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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: An overnight storm in the wee hours of Wednesday, broke the distressing heatwave, although suffering continued as the provincial capital plunged into darkness with disruption in the supply of electricity.
    Howling winds recorded at up to  67 kilometres per hour, and then rain caused at least 25 feeders to trip in the city of Lahore.
    The wind eventually died down, but so did the electricity in various areas of Lahore; including DHA, Garden Town, Iqbal Town, Model Town, Muslim Town, Shalimar Town, Shadman, Gulshan Ravi, Batapur, Harbanspura, Samanabad and Misri Shah.

    According to the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) spokesman, 22 feeders have been restored after the whirlwind trip, the remaining will be restored soon as well.












  2. Waqas Dar
    LOS ANGELES: Actress Keri Russell, best known for her role as a ruthless KGB operative in the long-running series "The Americans," was honoured on Tuesday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
    The 41-year-old actress told AFP she was awestruck to receive the 2,613th star on the famous sidewalk alongside other celebrities such as Judy Garland or Marlon Brando.
    "It´s such an incredible, iconic moment," she said.
    A native of California, Russell first garnered attention for her title role in the hit television series "Felicity," for which she won a Golden Globe Award in 1999.
    She was again nominated last year -- but did not win -- for her role in FX´s critically-acclaimed "The Americans," which is set in the 1980s and follows a husband and wife team of undercover Soviet operatives in the United States.
    The spy thriller, which wrapped its fifth season on Tuesday, has drawn parallels with the current frosty relations between the US and Russia, especially following allegations that Moscow tampered with last year´s presidential elections won by Donald Trump.
    "It is very much in our world right now," Russell acknowledged. "Luckily our show is a period piece set in the 80s and the Cold War... the news now will not change the way the 80s ended.
    "But it is interesting and fun it´s all back in the news again," she added. "It´s so relatable."
    "Felicity" creator J.J. Abrams lauded Russell´s talent during the ceremony, describing her as someone who shied away from the limelight and one of the "sweetest" people he knows.
    "What she does so beautifully is become other people. And she does it in a way that most actors would only dream of being able to do," Abrams said.
    Russell´s co-star on "The Americans" and real-life love, Matthew Rhys, also attended the ceremony.
    The couple welcomed their first child together last May. Russell also has two children with ex-husband Shane Deary.


  3. Waqas Dar
    SAN FRANCISCO: Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday it fired the technology whiz it had hired to lead its self-driving unit, Anthony Levandowski, after he failed to comply with a court order to hand over documents at the center of a legal dispute between Uber and Alphabet Inc's Waymo unit.
    Uber had hoped Levandowski, one the most respected self-driving engineers in Silicon Valley, would help the ride services company catch up to rivals including Waymo, in the race for self-driving technology. Instead the hiring led to a court fight and the threat of criminal charges. Uber replaced him as the head of its self-driving car unit in April before finally making the decision to fire him.
    Levandowski formerly worked for Alphabet's Waymo self-driving division, which says he stole trade secrets by downloading more than 14,000 documents before he left. Levandowski is not a defendant, but his actions are at the heart of Alphabet's lawsuit against Uber.
    Uber said in a letter to Levandowski filed in federal court on Tuesday that it was firing him because he had not complied with a court order to hand over the documents.
    He has declined to cooperate, citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. Levandowski's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    Uber and Alphabet are battling over technology expected to revolutionise the way people use cars. Waymo claims its trade secrets made their way into Uber's Lidar technology, which bounces light pulses off objects so self-driving cars can "see" the road. Uber denies these claims.
    Levandowski has 20 days to comply with the court orders, according to the Uber letter.
    Last month, Uber named Eric Meyhofer to replace Levandowski as head of its Advanced Technologies Group. Meyhofer will continue to lead the team, an Uber spokeswoman said via email.
    The New York Times reported Levandowski's exit earlier on Tuesday, citing an internal email sent to employees.
    "Over the last few months Uber has provided significant evidence to the court to demonstrate that our self-driving technology has been built independently," Angela Padilla, Uber?s associate general counsel for employment and litigation, wrote in an email to employees, cited by the Times.
    An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the letter's authenticity and said the company has urged Levandowski to "fully cooperate."
    Waymo has said Levandowski received stock worth more than $250 million for joining Uber, along with his portion of the $680 million that Uber paid last year for Otto, the self-driving truck company he formed after leaving Google. That amount assumes certain targets would be met, and it was not clear how his firing would affect those payments.
    A source familiar with the matter said Levandowski had not yet vested his Uber shares.
    LEVANDOWSKI REFUSAL
    Levandowski, a top engineer on self-driving technology, has turned into a liability for Uber in court. The company has acknowledged that his refusal to testify has hurt its defense efforts. Uber has never denied that he took the Waymo documents.
    Asked last month why Uber did not threaten to fire Levandowski to pressure him into turning over the documents, Uber attorney Arturo Gonzalez told Reuters, "We can fire him but we still don't get the documents."
    Uber had argued that it was acceptable to sideline Levandowski by preventing him from working on Lidar technology, but not firing him. But US District Court Judge William Alsup criticised the company, telling lawyers: "You keep on your payroll someone who took 14,000 documents and is liable to use them."
    The judge theorised that Levandowski could have used Waymo's documents himself even if he did not turn them over to Uber.
    "What prevented him from bringing a laptop to work every day and consulting the files?" Alsup asked Uber lawyers in April.
    Uber has been hit by a string of departures of senior executives and other negative news. Earlier this year, Uber was caught using its technology to avoid government regulators. Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick was seen on video berating an Uber driver, and the company also faced accusations of sexual harassment that led to an internal probe led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder.
    The Holder report will be shown to the board this week, a source familiar with the matter said, adding that next week, Uber plans to speak with employees about it.


