Dr. Mirza proceeds on indefinite leave

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza has proceeded on leave for an indefinite period and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah will now oversee his affairs, SCI News reported on Wednesday.

Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza is ill and proceeding on leave for getting medical treatment, sources quoted Syed Qaim Ali Shah as saying.

It is also learnt that Dr. Mirza’s portfolio has also been taken from him.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Chief Minister has said that restoration of law and order is the responsibility of the government and that it will be established with the cooperation of the coalition partners.

He expressed his inability to say anything in regard to the duration of Dr. Mirza’s leave at the moment.

It may be mentioned here that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had only yesterday given two-day deadline to the government to purge Karachi of extortion mafia. It is in this context that Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza’s going on leave holds particular importance.

Govt has Geo Super turned off

KARACHI: Government has once again persecuted Jang Group by having its sports channel ‘Geo Super’ shut down through Pakistan Electronic Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Geo News reported Wednesday.

Government has banned Geo Super’s transmission in Pakistan. The gagging of Geo Super will deprive the people of the country of sports events including the domestic events.

In spite of financial losses suffered by Geo Super lately, the channel strived to ensure that viewers continue to catch the sporting action on TV.

According to Geo’s administration, the Government subjected the Geo Super to punishment for showing sporting events to the people.

Cheap tactics are being used to black mail Geo Super. The Government issued order on April 4 to turn Geo Super off in what appears to be a vengeful action of the government against the Jang Group.

Geo Network had been uncovering government conspiracies and raising voice against corruption.

Gul Muhammad Kakar, former official of PEMRA, had been sacked for making public the illegal tactics being used for targeting Geo. He said Chairman PEMRA had ordered to cause losses to Geo Super.

Japan plugs leak from nuclear plant

TOKYO: Workers at Japan's crippled atomic power plant on Wednesday plugged a hole spewing highly radioactive water into the ocean, boosting efforts to contain the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

But in an illustration of how fragile progress is at the Fukushima plant, operator Tokyo Electric Power said it was concerned a build-up of hydrogen gas at a different reactor could cause another explosion at the site.

The water leak was thought to be a source of spiking radiation levels in the sea, which prompted Japan to announce its first seafood radiation safety standards following the discovery of fish with high levels of contamination.

TEPCO workers had injected sodium silicate, a chemical agent known as "water glass", to solidify soil near a cracked pit where water was escaping into the Pacific.

The pit, which has a 20-centimetre (8-inch) crack in its wall, is linked to the plant's reactor No. 2, one of several that had their cooling systems disabled by a catastrophic earthquake-tsunami disaster on March 11.

"Workers confirmed at 5:38 am (2038 GMT Tuesday) that the water running out of a pit had stopped," TEPCO said in a statement on Wednesday.

Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to try to stop the leak, including an effort to seal the crack with cement.

Despite the rare sign of progress at the plant, shares in TEPCO continued to tumble on Wednesday, closing down 6.9 percent at 337 yen, a new record low, amid expectations of huge compensation claims.

TEPCO, whose shares have lost around 85 percent of their pre-quake value, has said it may need state help to meet claims some analysts say could reach 10 trillion yen ($118 billion).

On Wednesday, the government promised compensation for the fishing industry, a day after increasing unease about the contamination led it to impose a legal limit for radioactive iodine in seafood for the first time.

Levels of radioactive iodine-131 and caesium in seawater immediately outside the plant have spiked, raising fears over marine life in a country whose diet depends heavily on seafood.

Fishing has been banned within 20 kilometres (13 miles) of the stricken plant, matching the radius of the evacuation zone on land.

TEPCO officials are also concerned that a hydrogen build-up in the housing around reactor No. 1 could react violently with oxygen, creating an explosion.

On Wednesday they announced plans to begin introducing nitrogen, an inert gas abundant in the atmosphere, which they hope will displace the oxygen.

"We are considering injecting nitrogen into the container of the reactor number 1 because hydrogen gas has possibly accumulated in the container," a TEPCO official said.

Public broadcaster NHK, citing unnamed sources, said TEPCO could start nitrogen injection at reactor number 1 on Wednesday evening and was mulling the same procedure at reactors 2 and 3.

In the days after the earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant, large explosions resulted from hydrogen accumulation near the reactors, damaging the outer buildings housing them.

A 20-kilometre exclusion zone around the plant has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

The plant has emitted radioactive material into the air, contaminating drinking water and farm produce, with radioactive iodine above legal limits detected in vegetables, dairy products and mushrooms.

Nuclear concerns continue to distract from the March 11 disaster that has left more than 12,000 dead and over 15,000 missing.

TEPCO continued a separate operation to release 11,500 tonnes of lower-level radioactive water into the sea to free up urgently needed storage space for water so toxic that it is hampering crucial repair work.

Nuclear safety agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama said the bulk of the water -- around 10,400 tonnes -- had now been released.

Ikuhiro Hattori, the head of Japan Fisheries Cooperatives, on Wednesday visited TEPCO headquarters to protest at the dumping, calling it "unforgivable."

Meanwhile, new government figures showed the crisis has slashed the number of foreigners travelling to Japan's two main airports by two-thirds to a daily average of just over 5,000.

The wider economic fallout from the quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis is likely to drive the country into recession in the coming months, many economists now say.

The government is planning a first emergency budget of more than three trillion yen ($35 billion), Kyodo news agency reported, quoting ruling party politicians saying total spending could top 10 trillion yen.

Polio eradication campaign begins in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Three days long Polio Eradication Campaign began in all four talukas of Hyderabad district from Wednesday.

Under special attention of the government, all resources are being utilized to make the campaign success, the District Officer Health Hyderabad Dr. Altaf Ahmed Khero informed.

He informed that during three days long campaign, the immunization of 269580 children under five years against polio has been planned.

He informed tat 671 mobile vaccination teams have been engaged to immunize anti polio drops door to door in Hyderabad City, Latifabad, Qasimabad and Hyderabad Rural tulakas of the district.

Besides, the health department has established 90 fixed points and 32 transit points to administer anti polio drops to the children, he said and added that seven Taluka Supervisors with 24 Zonal Incharges and 156 Area Incharges are monitoring the campaign along with the officers of Health Department and representatives of WHO and UNICEF.

He appealed to the people to vaccinate their children of under five years age against polio and if the mobile team failed to reach their home, they should contact at Toll Free Number 080012012.

FIA gets new boss

ISLAMABAD: Inspector General Police Balochistan Malik Muhammad Iqbal has been appointed Director General of Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) after Waseem Ahmed resigned from the post, SCI News reported.

Earlier, Waseem Ahmad sent his resignation to the prime minister who was in London on a private visit.

Waseem Ahmed has come under severe criticism from the Supreme Court over his performance. In his resignation letter he said: "Some very unusual circumstances emerged between the two state situations, the SC was asking me to quit while the government was insisting to continue".

The resignation of Waseem Ahmed has been accepted and IGP Balochistan Malik Muhammad Iqbal has been notified new DG FIA.

YDA carries on strike 37th day

LAHORE: Young Doctors Association (YDA) prolonged strike continued even on its 37th day all across the province of Punjab including the capital city here, while the government remains adamant handling the ugly situation with iron hands, the patients seeking urgent medical aid kept wailing and weeping helplessly.

The situation further aggravated as the senior doctors have also announced their support to the demands of their young colleagues, leaving the normal operations in the hospitals totally paralyzed, outdoor, indoor as well as emergency remained shut, seizing all options of the patients to get some sort of medical help.

The cruel apathetic attitude of the government towards the ailing humanity in the province and its failure to pacify the enraged doctors by negotiating some settlement with the low paid financially crippled doctors costing precious lives of specially the poor, who could not afford luxury of getting treatments in five-star hospitals, an exclusive privilege of the ruling elites. 

