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| July 07, 2008 | Monday | Rajab 3, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 7 explosions kill one, injure 40 in Karachi KARACHI, Pakistan, July 7 (Agencies) - A string of explosions of moderate intensity struck Karachi, killing one person and wounding at least 40 people, private TV channels quoting police and ambulance services said. Babar Khattak, the Sindh province police chief, said at least two blasts involved “low-intensity explosive material.” Karachi police chief Wasim Ahmad confirmed five blasts. Police said the explosions were in the areas of Orangi, Qasba Mor, Hyderi Market and Shahra-e-Noor Jahan in North Nazimabad, and Banaras Chowk. Seven persons were injured; two of them seriously in a blast in junk market near Banaras Chowk, SITE Town Monday afternoon. A police official said that another explosive devise went off near a petrol pump in Orangi Town, injuring 15 persons. Yet another blast in a car injured six persons on Sharae Noor Jehan in North Nazimabad’s Block B. “Apparently the purpose was to create panic in the city. There is also a possibility that these people who planted the bombs wanted to fan ethnic tensions in the city,” provincial police chief Babar Khattak said.“Bomb disposal teams have been sent to the sites of the explosions to determine their nature,” he said. Tension gripped several areas affected by the bombs, with mobs pelting cars with stones, burning tyres and chanting anti-government slogans, an AFP reporter said. Police appeared to pull back from the areas and the sound of gunfire could be heard but it was not clear who was opening fire. (First Posted @ 20:36 PST Updated @ 22:36 PST)  41 killed, 139 wounded in suicide attack at Indian embassy, Kabul KABUL, July 7 (AFP): A suicide car bomber rammed the Indian embassy in Kabul Monday, killing 41 people, including defence attache Brigadier R. Mehta and counsellor-political Venkat Rao, and injuring 139, officials said. The blast tore down an outside security office and part of a wall. It also shattered the windows of shops several kilometres away. “Among those killed are six policemen,” an Afghan interior ministry spokesman said. Many of the dead were Afghans collecting Indian visas. Indian ambassador Jayan Prasad, who was not hurt in the explosion, told AFP the suicide attacker rammed the diplomats' vehicle as it was entering through the gates of the embassy compound. “The embassy has been blown up badly, the outer structures,” another embassy official said on condition of anonymity. “We are walking on rubble.” The nearby Indonesian embassy was also damaged and five Afghan security guards and two Indonesian diplomats were hurt, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta. “We have not done it,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said. President Hamid Karzai accused “enemies” of the good relationship between Afghanistan and India, while Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta visited the embassy soon after the attack to show support, a government spokesman said. The United States and European Union quickly condemned the attack, and in Islamabad, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi added to the outcry, saying Pakistan “condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as this menace negates the very essence of human values.” (First Posted @ 11:00 PST Updated @ 18:34 PST) Govt falls in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 7 (AFP) - The chief minister of occupied Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad announced his resignation Monday in the wake of a wave of violent protests over his government's decision to give land in the Muslim region to Hindu pilgrims. The government lost its majority on June 28 when a key ally, the People's Democratic Party, pulled out of his Congress-led ruling alliance. The state governor had asked Azad to prove his majority in the house on Monday. But before the house could vote to ascertain whether Azad had the required members to rule the state, he decided to resign. “I am going to the governor's house to tender my resignation,” Azad told the house after a fiery speech blaming both Muslim and Hindu fundamentalists for the crisis. The governor has the option of imposing federal rule in Kashmir, or asking Azad to continue as caretaker chief minister for a few days until he himself formally takes over. (First Posted @ 16:15 PST Updated @ 18:46 PST)  Pakistani police find head after Lal Masjid bomb ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AFP) - Pakistani police recovered the head of a suspected suicide bomber Monday as they probed a blast that killed 19 people near a protest meeting marking the anniversary of a raid on Lal Masjid in Islamabad. Investigators made the gory find on a nearby rooftop as they made fingertip searches of the scene of Sunday's blast, which targeted policemen guarding the rally. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but officials said they were examining a range of possible culprits, including the mosque's former students and Taliban militants based near the border with Afghanistan. “At this stage it is too early to say who is behind it,” interior secretary Kamal Shah told AFP. “We have assembled a team of senior policemen and officials from the (government's) Special Investigation Unit and they will meticulously probe this attack,” Shah said. A senior security official told AFP that the head found on the rooftop at the site was damaged on one side but intact on the other, leading to hopes that a sketch of the suspect could be prepared. Meanwhile the toll rose overnight to 14 policemen and five civilians, hospital and government officials said. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited injured police officers at one Islamabad hospital before leaving on a visit to Malaysia, while funerals were being held in the capital for the dead. “I pay tribute to the policemen. They did not care for their lives and protected the people attending the convention” by the Islamists, Gilani told reporters. The White House denounced the bombing as a “needless act of violence.” Pakistani security officials said they were focusing on possible links between the blast and the presence of some members of banned Islamic extremist groups, including the Al-Qaeda-linked Jaish-e-Mohammed and Sipah-e-Sihaba, at the rally. A spokesman for Baitullah Mehsud said he was not aware of any of the group's members having claimed responsibility. (First Posted @ 10:10 PST Updated @ 20:24 PST) Pakistan government set on stopping bombers: Asif Zardari ISLAMABAD, July 7 (Reuters): Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said Monday the people behind a suicide bomb attack on police that killed 15 people Sunday were trying to create chaos and his government would do everything to stop them. Zardari said in a statement Sunday's attack was despicable and must be rejected and condemned by all. “Pakistan People's Party realizes the grave threat that such terrorist activities pose to the country and the PPP government will do everything possible to check the activities of such elements and those responsible will be brought to justice,” he said. City police chief, Asghar Raza Gardezi, said Monday 15 people had died, 13 of them policemen. Authorities were examining the head of the suspected bomber, though Gardezi said it was too early to draw any conclusions and no suspects had been detained. (Posted @ 12:00 PST) Operation against miscreants in Khyber Agency enters 10th day Peshawar, Pakistan, July 07 (PPI) - The ongoing operation against miscreants in Khyber Agency entered 0th day with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) along with the Political administration continuing their task as planned. According to a handout the 18- member tribal Jirga of Local Chiefs/Maliks was held yesterday at Khyber House in Peshawar. The Jirga requested one day’s tme from the Political Administration to further discuss the government's conditions with the tribes of Bara Sub- Division. The Jirga will continue its deliberations on Tuesday . Curfew imposed at Bara Sub- Division since June 28 has been relaxed since Friday. However, ban on the display of arms and the provisions of Section 38 of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) would remain in force till further orders. The LEAs are patrolling the area and routine checkpoints/nakabandis at various points are intact. Till now, 92 persons have been arrested. No untoward incident was reported on Monday. (Posted @ 21:04 PST) Cargo plane crash in Colombia kills three on ground BOGOTA, July 7 )Reuters) - Three Colombians were killed early on Monday when a 747-200 cargo plane crashed into their house near the capital city Bogota while all eight crew members on board the aircraft survived, authorities said. The accident was caused by a fire in one of the plane's jet engines, the civil aeronautical authority said. (Posted @ 20:54 PST) Irishman killed, nine others injured at Pamplona festival PAMPLONA, Spain, July 7 (AFP) - An Irish national died after falling from a 90-foot high wall that encircles the ancient centre of Pamplona during the first day of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northeast Spain. On Monday, nine people were injured including four foreigners, in the first day of the running of the bulls at the festival, organisers said. The injuries were mostly bruises, cuts and possible broken bones from falls during the run, a spokeswoman for the festival told AFP. On each day of the festival six bulls are released at 8:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) to run from their corral through the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town over an 850-metre course. Ahead of them are the runners, who try to stay close to the bulls without falling over or being gored. The bulls face matadors