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| January 21, 2008 | Monday | Muharram 11, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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“No chance at all of our nuclear assets falling into the wrong hands”: President Musharraf BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan 21 (AP): President Pervez Musharraf opened a European tour Monday by offering assurances that his government is committed to democracy and playing its full role in the global fight against terrorism. Before meeting with senior European Union and NATO officials, Musharraf said his country, while plagued by terrorism and extremism, will have ''fair, transparent and peaceful elections'' on February 18. Musharraf, who will meet with several European leaders during his eight-day visit, said it was important for the west to understand that it has a reliable ally in Pakistan. Speaking to reporters, he said he expects from EU leaders understanding for his country's predicament and stressed that, in return, they can expect Pakistan to stay the course on democracy and the rule of law. He acknowledged that 2007 had been an extremely ''turbulent'' year for Pakistan but underlined that the country's nuclear arms remained safely in the hands of the military establishment. ''There is no chance at all of our nuclear assets falling into the wrong hands,'' he said. Musharraf will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other European leaders. He will also visit the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (First Posted @ 15:25 PST, Updated @ 15:50 PST)
Benazir suspect had suicide jacket, explosives PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 21 (AFP) - Pakistani security forces Monday recovered a suicide jacket and bomb-making material from the house of a man allegedly linked to the plot to kill ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, officials said. Intelligence agents raided the house of Sher Zaman and found the jacket, a switch lever, detonators and 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of explosives, a security official said, requesting not to be identified. “The matter is being interrogated at a very high level,” said a local police official, who also did not want to be named. Zaman, who was arrested on Saturday, is the alleged “handler” of a teenage would-be suicide bomber who told interrogators he was part of a three-man back-up team tasked with killing Bhutto if she was not killed on December 27. Zaman and 15-year-old Aitezaz Shah, the first detainees with alleged links to the assassination, were both detained in the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, where the latest raid was conducted.(Posted @ 21:58 PST)
Musharraf pledges free elections BRUSSELS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - President Pervez Musharraf pledged to hold free elections as he began a European trip on Monday aimed at bolstering outside support, but urged the West not to hold Pakistan to unrealistic rights standards. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the Pakistani president that the Feb. 18 polls must be “free, fair and secure” and their conduct would determine the level of future EU cooperation. “We are determined to hold free, fair and transparent elections, and peaceful elections ... There is no possibility of it being rigged,” he told reporters in Brussels, where he met European Union and NATO officials. Asked how he would handle any victory by political opponents, he replied: “Whoever wins, obviously power will be handed over ... There is no question at all that we will deny forming a government to whichever party forms a majority.” Responding to concerns over human rights and democracy, Musharraf said :“You have taken centuries in reaching wherever you have come. Allow us time for going for the values that you have established for yourselves. “Our cooperation, our level of engagement will be in view of the results of the process.” Solana said after talks with Musharraf. Musharraf told the briefing Pakistan would continue to fight against Islamist extremism with all its resolve and that he had raised Pakistan's bid for greater market access to the EU with Solana. “We need to sustain our economic growth,” he said. On Tuesday, Musharraf will see French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris and then attend the World Economic Forum in Davos before talks in London with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.(Posted @ 21:31 PST)
US helping Pakistan tackle extremism 'in its own way': Boucher ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Jan 21 (AFP) - The United States is working to help Pakistan deal with extremism “in its own way,” top US diplomat for the region Richard Boucher said here Monday. “It is their country, their problems, and we are going to try to help them deal with it in their own way ...,” Boucher told reporters after meeting officials in the town of Asadabad near the Pakistan border. “Our goal and our job ... is to be cooperative so this common problem that exists, that affects us, that affects you, that affects Pakistan, so we can all end this problem together,” he said. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs met President Hamid Karzai in Kabul Sunday.(Posted @ 21:46 PST)
