DOHA: Qatar Minister of Economy and Finance H E Yousuf Hussein Kamal has inaugurated the First International Edition of the Qatar Motor Show at the Doha Exhibitions Center.

The opening events have shown that the Qatar Motor Show will be more than just a car show, as thousands, 6,000 according to the organisers, of car-lovers and automotive enthusiasts came to mark the opening of this first-of-its-kind event in the region.

Many senior executives and management from the auto manufacturers’ headquarters attended the opening day’s events, and were proud to introduce their new models to the show’s visitors.

The Qatar Motor Show featured a number of new launches as well as regional premiers and world premiers including the world debuts of the Volkswagen XL1 prototype, the Race Touareg 3 Qatar and Touareg Gold Edition.

Other exciting reveals and regional launches included the new Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale, the new MINI Countryman, Skoda Yeti, the Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi R8 GT, A8 W12, Audi concept car e-tron Spyder, an exclusive Porsche Panamera 4S Middle East Edition, Porsche 918 RSR, the Mercedes G55 Arabia Edition and the new Bentley Continental GT.
   

 KARACHI: FIA Karachi’s officials have said that a large chunk of embezzled funds from NICL has been recovered and deposited in the government exchequer, Geo News reported Thursday.

Director FIA Sindh, Moazzam Jah Ansari along with other officials at a press conference in Karachi said Pakistan Steel Mills has, till today, witnessed embezzlement of Rs25 billion and so far ten cases have been filed in this regard. An amount of Rs120 million has been deposited in national treasury after arrest of the owner of Amreli Steel Mills, he added.

In regard to NICL scandal, the FIA Director said five others have also been nominated in the case following arrest of the former chairman of NICL Ayaz Khan Niazi.

He went to say when the actual value of the plot that had been bought for Rs900 million was found to be of only Rs400 million. On this, the owner of the plot was arrested, his another plot of the same value and a house worth Rs500 million confiscated and bank account seized. The amount recovered has been deposited in the national treasury, he said.

Regarding the meeting of DG FIA Wasim Ahmed and Amin Qasim Dada, the accused nominated in the NICL case, he said he came to know about the presence of latter in the camp office of DG FIA when he (Moazzam Jah Ansari) visited the place. However, this had happened before filing of the case, he added.

He further said that he was ready to testify in the court if he was summoned to do so.

KARACHI: Leader of Jamhori Watan Party (JWP), Shahzain Bugti along with a four-member delegation of his party visited the headquarters of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), at Azizabad here on Thursday.

The JWP leader met with the members MQM Rabita Committee,Yousuf Shahwani, Kanwer Khalid Younis, Wasey Jaleel and AshfaqMangi, said a statement issued by MQM.

The JWP delegation also condoled with the MQM leaders on assassination of their party leader, Dr. Imran Farooq.

They discussed overall socio-political as well as Balochistan situation during more than hour-long meeting.

Shahzain Bugti was accompanied by other members of the JWP including Jahangir Shah, Mahar Jamal Bugti, Farrukh Malikand Mukesh.

Among others, Joint Incharge MQM Karachi Mazafati Organizing Committee, Aslam Baloch was also present.

Later, they also offered fateha for slain leader of the MQM, Dr. Imran Farooq.

LAHORE: A case has been lodged against the American who shot dead two persons here on Thursday, Geo News reported.

Police took him into custody and later registered a case against him under section 302.

Sources said that the American, identified as Raymond David is still in police custody.

Meanwhile, an FIR was also registered against unknown persons in a hit-and-run incident that killed another man.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement have categorically said that any rise in prices of petroleum products would be unacceptable and urged the government to curtail its expenditures and losses, Geo News reported Thursday.

Talking to media men following the meeting of Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum, PML-N leader Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and MQM’s Sohail Mansoor called upon the government to cut down its expenditures and minimize losses.

Federal Minister for Petroleum Naveed Qamar said duty on refineries would not be withdrawn unless circular debt is cleared.

“The deficit will continue to rise and rupee will devalue more unless prices of petroleum products are raised,” he argued.

He said further decline in rupee value means purchasing the imported oil at higher rates.

The next meeting of the committee will be held on Monday.

WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday it will try hard to ensure there is no anti-American backlash from a shooting incident in which a US consular worker was charged with the murder of two Pakistani men.

"We want to make sure that a tragedy like this does not affect the strategic partnership that we're building with Pakistan," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

"And we'll work as hard as we can to explain that to the Pakistani people," Crowley said.

In Lahore, a US consular worker was charged with the murder of two Pakistani men following American’s shooting in a busy street, a provincial minister said.

The American man told police he shot the two motorcycle riders in self-defense after they pulled a pistol on him in an attempted robbery, police officials told media.

Crowley gave few details of the event, but confirmed that an American civilian working for the US consulate in Lahore was "involved in an incident," while declining to identify the individual.

"There's a Pakistan investigation. We will cooperate fully," he said.

ISLAMABAD: The joint economic committee of Pakistan Muslim League-N and Government Wednesday agreed on formation of a one-member judicial commission comprising a retired judge, Geo News reported.

Federal Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said this while talking to media men after the third meeting of the joint committee of PML-N and Government held here in Islamabad.

“A judicial commission in connection with sugar prices will soon be formed,” he announced.

He said progress regarding setting up of independent accountability commission will be made in the next meeting of the committee while inter-provincial meeting will be held Thursday over chalking out of price mechanism.

Dr. Hafeez Shaikh said a committee would be formed in connection with (formation of independent) election commission by the next week.

PML-N leader Ishaq Dar on the occasion said the State Bank told in its briefing that debts to the tune of Rs281 billion had been written off while loans amounting to Rs66 billion by government banks were still outstanding.

He said the Punjab government had started working on curtailing its Rs30 billion administrative expenditure and ‘so far Rs6 billion have been cut down