NEWS

Official: Singham Returns Theatrical Trailer | Ajay Devgn | Kareena Kapoor | Rohit Shetty - Video Dailymotion

2014-07-15T04:23:00.001-07:00

Official: Singham Returns Theatrical Trailer | Ajay Devgn | Kareena Kapoor | Rohit Shetty - Video Dailymotion

NUDE SOAP STARS PROTEST AGEISM

2011-12-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

NUDE SOAP STARS PROTEST AGEISM

PHOTO: Gillian Taylforth, Beverley Callard, Sherrie Hewson and Andrea Mclean bare all for Best magazine. CREDIT: Best Magazine

A group of British soap opera actresses appear naked this month in a magazine to raise awareness of age discrimination on television.

According to Jessica Laurence of AOL News, "The stars of Loose Women, Eastenders and Coronation Streethave stripped bare for a photo shoot in Best magazine as part of a campaign to fight ageism in TV. Posing completely nude for the magazine's Body Image issue, Gillian Taylforth (EastEnders), Beverley Callard (Coronation Street), Sherrie Hewson and Andrea McLean (Loose Women) protested against the scarcity of roles for older women on television."

BLOG: Are Oscar Winners Healthier?

This is, of course, not the first time that a group of British women of a certain age (or a bit beyond) have stripped for a cause. The 2003 hit comedy film Calendar Girls, starring Helen Mirren, was based on a real-life story of a dozen women in their sixties and seventies who posed nude as a fundraiser for a women's community organization.

Fair or not, the emphasis on beauty and youth is universal. Ancient Greek myths were overwhelmingly about young, attractive heroes and heroines going on quests and overcoming great obstacles. From Sandro Botticelli's 1484 painting The Birth of Venus to Francisco Goya's 1880 Nude Maja, artists have always focused on beauty and youth. There are, of course, some representations of older men and women in classical art and literature, but youth has always been prized.

Perhaps recognizing this, the women wisely target screenwriters. One of the women noted, "Women my age face a lack of parts because writers don't write about women in their 50s. You used to confront ageism in your 50s, then it was in your 40s now anyone over the age of 35 suffers the stigma of being 'too old.'"

NEWS: Dead Sea Hosts Mass Nude Photo Shoot

Though addressing issues of ageism through nudity creates awareness among the general public, it's easier to change the screenwriting world than the rest of the world.

The fact is that there are few good TV and film roles written for older people, male or female. Actors undeniably have a longer shelf life than actresses, though even Hollywood's biggest male stars are offered fewer and fewer significant roles as they age.

Once-handsome but aging leading men like Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Richard Gere, and others rarely appear in films anymore. Many have taken producing and directing roles to keep a hand in the youth-and-looks focused business.

Pressuring screenwriters may help, but consumers can also vote with their purses and pocketbooks. Studios respond to box office receipts, and when audiences decide that they want to see films about older women (and men), Hollywood will make more films starring older actors. But an audience must create the demand.

Today's Brad Pitts and Johnny Depps will be tomorrow's Kirk Douglases and David Nivens, replaced (maybe) by Nicolas Hoults and Anton Yelchins. The ageism the women are protesting is partly about Hollywood's narrow vision, but it's also about the numbers.

There are only so many TV and film roles to go around, and an ever-growing population of actresses and actors wanting those roles. A casting director for a coming-of-age script (an ever-popular genre) won't call Jessica Lange, Kate Winslet, or probably even Natalie Portman.

There has never been a society that generally values old age over youth, and it seems unlikely that there ever will be. Youth has always represented opportunity and potential, and the promise of future generations. Favoring youth and beauty over old age seems inherent in humanity.

But it's not a zero-sum game; there's no reason a society can't value its older citizens for their abilities and experience as much as it values youth.

Veena Malik's ISI tattooed picture controversy investigation completed ( EXCLUSIVE)

2011-12-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

thnx to uploader of this video

Veena Malik's ISI tattooed picture controversy investigation completed ( EXCLUSIVE)

Hamster

2011-12-02T05:49:00.001-08:00

Hamster

This lively pet hamster will keep you company throughout the day. Watch him run on his wheel, drink water, and eat the food you feed him by clicking your mouse. Click the center of the wheel to make him get back on it.

