Clinton lauds Pakistan’s Qaeda crackdown

 WASHINGTON: Lauding Pakistan’s crackdown on al Qaeda, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday said that Washington and Islamabad would work together for peace and security in Afghanistan as she also recognized the need to stem militants’ use of safe havens on the Afghan side for attacks against Pakistan.

Clinton, who led a high-level delegation for talks with top Pakistani political and military leaders this week for “intensive” discussions, said in a US TV channel interview that an level of mutual understanding between two allies is improving.


“We are very clear. We need to do two things together. We need to squeeze the terrorist networks, including the Haqqani network, out of their safe havens, preventing them from being able to plan and carry out attacks across the border.

“And we have to, on the Afghan side of the border, squeeze and eliminate safe havens of those who move back and forth and use safe havens in Afghanistan to attack Pakistan,” she said.

Islamabad has been for months asking the US-led international forces stationed in Afghanistan to stop Afghan-based militants from using safe havens in that country for attacks inside Pakistan.

Secondly, Clinton added in the interview, “we have to have a very firm commitment to an Afghan-led reconciliation peace process.”

“We are about 90-95 percent in agreement between the United States and Pakistan about the means of our moving toward what are our commonly shared goals and we have a work plan and real commitment to making sure we are as effective as possible together,” she told the channel’s State of the Union programme.

The chief US diplomat, who issued some tough statements ahead of her visit to Islamabad this week, also openly acknowledged the effectiveness of Pakistan’s cooperation against al-Qaeda militant organization.

“The cooperation on security that we have received over the past years from Pakistan has been absolutely essential in our efforts to defeat and disrupt the al-Qaeda network.”
The Pakistanis, she noted, themselves have suffered enormously as a result of their military actions against the terrorist networks and of course that has not only been only military losses but civilians to a total of about 30,000 over the last decade.

Nusrat joins ZA Bhutto in Gardhi Khuda Bux today

LARKANA: Preparations are underway in Gardhi Khuda Bux for the burial of Late Begum Nusrat Bhutto who died in Dubai on Sunday, Geo News reported.

She will be laid to rest next to her husband Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, former prime minister and the founder of the Pakistan People’s Party.

Extraordinary security measures have been taken for the funeral. For now the mausoleum has been closed for the public.

According to city administration her body will reach her last resting place around noon.

Nusrat Bhutto who all her life stood by her late husband in the thick and thin of his volatile political career will be lying next to him for eternity along with her beloved children Mohrarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and Mir Murtaza Bhutto.

Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur and provincial minister for local government Aga Siraj Durrani visited the Bhuttos family graveyard to look into preparations.

Sacrificial animals in Lahore ‘Bakra Mandi awaiting buyers

LAHORE: Sacrificial animals for sale have started arriving in the old ‘Bakra Mandi’ in the city here, but the buyers’ zeal is not seen yet, Geo News reported.

There is a ban on bringing sacrificial animals to the ‘animals Mandi’ located on Bandar Road here, however sacrificial animals in large number are brought in here every year.

District Administration has announced setting up seven sale points outside the city here, where the concerned towns have been directed to set these ‘Mandis’ by October 25, but no activity is still seen at these sale points in this regard. 

Shahrukh and Kareena promote Ra One

 MUMBAI: Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor enthralled the audience as they promoted their upcoming film 'Ra One' by dancing to the tunes of the movie's popular numbers 'Chammak Challo' and 'Criminal'. 

Hundreds of audience gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars at an event in Mumbai.

Khan and Kapoor enticed the audience and distributed the film's merchandise such as tennis caps.

"I think she has been one of the biggest strengths in the film," said Khan.

Khan was all praise for the child actor Armaan Verma who essays the role of his son, Prateek Subramanium in the movie.

The story of Ra One revolves around Khan, who plays the lead protagonist, turning into a superhero in order to fulfill his son's expectations.

The movie takes a turn when Khan's character designs a videogame that has an impact on the lives of the characters, in both negative and positive ways.

Besides Khan and Kapoor, actors Dalip Tahil, Satish Shah and Shahana Goswami also essay key roles in the thrilling movie.

The music of the film is composed by musician duo Vishal-Shekhar.

The action-packed science-fiction film, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is slated for October 26 release. (Reuters) 

Begum Nusrat Bhutto passes away

 DUBAI: Wife of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Begum Nusrat Bhutto died after protracted illness in Dubai on Sunday, Geo News reported. She was 82.

