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| February 20, 2008 | Wednesday | Safar 12, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 Govt presses Swiss court case against Zardari GENEVA, Feb 20 (Reuters): Lawyers representing Pakistan urged a Swiss court on Wednesday to prosecute Asif Zardari, the widower of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, accused of stashing 60 million Swiss francs ($55 million) in the country. At a hearing, Swiss lawyers for Pakistan argued that money-laundering charges against Zardari should proceed in Geneva in spite of an amnesty signed by Musharraf last year erasing graft charges against the couple. Pakistan's Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of that amnesty. Swiss lawyers representing the state said the decision was expected in “a few weeks”. “This dossier is a bomb for Zardari,” Pakistan's Swiss lawyer Dominique Henchoz told the Geneva court. “His name appears on each page as the beneficial owner of offshore companies. Some 60 million Swiss francs have been frozen (in Geneva accounts),” she said. The three-judge court in Geneva, announced at the end of the 90-minute hearing that it would rule soon on whether to send the case to the prosecutor for trial, or back to a magistrate for more work. Bhutto and Zardari always denied the charges. (Posted @ 19:25 PST)  
Cricket- Shoaib Akhtar goes for $425,000 at IPL auction MUMBAI, India, Feb 20 (Reuters): Kolkata splashed out $425,000 for Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar Wednesday in a player auction for India's Twenty20 Indian Premier League starting in April. Akhtar's base price was $250,000. Retired Australian spin-bowler Shane Warne was the first player to go under the hammer in a five-star Mumbai hotel conference room filled with Indian sportsmen, celebrities and tycoons. Warne fetched his base price of $450,000 and was bought by Jaipur. Australian Adam Gilchrist went to the Hyderabad franchise for $700,000, but Dhoni was the costliest purchase, going for $1.5 million. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan went to Chennai for $600,000. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was bought up by the Mohali franchise for $475,000. The player contracts are for a period of three years. (First Posted @ 13:00 PST, Updated @ 14:10 PST)   Zimbabwe annual inflation over 100,000 percent: official figures JOHANNESBURG, Feb 20 (AFP): Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate has soared to over 100,000 percent, according to official figures obtained by AFP on Wednesday. “The year-on-year inflation rate for the month of January 2008, as measured by the all items Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 100,580.2 percent, gaining 34,367.9 percentage points on the December rate of 66,212.3 percent,” the Central Statistical Office said in a statement. (Posted @ 22:30 PST) We did not kill Diana: Britain's ex-spy boss LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters): Britain's former spy chief on Wednesday took the rare step of going public to deny the security services murdered Princess Diana. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) normally neither confirms nor denies stories about its operations. But former MI6 boss Richard Dearlove decided to speak out over the deaths of Diana and her lover Dodi al-Fayed in a high-speed Paris car crash in 1997. Lawyer Ian Burnett asked Dearlove: “During the whole of your time in SIS, from 1966 to 2004, were you ever aware of the service assassinating anyone?” “No, I was not,” he told the court, rebutting what he called a “very personal allegation” over Diana's death. (Posted @ 21:00 PST) Joe Louis' sister, 92, dies in cold outside a retirement complex SOUTHFIELD, Feb 20 (AP): Authorities say the 92-year-old sister of legendary heavyweight boxer Joe Louis has been found dead in freezing temperatures outside her apartment at an assisted-living facility. An emergency services coordinator said the body of Vunies High, who had Alzheimer's disease, was found Monday outside The Heatherwood retirement complex in Southfield, a suburb of Detroit. Police said High was last seen Sunday. She was wearing pajamas and only one shoe when she was found. (Posted @ 20:15 PST) Police kill protester in Nepal KATHMANDU, Feb 20 (Reuters): Nepalese security forces shot dead a protester during demonstrations that have caused shortages of fuel and essential supplies and cast a shadow over upcoming elections, police said on Wednesday. Police opened fire late on Tuesday after anti-government protesters began throwing stones in Siraha, a town in the southern Terai plains bordering India that are home to half Nepal's population. (Posted @ 20:00 PST) Mortar attack kills three Iraqi children BAGHDAD, Feb 20 (Reuters): A mortar attack on a U.S. base in Iraq killed three children playing soccer nearby, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. Seven other youngsters were also hurt in Tuesday's attack on the base near Balad, 80 km north of Baghdad. (Posted @ 19:20 PST) Palestinians should follow Kosovo example: negotiator RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb 20 (AFP): A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday called for a Kosovo-like declaration of independence in the absence of progress in talks with Israel but Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas insisted he will continue negotiating. “Our people have the right to proclaim independence as the people of Kosovo did. We were occupied long before the Kosovo problem emerged,” Yasser Abed Rabbo, one of the Palestinian negotiators, told AFP. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Armenia PM wins presidential vote YEREVAN, Feb 20 (AFP): Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian won Armenia's presidential election, official results showed Wednesday, in a poll that Europe's top monitoring body said “mostly” met international standards. Sarkisian scored 52.9 percent to secure a first-round win over former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who secured 21.5 percent, the elections commission chairman said after all votes had been counted. (Posted @ 18:35 PST) Cholera kills 48 people in Mozambique MAPUTO, Feb 20 (Reuters): An outbreak of cholera has killed 48 people in Mozambique, the health ministry said on Wednesday, compounding humanitarian problems after floods hit the southern African country. “We registered 4,325 cholera cases nationwide since the first of January,” said a health ministry spokesman. “From this figure we had 48 people dead,” he added. (Posted @ 18:25 PST) Floods and landslides kill 13 in eastern Philippines, 148,000 displaced MANILA, Feb 20 (AP): Weeklong rains have triggered landslides and floods across the eastern Philippines, leaving at least 13 people dead, three missing and tens of thousands displaced, officials said Wednesday. Most of the deaths occurred from drowning in Eastern Samar province since Feb. 15, when a low pressure area dumped heavy rains that caused flash floods and cut off major roads and damaged bridges, officials said. (Posted @ 16:40 PST) 87 members of Muslim Brotherhood arrested in Egypt CAIRO, Feb 20 (AP): Egyptian police Wednesday rounded up and arrested 87 more senior members and potential election candidates from the banned Muslim Brotherhood in the latest crackdown on the country's largest opposition movement, the group and a security official said. (Posted @ 16:10 PST) Suicide bomber kills 7 in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 20 (Reuters): A suicide bomber detonated an explosives vest in the Iraqi town of Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad, killing seven people and wounding 17. A source said the attack occurred in a market in the town, 90 kms northeast, so far the hospital had received seven bodies. (Posted @ 15:55 PST) NATO commander blames local Serb leaders for border infernos PRISTINA, Feb 20 (AFP): The commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) on Wednesday held minority Serb leaders in northern Kosovo responsible for Tuesday's torching of two border crossings with Serbia. “Some local leaders took a huge responsibility yesterday,” French General Xavier Bout de Marnhac told reporters, adding: “The leaders should think deeply of their responsibility when they trigger this type of demonstration.” The border crossings at Banja and Jarinje remained sealed Wednesday after at least 1,000 Serbs from Kosovo and Serbia ransacked and torched both sites. (Posted @ 15:50 PST) 10 dead in Iraq suicide attack: army BAQUBA, Feb 20 (AFP): Ten people were killed in a suicide attack targeting a market near the city of Baquba north of Baghdad on Wednesday, an Iraqi army officer said. “A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in the market of Muqdadiyah, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others,” an army general told AFP. Muqdadiyah is about 45 kilometres northeast of Baquba. (Posted @ 15:40 PST) 7.5-magnitude quake hits Sumatra, three dead JAKARTA, Feb 20 (AFP): Three people were killed and 25 seriously injured by a 7.5-magnitude quake that struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, a health ministry official said. a 7.5-magnitude quake struck Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, sparking a local tsunami alert and triggering panic, US meteorologists and residents said. The US Geological Survey said the undersea quake struck at 0808 GMT some 312kms west-southwest of the North Sumatra capital Medan, at a depth of 34kms. Indonesia's meteorological agency, which put the quake’s magnitude at 6.6, said it struck 42kms northwest of Sinabang, the main town on Simeulue island, in Aceh province. A 5.5-magnitude aftershock hit shortly afterwards, it said. (First Posted @ 13:55, Updated @ 15:25 PST) Cricket- Andrew Symonds says no to Pakistan tour ADELAIDE, Australia, Feb 20 (AFP): Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds said Wednesday he was almost certain to make himself unavailable if the scheduled tour of Pakistan goes ahead. Speaking on Australian television, Symonds said he believed Pakistan was too great a risk. “I don't think I would go,” he told Network Ten. “It's just a situation you'd never want to find yourself in,” he added, noting that CA were aware of his views. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Obama wins Democratic primary in Hawaii MILKWAUKEE, Feb 20 (AP): Barack Obama won the Hawaii Democratic caucus defeating Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday in their struggle for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Posted @ 14:20 PST) Insurgents kill two Ethiopian troops in Somalia BAIDOA, Somalia, Feb 20 (Reuters): Insurgents killed two Ethiopian soldiers in the southern town of Baidoa Wednesday, residents said. “Men armed with pistols shot dead two Ethiopian troops in the centre of town this morning,” a witness said. (Posted @ 14:15 PST) Three Sri Lankan soldiers killed in rebel ambush COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb 20 (AP): Suspected rebel fighters ambushed and killed three soldiers Wednesday at an army post in southern Sri Lanka, the military said. The shooting attack occurred about 11 a.m. in the Dambakote area southeast of Colombo, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. Troops retaliated with gunfire as the rebels fled, he said. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Mahmoud Abbas’s aide says declaring independence a possibility RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb 20 (Reuters): A top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday the Palestinians should consider declaring an independent state unilaterally if peace talks with Israel continue to falter. Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestinian negotiating team with the Israelis, told Reuters that if they could not reach a deal with the Jewish state, the Palestinians could consider declaring independence like Kosovo did Sunday. “If things are not going in the direction of actually halting settlement activities, if things are not going in the direction of continuous and serious negotiations, then we should take the step and announce our independence unilaterally,” he said. (Posted @ 11:55 PST) PM Sarkisian wins Armenia presidential vote YEREVAN, Feb 20 (AFP): Armenia's Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian won the country's presidential election, official results showed Wednesday. With 97.5 percent of the vote counted, Sarkisian had 844,088 votes, compared to 344,619 for his nearest rival, former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, according to official results shown on Armenian Public Television. That gave Sarkisian 52.7 percent of the votes counted so far, followed by Ter-Petrosian with 21.5 percent and former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian with 16.8 percent. (First Posted @ 09:25 PST, Updated @ 11:45 PST) Cricket- England 340-6 v New Zealand 340-7 - match tied WELLINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters): New Zealand and England tied Wednesday's fourth one-day international at McLean Park in Napier. Scores: England 340-6 from 50 overs (Phil Mustard 83, Alastair Cook 69, Paul Collingwood 54 not out, Kevin Pietersen 50); New Zealand 340-7 from 50 overs (Jamie How 139, Brendon McCullum 58). (First Posted @ 08:40 PST, Updated @ 11:30 PST) Sri Lanka push into rebel north leaving many dead COLOMBO, Feb 20 (AFP): Heavy fighting erupted in northern Sri Lanka early Wednesday as government troops tried to capture rebel-held Adampan village, the defence ministry said, reporting scores of guerrillas killed or wounded. In Mannar district, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a major attack against military positions and troops retaliated with their own fresh offensive, the ministry said in a statement. “The LTTE has suffered heavy casualties, with scores believed killed,” the ministry said, adding that only four government soldiers were wounded. (Posted @ 11:30 PST) McCain wins Washington state primary WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (AFP): Arizona Senator John McCain won Washington state's Republican primary Tuesday, US media reported. (Posted @ 11:10 PST) Roadside bomb kills three U.S. soldiers in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Feb 20 (Reuters): A roadside bomb killed three U.S. soldiers when it struck their vehicle in northwestern Baghdad late Tuesday, the U.S. military said in a statement Wednesday. (Posted @ 11:05 PST) Four students killed in Minnesota school bus crash; at least 14 others injured COTTONWOOD, Minnesota, Feb 20 (AP): A school bus and several other vehicles crashed in southwestern Minnesota Tuesday, killing four students and injuring 14 others. The bus was hit by a van around 3:25 p.m. on a highway north of Cottonwood. The bus then hit a pickup and tipped on its side, State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson said. The bus was carrying 28 students and a driver, Minnesota Public Safety spokeswoman Christine Krueger said. (Posted @ 10:10 PST) Seven killed in South Korea army helicopter crash SEOUL, Feb 20 (AFP): An army helicopter making a mercy flight crashed in South Korea early Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, defence officials said. The helicopter crashed around 1:40 am in Yangpyeong County, 50 kilometres east of Seoul, while returning to base after dropping off a patient at a military hospital near the capital in an emergency flight. “All the seven soldiers on board were found dead,” a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. (Posted @ 09:50 PST) Rocket blasts kill 15 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Feb 20 (AFP): Iraqi police said 15 people were killed Tuesday when a series of rockets primed for attack in a southeast Baghdad neighbourhood exploded as security forces members were trying to defuse them. At least 27 people were wounded in the powerful nighttime blasts in Al-Obeidi neighbourhood, a senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said. “Police found a truck that was being used as launching pad by insurgents for a rocket attack on a nearby US military base,” the officer told AFP. “Some of the rockets had been fired. As they were trying to defuse the others, there was a mishandling and they blew up.” The US military said two of its outposts in the area were hit by “indirect” fire within five minutes of each other, wounding a total of four soldiers. The military uses the term “indirect fire” for rocket and mortar attacks. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Obama, McCain win in Wisconsin MILWAUKEE, Feb 20 (Reuters): Democrat Barack Obama easily beat rival Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin Tuesday, extending his U.S. presidential winning streak and putting pressure on Clinton to win next month in Ohio and Texas to salvage her campaign. Republican front-runner John McCain also won in Wisconsin, taking another big step toward becoming his party's nominee in the presidential election. McCain, an Arizona senator, beat his last remaining major rival, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, to expand his huge and essentially insurmountable lead in delegates. (Posted @ 09:25 PST) Karachi Stocks up 32.52 points: KARACHI, Feb 20: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14829.70 ,up 32.52 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 20: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.3 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST) 
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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