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| May 25, 2008 | Sunday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 19, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
 Pakistan agreements must not put our soldiers at risk: NATO KABUL, May 25 (AFP): NATO on Sunday asked Pakistan to avoid agreements that “put our troops and our mission under threat” with peace talks on that side of the border linked to an increase in attacks in Afghanistan. NATO spokesman Mark Laity said Pakistan must take the alliance into account. “They have a sovereign right to make agreements,” Laity said, adding however, “We have a right to answer if those agreements put our troops and our mission under threat. “It is no solution if trouble on one side of the Durand Line is merely transferred to the other, he said. “We have noticed an increase in activity in the eastern part of the country, which we believe can only be attributed to a reduction of Pakistan military activities,” Laity said. “We are making clear to Pakistan that in the legitimate desire to reach a peaceful settlement in their areas, they got to take us into account,” he said. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)  US lawmakers to raise peace deals with Pakistan KABUL, May 25 (AFP): US lawmakers met Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Sunday, saying afterwards they would raise with Pakistan concerns about its peace deals with extremists. The four Democratic US congressmen said part of their reason for visiting Kabul and Islamabad was to look into the issue of extremist “sanctuaries” on the Pakistan side of the border. There was widespread concern about the deals, said one of the lawmakers, a US Senator from Nebraska. (Posted @ 20:04 PST)  13 fishermen missing as 2 launches capsize near Karachi ISLAMABAD, May 25 (APP): At least 13 fishermen were missing after two small launches capsized near Karachi coast. According to Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) in-charge, one fisherman managed to reach ashore and was taken to Jinnah hospital for medical aid. The FCS dispatched two launches of Fishermen Cooperative Society to search for the missing fishermen. (Posted @ 21:22 PST) PM Gilani plays down confrontation ISLAMABAD, May 25 (Reuters): Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani rejected on Sunday a suggestion his government was set on confronting President Pervez Musharraf. Asked by a reporter in the eastern city of Lahore about confrontation with Musharraf, PM Gilani said the constitutional changes represented the stand of Pakistan Peoples’ Party, and there was no intention of confrontation. “As far as the presidency is concerned, we respect the President, we're talking about our manifesto, Benazir Bhutto's manifesto. We're talking about our programme, we're not talking about any confrontation,” Gilani said. (Posted @ 16:48 PST) Pakistan's deposed chief justice urges lawyers to press on with campaign to restore judges ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 25 (AP) - Pakistan's deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry urged lawyers Sunday to press on with their campaign to restore judges ousted by President Pervez Musharraf who declared emergency rule in November and ousted dozens of judges to avoid legal challenges to his rule. Justice Chaudhry told thousands of lawyers in Faisalabad early Sunday that the Supreme Court had passed an order restricting the president's actions on Nov. 3, the same day the emergency was declared. Chaudhry promised that those who “violated” the order would be “punished.” Justice Chaudhry who arrived here from Islamabad after a 14-hour drive also said that only nations which do not compromise on principles survive, and said the people had the right to know the causes of the current ills of the Pakistani society, private TV channels reported. The president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan speaking on the occasion termed the PPP’s 62-point package as another form of the minus one formula and rejected it outright. The convention was also addressed by the other leaders of the lawyers community including Ali Ahmad Kurd, Hamid Khan, Munir Malik etc. (Posted @ 12:45 PST) Iraq holy city tells US it wants alms, not arms NAJAF, May 25 (AFP): Iraq's holiest Shiite city of Najaf had a blunt message for visiting US Ambassador Ryan Crocker -- your arms are not welcome here, but your alms are. Najaf Governor Assad Sultan Abu Gelal said he did not want the United States to replicate in his province the strategy of funding former Sunni insurgents, a move claimed to have reduced Al-Qaeda attacks in neighbouring Anbar. “We told them (the Americans) we don't need an Awakening Council like in Anbar,” Abu Gelal told reporters on Saturday in the presence of Crocker, who was on his second visit to