Naveed’s father to take legal action against Meera

LAHORE: Pakistani American Raja Pervez, who is the father of actress Meera’s fiance, has decided to initiate legal action against the star for swindling him out of $400,000, and not handing over a house in the Defence area of Lahore he had bought from her.

According to family sources, Raja Pervez asked his lawyer on Tuesday to initiate legal action against the actress. He has also renounced Irtza Rubab, commonly known as Meera, as the fiance of his son Captain (retd) Naveed Pervez. Raja Pervez said he had entered into a deal with actress Meera to buy a furnished house No 164 in GG Block of DHA for Rs20 million from her. A deed was signed by him and Meera in this regard and it was decided that the actress would hand over the house to him in six months. Actress Meera received a Bank of New York pay order worth US$400,000 from Raja Pervez on Oct 14, 2009 and both sides agreed that Meera would deduct the price of her house from the pay order and return the remaining amount to Pervez after encashing it. Meera also sent a receipt, duly signed by herself and her mother Mrs Shafqat Zuhra Bukhari, to Raja Pervez after receiving the pay order. The pay order was deposited in Meera’s account titled Meera Enterprise in Al-Mashriq Bank of Dubai, and the amount was transferred to the account.

Raja Pervez said later on Meera neither hand him over the house nor returned the money, deposited in her account. Whenever she was asked for possession of the house, she used dillydallying tactics, and still one of her relatives was living in that house.

He said he had sent Meera a legal notice through his lawyer in this regard, but she did not respond to it. He said meanwhile Meera came to his house in the USA, but he did not ask her about the house possession as he was busy in the wedding ceremony of his daughter that day.

Raja Pervez said he would also contact Attique, who claims to be the husband of Meera, soon and extend him all help against Meera, and also seek his help. When he was asked why did he engage his son Naveed Pervez to Meera when the actress had deprived him of $400,000, he became emotional. He said his son was also repenting his decision of getting engaged to Meera after theft of his very costly wrest watch. He said his son purchased a diamond ring for Rs850,000 from a jewellery shop at MM Alam Road and gave it to Meera at the engagement ceremony. He said he had consulted his legal adviser and soon an FIR would be registered against Meera.

Imran Khan likens Zardari, Sharif to a couple of alligators

SHAHKOT: Calling President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N’s Mian Nawaz Sharif a couple of giant political alligators, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan Wednesday said that the latter only paid Rs5,000 tax in three years, Geo News reported.

Addressing a public gathering here, Khan said he was bent on liberating the country from the jaws of of Zardari and Sharif as they were 'Comrades in Corruption'.

“ They only play rivals on the outside, they are allies on the inside, all the cross-fire you see in public is an eyewash”, said a categorical Imran Khan.

He said Rs8 billion had gone to waste at the hands of rulers in the last four years.

Twentieth constitutional amendment was nothing but a deal between the government and the friendly opposition.

Condemning them for years of corruption, he dared both the leaders to stop PTI if they can.

Zawahiri hails 'shrinking' US influence

DUBAI: Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri hailed what he said is the "shrinking influence" of the United States across the world due to attacks it has sustained from extremist groups, in an audio message Wednesday.

"I congratulate you all as the US influence on the world is quickly shrinking," Zawahiri said in the 24-minute audio released on jihadist forums.

"One of the latest signs of this is the reduction in the US Defence Department's budget, which is the big event that forced (US President Barack) Obama to announce it himself so as to reduce its impact on the American people," he said.

"The crises that the United States has faced and which have forced it to reduce its defence budget were mainly due to Allah's help to the mujahedeen (holy fighters) in inflicting harm upon the evil empire of our time," he said.

On February 14, the Pentagon proposed a reduced defence budget for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks, finding savings in the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

The total budget of $671 billion was down from last year's request of $708 billion but the "base" budget -- excluding the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- represented a new record at $553 billion, according to figures released by the Pentagon.

Zawahiri said US troops were forced to withdraw from Iraq and will soon withdraw from Afghanistan, accepting "defeat" in both countries.

In Afghanistan, the United States has also "insisted on requesting negotiations with the Islamic Emirate (Taliban), which it used to consider a terrorist group that must be crushed," he said.

The Taliban said last month that they planned to set up a political office in Qatar ahead of possible formal talks with the United States. Afghan and US officials have said exploratory contacts are already underway.

To build confidence, Obama's administration has confirmed tentative talks with the Taliban on a possible transfer of five inmates from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar, and on potential local ceasefires with the militia.

The nascent dialogue comes as the United States and its allies prepare to draw down their combat troop presence and hand full control of Afghanistan's security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. (AFP)

Cricket: Gladiators crush Burners to win BPL title

DHAKA: Dhaka Gladiators won the Bangladesh Premier League 2012 title defeating Barisal Burners by eight wickets with 26 balls remaining in the final here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest total of 141 runs, the Gladiators made 144 for two in 15.4 overs after a big second wicket partnership of 110 runs between opener Imran Nazir and Anamul Haque.

Imran blasted 75 from 43 balls with six towering sixes and as many fours while Haque gave him good support with an unbeaten 49. He hit five fours and a six in his 38-ball innings.

Earlier, the Gladiators captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and put Barisal Burners into bat who made 140 for seven in the allotted 20 overs.

Barisal openers Ahmed Shahzad and Hodge gave a 43-run start before Shahzad was caught by Saeed Ajmal off Shahid Afridi for 28.

Then three quick wickets fell to Afridi and Saeed Ajmal and Barisal was on 49-3 in 6.2 overs.

However, Hodge repaired the Barisal innings holding one end as wickets were falling with regular intervals at the other end.

Hodge remained not out on 70 which he made off 51 balls with four towering sixes and as many fours.

Afridi finished on three for 23 while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan claimed two for 24 and Saeed Ajmal took one wicket.

Geo Super showed all matches of the BPL 2012 including today’s final live and exclusively from the venues.

Defence Committee directs spy agencies to work within limits

ISLAMABAD: The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Defence Wednesday directed the intelligence agencies to perform their due roles within their limits.

DG Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Balochistan Home Secretary briefed the committee regarding Balochistan situation.

The home secretary told the standing committee that a high-level committee, consisted of six commissioners and IG police, has been constituted for withdrawal of Baloch leaders’ cases.

DG IB stressed upon the monitoring of foreign NGOs. He said that various foreigners were active in the province under the cover of the NGOs.

He said that 643 on record foreigners were working in Balochistan province. DG IB told the committee that 10 missing persons of the province have been recovered.

The standing committee directed for the implementation of Aghaz-e- Huqooq-e-Balochsitan.

Govt hikes POL, CNG, electricity rates

ISLAMABAD: Government has once again raised the prices of petroleum products, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electricity, Geo News reported Wednesday.

According to the notification issued by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, the price of petrol has been raised by Rs2.75 per litre to Rs97.66 while the rate of diesel has been kept unchanged at Rs103.46 a litre.

The rate of light diesel has been ramped up by Rs3.08 per litre; Kerosene oil by Rs4.38 to Rs96.40 a litre and; the price of HOBC raised by Rs8.67 to Rs126.87 a litre.

The new rates will be applicable from 12:00 AM, March 1.

OGRA had estimated an increasing trend in international POL prices, as they had risen during February while the rupee had devalued against the dollar in the same period.

Meanwhile, the rate of CNG has been ratcheted up by Rs1.77 a kilogram.

Electricity tariff also been raised by 39 percent under fuel adjustment for the month August 2011.

The per unit increase of Rs3.39 has been approved and will be adjusted during the next billing cycle and it will not be applicable for KESC.

Iran offers Pakistan 80,000 barrels per day of oil: official

ISLAMABAD: Iran has offered 80,000 barrels per day of oil to Pakistan on a three-month deferred payment plan, an official in Islamabad said on Wednesday, in an attempt to soften the impact of Western sanctions and ease some of Pakistan's energy needs.

Tehran's offer comes a week after Pakistani officials revealed that Iran had asked to import a million tonnes of wheat in a barter deal, with the latest Western sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program disrupting critical food imports.

