DOHA: Pakistan is in favour of a peaceful outcome of the situation in Afghanistan, but any initiative on the neighbouring country must not affect our country, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday.

He was talking to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani at the Amiri Diwan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani investigators and lawyers Tuesday delayed plans to visit India to gather more evidence for the prosecution of seven suspects linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks until later this month.

The visit was scheduled between February 1 and February 10 in a bid to cross-examine witnesses to the carnage that killed 166 people.

Pakistan in 2009 indicted seven alleged perpetrators over the attacks but says it needs to gather more evidence in India before proceeding further.

SAN FRANCISCO: An appeals court on Tuesday found California's gay marriage ban unconstitutional in a case that may lead to a showdown in the Supreme Court.

Supporters of the ban said they would appeal the judgment, calling it "out of step with every other federal appellate and Supreme Court decision." Their appeal is likely to keep gay marriage in the state on hold pending future proceedings.

TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament has summoned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for questioning over a long list of accusations, including allegations that he mismanaged the nation’s economy.

It’s the first summons of its kind for an Iranian president since 1979. It follows a petition by a parliamentary committee and is part of a power struggle ahead of March parliamentary elections.

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday lifted one of its many sanctions against Myanmar in recognition of recent positive moves toward political reform in the country after decades of direct military rule.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a partial waiver of restrictions imposed on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the State Department said in a statement.

NEW YORK: The first live stream of the Super Bowl drew 2.1 million unique viewers, NBC said Thursday.

That's a small fraction of the record 111.3 million viewers that watched NBC's broadcast of the big game. But it was still enough to make it the most-watched single-game sports event online, according to the network.

Kevin Monaghan, managing director of digital media for NBC Sports Group, said the live stream "exceeded our expectations in every way."

As the news of cricket icon Yuvraj Singh being diagnosed with cancer spread, several Bollywood personalities cheered him and wished his recovery on twitter. Yuvraj had been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the United States. The 30-year-old cricket superstar, known for his friendships with Bollywood stars, has been in the US since last month being treated for what was earlier claimed to be a non-malignant tumour in the lungs. But it was diagnosed as cancer and the star is undergoing chemotherapy.

DUBAI: England coach Andy Flower Tuesday confirmed struggling batsman Kevin Pietersen will open the innings during the four-match one-day series against Pakistan starting next week.

The 31-year-old batsman struggled with 67 runs in six innings during England’s 3-0 series whitewash against Pakistan and now hopes to get his form back in the one-day series.

“He (Pietersen) is going to be opening the batting for us in this series, and that should be really exciting to watch,” said Flower of the plans to open with Pietersen.