Two British missionaries were sentenced Tuesday in Gambia to one-year jail terms with hard labour for criticising the tiny West African country's government. David and Fiona Fulton pleaded guilty last week to charges of sedition, and asked the court for a

Chinese families whose babies suffered painful kidney stones from drinking tainted infant formula said Tuesday that a planned payout by dairies is too low and their lawyers pledged to continue attempts to sue for more compensation.

Sheikh Hasina, who served one term as Bangladesh's prime minister before her Awami League was overwhelmingly defeated in 2001, won a second bite at the leadership in a Monday election, according to unofficial results. Here are some facts about Hasina's po

The trial of an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush in Baghdad has been postponed pending an appeal over whether the incident amounted to an assault, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Chelsea's Didier Drogba said he lost his passion for football last summer after the death of his grandmother. The 30-year-old Ivory Coast striker has lost his place to Nicolas Anelka in Chelsea's starting line-up after a difficult year, marred by injuries

Azeem Rafiq's difficult year ended on a positive note for the Yorkshire teenager when he was included Tuesday in the England Under-19 squad for next year's tour of South Africa. The 17-year-old spin bowler was added to the squad following a successful app

Former England captain Michael Vaughan still believes he has an international future and is readying himself to take on Australia despite being left out of the squad for the tour of the West Indies. Although on an England central contract, the Yorkshire b

Sindh Government Press (SGP) staged recovery to beat Pakistan Police 2-1 in Group-A of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) League-Departmental Phase 2008. It was second successive defeat for Police in three days with identical 2-1 scoreline.

Muttiah Muralitharan took three wickets to strengthen Sri Lanka's chances of winning the opening Test against Bangladesh here on Tuesday despite a fighting 70 not out by skipper Mohammad Ashraful. Bangladesh, shot out for 178 in the first innings, put in

Punjab Minister for Sports, Dr Tanveer-ul-Islam on Tuesday left Lahore for Karachi to participate in Inter-Provincial Sports Ministers meeting scheduled there. Federal Minister for Sports Pir Aftab Hussain Gillani will chair the meeting, which will discus

West Indies captain Chris Gayle looms as the most influential figure in the one-day cricket series against New Zealand which opens here Wednesday. New Zealand view the tall left-hander as the one player they must dismiss cheaply if they are to be in with

Graeme Smith's cool 75 set up South Africa's first series win in Australia as they eased to a nine-wicket victory that destroyed the hosts' world-beating reputation. Rain was the home side's only chance on the fifth day and while there was some in the mor

Billions of dollars, pounds and euros may have been lost in the global financial crisis, but most of Europe's leading soccer clubs are still poised to spend big when the winter transfer window opens on New Year's Day.

More than five million US dollars' worth of watches have been stolen from a Singapore shop, the dealer said, in a rare crime of such magnitude in one of Asia's safest cities. "The theft involves timepieces at a net cost of about 7.9 million Singapore doll

Police in the north Indian city of Dehradun have arrested a woman who reportedly married more than a dozen older men and promptly ran off with whatever money and valuables she could get her hands on. Her most recent victim told local police that the woman

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warned on Tuesday the country's economy could slide into recession, as he finally delivered a maiden policy speech delayed by protesters who blockaded parliament for two days. Underlining the problems facing his shaky

King Albert named Flemish Christian Democrat Herman Van Rompuy as Belgian prime minister on Tuesday to head a revived five-party coalition in a country facing recession and a bank crisis. Van Rompuy replaces his fellow party member Yves Leterme, who resig

The man putting together Iraq's newest museum doesn't like to be alone in his office, where he keeps bloodied nooses, a medieval-looking torture device and boxes of documents chronicling atrocities under Saddam Hussein. "It's uncomfortable. You feel as if

America's oldest man, an African-American who befriended Louis Armstrong and voted for president-elect Barack Obama "because he's black," has died in Sacramento, California, his family said. Born in New Orleans on June 6, 1896, George Rene Francis smoked

