King Khan moved by Anil Kapoor acting

MUMBAI: King of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan said Friday he was moved by the brilliant performance of Indian legendary actor Anil Kapoor in his world famous film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.It is strange to believe that recently Anil Kapoor criticized Shahrukh over his roles in recent movies despite that, Shahrukh persists to applaud his (Anil)’s role in Slumdog millionaire.Shahrukh words came as, “Indeed, Anil Kapoor is still the proud of Bollywood and his supremacy in acting is again evident from his brilliant performance in Slumdog Millionaire”

I’d love to work with Kareena again: Shahid Kapoor

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor said that he has no objection for working with his old friend Kareena Kapoor in any film.In an interview at an Indian TV channel, Shahid Kapoor said that he can work with anybody and if director desires he can work even with a cow or buffalow.It may be recalled that both Shahid and Kareena have so far worked together in three movies out of which only one film “Jab We Met” hit the box office while “Fida” and “Chhup Chhup Ke” failed to do any business.

Passengers escape Australian plane's water landing

SYDNEY: Six people have walked safely to shore after a light plane crash off Darwin's coastline at East Point on Friday.The Piper Chieftain had just left Darwin Airport travelling to the remote Northern Territory community of Maningrida when the pilot started to experience engine trouble.Local residents say they saw the plane ditch onto a sandbar. The pilot managed to safely land in the low tide shallow water. He's been lauded by emergency services for doing an extraordinary job of getting the plane down without injuries. The five passengers, who work for Darwin-based information technology services company Connected Solutions Group (CSG) and the pilot, walked the 200 metres to shore.

US cuts 600,000 jobs in January

WASHINGTON: The recession-scarred US economy lost 600,000 jobs in January, pushing the unemployment rate to a 16-year high, data showed Friday, raising pressure on lawmakers debating a huge stimulus plan.The jobless rate jumped to 7.6 percent from 7.2 percent in December. The number of jobs lost was the worst since 1974 and the fifth highest since records were kept, according to the monthly Labor Department report."The expectations were for a disastrous January for the labor market, and the preliminary numbers exceeded these expectations," said Sophia Koropeckyj at a website.Ian Shepherdson, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics, called the data "another horrific report, showing job losses across the economy.""If ever there were an economy in need of stimulus, this is it," he said. Christina Romer, chair of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, said the report showed the largest 13-month job loss since the payroll employment series began in 1939."These numbers, and the very real suffering of American workers they represent, reinforce the need for bold fiscal action," she said in a statement."If we fail to act, we are likely to lose millions more jobs and the unemployment rate could reach double digits."Payroll employment, one of the best indicators of economic momentum, has declined by 3.6 million since the start of the recession in December 2007, with around one-half of the decline in the past three months.The unemployment rate was the highest since September 1992.

UK MPs for resolving Kashmir issue

LONDON: A number of British Parliamentarians taking part in the House of Commons debate on Pakistan and Afghanistan highlighted the importance of easing tension between Pakistan and India by resolving the Kashmir dispute. British MPs from all major political parties including Sir Gerald Kaufman, Mohammad Sarwar, Denis Mac Shane, Adam Holloway and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Quentin Davies called for reducing the current tension between two nuclear-armed neighbours with a view to resolving the Kashmir dispute and stabilizing Afghanistan. Among others Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague attended the debate. Veteran parliamentarian and former Labour Foreign Secretary Sir Gerald said: “We must do all we can to make it a top priority to solve the world’s oldest unresolved dispute of Jammu and Kashmir”, adding that Britain needs to do “much more” to put it high on the international agenda.

Ex Indian premier Vajpayee’s condition stable

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee continued to be on ventilation on Saturday with his respiratory track infection remaining a cause of concern, doctors attending on him at AIIMS said."Vajpayee's condition is stable. His heart is stable but his lungs require support and that is why we are putting him on ventilation," said Dr Sampath Kumar, head of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences of AIIMS."His respiratory track infection is the cause of his problem. But his liver, kidney, blood pressure are normal. It will take some time before he recovers fully," he said.