Nusrat Bhutto was born on March 23, 1929, in Esfahan, Iran. She comes from the wealthy Hariri Esfahani family of Iran. She married Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1951.

She is also the mother of the late PPP chairman and former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Nusrat Bhutto had also suffered from cancer and was based in Dubai.

President Asif Ali Zardari, on getting the tragic news, headed for Dubai on emergency basis.

Earthquake hits eastern Turkey

Earthquake hits southeastern Turkey with many reported dead

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 shook southeastern Turkey on Sunday, Turkey's Kandilli Observatory said, triggering the collapse of buildings and killing many people, according to a local mayor.

State-run media reported 50 people had been injured, while the prime minister's office said the earthquake had caused a loss of life and damage. No figures were available on the death toll.

"A lot of buildings collapsed, many people killed, but we don't know the number. We are waiting for emergency help, its very urgent," Zulfukar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis district, which was hit badly, told the news broadcaster NTV.

"We need tents urgently and rescue teams. We don't have any ambulances, and we only have one hospital. We have many killed and injured," he said.

Emergency teams were trying to rescue people believed to be trapped in a building in Van, near the Iranian border, state-run news agency Anatolian said. It said 50 injured people had been taken to hospital in Van, but did not give details on how serious their injuries were.

The Kandilli Observatory said the earthquake struck at 1041 GMT and was 5 km (3 miles) deep. The U.S. Geological Survey earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.6.

Television pictures showed damaged buildings and vehicles, crushed under falling masonry, and panicked residents wandering in the streets.

Turkish media said phone lines and electricity had been cut off. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was heading to Van to see the damage, media reported.

Aftershocks continued after the initial quake, whose epicenter was at the village of Tabanli, north of Van city, the agency said.

In Hakkari, a town around 100 km (60 miles) south of the city of Van in southeastern Turkey, a building could be felt swaying for around 10 seconds during the quake.

There was no immediate sign of any casualties or damage in Hakkari, around two and half hours drive through the mountains from Van, around 20 km from the epicenter.

Major geological faultlines cross Turkey and small earthquakes are a near daily occurrence. Two large quakes in 1999 killed more than 20,000 people in northwest Turkey.

Two people were killed and 79 injured in May when an earthquake shook Simav in northwest Turkey.

GADDAFI'S BODY: Video of ex-Libya leader's corpse

The end of the line for the U.S. in Iraq

Clues to Gaddafi's death concealed from public view

Libyan forces guarding Muammar Gaddafi's body in a cold storage room let in members of the public to view the deposed leader for a second day on Saturday, but the wounds that may hold the clue to how he died were covered up.

Gaddafi's body lay on a mattress on the floor of the cold room, as it did Friday when hundreds of members of the public filed in to see for themselves that the man who ruled Libya for 42 years was dead.

But unlike the previous day, Gaddafi's body was covered by a blanket that left only his head exposed, hiding the bruises on his torso and scratch marks on his chest that had earlier been visible.

And, crucially, a Reuters reporter who viewed the body said, Gaddafi's head had been turned to the left. That meant a bullet hole that earlier could be seen on the left side of his face, just in front of his ear, could no longer be seen.

Guards overseeing Gaddafi's body handed out green surgical masks to dozens of people filing in to take a look because of the stench of rotting flesh filling the room.

The bullet hole in Gaddafi's head, and the other wounds, could help solve the riddle of whether, as Libya's new rulers said, he was shot in crossfire in a battle or, as some accounts suggest, he was killed by the fighters who caught him.

A local military commander in the city of Misrata, where the forces which captured him took his body, said "over-enthusiastic" fighters took matters into their own hands when they came face to face with the man they despise.

"We wanted to keep him alive but the young guys, things went out of control," he said speaking on condition of anonymity.

Few people in Libya -- where thousands of people, including civilians, were killed by Gaddafi's forces in the seven-month rebellion -- say they are troubled by the manner of his death.

But if he was indeed killed by his captors, it will cast doubt on the promises by Libya's new rulers to respect human rights and prevent reprisals. It would also embarrass Western governments which gave their wholehearted backing to the NTC.

CAPTURED ALIVE, DEAD SHORTLY LATER

The dramatic minutes leading up to Gaddafi's death were chaotic, violent and gruesome -- as testified by the grainy mobile phone footage seen by the world of the former leader, bloodied and dazed, being dragged along by NTC fighters.

Gaddafi was still alive when he was captured hiding in a storm drain outside his hometown of Sirte, but he already had blood streaming down the side of his face and a wound close to his left ear very shortly after he had been seized.

