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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Prior to the start of the Panama Papers case, opposition leaders addressed the media outside the Supreme Court on Monday.

    Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid ? one of the petitioners in the original Panama Papers case ? addressed the media saying the entire nation stands behind the apex court. ?I?ll first see what the court says before submitting another petition to disqualify Nawaz Sharif,? he said.
    Following Rashid, Pakistan Muslim League-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain spoke to the media. He said the Supreme Court is doing what the Parliament should have done.
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi also addressed the media after Hussain. He said PTI is among other opposition parties that are demanding the resignation of the prime minister. "The government?s strategy since day one has been to delay the proceedings," he said while answering a question.
    Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, one of the petitioners in the case, said there is no hidden agenda here, the nation only wants a corruption-free country. "Nawaz Sharif has to go now, there is no other way. We want no one in Parliament who does not adhere to articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution," he said.
    MQM-Pakistan chief Farooq Sattar said the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not have the high moral ground after the JIT report and should resign. Sattar added this was a test for intuitions, parliament and political parties.
    The JI chief said they are hopeful that after this case, rule of law will be equal for all and others named in the Panama Leaks will be brought to book as well.
    The Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT), formed in light of the apex court?s April 20 judgment to probe the Sharif family?s money trail, submitted its 60-day investigation report to the court on July 10.
    The report highlighted the failure of the Sharif family to provide a money trail for its London apartments and claimed the prime minister and his children own assets beyond their known sources of income.
    Following the report's submission, the special bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, issued notices to all parties to submit their responses. 


  2. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Sharif family submitted its objections on the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report to the apex court, sources said on Monday.

    The Sharif family's reply, submitted ahead of the hearing, states that the Sharif family rejects the JIT report and claims the investigators worked beyond their mandate. The response pleads that the report be nullified, sources revealed further. 
    Sources said further that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, one of the respondents in the case, also submitted his reply ? raising objections to the JIT report ? to the court.
    Strict security measures are in place in and around the Supreme Court in light of the much-anticipated hearing.

    Around 700 policemen, along with Rangers personnel and officials of the local administration, have been deployed for the hearing.
    The proceedings began a little after 9:30am. 
    The JIT, formed in light of the apex court?s April 20 judgment to probe the Sharif family?s money trail, submitted its 60-day investigation report to the court on July 10. 
    The report highlighted the failure of the Sharif family to provide a money trail for its London apartments and claimed the prime minister and his children own assets beyond their known sources of income.
    Following the report's submission, the special bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, issued notices to all parties to submit their responses. 
    Strict security measures were also seen around the Federal Judicial Academy, that served as the JIT secretariat, which led credence to reports that the six JIT members could also be attending today's hearing.
    Politicians from across the spectrum arrived at the apex court ahead of the high-profile hearing. 
    Media talks 
    Informally beginning the day?s events, Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rashid ? one of the petitioners in the original Panama Papers case ? addressed the media saying the entire nation stands behind the apex court. ?I?ll first see what the court says before submitting another petition to disqualify Nawaz Sharif,? he said.
    PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressing the media before the hearing. Photo: Geo News Following Rashid, Pakistan Muslim League-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain spoke to the media. He said the Supreme Court is doing what the Parliament should have done.  
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi also addressed the media after Hussain. He said PTI is among other opposition parties that are demanding the resignation of the prime minister. "The government?s strategy since day one has been to delay the proceedings," he said while answering a question.
    Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, one of the petitioners in the case, said there is no hidden agenda here, the nation only wants a corruption-free country. "Nawaz Sharif has to go now, there is no other way. We want no one in Parliament who does not adhere to articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution," he said.  
    The JI chief said they are hopeful that after this case, rule of law will be equal for all and others named in the Panama Leaks will be brought to book as well. 

    State Water and Power Minister Abid Sher Ali addressing the media. Photo: Geo News State minister Abid Sher Ali claimed the JIT has concoctions, not facts-based evidence. He criticised Sheikh Rashid?s political career, highlighting his role with as Nawaz Sharif?s aide before the Pervez Musharraf government.
    ?God willing the apex court will decide the case on merit and not on Imran Khan?s wishes,? he said, adding that despite whatever happened ?we respect the honourable judges?. 
    PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said it is not in Pakistan?s interest for the premier to stay in office for another day. ?It seems now the resignation will not be given but taken,? he added. 

    July 10 hearing
    At the last hearing, the bench also sought from the government transcripts of speeches made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Talal Chaudhry, Prime Minister?s Political Secretary Asif Kirmani and Railways Minister Saad Rafique. Sources said those transcripts have been submitted to the apex court.
    Panama case JIT submits final probe report in Supreme Court
    The JIT has spent over 60 days in its probe into the Sharif family's money trail
    The special bench had also issued contempt of court notices to the editor, publisher and a reporter of The News directing them to submit their response in seven days.
    Moreover, the bench directed the JIT head Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director Wajid Zia to publicly reveal the name of the person who leaked the interrogation picture of the premier?s son, Hussain Nawaz. On June 3, a picture of Hussain appearing before the JIT on May 28 was leaked to the media. In response, the JIT informed the court that it had taken action against the responsible official within 24 hours of the leak and sent him back to his parent department where action was taken against him.
    The identity of the official has still not been made public.
    Regarding Hussain?s plea to form a commission to probe his picture leak, the court, on July 10, left the matter to the government.





