News Update Place

NEW YORK: The price of oil closed at a record high of 96.70 dollars a barrel in New York, after earlier hitting an all-time peak above 97 dollars, amid concerns about tight US supplies.

New York’s main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, hit an all-time high of 97.10 dollars a barrel in intraday trade.

Oil prices moved steadily toward the symbolic 100-dollar level on the eve of crucial supply data from the United States, the world’s largest energy consumer.

The record-breaking run came as traders bet on falling US energy supplies ahead of the northern hemisphere winter, when demand for heating fuel is expected to shoot higher, analysts said.

According to analysts falling dollar, losses to financial institutions in the world market, uncertainty in stock markets and limited oil supplies affecting the prices.

The oil prices hike could hit hard the economies of developing countries, analysts added.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Mahmud Ali Durrani has described imposition of emergency as a “short move” saying it would be lifted soon.

Talking to US media he said a caretaker setup would be announced shortly that would hold general elections in the country.

Defending proclamation of emergency Durrani said only lawyers and some political parties are protesting against the step but the protest has not cause any uncertainty in the country.

Responding to a question about arrests Pakistan envoy in Washington denied thousands arrests in the country and claimed that few hundred lawyers and some other persons have been detained after proclamation of emergency.

ISLAMABAD: Deposed Supreme Court judges, ousted by the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) were detained at their houses and thousands others including prominent lawyers and politicians have been arrested after declaration of state of emergency by Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

A seven-member bench of the Supreme Court declared the Army Chief’s step unconstitutional and refused to take oath under the PCO..

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges including Justice Bhagwandas, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Justice Sardar Raza Khan, Justice Falak Sher, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Tasaddique Hussain Jillani, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, Justice Chaudhry Ejaz Ahmed, Justice Syed Jamshed Ali, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Ghulam Rabbani have been detained at their homes.

Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Mr. Justice Sabeehuddin, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and others have also been put under house arrest.

Lahore High Court Judges that refused to take oath under the PCO are Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif, Justice Mian Najm-uz-Zaman, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Moulvi Anwar-ul-Haq, Justice Sair Ali, Justice Mian Hamid Farooq, Justice Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice M.A. Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Javed Sarfaraz, Justice Jahangir Arshad, Justice Shaikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Muhammad Ata Bandial and Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rahman.

Police have also arrested President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, former president of SCBA Munir Malik, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Justice (Rtd) Tariq Mehmood, Sahibzada Anwar Hameed, President Lahore High Court Bar Ahsan Bhon, President Sindh High Court Bar Abrar Hassan, President Lahore Bar Association Syed Muhammad Shah, President Karachi Bar Iftikhar Javed Qazi, President Balochistan High Court Bar Hadi Shakil Advocate and other prominent lawyers.

Former ISI chief Gen. (Rtd) Hameed Gul, and dozens prominent politicians including Javed Hashmi and Khwaja Asif of Muslim League (N), Asfandyar Wali, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Balochistan National Party leader Akhtar Hussain Lango and Jamat Islami’s Munawwar Hassan have also been detained.

KARACHI - Nov 06: Market dip depressed investors. An unidentified broker dozed off because of low level of activity in the last two hours before closing time at the stock exchange

Bush urges Musharraf to end state of emergency

WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush on Monday strongly urged Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf to end a state of emergency imposed in the country and “restore democracy as quickly as possible.”

“We expect there to be elections as soon as possible, and for the president to remove his military uniform,” Bush said during a joint public appearance with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Bush has called on Musharraf to hold elections and relinquish his army post.
He said he instructed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to deliver that message in a telephone call with Musharraf.

Rice calls Musharraf to underscore U.S. opposition to emergency rule
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to underscore U.S. opposition to his decision to impose a state of emergency, a senior U.S. official said.

Rice telephoned Musharraf from her plane as she was returning to Washington from the Middle East, the official told US news agency, adding that President George W. Bush was expected to provide some details of the call.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Bush’s announcement, said Rice had made clear that the United States was deeply disappointed in the weekend move and wanted Musharraf to rescind the decision as well as hold elections as scheduled in January.

Islamabad : Pakistan government has decided to impose emergency. The Dawn news channel has reported that official announcement will come soon.

It further added that paramilitary forces have been moved to important cities in Pakistan and army pickets have been setup at important points.

Private channels have been taken out of air in All the BIG CITIES, The Dawn reported. However, official confirmation is yet to come.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, state TV said, ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win.

The report gave no reason for the emergency but it follows weeks of speculation that the president — who is also chief of the army — could take the step, amid rising political turmoil and Islamic militant violence.

“The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order,” a newscaster on Pakistan TV said.

The U.S. and other Western allies this week urged him not to take steps that would jeopardize the country’s transition to democracy. Musharraf took power in a 1999 coup.

During previous emergencies in Pakistan, a provisional constitutional order has led to the suspension of some basic rights of citizens and for judges to take a fresh oath of office.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking to reporters Thursday en route to diplomatic meetings in Turkey and the Middle East, said the U.S. would not support any move by Musharaff to declare martial law.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, state TV said.

“The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order,” a newscaster on Pakistan TV said.

We will update you soon with details.

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DEATH TOLL IN KARACHI BOMBING REACHES 140, 539 INJURED

While Karachi police issues sketch of suspect suicide bomber

KARACHI: The FIR has been registered on Friday at Bahadaurabad police station against the bomb blasts in the Benazir Bhutto’s welcome procession under Anti-terrorism Act.

Talking to Geo News, Supervisory police officer Nawaz Ranjha said FIR has been registered with SHO Bahadaurabad police station as plaintiff against the unidentified terrorists.

The case is marked #183/07 with clauses related with terrorism, blast, murder and murder attempt applying to it.

Police has issued the sketch of the alleged suicide attacker. According to the police, the head of the suicide attacker was found from the spot of bomb blasts and police used it for preparing the sketch.

Benazir vows to live in country to continue struggle for democracy to save Pakistan

KARACHI: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto vowed on Friday to live in country to continue struggle for democracy to save Pakistan despite heavy loss of lives incurred as a result of assassination attempt made on her life through a suicide attack on caravan of PPP, which was moving towards Mazar-e-Quaid after return of Benazir to Pakistan on Thursday.

The suicide attack on PPP caravan at Shahra-e-Faisal near Karsaz on Thursday night left at least 139 people dead including three police officers and over 550 were injured.

Addressing a press conference here, she thanked God Almighty for protecting her and top PPP leaders, saying “ The assassination attempt was not on me alone but all other top PPP leaders were also targeted.”

Benazir expressed shock and deep grief over loss of PPP workers, security guards and police officers and cops.

Benazir termed the suicide attack as an attack on democracy, integrity of Pakistan and humanity saying, “ The unity and integrity of Pakistan depends on restoration of democratic order in Pakistan.”

Bhutto was unhurt in Thursday night’s attack, having climbed into her specially fortified vehicle just moments before two explosions ripped through crowds welcoming her back to Karachi after eight years in exile.

The streets, packed with hundreds of thousands of her jubilant supporters, quickly became a scene of bloody carnage. The campaign bus was scorched and dented.

“The attack was not on me, the attack was on what I represent,” Bhutto told a press conference in the port city.

Bhutto pledged to defy the “cowards” from Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups who had vowed to launch suicide attacks against her before she flew home from Dubai.
“If it means sacrificing our lives, then we are prepared to risk our lives, but we are not prepared to surrender our great nation to the militants,” she said.

78 killed, dozens wounded in 2 blasts on Bhutto

Update: 85 killed, (60 minimum) dozens wounded in 2 blasts on Bhutto

In Response to Last Post

President and PM Condemns Karachi Blasts.

Visuals taken from Local TV Channels Update Place Exclusive

Blast Visuals

Blast Visuals 2

More then 65 killed in Bhutto blasts 100+ wounded.

Bhutto was being driven in a convoy through crowded streets from Karachi airport to a rally to mark her homecoming after eight years in exile.

Mrs Bhutto was not thought to be among the casualties. Two cars are on fire.

Hundreds of thousands of people had turned out to greet the former PM, amid a huge security presence.

Several Islamist groups including pro-Taleban militants have made threats against Mrs Bhutto.

The motorcade is now said to be at a standstill, and police have cordoned off the scene of the blasts.

The area around a stage where she was due to give a speech to supporters has been evacuated.

Police say the bombings may have been suicide attacks.

Pakistan’s highest court is hearing challenges to the legality of Pervez Musharraf’s re-election earlier this month as president, amid confirmation by Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, that she intends to return from exile on Thursday.

Musharraf’s opponents are petitioning the court that he was ineligible to contest the October 6 vote by politicians.

A day before the vote, the court ruled that official results could only be declared once it had decided whether Musharraf was properly qualified.

With opposition parties boycotting the election, Musharraf received an overwhelming majority of the votes cast by federal and provincial politicians.

Unconstitutional

The opposition argued that it was unconstitutional for an outgoing parliament to choose a new president and that Musharraf was disqualified under a bar on public servants seeking elected office.

Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Islamabad, said: “Thousands of opposition supporters have gathered outside the court.”

Musharraf has promised to resign from his army job before beginning a new five-year presidential term.

His term and that of parliament expire on November 15.

It is unclear when the nine-member panel of judges will rule on the case, which has injected more uncertainty into Pakistan’s already turbulent politics.

Bhutto’s return

Wednesday’s court hearing in Islamabad coincided with an announcement by Bhutto that she would leave for the Pakistani city of Karachi the next day to begin her campaign for parliamentary elections due by January.

“My return heralds for the people of Pakistan the turn of the wheel from dictatorship to democracy, from exploitation to empowerment, from violence to peace,” she said at a news conference in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

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Hyder said, however, that many Pakistanis were not happy with her agreeing a power-sharing deal with Musharraf.

“Such talk is not likely to go down well with many people in Pakistan,” he said.

Musharraf has held talks with Bhutto that could see them form an alliance after the elections are complete.

The supreme court is also examining the legality of an amnesty signed by Musharraf that quashed corruption cases against her and others and paved the way for her return from eight years of self-exile.

Officials had urged Bhutto to delay her return because of the legal uncertainties.

Few, though, expect that she will face the same treatment as Nawaz Sharif, another exiled former premier who was swiftly deported to Saudi Arabia when he tried to return last month.

The supreme court is to hear later a petition from Sharif later on Wednesday, arguing that he should be allowed to return.

A Palestinian fighter and an Israeli soldier have been killed after Israeli army troops raided the southern Gaza Strip, officials have said.

Israeli troops shot dead Hazem Asfur, 21, of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, during the raid east of the town of Khan Younis on Wednesday, Palestinian medical sources said.

The Israeli soldier was critically injured in later exchanges of gunfire and was declared dead after being taken to a hospital, an Israeli army spokesman said.

Four Palestinians were also wounded in the incursion, nearly one kilometre inside Palestinian territory.

Houses raided

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza reported that a number of Israeli military vehicles, backed by helicopters, raided Khan Younis’ eastern Farahin district.

The vehicles raided the area amid intensive and indiscriminate gunfire at Palestinian citizens’ houses, he reported.

Eyewitnesses told the correspondent that a group of Israeli special forces infiltrated the district before the raid and had occupied a number of civilians’ houses, turning them into military bases.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said “terrorist threats and rocket-launching infrastructure” were the target of the raids.

Israeli troops shot several Palestinian fighters who had struck an Israeli armoured vehicle with an anti-tank rocket, she said.

Israel has tried with little success to stop frequent rocket fire from Gaza, which the Israeli government last month branded a “hostile territory”.

he US secretary of state has flown back to Israel to resume intense preparations for a looming Middle East summit after securing cautious Egyptian support for the conference.

Condoleezza Rice is to hold a second round of talks with Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, on Wednesday.

David Chater, Al Jazeera’s correspondent, said Abbas would likely press Rice to get concessions from Israel on “core issues”.

“But if she does force concessions [from Israel] it might mean the collapse of the coaltion government of the Israeli prime minsiter Ehud Olmert,” he said.
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