Militants attack supply trucks headed for Afghanistan ISLAMABAD, Jan 21 (AP): Militants destroyed three trucks carrying provisions for coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan, in the latest of several attacks on a key supply line for the troops, police said Monday. One of the drivers was slightly hurt in the overnight blasts in the town of Chaman, while two fuel tankers and a rig carrying a shipping container were completely destroyed, police said. The latest attack on supply trucks came as the military continued to pound an extremist stronghold in South Waziristan where rebel leader Baitullah Mehsud, who is blamed for former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, is believed to be hiding. On Monday, militants fired rockets at a military post in the region straddling the Afghan border, army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. Troops retaliated but there were no reports of casualties. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)
Pakistan SC directs SBP to submit report about massive loans write-off ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 21 (APP): A three-member bench of the Supreme Court Monday directed the State Bank of Pakistan to submit details about bank loans amounting to Rs. 54 billion that were reportedly written off during the previous government. The bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Muhammad Qaim Jan Khan and Justice Mian Hamid Farooq, heard the case, which was taken up by the apex court on its own on the basis of a newspaper report which stated that a report presented to the Public Accounts Committee claimed that around 50,000 persons including politicians, civil and military business concerns and tycoons of Karachi, Lahore and other areas benefitted from the massive favour.(Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Gaza blockade sparks international outcry BRUSSELS, Jan 21 (AFP) - The European Union led mounting calls on Monday for Israel to end its crippling four-day-old blockade of Gaza as Egypt came under pressure to open the territory's only access to the outside world that bypasses the Jewish state. Both the 22-member Arab League and the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the Israeli closure which plunged much of Gaza City into darkness on Sunday night and has left hospitals with dwindling fuel stocks. EU External Relations Commissioner accused Israel of the “collective punishment” of Gaza's aid-dependent population of 1.5 million people. France used similar wording, saying it “strongly deplores” measures that “amount to collective punishment of the entire civilian population, which is already very affected.” “Israeli security and justice for Palestinians will not be achieved by cutting off fuel or by firing rockets,” Foreign Secretary David Miliband and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said in a joint statement. Syria said Israel's actions against Gaza made a mockery of the relaunched peace talks. “Israel is profiting from the international silence... to unleash its rage against the inhabitants of Gaza,” Lebanon Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rang both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, but the Israeli premier promised no let-up in the lockdown as long as Hamas remained in power.(Posted @ 21:52 PST)
Bomber kills 15 at funeral in northern Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (Reuters)A suicide bomber killed 15 people and wounded 10 when he blew himself up at a funeral ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Baiji on Monday, a security official said. The attack is the latest in a spate of deadly bombings in Iraq's northern provinces, where the U.S. military says al Qaeda militants have regrouped after being forced out of other areas.(Posted @ 23:38 PST)
Israel allows fuel supplies, medicine to Gaza JERUSALEM, Jan 21, 2008 (AFP) Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Monday authorised the blockaded Gaza Strip to be resupplied with some fuel and medicine after a review of the humanitarian situation, his ministry said. “Mr. Barak has decided to allow the delivery of fuel to resume to the Gaza Strip to allow the territory's electricity plant to function. Deliveries will restart on Tuesday,” ministry spokesman Moshe Ronen told AFP.(Posted @ 23:37 PST)
Gaza City grinds to a halt amid Israeli blockade GAZA CITY, Jan 21 (AFP) - Gaza City slowly ground to a halt Monday, with traffic dying down on the normally bustling streets and bread lines forming outside the few bakeries that had not closed for lack of fuel. Weary Gazans awoke in darkness and struggled to stock up on staples after the territory's sole power plant -- which provides most electricity to the city -- shut down late Sunday over fuel shortages caused by the Israeli blockade. Meanwhile doctors at Gaza City's main Al-Shifa hospital expressed mounting concern as the fuel supply for its generators slowly dwindled. “We have 15 patients on breathing machines. If the electricity is cut off they stop working and the patients will die of blood poisoning after about five minutes,” Doctor Fawzy Nabulseyah, director of the intensive care unit told AFP. “Most of them were wounded in Israeli operations and air strikes,” he says.(Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Pakistan draw 1-1 against India in Junior hockey ISLAMABAD, Jan 21 (APP): Pakistan played a 1-1 draw against India in Junior Men's 8-Nation Invitational Hockey Tournament at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.(Posted @ 21:34 PST)
