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| March 26, 2008 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 Pakistan PM calls for political solution to terror fight ISLAMABAD, March 26 (AFP): Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told US President George W. Bush that a broader approach to the “war on terror” is necessary, including political solutions and development programmes, a statement said. It said the prime minister made the call for a rethink in policy when Bush telephoned him on Tuesday to congratulate him on taking office. Gilani told Bush “Pakistan would continue to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations since it is in Pakistan's own national interest,” said a statement issued late Tuesday by his office. “However, he said a comprehensive approach is required in this regard, specially combining a political approach with development programmes,” it added. His comments came after former premier Nawaz Sharif told two US envoys Tuesday that the new government would review President Pervez Musharraf's “one-man” anti-terror strategy and focus on Pakistan's needs. (Posted @ 15:05 PST)  Bush waives law to give millions to Pakistan's anti-terror fight WASHINGTON, March 26 (AFP): President George W. Bush has cleared the way for giving millions of dollars to Pakistan to fight terrorism this year, the White House said Tuesday. In a memo to the secretary of state dated Monday, Bush used his authority to exempt Pakistan from a law that restricts funding countries where the legitimate head of state was deposed by a military coup. The waiver opens the way for the United States to provide about 300 million dollars this year to Pakistan to boost its counter-terrorism operations. “Pakistan is a key ally in the 'war on terror.' The Pakistani government is conducting military, police, and intelligence operations to fight terrorist groups on Pakistani soil and bring terrorists to justice,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. He said Musharraf had “kept his commitments” to retire from the military and be sworn in as a civilian president, and to lift the state of emergency. He also noted that multi-party elections had successfully been held. “We are currently assessing the impact of those elections on future requirements for waivers of coup-related sanctions,” Johndroe added. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)  Benazir Bhutto attack suspect freed on bail KARACHI, March 26 (AFP): An alleged Al-Qaeda militant detained over the bombing of Benazir Bhutto's homecoming parade which killed 139 people was freed on bail, police said on Wednesday. A court freed Qari Saifullah Akhtar, accused by the former premier of plotting against her in a book published after her assassination in December, was released because of a lack of evidence. “The court granted bail to Qari Saifullah after the police failed to produce evidence against him,” police investigator Nawaz Ranjha told AFP. The court ordered police to produce evidence as soon as possible, he said. A court official said police had suggested releasing Akhtar with the intention of re-arresting him later. “The police in its report to the judge proposed that Akhtar be released on a personal bond at this point of time as the police have not enough evidence material to present a charge-sheet against him. The police said the suspect would again be arrested when adequate evidence material was gathered,” he said. (Posted @ 17:45 PST) US envoys visit Pakistan's Frontier province ISLAMABAD, March 26 (AP): Senior U.S. envoys are visiting Pakistan's northwest to promote plans to boost security and development in border regions that could be harboring Osama bin Laden. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher traveled to the frontier Wednesday. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Kay Mayfield said the diplomats are meeting local and provincial officials. Washington has pledged funds to develop impoverished areas along the Afghan frontier. The envoys discussed counterterrorism with President Musharraf and other leaders on Tuesday. (Posted @ 15:05 PST) Owner of vehicle used in FIA building blast dies mysteriously LAHORE, March 26 (APP): The owner of the pick-up which was used in the FIA Building bomb blast on March 11 died in the police station lock-up. Police said on Wednesday, Muhammad Afzal of Bilal Gunj Lahore had purchased the vehicle No STK-3985 from a Toyata dealer. However Afzal failed to satisfy the authorities why he sold the vehicle. The cause of Afzal's death has yet to be determined. The body of the deceased was moved to the city morgue for post mortem. Meanwhile, a case has been registered against the officials who were on duty at the time of his death. (Posted @ 20:05 PST) List of Pakistanis interned in Indian jails released KARACHI, March 26 (APP): The Ansar Burney Trust has released a list of 46 Pakistani prisoners including women, languishing in Indian jails who have even completed their sentences. Former minister Ansar Burney said his trust has received a list of Pakistani prisoners in jails of Indian Punjab who have completed their sentences and are awaiting release. (Posted @ 19:10 PST) MQM ready to hold negotiations