Awaz Apni Latest News

Shoaib and Sania Wedding (Nikkah) Video
India to get access to Headley: Obama
Obama reaffirms trust in safety of Pak strategic assets: PM
”Date Night” dines out atop the box office
Seven killed as Italy train derails: firefighters
Polish president’’s funeral Saturday: report
Taliban wants detainee swap with France
Abbottabad violence toll rises to five
Blasts, gunfire in Afghanistan’’s Kandahar
Finally, Sania, Shoaib enter wedlock
Six dead in Italy train crash
Sania Mirza marries Shoaib Malik, Nikah Completed at Hotel Taj Krishna
Wozniacki wins second straight Ponte Vedra title
Wawrinka wins Casablanca title for second career crown
Portsmouth shock Tottenham to reach FA Cup final
Michael Kaiser: Revisiting Baumol and Bowen
Abbotabad turns violent against Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw
Mario Lopez Persuaded Girlfriend To Tone Up, Get Plastic Surgery?
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!
Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 04:04 AM PDT

Exculsive Video of Shoaib And Sania Mirza Wedding in Taj Hyderabad

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 03:56 AM PDT

WASHINGTON: The Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and US President Barack Obama had a 50-minute meeting at Blair House here on Sunday afternoon, during which the American President assured the Indian side that it would get access to David Headley, one of suspects involved in scouting potential targets for Pakistan-based terrorists prior to the26/11 attack in Mumbai. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said: "They (the US) were working through the legal system on the issue of provision of access to Headley." Describing the summit meeting as "extremely positive and constructive", Ms. Rao said that President Obama was sensitive to India''s concerns. "President Obama understood India''s deep concerns in this regard as also the situation in Afghanistan. He said India''s interests were consistently on the minds of the United States. The president said there was no country in the world where opportunities for a strong and strategic partnership are greater and more important to him personally or to the United States than that with India," Ms. Rao said. Surprisingly the Prime Minister went into specifics, naming Ilyas Kashmiri, Hafeez Sayeed and the Lashkar e Taiba, and, expressed India''s disappointment over Pakistan not cracking down on them and other perpetrators of the 26/11 attack on India. Foreign Secretary Rao said: "The Prime Minister mentioned David Headley and the rise in infiltration, the activities of LET, Hafiz Sayeed and Ilyas Kashmiri. He said there was no will on the part of Pakistan to punish those responsible for the terror crimes of 26/11. This was where the partnership between the US and India could make a difference." The Prime Minister said that for peace and prosperity in South Asia, it was important that Pakistan reign in terrorist elements within its border, or else, all well laid out plans could go awry. And, this included Afghanistan and its future President Obama responded by saying: "India has the goodwill and understanding in this regard." He said he shared the Prime Minister''s vision of South Asia. He also said that "the US appreciated India''s role in Afghanistan and recognised the enormous sacrifice that India has made in helping to stabilize that country." He said "the United States and the world would like India to continue playing a positive role in helping in Afghanistan''s development." President Obama also said that he favoured a lowering of tensions between India and Pakistan. "The US was engaging Pakistan on these (terror-related) issues. He (Obama) said the US would be sensitive to issues that we (India) have raised in the context of security assistance that has been given to Pakistan" said the Indian foreign secretary President Obama and Prime Minister Singh said that "they were looking forward to the strategic dialogue between the two foreign ministers --Hillary Clinton and S.M.Krishna-to be held in Washington on June 3.he two leaders also "expressed satisfaction over the completion of arrangements and procedures relating to the nuclear deal," said Ms. Rao. President Obama stressed on improving ties between " the two great democracies that shared common values and people to people relationships." Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India is looking forward to the visit of President Obama and US First Lady Michelle Obama to India later this year. He said "President Obama had caught the imagination of millions around the world, including the people of India who were anxious to see him soon in India." Subjects of food security, energy security and economy also came up briefly for discussion between the two leaders, as also did the topic of Iran, where there was a difference of opinion, it seems.

