News Updates

QUETTA: A bicycle bomb exploded Friday in Quetta, killing a policeman, Sub Inspector Dawood, and wounding seven others, police said. The bomb exploded as a police vehicle passed in the suburbs of Quetta, a senior police official said. "At least one policeman was martyred and three others and a passer-by were injured in the bomb blast," he said. Local police station officials also confirmed the attack and casualties.

 KARACHI: Chief of Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) Pir Pagara has termed investigation into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination a futile exercise because ‘the culprits hold (very powerful) positions’ and ruled out possibility of their arrest, Geo News reported Friday. He was talking to media men after holding a meeting with Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh Rashid here at Kingri House. “Now there will be no thumping of army boots,” Pir Pagara made a prediction, but added that a change is inevitable. He also ruled out the possibility of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s rejoining the coalition government. Muttahida Qaumi Movement, he said, was deeply engaged in resolving the issues of the masses. The PML-F chief said he was a supporter of commissioner system in Sindh. He said he would not make any comment against the Prime Minister on in-house change because the latter had been his student.

Of all the crazy bounces we've seen in basketball in recent years, few have been more bizarre than a free throw Idaho State's Kamil Gawrzydek attempted late in the second half of Tuesday night's 71-48 loss at Utah State . Gawrzydek's first foul shot bounces high off the back rim, deadens on the front rim and remains stationary there for almost two seconds before finally falling through the hoop to the disbelief of everyone in attendance. It hung on the front rim long enough that a Utah State player underneath the hoop actually had time to wave his arms in an effort to generate a strong enough breeze to blow the ball out of the cylinder. To get a better idea of what could have caused the ball to freeze on the front rim like somebody paused their DVR, I sent the YouTube clip to John Fontanella , a physics professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and author of the book "The Physics of Basketball." Fontanella, a former NAIA All-American in the 1960s, comp...

Gisele Bundchen 's famously vixenish look is nowhere to be found in her new ad campaign for Balenciaga. The Brazilian-born, sun-dappled supermodel known around the globe as just "Gisele" is rendered barely recognizable in the campaign for the designer label's spring 2011 collection. In the ads, she ditches her beachy golden locks for a shorter 'do that bizarrely resembles her husband Tom Brady 's grown-out Bieber shag . Gone also is the glamorous, va-va-voom attire we're used to seeing on Gisele; instead the bombshell has been replaced by an androgynous alter ego, sporting a buttoned-up blouse, vest and heavy Gwyneth-in-"Royal Tenenbaums" eyeliner. Photos: See More of Gisele and Hubby Tom Brady Photographer Steven Meisel shot the campaign; the creepy-looking guy next to Gisele in the photo to the right is male model Yuri Pleskun, WWD.com reports. We have mixed feelings on this: While the photos are a bit unsettling, it's som...

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – The design for an official commemorative coin to mark the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton was unveiled on Thursday, but not everyone might recognize the bride-to-be. The depiction, based on photographs of the couple at a sporting event, bears some resemblance to William but less so his fiancee. Royal watchers said she appears much fuller in the face on the coin than she is in real life. "This coin is of historical importance -- to get it so wrong seems ridiculous," Editor-in-Chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, was quoted on the Sky News website as saying. The design was approved by the 28-year-old couple and by William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth. [ Photos: More images of Kate Middleton ] The Royal Mint , which produced the collectors' item, said it had no intention of changing the design. "It is quite a subjective issue," a spokesman for the Mint, based in Llantrisant, south Wales...

Nicole Kidman has the mommy blues. As the actress raises 2-year-old daughter Sunday Rose with husband Keith Urban in Nashville, her children Isabella and Connor spend most of their time in L.A. with ex Tom Cruise . PHOTOS: Stars who've adopted "They live with Tom, which was their choice," the 43-year-old Rabbit Hole star admits to Hello! magazine. Though she hasn't been photographed with Isabella, 18, or Connor, 15, since shooting Australia in 2007, Kidman hasn't given up hope that they'll one day spend more time together. PHOTOS: Unconventional Hollywood families "I'd love them to live with us, but what can you do?" Kidman says. Despite the distance between them, Kidman says she's extremely proud of how Cruise, 48, has raised Isabella and Connor in her absence. PHOTOS: Will these celeb couples last? "They are healthy and sane and together and are great, great people," she recently told the Associated Press. ...

A man was briefly detained Wednesday night after he accidentally crashed what authorities identified as a "muscle car" onto the lawn of former President George W. Bush's home in Dallas. The man was driving a 1970s era Mercury Cougar to visit one of Bush's neighbors, according to CBS affiliate KTVT-TV in Dallas . According to authorities, the man began driving erratically when his accelerator pedal got stuck. He lost control of the car and ended up on Bush's lawn. The Secret Service and the Dallas Police Department rushed to the scene; Secret Service agents briefly detained the man for questioning and subsequently released him—though authorities are still investigating. The driver has still yet to be identified (though it's safe to say it wasn't Joe Biden ). [ Related: Prince Charles' car attacked by protesting students ] Here's a video report from the scene of the mishap, courtesy of ABC News : The former president and ...

