FundayForum
Register
Forum Blogs Gallery Files Poetry Books
Portal Facebook YouTube Twitter
👀 You are watching:
Jump to content
👉 Click here to explore Remote Jobs, Work From Home & Global News – USA 🇺🇸 | UK 🇬🇧 | Canada 🇨🇦 | Pakistan 🇵🇰 ×
🚫 Guest Access Notice ×
LIVE UPDATES

Waqas Dar

🔥 Admin/Core Authority
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    11,281

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    552

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    European Union antitrust regulators fined Facebook $122 million on Thursday for giving misleading information during a vetting of its deal to acquire messaging service WhatsApp in 2014.
    Calling it a "proportionate and deterrent fine", the European Commission, which acts as the EU's competition watchdog, said Facebook had said it could not automatically match user accounts on its namesake platform and WhatsApp but two years later launched a service that did exactly that.
    "The Commission has found that, contrary to Facebook's statements in the 2014 merger review process, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook and WhatsApp users' identities already existed in 2014, and that Facebook staff were aware of such a possibility," the Commission said.
    Facebook said in a statement the errors made in its 2014 filings were not intentional and that the Commission had confirmed they had not affected the outcome of the merger review.
    "Today's announcement brings this matter to a close," Facebook said.
    The fine would not reverse the Commission's decision to clear the purchase of WhatsApp and was unrelated to separate investigations into data protection issues, it added.
    Reuters reported on Wednesday that Facebook was set to be fined.
    The Commission could have fined Facebook up to 1 percent of its turnover - which would have been $276 million based on 2016 results - but said that Facebook had cooperated with the proceedings and acknowledged its infringement.
    The EU sanction comes after Facebook received a separate 150,000-euro fine on Tuesday by a French data watchdog for failing to prevent its users' data being accessed by advertisers.
    Last week the Italian antitrust authorities levied a 3 million-euro fine on WhatsApp for allegedly obliging users to agree to share their personal data with Facebook.




  2. Waqas Dar
    President Donald Trump (L-R), joined by Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, senior advisor Steve Bannon, Communications Director Sean Spicer and the then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst  WASHINGTON: Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump?s campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former US officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters.
    The previously-undisclosed interactions form part of the record now being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators probing Russian interference in the US presidential election and contacts between Trump?s campaign and Russia.
    Six of the previously-undisclosed contacts described to Reuters were phone calls between Sergei Kislyak ? Russia's ambassador to the United States ? and Trump advisers, including Flynn, Trump?s first national security adviser, three current and former officials said.
    Conversations between Flynn and Kislyak accelerated after the November 8 vote, as the two discussed establishing a back channel for communication between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that could bypass the US national security bureaucracy, which both sides considered hostile to improved relations, four current US officials said.
    In January, the Trump White House initially denied any contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign. The White House and advisers to the campaign have since confirmed four meetings between Kislyak and Trump advisers during that time.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, December 18, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev  The people who described the contacts to Reuters said they had seen no evidence of wrongdoing or collusion between the campaign and Russia in the communications reviewed so far. But the disclosure could increase the pressure on Trump and his aides to provide the FBI and Congress with a full account of interactions with Russian officials and others with links to the Kremlin during and immediately after the 2016 election.
    The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Flynn's lawyer declined to comment. In Moscow, a Russian foreign ministry official declined to comment on the contacts and referred Reuters to the Trump administration.
    Separately, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington said, ?We do not comment on our daily contacts with the local interlocutors.?
    The 18 calls and electronic messages took place between April and November 2016 as hackers engaged in what US intelligence concluded in January was part of a Kremlin campaign to discredit the vote and influence the outcome of the election in favour of Trump over his Democratic challenger, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
    Those discussions focused on mending US-Russian economic relations strained by sanctions imposed on Moscow, cooperating in fighting Islamic State in Syria and containing a more assertive China, the sources said.
    Members of the Senate and House intelligence committees have gone to the CIA and the National Security Agency to review transcripts and other documents related to contacts between Trump campaign advisers and associates and Russian officials and others with links to Putin, people with knowledge of those investigations told Reuters.
    The US Justice Department said on Wednesday it had appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian meddling in the US presidential campaign and possible collusion between Trump?s campaign and Russia. Mueller will now take charge of the FBI investigation that began last July. Trump and his aides have repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia.
    'It's rare'
    In addition to the six phone calls involving Kislyak, the communications described to Reuters involved another 12 calls, emails or text messages between Russian officials or people considered to be close to Putin and Trump campaign advisers.
    One of those contacts was by Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch and politician, according to one person with detailed knowledge of the exchange and two others familiar with the issue.
    It was not clear with whom Medvedchuk was in contact within the Trump campaign but the themes included US-Russia cooperation, the sources said. Putin is godfather to Medvedchuk?s daughter.
    Medvedchuk denied having any contact with anyone in the Trump campaign.
    "I am not acquainted with any of Donald Trump's close associates, therefore no such conversation could have taken place," he said in an email to Reuters.
    In the conversations during the campaign, Russian officials emphasised a pragmatic, business-style approach and stressed to Trump associates that they could make deals by focusing on common economic and other interests and leaving contentious issues aside, the sources said.
    Veterans of previous election campaigns said some contact with foreign officials during a campaign was not unusual, but the number of interactions between Trump aides and Russian officials and others with links to Putin was exceptional.
    ?It?s rare to have that many phone calls to foreign officials, especially to a country we consider an adversary or a hostile power,? Richard Armitage, a Republican and former deputy secretary of state, told Reuters.
    FLYNN FIRED
    Beyond Medvedchuk and Kislyak, the identities of the other Putin-linked participants in the contacts remain classified and the names of Trump advisers other than Flynn have been ?masked? in intelligence reports on the contacts because of legal protections on their privacy as American citizens. However, officials can request that they be revealed for intelligence purposes.
    US and allied intelligence and law enforcement agencies routinely monitor communications and movements of Russian officials.
    After Vice President Mike Pence and others had denied in January that Trump campaign representatives had any contact with Russian officials, the White House later confirmed that Kislyak had met twice with then-Senator Jeff Sessions, who later became attorney general.
    Kislyak also attended an event in April where Trump said he would seek better relations with Russia. Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, Trump?s son-in-law, also attended that event in Washington. In addition, Kislyak met with two other Trump campaign advisers in July on the sidelines of the Republican convention.
    Trump fired Flynn in February after it became clear that he had falsely characterised the nature of phone conversations with Kislyak in late December - after the Nov. 8 election and just after the Obama administration announced new sanctions on Russia. Flynn offered to testify to Congress in return for immunity from prosecution but his offer was turned down by the House intelligence committee.


