Islamabad, Oct 25: Rejecting IMF condition that Pakistan should cut down on its defence budget by 30 percent, the country’s Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar has said that the defence sector was already facing a “financial crunch” because of the devaluation of Pak rupee against the US dollar. And, hence, there was not a possibility of cutting down on the defence budget.

Terming the IMF’s condition as “mere hearsay” at this stage, he insisted Pakistan “had not even applied for the fund’s assistance”.

He said Pakistan had yet to apply for the IMF bailout package which, according to him, would be the last option for the government to avail.

London, Oct 25: The world famous fictional stories of ‘Harry Potter’ have failed to cast a spell on renowned British evolutionary ethologist, Professor Richard Dawkins, who is questioning whether their depiction of witchcraft and wizardry has a negative effect on children.

The prominent atheist is stepping down from his post at Oxford University to write a book aimed at youngsters in which he will warn them against believing in "anti-scientific" fairytales.

Dawkins, who is the best-selling author of ‘The God Delusion’ has agreed to fund a series of atheist adverts on London buses, added that his new book will also set out to demolish the "Judeo-Christian myth".

Hamburg - Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey scolded a German leader in an interview published Saturday and denied Switzerland was a tax haven.

In remarks to Der Spiegel, the German weekly, she said Switzerland was "astonished" at the tone of remarks Tuesday by German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck, who grumbled Berne was not tipping Germany off about tax evaders.

She warned him not to try to place Switzerland on an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) black-list of nations that assist foreigners to evade taxes.

This would be a breach of a German-Swiss taxation treaty, she charged. "It would not be the approach one expects from a state bound by the rule of law," added Calmy-Rey.

Beijing - Asian and European Union leaders on Saturday called for the international community to act quickly and decisively at a conference on responses to the global financial crisis next month in Washington.

"Lessons should be learned from the financial crisis, the responsibilities should be clarified for governments, companies and supervision respectively," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told reporters at the close of the biannual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

New Delhi - More than 150 people were arrested and a dozen injured as groups clashed with the police and attacked railway stations across India's eastern state of Bihar on Saturday to protest attacks on migrants in the financial capital of Mumbai, news reports said.

Mobs of students vandalized railway stations and blocked rail and road traffic as part of a shutdown called to protest attacks by the right-wing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party (MNS).

"Over 150 students were arrested across the state and some student leaders were also taken into custody early on Saturday. In state capital Patna alone, 25 students were arrested," a police official told the IANS news agency.

Sydney, Oct 25: In his new book to be released next week, former Australian wicket keeper has elaborated on his loveless relationship with his former teammate Shane Warne, saying he was “hurt” at being called an "a . . . licker" by the legendary spinner.

The incident happened in a Sheffield Shield match in the late 1990s when Warne mercilessly sledged the wicketkeeper in an incident, which Gilchrist has never forgotten.