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Severe quake hit upper parts of Pakistan

2011-01-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: A severe earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter-scale, rocked upper parts of the country including federal capital, Geo News reported.

According to the sources, the quake jolted cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mansehra, Abbotabad, Charsadda.

The epicenter of the quake was Tajikistan.

The White House welcomes China’s Hu Jintao: Obama and Hu Jintao press conference

2011-01-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

Amid the pomp and ceremony of a full state visit, Chinese leader Hu Jintao has been warmly received at the White House.

Given a welcome normally reserved for close allies, Hu is on a four-day trip to the US, which will include a formal state dinner. US President Barack Obama has already hosted a rare private dinner with Hu in the White House.

Both leaders have thorny issues to raise, including North Korea and Taiwan, as well as the sensitive subject of trade imbalances.

One report in Washington says the US and China plan to announce that they have reached a deal to boost cooperation on nuclear security. Both men say they are determined to improve cooperation. However, experts say they are not expecting any major breakthroughs on the difficult issues.

Critics of the Chinese leader, including pro-Tibet campaigners, are bristling at the pomp and ceremony he is receiving.

Earthquake in Pakistan, Karachi, quetta and other cities, 7.2 Magnitude

2011-01-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

Earthquake in Pakistan, Karachi, quetta and other cities, 7.2 Magnitude

Pakistan squad announced for World Cup

2011-01-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

Pakistan squad announced for World Cup

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board has announced here on Tuesday a final squad for next month's cricket World Cup to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

No captain or vice-captain has yet been announced for the team.

Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf and fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed have not been included in the 15-member team.

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Ahmed Shahzad.

WHO, HOW, AND WHY: $140 Oil And $5 Gas

2011-01-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

According to a loosely-organized apocalyptic Christian movement, May 21, 2011 will be the "end of days."

On or about that same date, the price of oil in the United States will begin to climb to $4 a gallon, according to two savants of the oil industry.
The former is highly unlikely but the latter is very probable.
The escalation in the price of oil is predicted by the legendary oil man T. Boone Pickens, known for his financial acuity as well as his oil expertise, and John Hofmeister, who retired as president of Shell Oil Company, to sound the alarm about the rate of U.S. consumption of oil.
In an interview with a trade publication, Hofmeister predicted that oil would rise to $4 a gallon this year and to $5 a gallon in the election year 2012. Separately, Pickens—who has been leaning on Congress to enact an energy policy that would switch large trucks and other commercial vehicles from imported oil to domestic natural gas—predicts that oil currently selling for just over $90 a barrel will go to $120 a barrel, with a concomitant price per gallon of $4 or more.
The Obama administration appears to have been slow to grasp the political implications of an escalation in the price of oil. When asked about it, outgoing White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs referred the questioner to the Department of Energy.
Not everyone is alarmed by the incipient rise in the oil price. Republicans, who are especially close to the oil industry and its Washington lobby, orchestrated by the American Petroleum Institute, think that a great deal of hay can be made while this particular sun shines. They plan to attack the administration for spending too many resources on alternative fuels, over-regulating the industry, and keeping too many federal lands away from oil prospecting. They also accuse the administration of being too frugal with its release of drilling areas in the Gulf of Mexico and on the two coasts, as well as Alaska.
The Republicans have unlikely bedfellows in their quest to politicize the price of oil. They are joined by environmentalists who have long believed that only high prices will break America's passion for the automobile.
Environmentalists have long advocated European-style taxation to drive motorists out of their cars and onto buses and trains.
A third interest group that will take some pleasure in rising oil prices are those who are invested in alternatives such as ethanol, oil from algae and electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund is keeping an eye on the price of oil, according to Caroline Atkinson, director of external relations at the IMF. She told a Washington press briefing that the IMF is particularly concerned with food and other commodities that are directly affected by the price of oil.
Hofmeister, who now heads the non-profit Citizens for Affordable Energy that advocates energy development in all forms, believes that the United States could increase oil production from the current 7 million barrels per day to 10 million, half of its consumption. He told an interviewer from Platt's, an energy publisher and broadcaster, that we were "essentially frittering at the edges of renewable energy, stifling production in hydrocarbon energy," which he said could lead to blackouts, brownouts, gas lines and rationing.
There are already signs that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is planning a big push for hydrocarbon energy. An indication of this comes from Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., a one-time global-warming believer who has dropped that issue from his agenda. He is the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
In periods of high gasoline prices in the past, presidents have found there is very little that they can do. Their options are to reduce the tax on gasoline, sell oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or the Naval Petroleum Reserve. President George W. Bush went a step further: He went to Saudi Arabia twice to ask the Saudis to increase their rate of production. Twice he came back empty-handed.
All of this would be good news for the oil producers and especially those troublesome players, Russia and Venezuela.
Of course, if you believe the human endeavor ends on May 21, better fuel the SUV and hit the road.