Three Afghan officials killed

JALALABAD: A provincial council member was shot dead by unknown gunmen in eastern Afghanistan Saturday, after Taliban insurgents killed two policemen in a separate incident, officials said.Khan Mohammad, a senior member of the council in Nangarhar, was killed while driving to work in the remote Dara-i-Noor district, a provincial government spokesman said. "At this time we don't know who might have killed him," said Ahmad Zia Abdulzoi. The two police officers were killed late Friday as they were going with other policemen to reinforce a police post that had come under attack from insurgents, a spokesman for Laghman province said. One of the dead was Abdul Aziz, the police chief for the province's Qarghayi district, roughly 70 kilometres (45 miles) east of the capital, Kabul. "Abdul Aziz, along with another policeman, were martyred after they were attacked by Taliban," provincial spokesman Sayed Ahmad told.Laghman is one of the provinces around the capital that has seen Taliban-linked violence pick up in recent years as the militants have been able to reassert themselves seven years after the Taliban regime was toppled.

US $780 billion bailout package finally agreed

WASHIGTON: US stimulus plan has finally got the approval of the Senate, but the size of the plan has been cut down to $780 billion from $819. President Obama had announced a bailout package of $819 billion for reining in the ever- deteriorating economic downturn, which was hotly discussed and deliberated both in the Congress and the senate before it could finally get the assent. President Obama said that the skyrocketing US joblessness demanded immediate action and passing out of this Bill, which the Republicans in senate and Congress procrastinated causing delay. However, the lawmakers of both the Houses have now approved this plan, but with a cut in the amount of the plan, which required taking final decision from the Congress members once more.

Pentagon may take control of US nuclear stockpile

WASHINGTON: Obama administration is considering the idea to hand over the US nuclear stockpile to the Pentagon.According to a US newspaper, the US nuclear weapons program is currently under the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US government wants the Pentagon to take control of this program so that the DOE could focus more on research and preservation of energy initiatives.The White House has directed both the departments to prepare a detailed report in this regard and a deadline of September 30 has been set for the purpose.

Tribal elders express support for military operations

GHALNAI: Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (COAS) today visited troops in Mohmand Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). During a day long visit Chief of Army Staff was given a detailed briefing on operational preparedness and prevailing security environment in the area by Commandant Mohmand Rifles. COAS informally interacted with the troops and appreciated their high morale. He also met with tribal elders and appreciated the efforts by tribes to evict foreign elements from their area and said that support of local people was critical for success of these operations to purge area of miscreants and terrorists.The tribal elders expressed their full support for the military operations. They demonstrated their resolve to eliminate these militants from their area and bring back peace and security. They said that they were, they are and they will always remain the first line of Defence for Pakistan.COAS directed local commanders to extend all possible help in providing medical facilities and looking after victims of miscreants’ atrocities. Earlier on arrival in the area, COAS was received by Lieutenant General Muhammad Masood Aslam, Corps Commander.

Propaganda against lawyers ‘sign of bewilderment’: Aitzaz

RAWALPINDI: Lawyers leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan Saturday said lawyers community went to Karachi with a message of peace on May 12 last year but now some elements want to file murder cases against them.Addressing a Lahore High Court Bar Association here, he said: “Do go ahead and file cases against us but then make sure to bring to trial those who showed their fists on that fateful day.” Those who showed fists have now become history, he added. Aitzaz Ahsan termed what is happening in Swat as nothing but ‘barbarism’.He said those creating propaganda against lawyers are actually bewildered by the force of movement for independence of judiciary.

I love Priyanka Gandhi to death: John Abraham

It seems John Abraham's voluptuous girlfriend Bipasha Basu has reasons to be unhappy.Voted sometime ago as the sexiest man in the world, John surprised many with his choice of the sexiest Indian woman. No it's not Priyanka Chopra he was talking about. But that's not reason enough for Bips to heave a sigh of relief.Surprisingly he vouched for the suave Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as "the sexiest woman in India by eons and light years" in an interview to the men's magazine GQ.It definitely must have come as a shocker for the dusky Bong beauty.He didn't stop there.He gushed, "I love her to death! I'm totally impressed with the sophisticated Mrs. Gandhi Vadra and I think she's "going to be the real power centre in the future".We understand John's sentiments but we just hope he doesn't end up offending his hot girl friend too much. After all, confident woman like Bips don't like to be scorned in any way.

