Shahzeb murder case: Shahrukh Jatoi sent to juvenile jail

KARACHI: Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has sent Shahrukh Jatoi, key accused in Shahzeb murder case, to juvenile jail till January 29, Geo News reported. The medical tests to verify the age, have declared Shahrukh to be aged between 17-18 years. Shahrukh Jatoi and other accused were presented before ATC. The court ordered to shift Shahrukh to juvenile while Siraj Talpur, Sajjad Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were sent to Central Jail, Karachi. Earlier, the weapon (9MM pistol and bullets) used in murder was also recovered from Shahrukh Jatoi.

World hails Israel-Hamas ceasefire, thanks Egypt

November 22, 2012 - Updated 649 PKT

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WASHINGTON: The US, the EU and the UN on Wednesday welcomed a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and Washington thanked Egypt's new government for its successful first turn on the diplomatic stage. World powers were relieved by the deal, which may offer at least temporary respite from bloodshed in Gaza and southern Israel, but puts them in the debt of Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi, who sprang from the Muslim Brotherhood. US President Barack Obama, re-elected this month after a first term in which the Middle East peace process moved not one pace further down its supposed "road map", led a chorus of approval for Morsi's mediation work. Morsi, a leading member of the Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, was elected in June this year in Egypt's first election since a popular revolt brought down secular strongman Hosni Mubarak. He resigned from his Brotherhood-led party, the FJP, and vowed to represent all Egyptians, but his elevation raised concerns about Cairo's peace treaty with Israel and its ties with Hamas, part of the Brotherhood movement. In the first big crisis of his tenure, however, Morsi was hailed as a peace broker, working with US officials to arrange a truce. "The president thanked President Morsi for his efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and for his personal leadership in negotiating a ceasefire proposal," the White House said in a statement. Obama also reaffirmed the "close partnership" between Washington and Cairo, the White House said, adding that the two leaders "agreed on the importance of working toward a more durable solution to the situation in Gaza." The US leader also praised a more natural Washington ally, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but again stressed Egypt's role in securing the deal that it is hoped will end Hamas' rocket attacks and Israeli air strikes. "The president expressed his appreciation for the prime minister's efforts to work with the new Egyptian government to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and a more durable solution to this problem," a White House statement said. "The president commended the prime minister for agreeing to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, which the president recommended the prime minister do, while reiterating that Israel maintains the right to defend itself," it said. Canada also praised Egypt, while criticizing Palestinian militants. "Canada welcomes this ceasefire and hopes terrorist cells based in Gaza will abide by the terms," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. "The Egyptian government showed leadership and responsibility as a major regional state." European Union leaders, Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, also welcomed the ceasefire, while cautiously stressing that the parties must "ensure its implementation and to prevent the restart of violence." Pledging EU support for the peace process, their statement added that the events of the last days "stress the urgent need to move towards a two-state solution allowing both sides to live side-by-side in peace and security". UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appeared not quite ready to believe that a truce had been possible, after a week of bloodshed that killed more than 150 people, the majority of them Palestinians caught in Israel's onslaught. "We are encouraged and relieved that they have reached this ceasefire," Ban told reporters. "There are still many details to be solidified for a durable ceasefire. I hope they will finalize these details as soon possible. "Our focus now must be on ensuring that the ceasefire holds," he said. "They must keep their promises. I urge them to exercise maximum restraint, patience with a sense of mutual understanding, this is very important." Global oil prices had been rising before the ceasefire, with chaos in the Middle East boosting supply concerns, but they fell back to finish the day steady after news of the ceasefire broke. (AFP)

Israel, Hamas agree to Gaza truce

CAIRO:Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr announced that a truce had been agreed between Israel and Hamas over the Gaza conflict and said a ceasefire would come into effect at 1900 GMT. Egypt has been leading international efforts to reach a week of violence in and around Gaza and "these efforts have reached an agreement for a ceasefire." Earlier, A senior Hamas official told AFP that a deal to end a deadly week-long conflict between Hamas and Israel in and around the Gaza Strip was agreed. "The deal has been agreed. There will be an announcement in half an hour," the official said on condition of anonymity. Reuters news agency reported that Israel has agreed to a truce in the Gaza Strip, but will not lift its blockade of the Palestinian territory, Israeli sources said, declining to give further details of any deal. Shortly before, a Palestinian official with knowledge of Egyptian mediation between the two sides told Reuters that there was a ceasefire agreement to end eight days of fighting in Gaza that has killed more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis.

MQM files petition to become party in voter lists case

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to become party in the voter lists case Thursday, Geo News reported. According to sources, the petition was filed by Barrister Farogh Nasim on behalf of MQM. The petitioner was of the view that the MQM has complete mandate in the urban areas of Sindh especially in Karachi. Therefore, he should be heard in the case related to electoral rolls of Karachi.

