Eight killed in fresh Karachi violence

KARACHI: Eight including a policeman have been killed and several others injured as violence returns to the metropolis, Geo News reported. According to the police, the situation in Sarjani town remained tense on Monday. Criminals burnt cars and a young man was killed in the area while two people were injured.

In Orangi town the situation remained tense after an exchange of fire between two groups. Three bodies were recovered from the Dhoobi Gath and Awami Colony areas. The victims were kidnapped and tortured. In Gulistan-e-Johar block 17, a man was killed when unknown gunmen opened fire on a restaurant. A policeman was killed due to firing in Landhi.

Meanwhile a body was also recovered from the Lyari area while one person was killed as a result of firing in the Alfalah area. A woman and her brother in law were killed when unknown men entered their house and opened fire in Baldia town.

Popalzai says 1st Ramazan on August 1

 PESHAWAR: Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai has announced that 1st day of the holy month of Ramazan would fall on Augusut (Monday), Geo News reported Sunday.

Popalzai made the announcement while talking to media men after a meeting held here at Masjid Qasim Ali Khan which was attended by local Ulema and notables of the area.

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai said many witnesses of the moon including a woman approached the Ulema who examined the account of witnesses.

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will hold its meeting on Monday to announce sighting of the moon or otherwise.

Indian breaks 250 coconuts in 8.56 minutes

BHUBANESHWAR: Kehsab Swain from Odisha found a place in the 'Limca Book of Records' after he broke 250 green coconuts in just 8.56 minutes. Keshab achieved the milestone yesterday.

Keshab had earlier broken 184 green coconuts (poida) in 6 minutes 40 seconds in 2010. This time, he went a step further and achieved a rare milestone, bring glory to Odisha.

The green coconut-breaking event was organised at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar yesterday. Sports & Youth Affairs Minister, Badri Narayan Patra, Tourism & Culture Minister Prafulla Samal, former Minister Suresh Routray and Nayagarh MLA Arun Sahoo were present at the occasion.

Keshab used his head, elbow and knee to break the coconuts, getting full cheer and appreciation from the crowd present there. Limca Book of Record official VBR Murty was present to certify Keshab's feat.

The 38-year-old Keshab Swain hails from Dharakot in Ganjam district. He had won the Biju Patnaik Bravery Award for 2009 after saving pilgrims from a burning bus in 2008.

Rising mercury dampens zeal of Zoo enthusiasts

LAHORE: Increasingly hot weather has desisted animal lovers from visiting Lahore Zoo lately as nearly 60% of the visitorship has declined.

Zoo authorities said that during congenial weather around 10000 to 12000 visitors from the city and other towns turned up but now due to hot weather this figure has come down to 4000.

Ms Zaib medical officer at the Zoo said in order to save the animals from heat precautionary measures were taken. Ice blocks were supplied in the cages of tigers, lions and other animals; air coolers were working round the clock to keep the cages cool; multivitamin supplements were being given; bamboo screens were hung to protect birds from scorching sun, sources explained.

The doctor said a premature female Mufflen sheep was born in the Zoo on Wednesday raising the number of this specie to 21.It is European breed sheep, it was learnt. (APP)

Wedding set for Bahrain and Saudi royal families

MANAMA: Friends become relatives, that is what has happened to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The son of Bahrain’s king and the daughter of Saudi Arabia’s monarch have gotten engaged

According to the official news agency of Bahrain, the king’s fifth son Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad has gotten engaged to Saudi King Abdullah’s daughter. She is the 15th daughter of the King and her name was not given by the news agency.

The engagement comes at a time when protests have taken place in Bahrain calling for a political change and the country’s forces have been helped by Saudi forces to quell those protests.

 

KP govt disowns Qasim Mosque’s decision

PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has disowned the decision made from Qasim Ali Khan Mosque to observe 1st fast of the holy month of Ramadan on August 1.

Talking to Geo News, provincial Minister for Religious Affairs Namroz Khan said that no government official attended before and after the announcement from Qasim Ali Khan Mosque, adding that the provincial government did not make any announcement to observe 1st fast on August 1.

Namroz Khan said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government fully disowned the announcement.

 

Khairpur: 10 Nato tankers torched, 4 hurt

KHAIRPUR: Four people received burnt injuries as some unidentified men set Nato tankers on fire on National Highway near Kurram Abad area of Khairpur, Geo News reported.

According to the police, an incident took place when unidentified armed men opened fire at oil tankers, moving from Karachi to Peshawar, resultantly the tankers caught fire which injured three drivers among four people.

