KARACHI: The mourners and the workers of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who were killed on Friday’s twin bombings in Karachi, were laid to rest on Saturday.

Moving scenes were witnessed at the Imambargah Hussainia in Malir, where the bodies of 14 martyrs of Shahra-e-Faisal blast were brought. Thousands of people were present on this occasion. While special security measures were put in place for the funeral.

Maulana Abbas Naqvi led the funeral prayers attended by Shia Ulema Council central leader Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi, renowned religious clerics and a large number of people.

WASHINGTON – Mid-Atlantic residents were buried Saturday from a likely record-setting blizzard the president jokingly called "Snowmageddon," and those brave enough tried to clear a path through the wet, heavy mounds of thigh-high snow.

BEIJING – Robert Park strode illegally into North Korea on Christmas Day, shouting "I brought God's love" and carrying a Bible. When the communist regime released him Saturday, he left silent and pale.

As the American missionary made his way home to California, loved ones wondered how 43 days of detention in the world's most secretive nation had taken their toll on the young man who so brashly demanded religious and political reforms.

Bollywood actress Amrita Arora gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Friday morning.

It’s celebration time for Amrita and hubby Shakeel Ladakh.

First to congratulate them on the twitterverse was Ritesh Deshmukh “Congratulations AMU(amrita arora) n Shakeel.Its a beautiful baby BOY.”

Priyanka Chopra, tweeted “Congratulations to Amu (Amrita Arora) who delivered a healthy and beautiful Baby Boy.may he be blessed always!”

Our congratulations to Amrita and Shakeel.

LAHORE: Pakistan's selection panel Saturday announced an 18-man hockey squad to compete in the World Cup, which will be held from February 28 to March 13 in New Delhi, India.

Full-back Zeeshan Ashraf will lead the team while centre-half Mohammad Imran will be his deputy in the tournament.

The four-time world and three-time Olympic champions have not won a major title since their World Cup win in Australia in 1994. They finished eighth -- their worst ever result -- at the Beijing Olympics.

PESHAWAR: Former president Pervez Musharraf will return to Pakistan very soon, Major General (retd.) Rashid Qureshi said Saturday.

Speaking at a seminar here, Qureshi said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) have both failed to prove any corruption against the former president.

The corrupt people cannot carry out accountability of anyone, he remarked.

Qureshi asserted that Pervez Musharraf would definitely return to country on public insistence. He said that drone strikes were not carried out during Musharraf tenure.

GUJRAT: Six people were killed and 10 other wounded when two armed groups exchanged fire in Gujrat on Saturday.

According to police, the gunbattle took place in Sarya area of Gujrat city.

The real reason behind the firing incident was still unknown. However, police said the act was motivated by a personal enmity.

WASHINGTON: Just a week after enraging China with an arms sale package for rival Taiwan, President Barack Obama risks more damage to this crucial relationship by agreeing to meet the Dalai Lama in two weeks.

The truth is he has little choice. Obama already postponed the visit once, angering US lawmakers and rights groups. As Obama struggles to regain his footing after political setbacks, the last thing he needs is to open himself up to fresh criticism that he is kowtowing to China.

LOS ANGELES – The circus that swirled around Michael Jackson when he was alive rolled on Friday as the doctor expecting to be accused of involuntary manslaughter in his death planned to stage a surrender at a courthouse but called it off after prosecutors announced charges will be filed next week.

Instead of the promised appearance by Dr. Conrad Murray and his lawyers, a crowd of reporters and photographers gathered outside a branch courthouse only got a drenching from a rainstorm.

DONETSK/LVIV, Ukraine: Two days before a presidential run-off vote, Ukraine’s east-west divide remains a gulf as wide as the personal antagonism between frontrunner Viktor Yanukovich and his arch foe Yulia Tymoshenko.

As the beefy, slow-speaking Yanukovich contrasts with the elegant and sharp-tongued Tymoshenko, so does the pro-Russian industrial city of Donetsk in the east differ from Lviv, a once-Polish town in Ukraine’s nationalist west.

PORT BLAIR: India kicked off Friday a 13-nation naval exercise off its Andaman archipelago it said was aimed at improving disaster management and not an attempt to form a security bloc.

The exercises are the biggest naval event off the India-administered island cluster since 2007 when a smaller exercise involving Australia, India, Japan, Singapore and the United States, riled giant neighbour China.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani skier Mohammad Abbas will take part in the winter Olympics to be held from February 12 in Canada.

A ceremony was arranged at the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad in honour of Mohammad Abbas.

Canadian high commissioner Randolph Mank, office-bearers of Ski Federation, skier Abbas, politicians and diplomats attended the ceremony in large number.

The Canadian high commissioner termed the Winter Olympics an honour for Canada.

SINGAPORE: World oil prices fell in the wake of weaker-than-expected US jobs data and at the end of a volatile week for global financial markets.

New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, lost 34 cents to 72.80 dollars a barrel. London's Brent North Sea crude for March dropped 69 cents to 71.44 dollars per barrel.