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| December 06, 2007 | Thursday | Ziqa'ad 25, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Pakistan court gives bail to Shahbaz Sharif LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec 6, 2007 (AFP) - A Pakistani court Thursday granted bail to Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in a nine-year-old murder case, his lawyer said. Shahbaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former chief minister of Punjab province, surrendered himself before the court and requested bail, which was granted, lawyer Khawaja Mohammad Haris told AFP. “The court granted pre-arrest interim bail to my client till December 8 after I requested that he could not follow the legal proceedings because he was living abroad and had not violated any law,” Haris said. Last week, Pakistan election authorities rejected Shahbaz's candidacy on the same charge and for another bank loan default case. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Pakistan police stop Nawaz Sharif meeting Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry ISLAMABAD, Dec 6 (AFP) - Pakistani police Thursday stopped opposition leader Nawaz Sharif from meeting the country's former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who is under effective house arrest for refusing to endorse emergency rule, witnesses said. Former premier Sharif was turned back by around 300 policemen manning concrete and barbed wire barricades near the Islamabad residence of Iftikhar Chaudhry, a witness said. Hundreds of Sharif's supporters chanted “Long live Nawaz Sharif” after their leader was turned back. “I have come here to express solidarity with the chief justice and other judges,” Sharif told the crowd after police refused to let him through. “I want to tell them that the entire nation stands by them. We will not rest until all these judges are restored to their pre-November 3 positions,” he said. (First Posted @ 12:40 PST, Updated @ 14:50 PST)
Lawyers boycott courts ISLAMABAD, Dec 6 (AP): Thousands of lawyers boycotted courts across Pakistan on Thursday. Attorneys in various cities boycotted court proceedings, hoisted black flags and staged rallies to demand an end to emergency rule, reinstatement of the dismissed judges and restoration of the constitution, said Syed Mohammed Tayyab, Secretary General Islamabad Bar Association. Lawyers in Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore and Karachi confirmed that they refused to appear in court and that hundreds staged protest gatherings, mostly at court premises. Several lawyers and police were injured in scuffles at a rally in Multan, witnesses said. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Pakistani troops gain control of northern militant-held towns ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec 6 (AP) - Security forces have overrun two militant-held towns in northern Pakistan after fighters loyal to cleric Fazlullah fled, the army said Thursday. Over the past two days, troops have swept into the towns of Khawazakhela and Matta in Swat district, an army statement said. Security forces also captured four suspected militants near Mingora, Swat's main town. In violence in the North Waziristan tribal area, militants attacked a military convoy, wounding one soldier, the army statement said. Four suspected militants were captured after troops fired back and surrounded the assailants, it said. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Benazir Bhutto delays Dubai trip over passport: spokesman ISLAMABAD, Dec 6, (AFP) - Former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto has delayed a trip to Dubai in a mix-up over her passport, her spokesman said on Thursday, denying reports she had been barred from traveling. (Posted @ 23:16 PST)
Anti-Qaeda fighters can't bank on Iraq army jobs: US official BAGHDAD, Dec 6, (AFP) - Only about 20 percent of the 70,000 Iraqis working with American and Iraqi troops against Al-Qaeda are likely to be integrated into the police or military, a US embassy official said on Thursday. (Posted @ 22:46 PST)
Cracks found in two F-15 fighter jets TOKYO, Dec 6 (AP): Cracks were found in two F-15 fighter jets based in Japan during checks following the crash of an F-15C in the United States last month, the U.S. military said Thursday. The cracks were close to the canopies on the two aircraft, which were among 30 F-15s inspected at the Kadena Air base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, the Air Force said in a statement. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
96 feared dead in China coal mine gas blast BEIJING, Dec 6 (Reuters): Ninety-six miners were feared dead after a coal mine gas blast in northern China on Thursday, the Xinhua news agency said. Rescuers had found 70 bodies in the village-run mine by early evening and were searching for at least 26 more, Xinhua quoted the rescue operation headquarters saying. Fifteen had survived. (First Posted @ 17:40 PST Updated @ 19:24 PST)
Air strikes kill 17 Taliban: police KABUL, Dec 6 (AFP): Air strikes by NATO-led forces killed 17 Taliban fighters in western Afghanistan Thursday as another in a series of bomb blasts around Kabul damaged a German aid agency vehicle, police said. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) launched the air raids after troops came under fire from insurgents in Farah province, the regional Afghan army commander told AFP. (Posted @ 19:05 PST)
One killed in Paris parcel bomb explosion PARIS, Dec 6 (Reuters): One person was killed when a booby-trapped package exploded on Thursday in a central Parisian building where French President Nicolas Sarkozy's old law firm is located, a witness told French radio. Police had said earlier six people were hurt in the explosion. (Posted @ 18:28 PST)
