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| January 30, 2008 | Wednesday | Muharram 20, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Bodies of 13 missing Pakistani soldiers found: police KOHAT, Jan 30 (Reuters): The bodies of 13 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers kidnapped by militants last week have been found in an abandoned vehicle, officials and police said on Wednesday. The bodies were recovered in Darra Adam Khel, a tribal area near the city of Peshawar in North West Frontier Province, where fighting broke out on Friday after militants seized four trucks carrying ammunition and other supplies for soldiers. “Ten bodies have been identified while the remaining three are difficult to recognise,” said a police official, who declined to be named. “They were apparently killed last week but their bodies were found today.” Some sources said the bodies were found earlier. Pakistani military spokesmen were not immediately available for comment. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Ex-CJP calls Musharraf 'extremist' for slandering 60 judges ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan 30 (AP): Pakistan's deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry Wednesday branded President Pervez Musharraf an “extremist general” for sacking 60 top judges and keeping him and his family under house detention for the past three months. Iftikhar Chaudhry said in a statement his wife and three children were even forbidden from stepping onto the front lawn of their Islamabad home. In the statement, Chaudhry accused him of slandering judges during his recent tour of Europe. “Is there a precedent in all history, of 60 judges including three chief justices (of Pakistani Supreme and High Courts) being dismissed and arrested at the whim of one man?” Chaudhry wrote. “This incredible outrage has happened in the 21st century at the hands of an extremist general out on a 'charm offensive' of Western capitals and one whom the West supports.” Athar Minallah, senior Supreme Court lawyer who called the news conference, would not disclose how the statement was conveyed from Chaudhry. (Posted @ 15:05 PST)
Blast kills three suspected militants in Pakistan PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Jan 30 (AFP): Three suspected militants were killed early Wednesday in an explosion while they were likely making bombs in Peshawar, police said. The blast occurred in a house where the three men were probably handling explosives, senior police official Mohammad Tahir Khan told AFP. The men, between 20 to 30 years old, were suspected of preparing for suicide attacks, another police official said. Residents said that a man from Mohmand tribal district had rented the house six months ago. (First Posted @ 09:45 PST, Updated @ 10:30 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Attorney General backs banned players FAISALABAD, Jan 30 (Reuters): Pakistan's attorney general Malik Mohammad Qayyum described as unjustified the ban imposed on six cricketers by the Pakistan Cricket Board for joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), a private television channel reported Wednesday. Qayyum said the ban went against the fundamental rights of Pakistani citizen. “If these players decide to seek redress from the court then they have a strong case against the board as the ban is not justified,” Qayyum said. Six Pakistani players including former captain Inzamamul Haq, appeared in the ICL's inaugural Twenty20 league in India last month. On their return, PCB imposed a domestic ban on the players and informed them they would no longer be eligible for the national side. “The ban is a clear-cut case of restraining someone from earning from his trade,” said Qayyum. “The board can't stop a player from earning his livelihood. The ban on playing domestic cricket can be challenged by the players.” (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Pakistan pledges fair vote: foreign ministry ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (AFP): The government is committed to free and fair elections, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, following remarks by US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher that next month's vote could be tainted. Asked about Boucher's comments, foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told reporters that there was nothing to say about them as the government had already committed itself to hold fair elections. “The Government of Pakistan at the highest level has committed to the people of Pakistan that the elections will be free and fair,” Sadiq told a weekly briefing. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Two Pakistani soldiers killed by rocket fire MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Jan 30 (AFP): Two Pakistani soldiers were killed and another was injured Wednesday after militants launched rockets at their positions in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said. The military called in helicopters after pro-Taliban insurgents fired small arms and rockets at troops based near the town of Razmak in North Waziristan, a security official told AFP. “Two soldiers were killed and another was injured when rockets fired by miscreants hit them,” the official said, adding that there were no details about militant casualties. The firefight was ongoing, he said. A military source also confirmed the death of the soldiers. (Posted @ 14:35 PST)
