixth Palestinien was killed and three were wounded by Israeli troops on Saturday, just hours after five militants from Hamas's military wing died in an overnight air strike in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics said. An Israeli unit operating east of Gaza City killed the Palestinian whose identity was not immediately known, the medics said. Those killed in the earlier attack all belonged to the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist movement, a statement from the group said. Four were killed in the attack near the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis and a fifth died later of his wounds, the medics said. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Miss China wins Miss World 2007 SANYA, China, Dec 1 (AFP) - Miss China won Miss World 2007 in Sanya, China, late on Saturday.Miss Angola came second and Miss Mexico third at the beauty pageant, held on the southern holiday island of Hainan, dubbed China's answer to Hawaii. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Turkey attacks PKK rebels in northern Iraq ANKARA, Dec 1 (AFP) - The Turkish army said it inflicted “heavy losses” on a group of around 50 members of the armed Kurdish separatist movement PKK in southeast of the Turkish town of Cukurca in Hakkari province on the Turkey-Iraq border on Saturday. (Posted @ 19:42 PST)
Over 40 injured in train collision in India’s Bihar state ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): Over 40 persons were injured when a passenger train rammed into another at north Bihar's Saharsa railway station on Saturday morning, officials said. The accident occurred when Saharsa-Forbesganj passenger train rammed into Saharsa-Katihar passenger train which was about to leave the platform around 7:00 am, a private TV channel reported. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Dozens of militants raid Iraqi village, kill 13 abduct 35 Baghdad, Dec. 1 (Reuters) - Suspected al Qaeda militants killed 13 villagers, injured 14 and abducted 35 in an attack on a village north of Baghdad early on Saturday, police said. The militants numbering dozens also burnt houses and lost three of their own gunmen when the villagers fought back. Meanwhile, three bodies were fond in different districts in Baghdad on Friday, police said. Separately, one U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb which struck his patrol near the city of Baquba, on Friday, the U.S. military said. A roadside bomb also wounded three police commandos when it targeted their patrol in the Shaab district of northern Baghdad, while a suicide attack killed one civilian and wounded five others in Salman Pak, 45 km south of Baghdad, police said. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
Cricket: England 49-1 in reply to Sri Lanka's 188 in first Test KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 1 (AFP) - England, replying to Sri Lanka's modest 188, were 49-1 at stumps on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Saturday. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 188 ( Sangakkara 92, Jayawardene 51-- Hoggard 4-29, Panesar 3-46) England 49-1 (I. Bell 36 not out). (Posted @ 17:28 PST)
At least 27 killed in fresh clashes: Sri Lanka military COLOMBO, Dec 1 (AFP) -At least 27 people were killed in fresh fighting in Sri Lanka's embattled northeast, the military said on Saturday. At least 11 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed and 49 injured in Mannar early Saturday. “Pre-emptive strikes are continuing,” said the Defence ministry in a statement, putting government losses at three soldiers killed and 10 injured. Elsewhere, 13 rebels were killed overnight in separate fighting near the guerrillas' stronghold in the north of the island, the military said, adding that it destroyed a rebel bunker but suffered no casualties. There was no comment from the LTTE. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Sunni bloc boycotts Iraq parliament after crackdown on leader BAGHDAD, Dec 1 (AFP) Iraq's main Sunni bloc Saturday pulled out of parliament in protest at a crackdown on their leader Adnan al-Dulaimi. “We announce our boycott of the parliament until Adnan al-Dulaimi returns to the assembly today or tomorrow,” Abdul Karim al-Samarraie, lawmaker from the National Concord Front, said in parliament. After his statement the bloc's MPs walked out of the assembly hall. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan 50-1 v India (616-5 decl) in second test KOLKATA, India, Dec 1 (Reuters) Pakistan were 50 for one in reply to India's first innings total of 616 for five declared at stumps on the second day of the second test against Pakistan Saturday. Brief scores: India 616-5 decl (W. Jaffer 202, S. Ganguly 102, VVS Laxman 112 not out) v Pakistan 50-1. (First Posted @ 10:45 PST Updated @ 16:56 PST)
Manmohan greets Musharraf on re-election ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday greeted President Musharraf on his re-election and hoped ties between the two countries will further enhance, for peace and stability in region. (Posted @ 16:28 PST)
Four Taliban killed at Afghan wedding KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 1 (AFP) Four Taliban rebels were killed and eight others were injured when ammunition exploded during a wedding party they were attending in a southern Afghan village in Zabul province late Friday, provincial police chief Mohammad Yaqoub said Saturday. (Posted @ 16:24 PST)
Strong earthquake hits Indonesia's Aceh BANDA ACEH, Dec 1 (AP): A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck off Indonesia's Aceh province Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials and residents said. The quake's epicentre was 33 km southwest of Singkilbaru at a depth of 18 km and did not trigger a tsunami warning, the meteorology agency said. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Passenger train crash injures 30 in Chicago CHICAGO, Dec 1 (AFP): An Amtrak passenger train smashed into the back of a freight train in Chicago Friday injuring 30 people, five of them seriously, officials said. The mishap occurred at 1730 GMT on the city's south side. Five train employees were “seriously” injured in the collision and 25 of the train's 187 passengers were hurt, Amtrak said in a statement. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
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