"It is only an initial offer of 80,000 barrels (per day) on deferred payment at the moment," Irfan Qazi, a spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, told Reuters.

"We don't know about the modalities or how it can be worked out yet. A delegation from the ministry will visit Iran in the middle of March to follow up on this offer."

Pakistan would import Iranian fertilizer and iron ore under that wheat proposal.

Energy-starved Pakistan is looking to increase its fuel imports to reduce power shortages that have crippled industry, prompted riots and shaved percentage points off its GDP growth.

The United States imposed the harshest in a series of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program on December 31, targeting institutions that deal with Iran's central bank or other blacklisted Iranian financial entities.

Countries with significant Iranian oil imports are voluntarily cutting down on such purchases to avoid penalties.

Tehran has dramatically widened its reach on international grain markets in February, using currencies other than dollars and euros as alternative trade finance, with dealers also reporting talk of barter deals involving oil and gold. (Reuters)

Mozilla goes after Android, Apple with cheaper phone pledge

BARCELONA: Mozilla, which brought the free web browser Firefox to the masses, now wants to do the same for mobile users, with a new open source operating system that could drastically slash smartphone prices.

The non-profit group's so-called Boot to Gecko project will go after Google's Android or Apple's iOS, to create an alternative which could generate smartphones that are "10 times cheaper" than an iPhone while offering similar experiences to those running on other platforms.

"We want to pioneer a category," Brendan Eich, who is Mozilla's chief technology officer, told AFP at the world's biggest mobile fair in Barcelona.

"We see the mobile world recreating the wall of gardens in the 1990s that AOL had," lamented Eich, referring to restrictions imposed by the Internet provider two decades ago.

Mozilla therefore wants to "disrupt" the closed system, and open it up to competition for greater innovation.

The idea is for a platform that is completely reliant on the web, meaning that all of the phones capabilities, including calls, messaging, and browsing functions, would be web-based.

Being on the web removes the need for much of the intermediary software that requires large memory or speedy processors - both of which are expensive.

As a result, it is able to cut costs dramatically.

The group has partnered with Telefonica on the project, with the Spanish giant aiming to ship phones running on the new OS this year. (AFP)

Foreign buyers offer lifeline at Milan Fashion Week

MILAN: International buyers have packed out the shows at Milan Fashion Week, offering a lifeline for an industry that is headed for another slump this year as Italy grinds through a painful recession.

"It's a more commercial market than New York or London," Ekaterina Moiseeva, commercial director for Russian fashion chain Bosco di Ciliegi, told in an interview as she took a break from the shows which wrapped up this week.

"Russian women pay a lot of attention to how they dress but most of them are not going to wear anything too eccentric or outlandish, which is why Milan is great," said the immaculately-dressed Moiseeva, a Milan regular.

"I can't get carried away buying pieces I love but which would not translate back to the woman on the street. Our clients aren't fashion victims, they are normal people who may not have the physique to pull off some looks," she added.

Italy's fashion industry is increasingly looking abroad as the sector is predicting a 5.2-percent drop in revenues this year, wiping out a recovery of 5.5 percent in 2011 after the slump seen in the global financial crisis.

Companies like Bosco di Ciliegi, which owns department stores and over 100 mono-brand stores across Russia, from Emporio Armani to D&G, are vital.

Moiseeva travels to Milan and Paris every year to watch catwalk shows and catch new trends, order outfits, woo clients and network at parties. (AFP)

Diamond at heart of royal upheavals up for sale

LONDON: A diamond coveted by kings, queens and princes for centuries, used to reinforce alliances between nations and pawned to pay off royal debts goes on sale at Sotheby's in Geneva on May 15.

The auction house called the "Beau Sancy" "one of the most important historic diamonds ever to come to auction," reflecting its part in the fluctuating fortunes of Europe's royal families for more than 400 years.

The stone, a 35-carat modified "pear double rose cut" diamond belonging to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia and head of the former ruling dynasty of the German empire, is expected to fetch $2-4 million.

"It's a stone that appeals to me greatly as a survivor of all those tumultuous events," said David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's jewelry in Europe and the Middle East.

"Stones from royal collections hardly ever appear at auction. In my career this is an absolute one-off," he told Reuters by telephone from New York.

Bennett, who sold a pink diamond for $46.2 million in 2010 which was a record for any jewel at auction, said estimating the value of a stone like the Beau Sancy was difficult given its rarity.

The diamond originated from the mines in India near Golconda and was acquired by Nicolas de Harlay, Lord of Sancy, in Constantinople in the 1500s, explaining its name.

In 1604 it was bought for 75,000 livres by French king Henry IV as a gift for his wife, Marie de Medici.

JEALOUS QUEEN?

According to Sotheby's, the queen had long coveted the stone, especially after learning that de Harlay had sold a larger diamond called the Sancy and now part of the Louvre Collection to King James I of England.

Henry IV was assassinated in 1610, and after years of rivalry between Marie and her son King Louis XIII, she was eventually exiled in disgrace.

She escaped to the Netherlands, and to settle her debts her possessions were sold, including the Beau Sancy which was acquired by Prince Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau for 80,000 florins, the largest expenditure in the state budget of 1641.

In the same year, the diamond was used as a sweetener to help seal the wedding of Frederick's son William to Mary Stuart, daughter of King Charles I of England.

Following Mary's death in 1660, the Beau Sancy was pawned to settle her debts, but in 1677 the stone reentered the Treasure of the House of Orange-Nassau following the wedding of William III to Mary II Stuart.

The couple ascended the throne of England in 1689, meaning the Beau Sancy entered the collection of the Queen of England, but since the couple had no children, the diamond returned to the Netherlands.

From there it moved to the Prussian monarchy in 1702, becoming the principal ornament of the new royal crown of Prussia, but its dramatic story did not end there.

The diamond remained in Berlin after the last king of Prussia fled to exile in November, 1918 at the end of World War One, and at the end of World War Two it was transferred to a bricked-up crypt for safe-keeping.

British troops found the stone and returned it to the estate of House of Prussia, where it has remained ever since.

Dhaka beat Khulna to reach BPL final

DHAKA: Dhaka Gladiators qualified for the final defeating Khulna Royal Bengals by nine runs in a high-scoring match of the Bangladesh Premier League here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday.

Dhaka Gladiators will meet Barisal Burners in the final, to be played on Wednesday.

Chasing a daunting target of 192, Khulna made 182-7 falling ten runs short despite a courageous batting display by captain Shakib Al Hasan who remained unbeaten on 87.

During a 41-ball innings, he struck nine boundaries and four towering sixes including two off the last balls of the match.

He was well supported by Nasir Hossain, who contributed 35.

For Dhaka, Elias Sunny took three wickets for 30.

Earlier, Dhaka batted first after winning the toss and amassed 191 for four in the allotted 20 overs.

Allrounder Azhar Mahmood top scored with 65 from 39 balls, hitting three sixes and six fours while Mohammad Ashraful was 47 not out and opener Imran Nazir made 41.

Geo Super showed the match live from Mirpur, Dhaka.

Senate ticket is not my fee: Aitzaz

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, counsel for Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in contempt of court case said I wanted all three who have signed the summary be summoned by the court, Geo News reported.

While talking to reporters after the hearing was adjourned for March 07, he said the Supreme Court (SC) has summoned Nargis Sethi as witness.

Former law minister Babar Awan and Secretary Law Muhammad Masood Chishti refused to appear as witnesses.

If the documents presented before the bench would be proven correct, there would be no need of Awan and Chishti to appear as witness. Prime minister's statement would be needed after the evidences.

Upon responding to the question regarding Senate ticket, he said I am a parliamentarian and wanted to go there again and the Senatorship is not my fee. I will remain in Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

16 killed in passenger bus ambush in Kohistan

MANSEHRA: At least 16 people were killed Tuesday when gunmen opened fire on a passenger bus in the district of Kohistan, police said.