Meanwhile, a local hotel and three shops located near also caught fire from the high intensity of fire. Traffic has also suspended on National Highway.

Six fire brigades from Khairpur and Sukkur cities launched operation to extinguish fire. Fire brigade sources said that teams were facing problems to extinguish fire due because of huge flames.

 

Al Qaeda strongholds still exist in Pak, alleges Mullen

KABUL: The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Mike Mullen has alleged that there were still several strongholds of al Qaeda network inside Pakistan.

Addressing the troops here during a third day of his visit to Afghanistan, Mullen said there are still safe heavens of terrorists which included Lashkar e Taiba and Haqqani network, in Pakistan's tribal region.

Mullen claimed that US commandos believed that security affairs have improved. However, deadly attacks against US forces were carried out in Afghanistan on the same day.

He said that terrorist wanted to topple Afghan govt.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee to meet today

KARACHI: A meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will be held in Karachi today (Monday) evening to see the Ramzanul Mubarak moon.

Chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneebur Rehman will preside over the meeting and will announce its decision about the sighting or otherwise of the moon.

Regional Committees are also meeting at the respective headquarter to register their decisions to the Central Ruet-e-Hilal for a final announcement. (PPI)

Two killed in Quetta blast

QUETTA: A blast has been reported in Hazar Ganji area of Quetta Monday that has killed two persons and injured three, Geo News reported.

According to police sources, at least two persons have been killed while three other injured in the blast that occurred near a petrol pump in Hazar Ganji area.

The dead bodies and injured have been shifted to the civil hospital.

Syrian army kills 140 in crackdown: activists

DAMASCUS: Syrian forces killed nearly 140 people on Sunday including at least 100 when the army stormed the flashpoint protest city of Hama, activists said, prompting calls for emergency Security Council talks.

Activists said it was one of the deadliest days in Syria since demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15 demanding democratic reforms before turning their wrath on the regime and calling for its ouster.

As reports of the brutal pre-Ramadan crackdown on Hama unfurled, US President Barack Obama and European leaders condemned the crackdown as Germany and Italy called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

A meeting could be held Monday. But the move is likely to reopen bitter divisions within the Security Council, which has not yet been able to agree even a statement on President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown against opponents.

Rights activists said at least 136 people were killed across Syria and expected the toll to rise, while scores were wounded.

The head of the National Organisation for Human Rights, Ammar Qorabi, put the Hama death toll at 95. The Observatory's Abdel Rahman said at least 47 people were killed in and around the central city.

Activists also reported deaths in Deir Ezzor, Syria's main gas- and oil-production hub in the east, which has become a rallying point for protests along with Hama.

At least 19 people were killed in Deir Ezzor, six in Herak in the south, and one in Al-Bukamal in the east, said Qorabi, adding most of those shot in Deir Ezzor were "hit in the head and the neck" by snipers.

Abdel Rahman meanwhile told that protesters set ablaze 24 army troop carriers in the Masrib region west of Deir Ezzor. "They threw Molotov cocktails on a military convoy to stop it from advancing on Deir Ezzor and set ablaze 24 troop carriers." (AFP)

TI to stage weekly sit-in in Islamabad

 

LAHORE: Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan Sunday announced that his party would stage a weekly sit-in at Shahra-e-Dastoor in Islamabad from August 6 to express solidarity with the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Geo News reported.

Addressing a press conference at the inauguration of the youth movement 'Utho Jago' under the auspices of Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan made the above announcement and said: "We will not return from Gujranwala by striking a deal with someone.'

He said the government had so far defied 18 rulings/orders of the Supreme Court and that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari had, under a covert understanding, made a power sharing deal. They will never formulate a legislation making declaration of assets mandatory, he added.

Imran Khan said Nawaz Sharif should stop all the dramas and have its party members resigned from the assemblies.

"Tehreek-e-Insaf will sweep the next elections; the bookies may go ahead and make a bet on his win," he maintained, adding it would also be decided whether Lahore is the city of Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan.

He said the youth of Pakistan would lay a foundation of a revolution on August 14.

Lab-on-a-chip: a game-changer in disease detection

 NEW YORK: A cheap, highly portable blood test kit has proven as accurate as expensive hospital-based analyses in detecting HIV, syphilis and other infectious diseases, according to a new study.

Researchers tested prototypes of the credit card sized lab on a chip with hundreds of patients in Rwanda, reporting nearly 100 percent accuracy.

The so-called "mChip", they said, could help knock down three barriers to effective delivery of health care into the world's poorest regions: difficult access, high costs and long delays for results.