Jimmy Sheirgill to play SRK's brother in My Name Is Khan

After bagging accolades from one and all for his powerhouse act in A Wednesday, things certainly seem to be looking brighter for Jimmy Sheirgill. The talented actor has been signed to play a pivotal role in Karan Johar's much talked about SRK- Kajol starrer My Name Is Khan.If the buzz is to be believed, then Jimmy plays the role of SRK's brother in the film. The role was earlier supposed to be played by Jimmy's co-star from A Wednesday, Aamir Bashir. It may be recalled that Jimmy had starred with Shah Rukh way back in 2000 in Yash Raj Films' Mohabbatein. Jimmy surely must be hoping that this time too, his pairing with SRK manages to strike gold at the B.O.

Has Shah Rukh really forgiven Aamir?

Looks like SRK has still not forgiven Aamir Khan for his 'dog' blog last year.For the unawares, Aamir had infamously blogged about a dog called Shah Rukh mid last year.At that time King Khan had said that he didn't really mind it but it really doesn't seem that he's forgiven and forgotten whatever happened.At a public event to promote a watch SRK said, "I can take my shirt off for you but I don't have anything written on my chest like Aamir. You know we don't need to write things on our chests to sell watches here. We do it just like that."He made it clear that he isn't really picking on Aamir.He added, "I don't pick on him. It is a joke and it is supposed to continue but the media makes it big. But, yes I don't like some of the things that he and other people have said and I am serious about that. I will have a chat with him but I won't tell you what it is I will pick on him in person."Well, the King Khan doesn't really take things with a pinch of salt every time. He's just diplomatic enough to not say it all the time. And at this moment he doesn't seem to be in a diplomatic mood at all.

Salman Khan’s new project - “London Dreams”

Salman Khan’s wax statue at Madam Tussauds in London has had a deeper impact on the star, than most would imagine. Overwhelmed with the response that the actor got when he attended the unveiling of his wax statue at the famed museum, the Bollywood hunk decided to consider his long-shelved dream project once again. Salman has personally taken efforts to revive his shelved project London Dreams which was originally supposed to be directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi. The film which is based on the desi music scene of UK will now be made at a larger scale than originally planned and is to be directed by Vipul Shah who’s last film Namastey London was a runaway hit. Not surprisingly, Salman is set to play the pivotal role in the film, which is now being made at a staggering budget of 65 crores. More than 75 per cent of the film will be shot in London and is touted to have a huge appeal for the desi population there.
Salman is very excited about the project and we would be making the film at a much larger scale now. As for the heroine, she is yet to be finalised. The film is set in the desi milieu of London. The music scene over there is very vibrant and you have some very talented artists like Rishi Rich, Juggy D, Bally Sagoo, and various other bands making some very distinct music.

Toyota forecasts $4.95bn annual loss

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Toyota Motor Corp said it expected its full-year loss would be three times what it had flagged just six weeks ago as the world's biggest automaker struggles to cut production fast enough to match sliding sales.A sudden dive in demand since late last year has hit automakers around the world, but the pain is especially pronounced at Toyota, which is saddled with too much capacity after years of building new plants to keep up with demand.
For the year to end-March, Toyota now expects an operating loss of 450 billion yen ($4.95 billion) instead of the 150 billion yen loss it forecast in late December.
It would be Toyota's first consolidated operating loss in its 70-year history.
Toyota changed its annual net forecast to a 350 billion yen loss from a 50 billion yen profit.
For its October-December third quarter, Toyota reported an operating loss of 360.5 billion yen ($3.97 billion) against a year-earlier profit of 601.6 billion yen. It posted a third-quarter net loss of 164.6 billion yen against a year-earlier profit of 458.7 billion yen.
Toyota started the current financial year with a bullish forecast to build 8.87 million vehicles in the 12 months to end-March. By November, it had slashed that goal by nearly 1 million vehicles, and has since announced more cuts in North America and Japan.
It cut its forecast for 2008/09 global vehicle sales to 7.32 million units from 7.54 million.

