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

    11,279

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    552

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    A cholera outbreak in Yemen killed 25 people this week, the World Health Organization said, as two years of war continues to wreak havoc on the impoverished country's health and sanitation system.
    The deaths from the diarrheal disease which is carried in food and water tainted by human faeces are among 1,360 cases that the United Nations agency reported since April 27.
    Some severe cases can kill within hours unless treated with intravenous fluids and antibiotics.
    "(This) is extremely alarming. We are facing a reactivation of the cholera epidemic," Nevio Zagaria, the WHO's representative in Yemen, told Reuters.
    "The cause is that there is two years of war in Yemen. There is a huge impact on the infrastructure, the electricity power is on and off, the water pumping stations are not functioning regularly and this has an impact on the quality of water."
    A previous outbreak subsided last winter, Zagaria said, and the country has experienced a total of around 27,000 cases including 130 deaths during the conflict.
    Yemen's conflict pits the Iran-allied Houthi movement and elements of the military against the Saudi-led military coalition backing the internationally recognized government.
    Largely stalemated in nationwide battlefronts, the war has plunged millions into poverty, displaced millions of others and killed more than 10,000 people.
    The UN said a child aged under five dies of preventable causes every 10 minutes in Yemen.
    A dispute over control of the central bank has also left most public sector salaries in Sanaa and other Houthi-run northern lands unpaid since October.
    Street cleaners have gone on strike for their wages, leaving mountains of garbage cluttering main boulevards.
    Meanwhile, hospitals are strained by low supplies and cash-strapped staff who in some cases can barely afford transportation to work.
    Women and young children, crumpled in pain from the diarrhea, sat on mattress laid in the hallway of a crowded Sanaa hospital.
    "I've been lying here since 7:30 in the morning and watching death and suffering. No one came to give me any treatment, not even a needle," lamented patient Ali al-Hamzy.


  2. Waqas Dar
    Police gradually began reopening Paris' Gare du Nord train station early on Tuesday morning after earlier evacuating the platforms and cordoning off the area because of a security alert, local police authorities said.
    A Reuters witness at the scene said there were between 20 to 30 police vans outside the station in central Paris with security forces wearing balaclavas and carrying assault weapons.
    "End of security checks. Gradual return to normal," Paris police said in a tweet.
    Authorities gave no other details about the nature of the operation.
    Security has been stepped up across France because of Sunday's presidential runoff, which Emmanuel Macron won.
    Over the past two years, the country has been hit by a series of militant attacks in Paris and other cities in which more than 230 people have been killed.


  3. Waqas Dar
    Eugenie Bouchard claimed she had the support of the tennis world after matching her fighting talk with some thrilling tennis to shock Maria Sharapova 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday.
    Bouchard called Sharapova "a cheater" last week and was also critical of the Russian's welcome back to the sport after a 15-month doping ban with a series of wildcards for big events.
    The world number 60 admitted she was extra motivated to face her former idol and it showed with signs of the form she has lost over the past few years since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014 in a bruising near three-hour contest.
    "I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately wishing me good luck," said Bouchard.
    "Players I don't normally speak to, getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me.
    "I wanted to do it for myself, but also all these people. I really felt support.
    "It showed me that most people have my opinion, and they were just maybe scared to speak out."
    Sharapova claimed to have not been distracted by media circus surrounding the match and that her disappointment comes from losing, not who she lost to.
    "I think I would be worried about myself if I sat here and said I'm pretty happy with losing a tennis match, no matter who I face, no matter what round it is, whether it's the first round or final of a Grand Slam.
    "I'm a big competitor. What you work for so many hours every single day is to be on the winning end of matches.
    "Today was just not that day. Of course, I'm disappointed. That's what's going to make me a better player. That's what's going to win me more tournaments and more Grand Slams."
    Topsy-turvy

    Bouchard battled back from 4-2 down to claim a topsy-turvy first set and she edged a marathon 11th game before serving it out for just her second set in five meetings with Sharapova.
    However, adversity brought out the best in the five-time Grand Slam champion as Sharapova found the precision to match her power in the second set, reeling off four straight game from 2-2 to level at one set all.
    Both players struggled to hold serve in the deciding set as a total of 14 break points were squandered.
    However, Bouchard held her nerve when serving for the match at 5-4 as she saw off two break points and an unfortunate let cord on her first match point.
    The Canadian jumped for joy after delivering the final blow before the two exchanged a very frosty handshake at the net.
    Bouchard will face top seed Angelique Kerber, who fought back from 5-3 down in the deciding set to overcome Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 earlier on Monday, in the third round.
    Kerber has had an inconsistent season and her fragile form was on show in the course of the first two sets.
    The German romped through the opening set in 27 minutes but then had to save six break points for her only game in the second.
    Siniakova served for the match at 5-4 in the deciding set, but Kerber should impressive fight to win the last four games.
    World number three Karolina Pliskova was dumped out 6-3, 6-3 by Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova.
    In the men's Madrid Masters there were comfortable wins for Thomas Berdych, Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios.
    However, 15th seed Gael Monfils bowed out in a wild match against French compatriot Gilles Simon 0-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/0).
    Andy Murray begins his quest for a third title in Madrid on Wednesday when he faces Romanian Marius Copil.


