Swat peace accord not a compromise: FM

WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi vowed Tuesday his government was committed to fighting extremists, despite allowing the imposition of Islamic law in part of its violence-wracked NWFP.

Foreign Minister was in Washington where he met his Afghan counterpart ahead of a three-way session with the new Obama administration designed to find a new strategy in the region.

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PHF has appointed Olympian Shahid Ali Khan as new coach

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has appointed Olympian Shahid Ali Khan as new coach of the national team while Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa will also be the team Manager during the upcoming Asia Cup.
Addressing media after presiding PHF executive board meeting here at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday, PHF President Qasim Zia announced that that the PHF executive board has unanimously reached the decision to appoint Shahid Ali khan as the coach and hoped that he would be able to make a winning combination in the Asia Cup. �We had announced Ayaz Mehmood as the team�s coach but he could not get permission from his employer PIA so we have to take the decision to appoint new coach to run the senior team camp,� Qasim added. He said that the selection committee had made a commendable job to observe the players in all matches of the recently concluded National Hockey championship and picked 30 capable players including four senior players Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt, Wasim Ahmad and Salman Akbar but they have their contract with Dutch clubs to play league hockey there. �We have asked the players to get permission from their clubs to join the camp of the national team at least three weeks prior to the Asia cup while requested the selection committee to add six players who attended the camp for Olympics team,� he opined. He maintained that the players had signed their contract earlier but now onward, the PHF has made clear to all the players that they would have to choose to play for the clubs or for the national team.
Talking about the central contract of the players, Qasim said that they had not reached a final decision at the moment but would observe their performances before announcing the contract. Commenting on the appointment of Asif Bajwa as team manger, Qasim said that he would also remain the secretary while look after the team management in addition to his duties and there was nothing wrong in it. �Asif was not ready but the executive board has asked him to take over as the manager,� Qasim observed.
To a question on the foreign consultant, Qasim said that Tazelaar has been busy with the academies in different cities and the PHF has succeeded first time in making a coaching Manual to provide uniform coaching across the country.

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Coach's Blog: New group coming together

After touching down in South Africa, believe me there’s plenty of cricket to talk about as we head into this three Test battle for the ICC’s number one Test ranking. But I might leave that for my next entry because this week I’d like to give you all a bit of an insight into some of the things this new group has done together in what’s been a really good week of preparation both on and off the field.

I’m not sure the last time Australia has toured with so many fresh new faces but consider this; We’ve got four players in this squad who haven’t played a Test and four more that have played less than 10 between them. If you add this to the games our more experienced players have accumulated, you end up with just more than 128 Tests the captain (Ricky’s) has knocked over himself! That is exciting in itself!

Naturally there were a lot of wide eyes when we arrived in Potchefstroom or “Potch”, our base for our tour game v the SA Presidents XI. It’s certainly a different feeling in the change-rooms also. The younger guys are finding ’where they fit’, from their place in the group right down to their seats in the rooms! The guys who have been here before head straight for ‘their own’ spaces they have used previously (territorial these cricketers!!) and like to settle in, and it was something different watching so many newer guys waiting for the experienced guys to sit down before committing to a change room locker! In the end that’s part of the charm and fun of having a group that is really touring together for the first time.

The nice thing about being in a small university town like “Potch” was there wasn’t a lot to do, so the social, or non-cricket time was really spent as an entire group. I think some of the initial barriers were really broken down in this environment just from guys having dinner together, playing cards and just spending time together off the field.

We had a nice little team outing to a game reserve on Thursday night. We packed into three opened backed utes with seats in them but we only managed to see a zebra, a couple of wilderbeasts, a giraffe’s head over the top of a tree (!!) and a few springbok before it started bucketing down and we had to rush back indoors, drenched, for a barbie in our wet clothes!

We were given a taste of South African country life during the BBQ however as one of the guides walked back from the toilet with his bow and arrow and managed to snag a “puff adder”, which apparently is one of the most venomous snakes in South Africa. It was sitting on the lawn just 20 meters away from where we were eating, which raised an Australian eye brow or two, but we were assured that we were safe. He showed us the snake, showed us it’s fangs and for all the scaredy cats repeated it was safe and they don’t bother you unless you bother them! I personally don’t plan to find out if that’s the truth or not!