  3. Waqas Dar
    The identity of the new Doctor was revealed in a trailer broadcast at the end of the Wimbledon men's singles final. Photo: BBC BBC has made history with the selection of actress Jodie Whittaker as the new time lord for its cult-series Doctor Who.

    Jodie Whittaker, star of British crime drama Broadchurch, succeeds Peter Capaldi, who became a Doctor in 2013.
    The identity of the new Doctor was revealed in a trailer broadcast at the end of the Wimbledon men's singles final.
    "It feels completely overwhelming; as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you're told you can and can't be," said Whittaker while speaking to BBC. "It feels incredible."
    "I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change," Whittaker added. "The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one."
    Throughout the show, strong female characters have made their mark?Michelle Gomez's The Master and Alex Kingston's River Song to companions like Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rose (Billie Piper) ? yet no woman has ever portrayed the role of the Doctor. 


  4. Waqas Dar
    Fan shares happy moments on Wimbledon court after being invited by Clijsters. Photo: BBC The fan who rose to fame overnight after being invited onto the Wimbledon court by tennis star Kim Clijsters is planning to auction the skirt she gave him for charity.
    Chris Quinn, a father of three from Wicklow, Ireland, was brought onto the court after he shouted advice to the four-time Grand Slam winner that she should make a ?body serve?.
    In the hilarious few minutes that followed, Clijsters, who was playing in the Ladies? Invitation Doubles, invited the man to join her.
    But there was one tiny problem: Wimbledon?s strict code requires that every player wear all-white and Quinn was clearly in breach of the rules. So Clijsters resolved the situation by taking out a spare white skirt from her tennis bag and tried to pull it over the fan, just as she collapsed laughing onto the court.

    Quinn later took to Twitter to thank Clijsters for ?making him a bigger hero? to his three daughters who are big fans of the Belgian star.
    Clijsters graciously replied, saying it was nice meeting him.
    Quinn kept the skirt she gave him and will put it up for auction to raise money for charity.


  6. Waqas Dar
    At least one person has been killed and dozens injured in clashes between police and residents of a Nile island in Cairo, when security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, the ministry of Interior said in a statement.
    The violence erupted when police arrived at al-Warraq island on Sunday morning to eradicate encroachments on state-owned land, the statement said.
    "The forces were surprised by demonstrations by some of the trespassers, who had assaulted the forces by firing birdshots and throwing stones ... Which pushed the forces to fire teargas to disperse the protesters and to control the situation," the statement added.
    At least 37 policemen and 19 residents were injured in the clashes, the statement said. Security forces withdrew from the scene to minimise losses, a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, told Reuters.
    "The mission failed from A-Z ... there hasn't been proper coordination," he said.
    The island residents say they built their houses on this land over 30 years ago.
    "We were born on this island ... we have proof of ownership, our parents were born here.. they want to give it to the Emirates to build hotels," said Marzouk Hany, 20, butcher, as he was marching along with hundreds in the funeral of the man who was killed.
    In May Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi began a campaign to demolish thousands of buildings that were alleged to have been illegally built on state-owned land.
    "There are islands in the Nile ... according to the law no one should be present on these islands," Sisi said in a speech in June. He ordered the authorities to make it a priority to reclaim the islands in the same speech.
    About 90 thousand people live on the 1300 acres al-Warraq island, said Mahmoud Jaffar Salman, a former member of parliament to Giza, which the island is part of.


  7. Waqas Dar
    George A. Romero, creator of the zombie film genre with "Night of the Living Dead" and a series of sequels that left a lasting impact on horror movies, died of lung cancer in a Toronto hospital on Sunday, his business partner said. He was 77.
    Romero wrote and directed the 1968 classic, in which the dead come back to life and eat the flesh of the living, and five sequels including the 1978 box office hit "Dawn of the Dead."
    "A true legend," actor Kumail Nanjiani said on Twitter. "Started a new genre on his own. Who else can claim that?"
    Besides the horror of flesh-eating zombies, the "Dead" films featured the theme of people who panic while under siege, turning on each other instead of uniting against their common enemy.
    Romero, who was born in the Bronx borough of New York, was drawn to telling stories about monsters that are familiar to the people they terrorise, said his business partner, Peter Grunwald.
    "They're not crazy, fantastical monsters. They're our neighbours, our relatives, our friends. They're kind of scarier for that, scarier than big, special effects, sci-fi monsters," Grunwald said.
    Romero influenced a generation of filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez and the late Wes Craven, according to Grunwald.
    Romero owned a small commercial production company when he convinced nine others to put up a small amount of money to finance "Night of the Living Dead," Grunwald said.
    Originally called "Night of the Flesh Eaters," the title was changed by the film's distributor, Walter Reade. Somehow, no copyright protection was filed after the name change, putting "Night of the Living Dead" into the public domain and allowing anyone to distribute it for free.
    Romero told The New York Times in 2016 that many more people saw the movie as result, "keeping the film alive."
    Made for an estimated $114,000, the black-and-white film has grossed some $30 million worldwide, according to the internet movie database site IMDb.com. "Dawn of the Dead" grossed $55 million worldwide, the website said.
    Commercial success "allowed him to make movies on his own terms," Grunwald said.
    Other sequels included "Day of the Dead" in 1985, "Land of the Dead" in 2005, "Diary of the Dead" in 2007 and "Survival of the Dead" in 2009, all which Romero directed.
    He also directed the vampire movie "Martin" in 1978 and collaborated with Stephen King on the 1982 film "Creepshow" and directed "The Dark Half," based on a King novel, in 1993.