with PML-N ISLAMABAD, Mar 26 (APP): The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is ready to hold talks with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz if they desire so, MQM leader Syed Faisal Subazwari said Wednesday. Talking to 'Dawn News' private TV channel, he said MQM extended unconditional support to Pakistan People's Party as a goodwill gesture. “We are not expecting anything in return but want to enhance cooperation between urban and rural Sindh,” he added. (Posted @ 18:45 PST) US acknowledges navy warning shot killed Egyptian CAIRO, March 26 (Reuters): The United States said on Wednesday a warning shot fired from a U.S. naval vessel appeared to have killed an Egyptian on Monday, after earlier denying reports of such a death. “It appears an Egyptian in the boat was killed by one of the warning shots,” a statement by the navy on Tuesday said. (Posted @ 21:00 PST) 
Oil jumps to $105 LONDON, March 26 (Reuters): Oil jumped $4 a barrel on Wednesday, extending an earlier gain, after a U.S. government report showed larger-than-expected drops in fuel stocks in the world's top consumer. U.S. crude rose $4.02 to $105.24 a barrel by 1524 GMT, extending the 36-cent gain on Tuesday. It has fallen from a record high of $111.80 reached on March 17. London Brent added $2.87 to $103.47. On Wednesday, oil rose as a weakening U.S. dollar prompted some investors to shift money back into commodities and a 24-hour strike disrupted operations at French ports. (First Posted 19:30 PST Updated @ 21:00 PST) 135 dead, 1,000 injured in Tibet crackdown: exiled parliament head BRUSSELS, March 26 (AFP): China's crackdown on protests in Tibet left at least 135 dead, 1,000 injured and 400 arrested, the head of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile said in Brussels Wednesday. “Information from Tibet is very difficult to get, but we have reliable sources,” said parliamentary speaker Karma Chophel to reporters at the European Parliament in Brussels. (Posted @ 20:40 PST) Palestinian President to meet Bush in Washington RAMALLAH, March 26 (AFP): Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas will travel next month to Washington at the invitation of US President George W. Bush, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday. The official said the US consul in Jerusalem had transmitted to Abbas the invitation to travel to Washington on April 24. The US embassy did not immediately comment. (Posted @ 20:00 PST) 
6 U.S. Congress members meet Karzai, top NATO general in Afghanistan KABUL, March 26 (AP): Six members of the US Congress wrapped up a two-day visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday. The group met President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Gen. Dan McNeill, the top NATO general in charge of the international military mission here. The six members of Congress next travel to Pakistan to meet with political leaders there. (Posted @ 19:50 PST) Aga Khan opens Ismaili centre in Dubai DUBAI, March 26 (AFP): The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, on Wednesday inaugurated an Ismaili cultural centre in Dubai, the first of its kind in the Middle East. The Ismaili Centre houses a library and will host conferences and an early childhood education programme, and will serve as “a place for peaceful contemplation,” he said at the inauguration ceremony. The centre is the fourth for the 15-million-strong Ismaili community. Others are in London, Lisbon and Vancouver. Around one million members of the sect live in the Middle East. (Posted @ 19:20 PST) Motorola says will split into two companies WASHINGTON, March 26 (AFP): US telecom group Motorola Inc. said Wednesday it would split into two independent, publicly-traded companies. “Our decision to separate our Mobile Devices and Broadband & Mobility Solutions businesses follows a review process undertaken by our management team and board of directors, together with independent advisors,” Motorola Chief Executive and President Greg Brown said in a statement. Motorola, once the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, after Nokia Corp. of Finland, has since lost its place to South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Corp. (Posted @ 17:35 PST) Kazakh president's former son-in-law receives 20-year sentence ASTANA, March 26 (AP): A Kazakh military court Wednesday sentenced the former son-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in absentia to 20 years in jail on a range of charges, including planning a coup, the Prosecutor General's office said in a statement. The sentence comes as another blow for former deputy foreign minister Rakhat Aliyev, who was also sentenced to 20 years in January for kidnapping and embezzlement. The court sentenced 15 other Kazakh citizens, including the former head of Kazakhstan's successor agency to the KGB to prison terms ranging from five to 20 years, the statement said. (Posted @ 17:30 PST) Tata Motors buys Jaguar, Land Rover for $2.3 billion NEW DELHI, March 26 (AFP): India's Tata Motors said Wednesday it had bought British luxury icons Jaguar and Land Rover from ailing US carmaker Ford Motor Co for 2.3 billion dollars. Tata Motors has “entered into a definitive agreement with the Ford Motor Company for the purchase” of Jaguar and Land Rover with the “total amount to be paid in cash to be 2.3 billion dollars,” Tata Motors said in a statement. (Posted @ 17:15 PST) Cricket: South Africa 304-4 in first India Test CHENNAI, March 26 (AFP): South Africa were 304-4 at stumps on the opening day of the first cricket Test against India at the Chidambaram stadium here on Wednesday. Hashim Amla was unbeaten on 85 and A.B. de Villiers was on 10. (First Posted @ 09:00 PST, Updated @ 16:45 PST) Car bomb kills 8 civilians in southern Afghanistan KANDAHAR, March 26 (AP): A policeman says a car bomb attack has killed eight people in a farmer's market in southern Afghanistan. The police chief of Helmand province, says the bombing Wednesday in Gereshk district also wounded 17 people, including five children, and killed several sheep. (Posted @ 16:30 PST) Sarkozy pledges French troops to Afghanistan LONDON, March 26 (AP): French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged Wednesday to send more troops to Afghanistan, as he travelled to Britain for a two-day state visit aimed at creating a new era of trust between the neighboring nations. Sarkozy said in an interview in advance of his arrival that France and Britain must trust each other more and work together on immigration, defence and the economy. (Posted @ 16:10 PST) Three Americans wounded in Baghdad Green Zone attack BAGHDAD, March 26 (AFP): Three Americans were wounded in mortar or rocket attacks on Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesay, US embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo told AFP. “Yes, we confirm there was an indirect fire attack today on the Green Zone. Three US government officials who are Americans were wounded,” Nantongo said. US officials refer to mortar or rocket attacks as indirect fire. (Posted @ 15:40 PST) Five killed in Baghdad mortar attacks BAGHDAD, March 26 (AFP): A series of mortar attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday killed at least five people and wounded more than a dozen, security officials told AFP. Three people were killed and 12 wounded when three mortar rounds slammed into the Al-Risala neighbourhood of southwest Baghdad. Two were killed and seven wounded when two rounds hit the central Al-Karada neighbourhood, the officials said. Earlier Wednesday, rocket or mortar fire also struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, seat of the Iraqi government and the US embassy, wounding three US government officials. (Posted @ 15:35 PST) Two dead in Dubai fireworks factory explosion DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 26 (AP): Two people were killed and two were injured in a massive explosion at a fireworks factory Wednesday that sparked a raging conflagration in an industrial zone, Dubai civil defence official said. The cause of the explosion in Dubai's Al Qouz Industrial area was not clear. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)
Iraq's Maliki orders militants to surrender BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters): Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Wednesday ordered militants fighting Iraqi security forces in Basra to lay down their weapons and turn themselves in within 72 hours or face “severe penalties”. “Those who were deceived into carrying weapons must deliver themselves and make a written pledge to promise they will not repeat such action within 72 hours,” he told state television. “Otherwise, they will face the most severe penalties.” Iraqi security forces launched a major military operation Tuesday to clear oil-rich Basra, 550 km southeast of Baghdad, of gunmen. (Posted @ 14:00 PST) US airstrike kills Iraqi judge BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters): A U.S. airstrike killed five Iraqi civilians including Munaf Mehdi, a judge, in the northern town of Tikrit Wednesday, Iraqi police said. Ten people were wounded in the air strike. (Posted @ 13:55 PST) Four dead as militia battle troops in Baghdad BAGHDAD, March 26 (AFP): Fighters loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr clashed with Iraqi and US forces in their Baghdad bastion of Sadr City Wednesday, killing four civilians, a medic and security officials said. “Four civilians were killed and 24 others were wounded in the firefight,” Qassim al-Sueidi, head of the Imam Ali hospital in Sadr City told AFP. Iraqi security officials said the fighting broke out at 1:00 am and was continuing sporadically during the day in the northeastern Baghdad neighbourhood. (Posted @ 12:50 PST) Somali militants seize key town of Jowhar MOGADISHU, March 26 (Reuters): Somali militants seized control of the town of Jowhar Wednesday after clashes with government troops that killed seven people including a child, residents and a militant spokesman said. “Seven people, including a woman who was a government soldier and her small child, were killed early in the morning when Islamic Courts fighters seized the town,” a witness told Reuters. (Posted @ 12:40 PST) Quake shakes Iran region, no reports of casualties TEHRAN, March 26 (Reuters): An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 shook a southwest region of Iran Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of