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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Reports in the Indian media have acknowledged the futility of Delhi taking the matter of RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
    Jadhav — nabbed by security forces from Mashkel, Balochistan in March last year — was recently sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan on espionage and sabotage charges.
    Indian analysts have commented in the media that the hearing of the Jadhav case — scheduled for May 15 — will not yield substantial results as “Pakistan had on March 29 revised its commitment to the ICJ and has withdrawn all domestic and national security related issues from the jurisdiction of the court”.
    The declaration to the ICJ, made by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi days before Jadhav’s sentencing, stated that issues related to its domestic sphere and national security issues would no longer be part of the ICJ jurisdiction, reported The Hindu.
    Moreover, according to another Indian media report, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury slammed the Indian government's move to approach the ICJ, calling it a 'diplomatic failure' of the [Narendra] Modi-led government.
    Indian propaganda exposed
    The Indian media on May 10 claimed that the ICJ had stayed Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence.
    However, those claims were laid bare when the ICJ announced no such thing, instead saying it will begin public hearings on the issue on May 15.
    “The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by India,” said a statement released by ICJ on Wednesday night.
    Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said earlier on Wednesday that the Foreign Office was still analysing the Indian petition and the ICJ's authority on the case. 
    The ICJ will hear India’s observations in the first session and that of Pakistan in the second session, according to ICJ's latest press release.
    The hearing will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) on the ICJ’s website, as well as on the United Nations online television.
    According to a press release issued on Tuesday from The Hague-based ICJ, India requested the United Nations' judicial organ to provide relief "by way of immediate suspension of the sentence of death awarded to the accused".
    India contended that it was not granted consular access to Jadhav, which was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. India also claimed that it learned about the death sentence by way of a press release.
    Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel was arrested on March 3, 2016, in a counter-intelligence operation from Mashkel area of Balochistan. He later confessed to his involvement in espionage and sabotage actives in Pakistan.


  2. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: US Homeland Security officials met with major US airlines and a trade group on Thursday to discuss the impact of possibly expanding a ban on large electronic gadgets on planes to flights from some European airports, three sources briefed on the meeting said.
    The afternoon meeting included high level executives from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and trade group Airlines for America, the sources said. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the confidential meeting.
    The airlines and group declined to comment.
    In March, the United States announced laptop restrictions on flights originating from 10 airports including in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey because of fears that a concealed bomb could be installed in electronic devices taken onto aircraft.
    Britain quickly followed suit with restrictions on a slightly different set of routes.
    The Trump administration is likely to include some European countries in the in-cabin ban on gadgets larger than cellphones and is reviewing how to ensure lithium batteries stored in luggage do not explode in midair, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
    Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan declined to discuss the meeting. He said on Wednesday that no final decision had been made on expanding the restriction and there would be no announcement on Thursday.
    One issue that had been expected to come up at the meeting was how much advance notice airlines would get to impose additional restrictions, which some airline officials say would require hiring more staff.
    In 2016, 30 million people flew to the United States from Europe, according to US Transportation Department data.
    A broader ban would have a significant impact US and European carriers, which are concerned about the challenges of checking large numbers of devices. Some US and European airlines have been planning for a wider ban, industry officials have told Reuters.
    Earlier Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly met with senators from relevant oversight committees in a secure Capitol Hill facility to deliver a classified briefing to discuss numerous security issues "including threats to aviation," Lapan said.
    A congressional official said it appeared that Homeland Security was likely to expand the ban soon, but did not say when or to what airports.
    Kelly said last month the ban was likely to expand, given the sophisticated threats in aviation and intelligence findings that would-be attackers were trying to hide explosives in electronic devices.


