Rawalpindi curfew lifted

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbqMPcKGq8yagLsBW4523cWxVQuRTpYDG2ofBX6vHlFJqMFVOMLCbWTJJK47squEKYDJryHZIPEmEZ3lmWww6hLnfEQAsPDAz7smkaXUHmNKnH15Rsd-OOlgZ-8hxyPdCN8rNg_Zl0YA/s1600/201293_59328435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbqMPcKGq8yagLsBW4523cWxVQuRTpYDG2ofBX6vHlFJqMFVOMLCbWTJJK47squEKYDJryHZIPEmEZ3lmWww6hLnfEQAsPDAz7smkaXUHmNKnH15Rsd-OOlgZ-8hxyPdCN8rNg_Zl0YA/s640/201293_59328435.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> RAWALPINDI - Government has finally decided to lift the curfew from violence-hit Rawalpindi on Monday morning. According to sources, the curfew was lifted at 6am on Monday until further orders.<br /> According to sources, troops will continue to be deployed in  main squares and streets to maintain law and order situation. The the sources further informed that ban on congregations and public gatherings under Section 144 will remain in place.<br /> Earlier, the authorities relaxed curfew from 7.30 pm on Sunday to twelve midnight to allow residents to buy eatables and other household items.</div>

Rawalpindi curfew lifted

RAWALPINDI - Government has finally decided to lift the curfew from violence-hit Rawalpindi on Monday morning. According to sources, ...

Read more »

Thousands of Syrian refugees flood into Lebanon

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvh4lyLaT1eeMf_ff2NERYfaSXcAI_nDef9L0_WlHJZBHG3uCuVUIBvccA3Iir_HqD67C51mEgr1ku9lYka2-KNoR4gKKTDEBNIC8TlgAYitooJivnrZh_fuG1nIuPEPivLoRCM6vbQI/s1600/201265_51285879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvh4lyLaT1eeMf_ff2NERYfaSXcAI_nDef9L0_WlHJZBHG3uCuVUIBvccA3Iir_HqD67C51mEgr1ku9lYka2-KNoR4gKKTDEBNIC8TlgAYitooJivnrZh_fuG1nIuPEPivLoRCM6vbQI/s640/201265_51285879.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> BEIRUT (AP) - Thousands of <span class="adtext" id="adtext_7">refugees</span> are fleeing border towns in central Syria where a high-<span class="adtext" id="adtext_6">stakes</span> battle is <span class="adtext" id="adtext_5">raging</span>, crossing valleys and ridges to reach safety in neighboring Lebanon, witnesses and the U.N. said on Sunday.<br /> They packed into <span class="adtext" id="adtext_2">wedding halls</span> and drifted into makeshift shacks after escaping the steadily intensifying fighting battle that began on Friday, said Bassel Hojeiri, former mayor of the border town of Arsal where most of the refugees have headed.<br /> A Syrian government offensive in the rugged Qalamoun hills, which stretch from Damascus to neighboring Lebanon, seeks to cut rebel <span class="adtext" id="adtext_3">supply lines</span> to opposition-held enclaves around the capital.<br /> Activists and analysts say the battle may be the final blow that dislodges rebels from the Damascus periphery, where food is running short and opposition fighters have lost a series of strongholds in recent weeks to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.<br /> Former Mayor Hojeiri estimated some 10,000 people had fled to Arsal, saying an influx of Syrians during the past three years of conflict in that country had caused the population to nearly double.<br /> Dana Sleiman of the <span class="adtext" id="adtext_4">United Nations</span> High Commission for Refugees put the total number of refugee arrivals <span class="adtext" id="adtext_1">over the weekend</span> at around 1,000 families. She said many had not registered yet with the U.N. and so they could not provide more definite numbers.<br /> The UNHCR s Sleiman said refugees weren t able to reach an official border <span class="adtext" id="adtext_8">crossing</span> because of the fighting, which began on Friday. Some families were in such a hurry that they could not collect any belongings before they fled, arriving "without anything except the clothes on their backs," she said.<br /> The U.N. was distributing blankets, mattresses, food, nappies and hygiene kits to the refugees. She said some were settling into tin shack slums that dot the eastern Lebanon Bekaa Valley, and they were being offered thick plastic to reinforce their feeble homes against the cold.<br /> Syrian refugees have overwhelmed Lebanon since the uprising began three years ago. Lebanese officials estimate there are 1.4 million Syrians in the country, including 800,000 registered refugees.<br /> The battle for Qalamoun has been expected for weeks, both government and opposition reinforcing their positions in the sector ahead of winter, when much of the area is covered with snow.<br /> Activists say one of the main sites of the battle is around the town of Qara, which lies near a main highway leading from Damascus to the central town of Homs. Controlling the region thus makes it easier to assert control over movement down the length of Syria.<br /> On Sunday, two pro-rebel activist groups and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported two airstrike hitting the town. They said highway was severed and regime forces had gathered on nearby hills, trying to cut supplies to rebels inside the city.<br /> Syria s pro-government media vowed the battle would be decisive.<br /> "The army is shaking al-Qalamoun Mountains and has tightened its siege around terrorists in Qara," read a front-page article in the al-Watan newspaper.<br /> Mortar fire meanwhile hit the center of Damascus, killing two, the Syrian official news agency SANA said.</div>

