Nawaz says won’t give confidence vote to PM :

WASHINGTON: Chief of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Nawaz Sharif said that if Prime Minister Gilani obtain fresh vote of confidence, his part would sit on opposition benches.

In a telephonic interview to US weekly, Nawaz said that if patch up had been done with Peoples Party, than it is also possible with PML-Q. He said that presentation of guard of honour to former President Musharraf hurt nation’s sentiments. PML-N always practiced politics of principles. Replying to a question about war against terror, Sharif said that anti-terror war could only be win through dialogues and its best example is Ireland. Pakistani people were the actual power who forced Musharraf to resign, he added.

Regulatory duty levied on 379 luxury items, SRO issued :

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a SRO increasing regulatory duty by 15 to 50 per cent on 379 luxury items including non-essential goods and food items. The SRO will be effective from today. These items include luxury cars (1800 CC and above), refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, televisions, LCDs, plasma, furniture, ceramics, tiles, cooked food, fruits, vegetables, perfumes and shampoos.

8 killed in Bannu police van blast :

BANNU: At least eight people have been killed and several others injured when a police van blown up with explosives near Karam bridge in Bannu on Thursday.According to reports, police van was traveling to jail from police line when hit by explosives. The van later fell into the river because of the intensity of the blast.The injured and bodies were shifted to Bannu Hospital where emergency has been announced. It is feared that death toll could be rise as many injured reported in a critical state. Police have started investigations of the incident.

Bill Clinton vows to back Obama :

Former President Bill Clinton has given his firm backing to US Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, saying he "is the man for this job".
Senator Joe Biden, accepting the nomination to run for vice-president, also praised Mr Obama's leadership.
Earlier, Mr Obama was formally named as Democratic candidate for the White House, the first African-American to be nominated by a major US party.
He made a surprise late appearance at the convention to rally the crowds.
Coming on stage at the end of Mr Biden's address, Mr Obama joked that the party's convention was "going pretty well" and praised his wife, Michelle, and Hillary Clinton for their speeches.
Mr Obama was not expected to speak until Thursday, when he will formally accept the party's nomination to stand against Republican John McCain in the 4 November election.

Housewives star announces split :

Michael Bolton and Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan have ended their engagement, they have announced.
The pair first started dating in 1992 and spent five years together. They rekindled their romance in 2005 before getting engaged the following year.
A publicist for the singer and Sheridan said the split was amicable.
The 44-year-old actress, who plays Edie Britt in Desperate Housewives, was born in Worthing, West Sussex. Bolton, 55, has sold more than 50 million records.
Sheridan got married to LA Law actor Harry Hamlin in 1991 but the relationship ended a year later.
Bolton, who was married to Maureen McGuire between 1975 and 1990, started out as the lead singer with hard rock band Blackjack before finding success as a solo artist.
He and Sheridan recorded a duet together, The Second Time Around, which appeared on the 2006 album Bolton Swings Sinatra.

X Factor denies contestant claims :

The X Factor's producers have dismissed claims that contestant Alan Turner's place on the show was in jeopardy over claims he lied to judges.
The Daily Mirror has reported claims from Turner's father that his son lied about not knowing his real family.
An X Factor spokesman said the show and Alan, 23, "refute all claims made" and that his place was "never in jeopardy".
But Turner's father, Alan senior, told the BBC he had enjoyed a relationship with his son for many years.
He said he last saw his son four years ago, but that he regularly spoke to him by telephone until a year ago.

Computer viruses make it to orbit :

A computer virus is alive and well on the International Space Station (ISS).
Nasa has confirmed that laptops carried to the ISS in July were infected with a virus known as Gammima.AG.
The worm was first detected on Earth in August 2007 and lurks on infected machines waiting to steal login names for popular online games.
Nasa said it was not the first time computer viruses had travelled into space and it was investigating how the machines were infected.

Slice of royal wedding cake sold :

A large slice of cake made to celebrate the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles has been sold for £1,000 at an auction house in Gloucestershire.
The nine inch (23cm) square piece was given to Moyra Smith, a cleaner at Clarence House in London, by a royal chef in 1981.
The slice is decorated with the royal coat of arms in icing and was preserved in clingfilm.
It comes with a signed thank you letter to Mrs Smith from the royal couple.
Chris Albury, from the Dominic Winter Auction House in South Cerney, said: "We have seen numerous small pieces of official presentation cake slices from this wedding over the years but this piece is altogether on a different scale.
"The decorative icing of the royal coat of arms is very skilled and while there is some cracking and damage it is in remarkably good condition.
"We understand that 23 wedding cakes were officially made and this is most likely one from a single-tier cake sent to the staff at Clarence House.

Gaddafi charged for cleric kidnap :

Lebanon has indicted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over the disappearance of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric during a visit to Libya 30 years ago.
It is widely believed in Lebanon that Sheikh Moussa Sadr, who was revered locally, was kidnapped and killed on the orders of senior Libyan officials.
Libya has always denied involvement and says the sheikh left the country safely on a plane bound for Rome.
Col Gaddafi is accused of conspiring to kidnap and false imprisonment.
The charges carry the death penalty, but correspondents say it is highly unlikely that Col Gaddafi will ever stand trial in Lebanon.

Russia faces fresh condemnation :

Seven of the world's leading industrialised nations have jointly condemned Russia's decision to recognise Georgia's breakaway regions.
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and UK said Moscow's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia violated Georgia's integrity and sovereignty.
Earlier, the UK's foreign secretary said Western countries should re-examine their relations with Russia.
David Miliband also warned Russia not to start a new Cold War.
Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, Mr Miliband said Moscow had not reconciled itself with the new map of the region and that the West should should look at ways to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas.