|
| January 29, 2008 | Tuesday | Muharram 19, 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
|
Five terrorists, two cops killed in Karachi gun battle KARACHI, Jan 29 (APP): Five terrorists and two policemen including a DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) were killed in two gun battles in Landhi and Shah Latif Town on Tuesday evening. The terrorists, said to be members of the banned outfit Jindullah. The terrorists were killed in Landhi’s Sector 89, tried to escape during a police raid and a gun battle lasting more than five hours took place. They fled from Shah Latif Town in a car. A police alert was sent out and a Landhi Police Station police patrol headed by TPO Landhi Azad Khan intercepted the terrorists near a petrol pump in Sector-89. A gun battle ensued and three terrorists Junaid, Abdullah and Tayyab were killed while a fourth, Talha was seriously injured when a hand grenade exploded in his hands. He was stated to be in a precarious condition. Police impounded four SMGs, six magazines and a grenade from the site. DSP Asghar Dahri and Head Constable Raja Tahir were killed in the Landhi encounter while TPO Azad Khan and his guard Hanif suffered bullet injuries.(Posted @ 20:46 PST, Updated @ 23:20 PST)
Pakistan missile strike kills 12 in new violence MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Jan 29 (AFP): Twelve suspected militants were killed by a missile strike Monday night in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region, officials said Tuesday. Intelligence officials said the dead were pro-Taliban militants, but residents said they were tribesmen staying at the house of a local elder in Khushali Tari Khel, a village on the outskirts of Mir Ali town. “A missile came from an unknown direction on Monday night and hit the house, after which 12 people have died,” a local administration official told AFP. The Pakistani army was not immediately available for comment. “The identities of the dead are not ascertained but we had reports that suspected them of being linked to the Taliban,” an intelligence official said. It was not clear who fired the missile. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST, Updated @ 14:50 PST)
Pakistanis in Miran Shah protest war on terror as missile strike kills 12 MIRAN SHAH, Jan 29 (AP): Hundreds of students chanting “Death to America” protested Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war on terror. A resident said an armed drone may have carried out the strike. “We could see a small, white plane flying over the village for the past several days,” said a villager. After the explosion, armed men from nearby homes stopped people from visiting the destroyed building, he said. An interior ministry spokesman, however, said he had no information about any missile strike. In Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, more than 500 people rallied Tuesday to demand an end to Pakistan's military cooperation with the United States. “The Pakistan army is committing atrocities,” said a protester. In Islamabad, a meeting of top security officials, chaired by Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Hamid Nawaz directed authorities “to take stringent measures to curb (terrorist) elements with no leniency.”(Posted @ 22:26 PST)
No electricity in Parachinar for 50 days! PESHAWAR, Jan 29 (APP): Electricity supply to Parachinar, capital of Kurram Agency, could not be restored despite the passage of 50 days. An APP correspondent said electricity supply to Parachinar and its adjoining areas is cut from Nov 16, last, after an outbreak of sectarian clashes. The power disruption has created problems and markets are closed, and tube wells are not operating and people are miserable.(Posted @ 22:27 PST)
Gandhi's ashes to be scattered across Arabian Sea MUMBAI, Jan 29 (AFP): Sixty years after he was shot dead by a Hindu fanatic, some recently found ashes of India's freedom icon Mahatma Gandhi will be scattered across the Arabian Sea, the family said Tuesday. An urn containing the ashes will be opened and the ashes scattered on Wednesday, the 60th anniversary of his death, relatives said. Last year the urn was sent to the city's Mani Bhavan museum by an Indian businessman whose father, a close family friend, had preserved the ashes, said Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of the freedom champion. “The family discussed the issue and we felt it was not right to put his ashes on public display and requested the museum to hand over the urn to us,” his great grandson told AFP. The ashes will be scattered over the sea on Wednesday morning by the great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Nilamben Parikh. Gandhi was shot death by a Hindu fundamentalist on January 30, 1948.(Posted @ 21:15 PST)
Two hurt in landmine explosion in Dera Bugti SUI, Jan 29 (APP): Two people received severe injuries after the motorcycle hey were riding hit a landmine on Tuesday, police officials said. Reports said Nawaz and Dina were going home when they met the mishap near Killi Bahar in Pir Koh Gas Field. They were taken to Sui hospital.(Posted @ 22:26 PST)