Justice Raza Khan takes oath as CJ PHC PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 21 (APP): Mr. Justice Raza Khan took oath as Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court on Monday afternoon.(Posted @ 21:33 PST)
At least 16 migrants drown off Yemen coast ADEN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - At least 16 people including six children drowned in the Gulf of Aden while trying to cross from Somalia to Yemen, Yemeni media said on Monday. One person was missing while 11 people including two women made it to Yemen's shores after their boat sank near the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula country late on Saturday, al-Ayyam newspaper said.(Posted @ 21:33 PST)
Mine blast kills British soldier in Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A mine blast killed a British soldier and wounded five others in southern Afghanistan, the British Ministry of Defence said on Monday.(Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 104 runs in first one-dayer Karachi, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 104 runs in the first one-day international in Karachi on Monday. Scores: Pakistan 347-5 (Younis Khan 79, Mohammad Yousuf 72, Shoaib Malik 63, Nasir Jamshed 61, Misbah-ul-Haq 55 not out). Zimbabwe 243-7 (Vusi Sibanda 59, Chamu Chibhabha 52, Sean Williams 52 not out).(Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Six militants, policeman killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 21 (AFP) - Six suspected militants and a policeman were killed in fresh gunbattles in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir after weeks of relative calm, police said Monday. The fighting was reported from northern Kupwara and southern Shopian districts after Indian troops launched search operations, a police statement said. “The deaths happened during three separate encounters between militants and security forces,” it added. The insurgency against Indian rule in occupied Kashmir began in 1989 and has left more than 42,000 people dead.(Posted @ 21:01 PST)
Security forces launch operation against miscreants in Swat Swat, Jan 21 (PPI) Security forces Monday morning launched operation against miscreants in Chupriyal area of Swat. Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed in Swat from 6am to 7pm today except from Bariam to Wanai bridge area of Matta tehsil.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Shabir Shah, Nayeem put under house arrest ISLAMABAD, Jan 21 (APP) In occupied Kashmir, senior APHC leaders Shabir Ahmed Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan were Monday placed under house arrest in Srinagar to prevent them from leading a peace march, Kashmir Media Service reported.(Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Cold, snow kills 300 people in Afghanistan KABUL, Jan 21 (APP/AFP) - More than 320 people and thousands of livestock have been killed in Afghanistan this month in freezing weather and the heaviest snowfalls for 15 years, Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority said Monday. The hardest-hit areas have been in Herat , Farah, Badghis and Nimroz provinces-- all remote and mountainous regions near the Iranian border, the authority said. Freezing temperatures had also killed nearly 10,000 livestock this month.(Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Five of a family die of poisonous gas RAHIM YAR KHAN, Pakistan, Jan 21 (APP): Five of a family including three girls and a boydied from suffocation due to gas from coal left burning in the stove to warm the room, in Kot Sabzal area of tehsil Sadiqabad in Pakistan’s Punjab province Police said neighbours saw smoke coming from the villager's home in Chak 164-P, broke open the door open and found all five occupants choked to death.(Posted @ 18:49 PST)
India’s Gujarat state Hindu-Muslim riots: 11 men get life sentences MUMBAI, India, Jan 21 (AP) A Mumbai court sentenced 11 men to life imprisonment Monday after they were convicted of gang-rape and murder in the deaths of 14 members of the same family during the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat state. A 12th man, a policeman, was sentenced to three years in prison for fabricating and destroying evidence. All 12 said they would appeal the decision to a higher court.(Posted @ 18:16 PST)
Haevy rains kill 17 canoeing in Zambia lake LUSAKA, Jan 21 (Reuters) Seventeen people drowned in a man-made lake in Zambia when their canoe capsized due to heavy rains in the country swept by floods. Ackimson Banda, junior minister for Zambia's Central Province, said Monday 13 of the victims were members of one family who were canoeing to a village to attend a funeral Friday night.(Posted @ 17:57 PST)
