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| May 04, 2008 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
PM Gilani announces development package for Multan MULTAN, Pakistan, May 4 (APP):- Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday announced a development package for the city of Multan which includes Motorway (M-4), educational institutions, roads, housing and electricity load management plan for industrial and agriculture sector. Work on all these projects would start next month and completed within five years, he said at Multan Press Club. He also announced expansion of Multan airport to upgrade it to international standard for which the ministry of defence and the Civil Aviation Authority will acquire the land. The work would start in June this year. He said six low cost housing schemes in Shuja Abad and Jalalpur would be started for which the provincial government will provide the land and requisite funds. National Highway Authority would commence work on Multan Faisalabad Motorway (M-4) project in July 2008, he said adding that road infrastructure improvement plan includes the ring road and the Northern and Southern by-pass. Northern By-pass will be completed at a cost of Rs 50 million in June next year, while the Southern by-pass will be completed in a phases. Prime Minister Gilani on Sunday announced six low-cost housing schemes for Bosan, Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Mumtazabad, Shershah, Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad. District or provincial government will acquire the land, while federal government will provide funds while Nespak will prepare design and feasibility report. Gilani also announced two universities and eight colleges for Multan district:. a women’s university, an engineering university, five women’s colleges and two boys colleges besides a cadet college He said work on women’s university will start from July 2008 .He said technical institutions will also be set up in Multan. (First Posted @ 20:24 PST Updated @ 21:14 PST)  All PCO Judges must be relieved: Fazal Islamabad, May 04 (PPI)- JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that all judges that have taken oath under 'PCOs' should be relieved of their duties. Talking to newsmen after a party meeting here Sunday he said: “ it will be no less than a miracle if the judges are restored in time.” He said suppression of judiciary under emergency rule was an illegal action but maintained that no controversial person should become a judge. He said that when the deposed judges could not be restored in 30 days' how they could be reinstated within 10 days.He said he would give his point of view on the issue after perusal of the text of the resolution for restoration of judges. (Posted @ 20:30 PST) PM Gilani vows to restore 1973 constitution Multan, Pakistan, May 04 (PPI)- Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani reiterated on Sunday the firm resolve to restore the 1973 constitution, and to ensure the supremacy of parliament and independence of the judiciary and the media. Addressing a gathering after handing over cheques to the needy patients and students from Pakistan Baitul Maal in Multan he said the people gave a split mandate in the Feb 18 elections. However, the PPP took all the political forces including PML(N), JUI(F),ANP, the MQM, independents and members from FATA along for a broad-based coalition to steer the country out of the crises. He said the government was fully alive to the challenges of water and power shortage and flour crisis caused by the wrong doings of the previous government, and reiterated the commitment of the government to overcome these problems. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)  Pakistan to get $ 1bn in ADB loans in 2008 MADRID, May 4 (AFP) - Asian Development Bank has so far given green light to providing Pakistan with about one billion dollars in loans this year, a senior bank official said Sunday in Spain. “These are not new loans; they are disbursements on existing loans,” Juan Miranda, ADB's Director General for Central West Asia, told AFP on the sidelines of the bank's annual meeting in Madrid. “We are looking in addition to new projects for the fiscal year of 2008. They include projects in the road sector, in the energy sector, urban sector but these are under discussion and we don't have any details yet,” he added. Pakistan was the ADB's biggest borrower in 2007, receiving two billion dollars, or 20 percent of total loans extended by the bank that year. “Pakistan is a country that has a strategic importance for all of us. It has a lot of things which it wants to do and we have a strategy to help them do it,” said Miranda. The roughly one billion dollars in loans approved so far for 2008 refer to the second tranche of loans agreed upon over the past two years. They were given the go-ahead after the ADB verified that Pakistan had carried out the reforms which were a condition for the loans, said Miranda. “They are delivering on what they promised, so when they do that we deliver on what we promise,” he said. The loans include 200 million dollars to improve access to financial services, 200 million dollars to help develop capital markets and another 200 million dollars for reconstruction efforts following a deadly 2005 earthquake. Another 62 million dollars will go towards aiding small to medium industries while between 300 and 350 million dollars has been or will be dispersed on projects to develop roads, energy and urban services, Miranda said. Last year the Manila-based ADB said it expected to provide at least six billion dollars in loans and grants to Pakistan in the 2008-2010 period. Miranda praised the new Pakistani