Pakistani soldier killed in S. Waziristan clash ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (AFP) - One Pakistani soldier was killed in the latest clashes between security forces and militants at Shishamwan village in South Waziristan, the military said Tuesday. “Casualties of miscreants could not be ascertained,” it said. Meanwhile, troops were consolidating their positions in Shishamwan and the nearby village of Tiarza and have arrested 12 militants from Tiarza. In neighbouring North Waziristan, militants fired rockets on a military camp in Miranshah early Tuesday, injuring one soldier, the army statement added. Separately four soldiers were injured in Razmak after militants fired dozens of rockets at troop positions late Monday, local security officials told AFP. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Imran Khan inspired by India in Musharraf fight LONDON, Jan 29 (AFP) - Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan told AFP in an interview his country could do with taking a lesson in democracy from neighbouring India as he dismissed the chances of next month's elections being transparent. The Tehrik-i-Insaf party chief predicted turmoil following the delayed February 18 parliamentary elections, insisting only the establishment of an independent judiciary could ensure a credible result. “We see an independent justice system coming. That's the only difference between India and Pakistan, that's how India got democracy. They have an independent election commission and judiciary; we don't”, the 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan cricket captain said. “Once we have an independent justice system, that is the beginning of change in Pakistan.” However, in the short term, “I see turmoil after the elections, because the whole situation is ridiculous,” he said. “If Musharraf's party wins, no one will accept it. If the opposition wins, there's deadlock in the assembly. And there's a 50 percent chance he'll try and delay the elections -- and then there's turmoil again.” Imran said . (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
President Musharraf returns home after 4-nation tour ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (APP): President Musharraf returned here Tuesday morning at the conclusion of his four-nation visit to European countries: Belgium, France, Switzerland and United Kingdom besides attending the World Economic Forum at Davos (Switzerland). Talking to reporters in London prior to flying back home, President Musharraf termed his visit helpful in consolidating political and economic ties at bilateral and regional levels. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Diplomat says US pushing Pakistan to fix ”serious distortions” before elections WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (AP) A senior Bush administration official said Tuesday that the United States is pushing Pakistan to fix ''serious distortions'' ahead of Feb. 18 parliamentary elections. Richard Boucher, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia, conceded that, ''if history is any guide,'' there will be some fraud. But, he told a House of Representatives panel, a vibrant, though still restricted, media and international observers, including U.S. officials, will help curb cheating.(Posted @ 23:13 PST)
Abbas, Hamas leaders to Cairo for talks on Gaza crisis amid differences CAIRO, Jan 29, 2008 (AP) Movement across the Gaza-Egypt border slowed to a trickle Tuesday, due in part to rainy and cold weather, as the focus in the weeklong crisis shifted to new tensions between Egypt and Hamas ahead of a flurry of key meetings. Backed by Arabs, the United States and the European Union, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo late Tuesday for talks over the future of the Gaza border with Egypt.(Posted @ 23:12 PST)
Italian police uncover missiles in consignment of oranges ROME, Jan 29 (AFP): Two four-metre medium-range missiles have been found at the southern Italian port of Bari stashed among crates of oranges in a truck bound for Germany, police said Tuesday. The lorry's German drivers as well as contacts at their destination were being questioned after the American-made AMRAAM air-to-air weapons docked from Greece aboard a German-registered vehicle. The missiles, typically fired as a guided missile from one aircraft with the aim of destroying another aircraft, had been stripped of their explosive charges.(Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Slovenia cancels plane purchase after Polish crash LJUBLJANA, Jan 29 (Reuters): Slovenia's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it was cancelling its planned purchase of the Spanish CASA C-295 transport plane after the same type of plane crashed last week in Poland. The CASA C-295 plane crashed in a forest in northern Poland, killing 20 air force personnel on board. “The security of Slovenian soldiers and military personnel is at the top of our standards,” the ministry said in a statement. “Under the circumstances the ministry decided to stop the purchase,” it added.(Posted @ 22:05 PST)
Quake shakes Greek capital ATHENS, Jan 29 (Reuters): An 5.0 magnitude quake shook Greece on Tuesday without causing injuries or damages. “The epicentre of the earthquake was 50 km south of Athens, in waters off the coast of the island of Aegina,” an official said. It was also felt in the capital Athens. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, the fire department said.(Posted @ 21:17 PST)
Bulgaria's heroin seizures double in 2007 SOFIA, Jan 29 (AFP): Bulgarian customs seized 977 kilogrammes heroin, almost double the previous year's haul, the head of Bulgaria's customs agency, Asen Asenov, said Tuesday. The heroin seized was part of 1,224 kilogrammes of drugssaized in 2007, said Asenov. “This means there was approximately one drug seizure every three days,” Asenov said. The agency’s chief said the amount of heroin seized had nearly doubled from the 493kgs seized in 2006 mainly because of increased production in Afghanistan.(Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Former U.N. chief Annan starts Kenya mediation NAIROBI, Jan 29 (AP): Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan on Tuesday opened formal mediation to try to end Kenya's post-election crisis, urging both sides to strike a political deal and stop violence threatening to spiral out of control. Annan opened the meeting in Nairobi flanked by President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.(Posted @ 20:55 PST)
