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| December 20, 2007 | Thursday | Zilhaj 9, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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EC declares 1160 polling stations most sensitive in Balochistan ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (PPI): Secretary Election Commission Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad has said 1160 polling stations have been declared most sensitive in Balochistan. EC hands over electoral rolls to political parties: The Election Commission Thursday handed over DVDs of electoral rolls (comprising 272 DVDs) of all the National and Provincial Assemblies Constituencies, to the representatives of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan Muslim League (N). The Secretary Election Commission said that the computerized electoral rolls will be available on the ECP Website (www.ecp.gov.pk) within a week. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Indian Maoist insurgency spreading: PM Singh NEW DELHI, Dec 20 (AFP): India's Maoist guerrillas have stepped up their insurgency and a dedicated security force must be set up to eliminate “this virus,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday. Singh described the ultra-leftist revolutionaries as the biggest single threat to internal security. “It continues to be so and we cannot rest in peace till we have eliminated this virus,” Singh told an internal security meeting attended by state chief ministers in the Indian capital. The Maoist insurgency, which grew out of a peasant uprising in 1967, threatens huge swathes of India's centre, east and south and has spread to half of the nation's 29 states from just four in 1996. (Posted @ 17:26 PST)
Aitzaz Ahsan says lawyers’ struggle to continue ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (AFP) Aitzaz Ahsan, head of the Supreme Court bar association, said Thursday he had been given three-day leave from detention for the Eid al-Adha holiday. He has been held since last month, when Musharraf imposed a state of emergency. “We are ready to face batons, bullets and bombs,” he told AFP by telephone from Lahore. “Our movement and struggle will continue and there will be no let up till the restoration of judges and the judiciary,” he said. Ahsan is under house arrest and in fact confined to only his bedroom. Authorities have officially declared his residence a sub-jail. Ahsan said lawyers and judges across Pakistan were “determined and united and ready to make extreme sacrifices” in their fight. “The people of Pakistan are with us.” (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Pakistan Railways lowers crash toll to 35 ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (AFP) Pakistan Railways Thursday lowered the death toll from a massive train derailment to 35, even after two people died of their wounds overnight. It had previously said at least 45 people were killed in Wednesday's crash, when an express train came shooting off the rails and tumbled down an embankment. “The final death toll is 35,” Pakistan Railways operations director Junaid Qureshi told AFP. He said the earlier higher toll had been an estimate. He said around 250 people had been injured. The Karachi Express was en route to Lahore when the train derailed outside Mehrabpur, 200 kilometres northeast of Karachi. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Benazir accuses spy agency of pressurising her candidates DERA ALLAH YAR, Dec 20 (AP): Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Thursday accused the country’s military intelligence of pressurising her party’s candidates to drop out of next month's parliamentary elections and urged officials to crack down on such harassment. “We demand the Election Commission take notice of such things and ensure free and fair elections,” she said.. Benazir was making her first election tour to remote areas of Baluchistan. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Clashes between police and Shias erupt anew in Bahrain MANAMA, Dec 20 (AP): Another day of clashes erupted Thursday afternoon between angry young Shia Bahrainis and security forces during the wake for a man who died three days earlier after a confrontation with police. At least four people were injured in the violence, according to the Bahrain International Hospital in the capital Manama. There were reports of additional wounded at other area hospitals. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Saudis to deport 246 foreign drivers over strike: report RIYADH, Dec 20 (AFP): Saudi authorities will deport 246 mostly Pakistani truck drivers from the kingdom after they took part in an illegal 10-day strike, Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan reported Thursday. The drivers, who worked for Saudi transport firm Al-Bassami, the largest in the Gulf, were part of around 300 strikers protesting over pay, the newspaper said. Some staff returned to work after the military intervened. The newspaper quoted a driver as saying the firm acted illegally and withheld workers' salaries. The company said staff were treated in line with their legal rights. The right to strike is not recognised by Saudi Arabia. (Posted @ 21:06 PST)
DR Congo forces advance, kill 13 rebels: army GOMA, DR Congo, Dec 20 (AFP): Government troops in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo pushed back rebels loyal to rogue colonel Laurent Nkunda, killing 13 of his men, an officer with the FARDC said Thursday. The clash took place in Rutshuru territory, about 60 kilometres north of the provincial capital Goma, he said. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
