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PAKISTAN ELECTIONS
If voted to power, Imran Khan vows to empower masses
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Fire breaks out at collapsed factory in Bangladesh
India-born UK nurse blamed DJs in her suicide note
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PAKISTAN ELECTIONS
Islamabad, April 28 With less than two weeks to go for the landmark election to choose the 342-member National Assembly, two-time former Premier Nawaz Sharif appears to have an edge over others and his group may emerge as the single largest party notwithstanding a late surge by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in heartland of Punjab. All indications are that the country could be heading for another coalition government, analysts say. Battered by allegations of poor governance and corruption and hampered by a lacklustre campaign, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and its allies, which held power till recently, are unlikely to get the numbers that had helped them capture power in 2008. At that time, the PPP bagged a total of 125 seats in the National Assembly largely on the strength of a sympathy wave generated by the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto weeks before the election. This time around, Bhutto's widower, President Asif Ali Zardari, has been barred from campaigning by the judiciary and the PPP has struggled while wooing voters even in its traditional strongholds in Sindh. Attacks by the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan on the PPP and its secular allies, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in southern Sindh and the Awami National Party (ANP) in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, have forced them to curtail their election campaign and keep their leaders away from rallies and meetings. Analysts say all this has strengthened the hands of Sharif in an election seen as largely as issue-less. Sharif and his brother, former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, have attracted massive crowds during their campaign but these large turnouts have largely been in their traditional stronghold of Punjab, the country's most populous province and the only region where campaigning has not been affected by militant threats. In the last polls, the PML-N bagged 92 seats in the National Assembly, including 69 directly elected seats and 20 nominated seats reserved for women and non-Muslims. Under Pakistan's electoral system, reserved seats are distributed among parties in proportion to the directly seats won by them. Analysts believe the PML-N will bag around the same number of directly-elected seats this time around though the figure will be lower if the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf is able to woo the large crowds that have turned out for party chief Imran Khan's rallies, especially in southern Punjab. Khan has also been able to make a dent in the Hazara area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where people have usually backed the PML-N. Pakistan appears set for another coalition government, says Raza Rumi, Editor of The Friday Times. "Like India, Pakistani politics has become regionalised and more fragmented. Coalitions seem to be the future of Pakistani democracy, at least in the medium term," Rumi told PTI. With Zardari and other senior leaders missing from the campaign trail and the PPP's 24-year-old chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari issuing only a video message, analysts believe the party is unlikely to bag anywhere near the 125 seats it had in the last National Assembly. That figure included 91 directly elected seats and 27 reserved seats for women and minorities. The PPP's three key allies had another 88 seats in the National Assembly, including 50 of the PML-Q, 25 of the MQM and 13 of the ANP.
— PTI
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If voted to power, Imran Khan vows to empower masses
Condemning the relentless bombings at election camps of various political parties, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan on Saturday asked the terrorists to let a new Pakistan come into being.
"I believe all the political parties should be able to electioneer without the fear of any sabotage," Khan said at an election rally in Khanpur. Poking fun at the leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who are his top rivals, he said nothing those "circus lions" (PML-N’s symbol is lion) do will stop change from coming as it was inevitable. Regretting the worst power crisis prevailing in the country and apparently pointing at former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, he said why did those leaders, who were often seen cooling themselves off with hand-held fans at Minar-e-Pakistan, not generate electricity in the past five years? The PTI chairman stressed that only a local bodies system could bring about a revolution in the country. Imran said the PTI would bring about a change in the country to resolve public issues, including unemployment and the power crisis. He promised a better health and education system that would put the country on the way to progress and prosperity. "The Almighty has blessed the country with unlimited resources and the PTI would utilise these resources to uplift the masses after being voted into power," he added.
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ECP takes note of Imran's attack on Sharif
Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan's "personal attack" against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday. Earlier the same day, Khan had addressed a rally in Bahawalpur, where he used words for Nawaz Sharif that the ECP found objectionable. The entire speech will be put before the ECP Chief Fakhruddin Ebrahim in a meeting on Tuesday where it will be evaluated whether the speech contained offensive remarks or not, reports The Express Tribune. On Friday, the ECP had issued a notification prohibiting political parties and their candidates from launching personal attacks against their opponents.
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ANI Don’t use name of Islam, Taliban tells parties
Islamabad: The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mardan has issued a letter warning religious parties not to use the name of Islam in their election campaign. According to sources, the Mardan Press Club had received a letter from the outfit on Saturday where it warned the candidates and leaders of religious parties that they should refrain from using the name of Islam in their election campaign, reports The Nation. The militant group also warned candidates and political parties against playing religious anthems during their election campaign and public meetings. The militants further threatened that they would target those candidates and political parties leaders who take their warning lightly. The letter was written by the TTP Mardan Khan, a union council of provincial constituency PK-23.
— ANI Child killed in Quetta explosion
Islamabad: A child was killed and five other persons were injured in a blast near a candidate’s election meeting in Quetta city on Sunday, a media report said. Shams Mengal, an Independent candidate, was holding a public meeting on Sariab Road ahead of the May 11 polls to Pakistani parliament and four provincial assemblies, the Dawn reported. The blast also damaged nearby shops. Initial reports said the bomb was a remotely-detonated device. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
— IANS
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12 killed, 40 injured in four blasts
Islamabad, April 28 The first blast occurred outside an election office in Kohat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The police said a remote-controlled explosive device was used in the attack. Six persons were killed and 21 injured by the explosion, which caused extensive damage to the office of Syed Noor Akbar, an Independent candidate contesting polls to a parliamentary seat in Orakzai tribal region. The police said Akbar is a member of the minority Shia sect and this could have been a motive for the attack. Hours later, another bomb went off outside an election office in Maqsoodabad, a suburb of Peshawar, the capital of
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Three persons were killed and 10 others, including three children, injured, the police said. The blast targeted the office of Nasir Khan Afridi, an Independent candidate contesting polls to a parliamentary seat in the lawless Khyber tribal region. Police officials said the bomb was attached to a bicycle left outside the office. The office and two cars were damaged. Footage on television showed debris and election materials strewn on the road outside the office. In the evening, two persons were killed and five injured when a bomb attack targeted an election meeting by Awami National Party candidate Ameer Rehman at Swabi in
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The police said a remote controlled device was used in the attack. Rehman escaped unhurt and ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan said his party would not be deterred by such terrorist activity.
— PTI
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Two cops shot at outside Italian PM’s office as govt sworn in
Rome, April 28 The police said it was not clear whether the attack by a man, who was unemployed, was linked to the launch of the new government at a time of deep political divisions and social tensions exacerbated by a long slump in the euro zone's third largest economy. Newly installed Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the attack appeared to be an "isolated act" that did not suggest any wider security threat. But there were immediate calls for politicians to try to calm a volatile public mood. "All political forces have to work together to lower the level of tension that the economic, social and institutional climate has already created," said centre-left parliamentarian Emanuele Fiano. Attention on Sunday, however, was focused on the dramatic shooting outside Palazzo Chigi, the prime minister's official residence. The police identified the gunman as Luigi Preiti, in his forties, from Calabria, the southern region which has long suffered from high unemployment and organised crime.
— Reuters
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Obama tickles audience at White House press dinner
Washington, April 28 Obama stepped to the podium at the 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner as DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" played as an introduction and told the audience, "Rush Limbaugh warned you about this -- second term, baby." Obama said his advisers were "a little worried about the new rap entrance music", and suggested that he kick off his speech with jokes at his own expense to "take himself down a peg". But, the President responded, "after 4½ years, how many pegs are there left? These days I look in the mirror and have to admit, I'm not the strapping young Muslim Socialist that I used to be. Time passes. You get a little gray," Obama, 51, who attended the gala for the fifth time yesterday, said in one of his self-deprecating jokes, mocking that belief among a radical conservative fringe of Americans. And after referring to first lady Michelle's enduring popularity, he said his own team had advised an image change and presented a montage of shots featuring him with a fringe similar to his 49-year-old wife wore on inauguration day on January 20. "And of course, our extraordinary First Lady, Michelle Obama. Everybody loves Michelle. She's on the cover of Vogue, high poll numbers. But don't worry - I recently got my own magazine cover.” There were shrieks of laughter from the star-studded audience - who included actors Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis- Dreyfus and Claire Danes and South Korean singer Psy as he delivered his punchlines. The Beltway gala, also known as the "nerd prom", sees Washington's news-makers stroll a red carpet that's also filled with press and stars from across entertainment. While he was airing out his frustrations, Obama acknowledged the political bickering in the Congress. "It's simple: we need to make progress on some important issues," he said. "Take the sequester: Republicans fell in love with this thing. And now they can't stop talking about how much they hate it -- it's like we're trapped in a Taylor Swift album." Obama also offered some advice to the Republicans focusing on outreach to minority voters following their defeat last year in the race for the White House. "Call me self-centred, but I can think of one minority they can start with," he said, motioning toward himself. “Think of me as a trial run, see how it goes."
— PTI
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Fire breaks out at collapsed factory in Bangladesh Savar, April 28 "The fire broke out as we were cutting a beam to bring out what we believe was the last remaining survivor from the collapsed building. We managed to douse it, but as we came back we saw her dead,” Ahmed Ali told AFP. "She was a brave lady and fought until the end. We worked for 10-11 hours today just to try to bring her out alive. We took the challenge but we lost. It's broken all our hearts. Everyone became emotional," he said. Fire fighters were seen weeping live on television after the death. The female garment worker's battle for survival had touched the nation as people watched the rescue efforts on television. The rescue teams had to postpone a decision to clean up the debris with cranes and earth-moving equipment just to make sure it did not harm her chance for survival. A volunteer said although she was weak, she was able to make a feeble cry for help from underneath the debris on this morning. "When we first arrived on the scene, she pleaded with us to not to leave her. We gave her water, oxygen, saline and food. And she ate and hung on," said a volunteer involved in the rescue operation. — AFP Owner held The death toll in the worst building collapse in the history of Bangladesh on Sunday rose to 397, even as the fugitive owner of the eight-storey structure, Sohel Rana, was arrested dramatically while attempting to flee to India. — PTI
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India-born UK nurse blamed DJs in her suicide note
Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who was on the hospital switchboard where Kate was being treated for morning sickness last December and forwarded the hoax call to the Duchess of Cambridge's ward, has asked her bosses in the hand-written note to make the presenters pay her mortgage, according to a report in ‘The Sunday Times’. In one of three letters she left behind, the mother of two from Bristol reportedly exonerates the King Edward VII's Hospital in London. “Please accept my apologies. I am truly sorry. Thank you for all your support. I hold the Radio Australians Mel Greig and Michael Christian responsible for this act. Please make them pay my mortgage. I am sorry. Jacintha,” the newspaper quotes one of her notes, addressed to her managers at the hospital. Saldanha had been found hanged with a scarf from her wardrobe in staff accommodation near the hospital, three days after the hoax call in December 2012. Saldanha had accepted the hoax call from the DJs pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William's father Prince Charles, before passing it on to a colleague who divulged details of Kate's morning sickness. The broadcast of the call caused international outrage and Saldanha's subsequent death triggered a major backlash against the radio network and the hosts. The 2Day FM DJs received death threats and while Christian has returned to work on another show, his colleague Greig is reportedly finding it “hard to move on”. — PTI The hoax call
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Alfred Hitchcock’s house on sale for $1.4mn 3 cops killed in Afghan bomb attack Indian-origin boy wins Singapore's spelling championship 2 dead in building collapse in France 
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London, April 28