Syria charges ex-MP with national security offences DAMASCUS, Jan 29 (AFP): Syrian authorities charged former MP Riad Seif with national security offences Tuesday, the 11th dissident to be charged over an opposition meeting last month, a human rights watchdog said. Seif, was detained on Monday, and charged with “harming the image of the state”, “stoking ethnic and sectarian division”, “disseminating false information”, and “belonging to a secret organisation seeking to alter the social and economic base of the state,” the National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria said. Another 10 dissidents who attended last month's meeting of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration were charged with the same offences on Monday.(Posted @ 20:53 PST)
Tigers say 18 killed in school bus bombing COLOMBO, Jan 29 (AFP): Tamil Tiger rebels said Sri Lankan troops Tuesday ambushed a school bus and killed 18 people, including 11 children, as the military reported killing 67 militants in two days of heavy fighting. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said a military unit carried out the bomb attack against the school bus in Mannar district where heavy fighting has been raging for weeks. “All the bus passengers were either school children or teachers returning from a sporting event,” the LTTE said in a statement. A military spokesman denied involvement.(Posted @ 20:43 PST)
Swedish court awards damages to Muslim women denied entry to swimming pool STOCKHOLM, Jan 29 (AP): Sweden's second largest city was Tuesday ordered to pay two Muslim women 20,000 kronor (US$3,113) each for ethnic discrimination after they were expelled from a public swimming pool because they wouldn't change their clothing. The Court of Appeal in Western Sweden ruled against a previous district court decision that had acquitted the city of Goteborg, and also ordered it to pay the legal costs. The women, who wore headscarves, sweat pants and long-sleeved T-shirts, accompanied their children to the pool on two separate occasions in April 2004, but were asked to leave after refusing to change their clothes. Lifeguards told the women they were not welcome unless they got changed into something lighter, because their clothing did not comply with the pool's safety and hygiene regulations. The court said the women had “been discriminated (against) in a way that is linked to their religion,” which prevented them from being able to comply with the demands.(Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Kashmir militants not to use guns to force election boycott SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 29 (AFP): Militants in Indian occupied Kashmir announced on Tuesday they would not use guns to force voters to boycott state elections due later this year and reiterated they were open to a truce offer, a report said. “All members of the Jihad Council will take part in the anti-election movement,” Syed Salahudin, who heads the United Jihad Council, an umbrella group for militant outfits, was quoted as saying by the Kashmir News Service. “But guns will not be used to force Kashmiris to boycott the polls,” he said.(Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Pakistan proposes lifting ban on Indian films ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (AFP): The government is considering a parliamentary proposal to lift a four-decade ban on showing movies from rival India, a statement said Tuesday. Pakistan officially outlawed all Bollywood films after the 1965 war with India. A Pakistani senate committee said that the ban should be overturned because Indian films were now widely available here -- and hugely popular -- on DVD and cable. “This should be done in a manner which may promote healthy competition at home and without harming our religious and cultural norms and values,” committee chairman Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry said in a statement.(Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Resolution on Kashmir by Norwegian political party welcomed ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (APP): Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders have welcomed a resolution of the Norwegian Christian Democratic Party in which they have demanded their government to consider a Kashmir specific mediation role. Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq appreciating the resolution said Norway’s ruling party should consider how to play its role in Kashmir dispute, Kashmir Media Service reported. He also thanked the Norwegian Christian Democratic Party and particularly its Chairman Dagfinn Hybraten.(Posted @ 18:20 PST)
15 injured in three road mishaps in Azad Kashmir Kotli, Jan 29 (PPI): Fifteen persons were injured in three different road accidents here in and around the city. In the first incident, a pick-up van turned turtle when on its way towards Khoi Ratta. Nine persons were seriously injured, four of them were in critical condition. In another accident, a jeep carrying a family plunged into deep ravine. A man and his wife received serious injuries while three other occupants were injured. A rashly driven car hit three men, one of whom was seriously injured.(Posted @ 18:16 PST)
