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| January 22, 2007 | Monday | Muharram 02, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Suicide blast kills five in Pakistan tribal area MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, Jan 22 (AFP) A suicide car bomber blew himself up near a Pakistan army convoy on Bannu-Miranshah Road in the North Waziristan region at about 10:30 am (0530 GMT) on Monday, killing four soldiers and a female civilian, officials said. Military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said the blast also injured nine others, including one who was in a critical condition. Pro-Taliban militants said in a statement faxed to the media that they were not linked to the attack. “We have no link with the bomb blast ... and we want to keep our agreement intact and the government should also keep the North Waziristan agreement intact,” the statement said. Sultan added that it was too early to tell if the attack was linked to a Pakistani air strike in the Zamzola area of neighboring South Waziristan region last Tuesday that destroyed a suspected Al-Qaeda hideout. (First Posted @ 14:08 PST Updated @ 21:36 PST)
Fifteen hurt in grenade attack in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 22 (AFP) - Fifteen civilians were injured, some seriously, Monday when suspected militants launched a grenade attack on an Indian army convoy at noon in the town of Patan, about 30 kilometers north of Srinagar. Police said a grenade missed the convoy and exploded among pedestrians. Meanwhile a middle-aged Muslim woman jailed several times for allegedly helping freedom fighters was shot dead by unidentified gunmen, police said. "Khalida Begum's bullet-ridden body was recovered in (northern) Baramulla district Sunday evening," a police spokesman said. Thousands have died in occupied Kashmir since the insurgency began in 1989. (Posted @ 14:06 PST)
Three killed in Saudi Red Crescent air crash RIYADH, Jan 22, 2007 (AFP) - A Saudi Red Crescent aircraft crashed Monday in western Saudi Arabia killing the three people on board, the state news agency SPA reported. Red Crescent official Khaled al-Habshi, supervising the rescue operation, quoted by SPA, said the aircraft went down as it headed from the Muslim holy city of Medina to Jeddah on the Red Sea. The crash killed the Bosnian pilot and two Syrian doctors on board, the agency said, without specifying the type of aircraft but adding an investigation has been opened. A Red Crescent official earlier told AFP it was a helicopter. (Posted @ 00:25 PST)
Pakistan to continue support for Kashmir cause: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Monday that Pakistan will continue to extend its full support to the cause of Kashmir and called for a peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people. Talking to the three-member All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) delegation headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at the Prime Minister's House, Aziz apprised the delegation of his recent meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Aziz said that sustainable peace in Kashmir will enable the South Asian region to focus its resources on the socio-economic development of its peoples. (Posted @ 23:38 PST)
Pakistan wants peace process to move forward: FO ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (APP): Pakistan wants to move the peace process with India forward having Kashmir as the “core issue” on the agenda, the Foreign Office said on Monday. Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said in a weekly briefing that “progress can be achieved only if there is willingness on the other side as well”. Regarding President General Pervez Musharraf's proposal on demilitarizing the Kashmir region, the spokesperson said Pakistan wanted the relocation of 700,000 troops in Indian held Kashmir. “We are in favour of relocating troops and removing the psychological barriers in Kashmir so that people have some breathing space,” Tasnim said. About the purpose of President General Pervez Musharraf's ongoing visit to Middle East, the spokesperson said it is aimed at finding ways for the resolution of Palestine issue. (Posted @ 23:32 PST)
100 killed in Iraq market bombings BAGHDAD, Jan 22 (AFP) Bombs ripped through markets killing at least 100 people in and around Baghdad on Monday. Two car bombs exploded at a market in Baghdad’s Bab al-Sharki district, killing 88 Iraqis and wounding 160 others, security officials said. A few hours later, a combination of mortar fire and a roadside bomb killed another 12 people at another market in the town of Khalis, 80 kilometres northeast of Baghdad. (First Posted @ 15:54 PST Updated @ 22:54 PST)
