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| August 04, 2008 | Monday | Sha’aban 1, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 Army says 136 killed in Swat Valley violence PESHAWAR, Aug 4 (AFP): Pakistan's military said Monday that 94 Taliban militants, 14 troops and 28 civilians have been killed in the past week in fighting in northwestern Swat Valley. Fierce fighting erupted in the former tourist region a week ago, threatening a fragile peace deal between the government and the rebels that had caused concerns among Pakistan's western allies. “The operation will continue till the objective of clearing the area of militants is achieved,” local military commander Brigadier Zia Anjum Bodla told reporters in Mingora, the main city in Swat. “Some 94 militants were killed in the ongoing operation and 14 security forces were martyred. Twenty-eight civilians died in the violence, which is very unfortunate,” he said. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)  Pakistan says Indian accusation over Kabul bombing ''shocking'' Colombo, Aug 4 (PPI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani described as “shocking Indian accusations that Islamabad was to blame for the bombing” outside Indian embassy in Afghan capital Kabul. Gilani told Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader in an interview that Pakistan had quickly condemned July 7 attack at the mission that killed about 58 people including two Indian diplomats. “First of all, it may be recalled that we condemned this incident in the strongest terms,” Prime Minister said. “Against this background, the Indian statement is not only surprising but shocking too. There were bombing incidents in Pakistan subsequently, but we have not pointed fingers at anyone as we believe in carrying out investigations before laying responsibility. It is important that the blame game is avoided as both countries have an institutionalised counter terrorism mechanism which is working satisfactorily'', he stressed. (Posted @ 21:04 PST) 20 dead in Pakistan floods: officials PESHAWAR, Aug 4 (AFP/Reuters): At least 20 people were killed on Monday by flash floods in northwest Pakistan caused by heavy monsoon rains, officials said. Waters from a storm drain overflowed and hit dozens of villages in two areas near Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan. Officials said 1,000 houses were destroyed and 20 bodies have been recovered so far. “Ten people died in Bara (a tribal district) and 10 more were killed in suburban villages of Peshawar,” district government official Ghulam Ahmed told AFP. Hundreds more forced to abandon their homes, officials said. A small riverbed flooded by torrential rains overnight swept away several villages and killed livestock in the Khyber tribal region and outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. “It all happened before dawn and it was so sudden that we could not save anything,” said Moman Khan, whose family escaped as the swirling waters engulfed their home in the Nasir Bagh neighbourhood on the outskirts of Peshawar. Television images showed flooded parts of Khyber, with people walking way through waist-deep water carrying whatever belongings they could salvage. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)  Helicopters save climbers after K2 disaster GILGIT, Pakistan, Aug 4 (AFP): Pakistani army helicopters evacuated two frostbitten mountaineers from K2 and tried to save another Monday after a catastrophic ice fall on the world's second highest peak killed 11 climbers. “Two Dutch climbers were brought by our people and their colleagues down to base camp from an altitude of 7,300 metres overnight,” army officer Captain Azimullah Beg told AFP. “They were then picked up by army helicopter from base camp this morning and have now been shifted to hospital for treatment for severe frostbite,” said Beg. A second chopper went up to help a stranded Italian identified as Marco Confortola but could not touch down and returned after a brief contact with the climber, Pakistani mountain guide Sultan Alam said. “At least 11 climbers have died. This is one of the worst incidents in the history of K2 climbing,” Alam said. (First Posted @ 12:40 PST, Updated @ 14:30 PST) Three die as Hindu-Muslim tensions worsen in Indian occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 4 (AFP): Indian officials pledged Monday to stop Hindus from imposing an economic blockade on the mainly Muslim Kashmir valley as tensions heightened with the deaths of three protesters. A Muslim man was killed when he was hit by a teargas shell in Srinagar during a protest against the blockade and reported attacks on Muslims, police said, adding over 20 others were hurt in clashes with police. Separately, two Hindu protesters were killed in the Hindu-dominated Samba district when police opened fire at a crowd that attacked cars and jeeps, a police spokesman said. “Over a dozen others were injured,” he said. “We have sought the help of the army in securing the national highway to ensure smooth transportation of supplies to and from the valley,” Kashmir Chief Secretary S.S. Kapur said. (Posted @ 19:54 PST) Afghan, NATO forces kill 17 Taliban in south KABUL, Aug 4 (AP): Afghan and NATO troops targeted a group of Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan, killing 17 militants and wounding six others, the Defence Ministry said Monday. Four police were killed separately in a militant ambush in central Ghazni province, a provincial official said. The joint force clashed with militants in the Marjah district of Helmand province Sunday, the ministry said in a statement. The troops recovered militants' weapons and ammunition and 132 pounds of drugs after the clash, it said. Also Sunday, militants ambushed a two-vehicle police convoy in Ghazni's Zana Khan district, killing four officers and wounding seven, said Sayed Ismail Jahangir, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Separately, the U.S.