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| January 12, 2008 | Saturday | Muharram 02,1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Pakistan kills over 50 militants near Afghan border: officials ISLAMABAD, Jan 12, 2008 (AFP) Pakistani troops killed more than 50 Taliban militants after fighting off an attack on a military fort in a troubled tribal region bordering Afghanistan, security officials said Saturday.The clash occurred on the night between Wednesday and Thursday near the town of Ladha in the rugged South Waziristan tribal district, where thousands of Pakistani troops are deployed to fight Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.“More than 50 miscreants were killed in the attack and an unknown number were also injured,” a senior security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.Chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP that militants suffered “heavy casualties in the encounter” but said he had no official figures yet.(Posted @ 23:25 PST)
Musharraf orders establishment of federal food committee Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Jan 12( PPI) - President Pervez Musharraf Saturday took serious notice of non-availability and soaring price of wheat flour and resultant hardships faced by general public and directed the federal government to immediately establish Federal Food Committee under National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The committee, headed by Lt. General (rtd) Farooq Ahmad Khan, Chairman of NDMA, will be responsible for ensuring market availability of food items including wheat flour, coordinate with concerned federal, provincial governments and private sector agencies involved in procurement, storage, transportation and distribution of such items. FFC, which would be given requisite support by law enforcement agencies, will constantly monitor demand-supply gap and prices to avert present like situation. It will be equipped with adequate administrative powers, including confiscation of stocks, imposition of penalties, check hoarding, smuggling of food items.(Posted @ 21:10 PST)
8 inch gas pipeline blown QUETTA Jan 12 (PPI):Gas supply to Mastung and Kalat was suspended following blowing of pipeline in Mian Ghundi area in the outskirts of Quetta Saturday night. According go SSGC sources unknown persons planted explosive device with the pipeline supplying to Mastung and Kalat in Mian Ghundi area some 15 Km south of here tonight. After explosion gas pipeline caught fire which was extinguished.(Posted @ 23:30 PST)
Musharraf sets terms for resignation Hamburg, Germany, Jan 12 (PPI): President Pervez Musharraf told German news magazine Der Spiegel in an interview made public Saturday that he would resign if a majority of Pakistan's people no longer wanted him. He also said somebody should have stopped opposition leader Benazir Bhutto standing up in her car into line of fire on the day when she was assassinated. “Believe me, on the day when I arrive at the conviction that majority of the people don't want me any more, when I believe I can no longer make a contribution to my country, I will not hesitate a second. I will go,” he said. He rejected calls from Bhutto family for a UN inquiry, saying, “What has the United Nations got to do with it? This is a murder. “If we have gaps in forensic technology, then we engage Scotland Yard. But you should not underestimate capabilities of a nuclear state, a country that has 160 million people and a very well organized military as well as an intelligence service.” He promised February 18 elections would be conducted by the rules and said international monitors had been invited to observe, but rejected demands for western-style democratic customs. “”You have to understand. Pakistan is not Germany. We are a developing country. Give us time, and don't force your own models of democracy on us,” he said. President Musharraf said of United States President George W Bush as end of his presidency approaches, “I'll miss him a lot. He is a friend, a man who means what he says and speaks openly.” But he added, “Obviously personal relationships do count in politics, but ultimately it is national interests that predominate.”(Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Musharraf rules out UN probe of Bhutto murder ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 12 (AFP) - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf ruled out a United Nations probe into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, in an interview with a French newspaper published Saturday. “This is not possible. Another country is involved? Pakistan is not Lebanon,” Musharraf said in a transcript released by the government. “It's a simple murder. We have our own institutions and we can count on the help of Scotland Yard. I hope that the investigation report will be made public before the elections,” he added.Musharraf insisted the elections would go ahead and, while acknowledging an Al-Qaeda campaign to destabilise Pakistan, denied the country was “on the verge of disintegration.” ”They (the elections) will be held whatever happens. We have to defeat (the) terrorists' campaign aimed at derailing the democratic and economic process,” he said. Musharraf meanwhile said he would quit if he really believed that he no longer had the support of most Pakistanis, but that reports of his unpopularity were untrue. “I know very well what is the support that I have from the masses, the elite and the army. The day I think that I am genuinely unpopular, I will be the first to resign,” he told Le Figaro.(Posted @ 13:40 PST & Updated @ 20:49 PST)