Into the cricket with the three day tour game against the Presidents XI which went very well. It was pleasing to see Katich and Ponting get a couple of big scores, Hughes a start in his first hit out for Australia and then a 50 retired in the second innings. Another debutant Marcus North get six second innings wickets and two undefeated fifties to really put his hand up hard for selection. Overall the bowlers had a good hit out and we really got everything we could have hoped from the match.

Obviously the difficult thing with tour games is having enough time to get a result but the game was played in good spirit with their young side and ours enjoying the opportunity of batting and bowling twice over the three days.

We’re back in Johannesburg now after a fantastic day at a cricket field in one of South Africa’s poorest areas in Soweto. The local Gauteng Cricket Assoc had bought kids from all over the local area to be involved in what was a fun coaching session. All the players chipped in with some tips, and gave the boys and girls a chance to bowl them out or hit ‘em for six! Lots of smiles and one of the really nice opportunities that come out of representing Australia in our game!

Training back on tomorrow – we will be looking to get a good hit and bowl in to finish off our preparation in readiness for a big day Thursday. The group is all excited about the opportunity that lies ahead, and I can’t wait to see them go head to head with the Proteas again!!

NDTV Profit Car and Bike awards

Winner Priyanka Chopra is all smiles at the prestigious NDTV profit Car & Bike awards

With eight Oscars, 'Slumdog Millionaire' sweeps Academy awards

Los Angeles, Feb 23 (IANS) It's "Slumdog Millionaire" all the way. After shining at the Golden Globes and BAFTA, the Mumbai-based film swept the 81st Academy awards winning eight Oscars, making the same fairytale journey that its hero had done in the movie.

Directed by Briton Danny Boyle, based on Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel "Q & A", the film had received 10 Oscar nominations, including three for Indian music maestro A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty for sound mixing.

The film managed to rake in over $100 million from collections across the globe, thougn in India it has grossed only Rs.215 million so far.

Set and filmed in Mumbai, "Slumdog..." narrates the story of an 18-year-old tea boy Jamal Malik, who appears on a quiz show "Kaun Banega Crorepati", the Indian version of British reality show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and ends up being a winner, arousing suspicion from the show host as well as the law enforcement officials.

The film starred British-born Indian actor Dev Patel, Freida Pinto besides well-known Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan apart from others. The screenplay has been written by British writer Simon Beaufoy and co-directed by India-based Loveleen Tandon, who was also the casting director for the film.

List of Oscars won by "Slumdog Millionaire":

1. Best Picture

2. Best director - Danny Boyle

3. Best original song- A.R. Rahman and Gulzar

4. Best original score - A.R. Rahman

5. Best adapted screenplay - Simon Beaufoy

6. Best cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle

7. Best sound mixing - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

8. Best editing - Chris Dickens

Earlier, "Slumdog Millionaire" had created ripples across the international film industry by winning seven BAFTA and four Golden Globe awards.

The film won seven BAFTAs for best film, best director, best original music score, best cinematography, best editing, best sound and best adapted screenplay.

At Golden Globes it bagged awards for best original music score, best motion picture-drama, best director and best writer.

At the 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, the film bagged five trophies - best composer, best picture, best director, best writer and best young actor/actress for Dev Patel.

Saif and Kareena feature in 'Harper's Bazaar'

This is something that was just waiting to happen and is happening now and how! We are indeed talking about the supremely superlative launch of the baap of all the magazines 'Harper's Bazaar'. And as any magazine would want it, Harper's too wanted something really HOT from Bollywood to 'harp' about!

And what else could be more 'harpy' than featuring Bollywood's IT couple Saif-Kareena in its launch edition. Even though the magazine's launch is scheduled for next week, we just couldn't resist or temptations as we came across the super-cool snap of the super-coolest jodi that is rocking Bollywood! The icy-minty-juicy story just doesn't end there as Harper's have managed to shoot Saif-Kareena in Mauritius no less!