Car bomb kills two in northern Iraq MOSUL, Iraq, Jan 21 (AFP) A car bomb targeting an army patrol exploded in a crowd of civilians near Mosul early Monday afternoon, killing two and wounding nine, police said.(Posted @ 17:56 PST)
Cricket- Pakistan insures home series after Australian fears KARACHI, Jan 21 (AFP) The Pakistan Cricket Board has taken out insurance for all home series, especially the upcoming tour by Australia, after security fears put them in doubt, officials said Monday. The PCB has covered itself against potential financial losses amid continuing unrest in the nuclear-armed country following the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.“We have insured our home series with the special mention of the series against Australia with a British company and in this way we can cover any financial losses,” PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf told reporters.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
At least 48 killed in fresh Sri Lanka fighting COLOMBO, Jan 21 (AFP) Heavy fighting raged across Sri Lanka's north with the military destroying rebel bunkers and killing at least 46 guerrillas, the defence ministry said Monday. Fighting across the Nagarkovil defence line in Jaffna early Monday saw at least 15 rebels killed and more than 30 injured, the military said, placing their own losses at just two dead. “Troops launched a multi-pronged surprise assault at LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) positions ahead of Nagarkovil defences... forcing terrorists to flee with soaring casualties,” the statement said. Elsewhere, the rebels lost 31 cadres in fighting across Vavuniya, Mannar and Weli Oya, all in the northern area of the mainland, on Sunday, the defence ministry said. (First Posted @ 10:20 PST, Updated @ 15:30 PST)
38 Hindu pilgrims killed in bus crash NEW DELHI, Jan 21 (AFP): At least 38 Hindu pilgrims were killed and dozens injured overnight when an overcrowded bus plunged into a gorge in western India, police said Monday. The bus was travelling to Nasik town in Maharashtra state after visiting a popular Hindu shrine late Sunday when the brakes failed above a 600-foot gorge, a police spokesman told AFP. Most of the passengers were from Mumbai, and the dead included 12 women and four children. “The bus was negotiating a hairpin bend when the brakes failed and the driver jumped out of the vehicle,” said S. Chokalingam, a local administrator in the Nasik region. “The bus broke up into two because of the impact of the fall,” he told the NDTV news channel. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST, Updated @ 14:20 PST)
India launches Israeli satellite BANGALORE, India, Jan 21 (AFP): India successfully placed an Israeli spy satellite into orbit Monday, an official at the Sriharikota space station in southern India said after a launch carried out under a veil of secrecy. The launch of the Tecsar satellite, sometimes referred to as the Polaris, was carried out in clear weather at 9:15 am local time, space centre official S.V. Ramanayya said. The satellite was later successfully steered into its predetermined orbit. “It was a grand success,” the official said, declining to give further details of the launch from the Sriharikota space station in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Six killed as Thai PM visits south: police YALA, Jan 21 (AFP): Six Muslim men were killed and eight soldiers injured in rebel attacks in Thailand's restive south, police said Monday, as the army-appointed premier toured the region. The spate of shootings began Sunday. Violence continued as Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont headed to the insurgency-hit region Monday morning, with six Muslims shot dead in separate attacks in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces. A bomb attack in Narathiwat on Monday injured eight soldiers on patrol. Local police said the blast was detonated by mobile phone, and prompted a five-minute gunfight between separatists and troops. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Bangladesh court acquits varsity teachers DHAKA, Jan 21 (AP): A court in Bangladesh's capital on Monday acquitted four teachers of charges of violating emergency rules by instigating students to engage in violent protests on Dhaka University campus last year, a news report said. The United News of Bangladesh agency reported that Metropolitan Magistrate Habibur Rahman Siddiqui ruled that the teachers be freed from their detention. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Two US troops killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (AP): Two U.S. troops were killed in fighting in separate attacks this weekend in Iraq, the military said Monday. A Marine assigned to Multi-National Force West was killed Saturday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, according to a statement. A roadside bomb killed a Multi-National DivisionCenter soldier in Arab Jabour on Saturday, the military said separately. The deaths raised to at least 3,929 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
