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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Naveed Yasin - Photo: Guzelian MANCHESTER: Naveed Yasin a 37-year-old surgeon of Pakistani background was subjected to racial abuse after he had helped save victims of the Manchester bombing.

    According to The Sunday Times, Naveed Yasin after spending two days in surgery helping save the victims of the Manchester attack was driving back to the hospital when a middle-aged van driver pulled up beside him and hurled abuse.
    Naveed Yasin was born in West Yorkshire and lives with his wife and two daughters in Manchester. His grandfather had moved to England from Pakistan in the 1960s.
    Speaking to The Sunday Times, Naveed Yasin said: "I can't take away the hatred he had for me because of my skin colour ... and the prejudices he had associated with this. Manchester is better than this.?
    According to Naveed Yasin, he and his colleagues felt working on victims of the Manchester attack was an ?extremely profound and traumatising experience?.
    British-born Salman Abedi, 22, who was known to security services, killed 22 people at a concert venue packed with children on Monday.
    Authorities believe he had help in building the bomb, which photographs published by the New York Times showed was sophisticated and powerful, and that his accomplices could be ready to strike again.


  2. Waqas Dar
    50,000 weddings were celebrated in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 2015-Reuters  RAMALLAH: The head of Palestinian Islamic courts on Sunday told judges not to grant divorces over Ramazan, fearing the month-long fast could spark rash words that would be regretted later.
    Judge Mahmud Habash said he based his ruling on ?the experience of previous years? when he found that the dawn-to-dusk fast and ban on cigarettes, which began on Saturday, tended to lead to frayed tempers and sharp tongues.
    ?Some, because they have not eaten and not smoked, create problems? in their marriages, he said in a statement, and they can make ?quick and ill-considered decisions?.
    According to the Palestinian Authority, 50,000 weddings were celebrated in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 2015, but more than 8,000 divorces were also registered.
    Endemic unemployment and poverty are said to be major contributing factors.
    There is no civil marriage or divorce in the Palestinian territories, where only religious courts have those powers.


  3. Waqas Dar
    "Our biggest strength is the balance in the squad. We cover all the bases when it comes to spin, seam and proper pace bowling": AB de Villiers Photo: AFP JOHANNESBURG: South Africa´s quest for a major international cricket trophy has become enough of an obsession for star batsman and one-day international captain AB de Villiers to put his Test career on hold.

    When he announced in January that he was cutting back on Test cricket, De Villiers, 33, said the main goal for the rest of his career was to win the 2019 World Cup in England.
    But a victory in the Champions Trophy, also in England, would go a long way to relieving the pressure that has built on South African teams during 19 years of near-misses and outright failures in global events -- pressure that has seen South Africa labelled "chokers" because of their tendency to perform well in limited overs cricket but crumble in one-off knockout games.
    Gary Kirsten, South Africa´s coach during their previous Champions Trophy campaign, in England in 2013, confronted the issue head-on by discussing the perception with his players, rather than having it as an unseen or unspoken elephant in the room.
    South Africa reached the semi-finals but Kirsten, who had already announced he did not plan to renew his contract, acknowledged they "choked" when they were beaten by the hosts.
    South Africa were the first winners of the Champions Trophy, then known as the ICC Knockout, in Bangladesh in 1998.
    ICC Knockout Trophy 1998 - South Africa's sole major cricketing title  Since then, six further knockout/Champions Trophy tournaments have produced four semi-final appearances, all of which ended in defeat.

    During that period, four World Cups and six World Twenty20 tournaments have seen a further four semi-final defeats to go along with semi-final and quarter-final defeats in their two pre-1998 World Cups.
    In several tournaments South Africa have been impressive in the group stages before falling at the penultimate hurdle.
    There is additional pressure for South Africa this year because they were ranked as the number one team in one-day international cricket when they arrived in England for a three-match series against the hosts leading into the Champions Trophy.
    Following successive 5-0 clean sweeps at home against Australia and Sri Lanka last season, as well as a 3-2 series win away against New Zealand, De Villiers said: "If we play the type of cricket we have played in the past couple of years I believe that no-one can stop us."
    "Our biggest strength is the balance in the squad. We cover all the bases when it comes to spin, seam and proper pace bowling."
    South Africa have three of the top six players in the ICC one-day rankings, headed by De Villiers at number one, with Faf du Plessis and wicketkeeping prodigy Quinton de Kock in fifth and sixth places.
    Leg-spinner Imran Tahir is the top-ranked bowler while fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is fifth.
    Encouraging for South Africa is the emergence of all-rounders such as Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo, picked primarily for their bowling ability but who have shown big-match temperament as lower-order batsmen in tense run chases.
    While the playing squad is reasonably settled, there is uncertainty over the future of Russell Domingo, who has been the coach since Kirsten quit in 2013.
    Domingo´s contract, which has already been extended twice, ends in August after a Test tour of England.
    Cricket South Africa has started a process to fill the post and Domingo has not indicated whether he intends to apply to keep his job.
    Given their history in big tournaments, the ability to rise to the occasion in knockout games could be the biggest challenge for South Africa.


  4. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The prime minister has issued a notice to power utilities to not cut electric supply during Sehr and Iftar.
    The decision was taken at a special meeting of the energy committee on Monday and has come at a time when protests against power outages have reached their peak.
    One person was killed during firing in one of such protests in Dargai area of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while in Peshawar protesters blocked Ring Road for hours to demonstrate against long hours of power cut.
    On the other hand, in Karachi, a hearing was held in the Sindh High Court where K-Electric officials were asked what measures they have taken to reduce the duration of outages that has disrupted daily life of citizens. 


