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| May 18, 2007 | Friday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 01, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan to host WEF on South Asia in March 2008: PM DEAD SEA, Jordan, May 18 (APP) - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday said Pakistan would host the World Economic Forum on South Asia in March next year, providing a chance to the region to promote its development. He was talking to reporters after his meeting with Chairman of World Economic Forum Prof. Klaus Schwab here on the sidelines of WEF on Middle East being attended by more than 1,200 participants from 56 countries. The participants, who include 16 heads of state, gathered at a new convention center on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan. Prime Minister Aziz congratulated WEF Chairman Prof. Klaus Schwab and said that the forum's meeting on South Asia in Pakistan would have very positive and constructive impact on the economic and trade activities in the region, particularly in Pakistan. (Posted @ 23:24 PST)
Eight people killed, over 40 injured in rain related incidents in NWFP PESHAWAR May 18(APP) - Heavy storm followed by torrential rains in parts of the NWFP Friday evening left eight persons dead and over forty injured due to tragic wall and roof collapse incidents mostly in mountainous district Swat. According to met office here, winds having a velocity of 70 km per hour hit various parts of the NWFP on Friday evening as result of which a number of trees were uprooted on the main roads while in some areas huge billboards fell on the ground. (Posted @ 22:48 PST)
Cricket: England 553-5 v West Indies at close of 2nd day 1st test LONDON, May 18, (REUTERS) - England were 553 for five in their first innings at the close of the second day of the first test against West Indies at Lord's on Friday. (Posted @ 21:34 PST)
At least 13 killed in mosque bombing, riots in southern India HYDERABAD, India, May 18, (AP) - A bomb ripped through a historic south India mosque Friday, and 13 people were killed _ 11 in the blast and two in subsequent clashes between angry Muslim worshippers and security forces, police said. Minutes after the blast at the 17th-century Mecca Masjid, worshippers who were angered by what they said was a lack of police protection began chanting ''God is great!'' Some hurled stones at police, who dispersed them with baton charges and tear gas. While the situation at the mosque was quickly brought under control, Muslims later clashed with security forces in at least three parts of Hyderabad, said Mohammed Abdul Basit, police chief of Andhra Pradesh state, where Hyderabad is located. Police fired live ammunition and tear gas to quell the riots, killing two people, he said. (Posted @ 20:40 PST)
Pakistan, India agree to continue discussions on Sir Creek ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): Pakistan and India, at the conclusion of two-day talks on Sir Creek under the 4th Round of Composite Dialogue held in Rawalpindi from May 17-18, have agreed to continue discussions for amicable settlement of the issue. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the successful completion of the joint survey of Sir Creek and adjoining areas, says a foreign ministry press release The two sides discussed the delimitation of the maritime boundary as well as the delineation of the boundary in the Sir Creek in the light of the results of the joint survey. They exchanged maps/charts showing their respective positions on the delineation of the boundary in the Sir Creek and delimitation of the maritime boundary. (Posted @ 19:22 PST)
Five of a family killed in road accident in Punjab HAFIZABAD, Punjab, May 18 (APP): Five members of a family including three women were killed while two others were seriously injured in a road accident near Pindi Bhattian on Friday. The family was on its way from Multan to Pir Khara near Kallar Kahar on a loader which rammed into a parked truck and overturned. (Posted @ 19:20 PST)
Neutral caretaker government before elections: PM Aziz AMMAN, May 18 (PPI) : Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Friday a neutral caretaker government would be set up before next general elections in Pakistan. Talking to opinion leaders of Jordan he said changes have been introduced in the electoral process to ensure that advantage of incumbency is not available to sitting Government. He dwelt at length on Pakistan's internal and external policies saying that as peace stems from strength, Pakistan's nuclear and missile capability ensures peace in South Asia. “We are engaged in dialogue with neighbouring India to resolve the core issue of Kashmir in line with aspirations of Kashmiri people. Both front and back channels are being tried to resolve disputes between two countries.” On relations with Jordan, he said the two brotherly countries have close links in different spheres of life and would be signing agreement during his visit to promote these ties further. (Posted @ 19:18 PST)
At least 7 killed in bombing at mosque in southern India HYDERABAD, India, May 18 (AP) - A bomb ripped through the historic Makkah Masjid here n as Friday prayers were ending, killing at least seven people and wounding nearly three dozen, officials said. Two other unexploded bombs were found and defused by police. Soon after the blast, enraged Muslims began chanting slogans, a situation that quickly deteriorated as mobs threw stones at police, who dispersed them with baton charges and tear gas causing injuries to many more. Many of the 35 injured in the blast were severely wounded, and the city's police chief, Balwinder Singh, warned the death toll could rise beyond the seven already dead. The bomb, made of a stick-grenade packed into a metal pipe, was detonated by a mobile phone attached to the device, said the state's police chief, Mohammed Abdul Basit. (First Posted @ 14:11 PST Updated @ 19:10 PST)
