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Print - 2004-01-18
Chile stocks end down on currency jitters

Chile stocks end down on currency jitters

Chilean stocks fell on Friday as heavy fluctuations in the peso currency this week rattled investors, aggravating concerns about the damage the currency strength could have on exporters, analysts said.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
TMA urges EU to raise Pakistan quota

TMA urges EU to raise Pakistan quota

The Towel Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (TMA) has urged the European Union (EU), which will be joined by 10 new members in April, to increase textile quota for Pakistan.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
NWFP government to set up Hasba institution

NWFP government to set up Hasba institution

The NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said that the provincial government has made its mind to set up Hasba institution in the province.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Four die in road accidents

Four die in road accidents

Four persons were killed in various road accidents during last 24 hours.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Father and brother poisoned to death

Father and brother poisoned to death

A wayward young girl killed her father and brother by giving them poison in the meal on Friday in Noorpur, a village of Khanewal.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Qayyum hopes for breakthrough in Kashmir issue

Qayyum hopes for breakthrough in Kashmir issue

Welcoming the proposed talks between Pakistan and India, former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan has said that a breakthrough for the settlement of the much-delayed Kashmir dispute is expected as a result of the scheduled February 2004 composit
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Drinking water schemes suffer for want of grants

Drinking water schemes suffer for want of grants

The frequent fresh drinking water supply schemes free from contamination to urban as well as rural areas has been lingering and physically dead in the district for want of Rs 500 million uplift grant which was announced by President Pervez Musharraf on th
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Lawyers protest against chief justice's attitude

Lawyers protest against chief justice's attitude

Office bearers of High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Multan and District Bar Multan have strongly condemned the attitude of Lahore High Court Chief Justice for refusing meeting with lawyers' elected bodies representatives to discuss the issue of detachment
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Rapists awarded 40 years rigorous imprisonment

Rapists awarded 40 years rigorous imprisonment

Mian Bashir Ahmed Bhatti, Additional Sessions Judge of Dera Ghazi Khan, has awarded 40 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of Rs 50,000 each to four accused Muhammad Rafiq, Saifullah, Amanullah and Ghulam Yasin.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Show-cause issued to Union Council Nazim

Show-cause issued to Union Council Nazim

The Lahore High Court (LHC), while issuing show cause notice to Nazim Union Council 267 of Faisalabad Muhammad Saleem, has directed him to explain as to why he may not be disqualified from being elected as Nazim for presenting wrong information before the
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Inflows and outflows of water

Inflows and outflows of water

The position of water inflows and outflows at Mangla and Tarbela along with the reservoir levels and the barrages at 6.00 am on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Road show for SSGC shares on January 19

Road show for SSGC shares on January 19

The second road show for public offering of five-percent shares of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) will be held at a local hotel on January 19.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Road show for SSGC shares on January 19

Road show for SSGC shares on January 19

The second road show for public offering of five-percent shares of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) will be held at a local hotel on January 19.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Nasrullah's brother laid to rest

Nasrullah's brother laid to rest

Nawabzada Saadullah Khan (83), younger brother of late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, passed away after protracted illness in a hospital of Lahore on Friday. He was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard beside the grave of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan on Saturda
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Text of President's address to parliament

Text of President's address to parliament

The unofficial text of the address delivered by President General Pervez Musharraf to the joint session of the Parliament on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Rawat Industrial Estate to help enhance trade activities

Rawat Industrial Estate to help enhance trade activities

Haji Fazalur Rehman, Vice President of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), has said that Rawat Industrial Estate, being set up by RCCI, is one of the biggest private sector industrial areas of the country. It would help in enhancing the tr
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
NTC and RCCI to hold training workshop on January 19

NTC and RCCI to hold training workshop on January 19

National Tariff Commission (NTC) and Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) jointly will hold a one-day training workshop on 'Subsidies and Countervailing Duties, Law and Procedures" on January 19.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Smeda to complete translation of pre-feasibility reports by month-end

Smeda to complete translation of pre-feasibility reports by month-end

Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) is likely to accomplish the task of translation of its different pre-feasibility reports, regulatory procedures and training courses into Urdu for the benefit of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Rain hits various parts of country

