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| July 15, 2008 | Tuesday | Rajab 11, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 ECC forms committee to formulate strategy to overcome wheat shortage in Pakistan LAHORE, July 15 (APP): Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Tuesday set up a committee, headed by Finance Minister and representatives of provinces of Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan, to overcome shortage of wheat. The committee will also work out the disbursement of imported wheat of 2.5 million tonnes to ensure availability of atta at prices based on parity throughout the country. The ECC, chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. was assured by Punjab Chief Minister that Punjab will reach out to meet the food requirement of fellow citizens in NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh. Governor State Bank apprised the meeting about the economic challenges facing the country and emphasized that time has come to cut down over-spending by both at private and public sector. The Prime Minister constituted a committee to review the whole issue of KESC to improve its productivity and distribution for the benefits of the people in Karachi and surrounding areas. It also allowed import of mineral oil free of custom duty and sales tax and further decided that FBR and MINFAL will work out the modalities to prevent the use of imported material. The secretary MINFAL pleaded the proposal in view of the fatal attack of white fly and Mealy Bug on the cotton crop. The ECC approved fixation of CNG consumer prices by OGRA and readjustment of gas tariff for captive power producers from 68 percent to 31 percent. It also approved the summary of Ministry of petroleum regarding the revised criteria of gas extension to new towns and villages falling within the vicinity of gas fields, like Punjab 13.5 kilometers, Sindh 13.5 km, NWFP 27 km, and Balochistan 67 km. The ECC approved that the loans given to the Heavy Electrical Complex (HEC) be converted into equity of the government in the same organization. The meeting was informed that the overall CPI-based inflation registered an increase in the month of June 2008, the phenomenon is not peculiar to Pakistan as many other developing countries around the world are facing similar prices in recent months. The prices of pulses with the exception of 'Masoor', remained stable. (Posted @ 21:00 PST)  Pakistan tells court it wants more restrictions on Dr A.Q. Khan ISLAMABAD, July 15 (AFP) - Pakistan's government on Tuesday sought to tighten restrictions on nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan in response to a court challenge by his wife seeking his release from house arrest. “The government does not accept meeting of friends and well-wishers with Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan after his irresponsible statements implicating institutions of the state,” authorities said in a statement filed at Islamabad High Court. Pakistan could suffer “sanctions and threats” from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN Security Council as a result of Khan's comments, said the statement, which was lodged in response to an appeal by Khan's wife. “Anti-state elements in the garb of friends and well-wishers may want to manoeuvre to access him to extricate highly secret and confidential information,” it added. Khan's lawyer, Javed Iqbal Jaffery, told reporters outside the court that the government's statement was “defamatory and insulting”. “The reply filed by the government is a pack of lies, false and irresponsible,” he said. “We have mistreated our heroes in the past and now the government wants to punish Dr Khan.” He also accused Pakistani authorities of changing their stance, after insisting for years that he was not under detention. Dr Khan was pardoned by the US-backed Musharraf in 2004 but has been kept at his Islamabad villa ever since, guarded by troops and intelligence agents. Musharraf has rejected international pleas to be allowed access to Khan. Government lawyer Ahmar Bilal Sufi said that Pakistan had resisted international pressure to prosecute Khan for nuclear proliferation. “The state is facing a difficult situation but at the same time it does not remain oblivious of its duty to provide security and protection to the scientist,” Sufi told reporters. (Posted @ 17:55 PST) Punjab industrialists meet PM, call off strike LAHORE, July 15 (PPI): Traders and industrialists of Punjab Tuesday announced a withdrawal of Thursday’s strike call against the fuel price hike after a preliminary meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Lahore. Delegations of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) and Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) met the Prime Minister at Governor House on Tuesday and briefed him about their problems. Gilani assured them that all possible measures to solve their problems will be taken on priority basis and invited them for detailed deliberations in Islamabad on Thursday. LCCI President Muhammad Ali Mian and FCCI President Khawaja Asim said they were committed to play their role for the economic development of the country for which they need some incentives and cooperation from the government. (Posted @ 17:25 PST)  War on terror: Mushahid demands joint session of parliament ISLAMABAD, July 15 (PPI): Secretary General of opposition PML-Q and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed Tuesday condemned statements emanating from Kabul that blame Pakistan for problems created by their own wrong policies. Addressing a press conference, he said it was an interesting coincidence that, in an apparently synchronized move, both Kabul and New Delhi have decided to suspend talks with Pakistan on allegations that have no evidence or rationale about Pakistani involvement in acts of terrorism in their countries. Senator Mushahid, who recently returned from Vietnam as head of a parliamentary delegation, said that during the Vietnam War, the United States escalated the war through secret bombing of Cambodia which destabilized the region, and added that an 'action replay' by escalating Afghan war to FATA would have similar consequences. He also urged the US policy makers to resist from the temptation from raising a specter of war either in Iran or in FATA in order to influence the forthcoming US presidential elections. He also urged the government to rise to the occasion and strengthen the armed forces’ morale and nation's resolve by calling for a joint session of parliament to build a national consensus on anti-terror policy above party lines. Such a move would require coordination and harmony not only among the political forces, media and the nation at large but also between the political forces and the armed forces, he added. (Posted @ 18:51 PST) Pakistan rejects blame for Afghan violence, says Kabul creating 'artificial crisis' ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 15 (AP) - Pakistan on Tuesday rejected as “baseless” a claim from the Afghan government that its powerful spy agency and armed forces are behind the raging Taliban-led insurgency. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry responded Tuesday by accusing Kabul of creating an “artificial crisis” to satisfy “short term political expediencies” and urged it to rethink. It said “such baseless accusations” served no purpose and called for the two sides to work together to defeat terrorism. (Posted @ 19:10 PST) Pakistan tribesmen say NATO forces mass on Afghan border MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, July 15 (AFP) - Pakistani tribal elders Tuesday raised the alarm over a build-up of hundreds of NATO-led troops on the Afghan side of the border, but the military downplayed fears of any intrusion. “We have heard there is a build-up of foreign troops,” said Malik Mohammad Afzal Khan Darpakhel, a local tribal leader in North Waziristan who is not affiliated with the Taliban. “We want to warn them that three million tribesmen will rise against them if they try to move in,” Darpakhel told a news conference held by five elders in Miranshah, the main town in the region. Intelligence sources said some 300 NATO soldiers equipped with tanks, armoured vehicles and heavy weaponry have been moved very close to Lwara Mundi, a border village in North Waziristan. The village is also close to Camp Tillman, a US forward operating base in Afghanistan's Paktika province named after American footballer-turned soldier Pat Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in 2004. “They have not crossed into Pakistan but this is the first time that such a large number of foreign troops have come so close to the border,” Darpakhel said. A Pakistani military spokesman denied there was any unusual troop movement on the border. The spokesman said the NATO forces may be gathering for an operation on the Afghan side. “There may be some operational movement of these forces in Afghanistan,” the spokesman said. But tribal elders vowed to support the army in case of any incursion. “We will protect every inch of our territory and we will support our army in fighting these foreign forces,” said Darpakhel. “We urge the tribesmen to clean up their weapons and be ready for jihad if foreign forces enter our area.” (Posted @ 19:40 PST) No build up of NATO forces close to Pak-Afghan border: army ISLAMABAD, July 15 (APP): There was no build up of NATO forces close to the Pak- Afghan border, Director General Inter Services Public Relations Major General Athar Abbas said on Tuesday. There was routine movement of forces and the vehicles on the Afghan side of the border, he told Dawn News television. It was within their side and this was a routine movement for exercise or some operation there, he added. There was nothing to worry about and unnecessary hype had been created, he added. “We closely monitor all such moves so there is none of such thing very close to the border. Certainly we have coordination and communication with each other,” he stated. Athar Abbas said such things are well coordinated and informed before so that no misunderstanding could take place. So at this moment it is unnecessary to create any hype in the media, he added. (Posted @ 19:35 PST) PPP Govt committed to make Provinces financially strong KARACHI, July 15 (APP): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that present elected government of PPP is committed to make the Provinces financially stronger so that they may not have to depend on the center for their financial needs. Highlighting his government's 100 days performance, he told a press conference that besides optimal utilization of coal reserves to meet Pakistan's energy requirements, the Sindh Government will also convince other provinces on the issue of NFC and resolve it by sitting together. Similarly, he said, the issue of Provincial Autonomy will also be amicable sorted out. (Posted @ 19:30 PST) PML-N, PPP partnership vital for country: Ahsan Iqbal ISLAMABAD, July 15 (APP):- Pakistan Muslim League-N Secretary Information Ahsan Iqbal Tuesday underlined the need for strengthening the partnership between PML-N and PPP to face the internal and external challenges. In a statement, he emphasized that the restoration of deposed judges in accordance with the Murree declaration would pave the way for the success of the coalition government. Non-reinstatement would hurt the coalition and PML-N would not be responsible for such an outcome, he added. He said the success or failure of the coalition setup depends on the PPP. Ahsan Iqbal complained that the PML-N was not consulted in making important decisions but said the party ignored this as it wanted to make the experiment of coalition government in the country successful. He rejected the reported allegation by Governor Punjab that the PML-N was not cooperating with him and said the claim was incorrect. He said the people's mandate for change given in February elections must be implemented in letter and spirit, adding that people were disappointed because of continuation of the policies of the previous regime. (Posted @ 20:51 PST) Judges shortage hurdle in taking swift decisions: CJP SUKKUR, Pakistan July 15 (PPI): Chief Justice of Supreme Court Mr Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar Monday said the shortage of judges is a hurdle in the quick disposal of cases. Speaking at a dinner hosted in his honor by the District Bar Association Sukkur, he said efforts were being made to overcome this shortage, adding that in order to improve their performance their salaries need to be enhanced, besides fringe benefits. In this regard, recommendations have been sent to the government, he said. On this occasion, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar announced Rs 1 million grant for the District Bar Sukkur and Rs 1 lakh each for Sukkur Income Tax Bar and Rohri and Pano Aqil Bar Associations. He also laid the foundation stone of the District Bar and a library in Sukkur. Sindh Law Minister Mohammad Ayaz Soomro also announced Rs 5 lakhs for the District Bar Sukkur. (Posted @ 17:40 PST) Indian porters' strike at Wagah border ATTARI, Indian Punjab, July 15 (PPI): India's trade with Pakistan through the Wagah land border remained suspended for the second day after porters struck work over a demand for better wages. Long queues of goods-laden trucks were seen at Attari, a border point, as goods could not be offloaded due to the strike, Indian news agency ANI reported. At least 1400 porters are on strike since Sunday. “A minimum export of rupees two to three crore is done everyday. It will definitely affect our trade with Pakistan,“ said Om Parkash Latti, President of Indo-Pakistan Business Chamber. (Posted @ 17:10 PST) Powerloom workers, clerks, clerics hold rallies in Multan Multan, July 15 (PPI): All Pakistan Power Looms workers Tuesday held a rally at Chowk Manzoorabad in Multan city of Punjab province against increase in gas and power tariff and hike in POL prices. They joined the protest movement launched by textile exporters against 31 per cent hike in gas price, and announced to observe indefinite strike from July 19. Clerks and other grade one to 15 government employees also organized a rally from the offices of Buildings department to Press Club to protest against rising prices of essential commodities, while prayer leaders of government-administered mosques also staged a protest demonstration against reduction in their salaries by 50 to 80 percent. (Posted @ 17:00 PST) Special police officer killed, 2 injured in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, July 15 (APP): In occupied Kashmir, a Special Police Officer was killed and two others critically injured in a grenade attack in Doda town on Tuesday. Kashmir Media Service reported that the grenade exploded inside the complex of district police lines. Separately, gunmen kidnapped and later shot dead one Prem Nath of Durbeel Chatroo area of Kishtwar. Meanwhile, scores of people including elderly men and women were injured when Indian troops resorted to brute force at Loha Chak in Doda. (Posted @ 21:15 PST) Cricket: Akhtar among probables, Asif out, Yousuf unavailable for Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, July 15 (AP) - Pakistan Cricket Board Tuesday recalled fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for its preliminary Champions Trophy squad and suspended paceman Mohammad Asif pending his doping case. PCB's Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said Akhtar returns after a court in Lahore last month suspended his 18-month ban for a disciplinary breach. The squad includes five uncapped players _ batsmen Ahmed Shahzad and Azhar Ali along with fast bowlers Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Amir and Anwar Ali. Experienced middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf made himself unavailable because the dates for Champions Trophy _ Sept. 11-28 _ clashed with the holy month of Ramadan. Naghmi said that all the 30 probables would have to undergo doping tests _ on July 19 and 20. Beside doping tests, the probables would have to undergo fitness tests before the final 15-man team is announced on Aug. 11. Probables: Shoaib Malik (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khurram Manzoor, Ahmed Shehzad, Khalid Latif, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Bazid Khan, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Arafat, Mansoor Amjad, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammad Ali, Rao Iftikhar, Sohail Khan, Abdur Rauf, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Amir, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal. (Posted @ 20:50 PST) 19 insurgents killed in eastern and central Afghanistan KABUL, July 15 (AP) - Seven insurgents were killed in a military operation near where militants this week breached a U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, the Afghan Defence Ministry said Tuesday. Separately, Afghan troops killed 12 insurgents west of Kabul, the ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, Afghan troops clashed with militants in central Wardak province on Monday, leaving 12 militants dead and four Afghan soldiers wounded, the Defence Ministry said. The militants were suspected of planting roadside bombs in a recent spate of attacks on the main highway passing through the province, the ministry said. (Posted @ 20:40 PST) UN hails Bangladesh's anti-graft drive DHAKA, July 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations Development Programme has lauded a drive launched in Bangladesh by the army-backed interim government early last year against widespread corruption. The UNDP said in a report on Tuesday the drive, which has made significant progress in the past 18 months, should continue to further reduce corruption.“The (ant-corruption) efforts have sent a powerful message to the Bangladesh public that corruption can no longer be tolerated ...,” said UNDP Resident Representative Renata Dessallien. The interim authority detained more than 170 key political and business figures, including former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia for alleged corruption, after it took charge in January 2007. “The ACCs achievements to date have been monumental. Very few commissions in other countries have made as much progress in such a short time frame,” said Michael Th. Johnson, an international anti-crime expert for the United Nations. (Posted @ 20:30 PST) Bangladesh's top Islamist leader freed; case against Khaleda Zia suspended DHAKA, July 15 (AFP) - Matiur Rahman Nizami, the leader of Bangladesh's biggest religious party, the Jamaat-i-Islami, who has been detained since May on corruption charges, was freed on bail Tuesday, police said. Nizami, who served as industries minister in the country's most recently elected government, was arrested over the awarding of a container handling contract to a local firm in 2003. “Nizami has just been released from prison,” national prisons chief Brigadier General Zakir Hassan told AFP. “He has been granted bail by the High Court in a graft case. We have released him after we received the bail order.” Nizami was one of four senior ministers in the cabinet of detained ex-premier Khaleda Zia charged in connection with the container handling contract. The High Court on Tuesday suspended the case against Khaleda Zia on the same charges for three months, effectively paving the way for her to travel abroad for medical treatment. Scores of former ministers, lawmakers and their family members have been sentenced to between five and 20 years in jail by fast-track anti-graft courts set up by the military-backed government. (Posted @ 20:10 PST) Iraq suicide bombings kill 37, injure dozens BAQUBA, Iraq, July 15 (AFP) - A string of suicide attacks against Iraqi security forces killed at least 37 people on Tuesday, including 28 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up among a crowd of recruits at an army base. The two bombers, one of whom wore an Iraqi military uniform, detonated their explosives-filled vests at a recruitment centre on the Al-Saad base, east of