Suicide bomber kills four in Algeria THENIA, Algeria, Jan 29 (AFP) A suicide bomber drove into a hail of bullets to set off a bomb outside a police station in eastern Algeria that security services said killed four people and injured 20. Three of the dead in Thenia, 50 kms east of Algiers, were police and security services feared the death toll would rise as several of the injured were in critical condition. The blast caused extensive damage around police station, gutting at least seven buildings. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST, Updated @ 17:38 PST)
Female suicide bomber strikes checkpoint in Baghdad, killing two women BAGHDAD, Jan 29 (AP) A female suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt at a checkpoint Tuesday in Baghdad, killing at least two women and wounding five, police said. The attack occurred just after noon as women were being searched in a room before being allowed to enter a commercial street in Baghdad’s Amariyah neighbourhood, police officials said.(Posted @ 17:21 PST)
Police find bodies, heads of 19 executed Iraqis BAQUBA, Iraq, Jan 29 (AFP) Iraqi police said they found the remains of 19 executed men near Moqdadiyah town, in Diyala province, Tuesday. Provincial police official Lieutenant-Colonel Ismael al-Juburi said all the victims had been killed in the past few days.(Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Gunmen holding some 30 hostages inside Venezuelan bank CARACAS, Venezuela, Jan 29 (AP) Would-be robbers took about 30 people hostage inside a bank in the Venezuelan town of Altagracia de Orituco after police arrived outside, setting up a tense standoff that began Monday and continued into early Tuesday. The gunmen were holding customers and bank employees captive, said Amanda Saldivia, a reporter for local radio station Guarana Radio FM. Police were negotiating with the gunmen inside the bank, said Gen. Antonio Rivero, head of Venezuela's emergency management agency. The gunmen were demanding an ambulance to ferry them away along with several hostages, a demand that authorities did not grant, Saldivia said.(Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Suicide car bomb kills one Iraqi, wounds 15 in Mosul BAGHDAD, Jan 29 (AP) A suicide car bomber targeted a U.S. patrol Tuesday in Mosul, killing at least one Iraqi and wounding as many as 15, the military and police said. The attacker detonated his explosives-laden car, wounding 10 Iraqi civilians, a police officer said requesting anonymity. The U.S. military said no American casualties were reported, but one Iraqi had been killed and 15 wounded in the attack. The different Iraqi casualty tolls could not immediately be reconciled. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
At least two killed in Baghdad attacks BAGHDAD, Jan 29 (AFP): At least two people were killed and about 20 wounded in a string of bomb and mortar attacks in the Iraqi capital early Tuesday, security officials and a medic said. The sources said a bomb exploded on Saydun Street along the Tigris river in the centre of Baghdad as an Iraqi army patrol was passing, wounding six civilians and four soldiers. Three policemen and five passers-by were wounded in another bomb attack about 30 minutes later in the neighbouring district of Karrada, the security officials told AFP. A medic said two of the wounded later died in hospital. In western Baghdad’s Yarmuk district, three more civilians were wounded in an explosion, and two more people were hurt when a mortar round crashed on the eastern neighbourhood of Al-Fadliyah. (First Posted @ 13:55 PST, Updated @ 16:10 PST)
Nine more killed in western Kenya ELDORET, Kenya, Jan 29 (AFP): Nine people were killed in fresh violence in western Kenyan, police and medical sources said Tuesday, bringing to 13 the number of people killed overnight across the country. “Police patrolling the Nakuru-Eldoret highway saw about 50 men armed with bows and arrows” in the town of Cheptiret, some 20 kms from Eldoret, Rift Valley province police commander Joseph Ashmalla said. Police responded, killing three of them, he said. A mortuary attendant in Eldoret also told AFP that the bodies of six people who were killed in overnight tribal clashes were brought in. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Troops take rebel territory, 69 dead: Sri Lanka military COLOMBO, Jan 29 (AFP): Sri Lanka's government said Tuesday its soldiers had advanced into territory held by the Tamil Tigers in the north of the island, with the death toll from two days of fighting at 69. Troops smashed 16 guerrilla bunkers in the district of Mannar on Tuesday after killing at least 22 rebels, the defence ministry said. Security forces also killed 45 rebels along the northern frontlines on Monday, the ministry said, putting its own losses at two soldiers dead and 10 wounded. There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). (First Posted @ 11:35 PST, Updated @ 15:35 PST)
17 civilians, two Ethiopian troops killed in Mogadishu clash MOGADISHU, Somalia, Jan 29 (AP): Militants firing rockets and mortars clashed with Somali troops and their Ethiopian allies in fighting that killed at least 17 civilians and two Ethiopian soldiers in Mogadishu late Monday, witnesses said Tuesday. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
