Top Iraqi politicians, many of whom feel marginalised by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's style of governing, called on Saturday in Arbil for greater democracy in running the country.

Australian-born media tycoon Rupert Murdoch on Saturday said there was a "desperate" need for elections in his home country following a sexual harassment scandal that rocked parliament this week. News Corp chairman Murdoch, who this week admitted a cover-

Sudan on Saturday ruled out UN Security Council involvement in efforts to end weeks of border clashes with South Sudan, which said it repelled an attack by Khartoum-backed rebels. "Sudan confirms that it rejects any efforts to disturb the African Union ro

A Ukrainian court adjourned until May 21 on Saturday the new tax evasion trial of the jailed and fasting former premier Yulia Tymoshenko on account of her failing health. The unexpected decision came as Western concern mounted over the fate of the fiery o

Thousands of cyclists staged a protest near the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday to draw attention to poor road safety and the lack of provisions for bike lovers in the car-cluttered Eternal City. "Policy in this country is made for drivers," said Alberto Fi

Germany's maverick Pirate Party met Saturday in its national Congress hoping for new electoral successes next month but with an extreme-right shadow hanging over it. Some 1,300 activists of the country's newest party, which has made a name for itself by c

The Philippines accused Beijing of employing "bullying" tactics Saturday after a speeding Chinese ship allegedly veered dangerously close to two Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea. No one was hurt but "these manoeuvres by the Chinese vesse

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday there is "no silver bullet" to completely destroy al Qaeda but argued that killing Osama bin Laden helped set the network back. Panetta spoke to reporters aboard a military plane on his way from Latin America,

Japan welcomed Saturday UN backing for its claim the seabed north of a Pacific atoll is part of its continental shelf, allowing Tokyo to exploit resources in the area despite Chinese and South Korean protests. The UN Commission on the Limits of the Contin

Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng is under US protection in Beijing after an audacious escape from 19 months under house arrest, a US-based group said on Saturday, in a drama that threatens to ignite new tensions between the two governments.The Unite

Guinea-Bissau's coup leaders released the country's ousted prime minister and interim president on Friday after more than two weeks of captivity, allowing the former leaders to travel to Ivory Coast. The generals now in charge of the small, unstable west

New satellite images show more work under way at North Korea's nuclear test site but give no indication of when a test may occur, a US-based specialist website reported Saturday. There is widespread speculation that the North may carry out another atomic

The Lebanese navy intercepted three containers of weapons destined for Syrian rebel forces on board a ship originating from Libya, a security official told AFP on Saturday. The cargo of the ship contained heavy machineguns, artillery shells, rockets, rock

Hungary said two of its nationals were kidnapped in Syria on Saturday by unknown gunmen, adding that Budapest may dispatch agents to the region to collect further information. "The Foreign Ministry and TEK (Hungary's Anti-Terrorism Center) confirmed that

Deadly clashes broke out between deserters and Syrian government forces on Saturday as a veteran Norwegian peacekeeper headed to Damascus to take charge of a UN mission overseeing a troubled truce. Regime troops killed at least 10 rebel fighters in the Da

Australian wheat stocks fell by 9 percent in March from February, government data on showed on Tuesday, as exports by the world's fourth-biggest shipper picked up pace led by sales of higher quality milling wheat. Traders forecast that exports would remai

Top sugar consumer India is expected to produce enough of the sweetener in the coming 2012-2013 productions season to allow exports for the third consecutive year, the head of its sugar mill body said on Monday. India, the world's second-largest producer

Cotton stored at Chinese bonded warehouses has risen to as much as a million tonnes after merchants stocked up with cheaper overseas supplies in anticipation of Beijing raising import quotas, trade sources and analysts said on Thursday.

Asian rice prices rose on the prospect of limited supplies as the Vietnam harvesting season was ending, while Thailand accelerated its intervention scheme by building up greater rice stocks to prop up prices, traders and exporters said on Wednesday.

Thai raw sugar premiums jumped to a five-month high as trading houses jacked up the value to compensate for losses in New York, while Indian white sugar prices were stuck in a range before the release of new export permits, dealers said on Tuesday.

World cotton prices will ease and stay in a narrow range after China, the world's biggest consumer, finished filling its state reserves, while a lack of exports from second biggest producer India helps prop up prices, industry experts said.

Gold rose for a fourth consecutive session on Friday and posted its biggest weekly gain since late February, as disappointing US growth and European debt jitters boosted investment demand for the precious metal. Bullion buying accelerated after a report s

Commodity prices diverged that last week as traders weighed up weak global growth data, escalating eurozone debt fears and the latest outlook by the US Federal Reserve. Trading was volatile on Friday as official data revealed a sharp slowdown in US gross

US farmers are planting corn at the second-fastest rate ever this year despite some rainy weather that knocked them off the record pace established early in the month. Growers had likely planted 31 percent of their intended corn acreage as of April 22, ac

India's commodity futures turnover posted its first-ever drop in the two weeks to April 15, as traders took to the sidelines fearing more bans after guar trade was suspended and as striking jewellers stayed away from hedging. The turnover dropped 13.5 per

The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) observed World Veterinary Day (WVD) and organised an awareness walk to raise concerns about antimicrobial resistance and to highlight the importance of the responsible use of antimicrobials.

Participants at a pre-budget consultative workshop have stressed upon the government to maintain fiscal discipline by keeping its expenditures within budget targets, called for maximising financing in health, education and social sectors for brining impro

An inspection team of University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Saturday visited Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) and Lahore General Hospital (LGH) to inspect the teaching facilities and other necessary infrastructure required for the affiliation of 'A

The authorities in Occupied Kashmir have placed senior Hurriyet leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Shabbir Ahmad Shah under house arrest. The spokesman of Syed Ali Geelani's Forum told mediapersons that the veteran leader was placed under house arrest again at

Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Masood Kausar, on Saturday presided over the convocation of Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD) and awarded 190 students Bachelor degrees in Dental surgery. The ceremony was held at Peshawar University Convocation Hal

The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has announced the results of final professional BSc nursing annual examination 2011. In BSc nursing 4-year programme, a total of 136 candidates from four affiliated nursing institutes appeared in the exam, out of wh

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on Saturday that collective efforts are imperative for elimination of extremism and terrorism to give a brighter future to next generation, saying that ANP-government is being faced situation

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker, Kiramatullah Khan has directed Home Secretary to prepare draft Act for presentation in the provincial cabinet to provide legal cover to emergency response Rescue 1122 service in the province. Addressing the concluding

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the Lahore High Court said judges should not only decide the cases in accordance with law but also to provide justice to the people. He was addressing the sessions' judges on conclusion of a seven-day training course at Punja

Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa on Saturday said the parliament could undo the Supreme Court verdict as court orders fall under parliament's jurisdiction. Addressing a "meet the press" programme at the Lahore Press Club, he said people who were a

Emirates Airline, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, is a proud sponsor of the Park Towers Travel Festival, 'Around the world in seven days' that commenced today. The airline got together with various trade and travel groups to bring to tra

Protest of Pakistan People's Party entered the third day on Saturday. They organised three protest rallies and burnt the effigy of Chief Justice of Pakistan besides using filthy language about the judiciary. PPP (Human Rights wing) staged a demonstration

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Muhammad Aslam Tareen has directed all divisional SPs to ensure complete implementation of Shops and Establishment (Security) Act in letter and spirit and persuade the owners of big shops, located at all important comme

Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Muhammed Naeem Khan on Saturday stressed on the Pakistani community to work diligently for the uplift and development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it is their second home. He was addressing a reception here give

The capital police on Saturday claimed arresting 14 alleged criminals after raids were conducted on guest houses believed to be involved in "immoral" activities. Police claimed recovering 14 bottles of liquor, pistols, guns and other looted items from the

A soldier and an official of police's special branch were killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Dera Ghazi Khan-bound van. Five more men were injured in the attack, police and eyewitnesses told on Saturday. The deceased were later identified a

Punjab Health Department has considered for grant of Grade-21 to senior doctors of BS-20 who meet the eligibility criteria set by the Services and General Administration Department. It requires that BS-21 may be granted to senior health professionals of t

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and veteran PML-N leader Senator Ishaq Dar has termed the energy crisis as the biggest challenge confronting the country and called for simultaneously launching short-term and long-term power projects to overcome the

More than 3,000 police Jawans would provide security cover, and armed personnel would also be deputed to ensure peace and special surveillance and checking of all hotels, inns and bus and wagon stands to ward of any possibility of subversion and to ensure

A woman and a girl were killed in road accidents in Laksian police limits on Saturday. Muhammad Imran of village Therri (Kotmoman) along with his sister Ayesha was crossing a road when a rashly car hit them near Nalka Masjid stop. As a result, Ayesha died

Power shortfall has crossed 4,000MW with rise in temperature amidst short supply of fuel to thermal and water to hydel generation. Power generation remained stagnant but the demand kept on rising that hit the supply side hard. Hydel generation stood at 2,

A convicted criminal was clinging to the office of the Prime Minister, setting a novel and shameful precedent, Ameer of Jamaat-i-Islami Syed Munawar Hasan said on Saturday. Advising Yousuf Raza Gilani to immediately resign as a face saving measure and ann

Punjab University Institute of Business & Information Technology (IBIT), for the first time since its inception in 2001, has organised a successful job fair to provide employment opportunities to intelligent students under the leadership of Director Profe

The ongoing wet spell has forced the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) to delay distribution of gunny bags amongst the wheat growers till May 1 under 'wheat procurement drive 2012'. However, Special Assistant to the Chief Min

US Ambassador Cameron Munter, his wife Dr Marilyn Wyatt and Consul General Nina Fite visited the Sim Sim Hamara set at Pakistan Children's Television (PCTV) to reaffirm the US government's commitment to children's education in Pakistan. According to a US

I was really surprised to know about the claim of Saleem Bukhari (journalist) in a private TV programme on April 27, 2012 that only the Constituent Assembly is supreme, otherwise the Supreme Court is more supreme than the normal Parliament. I have been a

A wall shows thousands of cigarette butts that still have traces of the lipstick of unrequited love. Cinema tickets, snapshots, a dress, the glasses they drank from together are there. These are the mementos of everyday life in Istanbul collected as a tim

Refugees fleeing a military coup and rebels in Mali are streaming into neighbouring Niger, where aid organisations are struggling to care for them amid food shortages created by a severe drought. "The soldiers simply threw down their weapons and ran away,

Poverty is a curse which breeds the germs of socio-economic evils of high magnitude and multi-dimensional implications. The recent wave of rising crimes can largely be attributed to the growing incidence of poverty in the society. In fact, the fight again

Last year, the government aimed to control the outbreak of polio but despite all efforts, there is still a long way to go to make Pakistan polio-free. However, reports of the presence of the polio virus in a water sample taken in Rawalpindi is a matter of

Pakistan's total public debt has risen by a whopping 82 percent since 2008. In 2001-02, the second year after Musharraf's coup, the debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio was as high as 79 percent but declined to 55.4 percent by the near end of the Mu

Sindh Planning and Development (P&D) Department has approved 48 out of total 67 Education Department's proposals for development schemes for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2012-13, informed sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday. T

Minister for Information Technology Sindh, Mohammad Raza Haroon has suggested formation of a committee to draft law to regulate sale and use of mobile phone SIM. Speaking at a seminar on telecommunication boom, organised by Karachi Chamber of Commerce and

Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-I) here on Saturday remanded accused Javed Ansari to police custody till May 4 for threatening to hijack a domestic PIA plane. The accused, a passenger of Bahawalpur bound flight was arrested by the police on the complaint of Air

Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, has said that the present democratic government will never make any one jobless. However, on the other hand, it is committed to provide jobs to deserving people on merit basis, he said here on

Provincial lawmakers of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) are likely to present a resolution about the Supreme Court of Pakistan's verdict against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during Sindh Assembly's session on Monday, sources said on Saturday.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday formed a committee for setting up energy projects in the province. He was presiding over a meeting of representatives of industries, trade, agriculture, labour and other sectors at Chief Minister's Secretar

General Officer Commanding Swat Major General Ghulam Qamar said on Saturday that Pak Army has successfully repulsed various attacks of the terrorists on Pak-Afghan borders areas in Chitral district in the recent past and inflicted heavy losses on the intr

The business community of Karachi has decided that 08:30 pm would be considered as closure time, but no shop would be allowed to remain open after 09:00 pm. This decision was taken during a meeting held at Chief Minister House here on Saturday. Sindh Chie

The International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) is organising an international seminar on "The Role of Sea Transport in Pakistan Economy" on September 29, 2012 in Karachi. The objective of the seminar is to develop and improve Port Sector and its a

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Jawaid R Leghari on Saturday called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House here. Chief Minister Sindh said that after the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and devolution of departmen

Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) had evolved a mangroves conservation strategy to protect the breeding place of marine creatures and the natural forest shield from sea erosion, officials said on Saturday. Talking to Business Recorder, the key

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday adjourned the hearing of Benazir Bhutto murder case till May 5. ATC No 1 judge Shahid Rafiq resumed the hearing of the Benazir Bhutto murder case and put off the proceedings due to the absence of prosecutors. Shah

All Model Customs Collectorates, Large Tax payer Units, Regional Tax Officers and Tax Facilitation Centres would remain open till 22:00 hours on April 30, to facilitate taxpayers. These tax collection officer served taxpayers till 18:00 hours on April 28,

Two robbers were killed in an encounter with police near here on Saturday. Police said Bilal Yasin of Chak-14/GB Faisalabad and his unidentified accomplice hired a car from Shahpur Taxi Stand for Kathiala Seikhan district Mandi Bahauddin when they reached

A delegation comprising 150 members of Indian Boy Scouts Girl Guides (IBSGG) will cross the Wahga Border and enter Pakistan on May 1. After their arrival, the delegation will leave for Islamabad on the same day. Provincial Secretary of Punjab Boy Scout As

Transparency International Pakistan has started advocacy campaigns to bring awareness among citizens by providing information on matters of public interest. Executive Director, Transparency International Pakistan Saad Rashid, in this regard has circulated

Lawlessness was increasing the sense of insecurity among the residents of the federal capital after six people lost their vehicles and six cases of robbery were reported in various police stations of the city during last week.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said that provision of expeditious and inexpensive justice to all segments of society is the first and foremost priority of the judiciary as provided in the constitution.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Likeminded has demanded that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani should immediately step down. Following in the footprints of main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the demand was made by Senato

Two identical petitions on Saturday filed before the Lahore High Court to challenge Yousaf Raza Gilani's stay in the Prime Minister's House. Two identical petitions have been filed by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Inqilab chairman Rana Ilamudin Ghazi and Advocate Sha

The Supreme Court has nowhere mentioned in its verdict that Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is no more the prime minister and the PML-N leadership is interpreting the verdict in a wishful manner, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Senator Chaudhry Shu

The Lyari remained a war zone for the second consecutive day on Saturday as law-enforcement agencies encountered fierce resistance when they launched an operation against criminal elements in the locality. The area reverberated with gunshots and rocket fi

The Lyari remained a war zone for the second consecutive day on Saturday as law-enforcement agencies encountered fierce resistance when they launched an operation against criminal elements in the locality. The area reverberated with gunshots and rocket fi

Saudi Arabia has allowed the three widows and children of slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden entrance into the kingdom on humanitarian grounds, a Saudi-owned daily reported on Saturday. Citing a senior Saudi official, the London-based Asharq al-Awsat sa

Saudi Arabia has allowed the three widows and children of slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden entrance into the kingdom on humanitarian grounds, a Saudi-owned daily reported on Saturday. Citing a senior Saudi official, the London-based Asharq al-Awsat sa

Ten policemen were killed after a roadside bomb ripped through their patrol vehicle in central Afghanistan, an official said Saturday. The bomb struck their pickup truck in the restive Chak district of Maidan Wardak province on Friday, ministry of interio

Ten policemen were killed after a roadside bomb ripped through their patrol vehicle in central Afghanistan, an official said Saturday. The bomb struck their pickup truck in the restive Chak district of Maidan Wardak province on Friday, ministry of interio

The prices of essential kitchen items showed mixed trend, as prices of some items registered a nominal decline, while others a little increase during the week under review as compared to the previous week, reveals a survey carried out by Business Recor