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| November 18, 2008 | Tuesday | Ziqa'ad 19, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
No democracy without law: Iftikhar NEW YORK: Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Pakistan's deposed chief justice, was presented with an Honorary Membership by the New York City’s Bar Association Monday. The New York City Bar Association’s President, Patricia Hynes, presented the award—a framed citation — to Justice Chaudhry in recognition of his efforts to uphold the rule of law. (Posted 20:45 PST)
Six killed in Charsadda clashes CHARSADDA: Five suspected militants and a woman were killed and five others wounded in a clash with security forces in the Mian Kalley area of Shabqadar on Tuesday. Sources said a large number of militants ambushed a convoy of security forces when it was advancing towards the Mian Kalley from the Juma Khan Korona area. Security forces retaliated and as a result five miscreants and a woman were killed while five passers-by were injured in the exchange of fire. (Posted 07:59 PST)
Armstrong fears for his safety at Tour de France LONDON: Lance Armstrong fears he could be attacked by spectators if he returns to the Tour de France next year. The seven-time Tour champion, who is making a comeback after three years in retirement, said in an interview in The Guardian on Tuesday that he is concerned about his safety. (Posted 19:11 PST)
Palestinian fishermen, foreigners arrested off Gaza JERUSALEM: The Israeli navy arrested Palestinian fishermen and foreign activists off the coast of Gaza on Tuesday, the Israeli military and the International Solidarity Movement said. 'This morning a number of Palestinan boats carrying ISM members deviated from the fishing zone off the Gaza coast,' an Israeli military spokeswoman said. (Posted 18:55 PST)
Rupee gains nearly 1 per cent on IMF effect KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee firmed nearly one percent on Tuesday on foreign inflows and improved sentiment following the government's agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $7.6 billion emergency loan, dealers said. The rupee was quoted closing at 79.10/20 to the dollar, compared with Monday's close of 79.80/90. Dealers said the rupee traded as low as 79.05 to the dollar. (Posted 18:35 PST)
Coach favours neutral venue as backup ISLAMABAD: Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam wants to play test matches against India at a neutral venue in case the Indian government does not clear its cricket team's tour of Pakistan in January due to security concerns. 'First of all, I think India should come to Pakistan,’ Alam told The Associated Press on Tuesday. ‘(But) if for any reason the tour does not go ahead as planned, I think playing at neutral venue is the best option.’ (Posted 18:10 PST)
Clashes leave nine militants, one soldier dead PESHAWAR: At least nine militants and a soldier were killed in exchanges of fire in Pakistan's northwest on Tuesday, where the military is waging a bloody offensive against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the army said. The fighting in the scenic Swat valley erupted a day after a suicide bomber killed at least three troops when he rammed an explosives-packed vehicle into an army checkpost in the area. (Posted 17:54 PST)
Call for divorce law change causes stir ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top Islamic advisory body has urged the government to amend divorce laws to give more say to women, triggering a controversy with religious hardliners vowing to resist the move. The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) proposed to the government at the weekend that a divorce should go into effect within three months of a woman's request for it. (Posted 17:52 PST)
Armstrong fears for his safety at Tour de France LONDON: Lance Armstrong fears he could be attacked by spectators if he returns to the Tour de France next year. The seven-time Tour champion, who is making a comeback after three years in retirement, said in an interview in The Guardian on Tuesday that he is concerned about his safety. (Posted 17:17 PST)
Court seeks Shoaib Akhtar’s bad behaviour record Tuesday, 18 Nov, LAHORE: A Pakistani court is seeking records of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's bad behaviour to decide on his appeal of a ban and fine for disciplinary violations, an official said Tuesday. The 33-year-old paceman is challenging an 18-month ban from cricket and a fine of seven million rupees (95,000 dollars) in the Lahore High court, but Pakistan Cricket Board legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said Akhtar had repeatedly violated the players' code of conduct. (Posted @ 15:58 PST)
Taliban siege of Pakistan elders leaves 10 dead Tuesday, 18 Nov, KHAR: At least 10 people have been killed in gun battles between Taliban militants and pro-government tribal leaders in a northwestern Pakistani tribal town, officials said on Tuesday. The militants intercepted a convoy carrying 12 pro-government Mamoun tribe elders in Bajaur district near the Afghan border on Monday as they headed for talks with officials, local government official Israr Khan told AFP. The tribesmen opened fire and killed three militants including their commander, he said. (Posted @ 15:49 PST)
Six soldiers killed in Afghanistan: army Tuesday, 18 Nov, HERAT: Six Afghan soldiers were killed, one of them beheaded, when Taliban insurgents ambushed an army patrol in the volatile southwest of the country, the military said Tuesday, AFP reported. Several militants were also killed during the ensuing two-hour battle late Monday in Bala Buluk district of Farah province, military corps commander for western Afghanistan Fazal Ahmad Sayar told AFP. ‘Five soldiers were killed (in the battle) and five were wounded. The militants beheaded one of the wounded soldiers.’ he said. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