Death toll passes 500 in Brazil as survivors plead for food, water, body bags

2011-01-14T13:08:00.000-08:00

Grieving mudslide survivors carried the bodies of loved ones for hours down washed-out mountainsides on Friday as the death toll hit 514. They told of entire neighbourhoods in a resort city destroyed and pleaded for food and water to reach those still isolated by Brazil's deadliest natural disaster in four decades.

Officials said the death toll in four towns north of Rio de Janeiro was still rising and could jump further once rescuers can reach areas cut off by Wednesday's slides. They refused to even guess how many remain missing. Local reports put it in the hundreds.

Fernando Perfista, a 31-year-old ranch hand, walked with friends for hours through the night, carrying the body of his 12-year-old boy, the only of his four children he had found.

In the Fazenda Alpina area where he lives, Mr. Perfista said uncovered bodies still lay on the ground and the injured left to suffer on their own because no relief had yet reached them.

He said he found his son's body buried in the mud and had to put it in a refrigerator to keep it from dogs while he went out to search without success for his other three children.

Friends helped Mr. Perfista haul the boy's body to town, where they buried him Friday. Like the scores of other survivors standing outside a morgue in Teresopolis, he was dazed with the shock of sudden loss.

“My children are in there, in that river bank, under that mud,” he said blankly, a hand held to his face.

After morning rains caused delays Friday, rescuers resumed efforts, but manpower or resources had yet to reach many in Teresopolis, a mountain city of 163,000 alongside a national park that hosts a major training site for Brazil's national football team.

It holds ornate weekend homes where the wealthy of Rio escape the summer heat to enjoy horseback riding and rock climbing, as well as brick or wood houses built by the poor on denuded land.

The avalanche of mud and water swept away trees and sent boulders larger than cars rumbling down the slopes, destroying everything in their paths, striking rich and poor alike — though most of the toll appears to have fallen, as usual, on the poor.

It is the worst natural disaster to hit Latin America's biggest nation since flooding and slides in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo states killed 785 people in 1967, according to the Brussels-based International Disaster Database, which has records of deadly natural events in Brazil since 1900.

Amauri Souza, a 38-year-old who helped Mr. Perfista hike his son's body to town, said a few helicopters are reaching remote areas, but “they're only taking down the wounded.”

He said they were not dropping off food, water or body bags, and he came to town to plead for help.

Mr. Souza said he pulled his wife and 6-month-old daughter to safety when the wall of mud and water hit early Wednesday. But his wife's parents were lost. He heard their screams for help as they were caught up in the mud. Their bodies has yet to be found.

“It's a scene of war and total loss,” he said of the Fazenda Alpina area. “I heard my friends screaming for help in the night.”

Now, after the initial disaster, he fears another from hunger, thirst and disease, if officials do not act.

“The water is rotten, but people are forced to drink it. There is no food. I had meat in my house, but it's all gone bad.”

Despite the number of deaths, the relatively low number of injured has surprised officials.

Carlos Eduardo Coelho, in charge of the Rio state's health services effort in Teresopolis, said hospitals have ample space. He said that on Thursday, 185 people were treated for injuries in two city hospitals, while 20 people sought treatment in a military field hospital.

He said the injuries are not that severe — mostly cuts and broken bones — but that he was worried about the health risks to come as even the survivors were “buried in contaminated water” and even people with minor cuts are developing infections.

Flooding and mudslides are common in Brazil when the summer rains come, but this week's slides were among the worst in recent memory. The disasters punish the poor, who often live in rickety shacks perched perilously on steep hillsides with little or no foundations. But even the rich did not escape the damage in Teresopolis, where large homes were washed away.

Rio state's Civil Defence department said on its website that 227 people were killed in Teresopolis and 230 in Nova Friburgo, a 45-mile (75-kilometre) drive to the west of Teresopolis that draws hikers and campers to mountain trails, waterfalls and dramatic views of lush green slopes.

Another 41 died in neighbouring Petropolis and 16 in the town of Sumidouro. The Civil Defence agency said about 14,000 people had been driven from their homes.

An additional 37 people had died in floods and mudslides since Christmas in other parts of southeastern Brazil — 16 in Minas Gerais state north of Rio and 21 in Sao Paulo state.

Dozens of pilgrims feared killed in India stampede - TV

2011-01-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

Dozens of Hindu devotees returning from a shrine were feared killed after a stampede in Kerala, several TV news channels reported on Friday.
Police were not immediately able to confirm the death toll.
(Reporting D. Jose; editing by Matthias Williams)

Tunisian PM assumes power after anti-govt riots

2011-01-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

Violent anti-government protests drove Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power Friday after 23 years of iron-fisted rule, as anger over soaring unemployment and corruption spilled into the streets.

Thousands of demonstrators from all walks of life mobbed the capital of Tunis on Friday to demand Ben Ali's ouster, the culmination of weeks of protests that have swept the country. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi went on state television to announce that he is assuming power in this North African nation known for its sandy beaches and ancient ruins.

