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| April 14, 2006 | Friday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Karachi shuts down after strike call KARACHI, April 14 (Agencies) Sporadic trouble erupted in Karachi on Friday and traders kept businesses shut after a religious group Jamaat-e-Ahle Sunnat called for a strike to protest against the killing this week of 57 people at a congregation. "The city is closed and there were reports of some minor skirmishes," said Salahuddin Haider, spokesman for Sindh government. "But no major incidents of violence have been reported," he added. No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack and investigators have still to narrow down a list of suspects. Buses stayed off the streets after at least three vehicles were torched overnight. Tyres were also burnt in some neighbourhoods and some protestors also threw stones at vehicles in some areas of the city. Streets in many parts of Karachi were deserted and the situation in many other parts of Sindh province was the same, residents said. "We have deployed an extra 2,500 policemen, in addition to the 5,000 normally on duty, and have increased patrols," said a senior police official. The Karachi stock exchange functioned normally, with the KSE 100 share index up 0.33 percent at 0750 GMT. Markets and petrol pumps also remained closed in the central cities of Multan, Bahwalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan and rallies were to be held after Friday prayers.(First Posted @ 11:20 PST Updated @ 14:40 PST)
Pakistanis strike to protest suicide bombing KARACHI, April 14, 2006 (AFP) –Commercial life came to a grinding halt in many Pakistani cities Friday following a strike called to protest this week's suicide attack at Karachi’s Nishtar Park congregation that killed 57 and injured more than 100 persons including the top leadership of Sunni Tehrik and Jamat Ahle Sunnat. Besides Karachi and other Sindh cities, markets and petrol pumps were closed in the central cities of Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan where hundreds of people gathered after Friday prayers to hold protest meetings. Partial strikes were also observed in Lahore and Peshawar, while hundreds of people took part in a peaceful rally in Islamabad, where speakers told the crowd that the attack was a conspiracy to divide the nation. Sindh government spokesman Salahuddin Haider said in Karachi that the government had decided to withdraw army reinforcements deployed in the city. "The situation has improved and we are withdrawing the army," he said. Separately, police used teargas to disperse the activists of Sunni Tehreek after they clashed with members of a rival group for the control of a mosque in Karachi’s Shah Faisal Colony, local police official Mohammed Khalid said.(Posted @ 21:35 PST)
Two bombs wound 12 at India's largest mosque NEW DELHI, April 14 (AFP) - Two small bombs went off just before ‘Asar’ (evening) prayers inside the 17th century Jamia Masjid in Delhi on Friday, leaving 12 people including women and children wounded, police commissioner K.K. Paul said.He said the blasts were caused by "low intensity" improvised explosive devices. Two men among the injured were in critical condition, doctors said. Imam Sayeed Ahmed Bukhari said the two explosions occurred within 10 minutes of each other. Police estimated 4,000 people were inside the complex at the time. "I saw one man critically injured and women running with their bleeding children on their arms," Imam Bukhari told reporters. "We did not see the first explosion but the second one definitely originated from a plastic bag that was kept inside the prayer grounds," he said. "The second blast went off as people were helping those injured and if this is not a terror attack then what is?" asked the chief priest, appealing for calm. Police confirmed two blasts, the first by the royal gate and the second on the edge of the main prayer hall. There was no serious damage to the heavy masonry. Evening prayers went ahead to a packed audience after police gave the all-clear.(First Posted @ 17:30 PST Updated @ 20:05 PST)
Five dead, 43 hurt in occupied Kashmir blasts; four more die in clashes SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 14 (AFP) - Five people were killed and 43 wounded Friday when militants staged a wave of grenade attacks in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir's main city, police said. Meanwhile, four more people died during two separate gunbattles. Four of the grenade attacks took place within an hour in the busy commercial heart of Srinagar. A fifth attack wounded five people on the shores of Dal Lake, a popular tourist spot, police said. In addition eight people, four of them policemen were injured in the sixth grenade attack in downtown Srinagar, police said. "Five people died in these attacks," a police spokesman said. Some 43 people were wounded, including 10 police and paramilitary men, the spokesman said. The attackers were targeting security forces, he said. Jamiat-ul-Mujahedin, Al-Mansoorain, Islamic Front and Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attacks, said a local news agency, the Current News Service. Meanwhile, in two separate gunbattles two militants, a Muslim civilian and an army soldier were killed in the southern district of Anantnag late Thursday and Friday, police said. The grenade attacks came as thousands of Muslims headed towards a shrine in Srinagar for special prayers following celebrations marking the birth anniversary of the holy prophet on Tuesday. Kashmiiris freedom struggle has left over 44,000 people dead by official count. Separatists say twice as many had been killed.(First Posted @ 17:05 PST Updated @ 21:30 PST)