شاہد آفریدی پر پینتالیس لاکھ جرمانہ

2011-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

شاہد آفریدی پر پینتالیس لاکھ جرمانہ

Shahid afridi

پاکستان کرکٹ بورڈ کی انضباطی کمیٹی نے ضابطہ اخلاق کی خلاف ورزی کرنے پر پاکستان کے سابق کپتان شاہد آفریدی پر پینتالیس لاکھ روپے کا جرمانہ عائد کیا ہے اور اب کرکٹ بورڈ ہیمپشائر کاؤنٹی کے لیے کھیلنے کے لیے شاہد آفریدی کو این او سی جاری کر دے گا۔

دوسری جانب شاہد آفریدی نے اس فیصلے کو قبول کر لیا ہے اور ان کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ فل حال پاکستان کی جانب سے بین الاقوامی کرکٹ کھیلنے کا ارادہ نہیں رکھتے۔

آل راؤنڈر شاہد آفریدی جمعرات کو لاہور کے قذافی سٹیڈیم میں انضباطی کمیٹی کے سامنے پیش ہوئے۔ انہوں نے کمیٹی کا فیصلہ آنے سے پہلے ہی میڈیا سے بات کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ وہ اپنی غلطی تسلیم کرتے ہیں لیکن وہ اس پر معافی نہیں مانگیں گے کیونکہ وہ سب کچھ کرنے اور کہنے پر وہ مجبور ہوگئے تھے۔

سلطان رانا کی سربراہی میں انضباطی کمیٹی نے شاہد آفریدی کے مقدمے کی کافی طویل سماعت کی اور شام کو پاکستان کرکٹ بورڈ کے قانونی مشیر تفضل رضوی نے کمیٹی کے فیصلے کو پڑھ کر سنایا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پینتالیس لاکھ روپے کا جرمانہ کرنے کےاس فیصلے کی وجوہات بعد میں بتائی جائیں گی۔

شاہد آفریدی نے کمیٹی کے اس اعلان کے بعد میڈیا سے بات کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ یہ معاملہ ذرائع ابلاغ میں آیا جس سے ملک کی بھی بدنامی ہو رہی تھی۔انہوں نے کہا کہ انضباطی کمیٹی نے بہت اچھے طریقے سے ان کی بات سنی ہے اور اس مسئلے کو حل کرنے کی کوشش کی ہے اور وہ اس فیصلے پر خوش ہیں۔

پاکستان کی کرکٹ ٹیم کی مینجمنٹ کے خلاف بات کرنے پر پاکستان کرکٹ بورڈ نے شاہد آفریدی کو کپتانی سے ہٹا دیا تھا جس کے بعد شاہد آفریدی نے بورڈ پر تنقید کرتے ہوئے کرکٹ چھوڑ دینے کا اعلان کیا تھا۔

کرکٹ بورڈ نے ان کا کاؤنٹی کرکٹ کھیلنے کا این او سی واپس لے لیا اور ان کے خلاف انضباطی کمیٹی قائم کی جسے شاہد آفریدی نے سندھ ہائی کورٹ میں چیلنج کر دیا۔ کرکٹ بورڈ اور شاہد آفریدی کے اس جھگڑے کو اعلیٰ حکومتی شخصیات نے ختم کرایا جس کے بعد شاہد آفریدی نے پیٹیشن واپس لے لی اور انضباطی کمیٹی کے سامنے پیش ہوئے۔

Oldest light bulb still burning after 110 years

2011-06-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Oldest light bulb still burning after 110 years

Oldest light bulb

LOS ANGELES: The four watt bulb, installed in a fire station in Livermore, California, has been declared the oldest known working light bulb by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The bulb was a gift from a businessman in 1901 and with the exception of a brief period in 1903, a week in 1937 and some power outages between then and 1976, the light has remained on.

Lynn Owens, the chairman of the town's light bulb centennial committee, said that the light's longevity has baffled scientists.

He said: "Nobody knows how it's possible. It is a 60 watt bulb and it's only turned on for about four watts but nobody knows why it keeps burning.

"We've had scientists from all over the country look at this light bulb. Of course nobody has ever been able to touch this it," he added.

The bulb has become a major tourist draw for Livermore and a celebrity in its own right. Comedy Central's The Colbert Report did a comic feature for the bulb's 110th birthday.

