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| April 03, 2008 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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 Musharraf to visit China April 10-15 BEIJING, April 3 (AP) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will visit China from April 10 to 15, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday, underscoring the close diplomatic, military and economic ties between the nations. During the visit, Musharraf will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other top leaders, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. He will also attend the Boao Forum for Asia, a conference that brings together influential figures from business, government and academia. The two sides were expected to sign a series of documents, although details were not available because officials were still in discussions, Jiang said. Friendly relations between China and Pakistan go back decades and China remains a major source of investment, trade and armaments for Pakistan. Last year, bilateral trade reached US$6.5 billion (euro4.2 billion), Jiang said. (Posted @ 17:10 PST )  Pakistan is sovereign, could have new direction: Admiral Mullen WASHINGTON, April 3 (APP) Underscoring that Pakistan is a sovereign country, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen Wednesday said that Washington would work with the new government when it comes up with its strategy to combat terrorism along its Afghan border. He said the new government could have a new direction but expressed the confidence that the key South Asian country would continue to be a close anti-terror partner. “I -- from my perspective, we've got good military-to-military contacts, so that's the right contact level for those of us in the military. And I think we need to be mindful that this is a new government, new leadership, could certainly have new direction and that they, too, are a sovereign country. They're a strong ally. They've been a strong ally in this war on terror, and I believe they will continue to be. And we just need to be thinking about how to both recognize this new government, what their plans will be, and then work with them accordingly,” Mullen told a Pentagon briefing. He told reporters that as with any new set up, it's going to take some time for the new government to establish itself fully and “get headed in the direction that they want to go”. (Posted @ 17:38 PST) Govt wants judges restoration through legislation: Naik Sukkur, Pakistan, April 03 (PPI): Federal Law Minister Farooq Naik said Thursday the government wants to restore deposed judges through legislation under the Murree Declaration instead of an executive order. Talking to newsmen at Sukkur Airport he appealed to the lawyers not take any step which may lead to derailing the democratic process. He said the constitution has been changed as several black laws were introduced and promised that “we would repeal all black laws and restore supremacy of law”. He also said that the government would ensure freedom of media and bring an end to violation of human rights. (Posted @ 19:10 PST) Government committed to ensuring supremacy of parliament: PM Gilani ISLAMABAD, April 3 (APP): Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday said the government was committed to ensuring the supremacy of parliament in accordance with the constitution. Talking to Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Mohammad Jamali, here at the PM House, Gilani said the government believes in strengthening the state institutions and was taking steps for ensuring freedom of media and independence of judiciary. (Posted @ 16:05 PST) Switzerland resumes arms exports to Pakistan BERN, April 3 (AFP) The Swiss government Thursday reauthorised arms exports to Pakistan, saying it saw “positive” political developments in the country. The Federal Council said in a statement that it had given the green light to Swiss company Oerlikon Contraves to deliver a total of 24 anti-aircraft batteries and ammunition worth 156 million Swiss francs (153 million dollars). Six of the batteries had already been delivered when the government decided to suspend exports to Pakistan last November following the country's political crisis. Switzerland said however it will not allow any further arms exports to Pakistan until other European countries lift their ban. (Posted @ 18:24 PST) Pakistan gets Saab 2000 aircraft ISLAMABAD, April 3 (APP): Pakistan Air Force achieved a landmark in its Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) Program with the roll out of SAAB 2000 AEWC aircraft at a ceremony at the Saab facility in Sweden. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed speaking on the occasion said the acquisition of airborne early warning capability by the PAF would greatly enhance its defensive capability and will provide a much needed boost to Pakistan's security needs. (Posted @ 18:42 PST) MQM chief calls for withdrawal of ban on Shoaib Akhter KARACHI, April 3 (APP): Chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain has called for withdrawal of the ban imposed by Pakistan Cricket Board on express bowler Shoaib Akhter. In a Press statement Altaf Hussain called upon the government to take immediate notice of the ban and ensure its withdrawal. (Posted @ 19:25 PST) Cricket- Pakistan board sues paceman Akhtar ISLAMABAD, April 3 (AFP) The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) sued paceman Shoaib Akhtar for 200 million rupees Thursday for making allegedly defamatory comments after he was banned for five years. “We demand immediate retraction of allegations from Akhtar in various statements which were malicious and baseless,” PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf told AFP. “He must apologise and pay damages of 100 million rupees to the PCB and damages of 100 million rupees to me.” In a letter made public by the board, lawyers for PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf demanded the money for a “malicious and vile piece of defamation” allegedly made by Akhtar in a television interview on Wednesday to the effect that Nasim Ashraf had “tried to extort” payments from Akhtar's Indian Premier League contract. (Posted @ 18:26 PST) Cricket-Banned Shoaib to be barred from IPL NEW DELHI, April 3 (Reuters) Pakistan's banned fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will not be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) until his suspension is lifted, league chairman Lalit Modi said Thursday. “Shoaib has been banned from playing and until his ban is lifted he cannot play in the IPL,” Modi told Reuters. “We know his appeal against the ban is coming up for hearing,” he said. “We're hoping his ban will be lifted. He is a great player and we want him to play. But he cannot play in IPL as long as the ban is applicable.” The 32-year-old has been signed up for the Kolkata team in the eight-team franchise league, promoted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and endorsed by all major national boards. (Posted @ 18:00 PST) Cricket- Imran Khan demands sacking of PCB after Akhtar ban ISLAMABAD, April 3 (AFP): Former captain Imran Khan called Thursday on the new Pakistani government to disband the country's cricket board after it banned fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for five years. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tuesday banned Akhtar for repeatedly breaching the players' code of conduct, culminating in a public outburst in January against the board for not giving him a central contract. “The tragic incident of banning Akhtar reflects how undemocratically cricket is run in this country and I think this is an ideal time for the new government to fix it,” Khan told AFP. The PCB's patron is President Musharraf, who is also responsible for selecting the chief of the board, currently Nasim Ashraf. “Musharraf has made Pakistan a banana republic and his appointed chairman of the PCB has made the cricket board a sort of banana republic,” said Khan. He said Akhtar has a lot to offer to Pakistan cricket. “A fit Akhtar is still head and shoulders above other Pakistani bowlers and he still has a lot of cricket left in him if he keeps himself fit,” said Khan, who now heads his political party, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf. (Posted @ 12:50 PST) PCB chairman defends ban on Shoaib ISLAMABAD, April 3 (Reuters) The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Dr Nasim Ashraf Thursday expressed concern at the “politicisation” of the five-year ban imposed on fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, adding that parliamentarians who were questionning the suspension should respect the decision of the PCB. “People should accept this decision and keep it away from politics,” he said in an interview with state-owned Pakistan television. “The board has been very lenient with Shoaib and we have tried to reform him but he has refused to change his ways.” He said Shoaib had the right to appeal against the ban within seven days. “I don't think the board should be in the firing line, we are just trying to enforce discipline. And I reiterate whatever the reaction we will not compromise on disciplinary issues. No one is bigger than the game.” “The fact is that Shoaib committed multiple offences of violating discipline. The five-year ban on him is not based on one or two charges but six…he also violated his probation period of two years. And he knew he was under probation since last year for his behaviour,” Ashraf said. (Posted @ 18:04 PST )  Insurgents seize 8th Somali town MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 3 (AP) - Islamic insurgents seized Adado, a town in the central Somali region of Galgudud, killed at