|
|
| July 21, 2006 | Friday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 24, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf emphasizes quality healthcare services ISLAMABAD, July 21(PPI) President General Pervez Musharraf Friday emphasized the need for human resource development and improving primary and secondary healthcare for the benefit of the common man at the grass root level. Addressing the first ever Nurses Convention he announced that the Higher Education Commission would be asked to introduce Post Graduate Studies in Nursing in the proposed medical university in Islamabad, one thousand trainers would be recruited for skill building of the nurses and paramedics, and unemployed nurses would be paid stipend. He also announced five hundred scholarships for nurses for studies and training in Pakistan and in the foreign institutions. President Musharraf announced that the post of Staff Nurse would be upgraded from BPS-14 to BPS-16 while the post of Head Nurse would be upgraded from BPS-16 to BPS-17 with immediate effect. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Pak-India dialogue must continue; PM ISLAMABAD, Jul 21 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday said that Pakistan wants a peaceful settlement of all outstanding issues with India including the core issue of Kashmir in line with the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir to ensure sustainable peace in the region. Talking to the Prime Minister of AJK Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, who made farewell call on him at the Prime Minister House, he said that Pakistan is committed to the process of composite dialogue with India and the process must continue uninterrupted so that the three parties to the Kashmir issue i.e. India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir arrive at an acceptable settlement of the dispute. The Prime Minister said government is making an all out efforts for the early rebuilding and rehabilitation of the earthquake affected areas. He said government is determined to transform this adversity into opportunity by providing better facilities to the people than what they had before October 8th. The Prime Minister appreciated the services rendered by Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan during his tenure as Prime Minister AJK. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Bush administration defends sale of fighter jets to Pakistan WASHINGTON, July 20 (AFP) The US government on Thursday defended its decision to sell up to 36 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying the weapons deal was a key component of the US global war on terror. "This sale is a presidential priority and a key element of the administration's South Asia strategy unveiled in March 2005, aimed at broadening our strategic relationships with out key regional partners -- India, Afghanistan and Pakistan," John Hillen, Assistant Secretary of State for political-military affairs told lawmakers. He made his comments at a hearing of the House of Representatives International Relations Committee. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Hundreds of Muslims hold rallies in Pakistan to condemn Israeli attacks in Lebanon PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 21 (AP) _ Hundreds of people, some burning U.S. and Israeli flags, held rallies across Pakistan on Friday to condemn Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and urged Muslim countries to take a tough stance against the Jewish state. Clerics in their Friday sermons also prayed for the safety of Lebanese and Palestinians. At a gathering of worshippers in Peshawar, Leader of Opposition Maulana Fazal-ur Rahman, called the attacks in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories ``open aggression.'' ``Israel is attacking Lebanon and Palestine just because it is being supported by America,'' he said. ``Muslim countries should also extend their full support to Lebanon and Palestine without feeling fear.'' Earlier, college students burned U.S. and Israeli flags at a rally in the city. In Karachi, angry people took out a rally after the Friday prayers. There was another big rally in Lahore, while about 150 religious students turned out in another protest rally in Islamabad. There were reports of similar rallies and demonstrations in other parts of the country. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
300 tribal rebels surrender in Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, July 21 (AFP) - Three hundred tribal militants surrendered to authorities Friday in Balochistan province while troops seized a huge arms cache belonging to the rebels, officials said. Four commanders were among the scores of militants who gave themselves up under an amnesty deal at a ceremony in the gas field town of Sui, senior administration official Abdul Samad Lasi said. Last week some 800 militants had laid down their arms in the wake of the amnesty offered by the government, officials said. Three bodyguards of Nawab Akbar Bugti also gave themselves up on Thursday, the official said, requesting anonymity. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Israel claims nearly 100 Hizbollah fighters killed JERUSALEM, July 21 (Reuters) - Israeli forces have killed nearly 100 Hizbollah fighters in Lebanon during a 10-day offensive, the Jewish state's military chief said on Friday. Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz did not say how the army had arrived at the number. (Posted @ 23:45 PST)
