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| May 18, 2008 | Sunday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
 Suicide bomber kills 14, injures 22 in Pakistan's northwest PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 18 (AP) A suicide bomb attack near the army cantonment area of Mardan town in North West Frontier Province killed four people and wounded more than 10 on Sunday, police said. Latest reports put the figure of killed at 14 and injured 22 a private TV channel said. The blast occurred outside a bakery near the Punjab Regimental Center. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Mardan police chief Akhtar Ali Shah said the attacker detonated himself right at the gate of the bakery, killing at least four people. At least 12 wounded people were taken to Mardan Hospital, said witness Mussarat Khan. A later report quoting DPO Mardan Muhammad Tahir Khan said, at least 11 persons were killed and 14 others injured. (First Posted @ 20:48 PST Updated @ 22:36 PST)  Bush, PM Gilani commit to fighting terror SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 18 (Reuters/PPI): President George W. Bush and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday pledged to fight terrorism with strong relations between the two nations. Bush met Gilani for the first time at this Red Sea resort. Bush said they spoke about a “common desire to protect ourselves and others from those who would do harm” and he thanked Gilani for his steadfast support. Asked whether the Damadola missile strike had been discussed, Gilani said “yes,” while Bush did not comment. Gilani, standing next to Bush outside his hotel villa, said terrorism and extremism were “the biggest threat to the world” and pledged that his government was committed to fighting it. Bush and Gilani said they also discussed high food prices, energy issues, and economic cooperation. Special assistants to the Prime Minister Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar and Shahnaz Wazir briefing the media said President Bush said his government was interested in early congressional approval of Economic Opportunity Zone in tribal areas in Pakistan which will have major impact on the lives of the people of the area. Gilani told the US President that the new elected government in Pakistan was in a better position to deal with the war on terrorism. Begum Shanaz Wazir Ali said the two leaders also reviewed economic, strategic and defence cooperation between the two countries. Gilani stressed that Pakistan needs more market access to the United States which will have positive impacts on the economic situation in Pakistan. Hina Rabbani said President Bush said he feels strongly that time is ripe for the resolution of Kashmir issue that is key to peace and stability in the region. (First Posted @ 11:20 PST Updated @ 18:12 PST)  Aitzaz withdraws from by-elections ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Chaudhary Aitzaz Ehsan Sunday announced the decision to withdraw his candidature from the by-elections being held next month. Aitzaz Ehsan had filed nomination papers for NA-55 Rawalpindi, and made the withdrawal announcement at a Press Conference in Lahore. Aitzaz, who has remained associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party and also served as a minister in late Benazir Bhutto’s cabinet, had applied for the PPP ticket from the constituency but was also supported by the Pakistan MusLim League (Nawaz). He said he informed the party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari of his decision after the lawyers convention on Saturday decided for a long march on June 10 to press the demand for the reinstatement of the deposed judges. He said he wanted to focus his energies on the lawyers struggle. (Posted @ 19:46 PST) Militants occupy MP's house in Pakistani tribal area KHAR, Pakistan, May 18 (AFP) - An armed group of pro-Taliban militants occupied a lawmaker's house in Bajaur tribal district in Pakistan tribal area Sunday, taking his relatives and servants hostage, witnesses and officials said. Shaukatullah Khan was out of town when up to 40 armed militants stormed his house. “The Taliban are demanding that Shaukatullah Khan hands over his land and a hill from where marble is extracted,” a local tribesman told AFP, requesting anonymity. The militants said Khan had made lot of money and it was the property of local tribes, the man added. Local officials however said they were not yet aware of the militants' demands, but had sent a jirga (peace committee) of tribal elders to negotiate the hostages' release. It was not immediately clear how many people had been taken hostage. Witnesses said that situation was tense in the area and tribal security forces had blocked a main road linking Bajaur with Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. (Posted @ 16:50 PST) Live telecast of proceedings of parliament ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro said Sunday the government believes in transparency and agrees in principle to live telecast of the proceedings of the Parliament subject to rules of each House, Technical details in this connection are being worked out and arrangements have already been made to telecast live proceedings of the Senate in-house, he said while talking to Michael Hess, Assistant Administrator of USAID. Soomro said proceedings of the House Committees would also be telecast live in the next phase. Matters relating to broadening and expanding the scope of activities of the USAID with particular reference to the 'Strengthening Democracy Through Parliamentary Development (SDPD) project were discussed at the meeting. Michael Hess assured all possible assistance in the training of Parliamentarians as well as provision of necessary technical expertise to sharpen their