Bhutto niece criticises Bilawal appointment LONDON, Jan 12 (AFP) - Benazir Bhutto's niece has described as “dangerous” the idea that the Pakistan People's Party must be led by a member of the family in an interview published Saturday. Fatima Bhutto, 25 told the Times newspaper in London that she might be interested in a career in politics, although would not be “a symbol” for anyone, and denounced the PPP as “desperate to cash in on her (Benazir's) blood. Fatima's father was Benazir's younger brother Murtaza, killed in mysterious circumstances in Karachi 12 years ago while Benazir was in power. Her side of the family was subsequently locked in a feud with Benazir, but joined in the mourning after the former premier's assassination. “Ultimately, the party workers believe that nobody can head the party but a Bhutto, but I don't think the workers believe that on whomever you put the Bhutto name can lead,” Fatima told the Times. “They seem to be a party in a hurry and they seem to be desperate to cash in on her blood. “There was a certain coterie around her that benefited richly from her government and they plan, it seems, to benefit richly from her death as well.” She called for Benazir's will, which the PPP says gave Benazir's husband Asif Ali Zardari charge of the party, to be made public. Asked about her own political ambitions, she said: “If there was an opportunity for new faces to come up and new voices to be heard and if I could be of service in some way, I wouldn't say no. “But I'm not interested in being a symbol for anyone.”(Posted @ 18:22 PST)
41 miscreants arrested in Swat valley ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 12 (PPI)- In Swat valley in northwestern Pakistan security forces arrested fortyone miscreants during search operation in Koza Bandai on Saturday. According to official sources, arms and ammunitions were recovered from them. Meanwhile, local people and police demolished houses of three ring leaders of miscreants in Koza Bama Khela. Separately, miscreants fired three rockets on Kabbal Police Station but caused no loss of life or property.According to another report, the miscreants attacked Tank Garrison and police lines with rockets and small arms. The security forces cordoned off Umar Ada, north of Tank, to apprehend the miscreants.(Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Seven Canadian high school basketball players and one adult killed in highway crash BATHURS (AP) Seven members of a Canadian high school boys' basketball team and one adult woman were killed early Saturday morning when their van collided with a truck.(Posted @ 23:29 PST)
Israeli air strike kills two Hamas gunmen in Gaza GAZA, Jan 12 (Reuters) An Israeli air strike killed at least two Hamas gunmen and critically wounded another in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, local medical workers and officials said.Hamas said the missile hit one of their military positions in the town of Khan Younis and the two dead men belonged to the organization’s armed wing.(Posted @ 23:27 PST)
Bangladesh caretaker chief says will be vote in 08 DHAKA, Jan 12 (Reuters)The head of Bangladesh's army-backed interim government renewed his pledge on Saturday to hold a free and fair election before the end of the year to establish a credible democracy.“There should be no doubt at all that we are fully committed to holding the election before end of 2008 and leave the country to an honest, democratic government around this time next year,” Fakhruddin Ahmed said in a broadcast to mark the first anniversary of his administration.(Posted @ 23:27 PST)
CDWP approves 40 projects Islamabad, Pakistan, Jan 12 (PPI) - The Central Development Working Party Saturday approved 40 projects in different sectors costing 69.3 billion rupees. Briefing newsmen a spokesman of the Planning Commission said that out of the forty projects, 15 pertain to infrastructure costing 54 billion rupees; 21 in social sector at a cost of 11.6 billion rupees, and four other projects costing 3.8 billion rupees.(Posted @ 21:11 PST)
Bush urges Arab nations to support Mideast peace process KUWAIT CITY, Jan 12 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush called upon Arab nations Saturday to fulfill their responsibilities in helping the Palestinians reach a peace deal with Israel and achieving an overall reconciliation with the Jewish state. In his weekly radio address, delivered from Kuwait during a tour of Gulf states, Bush said that during his visits to Gulf Arab states over the next few days “he will urge them to do their part.””The United States will do all we can to encourage these negotiations and promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians,” said Bush, who reiterated his belief that a peace agreement can be reached this year. “But the international community has a responsibility to help as well. “In particular, the Arab nations of the Gulf have a responsibility both to support (Palestinian) President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad, and other Palestinian leaders as they work for peace, and to work for a larger reconciliation between Israel and the Arab world,” said the president.(Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Cricket-Steyn wraps up series win for South Africa DURBAN, South Africa, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Paceman Dale Steyn bowled South Africa to a series victory over West Indies in the third test on Saturday. Steyn claimed 6-72 as South Africa won by an innings and 100 runs with two days to spare to wrap up a 2-1 series win.West Indies, who needed 417 to make South Africa bat again, were dismissed for 317 with Marlon Samuels on 105 as their top scorer. West Indies won the first test by 128 runs in Port Elizabeth. South Africa levelled the series with a seven-wicket win in Cape Town.(Posted @ 20:19 PST)
Macedonia military helicopter crashes; no survivors SKOPJE, Jan 12 (Reuters) - A Macedonian military helicopter crashed near houses just south of Skopje on Saturday, killing all passengers and crew. A government source said 11 people were due to have boarded the helicopter, which according to Macedonian media was transporting soldiers home from peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. The cause of the crash was not known. “There are no survivors,” the source told Reuters, adding it was unclear whether all personnel had boarded as planned.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Ex-judge Bhagwandas put under house arrest KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan 12 (PPI): Former acting chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, was Saturday put under house arrest under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) in Karachi. Rana Bhagwandas reached his Bath Island residence at about 5:30pm after administering oath to the newly- elected governing body members of the Karachi Bar Association, when the police cordoned off the building and asked him not to leave the residence. Police said the step was taken as a part of security measures to protect the life of the judge. Justice Rana Bhagwandas told media on telephone that restriction on his free movement was a house arrest.(Posted @ 19:42 PST)