  3. Waqas Dar
    President Donald Trump (L-R), joined by Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, senior advisor Steve Bannon, Communications Director Sean Spicer and the then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst  WASHINGTON: Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump?s campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former US officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters.
    The previously-undisclosed interactions form part of the record now being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators probing Russian interference in the US presidential election and contacts between Trump?s campaign and Russia.
    Six of the previously-undisclosed contacts described to Reuters were phone calls between Sergei Kislyak ? Russia's ambassador to the United States ? and Trump advisers, including Flynn, Trump?s first national security adviser, three current and former officials said.
    Conversations between Flynn and Kislyak accelerated after the November 8 vote, as the two discussed establishing a back channel for communication between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that could bypass the US national security bureaucracy, which both sides considered hostile to improved relations, four current US officials said.
    In January, the Trump White House initially denied any contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign. The White House and advisers to the campaign have since confirmed four meetings between Kislyak and Trump advisers during that time.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, December 18, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev  The people who described the contacts to Reuters said they had seen no evidence of wrongdoing or collusion between the campaign and Russia in the communications reviewed so far. But the disclosure could increase the pressure on Trump and his aides to provide the FBI and Congress with a full account of interactions with Russian officials and others with links to the Kremlin during and immediately after the 2016 election.
    The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Flynn's lawyer declined to comment. In Moscow, a Russian foreign ministry official declined to comment on the contacts and referred Reuters to the Trump administration.
    Separately, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington said, ?We do not comment on our daily contacts with the local interlocutors.?
    The 18 calls and electronic messages took place between April and November 2016 as hackers engaged in what US intelligence concluded in January was part of a Kremlin campaign to discredit the vote and influence the outcome of the election in favour of Trump over his Democratic challenger, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
    Those discussions focused on mending US-Russian economic relations strained by sanctions imposed on Moscow, cooperating in fighting Islamic State in Syria and containing a more assertive China, the sources said.
    Members of the Senate and House intelligence committees have gone to the CIA and the National Security Agency to review transcripts and other documents related to contacts between Trump campaign advisers and associates and Russian officials and others with links to Putin, people with knowledge of those investigations told Reuters.
    The US Justice Department said on Wednesday it had appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian meddling in the US presidential campaign and possible collusion between Trump?s campaign and Russia. Mueller will now take charge of the FBI investigation that began last July. Trump and his aides have repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia.
    'It's rare'
    In addition to the six phone calls involving Kislyak, the communications described to Reuters involved another 12 calls, emails or text messages between Russian officials or people considered to be close to Putin and Trump campaign advisers.
    One of those contacts was by Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch and politician, according to one person with detailed knowledge of the exchange and two others familiar with the issue.
    It was not clear with whom Medvedchuk was in contact within the Trump campaign but the themes included US-Russia cooperation, the sources said. Putin is godfather to Medvedchuk?s daughter.
    Medvedchuk denied having any contact with anyone in the Trump campaign.
    "I am not acquainted with any of Donald Trump's close associates, therefore no such conversation could have taken place," he said in an email to Reuters.
    In the conversations during the campaign, Russian officials emphasised a pragmatic, business-style approach and stressed to Trump associates that they could make deals by focusing on common economic and other interests and leaving contentious issues aside, the sources said.
    Veterans of previous election campaigns said some contact with foreign officials during a campaign was not unusual, but the number of interactions between Trump aides and Russian officials and others with links to Putin was exceptional.
    ?It?s rare to have that many phone calls to foreign officials, especially to a country we consider an adversary or a hostile power,? Richard Armitage, a Republican and former deputy secretary of state, told Reuters.
    FLYNN FIRED
    Beyond Medvedchuk and Kislyak, the identities of the other Putin-linked participants in the contacts remain classified and the names of Trump advisers other than Flynn have been ?masked? in intelligence reports on the contacts because of legal protections on their privacy as American citizens. However, officials can request that they be revealed for intelligence purposes.
    US and allied intelligence and law enforcement agencies routinely monitor communications and movements of Russian officials.
    After Vice President Mike Pence and others had denied in January that Trump campaign representatives had any contact with Russian officials, the White House later confirmed that Kislyak had met twice with then-Senator Jeff Sessions, who later became attorney general.
    Kislyak also attended an event in April where Trump said he would seek better relations with Russia. Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, Trump?s son-in-law, also attended that event in Washington. In addition, Kislyak met with two other Trump campaign advisers in July on the sidelines of the Republican convention.
    Trump fired Flynn in February after it became clear that he had falsely characterised the nature of phone conversations with Kislyak in late December - after the Nov. 8 election and just after the Obama administration announced new sanctions on Russia. Flynn offered to testify to Congress in return for immunity from prosecution but his offer was turned down by the House intelligence committee.


  4. Waqas Dar
    Former world number one Maria Sharapova has been handed a wildcard to the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in Birmingham in June, Britain's Lawn Tennis Association said on Thursday.
    The five-times grand slam champion, who recently served a 15-month doping ban, learned on Tuesday she would not be given a wildcard into the French Open, with the question over whether Wimbledon will grant her one as yet unanswered.
    The 30-year-old's comeback has divided opinion, with some fellow players criticising the decision to award her wildcard entries into WTA claycourt tournaments in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.
    The Aegon Classic in Birmingham has now offered Sharapova the chance to fine-tune her grasscourt game after she committed to appear there next year as well.
    "We have received a two-year commitment from one of the most famous athletes in the world, Maria Sharapova, to play the Aegon Classic," LTA Chief Executive Michael Downey said.
    "In return we are providing Maria with a main draw wildcard for this year. This wasn't a decision we took lightly and we recognise not everyone will agree with it.
    "However Maria has served her ban in full and is now back playing high quality tennis... Now that Maria has earned direct entry into Wimbledon qualifying, we want to give British tennis fans the chance to see her compete on grass here in Britain beforehand."
    Sharapova's first round win in Rome meant her ranking, now 211, will have improved enough to gain a place by right in the Wimbledon qualifying tournament held the week before the Championships, which start on July 3.
    Having retired injured in her second round match, however, she will miss the ranking cut-off for a main draw entry and would need a wildcard from the All England Committee on June 20 to avoid having to win three rounds of qualifying.
    She won the first of her five grand slams at Wimbledon in 2004.
    Commenting on her Aegon Classic entry, she said: "I am really excited to be coming back to Birmingham ...as part of my build-up to Wimbledon and I thank the LTA for this opportunity."