skills. He apprised the Chairman of the social and educational uplift projects being implemented in FATA. (Posted @ 19:58 PST) Kidnapped sons of ex- NWFP minister freed MINGORA, Pakistan, May 18 (APP): Two sons of former NWFP Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Qari Mehmood, who were kidnapped by unknown gunmen have been released through the efforts of the local peace jirga. Saeed Mehmood and Nasir Mehmood have reached home after their kidnapping in Kareeri area while returning home from Matta in Swat valley on May 11. (Posted @ 20:04 PST) Court rules that young Biharis are Bangladesh citizens DHAKA, Banglaesh, May 18 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's High Court ruled on Sunday that the children of Urdu-speaking “Bihari” Muslims awaiting repatriation to Pakistan for over 37 years would be granted Bangladeshi citizenship. “The children who were minor in 1971 or born after the independence of Bangladesh are citizens of Bangladesh,” the High Court said in a ruling, over a petition by a group of Bihari Muslims pleading for Bangladeshi citizenship. “They are also eligible to be enrolled as voters in Bangladesh,” said the ruling read out to Reuters by lawyer Hafizur Rahman Khan. With the ruling nearly half of about 300,000 Biharis waiting for Pakistan to accept them may become lawful citizens of Bangladesh,” Khan said. “They may also vote in the parliamentary election due in next December, he added. Home ministry officials said about 140,000 Biharis who were either born in Bangladesh or have expressed loyalty to the country would be granted citizenship. (Posted @ 19:24 PST) Farooq Naek reiterates PPP's commitment to reinstate judges ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farooq H Naek Sunday reiterated the firm commitment of Pakistan People's Party with regard to reinstatement of the deposed judges. “PPP and its Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari are always committed to reinstatement of the deposed judges,” the minister told Dawn News television. Replying to a question, he said the constitution only talks about the appointment of judges (article 193 and 197) with respect to the high court judges but it does not talk about the reinstatement. He said there were divergent views whether the word 'reinstatement' should be used in the notification that would be issued on the basis of the resolution to be passed by the joint session of the parliament or the word “appointment” should be used as it has been mentioned in the constitution. He said there was complete unanimity of views among the coalition partners about seniority and back benefits of the judges as laid down in the rules and regulations. “They should be awarded their seniority and pensionary benefits,” he added. Farooq Naek said many things were discussed with PML-N during talks on the issue of judiciary and there was only difference over the modalities regarding reinstatement of the deposed judges. Elaborating, he said under the Judges Act-1997 the number of judges is 17 and if existing and deposed judges are counted it goes to 27, which needs amendment in the act to accommodate all judges. So, PPP discussed with PML-N what was the best way to accommodate all judges and it was agreed that there should be legislation and accordingly a bill would be tabled in the National Assembly and the Senate for amendment in the Judges Act-1997, he said. Adopting the set-procedure takes some time, he said adding that the PPP was committed to reinstatement of the deposed judges but through constitutional and legal way. (Posted @ 15:35 PST) Bush urges end to repression in Mideast SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 18 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Sunday urged all countries of the Middle East to stop repressing their people and to release all political prisoners. “Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” Bush said in remarks prepared for a speech later in Egypt. “America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners in this region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated or repressed, newspapers and civil society organizations that are shut down, and dissidents whose voices are stifled.” Calling on the region's leaders to act, Bush said: “The time has come for nations across the Middle East to abandon these practices, and treat their people with the dignity and respect they deserve. “I call on all nations in this region to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate, and trust their people to chart their future. (Posted @ 16:00 PST) Indian troops martyr two more Kashmiris ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred two more Kashmiri youth at two different places. One young man was shot dead by the troops of 14-Rashtriya Rifles during operation in Kuta Bela in Bandipur and another at Gambhir in Rajouri, KMS reported. Separately, five people including three children were killed in a grenade blast near a house at Gurmal in Neel area of Ramban district. Meanwhile, hundreds of people staged massive protest demonstrations against Indian state terrorism at Padroo Keller in Shopian and Tral in Pulwama. “The entire area is cordoned off for the past seven days. We are not allowed to go outside by the CRPF personnel,” Shopian residents said. (Posted @ 16:28 PST) NATO helicopter carrying Afghan governor hit, no one injured KANDAHAR, May 18 (AP): Insurgents fired a rocket that hit a NATO helicopter carrying the governor of a key southern Afghan province, but no one was injured, officials said. Helmand Governor Ghulab Mangal and a delegation of British officials were about to land in the provincial town of Musa Qala when an insurgent rocket-propelled grenade struck the CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Mangal told