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| February 09, 2007 | Friday | Muharram 20, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Gunmen kill six opposition party workers in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Feb 9 (AFP) Unidentified gunmen ambushed a van carrying activists from the main opposition Pakistan People's Party Friday in the town of Attock, 120 kilometers west of the capital Islamabad, killing six of them and wounding two others, police and a party official said. PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the attack was meant to frighten party workers in a district where Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said he will contest general elections that are due late this year or in early 2008. “It seems to us that now the elections are near, a message has been sent to the PPP supporters to desist from supporting the party,” Babar said. Three of the party's workers were also killed in the same district during the by-elections in 2004 when Aziz won a national assembly seat, Babar added. (Posted @ 18:52 PST)
President Musharraf inaugurates mega project in Karachi KARACHI, Feb 9 (APP) President Pervez Musharraf on Friday formally inaugurated a Rs.3 billion signal-free corridor from SITE area to Airport in Karachi. Talking to journalists, President Musharraf said “this is a mega project. Cost does not matter. This is a project to facilitate people who live in Karachi, providing hurdle free and hassle free travel from SITE, Nazimabad and Liaquatabad to Drigh Road in just eight to ten minutes”. He added that “I have lived here and I know that people used to spend 20 minutes at each signal. They had to bear all the hassle of travelling on these routes. This corridor will reduce travel time by at least one hour. This will save petrol as well as save the driver from anguish”. President Musharraf also appreciated the City Government for completing this long corridor with six flyovers and underpasses in just 8 months and 20 days. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)
Pakistan demands halt to Israeli work near Al-Aqsa mosque ISLAMABAD, Feb 9, (AFP) - Pakistan on Friday expressed “deep concern” over Israeli construction work near the Al-Aqsa mosque and demanded its immediate halt, the foreign ministry said. “Pakistan is deeply concerned over the reports of Israeli excavation activities in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa mosque and the demolition of its wall and calls for immediate halt to all such activities,” it said. “The Israeli use of force against Palestinian protestors is also deplorable,” the ministry said in a statement. (Posted @ 23:46 PST)
Pakistan welcomes Palestinian accord on unity government ISLAMABAD, Feb 9, (AFP) - Pakistan on Friday welcomed a Saudi-mediated agreement between Palestinian factions to form a unity government, a foreign ministry statement said. (Posted @ 23:34 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan 245-8 as rain stops play PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Feb 9, (AFP) - Mohammad Yousuf scored a stylish 79 before Pakistan's tail gave their team a late boost in the third one-day international against South Africa at St George's Park Friday. Pakistan made 245 for eight in a rain-interrupted innings which finished with one ball remaining. The tourists were 217 for eight when rain stopped play after 47 overs. Azhar Mahmood and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan added another 28 when play resumed. Live Cricket (Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Musharraf attends briefing at SBP KARACHI, Feb 9 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday attended a briefing on monetary policy and foreign exchange management at the State Bank of Pakistan. Governor State Bank, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, briefed the President on the main issues relating to the monetary policy, inflation, interest rates, and foreign exchange management, with reference to the national and international perspectives. (Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Pakistan, EU to further strengthen cooperation ISLAMABAD, Feb 9 (APP) Pakistan and the European Union on Friday concluded another round of talks to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism measures. The talks were held here between Gijs M. de Vries, the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator, and inter-Ministerial officials headed by Additional Secretary (UN&EC) Tariq Osman Hyder. Pakistan stressed that in order to counter extremism, it was vital to improve socio-economic conditions of the country, and in this respect asked EU to play its role and increase its trade access. It also asked EU needed to look within itself to counter discrimination, Islamophobia and xenophobia. The EU was also asked to take action against terrorists and their supporters who were residing in EU countries, and were targeting Pakistan. (Posted @ 20:58 PST)
Thousands protest in occupied Kashmir against fake encounter SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 9 (AP) Thousands of residents held a street demonstration Friday to protest the killing of a civilian overnight in an alleged gunbattle by security forces, the army said. Chanting “Down with Indian army,” nearly 2,000 protesters accused government forces of killing a 37-year-old civilian, Mohammad Afzal, without any provocation. Protesters carried Afzal's body from Arigam, a village 50 kilometers south of Srinagar, to Tral, a nearby town, blocking the highway and forcing shops to shut down on the way. “There was no attack on the army. Afzal was dragged from the village mosque without any provocation and killed outside,” said a relative of Afzal. The army spokesman denied the allegations. Also Friday, unknown persons shot and killed a shop owner in a town 20 kilometers south of Srinagar, police said. (Posted @ 20:52 PST)
