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| January 05, 2008 | Saturday | Zilhaj 25, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Scotland Yard examines Bhutto murder scene: police RAWALPINDI, Jan 5 (AFP): Counter-terrorism experts from Scotland Yard Saturday made their first inspection of the site where former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated last week, police said. “The Scotland Yard team is examining the venue where she addressed a rally and the site where she was attacked,” a Rawalpindi police official told AFP. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
699 bank branches, 148 ATMs damaged in recent violence across country: SBP Karachi, Pakistan, Jan.05 (PPI): State Bank of Pakistan has collected details of banks' branches damaged across the country due to the law and order situation following the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, according to which a total of 699 branches and 148 ATMs have been damaged. Out of these bank branches, 409 were partially and 290 were fully damaged, SBP Press release said Saturday. Total loss inflicted on banks as a result of this damage is estimated at around Rs 1.2 billion. The highest number of branches i.e. 521 have been damaged in Sindh Province followed by 164 in Punjab, 7 in NWFP and 7 in Balochistan. Banks have ensured continuity of operations of the damaged branches by making necessary arrangements, the Press release said. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
PPP's co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari leaves for Dubai KARACHI, Jan 5 (APP)- The Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari Saturday left for Dubai from Karachi Airport to see off her son leaving for education to United Kingdom. According to PPP Media Cell, Asif Zardari left for Dubai to see off his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is going to Oxford, London for education. PPP's co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of former prime minister, late Ms. Bhutto reached from Sukkur to Karachi and boarded a flight from Karachi Airport for Dubai. (First Posted @ 19:28 PST Updated @ 23:12 PST)
Seven members of same family killed in Swat: official PESHAWAR, Jan 5 (AFP): Seven members of a family were killed when two shells destroyed their house during a battle between troops and militants in the troubled Swat region, an official said Saturday. It was not clear if the shells that caused the civilian casualties overnight Friday were fired by the army or the rebels in Kabal district. “The dead included three girls, their parents, grandfather and an uncle,” a local official said. According to government reports, around 330 militants have been killed in the area during the recent campaign to clear the scenic valley of militants. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
FC soldier killed, two injured in Quetta QUETTA Jan 5 (PPI): One Frontier Corps personnel died and two other received serious injuries when gunmen riding a motorbike ambushed them Saturday night. The three FC personnel were shopping on Spinny Road when they were attacked by gunmen. Police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area to apprehend the attackers. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)
Two judges appointed Election Commission members ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (PPI): President Pervez Musharraf Saturday appointed Justice Ghulam Dastagir Shahani of Sindh High Court and Justice Jehan Zaib Rahim of Peshawar High Court Members of Election Commission with immediate effect. The President, in exercise of powers conferred by Article 218 (2) (b) of the Constitution, has made their appointments, says a notification issued by Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs. (Posted @ 19:34 PST)
NWFP Governor resigns, Owais Ghani appointed new Governor Quetta, Pakistan,Jan.05 (PPI): Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has been appointed as Governor of NWFP following the resignation tendered by Governor Lt. Gen. Ali Jan Orakzai, an official spokesman said. Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court Justice Ammanullah Yasinzai has been appointed caretaker Governor of the province and would take oath of his office on Sunday afternoon. Owais Ghani would take oath as NWFP Governor on Monday, the spokesman said. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Hamid vows maximum possible support for British detectives ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (APP): Caretaker Interior Minister Lt General (r) Hamid Nawaz Saturday said that the Scotland Yard detectives would be provided all documents, videos and photographs of the last moments of the public meeting addressed by slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Talking to Dawn News TV he said that there will be no influence on the detectives of Scotland Yard. The British team will formally start work from Saturday. He also said the government would provide security to Maulana Fazl-ur -Rahman while self- protection is one’s own responsibility.(Posted @ 13:25 PST)