Obama reaffirms trust in safety of Pak strategic assets: PM

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 03:26 AM PDT

WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, who had a bilateral meeting with President Barack Obama on Sunday, said the United States has reaffirmed its confidence in the safety of Pakistan's nuclear program. He told Pakistani newsmen at a dinner hosted by the Pakistani Embassy that the US leader once again voiced his confidence in the security of Pakistan nuclear program. "I thanked President Obama for his expression of firm confidence in our nuclear program," the prime minister said at the dinner hosted by Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's ambassador to China Masood Khan and Member of the National Assembly Farahnaz Isphahani were also present. The Pakistani leader stated it is in only in the media that sometimes concerns are expressed about the safety of Pakistani weapons. "Let me assure you that Pakistan's nuclear assets are in safe hands," he stated emphatically. He said prior to his travel, he chaired the meetings of National Command Authority, the Parliamentary Committee on Security and added that the entire Pakistani nation including the Opposition is behind the Pakistani nuclear program and wants its protection. The prime minister said he attaches highest priority to Pakistan's security and that remains the central focus of his deliberations. In response to a question, Gilani said US president Obama reiterated his backing for international economic support for Pakistan as affirmed at the Friends of Pakistan meeting. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, earlier, said President Obama assured that Washington has no "sinister designs" towards Pakistan nuclear program and is satisfied about the safety of Pakistani assets. Earlier, Pakistan's ambassador to China, Massod Khan, who is Islamabad's chief negotiatior for preparatory meetings of nuclear security summit, made it clear that the summit is not country or region specific and focuses on nuclear security issues around the world.

”Date Night” dines out atop the box office

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 02:54 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES: Tina Fey comedy "Date Night" scraped past the Greek mythology blockbuster "Clash of the Titans" to lead the North American box office this weekend, early industry figures showed Sunday. The film, also starring "The Office" actor Steve Carell, follows a jaded married couple embroiled in wacky situations and explosive danger after embarking on a rare romantic evening out without their children. It took in 27.1 million dollars to take the top spot, Exhibitor Relations reported. Falling from first to second was "Titans," the critically-panned adventure based on the exploits of Perseus and his battles with the serpent-haired Medusa and a fearsome sea monster, which took in 26.9 million dollars in it''s second week. The animated adventure "How to Train Your Dragon" was in third place, pulling in 25.3 million dollars, while the African-American melodrama "Why Did I Get Married Too?" by writer, director, and actor Tyler Perry, came in a distant fourth with 11 million dollars in receipts. "The Last Song," a romantic teen-targeted Miley Cyrus flick, fell to fifth place in its second week in theaters with 10 million dollars in ticket sales. Sixth place went to the live-action version of Lewis Carroll''s classic "Alice in Wonderland" starring Johnny Depp, which has earned nearly 319 million total, including 5.6 million dollars this weekend. The 3-D wizardry kept time-bending jacuzzi users at bay for another week, with the R-rated comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine" earning 5.4 million dollars for seventh place. That put it ahead of "The Bounty Hunter," a comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, which came in eighth with a 4.3 million-dollar take, and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," an adaptation of the Jeff Kinney cartoon novels, which slipped a spot to ninth place with 4.1 million dollars. "Letters to God," which debuted at number 10 with 1.2 million dollars, follows the inspiring story of a young boy battling brain cancer.

Seven killed as Italy train derails: firefighters

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 02:37 AM PDT

ROME: A train derailed near the northern Italian town of Bolzano Monday, killing seven people and injuring about 25, firefighters said. The regional train came off the rails at around 0700 GMT when a landslide hit one of its two cars near the town of Merano, an official with the Bolzano firefighters said. "Seven people are dead, five seriously injured and about 20 injured more lightly," said the official. The civil protection agency and several ambulances headed to the scene. The railway line, inaugurated in 2005, is considered one of the most modern tracks in the country.

Polish president’’s funeral Saturday: report

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 02:30 AM PDT

WARSAW: Polish President Lech Kaczynski will be laid to rest Saturday, a week after he died in an air crash in Russia along with his wife and dozens of top officials, a newspaper reported Monday. The leading Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza said on its website that the government expected to hold Kaczynski''s state funeral on Saturday. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is among the leaders aiming to attend, Gazeta Wyborcza quoted Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski as saying. Former presidential aide Elzbieta Jakubiak said that ceremonies for Kaczynski and the 95 other victims of the weekend crash could last two days. "But the final decision hasn''t been taken. We''re still waiting for all the bodies to be brought back to Poland," Jakubiak said. Current presidential aide Jacek Sasin told a local news agency that members of staff from the offices of Kaczynski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk were to meet Monday to discuss plans for the funeral. Kaczynski''s is the only body to have been identified and brought back to Poland so far -- it was flown home Sunday afternoon. The president is due to lie in state Tuesday, allowing Poles to pay personal tribute. On Sunday tens of thousands of Poles lined the streets of Warsaw to mourn Kaczynski, as a hearse carrying his coffin wound its way slowly from a military airport to the presidential palace in the heart of the capital. Huge crowds have been gathering since the president''s aircraft crashed Saturday in the western Russian city of Smolensk. There were no survivors. Besides the president and his wife Maria Kaczynska, dozens of other senior Polish political figures and military top brass perished. The delegation had been due to attend a ceremony commemorating a 1940 Soviet massacre in the nearby Katyn forest of thousands of Poles captured in World War II.