Well, if the 'inaugural' sneek-peek of the magazine is anything to go by, we are sure that Harper's Bazaar will soon have lots of reasons to harp about, courtesy, Saifeena! What say, readers?

‘Army has ceased Swat operations’

ISLAMABAD: The military operation in Swat has been stopped and the Pakistan Army fully supports the peace deal as an instrument to find a non-military solution to the problem, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas said while addressing a seminar on Monday. “Pakistan Army ... has backed the Swat peace deal to strengthen the hands of the political government,” he said, adding that the security of the state was the military’s top priority. staff report

Taliban announce truce in Bajaur

KHAR: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Monday announced a unilateral ceasefire and an end to resistance against security forces in Bajaur Agency. Speaking on their illegal FM radio, Bajaur TTP chief Faqir Muhammad said Pakistan was their country and its defence was their obligation. He said the Taliban did not want war against the government and the army, but some elements were fuelling differences between them, adding that the Taliban did not attack government installations and schools. hasbanullah khan

Over 70 US military advisers working in Pakistan: NYT

WASHINGTON: Over 70 American military advisers and technical specialists are secretly working in Pakistan to help its military units conduct operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the Tribal Areas, the New York Times reported late on Sunday.

Citing unnamed officials, the newspaper said the advisers mostly include US Army Special Forces soldiers.

Overseen by the US Central Command and Special Operations Command, the advisers provide the Pakistan Army with training and intelligence, the report said. But they do not get involved in combat operations.

The advisers form part of a secret task force that was started last summer with the support of the Pakistani government and military, the report said.

The cooperation has never been publicly acknowledged, but is beginning to pay dividends, the paper noted.

It also said that a small team of Pakistani “air defence controllers” work in the US embassy in Islamabad to ensure “that Pakistani F-16 fighter-bombers conducting missions against militants in the tribal areas do not mistakenly hit remotely piloted American aircraft flying in the same area or a small number of CIA operatives on the ground,” the Times said, quoting a senior Pakistani officer that it did not identify.

The newly formed 400-man Pakistani paramilitary commando unit is a good example of the new cooperation. As part of the Frontier Corps, which operates in the Tribal Areas, the new Pakistani commandos fall under a chain of command separate from the 500,000-member army, which is primarily trained to fight Pakistan’s archenemy, India.

The commandos are selected from the overall ranks of the Frontier Corps and receive seven months of intensive training from Pakistani and American Special Forces.

The newspaper claimed that F-16 warplanes of the Pakistan Air Force conduct “about a half-dozen combat missions a day” against the Taliban, “but Pakistani officers say they could do more if the Pentagon helped upgrade the jets to fight at night and provided satellite-guided bombs and updated satellite imagery”.

Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, who is visiting Washington this week to participate in talks for a review of the US policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan, “was expected to take a long shopping list for more transport and combat helicopters to Washington”, the newspaper said.

“The question of more F-16s — which many in Congress assert are intended for the Indian front — will also come up,” the Times quoted Pakistani officials as saying.According to the Times, the new Pakistani commando unit within the Frontier Corps has used information from the Central Intelligence Agency and other sources to kill or capture as many as 60 Taliban in the past seven months, including at least five high-ranking commanders.

Four weeks ago, the commandos captured a Saudi man linked to Al Qaeda, the report said.

But the main commanders of the Pakistani Taliban, including its leader, Baitullah Mehsud, and its leader in the Swat region, Mullah Fazlullah, remain at large, according to the paper.

US military officials are also concerned that they have not been able to persuade General Kayani to embrace large-scale counterinsurgency training for the army itself, the Times said.

“The United States missile strikes, which have resulted in civilian casualties, have stirred heated debate among senior Pakistani government and military officials, despite the government’s private support for the attacks,” it said.

An American official that the newspaper did not name, described General Kayani, “who is known to be sensitive about the necessity of public support for the army”, as “very concerned” that the strikes had undermined the army’s authority in Pakistan.

“These strikes are counterproductive,” NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani told the newspaper in an interview. “This is looking for a quick fix, when all it will do is attract more jihadis.”

