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| April 28, 2007 | Saturday | Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistani interior minister wounded, 28 killed in suicide bombing PESHAWAR, Pakistan, April 28 (AP) - A suicide attacker detonated a bomb at a public meeting being addressed by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao in Charsadda town in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 12 people ( 28 according to latest reports) and wounding scores others including the minister, police said. Security guards blocked the attacker as he tried to get close to Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao after he had finished his speech at the meeting, an intelligence official said. The attacker detonated the bomb moments later. Mohammed Khan, a police official, said the minister suffered minor injuries and was in stable condition. He was being shifted to a hospital in the nearby city of Peshawar. Khan said at least 24 people were wounded, at least 10 critically. Interior minister ‘s son Sikandar Khan Sherpao, who is a member of the NWFP assembly, and several other lawmakers and security officials were among the injured. The intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job, said investigators had found the head of the suicide bomber. He had no details on the attacker's identity, but a private tv channel said he was an Afghan national. During the last few days there have been similar attacks including the rocket attack at the house of leader of opposoition Maulana Fazlur Rehman. (First Posted @ 19:40 PST Updated @ 20:14 PST)
Bomb rocks Pakistan’s Peshawar International Airport ISLAMABAD, April 28 (AFP) A bomb exploded at Pakistan’s Peshawar International Airport Saturday causing slight damage to the building, officials said. It was a low intensity timed device planted outside a cafe near the entrance to the airport’s departure lounge, area police officer Iftikhar Khan said. “There were two international flights taking off for the Middle East and the bomb explosion caused slight damage and panic among the visitors,” Khan said, adding that an inquiry has been ordered how the explosive was smuggled into the airport. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Benazir says she will return to Pakistan by year- end LONDON, April 28 (AFP) - Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto will return to Pakistan by the end of this year and hopes to hold office again, she told the “Times” in an interview published Saturday. She confirmed that she had had “back-channel” contacts with Musharraf, but denied there was any “understanding” between them about her future. “If the people vote for my party and parliament elects me as prime minister, it would be an honour for me to take up that role and General Musharraf would be there as president, so I think that a good working relationship between him and me would be a necessity for Pakistan,” she said. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Saudi Al-Qaeda suspect arrested in Pakistan QUETTA, Pakistan, April 28 (AFP) - Pakistani security forces Saturday arrested a Saudi national suspected of links to the Al-Qaeda terror network. A police source said the suspect identified as Suleman Zakariya was intercepted when he arrived in Zhob district of Balochistan province from the neighbouring tribal district of Waziristan. He had Saudi and US currency with him, the source said, without disclosing the amount. “Intelligence agencies are interrogating him,” the source said. Pakistan has arrested more than 700 suspects linked to Al-Qaeda since the late 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan. (First Posted @ 15:20 PST Updated @ 18:46 PST)
Cricket: Australia make 281-4 against Sri Lanka BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 28, (AFP) - Australia, after winning the toss, scored 281 for four against Sri Lanka in the World Cup Final at Kensington Oval here Saturday. Rain had reduced the match to a 38 overs per side contest. Brief score: Australia 281-4 in 38 overs (A Gilchrist 149). (Posted @ 00:08 PST)
Qazi foresees freedom of judiciary Multan, Pakistan, April 28 (PPI):- Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Chief of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has charged that the government was making an abortive attempt to hijack the opposition's drive for perpetuating its unlawful rule, but opposition would not let it stay in power. Addressing the Islamic Lawyers' convention, he said that present regime would engineer the general elections to get elected its favourites. It was a pity that a chief justice of Pakistan was seeking justice, he said and added that there was dire need of fresh blood and alternate leadership in the country. Qazi Husain Ahmad who is also the head of Jamaat-i-Islami said that the present campaign in support of free judiciary was a very big movement and would succeed. (Posted @ 19:34 PST)
One dead, 24 wounded in occupied Kashmir grenade attack SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 28 (AFP) - A woman was killed Saturday and 24 other people wounded, including women and children, in a grenade blast at a crowded bus terminal in Pampore, 15 kilometres south of Srinagar, police officer Farooq Ahmed said from Pampore. He said suspected militants tossed a grenade at a bus carrying activists from the pro-India National Conference back from a rally. “The grenade instead exploded on the ground after hitting the bus,” the officer said, adding that it sent shrapnel in all the directions. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Twenty-seven bodies found in Iraqi city BAGHDAD, April 28 (Reuters) - A total of 27 bodies were found in different parts of the religiously mixed and volatile Iraqi city of Baquba on Saturday, police said. They said 15 bodies, handcuffed and with gunshot wounds to the head, were discovered in a field. Another 12 were found in other parts of the city, 65 km north of Baghdad. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)
