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| May 28, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Country getting economic strength owing to prudent policies, Shaukat ISLAMABAD, May 28 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that the country is getting economic strength and realizing higher economic growth rates due to prudent economic policies over the last five years. Briefing a delegation of All Pakistan Newspapers Society, here Sunday about the country's economic performance and achievements, he said the government has already taken some bold steps to check the prices of sugar and cement. He said the government also intends to take some measures to check the prices of pulses. He reiterated government's firm commitment to the freedom of the press. He urged the media to exhibit objectivity and balanced approach. Later, the Prime Minister met with a delegation of Broadcasters' Association, headed by Mir Shakeelur Rehman who apprised him of the problems, being faced by the electronic media.(Posted @ 23:52 PST)
Pakistan moves to trace driver abducted in Iraq ISLAMABAD, May 28, (AFP) - Pakistan has asked its embassies to try and trace a Pakistani driver abducted in Iraq after an attack on a convoy carrying supplies to US troops from Kuwait, the foreign office said Sunday. Embassies in Jordan and Kuwait have been asked to help gather information on the whereabouts of Mohammad Shafiq, who disappeared when his vehicle came under fire near the Iraqi town of Faluja, foreign office spokesman Sohail Mahmood said. "We are making efforts to ascertain the facts regarding the incident of kidnapping of the Pakistani," he said. (Posted @ 23:45 PST)
U.N. brokers ceasefire on Lebanon-Israel border BEIRUT, May 28 (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers brokered a ceasefire on Sunday to end clashes between Israeli forces and guerrillas along the Lebanon-Israel border, a U.N. official said. "We are in contact with both sides. We brokered a ceasefire and we hope this agreement will take hold," Milos Strugar, senior adviser to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, said. "There is still some sporadic fire, but hopefully things will be quiet very soon."(Posted @ 21:45 PST)
Suspected Taliban behead three police in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 28, (AFP) - The decapitated bodies of three policemen were recovered in Afghanistan Sunday, while suspected Taliban shot dead a civilian and police killed four rebels, officials said. The policemen had gone missing three days earlier in an area of southern Helmand province that has seen intense battles between Afghan security forces and suspected Taliban, a provincial spokesman said. (Posted @ 21:42 PST)
Gas pipeline blown near Dera Bugti QUETTA May 28 (PPI): 18 inch dia gas pipeline was blown near Pesh Bogi near Dera Bugti Sunday. According to details, 18 inch dia gas pipeline going to Sui plant from Pir Koh gas field and Sui gas field was blown up near Pesh Bogi about 10 Km from Dera Bugti today. Gas officials reached the site and started assessment of the losses. Meanwhile, at least 18 rockets were rained over several areas in Dera Bugti. However, no loss of life was reported. (Posted @ 21:38 PST)
Mine blast inside Sri Lanka Wildlife Park kills four COLOMBO, May 28, (AFP) - Sri Lankan authorities Sunday found the mutilated bodies of four men believed to have been killed by an explosion in a wildlife sanctuary near a conflict zone, police said. The bodies together with the wreckage of their four-wheel drive vehicle were found deep inside the Wilpattu national park, said a police officer at the nearby Nochchiyagama police station. (Posted @ 21:28 PST)
Nine dead in Nepal bus accident KATHMANDU, May 28, (AFP) - Nine people were killed and dozens other were injured when a mini-bus with at least 50 passengers skidded off a mountain road in southeast Nepal on Sunday, police said. The accident occurred at Sisneri village in Makwanpur district, 50 kilometers (31 miles) southeast of the capital, Kathmandu. "The mini-bus fell 200 meters off the road killing eight people on the spot while one succumbed to injuries on his way to the hospital," a police officer said. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
Two security officials killed in Pakistan tribal area blast MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, May 28, (AFP) - A soldier and a policeman were killed and three soldiers were injured Sunday when a car exploded at a checkpoint in Pakistan's restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said. The lone occupant of the vehicle also died in the blast, a security official said, adding that officials were investigating if it was a suicide attack or whether some explosive material in the car went off accidentally. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Police, suspected Taliban battle in central Afghanistan; four killed: officials KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 28, (AP) _ Suspected Taliban fighters detonated a roadside bomb near an Afghan police patrol, sparking an hour-long gun battle that left four militants dead, police said Sunday. Four police suffered wounds in the bombing on Saturday, which set off the clash between police forces and ``dozens'' of militants in central Afghanistan's Ghazni Province, said Abdul Rehman Surjung, the regional police chief.(Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Indonesia appeals for foreign aid after deadly quake JAKARTA, May 28 (APP/AFP) - Indonesia on Sunday appealed for foreign humanitarian aid following the devastating earthquake on Java island, in a bid to "reduce the burden" on national and local authorities. The foreign ministry said in a statement that it had asked its ambassadors "to mobilise humanitarian assistance to help the victims of the earthquake", which killed at least 3,340 people on Saturday. The ministry said the appeal had been launched "in an effort to reduce the burdens of the regional governments and the central government."(Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities: Sherpao PESHAWAR, May 28 (APP): Federal Interior Minister and President Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used by the foreign elements for terrorist activities. Addressing a grand jirga to tribal elders from Mohmand Agency, the Interior Minister said that the tribesmen were by and large peace loving people and they had all along showed loyalty and extended total support for the defence and solidarity of the country. He clarified that the operation in Waziristan was being conducted to flush out the foreign militants.(Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Land mine explosion kills one Afghan, injures another, police say KABUL, Afghanistan, May 28, (AP) _ A land mine exploded near shepherds tending their flock in northern Afghanistan, killing one boy and injuring another, police said Sunday. The deadly blast hit the shepherd boys as they drove dozens of sheep to their grazing lands early Friday in Baglan Province, said Gen. Mir Halam, a top provincial police official. The surviving boy was taken to a regional hospital for treatment, said Halam. (Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Indonesian earthquake death toll at 4,611, Govt JAKARTA, May 28 (Reuters) - The death toll from the Indonesian earthquake has reached 4,611, the country's social affairs department said on Sunday. The 6.3 magnitude quake struck at dawn on Saturday, devastating the Bantul area near the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta, about 440km (270 miles) east of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. (First Posted @ 15:00 PST Updated @ 17:14 PST)
