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| April 13, 2008 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 6, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 MQM finally decides to sit in opposition at Centre, Sindh KARACHI, April 13 (APP): The Muttaheda Qaumi Movemennt Sunday finally decided to sit in the opposition in the Centre and in Sindh. The decision was taken in a meeting of MQM's Rabita Committee after reviewing the outcome of talks with PPP which it described as non-serious. Addressing a press conference at MQM Headquarters, Nine Zero on Sunday evening, MQM Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said the Rabita Committee's decision has been endorsed by MQM Chief Altaf Hussain. (First Posted @ 19:14 PST Updated @ 19:54 PST)  Dar promises sustainable growth through focus on agriculture, manufacturing WASHINGTON, April 13 (APP): The coalition government will strive for growth in agriculture and manufacturing sectors for Pakistan's sustainable economic progress, visiting Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday, while also pledging to facilitate foreign investment and use all available resources to meet fast-expanding energy requirements. He told a gathering of Pakistani Americans and US officials at the Pakistani embassy that the new government would soon unveil its energy policy and endeavor to bring fiscal and monetary discipline to improve the overall state of the national economy. Dar, who is in Washington for World Bank-IMF annual spring meetings, also affirmed commitment to autonomy for the State Bank of Pakistan. He felt it is essential to convert the Federal Bureau of Statistics into an autonomous body to enhance its credibility. (Posted @ 11:30 PST)  Kouchner says Pakistan must help Kabul end violence KANDAHAR, April 13 (AFP): French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday that Taliban violence in Afghanistan could only be stopped with the aid of Pakistan, where rebels operate in lawless border areas. Kouchner made his comments during a joint visit to the NATO air base in southern Kandahar with his Canadian counterpart Maxime Bernier. Both countries have troops deployed in volatile Afghanistan to fight Taliban. “Further military means are needed in order for the process of securing Afghanistan to proceed... but there must also be a regional view, particularly with regards to neighbouring Pakistan,” Kouchner told AFP. (Posted @ 18:56 PST) Three injured in grenade blast in Quetta QUETTA, April 13 (APP): Three people were injured when two men on a motorcycle hurled a hand grenade at Ayub Stadium on Sunday and escaped, police told APP. The injured were taken to civil hospital. (Posted @ 18:06 PST) Carter defends plan to meet Hamas despite Israel criticism JERUSALEM, April 13 (AFP): Former US president Jimmy Carter on Sunday defended his plan to meet Hamas leaders during his trip to the Middle East, amid criticism from Washington and Israel. Carter said he viewed Hamas's inclusion in peace talks as very important. “It's very important at least someone meets the Hamas leaders to express their views, to ascertain what flexibility they have, to try to induce them to stop all attacks against Israel and cooperate with Fatah as a group that unites the Palestinians,” Carter told ABC news. “There's no doubt in anyone's mind that, if Israel is ever going to find peace with the Palestinians, Hamas will have to be included in the process,” he said in the interview aired on Sunday. (Posted @ 23:10 PST) Three Palestinians killed in Gaza explosion GAZA CITY, April 13 (AP/Reuters): Three people died in an explosion in a house in the Gaza Strip Palestinian medical officials said. Residents said the house belongs to a Hamas member. A Gaza health ministry official said seven people were wounded. Gaza fuel depot remains closed for fourth day: JERUSALEM: Israel kept a terminal that pumps fuel into the Gaza Strip closed for a fourth day on Sunday. Palestinian fuel distributors have been on strike to protest limited Israeli supplies of gasoline and diesel. (Posted @ 22:28 PST) Iraq fires 1,300 police and soldiers in south BAGHDAD, April 13 (Reuters): Iraq's government has fired 1,300 police and soldiers because of their failure to perform during fighting last month in the south of the country, an interior ministry spokesman said. He said more than 900 were fired in the southern city of Basra, where Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched a crackdown on militiamen that triggered Iraq's worst fighting since 2007. The rest were fired in the Wasit province, where the fighting spread. Iraqi officials acknowledged that 1,000 soldiers refused to fight in the campaign. (Posted @ 21:56 PST) Three drown, 16 injured as shark cage diving boat capsizes off S. Africa CAPE TOWN, April 13 (AP): Two Americans and a Norwegian tourist hoping to get close to great white sharks on a cage-diving adventure drowned Sunday when their boat capsized after it was hit by a freak wave, officials said. Sixteen people suffered minor injuries. The accident happened near Gansbaai, a small town about two hours from Cape Town that calls itself the great white shark capital of the world. (Posted @ 21:38 PST) Three killed, 40 injured in Punjab road mishap JHANG, April 13 (APP): Three persons were killed and about 40 injured in a road accident at Bhakkar Road near Lund Mor on Sunday. Police said a bus (FDL-6290) was on its way to Lahore from D I Khan when it turned turtle. Three men died on the spot while 40 persons were injured. (Posted @ 20:52 PST) Kenyan President names opposition chief prime minister NAIROBI, April 13 (AFP): Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki Sunday named a power sharing cabinet ending weeks of impasse. He announced