Peshmerga among 11 killed in Iraq gun battle SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, Dec 6 (Reuters): Eight Kurdish Peshmerga troops and three militant gunmen were killed in a battle northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, a spokesman for the Kurdish forces said. A spokesman for the Peshmerga units of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, said the fighting took place near the town of Khanaqin, 140 km northeast of Baghdad in Diyala province, near the border with the Kurdish region and Iran. Five Peshmerga were wounded and the fighting continued into the afternoon. (Posted @ 17:42 PST)
Peasant protests: unmarked graves found in West Bengal KOLKATA, Dec 6 (Reuters): Police retrieved burnt human remains from five unmarked graves in a cluster of Indian villages which saw violent protests against the communist West Bengal state government, raising fears the death toll may be higher than official figures. The West Bengal government, an ally of India's federal government, has been roiled by protests over the killing by suspected communist cadres of villagers opposed to the seizure of land for industry. (Posted @ 17:36 PST)
Shoaib Malik ruled out of final India test BANGALORE, Dec 6 (Reuters): Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik was ruled out of the final test against India beginning Saturday after failing to recover from an ankle injury. Younis Khan will stand in as captain again, Pakistan media manager Ehsan Malik told reporters on Thursday. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
Two Israelis arrested for drug smuggling in Thailand BANGKOK, Dec 6 (AFP): Two Israelis have been arrested and charged with smuggling more than 20,000 ecstacy pills into Thailand, police said Thursday. Two men were arrested in Bangkok late Wednesday by Thai police, who later charged the pair over drug smuggling. Police suspect the men are part of an Israeli mafia with networks in Australia, the United States, Japan as well as Thailand. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Bangladesh seeks exit of ex-PMs from politics: paper DHAKA, Dec 6 (Reuters): Bangladesh's detained former prime ministers may be sent into exile as part of a deal to drop corruption charges against them, a leading newspaper said Thursday. A proposal to this effect has apparently been sent to Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, the Amar Desh (My Country) daily reported. Other conditions stipulate that none of their Immediate family members could be involved in active politics, said the daily. (Posted @ 17:16 PST)
Police, politicians and judges most corrupt: TI study BERLIN, Dec 6 (APP/AFP): One in every four people has been asked to pay a bribe to the police, and political parties and parliaments are the most tainted by corruption, a Transparency International study released on Thursday shows. The poor are targeted for bribes in both developed and developing countries, according to the watchdog's Global Corruption Barometer 2007. The study “has made it clear that too often, people must part with their hard-earned money to pay for services that should be free,” said Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle. (Posted @ 17:14 PST)
Dalai Lama says his successor could be a woman MILAN, Dec 6 (AFP): Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Thursday suggested that his successor could be a woman. “If a woman reveals herself as more useful the lama could very well be reincarnated in this form,” the 14th Dalai Lama told reporters in Milan, where he arrived for a private visit on Wednesday. The 72-year-old Dalai Lama said last week that his successor could be chosen outside of Tibet if he were to die abroad. He also mooted the possibility of choosing the 15th Dalai Lama himself. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Israeli minister turns down U.K. invitation. fearing war crimes charge JERUSALEM, Dec 6 (AP): Israeli public security minister Avi Dichter has turned down an invitation to visit Britain out of concerns that he could be arrested there for his role in the 2002 assassination of a senior Hamas militant in Gaza, Dichter's spokesman said Thursday. Dichter, invited to speak at a conference on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process hosted by a British research institute, was advised by Israel's Foreign and Justice ministries to call off the visit. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Kuwait to set up refinery in India NEW DELHI, Dec 6 (AP): Kuwait Petroleum Corp. wants to set up a large refinery and petrochemical project in India in collaboration with a local partner, the company's chief executive said Thursday. The company has held talks with several Indian refinerys, the chief executive of Kuwait Petroleum said. Kuwait, which has the world's fourth-largest oil reserves, is seeking to boost sales to China and India, where rapid economic expansion is keeping demand for oil high. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
200 illegal immigrants found on cargo ship, brought ashore ATHENS, Greece, Dec 6 (AP) - About 200 illegal immigrants were spotted on a cargo ship off the island of Crete and are being taken to shore, the Greek government said Thursday. Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis said the immigrants were being removed from the ship in small coast guard boats, and that coast guard officers were searching the vessel. Most of the immigrants were believed to be Iraqis. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Hindu extremists, Muslims clash in New Delhi on anniversary of mosque destruction DELHI, Dec 6 (AP) - Hindu extremists and Muslim protesters clashed in New Delhi Thursday, throwing rocks and beating each other with bamboo flag poles as both groups gathered to mark the anniversary of the 1992 destruction of a 16th century mosque. Police separated the groups and detained several dozen people, said police inspector Harcharan Verma, adding that there were a handful of injuries, none serious. Several hundred members of Shiv Sena, a hard-line Hindu group, marched in downtown New Delhi to celebrate the destruction of the Babri mosque 15 years ago by Hindu extremists. They were met there by protesters from a coalition of Muslim groups calling for the mosque to be rebuilt and for those that destroyed it to be brought to justice. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Palestinian killed near Gaza fence GAZA, Dec 6 (Reuters) Israeli troops killed an unarmed Palestinian near the border fence between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip Thursday, local medical officials said. The man's family said he was attempting to catch birds in the area. (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Three insurgents killed, 19 captured in Iraq raids BAGHDAD, Dec 6 (AP) - U.S. forces killed three suspected insurgents and captured 19 Thursday in raids targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq along the Tigris River valley, the military said. In one operation north of Baghdad, troops captured a man suspected of involvement in planning car bomb attacks, the military said in a statement. Five more suspects were also detained, and an armed man was killed during the operation near Khalis, 80 kilometres north of Baghdad, it said. Meanwhile south of Baghdad, American soldiers captured another wanted man near Youssifiyah, the military said. Two men were killed in Mosul in an operation targeting an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, the military said. Five more suspects were detained north of Beiji, 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, the statement said. (Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Ukrainian leader accepts liberal Tymoshenko as PM KIEV, Dec 6 (Reuters) - President Viktor on Thursday accepted the leader of the “orange” coalition Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister, according to a statement from his press service. Parliament now has to vote on her candidature. (Posted @ 13:55 PST)
Five bombs found in India court LUCKNOW, India, Dec 6 (AFP) - A man carrying five bombs was arrested Thursday near a court in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district, police said. “Five crude bombs were found in a bag the man was carrying while entering the court,” a police inspector said. The man told police the bag contained firecrackers that he made for a living, said the inspector in Lucknow, state capital of Uttar Pradesh. Security was also stepped up in neighbouring New Delhi after intelligence reports that six militants entered the Indian capital from Uttar Pradesh, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Bomb kills soldier in southwest Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec 6 (AFP) - A remote-control bomb planted on a roadside killed a paramilitary soldier and wounded four others Thursday in Balochistan province’s Dera Bugti district, officials said. The attack took place as the soldiers drove through the area, a security official said. “It was a remote controlled bomb buried in the road by miscreants which exploded and killed a paramilitary soldier and wounded four others,” he said. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Drive-by shooting kills bus driver in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Dec 6 (AP) - A drive-by shooting killed a bus driver during morning rush hour Thursday in western Baghdad, Iraqi police said. The bus was carrying female college students to school in the Yarmouk area when gunmen opened fire, police said. One of the students was wounded, they said. Meanwhile, clashes raged in southern Baghdad's Saydiyah neighbourhood, and three Iraqi soldiers were wounded there, police said. (Posted @ 13:35 PST)
India tests interceptor missile BHUBANESWAR, India, Dec 6 (AFP) - India staged a successful missile intercept test over the Bay of Bengal Wednesday after thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the exercise, a defence official said. The Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile intercepted a modified version of the surface-to-surface Prithvi-1 (earth-1) missile, said a defence official who requested anonymity. “The test was successful,” another defence official said. The weapons were fired from the Chandipur-on-Sea and Wheeler Island testing sites in eastern Orissa state. The AAD is a new interceptor missile developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). (Posted @ 13:25 PST)
Pakistan opposition rivals try to bridge differences ISLAMABAD, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Pakistani opposition parties are trying to reach agreement on their stand on the restoration of judges sacked by President Musharraf as they finalise conditions for participation in January elections. “Most of the issues have been decided with consensus. The remaining issues will be decided today. Today is the final sitting, we're going to finalise our list,” said Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for Nawaz Sharif's party, involved in drafting the demands. “We have agreed that we will rise above our petty differences and work for ensuring a free and fair election,” said Iqbal. Another participant in the talks said the two sides were trying to patch up their differences over the issue of the restoration of 37 judges dismissed by Musharraf after he imposed emergency rule on November 3. “I'm confident we will find an amicable solution to this issue,” said the party official, who declined to be identified. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Three shot dead in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Dec 6 (AFP) - Three persons have been shot dead by suspected militants in separate incidents in southern Thailand, police said Thursday. On Thursday, a 42-year-old man was gunned down by rebels in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat, police said. In nearby Yala, a 45-year-old man and his 15-year-old son were shot dead by insurgents inside their house late Wednesday, police said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