  4. Waqas Dar
    Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry will headline a star-studded concert in Manchester, England, on Sunday to benefit victims of the suicide bombing at Grande's May 22 concert there, organisers announced on Tuesday.organizers announced on Tuesday.
    American artists Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams and Usher will also perform at the June 4 concert, along with Britain's Coldplay, One Direction singer Niall Horan and the Manchester-based band Take That.
    The benefit will take place at the Old Trafford cricket ground. Proceeds will benefit victims of last week's suicide bombing at Grande's show at another venue in the northern English city, the Manchester Arena.
    Daesh claimed credit for the bombing, which killed 22 people and took place moments after Grande finished playing.
    All proceeds from Sunday's "One Love Manchester" concert will go to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund which was set up by the Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross.
    The fund has already raised more than 5 million pounds ($6.4 million), organisers say.
    Grande, 23, is offering free tickets to the charity concert to all of those who were at her Manchester show on May 22.
    The suicide bombing injured more than 100, many of them members of Grande's large, young female fan base. Grande was unharmed but she later canceled several concerts scheduled in London and Europe through June 5.
    Sunday's show will be broadcast live by BBC television and radio, Tuesday's statement said.
    Grande said in an open letter on her social media accounts last week that "There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you (her fans) are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way."
    "We will not quit or operate in fear. We won?t let this divide us. We won?t let hate win," she added.
    Tickets for Sunday's concert will go on sale on Thursday.




  5. Waqas Dar
    French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his support for Syria's opposition on Tuesday in a meeting with its chief coordinator, a day after hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key backer of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
    The unannounced meeting with Riad Hijab and a broader delegation from the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which includes political and armed groups, came as Macron seeks to review French policy on the six-year civil war.
    "The president spoke of his personal commitment to the Syria dossier and of his support for the Syrian opposition in view of a political transition," his office said in a statement.
    Opposition officials were not immediately available for comment on the meeting.
    Macron's electoral victory has offered an opportunity for Paris to examine its policy on Syria with some considering the previous administration's stance as too intransigent and leaving it isolated on the subject.
    Macron, a newcomer to international diplomacy, said on Monday that his priority in Syria was to eradicate militants.
    Alongside Putin in 17th century palace of Versailles outside Paris, Macron on Monday said he had agreed to set up a working group with Russia, including to exchange information. It was not immediately clear what that would entail.
    Macron's government says it backs UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva. However, Macron also called for a "political and diplomatic framework to build peace" without specifying whether it was a new initiative or part of the UN process.
    United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura will hold talks in Paris with France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian later on Tuesday.


  6. Waqas Dar
    The US military on Tuesday cheered a successful, first-ever missile defence test involving a simulated attack by an intercontinental ballistic missile, in a major milestone for a programme meant to defend against a mounting North Korean threat.
    The US military fired an ICBM-type missile from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands towards the waters just south of Alaska. It then fired a missile to intercept it from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
    Experts compare the job to hitting a bullet with another bullet and note the complexity is magnified by the enormous distances involved.
    The Missile Defense Agency said it was the first live-fire test against a simulated ICBM for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), managed by Boeing Co, and hailed it as an "incredible accomplishment."
    "This system is vitally important to the defence of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat," Vice Admiral Jim Syring, director of the agency, said in a statement.
    A successful test was by no means guaranteed and the Pentagon sought to manage expectations earlier in the day, noting that the United States had multiple ways to try to shoot down a missile from North Korea.
    "This is one element of a broader missile defence strategy that we can use to employ against potential threats," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters.
    Prior to Tuesday's launch, the GMD system had successfully hit its target in only nine of 17 tests since 1999. The last test was in 2014.
    North Korea has dramatically ramped up missile tests over the past year in its effort to develop an ICBM that can strike the US mainland.
    The continental United States is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or farther.
    Riki Ellison, founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, described the test as "vital" prior to launch.
    "We are replicating our ability to defend the United States of America from North Korea, today," Ellison said.
    Failure could have deepened concern about a programme that according to one estimate has so far cost more than $40 billion. Its success could translate into calls by Congress to speed development.
    In the fiscal year 2018 budget proposal sent to Congress last week, the Pentagon requested $7.9 billion for the Missile Defense Agency, including about $1.5 billion for the GMD programme.
    A 2016 assessment released by the Pentagon's weapons testing office in January said that US ground-based interceptors meant to knock out any incoming ICBM still had low reliability, giving the system a limited capability of shielding the United States.