Rain hits various parts of country

The metropolis of Punjab received first rain of this year on Saturday for a short period, while northern Punjab, northern areas and Kashmir also received rain.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
IBM's new academic session starts

IBM's new academic session starts

Irfanullah Marwat, Sindh Minister for Education, inaugurated the new academic session of the Institute of Business Management on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Pact signed to provide engineering services

Pact signed to provide engineering services

Engr. Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain Managing Partner of National Development Consultants here on Saturday stated that Sindh Irrigation and Power Department has signed an agreement with a consortium of three firms of Consulting Engineers led by National Developm
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
PPPP executive meeting on January 21

PPPP executive meeting on January 21

The meeting of Executive Committee of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) Punjab will be held here on January 21, 2004.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Punjab to arrange courses on kidney transplantation

Punjab to arrange courses on kidney transplantation

Keeping in view the increasing cases of renal failure and surge in kidney-related diseases, the provincial government has decided to arrange training courses and workshops in order to update the knowledge of doctors and nurses about kidney transplantation
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Punjab University syndicate confirms dismissal of PUCIT's principal

Punjab University syndicate confirms dismissal of PUCIT's principal

The Punjab University Syndicate in its 1656th meeting held here on Saturday confirmed the decision regarding dismissal of services of Dr Majid Naeem, former Principal of the Punjab University College of Information Technology, with effect from April 10, 2
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Sony exhibits latest in home entertainment

Sony exhibits latest in home entertainment

The Japanese electronic giant, Sony, has brought to the federal capital its latest in the home entertainment and the most "mod groups" and managers of local dealers thronged the Shamadan of the Serene Hotel on Saturday morning to watch the new products an
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Pak Hero granted certified manufacturers licence

Pak Hero granted certified manufacturers licence

Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has granted certified manufacturers licence to Pak Hero Industries for manufacturing of 4-stroke PH-125cc motorcycle.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Aptma invited to visit Romania

Aptma invited to visit Romania

His Excellency Dr Emil Ghitulescu, Ambassador of Romania, accompanied by Jahangir Azam Monnoo, Honorary Counsel General, visited All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Punjab Zone office here on Saturday, and discussed matters of bilateral trade a
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
RCCI concerned over hike in POL prices

RCCI concerned over hike in POL prices

President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Hussain Ahmed Ozgen has expressed his grave concern over certain rise in the POL prices and said that the fluctuation in the prices of petroleum products is directly affecting the industrial pro
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Lahore High Court benches for next week

Lahore High Court benches for next week

As many as 13 division benches and 29 single benches will work at principal seat of the Lahore High Court (LHC) during the week commencing from January 19.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Five vehicles damaged in fire incident

Five vehicles damaged in fire incident

Five government vehicles were badly damaged when these caught fire in early on Saturday morning at the parking area of Planning and Development Board Punjab (P&D).
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
KESC tariff cut

KESC tariff cut

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Wednesday reduced the power tariff of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) by 8.74 paisa per unit, on average, in its determination under an 'Automatic Tariff Adjustment' (ATA) formula base
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Foreign investment in steel industry

Foreign investment in steel industry

A 10-member delegation of Al-Tuwairqi Group of Steel Melting Industries of Saudi Arabia finalised plans for the establishment of a sponge iron steel mill with a capacity of one million tonnes per annum, adjacent to the Pakistan Steel Mills, Karachi.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Poverty alleviation and our tax system

Poverty alleviation and our tax system

The increasing poverty in Pakistan is the direct result of indirect taxation. Our tax collecting agencies at the federal and provincial levels only know how to squeeze the common man, - who has no voice in the corridors of power - by enhancing the rates o
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Causes behind violence in Muslim majority southern Thailand

Causes behind violence in Muslim majority southern Thailand

Wan Abdullah Stiraksa, a rubber plantation owner living next to the small mosque he oversees, is in a better position than most to speculate on who or what is at the root of deadly violence plaguing Thailand's Muslim-majority south.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Kenya aghast at row in first family

Kenya aghast at row in first family

Fascinated but also appalled, Kenyans are watching the unfolding of a power struggle involving their first family that might have been scripted by the makers of a soap opera.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Encroachments on footpaths

