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| January 23, 2008 | Wednesday | Muharram 13, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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One killed in Peshawar suicide bombing PESHAWAR, Jan 23 (AFP): A man was killed and another injured Wednesday after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a checkpost in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said. The bomber detonated his explosives near a checkpost on a highway that links Khyber tribal agency bordering Afghanistan with Peshawar city, in the northwest, they said. “It seems his target was the main security post at the entrance of Peshawar city which is manned by both police and local militia but he detonated himself prematurely near a truck,” senior administration official said. “The bombing killed one person and wounded the driver of the truck,” he told AFP. (Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Pakistani forces pound militant hideouts: military WANA, Jan 23 (Agencies): Pakistani troops hammered militant hideouts and reinforced outposts Wednesday in a tribal area where days of clashes have left more than 20 troops and 100 rebels dead, the army said. In North Waziristan one soldier was killed and two wounded when militants fired rockets at a paramilitary fort. “Troops are engaging miscreants and attacking their hideouts,” chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. ISLAMABAD: Pakistani reinforcements are heading to South Waziristan. The announcement on reinforcements came a day after a top U.S. commander met army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, and after a week of militant attacks on paramilitary bases and military counter-attacks. More than 100 militants and 15 government soldiers have been killed in the clashes, according to government figures. “In the past week there was an escalation in attacks by the militants ... therefore it was felt necessary to reinforce these forts,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said on Wednesday. He declined to say how many reinforcements were being sent. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
President Musharraf in Davos to attend WEF Davos, Jan 23 (PPI): President Pervez Musharraf arrived Wednesday in Swiss alpine resort Davos to attend the World Economic Forum. He will be a key participant in the panel discussion on 'The Quest for Peace and Stability' at WEF and focus on challenges faced by countries in Middle East, South Asia and other regions for achieving peace and steps required by international community. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Anti-Musharraf lawyers win human rights award HONG KONG, Jan 23 (AFP): Two of Pakistan's top lawyers, who led protests against President Pervez Musharraf's attempts to sack the country's chief justice, have won an Asian human rights award, organisers said Wednesday. Munir Malik, former president of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association, together with his successor, Aitzaz Ahsan, have been awarded the Asian Human Rights Defender Award by the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). “The two lawyers' leadership, courage and unswerving commitment to their profession, their integrity and their country are strongly symbolic of their cause. In them we acknowledge and award all of the lawyers, judges and others who have refused to bow down to the immoral pressure of military force, including all of those dismissed from their posts and kept in their houses. They stand today as the representatives of civilised society and institutional commonsense in Pakistan, in stark contrast to the barbarism and primitive feudal order represented by Musharraf and his allies,” the award organisers said in a statement. (Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Bush asked to slash aid to Pakistan if polls not fair WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (AFP): US Senate majority leader Harry Reid Tuesday asked President George W. Bush to slash aid to Pakistan if upcoming elections in Pakistan are not free and fair. He made the call after talks with Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf party, who told the Senate leader that the February 18 parliamentary polls could be rigged by President Musharraf. “I believe that the United States needs to look closely at the assistance we send to Pakistan,” said Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate. “If President Musharraf does not allow full and free elections and does not restore freedoms, we need to consider reducing non-development aid to Pakistan,” he said in a statement. “Today's meeting made it even clearer that the United States must support the people of Pakistan rather than individuals in that nation's government who oppose democracy,” Reid said. The meeting Tuesday also discussed US development assistance to Pakistan and the importance of ensuring that US taxpayer dollars helped the Pakistani people in areas like education and healthcare, the statement said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Six die in Pakistan as fireworks explode Multan, Jan 23 (PPI): At least six members of a family, including three children and a woman, died Tuesday night when a stock of fireworks caught fire and exploded in Samundari town in Faisalabad. Police confirmed the six casualties and said a couple with their three children and a guest died while another child was injured and was admitted to hospital.(Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Three injured in Pakistan mine blast KARAK, Jan 23 (APP): Three people were seriously injured when a mine exploded in front of a house in Bahadur Khel village’s Karak district Wednesday. The injured were rushed to the local hospital. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Pakistan soldier killed in tribal rocket attack MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Jan 23 (AFP): Militants fired rockets at a Pakistani fort in the troubled tribal belt Wednesday, killing one soldier and wounding two, the army said. Rebels attacked the facility at Razmak in North Waziristan, a semi-autonomous tribal area bordering Afghanistan, at about 7:00 am, an army statement said. “One security forces personnel embraced shahadat (martyrdom) and two others were injured. Security forces retaliated with artillery and mortar fire,” the statement said. Separately troops exchanged fire with militants at the Ladha fort in neighbouring South Waziristan, the statement said. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the latest gunbattle. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