  8. Waqas Dar
    South Korea on Monday offered to hold rare military talks with the North, aiming to ease tensions after Pyongyang tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile.
    The offer of talks, the first since South Korea elected dovish President Moon Jae-In, came as the Red Cross in Seoul proposed a separate meeting to discuss reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
    The South's defence ministry proposed a meeting to be held on Friday at the border truce village of Panmunjom, while the Red Cross offered to hold talks on August 1 at the same venue.
    If the government meeting goes ahead, it will mark the first official inter-Korea talks since December 2015. Moon's conservative predecessor, Park Geun-Hye, had refused to engage in substantive dialogue with Pyongyang unless the isolated regime made a tangible commitment to denuclearisation.
    "We make the proposal for a meeting... aimed at stopping all hostile activities that escalate military tension along the land border," the defence ministry said in a statement.
    The Red Cross said it hoped for "a positive response" from its counterpart in the North, hoping to hold family reunions in early October. If realised, they would be the first in two years.
    Millions of families were separated by the conflict that sealed the division of the two countries. Many died without getting a chance to see or hear from their families on the other side of the heavily-fortified border, across which all civilian communication is banned.
    With the passage of time, the number of survivors has diminished, with only around 60,000 left in the South.
    Moon, who took power in May, has advocated dialogue with the nuclear-armed North as a means of bringing it to the negotiating table as tensions soar over its weapons ambitions.
    But Pyongyang has staged a series of missile launches in violation of UN resolutions, most recently on July 4 when it test-fired its first ICBM, a move which triggered global alarm and a push by President Donald Trump to impose harsher UN sanctions on the country.


  9. Waqas Dar
    China posted better-than-expected growth in the second quarter, official data showed on Monday, but authorities warned that the world's second largest economy faces external and internal risks.
    The economy expanded by 6.9 percent, the same as the first three months of the year, according to the statistics bureau, and better than the 6.8 percent growth forecast by analysts polled by AFP.
    "The national economy has maintained the momentum of steady and sound development in the first half of 2017, laying a solid foundation for achieving the annual target and better performance," national statistics bureau spokesman Xing Zhihong said.
    "However, we must be aware that there are still many unstable and uncertain factors abroad and long-term structural contradictions remain prominent at home," Xing told reporters.
    Debt-fuelled investment in infrastructure and real estate has underpinned China's growth for years but warnings of a potential financial crisis have spurred Beijing to clamp down.
    In the latest alert, Fitch Ratings on Friday said China's growing debt could trigger "economic and financial shocks" even as it maintained its A-plus rating for the country.
    That follows Moody's decision in May to downgrade China for the first time in almost three decades on concerns over its ballooning credit and slowing growth.
    President Xi Jinping called for tougher regulations to crack down on financial risks during a National Financial Work Conference, which sets the tone for reforms, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
    The government will continue to deleverage the economy through prudent monetary policy and by reducing leverage in state-owned enterprises, Xi said.
    The conference showed that authorities will intensify financial regulation "unprecedentedly, through a much more centralised and empowered organisational set-up," ANZ's chief China economist Raymond Yeung said in a note.
    "Debt reduction will become an important consideration in monetary policy," Yeung said.
    Despite the economic deleveraging, however, "we do not think this event will trigger an immediate monetary tightening."
    Analysts expect that tighter restrictions on property purchases and bank lending will continue to weigh on the economy in the months ahead.
    But a sharp slowdown in the second half is unlikely as policy makers prepare for an important Communist Party congress later this year that will likely make Xi the most powerful leader in a generation.
    "It is therefore highly probable that authorities will use the resources and policy tools at their disposal to ensure a positive economic outcome," Citibank said in a note.
    The government has trimmed its 2017 GDP growth target to around 6.5 percent, after it expanded by 6.7 percent in 2016 -- its slowest rate in more than a quarter of a century.
    Despite growing concerns about China's financial risks, Premier Li Keqiang said last month that the country could reach this year's economic growth targets.
    Last quarter's growth momentum had continued into the current one, he said, noting that traditional economic indicators such as power generation and consumption, and new business orders had increased "significantly".


  10. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump, fresh from a political holiday in Paris, went back on the offensive Sunday as a new poll showed his popularity dropping amid doubts about Russian election meddling and deepening frustrations over stalled health-care legislation.
    In a tweet early Sunday, Trump used some of his toughest language against a favoured target, the press, saying: "With all of its phony unnamed sources & highly slanted & even fraudulent reporting, #Fake News is DISTORTING DEMOCRACY in our country!"
    Trump also sent one of his private lawyers, Jay Sekulow, onto five Sunday talk shows to argue that there was nothing illegal about son Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting last year with a Russian attorney following a promise of damaging information on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
    "What took place at the meeting... is not a violation of any law, statute or code," Sekulow told NBC. He repeated an earlier assertion that Trump is not the subject of any current investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt last year's election in the Republican's favour.
    Poll drop