“Pakistani army officers say the strikes draw retaliation against Pakistani troops in the Tribal Areas, whose convoys and bases are bombed or attacked with rockets after each US missile strike,” the newspaper said. afp/daily times monitor

Somali gunmen free Pakistani

BOSASSO: Somali gunmen on Monday freed a Pakistani man, a day after kidnapping him in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland, officials said. Abdullahi Said Samatar, Puntland’s security minister, said no ransom had been paid and that the man was released after local elders made contact with the gunmen. reuters

Suicide blast kills policeman

PESHAWAR: A police guard was killed on Monday when he flung himself onto a suicide bomber to prevent him from entering a compound in Bannu, police said. The attacker was trying to enter the compound, where judges and senior police officials live and work, when the guard intercepted him. “The suicide bomber tried to enter the compound. Then the police guard saw him, grabbed him and he exploded himself,” local police official Ghafar Ali told AFP by telephone. Two other police guards were wounded in the attack. afp

FO rejects Mukherjee’s remarks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday rejected Indian allegations that the country was still in denial over terrorism. The Foreign Office was responding to Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s statement that Pakistan was still in denial over cross-border terrorism. “Such remarks were unhelpful,” a Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement. He said the international community had praised Pakistan’s efforts to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. “Pakistan will continue working towards this end,” he said. staff report

Taliban blow up five houses in Darra Adam Khel

PESHAWAR: Suspected Taliban blew up five houses in Adezai village bordering the semi-tribal Darra Adam Khel early on Monday, police said. An official of the Mattani police station told Daily Times that the suspected Taliban had planted explosives near the houses. Three vehicles were also damaged in the explosion. No casualties were reported, he said, adding that a case had been registered. Adezai Nazim Abdul Malik told reporters that local Taliban had carried out the blast. staff report

Troops regain control of Inayat Killay, Bhai Cheena in Bajaur

KHAR: Security forces killed three Taliban in various areas of Bajaur Agency on Monday, officials said. Official sources said the security forces regained control of Bhai Cheena and Inayat Killay after pounding Taliban hideouts. Meanwhile, Taliban sources said they had announced a unilateral ceasefire in the agency and would not attack the security forces. Two schools were blown up in Lar Khlozo and Tani areas of Mamoond tehsil. Separately, unidentified men attacked a petrol pump owned by a member of the National Assembly from Bajaur. Two security guards were injured in the attack, locals said. staff report

Swat deal threatens regional peace: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said Pakistan’s attempt to strike a deal with the Taliban could be a threat to the Indian sub-continent. Taking credit for his government’s policy of ‘forcing Pakistan to admit’ its territory was used for the Mumbai attacks, he said the Taliban “is an issue that concerns Pakistan. If Pakistan compromises with the Taliban, it will affect the security of the entire region. I think Pakistan must realise that”. “Our policy has paid results and we have forced Pakistan to admit that the terrorists came from Pakistan and that their soil was used to launch the terrorist attack (on Mumbai). They have taken some action. They have promised to take more action. We will watch and see if they take more action to take this case to its logical conclusion,” the Indian home minister said. iftikhar gilani

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version Share this story! del.icio.us digg Reddit Furl Fark TailRank

NEW DELHI: India on Monday rejected a joint probe with Pakistani investigation authorities into the Mumbai attacks, but said it was ready to cooperate and share all details with Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, “Whatever information we get from Pakistan, we will respond to it.”

India is ready to cooperate with Pakistan “as and when it is necessary” in its investigation into the Mumbai attacks, Mukherjee said while referring to the material provided to Islamabad about Pakistani links to the Mumbai attacks.

Channel: “But information must be made available through official channels and not through the media,” the minister said.

“As far as joint investigation is concerned, I have told you we are having investigation,” he said.

Mukherjee’s remarks come amid speculations that a team of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency will visit India to pursue leads in the Mumbai terror attack, which will help them to prosecute Pakistanis involved in the attacks.

Earlier, Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik met Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon to inquire about the status of Islamabad’s queries submitted last week.

