Lahore, Jan. 28 : The World Bank (WB) is expected to give Pakistan a `soft loan' of 500 hundred million dollars to tackle the sluggish economic conditions and counter the ever increasing problem of poverty, provided it carries out a slew of political and economic reforms under its loan guidelines.

According to the Daily Times, the loan will be transferred to Pakistan in a single transaction after the approval of the World Bank. The WB officials would meet on 15th February to finalise the terms and conditions of the loan.

Lahore, Jan 28: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said that the Taliban's act of summoning politicians and citizens to their so-called Sharia Courts in Swat is a testimony to the absence of the state's writ in the area.

"Repeated official vows of regaining control of the situation in the Swat Valley have been exposed by the extremists' call to politicians to appear before their courts," HRCP said on Tuesday.

Lahore, Jan. 28 : Shoaib Malik's removal from the captaincy of the national squad has sparked fresh controversy in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as the Board's Director General, Javed Miandad, has openly expressed his displeasure over his sudden sacking.

Miandad said that he would have personally liked to solve the problem in the team, and that Malik should have been given more time to sought out things.

Lahore, Jan 28 : Former President Pervez Musharraf has branded South Asia as "one of the most volatile regions in the world," and called on US President Barack Obama to address the root causes of problems in the region and force Pakistan and India to resolve their political differences.

A report by the Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Musharraf as saying at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute that Afghanistan, Pakistan and India are "the focal point in the world today."

Lahore, Jan. 27 : Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas has said the military was planning to use the latest technology to jam illegal radio transmissions of the Swat Taliban.

"Taliban's FM radio transmitters were mobile and could not be destroyed immediately. The acquisition of the technology would help block the illegal transmissions," the Daily Times quoted him as saying.

Lahore, Jan 27 : Pakistan's middle order batsman Younis Khan has accepted the captaincy during his meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt.

According to sources, Younis Khan called on Butt and accepted the offer of captaincy during the meeting.

Shoaib Malik was constantly facing severe criticism after Pakistan's humiliating defeat in one-day series against Sri Lanka.