Blogger Buzz: Hang with Blogger @ SXSW2011

2011-03-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Blogger Buzz: Hang with Blogger @ SXSW2011

YOU ONLY RAISE FINGERS AT ME BECAUSE I'M A SOFT TARGET: VEENA MALIK

2011-01-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

YOU ONLY RAISE FINGERS AT ME BECAUSE I'M A SOFT TARGET: VEENA MALIK

VEENA ‘KI JAWANI’ IN ‘BIGG BOSS’ GRAND FINALE

2011-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

VEENA ‘KI JAWANI’ IN ‘BIGG BOSS’ GRAND FINALE

Veena ‘Ki Jawani’ in ‘Bigg Boss’ grand finale

By Usman

Veena Malik will perform on “Sheila ke Jawani” for the finale of “Big Boss 4”. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: Veena Malik will perform on Tees Maar Khan’s popular song “Sheila Ke Jawani” in the grand finale for which the arrangements have been finalised, a source close to the actor told The Express Tribune. The administration of Colors TV, a private television channel that runs the reality show, has taken the decision to turn Veena Malik into “Sheila” of the mini screen since she was the most suitable contestant of the show to perform on the song, the source added. The song originally stars Katrina Kaif and is doing great on the charts.

Latif Khosa appointed as Punjab Governor

2011-01-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

Latif Khosa appointed as Punjab Governor

Latif Khosa

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari appointed close aide Latif Khosa to succeed the murdered governor of the Punjab province Salman Taseer on recommendation by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Earlier this week, President Zardari held consultations with senior leaders of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in connection with the appointment of Punjab governor at Bilawal House in Karachi. The announcement was made public after an elaborate meeting between Latif Khosa and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, which was held on January 9.

Later on the same date, the PM Gilani sent to President Zardari the summary with recommendation for appointing Latif Khosa as new Punjab governor. According to President House’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar, Presdient Zardari today signed the summary.

After the approval by President Zardari, Sardar Latif Khosa has become the 33rd gvoernor of Punjab.

Analysts say Khosa will try to avoid antagonising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to tamp down disputes that have paralysed the federal government. Though soft-spoken and non-confontational, he is an ardent supporter of the PPP.

Khosa is the successor of Salman Taseer, the outspoken governor of the central province of Punjab, who was gunned down by one of his bodyguards in Islamabad on Tuesday for supporting changes in the country’s blasphemy law.

Khosa said earlier on Saturday that Zardari had called him along with Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh for a meeting in Karachi.

“I will accept whatever the decision of my leadership,” he said.

Taseer was fiery and often clashed publicly with Nawaz and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif. Khosa, on the other hand, is soft-spoken and non-confrontational. But he is an ardent supporter of the PPP.

Khosa’s appointment comes just one day before an ultimatum given by Nawaz Sharif to Zardari’s government on Tuesday to accept a list of his demands or face expulsion of PPP members from the Punjab provincial government.

Latif Khosa is a Pakistani senator and advocate, and the previous Attorney General of Pakistan. He was appointed the Attorney General on 19 August, 2008. He co-authored an electoral fraud report with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto shortly before her assassination in December 2007. Khosa was one of Bhutto's top aides.

Senator Khosa appeared before the acting Chief Justice Javaid Iqbal in a hearing over the handling of the Iftikhar Chaudry sacking issue. Khosa claimed to be working to have the ex-Chief Justice reinstated.

Latif Khosa has been recently removed form the office of Attorney General of Pakistan on October 10th 2009 due to allegations and on 10 February 2010 as Advisor of Information Technology of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

On 20 July 2010, advisor to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Information Technology Sardar Latif Khosa sent his resignation to the President after developing disagreements with the Premier.

Salman Taseer’s profile

2011-01-05T08:20:00.000-08:00

Salman Taseer’s profile

Salmaan Taseer, a businessman and politician who served as the Governor of the province of Punjab. He was a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and had also served as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf. He was appointed to the post of governor on 15 May 2008 in place of outgoing governor, Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool (retd) by former President, Pervez Musharraf.

Political career

Taseer started his political career in his student era, as a member of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the late 1960s. He was a part of the movement for Bhutto's freedom and opposed his arrest and death sentence. He also wrote a political biography on Bhutto titled Bhutto: A political biography (1980).

In the 1988 general elections, Taseer became a member of the Punjab Assembly from Lahore. In the 1990, 1993 and 1997 general elections, he ran as an MNA but lost.

In 2007, he was appointed the interim Federal Minister for Industries, Production and Special Initiatives.