Assemblies to complete tenure: Shaukat Aziz ISLAMABAD, April 14 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that for the first time in the country's history Assemblies will complete their tenure and next elections will be held according to the constitution. Talking to groups of Federal Ministers and Parliamentarians belonging to treasury benches and opposition in his chamber at the National Assembly here Friday, he said this is the sign of political stability and maturity gained by the country. He discussed with the parliamentarians the overall political and law & order situation in the country. Some MNA's briefed the Prime Minister about the development programmes of their constituencies.(Posted @ 23:28 PST)
Rumsfeld dismisses resignation calls DUBAI, April 14, 2006 (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed calls from retired generals for his resignation, in an interview to be broadcast Friday on Al-Arabiya television."I intend to serve the president at his pleasure," Rumsfeld told the channel, according to a transcript of the interview. "Obviously if, out of thousands and thousands of admirals and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed, we changed the secretary of defence of the United States, it would be like a merry-go-round." Rumsfeld's comments were his first public reaction to the demands for his resignation made by five retired US generals, three of whom served in Iraq. The latest calls came this week from retired major general Charles Swannack, a former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq; retired major general John Batiste, who led the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq; and retired major general John Riggs, also a former division commander. They have joined retired major general Paul Eaton, who led initial efforts to train Iraqi security forces, and retired general Anthony Zinni, a longtime critic of the Iraq war and former head of Central Command, in asking for Rumsfeld to step down.(Posted @ 23:02 PST)
Three Canadian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan: report MONTREAL, April 14, 2006 (AFP) - At least three Canadian soldiers were injured Friday in a traffic accident north of Kandahar in Afghanistan, CBC television reported. The network said the injuries were not life-threatening. CBC correspondent in Kandahar said that one or more Canadian soldiers had also been wounded in a separate incident. The details of that incident were still being worked out, according to the reporter.(Posted @ 21:05 PST)
Sindh Assembly initiates debate on Nishter Park tragedy, KARACHI, April 14 (PPI): Sindh Assembly Friday started debate on Nishter Park tragedy during which, opposition bitterly criticized the provincial government for its failure in maintaining law and order in the province and demanded it to step down. Eleven MPAs had tabled identical resolutions seeking debate on the tragic incident. During the debate, members from opposition and treasury benches criticized each other and traded allegations against each other. The matter was being debated when the house was adjourned to meet again on Monday.(Posted @ 21:00 PST)
A rousing welcome awaits Saudi Crown Prince ISLAMABAD, April 14 (APP): A red-carpet welcome awaits the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud when he arrives here Saturday on a two-day visit to Pakistan. Prince Sultan who is on the last leg of his three-nation visit of Asian countries will be received at the airport by President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, ministers, and the three Services Chiefs. The special aircraft of the Crown Prince will be escorted into the Pakistani airspace by two F-16s and a 21-gun salute will be offered as he alights from the aircraft.(Posted @ 19:25 PST)
