ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday directed the Establishment Division to verify the educational degrees and certificates of all the federal government employees. The Prime Minister also desired that the Federal Public Service Commission should also ensure authenticity of the degrees/certificates of all the candidates appearing for selection in the government service.

The problem with most middle-class political movements is that they know whom they dont want, but rarely do they know what they want. This is the case as well in what is going on in Egypt and in other Arab countries currently in the grip of uprisings. Rest assured all these are largely middle-class driven uprisings, emerging from what is called the blocked elite i.e. an educated middle-class that feels it has what it takes to become a power-elite but its path is being blocked by a corrupt, unfair and autocratic regime. Thus whenever this blocked elite does manage to stir up a movement, it is almost always focused on a single personality, and not necessarily the system as such. The rallying cry in the troubled Arab nations is against despotic individuals, but nobody has a clue what is to follow. The protesters, largely coming from middle and lower-middle-class strata of society have so far failed to produce their own organisations that can systematically suggest a political and econom...

Karachi: Burma Mohammedan recorded a formidable 3-0 win over Orangi Mohammedan in Karachi Football League here Friday at Aga Khan Gymkhana ground. Mohammed Jaffer, Saifullah and Noor Alam scored one goal each for Burma Mohammedan. With the win, Burma Mohammedan secured sixth position with 12 points from seven outing. Orangi Mohammedan played all of their nine matches without pulling a single triumph in the tournament. Meanwhile, the match played at Baloch Mujahid Stadium between Al-Shabaz Korangi and Salaar Welfare Centre ended in a 3-3 draw. Shah Alam, Jahangir Sattar and Akhtar Rasheed were the scorers for Al-Shabaz Korangi. While, Abdul Haleem scored two goals and M. Asif scored one goal for Salaar Welfare Centre. Al-Shabaz occupies top place in the ranking table with 15 points from eight games, while Salaar Welfare Centre earned eight points from seven games. ENDS-PPI

I feel for their families because they are key players. This is a low for Pakistan cricket. -Photo by Reuters KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram admitted that the lengthy bans handed out to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for corruption on Saturday represented a new low for the besieged sport in the country. I feel sad for all three of these kids, two just over 20 and one just 18, Wasim told AFP. I feel for their families because they are key players. This is a low for Pakistan cricket. The International Cricket Councils anti-corruption tribunal on Saturday banned Butt for 10 years (five suspended), Asif for seven years (two suspended) and teenager Amir for five. The bans were handed after an investigation into allegations made by the News of the World that the players deliberately bowled no-balls in the Lords Test against England in August. Wasim said he hopes the punishments will serve as a lesson. Not only for cricketers in Pakistan, but also for the players ...

-Photo by AFP MOHAMMAD AMIR (Left arm fast bowler) Age: 18 Tests: 14; Balls: 2,867; Runs: 1,484; Wickets: 51; Best bowling: 6/84; Average: 29.09; 5wkt innings: 3 ODIs: 15; Balls: 789; Runs: 600; Wickets: 25; Best bowling: 4/28; Average: 24.00 T20s: 18; Balls: 390; Runs: 457; Wickets: 23; Best bowling: 3/23; Average: 19.86 - Aamer shot to fame in his first year as an international when his exploits led to comparisons with legendary Pakistan left-arm paceman Wasim Akram. The teenager played a key role in guiding Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in 2009 the first time he was included in Pakistans senior team. His 5-79 at Melbourne in 2009 and then seven wickets in Pakistans sensational first Test win over Australia in 15 years at Leeds in July last year earned praise from none other than former Pakistan captain Imran Khan. Aamer is an amazing talent, Khan said. I have watched him closely and I can say that he is streets ahead of Wasim when he was 18. Wasim, who spotted Aamer i...