On 15 May 2008, Taseer was designated for the office of Governor Punjab by the PPP-led coalition government.

Personal life

Taseer was married to Aamna Taseer and the two resided in Lahore. They had six children; Maryam, Shehryar, Shahbaz, Sara, Sanam and Shehr Bano.
Taseer was known to be one of the trusted aides of Benazir Bhutto. He was a class fellow of Nawaz Sharif at Saint Anthony School, Lahore. He had obtained a degree in Chartered Accountancy from London.

Salman Taseer was the son of Muhammad Din Taseer, popularly known as M.D. Taseer, who is the first Ph.D. degree holder in the Sub-continent.

Www Maati Tv Com

2011-01-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

LAHORE: Music Art and Technology Informatrix (Maati Tv) will mainly serve as a platform for the youth to share their stories of social and development sectors.
Www Maati Tv Com

The web television will work on the principle of non-corporate parallel media. A project of Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) in collaboration with the South Asian Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK) and the Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS), MaatiTV will initially have its correspondents in 20 districts and different educational institutions across the country.

In Punjab, Maati Tv will have its correspondents in Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad. In Sindh the correspondents will be located in Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu and Juhi. Balochistan will have its representatives in Quetta and Jaffarabad while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa it will have correspondents in Mardan, Peshawar and Kohat. The web television will also have representation in Gilgit and Hunza.

The correspondents from these districts will make documentaries on social and developmental issues which will be uploaded on the website. The head office of the web television will be in Karachi.

Executive Director of the IRC Muhammad Waseem told The Express Tribune that the organisation has trained the correspondents in documentary making, “We have worked in different educational institutions on peace building and students will also make documentaries on different social and developmental subjects. We have provided cameras and editing units to our correspondents and their documentaries will mainly only be three-minute long.” The youth does not have a platform to speak about social problems and this television will provide them with a platform to get involved in the social building process, he added.

Programme Manager IRC Nasir Sohail said, “Maati TV will be likeDemocracy Now, a non-corporate media in the US, we have also added the option of blogging in it. People can write their blogs or articles and we will generate debates on our documentaries or our blogs”.

When asked about data management of the site, he said, “We will have multi servers. We have this thing in mind and have sorted this out. Honorarium would be given to the correspondents for making each documentary”.

The television will also incorporate cell phone videos. “There will be a section in which we will have mobile phone videos. People can make documentaries on any social issue and we will upload them,” said Waseem.

Flood relief activities

Maati TV will focus on the rehabilitation work in flood-hit areas through a special segment. “The locals in the flood hit areas will serve as watchdogs. They will make documentaries on the relief activities and we will upload them on our website,” said Waseem. By 2012, 70 percent population of Pakistan is going to be under 30 and that is our target audience. When asked about the financial feasibility of the project he said, “We intend to have google ads and meet our expenses from there. Another option is that we will focus on corporate social responsibility and generate funds for it. If things go as per plan this project should become self sustaining in a year.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2011.

Salmaan Taseer's last interview video

2011-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

Salmaan Taseer's last interview

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was attacked and killed in a firing incident in Islamabad's Kohsar market on Tuesday.

Politician Catches His Killer On Camera

2011-01-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Politician Catches His Killer On Camera

2:01pm UK, Tuesday January 04, 2011

Sarah Gordon, Sky News Online

A Filipino man solved his own murder when he inadvertently caught his killer on camera while taking a family snap just moments before he was shot.

Reynaldo Dagsa, a local councilman in Manila, took a picture of his family celebrating the New Year, not noticing that behind his wife and daughter a man was taking aim at him with a gun.

Seconds later Mr Dagsa was shot in the chest and died on his way to hospital, confirmed local police chief Jude Santos.

While he was taking the picture of his family on New Year's Day, the killer appeared and he inadvertently took the picture of the killer with the gun aimed at him.

Local police chief Jude Santos

His family discovered the clue in the photo and handed it over to police and national newspaper the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which ran the image on its front page.

The picture clearly shows the killer stood behind the family, aiming his gun at Mr Dagsa, while another man acts as "lookout".

Mr Santos said: "While he was taking the picture of his family on New Year's Day, the killer appeared and he inadvertently took the picture of the killer with the gun aimed at him."

The murderer appears behind Mr Dagsa's family in the photo

The gunman was identified as Michael Gonzales, a suspected car thief who was out on bail and seeking revenge on Mr Dagsa for ordering his arrest last year.

