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| September 19, 2008 | Friday | Ramazan 18, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Nawaz Sharif rules out alliance with PML-Q Friday, 19 Sep, LAHORE: PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif has ruled out an alliance with the PML-Q, saying if it had been on the cards, it would have been done before the Sept 6 presidential elections. He was talking to the media at the Lahore airport on his return from London early on Friday morning. He saw no threat to his party’s government in Punjab and said that the elements conspiring against it would fail. Replying to a question about continuing US attacks on tribal areas of the country, the former prime minister said that he failed to understand American policy. Demanding that the alleged secret agreements reached with Washington be made public, he asked if the attacks were Islamabad’s reward for serving American interests during the past eight years. (Posted @ 23:40 PST)
Subsidies on oil and gas eliminated Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Naveed Qamar on Friday unveiled an economic package marked by a complete elimination of subsidies on oil and gas, but said the subsidy on electricity would be phased out by June, 2009 to restore economic stability. “The economic stabilization package is to bring about macro-economic stability in Pakistan, to narrow down the twin deficits-- fiscal deficit and current account deficit and minimize pressues on forex reserves,” Mr Qamar said in a press conference. Flanked by Governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr Shamshad Akhtar, the finance minister said Pakistan would not seek assistance from the IMF, but quickly added that international financial institutions, including the IMF could monitor the implementation of the package. (Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Zafar to challenge Kurd in SCBA elections Friday, 19 Sep, Quetta: The Wakla Panel has fielded senior lawyer Advocate M Zafar to contest the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Presidential election against Ali Ahmed Kurd of the Atizaz group. Kamran Murtaza chaired the joint meeting of the Wakla Panel and Balochistan bar council which decided to nominate M Zafar. Advocate Zahid Malik was fielded for the vice president post from Balochistan. The meeting also nominated Malik Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani, Raja Aamir Abbas and Nasrullah Khan Achakzai to contest the executive committee elections of the association. According to the SCBA rotation policy the presidential post for this term would be the right of Balochistan. (Posted @ 22:54 PST)
Security forces arrest 12 suspects in Bajaur Friday, 19 Sep, KHAR: Fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombed militants’ hideouts in Damadola on Friday evening while security forces arrested 12 suspects in Lowi Sam area of the Bajaur tribal region, sources said. Official sources said that eight militants were killed and eight others wounded during a gunbattle between troops and militants in Tang Khatta, Lowi Sam and Rashakai on Thursday night. Residents said the situation remained normal on Friday morning as helicopters were seen flying over the araea, but reportedly did not take any action. In the evening, however, jets and helicopters started strikes and targeted positions in Damadola, the stronghold of the militants in the region. Thick smoke was seen billowing from the area. (Posted @ 22:46 PST)
Govt urged to expedite Dr Afia's repatriation Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Dr Afia Siddiqui's sister on Friday called on the government to expedite efforts for her early repatriation from the United States’ detention cell in Cuba and recovery of her two children, believed to be in Afghanistan. “I do not expect that she will get justice from the US therefore the government has to make extra ordinary efforts to save her life,” Fauzia Siddqui, sister of Dr Afia, told a press conference at Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club. “Please consider my sister as an innocent and a victim of terror but not a terrorist,” Fauzia whose untiring efforts made possible the recovery of Muhammad Ahmed, the 12-year son of Afia who was repatriated from Afghanistan a couple of days ago after six-year detention in US base camp in Bagram. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
Desperate youth attempts to sell kidney Friday, 19 Sep, HYDERABAD: A poverty stricken intermediate student, Ghulam Abbas Mangrio offered his kidney for sale on Friday in order to take care of his mother and two siblings. Ghulam Abbas came to the press club and displayed a banner inscribed with his desperate message. He passed his intermediate examinations this year, but his mother, a health care worker lost her job. His father, Majeed Mangrio left the family five years ago, forcing them to stay with a maternal aunt in Tando Wali Mohammad area. ‘We were living there for five years but crisis of economy is with everyone. My aunt has really done a big favour to us as she allowed my family to stay with her but now even she is finding it hard to allow us any accommodation in her house’, Abbas told Dawn. (Posted @ 22:20 PST)
Germans arrest 2 suspected of terror links Friday, 19 Sep, BERLIN: A German and a Turkish citizen have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with a terrorist group whose plans for attacks on US targets in Germany were foiled last year, authorities said Friday. Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the pair, both 27 years old, were arrested Thursday in the Frankfurt area on suspicion of links to Islamic Jihad Union, an offshoot of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a jihadist group with ties to al-Qaida. Prosecutors identified the two as Omid S., a German citizen of Afghan descent who is suspected of membership in a terror organization, and Hueseyin O., a Turkish citizen suspected of supporting a terror organization. Both are suspected of involvement with the Islamic Jihad Union's German cell (Posted @ 22:08 PST)
WHO warns against use of electronic cigarettes Friday, 19 Sep, GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Friday against using electronic cigarettes, saying there was no evidence to prove they were safe or helped smokers break the habit. First made in China and sold mainly over the Internet in countries including Brazil, Britain, Canada and Israel, they have grown in popularity despite a lack of regulatory approval, it said. A typical electronic cigarette is made of metal tube with a chamber which holds liquid nicotine in a rechargeable cartridge. Users puff on it but do not light it, leading some to use it to evade smoking bans in public places, according to the WHO. However, they inhale a fine mist of nicotine into their lungs, ‘plus potentially many other toxic compounds which we are not sure of’, said to Douglas Bettcher, acting director of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative. (Posted @ 21:54 PST)
Four deposed judges join apex court Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has re-appointed four judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan with effect from the date of their oath taking of offices. According to a press release issued by Law and Justice Division here on Friday, the judges include Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany. Their appointment has raised the strength of the nation's apex court to 22. Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan and Justice Nasirul Mulk have been reappointed to the Supreme Court. They had been dismissed after the former president Pervez Musharraf's emergency action of November 3, 2007. (Posted @ 21:12 PST)
IMF calls on President Zardari Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Mohsin S. Khan, Director Middle East and Central Asia Department of International Monetary Fund met President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday and discussed with him the country's economic situation. In the meeting, the IMF Director highlighted the relative importance of monetary factors and structuralist supply-side factors for inflation in Pakistan. The official also stressed the need for persistent implementation of sound economic policies and broad- based structural reforms. President Zardari said the country was facing economic crisis, however the government was striving to ensure the implementation of effective policies for the stability of national economy. The role of IMF includes surveillance, financial assistance and technical assistance to meet the changing needs of its member countries in an evolving world economy. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
Brown voices opposition to US strikes in Pakistan Friday, 19 Sep, LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown voiced opposition on Friday to US strikes in Pakistan but said the two sides were close to reaching a deal on the issue. Brown, who met new Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in London this week, was asked about drones operated by the United States striking targets in tribal border areas of northwest Pakistan. The Bush administration says militants linked to insurgency in Afghanistan are based there. Brown told Sky news television: “We've made it absolutely clear that that is not what we would do, what I'm saying to you is that I believe America and Pakistan will reach an agreement about the best way forward on this.” He added: “We of course respect the territorial integrity of Pakistan. I think they're coming close to an agreement about what the right thing to do is”. (Posted @ 20:36 PST)
Two Pakistanis 'illegally' detained in Nepal Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani lawyer has petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) in Nepal against what he called an illegal arrest of two Pakistani citizens by the Nepal police and their subsequent handing over to the Indian authorities about two years ago. The two Pakistani citizens, Asif Ali and Walid Sajjad, had arrived in Kathmandu to explore business opportunities and were staying in Jagat Hotel, near the tourist hub of Thamel in Kathmandu, before being picked up by the Nepal Investigation Department on the night of 12th July 2006 without any apparent reason or warrant issued against them. They were then reportedly handed over to the Indian intelligence agency at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu. Farooq had filed a case against the illegal arrest of the two at the Supreme Court of Nepal under the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007 on Feb 21. (Posted @ 20:12 PST)