Pakistan economy facing myriad challenges: ADB

MANILA: Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said, “Pakistan economy is facing fundamental challenges---the financial deficit is mounting due to inordinate delay in increasing the income, SCI News reported.

ADB in its Outlook Report-2011 released here said that the escalating global crude prices and the enhancement of power tariffs would intensify the inflationary pressure---the rate of inflation in the current fiscal year would be around 16 percent, while the volume of subsidies would shoot up to Rs200 billion due to flawed planning, the report forecast.

ADB report further said that the Pakistan economy severely hit by the last year flood devastations facing myriad problems and the failure of the government in expanding the tax net swelling the financial deficit.

Pakistan’s economy would grow by 2.5 percent during the current fiscal year, the report predicted.

Kamran, Razzaq, Younus dropped from WI tour

LAHORE: Pakistani selectors on Wednesday dropped faltering wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal from the one-day and Twenty20 squad for this month's tour of the West Indies and rested senior players.

The 29-year-old was criticised for dropping crucial catches during the World Cup, where Pakistan lost in the semi-finals to arch rival and host India.

"We have given Kamran Akmal a break because his wicketkeeping was not up to the mark during the World Cup," chief selector Mohsin Khan said.

Mohammad Salman, 29, will keep wicket in the Twenty20 and one-day matches.

Pakistan will play a Twenty20 international, five one-day games and two Tests on the month-long tour, starting from April 18.

One-day skipper Shahid Afridi had hinted that senior players would be rested to give younger team members a chance, prompting Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul -- all part of the World Cup squad -- to be left out.

Afridi will not be part of the Test team after retiring from the longer version of the game last year.

Misbah-ul-Haq will lead Pakistan in the Tests, for which a squad will be announced later.

Squad (T20 and one-day): Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Taufiq Umar, Usman Salahuddin, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam, Aizaz Cheema, Mohammad Salman.

'Arthur' a muddled remake of a classic comedy

LOS ANGELES: It's still an open question whether in this day of increased concerns about alcoholism and health you can do a remake of 1981's "Arthur," a comedy about a lovable drunk.

The new "Arthur," with Russell Brand playing the Dudley Moore role, is a mere burlesque riffing off the old "Arthur" rather than an actual remake that has reconceived or rethought the original film.

The story hasn't changed much, nor have the characters. But the comedy is now crude instead of whimsical and its characters overblown caricatures instead of screwball personalities. A movie has been reduced to a sketch.

One's enjoyment of "Arthur" -- and its box office chances -- may depend on a new audience having little if any knowledge of the earlier work. As a Russell Brand Show, fans and followers may enjoy his extravagant mugging and nuttiness.

The original film -- let's call it Old "Arthur" -- came out of nowhere. TV veteran Steve Gordon created an ineffable, charming comedy that defied movie traditions even of that time. Comic intoxication was usually reserved for the "Animal House" kind of comedies, and rich guys were seldom heroes. Gordon insisted that his incredibly rich and drunk protagonist was a gentle soul, looking for love but willing to accept a night of fun if that didn't pan out.

Moore, who had just hit it big as a leading man in Blake Edwards' "10," gave "Arthur" a sweetness to go along with his prankster personality. It was a knowing performance, full of wit and grace and savvy observation.

Brand shares a British heritage with Moore, but his comedy is much different. The guy is a talent, no doubt. Only last week, he put an undeniable comic jolt into Universal's animation/live-action mix Hop. But there is edginess to Brand's humor, even an aggressiveness. His Arthur creates scenes, not laughs. He's a pathetic, bratty little boy who refuses to grow up rather than a genial alcoholic who wouldn't harm a fly.

Peter Baynham's new script has done even more damage to the key relationship in Arthur's life. Perhaps the filmmakers thought it was very clever to turn Hobson (John Gielgud), Arthur's fatherly butler, into a nanny, played by Helen Mirren. It certainly does further emphasize Arthur's infantilism. But unlike Gielgud's character, Mirren's Hobson is in constant conflict with her aging charge. She prods sharply where the butler steered with the gentlest of touches. Old "Arthur's" butler was subtle and unflappable, while Mirren's nanny has a bit of Mary Poppins in her.

The story again revolves around a billionaire parent (Geraldine James) demanding Arthur grow up enough to enter into a loveless marriage to a rich WASP (Jennifer Garner), mostly for business purposes, or he'll be disinherited. (Here again the New "Arthur" insists on a gender change from a male to female parent.) At the same time, Arthur meets the love of his life in unlicensed Grand Central Station tour guide Naomi (indie film stalwart Greta Gerwig).

So both "Arthurs" present a thoroughly conventional romantic-comedy about love vs. money with a predicable outcome. This humdrum story line therefore allows, or at least it should, a completely unpredictable and outlandish character to take over.

Neophyte feature director Jason Winer turns things over to Brand all right, but it's a rough, out-of-focus performance. Not helping matters, the movie relies on its props far too much -- from an incongruous Batmobile, borrowed from a fellow Warner Bros. movie, to a magnetic floating bed. These tend of underscore showiness over comedy, brashness over subtlety.

Perhaps encouraged by his props and toys, Brand goes full bore in every scene, almost as if the movie isn't so much about a drunk as an eccentric billionaire, who would be loopy if he drank only lemonade. In fact, no one working on New "Arthur" seems completely comfortable with this protagonist. So you get AA meetings and lines tsk-tsking over "free spending during a recession." The movie keeps throwing up PC signs along the way to demonstrate how shocked everyone is, to borrow from Casablanca, that gambling is taking place in a casino.

Guys, your character was always going to be a profligate drunk if you remake "Arthur," so get over it. And Hobson's admonition to Arthur to scrub his private parts to prevent disease following unprotected sex just blows your mind. This is the advice of his sagacious nanny?

When tragedy overtakes Arthur as Hobson falls fatally ill, the film becomes cloying rather than touching. There's no heart in any of this as the tenacious bond between the man-child and his governess has never been convincingly established.

In Old "Arthur," all supporting players had great moments; in New "Arthur," everyone hits his marks, and that's about it. The spontaneity and gentle whimsy is missing. And so is the luxurious wit of Gordon's original screenplay. Baynham's script prods along without memorable lines or scenes even when it imitates Old "Arthur" as closely as it can.

In the end, it isn't so much that the "New Arthur" isn't the Old "Arthur." Rather it's the anti-Arthur. (Reuters)

Pakistan failing to defeat militants: WH

WASHINGTON: A new White House report warned Tuesday that Pakistan still had no clear path to triumph over insurgents, and said Afghanistan's Taliban was turning more and more to soft civilian targets.

The semi-annual White House report to Congress is designed to judge progress or otherwise towards key objectives of the war in Afghanistan and operations against Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, now nearly a decade old.

The report noted a deterioration of the situation in inhospitable Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in northwest Pakistan alongside the Afghan border between January and March this year.

It details an operation in Mohmand Agency and Bajaur Agency in the areas that started in January to clear insurgent strongholds -- the third time in two years that the Pakistani army has attempted to complete the task.

It said the operation had been hampered by militant resistance, poor weather, the need to settle internally displaced people and the discovery of several caches of improvised explosive devices.

"What remains vexing is the lack of any indication of 'hold' and 'build' planning or staging efforts to complement ongoing clearing operations," the report said.

"As such there remains no clear path to defeating the insurgency in Pakistan, despite the unprecedented and sustained deployment of over 147,000 forces."

The report also however noted the "tremendous human sacrifices" made by Pakistani forces in the region.

Despite the problems with counter-insurgency, the report does note positive military cooperation between Pakistan and Washington in the last three months, despite political tensions over the detention and subsequent release of a CIA contractor accused of murder.

It said that recent Pakistani efforts in the FATA had been coordinated with NATO-led forces in Afghanistan to ensure that insurgents could be captured as they tried to flee across the border.

The US survey, portions of which remained classified and have not been released, also reflected rising recent bloodshed in Afghanistan, particularly among civilians.