-led coalition said its troops killed several militants and captured one they had sought in the northern Baghlan province on Sunday. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST, Updated @ 13:30 PST) Nine injured in clash between bandits and villagers KHANPUR, Aug 4 (APP): Nine persons were injured in a clash between bandits and villagers in a nearby village early Monday. Police said 12 armed bandits stormed into the house of a local landlord Bashir Ahmed in Chak No 107/NM on Monday morning and held the inmates at gun point. When the inmates resisted the criminals opened fire at them. Hearing the gunshots, the villagers came to their rescue and an armed encounter ensued in which nine villagers were injured. (Posted @ 23:20 PST) Former Bangladesh foreign minister jailed in absentia DHAKA, Aug 4 (Reuters): A former Bangladesh foreign minister, on the run since being charged last year with illegally amassing wealth, was sentenced in absentia on Monday to 13 years in jail, court officials said. “Former foreign minister Morshed Khan was also fined one million taka ($14,595) or serve another year in jail,” a court official told reporters. His jail term will begin after he is arrested or surrenders, he said. Khan was foreign minister from 2001 to 2006 in former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s government. (Posted @ 22:56 PST) Italy deploys 3,000 soldiers in city centers: reports ROME, Aug 4 (AFP): Italian authorities on Monday deployed 3,000 troops in major cities and sensitive zones in a controversial move to boost security, media reported Monday. About 1,000 will be used to patrol around embassies and other key targets, about 1,000 at centers where illegal migrants are held and 1,000 for mixed patrols with police in city centers, the reports said. Four hundred soldiers were to guard 10 major underground railway stations in the Italian capital, the main railway station, embassies and a centre for migrants. But Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno said no soldier would patrol in the historic centre where most tourists are concentrated. The Italian left and police unions have criticized the use of troops, accusing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government of seeking to “militarize” city centers. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said he wanted to “give the public a better perception of security.” (Posted @ 22:18 PST) Cholera in South Sudan kills 20, affects hundreds JUBA, Aug 4 (Reuters): Cholera has seen a resurgence in southern Sudan, where 20 died over the weekend following heavy rains that drove thousands from their homes, a local official said Monday. Cholera has infected almost 6,000 people in the region and killed at least 44 this year in other parts of the semi-autonomous region. Tong Aken Ngor a member of parliament for the Aweil area of Bahr al-Ghazal state in southern Sudan said some 250,000 people had been made homeless due to heavy rains. (Posted @ 21:45 PST) UK airline fined for flying faulty plane LONDON, Aug 4 (AP): A judge has fined a British budget airline 5,000 pounds for flying 5,000 kilometers across the Atlantic with a faulty gauge. Globespan Airways admitted flying the Boeing 757 from Liverpool to New York with 20 passengers in June 2007 while two engine pressure indicators were out of action. Crew members had to manually adjust the throttle with the help of another gauge. A judge at London's Southwark Crown Court said Monday that the Edinburgh-based airline had violated civil aviation regulations. (Posted @ 21:28 PST) Czechs plan to deploy more troops in Afghanistan PRAGUE, Aug 4, (AP): The Czech defence ministry said it plans to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan by about 200 next year. Ministry spokesman Jan Pejsek said the number of Czech troops serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force could reach some 600 in 2009. Pejsek said Monday the plan needs full government approval in September or October. Parliament also needs to approve the deployment. (Posted @ 20:14 PST) Cricket: England appoint Pietersen new captain LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters): England appointed Kevin Pietersen as their new captain Monday following Michael Vaughan's resignation after the series loss to South Africa. Pietersen, 28, will lead England in the fourth test against the South Africans starting at The Oval on Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board said. “I am very thrilled and excited to have been given the opportunity to captain England,” Pietersen said in an ECB news release. (Posted @ 20:02 PST) Murdoch plans six new Indian regional TV channels MUMBAI, Aug 4 (AFP): Media mogul Rupert Murdoch on Monday announced plans to launch six new regional television channels in India, where the media is expanding at a frenetic pace. Murdoch has a strong television presence in Asia's third-largest economy through leading broadcaster Star, a wholly owned subsidiary of the tycoon's News Corp. “The investments will be in the region of 100 million dollars and we will launch in the next 12 months,” Murdoch told reporters in India's business capital, declining to give further financial details. (Posted @ 19:32 PST) Turkey appoints new military chief ISTANBUL, Aug 4 (AP): Turkey's state-run media said the country's army chief, a secular general and a strong advocate of NATO, will be Turkey's next military commander. The Anatolia news agency said 65-year-old General Ilker Basbug will replace the current chief, General Yasar Buyukanit, a critic of the Islamic-leaning government. Basbug will take charge at the end of August. The decision was made Monday at an annual military meeting attended by the prime minister, the defense minister and the country's top military brass. (Posted @ 18:36 PST) Three arrested in Turkey for fatal dormitory collapse ISTANBUL, Aug 4 (AP): A Turkish official says three people were arrested for alleged negligence regarding the collapse of a girls' dormitory that killed 18 people. Mayor Mehmet Demirgul of Balcilar, where the tragedy occurred, said the three dormitory administrators were charged Sunday with “causing death through negligence.” An explosion, apparently caused by a gas leak, destroyed the three-story girls' dormitory in central Turkey on Friday, killing 18 people and injuring 27. (Posted @ 18:14 PST) Small tornado kills three in northern France LILLE, Aug 4, (Reuters): Three people were killed overnight when a small tornado charged through towns in northern France, destroying houses and spewing debris over the area, the local government said. Roughly 40 houses were hit by the freak meteorological event in the town of Hautmont, near the Belgian border. Three bodies were pulled from wreckage and six people were slightly injured. Three people were also injured in a nearby village, two of them seriously. Two other towns were also hit by the storm. (Posted @ 17:38 PST) India announces $450 million aid to Afghanistan NEW DELHI, Aug 4 (Reuters): India announced fresh aid of $450 million to Afghanistan for development projects on Monday and both countries vowed to fight terrorism. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul that killed 58 people, including two Indian diplomats, “was an attack on the friendship of India and Afghanistan. We have agreed that we will not allow terrorism to stand in our way, we will fight it unitedly and with full determination,” Singh said. “We will allocate an additional $450 million over the $750 million announced so far to effectively meet the requirement of our ongoing and forthcoming projects,” he added shortly after meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Karzai is on a two-day visit to India. (Posted @ 17:20 PST) Iran test fires anti-ship missile TEHRAN, Aug 4 (AFP): Iran said Monday that it had successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile with a range of 300 kilometres, built with its own technology which it claimed no other country had used. “No enemy vessels would be able to escape it within a 300-kilometre (180-mile) radius from the borders of Iran,” the commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said on state television. “The weapon has been developed entirely using domestic technology and according to our information so far no country has used this technology before,” Jafari said. (Posted @ 17:15 PST) 12 Jordanians sentenced for Iraq insurgency plans AMMAN, Aug 4 (AP): A Jordanian military court sentenced 12 men to up to five years in jail for planning to join the insurgency in Iraq to carry out attacks against American and Iraqi forces. Five of the men who received the longest terms are at large and were tried in absentia. The remaining seven were arrested inside Jordan or at the border with Syria. The verdict, issued Monday, can be appealed. (Posted @ 17:10 PST) Saudi judge held in Dubai on hashish charge: report DUBAI, Aug 4 (AFP): A Saudi judge who served as head of an Islamic court was arrested in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on charges of possessing and using drugs, a newspaper reported Monday. Hamad Salim bin Naif, who served as head of a sharia court in Saudi Arabia, was arrested along with his Moroccan wife after police raided their room in a Dubai hotel on Friday and found four grams of hashish in his possession, the Khaleej Times said. The suspect confessed he and his wife take drugs and said he brought the confiscated hashish from Saudi Arabia for their personal use, the English-language newspaper reported. (Posted @ 17:00 PST) Nine dead, 91,000 flee homes in east China floods BEIJING, Aug 4 (AFP): Nine people have died and more than 91,000 forced to flee their homes after torrential rain lashed eastern China causing severe flooding, state media reported Monday. The downpours killed nine people in Anhui province and affected 2.6 million others there, the Xinhua news agency said. (First Posted @ 09:15 PST, Updated @ 16:55 PST) Strike in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Aug 4 (APP): A complete shutdown was observed in occupied Kashmir Monday to protest against the anti-Muslim riots by Hindu extremists in Jammu region. The strike was called by senior Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Geelani and the Muslim Action Committee of Jammu, KMS reported. All shops, business establishments, educational institutions, courts, banks, government and semi-governments offices are closed and traffic is off the roads in the occupied valley and Muslim -dominated areas of Jammu region. (Posted @ 15:25 PST) Philippine Supreme Court stops deal with rebels MANILA, Aug 4 (AFP) - The Philippine Supreme Court on Monday issued an order stopping the government from signing a land deal with Muslim separatist rebels following massive street protests against it, officials. “The court issued a TRO (temporary restraining order) restraining the respondents from signing the MOA (memorandum of agreement),” court spokesman Midas Marquez told reporters. (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Nine killed in Iraq roadside bomb attacks BAGHDAD, Aug 4 (AP): Two