The bus was stopped, before passengers were ordered off and shot in the mountainous district of Kohistan as it travelled from Rawalpindi, to the northern city of Gilgit.

The bus was carrying at least 25 passengers from Rawalpindi to Gilgit.

"Armed men hiding on both sides of the road attacked the bus," local police chief Mohammad Ilyas said.

The ambush happened near the town of Harban, 130 miles north of the capital Islamabad.

Syria walks out of UN human rights debate

GENEVA: Syria boycotted a UN debate on the human rights situation in the violence-wracked country on Tuesday, while its ally Russia urged Damascus to cooperate with efforts to allow in humanitarian aid.

Syria has seen 11 months of demonstrations against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and a military crackdown against a growing protest and rebel movement that has left more than 7,600 people dead, according to opposition activists.

Moscow, which triggered Western outrage by vetoing UN Security Council resolutions on the crisis, called on Damascus to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross as it tries to negotiate a daily two-hour ceasefire to help civilians caught up in the fighting.

Tuesday's meeting at the Human Rights Council in Geneva took place after Qatar, the European Union and the United States called for an urgent debate on the escalating crisis.

The Syrian representative to the United Nations, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, walked out of the meeting, telling the assembly: "We declare our withdrawal from this sterile discussion."

The session will continue on Thursday as more than 20 countries still have to address the HRC on Syria, the United Nations said.

A planned discussion on a resolution filed by Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey calling for "free and unimpeded access" for the United Nations and humanitarian agencies in Homs and other areas was also postponed to Thursday.

The Syrian envoy said the aim of the debate was to "fuel the flames of terrorism" in his country and that a simple measure to help the Syrian people would be "to stop inciting sectarianism and providing arms" and pitting the Syrian people against one another.

US ambassador to the HRC Eileen Donahoe said: "Anyone who heard the Syrian ambassador should be aware that his comments were borderline out of touch with reality."

Russia's deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov told the meeting: "It is important that the Syrian government cooperates with the ICRC" on the proposed humanitarian ceasefire.

Russia boycotted a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Tunis on Friday after arguing that its Arab and Western participants were unfairly blaming one side of an "internal conflict."

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said fighting must end so that help can be delivered to civilians caught up in regime blockades in the cities of Homs and Hama which have left them without food and water.

The UN rights chief said that since mid-February she had received reports of a "rapidly deteriorating" humanitarian situation and serious rights abuses, including a massive campaign of arrests by military and security forces.

An ICRC spokeswoman said Tuesday that aid got through to Homs and another city, Idlib, and was handed over to the Syrian Red Crescent but has not been distributed because of fighting.

The Syrian authorities have not replied to the appeal for humanitarian ceasefires, she added.

Pillay also reiterated her view that the situation in Syria should be referred to the International Criminal Court.

Before walking out of the debate, the Syrian envoy said he was not pretending that the human rights situation in his country was "perfect," acknowledging that services were lacking.

But he accused armed groups of attacking hospitals, health centres and ambulances. "We are convinced that the real aim (of the debate) is to cover up for the violence and murder perpetrated by armed groups against innocent civilians," he said.

France reacted to the Syrian walkout calling it "another illustration -- added to so many other dramatic examples -- of the Syrian regime's deliberate will to choose the option of violence and the pursuit of repression."

French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero added: "This will increase a bit more the isolation of the regime in Damascus."

The resolution set for discussion by the HRC calls on Assad's regime to "permit humanitarian agencies to deliver vital relief goods and services to civilians affected by the violence, especially in Homs, Deraa, Zabadani and other areas under siege by the Syrian security forces."

The draft document denounces "the lack of access to basic food, medicine and fuel, as well as threats and acts of violence to medical staff, patients and facilities, in some areas." (AFP)

Russia plans to invest $500mn in Pak Steel

KARACHI: Consul General of Russia Andey V. Demidov on Monday said Russia planned to allocate an amount of $500 million for up-gradation of Pakistan Steel Mills.

“Special agreements are also under way on construction of a South Asian Electricity Trade and Development Project named CASA-1000,” he said while speaking to a press conference at Karachi Press Club.

Referring to Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar successful visit to Moscow this month and President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit in May 2011, he said we hope that agreements reached during these visits would be materialized for the benefit of both countries.(PPI)

Cricket: Pakistan beaten by England in nail-biting finish

ABU DHABI: England bowlers kept their nerves in the final overs to pull off a sensational five run win over Pakistan in the third and final Twenty20 here on Monday to take the series 2-1.

Set 130 to win Pakistan were going along nicely at 107-4 with 23 needed off the last three overs and 17 off the remaining two but Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach did not lose courage and pulled off the win in the final over.

Broad dismissed a well set Umar Akmal (22) off the third ball of the penultimate over and gave away just four runs, leaving Jade Dernbach to defend 13 in the last, which he successfully did, removing Misbah-ul Haq (28) off the final delivery.

Dernbach finished with 2-24 and most importantly gave World Twenty20 champions an unexpected win.

Pakistan won the first match by eight runs while England won the second by 38 runs -- both played in Dubai.

Pakistan had lost opener Mohammad Hafeez for a second nought of the series but Awais Zia (23) and Shafiq added 40 for the second wickets before Zia was trapped leg-before by Graeme Swann and Shafiq was run out.

Captain Misbah and Umar Akmal added 37 for the fourth wickets and when it looked as if that would help Pakistan cross the line England pulled back with remarkable resilience.

With 13 needed off the final over Shahid Afridi took a couple before he was run out while taking a second off the next. The next three balls produced singles and a wide and with six needed off the final ball, Misbah was bowled.

Earlier off-spinner Saeed Ajmal finished with 4-23 -- his third four wicket haul in the shortest form of the game -- to restrict England to a modest 129-6 after they won the toss and batted.

Ajmal, who destroyed England in the preceding three-Test series with 24 wickets to help Pakistan to a 3-0 rout, put the brakes on his rival's progress.

Opener Kevin Pietersen top scored with 62 not out, keeping one end intact during his 52-ball knock for his seventh T20 fifty. He hit six boundaries and a six off the last ball of the innings.

Ajmal provided Pakistan with the breakthrough after England raced to 29 by the fifth over, dismissing Craig Kieswetter (17) off a lofted shot at long-on where Shoaib Malik took the catch.

Kieswetter had hit a four and six off paceman Umar Gul in the third over.

Pakistan had Ravi Bopara caught behind off paceman Aizaz Cheema for one and Eoin Morgan run out for nine before Ajmal accounted for Jonny Bairstow (three), Jos Butler (seven) and Samit Patel (16).

The match ended England's long tour of the United Arab Emirates where they lost the Tests but won the one-day series 4-0.(AFP)

PM Gilani announces civil award for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Monday announced a high civil award for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on winning Oscar Award for her documentary film.

The prime minister in a message felicitated Sharmeen on winning the first-ever Oscar award as a Pakistani on her documentary 'Saving Face', according to a Prime Minister House statement issued here.

Prime Minister Gilani appreciated Sharmeen Obaid for her hardwork and her creativity to highlight the topic of acid attacks on women through film-making.

He said the artists could act as a catalyst in bringing positive change in the society.

WikiLeaks publishes 'millions' of Stratfor emails

LONDON: Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks on Monday began publishing more than five million confidential emails from US-based
intelligence firm Stratfor, the anti-secrecy group said.

The messages, which date from between July 2004 and December 2011, will reveal Stratfor's "web of informers, pay-off structure, payment-laundering techniques and psychological methods," claimed a WikiLeaks press release.

"The material shows how a private intelligence agency works, and how they target individuals for their corporate and government clients," added the press release.

The online organisation claims to have proof of the firm's confidential links to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co. and Lockheed Martin and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is currently in Britain fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning on rape and sexual assault allegations, and WikiLeaks has long expressed concern that if he is sent to Sweden, Stockholm would quickly send him on to the United States.

Washington is eager to lay hands on the founder after the organisation's publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US diplomatic files. (AFP)

Russia averts plot to assassinate Putin

MOSCOW: Russia's secret service has arrested two men in connection with a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after the March 4 presidential elections, Channel One state television said Monday.

