March 14th Morning Readbook

Iraqis optimistic about future




Maliki has shaky lead in Iraq vote count
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's alliance is ahead in Baghdad and four southern provinces, with a small portion of the vote counted. Official results of the parliamentary elections may take a month.


Kandahar blasts were warning to US and Nato - Taliban
Saturday's bomb attacks in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar were a warning to US and Nato forces, the Taliban say.


Blast kills Pakistani national in Afghanistan: police
A roadside bomb killed a Pakistani construction worker and wounded six of his compatriots on Sunday in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, police said.


Taliban distancing themselves from Al Qaeda: experts
The blasts in Lahore are the last desperate measures of pro-Al Qaeda militants who are now being abandoned by the Taliban, diplomatic sources told Dawn.


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