SC orders arrest of main accused within a week

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, while issuing an order to the Ministry of Interior to arrest the main accused allegedly involved in the anti-judiciary campaign within a week, expressed dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Interior’s report about the action taken in this regard. The apex court also summoned a report within a week about the arrest of the accused.
Justice Nasirul Mulk remarked, “We don’t want a blank report. Tell us what the outcome of this report is. How many accused have been arrested so far and what guidance has been given by them to the law enforcement agencies. Security personnel are present everywhere and they have not spotted anyone placing the banners.”

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja reply is not satisfactory. It means judiciary is insecure. Are there no CCTV cameras there? Are the entries not made on barricades? Is the state so much helpless that every one enters Red Zone and returns after doing whatever he wants?”

A three-member SC bench presided over by Justice Nasirul Mulk took up anti-judiciary campaign case for hearing Wednesday.Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Ahmad Saeed presented the interior ministry and IB report in the court. He made it clear that the government had made safe city project with reference to security which was annulled by the SC.

He said that IB report was secret.Justice Jawwad S Khawaja inquired what the secret was therein.The DAG told the court that IB report was based on the progress made in the case.The court remarked, “What progress is there that it has not been ascertained so far how many accused were there and what action was taken against those involved in placing banners.”

The DAG said that efforts were underway to locate prime accused. Two accused had been arrested and information was being taken from them. Give us one week and we will take action against the culprits and give report.”Justice Jawwad S Khawaja remarked, “It means we are not fully covered.The hearing of the case was adjourned till July, 2.

MH370 mini-sub search of ocean zone will end within week: PM

PERTH: The mini-submarine hunting for flight MH370 will finish scouring its current strip of the Indian Ocean within a week, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said, adding that if unsuccessful the operation will be forced to move into a new phase.

Abbott told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that authorities will need to rethink their approach if the US Navy mini-submarine fails to find wreckage from the missing Malaysian jet in its current search zone, 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) off Perth.

"We believe that search will be completed within a week or so," Abbott told the US newspaper.

"If we don´t find wreckage, we stop, we regroup, we reconsider."

The unmanned Bluefin-21 submersible on Thursday completed its first full mission in the search zone, where underwater signals -- believed to be from the missing plane´s black box -- were detected earlier this month.

Data retrieved by the mini-submarine is being analysed.

Australian officials said the Bluefin had searched around approximately 90 square kilometres (35 square miles) so far.

The mini-sub´s first two attempts to scan the seabed for signs of the Boeing 777, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, had to be cut short -- on Tuesday because the water was deeper than its 4,500-metre operating limits, and on Wednesday because of an unspecified technical problem.

"My determination for Australia is that we will do whatever we reasonably can to resolve the mystery," Abbott said.

"If the current search turns up nothing, we won´t abandon it, we will simply move to a different phase," he added, reiterating his confidence that searchers were looking in the right place.

The Bluefin´s aborted first two missions have raised the spectre of a prolonged, difficult search that may require even more sophisticated equipment to be deployed.

The US Navy has estimated it would take the sophisticated device "anywhere from six weeks to two months to scan the entire search area".

MH370 mini-sub search of ocean zone will end within week: PM

PERTH: The mini-submarine hunting for flight MH370 will finish scouring its current strip of the Indian Ocean within a week, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said, adding that if unsuccessful the operation will be forced to move into a new phase.

Abbott told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that authorities will need to rethink their approach if the US Navy mini-submarine fails to find wreckage from the missing Malaysian jet in its current search zone, 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) off Perth.

"We believe that search will be completed within a week or so," Abbott told the US newspaper.

"If we don´t find wreckage, we stop, we regroup, we reconsider."

The unmanned Bluefin-21 submersible on Thursday completed its first full mission in the search zone, where underwater signals -- believed to be from the missing plane´s black box -- were detected earlier this month.

Data retrieved by the mini-submarine is being analysed.

