2 children among 5 die of gastro in Nawabshah

NAWABSHAH: Five people including two children and a woman were dead from gastro disease while dozens of people were admitted to hospital.

According to hospital sources, 40 people including children and women were admitted in various wards of the People’s Medical college here on Sunday.

All these people belonging to the areas of Goth Pannu Jamali, Allah Warayu Jamali and Ali Akbar Jamali were suffering from gastro.

As per the relatives of the affected people, five people including two children and a woman were passed away just in the village.

Meanwhile, EDO Health Jaji Shah Kazmi said that a doctors’ team has been sent to the affected village.

3 dead, 60 hurt in China train collision

BEIJING: Two passenger trains collided in central China on Monday, killing at least three people and leaving 60 injured, a railway official said.

The pre-dawn crash occurred in Hunan province when a train going from the provincial capital Changsha to the southern city of Shenzhen collided with another train heading to Shenzhen from Tongren in Guizhou province, said the official.

``The two trains hit each other on the side and cars from both trains derailed,'' he said, adding that the cause is under investigation.

Brazil win Confederations Cup

JOHANNESBURG: A stunning second-half comeback from Brazil gave them a 3-2 victory in the Confederations Cup final against a brave USA side in Johannesburg.

USA raced into a first-half lead through Clint Dempsey in the 10th minute to stun their more illustrious opponents, and a further shock was to be inflicted at a packed Ellis Park Stadium.

Landon Donavon coolly finished off a swift counter-attack from Charlie Davies in the 27th minute to double his side's lead, and leave Brazil's players and supporters utterly bewildered.

The second half was one-way traffic, as Brazil continued to pour pressure on their opponents with unrelenting waves of attacks, and Dunga's side got their eventual rewards.

A clinical finish from Luis Fabiano in the first minute of the second half gave his side the momentum they needed, and although a Kaka headed goal was wrongly adjudged to have not crossed the line, it did little to stifle their conviction.

Fabiano converted the rebound from Robinho's fierce shot in the 74th minute, which thundered off the crossbar, to prompt a double-defensive change from USA coach Bob Bradley.

As Brazil showered their opponent's box with crosses, it seemed that Fabiano's hat-trick may have been imminent, but it was the gangly defender Lucio who powered a headed winner with six minutes left from Elano's corner.

Both Katrina, Kareena have sexy bodies: Akshay Kumar

NEW DELH: Akshay Kumar has worked with both Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in several films, but can't decide who is better. The action king says both are "wonderful actresses" and have "sexy bodies".

"Both Kareena and Katrina are really good but who is the better among them depends on their roles in the films. Otherwise, both of them have sexy bodies and are absolutely wonderful actresses," said Akshay when asked to choose his favourite of the two.

Akshay has done four films with Katrina including "Namastey London" and "Singh Is Kinng", while he has worked with Kareena in five that include hits "Ajnabee" and "Aitraaz". The two are set to scorch the screen once again in their upcoming action-cum-romantic drama "Kambakkht Ishq".

"In 'Kambakkht Ishq', Kareena has performed very well. Her character required to answer back at me and be strong and she has portrayed it in a powerful, yet lovable way. On the other hand, even Katrina was really good in 'Namastey London'. So it's not really about my choice... it all depends on their roles," the actor told.

Akshay, who has spent more than 18 years in the Hindi film industry, says acting with a new league of actresses is a learning experience.

"I cannot particularly point out what I have learnt from them (Kareena and Katrina) yet, but yes, working with them was a learning experience," said the actor, who has also teamed up with Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Ayesha Takia.

Mangla Dam generation machines terminate operations

LAHORE: All machines at Mangla Dam have been closed because of technical fault that deprived several areas of Azad Kashmir, Mirpur Khas and upper Punjab from electricity.

According to sources, the overall shortfall of electricity across the country has now reaches to 3700 to 4,000 Megawatts.

Managing Director PEPCO Tahir Basharat Cheema while talking to Geo News said closure of machines created shortfall of 1100 MW due to which power supply to Gujrat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Mirpur Khas, Jehlum, Azad Kashmir and other areas remained suspended till the evening.