Cricket-Victory among my best as skipper, says Inzamam PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Jan 22 (Reuters) Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq ranked his team's second test victory over South Africa on Monday as among the most important of his tenure. Inzamam, who was adjudged man of the match, said “It's not easy for teams from the sub-continent to win in South Africa”. “We were under pressure, but Younis and Kamran Akmal played very well,” he said. “Especially Younis, who accepted the responsibility to finish the game.” South African captain Graeme Smith laid the blame for the loss on poor batting. (Posted @ 22:26 PST)
SC told government unable to locate missing persons ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (AP) Pakistan government told the Supreme Court on Monday that it had no information on the whereabouts of 16 men whose families say they were detained by intelligence authorities. Deputy Attorney General Nasir Saeed Sheikh said at a hearing that the Ministry of Interior had checked with Pakistan's various intelligence services but could not locate the men. He said the 16 men may have traveled abroad. “You are not taking the matter seriously,” Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, the Supreme Court's chief judge, told Sheikh before adjourning the case until early February. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan's Akhtar, Gul to return home KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan 22 (AFP) Pakistan's injured pace duo Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will miss the rest of the team's tour of South Africa to undergo rehabilitation for the World Cup, an official said Monday. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said no replacements have been sought for next week's third Test but two to three players would be sent to join the team ahead of the one-day series which starts next month. A scan on Akhtar's injury revealed he needs two weeks' rest. All-rounder Shoaib Malik would stay with the team as his ankle injury, which forced him to miss the Tests, is likely to heal before the five-match one-day series, the spokesman added. (Posted @ 21:46 PST)
Pakistan says Taliban chief in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (AFP) Pakistan on Monday said that the fugitive Taliban chief was most likely leading the movement's insurgency from Kandahar. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said: “We have very regular meetings, intelligence sharing with the US and (to) some extent with Afghans. Nobody has any information about the whereabouts of Mullah Omar, but generally the likely scenario is that he is in Kandahar, from where he is marshalling his troops.” Aslam pointed out to the weekly briefing that the Taliban had also rejected the claim that Mullah Omar was hiding in Pakistan. Aslam added that Pakistan wanted the international community's help to repatriate some three million Afghan refugees, saying some were believed to be Taliban fighters crossing the border to attack foreign forces. (Posted @ 21:30 PST)
Pakistan protests killing of soldier by coalition forces ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (AFP) Pakistan on Monday lodged a strong protest with coalition forces in Afghanistan for “mistakenly” firing on a border checkpoint near Shawal, in North Waziristan tribal district, killing one soldier and injuring two others. A military statement asked coalition authorities to investigate the matter and take necessary steps to ensure that such incidents were not repeated in future. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan win by five wickets PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Jan 22 (AFP) Pakistan beat South Africa by five wickets on the fourth day of the second Test at St George's Park to level the series on Monday. South Africa, first innings, 124; Pakistan, first innings, 265; South Africa, second innings, 331; Pakistan, second innings 191-5 (Younis 67, Kamran 5; Ntini 19-6-50-2, Pollock 13-4-47-2) (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
SC adjourns Hisba Bill hearing till February 19 ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (APP) A nine-member-bench of the Supreme Court Monday adjourned the hearing on the Hisba Bill presidential reference till February 19, accepting the NWFP government's request for more time to engage a counsel and prepare a reply. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
President Musharraf meets Egyptian President SHARM-AL-SHAIKH, Jan 22 (APP) Pakistan and Egypt on Monday expressed complete unanimity of views on the need for new initiatives to resolve the Palestinian dispute and counter extremism. President General Pervez Musharraf and Egyptian President held an exclusive meeting to discuss the Middle East situation and review bilateral relations. The meeting was followed by delegation level talks. President Musharraf warned that if the situation in the Middle East, in particular the Palestine issue, was not addressed immediately, then its impact would be felt in the entire Muslim Ummah, including Pakistan. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