Najaf this year. The governor said he opposed arming militias and wanted to ensure that the remnants of militant groups were disarmed, not the other way round. (Posted @ 23:22 PST) Former Afghan commander, brother injured resisting kidnapping attempt CHAMAN May 25 (PPI): A former Afghan Commander and his brother were injured when armed men tried to kidnap them Sunday. Former Afghan Commander Mulla Matiullah, and his brother Aminullah, were stopped at Murda Karez road by armed men who tried to kidnap them. A gunbattle ensued and the kidnappers hurled a hand grenade at Matiullah and his brother, who were injured. A senior police official, Zia Mandokhel, said the kidnappers had been identified and raids were being conducted to arrest them. (Posted @ 23:08 PST) Cricket: New Zealand 381 & 114 v England 202 & 76-1 close 3rd day Manchester, May 25, (REUTERS) - England were 76 for one wicket at the close in their second innings on the third day of the second test against New Zealand at Old Trafford, Manchester on Sunday. Scores: New Zealand 381 (R.Taylor 154 not out) and 114 (M.Panesar 6-37) v England 202 (A.Strauss 60; D.Vettori 5-66) and 76 for one wicket. (Posted @ 22:56 PST) Hindu nationalists claim victory in key Indian state polls BANGALORE, May 25 (AFP): India's opposition Hindu nationalists claimed victory Sunday in provincial polls in southern Karnataka state, dealing a huge blow to the ruling Congress party ahead of next year's national polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 110 seats but were three short of a simple majority in the 225-member state legislature, election commission officials said. Sonia Gandhi's Congress party, which heads the national government in New Delhi and is facing a backlash over surging prices, had 80 seats, officials said. Independents and regional parties accounted for the remaining 34 seats. (Posted @ 22:52 PST) Masked Italian raiders trash immigrant stores: report ROME, May 25 (AFP): Italian police on Sunday condemned audacious daylight attacks on businesses run by Bangladeshi and Indian immigrants in Rome by masked raiders armed with crowbars, the ANSA news agency reported. Two shops and a call centre in Rome's outlying Pigneto area, were attacked by around 20 hooded people on Saturday, with one of the aggressors also sporting a swastika, said press reports. The attackers hurled racial abuse on the shopowners and told them to return home, reports said. (Posted @ 22:24 PST) Israeli PM says Syria peace talks to remain secret JERUSALEM, May 25 (AFP): Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that indirect peace talks with Syria, a process that began more than a year ago, will be conducted in secrecy and seriously. “We are entering negotiations with seriousness. There has been and there will be very detailed and meticulous preparation that will match our expectations from the negotiations to the reality as it is today, and not as it was 10 or two years ago,” Olmert said. Both Israel and Syria confirmed that they have launched indirect peace talks, with Turkey acting as a mediator. (Posted @ 22:04 PST) Colombian rebels say their top leader died of a heart attack BOGOTA, May 25 (AP): Colombia's largest rebel group said its top leader had died of a heart attack. A senior rebel commander told s the Venezuela-based Telesur network Sunday that Manuel “Sureshot” Marulanda died “in the arms of his companion, surrounded by his bodyguards.” Timochenko confirmed an announcement by Colombia's Defence Ministry Saturday that Marulanda died on March 26. He was believed to have been about 78 years old, and led Latin America's most powerful insurgency since it was formed 44 years ago. (First Posted @ 20:28 PST Updated @ 21:18 PST) Two guards of Bugti chieftain shot dead DERA MURAD JAMALI May 25 (PPI): Armed men shot dead two guards of the late Saleem Bugti, son of Nawab Akbar Bugti near Dera Bugti Sunday. Police said Makhan Khan and Moro Khan sons of Gazen Khan in Goth Killi Bori were shot dead late at night while they were asleep. The two men were guards on the lands of Saleem Bugti. The assailants escaped after away the double murder. (Posted @ 21:12 PST) Iraqi governor survives assassination attempt BAGHDAD, May 25 (AFP): The governor of Babylon province survived an assassination attempt in Baghdad on Sunday when a car bomb killed one of his bodyguards and wounded nine people, Iraqi security sources said. The device exploded at around 1000 GMT as Salem Musalamawi's convoy passed through the Al-Qadisiyah district, two security sources who requested anonymity said.One bodyguard was killed, four members of Musalamawi's escort and five civilians were also wounded in the blast but the governor himself escaped unscathed. (Posted @ 21:08 PST) Fire in Iranian factory kills 15 TEHRAN, May 25 (Reuters): A fire at a pharmaceutical plant in