He said the teams of Wapda and PEPCO are working together to remove the fault and restore power supply in effected areas as soon as possible.

Chairman Wapda Shakeel Durrani had took the notice of situation and ordered high level inquiry. Raghib Ali Shah will head the inquiry and present the report within two days.

Meanwhile, PEPCO has claimed that electric supply has been restored in 40 percent areas and efforts are underway for complete restoration.

England skipper Vaughan close to retirement

LONDON: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan is to meet with Yorkshire officials later Sunday amid reports that he is set to announce his retirement from the game.

Vaughan, who is contracted to the England and Wales Cricket Board,- could make his final first class appearance in Sunday's Twenty20 Cup clash against Derbyshire at Headingley.

Another, less likely, possibillity is that he could still play some part for his county in one-day games or even continue playing until the end of the season.

An announcement about the 34-year-old's future is likely to be made later Sunday.

Vaughan resigned as England captain last August in a tearful press conference but he vowed to earn a recall to the side through sheer weight of domestic runs and set his sights on the Ashes Test series against Australia.

But since then the Yorkshire batsman has seen Ravi Bopara establish himself in the side with three consecutive hundreds against the West Indies and he missed out on selection when the squad was named last week.

At the same time, Vaughan endured a lean spell in county cricket - a run which effectively ruled the Salford-born batsman out of the selectors' plans.

Family members turn out for BET Jackson tribute

LOS ANGELES: Top black performers paid high tribute to fallen pop star Michael Jackson at BET Awards where his sister Janet Jackson and father Joe Jackson made their first public appearances since the singer's death.

The show's most moving moment came in a final tribute when Janet, a pop star in her own right, took the stage to thank the audience for turning out to honor her dead brother.

"To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family, and he will forever live in all of our hearts," said Jackson, her voice choking as she held back tears. "On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love. Thank you for all of your support, we miss him so much."

She was followed by host Jamie Foxx and R&B singer Ne-Yo singing a tender duet of Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There."

Afghanistan: 800 civilians killed in conflict in January-May

KABUL: Civilian deaths resulting from armed hostilities between insurgents, the US military, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and government forces have increased by 24 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2008, according to a report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

In May alone, 261 non-combatants lost their lives in conflict in Afghanistan, John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told members of the Security Council at a meeting on 26 June.

One of the worst incidents was in May when dozens of civilians, among them at least 65 women and children, were killed when US forces bombed a village in the Bala Bulok district of Farah Province, southwestern Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said on 26 May.

"UNAMA [the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan] recorded 800 civilian casualties between January and May 2009, mostly in the south, southeast and eastern regions of the country," states the UN Secretary-General's report, The Situation in Afghanistan and its Implication for International Peace and Security, which was released on 23 June.

At least 55 percent of the recorded deaths were attributed to insurgents, 33 percent were caused by international and Afghan forces and 12 percent could not be attributed to any of the warring parties, the report said.

The UN SG's report blamed the Taliban for most of the civilian casualties and welcomed measures adopted by international forces to minimize the impact of war on non-combatants.

Armed conflict has also displaced tens of thousands of people, leaving most in need of protection and assistance, aid agencies say.

Unprecedented rise
Since the fall of Taliban regime in 2001, insecurity has gradually plagued parts of the country, particularly the south.

In May 2009, security deteriorated to levels not seen since 2001, with over 1,000 recorded violent incidents, the UN report said.

While insurgency-related violence has been mostly concentrated in the volatile south and east, it has also expanded to central and northern areas of the country. "The next period will likely experience an increase in the level of violence compared with the same period last year, including complex suicide attacks, intimidation and assassinations carried out by insurgents," said the report.

In addition to adversely impacting the lives of civilians, the intensifying insecurity has posed serious threats to aid workers and has increasingly inhibited humanitarian access to large swathes of the country.

Over 60 security incidents involving NGOs were recorded from 1 January to 15 June 2009 by the Afghanistan NGOs Safety Office. Tens of aid workers were killed or kidnapped last year.

Owing to a surge of US forces over the past few months and the expansion of newly trained Afghan forces, security has seen improvement in Kabul, Herat, Logar and Wardak provinces, states the UN report.

However, aid workers are concerned that violence will peak in the coming months as the country is set to hold presidential and provincial council elections in August. Insurgents have reportedly threatened to disrupt the elections process with more suicide attacks and roadside explosions.

CNG Association calls strike in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: CNG Association has announced to keep CNG stations closed on June 30 across NWFP province.

Chairman CNG Association Ghayas Paracha said the decision to hold one day’s strike on June 30 was made to register protest against what he said over billing by Sui Northern Gas Company (SNGC) and severing of gas connections by the company.

He said all the CNG stations located between Malakand Agency and Peshawar will remain shut for one day.

Speaker takes oath as acting president Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA: After Honduran troops ousted President Manuel Zelaya Sunday and flew him out of the country the speaker of the parliament Roberto Micheletti took oath as acting president of the country.

The UN General Assembly will meet in emergency session Monday to discuss the political unrest in Honduras where President Manuel Zelaya was ousted and sent into exile in Costa Rica, its spokesman said Sunday.

General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann scheduled a meeting for noon Monday at the request of Honduran Ambassador to the UN Jorge Reina Idiaquez, D'Escoto's spokesman Enrique Yeves told.

Yeves said D'Escoto, who earlier in the day strongly condemned the army coup in Honduras, met with several Latin American ambassadors to the UN who also pressed for a meeting to the 192-member General Assembly to discuss the latest developments in the central American nation.

Zelaya insisted as he arrived in regional neighbor Costa Rica that he remained the president of his Central American nation, but just hours later the Congress voted in the parliamentary speaker as the country's new leader.

The first such major upheaval in several decades in the impoverished country was triggered by a tense political standoff between Zelaya and the country's military and legal institutions over his bid to secure a second term.

"I will never give up since I was elected the president by the people," Zelaya said from San Jose, accusing Honduran troops of kidnapping him and denouncing what he called a "political conspiracy."

But Congress said it voted unanimously to remove him from office for his "apparent misconduct" and for "repeated violations of the constitution and the law and disregard of orders and judgments of the institutions."

In his place they appointed speaker Roberto Micheletti as the new leader to serve out the rest of the term, which ends in January. New general elections are planned for November 29.

Zelaya, elected to a non-renewal four-year term in 2005, had planned a vote Sunday asking Hondurans to sanction a future referendum to allow him to run for reelection in the November polls.

The planned referendum had been ruled illegal by the country's top court and was opposed by the military, but the president said he planned to press ahead with it anyway and ballot boxes had already been distributed.

The Supreme Court said Sunday that it had ordered the president's ouster in order to protect law and order in the nation of some seven million people.

The drama unfolded just about dawn on Sunday when some 200 troops swooped on Zelaya's home. He was bundled away in his pyjamas and flown out of the country.

As planes and helicopters overflew the capital, several hundred Zelaya supporters ignored warnings to stay home and flooded onto the streets of Tegucigalpa shouting out, "We want Mel," the president's nickname.

But the demonstration was halted in front of the presidential palace when the way was barred by a cordon of troops and armored vehicles.

US President Barack Obama said he was deeply concerned about the events in Honduras, as US officials said they recognized Zelaya as the country's legitimate president.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he wanted Zelaya to be reinstated and human rights in the country to be fully respected.

"The Secretary-General... expresses his strong support for the country's democratic institutions and condemns the arrest today of the constitutional President of the Republic," a UN statement said.

Sunday's dramatic events were the culmination of a tense political standoff over the past several days.

Last week Zelaya sacked the country's top military chief, General Romeo Vasquez and also accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana, after military commanders refused to distribute ballot boxes for Sunday's vote.

The heads of the army, marines and air force also resigned.

The Honduran Supreme Court then unanimously voted Thursday to reinstate Vasquez and hundreds of troops massed late last week in the capital Tegucigalpa.

Honduras president in exile, new leader orders curfew

TEGUCIGALPA :The newly appointed leader of Honduras Roberto Micheletti ordered a 48-hour curfew late Sunday after denying there had been a coup d'etat on deposed President Manuel Zelaya.