Mirwaiz urges Kashmiris to adopt unanimous voice ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (APP) The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, on Monday urged Kashmiris to adopt a unanimous voice to solve the Kashmir dispute peacefully. “Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) should raise a unanimous voice which would help facilitate both India and Pakistan in resolving the decades-old dispute. We are aiming at taking along people of Leh, Valley and Azad Kashmir and our visit is a part of this gigantic mission,” he said while addressing a breakfast meeting here. “Some people term the APHC moves as 'carbon copy' of President Pervez Musharraf. Yes, we are moving ahead with the proposals floated by President Musharraf as it has pressured the Indian government, army and opposition to step ahead. Pakistan's bold stance has been successful in impressing the international community and now the whole world is looking towards India,” he said, adding that Musharraf's proposals were not final and could be developed further. The Mirwaiz said that the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar Bus Service had not yielded the desired results. “There is a dire need to allow the movement of private transport across LoC” as red-tape was causing hurdles, he said. (Posted @ 16:34 PST)
Police open fire in southeast Nepal town to stop protesters, curfew imposed KATMANDU, Nepal, Jan 22 (AP) Police opened fire on hundreds of protesters attempting to storm a police station in a troubled southwest Nepal town Monday, officials said. A local government administrator said authorities also imposed curfew on Lahan, about 250 kilometers southeast of Katmandu. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Cricket- India coach attacked by fan BHUBANESWAR, India, Jan 22 (AFP) India's cricket coach Greg Chappell was on Monday slapped by a fan who was angry about player selection. Chappell was hit and pushed as the Indian team arrived in Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Orissa to play a one-day international against the West Indies. Indian cricket board vice-president Rajiv Shukla said that the 58-year-old Chappell was unhurt and had been immediately rushed into the team bus stationed outside the airport gate. The attacker, identified as Biranchi Maharana by local officials, was arrested soon after the incident. “I am angry with Chappell because no player from Orissa has been included in the national team,” Maharana shouted to reporters before being whisked away in a police jeep. (Posted @ 14:52 PST)
Fresh fighting kills five in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Jan 22 (AFP) - Tamil Tiger rebels have shot dead two soldiers and two policemen in Sri Lanka's embattled northeast as security forces dug in at Vakarai town seized from the guerrillas, the defence ministry said Monday. (Posted @ 14:08 PST)
Troops fire on Mogadishu protesters, kill 3-witness MOGADISHU, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops and Somali police opened fire on Mogadishu demonstrators on Monday, killing at least three in the latest violence in parts of the capital where support for ousted Islamists ran high, a witness said. (Posted @ 14:06 PST)
Gunbattle with suspected Indonesian militants kills 10 POSO, Indonesia, Jan 22 (AP) An anti-terror squad raided a militant stronghold in central Indonesia’s Poso town Monday, touching off a gunbattle that killed nine suspected fighters and one officer, the local police chief said. (FirstPosted @ 09:55 PST, Updated@ 14:03 PST)
China Mobile acquires Pakistan's 5th-largest cell phone carrier Paktel SHANGHAI, January 22 (APP/AP) China Mobile Communications Corp. has agreed to buy 88.86 percent of shares in Paktel Ltd., Pakistan's fifth largest mobile carrier, the company's listed unit said Monday. The deal values Paktel at US$460 million ($355 million), China Mobile Ltd. said in an announcement. Millicom has operated in Pakistan since 1990. As of Sept. 30, Paktel had 1.53 million total subscribers, up 62 percent from 944,718 the year prior, placing it fifth in terms of active subscribers. (Posted @ 14:03 PST)(Posted @ 14:03 PST)
