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| March 22, 2008 | Saturday |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Erra chief Altaf Salim resigns ISLAMABAD, March 22 (APP): Chairman of earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation authority (Erra), Altaf M.Salim has resigned from his office, sources in the authority said Saturday. “The prime minister has accepted Altaf Salim's resignation but he would continue to work till appointment of new chairman of the authority,” sources added. (Posted @ 23:08 PST)
Teenage would-be suicide bomber caught: Afghan govt agency KHOST, Afghanistan, March 22 (AFP) - Afghanistan's intelligence agency said Saturday it had arrested a 14-year-old Pakistani boy who was planning a suicide car bombing in the eastern city of Khost. The teenager was arrested Thursday, Khost province deputy intelligence chief Mira Jan told AFP. He was caught with three Afghan men who had been driving him around the city to choose a site for an attack, Jan said. The boy told authorities he had come to Afghanistan to carry out an attack, he said. A car fixed with bombs was also found. (Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Cheney arrives in Israel to push Mideast peace talks TEL AVIV, March 22 (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Israel on Saturday to promote recently revived Middle East peace talks as part of a nine-day tour of the region. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
PPP names Yousuf Raza Gilani as Pakistan PM candidate ISLAMABAD, March 22 (AFP) – The Pakistan Peoples Party Saturday named ex-parliamentary speaker Yousuf Raza Gilani as its candidate to be the country's new prime minister. “I have great pleasure in calling upon Yousuf Raza Gilani in the name of Shaheed (martyr) Benazir Bhutto to accept the heavy responsibility to lead the coalition government and the nation,” said a statement by Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari that was read out to reporters by party spokesman Farhatullah Babar. The statement said that Gilani was the “consensus” candidate of the coalition. Gilani is a stalwart figure in the PPP and friend of Zardari who spent five years in jail under Musharraf's regime on corruption charges that were later overturned. He was speaker during Benazir’s second term in power from 1993 to 1996 and a minister during her first term from 1988 to 1990. Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar would not comment on reports that Gilani would be a stop-gap premier until Zardari, who is not an MP, becomes eligible to stand for the post by contesting a by-election in May. The party struggled to settle on a candidate amid a power vacuum left by the charismatic Bhutto's assassination in December, with Gilani emerging only in the last week. The other contenders were ex-trade minister Ahmed Mukhtar, party president Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Punjab province party chief Shah Mahmood Qureshi. (First Posted @ 22:04 PST Updated @ 22:16 PST)
Yousuf Raza Gilani is candidate for Pakistan PM: PPP ISLAMABAD, March 22 (AFP) - The party of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto Saturday named former speaker of the National Assembly Yousuf Raza Gilani as its candidate to be the country's new prime minister. “I have great pleasure in calling upon Yousuf Raza Gilani in the name of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to accept the heavy responsibility to lead the coalition government and the nation,” a statement by Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari said, read by party spokesman Farhatullah Babur. (Posted @ 22:04 PST)
Wasim Sajjad resigns as Leader of House in Senate ISLAMABAD, March 22 (PPI): Senator Wasim Sajjad met Caretaker Prime Minister Muhammadmian Soomro Saturday evening in Islamabad and submitted his resignation as Leader of the House in the Senate. Sajjad said he has done so in accordance with parliamentary traditions. The resignation was accepted, private TV channels reported. (Posted @ 21:54 PST)
Cricket-Shoaib Akhtar given a week to make his case KARACHI, Pakistan, March 22 (Reuters) - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been given a week to present himself before a disciplinary committee investigating charges that he violated the players' code of conduct. Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), told a news conference Saturday that if Akhtar did not appear before the committee within a week to explain himself, a decision would be made regardless. Akhtar and leg spinner Danish Kaneria have been charged with criticising the PCB's policies after new central contracts were given to 15 players in January. Akhtar was dropped and Kaneria demoted from the contracts list. Ashraf said the governing body had cleared Kaneria, pacer Rao Iftikhar and allrounder Yasir Arafat to play in English county cricket this year. (Posted @ 20:04 PST)
Cricket-ICC announces draw and schedule for Champions Trophy in Pakistan KARACHI, March 22 (Reuters) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sunday announced the schedule for the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan at Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi from Sept. 11 to 28. Due to the troubled security situation in Pakistan, the ICC has designated Sri Lanka as a reserve host country for the tournament. An ICC security delegation will carry out a final inspection visit of venues in Pakistan in June. Australia, India, Pakistan, and the West Indies have been placed in Group “A”, while Group B comprises South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
