|
| January 6, 2006 | Friday | Zilhaj 5, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
India, Pakistan's second rail link to start Feb 1 NEW DELHI, Jan 6 (Reuters) India and Pakistan agreed on Friday to start a second cross-border train service next month as the nuclear-armed neighbours nudged a slow-moving peace process forward. The weekly train service between the border village of Munabao in India's western desert state of Rajasthan and Khokrapar in southern Pakistan will resume on Feb 1, officials said. The service was cut 40 years ago after the tracks were bombed in the 1965 India-Pakistan war. "The purpose is to give connectivity to the people of the two countries. It is a historic occasion," said a member of the Pakistani railway delegation at the end of two-day talks in New Delhi with Indian officials. "This is our public commitment," Ashok Gupta, leader of the Indian delegation said, adding the train's frequency and coaches would be increased if demand rose. The new train, called the "Thar Express" after the Thar desert in parts of India's Rajasthan state and Pakistan's Sindh province, will run on a 12.5 km route and is expected to carry about 400 passengers. Customs checks will be carried out at Munabao and Zero Point which is on the Pakistani side of the international border. India will send a team to Islamabad later this month to finalise the technical details, Gupta said.(First Posted@ 20:13 PST Updated @ 20:42 PST)
APHC says no to Kashmir solution under India's constitution ISLAMABAD, Jan 6 (APP): APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday made it clear they would not accept any solution within the framework of the Indian constitution. "We don't believe that within the framework of Indian constitution, there could be any durable solution to the Kashmir issue," he told reporters here. Flanked by other APHC leaders, Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhatt and Bilal Ghani Lone, Mirwaiz said self-governance should not be confused with the option of autonomy. "Autonomy is within the framework of the Indian constitution while the self-governance is outside the constitutions of both India and Pakistan," he said. "As far as the (proposals of) self-governance and demilitarization are concerned, we think there can be developments which are important with regard to the Kashmir dispute." He added that "an environment should be created where the troops could be withdrawan from Kashmir". He did not agree with a questioner that there was no change in the Indian attitude. "When compared with the past, there is a visible change," he said. "We are talking to India as a party to the (Kashmir) dispute and we are not talking about elections or political interests. We are talking about the final resolution of the Kashmir dispute," he added. "We believe the pace (of peace process) is slow and should be expedited," he said.(Posted @ 18:48 PST)
APHC delegations calls on Federal Relief Commissioner ISLAMABAD, Jan 6 (APP): The visiting APHC delegation, headed by Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Friday called on the Federal Relief Commissioner, Major Gen. Farooq Ahmed Khan. The commissioner briefed Mirwaiz and the APHC executive committee member, Professor Abdul Ghani Bhatt, about the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the earthquake affected areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP. The commissioner informed the delegation that about 748 Kashmiris crossed the Line of Control (LoC) at the five points since they became operational. "We are pleased to note that Pakistan was not alone to face the consequences of the devastating earthquake as the entire international community stood by their side," Mirwaiz said.(Posted @ 21:08 PST)
No Taliban or Al-Qaeda resurgence in Afghanistan: NATO chief MONS, Belgium, Jan 6 (AFP) NATO's military chief said on Friday that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were not regrouping in Afghanistan despite more than a dozen suicide attacks there in the last three months. "There's a knee-jerk reaction that wants to say: 'Oh, the Taliban is coming back' or 'Al-Qaeda's coming back'. I don't know of any commander or any estimate that can say that with certainty," US General James Jones said. "The violence that we're seeing is disparate and for now I don't think it is focused. In other words, I don't see an allegiance between, say, criminal gangs and the Taliban, or narco-traffickers and Al-Qaeda," he said.(Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Surgeons stop Sharon's cranial bleeding: hospital JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) Surgeons managed to stop new bleeding in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's brain in an emergency operation on Friday and he remains in critical but stable condition, a doctor said. "During the surgery the cranial pressure was released and some of the blood clots that remained from the previous surgery were drained. At the end of the operation there is no active bleeding," the director of Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital, told reporters. He said Sharon's brain scan showed "significant improvement" compared with previous scans.(First Posted@09:15 PST Updated @ 21:02 PST)
Britain FM in unannounced trip to Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (AFP) British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw paid an unannounced trip to Iraq Friday, flying into the main southern city of Basra where British troops are headquartered amid an upsurge of violence following December elections, officials said. He was due to meet Iraqi politicians, who are still awaiting the elections' results three weeks after they were held, the spokesman said, declining to give a more detailed itinerary for security reasons.(Posted @ 20:45 PST)
