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| April 02, 2008 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 24, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 Gas explosion collapses buildings, kills 14 in Faisalabad LAHORE, April 2 (AP): A gas explosion in Faisalabad city has caused several buildings to collapse and killed 14 people.City official Tariq Sardar said another 28 people were wounded when gas cylinders stored in a two-storey building exploded on Wednesday. The building collapsed along with several adjoining shops. Rescue workers are searching for other victims feared buried under the rubble. Sardar said the cylinders belonged to a business that was supplying ammonia gas to nearby hospitals. He said the business was operating illegally. (First Posted @ 15:35 PST, Updated @ 17:05 PST)  War on terror: army chief briefs PM Gilani, coalition leaders ISLAMABAD, April 2 (AP): The army chief briefed Pakistan's new civilian leaders on Wednesday as they review the U.S.-backed policies of President Pervez Musharraf in fighting militancy. General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, key cabinet ministers and leaders of parties in the ruling coalition. Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said Kayani was giving them a detailed briefing on security issues and the war on terror. Among those attending were Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) 21-member NWFP cabinet takes oath ISLAMABAD, April 2 (APP): The 21-member cabinet of NWFP took oath in Peshawar Wednesday. Governor Owais Ghani administered the oath to the new ministers. Chief Minister of NWFP Ameer Haider Hoti was also present in the oath taking ceremony, a private television channel reported. The cabinet comprises of 12 ministers from Awami National Party (ANP) and nine from Pakistan People's Party (PPP). (Posted @ 13:10 PST)  Gunmen kill two soldiers in Quetta QUETTA, April 2 (AFP): Gunmen shot dead two Pakistani soldiers in a drive-by shooting in insurgency-hit Balochistan province on Wednesday, police said. The off-duty soldiers were returning home when they were gunned down by assailants riding on a motorbike in the provincial capital Quetta, city police chief Mohammad Akbar Arain told AFP. The attack was claimed by a militant group, the Balochistan Liberation Army. (Posted @ 20:00 PST) Indian troops murder five more Kashmiris ISLAMABAD, April 2 (APP): In Indian occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in fresh acts of brutality and state terrorism, murdered five more Kashmiri youth at two different places. The bodies of three young men were recovered from the debris of a house destroyed with heavy mortar shelling during joint siege and search operation by Indian troops of Three-Rashtirya Rifles and 93-Battalion Central Reserve Police Force at Dudu Marhama in Bijbehara town. Another man was also injured in the operation. Two youth were shot dead at Dardpora in Bandipora, KMS reported. (Posted @ 15:50 PST) Two die in bomb blast in Balochistan ISLAMABAD, April 2 (APP): Two people were killed in a bomb blast in district Jaffarabad of Balochistan on Wednesday. Police said the blast occurred in Bagar area in Suhbat. The bomb was planted in a bicycle that exploded killing two people, a private TV channel reported. (Posted @ 16:00 PST) Belgium issues early veto against Blair bid to become EU President BRUSSELS, April 2 (AP): Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht on Wednesday poured cold water on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's bid to become the European Union's first full-time president. De Gucht said Belgium would not accept a candidate from a country that does not fully participate in all EU policies, including the euro currency and the bloc's passport-free zone. (Posted @ 20:45 PST ) Global warming: 17 states sue to force US govt to respond to Supreme Court ruling BOSTON, April 2 (AP): A group of state attorneys general is taking the U.S. environmental agency back to court to try to force it to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that rebuked the Bush administration for inaction on global warming. The high court decided a year ago that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under U.S. law and ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take action. But 17 states say in a court filing Wednesday that the EPA has not issued a decision on regulation. Their court filing seeks to compel the EPA to act within 60 days. (Posted @ 20:40 PST) Symbolic crossing in divided Nicosia to open Thursday NICOSIA, April 2 (AFP): A symbolic crossing through