Unsuspecting passengers overpaid an average of about $5, officials have said. But each cabbie who faced felony charges overcharged at least 300 times, and some did it enough to steal more than $10,000, officials said. Photo by Andy C/ Wikimedia Commons NEW YORK: More than two dozen taxi drivers have pleaded guilty after a broad probe into a fare-boosting scam that affected thousands of tourists and residents who rode in the citys signature yellow cabs, prosecutors said Monday. The Manhattan district attorneys office compiled the numbers after the latest guilty plea, entered Monday by a driver accused of quietly manipulating his meter to double the fare rate for nearly 4,000 trips. With his admission, 26 drivers have pleaded guilty to felony charges, the DAs office said; more than a dozen other cases remain open. Forty-five cabbies were charged with felonies in September after authorities said they repeatedly racheted their meters up to a higher suburban fare rate when they actually we...

Anti-government protesters are seen in Tahrir Square at nightfall in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairos streets Tuesday to demand the removal of President Hosni Mubarak. AP Photo CAIRO: Egyptians plan mass marches on Tuesday in their campaign to oust President Hosni Mubarak, reassured by the all-powerful army, which has said their demands are legitimate and that it will not fire on them. As Mubarak announced a new cabinet that saw the demise of a widely feared interior minister, and the newly appointed vice president offered talks with the opposition, protesters pushed ahead with a singular goal of forcing the president from office. They announced an indefinite general strike and called for a march of a million in the capital on Tuesday, the eighth day of an uprising that has claimed at least 125 lives in clashes between demonstrators and police. Another million-strong march was planned in the Mediterrane...

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday said that the name of Raymond Davis, an American national who killed two people in Lahore, be added to the Exit Control List (ECL), DawnNews reported. The court said Raymond Davis cannot be allowed to leave the country and that the federal government cannot do anything in this regard.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi described conditions at McLean Park as heaven for a batsman and did not believe his side would suffer by batting second. -AFP Photo NAPIER: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat first in the fourth one-day international against Pakistan in Napier on Tuesday. Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi described conditions at McLean Park as heaven for a batsman and did not believe his side would suffer by batting second. The match, on a pitch which regularly provides scores in excess of 300, is crucial to give one side a psychological advantage in the six-match series which is currently locked at 1-1 with one game abandoned. Its obviously a beautiful wicket and has lots of runs, Vettori said as New Zealand hastily revised their lineup following the late withdrawal of opener Jesse Ryder with an injured finger. He has been replaced by allrounder James Franklin, who will boost the home sides fast bowling stocks to three after they originally ...

Egyptian demonstrators gather in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, on the seventh day of protests against long term President Hosni Mubarak's regime. -AFP Photo CAIRO: The Egyptian peoples demands are legitimate,its all-powerful military said on Monday, vowing not to crush mass anti-government protests called for Tuesday. To the great people of Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people have not used and will not use force against the Egyptian people, it said in a statement. A military spokesman, quoted by Egyptian state television and the official MENA news agency, added that peaceful freedom of expression was guaranteed for all. Freedom of expression by peaceful means is everyones right. The armed forces are aware of and recognise the legitimate demands of the honourable people, it said, in several references to the legitimacy of the peoples demands. The presence of the armed forces on the street is for your good and for your safety and security and it wi...

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday decided to make no changes in petroleum products prices during the month of February. According to sources, the government took this decision under the pressure of the key political parties of the country. The sources added that to maintain this decision, the government will have to bear subsidy of Rs. 6.5 billion on the petroleum products. Prior to this decision, the Petroleum Ministry sent a summary for the de-regularization of the petroleum products prices to the Prime Minister. The Managing Director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Irfan Qureshi, said while talking to SAMAA that the consumers will benefit after de-regularization of petroleum products prices as these will be sold in northern areas on same prices like Rawalpindi. After approval form the Prime Minister, the Oil and Regulatory Authority (OGRA) is expected to issue an official notification a...

