Islamabad, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has said the team needs a qualified head coach to win the World Cup. Although he praised Mohsin Khan's as a coach, Ashraf said: "No doubt the team has achieved tremendous success under Mohsin. But we need a qualified coach. Our target is the World Cup for which we want to bring a qualified head coach." The PCB has reportedly interviewed Dav Whatmore for the position and he looks the most likely to get the board's nod. Former fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar, however, has demanded that Mohsin should be appointed as the permanent coach. "Mohsin has gelled the team well. I don't see any reason to remove him and the PCB should make his appointment permanent," Akhtar ...
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Dubai, It was a moment of relief for 17 Indians and five Italians aboard a hijacked oil tanker Savina Caylyn which returned safely to Fujairah port after more than 10 months in captivity. The Italian oil tanker was seized on February 8 last year after five Somali pirates aboard a skiff fired on it with rocket launchers and sub-machine guns near the Yemeni island of Socotra. The pirates released the tanker on December 21, and it docked in Fujairah on Friday night. The vessel is owned by the Naples shipping company Fratelli D'Amato, which declined to comment yesterday. "We are relieved. Our long wait is coming to an end. We are waiting for them to come home," said Praseena Nair, wife of one of the crewmen, Hari C Nair. Her husband called her in Kerala and told her of their arrival. "He looked happy and cheerful. They have returned safely," she told daily newspaper The National. "We don't know when they will be arriving here from the UAE. My husband told me that they are undergoing medical check ups and are finishing formalities to come out of the ship. We are also waiting about the details of the airport where they will be landing," she said. Somali pirates ...
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Patiala, February 5 (Doaba News Service)- The Punjab School Education Board has decided to introduce semester system for Classes X and XII, in order to reduce the pressure of studies and make it more interesting. Making the announcement, Jagtar Singh Khatra, Controller, examination of the board and ex-DPI (schools), informed that this system would be applicable from session 2010-11. Talking to Doaba Headlines, Khatra said in earlier times, the syllabus for Class X and XII was limited because of less subjects and the annual examination system solved the purpose. But with the addition of subjects like environment studies, computer science etc., the syllabus has increased manifold. Khatra said, “It is very difficult for students to prepare for all exams. Therefore, they are under constant psychological pressure. What adds to their woes are high hopes pined by their teachers and parents.” “So, in order to reduce their burden and also to make them more comfortable with the examination system, we have decided to introduce the semester system. It will be beneficial in many ways. The students, teachers and parents will be alert throughout the year. Moreover, the syllabus ...
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Patiala, January 24 (DNS)- Taking cognizance of the news report highlighted in these columns recently regarding mushrooming of illegal hoardings in Patiala, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has initiated a massive drive to remove all such illegal hoardings. According to the information available, civic officials did a survey of the entire city and all illegal advertisement boards and hoardings being spotted were removed. Speaking to Doaba Headlines, Patiala Municipal Commissioner Manjit Singh Narang said they would not allow anyone to deface the city by putting up hoardings at unapproved sites, adding that violators would be challaned as ...
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Jalandhar, January 22 (Doaba News Service)- Hold your breath for a while. The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), which is in dire fiscal straits, wants a whooping increase of about 51 per cent in the existing tariff across the board for all consumers to meet its aggregate revenue requirement (ARR) for the next fiscal year (2010-11). For the current fiscal year, the increase in the tariff, ordered by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) was in the range of 10-12 per cent for various categories of consumers to generate a revenue of Rs 759 crore to meet its ARR. The PSEB has pegged a cumulative revenue gap of Rs 6,575 crore in the petition submitted to the PSERC for the next fiscal year and has prayed to the commission to raise the tariff accordingly to realise the amount from the power consumers. The commission has sought objections from the public on the petition. How the commission would deal with such a huge increase in the tariff, it remains to be seen. Already, there is a difference of opinion in the PSEB and the commission over the consumption of power in the farm sector. The commission had last year reduced the projected consumption in the farm ...
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Chandigarh, January 15 (DNS)- Punjab’s IAS officers got together today for a presentation on software ‘Akhar’, specially designed for using Gurmukhi Punjabi script. The software has been developed by Dr GS Lehal of Department of Computer Science, Punjabi University, Patiala. Organised by the Punjab State IAS Officers’ Association, the presentation focussed on the use of ‘Akhar’ to write in the Gurumukhi script while using an English keyboard. Chief Secretary Punjab SC Agarwal and association president Sarvesh Kaushal stated that the association was committed to endeavour for capacity building in the cadre officers for an efficient and result-oriented discharge of the duties. The chief secretary expressed his appreciation of the efforts of the association towards ensuring an efficient professional delivery system and assured of cooperation of the government to pursue the association’s strive for professional ...
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