Thousands of Syrian refugees flood into Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) - Thousands of refugees are fleeing border towns in central Syria where a high- stakes battle is raging , crossing valley...

Read more »

Angelina Jolie gets honorary Oscar for humanitarian work

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqB4bSA7AG1iY_X0picIJkuuD3FmQXvU-maR8KK7OyS1yi4gYyBBGepaC3ak3IgoCUSzYEopnBSD2WjnSjvoK_QHFjizcO_T6QHGeE5WQx7Kh02zy3ZrC7569TNXd_utVrIGqPgcHgg0/s1600/201232_83704581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqB4bSA7AG1iY_X0picIJkuuD3FmQXvU-maR8KK7OyS1yi4gYyBBGepaC3ak3IgoCUSzYEopnBSD2WjnSjvoK_QHFjizcO_T6QHGeE5WQx7Kh02zy3ZrC7569TNXd_utVrIGqPgcHgg0/s640/201232_83704581.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <span class="adtext" id="adtext_8">LOS ANGELES</span> (AFP) - A-list movie star <span class="adtext" id="adtext_5">Angelina Jolie</span> was awarded an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work late Saturday at the Governors <span class="adtext" id="adtext_4">Awards ceremony</span> in Hollywood.<br /> Veteran actress Angela Lansbury, comedian <span class="adtext" id="adtext_6">Steve Martin</span>, and Italian costume designer Pietro Tosi also received awards at the annual ceremony organized by the <span class="adtext" id="adtext_1">Board of Governors</span> of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.<br /> Film royalty among the 600 guests included Tom Hanks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Diane Keaton, Emma Thompson, Harrison Ford, Amy Adams, Matthew McConaughey and George Lucas, as well as Jolie's fiancee Brad Pitt.<br /> "It was only when I began to travel that I understood my responsibility to others," Jolie, who has been involved in humanitarian work for years, told the audience.<br /> "When I met survivors of wars and famine, and rape, I learned what life is like for most people in this world and how fortunate I was to have food to eat, a roof above my head, a safe <span class="adtext" id="adtext_2">place to live</span> and the joy of having my family safe and healthy," she said.<br /> "I realized how sheltered I had been and I was determined never to be that way again."<br /> Since 2012 Jolie has travelled on more than 40 missions around the world as a special envoy for the United Nations Refugee Agency.<br /> Jolie, 38, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award -- a statuette identical to a "classic" Oscar -- from Lucas, the man behind the "<span class="adtext" id="adtext_7">Star Wars</span>" films.<br /> Jolie won an acting Oscar in 2000 for her supporting role in the movie "Girl, Interrupted."<br /> Lansbury, 88, the British-born actress known for her role as amateur detective and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher in the popular TV series "Murder, She Wrote," and comedian Martin received lifetime achievement awards.</div>

Angelina Jolie gets honorary Oscar for humanitarian work

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A-list movie star Angelina Jolie was awarded an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work late Saturday at the Gov...