  5. Waqas Dar
    Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, May 18, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid  Wall Street rebounded on Thursday from its biggest selloff in more than eight months with help from a move to loosen internet regulations and strong economic data.

    Investors were still watching Washington closely after reports the US President tried to interfere with an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's ties with Russia.
    "We could be just shaking off the jitters here. Yesterday, investors were really worried," said Janna Sampson, co-chief investment officer at OakBrook Investments LLC in Lisle, Illinois.
    Investors were likely relieved, she said, by last night's appointment of former FBI chief Robert Mueller to investigate alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow.
    "Whatever the (investigation) result, people feel they might have confidence it's an accurate, unbiased result," she said.
    The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 56.09 points or 0.27 percent to 20,663, the S&P 500 gained 8.69 points or 0.37 percent to 2,365, and the Nasdaq Composite added 43.89 points or 0.73 percent to 6,055.
    Investors are monitoring events that could help or hurt Trump's ability to implement proposals, such as tax reform and deregulation. At least some of the stock market's post-election rally has been thanks to those proposals.
    The Telecommunications Services sector was the S&P's biggest percentage gainer with a 1.2-percent rise. US telecom regulators voted to advance a Republican plan to reverse a 2015 "net neutrality" order.
    "The fact you saw the party in charge have an impact on something might have led people to think, maybe they can get something done," said Sampson.
    Earlier in the day, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve said business activity index rose in May after declining for two months. Weekly unemployment data also pointed to strength in the labour market.
    Indexes briefly pared gains earlier in the day after a speeding car crashed into pedestrians in New York City's Times Square, killing one and injuring 22 people. The incident did not appear to be an act of terrorism, witnesses, police and news media said.
    The S&P 500's technology sector, one of the worst hit on Wednesday, rebounded 0.6 percent.
    Cisco fell 7.2 percent after the networking gear maker forecast current-quarter revenue below analysts' estimates. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, rose 3.2 percent to $77.54 after its quarterly earnings beat analysts' expectations.
    Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.03-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.36-to-1 ratio favoured advancers.
    The S&P 500 posted 15 new 52-week highs and 15 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 47 new highs and 97 new lows.
    About 8.16 billion shares changed hands on US exchanges compared with the 6.99 billion average for the last 20 trading sessions.


  6. Waqas Dar
    DOHA: Up to 1.3 million fans will visit Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, an official said Thursday, equivalent to half the Gulf country's population.
    Nasser Al-Khater, a senior figure with the body organising Qatar's World Cup, also said that for the first time in tournament history many of the fans would come from outside Europe and South America.
    "We believe we are going to have a huge influx (of fans), 1.3 million during the tournament," said Khater, speaking as Qatar unveiled its first fully refurbished World Cup venue, the Khalifa International Stadium.
    "We are putting a ceiling cap of 1.3 million as an estimate."
    He added: "I think everybody when they think of a World Cup, they expect the majority of the fans are going to be coming from western Europe and South America.
    "I think, first of all, football is changing, but I think also because of the geographical location of Qatar, I think we are going to see the majority of fans come from the region, mainly from Saudi Arabia.
    "We are going to see a lot of fans coming from India, a lot of fans coming from Russia.
    "I think we will see something very different in this World Cup."
    About one million people visited Brazil for the last World Cup.
    The World Cup in Qatar will be held between November 21 and December 18, 2022.
    Qatar's current official population is 2.6 million -- this figure has been swollen by more than two-thirds since the emirate was chosen as the 2022 World Cup host.
    In December 2010, Qatar had an official population of 1.6 million.
    The number of people living in Qatar has mushroomed as the Gulf country recruits tens of thousands of labourers to work on many major infrastructure projects linked to the tournament.


  7. Waqas Dar
    Doha's Khalifa International Stadium is seen on May 18, 2017, after it was refurbished ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup - AFP  DOHA: With a little under 2,022 days until the Qatar World Cup kicks-off, the tiny yet hugely ambitious Gulf state will officially unveil the tournament's first completed venue on Friday.
    The Khalifa International Stadium -- complete with the much-talked-about cooling technology that was central to Qatar's controversial bid for the World Cup -- will host the country's biggest domestic cup competition, The Emir Cup final.
    On the pitch it will be a battle between arguably the country's biggest teams -- Al Sadd, skippered by Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez, who called the stadium "fantastic" on a tour Thursday, and Al Rayyan.
    But off the pitch, the stadium will provide a solid example of Qatar's progress for the World Cup, a mere 2012 days before the tournament kicks-off.
    "I think it is a source of immense joy and pride," Nasser Al-Khater, a senior figure at World Cup organising body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, told AFP.
    "It's a stadium dear to our hearts, Khalifa Stadium, so we're happy that it's the first stadium to be completed.
    "It's real, it shows you the progress you've been working hard on is actually coming to reality.
    "And you can see it and you can feel it, it's tangible. It's a thrill."
    Approximately 500 jet nozzles will blast out cold air at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha, keeping fans cool with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius - AFP  The stadium was first built in 1976 and has just gone through its second refurbishment.
    It will house 40,000 fans during the World Cup, hosting matches played up to the quarter-final stage.
    Significantly, it will also host the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
    As part of its revamp, Khalifa includes technology that will provide air-conditioning for fans.
    Approximately 500 jet nozzles will blast out cold air, keeping temperatures at around 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit), for fans.
    Chilled water is piped to the stadium from a cooling centre about one kilometre from the stadium, then once it arrives, cold air is pushed into the stadium.
    The man responsible for the system, Qatar University's Dr Saud Ghani, said he believed Khalifa represented a world-first.
    "There isn't on earth, one open-air, air-conditioned stadium," he said.
    Dr Ghani said the system at Khalifa would use up to 40 per cent less energy than other cooling methods
    Ironically, it may not be used to regulate temperatures for fans during the 2022 World Cup after FIFA decided to move the tournament to Qatar's winter in November and December.
    Triumphs and tragedy
    Khalifa is the scene of one of Qatar's major sporting triumphs, the 1992 Gulf Cup victory.
    It was also the stadium where Saudi Arabia secured their first ever World Cup qualification, with a thrilling 4-3 win over Iran.
    Khater would not give a figure for the redevelopment of Khalifa, though one estimate puts the cost at $90 million (82 million euros).
    Qatar is spending up to $10 billion on stadiums and training grounds, officials have said previously.
    However, Khater denied reports earlier this year that the country has slashed its budget by up to 40 per cent, claiming the original figure needed for stadiums was an estimate only.
    In February, Qatar's finance minister Ali Shareef Al-Emadi said the country was spending almost $500m every week on major infrastructure projects for football?s biggest tournament.
    Khalifa's rebuild has not been without tragedy though.
    In January it was announced that Briton Zac Cox died in a fall at the stadium.
    And one of Qatar's strongest critics over labour conditions for migrant workers, Amnesty International, claimed in 2016 that workers at Khalifa suffered "systematic labour abuse", a claim it repeated on Thursday.


