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| January 16, 2008 | Wednesday | Muharram 06, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Dozens dead as Islamists capture Pakistan fort WANA, Pakistan, Jan 16 (AFP) Hundreds of militants overran a Pakistani paramilitary fort near the Afghan border Wednesday, sparking fierce fighting that left seven troops and up to 50 rebels dead, the army said. Another 20 troops were missing after insurgents armed with rocket launchers and assault rifles blasted their way into the remote outpost at Sararogha town in the South Waziristan tribal district. “Around midnight 400 miscreants attacked the Frontier Corps at Sararogha. The fort was captured by militants, we are taking stock of the situation,” chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. “There are reports of 40 to 50 dead miscreants, while seven personnel embraced martyrdom.” Military sources said the fighters besieged the remote post in darkness before blowing up part of the walls using explosives, storming inside and taking control of the building. Abbas said soldiers responded with artillery before fleeing. Of 42 troops manning the fort, 15 had escaped to a separate base while the whereabouts of the remaining “stragglers” was not known, he added. (First Posted @ 10:30 PST, Updated @ 17:53 PST)
Pakistan says foreign intervention an 'enemy act' ISLAMABAD, Jan 16 (AFP) Pakistan's foreign ministry warned Wednesday that any unauthorised military strike by international forces against Al-Qaeda militants on Pakistani soil would be considered an “enemy act.” “Without Pakistan's permission, without Pakistan's involvement, any action by a foreign government on Pakistan's territory will be an enemy act,” foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a weekly briefing. Sadiq said Pakistan welcomed any international help in the fight against terrorism, but would not allow foreign troops to take direct action on its territory, he said. “We have cooperation with the international community in (the) war on terror and in... intelligence sharing, training, technical cooperation and provision of equipment and armament,” he said. “So that is the area of cooperation, where we allow the international community to help us and support us because that facilitates our war on terror.”(Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Kabul opens Pakistan-Afghanistan border QUETTA Jan 16 (PPI): Afghanistan opened the Pakistan Afghanistan border early Wednesday without any precondition. The Kabul authorities sealed the border with Pakistan to protest measures taken to stop flour smuggling into Afghanistan Tuesday. Trucks and other vehicles moved across the border but carrying of atta to Afghanistan was strictly prohibited. The Pakistan government enforced the strict measures to prevent flour smuggling to overcome the atta crisis in the country.(Posted @ 20:09 PST)
Curfew in Baghdad and 10 provinces for Ashura: report BAGHDAD, Jan 16 (AFP): A curfew will be slapped on Baghdad and 10 Iraqi provinces on Thursday for the three days of Ashura, state television reported on Wednesday. All traffic will be banned from Thursday night in the southern provinces of Babylon, Basra, Diwaniya, Karbala, Missan, Muthanna, Najaf, Thi-Qar and Wassit, the channel quoted an interior minister statement as saying. The curfew will also apply to Baghdad and Diyala province in the centre-north of the country. In the capital, bridges across the River Tigris will also be closed to traffic, the statement quoted an interior ministry spokesman as saying. Police said tens of thousands of Iraqi troops and police would flood the shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf for Ashura.(Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Kenyan opposition begins 3 days of protests; at least 2 people fatally shot by police KISUMU, Jan 16 (AP) Police fired tear gas and bullets to disperse protesters in several Kenyan cities at the start of three days of opposition rallies that edged tensions higher in the East African nation's post election crisis. At least two people were fatally shot by police and half a dozen others were wounded. Raila Odinga, called the protests nationwide despite a government ban.(Posted @ 16:25 PST, Updated @ 23:23)
11 killed in Goa, several seriously injured New Delhi, Jan 16 (APP): At least eleven people were burnt to death and several others seriously injured in the state of Goa, when a bus they were travelling in caught fire after a tanker carrying acid exploded in Pernem taluka Wednesday. Police said a majority of the deceased in the bus included women and children.(Posted @ 21:20 PST)
Germany arrests man for smuggling nuclear material to Iran BERLIN, Jan 16 (AFP): A man with dual German-Iranian citizenship was arrested in Berlin on suspicion of smuggling nuclear material to Iran, Germany's federal prosecutor said on Wednesday. The 52-year-old businessman is believed to have tried to send a consignment to a company linked to Iran's disputed nuclear programme, the prosecutor’s office said.(Posted @ 21:13 PST)