Police interrogate Al-Qaeda-linked militant captured in Karachi KARACHI, Jan 30 (AFP): Police on Wednesday quizzed a leading Al-Qaeda-linked militant who was captured after a bloody shootout late on Tuesday, saying they had averted a major terrorist attack in the southern city of Karachi. Qasim Toori, a wanted member of the extremist group Jundullah (Army of God), was wounded and arrested after a raid on his hideout. Home minister Akhtar Zamin said, “Qasim Toori is alive. He is in our custody and facing serious charges,” Zamin said. Zamin said the militants were “planning for a big attack in the city as is evident from the C4 plastic explosives and arms seized during the rai. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Volvo to use new Indian facility as Asian export hub BANGALORE, Jan 30 (AFP): Swedish vehicle giant Volvo plans to turn a new Indian manufacturing facility into a low-cost export hub to tap rising Asian demand for public bus transport, the company said on Wednesday. The bus unit of Volvo plans to build 450 buses this year at the facility that will open Thursday in this southern Indian city and increase production to 1,000 units by 2010, said Chief Executive Hakaan Karlsson. (Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Unknown donor gives $130 million to rebuild Bangladesh's cyclone-ravaged coast DHAKA, Jan 30 (AP): A person who wishes to remain anonymous has donated $130 million to help rebuild hundreds of schools and storm shelters destroyed by a cyclone along the southwest coast of Bangladesh, the government said Wednesday. The donation was made through the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank, said a senior finance ministry official describing it as the single largest donation ever made by an individual to Bangladesh. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Police say four killed in Indian held Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 30 (AP): Indian occupation forces killed four militants including a top commander in a gunbattle in Indian-held Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. The militants were said to be members of Hezb-ul-Mujahideen. Kashmir Police Chief S.M. Sahai identified the slain top commander as Sajad Ahmed Bhat, said. The battle began early Wednesday when police and soldiers cordoned off Batpora village, about 60 kilometers south of Srinagar. The two sides traded gunfire for almost seven hours before troops killed the four militants. (Posted @ 19:05 PST)
Shahbaz Sharif meets Asif Zardari KARACHI, Jan 30 (PPI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday called on Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House with a 10-member delegation comprising party leaders. He condoled with Mr Zardari over Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s death and paid rich tributes to her. Mr Zardari thanked Mr Sharif and the delegation for sharing his grief. He said Benazir Bhutto believed the country could only be saved by the people of Pakistan and not foreign elements. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in fourth one-day FAISALABAD, Jan 30 (AFP): Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the fourth day-night international here on Wednesday, taking a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 244 in 49.5 overs; Pakistan 245-3 in 47 overs. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Bomb blast near Nepal political rally wounds 55 KATHMANDU, Jan 30 (Reuters): More than 50 people were wounded when a bomb exploded on Wednesday near a crowd of thousands attending a political rally held by Nepal's governing alliance, police said. “We have 55 people wounded,” a police official told Reuters from the southeastern town of Birgunj, 62 km from the capital Kathmandu. A doctor at the hospital said at least three people were in critical condition. (First Posted @ 11:10 PST; Updated @ 18:40 PST)
Ten missing after S. Korean shipwreck SEOUL, Jan 30 (AFP): Ten fishermen are missing after their ship sank Wednesday in rough seas off South Korea's southernmost island of Mara, marine police said. The 136-ton ship named the 102 Soyang went down 65 kilometres southwest of Mara, said marine police in the southern island of Jeju. Bad weather seems to have caused the ship to capsize. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
15 die as under construction school bldg collapses in Uganda KAMPALA, Jan 30 (AP): A six-story school under construction collapsed Wednesday, killing 15 workers, police said. A police spokesman said more than 30 workers were buried when the building, Saint Peter's Secondary School on the outskirts of Kampala, collapsed. Fifteen people died, and eight seriously injured workers were rushed to hospital. The others escaped with minor injuries. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)
India to spend $150m to save tigers NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (Reuters): India will spend an estimated 6 billion rupees ($150 million)over the next five years in an attempt to save its endangered tigers, the cabinet said on Wednesday. The number of tigers in India has plummeted to around 1,500 from about 40,000 a century ago, according to provisional government survey result (Posted @ 18:15 PST)