Fire rages out of control at Israeli munitions warehouse JERUSALEM, May 18 (AP) - A fire raged out of control in an Israel Military Industries warehouse in northern Israel on Friday, burning up tons of munitions, but causing no injuries or risk to the surrounding area, police said. The ordnance at the state-run facility in Nazareth was defective and slated to be destroyed, a spokesman said. (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
India sees overland imports of Pakistan wheat soon NEW DELHI, May 18 (Reuters) - A plan to import wheat overland from neighbouring Pakistan should get the go-ahead soon, Indian mill owners and trade officials said on Friday, but final approval would have to be given by the foreign ministry. Flour mill owners met commerce ministry officials late on Thursday and asked for permission to import Pakistani wheat through a border post to cut freight costs. “We (India) should not have any objection to allow them to import wheat from Wagah. We have forwarded their request to other ministries,” an official at the commerce ministry said. Pakistan has 500,000 tonnes of surplus wheat and Indiantraders may buy the entire quantity if allowed to bring the grain through Wagah, trade officials told Reuters on Thursday. (Posted @ 17:38 PST)
Musharraf rules out return of rivals Benazir Bhutto, Sharif ISLAMABAD, May 18 (AFP) – President Pervez Musharraf vowed on Friday not to allow exiled former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to return ahead of upcoming general elections. “About their return before elections, no, there is nobody returning before elections,” Musharraf, who is both president and the chief of the army, said in an interview with a private TV channel. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
Cricket: India 295-3 in first Bangladesh Test CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, May 18 (AFP) - India were 295-3 at stumps on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Bangladesh here Friday. Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on 80 and Sourav Ganguly was on 82. (Posted @ 17:24 PST)
Taliban claim capture of Dadullah's betrayer KANDAHAR, May 18 (AFP) - The Taliban said Friday it had arrested a close aide to the rebel movement's slain commander Mullah Dadullah for treachery that led to his killing. Taliban spokesman Shohabudin Atal declined to disclose the name of the captured man but said Dadullah had stopped at the house of the suspect in Helmand's Bahramcha district when he came under attack from coalition forces. Dadullah's body was removed by his fighters but the same suspect passed on the information to coalition forces, who moved in and seized the corpse. Asked how the rebels knew the man was a spy, Atal said: “Each time there was a (coalition) strike the man would disappear and then reappear after the bombing was over.”Atal said the man had confessed to being a spy for the United States. Meanwhile, the Afghan national intelligence department in Kabul said Wednesday the rebel commander was tracked “with (the) most modern intelligence technology from the Pakistani border before being killed.” NATO forces, which helped in the operation, said “as soon as we had information he was in the country, we pinpointed him very well and we started tracking him.” (Posted @ 17:18 PST)
14 Taliban killed by airstrikes in western Afghanistan KABUL, May 18 (AP) - Airstrikes targeted a convoy of Taliban who had left a meeting in Bakwa district of Farah province in western Afghanistan, leaving 14 suspected militants dead and 10 wounded, governor Muhaidin Baluch said Friday. As the Taliban fighters left the meeting, airstrikes hit seven Taliban vehicles, he said. Two of the 10 wounded lost their legs, and the 14 dead were buried near where they were killed, Baluch said. ISAF and the U.S.-led coalition said they had looked into the report, but had no information about it. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Security alert after Sikh clashes in India AMRITSAR, India, May 18 (AFP) - Security forces were on high alert in two northern states as violent protests between rival Sikh groups left at least one person dead and some 30 injured. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday appealed to people to maintain calm as protests continued for the fifth day on Friday and spread to New Delhi and the states of Uttarakhand and Rajasthan The clashes erupted after the chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect was reportedly seen dressed as a revered guru -- an act deemed deeply insulting by other faithful. One person was shot dead in clashes late Thursday in Punjab state's Sangrur district, with protests and violence also reported in the neighbouring state of Haryana, police said. The border between the two states has been sealed. Tens of thousands of Sikhs armed with sticks and traditional swords have taken to the streets in the past four days, forcing the closure of schools and universities in several areas. (Posted @ 16:34 PST)
At least four killed, 24 injured in Indian mosque bomb blast HYDERABAD, India, May 18 (AFP) - A bomb tore through Hyderabad's historic Mecca Masjid, one of India's biggest mosques, Friday, killing at least four people and wounding 24 others as thousands of worshippers attended prayers, doctors and witnesses said. The bomb is thought to have been placed inside a water tank. The NDTV news channel quoted officials as saying that two other bombs were successfully defused by bomb disposal teams. Hundreds of people gathered at the scene, and police were seen firing tear gas at an angry mob throwing stones at officers. (First Posted @ 14:11 PST Updated @ 16:18 PST)
Car plunges six storeys, killing Indonesian family JAKARTA, May 18 (AFP) -A family of three was killed when their vehicle crashed through a car park wall and plunged six storeys onto the street below in the Indonesian capital, reports said Friday. The driver, who had only had her licence for a month, lost control of the car as they were leaving the multi-storey car park after attending a church service on Thursday, Kompas daily reported. No one was injured on the normally busy street below as the city had closed down Thursday for a public holiday, reports said. (Posted @ 16:16 PST)
