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ANP to contact all parties for peace in Karachi: Shahi
SC to resume missing persons case today
Reopening Pakistani routes crucial for NATO exit plan
Lorenzo masters rainy conditions to win French GP
Thousands begin NATO protest march through Chicago
NATO summit opens in Chicago
Nearly 50 killed in Syria, including 34 in Hama: NGO
Roach rocks England to give Windies hope
Pakistan lifts ban on twitter
Turkish PM arrives in Islamabad
Tax evasion not to be tolerated: Hafeez
England snare Chanderpaul at last
Deccan throw Bangalore out of IPL race
Djokovic, Nadal Rome final to be played today
Sharapova beats Li to retain Italian Open title

ANP to contact all parties for peace in Karachi: Shahi

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Awami National Party’s (ANP) Senator Shahi Syed said that his party was willing to negotiate with all political parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for the sake of restoring peace to Karachi. He was addressing media after meeting with Sunni Tehreek (ST) chief Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri. Shahi Syed said that it was the responsibility of federal government to restore peace to Karachi. Speaking on the occasion Sarwat Ejaz Qadri also said that he was ready to consult with all political parties, including the MQM and the Pakistan People’s Party, for bringing an end to the recurring violence in Karachi.

SC to resume missing persons case today

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During the previous hearing of the case held in Islamabad, the three-member headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has directed the FC and provincial government to produce the missing persons before the court. The apex court during the previous hearing has also directed the agencies and provincial home ministry to submit a report about 48 missing persons.

Reopening Pakistani routes crucial for NATO exit plan

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With Pakistan so far unwilling to reopen supply routes to Afghanistan, NATO faces a potential logistical nightmare as it prepares for a costly withdrawal of military hardware over the next two years. In the run-up a NATO summit that opened Sunday, US and Pakistani officials had signaled growing optimism that a deal would be clinched on reopening the routes, which Islamabad had closed in November over a botched American air raid. But negotiations stumbled over Pakistan s demand to charge several thousand dollars per truck, instead of the current rate of roughly $250. A senior US official told AFP on Sunday the exponential hike in fees, reportedly as much as $5,000 per truck, was "unacceptable" and that Pakistan had failed to present a consistent, coherent negotiating position. US officials have so far refused a demand from Islamabad for an explicit apology over the air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Since Pakistan shut the northwest border crossing to NATO about six months ago, the US-led force in Afghanistan has managed to endure the closure by relying on cargo flights and a more costly northern route through Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. The shift has carried a price, costing two and a half times more per container than the Pakistani route, according to US military officials. But under NATO s plan to withdraw most of the 130,000-strong coalition force in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 -- including a vast fleet of vehicles and equipment -- the Pakistani route is considered crucial. General William Fraser, head of US Transportation Command, told senators in February that the shorter Pakistan route was needed to ensure hardware could be withdrawn on schedule. "With the amount of equipment we need to move... we need the Pakistan GLOC (ground line of communication) open," Fraser told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February. Last year, before the Torkham gate border crossing was shut, the United States moved more than 35,000 shipping containers through Pakistan, according to Fraser. In another complication for NATO s exit plan, countries along the northern route have approved the transit of military vehicles and supplies but have prohibited shipping weapons through their territories. German Defense Minister Thomas De Maiziere, speaking to reporters in Chicago, acknowledged using the northern route was a "complicated process" because it passed through so many countries. The most practical and inexpensive route into Afghanistan runs through Iran s port of Chabahar, but that is not an option given the long-running hostility between Iran and the United States. For Pakistan, the border crossing is a valuable source of revenue and leverage that will dry up once NATO completes its planned departure in 2014.

