Supreme Court 11 members bench constituted to take up Bhutto's Reference

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry constituted an eleven-member larger bench to take up Presidential Reference on May 2 which has been sent to it under Article 186 of the Constitution, seeking its opinion over murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the country's first elected prime minister.

Nine Americans dead after Afghan officer opens fire

KABUL, Afghanistan – Eight American troops and a U.S. contractor died Wednesday after an Afghan military pilot opened fire during a meeting at Kabul airport — the deadliest episode to date of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners, officials said.

Doctor says Nine protesters killed in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen – A Yemeni doctor says nine protesters have been killed and some 100 wounded when security forces opened fire on an anti-government demonstration in the Yemeni capital.

Body count from Mexican mass graves nears 300

MEXICO CITY  – The number of murder victims unearthed in mass graves in northern Mexico this month has risen to 279, making it easily the worst discovery of its kind since the government began a campaign against drug cartels.

NATO strikes in Misrata but shelling resumes

TRIPOLI – NATO air strikes forced Libyan government troops to withdraw from one of their positions in the besieged city of Misrata overnight but they resumed bombardment of the port area using Grad missiles, a rebel spokesman said.

Syrian army tightens control over protest hotspots

AMMAN – Syrian troops tightened control on Wednesday over flashpoints of protest against President Bashar al-Assad, who faced growing international calls to end violence that a rights group said had killed over 450 people.

9 Americans dead after Afghan officer opens fire9 Americans dead after Afghan officer opens fire

KABUL, Afghanistan – Eight American troops and a U.S. contractor died Wednesday after an Afghan military pilot opened fire during a meeting at Kabul airport — the deadliest episode to date of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners, officials said.

Government not to compromise Pakistan’s national interests : PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday categorically stated that the government would  not compromise and undermine Pakistan’s national interests and integrity at any cost. “Pakistan Peoples Party is fully responsible for Pakistan’s sovereignty and security and would never undermine it,” Gilani told a large gathering here in the outskirts of Islamabad.

Pakistan frees accused gang rapists

Pakistan on Tuesday released five men accused of gang rape after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the victim against their acquittal.

Sri Lanka condemns 'divisive' UN report

COLOMBO -  Sri Lanka rejected Wednesday what it called a "divisive" and flawed report commissioned by UN chief Ban Ki-moon which holds the government responsible for thousands of civilian deaths in its civil war.

Pakistan denies reports of efforts to split U.S., Afghanistan

Islamabad - Pakistan denied media reports on Wednesday that it was lobbying Afghanistan to drop its alliance with Washington and look to Islamabad and Beijing to forge a peace deal with the Taliban and rebuild its economy.

WI unchanged for 3rd ODI vs. Pakistan, despite 2-0 down in series

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — An unchanged West Indies squad has been named to play Pakistan in the third one-day international on Thursday despite trailing 2-0 in the five-match series.

Pak police arrests bookmakers who threatened Zulqarnain Haider

Pakistan's police today claimed that it has arrested eight bookmakers for allegedly threatening wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who returned this week after spending five months in hiding in London. 

3 Afghan soldiers killed, 4 Pakistani troops injured in clash along border area

ISLAMABAD - At least three Afghan soldiers were killed and four Pakistani troops were injured in a clash that broke out on Wednesday morning along the border area of the two countries, according to local media reports.

PCB reprimands Wahab Riaz, Asad Shafiq for using Twitter on WI tour

Two members of the national team, pacer Wahab Riaz and middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq were severely reprimanded by the Pakistan Cricket Board for using a social networking site during the ongoing tour of the West Indies. 

Pak-India begin trade talks

Islamabad : India and Pakistan began two day-long trade talks on Wednesday, with hopes of inking energy deals and cajoling diplomatic ties between two less-than-trusting nuclear-armed neighbours.

ISI operations have full support of Pak Govt: PM Gilani

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has defended the Inter-Services Intelligence in the backdrop of the spy agency’s recent criticism by US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, and reports that US officials at Guantanamo Bay considered the ISI as a terrorist supporting entity.