KSE sees no trading in first two hours since opening Tuesday, 18 Nov, KARACHI: In an unprecedented development, the KSE saw no trading in the first two hours of operation today, private TV channels reported. The imposition of a controversial floor and a string of poor numbers including a 30 per cent fall in FDI in the first quarter, rising inflation, and a ballooning current account deficit meant no activity on the floor of the exchange, as traders could not liquidate their holdings or otherwise bid down share prices. (Posted @ 13:23 PST)
US pumps 33.5bn dollars into 21 more banks Tuesday, 18 Nov, WASHINGTON: The US Treasury said Monday it had injected 33.56 billion dollars into 21 additional banks as part of a financial rescue aimed at recapitalizing the financial sector. The government previously had infused 125 billion dollars into nine major commercial banks as part of a 700-billion-dollar rescue plan approved by Congress. Officials have pledged to commit 250 billion dollars to bank recapitalization under the plan. In the latest action, US Bancorp received 6.6 billion dollars in the largest injection, followed by 3.55 billion for Capital One and 3.5 billion for SunTrust. (Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Sri Lankan forces kill six rebels in sea battle Tuesday, 18 Nov, COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan navy and air force battled Tamil Tiger boats near the eastern port of Mullaitivu on Tuesday, destroying two craft and killing at least six rebels, the military said. The sea battle follows the military's capture on Saturday of the entire western coast for the first time since 1993. Reuters said the navy's elite Special Boat Squadron engaged at least eight ‘Sea Tiger’ craft off the shore of Nayaru, just south of the rebel-held Mullaitivu port, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
FDI in Pakistan down 30 pct July-Oct Tuesday, 18 Nov, KARACHI: Net foreign investment inflows to Pakistan fell almost 30 percent to $1.14 billion in the first four months of fiscal year of 2008/09 (July-June), according to the State Bank of Pakistan, Reuters reported. Foreign private investment fell 30.17 per cent to $1.16 billion in the July to October period, compared with $1.66 billion in the corresponding period, the central bank said on its Website. Out of the total foreign investment inflow, foreign direct investment was worth $1.32 billion, up 0.15 per cent from the year-ago period. (Posted @ 12:36 PST)
Indian troops kill four militants in Kashmir Tuesday, 18 Nov, SRINAGAR: Indian troops have killed four alleged militants close to the border with Pakistan in revolt-hit Kashmir, police said Tuesday. The four were killed overnight in the mountainous Uri district near the Line of Control - a de facto border dividing Kashmir between the two neighbours and rivals - a police spokesman said. The gun battle erupted hours after the region voted under tight security for a new state government, with a boycott call by separatist leaders which triggered sporadic clashes but failed to shut down the ballot. (Posted @ 12:24 PST)
Taliban threaten France with attacks: video Tuesday, 18 Nov, DUBAI: A Taliban military leader threatened to carry out attacks in Paris unless French troops are pulled out of Afghanistan, in a video broadcast on Monday on Al-Arabiya television. The video, which the Dubai-based TV station did not say how it obtained or when it was filmed, also claimed responsibility for an operation in August in which 10 French soldiers were killed. (Posted @ 10:53 PST)
Three soldiers, eight rebels killed in Philippine clashes Tuesday, 18 Nov, COTABATO: Three soldiers and eight separatist rebels have been killed in fresh fighting in the southern Philippines, local and military officials said Tuesday. Soldiers clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels near the town of Mamasapano on Mindanao island on Sunday evening after the guerrillas attacked an army base. ‘The rebels attacked the army base while they (troops) were eating,’ town mayor Akmad Tato Ampatuan told reporters, adding that there were overnight exchanges of mortar fire between the two sides. (Posted @ 09:17 PST)
Chief military judge in Guantanamo to retire early Tuesday, 18 Nov, WASHINGTON: The US military judge in the case of the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks has decided to retire rather than continue to oversee the complex proceedings, defence officials said on Monday. Marine Colonel Ralph Kohlmann, chief judge for the US Military Commission trying detainees accused of terrorism in the Guantanamo naval base, will retire five months earlier than expected, officials said. On Monday, he named US Army Colonel Steven Henley as his replacement. (Posted @ 08:58 PST)
Aafia Siddiqui 'mentally unfit' for US trial Tuesday, 18 Nov, NEW YORK: A Pakistani woman suspected of links to al Qaeda and charged with trying to kill American interrogators in Afghanistan is mentally unfit to stand trial, according to her psychiatric evaluation, Reuters reported. Aafia Siddiqui, 36, is 'not currently competent to proceed as a result of her mental disease, which renders her unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against her,' US District Judge Richard Berman said on Monday while reporting the results of the evaluation. Berman ordered a hearing on Wednesday to discuss how to proceed with Siddiqui's case, including the possible use of medication to treat her. (Posted @ 07:41 PST)
