Judges to be restored through constitutional means: Naek
Islamabad, May 16 (PPI)- Law Minister Farooq H. Naek Friday said that the deposed judges would be restored soon through legal and constitutional means. Talking to mediapersons he said there were no two views about the restoration but differences exist over the mode of restoration. The PML-N wanted denotification of the existing (PCO) judges and their reappointment as adhoc judges through another notification. He said there is an opinion that this would not be in accordance with the constitution as the constitution provides that adhoc judges can be appointed only when quorum of the court is not complete. The Law Minister said that a resolution or bill for restoration of the deposed judges can be introduced in either house of the parliament even before the budget session and added that he personally wanted to make it as early as possible.. He, however, said he would not commit himself to any date. Replying to another question he said there are two opinions also on whether the restoration should be treated as reinstatement or reappointment. He said he personally feels that the deposed judges should retain their original seniority and be entitled to pensionary benefits as per original appointment. Asked whether the government is contemplating minus one or two formula, the Law Minister said let the parliament discuss and decide the matter as it is the proper forum for the purpose. About the appointment of Governors, the Law Minister said after the 17th amendment it is the discretionary power of the President to appoint provincial Governors. Asked whether President Pervez Musharraf consulted the Prime Minister on the appointment of Salman Taseer as the new Governor of Punjab, he said he doesn't know but even if there was any consultation it was not binding on the President. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Peace deal with local Taliban in world interest: Mukhtar
KARACHI, May 16 (PPI): Pakistan Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar Friday said if talks with local Taliban succeed it would prove beneficial for Pakistan and the whole world. He was talking to newsmen after visiting PIA Head Office where he chaired a high level meeting to discuss various issues concerning national flag carrier. Answering a question, Ahmed Mukhtar said Indian Defence Minister was expected to visit Pakistan within the next few weeks.Asked about PIA, he said it was on “verge of ruin and efforts were being made for a turn-around. The airline is suffering big financial loss every month. PIA will not be privatized.” He said: “Wrong policies of previous management are responsible for the present situation . Every one tried to loot the airline.” (Posted @ 21:08 PST)
Protests, rallies against Bajaur incident
Peshawar, May 16, (PPI) - Jamaat-i-Islami NWFP and JUI (F) besides other political groups and student organizations on Friday organized protest demonstrations and rallies to condemn missile attack on Damadola village in Bajaur Agency that killed some 20 people on Wednesday night. In Peshawar hundreds of activists of Jamaat-i-Islami gathered outside historic Masjid Mohabat Khan after Jumma prayers and marched to Chowk Yaadgar where former MNA Sabir Hussain Awan, former provincial minister Hafiz Hashmat Khan and other leaders addressed the protesters Workers of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam(Fazl) staged a protest demonstration outside Peshawar Press Club. They were led by former provincial ministers Maulana Amanullah Haqqani, Asif Iqbal Daudzai and ex-MPA Khalid Waqar Chamkani. They criticized the ANP chief’s visit to USA and said that the ANP laders were seeking permission form USA before signing peace deal with the Taliban. Protest demonstrations and rallies were also held in several other cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta etc. (First Posted @ 18:30 PST Updated @ 20:52 PST)
Salman Taseer takes oath as Punjab Governor
LAHORE, May 16 – Salman Taseer was administered oath as Governor of Punjab province on Friday. Punjab Cabinet Ministers belonging to the majority Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) were conspicuous by their absence from the ceremony at the Governor House. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
Militants behead Pakistani soldier to avenge US missile strike
KHAR, Pakistan, May 16 (AFP): Authorities Friday found the body of a paramilitary soldier beheaded by Taliban insurgents in a tribal area where a suspected US missile strike left 12 people dead, an official said. A note left on the body said the soldier had been killed as a revenge for Wednesday's missile massacre in Damadola village in Bajaur tribal district. The soldier was kidnapped overnight and his decapitated body dumped on the roadside some eight kilometres from a paramilitary post near the main town of Khar, local official Mowaz Khan said. “This is our revenge for the US missile attack,” the note signed by militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, said. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Cricket: England 68-0 against New Zealand
