Canadian Pakistani Times Newspaper by CanadianPakistaniTimes

Canadian Pakistani Times

Thursday

May 23, 2013

Volume 1, 59

Imran Khan discharged from hospital LAHORE, Pakistan, May 22: Pakistani politician Imran Khan left hospital Wednesday, two weeks after breaking bones in his back in a fall at a rally for the country´s general election, where his party scored a major breakthrough.

On Tuesday Khan took his first steps "Imran will continue to receive regular since the injury and a video on the hospital´s physiotherapy and will need to wear a spinal Facebook page on Wednesday showed him support for some weeks to come," the walking gingerly but unaided from his third- hospital spokesman said. floor room to the exit. "Imran will gradually increase physical...

The election was won by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, but the PTI scored a major breakthrough, finishing in third place with 28 national assembly seats, according to partial results.

The 60-year-old was ordered to remain immobile in bed after he fractured vertebrae and a rib in a dramatic tumble from a hoist lifting him to a stage just days before the May 11 general election.

Though the "tsunami" predicted by Khan did not sweep PTI to power in Islamabad, the result represented a huge achievement for a party that had only ever won one national assembly seat before, in 2002.

The former cricket star who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party electrified much of the campaign with his calls for reform and galvanised many young people to vote, but was forced to spend polling day in hospital.

The party also emerged as the largest in the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will lead a coalition government in the restive province, which borders the lawless tribal districts along the Afghan frontier and suffers frequent militant violence. On Sunday PTI won a repeat election in one constituency in violence-plagued Karachi, where polling was re-run after allegations of ballot-stuffing, a day after a senior party official was gunned down in the street.

Khwaja Nazir, a spokesman for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, where Khan was being treated, told AFP that the Pakistani politician had been discharged on Wednesday and returned to his home in the city. "He would stay in his Lahore home for three days and then would be shifted to his home in Islamabad," Nazir said.

Khan blamed the killing on the rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, which has long held sway in the southern He has been fitted with a speciallyactivity over the next few weeks with a port city, and its leader-in-exile Altaf "Doctors have advised him rest, for two designed spinal brace which doctors say he return to his full functional capacity expected Hussain, who lives in London. more weeks." will need to wear for some time. in approximately six to eight weeks." This handout photograph released by the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital shows Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i -Insaaf, leaving the hospital in Lahore

Speech From the Prime Minister to Caucus

Good morning everyone. Colleagues, I want to speak to you about events that have transpired recently. You will not be surprised to hear that I am not happy with the conduct we have witnessed, conduct of parliamentarians, and the conduct of my own office. We have worked hard, collectively as a party, as a caucus, and as a government, to dramatically strengthen accountability rules in Ottawa and to apply those standards to ourselves. I need not remind you that in 2006 this government was first elected to clean up the Liberal sponsorship scandal, to ensure the rules are followed, to ensure there are consequences when they are not. Since that time we have taken unprecedented measures to achieve that end. We have Strengthened the powers of the Auditor General. Toughened the office of the Ethics Commissioner, reformed political party financing, dramatically tightened lobbying rules and beefed up auditing and accountabilit y wit hin government departments. Canada now has one of the most accountable and transparent systems of governance in the world. This is something of which

Canadians are rightly proud. It is also something we can never take for granted …because colleagues, as I said in the room across the hall, in the fall of 2005, when we first pledged to bring in the Federal Accountability Act: …no government will be perfect, because none of us are perfect. We cannot dream of a system so perfect that no one will have to be good. Therefore, just as we continue to toughen rules, we must also uphold a culture of accountability. And I know that the people in this room have.

can be accomplished by Parliament alone. We have also asked the Court to rule on options for abolishing the Senate completely. And as we prepare to receive, and act on the judgement of the Supreme Court, we will also take further steps in the area of Senate expenditure and accountability. Senator LeBreton and I have discussed this, and she has my full support to accelerate changes to the Senate’s rules on expenses, and close any loopholes in those existing rules. Colleagues, we have an active and important agenda on the issues that We have reduced matter to hard-working our budgets and travel as a Canadian families, and government. We are the much work to do. caucus that finally bit the bullet and reformed the When distractions M.P. pension plan, so that arise – as they inevitably we will pay our fair share. will – we will deal with … A n y o n e …… a n y o n e , them, firmly. But we will who wants to use public not lose sight of our top office for their own benefit, priority. The world remains should make other plans - a deeply uncertain place. or better yet, leave this Canadians are looking to us room! Colleagues, let me to protect them …their also address the issue of jobs, their families, and S e n a t e r e f o r m . A s their communities. That is Canadians know, it was this what we must be focused party that put Senate reform on and what we will on the national agenda. continue to do …Continue And in this room are to implement our economic colleagues from the Senate action plan, continue our who have agreed to sit in work on expanding trade, that place in order to continue our focus on jobs, support our efforts to growth, and long-term achi eve fundament al, prosperity …and continue irreversible, reform. The to ensure that, through all Senate status quo is not the ups and downs in the acceptable. Canadians world economy, there is no Want Change! As you better place to be than know, earlier this year, we Canada. Now, let’s get asked the Supreme Court of back to work. Canada whether the reforms we have proposed

May 23, 2013

Knowledge and Wisdom By: Umm e Hareem ‘Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers,’ wrote Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Truths stay

with a person for the rest of his or her life, colouring all subsequent thoughts and actions. Wisdom requires no law or threat of punishment to ensure compliance. The practitioner typically feels a strong compulsion to obey his or her own beliefs. The wise can still fall prey to indiscretions and questionable moral behaviour–being

flesh and blood like us all–however, if one tracks such statistics, the odds of such failings are likely to be very small compared to the general populace. Many people mistake knowledge for wisdom because they are intimately related, and this is unfortunate because they are quite different in an important way. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and information. Wisdom is the synthesis of knowledge and experiences into insights that deepen one’s understanding of relationships and the meaning of life. In other words, knowledge is a tool, and wisdom is the craft in which the tool is used. If one understands this difference, he or she will also appreciate why it is vital to properly distinguish between the two. With the Internet, it is now relatively easy for a reasonably diligent person to quickly become knowledgeable in virtually any field of his or her choosing. We are literally awash in a sea of information! But having a hammer and knowing how to use it are two entirely different propositions. A hammer is amoral. Whether it is used for good or ill depends entirely on the wielder. Sadly, history is a

lengthy record of the harms wrought by knowledgeable, well-meaning people who lacked wisdom. In contrast to knowledge, wisdom is generally considered to be morally good. Why is this the case? Albert Einstein once said, ‘Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.’ Such a process is lengthy and arduous, which teaches the pursuer patience and humility. Seldom is a person unchanged by such a trial. When one finally uncovers a connection or insight that he or she believes to be universally applicable ‘truth,’ it often inspires awe akin to a spiritual experience. As it is said in Quran “Read in the name of your Lord Who created. He created man from a clot. Read and your Lord is Most Honourable, Who taught (to write) with the pen. Taught man what he knew not.” Society esteems the wise for their virtuosity and for their rarity. Subject matter experts number in the thousands, but the wise may only number in the tens or hundreds. And history records their names and achievements for posterity’s sake. A true teacher would never tell you what to do. But he would give you the knowledge with which you could decide what would be best for you to do

It is not only in public ways, but in private life equally, that wisdom is needed. It is needed in the choice of ends to be pursued and in emancipation from personal prejudice. Even an end which it would be noble to pursue if it were attainable may be pursued unwisely if it is inherently impossible of achievement. The book of Proverbs is perhaps the best book in the Bible to study when seeking to learn biblical wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 also clearly explains what it means to have biblical knowledge: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” When we fear the Lord, which is the most basic form of knowledge, God can then begin to provide us with wisdom through Jesus, whom the Bible says is wisdom itself. “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” All wisdom, understanding, knowledge and prudence increases your ability to know what is going on. The more you can stay aware of how your mind creates your reality and environment, the more CONSCIOUS and AWARE you can become. Which will in turn lets you take back control over yourself and every area of your life.

Ford to halt car production in Australia in 2016 manufacturing will stop, Ford will remain in Australia as an importer and dealer, employing some 1,500 people. The government said it had spoken with the chief executives of Holden and Toyota and been assured that both were committed to manufacturing in Australia, but concerns remain. Last month Ford's former global president Jac Nasser, now chairman at BHP Billiton, said the demise of Australian car manufacturing was inevitable if one or more producers closed down. “Let's assume one of the three decide to exit Australia in terms of manufacturing, then you end up potentially with a sub-scale supplier infrastructure and, once that happens, I think it's a domino effect,” he said. “It would be a very sad day for Australia, but unfortunately it looks like it could be inevitable.” The automobile manufacturing sector employs more than 50,000 people in Australia with another 250,000 jobs in associated industries.

President and CEO of Ford Australia Bob Graziano announces Ford will stop local manufacturing in October 2016, in Melbourne on May 23, 2013. - AFP Photo

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national president Paul Bastian said the Ford news was a “disaster” and voiced concern at the effect in the wider auto parts industry. “We want to take the positives out of this. We want bipartisan support to see what we can do to ensure that we have an auto industry, that we have an industry that is sustainable,” he said.

MELBOURNE: Ford announced Thursday it would Graziano said this made Australia one of the most stop making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in competitive and crowded automotive markets in the world, Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged Aus$39 million to 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, ending an era that began in 1925 and a strong currency was making it harder for domestic help the Geelong and Broadmeadows communities deal with with the legendary Model T. carmakers to compete with cheap imports. the job losses, and demanded Ford make its own contribution. Ford Australia chief executive Bob Graziano made the “Given the fragmented marketplace and the low model “For those working people as they absorb this news I announcement as he revealed losses of Aus$141 million volumes that result, we decided that manufacturing locally is want to say to them we will make sure you are not left (US$136 million) after tax in the last financial year and no longer viable,” he said, adding that all alternatives had behind,” she said. Aus$600 million over the last five years. been considered. Graziano said the decision was the result of local “Our costs are double that of Europe and nearly four manufacturing being “driven by increasingly challenging times Ford in Asia,” he said. market conditions – including market fragmentation and the high cost of manufacturing”. “The business case simply did not stack up, leading us to the conclusion (that) manufacturing is not viable for Ford Australia has annual sales of about 1.1 million new in Australia in the long-term.” vehicles, and customers have access to some 65 brands and 365 models, with Holden, a General Motors subsidiary, and The jobs will go at Ford's Broadmeadows and Geelong Toyota the other key manufacturers. factories in Victoria state, which will close. While

Australia's auto industry is struggling with the effects of the high local dollar, which has traded near or above parity with the greenback for almost two years, squeezing exports and compounding rising production costs. Canberra extended an Aus$3.2 billion bailout to the ailing sector at the height of the global downturn and provided additional lifelines to Ford and Holden last year.

May 23, 2013

MP SEEBACK RAISES AWARENESS ABOUT SPINAL CORD INJURY

OTTAWA, ON- Kyle Seeback, Member of Parliament for Brampton West participated in the 6th annual Chair-Leaders Campaign today. MP Seeback spent the whole day in a wheelchair to help raise awareness about spinal cord injury.

With more than 86,000 Canadians currently living with a spinal cord injury and an estimated 4,300 new cases each year, the work of Spinal Cord Injury Canada has never been more important.

people in a chair", commented MP M or e th an t wo d oz en Seeback when questioned about his parliamentarians, myself included, participated in the 6th annual Chair experience. "Experiencing this change to -Leaders Campaign to gain greater mobility, I have much respect and insight into the challenges persons admiration for those who are living with a spinal cord injury face "Today gave me perspective determined not to let an injury on a daily basis. on the daily challenges faced by define their life".

Altaf disbands MQM’s Karachi organising committee Later, a press release issued by the MQM said Hussain had strongly taken notice of what it called ‘violation of discipline’ by some elements among the party workers. He condemned the act of certain individuals against members of the coordination committee and other officebearers and asked them to submit a written apology at Nine-Zero within 24 hours. Otherwise, he said, they would not be considered as MQM workers. Another general workers’ meeting of the party has been scheduled for Saturday, in which some more important decisions will be taken. According to sources, few more changes in MQM’s top posts are expected in Karachi as well as London.

Workers and supporters of MQM listen to Altaf Hussain’s speech in Karachi on Tuesday. – Photo courtesy mqm.org KARACHI: In an apparent reaction to ‘hooliganism’ during his speech on Sunday morning, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Tuesday night disbanded his party’s Karachi Tanzeemi (organising) Committee.

The decision was made following observations and recommendations made by public and party workers during a general workers meeting held at MQM’s head-quarters Nine-Zero, said the party’s official website.

In the wee hours of Sunday, charged workers of the MQM had roughed up members of the Rabita (coordination) Committee, some lawmakers-elect as well as some journalists, during a telephonic address by Hussain from London.

Hussain said a new system will be introduced under which no office-bearer would be able to remain on a particular party slot for more than three years. The MQM chief also appealed to all those senior party workers who have been inactive for a while to rejoin the party for the sake of the nation and the party’s cause.

May 23, 2013

SPORTS Yousuf denies retirement rumours

Mohammad Yousuf has 7530 Test runs and 9720 in ODIs to his credit. -File photo LAHORE: Veteran Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf on Tuesday denied that he was on verge of calling quits from international cricket and said despite not being involved in any form of the game in recent years he has no plans to call it a day.

Internationals said here.

“It is a reality that I am not playing cricket for the last three years but I am in good level of fitness by doing daily work out and as far as my retirement is concerned I have not yet announced it,” the veteran of 90 Tests, 288 One-day Internationals and three Twenty20

“These are just baseless news and purely based on rumours. Contrary to the facts, I think calling it a day is a personal decision of any player and the others should respect it,” he added.

When his attention was drawn to conflicting media reports that he has announced retirement from the international cricket, Yousuf retorted that it was mere speculation.