Australian officials said the Bluefin had searched around approximately 90 square kilometres (35 square miles) so far.

The mini-sub´s first two attempts to scan the seabed for signs of the Boeing 777, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, had to be cut short -- on Tuesday because the water was deeper than its 4,500-metre operating limits, and on Wednesday because of an unspecified technical problem.

"My determination for Australia is that we will do whatever we reasonably can to resolve the mystery," Abbott said.

"If the current search turns up nothing, we won´t abandon it, we will simply move to a different phase," he added, reiterating his confidence that searchers were looking in the right place.

The Bluefin´s aborted first two missions have raised the spectre of a prolonged, difficult search that may require even more sophisticated equipment to be deployed.

The US Navy has estimated it would take the sophisticated device "anywhere from six weeks to two months to scan the entire search area".

Argentine teacher strike drags into third week

BUENOS AIRES: Thousands of Argentine teachers clad in white rallied in Buenos Aires on Wednesday as their strike over pay dragged into its third week, shutting millions of schoolchildren out of classrooms.

The strike is being observed in half of Argentina's 24 regions, preventing the start of the school year in those areas earlier this month.

The teachers are demanding a 35 percent pay hike after rejecting the government's offer of a 31 percent raise as insufficient to offset rising inflation, which experts say was at 25-30 percent last year.

"Public schools are not for sale!" the teachers cried as they marched through the city center towards the education ministry.

In Buenos Aires province, the country's most populous, about 2.5 million students have not had any classes this year.

The academic calendar in Argentina runs from March through December.

Shilpa Shetty opens Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

 

 

Shilpa Shetty displayed her hourglass figure and said she feels great to be back on the runway. 

 

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty dazzled the ramp as she supported her designer friend Tarun Tahiliani, who opened the Autumn-Winter edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) here with his Indian heritage inspired collection.

Dressed in a layered kanjeevaram lehenga and draped corset, the 38-year-old actress displayed her hourglass figure and said she feels great to be back on the runway after the birth of her son Viaan Raj Kundra.

“Tarun is family. This is he first time I am walking the ramp after the baby. It is a very overwhelming feeling for me to come back. After the baby, I had put on 35 kgs. I thought I will never be able to fit in his clothes again. I had always thought that if ever I make a ramp comeback it has to be or Tarun’s show. And I finally did it,” Shipa said after the show.

Shilpa was also accompanied by Harman Bawaja and Ayesha Khanna, the stars of her debut production venture ‘Dishkiyaoon’. While Harman looked dapper in a black layered jacket and Jodhpuri breeches, Ayesha was stunning in a black draped tunic and churidaar.
“I am so grateful that Tarun also decided to deck my hero and heroine today. ‘Dishkayoon’ is my second baby. I am very excited about it. I hope people go out and watch the film,” Shilpa said.

‘Dishkiyaoon’ will hit thetares this Friday.

In Tahilian’s collection, gold finery decked the collars and cuffs giving the illusion of layers of golden thread. The tunics stood out. The South Indian Necklace patterns was the inspiration behind the emperor silhouette and the necklines.

In the collection there was a special emphasis on the prints like multi scarf patterns. Unconventional sarees, dhoti skirts, jackets with slits, short crop jackets and long asymmetric kurtas gave traditional clothing a global edge.

“The idea of this collection traces its root in the early tradition of the country when the clothes would mould to fit the body and not vice versa,” Tahiliani said.

The show opened with a recitation from a passage of Rana Dasgupta’s ‘Capital’. Live musicians from Rajasthan added to the Indian feel of the show.

Richa Chadda to walk the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week

Richa Chadda will walk the ramp for designer Sounia Gohil.

Actress Richa Chadda will walk the ramp for designer Sounia Gohil at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort.
The fashion extravaganza will be held from March 12 to 16.
Taking inspiration from interiors and architectures of Europe, Sounia has adapted a classy yet luxurious look transforming the designs into fresh edgy prints.
Giving her collection an international feel, the designer has kept her silhouettes straight and clean with sheer fabrics ruling the assortment amidst others.
Richa is all set to walk the ramp as the showstopper for Sounia tomorrow at the event. Sounia feels Richa fits the bill perfectly as she can carry the look with utmost ease and add glamour to the same.
Structured tops with straight pencil skirts, bikini tops with short pants and sheer cover ups are the highlights of her collection.
Employing a lot of artwork, she plays with a palette of pastel summery shades like ice blue, ivory, lilac and pistachio green hues in icy shades.

US natgas futures end 1 pct lower; little changed for the week

NEW YORK: US natural gas futures eased about 1 percent on Friday but were little changed for the week on forecasts for warmer weather and weaker heating demand in the next couple of weeks. Front-month natural gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled down 4.4 cents at $4.618 per million British thermal units, down 1 percent for the day. For the week, the front-month contract eased just 0.2 percent after last week's dramatic 24 percent decline which ranked as the largest weekly fall in 17 years.

For the year, gas futures are up 9 percent.

"Winter is winding down and cold temperatures in March are going to quickly become much less of an upside price driver," said Dominick Chirichella from the Energy Management Institute in New Jersey.

Utilities pulled 152 billion cubic feet from storage last week, over the year-ago draw of 149 bcf and the five-year average draw of 105 bcf, the US Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.

Analysts had forecast a draw of just 138 bcf, according to a Reuters poll.

Utilities have withdrawn a record 2.638 trillion cubic feet of gas since the start of the heating season in November, leaving just 1.196 tcf in storage. That is the lowest storage level for this time of year since 2004.

Gas producers speaking at the IHS CERAWeek energy conference in Houston expressed confidence in the industry's ability to rebuild gas in storage.

The number of rigs drilling for gas in North America rose by 10 to 345 in the week to March 7, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes.

MDA Weather Services forecast mostly warmer weather during the next 15 days over much of the United States, except for a cold shot in the Great Lakes and Northeast over the next six to 10 days.

The latest computer weather model showed slightly below-normal temperatures over the next 15 days across the country but a little more cold than the previous model, according to Thomson Reuters Analytics.

The April 2014 futures contract ended at a 5.1-cent premium over the May 2014 contract Friday versus a 5.9-cent premium Thursday.

Gas futures for the balance of the year and the summer of 2014 both lost about 3 cents to $4.61 and $4.59 per mmBtu, respectively, according to Reuters data.

NEXT-DAY GAS, POWER

Next-day gas prices mostly declined on forecasts for warmer temperatures and weaker overall heating demand while wholesale electricity prices were steady to higher for Monday delivery as weekday demand returns.

Next-day Henry Hub gas, the benchmark US supply point in Louisiana, on the IntercontinentalExchange fell 13 cents to average $4.77 per mmBtu Friday, holding at the lowest in five trading days.

Next-day Henry Hub gas ended Friday at a 15-cent premium over the NYMEX front-month contract, down from a 17-cent premium earlier in the day.

In New York, next-day gas continued to fall, sliding $1.33 to $4.97 per mmBtu.

Chicago gas gained $2.23 to average $9.27 on Friday after falling to the lowest level in 13 trading days.

On the power front, PJM West power in the Mid-Atlantic rose from a 10-day low, climbing $2.07 to average $65 per megawatt-hour. New England power at the Nepool hub, which has been holding about $100, did not trade.

In Texas, next-day power in Ercot North rose from a five-day low, adding $6 to average $46 per MWh for Monday.

In the West, power at the SP-15 Hub in Southern California was steady at $50 per MWh, the lowest since the middle of January. The Mid Columbia Hub in the Pacific Northwest, meanwhile, slid $7 to average $28.64.

More than 440,000 homes and businesses were without power in North Carolina and South Carolina on Friday due to a strong ice storm.

Projected water runoff at The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon climbed to 100 percent of normal for January-July, the US Northwest River Forecast Center (NWRFC) said on Friday.

Nuclear plant outages, which create demand for natural gas as a substitute fuel for electricity generation, were at 14,000 megawatts on Friday versus 14,600 MW on Thursday. That compared with 15,600 MW out a year ago and a five-year average outage rate of 14,800 MW.

Commodities face rollercoaster week on Ukraine crisis

LONDON: Global commodities experienced volatile trade this week on worries over Ukraine, with oil spiking before sliding on receding tensions, while gold sparkled as investors sought shelter from the crisis.
Sentiment was also hit by demand concerns after more weak data from the Asian powerhouse China, a top consumer of raw materials.
Elsewhere, drought conditions in Brazil sent coffee and sugar prices soaring to major peaks on supply concerns.
Traders drew some strength on Friday from better-than-expected US non-farm payrolls data in the world's biggest economy.
- Crude oil prices bounce -
OIL: The oil market spiked on Monday to the highest levels this year as the Ukraine crisis raised concerns about disruptions to energy supplies.
But prices then fell back on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared there was "no need" yet to send troops into Ukraine.
Crude futures retreated as fears of an immediate armed conflict in Ukraine receded, but analysts said the presence of Russian-backed troops in the Crimean peninsula continued to support prices.
Russia faces sanctions from the US and Europeans which potentially could wreak turmoil in markets -- especially as Russia is a crucial global energy producer and exporter of natural gas to Western Europe.
More than 70 percent of its gas and oil exports to Europe pass through Ukraine.
Markets were also hit on Wednesday by fresh concerns over growth in China, which is the world's second biggest crude consuming nation.
China's National People's Congress began its annual meeting on Wednesday, with Premier Li Keqiang saying the government was targeting 7.5 growth in 2014, unchanged from last year's forecast.
The figure is below the 7.7 percent recorded in 2013 and 2012, and is the lowest growth rate since 1999.
The market took another knock on Wednesday after the US Department of Energy said commercial crude-oil inventories rose by 1.4 million barrels in the week ending February 28.
That was more than expectations of a 1.0 million barrel gain, indicating demand that was weaker than expected for the world's largest crude-oil consumer.
By Friday on London's Intercontinental Exchange, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April dipped to $108.54 a barrel from $108.99 a week earlier.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate or light sweet crude for April eased to $102.52 per barrel from $102.59.
- Haven investment gold shines -
PRECIOUS METALS: Gold touched a four-month high at $1,354.87 an ounce as investors sought safety amid the Ukraine crisis.
"The price rise came on the back of the increasing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which sparked greater demand for gold as a safe haven," said Commerzbank analyst Daniel Briesemann.
Gold is regarded as a safe investment in times of economic or political uncertainty.
By late Friday on the London Bullion Market, the price of gold grew to $1,335.25 an ounce from $1,326.50 a week earlier.
Silver rose to $21.38 an ounce from $21.27.
On the London Platinum and Palladium Market, platinum increased to $1,474 an ounce from $1,447.
Palladium climbed to $776 an ounce from $743.
BASE METALS: Aluminium, copper and lead struck multi-month lows, partly because of poor data in key consumer China.
"The prices of many of the key industrial metals have continued to fall since the beginning of this year amid concerns about the risk of a slowdown in Chinese demand after disappointing PMI readings in both January and February," said Capital Economics research group.
Chinese manufacturing activity contracted in February at its worst rate in seven months, British banking giant HSBC said Monday, the latest data indicating trouble in the world's number two economy.
HSBC said its final purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China, which tracks manufacturing activity in factories and workshops, fell to 48.5 last month.
It was a slight increase on the flash PMI of 48.3 but it remained the weakest reading since July. A reading above 50 indicates growth, while anything below signals contraction.
By Friday on the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months fell to $6,854 a tonne from $7,009 week earlier.
Three-month aluminium rose to $1,766.75 a tonne from $1,762.
Three-month lead dipped to $2,108 a tonne from $2,134.
Three-month tin decreased to $23,100 a tonne from $23,499.
Three-month nickel gained to $15,388 a tonne from $14,550.
Three-month zinc grew to $2,070.75 a tonne from $2,064.75.
- Coffee, sugar hit heights -
COFFEE: Prices spiked to a two-year pinnacle in New York, as traders fretted once more over drought conditions in key producer Brazil.
"Arabica coffee now costs more than 200 US cents per pound again for the first time in two years," said Commerzbank analyst Michaela Kuhl.
"The dry weather in the Brazilian growing areas is still keeping the markets on tenterhooks."
Arabica-quality coffee, which has surged close to 80 percent in value since the start of the year, reached 204.10 US cents a pound on Wednesday, the highest level since early March 2012.
Robusta meanwhile hit a near one-year peak at $2,136 a tonne on Tuesday.
"The main focus of the market is still on Brazil," added Price Futures Group analyst Jack Scoville.
"The lack of rain in coffee producing areas over the last month has hurt coffee production potential.
"Traders also keep waiting for more coffee to appear from Vietnam. Exports so far this year from Vietnam have been disappointing."
By Friday on ICE Futures US, Arabica for delivery in May leapt to 196.05 US cents a pound from 179.25 cents a week earlier.
On LIFFE, Robusta for May jumped to $2,076 a tonne from $2,038.
SUGAR: Prices scaled more four-month highs on drought conditions in Brazil.
"Weather conditions in key production areas around the world are rated as mostly good except for the dry weather in Brazil," added Scoville.
"Traders are watching Ukraine and Russia as both are important sugarbeet producers, although this production stays at home.
"Any losses in either country could increase world demand."
By Friday on LIFFE, the price of a tonne of white sugar for delivery in May increased to $484.70 from $476.30 a week earlier.
On ICE Futures US, the price of unrefined sugar for delivery in May gained to 18.31 US cents a pound from 17.74 US cents.
COCOA: Prices steadied after striking recent 2.5 year highs on the back of stretched global supplies.
By Friday on LIFFE, London's futures exchange, cocoa for delivery in May rose to £1,845 a tonne from £1,838 a week earlier.
On the ICE Futures US exchange, cocoa for May eased to $2,962 a tonne from $2,969.
RUBBER: Prices in Kuala Lumpur rebounded as low production from leading rubber producers squeezed global supplies.
The Malaysian Rubber Board's benchmark SMR20 advanced to 195.40 US cents a kilo from 188.70 cents a week earlier.