  3. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Police arrested a maid involved in robberies at several houses, besides busting a gang of robbers in Karachi late Thursday, officials said.
    The maid, Iqbal Bibi, was said to be involved in thefts at over a dozen houses in North Nazimabad area of the city, police said.
    Officials also recovered cash and jewellery from her.
    In Baldia Ittehad Town, a man was injured due to firing during a domestic dispute.
    A woman died after wall of a house collapsed in Orangi Town late this night. The deceased was identified as 29-year-old Nagina.
    A 30-year-old man was injured after being hit by a speeding car on Sea View Road, rescue sources told.
    He was taken to Jinnah Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds during treatment. The deceased was identified as Nadeem.
    Police also busted a gang of four robbers in Gulberg. The suspects used to commit robberies at private hospitals and schools in an ambulance.
    SSP Central Muqqadas Haider said the suspects looted 16 hospitals and a number of schools. The mastermind of the gang was a driver of a welfare organisation, who would bring weapons in the ambulance and entered hospitals for recce on the pretext of shifting patients.
    Officials seized a hand grenade, handguns, mobile phones and looted cash from the suspects.
    The arrested suspects were being further interrogated, police said.


  4. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will proceed to China on Friday to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation being held in Beijing on May 14 and 15.
    The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation and chief ministers of the four provinces, a press release of the PM House Media Wing issued here said.
    The Belt and Road Forum (BRF) is part of the "Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" (OBOR) initiative launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013. The BRF is being attended by 27 other Heads of State/Government.
    The Forum is aimed at promoting common development through win-win cooperation.
    China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship programme of OBOR.
    The BRF will comprise a High Level Dialogue and Leaders' Roundtable.
    The Prime Minister will address the High Level Dialogue as well as both the sessions of Leader's Roundtable.
    A Joint Communique will be issued at the conclusion of the BRF.
    The Prime Minister will be one of the three leaders to speak at the concluding session.
    Besides attending the BRF, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
    A number of Agreements/ MoUs related to CPEC projects are also expected to be signed on the occasion.
    The Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines with several other Heads of State/ Government attending the Forum.
    During his stay in China, the Prime Minister will also visit Hangzhou and Hong Kong where he will interact with business leaders and attend investment conferences.


  5. Waqas Dar
    KASUR: Three suspected robbers were gunned down in an alleged encounter in Kasur late Thursday, while two of their accomplices managed to flee.
    The encounter took place in Raja Jang area of Kasur, when the robbers were looting citizens in Orara village, police said.
    The dacoits opened fire as soon as they spotted the law enforcers.
    In retaliatory fire, three suspected robbers were killed, while two of their accomplices fled away from the scene.
    Officials also claimed to have recovered weapons and a motorbike from the scene.
    Police said a manhunt was underway for suspects on the run.


  6. Waqas Dar
    Manchester United survived a fraught finale, featuring an ugly brawl and a red card for each side, to draw 1-1 at home to Celta Vigo and reach the Europa League final on Thursday.
    United, who won 2-1 on aggregate, will face Ajax Amsterdam in Stockholm on May 24 after the Dutch side overcame Olympqiue Lyonnais 5-4 on aggregate after a 3-1 defeat in Lyon.
    Leading 1-0 from the first leg of the semi-final in Spain, United thought they had killed off the tie when Marouane Fellaini headed them in front after 17 minutes.
    United sat back and allowed Celta to dominate possession but looked comfortable until Facundo Roncaglia headed the visitors level in the 85th minute, meaning another goal for the Spaniards could have put them through on away goals.
    Tempers flared shortly afterwards with Roncaglia and United defender Eric Bailly sent off after a melee near the centre circle at Old Trafford.
    John Guidetti had a chance to win the tie for Celta with the last kick of the game but failed to control the ball six metres from goal.
    United survived the six minutes of stoppage time to squeeze through on aggregate.


  7. Waqas Dar
    Roseau, Dominica: West Indies dismissed Pakistan for 376 runs in the third Test played in Dominica on Thursday, with Azhar Ali hitting a hundred.
    Departing captain Misbah ul Haq compiled yet another half-century but fell on the stroke of tea with Pakistan reaching the interval at 311 for six against the West Indies on Thursday.
    Off-spinner Roston Chase was the beneficiary of the tourists´ attempt at more purposeful batting in the afternoon following a dreary extended morning period that saw just 58 runs added in 30 overs for the loss of Younis Khan´s wicket.
    Chase ended Azhar Ali´s eight-hour vigil in bowling the opening batsman for 127 before adding the wickets of Asad Shafiq and Misbah to have the best figures of four for 81 off 24.2 overs at the interval on the second day of the third and final Test at Windsor Park in Dominica.

