The euro hit its lowest point against the dollar since July 2010 on Wednesday ahead of a European Union summit aimed at dealing with the threat that Greece could exit the eurozone.

A day after former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned that the possibility that Athens could give up the euro is "real", the euro fell to $1.2582 against the dollar at 2100 GMT, from $1.2684 late Tuesday.

"The ongoing decline in euro/dollar is mirroring the decline in the willingness of investors to carry any unnecessary risk," ETX Capital trader Markus Huber told AFP.

"Investors are continuing to become even more risk averse than they have already been before, factoring in the notion that the EU summit won t be yielding much in a way of bringing calm into the financial markets at least in the short term," he said.

French President Francois Hollande stressed the importance of immediate action to quell worries in the markets, but there was still a clear division in the euro area over tactics, with Germany standing steadfast against issuing region-based eurobonds to raise funds against contagion.

"I say that we have to act straightaway for growth … otherwise there will still be doubt on the markets," said Hollande.
The markets were unsettled by Papademos  comments to Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.

"The risk of Greece leaving the euro is real and it depends effectively on whether the Greek people will support the continued implementation of the economic program," he said.

"It cannot be excluded that preparations are being made to contain the potential consequences of a Greek euro exit."
Safety-seeking investors pushed into the yen, driving it higher.

The euro bought 99.96 yen, compared to 101.45 yen Tuesday, and the dollar was at 79.45 yen from 79.98.

The dollar rose to 0.9543 Swiss francs from 0.9468; the British pound slipped to $1.5689 from $1.5766.
 

The Balochistan Teachers’ Association has set up a hunger strike camp outside Quetta Press Club while teachers from all districts of Balochistan are participating in the strike.

Three protesting teachers in critical condition were taken to civil hospital on Wednesday. 

The teachers are on strike for the acceptance of their 26 demands including increase in salaries. The teachers said that their hunger strike would continue till the government raises their salaries and fulfill other demands.

Calling all government teachers association an unregistered organization, the provincial government said that they are not bound to issue notification to them.

European researchers are planning to use new techniques to analyze DNA that could help crack the mystery of whether Bigfoot exists.

In a project announced this week, Oxford University and Lausanne Museum of Zoology scientists appealed to museums, scientists and Yeti aficionados to share hair samples thought to be from the mythical ape-like creature.

New genetic tests will be done on just a few strands of hair and should be completed within weeks. Even if the sample is judged to come from an unknown species, scientists should be able to tell how closely it is related to other species, including apes or humans.

Bryan Sykes of Oxford University said the group had already received many offers of samples to test, including blood, hair, and items supposedly chewed by Bigfoot. Sykes and colleagues plan to sift through the samples for the next few months before deciding which specimens to test. They will then publish their results in a peer-reviewed journal.

Other experts agreed recent advances made in DNA testing could theoretically solve the Bigfoot question.

"If the Yeti is real and somebody has found bits of their hair, you should be able to tell from the DNA in the hair if this is actually a Yeti," said Mark Thomas, a professor of evolutionary genetics at University College London. He is not connected to the Bigfoot project.

But Thomas was unsure how likely it was anyone might have actual Yeti hairs. Some scientists theorize Yetis are either a distinct hominid species, or a mix between homo sapiens and Neanderthals or other species. There is already evidence of interbreeding between homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

"If Yetis have survived for the last 30,000 Նորերը, they have probably had a pretty miserable existence and are a small population vulnerable to extinction," Thomas said. "It s not as insane an idea as many might think, but the chances are pretty small."

Sykes said he has always been intrigued by stories of Yeti sightings, but would rely on science rather than such tales to prove if the stories are credible. "It s not really possible to fabricate DNA evidence," he said.

He acknowledged that the chances of proving the existence of a new Yeti species are low, but said that the study was still worthwhile. "If we don t look, we ll never find out," he said.

Bigfoot is a legendary giant, hairy, ape-like beast that is variously known as Sasquatch, the Abominable Snowman, Yeti and other names. It supposedly lives in heavily forested or snowy mountains. Although most scientists don t believe in the beast s existence, decades of eyewitness reports, suggestive photos and stories have kept the legend alive.

David Frayer, a professor of biological anthropology at Kansas University, told The Associated Press in an email that "No serious scientist (would) treat Yeti as a worthy research project."

He said previous tests on supposed Yeti hairs have already been done "and they turned out to be from a bison."
 

A pioneering commercial spaceship closed in on the International Space Station on Wednesday, a key test in a controversial program to reduce the US government s role in human space flight.

Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, launched its Dragon cargo capsule into orbit on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for a test run to the $100 billion orbital outpost.
 

Thousands of university students marched through central Mexico City on Wednesday to protest media coverage that they say favors the candidate of the former ruling party in upcoming presidential elections.

The students say newspapers and television stations are tilting their coverage toward Enrique Pena Nieto, who is leading polls by double digits ahead of the July 1 vote.

Many of the students were from the elite Iberoamerican University, where a May 11 appearance by Pena Nieto set off a rare wave of protests by young people against a return to the presidency of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico for 70 years before it was voted out in 2000.

The students say Mexico s largest television channel, Televisa, was particularly biased in its coverage of the rally and the campaign in general. Many finished the march at Televisa s studios, where Pena Nieto was appearing on a live interview show.

Local media reported smaller, simultaneous marches in at least a half-dozen other cities around Mexico.

A Televisa spokesman declined immediate comment, as did Pena Nieto s campaign.