the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia, the world's last divided capital, is set to open on Thursday as a new Cyriot peace drive gains momentum. “We will finish the work at Ledra (Street) today and we will do the opening tomorrow at 0600 GMT,” northern Nicosia's mayor, Cemal Bulutoglulari, said of the street through the Old Town's heart that has been closed for 45 years. Cyprus government spokesman Stephanos Stephanou said aides of President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat “will meet later today to make the final arrangements. (Posted @ 20:05 PST ) Pakistan drops Musharraf ally as intelligence chief: army ISLAMABAD, April 2 (AFP): A key ally of President Pervez Musharraf has been dropped from his position as head of one of the country's top intelligence services, the military said Wednesday. Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani appointed Major General Mohammad Asif to take over as head of the Military Intelligence (MI) outfit from the current holder of the post, Major General Nadeem Ejaz. “Major General Mohammad Asif has been appointed director general Military Intelligence today, replacing Major General Nadeem Ejaz,” chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. (Posted @ 19:30 PST) Zimbabwe ruling party loses parliament majority HARARE, April 2 (AFP): Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party has lost its majority in parliament, according to figures announced by the electoral commission on Wednesday. Latest results gave the opposition Movement for Democratic Change 105 seats while an independent candidate, Mugabe's former information minister Jonathan Moyo, also retained his seat in the 210-member chamber. The results mean that ZANU-PF, on 93 seats with only a handful of results still to be announced, has lost its parliamentary majority. (Posted @ 19:20 PST ) Cricket: Banned Shoaib Akhtar to seek justice in court KARACHI, April 2 (Reuters): Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar vowed Wednesday to seek justice in court if the country's cricket board rejects his appeal against a five-year ban. “I will not go down without a fight. If the board rejects my appeal I will go to the High Court and Supreme Court to get justice,” he told a news conference. The troubled pacer was banned on Tuesday by the Pakistan Cricket Board on the recommendation of its disciplinary committee. (Posted @ 19:15 PST ) Five wounded in Yemen job protests ADEN, April 2 (Reuters): Five people were wounded Wednesday when Yemeni forces in the south clashed with protesters demanding army jobs, residents said. “They started to destroy public and private property,” a security official said. On Tuesday, police arrested dozens of protesters after youths attacked buildings and businesses. At least five others were wounded in the first two days of the protests which started on Sunday. (Posted @ 18:50 PST) Poor Bangladeshis told to eat potatoes as rice prices soar DHAKA, April 2 (AFP): The military chief of emergency-ruled Bangladesh told villagers on Thursday to eat potatoes to reduce spiralling demand for rice, which has seen prices double in a year, a report said. “Eating potato with rice will reduce its demand alongside fulfilling nutrition requirements,” General Moeen U. Ahmed was quoted as saying by the private UNB agency. (Posted @ 18:35 PST ) Heavy fighting kills 43 in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, April 2 (AFP): Government troops Wednesday captured a strip of land from Tamil Tigers after heavy fighting across the island's north that left 42 rebels and a soldier dead, the defence ministry said. Security forces killed the Tamil rebels in separate clashes in Mannar, Weli Oya and Jaffna districts since Tuesday evening, the ministry said. It said the troops wrested control over an area known as Kallaiadanchan in coastal Mannar district early Wednesday. There was no immediate word from the Tigers. (First Posted @ 10:30 PST Updated @ 18:10 PST) Former UN official from India gets 8 years jail for graft New York, April 2 (PPI): A former United Nations procurement official from India, Sanjaya Bahel convicted of accepting bribes has been sentenced to eight years and a month in prison. A judge sentenced 57-year-old Sanjaya Bahel after a jury found he had helped a friend win $100 million in UN contracts. Bahel was chief of the UN's commodity procurement section from 1999 to 2003. (Posted @ 18:00 PST )