Government fighters hauled him onto the bonnet of a Toyota pick-up truck with the intention, one of them said, of getting him through the crowd of fellow fighters and to an ambulance parked about 500 meters (546.8 yards) away.

Gaddafi can be heard in one video saying "God forbids this" several times as slaps from the crowd rain down on his head.

"This is for Misrata, you dog," said one man slapping him.

"Do you know right from wrong?" Gaddafi says.

"Shut up you dog," someone replies as more blows rain down.

Misrata, one of the heartlands of the anti-Gaddafi rebellion, suffered months of siege and artillery bombardment at the hands of his forces.

Another video shows Gaddafi being heaved off the bonnet of the truck and dragged toward a car, then pulled down by his hair. "Keep him alive, keep him alive!" someone shouts.

Another man in the crowd lets out a high-pitched hysterical scream. Gaddafi then goes out of view and gunshots ring out. One of the fighters present said Gaddafi was in a bad way but alive when he was put in the ambulance.

Yet the ambulance driver, Ali Jaghdoun, said Gaddafi was dead when he picked him up and he then drove the body to the city of Misrata. "I didn't try to revive him because he was already dead," Jaghdoun said.

In other video footage obtained by Reuters a convoy of vehicles is seen speeding along a desert road, horns blaring and men shouting "We have Muammar! It's Muammar!."

In later footage the convoy slows to a halt. Fighters rush to an ambulance shouting that Gaddafi is dead. In the back of the vehicle a body lies with a bandage over a wound on its upper abdomen, matching the spot where a bullet hole was seen on Gaddafi's torso after the body was put on display in Misrata. The head is covered with a white sheet, but a man beside it raises it briefly affording a glimpse of the former ruler's face.

A young man appears beside the ambulance, a bearded man beside him shouts out:

"He's the killer. And I am the witness who saw him."

The young fighter exclaims excitedly:

"We found him in a hole. He had somebody with him inside it."

Grinning and brandishing a handgun, the man is feted and embraced by fighters.

"This is the guy who killed Gaddafi. Using this, you see," the man with the beard shouts, holding up the young man's hand in which he has a gun.

"He did it in front of me. I saw it in front of me."

The new footage does not make clear whether Gaddafi died of wounds sustained before he was put into the ambulance or whether he suffered wounds while in the vehicle.

A journalist at the scene confirmed Gaddafi had a head wound before he was put into the ambulance.

WOUNDS STITCHED UP

In the cold store in Misrata, the body of one of Gaddafi's sons, Mo'tassim, had been moved from another location elsewhere in Misrata and placed next to his dead father.

The circumstances leading to the death of Mo'tassim, his father's national security adviser who was also captured in Sirte, are similarly murky.

A Reuters reporter was shown a one-minute segment of mobile phone footage in which a man, who resembled Mo'tassim, was squatting in a room. He was stripped to the waist, and smoking a cigarette. He did not appear badly wounded.

Someone could be heard telling him repeatedly: "Say Allahu Akbar, say Allahu Akbar." The phrase, which means "God is greatest," is a favorite mantra of the anti-Gaddafi fighters.

At some point after that, he died. When a Reuters reporter saw his body Thursday evening, it was laid out in a private house in Misrata. Wounds to his jaw and part of his neck were visible.

Saturday in the cold store, Mo'tassim's body was covered up to the neck with a blanket. The wounds to his jaw and neck had been stitched up.

Later in the day, the body of a third man, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr, was brought in and placed on a stretcher between Gaddafi and his son.

Head of Gaddafi's armed forces, by then just a handful of troops, Jabr was captured in Sirte alongside his leader. A bandage was tied under his chin and looped over the top of his head.

Bullet wounds could be seen to his chest and the top of his left arm. A Reuters reporter who was able to get close to the body said she could see gunpowder residue around the wounds -- which is often consistent with being shot at close range.

The people queueing outside the cold store, waiting to view the bodies, did not seem concerned about how their former leader and his entourage died.

Two Filipino nurses filed in to take pictures. Children were among the few dozen people waiting outside for their turn.

Abdullah al-Senussi, a man with a white beard, was so frail he had to be supported by people on either side of him as he made his way to the cold store.

"We wanted to know if it was true or not," he said. "We wanted to see him."

Two men arrived waving airline tickets, saying they needed to jump the queue to see Gaddafi or they would miss their flights.

Asked if it would not have been better for Gaddafi to stand trial, Abdulatif, a pilot waiting in line, said: "What would he tell the mother whose children were killed or the girls who were raped?"

