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| January 15, 2008 | Tuesday | Muharram 05, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Pakistan arrests eight suspected militants ISLAMABAD, Jan 15 (AFP) Pakistani security forces have arrested eight suspected militants accused of involvement in a recent wave of suicide and terrorist attacks, the interior ministry said Tuesday. The suspects had a role in attacks in cities including Rawalpindi, it said. Interior ministry spokesman Javed Cheema told reporters at a briefing that the arrests were made in Sargodha and Mianwali, two cities in Punjab province. “They are the people who are involved in suicide and terrorist acts in Rawalpindi and Sargodha. There are eight people who had been arrested,” he said. Cheema would not comment when asked if the suspects had any links with the attack on Benazir Bhutto. “I can only share at this time that the investigations are going on and once the investigations are completed we will definitely share all details, but I think that this is a job well done by Punjab police,” he said.(Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Militants get life for Musharraf plot KARACHI, Jan 15 (AFP): An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan Tuesday passed life sentences on three militants over a botched assassination attempt on President Musharraf. “Judge Ghulam Ali Samito today awarded life sentences and a fine of 100,000 rupees each to three members of militant outfit Harkatul Mujahedin Al-Almi,” public prosecutor Naimat Randhawa told AFP. He identified the men as Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Hanif and ringleader Mohammad Imran. Three other men were acquitted. The group tried to kill Musharraf on April 26, 2002, by blowing up a car near his vehicle in Karachi. The device did not explode. Police said the same vehicle was later used in a suicide bomb attack outside the US Consulate in Karachi on June 14, 2002, in which 12 Pakistanis were killed. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Iranian and Pakistani rescue workers save 25 sailors Tehran, Jan.15 (PPI): Iranian and Pakistani rescue workers saved 25 sailors and crew on board a fishing boat in southeastern Iran near Pakistani territorial waters. The boat, Sajed was stranded on Monday in the sea some 500km off Chabahar port due to “technical problems” in its engine, Iran's Ports and Shipping Organization reported in a statement. The Iranian and Pakistani rescue workers launched a joint rescue operation on learning of the incident. They saved all 25 people on board, added the statement. (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Suicide bomber targets Pakistan forces ISLAMABAD, Jan 15 (AFP): A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Pakistani paramilitary post in the tribal region Tuesday, the military said in a statement. It said three militants approached the post at Kapakh Kandao in Mohmand district and one detonated a device without causing damage or casualties to security personnel. Frontier guards then opened fire, killing one militant and capturing another. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Pakistan’s hilly areas may get more rain, snowfall ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 15 (APP): Pakistan’s hilly areas of NWFP, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir may receive more rain and snowfall during next 12 hours, the Met office said Tuesday. Forecast for some major cities: Karachi cloudy, 10 degree Celsius; Islamabad cloudy, 0; Lahore cloudy, 2; Peshawar with light rain, 2; Quetta with rain, 0, Abbottabad, Murree, Ziarat and Gilgit rain, -2; Qalat and Zhob rain, -3; Parachanar 6 and Skardu rainl with snowfall, minimum temperature likely to record 6 degree Celsius. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Police probe fresh Pakistan bombing KARACHI, Jan 15 (AFP) - Pakistani police and paramilitary forces were on high alert Tuesday after a suicide bomber killed 10 people in this teeming port city on Monday, officials said. Karachi police chief Azhar Farooqi said security forces were conducting random spot-checks on commuters and vehicles at all entry and exit points to the city. “An investigation team has been formed and it has started its work,” he said. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Record poppy output in Afghanistan great threat to Pakistan LAHORE, Jan 15 (PPI): An Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) senior commander has said poppy was cultivated on 183,000 hectares in Afghanistan in 2007 which is a great threat for Pakistan as its territory would be used by drug cartels to smuggle heroin to international markets. In 2006, poppy was cultivated on 160,000 hectares in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Central Asia and Iran are favourite routes for drug cartels to smuggle heroin. Some 36 per cent of Afghanistans heroin production is smuggled to the West via Pakistan, the official said.(Posted @ 21:23 PST)
Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan OTTAWA, Jan 15, 2008 (AFP) A Canadian soldier was killed Tuesday when his armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) during a routine patrol north of Kandahar City in southern Afghanistan, the military said.(Posted @ 23:28 PST)
Major powers to meet on Iran sanctions next week BERLIN, Jan 15, 2008 (AFP) The foreign ministers of the major powers mulling tougher sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme will meet in Berlin next week, the Financial Times Deutschland reports in its Wednesday edition.The business daily said the top diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and Germany will discuss a draft resolution on further UN sanctions against Tehran. The German foreign ministry said it could not confirm nor deny the press report, which cited diplomatic sources close to the talks.(Posted @ 23:28 PST)
At least 20 killed in Gaza violence GAZA CITY, Jan 15, 2008 (AFP) Israeli troops killed 19 Palestinians on Tuesday, including the son of a top Hamas leader, as fighting erupted around the Gaza Strip a day after the start of key Middle East peace talks.The deadliest single day of violence in more than a year saw the son of Hamas leader Mahmud Zahar killed, while a civilian just inside Israel was shot dead in a rare sniper attack.(Posted @ 13:00 PST, Updated @ 23:26 PST)
US to send 3,200 more troops to Afghanistan: Pentagon WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (AFP): US President George W. Bush has signed off on a recommendation by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to send some 3,200 additional troops to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday. Currently, there are 26,000 US troops in Afghanistan, most of them under the 40,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.(Posted @ 20:57 PST)
Italian police smash Nigerian child-smuggling ring, 66 held ROME, Jan 15 (Reuters): Italian police working alongside Dutch colleagues arrested 66 Nigerians on Tuesday in connection with a child-smuggling ring suspected of forcing orphans from Nigeria into prostitution and drug-running in Europe. “We have dismantled a powerful international organization that was smuggling and exploiting human beings, and especially children,” said Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato.(Posted @ 21:25 PST)
Four killed in Beirut attack on US embassy car: report BEIRUT, Jan 15, 2008 (AFP/Reuters): Four people were killed and several others wounded in a blast that local television said targeted a US embassy car on a seafront road in a northern suburb of Beirut on Tuesday. “There was a blast inside a car between Dawra and Qarantina area and we have reports of injuries,” said a security official, who did not want to be named. In Washington, the U.S. State Department said four Beirut residents were killed in a bomb blast in the Lebanese capital and a local driver for the U.S. Embassy was slightly injured. “There were no American diplomats or American citizens in the car at the time. There were four Beirut residents who do not work for the embassy who were killed in the blast,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.(Posted @ 20:06 PST, Updated @ 21:24 PST)
Three senior policemen killed in Mexico border city TIJUANA, Jan 15 (Reuters): Suspected drug gunmen killed three senior policemen and some of their relatives in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, a week after the government beefed up security against drug gangs, police said on Tuesday. Two of the officers were gunned down while driving near a mall in the city's southern La Mesa district. Another policeman was shot dead at home along with his wife and 9-year-old daughter. Police believe the same gunmen were responsible for the killings.(Posted @ 20:56 PST)
Snowstorm, avalanches and cold kill 85 people in Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 15 (AP): Heavy snow, avalanches and cold weather have killed at least 85 people in Afghanistan in recent days, officials said Tuesday. In hardest hit Badghis province, avalanches and continuing snowstorms killed 60 people in the past four days, said its governor. Ten people, including two children, died due to bad weather in neighboring Ghor province. An avalanche killed five children in Herat province bordering Iran, and winter has been blamed for 10 deaths in Farah, another province on the border.(Posted @ 19:39 PST)
Uproar in Kenyan parliament NAIROBI, Jan 15 (AFP): Kenya's first session of parliament since disputed presidential polls degenerated into a slanging match Tuesday with furious exchanges disrupting efforts to elect a speaker. Broadcast live on television, the session began with prayers but quickly descended into uproar between the rival camps of President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.(Posted @ 19:21 PST)
