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Did you ever hear that Valentines day is an overvalued, more commercialized, totally phony day!? Well, in a mode it’s. On the contrary, in actual fact what isn’t above commercialized these days? And the reality is, does it truly carry some weight? Valentine’s Day is an opening for you to remember folks whom you love. Who doesn’t have down pat to be little plus obtaining a touch “I wish wish wiiiiisssssh you my Valentine charm.” Or what you think regarding cinnamon hearts, otherwise sweetie Sweethearts, with the entire lovey dovey maxims. It roughly didn’t count who gave them. It only sensed good to make out that somebody concerned as much as necessary. Fish single day out of the year and inform folks for their exceptionality whom you observe. For what? For the reason that they are an element of your verve. Valentine day isn’t only for twosomes in its place make merry your pals and family unit by means of little aide memoires, post messages, cards, gifts, handmade trinkets that make ot...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 KARACHI: Holding out flowers on Valentine’s day is the most beautiful way to make your love speak volumes to your beloved one; accordingly, the love birds are planning to gift red rose to their beloved; but, they are suggested to up their budget on this day. This is for the reason that flowers price has burgeoned from normal to exorbitant. The city is looks beautiful from place to place bestrewed with flowers especially red roses. This day with abundant presence of flowers signals the arrival of spring and the flower sellers acknowledge that they earn a lot of profit on the day, when love birds actually go out to get a fresh piece of expression of love on the Valentine´s Day Sunday. Those wishing to gift a whole bouquet instead of a single piece should be ready to spend higher price depending on the number of flowers they wish to mark the day of love. "The huge demand of red roses for the day is the major reason behind the surge in their prices,...

DAMASCUS: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Sunday he agreed with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on practical steps to open up "new horizons" in ties between the two Arab neighbors. Hariri was speaking at the end of a two-day visit to Syria that marked the end to nearly five years of animosity between Damascus and the broad political alliance led by Hariri. "We want to open new horizons between the two countries," Hariri told a news conference at the Lebanese embassy in Damascus. He said his three rounds of "excellent" talks with the Syrian leader were frank and based on clarity. "There will be serious steps from our side and on the part of President Bashar al-Assad to translate this cordial and serious relationship into steps on the ground in several fields," Hariri said, without giving details. A senior Syrian official, Buthaina Shaaban, had described the talks as constructive, cordial and transparent. Assad had extende...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 KABUL: The NATO force in Afghanistan Sunday said 12 Afghan civilians were killed when a rocket missed its intended target during a major offensive against the Taliban. "Two rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launched at insurgents firing upon Afghan and ISAF forces impacted approximately 300 metres off their intended target, killing 12 civilians in Nad Ali district, Helmand province today," NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement. "ISAF commander General Stanley McChrystal conveyed his apologies to President Hamid Karzai for this unfortunate incident," it said.