government of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani which came to power following general elections in February, saying it was “serious, committed and has a smart economic team, both in the ministry of finance and the central bank.” (Posted @ 21:04 PST) Balochistan problems to be resolved: Babar Awan QUETTA, Pakistan, May 4 (PPI): The Secretaryof the Balochistan Committee on reconciliation Senator Babar Awan Saturday said the province would be made Economic and Development Zone and not a security zone. We want to announce a package for the province as had never been given before in history, he said at a seminar organised by Benazir Bhutto reconciliation Committee on Balochistan here Saturday. Intellectuals, scholars, politicians, sociologists etc from all over the province attended the seminar and put forth their suggestions. Babar Awan said people are desirous for dialogue for road map on resolving provincial issues and want rights under the constitution. He said rights of the provinces on natural resources should be accepted and was critical that committees formed on Balochitan in the past did not work. President PPP Balochistan Lashkari Raisani said Balochistan issue is political and constitutional and regretted that people's vote was not respected in the past and they were deprived of their constitutional rights. (Posted @ 18:02 PST) Girls school in Swat valley torched Mingora, Pakistan, May 4 (APP): Suspected militants torched the building of Government Girls High School, Charbagh, in Swat valley in northwestern Pakistan, late Saturday night but no casualty was reported. Police said miscreants hostaged the security guard at gunpoint and torched the building. Nine class rooms, furniture and laboratory equipmens worth millions of rupees were destroyed. Police during search found and defused three bombs weighting 50 kilogram planted inside the school building. (Posted @ 17:18 PST) Trains kill 100 people at Karachi’s fenceless tracks in 16 months KARACHI, Pakistan, May 04 (PPI): About 100 people were crushed to death by moving trains at railway tracks in Greater Karachi area during the last 16 months. The fatalities occured in the jurisdiction of four police stations of Karachi railway police viz the City, Cantonment, Drigh and Landhi. Official figures show that 62 people lost their lives while crossing railway tracks in 2007: City Station reported 5 deaths, Cantonment (6), Drigh (27) and Landhi (24). During the first four months of current year, another 38 people died: City sector reporting two fatalities, Cantonment (7), Drigh (18) and Landhi (11). Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, former minister for railways had announced last year that in order to avert these accidents and to secure 100-feet land along railway tracks fences or protective wall would be erected from Landhi to City Railway Station. Officials said a feasibility report for the proposed fencing project has already been sent to Pakistan Railway Headquarter' Lahore but awaits approval. (Posted @ 17:44 PST) Qatar to import 30,000 Pakistani workers this year ISLAMABAD, May 4 (APP): Qatar would hire 30,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers from Pakistan this year. The two countries signed an additional protocol pertaining to the existing labour agreement which was inked between the two countries in 1987.The agreement was signed by Federal Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and visiting Qatar Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Dr. Sultan Bin Hassan al Dhabit al Dousari. About 75,000 Pakistanis are already working in Qatar. (Posted @ 17:00 PST) Cricket: Pakistani tribunal suspends Akhtar ban for India tourney LAHORE, Pakistan, May 4 (AFP) - A Pakistani appeals tribunal on Sunday suspended a five-year ban on fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for one month to allow him to compete in a domestic cricket tournament in India. “We have suspended the five-year ban for one month,” tribunal head Justice Farrukh Aftab told reporters, adding that Akhtar's appeal of the ban will be heard June 4. The tribunal had temporarily upheld the ban last week but cleared him to play cricket outside the country. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, however, would not allow Akhtar to play until the ban was overturned. “We had to suspend the ban because it was stopping him from playing in India and it would have been tantamount to additional punishment on Akhtar,” justice Aftab said. Two other tribunal members -- former Test cricketer Haseeb Ahsan and businessman Salman Taseer -- did not attend Sunday's hearing. “I got the consent of Taseer on telephone, but Ahsan could not be contacted,” said Aftab, who was assisted by senior advocate Khwaja Sultan. (Posted @ 15:50 PST) Gilani vows to solve peoples problems Multan, Pakistan, May 04, (PPI):- Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan was facing threats of terrorism, sectarianism, law and order and the government must first of all restore peace and normalcy to attract foreign investors to ensure economic growth and prosperity. Addressing a public meeting in Durrana Langana, a suburb of Multan on Sunday, he pledged to restore the 1973 Constitution, reinstate judges, strengthen institutions, and ensure freedom of the Press. He said that the manifesto of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto would be translated into reality. He said the government would leave no stone unturned to develop backward areas. (Posted @ 20:48 PST) Five dead, 30 missing in Brazilian shipwreck RIO DE JANEIRO, May 4 (AFP) - At least five people have died and 30 were missing Sunday after an overcrowded boat was shipwrecked in the Solimoes river