PM directs authorities to be watchful of hate material circulation ISLAMABAD, July 21, (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has directed the relevant federal authorities and the provincial governments to keep a watchful eye on the hate material circulating in certain parts of country and give exemplary punishments to those involved in attempts to vitiate the existing harmony in the country. These instructions were issued in the light of President Musharraf's address to the nation last night; the Prime Minister told a group of MNAs who called on him here on Friday. (Posted @ 23:34 PST)
Saddam 'health at risk' in hunger strike: lawyers AMMAN, July 21, (AFP) - Ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and three of his aides are pursuing a hunger strike they began almost two weeks ago and are risking their health, defence lawyers said on Friday. (Posted @ 23:26 PST)
Demos in Switzerland and Austria against Israeli bombing of Lebanon GENEVA, July 21, (AFP) - About 1,200 people demonstrated in the Swiss capital Bern on Friday to protest against the Israeli military operation in Lebanon, the Swiss news agency ATS reported. Demonstrators, draped in Lebanese and Palestinian flags and bearing banners of Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah, followed a call by pro-Palestinian and Lebanese organizations to denounce the "Israeli military agression against Lebanon and the Palestinian people". (Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Mosques bombed, tense Baghdad under curfew BAGHDAD, July 21 (Reuters) - Bombs killed two worshippers at mosques in Iraq during Friday prayers and the authorities extended a daytime curfew on Baghdad after one of the bloodiest weeks this year. Bombs outside mosques in Khalis, north of the capital, and in east of Baghdad, each killed one man and wounded two during weekly prayers, police said. There were also new clashes in Mahmudiya. Three police and three Iraqi soldiers were killed in Friday's fighting, police said. U.S. troops killed two women and a three-year-old girl during a raid that, they said, also killed two suspected al Qaeda militants in violent Diyala province northwest of Baghdad. U.S. data showed attacks on security forces in Baghdad averaged 34 a day over several days, compared to 24 in recent months. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Russian, German leaders call for concerted efforts to end Lebanon conflict MOSCOW, July 21 (AP) _ Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called for concerted international efforts to end the conflict in Lebanon, the Kremlin said. During telephone talks between Putin and Merkel, the two leaders emphasized ``the need for concerted efforts by the international community to normalize the situation in the Middle East and highlighted the U.N. Security Council's role in the process,'' a Kremlin statement said. The conversation, which took place at the German side's initiative, came a day after Russia sharply criticized Israel for its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, saying it went ``far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation'' and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire. (Posted @ 20:58 PST)
Arabs hit streets to protest Israeli offensive CAIRO, July 21 (AFP) - Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the Arab world Friday to rally against the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and Gaza, which one regional leader branded a "genocidal war". Clashes broke out in Cairo between police and protesters who had gathered after prayers at the Al-Azhar mosque. Some police officers and demonstrators were injured. In Jordan, some 2,000 people marched through the streets of Amman while more than 100,000 people in Yemen turned out for a rally. Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir accused Israel of targeting the Lebanese population, and Syria's information minister accused Israel of "state terrorism" and "war crimes". Iranian cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani hailed Hezbollah fighters as "heroes", but rejected mounting allegations that Iran and Syria were behind the movement's conflict with Israel. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Rice to announce international Mideast crisis plan WASHINGTON, July 21 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will Friday announce first details of an international diplomatic plan to tackle Middle East violence, a senior State Department official told AFP. She would speak about an emerging "international effort" working in partnership with Arab and European governments, the official said. At the heart of the initiative was a "diplomatic plan that would help address the violence we are seeing and the root causes of that violence," the official said. (Posted @ 20:32 PST)