  7. Waqas Dar
    The transatlantic diplomatic rift widened on Tuesday as US President Donald Trump responded to criticism from Chancellor Angela Merkel with a new attack on German trade tactics and defense spending.
    Trump's spokesman Sean Spicer insisted that the leaders "get on very well" but -- as is often the case -- his warm words from the White House podium were overshadowed by the president's intemperate tweets.
    When Trump returned over the weekend from the first foreign trip of his presidency, his aides hailed the tour as a success and a sign of renewed and bolder US leadership on the world stage.
    But, while Trump received a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia and Israel, he left behind a bitter taste in Europe after the NATO summit in Brussels and the G7 get-together of the world's richest powers in Sicily.
    European leaders were especially dismayed by Trump's refusal to reaffirm US support for last year's Paris climate change accord and his failure to publicly endorse NATO's mutual defense pledge.
    Germany, until recently Washington's closest partner in Europe, was particularly discomfited, and Merkel wasted no time in warning German voters that the United States can no longer be relied upon as before.
    Trump's response came in the early hours of Tuesday when he took to Twitter to once again demand that Germany renegotiate the terms of transatlantic trade and boost its defense spending.
    "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military," Trump wrote, in his flamboyantly undiplomatic style. "Very bad for US. This will change."
    - 'Trump was not aggressive' -
    German officials have repeatedly insisted that, as a member of the European Union, they cannot conduct bilateral trade talks with the US and that they are not ready to dramatically increase military spending.
    In January, the White House accused Germany of exploiting an undervalued euro to boost its trade advantage, despite Berlin's long opposition to the European Central Bank's loose monetary policy.
    And, even after he held a frosty meeting with Merkel in Washington in March and heard her explain Germany has no independent, non-EU trade policy, Trump continues to complain about Germany's surplus.
    According to the German weekly Der Spiegel, Trump told European officials in Brussels last week that "the Germans are bad, very bad."
    Spicer gamely tried to deny the report, insisting that European Commission chairman Jean-Claude Juncker had confirmed that "Trump was not aggressive on German trade surplus."
    But after Merkel and other senior German officials, who are campaigning ahead of September national elections in their own country, spent the weekend attacking Trump, the US leader returned to the theme.
    'Weakening the West'

    Not only does the spat continue but Merkel has seized upon it as an opportunity -- in the wake of the election of Emmanuel Macron as a pro-Europe French president -- to rally Europe around her leadership.
    She warned German voters that her experience in dealing with Trump at NATO and the G7 had convinced her that the times when Europe could rely on Washington and London "are coming to an end."
    "Transatlantic ties are of paramount importance to us... but the current situation gives more reasons for... us to take our destiny in our own hands," she said Tuesday.
    "Europe must become a player active in international affairs."
    German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was even more blunt on Monday, slamming the US president's "short-sighted" policies that have "weakened the West" and hurt European interests.
    "The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union," he warned, judging that "the West has become smaller, at least it has become weaker."
    Speaking just days after Trump promised to sell Saudi Arabia $110 billion worth of arms in order to deter Iran, Gabriel accused Washington of fuelling religious conflict.
    And he warned against "accelerating climate change by weakening environmental protection."
    British anti-EU politician Nigel Farage, who has built a bond with Trump, accused Merkel and Juncker of triggering a row with Washington deliberately to further the "anti-democratic" goal of a German-led European state.
    "Believe me, I know Trump and I know the people around him. He is not going to kick NATO into touch provided people pay their way," Farage claimed.
    "Merkel and Juncker actually want to see the Americans leaving Europe. And I regard that, far from being good for peace, actually as being very dangerous."
    Trump said he will give his verdict on the Paris accord later this week and has warned that Washington may pull out of a pact that European leaders see as the last best hope to slow global warming.


  8. Waqas Dar
    British police said Tuesday that they have released three men without charges that were taken into custody in connection with last week's Manchester suicide bombing that killed 22 people.
    Police have arrested at least 16 people in an investigation that continues more than seven days after the attack in a packed concert hall filled with children and young people.
    "It will be a long investigation and it will take considerable time before we fully understand what has happened," the Greater Manchester police said in a statement on Twitter.
    Police have let go a total of five people without charges, including a man and woman released earlier.
    Two men from Fallowfield area, aged 20 and 24, and a 37-year-old man from Blackley area were released Tuesday, the Greater Manchester police said.