    The concerted pushback came as a Washington Post-ABC News poll near the six-month point in Trump's administration showed him facing significantly declining approval ratings, down from 42 percent in April to 36 percent today.
    Similarly, the president's disapproval rating has jumped five points to 58 percent, according to the survey of 1,001 adults.
    Trump responded to the survey in a tweet, saying: "The ABC/Washington Post Poll, even though almost 40% is not bad at this time, was just about the most inaccurate poll around election time!"
    Nearly half of respondents -- 48 percent -- said they "disapprove strongly" of the president's performance in office, a low level never reached by ex-presidents Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, both Democrats, and reached only once by George W. Bush, during his second term.
    And 48 percent said they saw American global leadership weakening since Trump entered the White House, while 27 percent said it is stronger.
    That would seem to show mixed results, at best, from a series of high-profile foreign visits by Trump, including to Saudi Arabia and to a Group of 20 meeting in Germany, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's Bastille Day visit to Paris came a day after the poll ended.
    Two-thirds of respondents said they do not trust Trump, or trust him only somewhat, in negotiating with foreign leaders.
    Republicans' legislative struggles may also be weighing on Trump's popularity. Twice as many of those surveyed preferred the Obamacare health program as favoured Republican plans to replace it.
    The US Senate will "defer" its work on repealing Obamacare for a week as senior lawmaker John McCain recovers from blood-clot surgery, the chamber's Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said Saturday. The repeal effort is opposed by all Democrats, and the loss of a single Republican vote could doom it.
    Parisian respite

    Trump had seemed to revel in his brief Parisian respite from all the talk of Russia and health care. He and President Emmanuel Macron reviewed a pomp-filled Bastille Day military parade and dined in a posh restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.
    The US president then spent two days playing maitre d' to professional female golfers taking part in a tournament at his Bedminster course in New Jersey. Wearing his signature red "Make America Great Again" hat, the president waved to cheering onlookers Sunday as he entered a glass-enclosed viewing booth.
    Trump was due to fly back to Washington in the evening.
    But his return brings him straight back into the intensifying storm over his campaign's contacts with Russia.
    Even some erstwhile supporters seem to be troubled by the Russia contacts of Trump's son and advisers, and by the administration's shifting explanations.
    Shepard Smith, an anchor on Fox, a network that has often been in lock-step with the Trump White House, accused the administration of "mind-boggling deception." He added, "If there's nothing there, and that's what they tell us, why all these lies?"
    And key Democrats, like Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee investigating Russian meddling, have expressed deep skepticism over administration attempts to gloss over the Trump Jr. meeting.
    News of the meeting was "very troubling," said Warner. "Clearly this administration has not been forthcoming."
    He told a CBS interviewer he wanted to hear from everyone who attended the meeting -- which would include Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and former campaign head Paul Manafort -- adding that the recent revelation "obviously moves our whole investigation to another level."




  11. Waqas Dar
    Martin Landau, a star of the 1960s television series "Mission: Impossible" who made a late-career comeback with an Academy Award-winning performance in the 1994 film "Ed Wood," died on Saturday at age 89, his publicist said on Sunday.
    Landau died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles from unexpected complications during a short hospitalisation for an undisclosed illness, publicist Dick Guttman said in a statement.
    Landau won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of horror movie star Bela Lugosi in the Tim Burton film "Ed Wood." He had been nominated for an Academy Award twice before, first for his performance in Francis Coppola's "Tucker" and again for Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors."




  12. Waqas Dar
    AT&T Inc will run its wireless and DirecTV satellite television businesses separately from Time Warner Inc's media assets following its $85.4 billion (65 billion pounds) acquisition of the entertainment group, a source told Reuters on Friday.
    Buying Time Warner gives AT&T control of cable TV channels HBO and CNN, film studio Warner Bros and other coveted media assets. AT&T's post-merger plans were earlier reported by Bloomberg News.
    The deal, announced in October, is seen as a bold move by the telecommunications giant to acquire content to stream over its network. AT&T hopes the programming will give it a competitive edge in a saturated wireless market. The deal also brings a wealth of user data for more targeted advertising.
    The reorganisation will leave AT&T executives in charge of the combined company. John Stankey, who currently leads DirecTV and other entertainment businesses, will head up the media division and John Donovan, AT&T's chief strategy officer who oversees technology and operations, will run the wireless business, the source said.reorganization will leave AT&T executives in charge of the combined company. John Stankey, who currently leads DirecTV and other entertainment businesses, will head up the media division and John Donovan, AT&T's chief strategy officer who oversees technology and operations, will run the wireless business, the source said.
    AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson will remain chairman and CEO of the combined company after the deal closes, an AT&T spokesman said.
    In an emailed statement, AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook said no decisions on an organizational structure have been finalised and that Stephenson and Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes were still working on them. Time Warner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.organizational structure have been finalised and that Stephenson and Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes were still working on them. Time Warner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    Bob Quinn, AT&T senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs, told reporters this week that the company expects to close the merger by the end of the year. ?We are just working through the process,? Quinn said, noting it also needs approvals from some international agencies and the US Justice Department.
    ?All indications are that end of the year is definitely in reach.? He declined to weigh in on whether the White House could seek to intervene in the merger as some reports have suggested, citing anonymous White House aides.
    US President Donald Trump has been critical of Time Warner's news division CNN in recent months, calling the outlet "fake news". He had also expressed opposition to the merger during his election campaign.
    A group of Senate Democrats including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Al Franken had also urged the Justice Department last month to closely scrutinize the deal.


  13. Waqas Dar
    At least nine people were killed and 10 others seriously injured Sunday when a gas tank exploded at a fuel complex in southeastern Nigeria, state police said.
    There was no immediate explanation for the blast at a facility belonging to Nigerian firm Linc Oil and Gas at Calabar, said Hafiz Inuwa, in charge of the Cross River State Police Command.
    The police chief, speaking at the scene, said the facility´s manager had not yet explained "what led to the explosion".
    "For now, nine people are confirmed dead and many others who sustained different burns are currently receiving treatment" in a local hospital, he added.
    "The figure could be more than nine, while at least 10 persons sustained various degrees of life-threatening injuries," a worker at the facility told AFP on condition of anonymity, after the early morning blast.
    Fuel explosions are common in Nigeria, Africa´s biggest oil producer and the continent´s most populous country, where it is transported on badly-maintained roads by trucks in a poor state of repair.
    Accidents occur regularly when pipelines are damaged by looters stealing crude oil.




