Photo of 2nd Bhutto bomb suspect released

Pakistan police released a photograph of the reconstructed to have been involved in a suicide attack on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto that killed 139 people, police said on Friday. A photograph of the head of the first suspect was released a day after the attack on Bhutto's procession in Karachi on Oct 19, following her return from eight years of self imposed exile. Police are unsure whether there was one or two suicide bombers. Initially, they had thought the first blast was caused by a grenade. A week after the devastating main blast neither of the suspects have been identified from the photographs circulated.

Turkey, Iraq hold talks over Kurdish threat

Iraqi ministers hold crisis talks here on Friday seeking to persuade an increasingly impatient Turkey against launching military strikes against rebel Kurd bases in northern Iraq. The talks broke up after 90 minutes however and it was not immediately known if and when when they would resume.

Philippine's Estrada home to hero's welcome

Joseph Estrada, jailed former leader of the Philippines, came home to a hero's welcome on Friday as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo faced criticism for pardoning the playboy movie star. Arroyo set aside her ousted predecessor's life sentence on Thursday, just six weeks after his conviction on corruption charges, raising suspicion that the clemency was designed to curry favor with the opposition amid mounting bribery scandals.

Bush Possible New Zealand terror target, says report

US president George W Bush was among the possible targets in threats recorded by New Zealand police who have arrested 17 people in an anti-terrorist sweep, a report said on Sunday.

New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and opposition leader John Key were also discussed as potential targets, The Sunday Star-Times said quoting intelligence resources.

Washington said to have agreed to let New Zealand police handle the investigation, the report said.

Violence in Karachi : 14 Bhutto supporters injured

Atleast 14 people were injured as angry workers of Pakistan people’s party clashed with the police, blocked roads and forced closure of shops to protest against the attack on the convoy of their leader Benazir Bhutto that left atleast 140 people dead.

Manilla mall blast toll 9, police reviews footage

The Philippine police confirmed today that militarygrade explosives caused a powerful blast in an upscale Manila shopping mall and it was reviewing security camera footage to look for suspects.
The Glorietta mall blast at lunchtime yesterday killed nine people and wounded 120, although many of those wounded has been discharged after treatment, the police and the hospital sources said.
The explosive experts said the bomb was apparently was set off in the basement of Glorietta, a sprawling three-storey complex of departmental stores, high-end fashion boutiques, restaurants, other shops and cinemas in the heart of the Makati business district.
The bomb ripped all the way through to the roof of the structure, devastating shops and restaurants. The police have earlier believed the bomb was near a cell phone repair shop directly above the delivery bay.
Eight people were confirmed dead yesterday and a body of man was found early today in the debris, a police official said. Four people had been reported missing.
Manila police chief Geary Barias said the police had also started reviewing closed-circuit TV (CCTV) footage of the mall.

Iran’s atomic negotiator Larijani resigns

Ali Larijani, who has fronted Tehran’s efforts to defuse as atomic row with the west, has resigned as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiation.

Saeed Jalili, deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs, was expected to replace Larijani, the official IRNA news agency said.

Larijani was set to meet EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Rome on Tuesday for more discussions about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the west said were aimed at building atomic bombs despite Tehran’s denials. Government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham, said Larijani’s replacement was expected to meet Solana as planned.

Sharif corruption case : Hearing against family on Nov 8

The Accountability Court in Rawalpindi has set November 8 for hearing the Ittifaq Foundry, Hudyabia Paper Mills and Raiwind corruption cases against former premier Nawaz Sharif, his brother and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and their family has issued notices to the Sharifs to appear before it in person.

Judge Khalid Mehmood issued the directive following a claim by the prosecution that the amnesty given to PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto under the newly promulgated National Reconciliation Order (NRO) does not cover the Sharifs because the cases against them were registered after the cut-off date of November,1 1999.

The judge directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to produce the accused at the next hearing, stating that otherwise the cases would be put-off for an indefinite period. On Friday, NAB Deputy Prosecutor – General Zulfiqar Ahmed pleaded that the court should not adjourn the hearing sine die because the accused were expected to return to Pakistan early next month, as stated by Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) acting president Javed Hashmi.