At dawn troops had roused Zelaya in his pajamas and flew him out of the country, ending a bitter power struggle with the military as parliament swiftly voted in a new leader.

Zelaya insisted when he arrived in regional neighbor Costa Rica that he remained the president of his Central American nation, but just hours later the Congress voted in the parliamentary speaker as the country's new leader.

"A curfew begins today and ends on Tuesday," Micheletti said at his first press conference, as worldwide condemnation for the action, led by the United States, continued.

"We recognize Zelaya as the duly elected and constitutional president of Honduras. We see no other," a top US State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Micheletti, a member of Zelaya's own Liberal Party, maintained however after being sworn in by Congress that he "came to the presidency not by a coup d'etat but by a completely legal process as set out in our laws."

The first such major upheaval in several decades in the impoverished country was triggered by a tense political standoff between Zelaya and the country's military and legal institutions over his bid to secure a second term.

"I will never give up since I was elected the president by the people," Zelaya said from San Jose, accusing Honduran troops of kidnapping him and denouncing what he called a "political conspiracy."

But Congress said it voted unanimously to remove him from office for his "apparent misconduct" and for "repeated violations of the constitution and the law and disregard of orders and judgments of the institutions."

Micheletti was appointed to serve out the rest of the term, which ends in January. New general elections are planned for November 29.

Zelaya, elected to a non-renewable four-year term in 2005, had planned a vote Sunday asking Hondurans to sanction a future referendum to allow him to run for re-election in the November polls.

The planned referendum had been ruled illegal by the country's top court and was opposed by the military, but the president said he planned to press ahead with it anyway and ballot boxes had already been distributed.

The Supreme Court said Sunday that it had ordered the president's ouster in order to protect law and order in the nation of some seven million people.

The drama unfolded at dawn on Sunday when some 200 troops swooped on Zelaya's home.

He was bundled away in his pyjamas and flown out of the country.

A leading government official, Armando Sarmiento, told AFP that at least eight cabinet members were also detained including Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas.

As planes and helicopters overflew the capital, several hundred Zelaya supporters ignored warnings to stay home and flooded onto the streets of Tegucigalpa shouting out, "We want Mel," the president's nickname.

But the demonstration was halted in front of the presidential palace when the way was barred by a cordon of troops and armored vehicles.

US President Barack Obama said he was deeply concerned about the events in Honduras, as US officials said they recognized Zelaya as the country's legitimate president.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he wanted Zelaya to be reinstated and human rights in the country to be fully respected.

Last week Zelaya sacked the country's top military chief, General Romeo Vasquez and also accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana, after military commanders refused to distribute ballot boxes for Sunday's vote.

The heads of the army, marines and air force also resigned.

The Honduran Supreme Court then unanimously voted Thursday to reinstate Vasquez and hundreds of troops massed late last week in the capital Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya, who was elected as a conservative, has shifted dramatically to the left during his presidency.

He is the latest in a long list of Latin American leaders, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to seek constitutional changes to expand presidential powers and also ease term limits.

Chavez also denounced Sunday's arrest as a "coup d'etat" and alleged that the United States had a hand in Zelaya's overthrow. And he warned that if Venezuela's envoys to Honduras were harmed he would be prepared to intervene militarily.

Curfew clamped Malakand Agency

SWAT: Curfew has been imposed in Malakand Agency as operation is going on against militants.

Security forces regained the control of Kalel Kandao and Kokarai areas and established check posts. Sources said militants’ positions in different areas of tehsil Maidan of Lower Dir shelled with heavy artillery from Timergirah. Two persons were killed and three injured when a mortar shell hit a house in Maidan area.

Djokovic Tiptoes Into Fourth Round

LONDON: Novak Djokovic made serene progress into the fourth round at Wimbledon with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over American Mardy Fish on Friday.

The Serbian fourth seed, who made a shock exit in round two 12 months ago, seems to be peaking at the right time and barely put a foot wrong in a match lasting just under two hours.