Sunday, February 14, 2010 DOHA: US State Secretary Hillary Clinton said Sunday that Washington was "disappointed" with the lack of a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process, but stressed solutions cannot be forced. "I know people are disappointed that we have not yet achieved a breakthrough. The President, (Middle East peace envoy) Senator (George) Mitchell, and I are also disappointed," she told the US-Islamic World forum in Doha. "But we need to remember that neither the United States nor any country can force a solution. The parties must resolve their differences through negotiations," she added. Clinton said "the goal of a comprehensive peace is fully in the interests of the United States. We are committed to our role in ensuring that negotiations begin and succeed." "This is hard work. But our resolve is strong and we are determined to settle this conflict once and for all," she added. Clinton flew in to Qatar on S...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 NEW DELHI: Dismissing "intelligence failure" in the Pune blast, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday said the terrorists have hit a "soft target" like the German bakery which is frequented by foreigners and Indians alike. He maintained that the "hard targets" like the Osho Ashram and the Jewish Chabad House located near the bakery had been surveyed by U.S. Lashker-e-Taiba suspect David Headley during his visit to India and the area was "in the radar" of security agencies for some time. "But apart from hard targets, there are soft targets... All these (the German bakery where the blast took place yesterday and an Italian restaurant nearby) are soft targets where foreigners and Indians congregate especially during the peak hours," he told reporters here after visiting local hospitals to meet the injured in the terror attack. The Home Minister said the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has taken ove...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 KABUL: The allied forces have claimed gaining control of a number of areas of Taliban stronghold Marjah as the major offensive against Afghan Taliban enters second day. In a day of intense but sporadic fighting Saturday, American, Afghan and British troops seized crucial positions across Marjah. As the troops began to fan out on house-to-house searches, fighting with Taliban insurgents grew in frequency across a wide area. The pattern suggested that the hardest fighting lies in the days to come. One American and one British Marine were reported killed by small-arms fire, but none in the Afghan army, whose soldiers make up the majority of those in the fight. Three U.S. soldiers were killed and seven wounded when they were attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle during a foot patrol in neighboring Kandahar province. A second British soldier was killed by a homemade bomb in southern Afghanistan in a blast unrelated to the Marjah operation. NATO o...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 BANGKOK: Thai police said they had defused a bomb near the Supreme Court on Sunday, while a grenade exploded near government offices, ahead of a ruling this month on ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's fortune. Neither incident in central Bangkok caused casualties. But they occurred despite the deployment of at least 20,000 extra security personnel around Thailand ahead of the February 26 court verdict on ex-premier Thaksin, who lives in exile. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has faced mass protests from Thaksin supporters since coming to power in December 2008, accused anti-government elements of trying to stir up trouble. "The motive is to cause turmoil. I am not swayed by this psychological warfare," Abhisit told reporters. "The government is keeping an eye on movements because we have heard that a certain group of people would like to see the failure of the administration. We have always expected that." Police said...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 MARJAH: Mines and militant sniper fire slowed progress in a massive US-led assault on a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, commanders said on Sunday after hailing early successes. US Marines led the charge on Marjah, a town of 80,000 in the central Helmand River valley controlled for years by militants and drug traffickers, in the first major test of President Barack Obama's new surge policy. Some 15,000 US, British and Afghan soldiers stormed the Islamist stronghold in NATO's biggest operation since overthrowing the Taliban regime in 2001. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed the combined forces had suffered two deaths -- one British and one American -- in the assault. Brigadier General Larry Nicholson, commander of the Marines in southern Afghanistan, described day one of Operation Mushtarak -- "together" in Dari -- as "good" and said "a couple of thousand Marines" were a...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 BEIRUT: Thousands of flag waving Lebanese gathered in Beirut's main square Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. As in previous years, tens of thousands of people from across the country are expected to take part despite a serious rift within the ranks of the pro-Western ruling coalition, now headed by the slain Hariri's son, the current prime minister. It also comes after Prime Minister Saad Hariri reconciled with Damascus, whom he has openly accused of killing his father in the 2005 Valentine's Day truck bombing. The 40-year-old Hariri now heads a unity government which includes the Syrian-backed former opposition. Rafik Hariri had close ties with Western leaders and was credited with helping rebuild Lebanon's capital after the 1975-1990 civil war. In the last few months before his assassination, he had tried to limit Syria's influence over Lebanon, and many accused Syria of inv...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 SYDNEY: Six Chinese couples from Beijing and Shangai climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Sunday morning to welcome the Year of the Tiger and to celebrate Valentine's Day. They had expected to see the sunrise but humid and foggy conditions foiled their hopes and they were only able to wave at passing boats and enjoy the cool morning breeze. But the couples were still happy with the experience. "It's very interesting and it's a very meaningful occasion for us because this is the first time we are spending Valentines Day overseas," said one of the participants in the climb, Louisa. All the couples were on holiday in Australia and most of their families were still back in China for the lunar new year celebrations. "I wish my family all the best in the coming lunar new year and good health and prosperity," said Beijing resident, Zhang HongJun, standing with his wife Wang Ziwing. The lunar new year is celebrated by many ...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 MOSCOW: Russia is waiting for Bulgaria to explain its intention to join a new US missile defence system in Europe which came as an unwelcome surprise to Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday. "We are waiting for explanations, we were promised those," Lavrov was quoted by a local news agency as telling reporters in Managua. "We have already questioned our US partners in Washington through our ambassador as to the meaning of this, and why we have this Bulgarian surprise after the Romanian surprise," Lavrov said. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said Friday he favoured taking part in a new US missile defence system in Europe and a US ambassador indicated that talks have already started. Neighbouring Romania has angered Russia by announcing it wants to host medium-range ballistic missile interceptors as part of a US missile defence system expected to be operational by 2015. The US ambassador to Bulgaria Ja...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 YANGON: Aung San Suu Kyi's deputy urged Myanmar's ruling junta Sunday to engage in dialogue with the opposition before elections this year, as he took his first steps outside as a free man for seven years. Tin Oo, 83, the vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, made the appeal as he offered prayers at Yangon's famed Shwe Dagon pagoda following his release from house arrest late Saturday, "Because I am a Buddhist I came here to wish for peace for all Myanmar people," he said as he toured the imposing religious monument, accompanied by his wife and around a dozen NLD officials. "My feeling now is that I wish to find a way through successful dialogue that the whole country can live unitedly and peacefully." The veteran activist said however that his own release means nothing if Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, 64, and around 2,100 other political prisoners are still detained when the elections take pl...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 KIEV: Yulia Tymoshenko, the loser of Sunday's Ukrainian election, "will never" accept the legitimacy of winner Viktor Yanukovich as the country's president, a Ukrainian newspaper quoting her as saying today. "I will never recognise the legitimacy of Yanukovich's victory with such elections," a newspaper cited Tymoshenko, who is currently Ukraine's prime minister, as telling a meeting of her party yesterday evening. Tymoshenko had instructed her lawyers to prepare to contest the electoral results in court, the newspaper's website reported. She also suggested holding a third round of voting, the newspaper added. Her officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the report. Tymoshenko postponed a news conference she had been scheduled to hold yesterday until today. It reported that some members of Tymoshenko's party disagreed with her, calling instead for her to acknowledge defeat, step down as pri...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 CAPE CANAVERAL: Two astronauts are spacewalking again outside the International Space Station. Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick floated out Saturday night on their second spacewalk in three days. This time, they will hook up the plumbing for the space station's new room, Tranquility. When ammonia coolant is flowing through the hoses, Tranquility will be brought alive with power. Its systems cannot be turned on unless there is a way to get rid of the equipment-generated heat. Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew, meanwhile, will get to spend an extra day at the orbiting outpost. Mission managers on Saturday added a 14th day to the mission. That will give the astronauts time to move water-recycling machines into Tranquility.

Sunday, February 14, 2010 WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has received multiple updates through the White House Situation Room on the US-led offensive in the Afghan town of Marjah and was to speak to his National Security Advisor General Jim Jones about it later Saturday, a White House spokesman said. General Jones recently completed a five-day trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan. While in Afghanistan, Jones met with senior Afghan, US and international security force leadership and traveled to Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Panjshir, said spokesman Tommy Vietor. Additionally, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked that General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US troops in Afghanistan, update the president on the operation, Vietor said. The briefing was to take place Sunday morning. NATO commanders say the start of a major US-led offensive against a key Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan had been a success as the operation entered its second day Sunday. US Ma...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 VANCOUVER: "The whole world is watching", this was the battle cry of the 200 anti-Olympic protesters who marched through downtown Vancouver on the first day of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on Saturday. What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into violence when masked protesters dressed in black damaged private property, spray-painting cars, breaking windows and throwing mailboxes onto the streets. Riot police in bright yellow vests, some carrying tear gas canisters and what looked like machine guns, formed a barrier near Stanley Park. City traffic came to a standstill as police vehicles descended on the area, and an army helicopter flew overhead at one stage. Media were told that both the IOC and the games organizers VANOC support non-violent protest. "Where we draw the line and where I suspect Canadians draw the line is when people get violent," Mark Adams of the IOC told this morning's daily briefing.

Sunday, February 14, 2010 BEIJING: Hundreds of people gathered at Constitution Park in Camarillo on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Ventura County Chinese American Association sponsored the event, which opened with several Chinese dance performances, including the Lion Dance, the most notable of the celebration. “For us, it’s passing down the heritage to the next generation,” said association President Lloyd Ho, 66, of Thousand Oaks. “When my kids were little, I put them in Chinese school and they hated it,” said Ho. “But then when they got in college, they took Mandarin and Chinese history and they asked me why I didn’t force them to go.” The event als featured booths where visitors could learn paper cutting and traditional Chinese arts like origami and painting. The Chinese Acrobats, based in Los Angeles, also performed. “A lot of this is my own self-satisfaction,” said Irene Sy, a longtime member of the Chinese American Association and the group...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 RIO DE JANEIRO: A 37-year-old Dutch tourist was in hospital in Rio de Janeiro after being shot twice by a mugger who attacked him and his wife after the city's fabled Carnival festivities got under way, police told media. "This is the worst crime we have had against a foreign tourist this year and we are worried about it," the head of the special tourist police unit handling the assault, Gilbert Stivanello, said Saturday. The Dutchman, identified as Alexander Kors Johannes Vervoort, was shot in the stomach and arm during the assault late Friday. He remained in intensive care, though was conscious. The crime occurred as Vervoort and his wife, Ella Vervoort Ferwerda, were walking alone to the summit of a hill where Rio's landmark giant Christ the Redeemer statue is located. The popular tourist spot attracts 1.8 million visitors a year. The wife, also 37, was beaten about the head with a pistol but was not badly hurt. The single mugg...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 PUNE: In a suspected terror attack, a high-intensity bomb ripped apart the popular German Bakery here, a hangout frequented by youngsters and foreigners, leaving at least eight persons, including a few foreign nationals, dead and more than 40 persons injured, several critically, on Saturday evening. The Saturday blast was stated to be the first major strike after the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai. City police squads that swung into action immediately recovered a live bomb from a suspicious bag from an auto-rickshaw from the vicinity of the blast site, it was stated. The blast took place around 7 pm, the city police said. The popular hangout in city’s plush Koregaon park area is located in the close vicinity of the Jewish prayer house here and the Osho Ashram. Incidentally, American terror suspect David Headley had in 2008-2009 twice visited the Osho Ashram and was later found to have stayed in a hotel in the vicinity of the German Bakery. Union Home Secr...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 RIO DE JANEIRO: A 37-year-old Dutch tourist was in hospital in Rio de Janeiro Saturday after being shot twice by a mugger who attacked him and his wife during Carnival festivities, police told media. "This is the worst crime we have had against a foreign tourist this year and we are worried about it," the head of the special tourist police unit handling the assault, Gilbert Stivanello, said. The Dutchman, identified as Alexander Kors Johannes Vervoort, was shot in the stomach and arm during the assault late Friday. He remained in intensive care, though was conscious. The crime occurred as Vervoort and his wife, Ella Vervoort Ferwerda, were walking alone to the summit of a hill where Rio's landmark giant Christ the Redeemer statue is located. The popular tourist spot attracts 1.8 million visitors a year. The wife, also 37, was beaten about the head with a pistol but was not badly hurt. The single mugger, described as a very young and s...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 PORT HARCOURT: At least 20 people were killed Saturday after a cable fell on a bus and electrocuted the passengers inside, a police spokeswoman said. Spokeswoman Rita Abbey said the death toll could rise further. A news cameraman saw more than 10 bodies at a local hospital. The electrical cable fell during heavy rains in the provincial capital of Port Harcourt. The dead were mostly passengers but also included passers-by who were near the bus when the cable fell.