Saif and Deepika team up for Love Aaj Kal

Imtiaz Ali's much-awaited Saif Ali Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer finally seems to have found a suitable title. The film is called Love Aaj Kal. The title has a mix of both Hindi and English words just like it was with Imtiaz's last release Jab We Met.
Dinesh Vijan, producer of the film and Saif's business partner, confirmed the news saying: "Our film is called Love Aaj Kal. It is 95 per cent complete and should be out sometime mid-year"
Dinesh also confirmed that besides Saif and Deepika, the film also stars Rishi Kapoor, Vir Das and two other newcomers. He however denied that rumors doing the rounds about Neetu Singh Kapoor starring in the film.

Somali pirates released a Ukrainian ship Thursday carrying tanks, ammunition and crew after receiving a ransom of $3.2 million, a spokesman for the sh

Mikhail Voitenko told CNN all the pirates had left the ship Thursday night, and a man who identified himself as one of the pirates who was involved in the hijacking also confirmed the pirates were no longer on the vessel.
Voitenko said his information was confirmed by the MV Faina's owner, Vadim Alperin, who authorized him to make a statement.
The pirates seized the ship in neutral waters near Kenya and Somalia in September. It had been headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, and was hijacked not far from its destination.
The U.S. Navy began monitoring the situation soon after the vessel was captured because of concerns about the dangers that the weapons on board could pose.
In a letter posted on the "Marine Bulletin" Web site, which is edited by Voitenko, Alperin said he, his representatives in various countries, and Ukrainian special services had been involved in "extremely tough" negotiations with the pirates.
"The release would've been impossible without the assistance from the Ukrainian government," Alperin wrote.
However, Alperin wrote, the government did not contribute to the ransom. "It rendered things that are much more valuable than money. It helped, thank God, with ... the knowledge, experience and talent of its intelligence officers,"

CIA nominee admits ‘Gitmo inmates were tortured’

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama's choice to head the CIA, Leon Penetta admitted Thursday, inmates of Guantanamo Bay, the infamous US prison based in Afghanistan, were subjected to brutal torture and added that making prisoners dive into water forcefully was one of torturing tactics US troops had been carrying out in Gitmo.Stating before Senate Committee for Foreign Relations Penetta admitted the tortured perpetuated upon Gitmo inmates was wrongdoing to Humanity.President Obama also regarded, the torture rendered upon Gitmo detainees was heinous, he further added in his statement.

Forex case: Four bank managers’ bail plea rejected

KARACHI: Banking crimes special court has rejected the bail application of four bank managers accused to be involved in the foreign exchange case against Khanani and Kalia Company, while FIA has been directed to submit final challan of the case by February 20. Special Court Judge, Muhammad Hussain Mallah has written in his decision that the investigating agency has collected enough materials against the petitioners Wajahat Ali, Arif ur Rahman, Masood Abbas and Taslim Ahmad and at this stage, they do not deserves bail out. However, the court ordered giving B calls in jail to all the four bank officers. Two directors of the company, Munaf Kalia and Javed Khanani were present in the court, but the third director Hanif Kalia was not brought in the court from jail, despite court orders, which the court taking serious notice ordered issuance of show cause notice to the jail superintendent.

Rekha says yes to small screen

MUMBAI: Ageless Indian actress Rekha, who has often refused to do television in the past and is still against blogging, says the need to connect with fans has finally prompted her to step on to the small screen.‘I know I have said many times in the past I won’t do television,’ said Rekha. ‘But there’s a demand for me to be on television. So, yes, I’m finally taking the plunge.’But she isn’t divulging her precise plans for the home medium.‘I’m computer illiterate. I believe the internet has got every photograph and every detail of my life. But no blogging for me, she added.

PM should ask President to abolish Sharif’s penalty: PILDAT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has suggested the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in a letter that he should ask President Asif Ali Zardari to abolish Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Mian Nawaz Sharif’s conviction in the case.In a statement issued here on Friday, PILDAT office-bearers said that their organisation has no political agenda and they had also written a letter to the then President General Pervez Musharraf in 2006 suggesting him that he should doff his uniform.The letter says that under the existing circumstances, there is a need to bridge the gap and all political forces in the county should work to strengthen democratic process. The letter says the verdict of Lahore High Court (LHC) in Sharifs’ eligibility case widened political gulf among political parties and a similar decision by the Supreme Court could harm democratic process in Pakistan.