Atomic trade high on PM's US, France tour Friday, 19 Sep, NEW DELHI: Armed with a permit for global nuclear trade, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves next week for the United States and France hoping to seal atomic energy deals and discuss cooperation in defence and counter-terrorism. Singh will fly out on Monday for what will be India's first top-level diplomatic engagement since a global nuclear cartel allowed it access to nuclear fuel and technology, overturning a 34-year-long ban for testing nuclear devices. Singh is also expected to use the visit to review with President George Bush the progress of an India-US nuclear deal awaiting approval by the US Congress, where it faces significant opposition from the non-proliferation lobby. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Pakistan considers buying nuclear power plants Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is considering purchasing nuclear power plants to meet its growing energy shortages, the government said on Friday. The country is suffering from acute power shortages, and officials say there is a power deficit of up to 4,000 megawatt. In recent months state-run utilities have switched off power for several hours a day across the country, though the situation improved towards the end of summer, as air conditioners are in less use. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday held a meeting with senior officials to discuss the possibility of buying nuclear plants. (Posted @ 19:05 PST)
Five killed in Quetta blast Friday, 19 Sep, QUETTA: Five students were killed when a hand grenade exploded in the Waliullah Shah seminary in Quetta's Buleli area Friday, private television channels reported. Ten others were critically injured, reports said. Security officials and ambulances arrived at the blast's scene and were transporting the casualties to Bolan Medical Hospital. Asif Mahmood, a Quetta police official, separately said a bomb had been planted inside the seminary and investigators were at work in the area, AP reported. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Georgia, Wall Street overhang annual UN summit Friday, 19 Sep, UNITED NATIONS: A new chill in East-West relations overhangs next week's UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders, the first major international meeting since Russia invaded Georgia last month. The financial turmoil on Wall Street — just about four miles from UN headquarters in Manhattan — could also cast a pall over the annual week of speechifying, whose main theme this year is stepping up aid to impoverished countries. Cold War tensions at the world body, immortalized by a 1960 incident in which then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev banged his shoe on his table, faded after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, leading many to hope for a new era of cooperation. But, while politicians from both sides dismiss talk of a new Cold War, the increasing self-assertion of an oil-rich Russia had begun to impact anew on United Nations business even before the August events in Georgia. (Posted @ 18:34 PST)
Global stocks surge as rescue efforts stepped up Friday, 19 Sep, LONDON: Global equity markets soared on Friday, lifted by mammoth share price gains for banks, as governments worldwide stepped up their fight against the worst financial crisis in decades, traders said. The US government said it was putting together a rescue plan to clear away the mountains of bad debt that have weighed down banks in the past year. In another move, the US financial watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Commission, banned the short selling of shares -- a process whereby investors trade in borrowed stock and which has been widely blamed for the recent market turmoil. (Posted @ 18:16 PST)
Top militant killed in Delhi shoot-out Friday, 19 Sep, NEW DELHI: Indian police shot dead two alleged militants during a fierce gun battle in a Muslim area of New Delhi on Friday, including a leader of a shadowy group behind a spate of deadly bombings. The fighting erupted around a house in Jamia Nagar, in the south of the capital, when police acting on a tip-off discovered a group of around five armed men holed up in a building in a maze of narrow streets. The ensuing hour-long battle came less than a week after the city was hit by coordinated bomb attacks claimed by the group of one of the slain men. ‘In this operation, Atif alias Bashir, who was one of main leaders of the Indian Mujahideen, was killed. He is linked with the blasts all over the country,’ New Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadhwal told reporters. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Territorial integrity to be protected at all costs: FM Friday, 19 Sep, MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that the government had clearly conveyed its viewpoint to Admiral Mullen regarding US strikes inside Pakistani territory. Talking to media persons at Multan airport, the foreign minister said Pakistan also conveyed to Admiral Mullen that there are principles to be observed at the international level and sovereignty of every country should be respected at all costs. He reiterated that Pakistan was not intimated in advance about the attack by the US forces. Mullen had assured us of respecting Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he added. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Indian headmistress imprisons pupils Friday, 19 Sep, NEW DELHI: A headmistress of an Indian primary school locked 350 pupils in a classroom for 10 hours without food or water because she found money was missing from her bag, a report said on Friday. The imprisoned pupils were eventually freed by their parents, who broke open the doors when they heard them screaming, the Hindustan Times reported. Nearly a dozen pupils fainted during the ordeal in the school, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The report said the headmistress, furious over losing 500 rupees (around 11 dollars) has been suspended. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