Iran killed 15 workers and injured 40 others on Sunday, the semi-official Mehr News Agency said. Provincial officials said the fire had destroyed most of the factory near the city of Arak, 290 km southwest of the capital Tehran. The reason for the blaze had not yet been determined, Mehr said. Another news agency, Fars, said some of those hurt were in critical condition. (Posted @ 20:42 PST) Lebanese army chief Sleiman elected president BEIRUT, May 25 (AFP): Lebanon's army chief Michel Sleiman was elected president by lawmakers on Sunday in a first step towards ending a long-running political crisis between the Western-backed majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition. SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT: Lebanese army chief Michel Sleiman was sworn in as president on Sunday by parliament speaker Nabih Berri following a vote by lawmakers that capped a long-running political crisis in the country.(First Posted @ 19:24 PST Updated @ 20:24 PST ) Former Malawi president arrested at airport: lawyer BLANTYRE, May 25 (AFP): Malawi's former president Bakili Muluzi, who ruled between 1994 and 2004, was arrested on Sunday at the country's main airport as he arrived home from a holiday in Britain, his lawyer said. The former president, who wrested power from dictator Kamuzu Banda in the country's first democratic elections, has been linked to a coup plot which was allegedly being hatched by his party and former army figures. (Posted @ 19:38 PST) 18 injured as anti-govt demonstrators mass in downtown Bangkok BANGKOK, May 25 (AP): At least 18 people were injured Sunday as thousands of demonstrators massed in the heart of Thailand's capital to demand the ouster of the three-month-old government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. An Associated Press reporter saw rocks, bottles and other objects injure at least 18 anti-government protesters and their opponents as they clashed before riot police moved in to separate the opposing sides. (Posted @ 19:28 PST) Lebanese MPs gather to elect president BEIRUT, May 25 (AFP): Lebanese lawmakers gathered to elect army chief Michel Sleiman as president on Sunday in a first step towards ending a crippling political crisis that took the country to the brink of civil war. Parliament speaker Nabih Berri opened the session by calling on all those attending to stand for a moment's silence to remember Lebanon's martyrs and MPs who have died in the long-running crisis that has shaken the country in the past 18 months. (Posted @ 19:24 PST) India's main soccer event staged in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, May 25 (AFP): A major football tournament is being held in Indian occupied Kashmir after a gap of three decades. The Santosh Trophy, a popular national event, was declared open in Srinagar Sunday evening by the region's Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Kashmir and the former French colony of Pondicherry, recently renamed Puducherry, played the inaugural match. In all, 31 teams from across India are competing in the 20-day event. (Posted @ 19:18 PST) 252 hurt, 70,000 homes collapse in China aftershock CHENGDU, May 25 (AFP): At least one person died and more than 260 others were injured Sunday in southwest China by the strongest aftershock since a massive quake two weeks ago, authorities and state media said. The aftershock, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, also destroyed more than 70,000 homes and left 200,000 others in danger of collapse, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting a local disaster relief official. An official at the Sichuan Earthquake Bureau told AFP that it had been the strongest of more than 8,000 aftershocks detected since the 8.0-magnitude quake on May 12 that destroyed large swathes of southwestern Sichuan province. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of Sunday's aftershock at 5.8. (First Posted @ 15:52 PST Updated @ 18:50 PST) 17 soldiers wounded, two militants killed in Philippines: army ZAMBOANGA, May 25 (AFP): At least 17 marines were wounded and two separatist rebels killed as fierce prolonged fighting broke out in the southern Philippines Sunday, the army said. The violence erupted after Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels attacked two military outposts in the town of Tipo Tipo in Basilan island, the military said, causing civilians to flee the area. Ten marines were wounded in the clash, while another was hurt when an armoured personnel carrier ran over a landmine, the military said. Six other soldiers were wounded in running gunbattles that raged throughout the day, while two MILF militants were killed, the military said. (Posted @ 18:28 PST) New Zealand lead by 179 runs in Second Test MANCHESTER, May 25 (AP): New Zealand seized control of the second test Sunday