US says warplanes pound 30 Al-Qaeda targets in Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (AFP): US warplanes pounded suspected Al-Qaeda havens on the southern edge of Baghdad for the third time this month, hitting more than 30 targets in a 35-bomb blitz, the military said on Monday. The Jabour rural area was hit with bombs weighing a total of 9,000 kilogrammes during the air raids, which aimed to destroy roadside bombs and arms caches, a military statement said. The operation Sunday night involved precision air strikes by air force, navy and marine F-18 fighter jets and B-1 bombers, it added. (Posted @ 11:35 PST)
27 killed in Myanmar bus crash YANGON, Jan 21 (AFP): A bus plunged off a highway and down a hill in southern Myanmar over the weekend killing 27 passengers and injuring 10 more, a state newspaper reported Monday. The bus was travelling between Yangon to Mon State on Sunday morning when it veered off the road, the Myanmar-language Mirror newspaper said. “Eleven men, 15 women and a Buddhist monk were killed and 10 others injured in the accident,” the paper said. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
At least four dead as private planes collide in California CORONA, Jan 21 (AP): Two private planes flying about a mile from an airport collided Sunday, killing at least four people, raining debris on car dealerships below, authorities said. The planes collided near the small Corona Municipal airport and a freeway in Riverside County, about 72kms southeast of Los Angeles, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. The debris fell on car dealerships, and television pictures showed that the wrecked fuselage of one of the planes landed atop a parked car. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Serb nationalist wins first-round president vote BELGRADE, Jan 20 (Reuters): Hardliner Tomislav Nikolic won the first round of Serbia's presidential vote on Sunday, setting up a second-round contest that will shape Serbian ties with the West after the expected loss of Kosovo. Results from the state election commission showed Nikolic at 39.6 percent of the vote, while pro-Western President Boris Tadic took 35.5 percent. The decisive run-off is on Feb 3. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Israeli strikes kill Palestinian, injure four GAZA CITY, Jan 21 (AFP): A Palestinian activist with a group linked to Fatah was killed late Sunday in an Israeli air raid east of Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources reported. Two other Palestinians were wounded in the attack, they added. This latest death brings to 6,089 -- mostly Palestinians -- the number of people killed since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000. Four Palestinians were wounded earlier Sunday in a separate air raid on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources said. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed a strike had been launched to eliminate a cart transporting rockets. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Massive fire at Kabul hospital KABUL, Jan 21 (AFP): A massive fire broke out late Sunday at a hospital in Kabul, causing major damage to medicine supplies and x-ray equipment but no injuries, police and doctors said. NATO-led forces rushed to the public Jamhuriyet hospital to help put out the blaze, which police said erupted at about 1700 GMT and was only doused nearly four hours later. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 24.51 points: KARACHI, Jan 21: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13850.03, down 24.51, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 21: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.75, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
| January 20, 2008 | Sunday | Muharram 10, 1429 |
Gunships pound militant stronghold in South Waziristan WANA, Jan 20 (AFP): Helicopter gunships and artillery pounded militant positions Sunday in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan, residents and officials said. The military said they fired artillery after coming under attack in Ladha village of South Waziristan district. “At 0100 hours miscreants fired 12.7 millimetres gun from old Ladha to Ladha observation post. Security forces retaliated with artillery guns fire,” a military statement said, but gave no casualties. Residents however said that shells fired from six helicopter gunships killed two people and left seven others wounded, but officials were not immediately available to confirm the deaths.(Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Eight hurt as Sunni, Shia groups exchange gunfire in Hangu ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (AP): Eight people were injured when Sunni and Shia gunmen exchanged gunfire in Hangu town said a police officer. The fighting ended after army troops fired tear gas from a helicopter, he said. A Makin resident reported two civilians were killed and five others wounded in attacks near the border close to the towns of Lhada and Makin in South Waziristan. However, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said there were no casualties in operations. Other than the incident in Hangu, Ashura appeared to pass peacefully in the country.(Posted @ 20:09 PST)
