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| April 6, 2006 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
US to push for South Asian moratorium on nuclear weapons: Rice WASHINGTON, April 6 (AFP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the United States would push for a South Asian moratorium on nuclear weapons production to ease tensions between India and Pakistan. "We would like to see, obviously, in the regional sense in the relationship between India and Pakistan and others, a look at regional moratorium on fissile material production," Rice told a congressional hearing on US-India civilian nuclear deal. "We've made it very clear that we would encourage that", she said. Rice was replying to Democratic Senator John Kerry on whether the United States could offer "real leadership" in trying to bring together the nuclear-armed neighbours, neither of which are signatories to the NPT. Kerry, the failed Democratic candidate in the last presidential election, said that it was hard to understand why India and Pakistan would need to continue to build nuclear weapons at levels beyond an adequate deterrent between each other and China, an NPT signatory. Kerry said he had raised this with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, and "there seemed to be a genuine spark of interest in the notion of trying to arrive at some agreement regionally on the numbers of nuclear weapons." Rice said the United States was unable to get a commitment on nuclear controls from the South Asian nations. "Well, what we couldn't achieve -- and I think it was unlikely -- was a constraint unilaterally by any one state," she said. "But the idea that has been pursued in some second-track arrangements, some second-track of discussions between the parties about not just absolute levels but also safety and security and confidence-building measures, I think is something we're very interested in and we'd like to pursue," she said.On the question of Washington seeking an arms control pact with India as part of the bilateral civilian nuclear deal, Rice said it was impossible to get such an understanding without including China and Pakistan.(Posted @ 09:30 PST)
US will work with Pakistan to ensure 'free and fair' vote: Hadley WASHINGTON, April 6 (AFP) - White House national security advisor Stephen Hadley said Wednesday that the US administration will work with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to ensure 2007 elections in his country are "free and fair". Hadley also said Washington "will encourage greater democratic reform and political freedom" in Pakistan in a speech to a forum of The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) here, according to a White House transcript. "Our strategy with Pakistan is to encourage President Musharraf to take steps that will integrate Pakistan into the international community and to offer greater economic and political freedom to his people," the top foreign policy advisor of President George W. Bush said. "We will work with President Musharraf to ensure that the 2007 elections are free and fair," Hadley said. Hadley also said Musharraf has spoken "publicly about the need for democratic reform in his country".(Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Pakistani Shiite leader Allama Hassan Turabi escapes assassination KARACHI, Pakistan, April 6, 2006 (AFP)A prominent Shiite leader, Hassan Turabi, escaped an assassination attempt Thursday in Karachi, police said. Turabi, the provincial chief of Islami Tehrik, escaped without injury when a bomb hidden under a fruit cart exploded yards away as he climbed into his car outside his Karachi home. Two bodyguards and a passer-by were injured in the incident. "We are investigating the case but apparently Turabi was the target of the bomb which was apparently detonated by a remote control," Karachi police chief Niaz Siddiqui said. Authorities beefed up the security in the city after the attack, which Turabi said was meant to stir sectarian unrest. Police said no one had claimed responsibility for the attack.(First Posted@ 13:35 PST Updated@ 15:10 PST)
Pakistan says killed 40 militants near Afghan border ISLAMABAD, April 6 (Reuters) Pakistani forces killed at least 40 militants on Wednesday near the Afghan border in North Waziristan tribal region, military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said Thursday, sharply raising the tally from the previous day's fierce fighting. The security forces had launched a counter-offensive using helicopter gunships Wednesday after militants had killed four paramilitary troops in an attack on their post in the Shawal area of North Waziristan. A statement from the administration of tribal affairs in NWFP said 19 militants were arrested and they all belonged to North and South Waziristan. It said about 150 militants were involved in the fighting.(First Posted@ 18:14 PST Updated @ 18:35 PST)
