By IANS,

Abu Dhabi : The local government in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has introduced a new device to test bacterial contamination in meat samples with the aim of enhancing quality control.

The new device, which is the first of its kind across the UAE, is characterised by the fast processing of lab tests, and yielding accurate results compared to the traditional techniques used in the past, according to Khalifa Al Rumaithi, Director of Public Health, Municipality of Abu Dhabi.

By IANS,

Dubai : Authorities in the United Arab Emirates Monday foiled a bid to smuggle 3.5 kg of heroin, hidden inside cars spare parts, into the country.

The seizure by customs officials here is considered the second of its kind in less than a month where spare parts were used to smuggle narcotics.

Omar Ahmed Al Muhairi, Senior Manager of Air Cargo Operations at Dubai Customs stated that inspectors suspected a postal parcel coming from an Asian country which contained a carton with four pieces of spare parts made of steel inside.

By IANS,

Islamabad : Three people were killed and several injured in a roadside blast in Pakistan's Peshawar city Monday, police said.

The attack on the outskirts of Peshawar killed the leader of an anti-Taliban militia, Israr Khan, and two aides as he passed through a market in the village of Matni, Dawn News quoted a police official as saying.

By DPA,

Ramallah : Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat rejected Monday three conditions set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a peace agreement, calling them "unacceptable".

"There is a difference between negotiations and dictation," Erekat told a news conference in Ramallah, commenting on Netanyahu's statement that any peace deal should be based on an end to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, recognition of Israel as "the national state of the Jewish People," and "real and sustainable security arrangements on the ground".

By Awais Saleem,IANS,

Islamabad : A video footage showing a mob lynching two brothers in the presence of policemen in Pakistan has sparked off protests in the country, prompting the Supreme Court to direct a probe into the brutal act.

A committee, constituted on the instructions of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary, here Monday started the investigation in the killing of two brothers by a mob in Sialkot city of Punjab province last week.

By IANS,

Islamabad : Seven people were killed in a bomb explosion at a meeting of tribal elders in Pakistan's Kurram region near the Afghan border Monday, an official said.

"We have reports that it happened in a jirga. The death toll could be higher," the official said.

Taliban insurgents have waged a bombing campaign across the northwest region and in the Pakistani heartland, stoking concern about the stability of the US ally, Geo TV reported.

By Awais Saleem,IANS,

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been advised to auction off his wardrobe in a bid to generate funds for the flood victims.

The development comes in the wake of an article by eminent columnist Ayaz Amir suggesting that the prime minister should auction his designer suits to raise money for the people hit by floods across the country, Jang daily reported Monday.

By IANS,

Islamabad : The devastation caused by flash floods in Pakistan is likely to result in severe food shortage across the country in the next couple of months as crops spread over 10 million acres have been destroyed.

In Punjab alone, cotton, sugarcane and other crops worth more than Rs.80 billion have been destroyed because of flooding. Punjab, being the largest and most fertile province, is the largest food provider as well. In Sindh, crops have been completely washed away and the urban areas have already started feeling the pinch.

By DPA,

Islamabad : Fifteen people were killed and 16 missing after gushing floodwaters overturned a bus in central Pakistan Monday, police said.

The accident occurred near Khad Buzdar village of Taunsa city, around 400 km south-west of Islamabad.

"The rescue workers have recovered 15 bodies and rescued 28 people so far," Amjad Dogar, a senior police official in Taunsa said. "We are searching for 16 others who are still missing."

The bus was bound for the north-western city of Peshawar from the southern port city of Karachi with 59 people on board.

By IANS,

Islamabad : Authorities in Pakistan have issued a "last warning" urging people to shift to safer places as flood waters continued to rise in the northern Sindh province, threatening to worsen the disaster that has so far claimed more than 1,600 lives.

The district administration issued a "last warning" to people living in Shahdadkot to immediately leave the town, DawnNews reported Monday.