LAHORESECUTIRY measures at the Lahore Railway Station are causing inconvenience to people and encouraging porters to charge at will.On

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U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke visits Pakistan this week to assess the government’s wider plans to win over areas that have fallen under Taliban influence following its Swat Valley offensive against the Islamist militants, a U.S. official said Monday.

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NEW YORK: Crude oil prices soared Monday above 68 dollars a barrel for the first time in seven months, boosted by higher Chinese output, a weak US currency and rising equity markets, traders said. New York’’s main futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, shot up to 68.68 dollars on the back of a Wall Street stock surge before ending at 68.58 dollars, up by 2.27 dollars from Friday’’s close. The price levels were last reached at the end of October. London Brent North Sea crude for delivery in July bounced as high as 68.03 dollars a barrel before ending at 67.97 dollars, up 2.45 dollars from Friday. Prices climbed largely due to the weak dollar, said Antoine Halff of Newedge Group.”The increase is not unique to the oil sector, it affects all raw materials. The investment funds in particular are investing in commodities as a protection against the dollar or to manage the fears of inflation,” he said. A weak US currency makes dollar-priced oil cheaper for holders of stronger currencies and, in turn, tends to stimulate demand and push prices higher. The euro jumped above 1.42 dollars for the first time this year, as rebounding global stock markets persuaded investors to switch away from the safe-haven US currency, dealers said. BetOnMarkets analyst Dave Evans said the price increases also stemmed from news that the manufacturing sector in China expanded for a third month. “China, the world’’s second-biggest energy consumer, has been showing signs of a recovery over the last two months. There is a very strong chance of oil prices testing the 70-dollar level,” he said. China’’s manufacturing activity expansion in May, based on data released Monday, gave added hopes for a global economic recovery. The official Purchasing Managers” Index, or PMI, for the manufacturing sector pulled back slightly to 53.1 in May, down from 53.5 in April, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in a statement on its website. A reading above 50 means the sector is expanding, while a reading below 50 indicates an overall decline. Meanwhile, the Saudi cabinet affirmed Monday that the world’’s biggest oil exporter sees 75 to 80 dollars a barrel as a “fair” price for crude, information minister Abdulaziz Khoja said.

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LAHOREContractors participating in bidding of 157 contracts of parking stands, public toilets and wagon routes of the City District Government

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LONDON: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori led from the front as the Black Caps beat defending champions India by nine runs in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match at Lord’’s here on Monday. India were on course to make the 171 they needed for victory during a fourth-wicket stand of 69 between Suresh Raina (45) and Ravindra Jadeja which featured some superb clean hitting to match the top-order fireworks of opener Rohit Sharma (36). Left-arm spinner Vettori, who finished with excellent figures of three for 24 in three overs, had big-hitting rival captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stumped for just six and, after Raina holed out to medium-pacer Jacob Oram, the innings fell away despite a run-a-ball 41 from Jadeja. But India may take some heart from getting so close to the Black Caps” total without batsmen Virender Sehwag (shoulder) and Yuvraj Singh (stomach illness). Although not an official match, this was the fourth time in a row that India had lost to New Zealand in the shortest form of the game to go with three defeats in full Twenty20 internationals. “It’’s four in a row now and that is a bit of a concern,” Dhoni told reporters. “We wanted to try a few things at the end, especially when it came to the length that we bowl, but sadly it didn”t work for us.” Vettori had forecast on Sunday that spin would have an important role to play at this tournament and he was as good as his word. The skipper, who held a fine caught and bowled chance off a hard-hit drive from Yusuf Pathan, used eight bowlers in all with all-rounder Oram taking one for 18 from his three overs. New Zealand had made 170 for seven after losing the toss. Ross Taylor, dropped by wicket-keeper Dhoni on 22, went onto make 41 off 33 balls, including two sixes off successive Pragyan Ojha deliveries, before he was dismissed by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. “Confidence is a big thing in Twenty20, even in warm-up games, and we”ve got another tough one (against Australia at the Oval) tomorrow (Tuesday) but hopefully we can perform in the same way,” Taylor said. “I think 170 was a par score on that wicket and we had enough momemtum to have a go at the end. “The way we started (bowling) was probably a little disappointing but the way we pegged them back, for us to do well in this tournament we will have to bowl like we did at the death today,” Taylor added. New Zealand’’s innings was given late impetus by James Franklin who made an unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls and struck left-arm quick RP Singh for two sixes and a four in three deliveries in the last over. The Black Caps managed a highly competitive total even though fast bowler Ishant Sharma took a wicket in each of his four overs on his way to figures of four for 25.

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ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Monday ordered the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) to initiate a unified trading platform with

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Taliban militants ambushed a vehicle convoy Monday in Pakistan’s wild Waziristan area, abducting dozens, possibly hundreds of students in an apparent bold new tactic ahead of an expected military offensive in the region.

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Militants in a Taliban-held area of Pakistan are believed to have abducted 50 students and staff Monday after a ceremony marking the last day of school, a police official said.

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LAHORE THE Punjab University on Monday submitted a PC-I to the Higher Education Commission regarding establishment of its Bulleh Shah sub-camp

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Pakistan News

LAHORETHE Lahore High Court was told on Monday that departmental action has been initiated against five police officials against whom FIR was

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