Indian court body says no to scrapping French ship MUMBAI, India, Jan 6 (Reuters) A panel appointed by India's Supreme Court recommended on Friday that a French aircraft carrier bound for an Indian ship-breaking yard not be allowed to enter the country because of worries of toxic waste. Environmental group Greenpeace had urged Paris and New Delhi not to allow the decommissioned Clemenceau to reach a scrapyard in Gujarat next month without first being 98 percent decontaminated in France. Greenpeace said in a report published in December that thousands of workers involved in the ship-breaking industry in countries like India, Pakistan and China have probably died over the past two decades due to accidents or exposure to toxic waste.(Posted @ 20:39 PST)
Dutch troops in Pakistan complain they are mocked by drunk Brits AMSTERDAM, Jan 6 (Reuters) Dutch troops helping earthquake survivors in Pakistan have complained that while they are subject to an alcohol ban, Spanish and British soldiers laugh at their austerity and turn up drunk at their campfire. "We were told before we arrived that alcohol was banned in this country or else very difficult to get hold of and we accepted this," one soldier told the Dutch daily De Telegraaf. "The Spanish drive around with cars full of Heineken…and the English laugh at us when they show up at our campfire drunk," another Dutch soldier said. A Dutch defence ministry spokesman said it was standard policy to ban alcohol in Muslim countries in line with local custom and Dutch troops were being well looked after. "Tens of thousands of people lost their lives in the earthquake and hundreds of thousands lost everything they had," he said. "Going without alcohol is a small sacrifice towards a very good cause," he added.(Posted @ 20:25 PST)
Seven bodies retrieved from landslide hit passenger bus in Kohistan RAWALPINDI, Jan 6 (APP): Pakistan Army in a rescue operation retrieved seven bodies from a passenger bus hit by a landslide in district Kohistan early Thursday morning. According to ISPR, a rescue party was rushed to Sazin area, approximately 50 km from Dasu, the site where a heavy landslide had hit a Rawalpindi bound bus carrying 39 passengers from northern areas. 18 were injured and 14 escaped unhurt. The injured were shifted to the Basic Health Unit Satyat from where they were airlifted by two helicopters to hospitals in Gilgit, Mansehra and Abbottabad for further treatment.(First Posted@12:20 PST Updated @ 20:22 PST)
Three children killed by tent blaze in quake-hit Pakistan MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, Jan 6 (AFP) - A tent housing earthquake survivors in Azad Kashmir caught fire Friday, killing three children, health officials said. The shelter caught fire as the family was burning wood to keep warm in the freezing cold in the village of Gajoturka, 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of Muzaffarabad. "The children were aged between two and six years," a health official said, adding that three others including a 75-year-old man were seriously burned. Seven people had died last month in a northern village when their tent caught fire. Earlier in December, eight people including two Turkish engineers were injured in a similar incident. One of the Turks died later in hospital in his home country. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Indian police seize alleged militants in Mumbai MUMBAI, India, Jan 6 (Reuters) Indian police arrested three suspected members of a militant group and seized bomb-making material in Mumbai on Friday. "We arrested three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants today and recovered bomb-making materials and a pistol from them," Mumbai's police chief told reporters. "These three men were in Mumbai to expand their network. They haven't carried out any activity, but could have later done some operation," the official said.(Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Quake survivors 'storm UN choppers' MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, Jan 6 (AFP) The United Nations was probing reports that Pakistani quake victims forced their way onto two aid helicopters then made the crew airlift them from the disaster zone Friday, officials said. More than 50 survivors were said to have stormed the UN choppers after they landed with relief goods in Banamula, a remote town in Azad Kashmir, a UN spokesman and a Pakistani official said. "These were not people booked on the flight. Apparently they demanded to be taken to Muzaffarabad. We are still trying to get to the bottom of these reports," UN spokesman Ben Malor said. "We are in constant discussions with the Pakistani military at the various locations where the incidents took place and are talking to the authorities on the ground in these places to ascertain the truth about these reports." A Pakistani official said when the chopper arrived in the city the quake victims jumped out and ran off. Around 30 to 35 unauthorised people then got onto another helicopter and made the same demand, but the pilot diverted to the nearby city of Abbotabad, the official said. None of the people who stormed the helicopters used weapons during the incidents, the official added.(Posted @ 18:43 PST)
