Egyptians say they want their next leader to be honorable, smart, a knight, a man with a heart, a military man, a religious man, one who goes down and meets with the people. What they are really looking for is a superman.

Egypt s next president is facing an incredibly tall order of problems, from a tumbling economy and a beat-up security force to decrepit schools and hospitals that can t even provide enough incubators for premature babies.

Turning out in large numbers to vote for the first time in free and competitive presidential elections, a deeply engaged population have a lot of expectations from the leader that will replace the longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, whom they ousted in a popular uprising last year.

"We want a flawless president. We want him strong, just, respectable, clean, someone who feels for the poor. We basically want a superman," said Heba el-Sayed, a 42-year old teacher who was asking her colleagues outside a polling station in the popular neighborhood of Sayeda Zeinab who they voted for.

Egyptians have never had the chance to pick a leader. Mubarak, who was often derisively labeled as "pharaoh" by Egyptians, came to power in 1981 after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat at the hands of Islamic militants, mostly because he signed a peace treaty with Israel. He was re-elected multiple time after that, mainly in yes-or-no referendums in which he was the only candidate.

The pent-up anger that exploded against Mubarak s reign on January 25, 2011 built up over years because of festering corruption, which created a tight ruling clique around his family and cronies. It left a twisted economic development, that soared in terms of economic development indicators, but was unevenly distributed
leaving vast sections of the population up to 40 percent hovering near or fallen far below the poverty line.

Denying services and attention to the poor seemed to be a way the Mubarak s regime kept such classes in constant need of handouts and dependent on a patronage system, which doled out small benefits to those who cooperated and stayed under his control. This left a debilitated public health and education system, where only those who can pay can receive better services.

His authoritarian regime, which has maintained good relations with the world, relied heavily on security agencies whose widespread torture and abuse were the immediate reason behind the uprising.

The 18 days of protests that brought his fall were not limited to the poor or the abused, they brought in a broad spectrum of classes, angered over every aspect of the stagnation and worried that it would only deepen if Mubarak s son, Gamal, succeeded him as was widely expected.

So in the voting that began Wednesday and continues Thursday, the hundreds of thousands who lined up at the polls had a litany of dreams. Freedom to walk freely with girlfriends or boyfriends without police harassment. Improved sewage systems. Better education.

"I ve lived under Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and Hosni Mubarak," Mahmoud Ahmed, a 70-year old businessman, said, listing Egypt s last three presidents as he waited to vote in the impoverished Cairo district of Basateen.

"What we want to see is someone with the firmness of Nasser, the political skills of Sadat," he said.

"And nothing at all from Mubarak."

He said he wants the next president s priority to hold a "real" trial for Mubarak reflecting how many Egyptians dismiss the current trial of the ousted leader as a sham.

Mubarak has been on trial for months over charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of nearly 900 protesters during the uprising against him. As the proceedings have dragged, many have grown skeptical that the trial organized under the military rulers would constitute a fair trial. A verdict is expected on June 2 before the name of a president is announced.

For Yasmine Abdel-Rahman, a 22-year veiled student who was voting in the southern industrial district of Helwan, a religious leader can bring justice. She was voting for the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was Mubarak s most organized opposition and has seized its place as Egypt s most powerful political movement since his ouster.

"First thing he must do is get back the rights of all the martyrs. Many mothers  hearts are broken," she said.

Ali Ragab, a 27-year old who runs a photo shop in a rundown neighborhood of Maadi, agrees. But he thinks only a president that can rival the charisma and populist ideals of Nasser can do the job.

He s voting for Hamdeen Sabahi, a veteran opposition figure under Mubarak who proclaims Nasser as his role model. Sabahi has recently risen in polls, particularly among the working class and younger generations.

"I want a leader like Nasser, who looks after the poor. I wish those days come back," said the dreamy-eyed Ragab, born 15 years after Nasser s death.

"We need a leader that has extraordinary skills, one that has a heart, a big brain, and can play politics. He must be all that," he said as he helped other voters find their polling station.

Zeinab Nabil, a 28-year old mother, lost two of her triplets because of an unexplainable shortages of incubators in public hospitals. After their premature birth in September 2010, she ran from hospital to hospital for months trying to find incubators and proper care, only to be turned away.

Now she is indebted to the banks for over $8,000 from the salary of her husband, who works in another city. The only good luck she s had is that her landlord dropped her rent by a third after the revolution because of her economic woes.

"I want the president to spare other people my troubles. I want him to fix the hospitals and provide incubators," she said. "I want him to be just. I want him to walk among us. I want him to be human."

None of the 13 candidates running in the first round is likely to win outright. So a run-off will be held between the top two on June 16-17, with the victor announced June 21.