  8. Waqas Dar
    Karthik was part of India´s 2013 Champions Trophy-winning squad and has been in strong form on the domestic circuit this year - File Photo   Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been called up to India´s squad for next month´s Champions Trophy, replacing the injured Manish Pandey, the country´s cricket board (BCCI) said on Thursday.

    Pandey sustained a left-side strain during a practice session with the Kolkata Knight Riders for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
    Karthik was part of India´s 2013 Champions Trophy-winning squad and has been in strong form on the domestic circuit this year.
    He was the second-highest run scorer for his IPL team Gujarat Lions, scoring 361 runs.
    India begin their Group B campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Birmingham on June 4. 


  9. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Legal experts have opined on Thursday that the decision of International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Kulbhushan Jadhav's case is provisional and the court will take its time to reach a final decision on the matter.
    Speaking in Geo News' show 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath' International Legal Advisor South Asia of International Commission of Jurist Reema Omer said: ?In the laymen`s term, it is an interim order. Till now the jurisdiction of the court and merit has not yet been decided,?
    Talking about the decision, she said that Pakistan cannot execute Jadhav till the ICJ's proceeding are going on. 
    She further said that the ICJ`s proceedings will continue for a number of months or years.
    ?It takes two-three years in such cases and often the provisional judgment calls for a stay,? Omer added.
    ?Pakistan is a party to the Vienna Convention. It has to abide by the rules. To say that Pakistani lawyer talked for 40 mins, not 90 ? is an excuse and a diversion.?
    ICJ stays execution of Indian spy Jadhav pending final decision
    Pakistan shall take all measures to ensure Jadhav isn't executed till court's final decision: ICJ
    ICJ press release on Kulbhushan Jadhav case
    The International Court of Justice stated that it had jurisdiction in the case








    The legal expert said that Indians have raised an article of Vienna Convention in their argument.
    ?Indians have raised Article 36 which is simple that if there is a dispute on a treaty signed by two parties then ICJ will resolve the dispute,? she said. 
    ?The discussion on the case turned political than legal that is why people became little surprise but those who have followed such cases knew that this is the decision which was meant to come. It?s a death penalty case ? a matter of life and death for someone.?
    Meanwhile, former judge of the International Criminal Tribunal Justice Ali Nawaz Chohan also said that the decision was an interim order.
    ?It's still in Pakistan's domestic jurisdiction to make a new court or tribunal while keeping in light the due process of law.?
    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav until a final decision in the proceedings.
    "Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings," ordered Judge Ronny Abraham, president of the court, as he announced the decision.
    The ICJ rejected Pakistan's stance and stated that the court had jurisdiction and would hear the case and seek arguments from both parties.
    Judge Abraham stated that the ICJ had prima facie jurisdiction under Article 1 of the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention. The court further observed that the existence of a 2008 bilateral agreement on consular relations between India and Pakistan does not change its conclusion on the issue of jurisdiction.
    ?Pakistan shall inform the court of all measures taken in implementation of the present order. The court also decides that, until it has given its final decision, it shall remain seized of the matters which form the subject-matter of this order,? the order stated
    Explaining its reasoning, the court began by establishing that based on the initial facts, it has jurisdiction over the case.
    According to the judgment, it then turned to the question whether the rights alleged by India are at least plausible and decided in the affirmative.
    The court then focused on the issue of the link between the rights claimed and the provisional measures requested and observed that a link exists between the rights claimed by India and the provisional measures being sought.
    The court then examined whether there is a risk of irreparable prejudice and urgency. It considered that the mere fact that Jadhav is under a death sentence and might, therefore, be executed is sufficient to demonstrate the existence of a risk of irreparable prejudice to the rights claimed by India. The court further observed that Pakistan has indicated that any execution of Jadhav would probably not take place before August 2017. ?This means that there is a risk that an execution could take place at any moment thereafter before the court has given its final decision,? it stated, adding that Pakistan has [also] not given any assurance that Jadhav will not be executed before the court has rendered its final decision. ?In those circumstances, the court is satisfied that there is urgency in the present case,? it stated.
    Following the judgment, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria stated that Pakistan had challenged the authority of the ICJ after consulting with all institutions and agencies. "No institution can be party to Pakistan's national security," Zakaria said.


  10. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Legal experts have opined on Thursday that the decision of International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Kulbhushan Jadhav's case is provisional and the court will take its time to reach a final decision on the matter.
    Speaking in Geo News' show 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath' International Legal Advisor South Asia of International Commission of Jurist Reema Omer said: ?In the laymen`s term, it is an interim order. Till now the jurisdiction of the court and merit has not yet been decided,?
    Talking about the decision, she said that Pakistan cannot execute Jadhav till the ICJ's proceeding are going on. 
    She further said that the ICJ`s proceedings will continue for a number of months or years.
    ?It takes two-three years in such cases and often the provisional judgment calls for a stay,? Omer added.
    ?Pakistan is a party to the Vienna Convention. It has to abide by the rules. To say that Pakistani lawyer talked for 40 mins, not 90 ? is an excuse and a diversion.?
    ICJ stays execution of Indian spy Jadhav pending final decision
    Pakistan shall take all measures to ensure Jadhav isn't executed till court's final decision: ICJ
    ICJ press release on Kulbhushan Jadhav case
    The International Court of Justice stated that it had jurisdiction in the case