Pakistan had submitted 30 questions related to DNA reports and fingerprints of all the 10 terrorists, data from the cell phones, satellite phones and GPS devices used by the attackers, as well as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) data, voice recordings and radio intercepts.

Details about the weapons and ammunition used by the terrorists along with ballistics and explosives reports had also been sought by Pakistan.

Sources said the Pakistani high commissioner assured the Indian foreign secretary of Islamabad’s resolve to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice.

The Mumbai police are set to file a 2,000-page charge sheet on the 26/11 carnage by Wednesday, when the 90-day statutory deadline ends.

The charge sheet is likely to be submitted before a city magistrate in Mumbai.

Gilani vows to abolish National Security Council

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday announced that the National Security Council (NSC) formed by former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf would be abolished.

During an interview with a private TV channel, Gilani said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had clearly stated in its manifesto that it was against the 17th Amendment, Article 58(2b) and the NSC.

“I have decided to abolish the National Security Council and legislation will be introduced for this purpose.”

The prime minister said the NSC was not answerable to anyone whereas the prime minister, and ministers were answerable to parliament.

“We opposed the establishment of the National Security Council. The leader of opposition at that time, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, did not even once attend its meeting. We are against all dictatorial powers,” Gilani added. app

Kidnappers say Solecki still alive

ISLAMABAD: John Solecki, an American kidnapped in Pakistan while working for a UN refugee agency, was still alive, a spokesman for the separatist group holding him said on Monday after media reports that he had been killed. Pakistani television channels had run a headline saying the Quetta Press Club had received an anonymous telephone call saying Solecki had been killed and his body would be left in a couple of hours. A spokesman for the previously unheard of Balochistan Liberation United Front later telephoned a Pakistani news agency office in Quetta to deny any call had been made from the group. “He is alive,” Shahak Baloch, said in a call to a news agency. “We have not made any call.” Solecki was abducted on February 2 by gunmen who ambushed his car and shot dead his driver in Quetta. reuters

Govt to set up checkposts on roads to DI Khan: House-to-house search operation for arms recovery

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday decided to set up checkposts on all the roads leading to Dera Ismail (DI) Khan from Punjab and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The decision was taken in a meeting of Interior Adviser Rehman Malik and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who hails from DI Khan.

It was also decided that the government would launch a ‘de-weaponisation’ drive in DI Khan and all possible resources would be utilised to bring peace in the area. Malik also directed the NWFP police chief to undertake house-to-house search operations in DI Khan to curb sectarian violence there. “The provincial government has been asked to divide DI Khan into zones and undertake a house-to-house search operation to unarm the people,” Malik said. He said more checkposts would be set up at all entry and exit points of the city in collaboration with the Punjab police to monitor the activities of the commuters.

Solecki: To a question regarding kidnapped United Nations official John Solecki, he said the government was taking all possible measures for his safe recovery, “however, we are concerned about his health as he was suffering from blood pressure and other diseases and needs medical assistance”. Malik said Solecki had greatly contributed towards development in Balochistan and it was against the traditions of the Baloch to maltreat their guest. He expressed hope that “the Balochi people would safely deliver him back to his family”.

Malik said Solecki was alive and denied reports about his murder. Talking to a private TV channel, Malik said the call made by an unidentified person to Quetta Press Club, threatening to murder John Solecki within two hours, was a hoax and the telephone number of the caller had been traced. The government was making efforts for the safe return of John Solecki, he said adding that the call was aimed at disrupting talks between the government and the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, Liu Houqai, vice minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party also met Malik, who said both countries shared similar views on every international and regional issue. He said China was Pakistan’s true, dependable and time-tested friend, and hoped that this friendship would further strengthen in the coming years. staff report/agencies

WAPDA to build 32 dams

LAHORE: In addition to implementing mega projects in the water and hydropower sectors, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has planned 32 small and medium-sized dams in the country.

This was announced during a briefing arranged on Monday for a SAARC Energy Centre delegation at the WAPDA House.

Briefing the delegation, Adviser to WAPDA on Diamer-Basha Dam Project Dr Izharul Haq said construction of eight small and medium-sized dams – two in each province – would be undertaken in the first phase.