PPP, opposition candidates for Pakistan PM slot ISLAMABAD, March 22 (Agencies) The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will announce the name of its candidate for prime minister later Saturday night, while the PML(Q)-led joint opposition will name its alternate candidate for the slot on Sunday. Benazir Bhutto’s 19-year-old son Bilawal will announce the name of the party’s candidate, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain announced the opposition’s decision to put up the alternate candidate after the MQM decided to withdraw Dr. Farooq Sattar from the contest. Shujaat told a news conference after consultation with likeminded opposition groups that they had decided not to let the PPP candidate go uncontested, but withheld the name of the candidate until Sunday. The new parliament is to meet on Monday to elect the prime minister, who is to be sworn in by President Musharraf on Tuesday. (First Posted @ 13:55 PST, Updated @ 19:14 PST)
Governors summon assemblies in NWFP (April 2), Sindh (April 5) KARACHI, Mar. 22 (APP) The governor of Sindh has summoned the provincial assembly session to meet at Sindh Assembly Building on April 5 at 11 a.m. According to another announcement, the NWFP Assembly has been summoned to meet on April 2. At the inaugural session of the assemblies, the newly elected members will be administered oath. At the subsequent sessions, the assemblies will proceed to elect the speaker and the deputy speaker, followed by the election of the chief ministers. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Hangu death toll rises to four ISLAMABAD, March 22 (APP) Indefinite curfew has been clamped on the northwestern Pakistani town of Hangu after sectarian clashes Friday left at least four persons, including a policeman, dead and 25 others injured. The clashes occurred on the occasion of the Persian New Year 'Nawroz' and Eid Milad-un-Nabi. The two groups clashed with heavy weapons, including mortars and rockets. Officials said the administration held a series of jirgas to restore peace. (Posted @ 18:35 PST)
Cricket: Trescothick retires from England duty LONDON, March 22 (AFP) – Test opener Marcus Trescothick retired Saturday from international cricket, the England batsman's county, Somerset, announced. (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
Bosnia mine blast kills two policemen, one worker SARAJEVO, March 22 (Reuters) Two Bosnian police officers and one civil protection worker were killed in a landmine blast in Masici village in eastern Bosnia Saturday, Fena news agency reported. The accident happened as police were called to mark and secure the ground before the arrival of mine clearers, it said. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
US air strike kills six in Iraq SAMARRA, Iraq, March 22 (AFP) An air strike by a US Apache helicopter near the central Iraq city of Samarra Saturday killed six Iraqis and wounded two, the U.S. military said. The assault had been launched after five people “were spotted conducting suspicious terrorist activity” in an area known for roadside bomb attacks, it said. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Tropical storm kills five in northeastern Bangladesh SUNAMGANJ, Bangladesh, March 22 (AP) A tropical storm killed at least five villagers in northeastern Bangladesh, Mozammel Haq, a local Disaster Management and Relief Ministry official said. The storm also levelled around 3,000 huts Saturday in four villages of the Sunamganj district. (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Man dies, 10 wounded in road mishap near Sehwan Sharif Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan, March 22 (PPI) One passenger died while ten others sustained injuries in a collision between two passenger vans on Indus Highway near Aamri in Sindh province on Saturday. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Asif Zardari, Asfandyar Wali discuss government formation in centre and NWFP ISLAMABAD, March 22 (PPI) PPP Co-Chairman PPP Asif Ali Zardari drove to the parliament lodges and held talks with ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Saturday on formation of government in the centre and NWFP. (Posted @ 17:05 PST)
Hindus protest against sale of Indian artist's paintings NEW YORK, March 22 (APP) A group of hard-line Hindus Thursday staged a protest demonstration outside an international auction house where a painting by famed Indian artist, M.F. Husain, who has painted Hindu goddesses in the nude, was sold for a record $1.6 million. Husain's painting “Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata” went to an anonymous buyer. (Posted @ 17:00 PST)
Mirwaiz criticizes India's reaction to OIC declaration ISLAMABAD, March 22 (APP) The Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing a Friday congregation at Central Jamia Masjid in Srinagar termed unrealistic India's response to recent OIC declaration on Kashmiri’s right to self-determination, KMS reported. The OIC summit at Dakar on March 16 had reaffirmed complete solidarity and support of Islamic world to the right to self-determination of the people of occupied Kashmir and termed it as one of the oldest unresolved issues on the OIC agenda. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