Death toll rises to 53 in Saudi hostel collapse MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Jan 6 (Reuters) At least 53 people were killed this week in the collapse of a hostel in the holy city of Mecca where pilgrims were staying for this year's Haj, a Saudi official said on Friday. Earlier Saudi authorities had said at least 18 people died. The Interior Minister official said the number of dead could rise further as rescue teams continue to clear away rubble from the building. The official put the number of injured at 62. The building was at least six storeys high and 30 years old.(First Posted@12:30 PST Updated @ 17:38 PST)
Pak-Iran-India gas pipeline programme intact: FO ISLAMABAD, Jan 6 (APP): Foreign Office spokesperson, Tasneem Aslam, said Friday that Pakistan was in dire need of energy for its growing economy. "We are not under any kind of pressure and we have to meet our energy requirements", the spokesperson told a private television channel. She said Pakistan was pursuing different options to meet its energy requirements and the Pak-Iran-India gas pipeline was one of them. She said a tripartite meeting was yet to be held for which preparations were being made. She said the technical details were still being discussed by the parties to move the process ahead. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Cricket-Dravid wants India-Pakistan contests regularised LAHORE, Jan 6 (Reuters) Indian captain Rahul Dravid has called for cricket contests with Pakistan to be put on regularised schedule in the same way as the Ashes series between Australia and England. "It is natural that if you play too much against one country people tend to lost interest," Dravid told a news conference in Lahore on Friday. "The two boards I think are working on a solution which would be good for cricket in both countries." (Posted @ 15:39 PST)
Yemen kidnappers release five Italians ADEN, Yemen, Jan 6 (Reuters) Yemeni tribesmen freed five Italian tourists on Friday after holding them for almost a week to press authorities to release jailed family members, Yemeni officials said. Italy's ambassador to Yemen, Mario Buffo, confirmed that the tourists, two men and three women, were released unharmed and were expected to fly home soon. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST; Updated @ 15:38 PST)
Two US soldiers died in Ramadi bombing: US military BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (Reuters) Two U.S. soldiers were among the scores of Iraqi police recruits killed in a suicide bombing in the western city of Ramadi on Thursday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Friday. Two more were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on Thursday, the military said, taking the total U.S. death toll for the day to nine. Iraqi police also said on Thursday that two U.S. soldiers were killed in a blast that destroyed their Humvee near Najaf, but the U.S. military has not confirmed those deaths. (Posted @ 15:32 PST)
Cricket-New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 21 runs WELLINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) New Zealand produced a remarkable bowling performance to beat Sri Lanka by 21 runs in the fourth one-day international on Friday. After Sri Lanka pace bowler Chaminda Vaas captured five for 39 to restrict New Zealand to 224 for nine off 50 overs his side were cruising to victory before off spinner Jeetan Patel's two for 23 off 10 overs dragged New Zealand back into the game. Fast bowler Shane Bond took three for 39, including two wickets in an over, after Patel and Daniel Vettori had tied the Sri Lankan batsmen down. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Cricket-ICC meeting in Dubai switched to Karachi MUMBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) The International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting scheduled for Dubai next Wednesday has been switched to Karachi on the following day, Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah said on Friday. Shah said the meeting had been rescheduled because some delegates were having difficulty obtaining visas following the death of Dubai ruler Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Bush invites former top officials to solicit Iraq advice WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush hosted an unprecedented gathering of current and former secretaries of defense and state at the White House Thursday, reaching outside of his tightly-knit circle to solicit advice on the way forward in Iraq. The meeting assembled an A-list of Washington's braintrust -- among them some of the harshest critics of the admininistration's Iraq policy -- and included prominent Democrats as well as Republicans. "Not everybody around this table agree with my decision to go into Iraq, I fully understand that. But these are good solid Americans who understand that we've got to succeed now that we're there," Bush said. The president continued: "I'm most grateful for the suggestions that have been given. We take to heart the advice. We appreciate your experience and we appreciate you taking time out of your day." Among those taking part in the meeting were Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Lawrence Eagleburger and James Baker. The former defense secretaries included William Cohen, William Perry, Frank Carlucci and Harold Brown. Bush said current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, along with Washington's ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and General George Casey, the US commander in Iraq, briefed the former officials "on our strategy for victory in Iraq." The gathering reached back as far as the John F. Kennedy administration in the 1960s, with Robert McNamara, Kennedy's defense secretary, taking part. "It was a unique meeting," Carlucci, who served as defense secretary in the Ronald Reagan administration, told CNN television. "I can't remember a meeting like this in recent history." (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