in the ring on the afternoon of each day of Spain's most famous bull-running festival, which ends on July 14. (Posted @ 20:28 PST) SBP launches new currency notes of Rs. 5, Rs. 50 KARACHI, July. 7 (APP): State Bank of Pakistan on Monday launched new currency notes of Rs. 5 and new design of Rs. 50 denomination with added security features. (Posted @ 19:30 PST) PM Gilani in Malaysia for D-8 Summit KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (APP): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived here Monday to attend the 6th D-8 Summit, and is expected to endorse a 10-year roadmap on trade cooperation. On the sidelines of the Summit he would also hold meetings with various heads of governments including the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Chief Executive of Bangladesh. The D-8 compromises Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Turkey. (Posted @ 19:24 PST) Female suicide bomber kills 9, injures 12 in Iraq Baghdad, July 7 (Reuters) - A female suicide bomber killed nine people and wounded 12 others when she blew herself up at a market in Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad, police said. Separately, a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded two others when it exploded near their vehicle in Mussayab, 60 km south of Baghdad, while six people were wounded when several mortar rounds hit the building of the local government headquarters for Nineveh province, in Mosul, police said. Also, a bomb wounded three people including the local government supervisor of the town of Sulaiman Pek when it blew up outside his house, police said. Sulaiman Pek is 160 km north of Baghdad. (Posted @ 19:12 PST) Bush denounces Zimbabwe 'sham' election TOYAKO, Japan, July 7 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Monday after meeting with African leaders on the margin of a rich nations summit here that he was “extremely disappointed” with Zimbabwe's “sham” election. (Posted @ 19:04 PST) Five killed in Thailand's Muslim south YALA, Thailand, July 7 (AFP) - Five people have been killed in shootings across Thailand's Muslim south, where a separatist insurgency has raged for four years, police said Monday. Two Buddhist men were killed in separate drive-by shootings in Pattani. In nearby Yala province, three Muslim rubber tappers were killed when a militant opened fire on the hut where they lived on the plantation, police said. (Posted @ 18:56 PST) Struggle against Indian occupation to continue: Gilani ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 7 (APP): Senior Kashmiri Hurriyet leader Syed Ali Gilani has emphasised that resistance against Indian occupation had not ended with the revocation of the transfer of Kashmiris' land to non-Kashmiris and will continue till the last Indian trooper leaves the territory. Addressing a large public gathering in Handwara, Syed Ali Gilani said India is occupying Kashmiris' land in the garb of the Sadhbavana operation, but the people of Kashmir would thwart such designs. Referring to the supply blockade of essentials to Kashmir valley by Hindu organisations, he said that Kashmiris would find alternative routes if the stoppage continued. (Posted @ 18:10 PST) Eminent poet, scholar Khatir Ghaznavi passes away ISLAMABAD, Jul 7 (APP): Eminent poet, scholar and educationist Prof Khatir Ghaznavi died after a protracted illness in his native town Peshawar early Monday. He was 90. Professor Khatir Ghaznavi was the founder member of Abaseen Arts Council and an ex-Director General of Academy of Letters. He also remained chairman of Urdu Department of Peshawar University. (Posted @ 17:54 PST) Pakistan hands over spy Ram Rarakash to India LAHORE, July 7 (APP): Indian spy Ram Parakash, after completion of his imprisonment in Kot Lakhpat Jail, was handed over to Indian authorities at Wagha Border near here on Monday. The Indian spy had trespassed Pakistan border near Sialkot on June 13, 1997 and was serving a 10-year sentence in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. On July 01, 2008, Ram Parakash was being handed over to India, which did not receive him for not having complete travel documents. (Posted @ 17:48 PST) Five die, 19 injured in bus-van collision near Jhang Jhang, Pakistan, July 07 (PPI): Five persons died and nineteen others sustained injuries when a Multan-bound bus collided into a pick-up van on Shor Kot road, Jhang, on Monday. (Posted @ 17:40 PST) 10 Afghan policemen killed in new attacks KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 7 (AFP): Bomb blasts in southern Afghanistan Monday killed seven Afghan policemen, authorities said, one day after three other policemen died in separate attacks. It was not clear who was responsible for the violence. Four policemen were killed early Monday when their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb in the town of Tirin Kot, capital of the southern Uruzgan province, provincial police chief Juma Gul Himat said. Seven