Lawyers boycott courts in Hyderabad Tuesday, 18 Nov, HYDERABAD: Lawyers boycotted courts here Monday on the call of Supreme Court Bar Association while protesting against cancellation of professional license of President High Court Bar Association Peshawar, Lateef Afridi. They wore black armbands and held a general body meeting in Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) which was addressed by Abdul Sattar Kazi, president High Court Bar Association (HCBA). He condemned cancellation of license and warned the government not to test lawyers’ patience. He demanded restoration of Latif Afridi's license. (Posted @ 06:14 PST)
Iftikhar Chaudhry greeted by huge crowd of Pakistanis Tuesday, 18 Nov, NEW YORK: Former (deposed) Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry received a thunderous standing ovation Sunday evening from a huge crowd of Pakistani Americans in Brooklyn (New York) who had come to express their support for him. The former chief justice, who has come to the United States to receive, awards from New York Bar Association and Harvard Law School did not address the crowd. The reason: as explained by former President of Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan was that the former justice Chaudhry had always upheld the dignity of his office, which allows him to address only the bar associations. Instead, Justice Chaudhry only shook hands with most of those who had come to listen to him. (Posted @ 05:16 PST)
Minister trys to allay public fears about Hajj quota Tuesday, 18 Nov, ISLAMABAD: The Minister for Religious Affairs Sahibzada Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Monday allayed the allegations of theft of 10,000 Hajj forms or their sale against hefty price with connivance of his office staff and allocation of quota to ineligible tour operators. Speaking at a news conference at the ministry, the minister who was flanked by the secretary was unable to respond to a volley of questions from the media persons about some glaring reports of sale of Hajj forms against hefty amounts of Rs30,000 per form. He however asked the complainers to bring such glaring irregularities to his knowledge about illegal sale of Hajj for action. (Posted @ 04:40 PST)
Time not right to talk to Taliban: Mullen Tuesday, 18 Nov, WASHINGTON: US military chief Michael Mullen said on Monday conditions are not right yet for talks with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Holding negotiations with elements of the Taliban should be part of a long-term strategy in Afghanistan but it is not the right time for such a move, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told a news conference. 'At some point in time, we get to a point in these insurgencies where you peel off the reconcilables and I think you start having conversations with those who are reconcilable,' Mullen said. 'At least from my perspective, we're not there yet,' he said. (Posted @ 04:34 PST)
Obama, McCain hold first post-election meeting Tuesday, 18 Nov, CHICAGO: The bitter general election campaign behind them, President-elect Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain met Monday to discuss ways to reduce government waste, promote bipartisanship and find other ways to improve government. The two former rivals met in Obama's transition headquarters in Chicago. Obama said before the meeting that he and McCain planned 'a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country, and also to offer thanks to Sen. McCain for the outstanding service he's already rendered.' (Posted @ 04:03 PST)
Citigroup to slash 50,000 jobs worldwide Tuesday, 18 Nov, NEW YORK: Citigroup said Monday it was slashing a near-record 50,000 jobs worldwide as the US banking giant tightens its belt further to cope with a global financial crisis and heavy losses. The company, in a document for a presentation to employees by chief executive Vikram Pandit, said that the headcount was 'expected to be down 20 per cent in the near-term from peak levels.' At that peak, in the 2007 fourth quarter, Citigroup had a global workforce of 375,000 employees, according to the online document. By the end of September the workforce had been trimmed to 352,000; the additional job cuts announced would pare it to approximately 300,000. (Posted @ 03:25 PST)
Pakistan hopes for policy review by US administration Tuesday, 18 Nov, ISLAMABAD: The government told the National Assembly on Monday it hoped for a policy review by the new US administration of President-elect Barack Obama taking office next month, while repeating its rejection of a US newspaper report that alleged a tacit deal between the two sides allowing drone attacks on Pakistani tribal areas. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi cited unexplained ‘indications of a policy review’ by the new US administration and said: ‘We hope we will be able to bring about this change.’ (Posted @ 02:56 PST)
Rs 56.9mn in salaries paid to judges: Naek Tuesday, 18 Nov, ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law Farooq H Naek, while accepting Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary as Chief Justice, has told the National Assembly on Monday that Rs 56.9 million have been paid in terms of salaries to Supreme and High Court judges from the PM's special fund. He told the National Assembly in writing that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary was being paid a salary of Rs 1,202,867. (Posted @ 02:55 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
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