US administration divided on ties with Pakistan: report

Sunday, May 15, 2011 12:02

WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Barack Obama is divided over the future of its relationship with Pakistan following the killing of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The newspaper said that some officials, particularly in the White House, have advocated a strong US response. "You can't continue business as usual," the paper quotes one of several senior administration officials as saying who discussed the sensitive issue only on the condition of anonymity. "You have to somehow convey to the Pakistanis that they have arrived at a big choice. "People who were prepared to listen to (Pakistan's) story for a long time are no longer prepared to listen," the official went on to say. But few officials are willing to consider the alternatives if Pakistan makes the wrong choice, the report said. Every available option -- from limiting US aid and official contacts to unleashing more unilateral ground attacks against terrorist targets -- jeopardizes existing Pakistani help in the war on terror, The Post noted. Military success and an eventual negotiated settlement of the Afghanistan war are seen as virtually impossible without some level of Pakistani assistance, the paper pointed out. (AFP)

Osama hiding place visited by Taliban: British newspaper

Sunday, May 15, 2011 05:20

LONDON: Al Qaeda Chief Osama Bin Laden had direct contact with Taliban allies and fellow Arab fundraisers at the compound in Abbottabad, British newspaper The Telegraph claimed. According to the newspaper, British intelligence agents last week joined their US counterparts to sift through the material after repeated references to Britain were found in the haul retrieved from Osama's compound when US commandos killed him this month. An Afghan Taliban commander, who has previously provided reliable information to foreign media, disclosed to the British newspaper that he had visited bin Laden at the compound in Abbottabad. He said that the Saudi terror chief also received sporadic visits from leaders of his al-Qaeda network, Taliban allies and fellow Arab fundraisers. When the commander, who asked not to be named, last saw Osama in Abbottabad two years ago, he seemed healthy and well briefed on recent developments, but concerned about his safety and money. The Sunday Telegraph has learned that Britain was one of six countries - along with the US, Canada, Israel, Germany and Spain - identified as a target for terror strikes in the intelligence haul. Officials did not disclose specific plots or threats.

ISI drops intelligence sharing with CIA: report

Sunday, May 15, 2011 06:17

LONDON: Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) has dropped intelligence Sharing with Central Investigation Agency (CIA), a report published in British newspaper said. According to the newspaper, Pakistan, in protest of US unilateral action against the al Qaeda chief in its territory has broken off relation with CIA. In the past, Pakistani agents have been credited with helping identify targets for drone strikes and providing data to the CIA on plans being hatched in its tribal areas. "They are furious. They handed over telephone intercepts in 2009 that were crucial in leading to bin Laden's courier - the key breakthrough in the hunt," said a source briefed on relations between the two countries. "Then four months ago they were told there was nothing in it, it was what the Americans called a 'cold lead'. Since then they have been left out completely out of the loop." Senior officials in the US have briefed journalists that they stopped sharing information with Islamabad because they feared Osama’s sympathisers would tip-off bin Laden - ruining the best lead they had ever had.

Quake jolts various parts of country

Sunday, May 15, 2011 02:17

ISLAMABAD: A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted various parts of the country in the wee hours of Sunday, Geo News reported. Its epicentre was 207 kilometres deep, and was 140 kilometres from Khorugh in Tajikistan and 236 kilometres from Mingora in Pakistan, United States Geological Survey (USGS) said in a report. Northern Afghanistan and Pakistan are frequently hit by earthquakes, especially around the Hindu Kush range near the collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Cars collision kills 9 in Burewala

Sunday, May 15, 2011 06:38

BUREWALA: A fire broke out after the collision of two cars on Chichawatni road in Burewala killing nine people including 5 kids early on Sunday, Geo News reported. According to the police, incident took place when a car EB 409 carrying nine members of the same family including 5 kids was moving from Burewala to Lahore which collided with a car coming from Lahore carrying two men. Resultantly, eight members of the same family burnt to death while a man in next car also died.

Kharian: blast in bus kills six

Sunday, May 15, 2011 00:02

ISLAMABAD: At least six people were killed and 10 others wounded on Saturday when a bomb planted in a bus exploded in Kharian, police said. "At least six people were killed in the blast," senior police official Afzal Bhatti said, adding that those wounded have been moved to nearby hospitals. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Jazz Jazba takes Such Hunt to Bahria University, Karachi

After holding a successful Motorola Flip-out Such Hunt in NUST Business School, Islamabad, Jazz Jazba team went to Karachi to organize another interactive Such Hunt in Bahria University.

This time around, the Such Hunt was for HTC HD7 phone to be given out via an online campaign after an extensive Jazba flags hunt to qualify for the online contest.

A total of 50 Jazba flags were hidden in different areas of the University and over 500 students visited the Jazba booth set at the campus and looked for the hidden Jazba flags. Lucky 50 students who managed to find the Jazba flags won Jazba T-shirts and were entered into the online contest with hopes of winning the HTC HD7 phone.

At the end of online contest Ayesha Anees Zaveri, student of BahriaUniversity won the amazing HTC HD7 phone.

This is what Ayesha has to say about the Such Hunt contest:

“That was an unforgettable and incredible moment of my life, when I unpacked my HTC-HD7, gifted to me by Jazz Jazba. When I participated in the contest, I wasn’t sure that I will win.