ERRA Council reviews reconstruction work ISLAMABAD, Jul 21 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday said considerable progress has been made in the housing, education, urban planning sector in the earthquake affected areas and the government has so far released Rs.45 billion for construction of housing and to pay compensation for the dead and injured. Chairing the 5th ERRA Council meeting he said the total commitment made by the international community at the Donor's conference was $ 6.5 billion of which $ 4 billion was in loans and $ 2.5 billion in the form of grants. He said about $1.3 billion of the grant assistance has been spent and $ 2.4 billion from loans has been disbursed.The Prime Minister emphasized the need to expedite the construction work in the remaining period before the start of inclement weather. Deputy Chairman ERRA informed the meeting that all roads in the earthquake affected areas are now open for traffic, all educational institutions are working either in their premises or prefab buildings, and all field hospitals are working in every part of the earthquake affected area. He said Rs. 26 billion is estimated to be spent by donors in the health, education and water sanitation schemes. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Troops martyr eight more Kashmiri youth ISLAMABAD, Jul 21 (APP): In occupied Kashmir Indian troops in their fresh acts of state-terrorism martyred eight more Kashmiri youth, four of them at Yaripora in Kulgam and two each at Wanpora and Mandri Nallah in Udhampur. The APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Ghulam Nabi Zaki, addressing Juma congregations in Srinagar and other places, expressed grave concern over the stepped-up Indian state-terrorism,PTV reported. They also took exception to negative Indian attitude towards continuation of talks' process with Pakistan. (Posted @ 19:44 PST)
German firm to prepare rail track feasibility from Havelian to Sus LAHORE, July 21 (APP)- Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Friday said the contract has been awarded to a German firm for preparing feasibility report for laying rails track from Havelian to Sust border for establishing rail link with China. (Posted @ 19:12 PST)
Israel warns Lebanese to flee, calls up reserves BEIRUT, July 21 (Reuters) - Israel warned Lebanese civilians to leave border villages on Friday and called up 3,000 reserves in a possible prelude to a ground offensive that would expand its 10-day-old campaign against Hizbollah guerrillas. Meanwhile, Hizbollah rockets crashed into Haifa, wounding 19 people. Other towns were also hit. Lebanon's defence minister said the army, which has not fought so far despite losing a score of soldiers in Israeli air strikes, would defend the country against invasion. Israeli jets bombed Shi'ite districts in Beirut, the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon around sunrise on Friday and hit a previously bombed bridge on the Beirut-Damascus highway. At least eight people were killed, bringing the Lebanese death toll to 344, based on revised Health Ministry figures. In Gaza, Palestinian medics said Israeli shelling killed a Hamas militant and three civilians on Friday, as tanks and troops withdrew from a refugee camp after a three-day assault. (Posted @ 19:05 PST)
Dutch commandos kill 18 enemy fighters in southern Afghanistan THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) _ Dutch commandos killed 18 enemy fighters who set up positions in rugged hills overlooking a Dutch camp in southern Afghanistan, the country's military chief said Friday. There were no Dutch casualties during a 10-day mission. (Posted @ 19:04 PST)
India spurns Pakistan offer, wants Islamic militant handed over NEW DELHI, July 21 (AFP) - Indian Friday spurned an offer from Pakistan to help in investigations into the Mumbai serial train blasts, telling Islamabad instead to clamp down on militants operating from its soil. " President Pervez Musharraf's offer of helping in the Mumbai investigations ... is no cause for satisfaction in view of the fact Pakistan has refused to cooperate in the past," foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told a media briefing here. Sarna repeated India's demand that Pakistan hand over Syed Salahuddin, the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, and Dawood Ibrahim, wanted in connection with deadly bombings in Mumbai in 1993. Pakistan denies Ibrahim is based in the country. (Posted @ 18:38 PST)
Hezbollah rejects Annan ceasefire plan BEIRUT, July 21 (AFP) - Hezbollah said Friday it rejected a plan by UN chief Kofi Annan proposing a ceasefire with Israel and calling for the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by the Lebanese Shiite militant group. "It is normal that we reject this plan. The only thing accepted for us is an unconditional ceasefire followed by indirect negotiations on a prisoners' swap," Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan told AFP. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Four soldiers from Poland, two from El Salvador injured in Iraq WARSAW, July 21 (AFP) - Four Polish soldiers, two from El Salvador and a translator were injured Friday when their convoy came under attack near the town of Numaniyah in Wasit province, south of Baghdad, the Polish defence ministry said. Ten attackers were captured, it said. (Posted @ 18:28 PST)
BP Pakistan awarded three offshore blocks in Indus Delta KARACHI, July 21 (PPI): BP Pakistan, formerly known as Union Texas Pakistan, Friday announced that it has been awarded three offshore blocks in Pakistan's offshore Indus Delta for exploration in an area of 21,000 kilometer for oil and gas reserves, with the right to operate any commercially viable discoveries. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Cricket-Shoaib on course for third test in England ISLAMABAD, July 21 (Reuters) - Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has recovered from a stress fracture to his ankle and is likely to be available for the third test against England, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said Friday. "Shoaib had a meeting with the team physiotherapist and trainer in England yesterday and they reported he was physically strong now and looking good for a comeback in a week's time," PCB director Abbas Zaidi said. "They feel he needs to play one or two games to get back to full match fitness and then should be available for the third test." The third test is at Headingley from August 4. (Posted @ 17:32 PST)