ICC Champs dropped due to security threats: Ijaz Butt

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt said Thursday, three test playing nations have denied to tour to Pakistan excusing on security threats so ICC Champions trophy cannot be held here.He said this while talking to media at Lahore Airport after coming back from Dubai where he attended ICC’s Executive Council meeting.He informed media; Australian government did not seem agreed to release its players for Pak-Aussies series scheduled in April-May however, he said, Australian team signaled determination to tour Pakistan.“Australian government said to Pakistan officials, their troops are engaged in Afghanistan against militants so their played could be attacked”, he added.Responding to a question regarding Minadad’s resignation he said, “I cannot assert any thing unless I meet him.”

Players in IPL to be auctioned today

GOA: The auction for the second season of the Indian Premier League will take place today in the morning in Goa. At Thursday's press conference, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi explained some of the finer details of the auction process.He said, there are five pools namely A, B, C, D and E. Pool A has the top five players in terms of minimum price, such as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.Each player is numbered one to five. There are five balls numbered one to five, which go into a pack. Somebody is asked to pick one ball from the pack and the corresponding player is the first player up for auction.The IPL decides the pool the players belong to. The players are drawn in the pools based on their minimum reserve price. The pools do not have the same number of players. In the first auction last year, the IPL negotiated the reserve price and also took the risk to guarantee the player the reserve price even if he was not bought at the auction.This year, to everybody's surprise, we had 115 entries. Some of the players were even willing to play free of cost. So this time, the IPL took no risk on setting the reserve price of the players. The players themselves decided on their reserve price. So if the players are lucky to be bought, it's fine for them, but if not, then they are out.A player who has signed up for the IPL cannot make himself unavailable unless he is injured or he has an existing Future Tours Programme commitment.In the case of the Pakistani players, the IPL have been informed by the Pakistan Cricket Board the Pakistani government had refused to send their players because of the tension between the two countries.So the IPL has given the club owners the option to terminate the contract and let the players be a free agent to come back through an auction, or to suspend their contracts.If they suspend the player's contract, then that slot is not available for the franchise in the auction. If they terminate the contract, the team owner will have that slot open. If they terminate the contract, and the player in question is a talented one, they would possibly have to pay a much higher price for the player the next time around.That is probably why the Royal Challengers, Bangalore have decided not to terminate their contract with Misbah-ul Haq, the Rajasthan Royals have not terminated the contracts with Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal and Kolkata Knight Riders have only suspended their contract with Umar Gul.Contracts with the rest of the Pakistan players, including Shoaib Akhtar's contract with the Knight Riders, have been terminated.

IPL scraps contract with 6 Pak players

NEW DELHI: IPL has scraped contracts with six Pakistan cricket players.

India elect to bat in fourth Sri Lanka one-dayer

COLOMBO: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the fourth one-day international here on Thursday.India, who have gained an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, rested star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and paceman Zaheer Khan. The duo were replaced by middle-order batsmen Rohit Sharma and Irfan Pathan.The hosts brought in batsman Angelo Mathews in place of spinner Ajantha Mendis for the only change from the side which lost the last match by 147 runs here on Tuesday.Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan needs just one wicket to surpass former Pakistani paceman Wasim Akram's one-day record of 502. India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar.Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekara.

Australian team announced for South Africa’s tour

SYDNEY: Australia’s selection panel has announced a 14-member team for the tour of South Africa here on Thursday.The new team is the most inexperienced touring party in two decades.Three new players have been included in the squad for the three-Test series beginning from February 26 while Andrew Symonds has been dropped for his involvement in recent conflicts and Shane Watson due to injury.The uncapped trio of Phillip Hughes, Bryce McGain and Marcus North have been added to the Australian line-up for the three-Test tour of South Africa as selectors attempt to restructure the team for the future and contend with an horrific injury toll. The Asutralia’s Test squad consists of the following players: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Bryce McGain, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Hauritz, Marcus North.

