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Cuba makes worlds longest cigar
Drug delivery method improves cancer treatment
Protesters reject Salehs power transfer deal
Man Angry Over Inflation and Graft Slaps Minister
Libya forms interim government
India seeks more foreign investment
Clashes in Egypt claims 41 lives
Egyptian court orders release of 3 US students
Egypt: Kamal Ganzouri appointed as PM
Khalil to replace injured Junaid on Bangladesh tour
Two sisters slaughtered in TT Singh
Woman kills husband, attempts to cook body held
Lahore-Islamabad Motorway closed due to dense fog
Nurses protest: 20 traders booked
More than 500 nurses booked for protest

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Cuba has once again produced the longest cigar in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Measuring over 81 metres (266ft), it has been created by 67-year-old Jose Castelar Cairo, known as Cueto, who was awarded the title at a special ceremony in Havana. Cairo already has four similar titles to his name. “I am happy to receive a fifth prize from Guinness World Records and very proud. I am Cuban, one of the few Cubans that have a record. I think I am the only person with five,” said Cairo. Officials have declared that the cigar measures exactly 81.8 metres (268 feet). Dianna Melrose, the UK Ambassador to the island, congratulated Cairo on his win. “To win a record once is quite something. To win it five times is truly extraordinary, and its a great tribute to his talent and to the wonderful product he s making, a beautiful Cuban cigar, which is the best in the world. I ve been told that by all the connoisseurs, there is no cigar that s better.” said Melrose. Cairo, who works a tobacco roller at a store in the capital, previously won the award in 2001 for a 11.04 metre (36ft) cigar, which he gradually improved on over the years until his last success, in 2008, came in at an impressive 45.38m (149ft). After breaking yet another barrier, he is confident that he could continue the run of success and keep the title on the island.

Drug delivery method improves cancer treatment

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Researchers in Slovenia are convinced their new drug delivery system could make existing cancer drugs even more effective. The team, at the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, are using magnetized nanoparticles to accurately target cancer cells, says lead researcher, Dr Boris Turk. He says the system allows them to control the delivery of drugs and use less of them. The new method has been tested on mice - reducing the size of a tumour more effectively than when the same drugs were administered normally. “When we applied the drug using a standard systemic method the tumour size diminished to 40 percent of its original size ten days after the application of the drug. When we used our system it diminished to 10 percent of its original size after 10 days.”

