28 December 2004 Tuesday 15 Ziqa'ad 1425 KARACHI: All About Lifestyles concludes KARACHI, Dec 27: Hundreds of thousands of people showed up at the Expo Centre in Gulshan-i-Iqbal where "All About Lifestyles", a three-day exhibition sponsored by the Dawn Group of Newspapers, concluded on Sunday. ... KARACHI: City govt seeks power to control prices KARACHI, Dec 27: The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) is contemplating to request the Sindh government to confer magisterial powers on its officers to control prices of edible items. ... KARACHI: SHC admits plea challenging removal of nazims KARACHI, Dec 27: The Sindh High Court admitted on Monday a writ petition challenging the removal of four district nazims and naib nazims and issued notices to the advocate-general and other respondents for Dec 30. ... KARACHI: Arts Council election results announced KARACHI, Dec 27: Khushbakht Shujaat, Aneeq Ahmed and Rizwan Siddiqui have been elected vice president, honourary secretary and treasurer, respectively, in the Arts Council elections. ... KARACHI: Govt to ensure health cover for all: Nasir KARACHI, Dec 27: The Federal Health Minister, Mohammad Nasir Khan, has reiterated the government's commitment to ensure equitable distribution of national health budget among all citizens of the country. ... KARACHI: Health units, schools for coastal areas planned KARACHI, Dec 27: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Monday announced that 25 new schools would be opened in the coastal areas of the city as part of the Fishermen Development Package for provision of basic facilities to the fishermen and their families. ... KARACHI: 30 more barracks at Central Prison soon KARACHI, Dec 27: Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui has said that construction of 30 more barracks was in final stage at the Karachi Central Prison to overcome shortage of space to accommodate prisoners. ... KARACHI: Magnetic train project gets go-ahead KARACHI, Dec 27: A high-level meeting in Islamabad has given a go-ahead to the city government's plan of introducing a magnetic train from Sohrab Goth to Mere weather Tower ... KARACHI: Mubarak village residents oppose fresh demarcation KARACHI, Dec 27: Residents of Mubarak village have called for preserving natural boundaries of the village, saying they would not accept any changes in the existing landscape. ... KARACHI: Hub Dam visitors allege mismanagement KARACHI, Dec 27: Picnickers and those who come for fishing at the Hub Dam are often deprived of money, valuables and sometimes even their vehicles, by armed persons owing to lack of any security measures taken ... KARACHI: KU shifts exam centres KARACHI, Dec 27: The University of Karachi has shifted the exam centres of some candidates appearing in BCom parts I and II annual examinations 2004 to the Department of Physics. ... KARACHI: Hamida justifies delay in lecturers' posting KARACHI, Dec 27: The Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy, Dr Hamida Khuhro, said the government had not suspended the process of selection of 741 candidates as lecturers on contract basis. ... KARACHI: Women jail becomes overcrowded KARACHI, Dec 27: The Special Prison for Women in the city is overcrowded as against the sanctioned capacity of just 150, more than 300 people have been kept there, it is learnt. ... KARACHI: Police claim killing robber in encounter KARACHI, Dec 27: An alleged robber was shot dead in, what police claimed to be, an encounter in Orangi Town on Monday. Police said that three men boarded a coach near Banaras Chowk heading towards Kabari Market. ... KARACHI: MMA protests KARACHI, Dec 27: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Monday held a protest demonstration against US intervention in Pakistan, military operation against tribesmen in Waziristan and holding of dual offices by President Pervez Musharraf at the Dawood Chowrangi in Landhi. ... LAHORE: Loans for public transport: Conversion to CNG LAHORE, Dec 27: The Punjab government is creating a Green Fund in the planning and development department for advancing interest-free loans for conversion of two-stroke rickshaws to four stroke and diesel buses to CNG. ... LAHORE: National drama festival begins LAHORE, Dec 27: The Ibsen National Drama Festival began at Alhamra on Monday with Tota Rama, a play produced by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. ... PESHAWAR: Post of prosecution officer lying vacant PESHAWAR, Dec 27: The government has failed to appoint a prosecution officer, which is creating hurdles in the working of the prosecution directorate, said official sources. ... PESHAWAR: Musharraf to be apprised of problems of LG system PESHAWAR, Dec 27: Provincial Minister for Local Government Sardar Idrees Khan has said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf will be apprised about problems faced by the local government system ... PESHAWAR: Juvenile law: SC Bar chief seeks ruling reviewed PESHAWAR, Dec 27: The Supreme Court Bar Association's President, Qazi Muhammad Jamil, stated on Monday that the recent judgment of the Lahore High Court of striking down provisions of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance ... PESHAWAR: Sharp rise in number of beggars PESHAWAR, Dec 27: In the absence of an effective legal mechanism to curb beggary, the number of beggars is growing in the province. Vagrancy Ordinance 1958, has failed to curb the evil and the number of professional beggars is on the rise. ... HARIPUR: Passenger killed as van overturns