NEW YORK: Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi has reached the US Open men’’s and mixed doubles finals and hopes to win both in tribute to the 21 million flood victims in his homeland.

Qureshi and partner Rohan Bopanna of India, trying to foster peace between their rival homelands, advanced to the men’’s doubles final Wednesday by beating Argentina’’s Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zaballos 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

The 16th-seeded duo will face US top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan in Friday’’s championship match, but Qureshi has already booked another title date. He and Czech partner Kveta Peschke have reached Thursday’’s mixed doubles final.

“The only motivation I have for these two weeks is to get these titles for the people back home,” Qureshi said. “I”m trying to send some positive news back home with the floods and everything.”

A flooding crisis began six weeks ago in Pakistan, the deluge devastation adding to the misery in an area already home to 1.7 million long-term Afghan refugees who have fled fighting in their neighbouring country.

Adding to the nation’’s woes has been the disgrace of cricket stars Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif, who were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The three allegedly conspired to deliberately bowl no-balls at specific moments during last month’’s fourth Test against England at Lord’’s.

Pakistan was also forced to play a Test series against Australia in England in July after international cricket in Pakistan was effectively suspended following an armed attack on Sri Lanka’’s team bus in Lahore last year.

Qureshi has been quick to praise Bopanna’’s role in helping him try to win some glory for Pakistan’’s flood-hit people.

“I want to thank Rohan for helping me in doing this,” he said. “My partner has been great. I”m lucky to have him.”

Bopanna praised Qureshi for recovering from his mixed doubles semi-final Tuesday night to be at full strength to oust the South American duo and book a showdown with the Bryans.

“All credit to him. He had all his energy up,” Bopanna said. “It has been great to be friends on and off the court. I”m hoping I can help him take both titles back home and send some positive news to Pakistan.

“I”m really looking forward to the finals against the Bryans. To be the best you have to beat the best.”

More: continued here

ISLAMABAD: Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) of Karachi Wasim Ahmed has been promoted as Director General of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Geo News reported Thursday.

According to sources, the present DG of FIA Zafarullah has been appointed as the chief of National Counter-terrorism Authority.

More: continued here

ISLAMABAD: Abdul Basit, Pakistan’’s Foreign Office spokesman condemned the Satanic plan by a Florida church to burn 200 Quranic copies, saying the government of Pakistan is in contact with Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) over hammering out a strategy in this connection, Geo News reported Thursday.

Addressing a press conference here at Foreign Office, he said all the religions and faiths of the world have highly decried and condemned this sacrilegious plan.

Responding a question, Basit said Pakistan is against US drone attacks on its soil and the government has put across its reservations to the US in this regard.

More: continued here
Pakistan News

KARACHI: According to Met Off, the Shawwal moon can not be sighted today because of the astronomical reasons, Geo News reported Thursday.

Therefore, Shawwal One, 1431 AH should fall on Saturday. The moon crossed the conjunction line yesterday (Wednesday) at 1530 Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

The sunset today will be at 1843 PST, and the evening civil twilight (ECTL) will be at 1906 PST. The moon will set at 1911 PST.

Thus the age of the new moon will be 27 hours and 36 minutes at ECTL. It will set 28 minutes after sunset and five minutes after ECTL.

At sunset the moon will be at an altitude of five degrees and seven minutes and at an azimuth of 260 degrees and 47 minutes. At ECTL the moon will be at an altitude of zero degrees and 24 minutes.

It will be at an azimuth of 263 degrees and five minutes. The weather is cloudy.

More: continued here
Pakistan News

DADU: The breach in FP Bund at Mian Kundi in District Dadu broadened to 145 feet, posing mammoth deluge threat to the city, Geo News reported Thursday.

Meantime, Thatta?s MS Bund?s 1700-foot breach could not be plugged as yet.

The FP Bund was breached yesterday near Mian Kundi in District Dadu to save Dadu city the inundation, leading the water to fall rapidly into Manchhar Lake.

At the same time, Manchhar Lake water is being let out into River Indus to keep water level under control.

Meantime, the evacuated cities of Shahdadkot and Jakobabad are fast returning to routine hustle of daily life with markets and commercial centers re-opened in Jakobabad.

But, the Balochistan-camped citizens are being ferried back to Jakobabad as the ground links to Balochistan are still cut off.

More: continued here

NEW YORK: Pakistani tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi will feature in two different finals at Flushing Meadow?s ? the home of U.S. Open Tennis ? this week: Aisam has reached the finals in both the Men?s Doubles and Mixed Doubles categories.

Indo-Pak duo of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi continue their exciting run at the US Open Men?s doubles event as they stormed into the finals on Thursday.

They defeated Argentines Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (5) 6-4 to set up a summit clash with top-seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in the finals.

He will be playing the first of those finals today (Thursday, September 9, 2010) ? US Open Mixed Doubles ? where Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Czech partner Kveta Peschke will play Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan of USA.

This is by far the best performance by a Pakistani in a grand slam tournament, and to be playing in two different finals in one of the most important (possibly, second only to Wimbledon) tennis tournament in the world is a major achievement.

In any doubles game credit should go equally to both players in the team, Aisam-ul-Haq has blossomed into a doubles player of great skill and merit and has been steadily improving his world standings in doubles tennis (now ranked No. 34 in World Doubles rankings).

His rise in this year?s US Open Doubles tournaments has been particularly heartening, and all the more impressive since he is playing both categories side-by-side.

In both the finals, Aisam will be playing against American Bob Bryan. In the Mixed Doubles Final, Aisam and his Czech partner Kveta Peschke will play against Bob Bryan and his fellow-American Liezel Huber, while in the Men?s Doubles Final Aisam and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna will be pitted against the American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

His stellar streak, coming at a time when just about everything in Pakistan- from floods to cricket ? seems to be going terribly wrong gives some solace to Pakistani fans. The first of his Finals will be played later today (Thursday, September 9) and we wish Aisam and Kveta the very best of luck, as we do to Aisam and Rohan who will feature in the Men?s Final later this week.

Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza too congratulated Bopanna and Qureshi for their achievement over the popular Micro- Blogging site.

More: continued here

KARACHI: Pakistani stocks ended almost flat on Thursday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the long weekend because of the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, dealers said.

Markets will be closed from Friday and reopen on Tuesday.

The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), benchmark 100-share index .KSE ended 0.12 percent, or 11.80 points, lower at 9,879.33, on turnover of 50.28 million shares.

“Investors showed little interest due to the upcoming holidays and volume remained subdued,” said Asad Iqbal, chief investment officer at Faysal Asset Management Ltd adding that turnover is expected to increase next week in shares of companies expected to have strong profits for quarter ending Sept. 30.

In the currency market, the Pak rupee ended slightly weaker at 85.65/71 to the dollar, compared with Wednesday’’s close of 85.60/70 and dealers expect pressure to remain amid higher import payments.

The rupee hit a record low of 86.03 on Tuesday and has lost 0.40 percent this year, after losing 6.17 percent in 2009.

In the money market, overnight rates ended at between 11.0 and 11.5 percent, compared with Wednesday’’s close of between 12.00 and 12.15 percent, after the State Bank of Pakistan injected 10.05 billion rupees.

More: continued here

MIAMI: City officials in Gainesville, Florida, have denied a burning permit to a local church that wants to burn copies of the Quran on the upcoming anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Gainesville officials say book burnings like the one planned by the Dove World Outreach Center are prohibited under the city’’s burning ordinance. Interim Fire Chief Gene Prince further warned Wednesday that the church would face a fine if it went ahead with the burnings.

The Dove World Outreach Center had announced the planned Quran burning last month on Facebook and urged other religious groups to join “in remembrance of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to stand against the evil of Islam”.

?We only did it because we felt there needed to be an outcry against Islam, because Islam is presenting itself as a religion of peace,? explained Senior Dove World Pastor Terry Jones.

Despite the warning from officials, Jones, who has written a book called “Islam is of the Devil”, sent out an e-mail saying the church would still burn Qurans.

The Quran burning has been condemned by a number of Muslim and Christian groups.

More: continued here

KARACHI: At least two people were killed in a firing incident at a Super Market situated in Liaquatabad area of Karachi, Geo News reported Thursday.

The firing incident triggered panic and tension in the area.

According to rescue sources, bodies of the deceased in the firing incident have been shifted to hospital.

More: continued here

LAHORE: Supreme Court (SC) has been moved against Irfan Qadir?Prosecutor General of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for committing contempt of court, Geo News reported Thursday.

Barrister Iqbal Jaffery, a renowned lawyer at the apex court filed the plea of contempt of court in the court.

The plea said Irfan Qadir committed contempt of court by defying the court?s ruling; accordingly, action should be taken against him for his misconduct involving court?s contempt.

More: continued here