Three killed, Iraqi TV cameraman maimed in bomb attack BAGHDAD, April 2 (AFP): Three people were killed and 13 others wounded, including a cameraman with Iraq's independent Al-Diyar satellite television, in a roadside bombing in Baghdad on Wednesday, officials said. A security official said the bomb exploded in the eastern neighbourhood of Talbiyah and killed three people. Thirteen people, including an Al-Diyar cameraman were wounded in the attack, the official said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST) Iran kills 12 drug smugglers - state media TEHRAN, April 2 (AP): Iranian security forces killed 12 drug smugglers and seized 500 kg of narcotics in two operations near the border with Afghanistan, state media said on Wednesday. The drug traffickers were killed near the city of Taibad in Khorasan Razavi province in the last 48 hours, the official IRNA news agency said. (Posted @ 16:25 PST) Indonesian students attack Dutch consulate MEDAN, April 2 (AFP): Dozens of Indonesian students on Wednesday attacked a Dutch consulate in protest against an anti-Islamic film by a far-right Dutch MP, burning a flag and breaking down the gates. Police arrested 20 of the 70 students who protested at the consulate in Medan on Sumatra island, the latest in a series of mostly peaceful rallies in Indonesia against the film insulting Islam made by far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders. (Posted @ 16:10 PST) Irish Prime Minister Ahern to step down on May 6 DUBLIN, April 2 (Reuters): Bertie Ahern will step down as Ireland's prime minister on May 6, bowing to mounting pressure for him to go early following a string of embarrassing appearances in the witness stand at an anti-corruption tribunal. “It is my intention to tender my resignation to President McAleese on Tuesday 6 May,” Ahern, flanked by his cabinet colleagues, told reporters in Dublin. (Posted @ 15:15 PST) Bomb explodes near top Iraq generals in Basra BASRA, April 2 (Reuters): A roadside bomb exploded near a convoy carrying Iraqi generals in a Shi'ite militia stronghold in the southern city of Basra on Wednesday, but the officials were unhurt, one of the officers said. Major-General Mohammed al-Askari, spokesman for Iraq's Defence Ministry, said he was in a convoy with Basra's security chief, Lieutenant-General Mohan al-Firaiji, when the blast went off in the Hayaniya neighbourhood. (Posted @ 15:15 PST) Turkish military says clashes in southeast kill seven Kurdish rebels ISTANBUL, Turkey, April 2 (AP): Clashes between Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels near Turkey's border with Iraq left seven rebels dead, Turkey's military said Wednesday. The rebels were killed Tuesday and Wednesday in the southeastern province of Sirnak. (Posted @ 14:10 PST) Kazakhstan greets Olympic flame amid tight security ALMATY, April 2 (Reuters): Kazakhstan greeted the arrival of the Olympic flame with an elaborate state-managed ceremony Wednesday. Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, is the first stop in the global leg of the 130-day torch run. At a tightly guarded ceremony at a high-altitude skating ring south of Almaty, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the festivities by making a short symbolic run with the torch in front of tens of thousands of flag-waving spectators. (Posted @ 12:55 PST) Bush calls on NATO allies for Afghan troops BUCHAREST, April 2 (Reuters): U.S. President George W. Bush urged NATO allies Wednesday to send more troops to Afghanistan, saying the alliance could not afford to lose its battle against Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda militants. In a keynote speech before a summit of the 26-nation defence alliance in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Bush said: “As (French) President (Nicolas) Sarkozy put it in London last week, we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan. Whatever the cost, however difficult, we cannot afford it, we must win. I agree completely. Noting that France and Romania were due to send more troops, he said: “We ask other nations to step forward with additional forces as well.” (Posted @ 12:15 PST) Two militants killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 2 (AFP): Indian troops killed two militants during a gun battle near Srinagar late Tuesday that also left a soldier and a civilian dead, police said Wednesday. (Posted @ 12:10 PST) 
