WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday described his Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard C. Holbrooke, as "a towering figure in American foreign policy" and said that he was praying for his recovery from aortic surgery.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Saturday described U.S.President Barack Obama's Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard C. Holbrooke as a great friend of the country, and hoped that he would recover soon from aortic surgery.

Washington, Dec.11. (ANI): U.S.President Barack Obama's Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard C. Holbrooke, was said to be in critical condition on Saturday after undergoing aortic surgery at the George Washington University Hospital here.

COLOMBO - Sri Lankan members of the parliament are to be offered yoga sessions with an intention to eliminate their high levels of stress, according to the practitioners.

WASHINGTON - A new US study has revealed that hospitalized elderly patients who take even short walks around a hospital unit tend to leave the hospital sooner than their more sedentary peers.