  9. Waqas Dar
    US aviation security officials stepped back Tuesday from imposing a ban on carry-on computers on flights coming from Europe, which had been proposed to guard against possible bomb-laden electronics from the Daesh group.
    But the Department of Homeland Security said a ban, already in place for US-bound flights from the Middle East, could still be implemented for Europe if the threat level worsens.
    In a phone discussion with European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc Tuesday, DHS Secretary John Kelly "made it clear" a ban on passengers carrying tablet and computer-sized electronics on board flights to the United States "is still on the table," DHS said in a statement.
    "Secretary Kelly affirmed he will implement any and all measures necessary to secure commercial aircraft flying to the United States ?- including prohibiting large electronic devices from the passenger cabin -? if the intelligence and threat level warrant it."
    A European Commission spokesperson confirmed the discussion, saying that no decision had been made on the laptop ban, but that the two sides "agreed to intensify talks" on tightening aviation security.
    On March 21, Washington announced a ban on carry-on laptops and other electronics larger than cellphone on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.
    The move came after intelligence officials learned of efforts by the Daesh group to fashion a bomb into consumer electronics.
    From any of those airports, US-bound passengers were forced to keep their electronics in checked baggage.
    One day later Britain announced a similar ban for flights originating from six countries, and by early May DHS was threatening to impose a similar restriction for flights from Europe to the United States.
    That would have a huge effect on the coming high travel season, with more than 3,250 flights a week scheduled to leave EU airports for the US this summer.
    But after weeks of discussions, no decision was made. EU officials acknowledge that the decision is in the hands of US authorities.
    DHS spokesman David Lapan said that Europan officials would be given ample warning ahead of any ban.


  10. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: In a bid to help its Sri Lankan brethren, the naval ship PNS Zulfiquar dispatched by the Government of Pakistan reached Colombo port on Tuesday with relief goods.
    The Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan, Dr Sarfraz Ahmed Khan Sipra handed over the relief goods to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Ravi Karunanayake at the Colombo Port.
    The foreign minister expressed his gratitude to the people and the Government of Pakistan for providing timely and valued assistance.
    The minister emphasised that Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy excellent relations.
    It has been a tradition that both nations come to assist each other in times of adversity.
    On the occasion, Dr Sarfraz Sipra said the people and the Government of Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to further help the people and the government of Sri Lanka in this time of need.
    Pakistan naval ship Zulfiquar has brought in dry rations, medicines, de-flooding pumps and other relief items.
    Additionally, the ship has the capability to provide search and rescue facilities through its helicopter, rescue boats, medical team and expert divers.
    Sri Lanka is facing severe floods which have caused havoc and devastation in many parts of the country.


  11. Waqas Dar
    MULTAN: The fire which broke out in Basheer oil mills at Vehari road late Tuesday afternoon, was doused after nine hours. 
    As many as 24 fire trucks were used in the operation to control the blaze. 
    As a result of the fire, four nearby shops and two houses were affected. 
    The supply of electricity in the area had also been suspended by the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO). The fire affected three MEPCO feeders, according to power utility's spokesperson. He added that restoration of feeders is under way. 
    The fire erupted due to overheating of the factory's generator. 
    According to rescue officials, there was about 50,000 gallons of mobil oil in the factory's basement. 



  12. Waqas Dar
    MULTAN: A fire broke out in Basheer oil mills at Vehari road on Tuesday afternoon, as many as 24 fire tenders have been trying to douse the fire since over nine hours.

    According to fire brigade official, all efforts are being made to bring the fire under control.
    "There's smoke everywhere, and the fire has enveloped two apartments and four shops," he added.
    According to the locals, the fire started after some fault developed in the main generator of the mill.
    The supply of electricity in the area has been suspended by the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO).

    The fire has affected three feeders, said MEPCO spokesperson

    According to rescue officials, there was about fifty thousand gallons of oil in the factory basement, which caught fire due to the generator heating up.



  13. Waqas Dar
    JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressing a gathering - Geo News screengrab KARACHI: Jamaat e Islami (JI) has announced that it will hold a 'Black Day' on Friday in protest against the government, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and K-Electric over continuing power outages in the megapolis.