Lorenzo masters rainy conditions to win French GP

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Jorge Lorenzo mastered the rain-soaked Le Mans track to win the French Grand Prix for the third time on Sunday, with seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi overtaking Casey Stoner late on to take second place. The Spaniard, who won here in 2009 and 2010, put in a masterful performance as he surged ahead from fourth place on the grid to beat Rossi by nearly 10 seconds and regain the overall lead from defending champion Stoner. "Winning in France is fantastic. I kept my concentration because the turns were very slippery," Lorenzo said. "It was great to see all the fans here." Rossi and Stoner, who will retire at the end of the season, were locked in a frantic battle for second in the pouring rain, with the Italian overtaking the Australian on the final lap to improve on his third-place finish last year. "I wanted to do better than last year, so I tried to stay calm and then I pushed hard," Rossi said. "I m happy for all my team at Ducati to be on the podium." Spaniard Dani Pedrosa finished fourth after starting from pole position. In the overall standings, Lorenzo has 90 points after four races, with Stoner on 82 and Pedrosa third on 65. Rossi is sixth.

Thousands begin NATO protest march through Chicago

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Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change and the erosion of union rights marched through downtown Chicago on Sunday, taking their discontent on a wide range of issues to world leaders assembled for a NATO summit. The protest, one of the city s largest in years, was to end at the lakeside convention center hosting the two-day meeting. Some are calling for the dissolution of NATO, the 63-year-old military alliance that is holding its 25th formal meeting in Chicago. It was the first time the gathering had been held in a U.S. city other than Washington. Peace activists joined with war veterans and people more focused on the economy for the protest, which was expected to draw thousands of participants. Marchers arrived at Grant Park with signs denouncing NATO, including ones that read: "War(equals)Debt" and "NATO, Go Home." They planned to walk 2½ miles (four kilometers) to the site where President Barack Obama and other leaders were discussing the war in Afghanistan, European missile defense and other issues. Organizers of Sunday s rally had initially predicted tens of thousands of protesters this weekend. But that was when the G-8 summit of leading industrial nations was also scheduled to be in Chicago. Earlier this year, Obama moved the Group of 8 economic meeting to Camp David, the secluded presidential retreat in rural Maryland. Chicago kept the NATO summit, which focuses on international security matters but not the economy. That left activists with the challenge of persuading groups as diverse as teachers, nurses and union laborers to show up for the Chicago protests even though the summit s main focus doesn t align with their most heart-felt issues. "I m here to protest NATO, which I feel is the enforcement arm of the ruling 1 percent of the capitalist 1 percent," said protester John Schraufnagel, who took a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago. The march lacks the size and single message that shaped the last major protest moment in Chicago, when nearly half a million people filled the city s downtown in 2006 to protest making being an illegal immigrant a felony. Sunday s protest followed several smaller demonstrations over the previous two days, including a march Saturday to the home of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama s former chief of staff.

NATO summit opens in Chicago

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A key NATO summit, gathering more than 50 world leaders, opened in Chicago on Sunday with a minute s silence for all those who have fallen in combat around the world. Led by NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen and US President Barack Obama, the summit leaders stood and bowed their heads as a uniformed US bugler played "Taps." Rasmussen opened the two-day talks saying "our deepest sympathies go to the families and loved ones of all those who made sacrifices." Addressing the themes of the summit, he vowed to complete the transition to Afghan security by 2014. He also stressed the need to embrace "a renewed culture of cooperation" vowing that "together we will make our partnerships deeper, broader and stronger." Obama trumpeted that "for over 65 years our alliance has been the bedrock of our common security, our freedom and our prosperity." "And though the times may have changed, the fundamental reason for our alliance has not," he said, adding that "in good times and in bad our alliance has endured, in fact it has thrived." Outside, far from the waterfront convention center where the summit was being held, thousands of protesters gathered demanding an end to costly and destructive wars.