Rio police invade slums, kill at least eight criminal suspects RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 30 (AP): Heavily armed police cracking down on crime ahead of carnival celebrations mounted a major operation in two slums Wednesday, reportedly killing eight suspects. A police spokeswoman confirmed that the operation was under way in the Jacarezinho and Mangueira slums, but said authorities would not comment on deaths or injuries until it was finished. (Posted @ 18:05 PST)
McCain emerges as Republican front-runner after Florida victory MIAMI, Jan 30 (AP): John McCain emerged as the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination with a victory in the Florida primary, lining up a quick endorsement from soon-to-be dropout Rudy Giuliani before next week's coast-to-coast contests. The Republican nomination fight finally has boiled down to a two-man race between the Arizona senator and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Afghan upper house backs journalist death sentence KABUL, Jan 30 (Reuters): Afghanistan's upper house of parliament has backed a death sentence issued against a reporter accused of blasphemy, a member said on Wednesday Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, was sentenced to death by a court last week for allegedly mocking Islam and the Koran, and for distributing an article which said the Prophet Mohammad had ignored the rights of women. “The Meshrano Jirga (elders house) yesterday supported the death sentence on him,” Noorullah, a delegate said. The upper house has no legal authority in the case, but was merely commenting on the sentence. (Posted @ 17:53 PST)
Bulgarian president's plane makes emergency landing SOFIA, Jan 30 (AP): The plane carrying Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov made an emergency landing in Portugal's Azores islands Wednesday, his office said in a statement. The presidential Soviet-built Tu-154 jet was forced to return to Lajes Airport where it stopped to refuel late Tuesday after the nose landing gear failed to retract following take off. Parvanov had been headed to Mexico for an official visit. The statement said the trip was canceled and Parvanov would return to Sofia on a commercial flight later Wednesday. (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
FBI chief visits Vietnam: US embassy HANOI, Jan 30 (AFP): United States FBI chief Robert Mueller met top Vietnamese police officials Wednesday, a day before he opens an office for the agency in Phnom Penh that will cover Cambodia and Vietnam, the US embassy said. (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Snow blankets Jerusalem in Mideast freeze JERUSALEM, Jan 30 (AFP): Blankets of snow brought the Jerusalem and other cities across the Middle East grinding to a halt on Wednesday as icy weather gripped the mainly desert region. Snow blocked roads to the Jordanian capital Amman and schools, universities and banks were shut. Freezing winds swept through the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and severe storms battered much of Lebanon. Residents of the region, more used to heat than freezing temperatures, complained about the cold, but weather forecasters welcomed both snow and rain to replenish almost empty dams and reservoirs. (Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Blast in Philippines kills three, wounds 27 GENERAL SANTOS, Jan 30 (Reuters): A bomb blast at the gate of a tuna canning factory in the southern Philippines on Wednesday killed at least three people and wounded 27, police said. A spokesman for the national police said the explosive was a home-made bomb and went off just after dusk. The attack was in General Santos City, a port on the southern tip of the peninsula, the country's biggest centre for tuna processing. (First Posted @ 17:20 PST; Updated @ 17:50 PST)
Ashes at sea, India pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi MUMBAI, Jan 30 (Reuters): Some of the final ashes of Indian independence leader and peace icon Mohandas K. Gandhi were scattered at sea by his great-granddaughter on Wednesday, as the country paid homage on the 60th anniversary of his assassination. Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by a Hindu extremist on January 30, 1948 at a prayer meeting in New Delhi. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
15 dead after two ships collide on China's Yangtze River SHANGHAI, Jan 30 (AP): Fifteen sailors drowned and another is missing after two ships collided on the Yangtze river early Wednesday, state media reported. Xinhua News Agency said one of the ships sank after the pre-dawn collision. It said of the 17 on board, 15 died, one was rescued and another was missing. It did not give any other details. (Posted @ 17:15 PST)