Benazir assassination case does not fit into UN probe standards: spokesman ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 12 (APP): President's spokesman Maj. Gen (Retd) Rashid Qureshi Saturday said there was no point in demanding a UN probe into the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as the case did not fit into the standards for such investigation. Such a probe is more appropriate in cases where two or more countries are involved”, he told a private channel adding that Pakistan Peoples Party demand of a Hariri style investigation did not fit in the circumstances of the Liaquat Bagh tragedy. He said the United Nations too will have to seek assistance from different countries to help in the probe and Pakistan has already acquired the assistance of British investigators who were mandated to conduct a thorough investigation to determine all aspects of the case.(Posted @ 19:38 PST)
At least 3,000 slum dwellers left homeless in Bangladesh fire DHAKA, Jan 12 (APP/AFP): At least 3,000 people were rendered homeless when fire swept through one of the largest slums in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, an official said Saturday. Hundreds of firefighters spent three hours bringing the flames under control after the fire raced through the Nimtali slum late Friday night and gutted more than 1,000 shanties, city fire brigade chief said adding that he had no report of casualties.(Posted @ 19:23 PST)
Riots caused Rs 8 billion loss to railways ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 12 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Railways Mansoor Tariq Saturday said that Railways suffered Rs eight billion loss in riots in the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The minister said that it may take about a year for the Railways to get back to the pre-December 2007 position.(Posted @ 19:18 PST)
Police arrest 81 protesters in Guantanamo protest at US Supreme Court WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (AP) Eighty-one people were arrested at the Supreme Court Friday in a protest calling for the shutdown of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Demonstrators wearing orange jump suits intended to simulate prison garb were arrested inside and outside the building. ''Shut it down,'' protesters chanted as others kneeled on the plaza in front of the court. They were charged with violating an ordinance that prohibits demonstrations of any kind on court grounds. Those arrested inside the building also were charged under a provision that makes it a crime to give ''a harangue or oration'' in the Supreme Court building.(Posted @ 19:09 PST)
Iran says atom cooperation to prove West wrong TEHRAN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili told International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Saturday that Tehran's cooperation in clarifying the scope of its atomic work will show the West is wrong in accusing Iran of having military aims, the official IRNA news agency reported. ElBaradei met Jalili and also held talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and will, for the first time, meet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on nuclear policy.(Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Gunmen kill six in attacks on Iraq houses DHULUIYA, Iraq, Jan 12 (Reuters) Gunmen attacked two houses in a village north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing six people including a former Iraqi army officer and two members of a U.S.-backed neighbourhood patrol, police and witnesses said. “In the first attack they killed former Iraqi army Lieutenant-Colonel Ziyad Ibrahim and his 14-year-old son. In the second attack, they killed a man and his three sons. The man, Saadoun Ahmed, and one of his sons worked for the Awakening,” said police Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammed Abdullah in the nearby town of Dhuluiya in Salahuddin province.(Posted @ 18:28 PST)
US envoy pushes Kenyan factions to admit vote flaws NAIROBI, Jan 12 (AFP) - US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said in a statement that it was “imperative” for President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to sit together “directly and without preconditions”. “Both should acknowledge serious irregularities in the vote tallying which made it impossible to determine with certainty the final result,” she added before leaving Kenya. In her statement, Frazer said she was “deeply disappointed” that the two men had been unable to reach agreement on how to hold direct discussions. She also called for the restoration of media freedom and freedom of peaceful assembly and said the only way forward was through equitable power-sharing, an end to violence, reconciliation, and agreement on electoral reform.(Posted @ 17:52 PST)
Iraqi parliament passes de-Baathification bill BAGHDAD, Jan 12 (Reuters) Iraq's parliament passed a long-awaited measure on Saturday to ease restrictions on members of former leader Saddam Hussein's Baath party returning to public life.(Posted @ 17:28 PST)
Bush arrives in Bahrain MANAMA, Jan 12 (AFP) US President George W. Bush arrived on Saturday in Bahrain, his second stop in a tour of US-allied Gulf Arab monarchies aimed at drumming up support against what he calls an Iranian “threat”. Bush was greeted at the airport by King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa, who led a red-carpet welcome for the first-ever US president to visit the tiny Gulf kingdom which serves as home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. He flew in from Kuwait on board Air Force One.(Posted @ 17:24 PST)
