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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Pakistan Protests U.S. Drone Strike

Pakistan protested the latest U.S. missile strike on targets near its border with Afghanistan, saying the Central Intelligence Agency’s use of drone aircraft has become “a core irritant” in the war against militants.

U.S. drones strikes kill 957 civilian Pakistanis in 2010: report

ISLAMABAD - The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan issued its annual report on Thursday stating that American Drone strikes killed 957 innocent people in Pakistan in 2010.

Hosni Mubarak sons held in corruption probe

CAIRO: The two sons of Egypt’s deposed 82-year-old President Hosni Mubarak have reportedly been arrested and put in jail as a corruption investigation against them proceeds. State prosecutors have summoned Alaa and Gamal Mubarak over accusations of embezzlement of public funds. This is while their father has said details of their bank accounts will dispel accusations of profiteering and illegal gains leveled against them, Reuters cited a report aired by Egyptian state television on Wednesday.

Pakistan : Jets kill 18 militants

PESHAWAR, Pakistan  - Pakistani jet fighters on Thursday pounded suspected hideouts in a Taliban-infested tribal district, killing at least 18 militants, administration and military officials said. 

Pakistan frees 89 more Indian fishermen : officials

KARACHI  - Pakistan on Thursday freed 89 Indian fishermen imprisoned for fishing and violating its territorial waters as the nuclear-armed rivals resume a fledgling peace process.

3 Policemen Killed in Afghanistan

KHOST, Afghanistan  - Three Afghan policemen were killed Thursday when Taliban militants struck at a police training centre in one of three suicide attacks to hit Afghanistan on the same day. 

Sudan : Forces 'kill over 20 people' in South Kordofan

KHARTOUM  - Sudanese paramilitary forces killed more than 20 people including women and children when they attacked a village in South Kordofan, the oil-producing border state's deputy governor said Thursday.

Russia deported 150 illegal migrants in Moscow: officials

MOSCOW  - Russia have deported dozens of illegal immigrants from Central Asia after a raid uncovered 150 people living in a bomb shelter under a sewing-needle factory, migration officials said here Thursday. 

Hosni Mubarak in 'stable' condition

CAIRO  - The condition of Egyptian ex-president Hosni Mubarak, who suffered a heart attack while being interrogated by prosecutors,

Japan : Record fall in foreign visitors

TOKYO  - The number of foreign visitors to Japan suffered its biggest ever decline in March, falling by 50 percent, as a massive earthquake and tsunami scared travellers away, the government said Thursday. 

US will 'strongly support' NATO efforts on Libya : Hillary Clinton

BERLIN  - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged Thursday that the United States would "strongly support" NATO-led military efforts in Libya until leader Moamer Kadhafi is ousted from power.       "New voices from inside and outside Libya have joined the calls for Kadhafi's departure," Clinton told a NATO meeting in Berlin, according to her prepared remarks.
"For our part, the US is committed to our shared mission. We will strongly support the coalition until our work is completed," she said.

Cricket : India to resume bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan

New Delhi : As a follow up to the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, India has decided, in principle, to resume bilateral cricket ties withPakistan, Press Trust of India PTI news agency reported on Wednesday.

Cricket Pakistan team awarded PIA (frequent flyer) Diamond Cards

Karachi : Pakistan cricket team players were awarded PIA (frequent flyer) Diamond Cards with 20,000 air miles as a token of appreciation by Managing Director PIA Nadeem Khan Yousufzai at dinner he hosted in their honour.

Pakistan Embassy employee in Kathmandu shot and wounded

Kathmandu : Two people on motorcycles shot and wounded a Pakistan Embassy employee in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday morning, CNN reported quoting police..Mehboob Asif,

Hanif Khan hopeful of a strong team in near future

KARACHI: Pakistan hockey chief selector Hanif Khan reckons that the country’s hockey team is on the road to regaining its lost  glory.

Waqar Younis demands improvement from misfiring batters

LAHORE: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis wants his batsmen to show substantial improvement on the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

10 killed in Kunar suicide attack

PESHAWAR: Ten people including a key pro-government tribal elder and former jihadi commander from Dir Lower were killed and seven others wounded in a suicide attack in Asmar district of eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, police said on Wednesday.

Power cuts increased to 9 hours

Karachi : Much to the disenchantment of residents of the city, the Karachi Electric Supply Company announced on Wednesday evening to increase the loadshedding duration in the city to up to nine hours a day as the promised facility of additional furnace oil at the price of gas had not been extended to it.

Pakistan suffers from second highest rate of still births

Karachi : Pakistan has a rate of 47 stillbirths for every 1,000 babies compared to the global rate of 19 per 1,000. Pakistan’s rate, which is the second highest after India, can easily be reduced by half if simple measures are adopted and the local authorities pay a little more attention. The country that boasts the lowest rate if Finland with two stillbirths per 1,000 births.

Five MQM, ANP workers shot dead

Karachi : For the third day running, target killings continued unabated in the city as five activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party were killed in different parts of the city, while another man was shot dead in the New Town area.  The situation remained tense in areas such as Sohrab Goth and Orangi Town, where armed men resorted to aerial firing and forced closure of shops.

MQM’s struggle against feudals, looters: Altaf Hussain

MQM founder Altaf Hussain has said that his party’s struggle is against the feudal lords and those who have built palaces for themselves.

Shahbaz terms drone attacks counterproductive

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that drone attacks are killing innocent Muslims and proving counterproductive in the war on terror. He said the drone attacks should be condemned in the strongest terms and the whole nation would have to stand up against them. He was talking to the media after the 5th annual certificate distribution ceremony of the Rangers Institute of Technical Education (RITE) at the Pakistan Rangers Headquarters, here on Wednesday.

Govt has failed to stop drone attacks, target killings: PML-Q

ISLAMABAD: Marvi Memon of the PML-Q, while taking part in the debate on the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament, said on Wednesday that all is not good in the country as there has been no end to drone attacks, target killings and ever increasing corruption and escalation of masses problems.

No compromise on Nato troops withdrawal: Taliban

PESHAWAR: The Taliban on Wednesday said the basic solution to the Afghan issue lies in the immediate withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and not in setting up Taliban offices in other countries.

Supreme Court takes FIA to task for inaction against PSM scam accused

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that despite evidences against certain accused of M/s Abbas Steel Mills and others, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was not taking appropriate steps.

Govt using diplomatic means for end to drone attacks: PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said the government was using diplomatic channels and seeking the help of friendly countries to put pressure on the United States to stop the drone attacks.

US-Pakistan relations facing biggest crisis since 9/11: report

LONDON: Bitter disputes over covert CIA activities and drone attacks inside Pakistan, lack of progress over peace talks in Afghanistan, and rising Islamist-led opposition to the presence of foreign forces in the region are fuelling the biggest crisis in US-Pakistan relations since the 9/11 attacks, reports “The Guardian” quoting Pakistani politicians and other security-related officials.

Pro-govt elder among 10 killed in Kunar suicide hit

PESHAWAR: Ten people including a key pro-government tribal elder and former jihadi commander from Dir Lower were killed and seven others wounded in a suicide attack in Asmar district of eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, police said on Wednesday.

Pak-Turkey friendship unparalleled: President Zardari

ANKARA: President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan and Turkey enjoy special relations and a unique friendship, which has no parallel and is unmatched.

8 more die in Karachi target killings

KARACHI: Eight more people, including activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami National Party, were killed in different parts of the city on Wednesday, bringing to 16 the number of people who have fallen victim to target killings during the past three days.

US to continue drone attacks despite ISI protest: report

WASHINGTON: Despite strong objections raised by the ISI, the US has reportedly decided to continue with its deadly drone attacks on select terrorist targets inside Pakistan.

Punjabis, Sindhis being killed in Balochistan: Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its dissatisfaction over lack of progress in recovering missing persons and summoned federal and provincial home ministers, home secretaries and inspectors general of police to appear before the court after two weeks. The court expressed alarm over the ever-worsening law and order situation in Balochistan and pointed out that Punjabis and Sindhis were also being killed there.

Six killed in South Waziristan drone attack

WANA/PESHAWAR: Undeterred by the strong protest lodged by the Pakistani military leadership over the drone attacks in the tribal areas, the CIA-operated spy planes on Wednesday carried out another missile attack, killing six more people in South Waziristan.

No Haj freebies for the next three years

ISLAMABAD: According to the new Haj policy approved by the federal cabinet in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday, no one will get Haj freebies for the next three years. Importantly, unsuccessful applicants from 2010 would be considered approved in 2011, subject to the conditions that they had not withdrawn their Haj dues from the previous year or applied afresh this year.

Chief Justice may form larger bench for Bhutto case

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Wednesday hinted at constituting a larger bench for hearing the presidential reference for revisiting the case of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged in 1979.