Pak public should come out on streets against US drone attacks: Shahbaz Sharif

Lahore : Pakistan's public should come out on the streets in protest against drone attacks by the United States, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said.

Zulqarnain Haider yet to reach Lahore

Pakistan’s runaway wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider who has returned home from London is yet to reach his hometown Lahore because of security issues.

Karachi : 4 including a woman killed in different firing incidents

KARACHI : At least four people including a woman were killed and two others injured in different incidents on Tuesday in Metropolis, police said.In first incident a man was found shot dead in Gulistan-e-Jahuar area in the wee hours of Tuesday,

57% Pakistanis prefer six working days in week : Survey

Islamabad : As many as (57%) Pakistanis prefer 6 working days each week with reduced hours while 36% approve of two holidays in a week with longer working hours.

Accused’ names disclosed who made threatening calls to Zulqarnain Haider

Sambrial : The Sambrial police Wednesday disclosed the names of eight accused involved in making threatening phone calls to Pakistani wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider. Earlier, these names were being kept under secret. 

Ghinwa, Fatima & Zulfikar files petition in Supreme Court for ownership of Nusrat Bhutto Trust

ISLAMABAD : Ghinwa Bhutto, her daughter Fatima and son Zulfikar Junior have filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, for the ownership of Nusrat Bhutto Trust.

Intelligence agencies foil terror bid; arrest Four terrorists

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: Intelligence agencies have foiled a terror bid in twin cities on Tuesday, arresting four terrorists.

Drone attacks continuing with Government consent: Ahsan Iqbal

KARACHI: To further squash the ruling powers into back stages, Pakistan Muslim League (N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal flayed at the government saying that the drone attacks are being continued with the consent of the government.

Senate body for release of Pakistanis detained by Somali pirates

ISLAMABAD: Taking stern note of bureaucratic inertia impeding public documents’ attestation, a sub-Committee of the Senate body on Interior instructed Foreign Ministry to do needful for release of Pakistanis detained by Somali pirates.

Only 38 incidents of target killing in 2011 : IGP

KARACHI: The Inspector General of Sindh Fiaz Laghari has said that during the first four months of 2011 some 575 murders took place in Karachi out of which only 38 incidents of were related to target killings.

Poor segments to get direct aid not Govt: Cameron Munter

ISLAMABAD: The US government wanted to upgrade the living standards of poor segments in Pakistan instead of providing financial aid to the government, said Cameron Munter United States Ambassador to Pakistan.

26/11 attacks: 4 more Pakistanis charged in US

Chicago: US prosecutors charged four Pakistani men on Monday in connection with the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, that killed 166 people, including six Americans, although none of the defendants is in US custody.

Afghan military officer fires on NATO troops, kills several

KABUL, Afghanistan – A veteran Afghan military officer opened fire on foreign forces Wednesday after a dispute at the Kabul airport, killing several NATO troops, Afghan and coalition officials said.

Govt forces bombard Libyan port

ABOARD THE RED STAR 1 – Libyan government forces on Tuesday bombarded the port of Misrata, in a virtually nonstop assault on the sole lifeline of a battered population that has been under siege for the past two months.

Six more bodies in Mexican border pits; total at 183

MEXICO CITY – Security forces have unearthed six more bodies in a northeastern Mexican border state where a drug gang is believed to be kidnapping passengers from buses and hiding their victims in secret graves, authorities said Tuesday. A total of 183 bodies have been discovered in a month in 40 graves.

Cambodia-Thai fighting flares again as talks collapse

PHNOM PENH  – Thai and Cambodian troops clashed with heavy artillery for a sixth day on Wednesday near two disputed 12th-century Hindu temples, the Cambodian defense ministry said following a night of shelling that killed a Thai villager.

3 killed as police, protesters clash in south Yemen

ADEN – Clashes broke out in south Yemen between anti-government protesters who blocked roads with burning tires and security forces on Wednesday, killing one protester and two soldiers, hospital and local officials said.