2,800 Pakistani families flee to Afghanistan Friday, 19 Sep, KABUL: About 2,800 Pakistani families have crossed the border into northeastern Afghanistan over the past two months to escape fighting between extremists and security forces, an official said on Friday. The families, which could number up to 20 people each, were mostly living with relatives just across the border in the mountainous northeastern province of Kunar, Afghan deputy refugees minister Abdul Qader Ahadi told AFP. ‘They escaped from fighting between Pakistani Taliban and the Pakistan government,’ Ahadi told AFP without being able to give a number of individual refugees. Most were women and children, he said. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Thousands protest Indian rule in occupied Kashmir Friday, 19 Sep, SRINAGAR: Thousands of people in occupied Kashmir held fresh demonstrations against Indian rule Friday, ending a week of calm in the region, police and residents said. A Kashmiri committee spearheading recent anti-India demonstrations had called on people in the occupied Kashmir Valley to observe a strike after midday Friday and ‘hold peaceful demonstrations against India's rule.’ Thousands of Muslims in Srinagar took to the streets after attending weekly Friday prayers, chanting ‘we want freedom’ and ‘go India, go.’ ’Police have been deployed in strength to prevent any violence,” said police officer Pervez Ahmed. Police and residents said similar protest demonstrations were held in other Muslim-majority towns as shops, schools and offices closed after midday. (Posted @ 16:32 PST)
Govt asks Napa to vacate building Friday, 19 Sep, KARACHI: The Sindh government has directed the National Academy of Performing Arts(NAPA) to vacate the Hindu Gymkhana within three months. According to sources, in its notice to Napa chief Zia Mohyeddin, Sindh culture secretary Shams Jafrani has accused the institution of violating the agreement signed between the arts body and the government under which the gymkhana was rented out to the academy. The sources said that the decision to get the Hindu Gymkhana vacated by Napa was taken by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah. The Sindh culture department’s letter, with the subject 'notice under clause eight of agreement,' says that 'Napa, by constructing a theatre/auditorium within the premises of the Hindu Gymkhana, which is already been declared protected heritage under (the) Sindh Culture Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994, has violated the agreement dated Sept 23, 2005 between (the) Sindh Culture Department and Napa.' (Posted @ 16:04 PST)
Terror in Yemen Friday, 19 Sep, The strength of Yemen’s terror groups became evident once again on Wednesday when two suicide car-bomb attacks on the American embassy in Sanaa by an Al Qaeda affiliate killed 16 people, including six of the perpetrators. The attack is thus the deadliest on an American target since the bombing of USS Cole in October 2000. The tone adopted by the Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for the crime, is menacing, for it has threatened more attacks not just on American but also on Yemeni, Saudi and UAE targets unless its demands are met. The demands focus on the release of its agents now in prison. Not related to a Palestinian group with a similar name, the Islamic Jihad of Yemen has carried out daring attacks on western targets, and the execution of its leader in 1999 has evidently not served to break up the organisation or discourage it from continuing terrorist activity. (Posted @ 15:16 PST)
US air strike kills eight civilians in Iraq Friday, 19 Sep, TIKRIT: Eight civilians, three of them women, were killed in a US air strike near executed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's central hometown of Tikrit on Friday, police and witnesses said. The pre-dawn air raid occurred in the village of Al-Dawr, where Saddam was captured by US forces in December 2003. ‘Eight people – five men and three women – were killed by a US air strike targeting their home. They are all members of the same family,’ First Lieutenant Firaz al-Duri from the Al-Dawr police told AFP. Several Iraqi police and army officers from Tikrit, the capital of Salaheddin province, confirmed the raid. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Polio up in Pakistan as clashes impede vaccination Friday, 19 Sep, ISLAMABAD: Fighting between the Pakistani army and militants as well as hostility towards vaccinating teams has led to a sharp increase in polio cases in Pakistan this year, health workers said on Friday. Pakistan is one of the few countries where the deadly, crippling disease still exists. Polio, spreads through poor hygiene, and is also endemic in Nigeria, India and Afghanistan. Pakistan has had 55 polio cases this year compared with 32 last year and 39 in 2006. Pakistani forces have been battling militants in the northwest of the country, in areas on the Afghan border, disrupting efforts to make sure every child gets vaccination drops. ‘Parts of Swat and parts of FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), we haven't been able to go and immunise children for quite some time. So that means we have a build-up of susceptible children that haven't been immunised.’ said Melisa Corkum, a UNICEF communications officer. (Posted @ 14:44 PST)