Benazir’s husband alleges government involvement in killing ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 5 (AP) - The husband of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto accused elements within Pakistan's government on Saturday of responsibility for her murder and urged Britain and the United States to support a U.N. investigation into the killing. “An investigation conducted by the government of Pakistan will have no credibility, in my country or anywhere else,” Asif Ali Zardari said in a commentary published Saturday in The Washington Post. “One does not put the fox in charge of the hen house.” Zardari _ who was named the effective leader of Bhutto's political party soon after her death _ reiterated earlier demands that a Hariri commission-like U.N. probe was the only way to reveal the truth about the murder. He urged “friends of democracy in the West, in particular the United States and Britain, to endorse the call for such independent investigation.” “Those responsible _ within and outside of government _ must be held accountable,” wrote Zardari, whose party intends to contest elections on Feb. 18. Pakistan's government does not support a U.N. probe, and Washington has already indicated it sees no need for one. In fact, anti-terrorism officers from Britain's Scotland Yard arrived in Pakistan on Friday to provide technical and forensic help in the investigation. (Posted @ 13:15 PST)
Cricket: South Africa best West Indies to level series CAPE TOWN, Jan 5, (AFP) - South Africa beat the West Indies by seven wickets on the fourth day of the second Test at Newlands here on Saturday to level the three-match series at 1-1. (Posted @ 22:36 PST)
Somali gunmen free Libyan diplomats in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Jan 5 (Reuters): Somali gunmen freed two Libyan diplomats hours after seizing them. “The acting ambassador and the other diplomat have just arrived back here unharmed,” a security guard at the Libyan Embassy in the Somali capital told Reuters. (First Posted @ 16:05 PST Updated @ 21:06 PST)
Kibaki offers unity government in Kenya NAIROBI, Jan 5 (Reuters): President Mwai Kibaki said Saturday he was ready to form a national unity government to end Kenya's bloody turmoil but the opposition rejected the offer saying the offer changed nothing and only internationally mediated talks would end a crisis that has killed at least 300 people and forced 250,000 from their homes. (First Posted @ 16:45 PST Updated @ 20:40 PST)
School bus veers off mountain road near Kathmandu, 3 killed, dozens injured KATHMANDU, Jan 5 (AP): A school bus veered off a mountain road near the Nepalese capital Saturday killing at least three students and injuring dozens more, police said. The students were returning to Katmandu after a picnic at the nearby town of Kakani when the bus drove off the road. (Posted @ 20:34 PST)
Georgia opposition cries foul in vote TBILISI, Jan 5 (APP/AFP): Georgia's opposition complained of “serious violations” in a snap presidential poll Saturday, but elections officials and representatives of incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili dismissed the accusation. “We have the problems we expected. We have seen many serious violations,” one of the opposition's leaders, Tina Khidasheli, told AFP. She said election officials were refusing to register opposition representatives’ complaints at polling stations. But the Central Election Commission (CEC) denied there was trouble. “The elections are proceeding in a calm atmosphere without any serious violations,” a CEC spokesman said in televised comments. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
4 killed, 10 injured in road accident BHAKKAR, Jan 5 (APP): Four persons were killed and ten others sustained injuries in a collision between a bus and an oil tanker on Multan-Muzaffargarh road, about 50 kms off here on Saturday. Police said a bus (KBA-1919) was en route from Mianwali to Multan when it collided with an oil tanker (852-TTA, Lasbela). Four persons including two conductors died on the spot while 10 others were injured. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Three burnt to death in Punjab as jeep catches fire PINDI BHATTIAN, Jan 5 (APP): Three out of four officials of the highway department were burnt alive when their jeep caught fire after it overturned near Motorway Interchange in Hafizabad here Saturday. The fourth person suffered serious burn injuries was in hospital in a precarious condition. (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
Iranian sets record for longest solo run around US perimeter NEW YORK, Jan 5 (AP): An Iranian exile who spent the past six months running around the perimeter of the United States said he is waiting for Guinness World Records to certify his 11,000-mile (17,701-kilometer) jog. Reza Baluchi returned to New York, his starting point, on Friday. The 36-year-old is now waiting for the London-based certifying body to declare his feat a world record for longest solo run around the U.S. perimeter. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
German diplomat told to leave Iran in apparent expulsion BERLIN, Jan 5 (Reuters): A German diplomat has been ordered to leave Iran, a German news agency said on Saturday, in what may be retaliation for the expulsion of an Iranian diplomat from Germany in July. The Hamburg-based weekly Der Spiegel reported last month that an Iranian official was forced to leave Germany last summer after he tried to acquire components for Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
Afghanistan appeals for food aid Kabul, Jan 5 (PPI): Afghanistan is appealing to the international community to provide extra supplies of wheat to alleviate a shortage, an Afghan minister said. Commerce Minister Amin Farhang said the shortage could lead to serious problems during the winter. His call came amid rising discontent inside Afghanistan at the spiralling cost of wheat and other basic food. Afghanistan does not grow enough wheat to feed all its people and is dependent on imports mainly from Pakistan. (Posted @ 18:42 PST)