Gunmen shoot dead Pakistani intelligence official PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 20 (AFP) - Unknown gunmen Sunday shot dead Nisar Khan, a director for the Intelligence Bureau, in Seerikh village adjoining Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan, police said. He was killed near his home when he was returning home after offering early morning prayers at a local mosque. “The attackers came in a white car, shot Nisar Khan and abducted the prayer leader of the mosque who was walking with him,” local police official Momin Khan told AFP. The victim was rushed to hospital in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, but he was declared dead by doctors, he said. The fleeing assailants released the prayer leader on the way, police said. (Posted @ 11:10 PST)
President Musharraf arrives in Belgium for Europe tour BRUSSELS, Jan 20 (AFP): President Pervez Musharraf arrived in Brussels on Sunday at the start of a European tour that will also take him to Britain, France and Switzerland, said a Pakistan embassy official. Musharraf landed at around 1430 GMT and was to hold talks with members of the Pakistani community Sunday before beginning his official programme on Monday.(Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Second suspect held in Bhutto plot: officials ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (AFP): Officials said Sunday a second suspect had been arrested in connection with a plot to kill former premier Benazir Bhutto assassinated last month. Security officials said the man had been detained along with a teenager, 15-year-old Aitezaz Shah, whose arrest was announced earlier, and both were being questioned by investigators. Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah confirmed on Sunday that the arrests -- the first in connection with Bhutto's assassination -- had been made and investigations were continuing. “Yes they were arrested from Dera Ismail Khan and they are being investigated,” Shah told AFP. “We are looking into all aspects and we are not saying anything unless it is corroborated through investigations,” Shah said when asked if both had given some clues about Bhutto's assassination.(Posted @ 17:57 PST)
PIA flight makes emergency landing at Karachi Airport KARACHI, JAN 20 (APP): A PIA flight PK-283, going from Peshawar to Dubai made a safe emergency landing at Karachi Airport on Sunday evening. Aviation officials said the pilot requested for an emergency landing at Karachi Airport after the plane developed a technical fault soon after taking off from Peshawar Airport. All passengers and crew are safe, the officials said.(Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Moderate intensity earthquake felt in Chitral, Swat PESHAWAR, Jan 20 (APP): A quake of moderate intensity with a magnitude of 5.0 on Richter scale was felt in Chitral and Swat districts on Sunday. According to Meteorological Center Peshawar, the tremor originated at 0025 PST and its epicenter lay about 280kms North of Peshawar in Hindu Kush Range (Afghanistan).(Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Pakistan on high security alert on Ashura day ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (AFP) - Pakistan was on high alert Sunday on the occasion of the observance of Ashura, a day after security officials said they had foiled plots aimed at causing massive loss of life. Ceremonies for Ashura, which marks the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, and his companions in the plains of Kerbala, were set to take place across the country in an annual event often hit by sectarian violence. A combination of suicide bombs and cyanide poisoning had planned killings across the country and scores of them were arrested in pre-emptive action, security officials said. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the country on Saturday and things remained fully in control early Sunday as well, officials said. But the Ashura processions and Majalis were to take place from early afternoon Sunday to late in the night and nothing would be left to chance in so far as security measures are concerned, they added. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Seven killed in Kenya clashes: police NAIROBI, Jan 20 (AFP): Seven people were killed in Nairobi's slums and in the western region, bringing to 45 the number of deaths over five days in opposition protests against President Mwai Kibaki, police said Sunday.(Posted @ 16:04 PST, Updated @ 21:09 PST)
Zimbabwe, Zambia suffer nationwide power outage, anger grows in South Africa HARARE, Jan 20 (AP): Nationwide power outages shut down basic services across Zambia and Zimbabwe for hours on Saturday and Sunday as anger mounted in South Africa over power cuts that have wreaked havoc in the continent's economic hub. There was no explanation for Saturday night's blackout, which hit Zambia and neighboring Zimbabwe almost simultaneously and it was unclear whether there was any connection. Power was restored in Zambia about eight hours later, but long-suffering Zimbabweans remained without electricity, water, telephones and traffic signals for much of Sunday.(Posted @ 20:12 PST)
Fidel Castro's future to be set in February: Raul Castro HAVANA, Jan 20 (AFP): Cuba's parliament will decide on the future of the country's ailing leader Fidel Castro when it holds its next meeting on February 24, interim president Raul Castro announced Sunday as Cubans went to the polls.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
