Pakistan says sunroof, not bomb or bullets, killed Bhutto

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - - Pakistan's interior ministry said Friday that Benazir Bhutto was killed after smashing her head on her car's sunroof while trying to duck, and that no bullet or shrapnel was found inside her.

The ministry also said it had intercepted a phone call from a top Al-Qaeda figure congratulating a militant for the attack on her Thursday, and said there was "irrefutable evidence" the group was trying to destabilise the country.
Bhutto's death after a suicide bomber blew himself up at her campaign rally has plunged this nuclear-armed Islamic nation into turmoil, but the ministry said she would have lived if only she had stayed inside her car.
"If she had not come out of the vehicle, she would have been unhurt, as all the other occupants of the vehicle did not receive any injuries," ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema said.
He said the post-mortem on the populist opposition leader, whose funeral earlier Friday was attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners, found her mortal wound came when she tried to duck after the bomber attacked.
The bomber also apparently fired three times at her but missed, Cheema said.
When she ducked, she hit the lever of the sunroof of the car that was to speed her away from a campaign rally as she was gearing up to contest parliamentary elections set for January 8.
"The lever struck near her right ear and fractured her skull," Cheema said. "There was no bullet or metal shrapnel found in the injury."
Cheema showed a brief video of the moments before the attack and the blast itself but it was unclear.
He said intelligence services had intercepted a call Friday from the man considered to be a top Al-Qaeda figure for Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud, congratulating a militant after Bhutto's death.
He said there was "irrefutable evidence that Al-Qaeda, its networks and cohorts are trying to destabilise Pakistan".
"We have recorded his conversation in which he is congratulating a militant for the attack," Cheema said, adding that Mehsud was also behind the suicide attack on Bhutto's homecoming rally in October that killed 139 people.
"He is responsible for most of the attacks that have taken place in the country," the spokesman said, calling for national unity "to eliminate the proponents of death and destruction who are trying to destabilise Pakistan."
Pakistani authorities say Mehsud is based in the troubled tribal region of South Waziristan, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since the fall of the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001.
Mehsud had until recently been described by officials as the top pro-Taliban militant commander in the region but is increasingly said to have links to bin Laden's Al-Qaeda group.

American football player Vick begins life behind bars before sentencing

RICHMOND, United States (AFP) - - Former American football star Michael Vick turned himself over to US marshals here Monday to begin serving a prison sentence for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy.
Vick, a National Football League star with the Atlanta Falcons before the dogfighting scandal ruined his career, and three co-defendants pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel to aid illegal gambling and dogfighting.
Vick decided to begin serving his sentence even before judge Henry Hudson imposes punishment upon Vick on December 10 at his scheduled hearing.
By serving Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday in prison, Vick might give himself more time to prepare for a future NFL season, provided he receives reinstatement from league officials and interest from clubs.
Vick faces up to five years in federal prison but sentencing guidelines that Hudson will consider when rendering his decision upon a sentence suggest Vick would serve 12 to 18 months behind bars.
Should Vick serve 18 months, he would be out two months ahead of the start of training camps for the 2009 season rather than a month or less had he waited to begin serving time after the sentencing hearing.
State charges of animal cruelty are also possible against Vick, who owned the area that served as a kennel where dogs were trained to fight.
Vick signed a 10-year, 130 million-dollar contract with the Falcons in December of 2004, although an arbitrator ruled earlier this month that he owes the Falcons 19.97 million dollars in signing bonuses for violating his contract.
Vick admitted sharing responsibility in the slayings of six to eight dogs who had performed poorly in fights, including deaths by hanging, drowning and beating that sparked outrage across the United States.
"I accept the responsibility for my actions and what I did and now I have to pay the consequences for it," Vick said on August 27 when he issued his guilty plea.
"I made a mistake in using bad judgement. Dogfighting is a terrible thing and I do reject it."
Vick confessed to bankrolling the dogfight operation but said he did not wager on the fights.
When the scandal became public just before the start of NFL training camps in July, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell banned Vick from joining the Falcons until the dogfight affair was settled.
Vick had denied any wrongdoing but in the wake of his reversal, Vick remains suspended without pay.
"Your admitted conduct was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible," Goodell wrote. "Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by your actions."
Vick, 27, was a quarterback known for his ability to threaten defenses by throwing or running the ball.
In six NFL seasons with the Falcons, Vick completed 930 of 1,730 passes for 11,505 yards and 71 touchdowns with 52 interceptions and ran 529 times for 3,859 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In 2006, Vick had his best rushing season, carrying 123 times for 1,039 yards and two touchdowns, and second-best passing campaign, completing 204 of 388 passes for 2,474 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Man Injured in fight at Lucky Plaza, police looking for suspect

SINGAPORE : A man sustained injuries on his face and arm following a fight in Lucky Plaza on Friday afternoon.
Police said they received a call at around 3.45pm, and when they arrived, they found the injured man. He was later sent to the Singapore General Hospital.
Police are now looking for a male suspect who has a dark complexion, dyed brown hair and tattoos on both arms. He was last seen wearing a dark—coloured shirt.
Investigations are ongoing. — CNA /ls

Blast kills three at Philippines house

MANILA, Nov 8, 2007 (AFP) - A house stocked with explosives blew up near the the Philippines capital Manila Thursday, killing at least three people, police said.
The house was apparently being used to illegally manufacture explosives probably meant for industrial use, Superintendent Antonio Yara, police chief of Bacoor town south of Manila, said.
The blast ripped up the house in a residential area of Bacoor and hurled one of the three fatalities across the street, Yara said over local radio. The remains of two other people were recovered in the wreckage of the house.
None of the three have been identified, he added.

Singapore customs raids uncover over 82,000 contraband cigarette packs

SINGAPORE: Singapore customs officers seized 82,480 packets of contraband cigarettes worth some $641,000 and arrested six men in an operation that started on Monday night and ended on Tuesday morning.
On 5 November, customs officers ambushed two Chinese nationals, aged 30 and 22, at Block 11 Teban Garden while they were unloading 18,500 cigarette packets from a taxi to a van.
The cigarette packets were worth $166,500. Duty and GST on the items totalled $142,450.
Later that night, two Singaporean men — aged 49 and 21 — and a 34—year—old Chinese national were apprehended at the Penjuru Road container yard while they were transferring 14,000 cigarette packets from a Malaysian—registered trailer into two vans.
These cigarette packets were worth an estimated $126,000. Duty and GST on the items totalled $107,800.
Investigations from the Penjuru Road raid led customs officers to conduct another raid at an industrial site in Jalan Lam Huat where 49,980 cigarette packets were found hidden beneath the floorboards of a Malaysian—registered trailer.
The cigarette packets were covered by a full load of limestone.
A 40—year—old Malaysian man was arrested.
The 49,980 cigarette packets were worth over $449,000. Duty and GST on the items totalled $384,846.
Three vans, a trailer and a truck were seized at the raids.
If convicted, all offenders could be fined as well as jailed and the seized vehicles could be forfeited.
Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of duties or GST can contact the Singapore Customs hotline at 1800—233—0000, or email to customs_intelligence@customs,gov.sg. — CNA/ir

ChannelNewsAsia (CNA)

Pakistan confirms Bhutto under house arrest

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities detained opposition leader Benazir Bhutto at her home on Friday to stop her from holding her first rally since President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule, a government minister said.
"She has been detained at home. This is temporary and is being done to stop her from going to the meeting," Railways Minister and close ally to Musharraf, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told Reuters.

Hope Flickers in Myanmar as Suu Kyi meets her party

- YANGON, Nov 9 - Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was due to meet leaders of her party on Friday for the first time in more than three years as hope flickered she and the junta may start talks on political reform.
The Nobel laureate, who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest, will also hold a second meeting with General Aung Kyi, a go-between appointed as a result of world outrage at September's bloody crackdown on democracy protests.
In a statement released on her behalf by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari after his second visit in a month, Suu Kyi described her initial contact with Aung Kyi as constructive and said she was ready to work with the military to establish proper negotiations.
"In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the government in order to make this process of dialogue a success," she said in her first public comments since her latest period of detention began in May 2003.
A junta statement saying it would "make efforts steadfastly for national reconciliation with the correct cooperation of the U.N. Secretary General" also gave cause for hope despite the army's litany of broken promises during its 45 years of rule.
"I find it very difficult to trust them. I hope this is not some new ploy," a roadside book vendor in Yangon said.
Others echoed his scepticism of the generals. "They have always acted in bad faith. These are people who hold general elections that they then ignore. They are not famous for sticking to their words," said Dominic Faulder, a journalist in Bangkok who has covered the former Burma for 20 years.
"The pessimists have always been right in Burma, but one day, once, they will be wrong."
SURPRISE BREAKTHROUGH?
The early signs from Gambari's six-day mission, his second visit since the crackdown in which at least 10 people were killed, and probably many more, were not good.
He failed to meet junta supremo Than Shwe and had to endure a tirade from Information Minister Kyaw Hsan, who accused the U.N. of being biased, meddling and subject to the whim of Washington.
However, as Gambari left, the U.N. said he had managed to establish a path to "substantive dialogue" between the generals and Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won a 1990 election landslide only to be denied power.
Gambari will brief the Security Council at U.N. headquarters in New York next week.
He will also return to Myanmar in "coming weeks" to try to keep the pressure on a regime that thrives on isolation and has so far been impervious to outside influence.
"I think we can see some ray of hope for the future," said NLD spokesman U Lwin, adding that the party was waiting for details from the authorities about the meeting with Suu Kyi. "We are ready to go any time they come and get us."
The last meeting between the party's central executive and Suu Kyi was in May 2004, shortly before the restart of a convention -- boycotted by the NLD -- to write a new constitution.
Although the U.N. gave no details of what appeared to be a surprise breakthrough, Suu Kyi's statement alluded to regular contact between her and the junta, or State Peace and Development Council , as it calls itself.
"I expect that this phase of preliminary consultation will conclude soon, so that a meaningful and time-bound dialogue with the SPDC leadership can start as early as possible," she said.
However, the tone of the regime's earlier rant against the U.N., in which it also rejected Gambari's proposal of three-way talks with himself and Suu Kyi, left diplomats dispirited.
"There's no doubt in my mind that this regime has no intention of cooperating with Gambari or of starting a process of genuine political dialogue," one Yangon-based diplomat said. "It's beyond them."
The day before Gambari's arrival, the junta also told the top U.N. resident diplomat he was being expelled for linking August's fuel price protests to the dire state of the economy, one of Asia's brightest prospects on independence from Britain in 1948.
The protests snowballed quickly into the biggest street revolt against military rule since 1988, when the army crushed an uprising with the loss of an estimated 3,000 lives.

Tutankhamun's "beautiful" face revealed

LUXOR, Egypt (AFP) - - The true face of ancient Egypt's boy king Tutankhamun was revealed on Sunday to the public for the first time since he died in mysterious circumstances more than 3,000 years ago.
The pharaoh's mummy was moved from its ornate sarcophagus in the tomb where its 1922 discovery caused an international sensation to a nearby climate-controlled case where experts say it will be better preserved.
"The face of the golden pharaoh is amazing," said Egyptian antiquities supremo Zahi Hawass, pulling back the linen bandages to reveal a body resembling a badly burnt skeleton.
"It has magic, it has mystery, it has beauty and his buck teeth are similar to the rest of his family's. Putting the mummy in this case will make the golden king live forever."
Made pharaoh at the age of nine, Tutankhamun became famous with the discovery of his tomb and the treasures within by Briton Howard Carter.
His iconic solid gold burial mask weighs 11 kilogrammes (24 pounds), encrusted with lapis lazuli and other semi-precious stones.
The mummy had to be reconstructed after Carter cut it into 18 pieces in order to gain access to amulets and other jewellery, said Mustafa Wazery, director of the Valley of the Kings.
"What you will see is a beautiful face," Wazery told journalists ahead of the mummy's displacement. "He's a good-looking boy, with a nice smile and buck teeth."
Every day hundreds of visitors file through his tomb in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, bringing with them into the royal tomb bacteria, humidity and other pollutants.
"The mummy risked being reduced to dust because of the rising levels of humidity due to the visitors," said Hawass, who heads the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
"The mummy was already damaged by Howard Carter, who used sharp tools to remove the golden mask," said Culture Minister Faruq Hosni.
He said Carter damaged the mummy by "exposing it to burning sunshine for many hours" in the desert landscape.
A silicone representation of the face of the legendary pharaoh, who died around 3,300 years ago at the age of just 19, was reconstructed in 2005 using images collected through CAT scans of his mummy.
Egyptian, Swiss and Italian experts have deduced that Tutankhamun died after an injury to his left leg led to rapid gangrene, rejecting a previously popular theory that the king had been killed by a blow to the neck.
When the tomb was discovered, the pharaoh's embalmed body was encased in three sarcophagi, one of which was made from solid gold.
Tutankhamun, the 12th pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, reigned for 10 years. Theories that he was assassinated stemmed from the fact that he was the last ruler of his dynasty.
The pharaoh Akhenaton the Heretic was thought to have fathered Tutankhamun, but the identity of his mother is not known for sure. It may have been Nefertiti, a foreign princess, or his wet nurse Maya.
The high priest Ay succeeded Tutankhamun for four years -- also marrying his widow Ankhesenpamon -- and he was followed by the military leader Horemheb who ruled for 26 years until he ceded power to Ramses, founder of the 19th dynasty.