We will stay clear of non-cricketing issues: Misbah

Misbah-ul-Haq has reiterated that Pakistan will be staying clear of non-cricketing issues when his side takes on England in a test and ODI series in UAE, of which the first test starts on January 17.
“We are just looking forward to having a successful series against England and playing cricket in a good spirit. I don’t think there will be any problems from our side with disciplinary matters; we aren’t interested in getting involved in any non-cricketing issues or problems,” Misbah said in an interview to pakpassion.net.
Focus and determination are the key words for Misbah and wins against New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and draws against West Indies and South Africa suggest that Pakistan has been following their captain’s mantra. But a series against England always brings about a little extra to the proceedings. It is likely to be as big a test for the steady Misbah as it is going to be for the all-conquering English captain Andrew Strauss.
Pakistan, however, have repeatedly claimed that the acrimony of the 2010 tour of England will be far away from their minds.
“As far as the Pakistan team is concerned we will just be focusing on playing good cricket. That is our only aim and none of the players need to think about what happened in England in 2010,” the Pakistani captain added.

CNG association decides to continue strike

ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Monday decided to continue its strike till the fulfillment of demands.
Addressing a press conference, Chairman APCNGA Ghiyas Paracha said that the government should announce one day CNG loadshedding till February 15.
He added new taxes should be rolled back and there should be no ban on refuelling of public transport.
Earlier, Secretary Petroleum Natural Resources Muhammad Ejaz Chaudhry held a meeting with Chairman and representatives of All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) here on Monday to address the concerns of the CNG sector.
The meeting was attended by Chief Commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory, Acting Chairman OGRA and senior officers of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources.
Secretary Petroleum clarified to the APCNGA that the news about indefinite closure of CNG Sector is incorrect, however, CNG Stations would remain closed as per the mutually agreed Gas Load Management Programme.
It was informed that there is no proposal for closure of CNG stations during the month of January.
Due to increasing cold, the demand of natural gas was increasing and therefore the government had to implement the Gas Load Management Programme.
Secretary Petroleum informed the participants that after the month of February, the situation of gas supply would stabilise and gas supply to CNG sector would improve.
During the meeting it was decided that a high powered committee comprising of senior representatives of Finance Division, Petroleum and Natural Resources Division and OGRA would look into the issue of gas pricing and submit its report within four days.
It was also decided that the decision of OGRA regarding ban on filling of CNG in public transport vehicles would be suspended for 15 days and the public safety measures would be jointly monitored and ensured by OGRA and the APCNGA.
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has already communicated to provincial governments, OGRA and the APCNGA to monitor public transport vehicles containing sub-standard CNG cylinders and kits.
Secretary Petroleum said that CNG sector was an important stakeholder and it was expected that they will act responsibly in this situation.
Cooperation of APCNGA was imperative so that sufficient supply of gas is available for domestic consumers. He emphasised upon the APCNGA to call off their strike.
Chairman APCNGA assured that CNG Association would cooperate in implementing the gas load management programme.