Russian FM accuses Britain of imperial nostalgia MOSCOW, Jan 15 (AFP): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Britain's refusal to close two cultural centres in Russia appeared to reflect nostalgia for a lost empire, Interfax news agency reported. “Of course we understand that historical memory, possibly connected with nostalgia for colonial times, is prevailing,” Lavrov was quoted as saying. “But this is not the language in which you can talk to Russia.(Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Bird flu confirmed in eastern India KOLKATA, Jan 15 (AP): An outbreak of bird flu in eastern India has killed more than 35,500 birds in the last week, officials said Tuesday. ''It has been confirmed and we have instructed district health officials to start culling from tomorrow,” said the West Bengal state minister of animal husbandry. He said health teams were sent to affected areas in Birbhum district, nearly 250kms from the state capital, Kolkata and south Dinajpur, which is 350kms from Kolkata.(Posted @ 18:46 PST)
Millions in Brazil seek shots in yellow fever scare BRASILIA, Jan 15 (Reuters): Millions of Brazilians are lining up at hospitals and clinics to receive yellow fever shots as deaths and suspected cases fuel fears of a resurgence of the deadly disease. The death of a man in Brasilia last week prompted concerns yellow fever could swamp urban centers, from where it has been eradicated in the 1940s. More than 20 other suspect cases, including a Spanish citizen who died during the weekend, are being investigated.(Posted @ 18:37 PST)
Egypt, Turkey warn against war on Iran CAIRO, Jan 15 (AFP): Egypt and Turkey on Tuesday warned against war on Iran and called for a peaceful solution to the nuclear standoff, as US President George W. Bush toured the region in a bid to isolate Tehran. “We have no details on Iran's nuclear programme, but if it is a danger, then it must be resolved peacefully,” Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in Cairo. “There is no need for the use of force. Use of force will lead to very serious consequences in the region and the world,” Mubarak said. “The problems must be resolved diplomatically,” Gul added.(Posted @ 18:36 PST)
Suharto develops potentially lethal blood infection JAKARTA, Jan 15 (AP): The condition of Indonesian ex-president Suharto slipped to a new low Tuesday, as he developed a potentially deadly blood infection, sepsis, and his heart became unstable, his medical team said. The further deterioration reduced the likelihood that Suharto, 86, would recover from multiple organ failure suffered since falling ill earlier this month. Doctors responded by maximizing intensive care and administering intravenous anti-infection drugs.(Posted @ 18:12 PST)
Turkey military confirms bombed PKK targets in Iraq ANKARA, Jan 15 (Reuters) Turkey's military said that its warplanes bombed Kurdish guerrilla targets in northern Iraq Tuesday, confirming a report from an Iraqi Kurdish official. The official armed forces website said its planes had returned safely to base after a successful operation. It did not give any details on any damage or casualties caused by the bombing. (FirstPosted @ 16:30 PST, Updated @ 17:44 PST)
Time of hope in Iraq: Rice BAGHDAD, Jan 15 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday praised political progress in Iraq during a surprise visit to Baghdad, saying it represented a “time of hope” in the war-torn country. “I must say that from the time I was here a month ago I have also seen progress on the political front, particularly in the reconciliation that the Iraqi people themselves are carrying out at the grassroots front,” Rice told reporters after talks with Iraq's leaders. She called the “citizens' determination to fight the extremists, the terrorists, the foreign fighters” cause for optimism. “I have also had discussions with the national leadership in my time here, and there seems to be a spirit of cooperation to move forward at the national (level) as well,” she said.(First Posted @ 16:40 PST, Updated @ 17:33 PST)
Bush warns Iran not to be provocative in Gulf RIYADH, Jan 15 (Reuters) U.S. President George W. Bush warned Tuesday that he would hold Iran responsible if it hit American ships and warned the Islamic Republic not to behave provocatively in Gulf waters. “If they hit our ships, we will hold Iran responsible,” Bush told a group of journalists. “They'd better be careful and not be provocative.” Bush reiterated his threat of serious consequences if Iranian vessels confront U.S. war ships in the Gulf but insisted he had told Gulf Arab leaders on a regional tour that “I want to solve this diplomatically.”(Posted @ 17:19 PST)
One killed, two injured in Nigeria oil town attack LAGOS, Jan 15 (AFP) One civilian was killed and two policemen injured Monday night in a dynamite attack on the convoy of a port authority official in Nigeria's oil hub city Port Harcourt, a police spokeswoman said. “The convoy of Mr Sotoye Etomi was attacked with dynamite after it had dropped him off. The driver of his pilot car was killed and two mobile policemen were injured in the attack,” Rivers State police spokeswoman Ireju Barasua said Tuesday. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