Death toll rises to 25 in China mine blast BEIJING, Jan 30 (AP): The death toll from a gas explosion last week in an illegal mine in northern China has risen to 25, state media said Wednesday. Twenty miners died Jan. 20 when they attempted to reopen the mine that the government had used explosives to close in 2004. Xinhua News Agency said five more bodies had been found this week. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Car bomb in Bosnia kills two, injures one PALE, Jan 30 (AP): A car bomb explosion in a small town northeast of Bosnia's capital killed two people and seriously injured another Wednesday morning, police said. The device was most likely placed beneath a vehicle parked in front of a cafe called Omerta in the town of Pale, a police spokeswoman said. She said one of the victims was the cafe's owner while the other had not been identified. The injured person was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
More foreign troops not the answer for Afghanistan: Karzai BERLIN, Jan 30 (AFP): President Hamid Karzai said training the Afghan police and army was more important than sending more foreign troops to the country, in an interview with a German newspaper on Wednesday. “More than anything else, we need help to rebuild our human capital and our institutions, our army, our police force, our administrative structure, our judiciary and so on,” Karzai told Die Welt. “Although the situation has finally improved, the unintentional bombing of Afghan civilians by NATO and US troops is particularly painful. I am not sure that sending more troops is the right answer,” Karzai said. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Former Macau minister jailed for 27 years for graft MACAU, Jan 30 (AFP): A former Macau minister, Ao Man-long, was convicted Wednesday of taking tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks and sentenced to 27 years in prison, in the biggest corruption trial in the booming casino city's history. “The defendant was one of the top government officials of Macau SAR, the bribes are huge and his behaviour was shocking,” Justice Sam Hou-fai, head of the three-judge panel, told the court. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
World's biggest passenger aircraft to start London service: SIA SINGAPORE, Jan 30 (AFP): Singapore Airlines (SIA), the first airline to fly the superjumbo Airbus A380, said Wednesday it will start commercial flights of the airliner to London on March 18. Service will begin after the airline receives its third double-decker A380. (Posted @ 15:45 PST)
Egypt and Iran hold first high-level meeting in decades CAIRO, Jan 30 (AFP): Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks with Iran's parliament speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel on Wednesday, the first such high-level meeting since the two nations froze ties almost 30 years ago. Haddad-Adel hailed his “very good” meeting with Mubarak, whom he said had insisted on rejecting any pressure from Washington aimed at stopping the resumption of diplomatic ties. “The fact that I'm here is proof of the improvement in relations between the Islamic republic and Egypt,” Haddad-Adel told journalists. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
India's Congress party to close Nehru's historic newspaper NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (AFP): The National Herald daily, launched by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, is to close after the ruling Congress Party decided it was no longer viable, officials said Wednesday. The newspaper first published from Lucknow in 1938, played a prominent role promoting nationalist sentiment before India's independence. History relates that Nehru was so attached to the project he vowed “not (to) let the National Herald close down even if I have to sell Anand Bhavan,” his ancestral home in Allahabad. But dogged by bad management, poor circulation and falling revenue, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, widow of Nehru's grandson Rajiv, has called time on the historic paper, a senior journalist and a Congress official said. Dismal circulation and recurring losses forced the decision, added a senior Congress leader, who declined to be named. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Corruption trial of ex-Bangladesh PM begins DHAKA, Jan 30 (AFP): Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed went on trial for corruption Wednesday, facing accusations that she extorted 435,000 dollars from a power company owner, officials said. Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League party, stood in the dock of a special fast-track court alongside her cousin and co-accused, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, prosecutor Mohammad Borhanuddin said. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Roadside bomb kills Iraqi cameraman BAGHDAD, Jan 30 (AFP) A roadside bomb ripped through the car of an Iraqi television crew on their way to the city of Samarra, killing a cameraman and two other journalists, their television station said Wednesday. Al-Furat television said its cameraman Alaa Abdul Karim was killed in the blast, which occurred Tuesday near Balad, north of Baghdad, while a deputy cameraman and a female reporter were seriously injured. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Strong quake rocks Indonesia's Maluku, tsunami alert sounded JAKARTA, Jan 30 (AFP): A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake rocked the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku Wednesday, prompting the issuing of a tsunami alert, the meteorology and geophysics office said here. The quake, which struck at 4:32 pm, was centred 300 kilometres northeast of the East Timorese capital Dili, and some 23 kilometres under the floor of the Banda Sea, the office said in a statement. “There is a tsunami potential,” it said. (Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Sri Lankan rebels and troops fight fierce battle in country’s north COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan 30 (AP): Tamil Tiger fighters and government troops fought a fierce battle with tanks, mortars and artillery in northern Sri Lanka early Wednesday. Early Wednesday morning, government forces based in the northern Jaffna peninsula crossed the front lines into rebel-held territory to the south and attacked 35 Tamil Tiger bunkers, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. The troops, backed by four tanks, destroyed at least 25 of the bunkers and killed 10 rebels in the pre-dawn offensive, he said. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan denied the military's claim, saying the Tamil Tigers drove off a three-pronged government offensive backed by mortar and artillery fire against their northern positions. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Thirteen dead as barge sinks in Lake Tanganyika LUBUMBASHI, DR Congo, Jan 30 (AFP): Thirteen people were killed, and dozens remain missing, after an overloaded barge sank in central Africa's Lake Tanganyika overnight Monday, the maritime inspection service said Wednesday. The disaster took place about five kilometres from Kalemie port, on the Democratic Republic of Congo side of the lake that is also shared by Tanzania, Burundi and Zambia. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
One killed as Indonesia plane hits people while landing JAKARTA, Jan 30 (AFP): A small plane hit two people while landing in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua Wednesday, killing one and seriously injuring another, an official and a report said. The plane carrying 15 passengers skidded off the runway at the remote Sugapa airstrip and ploughed into people waiting to greet local officials who were on board, local district police chief Mirzal Alwi told Metro Television. Alawi said the passengers were unhurt. (First Posted @ 09:40 PST, Updated @ 11:40 PST)
Five soldiers killed, six wounded in clash with communist rebels in Philippines MANILA, Philippines, Jan 30 (AP): Troops clashed with communist guerrillas in the southern Philippines, leaving five soldiers dead and six wounded, officials said Wednesday. The fighting took place in the coastal town of Cateel in Davao Oriental province, about 950 kilometres southeast of Manila. (First Posted @ 10:15 PST, Updated @ 11:15 PST)
Four killed in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Jan 30 (AFP): Insurgents shot and killed four civilians in fresh attacks across southern Thailand, police said Wednesday. A 32-year-old local government official was killed in a drive-by shooting early Wednesday in Yala, police said. In nearby Pattani province, a 52-year-old security guard at a car showroom was shot dead, they added. Two others were killed late Tuesday. One was a 43-year-old shot dead at his home in Yala, while the second was a 47-year-old gunned down in a drive-by attack in Narathiwat province, police said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Troops help stranded Chinese as snow kills 50 BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters): Troops fanned out across large swathes of China hit by snow storms that have killed about 50 people as Premier Wen Jiabao apologised to stranded railway passengers ahead of the biggest holiday of the year. The government has ordered almost 500,000 troops and paramilitary forces to help millions cut off and suffering shortages of food and power. Unusually icy temperatures, snow and sleet blanketing much of central, eastern and southern China have crippled thousands of trucks and trains loaded with coal, food and passengers in the most severe winter weather in half a century. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Clinton wins Florida vote DAVIE, Florida, Jan 30 (AFP): Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton coasted to victory over Barack Obama in Florida in a largely symbolic win Tuesday which gave a vital boost to her White House bid, US media said. With 47 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton was leading Obama by 51 percent to 31 percent in the vote, US media said. Former senator John Edwards was trailing in third place with 15 percent. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
McCain wins Florida presidential nominating contest MIAMI, Jan 30 (Reuters): Senator John McCain won the Florida Republican primary Tuesday, defeating rival Mitt Romney in a close contest that gave momentum to his effort to become the party's U.S. presidential candidate, U.S. media projected. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 19.22 points: KARACHI, Jan 30: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13989.78, down 19.22 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 30: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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