A rising number of suicide attacks in recent months suggested that this year's "fighting season" had begun in Afghanistan and seemed to suggest a shift in Taliban tactics against softer government and civilian targets.

"The shift in the Taliban's greater use of murder and intimidation tactics reflects an insurgency under the pressure of a more substantive coalition military campaign," the report said.

"That said, there are also indications that the Taliban remains confident of its strategy and resources, and heavy fighting is expected to resume this spring."

The report also showed slight progress in the last six months in involving the international community to help stabilize Pakistan, and overall, modest progress in the US surge strategy to subdue the Taliban.

But it said that absenteeism and attrition continued to pose a risk to the quality of the Afghan National Security Forces that are vital to Washington's goal of eventually drawing down its troop presence in Afghanistan.

The report also contained the previously published summary of Obama's 2010 annual review of the Afghanistan and Pakistan conflict, first issued in December.

That assessment found that Obama's troop surge strategy announced in 2009 had made modest gains but the challenge was to make US progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan "durable" and "sustainable." (AFP)

Angelina visits Tunisian-Libyan border

TUNIS: The U.S. actress Angelina Jolie on Tuesday visited the Choucha camp on the Tunisian-Libyan border as a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the official TAP news agency reported.

She was warmly greeted by refugees of various nationalities when walking through the camp, said TAP.

The actress thanked the Tunisian authorities for their generosity towards the refugees, saying that the current situation calls for the intervention of all parties with a view to alleviate their suffering and make this tragedy known throughout the world. (AGENCIES)

MQM issues ultimatum to govt for action against extortionists

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday issued two-day ultimatum to the government for taking action against extortionists in Karachi, SCI News reported.

Talking to media outside parliament house here, MQM Senators Abdul Haseeb, Ahmed Ali and others said that Interior Minister Rehman Malik has assured to take action against extortionist mafia in the economic hub, adding that their party would announce its future line of action after two-day deadline.

Meanwhile, talking to ‘Geo News’, MQM leader Babar Ghauri said that despite assurance from Interior Minister, extortionists were not arrested. He alleged that some police officers were supporting these elements.

He demanded of the government to take immediate action against the extortionists instead of rhetoric statements.

PCB fails to name squad for West Indies tour

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee on Tuesday failed to select team for West Indies tour, SCI News reported.

The meeting of PCB selection committee, under the chair of Chief Selector Mohsin Hassan Khan, was held in Gaddafi Stadium here. The meeting was attended among others by selector Muhammad Ilyas, Azhar Khan, Farrukh Zaman, Asif Baloch and captain Shahid Khan Afridi.

The 15-member squad for WI tour was finalized in the meeting but owing to unknown reasons the decision to name the squad was deferred till tomorrow (Wednesday). Although Itikhab Alam and Waqar Younis would retain as manager and coach respectively.

Traders brawl during demo against extortionists

KARACHI: Karachi traders from the platform of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) held a protest demo against extortionist mafia Tuesday; however, due to scuffle between two groups of traders, the protest event was disturbed.

As per details on Monday a meeting of Karachi traders was held in the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in which representatives of small traders had resolved that they would keep the markets closed on Tuesday. However, the leader of Business Group Qasim Teli had announced that traders would hold a peaceful protest demo on 5th April from 03:00 pm to 07:00 pm at Polo Ground against worsening law and order situation in Karachi.

On Tuesday, the situation went tense when traders of KCCI gathered at the Polo Ground, a group of supporters of All Karachi Traders Alliance also reached there and tried to interrupt the press briefing of Chairman BMG Siraj Qasim Teli, which led to brawl. Five people received minor injuries in the scuffle.

Later, taking to newsmen Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG) KCCI Siraj Qasim Teeli said that they set up the protest camp to send a strong message to higher authorities about the grave concerns of the trader community, especially about extortion threats. He said traders and shopkeepers are living in perpetual fear as they regularly receive threats from extortionists.

He warned that the traders of Karachi would go on strike for infinite period from 12th April 2011, if the government failed to meet their demands. (PPI)

Relations with Pakistan 'unbreakable': Cameron

ISLAMABAD: UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said the bond between the UK and Pakistan was 'unbreakable' while announcing £650m worth of aid for education.

At joint news conference after talks with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, he said: "Let me begin by saying without any hesitation that Britain's friendship with Pakistan is unbreakable."

He said there was "no doubt" about strength of links in many areas - including security, education and trade, on which the talks concentrated.

The two countries have agreed to try to double bilateral trade to £2.5 billion a year by 2015, he added.

Cameron said: "It is in our interest that Pakistan succeeds".

"By putting money directly into education and helping to educate four million children is an investment for Britain to do our bit to make sure Pakistan is a success.

"A trading success, an economic success... and a country that we can work with in the future."

While replying to a question Gilani said: "When it comes to Pakistan/ UK relations, the sky is the limit."

Staff of PTDC deprived of salaries for three months

ISLAMABAD: The employees of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) have been deprived of their salaries over the past three months, SCI News reported on Tuesday.

According to sources, around 360 regular and 500 contract staff of PTDC have not got their salaries for three months.

PTDC management has stated that employees were not paid their salaries because the federal government had not provided funds to the corporation.

Spokesman for PTDC said that the workers will get their salaries within three to four days.

U.S.-Russian crew blast off for space station

KOROLYOV: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft, carrying two cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut to the International Space Station, blasted off early on Tuesday from Russia's launchpad in Kazakhstan, blazing a fiery trail across the night sky.

Russian Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyayev, NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan and cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko are to join three other crew members aboard the orbital station after a two-day trip from Earth aboard the cramped spacecraft, an upgraded model of a Soviet-designed standby.

Russian Mission Control said the three men lifted off on schedule from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 0418 local time (2218 GMT on Monday).

"The Soyuz-TMA 21 spacecraft has reached orbit," Samokutyayev, strapped in with his two crewmates, reported to Russian Mission Control a few minutes into the flight after the rocket stages dropped off.

The crew in white space suits flashed thumbs up to onboard cameras and a stuffed toy mascot began floating above their heads as they entered weightlessness.

Once it was safely in orbit, applause broke out at the cavernous Mission Control center in a northern Moscow suburb, named after Gagarin's mentor, the legendary chief designer of the Soviet space programme Sergei Korolyov.

It is the first flight for Russians Samokutyayev and Borisenko, while Garan has logged 13 days in space during a 2008 shuttle mission.

The launch comes less than a week before the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic flight from the same, once-secret Baikonur launch facility to become the first human in orbit.

Tuesday's successful launch of the Soyuz -- which was named after Gagarin and his portrait daubed across its hull -- will likely assuage concerns over reliance on the single-use Russian spacecraft as NASA mothballs its shuttle fleet later this year.

Lift off had been postponed from March 30 due to a glitch in the upgraded Soyuz's communication system.

Garan, an avid twitter user and blogger, has promised to keep up the information flow from orbit. On Sunday, he tweeted pictures of himself getting a last haircut on Earth and called Gagarin's flight "a giant leap in our evolution as a species."

He and his crewmates will spend six months aboard the station, a $100 billion project of 16 nations that has been under construction about 220 miles above Earth since 1998.

The growing orbital complex, a mix of mostly Russian and American-built modules, can now accommodate a six-member crew at all times.

Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, U.S. astronaut Cady Coleman and European Space Agency's Paolo Nespoli of Italy have been aboard the station since mid-December. (Reuters)

Ahmadinejad predicts oil at $150 a barrel

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted that the price of crude oil will increase in future to $150 a barrel due to "political circumstances" and not market factors.

"The political circumstances are deciding the prices ... not the market ones," Ahmadinejad whose nation is the current president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) told reporters at a news conference.

"You asked me if I think the prices will increase? Yes the price of oil will increase. I think in a time frame it can reach around 150 dollars (a barrel)," he said without elaborating.

Iran is OPEC's second largest oil exporter.