"If he lived and was killed a thousand times, that would still only be a trifle."

Gaddafi family demands body; NATO ends Libya war

NATO called an end to its air war in Libya, and the clan of Muammar Gaddafi demanded a chance to bury the body that lay on display in a meat locker after a death as brutal and chaotic as his 42-year rule.

in a statement on a Syria-based pro-Gaddafi television station, the ousted dictator's family asked for the bodies of Gaddafi, his son Mo'tassim, and others who were killed on Thursday by fighters who overran his hometown Sirte.

"We call on the UN, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Amnesty International to force the Transitional Council to hand over the martyrs' bodies to our tribe in Sirte and to allow them to perform their burial ceremony in accordance with Islamic customs and rules," the statement said.

At an understated and sparsely-attended news conference late on Friday, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the Western alliance had taken a preliminary decision to call a halt to Operation Unified Protector on October 31.

Like other Western officials, Rasmussen expressed no regrets in public about the gruesome death of the deposed Libyan dictator, who was captured alive by the forces of the National Transitional Council but was brought dead to a hospital.

"We mounted a complex operation with unprecedented speed and conducted it with the greatest of care," Rasmussen said. "I'm very proud of what we have achieved."

The NATO operation, officially intended to protect civilians, effectively ended on Thursday with French warplanes blasting Gaddafi's convoy as he and others tried to escape a final stand in Sirte.

Gaddafi was captured wounded but alive hiding in a drain under a road. The world has since seen grainy film of him being roughed up by his captors while he pleads with them to respect his rights.

NTC officials have said Gaddafi later died of wounds in the ambulance, but the ambulance driver, Ali Jaghdoun, told Reuters that Gaddafi was already dead when he picked up the body.

"I didn't try to revive him because he was already dead," Jaghdoun said, in testimony that adds greater weight to the widespread assumption that Gaddafi was lynched.

The U.N. human rights arm said an investigation was needed to into whether he was summarily executed. The interim leaders have yet to decide what to do with the corpse.

BURIAL DISPUTE

In Misrata, a local commander, Addul-Salam Eleiwa, showed off the body, torso bare, on a mattress inside a metal-lined cold-store by a market on Friday. There was a bullet hole in his head.

"He will get his rights, like any Muslim. His body will be washed and treated with dignity. I expect he will be buried in a Muslim cemetery within 24 hours," he said.

Dozens of people, many with cellphone cameras, filed in to see that he was dead.

"There's something in our hearts we want to get out," said Abdullah al-Suweisi, 30, as he waited. "It is the injustice of 40 years. There is hatred inside. We want to see him."

In Tripoli, Gaddafi's death prompted a carnival-like celebration, with fireworks, a bouncy castle and candy floss for the children. "Muammar, bad," one small girl said to foreign journalists in English. "Boom boom."

"For some people from outside Libya it could look wrong that we are celebrating a death with our children," said one man with a child on his shoulders. "But it was 42 years with the devil.

video of Gadhafi the end

Gadhafi was looks-conscious until the end

Brilliant Djokovic shatters Nadal to win US Open

NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic shrugged off a back scare to defeat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1 to clinch the US Open on Monday, his third Grand Slam title of the year in an epic, brutal final.

The world number one Serb, who had already won the Australian Open before defeating Nadal at Wimbledon, racked up his 64th win against just two losses all year.

But having been just two points from the title in the 12th game of the third set, his dreams were almost shattered when he dropped the set on a tiebreaker and needed a medical time-out on a strained back muscle.

Victory represented the top-seeded, 24-year-old's fourth career Grand Slam trophy after making his breakthrough at the 2008 Australian Open.

Nadal, the second seed, had been hoping to collect his 11th major in his 14th Grand Slam final, but instead slumped to his sixth defeat in six meetings in 2011 against Djokovic.

The red-hot Serb who triumphed in a four-hour, 10-minute final featuring breathtaking shot-making, rock-solid defence, gruelling rallies as well as warnings for both men for taking too long between points.

Victory also allowed Djokovic, now just the sixth man to win three Grand Slams in the same year, to close in further on John McEnroe's 1984 winning record of 82 wins against just three defeats.

Djokovic arrived on court sporting a New York fire department baseball cap, a gesture appreciated by the 23,000 crowd, just a day after the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Despite the tricky, swirling breeze, Nadal was quickly on top, breaking for a 2-0 lead before the Serb hit straight back for 2-1.