Military strike on Iran would be catastrophic: PM Aziz AMMAN, May 18 (AFP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Friday that a military strike on Iran over its nuclear activities would be “catastrophic” and hoped US-Iranian talks this month would reduce tensions. “The use of force to solve this issue will have catastrophic implications for the whole umma (Muslim nations) and for the whole world,” PM Aziz told a press conference in Amman. “We are pleased to see that Iran will be engaging in a dialogue with the United States and we hope that leads to a reduction of tensions in the region,” said Aziz, who is in Jordan to attend a G11 summit of developing countries. Turning to the G11, Aziz said he hoped the grouping -Croatia, Ecuador, Georgia, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and El Salvador - could “gradually build into a platform to promote free trade.” ”The developing world needs today trade more than anything because trade is permanent. Trade creates an industrial base and jobs which will drive growth forward,” he said. Pakistan, he added, has no plans to set up diplomatic ties with Israel before a solution is found to the Palestinian issue. (Posted @ 14:52 PST)
Three killed in mosque bombing in southern India NEW DELHI, May 18 (AFP) A bomb exploded inside a mosque in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad Friday, killing three people, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. (Posted @ 14:11 PST)
OIC chair Malaysia urges UN to intervene in Gaza KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (AFP) Malaysia, the chair of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Friday urged immediate United Nations intervention to end the deadly violence in Gaza. Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the international community led by the United Nations must seek a solution to bring peace in the region. “All this violence must stop. The international community must intervene. I think the United Nations must intervene,” Syed Hamid said, adding that Hamas and other Palestinian groups must stop the fighting and “get together in order to resolve their differences.” (Posted @ 14:11 PST)
Six people killed in attacks across Iraq BAGHDAD, May 18 (AFP) Ambushes on Iraq's deadly roadways killed six people Friday. Three Iraqi policemen were killed and another two wounded when a suicide car bomber ploughed into a checkpoint they were manning south of Baghdad, police officials said. Also Friday, three truck drivers were killed on a road connecting the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. Another four people were wounded Friday in a car bomb explosion near a major bridge west of Kirkuk, and a roadside bomb in the city itself wounded three people, including two women. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Attack kills three more US troops in Iraq BAGHDAD, May 18 (AFP) Three US soldiers were killed and another wounded when their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad, the US military said Friday. The attack Thursday came as thousands of American troops scoured a region south of Baghdad for three soldiers kidnapped by Al-Qaeda. (Posted @ 12:52 PST)
18 wedding guests killed in bus accident in India NEW DELHI, India, May 18 (AFP) Eighteen people were killed and a dozen injured, five of them seriously, when their lorry crashed into a bus in southern India Friday, police said. The victims were returning from a wedding in the southern state of Karnataka, the Press Trust of India reported, quoting unnamed police officials. (Posted @ 12:27 PST)
Kazakh leader gets right to rule indefinitely ASTANA, May 18 (Reuters) Kazakhstan's veteran leader Nursultan Nazarbayev was effectively declared president-for-life Friday in a move condemned by the nation's opposition as undemocratic. The Central Asian nation's parliament voted overwhelmingly to allow Nazarbayev, in power since 1989, to stay in office for an unlimited number of terms. Only one member of parliament in more than 100 deputies of both legislative chambers voted against the law which applies only to Nazarbayev. All subsequent leaders can only stay for two terms, according to the law. (Posted @ 11:29 PST)
Pakistan investigates Al-Qaeda blast claim ISLAMABAD, May 18 (AFP) Pakistani investigators Friday probed a claim by a previously unknown group calling itself Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan that it carried out a suicide blast in Peshawar which killed 25 people. Two letters carefully taped to the severed legs of the suicide bomber and warning of further attacks against “US spies” mentioned the name of the organisation, security officials told AFP on condition of anonymity. They said that the Afghan owner of the hotel targeted in Tuesday's attack in Peshawar had close ties with Pakistani intelligence. The almost identical handwritten letters attribute the attack to Qaedat-ul-Jihad fi Bilad-e-Khurusan (The Base of Holy War from the place of Khurusan), or Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. (Posted @ 11:18 PST)
Six Nigerian journalists killed in road crash LAGOS, Nigeria, May 18 (AP) Six Nigerian journalists were killed when the minibus they were travelling in behind the convoy of a local governor crashed, the local journalists' union said Thursday. The dead were among 13 reporters travelling with Joshua Dariye, governor of central region Plateau state, as he inspected development projects Wednesday near Shendam town, around 800 kilometres north of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, the Nigerian Union of Journalists said in a statement. (Posted @ 10:51 PST)