The oil price has soared steadily in recent months, on Monday nudging above $108 per barrel of benchmark light sweet crude. (AFP)

Film ‘F.A.L.T.U’ outshines 'Game’ at box office

MUMBAI: Film ‘Game’ of Abhishek Bachchan couldn’t do much wonder at Box Office. The film failed to make an impressive start and grossed mere Rs 2.50 crore approx over its first weekend.

Directed by Abhinay Deo the movie has to struggle hard to continue its run at the box office. Already a flop!

The movie F.A.L.T.U took everyone by surprise when it outshined at box office the much-anticipated thriller ‘Game’ starring Abhishek Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut.

Despite a weekend full of cricket mania, ‘F.A.L.T.U’ did manage to woo the masses. The film collected approx Rs 10-10.50 crore over the first three days.

Working long hours? Watch out for your heart

LONDON: People who regularly work long hours may be significantly increasing their risk of developing heart disease, the world's biggest killer, British scientists said.

Researchers said a long-term study showed that working more than 11 hours a day increased the risk of heart disease by 67 percent, compared with working a standard 7 to 8 hours a day.

They said the findings suggest that information on working hours -- used alongside other factors like blood pressure, diabetes and smoking habits -- could help doctors work out a patient's risk of heart disease.

However, they also said it was not yet clear whether long working hours themselves contribute to heart disease risk, or whether they act as a "marker" of other factors that can harm heart health -- like unhealthy eating habits, a lack of exercise or depression.

"This study might make us think twice about the old adage 'hard work won't kill you'," said Stephen Holgate, chair of the population and systems medicine board at Britain's Medical Research Council, which part-funded the study.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, followed nearly 7,100 British workers for 11 years.

"Working long days is associated with a remarkable increase in risk of heart disease," said Mika Kivimaki of Britain's University College London, who led the research. He said it may be a "wake-up call for people who overwork themselves."

"Considering that including a measurement of working hours in a (doctor's) interview is so simple and useful, our research presents a strong case that it should become standard practice," he said.

Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes are the world's largest killers, claiming around 17.1 million lives a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Billions of dollars are spent every year on medical devices and drugs to treat them.

The findings of this study support previous research showing a link between working hours and heart disease. (Reuters)

Cat with 5 ears

MOSCOW: A Russian cat has set a record for having the most ears, with 3 ears on the right and 2 ears on the left for a total of five.

The cat was discovered by Vladimir Obryvkov of the Voronezh State University of Agriculture who studies animals with physical deformities. The scientist found the cat in the city of Voronezh, Russia and had planned on running tests on the cat including x-ray's, to gain more information about the recessive gene that causes this deformity.

The Obrykov family decided that instead of running tests on the cat and letting her go, they would keep her. She has become a member of the family and now has a new name, Luntya.

Small traders announce token strike

KARACHI: All Karachi Traders Alliance Association (AKTAA), representing small traders of the city, Monday announced to observe a token shutter-down strike in the city on 5th April against increasing threats of extortion faced by Karachi traders.

Atiq Mir of AKTAA told this news agency that the traders of Karachi would keep their shops closed on 5th April because they were facing lots of problems including killing of traders, extortion, kidnapping and threats.

He said that the government had failed to resolves traders’ problems. He demanded of the government to provide security to traders and take action firm against extortionist mafia.

Mir said that the traders of Karachi would begin a ‘civil disobedient campaign’, if the government failed to provide protection to them. (PPI)

15 protesters shot dead in Yemen

SANAA: Yemeni security forces shot dead 15 anti-regime demonstrators and wounded scores more on Monday, on the second day of lethal clashes in Taez, south of the capital, medics said.

"The death toll has gone up to 15," said Sadeq al-Shujaa, head of a makeshift field hospital at a square in central Taez, updating an earlier casualty toll.

The bloodshed came as demonstrators staged a march on the governorate headquarters in the city about 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital to demand the ouster of Yemen's embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Witnesses said the demonstrators stormed the courtyard of the governorate and that plainclothes gunmen opened fire in an attempt to push them back.

The bloodshed, a day after another protester was shot dead in Taez, sent the death toll to more than 100 in a crackdown on protests in the impoverished Arabian peninsula state since late January.

In a similar confrontation, 13 people were shot and wounded late on Sunday as police clashed with tens of thousands of demonstrators in the western city of Hudaydah, according to witnesses. (AFP)

Prince William shows grandmother the ‘Sea King’

LONDON: Prince William showed his rescue chopper to grandmother when his paternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, paid a visit to his Royal Air Force base.

William introduced the Queen to the helicopter he flies in his work as a rescue pilot.

Dressed in his flight fatigues, Prince Wiliam greeted his grandmother warmly and showed her the Sea King helicopter he flies on rescue missions for the RAF.

Grandfather of Prince William, Prince Philip was also present there.

God forbid, situation again arise for judges to take PCO oath

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court has reserved the judgment on the intra-court appeals by PCO judges against the SC’s February 02 verdict, in which it decided to frame contempt charge against these judges.

Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that now neglecting the judges having taken oath under PCO would mean returning back to the doctrine of necessity.

A six-member SC bench headed by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing the appeals of the PCO judges here today.

Attorney General submitted the reply to the SC query relating to the legal status of the PCO judges to which the Chief Justice said that the question, which was raised remained un-replied.

PCO Judge, Hamid Shah’s lawyer, Raza Kazim said that the government has endorsed his stance in its reply that action against the judges could be taken only under Article 209.

Khalid Ranjha, the lawyer of the Judge Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry said that his client had in no way any information about the November 3 order.

PCO Judge Sajjad Shah’s lawyer, Sheikh Zameer also put forth arguments in supporting the stance that action against the judges of the superior courts could only be taken under Article 209.

Chief Justice in his remarks said that many had taken oath under PCO and even I had also done so and it was ratified by the Parliament. He said that if the PCO oath was not taken seriously, then God forbid, the situation might again arise when our judge would have to take such oath.

The Judges sitting here today have given tremendous sacrifices; they were kept in detention, we should not compromise on the situation, he said.

WC trophy given to India was fake

MUMBAI: Indian media revealed that the World Cup trophy handed over to Indian cricket team was not original and it was a fake trophy.

This was reported that president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Sharad Powar had given away the trophy to Indian team captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni in a ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai after they won the World Cup.

However, that trophy was a fake one as it had no ICC logo nor the name of the winners on it.

The Indian media further said that the original trophy is in the custody of the Mumbai customs who levied a tax of Rs2.2 million on it.
But the ICC in a bid to avoid any tax gave away the fake trophy to the Indian team after winning the final.

Tournament director Sauro Naik said that the original trophy of the World Cup would be sent back to Dubai today.

Afridi ready to tour West Indies

KARACHI: Pakistan's limited overs cricket captain Shahid Afridi has made himself available for the tour of West Indies after previously opting for a break.

"Earlier I had decided to skip the tour because I wanted to take a well deserved rest from the game, but some former players and my family and friends told me to change my decision at this crucial time for Pakistan cricket," Afridi said on Monday.

Afridi, 31, who has played 320 one-day internationals, led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the recent World Cup where they lost to eventual winners India.

The seasoned all-rounder, who finished with 21 wickets in the tournament, said he wanted a break from cricket but the upcoming tour was an ideal opportunity to groom two or three new players.

"That is why I want to be part of the team on the coming tour and carry on the momentum we got from the World Cup," he said.

Afridi revealed the morale of the players was boosted by the warm welcome they received on returning from the World Cup hosted in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"It is an indication that Pakistan cricket is on the right track and on the coming tours to West Indies and Zimbabwe we can form an ideal one-day combination," he added.

The Pakistan team will play a Twenty20 match against West Indies on April 21, then five ODIs and two tests.

Indications from the national selectors suggest they plan to rest some of the senior players for the limited over matches in the Caribbean and try out new players who have performed well in domestic cricket. (Reuters)

Sons seek Kadhafi's removal: report

WASHINGTON: At least two sons of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi are proposing a transition to a constitutional democracy that would include their father's removal from power, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

Citing an unnamed diplomat and a Libyan official briefed on the plan, the newspaper said the transition would be spearheaded by one of Kadhafi's sons, Seif al-Islam el-Kadhafi.

It is not clear whether Colonel Kadhafi, 68, has signed on to the reported proposal backed by his sons, Seif and Saadi el-Kadhafi, the report said.

But one person close to these sons said the father appeared willing to go along, the paper noted.

The two sons "want to move toward change for the country" without their father, The Times quoted one person close to the Seif and Saadi camp as saying.

"They have hit so many brick walls with the old guard, and if they have the go-ahead, they will bring the country up quickly."

According to The Times, the idea may reflect longstanding differences among Kadhafi's sons.

While Seif and Saadi have leaned toward Western-style economic and political openings, Colonel Kadhafi's sons Khamis and Mutuassim are considered hard-liners, the paper said.

Khamis leads a pro-government militia, the report noted. And Mutuassim, a national security adviser, has been considered a rival to Seif in the competition to succeed their father. (AFP)

Crude rises to highest level in over two years

SINGAPORE: Crude prices hit fresh two-and-a-half-year highs in Asian trade on Monday as a jump in US jobs creation inspired traders, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, rose 72 cents to $108.66 per barrel, topping Friday's peak of $107.93 and hitting its highest level since late September 2008.

Brent North Sea crude for May delivery advanced 40 cents to $119.10.

A strong showing in US jobs creation for March was leading crude prices higher, said Ben Westmore, minerals and energy economist for National Australia Bank in Melbourne.

"It seems to be demand factors that are causing the rise in prices.... In particular the non-farm payrolls number which was about 216,000 jobs in March which caused a slight fall in the unemployment rate," he told AFP.

"I would say the fall in the unemployment rate wasn't expected by the market so it probably gave a little extra upward impetus to oil prices," Westmore stated.

Statistics released by the US Labor Department late Friday showed unemployment in the world's biggest oil consumer at 8.8 percent in March.

"Since November 2010, the jobless rate has declined by 1.0 percentage point," the government agency noted in its press release.

Westmore said traders had over the past few sessions already priced in supply disruptions due to the ongoing Libyan conflict, but warned that crude prices could spike higher should the conflict spread to surrounding nations.

"The important thing going forward is any news on the spread of the conflicts to other countries. That would be the thing that is not yet reflected in prices and would cause prices to push higher," he said. (AFP)

Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar arrives Lahore

LAHORE: Warm welcome was accorded by a big crowd to Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar, who gave cent percent performance in cricket World Cup 2011, after his arrival at Allama Iqbal International Airport in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Talking to media persons Dar said, "I am proud to represent Pakistan in the final of the cricket’s mega event was played between India and Sri Lanka.”

He thanked the Government of Pakistan and Government of Punjab for granting him Pride of Performance award.

Dar while praising Pakistani performance in the mega event said that overall performance in the world cup was satisfactory but they took two or three wrong decisions like power play were not taken on time.

He said defending champion Australia and hot favourite South Africa were failed to reach in the semi-final while Pakistan qualified but unfortunately was defeated by India.

It is worth mentioning here that not a single decision of Aleem Dar was withdrawn through UDRS, an umpire referral system.

Dar said UDRS is a good system and the systems would help to improve the performance of the umpires.

Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert top ACM Awards

LAS VEGAS: Miranda Lambert won four prizes at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday but lost the coveted entertainer of the year honor to Taylor Swift in a major surprise.

Swift, who picked up four nominations, had watched from her seat throughout the ceremony as rivals Lambert and Lady Antebellum went up to the stage. She was stunned when her name was finally called for the final prize, a fan-voted honor.

"This is the first time that I've ever won this and I'm just losing my mind," Swift said, as she fought back tears.

Lambert retained her crown as top female vocalist and her wistful tune "The House That Built Me" was honored for single, song and video of the year at the 46th annual awards ceremony.

The award for single goes to the artist and producer, whereas the trophy for best song is given to the artist and composer.

Lambert, a 27-year-old Texan, went into the ceremony with a leading seven nominations, including two in the video category.

The country trio Lady Antebellum won trophies for album and vocal group of the year and Brad Paisley was named top male vocalist for the fifth consecutive year. The award for top new artist went to The Band Perry, a sibling trio from Mississippi.

Kenny Chesney, with five nominations, and Keith Urban, with three, went home empty-handed.

The announcement of winners took second place to a string of performances divided between two hotel venues, the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. The winner of the first award was not revealed until almost an hour into the three-hour ceremony.

The show was hosted by Reba McEntire for the 13th year. She was joined by first-timer Blake Shelton, Lambert's fiance.


Winners at the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards from Las Vegas:
• Entertainer of the year: Taylor Swift
• Top male vocalist: Brad Paisley
• Top female vocalist: Miranda Lambert
• Top vocal group: Lady Antebellum
• Top vocal duo: Sugarland
• Top new artist: The Band Perry
• Top new solo vocalist: Eric Church
• Top new vocal duo or group: The Band Perry
• Album of the year: "Need you Now," Lady Antebellum
• Single record of the year: "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• Song of the year: "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• Video of the year: "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• Vocal event of the year: "As She's Walking Away," Zac Brown Band Featuring Alan Jackson
(Reuters/AP)

'Cow valve' heart implant hailed as breakthrough

NEW ORLEANS: A new type of heart valve made with cow tissue and inserted by catheter was hailed on Sunday as a major breakthrough that could eliminate the need for open heart surgery in some patients, US doctors said Sunday.

The method is aimed at high-risk patients who suffer from severe aortic stenosis, a clogged valve that impedes the pathway of oxygen-rich blood by making the heart work harder to pump blood through a narrowing opening.

The condition affects nine percent of Americans over 65. Without treatment,
up to half of patients die within two years.

The technique of inserting the bioprosthetic valve through a tube in the artery is less invasive than conventional surgery and showed similar survival rates to conventional surgery, but also raised the risk of stroke and other major heart complications.

The research was part of the multi-year PARTNER study, the world's first randomized trial comparing the two methods, and was showcased at the American College of Cardiology conference in New Orleans.

"The progress has been quite dramatic over several years," said Craig Smith, chair of the Columbia University College of Physicians and co-principal investigator on the study.

The method lowered costs involved with rehospitalization in frail, elderly patients and was found to increase life expectancy by as much as 1.9 years, said the research.

The process is already being done in Europe but has yet to gain Food and Drug Administration approval in the United States, where the valve is considered an investigational device.

"You are all witnessing history in the making," said David Moliterno, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky.

"This probably will be seen as one of the biggest steps in cardiovascular medicine, as far as intervention is concerned, potentially in our lifetime," said Moliterno, who was not involved in the study.

After balloon angioplasty and the invention of stents, "this will be seen as the next major turning point," he said.

The study compared results among 699 patients with a median age of 84, who were randomly assigned to either transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or open heart surgery to replace the aortic valve (AVR).

The TAVR process involves taking a wire mesh stent that holds three stitched-in valve flaps made of cow tissue, and inserting that into the heart via a catheter in a leg artery or under the rib cage.

The bioprosthetic, called the Edwards SAPIEN heart valve, is made by Edwards Lifesciences in California.

The valve is treated with an anti-calcium building agent that helps cut back on the causes of stenosis. It is not yet available on the US market.

Early results from the study at the 30-day marked favored the catheter insertion of the bioprosthetic, showing a death rate of 3.4 percent compared to 6.4 percent for the open heart surgery method.

Death rates evened out over time and were similar at one year.

Those in the catheter-group also saw lower risk of major bleeding (9.3 percent compared to 19.3 percent in surgery patients) and irregular heart rhythm (8.6 percent compared to 16 percent in the other group).