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday signed into law constitutional amendments extending presidential terms from four years to six, the Kremlin said, following a high-speed approval process. A Kremlin spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that Medvedev had

Local-language broadcasts by the BBC, Voice of America and Radio Liberty will be banned in Azerbaijan in 2009, a top official said Tuesday, highlighting concerns on media freedom in the ex-Soviet state. "We decided not to prolong the BBC, Radio Liberty an

Sri Lanka's government is considering re-imposing a formal ban on the Tamil Tigers amid escalating fighting in the island's north, official sources said on Tuesday. An original ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was lifted in September 200

Guinea's ruling military junta named banker Kabine Komara as prime minister on Tuesday, a week after it took control of the West African bauxite exporter. The National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), which seized power on the death of Presid

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet his foreign and defence ministers on Tuesday to consider a French proposal for a temporary truce in Gaza, a senior government official told AFP. "They will meet in an hour's time for an assessment where they wi

World powers struggled Tuesday to find ways to press Israel and Hamas to end their conflict despite widespread anger over the mounting toll. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice renewed calls for a halt to the

Israel hit the Gaza Strip with more air strikes on Tuesday and said its military action could last weeks, while rockets fired by Islamist Hamas struck deep inside the Jewish state. Both sides rejected any notion of a cease-fire soon, three days after Isra

Iran has set up a court to try Israelis for its air attacks on Gaza and is ready to try in absentia any people who Tehran says have committed "crimes", a judiciary official said on Tuesday. Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has criticised some Arab s

A small boat carrying international activists with aid for Gaza docked in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre on Tuesday after a clash with an Israeli naval ship forced it to divert to Lebanon. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed there had

India's rupee eased on Tuesday as banks sought to buy the dollar to arbitrage it in the offshore market, but gains in local stocks prevented a sharp fall. The partially convertible rupee closed at 48.47/49 per dollar, slightly weaker from Monday's close o

Sterling hit a record low on a trade-weighted basis and hovered just below a record trough against the euro on Tuesday, weighed by a grim outlook for the UK economy in thin trade as the year draws to a close.

The dollar fell against the euro and a basket of currencies on Tuesday as traders closed out some positions before the year-end and ahead of data on the US housing market and consumer confidence later in the day.

Asian bond spreads narrowed on Tuesday as sentiment was lifted by news that the United States will expand a bailout of its troubled auto industry. The US administration said on Monday it was buying $5 billion in equity in auto-and-mortgage-finance company

Asian bond spreads narrowed on Tuesday as sentiment was lifted by news that the United States will expand a bailout of its troubled auto industry. The US administration said on Monday it was buying $5 billion in equity in auto-and-mortgage-finance company

European credit spreads were mixed in thin volume on Tuesday, with an extended US auto bailout the main focus. By 1420 GMT, the investment-grade Markit iTraxx Europe index was at 175.5 basis points, according to data from Markit, 4.5 basis points tighter

European credit spreads were mixed in thin volume on Tuesday, with an extended US auto bailout the main focus. By 1420 GMT, the investment-grade Markit iTraxx Europe index was at 175.5 basis points, according to data from Markit, 4.5 basis points tighter

US stocks climbed on Tuesday after the government expanded its bailout of the auto industry, bolstering hopes that lawmakers could curb the severity of the year-old recession. The Bush Administration said late Monday it would extend an additional $1 billi

Indian shares gained 1.92 percent Tuesday on expectations of an economic stimulus package to be announced by the government, dealers said. The benchmark 30-share Sensex index rose 182.64 points to 9,716.16, gaining for the second day after several days of

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Tuesday.

Heavyweight commodity shares and defensive drugmakers helped lift Britain's top share index on Tuesday, the last full session of 2008, although it stayed on course to post the largest annual drop since its 1984 launch. The FTSE 100 closed up 73.33 points,

Unidentified gunmen on Monday night roughed up the staff of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC)'s complaints' centre in the city and threatened them with dire consequences if the utility failed to restore power supply to their area.

