ISLAMABAD: An Additional Sessions judge Wednesday set free CIA contractor Raymond Davis, who killed two Pakistanis on a busy road in Lahore, after payment of blood money (Diyat) in accordance with Sharia law of Pakistan, sources said.

Talking to Geo News, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the court released Raymond Davis after the family members of the murdered men appeared in the court and pardoned the US National after an agreement was reached between the two sides. “He has been released from jail and now it is up to him to leave the country whenever he wants,” the Minister added.

The killings by Raymond Davis in Lahore in January strained relations between Pakistan and US, who repeatedly insisted Davis was an embassy employee and enjoyed diplomatic immunity, particularly after it emerged he was working for the CIA.

A spokesman for the US embassy in Islamabad said he could not immediately confirm the report. Lawyers for the families of the two men shot dead in a busy Lahore street on January 27 said they had been held for four hours at the jail court where Davis was being tried on Wednesday, but had not been allowed to witness proceedings.

Blood money, or ‘Diyat’ is a provision under Islamic sharia law in which compensation can be paid to relatives of those killed to secure a pardon, and is commonly used to resolve such cases in Pakistan.

The Davis case had sparked protests in Pakistan, with religious groups angrily denouncing the American who claimed he acted in self-defence to fend off an armed robbery when he shot dead the two men.

US authorities insisted Davis was protected by full diplomatic immunity, but the Pakistan government refused to back that claim and a decision on his status was on Monday deferred by the Lahore high court for criminal judges to decide.

Revelations that Davis was a CIA contractor heaped pressure on Pakistan’s embattled government and further ramped up burning public mistrust of Washington, damaging fragile relations between the two wary allies.

A third Pakistani was struck down and killed by a US diplomatic vehicle that came to Davis’ assistance in the January incident. US officials denied Pakistan access to the vehicle, and the occupants are widely believed to have left the country.

Police have said they recovered a Glock pistol, four loaded magazines, a GPS navigation system and a small telescope from Davis’ car after the January 27 shooting. The United States postponed a round of high-level talks with Afghanistan and Pakistan following failed attempts to free Davis, and US lawmakers threatened to cut payments to Pakistan unless he is released. (Geo/AFP)

The World Famous Female Music Sensation Shakira will dance along Shahrukh Khan on a song sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Now how she will dance on Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s song, will be an amazing thing to experience for many. But this has been confirmed that this is going to happen soon all because of the efforts of Bollywood King Shahrukh Khan.

According to Times of India:

Latin songstress Shakira will be seen with Shah Rukh Khan in a music video for his Kolkata Knight Riders team. The song is composed by Salim-Sulaiman and sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Seems like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s stars are still shinning and an embarrassing sad cash scandal hasn’t faded his credibility and fame.

As per the news, the said video will be shot after Shahrukh Khan wraps up his Malaysia schedule of Don 2. Last year, King Khan had met the Waka Waka babe during the World Cup soccer final in South Africa and had confessed that he was a big fan of hers

via TOI

TOKYO: A massive 8.9 magnitude quake hit northeast Japan on Friday, causing many injuries, fires and a four-metre (13-ft) tsunami along parts of the country’s coastline, NHK television and witnesses reported.

There were several strong aftershocks and a warning of a 10-metre tsunami following the quake, which also caused buildings to shake violently in the capital Tokyo.

TV pictures showed a vast wall of water carrying buildings and debris across a large swathe of coastal farmland.

Public broadcaster NHK showed flames and black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.

Black smoke was also pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama’s Isogo area. TV footage showed boats, cars and trucks floating in water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. An overpass, location unknown, appeared to have collapsed into the water.

Kyodo news agency said there were reports of fires in the city of Sendai in the northeast.

“The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks,” Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said in Tokyo.

“It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago.”

Passengers on a subway line in Tokyo screamed and grabbed other passengers’ hands. The shaking was so bad it was hard to stand, said Reuters reporter Mariko Katsumura.

Hundreds of office workers and shoppers spilled into Hitotsugi street, a shopping street in Akasaka in downtown Tokyo.

Household goods ranging from toilet paper to clingfilm were flung into the street from outdoor shelves in front of a drugstore.

Crowds gathered in front of televisions in a shop next to the drugstore for details. After the shaking from the first quake subsided, crowds were watching and pointing to construction cranes on an office building up the street with voices saying, “They’re still shaking!”, “Are they going to fall?”
Asagi Machida, 27, a web designer in Tokyo, sprinted from a coffee shop when the quake hit.

“The images from the New Zealand earthquake are still fresh in my mind so I was really scared. I couldn’t believe such a big earthquake was happening in Tokyo.”

The U.S. Geological Survey earlier verified a magnitude of 7.9 at a depth of 15.1 miles and located the quake 81 miles east of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu. It later upgraded it to 8.8.

A police car drove down Hitotsugi Street, lights flashing, announcing through a bullhorn that there was still a danger of shaking.

The Tokyo stock market extended its losses after the quake was announced. The central bank said it would do everything to ensure financial stability.

Japan’s northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. (Reuters)

LONDON: Cheating is widespread in British universities, including the prestigious Oxford University, with over 17,000 incidents being recorded during the academic year 2009-2010, a survey has revealed.

The survey of more than 80 universities has found that academic misconduct is soaring at institutions across the UK, with thousands of students caught plagiarising, trying to bribe lecturers and buying essays from the Internet.

Greenwich University recorded the largest number of cheating incidents overall, with 916, compared with 540 in 2005-06; Sheffield Hallam had the second largest number with 801 last year, more than 500 of which were for plagiarism.

Loughborough University reported 151 incidents last year of which 43 were committed by postgraduates while East London University said that among its 733 cases of cheating last year there were 612 of plagiarism.

PALLEKELE: New Zealand stopped Pakistan’s winning streak by giving them a shocking defeat of 110 runs in their key World Cup Group A match against Pakistan at the new Pallekele stadium on Tuesday.

Pakistan who were leading the Group A points table with three wins in a row has now went down to second position as New Zealand are now on top.

Pakistan batsmen, who were chasing for the first time in the tournament, could not go for runs against a huge target of 303 and were bundled out for 192 in 41.4 overs.

Abdul Razzaq gave Pakistan some respectability with a defiant 62 from 74 balls with nine fours. He was supported by Umar Akmal (38) and Umar Gul (34 not out).

During his innings, Abdul Razzaq reached 5,000 runs in ODI cricket. He became the fourth allrounder with 5,000 runs and 250 wickets.

The openers failed again as both, Mohammad Hafeez (5) and Ahmed Shahzad (10) went back and then Younis Khan (nought) and Kamran Akmal (8) also departed and Pakistan were reeling at 23-4.

Later, Pakistan’s most in-form batsman Misbah-ul-Haq resisted against the Kiwi attack for a while but he was also dismissed for seven when score reached 45.

Then, captain Shahid Afridi displayed some aggression, hitting two fours and a six, but he was bowled by Jacob Oram for 17, made off nine balls.

However, Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq provided some resistance and took the score to 100 before Umar getting out for 38.

Abdul Razzaq, then found a good partner in Umar Gul and both added 66 runs for the ninth wicket partnership.

Umar Gul, hitting a six and three fours, remained not out on 34.

Earlier, Ross Taylor smashed a brilliant career-best hundred to lift New Zealand to an emphatic 302 for seven after captain Daniel Vettori won the toss.

Taylor was given two 27th birthday gifts by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal who dropped him on zero and eight off Shoaib Akhtar.

Later, Taylor unleashed some of the most incredible slugging ever inflicted on an attack in a one-day international cricket match never mind the World Cup.

He struck seven towering sixes and eight boundaries in his unbeaten knock of 131 scored off 124 balls for his fourth ODI hundred.

Taylor made the most of his good fortune and ran riot in the 47th over of the innings, hitting paceman Akhtar for two boundaries and three sixes — 28 runs in all — to reach his first World Cup hundred off 117 deliveries.

He then hit two boundaries and three sixes to take 30 off Abdul Razzaq’s 49th over, helping New Zealand add 100 in the last five overs.

Taylor added a blistering 85 for the seventh wicket with Jacob Oram (25 off just nine balls, with three sixes and a boundary) off just 22 balls to punish a hapless Pakistan bowling attack.

Taylor’s previous best of 128 not out came against Sri Lanka at Napier in 2006.

In all, New Zealand blasted 92 runs off the last four overs.