Read more »

Dengue fever surges in Punjab, 89 new cases confirmed

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrUkgj_DycXCZvNxOcrAS7XqntttnQBH7UZD_eucWtfusGulYPMrqvTRVXRJoTHfwCYNC_ykUUy5d025OkMy2iV2diSSosTnuGJygcAB8JSVIhP1FfOUWgI70VIcKdvHaznGEX_06Ias/s1600/201206_28288719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrUkgj_DycXCZvNxOcrAS7XqntttnQBH7UZD_eucWtfusGulYPMrqvTRVXRJoTHfwCYNC_ykUUy5d025OkMy2iV2diSSosTnuGJygcAB8JSVIhP1FfOUWgI70VIcKdvHaznGEX_06Ias/s640/201206_28288719.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> LAHORE – Eighty nine more people were tested dengue positive on Sunday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the province to 1,912. Out of 89 new cases, 70 were reported from Lahore.<br /> Meanwhile, the citizens have expressed their concern over the surge in dengue virus and treatment facilities at government-run hospitals across the province.<br /> They urged the provincial government and health authorities for taking on ground steps to control the disease instead of making tall claims and issuing statements to satisfy the masses.<br /> Dengue usually starts with fever within four to seven days of the mosquito bite. The patient would have flu-like high fever, accompanied by muscular and joint pains.<br /> According to the doctors, it is easy to differentiate between viral fever and dengue. In viral infection, the patient would have running nose, throat pain, mild body ache and weakness. In dengue, the patient would have high-grade fever, severe body ache, joint pains and rashes, which may turn pink within 24 to 48 hours of contracting fever. </div>

Dengue fever surges in Punjab, 89 new cases confirmed

LAHORE – Eighty nine more people were tested dengue positive on Sunday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the province to 1,912...

Read more »

Rawalpindi: Govt relaxes curfew from 7:30 pm to midnight

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdNMzNQFPRo-DX3dJgvNjEqIlEDEg_Tb4OeBFK2VY4YCfZcCm3hR5oA-0rBZt9NkKMwQy_QEElagY1AcU9xFcSWK5u3Xqkm-tNEeQYoOFCGmuc_vVnLT0OuBE4CPdQ5VkuEAZeVWWSq0/s1600/201191_83485386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdNMzNQFPRo-DX3dJgvNjEqIlEDEg_Tb4OeBFK2VY4YCfZcCm3hR5oA-0rBZt9NkKMwQy_QEElagY1AcU9xFcSWK5u3Xqkm-tNEeQYoOFCGmuc_vVnLT0OuBE4CPdQ5VkuEAZeVWWSq0/s640/201191_83485386.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> ISLAMABAD  - Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan has said that Rawalpindi situation is improving gradually after the unfortunate incident occurred on Friday.<br /> Addressing a news conference here on Sunday‚ Nisar said curfew will be relaxed from 7.30 pm tonight to twelve midnight. He said negotiations were held with Ulema of all schools of thought, adding that Ulema demonstrated their prudence.<br /> Fighting erupted on Friday in the garrison-city, which neighbours the capital Islamabad, when a procession by Shiite Muslims to mark the most important day of the mourning month of Muharram coincided with a sermon at a nearby Sunni mosque.<br /> The groups attacked each other, TV cameramen and security forces, firing gunshots.<br /> Rawalpindi has been under nearly complete curfew since the incident, which saw a large number of troops deployed there as well as in the southern city of Multan and Chishtian town to keep the peace.<br /> Judge Mamoon Al-Rasheed of the Lahore High Court will head the probe, a court official said.<br /> Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif, who is the chief minister of the Punjab province where the violence occurred, held talks with religious scholars in Rawalpindi and discussed compensation for the families of those killed, state television reported.</div>

Rawalpindi: Govt relaxes curfew from 7:30 pm to midnight

ISLAMABAD  - Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan has said that Rawalpindi situation is improving gradually after the unfortunate ...

Read more »