McCain wins South Carolina primary; Clinton, Romney take Nevada COLUMBIA, Jan 20 (AP): Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain gained momentum with victories in contentious presidential nominating contests but failed to cement clear front-runner status as an unpredictable campaign moves to crucial big-state battles. While McCain, won his party's South Carolina primary on Saturday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney also got a boost by winning the lightly contested Republican caucuses in Nevada. Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady, captured the popular vote among Democrats Saturday in Nevada, gaining support of about 51 percent of caucus-goers to Barack Obama's 45 percent. But the Illinois senator edged her out for national convention delegates, taking 13 to her 12.(Posted @ 19:39 PST)
Suicide bombing kills six in Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 20 (AP): A suicide bombing killed six people Sunday in Anbar province, but the target of the attack, a U.S.-backed Sunni tribal sheik, was unhurt, police said. The bomber detonated his explosives belt after four guards stopped him at a checkpoint leading to the sheik's farm near Fallujah. The attack killed the four guards and two civilians and wounded four others, according to a police official.(Posted @ 18:57 PST)
India bird flu spreads as farmers resist cull KOLKATA, Jan 20 (AFP): Avian flu has been reported in three more districts in eastern India where authorities said on Sunday poultry farmers have delayed a massive bird cull aimed at halting the spread of the virus. Six districts in eastern West Bengal state have reported an outbreak of avian flu among poultry including a new one late Suday, the government said.(Posted @ 11:17 PST, Updated @ 18:41 PST)
Two Czech soldiers injured in rocket attack in Iraq PRAGUE, Jan 20 (AP): Two Czech soldiers were injured in a rocket attack on a base in southern Iraq early Sunday, the Czech Defense Ministry said. The two servicemen suffered cuts to their arms and legs, a ministry spokesman said in a statement.(Posted @ 18:21 PST)
Yemen detains Al-Qaeda suspects after tourist attack SANAA, Jan 20 (Reuters): Yemen detained dozens of suspected Al-Qaeda supporters on Sunday, following the killing of two Belgian tourists and their Yemeni drivers in the east of the impoverished country, an official said. Yemeni officials have not ruled out Al-Qaeda involvement in the shooting and are searching for the attackers though no one has claimed responsibility for the shooting.(Posted @ 18:21 PST)
Indonesia's Suharto making amazing recovery: doctors JAKARTA, Jan 20 (AP): Former Indonesian dictator Suharto moved his hands and spoke in a whisper Sunday in what doctors called an amazing recovery after he suffered multiple organ failure. Suharto, 86, was hospitalized Jan. 4 with severe kidney, lung and heart trouble. His condition deteriorated rapidly and he developed a potentially fatal blood infection, pneumonia and his heart briefly stopped. Preparations had begun for a state funeral. On Sunday, Suharto was still in intensive care, but was ready for early stages of physiotherapy, said Dr. Jusuf Misbach.(Posted @ 18:01 PST)
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel hospitalized PRAGUE, Jan 20 (AP): Former Czech President Vaclav Havel was hospitalized due to an irregular heartbeat, Czech television and his aide said Sunday. Havel had been scheduled to participate in a television program on Sunday but was taken to a hospital a day earlier, the public broadcaster said. It gave no details on his condition.(Posted @ 17:14 PST)
Lebanon presidential vote delayed to Feb 11 BEIRUT, Jan 20 (AFP): A parliament session due on Monday to elect Lebanon's president has been postponed to February 11, despite Arab mediation to break the deadlock, the parliament speaker's office announced on Sunday.(Posted @ 17:03 PST)
Bomb kills five Afghan civilians: district chief KANDAHAR, Jan 20 (AFP): A roadside bomb thought to be targeting Afghan and NATO troops killed five civilians including a child, a district chief said Sunday. Their vehicle was struck late Saturday in Panjwayi district of Kandahar province. “The Taliban planted this mine for NATO and Afghan forces but it exploded on a civilian car,” Panjwayi district chief Haji Shah Baran told AFP. “One woman, one child, three men were killed,” he said. Two other people in the car were wounded.(Posted @ 16:18 PST)
British PM visits India NEW DELHI, Jan 20 (AFP): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived Sunday in India from China, looking for movement from New Delhi on tackling climate change while also building on strong trade and investment links. The prime minister was to deliver a keynote speech on Monday stressing the need to reform world institutions such as the United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund to reflect 21st century realities, British officials said.(Posted @ 16:13 PST)