with a 179-run lead after England was dismissed in its first innings for 202. Captain Daniel Vettori took his second straight five-wicket haul as England lost six batsmen for only 50 runs on the third day and narrowly avoided the follow-on. New Zealand lost no second-innings wickets in the three overs before lunch but it remained unclear whether batsman Daniel Flynn would be able to return as he recovers from losing two teeth Friday. The visitors scored 381 in their first innings. (Posted @ 18:20 PST) Spain rescues 67 immigrants from sea, 2 dead MADRID, May 25 (Reuters): Spanish coastguard boats rescued 67 immigrants, including two corpses, from the sea near the Canary Islands on Sunday, an emergency services spokesman said. The immigrants were in a bad state and three have been taken to hospital with hypothermia, a Red Cross spokesman told state radio. (Posted @ 18:15 PST) Nepali man becomes oldest Everest climber: official KATHMANDU, May 25 (Reuters): A 76-year-old Nepali man has become the oldest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest, a government official said on Sunday, beating a record set last year by a Japanese man. Min Bahadur Sherchan reached the summit on Sunday along with four other Nepali climbers, said a tourism ministry official. Sherchan breaks the record set last year by Katsusuke Yanagisawa, who was 71 at the time of his ascent. (Posted @ 17:48 PST) Cargo plane breaks in two at Brussels airport BRUSSELS, May 25 (Reuters): A cargo plane slid off the runway at the Brussels Zaventem airport on Sunday around 1130 GMT and broke in two, Belgian news agency Belga reported. Airport authorities were not immediately available to confirm the report. It was not clear if there were any casualties. (Posted @ 17:28 PST) Senior officer shot dead in southern Russia MOSCOW, May 25 (AFP): A senior police officer and his subordinate were shot dead in a village in Kabardino-Balkaria, southern Russia, news agencies reported on Sunday. The police officer and a guard were killed at a car wash in the village of Dugulubgei late Saturday, a local interior ministry spokesman told RIA-Novosti news agency. (Posted @ 17:10 PST) Two international soldiers slain, three hurt in Afghanistan KABUL, May 25 (AFP): Two foreign soldiers were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan, international forces said Sunday, while three foreign troopers and two Afghan children were injured in a suicide car bomb. A soldier with the US-led coalition was killed “while conducting operations” in southwestern Farah province on Sunday, the force said. The coalition did not give details about the incident. Meanwhile, three soldiers with the separate NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were wounded when a suicide car bomb exploded near their patrol in Kandahar city, officials said. A few hours later Sunday in Kandahar, a roadside bomb on a bicycle exploded as a police vehicle passed by. No one was hurt, though the vehicle sustained minor damages, police told AFP. (Posted @ 16:34 PST) China quake death toll reaches 62,664: govt BEIJING, May 25 (AFP): The national death toll from China's earthquake rose to 62,664, with another 23,775 missing, a government spokesman said on Sunday. “As of 12 noon on May 25, the death toll from the great earthquake in Sichuan province was 62,664,” cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin told a press conference in Beijing. He added that another 23,775 remained missing and 358,816 people were injured in China's worst earthquake in more than 30 years, which struck the southwestern province of Sichuan on May 12. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) South Africa anti-foreigner death toll rises to 50: police JOHANNESBURG, May 25 (AFP): The official death toll from anti-immigrant violence in the region around Johannesburg has risen to 50, a police spokesman told AFP Sunday. “The death toll is now at 50 and we have made 580 arrests,” a police spokesman for Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, told AFP. (Posted @ 15:50 PST) Eight killed in rain related incidents in Swat ISLAMABAD, May 25 (APP): Eight people were killed and five injured in two different rain related incidents in Swat. Six members of a family were killed and three others were injured when the roof of a house collapsed due to the land sliding triggered by heavy rains in Madyan Ghat area of Swat. In another rain related incident, two people were killed and two received injuries due to the lightening on a tree under which they were sitting in Tehsil Matta area of Swat early Sunday. (Posted @ 12:52 PST) Shootout over flour smuggler on Afghan-Pakistan border JALALABAD, Afghanistan, May 25 (AFP) - Afghan and Pakistani border guards exchanged fire in a row over a child caught smuggling flour, leaving an Afghan guard and a civilian