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| February 21, 2008 | Thursday | Safar 13, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 No constitutional hurdle to reinstatement of deposed judges: justice Iftikhar Chaudhry Karachi, Pakistan, Feb 21 (AFP) - In a telephone address on Thursday to the Sindh High Court Bar Association, deposed chief justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said there were no constitutional hurdles to returning the judges to their posts. “I was deposed by an executive order and I can be restored by an executive order. There is no need of two-thirds majority of the parliament,” justice Chaudhry said. “People have given their verdict, which shows that they have rejected the policies of the government,” justice Chaudhry said from his home in Islamabad, where he was still under detention. In a similar address to lawyers in Lahore, he said it was now the responsibility of political parties trying to form a ruling coalition to “work for the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and reinstatement of judges.” He said he remains chief justice and all the others dismissed in November “remain the judges legally. There is no hurdle in the reinstatement of judges, it needs only a simple official notification,” he said. (Posted @ 16:45 PST)  
Tear gas fired at protesting Pakistani lawyers KARACHI, Feb 21 (AFP) - Police fired tear gas in Karachi Thursday as lawyers in Pakistan opposed to President Pervez Musharraf took to the streets in the first protests since Monday's elections. Police baton-charged and fired tear gas shells at lawyers protesting in Karachi to have judges reinstated after Musharraf sacked them last year. Six people, including lawyers, were arrested outside the district court, police said. “We have arrested a few people and police had to use tear gas to disperse lawyers who were trying to hold a rally,” senior police official Tahir Naved told AFP. In the eastern city of Lahore, about 2,000 lawyers chanted, “Go Musharraf, go” and, “Restore independence of judiciary” during a rally. They staged a protest sit-in outside the provincial parliament before dispersing peacefully. Similar rallies and meetings were held by lawyers in other cities across Pakistan to protest against President Musharraf’s declaration of emergency on November 3, and sacking of 63 judges including the then chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who was also detained at his home. Lawyers across Pakistan have held regular Thursday demonstrations since the judges' dismissal and have threatened a large-scale march on Islamabad next month if they are not reinstated. (First Posted @ 13:22 PST, Updated @ 16:45 PST)   Pakistan's Sharif says to form government with Bhutto party ISLAMABAD, Feb 21, (AFP) - Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday his party would form a coalition government with the party of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto after they won crucial elections. “We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form the government in the centre and in the provinces,” Sharif told a joint news conference with Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari. “We will ensure that you complete a full five years' term,” said Sharif, addressing Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) after the pair held nearly three hours of talks. The PPP and Sharif's party trounced the Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, which is allied to President Pervez Musharraf, in Monday's parliamentary elections. APP ADDS: Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League (N) on Thursday agreed to from governments at provincial level while modalities are being finalized to form government at the center. This was stated by Nawaz Sharif PML- N Chief while addressing a joint press conference with Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari. (Posted @ 23:38 PST) PML-N not to compromise on principles in government formation: Ahsan Iqbal ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP): Secretary Information of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group) Ahsan Iqbal Thursday said his party would not compromise on principles in formation of government. In a tv interview he reiterated unwavering stance of the party leadership on the issue of judiciary and for the supremacy of law. He said PML-N has emerged as leading political party in Punjab and definitely would be able to form provincial government without any difficulty. (Posted @ 21:42 PST) Pakistan army chief hails 'normalcy' in tribal areas ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (AFP) -Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani on Thursday hailed his troops for bringing “normalcy” to the tribal region bordering Afghanistan. General Ashfaq Kayani visited the South Waziristan tribal district and handed out bravery awards to officers and soldiers, a military statement said. “He (Kayani) appreciated the efforts of security forces which helped restore normalcy in the area,” the statement said. (Posted @ 21:32 PST) Earthquake rocks US state of Nevada LOS ANGELES, Feb 21 (AFP) - A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck a sparsely-populated region of northern Nevada on Thursday, damaging buildings and rupturing water and gas mains, officials said. A telephone operator in the Wells Sheriff's office said there had been damage to buildings and gas pipes but no immediate indication of injuries. A geophysicist at the