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| August 28, 2008 | Thursday | Sha'aban 25, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 At least 11 killed, 12 injured in Pakistan suicide attack BANNU, Pakistan, Aug 28 (AFP/Reuters) At least 11 persons were killed and 12 injured in a suicide attack on a police van carrying prisoners Thursday in the garrison town of Bannu in North West Frontier Province. “The van was carrying policemen and jail staff when it was hit by an explosives-laden car which was used in the attack,” Bannu police official Najeebullah said. adding that the head-on collision happened around 8.55am (0255 GMT). The van that was targeted was normally used to carry prisoners to court and then back to jail. Tahir Shah, a local police chief, said the jail van had been targeted in the attack. “When it reached Kurram Bridge another vehicle standing near exploded,” he said, giving a separate account of the incident. “The jail van fell into the river.” A doctor at the Bannu hospital said 12 persons were brought to hospital with injuries. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)  10 killed as Indian troops kill Kashmir militants, rescue hostages SRINAGAR, India, Aug 28 (AFP) Indian troops shot dead three militants in occupied Kashmir and freed seven hostages they seized after going on a killing spree, the army said Thursday. “The operation is over. We killed the third militant early today (Thursday),” an Indian army spokesman said from the stand-off on the outskirts of Hindu-dominated Jammu city. The army, backed by paramilitaries, had killed the two other militants on Wednesday evening during a fierce gunbattle. He said soldiers were able to rescue seven women and children, but three men who were also taken hostage were killed by the militants. The army had earlier said only women and children were hostages. Earlier on Wednesday, the militants, wearing camouflage dress, opened fire on an army post killing one officer and wounding two other soldiers. The soldiers retaliated but the militants escaped in a taxi rickshaw and later killed its driver and two other civilians. They then barricaded themselves in a house and took 10 people hostage. In all, 10 people were killed -- three militants, six civilians and an army officer, the spokesman said. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)  Dmitry Medvedev hails support from China, Central Asia DUSHANBE, Aug 28 (AFP) President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday claimed backing from China and four Central Asian states for Russia's actions in Georgia and said their support should send a “serious signal” to the west. “I am sure that the united position of the SCO member states will have international resonance,” Medvedev said at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SC0), grouping Russia, China and four ex-Soviet Central Asian states. “And I hope it will serve as a serious signal to those who try to turn black into white and justify this aggression,” he said in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, referring to Georgia's attack on the separatist province of South Ossetia. Medvedev condemned Georgia's “aggression” against South Ossetia, which prompted Russia to send troops deep inside Georgian territory on August 8. He implicitly called on the United States to halt its support for Georgia. “It's well known who helped Georgian authorities and even encouraged them in pursuit of their own aims. This is unacceptable and must end,” he said. The leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan met as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional group set up in 2001 to counter NATO influence in the strategic Central Asia region. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were also attending the talks in Dushanbe. The countries have observer status in the SCO. (First Posted @ 12:55 PST, Updated @ 15:10 PST) Pakistani lawyers stage protests for judges' reinstatement ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (AFP) Pakistani lawyers Thursday staged protests in several cities to press for the reinstatement of the deposed judges. They were joined by political party workers and other supporters carrying black flags as they blocked key roads for two hours, shouting anti-government slogans. “Reinstate the judges” they chanted, saying that “war will continue” until the judiciary's independence is restored. In Islamabad, a group of lawyers tore down posters of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and leading presidential candidate Asif Ali Zardari. In Lahore, hundreds of lawyers staged sit-down protests in front of the provincial assembly building and three other public sites. And in the central city of Multan 1,000 lawyers, traders, political workers and other supporters blocked the main national highway, bringing all inter-city traffic to a halt. “Death to Zardari,” “Asif Zardari is the enemy of judiciary, enemy of justice,” said protesters, who were carrying flags and placards. “It is a conspiracy against independent judiciary,” the leader of Multan Bar Association, Mehmood Ashraf Khan said, addressing the protesters. (First Posted @ 14:15 PST, Updated @ 15:00 PST) Authorities tentatively relax curfew in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 