|
| February 27, 2008 | Wednesday | Safar 19, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
|
 US cautions Pakistan over Taleban New Delhi, Feb 27 (PPI): United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates said any new government in Pakistan should be wary of holding talks with pro-Taleban militants. He told BBC Wednesday the previous administration's efforts to negotiate with the militants had not worked. Speaking in Delhi, Gates said polls had been “bad for (President) Mr Musharraf.” But he said U.S. hoped to continue working with the man he described as elected president. Gates said a new government would have to face the reality that Al-Qaeda militants and insurgents were operating along the frontier. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)  SC dismisses three petitions on NRO ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP): A five member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar of the Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed three petitions against National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and restored sections 6 and 7 of the Ordinance which were stayed by the Supreme Court earlier. The three petitions were dismissed due to non-prosecution as councils of Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Dr. Tariq Assad Advocate did not appear before the court. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)   Pakistan election victors hold first MPs meeting ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (AFP): Pakistan's election victors held the first joint meeting of their new MPs Wednesday in a show of strength against President Musharraf, party officials said. “Today's meeting will be a show of strength from the coalition partners,” said ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, who will attend the meeting alongside Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari. “Musharraf should convene the parliament session as early as possible now,” Khan told AFP. Security was heavy for the meeting at a top Islamabad hotel, with sniffer dogs and dozens of police guarding the 89 lawmakers from the PPP, 67 from Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N and 10 from the ANP. “Even if the heavens fall, we will not accept Pervez Musharraf as the legal, constitutional president,” senior PML-N member Chaudhry Nisar Ali told reporters as he arrived. Ali meanwhile criticised the country's electoral authorities, who have not yet officially announced the results from the elections nine days ago. “Today's meeting should not have arisen in a normal democratic set-up,” he said. “The election results should have been announced within two or three days, but it has not been done yet.” Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Dilshad said the results would be officially announced on March 1. “We are in the process of compiling these results, the bulk of them have been announced and only a few remain,” Dilshad told AFP. (Posted @ 14:40 PST) Nawaz Sharif says Musharraf must convene parliament now ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (AFP): Former premier Nawaz Sharif warned President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday that the victors of last week's elections would not wait “a single day more” for parliament to be convened. Addressing the first meeting of MPs from a coalition of the winners from the February 18 polls, Sharif questioned why the election commission had still not released official results. “I say on behalf of all of my colleagues that we inform Mr Musharraf that we are not prepared to wait for a single day more for the assembly to be convened,” Sharif told the MPs. “We must fight together, we must defeat dictatorship,” said Sharif. The coalition is just short of the two-thirds majority it needs to be able to impeach Musharraf who has rejected calls to step down. (Posted @ 15:25 PST) 
India missile test to start arms race: Pakistan naval chief KARACHI, Feb 27 (APP): India's successful test-firing of a nuclear-capable, submarine-launched missile will trigger a new arms race in the region, Pakistan's navy chief said on Wednesday. “These developments...put nuclear weapons at sea and it is a very, very serious issue,” navy chief Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir told reporters in Karachi. “This is going to start a new arms race in the region,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan. (Posted @ 18:00 PST) Oil spikes above $102 a barrel VIENNA, Feb 27 (AP): Oil prices rose to a new intraday high above $102 a barrel Wednesday as a slide in the U.S. dollar prompted investors to pump money into energy futures as a hedge against inflation. The dollar sank to a record low against the euro after the release of three disheartening U.S. economic reports Tuesday that show the economy is