    Painfully slow at the start of his innings, the phlegmatic Pakistan skipper showed a greater degree of urgency through the afternoon, adding 51 and completing a 39th fifty in Test cricket.
    His intentions for the final session were obvious when he smashed leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo back overhead for four and then hoisted Chase for six over long-on.
    But the bowler had the last laugh with the next delivery as an attempted reverse-sweep by Misbah gave wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich the opportunity to make amends for two earlier errors in the innings.

    Mohammad Amir is expected to partner Safraz Ahmed at the crease when play resumes after tea.
    While 84 runs came in the middle session of the day, it still could not adequately compensate for Pakistan´s painstaking progress in the morning when both Ali and Misbah seemed more intent on occupation of the crease than scoring runs.
    Unbeaten on 85 overnight, Ali added 37 of the morning´s 58 runs in getting to his 14th Test century and second in consecutive matches. Yet it was not one of his more memorable efforts and by the time he fell shortly after lunch, missing an attempted sweep at Chase, he had faced 334 balls and struck two sixes and eight fours.

    Misbah had come to the crease after Younis, who is also bowing out of international cricket after this match, was trapped leg-before by West Indies captain Jason Holder for 18 inside the first hour of a bright, sultry morning.
    He should have departed without scoring but for another error behind the stumps by Dowrich.
    Having put down Babar Azam off Bishoo the day before, the wicketkeeper was inexplicably wrong-footed and failed to hold on to a low chance to the exasperation of Holder, the suffering bowler.


  8. Waqas Dar
    JERUSALEM: Israeli police said they freed a 14-year-old boy on Thursday who had been kept at home by his parents ever since his birth.
    Social services in the town of Hadera, north of Tel Aviv, had called in the police after they were alerted by a neighbour of the family.
    Police arrested the parents, aged around 60, and handed over the boy to social services for medical care.
    The neighbour, Chiko Waknin, told army radio that he had seen the boy through a window looking "like a zombie in a horror film".
    "His eyes seemed to be saying, ´Help me´, so I decided I had to do something," said the neighbour, adding that the home was in a "dilapidated" state and emitted an "unbearable smell".
    The parents are Russian-speakers and hardly know any Hebrew, he said.
    Their lawyer Dan Guilad, quoted by Israeli media, said they had been trying "to protect their son who suffers from health problems".
    Radio reports said the child had told police he was allowed to go out into the courtyard of his apartment building twice a month accompanied by his parents, mostly at night.


  9. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: Miley Cyrus, whose young career has already undergone marked transformations, on Thursday released a lo-fi rock ballad in a departure from her previous sound.
    "Malibu," the first single of an album expected later this year, is driven by a lo-fi, jam-rock guitar with Cyrus´ voice dreamy and understated.
    In an accompanying video, Cyrus rolls in the sun-kissed sand and sits meditatively in a field of flowers, at times petting a dog and gleefully flying an imposing bundle of balloons.
    Cyrus reminisces in the song about her introduction to Malibu, one of the most celebrated beaches in the Los Angeles area, after overcoming fears of swimming.
    "I never would have believed you if three years ago you told me I´d be here writing this song / But here I am, next to you / The sky´s more blue in Malibu," she sings.
    Cyrus, in a recent profile in music magazine Billboard, indicated that "Malibu" was about her on-off relationship with the Australian actor Liam Hemsworth.
    People are "going to talk about me if I come out of a restaurant with Liam. So why not put the power back in my relationship and say, ´This is how I feel´?" she said.
    Cyrus said she wrote "Malibu" -- singing to herself at low volume -- while taking an Uber car to the set of television singing contest "The Voice," where she is returning as a coach.
    The 24-year-old became famous as a child star on the Disney series "Hannah Montana" and later caused a sensation when she embraced an unabashed sexual image as a pop singer.
    While her early hits such as "Party in the USA" were in line with mainstream pop tastes, she became more experimental on her last album, "Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz."
    That album, which she released for free in 2015, was produced with psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips who are known for their ironic and futuristic inclinations.
    She told Billboard that she worked on the upcoming album with producer Oren Yoel, who has previously recorded with Cyrus as well as fellow young pop star Tori Kelly.