28 (Reuters) Authorities tentatively relaxed a four-day curfew in occupied Kashmir Thursday to allow people to buy essentials as residents ran short of food during massive protests against Indian rule. In Srinagar, people swarmed grocery shops as authorities relaxed a curfew for more than an hour. The curfew was briefly relaxed at different times in different areas across much of the region. (Posted @ 14:40 PST) West does not want war with Russia: David Miliband LONDON, Aug 28 (AFP) The west does not want all-out war with Russia, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Thursday, while underlining that the Georgia crisis ends the period of post-Cold War calm in Europe. He reiterated support for Ukraine and Georgia's eventual membership of NATO, agreed at the alliance's last summit in Bucharest. But asked if this meant NATO would be willing to engage in armed conflict with Russia to support one of its members, Miliband said: “There's no question of launching an all-out war against Russia.” “It's right to talk about an international crisis,” Miliband told BBC radio, adding that “we are in a situation which marks a clear end to the relative and growing calm” in and around Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Posted @ 14:25 PST) South Ossetia says 1,692 killed in Georgia attack MOSCOW, Aug 28 (AFP) The prosecutor general of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia on Thursday said 1,692 people were killed in Georgia's attack this month, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. “We have information of 1,692 dead and 1,500 injured as a result of the Georgian aggression,” the news agency quoted Teimuraz Khugayev as saying. (Posted @ 14:20 PST) Cricket- Pakistan spinner Kaneria undergoes finger surgery KARACHI, Aug 28 (Reuters) Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria has undergone finger surgery and will be sidelined for six weeks, the bowler said on Thursday. Kaneria, who plays for English county Essex, underwent the operation on Wednesday after sustaining the injury against Worcestershire which forced him to return home with one month remaining for the season to end. “There was a fracture in my right hand ring finger which I sustained while taking a caught and bowled chance,” he told Reuters. “Hopefully I should be bowling again after six weeks,” he said. (Posted @ 14:15 PST) US concerned at Kashmir tensions, encourages Pakistan, India to resolve issues peacefully WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (APP): The United States has expressed its concern over resurgence of tension in Kashmir, saying Washington would encourage, as before, Pakistan and India to resolve their disputes peacefully. “Obviously, we're concerned when tensions rise in that region. And, you know, as our general policy, we've always encouraged the governments of India and Pakistan to negotiate their differences peacefully,” State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said. He was asked to comment on resurgence of tensions in the Indian occupied Kashmir. (Posted @ 13:35 PST) Two Chinese policemen killed, seven injured in Xinjiang BEIJING, Aug 28 (AP) Two Chinese policemen were killed and seven more wounded in China's western region of Xinjiang, authorities and an activist said Thursday. The conflict ignited Wednesday in a village in Jiashi County, but it was not immediately clear what caused it or if any Uighurs were injured. A public security official said eight Uighurs were involved. One man had been captured, but the others were still at large, said the official. (Posted @ 13:35 PST) Philippine troops overrun militant stronghold ILIGAN, Philippines, Aug 28 (AFP) Philippine troops Thursday overran a militant stronghold in the south of the country after weeks of fighting that has left about 150 dead, a military spokesman said. Troops took Camp Bilal after a fierce firefight with militants under the command of Abdurahman Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, one of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) militants. “This morning our troops overran Camp Bilal,” Captain Maamo Alonto told reporters. There was no word on the location of Bravo, who was earlier reported in skirmishes with troops. (Posted @ 13:10 PST) Fighting kills 36 rebels, five soldiers in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Aug 28 (AP) Fierce fighting between government troops and separatist Tamil Tigers across Sri Lanka's embattled north killed 36 rebels and five soldiers, the military said Thursday. The latest violence occurred Wednesday along the front lines separating government-controlled territory and the rebels' de facto state in the north, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. Army troops and the air force launched a joint offensive on rebel bunkers in Kilinochchi district, triggering a furious battle that killed 18 rebels and four soldiers, he said. The same fighting wounded 31 soldiers. Scattered battles in Vavuniya killed 12 rebels and one soldier, while in Welioya region six rebels died, said Nanayakkara. Separatist spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be reached for comment Thursday. (Posted @ 12:35 PST) Somali pirates free Omani ship BOSASSO, Somalia, Aug 28 (Reuters) Somali pirates released