PARIS - France has withdrawn its first batch of soldiers from Mali, the army said Tuesday, as it begins to pull out troops sent to battle Islamist fighters in the west African nation. Paris - which sent 4,000 troops to Mali in January to block a feared advance on the capital Bamako from the north ...

A CHINESE woman has succeeded in pulling two jeeps weighing 4.5 tonnes in total with just her hair.  Xu Huijun - who is 43 years old, 5' 2" and weighs less than eight stone - managed the feat of strength at an event in the country's Liaoning Province.  The performer started training after ...

JAIPUR, India - British novelist Salman Rushdie pulled out of India’s largest literary festival Friday, saying he feared assassination after his participation was opposed by senior Muslim clerics. “I have now been informed by intelligence sources... that paid assassins from the Mumbai ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Katy Perry on Monday pulled out of this week’s People’s Choice Awards show and what would have been her first major public appearance since her split with husband Russell Brand. Perry, 27, one of the leading nominees in the first big Hollywood awards ...

BRISBANE  - US Open champion Samantha Stosur insists she is still on track for a successful Australian Open despite being stunned in the second round of the Brisbane International on Wednesday.Iveta Benesova ensured Stosur's miserable run at her home tournament went on when the unseeded Czech ...

KABUL (AFP) - The United States has withdrawn its advisers from the Afghan government's media centre following a news conference in which NATO air strikes and night raids were heavily criticised. The US embassy confirmed the withdrawal but said the move had been under consideration for some time ...

Our Staff Reporter MULTAN - In order to recover default amount worth over Rs503 million from state-run departments, the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) has launched a special drive to cut off their power connections as the electricity of Multan Railway Station was disconnected here the other ...

MANNHEIM (Germany) (AFP) - Ukrainian boxer Vladimir Klitschko has pulled out of his heavyweight world title defence against British challenger Dereck Chisora citing an injury. Klitschko, 39, holder of three world heavyweight crowns, announced on his website Thursday that he had injured a stomach ...

KARACHI Local tennis player Syed Zuhair Raza pulled out of the Sindh Ranking Tennis on Monday due to hand injury which helped his opponent move into the main round of mens singles event here the other day. Results of other matches. Abdullah Khan beat Muhammad Khan 9-3, Fahim Ramzan beat Arshad ...

AUCKLAND (AFP) Former world number three David Nalbandian pulled out of the Heineken Open Monday, throwing his Australian Open plans into serious doubt. On the comeback trail after hip surgery in May, the Argentinian suffered an abdominal strain while warming up and will miss what would have been ...

LAHORE Pakistans sensational junior Davis Cup player Samir Iftikhar staged major upsets in the ITF Junior World Ranking Tennis in Dubai. Samir raised the Pakistan flag high by eliminating Indias Yash Deshanbe at the Grade-IV Dubai Open being held at Aviation Club Dubai from October 19 to 24 and ...

THE Delhi High Court has pulled up the government for detaining many foreigners, particularly Pakistanis, without proper detention order, and wanted to know why these people have not been deported to their countries, reported Times of India on Sunday. Counsel Arvind Nigam told a bench of Chief ...

KATIE PRICE has cancelled her appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. The former glamour model was due to be interviewed by Ross on this weeks show to discuss her recent split with Peter Andre. Price, who was dumped by Andre earlier this month, has expressed her desire to reunite with her ...

LAHORE - Delhi Daredevils Monday released controversial Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif from the team with immediate effect. Asif, amid various speculations, had meetings over the past two days with the owners. The fast bowler, who was worth $ 650,000 for the Daredevils, requested the franchise ...

LAHORE - In connection with LDA's ongoing campaign for demolishing encroachment, as many as 42 structures in and around the Main Market, Gulberg were pulled down here on Friday. These structures had been illegally erected beyond the legitimate boundaries of the buildings. During the jointly ...

PERTH (AFP) - US Open winner Serena Williams has withdrawn from next month's Hopman Cup mixed teams event with a hamstring injury, organisers said here Monday. The world number two injured her hamstring in the year-ending WTA Championships and has not been able to recover in time to prepare for the ...

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Open Squash Championship women's event got another setback, as Eliza Kargioti from Greece withdrew from the competition at the eleventh hour. According to an official of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), a day before the start of the main round of women's event, she ...

TRELAWNY (Jamaica) (AFP) - Stuart MacGill gave evidence that he could pose a serious challenge to West Indies, when he helped Australia to take control of their three-day tour match against Jamaica. MacGill was the most successful Australia bowler with four wickets for 79 runs from 21 overs, but ...