MP shot dead in Kenya NAIROBI, Jan 29 (Reuters): Gunmen killed a Kenyan opposition politician at his home in the early hours of Tuesday. Newly elected Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) member of parliament Melitus Were was shot twice in the head outside his house shortly after midnight. “Initial investigations indicate this was a case of murder,” police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said. Government officials did not immediately comment. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Gunmen attack shipbuilding company in southern Nigeria; one injured PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Jan 29 (AP): Gunmen riding in two boats attacked a waterside shipbuilding company Tuesday in Nigeria's southern oil region, injuring one person, police said. The gang escaped with spare parts as the military moved in to restore order. (Posted @ 13:40 PST)
Cricket- India's Harbhajan cleared of racial abuse charge ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 29 (AFP): Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was cleared Tuesday of a racial abuse charge at an appeal hearing in Adelaide, the International Cricket Council said. The charge of racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds during the acrimonious Sydney Test earlier this month was downgraded to one of general abuse, a spokesman for the world body told reporters in Adelaide. (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Canada will extend Afghan military mission only with NATO help Ottawa, Jan 29 (AP) - Canada will extend its military mission in Afghanistan only if another NATO country puts more soldiers in the dangerous south, prime minister Stephen Harper said Monday, echoing the recommendation of an independent panel to withdraw without additional forces. Harper's Conservative government is under pressure to withdraw its 2,500 troops from Kandahar province after the deaths of 78 soldiers and a diplomat. The mission is set to expire in 2009 without an extension by Canadian lawmakers. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Bush to ask for 70 billion dlrs more 'war on terror' cash WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (AFP) - The White House is prepared to ask Congress for 70 billion dollars to cover the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the first part of 2009 until a new president takes office, the Pentagon said Monday. “We'll send up the fiscal year '09 budget” which begins in October, said Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman. “It will have a request for an emergency allowance to support activities related to the global war on terror into 2009 ... in the amount of 70 billion” dollars, he said. “That would get you through the first part of fiscal year 2009 when you will have a new administration coming into office in January '09,” he said. (Posted @ 10:430 PST)
25 dead after bus overturns amid record snowfall in China BEIJING, Jan 29 (AFP) - Twenty-five people were killed and 13 injured Tuesday when a bus overturned on an icy road near the town of Sanhe in Guizhou province clobbered by the heaviest snowfall in years, the government said. The bus rolled down about 40-metre slope, the Xinhua news agency said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Bush targets Iraq, economy fears WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (AFP) - President George W. Bush on Monday warned against pulling the plug on his Iraq strategy and assured the US public that help was on the way. Bush in his final annual State of the Union address also vowed to “confront” Iran where necessary and do “everything we can” to reach a Middle East peace deal. “Our objective in the coming year is to sustain and build on the gains we made in 2007, while transitioning to the next phase of our strategy. American troops are shifting from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and, eventually, to a protective overwatch mission,” he said. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)
13 dead in Philippines bus crash CARMEN, Philippines, Jan 29 (AFP) - Thirteen members of a Muslim family travelling to the airport on Mindanao island to receive a relative returning home after performing Haj were killed Tuesday when a minibus smashed into a truck on a southern Philippines highway, police said. The bus driver was also killed, while several more people were injured. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
China's weapons exceed self-defense needs: US military WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (AFP) -The United States said Monday it was “troubling” that China's weapons systems capability exceeded the level Beijing defined as necessary for self-defence. The head of the US armed forces in the Asia-Pacific, Admiral Timothy Keating, said the United States had “intelligence that reinforces my opinion that China is developing, fielding and has in place weapons that could be characterized as having, amongst perhaps other purposes, an ability to restrict movement in and around certain areas on the sea, in the air or under the sea. “I'll go back to the point we made a couple of times already -- that we understood PRC (China's) intentions, not just their transparency, not just the fact that these weapons exist. We know they exist,” he said. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Karachi Stocks down up 128.63 points: KARACHI, Jan 29: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14009.11, up 128.63 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 29: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 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 |