Abhorrent practices Friday, 19 Sep, The absconding tribal chief, Fateh Ali Umrani, missed the point altogether when he accused the media and human rights bodies, over the phone, of using the Nasirabad ‘honour killing’ incident to defame the Baloch. This newspaper, along with many others, has been consistent in espousing the political, economic and cultural rights of the Baloch. But when it comes to barbaric traditions that violate fundamental freedoms — even the right to life — then it becomes necessary to raise one’s voice against a kind of medievalism that should have been eliminated generations ago. Mr Umrani — who said he presided over the jirga that ordered the killing of the two unfortunate women initially thought to have been buried alive — was correct in indicating that ‘honour killings’ were prevalent in other parts of the country too. But that in no way justifies such a horrendous practice. Nor does it suggest for one moment that the opprobrium has been reserved for Balochistan. In fact, the consistent reporting of honour killings in other parts of the country, especially Sindh, shows otherwise. (Posted @ 14:24 PST)
Different kinds of terrorists Friday, 19 Sep, Mangled bodies, wounded people and fear-stricken faces — every bomb blast, anywhere, leaves this image in its wake. The recent serial blasts in Delhi were no different. What is different is that this blast confirms the existence of Islamist terrorism in India. Unlike the past, when Pakistan was suspected straightaway in such events, this time the search is within the county. Still, the Indian Mujahideen, the terrorist outfit which has taken the responsibility, is linked to the Harkatul Jihad al Islami and the Lashkar-i-Taiba, the two groups said to operate from Pakistan. Defence Minister A.K. Anthony has put the blame on Pakistan but in a general way. The Delhi blasts have followed a familiar pattern — low-intensity bombs, timer devices and emails to the media — that has been seen in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. (Posted @ 13:14 PST)
Indian police kill two militants in Delhi Friday, 19 Sep, NEW DELHI: Police shot dead two suspected militants in India's capital on Friday during a raid for suspects in connection with last week's deadly bombings in New Delhi. 'We have shot dead two militants,' Karnail Singh, an officer leading the raid told reporters. 'At least five militants were hiding in an apartment, but two fled from the spot and we have caught one,' he said. Police said the raid was carried out after an arrested suspect provided information on militants hiding in New Delhi. Based on the interrogation, police identified one of those hiding in the apartment as Ateeq, a close associate of Abdul Subhan Qureshi, alias Tauqeer, Karnail Singh said. (Posted @ 13:02 PST)
Unilateral actions cannot defeat militants: Negroponte Friday, 19 Sep, WASHINGTON: Unilateral actions cannot defeat militancy in Fata, said US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte who also indicated on Thursday that the United States and Pakistan were working on a more collaborative approach to deal with this problem. Diplomatic sources in Washington say that the two countries whose relations have been strained after a series of unilateral US military strikes in tribal areas are trying to develop a common strategy to defeat terrorists hiding in that region. The sources say that they hope to finalise the new strategy before an expected meeting between Presidents George Bush and Asif Zardari in New York next week. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Fighting rages in Sri Lanka, 63 killed Friday, 19 Sep, COLOMBO: Sri Lankan soldiers and sailors killed 63 Tamil Tiger rebels on a second day of fierce combat in the north of the Indian Ocean island nation, the military said on Friday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they had repulsed an army advance, killed 25 troops and wounded 40 in Vannirakulam, the site of heavy fighting for weeks, pro-rebel web site tamilnet quoted unnamed rebel officials as saying. There was no independent confirmation of the casualties from Thursday's battles, which followed one of the single bloodiest days of fighting since the military cranked up an offensive drive three months ago. At least 71 were killed on Wednesday. Most of Thursday's fighting occurred near Nachikkudah, a northwestern port about 300 km (186 miles) north of that was the site of fierce land and sea clashes that the military said killed 25 “Sea Tigers” and another 17 rebels. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Gates backs strikes on Pakistani border Friday, 19 Sep, The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has defended the right of American forces to strike at militants on the Pakistani side of the Afghan border. Asked by the BBC if Pakistan had authorised such air strikes, he said that the US would take 'whatever actions necessary' in self-defence. Washington would prefer for Pakistan to tackle militants itself, he added. Mr Gates, fresh from a visit to Afghanistan, is in London for talks with other Nato ministers. Earlier on Thursday, he said that increasing militant violence there might prompt a change in US strategy, but gave no details. (Posted @ 12:46 PST)