US commander pledges more help to Afghan army KABUL, Jan 23 (AFP): The US military commander for the Middle East pledged more assistance to Afghanistan's growing security forces Wednesday to help them tackle a Taliban insurgency, the Afghan defence ministry said. Admiral William Fallon met top defence officials including Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and General Bismullah Khan Ahmadi, the army chief of staff, the ministry said in a statement. (Posted @ 20:55 PST)
NATO invites Russia's Putin to April summit BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (AP): NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to talks with leaders of the 26-nation alliance at their summit in Bucharest in early April, a NATO spokesman said on Wednesday. “It made sense in terms of clearing the air ... there is a lot to discuss,” the spokesman told a news conference. (Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Mosul bombing kills seven and wounds 70: police MOSUL, Jan 23 (AFP): A powerful bomb ripped through a residential building in Iraq's main northern city of Mosul on Wednesday, killing at least seven people and wounding 70, police said. (First Posted @ 19:35 PST; Updated @ 20:20 PST)
China, India among worst environmental performers: study DAVOS, Jan 23 (AFP): European countries and some Latin American nations topped an environmental scorecard released Wednesday in Davos, way ahead of the United States and emerging economies like China and India. The environmental cost of soaring economic growth in Asian giants China and India were reflected in their lowly rankings. China placed 105th with Indian even further back in 120th position. (Posted @ 19:35 PST)
Lithuania holds two Irish citizens in Real IRA swoop VILNIUS, Jan 23 (Reuters): Lithuania said on Wednesday it had detained two Irish citizens who were trying to buy a large amount of firearms and explosives for the Real IRA, a dissident republican splinter group. “Officers of the state security department and the Defence Ministry's special unit carried out an anti-terrorist operation which was aimed at preventing the purchase of illegal arms and explosives,” the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's office said in a statement. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Mortars kill five as top AU official lands in Somalia MOGADISHU, Jan 23 (Reuters): Five people died in fighting on Wednesday around the Somali capital, where the African Union's peace and security commissioner had flown in to meet the new prime minister. Mortar strikes hit around the airport and the presidential palace after A.U. Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit landed, killing one person nearby, witnesses said. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Greek PM in Turkey for first visit in five decades ANKARA, Jan 23 (AFP): Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis arrived here Wednesday for a landmark visit, the first to Turkey by a Greek premier in five decades, aiming to boost efforts to bring the two former enemies closer. Karamanlis, accompanied by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, was to hold talks later in the day with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Greece nabs head of migrants smuggling ring ATHENS, Jan 23 (AP): Greek security forces on Wednesday said they had arrested an Italian man believed to be the head of a group smuggling illegal migrants into Greece. He was caught after he was alleged to have ferried 50 illegal migrants by speedboat to the island of Evia, north of Athens. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Ahmadinejad to make landmark visit to Iraq-ministry BAGHDAD, Jan 23 (Reuters): President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation to visit Baghdad, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, a landmark trip that would make him the first leader of Iran to visit its former foe. “President Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation from President (Jalal) Talabani to come to Iraq,” Iraqi deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abawi told Reuters. An aide to Ahmadinejad, who asked not to be identified, said: “We have heard about it but no date has been scheduled.” (Posted @ 18:25 PST)
As many as 400 children die daily in Myanmar: UNICEF YANGON, Jan 23 (AP): The nutrition expert in Myanmar for the U.N. Children's Fund Dr Osamu Kunii said there were between 100,000 to 150,000 child deaths per year in the country, or between 270 and 400 daily. He was speaking at a briefing by UNICEF of its annual report on “The State of the World's Children,” released Tuesday. The under-5 mortality rate is a critical indicator of the well-being of children. About 21 percent of child deaths in Myanmar are caused by acute respiratory infection, followed by pneumonia, diarrhea and septicemia. The report rated Myanmar as having the 4th highest child mortality rate in the world, surpassed in Asia only by Afghanistan, which has the third-worst record after Sierra Leone and Angola. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
