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| August 09, 2008 | Saturday | Sha’aban 6, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 PM Gilani says President Musharraf should obtain fresh vote of confidence Beijing, Aug 9 (PPI): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday said should President Pervez Musharraf obtain a fresh vote of confidence from the parliament or else he will be impeached. Mr Gilani said people will soon get “good news about the dawn of democracy” in the country. Talking to journalists in Beijing, where he attended opening ceremony of Olympic Games, he said Musharraf is “required to obtain a fresh vote of confidence from the parliament. Otherwise, the parliament, being a sovereign and independent body, has the option to exercise right to impeach him.” (Posted @ 18:24 PST)  Six Pakistani troops killed in Bajaur tribal area KHAR, Pakistan, Aug 9 (AFP): At least six Pakistani troops were killed and 15 others injured in a clash with militants in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, the paramilitary Frontier Corps said Saturday. The incident took place on Friday, eight kilometres southwest of Khar, the main area in the semi-autonomous Bajaur tribal district, a known hideout for Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels. “Miscreants attacked a security forces convoy on Friday at Delai area while it was moving to Khar,” the Frontier Corps said in a statement. It said exchange of gunfire between troops and militants continued till early Saturday morning. “Miscreants also suffered heavy losses in the exchange of fire,” the statement said without disclosing the number of casualties. (First Posted @ 16:35 PST Updated @ 18:14 PST) Militants kill eight police in Buner PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug 9 (AFP): Pakistani Taliban militants shot dead eight police in a town close to Swat valley, officials said on Saturday. “A group of ten armed militants attacked a police checkpost in Buner and shot dead eight police officials deployed there,” local police official Sardar Hameed told AFP of Friday night's incident. “These militants came from Swat valley to attack the post,” Hameed added. A spokesman for the militants, Haji Muslim Khan, confirmed the killings. “Our men attacked the checkpost and shot dead police officials,” he told reporters by telephone in Mingora, the main town in Swat. “We will continue targeting all those police officials who are taking part in the ongoing military operation against us,” he added. (Posted @ 14:40 PST)  Parliament to start President Musharraf’s impeachment ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (AFP): The National Assembly will meet next week to formally set into motion the process to impeach President Musharraf, officials said Saturday. Ruling coalition leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif announced Thursday they would seek Musharraf's impeachment for allegedly mismanaging the country. “The national assembly session has been summoned at 5:00 pm for Monday,” an assembly official told AFP. “The session has been summoned in connection with impeachment of the president,” Pakistan People's Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. He added “a notice for impeachment will be served on President Musharraf during the session, starting Monday”. Under the constitution, at least half of either the National Assembly or the Senate must sign a written notice of the intention to impeach the president. The speaker of either chamber then has three days to give it to the president. Then the speaker must summon a joint sitting of the houses “not earlier than seven days and not later than 14 days” after the president receives the notice. The sitting would then “investigate or cause to be investigated” the charge sheet. Impeachment requires a two-thirds majority in the upper and lower houses of parliament under Pakistan's constitution. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) Hindu hooligans torch 13 houses of Muslims in Indian occupied Kashmir Jammu, occupied Kashmir, Aug 9 (PPI): More than 700 Hindu hooligans attacked the Jorian area of Akhnore setting 13 houses belonging to Muslims ablaze. According to Kashmir Media Service, the Hindu extremists looted the households before setting the houses on fire. The mob also demolished the walls of a mosque. Tension has gripped the area after the incident and the Muslims have started migrating to safer places. In another incident, Indian police raided the offices of a local daily newspaper and subjected the staff to torture for reporting the incident. (Posted @ 23:48 PST) Bangladesh's ex-PM Zia to be freed soon: minister DHAKA, Aug 9 (AFP): Bangladesh's military-backed government is close to freeing ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, a minister said Saturday, as part of an apparent deal to secure her party's participation in December general elections. “It is in the final stage.... I hope there will be a result