U.S. Congress passes $2.9 trillion 2008 budget WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) The U.S. Congress Thursday approved a $2.9 trillion fiscal 2008 budget that funds President George W. Bush's huge defence buildup while also adding money for Democrats' domestic priorities. The budget, written by Democrats who control both chambers of Congress, received no backing from House Republicans, while only two moderate Republicans in the Senate supported it. (Posted @ 10:48 PST)
Boy killed, 17 injured in Philippine blast COTABATO, Philippines, May 18 (AFP) A seven-year-old boy was killed and 17 other people were wounded when a home-made bomb exploded in a bus terminal in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato Friday, police said. About half of the casualties were children, police Senior Superintendent Panares Adap said. Another police spokesman said an unidentified man left a bag containing the bomb at the terminal of Weena Bus Lines just before it exploded. (First Posted @ 09:18 PST, Updated @ 10:41 PST)
Time running out on Middle East peace process: King Abdullah II LONDON, May 18 (AFP) “Time is running out” for finding a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jordan's King Abdullah II warned in an interview published in The Times Friday. Speaking from Petra, where he was hosting a meeting with Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Abdullah told The Times: “We have a finite amount of time. Physically, there may not be a chance for a future Palestinian state.” ”This is why the urgency is now…I believe that time is running out,” said the monarch. “Arabs and Muslims have realised that this is our last chance. I think it is beginning to dawn on Israelis and Palestinians. They need to reach out to their brothers and sisters and say, 'We need to take one step back because if this continues we may lose our final opportunity.'” (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Italy's foreign minister to visit Afghanistan, Pakistan ROME, May 18 (AFP) Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema will visit Afghanistan and Pakistan next week to hold talks with leaders of both countries, the government announced Thursday. The visits, set for Monday and Tuesday, come as the Italian government faces pressure at home over its military presence in Afghanistan. D'Alema will meet with Italian soldiers in Afghanistan as well as with President Hamid Karzai. In Pakistan, he will meet with President Pervez Musharraf and foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri. (Posted @ 09:56 PST)
Blast in bus terminal in Philippine south, 13 hurt MANILA, May 18 (Reuters) Thirteen people were hurt when a powerful blast ripped through a crowded bus terminal in downtown Cotabato City in southern Philippines Friday, police said. (Posted @ 09:18 PST)
Seven Tamil rebels killed in latest clashes in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 18 (AP) At least seven Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in fresh clashes between government troops and insurgents in Sri Lanka's volatile northeast, the military said Friday. Troops killed two rebels Friday after they attacked a navy foot patrol in northern Kayts island, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said. Army soldiers, meanwhile, confronted a group of rebels in eastern Batticaloa district Thursday, killing five insurgents. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Three more killed in Philippines election violence MANILA, May 18 (AFP) Two communist insurgents and a soldier were killed in the central Philippines in incidents linked to this week's mid-term elections, the military said Friday. Two members of the Communist Party's New People's Army (NPA) were killed Thursday during security operations near the town of Capalonga, southeast of Manila, Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said in a statement. A soldier was also killed Tuesday on the central island of Samar when the NPA ambushed an army unit assigned to escort ballot boxes, he said. (Posted @ 09:07 PST)
Quake rocks islands north of New Zealand WELLINGTON, May 18 (AFP) A strong 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand Friday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake, at a depth of 35 kilometres below the earth's surface, was centred 154 kilometres southwest of Raoul Island at 7:29 am. Raoul Island is part of the New Zealand territory of the Kermadec Islands.There were no immediate reports of damage, casualties or a tsunami. Raoul Island is a volcanic island about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Auckland. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
World Bank president Wolfowitz resigns WASHINGTON, May 18 (AFP) World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz said Thursday he was resigning for the “best interests” of the bank, effective June 30. “I am announcing today that I will resign as president of the World Bank Group effective at the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2007),” Wolfowitz said in a statement. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
Israeli air strike on Gaza kills four Palestinians GAZA CITY, May 18 (AFP) At least four Palestinians were killed and four others wounded early Friday in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, a Palestinian medical official said. Those killed in the attack in the western Zeitun neighbourhood were Hamas members, witnesses said. (Posted @ 09:04 PST)
Reserves KARACHI, May 17: Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves rose by $49.8 million to a record $13,782.8 million in the week ending May 12, the central bank said on Thursday. According to the break-up, out of this central bank held $11,601 million while $2,181.8 million were held by other banks.
Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have grown steadily over the past few months because of rising foreign investment inflows and higher remittances from Pakistanis abroad.—Agencies
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