More than 30 killed in restive Iraqi province BAQUBA, Dec 20 (AFP): A suicide bomb attack and fierce clashes between militants and security forces killed at least 32 people on Thursday in Iraq’s Diyala province, officials said. A suicide bomber killed 13 Iraqis and a US soldier and wounded 25 others, including 10 American troops, in an attack in Kanan town, south of Baquba, officials said. In another incident in the town of Al-Hashmiyat, at least 17 suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen were killed in clashes overnight with Iraqi and US troops west of Baquba, a police official said. (First Posted @ 17:42 PST Updated @ 19:34 PST)
Picasso stolen in daring Brazil museum robbery SAO PAULO, Dec 20 (AFP): Thieves made off with a Picasso and a highly prized work by a Brazilian artist together worth 100 million dollars in a daring dawn robbery on Latin America's most renowned museum here Thursday, reports and police said. (Posted @ 18:56 PST)
Boeing signs one-billion-dollar deal with India's HAL NEW DELHI, Dec 20 (AFP): Boeing Co. and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. signed on Thursday a deal aimed at bringing more than one billion dollars of new aerospace manufacturing work to India, a joint statement said. The pact also includes sharing key Boeing business and manufacturing tools with Bangalore-based HAL, India's leading aerospace company which designs and manufactures advanced fighters. In December 2003, Boeing established a wholly owned subsidiary, Boeing International Corp. India Private Ltd. (BICIPL), to support the growing demands of India's aviation, aerospace and defence industries. (Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Nigerian gunmen attack oil, govt facilities PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Dec 20 (Reuters): Nigerian gunmen attacked an oil industry barge, a jetty and a government building Wednesday, briefly capturing 18 Filipino crew and fighting with troops, officials said Thursday. Violence has been on the increase in the Niger Delta, where about 2.1 million barrels of crude are pumped every day. Armed rebels say they are losing patience with peace talks launched in June by Nigeria's new government. (Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Sri Lanka bowl out England for 81 in final Test GALLE, Dec 20 (AFP): England were forced to follow-on in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka after being shot out for a record low of 81 in their first innings. It was England's lowest total against Sri Lanka and left them 418 runs behind with two days remaining in the match. Sri Lanka made 499-8 in their first innings. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Indian court orders probe in submarines deal NEW DELHI, Dec 20 (AFP): An Indian court Thursday ordered police to complete a probe into charges that a bribe was paid in a multi-billion dollar deal to buy Scorpene submarines from a French defence firm. The Delhi High Court told the Central Bureau of Investigation to complete its inquiry within three months and report back to a two-judge bench, court officials said. India in October last year signed contracts worth 2.4 billion euros ($3 billion) with Armaris and European defence firm MBDA to buy six of the Franco-Spanish submarines. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
US soldiers find mass graves containing 26 bodies in northern Iraq BAGHDAD, Dec 20 (AP): U.S. soldiers found mass graves north of Baghdad next to a torture center where chains were attached to blood-spattered walls and a metal bed frame was still connected to an electrical shock system, the military said Thursday. The discovery of the mass graves containing 26 bodies and torture center near Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers north of Baghdad, came during a Dec. 8-11 operation. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Russia calls off London art exhibit MOSCOW, Dec 20 (AFP): Russia's culture agency said Thursday it had called off a landmark exhibition of Russian art in London because Britain had failed to guarantee the paintings' return. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Strong earthquake rocks New Zealand WELLINGTON, Dec 20 (AFP): An earthquake measuring 6.8 struck New Zealand's North Island late Thursday, causing considerable damage in the city of Gisborne but there were no immediate reports of serious injury, officials said. The tremor struck at 0755 GMT at a depth of 40 kilometres and was centred in the Pacific Ocean, 50 kilometres southeast of Gisborne, the government seismology agency GNS Science said. The earthquake was felt across much of the country. Police said buildings and roads were damaged, but no tsunami warning was issued. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Four militants killed in Israeli Gaza operation: medics GAZA CITY, Dec 20 (AFP): The Israeli army killed four militants in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday in the latest military operation in the Hamas-run territory, Palestinian medics said. “Four Palestinians were killed east of the Maghazi refugee camp, and after the ambulances removed the bodies the army opened fire on the ambulances,” said the director of emergency services in Gaza. The Israeli army confirmed an operation in the area, which Palestinian medics said began in the early morning hours. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST Updated @ 15:15 PST)
