PAKISTAN

On Tuesday militants blew up a bridge in northwest Pakistan, cutting the main route for supplies bound for Western forces in Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama outlined his approach to pressing issues in the Middle East in a late Monday television interview, pledging that he would reach out to Muslims.

On Friday two suspected U.S missile attacks claimed the lives of 18 people in Pakistan just east of the Afghan border.

On Thursday, Pakistan insisted it would help India to bring those behind the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice.

China's Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. is planning to increase flights to India to meet the rising throughput between Hong Kong and India, the company announced on Wednesday.

YouTube and MySpace in Indonesia were blocked on Tuesday after the Indonesian government ordered Internet companies in the country to stop people from watching an anti-Islam film by a Dutch lawmaker.

Wheat advanced following reports that Pakistan will produce less grain than forecasted due to high fertilizer costs that prompted farmers to reduce planting.

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A senior Israeli defense official said on Friday that Palestinians firing rockets from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip would bring upon themselves what he termed a shoah, the Hebrew word for holocaust or disaster.

Pakistan lifted a ban on the YouTube video-sharing Web site on Tuesday saying that the video that was offensive to Islam had been removed.

Pakistani army chief General Pervez Kayani is appointing a new head of military intelligence, a newspaper reported on Tuesday, the first major reshuffle in the military since President Pervez Musharraf quit the army. Musharraf, who seized power as a general in 1999, stepped down as army chief in November to become a civilian president of the country, which has been ruled by the military for more than half of the 60 years since its independence

YouTube, the Google-owned site, said Pakistan is to blame after access to its site on Sunday was left disrupted for two hours.

Wheat rose for the second this week as investors speculated that bad weather may reduce the global crop supply.

The leaders of the two top parties in Pakistan's recent election meet on Thursday to discuss forming a coalition government that could force President Pervez Musharraf out of power. Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 military coup in the nuclear-armed country and has been one of Washington's top Muslim allies against al Qaeda, is vulnerable to a hostile parliament after his supporters were heavily defeated in Monday's election.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's opponents won a big election victory on Tuesday after voters rejected his former ruling party, raising questions about the future of the U.S. ally who has ruled since 1999. Counting was continuing with results still awaited in less than 20 seats, but no party was expected to win a majority in the 342-seat National Assembly.

Pakistan will be holding parliamentary elections on Monday amid escalating unrest and after eight years of military rule.

Indian workers in Gulf countries appear to be the most disgruntled employees in the Middle-East among all expatriates, a survey conducted by the Arabian Business website has revealed.

India has put 26 people in isolation with bird flu symptoms and hundreds more people are being monitored, officials said on Friday as Pakistan and Thailand reported outbreaks of bird flu in poultry.

A suspected U.S. missile strike that killed up to 13 foreign militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan region this week had targeted second or third tier al Qaeda leaders, according to residents in the tribal area.

U.S. President George W. Bush insisted on Monday he had plenty of unfinished business for his last year in office but he will leave some serious challenges for his successor in January, 2009. In his State of the Union address, Bush focused on passing an economic stimulus plan and cutting wasteful spending.