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| January 13, 2008 | Sunday | Muharram 03, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Musharraf calls for Benazir exhumation WASHINGTON, Jan 13(AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf, in a US magazine interview released Friday, called for the body of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to be exhumed as he rejected charges that the government was complicit in her assassination. In a wide-ranging interview with Newsweek published online, Musharraf also expressed his refusal to let the United States launch CIA operations against Al-Qaeda in Pakistan. “Yes, exhume it. A hundred percent. I would like it to be exhumed,” he told Newsweek from Rawalpindi. But he ruled out ordering a post-mortem without the agreement of Bhutto's family. Asked why he should not use his executive power to order one, he said: “Everything is not black and white here. It would have very big political ramifications. If I just ordered the body exhumed, that would be careless, unless (Bhutto's) people agreed. But they will not.” He said Bhutto's supporters have not agreed to a post-mortem “because they know it's a fact there is nothing wrong.” ”Everybody is trying to gain political advantage; the entire opposition is trying to take political advantage,” he said. “There cannot be a UN investigation,” Musharraf told Newsweek. “There are not two or three countries involved. Why should there be a UN investigation? This is ridiculous.” Musharraf was also asked in the interview about reports that the United States is thinking about launching CIA operations in Pakistan with or without Pakistan's approval. “We are totally in cooperation on the intelligence side,” he said. “But we are totally against (a military operation). We are a sovereign country. We will ask for assistance from outsiders. They won't impose their will on us.”(Posted @ 16:48 PST)
59 miscreants arrested in Tank ISLAMABAD, Jan 13 (APP):In Tank, the security forces have arrested 59 miscreants during an operation, Radio Pakistan reported. Miscreants attacked Police Lines and Tank Garrison with Rockets and small arms. Subsequently Security Forces cordoned Umar Adda and started the operation. In South Waziristan, about 300 miscreants attacked Ladha Fort and Ladha Check Post two days back. Security Forces retaliated effectively and killed fifty miscreants, Radio Pakistan said.(Posted @ 23:21 PST)
Two Uzbek militants killed by Pakistani tribesmen in fierce gunbattle ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 13 (AP/AFP) - Two Uzbek militants were killed Sunday when their group attacked the house of a pro-government tribal elder in South Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan order, officials said. The pre-dawn clash occurred when dozens of militants attacked the house of Khan Khannan . Khannan’s men guarding the house retaliated and killed two Uzbeks while the rest took to their heels. The bodies of the dead Uzbeks were taken to a market in the town of Shakai to be shown to locals, the official said.(Posted @ 13:25 PST, Updated @ 18:38 PST)
Wheat flour situation improving ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 13 (APP): Wheat flour supply and distribution has started improving throughout the country and the situation will further improve within a couple of days as there are enough wheat reserves with the government and import of wheat has also been started, an official spokesman said. He said that up till now 213,000 tons of wheat has been imported whereas six more ships carrying 2 42,000 tons of wheat will reach Karachi very soon.(Posted @ 19:23 PST)
FC deployed at 44 flour godowns, 55 flour mills in Balochistan QUETTA, Pakistan, Jan 13 (APP) : Inspector General of Frontier Corps Balochistan, Maj Gen Saleem Nawaz has said FC personnel have been deployed at 44 godowns and 55 flour mills in the province aimed at foiling black-marketing, smuggling and pilferage of flour, besides ensuring maximum relief to the people. The FC foiled flour smuggling attempts and confiscated 52 trucks carrying 31 tons of flour each near Pak-Afghan border.(Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Pakistani troops escort wheat trucks to stop theft, smuggling ISLAMABAD, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Pakistani paramilitary troops have begun escorting trucks carrying wheat to stop supplies being stolen amid shortages of flour that have inflamed anger against the government before an election, an official said Sunday. Lt-Gen (Retd) Farooq Ahmed Khan, chief of the National Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters “it seemed there could be something wrong along the chain from warehouses to mills and then to distribution points.” “Basically, we're providing escorts and will monitor the entire chain so there is no chance of pilferage,” he said. Authorities have also been given “special powers” to detain hoarders and smugglers, he said. “Within a few days thing should change for the better,” he said.(Posted @ 17:04 PST)
Israel-Palestinian core issue talks start Monday: Abbas RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan 13, 2008 (AFP) Top Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will begin talks on core issues on Monday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said late Sunday. Abu Ala and Tzipi Livni will begin final status negotiations tomorrow, Abbas said, referring to former Palestinian premier Ahmed Qorei and the Israeli foreign minister, respectively.(Posted @ 23:24 PST)