Protesters reject Salehs power transfer deal

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A US-backed deal for Yemen’s authoritarian president to step down fell far short of the demands of protesters who fought regime supporters on the streets of Sanaa in clashes that left five dead. The agreement ending President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule provides for only the shallowest of changes at the top of the regime, something the US administration likely favored to preserve a fragile alliance against one of the world’s most active al-Qaida branches based in Yemen. The plan drawn up by Yemen’s oil-rich Gulf neighbors does not directly change the system Saleh put in place over three decades to serve his interests. “It gives an opportunity for regime survival,” said Yemen expert Ibrahim Sharqieh at the Brookings Doha Center. “The only one we’ve seen changing here is the president, but the state institutions and everything else remain in place. Nothing else has changed.” Saleh signed the agreement Wednesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh, transferring power to his vice president within 30 days. If it holds, he will be the fourth dictator pushed from power this year by the Arab Spring uprisings. But the deal leaves much more of the old regime intact than the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya something that will almost certainly translate into continued unrest. Protesters who have been in the millions for nearly 10 months were out again Thursday, rejecting a provision that gives Saleh immunity from prosecution. Throughout his rule, Saleh consolidated power through wily tactics that included exploiting tribal and regional rivalries and putting close relatives and confidantes in key security positions. For years, he accepted funds from the West to fight Islamist militants, then turned around and used some of those militants to help fight his enemies. Ruling party and opposition members say Saleh signed the deal under heavy pressure from the US and Saudi governments and that he feared possible sanctions against him and his family, who are suspected of having huge fortunes stashed in foreign banks. Some doubt that the deal marks the end of political life for the president, who has proved to be a wily politician and suggested in remarks after the signing ceremony that he could play a future political role in the country, along with his ruling party. Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world and even before the uprising, the government exerted only weak authority over most of the country. The uprising led to a collapse in security that created a vacuum al-Qaida militants exploited to gain a firmer foothold in the country. The militants even seized some territory in the south. The US has long considered Saleh a necessary though unreliable partner in fighting terror, training and funding his special forces to fight Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which has been linked to plots against US targets. Sharqieh, the Yemen expert, said both the US and Saudi Arabia had reasons to ease Saleh’s departure while not calling for deeper regime change. Saudi Arabia, a deeply conservative hereditary monarchy, fears the pro-democracy uprisings sweeping the Arab world will spread to its shores and worries that collapsing security in Yemen will also spill trouble over its borders. With this deal, the US may want to appease the protesters while ensuring it can still count on Yemen to fight al-Qaida. “Saudi Arabia does not want to see a successful youth revolution on its southern border, and Washington does not want security in Yemen to be in the hands of those protesting in Change Square,” said Sharqieh, referring to the Sanaa square that is the center of the protest movement. Likewise, the US stood by its ally Hosni Mubarak, the longtime authoritarian leader of Egypt, throughout much of the uprising against him in January and February. For the US, Mubarak was a valued counterweight to Islamists in the Middle East and a staunch support of Arab-Israeli peace. Saleh is transferring power to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. In the coming days, an opposition group that signed the deal will name a prime minister, whom Hadi will swear in. The new prime minister will then form a national unity government, evenly divided between the opposition and Saleh’s ruling party. Hadi will also announce a date for presidential elections, to be held within 90 days. The deal ensures that Saleh’s party will play a large role in the country s future. More importantly, it does not mention Saleh’s son, Ahmed, who commands the elite Republican Guard, or his other relatives and associates who command security forces. These units are often the enforcers of Saleh’s regime and could remain more loyal to him and his associates than to a new coalition government. Under the plan, the new government will also appoint a committee to “restructure” the security forces, including the army, the police and the intelligence services. But it remains unclear what powers it will have to push through its suggested reforms. Inside Yemen, many of the protesters who have braved lethal government crackdowns to demonstrate for democratic reforms rejected the deal. Thousands marched Thursday in the capital Sanaa, the central city of Taiz and elsewhere, protesting the deal and calling for Saleh to be tried for charges of corruption and for the killing of protesters during the uprising. Security forces and pro-Saleh gunmen opened fire on a protest march in Sanaa, killing five protesters, said Gameela Abdullah, a medic at the local field hospital.

Man Angry Over Inflation and Graft Slaps Minister

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A demonstrator slapped Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is also president of the International Cricket Council, in the face Thursday in a protest against corruption. The attacker landed a blow on Pawar s cheek before being pulled away by security staff. He then brandished a small knife as he shouted insults at the minister, who was unhurt by the assault. “You are all corrupt... People are fed up,” the man said, adding that the Indian government must adopt a tough anti-graft law being considered by lawmakers. The same attacker, who was detained by police on Thursday, had on Saturday assaulted a former minister in a court in New Delhi after a judge handed down a five-year prison term to the politician over a 1996 corruption case. Other Indian politicians have also recently had shoes thrown at them. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "strongly condemned" the assault. “The prime minister regrets the increasing tendency to take recourse to violent means to express disagreement,’ a statement from his office said.