Djokovic fought off three more break points in the fourth game and the Spaniard was made to pay when impressive court coverage allowed the Serb to bury a deep forehand to break for a 3-2 advantage.

A hold and another break, aided by two drop shots which left the struggling Nadal stranded at the back of the court, had Djokovic 5-2 ahead.

The Serb comfortably wrapped up the opener in the eighth game -- his six game in succession -- when the second seed netted a backhand as Djokovic again closed in for a volley.

In a carbon copy of the first set, Nadal was 2-0 ahead in the next before a marathon third game, which last just over 17 minutes and two exhausting rallies of 21 and 27 shots, was claimed by Djokovic on a sixth break point.

He did it in real style, too, three times retrieving the ball from the back of the court before Nadal netted a volley.

The Spaniard was becoming increasingly irritated with his inability to sneak away from his opponent as well as constant movement in the stands.

Djokovic held comfortably before breaking a weary Nadal when the Spaniard served a third double fault after a fifth game which featured another punishing rally of 28 shots.

Nadal avoided a double break in the seventh game and his sudden, new injection of confidence pushed him to even the set at 4-4.

But it was another brief respite as back came the Serb with his sixth break of the final for 5-4 which was converted into a two-set lead when Nadal was made to look uncharacteristically heavy-footed as he fruitlessly tried to chase down a blistering Djokovic forehand winner.

In a rollercoaster third set, Djokovic broke for 2-1, Nadal hit back for 2-2, the Serb broke again for 3-2 before Nadal levelled again for 3-3.

Another lengthy rally, this time 31 shots, punctuated the eighth game where Djokovic saved a break point.

The Serb then nipped to 6-5 on his 20th break point of the final and was just two points from the title at 30-30 when Nadal hit back to take the set to the tiebreaker through which he cruised 7/3.

Djokovic then summoned the trainer for treatment on his back strain, but incredibly still managed to break for 2-0 and then 5-1 as Nadal's spirit suddenly wilted under a sustained barrage.

A razor-sharp backhand set-up match point and the title was his with a sweeping, killer forehand

Leila Lopes of Angola is crowned Miss Universe

 SAO PAULO: Newly crowned Miss Universe Leila Lopes hopes her victory will allow her to assist her native Angola further escape its history of war and impoverishment and said she plans to focus on combatting HIV around the globe.

Speaking in a timid voice early Tuesday shortly after taking the crown in South America's largest city, the 25-year-old Lopes said that "as Miss Angola I've already done a lot to help my people."

"I've worked with various social causes. I work with poor kids, I work in the fight against HIV. I work to protect the elderly and I have to do everything that my country needs," she said. "I think now as Miss Universe I will be able to do much more."

Responding to questions, Lopes said that she has never had cosmetic surgery of any kind and that her three tips for beauty were to get a lot of sleep, use sun block even when it's not sunny and to drink lots of water. She said her smile was her best weapon in the competition.

Asked about racism in light of the fact that she's one of the few blacks ever crowned Miss Universe, Lopes said that "any racist needs to seek help. It's not normal in the 21st century to think in that way."

Lopes is Angola's first winner. She beat out 88 other competitors to win the title during the 60th anniversary of the world's biggest beauty pageant. She replaces last year's winner, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.

She deftly handled the interview question that is asked of the remaining top five contestants. She was questioned about what physical trait she would change if she could.

"Thank God I'm very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn't change a thing," Lopes said. "I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life."

The first runner-up was 23-year-old Olesia Stefanko of Ukraine and the second runner-up was Priscila Machado of Brazil. The third was Miss Philippines and the fourth Miss China.

Contestants spent the past three weeks in Sao Paulo, trying to learn samba dance steps, visiting impoverished children and kicking a football around for cameras as the Miss Universe pageant came to Brazil for the first time.

Despite battling against a home country favorite, Lopes won over the audience, speaking in the shared language of Portuguese. Angola, like Brazil, is a former Portuguese colony.

"She captivated the crowd and we were all behind her," said Brazilian Natalie Bursztyn, 20, who was in the crowd inside Credicard Hall where the event took place. "It was great that the judges also saw what the fans saw and gave her the crown. Her dress was beautiful and she knew exactly what to say when they asked her the question about her looks."

Another fan in the audience, Carolina Rocha, said Lopes' win was "well deserved, we were cheering for her all along. Her smile and her friendliness was what set her apart from the others. She also answered her question very well, that likely helped her a lot."