  10. Waqas Dar
    The police arrested three people in Kanpur suspected of illegal betting on cricket matches, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Thursday, a day after the city hosted its first Indian Premier League (IPL) game of the season.
    "The Anti Corruption Unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been tracking activities of certain individuals, as a result of which, three suspects were arrested," BCCI said in a statement.
    "Following this operation, the Uttar Pradesh Police Crime Branch could successfully foil the alleged betting attempts of the accused.
    Kanpur's Green Park Stadium on Wednesday hosted the Delhi Daredevils who defeated Gujarat Lions by two wickets.
    The same venue is also scheduled to host the final game of the season between defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Lions on May 13.
    Betting controversies have blighted the lucrative Twenty20 league in recent years with former Indian paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth handed a life ban by the BCCI for involvement in a spot-fixing scandal in the 2013 season.
    The Chennai and Rajasthan franchises were also subsequently suspended from the IPL for two years after key officials from both teams were found guilty of illegal betting.


  12. Waqas Dar
    PARIS: OPEC said Thursday that oil producers needed to make more joint efforts to match supply and demand in the oil market in the face of rising output in the United States.
    Ahead of a May 25 meeting of the cartel where its members and Russia are expected to roll over an agreement to cut production, OPEC said in its monthly market report that common policies were needed for market stability.
    While decreased stocks and an improving global economy were supporting oil demand, "continued rebalancing in the oil market by year-end will require the collective efforts of all oil producers to increase market stability," OPEC said.
    Global oil prices recently dipped briefly under $50 dollars per barrel for the first time since OPEC and Russia scaled back output as concerns whether the deal would be renewed and the impact of rising output in the United States weighed on the market.
    OPEC members agreed in November to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day for six months beginning from the start of the year in a bid to reduce the glut of oil supplies on the shore up prices.
    Non-cartel producers led by Russia partially matched the cuts.
    Oil prices have recovered somewhat this week as OPEC and Russian officials have signaled a renewal of the production deal is likely.
    But the OPEC report confirmed the cartel´s concern about a recovery in US oil output.
    The cartel abandoned its traditional strategy of limiting supply to support prices between 2014 and 2016, stepping up production and causing a plunge in prices to under $30 per barrel as they sought to squeeze out higher cost US shale producers.
    While US output fell last year, OPEC sees it recovering and expanding further in 2017.
    Overall, the cartel expects non-OPEC supply to increase by 0.95 million barrels per day, with the United States alone likely to contribute 0.82 million barrels per day.


  13. Waqas Dar
    ROSEAU, DOMINICA: Azhar Ali crawled to a second hundred in as many matches as Pakistan reached 227 for three at lunch on the second day of the third and final Test against the West Indies on Thursday.
    An extended morning session at Windsor Park in Dominica following the rain interruptions of day one saw just 58 runs added in 30 overs for the loss of Younis Khan’s wicket.
    Unbeaten on 85 overnight, Ali added 37 of those in getting to his 14th Test century, although his innings so far will be remembered more as a dour, tedious affair on a pitch holding no terrors whatsoever for the batsmen.

    His 122 not out has so far occupied 460 minutes and 311 deliveries with two sixes and eight fours to embellish an otherwise listless effort.
    Like Younis in his farewell Test match, Misbah ul Haq is already leaving an indelible mark on this fixture, although not in the way that anyone might have expected.
    Coming to the crease after Younis was trapped leg-before by West Indies captain Jason Holder for 18 inside the first hour of a bright, sultry morning, the Pakistan skipper batted with exaggerated care to be unbeaten on eight off 60 deliveries at the interval.

    West Indies, though, have only themselves to blame, and particularly Shane Dowrich, for not getting rid of Misbah soon after his arrival in the middle.
    Having put down Babar Azam off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo the day before, the wicketkeeper was inexplicably wrong-footed and failed to hold on to a low chance before the visiting skipper had scored, to the exasperation of Holder the suffering bowler.

    In pursuit of more success following the relatively swift demise of Younis, West Indies took the second new ball and although none of the bowlers strayed from a consistent, disciplined line, the benign surface and complete lack of enterprise from the opposing batsmen combined to create the unappealing spectacle of a protracted stalemate.


