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| April 15, 2007 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan-China bilateral ties source of stability in region: PM ISLAMABAD, Apr 15 (APP) - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday said that friendship with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy and the strategic relationship between the two countries is a source of peace and stability in the region and the world as well. Talking to different Chinese media representatives here at Prime Minister House, before starting his six- day official visit to China from April 16 to 21, the Prime Minister said, “Our friendship has withstood the test of time and the vicissitudes of international relations as it is based on close bilateral cooperation and unanimity of views on major regional and international issues.” Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan takes great pride in its unique, historic and multifaceted relationship with China which has emerged as a global power on the international scene. (Posted @ 23:02 PST)
Karachi mass rally opposes “religious terrorists” KARACHI, April 15, (REUTERS) - Tens of thousands of people rallied in Karachi, on Sunday to show their opposition to a radical religious school which has begun a Taliban-style anti-vice campaign in Islamabad. “The people of Islamabad are insecure and under threat due to the activities of these religious terrorists,” said Altaf Hussain, head of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, addressing the rally by telephone from London. Hussain, who lives in self-exile in Britain although his party is part of the ruling coalition, said the religious radicals in Islamabad's Lal Masjid, and adjoining Jamia Hafsa madrasa were hurting the image of Islam. “Islam is a religion of peace and it does not need Kalashnikovs and sticks,” he told the rally, while a helicopter whirled overhead to provide aerial surveillance and hundreds of police surrounded the venue -- the city's main commercial area. (Posted @ 22:40 PST)
CJP Chaudhry Iftikhar calls for struggle to restore supremacy of constitution Moro, Sindh, April 15 (PPI): Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, the non-functional Chief Justice of Pakistan, has called upon the lawyers and judges to struggle for restoration of the supremacy of law and constitution. In his brief address at a reception hosted this noon by Moro Bar Association here, Justice Chaudhry said he has received unprecedented love and affection by the lawyers and other people that has raised his morale. Earlier, Munir A. Malik, President, Supreme Court Bar Association, Ali Ahmed Kurd and Sukkur Bar chief Imdad Ali Awan spoke. Justice Chaudhry, who was on his way from Sukkur to Hyderabad, was received by MNA Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Sessions Judge Naushehro Feroze Abdul Rasheed Soomro, Additional Sessions Judge Munir Ahmed Shaikh, enior Civil Judge Ghulam Mustafa Leghari and others. The local lawyers presented the CJP traditional gifts of Ajrak and Sindhi caps. The lawyers also raised slogans demanding reinstatement of CJP. (Posted @ 15:12 PST)
Cheney says US can win in Iraq for 'worthy cause' WASHINGTON, April 15, (AFP) - Vice President Dick Cheney said on Sunday the United States can win in Iraq and accused Democrats pushing for a US troop withdrawal of being “irresponsible”. In an interview on US television, Cheney said he believed US forces in Iraq were making progress despite continuing violence and it was vital to support the establishment of a democratic government that could “defend itself”. (Posted @ 23:52 PST)
Israel ready for talks with Arabs on peace plan: Olmert JERUSALEM, April 15, (AFP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Israel was ready to talk with Arab states over their peace plan as he held the first round of planned regular meetings with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. “We are ready to hold talks with any combination of Arab states on their ideas and I would be glad to hear their ideas on the Saudi initiative,” Olmert said at the weekly cabinet meeting. “I'll be glad to hear their ideas and for them to listen to ours,” he said. (Posted @ 23:34 PST)
17 dead in bus crash in northeast Kenya, police say GARISSA, Kenya, April 15 (APP/AP) - A crowded bus rolled three times and burst into flames on an unpaved road in remote northeast Kenya, killing 17 people and injuring more than a dozen, authorities said. The accident happened Saturday night outside Garissa, 300 kilometers northeast of the capital, Nairobi. Police used an earth mover to flip the bus and rescue trapped passengers. Police said 17 people died and hospital officials said 16 patients from the crash were admitted with fractures and burns. (Posted @ 23:18 PST)
Cricket: Ireland make 243-7 against Bangladesh BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 15, (AFP) - Ireland made 243-7 from 50 overs in their World Cup Super Eights clash against Bangladesh at Kensington Oval here on Sunday. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