The Associated Press. The grenade hit the tail end of the chopper, said a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. There was minor damage, he said. The delegation returned to the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah in another helicopter. (Posted @ 09:40 PST) Cricket: England 319 all out against New Zealand LONDON, May 18, (AFP) - England were bowled out for 319 in reply to New Zealand's first innings 277, a lead of 42, on the fourth day of the first Test at Lord's here on Sunday. James Anderson was unbeaten on nought after England captain Michael Vaughan was last man out for 106. The match is the first of a three-Test series. (Posted @ 23:14 PST) 14 injured in road accident in Pakistan QUETTA, May 18 (APP) : 14 participants of a marriage party were injured, six of them seriously, when the bus in which they were traveling turned turtle in Mastung town of Balochistan province, 40 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta on Sunday, police said. (Posted @ 21:24 PST) Three killed, over 1,000 hurt in China aftershock JIANGYOU, China, May 18 (Reuters) - Three people were killed and more than 1,000 injured on Sunday by an aftershock in the earthquake-devastated area of southwestern China, state news agency Xinhua reported. The 5.7 magnitude tremor shook Sichuan province six days after a massive tremor killed tens of thousands of people in the same area. Xinhua reported that the aftershock had brought down a large number of houses, damaged 377 km (230 miles) of roads and six bridges. (Posted @ 21:18 PST) 4 civilians killed in suicide blast in southern Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 18 (AP) - A suicide bomber killed four civilians and wounded eight other people in southern Afghanistan, Helmand provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal said adding that the target was a district police chief in the town of Musa Qala. Andiwal said five policemen and three other civilians were wounded in the blast. The bomber also died. The district police chief was not harmed. (Posted @ 21:00 PST) Israel, Palestine discuss peace in private -Rice WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are privately discussing a peace agreement and the talks should intensify in the next several months, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday. “I do know how seriously they are discussing all of the key issues,” Rice told reporters aboard Air Force One as she returned from a Middle East trip with President George W. Bush. “I think you're going to see them intensifying those discussions over the next several months.” (Posted @ 20:50 PST) FHockey: Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final results IPOH, Malaysia, May 18 (AFP) – Argentina won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey title while Pakistan finished a poor fourth in the matches played here on Sunday. Results: First place match-- Argentina 2 (Nicolas Mario Almada 15, 73), India 1 (Sandeep Singh 11). Third place match-- New Zealand 2 (Simon Child 20, Gareth Brooks 50), Pakistan 1 (Rehan Butt 17). Fifth place match-- Canada 4 (Connor Grimes 5, Ravi Kahlon 12, Bindi Kullar 46, Philip Wright 83), Belgium 3 (Jerome Dekeyser 3, 8, Max Luycx 58). (Posted @ 20:40 PST) Foreign soldier, 15 Taliban killed in Afghanistan KABUL, May 18 (AFP) -A bomb blew up a military vehicle in Zabul province in southern Afghanistan Sunday, killing a foreign soldier and an Afghan civilian, authorities said. Meanwhile, Afghan soldiers operating in Badghis province killed 15 insurgents in “face-to-face fighting” on Saturday, commander Ghulam Sakhi told AFP. Several other rebels were injured in the fighting in Ghormach district on the border with Turkmenistan, he said. (Posted @ 20:10 PST) Five killed in violent India state election KOLKATA, India, May 18 (Reuters) - At least five people were killed in India's eastern state of West Bengal on Sunday when rival parties contesting a local election clashed with bombs and guns, police said. Sunday's clashes were mostly between supporters of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and opposition Congress party which are partners in the ruling national coalition in New Delhi but rivals in West Bengal. Local news channels ran footage of burning thatched homes and bullet-ridden bodies lying in villages in Murshidabad district, about 350 km from Kolkata. Television reports and the Congress party put the death toll at 10. At least seven people had been killed in the previous two rounds of voting. (Posted @ 19:20 PST) Bush tries to convince Arab sceptics on peace push SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush sought to reassure sceptical Arabs on Sunday he is committed to securing a deal on Palestinian statehood before he leaves office, despite his outspoken support for Israel. Bush used a speech to a mostly Arab audience at the World Economic Forum to insist he “firmly believes” a Middle East peace agreement can be reached this year. “We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for decades and earned the right to a homeland of their own,” Bush said at the end of a 5-day Middle East tour. After his speech to the conference Bush left for Washington. (Posted @ 18:54 PST) Olympics: Torch relay halted for three days for quake mourning BEIJING, May 18 (AFP) - The Beijing Olympic torch relay will be halted for three days as part of a national mourning period following a devastating earthquake, Games organisers said Sunday.The torch relay suspension will begin on Monday, they said. China's Cabinet on Sunday announced three days of national mourning after an estimated 50,000 people died in its worst earthquake in three decades. Chinese government buildings will fly the national flag at half-mast for the three days starting Monday, it