a coalition government, naming opposition leader Raila Odinga as his new prime minister. Uhuru Kenyatta of the ruling Party of National Unity (PNU) and Musalia Mudavadi of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) were named deputy prime ministers as well as ministers for trade and local government respectively. (First Posted @ 18:50 PST Updated @ 19:38 PST) Ten injured in clash in Shahdadpur Shahdadpur, April 13 (PPI): Ten people were injured when the Afghan community and the Talani clan clashed in Shahdadpur on Sunday.Police said a member of the Afghan community slapped a waiter belonging to the Talani clan in a hotel over a petty matter. This led to a clash between both communities who used sticks and iron rods, resulting in injuries to 10 persons. The police arrested five Afghans. (Posted @ 19:34 PST) Cricket: Pakistan 308-8 v Bangladesh in third ODI LAHORE, April 13 (Reuters): Pakistan winning the toss and electing to bat, made 308 for eight against Bangladesh in the third one day inernational at Gaddafi stadium, Lahore on Sunday. Score: Pakistan 308-8 in 50 overs (S. Butt 132, K. Akmal 100). (Posted @ 19:20 PST) 
30 active terror plots against Britain: minister LONDON, April 13 (AFP): Britain's interior minister told a Sunday newspaper, security services were investigating 30 active terror plots as she made the case for giving them extended powers to combat extremists. “There are 22,000 individuals who are being monitored. There are 200 networks and 30 active plots,” Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said. She is facing a backbench rebellion in the governing Labour Party over plans to extend the time terror suspects can be held without charge from the current 28-day limit to 42 days. (Posted @ 19:02 PST) UN policeman killed in Haiti as violence continues even after PMs ouster PORT-AU-PRINCE, April 13 (AP): A U.N. police officer was dragged from his car and shot dead as violence flared in Haiti's capital following the dismissal of the country's prime minister and the announcement of a plan to slash the price of rice. The government had hoped the rice subsidy and parliament's firing of Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis on Saturday would defuse rage over rising food prices that caused days of deadly rioting and looting. But late Saturday, a Nigerian U.N. officer bringing food to his unit was pulled from a car and killed execution style in Port-au-Prince, U.N. officials said. (First Posted @ 10:10 PST Updated @ 18:38 PST) 5 Britons die in Ecuador bus crash; 15 injured LONDON, April 13 (AP): A bus crash in Ecuador killed five British tourists and injured 15 other people, Britain's Foreign Office said Sunday. The injured include 12 British tourists, a tour guide and a driver, both Ecuadorean and a French citizen, the office said. The crash occurred near Jipijapa, between the capital, Quito, and the coastal town of Puerto Lopez at about 2300 GMT on Saturday, a Foreign Office spokesman said. (Posted @ 18:20 PST) 
Uganda rebel infighting kills ICC target-sources RI-KWANGBA, Sudan, April 13 (Reuters): Infighting among Ugandan rebels killed nine people, including a commander wanted by international prosecutors, and delayed the signing of a final peace deal, sources involved in the talks said Sunday. Rebel sources said differences over the proposed agreement had triggered gun battles between LRA factions earlier this week that killed nine people, including the wanted commander. (Posted @ 17:56 PST) Iran mosque blast death toll reaches 12, over 200 wounded TEHRAN, April 13 (AFP): Twelve people were killed and at least 202 wounded when an explosion ripped through a packed mosque in Iran's southern city of Shiraz during prayers by a prominent cleric, officials said on Sunday. Uncertainty surrounded the cause of Saturday evening's blast, which some officials insisted was an accident but others said could have been caused by a bomb. The massive explosion took place at around 1630 GMT during an evening prayer sermon by a prominent cleric, Iranian media reported. A senior Iranian official said the blast was an accident and not an attack, but others cautioned the investigation into the cause was continuing. (First Posted @ 11:25 PST Updated @ 17:50 PST) Army will not fight against Zimbabweans: minister HARARE, April 13 (AFP) The Zimbabwean army will not intervene against civilians after the disputed March 29 poll and soldiers will remain in their barracks, Information Minister Sikhoanyiso Ndlovu said on Sunday. “The army will not fight against Zimbabweans because it is there to protect them, but it will definitely meet any foreign invading forces bent on reversing the gains of our independence. However, I do not see that happening,” he said in an interview with The Sunday Mail. (Posted @ 14:15 PST)
US air strike kills two, wounds civilians in Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 13 (AFP) US air strikes in eastern Baghdad killed two people and set homes ablaze, wounding three civilians, the military said on Sunday. Two American soldiers were also wounded in Saturday's air strike, a US military statement said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST) 8 police killed in Afghan attacks KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 13 (AP) Afghan officials said Sunday eight policemen have been killed in two attacks in southern Afghanistan. Kandahar provincial police chief said militants attacked and killed four police eradicating a field of poppies in Maiwand, while Gereshk district police chief said Taliban fighters ambushed a police vehicle overnight and killed four officers and wounded seven in neighboring Helmand. (Posted @ 12:20 PST) FHockey: Germany win Olympic berth GIFU, Japan, April 13 (AFP) Germany