Twenty killed in Afghan violence KHOST, Afghanistan, April 15, (AFP) - Afghan security forces backed by international troops killed 16 militants while a suicide attacker killed four Afghan employees of a US-owned private security firm, officials said Sunday. The Afghan defence ministry said 10 rebels were killed in fighting in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province bordering Pakistan early Sunday when Afghan security forces and NATO-led troops raided a rebel hideout. “Ten enemy fighters were killed and 15 others were injured in an operation in Barmal district this morning,” the ministry said in a statement. One militant was captured and some weapons were seized, it added. (Posted @ 21:52 PST)
4 killed, 36 injured in 2 buses collision SAHIWAL, April 15-(PPI) - Four passengers were killed and 36 injured seriously in head on collision between two buses near here in the small hours of Sunday. Bus was going to Multan from Gujranwala; it collided head on with an other bus carrying wedding party. As a result four passengers were killed on the spot while 36 sustained serious injuries. (Posted @ 20:04 PST)
Baghdad bombs kill 35, British helicopters crash BAGHDAD, April 15, (AFP) - Insurgent bomb attacks massacred 35 people in Shiite shopping areas of Baghdad on Sunday, while two British helicopters crashed after an apparent mid-air collision that killed two crew members. Eighteen people died when a booby-trapped car blew up outside a restaurant and a second ripped through a market in the southern Al-Shurta al-Arabaa suburb of Iraq's capital, in bloody defiance of a two-month-old security crackdown. “Of those killed 10 are men, five women and three children,” said a medic at Yarmuk Hospital, adding that 35 wounded were receiving treatment, among them more women and children. As the skeleton of burnt wreckage still smouldered, a bus rigged with bombs exploded in a downtown shopping district in Karrada, killing at least 11 people and wounding 18, defence and security sources said. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
At least 21 people killed during poll in Nigeria: police chief ABUJA, April 15, (AFP) - At least 21 people were killed during Saturday's state governorship and parliamentary polls across Nigeria, a top police officer said Sunday. “We have about 21 persons killed, including some police officers, while trying to protect INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) officers,”Inspector General Sunday Ehindero told Radio Nigeria. (Posted @ 16:58 PST)
6 injured as quake rattles central Japan TOKYO, April 15, 2007 (AFP) - A 5.4-magnitude earthquake rattled central Japan on Sunday, injuring six people and disrupting traffic and some factory production lines, officials said. The quake struck at 12:19pm (0319 GMT) some 16 kilometres (10 miles) below ground and about 300 kilometres west of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said, revising earlier figures. (Posted @ 15:10 PST)
Three vehicle bombs kill 24 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 15, 2007 (AFP) - Three vehicle bombings, including a double car bomb attack, tore through Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 24 people and wounding dozens, a medic and security officials said. The coordinated twin car attack ripped through a crowded market area in southern Baghdad, killing 18 men, women and children, on the first day of the Iraqi working week, security officials said. One explosives-packed car blew up outside a restaurant and the second in a nearby market in the Al-Shurta al-Arabaa district. “Of those killed 10 are men, five women and three children,” a medic at the Yarmuk Hospital told AFP, adding that 35 wounded were receiving treatment, several of them also women and children. A few hours later, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a minibus killing six people and wounding 10 in Baghdad's northern Al-Utaifiyah district, which is predominately Shiite, a security official said. The official said the bus was headed towards the Shiite western district of Kadhimiyah. (Posted @ 15:05 PST)