  5. Waqas Dar
    Ben Stokes - the man behind England's revival. Photo: AFP LONDON: Ben Stokes would be the first to say England are more than a one-man team but if anyone sums up their revival in limited overs cricket it is the dynamic Durham all-rounder.

    Just over two years since a defeat by Bangladesh in Adelaide sealed their embarrassing first-round exit from the 2015 World Cup, England face the Tigers in the Champions Trophy opener at The Oval on Thursday with genuine optimism they can at last win a first major one-day international tournament.
    Part of the reason for that is Stokes.
    The son of a former New Zealand rugby league international, he also had cricket in his genes thanks to his mother, Deborah, a noted player.
    Born in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, Stokes moved with his parents to England as a boy when his father, Ged, got a job coaching northwest rugby league club Workington.
    ´Instinctive´
    It was soon clear he had inherited his mother´s talent, with Ged Stokes telling the Daily Mirror: ?Deb was a very good cricketer and I was OK.?
    At a very early age, before he left New Zealand, he started showing signs he could develop into a very good cricketer.
    "He had an instinctive technique and style of play -- it was very basic, almost ´see ball, hit ball."
    That same uninhibited approach, albeit with a few refinements, remains at the heart of left-handed batsman Stokes´s approach at the crease.
    For all the 25-year-old´s power strokeplay -- as exemplified in his blistering 79-ball 101 featuring 11 fours and three sixes during England´s two-run win in the second one-day international against South Africa at Southampton on Saturday -- Stokes´s batting is based on a sound straight drive.
    His aggressive approach is one that has served him well in all formats, as he showed with a blistering Test-match 258 from 198 balls against South Africa at Cape Town last year.
    On his day, and in the right conditions, he can also be an effective right-arm swing bowler.
    But in the age where all bowlers can get ´collared´ in white-ball cricket, Stokes suffered when, having to defend 19 in the last over of the 2016 World Twenty20 final in Kolkata, he was hit for four successive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite as the West Indies completed an improbable victory.
    The moment England were cruelly denied victory at World T20 final 2016. Photo: Getty Images  England´s hope is that this remains his lone ´nightmare´ spell with the ball, with Stokes resilient enough to absorb the experience.

    In any case, the West Indies have not qualified for the Champions Trophy, which means that Marlon Samuels, who likes to get under the skin of his opponents, will not be around to ´salute´ a dismissed batsman when in the field -- a gesture that has riled the combative Stokes.
    Proof of the growing regard in which Stokes, also a fine close catcher, is held came when he was paid a record $2.16 million to play in this year´s Indian Premier League.
    Stokes was instrumental in Rising Pune Supergiant reaching the knockout phase, scoring 316 runs in 12 matches, with a highest of 103 not out, and taking 12 wickets on his way to being named player of the tournament before a recall to an England squad session meant he missed the final of the lucrative Twenty20 event.
    "It was an amazing tournament to be part of," Stokes said recently. "And getting the MVP (most valuable player) is obviously something you strive for when you play in tournaments like that."
    Stokes´s left knee, which was operated on last year, however, is preventing him from doing much bowling at the moment.
    The joint is not yet quite the topic of national conversation that Denis Compton´s knee was when the England batting great was having injury problems in the 1950s and Durham star Stokes tried to play down concerns by saying Saturday: "It´s just the bowling that´s getting affected by my knee.
    "Batting, fielding and running around isn´t an issue."
    England will settle for that.


  6. Waqas Dar
    Nearly half a million people have been displaced in the flooding, touted as island's worst in well over a decade. Photo: AP  KALUTARA: Thousands of Sri Lankan troops battled Monday to get relief supplies to nearly half a million people displaced by the island´s worst flooding in well over a decade, which has killed 169 people.

    The military said a lull in torrential monsoon rains had allowed it to deploy aircraft, boats and ground troops to evacuate people from flooded areas and deliver food and other essentials.
    Almost half a million people have had to abandon their homes after the island suffered its worst flooding in 14 years.
    The Disaster Management Centre said 169 people had been confirmed dead, most of them buried by landslides triggered by Friday´s intense rains. Another 102 people are listed as missing and 88 are in hospital.
    Sri Lanka is regularly hit by flooding at the start of the annual monsoon. But carpenter JH Siripala, who lives in one of the areas worst hit, said he had never seen it this bad.
    "I have lived in this area for 27 years and we have gone through floods, but never experienced this much water," the 62-year told AFP in Kalutara district on the southwest coast as a navy boat carried him to safety.
    "I thought it was my end," he said as he recalled how the water level suddenly rose on Sunday, covering his head, before he was pulled to safety.
    Dhanushka Fernando said his house was under eight feet (2.5 metres) of water on Sunday.
    "We had floods in 2003 but not this much water," the 28-year-old told AFP.
    Military spokesman Roshan Seneviratne said a let-up in the rains had allowed troops to access cut-off villages.
    "We are able to access all the affected communities," he told AFP.
    He said 1,800 soldiers and 1,100 naval personnel had been deployed to evacuate people and ferry food and other essentials to affected areas.
    The flooding is the worst since May 2003, when 250 people were killed and 10,000 homes destroyed after a similarly powerful monsoon.
    Nearly 2,000 houses have suffered structural damage or been completely destroyed, according to official figures.
    International aid
    An investigation is under way after an air force transport helicopter crashed during an operation to distribute food to marooned villages in the southern town of Baddegama.
    The 11-member crew of the Mi-17 transport helicopter remained unhurt.
    On Friday an airman was killed when he fell from a helicopter while trying to winch up a marooned man in the island´s south.
    The government said floodwaters were beginning to recede on Monday but some low-lying areas remained heavily inundated.
    All schools in flood-hit areas, including the capital Colombo, will be closed for a week, it said.
    Sri Lanka has sought international assistance, with India sending two naval ships laden with supplies over the weekend.
    The United Nations said it would donate water containers, water purification tablets and tarpaulins while the World Health Organization will support medical teams in affected areas.
    Japan had promised portable electricity generators and a team of experts to help with the relief work, officials said, adding that Pakistan was also in talks with Colombo to send relief supplies. Islamabad recently gave 10,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka to help drought victims.
    The meteorological department said Friday´s rain ended a prolonged drought that had threatened agriculture. It is forecasting more rain in the next two days.