The shakeup was certain to have repercussions in the Arab world and beyond - as a sign that massive public outrage could bring down a leader as entrenched and powerful as Ben Ali.

The president tried vainly to hold onto power amid Friday's riots, declaring a state of emergency, dissolving the government and promising new legislative elections within six months. A day earlier, he had promised not to run for re-election in 2014 and also slashed prices on key foods such as sugar, bread and milk.

Yet Friday saw the largest demonstrations in generations. Police repeatedly clashed with protesters, some of whom climbed the walls of the dreaded Interior Ministry, site of torture reports for years. Clouds of tear gas and black smoke hung over the city's whitewashed buildings, and tour operators hurriedly evacuated thousands of tourists.

Hours later, the airport was closed and unconfirmed news reports citing unidentified government sources said Ben Ali had left the country.

"I take over the responsibilities temporarily of the leadership of the country at this difficult time to help return security," Ghannouchi said in a solemn statement. "I promise that when I take this responsibility, to respect the Constitution and work on reform of economic and social issues with care and to consult with all the sides."

The 74-year-old leader came to power in a bloodless coup in 1987, taking over from a man called formally President-for-Life. Ben Ali seized power from Habib Bourguiba, the founder of modern-day Tunisia who set the Muslim country on a pro-Western course after independence from France in 1956.

Ben Ali removed Bourguiba from office for "incompetence," saying he had become too old, senile and sick to rule. Ben Ali promised then that his leadership would "open the horizons to a truly democratic and evolved political life."

But after a brief period of reforms early on, Tunisia's political evolution stopped.

A U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks called Tunisia a "police state" and says Ben Ali has lost touch with his people.

Bradley Manning Gets $15,000 From WikiLeaks for Legal Defense

2011-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Who has Bradley Manning's back?

Manning, an Army intelligence officer, remains in a Quantico, Va., maximum-security facility while he awaits trial on charges that he passed on a mountain of classified U.S. government material to WikiLeaks. Now WikiLeaks has donated $15,000 to help pay Manning's legal fees.
Other groups and individuals from around the world have also made donations to support Manning's defense, building a fund that's just $15,000 shy of the $115,000 his supporters say they'll need.
The fundraising effort (and the money) is being managed by the Bradley Manning Support Network, working in partnership with an anti-war grassroots organization called Courage to Resist. Founded in 2005, Courage to Resist's motto is "Support the Troops Who Refuse to Fight." It has worked with many war resisters and military objectors, providing strategic, financial and legal assistance to service members who face penalties for conscientious objection or refusal to fight.
The Bradley Manning Support Network is a more recent creation, launched in 2010 by "cyberactivist" Mike Gogulski, a resident of Slovakia who renounced his American citizenship in 2008. The Support Network has been collecting donations for Manning's defense since July.
What accounts for the $115,000 figure that Courage to Resist says will be needed for Manning's defense? The group says the number is based on the flat fee that Manning's civilian attorney, David Coombs, has agreed to accept, plus expenses for travel and defense witnesses.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces his own financial troubles: Visa, MasterCard and PayPal stopped processing donations to the WikiLeaks organization last month. Legal costs for WikiLeaks and Assange, who has been charged with rape in Sweden, are nearing $750,000.
But Assange may not have to rely on good will from grassroots groups in order to pay his lawyers. He's already signed book deals worth more than $1 million.

US, European and Asian markets higher

2011-01-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

Wall St stocks rose broadly on Wednesday after a successful bond auction in Portugal eased worries about Europe's debt crisis. Financial shares jumped on hopes that banks would start raising their dividends this year.

Portugal borrowed $US1.6 billion ($A1.62 billion) at a lower long-term interest rate than many expected. That helped reassure investors concerned that Portugal may become the third European country to require a bailout after Greece and Ireland.

Analysts cautioned that it's still possible Portugal could need a financial lifeline if its economy slips back into recession this year.

Financial stocks led the market higher after an analyst at Wells Fargo Securities issued a report saying bank earnings should grow much faster than other companies this year. He also said banks were likely to distribute more of their earnings to shareholders as dividends.

JPMorgan Chase & Co rose 2.6 per cent to $44.71 after the company's CEO, Jamie Dimon, told CNBC late Tuesday that the bank hopes to raise its dividend in the second quarter. JPMorgan's stock led the 30 large companies that make up the Dow Jones industrial average.

Other banks also rose. Bank of America gained 1.8 per cent to $14.96. US Bancorp rose three per cent to $26.82.

In early afternoon trade, the Dow was up 92.03 points, or 0.79 per cent, at 11,763.91.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index had gained 10.81, or 0.85 per cent, at 1,285.29.

The Nasdaq composite was 17.41 points higher, by 0.64 per cent, at 2,734.24.

Bond prices fell, pushing their yields higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.41 per cent from 3.34 per cent late Tuesday. The yield is used to set interest rates on many kinds of loans including mortgages.