least 15 people and wounded 16 others. It was the eighth town the Islamic militia has seized in recent months. “Our fighters have taken the town and they have seized 11 trucks mounted with weapons and burned several others,” said Sheik Muqtar Robow, spokesman for al-Shabab. The fighters were still present Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday evening, hundreds of Islamic insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-guns briefly seized control of Jalalaqsi town, 165 kilometers north of the capital after government soldiers abandoned their post, residents said. (First Posted @ 19:56 PST Updated @ 21:00 PST) In a first, Boeing flies hydrogen-powered plane OCANA, Spain, April 3 (AFP) - US aircraft giant claimed Thursday a world first in putting into the air a plane powered by a hydrogen-cell battery, a breakthrough that could herald a greener future for the industry. “For the first time in the history of aviation, Boeing has flown a manned airplane that was powered by a hydrogen battery,” Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy told a news conference. At the same time, the company said that although hydrogen fuel cells could be used to power small planes it did not believe they could become the primary power source for large passenger aircraft. The test plane was a small, white prop-driven aircraft capable of carrying two people. It flew at a speed of 100 kilometres an hour for about 20 minutes at an altitude of some 1,000 metres using only the hydrogen battery for power and with just the pilot on board. (Posted @ 20:42 PST) Roadside bombs kill and injure dozens in Iraq Baghdad, April 3 (Reuters) - A road side bomb struck a police patrol near the Askariya shrine in central Samara, 100 km north of Baghdad, killing five policemen, police said. Another road side bomb struck a U.S.-backed neighbourhood patrol in Mahmudiya, 30 km south of Baghdad killing one and wounding two others, while the U.S. military said its forces fought and killed four militants on Wednesday east of Samara. U.S. forces also said they clashed with gunmen in Hilla and called in a helicopter strike after they came under fire while conducting an arrest operation. Iraqi police and hospital sources said six people were killed including 4 policemen and 15 others were wounded in the clashes. In Basra, U.S. forces said they killed two gunmen and destroyed a house with an air strike but Iraqi police said three people were killed in the strike and three others were seriously wounded. Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded in the Harthiya district of western Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 10 others, while another roadside bomb exploded in Qahtan Square of western Baghdad wounding 2 civilians, police said. (Posted @ 20:22 PST) 9 injured in bomb explosion in Pakistan JAFFARABAD, Pakistan, April 3 (PPI): Nine persons were injured in an explosion in Dera Allah Yar area of Jaffarabad District of Balochistan province on Thursday. According to police the explosion at Sohbatpur Chowk in Dera Allah Yar was caused by a bomb planted in a motorcycle. (Posted @ 19:32 PST) Border crossing in Nicosia opens, barricades fall on symbol of Cyprus division NICOSIA, April 3 (AFP/Reuters): A border crossing symbolising the long and bitter division of Cyprus opened in the heart of the capital Nicosia on Thursday for the first time in 45 years. Greek and Turkish Cypriots on Thursday opened the barricaded Ledra Street in the heart of their divided capital, tearing down a potent symbol of Cyprus's partition. In a low-key ceremony attended by United Nations envoys, aides to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and local officials, the 80 metre stretch of road, shut for nearly half a century, was declared open to pedestrians at 9.27a.m. (0627 GMT). (Posted @ 11:40 PST) 
Cricket-South Africa 223-4 v India (76) Ahmedabad, India, April 3 (Reuters) - South Africa were 223 for four at the close of play in reply to India's first innings total of 76 on the opening day of the second Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Brif scores: South Africa 223-4 ( Kallis 60 not out, AB de Villiers 59 not out) v India 76 (D. Steyn 5-23, M. Ntini 3-18). (Posted @ 17:52 PST) South Africa bus accidents kills 17 people JOHANNESBURG, April 3 (Reuters) Seventeen people were killed when a bus burst a tyre and overturned in South Africa on the way to Mozambique's capital Maputo, Sapa news agency reported Thursday. A police spokesman said a further 24 people were injured in the crash near the Mozambican border. (Posted @ 17:50 PST) Airstrike kills 3 militants in southern Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, April 3 (AP) - An airstrike Wednesday killed three armed militants north of Kandahar city, and a raid by U.S.-led coalition troops in neighboring Helmand province killed several insurgents during a Tuesday raid targeting a Taliban commander in Kajaki district, the coalition said in a statement. (First Posted 13:30 PST, Updated @ 17:20 PST) IOC receives Beijing assurances on Internet, live broadcasts BEIJING, April 3 (AP): The International Olympic Committee has received assurances from Beijing Olympic organizers regarding Internet access and live television broadcasts during the Games, and efforts to deal with the capital's noxious air pollution. With the Games beginning in four months, the IOC completed their final official meetings on Thursday with Beijing organizers. (Posted @ 17:00 PST )