Gonzales was arrested for the murder on Monday, although the photographed accomplice, identified as Rommel Oliva, has still not been caught.

Police are also searching for a second lookout, named as Francis Bumjal, who is thought to have been stood just out of shot.

Mr Dagsa, described by his family as a kindhearted man, was a member of the Barangay Peacekeping Action Team, which helps the police with crime prevention.

It is thought that it was his role within the team that led to his death.

Top Pakistan Official Killed By His Own Guard

2011-01-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

Top Pakistan Official Killed By His Own Guard

1:29pm UK, Tuesday January 04, 2011

Adam Arnold, Sky News Online

The governor of Pakistan's powerful Punjab province has been killed by one of his own guards at a market in the capital Islamabad, police have said.

It was the most high-profile assassination of a political figure in the country since former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in December 2007.

The latest victim, Salman Taseer, was shot dead by a member of his elite security team after he reached Khosar Market, police said.

Witnesses reportedly claimed a man fired two shots at the governor as he was leaving his vehicle.

One said: "The governor fell down and the man who fired at him threw down his gun and raised both hands."

The suspect was taken into custody following the shooting at the shopping centre, which is popular with Westerners and wealthy Pakistanis.

Five other people were wounded as security personnel reacted to the incident.

It is not known if the assailant was injured.

The governor meets a woman sentenced to death for blasphemy

Mr Taseer was a high-profile member of Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and a close associate of President Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto's widower.

He was vocal on a range of subjects, including speaking out against the country's blasphemy law in recent days.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed the governor was probably killed because he opposed that law.

Human rights groups say the legislation is often exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores.

Islamist groups have been angry over what they believe were government plans to change or scrap the law.

They have defended the controversial legislation and slammed those who were against it.

Plain clothed policemen survey the site where the governor was killed

Police Release New Footage Of Royal Attack

2011-01-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Police Release New Footage Of Royal Attack

3:43pm UK, Tuesday January 04, 2011

Kat Higgins, Sky News Online

Police have released new footage of an attack on Prince Charles' car during the tuition fees protests in London in an attempt to trace those responsible.

Metropolitan Police detectives who are investigating the violence on December 9 issued CCTV pictures from the Regent and Oxford Street areas of the city.

It was on these busy shopping streets that the Rolls-Royce taking the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to the theatre was attacked by demonstrators.

Up to 20 people set upon the car, some were carrying bottles and chanted "off with their heads" and "up the republic".

There has been widespread criticism of the apparent lapse in security which left the pair visibly shaken and shocked but unharmed.

The video and images show four people officers from theOperation Malone team would like to trace in connection with events.

Although the images are grainy police hope the individuals will be recognised

One shows a woman striking the Royal car and breaking the back window of one of the convoy vehicles.

She is pictured with a man, whom police would like to trace as a potential witness.

Officers are also keen to identify two men seen separately attacking the car.

At least three metal dustbins were also hurled at two other cars in the convoy which was travelling to Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.

Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne, heading the operation, said: "The student protests saw a number of incidents of violence escalate across central London, including in the shopping areas of Oxford Street and Regent Street during some of the busiest Christmas shopping periods.

"Police officers were attacked, and buildings and shops had their windows smashed, amongst other acts of vandalism, including an attack on the Royal convoy.

PETER BLEKSLEY ON ROYAL ATTACK

"We believe that most of the people whose pictures we have released today may have committed serious offences of violent disorder and criminal damage in this area and urge them, or anybody who knows them, to come forward and speak to us.

"We understand the importance of the right to protest, but people who break the law and endanger those who wish to protest peacefully by committing criminal offences must face the inevitable consequences of their actions."

Royal security expert Peter Bleksley told Sky News the Royal couple's protection team "fundamentally failed in their duty" that day.

He said it was "staggering" that there had not been a more public examination of what they did wrong so they can face the consequences.

Protests took place across the country in November and December by students opposed to a rise in tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri photo

2011-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri

The security guard Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri accused of gunning down governor Punjab. PHOTO: ONLINE

BJP lawmaker stabbed to death by school principal

2011-01-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

BJP lawmaker stabbed to death by school principal

PATNA: A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker, Raj Kishore Kehri, was stabbed to death by a woman who had accused him of raping her, according to a report in the Washington Post

The woman, Rupan Pathak, pulled out a knife from her shawl and stabbed Kesri in his stomach Tuesday killing him instantly.

