Federal Minister for Railways Saad Rafique on Saturday criticised attempts to ?engineer? politics in the country, saying attempts to bring back former military dictator Pervez Musharraf as an alternate leader will fail badly.
In a series of tweets, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader said that the ?hobby? of forming and breaking political parties needs to end.
?Merger of MQM-P and PSP was an engineered merger. It failed in 24 hours,? he tweeted.
Pakistan Awami Ittehad formed under
A man rides a motorbike as smog surrounds Minar-e-Pakistan in the background in Lahore. Photo: AP
Dense smog persisted in parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Saturday morning, however, the sky is likely to be cleared as the met department has forecast rain in both the provinces.
According to the meteorological department, rainfall with thunder is expected Sunday night in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Islamabad and upper Punjab. The downpour is expected to clear t
ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Saturday raised the freight fares for oil tankers by 64% after the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association (APOTA) threatened to go on a strike.
Transportation fares for oil tankers taking the short route have been increased by Rs141 to Rs360.62, a notification issued by the authority said.
Fares for the long route have been increased by 20%.
Oil tankers association calls off strike after negotiations with govt
Long queues of v
SUPERIMPOSED: Louis C.K. attends FX and Vanity Fair Emmy Celebration at Craft in Century City, California, September 15, 2017. AFP/Getting Images North America/Rich Fury/Files; BACKGROUND: An exterior view of The Paris Theatre in New York City, November 9, 2017. AFP/Getty Images/Dia Dipasupil
LOS ANGELES: Comedian Louis C.K. admitted on Friday to engaging in sexual misconduct as recounted by several women, three of whom said he had performed sexual acts in front of them, and television and film
Roy Moore ? Alabama Republican candidate for US Senate ? speaks with reporters as he visits the US Capitol in Washington, US, October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Files
The national campaign wing for US Senate Republicans cut fund-raising ties on Friday with Roy Moore, the party?s nominee for a special Senate race in Alabama, a day after sexual misconduct allegations upended his front-runner bid for the seat.
The move was the latest sign the Republican establishment, holding onto a slim 52
Angela Merkel ? the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) ? arrives at the German Parliamentary Society offices before the start of exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government in Berlin, Germany, November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
BERLIN: German parties cited progress on Friday after three weeks of talks about a three-way coalition, with their leaders due to thrash out remaining differences over transport and climate on Sunday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel?s conse
A Bitcoin (virtual currency) coin placed on Dollar banknotes is seen in this illustration picture, November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
LONDON: Bitcoin dropped below $7,000 on Friday to trade more than $1,000 down from an all-time high hit on Wednesday, as some traders dumped it for a clone called Bitcoin Cash, sending its value up around a third.
Bitcoin has been on a tear in recent months, with a vertiginous sevenfold increase in value since the start of the year that has led to
Muslims gather outside the Imam Hussein shrine on December 11, 2014
KARBALA: An estimated 14 million pilgrims thronged Karbala on Friday to mark the annual Arbaeen commemoration, as Baghdad looks to wipe out the militan Daesh that has targeted their branch of Islam.
Under tight security, around 14 million worshippers crowded into the golden-domed mausoleum, beating their chests in unison against a background of religious music.Tens of thousands of security personnel and Shia militiamen were dep
A pump jack is seen at sunrise near Bakersfield, California, US, October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/Files
NEW YORK: Crude was down slightly on Friday as expectations that OPEC and other producers will extend their production cut agreement were offset by US drillers adding the most oil rigs in a week since June, indicating output will continue to grow.
US energy companies added nine oil drilling rigs this week, the second increase in three weeks, bringing the total count up to 738, Gene
Rupert Murdoch stands at the US Open men's final in New York, US, September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar/Files
NEW YORK: Rupert Murdoch telephoned AT&T Inc Chief Executive Randall Stephenson twice in the last six months and talked about cable network CNN, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.
According to one of the sources, the 86-year-old executive chairman of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc offered to buy CNN in both conversations.
Another source said Murdoch had ?zero int
Lodhi deplored Israel's escalation of settlement building in the occupied territories as a blow to the peace process-File Photo
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Thursday told a UN committee that there can be no lasting peace in the Middle East without a just solution to the Palestinian issue.
"A viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of the internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, is the only sustainable guarantee for e
(L-R from top): US film producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey, Director James Toback, Producer Brett Ratner, French-Polish director Roman Polanski and comedian Bill Cosby. Combination photo created on November 3, 2017. AFP/Getty Images North America/Yann Coatsaliou, Frederic J. Brown, Tiziana Fabi, Frederick M. Brown, Laurent Emmanuel, Don Emmert
NEW YORK: During her thirties, Kate was groped twice by a colleague, another pressed his leg against her during a meeting and a boss turned h
British actor Ed Westwick poses on arrival for 2016 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA) Tea Party in Beverly Hills, California, January 9, 2016. AFP/Frederic J. Brown/Files
LONDON: The BBC announced Friday it was pulling an Agatha Christie drama from its Christmas schedule after rape allegations were made against one of its stars, British actor Ed Westwick.
"These are serious allegations which Ed Westwick has strenuously denied," a BBC spokesman said.
"The BBC is
US rapper Eminem performs during the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix After Race closing concert at the du Arena on Yas Island, November 4, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana ElHeloueh/Files
NEW YORK: Rap superstar Eminem made his long-awaited return Friday with a strikingly fresh sound ? an introspective ballad that features Beyonce.
Eminem, the top-selling rapper of all time who earned his fame on the back of aggressive beats and lightning-quick rhymes, is accompanied almost entirely by piano and strings on the
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley comments as she arrives for a Security Council meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Files
UNITED NATIONS: The United States hopes that a meeting next week at the United Nations on Venezuela will pave the way to international action to prevent the crisis from turning into a security threat, according to a US document sent to the Security Council on Friday.
US Ambassador Nikki Hale
The then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter attends the 2015 African Cup of Nations final football match between Ivory Coast and Ghana in Bata, February 8, 2015. AFP/Carl de Souza/Files
LISBON: US women's football star Hope Solo accused Sepp Blatter of sexual assault on Friday, claiming the disgraced former FIFA president groped her backside at the 2013 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
The 36-year-old Solo, her country's standout goalkeeper, claimed the 81-year-old Blatter pounced as she was about to present
An empty seat is pictured before a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 15, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Files
UNITED NATIONS: The Saudi-led coalition is still blocking desperately-needed UN aid deliveries to Yemen despite the re-opening of the port of Aden and of a land border crossing, a UN spokesman said Friday.
"Humanitarian movements into Yemen remain blocked," Russell Geekie ? a spokesman for the UN office of humanitarian aid OCHA ? said.
"The reopening o
Image: AFP/Getty Images
CHICAGO: The death penalty will resume in Nebraska for the first time in 20 years, with the US state planning to execute a convicted killer using a new, untested combination of drugs.
State prison officials on Thursday informed Jose Sandoval ? on death row for the murders of five people during a 2002 bank robbery ? of their intention to execute him by lethal injection.
The state intends to use a new drug protocol which could prompt legal challenges, and death penalty o
PARIS: The passionate letters between Albert Camus ? France's Nobel prize-winning author of The Stranger ? and the Spanish actress Maria Casares were published on Friday, casting light for the first time on one of the great love affairs in French literary history.
She was a remarkable and independent-minded actress; he was the most admired writer of his generation, a member of the French Resistance who was living a double life in more ways than one.
More than 860 letters ? burning with desire
The Wall Street bull is seen in the financial district in New York, US, March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Files
NEW YORK: Fears of a delay in President Donald Trump's long-promised corporate tax cuts sent the Dow lower on Friday, ending a two-month winning streak fueled by robust company earnings.
After closing every week higher since September 8, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2 percent to end the week at 23,422.21.
Meanwhile, the broader S&P 500 fell less than a tenth
European Parliament member Terry Reintke (C) holds a placard with the hashtag "MeToo" during a debate to discuss preventive measures against sexual harassment and abuse in the EU at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/Files
Following the global efforts to crack down on sexual harassment and misconduct, South Asia has also started to emerge as a major region where such incidents are common.
In this regard, India is reaching out to women in
Lebanon's Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk talks after closing the polling stations during Beirut's municipal elections in the Interior ministry in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/Files
BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia said on Friday a Saudi citizen had been kidnapped in Lebanon, a country with which it is in a diplomatic crisis.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain have advised their citizens against travelling to Lebanon and urged those already there t
Harvey Weinstein arrives on the red carpet for the 88th Oscars in Hollywood, California, February 28, 2016. AFP/Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Files
An intelligence firm that reportedly helped Harvey Weinstein gather information on women accusing him of sexual harassment and assault is sorry for agreeing to work with the Hollywood producer, a company official said on Thursday.
The New Yorker said Weinstein had hired Black Cube ? an Israel-based firm that markets itself as a group of ex-members of intel
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is seen on a video screen as he addresses his supporters in Beirut, Lebanon, November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
BEIRUT/PARIS: Hezbollah?s leader said on Friday that Saudi Arabia had declared war on Lebanon and his Iran-backed group, accusing Riyadh of detaining Saad al-Hariri and forcing him to resign as Lebanon?s prime minister to destabilize the country.
France became the first Western country to indicate that Saudi Arabia was holding Hariri agains
SANAA: The Saudi-led military coalition carried out two air strikes on the defence ministry in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa late Friday, witnesses said.
Warplanes continued to circle in the skies above Sanaa after the strikes, witnesses said.
The Huthi rebel media outlet Al-Masirah also reported the two air strikes.