Pakistan's stock market witnessed worst ever crisis during the year 2008 and the benchmark KSE-100 index declined by 57 percent or 8,038.45 points to close at 6,037.38 points on December 30, 2008 with one more trading session remaining.

The price of white refined sugar has mounted by Rs 2 per kg in the retail market during this week because of sugarcane shortage to the mills amid ongoing crushing season, retailers and representatives of sugar industry said on Tuesday.

Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh, Sultan Salahuddin Babar Khattak has said that Sindh police have arrested a group of five terrorists in a pre-Muharram operation, who was planning to carry out terrorists activities during Muharram-ul-Haram.

The protesting and angry farmers stopped transportation of urea fertiliser in Mianwali district demanding that first their needs be met before despatching it to other parts of the country.

The Controller of Examination of Karachi University has announced that the examination forms of LLB (Final) would be accepted from December 30, 2008 to January 10, 2009 with fees Rs 1, 840. The forms would also be accepted from January 14, 2008 to January

Yaum-e-Umar was observed on Tuesday with religious fervour in Sindh to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of the second Khalifa-e-Rashida, Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA). A seminar on "Yaum-e-Shahadat Farooq Azam (RA) and New Islamic Year" was held at the Sha

The Sindh Finance Department has yet to approve the summary for the restoration of 20 percent of the basic salary utility allowance to the non-gazetted employees of the Sindh Secretariat.

Citibank N.A. (Citi) on Tuesday announced it has enhanced its capital position in Citi Pakistan with an injection of Rs 2.2 billion taking the total capital of its Pakistan branches to Rs 7.7 billion. The incremental capital will allow Citi Pakistan to ac

Sixty-six Pakistani prisoners including 28 women and three children, released from Indian jails, reached their motherland through Wagha Border near here Tuesday. According to Ansar Burni Trust, the Indian security agencies had arrested 51 Pakistanis on ch

Trading Corpora-tion of Pakistan (TCP) has finalised contracts for the purchase of some 0.5 million bales aimed to stabilise the cotton prices in the domestic market. Sources in TCP said that the number of total cotton bales so far contracted by TCP has i

Shopkeepers and traders of 17 towns of the city continue to receive summons and arrest warrants from judicial magistrates for not paying the trade license fee for the last three years. According to a Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) report,

President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh has expressed his concern as the year 2008 is coming to an end which was a difficult year that has greatly impacted Pakistan 's economy and ordinary man

Iranian Minister for Energy Engr. Parviz Fattah called on President Asif Ali Zardari here on Tuesday and discussed with him matters pertaining to the region and bilateral ties. He was accompanied with Dy. Minister for Energy Abbas Aliabadi and Iranian Amb

Federal Minister for Youth Affairs Shahid Hussain Bhutto has said that the present government is making concrete steps to provide equal educational facilities to the youth in urban and rural areas for their development and prosperity in education sector.

US cotton futures closed with small gains for the front-month contract, after reaching a 10-day peak, but seesawed around unchanged for most of Monday with trade volume extremely thin, traders said. Cotton for March delivery on ICE Futures settled 0.07 ce

Aluminium fell as much as 3.0 percent on Tuesday on demand concerns as inventories continued to soar and the weaker dollar offered little support. Aluminium stocks in London Metal Exchange warehouses jumped 49,000 tonnes to above 2.3 million tonnes and ha

Oil prices fell $1 on Tuesday as fear about demand in a sickly world economy outweighed expectations of further Saudi supply cuts in February and tension in the Middle East due to the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The market took in data showing a sharp fall in

Tuesday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1700 GMT.

Tuesday's Rotterdam vegetable oil prices at 1700 GMT.

