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| April 07, 2008 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 Princess Diana unlawfully killed: inquest jury LONDON, April 7 (Reuters): Princess Diana was unlawfully killed by the grossly negligent driving of chauffeur Henri Paul and paparazzi photographers pursuing their limousine into a Paris road tunnel in 1997. The jury, which had spent almost six months listening to more than 250 witnesses from around the world, reached their majority decision on Monday after deliberating for four days. (Posted @ 20:38 PST)  Pakistan to adopt multi-pronged strategy on terrorism: PM ISLAMABAD, April 7 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to address terrorism and extremism. Talking to visiting UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith at PM House, he said the new democratic government would incorporate both short and long-term measures to confront terrorism. He said terrorism is a global phenomenon and the world community should focus on its root causes which stem from economic disparity and unresolved political issues. (Posted @ 18:58 PST) Govt not to restrict A.Q. Khan’s movement: Foreign Minister ISLAMABAD, April 7 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Monday said that the government would not restrict the movement of Dr A Q Khan. Talking to Dawn TV, he said ,” I think, Dr Khan should be allowed to see his friends, he should be allowed to go for a drive, he should be allowed to go and have a meal at a restaurant. I do not see any reason why he should be deprived of all this”, the minister said. He, however said that the government was concerned about the security and health of the renowned scientist. (Posted @ 20:52 PST)  Britain needs Pakistan to fight Al Qaeda: UK minister ISLAMABAD, April 7 (Reuters): British and Pakistani security agencies must enhance cooperation to fight Al Qaeda and other militant groups, a British interior minister Jacqui Smith said in Islamabad on Monday. “We both face a threat from Al Qaeda and other terrorist and violent organisations,” Ms Smith said, while inaugurating an art exhibition in the Pakistani capital. “Threats to U.K. have had connections here. And threats to Pakistan have been tracked back to the U.K.,” she added. She said dialogue and cooperation between the two countries' security agencies was vital. She said the Department for International Development was doubling its spending in Pakistan to 480 million pounds ($954 million) for the period 2008-11. (Posted @ 19:18 PST) Qaim Ali Shah elected Sindh chief minister KARACHI: April 7: Syed Qaim Ali Shah of Pakistan People’s Party was elected chief minister of Sindh by 91 members of Sindh Provincial Assembly, a private TV channel reported. Mr Qaim Ali Shah was elected unopposed by the PPP MPAs present. The MPAs of MQM, PML-Q, PML-F and NPP boycotted the proceedings over the treatment meted out to PML-Q MPA Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim earlier in the day. (Posted @ 19:30 PST) New Sindh Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker take oath KARACHI, April 7 (APP): PPP's unopposed Speaker-elect, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro took oath as the 14th Speaker of Sindh Assembly for a 5-year term. Outgoing Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah administered the oath to Nisar Khuhro who then occupied the Speaker's chair after putting on the Speaker's robe. Thereafter, Speaker Nisar Khuhro then administered oath to Shehla Raza as Deputy Speaker. The two took oath in the absence of MQM legislators who boycotted the session in protect to violence against former Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim. After taking oath, they were profusely greeted by visitors in the galleries and felicitated by MPAs. (Posted @ 15:50 PST) 62 Balochistan MPAs administered oath QUETTA, April 7 (APP): Sixty-two out of 65 members of the provincial assembly Balochistan took oath here Monday. Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar administered oath to the members of the provincial parliament. MPAs belonging to Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal walked out of the house in protest against the multi-lingual oath taking ceremony and said members of the house should have been administered oath in Urdu only. In its maiden session, the house offered Fateha for the departed souls of Benazir Bhutto, Nawab Akbar Bugti, Balach Marri and Principal Residential College Loralai Professor Mohammad Ali Kakar. The session was then adjourned and will resume Tuesday. (First Posted @ 12:10 PST, Updated @ 14:15 PST ) MQM MPAs stage walk out from Sindh Assembly over Arbab’s maltreatment KARACHI, April 7 (APP): MQM