Djokovic, largely ignored so far amid all the hype over a possible Roger Federer-Andy Murray final, fired an unreturnable serve to win the match then threw his wristbands into the crowd.

Being under the radar suited Djokovic perfectly.

"Right now, I feel quite okay that people are not talking about me too often, which gives me a freedom to perform the best tennis I can on the court," he said after extending his record over Fish to 4-0.

"Andy (Murray) is from this country and obviously a lot of people expect him to do well and to become the first British player to win Wimbledon after a long time.

"Then, on the other hand, you have Roger, who has equalled the record of (Pete) Sampras's grand slam victories and (has) five Wimbledons under his belt, so he's very respected here.

"It's normal that they are in the spotlight in this moment... (but) I was always dreaming of winning Wimbledon.
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"It's the most prestigious event so hopefully I will have the opportunity and honour one day."

The 2008 Australian Open champion next faces Dudi Sela, who became the first Israeli to reach the last 16 of a grand slam since Amos Mansdorf at the Australian Open in 1992.

Is Katrina Kaif A Cartoon Addict

Would you believe us if we told you that Katrina Kaif, all of 24 years, is a cartoon addict? We were at Katrina’s place recently for a photo shoot, and couldn’t help noticing the cartoon characters all over. Picture this: a large flat screen TV is set on Cartoon Network, on the table of her lounge is a fat Spiderman pop-up book, she is wearing a t-shirt that has Olive Oyl admiring Popeye’s muscles and we won’t even get started about her shoes which had tiny cartoon characters on them.

Operation in Upper Dir, 3 Militants Killed

DIR: Three militants were killed and many others injured in a joint operation by the security forces and a tribal Lashkar in Dogg Darra area of Upper Dir region.

A tribal Lashkar has surrounded the militants for last three weeks in Dogg Darra, Dir Bala and Ghazigyi areas, sources said.

The security forces have continued sporadic shelling at the positions of militants in tehsil Maidan of Lower Dir.

The local authorities have announced curfew break from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm in Lower Dir.

Curfew Eases in Parts of Swat, Dir Lower

SWAT: Curfew relaxation has been announced in different parts of Swat and Dir Lower as operation “ Rah-e-Rast” continued in Malakand Division.

According to Swat media center, curfew will be relaxed from 9:00 am till 3: pm in Shangla, Maidan and Khawaza Khela areas of Swat and in Dir Lower, curfew relaxed from 6: 00 am to 8:00 pm tehsil Maidan and Adeenzai.

Meanwhile, forces shelled militants’ strongholds in Swat’s tehsil Charbagh, Kabal and upper parts. Two houses and four shops of local commanders were demolished in Mulla Baba and Banar areas of Mingora.

On the other hand, one foreign militant was killed and three injured in a clash between national lashkar and militants in Ghazigai area of Dir Upper. People are migrating towards safer places and a camp has been set up in Malakand University Sharangal. Security forces from Timergira pounded militants’ hideouts in tehsil Maidan.

Kat's Call: No Sallu Please

MUMBAI: It seems Katrina Kaif wants to play it safe this time around. It's her birthday next month and the actress wants to celebrate it with her family in London away from the controversy that marked the affair last year.

The leading lady of Bollywood had to be on the receiving end of embarrassment after beau Salman Khan created a scene over SRK's comment and the two had a major arguement that virtually divided the B-Town into two factions.Katrina has decided to celebrate the occasion with her family in London this time. According to reports she wants to meet her siblings and spend time with her family.

With Kat's deciding to avoid controversies around her big day celebration, we wonder how Salman will react to Kat's call...