The station showed two men who said they were acting on the orders of Chechen warlord Doku Umarov. They said they prepared the attack in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa and were planning to carry it out in Moscow.

The station said three plotters came to Ukraine from the United Arab Emirates via Turkey with "clear instructions from representatives of Doku Umarov."

One of the men died in a blast in early January that prompted the investigation, the report said.

"They told us that first you come to Odessa and learn how to make bombs," the station showed a man identified as Ilya Pyanzin as saying.

"And then later, in Moscow, you will stage attacks against commercial objects, with the subsequent assassination attempt against Putin," the man said.

The state television footage, which was apparently shot in Ukraine, showed a video of Putin getting into his car being played on the laptop computer belonging to the second arrested man, identified as Adam Osmayev.

"This was done so that we had an understanding of how he was protected," Osmayev said.

"The end goal was to come to Moscow and to try to stage an assassination attempt against premier Putin," Osmayev said.

"The deadline was after the election of the Russian president," Osmayev said. (AFP)

Oscar red carpet heats up as stars arrive

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood's biggest fashion parade, the red carpet outside the Oscars, began heating up on Sunday afternoon ahead of the world's top film awards where silent movie "The Artist" is widely seen as the choice for best movie.

Early arrivals included "Artist" actress Berenice Bejo, who is nominated in a supporting role, in a mint green dress, "The Help" star Jessica Chastain in a stunning black gown embroidered in gold and "Descendants" actress Shailene Woodley in white.

Fans who had waited all day lined the red carpet in stadium seats to cheer their favorite stars including George Clooney and his girlfriend, Stacy Keibler. Photographers snapped thousands of pictures and television cameras rolled.

Tim Gunn, co-host of popular fashion TV show "Project Runway," called the Oscars' red carpet, "the runway to end all runways."

But it is later in the evening that the action really begins when comedian Billy Crystal, who returns as Oscar host for the ninth time, takes the stage and the awards begin to flow.

This year, "The Artist," a tale of old Hollywood that sees a fading star find redemption through the love of a woman just as silent movies are being taken over by talkies, is widely picked to take home best film by most industry pundits.

It comes into the night with 10 nominations, second only to Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" with 11. But most of the nods for "Hugo" are in technical categories like cinematography, whereas "The Artist" nominations are spread across several categories.

"It's unbeatable," said Dave Karger, movie writer for Entertainment Weekly magazine.

While it faces keen competition from civil rights drama "The Help," "The Artist" has come out on top in most award shows this year. Still, pundits point out that "The Help" did win best ensemble cast from the Screen Actors Guild, and actors make up the biggest group of Oscar voters.

The third movie that has had Hollywood buzzing this season is family drama "The Descendants," starring George Clooney as a man trying to keep his family together after his cheating wife is hospitalized in a coma. But "Descendants" has failed to spark Oscar voters, and its key win is seen as adapted screenplay.

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES

The category of best actress features a too-close-to-call race between Viola Davis playing a maid in "The Help" and Meryl Streep as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." Tom O'Neil of awards website Goldderby.com calls that race "neck and neck."

The best actor category sees American Clooney "Descendants" face Frenchman Jean Dujardin, star of "The Artist." For a long time, Clooney seemed to have the upper hand, but Dujardin has won most every time the two have been pitted against each other.

Supporting actor and actress appear locked for Christopher Plummer, playing an elderly gay man in "Beginners," and Octavia Spencer as one of the black maids in "The Help."

At age 82, Plummer would be the oldest Oscar winner ever, and if both Spencer and Davis are victorious, then it would be the first time two African American women have won those categories in the same year for the same movie.

The race for director is widely tipped to go to "The Artist" maker Michel Hazanavicius, but could see a surprise by "Hugo" and Scorsese, Woody Allen with "Midnight in Paris" or Alexander Payne and "The Descendants."

Finally, Iranian film "A Separation" goes up against Israel's "Footnote" in the category for foreign language film, bringing world politics into the movie industry awards. (Reuters)

Sony returns to smartphones with new models

BARCELONA: Sony Corp. declared a return to the smartphone business on Sunday, unveiling its first smartphones under the Sony brand, but warned the group's painful transition would not be as fast as rebranding.

Kazuo Hirai is due to formally take over as Sony CEO on April 1, replacing Howard Stringer. Hirai said that while some management changes had already been identified there was still a long way to go to "explain to everybody who's doing what."

"People have these lofty expectations that we're going to have all the answers to all the problems that plague the world on April 1," Hirai said in an interview at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress. "We're not going to have that."

The once-stellar consumer electronics brand is heading for what it has warned would be a much bigger-than-expected $2.9 billion annual loss, its fourth in a row.

The surge of red ink has put Hirai under intense pressure from investors and ratings agencies to quickly staunch losses at the sprawling electronics group.

Hirai was at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress to unveil two new Android-powered smartphones, Xperia P and Xperia U, carrying the Sony brand.

Sony completed the purchase of Ericsson's 50 percent stake in the Sony Ericsson joint venture on February 16, a deal originally announced last October.

The newly renamed Sony Mobile Communications is headed by Bert Nordberg, Sony Ericsson's chief executive from 2009.

While both Hirai and Nordberg stressed that their message to Barcelona was that Sony was back in the phone business, Hirai said that Sony Mobile Communications would be integrated within Sony as a whole.

"Sony Mobile Communications needs to work in lockstep with the rest of Sony Corp. It may be a separate corporate entity but the way in which we operate and work together needs to be transparent and seamless as if it were one organization," he said.

He pointed to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, the company responsible for the PlayStation and other gaming products, which remained a separate entity but was fully integrated when it came to discussing products and unifying the experience of users.

"That's the way I envision Sony Mobile Communications working as well," Hirai said.

He said work had already started on making that happen, but did not offer specifics.

Hirai said that he had identified four pillars that Sony would focus on, comprising the core businesses of digital imaging and gaming; marrying mobile devices with other Sony technologies, content and services; turning the struggling TV business around, and identifying new markets such as the medical business.

Both Hirai and Nordberg agreed Sony Ericsson had been hamstrung by having two equal partners, which had slowed down decision-making and getting products to market.

"50:50 was a problem ... I would never take a 50:50 job again," Nordberg told Reuters.

The priority now, Hirai said, was to have a portfolio of products and work with carriers to ensure they "get into the hands of users as quickly as possible."

"It's a very brutal industry and it moves very quickly," Nordberg said. "Every week is a new era in this industry and every competitor announces something, so it's a big, big race going on." (Reuters)

Cases against Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbyar Marri, Akhtar Mengal quashed

QUETTA: All the cases filed against Baloch leaders have been quashed, Geo News reported.

According to notification issued to Balochistan government as well as province’s IGP and Commissioner Quetta, cases lodged against Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbyar Marri, and Akhtar Mengal stand null & void.

Earlier, Federal Interior Minister, Rehman Malik had announced that government was set to put the exiled Baloch nationalist leaders off the hook so that they could return to Pakistan.

G20 to link bigger euro firewall to more IMF funds: official

MEXICO CITY: The eurozone will have to put in place a bigger financial firewall to combat the crisis before other countries will pour more cash into the IMF, the G20 top and developing economies said Sunday.

In a statement released after a meeting of the group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers here, the G20 said: "Euro area countries will reassess the strength of their support facilities in March.

"This will provide an essential input in our ongoing consideration to mobilize resources to the IMF."

Calls on the eurozone to boost their crisis-fighting war chest dominated the meeting here in Mexico City, with top officials such as US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner saying it was essential to prevent more fallout worldwide.

At a crunch two-day summit in Brussels starting on Thursday, EU leaders will debate whether to combine their current firewall, the EFSF, with a permanent pot due to come into effect in July.

This would give the debt-wracked 17-nation zone a total fund of some 750 billion euros ($1 trillion).

To add even more firepower, the eurozone has called on countries outside the bloc to bolster the IMF resources. IMF chief Christine Lagarde has said the fund needs an additional $500 billion.

"Progress on this strategy will be reviewed at the next minister meeting in April," the statement said.

Eurozone countries themselves have already committed 150 billion euros to the IMF in the hope of reassuring the markets they have the resources to tackle a re-emergence of the crisis.

But countries outside the zone, including the United States, Britain, Japan and China insisted at the G20 meeting here that the eurozone first puts its hand in its pocket.

Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne said a trade-off had to be made.

"We are prepared to consider IMF resources but only once we see the color of the eurozone money and we have not seen the color of the eurozone money," he told Sky News on the sidelines of the meeting.

However, the major sticking point to an increase in the eurozone firewall remained Germany -- the bloc's top economy and political powerhouse.

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble made no bones of Berlin's opposition to pouring in more cash to the pot, saying it "didn't make any economic sense."

Schaeuble also played down the chances of success at the March 1 and 2 summit saying that a decision on a strengthened firewall would be taken "in the course of March," recalling that "March runs from 1 to 31."

Nevertheless, he also noted that a decision in March would be "timely" given the IMF discussion on more resources a month later.

A senior G20 official said that Europe was carefully managing the sequence of steps needed to put in place all the building blocks for a total deal -- bigger eurozone fund plus more IMF funds -- that would finally douse the crisis.

And while piling on the pressure on Europe to sort out its problems, the G20 statement also heaped praised on policymakers for the measures already carried out, notably in crafting a second bailout package for recession-mired Greece.

"We welcome the important progress made by Europe in recent months to strengthen their fiscal positions, adopt measures to reduce financial stress... and to put Greece on a sustainable path," the statement said.

Nevertheless, while the crisis has abated in recent weeks, the G20 warned that "growth expectations for 2012 are moderate and downside risks continue to be high."

The statement said the top economies were "alert to the risks of higher oil prices and welcome the commitment by producing countries to continue to ensure adequate supply." (AFP)

Pakistani held in Bangladesh over spotfixing in BPL

DHAKA: A Pakistani has been questioned by police over his suspected involvement in spot-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 tournament, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official said on Sunday.

Karachi resident Sajid Khan arrived in Dhaka on Feb. 10 and hBCB security chief Mesbahuddin Serniabat said they had been watching him since the BPL's Chittagong phase from Feb. 18-22.

"His movement was very suspicious and we followed him from Chittagong," Serniabat said.

"We immediately took him to the visiting ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit official before handing him over to police."

Sajid made a call to Pakistan every time a six was struck while watching the game from a VIP area on top of a dressing room, Serniabat said. He also attempted to enter the players' zone on several occasions.

Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza alleged three weeks ago that he was approached by a former cricketer over spot-fixing. (Reuters)

System of governance needs to be changed: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI)Imran Khan on Sunday said that there is a need to change the system of governance.

Addressing an energy conference here, Imran Khan said that the police department should be depoliticized, adding that there should be no political interference in other institutions also.

He said that the energy crisis is a very big issue prevailing in the country due to which industries are suffering.

Khan added that the crisis is leading the country towards bankruptcy.

The PTI chief stressed upon long-term efforts to counter the energy crisis.

Imran said that the nation is still alive and always ready to render any sacrifices for the country. He said that the nation needs to get united for the change.

Arming Syria rebels could help Al-Qaeda: Clinton

WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned against the United States arming rebels in Syria because such a move could inadvertently lead to support for Al-Qaeda and Hamas.

Senior leaders of both groups -- which Washington classify as terrorist organizations -- have expressed their support for the loose-knit collection of Syrian rebels who have taken up arms against the regime of embattled President Bashar al-Assad.

US officials, too, have expressed backing for those intent on toppling Assad, and senior lawmakers including Senator John McCain have said it's time to consider arming the rebel groups.

Clinton poured cold water on such action.

"We really don't know who it is that would be armed," the top US diplomat told CBS News during a visit to Morocco, as she noted that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has expressed support for the Syrian rebels.

"Are we supporting Al-Qaeda in Syria?" she said. "Hamas is now supporting the opposition. Are we supporting Hamas in Syria?"

Clinton said she remains "incredibly sympathetic to the calls that somebody do something" about the crackdown that rights groups say has left more than 7,600 people dead.

"Sometimes, overturning brutal regimes takes time and costs lives. I wish it weren't so," she said.

"This is not Libya, where you had a base of operations in Benghazi, where you had people who were representing the entire opposition" to Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi, whose regime fell last year.

Clinton said US officials have met some leaders of the Syrian National Council, but they are not inside Syria proper.

"You're not going to bring tanks over the borders of Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. That's not going to happen."

She said she expected some groups would find ways to smuggle in automatic weapons, but delivering them effectively to rebel fronts would be difficult.

While the US and other Western powers have called on Assad to step down, Clinton said the Syrian strongman has "very, very strong friends, if you look at Russia, China and Iran, who are in there determined to keep Assad because he does their bidding, he buys their arms, he sells them oil."

Moscow and Beijing have vetoed two United Nations resolutions condemning Syria, which is Tehran's principal ally in the Middle East.

Clinton also appeared to signal to everyday Syrians that it was time to rise up against the regime.

"What about the people in Damascus, what about the people in Aleppo? Don't they know that their fellow Syrian men, women, and children are being slaughtered by their government? What are they going to do about it? When are they going to start pulling the props out from under this illegitimate regime?" (AFP)

Nepali villager, 72, declared world's shortest man

KATHMANDU: Home to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, the scenic country of Nepal on Sunday added another height-related superlative - of having the world's shortest man.

A Guinness World Records team measured Chandra Bahadur Dangi at 54.60 centimeters (21.5 inches), declaring the 72-year-old even shorter the previous title holder, Junrey Balawing, from the Philippines, who stood at 23.5 inches at the age of 18 last year.

"The good news is that Chandra Bahadur Dangi is the world's shortest living man," Guiness Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday told reporters after measurements were taken.

"If he is really 72 years old he is the oldest person to be awarded the shortest-man record," Glenday said, adding Dangi was also the shortest person ever measured by the Guinness World Records.

From a poor and uneducated family in a remote part of Nepal, Dangi said he had never heard of Mount Everest and was unaware of the world record title before a timber merchant visited his remote village last month and decided to measure him.

His diminutive size has since made him a celebrity in the impoverished nation of 26.6 million people and he took a plane for the first time last week to travel from his village, Rimkholi, 267 km (167 miles) west of Kathmandu, to meet the Guiness World Records officials in the capital.

"I am good. I feel happy," Dangi said holding two framed certificates. "I want to travel around the world and spread the name of my country."

Dangi, whose parents died when he was still in his teens, lives with his brother with, he said, no desire to marry.

His family has no idea when he stopped growing as many Nepali villages still lack basic health care. Dangi has never seen a doctor in his life. Five of his brothers and two sisters are of normal size.

Dangi mostly stays at home, needing assistance to move around, preparing head straps used by villagers to carry loads.

Before Balawing, who was declared the shortest man in the world in June last year, another Nepali man, Khagnedra Thapa Magar, who stood 26.4 inches tall, held the title. (Reuters)

Social networks getting a bit less social: poll

WASHINGTON: Users of online social network sites such as Facebook are editing their pages and tightening their privacy settings to protect their reputations in the age of digital sharing, according to a new survey.

About two-thirds, or 63 percent, of social networking site (SNS) users questioned in the Pew Research Center poll said they had deleted people from their "friends" lists, up from 56 percent in 2009.

Another 44 percent said they had deleted comments that others have made on their profiles, up from 36 percent two years before.

Users also have become more likely to remove their names from photos that were tagged to identify them. Thirty-seven percent of profile owners have done that, up from 30 percent in 2009, the survey showed.

"Over time, as social networking sites have become a mainstream communications channel in everyday life, profile owners have become more active managers of their profiles and the content that is posted by others in their networks," the report said.