    The legal expert said that Indians have raised an article of Vienna Convention in their argument.
    ?Indians have raised Article 36 which is simple that if there is a dispute on a treaty signed by two parties then ICJ will resolve the dispute,? she said. 
    ?The discussion on the case turned political than legal that is why people became little surprise but those who have followed such cases knew that this is the decision which was meant to come. It?s a death penalty case ? a matter of life and death for someone.?
    Meanwhile, former judge of the International Criminal Tribunal Justice Ali Nawaz Chohan also said that the decision was an interim order.
    ?It's still in Pakistan's domestic jurisdiction to make a new court or tribunal while keeping in light the due process of law.?
    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav until a final decision in the proceedings.
    "Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings," ordered Judge Ronny Abraham, president of the court, as he announced the decision.
    The ICJ rejected Pakistan's stance and stated that the court had jurisdiction and would hear the case and seek arguments from both parties.
    Judge Abraham stated that the ICJ had prima facie jurisdiction under Article 1 of the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention. The court further observed that the existence of a 2008 bilateral agreement on consular relations between India and Pakistan does not change its conclusion on the issue of jurisdiction.
    ?Pakistan shall inform the court of all measures taken in implementation of the present order. The court also decides that, until it has given its final decision, it shall remain seized of the matters which form the subject-matter of this order,? the order stated
    Explaining its reasoning, the court began by establishing that based on the initial facts, it has jurisdiction over the case.
    According to the judgment, it then turned to the question whether the rights alleged by India are at least plausible and decided in the affirmative.
    The court then focused on the issue of the link between the rights claimed and the provisional measures requested and observed that a link exists between the rights claimed by India and the provisional measures being sought.
    The court then examined whether there is a risk of irreparable prejudice and urgency. It considered that the mere fact that Jadhav is under a death sentence and might, therefore, be executed is sufficient to demonstrate the existence of a risk of irreparable prejudice to the rights claimed by India. The court further observed that Pakistan has indicated that any execution of Jadhav would probably not take place before August 2017. ?This means that there is a risk that an execution could take place at any moment thereafter before the court has given its final decision,? it stated, adding that Pakistan has [also] not given any assurance that Jadhav will not be executed before the court has rendered its final decision. ?In those circumstances, the court is satisfied that there is urgency in the present case,? it stated.
    Following the judgment, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria stated that Pakistan had challenged the authority of the ICJ after consulting with all institutions and agencies. "No institution can be party to Pakistan's national security," Zakaria said.


  11. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: Chris Cornell, an emblematic grunge rock singer whose sweeping voice masked lifelong struggles with drugs and depression, died after a concert in a possible suicide, police said Thursday. He was 52.

    Hours after he played in Detroit with his main band Soundgarden on Wednesday evening, first responders rushed to his room at the MGM Grand hotel after being alerted by his family, a police spokeswoman said.
    Cornell was found unresponsive and his death "is being treated as a possible suicide," Officer Jennifer Moreno said.
    The Detroit Free Press reported that a band was found around Cornell´s neck.
    The rocker´s wife, Vicky Karayiannis Cornell, and the rest of the family "were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause," the singer´s publicist Brian Bumbery said in a statement.
    "They would like to thank his fans for their continuous love and loyalty and ask that their privacy be respected at this time," he said.
    Cornell, with little formal training, possessed one of the music world´s most wide-ranging voices which could swing nearly four octaves, moving from a deep baritone to a screechingly high tenor with a chilling vibrato.
    With his flowing curly hair and often bare chest, Cornell showed off his vocal skills on Soundgarden hits such as "Black Hole Sun," set to dissonant minor chord progressions on guitar.
    The death closes another chapter in grunge, the subgenre that emerged in Seattle in the late 1980s and combined the rough edges of punk rock with a gloomy introspection.
    Frontman Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, who towered over the grunge scene, killed himself in 1994 and Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland died on a tour bus in 2015 from a drug overdose.
    Pop legend Elton John said he was "shocked and saddened" by the death of Cornell, calling him "a great singer, songwriter and the loveliest man."
    Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page tweeted: "RIP Chris Cornell. Incredibly Talented. Incredibly Young. Incredibly Missed."
    This file photo taken on January 20, 2017 shows singer Chris Cornell performing - AFP  Drug user since 13
    Soundgarden had one of the heaviest sounds in grunge with trappings of heavy metal, even though Cornell cited The Beatles, to whom he listened constantly as a child, as his biggest influence.
    Cornell, a Seattle native, wrestled with heroin and other drugs as well as depression most of his life, once even calling a metal magazine to confirm a tour cancellation from a payphone at a rehab clinic.
    In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, Cornell said he had used drugs daily from age 13. He never completed high school and said he barely talked to anyone for two years as a teenager.
    He found his outlet in music, first as a drummer and then a singer and guitarist as he joined guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto to form Soundgarden.
    His songs such as "Fell on Black Days" and "The Day I Tried to Live" appeared to touch on his darkness, but Cornell would play down deeper meanings that listeners heard in his lyrics.
    Sobriety and creative energy
    Besides Soundgarden, Cornell founded the early grunge band Temple of the Dog and also sang with Audioslave -- a supergroup with members of Rage Against the Machine in which Cornell took a leftist political slant.
    Cornell had sobered up by the mid-2000s. His final decade marked a resurgence of creative energy, with Cornell reuniting Soundgarden and releasing a series of solo albums.
    Showing a new range, he wrote a theme song for the James Bond film "Casino Royale" and covered Michael Jackson´s "Billie Jean."
    Asked about his past addictions, Cornell often remarked that drug problems were overlooked among non-famous people.
    After Weiland´s death, Cornell told a radio station there was a long history culturally of "not deifying, but glamorising a little bit, ´the dead guy,´ whether it´s a rock star or a famous actor."
    Cornell is survived by three children. Two are with his second wife Karayiannis, a Greek music publicist whom the singer met when she was working in Paris.
    His last song, "The Promise," was the theme to Christian Bale´s film of the same name about the Armenian genocide, a term rejected by Turkey.
    "One promise that always remains / No matter the price," Cornell sings. "A promise to survive, persevere and thrive."


  12. Waqas Dar
    Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi ? File Photo. LONDON: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is to return for a third spell with Hampshire after signing to take part in this season's English Twenty20 Blast, the south coast club announced Thursday.

    Nicknamed ?Boom Boom? for his aggressive big-hitting, the 37-year-old is also a highly effective leg-spinner in cricket?s shortest format, with his 97 wickets in 98 matches a Twenty20 international record.
    Shahid Afridi pays tribute to #MisYou
    Afridi has joined the list of former greats who paid tribute to the duo saying that he want to say thanks to both the players for their selfless services for the game
    Shahid Afridi declines offer for farewell match
    Shahid Afridi last played for Pakistan in 2016 during the World T20 in India










    Afridi had previous stints with Hampshire in 2011 and 2016 and the club?s director of cricket Giles White said: "We?re thrilled to welcome Shahid back to the club for the coming T20 Blast campaign.

    "He?s been an important part of our success in the short form of the game in previous seasons and we feel his talents fit well with the current squad."