slowing even as prices are rising. The dollar's decline prompted investors to seek a safe haven from turmoil in the financial markets and the threat of inflation. Light, sweet crude for April delivery spiked at $102.08 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange before slipping to $101.28. (Posted @ 17:25 PST) Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi appointed Balochistan Governor Islamabad, Feb 27 (PPI): President Pervez Musharraf has appointed Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi as Governor of Balochistan, it was officialy stated here Wednesday. He will take oath of his office on Thursday in Quetta. (Posted @ 16:40 PST) Afghan minister survives rocket attack, ambush KABUL, Feb 27 (Reuters): Afghanistan's interior minister survived a rocket and small arms ambush by suspected Taliban on Wednesday, a ministry official said. Interior Minister Zarar Ahmad Moqbel was travelling through Tangi Abrishim area of Laghman province when the attackers opened fire on his convoy with a single rocket, then followed up with small arms fire. The minister's guards returned fire, but there was no news of casualties in the exchange. It was also not clear if the attackers knew he was in the convoy, said the official. (Posted @ 16:20 PST) US-India to study missile defence NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (Reuters): The United States and India will study the possibility of a joint missile defence system, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday, stressing talks were only in their early stages. “We're just beginning to talk about perhaps conducting a joint analysis about what India's needs would be in the realm of missile defence and where cooperation between us might help advance that,” Gates told reporters. He said the Pentagon wanted to build a relationship focused on long-term cooperation with India. “We're not looking for quick results or big leaps forward,” Gates told reporters. (Posted @ 14:30PST) 
Two Pakistanis handing over to India: Nepal SC issues notices to authorities Kathmandu, Feb 27 (PPI): Nepal’s Supreme Court issued show cause notices to Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range and the Home Affairs Ministry to explain why two Pakistani nationals, detained here in 2006, were handed over to the Indian authorities. Police arrested Wallid Sajjad and Asif Ali from Jagat Hotel at Jyatha on July 12. The notices came in response to a habeas corpus petition filed in the apex court by the Voice for the Human and Prisoners' Rights on Sunday. (Posted @ 22:30 PST) Stolen Pakistani artifacts recovered in Italy ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP): Pakistan’s long lost archeological artifacts have been recovered in Italy. An Archaeology and Museums Department official said ancient artifacts from Lahore and Peshawar museums were taken to Delhi by archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler in 1946 for exhibition but never returned. Almost 100 rare artifacts dating back as far as 4000 BC were brought illegally to Italy and discovered at a 2005 antiques fair. The items were delivered symbolically to Pakistan’s ambassador in Rome and will reach Pakistan in two months. (Posted @ 21:45 PST) Russia warns Iran it may back UN sanctions MOSCOW, Feb 27 (Reuters): Russia warned Iran Wednesday that it would support a new set of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme unless Tehran stopped uranium enrichment in the next few days. Russia's U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin said Moscow could back a sanctions resolution the Western powers have drafted and which they seek to discuss in the Security Council this week. “If Iran in the next few days does not stop the enrichment activities of its heavy water project then yes, Russia ... has taken upon itself certain commitments... to support the resolution drafted in the past month,” Churkin told reporters via video link from New York. (Posted @ 20:35 PST) Small plane crashes in Chilean capital, killing 8 SANTIAGO, Feb 27 (AP): A small police plane crashed Wednesday at a sports field in Chile's capital, killing all six aboard and two on the ground, authorities reported. The Cessna 210 was approaching Tobolaba airport when it went down at the field in Penalolen district, the air force's aeronautics department reported. (Posted @ 19:55 PST) Cricket: India enter U-19 World Cup final KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (AFP): India defeated New Zealand by three wickets in a rain-hit day-night match on Wednesday to enter the final of cricket's under-19 World Cup here. India await the winners of Friday's second semi-final between defending champions Pakistan and South Africa in the title clash on Sunday. (Posted @ 19:35 PST) First ship to anchor at Gwadar Port on March 15 ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP): The first cargo ship will anchor at Gwadar Port on March 15. Caretaker Minister for Shipping and Ports, Faheem Ansari said the first ship carrying 50,000 tonnes of wheat will anchor at Gwadar Port on March 15. (Posted @ 19:25 PST) Norway's troops cleared to go to south Afghanistan OSLO, Feb 27 (Reuters): Norway's defence ministry said Wednesday it would allow some of its soldiers stationed in Afghanistan to go to the south of the country where battles against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have been the toughest. Norway has about 500 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission. For months it has resisted its allies’ pressure to send its soldiers to the volatile south. But a group of 50 soldiers, to be sent to in October to help train the Afghan army, will be able to accompany Afghan troops into southern Afghanistan. (Posted @ 19:05 PST) Heathrow protesters scale British parliament roof LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters): Protesters scaled the roof of Britain's parliament in a major security breach on Wednesday and threatened further direct action against government plans to expand London's Heathrow airport. “NO THIRD RUNWAY,” read one of the banners they unfurled and hung down the side of the building. The demonstration followed another serious breach on Monday when Greenpeace activists penetrated Heathrow's own security to climb on an aircraft and wrap a banner around its tail plane. (Posted @ 18:55 PST) 
Alleged Singapore JI leader escapes: ministry SINGAPORE, Feb 27 (AFP): The alleged leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant network in Singapore has escaped from custody, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Wednesday. Mas Selamat bin Kastari escaped from a local detention centre at 0805 GMT, the ministry said in a news release. “Selamat was the leader of the Singapore JI network. He walks with a limp and is presently at large. Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down,” it said. (Posted @ 18:45 PST) No timetable to pull out troops from Iraq: Turkish official BAGHDAD, Feb 27 (AFP): Turkey will not set a timetable to withdraw troops from northern Iraq until they have destroyed the Kurdish rebels’ rear bases, a senior Turkish official told reporters on Wednesday. “There will be no timetable to withdraw Turkish troops from northern Iraq until the presence of the terrorist organisation is eliminated,” Ahmet Davutoglu, chief foreign policy advisor of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said after crisis talks with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad. (Posted @ 18:40 PST) Lebanon court summons Libyan leader Kadhafi BEIRUT, Feb 27 (AFP): A Lebanese court has given Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi two months to appear for questioning over the disappearance of Lebanese Shia leader Imam Mussa Sadr 30 years ago or face a possible arrest warrant. Judicial sources confirmed that the summons which was posted outside the court on Tuesday gave judges the right to issue an arrest warrant if the summons goes unanswered for two months. Sadr disappeared while in Libya with two companions in 1978. There has been no trace of the three men since. (Posted @ 18:35 PST) 
Thousands rally in Armenia against election YEREVAN, Feb 27 (AFP): Tens of thousands of opposition supporters rallied in the centre of the Armenian capital Yerevan on Wednesday as part of round-the-clock protests against a presidential election last week. Protesters are calling on the authorities to annul the result of the February 19 election, which handed victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian over opposition challenger Levon Ter-Petrosian over alleged fraud. Wednesday was the eighth straight day of protests in Yerevan by the opposition. (Posted @ 18:30 PST) Somali soldier kills minister's brother in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Feb 27 (Reuters): The brother of Somalia's information minister was shot dead in Mogadishu on Wednesday by a soldier guarding the president, witnesses said. Abukar Abdisalan, the elder brother of Ahmed Abdisalan Aden, was talking on his mobile phone which apparently raised the troops’ suspicions at a nearby road junction. One of the government soldiers aimed his gun at us,” another relative told Reuters. “We panicked and ran and the soldier chased Abukar and shot him in the head.” A government spokesman confirmed the incident. (Posted @ 18:20 PST) Israeli army kills seven Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank GAZA, Feb 27 (Reuters): The Israeli army killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza and one in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, including Hamas supporters. Five of the Palestinians were killed when the van in which they were travelling was attacked from the air near the town of Khan Younis, medical officials said. In the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli forces wearing civilian clothes killed one militant and wounded and detained four others, a Palestinian official said. (First Posted @ 15:55 PST; Updated @ 17:57 PST)
Three suspected militants arrested with suicide bomb jackets, say police ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (AP): Police said they arrested three suspected militants Wednesday in Punjab and seized two suicide jackets the suspects were allegedly carrying in shopping bags. The three men were suspected members of the outlawed militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, said Pervez Tareen Sardar, a police officer. He said the three were waiting at a bus stop in Pul Miran village when residents became suspicious and called the police. It was not clear what drew the residents' attention to them. (Posted @ 16:55 PST) India, Israel to jointly develop anti-aircraft missiles NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (AFP): India will jointly build a surface-to-air missile with its second biggest weapons supplier Israel and hopes for such collaborations with other countries, the defence minister said Wednesday. “A project has been finalised with (state-run) Israeli Aerospace Industry for the joint development of a futuristic long range surface-to-air missile,”Defence Minister A.K. Antony announced in parliament. He did not give details of the project. (Posted @ 16:42 PST) Earthquake jolts Chaman town QUETTA, Feb 27 (APP): An earthquake with a 3.5 magnitude shook Chaman, district headquarters of Killa Abdullah and its adjoining villages on Wednesday. The quake struck at about 11:09am and many people in Chaman and other areas said they had felt the tremors, Assistant Metallurgical Officer Ali Gul told APP. He said the quake's epicenter was two kilometer east of Chaman town. (Posted @ 16:30 PST) Turkish parties ask top court to cancel law allowing Islamic head scarf in varsities ANKARA, Feb 27 (AP): Two secular Turkish opposition parties jointly appealed to the Constitutional Court on Wednesday to overturn a law allowing women to wear Islamic head scarves in universities. The Republican People's Party and Democratic Left Party said the law, already approved by the parliament and the president, violated the secular principles of the Constitution. Most universities have defied the higher education board instructions and denied entry to students wearing an Islamic head scarf. (Posted @ 16:25 PST) Turkey says 77 more PKK rebels killed in N. Iraq ANKARA, Feb 27 (Reuters): Turkey's military General Staff said on Wednesday 77 more Kurdish PKK rebels and five more Turkish soldiers had been killed in heavy fighting in northern Iraq since Tuesday evening. The latest figures bring the total death toll among the rebels to 230 and among soldiers to 24, according to Ankara's estimates. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) Thai officials say Thaksin to return from exile Thursday BANGKOK, Feb 27 (AFP): Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will return to Thailand on Thursday for the first time since the military toppled his government in a bloodless coup 17 months ago, officials said. Thaksin has lived in exile since the coup, staying mainly in Britain. Two government officials said Thaksin would arrive in Bangkok at 0240 GMT Thursday on a Thai Airways flight from Hong Kong. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) EU hits Microsoft with record 899 million euro anti-trust fine BRUSSELS, Feb 27 (AFP): The European Commission fined Microsoft a record 899 million euros ($1.4 billion) on Wednesday for failing to comply with its landmark 2004 antitrust ruling against the US software giant. (Posted @ 15:55 PST) Ethiopia rebels say killed 43 soldiers in 2 weeks ADDIS ABABA, Feb 27 (Reuters): Ethiopian rebels said Wednesday they had killed 43 soldiers during two weeks of battles in the Ogaden region, but the government said there had been no fighting in the area. “The bulk of the fighting has taken place in northern Ogaden in and around Nogob province,” the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement. (Posted @ 15:45 PST) Sharon's son imprisoned as father turns 80 JERUSALEM, Feb 27 (Reuters): Ariel Sharon's son went to jail on Wednesday, the 80th birthday of the comatose former Israeli prime minister. Omri Sharon, 43, pleaded guilty in 2005 to having raised funds illegally for his father's 1999 Likud party leadership election campaign. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Six injured in blast in India's restive northeast GUWAHATI, Feb 27 (AFP): At least six people were injured, four of them critically, in a powerful explosion Wednesday in a crowded marketplace in India's insurgency-hit northeast state of Assam, police said. “The bomb was strapped to a bicycle and went off in a market area injuring six people,” said a police spokesman by telephone from Tezpur town about 180 kilometres north of Assam's main city of Guwahati. “Police in Tezpur, , blamed the explosion on the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), a banned rebel group fighting for an independent homeland since 1979. (Posted @ 15:32 PST) India says hundreds of pashmina goats die in cold SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Feb 27 (AFP): Hundreds of rare Himalayan goats whose wool is used to make Kashmir's famed pashmina shawls have died due to heavy snow and lack of fodder, officials said Wednesday. “Hundreds of pashmina goats, young ones in particular, have perished due to unusually intense winter,” chairman Ladakh Hill Development Council said by telephone from the regional capital Leh. “I visited some of the areas and saw at least 600 bodies of animals,” he said. The mountain goats produce wool for Kashmir's feather-light pashmina shawls, which are exported to Europe, the Middle East and the United States. (Posted @ 15:30 PST) Long Turk incursion would be “dire:” Barham Saleh BAGHDAD, Feb 27 (Reuters): Iraq's acting prime minister Barham Saleh warned Wednesday of “dire” consequences for the region if Turkey carried out a prolonged incursion into northern Iraq, where its troops are hunting PKK Kurdish rebels. “The consequences are dire. This is a very dangerous, precarious situation,” Saleh told Reuters on the sidelines of an economic conference in Baghdad when asked what would happen if the offensive was not halted soon. Saleh said a special envoy from Turkey, who is holding talks with Iraqi officials in Baghdad on the crisis, would be told the incursion had “not been conducive to Iraq-Turkey relations” and that the Iraqi government wanted the offensive to stop. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
Roadside blast kills pilgrim in Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb 27 (AP): A roadside bomb struck a minibus carrying travellers to a religious commemoration Wednesday morning, killing one traveller and wounding two others, police said. Wednesday's attack occurred in eastern Baghdad when the bomb went off next to the minibus, according to a police officer who spoke requesting anonymity. (Posted @ 14:50 PST) Three Russian tourists killed in Thai bus accident BANGKOK, Feb 27 (AFP): At least three Russian tourists were killed and more than 20 others injured in a bus accident Wednesday while travelling to Bangkok from the nearby beach resort of Pattaya, police said. The chartered tour bus was carrying 38 Russian holidaymakers when it veered off the highway, hitting a roadside barrier and then careering into a traffic island near Bangkok's international airport at 10:00 am. “The accident was caused by the rain, which made the road slippery,” said Lieutenant Colonel Amornchai Panya, commander of Thailand's highway police. (Posted @ 14:31 PST) Israel air strikes kills six Gaza militants GAZA, Feb 27 (Reuters): Israeli air strikes killed at least six Palestinians in the Gaza Strip Wednesday, Palestinian medical staff and militant groups said. Hamas said five of its militants were killed in an air strike that targeted a van travelling near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. The Islamic Jihad militant group said one of its gunmen was killed in an early morning air strike east of the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. (First Posted @ 11:20 PST, Updated @ 14:30 PST)
Two South Korean Cabinet nominees resign over ethical lapses SEOUL, South Korea, Feb 27 (AP): Two nominees for South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's first Cabinet resigned Wednesday following allegations of ethical lapses, Lee's spokesman said. Nam Joo-hong, named to be unification minister for dealing with North Korea, and Park Eun-kyung, nominee for environment minister, offered to quit and Lee accepted the resignations, spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said. They are the second and third ministers-designate for the new Cabinet to resign over allegations of real-estate speculation and other irregularities. (Posted @ 12:30 PST) Two killed, four hurt in attacks in Thai south YALA, Thailand, Feb 27 (AFP): A Thai army ranger was killed and four others wounded Wednesday in a roadside bomb attack in southern Thailand, police said. The 20-kilo bomb exploded at the foot of a bridge as a ranger patrol truck passed by, flipping over the vehicle and leaving a metre-wide crater in the road in Yala province, police said. Militants then opened fire on the rangers, kicking off a five-minute gunbattle, they added. Earlier in nearby Narathiwat province, a 60-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting, police added. (Posted @ 12:22 PST) China says factory fire kills 15 in southern Shenzhen BEIJING, Feb 27 (AP): An early morning factory fire killed 15 people and severely injured three others in Guangdong province’s Shenzhen city, Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday. (Posted @ 12:15 PST) Philippine floods kill 35, survivors rebuild homes MANILA, Feb 27 (Reuters): Residents in central and southern Philippine were rebuilding houses as floods subsided after two weeks of heavy rains that killed 35 people and left 10 missing, officials said Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of people were returning to their dwellings, although in some parts of the province houses were still submerged in flood waters, officials said. A majority of the deaths were due to drowning, but at least 11 people were killed by landslides. (Posted @ 10:40 PST) Sri Lanka says 15 killed in clashes COLOMBO, Feb 27 (AFP): Sporadic clashes left at least 13 Tamil Tiger guerrillas and two Sri Lankan government soldiers dead around rebel-held territory in the north, the defence ministry said Wednesday. Security forces killed nine members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Vavuniya region, just outside the rebel-held Wanni, while the other four rebels were killed elsewhere in the region Tuesday, the ministry said. Two government soldiers died while another four were wounded in the fighting, the ministry added. The ministry also raised the number of rebels killed in Monday's clashes to 46 from an earlier figure of 14. There was no comment from the rebels. (Posted @ 10:30 PST) One killed, four missing as helicopter carrying Brazil oil workers goes down at sea RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Feb 27 (AP): A helicopter carrying Brazilian oil workers made a forced landing in the ocean shortly after leaving an offshore oil rig Tuesday, killing one passenger and leaving four others missing, said state-controlled oil company, Petrobras. The helicopter went down less than 100 kilometres offshore from the coastal city of Macae in Rio de Janeiro state, Petrobras said in a statement. It was carrying 17 oil workers and three crew members. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) Clinton slams Obama for threatening 'to bomb Pakistan' CLEVELAND, Ohio, Feb 27 (AFP): White House hopeful Hillary Clinton slammed her Democratic rival Barack Obama Tuesday for suggesting he would order a raid against Al-Qaeda inside Pakistan if President Musharraf failed to act. Clinton questioned the wisdom of Obama's threat during a key debate here before crucial nominating contests in Ohio and Texas. “Last summer, he basically threatened to bomb Pakistan, which I don't think was a particularly wise position to take,” Clinton said. Obama denied that he threatened to bomb Pakistan in a speech last year. “What I said was that if we have actionable intelligence against (Osama) bin Laden or other key Al-Qaeda officials ... and Pakistan is unwilling or unable to strike against them, we should,” he said. (Posted @ 09:25 PST) Rice in Japan, leaves North Korea negotiator in China TOKYO, Feb 27 (AFP): US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived Wednesday in Japan on an Asian tour but left her chief nuclear negotiator in China to try to end an impasse over North Korea's denuclearisation, her spokesman said. The decision for negotiator Christopher Hill to stay in Beijing was taken after Rice had a “good conversation” with Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters travelling with Rice. Rice is on the third leg of a tour that began in South Korea. (Posted @ 09:20 PST) Two Polish soldiers killed in Afghanistan blast WARSAW, Feb 27 (AFP): Two Polish soldiers were killed Tuesday and a third injured in a landmine blast in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, the army announced in Warsaw. The explosion occurred when a military convoy was passing a spot about three kilometres from the Sharana military base, a communique said. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Moderate quake shakes Britain LONDON, Feb 27 (AFP): A moderate earthquake rattled much of Britain early Wednesday, causing minor damage, although no injuries were immediately reported. The British Geological Survey said on its website that the tremors measured 5.3 on the Richter scale. According to the BGS, the earthquake struck at 12:56 am, some 205 kilometres north of London, close to the northeastern English shore near the town of Lincoln. (Posted @ 09:05 PST) Karachi Stocks down 35.65 points: KARACHI, Feb 27: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 15020.47, down 35.65 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 27: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 62.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
|