Kesri’s guards overpowered Pathak, a school principal, and beat her up. She was hospitalized and has been charged with murder.

The top police officer in Bihar state, Neelmani, said that Kesri inaugurated Pathak’s school four years ago and had been accused by her of sexually harassing her last year.

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was attacked and killed in a firing incident in Islamabad’s Kohsar market on Tuesday

2011-01-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was attacked and killed in a firing incident in Islamabad’s Kohsar market on Tuesday.

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer

6:10pm

Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the first point of investigation will be to find out whether the suspect Qadri carried out the attack as part of a larger plot or on his own.

Malik confirmed the suspect, Qadri is twenty six-years-old.

In life, Salmaan Taseer was never afraid of controversy and was never one to remain silent even when his stance on issues like militancy and the blasphemy law brought the venom of the right wing pouring on to him. Zarrar Khuhro

5:55pm

Government announced three day country-wide mourning period.

Chief Minister Punjab, Shahbaz sharif has arrived at the hospital.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik says investigation has been ordered into how the assassin Qadri was selected for the security of the governor.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri

5:40pm

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that all personnel of the governor’s security convoy have been arrested.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced a two week mourning period. All functions of the party have been postponed.

5:30pm

All VIP functions are under threat says Interior Minister Rehman Malik, adding that, “our colleagues criticise us when we increase vip security”.

Governor Taseer was killed to destabilise Pakistan say MQM Chief Altaf Hussain.

One of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s last tweets online:

Mera azm itna bulund hae Parae sholon se dar nahin. Mujhe dar hae tu atish e gul se hae Ye kahin chaman ko jala na dein

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri

5:25pm

According to Syed Ali reporting for Express 24/7, the arrival of a huge crowd of people to Polyclinic is causing chaos at the hospital and preventing Governor Punjab’s body from being moved to PIMS for a post-mortem.

5:15pm

The name of the guard who carried out the attack has been confirmed as Mumtaz Qadri.

Saba Imtiaz: According to Rehman Malik, Salmaan Taseer’s guard shot him because he called the blasphemy laws a ‘kala qanoon‘.

5:10pm

Interior Minister Rehman Malik will head the enquiry into Governor Punjab’s assassination.

Karachi has been put on high alert after the attack.

5:06pm

Syed Ali reporting for Express 24/7 confirmed that Governor Punjab has been pronounced dead. Initial reports suggest Taseer received a critical injury in his neck.

attack place crime scene.PHOTO: REUTERS.

PHOTO: REUTERS

5:03pm

The Governor of Punjab was leaving his residence in Islamabad when one of his guards shot him in the chest.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani have condoled over the death of the Punjab Governor.

An eyewitness, while speaking to the police, has provided his account of how the gunman aimed at Taseer and shot him.

5:00pm

The alleged suspect ‘Qadri’ was allegedly part of Rawalpindi’s elite force, Express 24/7 reported.

The suspect is being held and interrogated by Rawalpindi police.

4:50pm

The hospital says the Governor received nine bullets.

4:48pm

Attackers were part of the governor’s convoy, witnesses say.

4:46pm

Police source say they have arrested a suspect in the attack.

Zulfiqar Mirza, Sindh Home Minister Qaim Ali Shah, as well as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack.

4:30pm

The governor died on the spot, according to governor house spokesman Farrukh Shah.

According to initial reports, unidentified persons fired upon the governor’s convoy and he was shifted to the Polyclinic hospital for treatment.

Witnesses said that two uniformed personnel attacked him.

U.S. efforts fail to convince Pakistan's top general to target Taliban

2011-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

U.S. efforts fail to convince Pakistan's top general to target Taliban

By Karin Brulliard and Karen DeYoung

Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, December 31, 2010; 8:37 PM

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Countless U.S. officials in recent years have lectured and listened to Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, the man many view as the most powerful inPakistan. They have drunk tea and played golf with him, feted him and flown with him in helicopters.