  13. Waqas Dar
    Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi ? File Photo. LONDON: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is to return for a third spell with Hampshire after signing to take part in this season's English Twenty20 Blast, the south coast club announced Thursday.

    Nicknamed ?Boom Boom? for his aggressive big-hitting, the 37-year-old is also a highly effective leg-spinner in cricket?s shortest format, with his 97 wickets in 98 matches a Twenty20 international record.
    Shahid Afridi pays tribute to #MisYou
    Afridi has joined the list of former greats who paid tribute to the duo saying that he want to say thanks to both the players for their selfless services for the game
    Shahid Afridi declines offer for farewell match
    Shahid Afridi last played for Pakistan in 2016 during the World T20 in India










    Afridi had previous stints with Hampshire in 2011 and 2016 and the club?s director of cricket Giles White said: "We?re thrilled to welcome Shahid back to the club for the coming T20 Blast campaign.

    "He?s been an important part of our success in the short form of the game in previous seasons and we feel his talents fit well with the current squad."


  14. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Following the International Court of Justice?s verdict on Thursday barring Pakistan from Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav?s execution till the end of proceedings, Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali said that the court did not take up the matter of consular access.

    The AG was addressing media representatives in Islamabad, where he said that India had initially denied that Kulbhushan Jadhav is its citizen.
    ?It took India a year to accept Jadhav as its citizen,? he said.
    ICJ stays execution of Indian spy Jadhav pending final decision
    Pakistan shall take all measures to ensure Jadhav isn't executed till court's final decision: ICJ
    ICJ verdict: Sartaj says no compromise on security matters
    ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said issuing of stay by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in interim case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav is not...








    APP adds: AGP Ausaf Ali said the ICJ?s decision has not changed the status of Kulbhushan Jadhav's case in any manner.
    According to a statement issued by AGP office, Ashtar Ausaf said, "As far as Pakistan is concerned, the court's decision today has not changed the status of Jadhav's case in any manner.?
    In our submissions on May 15, Pakistan had assured the court unambiguously that Jadhav would be provided every opportunity and remedy available under the law to defend his case.
    "We are confident that India would not be able to hide the subversive activities it is trying to carry out through its agents like Jadhav. India has no substance in the case," he said.
    He further said that Jadhav still has ample time to petition for clemency. To recall, Pakistan had in its presentation on May 15, proposed to the court that a final hearing be held on the merits and maintainability of the case as early as possible, he added.
    ?We are determined to pursue this case to its logical end. In today's interim order, the ICJ has stated that by way of provisional measures, the status quo be maintained in the case of Jadhav," he said and added, "The court has clearly underscored that the provisional measures are without prejudice to the final determination of the merits and jurisdiction of the case.?
    Ashtar said the provisional measures are a procedural process only to enable the court to have full consideration at a later hearing.
    These measures have no bearing whatsoever on the final decision of the court, he added.
    He said Pakistan attended the hearing out of its utmost respect for the court and pursuant to the established jurisprudence that the challenge to jurisdiction can be made via appearance and not by abstaining from the process.
    In addition, Pakistan attended because of its conviction that the only way to resolve all outstanding issues is through peaceful means.


  15. Waqas Dar
    A speeding car crashed into pedestrians on a sidewalk in New York City's busy Times Square on Thursday, killing one person and injuring at least 12, and police said the incident did not appear to be an act of terrorism, witnesses, police and news media said.
    A Reuters witness said one person was covered with a bloodstained blanket after the collision, which occurred around noon ET (1600 GMT) at the Midtown Manhattan tourist venue.
    Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them visitors from around the world, pass daily through the bustling commercial area, the heart of the Broadway theater district.
    The vehicle was a red Honda sedan and CBS New York Television said the driver had been removed. Television footage showed police officers restraining a man in a dark T-shirt and placing him in a police car.
    Witnesses said the motorist had driven against traffic and onto the sidewalk, striking pedestrians.
    ?Everybody was just running, everyone was concerned for their lives,? a witness told local CBS television.
    Seven people were being placed on stretchers, a Reuters witness said. Shoes were scattered at the scene and one person was covered by a bloodstained blanket, the Reuters witness said.
    AFP adds: Driver in Times Square crash was in US Navy, has criminal past
    The driver of the car served in the US Navy and has a criminal record, New York´s mayor said, adding authorities did not believe it was a terror attack.
    "Based on the information that we have at this moment, there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism," Bill de Blasio told a news conference at the scene of the incident.
    City authorities were nevertheless deploying extra police from anti-terror units to key locations around America´s most populous city, he said.


  16. Waqas Dar
    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar - File Photo  ISLAMABAD:  Finance Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar Thursday instructed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials to finalise their budget work as early as possible according to the prescribed timeline.
    The finance minister chaired a preparatory meeting with the FBR officials for the upcoming budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18.
    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue, Haroon Akhtar Khan, finance secretary, FBR chairman, and senior officials of FBR and the Ministry of Finance also attended the meeting.
    Minister of State for IT & Telecom, Anusha Rehman Khan, secretary IT & Telecom, and senior officials of the Ministry of IT & Telecom, also joined the meeting briefly to discuss tax-related proposals of the IT and Telecom sector, a press release said.
    FBR chairman informed the finance minister that FBR?s budget preparations are in their final stages, and will be completed in a timely manner as per the directions.
    The finance minister highlighted the 5.28% GDP growth rate achieved by Pakistan during FY 2016-17, which is a ten-year high, and the target for the next fiscal year is 6% growth.
    He emphasised that strong revenue generation will play a crucial role in achieving the targets for economic growth.
    He highlighted that great strides have been made in tax collections under the present government, and the aim is to generate even higher revenues in the coming fiscal year.


  17. Waqas Dar
    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar - File Photo  ISLAMABAD:  Finance Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar Thursday instructed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials to finalise their budget work as early as possible according to the prescribed timeline.
    The finance minister chaired a preparatory meeting with the FBR officials for the upcoming budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18.
    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue, Haroon Akhtar Khan, finance secretary, FBR chairman, and senior officials of FBR and the Ministry of Finance also attended the meeting.
    Minister of State for IT & Telecom, Anusha Rehman Khan, secretary IT & Telecom, and senior officials of the Ministry of IT & Telecom, also joined the meeting briefly to discuss tax-related proposals of the IT and Telecom sector, a press release said.
    FBR chairman informed the finance minister that FBR?s budget preparations are in their final stages, and will be completed in a timely manner as per the directions.
    The finance minister highlighted the 5.28% GDP growth rate achieved by Pakistan during FY 2016-17, which is a ten-year high, and the target for the next fiscal year is 6% growth.
    He emphasised that strong revenue generation will play a crucial role in achieving the targets for economic growth.
    He highlighted that great strides have been made in tax collections under the present government, and the aim is to generate even higher revenues in the coming fiscal year.


  18. Waqas Dar
    CANNES, FRANCE: Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia is to make a film about a disastrous adulterous affair among the Pakistani elite with Indian star Irrfan Khan, according to reports Thursday.
    "Moth Smoke" is being adapted from the debut novel of Pakistan-born writer Mohsin Hamid about a social misfit who begins an affair with his best friend´s wife against the backdrop of nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998.
    "I have been eagerly waiting for something on which I could work with Asif again," Khan told the film industry bible Variety as the project was unveiled at the Cannes film festival.
    He starred in Kapadia´s debut hit "The Warrior".
    British-born Kapadia is best known for his acclaimed documentaries "Senna", about the Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, and "Amy", an intimate portrayal of tragic singer Amy Winehouse, which won him an Oscar last year.
    "Slumdog Millionaire" producer Dina Dattani said that given the political tension between India and Pakistan, it is not yet clear where or when the film would start shooting.
    "It is too early to decide on location. We will consider both Pakistan and India for the shoot," she added.
    Kapadia is currently working on a documentary about football legend Diego Maradona.


  19. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his sister, Aseefa, on Thursday had a glimpse of awful condition of Karachi people due to unannounced and prolonged power outages in the megapolis.
    The PPP chairman was to inaugurate an exhibition at Karachi Arts Council on Thursday, for which he arrived there along with his sister, Aseefa, and Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah.
    Karachi suffers major power breakdown
    Electricity restored in most areas of city: K-Electric
    Unannounced loadshedding adds to citizens' woes in Karachi









     
    But as soon as the PPP chairman stepped into the Arts Council, the power supply to the vicinity was disconnected.
    The attendees at the event were greatly troubled due to the power cut, given the prevailing hot weather.
    The situation forced Bilawal to inaugurate the exhibition and leave the event early.


  20. Waqas Dar
    A speeding car crashed into pedestrians on a sidewalk in New York City's busy Times Square on Thursday, killing one person and injuring at least 12, and police said the incident did not appear to be an act of terrorism, witnesses, police and news media said.
    A Reuters witness said one person was covered with a bloodstained blanket after the collision, which occurred around noon ET (1600 GMT) at the Midtown Manhattan tourist venue.
    Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them visitors from around the world, pass daily through the bustling commercial area, the heart of the Broadway theater district.
    The vehicle was a red Honda sedan and CBS New York Television said the driver had been removed. Television footage showed police officers restraining a man in a dark T-shirt and placing him in a police car.
    Witnesses said the motorist had driven against traffic and onto the sidewalk, striking pedestrians.
    “Everybody was just running, everyone was concerned for their lives,” a witness told local CBS television.
    Seven people were being placed on stretchers, a Reuters witness said. Shoes were scattered at the scene and one person was covered by a bloodstained blanket, the Reuters witness said.


  21. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Thursday that India seemed to have given in to extremism to such an extent that it had become the new normal.
    "Hate has been mainstreamed in India and it is distorting their national outlook," Gen Bajwa said during his address at the Role of Youth in Rejecting Extremism seminar held at the General Headquarters.
    "The Hindutva extremism of the RSS and their GaoRakshaks, deprivation of Palestinians, the burning and desecration of mosques or gurdwaras in western capitals, the rise of hyper nationalists and the monster of racism, are all manifestations of extremism. We can easily say, it is emerging as a transnational phenomenon hence warranting a transnational, unified response," the Army chief said.
    The COAS emphasised that extremism was not due to any religion or ideology, rather it is a mindset where passion has given way to hate and intolerance of others.
    'Extremism unjustly applied to devout sections of Muslim societies'
    Gen Bajwa said that the term 'extremism' is often unjustly applied to devout sections of Muslim societies, alienating them in the process.
    "Although it is not always out of malice, but misunderstanding; yet it is imperative that we understand extremism in our own context."
    According to the COAS, the western definitions of countering violent extremism were mostly confined to what they call 'Islamic extremism'.
    "It is unfair and dangerous. Unfair, because of its inherent and totally wrong association of extremism with Islam. Dangerous, because it focuses too much attention on Muslim societies and masks the rise of extremism in multiple societies across the world."
    'War against terror in most critical phase'
    The COAS lauded the armed forces for setting an example for the whole world by cleansing the terrorists from their potholes. "We, as a nation, have fought the menace of terrorism most valiantly, giving unparalleled sacrifices. Our success is acknowledged the world over.
    "Today, we are at the most critical phase of our war against terror. As we transit gradually from major operations against terrorism to more intricate, targeted operations against residual threat, under the ambit of operation Rad-ul-Fasaad, we must also find ways to ensure that the causes behind terrorism are addressed and the National Action Plan is actualized," he said.
    General Bajwa said the main cause behind terrorism is extremism. "Remember, while the Army fights terrorists, terrorism and extremism is fought by law enforcing agencies and the society."
    Enemies waging biggest hybrid war
    He said the country's enemies, both state and non-state, are actively pursuing divisive tendencies in the society. "They are waging the biggest and most sustained hybrid war against us from multiple directions and using multiple ways."
    The army chief explained that the country is not only being targeted by terrorists but also spin masters of multiple hostile agencies, trying to subvert our minds, particularly that of our youth.
    He said that our homes, educational institutions, including schools, madrassahs and even institutes of higher learning, and media houses are the first line of defence against extremism in the society.
    "Being denied opportunities in the mainstream media, they are using faceless platforms on the internet and smart phones," he said.
    'No safe havens for miscreants'
    "Pakistan has done well in denying terrorists, of all hues and colours, any foothold in our territory. We have ensured the writ of state in the farthest and remotest corners of the country," asserted the COAS. "Today, there are no safe havens for any miscreants in Pakistan."
    We are actively taking measures to ensure that even residual presence does not use Pakistan’s soil against any country, nor will we tolerate others doing so against us, he warned.
    "Having defeated terrorism physically, now their deceitful message and narrative must also be defeated," he added.