LONDON, May 16, (AFP) - England were 68 without loss in reply to New Zealand's first innings 277, a deficit of 209, when bad flight forced an early close on the second day of the first Test at Lord's here Friday. Andrew Strauss was 24 not out and Alastair Cook 43 not out. This match was the first of the three-Test npower series. (Posted @ 23:32 PST)
Pakistan confirms coalition missile strike inside borders
ISLAMABAD, May 16, (AFP) - Pakistan on Friday confirmed that coalition forces in Afghanistan earlier this week launched a missile strike into Pakistan's tribal region, killing 14 people. “We confirm that the two missiles were fired from a drone which belongs to coalition forces deployed in Afghanistan,” Pakistan's chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP, referring to Wednesday's strike. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
Two die, 10 hurt in Pakistan road mishap
TANDO JAM, Pakistan, May 16 (PPI): Two women died and 10 persons, all members of a wedding party, sustained injuries when a speeding bus overturned near here on Friday.The victims from village Arbab Nahnio were going to Matli to attend a marriage ceremony when their bus turned turtle near Nanro village. (Posted @ 21:12 PST)
Zimbabwe runoff presidential election on June 27
HARARE, Zimbabwe, May 16 (AP) - A runoff election between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will be held June 27, the electoral commission said in an announcement published Friday. The commission had extended the deadline for holding the runoff to 90 days _ beyond the legally required 21 days. Tsvangirai said setting the vote date for June 27 was illegal, but “we will contest.” “This is a regime which operates not on the basis of the law, but operates on the basis of impunity from the law. So they are changing goal posts to suit themselves,” he told reporters. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
Cricket-New Zealand 277 all out v England in 1st test
LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - England dismissed New Zealand for 277 in their first innings on the second day of the first test at Lord's on Friday. (Posted @ 19:14 PST)
Bush in Saudi Arabia to press king on oil and Iran
RIYADH, May 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush held talks with Saudi King Abdullah on Friday to seek help in taming record oil prices and shore up Arab support for his efforts to contain Iran's growing influence. “We do count on the OPEC countries to keep adequate [oil] supplies out there, so the president will talk again with the king about that,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said before the meeting. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Iraq: Suicide car bomb kills 4 police, injure 9 others
Baghdad, May 16 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed four policemen and wounded nine other people on Friday in Falluja, 50 km west of Baghdad, police said. A roadside bomb explosion at a bus station in central Baghdad killed one civilian and wounded three others. Meanwhile, Iraqi police found the bodies of three Iraqis in different areas of Baghdad on Thursday, police said. (Posted @ 18:48 PST)
Pakistan sends relief supplies to China for quake survivors
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 16 (AP) - Pakistan has dispatched two planeloads of relief supplies to neighboring China for survivors of its deadly earthquake. The supplies included tents, blankets, medicines and drinking water. Two C-130 aircraft of Pakistan Air Force left for China on Friday from a military air base near Islamabad. Pakistan Red Crescent Society donates $50,000 for Chinese earthquake victims: Islamabad, May 16 (PPI): Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Friday donated $ 50,000 for the Chinese earthquake victims. The donation cheque was handed over to Chinese Ambassador Mr. Luo Zhaohui by PRCS Acting Chairman Gul Hanif. (First Posted @ 17:40 PST Updated @ 18:06 PST)
Oil prices rise to record high above US$127 a barrel
New York, May 16 (AP) - Oil prices have hit a new record high above US$127.00 a barrel in a volatile market. Light, sweet crude for June delivery rose as much as US$3.31 Friday to US$127.43 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by the afternoon in Europe. On Thursday, the contract closed at US$124.12. In London, Brent crude contracts also are higher, up US$2.70 to US$125.33 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. U.S. energy risk management firm Cameron Hanover says “everything the market looks at is bullish” and predicts greater volatility. (Posted @ 17:35 PST)
Chinese president Hu calls for stepped-up relief efforts