President Mubarak told troops to allow Palestinians to cross border to buy food CAIRO, Jan 23 (AP): Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced Wednesday that he had ordered his troops to allow Palestinians to cross into Egypt from the Gaza Strip because they were starving. Mubarak told reporters that when Palestinians began breaking through the Gaza-Egypt border at Rafah in force, he told his men to let them in to buy food before escorting them out. “I told them to let them come in and eat and buy food and then return them later as long as they were not carrying weapons,” he said, in answer to reporters’ questions. Tens of thousands of Gazans on foot, in cars or riding donkey carts poured into Egypt after Palestinian militants destroyed most of the border wall between the two territories, a dramatic protest against the closure of Gaza imposed last week by Israel and backed by Egypt. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Afghan reporter sentenced to death for 'blasphemy': court MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Jan 23 (AFP): Media rights groups called on Afghanistan's president to intervene Wednesday after a court sentenced to death a young journalist who distributed articles said to insult Islam. The primary court in the northern province of Balkh delivered the sentence on Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, Tuesday after he was arrested nearly three months ago for distributing at his university material downloaded from the Internet. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Israel authorises 2,500 new settler homes in Jerusalem JERUSALEM, Jan 23 (AFP): Israel has authorised the construction of nearly 2,500 new housing units in settlements in annexed east Jerusalem, the city authorities said on Wednesday. “We have obtained all the necessary authorisations for the building of 8,000 new housing units in Jersualem,” Gidi Shmerling, Jerusalem municipal spokesman, told AFP. According to a list of the units authorised, which was received by AFP, 2,461 units are located in neighbourhoods in annexed and occupied east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make the capital of their promised state. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Gunmen kill 8 Iraqi soldiers, wound 2 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Jan 23 (AP): Gunmen opened fire on an Iraqi army checkpoint in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing eight soldiers and wounding two, police said. The drive-by shooting occurred in Bab al-Mudham district, a commercial area on the eastern side of the Tigris River in central Baghdad. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Nepal withdraws fuel price increase after two days of protest KATHMANDU, Jan 23 (AP): Nepal's government decided to rescind a price increase on kerosene and diesel Wednesday in response to two days of protests that shut down the capital city. Supply Minister Shyam Sunder Gupta told reporters the decision was made “considering the public sentiments.” Earlier on Wednesday, protesters blocked traffic in Katmandu, shutting down the city for a second day in a demonstration against government increases in diesel and kerosene prices. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Palestinians flood into Egypt after Gaza wall blasts RAFAH, Jan 23 (AFP): Thousands of Gazans poured into Egypt on Wednesday after militants set off at least 15 explosions along the border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. “Although they crossed illegally, it has not yet been decided how to deal with them,” a security source said, as Egypt ordered a full alert in the area, the official MENA agency reported. Parts of the barrier separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip were knocked down by a bulldozer, allowing the Palestinians to cross freely into Egypt from the impoverished territory that has been under a tight Israeli blockade for months. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Sri Lanka jets target Tiger leaders COLOMBO, Jan 23 (AFP): Sri Lankan war planes bombed a suspected base of the top Tamil Tiger leader in the island's north Wednesday as ground attacks killed at least two rebels, the defence ministry said Wednesday. Aircraft hit a base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Iranamadu where the separatists have a clandestine airfield, the ministry said. It gave no details of casualties or damage. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Business leaders begin meeting in Davos; call for more crisis leadership DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 23 (Reuters): Business leaders called for more leadership to head off an economic downturn on Wednesday, with some saying an emergency U.S. interest rate cut may have been over hasty and could fuel a new market bubble. Markets cautiously welcomed the dramatic move by the Federal Reserve Tuesday, but business leaders gathering in the Swiss ski resort in Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum called for stronger leadership on a global level. “The thing that markets are desperate for right now is leadership - whether globally or regionally - and it seems this is lacking,” John Studzinski, head of U.S. private equity firm Blackstone's advisory business, told Reuters. “Until the markets see a lot more leadership on a proactive basis rather than a reactive basis you are going to continue to feel this great anxiety and feel this frustration.” (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Almost all of Gaza border wall destroyed in overnight explosions RAFAH, Gaza Strip, Jan 23 (AP): About two thirds of the metal wall along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip at the town of Rafah was destroyed in explosions overnight. Gunmen had set off seventeen explosions overnight to blow holes in the wall on the sixth day of an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory. Tens of thousands of Palestinians flooded across to buy food, cigarettes and fuel. (First Posted @ 08:45 PST, Updated @ 13:10 PST)