Sri Lanka fighting kills 41 rebels, soldier COLOMBO, Jan 20 (Reuters): Sri Lanka's forces attacked five Tamil Tiger boats in the north, while separately troops killed 41 rebels and one soldier died in fresh fighting, the military said on Sunday. Fighting was reported from the Jaffna Peninsula, Vavuniya, Pollonnaruwa and Mannar districts. “Troops attacked LTTE terrorist bunkers south of Adampan Tank in Mannar and destroyed six to eight of them. Troops recovered the bodies of two female terrorists and some weapons,” said a spokesman. The military said they had killed 39 Tamil Tiger rebels in fighting on Saturday and one solder died. Separately the military in northern Jaffna peninsula attacked five boats of the Tigers.(Posted @ 11:00 PST, Updated @ 16:18 PST)
Cricket-India drop Ganguly, Dravid for Australia triangular series MUMBAI, India, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Indian selectors have dropped experienced batsmen Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for next month's triangular series in Australia, which also includes Sri Lanka. Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla, Pravin Kumar. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
Iran gets 4th batch of nuclear fuel from Russia TEHRAN, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Iran received a fourth delivery of nuclear fuel from Russia on Sunday to power Tehran's first atomic power plant and it expects four more before the consignment is complete, an official Iranian news agency said. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Malaysia cuts reliance on foreign labor, to send home 200,000 workers KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jan 20 (AP) - Malaysia plans to send home at least 200,000 foreign workers by next year in an effort to increase job opportunities for locals, and to reduce the number of non-Malaysian workers to 1.8 million next year and to 1.5 million by 2015, Home Affairs Ministry secretary-general Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap said. He said the government would allow skilled workers to stay for up to 10 years, but would not extend the permits of unskilled foreign workers who have been in the country for at least five years, a measure that could cut the number of foreign labour by 200,000 this year. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
Tennis-Open-Australian Open men's singles results MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) – The following are the results in the Australian Open men's singles matches on Sunday (prefix denotes seeding, Fourth round: * 24-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) bt 29- Kohlschreiber (Germany) 3-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (11-9) 6-3 Third round: 22-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) bt 10-David Nalbandian (Argentina) 6-1 6-2 6-3; 5-David Ferrer (Spain) bt Vince Spadea (U.S.) 6-3 6-3 6-2 (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Tennis- Australian Open women's singles results MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) – The following are the results in the Australian Open women's singles matches on Sunday (prefix denotes seeding) Fourth round: 5-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt 11-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 6-2 6-0;1-Justine Henin (Belgium) bt Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwan) 6-2 6-2-- Third round: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 4-6 6-4 6-3; 14-Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-1 7-6 (10-8); Marta Domachowska (Poland) bt 24-Li Na (China) 2-6 6-2 6-4; 9-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) 6-2 6-3 (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
McCain, Clinton win White House battles COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan 120 (Reuters) - Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton won heated presidential nominating battles in separate contests in South Carolina and Nevada on Saturday, gaining strength in an chaotic White House race where no candidate has been able to sustain momentum.. Clinton, who would be the first U.S. woman president, won the Nevada Democratic race, 51 percent to 45 percent over Obama, with turnout reported to surpass 115,000 voters. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards finished a distant third. With almost all votes counted, McCain led Huckabee 33 percent to 30 percent in South Carolina. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson was edging Romney for third place. (Posted @ 10:12 PST)
Police, protesters clash in Bern ahead of World Economic Forum BERN, Jan 19 (AFP) - Police detained about 100 people Saturday in clashes with far-left protesters in Bern at a banned rally against the World Economic Forum, less than a week before the annual pow-wow opens in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Demonstrators, some of them masked, hurled bottles at police forces who answered by firing tear gas. The group has said it is opposed to “the world economic forum, the capitalist system and repression”. Some 2,500 political, economic and media leaders from 88 countries are expected for the meeting, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
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