Hizbollah rocket barrage wounds 19 in Haifa HAIFA, Israel, July 21 (Reuters) - A barrage of Hizbollah rockets fired from Lebanon slammed into the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Friday, wounding at least 19 people, medics said. Rockets also hit several other northern towns. One missile hit an apartment building in Haifa in an initial barrage. A second wave of rockets struck a short time later, but it was unclear if there were any casualties. (First Posted @ 15:50 PST Updated @ 17:22 PST)
Muslims in Asia protest Israeli attacks on Lebanon JAKARTA, July 21 (AP) _ Muslims in Asia held angry protests Friday against Israel's bombardment of Lebanon, denouncing the Jewish state and demanding the United Nations take action to halt the violence. Demonstrators in Indonesia and Malaysia burned Israeli flags and accused the Jewish state of terrorism. In Bangladesh marchers shouted ``Down with Israel.'' Malaysia's foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters the situation would be discussed at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Kuala Lumpur next week. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
US-led coalition soldier killed in rocket attack on southeastern Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, July 21 (AP) _ Militants killed one coalition soldier after launching a rocket and mortar barrage on a U.S.-led base in southeastern Afghanistan, the U.S.-military said Friday. Several rockets and mortar rounds targeted the base Thursday in Sharan, the capital of Paktika province, said spokesman Maj. Matt Hackathorn. None hit the coalition base but landed in surrounding areas. Hackathorn did not disclose the slain soldier's nationality. (Posted @ 17:08 PST)
Gunmen attack police van, kill two officers in Chechnya ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia July 21 (AP) _ Gunmen attacked a van carrying police in Chechnya, seizing guns, documents and the vehicle and killing two officers, authorities said Friday. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Kashmiris protest Israeli bombings in Lebanon SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 21 (AP) _ Hundreds of people in occupied Kashmir demonstrated Friday against Israeli bombings in Lebanon.The protests took place at three places in Srinagar, including one where police swung batons to disperse demonstrators who blocked a busy road after Friday’s congregation prayers. There were no reports of injuries. The protest call was given by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a senior Kashmiri separatist leader. At a protest rally in downtown Srinagar, police arrested separatist leader, Javed Mir. No reason was given for his arrest. Another demonstration near Srinagar's main market ended peacefully. Geelani has also called for a strike on Saturday to protest the bombings. (Posted @ 17:02 PST)
French FM warns of 'catastrophe' in Lebanon BEIRUT, July 21, 2006 (AFP) French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned Friday that the escalating conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a "catastrophe. At a joint press conference after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Sallukh, he said "we are trying to reach a ceasefire, establish humanitarian corridors and call on all parties to exert self-restraint," reminding that France has "denounced the actions of Hezbollah and the disproportionate response of Israel." He denounced "attacks on the sovereignty" of Lebanon, particularly strikes on the army. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Rafsanjani says proposed nuclear deal would 'humiliate' Iran TEHRAN, July 21 (AFP) An international proposal aimed at resolving a crisis over Iran's nuclear programme is "humiliating" because it demands that the country suspend uranium enrichment work, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said in a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran. "They have included something in their offer either to humiliate Iran or to make the proposal practically unacceptable," he said. "They have set a precondition. They say first suspend, and then negotiations," he said of the offer. Acceptance of the offer would "mean submission on Iran's part", he added. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Iraq says US troops kill six civilians in insurgent hideout raid BAQUBA, Iraq, July 21, 2006 (AFP) US troops killed six Iraqi civilians on Friday during a raid against a suspected insurgent hideout near Baquba, local police said. US military said one suspected "terrorist" was killed in the operation and several people wounded, but an AFP photographer saw six bodies, including that of a child, in a nearby hospital. Iraqi police said two women and a young girl were among six civilian casualties. Some 20 people were wounded, an officer said. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