Taliban wants detainee swap with France

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 02:14 AM PDT

KABUL: The Taliban are demanding the French government free detainees in exchange for two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan in December. In a statement Monday, the Taliban say they submitted a list of ``most ordinary detainees'''' to the French and if they don''t respond quickly the lives of two hostages would be in danger. The pair disappeared Dec. 30 along with two or three Afghan employees while traveling northeast of Kabul. The French government in the past has said it is aware of the kidnappings and is cooperating with NATO forces to obtain the release but has stated little publicly about the abductions. The French government has not identified the journalists beyond giving their first names as Stephane and Herve.

Abbottabad violence toll rises to five

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:59 AM PDT

ABBOTABAD: The number of deaths in the rampant violence in Abbottabad against the name of Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw, rose to five with over 100 injured, Cnews News reported Monday. These people were injured in the firing incidents by the riot police during the protests demonstrations by the workers of Tehreek Sooba Hazara. Police resorted to aerial firing outside the District Hospital as well. According to hospital sources, several injured have been brought to the hospitals where state of emergency has been declared, as the protest is raging across the city. Out of these injured, five critically hurt people lost their lives, the hospital sources said. The protesters demanding new Hazarah province, set on fire a police mobile at Fawwarah Chawk. Various other vehicles have been torched in the city. It should be mentioned that the protests broke up this morning against the new name of Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw. The protesters, who are workers of Hazarah Province Movement, took bodies of those who recently were killed in the violence, out from the hospital. At least three people were killed and 60 others injured during protests today. (Last updated at 1505)

Blasts, gunfire in Afghanistan’’s Kandahar

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:37 AM PDT

KANDAHAR: Two explosions, followed by gunfire, shook an area of Afghanistan''s southern city of Kandahar on Monday, a UK-based news agency witness said. It was unclear what caused the blasts and the gunfire. The Taliban have carried out strikes in recent months in various parts of the country, including Kandahar, the target of a mass offensive planned by NATO-led forces in coming months.

Finally, Sania, Shoaib enter wedlock

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:34 AM PDT

Cnews World HYDERABAD: Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik entered matrimony at a Nikah ceremony today. Dressed in a beautiful red saree, Sania posed pretty as she headed for the venue on Monday, an Indian TV channel reported. Earlier today, Sania Mirza's spokesperson Rucha Nayak confirmed that Shoaib and Sania would materialise their Nikah on Monday, followed More >

Six dead in Italy train crash

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:28 AM PDT

ROME: At least six people were killed in train crash in northern part of Italy, a local news agency reported Monday.

Sania Mirza marries Shoaib Malik, Nikah Completed at Hotel Taj Krishna

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:24 AM PDT

CNews World Hyderabad: Breaking News! In a dramatic development, Sania Mirza married Shoaib Malik at Hotel Taj Krishna minutes ago. The nikah took place in the presence of selective family members and relatives. Earlier, it was reported that Sania and Shoaib’s wedding will take place on April 15. However, they took the media and public by More >

Wozniacki wins second straight Ponte Vedra title

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:21 AM PDT

PONTE VEDRA BEACH: Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki erased a 4-1 second-set deficit to defeat Olga Govortsova 6-2, 7-5 Sunday and win this WTA Tour green clay tournament for the second straight year. The world number two from Denmark took her winning streak here to 10 matches as she denied the unseeded Belarussian a first WTA singles title. Govortsova had a chance to even the match at a set apiece with a set point at 5-4 in the second, but her attempt to volley into an invitingly open court instead found the net. That game lasted 22 points, and she lost it on one of her eight double faults. "I think that broke her a little bit," Wozniacki said. "At 5-all I had the advantage that point." Govortsova agreed. "I got a little tired after that," she said. Wozniacki said that allowed her to be a bit more aggressive. "I believed that I could go for it a little more when I had my opportunity," Wozniacki said. "It was important for me that I was the one opening the court and I was the one dictating the points." Wozniacki, 19, claimed her seventh WTA title and her first of this year. She was runner-up to Jelena Jankovic at the prestigious Indian Wells hardcourt tournament in March. "I know I belong," said Wozniacki, who made a scintillating run to the US Open final last year. "I''ve got to believe I can do it and if someone wants to beat me they have to play very well."

