PESHAWAR: Mine and bomb attacks targeting police in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday killed one person and wounded 11, including nine officers, police said. In the first attack a donkey cart went over a mine buried by the roadside on the outskirts of Peshawar, police said.“Both the donkey cart owner and donkey were killed. Basically the mine was planted to target police,” Kalam Khan, a senior police official, told AFP.In the second...

TRIPOLI: Western powers attacking Libya will end up in the dustbin of history, Muammar Qadhafi said as his troops held back poorly equipped rebel forces despite four nights of coalition air strikes.While Western air power has grounded Qadhafi’s warplanes and pushed back his forces from the brink of rebel stronghold Benghazi, disorganised and poorly equipped insurgents have failed to capitalise on the ground and are pinned down.The...

Shahid Afridi(20 wickets in this World Cup so far) now has the most wickets by a Pakistan in World Cup, he bettered Wasim Akram who took 18 wickets in 1992 WC. The record for most wickets in World Cup is by Glen McGrath who took 26 wickets in 2007 WCInteresting Fact: Pakistan will play Quarter Final in Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. The stadium is named after Chaudhary Fazl-e-Haq, who was given title of Sher-e-Bangal(Tiger of Bengal) and...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the “deliberate desecration” of the Quran by a US evangelical preacher in a church in Florida, calling it a setback for global efforts to promote harmony.“We condemn this act in the strongest possible words,” President Asif Ali Zardari said during a televised address to the federal parliament.The burning was carried out by pastor Wayne Sapp under the supervision of Terry Jones, who...

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Monday turned down a Libyan request for a special meeting to discuss Western air strikes on the country following the council’s imposition of a no-fly zone, diplomats said.The council decided instead simply to hold a briefing already planned for Thursday by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on how the resolution that set up the zone to protect civilians in Libya’s internal conflict is being...

DHAKA: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is not concerned about a possible World Cup semi-final showdown against India, saying his immediate focus was on beating the West Indies.Pakistan start firm favourites in Wednesday’s quarter-final against Darren Sammy’s men at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium after topping Group A with five wins in six matches.One of those wins broke Australia’s unbeaten streak of 34 World Cup matches over a 12-year...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with parliamentary leaders of coalition parties in Islamabad. The meeting discussed the upcoming joint session of the parliament and the country’s prevalent political situation.During the meeting, Prime Minister Gilani said he was hopeful that the opposition would not boycott the March 22 address of President Asif Ali Zardari to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament.Prime Minister...

TRIPOLI: Western powers launched a second wave of air strikes on Libya early on Monday after halting the advance of Muammar Qaddafi’s forces on Benghazi and targeting air defences to let their planes patrol the skies.The UN-mandated intervention to protect civilians caught up in a one-month-old revolt against Qaddafi drew criticism from Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who questioned the need for a heavy bombardment, which he said had...

COLOMBO: Pakistan’s World Cup victory over Australia has restored the team’s battered image and boosted their credentials as champions-in-waiting, skipper Shahid Afridi told AFP on Monday.Pakistan upstaged Australia by four wickets to end the defending champions’unbeaten 34-match streak in the World Cup stretching back to 1999.It also meant Pakistan finished top of Group A and gave them a quarter-final clash against the West Indies...

QUETTA: The death toll from Sunday’s methane gas explosions in a coal mine in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan rose to 45 on Monday, government officials said, as hopes faded there would be any survivors from the disaster.More than 50 miners were in the mine when three big explosions triggered by methane gas ripped through the caverns.“Forty-five miners have died. We have retrieved 25 bodies so far,” Aslam Bizenjo, provincial...

RIYADH: Dozens of Saudi men gathered outside the interior ministry in Riyadh on Sunday despite heavy police presence, to demand the release of jailed relatives, an activist said.“We have seen at least three or four police vehicles taking people away,” said an activist there who declined to be named.“Security have arrested around 15 people. They tried to go into the ministry to go and ask for the freedom of their loved ones,” the activist...

COLOMBO: Paceman Umar Gul claimed three victims as Pakistan beat Australia by four wickets on Saturday, ending the defending champions’ unbeaten 34-match World Cup run and capturing top spot in Group A.Gul took 3-30 to help Pakistan dismiss Australia for 176 — their lowest World Cup total since 1992 — before Umar Akmal hit an unbeaten 44 to steer Pakistan to victory in 41 overs, finishing top of the pool with 10 points.Pakistan, champions...

TRIPOLI: French air raids and US Tomahawk missiles pounded targets in Libya on Saturday, in an international campaign to prevent Muammar Qadhafi from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule. US warships fired 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya, targeting Qadhafi`s air defence sites, a senior US military official said.Two days after a UN Security Council resolution authorised military action, French planes carried out an...