-Photo by AFP SALMAN BUTT (Left-handed opening batsman) Age: 26 Tests: 33; Runs: 1,889; Highest score: 122; Average: 30.46; 100s: 3; 50s: 10 ODIs: 78; Runs: 2,725; Highest score: 136; Average: 36.82; 100s: 8; 50s: 14 T20s: 24; Runs: 595; Highest score: 74; Average: 28.33; 50s: 3 - Butt was handed the captaincy after Shahid Afridi quit following a one-sided defeat against Australia at Lords in July last year. Pakistan defeated Australia in the next match by four wickets at Leeds their first win over the Aussies for 15 years and hopes of a new era were high. Emerging from the streets of Lahore, Salman represented Pakistan at all levels, leading Pakistan to the Asian Under-15 title in 1999 and then impressing in the Junior World Cup in 2002. His brilliant match-winning hundred in a one-day match against India at Calcutta in late 2004 set his career on the right track and although he flitted in and out of the squad, his talent was never in doubt. Under former coach Bob Woolmer, Salm...

A Foreign Office Spokesman was responding to a question about the progress on the investigation into the Samjhota Express blasts that killed 68 persons, including 42 Pakistani nationals. File Photo ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday termed it unfortunate that India has been unable to complete investigations into the Samjhota Express blasts, despite passage of four years. A Foreign Office Spokesman was responding to a question about the progress on the investigation into the Samjhota Express blasts that killed 68 persons, including 42 Pakistani nationals. India seems to be lacking courage to unearth culpability of Hindu extremists and their links with some Indian Army personnel, the spokesman said. He said it was unfortunate that India, which uses terrorism as propaganda against Pakistan, has still not been able to complete its investigations. He said despite the passage of four years India somewhat conveniently asserts that its investigations are incomplete. We do not know how many more ...

Torrential rains and flash floods trapped scores of people in homes and cars following a massive cyclone, piling more misery on Australia Saturday after weeks of record inundations. As coastal residents pieced together homes and farms destroyed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, dramatic deluges brought by cyclone activity caused chaos in the state of Victoria, some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away. Authorities urged residents of the small town of Koo Wee Rup, southeast of Melbourne, to evacuate for fear of flash floods, while more than 80 people were rescued from flood-bound houses and vehicles. An English tourist, 26, was in critical condition with serious head injuries after a gum tree came down on her tent, and a 14-year-old girl was pulled from a swollen river. Emergency services fielded thousands of calls for help. There is a simple message for everybody in Victoria at the moment: please take care, warned Victoria state premier Ted Baillieu. Whether youre near the roads, whether...

A woman injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan's tribal region of Khyber, is brought to the Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar. Reuters/File Photo LANDI KOTAL: At least three people were killed and two were wounded in a bomb blast in northwest Pakistans Khyber tribal region on Saturday, DawnNews quoted sources as saying.

The injured and bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital. Photo by AFP/File KARACHI: Seven people were killed and eight others injured in a road accident at Tando Mohammad Khan Road near Hyderabad on early Saturday morning. Initial reports said that a passenger van overturned near Hyderabad when its driver failed to control the over-speeding vehicle due to dense fog. The accident occurred near Seri Sugar Mills, a private television channel reported. Traffic remained suspended on Tando Mohammad Khan Road for some time. The injured and bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Supporters of Jamaat-i-Islami chant slogans and hold banners during a rally in support for Kashmir's people, in Karachi, February 3, 2011. Photo by AP Photo MUZAFFARABAD: Thousands of people rallied across Pakistan on Saturday to denounce Indian rule in Kashmir, the disputed Muslim-majority Himalayan state divided between the rivals. A Pakistani public holiday, Kashmir Solidarity Day, supports the regions right to self-determination in line with UN resolutions that call for a plebiscite in Kashmir on whether it should be ruled by India or Pakistan. Hundreds of people formed a human chain at the Kohala bridge to the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir. Banners and hoardings calling for Kashmirs freedom from Indian rule were put up by main roads and intersections across Pakistan and thousands of people in the country held protest rallies. Pakistan observed a one-minute silence at 10:00 am as a mark of respect to the more than 47,000 people killed since an insurgency broke out ...