Toll in Rawalpindi blast rises to 23

November 22, 2012 - Updated 1137 PKT

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ISLAMABAD: Toll in the suicide attack on a Moharram ul Haram procession in Rawalpindi that occurred late on Wednesday night rose to 23 on Thursday, a police rescue spokeswoman told. The attack, in the Dhok Sayidan area of Rawalpindi, came hours after two back-to-back bomb blasts --40 minutes apart-- near an Imambargah in Karachi, which killed two people and left 16 others wounded. Sources quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a suicide bomber suddenly entered into the Moharram-ul-Haram procession and detonated the explosives strapped to his body. "Two unknown people, who did not appear to be mourners, barged in the procession and one of them blew himself up", said eyewitnesses. It is pertinent to mention that around 3,000-4,000 mourners left one Imamabargah in the form of a procession and were on their way to another, when the bomber struck. Deeba Shehnaz said the death toll rose from 16 after patients, who were critically wounded in the attack, died from their injuries in various hospitals. "A total of 23 people have expired and 62 injured, eight of them are children," she said. "The 23 apparently include the bomber because we have pieces of the body that have apparently not been identified," she added. The attack came as Pakistan welcomed Muslim leaders for a rare summit in Islamabad that brings together Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Turkey and Pakistan in the Developing Eight. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for twin bomb attacks targeting Shiite Muslims in Karachi and Rawalpindi, which killed 25 people. "We carried out the attacks (on Wednesday) in Rawalpindi and Karachi because the Shiite community is engaged in defiling the Prophet," spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told by telephone from an undisclosed location.

itamin D in pregnancy may prevent multiple sclerosis

PARIS: Researchers said Thursday they have found evidence that Vitamin D supplements for pregnant women in the world's colder, darker countries may stave off multiple sclerosis (MS) in their offspring.
The finding adds to a growing body of work showing a link between low Vitamin D levels and the debilitating disease, which sees the immune system attacking the body's own nerve fibres.
Data on more than 150,000 MS patients born in places north of 52 degrees, revealed a heightened risk for those born in April -- a month preceded by a long period without sunlight, said a paper in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Of the total, 13,300 were born in April compared to 11,600 in November -- a lower-risk month after summer in the northern hemisphere, British researchers wrote.
"Month of birth has a significant effect on subsequent MS risk," they said. "This is likely to be due to ultraviolet light exposure and maternal Vitamin D levels.
They added, though, it could also be "any factor that varies in a similar seasonal and latitudinal manner".
The data was taken from individuals born between 1930 and 1980, from studies done in Britain, the United States, Italy, Israel, Finland, Scotland, Sweden and Canada -- parts of which see little sunlight between the months of October and March.
About 100,000 people in Britain and about 400,000 in the United States are believed to suffer from MS, a disease that affects vision, movement, balance, sensation, bladder control and eventually also memory and thinking. There is no cure.
Study co-author Sreeram Ramagopalan from the Queen Mary University of London told AFP the findings amounted to an added MS risk of five percent for people born in April -- about five extra births per million.
"Pregnant mothers need to ensure they are Vitamin D replete at all times," Ramagopalan said in an email exchange.
"Because Vitamin D deficiency is a massive problem at the moment due to living at high latitudes and lifestyle changes (wearing sunscreen etc), mothers may need to take several thousand international units of Vitamin D3 to become Vitamin D replete."
Humans need Vitamin D, which our bodies produce from exposure to sunlight or extract from food, for healthy bones
Suspected links between a lack of vitamin D and an increased risk of death, including from heart disease and certain types of cancer, have been the subject of medical research for several years.
Researchers have also focused on its possible role in MS.
"It is thought that maternal Vitamin D levels during pregnancy affect the immune status of the developing foetus, and hence modulates subsequent MS risk," wrote the authors.
North of 52 degrees latitude lies the northern parts of England, the Scandinavian countries, and most of Russia and Canada.
No studies from the southern hemisphere were included in the analysis.

Mark Rothko painting crowns New York art sale

Rothko's No 1 helped Sotheby's achieve their best ever auction result

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A painting by abstract artist Mark Rothko has fetched $75.1 million (£47.2m) at an auction in New York.

Rothko's No 1 (Royal Red and Blue), described by Sotheby's as "a seminal, large-scale masterpiece", was the subject of a heated bidding war.

The price far exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $35m-$50m (£22m-£31.4m) but fell short of the record $86.9m (£54.6m) a Rothko fetched in May.

The sale also saw a 1951 Jackson Pollock work sell for $40.4m (£25.4m).

Pollock's Number 4, a characteristic drip painting, easily outstripped the previous highest price - $23m (£14.4m) - fetched at auction by a work by the abstract expressionist.

The Rothko painting was one of eight works hand-selected by the Russian-American artist for his landmark solo show in 1954 at the Art Institute of Chicago.

It had been in the same collection for 30 years before coming to auction.

Tuesday's sale of post-war and contemporary art at Sotheby's saw plenty of interest from investors, raising a total of $375m (£236m) - the best auction result in the auction house's history.

Andy Warhol had a strong showing, with Green Disaster (Green Disaster Twice) selling for $15.2m (£9.5m) and The Kiss (Bela Lugosi) fetching $9.3m (£5.8m).

Another Warhol work, Suicide, that had been estimated to sell for between $6m (£3.7m) and $8m (£5m) ended up going for $16.3m (£10.2m).

A "screaming pope" by British artist Francis Bacon sold for nearly $30m (£18.9m), a Willem de Kooning piece fetched just under $20m (£12.5m) while a work by Gerhard Richter went for $17.4m (£10.9m).

Franz Kline's Shenandoah fetched $9.3m (£5.8m), setting another artist's record.

"If you want to talk about the market being happy, healthy and well, here it is," said Sotheby's auctioneer Tobias Meyer, worldwide head of contemporary art.

"That's probably about as good as it gets."

Further high prices are expected at a second Sotheby's contemporary and post-war art sale on Wednesday, with two Christie's sales focusing on the same period also taking place in New York this week.