  7. Waqas Dar
    Khawar Qureshi speaking to media outside the Supreme Court. Photo: Geo News ISLAMABAD: Khawar Qureshi, the lawyer representing Pakistan in the Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), remarked that ICJ will neither release the spy nor acquit him.
    Speaking to the media after holding a meeting over the high-profile case with Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali, he remarked ?the commander Jadhav case is a very clear case. Commander Jadhav can never be released or acquitted. You are making something out of nothing.?
    He also advised the media officials to ?behave responsibly? and ?give Pakistani officials the respect they deserve.?
    India wrongly claiming victory: Pak counsel at ICJ
    Khawar Qureshi says ICJ issued only 'procedural order' to enable full hearing
    He added, ?Foreign Office will be giving you a much more detailed press statement soon.?
    Earlier, the lawyer had remarked that India wrongly claimed victory after the ICJ temporarily stayed the death sentence of Jadhav. He had explained that the problem seems to be that this case is more about political point scoring than about the law.
    ?We were not prepared well enough?: Analysts, politicians on Jadhav case
    Geo News spoke with lawyers, analysts, and politicians regarding the development
    The lawyer had come under fire after the ICJ verdict. Many political analysts and politicians had claimed that the decision came against Pakistan as the country?s legal counsel was not adequately prepared.
    Following the verdict, reports stated that the attorney general was appointed lead counsel to represent Pakistan at the ICJ. 




  8. Waqas Dar
    BIRMINGHAM: Fresh off a thrilling win against Bangladesh, Pakistan are all set to face Australia in their second and last warm-up game ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at Edgbaston on Monday.
    Sarfraz Ahmed?s men will look to achieve a psychological edge heading into the mega tournament, which kicks off on June 1. Pakistan will start their Champions Trophy campaign with a highly anticipated game against archrivals India on June 4.
    Pakistan chase 342 against Bangladesh after Ashraf blitz
    Faheem Ashraf scored 64 off only 30 balls while Hasan Ali made 27 off 15 to help Pakistan cross in the warm-up match
    Young gun Fahim Ashraf?s blitzkrieg knock of 64 not out off 30 balls powered Pakistan to an unlikely, two-wicket win over Bangladesh in their first warm-up game on Saturday. Fahim, along with Hassan Ali, added an unbeaten 93 for the 9th wicket as Pakistan fought back from 249/8 to 342/8 in 39 deliveries.
    Pakistan vs Australia warm-up match will start at 09:30 GMT (2:30 pm PST) today.


  9. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: A total of 16 people are in detention in Britain and Libya over the May 22 suicide bombing at a pop concert in the English city of Manchester by a British-born man of Libyan origin.
    A teenage boy and a woman arrested by British police this week have since been released without charge, leaving 14 in British custody.
    In Libya, the father and brother of the bomber, Salman Abedi, are also in detention.
    Abedi reportedly returned from Libya only a few days before the attack which killed 22 people, including seven children under 18, but police are still trying to establish the extent of his wider network.
    Here are the details of the arrests so far:
    Tuesday, May 23 
    - Police arrest a 24-year-old man in the Chorlton area of south Manchester near where Abedi is believed to have lived. Police had earlier given the man´s age as 23.
    A witness told AFP that police shouted at the man to lie on the ground before taking him away. British media indicated that the man is highly likely to be Abedi´s older brother Ismael.
    The brother was described in media reports as "outgoing" compared to Salman, who was "very quiet".
    Wednesday, May 24 
    - Police arrest three more men in south Manchester aged 18, 21 and 24, a short walk from the house where Abedi lived.
    Omar Alfaqhuri, a neighbour who lives just in front of a house that was raided, said he saw "a massive deployment of police forces" during the nighttime arrest and a man he named as "Adel" handcuffed and taken away.
    "They blocked the whole street," he said, adding that his neighbours were a "nice quiet family".
    - An 18-year-old man, who police said was carrying a suspect package, is arrested in Wigan, a town near Manchester. No further details were given about him.
    - Another man, 22, is arrested in the town of Nuneaton in central England, widening the British police probe beyond areas in and around Manchester.
    - Libya´s Deterrence Force, which acts as the police of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, arrests Abedi´s father Ramadan, adding that it had already arrested his brother Hashem on Tuesday.
    A spokesman said that the brother was aware of Abedi´s attack plan and that both men belonged to the Daesh group, which claimed responsibility for the attack.
    Abedi´s father reportedly protested his son´s innocence in the hours before his arrest.
    - In Manchester, a 34-year-old woman is arrested by police in an apartment block in Blackley, in the north of the city. She is later released without charge.
    Thursday, May 25
    - A 16-year-old boy is arrested in Withington, south Manchester. He is later released without charge.
    - A 38-year-old man is arrested in Blackley.
    Friday, May 26 
    - A 30-year-old man is arrested in Moss Side, an area of Manchester associated with social deprivation and gangs.
    - A 44-year-old man is arrested in Rusholme, in the south of the city.
    Saturday, May 27
    - Two men aged 20 and 22 are arrested following a raid, involving a controlled explosion, at an address in Cheatham Hill, north Manchester.
    Sunday, May 28
    - A 25-year-old man is arrested in Old Trafford, to the east of the city.
    - Later that evening, police arrest a 19-year-old man in the southwestern Gorton area of the city.
    Monday, May 29 
    - Police arrest a 23-year-old man in the southern coastal town of Shoreham-by-Sea, more than 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Manchester, suggesting authorities are widening their net in the hunt for accomplices.