US broadcast journalist Connie Chung was one of the celebrity judges, and said before the competition that she was taking the contest seriously.

"I know my job and I'll be tough, but fair," Chung said. "You have to keep in mind that these women are not objects just to be looked at. They're to be taken seriously. I want to choose somebody I take seriously and the world takes seriously, too."

Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe organization, was hyped for the night.

"It's our 60th anniversary, it's a very big show," she said. "We're anticipating close to a billion viewers from around the world."

Shugart said it was fitting the globe's biggest beauty pageant be held in Brazil at this time, as the nation prepares to host some major events in the coming years.

"I don't think there is any doubt in the rest of the world's mind that Brazil is the place, between hosting the Olympics and hosting the World Cup," she said. "I love the fact we're going to kick it off. I always say we're the 'World Cup' of beauty."

The contestants must never have been married or had children and must be at least 18 years of age and under 27 years of age by Feb. 1 of the competition year.

The pageant, hosted by NBC "Today" anchor Natalie Morales and the Bravo network's Andy Cohen, was broadcastr live on NBC and distributed to about 170 countries. The contest is co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC, and the celebrity judges included Chung and two prominent Brazilians, supermodel Isabeli Fontana and Indy race car driver Helio Castroneves.

Morales, who is half Brazilian, said that "what's most important is for the women to be beautiful inside and out."

For Cohen, the task of hosting was an easy one.

"It's a fun job. All I have to do is stand there, smile and scream the names of countries," he said.

Sharply dressed women and men jostled for chances to have their photos taken with stars on the red carpet. Some traveled from across the globe to support contestants.

Jehona Dreshaj, 17, arrived from Kosovo to cheer on her sister, Aferdita Dreshaj, who is representing the European country.

"It doesn't really matter the outcome, she is already a winner in our eye and we are so proud of her," she said. "This has been an incredible experience for her and for all of us. It's great for her to be representing our country in an event like this"

There have been no headline-grabbing gaffes going into this year's competition, as opposed to past years that have seen controversies of various stripes. The show itself went off without a hitch.

Some of the contestants have complained to the local news media about the size of bikinis used in some photo shoots, with Miss Mexico Karin Ontiveros saying they were "very small."

That was enough to draw chuckles in Brazil, where women from all walks of life, not just beauty queens, sport barely there swimwear on beaches throughout the country.

Miss USA Alyssa Campanella, from California, failed to end a long losing spell for the US in the competition. An American has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.

The pageant started as a local bathing suit revue in Long Beach, California, organized by a swimwear company.

Designer Storage Furniture

Is this courtly sofa, a comfortable seating space or a trunk, or a repository of unused items? A decade ago, such a piece of furniture may have shocked the buyers now it only throws impressive surprises. The current concept in the market is that the beauty of the furniture lies in its discretion and what is more than meets the eye. This multi functional furniture is there to meet the discerning homeowner's need for drawing multiple uses from one piece, especially for more storage other than the regular drawers and cupboards to store items. Here are some of them that defy the conventions: 

The swanky and seemingly innocuous sofas may allow you to sink in deep but hidden beneath their weighty cushions is a trunk to put away those redundant items. Especially those that may not come in your use for the time being.

The doobie armchairs with removable seats can bank the toys and children stuff. And their semi detachable arm pads can hold the stationary items that keep nomading everywhere.

Minimalist stools and seats with their sleekly details and the traditional trestle benches presenting a comfy seating solution, can also store a bunchful of garden gadgets and tools.

Your conversation piece- that skirted coffee table with carrying drawers or sliding baskets beneath the tabletop can case magazines, napkins, towels and culinary stuff.

Similarly, the elegantly curvaceous ottomans with hinged tops that comfort you with the tufted foot room, can also be used to keep the shoe brushes, polishes etc.

The plush, low hung comfy beds having pullout drawers retreated under it can pile up the bed sheets, out of season clothing and in some cases crockery too.

Also, the stylish laminated iron stand with a hinged door that opens up to offer a stunning storage space for your laundry items, can be tucked by the sides to camouflage it and save the interior space.

Even, the T.V armoires can provide an excellent storage space to stash any extra stuff like old CDs and DVDs that may be lying around the home.
Even though, the market is not abound with this furniture, custom made is always a ready option. This furniture, boasting designer looks and catering to your storage needs without screaming out its multiple usage does not dent your budget but is available with the price difference ranging over a few thousands depending on the material used. Sofa sets range from 35000-75000, armchairs from 10,000- 15000, iron stands from 3000-7000, coffee table from 15000- 25000, ottomans around 5000-8000. Hence enjoy the luxury of your designer furniture that allows you to live grand.

