Nobel Prize is 'political' award: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad

Nobel Prize is 'political' award: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
said Thursday that the Nobel Peace Prize no longer honors peace
but is a politically motivated award with the capability of
destabilizing countries. "It is a political prize," Mahathir told
reporters. "They give ... Nobel prizes so as to ensure that these
people can do what they like and be protected by the general
public." --AP

Pakistan group extends deadline on U.S. reporter: A group
claiming to hold a kidnapped American journalist said on Thursday
it was extending by one day a deadline for the United States to
release Pakistani prisoners from the Afghan war, or they would
kill the reporter. --Reuters

East Timorese parliament: East Timor's constituent assembly voted
Thursday to transform itself into the nation's first parliament
after the country becomes independent on May 20. --AP

Pakistan regrets India's rejection: Pakistan said on Thursday it
regretted India's rejection of a proposal for talks over a troop
withdrawal from their tense border, but held out hope for a
meeting at a security conference in Germany later this week.
--Reuters

U.S. satellite reenters atmosphere: A 7,000-pound (3,175-kg) U.S.
satellite reentered earth's atmosphere above central Egypt on
Wednesday, but it was unknown whether any spacecraft debris hit
the ground, the U.S. Space Command said on Thursday. --Reuters