Wawrinka wins Casablanca title for second career crown

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:20 AM PDT

CASABLANCA: Swiss top seed Stanislas Wawrinka won his second career title on Sunday when he breezed past third seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Casablanca ATP claycourt tournament. His 77-minute victory ended a run of five successive final defeats for the world number 23 whose first title also came on clay at the 2006 Croatia Open in Umag. Victory in Casablanca also marked Wawrinka's first title as a father, after he and wife, Ilham became parents to daughter, Alexia on February 12. "I''ve lost five finals in a row and now finally I have the trophy in my hands," said Wawrinka. "I felt great during the whole match and never allowed Victor to get into the game. I think this was my best match of the week. "This is a great start to the claycourt season and I hope to continue like that. Now I look forward to next week in Monte Carlo where my wife and daughter will travel with me for the first time."

Portsmouth shock Tottenham to reach FA Cup final

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:09 AM PDT

LONDON: Debt-crippled Portsmouth emerged from the maelstrom of a stormy season on Sunday to reach the FA Cup final by sinking Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Wembley. The south coast club, who were relegated from the Premier League on Saturday and were rated 9-1 by bookmakers to beat Spurs, produced a battling display to reach the finale for the second time in three seasons having beaten Cardiff in 2008. Tottenham had been expected to set up a May 15 showdown with Chelsea but after 90 minutes of stalemate, goals from Frederic Piquionne and former Tottenham player Kevin-Prince Boateng sent Portsmouth''s long-suffering fans into delirium. For manager Avram Grant, whose short reign at Pompey has been hampered by the cash crisis, transfer embargoes, points deductions and injuries to key players, it was a rare reason to smile as the club showed that it will go down with all guns blazing. "We had the belief, we had the courage to come to this game to win this game," Grant, who will now face Chelsea, the club that sacked him after he took them to the 2008 Champions League final, on May 15. "It''s nice... blues against blues. It''s unbelievable. These fans this year I will not forget in all my life. This belongs to the fans and the players. They deserve it. To see the fans this happy you work all your life for this." Harry Redknapp, who steered Portsmouth to their FA Cup final triumph in 2008, their first since 1939, before leaving to transform Tottenham''s fortunes, warmly congratulated Grant but was left cursing the Wembley pitch. As in Saturday''s semi-final between Chelsea and Aston Villa players often slipped on the turf -- most tellingly in the 99th minute when Spurs skipper Michael Dawson lost his footing, allowing Piquionne to fire the opener. "The pitch is a disgrace," Redknapp told reporters. "I''m not using it as an excuse but for any professional team to have to play on that is farcical. Michael Dawson slipped on it, it can''t be right, can it?" Tottenham also had reason to feel hard done by when Peter Crouch had a goal disallowed shortly after Piquionne''s opener but Redknapp was full of praise for his old club. "People said before the match that we had got an easy game, but I knew it was never going to be an easy game. Full credit to Portsmouth. It''s their day." While Redknapp begins the post-mortem and tries to rally his side for Wednesday''s crucial home Premier League match against Arsenal as they try and stay in touch for fourth place, Portsmouth at least have a silver lining to their torrid season.