The Federal Reserve will release a report at 2 pm (1900 GMT) on how the US economy is doing across 12 different regions in the country. Analysts expect the survey to show more signs of recovery.

LONDON - European stock markets closed higher on Wednesday as eurozone debt worries were eased by a successful Portuguese bond auction and record economic growth figures for Germany, dealers said.

They said that after weeks of doubt over whether Lisbon could raise fresh cash from the money markets, its bond sale proved that it could, if at a price which might not be sustainable over the long-term.

That was enough, however, to ease immediate concerns that Portugal would need an EU-IMF bailout, after Greece and Ireland last year, with investors happy to go along with the relief rally.

Record German 2010 growth - 3.6 per cent after a contraction of 4.7 per cent in 2009 - supported hopes that Europe's largest economy will provide enough momentum to keep the EU afloat while it puts its financial house in order.

Gains in some weaker eurozone countries were substantial - Lisbon put on 2.59 per cent, and Madrid, seen as most at risk if Portugal needs to be bailed out, soared 5.42 per cent, while Milan jumped 3.82 per cent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares closed up 0.61 per cent at 6,050.72 points. In Paris, the CAC 40 jumped 2.15 per cent to 3,945.07 points and in Frankfurt the DAX rose 1.83 per cent to 7,068.78 points.

HONG KONG - Asian stock markets edged higher on Wednesday, taking a cautious attitude to Europe's debt crisis but buoyed by gains on Wall Street and strength among Chinese shares.

Japan's Nikkei index closed up just 0.02 per cent, or 2.12 points, at 10,512.80.

Hong Kong ended up 1.54 per cent, or 365.27 points, at 24,125.61, the Hang Seng's highest close in two months and marking a rally of 4.7 per cent so far this year.

Shanghai's Composite Index gained 0.62 per cent, or 17.26 points, to reach 2,821.31.

Stocks were boosted by gains on Wall Street and Japan's announcement that it will buy bonds from a eurozone rescue fund to help finance Ireland's bailout and support the debt-hit bloc.

But sentiment remained cautious ahead of Portugal's 2011 debut on the long-term bond market on Wednesday, amid speculation that aggressive intervention by the European Central Bank may help it avoid a bailout.

The yen's recent weakness against the euro gave Japanese exporter stocks an early boost but this was offset as the yen again pushed higher.

In Hong Kong, a 3.7 per cent jump for previously lacklustre HSBC gave the index a major boost, echoing gains by banks in Europe.

Shanghai saw gains among property, developer and resource stocks, although the market remains cautious ahead of major economic data next week.

Taipei's stock market rose 0.38 per cent, or 33.64 points, to 8,965.00, as Ruentex Industries gained 4.81 per cent on advance reports, confirmed after the close, that troubled US insurer AIG will sell its Taiwanese unit to a Ruentex-led consortium for $2.16 billion.

Bangladesh's volatile exchange rose 2.38 per cent, or 178.59 points, to 7,690.68. The market had gained 15.58 per cent on Tuesday after two days of record plunges that sparked violent protests across the country.

Mumbai jumped 1.74 per cent, on choppy trading after data showing India's industrial output fell to a 20-month-low of 2.7 per cent growth in November.

India's stock markets have been jittery amid fears of an interest rate rise by the central bank to curb soaring food inflation.

In other markets, Singapore rose 0.11 per cent, Seoul rose 0.32 per cent, Kuala Lumpur rose 0.23 per cent, Jakarta rose 2.88 per cent, Bangkok rose 0.60 per cent, and Manila rose 0.12 per cent.

WELLINGTON - The New Zealand sharemarket rose modestly with brokers noting strength in selected stocks like Vector.

Tower fell 7c to 200 on a day it traded ex a 6c dividend. Trading in Abano Healthcare was halted for a previously announced one-in-four share cancellation to be carried out. The cancellation effects a $NZ27.3 million ($A21.08 million) capital return to shareholders.

The benchmark NZX-50 index closed up 4.822 points, or 0.145 per cent, at 3,334.585, having gained 5.7 points on Tuesday.

Turnover was 32 million shares worth $NZ87.4 million ($A67.49 million). There were 32 rises and 34 falls.

The nation grieves : Brisbane braces itself for the big flood

2011-01-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

THE rain stopped but the water kept coming all day. Three rivers emptied the hills behind Brisbane. The Bremer swamped Ipswich. The Lockyer tore through its valley, killing at least 10 people on the way. The upper Brisbane cascaded from the Wivenhoe Dam. And all that water was heading for Brisbane.

In the face of this catastrophe, old records don't mean much any more. ''People talk about the floods of 1974 but they are history now,'' said the mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale, as he surveyed his underwater town. ''Now we'll be talking about the floods of 2011.''

Brave and terrible stories are coming out of the hills, stories of lucky escapes and awful deaths. Trapped on a roof in Grantham, Martin Warburton watched bodies float by. He thought at first they were trying to swim. ''You bend down to try and grab them,'' he told Channel Seven, ''And then you realise that they are already gone.''