  22. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The pilot of a Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) plane who let a Chinese woman into the cockpit during flight has been suspended, the airline’s chief executive officer said in a briefing to a special committee of the Senate on the performance of the PIA. Another pilot, Captain Amir Hashmi, who got into hot water for reportedly sleeping during a flight, has also been suspended.
    Captain Shahzad Aziz had invited a young Chinese woman during PIA flight PK-853 from Tokyo to Beijing early this month into the cockpit, according to a Geo News correspondent flying on the same plane.
    PIA pilot endangers lives, invites unauthorised woman into cockpit
    The woman, who was not authorised into the cabin area, stayed inside the cockpit with the pilot and first officer for over two hours, coming out only after the plane landed.
    Geo News correspondent Irfan Siddiqui recorded the video of the incident with his mobile phone, after which the news was reported on May 9.
    PIA authorities also accepted that Captain Shahzad has been a controversial figure, and has cases against him pertaining to sexual harassment and violation of rules. He also has a fake degree case against him.
    On the occasion, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman said that PIA is trying to protect Captain Shahzad.
    The PIA chief executive told the committee presided over by Mushahid Hussain Syed that investigation into the Hashmi incident is under way and the pilot has been served a show cause notice.
    He said that there are contradictory reports as to how long he slept during the flight.
     
     


  23. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said issuing of stay by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in interim case of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav is not something extraordinary.
    In an interview, he said courts sometimes grant such orders which do not have any bearing on long-term running of the case.
    Sartaj Aziz said it is wrong impression that the selection of counsel was not appropriate.
    He said the matter of consular access was not included in operational order of the court. Adviser to Prime Minister said our stance is that security reasons are also very important.
    The ICJ, earlier, ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of the Indian spy until a final decision is reached.
    "Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings," ordered Judge Ronny Abraham, president of the court, as he announced the decision.
    The ICJ rejected Pakistan's stance and stated that the court had jurisdiction and would hear the case and seek arguments from both parties.
    Judge Abraham stated that the ICJ had prima facie jurisdiction under Article 1 of the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention. The court further observed that the existence of a 2008 bilateral agreement on consular relations between India and Pakistan does not change its conclusion on the issue of jurisdiction.
    “Pakistan shall inform the court of all measures taken in implementation of the present order. The court also decides that, until it has given its final decision, it shall remain seised of the matters which form the subject-matter of this order,” the order stated
    Explaining its reasoning, the court began by establishing that based on the initial facts, it has jurisdiction over the case.
    Reacting to the decision, Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that no institution can be a party when it comes to the country’s national security.
    The FO spokesman said that the decision to challenge the jurisdiction of the ICJ was taken after consultation with all the institutions and agencies.
    The FO has also requested access to Indian spy Jadhav’s accomplices. Zakaria said that India did not give a positive response to Pakistan’s request regarding access to Jadhav’s accomplices.
     
     
     


  24. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif?s Adviser on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Abbasi said on Thursday that the UK Border Force have not yet given any formal information to the government of Pakistan on the presence of heroin in the PIA plane.

    Speaking in a senate committee on PIA, he said that the plane was earlier cleared by UK Border Force after a thorough check at Heathrow Airport, but later as many as 30 people from the agency entered in the plane with cameras and sniffing dogs.
    Abbasi informed that the UK Border Force took four and a half hours to search the plane and later cheif of British war crime informed the press that heroin was found from it.
    "We have asked our Ambassador to contact border force so that we can also investigate the case," he said.
    Heroin "concealed in packets" was seized from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK-785 in an intelligence-based operation, UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed to Geo News on Tuesday.
    ?National Crime Agency officers are investigating following the seizure of a quantity of heroin found by Border Force officers onboard a flight from Pakistan at Heathrow on Monday, May 15. No arrests have been made, inquiries are ongoing,? an NCA spokesman told Geo News.
    Earlier, 13 crew members of PIA PK-785 who had arrived from Islamabad were detained at the Heathrow Airport. The crew members were kept in detention for five hours, and according to UK Border Agency (UKBA) sources, information had been received from Pakistan that there were narcotics onboard the flight. According to the information, there was a suspicion that the crew might be involved and that narcotics were hidden in different panels and areas of the plane.
    The crew was released at 2 AM (GMT) after being questioned and their passports were held by the UKBA which states that further questioning might take place.
    PIA station manager Sajid ullah has confirmed that the authorities have handed back the passport of the pilot, while the rest of the crew will get their passports tomorrow.
    Customs authorities in Pakistan begin probe
    Customs authorities in Pakistan have started an investigation into how the plane laden with heroin was provided clearance to fly.
    The authorities have begun a probe against staff responsible for giving the clearance.
    PIA crew alleges false information being given to defame airline
    The PIA crew while speaking to Geo News said that the customs authorities carried out a thorough search going through each and every thing, adding they have no clue as to why such treatment was meted out to them.
    The crew said the authorities also questioned them, and inquired the crew what part of the plane were they assigned to.
    The airline is being defamed by giving out false information, the crew alleged.
    In a statement, the Metropolitan police said action against PIA crew members was taken by the UKBA which is directly dealt by the Home Office.
    Earlier, PIA sources said that the UKBA and the NCA have yet to notify the airline about the discovery of heroin in the plane. The UKBA, however, has said that the PIA has been notified in both Pakistan and in the UK.

    Both PIA and the NCA confirmed that 30 UKBA agents participated in the operation last night. The agents were equipped with cameras, and conducted live filming to secure evidence, assisted by sniffing dogs who were also brought on the plane.



    The operation on the plane continued for three hours , after which the plane was declared clean following the complete removal of heroin.


  25. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused on Thursday a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf?s MNA of electricity theft, following which the opposition leaders protested and walked out of the National Assembly.
    Khawaja Asif in today?s session while accusing a certain PTI MNA said that 91 percent electricity theft is carried out from Jandokhel feeders, which also lie within the PTI lawmaker?s constituency.
    ?Thieves holding out protests is tantamount to ridiculing the system,? said the defence minister.
    The leader in question, PTI lawmaker Ayesha Gulalai responded to the federal minister?s name-calling, saying that people spend billions of rupees in taxes still they face the menace of power outage.
    The feeders where the recovery rate is 98 percent, still face 14 hours of loadshedding, she said. Oppposition leader Khursheed Shah was also incensed over the comments, asking Asif to give justification for the electricity theft in provincial capital Lahore.
    ?What happened to the promises of ending loadshedding within months?? said Shah.
    Opposition members also chanted slogans of ?thief, thief? against the ruling PML-N?s leadership, which further fueled the contention.
    Shah asked Asif to take back his remarks while PTI members asked for an apology. When the opposition?s demands were not met then the members walked out of the House.


  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...