Sleep to shed off Pounds!!

People who make an effort to lose weight by reducing the number of calories intake in their food can also, now have another shining (sleeping)amour as their weapon- a sound night sleep. There is a new research at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that shows how sleep deprivation leads to weight gain, not by increasing the appetite, but by slacking the metabolism. Though, few of the American doctors have shown their reservation about this study.

Uppsala University in Sweden report reveals that getting enough slumber can just help implement your wish of shedding off pounds, Reuters report. The researcher, Christian Benedict reported that as small as one night sleep deprivation can seriously reduce the energy levels in a healthy person. This suggests that, sleep is imperative for the daily burning of calories in a body.

Former studies have shown a direct link between the sleep deprivation and weight gain and suggested that less sleep markedly bears upon the stress hormones level and appetite. In order to substantiate the idea that sleep disorder affects the weight of a person, the researchers carried out a test on 14 college age boys. According to this research the boys were divided in to two main groups, those having disturbed sleeping patterns and those having regular one. The metabolic rate and the quantity of food taken were the two parameters to judge on.

It was fully contrived that sleep deprivation for only one night decreased renal metabolism the following morning. This resulted in an energy lapse for different activities from 5 to 20 percent also marred by increased levels of the hormones, which influence hunger along with stress hormones. And since the man is affected by hormonal fluctuations so he eats less during the day.

Despite all these researches, there is a dearth of proof that there is some direct relationship between the two factors. Sleep Disorders Center, Sanford Auerbach,at Boston Medical Center, acknowledged that sleep is a complex phenomenon affected by several elements. He reckoned that sleep disorder may causes physiological changes that apparently lead to obesity but it is short on evidences.

Though the facts may be less to prove it with finalities, but they are enough to suggest at least something. In the lights of the facts compiled over the last 30 years, it is reported by majority of the researchers that there is an inverse relationship between the average sleep and obesity. The less the average sleeps the more the obesity and vice verse.

The recommended number of hours to sleep as suggested by the National Sleep Foundation is 7-9 hours every night, which also keep the weight in a check. Thus catching some nice Z’s at night and good naps in the afternoon can really improve your health and hence life can be a fun ride.

Rain-related incidents claim 11 lives in Sindh

 BADIN: Intermittent rains that started this morning continued across the province throughout the day, adding to the plight of the people already facing severe difficulties in the wake of relentless rains, 

After today's rains more villages came under water in different districts of the province while 11 people were killed in separate rain related incidents.

The low laying areas of Hyderabad were once submerged after today's rain where roads and highways appeared as lakes and nullahs.

Several villages are inundated and flood affectees are awaiting relief in camps. The NDMA states that over 200 people have died during the floods.

Rain continued in calamity stricken Badin and affectees were waiting for help in relief camps. After three days, rain stopped in Dadu but the devastation caused was apparent. There is a severe shortage of food and clean drinking water in relief camps.

Rain started again Monday afternoon in Dadu and according to DCO Jafar Abbasi, a camp has been formed at the district jail for flood affectees. Several acres of crops were destroyed in Tando Muhammad Khan and over in Nawabshah, water had accumulated in several areas.

The rains and floods have caused mass devastation in the province and it affects are expected to last as health experts fear the spread of water borne diseases on a large scale.

Scattered rains across Karachi

 KARACHI: Rain continued to fall across the province of Sindh while several areas of the metropolis once again received rain on Monday, 

Intermittent rain in several parts of the city led to the accumulation of water on major arteries and streets, causing traffic jams. A large number of commuters in private vehicles and public transport were forced to take alternative routes to get to their destinations.

The monsoon spell that began in the city on Saturday submerged most of the streets and thoroughfares and the rainwater continues to remain accumulated in several parts of the metropolis including the posh area of Defence.

At least 100 Kenyans dead after pipeline explosion

 NAIROBI: A leaking gasoline pipeline in Kenya's capital exploded on Monday, turning part of a slum into an inferno in which at least 100 people were killed and more than 100 hurt.

Flames leapt out from the pipeline in a radius of some 300 yards (meters), setting shacks ablaze and incinerating scores of people, leaving charred bodies and blacked bones in the charred homes. Some burned bodies floated in a nearby river filled with sewage. Homes had been built right up to the pipeline, the residents said.

"I've lost count of the number of bodies," said Wilfred Mbithi, the policeman in charge of operations in Nairobi as he stood at the scene. "Many had dived into the river trying to put out their flames."