Iran-IAEA nuclear accord does not go far enough: US ABU DHABI, Jan 13, 2008 (AFP) The United States said Iran's agreement with the UN nuclear watchdog on its controversial atomic programme on Sunday does not go far enough, insisting the Islamic republic suspend uranium enrichment.“Answering questions about their past nuclear activities is a step, but they still need to suspend their enrichment and reprocessing activity,” said a White House spokesman accompanying President George W. Bush on a Middle East tour. Another declaration is no substitute for complying with the UN sanctions, said Gordon Johndroe.(Posted @ 23:23 PST)
World must rally to confront danger of Iran: Bush ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan 13 (AP) - U.S. President George W. Bush said Sunday that Iran is threatening the security of the world, and that the United States and Arab allies must join together to confront the danger “before it's too late.” Bush said Iran funds terrorist extremists, undermines peace in Lebanon, sends arms to the Taliban, seeks to intimidate its neighbours with alarming rhetoric, defies the United Nations and destabilizes the entire region by refusing to be open about its nuclear program. “Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terror,” Bush said in a speech he delivered at the Emirates Palace hotel where half the audience was dressed in western attire and the other half in Arabic clothes _ white robes and headdresses for men and black abayas, many with jewelled edges, for women.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
IAEA announces new nuclear accord with Iran VIENNA, Jan 13 (AFP) - The UN atomic watchdog said Sunday that it had agreed with Iran a four-week deadline to clear up all remaining issues regarding Tehran's disputed nuclear activities. During meetings in Tehran on Friday and Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad agreed that the so-called “work plan” for clearing up outstanding issues “should be completed in the next four weeks,” the agency said in a statement.(Posted @ 18:39 PST)
Iraq Shiite and Sunni MPs sign new 'unity' pact BAGHDAD, Jan 13 (AFP) - Parliamentary blocs representing Sunnis, Shiites and independents on Sunday signed on to a common platform stressing the need for Iraqi national unity and central control over oil reserves. The blocs, should they come together as is expected in a new political alliance, would be a dominant force in the 275-member parliament, with a total of more than 100 seats. Among the signatories are Moqtada al-Sadr, the secular Iraqi National List of former prime minister Iyad Allaw, and Sunni leader Salah al-Mutlak's National Dialogue Front, a joint statement said. ”The parties demanded that oil and gas “and other natural resources should remain Iraqi treasures” and not be allowed to be signed away by regional authorities.(Posted @ 18:43 PST)
US soldier killed in Iraq bombing BAGHDAD, Jan 13 (AFP) A US soldier was killed and four wounded when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb while conducting operations in Iraq's northern Nineveh province, the American military announced Sunday.(Posted @ 19:28 PST)
3 youth martyred, 2 troops killed in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 13 (APP): In occupied Kashmir, three more innocent Kashmiri youth were martyred while an Indian troop was killed and another committed suicide. KMS reported that the body of Irshad Ahmad Mir was recovered from the debris of a double-storey house destroyed with heavy mortar shelling by 8-Rashtriya Rifles troops during a siege and search operation at Bikhriyan area of Doda district, while the body of another youth Altaf Hussain was found charred inside the destroyed house. An attack in the same area by freedom fighters killed one Indian soldier .Another Youngman identified as Farooq Ahmed Butt was martyred by the troops of 10-Rashtriya Rifles in a crackdown at Bagwa area of the Doda district while another youth Rafiq Ahmed was injured in the operation. A trooper belonging to 52-Engineers Regiment of Indian army committed suicide at his battalion headquarters at Keeri in Rajouri, taking death toll of such killings among Indian troops to 63 since January 2007. Meanwhile, Indian troops arrested sixteen youth during house raids from Litter in Pulwama, Bikhriyan in Doda and Mahore in Reasi districts.(Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Bomb injures 2 in Pakistan's troubled southwest QUETTA, Pakistan, Jan 13 (AP) - A bomb exploded inside a bakery in the town of Mastung, about 50 kilometers south of Balochistan province’s capital, Quetta, on Sunday, injuring the shop's owner and his son. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, while the extent of the injuries suffered by the man and his son was not known.(Posted @ 17:53 PST)