Clarke pulls out of IPL auction

SYDNEY: Michael Clarke has pulled out of the IPL auction - where he had a base value of US$1 million - citing Australia's busy international schedule for his decision.Clarke was set to be among the top three picks in the auction, to held in Goa on Friday. Chennai Super Kings, last year's finalists, were expected to lead the bidding for him.Clarke, who joins Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Broad in deciding to stay away from the IPL, made the announcement at the MCG, where the Australia team was preparing for Friday's game against New Zealand."Speaking with my management, my family, my fiancee and the hierarchy of the IPL and for me this year I won't be going to the IPL. There's probably a number of reasons but the most important thing for me is we've only got a couple of weeks off, we've got a really busy schedule and I just think for where I'm at with my body and that time at home it's valuable for me."I'd love to take part in it one day. It's just about finding the right time for me to be a part of it."It was a tough decision, he said, which is why he took his time over it. "There's obviously a lot of great things about the IPL and that's why I say I certainly want to be a part of it at some stage. Every player is in a different position as well but for me - mentally, physically where I am - I just think those two weeks at home will be great for my to come home and see family and friends."Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, believed Clarke opted out to avoid an embarrassment at the auction. "I don't think anybody is ready to pay that kind of price [$1m].”

Muralitharan breaks world record

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has broken world record for most wickets in one-day international cricket.Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir during the fourth one-day international against India on Thursday to surpass the 502 wickets taken by former Pakistani paceman Wasim Akram.The 36-year-old Muralitharan playing in his 328th one-day international also holds the test record with 769 dismissals.

Obama rejects 'petty politics' of stimulus critics

WILLIAMSBURG: President Barack Obama Thursday rejected the "petty politics" and "false theories" of critics of his stimulus plan, as debate on the 900 billion dollar package reached a crucial stage. In his most strident attack on Republican opponents to far in his young presidency, Obama said the American people "did not vote for the false theories of the past and they did not vote for phoney arguments and petty politics." "This is a moment for leadership that matches the great test of our times," Obama said at a retreat of Democratic members of the House of Representatives here.

U.S. needs clear mission in Afghanistan: Obama

WILLIAMSBURG: U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday expressed concerns about the difficulty of maintaining a focused military mission in Afghanistan as his administration prepares a troop buildup there, sources at a Democratic meeting said. Obama was addressing House of Representatives Democrats on the first day of a three-day retreat here.Following a speech that focused on the domestic economy, Obama took questions from the lawmakers during a short, private session. The sources, who were present at the closed session said Obama was asked for his views on the Afghan situation.The president responded that the United States cannot win the war in Afghanistan by military means alone, "needs a clear mission" and a key danger for U.S. forces is "mission creep without clear parameters." The sources, who asked not to be identified, said Obama also told the House Democrats that Washington needs to engage in diplomatic efforts with Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan.Obama's remarks came on the eve of a trip by Vice President Joe Biden to Munich, where he is to meet with European leaders to consult with them about hot spots including Afghanistan. The United States has been waging a war against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan since shortly after the Sept. 11,2001 attacks on New York City and Washington. Obama, just two weeks in the White House, is expected to approve up to 17,000 more combat troops for Afghanistan to help reverse a growing insurgency that has escalated to the highest levels since the 2001 invasion that toppled the Taliban for harboring Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda militants. Obama was elected in November in part on a pledge to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq and devote more U.S. military forces to Afghanistan. During his remarks to the House Democrats, which were met with cheers according to those who attended, Obama also said that Afghanistan could not become a "safe haven" for terrorists.

Ships collide in Antarctic whaling clash

SYDNEY: A boat carrying a group of radical anti-whaling activists collided with a Japanese whaling vessel in the Antarctic Ocean on Friday in a dramatic clash. No one was injured. In a statement, the Institute of Cetacean Research _ the Japanese government-affiliated organization that oversees the hunt _condemned the protesters' actions, characterizing the collision as a`` deliberate ramming'' that occurred while the Japanese were trying to load a whale on board one of their ships. ``While no one was injured, the circumstances could have been much worse, even fatal,'' the institute's director, Minoru Morimoto, said in the statement.

50 Indian fishermen held over encroaching Pakistani waters

KARACHI: Officials of Mary Time Security Agency arrested as many as 50 Indian fishermen and took 9 fishing-boats under control and registered cases against them over encroaching Pakistani waters early Friday.Spokesperson of MTSA Lieutenant Commander Shakeel Khan told Geo News, “Nine Indian fishing-boats entered several kilometers within Pakistani water limits. We signaled repeated warnings to them but went in vain. We then held them captive.”He said, the captured fishermen have been sent under police custody after preliminary investigation and added cases, under the section of 309, have been registered against them. Talking to Geo News Indian fishermen said, “It is difficult to differentiate the limits between Pakistan and India in sea therefore we mistakenly crossed Pakistan’s water limits. We regret our mistake and demand the government of Pakistan to take pity on us.”They also urged Indian government to release Pakistani fishermen as a sign of good gesture.