The Pew report also touches on the privacy settings people use for their SNS profiles. The issue of online privacy has drawn increasing concerns from consumers, and the Obama administration has called for a "privacy bill of rights" that would give users more control over their data.

Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed said their main profile was set to be private so that only friends can see it.

Another 19 percent said they had set their profile to partially private so that friends of friends can see it. Only 20 percent have made their profile completely public.

The report was based on telephone survey of 2,277 adults in April and May 2011 as part of Pew's project on the Internet and American life. (Reuters)

Berkshire identifies Buffett successor, not by name

NEW YORK: Warren Buffett told investors on Saturday the Berkshire Hathaway board has identified his successor, easing some shareholder concern about the future of the company once the famed 81-year-old investor steps down as chief executive.

Buffett did not disclose who the next CEO will be in his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders. But he began the dispatch with the succession topic, one that's been a huge issue for shareholders for years.

He then delved into familiar Buffett themes - namely his continued appetite for deals, his preference for stocks over treasuries and gold, and his bullish view on the U.S. economy.

The Omaha, Nebraska, company has said little about who would step in for the "Oracle of Omaha" and the letter contained the most information to date: Buffett made clear there is a chosen replacement for him now rather than a list from which the board could pick.

"Your Board is equally enthusiastic about my successor as CEO, an individual to whom they have had a great deal of exposure and whose managerial and human qualities they admire," he said, adding there were two backup candidates as well.

One Berkshire investor said the nugget of extra clarity was a huge relief, adding he was particularly pleased the issue was addressed at the outset of the letter.

"I think the succession issue is a very big box to be checked off for Berkshire shareholders and maybe even future holders," said David Rolfe, chief investment officer of Wedgewood Partners and manager of the RiverPark/Wedgewood Fund.

While Buffett is in his 80s, he is known to be in good health and has made clear he does not plan to step down from running the company any time soon. But another shareholder said he thinks the level of detail in Saturday's letter signals a change could be coming.

"One could chalk up the explicit details of succession plans as being prudent, but in my opinion I don't think they would have been this explicit about succession unless there was some two- or three-year plan to step down," said Michael Yoshikami, CEO and founder of Destination Wealth Management.

Famous for a poor diet that relies heavily on beef, Buffett joked in the letter that he could consume another 12 million calories before death.

Buffett also retold the tale of one-time business partner Rose Blumkin, who sold Buffett a stake in the Nebraska Furniture Mart when she was 89 but continued working until she was 103.

"After retiring, she died the next year, a sequence I point out to any other Berkshire manager who even thinks of retiring," Buffett wrote.

Buffett, who has been at the helm of Berkshire for 47 years, controls a conglomerate that employs more than 270,000 people worldwide in dozens of businesses ranging from railroads and electric utilities to ice cream and underwear.

JAIN OR PLAN B?

Though the successor's name is not known, the most common guess among Berkshire watchers is Ajit Jain, who runs Berkshire's reinsurance business. As usual, Buffett and his partner, Charlie Munger, lavished praise for him in the letter.

"Charlie would gladly trade me for a second Ajit. Alas, there is none," Buffett said.

In addition to Jain, four other names crop up in speculation on a successor: Burlington Northern chief Matthew Rose, Geico auto insurance boss Tony Nicely, utility company MidAmerican's Greg Abel and reinsurer General Re's chief Tad Montross.

All four are known to have Buffett's admiration, though none are as heavily favored as Jain. Yoshikami said he still thinks Jain is the choice; Wedgewood's Rolfe, however, said Jain's more limited experience may be a drawback.

He said the best candidate would be "the guy who knows the culture and would least affect the underlying business and I think that'd be Nicely."

One name that was conspicuously absent from the letter, though, was David Sokol.

Once one of Buffett's star lieutenants and long presumed to be his successor, Sokol left Berkshire last year amid questions of improper stock trading.

The episode prompted inquiries from securities regulators and was a major black mark on Buffett's track record, but there was no mention at all in his summation of the year.

One investor who has held Berkshire shares for more than 25 years said one can never assume the "choice" of a new CEO is actually final.

"I don't think that there's ever a final checkoff of succession issues. Warren's approach over the years has been to retain the option to select the best person," said Thomas A. Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner, one of Berkshire's 10-largest institutional Class A shareholders.

INVESTMENT SUCCESSION CLEARER

The other part of Berkshire's succession plan - who will run its huge investment portfolio when Buffett is gone - is much clearer. The company has hired two investment managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, each running or soon to run nearly $2 billion in assets.

Buffett said in the letter that Combs and Weschler would be capable of running Berkshire's investment portfolio after Buffett is gone. There had been speculation Berkshire might add a third manager down the line.

"Each will be handling a few billion dollars in 2012, but they have the brains, judgment and character to manage our entire portfolio when Charlie and I are no longer running Berkshire," Buffett said.

Combs and Weschler have made a few notable bets already, among them a large stake in satellite broadcaster DirecTV and a more recent position in content company Liberty Media.

Buffett later added that the two would likely help the new CEO make acquisitions down the line.

'ON THE PROWL'

Merger activity was Buffett's major theme in last year's letter, in which he famously said he had a loaded elephant gun to hunt for big deals and an itchy trigger finger.

He satisfied that itch a number of times, most notably spending $9 billion to buy chemical company Lubrizol, $5 billion to backstop Bank of America with preferred shares and $11 billion to become the largest shareholder of IBM.

Buffett noted Saturday he is not done buying, saying Berkshire would like to make large deals to add to operating earnings.

"My task is clear, and I'm on the prowl," he said.

Berkshire ended 2011 with $37.3 billion in cash on hand, even though profits fell in the most recent quarter.

Buffett also said Berkshire would keep making investments in things like solar and wind energy at MidAmerican, as well as in equities and other assets with some sort of output.

He took the chance in the letter, as he often has in the past, to cast doubt on bonds, commodities and currencies as investment opportunities.

"My own preference - and you knew this was coming - is our third category: investment in productive assets, whether businesses, farms, or real estate," Buffett said. (Reuters)

Cricket: Pacer Mohammad Amir returns home

LAHORE: Convicted fast bowler Mohammad Amir has returned home after serving a three-month term at the young offenders institute in Weymouth on spotfixing charges, Geo News reported.

After his arrival at the airport, he refused to talk to media and sped towards his home.

His British lawyer has also accompanied him to Pakistan.

Sources say she was here to appeal against a 5-year ban slapped on the teen cricket star by the ICC.

Amir was released from the jail at the start of this month and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) handed over his passport to his solicitor three days ago.

The 19-year-old Amir was found guilty in a scandal that rocked the cricket world in 2010. Amir, and fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif along with captain Salman Butt took bribes from bookie Mazhar Majeed to bowl no-balls in a Test match against England at Lord’s.

Spanish treasure lands after 200 years

MADRID: Coins worth nearly half a billion dollars finally arrived in Spain on Saturday after lying in a sunken warship for more than 200 years and following a five-year legal battle between the Spanish government and a salvage company.

The Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a 49-gun navy frigate, set sail from the coast of Peru - then a colony of Spain - with coins to help replenish the Spanish treasury's coffers.

In 1804, British warships attacked as the frigate was approaching the Spanish port of Cadiz and the ship went down, with 249 killed, a Spanish government website said.

On Saturday, Spanish military aircraft landed at the Torrejon air force base near Madrid bearing 594,000 gold and silver coins recovered from the wreck by U.S.-based Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007.

Spain had argued in court that it, not the salvage company, was the rightful owner of the cargo and the ship, and a U.S. judge ordered on February 17 that the coins be returned from Florida.

The company said it would abide by the ruling, although a spokeswoman said it "flies in the face of all legal precedent.

"This a victory for Spain and the United States," lawyer Jose Maria Lancho, who advised the Spanish government in its action against Odyssey, told Reuters.

"For Spain, this sunken ship, this archaeological site, is still a warship and we still have jurisdiction over what has happened to it."

The Spanish government plans to restore, conserve and catalogue the contents of the 17-tonne cargo, which it estimates to be worth 373 million euros ($496 million).