MPAs Monday staged walkout from Sindh Assembly protesting the maltreatment of former Chief Minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim. The newly-elected Speaker Nisar Khuhro offered apology in the House on the incident. Talking to a private television channel Arbab said the incident was pre-planned. He said the PPP has tried to take revenge from him for contesting the elections against their candidates. (Posted @ 14:00 PST) Four trekkers feared dead at Lowari Top CHITRAL, April 07 (APP): At least four more persons went missing on Monday while trying to cross the 10500 feet high Lowari Top on foot during snowfall and heavy glaciers. The district police confirmed the incident. The missing persons are feared dead, said a police official. The NHA authorities when contacted said continuous snowfall has hampered rescue operations. Meanwhile, the district government has banned foot journeys to Lowari Top in order to avoid more casualties. Seven people have lost their lives since last Saturday. (Posted @ 23:22 PST) Taliban kill 7 Afghan police eradicating poppy field KABUL, April 7 (AP): Police said Taliban militants attacked and killed seven officers cutting down a field of opium poppies in southern Afghanistan. The provincial police chief said five Taliban militants were also killed in the clash Monday morning in Maiwand district of Kandahar province. (Posted @ 23:10 PST) Fresh clashes in troubled Egypt town CAIRO, April 7 (Reuters): Clashes broke out between police and protesters in the Nile Delta textile town of Mahalla el-Kubra for the second straight day on Monday and protesters set fire to several shops, witnesses said. Thousands of youngsters threw stones at riot police and the riot police fired tear gas to disperse them, they added. “The protesters are roaming the streets in enormous numbers and fighting with the security forces,” said one witness. (Posted @ 22:58 PST) China pulls 400 workers from Eq.Guinea after deaths MALABO, April 7 (Reuters): China has withdrawn more than 400 of its workers from Equatorial Guinea after two Chinese labourers were killed in a clash with security forces during a strike, a local official and Chinese state media said Monday. (Posted @ 22:10 PST) Soldier killed in fresh Yemen job protests ADEN, April 7 (Reuters): One soldier was killed and about seven people were wounded when Yemeni troops clashed with protesters demanding army jobs on Monday in a fresh wave of violent protests in the south of the country. State jobs or joining the army are among the main sources of employment in Yemen, one of the poorest countries outside Africa. More than half the workforce is in the agricultural sector and one diplomat estimated unemployment at 17 percent. (Posted @ 21:38 PST) US air strike kills nine in Baghdad: Iraq officials BAGHDAD, April 7 (AFP): At least nine people were killed and 35 wounded in a US air strike in southeast Baghdad on Monday following a mortar attack on a nearby military outpost, Iraqi security officials told AFP. (Posted @ 20:40 PST) Former Bangladesh PM says graft charge is political DHAKA, April 7 (Reuter): Detained former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a court on Monday a graft charge against her over a power plant deal was politically motivated, her lawyer said. The Anti-Corruption Commission has accused Hasina of accepting 30 million taka ($440,000) in kickbacks in a power plant deal during her 1996-2001 term. (Posted @ 20:10 PST) Burj Dubai becomes world's tallest structure: builders DUBAI, April 7 (AFP): The Burj Dubai tower under construction in the United Arab Emirates has surpassed the 629 metre KVLY-TV mast in the United States to become the world's tallest man-made structure, its builders announced on Monday. Developers Emaar have yet to reveal what the final height of Burj Dubai will be but it is expected to reach 900 metres when completed early next year. At 160 storeys, Burj Dubai was already the world's tallest building exceeding the 508 metres of the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan. (Posted @ 19:58 PST) More than 20 civilians dead, 50 injured in Afghan attack on insurgents KABUL, April 7 (Reuters): Afghan and U.S.-led forces inflicted heavy casualties on insurgents in a battle, the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Monday, but a provincial official said more than 20 civilians not rebels, had been killed. Rahmatullah Rashidi, head of a legislative provincial council in Nuristan, said Taliban had been in the area but had fled, and civilians were killed in U.S. He said Taliban had been in the area but left and more than 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in the bombing. (Posted @ 19:50 PST) Kosovo leaders sign country's constitution PRISTINA, April 7 (AP): Kosovo's leaders signed the country's new constitution Monday, paving the way for the new country's institutions to take over authority from the United Nations mission. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the constitution was proof of Kosovo's commitment to treat all its citizens equally. “This constitution is a document that guarantees freedom,” Thaci said during the signing ceremony. Thaci, President Fatmir Sejdiu and international officials gathered in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, for the ceremony. The constitution needs to be approved by the 120-seat assembly. It is expected to come into effect June 15. (Posted @ 19:24 PST) Retired Pakistan judge appointed to hear ShoiabAkhtar appeal LAHORE, April 7 (AFP): The Pakistan Cricket Board Monday appointed a retired judge to head a three-member committee that will hear paceman Shoaib Akhtar's appeal against a five-year ban. “Former Lahore high court judge justice Aftab Farrukh will head a three-member committee to hear Akhtar's appeal against the ban,” said a PCB statement. The other two members of the committee are former Test cricketer Haseeb Ahsan and Salman Taseer. (Posted @ 19:12 PST) 
Two die in Spain from human form of mad cow disease MADRID, April 7 (Reuters): Two people died in Spain from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the human form of mad cow disease, the health department at the regional Castilla-Leon government said Monday. The health department said these were not the first vCJD deaths in Spain but did not give details. (Posted @ 18:40 PST) Two Polish soldiers injured in Afghanistan blast WARSAW, April 7 (AFP): Two Polish soldiers were injured Monday in a landmine blast in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, south of the capital Kabul, the army announced in Warsaw. They suffered leg wounds when their convoy was hit by the explosion, an army spokesman was quoted as saying by Poland's PAP news agency. (Posted @ 18:26 PST) FC official killed, two injured in Noshki landmine blast NOSHKI, April 7 (APP): An FC official was killed and two others seriously injured on Monday when their vehicle hit a landmine planted near Government Girls College, police said. Noshki police have cordoned off the area and started a search of the miscreants. (Posted @ 17:40 PST) Nine wounded in second Nepal pre-poll blast: police KATHMANDU, April 7 (AFP): At least nine people were wounded Monday in a bomb attack at a pre-election rally in the ethnically tense south of the country, the second bombing of the day, police said. The attack saw a bomb thrown at a crowd of supporters of Nepali Congress, one of Nepal's main parties, during an event in Birgunj, 80 kilometres south of Kathmandu, a police officer said. In another bomb attack earlier in the day, at least one person was hurt near the United Nations mission in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. (First Posted @ 13:45 PST Updated @ 17:22 PST) 
16 killed in strike against fugitive Afghan warlord KABUL, April 7 (AP): U.S. and Afghan forces attacked a remote village in a mountainous region of northeastern Afghanistan Sunday following reports that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was in the area, a governor said Monday. At least 16 people were killed. Gov. Tamim Nuristani said U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces believed Hekmatyar was meeting with top deputy Kashmir Khan in the Dohabi district of Nuristan province, sparking a fierce bombardment that included airstrikes. The Afghan Defence Ministry said the strike targeted a terrorist centre that included a suicide bomb cell. It said it would release casualty figures later. The chief of Nuristan's provincial council, Rahmatullah Rashid, said 19 people were killed in the battle, all civilians. He said six children, five women and eight men were killed in the attack. Mohammad Farooq, the province's criminal investigations director, said 20 people were killed, including civilians. He said that some two dozen houses were destroyed. (First Posted @ 13:20 PST, Updated @ 16:50 PST) Iran says U.S. requests new talks on Iraq security TEHRAN, April 7 (Reuters): Iran said Monday it had received a request from the United States for a new round of talks on ways to improve security in Iraq and was considering it. Iranian and U.S. officials met three times in Baghdad last year, but a planned fourth meeting has been repeatedly postponed. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also voiced support for Iraq's U.S.