World rings in 2012 and bids adieu to a tough year

PARIS: With glittering fireworks and celebrations from New Zealand to Times Square, the world eagerly welcomed a new year and hope for a better future Saturday, saying goodbye to a year of hurricanes, tsunamis and economic turmoil that many would rather forget.
Revelers in Australia, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific island nation of Samoa, which jumped across the international dateline to be first to celebrate, welcomed 2012 with booming pyrotechnic displays.
Fireworks soared and sparked over Moscow’s Red Square, crowds on Paris’ Champs-Elysees boulevard popped Champagne corks at midnight, and up to a million revelers were expected to jam New York’s Times Square for the famed crystal-paneled ball drop.
But across the world, people battered by weather disasters, joblessness and economic uncertainty hoped the stroke of midnight would change their fortunes.
”What I see is that prices are going up, and all I hope for is to keep working and for my family to enjoy good health,” said Joaquin Cabina, 53, a car mechanic in Madrid.
In Times Square, Fred Franke looked forward to saying goodbye to 2011.
”2012 is going to be a better year. It has to be,” said Franke, 53, who was visiting New York with his family even after losing his job in military logistics this month in Jacksonville, Fla.
World leaders evoked 2011′s events in their New Year’s messages. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said dealing with Europe’s debt crisis would bring its countries closer.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wished well being and prosperity to all Russians ”regardless of their political persuasion” after large-scale protests against him.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who polls suggest will be defeated by his Socialist challenger in spring elections, warned Europe’s crisis is not finished and ”that 2012 will be the year full of risks, but also of possibilities.”
That ambivalence echoed at the Vatican, where a gold-robed Pope Benedict XVI marked the end of 2011 with prayers of thanks and said humanity awaits the new year with apprehension but also with hope for a better future.
”With the spirit filled with gratitude, we prepare to cross the threshold of 2012, remembering that the Lord watches over us and takes care of us,” Benedict said.
”In him this evening we want to entrust the entire world. We put into his hands the tragedies of this world of ours and we also offer him the hopes for a better future.”
The first major fireworks celebrations started in Auckland, New Zealand and in Sydney, where more than 1.5 million people watched the shimmering pyrotechnic display designed around the theme ”Time to Dream”.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate for a massive party complete with live performances from the Scorpions and other bands and a spectacular firework display.
In New York, the crowd cheered as workers lit the crystal-paneled ball that drops at midnight Saturday and put it through a test run, 400 feet (122 meters) above the street.
The sphere, now decorated with 3,000 Waterford crystal triangles, has been dropping to mark the new year since 1907, long before television made it a US tradition.
Some revelers, wearing party hats and ”2012” glasses, began camping out Saturday morning, even as workers readied bags stuffed with hundreds of balloons and technicians put colored filters on klieg lights.
As the country prepared for the celebration, glum wasn’t on the agenda for many, even those that had a sour year.
”We’re hoping the next year will be better,” said Becky Martin, a former elementary school teacher who drove from Rockford, Ill., with her family to attend the Times Square celebration after spending a fruitless year trying to find a job. ”We’re starting off optimistic and hoping it lasts.”
Security checkpoints at the city’s bridges and tunnels were beefed up in anticipation of the celebration, and the New York Police Department planned to deploy 1,500 rookie officers to blend into the crowd at Times Square.
Cities prepared for celebrations both traditional and unusual. Atlanta was expecting to welcome thousands to its downtown, where a giant peach is dropped every New Year’s Eve at midnight.
Las Vegas prepared to host hundreds of thousands of partiers on the Strip with rooftop fireworks and celebrity-studded parties at nightclubs. Miami has its own fruit, The Big Orange, a neon citrus with a new animated face that will rise up the side of a downtown hotel as fireworks go off nearby.
In Europe, around 80,000 partygoers at the Hogmanay street party in Edinburgh were welcoming 2012 at the stroke of midnight before erupting into a mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
In London, some 250,000 people gathered to listen to Big Ben chime at the stroke of midnight during London’s scaled-back New Year’s celebrations. Fireworks are set off from the London Eye, the giant wheel on the south bank of the river.

Chimp from 1930s US ‘Tarzan’ films dead at 80

WASHINGTON: Cheetah, a chimpanzee said to have performed in the “Tarzan” films of the 1930s, has died at the age of 80, according to the Florida sanctuary where he lived.
“It is with great sadness that the community has lost a dear friend and family member on December 24, 2011,” the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida announced on its website.
Cheetah was said to have performed in “Tarzan the Ape Man” (1932) and “Tarzan and His Mate” (1934), classic films about a man reared in the jungle starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan.
Similar claims were made about another very old chimpanzee, named Cheeta, which lives in California. But a writer researching that chimp in 2008 found considerable evidence it was too young to have appeared in the films, and its owners have accepted the findings on their website, cheetathechimp.org.
The average life span of a wild chimpanzee is around 45 years. Several chimpanzees were used in the filming of the “Tarzan” movies and subsequent films, during a period when the primates were widely used in Hollywood and often mistreated.
The Florida chimpanzee – which reportedly arrived at the sanctuary in 1960 – loved finger-painting and watching football, and was soothed by Christian music, the sanctuary’s outreach director Debbie Cobb told the Tampa Tribune.
“He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings,” Cobb was quoted as saying.
Ron Priest, a sanctuary volunteer, told the Tribune that Cheetah stood out because he could walk upright with a straight back like a human, and was distinguished by other talents.
“When he didn’t like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between,” Priest said.

EU split over migration`s `human tsunami`

LUXEMBOURG: Europe was divided on Monday over how to deal with an exodus of migrants fleeing unrest in north Africa, as Rome clashed with neighbours refusing to take in boatpeople pouring into Italy.

Italy has urged its European Union neighbours to help it cope with a “human tsunami” that has overwhelmed the tiny island of Lampedusa since revolutions erupted in Tunisia and Libya earlier this year.
“Today we will see if Europe can be united and show solidarity, or if it is merely a geographic space,” Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told reporters as he arrived for the talks.
Rome sparked a diplomatic row last week when it announced it would grant six-month residency permits to more than 20,000 Tunisian migrants, which could allow them to travel freely in Europe`s border-free Schengen area.
Officials issued the first permits on Sunday despite French and German objections.
France tightened the control of documents at the border with Italy, while Germany and Austria warned they could follow suit.
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said it was up to Italy to deal with the wave of migrants and find a solution with Tunisian authorities to stop people from reaching Europe`s shores.
“We cannot accept numerous economic migrants arriving in Europe through Italy. This is why we expect Italy to respect the existing legal rules and uphold its duty in discussions with the Tunisians, Friedrich said.
“It cannot be in the interest of Europe for us to be forced to introduce new controls, so we hope the Italians will fulfil their duties,” he added.
Around 26,000 undocumented migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, including some 21,000 who said they were from Tunisia.
They said they were fleeing the dire economic situation that had followed the political uprising in January.
Italian authorities transferred thousands of migrants from Lampedusa to other parts of Italy last week, but hundreds more have since landed on the island, including 226 on Monday, bringing their numbers to 1,500.
“Italy is a great nation that can still show a bit more goodwill to seriously resolve the situation,” said Austrian Interior Minister Maria Fekter.
“We will see whether we can recognise the permits that Italy is delivering,” she said.
“We will see if we can let in people who cannot feed themselves, who cannot show they have the resources to stay in Austria, because letting these people in would only pave the way for crime, and as minister in charge of security I cannot accept that.” Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said most Tunisians arrive in Italy illegally.
“They must return home and the Tunisians must accept them,” Rubalcaba said.
During a visit to Lampedusa over the weekend, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Europe “will not abe able to shirk” its responsibilities
“This is not a problem for a single country but for the whole of Europe,” Berlusconi said.Many of the French-speaking migrants landing on Lampedusa in recent weeks say they want to go to France, which is turning back hundreds trying to cross from the Italian border town of Ventimiglia.
Despite the row, Italy and France agreed on Friday to carry out joint patrols off Tunisia`s coast to block migrants headed to Europe.
Berlusconi said Paris “must realise” that 80 per cent of Tunisian migrants have said they want to join relatives or friends in France, Tunisia`s former colonial ruler, and are bound to make their way there sooner or later.—AFP.

Price of petrol raised

ISLAMABAD: Despite a decline in international oil prices, the government decided on Saturday to raise prices of petrol and high octane blending component (HOBC) for January. Prices of other petroleum products were kept unchanged.
According to a notification issued by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the price of petrol has been increased by Rs1.65 to Rs89.54 per litre and that of HOBC by Rs5.13 to Rs111.91 per litre.
Ogra had suggested to the petroleum ministry that prices of petrol and diesel be maintained at the current level, but the ministry decided on Saturday evening to raise the price of petrol by Rs1.65 per litre and that of high speed diesel (HSD) by Re1 per litre.
However, the ministry withdrew its decision late in the night and asked Ogra to keep the diesel price unchanged at Rs98.82 per litre, but did not revise its decision on petrol.
Rates for kerosene will remain unchanged at Rs89.24 per litre and for light diesel oil (LDO) at Rs86.78 per litre.
An official in the petroleum ministry said the prices had been raised because of a decline in the value of the rupee against the dollar in December. The price of petrol was raised to offset the recent increase in CNG prices, he added.
The government collects Rs10 per litre as petroleum levy on petrol, Rs4.82 on kerosene, Rs6.04 on HSD and Rs2.72 on LDO.
The government collected Rs106 billion as GST and Rs34 billion as petroleum levy on petroleum products during the first six months (July-Dec) of the current fiscal year. The collection of GST during the same period last year stood at Rs86 billion while that of petroleum levy at Rs54 billion.
The total collection of petroleum levy and GST during the first six months of both the current and previous fiscal years are same at Rs140 billion.
The petroleum ministry official said that about Rs250 billion was expected to be collected by the end of current financial year on account of GST and petroleum levy on petroleum products.
“This computation is made by the finance ministry because matters relating to tax collection are dealt with by the Federal Board of Revenue, which is under the finance ministry,” he said.
The government remained in a fix over the authority for calculating and determining the prices petroleum products on a monthly basis.
The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet had on Oct 6 last year decided to deregulate ex-refinery and ex-depot prices of petrol, HOBC, LDO and jet fuels (JP-1, JP-4 and JP-8). As per the ECC decision, oil refineries fix ex-refinery prices and oil marketing companies decide and announce ex-depot prices.
However, the inland freight equalisation margin (IFEM) on these products is determined by Ogra, which is also responsible for computing ex-refinery and ex-dept prices of HSD, kerosene and E-10 — the only bio-fuel of the country — but a final decision on oil pricing is taken by the petroleum ministry in consultation with the finance ministry.
“Finally, the prices of all petroleum products are notified and announced by Ogra late night at the end of every month,” an Ogra spokesman said when asked why prices are announced late in the night.

Lists of prisoners, nuclear installations exchanged

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India on Sunday exchanged lists of their nuclear installations and facilities under an agreement that prohibits an attack by either side.
The lists are exchanged every year on January 1, under the “Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities”, inked by the two sides on December 31, 1988.
Pakistan and India first exchanged the lists on January 1, 1992.
The two sides also exchanged lists of prisoners, said Pakistan’s Foreign Office, adding that the prisoners’ lists were exchanged twice a year.
The lists were exchanged simultaneously in New Delhi and Islamabad, it further said.