wounded, officials said Sunday. Saturday's gunfight forced the closure of the Torkham border, the busiest between the neighbours, for about 90 minutes, a Pakistani official said. The commander of the Afghan border police said the dispute erupted after Pakistan's guards assaulted a young boy among several who smuggle sacks of flour across the border every day. One of his men confronted the Pakistanis and they started physically fighting, said the commander named only Shamamud. Guards exchanged fire and an Afghan was wounded, he said. In Pakistan, an official said the Pakistani guards had tried to stop the boy smuggler and were resisted by the Afghans. The two sides opened fire and an Afghan soldier was wounded, along with a civilian, he said on condition of anonymity. Pakistan has blamed its grain shortages on smuggling, with boys aged around 10-12 employed to carry it over the border into Afghanistan. There was a similar gunfight at the same border crossing on April 14 but there were no casualties. (Posted @ 12:50 PST) Palestinian president says no progress in talks with Israel RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 25 (AP) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said nothing has been achieved in the peace talks with Israel. Abbas said he rejects any attempts to delay negotiations over the core issues in the conflict. Abbas and Qureia spoke Saturday at a gathering of leaders of their Fatah movement. The chief Palestinian negotiator, Ahmed Qureia, has insisted that the Palestinians will only accept a comprehensive deal. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggested recently that only guidelines for an agreement might be possible. (Posted @ 11:16 PST) China shortens torch relay's Tibet leg BEIJING, May 25 (AFP) - The Olympic torch's passage next month through Tibet will be cut from three days to one as part of route changes made necessary by China's earthquake, Beijing Games organisers said Sunday. “The change is due to the Sichuan earthquake's impact on the rest of the relay. Because of this, the sacred flame will only pass through (the Tibetan capital) Lhasa for one day,” Li Lizhi, an information officer with the Beijing Olympics, told AFP. “It will probably be in Lhasa on June 18 but we are waiting to confirm that,” she said. (Posted @ 11:10 PST) Bus bomb kills three in Baghdad Baghdad, May 25 (Reuters) - A bomb attached to a minibus killed three tribal chiefs after they left a conference at the headquarters of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front, a small Sunni political party. Police said four other people were wounded in the attack. Meanwhile, U.S. forces killed three al Qaeda militants and arrested 17 others during operations on Friday and Saturday in various areas of Iraq, the U.S. military said. A roadside bomb wounded two Iraqi soldiers when it exploded near their vehicle in western Mosul. Two women's bodies were found with gunshot wounds near Kirkuk, police said. Another police source said they were killed in the crossfire of a clash between two tribes. (Posted @ 10:30 PST) Cricket-Australia 431 and 17-4 v West Indies 312 on 3rd day Kingston, May 25 (Reuters) - Australia were 17 for four in their second innings, an overall lead of 136, at the close of the third day of the first test at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday. Scores: Australia 431 and 17 for four vs West Indies 312 (Morton 67, Chanderpaul 118). (Posted @ 10:15 PST) Three killed, 3 injured in California tour helicopter crash LOS ANGELES, May 25 (AFP) - Three people were killed and three others wounded Saturday when a helicopter used for tourist flights crashed in rainy weather on an island off the southern California coast. “The helicopter went down on the west end of Santa Catalina Island near Two Harbors, killing three people and injuring three others and causing a small fire that was quickly doused,” county fire dispatcher Melanie Flores told AFP. (Posted @ 10:00 PST) Ban arrives in Myanmar for cyclone aid meeting YANGON, May 25 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon returned Sunday to Yangon for a donor conference where Myanmar is set to seek more than 10 billion dollars in cyclone aid. (Posted @ 09:55 PST) Quake shakes central Colombia, seven dead BOGOTA, May 25 (AFP) - A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Colombia Saturday, killing at least seven people and sending thousands of panicky residents into Bogota's streets, authorities said. The quake shook this Andean capital for several seconds. Its center was about 54 kilometers east-southeast of Bogota. Seven people were killed in at least three car crashes on Colombia's highways as a result of the temblor, officials reported. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
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