Encroachments on footpaths

It is unfortunate that footpaths in many areas of Karachi are being misused to a great extent and illegally occupied by various shopkeepers, hotels and auto workshops due to which the pedestrians face great inconvenience and are compelled to walk on roads
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Senate chairman

Senate chairman

Reference the Time magazine issue, January 12, 2004. It is very surprising and disappointing to note that in the article "Riding the Tiger" by so many of famous and brilliant people, there is a very glaring factual mistake.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Pak-Afghan trade to rise to $1 billion due to CBMs: Tata

Pak-Afghan trade to rise to $1 billion due to CBMs: Tata

The trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan will increase to at least one billion dollars in 2004 against $620 million of 2003, due to confidence building measures and enhanced economic co-operation between the two countries.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Hearing of case against crew of Tasman adjourned for January 24

Hearing of case against crew of Tasman adjourned for January 24

Judicial Magistrate, South, Mumtaz Ali Solangi on Saturday put off hearing of a case against eight member crew of grounded oil tanker Tasman Spirit till January 24 on an application by Investigation Officer (IO), Inspector Abid Ali Shah of Docks Polite St
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Special teams to test wheat seed quality

Special teams to test wheat seed quality

Special teams, comprising representatives of the Federal Seed Certification Department, Agriculture Extension and growers, will be constituted to take samples of seed for testing and ensure the quality of seed being supplied to the growers.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Maleeha hails PBTIF achievements

Maleeha hails PBTIF achievements

The dramatic thaw in Pakistan, Indian relations have created a new environment for enhancing trade and investment in Pakistan, said Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Maleeha Lodhi.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Rockets fired in Sui

Rockets fired in Sui

Three rockets were fired again here in the small hours on Saturday. According to details, unknown terrorists fired three rockets from outskirts of Sui in the small hours.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
SHC adjourns plea of Raheela Tiwana against decree

SHC adjourns plea of Raheela Tiwana against decree

Sindh High Court adjourned hearing miscellaneous application filed by Sindh Assembly's Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana for setting aside decree against her, in respect of flat in Clifton area Karachi, on request of counsels.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
12 sites for small dams in Fata identified

12 sites for small dams in Fata identified

The feasibility report for 12 small dams will be completed shortly along with their capacity and estimated cost for the construction of water reservoirs in seven agencies of Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Timber business in Dargai comes to standstill

Timber business in Dargai comes to standstill

Ban on the transportation of illegally cut wood from Northern Areas (NAs) has brought timber business in Dargai, Malakand Agency to standstill, rendering 300 truck drivers and loaders jobless.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Levy of toll tax in Faisalabad decried

Levy of toll tax in Faisalabad decried

The members of District Council, business community, and citizens expressed grave concern over the toll tax imposed by the district government, and declared that the auction of toll tax a clear cut part of a corruption.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
US stocks finish firmer after strong earnings reports

US stocks finish firmer after strong earnings reports

US stocks ended higher on Friday after solid results from network gear maker Juniper Networks Inc and industrial conglomerate General Electric Co helped lift investors' hopes for robust results from corporate America in coming weeks.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Canadian bond prices tumble

Canadian bond prices tumble

The Canadian bond prices gave up early gains on Friday, following US treasuries lower after a strong read on US consumer confidence.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Canadian bond prices tumble

Canadian bond prices tumble

The Canadian bond prices gave up early gains on Friday, following US treasuries lower after a strong read on US consumer confidence.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
South African stocks week ahead: Rand and Altech in focus

South African stocks week ahead: Rand and Altech in focus

Allied Technologies Limited (Altech) will come into focus on an otherwise rand-driven South African stock market next week, with a statement due on its negotiations with cellphone operator Econet Wireless.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Brazil stocks snap three-day losing streak

Brazil stocks snap three-day losing streak

Brazilian stocks recovered from early profit-taking to end firmer on Friday, as foreign buyers returned to the market, but the country's currency ceded ground as the Central Bank bought dollars.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Mexican stocks make gains