NEIC in Denver, Colorado, said the quake had been felt for hundreds of miles in every direction but widespread damage was not expected because of the remote, rugged nature of the terrain. Reports in Salt Lake said buildings had swayed in the city's downtown area. (First Posted @ 21:14 PST Updated @ 21:22 PST) British Conservatives vow to ban forced marriages of Pakistanis, Indians LONDON, Feb.21 (PPI): A Conservative government will ban forced marriages, a controversial practice among many ethnic Indians and Pakistanis living in Britain, the party announced Thursday. David Cameron, the leader of the conservative, believes the 300 or so forced marriages reported annually in Britain are just the 'tip of the iceberg'. The real figure, he believes, could be in thousands. (Posted @ 20:42 PST) Indian troops martyr three more Kashmiris ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 21 (APP):- In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred three more innocent youth on Thursday during a military operation at Batnar in Lolab area of Kupwara district. Separately, troops of 30-Rashtriya Rifles during siege and search operation ransacked houses in Nihama, Krala Gund, Gund Chabootra and Muqam in Handwara. (Posted @ 20:10 PST) Secretary of State Rice to visit China from Tuesday BEIJING, Dec. 21 (APP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit China from Feb. 26 to 27 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao announced Thursday. (Posted @ 19:52 PST) Bus and van collide in Pakistan, killing at least 14 BAHAWALPUR, Pakistan, Feb 21 (AP) - A crowded van collided with a bus near the town of Jhang in Punjab province Thursday, killing at least 14 people, police said. The van was trying to overtake a tractor when it collided head-on with a bus coming from the opposite direction. Police officer Safdar Ausaf put the death toll at 17, but Javed Naqvi, another local police officer, said 14 died, many of them members of an extended family. (Posted @ 19:36 PST) Pakistani stocks close at new high KARACHI, Feb 21 (AFP) - Pakistan's stock exchange hit an all-time high on Thursday as foreign investment rose after President Pervez Musharraf's allies suffered a crushing electoral defeat, dealers said. The benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange index of 100 shares rose around one percent or 142 points to close at 14,972 points, a new all-time high, on the back of growing political stability. “Foreign investors have entered the market and that has boosted the local investors' confidence, leading to more buying rallies,” said Mohammad Sohail, director of JS Global Capital brokerage. After Monday's largely peaceful parliamentary elections the major opposition political parties are in the process of forming a coalition government. “Investors are positively looking at the political developments in the country on the back of peaceful elections and growing political stability,”Sohail said. (Posted @ 19:20 PST) Bunker battles kill 95 in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Feb 21 (AFP) - At least 92 Tamil Tiger rebels and three government soldiers died in intense battles for a bunker line in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Thursday. Government forces destroyed five LTTE bunkers during fighting on Wednesday afternoon, a ministry statement said. “As per the military reports received from the northern battlefronts, at least 92 terrorists were killed and over 15 suffered injuries during yesterday's confrontations,” the statement said. “Also, three soldiers were killed in action while another 20 sustained injuries.” (First Posted @ 12:00 PST Updated @ 19:16 PST) Musharraf's rule illegal: Nawaz Sharif ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 21 (AFP) - Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif told hundreds of protesters outside the deposed chief justice's house Thursday that President Pervez Musharraf's rule was “illegal and unconstitutional”. Sharif, one of the biggest winners in elections on Monday, addressed a crowd of lawyers who gathered outside former chief judge Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry's home in Islamabad to call for his reinstatement. “It is your duty to adhere to the law and not to abide by the orders of Pervez Musharraf who is illegal and unconstitutional,” he told the demonstrators as hundreds of paramilitary troops and police stood guard. (Posted @ 19:02 PST) Cricket: 'Door ajar' on Pakistan tour: Australia's Symonds MELBOURNE, Feb 21 (AFP) - Andrew Symonds appeared to backtrack on his threat to boycott an Australian tour of Pakistan as it emerged here Thursday that the all-rounder would be in breach of his national contract if he refused to tour. Australian captain Ricky Ponting and Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young both warned that Symonds was contractually obliged to join the squad if the tour was given the all-clear. “Whether it's unfair or not, we've all signed off on it (the contract),”Ponting said here Thursday. “There will be lots of safety and security measures put in place and there will be all sorts of security checks done throughout Pakistan over the next few weeks to let us know as a player group whether it is actually safe to tour or not. “If it is seen to be safe and you don't go, then I think that's where the breach of your contract would be.” Symonds had said Wednesday he would not be prepared to tour Pakistan but he wasn't quite as adamant 24 hours later. “The door's ajar, but you know where I stand on it,” he said. (Posted @ 17:32 PST) Turkey shells Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (Reuters): The Turkish military shelled several Kurdish rebel positions inside northern Iraq Thursday, an Iraqi security official said. Turkey has massed tens of thousands of troops along its mountainous frontier with Iraq. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) Four British troops wounded in attack in Basra BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (AP): Four British soldiers were wounded near their base outside Basra in an attack which the Iraqi police said Thursday was a roadside bomb explosion that targeted a British patrol. The attack took place Wednesday night and was followed by a clash between the troops and unidentified gunmen, Basra police Col. Kareem al-Zaidi said. Britain's Ministry of Defence said four British troops were injured in the blast. Sporadic shooting could be heard in the area and some roads were closed. (Posted @ 15:11 PST) 
Cricket-Pakistan invites India for ODI series next month KARACHI, Feb 21 (Reuters): Pakistan has invited India to play a three-match one-day series next month. The invitation was sent after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) agreed to reduce Australia's scheduled tour in March and April by two weeks because of the security concerns of Ricky Ponting's team. “We have formally sent a proposal to the Indians to play the short series in mid-March before the Australians come to Pakistan on March 29,” a PCB official who requested anonymity told Reuters Thursday. “The Indian board have assured us they will look at our proposal and try their best to squeeze in the series despite their team's hectic schedule in this period.” The PCB said India could play all the games in Lahore, starting from March 12, in order to complete the tour in one week. (Posted @ 15:10 PST) Over 30 Taliban killed in Helmand operation KABUL, Feb 21 (Reuters): The Afghan army killed more than 30 Taliban fighters in an operation backed by air support in the country’s southern Helmand province Wednesday, the defence ministry said Thursday. The ministry said there were no casualties among Afghan soldiers during Wednesday's operation. Also Wednesday, a soldier from the NATO-led force operating in Afghanistan was killed by a blast in another part of Helmand province, the defence ministry added. (Posted @ 15:00 PST) Bush arrives in Liberia, last stop of Africa tour MONROVIA, Feb 21 (Reuters): President George W. Bush arrived Thursday in Liberia, on the fifth and final stop of his visit to Africa. Air Force One, carrying Bush and his wife Laura, landed at Monrovia's Spriggs Payne airport. It was the first visit in 30 years by a U.S. president to Liberia, Africa's first republic founded by freed slaves from America in 1847. (First Posted @ 13:20 PST, Updated @ 14:50 PST Norway's biggest quake hits Svalbard archipelago OSLO, Feb 21 (Reuters): An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude - the biggest in Norwegian history - jolted the sparsely populated Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Wednesday night, the Norsar seismic research institute said Thursday. “This is the biggest earthquake on Norwegian territory in history,” the institute said in a statement. “The earthquake happened at sea about 10 km below the surface, and was felt strongly in (the Norwegian town of) Longyearbyen.” (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Unknown attackers torch banks, cars in Athens ATHENS, Feb 21 (Reuters): Unknown attackers set fire to eight banks, an insurance office and several vehicles belonging to state agencies and security firms early Thursday in apparently coordinated strikes throughout the Greek capital, causing damage but no injuries, police said. (Posted @ 13:40 PST) Kenya govt says agrees in principle to PM post NAIROBI, Feb 21 (Reuters): Kenya's government has agreed in principle to the creation of a prime minister's post sought by the opposition, but the terms and duties are still being discussed, a government negotiator said Thursday. “That is more or less agreed on. What we are discussing now is the post's functions, responsibilities, nature of appointment and so on,” Mutula Kilonzo, a negotiator at talks led by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, told Reuters. “This will be an interim measure.” (Posted @ 12:30 PST) Oil prices trading near 100 dollars after hitting record SINGAPORE, Feb 21 (AFP): World oil prices traded near 100 dollars per barrel Thursday after spiking to a new record amid speculation OPEC may decide to slash production at a meeting next month, dealers said. New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, touched an all-time peak of 101.32 dollars in electronic trading before it lapsed. In afternoon trade, the contract for April delivery was trading at 99.95 dollars per barrel, up 25 cents from the previous day. The April contract briefly reached an intra-day high of 100.14 dollars. Brent North Sea crude for April delivery rose 28 cents to 98.70 dollars per barrel. (First Posted @ 09:50 PST, Updated @ 12:15 PST) 16 killed in Bangladesh bus crash COX'S BAZAR, Feb 21 (Reuters): At least 16 people were killed when a bus hit a roadside pole carrying electric power lines and caught fire near the Bangladeshi resort town of Cox's Bazar on Thursday, police said. More than 20 other people injured in the accident, which happened about 375 km southeast of the capital Dhaka, were taken to hospital. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Roadside bomb kills US soldier in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (AFP): A roadside bomb killed an American soldier in central Iraq when it ripped through his patrol vehicle, the US military announced on Thursday. The attack took place on Wednesday, a military statement said, without giving further details. The latest death brings to 3,968 the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to an AFP tally. (Posted @ 10:45 PST) Gunmen kill three policemen in Quetta QUETTA, Feb 21 (AP): Gunmen riding on a motorcycle shot and killed three policemen in Quetta on Thursday and fled, police said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, city police chief Rehmatullah Niazi said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST) Ex-PM Hasina Wajed admitted to hospital DHAKA, Feb 21 (Reuters): Detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was taken to a hospital in the capital Dhaka, officials said on Thursday. “The former prime minister has been taken to Square Hospital at Dhanmandi under tight security,” a senior prison official said. Hasina has for weeks refused to undergo treatment for high blood pressure and ear and eye problems in any Bangladesh hospital due to security worries, her party officials and lawyers saying she feared for her life. She had requested treatment abroad, preferably in the United States. (Posted @ 10:03 PST) Australia confirms Iraq troop withdrawal SYDNEY, Feb 21 (AFP): Australia's new government confirmed Thursday it would withdraw its troops from Iraq by mid-year, as the US defence secretary headed to Canberra for talks. Australia's 550-strong battle group in southern Iraq would be pulled out in close consultation with the United States and Britain, said Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. The withdrawal was promised during the campaign for elections last November by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. (Posted @ 10:02 PST) US soldier killed in Mosul BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (AFP): An American soldier died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack while on patrol in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Wednesday, the US military announced. Three soldiers were also wounded in the attack, a military statement said without giving further details. The latest death brings to 3,967 the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion and occupation, according to an AFP tally. (Posted @ 10:00 PST) British soldier killed in Afghanistan LONDON, Feb 21 (AFP): A British marine was killed and another injured in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday after an explosion, the defence ministry said. A ministry statement said 40 Commando Royal Marines were taking part in an “outreach patrol” in Helmand when the explosion occurred. It said that the marines' next of kin have been informed. (Posted @ 09:50 PST) US shoots down rogue spy satellite HONOLULU, Feb 21 (AFP): The US Defense Department said late Wednesday it had successfully used a ship-board missile to shoot down an out-of-control spy satellite before it plummeted to Earth. “At approximately 0326 GMT Thursday, a US Navy Aegis warship, the USS Lake Erie, fired a single modified tactical standard missile 3, hitting the satellite approximately 247 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean as it travelled in space more than 44,000 kilometers per hour,” the defence department said in a statement. (Posted @ 09:50 PST) Pilot dies as two US fighter jets crash mid-air off Florida WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (AFP): One pilot died and a second was rescued after two US F-15C fighter planes crashed in mid-air Wednesday near Florida, the Air Force said. The jets assigned were on a training mission when they went missing at about 1900 GMT Wednesday over the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 kilometers from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, according to a statement issued from the base. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST, Updated @ 09:50 PST) Fraud probe clears S. Korea's incoming president: Yonhap SEOUL, Feb 21 (AFP): Special prosecutors on Thursday cleared president-elect Lee Myung-Bak of fraud allegations, in an inquiry report released four days before he takes office, said Yonhap news agency. The prosecutors were announcing the outcome of a 40-day probe into whether Lee was linked to a 2001 stock manipulation scandal which caused heavy losses to investors. (Posted @ 09:00 PST) East Timor president out of coma; talks to family SYDNEY, Feb 21 (Reuters): East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has regained consciousness from a drug-induced coma since being shot 10 days ago in an assassination attempt and is talking to his family in an Australian hospital. “Doctors are pleased with his progress,” a spokeswoman for Royal Darwin Hospital told Reuters on Thursday. Nobel laureate Ramos-Horta was shot and critically wounded at his home in Dili last week in an attack by rebel soldiers. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao escaped injury in another shooting the same day. (Posted @ 08:55 PST) Karachi Stocks up 142.36 points: KARACHI, Feb 21: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14971.94, up 142.36 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 21: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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