  10. Waqas Dar
    YANGON: Myanmar netizens were in uproar on Monday after Facebook seemingly banned people from posting the word "kalar," often used as a slur against Muslims, at a time of rising Islamophobia in the country.
    Facebook is under global pressure to clamp down on hate speech, violent threats or deliberately misleading information on their platform -- with efforts showing varying degrees of success.
    Dozens of users in Myanmar reported being temporarily barred from the site recently after posting the controversial term kalar, which is frequently used as an insult for the country´s embattled Muslim minority.
    Some users said they were even blocked after writing other words that include the same sound in the Burmese alphabet, highlighting the difficulties Facebook has monitoring millions of posts in multiple languages.
    Aung Kaung Myat said he had been prevented from liking, posting and sharing content on the site for 24 hours last week for writing about the apparent ban, as had many of his friends.
    "It is ridiculous," he said. "I became a victim of it myself when I wrote: ´Facebook is deleting the posts that include the word kalar´."
    Yarzar Soe-Oo said he was barred on Friday after posting a jokey quip about eating Indian bean soup ("kalar pal hin") while sitting in a chair ("kalar htaing").
    Facebook did not reply to emailed requests for comment while a spokesman for the Myanmar government said it had not pushed for a ban.
    Kalar is a deeply controversial term in Myanmar, where it is used to refer to foreigners in general but most commonly to describe people of Indian origin and anything relating to their culture.
    Over the years it has also been turned into a derogatory slur by Buddhist nationalists against Muslims.
    Two angry Facebook users have responded to the apparent ban by creating an event called "We own Kalar" in protest.
    By early afternoon some 1,400 people had said they were interested in attending the gathering, scheduled for Wednesday in Yangon.
    "Even though no action is taken against fake accounts which share hate speech and spew abuse... action is taken over (words we use every day)," said the organisers.
    "We own the word as we have been using it for decades and over the centuries."
    The push comes as Myanmar´s government has been seeking to clamp down on hate speech after a spike in anti-Muslim actions by Buddhist hardliners.
    In recent months they have shut down religious events, forced two Yangon schools accused of illegally doubling up as mosques to close and this month clashed with Muslims after pushing police to raid a house in their neighbourhood.
    Last week Myanmar´s top Buddhist authority officially banned ultra-nationalist Ma Ba Tha movement, which responded on Sunday by simply changing their name.
    "If you write Ma Ba Tha, you can erase the words. But no one can erase Ma Ba Tha from your heart," leader Tilawka Biwuntha told the gathering.


  11. Waqas Dar
    China, battling increased threats from cyber-terrorism and hacking, will adopt from Thursday a controversial law that mandates strict data surveillance and storage for firms working in the country, the official Xinhua news agency said.
    The law, passed in November by the country's largely rubber-stamp parliament, bans online service providers from collecting and selling users' personal information and gives users the right to have their information deleted, in cases of abuse.
    "Those who violate the provisions and infringe on personal information will face hefty fines," the news agency said on Monday, without elaborating.
    Reuters reported this month that overseas business groups were pushing Chinese regulators to delay implementation of the law, saying the rules would severely hurt activities.
    Until now, China's data industry has had no overarching data protection framework, being governed instead by loosely defined laws.
    However, overseas critics say the new law threatens to shut foreign technology companies out of sectors the country deems "critical", and includes contentious requirements for security reviews and data stored on servers in China.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said he has never done anything illegal nor has he ever been served a tax notice.

    SC asks 14 questions from Imran on Bani Gala land purchase, offshore firm
    How was land in Bani Gala purchased before Jemima transferred amount for it from London, the SC inquires
    In a series of messages on Twitter, the PTI chief said ?whether the Supreme Court investigates or forms a Joint Investigation Team in my case [of his Bani Gala home?s land purchase], they can only come to one conclusion: that he bought the London flat from taxed legitimate cricket earnings in 1983, sold it in 2003 and brought back the funds via legitimate banking channels.? He added that he paid for the purchase of the Bani Gala property from these earned funds remitted back to Pakistan.
    ?Was taxpayer in UK for 20 years; been a taxpayer in Pakistan since 1981. Never have I done anything illegal, nor have I ever been served a tax notice,? said Khan.
    CDA declares construction of Imran Khan?s Bani Gala residence illegal
    ISLAMABAD: Construction of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan's Bani Gala residence was declared illegal by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Tuesday. A report was submitted by...
    He predicted that in contrast, the JIT [formed to probe the Panama case verdict] will find Nawaz Sharif guilty of tax evasion, money laundering and perjury [over the Qatari letter] while he was the prime minister.
    In the end, the PTI chief said ?Those who think I am playing with fire & might get disqualified, it will be a small price to pay to rid Pak of corruption mafias' Godfather.?



  13. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A special Supreme Court bench formed to oversee the investigation into the prime minister?s family?s financial dealings abroad will hear the premier?s son?s petition questioning the credibility of two investigators.

