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| December 31, 2007 | Monday | Zilhaj 20, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Pakistan election decision on Tuesday, stocks fall ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (Reuters): Pakistani electoral officials will decide on Tuesday whether to go ahead with a January 8 poll, with expectations it would be delayed by up to two months after Benazir Bhutto's assassination plunged the country into crisis. Pakistan has suffered huge losses in the rioting, the government said Monday. “The loss to public property and infrastructure has been colossal,” the caretaker government said in a statement after a cabinet meeting in Islamabad. Shares fell nearly 5 percent in the day's trading, their steepest dive in 18 months. The rupee hit a six-year low as investors worried that political instability could damage the $145 billion economy. A former ruling party official said the election was likely to be delayed for up to two months. (First Posted @ 13:05 PST Updated @ 18:56 PST)
Pakistan to delay vote by at least four weeks: officials ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (AFP): Pakistan will delay parliamentary elections by at least four weeks after violence triggered by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, senior government officials told AFP Monday. The election commission said it would make its announcement Tuesday after assessing the security situation in the country. “We will make an announcement Tuesday morning,” election commission spokesman Kanwar Dilshad told AFP. He declined to give the length of the delay, which was confirmed by three senior officials. (Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Death toll from unrest rises to 58: official ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (AFP): The death toll from the unrest sparked by the assassination of Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has risen to 58, an official said Monday. “The death toll in the violence is 58. Another 89 people were injured besides extensive damage to public and private property by rioters,” an interior ministry official told AFP. The ministry's previous death toll was 38. (Posted @ 21:20 PST)
Pakistan People’s Party rejects any delay in Pakistan vote ISLAMABAD, Dec 31(AFP) - Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) rejects any delay in Pakistan's January 8 elections, senior party official Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Monday after government and electoral officials said the vote would be postponed. “We are ready for elections and do not want any delay. We demand immediate elections - and on January 8,” Qureshi told AFP. “The government should stick to the schedule. If the government delays the election, we will call a central executive committee meeting to decide our future course of action,” said Qureshi, a committee member. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Nawaz Sharif calls for elections to be held as scheduled on Jan. 8 LAHORE, Dec 31 (AP): Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif said Monday Pakistan's parliamentary elections should be held Jan. 8 as scheduled despite the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. He also said Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf should resign and be replaced by a national unity government. “He is a one-man calamity responsible for all the trouble in Pakistan. The country is burning,” he said. “No one among us wants elections to go beyond Jan. 8,” Sharif told a news conference in Lahore. The former prime minister accused Musharraf of trying to escape from participating in the election and using the Election Commission as a tool for delaying the poll. Sharif said if elected prime minister he would not work with Musharraf, and called on the international community to withdraw its support for the former army chief. “The international community should not antagonize the people of Pakistan for the sake of one man. It should support democracy. It should support political parties that are farsighted and pragmatic and can play a constructive role in putting Pakistan on a path of moderation,” he said. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Pakistan Railways suffers Rs12.38bn “colossal” damage in violence ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (Reuters): Pakistan has suffered colossal losses in rioting that erupted when opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated with damage of about Rs12.38 billion ($200 million) to the railways alone, the government said Monday. Sporadic violence flared again in Sindh on Monday but there were no reports of further deaths after four days of disturbances in which 47 people were killed. “The loss to public property and infrastructure has been colossal,” the caretaker government said in a statement after a cabinet meeting in Islamabad. The railway system, already facing shortages of carriages and locomotives, was hard hit with 22 locomotives and 140 coaches completely burnt and the railway telecommunications and signalling systems damaged, it said. The government provided no estimates for losses to other public sectors or to private property but said the supply of fuel and food to all parts of the country had been hit. (Posted @ 17:52 PST)
