ISLAMABAD, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday hailed a Supreme Court ruling that Musharraf can stand for re-election next week while remaining army chief.

'Justice triumphs. The president respects and honours the judgment of the supreme court, as always,' Musharraf's spokesman, Major General Rashid Qureshi, told AFP.

ISLAMABAD, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - Lawyers for Pakistan's opposition said Friday that they would appeal against a ruling that President Pervez Musharraf can stand for re-election while keeping his role as army chief.

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a raft of petitions by the opposition that said Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, should not be allowed to contest the October 6 while still in uniform.

ISLAMABAD, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday ruled that military ruler Pervez Musharraf can contest presidential elections on October 6 while keeping his role as army chief, AFP reporters said.

'As per a majority decision the petitions hereby are dismissed as not maintainable,' said Rana Bhagwandas, the head of the panel of nine judges hearing several opposition challenges to Musharraf's re-election.

The verdict was by a 6-3 majority, court officials said.

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MANILA, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - In the back lanes of the sprawling Paga-asa slum in northern Manila, faded election posters of Joseph Estrada still adorn wooden shacks nine years after he was elected president.

And once upon a time, Nonoy Sulayao would have taken to the streets to support him. But after the deposed leader and one-time movie star was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, he couldn't be bothered.

'Sure I am disappointed with the verdict,' the 38-year-old pedicab driver told AFP.

MANILA, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - Convicted former Philippine president Joseph Estrada on Wednesday urged his supporters to remain calm after a graft court jailed him for life for corruption.

In a statement, the 70-year-old former action movie star said he was not surprised with the verdict saying it 'appeared to be a political move' that came after pressure from his arch-rival and successor Gloria Arroyo.

MANILA, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - Deposed Philippine president Joseph Estrada was found guilty Wednesday of massive corruption and ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison.

The anti-corruption court in Manila ordered that Estrada be placed under house arrest until further notice. It acquitted the 70-year-old movie star of a lesser charge of perjury.

CRAWFORD, Texas, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - The White House on Thursday hailed a Miami jury's finding that US citizen Jose Padilla was guilty of aiding Osama bin Laden's Al-Al Qaeda terrorism network and conspiring to commit murder outside the United States.

'We commend the jury for its work in this trial and thank it for upholding a core American principle of impartial justice for all. Jose Padilla received a fair trial and a just verdict,' said spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

MIAMI, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - A federal jury on Thursday found US citizen Jose Padilla guilty of aiding Osama bin Laden's Al-Al Qaeda terror network and conspiring to commit murder in the United States.

The 12-member jury found Padilla, a 36-year-old US citizen and the former member of a Chicago gang, guilty of supporting Islamic terrorists and of conspiring to kill, kidnap and maim people.

Padilla's two co-conspirators were also found guilty of the three charges they faced. The seven man, five women jury took a day and a half to reach the verdict.