PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE: Pakistan's prime minister is appealing to the public to identify who was responsible for the suicide bombing that killed at least 60 people at an Islamabad hotel Saturday. Yousuf Raza Gilani called on the nation today (Sunday) to isolate what he called the "black sheep" trying to destabilize Pakistan's democracy and economy. Officials are offering a 130-thousand dollar reward for information on who organized the attack that gutted the Marriott Hotel. A suicide bomber detonated about one thousand kilograms of explosives in a truck outside the American-owned hotel Saturday. The blast sparked a fire that swept through the building, as many guests were breaking the Ramadan fast with an evening meal. At least 250 people were hurt
CHINA-MILK: Health officials in Hong Kong say a three-year-old girl has been diagnosed with a kidney stone after drinking milk contaminated with the chemical melamine. In a statement late Saturday, authorities said the girl had shown no symptoms but was taken for a checkup because she had been drinking a milk beverage from China's Yili dairy for the last 15 months. The statement said the girl has been discharged from the hospital. She is the first child in Hong Kong diagnosed as a victim of the tainted milk. The melamine-laced milk is blamed for killing four infants and sickening more than 62-hundred children in China.
US FINANCIAL PLAN: The Bush administration has asked U.S. lawmakers to authorize the government to buy up to 700-billion dollars in bad debt. Officials are trying to calm global markets and control the impact of a financial crisis on the U.S. economy. Congressional aides and administration officials worked Saturday on a plan that would give Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson sweeping authority to buy bad mortgage-related securities from U.S. financial institutions.
SLOVENIA: Voting began today (Sunday) in Slovenia, in parliamentary elections that are expected to be a tight race between the conservative Slovenian Democratic Party andthe center-left Social Democrats. Prime Minister Janez Jansa of the SDS is struggling to hold onto power after four years in the post. His party is locked in a tough race with the SD, led by Borut Pahor. Each party is projected to win between 23 and 29 percent of the vote, making it nearly certain the winner will have to form a coalition government.
ISRAEL POLITICS: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced his resignation, under pressure to leave politics to fight corruption allegations that have tainted his term in office. Mr. Olmert informed the Cabinet of his decision at a weekly meeting today (Sunday). The announcement was merely a formality, as he still must submit his resignation to Israeli President Shimon Peres. Mr. Olmert expressed his support for Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who replaced him as leader of the ruling Kadima Party last week.