Pakistani stock markets tumble amid political uncertainty KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec 31 (AP) - Pakistani stocks tumbled in early trading Monday as an uncertain political outlook and violence after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto hit investor sentiment and triggered a selling spree. Soon after opening, the benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange's 100-share index had plunged by 4.4 percent _ one of its biggest ever single day falls. Financial markets reopened Monday after a break of three days following the killing of Benazir Bhutto. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
4,500 militants, 110 US soldiers killed in 2007 in Afghanistan KABUL, Dec 31 (AP): Afghanistan in 2007 saw a record level of violence that killed more than 6,500 people, including 110 U.S. troops and almost 4,500 militants, according to an Associated Press count. Britain lost 41 soldiers, Canada lost 30 and other nations lost 40.Taliban militants killed more than 925 Afghan police. But U.S. officials here insist things are looking up. The Afghan army is assuming a larger combat role, and militants are unlikely to mount a major offensive next spring, as was feared would happen a year ago. (Posted @ 23:14 PST)
Greece arrests 40 illegal immigrants, two smugglers: ministry ATHENS, Dec 31 (AFP): Greek coast guards have arrested a total of 40 illegal immigrants believed to be from Iraq and Afghanistan, and two people-traffickers around the Aegean Sea, the maritime ministry said Monday. The first group of 24 clandestine migrants, comprising 11 men, eight women and five children and all Iraqi according to their own accounts, were intercepted onboard a small inflatable dinghy just off the island of Lesbos on Sunday. (Posted @ 22:32 PST)
PPP Chairman visits mother's grave LARKANA, Dec 31 (APP): The PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Monday visited the grave of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, in Garhi Khuda Bux. He was accompanied by sisters Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto Zardari. They laid floral wreath at the grave and offered 'Fateha'. The siblings also visted the grave of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, laid floral wreath and offered 'Fateha'. (Posted @ 22:06 PST)
Sanam Bhutto endorses PPP decision LARKANA, Dec 31 (APP): The sister of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Ms. Sanam Bhutto has endorsed the decisions taken by the PPP on December 30 in accordance with the will of her sister. In a statement issued Monday she said, “I believe that the resolution of the issue of leadership in accordance with the Mohtarma's will has not only saved the party from a crisis of leadership but will also strengthen it further. I have never been in active politics but like all of you, I have always been behind my sister's every political decision,” the statement added. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
Gold heads for largest yearly rise in three decades LONDON, Dec 31 (Reuters): Gold was on track for its biggest yearly gain since 1979, with prices hovering on Monday about $15 an ounce away from its historic highs. It has jumped more than 30 percent this year as a slide in the dollar, record high oil prices, credit market turmoil, falling U.S. interest rates and geopolitical tension helped to increase its safe-haven appeal. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
The Cincinnati Post folds down after 126 years CINCINNATI, Dec 31 (AP): The Cincinnati Post said goodbye with its final edition Monday, its presses stilled after 126 years. “_30_'', a symbol traditionally used to signal the end of a dispatch, was the front-page headline in the last Cincinnati edition, about an hour before printing of its sister Kentucky Post marked the final run for the daily newspapers. In a front page story about the closing, editor Mike Philipps said: “It's a sad day, but we're going out with heads high. This paper made a difference in the community.” (Posted @ 21:06 PST)
Abbas govt says thwarts Hamas suicide attack RAMALLAH, Dec 31 (Reuters): Palestinian security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas have arrested Hamas militants who were plotting a suicide bombing, Abbas's foreign and information minister said Monday. Riyad al-Malki told a news conference Palestinian security forces had arrested members of the Islamist group, but did not say whether the attack was planned for Israel or the West Bank or how many people had been arrested. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan say Australia tour still on KARACHI, Dec 31 (AFP): Pakistan's cricket chief said Monday that Australia's planned tour starting in March is still on despite the turmoil unleashed by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said he believed the country would be back to normal within two weeks and that the tour could proceed as planned. “At this point in time the Australian team's tour is on as per schedule,” Ashraf told AFP. Reports from Down Under say that several Australian players may withdraw from the tour to Pakistan even if a Cricket Australia (CA) security team gives a positive account after its February pre-tour inspection. (Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Report: at least 134 journalists were killed in 2007, most in Iraq BRUSSELS, Dec 31 (Reuters): At least 134 media workers were killed on assignment in 2007, a media group said Monday, with most of the killings in Iraq the most dangerous location for journalists since the start of the U.S.-led war there. The Middle East was by far the deadliest region, with 68 killings in the region, followed by Somalia with eight killed, Pakistan with seven, Mexico and Sri Lanka each with six, and the Philippines with five, according to the International Federation of Journalists. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Egypt warns Israel of diplomatic reprisals CAIRO, Dec 31 (Reuters): Egypt's foreign minister warned Israel that Cairo could use its diplomatic influence against Israel which he said was trying to undermine Cairo's ties to Washington, state news agency MENA said. “If they continue to push and try to affect Egypt's relationship with the U.S. and harm Egyptian interests, Egypt will certainly respond,” MENA quoted Ahmed Aboul Gheit as saying in a television interview. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Egypt arrests eight from Muslim Brotherhood CAIRO, Dec 31 (Reuters): Egyptian security forces arrested eight members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood in dawn raids on their homes in the Nile Delta province of Kafr al-Sheikh on Monday, security sources and the group said. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Train service in Sindh to resume by Tuesday morning: minister ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Railways Mansoor Tariq Monday said train service in Karachi and Sukkur divisions would resume by Tuesday morning. Damaged tracks and bridges in Sindh have been temporarily repaired to connect the province with rest of the country, he said. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Pakistanis get back to routines as mourning period ends KARACHI, Dec 31 (AFP) - Millions of Pakistanis ventured out into the streets of major cities for the first time in three days Monday, as violence eased after an official mourning period for slain politician Benazir Bhutto. Many shops, banks and petrol stations reopened to allow people to get fresh supplies, while private cars, taxis and some buses took to the streets again after a weekend of paralysis in the country. But as daily life returned to normal, the country was still grappling with the fallout from the killing. Pakistan's Karachi Stock Exchange was down 4.7 percent at mid-day in one of the sharpest slides in the bourse's history. In Islamabad, the streets were busy with traffic again Monday as petrol stations resumed fuel supplies and many restaurants were again open for business. Bazaars and shops opened in Lahore and traffic was moving again after petrol stations opened, residents said. Court workers also returned. In Peshawar there was no disruption, with commercial plazas open and traffic heavy as normal. Relative calm returned to Balochistan province, as buses, cars and motorbikes were again out on the roads. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Fireworks, Thailand bomb explosion casualties mark New Year SYDNEY, Dec 31 (AP): One million revelers cheered as fireworks sprayed from Sydney's iconic Harbor Bridge in a massive display at the stroke of midnight, hours after New Year-related explosions Monday caused casualties in Thailand and the Philippines. Sydney was one of the first major cities in the world to usher in 2008. In Thailand, New Year revelers were among 27 people wounded when insurgents set off five bombs early Monday in a tourist town on the Malaysian border. Three people were injured when fire tore through firecracker stalls in the Philippines. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
Spanish king visits troops in Afghanistan HERAT, Dec 31 (AFP): Spain's King Juan Carlos made a lightning visit to western Afghanistan Monday to visit troops serving with NATO-led forces in the war-ravaged country, Afghan and Spanish officials said. The Spanish king travelled to Herat to meet with some of the nearly 800 soldiers serving in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), tasked with helping Afghanistan battle a Taliban-led insurgency. King Juan Carlos visited troops based at Herat airport just outside the city, provincial governor Sayed Hussein Anwari told AFP. In Madrid, Spanish officials confirmed the king's visit, saying he and Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso had travelled to the war-ravaged country to wish the troops a happy new year. (Posted @ 18:38 PST)
Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina falls sick in court DHAKA, Dec 31 (Reuters): Detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fell sick Monday during a court hearing against her for alleged extortion, witnesses said. “She’s suffering from high blood pressure and other complications,” one of Hasina's physicians told reporters. A court has ordered Hasina formally arrested in a second case, filed by the country's Anti-Corruption Commission, over corruption allegations in awarding oil and gas exploration contracts. This means that even if she were released in the first case, she would be kept in jail to face charges in the second case. (Posted @ 18:34 PST)
Pakistan's security linked with Kashmir solution: APHC Srinagar, occupied Kashmir, Dec 31 (PPI): The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has reiterated that stability and security in Pakistan are closely linked with the process of peacefully resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with Kashmiris' aspirations. Kashmir Media Service said the reiteration was made at a meeting presided over by APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Srinagar Monday and attended by Professor Abdul Ghani Butt, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi and Fazal Haq Qureshi. The APHC leaders lauded Pakistan's efforts in projecting Kashmir cause at the global level. They also appreciated the role played by the assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto in mobilizing world opinion in favour of Kashmiris' right to self-determination. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Iran says Turkmenistan has halted gas supplies TEHRAN, Dec 31 (AFP): Turkmenistan has completely halted export of gas to neighbouring Iran, forcing cuts in a dozen Iranian cities amid freezing winter temperatures, Iranian energy officials said. “Turkmenistan reduced its exports to Iran by half two days ago but since Sunday afternoon, the exports have completely ceased,” said a spokesman of the National Iranian Gas Company, quoted by state broadcasting. (Posted @ 17:18 PST)
10 Malian soldiers released by Tuareg rebels BAMAKO, Dec 31 (AP): Ten Malian soldiers who had been taken hostage by Tuareg rebels have been released, a military official announced on Monday. A statement released by Mali's army said the release of the 10 hostages follows an agreement between the government and a Tuareg rebel whose men have been fighting a guerrilla war in the sands of northern Mali. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
More than 149 killed as poll violence sweeps Kenya NAIROBI, Dec 31 (AFP): An eruption of fresh violence triggered by Kenya's disputed presidential ballot left more than 149 dead Monday, after defeated opposition candidate Raila Odinga rejected Mwai Kibaki's re-election. Further clashes were feared as Odinga planned to hold his own alternative inauguration at a mass rally later Monday, a day after Kibaki was officially sworn in for a second term despite widespread allegations of vote-rigging. At least 64 people were killed overnight in western Kenya in fresh outbreaks of tribal violence and clashes between police, looters and opposition activists. Separate clashes in the capital Nairobi claimed a further 130 lives, police said. At least 200 people have now been killed since Thursday's elections, which have left one of Africa's more stable democracies teetering on the brink of turmoil. (First Posted @ 16:05 PST, Updated @ 20:26 PST)
19 bodies found in China coal mine explosion BEIJING, Dec 31 (AP): Nineteen coal miners were confirmed dead after a mine blast in a northeast province of China, official Xinhua News Agency said Monday. A two-day rescue operation turned up the bodies after an explosion Saturday in Shunfa Coal Mine, Xinhua said. Located in Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang province, it is believed the private mine had illegally started production even though its license had been suspended, Xinhua said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Three dead in Australia bushfire SYDNEY, Dec 31 (AFP): Three Australian men were killed and another injured when a bushfire engulfed their vehicles as they travelled along a remote highway in the outback of Western Australia, police said Monday. Police said the men died Sunday night after their trucks were apparently mistakenly allowed through a road block set up to keep motorists away from an intense fire burning about 600 kilomotres east of Perth. Police said the bodies were found in the trucks. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Palestinian woman dies as stranded pilgrims set fire to camps in northern Sinai EL-ARISH, Egypt, Dec 31 (AP) - A Palestinian woman died Monday amid the chaos of more than a thousand Palestinian pilgrims setting fire to temporary camps in Sinai set up by the Egyptian government to house them until a dispute over how they will return to the Gaza Strip is resolved. The Palestinians arrived by bus at 11 temporary camps outside the Mediterranean coastal city of el-Arish Sunday but refused to occupy them, protesting Egypt's attempts to have them return to Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Aouja border crossing. (Posted @ 14:40PST)