At least 37 hurt in blast in southern Thailand: hospital YALA, Jan 15 (AFP): At least 37 people were injured when a bomb exploded Tuesday in a busy morning market in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, police and medics said. Ten of the people injured were in critical condition after a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded at 2335 GMT in Yala. Thirty-seven people were treated in hospital, while 15 were admitted overnight, medical officials in Yala said. (First Posted @ 10:10 PST, Updated @ 16:45 PST)
France to have military base in UAE ABU DHABI, Jan 15 (AFP): France will have a permanent military base in the United Arab Emirates under a deal signed Tuesday during a visit by President Nicolas Sarkozy to Abu Dhabi, a French presidential source said. Around 400 to 500 French army, navy and air force personnel will be stationed at the facility in the oil-rich Gulf country, the source told AFP, requesting anonymity. The UAE's WAM news agency said that an agreement to “boost relations between the two friendly countries through military cooperation” was inked by UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan and French Defence Minister Herve Morin, without providing details of the deal. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
US sets timetable to hand over Iraq's largest province RAMADI, Jan 15 (AFP): The US military will hand over to Iraqi control the huge province of Anbar within three months, a senior officer said. Colonel John Charlton, the top US officer in the provincial capital Ramadi, about 100 kilometres west of Baghdad, told AFP that Anbar would be officially returned to Iraqi authorities in March or April. The plan would mean local rule for both Ramadi and Fallujah, Anbar's major cities which were reduced to ruins in battles fought by US forces. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Water buffalo gores 4 during hourlong rampage in Vietnam HANOI, Jan 15 (AP): An enraged water buffalo went on an hourlong rampage in northern Vietnam, goring four people and destroying food stalls before being shot to death by police, officials said Tuesday. Water buffalo are commonly used to plow rice fields and transport goods in Vietnam's countryside. They are typically gentle animals often seen carrying children or wallowing in mud. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Four arrested after Kabul hotel attack kills seven KABUL, Jan 15 (AFP): Four men have been arrested after Taliban gunmen and a suicide bomber stormed the most luxurious hotel in Afghanistan, the five-star Kabul Serena hotel, and killed seven people including three foreigners, officials said Tuesday. A Filipina, a Norwegian and a US national were among the dead in Monday's attack. Afghan intelligence chief Amrullah Salah told reporters the arrested suspects included a man who was supposed to have carried out one of multiple suicide bombings at the hotel, but “for some reason did not.” The others were a man said to have transported the attackers to the hotel and two suspected of accommodating them in the city, he said. “We've captured the planners of this attack,” he said. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Australia tells India it will not sell it uranium CANBERRA, Jan 15 (Reuters): Australia's new Labor government told India's nuclear envoy Shyam Saran on Tuesday it would not sell uranium to New Delhi unless it signs the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), reversing a decision by the previous government. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told Saran, architect of a deal with the United States to provide nuclear power aid to India while allowing it to continue nuclear weapons production, that Canberra would not agree to exports of uranium to India. (Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Indian PM proposes nuclear energy cooperation with China BEIJING, Jan 15 (AFP): India held out the possibility Tuesday of civilian nuclear cooperation with China. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on the last day of a visit to China, said the world's two most populous nations should work together to develop their nuclear energy programmes. “India seeks international cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy, including with China,” Singh said, noting such cooperation could help the two countries meet their energy needs. “The rapid growth of India and China will lead to expanding demand for energy. We have no choice but to widen our options for energy availability and develop viable strategies for energy security,” he said in a speech at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. (First Posted @ 09:45 PST, Updated @ 13:50 PST)
Five militants killed in capital of Russia's Chechnya region ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, Jan 15 (AP): Heavily armed police attacked a home in the capital of Russia's Chechnya region early Tuesday, killing four suspected militants including the alleged leader of a rebel group, law enforcement authorities said. Another suspected militant was killed in a separate exchange of gunfire in the centre of Grozny late Monday, Chechnya's Interior Ministry said. A riot police officer was wounded, the ministry said. (First Posted @ 10:05 PST, Updated @ 13:20 PST)