Chelsea's Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti (L) poses with new signing, Spanish striker Fernando Torres at Chelsea's training grounds in Cobham, Surrey, on February 4, 2011. Liverpool could discover just how much they may miss Fernando Torres should the Spain striker make his debut for Chelsea against his old side on Sunday just days after completing a 50 million move. -Photo by AFP LONDON: Fernando Torres insists he is not a traitor after Chelseas 50 million pound striker was accused of betraying Liverpool. Torres is set to make an emotionally-charged Chelsea debut against his former club on Sunday just a week after completing his controversial British record transfer from Liverpool. Reds boss Kenny Dalglish admitted he was disappointed by the timing of Torress move, which was finalised just hours before the close of the transfer window. Torres was well below his best for much of this season and handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force through the move once he became...

There is a lot of ambiguity about when Bollywoods most desirable woman Katrina Kaif and her boyfriend Salman Khan called it splits. One of the reasons for this confusion is because this time around, Alpha-male Salman didnt react to their parting as he has done in the past. On earlier occasions when Salman split with his girlfriends, Somy Ali or Aishwarya Rai, the star usually made a public display of his displeasure. This time he is all quiet and dignified; in fact he hasnt even shown his remorse to anyone except to very close family and one friend. Bollywood waited with bated breath for Salman to pour a soft drink in public over Katrinas head or go below her Bandra home and holler, but the actor has chosen to maintain a safe distance from Katrina. As a result with each passing day there is a lot of curiosity building up. Says a top actress, Even now people are wondering if Kat and Salman are together. Or has she really moved on? In answer to this, an insider told us, Salman knows that...

Raymond Davis, an American national who killed two Pakistanis in Lahore. Photo by Reuters WASHINGTON: Pakistani officials are indicating that Raymond Davis, a US official charged with murder in Pakistan, may soon be released, the Associated Press reported. Davis works at the US consulate in Lahore. US officials said Pakistan should recognise his diplomatic immunity . They said he acted in self-defence in the shooting and killing two armed men. Two Pakistani officials in the United States told AP they expected Davis to be released in days, once a court in Pakistan goes over documents US officials have submitted to prove Davis diplomatic status . The Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic matter .

New Zealands Jesse Ryder plays a shot against Pakistan during the sixth one-day international cricket match at Eden Park in Auckland. AFP Photo/Brendon O'Hagan WELLINGTON: Jesse Ryder hit six sixes in an innings of 107 to lift New Zealand to 311-7, batting first in Saturdays sixth one-day cricket international against Pakistan. Ryder, batting No. 3 after Brendon McCullum was promoted to open, reached his second one-day international century from 82 balls after Pakistan won the toss on Saturday and sent New Zealand in to bat. Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum then smashed fast half centuries in a 120-run partnership for the sixth wicket, taking 71-runs from the last five overs, to ensure New Zealand passed 300. McCullum made 65 from 50 balls with seven fours and three sixes, falling to penultimate ball of the innings, and Styris was left 58 not out from 44 balls after running out Kyle Mills on the final ball. The pair helped revive New Zealands innings which had faltered after Ryder ...

"The Rangers were also an ever-present detail, apparently with the mandate to control the situation, but for some reason, that wouldnt help." - File Photo It has been about five years since I graduated from the University of Karachi but the experience has been far too full to fade away that quickly from the mind. And although the act of learning to love KU was mostly complicated, it was certainly more educational than the scholastic pursuits that I had in mind when I enrolled at the Department of English. It is difficult to identify what was most memorable or what were some of the rather unpleasant experiences but in my mind KU now exists as a cluster of sounds and images that continue to shuffle amongst themselves. In any case, I cannot help but remember the institution fondly and to put it sentimentally, even as a former home of sorts. One really interesting feature of the institution is the social diversity that it familiarises the students with. A melting pot the univer...

Umar Gul fields a ball from New Zealand player Martin Guptill (R) during the sixth one-day international cricket match at Eden Park in Auckland. -AFP Photo AUCKLAND: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to bowl first in the final one-day international against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday. With the series in the bag for Pakistan, the dead rubber gives them a chance to rest leading players Misbah-ul-Haq and Wahab Riaz to give Asad Shafiq and Sohail Tanvir more game time ahead of the World Cup, starting this month. For New Zealand, it is a face-saving exercise after winning the first game by nine wickets and then being convincingly beaten in the past three matches after the second game was washed out. After losing the fifth game in Hamilton on Thursday, to give Pakistan an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series, the New Zealand players spent 90 minutes locked away in a soul-searching session. All-rounder Jacob Oram said some home truths were laid out as the players e...

In this 1972 file photo originally provided by United Artists, Marlon Brando, left, and Maria Schneider are shown in a scene from The Last Tango in Paris. A representative of the Act 1 agency said Schneider died in Paris on Thursday, following a long illness. She was 58. -AP Photo PARIS: Maria Schneider, the French actress who was Marlon Brandos young co-star in the steamy 1972 film Last Tango in Paris, has died at age 58. Schneider died in Paris on Thursday following a long illness, a representative of the Act 1 talent agency said, but declined to provide details. Schneider was 19 when she starred opposite Marlon Brando in Bernardo Bertoluccis racy Last Tango in Paris. In it, she played Jeanne, a young Parisian woman who takes up with a middle-aged American businessman, played by Brando. Full of explicit sex scenes, Last Tango was banned in Italy for obscenity for nearly two decades, returning to cinemas there only in 1989. In the United States, the movie still has an NC-17 rating for...

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan may seek proportionate enhancement of the quantum of American assistance for the next fiscal year in an attempt to neutralise the impact of the Buy America policy on its development programme. Finance Minister Mohammad Shoaib, assisted by a strong team of officials, is due to brief the new American administration in Washington on Pakistans Second Five-Year Plan later this month. Addressing his weekly Press conference, Mr Shoaib said that as far as the purchase of capital goods, stores and equipment was concerned, Pakistan would face difficulties if the quantum of American aid was not increased. This drop in the quantity of imported American capital goods, he explained, would be due to higher prices prevailing in America. Another effect, he pointed out, would be repercussions on Pakistans pricing structure. This, he said, would be caused by variations in the American market and its pricing structure. The first problem, Mr Shoaib explained, could be solved by making ...

AS Egypt teeters on the brink, Israel is bracing for the possibility of a hostile neighbour across the Sinai after decades of peace. These growing concerns, despite possessing the best-armed and best-trained military machine in the region, underlines the existential threat Israel continues to face. Thousands of miles away, Pakistan is also an embattled state, with home-grown and external foes posing a real danger to its survival. Both have several things in common. Created on the basis of religion and as homelands for followers of Islam and Judaism respectively within a few months of each other, both have received billions of dollars from the United States in military and economic assistance. Despite this steroid boost for their armed services, both states are perpetually fearful of external and internal threats. In Israels case, after having repeatedly defeated its neighbours, it still faces resistance from non-state foes like Hamas and Hezbollah. Externally, it worries about Irans ...

ISLAMABAD:U.S. Congressional delegation protested the continued illegal detention of the American diplomat in Lahore. In a meeting Friday with Prime Minister Gilani, a bipartisan U.S. Representatives Buck McKeon (Republican, California), John Kline (Republican, Minnesota), and Silvestre Reyes (Democrat, Texas) called on the Government of Pakistan to abide by its obligation under international and Pakistani law to recognize his diplomatic immunity, and immediately release him.

Sialkot:The Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa will spend a busy day in Sialkot today Saturday during his first visit to Sialkot after becoming governor. Governor will inaugurate the NADRA women registration center at village Khajoorwali-Head Marala near Sialkot , besides, laying the foundation stone of construction of several link roads in Bajwat, Head Marala and Kotli Loharaan. He will also inaugurate the projects of suigas supply to several surrounding villages there along with the federal minister for women development Dr. Fardous Ashiq Awan. Governor will also meet the several delegations, besides, holding an important meeting of Sialkot business community scheduled to be held at a local hotel under the auspices of Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL).

Two accused were identified by the witnesses in the Shershah scrap market carnage case in which 14 persons were shot dead by gunmen in October last year. An identification parade was held here on Friday at the Central Prison for those allegedly involved in Shershah scrap market carnage case. The identification parade was held in presence of Incharge Judicial Magistrate Rasool Buksh Mirjat. Accused Mohammed Shafi Magsi and Aslam Pervez were identified by the witnesses.

Syed Talat Hussain.-DawnNews photo THATTA: DawnNews senior anchor Syed Talat Hussain and cameraman Haider Ali came under attack in interior Sindh on Friday evening. The DawnNews team was recording their programme on the plight of flood affectees in Road More area of Tehsil Jaati, when unknown gunmen opened fire. Locals claim the gunmen belong to a Qabza group. Sub-machine guns and other sophisticated weapons were used in the attack and the pellets from the rounds landed around the team. The team miraculously escaped the attack in the area of former advisor Ghulam Qadir Malkaani. Dozens of families are still awaiting help and trying to make ends meet under the open sky in this flood-ravaged area. DawnNews and journalistic organisations strongly condemned the attack and demanded an immediate investigation into the incident. Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad and other political leaders also condemned the attack. IG Sindh asked the concerned officials to submit the investigation report withi...

KARACHI: Nine police stations of Karachi Zone South police apprehended 29 accused including a woman kidnapper and recovered illegal weapons, mobile phones, cash, snatched vehicles and drugs from their possession, police said. As per details, Maripur police arrested a bandit, Bux, from Budhni Goth Hawksbay area and recovered a TT pistol and two bikes from his possession while his three other aides managed to escape. The accused used to rob the families who came to visit Hawksbay. The accused was suspected in several cases of robberies, street crime and murders. Darakhshan police arrested three street criminals, Zohaib, Ghulam Hussain and Shehzad, and foiled a bid of mugging near SeaView. The police recovered two TT pistols, a knife from their possession. Preedy police arrested nine absconders, wanted in several cases. Kharadar police arrested three accused including a woman Zaitunnisa, Sa...

The Secretary-General of the Pakistan Peoples' Party Jahangir Badar. File Photo ISLAMABAD: The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Pakistan Peoples Party on Friday authorised Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to dissolve the cabinet and form a smaller one. The meeting here at the President House, chaired by Co-Chairman President Asif Ali Zardari authorised the Premier to reappoint a smaller cabinet with fewer ministers. The decision was taken after the Co-Chairman invited members comments on his intention to install a lean cabinet. President Zardari has given the authority to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to dissolve the cabinet whenever he wants, PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badr told reporters after the meeting. All the ministers, advisors, special assistants and those holding rank of ministers will cease to hold offices on a date to be decided soon by the prime minister. Badr said it would be up to the prime minister to determine when the dissolution would happen. ...

US consulate employee Raymond Davis is escorted by police and officials out of court after facing a judge in Lahore, in this January 28, 2011 file photo. The American who is suspected of killing two Pakistani men last week will be held for eight more days to allow for more investigation, a prosecutor said on Thursday, despite US insistence the man has diplomatic immunity. The case has become the latest test of ties between the two countries with anti-US groups demanding the Pakistani government resists US calls to free him. Reuters Photo Here is a brief outline on the recent major events that have taken place during the mysterious case of Raymond Davis: Jan 26: Raymond Davis, an American official, allegedly shot two robbers in self-defence in a market area in Lahore. Davis called for help and the second vehicle got into a fatal accident with a pedestrian and fled the scene. Onlookers gathered around Davis and took his footage and the bullet-ridden vehicle. Police came to the scene and...

Beckham trains at Spurs. -AFP Photo LONDON : Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is contemplating a new bid for David Beckham even as the former England captain prepared to end his temporary stay without having played for the London club. Redknapp hasnt ruled out making a move for Beckham when the midfielders current deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy expires in November, even though the dead-ball expert will then be 36. Beckham has been training with Spurs ahead of the new Major League Soccer season in the United States and is due to return to Los Angeles on Wednesday. Redknapp tried but failed to seal a loan move for the midfielder and had to be content in seeing Beckham train with his squad. I think David will go back on the ninth (of February), Redknapp said Thursday. I would like to have had him playing as he has looked great in training. He is so slim and so fit, he is a fanatical trainer. He works in the morning and the afternoon in the gym. He just loves playing football. He...

British prosecutors on Friday charged three Pakistan cricketers with taking bribes to fix incidents in an international match in England last year. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir are accused of fixing certain incidents, such as the bowling of no-balls at pre-agreed times, during the fourth test at Lords last August. Britains Crown Prosecution Service said the trio, along with a fourth man, sporting agent Mazhar Majeed, had been charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and with conspiracy to cheat. These charges relate to allegations that Mr Majeed accepted money from a third party to arrange for the players to bowl `no balls on 26 and 27 August 2010, during Pakistans Fourth Test at Lords Cricket Ground in London, said Simon Clements, head of the CPS Special Crime Division. He said Majeed had been ordered to appear at Londons City of Westminster Magistrates Court on March 17. Summonses for the same court date have been issued for the three players and ...

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Photo by AFP ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said political reconciliation and understanding of each others points of view was the solution to Pakistans political, economic and security problems. Speaking to Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Khosa here at the PM House, Gilani said cooperation among the major political parties would help focus on real economic issues. He said the people have gained democratic dispensation after a long and arduous struggle and now it was the responsibility of the political leadership to work for the betterment of the people instead of wasting time in political wrangling and mud slinging. The Prime Minister also urged the Governor to coordinate with the Punjab administration on the early completion of reconstruction and rehabilitation in the flood affected areas. He also asked the Governor to monitor the pace of work on projects announced by him for the development of backward regions during his vis...

US national Raymond Davis. File photo ISLAMABAD: The United States government, in a diplomatic dispatch, to the government of Pakistan admitted that not all administrative and technical staffers of embassies and consulates in Pakistan were given diplomatic status, DawnNews reported. On the other hand, sources in the Pakistan government said that Raymond Davis diplomatic status was dubious. They further said that the Foreign Office had not issued the diplomatic card to Davis. The dispatch further stated that although not all embassy and consulate staffers in Pakistan have the diplomatic status, it cannot be concluded that this annuls the diplomatic immunities under the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations. The US government further demanded Pakistan to clarify the situation and to not leave the resolution of the issue on the courts. The US government emphasised that if Raymond Davis diplomatic status cannot be established then the issue should be resolved bilaterally. DawnNews

Shahid Afridi has been appointed as captain for the Feb. 19-April 2 World Cup. AFP (File Photo) KARACHI: Shahid Afridi will lead Pakistan in the cricket World Cup, television channels quoted Intikhab Alam, the teams manager, as saying in Hamilton, New Zealand, on Thursday. According to Intikhab, an official announcement will be made on Friday. The decision was taken after Pakistan clinched the one-day series against the Kiwis earlier in the day. The World Cup, to be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, begins on February 19.

The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak as one of several scenarios for a transition of power, a U.S. official said. The U.S. move comes after 10 days of anti-government protests in Egypt and ahead of a mass Day of Departure rally planned by protesters in Cairos Tahrir Square on Friday to force Mubarak to quit. The 82-year-old Egyptian leader, speaking in an interview with ABC on Thursday after bloodshed in Cairo that killed 10 people, said he believed his country still needed him. If I resign today, there will be chaos, said Mubarak, who has promised to step down in September. Asked to comment on calls for him to resign, he said: I dont care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country. U.S. officials said on Thursday they were talking to Egyptian officials about a variety of ways to move toward a transition of power, including one in which Mubarak leaves office immediately. Thats one scenario, ...

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, to discuss the economic recovery. AP Photo WASHINGTON: The US economic recovery has strengthened and is gaining pace, but victory cannot be declared until the job market improves, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned in a rare press conference Thursday. Until we see a sustained period of stronger job creation, we cannot consider the recovery to be truly established, he said in remarks at the National Press Club in Washington. Walking a thin line between talking down the recovery and undue optimism, Bernanke cited improvements in stubbornly low consumer spending and bank lending, in the same breath as warning unemployment will take several years to return to normal levels. The economic recovery appears to have strengthened in recent months, although, to date, growth has not been fast enough to bring about a significant improvement in the labor market, he said. The firs...

Roshan from Tando Adam compares his love for music to his love for his mother. A day labourer who moves from Karachi to Hyderabad in search of employment, he performs concerts for his friends. Currently in the works is an album, titled Sindhi Kumar Sanu, produced by a small recording studio.

LAHORE: A man was killed and two dozen others, including a policeman, were injured when a low-intensity bomb exploded outside the Haider Sain Darbar near the general bus stand on Thursday night. Thursday was a busy day at the shrine and a large number of devotees had gathered there to pay respects to the Sufi saint on the second day of his 38th Urs. The injured were taken to the Mayo and other hospitals where a state of emergency was declared. City Division SP Shahzad Asif and Mayo Hospital MS Zahid Pervez confirmed one death. Dawn Dr Pervez told a man had been brought dead while 24 people with minor injuries were shifted to the emergency department. Police cordoned off the area and diverted traffic away from the shrine. They isolated the blast site to help forensic experts and bomb disposable personnel collect evidence. Quoting a witness, police said the bomb had been hurled from a truck...

ISLAMABAD: A chronic ministerial absenteeism in parliament ruffled some feathers in the National Assembly on Thursday amid suspense over expected changes in the cabinet, with the deputy speaker conveying an open rage to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Thin attendance of ministers has been usual in both houses of parliament, but complaints about it have been more pronounced during their current sessions when the issue of a drastic reshuffle of the prime ministers nearly three-year-old cabinet, or its dissolution to be replaced by a new one, has been a hot political topic in the country. And the problem became acute in the National Assembly when it blocked the entire legislative business set for Thursday, a day before the scheduled prorogation of the second winter session of the house. Where are the ministers concerned? Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, chairing the proceedings at the t...

A picture taken on January 7, 2011 shows Algerian riot police in the streets of central Oran, some 430 kilometres (270 miles) west of Algiers, during clashes. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said on February 3, 2011 that the country's 19-year state of emergency would be lifted in the very near future. -AFP Photo ALGIERS: Algeria will lift the state of emergency that has been in effect since 1992 in the very near future, the countrys president was quoted as saying Thursday. Even so, demonstrations still wont be allowed in the capital of Algiers, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said, according to state media. The government has insisted the state of emergency was a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, but critics charge that recently it has been used to muzzle the political opposition by banning marches. The state of emergency was declared as Algeria spiraled into a civil war between militants and government forces, a yearslong battle that killed up to 200,000 people...

After an Oscar nomination for his Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowarikar latest film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey has got a place in the Oscar Library. The Library of the Academy of Motion Picture and Science has asked Gowariker for his screenplay of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey for the permanent core collection which is made for filmmakers, writers, actors and students worldwide for their research work. The merits of this selection is not based on box office performance of the film but mainly on the artistic merits, original screenplay with a substance and the film as a whole. Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, presented by PVR Pictures and jointly produced by Ajay Bijli, Sanjeev Bijli and Sunita A Gowariker is the latest Bollywood film to have its script chosen for the prestigious Oscar Library. Recently, the script of Karan Johars My Name Is Khan was chosen for the Oscar Library. Khelein hum Jee Jaan Sey has lyrics by Javed Akhtar, music by Sohail Sen, costume design by Neeta Lulla, art direction by Nitin Desai...

LAHORE: Two people were killed and 27 others wounded in an explosion near a shrine in Lahore late Thursday. It was a low-intensity blast apparently caused by a cracker (firecracker), local police officer Mohammad Shehzad said. The explosion took place at the gate of the shrine of saint Haider Sain. The device was apparently thrown from a moving vehicle. Police have cordoned off the area and an investigation is under way, officials said.DawnNews/AFP

Policemen escort an armoured vehicle transporting Raymond Davis on his way for a hearing at the court in Lahore.AFP ISLAMABAD: The US embassy on Thursday expressed displeasure at the remand extension of Raymond Davis by a Lahore magistrate for another eight days. This morning, the American diplomat was remanded in court without notice to the US government, without his lawyer present, and without translation assistance. He was denied due process and a fair hearing, a statement by the US embassy said. The Government of Pakistan must comply with its obligations under international and Pakistani law and ensure that he has immunity from criminal jurisdiction, it added. We look forward to working with the Government of Pakistan toward the expeditious resolution of this incident. Responsibility for the safety and well-being of the illegally detained diplomat rests with the Government of Pakistan and Punjab provincial authorities. The statement said Davis continued detention was a gross viola...

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit.AFP photo ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office on Thursday said it cannot share information about Raymond Davis case at this stage because the matter is sub-judice . Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit, in his weekly briefing, was confronted with a volley of questions about the incident in which three people were killed in Lahore but he expressed inability to respond to these queries. The spokesman, however, pointed out that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani made a categorical statement on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday assuring that the law would take its course on the issue.

Tharanga plays a shot as Baugh reacts in Colombo.AP COLOMBO: Upul Tharanga cracked an unbeaten 101 to steer Sri Lanka to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second one-day international on Thursday. The left-handed opener hit seven fours in his ninth one-day century as Sri Lanka achieved a rain-revised target of 197 with more than four overs to spare for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The opening game of the series was abandoned due to rain on Monday. The final match will be played on Sunday. Tharanga added 70 for the second wicket with skipper Kumar Sangakkara (20) and 97 for the next with Mahela Jayawardene (48 not out) to ensure his teams comfortable victory. Former captain Jayawardene finished the match when he cut spinner Nikita Miller for his fifth boundary. Sri Lanka were earlier indebted to paceman Lasith Malinga (3-30) and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (2-42), who bowled the tourists out for a modest 203 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colomb...

NEW DELHI - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday decades of war and burgeoning consumerism had inflicted major environmental damage on his battered country. Karzai told a sustainability conference in New Delhi that the effects of war, pollution and climate change had taken their toll on Afghanistan. "Afghanistan has suffered 30 years of unrest and 30 years of massive destruction of the environment: our trees, rivers, soil and all that we depend on," he said. "Trees, cattle and wildlife need peace as well," he told the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. Karzai said war had encouraged individual greed that led to deforestation for profit and decried the impact of the West. "As money has come to Afghanistan and as the West has arrived, it has had an adverse effect," he said. "Consumerism is at its highest with serious consequences for the Afghani...

"Iran is locked in a standoff with the United States and other powers over its nuclear programme." File Photo LONDON: Iran may be able to make a nuclear weapon in as little as one or two years if it chose to do so, an influential think-tank said on Thursday. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a report that evidence showed beyond reasonable doubt that Iran was seeking the capability to produce nuclear weapons should its leaders decide to go down that route. However, allegations that Iran had carried out prohibited chemical or biological weapons activities cannot be determined from the available public information and may have been exaggerated, the IISS said in a 128-page report on Irans nuclear, chemical and biological capabilities. Iran is locked in a standoff with the United States and other powers over its nuclear programme , which Tehran says is peaceful but the West suspects aims to develop a nuclear bomb. The United Nations Security Counci...