Car bomb near Karbala kills 55, injures dozens BAGHDAD, April 28 (Agencies) - A parked car exploded Saturday near the holiest shrine in the city of Karbala, killing about 55 people and wounding more than 160, officials said. The explosion took place about 7 p.m. in a crowded commercial area near the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussein as people were heading for prayers in Karbala, officials said. A car bomb exploded in the same area on April 14, killing 47 and wounding 224. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Fifteen killed in attack on Iraqi police chief BAGHDAD, April 28 (AFP) - A suicide truck bomber attacked an Iraqi police chief's house and killed nine of his men and six civilians but missed his main target, a US military spokesman said Saturday. “The chief of police in the town of Hit in Anbar province, General Hamid, was not killed,” said Lieutenant Shawn Mercer of the US marines, after Iraqi media reported that the western town's chief of police, Hamid Hazaa, had died in Friday's blast. Three police and 32 civilians were also wounded; he added. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
13 killed in Iraq attacks, 25 bodies found BAGHDAD, April 28(PPI):- Insurgents killed four employees from the Iraqi Red Crescent and nine others in three separate attacks in Baghdad's southern districts on Saturday, a security official said. Besides 25 bodies with gunshot wounds were found from various parts of Iraq. Four Iraqi humanitarian workers were killed and three others wounded when gunmen ambushed their minibus in the capital's district of Zafaraniyah. Also in Zafaraniyah, a group of rubbish collectors was hit by a roadside bomb, which killed one and wounded eight others, the official said. In nearby Saydiyah, unidentified gunmen shot dead five civilians and wounded one more, he added. In Al-Risala district, a series of mortar rounds slammed into a residential area killing three people and wounding 10 others, including women and children, the official said. During last 24 hours 16 bodies with gunshot wounds were found from Mosul, seven found in Baghdad and one each from Muhammadiya and Mahaweel. (First Posted @ 15:05 PST Updated @ 19:22 PST)
Helicopter crash on busy street kills 7 in central Philippine city MANILA, Philippines, April 18 (AP) - An air force helicopter crashed onto a busy street in Lapu-Lapu city in central Philippine Saturday, killing at least seven people on the ground and injuring the aircraft's four crew. The helicopter pinned a motorcycle taxi, and its spinning rotors hit another on the street, DZBB radio reported. An initial police report said seven people were killed and all four crew members on the aircraft were injured. Electric power lines were severed in the crash causing a power outage in the area, the radio report said. (Posted @ 18:16 PST)
Over 6.8 billion dollars disbursed among quake affected: ERRA ISLAMABAD, April 28 (PPI)- Over 6.8 billion dollars have been disbursed among earthquake affected people to build quake-resistant houses in NWFP and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Chairman ERRA Altaf Muhammad Saleem said at the inaugural session of International Conference of Earthquake Management here Saturday. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Pakistan, Bosnia to work jointly promoting peace and harmony: Musharraf SARAJEVO, April 28 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan and its people have emotional attachment with Bosnia and will always remain supportive to the Bosnian people for their stability, harmony and prosperity. Addressing the specially convened session of both the Houses of Bosnian Parliament Musharraf praised the Bosnian people for strengthening the foundation of multi- ethnic and multi- religious society. He also spoke in detail about terrorism , extremism, the situation in Afghanistan and Palestine and said the cause of terrorism lies in political disputes, poverty and illiteracy.. He expressed his optimism towards resolving disputes with India including the Kashmir dispute which is the main cause of tension. (Posted @ 16:56 PST)
Clashes, airstrike leave 21 Taliban dead in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, April 28 (AP) - Afghan and coalition forces clashed with Taliban militants Saturday in separate incidents in the east and south, killing 21 insurgents, officials said. In an hour-long gunbattle in Khost province's Alishar district, NATO assisted with an airstrike, killing 11 militants. Three police were also wounded. On Saturday in Helmand, Afghan and coalition forces killed 10 suspected Taliban in a clash and airstrike after their convoy was ambushed by the Taliban near Gereshk district. A subsequent airstrike destroyed two buildings from which the militants were firing, a statement said. (Posted @ 16:18 PST)
Unpopularity of Karzai government threatens Afghanistan war effort, Holbrooke warns BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 28 (AP) - NATO risks losing the war in Afghanistan because of a “tremendous deterioration” in the popularity of the government of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke said Saturday. “Afghanistan represents the ultimate test for NATO,” Holbrooke _ who recently toured the war-torn country _ told the Brussels Forum, an annual trans-Atlantic security conference. Holbrooke said he was struck during his visit by how unpopular Karzai's government had become. “I can sense a tremendous deterioration in the standing of the government. Afghans are now universally talking about their disappointment with Karzai. Let's be honest with ourselves ... the government must succeed or else the Taliban will gain from it.” At a news conference later, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Mackay said the fate of the allied operation in Afghanistan hangs by a thread. NATO Secretary-General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer added that: “If we lose ... the consequences will be felt not only in Afghanistan but in all nations.” “We don't want to see the kind of political chaos (in Kabul) that in Baghdad is destroying the coalition effort,” Holbrooke said. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Afghan Taliban say have released French woman hostage KABUL, April 28 (Reuters) The Taliban said Saturday it had released a French woman aid worker-- identified only as Celine -- abducted earlier this month. Her French male colleague, Eric, and three Afghans working with them, remain hostages. The hostages worked for Terre D'enfance, an agency working with children in Afghan's southwest. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Institutional arrangement in strategic ties to ensure Pak-US relations on even keel: Durrani WASHINGTON, April 28 (APP) Addressing a 32-member delegation of the World Affairs of America, Philadelphia, Ambassador Mahmud Ali Durrani said that an institutional arrangement is in place that will ensure sustenance of Pakistan-US relations on even keel in the future and observed that relations between the two countries had been subject to ups and downs in the past sixty years. “This strategic partnership between the two countries will bring the people of the countries closer, leading to a durable relationship for the benefit of the people and the world at large,” he stated. The ambassador underscored that Pakistan's fight against terrorism is in its own national interest and the country remains firmly committed to counterterrorism.He also talked about the considerable improvement in Pakistan-India relations, the successful elimination of poppy cultivation in Pakistan and appreciated the cooperation extended by the American government and people in the October 8 earthquake relief measures.(Posted @ 11:25 PST)
Rare earthquake creates alarm in southern Britain LONDON, April 28 (AFP) A rare, moderate earthquake shook households in southeast England Saturday, toppling chimneys and alarming residents, authorities said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake measured 4.7 on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale. The epicentre of the tremor, which the US Geological Survey said occurred at 8:18 am local time, was located 25 kilometres south of Canterbury. The depth of the epicentre was put at 7.1 kilometres. There were reports that the quake was felt up to 100 miles away from its epicentre in other southern English counties such as Essex, East Sussex and Suffolk. (Posted @ 15:12 PST)
Abbas, Mubarak meet as four die in Gaza CAIRO, April 28 (AFP) Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo Saturday on deadly violence in the Gaza Strip and how to end Palestinian diplomatic and economic isolation. The two leaders discussed “the situation on the Palestinian front and the explosive security situation in the Gaza Strip,” the official MENA agency said, as four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the territory. Israeli troops shot dead three members of Hamas' armed wing and wounded a fourth in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian medical source said. Another Palestinian was reportedly killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza. (FirstPosted @ 11:50 PST, Updated@ 15:00 PST)
Militry won't seize power: Bangladesh army chief DHAKA, April 28 (AFP) Bangladesh's military has no intention of grabbing power and will return to barracks after cleaning up politics, the country's army chief Lieutenant General Moeen U Ahmed was reported as saying Saturday. “The army will not be in politics. It is now assisting the caretaker government. When the need is over, it will return to barracks,” a Bengali daily Manabjamin quoted him as saying. (Posted @ 11:55 PST)
Vietnam police arrest 1,100 after disco raid HANOI, April 28 (AFP) More than 1,100 youngsters in Vietnam were arrested early Saturday morning following a raid on the biggest disco in Hanoi, state media said. Hanoi's New Century club was surrounded by hundreds of police, said the online VNExpress newspaper. Initial tests showed that at least 500 people had taken drugs. Police found various substances in the club, including heroin and ecstasy pills, it said. VNExpress said Hanoi police were not aware of the raid, which had been carried out secretly by national police. (Posted @ 09:59 PST)
More than 70 hurt, 600 detained in second night of riots in Estonia TALLINN, April 28 (AFP) Seventy-four people were injured, including nine police officers, and some 600 detained in a second night of rioting in Estonia after a controversial Soviet war memorial was moved from Tallinn, police said Saturday. Rioting was also reported in the town of Johvi, 165 kilometres northeast of Tallinn. “A few hundred people are on the move in the town, smashing the windows of buildings and cars,” police said in a statement issued late Friday. Riot police used water cannon, rubber batons and sound devices to disperse crowds of vandals who smashed the windows of the Art Academy in central Tallinn and looted a liquor store nearby. (Posted @ 09:27 PST)
EU's Solana urges US to talk to Iran directly BRUSSELS, April 28 (Reuters) EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged the United States Friday to speak directly to Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, saying he was sure Tehran was ready for such talks. “We have to see how far the U.S. is willing to engage. I think at this point in time, to have also the U.S. opening a channel of communication with Iran will be worth thinking about,” he told a debate at a Brussels forum on transatlantic relations. (Posted @ 09:24 PST)
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