Bush says no timetable for pullout from Iraq WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush distanced himself from predictions US troops could begin leaving Iraq by late summer, stating bluntly there would be no timetable, in an interview published Monday. "We don't set timetables in this administration because an enemy will adjust their tactics based upon perceived action by the United States," Bush told the USA Today newspaper. The comment followed a prediction made last week by the US commander of coalition forces in Iraq, General George Casey, that reinforcements currently being sent to Iraq could begin to leave the country by August or September. (Posted @ 12:47 PST)
Strong earthquakes rock Indonesia's Papua JAKARTA, Jan 22 (AFP) Two strong earthquakes of 5.5 and 6.0 magnitude hit Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua just minutes apart Monday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, seismologists said. The earthquakes followed a major undersea quake that hit Sulawesi island on Sunday evening and left one person killed, two injured but caused no serious damage. “More than 10 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial earthquake, with the strongest, a magnitude 6.0, striking at 3:50 am,” a meteorology agency official in Jakarta said. (First Posted @ 09:35 PST, Updated@ 12:39 PST)
Local reporter killed in far eastern Russia MOSCOW, Jan 22 (AFP) A local television journalist, Konstantin Borovko, was found beaten to death in Vladivostok city in far eastern Russia, police said Monday. Borovko was a presenter for Guberniya television in Khabarovsk city. (Posted @ 11:59 PST)
Tennis- Gonzalez upsets Blake to reach Australian Open quarters MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (AFP) Chile's Fernando Gonzalez reached his first Australian Open quarter-final with a comprehensive straight sets win over American fifth seed James Blake Monday. Gonzalez followed up his victory over Australian Lleyton Hewitt with another solid performance, knocking out Blake, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in two hours six minutes on Rod Laver Arena. (Posted @ 11:48 PST)
Two US marines killed in western Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 22 (APP/AFP) Insurgents killed two US marines in the western Iraqi province of Al-Anbar Sunday, the military reported Monday. (Posted @ 10:39 PST)
Fatah and Hamas to hold more talks 'within two weeks DAMASCUS, Jan 22 (AFP) Rival Palestinian factions will hold further talks within a fortnight on a government of national unity after a meeting between Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal failed to achieve a breakthrough. The two leaders told a media conference after they met for three hours in Damascus late Sunday they had made “considerable progress” but that differences remained. A joint statement said Fatah and Hamas had agreed “to continue and resume negotiations on a government of national unity within the coming two weeks.” (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Canadian, British explorers reach Antarctica's Pole of Inaccessibility SYDNEY, Australia, Jan 22 (AP) A team of British and Canadian explorers who endured seven weeks of howling winds and subzero temperatures reached the geographic centre of Antarctica, the first expedition to reach the isolated outpost on foot. Dragging 120-kilogram sleds, the team travelled 1,700 kilometres on foot or by kite ski to reach Antarctica's Point of Inaccessibility, the furthest point from any ocean, on January 19, according to a statement posted on the expedition's website. Located more than 3,725 meters above sea level, the Pole of Inaccessibility was first visited in 1958 by Soviet explorers who reached the remote outpost in convoy of snow vehicles. The team, led by Canadian Paul Landry, said it was surprised to find a bust of Vladimir Lenin erected by the Soviets nearly half a century ago still standing amid the ice. (Posted @ 09:22 PST)
Police clash with youths after overnight clash in Madrid neighbourhood MADRID, Spain, Jan 22 (AP) Some 400 riot police patrolled a Madrid neighbourhood Sunday in an effort to disperse hundreds of youths who gathered in the southwestern area of Alcorcon after an overnight street battle between some 50 Spanish youths and Latin American immigrants ended with seven arrested and at least four injured, authorities said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Rebel bombs kill six in Colombian port city BOGOTA, Jan 22 (Reuters) Six people were killed Sunday when Colombian rebels set off two explosives near a police patrol in the Buenaventura city, authorities said. Two police officers and four civilians died and at least 18 more people were wounded. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 64.56 points: KARACHI, Jan 22: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10705.87, up 64.56 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Jan 22: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.85 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:30 PST)
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