Lahore: demo staged against Karachi violence

LAHORE: A large number of people took to street in Lahore and registered their protest over Karachi bleeding. They also lit candles to express solidarity with the families of those who suffered murders of their loved ones, TrendPK reported Sunday.

People representing NGOs, civil society, and all walks of life participated in a peaceful demonstration occurred at famous Liberty Chowke.

Protestors were carrying banners and placards, with slogans written on them demanding restoration of peace and stern action against terrorists in metropolis.

Later, they lit candles, showing solidarity with the bereaved families of victims who were killed during recent days of bloodbath in the port city. TrendPK

7 more Pakistanis await rescue from Somali pirates

Less than a week ago, some Pakistani and India sailors of a hijacked ship (SV Suez) were released by Somali pirates on payment of ransom. Pakistani authorities had played a key role in securing their release. However, the families of the crew members of another ship (MV Ambado) hijacked on November 26, 2010 still await their dear ones’ release.

Captain Waseem and 320-year-old Third Captain Rahil Anwar, both from Karachi, are among the seven Pakistanis still in pirates’ custody. Their families have requested the government and Ansar Burney Trust to do something similar for their dear ones as they did for the crew of SV Suez.

The families of the above two sailors say the pirates now do not allow a telephonic contact with them. Rahil had a telephonic talk with his parents last Eid before embarking on the sea travel.

The others on the hijacked ship were Zulfiqar of Karachi, Mujtaba of Masehra and three others. The pirates have started increasing the amount of ransom with the delay, but the families of the hostages are too poor to meet their demands.

Vampire killer kills two teenagers

Identified only as Jan O, a man drank the blood of two teenagers and ate their flesh while they were alive.

The Vampire killer was arrested when he admitted killing two teenagers – Nina, 14, and, five days later, Tobias, 13. Jan O, 26, strangled and stabbed the youngsters in ¬woods near the German town of Bodenfelde. At a court in Gottingen, he apologised to their families justifying that he did not know what came over him. The accused had a psychological disorder which caused him to stab two innocent teenagers and drink their blood and eat flesh.

Police took him to custody and could only be released from jail if a panel of experts judge him to be sane.

Pak to compensate drone strike families

MIRANSHAH: Pakistan will pay compensation to the families of 39 people who died in a US drone strike in North Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, an official said Saturday.

Civilians and police were among those killed when missiles hit a compound in Datta Khel, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan on March 17.

Tribal administration official Asghar Khan said a compensation package was ready for the victims” families. “Three hundred thousand rupees ($3,530) each will be paid to 39 families, while 100,000 rupees will be paid to six injured,” Khan said, adding that payments would commence from Monday.

Pakistan pays compensation to police and civilians who get killed in bomb blasts or terror attacks but this will be the first time that compensation has been paid to US drone attack victims.

Pakistan”s civilian and military leaders have condemned the strike, demanding an apology and an explanation from the United States.

Missile attacks doubled in the area last year to more than 100, killing over 670 people in 2010 compared with 45 strikes that killed 420 in 2009. Most have been concentrated in North Waziristan.

Strong democratic institutions vital to get rid of terrorism: Zardari

Addressing a ceremony in the Aiewan-e-Sadr to distribute the apartments and plots to the families of the martyred, the president said that terrorism would be wiped out of country at every cost. He said that the government took steps for the rehabilitation of families of the martyred who were deployed at the security of the Benazir Bhutto. He said that plots can not be a compensation of sacrifices however it was the duty of the government to give honour to the families of the martyred.

Obama urges US to pull together after Arizona rampage

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama mourned victims of an Arizona gunman on Monday and steered clear of a debate on whether harsh U.S. political rhetoric inspired the attack on a U.S. congresswoman.

As many members of his own Democratic Party decried the often rabid level of political discourse in the country, Obama said he is grieving for the victims and their families and honoring those who apparently prevented more deaths.

Obama will travel to Arizona on Wednesday to attend a memorial service for the victims of the shooting attack on U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, a U.S. official said. Victims included a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl.

