|
| January 18, 2008 | Friday | Muharram 08, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
|
Satellite Parameters for DAWN NEWS Satellite: Intelsat 10, Band -C Downlink Frequency: 4126.05 Mhz Symbol rate: 3255 Ks/s FEC: 3/4 Polarization: Horizontal 
Audio
|
Pakistani forces kill 90 militants ISLAMABAD, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Pakistani forces killed up to 90 militants in two battles on Friday in South Waziristan tribal area along the Afghan border, the military said. The clashes came two days after hundreds of militants overran a paramilitary fort in another part of South Waziristan. In one operation on Friday, government forces attacked a large number of militants who had gathered to attack another attack fort in the region, at Ladha, killing up to 60 of them, said military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas. Security forces used artillery and mortars and there were no casualties on the government side, he said. In the second incident, militants ambushed a military convoy but suffered upto 30 casualties when security forces fought back, Abbas said. “We had a convoy passing through Chaghmalai. Miscreants started firing on the convoy. The security forces retaliated and there was a firefight for an hour or two and then the security forces cleared the area,” he said. Four members of the security forces were wounded in the second clash, he said.(Posted @ 18:53 PST, Updated @ 19:38 PST))
CIA links al Qaeda, allies to Bhutto attack: Washington Post WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) The CIA blames al Qaeda and allies of a tribal leader for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, CIA Director Michael Hayden said in a Washington Post interview published Friday. Hayden said Bhutto was killed by fighters allied with Baitullah Mehsud, a tribal leader in northwestern Pakistan, with support from al-Qaeda's terrorist network, Post reported. Hayden declined to discuss the intelligence behind the CIA's assessment, the newspaper said. “This was done by that network around Baitullah Mehsud. We have no reason to question that,” Hayden said. The Post said Hayden described the killing as “part of an organized campaign” that has included suicide bombings and other attacks on Pakistani leaders. Hayden said the same network was behind a new wave of violence threatening the stability of President Musharraf's government, the newspaper said. “You've got this nexus now that probably was always there in latency but is now active: a nexus between al-Qaeda and various extremist and separatist groups,” Hayden said in the interview. “It is clear that their intention is to continue to try to do harm to the Pakistani state as it currently exists,” Hayden added. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Pakistan boost security after mosque blast kills 10 PESHAWAR, Jan 18 (AP): Pakistan boosted security Friday after a militant opened fire in a mosque and then blew himself up, killing 10 people. The strike late Thursday in Peshawar wounded 19 people, ahead of this weekend's Ashura. Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said ''security was already tight, but it has further been beefed up across the country'' as a result of the blast. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Musharraf to start four-nation Europe tour Sunday ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 18 (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf is to leave Sunday on a four-nation European tour that will take him to Britain, France, Belgium and the World Economic Forum in Davos, officials said Friday. He will be in Brussels on Sunday and Monday where he will meet leaders of the European Union, address the European parliament's foreign affairs committee and hold talks with Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt. Musharraf will arrive in Paris on January 21 on a two-day visit to France for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He will also meet business leaders and representatives of a French think tank before heading for Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland (Jan 23 to 25). Musharraf will have several bilateral meetings with delegates in Davos, including US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Pakistani president will arrive in Britain on January 26 on the last leg of his week-long trip, during which he will meet prime minister Gordon Brown and address business leaders and members of the Pakistani community, he added.(Posted @ 19:01 PST)
Two Pakistani militants escape from jail QUETTA, Pakistan, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Two Pakistani militants, one of them on death row for killing dozens of minority Shi'ite Muslims, escaped Thursday night from a high-security prison in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, police said Friday. The two, Usman Saifullah and Shafiq-ur-Rehman, were members of the feared Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group. “They fled some time in the night. The lock of their cell was found broken early in the morning,” said a police official who declined to be identified. “A manhunt has been launched and police and paramilitary troops are raiding their suspected hideouts.” Among the attacks Saifullah was involved in was a raid on a Shi'ite mosque in Quetta in 2003 in which 53 people were killed. He was arrested in Karachi in June 2006. Rehman, arrested in early 2007, was accused of involvement in similar offences. (Posted @ 16:55 PST)