Akshay Doing It For 21st Time With Karisma-Kareena

MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar's bond with the Kapoor sisters, Karisma and Kareena, goes back a long way. Not many will know that although SAUGANDH (1991) was Akshay Kumar's debut film, it was Promod Chakraborty's DEEDAR, opposite Karisma Kapoor that he first signed as a hero. Since then it's been a long journey for the 'Khiladi' and his association with the Kapoor sisters has always been quite fruitful. Amongst the many films that saw Akshay with Karisma, the ones that stand out are Sunil Darshan's JAANWAR (which marks the comeback of Akshay Kumar after seven consecutive flops), HAAN MAINE BHI PYAAR KIYA and EK RISHTA...THE BOND OF LOVE. With Kareena it has been BEWAFA and AJNABEE amongst others. The first film that Akshay signed opposite Kareena was Sunil Darshan's TALAASH...THE HUNT BEGINS. The 'Khiladi' recalls how Kareena, who was a baby during Akshay's DEEADAR days, used to come to her sister's set to watch the shooting. Obviously the Darshan brothers, Dharmesh and Sunil have long been associated with Karisma and Akshay and so Kareena's inclusion was always on the cards. Though TALAASH flopped, yet Akshay and Kareena continued to be paired and Abbas-Mustan gave the pair their first hit with AITRAAZ. This was followed by further flops films like DOSTI-FRIENDS FOREVER and TASHAN. However, with KAMBAKKHT ISHQ looking like a winner, it appears that the Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor pair is here to stay for a while now, even though Akshay-Karisma pair may now be done with, as Karisma has almost retired and is happily married.

Incidentally KAMBAKKHT ISHQ is the 21st film that Akshay Kumar is doing with the Kapoor sisters, a record of sorts!

Pakistan news Video

Army foils militants” plan to target Amarnath pilgrims

Army on Monday foiled militants bid to target the Amarnath yatra by defusing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

According to sources, militants had planted the high intensity IED in Panthal area to target a convoy of the Amarnath Yatra.

The cavalcade of 53 vehicles, which is carrying 1,703 pilgrims, was resumed after one hour-long halt at Panthal, 155 kms from Jammu.

With today’’s batch, a total of 7,793 pilgrims have left Jammu for the Shrine since the beginning of the Yatra on June 15.

The yatra remained suspended for three days due to bad weather prevailing in Kashmir valley before resuming on June 19.

Gwen Stefani struggling to balance motherhood and professional life

Singer Gwen Stefani is finding it hard to maintain a balance between her motherhood and professional life.

The ‘No Doubt’ star says that she is “exhausted” from overworking herself.

Stefani reunited with the band for a tour following a five-year hiatus.

During that time, Stefani also had two children – Kingston, three, and Zuma, 10 months – with husband Gavin Rossdale, and worked hard on her clothing line L.A.M.B.

And now, the 39-year-old crooner is struggling to juggle her business ventures and her role as a mother.

“I am exhausted. I”m not going to lie, with the babies, and the band, and the records, the tour, designing,” the Daily Star quoted her Stefani as saying.

“But I”m so grateful we”re still able to do this,” she added.

See original here:

6 killed in US drone Attack in South Waziristan

PESHAWAR: Six people were killed and several others hurt in a US drone missile attack in South Waziristan on Tuesday.

According to sources, US drones fired three missiles at a house in a village of tehsil Ladha, a stronghold of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. Six people were killed and several others injured in the attack. Security operation is underway in the area against militants.

OilBelow 67 Dollars In Asian Trade

SINGAPORE :Oil fell sharply to below 67 dollars in Asian trade Tuesday amid conflicting signals about the prospects of an early rebound for the struggling global economy.

A decline in world stocks further weighed on the oil market, while a stronger US dollar prompted traders to lock in profits from a recent rally that saw prices climb past 73 dollars, analysts said.

In morning trade, New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in August, tumbled 1.10 dollars 66.40 dollars a barrel. The July contract settled at 66.93 dollars as it expired Monday.

Brent North Sea crude for August delivery dropped 98 cents to 66.00 dollars.

Traders said concerns that a global economic recovery may come later than expected are dampening sentiment, with the sharp fall in US stocks overnight a grim reminder of the hurdles ahead.

Asian stocks were also tumbling Tuesday.

"The main driver of oil has gone beyond traditional measures of just supply and demand and has metamorphisised into a macroeconomic force that at times measures the state of the global recovery and other times becomes a safe haven from the dollar or inflation or systemic risk," said Phil Flynn of Alaron Trading.

The World Bank Monday slashed its forecast for developing nations' economies, estimating growth at 1.2 percent this year while warning more measures were needed for a recovery to take hold.

"General concerns about the economy persist with the World Bank warning that the prospects for the global economy remain unusually uncertain," said Mike Fitzpatrick of MF Global.

Investors also took profit after the dollar strengthened.

A stronger US currency makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for buyers holding weaker currencies, which in turn tends to dampen demand and pull the market lower.

Oil prices plunged from record highs of more than 147 dollars in July 2008 to around 32 dollars in December as the economic slowdown crushed demand for energy -- but the market has since rebounded.

Qari Zainuddin Mehsud Shot Dead In DI Khan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A gunman shot dead Qari Zainuddin, a rival commander of Baitullah Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday morning.A close aide of Qari Zainuddin while confirming the killing of Qari Zainuddin claimed that he was shot dead by Gulbadeen Mehsud who was managed to flee from the scene. Gulbadeen is a resident of Makeen area. Another associate of Qari Zainuddin sustained injuries in the incident. Qari Zainuddin had recently given stat .

Sri Lankan Skipper Sees Exciting Final With Pakistan

LONDON: Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said Pakistan is one of the best team and he expect an exciting encounter with Pakistan in the final of T20 World Cup.

Addressing a press conference, Sangakkara said both countries enjoying good cricket ties and their is definitely an exciting final ahead for cricket lovers.

West Indian captain expressed regrets over the defeat in semi-final. He said both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have talented players and large number of supporters, therefore, an interesting final is expected.

Pakistan Is OverThe Moon OverTeam's Show In World T20

KARACHI: The entire nation of Pakistan is overjoyed over the performance of national cricket team in the semi final of the ICC World Twenty20 wherein Pakistan thrashed the strong opponents South Africa by seven runs thus qualifying for the final show to be played on June 21.

Cricket loving people thronged out of home in jubilation over the brilliant performance of national team against South Africa in the do or die match and danced on ... Full Story

As you may have heard by now, AT&T has released official word that those who preordered an iPhone 3GS online will be able to pick them up from one of

TEHRAN ( 2009-06-19 14:46:04 ) :Iran`s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appealed for calm in Iran on Friday after days of street protests against the results of a presidential election won by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Today the Iranian nation needs calm," Khamenei said in his first address to the nation since the protests broke out.

Khamenei has already approved the June 12 election results that gave hard-line Ahmadinejad a landslide victory, but he has not been able to ignore the powerful defiance of the opposition of his authority that has called the vote rigged.

Thousands of people, including Ahmadinejad, streamed into Tehran University on Friday to hear Khamenei speak. Some were draped in Iranian flags and carried pictures of Ahmadinejad. Others held sheets of paper with anti-Western slogans.

"Don't let the history of Iran be written with the pen of foreigners," Reuters quoted one flyer, which reflected official Iranian anger at international criticism of the post-election violence, as saying.

Khamenei's speech follows a sixth day of protests by Mousavi supporters. On Thursday, tens of thousands, wearing black and carrying candles, marched to mourn those killed in earlier mass rallies.

The largest and most widespread demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic revolution have rocked the world's fifth biggest oil exporter, which is also caught up in a dispute with the West over its nuclear program.

Iranian state media has reported seven or eight people have been killed in protests since the election results were published on June 13. Scores of reformists have been arrested and authorities have cracked down on both foreign and domestic media

In Lahore Sarfraz Naeemi Killed in Blast

LAHORE (Nasarullah Malik): Renowned religious scholar and principal of Jamia Naeemia Lahore Dr Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi among three people were killed in a suicide attack at his seminary here Friday, reports ARY NEWS.

The blast that apparently was a suicide attack occurred following the Jumma prayer in the seminary situated at Garhi Shahu area of the metropolis.

According to preliminary reports, the blast was occurred in the office of Dr Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, the principle of one of the largest religious seminary of the city. Naeemi was present in his office at the time of the blast, says an eyewitness.

The blast was as powerful as it completely destroyed the offices building and also damaged the nearby installations of the seminary.

Rescuers and law enforcement personnel have arrived at the scene and the injured were being rushed to Mayo Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital and other nearby hospitals.