Israeli warplanes attack Palestinian bases, five militants wounded BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 28, (AP) _ Israeli warplanes attacked Palestinian militant bases in Lebanon, wounding at least five guerrillas, in response to a rocket attack on northern Israel earlier Sunday, Lebanese and Israeli officials said.(Posted @ 16:58 PST)
13 die in horror South Africa road crash JOHANNESBURG, May 28 (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed on a South African highway after a pickup truck slammed into the back of a minibus taxi which exploded into flames, Johannesburg emergency services said on Sunday. "All the bodies were burnt beyond recognition ... The truck hit the taxi so hard from the rear that it was lodged half-way inside it," said emergency services spokesman Malcolm Midgley.(Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Roadside bombs kill at least two in Baghdad BAGHDAD, May 28 (Reuters) - Two roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in central Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least two people, police sources said. The sources said at least 17 people were also wounded. One bomb exploded and then another was detonated as a crowd gathered to inspect the damage, a tactic that has often been used by insurgents in a campaign designed to topple the government.(Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Indonesian quake zone hit by hundreds of aftershocks BANTUL, Indonesia (AP) _ More than 400 aftershocks have hit central Indonesia since a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed more than 3,700 people and injured thousands of others, an official said Sunday. The strongest of the 450 aftershocks registered magnitude 5.2 and struck about two hours after Saturday's quake, said Handi, an official at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency who uses only one name.(Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Chinese FM discusses Iran nuclear crisis with Rice BEIJING, May 28, 2006 (AFP) - Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the Iranian nuclear issue during telephone talks, the foreign ministry said Sunday. They exchanged views on resolving the issue through diplomatic efforts during their conversation Saturday night, the ministry said on its website.(Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Two big quakes rock Pacific islands - USGS SINGAPORE, May 28 (Reuters) - A strong quake measuring 6.7 in magnitude rocked the South Pacific island nation of Tonga on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The New Britain region of Papua New Guinea was also shaken by a 6.2 magnitude quake, the USGS reported. It was unclear whether the tremors had caused any casualties or damage.(Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Iran, Palestinian crises to dominate developing nations' talks PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, May 28 (AFP) - The Iranian and Palestinian crises are expected to dominate two-day talks among foreign ministers from the 114-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) bloc of developing nations which starts Monday ahead of the NAM Summit in Havana in September. Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid acknowledged at a Press conference that the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions was likely to overshadow other items but insisted that the discussions would be broad-ranging.(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Rescue efforts intensify after 3,300 killed in Indonesia quake YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, May 28 (AFP) - Rescue workers Sunday searched frantically for survivors from the earthquake in central Indonesia that killed more than 3,300 people and left 200,000 homeless. A day after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Java, grieving relatives buried their dead, hospitals overflowed with bloodied and bruised casualties, and aid workers rushed in food and medical supplies. Officials said the death toll stood at 3,340, with 2,615 people killed in Yogyakarta province and 725 in the Klaten district of neighbouring Central Java province. More than 10,000 people were injured and the number could be far higher, Vice President Yusuf Kalla told the BBC, saying that hospitals were struggling to cope. He said some 5,000 Indonesian troops were expected to arrive in Yogyakarta later in the day to accelerate rescue efforts. Several aftershocks shook the region, further terrifying residents who are afraid to return to their homes. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has raced to the area to personally supervise relief and rescue operation.(Posted @ 09:48 PST)
Rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel, wounding Israeli soldier JERUSALEM, May 28 (AP) Lebanese guerrillas fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel early Sunday, wounding an Israeli soldier at a military base, the army said. Military officials said several rockets landed inside Israel. The soldier suffered light to moderate wounds. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
More than 60 children have been held at Guantanamo Bay: report LONDON, May 28(AFP) More than 60 minors, some as young as 14, have been held as prisoners at the US detention facility for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a London-based human rights group claimed in a report published on Sunday. Those detainees were under 18 when they were captured by US forces, and at least 10 of them still being held at Guantanamo were 14 or 15 when they were seized, held in solitary confinement, subject to repeated interrogation and allegedly tortured, the charity Reprieve was reported as saying. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
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