separate roadside bomb attacks targeting Iraqi security forces killed nine people on Monday, including four civilians, the police said. The first roadside bomb struck a police patrol vehicle in Mahaweel, about 56 kilometers south of Baghdad, killing four policemen and three civilian bystanders, the police said. Earlier Monday, an improvised explosive device struck an army patrol in east Baghdad's Palestine Street and killed one Iraqi soldier and one civilian, the police said. The attack also wounded five soldiers and two other civilians and badly damaged the patrol car. (First Posted @ 12:50 PST, Updated @ 13:25 PST) Bangladesh holds key polls DHAKA, Aug 4 (AFP): Bangladesh was holding its first polls Monday since an army-backed government took charge last year as voting began in local elections under a plan to restore democracy by the end of 2008. Polling stations opened shortly after dawn in four cities and nine towns amid tight security, but officials reported a high turnout and no violence in the South Asian nation, which is under a state of emergency. Over 1.2 million voters are eligible to take part in Monday's polls for mayors and councils in Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet, and for municipality chairmen of nine large towns. (Posted @ 13:20 PST) 44 dead in Sri Lanka violence COLOMBO, Aug 4 (AFP): Heavy fighting across Sri Lanka's north left at least 35 Tamil Tiger rebels dead, the defence ministry said Monday. Nine government soldiers also died on Sunday, including three in an accidental hand grenade explosion in Jaffna, the statement said. There was no comment from the Tamil Tigers. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) At least nine dead in Honduras clash TEGUCIGALPA, Aug 4 (Reuters): A clash between landowners and peasants in northern Honduras left at least nine people dead, the security ministry of the Central American country said Sunday. Poor farmers in the district of Colon, 130 miles north of the capital Tegucigalpa, demanded what they believed was their right over land currently being farmed by a group of landowners, who fired on them. The farmers locked the landowners inside their house and set it on fire with six people inside. (Posted @ 11:40 PST) 16 police die, 16 injured in attack in China's Xinjiang BEIJING, Aug 4 (AFP): Sixteen policemen were killed and 16 others injured after a border patrol armed police division in northwest China's Xinjiang region was attacked Monday, the Xinhua news agency reported. Two attackers drove a lorry into the station in the Xinjiang city of Kashgar, Xinhua said. An earlier report said two vehicles were involved. They threw two grenades, which exploded, before they were arrested at about 8:00 a.m., Xinhua said. (First Posted @ 09:50 PST, Updated @ 10: 05 PST) Fire kills 10 people in Dhaka DHAKA, Aug 4 (AP): A fire swept through a five-story building in a crowded section of Bangladesh's capital Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring five others, rescue officials said. Firefighters and residents recovered 10 charred bodies from the building on Dhaka's Aga Sadek road, fire official Ataur Rahman said. The victims were asleep when the pre-dawn blaze started, Rahman said. Five people were taken to a hospital with burns. It was not immediately known what caused the fire, which was brought under control by dozens of firefighters assisted by local residents. (Posted @ 09:55 PST) Five dead in plane crash on Vancouver Island PORT HARDY, British Columbia, Aug 4 (AP): Five people were killed in a plane crash on northern Vancouver Island Sunday, but two survivors were rescued. Lt. Cmdr. Gerry Pash of the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said one of the survivors was injured. The plane belonged to Pacific Coastal Airlines and was on a 30-minute flight between Port Hardy and Chamiss Bay. It went down 10 minutes into the flight outside Port Hardy just after 7:00 a.m. Airline officials said they did some initial searching and then reported the plane missing at around 10 a.m. Spencer Smith of Pacific Coastal Airlines said details of the crash were unclear. (Posted @ 09:20 PST) Heavy rains kill two in eastern Canada MONTREAL, Aug 4 (AFP): Torrential rains in eastern Canada left two dead over the weekend in Quebec province and led to evacuations in New Brunswick, according to reports Sunday. Environment Canada issued alerts for more heavy rainfall in the eastern region, with the ministry forecasting up to 10 centimeters between Sunday and Monday in southern Quebec. Two people were killed Saturday when their car plunged into a lake, after the rains caused part of the road to collapse, local television reported. Some 200 people in the New Brunswick province evacuated their homes because of the rains. (Posted @ 08:55 PST) Russian Gulag writer Solzhenitsyn dies aged 89 MOSCOW, Aug 4 (AFP): Russian writer and dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who shone a light on the inhuman world of the Soviet gulags, died late Sunday, the Itar-Tass news agency said, citing his son Stepan. He was 89. The Nobel laureate died of heart failure at his Moscow home at 11:45 p.m., the writer's son said. Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1970 after writing harrowing works about the Soviet Union's system of labour camps, where he spent eight years from 1945. (Posted @ 08:50 PST) Karachi Stocks down 318.21 points: KARACHI, Aug 04: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9853.18, down 318.21 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 04: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 73 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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