The future divide Friday, 19 Sep, Someone once asked his friend what he would do if a tiger entered his room. The friend replied that whatever had to be done would be done by the tiger, so why ask him. This joke fits in well with the current state of US-Pakistan relations. The media was first excited by Gen Kayani’s statement about the army not tolerating American intrusions into Pakistan’s territory and then by President Zardari’s visit to the UK and his forthcoming one to the US. There are many who believe that Islamabad’s forthright reaction to the US attacks on the tribal areas will stop the incursions. The question is that will these statements and visits have any effect? And will it end the war? (Posted @ 12:42 PST)
Documentary depicts woes of Bajaur refugees Friday, 19 Sep, PESHAWAR: A 17-minute documentary, depicting the miseries of displaced people of Bajuar, was screened here at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday. The documentary, titled Homeless at Home, has been produced by the documentary-maker Samar Minallah of Haripur to inform the national and international community about what has happened to the civilian population of a remote area, Bajaur She dealt only on the social world of the refugees, living in an alien world of tents, which had become an agony for their womenfolk. She deliberately ignored the causes of the migration. The militants, leftovers of the Afghan war, are an integral part of this misery but Samar did not touch them. (Posted @ 12:36 PST)
14 killed, 25 injured in Nepal bus accident Friday, 19 Sep, KATHMANDU: A bus rolled off a mountain highway and crashed into a river Friday in central Nepal, killing at least 14 people and injuring 25 others, police said. The bus plummeted 600 feet down the mountainside before slamming into the river in Mahadev Beshi village, about 100 miles west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, police official Thakur Prasad Poudel said. The injured were taken to hospitals in nearby towns, and police and soldiers were searching the river for other victims, he said. Police were investigating the cause of the accident but initial reports suggested the driver lost control of the vehicle. The bus was carrying passengers and a large amount of cargo on the roof, he said. –AP (Posted @ 12:36 PST)
US will give $8.4m to avert food crisis ISLAMABAD: The United States will give $8.4 million to Pakistan through the World Food Programme to provide approximately 11,000 metric tons of wheat for more than 1.6 million people, including students of 3,200 schools. The WFP will begin distributing food aid in 12 districts in the NWFP and Balochistan this month. An agreement to this effect was signed by the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations World Food Programme here on Thursday. US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson and Food Minister Nazar Mohammad Gondal attended the ceremony. (Posted @ 11:48 PST)
Swat Taliban free eight policemen MINGORA, Sept 18: The Swat Taliban released eight policemen on Thursday, more than 50 days after they were taken hostage. A Taliban spokesman, Muslim Khan, told newsmen that the release of policemen and an earlier release of 25 Frontier Corps personnel, on Sept 15, was made in deference to Ramazan. Another five policemen would also be freed soon, he added. (Posted @ 11:32 PST)
US reviewing its Afghanistan war strategy: Gates LONDON: In an echo of a time when things were going from bad to worse in Iraq, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Bush administration is reviewing its war strategy in Afghanistan amid spreading insurgent violence, rising US and allied military deaths and doubts about winning. Any changes in strategy now being contemplated would not be as substantial as Bush's decision in January 2007 to take a fundamentally different approach in Iraq, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said. Bush added more than 21,000 combat troops in Iraq and endorsed an overhaul of military strategy. (Posted @ 11:23 PST)
Govt asks Napa to Hindu Gymkhana KARACHI: The Sindh government has directed the National Academy of Performing Arts to vacate the Hindu Gymkhana within three months. According to sources, in its notice to Napa chief Zia Mohyeddin, Sindh culture secretary Shams Jafrani has accused the institution of violating the agreement signed between the arts body and the government under which the gymkhana was rented out to the academy. (Posted @ 10:12 PST)
18 killed in heavy Sri Lanka fighting COLOMBO: Fierce fighting broke out as Sri Lankan troops tried to move into the Tamil Tigers' mini-state in the north, with 15 rebels and three soldiers killed, the defence ministry said Friday. Heavy battles along the Karambakulam area, just outside the rebels' political capital of Kilinochchi, late Thursday also left at least 18 rebels wounded, the ministry said. It put government troop losses at three killed and 12 wounded. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment on the military claims. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Six killed in shootout in southern Italy ROME: Six people were killed and two wounded in southern Italy on Thursday in a shootout which police said they suspected was linked to drugs trafficking, Italian television reported. All those killed were foreigners, probably Nigerians, RAI television's televideo service said. (Posted @ 08:57 PST)
Arrested opposition Bolivian governor jailed LA PAZ: A judge in La Paz on Thursday ordered Pando state Governor Leopoldo Fernandez jailed as he awaits trial on accusations of inciting unrest that led to the deaths of 16 pro-government demonstrators. Judge William Davila ordered Fernandez jailed because he was “openly defying the law” by refusing to submit to questioning and could therefore obstruct justice. (Posted @ 08:40 PST)
Fasting players retain appetite for sport DAKAR: After eleven hours without food or water in the sapping thirty-degree heat of the African sun, hard exercise is not everyone's idea of fun. For young Senegalese footballers, however, the Ramadan fast is no excuse for missing a match, even as many fellow Muslims are left so weakened by hunger and thirst that they doze in what shade there is, or retreat indoors to sleep. (Posted @ 08:25 PST)
AC Milan, Spurs open UEFA Cup bids with wins LONDON: Seven-time European champion AC Milan began a rare foray into the UEFA Cup confidently Thursday, and Tottenham secured its first win of the season in the first leg of the opening round. Both teams have endured torrid starts to their league campaigns, but Milan beat FC Zurich 3-1 and Spurs secured a slender 2-1 advantage over Wisla Krakow. (Posted @ 05:43 PST)
Drug dealer charges fuel surcharge CHICAGO: First came the airlines, then the pizza delivery drivers. Now, even drug dealers are charging a fuel surcharge. An Indiana dealer asked a customer to pay him an extra 25 dollars 'for gas money to deliver the cocaine,' court documents showed. (Posted @ 05:10 PST)
Opposition leader demands repeal of 17th Amendment ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has demanded that President Asif Ali Zardari announce his resignation from his position as co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) before addressing the joint session of parliament on Saturday. The demand was made by newly-appointed Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan at a news conference at Punjab House here on Thursday. (Posted @ 04:44 PST)
India engaged in illicit nuclear trade WASHINGTON: A leading US newspaper Thursday published a report that questioned the adequacy and implementation of India's export control and nuclear classification procedures, saying that sensitive nuclear blueprints were leaked by an Indian government agency in 2006. Sensitive drawings depicting the inner workings of a centrifuge, used to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs, were made available to bidders for a government project for as little as $10 (about Rs 450) in 2006, the Washington Post said. (Posted @ 03:25 PST)
Justice Sabihuddin elevated, three judges rejoin SC bench ISLAMABAD: Two Judges of the Sindh High Court, former Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani, are to be reinstated and elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The two will be taking the oath on Thursday along with two former Supreme Court Justices. Their appointment will raise the strength of the nation's apex court to 22. (Posted @ 03:09 PST)
Younis gets clearance to play in Australia KARACHI: Pakistan batsman Younis Khan will leave early next month to play for South Australia in their domestic season. Younis has decided to skip the national Twenty20 championship beginning on Oct. 4 in Lahore and is doubtful for the international Twenty20 event in Toronto which also features Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Canada. (Posted @ 02:33 PST)
Rice says 'bullying' Russia must be stopped WASHINGTON: The West must stand up to 'bullying' by Moscow and keep Russia from benefiting from its military move into Georgia, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a harshly-worded speech on Thursday. In her first major address on Russia since its incursion into Georgia last month, Rice described Moscow as increasingly authoritarian and aggressive and said its aims in the Caucasus state would be frustrated. (Posted @ 01:13 PST)
Pakistan close to boosting nuclear means VIENNA: Pakistan is close to completing a second plutonium-producing reactor and is well into construction of a third in Khushhab - a development which could vastly increase its ability to make atomic bombs, the Institute for Science and International Security reported on Thursday. “The wider implication ... (is that) there is a real risk this will exacerbate an India-Pakistan nuclear arms race and increase tensions more broadly between the two,” the Washington-based ISIS stated in its report. (Posted @ 01:06 PST)
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