Tag: Pressure

LAHORE - Twenty-seven journalists and media practitioners from various print and electronic organisations assembled under the banner of a private consulting firm, Free Independent Responsible Media (FIRM), on Wednesday. The participant observed that media persons especially field reporters was under a lot of pressure. They said the pressure not only came from various media stakeholders such as advertisers and owners but also various segments of the society that muffled the media's

BEIJING - China and India reported higher-than-expected inflation readings on Friday, giving fresh ammunition to central bankers and investors alike who are worried about mounting price pressures in the global economy.
Consumer prices in the euro zone also picked up more than expected, while figures due later in the day from the United States are expected to show a similar trend, with the inflation rate still moderate but steadily rising, not least because of higher food and

MANCHESTER - The referee whose post-match report led to Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney being banned for two games was put under pressure to act, boss Alex Ferguson said on Friday. Referee Lee Mason took no action when Rooney swore into a television camera while celebrating a hat-trick in last week's 4-2 win at West Ham United but local media reported he later said he would have sent him off had he seen the incident.
That admission came before the Football Association (FA)

SANAA - Western pressure mounted on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Tuesday to stand down as least 24 people were killed in as many hours and Gulf states sought to mediate a deal with the opposition. A spokesman for Yemen's main opposition coalition, in an initial reaction to an offer by the Gulf Cooperation Council, said Saleh's foes were ready for a conditional mediation.
"We have welcomed (a GCC invitation) and said we will attend, but to discuss a transfer of power

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Sindh leaders continued their rhetoric against the judges to put pressure on the judiciary ahead of a contempt of court case against them being taken up by the Supreme Court, but changed their tone after the court allowed them 15 days on Friday to file a response. Taj Haider and Sharjeel Memon expressed respect for the apex court while Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza, who is a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, used the "Sindh card",

MOHALI - Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi insists that the pressure and expectation will all be on India's shoulders in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final blockbuster.
With the prize of a place in Saturday's final at stake, a fever-pitch mood is expected with the 30,000 capacity Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium sold out days ago for the crunch clash. "We are not the most favourite team for this competition. India is the most favourite and we have played above expectations. We

BERLIN - Tens of thousands of Germans took to the streets on Saturday to protest against nuclear power, increasing the pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel on the eve of a critical state election. Under the banner "Fukushima Means: No More Nuclear Power Stations," marches took place in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and the capital Berlin, ahead of the vote in wealthy Baden-Wuerttemberg on Sunday, where nuclear energy was set to be a key issue. In Berlin alone, police said the "organisers'

COLOMBO - Kumar Sangakkara refuses to believe Sri Lanka will be the only side under pressure before a packed home crowd in their quarter-final on Saturday, saying England will also feel the intensity.
The 1996 winners go into the last of four quarter-finals with huge expectations, but Sangakkara was confident his players were capable of handling the situation. "What you lose is a semi-final berth, so I don't think any side is going to want to lose that. So wherever you play that

SANAA - Yemen's embattled president warned on Tuesday that a coup attempt could spark civil war, as pressure mounted for him to step down and two soldiers were reported killed in a clash between rival units. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, meanwhile, warned that Yemen's political crisis could distract attention from its fight against Al Qaeda. With tanks deployed on the streets of the capital, President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned in an address to his top brass: "Any attempt to reach

KARACHI - Off-shore selling and local groups continue to engage in heavy selling and kept the local bourse under pressure and low volume price erosion in the high priced stocks thereby prevented resistance even by the local corporate participants besides inviting panic selling.
The KSE 100 index closed at 11,375.14 with a loss of 231.47 points, while total volume stood at 47,640,089 along with the total value of 2,866,412,875. The KSE 30 index closed at 11085.52 levels with the

LONDON/PARIS - Britain on Thursday hailed a "change in the position" of the United States on Libya and urged immediate action to stop Moamer Gaddafi's forces, piling on pressure for a UN vote on a no-fly zone. "There has been a significant change in the position of the White House," Alistair Burt, a British Foreign Office minister with special responsibility for the Middle East, told BBC radio. "We obviously appreciate that the United States does realise the urgency of the situation."

DUBAI - Saudi Arabia came under renewed pressure on Wednesday to ease its ban on demonstrations, as Facebook activists called for a "Day of Rage" and a "Saudi revolution" later this week.
With the tightly controlled kingdom's security forces poised to crack down on any unauthorised demonstrations, US-based lobby group Human Rights Watch added its voice to demands for a relaxation of the protest ban. "Saudi Arabia should rescind its categorical ban on peaceful demonstrations," it

TEHRAN - Iran on Tuesday said the UN atomic watchdog was under "heavy political pressure" after the agency reported Tehran may have engaged in nuclear weaponisation studies more recently than previously thought."If... the old issue of alleged studies which has no foundation is brought up then it shows that heavy political pressure is being exerted on the agency," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in reaction to the finding.
The IAEA chief Yuikya Amano said on

KARACHI - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) provincial assembly members boycotted Sindh Assembly proceedings on Monday to protest Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza's remarks that the People's Aman Committee was a sub-organisation of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). However, PPP assembly members warmly welcomed Dr Mirza on his arrival in the House. The MQM Rabita Committee had announced earlier on Monday that its MPAs would not attend the session. Dr Mirza was accorded a hero's welcome as

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The home minister said that he was also ready to review cases of MQM workers that were instituted against them on false grounds. He also dispelled the notion that the PPP was no longer interested in removing misunderstandings with the MQM. Mirza said that he had already taken Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan into confidence over the Lyari issue. However, he said, he was disappointed by MQM leaders' allegations that he was supporting extortionists and

PALLEKELE - Misbah-ul-Haq on Monday urged his team-mates to take the pressure off high-flying skipper Shahid Afridi who has single-handedly won matches for Pakistan in this World Cup. Afridi took 5-16 -- the best bowling figures by any Pakistani in all World Cups -- against Kenya and followed that with 4-34 against Sri Lanka and 5-23 against Canada, giving him a tournament-high of 14 wickets. His efforts have given Pakistan a perfect six points from three matches and top spot in Group

CHENNAI - South Africa captain Graeme Smith hit back at claims his side had 'choked' again at the World Cup after a dramatic six-run loss to England on Sunday. Defeat ended the Proteas' unbeaten start to the tournament and raised fresh questions about their nerve in tight games. Needing just 172 to win, they were cruising at 63 without loss. But they then lost three wickets for 19 runs and three more in the middle of their innings for no runs with the score on 124. "That's not