"We want to be told the truth in this country," said Esteban Pacheco, an industrial design student at Iberoamerican. "I look at this as a wake-up call."

Pena Nieto s backers have labeled the students as supporters of leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, but many at the rally said they supported none of three main presidential candidates.

A march through central Mexico City on Saturday drew tens of thousands of protesters against Pena Nieto, a much larger crowd than the one on Tuesday night.
 

According to details, four-month-old Gulroze was soled for Rs 20 thousand by his father Nauroze Khan to a man named Sajjad.

It was also decided in the deal that Sajjad will have to pay further 50 thousand rupees in case of death of the child. Nauroze had earlier sold two of his daughters due to poverty and wanted to sell his other children too.

Police have arrested the accused while a case has also been registered against five persons, including two women.
 

According to details, 20-year-old Shahbaz shot dead his mother, Bindia Begum, over a family dispute in Arifabad area near Multan and also attacked his neighbourers’ and injured a man.

According to police, the deceased Bindia Begum got divorce from her husband due to which the accused was upset. The accused managed to escape from the scene after committing the crime.
 

Talking to a delegation of coordination committee of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain said that solution to every controversy lies in the equal distribution of resources.

He asked Intellectuals to take bold stance bail out Sindh from the current law and order situation. He also advised the political leaders to refrain from issuing controversial statements. The MQM party workers from Sindh, Balochistan, Seraiki belt, Gilgit and Kashmir were also present on the occasion.
 

According to details, an oxygen gas cylinder booked in luggage of PIA flight 307 from Lahore to Karachi exploded on the conveyor belt. The gas cylinder fell 500 feet away after the explosion.

Panic spread at the airport after the explosion. Aviation experts are of the view that the explosion may have caused severe damage if it had exploded inside the plane.
 

Ըստ աղբյուրների,, the surcharge on CNG is going to be enhanced from Rs 147 per MMBTU to Rs 300 per MMBTU. The proposal for increase in surcharge was give by cabinet’s special committee.

The sources said that the government has decided to bridge gas between petrol and CNG prices. I was also decided that the CNG will be gradually converted to LPG.
 

The counsel of Prime Minister in contempt case Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has called on Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and discussed with him the matters relating to appeal against Supreme Court verdict.

Barrister Aitzaz apprised the Prime Minister about the legal points of the case and his preparedness to file an appeal in the court, on which Prime Minister expressed satisfaction.

The sources said that Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan would submit appeal on contempt case verdict in the court on behalf of Prime Minister today.
 

The broad agenda of the two-day talks would focus on visa relaxation, multiple visas for traders, on arrival visa for elderly and children at Wagah border, cooperation in anti-terrorism, progress on Mumbai attacks, CBMs on line of Control.

The talks would be led by Interior Secretary Khawaja Siddiq Akbar while the Indian side would be represented by Home Secretary R K Singh.
In this regard Federal Interior Minister Senator A. Rehman Malik chaired a pre-meeting of Secretary Interior talks Wednesday between Pakistan and India scheduled to be held on Thursday.

The Minister reviewed progress of the last Secretary Interior talks between Pakistan and India and gave instructions to move forward.

Sources told Online that during the talks Pakistan would review the progress made by India regarding the probe into Samjhota Express, in which a number of Pakistanis lost their lives, and would apprise the India side of its progress on the Mumbai attacks. Meanwhile according to Indian media reports, a 12-member delegation, led by Home Secretary R K Singh, Wednesday left for Pakistan for the Home Secretary-level talks where a relaxed visa regime is expected to be inked apart from New Delhi pressing for action against perpetrators of the 26/11 attack.

The visit comes in the backdrop of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari s visit to India on April 8 during which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stressed the need for Pakistan to take firm action to curb terrorism to enable India to make forward movement in the bilateral relationship.

The Prime Minister had also asked Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice and prevent activities aimed against India from Pakistani soil.

"These continue to be our priorities," Home Secretary Singh said before leaving for Islamabad.

The last round of Home Secretary-level talks was held in New Delhi in March 2011. The New Delhi joint statement had identified cooperation in the areas of counter terrorism, progress in bringing the fugitives of the Mumbai terrorist attack case to justice and a revised bilateral visa agreement as some of the priorities.
 

According to details, the spy plane fired two missiles at a house near Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, killing ten people and injuring several others.

Panic spread in the area after the attack as drones are still flying over Mir Ali.
 

Federal cabinet has formed six-member committee for recovery of missing persons.

Session of Federal Cabinet was held in Islamabad with the chair of PM Yousaf Raza Gilani who ordered to form six-member committee to recommend reasonable solution to the Balochistan issue.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Qamar Zaman Kaira said that only executive authority is entitled to impose emergency in Balochistan. Military operation is improper for Baloshistan issue; rather complicated issues may be resolved with political dialogue and democratic strategy, he advocated.

He said that the option of dialogue remained open in every era; the people equipped with sophisticated arms should leave their weapons and come on the table of dialogue. That is the sole way to peace and prosperity, he concluded.

Japan s Shigeru Miyamoto, considered the father of the modern video game, has been awarded Spain s Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.

Miyamoto, 59, is the author of the Mario Bros. series that has become one of the most marketed video game sagas in history.

Asturias award organizers praised Miyamoto, saying he converted "the video game into a social revolution and has managed to popularize it among a sector of the population that had not previously accessed this kind of entertainment, while also making it a medium capable of bringing people together regardless of sex, age or social or cultural status."

Wednesday s award is one of eight handed out yearly by a foundation named for Spain s Crown Prince Felipe. Others categories include arts, sports and scientific research.