iOS 7.1 release date may arrive this week or early next

iOS 7.1 should be the end of this annoying 'white screen of death' glitch

The general public is waiting for the iOS 7.1 release date that's supposed to bring new features and fix a bunch of annoying bugs.
Thankfully, this major update is being readied for later this week or early next week, according to Apple enthusiast website Daring Fireball.
This is based on the fact that Apple is said to be requiring iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users to install iOS 7.1 in order to stream its first iTunes Festival in the US at South by Southwest.
Since the iTunes Festival's US debut is March 11 during the Austin music, film and tech conference, Apple is expected to push the major update to iOS users any day now.

iOS 7.1. changes

iOS 7.1 has had a long 4-month beta, but it promises to make a few design tweaks and end glitches that drive people crazy.
Its "call" and "end" button icons are small and round instead of large and rectangular. Apple also replaced the ugly reddish-orange Power Off slide bar with a translucent bar and white button.
More important than these UI changes are the bug fixes. Expect the final release notes to finally address the annoying white screen of death issue that randomly soft resets iOS devices.
iOS 7.1 is the first paint job for Apple's fresh coat that was iOS 7. Even bigger changes are expected as part of iOS 8.
Maybe by then we'll see a quick way to access Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Do Not Disturb setting by holding down their respective icons in Control Center.