MIANYANG, China, May 16 (AFP): Chinese President Hu Jintao called here Friday for earthquake relief efforts to be stepped up, as he said rescue work had entered its “most crucial phase”, Xinhua news agency reported. “Quake relief work has entered into the most crucial phase,” Hu said after flying into Mianyang, one of the worst-hit cities in Monday's massive quake that the government estimates killed at least 50,000 people. “We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts,” Xinhua quoted him as saying. He said while saving lives was still the top priority, efforts should also be made to treat the injured and restore the infrastructure. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Maoist rebels kill 2 men before India state election
BANGALORE, India, May 16 (Reutes) - Maoist rebels who have called for a boycott of the election in Karnataka state shot and killed two men in a village about 380 km from Bangalore, hours before the second phase of polling began, police said Friday.One of the victims was a teacher suspected by the Maoists of being a police informer, police said. Maoist rebels operate in a large swathe of India stretching from the east to some southern states, mostly in the countryside, and attack government officials and property. (Posted @ 16:15 PST)
Badminton-Thomas Cup semi-final results
Jakarta, May 16 (Reuters) - In the first semi-final in Jakarta on Friday in the men's Thomas Cup team badminton tournament China defeated Malaysia by three matches to two. Result: Dan Lin lost to Chong Wei Lee 12-21 14-21; Yun Cai/Haifeng Fu beat Kien Keat Koo/Boon Heong Tan 21-16 21-17; Chunlai Boa beat Choong Hann Wong 21-18 21-7; Zhongbo Xie/Zhendong Gou lost to Zakry Abdul Latif Mohd/Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari Mohd 17-21 15-21. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Nine dead, scores wounded in Sri Lanka suicide blast
COLOMBO, May 16 (AFP): At least nine people were killed and 90 others wounded Friday in a Tamil Tiger suicide bombing near the official residence of Sri Lanka's president in Colombo, officials said. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said seven police officers and two civilians - plus the attacker - died in the massive blast, which was heard across the city. “Many civilians” were among those hurt and some were in a critical condition, he added. “A motorbike carrying an LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) suicide bomber rammed into a bus carrying police personnel,” Nanayakkara said. There was no immediate comment from the LTTE on the bombing. (First Posted @ 12:30 PST, Updated @ 14:55 PST)
Bin Laden slams west over Israel, vows to fight on
DUBAI, May 16 (AFP): Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden slammed western leaders for taking part in Israel's 60th birthday celebrations and vowed that Muslims would not give up “one inch of Palestine,” in an audio message Friday. “The participation of western leaders with the Jews in this celebration confirms that the west supports this ugly Jewish occupation of our lands and that they stand in the Israelis' trench against us,” Bin Laden said in the “message to western peoples” posted on the Internet. (Posted @ 14:55 PST)
One soldier, five Taliban killed in Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 16 (AFP): An Afghan soldier was killed in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province Friday while five Taliban died overnight when security forces repelled an attack on a district centre, officials said. Soldiers were on foot patrol in a volatile area of the province when a roadside mine exploded, killing one trooper and wounding three others, district army commander Rahamatullah Khan said. A Taliban spokesman, Yousuf Ahmadi, confirmed the device had been planted by members of the militia. He said Taliban had also attacked a district centre in Zabul province overnight and five were killed in the return fire. (Posted @ 14:50 PST)
Nine killed in Philippine bank robbery
MANILA, May 16 (Reuters): Robbers shot dead nine employees of a Philippine bank south of Manila Friday and emptied its vault, and police said they suspected two security guards who were missing. Ricardo Padilla, police chief of the Calabarzon region, said the bodies of eight employees of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation were found on the floor of the bank, with bullet wounds to the head. One of the bank's three guards died on way to hospital and the bank's operations manager was fighting for his life in a nearby hospital, Padilla said. He said the chief suspects were the two guards who were missing. “We're still investigating and we have no idea how much money was taken from the bank.” (First Posted @ 09:50 PST, Updated @ 11:55 PST)
Sri Lankan jets bomb Tamil rebel bases; fighting kills 27 rebels, two soldiers