Islamabad: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani reaffirming Pakistans strong commitment to defeat terrorism, says military gains in that war cannot be consolidated unless people of cleared areas see socio-economic development and higher job opportunities on the ground. Talking to visiting US Congressional delegation led by Darrell E. Issa on Monday, he said it was imperative on part of US to quicken pace of disbursement of its economic assistance for development projects not only in affected areas but across the country to help Pakistan sustain momentum and retain support of masses in fighting this menace. He urged new US Congress for fast-tracking passage of ROZs (Reconstruction Opportunity Zones) and Enterprise Fund legislation for creation of higher employment and bringing down economic hardships of people of Pakistan. We are going through evolutionary process of rebuilding democratic ins...

Four elephants are held hostage in Morocco, on a no mans land close to Casablancas Great Mosque, following European Union travel restrictions that prevent wild animals coming from Africa to enter the EU. But having spent more than six months in Morocco under European rules they have technically acquired the nationality of the country where they are, the EU told AFP. Morocco, however, has no regulations on animal health compatible with EU rules and suffers moreover from foot and mouth disease. The elephants left France on tour in 2005. Joy Gartner walks by one of his four elephants held 'hostage'. | 1 / 8

Supporters of the religious and political party Jamaat-e-Islami hold a banner that reads "Pakistani Demand to Hang Raymond Davis Immediately" while praying during a protest rally in Karachi January 30, 2011. Photo by Reuters ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Monday the courts should decide the fate of a US government employee, under investigation for double murder, after US lawmakers pressed for his release. Six representatives of the US Congress asked Zardari to free Raymond Davis, who was arrested after killing two Pakistani motorcyclists in broad daylight on the streets of Lahore, in what the American said was self-defence. It would be prudent to wait for the legal course to be completed,Zardaris office quoted him as saying during the meeting, which the US embassy said was planned before last weeks killings. Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that while the president appreciated the Congressmens concern the matter was already before the courts. The US em...

Cars drive past the Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta.AP NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will visit Kolkatas Eden Gardens next Monday to find out if it can host its three remaining World Cup games and has said the India-England match will be moved to Bangalore. Crickets governing body announced last week it would take the Feb. 27 clash between India and England away from the venue because of a delay in renovation work. The ICC said on Monday it had accepted the Indian boards (BCCI) proposal to move the match to Bangalore, adding it would make a further check on progress in Kolkata next week. In a letter to the BCCI yesterday the ICC outlined a schedule of works that needed to be carried out at Eden Gardens ahead of the grounds other scheduled fixtures on 15, 18 and 20 March, read an ICC statement. An inspection team will visit Kolkata again on 7 February to assess progress in line with that schedule. Kolkatas race against time is mirroring Delhis struggle to get ready...

In this still image taken from video, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Vice President Omar Suleiman hold a cabinet meeting in Cairo.Reuters CAIRO: Widely hated Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and businessmen were axed in a new Egyptian cabinet announced Monday by embattled President Hosni Mubarak that otherwise kept the lineup largely unchanged. State television showed images of the new ministers being sworn in and shaking hands with Mubarak. Absent were Adly and the finance and culture ministers of the previous cabinet. Adly was replaced by Mahmud Wagdi, a police general. Adlys ouster was one of the demands of protesters who have for a week demanded the departure of Mubarak and his entire regime. They have also called for an end to corruption and oppression. Business tycoons close to the regime playing an important role in politics is seen in Egypt as a sign of corruption, while Mubaraks son and previous heir apparent Gamal is also closely linked to the political-business milie...

Increasingly low water levels and the spilling of pesticides into the river have reduced the dolphins' habitat. AP (File Photo) KARACHI: Wildlife authorities say they have found the carcasses of six endangered river dolphins in Pakistan over the last month. Sindh Wildlife Department deputy head Ghulam Mohammad accused on Monday local fishermen, saying their poison and nets were to blame for the deaths of the Indus River Dolphin. The blind mammal is found only in the Indus River. A 2006 survey put the numbers left in the river at 1,300. Increasingly low water levels and the spilling of pesticides into the river have reduced the dolphins habitat.

Karachi, The Met Office has forecast fair weather with cool night in Karachi on Tuesday with minimum temperature ranging between 12-14 degrees centigrade. Cool and dry weather has been forecast for Hyderabad, while cold and dry weather for Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana divisions. On Monday the highest maximum temperature of 29.o degree centigrade was reordered at Turbat while lowest minimum of -6.0 at Kalat.