Bush sees 'unprecedented' cooperation with Russia on missiles BUCHAREST, April 2 (AFP): US President George W. Bush Wednesday envisaged an “unprecedented level” of cooperation between Russia and NATO by integrating former Soviet military sites into an anti-missile system in Europe. “We are inviting Russia to join us in this cooperative effort,” said Bush in Bucharest, venue of a NATO summit that will also include Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He proposed that Soviet-era military sites could be part of a “threat-monitoring system,” and added: “This could lead to an unprecedented level of strategic cooperation between Russia and the NATO alliance.” (Posted @ 12:00 PST) 12 killed in Cambodian traffic accident PHNOM PENH, April 2 (AFP): Twelve people were killed and 11 others seriously injured in a traffic accident in eastern Cambodia Tuesday, police said Wednesday. The crash occurred when a mini-van packed full of travellers collided with a truck as it tried to turn across a highway, district police chief Heng Vuthy said. (Posted @ 11:10 PST) U.S. Justice Dept. releases 2003 interrogation memo WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters): The U.S. Justice Department Tuesday released a declassified 2003 memo justifying the use of harsh interrogation methods for suspected terrorists held abroad. A subsequent decision overruled the memo which said that President Bush's authority as commander-in-chief superseded international law regarding wartime interrogations. The memo said: “We concluded that different canons of construction indicate that generally applicable criminal laws do not apply to the military interrogation of alien unlawful combatants held abroad.” “Were it otherwise, the application of these statutes to the interrogation of enemy combatants undertaken by military personnel would conflict with the president's commander-in-chief power.” (Posted @ 10:15 PST) Afghan Taliban say attack Dutch over anti-Islam film LONDON, April 2 (Reuters): The Taliban has said two attacks on Dutch forces in Afghanistan were in retaliation for the anti-Islamic film by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the SITE Intelligence Group said Tuesday. In a communique posted on websites used by militants dated April 1, the Taliban said its Shura Council Leadership announced reprisal operations against Dutch forces because “one of the members of the Dutch parliament produced a film that hurts Islam.” The Taliban statement referred to two revenge attacks Sunday which it said killed a large number of “occupier soldiers”. The Dutch Defence Ministry said in a Web statement dated April 1 that five Dutch soldiers from NATO-led forces were wounded in two separate incidents Sunday. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) Colombia says Ecuador helicopter incident resolved BOGOTA, April 2 (Reuters): Colombia Tuesday accepted Ecuador's explanation of why a helicopter from the neighbouring country entered its airspace Sunday, calling the incident closed. Colombian armed forces commander Gen. Freddy Padilla told reporters the Ecuadorean helicopter pilot flew the craft into Colombian territory by mistake. “We consider the incident resolved,” Padilla said. The incident briefly increased tensions between Bogota and Quito, which were inflamed by a March 1 Colombian military raid that killed a rebel commander inside Ecuadorean territory. (Posted @ 09:20 PST) Haitian legislator fires pistol in parliament, injuring one PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 2 (AP): A Haitian lawmaker's handgun went off during a heated debate in parliament Tuesday, injuring a legislative clerk. Isidor Mercier insisted the gun fell and fired by accident after he bent down to pick it up. The bullet hit the right shoulder of the clerk, Antonio Celestin. But reporters who witnessed the scene said they saw Mercier brandish the gun after another lawmaker accused him of profiting from a scheme that involved the repeated replacement of tires on a legislative car. (Posted @ 09:15 PST) Obama claims victory over Clinton in Texas WASHINGTON, April 2 (AFP): Barack Obama's White House campaign Tuesday declared victory over Hillary Clinton in their Texas nominating clash held last month - although she won the state's primary vote. Obama supporters said he won 99 delegates to Clinton's 94, once the results of chaotic caucuses held after the primary on the evening of March 4 were added. Final confirmation will not come before Texas Democrats hold a state convention in the first week of June. (Posted @ 08:45 PST) Karachi Stocks up 123.93 points: KARACHI, April 02: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 15333.79, up 123.93 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, April 02: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 63.35 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST) 
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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