  14. Waqas Dar
    Gunmen in Venezuela shot into a crowd of voters on Sunday, activists said, killing one woman and wounding three others during an unofficial referendum organised by the opposition to push for an end to two decades of socialist rule.
    The opposition Democratic Unity coalition said a pro-government "paramilitary" gang opened fire in Caracas' poor neighbourhood of Catia, where thousands were participating in the opposition event. Video footage showed people scattering as gunshots rang out, many taking sanctuary inside a church.
    "The day was stained by the killing of a Venezuelan woman who protesting and exercising her rights," said opposition leader Freddy Guevara of the killing of Xiomara Escot. "But violence cannot hide what has happened. The people are not afraid and are clear in their decision."
    Sunday's symbolic poll, which asked voters' opinion on President Nicolas Maduro's plan for a controversial new congress, was aimed at denting his legitimacy further amid a crippling economic crisis and months of anti-government protests in which some 100 people have been killed.
    Maduro, 54, has denounced the plebiscite as illegal and meaningless. Instead, the former bus driver and union leader is campaigning for an official July 30 vote in support of the proposed new assembly, which would have the power to rewrite the constitution and dissolve state institutions.
    The opposition cast Sunday's unofficial referendum as an act of civil disobedience that will be followed by "zero hour," a possible reference to a national strike or other escalated actions against the president.
    Lines formed early at makeshift polling stations at theatres, sports fields, and traffic circles in the oil-rich nation of 30 million as Venezuelans furious over food shortages and rampant inflation sought to make their voices heard.
    There was a festive atmosphere under the Caribbean sun in most places, with people blasting music, honking car horns, waving Venezuelan flags, and chanting "Yes we can!"
    More than five million people had cast ballots at 2,000 centres, the opposition said, as voting was extended into early evening so everyone still waiting in line could have their say.
    "Maduro has done everything very badly, and now, via a fraudulent constituent assembly, he wants to gain time, but his time is up," said shopkeeper Rafael Betancourt, voting in late leftist leader Hugo Chavez' home state of Barinas, which has flipped to the opposition.
    "This is the proof that the people will kick out whoever submits us to hunger and despair," he added, as hundreds waited to cast their ballot.
    Crowds gathered to vote in other former "Chavista" strongholds too, such as the poor slums of Caracas.
    Despite a strong turnout, the opposition vote does not appear to augur a short-term change of government or a solution to the country's political stalemate.
    Voters were asked if they reject the proposed new assembly, whether they want the armed forces to defend the existing constitution, and if they want elections before Maduro's term in office ends in 2018.
    Diaspora Votes
    The vote also included participation by swelling ranks of Venezuelans who have moved abroad, from Miami to Madrid, to escape the OPEC nation's dire economy.
    Some public employees in Venezuela, under government pressure not to participate in opposition events, sought creative ways to vote without being noticed, such as travelling across town or even going in disguise.
    The opposition promised results by Sunday evening.
    But they could not use the country's electoral infrastructure for the hastily convened vote. The elections council -- which the opposition calls a pawn of Maduro -- was simultaneously holding a test-run for the July 30 vote.
    Also, state telecommunications regulator Conatel ordered radio and TV stations not to use the word "plebiscite" on air and told them to pull opposition ads for the vote, according to Venezuela's main organisation of media workers.
    There were also lines for the July 30th test run in Caracas on Sunday, though the mood was notably more subdued than at the opposition polling stations.
    "We poor are going to be represented now," said retirement home worker Iraiz Alfonzo, 45, as she stood in line for the assembly vote test run.
    A high opposition turnout would reflect widespread national dissatisfaction with Maduro and bolster the campaign to remove him, while low attendance would give the ruling Socialist Party a boost for the constitutional assembly.
    In a phone call to state TV, Maduro acknowledged the opposition event but called it an "internal consultation."
    "I urge the opposition: 'Don't go crazy, calm down.' As president of the republic, I make a call for peace," he said.
    Sunday's referendum came against the backdrop of near daily anti-government protests. Masked youths with stones, Molotov cocktails and homemade mortars have battled riot forces using tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets since April.
    The unrest has resulted in fatalities among both demonstrators, government supporters and security forces, mostly from gunshots, as well as hundreds of arrests and thousands of injuries.
    Maduro has refused to recognise the authority of the National Assembly since the opposition won control of it in a 2015 landslide election, which his critics call evidence he is eroding democratic institutions in order to retain power.
    He says the country is the victim of an "economic war" and that opposition protests are an effort to overthrow him with US connivance, which the United States has denied.


  15. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: A bystander was shot dead during an attempted robbery at a shop in Korangi, while the shopkeeper killed the robber in retaliatory fire.
    According to police, armed suspects attempted to rob a milk shop in Korangi.
    While extorting, robbers opened fire; killing a bystander as a result.
    The shopkeeper responded by firing at the robbers; one of the robbers was killed, whereas his two accomplices were able to flee the scene.
    Police also recovered a pistol from the deceased suspect.