LAHORE: Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Friday said the authority to make decisions for country’s fate cannot be handed to a few black sheep.Addressing a “Meet The Press” program here at Lahore Press Club, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the Prime Minister should take the nation into confidence on Raymond Davis’ release and uncover the facts for all to see.He called for having a meeting convened of Pakistan People’s Party...

STYLE is the yeast of leadership. The league rounds of this World Cricket Cup are not designed to offer much by way of excitement since it would require too much stupidity on the part of the Biggies not to qualify for the knockout stage, which is when the mercury will start rising.England, possibly in honour of its long sporting tradition, is trying very hard to fail, but I suspect that it might very well fail to fail. I hope Bangladesh...

RAWALPINDI: During a hearing of the Benazir Bhutto murder case on Saturday, the Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to produce former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in court during the case’s hearing on March 26, DawnNews reported.ATC-III Special Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed heard the case on Saturday.The warrant has been sent to Britain’s Home Office for compliance, prosecution lawyer...

Activists of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf hold placards during a protest in Karachi.A blood-money deal to secure the release of a CIA contractor Raymond Davis accused of murder in Pakistan has ended a damaging spy row but erased a thin veneer of trust between the suspicious allies. The sudden freeing of Davis on March 16, seven weeks after he shot dead two men in Lahore, has sparked angry demonstrations in protest at the decision.Activists...

KARACHI: At least 13 people were killed in Karachi in the past 24 hours, DawnNews reported.The dead included two police officers and two political activists.One person was shot dead in the city’s North Nazimabad area on Thursday, whereas another person was gunned down in Karachi’s Pak Colony area.An activist from a religious party was shot dead in the city’s Nankwara area.Moreover, unknown gunmen shot dead a Sub-Inspector and his son...

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has rejected the bail plea of member Punjab Assembly and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Q Moonis Elahi in NICL corruption case, Geo News reported on Thursday.After hearing of the case here at LHC, Moonis Elahi left for home in his car.Meanwhile, FIA officials said that Monis Elahi has been allowed some time and that he will be arrested later from his home.Earlier, Additional DG FIA Zaffar Qureshi...

Pakistan's maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar, whose colourful career has been a heady mix of on-field brilliance and off-field controversy, will quit international cricket after the World Cup. "I have decided to retire. Mentally I wanted to go on forever but I have decided to make way for the youngsters," the 35-year-old said on Thursday. "I have no regrets. I made lots of friends but some people have misunderstood me. I thank all...

COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi denied on Wednesday that he feared playing a World Cup quarter-final in India, insisting a potential clash between the two neighbours can help ease strained relations. "I have never said anything along the lines that we don't want to go to India. I never said that," said Afridi, hitting back at media reports that Pakistan wants to avoid playing their last-eight game in India. "We are here...

SENDAI: Japanese crews grappling with the world’s worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl contended with a new fire and feared damage to a reactor containment vessel Wednesday as the nation reeled from a quake-tsunami disaster.With nerves on edge across the world’s third-biggest economy and beyond, people across Asia have been stripping shelves of essentials for fear of a major emission of radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.However, after the Tokyo stock exchange’s biggest two-day sell-off in 24...

PESHAWAR: In Pakistan’s bomb-hit northwest, bands of Taliban-fighting tribesmen are threatening to give up their struggle in the face of a string of attacks and a perceived lack of government help.Armed with the Kalashnikov rifles that swill around this lawless region and dressed in traditional tribal garb, the militia or “lashkar” members patrol their villages daily to ward off homegrown militants and protect communities.Set up from late 2006 to support the armed forces’ battle, the lashkars in Pakistan mirror efforts...

The Punjab Assembly has barely been able to transact any business since the re-alignment of the treasury and opposition benches in the house.The two have descended to sloganeering against each other and have been rejecting appeals by the speaker to maintain order in the house. Moreover, opposition lawmakers in the province and political activists from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q)...

Kazmi was arrested after a court refused to grant him a pre-arrest bail in a case relating to his alleged corruption in arranging accommodation for Pakistani pilgrims.ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court handed over former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a five day physical remand on Wednesday, DawnNews reported.The FIA had requested the court to hand over Kazmi for a 14-day-long remand.Earlier...

BANGALORE: Canada captain Ashish Bagai won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in a World Cup Group A match on Wednesday.Champions Australia, who have already qualified for the quarter-finals, are seeking to extend their unbeaten World Cup streak to 34 matches, kept the same team that defeated Kenya on Sunday.Canada are playing their last match in the tournament and have won only one of their five matches, against fellow...

WASHINGTON: CIA contractor Raymond Davis was flown out of Pakistan on Wednesday after being acquitted of two murder charges and released by a Pakistani court, a US official said.“Davis was released from Pakistani custody and is out of the country. There was no quid pro quo,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.A court freed Davis after blood money was paid in accordance with sharia law, the Punjab Law Minister Rana...