New York, Sep 20 : A delegation of Pakistani women parliamentarians, now visiting the United States, has pleaded with US lawmakers and the Bush Administration to stop American attacks inside Pakistan and provide free trade opportunities to women.

MNA Azra Pechuho of the Pakistan People’s Party said the US-sponsored “Reconstruction Opportunity Zones” in the tribal areas were specifically discussed during their meetings with Capitol Hill lawmakers.

These zones would play a major role in promoting long-term economic development in the region; Dawn quoted Pechuho, as saying.

“We believe ROZs will provide the crucial economic component that complements our military and political strategies.”

Washington, Sept. 20: The Rajdhani Mandir (temple) in Virginia’s suburban Fairfax County, is in the eye of the storm, not because of religion, race or immigration, but parking.

The temple has attracted the negative attention of county zoning officials following complaints by people in the neighbourhood regarding parking problems caused by rituals performed twice a day from Monday to Saturday, and thrice on Sunday.

The 2008 presidential campaign has stimulated a great deal of interest among American voters all year, but according to the New York Times, the campaign is at an interesting phase, and is now even more focused on the process of electing a new president.

In the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll, 63 percent of voters said they were paying a lot of attention to the campaign, up from 51 percent before the parties held their conventions.

In September 2004, 52 percent said they were concentrating a lot on Senator John Kerry’s campaign to defeat President Bush.

Washington, September 20 : A new study has determined that the full moon can dramatically increase the activity of a particular marine bird.

According to a report in Discovery News, the finding adds to a growing body of evidence that lunar phases affect the behavior of insects, birds, fish and mammals - including humans.

The study, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Animal Behavior, is among the first to provide direct evidence for the “full moon effect,” since many other claims have been based on indirect observations and even folklore, such as werewolf tales.

Pittsburgh, Sept. 20 : A Pennsylvania couple is fighting to maintain a church they run from a Huntingdon Township home, which officials say is really a raunchy swingers club where single men have to pay for access but women come for free.

San Francisco - The longest budget battle in California's history came to an end after the two houses of the State Legislature agreed to 104 billion dollars in spending that was 80 days overdue.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that in the coming week, he would sign the budget passed Friday night in Sacramento.

He had threatened to veto an earlier version of the budget passed Tuesday because it did not contain his demand for spending limits in times of surplus so the state could invest in a "rainy day fund." Lawmakers gave in to his demands after they realized they didn't have the votes to override a veto.