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| April 10, 2008 | Thursday | Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 PM Gilani blames 'conspiracy' for Karachi violence ISLAMABAD, April 10 (AFP): Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday blamed a conspiracy for political violence that left eight people dead in Karachi, saying that “dictatorship” threatened the new democratic government. Gilani said the government would not let the sacrifice by former premier Benazir Bhutto, for the cause of democracy, “to be compromised at the behest of dictatorship, conspiracy and violence.” ”We must take notice of these unjustified, mischievous and definitely conspiratorial acts,” Gilani told parliament. “These acts I am convinced are being fuelled by those who do not want democracy to flourish.” The opposition, comprising pro-Musharraf parties, boycotted Thursday's parliamentary proceedings in protest at the Karachi clashes and the manhandling of Sher Afgan Niazi and Arbab Ghulam Rahim. “The prime minister should have taken strong action after these incidents which seem to be a pre-planned conspiracy,” opposition leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said. “The prime minister still has our confidence and he should try to resolve the situation, but our cooperation should not be misconstrued as our weakness.” (First Posted @ 14:00 PST, Updated @ 14:20 PST)  Musharraf urges Pakistan lawyers against anarchy ISLAMABAD, April 10 (Reuters): President Musharraf Thursday called on lawyers opposing his rule to stop spreading anarchy as the death toll from Wednesday’s political violence in Karachi rose to 10. “I appeal to the lawyers not to spread anarchy. Law and order should be maintained,” Musharraf told reporters before departing for a five-day visit to China. “I strongly condemn all these incidents. We should adopt civilised behaviour,” Musharraf said. (First Posted @ 12:10 PST, Updated @ 14:45 PST) Blast at Pakistani scrap market kills eight LAHORE, Pakistan, April 10 (Reuters): At least six people were killed and eight wounded in a gas cylinder explosion in a scrapyard in Lahore Thursday, police said. “Six labourers died on the spot and eight (were) wounded when a gas cylinder exploded in a shop,” police officer Mohammad Nazir said. However, local television channels reported eight people were killed and at least 20 were wounded in the blast. (First Posted @ 15:15 PST, Updated @ 16:15 PST)  NWFP Chief Minister Amir Hoti gets unanimous vote of confidence Peshawar, Pakistan, April 10 (PPI): NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti Thursday obtained a unanimous vote of confidence from the Provincial Assembly. Unveiling his government's programme, he said peace and internal security are priorities of his government. (Posted @ 16:00 PST) Pakistani lawyers protest against violence LAHORE, Pakistan, April 10 (AFP): Thousands of lawyers rallied in Lahore Thursday to protest against the killings in Karachi in which eight people, including five attorneys died, witnesses said. Around 2,500 lawyers marched along the main city streets waving flags and chanting slogans against the pro-Musharraf Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Earlier the lawyers passed a resolution demanding that the government should publicly hang the perpetrators of Wednesday's clashes. Lawyers in some other cities, including the central Punjab city of Multan, held similar protest meetings, private television channels reported. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Pakistan deploys security forces after Karachi violence KARACHI, April 10 (AFP) - Pakistan deployed paramilitary troops and police in Karachi on Thursday, a day after clashes between supporters and opponents of President Pervez Musharraf left seven people dead. “Police and Rangers (paramilitary troops) have been deployed in sensitive areas with strict orders to take extreme action against anyone who damages public property,” Sindh province home secretary Arif Ahmad Khan told AFP. “The police will be responsible for security of the high court, district courts, colony of judges and offices of lawyers,” he said. “We will not tolerate any laxity by police.” Meanwhile, the President of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Rasheed Razvi, said lawyers would boycott all courts in Karachi on Thursday and accused pro-Musharraf “elements” of being behind the violence. (Posted @ 10:10 PST) Pakistan says China Olympics, torch relay shouldn't be politicized ISLAMABAD, April 10 (AP): The Olympic Games in China and its torch relay should not be politicized, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said the games and the torch relay ''should be allowed to continue without being politicized.'' The Olympic torch is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan Wednesday. Protests have disrupted the torch relay during stops in Britain, France and the United States. (Posted @ 15:30 PST) Bangladesh, India to restore train link after decades DHAKA, April 10 (AFP): Rail passenger services between Bangladesh and India will resume next week for the first time in more than four decades following a deal signed on Thursday, officials said. The Moitree (Friendship) Express will on Monday -- the first day of Bengali New Year -- be the first passenger train to leave Dhaka for India since 1965, Bangladesh's communication secretary Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman said. At the same time India's Dhaka-bound Moitree Express will leave Kolkata, capital of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. (Posted @ 23:02 PST) US marines say they have begun operations in Afghanistan KABUL, April 10 (AFP): The US marines recently deployed in Afghanistan to support a NATO-led military campaign against Islamic rebels have began operations in the country's restive south, the unit said Thursday. The 2,300-strong US Marine Expeditionary Unit was part of Washington's recent contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) efforts to quell a resurgent Taliban effort to evict foreign troops from Afghanistan. (Posted @ 22:14 PST) 
