KarachiThe absence of hundreds of traffic policemen from their place of duty in the city on Tuesday evening can best be explained by the fact

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KARACHI: No decision has so far been taken on either the extension or the end of the job of Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Dr. Shamshad Akhter, sources said.According to sources, the job period of the present governor would come to end on January second next year nonetheless; government has not finalized any decision in this context as yet.No summary, in this wake, has so far been sent to the President Asif Ali Zardari or Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, sources also confirmed.It is likely for the influential bankers and powerful industrialists to force government to replace her due to her strict monetary policy she leveled upon banks and industries however International Monetary Departments or Companies that release loans for Pakistan trust Dr. Akhter as she has the tendency to satisfy them.

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ISLAMABAD A senior lawyer on Tuesday requested the Supreme Court to initiate a reference against Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and two other judges

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KarachiA massive explosion rocked Al-Noor Society on Tuesday when a large quantity of firecrackers stored in a house in the area blew up. Two

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LAHORE: Six more matches have been decided on the second day of the National Gold Cup Hockey Tournament here at the National Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.WAPDA outclassed Railway 9-0 in a one-sided match today.In other matches of the day, PAF beat Sindh 3-2, Port Qasim defeated Punjab 2-1, Pakistan Army trounced Habib Bank 3-1, Pakistan Steel crushed Police 5-1 and PIA humiliated Navy 3-0.

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KARACHI: Two persons were killed as a result of explosives going off here Federal B. Area on Tuesday.The explosives kept in a parked vehicle (high-roof) outside a house caused a loud blast in block-9, Federal B. Area. The sound of the blast was so loud that it was heard in a radius of 1 mile.The vehicle and the upper storey of the house were destroyed completely while the walls of the adjoining houses also collapsed.The blast also caused the electric wires passing from above to break, suspending the power supply in the area.The intermittent blasts caused fear among the area residents.Later, police and fire brigade reached the spot and overcame the blaze.

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COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government has disbanded the adhoc committee of the Sri Lankan cricket board which was working under Arjuna Ranatunga.Ranatunga was appointed chairman of the adhoc committee in January this year while Aravinda de Silva and Sidath Vettimuny were also a part of the board along with him.Now the government after disbanding the adhoc committee has temporarily appointed secretary sports ministry S Liangama as new chairman of the board.The fate of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series is now in doubts with the changes in the Sri Lankan board.However, the officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board have refused to make any comment on the decision of the Sri Lankan government.

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MOHALI: India’’s Gautam Gambhir missed his second century of the match by three runs as the second Test against England was drawn on Tuesday, giving the hosts a 1-0 series win.The left-hander, who scored 179 in the first innings, had made 97 in the second knock when he was caught at point off by Graeme Swann soon after lunch on the fifth day, signalling India’’s declaration at 251-7.The tourists, set an improbable target of 403 in a minimum of 43 overs, preferred to play out time and were 64-1 from 28 overs when the match was called off at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium.Mahendra Singh Dhoni’’s Indians clinched the two-match series after having won the first Test in Chennai by six wickets.A draw was on the cards after 80 overs were lost over the five days due to dense winter fog in the mornings and bad light in the evenings.The final day’’s play on Tuesday, which was also delayed by two hours and 30 minutes due to fog, was lit up by a stroke-filled 153-run stand for the fifth wicket between Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.Yuvraj hit a typically aggressive 86 off 91 balls, his fifth Test half-century studded with six boundaries and four sixes.Gambhir, who was 80 at lunch, moved to 97 before he failed to keep down a cut off Swann and Bell took a tumbling catch at point.The 27-year-old Delhi opener compiled 1,134 runs from eight Tests in 2008, having scored three hundreds and as many half-centuries in his last eight innings.The best of Gambhir’’s three centuries this year was the 206 he made against Australia in New Delhi in October in a series India won 2-0 to annexe the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Gambhir, who was later named man of the match, was the fourth Indian to surpass 1,000 runs in 2008 after Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman and Virender Sehwag.India’’s left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan was named man of the series for his eight wickets.

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KARACHI: Explosives kept in a parked vehicle caused a blast in block 19, Ancholi area here on Tuesday.The people are trying to extinguish the fire triggered by the blast.

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ISLAMABAD: Interpol has expressed satisfaction over measures taken by Pakistan in connection with Mumbai attacks.The Interpol team during a meeting with adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik said India did not provide any concrete evidence about the involvement in Mumbai attacks. Rehman Malik said steps were taken against Jamaat-ud-Dawa in accordance with United Nations rules. Pakistan is investigating, but so far India has not provided any concrete proofs.Interior Secretary Kamal Shah and other officials of interior ministry were also present during the meeting.

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