Fire breaks out in major Iraqi oil refinery, four workers injured BAGHDAD, Jan 15 (AP): A fire broke out early Tuesday in a major oil refinery in Basra, the Iraqi oil ministry said. Four workers suffered burn injuries, it added. The fire at the Shuaiba refinery started at 7 a.m. ''due to an explosion,'' said Assem Jihad, the Oil Ministry spokesman. ''Fire fighters and technical teams have controlled the fire, which hit the gas unit,'' Jihad told The Associated Press. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
9 killed as train collides with auto rickshaw in eastern India. Kolkata, India, Jan 15 (AP) - Nine people were killed and two wounded when a train collided with a packed auto rickshaw in eastern India on Tuesday, railway officials said. The accident occurred as the rickshaw went across an unmanned railway crossing near the village of Balisahi, about 100 kilometres south of Kolkata, an official said (Posted @ 12:15 PST)
Ten dead, one missing in Indonesian Papua landslide JAKARTA, Jan 15 (AFP) - Ten people were killed and one remained missing following a landslide Tuesday at a hospital staff housing complex in eastern Indonesia, police and officials said. A hill behind the housing complex gave way in the early hours of Tuesday after heavy rains hit the provincial capital of Jayapura, though the hospital, 50 metres away, was undamaged. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Missing Norwegian skier untraced in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 15 (AFP) - Authorities in Indian Kashmir have intensified searches for a Norwegian skier who has been missing for a week in the region's top ski resort of Gulmarg, officials said Tuesday. “Helicopters, sniffer dogs and police on snow-scooters are searching Gulmarg and surrounding areas,” senior tourism official Sarmad Hafiz told AFP. Franciska Rogne, 26, left her hotel on January 8 with her skiing gear and has not been seen since. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
US concerned over China military build-up: admiral BEIJING, Jan 15 (AFP) - The top commander of the US Pacific Fleet raised concern Tuesday over China's military build-up and urged Beijing to clarify the intentions of its increasingly sophisticated armed forces. Admiral Timothy Keating said he urged Beijing to increase transparency in military affairs during talks with government and defence officials here which focused largely on the issue of Taiwan. “China's military is developing very impressively,” Keating told journalists. “We are concerned about the development of long-range cruise and ballistic missiles, we are concerned about their anti-satellite technology (and) we are concerned about area denial weapons.” In talks Monday, Beijing agreed to higher-level military exchanges, which could help allay US concerns over China's military build-up, he said. “Increased transparency can lead to greater trust and reduces the potential for misunderstanding,” Keating said. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Sri Lanka military kills nine rebels in north COLOMBO, Jan 15 (AP) - Sri Lanka soldiers thrust into rebel-held territory in northern Mannar district Monday and captured nine Tamil Tiger bunkers, killing nine insurgents, a military spokesman said. Two soldiers also died in the fighting, he said. Tamil Tigers claimed that their fighters in Mannar held off a major military offensive, backed by artillery and air strikes, in a fierce battle that killed at least 30 soldiers and three rebels. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
Four killed in fresh attacks in Assam GUWAHATI, India, Jan 15 (AFP) - Four people were killed and five injured in two separate militant attacks in India's northeastern Assam state in the latest separatist violence there, officials said Tuesday. Militants attacked a power facility about 300 kilometers south of Guwahati, triggering a gun battle late Monday. “Two paramilitary troopers and two civilians were killed in the encounter. In another incident, five people, including four paramilitary troopers, were injured Monday night in a powerful grenade blast. On Sunday, 17 people were injured in a similar attack in the heart of Guwahati. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Freighter sinks off Taiwan, killing eight TAIPEI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A Panama-registered freighter sank off the west coast of Taiwan after being struck by a wave, killing eight crew and leaving four missing, the coastguard said on Tuesday. “When the wave hit, water rushed into the ship and it immediately sank”, it said adding that a search team of five vessels and six helicopters found 13 survivors. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 7.83, points: KARACHI, Jan 15: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14056.58, up 7.83, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 15: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.5, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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