40 Afghan civilians killed or wounded by US marines: report WASHINGTON, April 15 (AFP) - The US military has determined that more than 40 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded by US marines after a suicide bombing in a village near Jalalabad last month, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Citing the US commander who ordered the probe, the newspaper said there was no evidence that the marine special operations platoon came under small-arms fire after the bombing, although the marines reported taking enemy fire and seeing people with weapons. The troops continued shooting at perceived threats as they travelled miles from the site of the March 4 attack, said Major General Frank Kearney, head of Special Operations Command Central, according to the report. They hit several vehicles, killing at least 10 people and wounding 33, among them children and elderly villagers, The Post said. ”The results of the preliminary investigation are similar to the findings of an official Afghan human rights inquiry, The Post said. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Israel ready for preliminary contacts with Arab League: Peres JERUSALEM, April 15 (AFP) - Israel is ready for preliminary contacts with the Arab League leading to negotiations on the Saudi peace initiative, Israeli government number two Shimon Peres said Sunday. “For the moment there is no channel of discussions between Israel and the Arab League, and the coming period must be limited to preliminary contacts,” Peres told Israeli public radio. “All the parties are seeking channels that would enable the opening of discussions on the disputed points,” he added when asked whether negotiations could be started on a permanent settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Posted @ 10:12 PST)
Iraq: 19 more bodies found in Baghdad Baghdad, April 15 (Reuters) - Police found the bodies of 19 people in various parts of Baghdad on Saturday, officials said. The bodies of four more people were found in different districts of Mosul, two of them decapitated, police said. Meanwhile, gunmen shot dead a police officer in southwestern Baghdad, while a roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded two others, police said. In another incident gunmen attacked the deputy industry minister's convoy and wounded three of his bodyguards in Baghdad's southwestern Jihad neighbourhood, police said. Deputy Minister Mohammed Abdullah was present but was unhurt from the attack. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Al-Qaeda group claims it kidnapped 20 Iraqi police DUBAI, April 15 (AFP) - An alliance of Sunni groups headed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq said in an Internet statement on Saturday it had kidnapped 20 Iraqi soldiers and policemen and threatened to kill them in 48 hours if its demands were not met. It demanded the release of “Muslim Sunni sisters who are in the prisons of the interior” ministry, in the statement posted on a website used by Islamist militant groups. It also demanded the “turning over of members of the interior ministry who took part in raping our sister 'Sabrin al-Jarabi'... and those who killed and displaced our people in Tal Afar, and those who participated in raping our sisters there.” (Posted @ 09:47 PST)
Kasparov fined for taking part in anti-Putin demo MOSCOW, April 15 (AFP) - Russian opposition leader and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, arrested on Saturday with at least 200 other protestors for participating in a banned demonstration against President Vladimir Putin, was fined 40 dollars and then set free, a spokesman for his party said. Kasparov was held in a police station for five hours and then taken to a court which fined him for “shouting anti-government slogans”, his lawyer, Karinna Moskalenko, told the Ria-Novosti news agency. (Posted @ 09:47 PST)
Cricket: South Africa destiny in own hands, says Kallis ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, April 15 (AFP) - South Africa can still reach the World Cup semi-finals, but only if they improve their fielding, said vice-captain Jacques Kallis. “Our fate is still in our hands, which is a positive thing ”, he said. South Africa put down three catches during a 78-run third wicket partnership between New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris Saturday, as well as a fourth chance offered by Craig McMillan when the game was virtually sealed. “It was unfortunate,” Kallis admitted. “When you're defending a total of 193 you need to take every chance. It was unfortunate that it was today. The fielding has been unbelievable up to now. “We've got to make sure we're on top of our game against England and we have to take those half-chances. It's certainly something the guys will work on in the next few days.” (Posted @ 09:34 PST)
Cricket: Smith confident of overcoming England ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, April 15 (AFP) - South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes his team's greater experience will be crucial when they clash with England in a make-or-break World Cup clash on Tuesday. South Africa who slumped to a five-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand on Saturday “will bounce back” said Smith. “The guys are disappointed to lose but I'm not unhappy with the way we played because the conditions had such a bearing on the game,” added Smith. “In the first 20 overs it was difficult to get through and hard to set a big total. We did well to drag it out until the 49th over when they batted. “If we had got to 220-230, it would have given us a real chance.” (Posted @ 09:26 PST)
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