But they have yet to persuade him to undertake what theObama administration's recent strategy reviewconcluded is a key to success in the Afghan war - the elimination of havens inside Pakistan where the Taliban plots and stages attacks on coalition troops inAfghanistan.
Kayani, who as Pakistan's army chief has more direct say over the country's security strategy than its president or prime minister, has resisted personal appeals from President Obama, U.S. military commanders and senior diplomats. Recent U.S. intelligence estimates have concluded that he is unlikely to change his mind anytime soon. Despite the entreaties, officials say, Kayani doesn't trust U.S. motivations and is hedging his bets in case the American strategy for Afghanistan fails.
In many ways, Kayani is the personification of the vexing problem posed by Pakistan. Like the influential military establishment he represents, he views Afghanistan on a timeline stretching far beyond the U.S. withdrawal, which is slated to begin this summer. While the Obama administration sees the insurgents as an enemy force to be defeated as quickly and directly as possible, Pakistan has long regarded them as useful proxies in protecting its western flank from inroads byIndia, its historical adversary.
"Kayani wants to talk about the end state in South Asia," said one of several Obama administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive relationship. U.S. generals, the official said, "want to talk about the next drone attacks."
The administration has praised Kayani for operations in 2009 and 2010 against domestic militants in the Swat Valley and in South Waziristan, and has dramatically increased its military and economic assistance to Pakistan. But it has grown frustrated that the general has not launched a ground assault against Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in North Waziristan.
Kayani has promised action when he has enough troops available, although he has given no indication of when that might be. Most of Pakistan's half-million-man army remains facing east, toward India.
In recent months, Kayani has sometimes become defiant. When U.S.-Pakistani tensions spiked in September, after two Pakistani soldiers were killed by an Afghanistan-based American helicopter gunship pursuing insurgents on the wrong side of the border, he personally ordered the closure of the main frontier crossing for U.S. military supplies into Afghanistan, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials.

In October, administration officials choreographed a White House meeting for Kayani at which Obama could directly deliver his message of urgency. The army chief heard him out, then provided a 13-page document updating Pakistan's strategic perspective and noting the gap between short-term U.S. concerns and Pakistan's long-term interests, according to U.S. officials.
Kayani reportedly was infuriated by the recent WikiLeaks release of U.S. diplomatic cables, some of which depicted him as far chummier with the Americans and more deeply involved in Pakistani politics than his carefully crafted domestic persona would suggest. In one cable, sent to Washington by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad last year, he was quoted as discussing with U.S. officials a possible removal of Pakistan's president and his preferred replacement.
On the eve of the cable's publication in November, the normally aloof and soft-spoken general ranted for hours on the subject of irreconcilable U.S.-Pakistan differences in a session with a group of Pakistani journalists.
The two countries' "frames of reference" regarding regional security "can never be the same," he said, according to news accounts. Calling Pakistan America's "most bullied ally," Kayani said that the "real aim of U.S. strategy is to de-nuclearize Pakistan."

New Year's Gift: Petroleum price increase approved

2010-12-31T18:46:00.000-08:00

New Year's Gift: Petroleum price increase approved

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday approved Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s (Ogra)summary on the increase in petroleum prices.

Petrol prices will increase by Rs4.88 per litre from January 1 while prices of kerosene oil, high octane and diesel will go up by Rs 3.75, Rs5.64 and Rs4.14 per litre respectively.

The increase in petroleum prices will be due to the increase in prices of petroleum products in the international market, said the summary sent to the prime minister.

Oil prices have traded close to recent two-year highs, as traders continued to absorb news that US crude reserves fell by more than double market expectations last week.

Ogra will announce the new prices of petroleum products today at 11 pm.

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2010-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

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2010-12-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

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Malik, Kamran and Kaneria to appear before PCB committee

2010-12-30T09:15:00.001-08:00

Pakistan news

Malik, Kamran and Kaneria to appear before PCB committee

Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria will appear before the PCB's integrity committee in Lahore on Thursday as the board considers their future involvement with the Pakistan side.

The three have not played for Pakistan in any format since the summer tour to England, having not been cleared for selection by the integrity committee. Though the board has made no official comment and not charged the players, it is understood it has concerns about the trio.

Accordingly, none have been picked for various squads; Kaneria was in the Test squad for the South Africa series but was prevented from travelling by the board to the UAE at the very last minute. Akmal even wrote to the ICC to ask whether he was the subject of any corruption inquiry or case and was subsequently told there was nothing on him.

The integrity committee asked the players to submit details of their bank accounts, assets and property holdings from the last three years. Kaneria has done so while Malik and Akmal are understood to have submitted their details in the last week.