MQM delegation meets Shujaat and formally parts ways with opposition ISLAMABAD, March 22 (APP) Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) formally parted ways with the PML-Q on Saturday by announcing withdrawal of its candidate for premiership in favour of PPP. The announcement came after a meeting of a high powered MQM delegation with PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at the latter's residence in Islamabad. Terming the decision “final” and taken in “larger interest of the people of Sindh”, Dr. Farooq Sattar, the opposition candidate for the top slot, told reporters that his party would now support the PPP candidate for the top slot, saying that this step would “help bridge the gulf between people of urban and rural Sindh.” Though Shujaat endorsed the MQM decision, tension was evident from the body language of all the PML-Q leaders present on the occasion. “We welcome the MQM decision keeping in view the negative and undemocratic trends already emerging in Sindh. Only today, a false FIR of murder has been lodged against our leader Sardar Ghous Bakhsh Khan Mehr. In this scenario, we greet the MQM decision even if they join the government in larger interest of their people. As they are our friends, we hope that being a part of treasury, they would resist any negative and undemocratic move against our leaders,” said Shujaat. However, Chaudhry Shujaat made it clear that the PML-Q would take its decision whether or not to field its candidate for the top slot. “We have convened a party meeting later in the day and final decision would be taken in the meeting,” he said. Farooq Sattar said: “Both the PML-Q and MQM have been friends and would remain so even if the PML-Q brings its own candidate and we do not caste our vote in its favour.” For the time being, he said, the MQM was a part of opposition, and it was now up to the PPP leadership to make the choice whether or not it wanted the MQM to join the government. Shujaat also defended the MQM decision, saying that if this step is not responded fairly, the doors “are open for the MQM to return'. Senators Mohammad Ali Durrani and Mushahid Hussain Sayed , Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Chaudhry Amir Hussain, Amir Muqam, and Tariq Azeem assisted the PML-Q president during the talks while the MQM delegation included Haider Abbas Rizvi, Iqbal Mohammad Khan and Abdul Wasim. (First Posted @ 12:25 PST, Updated @ 16:45 PST)
Ski gondola accident in Italy injures 14 ROME, March 22 (Reuters) Some 14 people were injured when a ski gondola rammed into a lift station in the resort town of Sestriere in northern Italy Saturday, police said. The accident happened when the gondola failed to stop as it entered the station and rammed into the support structure. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Four Palestinians wounded in West Bank clashes NABLUS, West Bank, March 22 (AFP) At least four people were wounded, one of them seriously, when clashes erupted between Palestinian police and residents of a West Bank village Saturday, a security official said. “Around 200 police were sent to the village of Hawara south of Nablus to arrest wanted criminals. There was an exchange of fire between the police and the families of the wanted men,” the Palestinian official told AFP. (Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Clashes end at Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon SIDON, Lebanon, March 22 (AFP) Quiet returned to Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp Saturday after a ceasefire between militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction ended heavy clashes. The hundreds of civilians who had fled the fighting in the densely populated Ain al-Helweh camp outside the southern port city of Sidon began returning to their homes after the truce took hold, an AFP correspondent witnessed. Fatah fighters exchanged rocket fire with militants of Jund al-Sham (Soldiers of Damascus) for some four hours in the camp's main street late Friday prompting the exodus of civilians. Gunshots were subsequently heard in Sidon itself, with a Fatah leader saying at least four people had been wounded. (First Posted @ 09:20 PST, Updated @ 15:10 PST)
Three US soldiers killed in roadside bombing northwest of Baghdad BAGHGAG, March 22 (AP) A roadside bombing struck a U.S. patrol northwest of Baghdad Saturday, killing three American soldiers and two Iraqi civilians, the military said. (First Posted @ 13:45 PST, Updated @ 14:40 PST)
Cheney, Saudi king discuss energy stability RIYADH, March 22 (AFP) US Vice President Dick Cheney and Saudi King Abdullah had a “very thorough” discussion of short, medium and long-term fixes to chaotic global energy markets, a US official said Saturday. In meetings that also included Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi, there was “a lot of commonality in their assessment about the structural problems confronted by the global energy market now, and some discussion of probably the way forward,” the official told reporters requesting anonymity. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Candidate for next Pakistani PM to be announced Saturday ISLAMABAD, March 22 (Reuters) Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will announce its candidate for prime minister Saturday, party officials said. “The consultation process within the party and with the coalition partners on the nomination of the prime minister has been completed,” Raza Rabbani, a deputy secretary general of the party, told reporters. “The chairman will announce the final decision later in the day,” he said, referring to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Another senior party official said the announcement was due at about 9 p.m. (Posted @ 13:55 PST)