    Hussain Nawaz has petitioned the apex court against the alleged bias of two members of the Joint Investigation Team in the Panama case.
    The three-judge special bench will take up his plea, objecting to Amer Aziz and Bilal Rasool, who respectively represent the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in the six-member JIT.
    Panama case: Hussain Nawaz expresses anger following statement to JIT
    Prime minister?s son has objected to two JIT members 'bias'
    Hussain, in a petition filed to the Supreme Court that is set to be heard today, has objected to two JIT members, questioning their partiality
    Hussain has claimed that the JIT member from the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Bilal Rasool, is the nephew of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Mian Azhar. Azhar, a former governor of Punjab, was originally affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz but later joined the PML-Q and then PTI.
    Hussain has claimed that despite being a public servant, Bilal also frequently speaks against the ruling federal government, while his wife is also a supporter of the PTI and PML-Q.
    Regarding the JIT member from the State Bank of Pakistan, Amir Aziz, Hussain says he was part of the investigation team in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case during the regime of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Aziz also threatened the premier?s cousin, Tariq Shafi, while investigating him in the Panama case, Hussain has alleged. Aziz also allegedly directed Shafi to take back his sworn statement, according to Hussain?s petition.
    Supreme Court satisfied with JIT's progress in Panama case
    Special three-member bench reviewed JIT's findings; rejects PTI's plea to make them public
    On Sunday, Hussain appeared before the JIT for almost two hours to record his statement after he was summoned by the high-profile probe body. He is expected to submit the relevant records with the JIT on Tuesday. 


  14. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Seven men were arrested on Monday for harassing a Supreme Court judge and his family while he was travelling from Lahore to Islamabad.
    Justice Sardar Tariq Masood's car was stopped and attacked by local spiritual leader Haseebur Rehman and his six accomplices, police said.
    The men were arrested after the judge called at the motorway police's helpline to lodge a complaint, investigation officer Muhammad Aslam told Geo News.
    A case against the accused was lodged in Mandi Kaleki police station in Hafizabad.
    The police obtained a 20-day remand of the arrested men from Gujranwala's anti-terrorism court, the police said. 


  15. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: A three-member delegation of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including Chairman Shahryar Khan, Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad, and Pakistan Super League Chairman Najam Sethi, left for Dubai Monday morning to know the reasons why Indian cricket board refused to play bilateral series with Pakistan.

    The PCB delegation will hold a meeting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) delegation over the matter.
    Speaking to the media at Lahore airport, Shahryar Khan said that Pakistan is standing by on its agreement to play series against India. India didn?t play any match with Pakistan despite agreement. We demand that Indian cricket team plays a bilateral series against Pakistan, he added.
    On the other hand, Najam Sethi remarked that if the meeting fails to bear fruit then another meeting will be held. India should compensate for refusing to play the bilateral series. If Indian cricket board does not budge then the matter will be taken to International Cricket Council (ICC).
    On May 3, the PCB initiated formal dispute resolution proceedings against the BCCI to claim compensation and damages it suffered due to BCCI's refusal to play bilateral series with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

    PCB initiates formal case against BCCI, sends notice for dispute resolution
    PCB has claimed the losses and damage suffered by it as a result of BCCI?s breaches of the agreement
    BCCI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the PCB in 2014 under which they were due to play six series ? four to be hosted by Pakistan ? between 2015 and 2023.
    But New Delhi denied clearance for the series following strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.
    Under the agreement, Indian team was due to take on Pakistan in November-December 2015, but they refused to play even in the neutral venues of United Arab Emirates or Sri Lanka.
    Pakistan did tour India for a short limited-over series in December 2012 but the arch-rivals have not played a full bilateral series since 2007.
    Umar Akmal avoids media upon return
    Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal , who was withdrawn from Champions Trophy squad after failing two fitness tests in Pakistan team?s camp ahead of the tournament, also returned back to Lahore from UK.
    Champions Trophy: Umar Akmal to return after failing fitness test
    A team source in Birmingham informed Haris Sohail is likely to be called as replacement of Umar Akmal
    Upon his return Akmal avoided media at Lahore airport and went straight to his home.
    "He [Umar Akmal] has failed two fitness tests during the ongoing camp in England ahead of Champions Trophy," Shaharyar Khan had told a website.
    ?We have a policy not to carry unfit players, it has been decided to call him back and send a replacement,? he added.


  16. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump attacked the news media and dismissed leaks from the White House as "fake news" on Sunday, following reports his son-in-law tried to set up a secret channel of communications with Moscow before Trump took office.
    Shortly after Trump's remarks on Twitter, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly made the rounds of Sunday television news shows to praise any so-called back channel communications, especially with Russia, as "a good thing."
    The Republican president returned to the White House after a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe that ended on Saturday to face more questions about alleged communications between Jared Kushner and Russia's ambassador to Washington.
    "It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media," Trump wrote in a series of Twitter posts on Sunday.


    The White House faces mounting questions about potential ties between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign, which are also the subject of criminal and congressional investigations. Trump officials were preparing to establish a "war room" to address an issue that has begun to dominate his young presidency.
    Aides said Trump was expected to meet with lawyers as early as Sunday, the New York Times reported.
    Two Republican US senators played down the Kushner reports on Sunday, while the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, took a darker view of such contacts with representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
    "My dashboard warning light was clearly on and I think that was the case with all of us in the intelligence community - very concerned about the nature of these approaches to the Russians," Clapper told NBC's "Meet The Press."
    Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, had contacts with Moscow in December about opening a secret back channel of communications, according to news reports published while Trump was away on his trip.
    The 36-year-old Kushner, a real estate developer with no previous government experience, had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States during and after the 2016 presidential campaign, seven current and former US officials told Reuters.