Iraq death toll mounts as sectarian attacks intensify BAGHDAD, April 14, (APP/AFP) - At least 38 Iraqis have been killed in attacks over the past 24 hours, security officials said Friday, as politicians pressed four-month-old coalition talks amid mounting sectarian unrest. Three Iraqis, including a police major from Kirkuk, were killed in drive-by shootings Friday. In Basra, two Iraqis were killed and four British soldiers wounded when suicide bomber blew up a vehicle as a four-vehicle convoy passed, British officials said. Police said 11 employees of a construction company were also kidnapped in the city and murdered Thursday. Six policemen were also killed and more than 20 went missing when a large group of policemen transporting police vehicles was ambushed by gunmen near Baghdad Thursday, a security official said. In Mosul city, a suicide bomber in a car attacked a police station, wounding at least seven people, police said.(Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Two Security personnel injured in blast in occupied Kashmir- NEW DELHI, April 14 (APP): At least two security personnel were injured Friday noon as attackers hurled a grenade on a BSF vehicle on Exchange Road in Srinagar. The BSF vehicle was also extensively damaged in the explosion, reports reaching here said. Several sensitive installations, including the BSNL office and state Congress headquarters, are located close to the site of the attack. Earlier, a civilian was injured in an explosion during burning of garbage in a border village in R. S. Pura sector of Jammu division, BSF sources said. A stray grenade must have got mixed up with the garbage and exploded during the burning process, they said.(Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Bombs kill four at mosques in Iraq's Baquba BAQUBA, Iraq, April 14 (Reuters) - At least four worshippers were killed and eight wounded on Friday when two bombs exploded at two Sunni mosques in the city of Baquba just after midday prayers, police said.(Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Indian Muslim groups clash, eight injured AHMEDABAD, India, April 14 (Reuters) - Rival Muslim groups clashed in Kalol town in western state of Gujarat on Friday injuring eight people, including a police officer, and setting fire to a local Islamic school, police said. Several houses and a madressah were set ablaze before police fired teargas to disperse the crowd, an official said adding several people had been arrested.(Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Russia to host new round of talks on Iran nuclear program with U.S., EU, China MOSCOW, April 14 (AP) _ Russia will host another round of talks next week with the United States, the European Union and China on Iran's nuclear program in Moscow on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Krivtsov said Friday. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mohammadi was in Moscow on Friday, but his agenda wasn't immediately known. In a speech Friday at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy, Mohammadi said Tehran would strengthen its ties with India, China and Russia. He said Iran wants to strike an oil and gas alliance with Russia and is also pondering prospective pipelines via Pakistan to deliver natural gas to China and India, ITAR-Tass said.(Posted @ 18:28 PST)
Minister says 350 killed during rebel attack on Chadian capital N'DJAMENA, Chad, April 14 (AP) _ At least 350 people died during the rebel attack on Chad's capital and 271 rebels were captured, the territorial management minister said Friday, insisting that the rebel force was completely destroyed. Gen. Mahamet Ali Abdullah said he did not have a breakdown of the dead, but that the number included government troops, rebel forces and civilians caught in the fighting. Chadian troops paraded the prisoners and laid out the bodies of dead insurgents at the National Assembly building on Friday.(Posted @ 18:22 PST)
Afghanistan: suicide attacker wounds 3 British soldiers KABUL, Afghanistan, April 14 (AP) _ A roadside bomb blast killed three Afghan policemen in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, while a Taliban suicide attacker wounded three British soldiers and an Afghan national in the country's south, officials said. Coalition and Afghan forces also killed two insurgents and detained two recruiters of suicide bombers in Oruzgan province, the U.S. military said. On the other hand, Afghan police and soldiers battled Taliban militants near Kandahar, close to where gunmen shot dead a member of pro-government religious council. Two wounded policemen were also taken to a nearby hospital. Hours earlier, a Taliban suicide car bomber rammed a British military convoy in Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gar, wounding three British soldiers and one Afghan national, said coalition spokesman Canadian Maj. Quentin Innis. The attack happened near the British-run provincial reconstruction team base in Lashkar Gah. Separately, Afghan security forces battled Taliban militants Friday in Sangisar, a town 40 kilometers southwest of Kandahar, said local Afghan army commander Gen. Rahmattalluh Roufi. It was unclear if there were any casualties. On Thursday, coalition and Afghan troops backed by U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunships killed two insurgents and detained two others for recruiting suicide bombers in the Oruzgan district of Chora, about 200 miles west of Kabul, a U.S. military statement said. Taliban gunmen were also blamed for Thursday's killing of Sayed Masoud Shah, a member of a local pro-government clerical body in Zhali, a town about 30 kilometers southwest of Kandahar. Zhali Ulama Council spokesman said Taliban issued a death threat to Shah about one month ago.(Posted @ 18:20 PST)