Several cities are vying to put the coins on show, but the culture minister said no decision had yet been taken. Spain has not said where it will keep the coins in the meantime, for security reasons.

While the treasure is now in Spain, there is still legal action pending.

Spanish news agency EFE reported the Peruvian government planned to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to claim part of the cargo.

And Malaga-based marine archaeology company Nerea, which Lancho also works with, has been asking a Spanish court to bring charges against Odyssey of damage to cultural heritage, damage to archaeological sites and trafficking in archaeological heritage.

Local media citing Spanish government sources reported part of the ship's cargo was still in Gibraltar, a British-administered territory in southern Spain whose sovereignty is disputed by the Spanish government.

"We are in touch with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As yet, we do not have any confirmation that any of the ship's contents are in Gibraltar," a British Embassy spokesman said in Madrid. (Reuters)

US drone crashes in North Waristan

MIRANSHAH: A US drone crashed in North Waziristan near the Afghan border late Saturday, officials said.

The unmanned reconnaissance aircraft came down in the mountainous Machikhel area about 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan region, which is frequently targeted by drone strikes against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants, military and security officials said.

"A US drone crashed, apparently due to some technical fault," a military official in the northwestern city of Peshawar told AFP.

Security officials in the region confirmed the crash saying it fell in the mountains.

The crash site has been surrounded by militants, one security official said, refusing to confirm claims by some Taliban that the drone was shot down by insurgents.

Militants had taken away parts of the wreckage, a security official said.

President Barack Obama last month confirmed for the first time that US drones target Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants on Pakistani soil, but American officials do not discuss details of the covert programme.

At least 13 militants were killed in two drone attacks on February 16 in North Waziristan and a week earlier Badar Mansoor, described as the "de facto leader of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan" was killed in a missile strike, also in North Waziristan.

The United States says Pakistan's tribal belt provides sanctuary to Taliban fighting in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda groups plotting attacks on the West, and Pakistani Taliban who routinely bomb Pakistan, and other foreign fighters.

The US strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani public, who see the attacks as a violation of sovereignty and who blame the government's US alliance for much of the violence plaguing the country.

US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks in late 2010 showed that Pakistan's civilian and military leaders privately supported the attacks, despite public condemnation. According to an AFP tally, 45 US missile strikes were reported in Pakistan's tribal belt in 2009, the year Obama took office, 101 in 2010 and 64 in 2011.

The programme has dramatically increased as the Obama administration looks to withdraw all foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. (AFP)

Days of landlords are numbered, says Imran Khan

UMERKOT: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan Saturday pledged the people of Umerkot that he will bring them out of the control of the landlords.

Addressing a rally here, Imran Khan said that days of landlords are numbered, who make people their slaves.

He said that the cruel system where the poor man is sent to jail, while the one who loots the country becomes the president, would be put to an end by the PTI.

PTI Chief slammed PPP and PML-N, saying that Zardari and Nawaz leagues are not political parties but ‘mafias’. He said they both are on same page in looting money.

He said that his party would bring new system of justice based upon local government.

94 people killed in Syria on Saturday

NICOSIA: Violence in Syria on Saturday left 94 people dead, including 68 civilians, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths included 24 civilians who died in the besieged city of Homs while eight others were killed in the area around the town.

Twenty-three members of the regime's forces were killed across the country in clashes with army deserters siding with the rebels.

Seven others were killed in the region around Alep, eight in Hama region, 10 in Idlib region and 11 in Deraa region. Three army deserters were believed to have died in Alep and Deraa. (AFP)

Brent pushes above $125 on Iran tensions

NEW YORK: Brent crude prices pushed above $125 a barrel on Friday and headed for a fifth straight weekly gain on heightened concerns over tensions with Iran and cuts in supply.

News that Iran has sharply stepped up its controversial uranium enrichment efforts, in a report from the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency, pushed both Brent and U.S. crude to intraday peaks.

"The IAEA report caused this pop up," said Dan Flynn, analyst at PFGBest Research in Chicago.

Brent April crude rose $1.63 to $125.25 by 1:11 p.m. EST (1811 GMT), having reached $125.32, the highest intraday price since May 2.

U.S. April crude rose $1.47 to $109.30, having hit a high of $109.36, and up a seventh straight session, the longest string of gains since a 10-day stretch starting in late December 2009 and extending into January 2010.

Oil markets had already been reacting to fears about supply from Iran after Tehran said on Sunday it has stopped selling crude to British and French companies.

Other European buyers have cut back on purchases from Iran ahead of a European Union embargo on imports of Iran's oil effective July 1 and some of Iran's biggest customers in Asia including China have also reduced purchases.

"The supportive factors are on the supply side - Iran and Iran and Iran, with a bit of Syria and Sudan," said Christopher Bellew, a broker at Jefferies Bache in London. "It would not be at these numbers if it was not for the supply-side problems."

Saudi Arabia increased exports sharply in the past week and was offering extra supplies to its biggest customers worldwide in what industry sources said appeared to be a bid to tame rising crude prices.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said there was a case to tap the nation's strategic petroleum reserve in some circumstances.

Last summer, the Obama administration joined other Western nations to release a total of 60 million barrels of oil in response to supply disruptions in Libya.

Crude futures' recent rally has pushed a closely watched technical indicator, the relative strength index, above 70 for both Brent and U.S. crude. A reading above 70 is considered a signal of an overbought condition by technical traders, and a possible headwind for the current rally.

Brent's premium to U.S. crude CL-LCO1=R weakened to below $15 a barrel intraday, but recovered back to near $16.

Inventories at Cushing, the delivery point for the U.S. light sweet crude contract, fell last week. The Brent/U.S. crude spread had widened to more than $20 earlier in the month on rising stocks in the U.S. Midwest.

Crude trading volumes were tepid, with Brent turnover 32 percent and U.S. volume 35 percent under their respective 30-day averages just after the noon hour in New York.

A drop in new U.S. single-family home sales in January was not seen as supportive, though an upward revision to the prior months' data and a drop in the supply of properties on the market soothed the disappointment.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment edged up in February to the highest in a year, also helping offset investor worry about the slip in new home sales.

U.S. stocks were little changed, hovering around highs not seen since June 2008, while energy shares gained alongside crude oil prices. (Reuters) 

Obama wants 'every tool available' to stop Syria killing

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said Friday he wants "every tool available" to stop the "slaughter" of civilians in Syria, as he backed an international meeting on the crisis.

Obama, speaking at the White House, said he was "encouraged by the international unity" displayed at a meeting on Syria in Tunisia, with more than 60 foreign ministers gathering to increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime has launched a deadly crackdown against opponents.

"We're going to continue to keep the pressure up and look for every tool available to prevent the slaughter of innocents in Syria," Obama told reporters.

"It's important that we're not bystanders during these extraordinary events," he said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attending the first meeting of the "Friends of Syria" in Tunisia on Friday, warned that Assad would pay a "heavy cost" for ignoring the will of the international community after almost a year of brutal crackdowns on protesters.

"The Assad regime has ignored every warning, squandered every opportunity, and broken every agreement," she said. "Faced with determined protesters demanding their rights and their dignity, the regime is creating an appalling humanitarian disaster."

Clinton also announced $10 million in aid for humanitarian efforts in Syria.

The Assad regime's "escalating violence in Syria is an affront to the international community, a threat to regional security, and a grave violation of universal human rights," said Clinton.

More than 7,600 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad's rule erupted last March, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

At least 39 more people were killed Friday as the ministers met in Tunisia, two days before Syrians vote on a new constitution that could end 50 years of Baath Party rule though keep wide powers with the president.

Tunisia called for an Arab peacekeeping force to be sent in to help end the killings, and for Assad to be granted immunity to persuade him to stand down.

The group called for the Assad regime to "immediately cease all violence" to allow humanitarian access and "committed to take steps to apply and enforce restrictions and sanctions on the regime."

In the first sign that growing pressure might be having an effect, Red Cross and Red Crescent ambulances entered the besieged Homs district of Baba Amr and evacuated seven Syrians wounded in bombardment by regime forces.