  16. Waqas Dar
    Hashim Amla helped South Africa pile on the runs to leave England facing what would be a record-breaking chase in the second Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday.
    South Africa set England 474 to win after declaring their second innings on 343 for nine late on the third day.
    The most made by any side to win in the fourth innings of a Test is the West Indies' 418 for seven against Australia at St John's, Antigua, in 2002/03.
    England's corresponding record is 332 for seven against Australia at Melbourne back in 1928/29.
    On Sunday, England were left with a tricky four overs' batting before stumps.
    South Africa nearly had a wicket with the very first ball when Alastair Cook was given out lbw to Morne Morkel.
    But Cook immediately reviewed umpire Paul Reiffel's decision and, with replays indicating the ball would have gone over the stumps, the former Australia paceman's verdict was overturned.
    Cook and fellow left-hander Keaton Jennings survived to both be nought not out at the close, with England one for none courtesy of a leg bye.
    Earlier Amla, so often a thorn in England's side, made 87 -- his second fifty of the match.
    Opener Dean Elgar (80) and returning captain Faf du Plessis (63) were also among the runs as the Proteas, 1-0 behind in the four-match series after a 211-run defeat in the first Test at Lord's last week, cemented their already strong position in this match.
    'Character'

    "I have a big smile on my face but there is a long road to go," Elgar told Sky Sports.
    "Our message after Lord's was that we hadn't become bad players overnight and that we should clear our minds and put those bad thoughts to bed," added Elgar, the stand-in skipper at the 'home of cricket' after du Plessis was absent following the birth of his first child.
    "We have a lot of character and we wanted to show it."
    Meanwhile England bowling coach Ottis Gibson said: "It is a great game to win from here. You have to give a lot of credit to South Africa."
    The Proteas resumed on 75 for one.
    Elgar was 38 not out and Amla 23 not out, with England desperately needing early wickets after yet another batting collapse left them 130 runs adrift on first innings.
    Stuart Broad, on his Nottinghamshire home ground, produced an excellent delivery to Amla, on 25, which carried to wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow.
    England appealed half-heartedly and decided against reviewing Australian umpire Simon Fry's not out decision, only for replays to show a nick.
    Elgar had a reprieve on 55 when a thick edge off Broad flew high to gully where a diving James Anderson so nearly held a spectacular catch.
    But Elgar, who had demonstrated a resilience and ability to soak up pressure so far lacking among England's top three in this match, eventually fell when he took his eye off a Ben Stokes bouncer and tamely mis-hooked to Anderson at backward square leg.
    England bowled tightly either side of lunch but with South Africa long in command, their batsmen had no need to take undue risks.
    Closing in on what would have been his 27th Test century and seventh against England, Amla -- who made 78 in the first innings -- fell 13 short this time around.
    Trying to whip left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, whom he'd earlier hit for a straight six to complete his fifty, Amla was struck on the pad.
    Reiffel rejected the lbw appeal but England's review was successful and Amla -- who made South Africa's Test record 311 not out against England at The Oval in 2012 -- was out.
    It was the end of a near five-hour innings of 180 balls including 14 fours and that lone six.
    Du Plessis saw his patient vigil of 128 balls, including nine fours, end when he was lbw to Stokes with the new ball.
    But Vernon Philander, with grey clouds having given way to blue skies, slog-swept sixes off two successive deliveries from Moeen Ali before the off-spinner caught and bowled him for 42 to prompt du Plessis's declaration.


  17. Waqas Dar
    New release "War for the Planet of the Apes" won this weekend's war for box office supremacy in North America, riding on strong reviews and ever more natural-looking apes to take in an estimated $56.5 million.
    The Fox/Chemin Entertainment production managed to outdraw "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which fell by more than half from its opening three-day weekend to pull in $45.2 million, website Exhibitor Relations reported.
    "War," directed by Matt Reeves, tells the continuing story of how intelligent primate Caesar (Andy Serkis) and other apes battle the forces led by an evil human dictator (Woody Harrelson). The film, made for $150 million, scored a glowing 94 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes site.
    Its closest weekend competition, Sony's "Spider-Man," draws a similarly strong 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Tom Holland as a young Peter Parker, ably mentored by Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man as he takes on bad guy Vulture (Michael Keaton).
    In third place was "Despicable Me 3," far behind at $18.9 million. In Universal's animated offering, Steve Carell stars as the voice of bad guy-turned-protagonist Gru -- and his twin brother Dru, while Kristen Wiig voices Gru's wife Lucy and "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker plays villain Balthazar Bratt.
    The film has done much better overseas than at home, according to Hollywood Reporter, which says its global gross of $519.4 million includes a whopping $113.6 million from viewers in China.
    Placing fourth was Sony's heist thriller "Baby Driver," with Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in our Stars") starring as a gifted getaway driver with a hearing problem. It netted $8.8 million.
    And in a surprising fifth place among the big-studio blockbusters was independent rom-com "The Big Sick" from Lionsgate, taking in $7.6 million in its first week in wide release.
    "Sick" stars Kumail Nanjiani in the semi-autobiographical role of a Pakistani-American stand-up comic who resists his parents' insistent efforts to find a wife for him, and instead falls in love with comedy-club customer Emily, played by Zoe Kazan.
    The film, co-written by Nanjiani and the real-life Emily, his wife, rates a resounding 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and is credited by the New York Times with no less than "revitalising an often moribund subgenre with a true story of love, death and ...everyday comedy."
    Rounding out the top 10 were:
    "Wonder Woman" ($6.9 million)
    "Wish Upon" ($5.6 million)
    "Cars 3" ($3.2 million)
    "Transformers: The Last Knight" ($2.8 million)
    "The House" ($1.8 million)