  14. Waqas Dar
    The Supreme Court of India ruled on Thursday that media should not cover a Kolkata High Court judge’s statements, who was charged for accusing other judiciary members of corruption.
    The top court of India had sentenced CS Karnan to six months in jail for contempt of court, after the senior judge accused top judges of the apex court of corruption, according to a CJP report.
    The Committee to Protect Journalists termed the verdict, a ‘troubling blow to freedom of the press’.
    The CPJ said that the sentence is tantamount to prior censorship.
    According to CPJ, the Indian apex court ordered Kolkata Police chief to arrest him, and banned media coverage of the judge’s ‘orders’.
    The 61-year-old judge was giving orders from his residence in Kolkata.
    The issue came to light after Karnan accused around 20 high-level judiciary members of corruption at the beginning of 2017 and wrote a letter to Indian PM Narendra Modi as well.
    The Kolkata High Court judge also refused to appear before the apex court’s judges, according to media reports.
    Karnan had ‘ordered’ New Delhi police to imprison seven apex court judges for five years and pay fines as they discriminated against him on the basis of his caste.
    In his defence, Karnan said that he is being targeted as he is a Dalit community member.


  15. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: On the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with the chief ministers and federal ministers will leave for China tomorrow.
    In the six-day visit to China, the premier is scheduled to meet the high-level Chinese leadership. He will be accompanied by the chief ministers, including CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz Khattak, and federal ministers.   
    “Pakistan is an important partner of China in promoting One Belt One Road Initiative and we believe that Prime Minister Sharif’s visit and his attendance at the forum will give a boost to our cooperation in the relevant fields,” Geng Shuang - a spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry -  said while responding to a question during his regular press briefing.
    The spokesperson said, as an organiser and host of the forum, China will warmly welcome all the guests from around the world including Pakistan.
    He said the CPEC is a premier and pilot project of the One Belt One Road Initiative and progress has already made in this regard.
    “The forum will be held from May 14, 15 and we all are looking forward to it,” he added.
    According to official sources here, during his stay in China, the prime minister will also hold important meetings with the top Chinese leadership particularly, Chinese President, Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Kaqiang to further promote bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.
    On the first day of the forum, the prime minister will attend the inaugural session of the One Belt One Road Summit, plenary meeting of high-level dialogue and the state banquet.

    The prime minister will also attend leaders roundtable sessions scheduled to be held on the second day of the forum.
    As many as 28 heads of state and government, over 50 leaders of international organisations, over 100 ministerial-level officials, as well as over 1,200 delegates from various countries and regions will participate in the forum.
    The forum will build consensus and connect development strategies of various countries and will also examine cooperation in key areas and finalise major projects in infrastructure connectivity, trade and investment, financial support and people-to-people exchanges, according to a senior official of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    Medium and long term cooperation initiatives will be announced and long-term cooperation mechanisms explored to build a closer and more result-oriented network of partnerships, he added.   


  16. Waqas Dar
    Eleven-year-old Norwegian Prince gave everyone a glimpse of his mischievous side by dabbing during the celebrations for the King and Queen birthday.
    The young prince, Sverre Magnus, was standing with his cousins and family at the Oslo’s Royal Palace when he did the dab for a split second bringing smile to his cousins’ faces during the ceremony.

    The royal family was celebrating the ceremony laid on for King Harald and Queen Sonja’s 80th birthdays.