said. The nation will also observe three minutes of silence at 2:28 pm (0628 GMT) Monday, exactly one week after the earthquake struck southwestern Sichuan province. (First Posted @ 16:54 PST Updated @ 17:46 PST) Mubarak says peace deal must meet Palestinian demands SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 18 (AFP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that Arab states would not support a peace deal that does not meet the demands of the Palestinians. “Anyone who believes that cover will be provided for an agreement that does not fulfill the demands of (the Palestinians) is mistaken,” Mubarak said at the opening session of the World Economic Forum in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. (Posted @ 17:30 PST) India to resume Pakistan talks, meet new leaders ISLAMABAD, May 18 (Reuters) - India's foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee travels to Pakistan this week for his first meeting with leaders of a new civilian government and to review a peace process that has been in the doldrums for more than a year. Mukherjee will meet his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on Wednesday, a day after their top civil servants hold talks. The nuclear-armed rivals launched peace efforts in 2004 but while ties have warmed, the two sides have made no significant progress on their main dispute over the divided Kashmir. Before the lull in peace efforts, the two sides had made some progress towards settling border disputes, one over the Siachen glacier high in the Himalayas, the other in the far south, over the Sir Creek on their maritime boundary. But the ministers' most important achievement might be to set the stage for a visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (Posted @ 17:18 PST) Pakistan integral part of war against terrorism: Hussain Haqqani ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador designate to the United States Hussain Haqqani Sunday said that Pakistan was an integral part of the war against terrorism. “I think Pakistan is an integral part of the war against terrorism and therefore a distinction needs to be made between Pakistan's efforts to bring onboard its own tribal people and negotiating with terrorists which is some thing Pakistan has no intention of doing,” he told Dawn News television. (Posted @ 16:22 PST) Mobs kill 5, injure 50 in South Africa's capital in anti-foreigner violence JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, May 18 (AP) - Mobs killed at least five people and injured 50, mainly Zimbabweans, in anti-foreigner violence Sunday that has spread through poor suburbs of Johannesburg, police said. Police said the violence erupted after midnight in a slum settlement called Cleveland near the city center. Two people were burned and three others beaten to death. More than 50 were taken to hospitals with gunshot and stab wounds. More than 300 had sought refuge at the local police station, a spokesman said. (Posted @ 16:16 PST) Bangladesh court indicts ex-PM Hasina for graft DHAKA, May 18 (Reuters): A Bangladesh court formally indicted detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday for graft over a power plant deal. The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the charges with the court in February, accusing Hasina of accepting 30 million taka ($440,000) in kickbacks in a power plant deal during her term in office between 1996-2001. Hasina was in the dock when the judge passed the order for prosecution. “This is a false charge and politically motivated. It was filed only to destroy my political career,” Hasina told the court. (Posted @ 13:30 PST) 12 killed in India construction site accident NEW DELHI, May 18 (AFP): A wall collapsed at a building site in the suburbs of New Delhi, killing at least 12 Indian construction workers and leaving more than 20 others injured, a report said Sunday. The accident took place late Saturday in the booming suburb of Gurgaon, south of the Indian capital, which has become a hub for new condos and office buildings. A city official warned the toll could rise, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. (Posted @ 12:40 PST) 63 people pulled alive from quake debris in China: state media BEIJING, May 18 (AFP): Five days after a huge earthquake hit southwestern China, rescuers pulled at least 63 people alive from collapsed buildings on Saturday, state media said, revising its earlier toll of seven. (Posted @ 11:00 PST) Jewish family builds mosque in Cambodia TRAMOUNG CHRUM, May 18 (AP): When residents of this poor, Cambodian village need something built, they call on the Lightmans. The Jewish-American family's latest gift: a mosque, which opened on May 9. It can accommodate about 200 people and replaces a tiny building on wood stilts that held only 30 worshippers. The villagers follow a small Islamic sect, Imam-San that incorporates Buddhism, Hinduism and animism. Imam-San are about 3 percent of Cambodia's 700,000 Muslims, who themselves represent only 5 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people, according the U.S. State Department annual report on religious freedom. (Posted @ 09:30 PST) Georgia lures Arab investors to build 'Black Sea Dubai' POTI, Georgia, May 18 (AFP): The port city of Poti has long symbolised Georgia's collapse, but President Mikheil Saakashvili sees potential for a Black Sea Dubai in its crumbling buildings and pot-holed streets -- and Arab investors are listening. As he woos voters ahead of parliamentary elections on Wednesday, Saakashvili has brought in a United Arab Emirates investment firm to transform this dilapidated city into an investment magnet modelled on the success of Dubai and other Gulf cities. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
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