Kate Hudson Confirms She is Engaged

Kate Hudson confirmed the news of her engagement to Muse frontman Matt Bellamy on American TV during a guest appearance on the Today Show. The show’s host, Matt Lauer noticed the large square-cut diamond ring she was wearing on her wedding finger. Hudson responded with;

“I’m engaged!” she said. “It just happened a week ago.”

“I’m so glad you noticed. I haven’t really announced it and I felt like the announcing thing feels so silly, and I was just waiting for someone to notice. “

Hudson wouldn’t give any further details about the proposal but she did say that it was “very sweet, very romantic.”

Kate and Matt, who are both 32, are expecting their first child together this summer and, despite their engagement are in no hurry to get married.

“He’s a beautiful man and I’m very excited, but I think we’re going to sit in to the baby thing for a little bit,” she said.

ANP Proposes Federal Cabinet Dissolution

ISLAMABAD, trendpk: Awami National Party,an ally in People’s Party led ruling coalition, has suggested dissolution of the federal cabinet, sources said.

The proposal given to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, will provide passage to the government to get out of the increasing pressure of the opposition parties and the court cases against corruption in government departments.

ANP has proposed formation of 35 ministers new cabinet without the corruption tainted ministers, sources said.

According to sources, Prime Minister Gilani has consented to the proposal in principle and has consulted with President Asif Ali Zardari. The proposal is likely to be implemented soon.

Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Suspended from Parliament

Malaysia’s ruling coalition has won a parliamentary vote to ban its archrival Anwar Ibrahim from the legislature for six months.

Anwar was accused of making false statements in Parliament’s lower house by linking the Muslim-majority government’s policies to Israel. Anwar had said a government campaign to promote multiracial unity was inspired by a 1999 Israeli election campaign. Lawmakers are expected to endorse another proposal later Thursday to suspend three of Anwar’s top allies for six months because of protocol infractions.

The move would erode the opposition’s representation to less than one-third of the 222-member Parliament for the first time since March 2008 general elections. That could allow the ruling coalition to make changes to election constituency boundaries before the next national polls.

JAPC’s meeting being held in Islamabad today

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The second meeting of Judges Appointing Parliamentary Committee (JAPC) is being held in Islamabad to finalize the appointment of the chairman and other rules and regulations.

The meeting of an eight-member committee is being held in Parliament House, Islamabad. The meeting is scheduled to review the proposals on appointing a chairman for the committee.

One proposal suggests that turn by turn, each member should be made chairman of the committee, while another proposal has been submitted that the chairman should be made with the majority’s choice. The meeting will evaluate both.

The meeting will also examine the appointment of the Judicial Commission’s nominee, Justice Ajaz Chaudhry’s as the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (CJ-LHC).

According to sources, JAPC will finalize the name of Justice Ajaz Chaudhry as the

Israeli govt seen accepting new settlement freeze

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will probably win narrow approval from his coalition government for a U.S. proposal to extend a freeze on West Bank settlement building, Israeli political sources said on Sunday.

The Palestinians halted peace talks after the 10-month Israeli moratorium on settlement construction expired in September. The Obama administration has offered Israel diplomatic and defence perks to renew the freeze for 90 days.

Netanyahu, who visited the United States last week, convened his cabinet to outline the proposal, which he said was still being drafted with the Americans. Once ready, it would be put to a vote in Israel’s 15-minister security cabinet, he said.

“In any event, I insist that any proposal meet the State of Israel’s security needs, both in the immediate term and vis-a-vis the threats that we will face in the coming

PM sets up NODMC to ensure funds transparency

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday has established a 13-member National Oversight Disaster Management Council (NODMC) to ensure transparent use of funds for rehabilitating flood-hit areas.

UAG Eisani will be the chairperson of the council.

PM Gilani has set up this council over the proposal of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif.

The 13-member council comprises of three representatives of the federal government, two from each province, one member from Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir respectively.

The representatives from federal government include Ijaz Rahee, Fauzia Naqvi and UAG Eisani.

Justice Mian Allah Nawaz (Retd.) and A.Z.K. Sherdil from Punjab, Fazl-ur Rehman and Fazlullah Qureshi from Sindh, Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza (Retd.) and Mohammad Azam Khan

Pakistan drops ‘betting scam’ players

TAUNTON: Three Pakistan cricketers embroiled in illegal betting allegations were axed from the team’s tour of England Thursday as they prepared to be grilled about the scandal.

Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were in London to meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s ambassador to Britain.

The players were all named in a News of the World report which alleged they were involved in a “spot-fixing” scam by bowling deliberate no-balls in last week’s Test match with England in exchange for cash.

The revelations have shocked the cricket world and led to calls from figures within the game that the players involved should be banned for life.

On Thursday, Pakistan officials confirmed the trio would play no further part in the team’s tour of England.

Team manager

Colossal cheating scam unearthed at Hajis KSA residences

Staff Reported

ISLAMABAD: A colossal cheating scam worth billions of rupees in acquiring Haji residences in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been unearthed by National Assembly’s Standing Committee for Religious Affairs, SAMAA reported on Thursday.

The committee revealed that billions have gone into deals to acquire buildings in KSA for the residences of the Pakistani Hajis. The concerned culprits also tried to take the committee on board in the money making scam, but it declined the proposal.

The Religious Affairs Standing Committee members returned from KSA, it’s chairman, Maulana Muhammad Qasim, talked to the journalists in Islamabad on Thursday.

The chairman said that a five member special delegation of committee members went to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During this visit, a massive corruption scam was exposed to them.

The

No threat to democracy: Babar

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Dr. Babar Awan has said that there is no threat to democracy, adding there is no general in Pakistan who can impose martial law.

While talking to media persons on Friday, Awan said other provinces are not ready to accept the proposal of Punjab government to establish a flood relief commission. SAMAA

Over 4 million homeless in flood-hit Pakistan: UN

ISLAMABAD: The number of people rendered homeless by the devastating floods in Pakistan has risen to more than 4 million, the United Nations said on Thursday, making the critical task of securing greater amounts of aid

more urgent.

The UN had earlier said that 2 million people had lost their homes in the worst floods in Pakistan’s history, which began nearly three weeks.

Aid agencies have been pushing for more funding as they try to tackle major problems such as food supplies, lack of shelter and outbreaks of diseases.

The economic costs of the floods are expected to run into the billions of dollars, stepping up pressure on government just after it had made progress in stabilising the country through security offensives against Taliban insurgents.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it expected to contribute at least $2 billion to

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