  17. Waqas Dar
    UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has raised alarm over the impact of internet and social media restrictions imposed by authorities in the Indian occupied Kashmir, asking New Delhi to protect the right to freedom of expression in the disputed territory.
    Top experts working with the world body also urged New Delhi on Thursday to pursue an open and democratic dialogue to address the region's social and political conflicts.
    In a statement issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression and Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, stressed that the scope of the restrictions also undermined "the Government's stated aim of preventing dissemination of information that could lead to violence".
    "The internet and telecommunications bans have the character of collective punishment [and] fail to meet the standards required under international human rights law to limit freedom of expression," Kaye said.
    "Denying such access disrupts the free exchange of ideas and the ability of individuals to connect with one another and associate peacefully on matters of shared concern", Forst added.
    The ban was imposed on 17 April following widespread student demonstrations.
    The UN noted that information from the media and individuals in Indian occupied Kashmir says, the government blocked access to 22 websites and applications, including the messaging service WhatsApp, and social media Facebook and Twitter, noted the news release.
    The 3G and 4G internet data services for mobile phones and other devices have also been suspended.
    The UN also noted that since 2012, there had been an estimated 31 reported cases of social media and internet bans in the Indian occupied Kashmir and such developments seemed to be a worrying pattern aimed at curbing protests and social unrest in the region.
    "We call on the Indian authorities to guarantee freedom of expression in Jammu and Kashmir and to seek a solution for the social and political conflicts of the region through an open, transparent and democratic dialogue" the experts said.
    The human rights experts also recalled the concerns raised by the UN Human Rights Council, the central inter-governmental body within the UN system responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe , over online disruptions and the call upon UN Member States to avoid such shutdowns.


  18. Waqas Dar
    ROME: Two Italian climbers on Thursday made it to the top of Nepal´s Annapurna peak, and at the same time set a record as the first couple to conquer the world´s 14 highest mountains.
    Romano Benet and his wife Nives Meroi, both 55, reached the 8,091-metre (26,545-foot) Annapurna summit on Thursday morning, without using oxygen or porters just as they have in all their ascents, according to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
    The final climb to the top starting at an altitude of 7,200 metres was "the hardest but also the most beautiful," Meroi told her sister Leila, the newspaper said.
    Annapurna and K2 (8,611 metres) are considered the most difficult and most dangerous summits for climbers, apart from the world´s highest peak, Mount Everest (8,848 metres).
    Before the Italian couple, only 34 mountain climbers had been able to conquer the Earth´s 14 highest summits -- all over 8,000 metres -- and only half of them did it without oxygen.
    The first one was the legendary Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner who completed his climbs in 1986 before retiring.
    Among women, Korean Oh Eun-sun entered the record books in 2009 after climbing Kangchenjunga (8,586 metres) in the Himalayan range.
    Meroi was a contender for the female title, but she took a break in 2009 to be by the side of her sick husband.
    The two resumed their quest for setting a mountain climbing record together in 2012.


  19. Waqas Dar
    MONTREAL: Expect more floods, wildfires and other natural disasters than ever before, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Thursday as he toured flood-ravaged Quebec province, citing climate change as the reason.
    "The frequency of extreme weather events is increasing," Trudeau told reporters on the ground after the helicopter tour. "And that´s related to climate change.
    "So we´re going to have to understand that bracing for a hundred-year storm is maybe going to happen every ten years now or every few years."
    Over the past three weeks, a large swath of land from the capital Ottawa downriver to Montreal and beyond have been flooded as a combination of torrential rains and the spring runoff from melting snow caused rivers to overflow their banks.
    Nearly 3,000 residents have been evacuated, and 4,000 homes in low-lying areas were flooded.
    The military has sent in about 2,200 soldiers to help pile sandbags, secure critical infrastructure and aid in evacuations.
    On Thursday, a warship was also rerouted to the region to join in aid efforts.
    Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said waters are starting to recede in the western edge of the province after cresting earlier this week.
    But, he warned eastern parts of the province to brace for the flow now headed their way.


  20. Waqas Dar
    SYDNEY: Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said Thursday Australia´s fast bowling quartet is ready to "wreak havoc" at next month´s Champions Trophy one-day tournament in England.
    Starc, who has recovered from a foot injury that cut short his India Test tour in March, said he is excited by the prospect of combining with his fellow speedsters at the Champions Trophy.
    "We´ve had our issues with injury but Patty´s (James Pattinson) 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 told reporters.
    "Hopefully that starts with the Champions Trophy and then onwards to the Ashes later in the year."
    Injuries have prevented the pace quartet from being selected in the same squad but they have all been named for Australia´s Champions Trophy campaign.
    In March, Pat Cummins made an impressive return to Test cricket in India after a five-year absence.
    Pattinson returned from shin and back injuries to take 24 wickets last southern summer for Sheffield Shield champions Victoria.
    Josh Hazlewood has been a consistent presence in the Australian team while left-armer Starc has been the spearhead.
    "We´ve sort of grown up and come through the ranks together, but haven´t had the chance to be in the same squad together," Starc said.
    "I think it´s an exciting time for the four of us and for Australian cricket too."
    Squeezing all four into the same Test team next summer against England could be a possibility at pace-friendly wickets like the Gabba and the WACA, and Starc believes their accomplished lower-order batting gives selectors that option.
    "I think the fact that we can all bat presents a stronger case for that," said Starc, who has made nine Test half-centuries.