Bush voices regret over no NATO nod to Macedonia BUCHAREST, April 3 (Reuters): U.S. President George W. Bush expressed regret Thursday that NATO leaders failed to reach a consensus on inviting Macedonia to join the alliance. “The name issue needs to be resolved quickly,” Bush told a NATO summit in Bucharest, referring to Greece's veto of Macedonia's membership in a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name. (Posted @ 16:45 PST) U.S., Czechs clinch deal on missile shield site BUCHAREST, April 3 (Reuters): The United States and the Czech Republic clinched agreement Thursday on the deployment of components of a U.S. missile defence shield in the central European country, a joint statement said. “The United States and the Czech Republic are pleased to announce the completion of negotiations on a missile defence agreement. We plan to sign the agreement in the near future,” the statement said. The system's radar will be deployed in the Czech Republic. Talks are still continuing between Washington and Poland on sitting interceptor missiles in the former Soviet bloc state. (Posted @ 16:10 PST) US soldiers targeting militant ‘accidentally’ shoot and kill Iraqi woman BAGHDAD, April 3 (AP): U.S. soldiers accidentally shot and killed an Iraqi woman while targeting a man planting a roadside bomb in northeastern Baghdad Wednesday, the military said Thursday. The soldiers were on a foot patrol when they fired three rounds at the suspect, killing him, a statement said. The troops then opened fire on another man trying to remove the roadside bomb from the site. The military said the man was wounded along with one of two local women he was using as shield against the soldiers. ''After the engagement, the woman died of her wounds,'' the military said. (Posted @ 15:55 PST) NATO to review Ukraine, Georgia progress in December BUCHAREST, April 3 (Reuters): NATO leaders decided Thursday not to give Membership Action Plans to Ukraine and Georgia but agreed to review the former Soviet republics' progress in December, an alliance diplomat said. “A review is scheduled for December at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting. There is no concrete date (for a decision on MAP),” the diplomat said. (Posted @ 15:45 PST) NATO invites Croatia, Albania to join alliance BUCHAREST, April 3 (Reuters): NATO confirmed it would Thursday issue formal invitations to Balkan neighbours Croatia and Albania to join the alliance after postponing an invitation to Macedonia because of Greek opposition. A NATO official said the invitations had been confirmed and that the step would be formalised later Thursday when Croatian and Albanian leaders attended a special session with their NATO counterparts. Greece has vetoed Macedonia's entry until the former Yugoslav republic resolves a row over the use of the name Macedonia, shared with the most northerly Greek province. (Posted @ 15:40 PST) Iraq's Sadr calls for million-strong demonstration BAGHDAD, April 3 (Reuters): Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called Thursday for his followers to demonstrate in a million-strong march against U.S. “occupation” on April 9, the five-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. “The time has come to express your rejections and raise your voices loud against the unjust occupier and enemy of nations and humanity, and against the horrible massacres committed by the occupier against our honourable people,” said a statement released by Sadr's office in Najaf. (Posted @ 15:20 PST) Sri Lanka military says kills 57 rebels in north COLOMBO, April 3 (Reuters): Sri Lankan troops killed 57 Tamil Tiger rebels in two days of fighting in the northern part of the island, the government said Thursday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, however, said they lost only one fighter, and instead said 25 soldiers were killed in the gunbattles that erupted along the northern frontlines. “Troops killed 45 terrorists on Wednesday and 12 on Tuesday's fighting,” said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, adding 12 soldiers were killed from the fighting in the northern districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Polonnaruwa and Mannar. The LTTE said in a statement that its fighters killed 25 soldiers and wounded 90 in