ISLAMABAD: Government has slashed petrol price by Rs6.04 a litre, Geo News reported Monday.

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Karachi

Sindh High Court has directed a petitioner, who sought injunction against immunity to president and others from criminal proceedings an

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KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) will observe summer holidays from June 7 to August 7 while announcement has also been made about holidays for Sindh district courts.

According to notification issued by Registrar SHC Abdul Qadir Soomro said during holidays special benches of the relevant courts will be holding proceedings for important cases of SHC principal seat and circuit benches of Sukkur, Hyderabad and Larkana.

According to another notification, district courts of Karachi, Thatta, Hyderabad, Badin, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Benazirabad, Tharparkar, Kotri and Umerkot will observe summer holidays from June 1 to June 30.

The period of summer holidays will be from July 1 to July 31 for district courts of Khairpur, Dadu, Larkana, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Naushehroferoz, Shahdadkot and Kashmor.

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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the schedule of Pakistan?s home series against South Africa which will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.

The Pakistan-South Africa series will be consisted of a Twenty20 International, five One-day Internationals and two Test matches.

Both countries will play two ODIs at Abu Dhabi on October 27 and 29 and the remaining three ODIs of the series will be held at Dubai on November 2, 5 and 8.

First Test between the two countries will be played from November 12 at the Dubai Sports City Stadium in Dubai and second Test will begin on November 20 at the Sheikh Zaid Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The T20 International will be played at Abu Dhabi on November 27.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Monday expressed grief on the killings resulting from the Israeli assault on the relief flotilla carrying aid to Gaza strip for Palestinians.

Talking to media men here, Qureshi said the Israeli attack had no legal or moral justification.

?We are concerned on the vanishing of Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain and his team members in the incident,? he said, adding that help, in this connection, has been sought from the US ambassador in Pakistan.

He said, despite efforts, no communication could be made with Talat Hussain and other team members.

The Foreign Minister said that he himself contacted the family members of Talat Hussain and assured them of all out government cooperation.

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ISLAMABAD: India ?registered? a great ?success? on Thursday when it ?nabbed? a flying white pigeon in bordering city Amritsar and declared it was susp

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LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain Monday has strongly condemned the Israeli ?military aggression? on the relief flotilla that was carrying medicines, food items and other relief goods to Gaza Strip for Palestinians.

In a statement issued here on Monday, the MQM Chief expressed his grief over the killings of relief workers including the members of journalist community. He termed the tragic incident an open aggression and barbarism which, he said, is intolerable and unjustifiable for any peaceful country.

He urged the UNO, OIC, Arab League and international community to take strict notice and use their combined pressure to stop the atrocities against Palestinians. He appealed to the government of Pakistan to lodge its protest in strongest terms against this aggression at international level.

He prayed for the safety of Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain and TV producer Raza Agha, who were part of the relief convoy. He asked Pakistan government to use its diplomatic contacts to recover the detained journalists.

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ISLAMABAD: Sindh has proposed three different options to break the continuing stalemate on imposition of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and consequently th

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LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain Monday has strongly condemned the Israeli ?military aggression? on the relief flotilla that was carrying medicines, food items and other relief goods to Gaza Strip for Palestinians.

In a statement issued here on Monday, the MQM Chief expressed his grief over the killings of relief workers including the members of journalist community. He termed the tragic incident an open aggression and barbarism which, he said, is intolerable and unjustifiable for any peaceful country.

He urged the UNO, OIC, Arab League and international community to take strict notice and use their combined pressure to stop the atrocities against Palestinians. He appealed to the government of Pakistan to lodge its protest in strongest terms against this aggression at international level.

He prayed for the safety of Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain and TV producer Raza Agha, who were part of the relief convoy. He asked Pakistan government to use its diplomatic contacts to recover the detained journalists.

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Pakistan News

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday rejected the objections of the Federation against the bench constituted to hear the constitutional petitions against the Eighteenth Amendment, Geo News reported Monday.

Earlier, the SC reserved the verdict after completing the hearing of objections against the bench constituted to hear the constitutional petitions against the Eighteenth Amendment.

It should be mentioned that the SC announced to declare the verdict at 1130am; however, the apex court delayed its verdict after receiving a letter from the President?s Principal Secretary Salman Farooqui and left from the courtroom-1.

The SC?s larger bench heard the objections of the federation; of them, the first related the non-inclusion of Justice Zahid and the second was about the CJ?s presence on the bench.

After hearing again in the afternoon, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry read the detailed ruling, saying that all the objections of the Fedetaion regarding the bench formation have been set aside.

Also, the court issued show-cause notice to Dr Abdul Basit to mislead the court on intention.

Earlier, the SC Registrar received Farooqui?s letter and handed it to the judges sitting in the courtroom, where everyone read it one after the other.

In his letter, Salman denied the objections attributed to him regarding the bench formation. On this occasion, the Federation?s counsel Abdul Basit rose up and said he was on mistake in connection with his client; and hence, he should be punished.

Basit pleaded he be heard afresh. The court affirmed he would be given the chance. Now, the court will resume its proceedings again today.

The SC today resumed hearing of petitions challenging certain provisions of the 18th amendment, particularly the formation of a judicial commission for appointment of judges to the superior courts.

The government?s representative Abdul Basit said that the chief justice, who is a part to the Judicial Commission for the judges? appointment, should not be hearing the 18th amendment case and objected to the formation of the full court bench headed by the CJ.

When the court asked Basit about the objections, he said he talked to President?s Chief of Staff Salman Farooqui, not the President, adding that he (Farooqui) objected to bench formation.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry queried him why the President was contacted instead of the Prime Minister, urging him to put everything in black and white.

The CJ said this is a case of great note; hence, its hearing would be open, which would invite no furrowing of brows.

The federation?s counsel said, ?To proceed with the case would be tantamount to trample the Constitution.?

The petitioner Counsel Akram Ssheikh said in defence, ?The leveling objections to the bench is aimed at scandalizing the CJ office and the apex court.?

Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said the objection of the federation on the SC bench is not up to the mark; however, the objection relating the CJ might hold water.

On one occasion, the CJ said he could be benefited from the case only when his son or any of his relatives could be made judge, asking whether Farooqui would even now object to the formation of judicial bench.

The CJ Chaudhry said the case of this magnitude and import might not come again with so many judges hearing it.

Fifteen constitutional petitions were filed against some clauses of the 18th amendment.

In particular they challenge the formation of the judicial commission under the 18th amendment to be against the basic structure of the constitution and independence of the judiciary.

On the last hearing on May 24, the bench directed the lawyers for the federation to file a concise statement in response to the petitions.

The court had also directed Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to place proceedings of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms before the court.

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