  21. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The electricity woes of the provincial metropolis are expected to increase in the next few days with K-Electric planning a spike in loadshedding hours.
    According to K-Electric sources, increased loadshedding is likely to last for three to four more days due to maintenance work going on at the boiler plate of the Bin Qasim Power Plant.
    The city has seen a spike in unannounced loadshedding as temperatures soar. Late Wednesday, unannounced loadshedding continued to trouble citizens as outages hit several areas.
    Power supply to Gulistan e Jauhar, Gulshan Iqbal, North Karachi, New Karachi, Defence, Clifton, Saddar and several other areas remained suspended for up to three hours. The unannounced loadshedding disturbed residents, forcing them to stay up till late night.
    A spokesman for K-Electric, the city's sole power company, said reduction in gas pressure by Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) affected the company's power generation capacity. He explained that power supply was disrupted after Bin Qasim Power Plant tripped due to low gas pressure.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Stockholm: In the cult Millennium crime fiction series, Stieg Larsson created Lisbeth Salander as a tattooed hacker out to get revenge on her persecutors. But in the latest book, author David Lagercrantz appears to have put his own stamp on the invincible character, throwing her into prison.
    "The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye", the fifth Millennium novel, is due to hit bookstores on September 7 in 26 countries, including the United States, France, Germany and Britain.
    "I´m waiting for the storm," Lagercrantz told AFP with a nervous laugh during a recent interview at his fashionable Stockholm apartment.
    Swedish publishing house Norstedts has gone to great lengths to keep details of the latest installment shrouded in secrecy, given what´s at stake: the previous book, "The Girl in the Spider´s Web" from 2015, also written by Lagercrantz, sold six million copies in 47 countries.
    The first three books, penned by the late Stieg Larsson, sold 80 million copies in 50 countries.
    Emotional and high-strung, Lagercrantz, 54, is full of contradictions: he at once fascinates, annoys and elicits sympathy, he´s fond of superlatives and gesticulates wildly when speaking.
    With the book´s release date looming, he admits to having mixed feelings.
    He´s relieved at having finished the manuscript, but also terrified by critics, some of whom won´t forgive him for taking over the series from compatriot Larsson, who died suddenly of a heart attack at age 50 in 2004 before the series gained global fame.
    "There are a lot of translators who have just received it via an encrypted link, it´s all very secretive. Now we´re beginning to get some feedback about the book and, fingers crossed and touch wood, it seems promising."
    A heroine with ´problems´
    Very little has been revealed about the plot of the fifth book. As with the preceding tome, details are trickling out, drop by drop.
    "All I can say is that I started out by putting her in prison, in the worst kind of women´s prison, where she immediately encounters quite a few problems," Lagercrantz says without divulging any more.
    In addition to Salander, readers will also reacquaint themselves with investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.
    Lagercrantz says bringing Salander to life, with her troubled past, is a challenge for him -- he would have written an entirely different leading character.
    "I would have created a softer heroine, someone nicer, more delicate and sensitive than Stieg Larsson did," he admits.
    But he acknowledges she makes for a good read.
    "Lisbeth´s personality, her iconic personality, needs problems. So of course I have to give her tonnes of problems. And in some ways she´s also suited to being an underdog."
    And that, he says, is what readers will see in the fifth instalment, the second of three he´s signed on to write.
    Millennium was the brainchild of Larsson, a left-wing activist from a working-class family in Sweden´s far north -- a sharp contrast to Lagercrantz´s upbringing in Stockholm´s intelligentsia.
    Lagercrantz, meanwhile, rose to fame in Sweden in 2011 after penning football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic´s official biography.
    Kill Lisbeth Salander ?
    After Larsson´s death and the ensuing wild success of his trilogy, Norstedts decided -- with the agreement of his only heirs, his father and brother -- to continue the series with a new author.
    Lagercrantz was recruited and the fourth book was generally well-received. With the fifth one, he wants to win over those unconvinced about his worthiness.
    One of them is Eva Gabrielsson, Larsson´s partner of 32 years until his death. The couple were not married and Larsson left no will, so his estate went to his brother and father. Gabrielsson lost a bitter battle with them to manage his work.
    She has from the beginning been critical of the decision to continue the trilogy, slamming it as a purely money-making project and blasting the choice of Lagercrantz as author.
    "That´s the only shadow over this project, which has otherwise been so enjoyable," Lagercrantz said.
    "If you think of Stieg Larsson´s books, I know now, in hindsight, that it was good for his body of work" to continue the series.
    "A whole new generation has discovered his books... and his characters," he said.
    And rest assured, Lisbeth Salander will live on.
    "She´ll continue to live on in one way or another. Lisbeth Salander is not going to be killed off right away, because she´s a person who somehow reaches into our hearts and souls."
    As for Lagercrantz, what will he do after he´s written book six?
    "I´ll move on and find a new challenge."
     
