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| June 06, 2008 | Friday | Jamadi-us-Sani 01, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 Pakistan premier heads to Saudi Arabia seeking economic help ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 6 (AP) - Pakistan's prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani left for Saudi Arabia Friday evening on a three-day visit to seek cooperation in addressing his country's growing economic problems. The Foreign Ministry said Gilani and other Pakistani leaders will meet with King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, the kingdom's defense minister. Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said economic cooperation was “on the agenda.” According to Pakistani media reports, Gilani will ask Saudi authorities to defer payments on some of Pakistan's crude oil imports. Pakistan's economic woes include a balance of payments deficit expected to reach at least US$7 billion for the year through June. (Posted @ 21:24 PST)  Pakistan foils car bomb terror plot near capital ISLAMABAD, June 6 (AFP): Police have foiled a major terror plot, seizing three explosives-packed vehicles in Rawalpindi and arresting six people including three would-be suicide bombers near Islamabad, officials said Friday. Security forces placed the two cities on red alert following the discovery of the explosives, which amounted to nearly 500 kilograms in total between the three cars. Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik was quoted by local television stations as saying six “terrorists” including three suicide bombers had been arrested and three explosives-laden vehicles were seized. “It was a major terrorist plot aimed at causing death and destruction in the twin cities,” a senior security official told AFP requesting anonymity. “Security agencies got a tip-off that some explosives-laden vehicles would enter the twin cities and police tightened security on the road and launched checking of vehicles,” the official said. “On Thursday they impounded three vehicles each fitted with 100 to 150 kilograms of explosives,” he said. The official said only four people had been rounded up. (Posted @ 13:45 PST) Pakistan boosts security after embassy blast ISLAMABAD, June 6 (Reuters): Pakistan boosted security in Islamabad and Rawalpindi Friday where three vehicles laden with explosives were intercepted just days after a deadly attack on the Danish embassy. “We have recovered three vehicles with a large quantity of explosives from the Dhok Kala Khan area,” Rawalpindi police chief Rao Iqbal said, referring to a congested neighbourhood in the city. “We have made some arrests,” he said, but gave no other details. Security in the capital was tighest along Constitution Avenue the broad duel carriageway leading to the presidency building, National Assembly, Supreme Court, various ministries and the diplomatic enclave where many embassies are located. Concrete barriers were placed across the avenue, and regular entry points to the enclave were closed, while razor wire was laid around the perimeter of key buildings. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)  Sweden tightens security around Islamabad embassy STOCKHOLM, June 6 (AFP) - Sweden tightened security around its embassy in Pakistan on Friday, a foreign ministry spokesman said. “The security around the embassy in Islamabad was tightened on Monday after the bomb attack” at the Danish embassy, Teo Zetterman, the ministry spokesman, told AFP. “Today there has been an upgrading of the security around the embassy and the residency of the ambassador due to the information about ... vehicles transporting explosives.” The spokesman said the ambassador, four Swedish diplomats and 13 local employees were working at the embassy. (Posted @ 18:38 PST) Pakistan FM says peace talks not with 'terrorists' KABUL, June 6 (AFP) - Pakistan's foreign minister said in Afghanistan Friday that his government was not in talks with “terrorists” but only with “peace-loving” elements as part of a multipronged strategy to fight extremism. Shah Mahmood Qureshi met President Hamid Karzai and other officials amid concern in Afghanistan that Pakistan's dialogue with Taliban militants on its soil will only lead to more extremist attacks this side of the border. “We will not engage with terrorists,” Qureshi told reporters. “Those who pick up arms and guns are neither your friends or our friends.” ”We are engaging with those elements that are peace-loving and want stability in their regions and want to live a normal peaceful life.” Karzai told the Pakistani minister that Islamabad's peace moves with Taliban extremists could have “destructive” consequences for both nations, and emphasised the need for a “strong fight” against such groups, his office said. Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told reporters he had raised similar concerns. “I informed Mr. Qureshi of the very serious concerns of Afghan people and government regarding the peace initiatives between Pakistani government authorities and Pakistani Taliban,” he said after talks with his counterpart. “This is a serious concern and will have dangerous consequences for Afghanistan,” Spanta told a joint press conference. The two top US allies on the “war on terror” have bickered for years about the extremist violence growing in both countries, with each accusing the other of not doing enough to fight it. (First Posted @ 17:25 PST Updated @ 18:52 PST) Australian foreign minister promises food aid to Pakistan, Zimbabwe and North Korea CANBERRA, Australia, June 6 (AP): Australia will spend millions of dollars on urgent food aid to Pakistan, Zimbabwe and North Korea, the foreign minister said. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told Australian Broadcasting Corp. late Thursday that Australia would give nine million Australian dollars to Pakistan, A$8 million to Zimbabwe and A$2 million to North Korea. Australia has already committed A$30 million to the United Nations' World Food Program emergency appeal but will donate the additional funds at the behest of the group because of urgent humanitarian need, he said. (Posted @ 09:40 PST) EU urged to help Pakistan combat extremism LUXEMBOURG, June 6 (AFP): European Union anti-terror coordinator Gilles de Kerchove urged member nations Thursday to help Pakistan's new government combat terrorism, and in particular Al-Qaeda, more effectively. “It's a tremendous challenge,” he told reporters after briefing the EU's 27 interior ministers in Luxembourg. “We have to help this government act quickly to help lower the pressure” militants are putting on it. In a report to the ministers, de Kerchove noted that Al-Qaeda is active in Pakistan's western border area and that Pakistani and European extremists continue to keep in contact. He said that helping Pakistan deal with the problem would help stabilize a volatile part of the world, but also enhance security in Europe. He said the EU must “as a matter of priority” finance projects to help prevent terrorism in Pakistan and the region, and find ways to develop “further synergies” between its aid programs and improving Pakistan's security. De Kerchove said that he had received “complete support for my positions”, notably from Britain, France, Poland and Portugal. (Posted @ 09:50 PST) Shahbaz Sharif takes oath as Punjab Assembly MPA LAHORE, June 6 (APP): Shahbaz Sharif, elected unopposed from Bhakkar PP-48, took oath Friday as member Punjab Assembly. Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Mohammad Iqbal chaired the session and administered the oath. (Posted @ 13:50 PST) Gilani for peaceful, just solution of Kashmir ISLAMABAD, June 6 (APP): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday said an early, just and peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute in line with the aspirations of Kashmiris would help Pakistan and India to achieve their full potential. Talking to Kuldip Nayar, a veteran Indian journalist, parliamentarian and diplomat, the Prime Minister said his government would continue to take more Confidence Building Measures to further improve ties in different fields. People to people contacts will also be increased to achieve the objectives, he added. Nayar is currently visiting Pakistan to attend a seminar in Lahore. (Posted @ 16:45 PST) Cricket: New Zealand 96-6 against England NOTTINGHAM, England, June 6, (AFP) - New Zealand were 96 for six in reply to England's first innings 364, a deficit of 268 and 69 shy of the follow-on, at stumps on the second day of the third Test at Trent Bridge here Friday. Gareth Hopkins was 11 not out and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori three not out after James Anderson had taken Test-best figures of six for 42. England lead the three-match series 1-0. (Posted @ 23:18 PST) Oil futures top $134 a barrel on weaker dollar and prediction of price spike NEW YORK, June 6 (AP) - Crude oil futures shot up nearly $7 a barrel Friday, racing toward an all-time high after a Morgan Stanley analyst predicted prices could hit $150 by the Fourth of July. Light, sweet crude for July delivery jumped $6.27 to $134.06 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, the contract rose as high as $134.68. In London, July Brent crude shot up $5.65 to $133.19 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. (First Posted @ 16:15 PST Updated @ 21:18 PST) Tennis: Nadal into French Open final PARIS, June 6 (AFP) - Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal reached his fourth successive French Open final with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) win over third seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic on Friday. Nadal will play either top seed Roger Federer or France's unseeded Gael Monfils for the title on Sunday. (Posted @ 20:20 PST) 13 persons die of heat stroke in South Punjab MULTAN, June 06 (PPI):- At least thirteen persons including three women died of heatstroke as temperature swelled to well above 43 degree celsius besides 10 to 12 hours power load shedding in South Punjab during the last 24 hours. Health authorities said that an Assistant Sub Inspector Police was among those who died. Reports of similar deaths on account of the present heatwave have been received from upper and central Sindh province as well as Balochistan. (Posted @ 19:52 PST) 10-year tax holiday for new agro-based industries: Rauf KARACHI, June 06 (PPI):- Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce Rauf Siddiqui speaking at the inaugural session of an exhibition at Expo Centre Friday said land would be provided for installation of dairy and date processing farms in Hyderabad, Sukkur and Nawabshah regions. Entrepreneurs who set up such industries would also be exempted from provincial taxes for 10 years besides provision of other incentives, he said. (Posted @ 19:40 PST) Sanaullah Baloch resigns as member of Senate ISLAMABAD, June 06 (PPI)- Senator Sanaullah Baloch Friday resigned as member of the Senate in protest against the injustices and the army operation in Balochistan which led to killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. The senator had returned to the house on Wednesday after a 19-month self-exile following the army operation in Balochistan. He announced the resignation dicision on the floor of the house. Leader of the House Mian Raza Rabbani requested Sanaullah Baloch to review his decision in the interest of the federation and Balochsitan, and also requested the Senate Chairman not to accept the resignation till the party of Sanullah Baloch is taken into confidence. Advisor on Interior Rehman Malik said that he will meet with the BNP leader Akhtar Mengal to pursue them to reconsider the decision. (Posted @ 19:34 PST) Three killed, two injured as car rams into tree MULTAN, Pakistan, June 6 (APP): Three persons were killed and two injured when their car rammed into a tree near Tibba Sultan Pur, district Vehari, in Punjab province Friday morning. Police said the accident occurred due to driver's drowsiness. (Posted @ 19:26 PST) Amitabh Bachchan kicks off Bollywood's version of the Oscars in Bangkok BANGKOK, Thailand, June 6 (AP) - Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan on Friday kicked off a weekend-long Bollywood extravaganza in the Thai capital, where movie stars will dazzle movie fans with the subcontinent's version of the Oscars. Bollywood stars including Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Zayed Khan and Priyanka Chopra will be parading down the green carpet _ instead of red _ in a bid to spread awareness about global warming. The glitzy award ceremony Sunday will feature colorful, high-energy musical displays by various Bollywood stars including Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. The event will also feature a premier screening of Ram Gopal Varma's “Sarkar Raj,” starring Bachchan, his son, Abhishek and Abhishek's wife, Aishwarya Rai. Other Bollywood films that will be screened during the weekend include “Mission Istaanbul,” “Acid Factory,” “Love Story 2050” and “De Taali.” Earlier edition ceremonies were held in the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Singapore. (Posted @ 19:22 PST) Consumers protest fuel price hike in India for second day MUMBAI, India, June 6 (AP) - Angry consumers blocked rail tracks and roads and shut down businesses in several parts of India for a second day Friday, protesting a hike in fuel prices by the government. Police detained 20 activists of the right wing opposition Shiv Sena after they disrupted train services in a suburb of Mumbai as several states lowered local sales taxes to lessen the impact of the rise in prices of petrol by 5 rupees a liter, diesel 3 rupees a liter and cooking gas by 50 rupees per 14 kilogram cylinder. On Friday, the opposition BJP held a protest in Delhi and police used water canons to disperse demonstrators. The worst-hit was West Bengal state where schools and businesses were closed and several trains were delayed or canceled for a second day Friday. Supporters of opposition Trinamool Congress pulled commuters out of cabs to enforce the party's 12-hour strike call in Kolkata. (Posted @ 19:18 PST) 6 dead, 4 missing after fire on Russian ship MOSCOW, June 6 (AP) - A fire broke out on a ship in dry dock in a Baltic Sea port, killing at least six people and leaving four others missing, Russian media reported Friday. The fire apparently broke out after a fuel tank exploded on the ship, which was being repaired in the naval port of Baltiisk in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave. (First Posted @ 13:50 PST Updated @ 19:04 PST) Afghan officials say dozens of militants killed KABUL, June 6 (AFP) - NATO-led warplanes killed 32 Taliban militants in the troubled province of Paktika overnight, while three civilians and three rebels were killed in separate incidents, an Afghan official said Friday. Provincial spokesman Ghamai Khan Mohammadyar said NATO reconnaissance planes located a number of Taliban militants in the province's Urgun district who had grouped for an attack. “NATO forces bombed the location and killed all 32 Taliban who had gathered there,” he told AFP, without saying how the details of the casualties were obtained. Meanwhile a roadside bomb struck a civilian vehicle Thursday in Waza Khwa district of Paktika, killing a man, his wife and his 12-year-old son, who were on their way to a clinic, the spokesman added. (Posted @ 18:44 PST) Tigers bomb Sri Lanka commuter buses: 23 dead, 67 injured COLOMBO, June 6 (AFP) - At least 23 people were killed and 67 wounded in Sri Lanka Friday in two Tamil Tiger bomb attacks on public buses packed with civilians, officials said. A crowded state-run bus travelling just south of Colombo was peppered with red-hot shrapnel from a powerful fragmentation mine placed on the roadside. “Twenty-one people have been killed, eight of them are women,” a police spokesman said. At least 47 people were injured and admitted to the nearby hospitals. Hours later, the rebels set off a bomb inside a bus in the central district of Kandy, killing two people and wounding 20. Police said they were holding a suspect in connection with the attack. Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara blamed the LTTE for both “cowardly attacks.” (First Posted @ 09:30 PST Updated @ 18:30 PST) Four of family killed, 2 injured in Pakistan road accident SAHIWAL, Pakistan, June 06 (PPI): Four persons were killed and two others seriously wounded in a road mishap near Chak 111 / 9-L on Sahiwal-Pakpattan Road in Punjab province late Friday night. Police said the Lahore based family was returning home when their car hit a tractor-trolley parked along the road near Chak 111 / 9-L resulting in the death of four persons and In juries to two others. (Posted @ 17:35 PST) Rocket kills newly-weds in Dera Bugti QUETTA: Pakistan, June 06 (APP): A rocket fired by miscreants killed a newly wed couple in Dera Bugti late Thursday night, officials said. The rocket pierced through the roof of the house at Mandani Colony where Dost Muhammad and Amna, who had married a couple of days ago, were sleeping. As a result, both of them died on the spot. (Posted @ 16:55 PST) Clinton, Obama meet to discuss uniting Democrats WASHINGTON, June 6 (AP) - A spokesman for likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has said he and Hillary Rodham Clinton met face to face to talk about uniting the Democratic Party. The spokesman, Robert Gibbs, says the two former rivals wanted to talk about “bringing their campaigns together in unity.” Clinton plans to announce on Saturday that she is supporting the Illinois senator. (Posted @ 16:40 PST) Two militia leaders surrender; US kills four suspects in separate Iraq raid BAGHDAD, June 6 (AP): Two militia leaders have surrendered during American raids on their homes south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. One of the men is suspected of ordering attacks on U.S. troops, directing the kidnapping of Iraqis and smuggling weapons and Katyusha rockets into Iraq. The other suspect tried to flee by wading through an irrigation canal, before surrendering Friday, the military said. Separately, American troops killed four suspects and captured more than 25 others in raids Tuesday and Wednesday in Baghdad and northern Iraq, another U.S. statement said. (Posted @ 13:25 PST) Hamas member killed, 10 Palestinians wounded in Israeli Gaza raids GAZA CITY, June 6 (AFP): A member of the armed wing of Hamas was killed early Friday when the Israeli army carried out a raid east of Gaza City, Palestinian medics said. The man died in an exchange of fire between Palestinian militants and an Israeli armoured unit operating near the border, the emergency services told AFP. Earlier at least 10 Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli air raid on a Hamas police post in the north of the Gaza Strip. The raid on a building in Beit Lahiya held by Hamas militiamen claimed casualties among civilians, the emergency services said. (First Posted @ 08:55 PST, Updated @ 11:35 PST) Flash floods in southern Philippines kill two, displaces 1,000 MANILA, Philippines, June 6 (APP/AP): Flash floods killed two men and sent 1,000 residents fleeing their southern Philippine riverside village, authorities said. The mayor of southern Bansalan township, Edwin Reyes, said Friday about 15 stranded residents were rescued from a tiny river islet when the water suddenly rose several feet high. A squall followed by a heavy downpour triggered the flash floods, which have destroyed at least 50 houses, Reyes said. Two hundred families were evacuated to a gymnasium and five panicked residents, including children, were slightly injured in a rush to flee. (Posted @ 11:15 PST) Donors pledge 6.5 billion dollars at UN food summit: FAO chief ROME, June 6 (AFP): Donors pledged some 6.5 billion dollars to fight hunger and poverty at the UN food summit, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) chief Jacques Diouf announced Thursday. “Our conference was not a donor conference, but we were pleasantly surprised to receive extremely generous pledges,” Diouf said. Major pledges came from the Islamic Development Bank (1.5 billion dollars), the World Bank (1.2 billion) and the African Development Bank (1.0 billion), Diouf said. Other contributors included Spain, Britain, Japan, Kuwait, Venezuela and The Netherlands. Some of the pledges were made ahead of the summit, and they cover varying periods, FAO spokeswoman Alison Small told AFP. (Posted @ 10:05 PST) Karachi Stocks up 80.57 points: KARACHI, June 06: At close of tradin, the KSE-100 index was at 13134.56, up 80.57 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:32 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, June 06: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 68.5 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 13:32 PST)
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