very soon,” commerce minister Hussain Zillur Rahman told reporters. (Posted @ 23:34 PST) Dutch soldiers wounded by Afghan roadside bomb: ministry THE HAGUE, Aug 9 (AFP): Four Dutch soldiers were wounded Saturday, one seriously, when a roadside bomb exploded as their patrol vehicle was passing, the Dutch defence ministry said. The Netherlands has 1,770 troops in Afghanistan deployed with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. (Posted @ 23:12 PST) At least 15 killed in S. Sudan clash over cattle JUBA, Sudan, Aug 9 (Reuters): At least 15 people were killed and more than 20 injured when a dispute over stolen cattle exploded into a gunfight in south Sudan, a southern politician said on Saturday. The clash erupted Wednesday night in a remote part of Lakes State, Marco Chol Maciec, a member of the south's semi-autonomous parliament, told Reuters. Fighting broke out in the village of Pulbet, 12 km north of Rumbek, the provincial capital of Lakes State, after leaders of the Dinka tribe's Nyang and Joth clans failed to resolve a dispute over cattle rustling, Maciec said. (Posted @ 23:00 PST) Famous Palestinian poet critical after surgery JERUSALEM, Aug 9 (AFP): Mahmud Darwish, widely considered the greatest living Palestinian poet, is in critical condition in a US hospital following open-heart surgery, a close friend told AFP. The 66-year-old writer was placed on life support two days ago following complications arising from the surgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, the friend said, asking not to be named. Darwish has published more than two dozen books of poetry and prose rooted in his experience of Palestinian exile and the bitter Middle East conflict in a career spanning nearly five decades. (Posted @ 22:40 PST) Two Americans found dead on Swiss mountain ZERMATT, Switzerland, Aug 9 (AP): Police say an American man and woman have been found dead on a mountain in southern Switzerland. Valais Canton police spokesman said the 53-year-old man and 57-year-old woman were found late Friday at about 4,000 meters on the eastern flank of the Matterhorn. He said a family member reported the two missing Friday morning, and relatives have been notified of the deaths. (Posted @ 22:15 PST) Georgia calls for ceasefire in S. Ossetia fighting GORI, Georgia, Aug 9 (Reuters): Georgia called for a ceasefire Saturday after Russian bombers widened an offensive to force back Georgian troops seeking control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Russia said it had seized the rebel capital, Tskhinvali, but Georgia denied the claim on the second day of fighting. Russian officials said the death toll now stood at 2,000 and 30,000 refugees from South Ossetia had fled to Russia over the past 36 hours. Russia said two of its warplanes were shot down, 13 of its soldiers killed and 70 wounded. Georgian officials said 40 Georgian servicemen were killed and 100 injured. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi called for an immediate ceasefire. Russian officials said there could be no talks until Georgian forces pulled back. Abkhazia, another pro-Russian enclave in Georgia, said its forces had begun an operation to drive out Georgian forces. (First Posted @ 09:25 PST Updated @ 22:02 PST) Storm leaves 100 dead, missing in Vietnam HANOI, Aug 9 (AFP): More than 100 people were dead or missing in flash floods and landslides as heavy rains brought by tropical storm Kammuri pounded mountainous northern Vietnam, officials said Saturday. At least 72 people died and 37 were missing since the storm hit the poor and widely deforested region Friday, having previously lashed Hong Kong and southeastern China, central and provincial emergency officials said. Worst-hit was Lao Cai province near the Chinese border, where at least 36 people died and 32 were missing, hundreds of houses were destroyed or damaged, and transport links were cut, isolating some areas, emergency officials said. (First Posted @ 16:40 PST Updated @ 20:00 PST) 300 Tibetan protesters arrested in Nepal: police KATHMANDU, Aug 9 (AFP): Nepal police on Saturday said they detained at least 300 Tibetan protesters in the capital who were seeking to draw some of the spotlight away from the Beijing Olympics. Riot police blocked the protesters as they tried to run towards the main gate of the Chinese embassy and bundled them into vans and trucks after brief tussles. (Posted @ 19:54 PST) Bangladeshi author Nasreen returns to India NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (AFP): Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, on the run from death threats from militants, has returned to India to renew her visa, a rights activist said Saturday. “Taslima's six-month visa to stay in India will expire on August 17,” a human rights activist close to the writer, told AFP. The writer returned to India on Friday, she said. “She has come from Sweden after she got the assurance from the Indian authorities that her visa would be extended. She will apply for the