    "Whenever you see the words 'sources say' in the fake news media, and they don't mention names," Trump wrote, "it is very possible that those sources don't exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!"
    Contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials during the campaign coincided with what US intelligence agencies concluded was a Kremlin effort through computer hacking, fake news and propaganda to boost Trump's chances of winning the White House.
    'A good thing'
    White House officials defended the concept of secret communications channels without commenting specifically on the Kushner case. National security adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters on Saturday that so-called back-channeling was not unusual.
    Kelly, the homeland security secretary, carried the same message on Sunday.
    "It's both normal, in my opinion, and acceptable," he said on ABC's "This Week" program. "Any way that you can communicate with people, particularly organisations that are maybe not particularly friendly to us, is a good thing."
    Kelly told "Fox News Sunday" there was nothing wrong with the Trump transition team trying to build relationships with the Russians as they prepared to take over the White House.
    US Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said such secret channels may be used in situations including peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan or for the release of American hostages.
    "But for people associated with the campaign after that campaign has ended and where the Russians during that campaign were helping you, to try to establish a back channel and hide it from your own government, that's a serious allegation," he said.

    Schiff was particularly concerned about a Washington Post report that the back channel would have been conducted at a Russian diplomatic facility to avoid monitoring in US communications systems. "You have to ask, well, who are they hiding the conversation from?" he said on ABC.
    Schiff said he expected Kushner, who serves as an unpaid adviser to Trump, to appear before his committee and suggested his security clearance be reviewed.
    Kushner initially had come to the attention of FBI investigators last year as they began scrutinising former national security adviser Michael Flynn?s connections with Russian officials, the two sources told Reuters.
    Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN he doubted the Kushner reports were accurate. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, noted that Kushner has been willing to answer questions. "They reached out to us yesterday to make sure that we knew that was the case and I?m sure he?s willing to do so,? Corker said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
    Though he had not seen evidence of collusion when he stepped down on Jan. 20, Clapper said all the signs made an FBI investigation not only appropriate but necessary.
    "Russia, at least for my money, is our primary adversary," he told NBC. "They are not our friends. They are in to do us in."


  17. Waqas Dar
    LARKANA: A strike by the paramedical staff of Chandka Medical College, Larkana, has resulted in the deaths of around 30 patients at the hospital.

    The hospital?s medical superintendent has submitted a report in this regard with the District and Sessions Court in Larkana.
    The court will begin hearing the suo motu case over the incident on Monday (today). 


  18. Waqas Dar
    Even Daniele De Rossi, one of the hardest men in football, was reduced to tears as AS Roma talisman Francesco Totti brought down the curtain on a remarkable 25 years at his only professional club on Sunday.
    Francesco Totti is thrown in the air by Roma team-mates after his last game. Photo: AP A capacity crowd stayed behind for more than an hour after the end of the win over Genoa to bid farewell to a hugely gifted player who, many believed, could have won much more had he moved elsewhere but remained loyal to Roma throughout.
    Roma fans cry during Francesco Totti's last game. Photo: AP Totti, 40, came on in the 54th minute of the Serie A match and helped his team to a 3-2 win which guaranteed a second-place finish and an automatic place in the Champions League group stage next season.
    After that, it was time for the goodbyes.
    His teammates lined up to congratulate him before he addressed the stadium.
    "I wanted to write a poem or a song but I'm not capable of that," he said.
    "It's finally over. The moment which I hoped would never arrive is here. I'm taking off the shirt for the last time, although I'm not ready to do it, and maybe never will be.
    "It's not easy to turn out the light. In fact, I'm afraid -- it's not like taking a penalty", he said, at which point almost everyone in the stadium appeared to be in tears.

    Totti with his daughter as he bid farewell. Photo: The Express  Totti made his debut as a 16-year-old in a 2-0 win against Brescia in 1993 and played under 16 different coaches during his 25 seasons at the club in the city where he was born.
    In all he made 786 appearances, scoring 307 goals including 250 in Serie A -- the second-highest total by a single player after Silvio Piola between 1929 and 1954.
    A World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 when he played in all seven games, his trophy haul with Roma was surprisingly modest -- a single Serie A title in 2001 and two winners' medals from the largely unloved Coppa Italia.
    Totti said earlier this year that he was nearly lured to Real Madrid by the prospect of playing with Brazilian forward Ronaldo but resisted the temptation.
    Even so, he hinted in his statement on Thursday that he could still continue playing elsewhere.
    De Rossi, who himself has been at the club since 2001, was among those who could not hide their emotions.
    ?There are people who are not normal. There are careers that are not normal. I saw a banner that said the real battle against modern football is to wear the same jersey for 25 years,? he said.
    "After 16 years, I will go into the dressing-room and he won't be sitting in the same place. That won't be easy."