Bush visits U.S. Fifth Fleet , arrives in Abu Dhabi ABU DHABI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush visited the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet on Sunday amid new tensions with Iran over an incident in which the United States says its ships were harassed in the Strait of Hormuz. In Abu Dhabi, Bush was greeted in light drizzle by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan and Vice President and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, before heading to the palace for talks and lunch. Bush will visit the UAE's trade and tourism hub Dubai before heading for Saudi Arabia and then Egypt as he tries to rally Arab support for his Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts.(Posted @ 17:24 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan drops Akhtar, Gul for Zimbabwe one-day series KARACHI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Pakistani selectors have dropped fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul for the one-day home series against Zimbabwe. The experienced bowlers have not been included in a list of 21 players invited for a conditioning camp from Jan. 15 in Lahore. “They will not be considered for the one-dayers against Zimbabwe because they have to prove their match fitness,” chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed told Reuters on Sunday. He said it was board policy that Akhtar and Gul had to prove their match fitness in a domestic tournament following the Zimbabwe series. Gul was sent back from the recent tour of India due to a back injury while Akhtar struggled with his fitness in the series. The selectors have picked a number of young players for the camp while axing some of the senior players including Yasir Hameed, Faisal Iqbal, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Rehman who went to India. Pakistan play Zimbabwe in the first one-day international on Jan 21st. Pakistan squad (probable): Shoaib Malik (captain), Salman Butt, Shadab Kabir, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Naveed Latif, Kamran Akmal, M. Salman Ahmed, Rao Iftikhar, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Mansoor Amjad, Abdur Rauf, Rauf Akbar, Junaid Zia, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Tahir Khan, Saeed Ajmal.(Posted @ 17:07 PST)
Taliban kill 10 policemen in Afghan attack KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Taliban guerrillas killed 10 policemen on Sunday in a pre-dawn attack on a police post in a village in Maiwand district of Kandahar province, a stronghold of Taliban insurgents. Hours after the attack, a policeman was killed in a suicide raid aimed at a police officer in neighbouring Helmand province, a provincial official said.The officer survived the attack, but eight other people, including policemen and civilians, were wounded, witnesses said. (Posted @ 13:15 PST Updated @ 16:58 PST)
Jordan king urges clearer timetable for Mideast talks AMMAN, Jan 12 (AFP) -Jordan's King Abdullah II told President George W. Bush in a telephone call on Saturday that there needs to be a clearer timetable for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians if they are to bear fruit. He said there is a “need for the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to proceed within clear mechanisms and a timeframe that would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.” Bush had rung the king to brief him on his talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders earlier in the week, the palace said. “The US president stressed his administration's commitment to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-state solution,” it added. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
B'desh court charges ex-PM Hasina in graft case DHAKA, Jan 13 (Reuters): A Bangladesh court formally charged former prime minister Sheikh Hasina with extortion on Sunday. Court officials said her trial would begin on Jan. 17 and a verdict would be handed down within 60 days. (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Bangladesh 51-5 in second innings, trail by 199 WELLINGTON, Jan 13 (AFP): Bangladesh were 51 for five in their second innings at stumps on the second day of the second cricket Test here Sunday, needing a further 199 runs to make New Zealand bat again. In their first innings Bangladesh made 143 and New Zealand 393. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Indian PM arrives in China for talks BEIJING, Jan 13 (AFP): Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here Sunday for talks with China's leaders as the two most populous nations look to turn their combined clout into a major force in global affairs. It is the first visit by an Indian premier in five years as the Asian powerhouses, who account for one-third of the world's people, try to set aside lingering disputes and establish a partnership on the international stage. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Two Dutch soldiers killed in Afghanistan THE HAGUE, Jan 13 (AFP): Two Dutch soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan Saturday when they came under fire near their base, the Dutch Defence Ministry said in a statement issued early Sunday. The men, a 20-year-old soldier and a 22-year-old corporal, were killed by what the ministry called militant forces near the Dutch base at Deh Rawod in Uruzgan province. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Death toll from Kenyan poll violence hits 693 NAIROBI, Jan 13 (AFP): The Kenyan post-election violence death toll has hit 693 after police and Red Cross officials said Sunday that dozens more bodies had been recovered and four people killed in the country's western region. “We recovered 89 more bodies from the bushes in the last five days in Rift Valley and the Western provinces,” a top policeman told AFP. A Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) official confirmed the figure. In fresh violence two people were killed in the Rift Valley's districts of Rongai and two others in Molo, a police commander added. The latest deaths bring to 693 the number of victims of post-election violence as compiled by AFP. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
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