He said the projects included Hingol and Naulong dams in Balochistan, Nai Gaj and Khadeji dams in Sindh, Bara and Chudwan Zam dams in the NWFP and Ghabir Dam and Dera Ghazi Khan hill torrents in Punjab. These dams had been planned to tap localised water and power resources, Haq said.

He said WAPDA was constructing five hydropower projects under its Vision 2025 programme. staff rep...

Satellite mission to monitor carbon dioxide fails: NASA

The launch of a satellite to monitor global carbon dioxide emissions flopped within minutes of liftoff from a California air base Tuesday after the module failed to separate from the rocket, NASA said.

"It appears that there were problems separating" and the satellite "did not achieve orbit," said NASA TV announcer George Diller.

"We are still evaluating the status of the location and the exact state" of the spacecraft, Diller said.

"We have not had a successful launch tonight," he said.

It was unclear exactly why the mission failed or what happened to the rocket and the its load, NASA said. Agency officials have announced a press conference on the launch set for no earlier than 01300 GMT.

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Taurus XL rocket, at 1:55 am (0951 GMT), live images on NASA TV showed.

It was the first time NASA has used a Taurus rocket, built by Orbital Science Corp., the US space agency said in a statement posted Monday on its website.

"The liftoff was smooth," Jet Propulsion Laboratory spokesman Alan Buis told AFP. "It was pretty far along in the ascent" over the Pacific Ocean when the "contingency" was declared, Buis said, adding no further details.

The mission of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was to map the global distribution of carbon dioxide and study how that distribution changes over time, NASA said in a statement.

Carbon dioxide is the leading greenhouse gas driving climate change.

Other than the verbal commentary during the launch there was little visual indication on NASA TV that the satellite had failed.

"Several minutes into the flight, launch managers declared a contingency when the fairing failed to separate properly," NASA said in a brief statement, refering to the satellite's protective shield.

It was NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, though not the first in orbit: on January 23 Japan launched the world's first satellite dedicated to monitoring greenhouse gas emissions.

The Japanese mission will help scientists measure the density of carbon dioxide and methane from almost the entire surface of the Earth, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.

A Japanese-made H-2A rocket carrying the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) blasted off from Tanegashima, a small island in southern Japan.

The satellite is collecting data from 56,000 locations around the world, a dramatic increase from the 282 observation points available as of last October, JAXA said.

Japan hopes the mission will provide governments with useful data as they come under pressure to meet their 2008-2012 Kyoto Protocol goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

'Slumdog' success not sign of British film renaissance: Boyle

Observers should be wary of pronouncing a renaissance for the British film industry after the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire' at the Oscars, director Danny Boyle wrote Tuesday.

In a comment piece in The Times, Boyle, whose best director gong was one of eight the film picked up at the 81st Academy Awards, warned that film companies in Britain would have to remain well-funded and directors and writers would have to persist.

"You've got to be careful of claiming that this marks the renaissance of the British film industry," Boyle wrote.

"It's one film. To any director or writer out there, I say persist. Keep going. Do all you can do."

He added that British film companies such as "Film 4, BBC Films and Working Title are havens. It would certainly be very bad news if they were diminished."

The Independent newspaper echoed Boyle's warnings, noting that while there had been "a magnificent rejuvenation" of British film in recent years, "what is needed is strong leadership and long-term investment."

"The success of 'Slumdog Millionaire' has shown what the British film industry is capable of, given the right backing," it wrote in an editorial.

"It would be a terrible pity if the journey were to end here."

Other papers were more positive, noting that the night had been dominated by British triumph at the Oscars -- along with the best picture prize for "Slumdog", Kate Winslett took home the best actress award for her performance in Holocaust drama "The Reader".

"Britain's fabulous Night at the Oscars was a scriptwriter's fantasy come true," The Sun tabloid wrote.

"And in one of this country's finest Academy Award performances, nearly all the stars were home grown."

It continued: "The Oscars were a night to remember for Great Britain. And a reminder in these tough times that, with grit, energy and a touch of genius, we can still lead the world when it counts."