Pentagon criticizes key pre-Iraq war findings WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (AFP) Former US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld's top policy aide produced dubious intelligence reports linking Saddam Hussein and the Al-Qaeda terror network to bolster the case for war with Iraq, according to a Pentagon investigation. The work done by the Pentagon office headed by Douglas Feith was “inappropriate,” according to portions of a classified report released Friday by Democratic Senator Carl Levin. The report is a “devastating condemnation” of the office headed by former undersecretary of defense Feith, a civilian, who had a key role in drumming up domestic and international political support for invading Iraq in 2003, said Levin in a statement. (Posted @ 20:50 PST)
India plans to design, build medium combat aircraft BANGALORE, India, Feb 9 (AFP) India plans to design and develop a medium-combat aircraft at a cost of up to 2.27 billion dollars, a senior official said Friday. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is in talks with European, US and Russian companies interested in collaborating on the project, said M. Natarajan, the head of research and development at the agency. The medium-combat aircraft, or MCA, will be a twin-engine plane with stealth capabilities and may take 15 years to develop, Natarajan told reporters at the Bangalore air show. (Posted @ 20:48 PST)
Lockheed offers India extra military hardware BANGALORE, India, Feb 9 (AFP) Lockheed Martin, the US maker of defence equipment, sweetened its pitch for the F-16 fighter plane by offering to sell India a range of additional military hardware Friday. ”The P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft, C-130J tactical airlifter, MH-60R multi-role helicopter and PAC-3 air and missile defence system will help meet both present and anticipated Indian defence needs, Lockheed officials said at the Indian air show in Bangalore. Lockheed's F-16 is competing for a multi-billion-dollar Indian air force order for 126 multi-role fighter planes. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Thousands flee in Multan after quake rumours MULTAN, Pakistan, Feb 9 (AFP) Thousands of people in Multan fled their homes overnight following announcements from mosques that a major earthquake would strike, police and residents said Friday. Police said they received more than 350 telephone calls from panicked people seeking information about an impending quake while people living in old houses spent the night in the open. Panic also gripped the nearby towns of Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Pakpatan, Sahiwal, Jhang and Dera Ghazi Khan, residents said. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Cricket: England upset Australia in first tri-series final MELBOURNE, Feb 9 (AFP) England upset Australia by four wickets in the first triangular one-day series final at the MCG here on Friday. Paul Collingwood's second century in as many matches saw England recover from a poor start to make 253 for six in reply to Australia's 252. Collingwood made 120 not out as England won with three balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the finals. Brief scores: Australia 252 in 48.3 overs; England 253 for six in 49.3 overs. (Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Cricket: Akhtar, Asif risking life bans, says doping expert KARACHI, Feb 9 (AFP) Pakistan's decision to drug-test their entire World Cup squad could end in life bans for Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who recently won doping reprieves, an expert warned on Friday. Danish Zaheer, vice president of the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine, said the two bowlers could still have banned substances in their systems after testing positive in October. “To me it is not the good timing for Akhtar and Asif to have re-tests because if they test positive again, which is likely to happen, then on a second offense they face life bans,” Zaheer said. He added that Pakistan should have dealt the WADA appeal before the blanket re-testing, which was announced this week. (Posted @ 16:42 PST)
Violence breaks out at disputed Jerusalem holy site JERUSALEM, Feb 9 (AP) Hundreds of worshippers threw stones and bottles at Israeli police and scuffled with them after Friday prayers in protest over renovation work at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem's Old City. Police hurled stun grenades and canisters of tear gas at worshippers on the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, witnesses said. Police said several protesters and several officers were injured. (Posted @ 16:20 PST)
US think tank urges retreat from Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 9 (AFP) An independent think tank warned Friday that the situation in Iraq was beyond repair and urged that US forces should be pulled out whatever the result of the current “surge” of troops into Baghdad. A report from Washington's Council on Foreign Relations concluded that a US military victory was impossible in Iraq, where “amateurish” post-invasion rule by American officials had seen Iraq collapse into civil war. “The United States has already achieved all that it is likely to achieve in Iraq... Staying in Iraq can only drive up the price of those gains in blood, treasure and strategic position,” wrote Steven Simon, author of the report. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Bangladesh army chief says military won't seize power DHAKA, Feb 9 (AFP) Bangladesh's military has no intention of grabbing power, the country's army chief was reported as saying. The military is merely helping the new caretaker government put democracy back on track, private news agency UNB quoted army chief Lieutenant General Moeen U Ahmed as saying late Thursday. “The army has no intention of taking over. We are not even running the government,” he assured civic and political leaders at Bandarban in southeastern Bangladesh. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Pakistan seizes bombs, foils plot DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Feb 9 (AFP) Police said Friday they had foiled a terrorist plot after seizing 10 bombs on a road used by army convoys in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan. The devices, weighing between eight to ten kilos, were planted near a bus stop on the road towards the Waziristan tribal zone, police said. “The bombs were for terrorist activity and their timely discovery has foiled the plot,” town police spokesman Malik Ramazan said. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Eleven civilians killed, two missing after kidnap-murder south of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb 9 (AP) Gunmen dressed in Iraqi army uniforms swept into a village south of Baghdad early Friday, kidnapping 13 civilians and killing at least 11 of them, police said. The attack occurred around 5 a.m. local time in Imam village, a town about 75 kilometres south of the Baghdad. An Iraqi army spokesman acknowledged that the gunmen wore Iraqi army uniforms and drove military vehicles, but said they were not government soldiers. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Tennis- Pakistan Philipines 1-1 in Davis Cup MANILA, Feb 9 (AFP) Results from the Davis Cup tennis Asia/Oceania Zone Group II first round here on Friday: Cecil Mamiit (PHI) bt Jalil Khan (PAK) 6-1, 6-0, 6-1; Aqeel Khan (PAK) bt Eric Taino (PHI) 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5. (Posted @ 13:30 PST)
Three U.S. soldiers killed in Anbar province BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb 9 (AP) Three U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq's western Anbar province Thursday, the military said in a statement Friday. (Posted @ 12:30 PST)
Eight killed in U.S. airstrike south of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb 9 (AP) A U.S. airstrike killed eight suspected militants and destroyed a building in Arab Jabour, a suburb south of Baghdad, late Thursday, the U.S. military said Friday. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Moderate earthquake shakes southeast Turkey; dozens injured in panic ANKARA, Turkey, Feb 9 (AP) A moderate earthquake shook southeastern Turkey Friday, injuring more than two dozen people, the local governor said. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3, was centred in the town of Silivre, in the province of Elazig, some 750 kilometres southeast of Ankara, the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said. The quake was felt in neighbouring provinces and at least 28 people were hospitalized after jumping from balconies and windows, in fear of being trapped in their homes. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Bomb attack in India's northeast GUWAHATI, India, Feb 9 (AFP) A powerful bomb exploded at a railway station in India's northeastern state of Assam Friday, police said. An improvised explosive device went off at around 9:30 am at Kamakhya railway station in Assam's main city of Guwahati. “There were no casualties although the blast took place on a platform…no passengers around the place a possible disaster was averted,” a senior police official said. (Posted @ 12:00 PST)
Attack in occupied Kashmir kills civilian, four soldiers SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 9 (AP) Suspected militants attacked an army patrol party in occupied Kashmir’s Arigam village, 50 kilometers south of Srinagar, killing four soldiers and a civilian bystander late Thursday, police said Friday. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
North Korea to shut nuclear facility in two months TOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) North Korea would suspend operations at its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon within two months in exchange for energy aid under an agreement drafted by China, Kyodo news agency reported Friday. The agreement was drawn up after the first day of six-party talks among the two Koreas, Japan, the United States, Russia and China now being held in Beijing on ending North Korea's nuclear arms programme, Kyodo quoted unspecified negotiation sources at the negotiations as saying. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 22.44 points: KARACHI, Feb 09: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11844.65, down 22.44 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:00 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 09: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:00 PST)
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