But the ambulances had not yet evacuated two wounded Western journalists and the bodies of two others. (AFP) 

Cricket: Sylhet’s first BPL win, stuns Rajshahi

DHAKA: Sylhet Royals at last won its first match in the Bangledesh Premier League when it surprisingly defeated Duronto Rajshahi by a big margin of nine wickets here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Friday.

Chasing 125 to win, wicketkeeper batsman from Pakistan kamran Akmal guided Sylhet to complete his team’s first victory in the tournament in only 16.3 overs.

He remained unbeaten on 72, providing an opening stand of 52 with Peter Trego (24) and an unbeaten second wicket partnership of 72 with Tom Maynard (22 not out).

Earlier, Rajshahi sent into bat by Sylhet, was restricted to 124 for nine in the 20 overs.

Pakistan opener Shahzaib Hasan was the top-scorer with 54 while only two other batsmen Abdul Razzaq (21) and Khalid Latif (14), both also from Pakistan managed to enter into double figures.

Paceman Sohail Tanvir, also from Pakistan, captured four wickets for 13 while Abul Hasan took three wickets.

The match was telecast live by Geo Super

'The Artist' shines at French film awards

PARIS: Silent movie "The Artist" shone at home on Friday, netting best film and a string of other awards at France's annual Cesars, held two days before the Oscars in which the black-and-white film is a top favourite.

Michel Hazanavicius won both best film and best director for his tribute to Hollywood's golden age, about a silent movie star struggling after the arrival of the "talkies", at the 37th Cesars ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris.

His partner the actress Berenice Bejo was visibly moved to accept the best actress Cesar for her part as an up-and-coming starlet in the movie, two days before competing for the best supporting actress Oscar in Hollywood.

"The Artist" also picked up best score for the 1920s and 30s-inspired soundtrack by composer Ludovic Bource, as well as best set design and best cinematography.

Already crowned with awards at the Golden Globes, the British BAFTAS and the Spanish Goyas, the film is contending for a whopping 10 Oscars at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Film lead Jean Dujardin, acclaimed for his role as a fading silent film star, left the Cesars empty handed but heads to Hollywood this weekend with a chance to become the first Frenchman to win a best actor Oscar.

French cinema has had a bumper year both artistically and commercially, with a whopping 215.6 million cinema tickets sold last year in the country of 65 million.

Omar Sy, co-star of "Intouchables" (Untouchables), a box office hit about a quadriplegic aristocrat and his home-help from the melting-pot Paris suburbs, was named best actor.

Rewarded for his role as a wisecracking male nurse in the feel-good comedy, Sy becomes the first black actor to scoop a Cesar since the French answer to the Oscars was created in 1976.

By comparison five African-American actors and one actress have picked up an Academy Award, starting with Sidney Poitier in 1963. Twenty five have been nominated including Viola Davis, running for best actress Sunday for "The Help".
Based on a true story, "Intouchables" stars Francois Cluzet as a wealthy quadriplegic whose life is turned upside down when he hires a young black man, played by Sy, just out of prison to take care of him.

One of the most successful films in French history with 19 million viewers, the surprise hit from Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache made a star of Sy, in a country where nearly all the leading film thespians are white.

The actor, who comes from the gritty Paris surburb of Trappes and made a name in a comedy series on television, said prior to the ceremony that skin colour was not a central issue for him.

But he has also admitted having to turn down roles that would have typecast him as a thug or petty criminal.

The Weinstein company has bought an option for the film's US remake rights -- but it received an extremely frosty reception from several US reviewers including Variety which slammed it as racist.

Sy's character "is treated as nothing but a performing monkey... entertaining the master while embodying all the usual stereotypes about class and race," wrote the magazine in a vitriolic review. (AFP)

Heartless thieves pick lovers' padlocks in Germany

BERLIN: German police caught two thieves breaking open "lovers' padlocks" attached to a bridge over the Rhine River in the city of Cologne.

The pair were cutting padlocks, left by amorous couples to symbolize their eternal love, off a railing on the Hohenzollern Bridge presumably to sell as scrap metal, police said.

"I spotted two men on the other side of the bridge tampering with the lovers' padlocks, so I called for back-up straight away," a police officer said. The men tried to escape with their loot after spotting police but were apprehended on the bridge.

Police discovered over 50 padlocks along with lock cutters in a trolley suitcase, wheeled along by the men. The pair will appear in court on charges of property damage, police said.

Love-struck couples have been fastening padlocks to railings of bridges, engraving them with their initials or adding a few sentimental words and then tossing the keys into the rivers below to symbolize their eternal love. (Reuters) 

Milan lags behind in fashion's Internet revolution

MILAN: With social network sites and smartphone apps making rapid inroads into the fashion world, observers say Italy risks falling behind even as its luxury brands feel the pain from the economic crisis.

"Milan is always really ahead of everyone in fashion but behind everyone in technology," fashion blogger Olga Rink said outside the Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week, as she took pictures of leggy models in goth-style outfits.

"I'm sure they will catch up eventually, but this isn't New York. Milan is slow, graceful. People here take their time," she said.

One of the must-have iPhone applications at the New York and London shows -- Fashion GPS Radar -- is only just starting up in Milan.

The app allows users to register for events and check in with a personal barcode and already has around 6,500 members.

"In Italy, they all prefer paper invitations," said Jennifer Jann, director of global marketing at the New York-based firm.

Salvo Testa, a professor in fashion management at Milan's Bocconi University, said Italy's top brands were catching up.

"They may have been slow to realise it, but social networks and blogs are now the biggest area of investment," Testa told AFP.

"Videos are being increasingly used to create a strong emotional link with the brand in a more viral and cheaper way than standard advertising."

In a nod to progressively high-tech generations, Prada this month released a clip called "Folding In Love" simulating a videogame in which a pair of sunglasses races through different galaxies before finding its soulmate.

And in a bizarre homage to the passion Miuccia Prada's creations can evoke in women, Miu Miu released a short film entitled "The Woman Dress", in which an unnerving Sapphic ritual transforms a drowned woman into a blood-red dress.

The high-fashion world has embraced the Internet and hundreds of thousands of fans of the biggest names in the business can now book front-row seats for catwalks online and order the latest outfits long before they reach the shops.

"The revolution has made it to the heart of the industry, brands now see the Internet as a powerful way to reach millions and build a loyal 'one-to-one' following," said Testa.

Online videos take viewers into the backstage world of the catwalks, while celebrities are captured wearing the latest creations and fans on Facebook are offered exclusive deals on designer perfumes or the soundtracks from shows.

"The models are in fittings. The invites sent. There's just one last thing to do. Take your virtual seat," Gucci told its 300,000 Twitter followers and six million Facebook fans before its show on Wednesday.

As brands increase their profile on social networks and chat forums, exploiting the "Internet word of mouth" phenomenon in expanding markets such as China, fashion fiends post photographs of their favourite pieces on blogs.

On up-and-coming websites such as Pinterest, bloggers build up dedicated followers of the latest fads, seeking to decide what to purchase where.

In a report on digital luxury last November, Italy's trade association Altagamma said blogs and social media are now setting trends more than fashion critics, with 50 percent of consumers using them for advice before buying.

Those wanting to get their hands on cutting-edge designs head to luxury fashion websites such as Net-a-Porter, mywardrobe.com and Gilt, which has flash sales offering 50 to 70 percent off high-end brands exclusively for members.

"Sales for luxury are growing through businesses like Net-a-Porter which offer luxury services. But to succeed in e-commerce they have to offer a little bit more," said Isabel Cavill, luxury expert with Planet Retail research group.

Moda Operandi, an online service founded by a former Gilt executive and a Vogue editor, allows members to purchase pieces from catwalk collections before they hit the shops and a year after its launch is now opening up to the public.

Testa said: "Fashion and luxury have finally left the 'Hall of Fame' of catwalks, celebrities and top journalists to build up relationships with real consumers." (AFP)