I just participated for fun. Due to the support of my friends and family who voted for my picture on Jazz Jazba facebook page, I was declared the winner.

If you ask me to explain the excitement, I don’t have words to express it since during the contest, I felt that nothing could stop me from winning and I was very pleased when the feeling turned into reality. Believe me, this is how you can win also, by believing in yourself-just like I did.”

Ufone Volunteer Group planted trees at Policlinic for a Greener Pakistan

Recently the Ufone Volunteer Group (UVG) visited the PAEDS OPD & Ward at the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) commonly known as Policlinic and planted trees to help provide a healthier environment in the play area that has been created for the children to enjoy and relieve themselves of a monotonous hospital environment.

Social responsibility has become a global phenomenon due to which corporations around the world now heavily focus on the nurturing of the society. Ufone, one of the leading telecom companies in the country, has been at the forefront of many exciting initiatives which have been taken to benefit their valued customers.

Since inception Ufone has been a socially responsible organization, and over the last few years, has increased its focus on Child Health Care. Moreover, there is also a keen focus on highlighting the need for a green and healthy environment.

In recent past, Ufone revamped the entire PAEDS department to provide state of the art facilities for the underprivileged children in the society. Till date Ufone has given its complete support to keep the facility at par with any private medical facility in the country. The trees will not only provide a healthy environment but will also provide shade for the parents and children to sit under while they are at the hospital.

The UVG also spent time with the ailing children in the PAEDS Ward where each volunteer shared a pleasant moment with the children admitted at the hospital. The volunteers distributed sweets amongst the kids which helped bring a smile to their faces. The parents also appreciated the efforts made by the volunteers.

Mr. Abdul Aziz CEO Ufone said, “As an organization, Ufone has taken it upon itself to help the children of Pakistan to help them have a brighter future. This initiative and those taken in the past are steps in the right direction. We at Ufone will continue to help and provide more medical facilities and create the importance of a Green Planet for the benefit of the children”.

Facebook Friends Get to Roads, Protest Against Government

Power of media and specifically the power of internet is ever increasing in this era and one can never deny their fruitfulness as well as “effective” outcomes.

Starting from a simple advertisement, which mostly companies use for their business initiatives, can trigger countrywide campaigns that can shak the government in the roots.

Yes, the Egyptian and then Tunisian case is an example. Many of us are aware what happened actually and how the “social but virtual power” was used. Once again the famous web social giants were the platforms, Twitter and Facebook!

Most of the people were off the view that this idea, virtual group turning into a solid protest against government in reality, will soon be hitting other countries as well. It was earlier discussed in detail that whether the Social Media Revolution is Possible in Pakistan? and the first drop of rain has just jumped out!

Daily Times reported that there is a group of 150 friends which gathered virtually first, on internet are now protesting on the roads, for an Egyptian like cause. So this becomes the first protest of its kind in Pakistan and one can predict where may head towards, if properly carried out.

And not only this, almost half a dozen people from the group staged a protest in front of the Lahore Press Club yesterday. And literally the cause was the genuine one, ever increasing load shedding, inflations, poor economic condition and above all the foreign policies of government.

Talking about the campaign, Syed Haseeb Akhtar Rizvi, one of the leaders, said:

“Seeing the current deteriorating situation of the country, I took the initiative to launch a campaign named ‘Protest by students against corrupt politicians’ on Facebook last Monday.”

He said that he had gathered more than 150 like-minded friends on the Internet and they fully agreed with his initiative and endorsed the demonstration to bring about a change at the mass level.

Moreover, it is interesting to know that that most people among this group are young students, which shows youth is in the action as well.

Keeping it away from the political nature, as much as I could, we are hear to discuss the state of cyber world in Pakistan. We may soon be entering into a new era and anything at this moment will be pre-prediction infact.

But do you really think that groups like this will work in Pakistan keeping in view thepresent broadband penetration in the country, are we heading towards a change soon or they will be nipped in bud?

Mobilink to Reward Network Outage Affected Customers

With a view to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty, Mobilink has announced a phased plan for customers who experienced disruption in service, due to fire in its MSC in Islamabad.

This is the first time a reward of this scale has been announced and awarded by any telecom operator in the country for disruption caused by a force majeure event.

Sharing his views, Mobilink President & CEO Rashid Khan said that while it was difficult to make up for the missed experience, the company cherishes customers who continue to prefer Mobilink and this is a humble gesture of goodwill by the company for their patience and loyalty.

A fire incident at one of the company’s technical hubs in Islamabad on March 6, 2011 caused suspension of cellular services in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and some pockets outside the twin cities.

Mobilink was able to bring back the network partially within a few hours and complete connectivity was restored within 24 hours. Customers were updated of the incident and restoration via press announcements by the company at the time.

To facilitate customers who were directly affected by the incident, the company has announced free minutes and SMS for prepaid customers whereas postpaid customers will receive an adjustment against their monthly bill.

Affected subscribers will be intimated by the company through SMS in a phase wise activity scheduled from May 14, 2011 to June 13, 2011. Customers may dial 111 at any time from their Mobilink connections for any queries.

Computer & IT

We are living in the age of computers.most of our daily activities are being influenced by the vse of computers.information technology(IT) & computers have become integral part of our life.
But here the question arises that 'is there any fundamental difference between computer&IT?'
In simple words IT means collection,storage,dissemination & use of information.not confined to hardware & software but acknowledgement of importance of man & the goals he sets to the technology.the scientific technological,engineering disciplines & the management techniques used in information handling & processing their application,computer & their intespretation with man,machines & associated social,economical & cultural matters are covered in information technology.
Computers & IT tools can take humans to the peak of new millennium or destory human civilization.

Download Accelerators/Mangers

We encounter the words "Download Managers" and "Download Accelerators" quite often. But most of us do not know exactly what both of them do. Most people believe in a hoax that specific download accelerators would actually increase the speed of their dowloads while others do not. Let us first understand the major bottlenecks in 'good' downloading.

Major bottlenecks in 'good' downloading
* OS (Operating system) and network arc will not let your web browser (or any other program) utilize whole of the available bandwidth (speed) over a single connection. Download sites sometimes also restrict the download speed for a single connection.

* If a download server (download location) is heavily choked with users, its own network transaction speed with slow down and the downloading speed would be eventually decreased.

* Imagine yourself downloading a 300Mb program using a normal web application. Say, while you downloaded 95% of it, your internet connection temporarily fails or trips. 95% of the file will not make any sense to your computer and you will have to download it all again from starting, wasting the same time again.

What does a Download accelerator/manager do?
Download manager is a program that provides advanced features for downloading eg. Scheduling, Queuing, resuming and repairing of downloads etc. To generalize it, a download accelerator would be a part of a download manager program. A download accelerator may not actually 'accelerate' your downloads. Rather it will optimize the connections to provide you better downloading speed.

How does a download accelerator 'accelerate' a download?
A download accelerator will open multiple connections to a download server by requesting for different chunks (splits) of data, resulting in better download speed. It then would join all the chunks to give you the final downloaded file. Advanced download accelerators can also re-allocate the bandwidth for even better performance.

How does a download manager resume the download?
Referring to the above example, your download of 300Mb program stopped at 298844160th byte (say), while using a download manager with resume support. Now when you will use the 'Resume' feature, the download manager will request for the remaining chunk (or chunks) of data after 298844160 bytes hence maintaining the continuity of the data.

Acceleration and resuming may not work for all sites!
Many download sites do not provide multi-split downloading and resuming service because of their own authentication or performance strategy. Eg. Rapidshare like sites will provide download acceleration and resume support only to their permium users (who pay them).

Always resume support
Some premium programs like Download Accelerator Plus (DAP) offer 'Always resume support' for the sites which do not provide resuming and acceleration otherwise. You will have to pay for this service. Working of this service is conceptually very simple:
1. You request for AlwaysResume service for a download.
2. DAP software on your computer will contact their mother servers with necessary browser and session details (needed for authentication)
3. It will then find the nearest DAP leecher (downloader) from the download site.
4. DAP leecher will download the requested file on itself using a very fast connection.
5. Finally, your DAP software will then receive the file from DAP leecher instead of actual download site, providing you exclusive resuming and acceleration.

How To Edit and Delete Speed Dial Bookmarks in Opera Mini 5

Opera Mini 5 is the preferred browser for many BlackBerry users, though one customization feature wasn’t made entirely obvious – the ability to edit the home page speed dial bookmarks. Upon installation, it appears as though you can only enter 3 custom speed dials, however you can remove the pre-installed entries in order to replace them with your own.

To delete or edit a speed dial bookmark, highlight it with your cursor. Press and hold down on your trackball/trackpad until a small menu appears giving the Clear and Edit options.

Pressing Clear will delete the entry altogether. If you know which website you’d like to replace it with, select Edit. Type the address of the website, and hit the enter key to save

To add a speed dial to an empty slot, simply click on the empty icon. Type in the website and hit the enter key to 

Bedbugs with 'superbug' germ found

ATLANTA: Hate insects? Afraid of germs? Researchers are reporting an alarming combination: bedbugs carrying a staph "superbug." Canadian scientists detected drug-resistant staph bacteria in bedbugs from three hospital patients from a downtrodden Vancouver neighborhood.

Bedbugs have not been known to spread disease, and there's no clear evidence that the five bedbugs found on the patients or their belongings had spread the MRSA germ they were carrying or a second less dangerous drug-resistant bacteria.

However, bedbugs can cause itching that can lead to excessive scratching. That can cause breaks in the skin that make people more susceptible to these germs, noted Dr. Marc Romney, one of the study's authors.

The study is small and very preliminary. "But it's an intriguing finding" that needs to be further researched, said Romney, medical microbiologist at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver.

The hospital is the closest one to the poor Downtown Eastside neighborhood near the city's waterfront. Romney said he and his colleagues did the research after seeing a simultaneous boom in bedbugs and MRSA cases from the neighborhood.

Five bedbugs were crushed and analyzed. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, was found on three bugs. MRSA is resistant to several types of common antibiotics and can become deadly if it gets through the skin and into the bloodstream.

Two bugs had VRE, or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, a less dangerous form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Both germs are often seen in hospitals, and experts have been far more worried about nurses and other health care workers spreading the bacteria than insects.

It's not clear if the bacteria originated with the bedbugs or if the bugs picked it up from already infected people, Romney added.

The study was released Wednesday by Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AP)

People with diabetes more likely to get cancer

NEW YORK: People with diabetes are at higher risk for certain cancers than those without the blood sugar disease, suggests a new study.

Based on data from a telephone survey of nearly 400,000 adults, researchers found 16 out of every 100 diabetic men and 17 out of every 100 diabetic women said they had cancer.

That compares to just seven per 100 men and 10 per 100 women without diabetes.

"The significant association between cancer and diabetes does not surprise us," said Dr. Chaoyang Li, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, whose findings appear in the journal Diabetes Care.

According to the CDC, nine percent of U.S. adults have diabetes.

After taking into account things like age, race, smoking and drinking habits, the researchers concluded that diabetic men and women were 10 percent more likely to have had a cancer diagnosis of any kind.

Li told Reuters Health other studies have also found a link between the two diseases, although there is no proof that one causes the other.

The researchers found that the types of cancers that were more likely among diabetics differed between men and women.

Compared to people without diabetes, diabetic men were more likely to report having colon, pancreas, rectum, urinary bladder, kidney or prostate cancer (the latter only occurs in men). Diabetic women had more cases of breast cancer, leukemia or cancer of the womb.

For men, the greatest increase in risk was for pancreatic cancer, with 16 per 10,000 cases among diabetics and just two per 10,000 among non-diabetics.

That corresponds to a four-fold difference after taking other factors into account.

Women's risk of leukemia also varied greatly between the two groups. One per 1,000 women without diabetes said they had been diagnosed with the blood cancer, compared to three per 1,000 women with diabetes.

This new study is just a snapshot of people's medical history, and does not follow them over time.

Dr. Fred Brancati, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said he was struck by the findings, because some of the cancers kill people fast, meaning they wouldn't show up in the study.

"It shows there's a substantial pool of American adults who have diabetes and cancer," said Brancati, who was not involved in the study. "The authors rightly point out that these two conditions go together beyond chance alone, so it pays to think about them together."

Brancati's own research has shown that the risk of death from cancer among people with diabetes is about 40 percent higher than among non-diabetics (see Reuters Health report, December 16, 2008).

Li said it's still unclear why diabetes is tied to cancer. High blood sugar levels or excess blood insulin -- a hormone that helps ferry sugar into the cells -- might increase the risk, but that has not been proven.

Certain lifestyle choices reduce the risk of both diabetes and cancer, such as maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking.

Li said the findings are an important reminder for people with diabetes and their doctors to meet regular cancer screening guidelines and to discuss any possible cancer risk from anti-diabetic therapy. (Reuters)

Ajmal bowls Pakistan back into contention

Saturday, May 14, 2011 22:48

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Saeed Ajmal continued to torment the West Indies as he bowled Pakistan back into the opening Test on Saturday when the hosts were reduced to 96 for seven in their second innings for an overall lead of 162. The off-spinner has collected four for 23 from 14 overs for match figures of nine for 92 to leave the West Indies tottering at the interval on the third day at the Guyana National Stadium, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out on 12 and Darren Sammy not out on seven. Ajmal struck with the fifth ball of the day, after West Indies continued from their overnight total of 34 for two. He removed night-watchman Kemar Roach lbw for three, following the West Indies fast bowler's unsuccessful review of New Zealand umpire Tony Hill's decision. It was the 13th lbw decision awarded in the match. Ajmal continued to mesmerise the West Indies batsmen, many of whom have failed to pick his doosra, removing Ramnaresh Sarwan for 11 and Carlton Baugh for seven. Ajmal was unfortunate that he did not count Lendl Simmons among his scalps, when the West Indies opener, on 20, charged down the pitch, and slogged at a flighted delivery. The ball ricocheted from the batsman's front pad, eluded wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, and raced to the third man boundary for four leg byes. Next over, Wahab Riaz made sure the lost chance was not too costly for Pakistan when Simmons fended a short delivery and was caught at silly mid-off for 21, leaving West Indies 47 for four. With Ajmal tying the batsmen down, and Wahab and Umar Gul bowling steadily from the other end, there were few scoring opportunities for West Indies, but Sarwan eased the tension with a typically smooth cover drive off Wahab for his first boundary. Ajmal, however, remained a constant threat and this brought Sarwan's downfall, caught at forward short leg fending an awkwardly bouncing delivery. Pakistan were gifted another wicket when Brendan Nash was run out for three, looking for a second run, and being sent back by Chanderpaul. Ajmal then struck in the last 15 minutes before the interval when Baugh was caught at mid-wicket, swinging a shortish delivery low to the fielder. Pakistan are seeking their maiden Test series victory in the Caribbean.

Karthik powers Punjab to 6-wkt win over Kochi

Saturday, May 14, 2011 22:08

INDORE: Dinesh Karthik smashed five sixes in his 33-ball 69 to power Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an Indian Premier League match on Friday. He put on 111 for the third wicket with Australian Shaun Marsh (42) as Punjab surpassed Kochi's total of 178-7 with seven balls to spare for their fifth win in 11 games of the Twenty20 tournament. Punjab were struggling at 31-2 after paceman Rudra Pratap Singh dismissed skipper Adam Gilchrist (nine) and Paul Valthaty (17), but Karthik and Marsh shattered Kochi's hopes with their big-hitting. Karthik, who reached his half-century with a six over mid-wicket off spinner Ravindra Jadeja, also hit seven fours while Marsh cracked two sixes and five fours in his 30-ball knock. Singh got his third wicket when he removed Karthik, superbly caught by skipper Mahela Jayawardene in the covers, before holding a return catch to dismiss Marsh in the space of three runs. Australian David Hussey (21 not out) finished the match with a straight six off paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. Chennai and Mumbai have already made sure of the semi-finals with 16 points each. They are followed by Bangalore (15), Kolkata (14), Rajasthan (11), Punjab (10), Kochi (10), Pune (eight), Delhi (eight) and Deccan (six). Sri Lankan Jayawardene earlier hit two sixes and eight fours in his 52-ball 76 to help Kochi post a challenging total. He added 93 for the opening wicket with New Zealander Brendon McCullum, who hit a 27-ball 32. Jayawardene, who reached his half-century with a six off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, was run out in the last over. Owais Shah was the other main scorer with a 12-ball 23. Brief scores: Kochi Tuskers Kerala 178-7 in 20 overs (M. Jayawardene 76, B. McCullum 32, O. Shah 23; B. Sharma 2-32) lost to Kings XI Punjab 181-4 in 18.5 overs (D. Karthik 69, S. Marsh 42, D. Hussey 21 not out; RP Singh 4-25) by six wickets.

Pak qualify for SAS Hockey final by beating Malaysia 3-2

Saturday, May 14, 2011 16:46

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakistan has qualified for final by beating Malaysia 3-2 in Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament on Saturday, Geo News reported. Pakistan will face formidable Australia in final on Sunday (tomorrow).

Three crucial matches today in SAS Hockey

Saturday, May 14, 2011 11:36

KUALA LUMPUR: Three teams would be playing their crucial matches in the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament today, while the outcome of these matches would decide which one to face Australia in the final. Britain would be facing Korea today at 1.00 P.M and Pakistan team would enter the ground at 3.00 P.M against the host country Malaysia. Australia, the five-time champion, already on the top as qualified for the final would play against New Zealand in the third match of the SAS Cup Hockey Tournament underway in the city Ipoh of Malaysia. Any one of the three teams-- Britain, Pakistan and New Zealand depending on their performance today would move to final facing the formidable Australia. Pakistan must win by a big margin, while number two in the tournament, Britain loses today’s match, only then it could make up to the final.

Pakistan spinners strike but Windies on top

Saturday, May 14, 2011 03:26

GEORGETOWN: Pakistan's spinners fought to regain control of the first Test on Friday after their batting collapsed dramatically against the West Indies who finished the second day with a 100-run lead. Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal both struck early blows as West Indies reached 34 for two in their second innings when bad light stopped played 13 balls early at the Guyana National Stadium. Pakistan had been dismissed for 160 in reply to West Indies first innings total of 226, about 40 minutes before the scheduled close with leg spinner Devendra Bishoo finishing with four for 68 from 25 overs on his Test debut. Seamer Ravi Rampaul took three for 27 from 17 overs for his best figures in a Test. "I felt the pressure to perform after seeing Saeed and the other Pakistan spinners bowling so well and getting so much help from the pitch," said Bishoo. "I felt it was my duty to go and get wickets for the team. I tried to vary my pace a lot because the pitch was playing a bit slow and tried to bowl the balls in the right areas." Abdur Rehman topped the scoring for the visitors with 40 not out while Azhar Ali made 34 and Umar Akmal hit 33. Hafeez then gave Pakistan a bright start when the West Indies batted again, grabbing the scalp of Devon Smith lbw for one playing down the wrong line. It was the sixth straight innings the part-time Pakistani off-spinner had dismissed the left-handed West Indies opener in the last month, stretching back to the quarter-finals of the recent World Cup. Ajmal, who took five wickets in the West Indies first innings, also trapped Darren Bravo lbw for eight, when the left-hander played back and across to a well-pitched delivery. Pakistan's fortunes in the match shifted spectacularly after they continued from their lunchtime total of 45 for one. Before lunch, the Pakistanis looked to have firm control, after Hafeez, Pakistan's most prolific batsman in the one-day series, was bowled for four, dragging a delivery from Rampaul into his stumps in the second over of their innings. Azhar and Taufeeq made steady progress either side of the interval in between a couple alarming moments. Taufeeq was fortunate on one when he edged a rising ball from Rampaul between second slip and gully for his first boundary. His heart rate was raised again when he was on five, West Indies appealing unsuccessfully for a caught behind off the same bowler. After lunch, the visitors lost five wickets for 23 runs in the space of 78 deliveries, and were wobbling on 80 for six. Taufeeq was lbw to West Indies captain Darren Sammy for 19 playing forward and across a delivery angled in to the left-hander from around the wicket in the fifth over after lunch. Three overs later, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was trapped lbw plumb in front for two on the backfoot to a flatter, faster delivery from Bishoo. Azhar was bowled in the next over, offering no stroke to a delivery moving back to give Sammy his second wicket in 12 overs that cost 16. Asad Shafiq was lbw for two playing down the wrong line to a leg-break from Bishoo, following a successful West Indies review of New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden's not-out verdict, and Mohammad Salman was lbw for four, suffering a similar fate. Pakistan reached 113 for six at tea, as Akmal added an even 50 for the seventh wicket either side of the break with Rehman. Akmal then had a rush of blood, and was caught behind off Bishoo, when he top-edged a pull to trigger a collapse that saw Pakistan lose their last four wickets for 30 runs in the space of 65 balls. Umar Gul was also caught behind, top-edging a pull at a short delivery from Rampaul, who also trapped Ajmal lbw for one, following a review of New Zealand umpire Tony Hill's not-out verdict. The visitors' innings came to a close, when Wahab Riaz was caught behind, groping at a delivery outside the off-stump to give Kemar Roach his only wicket. (AFP

Pak, West be united against Taliban, demands NATO

Saturday, May 14, 2011 17:26

BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Saturday urged Pakistan to stand united with its Western allies to tackle Taliban extremists, who were behind a double suicide bombing in the country. "It is with shock and sadness that I learned the death of some 80 paramilitary cadets killed in a terrorist attack," Rasmussen wrote in a letter to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. "This attack is a stark reminder that Pakistan and Allies must stand united to defeat the scourge of violent extremism," he added. The death toll rose to 89 following Friday's suicide bombing on a paramilitary police training centre in the town of Shabqadar in northwest Pakistan. Around 140 people were also wounded, 40 of them critically. Pakistan's Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was to avenge the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at the hands of US forces two weeks ago. It was the deadliest attack this year in the nuclear-armed country, whose government is in crisis over the US raid on a compound in the northwestern city of Abbottabad where bin Laden had been hiding for five years. (AFP)

Tremors felt in Peshawar, northern areas

Saturday, May 14, 2011 15:31

PESHAWAR: Tremors felt in the city here as well as in the northern areas of Pakistan, which included Shab-e-Qadar, Chitral, Mohmand Agency etc. No loss of life and property reported immediately. (More to follow)

Army, agencies’ budget be presented in assembly : Nawaz

Saturday, May 14, 2011 13:07

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has demanded that army and intelligence agencies’ budget should be presented in the assembly, Geo News reported on Saturday. Addressing a press conference following meeting with US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter here, Nawaz stated that foreign policy making is not the business of agencies, adding that agencies must not make alliance and divide political parties. PML-N will not allow government within government. He also demanded that an independent commission should be constituted at the earliest and those responsible for Abbottabad incident be unmasked. PML-N leader said Pakistan has rendered great sacrifices in the war on terror. Around 35 thousand Pakistani citizens and security personnel have lost their lives in this war. Nawaz regretted that despite all such sacrifices Pakistan is being held in the dock. The US raid in Abbottabad was against the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan. He came hard saying that Pakistan could not maintain unilateral relations. The government also stop obeying the US and other institutions, he said and added that it come forward to serve the nation.

US citizen De Haven stopped at Peshawar airport

Saturday, May 14, 2011 12:52

US citizen De Haven stopped at Peshawar airport US citizen stopped at Peshawar airport PESHAWAR: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has stopped US citizen Mark De Haven at Peshawar airport, Geo News reported on Saturday. According to sources in FIA, De Haven was leaving for the US via Dubai when he was intercepted. FIA said that De Haven is black listed. He would be allowed to leave after clearance from interior ministry. It is pertinent to mention here that a local court had granted bail to him last month back and ordered not to leave the area without informing police until his case is concluded. Aaron Mark De Haven was detained after he outstayed his Pakistani visa. De Haven’s Pakistani visa had expired in October.

PML-N Like-minded Group to support Dar in Senate

Saturday, May 14, 2011 11:39

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League Like-minded Group has formally announced to support PML-N candidate for opposition leader in Senate Ishaq Dar, Geo News reported on Saturday. This was announced by the leader of PML Like-minded Group Senator Salim Saifullah after meeting with PML-N leaders Senator Ishaq Dar and Senator Pervez Rasheed at his home. In return PML Like-minded Group had been offered deputy opposition leader seat in the upper house. It may be noted here that seat of opposition leader was lying vacant as PML-Q leader Waseem Sajjad resigned after joining government alliance.

Guinness: Smokey the cat is really loud

LONDON: It's official: Smokey the cat has roared her way into Guinness World Records having achieved the loudest purr by a domestic cat.

Guinness said Thursday the gray-and-white tabby earned her place with record-setting 67.7 decibels. In a video on the cat's website, the 12-year-old, ordinary-size feline purrs with a sound akin to the cooing of an angry dove.

Smokey first rose to prominence in February, when her owner, Ruth Adams, ran a local competition for the most powerful purr. A community college recorded the purr and submitted it to Guinness.

Guinness says the loudest animal sounds are the low-frequency pulses made by blue whales and fin whales when they communicate with each other - sounds that reach 188 decibels. By comparison, a lawnmower is 90 decibels. (AP)

Chinese granny become dancing sensation with MJ moves

BEIJING: A Chinese grandmother aged 65-year-old from Beijing has amazed everyone after her energetic, Michael Jackson-inspired dance routine on television show, 'China's Got Talent'.

Bai Shuying has become China's latest sensation after displaying her dance moves in the first episode of the new season.

When asked how she choreographed the routine, she replied that she had worked on it at home after she "bought a tape recorder," the Telegraph quoted her as saying.

Bai Shuying said she felt Michael Jackson was "too beautiful, too moving, too inspiring" and that she loved "hip hop dancing".

US company plans to offer trips around moon

Washington: A US private space exploration company has recently announced its plan to offer trips around the moon to space tourists.

The tourists willing to pay the $150 million ticket price would launch into space aboard a three-seat Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

The Space Adventures expects to begin launching their trips around the moon within the next five years.

Blind, legless lizard found in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian scientist has discovered a new species of blind and legless lizard that looks like a snake, conservationists said.

The small reptile, which mostly lives underground, was given the name dibamus dalaiensis, after the Dalai mountain in southwestern Cambodia where it was found, according to conservation group Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

"At first I thought it was a blind snake," said Neang Thy, who works as a zoologist with the Ministry of Environment and FFI and made the discovery.

"But when we looked at it closely we found it was different from other species," he told AFP.

Other types of blind, legless lizards have already been documented across Asia, but none had ever been found in Cambodia and it took more than a year of research to confirm Neang Thy had indeed stumbled upon a new species.

The female lizard has no limbs at all, whereas the male "has very short legs that he does not use," Neang Thy said.

The find marks the first time a Cambodian researcher has formally identified a new reptile, FFI said in a press release earlier this week.

"For one of our national colleagues to discover this unusual species and make the description is particularly satisfying," said Berry Mulligan, FFI's Cambodia operations manager. (AFP)

World's Largest Model Airport Opened In Germany

The world's largest model airport has opened at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany.

Miniatur Wunderland (German for miniature wonderland) is a model railway attraction in Hamburg, Germany and the largest of its kind in the world. As of January 2011, the railway consists of 12,000 metres (39,370 ft) of track in H0 scale, divided into seven sections: Harz, the fictitious city of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. Of the 6,400 square metres (68,889 sq ft) of floorspace, the model takes 1,150 m2 (12,378 sq ft).

By 2020, the exhibit is expected to have reached its final construction phase, including at least a total of ten sections in a model area of over 2,300 m2 (24,757 sq ft).

The next section covering an airport is due to open in the second week of May 2011. The exhibit includes 890 trains made up of over 11,000 carriages, 300,000 lights, 215,000 trees, and 200,000 human figurines.

The creators are planning to work on models of Italy and France after the airport section is completed. Possible future additions include Africa, England, or a futuristic landscape.

Why Some Planets Spin Backward

Of the more than 500 planets detected around stars besides our Sun, the vast majority appear to spin the same way the star does, scientists reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

But some of these extrasolar planets spin in the opposite direction of the stars they orbit, astronomers found. These strange, backward-spinning planets are usually gassy giants called hot Jupiters, not rocky orbs like Earth.

Besides their backwards twirling, which the astronomers call flipped orbits, these big planets huddle close to their stars, unlike Jupiter, which is about 483 million miles (778 million km) from the Sun, more than five times as distant from the Sun as Earth.

"That's really weird, and it's even weirder because the planet is so close to the star," Frederic Rasio of Northwestern University said in a statement.

"How can one be spinning one way and the other orbiting exactly the other way? It's crazy. It so obviously violates our most basic picture of planet and star formation."

Astronomers have long theorized that big gas planets form further away from their stars, while Earth-like rocks are born closer in.

But just because a Jupiter-like planet forms in the planetary boondocks doesn't mean it stays there, Rasio and his colleagues reported.

When planetary systems contain more than one planet, in addition to a star, each planet has its own gravitational force, causing the planets to interact and eventually pulling the gas giants close to the star and even reversing its orbit, the scientists found.

This process is known as gravitational perturbation, or an exchange of angular momentum.

Astronomers have been detecting extrasolar planets since 1995, but have seen only a handful. The others are inferred by the gravitational pull they exert on the stars they orbit, creating a starry wobble that indicates one or more planets present but unseen in the planetary system.

The National Science Foundation supported this research. 

101 Year Old Fights For Election In Spain

Saturday, May 14, 2011 10:33

CUNTIS: At 101 years old, Josefina Villaverde is launching her political career. She is fighting as the Socialist Party candidate in Cuntis, a Galician village in northwest Spain, for municipal elections on May 22. Born November 19, 1909, Villaverde is alert and keen, canvassing the streets of her home town with fellow candidates and handing out the campaign promise "Winning for Cuntis". Wearing a smile and short white hair, she remembers casting a ballot at the age of 24 in the local school on November 19, 1933, the first election open to women after parliament gave its approval two years earlier. Her husband had handed her the ballot at the school entrance as a form of birthday gift. "He gave it to me, I entered and I put it in the urn. That was the first time women voted in Spain. And I was there," she told. Among today's politicians, she backs Defence Minister Carme Chacon because she is a woman. "Women for power," she said. (AFP)

Be an effective personality

How to be an effective personality in Virtual world?

1. People don't know what you are. They know what you express. 
2.  Be a good writer. Write generously to overcome lack of expression.
3. Use lots and lots of smileys to convey the exact sense of your sentences and to add taste. 
4. Don't misunderstand people in exchange of only few messages. 
5. Try to clarify the matters from your side. Be friendly and frank. Misunderstandings crop very easily. 
6.  Don't post racist, sexist, communalist or anything which is offensive to a particular group of people. 
7. Appreciate people more often. Everyone likes appreciation. Especially girls.

Activity Points as Your Money

How do you value you Activity Points here? Does it have importance to you?

Many users here are having fun in earning activity points like playing guess the number is the fastest way,  jumbled words, posting replies, chatting and doing blogs.
Are you having fun too?

For me activity points is nothing but a personal stuffs and it shows how active I am in this site.

It makes me think and this question bugging me. "What if our activity points here are our real money? What do you think can you buy with that amount?" How funny my questi0ns are, but if I will answer, it will be, I can start my own business like a small time retail store.

How about you? Do you mind whats on my mind to0? 

Things That Kill A Relationship

Not Listening
Communication is the crux of all relationships, and if the communication is not strong then your relationship will not be. Not only is talking about your feelings important, but listening is also vital.
When your mate is unleashing his or her emotions on you, make it evident that you are taking what he or she says into consideration. Do this by showing a sincere interest in things you know are important to him or her, regardless if it is a minor thing or a major thing.
Also, if your significant other notifies you of an aspect of your personality or behavior that he or she dislikes that is within reason, try your hardest to prevent yourself from doing such things in the future. Although you may not completely eliminate that annoying habit, the effort that you show will be enough to satisfy that person.
Excess Baggage
Everyone has baggage; however, the key is dealing with that baggage and not allowing it to influence your relationship.
Everyone goes through obstacles throughout their day that cause stress. However, by no means should you tell your mate every time you are upset. With that said, do tell the person when something major happens to you-not when you've been plagued with something as minor as a paper cut. Nobody likes to be burdened with other people's downfalls on a constant basis because they are dealing with their own misfortunes as well.
Commitment Problems
With time, a certain comfort level is reached in a relationship. When this happens, a relationship becomes serious, or in other words, committed. For some, the word "committed" entails labels and obligations.
In order to be in a committed relationship, you must be mature and realize that it will take hard work and dedication to maintain. Make sure that your mate knows where he or she stands with you at all times. This is achieved through actions. Show your mate how much he or she means to you by writing a sentimental poem or by literally telling that person.
Commitment is scary for many because it serves as the end to just being you and the beginning for you being two. So if you are in fact serious about your mate, do not force him or her into a commitment; rather, let things ease into that stage. Do this first by taking the relationship day to day, and then as things progress, subtly slip hints that you are beginning to think about your future together.
Family Matters
The family – you have to love them even though most times it would be easier to throw pixie dust on them and wish they would vanish off to Never land. However, the reality is that you must make sure you are on your best behavior in front of them if you want a serious long-lasting relationship with your mate.
Keep in mind that you must think of this task as a job. You can make a great first impression, but the staying power of that impression is what counts. Make sure the family feels that you are not only getting to know them for your mate, but that you are also getting to know them because you actually like them as people. With that said, invite them to join you in activities that do not include your mate such as shopping.
Also, make sure you exercise great mannerisms. This means always cleaning the table after a meal without being asked and always offering to help in chores around the house. Not only must you go that extra mile, but you also must make sure you impress while doing so. This means always bringing a dish of the family's favorite food each time you come over, or calling the person's mom when at the supermarket to see if she needs anything.
Being a Workaholic
In this day and age, the height of success is a long and rough road to travel. In your voyage to riches, you may unintentionally neglect your special someone.
Your mate can only be so supportive. Remember a long-lasting relationship is as fulfilling as a successful career. As a career entails obstacles and levels to reach the top, so do relationships. However, this does not mean to place your relationship over your career, but rather balance the two.
To maintain this juggling act, you should try to invite your mate to work gatherings and keep him or her updated on the events in your career. This way they will feel connected to that aspect of your life and will be more understanding if you sometimes decide to choose work over them.
YOU DON’T NEED THEM
If your mate still ends up breaking up with you even after all of this, do not waste your time being upset; rather, be relieved with the reassurance that you can do much better. 

First Kiss (Kissing Tips)

What happens during a first romantic kiss?
First romantic kiss is probably the most memorable event in person's life. Almost everyone remembers their first kiss. It's that time when everything feels new, anticipation builds up with enormous force and as you hold hands and move in closer for that first magical moment and the rest of the world fades away as your lips connect to your partner's lips.
Well, maybe not quite like this :) First time can be quite awkward for some people. There is nothing wrong with it, I mean how are you supposed to know how to do something without having ever done it before? Humans learn through repetition and kissing is quite pleasant to be done a lot, so you will learn quickly :)
When you're with that special someone that you really like and he or she likes you back, you can try to kiss with that person. Different people have different comfort levels when it comes to kissing, so if you're unsure if your partner wants to kiss, you can ask him or her. Asking is probably going to be less awkward if you just try to go for the kiss, especially if your partner has never kissed before either.
There are a few tips that can help you avoid awkwardness during your first kiss! It's such an exciting moment!
Ask your partner if he or she wants to kiss
Don't rush things too quickly, rather take your time
Look your partner in the eyes and exchange few warms words to help each other feel more comfortable.
Hold hands
If you're a guy, softly stroke your girlfriend's hair, while looking into her eyes
If you're sitting next to each other, you can whisper some sweet words into your partner's ear
Give your partner a compliment to make them feel more comfortable
As you look into each other's eyes try to move your head a little bit closer to their head and watch how they react
Slowly move in closer and closer, turning your head slightly to the right (most people turn their head to the right when they are about to kiss) as you open your mouth slightly
When your mouths connect, stop moving your head forward and softly press up against your partner's lips with your lips
As you kiss their lips with your lips, you can softly, just a tiny little bit stick your tongue out and touch their lips.
Don't put the tongue into their mouth the first time you kiss, since first kiss is very delicate.
After a few seconds of kissing, withdraw your head and look into your partner's eyes and hug them :)
Tell your partner you really enjoyed their kiss to make him or her feel more comfortable.......................