"These results clearly show that TAVR is an excellent alternative to surgical AVR in high-risk patients," said Smith.

However, the new method carried significantly higher risk of "major vascular complications," at a rate of 11 percent after TAVR compared to 3.2 percent in patients who underwent conventional surgery.

Major stroke risk was also higher in TAVR patients -- 3.8 percent versus 2.1 percent at the 30-day mark and 5.1 percent versus 2.4 percent after one year.

Smith declined to elaborate about the suspected causes of stroke in patients who underwent TAVR, but said the subject was being studied and would be addressed at a future conference on thoracic surgery.

Both the valves typically used in open heart surgery and the type used in the TAVR method are made with cow tissue, or bovine flaps, but the open heart surgery valves are bulkier, Smith said.

The catheter-inserted valves are smaller in size but have a slightly larger opening than the heart surgery valves.

A next-generation device is being formulated that includes some improvements to the design and can be inserted through a smaller catheter, researchers said. (AFP)

'Bionic eye' offers hope

GLEN BURNIE: For a man whose view of the world has slowly faded to black over 30 years, a device that allows him to see flashes of light has enkindled his hope of one day gazing upon his grandson's face.

A career electrician who grew up in Greece and came to the United States as
a young man, Elias Konstantopoulos first noticed his vision getting poorer when at age 43 he absentmindedly tried on a relative's eyeglasses and found he could see more clearly with them than without.

Soon after, he visited a doctor who tested his sight and discovered he was no longer able to see his outstretched arms from the corners of his eyes. His peripheral vision was deteriorating.

He was diagnosed with an incurable condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, which affects about 100,000 people, or one in 3,000, in the United States.

A leading form of hereditary blindness, the disease gradually eats away at the retina's rods and cones, which are photoreceptors that help people see light and identify color and detail.

About 10 years later, he could no longer see well enough to keep working.

"You lose your sight, you pretty much lose everything," said Konstantopoulos, who is now 72 and lost his final bit of vision about five years ago.

When his doctor asked in 2009 if he would like to join a three-year trial of a futuristic technology involving an electrode array in his eye and a wireless camera mounted on a pair of glasses, Konstantopoulos was eager to take part.

Now, every morning he puts on the glasses, straps a wireless device to his waist and stands by the window or out in the yard waiting to hear the sound of a car approaching. When it passes, he says he can see a block of light go by.

He can also distinguish light-colored objects against dark backgrounds, and he can orient himself in a room by being able to see where there is an open window or door letting the sun in from outside.

The device, known as the Argus II, is made by a California company called Second Sight. It was recently approved for use in Europe, and in the United States it has given a handful of test patients like Konstantopoulos cause for optimism.

"Without the system, I can't see anything. With the system, it's some kind of hope. Something is there," he said.

"Later on, who knows with technology what it can do? Everything comes little by little."

The device is similar to the cochlear implants that have allowed hundreds of thousands of deaf people to hear again, and is part of a growing field known as neuromodulation, or the science that helps people regain lost abilities such as sight, hearing and movement by stimulating the brain, spinal cord or nerves.

Ear implants work by picking up sound through a tiny microphone, then converting those signals into electrical impulses and sending them to an electrode array implanted in the patient. The electrodes gather the impulses and ship them to the auditory nerve, which hears them as sounds.

The retinal prosthesis follows a similar process. A tiny video camera on the glasses captures images and converts them into electrical signals that are fed to an electrode array that is surgically implanted in the patient's eye.

The visual signals are sent to the optic nerve and then to the brain, and the patient sees them as flashes of light and blurry shapes.

"It is still a very crude level of vision but it is the beginning of an improvement," said Gislin Dagnelie, an ophthalmologist who is working with Konstantopoulos and other blind patients at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "We have to learn how to talk to the retina, basically."

The implant is unnoticeable. The surgery took about three hours and caused hardly any pain, said Konstantopoulos.

According to Second Sight vice president of business development Brian Mech, the latest generation of the technology has 60 electrodes, compared to an earlier version that had 16.

"Surgery is much shorter and requires only one specialist (Argus I required 3)," Mech said.

In all, 14 devices are being used in the United States and 16 in Europe. The Argus II costs about 100,000 dollars.

The company plans to apply soon for a humanitarian device exemption with the Food and Drug Administration, and hopes for approval in 2012.

In the meantime, Konstantopoulos practices with the device one day a week in the lab with Dagnelie. At each session, Konstantopoulos traces objects he sees on a computer screen. Sometimes they walk arm in arm around the medical complex trying to spot certain objects.

He is gradually improving in his ability to interpret the light flashes and identify them as lines and shapes, the doctor said.

But among other patients, the response "varies quite a bit."

"People who have been blind for a long time probably don't have as much benefit," Dagnelie said.

As time goes on, doctors hope that the device could extend to people who suffer from macular degeneration, the primary cause of vision loss among people over 60.

"We hope that 10-15 years from now we'll have something that is quite useful, clinically," said the Dutch-born doctor.

Konstantopoulos still manages to do plenty of work around the house. He recently retiled the bathroom floor and showed visitors how he can still operate his table saw in the garage, pausing a few times to ask if his 18-month-old grandson, Anthony, was underfoot.

"He does everything. He is such a proud man," said his wife, Dina.

Back in the living room, Konstantopoulos sat in his recliner and scooped up the chubby-cheeked little boy who calls him "Papou."

"That has been my biggest complaint. I have never seen his face," he said, cradling the boy on his lap.

"I cannot see his face. Yet." (AFP)

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA ...

Death toll in Sakhi Sarwar Shrine blasts reaches 42

D.G. KHAN: The death toll in two suicide blasts near Sakhi Sarwar Shrine have reached to 42, while more than 100 devotees are under treatment in different hospitals of the district, Geo News reported on Sunday.

According to area incharge Rescue 1122 Dr Natiq Hayyat, the blasts occurred near the main gate of Shrine. Women and children were among the dead and injured. The injured have been shifted to DHQ hospital, Nishtar hospital Multan and other private and public hospitals. The condition of several injured is said to be critical.

The blasts are said to be suicide attacks.

According to RPO D.G Khan Ahmed Mubarak police have apprehended two suicide bombers of them one Fida Hussain hails from D.G Khan while other is Afghan national.

He further said that there were two blasts while the causalities are between 25 to 30.

Kazakstan votes for president amid Western concern

ASTANA: Kazakhstan voted Sunday in a mostly ceremonial election that is set to stretch President Nurusltan Nazarbayev's rule into a third decade amid Western worries about democracy in the resource-rich state.

The vote comes against the backdrop of violent social revolutions sweeping veteran leaders from power and has already received criticism from Western observers about the ease of Nazarbayev's expected win.

But no such unrest seemed imminent in a Central Asian republic whose younger generation is taught to refer to Nazarbayev as "Papa" and which has spent the past decade registering the region's fastest economic growth.

Officials said this stability -- a mantra of the Nazarbayev regime since it rose to power during the Soviet era in 1989 -- will allow the president to open the system to other voices and make the republic a firmer ally of the West.

"President Nazarbayev has made a strong decision for himself and got the support of the population to move toward a Western-style democracy," Prime Minister Karim Massimov told in an interview.

"Checks and balances, this is a very important step. And for sustainable development in the future, checks and balances -- including of the political system -- are needed." But he added: "You can't do it right away. It takes time."

For now the 70-year-old former steelworker seemed headed for a whopping victory against three minor candidates who have all confirmed their private support for the president's rule.

A top aide to Nazarbayev has predicted an outcome improving on the 91.2 percent the president received in the last election in 2005 and observers have noted that all three opponents have vowed only to compete for second place.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will release a report Monday ruling whether Kazakhstan had made a "marked improvement" on previous elections that have all been condemned as unfair. (AFP)

Faisalabad: work resumes in sizing industry

FAISALABAD: The sizing industry that remained on strike the past 14 days in Faisalabad in the wake of imposition of sales tax has resumed operations after ending the strike, SCI News reported Sunday.