COLOMBO - Unidentified attackers in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo set ablaze the offices of an anti-establishment news website on Monday. The lankaenews.com premises were torched in a pre-dawn attack but there were no reports of casualties, a police officer at the scene told AFP. Monday's attack appeared similar to the July burning of a private television station, Siyatha, in Colombo. In January 2009, another independent television station, Maharaja Television, was bombed by an unidentified group of people. A spokesman for President Mahinda Rajapakse's office said he had ordered police to carry out a thorough investigation. Sandaruwan Senadeera, the editor of Lanka E-News, which supported the main opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka at the January 2010 presidential election, is based in Europe following death threats. "A group of unknown personnel had broken into the premis...

Omran Shafique talks to the press at the launch of Uth Records - Photo by Nadir Siddiqui KARACHI: On the anniversary of their tenth year Ufone announced the launch of Uth Records; a television show that will showcase and promote young musicians in the country by selecting them through their demos and helping them record their own music. The Uth Records concept distinguishes itself from other local singing competitions though the idea that it will accept any form of musical talent, whether it is a solo artist or a whole band. The selections will be made through auditions, which will be judged by a panel of producers including Louise J Pinto (Gumby), and Omran Shafique. Musicians can send in their demos online, by post, or if they are Ufone users- by recording them live via phone. Those selected will then work closely with the producers to arrange, compose and record their respective original compositions in a professional recording studio with some of Pakistans most gifted musicians. Th...

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have asked mobile telephone operators to stop BlackBerry services to foreign missions in the country amid concern about the security of the communications, industry sources said on Monday. Two industry officials confirmed that the regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), had asked them to stop all Blackberry services to foreign missions. I can confirm that PTA has asked us to stop all BlackBerry services to foreign embassies and high commissions, a senior official at a mobile company, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. Another industry official at another mobile company also confirmed receiving the instructions. There are some other issues as well, mostly relating to BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server), which we are trying to resolve in consultation with the PTA, he said. A PTA spokesman was not available for comment. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has been buffeted by demands for access to its encrypted data from several c...

Senior minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Bashir Bilour. Photo by APP PESHAWAR: A senior minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Bashir Bilour, on Monday said militants were targeting police to pressure and dishearten them. But he told reporters such attacks would not weaken the governments commitment to combat militancy. We will continue our fight against terrorism. We will not be deterred, it will only strengthen our resolve to eliminate terrorists, he added. The statement came as six people, including a senior police official, were killed and 14 people wounded in two bomb blasts in Peshawar on Monday, the first detonated by a teenage suicide bomber. Pakistans northwest and tribal areas have been wracked by violence, mostly targeting security officials, since hundreds of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters sought refuge there after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Some 4,000 people have been killed in bomb blasts, suicide and gun attacks since July 2007....

PESHAWAR, At least five including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rasheed khan killed and several people have been injured in a powerful suicide bomb blast on a police car in Peshawar on Monday. According to details, the blast occurred in Garhi Qamar Din area at Kohat Road. Police said that DSP Rasheed Khans vehicle was targeted by the suicide attacker when he was patrolling in the area. Five people including DSP Rasheed Khan died in an attack while several people injured including his guard. Police cordoned off the area immediately after the blast. The injured have been shifted to hospital. Senior Minister of Khyber PakhtoonKhawa, Bashir Bilour said that six people including DSP and his driver killed in the blast. Police found a head of suicide bomber from the site. Police said that the suicide attacker was 17 years of age. AIG Malik Shafqat said mediamen that all the evidences hav...

Flood survivors walk in makeshift tent camp in Sukkur. AFP Photo/Rizwan Tabassum RAMLI KHOSO: Six months after Pakistans epic floods demolished this farming village in the southern province of Sindh, its residents still live in limbo on a roadside. Let down by their unpopular government, and too poor to rebuild their homes, villagers living in tents can only pray the next monsoon season in July wont bring more upheaval. We are hardly getting any help, said Alimi Khoso, pointing to a dirty plaster around her two-month-old granddaughters leg, broken in an accident in a tent camp. Where will we go if there are more floods? We dont even have enough money to run away. Monsoon floods began roaring through Pakistan in late July last year, leaving about 11 million people homeless. The government was slow to respond while the military, seen as a far more efficient institution, took the lead in relief operations. Pakistani leaders could face fresh criticism if dire conditions in flood-affected a...