Yousuf

said

all

cricket-playing

countries the players are given appropriate send off upon their retirements but this tradition is not being followed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “A number of great players including Wasim Akram left the game and nothing was done by the PCB to acknowledge their achievements for the country and it is quite discouraging for those who are associated with the game,” he complained. The 38-year-old stylish middle-order batsman, who made 7530 Test runs and 9720 in the one-dayers, was of the view

that the PCB should organise functions for those Test cricketers who are retiring from the game. “It is purely my personal decision [of retiring] and I am not under any obligation to announce it as I am not serving any department or institution at present,” he asserted. Yousuf lamented that when he was at his peak he was not considered for the national team and at this stage he has no plans to return to the game.—APP

Pakistan win toss and bat against Ireland DUBLIN: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat in the first one-day international against Ireland on Thursday. Ireland made two changes to the team that played the United Arab Emirates in their last one-day game in March with Tim Murtagh and Andrew White replacing Max Sorensen and the banned John Mooney. Pakistan made one change to the team that beat Scotland in the ODI in Edinburgh last week with Shoaib Malik in for Umar Amin. Teams: Ireland: W Porterfield (capt), P Stirling, E Joyce, N O'Brien (wkt), G Wilson, K O'Brien, A Cusack, A White, T Johnston, G Dockrell, T Murtagh Pakistan: Imran Farhat, Nasir Jamshaid, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Misbah ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Ehsan Adil, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan

Pakistan and Ireland are set to play two ODIs. -File photo by AFP

Umpires: Ian Gould, Richard Smith 3rd Umpire: Louis Fourie Match Referee: Jeff Crowe

May 23, 2013

Picture Storyline of BMO 2nd International Punjabi Film Festival (PIFF) held in Ontario - Canada.

May 23, 2013

Picture Storyline of BMO 2nd International Punjabi Film Festival (PIFF) held in Ontario - Canada.

May 23, 2013

Syria refugee influx taxes Lebanese economy and nerves cars, enrolled their children in local schools and even started businesses. In southern Sidon, a former Damascus resident who declined to give his name has set up a supermarket with a Lebanese partner on Quds Street, now home to several Syrian-run businesses. “I left because of the shelling and the problems,” he said, dragging on a cigarette. “The profits just about cover the rent with a bit to get by, but in the future, if there's a solution in Syria, I'll definitely go back with my family.” He said locals have been receptive, and 32year-old Fady Qambaz, a Lebanese citizen working his vegetable stand nearby, insists he has no problem with the newcomers. “We say welcome to them and I hope God helps them, they're not doing anything wrong and we have to help them.”

Syrian refugees sell fruits on barrows along a street in the coastal city of Tripoli, north of Beirut on May 21, 2013. - AFP Photo BEIRUT: Abu Faruq, a kiosk owner in an upscale Beirut district, does not hide his opinion about the influx of Syrian refugees: “Lebanon is occupied by foreigners,” he grumbled. “They're ruining us.” As the conflict in neighbouring Syria stretches into a third year, a wave of refugees has flooded Lebanon, stretching its economy and testing its resources as well the nerves of its citizens. The United Nations says that at least 474,000 Syrian refugees have entered Lebanon, but experts say the figure could be closer to 700,000, in a country with a population of more than four million. “May God be with the Lebanese people...Lebanon can't take them all,” Abu Faruq said. Ali, a taxi driver, is equally incensed, saying the influx threatens his livelihood.

without a licence. No one stops them, no one can say anything.” Economists say the influx of refugees, and the conflict they are fleeing, has had a negative impact on Lebanon's economy. Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Lebanon's Byblos Bank, reeled off a string of alarming statistics: a 17.5 per cent drop in tourist arrivals last year, following a 23.7 per cent drop the year before, declining industrial exports, nosediving foreign direct investment (FDI) and a fall in both consumer and investor confidence. “Consumer confidence dropped 37 per cent in 2012, after a 29 per cent drop in 2011, and FDI in Lebanon decreased by 68 per cent in 2012,” he told AFP. “These are record lows since 2007,” he added, saying that inflation was also on the rise.

“They're taking our customers,” he said. “Some of them are working as drivers

And yet Syrians inside Lebanon are spending, packing cafes and restaurants in Beirut's trendy Zaitunay Bay, and

encouraging landlords to demand ever higher rents in an already hot property market. Half of the cars parked outside two serviced apartment buildings in the city have Damascus licence plates. But economists say the Syrians' consumption is not nearly enough to cover the overall losses to the economy.

Other Syrians have had less luck and are forced to stretch their savings, stopping daily at local moneychangers to see whether the exchange rate is any more favourable. Others have resorted to selling their valuables to jewellers like Bilal Abu Harb, who has a shop in Beirut's Hamra district. “They have a child who needs to see a doctor or they need to pay their rent and they don't have any money,” he said, rifling through a box filled with simple gold rings and pendants.

“The impact is certainly a net negative,” Ghobril said.

“It's really sad to see. When a man comes with his wife, you see they have tears in their eyes when they're selling, it's really terrible for them.”