Giffords is in critical condition with a gunshot to the brain. She had been holding a “Congress on Your Corner” meeting with constituents near a grocery store when she was attacked.

Obama Visits Afghanistan, says US Making Progress

Afghanistan: US President Barack Obama, in a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Friday, praised US troops for their sacrifice and ‘important progress’ in a nine-year war that is increasingly unpopular at home.

He spent four hours at an airbase outside the Afghan capital and canceled a planned helicopter trip to Kabul to meet Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai because of bad weather. Instead the two leaders spoke by telephone.

Obama’s second visit to Afghanistan as president came as the White House prepared to release a review of the war’s strategy in the week of December 13, and the day after leaked cables detailed U.S. concerns about Karzai’s abilities and widespread fraud.

Neither topic came up during their 15-minute phone conversation, Obama Afghan war adviser Douglas Lute told reporters aboard Air Force One as the president flew home.

The U.S. president is under pressure to show progress in a war that many are wearying of after nearly a decade, and told nearly 4,000 troops gathered in a hangar to hear him that they were gaining ground against insurgents.

“Today we can be proud that there are fewer areas under Taliban control,” Obama said, in a speech filled with tributes to serving troops and the burden carried by their families.

“We said we were going to break the Taliban’s momentum and that’s what you’re doing, you’re going on the offense, tired of playing defense,” he said to the crowd of mostly U.S. troops.

But the trip comes at a time of spiraling violence and record casualties. Over 1,400 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban, and a third of them lost their lives in the last year alone.

Obama decided in 2009 to ramp up force levels to widen the Afghan military campaign, and many of the extra troops have been thrown into tough fighting, including a major offensive in the southern Taliban heartland of Kandahar.

White House officials emphasized the main purpose of Obama’s journey was a visit with the troops around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, rather than a fact-finding mission ahead of the upcoming strategic review.

“I know it’s not easy for all of you to be away from home especially during the holidays and I know it’s hard on your families, they have got an empty seat at the dinner table,” Obama told the crowd, after visiting wounded soldiers.

As usual with such trips, Obama’s visit was not announced previously for security reasons. He was spirited out of the White House secretly on Thursday night and flew overnight aboard Air Force One for the surprise trip to Afghanistan.

All business activities back to routine after Eid holidays

Staff Report

LAHORE: After Eid-ul-Adha’s holidays, all business activities have returned to the regular routine throughout the country on Monday.

All public and private schools, offices, markets and other institutes are open.

A vast majority of those who returned to their native homes to celebrate Eid with their families have returned to their respective cities.

Activities in Lahore, Karachi and all other prominent cities have re-started and traffic on the roads is as per normal. Trend Pk

Gold medalist National women cricket team reaches home

Pakistan women cricket team has reached home after winning gold medal in the on-going Asian games. The team has been received overwhelmingly by the spectators and their families at the Quaid-e-Azam International airport, Karachi. Many spectators were also present to welcome the team, besides their families.

Pakistan women cricket team has been in the field since 1997 and this is for the first time that the team has won a major title. Before becoming Asian champions the major achievement of the team was qualifying for the ICC World cup.

The national team won all the four matches that it played in the Asian games against China, Thailand, Japan and then Bangladesh in the final.
The team won the first gold medal for the country in the Asian games but the PCB womens wing has not yet announced any function in honour of the team neither did it announce any reward for the members of the victorious team.

Karachi based PR employees await salaries to celebrate Eid

Staff Report

KARACHI: Thousands of Karachi based Pakistan Railways (PR) workers are still waiting for their salaries of October to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha tomorrow.

According to details, more than 25,000 Karachi based grade four employees did not receive their salaries till Tuesday (today) morning.

They all went on strike in order to force their administration to distribute their salaries. Consequently, all trains were delayed for four to seven hours and passengers faced great difficulties before commencing their long travels.

The desperate and enraged employees were of the view that if they do not get salaries, their families would remain deprived of Eid delights.

Pakistan Railways administration made emergency arrangements for workers in other cities and began to distribute their salaries in the evening; Karachi based workers were still

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