12 injured in underground Australian mine explosion MELBOURNE, Dec 20 (AP): Twelve miners were rushed to hospital after inhaling blast fumes from a controlled underground mine explosion Thursday in southern Australia, officials said. The miners sustained respiratory injuries in the gold mine near the town of Bendigo in central Victoria state. (First Posted @ 13:25 PST Updated @ 15:00 PST)
Cricket-Sri Lanka 499-8 declared v England, 61-6, third test GALLE, Sri Lanka, Dec 20 (Reuters) England were 61 for 6 in reply to Sri Lanka's 499 for eight declared when rain stopped play midway through the third afternoon of the third and final test on Thursday. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 499-8 dec (Jayawardene 213 not out) v England 61-6 (C. Vaas 4-24). (First Posted @ 12:00 PST, Updated @ 13:35 PST)
Police kill four suspected terrorists in southeastern Iran TEHRAN, Iran, Dec 20 (AP) Iranian police and security forces killed four persons suspected of terrorist activities in a shootout in the southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan, state television reported Thursday. The TV report said police and intelligence officers killed the four who allegedly were ''leaders of a terrorist group.'' No details were provided on when the clash occurred and which group the suspects belonged to. (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Iran nuclear plant won't start before end-2008: Russia MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) Russia's nuclear export chief Sergei Shmatko said that Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant won't be operational until at least late 2008, Russian news agencies reported Thursday. “I have promised to clear up the date when the construction of the Bushehr power plant will be completed but can say for sure that the station will not be launched before the end of 2008,” RIA news agency quoted Shmatko, the president of state-run Atomstroiexport, as saying during a visit to China. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Cricket- Australia thrash New Zealand by 114 runs to take series HOBART, Australia, Dec 20 (AFP) Australia defeated New Zealand by 114 runs in the third Chappell Hadlee Trophy one-dayer to claim the cricket series 2-0 at Bellerive Oval here Thursday. The Australians crushed the Kiwis dismissing them for 168 off 34 overs after man-of-the-match Ricky Ponting led them to 282 for six off their 50 overs with an unbeaten 134 off 133 balls. Match scores: Australia 282 for 6 (50 overs), New Zealand 168 (34 overs). (First Posted @ 09:50 PST, Updated @ 11:55 PST)
Three killed in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Dec 20 (AFP) Insurgents shot dead three people in an ambush in southern Thailand, police said Thursday. Six rebels on motorcycles stopped a car and opened fire Wednesday evening, killing a 52-year-old deputy bank manager and a 31-year-old bank employee in Narathiwat province, police said. A 30-year-old passer-by was also killed in the gunfire, they said. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
At least 24 rebels killed in Sri Lanka clashes COLOMBO, Dec 20 (AFP) Fresh clashes across Sri Lanka's embattled north have left at least 24 Tamil Tiger rebels dead, the defence ministry said Thursday. “At least 24 terrorists were killed during the last 24 hours (ending Thursday morning) in clashes along Mannar, Vavuniya and Jaffna defences,” the statement said, placing government losses at only eight soldiers injured. There was no immediate reaction from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Eight killed, six hurt in Myanmar attack YANGON, Dec 20 (AFP) Eight people were killed and six injured when ethnic Karen rebels attacked a passenger bus in eastern Myanmar, official media said Thursday. Seven rebels from the Karen National Union (KNU) opened fire on the bus after it hit a landmine early Wednesday while heading to the town of Myawaddy on the Thai border. The KNU is the largest militant group fighting Myanmar's armed forces. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Truck driver killed, 35 hurt in TGV train collision TOSSIAT, France, Dec 20 (AFP) A TGV collided Wednesday with a truck on a level-crossing in eastern France, killing the truck driver and injuring 35 on the train carrying 160 passengers, witnesses and officials said. The Paris-Geneva train rammed into the truck at a crossing near the town of Tossiat at around 9:20 am, killing the driver and lightly injuring 34 rail passengers, they said. The train driver was also injured in the crash, which occurred on a low-speed section of track as the train gathered steam as it pulled out of Bourg-en-Bresse station. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
One injured in dual attacks in Corsica AJACCIO, France, Dec 20 (AFP) Bomb attacks on a government office and police headquarters in Ajaccio on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica caused considerable damage and injured at least one person, officials said Thursday. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Explosions, fires at Jacksonville chemical plant kill four, injure at least 14 JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Dec 20 (AP) Explosions and fires at a chemical plant in Florida killed four people, injured at least 14 and sent debris flying several stories into the air, fire officials and witnesses said. It was not clear what caused the explosions about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the T2 Laboratories Inc. plant, which makes chemical solvents and fuel additives, said Tom Francis, a fire rescue spokesman. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST, Updated @ 09:35 PST)
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