     
     
     


  23. Waqas Dar
    QUETTA: General Qamar Javed Bajwa COAS visited various military installations at Quetta garrison and interacted with young officers undergoing various courses at School of Infantry and tactics, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.
    According to ISPR, he also delivered the annual address to students of Command and Staff College.

    He spoke on security perspective both external and internal with contours of response by Army. He appreciated the efforts of Army in bringing peace to the country and playing a very active role in stability operations.
    The statement further said that COAS also visited CMH Quetta to meet injured personnel of Chaman incident.
    Earlier on arrival at Quetta, he was received by Comd SC Lt Gen Aamer Riaz. IGT&E, Lt General Hidayat ur Rehman was also present.


  24. Waqas Dar
    HARARE: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 93, is not asleep when he closes his eyes for long periods in public events but is resting his eyes from bright lights, his spokesman said Thursday.
    Mugabe has regularly had his eyes closed at recent appearances, including when he appeared on a discussion panel at last week´s World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa.
    "I feel like a failure when there is this reading that the President is sleeping in conferences, no," his spokesman George Charamba was quoted as saying in the state-run Herald newspaper.
    "At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the President cannot suffer bright lights. If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting."
    Charamba compared Mugabe to Nelson Mandela, whose eyes were sensitive to flash photography after years of working in a limestone quarry when he was imprisoned on Robben Island.
    "You were not allowed to even use flashes whenever he was in the room," he said.
    Mugabe, who has trouble walking unaided, is in Singapore on one of his regular medical trips.
    Charamba said the president was receiving specialised treatment for his eyes and that his general health was good.
    Mugabe´s foreign medical trips are often criticised in Zimbabwe, where healthcare has collapsed due to the country´s economic troubles.
    Charamba said that Mugabe´s medical care is supervised in Harare by a "very, very, very black" Zimbabwean doctor -- and that he only flies abroad for specialist attention.
     


  25. Waqas Dar
    PERTH: Qantas Airways Ltd Chief Executive Alan Joyce proved he was no cream puff on Tuesday, keeping his cool after a man smeared a cream pie in his face during a business breakfast in Australia's west.
    Joyce, the head of Australia's flag carrier, was speaking at the event in Perth, capital of Western Australia state, when a man in a business suit walked onto the stage, reached around to rub the pie in his face, and calmly walked away, 7 News television showed.
    The unidentified man's motive was unclear but he was soon apprehended by security guards. State police later confirmed that officers had been called to an assault at a Perth hotel and that one person was in custody.
    Joyce at first appeared stunned by the incident but quickly regained his composure to tell the audience he did not know why he had been targeted, Australian media reported, before leaving the stage to clean up.
    He later told reporters he had been unable to identify what flavor pie he had been hit with.
    "My issue is I need a good dry cleaner before I leave Perth, so if you have one, please recommend it to me," he said.
    Long a slapstick comedy favorite, the pie-in-the-face routine has also developed as a form of political protest.
    News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch was famously hit in the face with a pie while he testified before a British parliamentary inquiry into a phone-hacking scandal in 2011.


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