The daily wagers who remained jobless for the past 14 days have now returned to work.

The owners of sizing industry had announced to go on indefinite strike on March 20 in protest against the imposition of sales tax.

Later, power looms industry also joined in and went on strike from March 25 while traders of yarn market had also kept their business closed for the past four days.

Then the representatives of FBR had assured the sizing industry of declaring it exempted from the sales tax but the industry remained on strike till the issuance of formal notification in this regard.

On April 1 the notification was issued but due to closure of gas on April 2 the industry could not resume operation. However, the wheel of the sizing industry began turning again from Sunday after 14 days.

Exercise preserves, builds heart muscle

NEWS ORLEANS: Regular exercise helps prevent the reduction in heart mass normally seen with aging, Dr Paul Bhella said at a press conference on the opening day of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2011 Scientific Sessions.

Dr Paul Bhella (John Peter Smith Hospital, Fort Worth, TX) explained that heart muscle size—typically measured by left ventricular (LV) mass—peaks early in life and diminishes with sedentary aging.

He conducted a study to look at the effect of regular exercise on this process and found that being physically active over the course of a lifetime can "preserve the heart's youthful elasticity."

He noted that as the heart muscle atrophies with age, the heart becomes weaker, less capable of responding to increasing demands such as those associated with physical activity, and, in many circumstances, this leads to a stiffening of the heart by increasing the relative proportion of connective tissue compared with cardiac muscle.

During the study, Bhella and his colleagues compared two groups of people: 81 healthy but sedentary individuals aged 21 to 82 years; and 67 people aged 65 or older who had exercised regularly throughout their lives. The second group was subdivided into those who had exercised two to three times per week, four to five times week, and six to seven times per week. Exercise was defined as a period of at least 20 to 25 minutes of aerobic activity. Study participants underwent cardiac MRI to estimate cardiac mass and LV mass.

Results showed that in the sedentary group, LV mass reduced with age from an average of 55 g/m2 in those in their 30s to 24 g/m2 to those in their 60s. In contrast, in those older individuals who had done regular exercise, LV mass either stayed stable or actually increased, and there was a clear dose-dependent effect with the amount of exercise taken. Those who had did exercise two to three times were per week, had an average LV mass of around 53 g/m2, and this increased to about 62 g/m2 in those exercising four to times a week and to about 68 g/m2 in the six-to-seven-times/week group.

Similar results were seen with peak oxygen uptake. This decreased steadily with age in the sedentary group but increased with increasing exercise levels in the active group. Those individuals aged over 65 who exercised four to five times a week had a higher level of peak oxygen uptake than those aged under 34 who were sedentary.

Pillow Fight Day observed across the world

NEW YORK: Thousands of people came out (pillow) fighting today as the world celebrated International Pillow Fight Day.

From Australia to Brazil, dozens of cities around the globe saw pillows brought into public squares for the fourth annual feather-fest.

New York's Union Square became a bedding battleground as thousands gathered to smack each other about, and hundreds of thousands were expected to join in worldwide for the event, which was started by The Urban Playground Movement.

New Yorkers didn't let the world down. A MailOnline reporter who joined in the action said that many fighters came in costume - with some dressed a ninjas and two lads dressed as Spartan warriors, who stood back to back and took on all comers.
American pillow fighters also gathered in front of Washington's Capital Hill and in Pershing Square in Los Angeles.

Naturally, the weather was perfect for pillow fighting in LA, as large numbers gathered underneath palm trees to do their bit.

The movement has a passionate mission to make such events in public 'a significant part of popular culture', using public spaces as 'urban living rooms' and replacing past-times such as watching television.

Death toll in Sakhi Sarwar Shrine blasts climbs to 30

D.G. KHAN: At least 30 devotees were killed and more than 100 people injured in three blasts near Sakhi Sarwar Shrine, SCI News reported on Sunday.

According to monitoring incharge Rescue 1122 Punjab Muhammad Ahsan, the blasts occurred near the main gate of Shrine blast as a result 30 devotees were killed and more than 100 injured.

Rescue teams have rushed towards the shrine after blast. Around 60 injured have been shifted to near district hospital. The condition of several injured is said to be critical.

The blasts are said to be suicide attacks.

Police have apprehended an alleged suicide bomber. His suicide jacket has been defused while he has been shifted to undisclosed location for investigation.

Azarenka beats Sharapova for Miami title

MIAMI: Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 here Saturday to win the WTA's prestigious Miami hardcourt crown for the second time.

Azarenka, the 21-year-old eighth seed from Belarus, took full advantage of Sharapova's struggles, as the former world number one held serve just once and committed 43 unforced errors.

Azarenka had won nine straight games to take control when Sharapova dug in, finally holding serve and breaking Azarenka twice to close to 4-3 in the second set.

Once again, however, Sharapova was broken, giving Azarenka a 5-3 lead with her seventh double fault of the match.

In the next game, Sharapova saved two match points before Azarenka double-faulted on break point.

But Sharapova couldn't follow up. Azarenka gave herself a third match point with a backhand winner down the line, and Sharapova then belted a forehand into the net to give Azarenka a second Miami title to go with her victory over Serena Williams in the 2009 final.

The two Miami titles are the biggest of the Azarenka's career.

With the victory, Azarenka is projected to rise to number six in the world, the highest ranking of her career.

Although both Serena and Venus Williams missed the tournament, Azarenka's path to the final included victories over Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva.

Despite her defeat, Sharapova is expected to return to the top 10 for the first time in two years.

She won three Grand Slam titles between 2004 and 2008, but has struggled to regain that form since surgery on her right shoulder late in 2008.

Since then she has won titles in Tokyo in in 2009 and Memphis and Strasbourg last year, but has yet to claim a major crown.

Sharapova also fell to 0-3 in Miami finals, adding another runner-up finish here to those in 2005 and 2006.

She has lost her last four finals appearances, yet Sharapova said the fact that she's reaching the title matches is encouraging.

Suicide attacks on Fazl not minor issue: Shujaat

ISLAMABAD: PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that two consecutive suicide attacks on JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman were not a minor issue, SCI News reported on Sunday.

Talking to media following a meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence here, PML-Q leader strongly condemned suicide attacks on Maulana. He also said that government had failed to combat terrorism, adding that attacks on Maulana were not a minor issue.

To a question, Chaudhry Shujaat said he was in contact with all the parties but failed to unite different Muslim League factions.

On the occasion, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he could not comment on the suicide attacks till the sold evidences were collected, adding that government had assured enhancing his security.

Green slime rules Kids' Choice Awards

LOS ANGELES: They came, they saw, they got slimed!

From start to finish, the gooey green stuff poured onto fans in the front rows of the Nickelodeon television network's Kids' Choice Awards Saturday as stars ranging from Miley Cyrus to the Black Eyed Peas came away winners.

The Kids' Choice Awards annually draws some of Hollywood's biggest stars of music, movies and TV shows who are promoting upcoming films, TV shows or music to young fans.

The 2011 ceremony got off to a monstrous start as host Jack Black, whose "Kung Fu Panda 2" hits theaters in May, drove a 10 foot tall (3-meter-tall) monster truck over the top of two fancy limousines, then performed a song with the Black Eyed Peas.

The first winner was Johnny Depp, who was named favorite movie actor for his role as the Mad Hatter in "Alice In Wonderland," and after collecting his orange blimp Kids' Choice trophy, he pulled out a hose and dowsed the kids with slime.

Russell Brand got the green stuff flung at him while giving the award for favorite animated movie voice to Eddie Murphy in "Shrek Forever After." Model Heidi Klum took a face full of the stuff when she handed out the blimp for favorite TV actress to Selena Gomez of Disney show "Wizards of Waverly Place."