Nearby, a young woman clawed through smoldering timbers, screaming in grief. Others wandered by the remains of the inferno, frantically dialing phone numbers that didn't go through or staring around in disbelief.

Fires still smoldered among the twisted wreckage of corrugated iron sheets and scattered possessions. Visibility was poor because of rain and smoke.

August trade deficit widens to $1.842bn

 KARACHI: Pakistan's trade deficit widened to $1.842 billion in August from $1.486 billion in July, the Federal Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.

The trade deficit was $1.272 billion in August last year and totalled $3.328 billion in the first two months of the 2011/12 fiscal year, compared with $2.784 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Exports increased to $1.964 billion in August, from $1.738 a year ago, according to the bureau. Imports totalled $3.806 billion in August, up from $3.010 in August last year.

Aleem Dar wins best umpire award for third time in a row

 LONDON: Aleem Dar of Pakistan has won the ICC best umpire award for third consecutive year at a ceremony held here on Monday.

However, Pakistan’s pace bowler Wahab Riaz and middle-order batsman Azhar Ali failed to win the best emerging player of the year award.

Ali Zafar steals the show in MBKD

 MUMBAI: Pakistani pop star Ali Zafar has received praise over his role in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (MBKD). This is Ali Zafar’s second Bollywood movie and with it he has become the hot favourite in India.

Ali Zafar, in MBKD, which was released under the Yash Raj banner on September 9, portrays the role of an individual who assigns his brother (Imran Khan) to search for his bride (Katrina Kaif). The film had a sensational opening at the box office and Zafar earned more praise than co-stars Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif.

Besides acting in the movie, Zafar has also provided his vocals to one of the tracks.

Private hospitals to provide free dengue treatment: CM

 LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that all resources are being utilized for eradication of dengue virus. He said that provision of best medical facilities to the patients in the hospitals have been ensured and additional staff and machinery have also been provided for this purpose. 

He also ordered immediately signing the duties to Provincial Ministers for reviewing the steps taken for eradication of dengue virus in various districts. He said that private hospitals will also provide free medical facilities to the dengue fever patients whereas laboratories will also provide test facilities at very reasonable rates. He directed that the committee consisting of elected representatives should hold talks with the owners of laboratories and concerned hospitals in this regard and formulate a clear cut policy today.

He said that the private hospitals and laboratories should be made realize that provision of free medical facilities to the people and cooperation with the government in this hour of trial is their responsibility and they will have to play their due role in the service to the ailing humanity.

He was presiding over a meeting of Special Emergency Committee set up for eradication of dengue virus here on Sunday. 

Shanghai Tourism Festival kicks off with grand parade

SHANGHAI: Shanghai Tourism Festival 2011 opened on Saturday in Shanghai International Fashion Center with a grand parade on Huaihai Road, which attracted more than 500,000 tourists. 

A total of 21 floats and 30 perform teams from across the world participated in the parade.

Not only cities of Yangtze River Delta, like Suzhou and Hangzhou, but also Shandong and Macau sent their floats this time. Floats with characteristics of ethnic minorities, sent by Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region, also took part in the parade. Moreover, foreign countries like Japan, South Korea and Indonesia also sent their floats in order to show their tourist attractions and local cuisine.

More than 40 activities will be staged in the following month , including International Music and Firework Festival and Painted Boats Parade

Moreover, over 30 tourist attractions in Shanghai, like the Madame Tussauds, the 88th sightseeing hall of the Jinmao Tower, the sightseeing hall of the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Shanghai Oceanarium, will sell tickets at discounted prices during the festival.

New Libya government within 10 days: NTC official

TRIPOLI: A new transitional government will be formed in Libya within 10 days, the deputy chief of the National Transitional Council told reporters on Sunday.

"A new government will be formed within one week to ten days," said Mahmud Jibril, who serves as the "prime minister" of the NTC, the political wing of the rebellion that overthrew strongman Moamer Kadhafi.

"This new government will include representatives from different regions in Libya," Jibril said.

Rebel forces are still "in the process of liberating Libya, and revolutionary combatant are still on the fronts," Jibril added, referring in particular to Bani Walid and Sirte, where regime loyalists are still holding out.

He said that another government will be formed once "Libya is liberated."

Jibril also hailed the "liberation of Tripoli without bloodshed" last month.

"We were expecting a bloodbath, but this was prevented by the maturity of the revolutionaries who were able to secure the capital," he said.