the clashes Tuesday and Wednesday. (Posted @ 13:20 PST) Five killed in Thai south YALA, Thailand, April 3 (AFP): Five people have been killed in southern Thailand, including three suspected rebels shot dead during clashes with security forces, police said Thursday. Hundreds of police and soldiers sealed off a village in Yala province Thursday morning after receiving a tip that militants might be hiding there. Security forces killed two suspected separatists during their search of the village, police said. Also in Yala Wednesday, militants ambushed two pro-government militia members, killing a 38-year-old man and seriously injuring a second man. A militant was also killed in the clash, police said. In a separate incident, a village chief was killed in a drive-by shooting in Songkhla province Thursday. (Posted @ 13:20 PST) France's Sarkozy confirms troops for Afghanistan BUCHAREST, April 3 (Reuters): French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed at a NATO summit Thursday that France will send a battalion of troops to the east of Afghanistan as part of efforts to bolster the alliance's peacekeeping force. “I have decided to reinforce the French military presence with one battalion deployed in the east region,” Sarkozy said, according to the text of a speech to be delivered at the summit in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. (First Posted @ 09:45 PST, Updated @ 13:15 PST) India detains occupied Kashmir militant SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 3 (AFP): Police in occupied Kashmir said Thursday they had arrested the spokesman of Hizbul Mujahedin. “We have arrested the Hizbul Mujahedin spokesman, Junaid-ul-Islam,” a police officer said, requesting anonymity and declining to give details of the arrest. “He was one of the most wanted militants in Kashmir.” (Posted @ 12:50 PST) Suicide attacker kills 7 near Mosul BAGHDAD, April 3 (AP): The Iraqi military said a suicide bomber attacked an Iraqi checkpoint near Mosul, killing seven people and wounding 12 late on Wednesday night. The U.S. military confirmed the attack but put the casualty toll at five dead and 19 wounded. The blast occurred in Addayah about 30 kilometers west of Mosul while Iraqi soldiers were checking vehicles. The dead include a woman and a 5-year-old child. (Posted @ 11:35 PST) Nepal declares 5-day national holiday for election KATHMANDU, April 3 (AP): Nepal's government has declared a five-day national holiday next week for an election to pick an assembly that will rewrite the country's constitution, Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan said Thursday. He said all government offices will be closed April 7-11 so citizens can travel to their village homes in mountainous areas to vote. Schools went on holiday this week. The April 10 election will choose members of a special Constituent Assembly that will write a new constitution and decide the nation's future political system. (Posted @ 11:05 PST) 
Explosion destroys church, damages two homes in US OCONOMOWOC, Wisconsin, April 3 (AP): Officials say an explosion outside Milwaukee has demolished a church and damaged two nearby homes. WTMJ-TV reports that the explosion occurred Wednesday at First Baptist Church in downtown Oconomowoc. A spokesman said he did not know whether it was a natural gas explosion or have other details yet. (Posted @ 09:30 PST) Egypt detains 247 Brotherhood members after protests CAIRO, April 3 (Reuters): Egyptian security forces have detained 247 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's most powerful opposition group, in several provinces, security sources said Wednesday. The men were detained in sweeps on Tuesday and Wednesday in Beheira, Gharbia, Qalyoubia and Alexandria provinces on suspicion of “resisting the authorities” after taking part in protests by several thousand Brotherhood members. The protests were against government efforts to stop the Brotherhood from running in April 8 local elections. (Posted @ 09:25 PST) Dengue fever spreads in Brazil; 57,000 infected RIO DE JANEIRO, April 3 (AFP): More than 57,000 people have been infected in a dengue fever outbreak in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, with 67 fatalities recorded so far, health authorities said Wednesday. The tourist city of Rio was worst hit by mosquito-borne epidemic, with 44 of the deaths and 36,600 of the infections occurring there. (Posted @ 09:00 PST) Karachi Stocks up 12.41 points: KARACHI, April 03: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 15345.32, up 12.41 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:13 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, April 03: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 63.35 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:13 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
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