Devotees descend in droves on Iraq shrine city KARBALA, Iraq, Jan 18 (AFP): Devotees in their hundreds of thousands crowded the streets of Karbala Friday, many beating their own backs with metal chains as the annual Ashura ceremonies began building towards a peak. The shrine city south of Baghdad was heavily guarded as devotees from across the Muslim world flooded through a long series of security checkpoints to reach the main focus of their pilgrimage - two shrines, one to Imam Hussein and the other to Imam Abbas. Around two million people are expected to be in Karbala, 110 kms south of Baghdad, by Saturday, guarded by a 20,000-strong security force. Swarming crowds in Karbala Friday joined sombre processions in which men and even some boys, accompanied by drummers and youths playing tambourines, beat their chests and engaged in the devotional self-flagellation that characterises the Ashura rituals. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
UAE President arrives in Nawabshah KARACHI, Jan 18 (APP):The UAE President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zaid Al-Nahyan Friday arrived in Nawabshah. At the airport he was given a warm welcome by Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister, Justice (Rtd) Abdul Qadir Halepota.(Posted @ 23:17 PST)
US Immigration officials deport 107 to Nigeria, Middle East NIAGARA FALLS, New York (AP) U.S. immigration officials deported 107 people to Nigeria, Egypt and Jordan in a mass ''removal operation'' this week from Niagara Falls.The group included 94 Nigerians, among them 55 with U.S. criminal convictions for embezzlement, forgery, fraud and other crimes. The rest had immigration violations.(Posted @ 23:16 PST)
Kenya opposition protests toll rises to 25 NAIROBI, Jan 18, 2008 (AFP) The death toll for three days of opposition rallies against Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's re-election soared to 25 Friday when police killed five protestors and found several bodies across the country. The fresh wave of violence following last month's disputed presidential poll came as former UN chief Kofi Annan announced he would fly in Tuesday to broker a deal and the opposition said it would halt its demonstrations.(Posted @ 13:10 PST, Updated @ 23:14 PST)
World Bank receives bomb threat, closes buildings WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (AFP) - The World Bank said Friday it had received a telephoned bomb threat and was closing all its office buildings in Washington, which are within blocks of the White House. “World Bank Group Corporate Security is investigating a bomb threat received by telephone. The Bank is working with law enforcement officials to determine the validity of the threat,” the Bank said in an online statement. The Bank said it was closing all its leased and owned buildings in Washington on Friday “as a precautionary measure.”(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Dozens' killed in Basra clashes BASRA, Iraq, Jan 18 (AFP) - Dozens of members of a doomsday cult were killed in clashes with Iraqi security forces in Basra Friday, a police chief said. Among those who died in fierce fighting in the streets of the oil city was the military commander of the cult, Abu Mustafa al-Ansari, Major Abdul Jalil Khalaf said in a statement. “Dozens of members of the group were killed and dozens were arrested,” he said.(Posted @ 20:17 PST)
Ten killed, 53 injured in southern Iraq cult clashes BAGHDAD, Jan 18 (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed in clashes between gunmen from a Shi'ite cult and Iraqi security forces in the southern city of Nassiriya on Friday, hospital officials said. Another 53 people were wounded. Police said the gunmen from the “Soldiers of Heaven” cult had staged hit-and-run attacks in Nassiriya and the southern oil hub of Basra.(Posted @ 19:14 PST)
UN receives PPP letter for probe into Benazir killing New York, Jan 18 (PPI): United Nations has received the letter from Pakistan People's Party seeking a probe into assassination of Benazir Bhutto but no such communication has been received from slain leader's husband, a UN spokesperson said.(Posted @ 20:13 PST)
Matters like national government should be discussed after elections; Amir JUI LAHORE, Pakistan, Jan 18 (APP): Amir Jamiat Ulema-i-Islama (JUI) Maulana Fazalur Rehman Friday said that elections should be held as per schedule on February 18. Talking to party leaders before departure for Saudi Arabia to perform Umra he said: “MMA wants that election be held as per schedule as nation do not want any further delay in this regard.” He said elections as per schedule is essential to overcome the problems facing the country adding that matters like formation of national government should be discussed after the elections. Condemning suicide bomb blast in Peshawar, he said it is conspiracy to create chaos and called for promotion of national unity to foil evil designs of anti-state elements.(Posted @ 20:11 PST)
Israeli air strike hits abandoned Gaza interior ministry GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, June 18 (AP) - An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at the derelict headquarters of the Hamas-run interior ministry Friday killing one woman, and injuring at least 46 civilians living nearby, eyewitnesses said. The building is situated in the heart of a residential neighbourhood, and the 46 civilians were injured from flying debris and shrapnel.(Posted @ 19:11 PST, Updated @ 19:57 PST)
Nepal bus catches fire; at least 7 dead KATHMANDU, Jan 18 (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and 22 injured on Friday when a bus traveling from Janakpur to Birgunj , about 80 km southeast of Kathmandu, caught fire with a huge blast, police said.(Posted @ 19:47 PST)