Nearly 50 killed in Syria, including 34 in Hama: NGO

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Nearly 50 people were killed on Sunday in violence across Syria, including 34 civilians who died in an assault in the restive central Hama province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Syrian regime forces rained shells on the village of Souran in Hama, it said, describing the deaths as a "massacre" and urging UN truce observers to deploy immediately in the area. "Thirty-four people were killed under shelling and gunfire in Souran village while it was being raided," the Britain-based watchdog said, revising up an earlier toll of 16 people killed, including three children. "Where are the international monitors," read a statement issued by the Observatory. "We in the Observatory express our extreme shock at the international monitors  failure to go to Souran when we issued our first statement on the killing 16 people," the statement added. Elsewhere in the country another 14 people were killed in violence, the watchdog said, adding that anti-regime demonstrations were also held in several areas of Syria on Sunday. The dead included a civilian killed by gunfire from regime forces who raided the village of Hasraya in Hama, one killed in Homs and two others in northern Aleppo, the Observatory said. In Basra al-Sham city of southern Daraa province, an army defector was killed in an overnight ambush by regime forces, the group said. In Jisr al-Shughur in northwest Idlib, a flashpoint of unrest, armed men assassinated a Baath party official, the monitor said, amid a marked increase of assassinations targeting people associated with the regime. "There is definitely an increase in assassinations targeting people associated with the regime, be they officials or pro-regime businessmen," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP in Beirut by telephone. In Idlib city, a defector was killed during clashes with regime forces. Two civilians were also killed in the Damascus northern suburb of Douma, including one shot dead by snipers just after a group of UN truce monitors had visited the area, according to the Observatory. Five regime troops were also killed on Sunday, the watchdog added. It also reported demonstrations in several areas of northwest Idlib and in Hama calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad s regime.

Roach rocks England to give Windies hope

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Kemar Roach stunned England with a dramatic late burst to give West Indies hope of an improbable victory in the first Test at Lord s on Sunday. Roach took two wickets for seven runs in eight balls, including England captain, and first innings century-maker, Andrew Strauss, to leave the hosts 10 for two at the close of the fourth day. England will need a further 181 runs to reach their seemingly modest victory target of 191 on Monday s final day in the first of this three-Test series. That West Indies - who started the day 35 runs adrift and in danger of an innings defeat -- were still in the game owed much to Shivnarine Chanderpaul s second marathon effort of the match. Chanderpaul, officially the world s best batsman, made 91 in a total of 345 that followed his first innings 87 not out. The Guyana left-hander batted for 10 hours and 24 minutes in this match, scoring 178 runs for once out while facing 425 balls -- a mammoth effort even by the 37-year-old s high standards. Roach had Strauss, who made 122 in the first innings, caught in the gully for just one and nightwatchman James Anderson caught behind for six. After Anderson exited, Roach s next ball rapped Jonathan Trott on the pads and the tourists appealed for lbw, only for Aleem Dar to rule not out. The West Indies reviewed the decision but as replays showed the ball only just clipping the stumps, the Pakistani umpire s original verdict was upheld. Trott was nought not out at stumps, as was opener Alastair Cook. Chanderpaul, downplaying his own effort, said he was looking forward to some final day fireworks from Roach and new-ball partner Fidel Edwards. Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels shared a fifth wicket stand of 157 that rescued the West Indies from the depths of 65 for four. The 31-year-old Samuels was closing in on what would have been only his third Test hundred when, shortly after England had taken the new ball, he played a flat-footed drive off Stuart Broad and edged straight to Swann at second slip. Samuels faced 172 balls with 12 fours in an elegant and gutsy innings of 86. Broad, who took a Test-best seven for 72 in West Indies  first innings, followed up with four for 93 for a match haul of 11 for 165. That meant the fast-medium bowler had become the first player to take 10 or more wickets in a Lord s Test since South Africa s Makhaya Ntini in 2003 and the first Englishman since Ian Botham took 11 for 140 against New Zealand in 1978.

