News

 MUMBAI: While Salman Khan is busy shooting for his next film with Katrina Kaif in Dublin, a Romanian magazine has linked him up with a local TV news presenter named Iulia Vantur.

According to the report, Iulia met Salman last year when she came to India for a holiday. She met him through a producer friend. At that time, she was dating her long-time boyfriend Marius Moga. However, she made another trip to India this year after breaking up with Moga. Salman helped her get over the break up and she stayed in touch with him after she returned to her country.

The magazine reveals that Iulia has now adopted an Indian lifestyle. So much so, that she even observes traditional festivals, visits temples and reads the scriptures. Her sense of dressing has also changed, with her wearing the shalwar-kameez and even saris!

Talking to the magazine, she admitted that meeting Salman was a turning point in her life and that the two are very much in touch via IM on their phones. The TV presenter is now planning to make another visit to India after Salman returns from his overseas shoot.

 KARACHI: Chicken is being retailed at Rs300/kg as relentless rains have hit Sindh’s poultry industry hard, breaking supply chain to Karachi and other cities, Geo News reported.

“Thousands of birds either died or washed away in the recent showers leaving little stock to put on sale, and whatever we were left with, ran into transportation snags”, said Kamal Akhtar, General Secretary of Sindh Poultry Retailers Association.

Owing to the supply issues poultry prices have shot up, he added.

He said right now, live birds are being sold for Rs176/kg and chicken for Rs300/kg.

 KARACHI: Former Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi said Saturday he was considering a return to the national team and would make a decision in the next few months, Geo News reported.

While speaking to the media the former skipper said he had differences with Coach Waqar Younis but things were improving since Younis would no longer be the coach following the tour of Zimbabwe.

Afridi added that there was intense pressure on him to return to playing international cricket and he would make a decision after consulting his close friends.

Afridi had decided to leave international cricket citing differences between him and Waqar Younis and former manager Intikhab Alam.

 KARACHI: Jiye Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) Chief Bashir Qureshi Saturday said that his 'licensed weapons' had been confiscated under a conspiracy to kill him, Geo News reported.

Talking to media men after being released on bail from Mali Prison, the JSQM Chief said: " (Interior Minister) Rehman Malik and Rangers will be responsible if I get killed."

He alleged that Rangers action in Karachi was tainted with discrimination and that Sindh Police was doing a much better job than Rangers.

Bashir Qureshi said he had survived two attacks on his life in the past but added that his men were killed in those attempts.

He said Sindhis had been completely deprived of security in Karachi.

Earlier an additional sessions judge had set bail of Rs 100,000 each for Qureshi and his accomplice Badaruddin.

On Friday Qureshi was sent to jail on a four day judicial remand while the case against one of the co-accused Sheraz Ahmad was dismissed.

The JSQM Chief has been charged with illegally possessing weapons and was detained by the Rangers before he was handed over to the police.

 LAHORE: Nine people died from the Dengue virus in Lahore on Saturday taking the death toll to 38 in the city, Geo News reported.

Hospitals in the province are crowded with Dengue patients who complain that despite government orders there are not enough resources to treat the virus.

In a step to deal with the growing number of Dengue patients in the province, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has fixed the blood test price at Rs90 in private laboratories. These laboratories have been warned of strict action if they charge excessive fees.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan experts brought in to deal with the rapid spread of the virus visited different areas. They also briefed doctors and medical staff at the Jinnah hospital. The experts appealed to people to avoid repeated blood tests and not to be scared of the virus.

The experts emphasised the need to keep the city clean to curtail the spread of the virus.

 UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Friday gave Libya's UN seat to the National Transitional Council which toppled Moamer Kadhafi.

The 193-member assembly voted 114 to 17 to let representatives of the council take over Libya's UN mission in the face of opposition from left-wing Latin American governments. Some African nations called for a decision to be postponed.

 QUETTA: Three Congo Virus cases were reported in Quetta on Friday, Geo News reported. A senior surgeon and medical technician are amongst those who have contracted the virus.

Dr. Adam Khan the head of the isolation ward at Fatima Jinnah TB hospital said the surgeon and technician were infected with the virus while they were treating a patient. Dr. Khan added that the blood samples of the patients had been sent to Islamabad for testing.