-backed prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, in his crackdown on militia and suggested Tehran had played a role in efforts to end fighting in its neighbour last month. Maliki's action was aimed at “confronting illegal armed groups” and this was in the interest of Iraq and its neighbours, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST ) Gunmen in Nigeria kill two, kidnap boy LAGOS, April 7 (AFP): Unidentified gunmen in oil-rich southern Nigeria Sunday night kidnapped an 11-year-old boy, wounding his mother and killing the family's police guard and their driver, Musa Sagir of the Joint Task Force, the body responsible for policing the Niger Delta, said. The boy, the son of Chidi Nzerem, the manager of a local free trade zone, was seized in Port Harcourt, Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir said. (Posted @ 16:25 PST) Sri Lanka military says kills 49 rebels, bombs north COLOMBO, April 7 (Reuters): Sri Lanka air force jets bombed rebel positions in the far north Monday while troops killed 49 Tamil Tiger rebels in fresh fighting, the military said. The air force also attacked a rebel bunker line in the northern Jaffna peninsula Sunday. The attack came during an offensive launched by the Sri Lankan military on the northern strongholds of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in which the military said 47 rebels and a soldier were killed. The military said two other rebels were killed in Monday's fighting. (First Posted @ 10:05 PST, Updated @ 16:20 PST)
Ten Taliban killed in Afghan firefight KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 7 (AFP): Ten Taliban militants were killed after attacking an Afghan and NATO-led patrol in southern Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province’s Charchino district Sunday, provincial police chief Juma Gul Hemat told AFP Monday. “Our troops along with NATO forces were on a patrol when a group of enemies attacked us. We cornered the attackers and killed them,” he said. “Ten enemy fighters were killed,” Hemat added. One police officer was slightly injured in the fighting. (Posted @ 15:50 PST) Blast injures two in Russia MOSCOW, April 7 (Reuters): An explosion injured two people in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi Sunday, Russian news agencies said Monday. A police statement said a policeman, who was off-duty, and his friend had set off the blast themselves while playing with a grenade. Two people were injured, including the policeman. (Posted @ 15:45 PST) Olmert and Abbas resume meetings JERUSALEM, April 7 (Reuters): Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Monday for the first time in more than a month with little sign of progress in peace talks marred by disputes over settlements and violence. Palestinian and Israeli officials said the meeting, at Olmert's Jerusalem residence, would be a chance to assess the state of peace talks launched at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November. (Posted @ 15:40 PST) US military reports two more American soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, April 7 (AP) Two more American soldiers were killed by separate roadside bombs in Iraq, the U.S. military said. The military said one soldier died in an explosion Sunday during a route-clearing patrol in an eastern section of the capital. A separate statement said another American soldier died of wounds suffered in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad Sunday. (First Posted @ 09:40 PST Updated @ 14:40 PST) Russia parliament to vote on Putin for PM on May 8 MOSCOW, April 7 (Reuters): Russia's parliament will vote on whether to confirm Vladimir Putin as prime minister on May 8, the day after he steps down as president, the speaker of parliament said Monday. “We are awaiting May 7, the inauguration, and we are awaiting May 8, when we will confirm the candidate for prime minister,” Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament, told a news conference. (Posted @ 13:45 PST) Former Sindh CM Arbab Ghulam Rahim takes oath amidst intense anti slogans KARACHI, April 7 (APP): Former Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, who could not take oath as MPA Saturday took oath in Sindh Assembly Monday amidst intense slogan raising from PPP workers in the galleries at a session which started after a delay of three hours. He was escorted by the police to the Assembly's lobby. It was for the first time in the history of Sindh Assembly that police were called into the lobby of Assembly Hall for protection of former the Chief Minister. (Posted @ 13:40 PST) Teenagers rampage through Australian school with baseball bats; 19 injured SYDNEY, Australia, April 7 (AP): Five teenagers brandishing baseball bats and a machete rampaged through a school in Sydney Monday, smashing every window they passed and injuring 19 people, police said. The