in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, local media reported. The boat was carrying about 80 people, most of them young people returning from a party, CBN radio said, adding that the boat reportedly had a capacity of 50. (Posted @ 21:42 PST) China, Tibetan envoys to hold further talks SHENZHEN, China, May 4 (AFP) - Chinese officials and the Dalai Lama's envoys agreed to hold further talks following one day of meetings here Sunday, although no date was announced, China's official Xinhua news agency reported. “Chinese central government officials and the private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama agreed to hold another round of contact and consultation at an appropriate time,” Xinhua said. (Posted @ 20:04 PST) Gaza militants fire rockets into Israeli border town of Sderot during Rice visit JERUSALEM, May 4 (AP) - A Palestinian rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a supermarket in the border town of Sderot during the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Israeli medics say there were no injuries but five people were treated for shock. Another rocket struck a home, while two others exploded in a graveyard and damaged some tombstones. Gaza militants fire rockets into southern Israel almost daily. (Posted @ 19:28 PST) Myanmar says cyclone killed 351 YANGON, Myanmar, May 4 (AP) - Myanmar's state-run media are reporting that at least 351 people have died from a powerful cyclone that also badly damaged the country's commercial capital. State-run television says the toll from Tropical Cyclone Nargis includes 109 who lived on Haing Gyi island off the country's southwest coast. The U.N. says thousands of homes have been destroyed, mostly in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta. The military-run Myaddy television station says five regions of the country have been declared disaster zones. (Posted @ 19:20 PST) Iraq: US troops kill 14 militants; roadside bomb kills 4 Marines BAGHDAD, May 4 (AP) - The U.S. military said it killed 14 Shiite extremists Sunday in clashes in Baghdad, while a roadside bomb killed four Marines in western Anbar province, the deadliest attack in that area in months. The military said it used drones and Bradley fighting vehicles to kill 14 militants in several clashes in Sadr City and Shula. The Marines were killed Friday, but no other details of the incident were released. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, a bomb hit a motorcade carrying Iraq's first lady in the Karrada district, injuring four of her body guards but leaving her unharmed, according to the Iraqi president's office. Hiro Ibrahim Ahmed, wife of President Jalal Talabani, was headed to the city's central National Theater to attend a cultural festival when the attack occurred just before noon. (Posted @ 19:18 PST) Abkhazian official says 2 unmanned Georgian spy planes downed over breakaway region SUKHUMI, Georgia, May 4 (AP) - An official of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia said its forces shot down two unmanned Georgian spy planes over the territory on Sunday. Ruslan Kishmaria, a representative of Abkhazia's president in an eastern district of Abkhazia near Georgian-controlled territory, said two planes were shot down Sunday by Abkhazian anti-aircraft forces aided by aviation. Authorities were searching for fragments of the planes, he said. Conflicting claims over aircraft downings have deepened tension between Georgia and Russia, which is strengthening its support for Abkhazia and another Georgian separatist region as Georgia's U.S.-allied President Mikhail Saakashvili pushes for NATO membership for his country. Georgia is strategically located on a key Westward route for Caspian Sea oil and gas riches. (Posted @ 19:10 PST) Iraq says no hard evidence of Iranian support for militia BAGHDAD, May 4 (AFP) - Iraq said Sunday it has no evidence that Iran was supplying arms to militias engaged in fierce street fighting with security forces in Baghdad. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said there was no “hard evidence” of Iranian involvement. “Iran supports the government and understands the need to eliminate all militia... and allow the rule of law,” Dabbagh said. (Posted @ 19:04 PST) Several militants killed, 22 detained in southern Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, May 4 (AP) - The U.S.-led coalition says its troops killed several militants and detained 22 others during an operation Saturday in Reg district of Helmand province. There were no reports of coalition casualties. (Posted @ 18:14 PST) Gunmen pull Iraqi journalist from car, kill her MOSUL, Iraq, May 4 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead an Iraqi reporter on Sunday after pulling her out of a car in northern Mosul. Police said Serwa Abdul-Wahab, in her mid-30s, was on her way to work when gunmen forced her from her taxi and shot her once in the head. (Posted @ 18:08 PST) Road accident in western India kills 16 on way to wedding party MUMBAI, India, May 4 (AP) - Sixteen people were killed when an overcrowded jeep crashed into a truck on a highway outside Mumbai early Sunday. Police said the jeep was filled with members of a family traveling to a wedding party. The dead included three children. It was unclear if there were any survivors. Police say the jeep was speeding when it crashed into the back of the truck. The jeep was dragged by the truck for nearly 10 kilometers before the driver realized what had happened. (Posted @ 16:46 PST) WHO says virus that killed 24 children in China no threat to the Olympics BEIJING, May 4 (AP) - A highly infectious virus that has killed 24 children in China is unlikely to be a threat to the Beijing