    Unannounced and prolonged power outages in Karachi during Ramazan have irked the citizens greatly, who have been staging protests in various areas. 
    Spurred by anger and desperation, some citizens turned to protest at K-Electric?s complaint office near Post Office and Liaquatabad No. 10, where they vandalised property and tried to burn down the building. However, authorities reached in time to prevent further damage to the power utility?s structures.
    Persistent power cuts test peoples' patience
    Many areas of Sindh were in the dark Monday night after tripping of Jamshoro Line
    Asked about the situation, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman said that his party will hold a demonstration against K-Electric in Karachi on Friday. He said the consumers are being looted with collusion of government, NEPRA and K-Electric.
    MQM-P demands removal of Asif as minister for water & power
    Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also lambasted the city's sole power producer for failing to cater to the demand of electricity.
    Karachi facing power breakdowns due to humidity: K-Electric
    KE spokesperson said the power utility company invests in its structure and will also continue to do so in future
    Holding a presser here, Faisal Sabzwari said slammed that power supply to the city was interrupted with the arrival of Ramazan. "Citizens are longing for electricity, why is K-Electric not generating power?"
    He questioned why the power generation company always cares for repair of supply lines in summers; and why isn't it generating electricity through furnace oil. The MQM-P also demanded removal of Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif from his post.
    Hitting out at Asif, Sabzwari said, "If cracking jokes could generate electricity, load-shedding would have ended by now."


  14. Waqas Dar
    JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressing a gathering - Geo News screengrab KARACHI: Jamaat e Islami (JI) has announced that it will hold a 'Black Day' on Friday in protest against the government, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and K-Electric over continuing power outages in the megapolis.

    Unannounced and prolonged power outages in Karachi during Ramazan have irked the citizens greatly, who have been staging protests in various areas. 
    Spurred by anger and desperation, some citizens turned to protest at K-Electric?s complaint office near Post Office and Liaquatabad No. 10, where they vandalised property and tried to burn down the building. However, authorities reached in time to prevent further damage to the power utility?s structures.
    Persistent power cuts test peoples' patience
    Many areas of Sindh were in the dark Monday night after tripping of Jamshoro Line
    Asked about the situation, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman said that his party will hold a demonstration against K-Electric in Karachi on Friday. He said the consumers are being looted with collusion of government, NEPRA and K-Electric.
    MQM-P demands removal of Asif as minister for water & power
    Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also lambasted the city's sole power producer for failing to cater to the demand of electricity.
    Karachi facing power breakdowns due to humidity: K-Electric
    KE spokesperson said the power utility company invests in its structure and will also continue to do so in future
    Holding a presser here, Faisal Sabzwari said slammed that power supply to the city was interrupted with the arrival of Ramazan. "Citizens are longing for electricity, why is K-Electric not generating power?"
    He questioned why the power generation company always cares for repair of supply lines in summers; and why isn't it generating electricity through furnace oil. The MQM-P also demanded removal of Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif from his post.
    Hitting out at Asif, Sabzwari said, "If cracking jokes could generate electricity, load-shedding would have ended by now."


  15. Waqas Dar
    A three-year-old girl named Scout dresses up as strong females from across the globe to spread the message of strength. Her inspirational journey started when her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer, toddler?s mother Ashley Larson revealed in a letter.
    Larson said that she wanted to teach her daughter about strength and how women are fighters.
    ?Scout was learning first hand just how amazing and strong women can be. So we just kept shooting. We planned that at the end of it all, we?d make a picture book for both Scout and Nonnie. We made sure to pick a few of Nonnie?s favorites as well, like Ellen. And Scout has a list of her Disney heroes we?re shooting as well! ? she wrote.
    Larson wrote in her post: ?The inspiration behind the whole #scoutstolemystyle project, my mom (Scout's Nonnie), She is now cancer free!
    She has taught our entire family what strength really is!?




    Scout dressed up as Malala Yousafzai, using her powerful quote from one of her speeches.




    "I define power by having the confidence to make your own decisions and not be swayed by other people" as Adele.


    Scout also impersonated host Ellen Degeneres.


    Here, as the famous Princess Leia.


    Scout has more than 42,000 followers on her Instagram account, full of her adorable picture.




  16. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: K-Electric (KE) has claimed on Tuesday that back to back power breakdown in the metropolis is due to tripping of electric lines because of heavy humidity.
    Refuting the allegation leveled by political parties against the company, the K-Electric spokesperson said that the power utility company invests in its structure and will also continue to do so in future.
    ?We are installing new lines to control the situation arising because of humidity,? said a K-Electric spokesperson, Fakhar Ahmad, while speaking exclusively to Geo News, ?There have been investments made by the K-Electric. The profits of K-Electric were not paid a dividend in the stock market. All were invested within the system and its audit reports are available.?
    Ahmad said, ?such humidity does not come every year ? we are managing the situation.?
    The KE representative reiterated that not every area of the city was going through load shedding, further adding that the power utility company did not shut any plant.
    Persistent power cuts test peoples' patience
    Many areas of Sindh were in the dark Monday night after tripping of Jamshoro Line
    Court orders NEPRA to take action against K-Electric
    The SHC bench had reserved its verdict after Monday?s proceedings on a petition filed by social activist Karamat Ali










    Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to take action against KE with regard to unannounced load shedding.
    The two-member bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, also ordered Nepra to take all legal actions against the power utility company, adding that the city?s sole power utility should also follow Nepra?s orders.
    On January 22, 2016, Nepra had made area-wise load shedding illegal yet it was ongoing in the port city.
    The SHC bench had reserved its verdict after Monday?s proceedings on a petition filed by social activist Karamat Ali on unannounced load shedding by the power utility.
    The petitioner's lawyer, Faisal Siddiqui, said an entire area should not be deprived of electricity if one person defaults on paying the bills. He added that even if it is the matter of theft, the person committing the crime should bear the brunt of the power cuts, not those in the adjoining houses.