DGK furious persons torch police post

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The town here mourning yesterday’s suicide attack went on a complete strike, while the infuriated persons have torched the police post.Sources said that following 33 deaths in yesterday’s suicide bombing, the situation here was very tense, when hundreds of enraged people protesting set at fire a police post. The demonstrators blamed the administration negligence, which led to the blast, as despite very poor law and order situation in the town, only 4 policemen were posted on the spot.The town drowned in mourning remained shut, as all the markets and educational institutions went on a strike. A joint funeral prayer of the dead would be held after the Juma prayers here.

UN to probe motives behind Benazir murder

ISLAMABAD: A UN inquiry into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will last just six months and will not launch criminal proceedings, according to details released.That will make it much less far-reaching than an existing probe by the world body of the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, which is expected to lead to a UN-organised trial in The Hague. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the Bhutto inquiry on Wednesday during a visit to Islamabad.In a letter to the UN Security Council, Ban said that after discussions with the Pakistani government and council members, it had been agreed that an international commission would simply seek to determine the facts and circumstances of the killing.The commission’s mandate would be for a maximum of six months and “would not extend to carrying out a criminal investigation,” Ban said. It would be up to Pakistan to determine the criminal responsibility, he added. The commission will consist of three “eminent personalities”, whom Ban is expected to name shortly. Ban said it would start work once funding had been arranged. Terms of reference attached to Ban’s letter stipulate that Pakistan will ensure freedom of movement for the commission throughout the country and provide protection for people, who supply it with information.

KSE takes back show cause notices against 5 Cos.

KARACHI: Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) has taken back the show cause notices against five companies out of the total of 70 companies under notice. KSE released notification said that the notices withdrawn against the companies included Tri Star, Mutual Fund, Tri star Muzarba, Prudential and Discount and Guarantee House, Koh-e-Noor Spinning and Chanab Limited. The notification said that these companies have been deleted from the default counter list.KSE officials said that they have submitted the statements, which earlier in violation of companies’ section they had failed, and now the notices stand withdrawn.

Pietersen, Flintoff fetch record prices at IPL

GOA: England players Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff fetched $1.55 million each at the Indian Premier League auction Friday, setting a record for the highest amount paid for a player in the Twenty20 competition.Flintoff was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings, which last year set the previous record of 1.5 million for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Bangalore's Royal Challengers secured Pietersen. Bangalore's owner Vijay Mallya said he was prepared to pay more for Pietersen.England players were not involved in the auction last year. South African J.P. Duminy was sold for $950,000 to Mumbai Indians, more than three times his reserve price. Australia paceman Shaun Tait was the first player auctioned, going to defending champions Rajasthan Royals for $375,000. The IPL season begins on April 10.

India ask Pak to fulfill promise to end terror: India

NEW DELHI: India on Friday said the United Nations should ensure that Pakistan fulfills its commitment to end terrorism emanating from its soil. "I had a detailed discussion with Ban in the context of the terror attack on Mumbai and the material which we have given to Pakistan and shared with the entire international community by sending letters to foreign ministers," Indian External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on the global financial crisis. "I requested the UN secretary-general to look into those aspects and ensure that Pakistan fully implements its own commitments which it has given to India and the international community several times," Mukherjee said.

IHC declares Dr. A Q Khan a free citizen

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday has declared atomic scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan a free citizen and abolished his house arrest. Chief Justice of IHC Sardar Muhammad Aslam while announcing a verdict on several petitions filed against house arrest of Dr. A Q Khan declared him a free citizen and said that he is free to move across the country. The allegations against him of nuclear proliferation have not been 'substantiated'.Due to security reasons, Dr. Khan should inform government about his movement in advance. The verdict has directed the government to provide security to Dr. Khan on immediate basis. VVIP security would be given to him.Dr. Khan is free to express his views, talk to media and carry out research and get treatment of doctor of his own choice.

