Ogra deregulates and reduces prices of petroleum products

Forex & Gold 01, June 2011

Forex Update: KARACHI, May 31: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 86.3 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 15:30 PST) Note: We do not receive Foreign Exchange Rates regularly. The last received rates are given below. Spot Rates for public per unit of currency Exchange Rates for Currency Notes [...]

Silenced once again

Murder is the severest form of censorship and a brave Pakistani journalist has just offered proof with his life. Syed Saleem Shahzad has joined the unacceptably long list of over 70 journalists who have been killed in the line of duty in Pakistan since 2000. How has Pakistan become the most dangerous country to practice [...]

Plane carrying Mladic lands in Holland

THE HAGUE: Serbia extradited Ratko Mladic to the UN war crimes tribunal on Tuesday where he will stand trial for genocide, 16 years after he was charged by the court for the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the worst massacre of civilians in Europe since World War II. A Serbian government jet [...]

Malik orders NADRA not to issue ID cards to foreigners

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik Tuesday directed the Chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to take strict action against those NADRA officials who helped in issuance of illegal ID cards to Afghan nationals. He visited NADRA headquarters and directed the Chairman that no ID card should be issued to foreigners and necessary [...]

Gilani announces probe into bin Laden raid

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister Tuesday ordered an independent commission to investigate the Abbottabad operation in which elite US forces killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, the premier’s media office said. "Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has constituted a commission to investigate the Abbotabad incident," a statement said, referring to the garrison town north of [...]

Pakistan ISI leaders had no role in Mumbai plot: court

CHICAGO: The leadership of Pakistan’s ISI spy agency was not involved in planning the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks, self-confessed plotter David Coleman Headley testified Tuesday. Headley, who has pleaded guilty to 12 terror charges arising out of the attacks on India’s financial capital, said during the Chicago trial of his childhood friend, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, [...]

PCB suspends Shahid Afridi’s contract

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday suspended the central contract of former one-day captain Shahid Afridi, who had announced his retirement from international cricket, a board statement said. At the same time it revoked all no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the player, meaning he will not be officially permitted to play abroad, the PCB said. [...]

Carbon dioxide emissions highest ever in 2010: IEA

PARIS: Carbon dioxide emitted by energy use hit a record high last year, dimming prospects for limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Monday. Breaching the 2.0 C (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold sharply increases risk of severe climate impacts, including flooding, storms, rising sea levels and species extinction, scientists [...]

Journalist Saleem Shahzad found dead near Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani journalist has been found dead near the capital Islamabad after writing about links between the Pakistani military and al Qaeda, officials said Tuesday. Syed Saleem Shahzad, 40, worked for an Italian news agency and an online news site registered in Hong Kong. He went missing on Sunday after he left his home [...]

Surviving in the slums

They are Pakistanis, and they live in the slums. What makes them different from you?

Shuttle Endeavour leaves space station – forever

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: Endeavour and its crew of six departed the International Space Station and headed home to wrap up NASA's next-to-last shuttle flight. The space shuttle undocked late Sunday – for the very last time – close to midnight as the two spacecraft soared more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) above Bolivia. ''Fair winds [...]

Nepal’s royal massacre still a mystery 10 years on

KATHMANDU: A decade after Nepal’s crown prince stunned the world by gunning down nine family members, mystery still surrounds the massacre that plunged the monarchy into a crisis from which it never recovered. Many Nepalese believe they may never know the truth about the night of June 1, 2001, when a drink- and drugs-fuelled prince [...]

A new look for the old president

Animations with audio from the world of Feicistan in Pakistan. #container{background:#666666;}

PIMA demands four per cent GDP allocation for health

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has demanded of the government to allocate of four per cent of the Gross Domestic Production (GDP) for health sector in federal, as well as provincial budgets for the year 2011-12. In a statement issued here on Monday, the PIMA said that last year, Rs 24 billion were [...]

FIFA offers Indonesia second chance

JAKARTA: FIFA has offered the Indonesian Football Association a second chance to elect new leadership after a vote was abandoned in chaotic scenes earlier this month, an official said Tuesday. The Indonesian football body, also known as the PSSI, has been in crisis for months over how to organise the game in the perennially underperforming [...]

Scandal shows game should be run by former players: Alberto

RIO DE JANEIRO: The corruption scandal embroiling football’s world governing body FIFA highlights the fact the sport should be run by former players, Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning captain Carlos Alberto Torres said on Monday.  "There should be a general change, there are so many good people who could take office," Carlos Alberto told Reuters before [...]

Merkel in Delhi, reviews regional security with Singh

NEW DELHI: Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reviewed regional security and pledged to work together against terrorism and promote stability in South Asia. The situation in Afghanistan with a projected withdrawal of Nato forces by 2014 and the efforts to engage with sections of the Taliban figured [...]

The battle in Belfast

Images from the one-day international cricket match between Pakistan and Ireland, which took place at the Stormont Cricket ground in Belfast. Pakistan beat Ireland by five wickets. – Photos by AFP

Bin Hammam to appeal FIFA suspension

ZURICH: Former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam said Monday he will appeal his suspension by football’s governing body over corruption allegations. A statement issued by bin Hammam’s office said the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation was seeking to have his suspension from FIFA’s ethics committee lifted ahead of the FIFA congress. Bin [...]

Pressure mounts on Blatter and scandal-hit FIFA

ZURICH: Calls for FIFA to reform football’s governance intensified on Tuesday with England’s Football Association urging the postponement of Sepp Blatter’s unopposed re-election and heavyweight sponsors voicing their concerns. Blatter, the 75-year-old Swiss who has run football’s world governing body since 1998, has rejected talk of a crisis in the game and stands poised to [...]

High radioactivity found in Japan nuclear workers

TOKYO: Two workers from Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have been contaminated by high levels of radioactive iodine, the operator said Monday, prompting fears over their long-term health. The workers, reportedly men in their 30s and 40s, may have already been exposed to radiation levels higher than the recently boosted official annual limit, Japanese media [...]

Titanic launch 100 years ago marked in Belfast

BELFAST: Dignitaries on Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Titanic from Belfast in Northern Ireland with a religious service and the firing of a flare. The ill-starred ocean liner slid down the slipway of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, then the largest in the world, on May 31, 1911, a little [...]

Vettel looks a safe bet for second title

LONDON: Jenson Button looked at the results sheet after Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix and put his finger on the space where the points from the remaining 13 races had yet to be entered. "Look at this gap we haven’t done yet. There have only been six, there’s so much that can happen still," the [...]

In the valley of broken dreams

The United Nation’s Convention Against Torture states that torture cannot be “justified under any exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency”. Last summer, according to non-government organisations, several youth and underage boys were picked up by the authorities for participating in [...]

India, Pakistan to talk again over Siachen

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan have agreed to continue trying to reduce tension on the world’s highest battlefield. A joint statement said Tuesday defense secretaries from both countries agreed at their meeting in New Delhi to continue to talk about ways to demilitarise the Siachen Glacier. Thousands of troops are stationed on the freezing Himalayan [...]

Darkness Called Light – Zulmat Ko Zia

"Wirsaay main humain yeh gham hai mila iss gham ko naya kya likhna? Zulmat ko Zia, sarsar ko saba banday ko khuda kya likhna, kya likhna?" "We have inherited this grief from the past, how can I write that this grief is a new one?  Darkness called light, the hot desert wind called a morning [...]

Aisam, Rohan cruise into French Open quarters

 PARIS: Pakistan's ace tennis player Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and his Indian teammate Rohan Bopanna on Monday stormed into the men's doubles quarterfinals of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris. The fifth-seeded India-Pakistan pair defeated Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan and Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-3, 7-5. They will now play top seeds Mike and Bob [...]

Man United veteran Scholes calls it a day

LONDON: Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes on Tuesday announced his retirement from football with immediate effect and will join the club’s coaching staff. The 36-year-old made 676 appearances for the club, with his last coming as a second-half substitute as United lost 3-1 to Barcelona in Saturday’s Champions League final at Wembley. The midfielder won [...]

Afghanistan series gives Pakistan glimmer of hope

KARACHI: Pakistani hopes of reviving international cricket rose after successfully hosting a one-day series against Afghanistan, but experts on Monday warned against any imminent breakthrough. Pakistan’s second string whitewashed Afghanistan – the first international team to tour since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore in 2009 – in the three-match series which finished [...]

China mulls compensation for Tiananmen dead

BEIJING: Chinese police have for the first time raised the possibility of compensation for those killed in the crushing of the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, families of victims said Tuesday. Police have met twice with relatives of one victim beginning in February, the Tiananmen Mothers said, in a possible sign that the Communist government is [...]

FIFA scandal deepens, Blatter denies crisis talk

ZURICH: FIFA president Sepp Blatter, facing a deepening corruption scandal including accusations that Qatar bought the right to stage the 2022 World Cup, denied there was a crisis and described the problems as local difficulties on Monday. Blatter began a week in which he should be re-elected as president for a fourth term in combative [...]

Blasts on railway track near Kandhkot, Tangwani

French Open: Day 9

The fourth round of matches at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday May 30, 2011.

Indian growth slows as higher interest rates bite

NEW DELHI: India’s economic growth slowed to 7.8 per cent in its fiscal final quarter as an aggressive series of interest rate hikes hit activity, according to official data Tuesday. The January-March figure was down nearly a percentage point from 8.6 growth logged in the same period last year and was also off the 8.3 [...]

Sri Lanka out for 82 as England win thriller

CARDIFF: England seized one of the most remarkable victories in test history on Monday when they beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 14 runs in a match which appeared doomed to end in a frustrating draw. After 130 overs had been lost to rain in the first test of a three-match series, England bowled [...]

Discrimination in China hinders AIDS fight

BEIJING: When Meng Lin found out he was HIV-positive, he was forced to leave home, quit his job and change his name – the victim of intense discrimination experts say hinders China’s fight against the disease. Fifteen years later, Meng has finally landed on his feet. He works at an HIV/AIDS NGO and has a [...]

Hollywood star Blanchett digs in over carbon tax

SYDNEY: Hollywood star Cate Blanchett Tuesday defended her decision to front a campaign promoting the Australian government’s carbon tax, saying she backed action on climate change for her children’s sake. Dubbed "Carbon Cate" by the Sunday Telegraph, the actor was attacked as being a jet-setting, multi-millionaire who was out of touch with ordinary Australians who [...]

Iran closes airspace to Merkel plane

BERLIN: Iran briefly closed its airspace to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane as she flew overnight Monday to Tuesday to India, her spokesman said. "Strange start to Indian trip – Iran temporarily denies over flight to chancellor's plane. Delayed landing in Delhi," Steffen Seibert said in a message sent on Twitter. The reason for the [...]

Bollywood sequels: a recipe for success?

MUMBAI: A glut of Bollywood sequels are due out in the coming months, prompting questions about whether the industry has run out of ideas or is just milking a successful formula in troubled times. More than a dozen follow-ups are in the pipeline, including "Bheja Fry 2"(Brain Fry), a second "Dabangg" (Fearless), a third in [...]

Fighting erupts in Yemen capital as truce breaks down

SANAA: Fierce fighting erupted around the Sanaa home of dissident tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar on Tuesday as a truce that ended deadly clashes last week broke down. There were also heavy exchanges between the tribesmen and loyalist troops around the headquarters of the military police and the official Saba news agency, as well as [...]

British commander warns over troops cuts in Afghanistan

LONDON: The army general leading British soldiers in Afghanistan on Tuesday warned leading politicians that a significant reduction in troop levels could undo the gains made since last year’s US surge. General James Bucknall, who is also deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, told the Telegraph newspaper it was "not [...]

Nato risks becoming ‘occupying force’: Karzai

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday the US-led Nato military in Afghanistan risks becoming an "occupying force" if aerial bombings which cause civilian casualties continue. His outspoken remarks came days after he issued a "last warning" to foreign forces over civilian casualties following Saturday’s killing of what he said was 14 civilians including women [...]

The Power of the Uniform

There is something about the way our world is set-up that makes it clear that people with the uniform have the power. While standing in front of a uniformed individual, you as a person amount to nothing. Your word has no value, your argument no reason and perhaps your being, no existence. The uniform represents [...]

China blast toll hits 4, including suspect

BEIJING: The death toll from a series of explosions at government buildings in eastern China carried out by a jobless man last week has risen to four including the suspect, state media said Tuesday. The latest victim of the three blasts in Jiangxi province’s Fuzhou city, a 34-year-old man, died in hospital on Sunday, Xinhua [...]

Forex & Gold 30, May 2011

Forex Update: KARACHI, May 30: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 86.2 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 15:30 PST) Note: We do not receive Foreign Exchange Rates regularly. The last received rates are given below. Spot Rates for public per unit of currency Exchange Rates for Currency Notes [...]

Shahid Afridi retires from international cricket

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi told news reporters on Monday he was retiring from all international cricket, saying he was dejected after being replaced as one-day captain following a fiery clash with coach Waqar Younis. The 31-year-old experienced difficulties with Waqar during the team’s 3-2 win against the West Indies earlier this month and his public [...]

President amends Income Tax Ordinance 2001

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has further amended the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 where 15 per cent surcharge shall be payable by every taxpayer of the income tax. It shall come into force at once. Following is the text of the Ordinance: "No. F. 2(1)/2011-Pub.- The following Ordinance promulgated by the President is hereby published [...]

Kaira for expanding tax network to achieve progress

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Information Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Qamar Zaman Kaira on Monday urged all the authorities concerned to focus on expanding tax network to achieve progress in all sectors of life. Talking to Pakistan Television, Qamar Zaman Kaira said that society can be changed by implementing laws and for this sincere efforts were required to [...]

Two dead in Iran air force helicopter crash: IRNA

TEHRAN: An Iranian air force attack helicopter crashed on Monday south of Isfahan in central Iran, killing the pilot and co-pilot, the official IRNA news agency reported. "A military helicopter, Cobra 209, crashed in Baherestan area, south of Isfahan," killing the two crew, said Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeeli, deputy governor general of Isfahan province, quoted by [...]

Aid agencies told to prepare for N.Waziristan evacuation

ISLAMABAD: Humanitarian agencies active in Pakistan’s northwest have been quietly told to prepare for up to 365,000 displaced people in advance of a military offensive against North Waziristan, a senior official with an international humanitarian agency said on Monday. The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, was responding to a [...]

Time ripe to make Pakistan Islamic welfare state: JI

KARACHI: Secretary General Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Liaquat Baloch has said that the establishment of a Islamic welfare society in Pakistan is direly needed to bring peace and development in the country. Talking at a gathering in Karachi, he said the sit-in of Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi on 4th and 5th June will be a strong message to [...]

UN expert: Video proves Sri Lanka war crimes

GENEVA: A UN human rights expert says gruesome new footage from the final days of Sri Lanka's civil war is authentic and proves war crimes took place there, challenging the government’s claim that videos showing the army executing captured rebels in May 2009 are faked. The UN's independent investigator on extrajudicial killings says the five-minute [...]

UN blasts ‘shocking’ Syria crackdown as toll rises

DAMASCUS: The United Nations on Monday condemned the "shocking" brutality of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as activists said at least 15 people were killed in the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Dozens of tanks for a second straight day circled towns and villages in the Homs area, north of Damascus. At least 15 people were [...]

Zuma in Libya as Nato eyes endgame amid defections

TRIPOLI: South African President Jacob Zuma arrived on Monday in Libya for talks on ending the conflict as Nato said Moamer Kadhafi’s "reign of terror" was nearing its end and rebels reported military defections. A rebel leader told AFP that eight senior officers of Kadhafi’s military, including four generals, have defected and would address the [...]

Hackers post phony Tupac story on PBS website

ARLINGTON: PBS officials say hackers have cracked the public broadcaster’s website. The hackers apparently posted a phony story claiming dead rapper Tupac Shakur was alive in New Zealand. PBS confirmed early Monday morning on its official Twitter account that the website had been hacked. The phony story had been taken down as of Monday morning. [...]

As they celebrate…

Enjoy yourself with the football stars as they celebrate their triumphs over the weekends.

Obama picks Dempsey as top US military officer

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Monday nominated General Martin Dempsey, who commanded troops in the Iraq war, as the top US military officer. If confirmed by the US Senate, Dempsey would replace Admiral Mike Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he steps down on Oct. 1. At a White House ceremony, [...]

Writer urges Internet junkies to switch off and think

SEOUL: Like tens of millions of others, US technology writer Nicholas Carr found the lure of the worldwide web hard to resist – until he noticed it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. He set out his concerns in a celebrated essay headlined "Is Google making us stupid?" And his latest book "The Shallows" [...]

‘Pak army more anti-American than radical’

Dr. Stephen Philip Cohen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, Washington DC, is a respected authority on the Pakistani army and the country’s politics. His book The Pakistan Army was published in 1998 and was translated into Urdu and Chinese. In 2004, he published another book The Idea of Pakistan. In an exclusive interview [...]

French Open: Day 8

Novak Djokovic produced an unforgettable performance, wiping the smile off Richard Gasquet’s face, and Roger Federer also strolled into the French Open quarter-finals on Sunday. Holder Francesca Schiavone promised that there was more to come after beating Serbian 10th seed Jelena Jankovic, 6-3 2-6 6-4, to book her place in the quarter-finals.

Lives of Nepali porters

Nepali porters walk for weeks, carrying supplies heavier than their own body weight. They do not sit down when they rest but rely on the wooden stuff to prop up the baskets, and earning not more than 70 US dollars per month. – Photos by Reuters

FIFA crisis deepens over Qatar World Cup claims

ZURICH: FIFA plunged deeper into crisis on Monday when its general secretary confirmed he had sent a private email to a fellow executive committee member saying Qatar bought the rights to stage the 2022 World Cup. Jerome Valcke, who as general secretary of world football’s governing body is president Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man, told reporters [...]

The grandeur of Empress Market

The essence of Karachi is felt in the Empress Market packed with people and shops – it's a place one should be to get the local flavor. – Photos and captions by Madeeha Syed/Dawn Newspaper.

Qatar interested in hosting Pakistan-India hockey series

DOHA: In order to promote hockey in the region, representatives of West Asian countries are planning to organize a high profile bilateral hockey series between Pakistan and India. A meeting of West Asian countries representatives chaired by Tayyab Ikram, Coaching Director & Chief Development Officer of International Hockey Federation FIH, reviewed plans to upgrade the [...]

Federation pulls pin on skirt rule, will “investigate”

WELLINGTON: Badminton’s world governing body has decided to scrap a controversial rule that would have forced female players to wear skirts in competition. The Badminton World Federation (BWF), who held their annual general meeting in Qingdao, China, at the weekend, had already delayed the implementation by a month until June 1 following an outcry amongst [...]

Three words

Animations with audio from the world of Feicistan in Pakistan. #container{background:#666666;}

Li and Djokovic advance in very contrasting ways

PARIS: Li Na was pushed to the limit before she sealed a spot in the French Open quarter-finals on Monday but winning machine Novak Djokovic did not need to hit a ball to take his place in the men’s last four. Australian Open runner-up Li, the first Chinese player to reach the Roland Garros quarters, [...]

Nisar cruises into China Open Boxing quarterfinals

KARACHI: Nisar Khan cruised into the quarterfinals of the China Open Boxing Championship, underway in Guyang, after defeating Woo Sungjae of Korea in the opening round. Fighting in the 75-kg category, Nisar recorded a 9-6 win over the Korean boxer to secure his place in the quarterfinals of the event.  He will now meet Chinas [...]

Fergie Jr puts a smile back on his father’s face

LONDON: Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson put a smile back on Sir Alex Ferguson’s face by leading his team into the Championship with a 3-0 win over Huddersfield in the League One play-off final at Old Trafford on Sunday. Less than 24 hours after the elder Ferguson’s dreams of Champions League glory were dashed by Barcelona’s [...]

Europe-conquering Barca return home

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Europe-conquering heroes paraded in an open-top, double-decker bus through cheering, packed streets on Sunday and arrived to a roar of welcome at a bursting Camp Nou stadium. Brandishing the Champions League trophy from their sublime 3-1 victory over Manchester United in London’s Wembley stadium, players made a victorious entry one by one to [...]

Journalist Saleem Shahzad goes missing

ISLAMABAD: Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Pakistan bureau chief of Asia Times Online, went missing Sunday evening, DawnNews reported. Days before his disappearance, Shahzad had authored an article that alleged links between navy officials and al Qaeda. Ali Imran, a Coordinator at the South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) in an email stated that Mr Shahbaz [...]

Hamilton claims he is being victimised

MONTE CARLO: Aggrieved McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton claimed he was being victimised after being called to face the race stewards at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. The 26-year-old Briton, who finished sixth in a chaotic contest riddled with accidents and stoppages, said the way he had been treated this season was "an absolute frickin’ [...]

Ireland win toss and bat against Pakistan

BELFAST: Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the second and final one-day international at Stormont here on Monday. Pakistan, who won the first of this two-match series by seven wickets at Stormont on Saturday, made two changes to their side. Azhar Ali replaced Asad Shaiq at number [...]

China clamps down on Inner Mongolia to quash demos

XILINHOT, China: Tight security was reported across China’s restive Inner Mongolia region on Monday ahead of possible fresh protests by ethnic Mongols seething over Chinese rule, a rights group said. The northern region bordering Mongolia has seen a wave of demonstrations triggered by the May 10 killing of an ethnic Mongol herder which have laid [...]

Haqqani claims visas issued with GHQ approval

ISLAMABAD: In his reply to a letter by the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) over the issuance of visas to certain US officials without security clearance, Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani claimed that the visas in question were issued with the approval of the GHQ, DawnNews quoted from a report in a local newspaper [...]

Letters from Bombay

If there is ever a competition for a bird to represent Mumbai, the hands down winner will probably be the crane. But this crane is a mechanical one — the large one, with a hoist, wires and chains. All round this vast city, this crane is a dominant feature of the landscape, looming in an [...]

Suspected Qaeda gunmen kill four soldiers in south Yemen

ADEN: Suspected al Qaeda gunmen have killed four Yemeni soldiers and wounded at least seven in an attack on a military convoy near the Qaeda-held southern city of Zinjibar, a security official said on Monday. "A convoy of reinforcements fell in an ambush by al Qaeda elements one kilometre (less than a mile) from Zinjibar. [...]

Complete shutdown observed in Shopian town

ISLAMABAD: Complete shutdown was observed in Shopian town in Indian occupied Kashmir to mark the second anniversary of molestation and murder of two Kashmiri women, Aasiya and Neelofar by Indian men in uniform. All shops and business establishments in the town remained closed while traffic was off the road, Kashmir Media Service reported. Teenage Asiya [...]

Obama vows national response to Missouri tornado

JOPLIN, Mo: US President Barack Obama said on Sunday that a tornado that killed at least 139 people in this small town a week ago was a national tragedy that will require a national response. "We’re going to be here long after the cameras leave," he said, referring to federal support for rebuilding efforts that [...]

Blast injures 10 in North Waziristan

MIRAMSHAH: A blast at a restaurant in Pakistan’s tribal North Waziristan region near the Afghan border wounded ten people on Monday, officials said. "We are checking the cause of blast. So far, we have reports that ten people were wounded," a government official in Miramshah, the main town of North Waziristan where the blast took [...]

Amid bombings, Pakistan turns to conspiracies

ISLAMABAD: Facing a surge in violence after the killing of Osama bin Laden, Pakistanis are taking comfort in conspiracy theories that allege Indian or American agents' not fellow Muslim countrymen are behind the attacks, especially last week’s brazen assault on a naval base. Lawmakers, media pundits, retired generals and even government officials often hint at [...]

Seven explosions heard north of Yemen capital-residents

SANAA: Seven explosions were heard on Sunday north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the scene of a week-long fighting between President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s forces and a rival tribe that killed 115 people, residents said. The explosions were followed by rattles of machine gunfire in the Hasaba district, where Saleh’s forces battled members of the [...]

EU, IMF to judge Greece as protests swell

European Union and IMF officials are expected to deliver their verdict this week on Greece’s faltering drive to bring its budget deficit under control, but ordinary Greeks have warned that their patience is running thin. Greece last year won a 110 billion euro ($157.5 billion) rescue package from the EU and International Monetary Fund, [...]

Eleven killed in wider Syria military push-lawyer

AMMAN: Syrian forces killed at least 11 civilians and wounded scores on Sunday, a prominent human rights campaigner said, in a widening military push into central Syria to quell protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Tanks, supported by troops, fired heavy machineguns in the towns of Talbiseh and Rastan and several villages near [...]

Pakistan to launch operation in N. Waziristan: report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to launch an air and ground military offensive in North Waziristan, the main sanctuary for al Qaeda and Taliban on the border with Afghanistan, a newspaper reported on Monday. The United States has long demanded that Pakistan launch an offensive in the region to hunt down the Haqqani network, one of [...]

Latvia political crisis increases investor worries

RIGA: Latvia begins a week of high political tension and increased investor uncertainty on Monday after the president moved to dissolve parliament for blocking a corruption probe, which is likely to lead to new elections. The small Baltic state is just emerging from a 2009 recession, the deepest in the European Union, which slashed almost [...]

ISAF apologises for Afghan civilian deaths

KABUL: Foreign forces in Afghanistan apologised Monday for the deaths of nine Afghan civilians after President Hamid Karzai criticised an air strike which he and officials said killed 14, including children. The statement said that the strike in the southern province of Helmand was carried out Saturday after insurgents who had earlier killed a patrolling [...]

Of Rehman Malik and Veena Malik

Who says we, the Pakistanis, are not consistent? We certainly are. Look at our national cricket team. It is consistently inconsistent. It never fails to surprise you. Take Rehman Malik (no relation of Veena Malik, I hope – for her sake, of course). He consistently issues the same statement after each bomb blast: "We will [...]

TV coverage could help women’s game in Pakistan: Mir

ISLAMABAD: Members of Pakistan women’s cricket team have called for renewed efforts to promote their team and have singled out television coverage as the most important factor that could impact their progress. Pakistan women’s cricket team captain Sana Mir told APP, "We defeated Sri Lanka on the last ball and Ireland beat Netherlands by a [...]

Gunmen kill two policemen in Quetta

QUETTA: A Pakistani police officer says gunmen have killed two Shia policemen in the country’s southwest. Amir Mohammad says the Sunday attack at a checkpoint also wounded three bystanders in Quetta city, the capital of the sparsely populated, rugged province of Balochistan. He says both the dead men belong to minority Shia community often targeted [...]

Barcelona take their place among the all-time greats

LONDON: Pep Guardiola may deny all comparisons with the past but the breathtaking display of his Barcelona prodigies in the Champions League final has confirmed the elevation of his team into the football stratosphere. Their 3-1 demolition of English Premier League champions Manchester United at Wembley, of all places, was a masterful demonstration of football [...]

Trott now in the company of greats Bradman, Pollock

CARDIFF: Jonathan Trott’s 125 not out on the third day of England’s series opener against Sri Lanka left him with a Test average second only to that of Australia great Sir Donald Bradman. Trott, whose century was his sixth in his 19 Tests, now averages 66.34 — ahead of such all-time greats as South Africa’s [...]

Sindh govt forms joint probe team for PNS Mehran attack

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Sunday formed a joint interrogation team to investigate the PNS Mehran base attack that took place in Karachi last week, DawnNews reported. The joint investigation team comprises military intelligence officials, ISI personnel, police and Rangers officials. Sources stated that the team will be allowed to conduct raids in Karachi, as [...]

Centurions Cook and Trott torment Sri Lanka

CARDIFF: England’s Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott were once again tormenting the opposition as they shared an unbroken 240-run partnership to frustrate Sri Lanka on another rain-affected day in the first test on Saturday. Opener Cook was 129 not out while Trott was unbeaten on 125 as England reached 287 for two, trailing the tourists [...]

Bin Hammam pulls out of FIFA race

PARIS: Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hammam ended his campaign to oust Sepp Blatter from the FIFA presidency Sunday, just hours before facing the ethics committee of football’s world governing body over bribery allegations.  Bin Hammam, 61, who launched his campaign on an anti-corruption platform and waged a bitter war of words with the long-serving Blatter, said [...]

IPL 4: “Sooner or later slapstick loses its appeal”

CHENNAI: After a gruelling seven weeks and 74 matches, the Indian Premier League finally came to an end amid the usual glitter and glamour but left unanswered questions in its wake. The sight of N. Srinivasan, owner of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, handing out the winners’ medals to his own players again raised issues [...]

Nato air strikes kill 52, claim Afghans authorities

KANDAHAR: Afghan authorities said Sunday Nato had killed 52 people, mostly civilians, in air strikes against insurgents as violence picked up in recent weeks with the start of the fighting season. In the southern province of Helmand, local authorities said at least 14 civilians, including women and children, were killed and six injured in an [...]

Islamabad registers first win in Basketball Championship

ISLAMABAD: Four matches were decided on Saturday in the 50th Men’s National Basketball Championship here at the Hamidi Hall, Pakistan Sports Complex.  Islamabad registered their first win of the tournament with a comfortable victory against Balochistan with the scoreline 72-21. Islamabad's  top-scorers were Rizwan Khurshid with 17 points, Haris Zakria with 15 and Javed Bangash [...]

Nadal pleads for ranking change to boost showpiece

PARIS: Rafael Nadal wants a change to the world rankings system to ensure clashes such as Novak Djokovic’s French Open marquee match-up with Juan Martin del Potro are not relegated to the Grand Slam early rounds.  Former US Open champion and ex-number four Del Potro was only seeded 25 this year after missing virtually all [...]

Perez crash a wake-up call: Vettel

MONTE CARLO: Defending drivers world champion Sebastian Vettel said Mexican rookie Sergio Perez’s accident during Saturday’s qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix should be seen as "a wake-up call" in the constant pursuit of improved safety in Formula One.  German Vettel, 23, who leads this year’s title chase, secured the 20th pole position of his [...]

Pakistan’s defence secretary arrives in India for talks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Secretary Syed Athar Ali arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to hold talks with the Indian Defence secretary. The 12th round of talks between Pakistan and India will begin in New Delhi on Monday. Pakistan said that it wants to resolve all outstanding issues with India through the dialogue process. According to [...]

Chennai win IPL with huge win over Bangalore

CHENNAI: A clinical Chennai Super Kings clinched their second Indian Premier League title in a row with a 58-run thrashing of Royal Challengers Bangalore in a lop-sided final on Saturday. Opener Murali Vijay cracked 95 runs off just 52 balls to help the defending champions pile up 205-5 before Ravichandran Ashwin removed Bangalore’s openers early, [...]

Misbah silent as performance does the talking

BELFAST: Security officials hurried Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq away from reporters and back to the squad’s hotel after his side beat Ireland in the first of two one-day internationals. But this was one occasion when his team’s actions spoke louder than words. Pakistan’s emphatic seven-wicket victory at Stormont here on Saturday could have been a tricky [...]

Suicide bomber kills Afghan police chief, German troops

KUNDUZ: The police commander for northern Afghanistan and two German soldiers were among six people killed Saturday in a suicide bombing at a provincial governor’s office, officials said. The attacker struck in Taloqan, capital of Takhar province, soon after a meeting regarding security had finished. The Taliban claimed responsibility in what was their latest example [...]

US concerned on Yemen tribal strife, al Qaeda threat

WASHINGTON: The United States is concerned that tribal rivalries are complicating efforts to reach a power transfer deal in Yemen and believes al Qaeda is trying to exploit instability there, senior US officials said on Saturday. The United States remains in close contact with European and Gulf allies and continues to review options to increase [...]

Identifying bin Laden, unmasking a rapist

WASHINGTON: From identifying Osama bin Laden to proving someone guilty of rape or murder, DNA analysis has become an essential scientific tool for police and criminal justice. Unique genetic markers could play a crucial role in the trial of ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York. Various media [...]

Ties with US going through course correction: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said on Saturday Pakistan and the United States were on "course correction" in bilateral ties and cooperation in the fight against terrorism after the killing of Osama bin Laden that threw the strategic partnership into a tizzy. "It is important to note that Pakistan and the United States are engaged in [...]

2009: Kashmir solution may end Pak establishment support to Taliban

ID:226531 9/23/2009 15:09 Embassy Islamabad SECRET//NOFORN ISLAMABAD 002295 E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2034 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, PINR, MOPS, EAID, PK SUBJECT: REVIEWING OUR AFGHANISTAN – PAKISTAN STRATEGY Classified By: Ambassador Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 b and d 1. (S/NF) Summary: In response to queries posed by the National Security Council, Embassy Islamabad believes that [...]

2008: Musharraf debated dissolving parliament to save himself

ID:163593 7/25/2008 13:26 Embassy Islamabad SECRET//NOFORN ISLAMABAD 002524 E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018 TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, PK SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR PM GILANI’S VISIT TO WASHINGTON Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d) …. 2. (C/NF) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif has used his “go Musharraf go” campaign to become Pakistan’s most [...]

2007: Govt was blocking access to Balochistan IDPs

ID:92775 1/17/2007 11:03 Embassy Islamabad CONFIDENTIAL ISLAMABAD 000268 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017 TAGS: PGOV, PREF, SOCI, PK SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT HINDERS ACCESS TO INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN BALOCHISTAN REF: 06 ISLAMABAD 16944 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 1. (C) Summary: In spite of a mid-December intervention from Ambassador Crocker to senior [...]

cover story: Behind the WikiLeaks

When American diplomatic cables were leaked by the "ambivalent" Julian Assange in the winter of 2010, news consumers knew that the day had finally arrived when information would no longer be doled out in comfortable doses but would overwhelm them. The force with which the message was delivered was brute and it benumbed as it [...]

non-fiction: The language disconnect

The timing of this book is very appropriate given the parliament's passage last year of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which gives the provinces more say in their own affairs. Zubeida Mustafa forcefully argues for the adoption of a language policy that acknowledges the many languages, seven major ones, that are spoken in Pakistan [...]

INTERVIEW: “Parents want education for their children but feel helpless.”

What is the education sector's biggest failure? It has failed to teach our children the value of human life and dignity as well as to impart economic skills to the majority. Most significantly, it has proved to be the dividing factor that has stratified society. How can we fix this? Revamp education. Remove inequities. Focus [...]

poetry: Living poems, bold as love

THERE'S a Jimi Hendrix song called "Bold as Love", and that's what comes to mind when reading Full Blood, the newest collection of poetry from British poet John Siddique. These are not poems to be slavishly learnt and fallen asleep over in an English class; these are strong, resonant paeans to the resilience of men [...]

Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2011: Winners

Winners of the 2011 Commonwealth Writers' Prize were announced in Sydney; the coveted title for Best Book was given to Aminatta Forna for The Memory of Love, while Best First Book was won by Craig Cliff for A Man Melting. Danny Sriskandarajah, Interim Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, said: "I am delighted to congratulate the [...]

non-fiction: Diamonds in the rough?

Pakistanis are perhaps all too familiar with the term power crisis. To us, these are not mere words but a stifling, suffocating reality that manifests itself through lengthy electricity breakdowns and hours of all-enveloping darkness. Whether it is the domestic user sweating away without power in the sweltering summer or the industrialist counting his losses [...]

talkingbooks: talkingbooks

What are you reading these days? Christine Brooke-Rose's Next. Which books are on your bedside table? The Muslim Mind by Charis Waddy; Shaikh Ayaz's poems translated by Asif Farrukhi and short stories by the Catalan writer Mercè Rodoreda. What is the one book / author you feel everyone must read? Naguib Mahfouz's Miramar. What are [...]

crossword/interview: The reading challenge

Test your knowledge of Harry Potter (No space between words) Across 3.    Which animal is the house emblem for Gryffindor? 4.    What did James Potter's school friends nickname him? 6.    In what month is Harry Potter's birthday? 7.    Which insect is Rita Skeeter's animagus? 8.    What is the racial slur for a wizard with non-magical [...]

Nehwal eyes open road to supreme domination

QINGDAO: India’s world number four Saina Nehwal warned China that its days of supreme domination were over after she defeated the highly rated Wang Xin in her own backyard.  Nehwal boosted her reputation as the major threat to China’s women shuttlers as she enjoyed a comprehensive 21-15, 21-11 victory over world number three Wang in [...]

“American idol”season 10 comes to an end

American Idol's Grand Finale at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. – Photo by Reuters

FIFA opens ethics proceedings against president Blatter

ZURICH: FIFA widened the bribery enquiry at the heart of football to include its own president Sepp Blatter on Friday, summoning the Swiss incumbent to en ethics hearing following a request from his election rival Mohamed Bin Hammam.  Blatter, who has been FIFA president since 1998, and Bin Hammam, the Qatari head of the Asian [...]

India’s stingy definition of poverty irks critics

NEW DELHI: Every day, through scorching summers and chilly winters, Himmat pedals his bicycle rickshaw through New Delhi’s crowded streets, earning barely enough to feed his family. But to India’s government he is not poor – not even close. The 5,000 rupees ($110) he earns a month pays for a tiny room with a single [...]

United ready to attack Barcelona in Euro showdown

LONDON: Barcelona will seek to seal their status as the finest team of their generation here on Saturday when they face Manchester United at Wembley in the most eagerly-anticipated Champions League final in years.  A second triumph in three years – and their third since 2006 – will provide irrefutable proof that Pep Guardiola’s team [...]

Misbah’s Pakistan face tricky Ireland series

BELFAST: Pakistan are set to play a two-match one-day series against Ireland with Misbah-ul-Haq, their fifth limited overs captain in three years.  Misban was handed the captaincy last week following the sacking of Shahid Afridi, who, it was announced on Tuesday, is not travelling to Ireland.  "Afridi has informed us that his father has been [...]

Pakistan sells wheat, Indonesia slows corn purchases

SINGAPORE: Pakistan sold some 25,000 tonnes of wheat to Malaysia and Indonesia this week on competitive prices, while Indonesia reduced its corn imports from India ahead of domestic crop arrival. Pakistani wheat was traded around $310 a tonne into Asia, one of the most competitive origins for milling wheat, traders said, adding that most Asian [...]

SC adjourns hearing in contempt cases against PPP leaders

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned to the first week of July the hearing of contempt of court cases against leaders of Pakistan People's Party Sindh chapter on the request of Dr Babar Awan who appeared as counsel for Sharjeel Memon, Sindh information minister. Awan requested a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar [...]

Pakistan seeks more gas due to plant maintenance

SINGAPORE: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) is seeking 50,000 tonnes of June gasoline, and this is on top of the 210,000 tonnes it sought earlier for July to October arrival, traders said on Friday. They added that the state-owned firm could be needing the parcel to plug a supply shortfall as Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL) shut [...]

Giggs strives to stay calm in the heart of a storm

LONDON: If anyone can put off-field problems out of his mind and concentrate solely on the huge task of beating Barcelona at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, it is Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs.  Instead of being allowed to prepare for a fourth Champions League final in relative peace, the 37-year-old has endured a tsunami of [...]

French Open: Day 5

Kim Clijsters' 11th hour recovery from injury to play at the French Open proved in vain as her hopes were blown away in the second round on Thursday but Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a sixth title with a grinding win.

Hard to say no to IPL: Fleming

CHENNAI: Former Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming has said players should not be blamed for wanting to play in the cash-rich Indian Premier League and instead asked boards to manage their workload better.  Top Indian batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have recently drawn flak for choosing to play in the franchise-owned Twenty20 competition despite carrying [...]

Moon may have more water than believed: study

WASHINGTON: The moon may have a lot more water than imagined, perhaps as much as on Earth in some parts, a study said Thursday, in a discovery that has cast doubt on long-held theories about how it was formed. The moon was long thought to be a dusty, dry place until a few years ago [...]

Sangakkara wicket gives England late boost

CARDIFF: Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 50 in his first match as Sri Lanka captain on Thursday before England claimed two late wickets to reduce the visitors to 133 for two on a rain-shortened opening day in the first test.  Opener Tharanga Paranavitana was unbeaten on 58, passing 1,000 test runs in the process, while Dilshan reached [...]

Google turning mobile phone into a wallet

NEW YORK: Google unveiled a free mobile application on Thursday that turns a smartphone into an electronic wallet and is designed to replace plastic credit cards. The Internet giant, at a press conference at its New York headquarters with financial partners Citibank, MasterCard and First Data and telecom ally Sprint, said "Google Wallet" is being [...]

Nato nabs Haqqani militant leader in Afghanistan

KABUL: Nato says coalition troops have captured a leader of an al Qaida-affiliated terror group during a raid in east Afghanistan. A Nato statement on Friday says the militant is a local chief of the powerful Haqqani network, which is based in neighboring Pakistan's tribal belt. The group is a branch of the Afghan Taliban [...]

Toure gets six-month ban over failed drug test

LONDON: Manchester City centre-back Kolo Toure was on Thursday banned for six months for testing positive for a banned substance earlier this season.  The ban was backdated to March 2, the date of his provisonal suspension, meaning the Ivory Coast international will be available to play for his club in September.  Toure will also [...]

Amnesty blows out 50 candles in shadow of identity crisis

LONDON: Amnesty International, which turns 50 on Saturday, has expanded from supporting prisoners of conscience into a global human rights watchdog, leaving some wondering if it has lost its sharp focus. Recognised around the world by its simple logo of a candle wrapped in barbed wire, the organisation started out as a simple letter-writing campaign. [...]

Investigation team records statements of PNS Mehran injured

KARACHI: The team investigating the attack at the PNS Mehran Base in Karachi last week, recorded statements from the victims of the assault on Friday, DawnNews reported. According to sources, the investigation team visited PNS Shifa Hospital and met with 14 officers and personnel who were injured in the attack, and recorded their statements. The [...]

Civil war looms in Yemen, Saleh urged to quit

SANAA: Yemen teetered on the verge of civil war on Friday as President Ali Abdullah Saleh defied calls from opponents and world leaders for him to relinquish power. More than 40 Yemenis were killed in pitched street battles in the capital Sanaa on Thursday, the fourth day of clashes since the collapse of a Gulf-brokered [...]

NA Defence Committee demands extra safeguards for nuclear assets

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Defence Committee on Friday demanded extra measures to safeguard Pakistan’s nuclear assets, DawnNews reported. The committee met in camera over the attack on the Mehran naval base and expressed its reservations over the "insecurity" of the country’s defence installations. The committee further stated that the attack on the naval base reflected [...]

Japan nuclear crisis panel led by expert in failure

TOKYO: When Yotaro Hatamura delves into the causes of the nuclear crisis at Japan’s Fukushima plant, he’ll be drawing on year of experience with mistakes – other people’s. Hatamura, tapped this week by Prime Minister Naoto Kan to head a team that will investigate the causes of the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in [...]

Beauty industry honors Fergie and her fragrance

NEW YORK: Fergie’s life just got a little more glamorous – in undertones of tuberose and leather – with her win of a Fifi award from the perfume industry for her scent Outspoken. The Fragrance Foundation presented the Black Eyed Peas singer with the honor Wednesday night for new celebrity fragrance of the year at [...]

In a pickle

It is said that complete food is one that has all six rasas or tastes – sweet, sour, salt, pungent, bitter and astringent. In a typical South Indian platter the first item served is a kheer (sweet) and the second is usually sour. This is represented by a digestive — usually a quick pickle. Pickle [...]

China blast toll hits 3, including suspect

BEIJING: The death toll from a series of explosions at government buildings in eastern China allegedly carried out by a jobless man rose to three including the suspect, state media said Friday. One of the 10 people injured in the three blasts in Jiangxi province’s Fuzhou city on Thursday later died in hospital, the official [...]

US State Dept names new spokesperson after Wiki-flap

WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Thursday named career diplomat Victoria Nuland as its new spokesperson, filling a vacancy left when the former incumbent resigned in a flap over the soldier accused of leaking secret Wikileaks documents. Nuland was a national security advisor to former Vice President Dick Cheney and served as US ambassador to [...]

India calls Pakistan ‘fragile’ state in talks with US

NEW DELHI: India’s Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday that Pakistan had become a "fragile" state and was the "global epicentre of terrorism" at the start of talks with the US homeland security secretary. "It is a truism to say that India lives in perhaps the most difficult neighbourhood in the world. The global epicentre [...]

US cutting back troops in Pakistan: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: The US military said Wednesday it plans to scale back the number of American troops in Pakistan after Islamabad made a formal request, amid tensions over a US raid against Osama bin Laden. "We were recently (within past 2 weeks) notified in writing that the government of Pakistan wished for the US to reduce [...]

Forex & Gold 26, May 2011

Forex Update: KARACHI, May 25: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 86.3 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 15:30 PST)   Note: We do not receive Foreign Exchange Rates regularly. The last received rates are given below. Spot Rates for public per unit of currency Exchange Rates for Currency [...]

Hezbollah leader stands firm behind Syria

BEIRUT: The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group stood firmly behind his allies in Syria on Wednesday in his first comments on the country’s uprising, saying that toppling the Damascus regime would serve only US and Israeli interests. Hezbollah has much to lose if Syrian President Bashar Assad is deposed. Besides receiving money from Syria, [...]

Turkmenistan has world’s second largest gas field: auditor

AVAZA: Central Asia’s energy giant Turkmenistan owns the world’s second-biggest natural gas deposit, the head of a British auditing firm said on Wednesday. "It appears the South Yolotan is the second largest gas field in the world," Peter Holding of the Gaffney, Cline and Associates auditing firm told an industry conference. Holding, the firm’s general [...]

US, Israel ‘deal final blow’ to peace plan: Hezbollah

BEIRUT: US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have "dealt the final blow" to the 2002 Saudi-led peace initiative, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Wednesday. "Obama and Netanyahu have dealt the final, decisive blow to what is called the Arab peace initiative," Nasrallah said in a televised address marking 11 years since [...]

Bond is back in new book by thriller writer Deaver

LONDON: The new James Bond novel was launched in London on Wednesday with a fast car, a leather-clad Bond girl and royal marines descending from the roof on wires. "Carte Blanche", by American thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, was unveiled at St Pancras International station, the departure point for cross-Channel rail services. Deaver pulled up at [...]

No time to turn away from Pakistan: Cameron

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron is supporting Western alliances with Pakistan amid questions about how terrorist Osama bin Laden lived for so long there before he was hunted down and killed by US commandos. In a news conference with President Barack Obama, Cameron said that allies must work with Pakistan more closely than ever, [...]

Pakistan seizes $44 million worth of heroin

KARACHI: Pakistan said Wednesday it had seized its largest ever heroin haul, impounding 375 kilograms (825 pounds) of the narcotic worth an estimated $44 million on the international market. About 108 kilograms hidden in matchboxes was seized late Monday from a container at the Arabian sea port and another 267 kilograms of heroin in a [...]

Pakistani judge will head Rwanda tribunal

ARUSHA: Judges on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda have chosen the Pakistani Khalida Rashid Khan as the court’s next president, the tribunal said in a statement Wednesday. Khan, 61, will assume her new duties Friday, replacing Dennis Byron, who will finish his second two-year term as president of the Tanzania-based tribunal on Thursdaqy. The [...]

Aamir Khan to rejoin Muttahida Qaumi Movement

KARACHI: Talks escalated between the MQM-Haqiqi and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Wednesday to induct Aamir Khan into MQM following his release from prison, DawnNews reported. Aamir Khan visited the MQM headquarter (Nine Zero) on Wednesday and met with members of the Rabita Committee. Different issues were discussed in the meeting including his return to [...]

Afghanistan makes Pakistan A struggle for win

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan A defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in a limited-overs match at a Diamond Cricket Ground surrounded by armed security on Wednesday in the first international match in the country in more than two years. Afghanistan is the first foreign team to visit Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team’s [...]

Indian troops kill two militants in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Indian security forces on Wednesday killed two militants in separate firefights in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said. Officers said the two rebels slain during search operations in southern Kashmir were senior members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) guerrilla force, blamed by India for the 2008 siege in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed. "Intensified operations [...]

Rupees blossom in Satara

A decade ago, Rahul Pawar made an unusual and risky choice – to grow flowers in the centre of India’s biggest sugar producing state. Now, he is reaping the rewards of his 1.1 million rupee ($24,409) investment as increasingly affluent Indians order his bright blooms for their weddings and festivals. The amount of land dedicated [...]

Herald exclusive: One frame at a time – Part I

Tim Hetherington, an award-winning British photojournalist and director-producer for the Oscar-nominated film Restrepo, and fellow photographer Chris Hondros of Getty Images are the latest casualties of a dangerous "war profession" — photojournalism. Hit by shrapnel, both bled to death in Misrata, Libya, last month while covering the fight with the rebel forces. Photojournalists like Hetherington [...]

Unprecedented photo op for shuttle-space station

HOUSTON: In an unprecedented cosmic photo shoot Monday, a departing spaceship snapped close-up glamour pictures of the space shuttle Endeavour attached to the International Space Station. And the combined station-shuttle did what any good fashion model does. It slowly turned and pivoted on its orbital runway. That maneuver was so that departing Italian astronaut Paolo [...]

Israel PM should have said “yes” to Obama: poll

JERUSALEM: The majority of Israelis believe their prime minister should have supported US President Barack Obama’s outline for new peace talks with the Palestinians, according to a poll published on Wednesday. The survey, published in the Maariv newspaper, found 10 per cent of Israelis thought Benjamin Netanyahu should have "declared his support for the president’s [...]

Becks back in Old Trafford for Neville testimonial

MANCHESTER: David Beckham and Ryan Giggs both made appearances as former teammate Gary Neville waved farewell to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. Around 42,000 fans saw Juventus emerge 2-1 winners in Neville’s testimonial game which marks the final chapter in his playing career before a move into the media. And the 36-year-old [...]

Philippines outraged at coral reef plunder

MANILA: The Philippine government expressed outrage on Wednesday at the plunder of corals and turtles that may have destroyed thousands of hectares (acres) of precious reefs. President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman also vowed to step up marine patrols following this month’s seizure at Manila’s port of 158 stuffed sea turtles and about 124,000 pieces of coral, [...]

Yemen tribesmen seize public buildings as fighting rages

SANAA: Tribesmen loyal to a powerful opposition chief have seized public buildings including state news agency Saba, sources said Wednesday, amid raging gunbattles with Yemen's security forces that have killed 44 people. The tribesmen have also occupied the national airline Yemenia building and have tried to storm the interior ministry headquarters, according to the witnesses [...]

Taiwan women “plank” for tourism, stray dogs

TAIPEI: Lying face flat on the ground may not be the world’s most glamourous photo pose but two Taiwanese "planking" women have made a name for themselves on the Internet – and hope to use the craze to spread positive social messages. Eschewing the dangerous behaviour that killed one man in Australia and left another [...]

Millions of girls lost to selective abortion in India: study

PARIS: Sex selection of foetuses in India has led to 7.1 million fewer girls than boys up to age six, a gender gap that has widened by more than a million in a decade, according to a study released Tuesday. In Indian families in which the first child has been a girl, more and more [...]

India, Africa to ink major cooperation deals

ADDIS ABABA: India and Africa were to sign trade and cooperation deals Wednesday as the two sides wound up a two-day summit after the south Asian powerhouse pledged a $5-billion credit line for Africa. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and around 10 African leaders opened Tuesday the second India-Africa summit aimed at consolidating trade ties [...]

We have no right to be surprised

What’s said about sausage and journalism must also be true of foreign policy: that if you knew how it was produced, you wouldn’t want to consume it. I’m certainly disgusted and alarmed to learn from WikiLeaks via Dawn.com that the US special operations forces deployed secretly on joint operations with Pakistani troops as early as [...]

Qadhafi’s regime ‘on the run’, Tripoli pounded

TRIPOLI: Moamer Qadhafi's regime is on the run, a Nato official said, as alliance jets blasted Libya's capital and Russia on Wednesday slammed the blitz of Tripoli as a "grave departure" from UN resolutions. The senior Nato military official said the Western alliance is shifting into high gear in Libya in a bid to deliver [...]

Suicide blast in Peshawar as attacks continue

A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden pickup truck leveled the three storey building of the police's Criminal Investigation Department in Peshawar, killing five police officers and wounding at least 30 people.

Farming breakthrough: Cattle plague bites the dust

PARIS: In a moment that is being compared to the eradication of smallpox among humans, farming monitors on Wednesday will declare an ancient, devastating cattle disease has been stamped out after a nearly nine-decade effort. Rinderpest, a highly contagious and usually fatal viral disease also known as cattle plague, has been a curse throughout the [...]

Hollywood deal for film of bin Laden killing

LOS ANGELES: US film giant Columbia Pictures said Tuesday it has won the US distribution rights for a film about the killing of Osama bin Laden, to be directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow and journalist-turned screenwriter Mark Boal, who won Oscars for Iraq bomb squad movie "The Hurt Locker" in 2010, had already [...]

Balochistan govt will decide Reko Diq mining license issue: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday handed over the gold mining license issue of Reko Diq to the government of Balochistan, DawnNews reported. The decision was made after the consent of the parties concerned. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Mohammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani is hearing a petition [...]

Lauren is “Idol” frontrunner despite vocal troubles

LOS ANGELES: Lauren Alaina overcame a blown out vocal chord to become the judges’ favorite to win the "American Idol" title on Tuesday, topping rival country singer Scotty McCreery with an emotional song dedicated to her mother. Alaina, who is just 16 and has dreamed of being on the show since she was 6, appeared [...]

Pakistan safe for cricket, says Butt

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricket chief insisted Wednesday that his country is safe enough to host international matches, saying the current tour by lowly-ranked Afghanistan sends a positive message to the world. "We want to send a message to the world that Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket and the people of Pakistan would welcome [...]

Pakistan raid raises nuclear fears

ISLAMABAD: A raid by militants on a Pakistani naval base this week has raised fresh anxiety about Pakistan’s ability to protect its nuclear sites. Although Western governments and analysts agree there is little chance militants could succeed in stealing nuclear material in an assault like the one in Karachi, attacks by al Qaeda or [...]

Headley tells court of planning attacks

CHICAGO: A Chicago businessman charged with providing support in the planning and coordination of the 2008 Mumbai attacks said the Indian people got what they deserved, a court heard Tuesday. "They deserved it," Pakistani-Canadian suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana said upon hearing of the attack, according to David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American who spent months sizing [...]

Sisterhood does not exist

Most people often get shocked when they discover that I, a feminist, don't believe in universal sisterhood. People still have this erroneous view that we, feminists, think that men are pure evil. This has to do with not knowing what feminism really is. At its core, all it means is a desire to make the [...]

Afridi pulls out of Ireland one-dayers

ISLAMABAD: Shahid Afridi, dumped as Pakistan’s one-day captain, has withdrawn altogether from two one-day internationals against Ireland for personal reasons, an official said Tuesday. The popular 31-year-old all-rounder was last week replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq despite leading Pakistan to the semi-final of the World Cup and a 3-2 one-day series win over the West Indies. It [...]

Nadal and Clijsters enjoy contrasting wins

PARIS: Rafa Nadal suffered a severe fright before punching the air with both fists in joy as he began his French Open defence on Tuesday with a dogged win over John Isner, while fit-again Kim Clijsters sauntered through her first match. World number one Nadal was forced into his first five-set match at Roland Garros [...]

Team begins recording statements in PNS Mehran probe

KARACHI: The team investigating the attack on the PNS Mehran base has begun recording statements of navy officers and personnel, DawnNews reported. Sources told DawnNews that an investigation team constituted under Rear Admiral Tehseenullah had started recording the statements of navy personnel and employees who were on duty on Sunday. Sources said every employee and [...]

Country’s leadership must rethink policies, says Shahbaz

KARACHI: Chief Minister Punjab Shabaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the country's political and military leadership should set out a comprehensive strategy in consultation with the public in order to deal with national challenges, DawnNews reported. Speaking to media representatives on his return from London, Shabaz Sharif said the PNS Mehran incident had challenged the [...]

Contrasting challenges for Cardiff contenders

CARDIFF: England and Sri Lanka face differing challenges as they prepare for the first test in a three-match series opening in Cardiff on Thursday. Andrew Strauss’s England team have set their sights on deposing India as the world number side after successful Ashes defence this year. India will play four tests in England after the [...]

Fergie can outwit Barcelona, says Beckham

LONDON: Manchester United can upset the odds and beat Barcelona in Saturday’s Champions League final because of their manager Sir Alex Ferguson, claimed former United star David Beckham on Monday.  Barcelona are it is claimed by some as one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport but Beckham told the BBC that [...]

“Rebel Angel” exhibition opens at Mohatta Palace

An exhibition called "Rebel Angel" opened at the Mohatta Palace museum on May 18. The exhibition displays the works of the late Asim Butt, a young artist from Karachi who passed away last year. Butt was a modern artist and a member of the Stuckist art movement. He is also known for his graffiti art, [...]

French fighter jet crashes in Afghanistan

KABUL: A French fighter jet crashed in western Afghanistan on Tuesday, although the crew escaped without injury and enemy fire was not to blame, a French army spokesman said. "A Mirage 2000-D crashed 100 kilometres west of Farah," French army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Eric de Lapresle told AFP. He excluded enemy fire as the cause of [...]

Volcano may force Barcelona to travel early to final

BARCELONA: Barcelona may travel to London for Saturday’s Champions League final as early as Tuesday because of possible disruption to flights caused by ash billowing from an Icelandic volcano, coach Pep Guardiola said.  Authorities have predicted ash from the Grimsvotn volcano will cover Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern Britain by 0600 GMT [...]

US, India to discuss counter-terrorism strategy

MUMBAI: US Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday paid homage to the police victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks as she began a four-day visit to India to boost counter-terrorism ties. Napolitano placed a ceremonial wreath and stood head bowed in silent tribute for one minute at the memorial to the uniformed officers who [...]

Challenging musical barriers

Before I begin, let me warn you that this review is glowing and flattering. Not in response to monetary incentives, but because I feel that the negative reactions to the episode I’ve read thus far lack depth, pay lip service to criticism and are snarky quips to establish intellectual superiority. Such criticism might be valid [...]

Argentina took drugs before ’93 match: Maradona

BUENOS AIRES: Diego Maradona says Argentina players took banned drugs before a qualifying match for the 1994 World Cup.  He accuses FIFA vice president Julio Grondona, the head of Argentina’s Football Association, of being in on the scheme.  Maradona says there were no drug controls for the 1993 qualifier against Australia in Buenos Aires. He [...]

Djokovic, Schiavone start fast in the sun

PARIS: French Open title hopefuls Novak Djokovic and Francesca Schiavone made powerful starts to their campaigns with crushing wins in the sunshine at Roland Garros on Monday.  Second seed Djokovic extended his winning streak this year to 38 matches with a 6-2 6-1 6-3 thrashing of Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker and defending champion Schiavone raced [...]

Arsenal to play in Malaysia on Asia tour

LONDON: English Premier League side Arsenal will travel to Asia to play a Malaysia XI in a friendly match in July despite manager Arsene Wenger’s concerns about long tours causing fatigue to players. The game will take place at the country’s Bukit Jalil Stadium, which has a capacity of over 80,000, on July 13 in [...]

How far is Nepal from being democratic?

Hundreds of people rallied in Kathmandu to increase public pressure on the Constituent Assembly and finish a long-delayed new constitution due on May 28, 2011. The assembly was elected in May 2008 and extended for one year, but it still has not written a constitution, which has angered many people in Nepal. A decade of [...]

Humiliation deepens for Pakistan military

ISLAMABAD: A siege on a major naval base in the heart of Pakistan’s biggest city that took 17 hours to quell heaps humiliation on a military still reeling from the fallout over Osama bin Laden, experts say. Up to six Taliban fighters, armed with rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and automatic rifles, crept under cover of darkness [...]

Pakistan nuclear security ‘of concern’: Nato

KABUL: The head of Nato said Tuesday he was confident Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were safe, but admitted it was a matter of concern, the day after the worst assault on a Pakistani military base in two years. Anders Fogh Rasmussen was in Afghanistan on a one-day visit and met President Hamid Karzai to discuss the [...]

Dozens of flights grounded as ash cloud reaches Britain

LONDON: Airlines halted dozens of flights on Tuesday after a plume of ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland blew over Britain, even forcing US President Barack Obama to revise his travel plans. Barely a year after a similar eruption in Iceland forced the biggest closure of European airspace since World War II, Britain's flagship [...]

Bin Laden cache reveals no evidence of imminent threats

WASHINGTON: No evidence of specific or imminent threats has emerged yet from material confiscated from Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani hideout, Western counter-terrorism officials said, raising questions about how directly he was in control of al Qaeda. Aides to President Barack Obama have said that evidence seized in the US commando raid on bin Laden’s compound [...]

Pak-Afghan-US tripartite talks to begin

KABUL: The trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US will be held on today, DawnNews reported. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir will head the Pakistani delegation at the talks. Salman Bashir met with Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister, Javed Ludyan and Chairman of Peace Council, Burhanuddin Rabbani to discuss the negotiation agenda of the talks and [...]

US push for Mideast democracy critical, says Boehner

WASHINGTON: The United States must erase any doubt over its commitment to Middle East democracy amid the "Arab Spring" that has brought dramatic but unstable change to the region, the top US Republican said Monday. Speaking before the powerful pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, House Speaker John Boehner told the 10,000 assembled delegates that it was "delusional" [...]

Pakistani militant group, ISI coordinated: Headley

CHICAGO: The federal government’s key witnesses in the trial of a Chicago businessman accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks testified Monday that he first started training more than a decade ago with a Pakistani militant group that got assistance from the country’s main intelligence agency. The trial of businessman Tahawwur Rana is being closely watched [...]

Ryan Giggs sex scandal tests British privacy laws

LONDON: A British politician defied a court order on Monday by identifying Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs as the soccer star fighting a legal battle to prevent newspapers from publishing allegations of an affair. The release of Giggs’ name will be seen as a victory for the media over celebrities and their lawyers after an increasingly [...]

Sri Lanka reject Pakistan tour offer

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has turned down an offer to tour Pakistan because of security concerns, the Sri Lankan cricket board told Reuters on Tuesday.  "We have refused to tour Pakistan," a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) spokesman said by telephone. "We are concerned about the security and that’s why we said no to them."    Pakistan Cricket [...]

Militants attack Karachi military base

KARACHI: Several explosions have been heard near the PAF Museum on Dalmia Road in Karachi. The force of the blasts have  shattered  the windows of surrounding buildings, reports said. Heavy gunfire was also reported after the explosion. An eyewitness said that the blasts took place near the gate of Faisal Base. "We have four dead [...]

Saleh warns of Yemen civil war, Gulf deal unsigned

SANAA: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned on Sunday of civil war if the opposition defied his call for them to be present at his palace for him to sign a Gulf deal on a transition of power. "If they remain stubborn, we will confront them everywhere with all possible means," he said in a [...]

Pakistan on top after West Indies drop chances

BASSETERRE: Pakistan lead West Indies by 104 runs with all 10 second innings wickets intact at lunch on the third day of the second test on Sunday. The tourists’ advantage would have been even stronger had it not been for a fine rearguard battle from West Indies tail-enders Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul who put [...]

Thousands protest against US drone attacks in Karachi

KARACHI: Thousands demonstrated in Karachi on Sunday to demand an immediate end to US missile strikes in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas and urge the blocking of Nato supplies passing through the country. Activists from the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) continued a two-day sit-in outside the city’s Arabian Sea port, urging the government to end its [...]

Vettel holds off Hamilton for Spanish GP win

BARCELONA: Red Bull’s Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel took his fourth win in five races on Sunday in a Spanish Grand Prix that shed its reputation for predictable processions. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished second, just 0.6 seconds behind, after harrying the 23-year-old German over the closing laps in a far closer finale to a [...]

Van der Sar considered retirement U-turn: Ferguson

LONDON: Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was tempted to change his decision to retire at the end of this season. The 40-year-old Dutchman takes part in his last Premier League match for United when the champions host Blackpool on Sunday before playing the final game of his career [...]

Saudi Arabia beheads Pakistani over murder

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday beheaded a Pakistani convicted of killing a fellow citizen in the holy city of Mecca, the official SPA news agency said. "Tareq Gaweid Ghulam, a Pakistani, has killed Aref Khuda Bakhsh, (another) Pakistani, using an axe… because of a dispute between them," reported SPA, adding that Ghulam was executed Sunday. [...]

South Asian experts urge for climate change adaptation

KATHMANDU: South Asian environmentalists, hydrologists, climatologists and scientists at a regional training workshop on Saturday said that climate change in conjunction with other drivers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region would have a serious impact on water accessibility, people's vulnerability to water-fuelled hazards and socio-economics.   They underlined a need to close the knowledge gap on [...]

The dharna and the drone attacks

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday started its two-day sit-in in front of Karachi Port against the US drone attacks in tribal areas of Pakistan, and logistic support en- route Pakistan to the Nato troops in Afghanistan. Thousands of people from different walks of life and political activists gathered at the Native Jetty Bridge near Karachi [...]

Hargreaves to be released by United

LONDON: Owen Hargreaves will leave Manchester United at the end of this season after Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the injury-ravaged England midfielder will not be offered a new contract. Hargreaves endured a miserable four-year spell at Old Trafford as tendinitis in both knees left him l anguishing in the treatment room for long spells. Having [...]

Upper Sindh districts lack PCR Hepatitis facilities

Ratodero, Sindh: There is no facility of PCR Hepatitis test for the patients of seven upper Sindh districts which is essential before the start of Hepatitis B & C treatment. The largest teaching hospital of upper Sindh, Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) had the costly PCR machine provided by the Director General Health Services Sindh [...]

Wenger ready to splash the cash

LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted he is ready to make big-money signings ahead of next season in order to help end the Gunners’ six-year trophy drought. Another season without silverware – Arsenal suffered a shock loss to Birmingham in the English League Cup final – ends with their final Premier League match against [...]

Loew to bring down curtain on Ballack’s Germany career

BERLIN: Coach Joachim Loew said Sunday he plans to have a final meeting with former German captain Michael Ballack after June’s Euro 2012 qualifiers and bring the curtain down on his stellar international career. Ballack, 34, won the last of his 98 caps in March 2010 before suffering back-to-back injuries last year which have seen [...]

Germany helps mediate US talks with Taliban: report

BERLIN: Germany is helping mediate secret, direct talks between the United States and the Afghan Taliban, with meetings taking place on German soil, Spiegel magazine reported here Sunday. Germany's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Michael Steiner is moderating the talks, the latest round of which took place on May 7 and 8 in Germany, [...]

How the French title was won

PARIS: Lille ended a 57-year wait to win the French league title after drawing 2-2 at Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, thereby completing a league and French Cup double. Take a look back at the twists and turns that took place over the course of the Ligue 1 title race. AUGUST Defending champions Marseille get off [...]

NEWS IN BRIEF

Man alleges police torture TAXILA, May 21: A salesman working in Wah Cantonment on Saturday said the local police illegally detained, tortured and implicated him in a fake case. Mohammad Bilal, a resident of Lala Rukh, told reporters that on April 6 he was repairing his motorbike when SI Nazar Mohammad along with other cops [...]

Speakers want 10pc GDP spent on social sector

ISLAMABAD, May 21: Rising poverty in Pakistan necessitates that 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be spent on social sector including education, health, safe drinking water, sanitation and basic infrastructure to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. This was a key demand at a pre-budget seminar on 'We Demand Budget for [...]

Girl `gang raped`

ISLAMABAD, May 21: A 20-year-old girl was allegedly raped by four persons, police said on Saturday. SF, a resident of G-11, told Kohsar police that she was gang raped by friends of her boyfriend in a house at G-8. She said she was kidnapped from Super Market and taken to G-8 Markaz and subjected to [...]

Tent pegging attracts crowds

TAXILA, May 21: Hundreds of enthusiasts from as far as Balochistan turned up at Badhana, about 15 kilometres from here, to witness the thrilling and adventurous annual tent pegging held there. Teams from Sargodha, Pindigheb and other parts of the country participated in the event. Famous rider Malik Fateh Khan and Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab [...]

AJK polls No decision yet on party nominations

MUZAFFARABAD, May 21: With only five days left for filing of nomination papers, all three major political parties of Azad Jammu and Kashmir are yet to make a final decision about their nominees for the 41 constituencies of Legislative Assembly, it has been learnt. The opposition People`s Party (PPAJK), which boasts of forming the next [...]

Japan, China, S. Korea summit starts in Tokyo

TOKYO: Leaders of Japan, China and South Korea Sunday began a trilateral summit, at which Tokyo is expected to offer to share lessons it has learned from its earthquake and tsunami and the ongoing nuclear crisis. The meeting came as Japan struggles to control the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl at the Fukushima plant, [...]

Pakistan army denies US troops were in northwest

Pakistan's military has denied a report that US Special Forces were embedded with Pakistani troops for intelligence- gathering missions in the northwest of the country. The local Dawn newspaper said on Saturday it obtained secret dispatches from WikiLeaks that revealed that US Special Forces were deployed with Pakistani troops in joint operations in Pakistan [...]

`Fishy` hirings for road projects

ISLAMABAD, May 21: Ignoring its own experienced engineers, the cash-starved Capital Development Authority (CDA) has acquired the services of engineers from the private sector at lucrative salaries for the three road development projects, which have already turned out to be white elephants for the civic body, Dawn has learnt. An official close to the development [...]