  17. Waqas Dar
    Government soldiers fighting the Maute group watch a helicopter attack (not pictured) as they take a break inside a military camp in Marawi City, southern Philippines May 30, 2017. REUTERS
    Dozens of foreign militants have fought side-by-side with Daesh sympathizers against security forces in the southern Philippines over the past week, evidence that the restive region is fast becoming an Asian hub for the ultra-radical group.
    A Philippines intelligence source said that of the 400-500 marauding fighters who overran Marawi City on the island of Mindanao last Tuesday, as many as 40 had recently come from overseas, including from countries in the Middle East.
    The source said they included Indonesians, Malaysians,a Saudi, a Chechen, a Yemeni, an Indian, a Moroccan and one man with a Turkish passport.

    "IS is shrinking in Iraq and Syria, and decentralising in parts of Asia and the Middle East," said Rohan Gunaratna, a security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
    "One of the areas where it is expanding is Southeast Asia and the Philippines is the centre of gravity."
    Mindanao has been roiled for decades by bandits, local insurgencies and separatist movements. But officials have long warned that the poverty, lawlessness and porous borders of Mindanao's predominantly Muslim areas mean it could become a base for radicals from Southeast Asia and beyond, especially as Daesh fighters are driven out of Iraq and Syria.
    Although Daesh and groups affiliated to the movement have claimed several attacks across Southeast Asia in the last two years, the battle in Marawi City was the first long drawn-out confrontation with security forces.
    On Tuesday, a week after the fighting began, the government said it was close to retaking the city.
    Last year, Southeast Asian militants fighting for Daesh in Syria released a video urging their countrymen to join the cause in the southern Philippines or launch attacks at home rather than attempting to travel to Syria.
    Jakarta-based terrorism expert Sidney Jones passed to Reuters some recent messages in a chatroom of the Telegram app used by Daesh supporters.
    In one, a user reported that he was in the heart of Marawi City where he could see the army "run like pigs" and "their filthy blood mix with the dead bodies of their comrades".
    He asked others in the group to pass information on to the Amaq News Agency, a mouthpiece for Daesh.
    Another user replied, using an Arabic word meaning pilgrimage: "Hijrah to the Philippines. Door is opening."
    The clash in Marawi City began with an army raid to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of Abu Sayyaf, a group notorious for piracy and for kidnapping and beheading Westerners.
    Abu Sayyaf and a relatively new group called Maute, both of which have pledged allegiance to Daesh, have fought alongside each other in Marawi City, torching a hospital and a cathedral, and kidnapping a Catholic priest.
    The urban battle prompted Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to impose martial law across the whole island of Mindanao, an area roughly the size of South Korea with a population of around 21 million.
    Fighters from the Middle East
    The head of the Malaysian police force's counter-terrorism division, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, named four Malaysians who are known to have travelled to Mindanao to join militant groups.
    Among them were Mahmud Ahmad, a Malaysian university lecturer who is poised to take over the leadership of Daesh in the southern Philippines if Hapilon is killed, he said.
    Security expert Gunaratna said that Ahmad has played a key role in establishing Daesh's platform in the region.
    According to his school's research, eight of 33 militants killed in the first four days of fighting in Marawi City were foreigners.
    "This indicates that foreign terrorist fighters form an unusually high component of the IS fighters and emerging IS demography in Southeast Asia," Gunaratna said.
    According to an intelligence brief seen by Reuters, authorities in Jakarta believe 38 Indonesians travelled to the southern Philippines to join Daesh-affiliated groups and about 22 of them joined the fighting in Marawi City.
    However, an Indonesian law-enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the actual number of Indonesians involved in the battle could be more than 40.
    An Indonesian anti-terrorism squad source told Reuters that authorities have beefed up surveillance at the northern end of the Kalimantan and Sulawesi regions to stop would-be fighters travelling by sea to the southern Philippines and to prevent an influx of others fleeing the military offensive in Marawi City.
    "The distance between Marawi and Indonesian territory is just five hours," the source said. "It should not get to the point where they are entering our territory and carrying out such (militant) activities."


  18. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan informed on Tuesday that around 175,000 passports were revoked by the ministry.

    Speaking at a press conference, he said that the people whose passports have been cancelled reserve the right to appeal.
    ?They can appeal to the district level committee which includes MNA and MPA of the area. They have to show their proof of identity. If the committee doesn?t give clearance, the final appeal would then be heard by Ministry of Interior.?
    ?From now on if there is a suspicion on anyone?s nationality, a notice will be served against them,? adding, ?no CNICs will be blocked during the inquiry. Around 160,000 suspended CNICs have been unblocked.?
    The interior minister said that the opening of NADRA mega centre will eradicate corruption. ?There are 557 NADRA offices which are less than needed. Megacentres remain open to the public 24/7,? he added.
    He also said that in a pilot project, NADRA facilities will be installed in ten post offices of the country.
    The minister also said that the NADRA Executive Offices were not built from the national exchequer.
    ?The funds [to built the office] were self-generated by NADRA. I just requested the department to use the revenues for the betterment of people. The department's money was not given to a sports minister or a PML- Nawaz loyalist.? 


  19. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump's communications director, Mike Dubke, is set to leave after three months in his White House post, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Tuesday.
    "He has expressed his desire to leave the White House and made very clear that he would see through the president's international trip," White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said in an interview on Fox News, referring to Trump's first overseas trip to the Middle East and Europe that ended on Saturday.
    Dubke, a communications firm owner who was brought into the Trump administration in March, has not set a last day on the job but is leaving on good terms, according to Axios News, which first reported his departure and cited a senior administration official.


  20. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Peoples Party Leader and federal minister Firdous Ashiq Awan joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday.
    Awan travelled from Sialkot to Nathiagali where she met with Imran Khan, PTI secretary-general Jehangir Tareen and PTI leader Ishaq Khan Khakwani, sources told Geo News. The former minister will make a formal announcement today.
    PTI?s official Twitter account tweeted out two photos announcing the joining of the former PPP stalwart.



    "Firdous Ashiq Awan meets Jahangir Tareen. She will meet Imran Khan shortly after which she will announce her inclusion into PTI," the first tweet read.
    The official account then posted another tweet which said that she has joined the party.


  21. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court has recused itself from hearing the petitions appealing sentences handed over by military courts.
    The bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, was hearing a petition filed by three suspects Nadeem Abbas, Jehangir Haider and Zeeshan, who were handed over death sentence by a military court in Quetta in August 2016 and are locked up in the Mach prison.
    The three judges, including Justice Dost Muhammad and Justice Qazi Faez Isa, said that they cannot take up the case as they had dissented in the verdict of the case against military courts in 2015.
    The Supreme Court on August 5, 2015 had rejected all applications challenging the 18th and 21st Constitutional amendments, ruling in favour of the establishment of military courts in the country.
    SC upholds military courts, rejects pleas against 18th and 21st amendments
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday rejected all applications challenging the 18th and 21st Constitutional amendments, ruling in favour of the establishment of military courts in...
    NA passes bill to revive military courts for two years
    255 members voted in favour of the bill while only four rejected it
    Justice Khosa while explaining the reason for not taking the case said that the three judges had written a dissenting note in the military courts verdict, which had termed the establishment of these courts in conflict of the Constitution. This is why none of us would want to hear the case, the judge said.
    A 17-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Nasirul Mulk had reserved the verdict on the 35 identical applications against the two constitutional amendments on June 27, 2015.
    The bench had dismissed the petitions challenging the 21st amendment with 11 judges voting to reject the pleas and six in favour.
    The three-member bench has sent the appeal against the death sentences to the Chief Justice to assign another bench to conduct hearing on the case.
    The court has asked the petitioners? lawyer to file an application with the Chief Justice requesting him to refer the case to a different bench.


  22. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court has excused itself from hearing the petitions appealing sentences handed over by military courts.
    The bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, was hearing a petition filed by three suspects Nadeem Abbas, Jehangir Haider and Zeeshan, who were handed over death sentence by a military court in Quetta in August 2016 and are locked up in the Mach prison.
    The three judges, including Justice Dost Muhammad and Justice Qazi Faez Isa, said that they cannot take up the case as they had dissented in the verdict of the case against military courts in 2015.
    The Supreme Court on August 5, 2015 had rejected all applications challenging the 18th and 21st Constitutional amendments, ruling in favour of the establishment of military courts in the country.
    SC upholds military courts, rejects pleas against 18th and 21st amendments
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday rejected all applications challenging the 18th and 21st Constitutional amendments, ruling in favour of the establishment of military courts in...
    NA passes bill to revive military courts for two years
    255 members voted in favour of the bill while only four rejected it
    Justice Khosa while explaining the reason for excusing himself from the case said that the three judges had written a dissenting note in the military courts verdict, which had termed the establishment of these courts in conflict of the Constitution. This is why none of us would want to hear the case, the judge said.
    A 17-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Nasirul Mulk had reserved the verdict on the 35 identical applications against the two constitutional amendments on June 27, 2015.
    The bench had dismissed the petitions challenging the 21st amendment with 11 judges voting to reject the pleas and six in favour.
    The three-member bench has sent the appeal against the death sentences to the Chief Justice to assign another bench to conduct hearing on the case.
    The court has asked the petitioners? lawyer to file an application with the Chief Justice requesting him to refer the case to a different bench.