  19. Waqas Dar
    SYDNEY: Australia are relishing the prospect of uniting their "big four" pace attack for the first time at the Champions Trophy -- and sending a message to England ahead of the Ashes.
    Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson are all fit and poised to bowl together given conducive conditions at the tournament in England and Wales.
    In Australia they are seen as potentially the most potent pace quartet since the mighty West Indies teams of the 1970s, ´80s and ´90s.
    Injuries have prevented the strike bowlers from playing together in the same Australian squad and coach Darren Lehmann is licking his lips at the opportunity to let them loose.
    "It´s the first time we´ve had the big four available," Lehmann said.
    "It would be great to see them go at it and see how they go. They´re quality players and we´ve got a quality squad."
    Injury-bedevilled Cummins is finally fit and playing consistent cricket for the first time in his career after overcoming a series of back stress fractures, while Pattinson has returned from shin and back injuries.
    Starc, who has recovered from a foot injury that cut short his India Test tour in March, said he was excited by the prospect of combining with his fellow speedsters at the Champions Trophy.
    "We´ve had our issues with injury but Patty´s (Cummins) only just turned 24 - I´m 27 and I´m the oldest - so we´ve still got plenty of time to wreak havoc on batsmen around the world," Starc said ahead of his departure for England.
    "Hopefully that starts with the Champions Trophy and then onwards to the Ashes (in Australia) later in the year."
    Former Test batsman Adam Voges, playing English county cricket with Middlesex, said anything was possible for Australia if the foursome can stay fit and available.
    "If they´ve got all four to choose from then it is going to be incredibly exciting to watch, maybe not to face," Voges said. "It´s a luxury Australia hasn´t had for a while."
    - ´Excitement machine´ -
    Australia´s participation at the Champions Trophy has been clouded by an acrimonious stand-off in pay talks between the players´ union and Cricket Australia with a looming June 30 expiry of their current financial deal.
    Lehmann has conceded the bitter dispute will be a distraction for Australia, but he has played down any potential boycott of the Ashes, as suggested by some players.
    Another pressing issue for Lehmann will be where big-hitting Chris Lynn fits into the batting line-up, if at all.
    Lynn was in devastating form for Kolkata Knight Riders at the top of the order in this year´s Indian Premier League, scoring 295 runs at an average of 49.16 and a strike rate of 180.98.
    "First, he´s got to get selected in the eleven and the captain (Steve Smith) will tell him where he´s going to bat," Lehmann said.
    "We´ve had discussions. He´s an excitement machine."
    The experienced David Warner and Aaron Finch open the innings at one-day level, but with neither Shaun Marsh nor Usman Khawaja selected in the squad, Lynn looks as close as he ever has to getting his chance at an extended opportunity.
    Australia, grouped with New Zealand, England and Bangladesh, get their Champions Trophy campaign under way against the Black Caps at Edgbaston on June 2.
    The Australians are bidding for an unprecedented third Trophy after winning back-to-back in 2006 and 2009.


  20. Waqas Dar
    A 'ghost ship' of light projected onto a spray of water provided by a fire tender floats past the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, May 21, 2017, before the May 26 release of 'Dead Men Tell No Tales', the fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean fantasy films. REUTERS/Jason Reed  LOS ANGELES (Variety.com): Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is sailing into first place at the domestic box office this weekend, but the story the numbers dictate is not one of the swashbuckling heroics.

    Johnny Depp's fifth outing as Jack Sparrow is looking at a three-day total of $62.2 million from 4,276 locations, and a four-day holiday weekend sum of $77 million. If not for international appeal, that would be a let down for a movie riding on a $230-million production budget.
    The first place finish also can't cover up a serious case of franchise fatigue. Dead Men Tell No Tales is the lowest opening for a Pirates movie apart from the original, which earned over $46 million in its first weekend (and was also the only installation approved by critics). Last time out in 2011, On Stranger Tides pulled in $90 million in its opening weekend. That's still less than 2007's At World's End ($114.7 million) and 2006's Dead Man's Chest ($135.6 million). But it's no question why Disney is still churning out sequels -- combined, the movies have made $1.3 billion domestically and $3.8 billion worldwide.
    Dead Men Tell No Tales centres on Sparrow battling deadly ghost sailors, led by the Javier Bardem's Captain Salazar. Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg directed the film, which also sees the return of both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, who were absent from the fourth instalment.
    Over time the Pirates franchise has become more reliant on overseas ticket sales, and that's certainly the case this time out. The studio should make back its production budget this weekend once worldwide ticket sales are taken into account. Since the franchise still makes money (even if U.S. grosses are dwindling) this may not be the last we see of Captain Sparrow.
    Paul McCartney shares new look from upcoming 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie
    Are you ready to see The Beatles legend in Dead Men Tell No Tales?
    A 'Pirates' life for Depp as he sets sail in fifth film
    'Pirates' franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer said Depp is






    Meanwhile, Paramount's Baywatch was hoping to make an oceanic summer splash but looks to have ended up in the kiddie pool. The rebooted property should land a three-day total of $18.1 million from 3,647 locations and end the four-day holiday weekend with $22 million. That's far below early estimates. The movie carries a $60 million production budget.
    This is the latest in a string of misses for the studio this year including Ghost in the Shell, Rings, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, and Monster Trucks.
    Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron star in the comedy that spawned from the 1990s NBC drama starring David Hasselhoff and a team of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of Los Angeles. This time around, it is Johnson, an experienced and devoted lifeguard who butts heads with a new recruit, Efron, until they uncover a criminal plot.
    Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, and Ilfenesh Hadera also star. Seth Gordon directed the film based on a screenplay by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant all have story credits.

    Baywatch will land in third behind Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which has proven to be the only major hit to emerge from the summer box office so far. The sequel looks to pull in another $24.2 million over the four-day weekend, raising its domestic total close to $340 million.
    Fox's Alien: Covenant should end up in fourth during its second weekend in theatres. The latest instalment in the Alien franchise is looking at $13.1 million over the four-day stretch. Rounding out the top five, the YA adaptation Everything, Everything looks to have been a solid low-budget investment for Warner Bros. Its four-day total should be about $7.6 million.