President: Chad breaks off diplomatic relations with Sudan following rebel attack N'DJAMENA, Chad, April 14 (AP) Chad broke off all diplomatic relations with Sudan on Friday and has ordered Sudanese diplomats to leave the country, the president said, following a rebel attack on the capital he said was supported by the Sudanese government. President Idriss Deby also said he would expel all 200,000 Sudanese refugees now living in Chad if the United Nations and the African Union did not help stop what he said were Sudan's attempts to destabilize his government. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Thousands commemorate Good Friday in Jerusalem JERUSALEM, April 14 (AFP) Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world commemorated Good Friday, marching in procession along Jerusalem's Via Dolorosa to the spot where Jesus Christ is believed to have been crucified. Local clergy complained that many Christian Palestinians living in the West Bank had been prevented by the Israeli military from travelling to Jerusalem to take part in the religious ceremonies. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Russia jails 40 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh MOSCOW, April 14 (AFP) Russia has jailed 40 immigrants from Bangladesh for illegally entering the country on their way to Europe to look for work, the Interfax news agency reported Friday. The migrants were jailed for 10 to 12 months in the south Siberian region of Kurgan near the border with Kazakhstan following their arrest in September. Two other people received one-year jail sentences for helping them enter Russia. (Posted @ 17:25 PST)
Iran in 'position of power' in nuclear dispute: president TEHRAN, April 14 (AFP) Iranian leaders Friday brushed off the threat of sanctions or military attack over their controversial nuclear drive, insisting the West was powerless to halt the Islamic republic. "Today, thank God, the Iranian nation is a powerful one and we are going to have a dialogue with the world from a position of power," Ahmadinejad said in a Friday sermon in the northeast of the country. He said the United States was a "decaying power" and pointed out that Iran was "not Iraq or Afghanistan." (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
One killed in Egypt church knife attacks ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, April 14 (AFP) - Three knife-wielding assailants attacked worshippers at three Coptic churches in Alexandria on Friday, killing one person and wounding at least 12, police and medical sources said. The assailants, each armed with two knives, attacked churchgoers in three separate neighbourhoods, a police source said, adding that the attacks all took place around the same time. "We closed the doors of the church as soon as he started attacking the worshippers and we fought back with sticks but he tried to flee through one of the church's underground passages," said a witness who asked to be named only as Ibrahim. Two witnesses said the police, who arrived on the scene around 20 minutes later, arrested the attacker. Security officials however could not immediately confirm that any of the three attackers had been detained. Friday's victim, Noshi Atta Girgis, died of his wounds in hospital, a medical source said. He was among at least three people attacked at the Al-Quidissin church east of Alexandria. The other assault took place at the Al-Adra church in the eastern suburb of Abu Kir. At least three people were said to have sustained serious injuries. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Insurgents clash with Afghan troops in Taliban leader's village KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 14, 2006 (AFP) Dozens of suspected Taliban rebels clashed Friday with hundreds of troops in a southern Afghanistan village that was once home to the movement's fugitive leader Mullah Omar, the military said. Fighting between up to 60 suspected Taliban and government troops erupted at around 11:00 am in Singesar village, about 40 kilometres southeast of Kandahar city, General Rahmatullah Raufi, chief military commander for southern Afghanistan said. There were no reports of casualties by late afternoon. "The fighting is ongoing," he said adding that around 50 to 60 Taliban fighters were resisting army and the police in the village, once the home of the Taliban's spiritual leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Kuwait in royal drugs bust KUWAIT CITY, April 14, 2006 (AFP) Kuwaiti police have arrested a member of the ruling Al-Sabah family with a large drugs haul, including at least 10 kilogrammes of cocaine, newspapers reported Friday. Al-Qabas newspaper quoted unnamed security sources as saying the prince, whose name was not revealed, also had 120 kilogrammes (264 pounds) of hashish. His arrest came at the orders of Interior and Defence Minister, Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, who is a leading figure in the ruling family. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Japan-US military talks fail to seal deal TOKYO, April 14, 2006 (AFP) Japan and the United States failed Friday to seal a deal on redeploying US troops, remaining at odds over how much each side should pay but reaching an agreement on a controversial air base. The two allies already missed a March 31 deadline for finalizing the plan that would withdraw 8,000 of the more than 40,000 US troops in Japan. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Large group of Iraqi police attacked near Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 14 (Reuters) A large group of policemen transporting police vehicles near Baghdad were hit by a roadside bomb and authorities were still trying to determine casualties, Interior Ministry and police sources said on Friday. The sources said they feared at least 30 policemen were either dead or missing after Thursday's attack. The sources said the policemen were ambushed as they headed towards their headquarters in Najaf in southern Iraq. A senior Najaf police official, General Abbas Mohammad, said 88 policemen were sent to Baghdad to bring the vehicles back and that at least six were killed, 10 were wounded and 50 missing after the bombing. (Posted @ 12:40 PST)
US spies failed to warn of Indian nuclear tests: secret documents WASHINGTON, April 13, 2006 (AFP) US intelligence failed to warn of India's nuclear tests conducted in 1974 and 1998 despite tracking the Asian giant's atomic weapons potential for nearly half a century, according to documents declassified Thursday. The National Security Archive, in releasing 40 secret documents covering the 1958-1998 period, said the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other intelligence groups had been monitoring and analyzing Indian civilian and military nuclear energy programs since the 1950s and could have provided decision-makers with "far more detailed assessments." The US intelligence failed because Washington did not devote enough attention to the issue while the Indians kept the nuclear programs a closely guarded secret, said Jeffrey Richelson, the archive's senior fellow. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Pakistan-born man becomes British Navy's first non-white admiral LONDON, April 14, 2006 (AFP) The Royal Navy has appointed its first non-white admiral, Pakistan-born Muslim immigrant Amjad Hussain, a British newspaper said Friday. Rear Admiral Hussain, 47, is the highest-ranking ethnic officer among the 200,000 personnel of the British armed forces, The Sun said. "I count myself very lucky to live in a country where the opportunities have been beyond my imagination," said Hussain, who moved to Britain from northern Pakistan with his mother in 1962. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
U.S. military says al Qaeda member killed in Iraq LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) An alleged insurgent with ties to Osama bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda figures was killed in a raid last month by U.S. and Iraqi forces, the U.S. military said on Friday. It said in a statement that Rafid Ibrahim Fattah, a "wanted terrorist" also known as Abu Umar al Kurdi, was killed near the Abu Ghraib prison outside the capital Baghdad. It added that he was most recently a leader of a cell in Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad, but had been in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq over the past 15 years, forming a relationship with al Qaeda leaders in 1999. The statement could not be confirmed independently. (Posted @ 09: 45 PST)
Opposition dismisses Nepal king's election call KATHMANDU, April 14, 2006 (AFP) King Gyanendra renewed a call for general elections in Nepal but political parties immediately dismissed the offer on Friday. A spokesman for the Nepali Congress (Democratic) party, said the monarch's Nepalese New Year address on Thursday night calling for the elections was a "non-starter." Another protest leader vowed that the anti-royal movement would continue, but did not reveal any plans for demonstrations Friday, New Year's Day in the Himalayan kingdom.(Posted @ 9:45 PST)
US marine killed near Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 14, 2006 (AFP) A US marine was killed in enemy action near Baghdad, the US military announced late Thursday. The marine was killed on Wednesday, bringing the death toll of US military personnel in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 2,366, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures. (Posted @ 9:35 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 76.10 points: KARACHI, April 14: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 12136.83, up 76.10 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:05 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, April 14: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.2 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:05 PST)
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