  23. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan said on Tuesday that ?The News? reporter?s story regarding a Whatsapp caller, asking for the inclusion of specific names to the Supreme Court for the constitution of the Joint Investigation Team, is baseless.
    The spokesman of the SBP said the names sent to the apex court for the JIT were rejected, adding that the SC selected the SBP officer for the JIT itself.
    Meanwhile, for the confirmation of the news, Geo News contacted SC registrar Arbab Arif, who responded to the query by saying ?no comments?.
    ?Let me do my work,? said Arif and went inside the office of the Chief Justice.
    Using Whatsapp, a caller introduced himself as the Registrar Supreme Court and told the top bosses of the State Bank of Pakistan and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to include specific names in the panel to be forwarded to the Supreme Court's special bench for the constitution of JIT on the Panama case, wrote Ansar Abbasi.
    Panama case: Hussain Nawaz appears before JIT again
    Panama probe team has asked premier?s son to furnish relevant documents
    Tale of Whatsapp caller and the Panama JIT
    ISLAMABAD: Using Whatsapp, a caller introduced himself as the Registrar Supreme Court and told the top bosses of the State Bank of Pakistan and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to...
    In the report, he stated that these Whatsapp calls were made when the Supreme Court had sought two additional names from each of these organisations after not having been satisfied with their nominations included in the initial panel of officers.


  24. Waqas Dar
    Photo: file  ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah announced on Tuesday to boycott the National Assembly session and to hold the next parliament session outside the parliament.

    The move came in response to opposition?s demand that opposition?s speech on the budget should be given live coverage.
    Khursheed Shah said, ?Opposition is steadfast on its demand that its budget speech should be given live coverage.?
    Chairman Senate has set the right example in this regard. If opposition?s speech in the Senate is broadcasted live then why not in the National Assembly? He asked.
    All opposition parties will gather outside the parliament tomorrow, he said, adding that ?we will discuss all those issues which we are not supposed to raise inside the assembly.?
    Budget 2017-18: Experts have their say
    How will the government spend your money? Geo.TV takes a deeper look at the proposed budget and records the reactions of experts and onlookers
    On this, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf?s MNA Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that government members are acting a bit ?foolish?. They are coming in way of their own government, he added.
    ?This is the same opposition leader they praised in 2014. Why don?t they like him now?? Qureshi remarked.
    Criticising the government, Qureshi said that when farmers take to the streets to demand their rights then they are baton-charged. Preventing the opposition from expressing its view point on budget is indicative of government?s unsuccessfulness and helplessness.
    Muttahida Qaumi Movement?s Sheikh Salahuddin remarked that opposition leader should play an independent role. While, Jamaat-e-Islami?s Sahibzada Tariq Ullah said that the government has once again fallen in its own trap. ?Opposition has the right to unite over one topic.?
    Chaos erupts in NA as opposition demands PM?s resignation
    Speaker adjourns session for undefined period after standoff between ruling party members and the opposition
    Responding to remarks of the opposition members, Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said that Khursheed Shah has played an integral role in raising different issues. ?However, I don?t know what has happened that his behaviour changed over time.?
    Pakistan Peoples Party never broadcasted the opposition leader?s speech live then why are they demanding it now? ?We had more members then in the opposition, but we never created problems for anyone.?
    During his speech, the opposition members created commotion and started chanting slogans.
    Earlier in the assembly session, an interesting and poetic exchange between Khursheed Shah and Speaking of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq led to the room roaring with laughter. 
    National Assembly session has been adjourned till 11am Wednesday morning.



  25. Waqas Dar
    The sacred month of Ramazan is not only sacred for Muslims but is also respected by people from other religions as well.  
    Recently in a video message, the Fast and Furious actor Vin Diesel expressed his feelings about the holy month.
    Vin Diesel said, ?the concept of Ramazan is so powerful. Probably, be good for anybody in life to be able to experience that kind of discipline for that long could be really recharging and rehealing.?




    Diesel appeared in the video with Karim Kharbouch, who is better known by his stage name French Montana.
    Diesel said that he is proud that his 'brother' is going to be fasting in Ramazan, adding that, "I might be influenced."
    Meanwhile, French Montana said that he is trying to get his brother (Vin Diesel) to do join him during Ramazan. 


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