Libya forms interim government

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The inauguration comes just over a month after Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed and days after his son, Saif al-Islam, was seized in the Libya’s southern desert. Libya inaugurated an interim government on Thursday that is tasked to lead the country still reeling from a civil war that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Elections are expected in seven months. Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib and 18 members of his new cabinet were sworn in by National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil, each taking their turn to swear allegiance to Libya with one hand placed on the Koran, the Muslim holy book. The inauguration came two days after the NTC named a cabinet favouring appointees who will soothe rivalries between regional factions. Speaking after the inauguration, NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil thanked those not included in the new government. “I must offer thanks to everyone who worked with us at this stage from the NTC and who are not included in this government that was formed today. They went through a difficult time and we must thank them because we had very little (resources) and there were many demands on us and I thank them for this. We are very happy with this formation today. The transitional government will remain this way for seven months and has many demands on it and specific aims in mind,” he added. Six cabinet members, including Defence Minister Osama al-Juwali and Oil Minister Abdurrahim Ben Yazza did not attend but were due to be sworn in at a later date. “The brothers from the eastern area could not come in the time we needed them but hopefully they will be here within the next two days,” El-Keib told reporters. Five Amazigh, or Berber, members of the NTC boycotted the ceremony in protest that their ethnic group was not given more ministerial positions.

India seeks more foreign investment

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India’s Cabinet decided to allow more foreign direct investment in the nation’s huge retail industry, a move that could strengthen the country s food supply chain and open India to giant global retailers. Top retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Tesco and IKEA have long lobbied for a chance to build stores in the country of 1.2 billion people. Foreign multibrand retailers have Indian partners in wholesale operations, but no retail presence. Multibrand retail stores could be built with up to 51 percent foreign direct investment under the change the Cabinet approved Thursday. The Cabinet also allowed 100 percent foreign direct investment of single-brand retail operations, up from 51 percent. Advocates see the move as a way to strengthen India s almost absent food supply chain which is so beset by spoilage, poor infrastructure, hoarding and middlemen that the government estimates some 30 percent of the country s produce rots while food costs soar and tens of millions of people go to bed hungry each night. Opposition parties and some allies of the government resisted the move. The country has struggled to find consensus because of concerns about whether expanding foreign investment could hurt millions of small shopkeepers, as well as the poor. The spokesman for the ruling Congress party, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, called the decision “centrist and reasonable”. The main opposition, the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, decried the move. “The government has clearly bowed to international pressure,” Chandan Mitra, a spokesman said. Wal-Mart, British-based Tesco PLC and French-based retailer Carrefour welcomed the decision. “Allowing foreign direct investment in retail would be good news for Indian consumers and businesses, and we await further details on any conditions,” Tesco said in its statement. Raj Jain, president of Walmart India, called it an “first important step,” but added in an e-mailed statement that the company will need to study the details further to determine how it will affect its ability to do business in India. The Ministry of Commerce says it will cost 76.9 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) to build the additional 35 million metric tons of food storage India needs. In a July paper, it suggested that loosening restrictions on foreign investment in India s retail sector could be the best way to get more storage space built.

Clashes in Egypt claims 41 lives

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Clashes have raged since Saturday between police and protesters demanding that the ruling military cede power to a civilian authority. Much of the violence has been centered around Cairo s Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February. The health ministry said 36 people have been killed in the capital, according to the official MENA news agency. Another four people died in Ismailiya and in Alexandria, Egypt s second city, where fresh clashes broke out on Thursday between security forces and protestors, who threw rocks and chanted slogans denouncing police brutality. One demonstrator was shot dead in the northwestern city of Mersa Matruh on Wednesday when security forces clashed with demonstrators trying to storm a police station.

Egyptian court orders release of 3 US students

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Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo s iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. Attorney Theodore Simon, who represents Porter, a 19-year-old student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said his client remained in custody at a police station as of Thursday afternoon Eastern time. But Simon said he was able to speak by phone with Porter, describing the student s demeanor as "calm and measured, demonstrating a maturity well beyond his 19 years." "He was extremely thankful and appreciative for our efforts and the unconditional support of his mother and father," Simon said. Porter is from a suburb of Philadelphia. Sweeney s mother, Joy Sweeney, said she is "absolutely elated" at the news of her 19-year-old son s release. "I can t wait to give him a huge hug and tell him how much I love him," she said, adding that the news of the court order was the best Thanksgiving gift. The 21-year-old Gates is a student of Indiana University. The State Department released a statement saying it was trying to independently confirm the reports of the students  release. Earlier Thursday, Egypt officials said the Abdeen Court in Cairo had ordered their release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. They did not say when the students would be released. In Bloomington, Ind., a spokesman for Indiana University, said he could not confirm that Gates and the other has already been freed. Mark Land earlier said he had spoken to Gates  parents and that they had been told by the State Department that their son has been released. Joy Sweeney said she wasn t sure when her son, a student at Georgetown University, would be returning to their home in Missouri.