Lebanon's government is also feeling the pressure directly because it subsidises basic goods such as bread and flour, and services like electricity and healthcare.

For those whose money has run out – or who never had any to start with – begging is the only option.

And the refugee population is growing at an alarming rate, with UN figures showing it has more than doubled since January, when it stood at around 200,000 people, to 474,461 in mid-May. Not all those arriving are poverty-stricken. Some came early, rented homes and bought

Near Abu Harb's shop, Syrian women clutching children mingle with shoppers and diners, hoping for a handout. One woman stands dressed in a black overcoat, her face covered with a black veil that leaves only her downcast eyes visible. Her arms are outstretched, one hand open

Revolution in energy world RIYADH: The ongoing revolution in the energy world is manifesting itself in more than one way. Many in Washington – and all around – seriously think today that the much hyped upon energy independence is finally in grasp.

softening market viewpoint too. And they are not rattled. “This talk of ending US reliance on imports is naive and simplistic,” Saudi oil minister

Al-Naimi likened calls for US energy independence and the end of imports from the Middle East – and what is characterised as “energy isolationism” – to peak oil theory.

And as Saudi Arabia becomes less of an important supplier to the US, the world’s biggest oil consumer, some see the special relationship between the two as slowly crumbing. Steven Chu, former US energy Secretary, during a trip to Riyadh, almost at the beginning of his tenure, while conceding that the crude glue that kept Riyadh and Washington together was slowly peeling off, told this correspondent; yes, Riyadh and Washington now needed to develop new bondages. “We are still partners but less intimate partners than we once were,” Chas -File Photo Freeman, the former US ambassador to Ali Naimi said on April 30, while Saudi Arabia was quoted as saying. The speaking at the Centre for Strategic and ongoing oil shockwaves were pushing Opec International Studies, in Washington. More out of the groove of the global oil mover and oil reserves, like those from the Bakken and shaker, says the IEA. “North America has Three Forks formations, will add stability to set off a supply shock that is sending ripples throughout the world,” executive director, an increasingly global market, he noted.” Maria van der Hoeven said. “Talk of energy independence fails to recognise the interconnected nature of “The good news is that this is helping to ease a market that was relatively global oil (and) global energy markets,” he tight for several years.” Major oil producers said. “We are all part of a global market, and are looking at the entire development from a no country is truly energy independent.”

though US oil imports fell to 8.5 million barrels a day last year - the lowest level since 1997 - imports from Saudi Arabia and Canada actually grew. The increase in Saudi and Canadian imports highlights some crucial points: Not all crudes are created equal, and US refinery demand varies depending on their qualities, such as density and sulfur content. Over the past several years, many refiners invested heavily in the equipment and upgrades necessary to process heavy crudes at their plants. So because they don’t want to let their upgraded facilities sit idle, Saudi and Canadian oil remains in high demand. Khalid Al-Falih, the Saudi Aramco CEO too welcomed the boom in US shale production underlining it would reassure consumers about the reliability of oil supplies. The shale revolution had helped ease fears about excessive reliance on the Middle East, and encouraged governments to be more “pragmatic and rational” about energy policy, he told the Financial Times.

“Expert opinion a few years ago was that the world was running out of oil […] In 2009, I was here when peak oil was really at the peak. ‘Peak Oil is here,’ they said. ‘The age of oil is over,’ they said. I haven’t heard much from them lately.” And minister Naimi had figures up his sleeves to underline. Exports from Saudi Arabia were higher in 2012 than at any time since tight oil production began in 2009. And even

In the long term, Al-Falih also believed that the rising US production would not take away its market. “Oil is going to be the fuel of choice, in terms of its overall performance, for an extended period of time, and we need to manage it, we need to invest in it.” Despite strong headwinds, Saudi oil Czars are putting up a brave, smiling face, apparently on a public relations spree.

May 23, 2013

Taylor Swift wins 8 trophies at Billboard Awards Another day, another domination for performance, though he seemed to kick a fan Taylor Swift: She was the red hot winner when he jumped over the crowd while singing his hit "Adorn." The R&B singer at the Billboard Music Awards. seemed to have landed part of his body on Swift won eight of 11 awards, including one woman, who walked away, and kicked top artist and top Billboard 200 album for another, who held her head low. "Red." She told the crowd: "You are the Maroon 5 and fun. were also nominated longest and best relationship I ever had." for 11 awards and walked away with one win She also had a colorful performance of her hit "22" — starting backstage and working her way to the main stage on the back of a bike with help from a dozen background dancers and a flurry of red balloons.

Selena Gomez sang her seductive new hit, "Come & Get It," while Chris Brown danced around the stage to his latest single, "Fine China," though his voice began to crack during the performance. Duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also performed their massive hit, "Thrift Shop," which won top rap song.

silky red suits that matched their silky dance moves, with bright gold disco balls hanging above them during a performance of the upbeat and old-school flavored "Treasure." Nicki Minaj won the first award in the live telecast for top rap artist, beating out Drake, Flo Rida, Pitbull and Psy.

"First and foremost, gotta thank Goodwill, "I definitely did not expect this one," she said, wearing a bright red dress. She later performed "High School" with Lil Wayne and gave the rapper a provocative lap dance onstage. Prince, who received the icon award, closed the awards show with a melody of his jams in a turquoise and purple ensemble. He sang, dance and rocked on the guitar.

Justin Bieber also performed — twice — and was also a multiple winner with three awards, including top male artist, social artist and the fan-voted milestone award, beating out Swift and Bruno Mars. When accepting the latter — where boos were heard — he alluded to the tumultuous weeks he's had in the public eye.

Madonna won top touring artist, dance artist and dance album for "MDNA."

"I'm 19 years old; I think I'm doing a pretty good job. And basically from my heart I really just want to say it should really be about the music, it should be about the craft that I'm making. This is not a gimmick," he Taylor Swift, center, performs at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena said. "I'm an artist and I should be taken on Sunday, May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas. — AP Photo seriously and all this other bull should not be each in pre-telecast announcements. Gotye gotta thank Value Village," Macklemore said spoken." and Rihanna had the second-most wins with to laughs. Bieber performed with will.i.am and solo four awards each. Kid Rock, who presented the award, when he sang "Take You" in leather pants, a But the awards show, airing live from sparked controversy when he told the crowd, leather vest and a black shirt that had one MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on "Let's give it up for people lip-synching sleeve, as blue laser lights beamed. ABC, is less about the trophies — which under pre-recorded music." Miguel, too, had a show-stopping reflect success on the Billboard charts — and more about the performances. Mars and his band kicked off the show in

"Thank you for supporting me for three decades. Without you I truly wouldn't be here," she said. Pitbull made two appearances, one with Jennifer Lopez and another with Christina Aguilera. His hit with Aguilera, "Feel This Moment," samples A-Ha's "Take On Me" and Morten Harket came out to sing a line from the song. Comedian-actor Tracy Morgan was the show's host, and he dressed as Psy in a bright yellow suit when the rapper-singer was onstage to present an award. They had a dance battle to Psy's new single, "Gentleman."

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt held in Ajmal Kasab’s jail cell: report demanded the transfer of the actor whom he said was being kept in the cell once occupied by Mumbai attacks gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, according to the Indian Express daily newspaper. Pakistani-born Kasab was executed last November, nearly four years after 166 people died in a three-day rampage in the Indian metropolis. The steel bunker specially built for Kasab at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail had no ventilation and the actor could not even tell if it was day or night, the lawyer said. “He (Dutt) is not a terrorist” and should not be kept in such a cell, the lawyer was quoted as saying. Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt (C) and film director Mahesh Bhatt (R) leave Dutt's residence to surrender to a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court in Mumbai on May 16, 2013. —AFP Photo

NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt, who is in jail for arms possession, is being held in a cell built for militants where he cannot see daylight and wants to be transferred, a report said Saturday.

Dutt, 53, surrendered on Thursday to serve out the remaining three-and-a-half years of a five-year term in a case linked to deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings. Dutt's lawyer, Rizwan Merchant, has

There was no immediate comment available from the jail. The actor, whose parents were two of India's biggest stars, shot to fame in the 1980s in a string of action movies in which he performed his own stunts, earning him the nickname “Deadly Dutt”.

He was convicted in 2006 of possessing guns supplied by gangsters who staged the 1993 bomb attacks that killed 257 people but was freed on bail after serving 18 months in prison. In March, the Supreme Court upheld Dutt’s conviction. He was cleared in 2007 of more serious conspiracy charges in the blasts, believed staged by Muslim underworld leaders in revenge for religious riots in which mainly Muslims died after the razing of an ancient mosque by Hindu zealots. Dutt, whose mother was Muslim and father Hindu, was found guilty of possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol which he insisted were only meant to protect his family in Mumbai’s charged atmosphere following the mosque’s destruction. After the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, the father-of-three wept and declared himself “a shattered man”.

May 23, 2013

Iranians face new Internet curbs before presidential election Since then, experts said, Iranians have faced slower access to encrypted international websites using the Secure Sockets Layer protocol, with addresses beginning with "https", such as Google Inc.'s email service Gmail, and this could push them to resort to unencrypted sites easily watched by the state. "SSL services are being throttled by the government to create a system of incentives or coercion not to use them," said Collin Anderson, a U.S.-based Internet researcher who focuses on Iran. "That affects Gmail and pretty much anything that you want a layer of security on." A similar Internet blockade was put in place in February 2012, ahead of parliamentary elections. Several Iranian Web users said they have had trouble accessing their Gmail accounts in the last three weeks. Elham, Photo shows three potential conservative candidates for Iran's June 14 presidential election: Iran's former chief nuclear negotiator an Internet user from the northeastern city Saeed Jalili (L), former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati (C) and Tehran's Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; AFP Photo of Mashhad, told Reuters that since late DUBAI - Iranians are struggling with between hardline conservatives close to speeds had dropped in much of Tehran April, any VPN she tries to use only slower Internet speeds and limited access clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali and that in some parts of the capital, works for about two minutes before she is ahead of an unpredictable presidential Khamenei and hostile to Ahmadinejad. accessing the Web had become disconnected. election that has put hardline Islamist impossible - which would prevent The populist Ahmadinejad, who has dissidents from mustering protests online authorities on alert for possible unrest. She and Hamed declined to be fully fallen out with Khamenei, is limited by as they did after the 2009 vote. named for fear of repercussion for Experts and web users say they law to two consecutive presidential terms. speaking to a foreign reporter. believe the Internet obstacles are related Hamed, 33, a dissident freelance to the June 14 presidential vote, the first Iran's Guardian Council was due to journalist living in Tehran, said his clients One man in his 30s who works at an since 2009 polls in which accusations of present a final list of approved candidates now have resorted to sending him files by Internet Service Provider (ISP) company fraud - denied by the government - to the Interior Ministry on Tuesday. The loading them onto CDs and transporting in Tehran confirmed that most VPNs kindled months of protests organised in ministry then has two days to announce them by courier. were down and those still up were part via social networking sites like the approved names. crashing within two minutes. "We get things done but with more Facebook and Twitter. The opposition website Kaleme time spent," Hamed told Reuters via He added: "Fewer and fewer people are Iranian officials denied any reported on Monday that security had email. using Twitter in recent days which shows connection between the Internet been heightened in Tehran, apparently to their problems accessing the net." disruptions and the upcoming vote. But, counter any protests should the INTERNATIONAL WEBSITES after the disputed re-election of President candidacies of Rafsanjani or Mashaie be BLOCKED Iranian officials denied any link between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad four years ago, rejected by the council. the disruptions and the election. they are wary of the possibility of further Many Iranians used Virtual Private "Numerous parameters contribute to the unrest this time around. Iranian web users, who number Network (VPN) software to bypass the speed of the Internet and the approach of some 45 million according to official government's extensive web filter. But the elections will not have any role," Ali The last-minute entries of moderate figures, have grappled with increased government blocked access to most Hakim Javadi, head of Iran's Information former president Akbar Hashemi obstacles to using the Internet since the VPNs, which make computers look as if Technology Organisation, told ISNA Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad ally 2009 election. they are located in another country, in news agency. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie have shaken up March. what was expected to be a limited race Kaleme said on Monday Internet

May 23, 2013

American who was killed by drone had been arrested by Pakistan

EU ready for talks on China investment accord

-File Photo

BRUSSELS: The European Commission announced on Thursday it was ready to open negotiations with China, one of the EU's most important trading partners, on an investment protection accord.

— File Photo

PESHAWAR: Pakistani authorities once arrested an American citizen now known to have been killed in a US drone strike in the country, but he escaped after being released on bail. The Obama administration revealed Wednesday that Jude Kenan Mohammad died in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s tribal region, making him the fourth American citizen killed by unmanned aircraft in Pakistan and Yemen. Mohammad was indicted by federal authorities in 2009 as part of an alleged plot to attack the US Marine Corps base

in Quantico, VA. Before he could be arrested, Mohammad fled to Pakistan. Pakistani officials said in 2008 that Mohammad was arrested when he tried to enter the Mohmand tribal area without permission. He was released on bail and failed to show up at a 2009 court hearing.

Budget for 2013-14 likely on June 14

The announcement comes in the midst of a series of tit-for-tat trade disputes between Brussels and Beijing and as the EU begins talks with Washington on what could be the largest ever Free Trade Agreement. China eyes that development, and similar US initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region, with some concern and has asked the EU to open talks on their own FTA, a prospect Brussels has played down, believing an investment accord would be a more suitable first step. “An EU-China investment agreement will help deepen our ties and sends the signal that we are firmly committed to building a strong partnership,” EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said in a statement. “The agreement needs to secure existing openness and deliver new liberalisation of the conditions for accessing each other's investment market,” De Gucht said in a statement. “Crucially, it should also improve the treatment of investors and their assets - including key technologies and intellectual property rights,” he said. The Commission said that an accord would bring together current separate agreements into one text, with the aim of improving “the protection of EU investments in China as well as Chinese investments in Europe, improving legal certainty regarding treatment of EU investors in China, reducing barriers to investing in China and, as a result, increasing bilateral investment flows.” The Commission added that “it should also, crucially, cover improved access to the Chinese market,” citing a key and longstanding EU concern about trade with China.

— File Photo ISLAMABAD, May 22: ordinance it would not take Th e in co mi ng P M L - N much time to fine-tune the government is expected to budget. present the first budget for Over the past 10 years, the 2013-14 by June 14. official said, the federal A senior official told Dawn budget had been announced that the finance ministry had on the first or the second of p r o p o s e d J u n e 7 f o r June but since the country was presentation of the budget so currently going through the that it could be approved by process of transfer of power, a parliament before June 30 few days’ delay would not after a debate. make much difference. Due to the time being taken by government formation, it might not be possible to convene the budget session of parliament in the first week of June, said Senator Ishaq Dar who is tipped to be the new finance minister. He said that since major budgetary proposals have already been introduced through a presidential

Under the constitution, the council is headed by prime minister and comprises four chief ministers, federal and provincial ministers for finance and planning and development and a few federal members. It approves the Public Sector Development Programme, annual plan and macroeconomic framework for the next year.

It was not yet clear if the Based on the approvals, the new prime minister would printing of budget documents take oath in a week, he said. takes almost a week. “There are indications that the prime minister will take oath Hence it would be advisable to convene the on June 3.” budget session at the start of After that it would take a second week of June after couple of days to form the consultations with the federal and provincial National Assembly secretariat, governments and reconstitute finance division and prime the National Economic minister’s secretariat, the Council. official said.

The Commission said there was “huge potential” to boost investment ties which are relatively modest considering the size of the overall trade relationship, with China counting the EU as its largest export market. In 2011, European companies invested 17.5 billion euros in China, with flows the other way just 2.8 billion euros. In comparison, EU exports to China totalled $212 billion last year, with imports $334 billion. As a first step, the Commission will now ask the 27 EU member states to approve a negotiating mandate with China. The latest development comes with the two sides at sharp odds over solar panels, steel tubes and telecoms equipment, sparking fears of a trade war. Analysts said the increase in such tensions could simply reflect the fact that both are feeling the pressure from a sharp economic slowdown and that the underlying relationship is so important that Brussels and Beijing ultimately have every incentive to settle their differences.

May 23, 2013

'Soldier' killed in 'shocking' London street attack He said he had spoken to local borough police commander Richard Wood, and a lieutenant colonel at the Woolwich army barracks. “One individual is dead, two others are seriously injured and in hospital,” he said. “We think a serving soldier was the victim. We don't know the circumstances surrounding the incident. “We do know a number of weapons have been seized. They include a gun, various knives, and a machete, apparently. “The police clearly had to take action in order to try and arrest these individuals.”The Ministry of Defence said it was urgently investigating reports that the dead man was a soldier. Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition Labour Party, said on Twitter: “Shocked by appalling events in A police forensics officer investigates a crime scene where one man was killed in Woolwich, southeast Woolwich. Whole country will be horrified by what has happened.” London. -Reuters Photo Police were called at 2:20 pm (1320 LONDON: British police shot and wounded two men after a man GMT) to reports of one man being thought to be a serving soldier was assaulted by two others. killed outside a London barracks, in “A number of weapons were an attack Prime Minister David reportedly being used in the attack, and Cameron called “truly shocking”. this included reports of a firearm,” said In a dramatic move, the police commander Simon Letchford. government's emergency response committee was being summoned Local police officers, then firearms following the killing which some officers arrived on the scene where they eyewitness reports suggested was an found a man who was later pronounced attempted beheading using machete-like dead. knives. “Two men, who we believe from Some early reports suggested the early reports to have been carrying attack might be Islamist-related, weapons, were shot by police. They were although there was no official taken to separate London hospitals, they are receiving treatment for their confirmation. injuries,” Letchford said. The incident took place in broad daylight in a street around 200 metres He said there would be a (yards) from the Royal Artillery heightened police presence in the area Barracks in Woolwich, a district of and urged locals to remain calm. southeast London.

The London 2012 Olympic and Cameron said on Twitter: “The Paralympic shooting events were staged killing in Woolwich is truly shocking”. at a temporary venue at the Royal Artillery. He added that he had asked Home Secretary Theresa May, Britain's interior The barracks houses a number of minister, to chair a meeting of COBRA, the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the government's emergency civil which drew former prime minister contingencies committee. Margaret Thatcher's coffin to her funeral last month -- and independent companies A white and blue police evidence of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards. tent was visible in the street and police tape sealed off the scene. The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is called in Eyewitness pictures showed an air whenever firearms officers discharge ambulance landing in the road and three their weapons, said it was investigating. bodies lying on the ground with dozens of onlookers observing the scene after “IPCC investigators have been the police arrived. deployed to the scene and to the postincident process,” a spokesman said. Nick Raynsford, the member of parliament for Woolwich and Greenwich, said his understanding was that the man found dead was a serving soldier.