COLOMBO, May 16 (AP): Sri Lankan fighter jets pounded two Tamil Tiger rebel bases deep in the northern jungles, and infantry clashes killed 27 rebels and two government soldiers, the military said Friday. The planes bombed a base of the Sea Tigers, the rebels' naval wing, in their de facto state in the north early Friday, said air force spokesman Wing Commander Andy Wijesuriya. Another airstrike on a rebel military base in the guerrilla stronghold of Mullaitivu took place overnight, he said. The latest infantry clashes erupted Thursday in the Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna regions, bordering the rebels' turf, said a Defense Ministry official, requesting anonymity. The worst fighting was reported in Vavuniya, where 18 rebels and one soldier were killed. Six guerrillas were killed in the nearby Mannar district while other fighting in Jaffna and Welioya killed three rebels and one soldier, he said. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan was not immediately available for comment. (Posted @ 11:15 PST)
US House Republicans block war funding bill
WASHINGTON, May 16 (AFP): The US House of Representatives Thursday rejected 163 billion dollars in emergency spending for Iraq and Afghanistan. The House did however pass two other components of the same bill, which called for troop withdrawals to start within 30 days and be completed by December 2009, and a package of education benefits for returning soldiers. An unusual number of 132 lawmakers, mostly Republicans, abstained, or voted present, in a procedural ambush on war funding. A total of 141 lawmakers backed the bill, and 149 opposed it. In a statement Thursday, the White House said the measure exceeded Bush's 108-billion-dollar request for the fiscal year that ends on September 30, and rejected its “artificial” timelines for withdrawal. “Because Congress has failed to address these criteria ... if this bill were presented in its current form, he would veto it,” the statement said. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)
US warns China over weapon links in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, May 16 (AFP): The United States has warned Beijing over reported use of Chinese weapons by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the Asian giant's continued sale of arms to Iran, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Thursday. He said he conveyed the concerns personally to Chinese officials during his visit to Beijing this week. “Just the other day, Monday, when I was in Beijing, this was one of the issues I raised - concern about Chinese weapons or Chinese-designed weapons showing up in some of these battle areas, be it Iraq or Afghanistan,” he told a congressional hearing on US-China ties. The US military in Iraq had said its troops had found Chinese-made missiles which they believe were smuggled in by groups in Iran aiming to arm militants fighting US-led forces. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)
Gunmen wound three Iranian embassy staff in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, May 16 (Reuters): Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying three Iranian embassy staff in Baghdad Thursday, wounding them and their Iraqi driver, a spokesman for the Iranian embassy said. “The gunmen attacked the car with our employees at around 5 p.m. while they were travelling to visit Kadhimiya shrine (in northwest Baghdad),” embassy spokesman Sayed Tasleem told Reuters. He said two of the victims were badly wounded. Iraqi police confirmed the attack but did not have any further details. Iran's IRNA news agency blamed the U.S. military. “American agents carried out terror attacks on Iranian embassy staff in Baghdad,” IRNA quoted an unnamed source as saying. “Iran will seriously follow this case and wants those responsible ... to be arrested and punished.” A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said the allegation was “completely ridiculous”. “We're not in the business of assassination,” Major Brad Leighton said. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Three killed as violence mars Dominican election
SANTO DOMINGO, May 16 (Reuters): Three people, including a former congressman, were shot and killed as violence marred the close of campaigning before Friday's presidential election in the Dominican Republic, authorities said. Police said the deaths, from a clash between supporters of the government and of the opposition, occurred Wednesday night in Villa Vasquez, about 125 miles northwest of the Caribbean nation's capital. The victims were identified as 50-year-old Francisco Antonio Fernandez, the former lawmaker, his bodyguard, and a third man who local media said was a supporter of the center-left Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), the nation's main opposition group. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 246.98 points:
KARACHI, May 16: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14232.89 , down 246.98 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
Forex update:
KARACHI, May 16: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 69 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
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