Egypt: Kamal Ganzouri appointed as PM

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Egyptian former prime minister Kamal Ganzouri accepted a request from the ruling generals to form a new government on Thursday. Ganzouri confirmed he had agreed in principle to lead a national salvation government after meeting with the head of the ruling army council, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Al Ahram cited sources close to Ganzouri as saying. Ganzouri headed a cabinet from 1996 to 1999 that introduced some economic liberalisation measures. Many Egyptians viewed him as an official who was not tainted by corruption, but his record serving under Mubarak could stir opposition from those demanding a clean break with the past. State television said the military council had met Ganzouri earlier in the day. The army said it hoped to form a new government before a parliamentary election begins on Monday.

Khalil to replace injured Junaid on Bangladesh tour

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Pakistan named left-arm paceman Mohammad Khalil to replace an injured Junaid Khan in the squad for the Bangladesh tour kicking off with a Twenty20 next week. Khan, 21, was ruled out of Pakistan’s fifth and final one-day against Sri Lanka on Wednesday and returned home after injuring his abdominal muscle. “Khalil will replace Khan in the squad for Bangladesh tour,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. The 29-year-old Khalil played two Tests, against Australia in 2004 and India in 2005 but failed to get a wicket. He has taken five wickets in three one-day internationals but has not played for Pakistan since 2005. Khalil took 79 wickets in the last first-class season in Pakistan and has also been amongst the top wicket takers in the current season with 43. Pakistan plays one Twenty20, three one-day internationals and two Tests on their tour of Bangladesh. The tour will start with the Twenty20 in Dhaka on Tuesday. Besides Khan, allrounder Abdul Razzaq is also in doubt for the Bangladesh tour with a shoulder injury. PCB has not yet named any replacement for Razzaq.

Two sisters slaughtered in TT Singh

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Unknown person killed both the real sisters. Both sisters married to two brothers, working in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, a year ago. According to police, one of them had died on the spot while the other was found alive who breathed her last while getting treatment at hospital. Police have registered an FIR and started investigation.

Woman kills husband, attempts to cook body held

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Police arrested a woman who had killed her husband and was attempting to cook his body parts after he planned to establish a physical relationship with his stepdaughter. The police arrested Zainab Bibi, in the Shah Faisal colony of Karachi, and recovered the bowl of flesh she planned to cook, said police chief for the area Nadeem Baig. She killed her husband, and chopped his body into pieces and were about to cook the flesh in a bowl,’ he said, adding that the knife with which they killed the man had been recovered.

Lahore-Islamabad Motorway closed due to dense fog

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According to Motorway police, there is zero visibility at the Motorway, therefore motorway has been closed for heavy and light traffic. The train schedule has also been affected due to dense fog. According to Met department fog would persist for ten days.

Nurses protest: 20 traders booked

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On Thursday, nurses were protesting at the Mall Road for increase in their salaries when some traders pelted rotten eggs at them. Civil Line police have registered a case against at least 20 traders on the complaint of nurses.

More than 500 nurses booked for protest

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The case has been registered under section 144 of PPC with Civil Lines police station. Earlier, the nurses in Lahore stopped work at indoor and outdoor of the government hospitals and protested in front of the press club and Punjab Assembly at Mall Road, demanding the pay equal to doctors’ salary. The police that the case was registered on violating section 144. It is pertinent to mention here that the Lahore High Court has imposed ban on holding rallies and sit-in at the Mall Road.

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Thursday 24 November 2011

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

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