China coal mine blast death toll rises to 46 BEIJING, Dec 6 (Reuters) - A gas blast ripped through a coal mine in Hongtong county in Shanxi province on Thursday, killing 46 and leaving scores trapped underground, an official government Web site and Xinhua news agency said. Rescue teams had pulled 5 to safety but scores were still trapped, Xinhua said. In a separate report, Xinhua said 11 miners had been trapped since Monday after a tunnel collapsed at an illegal iron and gold mine in the northern province of Hebei. (First Posted @ 10:10 PST, Updated @ 11:10 PST)
Mesopotamian sculpture sells for record 57 million dollars NEW YORK, Dec 6 (AFP) - A tiny and extremely rare 5,000-year-old white limestone sculpture from ancient Mesopotamia sold for 57.2 million dollars in New York on Wednesday, smashing records for both sculpture and antiquities. The carved Guennol Lioness, measuring just over eight centimeters (3 1/4 inches) tall, was described by Sotheby's auction house as one of the last known masterworks from the dawn of civilization remaining in private hands. The successful buyer was identified only as an English buyer who wished to remain anonymous. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Five children found dead in German village BERLIN, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Five children between the ages of three and nine were found dead in a house in the northern German village of Darry on Wednesday, police said adding that the 31-year-old mother has been detained on suspicion. “Based on preliminary investigation the motive appears to be a psychiatric illness of the woman,” police in the northern city of Kiel said in a statement. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Bush told in Aug Iran may have halted nuclear programme WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush was told in August that Iran may have suspended its nuclear weapons program, the White House said on Wednesday, a day after Bush said he was not given a full report on the issue. During a news conference on Tuesday, Bush said he was informed of the intelligence report last week, but said U.S. intelligence chief Mike McConnell told him in August there was new information on Iran. “He didn't tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze,” Bush said. On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said McConnell told Bush in August that Iran may have suspended its nuclear weapons program and that the new information might cause the intelligence community to change its assessment on Iran. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Cricket-Australia name Tait in one-day squad SYDNEY, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Australia named fast bowler Shaun Tait in their squad for the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series against New Zealand. The three-game series starts on Dec. 14 in Adelaide with the other matches on Dec. 16 and Dec. 20 in Sydney and Hobart. Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
US is the world's largest jailer: HRW WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (AFP) - The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, citing new US government figures. At the end of 2006 more than 2.25 million persons were behind bars in US prisons and jails, an all-time high, the rights group said, citing figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), a branch of the US Department of Justice. The number represents an incarceration rate of 751 per 100,000 US residents -- “substantially higher than that of Libya (217 per 100,000), Iran (212), and China (119),” HRW said in a statement. For comparison, France's incarceration rate is 85 per 100,000, while the rate in Britain's is 148 and Canada is 107, HRW said. According to the group, the US prison population “has increased approximately 500 percent in the last 30 years, and continues to grow.” The government figures also show sharp racial disparities, with black men incarcerated at a rate 6.2 times higher than white men, HRW said. “Nearly 8 percent of all black men ages 30 to 34 in the United States were incarcerated as sentenced prisoners at the end of 2006,” the group said. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Nine killed in US mall gun rampage OMAHA, Nebraska, Dec 6 (AFP) - A man armed with a semi-automatic rifle entered an Omaha shopping mall Wednesday and opened fire on Christmas shoppers, killing at least eight people and sending hundreds diving for cover before turning the gun on himself. At least five other people were injured and taken to area hospitals after the shooting inside the Westroads Mall, Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren told reporters late Wednesday. The shooting “appears to be very random and without provocation,” Warren said, adding that police were still interviewing witnesses. “We believe there was one shooter and one shooter only,” he said. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Malaysian court denies bail for 31 ethnic Indians KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (AFP) -A Malaysian court Thursday denied bail to 31 ethnic Indians facing up to 20 years in jail for the attempted murder of a policeman during anti-discrimination protests last month. “We are not allowing bail,” Sessions Court judge Azima Omar told a packed courtroom. “The offences committed by the accused are serious,” she said.”The 31 are accused of wounding officer Dadi Abdul Rani during a demonstration at Batu Caves, the site of an important Hindu temple on the fringes of Kuala Lumpur, on the eve of a mass rally in the capital. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 191.23, points: KARACHI, Dec 06: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14329.06, up 191.23, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Dec 06: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61.5, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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