While police were picking through the wreckage upstream, emergency workers began preparing for the devastation yet to come in Brisbane. All day, authorities were urging people to get out and get out soon. For a long time, not much attention was paid.

Crowds gathered on the banks of the river. The wreckage drifting by was light entertainment. As the floating restaurant called Drift met its end under the Goodwill Bridge, there were cheers from vantage points. But what drew that crowd and held its attention all afternoon was the awesome power of the river itself.

By the time it hit its first peak of 4.4 metres in the middle of the afternoon, the Brisbane CBD was shut down, buses were off the roads, supermarket shelves were empty and water had entered 35 suburbs. But this was only a rehearsal for what was coming in the middle of the night when the flood would rise another metre.

Latif Khosa appointed as Punjab Governor

2011-01-11T08:24:00.001-08:00

Updated at: 2120 PST, Tuesday, January 11, 2011
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari appointed close aide Latif Khosa to succeed the murdered governor of the Punjab province Salman Taseer, officials said

Earlier, President Zardari held consultations with senior leaders of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in connection with the appointment of Punjab governor. The announcement was made public after an elaborate meeting between Latif Khosa and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Imran Khan signs with Geo Super for World Cup 2011

2011-01-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Geo Super has exclusively signed Imran Khan to participate, provide commentary, and be the brand ambassador for its Cricket World Cup presentation in Pakistan.

Imran Khan is one of the icons who ruled the international cricket for two decades and also led the Pakistani team to World Cup glory in 1992.
Khan will feature in Geo Super expert reviews, opinions and analyses leading up to and during the ICC Cricket World Cup matches due to start on February 19. The tournament is one of the most widely-viewed sporting events in the world and the number one TV event for Pakistan in terms of revenue and TV ratings.
Geo Super has the exclusive rights to broadcast all the matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 over cable and satellite networks throughout Pakistan.
Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, nine Cricket World Cups have been organised by the ICC. Australia have emerged winner on most occasions, with four. Closely following is West Indies, who won the inaugural and the very next World Cup. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won one World Cup each.
Having captained Pakistan more or less throughout 1982-1992, Khan had retired from cricket at the end of the 1987 World Cup campaign, but returned after a presidential call to "rise above one's self" and answered the nation's call, rejoining the Pakistan team in 1988 as the skipper. At 39, Khan led his teammates to Pakistan's first and only World Cup victory in 1992. He has a record of 3,807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, making him one of eight World-class cricketers to have achieved an 'all-rounder's triple' in Test matches, widely recognised as one of the best leaders the game has seen. Khan was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on July 14th, 2010.

Lady Gaga introduces Camera Glasses

2011-01-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS: Lady Gaga introduced her new line of Grey Label products for Polaroid at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. These products include sunglasses embedded with cameras and photo printers that can fit in a purse.

Grey Label allowed Lady Gaga, who is now a creative director for the company, to design the frames for the Polaroid GL20 image-capturing sunglasses, which stores photos on a chip inside an earpiece. The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer, which she takes to bars with her in her purse, connects to phones via Bluetooth and prints 3-by-4-inch pictures on the go.
“I suppose many of you are nerdy enough to carry around a mobile printer," said Lady Gaga at the even. "I know I will."
The products are set to be released later this year.
"I consider myself to be a visionary, not just a songwriter and a singer," Lady Gaga said in a press release distributed by Polaroid. "I am an artist. I brought my vision and love of fashion, technology and obsession with the future into all of my work with Polaroid."
Lady Gaga is set to release her second studio album, "Born This Way," on May 23, 2011. The pop superstar is up for six Grammy awards.
Lady Gaga promised fans at a concert stop in Gdsank, Poland that the follow-up album to "The Fame" will be the "greatest album of this decade."

Hostages held in bank robbery in Pearland

2010-12-31T11:34:00.000-08:00

A bank manager has been wounded during a terrifying robbery playing out in Pearland, involving several hostages.

At about 11:30am, the situation began at the Chase bank at 1915 North Main Street, near a Walmart. Armed suspects are still in the building threatening violence against several hostages. Reports are there are two gunmen and at least six hostages. They are believed to be a mix of employees and possibly customers. Unconfirmed statements suggest that some people inside the bank were allowed to leave in the minutes after the robbery.

Pearland police say there were shots fired when the fleeing robbers saw a police officer responding to a 911 call pull into the parking lot. That apparently forced the robbers to retreat inside the building, and the standoff has continued.

About 60 law enforcement officers, including FBI agents and SWAT officers, have surrounded the bank. Police have requested Eyewitness News stop providing live streaming video from SkyEye above the scene, due to security precautions. Negotiations with the suspects, two or more, are underway.

Pearland police have confirmed the bank manager was beaten by the suspects. Shots had been fired inside the bank, leading to confusion over how the manager was injured. He was taken to a nearby fast food restaurant, but police are not sure if he was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. His condition is unknown.