Two of the few performers who didn't get the slime -- widely considered an honor at the Kids' Choice -- were Miley Cyrus, who was named favorite movie actress for drama "The Last Song," and Jaden Smith, who scooped up a blimp for his film, "The Karate Kid," the remake that won best movie.

The Black Eyed Peas were named best group and Willow Smith, Jaden Smith's sister, performed her hit song, "Whip My Hair.

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn scored a blimp for favorite female athlete, and topping off the night was the cast of Nickelodeon's "iCarly" collecting a trophy for top TV show.

Along with winners of Kids Choice Awards, who were picked through online voting, singer Justin Timberlake was given a special silver blimp called The Big Help Award for his efforts in raising money for the Shriners Hospital for Children.

The show ended with comedian Jim Carrey floating over the crowd in a hot air balloon and, of course, getting the biggest honor of them all at the Kids Choice Awards -- the slime.

A list of winners from the 24th annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards:
• Favorite Movie: "The Karate Kid."
• Favorite Movie Actor: Johnny Depp, "Alice in Wonderland."
• Favorite Movie Actress: Miley Cyrus, "The Last Song."
• Favorite Animated Movie: "Despicable Me."
• Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie: Eddie Murphy, "Shrek Forever After."
• Favorite Butt-kicker: Jackie Chan, "The Karate Kid."
• Favorite TV Show: "iCarly."
• Favorite TV Actor: Dylan Sprouse, "The Suite Life on Deck."
• Favorite TV Actress: Selena Gomez, "Wizards of Waverly Place."
• Favorite TV Sidekick: Jennette McCurdy, "iCarly."
• Favorite Reality Show: "American Idol."
• Favorite Cartoon: "SpongeBob SquarePants."
• Favorite Music Group: Black Eyed Peas.
• Favorite Female Singer: Katy Perry.
• Favorite Male Singer: Justin Bieber.
• Favorite Song: Justin Bieber, "Baby."
• Favorite Male Athlete: Shaquille O'Neal.
• Favorite Female Athlete: Lindsey Vonn.
• Favorite Book: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.
• Favorite Video Game: "Just Dance 2."
• The Big Help Award: Justin Timberlake.
(Reuers/AP)

Patients suffer as doctor's strike continues

LAHORE: The strike of young doctors entered the 34th day on Sunday at different hospitals of Lahore as well as various other cities of Punjab.

Patients had to face severe problems as doctors did not attend to patients of the outdoor, in-door and emergency wards of the Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Children Hospital, Lahore General Hospital and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore and in many other cities of the Punjab on Sunday.

On the other hand, 35 new doctors were appointed to the Services Hospital Lahore, following the Punjab chief minister's directive, empowering the hospital and medical colleges' heads to immediately fill the posts vacated by the protesting doctors.

At least 50 killed in Libya fighting

TRIPOLI: The Libyan civil war got hotter today as rebel forces stormed towards Brega, the strategic oil city, while Gadaffi’s army re-entered Misrata.

At least 50 including rebels, government troops and civilians have been killed in fresh clashes in different cities.

The rebels moved heavier weapons and a top commander towards Brega, seeking to break a stalemate against Muammar Gaddafi’s better-equipped army.

Brega has been taken and retaken by insurgents and Gaddafi’s forces in recent weeks. Warplanes flew over Brega, followed by heavy bombardment.

In the western part of the country, Gaddafi’s forces stormed the rebel outpost of Misrata with tanks and artillery, a rebel spokesman said.

Rebels offered a ceasefire on condition Gaddafi left Libya and his forces withdrew from cities now under government control.

In Misrata rebels said Gaddafi’s forces had brought their superior firepower to bear on the insurgents’ last western enclave with an intense bombardment.

“They used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and other projectiles to hit the city today. It was random and intense bombardment,” the spokesman, called Sami said. “We no longer recognise the place. The destruction cannot be described.”

The account from Misrata, Libya's third biggest city 200km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, could not be verified. Authorities do not allow journalists to report freely from the city.

Heavily-armed rebels were also moving from Benghazi towards Ajdabiyah to the south late on Thursday.

“Today we have officers coming with us. Before we went alone,” one of the rebels said.

The rebels swore that their capital Benghazi was secure and there was no risk of Gaddafi’s forces retaking it.

In Tripoli heavy gunfire rang out near Gaddafi’s compound for about 20 minutes before dawn and residents said they saw snipers on rooftops and heard distant chanting or shouting.

Reporters are confined to hotels and unable to verify reports from the streets. The city is suffering from fuel shortages, queues outside bakeries and gas stations.

The bombing campaign by Western-led forces, co-ordinated by NATO since Thursday, was hampered by sandstorms and fears of civilian casualties. NATO took over air strikes as well as enforcement of the UN-mandated no-fly zone and arms embargo, replacing a coalition led by the United States, France and Britain.

NATO officials said sandstorms had an impact on initial operations, limiting the alliance's ability to identify air strike targets.

“Yesterday, we were restricted by bad weather,” one NATO official said.

However, the campaign had also entered a more “challenging” phase, he said, with forces loyal to Gaddafi operating increasingly in populated districts as they mounted an intense attack on rebel-held territory in Libya.

A senior Vatican official and a doctor in Tripoli confirmed separately that the air strikes had killed civilians, though the numbers could not be established. (Online)

Pak-India Defence Sec. talks on 22nd

ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani and Indian defence officials would reopen stalled talks on the world’s highest battlefield - Siachen - in yet another attempt to demilitarise the area.

“The defence secretaries of both the South Asian countries will be meeting on April 22 to resume talks on the Siachen glacier and Sir Creek,” a senior official told The News on Saturday.

The Pak-India talks on Siachen and Sir Creek would be resumed after four years, though both sides have maintained a ceasefire since November 2003. It would be yet another attempt, starting in the mid-80s, to resolve the dispute through “peace talks”, though all earlier parleys ended in deadlock with both the sides sticking to their guns.

To be held in Rawalpindi where the Defence Ministry is located, Indian defence secretary would be coming to Pakistan for these renewed efforts of demilitarisation of Siachen glacier and resolving the Sir Creek issue.

Following a successful round of talks between interior/home secretaries last week, Pakistan and India would be holding talks on defence and commerce issues. The commerce secretaries of Pakistan and India would hold talks on April 29.

“These rounds of talks are meant to steer confidence building between the two countries,” said a senior official, who hailed the way Interior Secretary Ch Qamaruzzaman held talks with his Indian counterpart in New Delhi last week.

Many officials say the environment has become conducive for holding talks at the senior officials level and this time the leadership of both the countries mean business and defeating the agents of hostilities.

Pakistani leaders and officials, who travelled to Mohali for witnessing Pak-India semi-final of the World Cricket Cup, are showing their cautious optimism on the readiness of Indian leadership and officials to build confidence for resolution of several thorny issues.

“The Indians hosted us well and they showed a lot of inclination with practical steps to work with Pakistan on several matters,” said a member of the Pakistani delegation which recently visited India for interior/home secretary level talks.

So much so, said the official, one conducting Indian official of the rank of DIG in Agra recalled his mother’s memories of their residing at Gujar Khan, a town 30 miles away from Rawalpindi, in pre-partition period.

“That conducting officer brought his wife to chat with us about their ancestors’ place of living in pre-partition period,” said the official. “All they wanted to see end of hostilities between the two countries.”

The Pakistani delegation also visited Golden Temple in Amritsar, and that opportunity fell into their lap when their flight got delayed by one and a half hours. “Excellent arrangements were made there to greet us at the Golden Temple,” said the official, who added that pleasantries were exchanged with recalling memories.

In the context of talks on Siachen and Sir Creek, Pakistan maintains implementation of an agreement reached between the archrivals in 1989 under which soldiers in the permanently frozen combat zone were to be brought down to the positions held by them prior to the Indian advance in 1984. The South Asian neighbours each keep a few thousand troops deployed across the 6,300-metre glacier where weather claims more lives than actual fighting.