Mexican stocks make gains

Mexican stocks followed Wall Street higher on Friday, as retailers Soriana and Gigante gained on speculation they might merge, although the companies denied such a plan.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
American credit market outlook

American credit market outlook

After a week of rife speculation about AT&T Wireless flirting with suitors, strategists and traders say the credit quality of any purchaser would be a key factor in the reaction of its credit spreads.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
American credit market outlook

American credit market outlook

After a week of rife speculation about AT&T Wireless flirting with suitors, strategists and traders say the credit quality of any purchaser would be a key factor in the reaction of its credit spreads.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Shia poll demands: UN mission to arrive shortly in Iraq

Shia poll demands: UN mission to arrive shortly in Iraq

A United Nations mission is to arrive in Iraq shortly to study demands for rapid elections issued by a senior Shia Muslim cleric, a Western official linked to the mission told AFP Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Malaysian tin down

Malaysian tin down

Malaysia's tin market closed $100 down on Friday but remained at a wide difference to the LME as the tin price in London also declined overnight.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Shanghai copper climbs

Shanghai copper climbs

Shanghai copper futures clambered higher on Friday, the last day before the Lunar New Year break, with investors expecting the London Metal Exchange to gain in the week ahead, traders said.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Heavy rains may disrupt cocoa productions

Heavy rains may disrupt cocoa productions

Heavy rains and strong winds on Sulawesi island have sparked concerns among Indonesian cocoa growers and exporters that the main harvest due to begin in March may be disrupted.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
New York cocoa falls

New York cocoa falls

CSCE cocoa futures closed lower on Friday, giving up strength, as profit-taking by speculators and light producer selling capped a rally following a constructive European grind figure, brokers said.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
US curbing pace of Iraq reforms before transfer

US curbing pace of Iraq reforms before transfer

Washington has restricted the pace of reforms needed to get Iraq's economy back on its feet, fearing social unrest during the transfer of power this year, a senior official in the US-led administration said on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Adecco former CFO takes blame for accounting woes

Adecco former CFO takes blame for accounting woes

Adecco SA's former finance chief has taken responsibility for accounting snafus that delayed its 2003 results and shattered the staffing agency's reputation with investors, a newspaper reported.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Court approves $2 billion Air Canada rescue plan

Court approves $2 billion Air Canada rescue plan

Air Canada said on Friday a Canadian court approved a $2 billion financial rescue plan that would clear the way for it to emerge from bankruptcy protection as soon as possible.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Bush pledges steps to spur jobs and business growth

Bush pledges steps to spur jobs and business growth

US President George W. Bush promised new measures to promote jobs and business growth on Saturday and touted his trillion-dollar tax cuts in what amounted to a State of the Union preview.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Bank of America denies Parmalat account

Bank of America denies Parmalat account

Parmalat said on Saturday that Bank of America had denied the existence of an account reportedly containing seven billion euros of the food group's funds.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
New luxury Volkswagen tips scales at 100,000 dollars

New luxury Volkswagen tips scales at 100,000 dollars

In a risky new run at the luxury market, Volkswagen is bringing its most powerful production car to the US with a price tag of nearly 100,000 dollars, prompting some doubts about its strategy.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Saudi Arabia narrows differences with US on WTO

Saudi Arabia narrows differences with US on WTO

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it had narrowed differences with the United States holding up Saudi accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and said it wanted to join the group "tomorrow".
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Microsoft easing settlement licence terms again

Microsoft easing settlement licence terms again

Microsoft Corp has agreed to do more to help rivals compete after antitrust enforcers complained a key piece of their landmark settlement with the company has "fallen short," the US Justice Department said on Friday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Women dominates Jeddah Economic Forum

Women dominates Jeddah Economic Forum

So long marginalised in Saudi Arabia, women dominated Saturday's opening of the influential Jeddah Economic Forum, which heard a ringing call for change from the first female to deliver the keynote speech.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Google developing ad service for email

Google developing ad service for email

Google Inc, which dominates the market for Web search, is developing a service that could dramatically extend the reach of its lucrative keyword-based advertising by linking such ads to e-mail, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
US Army awards Iraq oil deals to KBR and Parsons