the Diyala provincial capital of Baquba, a security official said. At least 55 people were also wounded in the morning attack. there was no build up of NATO forces close to the Pak- Afghan borderThe US military said 20 Iraqi army recruits were killed and 55 wounded. The base has a joint Iraq-US security post but the American military said it suffered no casualties. Suicide bombers also struck in Mosul, killing five people and wounding six more when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near a police patrol. Four people were killed and five wounded when a second bomber blew himself up close to a police patrol in the Ras al-Jad'a district of the city centre. Hospital officials confirmed that nine bodies had been brought in from the two attacks. A car bomb also exploded in Mosul wounding six people, Dr Ahmed said. In the capital, Electricity Minister Karim Wahid escaped unharmed when a roadside bomb exploded in east Baghdad, wounding three of his bodyguards, security officials said. (Posted @ 20:00 PST) One dead from 6.3-magnitude quake on Rhodes ATHENS, July 15 (APP/AFP) - One woman died on the Greek island of Rhodes on Tuesday as a result of a strong undersea earthquake measuring 6.3 points on the Richter scale, officials said. The 56-year-old woman tripped and fell down the stairs while fleeing her house in the island village of Archangelos, they said. The quake struck at 6:26 am (0326 GMT), causing alarm on the island, one of Greece's top travel destinations. The quake was felt in the outlying area as far as Crete but there were no reports of other injuries or damage. (Posted @ 19:17 PST) Crane collapse kills seven at Vietnam port HANOI, July 15 (Reuters): A crane being erected at Cai Lan port in northern Vietnam collapsed on Tuesday, killing seven workers, a state-run newspaper reported. (Posted @ 18:20 PST) Bush lifts offshore drilling ban WASHINGTON, July 15 (AFP): US President George W. Bush announced Monday he had lifted an executive ban on oil drilling on the US outer continental shelf and urged lawmakers to follow suit. (Posted @ 18:08 PST) Medvedev: US missile defence 'worsens' European security MOSCOW, July 15 (AFP): Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday said a US plan to build missile defence facilities in Eastern Europe “only worsens” regional security and said Russia would take countermeasures. “These installations ... only worsen the situation. We will be forced to respond to this adequately,” Medvedev said at a meeting with Russian diplomats in Moscow. “The EU and US have been warned.” (Posted @ 18:00 PST) Middle East envoy Blair cancels Gaza visit ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER, July 15 (Reuters): A security threat forced Middle East envoy Tony Blair to cancel a trip to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that would have marked the highest-level diplomatic visit since Hamas took control, a spokesman said. An Israeli diplomatic source said Blair was informed by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak “that there was a threat that could materialise as he entered the Gaza Strip”. A Hamas spokesman accused Israel of pressuring Blair to cancel a visit that “would have meant the failure of the siege on Hamas in the Gaza Strip”. Hamas officials said earlier the group had taken measures to ensure his safety. (Posted @ 15:55 PST) Israeli cabinet gives final OK to Hezbollah swap JERUSALEM, July 15 (Reuters): Israel's cabinet gave final approval on Tuesday for a prisoner swap with Lebanon's Hezbollah group scheduled to get under way on Wednesday, Israel Radio said. Israel is to free five Lebanese guerrillas in return for two soldiers who Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said were likely dead. (Posted @ 15:55 PST) Cambodian official says Thai troops enter Cambodia in dispute over ancient temple PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, July 15 (AP): A Cambodian official claimed Tuesday that about 40 Thai troops crossed into Cambodia's territory near Preah Vihear as tensions mounted in a dispute over land near an ancient border temple. “Confrontation is occurring between Thai troops and our Cambodian troops, but there is no shooting yet,” he said. The Thai military denied any incursion, saying that troops had simply deployed near the disputed area “to protect our sovereignty.” (Posted @ 15:10 PST) 14 civilians killed, two Turkish workers kidnaped in Afghanistan KABUL, July 15 (Reuters): Taliban insurgents killed eight civilian passengers they seized from vehicles in Ghazni province on Monday, an official said on Tuesday. A Taliban source in the province confirmed the incident, saying those killed were spies of U.S.-led forces. In a separate incident, a roadside bomb killed six civilians in southeastern Paktika province on Monday, an official said. Gunmen also abducted two Turkish workers of a construction firm on Monday from the town of Islam Qala on the border with Iran, a provincial official said on Tuesday. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST, Updated @ 15:05 PST) 20 dead as jeep plunges into canal in eastern India PATNA, India, July 15 (AP): At least 20 members of a wedding party were killed in eastern India on Tuesday when the jeep carrying them plunged into a roadside canal, an official said. The driver of the jeep lost control while negotiating a sharp bend on the outskirts of Patna, the capital of Bihar state, the district magistrate Jitendra Singh said. (Posted @ 13:25 PST) Rebels stage attacks ahead of Philippine president's visit MANILA, July 15 (AFP): Suspected communist rebels staged a bombing and ambushed soldiers on the central Philippine island of Masbate just hours ahead of a visit by President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday, military and television reports said. A bomb went off on the outskirts of Placer town but caused no serious damage, said local army commander Major General Jeffrey Sodusta. Masbate police, quoted by ABS-CBN television, said the bombing was carried out by the communist New People's Army (NPA). Earlier in the day, soldiers in a vehicle travelling through Masbate were ambushed by NPA guerrillas, prompting them to return fire, a military report said. There were no reports of casualties on either side. (Posted @ 12:00 PST) 28 Tamil Tiger rebels, four Sri Lankan soldiers killed in fighting COLOMBO, July 15 (AP): Twenty-eight Tamil Tiger rebels and four soldiers were killed in new fighting in the island's civil war, Sri Lanka's military said. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the worst of Monday's fighting took place along the northern front lines in Mannar, where 11 rebels were killed. He said three soldiers on a foot patrol in the Jaffna area were killed by a bomb. Other deadly battles erupted in Vavuniya and Welioya. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be immediately reached for comment. (Posted @ 11:40 PST) Flooding kills 10 coal miners in northern China BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters): Flooding killed 10 coal miners in China’s Shanxi province after a weekend accident that initially trapped dozens of miners, the Xinhua news agency said Tuesday. Sixty-nine miners escaped the Wangzhuang coal mine in Changzhi Saturday night, hours after it flooded, and another three surfaced by themselves Monday. “The floodwater, amounting to 10,000 cubic meters, was said to come from a mined-out area in the vicinity,” Xinhua said. Bodies of the remaining 10 miners working underground at the mine were recovered early Tuesday, it said, quoting rescue headquarters. (Posted @ 11:35 PST) One million on US terrorist watch list: rights group WASHINGTON, July 15 (AFP): A watch list of suspected and known terrorists, compiled by the US authorities, has ballooned and contains more than one million names, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday. The ACLU said it derived that figure from a Justice Department report on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, which consolidates terrorist watch list information. Among those on the watch list are deceased people, such as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, decorated war veterans, and US Senator Ted Kennedy, the ACLU said. Nobel Peace Prize winner, former South African president Nelson Mandela, was also on the list until an act of Congress removed his name - the only way, according to the ACLU, to get off the list. “The watchlist is a perfect symbol for what's wrong with the administration's approach to terrorism: it's unfair, out of control, incompetently administered, a waste of resources, and is a very real impediment in the lives of billions of travelers,” the director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program, Barry Steinhardt, told reporters in Washington. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) flatly denied the allegation that the list contained one million names. “Assumptions about the list are just plain wrong,” the TSA said in a posting on its website, estimating that there were less than 450,000 people on the watch list. (Posted @ 10:10 PST) Belgian prime minister resigns BRUSSELS, July 15 (Reuters): Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme tendered his resignation late Monday after failing to push through measures to devolve more power to the regions. He had set a July 15 deadline for Dutch- and French-speaking parties to agree on a reform of the state and was due to present the plans to parliament on Tuesday. But on Monday night Leterme offered his resignation to King Albert. The palace said in a statement early Tuesday that the king has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation or not. (Posted @ 09:25 PST) Karachi Stocks down 217.44 points: KARACHI, July 15: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10959.87, down 217.44 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, July 15: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 71 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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