Two US soldiers killed in roadside bombing northwest of Baghdad BAGHDAD, March 22 (AP) A roadside bombing killed two American soldiers and two Iraqi civilians northwest of Baghdad Saturday, the U.S. military said, adding that a third soldier was wounded in the bombing. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
District chief killed in north Afghanistan MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, March 22 (Reuters) An Afghan district governor was killed in the north of the country Saturday in an knife attack provincial officials blamed on Taliban insurgents. Karim Rokai, the governor of Khanaqa district in Jowzjan province, was killed in a knife attack, said provincial spokesman Mahbobollah Zari. (Posted @ 13:40 PST)
MQM withdraws PM candidate ISLAMABAD, March 22 (AP): The allies of President Pervez Musharraf withdrew their candidate for Pakistan's prime minister as a “goodwill gesture” to the Pakistan People’s Party of slain leader Benazir Bhutto, who said they would announce their candidate Saturday. The move clears the way for whoever is nominated by Bhutto's party to run for premier uncontested. Musharraf's allies named Farooq Sattar of Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as their choice for premier earlier this week. The decision to withdraw Sattar's candidacy was made late Friday after meetings with party leaders in London and Karachi, said MQM lawmaker Haider Abbas Rizvi. “The decision was made as a goodwill gesture and in the larger interest of the country,” Rizvi told Associated Press. “We will support the PPP candidate unconditionally,” Rizvi said. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Four injured in explosion along RCD Highway KHUZDAR, March 22 (PPI): Four persons including two policemen were injured in an explosion under a bridge along RCD highway Friday. Reports said explosives planted under a bridge near New Bus Addah along RCD Highway were set off by remote control. Four persons including two policemen were injured in the explosion. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Tennis: Kuznetsova ends Sharapova's run INDIAN WELLS, California, March 21 (Reuters): Maria Sharapova's perfect start to the year came to a shuddering halt when she lost 6-3 5-7 6-2 to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Pacific Life Open semi-finals Friday. Australian Open champion Sharapova, who had won her first 18 matches of the season, was outplayed when it counted by the second seed in a match lasting two hours, 19 minutes. Kuznetsova will face top-seeded Ana Ivanovic in Sunday's final, the Serb having beaten compatriot Jelena Jankovic 7-6 6-3 later on Friday. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Pakistani leaders plan talks with militants: report WASHINGTON, March 22 (AFP): The leaders of Pakistan’s newly-formed coalition government intend to start negotiations with militants in a hope of ending the spate of bombings that has shaken the country, The New York Times reported on its website late Friday. It said Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif Pakistan Muslim League-N said in interviews that they will use military force only as a last resort. The talk of a softer approach to militants has alarmed US officials. Many Pakistanis -- the NYT report said -- are convinced the surge in suicide bombings (17 in the first 10 weeks of 2008) is retaliation for three Predator strikes since the year’s beginning. Speaking in separate interviews, Zardari and Sharif said they were determined to set a different course from Musharraf. Sharif is quoted as saying, “we will deal with them sensibly. When you have a problem in your family, you don't kill your own family, you sit and talk. Britain got the Ireland problem solution. So what's the harm in negotiations?” Zardari said the war against the insurgents has to be redefined as “Pakistan's war” for a public that has come to resent the conflict as being pushed on the country as part of a US agenda, The Times said. “Obviously what they have been doing for the last eight years has not been working,” Zardari said. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Mine sinks Sri Lanka navy craft, 11 sailors missing COLOMBO, March 22 (AFP): A Sri Lankan navy craft sank after hitting a mine off the island's north-eastern coast Saturday, leaving at least 11 sailors missing, a military source said. Five sailors from the fast attack craft (FAC) were rescued by another boat patrolling the waters off the Tamil Tiger stronghold of Mullaitivu district, the source said. “A survivor said his FAC started taking in water after a huge explosion,” said the source. (Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Cricket: England 240 for seven at close of first day NAPIER, New Zealand, March 22 (AFP): England were 240 for seven at the close of the first day of the third and deciding cricket Test against New Zealand at McLean Park Saturday. Kevin Pietersen made 129 and Stuart Broad was not out 42, while Tim Southee had three for 46. The series is level 1-1. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