  21. Waqas Dar
    A gun recovered from an unidentified suspect arrested during a police operation. Geo/File Photo KARACHI: One suspect was killed and another arrested during search operations in various parts of the city on Sunday night, Geo News reported.
    A suspect was killed during an exchange of fire between Pirabad police and his accomplices near Kati Pahari area late Sunday night, SP Orangi said, adding that a search operation to catch those who escaped is underway.
    According to the SP, the suspect was accused of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl, Geo News added.
    In addition, the tortured body of a woman was found in a house in City Railway Colony, Geo News reported.
    On the other hand, police arrested a suspect after he was injured during an encounter near Golimar Chowrangi late last night, SSP Central Muqaddas Haider stated.
    The security official mentioned that weapons, cash, and a mobile phone were recovered from the suspect, who was taken into custody as he attempted to loot a citizen.
    Two other suspects were detained in Gulshan Iqbal, Geo News reported.
    Dacoit dead, drug-seller arrested in Okara
    One dacoit was killed during a police encounter in Okara, DPO Hasan Asad Alvi said, as the suspect and his accomplices were robbing people by placing hurdles on the road.
    An exchange of fire commenced as soon as the police arrived on scene, resulting in the suspect getting killed by his own accomplices? gunfire, Alvi mentioned.
    The killed dacoit, however, could not be identified.
    Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) took into custody a drug-seller during a raid conducted near Depalpur Chowk in Okara, ANF stated, adding that 30 kg and 2.4 kg of hashish and opium, respectively, were recovered from the arrestee?s car.
    A case has subsequently been registered against the drug-seller, ANF explained.


  22. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Angry residents of Lahore's Railway Power House Baja Line vicinity started a fire on Mughalpura Road to protest against prolonged electricity load shedding on Monday.
    The protesters said they were tired and exhausted of the power outage since the past five days.
    Read more: Back to Stone Age: Power outage in Karachi continues during second Sehri
    Numerous complaints were lodged against a faulty transformer with the area's SDO but to no avail, the protestors said.
    The protest badly affected the flow of traffic on Mughalpura Road. 
    Continuing on the trend K-Electric set on the first day of Ramazan, Karachi was plunged into darkness as power outages occurred in various areas on the second Sehri late Sunday night.
    Golimar, North Karachi, New Karachi, and surrounding areas experienced an electric breakdown on Sunday night once again, exacerbating public outrage after power breakdowns during Sehri and Iftar times on the first day of fasting.




  23. Waqas Dar
    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday forecasted very hot and dry weather in the plain areas of the country in the next twenty-four hours.
    Continental air continues to prevail over most parts of the country, the MET said.
    A shallow westerly wave is present over upper parts of the country.
    Explore: 7 easy hacks to beat the heat
    Rain and thunderstorm are expected at a few places in Kashmir and its adjoining hilly areas.
    Past weather:
    The weather remained very hot and dry in most parts of the country.
    Rainfall in the last 24 Hours (mm):
    NIL.
    Today's highest temperatures:
    Turbat 53.5°C, Sibbi 50°C, Jacobabad, Dadu 49°C, Larkana 48°C, Nokkundi, Dalbandin, Bhakkar, Sakrund, Sukkur 47°C.
    A record temperature of 53.5°C was observed in Turbat today. Earlier record was 52°C on 30th May, 2009.


    Date Courtesy: Pakistan Meteorological Department 


  24. Waqas Dar
    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron talk as they attend the Summit of the Heads of State and of Government of the G7, the group of most industrialised economies, plus the European Union, on May 26, 2017, in Taormina, Sicily. AFP/POOL/Stephane De Sakutin  "A liberal fantasy dream sequence", "a bromance", and "insanely romantic".

    The Internet was abuzz Friday with pictures of French President Emmanuel Macron and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau schmoozing at the G7 summit in Sicily, strolling through flowered walkways and chatting against the backdrop of a sparkling blue Mediterranean sea.
    "Apparently Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron flew to Sicily for their wedding photoshoot," netizen @sherlockify joked on Twitter.
    The reaction to the telegenic pair's encounter in the picturesque, hillside town of Taormina, immortalised by Macron himself who tweeted a video of their meeting, provided some light relief from a summit otherwise devoted to thorny issues such as climate change and the threat of extremism.
    "The Franco-Canadian friendship has a new face," Macron tweeted after sitting down for talks with Trudeau and taking the now famous stroll.
    "@JustinTrudeau, it's up to us to take on the challenges of our generation!"
    "Sitting down with @EmmanuelMacron for the first time, talking jobs, security & climate -? looking forward to more conversations, my friend," Trudeau responded on Twitter, posting pictures of both smiling, shaking hands, and looking out over the Mediterranean, their dapper suit jackets billowing in the breeze.
    Trudeau, 45, is popular with liberals worldwide for his commitment to fighting climate change and easing the refugee crisis -- in stark contrast to the United States, Canada's powerful neighbour.
    Macron, 39, has only been in power for 12 days but enjoys similar kudos, particularly abroad where he has been compared to Trudeau.
    "This image of Trudeau and Macron in Sicily is right out of a liberal fantasy dream sequence," tweeted Dhruva Jaishankar, an expert on foreign policy at the India section of the Brookings Institution think tank.
    Others were even more explicit.
    "Le swoon, le sigh," tweeted netizen MissMary, above a photo of both leaders in apparent earnest chat.
    "Is there a budding bromance between Macron and Trudeau? Two hunks!" added @MaureenRamsden.


  25. Waqas Dar
    Rescue workers assist an injured supporter of Honduran team Motagua after a stampede outside the National Stadium in Tegucigalpa on May 28, 2017. AFP/Orlando Sierra  At least four people died and dozens were injured in a stampede when hundreds of fans tried to break past barricades to get into a national soccer final match in the Honduran capital on Sunday, according to emergency services officials.
    Four adults died and more than a dozen were injured, including children, said Miguel Osorio, a spokesman for the university hospital where victims were taken.
    Capitan Oscar Triminio of the Honduran firefighter corps said 25 people were injured in the stampede just before the start of the match at the national stadium between teams Motagua and Honduras Progreso.


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