any casualties, the IRNA news agency reported. The quake struck in an area around the city of Dogonbadan, about 600 km south of Tehran, IRNA quoted Iran's Geophysics Institute as saying. (Posted @ 12:30 PST) Fighting in Basra kills 40, wounds 200 BASRA, Iraq, March 26 (Reuters): Forty people were killed and 200 wounded in clashes between Iraqi security forces and members of the Mehdi Army militia in Iraq's southern oil hub of Basra, a health official told Reuters Wednesday. “I confirm that the number of people killed was 40 and 200 were wounded since the start of yesterday's clashes until 9 a.m. today. They are civilians, gunmen and security forces,” the official said, requesting anonymity. (Posted @ 12:30 PST) Violence claims 22 lives in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, March 26 (AFP): A roadside blast in eastern Sri Lanka's Batticaloa district Wednesday killed two policemen while fighting in the north left at least 19 rebels and one soldier dead, the government said. The mine attack that killed the two policemen also injured five people, including a civilian and two elite police commandos, the defence ministry said, blaming the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Meanwhile fighting across the northern district killed at least one soldier and 19 rebels Tuesday, the defence ministry said. There was no immediate comment from the LTTE. (Posted @ 12:25 PST) Building collapse in Norway injures 15, six missing OSLO, Norway, March 26 (AP): A relatively new six-story apartment building collapsed early Wednesday in the west coast city of Aalesund, injuring 15 people and leaving six others missing, police said. Aalesund Police Operations Leader Magne Tjoennoey said about 20 people were believed to have been inside when the bottom floors caved in. He said the cause of the collapse had not been determined, but later told newspapers that a rock slide appeared to have hit the structure. (Posted @ 12:20 PST) 14 killed in truck-coach collision in Peshawar PESHAWAR, March 26 (APP): Fourteen people were killed and six injured in a truck-coach collision at Kohat- Mitni road in Ladhavar Kanda area of Peshawar Wednesday morning. (First Posted @ 11:55 PST, Updated @ 12:15 PST) Shootout in Guatemala kills nine GUATEMALA CITY, March 26 (Reuters): Nine people died in a gun battle in Guatemala Tuesday, police said. Alerted after a shootout in the region of Zacapa, 80 miles from Guatemala City, police captured six heavily armed men, among them three Mexicans, police spokesman Faustino Sanchez told local radio. Other gunmen were found wounded at the scene of the fight. “We have nine confirmed dead and seven wounded,” Sanchez said. (Posted @ 10:55 PST) Crane accident at Miami condo construction site kills two workers, wounds five MIAMI, March 26 (AP): A 6.1 meter long chunk of construction crane plummeted 30 floors at the site of a high-rise condominium, killing two workers and smashing into a home that the contractor used for storage, police said. Five other workers were injured, one critically, at the site of the 40-plus-story condo tower on Biscayne Bay Tuesday. (Posted @ 10:30 PST) US soldier killed in Baghdad BAGHDAD, March 26 (AFP): A US soldier was killed by enemy fire during a combat operation in Baghdad Tuesday, the US military said Wednesday. The death came as US units clashed in Baghdad with Mahdi Army militiamen amid fighting involving supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in four Iraqi cities. (Posted @ 10:10 PST)
26 dead, 19 injured in Honduras bus crash TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, March 26 (AP): A passenger bus plunged off a highway and rolled 500 meters down a hillside in western Honduras Tuesday, killing 26 people and injuring at least 19, authorities said. Investigators said mechanical problems may have played a role in the crash. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) Three killed in clash in Philippines MANILA, March 26 (AFP): Two soldiers and a communist guerrilla were killed in a military assault on a rebel base in the northern Philippines, authorities said Wednesday. Government forces overran the communist New People's Army (NPA) camp near the town of Tubo on the eastern foothills of the Cordillera range Tuesday, said the northern Philippines military chief, Lieutenant-General Rodrigo Maclang. Two soldiers were killed and six others wounded, while one guerrilla was slain in the operation, he said. (Posted @ 09:20 PST) Cricket- England win third test by 121 runs, clinch series 2-1 NAPIER, New Zealand, March 26 (Reuters): England bowled New Zealand out for 431 to win the third test by 121 runs and clinch the series 2-1 just after lunch on the fifth day Wednesday. (Posted @ 08:55 PST) Karachi Stocks up 76.61 points: KARACHI, March 26: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 15199.37, up 76.61 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:13 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, March 26: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 63.15 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:13 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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