Shaukat Aziz attends deliberations of UN panel UNITED NATIONS, Apr 6 (APP) - The high-level UN panel on strengthening the operational activities of the world body continued its deliberations for the second day, with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz participating in the important meeting. Prime Minister Aziz and his counterparts from Mozambique and Norway, Luisa Dias Diogo and Jens Stoltenberg respectively, are co-chairpersons of the UN Secretary General's panel on "system-wide coherence" in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and environment. (Posted @ 23:50 PST)
US to bypass UN human rights council this year WASHINGTON, April 6, 2006 (AFP) - The United States will bypass a seat on a controversial new UN human rights council when elections are held in May but will likely run for the body next year, the State Department said Thursday. Spokesman Sean McCormack signaled that the United States was not boycotting the 47-member council, whose creation was opposed by Washington on the grounds that it did not go far enough in reforming the previous body.(Posted @ 23:35 PST)
At least 69 killed in Djibouti boat accident: hospital DJIBOUTI, April 6, 2006 (AFP) - At least 69 people drowned, 20 were missing and 36 injured after a boat carrying nearly 200 capsized as it left the main harbor of the Red Sea state of Djibouti on Thursday, hospital sources said.(First Posted @ 21:15 PST Updated @ 21:50 PST)
One Afghan killed in blast outside U.S. base KABUL, April 6 (Reuters) A mortar bomb exploded in a market outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing an Afghan civilian and wounding three, officials said. In another attack on foreign forces, three civilians were wounded when a bomb attached to a bicycle exploded near NATO peacekeepers in the north of the country. In the south, police opened fire on a convoy of U.S.-led troops in the dark in the mistaken belief they were Taliban, police officials said. Eight police were wounded when the U.S.-led troops returned fire. The U.S. military said it was looking into the incident. (First Posted@ 13:25 PST Updated @ 21:05 PST)
Fighting Afghan drugs risks more violence-UK report LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) Attacking Afghanistan's drugs trade could make the country more dangerous for British troops and other NATO peacekeepers, and provoke more violence in the short term, a parliamentary report said on Thursday. Britain will send more than 3,000 troops to Afghanistan's Helmand province in the next few months. The parliament's defence committee said the government had not fully explained what British forces' role in fighting drugs would be, and it worried that counter-narcotics operations could cause more violence. "It is likely the more successful the deployment is at impeding the drugs trade, the more it will come under attack from those involved in it," the report said.(Posted @ 20:24 PST)
UK man shot by Israeli soldier was murdered-inquest LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) An award-winning British cameraman shot dead in the Gaza strip by an Israeli soldier was murdered, a London inquest found on Thursday. James Miller was shot by a member of the Israeli Defence Forces in May 2003 in the Rafah refugee camp while making a documentary, "Death in Gaza", about Palestinian children caught up in fighting with Israel. "It is a fact that from day one of this inquest, the Israeli authorities have not been forthcoming in the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Miller's death," the jury said.(Posted @ 20:20 PST)
Iran may face sanctions after two UN warnings: US WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) The United Nations Security Council could give Iran only two chances to comply with demands to curb its nuclear activity before imposing sanctions, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said on Thursday. "This is a calibrated, gradual, reversible approach," said Ambassador John Bolton. If Iran defies a statement from the Security Council then the council would likely issue a stiffer warning demanding such compliance, Bolton said. "Then we will consider the next step, which may well be a Chapter 7 resolution that imposes sanctions of some kind," Bolton told reporters, referring to a U.N. measure. In Tehran, Iranian officials had no comment on Bolton's remarks.(Posted @ 20:18 PST)
Car bomb in Iraq's Najaf kills at least 13 NAJAF, Iraq, April 6 (Reuters) A car bomb exploded in Najaf on Thursday, killing at least 13 people. The explosion prompted the authorities to impose a curfew. Hospital officials said the bomb killed 13 people and wounded about 40 others, but police put the death toll at 15. A Reuters correspondent saw 10 bodies and body parts on the ground.(First Posted @15:00 PST Updated @ 20:12 PST)
Hindu-Muslim riot leaves 4 dead in north India LUCKNOW, India, April 6 (Reuters/AFP) 4 people were killed and several injured on Thursday when groups of Hindus and Muslims clashed in a crowded neighbourhood of Aligarh town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said. Knives, bricks and bamboo sticks were used in the fighting, and police reported gunshots being fired. Eight of the injured were in a critical condition, officials said.(First Posted @ 20:10 PST Updated @ 23:45 PST)
Iran-US talks on Iraq likely next week: report TEHRAN, April 6, 2006 (AFP) Talks between Iran and the United States on the situation in Iraq will probably take place in Baghdad next week, the state news agency IRNA quoted a source at Tehran's embassy in Baghdad as saying Thursday, denying Iranian press reports that the talks were due to start in two days' time. Press reports said the Iranian delegation is likely to be headed by top Supreme National Security Council official Ali Hosseini-Tash.(Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Japan and Saudis call for nuclear-free Middle East TOKYO, April 6, 2006 (AFP) Japan and Saudi Arabia called Thursday for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and urged diplomacy to end the row over Iran's atomic ambitions. Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who is also defense minister, and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued the joint call after talks in Tokyo. "On the Iranian issue, both sides stressed the importance of urging all the states in the Middle East to accede to the Treaty of Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons and making the Middle East region free from all weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means," a statement said.(First Posted@13:10 PST Updated @ 18:32 PST)
UN peacekeepers in Burundi to be deployed for DRCongo elections BUJUMBURA, April 6, 2006 (AFP) More than 800 UN peacekeepers winding down their mission in Burundi will be redeployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) next month to assist with security as the DRC prepares for elections, the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) said Thursday. ONUB military spokesman said that 720 Pakistani troops, 50 military observers and a Jordanian medical team would be involved in the move from Burundi to the neighbouring DRC. The Pakistani battalion is to be deployed in DRC's central Katanga province with the observers stationed in various other parts of the country, he added. A definitive date is expected to be announced on April 19.(Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Strike shuts Nepal down, rebel raid kills 22 KATHMANDU, April 6 (Reuters) A fierce attack on a town by Maoist guerrillas left 22 people dead in Nepal, hours before a general strike against the king's grip on power shut down the Himalayan nation on Thursday, authorities said. The rebels struck Malangwa, a town southeast of Kathmandu, late on Wednesday attacking a jail, and freeing more than 100 inmates before fleeing. Six policemen, six guerrillas and two civilians were killed in the fighting, police said. A Russian-built Mi-17 army helicopter sent to the area with troops crashed near Malangwa, killing eight of the 10 soldiers on board, an army officer said. The other two men were missing.(First Posted@13:45 PST Updated @ 16:32 PST)
Polish president on surprise visit to Iraq WARSAW, April 6, 2006 (AFP) Polish President Lech Kaczynski paid a surprise visit to the Iraqi capital Baghdad Thursday, his press office said. In Baghdad, Kaczynski met for 40 minutes with his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani, and discussed political, economic and military cooperation, Poland's PAP news agency said.(Posted @ 15:20 PST)
Mass graves found in Iraq with 1,000 bodies KIRKUK, Iraq, April 6, 2006 (AFP) Eight mass graves containing around 1,000 bodies have been found near Kirkuk city, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced Thursday. "Most of the victims were Kurds, as well as some Christians and Turcoman, who lived in these two majority Kurdish villages," the PUK said in a statement. Also included among the victims were Shiites killed during the 1991 repression of an uprising by former dictator Saddam Hussein, it said.(Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Two bomb blasts damage bank in restive southwestern Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, April 6 (AP) _ Two homemade bombs damaged a state-owned bank building in Wadh, a town about 400 kilometers southeast of Quetta, early Thursday, but no casualties were reported, a senior police official said. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts near the main gate of the Agriculture Development Bank that caused damage to the structure, but no one was hurt as the bank was closed at the time,' he said.(Posted @ 13:50 PST)
