ANP assembly member hurt in Peshawar blast

PESHAWAR: The member of NWFP Assembly belonged to Awami National Party (ANP) and eight others have been injured in a blast occurred at Dalazak road in Momin Town area here on Wednesday. According to police sources, the bomb was planted in a motorbike that went off with a huge bang injuring NWFP assembly Alam Zeb Khan and other eight people. The injured have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital where six reported in a critical condition. The blast damaged the car of Alam Zeb Khan and nearby buildings. Bomb disposal squad have reached the scene and collected the remains of explosives. Central secretary general of ANP Zahid Khan has confirmed the reports of Alam Zeb Khan injury and said he is out of danger.

PM dismissed three ambassadors at large including Pirzada


ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has dismissed three ambassadors at large on Wednesday.

Geo News correspondent Rauf Kalasara quoting well placed sources said that Prime Minister Gilani has dismissed three ambassadors at large on immediate basis and a notification has been issued in this connection.

The dismissed ambassadors at large are Hameed Qidwai, renowned lawyer Sharifuddin Pirzada and Ehsanullah.

Profit taking at KSE erodes 24 points

KARACHI: Profit taking at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) eroded 24 points from benchmark KSE-100 Index which closed at 5,735 on Monday. According to market analysts, investors went for profit taking after one week’s improvement in stock prices witnessed throughout the last week. However, market remained somewhat stable due to investors buying in oil and gas and banking sector. OGDC remained ahead of all shares in terms of volume which gained paisas 5 to close at Rs50.05. NBP slipped Rs2.41 to close at 63.27.

Awaiting Pakistan’s reply: India

NEW DELHI: Indian Interior Minister, P Chidambaram has said that Pakistan’s reply, relating to the Mumbai attacks information and evidences, was awaited. Indian TV reported that the Interior Minister, Chidambaram saying that no country in the world was free from terrorism. He said that India had shared the evidences of the Mumbai attacks with over 100 countries, but no reply has thus far been received from Pakistan relating to the information provided.

DCC urges India to answer queries raised in FIA report

ISLAMABAD: The Defence Coordination Committee of Cabinet on Monday observed that without substantial evidence from India it will be exceedingly difficult to complete the investigation and proceed with the case. The meeting which lasted for over four hours, was attended by three services chiefs, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, Federal Ministers for Defence, Information, and Foreign Affairs; Advisers to Finance, Foreign Affairs and Interior and concerned secretaries. In the meeting held at PM House, the committee was briefed on the progress on the inquiry based on information provided by Indian authorities concerning the Mumbai attacks. Committee decided that on the basis of inquiry conducted by FIA, the case should be registered and further investigation be carried out so that the perpetrators of the heinous crime, wherever they may be, are brought to justice in accordance with the law of the land. The meeting acknowledged that inquiry had been conducted professionally and endorsed the recommendations of the Interior Ministry to proceed with the registration of the case. The meeting however, observed that without substantial evidence from India it will be exceedingly difficult to complete the investigation and proceed with the case. In order to complete the investigation the questions which are arising from the inquiry carried out by the FIA need to be answered by the Indian authorities. These will be communicated to the Indian authorities shortly.

Miandad also responsible along with PCB for conflict: PCB

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt said that in the conflict between Javed Miandad and the PCB, the board and Miandad both can be blamed. These views were expressed by the PCB chairman while addressing at his first news conference in Islamabad since he assumed the charge as the chairman. He said that if the Pakistani cricketers including Mohammad Yousuf leave the Indian Cricket League they would be taken back in the national team. Ijaz Butt said that the Oval Test conflict took place due to Pakistan team management’s unawareness of the rules. He said that the Senate standing committee and media would be apprised of details of the corruption during the previous regime of the PCB.

Iraq predicts OPEC may further cut crude production

SINGAPORE: World oil traded lower in Asia on Monday after OPEC member Iraq predicted the cartel will announce further production cuts in a market struggling with weak demand. New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, fell six cents to 40.11 dollars a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for March eased 25 cents to 45.96 dollars a barrel. Iraq's oil minister at the weekend predicted that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) plans more output reductions. "In March, OPEC will convene and there will be an intention for more production cuts to shore up prices and encourage production from non-OPEC members," Hussein al-Shahristani said, according to his close adviser Falah al-Amiri. OPEC last week signalled it would consider more output cuts in a bid to bolster prices. Since last July, when oil prices hit records above 147 dollars a barrel, prices have tumbled because of weaker demand in a slowing global economy, analysts say. OPEC announced production cuts totalling 4.2 million barrels per day late last year but David Johnson, an oil analyst with Macquarie Securities, said 2.75 billion barrels have so far been cut in practice. He said he does not see cuts exceeding four billion barrels. "I don't think they can do much more than that," Johnson said. Oil prices are stuck in the 40 to 45 dollar range, balanced between expectations for OPEC's next moves and poor demand reflected in economic data such as Friday's US unemployment figures, he said. The United States Labor Department reported that the country's unemployment rate surged in January to 7.6 percent, its highest since 1992.