  18. Waqas Dar
    Germany has for years longed for a stronger French partner, but may have got more than it bargained for as the self-confident Emmanuel Macron takes Europe's spotlight.
    Striking images from Paris this week offered signs of how Europe's de-facto leadership has started to mutate in the two months since Macron took office.
    The 39-year-old French president welcomed US President Donald Trump to Paris for dinner in the Eiffel Tower and the traditional July 14 military parade.
    The smiles and glad-handing between the two men contrasts starkly with Trump's dour relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
    The abiding image thus far has been his apparent refusal to shake her hand on her first Washington visit following his inauguration -- and the tensions remained on display at this month's G20 summit in Hamburg which Merkel chaired.
    Macron has also reached eastwards, hosting Russian leader Vladimir Putin amid the spectacular surroundings of Versailles in late May.
    Macron is showing that "France is back in the game," said Jean-Dominique Giuliani of the Robert Schuman foundation, a specialist European think-tank.
    "There's a rebalancing -- which was necessary -- of the relationship with Germany," he added.
    Leader of the free world?

    Merkel until recently was alone on the European stage -- even being hailed as the new "leader of the free world" by some English-language media after 2016 that brought Brexit and Trump's shock election victory.
    In typically German fashion, the chancellor herself has never laid claim to leadership in Europe -- a position that would instantly trigger dark accusations about the country's past.
    If she had the mantle of leadership cast upon her, it was partly because of the lack of a plausible counterweight in France, which for decades partnered Germany as Europe's political dynamo.
    Struggling economically compared with a thriving Germany and led by the unpopular Francois Hollande, France was long eclipsed by its neighbour.
    Britain, the EU's other major actor, quit the field of play with a referendum vote last year to leave the bloc.
    Elsewhere, Poland's voice holds less sway as it faces accusations of drifting towards authoritarianism, while Spain and Italy remain economically anaemic.
    Macron's arrival in the Elysee Palace as a committed pro-European has roused hopes of a return to the Franco-German double act, which forged European integration and created the world's biggest trade bloc.
    But his vibrant personal style and showcasing of France have also caused some to ask if he would really prefer to be solo.
    "The Germans were surprised when Trump's visit to Paris was announced," a diplomatic source told AFP.
    "Macron wants to use this gesture to flatter the American president and make a name for himself as leader of Europe," commented German magazine Der Spiegel in this week's edition.
    By comparison, Merkel has opted for a somewhat tougher course with Trump, criticising the protectionist rhetoric that brought him to power and his decision to abandon the Paris climate accords.
    Relationship test

    Macron, too, has been an open critic of Trump's policies, especially on climate.
    However, he "didn't greet Trump by rolling his eyes and giving a sermon like Chancellor Merkel at the G20, but with a spectacular military parade, with dinner at the Eiffel Tower, with friendly words and much manly back-slapping," commented Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung.
    "It suggests that Macron could become the EU's top diplomat, displacing Merkel from a role she never really wanted," the paper continued.
    For now, bashing the US president -- a massively unpopular figure in Germany -- serves Merkel's domestic political purposes ahead of parliamentary elections in September, when she hopes for re-election to a fourth term.
    And a more balanced power arrangement is a relief to Germany, conditioned by its Nazi past to shy away from sole leadership in Europe.
    Macron and Merkel may have conflicting styles, but right now this does not appear to affect the substance of European leadership.
    Both are wedded to the goal of consolidating the European Union, which faces internal stress from nationalism and the external challenges posed by Brexit and the "America First" Trump.
    But their relationship will face a critical test after the German elections, when talks on reforming the euro single currency build up steam.
    At that point, potentially deep divisions between Berlin and Paris are likely to emerge -- and it will take more than media-friendly images and rhetoric to bridge them.


  19. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Frontier Corps (FC) on Sunday repulsed a terrorist attack in Zhob, Balochistan, leaving four terrorists dead, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

    Terrorists attacked Shoaib Nikka post in Qamar Din Kerez area of Zhob with machine guns and rockets late last night, the ISPR stated.
    Recovered ammunition that had belonged to deceased terrorists. ? ISPR The machine gun used by terrorists to fire on the checkpost. ? ISPR FC troops timely responded to the attack and a heavy exchange of fire took place between the two sides, the statement read.
    An AK-47 rifle lies on the ground at the scene of gunbattle. ? ISPR The gunbattle left four terrorists dead, it added. 


  20. Waqas Dar
    "You're in such good shape," Trump was filmed on Thursday telling her during his first state visit to France SYDNEY: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Sunday criticised comments by US President Donald Trump on French first lady Brigitte Macron's appearance.
    "You're in such good shape," Trump was filmed on Thursday telling her during his first state visit to France.
    "I wonder if she could say the same of him?" Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, when asked whether she would be flattered or offended if the comment were directed at her.
    "I'd be taken aback, I think. It's a rather interesting comment to make," she said.
    Bishop declined further comment on the Paris remark, but added an unprompted observation on Trump's use of social media, saying she wouldn't "run a commentary on his Twitter account".
    The criticism follows an acrimonious January telephone call between Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, when the American hung up after 25 minutes rather than the scheduled hour, according to the Washington Post.
    In June, the relationship between the two countries hit the spotlight again, after the release of a leaked tape of Turnbull mocking Trump at an off-the-record media event.
    But the two leaders "get along great," Trump had declared in May, following his first-face-to-face meeting with Turnbull.