Italy arrests 29 mob suspects in Sicily PALERMO, Jan 16 (Reuters): Italian police have arrested 29 suspected mobsters in Sicily including the son of a former Cosa Nostra boss, in what police hailed as another blow to the Mafia, officials said on Wednesday. The operation follows a series of high-profile sweeps targeting the Sicilian Mafia, including November's arrest of “boss of bosses” Salvatore Lo Piccolo after nearly a quarter century on the run.(Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Explosion on Myanmar bus kills conductor: official YANGON, Jan 15 (AP): A bus conductor in Myanmar was killed Wednesday by an explosion in his vehicle, a government official said. The official said the explosion occurred when the bus was in Pyinbonegyi, 105 kilometers north of Yangon, the country's biggest city. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release information to the media.(Posted @ 20:17 PST)
Libya starts mass deportation of migrants TRIPOLI, Jan 16 (Reuters): Libya said on Wednesday it had started deporting illegal immigrants, most from poor African states who were trying to reach Europe. “The authorities decided to start immediately the operation of deporting foreigners living illegally in Libya,” the government said in a statement carried by the official news agency Jana. Libyan officials estimate that illegal immigrants number up to two million, most of them from poor sub-Saharan states.(Posted @ 20:02 PST)
NATO chief defends allies in south Afghanistan BRUSSELS, Jan 16 (AFP): NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Wednesday defended allied troops fighting a Taliban-led insurgency in south Afghanistan, following criticism from US Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates told the Los Angeles Times that international troops deployed in the south -- mainly from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands -- were not properly trained to fight an insurgency. “I have the greatest respect for what the allies are doing in the west, the north, the east and the south,” Scheffer, a Dutchman, told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Rain lashes some desert Gulf states as others shiver DUBAI, Jan 16 (AFP): Rare torrential rain in the United Arab Emirates forced schools to close on Wednesday and created traffic nightmares, while neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait shivered. The education ministry ordered schools to close in Dubai and five other emirates on Wednesday and Thursday because of unstable weather. Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate and federal capital, was excluded. The traffic chaos and frigid weather also led to a number of deaths in the region. Heavy rains also lashed Qatar for nearly a week as temperatures dropped to seven degrees Celsius. In Kuwait, the mercury dropped to sub-zero temperatures. Saudi Arabia has also been hit by a cold spell.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Iran sees end to nuclear crisis 'very soon' MADRID, Jan 16 (AFP): Iran voiced optimism Wednesday that the international crisis over its nuclear programme would soon be resolved “once and for all”. “We think the conditions and circumstances are quite favourable and we are getting ready to solve the (nuclear) issue once and for all,” Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told reporters.(Posted @ 18:52 PST)
British Council suspends office after Russian police probe MOSCOW, Jan 16 (AFP): The British Council suspended operations at its Saint Petersburg office Wednesday as London condemned the questioning and detention by Russian secret police of employees at the cultural body. A spokeswoman for Britain's consulate in Russia's second city stressed that the closure of the office was not permanent but had been forced by the Russian FSB agency's questioning of Russian employees at the British Council.(Posted @ 18:37 PST)
Four ex-soldiers, civilian arrested in alleged plot to oust Philippines president MANILA, Jan 16 (AP): Four former soldiers and a civilian have been arrested for alleged involvement in a plot to oust Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, police and the suspects' lawyer said Wednesday. Military intelligence officers and police also seized two M-16 rifles, an AK-47 rifle and ammunition when the men were arrested in suburban Quezon City on Tuesday, said national police chief Avelino Razon.(Posted @ 18:25 PST)
Six killed as train and auto rickshaw collide in India NEW DELHI, Jan 16 (AP): A train collided Wednesday with an auto rickshaw in northern India, killing six people in the second deadly train accident in two days, railway officials said. A goods train slammed into the rickshaw at an unmanned rail crossing near the northern city of Allahabad, some 580 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, said Gitanjali Kame, a spokeswoman for the railways. The driver and all five passengers of the rickshaw were killed, she said, adding that the train did not derail and no one on board was injured.(Posted @ 18:18 PST)
Bush leaves Egypt at end of Mideast tour SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Jan 16 (AFP) US President George W. Bush left the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt on Wednesday, wrapping up a regional tour aimed at winning Arab support for a peace deal and isolating Iran.(Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Uzbek leader sworn in for new 7-year term TASHKENT, Jan 16 (Reuters) Uzbek leader Islam Karimov, who has ruled his Central Asian state with an iron fist since 1989, was sworn in for another seven-year term on Wednesday following a December presidential election criticised by Western monitors.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Bush calls for end to Syria-Iran 'interference' in Lebanon SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Jan 16 (AFP) US President George W. Bush told Syria and Iran on Wednesday to stop “interfering” in Lebanon's affairs and urged the country to hold a vote to choose a new president. “We agreed it's important for nations in this region to support Prime Minister (Fuad) Siniora,” Bush said during a visit to Egypt. “It's important to encourage the holding of immediate and unconditional presidential elections according to the Lebanese constitution and to make it clear to Syria, Iran and their allies they must end their interference and efforts to undermine” the process. (First Posted @ 14:45 PST, Updated @ 17:39 PST)