clinched the last ticket for the men's hockey competition at the Beijing Olympics when they thumped Japan 4-0 on Sunday. They join hosts China, Asian Games champions South Korea, Pakistan, South Africa, Canada, The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand and Britain at the Olympics. Germany won gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. (Posted @ 12:15 PST) Clashes leave dozens dead in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, April 13 (AFP) Sri Lanka security forces pounded Tamil Tiger positions in the rebel-held northern Wanni region and troops smashed bunkers belonging to rebels in the Jaffna peninsula, further north, the defence ministry said. At least 40 guerrillas had been killed since Saturday, the ministry said. However, a LTTE statement said the Tigers lost only three of their fighters in Mannar, adding that the Tigers killed at least 25 government troops and wounded another 75 in eight hours of fighting. (Posted @ 12:10 PST) Nepal's Maoists heading to victory in key election KATHMANDU, April 13 (Reuters) Nepal's Maoists were marching to victory in the Himalayan nation's first election in nine years. The Maoists, who ended an insurgency two years ago and entered electoral politics, had won 42 of the 76 seats declared so far and were also leading by a similar proportion in other constituencies where counting was continuing, election officials said. Two other parties -- the Communist UML and the Nepali Congress -- earlier thought to be favourites have so far won only 13 and 11 seats respectively. The Maoists were also doing better than expected in the country's southern plains, home to nearly half of the population, an area where they were thought to be weak, latest tallies showed. (Posted @ 11:20 PST) Polls open in Italy's general elections ROME, April 13 (AFP) Polls opened on Sunday in Italy's general elections with conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi expected to win a third premiership by defeating new centre-left flagbearer Walter Veltroni. (Posted @ 11:15 PST) Discovery of another mass grave south of Baghdad BAGHDAD, April 13 (AP) Confessions from militiamen led Saturday to the discovery of 15 more bodies dumped in mass graves south of Baghdad, officials said. It came two days after the Iraqi troops found the remains of 30 people believed to have been killed more than a year ago buried in three abandoned houses elsewhere in the area. Mass graves have been turning up with increasing frequency as American and Iraqi military operations have cleared former militant strongholds, allowing troops to step up patrols in previous no-go zones. (Posted @ 11:00 PST) Pakistan, Iran are two powers of Islamic world: Ayatollah Ali Tashhiri ISLAMABAD, April 13 (APP): Pakistan and Iran are two important powers of Islamic World which can resolve problems of Ummah by following the teaching of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, the visiting Secretary General of Majma' at-Taqrib bayn al-Madhahib Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Ali Taskhiri said at a dinner hosted in his honour by head of Millat Jafria Pakistan, Allama Sajid Naqvi on Saturday. Federal Minister for Housing, Rehmatullah Kakar, Amir Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Iranian ambassador Mashallah Shakri, Ulema and religious scholars of all sects were present. The Majam at-Taqrib bayn al-Madhahib is an international movement working against sectarianism and unity of Muslims across the world. He said that these two countries c an pull out the Ummah of present challenges by forging unity and cooperation. (Posted @ 11:00 PST) Cricket: West Indies beat Sri Lanka in 2nd ODI PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, April 13 (AFP) West Indies completed a seven-wicket victory under the Duckworth-Lewis Method over Sri Lanka in the rain-marred second One-day International on Saturday at Queen's Park Oval. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 112 for five off 30.3 overs. West Indies 125 for three off 20.3 overs. (Posted @ 10:25 PST)
Olympic torch flickers in 'China-friendly' Africa DAR ES SALAAM, April 13 (AFP) The Olympic torch, symbol of this year's 2008 Games in Beijing, arrived in the Tanzanian capital from Argentinian city of Buenos Aires and was received at the city's airport by Dar es Salaam Mayor Adam Kimbisa late Saturday. Kimbisa, the chief host, said the Sunday relay had been downsized “because there's a lot of rain” in the east African nation. (Posted @ 10:20 PST ) China coal mine blast kills 14 BEIJING, April 13 (AFP) A gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in northeast China, killing 14 miners, state media said Sunday. Two other miners were listed as missing and two were injured in the blast, which occurred Saturday near the city of Huludao in Liaoning province, Xinhua news agency reported. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) IMF warns rising food prices raising risk of war WASHINGTON, April 13 (AFP) Rising food prices could have terrible consequences for the world, including the risk of war, the IMF said Saturday, calling for action to keep inflation in check. “Food prices, if they go on like they are doing today ... the consequences will be terrible,” International Monetary Fund managing director Dominque Strauss-Kahn said. “Hundreds of thousands of people will be starving ... (leading) to disruption of the economic environment,” Strauss-Kahn told a news conference at the close of the IMF spring meeting here. Development gains made in the past five or 10 years could be “totally destroyed,” he said, warning that social unrest could even lead to war. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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