five, between the ages of 14 and 16, were arrested after the raid on suburban Merrylands High School, Police Detective Inspector Jim Stewart said. (Posted @ 12:55 PST) Three killed in Baghdad Sadr City clashes BAGHDAD, April 7 (AFP): Fighting between militiamen and US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad's Sadr City district raged through the night, killing three people and wounding 36, officials said. “There were sporadic clashes over the last 12 hours and three people have been killed and 36 others wounded,” a medic at a local hospital said. (Posted @ 12:50 PST) Amnesty urges India to probe unmarked graves in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 7 (AFP) - Amnesty International on Monday urged India to launch an urgent inquiry into nearly 1,000 unmarked graves found in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir during the past two years. “Amnesty International urges the government of India to launch urgent investigations into hundreds of unidentified graves discovered since 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir,” said a statement sent in an e-mail to AFP. “The investigation must be independent, impartial and follow international standards.” Amnesty's request came after a local group, the Association of Parents of Disappeared People, said last month it had found 940 “nameless graves” in 18 villages in Uri district. Local human rights groups, however, say 8,000 people are missing, with the majority having been arrested by Indian security forces. (Posted @ 12:20 PST) Blast destroys house in Basra, 8 killed BASRA, Iraq, April 7 (Reuters) - An explosion destroyed a house in Basra overnight and Iraqi police said on Monday eight people had died. Neighbours said they believed the blast was caused by a U.S. air strike, but British forces, responsible for U.S. and British military activity in the area, denied any role and said they had no explanation for the blast. (Posted @ 11:45 PST) Iraq PM issues ultimatum to cleric Sadr - CNN BAGHDAD, April 7 (Reuters) - The movement of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will be barred from taking part in the political process unless it disbands its Mehdi Army militia, U.S. television network CNN quoted Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as saying. “A decision was taken ... that they no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mehdi Army,” Maliki said in an interview with CNN, according to a report posted on the network's website. (Posted @ 11:40 PST) Oil continues higher near 107 dollars in Asia SINGAPORE, April 7 (AFP) - World oil prices continued higher toward 107 dollars in Asian trade Monday, boosted by a weakening US dollar, tight energy supplies and negative news on the US economy, dealers said. In morning trade, New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, rose 52 cents to 106.75 dollars per barrel. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Cricket-West Indies win by six wickets against Sri Lanka Port of Soain, April 7 (Reuters) - West Indies beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the second and final test at Port of Spain, Trinidad on Sunday to level the two-match series 1-1. The architect of West Indies victory was Sarwan who scored a polished 102. He was ably supported by Chanderpaul who remained unbeaten with 86. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 278 (C. Silva 76, T. Dilshan 62) and 268 ( Samaraweera 125). West Indies 294 (Sarwan 57; Muralitharan 5-79) and 254-4 ( Sarwan 102, Chanderpaul 86 not out). (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Montenegro president Vujanovic wins re-election PODGORICA, April 7 (Reuters) - Montenegro's President Filip Vujanovic won re-election on Sunday, reaffirming the dominance of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) on the country's political scene. According to unofficial results he received 52.3 percent of the vote, comfortably over the 50 percent required to clinch the largely ceremonial post in the first round.. Final results from the state election commission are due on Monday, but the key challengers have already conceded defeat. (Posted @ 09:50 PST) Olympic flame arrives in Paris PARIS, April 7 (AFP) - The Olympic flame arrived at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport late on Sunday, an airport official said. (Posted @ 09:35 PST) Karachi Stocks down 2.71 points: KARACHI, April 07: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 15469.74, down 2.71 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, April 07: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 63.5 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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