London cocoa futures edged higher on Tuesday after investors took profits from a recent rally and coffee rose on rollover business, while sugar inched up in thin pre-holiday dealings buoyed by a weak dollar. "There is profit-taking in this market (cocoa),

Gold declined on Tuesday as oil prices slipped nearly 2 percent and as traders took profits after the previous session's 11-week high. The weaker dollar and interest in bullion as a haven from risk, as violence continues in the Gaza Strip, limited losses.

US cocoa futures moved quietly lower in early trade on Tuesday, on follow-through weakness after a volatile session Monday, while arabica coffee futures inched higher with a boost from the weak dollar, traders said. ICE Futures US agricultural products wi

Raw sugar futures on ICE Futures US at 1333 GMT. March raw sugar contract gained 0.08 cent to 11.20 cents per lb. Trading from 11.12 to 11.24 cents. Volume was at a light 2,532 lots.

March corn was down 1 cent to $3.92-1/2 a bushel, May was down 1-1/2 at $4.02-1/2 a bushel. Traders lock in profits ahead of year end. Dry weather in Argentina and portions of Brazil and weak dollar limiting downturn.

March wheat was unchanged at $5.92 a bushel, May up 1-1/4 at $6.05-3/4. Choppy with some traders taking profits following three-week rally. Weakness in crude oil weighing on market but prices underpinned by dollar drop.

January soyabean futures were up 3-1/4 cents at $9.41-3/4 a bushel, March was up 3 cents at $9.48-1/2 a bushel. Dry weather in Argentina and in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul crop region lending strength to market. Weak dollar also supports prices.

US copper futures opened lower on Tuesday as persistent fears of demand destruction from a slowing world economy continued to weigh on prices, while further weakness in the dollar offered mild support. Copper for March delivery was trading down 1.30 cents

US gold futures lost ground on Tuesday, slipping after crude oil prices fell and investors unwound the safe-haven play to take profits after the previous session launched prices to a 2-1/2-month high amid renewed Middle East violence, traders said.

The Chief Minister Punjab Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif who underwent a medical check up on Monday following a complain pain in the chest remained in house and did not participate in the official functions. This was told by the DGPR here on Tuesday. He had

Press Release Project Management Institute (PMI), Lahore Chapter, has elected its new office bearers for the year 2009-2010. PMI is the world's leading professional association for Project Management Professional (PMP) certification with a membership of 2

A joint graduation ceremony of 1st Basic Transport Familiarisation Course, Y-12 Co-Pilot Conversion Course and Y-12 Captain Course was held on Tuesday at 41 Light Communications Squadron, Pakistan Air Force Base, Chaklala. Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (O

District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Dr Raheel Ahmed Siddiqui has called upon the members of District Peace Committee to play their due role in maintaining religious harmony and brotherhood during Muharram-ul-Haram. He was addressing the meeting of peace

The Chief Election Commissioner has directed that re-polling at eleven Polling Stations of NA-28 Buner constituency would be held on 14th January 2009. It was officially notified here on Tuesday. The re-polling was ordered pursuant to the report received

Bangladesh Children's Academy, an organisation under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of Bangladesh has invited Pakistani students to take part in the Fifth International Children-Art Biennial Bangladesh 2009.

NWFP Minister for Information, Public Relations and Inter- Provincial Co-ordination Mian Iftikhar Hussain has stressed the need for taking effective measures to reduce infant mortality rate and ensure better healthcare facilities for mother and child in o

Pakistan has once again asked India to provide credible evidence for it to move against any suspects linked to Mumbai attacks as its top diplomat in Washington stressed the need for cooler heads to prevail with recognition of the fact that both neighbours

Pakistan has agreed with the World Bank for constituting a National Committee with substantial provincial representation to review and select eligible proposals for "reducing the costs of environmental degradation".

Former finance minister Sartaj Aziz said the international community is concerned over the situation in the region and wants India and Pakistan to defuse tension. Talking to Voice of America.