Indian court convicts 12 Hindus in Gujarat riots case MUMBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A Mumbai court convicted 12 Hindu men on Friday in connection with the gang-rape of a pregnant Muslim woman and the murder of 12 members of her family during the Gujarat carnage in which about 2,500 people, overwhelmingly Muslims, were hacked, beaten or burned to death in February 2002. In 2004 the Supreme Court moved the “Bilkis Bano case” trial to the neighbouring state of Maharashtra in response to pleas that a fair trial was impossible in Gujarat, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The Supreme Court had also slammed the Gujarat government for failing to protect Muslims and compared its chief minister Narendra Modi to the Roman emperor Nero. On Friday, a special court in Mumbai convicted 13 people, but one ... of them is now dead,” R.K. Shah, public prosecutor in the case, told Reuters. The court will read out the sentences on Monday.(Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Pakistan denies abandoning Siplatoi Fort RAWALPINDI, Jan. 18 (APP): An army spokesman has strongly denied the report carried by a foreign news agency on Thursday regarding abandoning of Siplatoi Fort by the security forces in South Waziristan Agency. Siplatoi Fort has not been abandoned and security forces are holding the fort. However, miscreants fired some rockets and small arms, which was responded appropriately, the spokesman said.(Posted @ 18:39 PST)
23 killed as truck plunges into river in India's remote northeast GAUHATI, India, Jan 18 (AP) - Twenty-three people were killed and 24 others were injured when an overcrowded truck plunged into a river in India's remote Churchandpur area in Manipur state late Thursday, officials said Friday.(Posted @ 18:01 PST)
Turkey's jets bomb 60 Kurdish rebel targets ANKARA, Turkey, Jan 18 (AP) - Turkey's military said Friday its jets had bombed nearly 60 Kurdish rebel targets in an attack this week in northern Iraq. The warplanes destroyed five command centers, two communication centers, 15 training centers, 12 logistics facilities, 18 shelters, two anti-aircraft batteries and four ammunition depots, the military statement said. The rebel targets were in Zap-Sivi, Avasin-Basyan and Hakurk regions, it said.(Posted @ 17:57 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan pick three uncapped players for Zimbabwe series KARACHI, Jan 18 (AFP) - Pakistani cricket selectors Friday named three uncapped players in a 15-man squad for the start of their one-day series against Zimbabwe, saying they wanted to build for the future. Left-handed opener Nasir Jamshed, pacer Samiullah Niazi and all-rounder Kamran Hussain were picked for the first two games of the five-match home series which starts here on Monday. Shoaib Malik will lead the new-look side now that he has regained fitness after missing two Tests on Pakistan's tour to India last month, but willl be without pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar (dropped for fitness and discipline charges), Mohammad Asif (recovering from an elbow operation) and Umar Gul (back trouble). Squad: Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanvir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam, Rao Iftikhar, Samiullah Niazi, Kamran Hussain.(Posted @ 17:28 PST)
Cricket-Australia (212) and 65-2 v India (330 and 294) PERTH, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Australia were 65 for two in their second innings at the close of play on the third day of the third test against India at the WACA on Friday. Scores:India 330 (Dravid 93, Tendulkar 71; l Johnson 4-86) and 294 (Laxman 79, Stuart Clark 4-61); Australia 212 (Symonds 66, Gilchrist 55; Pratap Singh 4-68) and 65-2.(Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Brown seeks to take China relationship to new level BEIJING, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown told China on Friday he wanted Britain to be the number one choice for Chinese trade and investment as he sought to take the relationship to a “higher level”. Brown also brought up human rights and democracy in his talks in Beijing before heading off to Shanghai on Saturday and India on Sunday The two leaders agreed to expand trade to a value of $60 billion by 2010, compared to about $40 billion last year, as they watched the signing of agreements on education cooperation, climate change, sustainable cities and clean-energy development. “I believe by 2010 we will see 100 new Chinese companies investing in the UK, we will see 100 partnerships between our universities and Chinese universities and we will double the number of firms listed on the London Stock Exchange and thousands of jobs will be created,” Brown told a news conference alongside Premier Wen Jiabao . (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Former chess champion Fischer dies REYKJAVIK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Former world chess champion Bobby Fischer has died of an unspecified illness, Iceland national radio reported Friday. Fischer, who beat Russian Boris Spassky in 1972 to become world champion, was considered by some chess experts to be the greatest player of all time. The American-born Fischer had settled in Iceland in 2005 and was later granted Icelandic citizenship. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)