Bush announces return to 12 month combat tours WASHINGTON, April 10 (AFP): US President George W. Bush announced a return to shorter 12-month tours for US Army troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, ending 15-month tours that have strained the force. Bush said it would be effective August 1. (Posted @ 21:38 PST) US advises Carter against any meeting with Hamas WASHINGTON, April 10 (AFP): The United States said Thursday it has advised former US president Jimmy Carter against meeting Palastinian Hamas after hearing he might meet with its leader Khaled Meshaal in Syria. “If he does go to Syria we will provide support befitting a former president,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. “The State Department will not participate in the planning or scheduling of any meetings with Hamas figures in Damascus and in fact we have counseled the former president about having such a meeting,” McCormack added. (Posted @ 20:06 PST) Russian vice ring jailed for killing 14 girls MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters): A Russian court sentenced eight men to prison on Thursday for kidnapping 14 girls and young women over a three year period and forcing them to work as prostitutes before killing them. Russian television pictures showed the defendants sitting in a metal cage in the courtroom, as the judge read out the verdicts. Prosecutors say more criminal cases on behalf of further victims are expected. (Posted @ 19:58 PST) Cricket: Windies elect to field in first ODI PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, April 10 (AFP): West Indies won the toss and chose to field in the first one-day international against Sri Lanka on Thursday at Queen's Park Oval. For West Indies, beanpole left-arm spin bowler Sulieman Benn will make his ODI debut, and for Sri Lanka, left-handed batsman Mahela Udawatte and right-arm medium-paced bowler Ajantha Mendis are getting their first ODI caps. (Posted @ 19:50 PST) 
Two Frenchmen, Algerian jailed for failed Iraq jihad trip PARIS, April 10 (AFP): Two young Frenchmen and an Algerian arrested in Syria were given jail sentences of between two and 15 months here Thursday for trying to travel to Iraq to fight in the insurgency there. The court found the three men guilty of taking part in a “criminal association with a view to preparing acts of terrorism.” The men, living in the central French city of Tours, were arrested in October 2006 in Syria while they were on their way to Iraq. (Posted @ 18:44 PST) Qatar signs deals to provide LNG to China BEIJING, April 10 (AFP): China and Qatar on Thursday signed deals for the purchase of five million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year from the oil-rich Gulf state, the two sides said. PetroChina, China's largest oil and gas producer, signed a deal in Beijing with Qatargas and Shell under which the Chinese firm would buy three million tonnes of Qatari LNG per year for 25 years, according to a statement issued by the companies. (Posted @ 18:40 PST) Bangladesh Islamists clash with police, 50 hurt DHAKA, April 10 (Reuters): At least 50 people were injured as Islamist activists clashed with police in Dhaka on Thursday over a plan to give women equal rights to inheritance, police and witnesses said. Two police motorbikes were burned and two cars damaged during the hour-long clash outside Baitul Mokarram Mosque near the Presidential Palace. The clashes erupted as police halted a march by several hundred activists of a radical Islamic group protesting against a proposed policy on women's rights. (Posted @ 17:16 PST) Turkish military kills 11 PKK members in southeast Turkey TUNCELI, Turkey, April 10 (Reuters): A two-day Turkish military operation against separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels in Turkey's southeastern province of Tunceli has killed 11 guerrillas, the provincial governor said Thursday. One PKK member has been captured, he added. Approximately 3,000 soldiers participated in the operation, and on Thursday attack helicopters bombed suspected PKK positions in rural areas of the province. (First Posted @ 16:20 PST, Updated @ 16:30 PST) Ten people, including seven women, die in Sindh traffic accident GHARO, Pakistan, April 10 (PPI): At least ten persons, including seven women, were killed and another 15 injured when a Thatta-bound bus of pilgrims travelling from Karachi collided with a speeding dumper near Gharo Thursday. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) One killed in Nepal election violence KATHMANDU, April 10 (AFP): A political activist was killed Thursday in a clash between rival political parties in southeastern Nepal during landmark elections that will determine the country's political future. “One activist was killed in clashes between Nepali Congress supporters and an ethnic political party,” a senior local police officer told AFP from Sunsari district, 210 kilometres south of Kathmandu. (Posted @ 15:15 PST) Two US airstrikes on Baghdad's Sadr City kill five BAGHDAD, April 10 (AP): Two missile attacks by U.S. helicopters on Baghdad's Sadr City neighbourhood killed five people and injured four, Iraqi police said Thursday. The U.S. military said four gunmen were killed late Wednesday by missiles targeting a group of men firing at troops. Police said two of those killed in the attack were brothers aged seven and nine. In a separate incident, police said another man was killed and four were injured when missiles hit a building in Sadr City Thursday morning. (Fist Posted @ 11:30 PST, Updated @ 14:25 PST) Three killed in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, April 10 (AFP) - Two separatist rebels were killed Thursday during a clash with security forces in Thailand's Muslim south, police said. About 100 soldiers and paramilitaries sealed off a village in Narathiwat province after a tip-off that militants were holding a meeting. Two rebels were shot and killed in the resulting gun fight, police said, while two others were arrested. In nearby Pattani province on Wednesday, a 61-year-old Muslim former village chief was shot and killed at his home by suspected rebels, police said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST) Eight killed, 22 injured in Afghan suicide blast KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 10 (AFP) - A suicide car bomb killed at least eight civilians on Thursday in the city of Kandahar, police said. “Eight people have been killed and 22 others including two policemen were injured. It was a suicide bombing,” Sayed Agha Saqeb, the police chief of Kandahar, told AFP.He said the explosion occurred as a NATO-led military convoy passed through the area. (Posted @ 11:30 PST) New battles kill 7 Tamil rebels, 1 soldier in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 19 (AP) - Scattered battles in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka left seven Tamil separatists and a soldier dead, the military said Thursday. (Posted @ 10:55 PST) Beijing Olympics torch relay will not be cut short: Rogge BEIJING, April 10 (AFP) - International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge said here Thursday there were no plans to cut short the troubled torch relay for the Beijing Games. “This scenario is definitely not on the agenda,” Rogge told reporters when asked whether the issue of cutting short the relay would be discussed when IOC executive board members meet in Beijing later on Thursday and Friday. He said sports leaders should reassure athletes that Beijing was on track to stage a successful Olympics. “Tell them that whatever they have seen and heard, the Games will be very well-organised. Tell them that we will rebound from this current crisis,” Rogge said. (Posted @ 10:35 PST) American Airlines cancels 1,000 flights for inspections CHICAGO, April 10 (Reuters) - American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights, or nearly 45 percent of its daily schedule, on Wednesday, affecting many thousands of passengers and creating chaos at the busiest U.S. airports as it conducted safety inspections of its MD-80 aircraft. The cancellations follow 460 cancellations on Tuesday and hundreds of cancellations two weeks ago, also for inspections. A spokesman said he estimated around 100,000 passengers were affected. American said in a statement on Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised new concerns about recent wiring inspections of the narrowbody MD-80 aircraft that resulted in canceled flights two weeks ago. The airline's 300 aging MD-80s make up nearly half of AMR's fleet. The average age of the AMR MD-80s is 18 years. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Three US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, April 10 (AFP) - The US military on Wednesday announced the deaths of three more US soldiers in Iraq, including two in Baghdad. One soldier was killed in northeastern Baghdad from wounds received in a roadside bomb attack, the military said. Another soldier was killed in the central Salaheddin province in a roadside bomb attack, while the third soldier was also killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday but his death was notified on Wednesdy. (Posted @ 10:15 PST) 54 Myanmar migrants die in seafood container: Thai police BANGKOK, April 10 (AFP) - At least 54 Myanmar migrants suffocated to death in a cold storage container as they were being smuggled into Thailand to look for work, Thai police said Thursday. A total of 121 people were crammed inside a container just 20 feet long and 2.2 metres wide, said police in the border province of Ranong where the bodies were found late Wednesday. Twenty one people were hospitalized suffering dehydration and lack of oxygen, it said, adding they appeared to be recovering after receiving intravenous fluids. (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Five French tourists killed in Peru plane crash LIMA, April 10 (AFP) - Five French tourists were killed in Peru Wednesday when their plane crashed while flying over the famous Nazca Lines, pre-Inca depictions of animals that are best seen from the sky, police said. The small plane crashed following an apparent mechanical failure not far from the mysterious, 2,500-year-old lines, around 450 kilometers south of Lima, highway police said. (Posted @ 09:50 PST) Karachi Stocks down 99.25 points: KARACHI, April 10: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 15304.92, down 99.25 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, April 10: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 63.7 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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