CHIEF Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has said that the government is paying special attention to the improvement of public transport system as it is also a barometer of the progress of a country. He has directed the Transport Department to consider plying of free busses for the boy and girl students of schools located in the poor localities. He was speaking at a briefing given by Lahore Transport Company Chairman Tasnim Noorani regarding modern transport facilities for people at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Monday.

The chief minister also ordered setting up of two special committees, headed by Planning and Development chairman and Finance secretary, to submit recommendations regarding provision of subsidy to the operators of the Lahore Transport Company.

Its business plan and other affairs. He directed the officials concerned to promote such a public transport culture in the province that senior officers and well-to-do persons might also benefit from it. He said the Punjab government had evolved a comprehensive plan for the improvement of the transport system and subsidy was also being provided to operators for the purpose.

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Here's another spine-tingling offer to thrill all young bookworms - a FREE copy of children's favourite, The Hodgeheg. The enchanting tale of Max, the hedgehog who becomes a hero Hodgeheg, is the second in our great giveaway of Puffin bestsellers for youngsters.

Every day this week you can collect another fantastic book. Still to come is The Werepuppy by Jacqueline Wilson, Mr Majeika by Humphrey Carpenter, The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour-Dog by Jeremy Strong, The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine, and Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley.

The bestsellers build up into a wonderful library of children's classics, which you can keep in a FREE collectors' box you can pick up today. Don't miss out!Take the voucher below to your nearest branch of Martin's or Toys 'R' Us today and exchange it for.

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A poll of 61 directors of social services suggested providing care to those most in need costs £200 a week - double the government's estimate. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said it backed the idea - planned for England - but it wants a funding rethink.

The government said it would consider the findings. Free personal care is likely to be one of the key planks of Labour's election strategy. 'Most in need' The move was announced by Gordon Brown at the party's annual conference and a bill included in the Queen's Speech set out the plans.

The service - for people needing help eating, washing and dressing - is currently means-tested. But ministers want to see English councils provide it free to an estimated 280,000 people, mostly the elderly although some have disabilities, to mirror the package available in Scotland.

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Free income tax assistance preparation will be available for low- to moderate-income individuals at the Woburn Public Library, 45 Pleasant St., Woburn, on Saturday mornings from Feb. 6 through April 10.Appointments will be between 9:15 and 11:30 a.m.

Local tax-aide volunteers, who are trained by AARP and certified by the IRS, will provide assistance with both federal and state tax forms.Appointments are required, and space is limited. These appointments are available on a first come, first served basis. Each one-on-one session will last approximately 45 minutes.Participants should bring a copy of last year’s tax returns, as well as W2s, 1099s and other documents necessary for tax form preparation.

Parents and guardians of college-bound seniors can get free help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form this Sunday, Jan. 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bellevue's Interlake High School, and a dozen other locations around the state.For more informationor to register, go to the College Goal Sunday web site, collegegoalsundaywa.org.The FAFSA application helps students who are heading to traditional college, community college, vocational or technical school pay for their education. According to the organization's web site, "63 percent of college and university students receive an average of $7,400 a year to help pay for college."Participants must bring a Social Security number, a FAFSA pin number if they have one, W-2 forms from 2009, a pay stub or a 2009 tax return, and evidence of permanent resident status, if they are not U.S. citizens. Registering for the event on the College Goal Sunday web site is recommended.Interlake is located at 16245 N.E. 24th Street, Bellevue.

 Nokia has reportedly revealed that its latest version of map software will now include turn by turn directions and will be pre-loaded completely free of charge onto every GPS enabled Nokia handset from March. Some Nokia SmartPhones will be able to make use of the free SatNav function immediately and these SmartPhones include the Nokia N97 mini, 5800 XpressMusic, 5800 Navigation Edition, E52, and E55, E72, 5230, 6710 Navigator, 6730 classic and X6 with N97 and others to be added to the list soon.

With the latest announcement Nokia users will have the added bonus of having completely free navigation services doing away with the need for a separate system. "It's all in there with no hidden costs or surprises, meaning you get unlimited access to free sat-nav for the entire lifetime of your device" it said on a Nokia blog.

Ovi Maps produced by Navteq, a mapping firm which is now owned by Nokia, will cover no less than 180 different countries with voice guided turn by turn directions for pedestrians and drivers available for 74 of these countries and covering 46 different languages.

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Internet freedom is quickly becoming a component of an on-going economic and diplomatic dispute impacting U.S.-China relations. Mountain View-based Google started it by disclosing someone in China broke into its computers to read the e-mails of human rights activists, including a student at Stanford University. Now, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is speaking out on the topic.

"China, Tunisia, Uzbekistan have stepped up their censorship of the Internet; in Vietnam, access to popular social networking sites has suddenly disappeared," she said. China's state-controlled media objected to Clinton's comments.

The State Department wants technology companies to step forward to oppose Internet censorship. "It's a positive trend and a positive sign that companies like Google are beginning to take Internet freedom in account when making business decisions," Clinton's senior policy planning advisor Jared Cohen said.

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Millions of people will soon begin filing their income taxes. But, before you pay to file, take a close look at your household income. This tax season, wouldn't you like to keep more money in your pocket? "If I could do it for free I'll do it for free -- more money for school, more money for spending," said west El Pasoan Rodrigo Barrio. "There's so many people that have suffered through the struggles of the economy and the recession, said Irma Ramirez, IRS senior tax consultant. “IRS has increased the dollar limitations to allow more people to take advantage of the program."

The IRS has two programs that allow you to file your income tax for free. "We're encouraging more people and trying to get the word out that this service available," Ramirez added. Ramirez said if you make up to $59,000, you're eligible for the Free File program. "Individuals don't need to go outside of their homes if they choose this option."

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Friday (January 15) was the first day that you could electronically file your federal income taxes. The director of the I.R.S. “Free File” program, Angela Kraus, says there are a couple of ways you can file on-line at no cost. Kraus says if your income is less than 57-thousand dollars, you can file through the traditional free file, which is a question and answer software.

If you make more than $57,000, you can use free fill fillable forms, which are the electronic version of the I.R.S. paper forms. Kraus says Iowa lead the nation in e-filing in 2009. She says last year over 1.3 million taxpayers filed their return electronically, with over 260-thousand Iowans who filed and were able to get faster refunds. Kraus says you can find out more about filing on the I.R.S. website.

Kraus says you can go to IRS.gov  and click on the free file or e-file logos on the front page of the site. Kraus says filing electronically allows you to get your refund quickly and it helps cut down on errors in the filing process.

The pilots union at shipping giant UPS is offering to fly to Haiti for free to assist in relief efforts following Tuesday's catastrophic magnitude seven earthquake.

The Independent Pilots Association represents UPS' 28-hundred pilots and has set up an electronic volunteer database for members to sign up for the missions.

UPS Public Relations Manager Jackie Blair says the flights will be coordinated through the UPS Foundation, a nonprofit arm of Atlanta, Georgia-based UPS Inc.

The company will also donate a million dollars to Haiti relief efforts.