visa in a few days.” (Posted @ 19:48 PST) Georgia claims downing 10 Russian aircraft, destroying 30 tanks BRUSSELS, Aug 9 (AFP/AP): Georgia has so far shot down 10 Russian aircraft and destroyed up to 30 Russian tanks in the conflict over South Ossetia, the secretary of Georgia's national security council said Saturday. He added that Georgia's armed forces had, as of Saturday morning, lost “as many as 40 military servicemen” with more than 100 wounded. Russian troops raid Georgian town: TBILISI, Georgia: Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into the separatist province of South Ossetia and bombed Georgian towns Saturday in a major escalation of the conflict that has left scores of civilians dead and wounded. Russian military aircraft raided the Georgian town of Gori on Saturday. An AP reporter who visited Gori shortly after the bombing saw several apartment buildings in ruins, some still on fire, and scores of dead bodies and bloodied civilians. The fighting threatens to ignite a wider war between Russia and Georgia. (Posted @ 19:18 PST) Cricket: Sri Lanka gain lead, 251-6 in final Test COLOMBO, Aug 9 (AFP): Sri Lanka were 251-6 in their first innings at stumps in reply to India's 249 on the second day of the third and final Test at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium here on Saturday. (Posted @ 18:54 PST) Italy: Five arrested on suspicion of planning attacks ROME, Aug 9 (AP): Police say they have broken up a terror cell whose alleged head recruited extremists in northern Italy for attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. Anti-terror police official Claudio Galzerano said the authorities on Saturday arrested four Tunisians and one Moroccan in and around Bologna on suspicion of international terrorism. A sixth suspect is still being sought. Galzerano says those arrested include the cell's alleged leader and that he is a veteran of the Bosnian war who recruited his comrades for suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Posted @ 17:54 PST) 48 Tamil rebels, 7 soldiers killed in fierce Sri Lanka fighting COLOMBO, Aug 9 (AFP): Some 48 Tamil Tiger rebels and seven soldiers were killed in ground battles across Sri Lanka's war-ravaged northern district, the defence ministry said Saturday. Troops fought fierce battles on Thursday and Friday, with the worst fighting reported in Vavuniya, where 27 rebels and three soldiers were killed, the ministry said. Sri Lanka fighter jets also carried out three air sorties over rebel areas in the north on Friday and Saturday, the air force said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment on the fighting, but accused the special army commandos of setting off a roadside mine inside rebel-territory on Friday, killing a civilian. (First Posted @ 13:15 PST, Updated @ 17:20 PST) Georgian leader declares 'state of war' TBILISI, Aug 9 (AFP): Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Saturday the country was officially in a “state of war” after Tbilisi accused Moscow of bombing Georgian civilian areas. “I have signed a decree on a state of war. Georgia is in a state of total military aggression,” Saakashvili told a televised meeting of his national security council. (Posted @ 15:25 PST) Afghan police say 20 Taliban killed HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug 9 (AFP): Twenty Taliban were killed in combat with Afghan and international security forces while a bomb destroyed a police vehicle, killing five policemen, authorities said Saturday. A convoy of Afghan police and international soldiers was ambushed in the western province of Farah on Friday, provincial police chief Khalilulah Rahmani told AFP. The forces hit back, including using air strikes. “As result 20 Taliban have been killed and 14 wounded,” he said. The latest in a series of bomb attacks meanwhile killed five Afghan policemen in the eastern province of Paktia on Friday, provincial governor Mohammad Akram Khapelwak said. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahed, said men from his militia had carried out the attack. (Posted @ 15:25 PST) American tourist attacked and killed in Beijing BEIJING, Aug 9 (AFP): A Chinese man on Saturday attacked and killed an American tourist in central Beijing, one day after the Olympic Games opened in the Chinese capital, Xinhua news agency reported. The man attacked two Americans as well as their Chinese guide at the historic Drum Tower monument, a popular tourist site. One tourist was killed in the attack and the other two people were injured. The assailant then committed suicide by jumping off the second story of the monument, according to the agency. (Posted @ 14:30 PST) Japan remembers Nagasaki atomic bomb victims TOKYO, Aug 9 (Reuters): Japan marked the 63rd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki with a solemn ceremony Saturday and a call for world powers to abandon their nuclear weapons. Thousands of children, elderly survivors and dignitaries in the city's Peace Park bowed their heads in a minute of silence at 11:02 a.m., the time the bomb was dropped, to remember the tens of thousands who ultimately died from the blast. About 27,000 of the southwestern city's estimated 200,000 population died instantly from the bomb, and about 70,000 had died by the end of 1945. Nagasaki was bombed by the United States on August 9, 1945, three days after Hiroshima, where the blast also killed tens of thousands immediately and many more later from radiation sickness. (Posted @ 11:45 PST) Car bomb kills 21, wounds 72 in Iraq BAGHDAD, Aug 9 (AP): A car bomb struck a crowded market in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad, on Friday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 72 others, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. The car was parked when it exploded at about 6:30 p.m. inside a food market packed with shoppers and vendors, police said. (First Posted @ 08:45 PST, Updated @ 11:35 PST) Cricket- England 316 v SAfrica 37-1 & 194, close, 2nd day 4th test LONDON, Aug 9 (Reuters): South Africa were 37 for one in their second innings, trailing England by 85 runs, at the close on the second day of the fourth and final test at The Oval on Friday. Scores: South Africa 194 (G.Smith 46; J.Anderson 3-42) & 37-1; England 316 (K. Pietersen 100, P.Collingwood 61; M. Ntini 5-94) (Posted @ 10:25 PST) Olympics- Czech shooter wins first gold of Beijing Olympics BEIJING, Aug 9 (AFP): Czech shooter Katerina Emmons won the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics when she took the women's 10m Air Rifle competition at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall here on Saturday. Lioubov Galkina of Russia won the silver and Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia claimed the bronze. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) One beheaded, two shot dead in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Aug 9 (AFP): A man was beheaded and two others shot dead by separatist militants in southern Thailand, police said Saturday. Police found a 63-year-old villager beheaded in the Yarang district of Pattani province late Friday evening. In nearby Yala, a 26-year-old ranger was shot dead and a 28-year-old man was also shot dead Friday evening. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) UN still unable to agree call for South Ossetia ceasefire UNITED NATIONS, Aug 9 (AFP): The UN Security Council failed yet again Friday to agree on a call for an immediate truce in the worsening fighting in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia enclave but agreed to make another attempt Saturday. The 15-member council held a second emergency meeting to try to defuse mounting tension after Russian tanks and troops surged into South Ossetia. “Some members of the council need more time ...This negotiation has not come to a halt tonight and will be resumed tomorrow (Saturday),” Belgium's UN envoy Jan Grauls, the council chair this month, said as he emerged from hours of closed-door consultations. In Tbilisi, some 3,000 Georgians rallied outside the Russian embassy Friday. “Georgia Without Russian Aggression” and “Russia Is Not The Peacekeeper: Russia Is The Aggressor” read two of the placards being brandished by the protesters. (Posted @ 09:40 PST) Lawyers for Guantanamo inmate Omar Khadr sue Canadian PM OTTAWA, Aug 9 (Reuters) Lawyers for young Canadian man Omar Khadr imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay filed a lawsuit Friday against Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a bid to force him to intercede with Washington on the inmate's behalf. Harper has so far refused to ask the United States to repatriate 21-year-old Omar Khadr, who is due to go on trial in October on charges of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan in July 2002, when he was 15. The suit wants Canada's Federal Court to order Harper to intervene before the U.S. military trial starts. “We're doing it to compel Stephen Harper to finally do the right thing and stand up for the rights of a Canadian citizen,” said Lieutenant William Kuebler, Khadr's U.S. military lawyer. “If a Canadian court directs him to do it I don't think he can say 'get lost',” Kuebler told Reuters. Kory Teneycke, Harper's chief spokesman, dismissed the lawsuit as predictable. “It's another attempt by Mr Khadr's lawyers to avoid trial on the charges of murder in violation of the laws of the war, attempted murder in violation of the laws of the war, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying,” Teneycke said. A statement from Khadr's lawyers said that under a United Nations protocol designed to help child soldiers, “Omar is entitled to special protections under international law, including opportunities for rehabilitation and social re-integration”. Khadr was taken to Afghanistan by his father Ahmed Said Khadr, an alleged al Qaeda financier and close friend of Osama bin Laden. (Posted @ 08:50 PST)
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