Pakistan lifts ban on twitter

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Pakistan blocked the social networking website Twitter on Sunday because it refused to remove material considered offensive to Islam, said one of the country s top telecommunications officials. The material was promoting a competition on Facebook to post images of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, said Mohammad Yaseen, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication’s Authority. Many Muslims regard depictions of the prophet, even favorable ones, as blasphemous. Yaseen said Facebook agreed to address Pakistan’s concerns about the competition, but officials have failed to get Twitter to do the same. A top court in Pakistan ordered a ban on Facebook in 2010 amid anger over a similar competition. The ban was lifted about two weeks later, after Facebook blocked the particular page in Pakistan. The Pakistani government said at the time that it would continue to monitor other major websites for anti-Islamic links and content.

Turkish PM arrives in Islamabad

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Accompanied by the First Lady and other delegation-members&sbquo; Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani. The Turkish Prime Minister will address the joint sitting of the Parliament on Monday. During his stay&sbquo; the Turkish PM will hold meetings with top leadership of Pakistan on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and expansion of cooperation in diverse fields. Both the countries are also expected to sign a number of agreements of cooperation.

Tax evasion not to be tolerated: Hafeez

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Federal Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has said that the elite class of the country is not ready to pay taxes, but next budget would seize their sweet dreams. Speaking to a pre-budget seminar under the aegis of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in Karachi, Federal Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh said the tax payers may take the sigh of relief but the tax evaders cannot escape for the long time. He said that the poor people really deserve for the relief. He stated that cheap electricity was the major problem of the country, adding that the government had not any source to produce electricity at compatible price, whereas a hefty subsidy of Rs 1,000 billion was given to the people but now the country cannot afford to provide electricity at cheaper rate than the production cost. He said he wants to implement General Sales Tax (GST) at uniform rate, but the parliament is not agreed on it. He said that all the additional taxes would be abolished gradually. There should be only income tax and GST in the country.  Federal Excise duty cannot be finished at once, but it would cease to end in next couple of years. The Finance Minister said the agricultural tax is implemented in the country but the provinces are not interested to collect it, however, after passage of 18th amendment, the federation has not any authority to impose or collect tax on agriculture income.  “The elections are near but some people think that next budget would be political. But I assure that there would not be any politics on the next budget. As it would professional budget, in the interest of the country”, Hafeez added. He said that the creating job opportunities and fulfilling the fiscal targets would be the silent feature of the next budget. The government did not increase the tax rate for the last three years and this time it would not be enhanced too. Efforts are being made to reduce the tax from poor and to simplify the taxation system. He said if the oil prices would not increase in international market, then Pakistan would be able to perform well on the economic front during next financial year. Due to efforts of the government, the total GDP growth remained 3.7 percent during current fiscal year, whereas the exports of the country raised to 29 percent and 50 percent increase was recorded in remittances resulting the foreign exchange has reached to 18.3 billion dollars. The finance minister told the audience that Pakistan has not taken a single penny from IMF since 2010, rather 800 million dollars had been repaid to it so far. He said that the country would not only has to create a balance between payments and collections to get rid of the issue of circular debts but also prevent the theft of electricity.

England snare Chanderpaul at last

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England finally dismissed Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 91 after another innings of brave defiance as West Indies reached 265 for six at tea on the fourth day of the first test on Sunday.   Chanderpaul was lbw to off-spinner Graeme Swann shortly before the interval, ending a knock lasting 383 minutes in which the limpet-like left-hander was at his resilient best.  The touring side were 110 runs ahead after an attritional afternoon session during which England also removed Marlon Samuels for 86 to end a fifth-wicket partnership of 157 with Chanderpaul.  Denesh Ramdin was unbeaten on 23 at the interval with Darren Sammy on four.  England s bowlers toiled without success under grey skies at Lord s in the morning, frustrated by the dogged Chanderpaul, the world s top-ranked batsman, and Samuels who eschewed his normal aggressive style to provide solid support for his more experienced partner.  Samuels was first to reach his fifty, made from 97 balls and including seven fours, and Chanderpaul passed the half-century mark for the second time in the match with an inside edge for four off Tim Bresnan.  Samuels welcomed Swann to the attack by cracking him through the covers for two boundaries and England caused few problems for the batsmen on a lifeless wicket.  The hosts finally broke through with the second new ball when Stuart Broad tempted Samuels into an indecisive stroke to a ball outside off stump and he edged a regulation catch to Swann at second slip.  Chanderpaul, who made an unbeaten 87 in the first innings, ground relentlessly on towards his 26th test century, however, and Ramdin proved a good foil with some neat strokes of his own.  But Swann struck with the first ball of his third spell, striking Chanderpaul on the pad as he tried to sweep and although the batsman appealed against the umpire s decision, television replays showed the ball would have hit his leg stump.  Chanderpaul faced 250 balls and hit 10 fours.