Hundreds rally after Bangladesh students freed DHAKA, Jan 23 (AFP): Five Bangladeshi students accused of inciting campus unrest in August last year were released from jail Wednesday as hundreds rallied at Dhaka University vowing to free other detainees, police said. “The five students were arrested for torching a military vehicle. They were freed after the government dropped the charges against them,” local police chief Shahidul Islam said. Nearly 500 students and teachers greeted and garlanded the students after they arrived at Dhaka University campus from jail and vowed to free three other still detained students, he added. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Seven killed in fresh Kenya post-election violence NAIROBI, Jan 23 (AFP): Seven people were killed in western Kenya and Nairobi slums in overnight tribal clashes linked to the dispute over last month's disputed presidential election, police said Wednesday. Six people were killed and dozens of houses torched in the western Rift Valley district of Nandi South late Tuesday while another Kenyan man was killed in Nairobi's Mathare slums. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Suicide blast wounds three in Afghan restaurant KHOST, Afghanistan, Jan 23 (Reuters): A suicide blast at a restaurant wounded three people Wednesday in the southeastern Afghan town of Khost, a police official said. The bomber died in the blast and the intended target might have been Afghan and foreign military officials who were meeting at a park about 300 metres away from the restaurant, the official said. Two women and a man were wounded by the blast in the restaurant, he told reporters. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Tennis- Djokovic destroys Ferrer to reach Open semi MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (AFP): Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic overran Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open Wednesday. Djokovic won 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 and will play either Swiss top seed Roger Federer or American 12th seed James Blake for a place in the final. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Tennis- Ivanovic beats Venus Williams in quarterfinals at Australian Open MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan 23 (AP): Venus Williams followed her sister Serena out of the Australian Open in the quarterfinals, both in losses to Serbian players. Venus Williams went down 7-6 (3), 6-4 to No. 4-seeded Ana Ivanovic Wednesday, a day after defending champion Serena lost to No. 3 Jelena Jankovic. Ivanovic is into the semifinals for the third time at a Grand Slam and next faces Daniela Hantuchova, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2. In the other women's semifinal Thursday, Jankovic will meet No. 5 Maria Sharapova, who ended top-ranked Justine Henin's 32-match winning streak 6-4, 6-0. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Seven soldiers injured in roadside blast in Thai south PATTANI, Thailand, Jan 23 (AFP): Seven Thai soldiers were seriously wounded Wednesday in a roadside bombing followed by a shootout with separatist militants in southern Thailand’s Pattani province, police said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Road accident between UN peacekeepers, minibus, injures 10 school children in Lebanon BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan 23 (AP): A road accident Tuesday involving a Spanish U.N. peacekeepers' armoured personnel carrier and a minibus ferrying 28 Lebanese school children injured 10 of them, police officials said. The accident occurred in rainy weather earlier in the morning, just north of the southern town of Marjayoun and led to the closing of a main road and protests by angry residents. None of the Spanish peacekeepers who were in their vehicle were hurt, they said. There were no immediate details as to what had caused the accident. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
American soldier killed, another injured in vehicle accident in Kirkuk BAGHDAD, Jan 23 (AP): A U.S. soldier was killed and another was injured Tuesday when their vehicle rolled over in the northern city of Kirkuk, the military announced. It said the cause of the accident was not related to combat and was under investigation. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Ambush, car explosion kill two in south Russia MOSCOW, Jan 23 (Reuters): Gunmen ambushed a minibus in the south Russian republic of Ingushetia killing one soldier and injuring three army officers Tuesday, news agencies reported. Also in Nazran, the largest town in Ingushetia which borders Chechnya, a car carrying explosives blew up killing the driver, news agencies reported. Interfax said the three soldiers injured in the ambush were a captain, major and lieutenant-colonel. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
US admits efforts to take in at-risk Iraqi refugees fall short WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (AFP): The United States conceded Tuesday that it was so far falling short of its goal for taking in Iraqi translators and interpreters who are under threat for working with the US authorities in Iraq. A total of 821 Iraqis were admitted to the United States from September 2006 to September last year, said State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos. An extra 39 Iraqis were admitted under the special immigration visa program in October 2007, the start of the new fiscal year, he told AFP. He had no figures for November or December or the first half of January. Gallegos conceded the number falls far short of the rate needed to meet the goal of 12,000 for fiscal year 2008, which ends in September. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Bush names new envoy to South Korea WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (AFP): The White House Tuesday picked career diplomat Kathleen Stephens to serve as ambassador to South Korea, a statement said. Stephens, who currently serves in the State Department as political advisor for the bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was chosen to be ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to South Korea, it said. If the Senate confirms the appointment, Stephens will replace US ambassador Alexander Vershbow. (Posted @ 08:55 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 27.56 points: KARACHI, Jan 23: At close of treading, the KSE-100 index was at 13787.07, up 27.56 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 23: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.8, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
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