Sunday, February 14, 2010 SAN SALVADOR: El Salvador police are probing whether a man representing 10 Americans charged with kidnapping in Haiti is the same person sought in the Central American nation for human trafficking, a statement said Saturday. El Salvador police said they were working to determine if Jorge Torres Orellana could be Jorge Anibal Torres Puello, who has been presented as a Dominican lawyer for the Americans. They reopened the case after photos of Puello emerged in international media, the statement said, and police are now comparing them with pictures in their records. The story first emerged in The New York Times. El Salvador police have posted the photos on their website. "For the moment, we cannot confirm that it is the same person until we finish analyzing fingerprints," the statement said. The statement added that they were working with Interpol on the case. On Saturday, the international police organization issued a wanted persons alert for ...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 VANCOUVER: Lee Jung-su won the men's 1,500m short-track speed skating gold at the Winter Olympics on Saturday, but powerhouse South Korea's hopes of a podium sweep were shattered on a last-bend collapse. American Apolo Anton Ohno finished second to become the most decorated Olympic short-track skater with six medals from three Games. Lee clocked 2min 17.611sec with Ohno 0.365sec behind while another American J.R. Celski finished third in 2:18.053 in the first event of the eight-race short-track competition. South Korea were just metres from a sweep, but Sung Si-Bak and Lee Ho-Suk collided and both men crashed into the boards around the final turn. "I don't feel good about it because I wanted them to get medals, too," said Lee Jung-Su, who has emerged as South Korea's number-one after finishing top in the 1,000m and 1,500m World Cup series this season ahead of his Olympic debut. "I usually don't start from the front...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 RICHMOND: Dutch world champion Sven Kramer who had earlier stormed to gold in the 5,000 metres brought some much-needed joyous scenes to the Vancouver Olympic Games on Saturday celebrating his first first Olympic gold with Dutch fans and banishing the painful memories of the Turin Games four years ago when he failed to triumph as many expected. Kramer, the three-times reigning world all-round champion and world record holder, had earlier added the only major honour missing from his resume by upgrading his 2006 Turin silver after powering to an amazing 2.35-second winning margin for his first Olympic title. The 23-year-old had been cheered on by orange-clad fans from the Netherlands who ringed the track, clocked six minutes 14.60 seconds to surpass the mark of 6:14.66 set by his compatriot Jochem Uytdehaage at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. After the win Kramer joined his fans at the Holland House close to the Richmond Olympic Oval to continue the ...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 SAN JOSE: Andy Roddick was outplayed for most of the night by Sam Querrey. But when the match got to the tiebreakers, Roddick took charge. The top-seeded Roddick beat the seventh-seeded Querrey, 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), on Saturday night in a protracted semifinal at the SAP Open that featured a combined 53 aces. Roddick reached the final of the event, which will be held on Sunday, for the fourth time. He will face Spain's Fernando Verdasco, who reached his first final since October by beating Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 earlier in the day. "I'm not going to say I wasn't fortunate or lucky," Roddick said. "Sam pretty much outplayed me the entire match. When I'm not hitting the ball as well, I use my serve to get me some points. I figured if I get to the tiebreak in the second set it could turn real quick." Querrey, a San Francisco native, never faced a break point and had 32 aces. "I played well t...

Sunday, February 14, 2010 VANCOUVER: American Hannah Kearney avenged a poor race in the 2006 Olympics by winning gold in the women's freestyle moguls on Saturday, snatching the title from the hometown favorite Canadian Jennifer Heil. Displaying nerves of steel as the fiercely partisan hometown crowd went wild at the thought of Heil winning Canada's first Olympic gold on home soil, Kearney stuck to her own gameplan and improved upon her qualifying-round performance. Racing just after Heil and last in the women's finals, the American zoomed down the bump-filled course and landed her two aerial tricks -- a back flip and a 360-degree twist -- cleanly before finishing in the fastest time of the day. Upon crossing the line, Kearney punched the air, screamed and jumped around in a hug with compatriot Shannon Bahrke, who took the bronze. Kearney, with a winning score of 26.63, had vowed not to repeat the mistakes made in Turin, where she was heavily favored but did not mak...