Brilliant Younus eyes Brian Lara's world record

Pakistan captain Younus Khan had wanted merely to go one better than his Sri Lankan counterpart but, after scoring a triple hundred on Tuesday, has raised his sights to Brian Lara's world record of 400.

"I jokingly told Mahela (Jayawardene) that I want to score one run more than him," said Younus after the Sri Lankan captain scored 240 in his team's total of 644-7 declared.

"Now on Wednesday I want to bat for 40 overs to see if I can beat Lara's record."

Younus, 31, finished the day on an unbeaten 306 needing another 95 to go one better on the West Indian left-handed batting genius who made the record against England at Antigua five years ago.

Younus needs 32 more to overhaul Hanif Mohammad's 337 -- the highest score in a Test innings by a Pakistani batsman, made against the West Indies at Barbados in 1958.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the only other Pakistani to have scored 300 or more in a Test innings, bagged 329 against New Zealand in Lahore seven years ago.

Younus, though, refused to compare the innings with those of his predecessors.

"I didn't see Hanif's innings but I think Inzamam made that score in sweltering heat, was out of form and struggling with fitness. I am lucky to be in that company.

"A triple century is an honour and even our great Javed Miandad came close to it but could never get to that mark, so I am lucky and am very honoured. Moreover this has come at a time when the team needed it badly.

"We were facing the threat of follow-on, so we had to bat cautiously and it is not that that Sri Lankans bowled badly. They were difficult but we managed."

During this innings Younus also completed 5,000 runs in his 59th Test.

He is the sixth Pakistani batsman behind Javed Miandad (8,832 in 124 Tests), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829 in 119), Mohammad Yousuf (6,770 in 79), Salim Malik (5,768 in 103) and Zaheer Abbas (5,062 in 78) to reach the milestone.

Younus also erased Wasim Akram's record of 257 -- the highest Test innings by a Pakistani captain -- which came against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura in 1996.

And the master batsman from northwestern city of Mardan, also bettered his personal best of 267, made against India at Bangalore four years ago.

Younus said his 267 is still his best effort.

"My 267 came against India in India and at that time we won the Test. We were 1-0 down and we desperately wanted to win that match," said Younus.

"I dedicate this triple hundred to my friends, my team-mates and, above all, to my family which has gone through several problems," said Younis, who lost who lost his sister and two brothers, one in an accident.

EU, Pakistan sign aviation deal

The European Union and Pakistan on Tuesday signed a civil aviation deal, allowing EU-based airlines to operate flights to Pakistan from any EU state which already has an agreement with Islamabad.

"The agreement signed today is good news for both Pakistani and EU airlines as well as for passengers as it removes the legal uncertainty" from existing bilateral deals, said EU Commission vice-president Antonio Tajani.

The EU has negotiated similar accords, which in practice remove nationality restrictions for EU airlines under existing bilateral air services agreements, with 45 countries.

The legal clarity was required because in November 2002 a European court ruled that air agreements between one EU nation and a third country were discriminatory and in breach of EU law.

Afghan blast kills four foreign troops

Four soldiers from the US-led coalition and an Afghan civilian were killed on Tuesday when a bomb hit their vehicle in the country's dangerous south, the force said.

The nationalities of the soldiers were not released. The US-majority coalition leaves such announcements to home nations.

"Four coalition members were killed today in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device," a statement said. "An Afghan civilian working with the coalition forces was also killed in the incident."

Such improvised bombs are often planted by Taliban militants, who are waging an insurgency against the US-backed government.

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Indian response on info sought by Pak likely today

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Govt to abolish NSC: PM

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Younis makes history hitting triple ton against SL

KARACHI: Skipper Younis Khan created history by scoring a triple hundred, only the third by a Pakistani in Test cricket – here at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

His extra-ordinary innings not only helped his team to make a huge total of 574 runs for the loss of five wickets in reply to Sri Lanka’s 644-7 declared in the first innings by the end of the fourth day’s play in the first Test.

Younis Khan is still at the crease batti ...