HARIPUR, Dec 27: A passenger was killed and another was injured when a van overturned near Shah Mohammad on GT road here on Monday. ... HYDERABAD: Proposal to divide Hyderabad district opposed HYDERABAD, Dec 27: Activists of the Qasimabad Action Committee observed a token hunger strike outside the press club here on Sunday against a proposal to bifurcate the district on ethnic lines. ... HYDERABAD: Call for mass education up to high school level HYDERABAD, Dec 27: A three-day Petarians' convention concluded here on Sunday with a call to launch a crash mass education programme in schools situated in the vicinity of the Cadet College Petaro. ... MIRPURKHAS: Two die in accident MIRPURKHAS, Dec 27: Two persons, one of them an army lance naik, were killed and four pedestrians were injured when a speedy pick-up collided head-on with another pick-up on the Umerkot-Chore road near Umerkot on Sunday. ... RAWALPINDI: 7 persons die in separate incidents RAWALPINDI, Dec 27: Seven persons died in separate incidents in Rawalpindi during last two days, police said. Sabila Nahid was shot dead by unidentified persons who entered into the house of Javed Khan in Kallar Syedan. ... CHIRTAL: Driver, guard killed in Chitral CHITRAL, Dec 27: Masked men shot dead two employees of the Aga Khan Health Service, Chitral office, and set ablaze five vehicles parked on the office premises on Sunday night. ... QUETTA: Blast hits central Quetta QUETTA, Dec 27: A bomb exploded in the central part of the city on Monday afternoon. No one was injured. However, windowpanes of some nearby buildings were smashed, official sources said. ... QUETTA: Death to 13 confirmed QUETTA, Dec 27: A division bench of the Balochistan High Court has confirmed death penalty to 13 accused for killing three persons, including Mir Muhammad Aslam Gichki, a leader of BNP-Mengal. ... HARIPUR: Probe finds irregularities in hiring of teachers HARIPUR, Dec 27: Inquiry committees constituted by the Haripur district council have pointed out irregularities in appointment of teachers and sale of over 60 trees ... LANDI KOTAL: MPs warn of backlash against reforms LANDI KOTAL, Dec 27: Parliamentarians from the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas have warned that any reforms package introduced in Fata would not be acceptable unless tribesmen's openion were taken into account. ... LARAKANA: Strike observed in Qambar, Larkana: Killing of four protesters in police firing LARKANA, Dec 27: A complete strike was observed in Qambar on Monday in protest against the killing of four people allegedly by police. A partial protest strike was observed in Larkana. ... MIRPURKHAS: Council calls for reinstatement of district nazims MIRPURKHAS, Dec 27: Members of the Mirpurkhas District Council on Monday demanded that President Gen Pervez Musharraf should reinstate district nazims and naib nazims removed by the Sindh government. ... KARACHI: KU depts told to hold seminars KARACHI, Dec 27: The Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi, Dr Pirzada Qasim, on Monday said that each department on the campus was required to hold at least two workshops or seminars during the ensuing semester. ... KARACHI: Postgraduate classes planned in colleges KARACHI, Dec 27: The Sindh Minister for Planning and Development, Syed Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari, on Monday said the Sindh government had outlined a project to start postgraduate classes in six women colleges of Karachi. ... SUKKUR: Sufi poet Bedil's Urs begins SUKKUR Dec 27: District Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah inaugurated the 136th annual Urs celebration of Sufi poet Qadir Bukhsh Bedil by laying a Chadar on his tomb in Rohri on Monday. ... NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: Poet Hafiz Khaskheli passes away NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, Dec 27: A people's poet and an expert on the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Hafiz Mohammad Bukhsh Khaskheli, died in New Jatoi village on Saturday after suffering from throat cancer for more than a year. He was over 60. ... FAISALABAD: 20 jail officials suspended: Escape of two convicts FAISALABAD, Dec 27: Around 20 Central Jail officials, including two deputy superintendents and as many assistant superintendents, were suspended while 17 of them were taken into custody after the registration of a case ... TOBA TEK SINGH: Rift in ruling party in Toba TOBA TEK SINGH, Dec 27: A group in the ruling party opposed to District Nazim Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq is getting hold of key offices in the district. ... SIALKOT: Seven die of cold in Sialkot SIALKOT, Dec 27: Seven people, including two old women, died of cold in the district during the last 24 hours. Two unidentified drug-addicts died in Sialkot city, Bashiran Bibi, 65, died in Sambrial, Shafqat Bibi, 58 in Pasrur ... KASUR: Robbers on the rampage KASUR, Dec 27: Armed bandits snatched over Rs1 million in cash and took away a car and a motorcycle in four different strikes here on Monday. Malik Nazir Ahmad, manager of Nasir filling station, along with his gunman Muhammad Younas, was going to a bank for depositing Rs1.125 million by a rickshaw (LRS-1889). ... SIALKOT: Robbers throw acid on girl on resistance SIALKOT, Dec 27: Robbers threw acid on the face of the daughter of a trader on offering resistance in Muradpur here on Sunday night. Police said three robbers entered the house of Haji Abdul Razzaq ...

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