It was the first major attack in Pakistan since devastating floods engulfed a fifth of the country over the past month in the country’s worst-ever disaster.

The string of blasts ripped through the crowd at the moment of the breaking of fast in the ongoing holy month of Ramazan, and led to an outpouring of fury as mourners tried to torch a nearby police station.

Police fired tear gas shells to force back the surging crowd.

“The mourning process had just ended when I heard three deafening explosions after brief intervals,” Shahid Hussain, a mourner, said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

People cried and beat their heads and chests at the site of the attacks, chanting slogans against the police and provincial government over their failure to protect the mourners, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.

Injured people lay on the ground crying for help amid the remnants of the crowd, while ambulances drove in and out taking away the scores of wounded.

“Twenty-five people were killed and over 180 others wounded in the three suicide attacks,” a senior local administration official, Sajjad Bhutta.

“We have collected bodies of all the three bombers,” he said, adding they were still collecting evidence from the site.

He admitted there may have been a lapse in security.

A local rescue official, Fahim Jehanzeb, also confirmed the death toll.

Top local administration official Khusro Pervez told reporters in Lahore: “The first blast took place immediately after the mourning procession ended, followed by the other two.”

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attacks and described them as “cowardly acts of terrorism”.

“Those elements playing with the lives of innocent people would not escape the law of the land,” an official statement quoted him as saying in Islamabad.

Mumbai’s famous army of lunchbox delivery men, whose fans include business leaders and royalty, are being given the chance to upgrade their skills for the first time in their 120-year history.

Courses in English and computer skills are to be offered to the 5,000 or so “dabbawallahs” who criss-cross the city every day delivering home-cooked meals to hungry office workers, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The vice-chancellor of Yashwantrao Chavan Open University, R. Krishnakumar, was quoted as saying Tuesday that the courses, which will run near the dabbawallahs’ central Mumbai base, will allow them to “improve their lot”.

Most of the delivery men, who are often barefoot and cut distinctive figures on Mumbai’s streets in their white cotton uniforms and Nehru caps, are school dropouts who speak only the local language Marathi or Hindi.

A lack of formal education, English or computer skills has not hindered their ability to deliver a near flawless service to at least 200,000 people every day, winning them plaudits around the world.

Forbes magazine once awarded them a “six sigma” rating, meaning that they have an error rate as low as one per one million deliveries, putting them alongside some of the top businesses in the world.

The tiffin (lunch) deliverers have attributed their success to effective time management and responding to customer feedback.

Fans of the dabbawallahs, who use trains, handcarts and bicycles to deliver the steel tiffin boxes using a complex colour-coded system and 10-digit alpha-numeric code, include the Virgin Group tycoon Richard Branson.

Britain’s Prince Charles, who met the delivery men on a visit to India, also invited two dabbawallahs to his wedding to his second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 after they sent the couple a wedding present.

New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for October delivery, slid six cents to 73.85 dollars a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October fell 24 cents to 76.11 dollars.

Ong Yi Ling, investment analyst at Singapore-based Phillip Capital, said the slight easing in prices was not indicative of market sentiment right now.

“Six cents is a bit marginal,” she said.

“I think sentiment is a bit positive right now,” Ong said, adding that encouraging US manufacturing data released Wednesday as well as strong openings from key Asian equities markets acted as the impetus for oil’s strong run.

The US manufacturing sector expanded for the 13th straight month in August, beating most analysts’ expectations.

The Institute of Supply Management said its manufacturing index rose to 56.3 points from 55.5 percent in July, trumping forecasts for a fall to 52.9 percent.

A reading above 50 percent indicates an expanding manufacturing sector.

Japanese, Hong Kong and South Korean equities markets were also up, lifted by a buoyant finish on Wall Street Wednesday following the release of the manufacturing data.

Ong said crude markets were now turning to the weekly US jobless claims report due out later Thursday for further leads.

On Thursday, Pakistan officials confirmed the trio would play no further part in the team’s tour of England. Team manager Yawar Saeed told reporters in Taunton, where Pakistan were to play Somerset in a one-day game, that the players would miss two upcoming T20 games and five one-day internationals against England. “The T20 squad will remain what it is here this morning, ie 13 people,” Saeed said. “When we play the one-day internationals we will be asking for replacements to make the squad up to 16.” Saaed added he could not comment about the three players’ state of mind, saying: “I cannot answer anything on their behalf because investigations are being made by Scotland Yard and the ICC (International Cricket Council) and others. “The game must go on, cricket will be played at its best.” The developments came as the players arrived at the Pakistan High Commission offices in London to face a scrum of media. Butt, Asif and Aamer were quizzed by police during the Lord’s Test and had their mobile phones confiscated as detectives tried to unravel claims the Pakistanis bowled no-balls to order as part of a betting scam.

London-based businessman Mazhar Majeed was arrested but released without charge on police bail following questioning. Meanwhile Australian Test legend Shane Warne added his voice to the chorus of condemnation, saying authorities should choose the ultimate punishment if the three Pakistan players were found guilty. “If it is true and they have been found (guilty of) match-fixing and throwing games and spot-betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that’s the case they should be thrown out,” Warne told reporters. “It’s as simple as that. I don’t think there should be any other way to do it. If it’s fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who’s involved should be thrown out.” Former England cricket coach Duncan Fletcher also adopted a hard line, writing in The Guardian newspaper that life bans were the only way to send a clear message to players who compromised the integrity of the sport. “Treating cricket with disrespect is not a frivolous matter,” Fletcher wrote. “There must be no distinction between a player found guilty of rigging an entire match and a player found guilty of deliberately bowling a no ball. “We must be ruthless and put the fear of God into people. Even the smallest transgression must mean that a career is over.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) is investigating and has promised “prompt and decisive action” if the allegations are proven. ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said he hoped there would be “some sort of conclusion” to the probe within the next few days.

The session was presided by Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza.

It was said in the session that the privilege and adjournment motions moved by both MQM and PML-N were not maintainable as Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain are not parliamentarians.

The PML-N had submitted a privilege motion on the contentious remarks made by the MQM chief in which it termed Mr. Hussain’s statements “against the democratic norms and democratic institutions.”

Stung by the privilege motion submitted by PML-N, MQM submitted three similar motions referring to PML-N’s alleged contacts with the army and its governance in Punjab.

A government adviser was of the view that both parties had moved these motions only to get an chance to malign each other on the floor of the House.

In the movie, the character of Ubala Reddy is played by the actor Abhimanyu Singh.A source was quoted stating that the family of Ubala and some of his supporters have given death threats to Ram Gopal Varma for portraying Ubala’s character in a negative manner.

The filmmaker verified the news of threats by the Ubala family. He also mentioned that he is receiving threatening messages and calls.RGV included that even though the family members of Ubala are against him, there are evidences of many of his criminal cases against him before he was assassinated in 1999.

The HEC said in a statement, “The Presidency is not pressurising the Higher Education Commission with regards to the verification of degrees of parliamentarians.”

The prime minister had directed the HEC to follow rules and procedures while dealing with the issue of verification. The verification process is being handled smoothly and all the relevant universities are fully cooperating with the HEC, read the statement.

Test Captain Salman Butt plus bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif look set to miss match with county side Somerset in Taunton on Thursday, a warm-up match before their limited overs internationals against England.

They were due to face questions from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s high commissioner (ambassador) to Britain, in London Wednesday but the meeting has now been put back 24 hours.

It appears increasingly likely that they will play no further part in the tour amid mounting calls for the trio to be barred from appearing while the probe into the allegations is ongoing.

Following the Somerset warm-up, Pakistan play two Twenty20 matches against England in Cardiff on Sunday and Tuesday, then five one-day internationals.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has promised “prompt and decisive action” if the “spot-fixing” allegations linked to betting rings made by Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper are proven.

Its chief executive Haroon Lorgat hopes there will be “some sort of conclusion” to the probe within the next few days.

England’s players meanwhile are reportedly reluctant to line up against a Pakistan team containing the tainted trio, according to Professional Cricketers’ Association chief executive Angus Porter.

“The England players understand it is important the games go ahead and they will be professional but they would or will find it really difficult to play against the guys directly implicated,” Porter said.

“Our strong feeling is a way needs to be found to ensure that they are either suspended or, if that is not possible, some other solution is found so that they do not play,” he was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

Customs officials in Britain meanwhile said they had arrested and bailed two men and a woman “as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering”. A source confirmed the arrests were linked to the cricket scandal.

However, actual damages could be calculated once the flood water recedes in the affected areas, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Nazar Muhammad Gondal said.

“The floods have caused damage of Rs.249 billion to the agriculture, however the actual damages could be calculated after flood water recedes in affected areas,” the minister told media persons here.

He said that the government has devised short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies to rehabilitate flood-affected people, adding that the federal and provincial governments would be providing Rs.20,000 to each affected families to meet their immediate needs.

Gondal said that the government would make all out efforts and utilize all possible resources to rehabilitate the affected people adding that it was also was determined to provide relief to masses amid the fears of price hike of commodities owing to floods.

He said that the government has deferred the decision of exporting the wheat adding that the decision to this effect would now be taken after assessing the flood damages and wheat crop prospects.

He said that huge stock of wheat was available in the country so there is not chance of food shortage.

He said that the government in consultation with the stakeholders has devised a comprehensive programme to cultivate canola, sunflower and other oil crops on 0.1 million acres of land in flood hit areas to help farmers stand on their own feet.

He added that next was the season of cultivating canola, sunflower and other oil crops and government would facilitate farmers by providing seeds, fertilizers and other necessary requirements for the cultivation.

The government also announced canola production policy, providing incentives to farmers, enhancing support prices to Rs.1800 to boost production, reduce imports and help flood-affected people stand on their own feet.

The country has been spending US$ 2 billion annually on the import of edible oil which could be saved by enhancing oil production in the country, Gondal said.

There is general happiness from the commuters, for, the misery of crowded locals and the uncertainties of the three-wheeler or the yellow-black cab shall ideally be greatly reduced. ”“But here is the killer – it’s going to roll over Prateeksha!! So bye bye privateness and hello fellow traveller,” Bachchan rued in the blog. Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, in an oblique reference to Bachchan’s comments that the Mumbai Metro railway would invade his privacy, said it was unlucky that people were angry by infrastructure tasks that would make life easier for the folks of the city.“Mumbai traffic is growing, travel conditions are worsening by the day… people spend four-five hours in commuting daily.

We have to think of them,” Patil told reporters in his office. Patil wondered how the government could attempt solving Mumbai’s serious traffic difficulties if it got objections to every such scheme.A few years back, Lata Mangeshkar had opposed a flyover going past her home on Pedder Road in south Mumbai.