Police have set up multiple roadblocks in the area, including one on Highway 35 at McHard Road. Residents are advised to avoid the area.

A nearby fast food restaurant manager has witnessed the events and tells Eyewitness News he saw at least one person exit the building with blood on him. Another witness said he was on his way to get a sandwich when he heard four gunshots, then saw a man running out of the bank.

We're also hearing that employees in the McDonalds at the Walmart have been on lockdown, but reports differ as to whether customers are being held in the store.

Dollar weakens against most major currencies

2010-12-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

The U.S. dollar was weaker against the euro, pound and yen on Friday during thin year-end trading.

The euro rose to $1.3406 midday in New York, from $1.3286 late Thursday. The British pound rose to $1.5612 from $1.5415 while the dollar fell to 81.09 Japanese yen from 81.52 yen.

The U.S. dollar is still expected to outperform most of the world's major currencies next year as the economy gains strength.

The currency analysts at Wells Fargo Bank predict the dollar will rise 7 percent against the yen, more than 4 percent against the euro and 1 percent against the pound over the next 12 months.

FIRST NIGHT: Boston will ring in the new year in style

2010-12-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

The astronaut on the First Night 2011 button suggests exploration as revelers head into the next decade.

Whatever kind of adventure you seek, First Night offers a profusion of performances and films from local and national talent that turn Boston into a cultural showcase.

For the first time in its 35 years, First Night adds Symphony Hall and the new Paramount Theatre to its venues.

“There are some high-profile acts to take advantage of the new spaces,” said publicist Joyce Linehan. “When you book something at Symphony Hall, it has to be good.”

Detroit soul singer Bettye LaVette will sing selections from her acclaimed album “Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook” in Symphony Hall. The Paramount will host a multimedia performance by Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips inspired by Andy Warhol. A third highlight is jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke and his trio, who will play at Berklee Performance Center.

Up to one-third of the seats for those three performances were purchased in advance when First Night inaugurated a reserved seating program for $35. General admission to First Night is $18, and entry is first-come, first-served to about 200 indoor events.

“The reserved seating is a way to bring in people who might stay away from First Night,” said executive director Geri Guardino.

It’s also a way to raise money in an economically challenging time, when the budget of $1.15 million is down from $1.3 million several years ago.

The vast majority of revelers will pay nothing for the celebration they enjoy outdoors. They can watch the colorful “Blast Off” Grand Procession march down Boylston Street from the Prudential to the Public Garden, and they can admire exquisite ice sculptures in Copley Square and on the Boston Common. The bands in the Parkman Bandstand on the Common and the DJ show next to the Boston Public Library create a groove for dancing, and the midnight fireworks cap light up the new year as they explode over Boston Harbor.

If you’re one of the roughly 35,000 to 40,000 people who purchase admission buttons, you’ll need to choose among your favorite performances.

Your celebration can range from contemplative to energetic. You can hear classical, organ and acoustic music in historic churches. In the Hynes Convention Center, the Steam Crunk Lounge features a theatrical musical variety show which combines elements of the circus and Gothic.

If dance is your passion, watch the contemporary dancers of Monkeyhouse or the dancers of Boston Bhangra, which fuses traditional Indian folk dance with pop music, set to the rhythm of a large drum.

You can spend hours sitting in the dark, watching films from the Bollywood Film Festival, the Roxbury Film Festival, the Japanese Anime Festival, and the Rock on Film Festival, new this year.

The headline acts are a mix of established and avant garde talent.

“Bettye LaVette is a real legend and Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips are very original,” First Night executive director Geri Guardino said.

In “13 Most Beautiful … Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests,” the duo sings about people in the film projected on a screen behind them, shot by Warhol between 1964 and 1966.

The Lionel Loueke Trio has a national appeal and will be broadcast live in Boston on WGBH radio 89.7 and on stations across the country as part of NPR’s annual New Year’s Eve “Toast of the Nation.”

Local talent also abounds at First Night. Plymouth singer Jen D’Angora performs covers and originals in the style of Motown and Stax with her group Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents.

Commonwealth Shakespeare and New England Conservatory team up for “A Shakespearean Cabaret.” There’s also a Broadway Cabaret, opera spoof by Opera Boston, and slams for poetry and storytelling.

Three Boston bands pay tribute to rock music legends at the Cover-Up at Cityplace. The Rationales perform as The Band; Brendan Boogie & The Best Intentions as Roy Orbison; and This Blue Heaven as Fleetwood Mac.

Outdoors, The Kominas Band, a Boston-based band of Pakistani-Americans, mixes punk rock and bhangra to create a dance beat and lyrics that skewer Islamic fundamentalism and Bush-era politics.

Indie rock group David Wax Museum fuses Latin rhythms, accordion and more to create its distinctive sound.

If you want to laugh, the comedy line-up is headed by Improv Boston and Comedy with Tony V and Brad Mastrangelo at the Hynes Convention Center.

You can start the festivities at 10 a.m. for the film festivals and at 1 p.m. for the Family Festival, which offers non-stop entertainment by stunt teams, magicians, puppeteers, musicians and actors in the Hynes Convention Center. Highlights are singer Ellis Paul and a bicycle-powered shadow puppet theater by Neil Horsky.

Along with an orca, frogs and Pharoah’s Egypt, the ice sculptures feature an ambitious representation of the painting “The Passage of the Delaware,” which depicts Gen. George Washington’s surprise attack on Christmas Night, 1776.

“You can walk all over the place or stay in one place and have a fantastic evening,” Guardino said.

Mexico shootings kill 4 police officers, 1 doctor

2010-12-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

MONTERREY, Mexico —

Gunmen believed to be linked to drug cartels killed four police officers and a doctor in apparently coordinated attacks in and around the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, authorities said Thursday.

Three officers were wounded in Wednesday's attacks, said Jorge Domene, a spokesman for the security council in northern Nuevo Leon state, where Monterrey is located.

In one of the attacks, gunmen opened fire on a Monterrey police station, killing a medical doctor who was administering tests to employees at the station and wounding three officers, Domene said.

In two additional, separate attacks carried out within minutes of each other in the Monterrey suburb of Guadalupe, gunmen killed two police officers, a man and a woman.

"Yesterday's events clearly represent acts by organized crime trying to intimidate or reverse the actions that authorities have taken ... to counter the violence that has been unleashed in our state," Domene told a news conference.

Monterrey, Mexico's third-largest city, has been rocked by drug-cartel turf battles.

Joanna Yeates landlord Chris Jefferies arrested on suspicion of her murder

2010-12-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Bachelor and former English teacher picked up at 7am

Jo's parents say they are 'pleased' arrest has been made

Forensics remove landlord's silver car from outside flat

Jefferies was Head of English at public school nearby

He campaigned for gun range and prayer books

Police today seized Joanna Yeates' landlord's car after he was arrested on suspicion of her murder.
The silver Chrysler was loaded up and driven away hours after Chris Jefferies, 65, was taken into custody in a dawn raid.
The bachelor's arrest came hours after he claimed he had watched as three people left Jo’s flat on the night she vanished.
He is now being questioned on suspicion of murdering the landscape gardener, who went missing before Christmas.
A statement from Avon and Somerset police said: ‘Just after 07.00hrs this morning, police attended an address in Canynge Road and arrested a 65-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
‘He has been taken into custody at a police station within the Avon and Somerset force area and detained for questioning.
‘Detectives investigating Joanna’s murder are continuing to carry out forensic examinations, and are also continuing to appeal for anyone with any information that can help the enquiry to call the Operation Braid incident room on 0845 456 7000 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.’
Mr Jefferies, a former teacher at the nearby public school Clifton College, lives directly above the basement flat he rented to Miss Yeates.
The body of the 25-year-old, who had been strangled, was found by dog walkers on Christmas morning, three miles from her £200,000 flat in the upmarket area of Clifton, Bristol.
She was last seen by friends on December 17 and was reported missing two days later by her live-in boyfriend Greg Reardon when he returned from a weekend with relatives.
Yesterday, Mr Jefferies apparently told police how he saw a trio leaving Miss Yeates’ flat on Friday, December 17.
Wearing a long coat with fur collar and carrying a Waterstone’s shopping bag, he told reporters: 'Everything I am aware of I have told the police and I really don’t want to talk about it.'
A £10,000 reward was yesterday offered to help police catch her killer and fresh CCTV was released of Miss Yeates buying cider in a branch of Bargain Booze on the last night she was seen.
But police inquiries are now centring on the flat she shared with her fellow architect Mr Reardon, 27.
Forensic experts have removed bags of potential evidence and even the front door in their search to discover exactly what happened.
They are also ripping up floorboards inside the flat and the rest of the house in their hunt for clues.

Bullish KSE index rises to 11918 points

2010-12-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

KARACHI: Pakistani stocks ended higher on Monday, led by the fertiliser sector on hopes of strong profits, but trade was thin over concerns over the country's deteriorating macroeconomic indicators, dealers said.
The Karachi Stock Exchange's benchmark 100-share index .KSE ended 0.43 percent, or 51.56 points, higher at 11,909.73.

Volume was 85.15 million shares, a one-month low.
"Healthy earnings and better payout expectations brought the fertiliser sector into the limelight," said Samar Iqbal, a dealer at Topline Securities Ltd.
Corporate results for quarter ending Dec. 30 are due to be announced in the coming weeks.
However, dealers said investors were still cautious due to the delay of the IMF's next tranche.
Pakistan formally asked for a nine-month extension of its $11 billion IMF bailout package, a source involved with the IMF talks said last week, but the extension has not been approved yet.
In the currency market, the rupee PKR= ended firmer at 85.79/85 to the dollar, compared with Friday's close of 85.86/91 to the dollar amid lack of import payments but dealers said the local unit could come under pressure because of an increase in international oil prices.
In the money market, overnight rates ended at 13.90 percent, compared with Friday's close of between 13 percent and 13.50 percent because of tight liquidity in the market as there were scheduled outflows amounting to 6.2 billion rupees ($72.2 million).