Israel blocks aid shipments to Gaza: U.N. agency JERUSALEM, Jan 18 (Reuters): Israel Friday closed its border crossing into the Gaza Strip in response to cross-border rocket fire, and the lead U.N. aid agency said even humanitarian supplies were not being allowed into the territory. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides food to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, said it was not allowed to deliver truckloads of humanitarian supplies Friday morning as it usually does. “Gaza is completely shut down. This will only add to an already dire situation,” said UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness. (First Posted @ 09:10 PST, Updated @ 13:50 PST)
Sri Lanka says rebels kill 10 people in south COLOMBO, Jan 18 (Reuters): Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead at least 10 people in southern Sri Lanka, the military said Friday. “The clearing troops found total of 10 people shot and killed by the LTTE in Thanamalwila including two police personnel,” said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. Air force fighter jets bombed a Tamil Tiger rebel arm storage complex in the Tiger stronghold of Mullaittivu district Friday the military said, but no further details were given. The Tigers were not immediately available for comment on the attacks and air raid. (First Posted @ 10:15 PST, Updated @ 13:45 PST)
Ex-minister arrested over Bangladesh grenade attack DHAKA, Jan 18 (AFP): A minister in emergency-ruled Bangladesh's last elected government has been arrested in connection with a deadly grenade attack that targeted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, police said Friday. “We arrested former state minister Abdus Salam Pintu of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday night in connection with aiding and abetting the August 21 grenade attack,” said assistant superintendent of police Fazlul Kabir. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Israeli troops kill militant in West Bank NABLUS, West Bank, Jan 18 (Reuters): Israeli troops killed a militant from the armed wing of Fatah in the occupied West Bank Friday, medical officials and the group said. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades confirmed one of its members was killed by undercover Israeli troops who were operating in the Balata refugee camp near the city of Nablus. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Thirteen killed in southwest China mine blast BEIJING, Jan 18 (AFP): At least 13 miners were killed when an explosion ripped through a mine in southwestern China, Xinhua news agency said Friday. The blast occurred in the Gaoqiao coal mine in Chongqing municipality early Thursday evening, Xinhua said. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
New delivery of Russian nuclear fuel to Iran TEHRAN, Jan 18 (AFP): Russia Friday delivered a third consignment of fuel for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station, the IRNA news agency reported. “The third load of fuel arrived Friday morning at the Bushehr site” in the south of the country, IRNA quoted the Organization for Production and Development of Nuclear Energy as saying in a statement. Like the first two consignments, the third weighed 11 tonnes. The five loads to come “will be delivered to Iran under the foreseen calendar,” the statement added. Russia is to deliver a total of some 82 tonnes of nuclear fuel in eight consignments over a two-month period. (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
China urges Iran, Europe to resume nuclear talks BEIJING, Jan 18 (AFP): China has urged Iran to resume negotiations with the international community in a fresh attempt to end their long-running standoff over its nuclear programme, Xinhua news agency reported Friday. “The Iranian nuclear issue is now at a crucial moment,” Xinhua quoted Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi as telling Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who is visiting Beijing, in talks late Thursday. “China hopes all concerned parties, including Iran, make joint efforts to resume negotiations as soon as possible in a bid to promote the comprehensive and proper settlement of this issue.” (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
U.S. soldiers kill six in Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 18 (Reuters): U.S. soldiers killed six people, including two women, during raids against Al Qaeda near the town of Jalawla, 120 km northeast of Baghdad in Diyala province, the U.S. military said. Ground troops and support aircraft returned fire on a building in Jalawla, killing three suspected Al Qaeda fighters. The bodies of two women were found inside the building along with another two women who were wounded. In a separate raid nearby, U.S. forces killed a man who ignored warning shots when he emerged from another building, the military said. Separately, three bodies were found in different areas of Baghdad Thursday, police said. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Israel “would not dare attack Iran”: Ahmadinejad DUBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that Israel “would not dare attack Iran”, after Israel said it tested a missile and warned against Tehran's nuclear programme. “The Zionist regime ... would not dare attack Iran,” Ahmadinejad told Al Jazeera television in remarks translated into Arabic, referring to Israel. “The Iranian response would make them regret it, and they know this.” (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 200.50 points: KARACHI, Jan 18: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13874.54, up 200.50, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 18: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.7, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |