Multan: MOU being signed between Pakistan and Turkey Businessmen Associations in MCCI

Multan: MOU being signed between Pakistan and Turkey Businessmen Associations in MCCI

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is visiting India jhjr Power Plant's

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is visiting India jhjr Power Plant's

Police contingent is salute to students at Punjab House Murree

Police contingent is salute to students at Punjab House Murree

Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani sworn in as CJ Pakistan

12.12.2013

ISLAMABAD: Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani on Thursday took oath as 21st Chief Justice of Pakistan, following retirement of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary, Geo News reported.

President Mamnon Hussain administered the oath at Awan-e-Saddar.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry, Chief Justice Federal Sharia Court and Chief Justices of High Court attended the oath taking ceremony.

Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Speaker National Assembly, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and envoys of various countries also attended were also present.

Justice Jillani has been a Supreme Court judge since 2004 and, like his predecessor former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, was sacked when ex-president Gen. (retd) Musharraf imposed emergency rule in November 2007.

A golden opportunity

Positive signs have appeared on the political horizon of Pakistan following the statements of the ANP and the MQM to bury the hatchet and start from a clean slate to restore peace to strife-torn Karachi after tremendous blood letting which has claimed several hundreds of precious human lives. The frenzy shook the foundation of the nascent democratic process when the Army's top leadership expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating Karachi situation but stopped short of intervention.The announcement of a ceasefire came from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti and was positively responded to by the MQM. Later, the MQM Quaid withdrew his statement against ANP leader Asfandyar Wali, and the ANP leadership responded positively. However, the deep-rooted animosity between the two arch rivals has given rise to suspicions about their good intentions in the future.The dramatic announcements caught political observers off guard and they were flabbergasted and did not see even remote chances of a rapprochement between the ANP and the MQM, whose trigger happy activists fought on the streets of Karachi turning them into pools of innocent blood.The conflict between the two parties took an ugly turn when the ANP sided with former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza when he launched a tirade against the MQM and levelled serious charges against it. This alliance produced serious repercussion and added fuel to the fire. The MQM, finding itself in a precarious position with its back to the wall, launched a counter offensive against the ANP. Blood continued to be shed and soon packed bodies began to appear in different areas of the city, The Kati Pahari area became the battlefield where the Pakhtuns perched on the hill were accused by the MQM of targeting Orangi Town residents. This sent shock waves throughout Pakistan. The government failed to control the situation and the law enforcement agencies became just silent spectators. When the pressure became unbearable, the provincial government finally gave in and deployed the Rangers who restored law and order to some extent with intermittent violent incidents. But the question is: who put his foot down saying enough is enough. Did the army leaders intervene forcing the ANP and the MQM to come to terms and stop the bloodshed? Or did the Supreme Court's suo moto proceedings have a soothing effect forcing both the parties to lay down the arms to save the future of millions who are daily wagers? Whatever may be the case, Karachi is at peace for the moment.Will the ceasefire between the two rivals last? That is a big question markNo doubt the Pakhtuns have played an important role in the development of the Sindh capital, but they should own the city too. The ANP and the MQM will have to rein in their activists and help restore the status of Karachi as the city of lights. Otherwise this God-given opportunity will never be there and the sapling of democracy will wither away spelling disaster for everyone.The government cannot be absolved of its responsibility to maintain harmony among different segments of the population. Equal opportunities will have to be provided to all without discrimination as guaranteed in the ConstitutionThe Supreme Court verdict has been reserved but the apex court judges have made their observations very clear. Karachi contributes nearly 70 percent revenue to the national exchequer. God forbid if something tragic happens, the nation will suffer an irreparable loss which could jeopardize national defence, and the defenders of the national frontiers certainly will not tolerate it because for them the country is supreme and not politics. All political parties will have to rise to the occasion and play their positive role for ensuring permanent peace in Karachi. 

Mullen’s Haqqani statement baseless: COAS

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani said the statement of Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding links with Haqqani is against the facts, Geo News reported.COAS Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in a statement, termed these as very unfortunate and not based on facts. This is especially disturbing in view of a rather constructive meeting with Admiral Mullen in Spain, he said.On the specific question of contacts with Haqqanis, the COAS said that Admiral Mullen knows fully well which all countries are in contact with the Haqqanis. Singling out Pakistan is neither fair nor productive, the statement said.‘Categorically denying the accusations of proxy war and ISI support to Haqqanis, the COAS wished that, the blame game in public statements should give way to a constructive and meaningful engagement for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan, an objective to which Pakistan is fully committed.’

Stagnant water causes diseases in flood-hit areas

BADIN: Rainwater could not be drained out yet due to which stagnant water causes disease in various cities. The fresh floods have breached several nullahs and canals in district Badin and no arrangements have been made to fill them.

According to the details, thousands of villages in Jati, Sajawal and Mirpur Bathoro areas of district Thatta remained under water irking life of a common man. Rainwater also remained stood in Mirpurkhas, Jhado, Naukot and Umerkot causing gastro diseases.Arrangements have also not been made to repair roads in Kot Diji, Nara and Faiz Ganj areas of Khairpur tehsil due to which land contact among hundreds of villages remained halted causing food shortage in flood-hit areas.Meanwhile, rainwater in various areas of Nawabshah city, Dolatpur and Dor Qazi Ahmad remained stood several feats and could not yet be drained out. 

Somalia’s future debated at UN

UNITED NATIONS: Two dozen countries debated the future of Somalia at the United Nations on Friday, weeks after a plan was launched to lift the country out of a political impasse.

The roadmap adopted on September 6 demands the end of the transitional government, which has proven incapable of restoring peace and authority to a country ravaged by 20 years of civil war.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the roadmap as a “crucial step toward building a stable, prosperous future for the Somali people” as she urged Somali leaders to take up the task.

“If Somali leaders do not follow the roadmap that has been negotiated by Africans for Africans, then I don’t know that the international community will be here next year and the year after with support. It is now up to Somalis,”the top US diplomat said.

One of the most delicate topics concerns finding agreement on a new government structure in a Somalia riveted by significant tribal tensions and bitter political rivalry.

“The Horn of Africa is the most complex, volatile and climatically challenged region in Africa today,” a senior US official said ahead of the UN meeting.

“Somalia is at the center of these many challenges and faces a humanitarian crisis, a security crisis and a political set of challenges.”

Meeting participants “stressed the importance of conducting popular consultations on the draft constitution and the reform of parliament to enable adoption of a new constitution by a representative body without delay,” a UN statement said.

“The meeting affirmed the importance of the development of government institutions and civilian capacity building across Somalia.” Delegations also expressed concern about the “expanding reach and increased levels of violence” of Somali pirates, and discussed the role of the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Last week, Somalia made a request at the UN Security Council for AMISOM’s personnel limits is nearly doubled from 12,000 to 20,000 peacekeepers.

The UN was expected to devote an entire meeting to the humanitarian crisis triggered by a drought in the region.

Some four million Somalis have been hit by famine and 750,000 could die, according to the United Nations. And the international community has increasingly denounced the Shebab for preventing aid to reach the needy, forcing a massive exodus to Kenya and Ethiopia.

Joint action by all parties urged to meet challenge

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari assured leaders of the business community on Friday that the country was in safe hands and the government was capable of handling pressures and challenges.

At a meeting with the president, the business leaders had expressed concern over the increasing US pressure on the government on a number of issues, including the Haqqani network.

According to sources, Mr Zardari said such pressures in relations with the international community could only be overcome through national unity and expressed the hope that all political parties would join hands to scuttle these.

He recalled the sacrifices rendered by the nation in the US-led war on terror and said that without Pakistan its objectives could not be achieved. The international community was not oblivious of this fact, he added.

According to the sources, the president reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region and said the people, the armed forces and the government of Pakistan were on the same page on the issue.

Also on Friday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the United States was an important country, but Pakistan wanted to maintain relations with it on the basis of mutual respect as a sovereign country.

Talking to reporters after inaugurating new berths at the Karachi Port, the prime minister said the US should refrain from sending wrong messages such as taking operational steps against the Haqqani network which were not acceptable to the people of Pakistan. “The sovereignty of the country cannot be compromised and it will be protected at all cost. The US should avoid threatening 180 million people of Pakistan because this will further deteriorate our mutual relations.”

Mr Gilani said the US should realise that “we need political space particularly when Pakistan is not part of issue but part of solution”. Both countries, he said, needed each other and, therefore, should try to avoid sending threatening messages.

Responding to a question, the prime minister said Pakistan would support any effort for stability and peace in Afghanistan based on aspirations of the Afghan people.

He said Pakistan always sought trade, and not aid, to achieve economic stability, but there had been unnecessary pressure on Pakistan to “do more in the war on terrorism”.

The prime minister said Pakistan was not isolated in the world and had peaceful relations with its neighbours and countries in the region.

Later, talking to a delegation of business leaders at the Governor’s House, Prime Minister Gilani said he would soon convene a meeting of leaders of all political parties to apprise them of the security situation in the country and changing environment in the region.

“The political and economic stability of the country is interlinked,” he said.

Mr Gilani said that Pakistan had good relations with most countries, but would now concentrate on improving ties with countries in its vicinity. He said the country’s defence was strong and the nation would not allow anyone to fiddle with its frontiers.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who earlier in the day met US President Barack Obama in New York, said the United States risked losing an ally if it continued to publicly criticise Pakistan’s performance in the war against militancy.

They would lose an ally, Ms Khar told Geo TV in response to a question about US allegations against Pakistan army and ISI and threats of direct action. “You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan; you cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani people. If you are choosing to do so and if they are choosing to do so, it will be at their (the United States’) own cost,” she added.

“At the operational level it will be appropriate to say that there are serious difficulties (between the two countries).”

In a separate interview to India’s NDTV, Ms Khar added: “Pointing fingers at each other will not help. Finding scapegoats will not help … We want to be a mature, responsible country that is fighting terrorism with a lot of maturity.”

Emirates on board as Pakistan cricket sponsor

KARACHI: Emirates Airlines has announced a sponsorship deal for domestic cricket in Pakistan in alliance with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it was announced here on Thursday.

“The airline – an ICC Official Partner – has a long history of supporting cricket both at global and grassroots level – and is set to strengthen its commitment to the sport by sponsoring a number of tournaments, including the National T20 Cup 2011, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2011-12, Pentangular Cricket Cup 2011-12, One-Day Cricket Cup 2011-12 and Super 8 T20 Cricket Cup 2012, it said in a statement.“

The sponsorship marks Emirates most significant foray into mainstream sports in Pakistan and will include development opportunities for talented youngsters.

“Although we are proud of our involvement in cricket around the world, with prestigious partnerships such as the ICC which gives the airline sponsorship rights to all its major tournaments, including the ICC Cricket World Cup – contributing to the growth of the sports at a grassroots level is particularly satisfying for us,“ said Badr Abbas, Vice President Pakistan & Afghanistan.

“To be associated with a sports which the people of Pakistan follow with great passion allows us to create closer ties with them and demonstrates our on-going support for the growth of cricket. Domestic cricket has produced many world-class players and we hope that through this sponsorship, Emirates will play a role in the continued success of the sports,” he said.

Facebook redesigns profiles, adds ‘timeline’

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook is dramatically redesigning its users’ profile pages to create what CEO Mark Zuckerberg says is a ‘‘new way to express who you are.’’

Zuckerberg introduced the Facebook ‘‘timeline’’ Thursday in San Francisco at the company’s f8 conference for some 2,000 entrepreneurs, developers and journalists. The event is also being broadcast to more than 100,000 online viewers.

The timeline is reminiscent of an online scrapbook, with the most important photos and text that users have shared on Facebook over the years. It’s Facebook’s attempt at growing from an online hangout to a homestead, where people express their real selves and merge their online and offline lives.

The timeline can go back to include years before Facebook even existed, so users can add photos and events from, say 1995 when they got married or 1970 when they were born.

Zuckerberg took the stage after a humorous skit, in which actor Andy Samberg impersonated him. The real Mark Zuckerberg looked considerably more playful and at ease than he has in past events, suggesting he is growing into his role as the public face of Facebook.

But he quickly got down to business as he introduced the timeline as ‘‘the story of your life _ all your stories, all your apps and a new way to express who you are.’’

Expanding on its ubiquitous ‘‘like’’ buttons, Zuckerberg said Facebook will now let users connect to things even if they don’t want to ‘‘like’’ them.

‘‘We are making it so you can connect to anything you want. Now you don’t have to like a book, you can just read a book,’’ he said. ‘‘You don’t have to like a movie; you can just watch a movie.’’

Bullfighting no longer a male bastion in Portugal

BENAVENTE: Seventeen-year-old Susana Frieza is making waves in Portugal as the founder of the only female group of “forcados”, or bullfighters who aim to subdue their adversary with bare hands.

“You are always scared but you learn to control fear and then it becomes easy,” said Frieza, a native of Benavente – a little town in the centre of the country, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Lisbon.

“Nothing can compare to the rush one feels in the initial seconds when one is facing the bull and it charges,” said the teenager, whose pluck and skill have won her both plaudits and fans.

Portuguese bullfighting is different and far less gory than the Spanish version where the bull is stabbed to death if the matador manages to win the contest.

In traditional Portuguese bull fights, eight men “forcados” challenge the bull directly with their bare hands without any protection of weapons. The bull’s horns are covered in leather to prevent any injury.

The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a “pega de cara”, or a face catch. He secures the head and the rest of the team then ring the beast and try to subdue it. The sport is practicised by amateur assocations.

Frieza, whose father and elder brother are “forcados”, tamed her first bull at the age of 12 when she was taken to a local fair by her brother Luis.

“A little contest had been organised with a neighbouring village when it was decided to put the little girl to the test in front of the bull. And she won!” said her 23-year-old brother, laughing.

In 2008, Frieza set up an all-girl “forcados” team in Benavente “just to try it out.”Although the girls tackle smaller bulls weighing between 200 and 300 kilograms (440 to 660 pounds), against 500 kilograms or more tackled by male counterparts, their reputation has been spreading to other parts of the country.

Frieza has been adding feathers in the cap since her successful debut at the inter-village contest.

At 15 she subdued a bull weighing about 420 kilograms, her mother Rosalia said, adding proudly: “She shut the mouths of those who were sniggering,” when she entered the ring.

“I felt so big that I felt like I was bursting out of my clothes,” said Frieza, remembering the event.

But the going has not been hunky-dory all the way. In July, she bust her nose when she was kicked twice by a calf.

“But the more blows you take, the more you want to surmount them,” she said, undaunted.

For Clara Pedro, a Lisbon resident taking part in her first corrida in Benavente, Susana is a heroine of sorts, being a “woman of courage and great inspiration for others”.

Pedro’s first foray on Saturday did not go swimmingly well. She was hit in the knee by a 200-kilogram calf and had to be taken to hospital in tears.

But Frieza, undeterred, had a second go with her team of several dozen amateurs. And for Pedro her tears are forgotten.

Qaim calls APC on Karachi situation

A Sindh government spokesman said that Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has decided to call APC in order to brainstorm with the leaders of key parties to restore peace in the city. The invitations for the APC have been dispatched to leaders of main parties, he added.

He said that the agenda for the APC is Karachi situation, wherein all the parties would be open to make suggestions and share possible ways and means to restore peace. 

Hunt for Gaddafi continues as rebels facing resistance

Rebels advance towards Gaddafi s birthplace of Sirte has also been blocked in the town of Bin Jawad.

With the whereabouts of Moamer Gaddafi still unknown, rebels have issued a reward of $1.7 million for the elusive strongman, dead or alive.

Diplomatic efforts have been launched at the United Nations and in Qatar by backers of the insurgents to secure the unlocking of billions of dollars of Libyan assets for the rebels.

Washington says Libya s stockpile of weapons of mass destruction had been secured.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he has invited the countries he regards as "the friends of Libya" to talks in Paris on September 1 on the future of the country after Gaddafi.

Libya s new masters meet their Western backers in Turkey on Thursday to secure funds and make plans for a future without Muammar Gaddafi after they announced a million dollar bounty for his capture.

In Tripoli, rockets and shooting kept largely kept civilians indoors and gunfire rang out in the centre. Most were anxious but hopeful the war would soon end, and with it the worsening shortages of food, water and medical supplies -- both for hundreds of wounded and for the sick.

"The end will only come when he s captured, dead or alive, said Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), who offered amnesty to any of Gaddafi s entourage who killed him and announced a reward worth more than $1 million for his capture.

Jalil said on Sunday rebel forces would halt their offensive if Gaddafi announced his departure and give him and his sons safe passage out of the country.

There was no clear indication of where Gaddafi is, though his opponents surmised he was still in or around Tripoli after what Gaddafi himself described as a "tactical" withdrawal from his Bab al-Aziziya compound before it was captured on Tuesday.

But Western leaders and the rebel government-in-waiting have lost no time readying a handover of Libya s substantial foreign assets. Funds will be required to bring relief to war-battered towns and develop oil reserves that can make Libya rich.

After talks with Arab and Western allies in Qatar on Wednesday, a senior rebel leader said the NTC would seek to have $5 billion in frozen assets released to jump-start the country s economy and provide vital relief to its citizens. The amount is higher than a previously given estimate of $2.5 billion.

Meanwhile, the United States submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to unfreeze $1.5 billion in Libyan assets. No vote was held on the draft on Wednesday, but diplomats said a vote could come on Thursday or Friday.

Will and Jada furious over Marc Anthony affair claims

The US magazine claiming Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith s relationship is in crisis hit newsstands today with a string of allegations about the couple s marriage.

In a six-page-long article, InTouch makes a series of claims - even alleging Will caught Jada and her Hawthorne co-star together in one of their homes in Los Angeles.

Yesterday Will and Jada s spokespeople made two separate statements denying claims the couple had split after InTouch released a statement, pre-empting today s explosive edition.

And a representative for Anthony - who split from wife Jennifer Lopez last month - also  unequivocally  denied reports the American singer-songwriter was involved in an off-screen affair with his Hawthorne co-star Jada, after the rumour mill went into overdrive.

But today all parties involved will face fresh anguish as the magazine was published, with a dramatic cover headline:  Two marriages destroyed: Jada steals J.Lo s husband! 

It was reported yesterday that Will and Jada have now got their legal team involved as the plot possible legal action to take against the magazine.

Today s article claims Will was left in floods of tears after catching Marc and Jade together in their Hidden Hills mansion in Los Angeles.

It alleges the 42-year-old actor, who has children Willow and Jaden with Jada, made a surprise visit to the house in early August  under the cover of darkness  and found his wife with Marc.

The report does not elaborate on what he may have witnessed, saying their insider told them:  Will didn t indicated exactly what he saw .

But InTouch claims Jada moved out of the house the next day - while Will fired several staff accusing them of covering things up.

The magazine alleged things have been a long time coming.

A source reveals there was simmering sexual tension between Jada and Marc on the set of TNT medical drama, Hawthorne.

Russian supply spacecraft crashes after launch

Debris of an unmanned Russian space freighter fell in South Siberia after the spacecraft failed to reach the designated orbit due to a rocket engine failure on Wednesday, officials said on early Thursday.

The wreckage of the Progress M-12M space freighter fell in the Choya District of South Siberia s Altai Republic at around 5.25 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the Ria Novosti news agency reported.

The Russian Progress M-12M was launched aboard the Soyuz-U carrier rocket from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The space freighter was scheduled to separate from the carrier rocket at 5:09 p.m. local time when it sent a breakdown report.

The Russian Federal Space Agency, commonly called Roscosmos, said they received a breakdown report from the Progress M-12M before it left the radio coverage zone. Mission Control was unable to receive any telemetry data from the spacecraft after that moment, which was 325 seconds into the flight.

According to the agency, the reported engine failure made it impossible for the spacecraft to achieve the required orbital velocity and it fell down to Earth.

After the Progress spacecraft accident, Russia may fail to deliver crews to the ISS as planned. A source in Russia s space industry told Ria Novosti that scheduled launches of Soyuz rockets are likely to be suspended until the reasons of the accident are established.

After the retirement of the U.S. shuttle fleet earlier this summer, Russian Soyuz craft became the only way for astronauts to reach the ISS until at least the middle of the decade. NASA is paying its Russian counterpart Roscosmos more than $1 billion for crew transport services over the next four years.

The Progress space freighter was set to deliver 2.7 tons of food, medical and scientific equipment, and other items to the ISS. But Roscosmos promised that the supply operation s failure would not seriously affect the ISS crew, saying there s enough food on board to sustain the crew for a "long time." However, a new crew will not be able to replace the current ISS crew on time and they will have to stay at the station longer than planned.

President strongly condemns blast at Jamrod

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday expressing his deep shock strongly condemned the suicide blast at a mosque in Jamrod that killed dozens of faithfuls.The President termed it an abhorrent act and said he was saddened over the heavy loss of lives.He said the government and people remain determined to defeat terrorism and said such gruesome acts cannot deter the resolve of the nation to defeat the terrorists.President Zardari expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the terrorist act and prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed souls. 

He also prayed for courage to the families to bear their loss with equanimity.The President also asked the law enforcement agencies to take strict measures for the protection of the lives and properties of the people and foe arrest of the masterminds.

RIM set to launch BlackBerry music service: report

NEW YORK: Canada’s Research in Motion (RIM) is developing a new service that would allow subscribers to play music on their BlackBerry smartphones, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The option is “designed to work with RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger,” the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources who had discussed the service with RIM executives.

The new service, to be known as BBM Music, could be launched “as soon as next week,” and allow subscribers to access around 50 songs at one time for an as-yet unspecified price, the report said.

According to the paper, the company has already signed, or is preparing to sign, agreements with four music power houses – Vivendi Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner and EMI.

The move is aimed at attracting younger consumers to the product, which is facing tough competition from Apple’s iPhone and others.

According to a study by ComScore published in July, the iPhone is now more widely used than the BlackBerry in the US market.

Zardari speaks with Altaf Hussain on telephone, discuss Karachi

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has spoken with MQM Chief Altaf Hussain on the telephone about the prevailing situation in Karachi in which he took the MQM chief into confidence about efforts being made to improve law and order in the city.

Sources have told that President Asif Zardari reassured Altaf Hussain that security will be provide for the people of Karachi and that legal action will be taken against miscreants involved in violence.

President Zardari said that Karachi is the economic hub of the country and that peace in the city is vital for economic progress. Whereas Altaf Hussain said that peace must be restored in Karachi at all cost.

Both leaders also discussed other political issues in the country including talks between the PPP and the MQM.

Pakistani Lady ranger stands alert.

A Pakistani Ranger stands alert ahead of a meeting between Indian Deputy Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF) C.Vasudevan and Pakistani Deputy Director General Pakistani Rangers' Brigadier Wali Muhammad at The Wagah Border Post, which marks the border between and India and Pakistan on July 26, 2011.