Spanish PM in surprise Lebanon visit BEIRUT, Jan 5 (Reuters): Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero paid a surprise visit on Saturday to Spanish peacekeeping troops serving in south Lebanon. Zapatero was accompanied by Defence Minister Jose Antonio Alonso on the visit to 1,100 Spanish troops who form part of the United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Small earthquake shakes Jordanian capital AMMAN, Jan 5 (APP/AP): An earthquake registering 4.0 on the Richter scale was felt in parts of the Jordanian capital Saturday, local officials and residents said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The earthquake struck at 0430 GMT and was centered 4 kilometers northeast of Amman, said the assistant director general of Jordan's seismology department. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
Two strong quakes strike off Canada's west coast WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters): Two strong 6.5-magnitude earthquakes struck off Canada's west coast early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Both quakes were both at a depth of 10 km in the Queen Charlotte Islands region, and followed an earlier 5.3 magnitude temblor in the area. The larger quakes were 221 km and 235 km west north-west of Port Hardy, British Columbia, the USGS said on its Web site. (First Posted @ 16:45 PST Updated @ 17:30 PST)
Israel raids, imposes curfew in Nablus NABLUS, Jan 5 (AFP): Israel expanded a massive military operation in the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday and placed the city centre under curfew, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. “The 70,000 people who live in the city centre and neighbourhoods around it have been placed under a curfew,” a Palestinian security official told AFP. “At least four Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets on Saturday and 35 arrested since Thursday,” the official added. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Sri Lanka fighting kills 34 Tamil Tiger rebels, a soldier COLOMBO, Jan 5 (Reuters): Sri Lankan troops killed 34 Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka, the military said Saturday, following the government's formal scrapping of an already tattered truce in the two-decade civil war. One soldier was killed and 11 wounded in fighting in the Jaffna peninsula, and Vavuniya and Mannar districts. (First Posted @ 13:20 PST, Updated @ 16:10 PST)
11 fishing crew rescued in Russia after 3-month ordeal MOSCOW, Jan 5 (Reuters): Eleven fishing boat crew who had been stranded since October in a remote part of Russia's Far East have been rescued after sheltering nearly three months at an abandoned military base, according to television and Russian news agency reports. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
US military confirms Iraqi soldier shot servicemen BAGHDAD, Jan 5 (Reuters): Two U.S. soldiers were killed and three others wounded along with a civilian interpreter on Dec.26 when an Iraqi soldier opened fire on them during a joint patrol, the U.S. military said Saturday. “The incident occurred as U.S. and Iraqi army soldiers were conducting operations to establish a combat outpost,” a U.S. military spokesman said, adding that two Iraqi soldiers had been taken into custody. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Roadside bombs kill seven in Diyala: officials BAQUBA, Jan 5 (AFP): A spate of roadside bombs killed seven people and wounded three in Diyala province on Saturday, Iraqi security officials said. The attacks came a day after a 24-hour traffic ban was enforced in major cities in Diyala, one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq, in a bid to curb violence. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Strong earthquake hits northern Chile WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (AFP): A strong earthquake registering 5.9 on the Moment Magnitude scale hit northern Chile Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the US government reported. The US Geological Survey said the epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 0729 GMT, was located in the Andes, near the country's borders with Bolivia and Argentina. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
British journalist forced to stop working in Iran TEHRAN, Jan 5 (Reuters): Iran has refused to renew the visa of a British journalist based in Tehran, forcing him to leave. The Islamic republic, and has asked the Guardian to propose a new correspondent, an Iranian official said on Saturday. The Guardian newspaper reported that Robert Tait had been “expelled” from Iran without explanation after his visa and residence permit were not renewed. The Iranian official said the Iranian authorities did not view the move as an expulsion. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Muslim man killed in south Thailand: police YALA, Jan 5 (AFP): Suspected separatist insurgents have shot dead a Muslim man and wounded two others on the anniversary of the start of a bloody rebellion in Thailand's far south, police said Saturday. The 43-year-old villager was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday evening near a mosque in Yala province, where two security officials were also wounded in a shooting and a bomb attack, local police said. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Roadside bomb strikes minibus north of Baghdad, killing 6 BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan 5 (AP) - A roadside bomb explosion struck a passing minibus near the town of Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers north of Baghdad, on Saturday, killing six people and wounding another three, the Joint Coordination Centre for the province said. In a separate attack, another roadside bomb exploded in Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province, wounding three civilians, police said. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Cricket-Australia (463) and 282-4 v India (532) SYDNEY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Australia were 282 for four in their second innings at the close of play on the fourth day of the second test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. Scores: Australia 463 (Symonds 162 not out, Hogg 79, Lee 59, Ponting 55; Anil Kumble 4-106, Rudra Pratap Singh 4-124) and 282-4 ( Hayden 123, Hussey 87 not out). India 532 (Tendulkar 154 not out, Laxman 109, Ganguly 67, Harbhajan Singh 63, Dravid 53; Lee 5-119) (Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Seven Chinese missing after boat capsizes off Taiwan TAIPEI, Jan 5 (AFP) - Seven Chinese fishermen were missing and feared dead when their boat sank early Saturday after colliding with a cargo ship off northeast Taiwan, a coast guard official said Saturday. Sixty-four others on board, including two Taiwanese skippers, were rescued after their vessel capsized off the port of Keelung, he said. A search by more than 100 rescuers in 11 vessels and two helicopters was underway, but officials feared the missing may be dead given the low temperatures and bad weather. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
Suharto's condition deteriorating JAKARTA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The health of former Indonesian President Suharto was deteriorating on Saturday, a day after he was admitted to hospital, his doctors said. Suharto's kidney function was worsening while there was excessive liquid in his lungs, head of the medical team treating Suharto at Jakarta's Pertamina hospital said. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Mideast visit to promote peace: Bush WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Saturday that his trip to the Middle East next week aimed to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians and curtail Iran's “aggressive ambitions.””This is a region of great strategic importance to the United States, and I'm looking forward to my visit,” Bush, who leaves January 8, said in his weekly radio address. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Voting starts in Georgia's snap presidential election TBILISI, Jan 5 (AFP) - Polls opened Saturday in Georgia for a snap presidential election called by fiery pro-Western reformer Mikheil Saakashvili to face down unrest and restore his democratic credentials. Polling stations across the strategic ex-Soviet republic of 4.7 million opened at 8:00 am (0400 GMT) and close at 8:00 pm (1600 GMT). (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Cricket: Bangladesh 148 without loss to trail New Zealand by 72 DUNEDIN, New Zealand, Jan 5 (AFP) - Bangladesh were 148 without loss in their second innings to trail New Zealand by 72 runs at stumps on the second day of the first cricket Test at University Oval here Saturday. Tamim Iqbal was not out 72 with Junaid Siddique on 69. New Zealand in their first innings made 357 after Bangladesh had made 137. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Moderate quake jolts western Guatemala; minor damage GUATEMALA CITY, Jan 5 (AP) - A 5.6 intensity earthquake rattled western Guatemala Friday night, knocking out power in several cities. Local radio stations reported power outages in Mazatenango, Quetzaltenango, Coatepeque and parts of the capital. Some homes suffered minor damage and small landslides were blocking roads near Colomba Costa Cuca in the southwest. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Aircraft carrying 14 people crashes off Venezuela CARACAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A plane carrying 14 people, including eight Italians and one Swiss passenger, crashed into the sea close to a group of Venezuelan islands on Friday and had not yet been found, officials said. The plane was flying to the Los Roques archipelago from Caracas but reported engine trouble and never arrived at its destination, an air rescue worker said. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Hamas ready for unconditional talks with Abbas: Meshaal DAMASCUS, Jan 5 (AFP) - , Khaled Meshaal, the exiled political chief of Hamas movement, reiterated in a Friday speech he was ready to talk unconditionally with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. “We are ready for an unconditional dialogue in which all issues will be discussed, including that of bringing forward elections. I say to the leaders of Fatah that our differences are political,” he said in a speech in Damascus on the 20th anniversary of the founding of Hamas. “No Arab country has asked Hamas to give up on the current situation in Gaza,” he said. “Hamas will resist until the last Israeli soldier leaves Palestinian soil,” Meshaal said. “This is a strategic choice. Resistance will continue -- no one can stop it.” (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Storm lashes California, 850,000 homes without power SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 5 (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of people across northern California were left without power on Friday as a winter storm with strong winds, heavy snow and driving rain lashed the region, officials said. The worst-hit areas lay between San Francisco and the state capital Sacramento, some 90 miles east of the city. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
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