US military catches top Zarqawi aide in Iraq BAGHDAD, April 6 (AFP) - The US military announced on Thursday it had caught a top aide to Al-Qaeda's Iraq frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi wanted over the kidnapping of Italian journalist Guiliana Sgrena last year. The military said a massive manhunt by Iraqi and US forces led to the arrest of Muhammed Hila Hammad Ubaydi, also known as Abu Ayman. He was caught on March 7 but his arrest was not immediately announced pending a DNA test, which "confirmed this is Abu Ayman," the military said. Ayman, a former aide to the intelligence chief during Saddam Hussein's regime, was captured in southern Baghdad's Al-Mahmudiyah neighbourhood, the military said. He was also the leader of the Secret Islamic Army, a militant outfit operating in the northern Babil province, it said, adding "he had strong ties to terror leader Zarqawi."(Posted @ 13:20 PST)
Indian bank workers stay on strike as talks fail NEW DELHI, April 6 (AFP) - State Bank of India strike for better pensions went into its fourth day Thursday after talks with the government failed. More than 200,000 employees are on indefinite strike around the country, union officials said, paralyzing the bank's 9,000 branches. State Bank of India handles 19 percent of deposits and 30 percent of customers in the banking industry, PTI reported.(Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Nepali Maoists hunt for arms in India: police SANAULI, India, April 6 (AFP) - Maoist rebels from Nepal are infiltrating the Indian border in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to purchase weapons for their armed struggle, police said Thursday. Yashpal Singh, head of the counter-insurgency unit, told AFP that Indian intelligence agencies had specific information about attempts being made by the Maoists to obtain arms in India. Last month, Nepali security forces found a major cache of arms, including almost 3,000 kilograms of explosives and 10,000 electronic detonators, hidden inside a truck carrying coal from India.(Posted @ 11:30 PST)
One policeman killed, seven wounded in Iraq roadside bombings BAGHDAD, April 6 (AFP) - One policeman was killed and seven others wounded when two roadside bombs exploded in Al-Alam neighbourhood of south Baghdad early Thursday, security officials said. "The first bomb went off against a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding five others, while the second was triggered when another police patrol came at the site of the first blast," one security official said. Two policemen were wounded in the second explosion. Police also found six unidentified bodies Wednesday night in al-Ghazalia neighbhourhood of the capital. The men had been shot in the head.(Posted @ 11:27 PST)
Bus in northwest China plunges down ravine, killing 10 and injuring 12 BEIJING, April 6 (AP) _ A bus carrying 22 passengers went off the road and fell down 40 meters into a ravine in Shaanxi province's Jingbiancounty in northwest China, killing ten passengers and injuring 12, Xinhua News Agency reported.(Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Annan concerned about growing unrest in Nepal UNITED NATIONS, April 6, (AFP) - UN chief Kofi Annan on Wednesday expressed concern about the mounting unrest in Nepal and urged the Kathmandu authorities not to deny citizens their right to peaceful protest. Seven opposition parties have called for a four-day general strike starting Thursday."The Secretary-General is concerned about the confrontation developing in Nepal, where the government has imposed a ban on protests in Kathmandu on the eve of planned demonstrations by the Seven-Party Alliance," Annan's office said in a statement.(Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Five communist rebels killed in Philippines clashes ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, April 6 (AFP) - Five communist rebels were killed and two soldiers wounded in fighting on Mindanao island, the military said Thursday. An army patrol clashed with a New People's Army (NPA) unit near the town of Trento on Wednesday, leaving three NPA rebels dead. On Sunday, two NPA guerillas were killed and two soldiers were wounded in another clash near the town of San Isidro.(Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 18.41 points: KARACHI, Apr 6: At close of trading , the KSE-100 index was at 11684.79 , up 18.41 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Apr 6: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.18 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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