US Army awards Iraq oil deals to KBR and Parsons

The US Army on Friday awarded $2 billion worth of contracts to repair Iraq's oil industry to a unit of Vice President Dick Cheney's old firm Halliburton and US construction giant Parsons, which teamed up with Worley Group of Australia.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Iraq urges Lebanon to release billions of seized dinars

Iraq urges Lebanon to release billions of seized dinars

Iraqi interior minister Nuri Badran has called on Lebanon to release 19.5 billion new Iraqi dinars (about 19 million dollars) seized this week at Beirut airport, a newspaper said Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Israeli envoy kicked out of Swedish museum

Israeli envoy kicked out of Swedish museum

Israel's ambassador to Sweden was kicked out of Stockholm's Museum of National Antiquities after he destroyed an artwork featuring a picture of a Palestinian suicide bomber, the artists said Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Vietnam deaths from bird flu rise

Vietnam deaths from bird flu rise

The number of Vietnam's confirmed bird flu deaths has risen to four, the World Health Organisation said, while a hospital in the south of the country said on Saturday it had two very sick patients with bird flu symptoms.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Lebanon resumes executions after five-year lull

Lebanon resumes executions after five-year lull

Lebanon resumed executions on Saturday after a five-year hiatus, putting to death three convicted killers, despite objections by human rights groups and the European Union.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
US agrees to pull troops from Seoul

US agrees to pull troops from Seoul

South Korea and the United States have agreed to pull out all American troops from Seoul as part of a global realignment plan of the US forces, South Korea's defence ministry said on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Cloned human embryo into woman implanted

Cloned human embryo into woman implanted

A maverick US-based fertility expert said on Saturday he had implanted a cloned human embryo into a 35-year-old woman and was looking for more volunteers.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Nasa decrees early demise for Hubble telescope

Nasa decrees early demise for Hubble telescope

Nasa announced late Friday it would cancel a space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, a decision that dictates an early demise for the most storied science program in the space agency's history.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Chandrika stands firm on length of term

Chandrika stands firm on length of term

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Saturday rejected criticism of her surprise decision to extend her term in office and said only the island's highest court could challenge it.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
China confirms two more Sars cases, releases one

China confirms two more Sars cases, releases one

Two Chinese people suspected of having Sars were confirmed as having had the flu-like disease, but one has recovered and the other was in stable condition, China's health ministry said on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Strike observed over Bangladeshi newsman's killing

Strike observed over Bangladeshi newsman's killing

Transport and business ground to a halt in Bangladesh's south-western city of Khulna on Saturday as journalists called a daylong strike to protest against the killing of a colleague in a bomb attack.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Early election call puts BJP firmly ahead

Early election call puts BJP firmly ahead

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's decision on an early general election has put his Hindu-nationalist BJP firmly ahead, with a majority of people saying they will vote for it, an opinion poll found Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Iraq-bound Japanese troops arrive in Kuwait

Iraq-bound Japanese troops arrive in Kuwait

A team of Japanese soldiers heading to Iraq in the Asian power's most controversial deployment since World War Two arrived in Kuwait on Saturday.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Red Cross presses US on Guantanamo Bay prisoners

Red Cross presses US on Guantanamo Bay prisoners

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday the Pentagon had agreed to accelerate the process of reviewing prisoners for possible release from the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Iraqi pilgrims stranded at Kuwaiti border

Iraqi pilgrims stranded at Kuwaiti border

Thousands of Iraqi Muslims heading to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual haj pilgrimage were stranded for a second day at the Iraq-Kuwait border on Saturday and joined an increasingly crowded makeshift camp.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
New York copper gains

New York copper gains

Comex copper prices ended higher on Friday on book squaring before US and Asian holidays, with gains capped by scheduled labour talks at a Canadian mine where a strike had previously seemed probable, dealers said.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am
Iranian ministry will not hold elections if unfair

Iranian ministry will not hold elections if unfair

Iran's Interior Ministry, faced with a confrontation between reformists and hard-liners over next month's parliamentary elections, said on Saturday it would hold the vote only if satisfied that candidates had not been unfairly barred.
Published 18 Jan, 2004 12:00am