The ongoing inquiry has led to Pakistan delaying the naming of their 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup. Ordinarily, Akmal and Malik would be automatic selections in the 30 and more than likely in the final 15 as well, but the ICC has granted Pakistan an extension until January 5 to decide.

After the meeting, chaired by board chairman Ijaz Butt and attended by senior board officials, the selection committee will sit down, likely on Friday, to give shape to the ODI squad for the New Zealand series as well as the World Cup probables.

Pakistan trounce NZ by 103 runs

2010-12-30T09:00:00.001-08:00

Pakistan trounce NZ by 103 runs

New Zealand v Pakistan, 3rd Twenty20, Christchurch

All-round Razzaq flattens New Zealand

Pakistan 183 for 6 (Shehzad 54, Razzaq 34*, Franklin 2-12) beat New Zealand 80 (Styris 45, Afridi 4-14, Razzaq 3-13) by 103 runs

Abdul Razzaq pummeled an 11-ball 34 to propel Pakistan to 183, before returning to flatten the New Zealand top order with the new ball, as the visitors stormed to a 103-run victory in the third Twenty20 in Christchurch. Razzaq capitalised on some inexperienced death bowling from Adam Milne to hammer 31 from the last nine deliveries of the innings, and picked up three wickets for 13 as New Zealand imploded dramatically, effectively surrendering the game within the first three overs of their chase.

The chase was derailed almost before it had begun as the top four batsmen all collected ducks. Martin Guptill began the catastrophic collapse when he edged Razzaq to point, pushing away from his body with hard hands to one that nipped away a touch. Jesse Ryder turned in his third failure of the series in the following over when he top edged a pull, and Dean Brownlie's decision to sneak a quick single to get off the mark backfired when Shahid Afridi effected a rare Pakistani direct hit. Ross Taylor was unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to one that struck him slightly above the knee roll, but didn't do himself any favours by playing all around the straight delivery. Three overs into the innings, New Zealand had lost four wickets for three runs, and when James Franklin lost his head, and his middle stump, two overs later, there was only one direction the match was heading. New Zealand had made 11 runs for the loss of five wickets from their first five overs. Pakistan were 51 for no loss at the same stage.

Styris resisted bravely, throwing his bat to collect a couple of boundaries over cover in Razzaq's last over, and even swatting a six over midwicket to give the Christchurch crowd something to cheer about, but with the required run-rate tipping 15, and wickets falling regularly at the other end, there was little he could do. Peter McGlashan dragged Abdur Rehman onto the stumps attempting to reverse sweep and Nathan McCullum didn't hang around long, succumbing to Shahid Afridi's straighter one. Styris eventually fell for 45, and Afridi wasted little time cleaning up the tail - an 134 kph arm ball to dismiss Tim Southee first ball being the highlight of his spell. Styris aside, none of the other New Zealand batsmen managed double figures. They made 28 collectively.

Pakistan's impressive total was set up by an explosive opening partnership between Ahmad Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez, who blasted 81 in 8.4 overs to set pulses racing at the AMI stadium. Shehzad in particular, was quick to punish anything on a length, peppering the midwicket boundary repeatedly, while also driving through the covers when the ball was pitched up. Hafeez too got into the action scooping Mills over the shoulder for four, before unfurling a wristy swat that sent the ball sailing over deep square-leg a few overs later.

The introduction of slow bowling into the attack did the trick for New Zealand though, as both openers perished attempting to maintain the frenetic scoring rate, and three more wickets followed soon after. Younis Khan was run out, attempting a suicidal single, Asad Shafiq was caught on the boundary after having used up 15 deliveries for his 8 and Shahid Afridi departed for a quickfire 14.

Umar Akmal kept Pakistan ticking with some intelligent hitting, but it was Abdul Razzaq who boosted the visitors' total and swung the momentum decidedly Pakistan's way with a brutal display of power hitting. Razzaq swung in the V, launching Tim Southee twice over midwicket before taking on Milne in the last over. Razzaq smoked the short deliveries over cover, and sent the fuller ones racing along the ground to the boundary, and 19 runs came off the last five deliveries, despite Milne's best efforts to vary the pace and find the blockhole.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	Powerplay	16 - 20 overs

Pakistan	44	22	6	64/0	66/2
New Zealand	59	9	1	17/5	1/1 (15.1 - 15.5)