US general predicts troublesome future for Iraq WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (AFP) - Sectarian rivalries and inefficient Iraqi ministries could turn the Iraqi security forces into "militias or armed gangs," Lt. General John Vines, the senior US operational commander in Iraq, told The New York Times. In what the newspaper called "perhaps the bluntest public assessment yet by a senior military officer" of Iraq's future, Vines said in an interview published Friday that the security forces were currently better organized than the Iraqi government. "The ability of the ministries to support them, to pay them, to resupply them, provide them with water, ammunition, spare parts and weapons is not as advanced as the competence of the forces in the field," Vines said. Sectarian divides in Iraq could put into question the nascent democratic process, he added. In the coming months, he said, it was important to keep a close watch on how the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds in Iraq work toward an inclusive government. "As the government forms, if we see indicators that there are purges of competent people to be replaced with ideologues in the security ministries, that would be disturbing," he said. "If competent commanders were to be replaced by those whose main qualification is an allegiance to a sect, that would be of concern to us," he added. (Posted @ 12:36 PST)
Cricket-Ponting's ton guides Australia to victory SYDNEY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Australia capitalised on a generous declaration to beat South Africa by eight wickets in the third and final test on Friday and complete a 2-0 series victory. The Australians raced to their victory target of 287 for the loss of just two wickets with 15.3 overs to spare. Ricky Ponting finished with an unbeaten 143. Opener Matthew Hayden made a brisk 90. South Africa, who had led by 92 on the first innings but needed to win to tie the series, aborted their second innings at 194-6 an hour before lunch after piling on 100 runs for the loss of three wickets in the morning session but could not contain the rampant Australian batsman. SCORES: South Africa 451-9 declared (Ashwell Prince 119, Jacques Kallis 111) and 194-6 declared (Herschelle Gibbs 67, Jacques Kallis 50 not out); Australia 359 (Ricky Ponting 120, Adam Gilchrist 86; Andre Nel 4-81) and 288-2 (Ricky Ponting 143 not out, Matthew Hayden 90). (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
NATO helps Pakistan quake victims endure cold winter:Press release WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (APP): NATO engineers have built 48 winter shelters for victims of the October 8 earthquake since mid-December 2005 and expect to keep working well into January, says a press release. NATO has deployed about 1,000 troops, comprising medical personnel and helicopter crews for a 90-day disaster-relief mission. Helicopter crews with the NATO Disaster Relief Team completed more than 1,100 flights by the end of 2005, delivering relief aid to earthquake survivors since November 6, 2005. The relief helicopters were back in the air January 4 after being grounded for several days by bad weather. The Multinational Engineer Battalion of NATO's Land Component Command have been working high in the Kashmir mountains in heavy snows. The unit is specially trained to work in cold-weather conditions. The next big project for the team is to combine a series of winter shelters into a school for 250 girls, officials said. (Posted @ 11:10 PST)
3.9 million dead from war in Democratic Republic of Congo: The Lancet PARIS, Jan 6 (AFP) - Eight years of war in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have left nearly four million people dead, making it the deadliest humanitarian crisis today, according to a study published on Saturday in the British medical weekly The Lancet. The estimate is extrapolated from a nationwide survey among 19,500 households. "Most deaths were from easily preventable and treatable illnesses rather than violence," according to the study, lead-authored by Richard Brennan of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in New York. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
London suicide bomber left 121,000 pounds in will: paper LONDON, Jan 6 (AFP) - One of the four suspected Islamic extremists involved in the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks in London left 121,000 pounds (175,455 euros, 212,433 dollars) in a will, The Sun reported Friday. Shehzad Tanweer, who worked part-time in a fish and chip shop in his home city of Leeds, blew himself up at Aldgate Underground station, killing eight people and injuring dozens more. An official from the High Court probate department was quoted by the newspaper as saying that 22-year-old Tanweer's estate was a net figure following the deduction of loans, debts and funeral costs. The Inland Revenue would not be taking inheritance tax from the amount because it was under the threshold. Mohammed Muntaz Tanweer, Shehzad's father, has applied to take control of the estate, it added. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 20.84 points: KARACHI, Jan 6: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 9886.30, down 20.84 points from Thursday's close. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:05 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 6: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.85 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:05 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Tahir Mirza
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |