Hindus have suggested interfaith prayers at the public memorial service for entertainment icon Michael Jackson, reportedly planned to be held on July seven in Los Angeles.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, suggested that as Michael Jackson belonged to the whole world and he did provide “joy” to the citizens of the world irrespective of their traditions and background, it was very befitting to have prayers read from sacred texts of major world religions and denominations at his public funeral service by their respective clergy.

MphasiS today announced the appointment of Ganesh Murthy as Chief Financial Officer. Ganesh Murthy takes over from Susanto Banerjee, who has been acting as interim CFO since January 2008. Susanto Banerjee has decided to pursue opportunities outside of MphasiS. Ganesh’s appointment is effective July 15, 2009.

For general public

· To introduce intercity double decker AC coaches

· To facilitate tickets from 5,000 post offices

· To facilitate connectivity to various tourist and pilgrim places in the country

· To introduce 50 mobile rail ticket vans

· To give automated ticketing systems at 200 stations

· To introduce new scheme with Rs 25 monthly ticket

· New scheme 'Izzat' for people with income below Rs 1,500 p.m.

· To introduce uniform ticket plan for distance up to 100 km

Minister for Information and Broadcasting,Qamar Zaman Kaira on Thursday condemned the Choohr Chowk blast in Rawalpindi which resulted in loss of some lives and caused injuries to several other persons.The Minister reiterated Government’s commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “All such brutal acts of violence cannot weaken the commitment of the people of Pakistan to fight terrorism and extremism”,said the minister.

President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the bomb blast near Chur Chowk in Rawalpindi on Thursday, which killed and injured several people.The President in a message said the perpetrators of such heinous crime would not be spared.

He expressed condolences over the loss of innocent lives and said the government was committed to root out terrorism from the country.

The President has ordered an immediate inquiry into the incident. He also asked the concerned authorities to ensure the provision of best medical care to the injured.

Military Joint Chief of Staff to President of French Republic, Admiral Edouard Guillaud called on General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) on Thursday at Joint Staff Headquarters Chaklala.Both the leaders exchanged views on regional situation and discussed possible areas for expansion of defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

United Nations agencies have lauded the people of Pakistan for their “extraordinary generosity” in providing food, shelter and other resources to the displaced fellow countrymen. “The everyday people of Pakistan are the real heroes of this current crisis in Pakistan,” Martin Mogwanja, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, told a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday, according to a transcript released at UN Headquarters in New York.

Security forces killed 23 terrorists while 5 were apprehended from Swat and Dir during past 24 hours,said an ISPR press release. In Swat, security forces during search operation at Kanju engaged terrorists hiding in the nullah and killed 5 terrorists. Security forces also engaged terrorists around Miana, Ahingro and Baba Ziarat area where one terrorist was killed and 2 were apprehended.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira Thursday said that country’s intelligence agencies are working efficiently in their capacity and it was on the basis of their efforts that major successes were achieved in anti-militancy operation. Talking to a private television channel he said, the criminals break the regular state system to implement their nefarious designs world across and same is happening in Pakistan too.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said the government is working on an extensive agenda for provision of basic facilities to the people in their localities. He was talking to delegations which came from Multan and other parts of the country here at the Prime Minister House on Thursday.

The Prime Minister intently listened to the issues raised by the participants and gave immediate orders on their applications.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Egyptian tourist resort of Sharm-ul-Sheikh on July 16 on the sidelines of Non-Aligned Movement summit. “The two leaders will hold talks over the composite dialogue and bilateral issues,” said the Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit at weekly briefing here on Thursday.

He said the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries will also meet on the sidelines of NAM summit.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has proposed that the governments of Pakistan and France should chalk out a roadmap for pragmatic cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy.He said that a working group could be established to develop an agreed way forward on nuclear cooperation. He was talking to Admiral Edouard Guillaud, Military Personal Staff Advisor to French President who called on him at the Prime Minister House on Thursday.

Admiral Edouard Guillaud, Advisor to the President Sarkozy of France Thursday called on President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed matters relating to Pak-France cooperation in different areas.The Ambassador of France and other senior officials who travelled with Admiral Guillaud were also present in the meeting.Defence Minister Ch. Ahmad Mukhtar and Interior Minister Rehman Malik besides senior officials, attended the meeting.

The issues of Friends of Pakistan initiative, the rehabilitation of internally displaced people and the drive against militants also came under discussion.

Traumatic ulcers generally result from mechanical, chemical or electrical trauma. The ulcer bed consists of newly developing tissue with areas of swelling and infiltration by inflammatory cells and occurs when people suffer from accidental injury.

Siemens Energy is expanding its service business for energy and environmental technology and has acquired a 60 percent majority holding in Gummersbach-based Steinmüller Engineering GmbH, Germany. Steinmüller Engineering provides engineering for both innovative combustion technologies designed to significantly reduce CO2 and NOx emissions and exhaust-gas cleaning systems for fossil-fueled power plants. The company has a work force of more than 60. The purchase price was not disclosed.

In order to simplify measurement and control of the water quality of water in swimming pools and spas, Siemens Water Technologies is now offering a new software update for the Depolox Pool measurement and control system. The update provides greater flexibility in adapting the DIN contact – which passes on information on the hygiene parameters to the swimming pool control system – to the regulations applicable at the place of use. Moreover, it is now easier to combine the Depolox electronics module with any Depolox measuring modules.

ING announced today that the now separate organisations of Nationale-Nederlanden, RVS and ING Verzekeren Retail (formerly Postbank Verzekeren) will be combined into one customer-oriented organisation under the Nationale-Nederlanden brand, which will be reinforced. The decision is in line with the Back to Basics strategy to simplify the organisation, reduce costs and improve customer focus. The new insurance organisation will have dedicated business units for retail customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and corporate clients.

GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), and global eHealth specialist InterComponentWare, Inc. (ICW), today announced that the companies have signed a strategic agreement to integrate and co-develop their health information exchange (HIE) solutions.

Now, more than ever, businesses need effective ways to energize sales, comply with lending requirements and monitor their success. GE Money - Sales Finance, a leading provider of consumer financing programs, is bringing these tools to its partners through its new Web-based portal, the Business Center.

One of California’s most powerful landfill gas-to-energy projects to open in the last five years has started supplying renewable electricity to the San Francisco Bay region as the state continues implementing new anti-greenhouse gas initiatives.

The output of the plant is enough to provide electrical power for 7,500 to 10,000 average U.S. homes and will be sold to existing customers and project partners, the City of Palo Alto and the City of Alameda. The plant is twice as powerful as other landfill gas projects in northern California.