The president s powers have not yet been defined. The military rulers, the Islamist-dominated parliament and various groups and political parties of liberals and secularists have been locked in a struggle over how to write the constitution that will define the Egypt s political system, the role of religion and the place of the military in the future.

The explosive mix of high expectations and a power struggle between political factions will set the tone for the next president s entire term, supposed to be for four years. The stormy transition since Mubarak s fall has piled on even more demands, with some wanting the ruling generals held accountable for mismanagement and violence during the past 16 months.

And the new president will face the constant threat of protests from a politically charged population.

"There is now an open court in Tahrir. No matter who is elected," said Hamdi Abdel-Zaher, a 40 year old accountant, referring to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the anti-Mubarak uprising and months of protests since against the ruling military.

Fares Kamel, a 42-year old trader in a village on the outskirts of Cairo, said despite the destruction of the image of a pharaoh among Egyptians, many still yearn for it, seeing him as a savior.

"They want to be led," Kamel said. He thinks the president must be "a knight, who has a sword and is not afraid to use it or to die using it. We want someone with dignity, and not a filthy rich man. We don t want a thief."

"We want someone that loves this country, and satisfies people s needs. God be with him."
 

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, ಇಂದ $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 years, 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.
 

Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid made the first cut among bidders to host the 2020 Olympics, as the International Olympic Committee announced that Baku and Doha were dropped from the running.

The IOC will decide which city will host the 2020 Olympics in a final vote on September 7, 2013, at Buenos Aires. That gives the remaining hopefuls more than 15 months to make final impressions upon the IOC to boost their candidacy.

Tokyo 2020 bid chief Tsunekazu Takeda said being on the short list would help boost the spirits of the Japanese people after last year s devastating earthquake and tsunami, which killed about 19,000 people.

"I think this will be a big help for the Japanese people," Takeda said. "I think it will give big, big power to the people who suffered the disaster."

Tokyo is the only one of the candidates to have hosted the event, doing so in 1964, and with a sound plan for hosting the Games and a powerful message, many see Tokyo as the pacesetter.

Hosting the 2020 Olympics is seen as an opportunity to help rebuild the country and bring some much-needed joy to its people.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nodo said hosting the Games would "serve as a symbol of Japan s recovery from last year s tragedy."

"With the Japanese government s full support for Tokyo s bid, our nation greatly desires to achieve the goal of hosting the Games," he said.

Tokyo is again as in 2008 considered the frontrunner with the best technical file, but is facing fewer rivals this round, with the total number of candidate cities down from five last time.

With the 2018 Winter Olympics being held in Pyeongchang, however, there may be an unwillingness to hold back-to-back events in Asia.

Ordinarily Madrid would be seen as running close with Tokyo, having beaten them in the race for 2016 only to finish a runner-up to Rio de Janeiro.

But the specter of Spain s dire financial crisis hangs over the bid.

For serial bidder Turkey to be shortlisted after failing to win the right to host the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Games made the IOC decision a landmark sign of progress for Istanbul.

"This is a historic moment," said Istanbul bid team member Hasan Arat.

Its pitch has not fundamentally changed since last time, but their bid team ironed out deficiencies in the original proposals.

"This time, Istanbul is ready to deliver," Arat said in a statement.

Istanbul, however, is also bidding to host the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship and the IOC forbids hosting two major sports event in the same year.

Many believe that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a former footballer, favors hosting the UEFA competition over the Olympics. But Arat insisted, "Our priority is the Olympics."

"The chance to compete on the greatest stage in sport in front of a home crowd will inspire a generation of young people," added Hidayet Turkoglu, the national men s basketball captain who plays for the NBA s Orlando Magic.

To trim the field at this stage, IOC officials were looking mainly at a city s ability to host a major sporting event, ranking their transportation and other infrastructure challenges they face to ramp up in time for the event.

Baku also failed to make the short list last time but had said they learned from their mistakes this time. The IOC, in its decision, however, noted a lack of infrastructure and experience in hosting a major sporting event.

There was also sadness in Doha after it was cut.

"We are obviously very disappointed… (and) surprised by this decision," said Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, general secretary of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

Doha had been granted an exception to possibly host the Games in October and November when temperatures in the Mideast country are not as blistering hot, instead of the usual July and August.

Had the bid been successful, it would have been the first to bring the Games to the Middle East.

Doha scored among the top for technical ability to host the Games. And having already built or budgeted for many of the sports venues, its bid would have offered a degree of certainty in uncertain economic times.

But the furor after Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup, according to some, made IOC members reluctant to suffer the same bad press as FIFA did.

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.
 

According to sources, 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.