Michael Kaiser: Revisiting Baumol and Bowen

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:07 AM PDT

I had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Princeton University on my 50 state tour. My Arts In Crisis session took place at the beautiful McCarter Theatre, one of the great university-affiliated theaters in the nation. While preparing for my presentation, I could not help but reflect on the remarkable contributions two former Princeton professors, William Baumol and William Bowen, have made to the field of arts management. It was Baumol and Bowen, writing in their seminal text, Performing Arts: The Economic Dilemma, who identified the central economic challenge of the arts, our inability to improve worker productivity. Published in 1966, this book could arguably be called the foundation for the field of modern arts management. The two professors identified that costs rise so quickly in the arts because we cannot perform Hamlet with fewer players than when Shakespeare wrote it, nor do we play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony faster and faster every year. As a result of this productivity challenge, our costs rise more quickly than in other industries. Coupled with the lack of real earned income growth once we fill our theater, the performing arts face economic challenges unlike most other industries. How to fill this gap between rising expenses and fixed earned income has been the challenge to every arts manager for centuries. Our solutions have not always been satisfactory or ultimately helpful to our organizations or our field. The traditional approach to filling this gap was asking for government subsidy. The amounts given by government agencies in the United States were relatively modest; those given in Europe and other parts of the world often account for two-thirds of the budget of major arts organizations. This has proven to be an inconsistent fix at best in recent time, however. Not only are most state agencies cutting their arts support during this economically challenging time, but most international governments are doing so as well. The approach to addressing our 'income gap' most in vogue for the past 30 years has been to raise ticket prices. Unfortunately, in doing so, we have priced so many people out of our performances that we are considered irrelevant by many. We are not irrelevant, we are simply too expensive. And with electronic substitutes increasing in number and decreasing in cost, we are also in danger of permanently losing attendance at live events as people become more and more addicted to their personal screens. Many boards have encouraged not-for-profit arts organizations to explore the creation of new earned income businesses to cover rapidly increasing expenses. Unfortunately, virtually all of these endeavors are either too small or too risky to be long-term contributors in major ways. The only fix that seems to have long-term potency is to continue to build on the level of contributed income. While this is an unpalatable solution to many, I have no doubt that thirty years from now, the level of contributed income as a percent of total income will grow substantially not just in the United States but also across the globe. Don't blame me. Blame Baumol and Bowen!

Abbotabad turns violent against Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 01:00 AM PDT

ABBOTABAD: The streets of Abbotabad are currently thronged with the workers of Tehreek Sooba Hazara vehemently staging protest demonstrations despite the promulgation of Section-144 in the city, Cnews News reported Monday. The protesters took in siege the Cantt Police station and pelted it with stones; however, at least eight people were injured when police retaliated. Mansehra Road is without traffic even after the lapse of the over two hours because of the rampant violence. Meantime, several people went unconscious when police resorted to tear-gassing in a bid to break up the demonstrators at Fawwarah Chawk. In Mansehra also, the student organizations blocked Kashmir Road at Garhi Habibullah while staging protest demo there. The workers of Hazara Province Movement reached Fawwara Chawk in defiance of Section-144 in force in Abbotabad and choked Murree Road near Grid Station. Later on, police shelled the protesters with tear-gas which led several into unconsciousness. Heavy contingents of additional police from Mardan, Swabi and other nearby areas have been deployed in Abbotabad areas. The Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) are persistently on patrol in the city. However, the hide-and-seek is on the go between demonstrators and police amid various roads of the city blocked and tyres set ablaze on city streets. According to Hazara Province Movement leader Sardar Hyder Zaman, the workers will at all costs arrive at Fawwarah Chawk to protest there against Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw and in favour of Hazarah province.

Mario Lopez Persuaded Girlfriend To Tone Up, Get Plastic Surgery?

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 12:42 AM PDT

Mario Lopez, formerly of 'Saved by the Bell' and now the host of 'Extra,' is the target of Page Six's lead today. Lopez is expecting a child with girlfriend Courtney Mazza, and 'sources' tell Page Six that Lopez encouraged Mazza get a daily personal trainer, liposuction and breast implants. The pair met while appearing on 'A Chorus Line' on Broadway in 2008 and she has moved out to LA for him. "Courtney was engaged to a guy in Queens before she met Mario, but once they got together she dropped everything to go to California and be with him," the source said. "He encouraged her to work out with a trainer every day. She underwent a boob job and liposuction last spring. Once her body was perfect, he arranged for them to be photographed on a beach." For pictures of them at the beach in June 2009, go here . Lopez has previously described his obsession with fitness and once told TV Guide, "I never feel awake unless I'm sweating." He told the magazine he exercises for at least an hour a day, runs, bikes, swims, plays basketball and throws punches three times a week at a boxing gym. Asked for comment, a rep for Lopez told Page Six, "This is silly. Mario and Courtney are very much in love and focusing on the birth of their first child." Lopez first marriage, to Doritos girl Ali Landry, lasted two weeks and reportedly broke up because of his infidelities.

Indian economy poised to achieve 9-10% growth rate: PM!