"The idea is to make a large class of diagnostic tests accessible to patients in any setting in the world, rather than forcing them to go to a clinic to draw blood and then wait days for their results," said Samuel Sia, a professor at Columbia University and lead developer.

The findings were published in Nature Medicine. (AFP)

SRK throws wrap-up party for Ra-One

 MUMBAI: Shahrukh Khan arranged a wrap-up party on the completion of his upcoming superhero film Ra-One. Talking about the film Khan said that though the film has certain elements like superhero characters which might make it seem larger than life, yet it was family oriented and caters to all the masses. The film is based on the genre of science fiction and uses various stunts, graphics and special effects.

Khan added that the motive behind making this movie was to prove that technologically advanced films could be made in India. Anxiously awaiting the film's release, Kareena Kapoor, lead actress of the film said that she was very excited to be a part of Bollywood's first science-fiction film.

The film is directed by Anubhav Sinha and written by David Benullo. It is produced by Shahrukh and Gauri Khan and stars Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor, and Arjun Rampal among others.The music of the film is composed by Vishal-Shekhar.

The film is slated for a worldwide release on October 26.

Serena Williams wins Stanford Classic

STANFORD: Serena Williams sounded an ominous warning to her rivals that she will be a genuine contender at the US Open after winning the Stanford Classic on Sunday in her third tournament back from injury. Williams overpowered third seed Marion Bartoli of France 7-5 6-1 in Sunday's final and her opponent, who triumphed when they last met in the fourth round at Wimbledon this year, applauded the American's performance. In winning five matches on her way to the Stanford title, Williams experienced only one hiccup when she dropped a set to Russian Maria Kirilenko in the second round. The American crushed Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-0 6-0 in the first round, eased past fifth-ranked Sharapova 6-1 6-3 in the last eight and destroyed Wimbledon semi-finalist Lisicki 6-1 6-2 in the semi-finals. (Reuters)

Syrian army kills 140 in crackdown: activists

DAMASCUS: Syrian forces killed nearly 140 people on Sunday including at least 100 when the army stormed the flashpoint protest city of Hama, activists said, prompting calls for emergency Security Council talks. Activists said it was one of the deadliest days in Syria since demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15 demanding democratic reforms before turning their wrath on the regime and calling for its ouster. As reports of the brutal pre-Ramadan crackdown on Hama unfurled, US President Barack Obama and European leaders condemned the crackdown as Germany and Italy called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. A meeting could be held Monday. But the move is likely to reopen bitter divisions within the Security Council, which has not yet been able to agree even a statement on President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown against opponents. Rights activists said at least 136 people were killed across Syria and expected the toll to rise, while scores were wounded. The head of the National Organisation for Human Rights, Ammar Qorabi, put the Hama death toll at 95. The Observatory's Abdel Rahman said at least 47 people were killed in and around the central city. Activists also reported deaths in Deir Ezzor, Syria's main gas- and oil-production hub in the east, which has become a rallying point for protests along with Hama. At least 19 people were killed in Deir Ezzor, six in Herak in the south, and one in Al-Bukamal in the east, said Qorabi, adding most of those shot in Deir Ezzor were "hit in the head and the neck" by snipers. Abdel Rahman meanwhile told that protesters set ablaze 24 army troop carriers in the Masrib region west of Deir Ezzor. "They threw Molotov cocktails on a military convoy to stop it from advancing on Deir Ezzor and set ablaze 24 troop carriers." (AFP)

Sohail Ahmed appointed Secretary Narcotics Division

 ISLAMABAD: The federal government on the orders of the Supreme Court has appointed Sohail Ahmed as Secretary Narcotics Division, Geo News reported Monday.

Sohail Ahmed was removed as the Secretary Establishment Division and made officer on special duty (OSD) after he had issued a notification to transfer Hussain Asghar to the FIA during proceedings of the Hajj corruption case.

This prompted the government to make Sohail Ahmed OSD but the apex court issued an order to appoint him to a suitable position within seven days.

In a statement issued from the prime minister’s office on Monday, Ahmed was appointed Secretary Narcotics Division. 

Govt using parliament to hide corruption: Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif said Monday that the government is using parliament to hide corruption and institutions are being made to fight for personal interests, Geo News reported. Nawaz Sharif arrived at the Parliament House after being appointed as a party president. A parliamentary meeting of the PML-N is underway under his chairmanship. Speaking to the media, he said that parliament belongs to the entire nation and not to just the president and few individuals. He added that the country is experiencing many difficulties and government officials are not paying any importance to the parliament.