Cricket- Zimbabwe cricket team arrives in Pakistan KARACHI, Jan 12 (AFP): A 23-member Zimbabwe cricket squad arrived in Pakistan Saturday amid tight security. Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Peter Chingoka said on the team's departure from Harare that the players' safety was up to the host country and the team felt comfortable touring Pakistan. Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary staff were deployed at Karachi's international airport for their arrival. Zimbabwe will open the tour with a four-day side game in Karachi from January 14. The tourists will also play five one-day internationals on the tour. The first one-day game will be played here on January 21. Squad: Prosper Utseya (capt), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ray Price, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendon Taylor, Sean Williams. Robin Brown (coach) (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Pakistan expels NYT magazine reporter: CPJ ISLAMABAD, Jan 12 (Reuters): Pakistan has expelled a reporter for the New York Times Magazine who interviewed Taliban leaders and visited the southwestern Balochistan province, a media watchdog said. The journalist, Nicholas Schmidle, whose report “Next-Gen Taliban” appeared in the magazine on the weekend, was deported Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. “The article contained interviews with anti-government Taliban leaders and was written from the tumultuous Balochistan province, and its capital, Quetta,” the New York-based watchdog said. The Committee quoted Scott Malcomson, Schmidle's editor at the magazine, as saying that no explanation was given for the journalist's deportation. However, he said, the deportation was “clearly connected to his writing rather than anything else he was doing”. An information ministry official said Schmidle did not have a journalist visa. “He was on a two-year fellowship here and had visited sensitive areas in Balochistan without permission and did reporting. He was not on a journalist via,” the official said requesting anonymity. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
At least 30 killed in Nigeria fuel tanker blast LAGOS, Jan 12 (AFP): At least 30 people were killed Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded in Port Harcourt, the hub of Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil industry, police and residents said. “The incident happened at Eleme junction in the city. The details are still sketchy,” Rivers state police spokeswoman Ireju Barasua told AFP. Residents said no fewer than 30 people burned to death when the petroleum-carrying tanker exploded and burst into flames. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Saudi cannot be launchpad for Iran attack RIYADH, Jan 12 (AFP): Leading Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadh Saturday ruled out any attempt by the United States to use the oil-rich Gulf kingdom as a launchpad for a possible war on Iran over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. “We refuse to be used to launch wars or tensions with Iran. This issue can be solved through diplomatic means and through dialogue,” said the paper which reflects the views of the Saudi authorities. “If the president wants to obtain the solidarity of all the Arabs... he must focus, rationally, on the most important issue which is the question of peace,” Al-Riyadh said. The daily urged Bush “not to preoccupy himself with a danger which US intelligence has qualified as non-existent in the short term.” (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
59 Tamil rebels, soldier killed in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Jan 12 (AP): Government soldiers and Tamil separatists fought a series of gunbattles in Sri Lanka's embattled north, leaving 59 insurgents and one soldier dead, the military said Saturday. Troops clashed with Tamil Tiger guerrillas on several fronts in Vavuniya district, killing 39 insurgents, a defence ministry official said. The fighting also left one soldier dead and 21 wounded, the official said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Kolkata fire engulfs 2500 shops ISLAMABAD, Jan 12 (APP): A major fire has broken out in Kolkata's biggest wholesale market at Bada Bazaar, NDTV reported. The news channel reported property worth crores had been damaged and about 2,500 shops and a few houses had been destroyed. The fire is said to have started on Jamnalal Bajaj street after midnight. The cause is not known yet. More than 40 fire tenders are still at work to bring the raging fire under control while an acute water shortage has made their job difficult. The fire is now spreading to another area of the market. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
New Zealand 134 for three at stumps, Bangladesh 143 all out WELLINGTON, Jan 12 (AFP): New Zealand were 134 for three at stumps on the first day of the second cricket Test against Bangladesh, trailing the tourists by nine runs in the first innings here Saturday. Stephen Fleming was not out 39 with Mathew Sinclair on nine. Bangladesh were all out for 143 in their first innings midway through the afternoon session on the first day of the second cricket Test. Ashraful top scored with 35. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Serbia bars US, British observers from monitoring presidential election BELGRADE, Jan 12 (AP): Serbia's electoral commission has barred observers from the United States and Britain from monitoring its presidential election later this month. One member of the electoral commission, which made the decision late Thursday, said observers from the two countries were unwelcome because of their backing of Kosovo's drive for independence from Serbia. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
Eight dead in Mexico helicopter crash MEXICO CITY, Jan 12 (Reuters): Eight people were killed on Friday when a government helicopter carrying aid volunteers crashed in central Mexico, local authorities said. The helicopter was carrying five female volunteers working with the Puebla state government including the wife of the state's interior minister, said a statement. The two pilots and an interior ministry official were also killed. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
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