MQM departs federal cabinet

2010-12-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has decided to sever ties with federal cabinet, Geo News reported Monday night.

According to details, MQM’s central Rabta Committee held its simultaneous meetings in London and Karachi.

According to Rabta Committee decision, two MQM ministers will tender their resignation in first phase. Federal Ports and Shipping Minister Babar Ghauri and deputy convener of the MQM, Dr Farooq Sattar are abroad and will tender their resignations tomorrow.

A decision regarding quitting Sindh cabinet will be made soon.

X Factor's Matt Cardle grabs UK Christmas number one

2010-12-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

X Factor winner Matt Cardle has scored this year's Christmas number one with his debut single, When We Collide.

Cardle sold 439,000 copies to see off competition from a number of Facebook-led campaigns, Rihanna Ft Drake, and the original version of his own single.

Facebook contenders The Trashmen and Cage Against the Machine were at number two and 21 respectively. What's My Name by Rihanna Ft Drake was number two.

Take That remained at the top of the albums chart with Progress.

Singles by X Factor winners have had a stranglehold on the Christmas charts in recent years - a run which was ended last year when an online anti-X Factor campaign helped get Rage Against the Machine to number one.

Similar campaigns were organised this year to get other songs to the top spot including Surfin' Bird by 1960s US rock band The Trashmen and a 4'33" track of silence from Cage Against the Machine.

A Facebook group was also set up to encourage fans to buy the original version of Cardle's song - called Many Of Horror, by Biffy Clyro - instead of the X Factor winner's. That sold about 40,000 copies to finish eighth in the chart.

However according to the OCC, Cardle's track sold almost 170,000 copies in its first two days on sale, more than three times the sales of its nearest rival, Rihanna Ft Drake, which ended up the week selling 104,000.

His eventual total of 439,000 copies sold in six days was a record weekly total for a non-charity release this year, it added.

Millions watched win

Only Helping Haiti - with 453,000 sales in February - has sold more in a week this year.

Cardle said he hadn't believed he would even make it as far as the live shows in the X Factor, much less win the competition and then take his single to number one.

"I can't even begin to describe how if feels. It's nuts, crackers and crazy. To think that many people have supported me and bought the record is absolutely mind blowing," he said.

More than 17 million viewers tuned in to see Cardle crowned the winner of the ITV talent show last Sunday.

He beat Liverpudlian singer Rebecca Ferguson and teen group One Direction into second and third place.

Take That's album sold an extra 330,000 copies last week to bring its total sales to 1.4m in just five weeks, said the Official Charts Company (OCC).

The second biggest artist album, Rihanna's Loud, sold 194,000 in second, followed by Michael Buble's Crazy Love in third on 139,000.

Michael Jackson's Michael entered the chart in fourth place, selling 113,000 copies.

The biggest compilation album of the week, Now That's What I Call Music 77, has sold 188,000 in the past five weeks.

Metrodome Collapse Saves Brett Favre's Consecutive Games Streak

2010-12-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Because you can't have a football story without Brett Favre being involved -- ESPN's Ed Werder says that the Vikings quarterback texted him last night to say he would not have been able to play on Sunday morning had the game against the Giants gone on as regularly scheduled.

Conveniently, he has now been given at least 30 extra hours to make another "miraculous" recovery.

Favre has started in 297 consecutive games, more than any other player in NFL history.

Boyfriend shoots lover, self

2010-12-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

Boyfriend shoots lover, self

East London - A twenty-eight-year-old man shot and killed his girlfriend, aged 18, before turning the gun on himself, Eastern Cape police said on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Mzukisi Fatyela said that the two had apparently had a quarrel.

They were found on Sunday morning in their home in Kalalo. The woman had two bullet wounds to her head and the man had one.

A 9mm pistol had been used.

White House Official: Richard Holbrooke ‘Tough and Resilient’

2010-12-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Presidential adviser David Axelrod hopes that these qualities will help ailing US envoy recover from emergency heart surgery.

A White House official has called U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke "tough and resilient," as the special envoy struggles to recover from emergency heart surgery.

Presidential adviser David Axelrod said on U.S. television Sunday that he and his colleagues are praying that those qualities help Holbrooke survive.

Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in critical condition after more than 20 hours of surgery to fix a tear in the large artery that moves blood from his heart. Doctors completed the operation early Saturday.

U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement Saturday evening saying he and the first lady are praying for Holbrooke, whom the president called a "towering figure in American foreign policy."

The 69-year-old diplomat previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and was the chief architect of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Holbrooke was hospitalized Friday after collapsing during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department in Washington.