US soldier killed, 4 wounded in Baghdad BAGHDAD, March 22 (AP): The U.S. military says an American soldier has been killed and four others wounded in a rocket or mortar attack south of Baghdad. The death raises to at least 3,993 U.S. troops who have died since the war started five years ago. A statement said the soldier died of wounds sustained from indirect fire on Friday. The military uses the term indirect fire to describe a rocket or mortar attack. (Posted @ 09:45 PST)
Former Kiwi cricket captain Merv Wallace dead at 91 WELLINGTON, March 22 (AP): Former New Zealand cricket captain and coach Merv Wallace died in Auckland at the age of 91, New Zealand Cricket said Saturday. Members of the New Zealand cricket team playing England in the third test at Napier on Saturday wore black armbands in Wallace's memory. He died Friday. Wallace made five half centuries in a 13-test career which spanned World War II, stretching from 1937 to 1953. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Floods leave 16 dead in midwest America FENTON, Missouri, March 22 (AP): Americans fought Friday to save homes and businesses from rivers spilling over their banks after rainstorms blamed for at least 16 deaths moved through the Midwest. Thousands of people from Arkansas through Ohio were staying in shelters or with relatives as flood waters lapped against their homes. To the north, a fresh snowstorm blew through Minnesota and into Chicago area, forcing authorities to cancel flights. Forecasters said the storm could leave as much as 23 centimeters of heavy snow in the region. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Militants clash with Fatah guerrillas in southern Lebanon refugee camp SIDON, March 22 (AP): Guerrillas from the mainstream Fatah movement battled militants in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon late Friday, Lebanese and Palestinian officials said. At least one man was killed and four wounded in the clash pitting gunmen of the militant Jund al-Sham group against Fatah guerrillas in Ein el-Hilweh camp on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon, the officials said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
FourChinese tourists killed in New Zealand road crash WELLINGTON, March 22 (AP): Four Chinese tourists, all members of one Hong Kong family died in a head-on crash on a New Zealand country road Friday, police said. The driver of a station wagon carrying the tourists apparently lost control on loose gravel and collided with a sports utility vehicle near Clevedon, near the northern city of Auckland, police and emergency services said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
FourChinese tourists killed in New Zealand road crash WELLINGTON, March 22 (AP): Four Chinese tourists, all members of one Hong Kong family died in a head-on crash on a New Zealand country road Friday, police said. The driver of a station wagon carrying the tourists apparently lost control on loose gravel and collided with a sports utility vehicle near Clevedon, near the northern city of Auckland, police and emergency services said. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
China says 19 killed in Lhasa unrest BEIJING, March 22 (AFP): China said Saturday Tibetan rioters killed 18 civilians and one police officer during protests against Chinese rule in the region's capital Lhasa, updating a previous toll. “Eighteen civilians and one police officer were confirmed dead by Friday night in the unrest that rocked Lhasa last week,” reported Xinhua, the state news agency. The report added that 241 police officers were injured, 23 seriously, and 382 civilians were injured, 58 seriously. “Rioters set fire to seven schools, five hospitals and 120 residences,” the Xinhua report said. “Eighty-four vehicles were burnt and 908 shops were looted.” (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Malian Tuareg rebels kill 3 soldiers, capture 20 BAMAKO, March 21 (Reuters): Three Malian soldiers were killed and around 20 captured by Tuareg rebels who attacked a military convoy near the northeastern border with Algeria, Malian military authorities said Friday. The attack triggered a series of gunbattles between troops and rebels which went on for most of Thursday, a defence ministry official told Reuters. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Russia regional TV chief killed MOSCOW, March 21 (Reuters): A well-known broadcaster and TV chief from Russia's North Caucasus was shot dead on Friday when gunmen opened fire on his car, Russian agencies reported. Gadzhi Abashilov, 58, was the chairman of the Dagestan State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and a former journalist who had presented his own television programme until he took up his current post a year ago, Tass reported. (Posted @ 08:50 PST)
ETA bombs police barracks in northern Spain CALAHORRA, March 22 (AFP): A car bomb exploded Friday at a police barracks in northern Spain's Rioja region following a warning from the Basque separatist organisation ETA, injuring one person, authorities said. It detonated at 1300 GMT, causing major damage but only one minor injury as the Civil Guard barracks and surrounding area had been evacuated, said Madrid's representative in the region. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
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