Citing US non-government analysts, the newspaper said that only four years ago, the Pakistani nuclear arsenal was estimated at 30 to 60 weapons. AFP Photo WASHINGTON: Pakistan has doubled its nuclear weapons stockpile over the past several years, increasing its arsenal to more than 100 deployed weapons, The Washington Post reported late Sunday. Citing US non-government analysts, the newspaper said that only four years ago, the Pakistani nuclear arsenal was estimated at 30 to 60 weapons. They have been expanding pretty rapidly, the report quoted David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, as saying. Based on recently accelerated production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium, Islamabad may now have an arsenal of up to 110 weapons, Albright said. As a result, Pakistan has now edged ahead of India, its nuclear-armed rival, The Post noted. India is estimated to have 60 to 100 weapons.

Egyptian Nobel Peace laureate and democracy advocate Mohamed ElBaradei arrives to address the crowd at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday Jan.30, 2011. AP Photo CAIRO: Egypts most prominent democracy advocate took up a bullhorn Sunday and called for President Hosni Mubarak to resign, speaking to thousands of protesters who defied a curfew for a third night. Fighter jets streaked low overhead and police returned to the capitals streets high-profile displays of authority over a situation spiraling out of control. Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradeis appearance in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square underscored the jockeying for leadership of the mass protest movement that erupted seemingly out of nowhere in the past week to shake the Arab worlds most populous nation. Now in their sixth day, the protests have come to be centered in the square, where demonstrators have camped since Friday. Up to 10,000 protesters gathered there Sunday, and even after the 4 pm curfew, they numbered in the...

Pyongyang says the South provoked the island attack by test-firing shells into its waters, and says it had nothing to do with the sinking of Cheonan warship. Photo by AP SEOUL: South Korea on Monday rejected a push by the North to bring forward military talks by 10 days, saying it was not enough time to prepare for their first dialogue since the Norths deadly attack against a border island last year. Pyongyang sent a message to the Souths defence ministry at the weekend calling for the preliminary talks, which Seoul has suggested take place at the Panmunjom truce village on Feb. 11, to start on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear why the North wanted an earlier date. Talks at the military and political level between the rival Koreas are routinely set after proposals and counterproposals as the two sides vie for higher bargaining positions and rarely break down over scheduling conflicts. Such trouble is not anticipated this time either, a defence ministry official said. North Korea ha...

Fundamentals and nasty surprises are on investors minds heading into February, with big tests in the coming week about jobs and inflation and increasing worries over Egypt and its region. The latter has already hit oil prices and has started to rattle equities. U.S. crude oil futures ended more than 4 percent higher Friday, on concerns the civil unrest in Egypt could spread and threaten stability in the Middle East. Overall, however, the first month of the year has been a good one for investors willing to take on some risk. Until Fridays sell off, global equities were gaining at a rate that would have produced one of the best years in the past four decades. Assets such as short-term high-yielding bonds have also been in favor, while supposedly safe-haven developed market sovereign debt has suffered. This is all based on a consensus that arose toward the end of last year that leading developed economies the United States, the euro zone and even Japan were likely to become more dynamic...

LAHORE, Jan 30: The Pakistan Electric Power Company is under `intense pressure` from the Ministry of Water and Power to license Reshma Power, a rental power plant (RPP), to start partial generation, strike financial deals with it and arrange oil for it, according to insiders in Pepco. The ministry has denied Pepco`s claim. The company insiders insist they have been able to resist the pressure so far because a case is being heard by the Supreme Court, but fear they may soon be pressed into accommodating the struggling rental power plant on all three accounts. They say the power plant, prematurely inaugurated by Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Jan 1, has installed only nine generators at the site against the 24 it needs to have there to achieve the full generation capacity. The RPP took almost 13 months to install these nine generators. The sources say that under these circumstances it is impossible for Pepco to issue an illegal partial generation licence known as comm...

KARACHI , Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has said that his party wanted to bring a peaceful revolution through vote and would not hesitate to offer sacrifices, if needed. He said his party wanted to establish a system in the country which meets the parameters of pragmatism and realism. Altaf Hussain was addressing via telephone from London at the Jalsa-e-Qaumi Yakjehti of his party organized at Jinnah Ground, Azizabad here on Sunday. He said his party intended to establish a system in the country which provides equal status to the rich and the poor. Speaking about Balochistan situation, he was of the view that the government should talk to its people. Altaf Hussain said the rights of provinces on their respective resources be accepted and expressed the need for holding a referrendum in this regard. He observed that if more provinces were formed, it would strengthen the...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Sunday that there is no concept of deadlines in politics, however, the reservations of Mian Nawaz Sharif would be addressed and all matters would be resolved with political consensus.Talking to media here at Dera Kaira, he said that the judiciary, media and parliament are independent, adding that petroleum prices were reduced back down on the demand of the opposition. He said that a committee has been formed to fulfil other demands of the opposition and to settle matters with consensus. He expressed his astonishment over the Nawaz Sharifs statement,whereby he had alleged that he was being implicated in the assassination of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer. He said that PPP has always adopted the policy of reconciliation and took decisions according to the aspirations of people.

DawnNews has received exclusive documents that show that US national Raymond Davis, arrested for the Killing of two Pakistanis, does not have a diplomatic visa. -DawnNews A new twist in the Raymond Davis saga has come to the fore, as DawnNews exclusively reveals vital information related to the accused. Travel Documents exclusively obtained by DawnNews reveal that Raymond Davis who is allegedly involved in the killing of two Pakistani citizens is not on a diplomatic visa. According to the documents it is also revealed that Davis was issued a two-year extension to his last visa from the interior ministry in Islamabad which was the third time he received a Pakistani visa. The travel documents also disclose that this was Daviss ninth trip to Pakistan. The US Embassy had first claimed that Raymond Davis was a staff member of the US Consulate in Lahore. The embassy then retracted their statement and called him a diplomat and finally on Sunday the embassy stated that the US diplomat detained...

Altaf Hussain was addressing via telephone from London at the Jalsa-e-Qaumi Yakjehti of his party organized at Jinnah Ground, Azizabad. -File Photo KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has said that his party wanted to bring a peaceful revolution through vote and would not hesitate to offer sacrifices, if needed. He said his party wanted to establish a system in the country which meets the parameters of pragmatism and realism. Altaf Hussain was addressing via telephone from London at the Jalsa-e-Qaumi Yakjehti of his party organized at Jinnah Ground, Azizabad on Sunday. He said his party intended to establish a system in the country which provides equal status to the rich and the poor. Speaking about Balochistan situation, he was of the view that the government should talk to its people. Altaf Hussain said the rights of provinces on their respective resources be accepted and expressed the need for holding a referrendum in this regard. He observed that if more pro...

Some of the thousands of Egyptian protesters shout anti-Mubarak slogans during a protest in Cairo. -AP Photo WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Sunday for an orderly transition in Egypt but stopped short of demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down as protests engulfed his regime. Mubarak, who appointed military intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as his first ever vice president on Saturday and named a new premier to try to assuage his peoples thirst for change, must go further, Clinton said. That is the beginning, the bare beginning of what needs to happen, which is a process that leads to the kind of concrete steps to achieve democratic and economic reform that weve been urging, she told ABC News. As the anti-government revolt in Egypt raged into a sixth day amid increasing lawlessness and mass jail breaks, Clinton did a sweep of Sunday morning talk shows in the United States to outline the US position. Were trying to promote an orderly transition and change tha...

Thousands of Tunisians turned out on Sunday to welcome home an Islamist leader whose return from 22 years of exile marks a powerful symbol of the change that has swept the country this month. Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda movement, has lived in London since he was exiled in 1989 by president Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali, who was toppled on January 14 by popular protests that have sent political tremors across the Arab world. The Islamists were Tunisias strongest opposition force at the time Ben Ali cracked down on them two decades ago but have not been seen to play a prominent role in the popular revolt. Analysts say they may re-emerge as a prominent political force. The turnout at Tunis airport on Sunday was the biggest show of support for Ennahda in the past two decades, during which their supporters were jailed by Ben Ali. Allahu Akbar, chanted the crowd, made up mainly of young men. The Muslim people will not surrender. Aiport security struggled to contain the throng, whi...

Egyptian protesters shout slogans against President Hosni Mubarak's regime at Tahrir Square in Cairo on January 30, 2011. -Photo by AFP DUBAI: Al Jazeera television, banned in Egypt on Sunday, has often angered Arab governments with its coverage of dissent and served as a counterweight to regimes which accuse it of stirring dissent. Egypts official MENA news agency said the outgoing information minister, Anas al-Fikki, ordered Al Jazeeras closure in Cairo after its blanket coverage of anti-government protests sweeping the country. The Doha-based Al Jazeera slammed the move as an attempt at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people. In this time of deep turmoil and unrest in Egyptian society it is imperative that voices from all sides be heard, the Arab satellite news channel said. On Saturday, it broadcast an appeal from Yusef al-Qaradawi, a popular Egyptian-born television preacher and mentor of Egypts officially banned Muslim Brotherhood, urging President Hosni Mu...

Prime Minister Gilani - AFP File Photo ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Sunday declined to comment on the arrest of a US man who shot dead two men in Lahore, saying the matter was being probed by courts and regional authorities. The US embassy has claimed diplomatic immunity on behalf of Raymond Davis, previously described as a consulate employee, who is under investigation on double murder charges after shooting dead two motorcyclists on Thursday. A third Pakistani was crushed to death by a consulate car that went to help Davis following the shooting in a busy street in the eastern city. The federal government is not silent over this matter. This matter is in the court, Gilani told reporters in a live televised press conference from his home town of Multan. The Punjab government is conducting an inquiry into this matter and I would not comment till it is completed, Gilani said. Davis, who has been held at a Lahore police station since the incident, appeared befo...

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram File Photo NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said on Sunday that some evidence has emerged in the 2007 Samjhauta blast case and India will share information with Pakistan once the probe is over. According to Indian media, Chidambaram said that India had never said that it would not share information with Pakistan. We have not said that we will not provide evidence. These are early phases of investigationonce the investigation is complete we will share the evidence with Pakistani authorities, he said. Chidambaram said that he had conveyed Indias position to his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik. The minister said that India did not have any indication earlier as to who may have been behind the attack, however, now some evidence had emerged which pointed towards a few suspects. He also said that a right-wing group member Swami Aseemanand had already confessed his involvement in the Samjhauta case

Based on his education and experience, Kashif Mahmood secured admission in MS programme at the University Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) that is ranked among the best universities in the world. Photo courtesy University Pierre et Marie Curie (www.upmc.fr) ISLAMABAD: Higher Education Commision (HEC) scholar Kashif Mehmood has made the nation proud by successfully completing two PhD degrees from France within a period of four years. He is among those few fortunate researchers in the world who have secured double doctorates in two different disciplines (Business Administration and Computer Science) from two leading universities, says a press release issued here. Dr. Kashif Mehmood completed four postgraduate degrees (PhD in Computer Science, PhD in Business Administration, M.Phil in Business Administration, MS in Computer Science) within the last five years. He was awarded HEC scholarship under Overseas Scholarship Scheme for PhD in Selected Fields (Phase-1) in 2004. Based on his education...

People gather in Cairos international airport as they wait to check-in for their flights early on January 30, 2011 while many tourist and Egyptians were stranded at Cairo airport as flights were disrupted due to the political turmoil in the country. AFP ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit on Sunday said that Pakistan is monitoring the situation in Egypt closely and is in constant contact with the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Egypt. The spokesman said that there were more than 150 Pakistani families in Egypt and preparations to bring them back to the country were complete. While speaking to Dawn.com, Abdul Basit said that more than 500 Pakistanis were present in Cairo and due to the deteriorating situation there, they will be brought back to Pakistan by PAF C 130 aircrafts. Meanwhile, also on Sunday, the United States said it was offering evacuation flights to Europe for US citizens who wish to leave Egypt, which has been rocked by violent protests seeking an end to Pres...

(L-R) Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif.AFP Photo MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has rubbished claims she has not declared her full earnings to Indian authorities as malicious rumours after a raid on her home amid suspicions of tax evasion. We deny the many malicious rumours being spread in the media on the basis of some unidentified sources, a spokesman for the actress was quoted as saying by the domestic Press Trust of India news agency. Chopra was cooperating fully with the income tax department and would make no further comment until the investigations were complete, the spokesman added. Tax officials in Mumbai raided the homes and offices of Chopra and fellow actress Katrina Kaif, prompting claims in the Indian media that the popular actresses had not fully declared their assets. Kaif issued a similar statement through her chartered accountant, saying she was disturbed at similar speculation.

Unknown gunmen opened fire on three Nato tankers at Wadh area near Khuzdar on Sunday. Reuters (File Photo) KARACHI: Unknown gunmen opened fire on three Nato tankers at Wadh area near Khuzdar on Sunday. Two of the tankers caught fire while the third one fell off the bridge. According to police sources, the tankers were going to Quetta from Karachi, where unknown motorcyclists opened fire on them near Wadh area. No casualties were reported in the incident.

Africa Union, (AU) Chairperson, Jean Ping addresses a press conference at the 16 Ordinary Summit of the AU in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on January 29, 2010. AFP Photo ADDIS ABABA: List of main conflicts, crises and flashpoints in Africa ahead of the African Unions summit January 30-31 in Addis Ababa. TUNISIA A month of violent protests that resulted in dozens of deaths forced authoritarian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country on January 14, ending his 23 year-rule. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi caved in to pressure from demonstrators Thursday by forming a new cabinet backed by the powerful labour union UGTT. EGYPT Since January 25 Egypt has been facing unprecedented protests challenging President Hosni Mubaraks three-decade rule and his perpetual state of emergency. Mubaraks announcement Friday of a government reshuffle failed to appease public anger. IVORY COAST The Ivory Coast is mired in a two-month-old power struggle between incumbent strongman Laure...

Leaders of the 6,500-strong 3 Commando Brigade believe success rests on convincing nervous residents of the long-lawless Helmand that they can place their trust in the democratic governance on offer. AP Photo SALISBURY PLAIN: The next British brigade heading to Afghanistan will enter Helmand Province with a new emphasis on giving locals enough confidence to oust the Taliban from their strongholds. Ten years and now 350 British military deaths into the mission, their focus will be on improving the lives of ordinary Afghans first and on front-line fighting second, in a clear strategy shift. Leaders of the 6,500-strong 3 Commando Brigade believe success rests on convincing nervous residents of the long-lawless Helmand that they can place their trust in the democratic governance on offer. The Royal Marines formation is heading back to Afghanistan in April with memories still fresh of the 33 men it lost when it led British operations in the country in 2009. The first British brigade to go ...

LAHORE, Jan 29: Saifur Rehman of the Society Public School, Mughalpura, has won the Brain of Lahore 2011 inter-school quiz competition arranged by the Punjab Education Foundation at the Trust School, Harbanspura, on Saturday. A total of 236 schools took part in the competition, says a handout. Speaking on the occasion, chief guest Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan asked the students to emerge as nation-builders and change the destiny of the country by learning new skills and knowledge in keeping with the demand of the day. The winners of Brain of Lahore 2011 and Brain of Kasur 2011 were awarded Rs20,000 each.

Politicians have been blamed for stoking ethnic and religious tensions in central Nigeria. Human Rights Watch said this week more than 200 people had been killed in Plateau state since Christmas Eve, when dozens died in the string of bombings and resulting clashes in Jos. AP Photo JOS: Christian and Muslim leaders described deadly sectarian violence in central Nigeria Saturday, while Nigerian soldiers opened fire on students protesting there after an attack the night before. The renewed violence in the flashpoint region also saw churches and mosques set ablaze, officials and witnesses said. A hospital official said at least one person had been killed and 24 wounded by gunfire during the clashes between students and troops. But the commander of a military task force in the region said only four students had shot and injured when soldiers fired in self-defence. The clashes happened in the central Nigerian city of Jos, the scene of repeated attacks including the Christmas Eve bombings th...

LAKKI MARWAT, Jan 29: The district health department will launch a survey to check the household consumption of iodised salt and create awareness among the people especially females about the usefulness of the commodity. The health department with the help of two NGOs Micronutrient Initiative (MI) and Ask Development will engage lady health workers to conduct the survey and educate women on importance of iodised salt in daily diet, said an official on Saturday. He said the LHWs had a direct contact with the females of each household of their respective localities so they could easily collect data about the consumption of iodised salt. He said the lady health workers would be imparted training in this regard by lady health supervisors who had been provided the training in DHQ hospital Tajazai. The lady health supervisors have been given rapid test kits and household survey forms for onward distribution among the lady health workers. POWER TARIFF: The owners of private irrigation tub...