  21. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Egypt defeated Pakistan in the four-day international squash series 3-2, the final match of which was witnessed by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at Mushaf Ali Mir Squash Complex Islamabad on Sunday.

    In the last two matches of the series played on Sunday, Pakistan's Israr Ahmad and Farhan Mehboob beat Egypt's Aboulghar and Karim Abdel Gawad respectively.
    General Bajwa, the chief guest, witnessed the final match and closing ceremony of the Pakistan-Egypt International Squash Series 2017. He awarded trophies to the winners and runners up of the tournament.
    Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar Alvi, senior vice president of Pakistan Squash Federation, former squash legends Qamar Zaman, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, along with a large number of squash lovers witnessed the series.
    Earlier on his arrival, Air Marshal Asad Lodhi, vice chief of the air staff, received the chief guest. 


  22. Waqas Dar
    Picture Credit - Wimbledon LONDON: Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title and became the tournament´s oldest champion Sunday with a straight-sets victory over injury-hit Marin Cilic who dramatically broke down in tears midway through the final.
    Federer claimed his 19th Grand Slam title 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 and at 35 is Wimbledon´s oldest men´s winner of the modern era, succeeding Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1976.
    However, the Swiss superstar´s 11th Wimbledon final, and 29th at the majors, will also be remembered for the moving sight of the popular Cilic breaking down in tears after slipping 3-0 behind in the second set.
    The seventh seeded Croatian, the 2014 US Open champion, sobbed inconsolably and buried his head in his towel as his title dream slipped away.
    He then had his left foot taped at the end of the second set but it was in vain as Federer became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping a set in the entire tournament.
    Beneath a star-studded Royal Box where Prince William and wife Kate rubbed shoulders with actors Hugh Grant and Bradley Cooper, Cilic had his first break point in the fourth game.
    It was saved by Federer and it was to be Cilic´s only glimmer of hope.
    Federer broke in the next game when his opponent suffered a nasty fall on the worn surface which was to ultimately undermine his challenge.
    Federer then served up two love service games before claiming the opener 6-3 off a Cilic double fault, the Croatian´s second of the final.
    The Swiss superstar swept into a 3-0 lead in the second set and at the changeover, Cilic slumped in his courtside chair in tears and in obvious pain.
    The trainer and doctor were summoned before Cilic hid his head in his towel in a desperate attempt to compose himself.
    The 28-year-old held serve on the resumption but the lethal barrage continued, Federer stretching his lead over his friend to 4-1.
    Cilic dropped the set 6-1 and called a medical timeout to have his left foot bandaged and take a painkiller.
    His discomfort was reflected in his statistics.
    By the end of the second set, he had served just two aces compared to the 130 he had fired past bamboozled opponents in his previous six rounds.
    Federer pounced again with a break for 4-3 and wrapped up the one-sided final with a second serve ace to complete his coronation after just 1hr 41 minutes.
    Fittingly, he too wept at the end.


  23. Waqas Dar
    SUKKUR: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said on Sunday that the decision of the ongoing Panama case in the Supreme Court would come out within a week.

    The Opposition leader was addressing a press conference in Sukkur. He said that the government would attempt to take some time from the court.
    He said that the issue of Panama Leaks case could have been solved within 30 days but the Joint Investigation team took extra time.
    Shah said that his party is not in favour of elections before time, adding that the PPP wants the parliament to complete its term.
    The JIT, formed in light of the apex court?s April 20 judgment to probe the Sharif family?s money trail, submitted its 60-day investigation report to the court on July 10. The report highlighted the failure of the Sharif family to provide a money trail for its London apartments and claimed the prime minister and his children own assets beyond their known sources of income.

    The apex court will hold its hearing regarding the issue on Monday, July 17.


  24. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI/MUZAFFARABAD: Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing on Sunday and targeted a Pakistan Army vehicle across the Line of Control (LoC), which resulted in martyrdom of a soldier, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    Indian forces fired on the vehicle at Athmaqam area across the LoC, the ISPR said in a statement, in fresh violation of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
    As a consequence, the vehicle plunged into Neelum River. Body of one martyred soldier has been recovered, while search is on for the remaining three, the statement read.
    Four Indian troops killed, two check posts destroyed by Pak Army on LoC: ISPR
    Five innocent people, including four women, were martyred
    However, the Pakistan Army retaliated to the cross-border fire and gave a fitting response to the enemy, it added.
    On July 10, five Pakistani civilians, including four women, were martyred after Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing Rawalakot sector, Satwal, Manwal, Tatrinote areas. The incident also left four others, including three girls, injured.
    In response, Pakistan Army destroyed two Indian checkposts leaving four enemy troops dead.


  25. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Sunday warned the government that if any obstructions are introduced in the way of justice he would invite his workers to ensure justice is served.
    Addressing the party?s workers convention here, Imran mocked claims by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the report by Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is a conspiracy against democracy.
    PTI hopes Panama case will reach 'logical conclusion' by week's end
    PTI Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry says those looking for conspiracies should first read the report
    ?I hear them saying it?s a conspiracy?a sponsored conspiracy?against democracy. They are calling it a conspiracy because for the last 30 years they sailed through it [without being caught],? the PT chief said. He added that the prime minister had employed tactics like bribing to escape justice.
    He asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to present answers to questions raised by the JIT instead, adding the team?s report has come up with evidence which leaves no scope for doubt.


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