Washington  - The US Congress has been forced to adopt a temporary funding bill to keep government services running through Wednesday, after the Senate failed to agree on a budget that would last until September.

The legislation was needed to avoid a shutdown of most federal agencies at midnight Friday. The House of Representatives and Senate voted to extend government funding until Tuesday and the measure will be signed by President Barack Obama later Friday.

Harare - Zimbabwe's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai (56) was injured and his wife, Susan, was killed in a car crash late Friday, party officials confirmed, adding that suspicious circumstances could indicate foul play.

The 3G spectrum allocation process is likely to get further delayed as the Union Government has announced to form a Group of Ministers (GoM) to sort out controversial pricing issue and number of players per telecom circle.

Harare  - The wife of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Susan, died as a result of her injuries sustained in a car crash on Friday in which the prime minister was also hurt, party officials have confirmed.

"Morgan is badly bruised and cut, but I'm afraid Susan has died," said Eddie Cross, a member of the MDC executive.

The prime minister has been transferred to hospital in Harare and is receiving treatment for his injuries.

Islamabad - Businesses remained closed and thousands held protest rallies in Pakistan's largest province of Punjab on Friday against President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Thousands of people thronged in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, to register protest against a court ruling that banned the top opposition leader and two-time Premier Nawaz Sharif from elected office.

Sharif says Zardari's loyal judges gave the ruling on his orders, because of a criminal conviction after his government was ousted in 1999 by the then military chief Pervez Musharraf.