The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) head Qazi Hussain Ahmad here on Tuesday said that on long term basis US Engineering Corps was preparing for establishing cantonments in Afghanistan. He said that US had approved 500 million dollars for establishing cantonment in Q

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Finance Secretary, former Member National Assembly and President Lahore Businessmen Association for Rehabilitation of Disabled (Labard) Mohammad Pervez Malik has congratulated newly elected Leja President Mansoor Ahmad

Joint Commissioner Mangla Dam Resettlement Organisation and Chairman Allotment Committee Mahmood Khan has said that the process for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the affectees of ongoing Mangla dam raising project is being started soon.

Pakistan and Egypt have reiterated their desire to further promote the bilateral co-operation in the fields of trade, economy and particularly defence. This was discussed at a meeting held on Tuesday between Minister for Defence Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar and

Meteorological Department on Tuesday forecast foggy morning conditions in Upper Punjab including Islamabad during next 48 hours. However, foggy conditions are likely to subside gradually in southern Punjab during next 24 hour. According to met analysis, y

"I simply do not understand the why?"

After the 18th February elections, PML (N) and PPP both agreed on the fact that in order to save the country it has to be governed by the people. They decided to adopt a new path, never practised in Pakistan before. It is the path of rule by the people th

The biggest migration in human history has gone into reverse. China's ocean of blue collar workers is streaming back to the country's farming hinterland, bringing thwarted aspirations and rising discontent in tow as their city jobs, their paths out of pov

The President continues to speak rather offhandedly on strategic matters, leaving others to pick up the pieces! The President has been talking again! And why shouldn't he, you might ask? Well, he has been persisting in talking quite offhandedly on

This is the second and final part on the non-proliferation treaty. [I apologise for a factual error in the first part of this article. Russia ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty on June 30, 2000.] Non-proliferation has become a major policy

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's second meeting within a week's time with his three services chief in the wake of Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's "all options on the table" threats against Pakistan, took the Indian media's unabated war mongering

The tone of State Bank's first quarterly report for the current fiscal year released on 29th December, 2008 is substantially different from its annual report for 2007-08 issued only less than a month ago. While the prognosis of the economy in the annual r

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) accomplished the task of removing encroachments along Moulana Shoukat Ali Road from Jinnah Hospital to Akbar Chowk, here on Tuesday. The staff of the Lahore Development Authority demolished the remaining 35 platforms tha

An amount of over Rs 635.7 million had been given as talent scholarships, death and marriage grants to the industrial workers families during the last six months.

The State Bank's first quarterly report is an eye-opener for both policy makers and stakeholders and calls for effective policies for top-to-bottom implementation mechanism to regain macroeconomic stability during the ongoing fiscal year.

The industrialists of Lahore Township Industrial Area (LTIA) have decided to close down their industrial units to protest against the anti-industry behaviour of Lesco authorities. The decision to this effect was taken at an emergent meeting of Lahore Town

Two sessions were held on the second day of the international conference on "History, Politics and Society: The Punjab" organised by the Punjab University Department of History in collaboration with Pakistan Study Centre (PSC) here in New Campus on Tuesda

Inflexible load shedding has returned with a vengeance, as majority of politically less important cities coupled with 90 percent of rural areas almost plunged into darkness while the politically more important cities are experiencing 10 to 15 hours load s

The groups of scouts from Immamia Scouts Lahore City would do duty on Majalis and processions of Maharram-ul-Haram. This was revealed in the information received here on Tuesday. The organisation has requested the government to enhance security on the occ

A well-known and highly qualified person Nashi Khan has been awarded degree of PhD in Behavioural Sciences by the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, says a press release here on Tuesday According to the press release, Dr Nashi Khan is the first one in

Capital City Police Chief Muhammad Pervez Rathore has warned that immoral and illegal activities would not be tolerated in the month of Muharram ul Harram and strict action would be taken against aerial firing, one-wheeling and sale/purchase and usage of

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majeed called on Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani at the Prime Minister House on Tuesday morning. General Tariq Majeed briefed the Prime Minister about the prevailing security situation in the r