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Sunday, April 19, 2009
U.S. boycotts racism conference, says it 'singles out' Israel
State Department 'Welcomes' Chavez Envoy Goal
US drone hits militant camp
Civilians die in Sri Lanka fighting
Indian Premier League Group Game Today
Jackie Chan Says 'Chinese Need to Be Controlled'
Royal Challengers crush the Royals
Mumbai beat Chennai by 19 runs in IPL opener
Djokovic overcomes Wawrinka to reach final
Many die in blast at China mine
Zardari calls for help in fighting terrorism
BOAO Pakistan's president appealed Saturday for help in combating terrorism in the region, a day after international donors pledged more than five billion dollars to stabilise the troubled country.Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum which focuses on the global financial crisis, President Asif Ali Zardari pointed to terrorism in Asia as another pressing issue.'This issue is about not being able to control the terrorism that is evolving around Pakistan, Afghanistan and indeed the region,' he told the more than 1,600 delegates gathered at the annual summit on the tropical Chinese island of Hainan, which aims to promote regional economic integration.'Please help us solve and fight this menace,' he added in a speech broadcast live on China's state television.Zardari, whose wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was killed in a December 2007 attack, said the current global financial crisis could be linked to terrorism.'Even today's recession I would put down to the aftermath of what happened in 9/11,' he said.US President Barack Obama has put Pakistan at the heart of the fight against terrorism and Al-Qaeda.Zardari's comments came a day after around 40 donor countries and groups pledged development funds to help the politically volatile and nuclear-armed country fight poverty, strengthen its institutions and reduce militancy.
Five billion not enough for Pakistan: Holbrooke
TOKYO Pakistan needs further international support, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke said on Saturday as he warned that a pledge of five billion dollars was ‘not enough’ to stabilise the troubled nation.At an aid meeting in Tokyo on Friday, donor countries pledged a total of 5.28 billion dollars to stabilise Pakistan, seen as a frontline state against Islamic extremism.The United States and Japan pledged one billion dollars each at the meeting Tokyo co-hosted with the World Bank.‘Five billion dollars is not enough,’ said Holbrooke, US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.'The terrorists in western Pakistan are planning other attacks around the world ... so we need to work hard to strengthen the government of Pakistan, to deal with the tribal areas with all its problems,' he said.‘We should – after congratulating the result yesterday – we should be very mindful of the fact that the problem is far from over,’ he said.He declined to give a figure on how much money was required to stabilise Pakistan, but noted that some economists say the number ‘is as high as 50 billion dollars.’More than half of Pakistan's people live below the poverty line of two dollars a day and ‘even in great cities like Karachi – which I would point out is the world's largest Muslim city – 17 million people (live) with only a few hours of electricity a day,’ he added.