The couple, who lost $800,000 on FOX's "Million Dollar Money Drop" on Monday have been invited back to the game show to try their hand at winning yet again. PLAY IT NOW: ‘Money Drop’ Mistake: Was The Post-It Actually Sold In The Late ‘70s? "Unfortunately the information our research department originally obtained from 3M regarding when Post-it notes were first sold was incomplete," Jeff Apploff, "Million Dollar Drop's" executive producer said in a statement to Access on Thursday. "As a result of new information we have received from 3M, we feel it is only fair to give our contestants, Gabe and Brittany, another shot to play 'Million Dollar Money Drop' even though this question was not the deciding question in their game. "The revised information regarding the Post-it is as follows: the product was originally tested for sale in four cities under the name 'Press 'N Peel' in 1977, sold as 'Post-its...

DeSean Jackson's (notes) goal-line grandstanding could have caused his miraculous game-winning punt return to be wiped out, a review of FOX replays show. As the Philadelphia Eagles return man was running parallel to the end zone , delaying his touchdown for maximum showboating effectiveness, a number of his teammates ran onto the field from the sideline, a clear violation of the NFL's "too many men on the field" rules. [ Related: Giants player scolded by his mom during the game ] The new wrinkle on Jackson's return was first noticed at BallHyped.com . Because he took a turn at the 6-yard line instead of running into the end zone, a number of his teammates and some coaches spilled out onto the field in anticipation of his touchdown, which didn't come until a few seconds later. A flag could have been thrown, bringing back the touchdown and sending the game to overtime. Now, I don't think any flag should have...

Too much fried fish may contribute to the high rate of stroke in America's "stroke belt," according to a new study. The results showed that people living in the stroke belt - including residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana - were about 30 percent more likely to eat two or more servings of fried fish every week than those living in the rest of the country, the researchers said. And blacks who are known to have an increased risk of stroke regardless of where they live, were more than 3.5 times more likely to eat two or more servings of fried fish per week than whites. Inhabitants of the stroke belt are 20 percent more likely to die from stroke than those living in the rest of the country. And those in the stroke "buckle" - an area of the stroke belt that includes the coastal plains of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia - are 40 percent more likely to die from stroke, said...

After knocking himself out of the 2009-10 season after hurting his knee during a dunk attempt, it's still OK to cringe a bit every time you see Blake Griffin (notes) readying a launch. And apparently, now we have to worry about his head knocking the rim just as much as his knees handling the descent. It speaks to the level of credibility that the Dunk Contest owns these days that when word hit Wednesday that Blake Griffin was open to the idea of entering the NBA's annual stuffing show, we were actually more concerned than excited. Would Griffin, clearly the master of the in-game dunk just two months into his NBA career, be able to in any way match his prowess in an exhibition setting? Was there a risk of him needlessly hurting himself in the process? About 11 minutes into Wednesday's Rockets/Clippers matchup, the worries became outright fears. Because Blake went and did this. That's a 6-9 guy jumping off a surgically repaired kneecap with his head at th...

Newly single Zac Efron has done away with his patented tousled 'do. No, this wasn't some sort of therapeutic breakup-related shearing; rather, Efron was forced to embrace the buzz for his role as a marine in the upcoming film "The Lucky One," which is also what this girl to his right will no doubt be called by all her friends for the next few weeks (years?). Efron -- whose split with "High School Musical" co-star Vanessa Hudgens was announced last week -- has been filming "The Lucky One" in New Orleans with 26-year-old actress Taylor Schilling, whom E! Online winkingly says has become "chummy" with Efron. Efron has also been hanging out with "Twilight" actor Kellan Lutz , who is currently filming "Breaking Dawn" in New Orleans. Efron was not in attendance, however, at Hudgens' 22nd birthday party in Las Vegas last weekend. Hudgens did not seem too fazed by her ex-boyfriend's absence, though:...

New York Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson (notes) is one of the bit players on a defensive line that has ranked among the league's best in recent years. A seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2006 out of Northwest Missouri State, Tollefson has worked his way into the Giants rotation and has played in every game but the opener this season. But in last Sunday's thrill ride against the Philadelphia Eagles , Tollefson suffered a knee injury and was taken to the locker room so that the team's medical staff could get a look at the severity of the situation. They shouldn't have bothered. You see, Tollefson's mom, Debra Crocker, was waiting for her son in the locker room, and she made it very clear as to where he should be after traveling 3,000 miles to watch him play. "Tape it up! I didn't fly here from California to watch you ride the pines!" Mrs. Crocker said, in a tone that certainly would h...

For anyone who hasn't been following along, here is the story of S. Irene Virbila, the veteran Los Angeles Times restaurant critic , and Noah Ellis, the Beverly Hills restaurateur who outed her. It began Tuesday night. Virbila and several friends had been waiting 45 minutes for a table at Red Medicine, a new Vietnamese food joint where Ellis is a managing partner. Upon learning that Virbila, who had logged her reservation under another name, was indeed Virbila, he marched up to her, snapped a photograph, and asked her entire party to leave. She was banned. But worse -- since restaurant reviewers rely on anonymity to ensure unbiased service -- by Wednesday afternoon, Virbila's face was all over blogs like Gawker and Eater, which obtained the following comment from Ellis : "We didn't want her reviewing us. ... Our purpose for posting this is so that all restaurants can have a picture of her and make a decision as to whether or not they would l...

Surely with so many terror plots developing around the world in recent days, it's understandable that someone might miss one, right? Well, for ordinary Americans, sure -- but you're held to a different standard if you're the head of U.S. intelligence . That's why U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is having a very bad day Wednesday. Clapper appeared to draw a blank when ABC's Diane Sawyer asked him about the arrests hours earlier of 12 men accused of plotting an al-Qaida-type attack in London . [ Related: Palin gaffe makes North Korea an 'ally' ] "First of all, London. How serious is it? Any implication that it was coming here?" Sawyer asked at the start of an interview that also included chief counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Clapper, puzzled by Sawyer's question, responded, "London?" and turned to Brennan for help responding t...

America's food renaissance keeps expanding, in all kinds of creative directions—not all of them fancy. From a $20 million gamble in Manhattan to a desolate block in Oakland, our tireless food correspondent, Alan Richman, crisscrossed the country in search of the best and tastiest this land has to offer. Start booking those tables now !  1. Lincoln in New York, NY Almost Instantly, America's Most Intelligent Italian Restaurant Jonathan Benno has emerged from behind the Iron Curtain—the mercilessly precise kitchen of Thomas Keller's Per Se, where he labored brilliantly as chef de cuisine. The word around town was that he was ready to slow down and cook simple Italian food. Not him. He remains uncompromising. He's the boss at Lincoln, preparing food almost as exacting as that at Per Se, maybe because there's so much on the line: his own impeccable reputation as well as a reported $20 million investment by the Patina Group. Lincoln is a glass-and-steel struct...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Anna Nicole Smith may have been just a "B-list celebrity," but she hit the Bahamas like a hurricane, spreading scandals that toppled a string of officials and endangered the whole government, according to newly leaked U.S. diplomatic cables. The government fell two months after the last cable was written. "Not since Category 4 Hurricane Betsy made landfall in 1965 has one woman done as much damage in Nassau," reads a colorful November 2006 document, apparently written by Deputy Chief of Mission D. Brent Hardt. It was released by WikiLeaks and published by the British newspaper The Guardian late Tuesday. "Lying in disarray in her wake are Doctor's Hospital, the Coroner's Court, the Department of Immigration, local mega-lawyers Callenders and Co., formerly popular Minister of Immigration Shane Gibson, and possibly Prime Minister Christie's PLP government," the diplomat added. The cables, classified as confid...

C'mon, Hedo Turkoglu (notes) . I know you're feeling all spry and wiry now that you're back with the Orlando Magic — and why wouldn't you feel that way, considering how many folks seem pretty convinced you're going to start partying like it's 2007-08, like the last two years never happened? But haven't you learned anything from JaVale McGee (notes) ? You have to seriously, seriously consider your takeoff point . And be realistic about what you can accomplish . Just outside the charge circle's too far away for you, man. Plus, that's not your game, anyway. To be stylistically authentic, you should have finished that with an overly ornate finger roll, casting yourself as some kind of odd Turkish Gervin. You're a weird little hothouse flower, Hedo, not a conventional big guy filling the lane and jamming with abandon. You know the old adage, Turk: " 'Ball' don't lie." [ Video: Soaring dunk of the year candidate ] Al...

Location, prestige, academic reputation and tuition are major factors for students in the college selection process, but post-graduate salary is something rarely taken into consideration. Although salaries depend heavily on a graduate's field of work, companies are willing to pay a premium for students hailing from the nation's top universities. But which undergraduate institutions offer the most valuable educations? [Click here to find an online degree program] Recently, PayScale.com released a report on the highest salary potential among the nation's top colleges, and from this data, colleges and universities can be ranked by the mid-career median salaries of its graduates. For schools with the same mid-career median salaries, starting median salary determines their relative rank. ©Harvey Mudd College 1. Harvey Mudd College Mid-career median salary: $126,000 Starting median salary: $68,900 Location: Claremont, Calif. 2010-2011 tuition: $40,390 Coll...