UP Police Torture Six years old Girl Bitterly

In a shocking case of brutality by the Uttar Pradesh police, two police officials have been caught on camera brutally beating a six-year-old girl in Etawah. The girl, accused of theft, was handed over to the police by residents of the area. The child was picked up by the UP police on allegations that she had stolen Rs 250 from a resident in the area. She was then mercilessly roughed up by the cops.
The video shows two policemen beating the girl by pulling her hair and ears. This brutality caught on tape has forced the authorities to sack the sub-inspector and suspend the inspector.
An investigation has also been ordered into the incident.

I am a Law Abiding Citizen: Preity

Preity Zinta who celebrated her 34th birthday had no clue that her celebration will become a TRP winning issue for the electronic media. Her birthday party was on till the wee hours of the morning which disturbed slum dwellers that stay nearby her area. As reported by the news channels, in spite of making a police complaint no action was taken by the police.
Reacting to this, Preity claimed that nothing of that sort happened and whatever is being reported by media is nothing but pure sensationalism. “I had a party and the police came and put the music off plus fined me which I paid on the same night. I have the receipt for the same. The music did not come up again as mentioned on some sensational channels.”

PM orders lifting ban on recruitments

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has ordered of lifting ban on all recruitments on Tuesday.PM Gilani has directed the ministries and departments to start recruitments according to set procedures.Earlier, prime minister had abolished the task force for employment on immediate basis. Prime minister said the decision has been taken keeping in view merit and transparency.Prime Minister has directed the ministries to play effective role for providing employment to the public.Task force for employment was established to provide employment to the masses but several complaints were surfaced from different ministries. Earlier, the head of task force Ghulam Qadir Jamote had been suspended from his duties.

Drone attacks causing damages in tribal areas: FM Qureshi

LAHORE: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said US drone attacks leaving negative impact in tribal areas.Talking to media at airport, foreign minister said Pakistan wants to normalize ties with India. Pakistan having firm stance that Kashmir issue is a part of composite dialogue. He termed the visit of special representative of US president Richard Holbrooke as vital and said economic situation of Pakistan and war on terror would be discussed with him.

Film star Shilpa jumps into IPL arena

MUMBAI: After Indian film stars Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta, now another Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty has also jumped into the cricket bidding arena of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as she has obtained partnership rights of the Rajhastan Royals from the owner of its franchise team.Shilpa had expressed her interest in getting the rights of the Bangalore Royal Challenges in the first season of the IPL but this stime she has purchased the shares of Rajhastan Royals, the winners of the event during the previous year.She will equally share the rights of the team with the Emerging Media Group, who already owns the team. Shilpa is also expected to be seen in the cricket grounds encouraging her team like Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta during the IPL matches.

Arab countries to give preference to locals in jobs

ABU DHABI: Arab countries would be giving preference to locals in employment in future, as half of the work force in Arab countries constitute of expatriates.Addressing a Human resource Conference here, Saudi Arab’s Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz said that the locals would be preferred in employing work force in future. He said, “We are reviewing our economic policy seriously for strengthening our economy so that its benefit could reach our people instead of millions of expatriates. Most of the unskilled workers come from South Asia in the countries included in Gulf Cooperation Council, while 50 percent of the skilled and trained work force constitutes of foreigners and this figure is as high as 92 percent in United Arab Emirates. Prince Turki cautioned that if the existing policy continued, then we would become a minority in our own country.

US to ensure Afghanistan doesn’t destabilise Pakistan: Obama

WASHINGTON: The United States wants to make sure Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for Al Qaeda and does not destabilise its neighbour Pakistan, US President Barack Obama said.In an interview with NBC News, he said his administration would have clear objectives in Afghanistan and wanted to fix the drift that occurred there over the last two years. “We are not going to be able to rebuild Afghanistan into a Jeffersonian democracy,” Obama said.“What we can do is make sure that Afghanistan is not a safe haven for Al Qaeda. What we can do is make sure that it is not destabilising neighbouring Pakistan,” he told NBC.Obama also said he feared the detainees freed from Guantanamo would resume attacks on the United States. “Can we guarantee that they’re not going to try to participate in another attack? No,” Obama said.