Olympics, the World Health Organization said Sunday. “I don't see it at all as a threat to the Olympics or any upcoming events. ... This is a disease mainly affecting young children,” WHO China representative Hans Troedsson told a news conference. Troedsson said the virus normally peaks in June and July so these outbreaks were earlier than normal. (First Posted @ 09:20 PST Updated @ 16:42 PST) Rice: Peace deal still attainable by the end of the year RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 4 (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Sunday said the year-end goal for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is still “achievable.” And she urged Israel not to prejudice a final deal _ a reference to continued Israeli settlement activity. At a news conference in the West Bankafter meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders , she said Israel wasn't doing enough to improve life for West Bank residents. The territory is broken up by hundreds of roadblocks that cripple travel and hurt the economy. Some of the roadblocks are no more than dirt mounds, while others are full-fledged military checkpoints. Rice says removing them is more an issue of quality than quantity. (First Posted @ 12:00 PST Updated @ 16:36 PST) Athletics-Pakistani hurdler banned for failing dope test KARACHI, May 4 (Reuters) - Pakistani hurdler Mohammad Sajjad has been suspended for two years from international and domestic events for failing a dope test in the Asian indoor championships in Qatar in February. “He won the bronze medal in the 110 metres hurdles in Qatar but failed to clear the dope tests carried out on all the medal winners by the organizers,” Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation secretary Khalid Mehmood said. “This is the first instance of its kind in Pakistan athletics. We have now made it compulsory to have dope tests before all international events,” he added. (Posted @ 16:15 PST) One killed in Israeli operation in Gaza: medics GAZA CITY, May 4 (AFP): A Palestinian was killed and four others wounded after Israeli forces launched an operation overnight in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials said on Sunday. Officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis identified the man as Hossam al-Najar, 40, without specifying whether he was a militant or a civilian. Three Hamas members were wounded in a separate air strike and a fourth man suffered a gunshot wound as he stood outside his home. (Posted @ 12:45 PST) At least eight killed by high waves in South Korea SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters): At least eight were people killed when they were swept away by high waves that hit a port on Sunday on the west coast of South Korea, a coastguard official said. Twelve others were rescued after the waves caused by storms and high wind hit the Yellow Sea port of Boryeong Namdo, about 185 km southwest of Seoul. They were taken to hospital, where five were in critical condition, the official said. (Posted @ 12:30 PST) 35 Tamil rebels, 8 soldiers killed in heavy fighting: Sri Lanka military COLOMBO, May 4 (AP): Heavy fighting over the weekend between government troops and Tamil separatists in the north killed 35 rebels and eight soldiers, the military said Sunday. The latest battles erupted Saturday along the front lines in Mannar and Welioya regions, the military said.At least 13 Tamil rebels were killed in Welioya, said a defence ministry official. Four soldiers were also killed in the battle. Elsewhere in Welioya fighting killed four rebels and three soldiers, the official said. Sporadic fighting in northern Mannar district killed 18 rebels and one soldier, he said. The rebel spokesman was not available for comment Sunday. (Posted @ 11:05 PST) Three shot dead in Pishin QUETTA May 4 (PPI): Three persons including two women were killed and two others injured when a man opened fire over a domestic dispute in Pishin late on Saturday. Police said Abdul Qayyum opened fire over in Killi Poti Nasran Pishin and killed his brother Rahim, and his wife Shirin and niece Sharifa. Two persons Ibrahim and a girl Shafia were injured in the incident. The gunman escaped after the triple murders. (Posted @ 10:30 PST) Obama wins Guam, looks to Indiana, North Carolina HAGATNA, Guam, May 4 (AFP): The tiny US Pacific island of Guam relished a rare moment in the spotlight Saturday, weighing in on the raging Democratic White House battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama narrowly won the island's caucuses by seven votes, winning 14 of the island's 21 districts and finishing with 2,264 votes against 2,257 for Clinton, local party officials said. Guam has four pledged delegate votes. Voter turnout on the island located more than 12,900 kilometers from Washington was 25 percent higher than the 4,000 party officials expected on Saturday. (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Torch arrives in China proper to thunderous welcome SANYA, China, May 4 (Reuters): Thunderous applause and cheers greeted the Olympic torch on Sunday as it began the first leg of its marathon relay through mainland China. “Go China,” people lining the streets chanted, waving Chinese flags as the flame made its way from a man-made island just off the tropical resort city of Sanya, on the southern tip of the island province of Hainan. Some of the thousands who turned out climbed up trees to get a better view of the torch, which has already been paraded through the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau to an overwhelmingly enthusiastic welcome. (Posted @ 09:50 PST )
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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