Updates

NA approves federal budget for 2011-12 Updated at: 1658 PST,  Wednesday, June 22, 2011  ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Wednesday passed Finance Bill 2011 giving legal effect to the budgetary proposals for the next financial year and with this, the new budget with a total outlay 2767 billion rupees stands approved.Finance Minister, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh moved the bill in the House to give effect to the financial proposals of the federal government for the next fiscal year starting from July 1, 2011 and to amend certain laws in the .... Full Story

Saudi Arabia signs $1.7bn defense deal Updated at: 1350 PST,  Wednesday, June 22, 2011  PARIS: Saudi Arabia has placed a $1.7 billion direct commercial sales contract with Raytheon Company to upgrade the Kingdom's Patriot Air and Missile Defense System to the latest Configuration-3. The award includes ground-system hardware, a full training package and support equipment upgrades.The announcement came Tuesday at the Paris Air Show where military and commercial deals are done for both military and civilian aircraft and technology."Ray .... Full Story

Mangos output, export to fall short of targets Updated at: 1310 PST,  Wednesday, June 22, 2011  KARACHI: Pakistan’s mangos exports target this year appears difficult to be achieved, as its production is expected to be around 1.3 million tons as against the target of 1.7 million tons. Mango is the second largest fruit exported from Pakistan. Its current year production was estimated at 1.7 million tons out of which 0.175 million tons was to be exported, but due to unfavorable weather both in Punjab and Sindh about 35 percent of the budding m .... Full Story

PCB committee to review Ilyas suspension case Updated at: 1432 PST,  Wednesday, June 22, 2011  LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a two-member committee to review the suspension case of Mohammad Ilyas, member of national selection committee, Geo News reported.The two-member disciplinary committee includes PCB Director Domestic, Sultan Rana and General Manager Domestic, Shafiq Pasha. The committee meeting is expected to be held in two days.Mohammad Ilyas was issued show cause notice on appearing before media and in a television .... Full Story

'Cars 2' is a clunker Updated at: 1028 PST,  Wednesday, June 22, 2011  Pixar's track record has been close to impeccable for turning out intelligent, emotionally rich, beautifully detailed animated films, with plenty of humor and heart to appeal to movie lovers of all ages.But the weak link in the chain, at least from a narrative standpoint, has always been 2006's "Cars," with its two-dimensional talking autos and hokey, borrowed tale of small-town life.Sure, it was bright and zippy, which was enough to appeal to th .... Full Story

Deaths up from cancer, diabetes, heart disease: UN Updated at: 1319 PST,  Tuesday, June 21, 2011  UNITED NATIONS: Nearly two-thirds of deaths in the world are caused by non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart and lung disease which are rapidly increasing at a cost to the global economy of trillions of dollars, according to U.N. estimates and preliminary results of a new study.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report circulated Monday that while the international community has focused on communicable diseases such as .... Full Story

World's oldest person dies in Brazil Updated at: 0854 PST,  Wednesday, June 22, 2011  RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian woman recognized as the oldest person in the world has died at the age of 114, local media reported Tuesday.Maria Gomes Valentim was certified in May as the world's oldest person, edging past US woman Besse Cooper, who is 48 days younger, according to Guinness World Records.Valentim, who had been a widow since 1946 and confined to a wheelchair, was hospitalized on Sunday with pneumonia and died later from infection, ac .... Full Story