Deccan throw Bangalore out of IPL race

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Deccan Chargers shocked Royal Challengers Bangalore with a nine-run win in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal on Sunday. Now, this defeat ousted the Royal Challengers from the tournament and placed Chennai Super Kings in the last four. Chasing an easy target of 133, Bangalore could not resist against accurate bowling and alert fielding by Deccan and were restricted to 123 for nine in the allotted 20 overs. South African fast bowler Dale Steyn bagged three wickets for just eight runs and medium-pacer Ashish Reddy also took three for 25. The main scorers for Bangalore were Virat Kohli (42), Saurabh Tiwary (30) and West Indian Chris Gayle (27). Earlier, Bangalore captain Kohli won the toss and put Deccan into bat who made 132 for seven in 20 overs. South Africa’s Jean-Paul Duminy smashed 74 runs from 53 balls and struck five sixes and four boundaries. For Bangalore, seamers Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan captured three for 22 and two for 30, respectively. Pakistan’s premier sports tv channel Geo Super showed this low-scoring match live from Uppal, Hyderabad.

Djokovic, Nadal Rome final to be played today

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Heavy rain caused Sunday s eagerly anticipated Rome Masters final between defending champion Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to be postponed until Monday (today). "The conditions for play are not suitable. The final is postponed until Monday at 1200 (1000GMT)," said tournament director Sergio Palmieri. Earlier, the women s final had been interrupted for over two hours due to the rain before Maria Sharapova successfully defended her title by beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).

Sharapova beats Li to retain Italian Open title

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Maria Sharapova retained the Italian Open title on Sunday with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Li Na in a match dominated by wild swings of momentum and interrupted twice by rain. Li appeared to be on course for victory as she stormed into a 6-4, 4-0 lead but 24 unforced errors from the French Open champion allowed Sharapova to take the next six games and the set. Sharapova then seemed certain to cruise to victory when it began to drizzle. The Russian took a 4-1 lead in the third but Li fought back to win four successive games to take a 5-4 lead. Both held their serves the rest of the way and the match went into a tiebreak. After waiting in the changing rooms for two hours because of the rain, the decider was over in five minutes as Li hit into the tramlines, handing Sharapova victory in 2 hours, 52 minutes. Sharapova was ahead first in the match as Li hit the ball in the net to hand her the first break. However, Li broke straight back and did so again in the 11th game to take the set. Li was in control as she broke to love and raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set, at one stage taking 15 points out of 17 as Sharapova struggled to deal with the ferocity of her strokes. But the pressure seemed to get to Li and her game collapsed as Sharapova went on to win the next eight games. Li clawed her way back in when she got to 40-0 in the ninth game of the second set but Sharapova broke following a couple of unforced errors and two double faults and went on to successfully serve for the set. Li managed to come back and level the final set as the rain lashed down in Rome. The match was delayed briefly at 5-5 and the players waited courtside for it to ease up slightly before play resumed. Sharapova almost gifted the match to Li when an awful mistake saw her smash the ball into the net and hand her opponent a championship point. But Sharapova rescued it with a powerful forehand into the corner. With the rain continuing to pour down, the players were asked if they wanted to continue. Both said they did, but were eventually forced off court before the tiebreak with the torrential rain turning the clay to mud. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic will defend his title against Rafael Nadal in the men s final. The start has been delayed because of the rain.