Israeli raids on east Lebanon kill three civilians BAALBEK, Lebanon, July 21 (AFP) Three civilians were killed in Israeli air raids on Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on Friday, in the most intensive attacks on the city since Israel launched its offensive 10 days ago, hospital sources said. Rescue workers warned that the toll could rise, with other residents feared buried under the rubble of flattened homes in Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold that is known for its the ancient Roman temple ruins nearby. The raids, which lasted more than two hours, targeted homes in the city of about 100,000 as well as petrol stations and Hezbollah institutions. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Four arrested over Mumbai train blasts MUMBAI, July 21 (AFP) Three men have been detained in India and a suspected terrorist pickedup in Kenya in the first arrests in connection with the Mumbai trains blasts that killed 183 people, officials said Friday. Kenyan police said they had detained Abdul Karim Tunda, one of India's most wanted men, in Mombasa. He will be handed over because he is on the wanted list. Police in Mumbai said the overnight arrest of the three men in India, one on the outskirts of Mumbai and two in the eastern state of Bihar, was a development in the investigation, but they declined to say if it was a major breakthrough. The three men, Mohammad Kalam Ansari, Mohammad Ahmed Shiekh, and Maqbul Ahmed Choudury, appeared in court Friday where they were remanded in police custody for 10 days. (First Posted @ 10:35 PST Updated @ 15:50 PST)
Israeli military must quit Palestinian Red Crescent offices: ICRC GENEVA, July 21 (AFP) Israeli forces occupying the offices of the Palestinian Red Crescent relief agency must leave immediately, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday. The ICRC said that by taking over the building in Nablus the Israeli military had shown "grave disregard" for its obligation to respect and protect medical units, a key plank of the Geneva Conventions. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Gorbachev blames Middle East conflict on resurgent militarism SYDNEY, July 21 (AFP) Mikhail Gorbachev, the ex-Soviet leader credited with a crucial role in ending the Cold War, Friday blamed the eruption of violence in the Middle East on a resurgence of big-power militarism. "If the leaders of the world's most powerful states lapse back and again see military power as a viable means of resolving disputes, then we should not be surprised if other states also consider it a legitimate course," he said. "We must stop the violence and reinstate effective multilateralism," Gorbachev said in a statement during a visit to Australia. He did not name any countries in his criticism. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
US judge sentences Pakistani to 30 years NEW YORK, July 20 (AFP) A Pakistani man convicted of participating in an Al-Qaeda plot to blow up gasoline stations in the United States was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a US federal judge on Thursday. Uzair Paracha had been found guilty in November, 2003, after a two-week trial, on five charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation. The prosecution at the trial had relied largely on Paracha's confession to FBI agents which he later recanted, saying that it had been secured under pressure and insisting he had no connection with Al-Qaeda. His argument was dismissed by the US district court judge who said Paracha was fully aware of who he had been dealing with. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Israeli forces quit Gaza camp, 15 Palestinians dead GAZA, July 21 (Reuters) Israeli tanks and troops withdrew from a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Friday after a three-day assault that killed 15 Palestinians, witnesses said. They said that, having quit Maghazi camp, the Israeli forces were massing on the border ahead of a possible new incursion in the nearby Bureij refugee camp. An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the Maghazi withdrawal. "Yes, our forces are out, but it is important to emphasise that operations in Gaza continue," she said. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Israeli choppers collide near Lebanon, pilot killed JERUSALEM, July 21 (Reuters) Two Israeli attack helicopters have collided near the Lebanese border, killing a pilot and injuring three other crewmen, a military spokeswoman said Friday. She said the two U.S.-made Apache helicopters crashed on Thursday night on a road near Ramat Naftali. Initial checks have ruled out enemy fire as causing the crash and it was likely an accident, the spokeswoman said. Earlier, Israel confirmed two of its soldiers had been killed in heavy clashes with Hizbollah fighters just inside the Lebanon border on Thursday. Al Jazeera television had said four Israeli soldiers had been killed in the village of Maroun al-Ras. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Israeli shell kills Hamas man, four kin in Gaza GAZA, July 21 (Reuters) Israeli shelling against a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip on Friday killed a Hamas fighter and four relatives, including two children, medics said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the report was being checked. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 59.31 points: KARACHI, July 21: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10257.63, up 59.31 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:05 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 21: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.75 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:05 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
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 |