Blast in Swabi: ANP candidate office targeted

SWABI:  A parked car was damaged in an explosion in Mohallah Nazar Khel Maal Lara near Swabi city on the hujra of an Awami National Party (ANP) candidate on Friday. A police official said they reached the site around 5pm, immediately after the explosion. Reports suggest that unknown militants had planted a small...

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President Zardari casts his vote by post

ISLAMABAD:  President Asif Ali Zardari has cast his vote through the postal ballot system ahead of Saturday’s landmark general election, his spokesperson confirmed. “Yes he has cast his vote through a postal ballot,” presidency spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said. The postal balloting system was introduced...

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Saudi Arabia warns illegals will face jail after July 3

The Saudi government warned on Friday that illegal foreign workers risk being slapped with prison sentences and fines after a three-month grace period runs out on July 3. Additionally, employers or those who shelter illegal workers will be liable to up to two years in prison, the interior and labour ministries said in...

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Security fears: Indian government urges Pakistan to cancel Ajmer Sharif visits

ISLAMABAD:  Indian government on Friday said that it cannot guarantee security for Pakistani travellers visiting Ajmer Sharif on Friday, Express News reported. A handout by the foreign ministry read that the Indian Deputy High Commissioner had communicated to Pakistan about security concerns...

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Imran Khan gains in Pakistan, haggling over government expected

ISLAMABAD:  Former Pakistan cricket star Imran Khan’s party was enjoying a late surge of support on Friday, the eve of a landmark election, raising the prospect of a fragmented parliament that could lead to weeks of haggling to form a coalition government. The failure of other parties to capture a commanding lead...

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Opportunity but risk for US as Pakistan votes

WASHINGTON:  After years of crisis, Pakistan’s election offers a window for the United States to try to reset the relationship, but Washington could face hard choices if the next leader allies with right-wing politicians. Experts believe the fundamental calculus of the United States will remain unchanged whatever...

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Cricket: Kirsten set to quit as South Africa coach

JOHANNESBURG:  Gary Kirsten will not renew his contract as South Africa coach when it expires at the end of July, the national cricket body said Friday. Kirsten, who guided hosts India to the 2011 ICC World Cup title, signed a two-year contract with the Proteas the same year, and had the option of a two-year renewal. However,...

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US balks at Japan sanctions over child abductions

WASHINGTON:  The US State Department called Thursday for Japan to take action on child abductions but rejected lawmakers’ calls to threaten sanctions to force action on one of the allies’ few open disputes. Hundreds of non-Japanese parents, mostly men from the United States and elsewhere, have lost access to their...

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Boston police chief not warned about Tsarnaevs

WASHINGTON:  Boston’s top cop said Thursday his department was not briefed on a Russian intelligence warning about alleged bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev ahead of last month’s devastating marathon blasts. Russian authorities had alerted the FBI in 2011 that Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen and legal US resident who authorities...

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Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia hope to see a 'Naya Pakistan'

RIYADH:  Saudi Arabia, the oil rich country with an estimated population of 16 million people, has around 9 million registered expatriates, 1.5 million of which are Pakistanis who are anxious about which way the elections swing on May 11. Expats are fed up with the situation in their native land and are looking...

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Miracle survivor pulled from Bangladesh ruins

SAVAR:  A woman was pulled alive Friday from the ruins of a garment factory complex in Bangladesh more than 16 days after it collapsed and killed over 1,000 people, live television footage showed. The miraculous rescue came shortly after emergency officials announced that the woman called Reshmi had been located...

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Gillani brothers are right in demanding election suspension: Javed Hashmi

MULTAN:  A day after former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son was abducted by armed men in Multan, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf president Javed Hashmi has supported calls to postpone elections in that constituency. Ali Haider Gillani was kidnapped from Multan on Thursday May 9 by unknown armed men while...

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MQM-Haqiqi candidate killed in Landhi

KARACHI:  An independent candidate Shakil Ahmed, previously linked to the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), was killed in a shoot out with another group in Landhi area,Express News reported on Friday. Ahmed was provincial assembly candidate standing for PS-95 constituency situated in Orangi Town. Earlier on...

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ECP volte face: Mobile services no longer suspended in Sindh

KARACHI:  The notification to suspend mobile services across Sindh just ahead of the elections has been taken back, Express News reported.   The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had earlier issued a notice saying mobile services will remain suspended across the province from 7pm tonight...

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