Severe cold, snow claim 120 lives in Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 16 (AFP) Two weeks of heavy snowfalls, avalanches and severe cold in Afghanistan have killed 120 people and tens of thousands of domestic animals, government officials said Wednesday. Parts of northern Afghanistan are under 3.5 metres of snow, the disaster management department said. In two weeks to Tuesday, 106 people were recorded dead and 134 wounded, it said. Nearly 30,000 animals were also killed and more than 50 districts cut off, it said in a statement. (First Posted @ 13:45 PST, Updated @ 17:14 PST)
Bus attack kills 31 as Sri Lankan cease-fire officially ends COLOMBO, Jan 16 (AP) A bomb and shooting attack blamed on Tamil separatists ripped through a packed civilian bus Wednesday, killing 31 people in southeastern Sri Lanka’s Buttala town as the government officially withdrew from a cease-fire with the rebels. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said it was clear the rebels, accused of killing two more people as they retreated into the bush, were behind the assault. Spokesmen for the rebels could not immediately be reached for comment. The attack injured 64 others, Nanayakkara said. (First Posted @ 09:10 PST, Updated @ 21:03 PST)
Israeli air strike kills three Palestinians in Gaza GAZA CITY, Jan 16 (AFP) An Israeli air strike in the heart of Gaza City Wednesday killed three Palestinians, including a teenager, medics said. Another three people were seriously wounded when a missile slammed into a car driving through the city, they said. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Eritrea accepts “virtual” border with Ethiopia ASMARA, Jan 16 (Reuters) Eritrea has accepted a “virtual demarcation” of its border with Ethiopia and wants Addis Ababa to remove its troops from Eritrean soil, a statement published Wednesday said. The two nations have been deadlocked over a 1,000 km border since a 2002 decision by an independent boundary commission gave the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea. The Hague-based commission - set up by a peace deal ending the 1998-2000 war - “virtually” demarcated the border late last year based on the 2002 decision after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on their shared frontier. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Italian justice minister quits over wife's arrest ROME, Jan 16 (Reuters) Italy's justice minister Clemente Mastella resigned Wednesday over an arrest order for his politician wife in a corruption probe. He called the warrant for the house arrest of his wife, who heads the council of the Campania region, the latest in series of attempts to discredit him. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Cricket- India 297-6 v Australia - close PERTH, Jan 16 (Reuters) India were 297 for six in their first innings at the close of play on the opening day of the third test against Australia at the WACA on Wednesday. Scores: India 297-6 (Rahul Dravid 93, Sachin Tendulkar 71) v Australia. (First Posted @ 09:30 PST, Updated @ 15:15 PST)
Bush hopes Saudi talks will bring higher OPEC output SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Jan 16 (Reuters): U.S. President George W. Bush hopes that as a result of his talks with Saudi King Abdullah OPEC will be encouraged to increase production to help alleviate high oil prices, the White House said Wednesday. “The president said that there is a hope as a result of these conversations that OPEC would be encouraged to authorise an increase in production,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters travelling with Bush to Egypt from Saudi Arabia. “The president said that the king says that he understands that the high price of oil can negatively affect economies around the world, and when economies aren't growing as fast as they have been other economies are going to suffer,” Perino said. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Female suicide bomber kills nine in Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 16 (Reuters): A female suicide bomber killed nine people in an attack on a crowded market in a small town in Iraq's Diyala province Wednesday, police said. Another six were wounded in the attack in the town of Khan Bani Saad near Baquba, the capital of Diyala province 65 km north of Baghdad. (Posted @ 13:05 PST, Updated @ 23:27)
US ready to meet key condition on missile shield: Poland WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (AFP): The United States is “ready to begin talks” about modernizing the Polish military, a key condition set by Warsaw for allowing US defensive missiles to be sited in Poland, Poland's defence minister said here Tuesday. “The readiness of the American side to talk about this issue is the major result of my visit to Washington,” Bogdan Klich told reporters after meeting separately with State Department officials and his US counterpart, Robert Gates. “In Poland, we don't see the right balance between the costs and benefits of the installation of the missiles on our territory, and we would like to improve this ratio with the contribution of our American friends in the process of modernizing our air defence system,” Klich said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Israeli troops kill top Islamic Jihad West Bank leader JENIN, West Bank, Jan 16 (AFP): Israeli troops Wednesday killed the head of the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement in the West Bank, Palestinian security sources said. Walid Abeidi, 40, was shot dead during exchanges of fire with Israeli troops carrying out a pre-dawn raid in the village of Qabatiya near the northern West Bank town of Jenin, the sources said. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Gunmen kill priest, abduct teacher in Philippines ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Jan 16 (AFP): Gunmen killed a Roman Catholic priest and abducted a teacher in a raid on a church-run school on a tiny island in the southwestern Philippines, police said Wednesday. Parish priest Rey Roda and teacher Omar Taub were both initially kidnapped by gunmen who forced their way into a convent at the Notre Dame School on the island of Tabawan late Tuesday, regional police chief Joel Goltiao said. The priest was later shot dead as the gunmen exchanged fire with police who tried to rescue the hostages. The suspects, probably a criminal gang according to police, fled with the teacher. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
23 US groups forge coalition against India nuclear deal WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (AFP): Twenty-three US groups launched an effort Tuesday to stop a US deal aimed at providing India with civilian nuclear fuel and technology, saying it would instead beef up New Delhi's atomic weapons capability. The Campaign for Responsibility in Nuclear Trade said the US-India civilian nuclear agreement would also “dangerously weaken” nonproliferation efforts, embolden Iran and North Korea to pursue nuclear weapons and exacerbate a nuclear arms race in Asia. When Congress takes a close look at the Bush Administration's proposed agreement, it will find a dangerous, unprecedented deal,” said John Isaacs of the Council for a Livable World. “The proposal undermines over 30 years of nonproliferation policy, will increase India's capability to produce nuclear weapons and its stockpile of nuclear weapons-material, and sends the wrong message to Pakistan during a time of crisis in that country,” he said. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Bush oil price 'begging' is 'pathetic' : Hillary Clinton LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Jan 16 (AFP): Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton during a 2008 Democratic presidential campaign debate here Tuesday accused President George W. Bush of “begging” for cuts in oil prices in “pathetic” encounters with Gulf leaders. “President Bush is over in the Gulf now begging the Saudis and others to drop the price of oil,” Clinton said. “How pathetic.” ”We should have an energy policy right now, putting people to work in green collar jobs as a way to stave off the recession, moving us towards energy independence.” (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Romney keeps hopes alive as Democrats smooth over race row DETROIT, Michigan, Jan 16 (AFP): Republican Mitt Romney revived his flickering White House hopes Tuesday, powering to a Michigan primary victory as worries about the US economy increasingly defined the 2008 election battle. “Tonight marks the beginning of a comeback, a comeback for America,” the former Massachusetts governor told cheering supporters after his win, which kept the Republican presidential nomination feud without a clear frontrunner. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama came together for a face-to-face debate in Las Vegas after calling a fragile truce in a bitter race dispute. Romney was beating his nearest rival, Senator John McCain, by 40 percent to 30 percent with 44 percent of precincts reporting, after US television networks called the fight. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Gunmen kill eight in Mexican city near U.S. TIJUANA, Mexico, Jan 16 (Reuters): Gunmen killed eight people including three senior police officers and a 3-year-old boy in the Mexican border city of Tijuana. Two of the officers were gunned down by suspected drug hitmen while driving near a mall in the city's La Mesa district. Another policeman was shot dead at home along with his wife and 9-year-old daughter, police said Tuesday. Another man, his wife and their 3-year-old son were shot dead while asleep in what police said was a case of mistaken identity. Police believe the same gunmen were responsible for all eight killings. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 208.86, points: KARACHI, Jan 16: At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13846.41, down 208.86, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 16: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.75, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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