Suicide truck bomber kills 11 in Iraq TARMIYAH, Iraq, Dec 31 (AFP) - A suicide bomber ploughed a truck into a checkpoint manned by members of an anti-Qaeda front in the town of Tarmiyah north of Baghdad Monday, killing at least 11 people, among them five children, police said. (First Posted @ 14:25 PST Updated @ 18:14 PST)
Suicide bomb at Iraq neighbourhood patrol kills four BAGHDAD, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest killed four Iraqi neighbourhood patrol volunteers at a checkpoint on Baghdad's northern outskirts Monday, police said. Two volunteers were also wounded in the attack, they said. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
23 Afghan police, soldiers killed in attacks KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec 31 (AP) - Taliban militants attacked a police checkpoint in Maywand district of Kandahar province on Saturday and killed 16 officers, the Interior Ministry said Monday. seven Afghan soldiers were killed in attacks elsewhere. ''We still have not found the bodies, but police in Kandahar have launched a search operation,'' Interior Ministry spokesman Zemerai Bashary said. Separately, four Afghan soldiers were killed in a mine explosion Sunday in Uruzgan province, while one soldier was killed in Paktia province in another blast, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
India ends alert, restores links on Pakistan border NEW DELHI, Dec 31 (Reuters) - India has ended its high alert for forces along the Pakistan border and restored some transport links, officials said Monday, following disruption in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. With cities in Pakistan beginning to emerge from several days of unrest, India's border is no longer on “red alert”, a home ministry official said. Meanwhile, the bi-weekly Delhi-Lahore Samjhauta Express train resumed services on Sunday, the railway ministry said. The Thar Express, a weekly service between India's Rajasthan state and Pakistan's Sindh province, will run again on Saturday “if the situation improves”, a ministry official said. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Air force destroys rebel training camp, clashes in northern Sri Lanka kill 11 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dc 31 (AP) - Air force jets attacked and destroyed a Tamil Tiger training camp Monday in war-torn northern Sri Lanka, following a spate of battles a day earlier that killed at least 11 combatants, the military said. Fighter jets bombarded the training camp in Oddusuddan village of the rebel-held Mullaithivu district early Monday, the defence ministry said in a statement. Pilots confirmed the camp's destruction, but reported no casualties. (Posted @ 11:10 PST)
Mortar strike kills 8 in Somali capital MOGADISHU, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A mortar strike in Somalia killed eight members of a family at a refugee camp on Sunday in the latest bloodshed of fighting between Islamist-led rebels and country's interim government, witnesses said. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in Gaza GAZA CITY, Dec31 (AFP) - Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians, one a civilian woman the other a militant, in separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the army and Palestinian medical sources said. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Dozens injured in bombings in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Dec 31 (AFP) - Five bombs planted by suspected separatists at entertainment venues across Sun Ngai Kolok town in Narathiwat province wounded 27 people, early Monday, police said. Police defused one bomb at a hotel in the Muslim-majority region, where rebels are waging a bloody battle for a separate state, but five devices struck two other hotels nearby. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Cricket: Vettori, McCullum lead New Zealand rout of Bangladesh QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand, Dec 31 (AFP) -Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum put in record performances as New Zealand thrashed Bangladesh by 10 wickets with 44 overs to spare in a one-day international here Monday.Bangladesh were all out for 93 in the 38th over, with Vettori returning a magnificent five for seven, and then McCullum blasting the Bangladesh bowlers out of the park as New Zealand reached their target in just six overs. The astounding performance, where the match was over before the scheduled first innings break, sealed a 3-0 series clean sweep for New Zealand. Scores: Bangladesh 93 all out in 38th over; New Zealand 95 for no wicket in six overs. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 694.92, points: KARACHI, Dec 31: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14077.16, down 694.92, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Dec 31: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61.35, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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