an Omani ship they had held hostage for months, a senior government official said on Thursday. “The Omani ship held for six months was released last night,” Abdiqadir Muse Yusuf, assistant minister for fisheries in northern Somalia's Puntland region, told Reuters. “I think a ransom was paid but I do not know the exact amount,” he added. (Posted @ 12:30 PST) Five killed in Pakistan road accident SHINKIARI, Pakistan Aug 28 (APP): At least five people including a woman were killed and two others were injured when a jeep plunged into a deep ravine on Thursday. while negotiating a sharp turn. Local administration officials and residents carried out relief and rescue operation and recovered the dead bodies, District Nazim Mansehra Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said. (Posted @ 12:25 PST) Malaysia: Anwar sworn in as lawmaker after poll victory KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug 28 (AP) Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took his place Thursday as a member of Malaysia's Parliament, a major step in his goal to topple a government weakened by electoral defeats and internal dissent. The speaker, who administered the oath, formally declared Anwar the leader of the three-party opposition alliance. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and most Cabinet ministers were not present. Anwar regained his parliamentary seat in the northern Penang state by a landslide in a by-election Tuesday in which only one district was contested. It came on the heels of big gains by the opposition in the March general elections that loosed the government's 51-year grip on power. (Posted @ 11:15 PST) Biden nominated to be VP candidate DENVER, Aug 28 (AP) Sen. Joe Biden has been nominated by Democratic convention delegates to take the second spot on the party's 2008 presidential ticket with trailblazing Sen. Barack Obama. Biden was nominated by acclamation by the delegates not long after Obama, the Illinois senator, had his place in history secured, also by unanimous convention vote. Biden said in an acceptance speech that the challenges America faces require “more than a good soldier” in the White House. And he called Obama a wise leader who can deliver the change the nation needs. (First Posted @ 10:40 PST, Posted @ 11:00 PST) Ten Koreans killed in Philippine traffic accident MANILA, Aug 28 (Reuters) Ten South Korean nationals, many of them Baptist pastors, were killed on Wednesday in the town of Bolinao in northern Philippines when the van in which the 10 were travelling slammed into a concrete wall at high speed, officials said on Thursday. Six men, three women and a six-year-old girl, all Koreans, were killed. It was raining hard at the time of the accident and witnesses said they had seen the van weaving before it hit the wall of a warehouse by the side of the road. (Posted @ 10:30 PST) Hitmen kill 4 police, 17 others in Mexico attacks MEXICO CITY, Aug 28 (AFP) Hitmen killed two police commanders, two officers and 17 others in various attacks across Mexico, state authorities said Wednesday. Gangland-style killings have claimed the lives of some 2,700 people so far this year and kidnapping figures have risen, despite the deployment of more than 36,000 soldiers across the country in a government crackdown on drug gang-related violence. A study Wednesday said insecurity in Mexico costs families and businesses some 18 billion dollars annually, or 2.3 percent of GDP. The costs included the hiring of bodyguards, burglar alarms, private security companies, extra locks and armored cars, said the study by the Center of Economic Studies of the Private Sector.(Posted @ 10:05 PST) Gustav kills 22 in Caribbean, heads to Cuba and Mexico Gulf HAVANA, Aug 28 (AFP) Tropical Storm Gustav churned toward Cuba and the United States Wednesday after lashing Haiti and the Dominican Republic with hurricane force winds and rain that killed 22 people. At 8 pm (0000 GMT Thursday) the center of the storm was situated 100 kilometers south of Guantanamo, Cuba. In Haiti, at least 14 people died and seven were injured, mainly the southeast, as roofs flew off houses and electricity pylons were ripped away by violent winds, authorities said. In the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, eight people were killed in a mudslide caused by the storm. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) Four shot dead across restive Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Aug 28 (AFP) Suspected rebels fighting for a separate Muslim state in southern Thailand have shot dead four people in attacks across the Muslim-majority region, police said Thursday. More than 3,400 people have been killed since the most recent unrest broke out in January 2004 in the south. Tensions began more than a century ago when Thailand annexed the mainly ethnic Malay sultanate in 1902. (Posted @ 09:45 PST) Karachi Stocks up 58.85 points: KARACHI, Aug 28: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9203.78, up 58.85 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 11:10 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, Aug 28: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 76 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 10:00 PST)
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