others were wounded in the attack, he told AFP. Further south in Kandahar province’s Zharai district, a similar bomb blast killed three policemen and wounded four, said district governor Niaz Mohammad Sarhadi. On Sunday, the police chief of Nawa district in Ghazni province was shot dead as he was walking through a bazaar, a spokesman for the provincial government said. “This is the work of Taliban,” said the spokesman, Ismail Jahangir. Also in Ghazni, two police were killed and five wounded Sunday in a firefight with Taliban militants, Jahangir said. Two Taliban were killed and one arrested in the fighting in Ab Band district. (Posted @ 14:05 PST) Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan: ISAF KABUL, July 7 (AFP): A Canadian soldier with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) died in an explosion that hit a patrol in southern Afghanistan Monday, a commander said. There was no claim of responsibility. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) Twelve killed, 50 hurt in Bangladesh road accident DHAKA, July 7 (Reuters): At least 12 people were killed and nearly 50 injured when two buses collided on a Bangladesh highway Monday, police said. The accident, apparently caused by reckless driving, occurred on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Iliotganj near Comilla district town, 100 km southeast of Dhaka, police said. (Posted @ 12:55 PST) New fighting kills 20 Tamil rebels, two soldiers in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, July 7 (AP): A series of battles between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels across Sri Lanka's embattled northern region killed 20 rebels and two soldiers, the military said Monday. The latest battles erupted Sunday in the Vavuniya, Mannar, Welioya and Jaffna areas bordering the rebels' de facto state in the north, said Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman. In the worst fighting, army troops killed seven rebels along the front lines in Vavuniya, he said. In the nearby Mannar district, separate clashes killed four rebels and one soldier, while fighting in Jaffna killed five rebels and one soldier, he said. Battles in Welioya killed four rebels and wounded two soldiers, Nanayakkara said. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment. (Posted @ 12:50 PST) G8 summit opens on Japan's Hokkaido island TOYAKO, Japan, July 7 (AFP): Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations Monday launched their annual summit in Japan with surging oil and food prices and climate change set to dominate the agenda. The leaders of the G8 - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia and the United States - will be joined this year by those of some 15 other countries including China, India, Brazil, South Korea and Australia. The first session of the three-day meeting being held in the spa resort of Toyako on Japan's scenic Hokkaido island will be devoted to plans to boost aid to impoverished Africa. Eight African leaders will also be present. (Posted @ 10:45 PST) Four die in Abkhazia cafe explosion MOSCOW, July 7 (AFP): Four people died and six were wounded late Sunday when an explosion rocked a cafe in Georgia's separatist province of Abkhazia, Interfax news agency reported Monday. A local official quoted by the agency said “a local security official and a local resident” died on the spot while two other people including a translator working for a UN mission in Abkhazia succumbed to their wounds in hospital. The leader of the Abkhazia separatists, Sergei Bagapsh, accused Tbilisi of having organized the “bombing” in the Gali region, declaring: “This attack confirms once again that Georgia has taken the road of state terrorism.” (First Posted @ 09:00 PST, Updated @ 10:35 PST) Wimbledon- Nadal beats Federer to win Wimbledon crown LONDON, July 7 (Reuters): Spain's Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer's five-year Wimbledon reign with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 win in the final on Sunday. Nadal became the first Spanish man to win the title since Manuel Santana in 1966. (Posted @ 08:45 PST) Cricket- Australia 341-8 v West Indies 172, win ODI series 5-0 BASSETERRE, St Kitts, July 7 (Reuters): Australia defeated West Indies by 169 runs in the fifth and final one-day international at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts, on Sunday. Australia won the five-match series 5-0. Scores: Australia 341 for eight off 50 overs (Symonds 66, Ronchi 64, D. Hussey 52, M. Hussey 51); West Indies 172 all out off 39.5 overs (Findlay 59 not out, Johnson 5-29). (Posted @ 08:45 PST) Karachi Stocks down 83.28 points: KARACHI, July 07: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11878.38, down 83.28 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, July 07: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 71.1 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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