  4. Waqas Dar
    Brazil's Chapecoense football club, all but wiped out in an air crash last November, won their first silverware since the tragedy by taking the state championship Sunday.
    Some 20,000 supporters packed the home stadium in Chapeco to watch their team win the Santa Catarina state title for the second year in a row -- except this time with a new lineup.
    The team lost 1-0 to rivals Avai but won the tournament on overall points.
    "It's something unseen in the world of football. We've managed to rebuild a team and win the title a few months later," trainer Vagner Mancini said after Sunday's game.
    Nineteen Chapecoense players and 24 club officials died on November 28 when the team's plane crashed into a mountainside in Colombia.
    Unsung Chapecoense had been on their way to face Atletico Nacional in Medellin for the biggest match in their history: the final of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's second-biggest club tournament.
    After the tragedy, Atletico ceded the title to Chapecoense in tribute.


  5. Waqas Dar
    QUETTA: A terror bid was foiled in Quetta late Monday after bomb disposal squad (BDS) successfully defused a bomb planted roadside, officials said.
    The bomb weighing 1kilogram was packed in a plastic bag and planted roadside in Saryab area of the city, police said.
    After being informed, police and Frontier Corps teams reached the site and placed security cordons around it.
    Officials called in BDS, which successfully dismantled the bomb.
    Chief Minister Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri hailed BDS personnel for saving precious lives.


  6. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: Cesc Fabregas sparkled as Chelsea moved to within touching distance of the Premier League title and condemned Middlesbrough to relegation with a breezy 3-0 home win on Monday.
    Fabregas made sure Chelsea capitalised on Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 defeat at West Ham United on Friday by setting up goals for Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic, with Marcos Alonso also finding the net.
    It left Chelsea seven points clear of Spurs at the summit and means they will be crowned champions for the second time in three seasons if they win at West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
    "At this stage it was important to win and exploit Tottenham's defeat," said Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
    "Now, another step to the title. We have to rest well and prepare for West Brom. We must try in the next game to become champions."
    Should Chelsea fail to take maximum points at The Hawthorns, subsequent home games against Watford and relegated Sunderland mean Conte's side have plenty of margin for error.
    Fabregas has now assisted 10 or more goals in six different English top-flight seasons -- a record in the Premier League era.
    Boro return to the Championship after one season back among the elite, joining Sunderland in sinking into the second tier just as fellow northeast side Newcastle United are celebrating their return to the top level.
    "I've just come away from a silent dressing room," Boro manager Steve Agnew told Sky Sports.
    "It's a terrific club and it's about how we reflect over the summer. We need to make sure Boro bounce back very quickly."
    Chelsea were missing N'Golo Kante -- named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year earlier in the day -- due to a thigh injury, but the Frenchman's absence was to prove a blessing in disguise.
    It brought Fabregas into the team and the Spaniard immediately set about laying waste to Middlesbrough's defensive plans with a succession of accurate, strafing passes.
    He seemed particularly taken by the space behind Boro right back Fabio da Silva.
    Little slow-moving traffic

    Alonso twice received passes from his countryman in that area in the early stages, seeing a half-volley pushed onto the bar by Boro goalkeeper Brad Guzan and then drilling a dangerous cross across goal.
    Fabregas side-footed wide from an Eden Hazard cut-back and Costa came within inches of bundling in Hazard's low cross before the hosts went ahead in the 23rd minute, with Fabregas inevitably the source.
    Fabio, stretching, managed to get his right foot to the former Barcelona midfielder's chipped pass, but succeeded only in hooking the ball straight at Costa.
    The Spain international cushioned the ball and tucked a shot between Guzan's legs for his 20th goal of the campaign.
    Chelsea's second goal, in the 34th minute, sprang from similar circumstances, instigated by Cesar Azpilicueta's probing pass from the inside-right channel.
    From a prohibitive angle at the back post, Alonso drilled a shot towards goal and saw the ball ricochet of Guzan's left thigh and bounce into the net.
    Fabregas was at it again shortly after with a raking pass that freed Victor Moses, whose shot obliged Guzan to save with his legs.
    Boro's bus had been delayed on its way to the ground, but to their dismay, there was little slow-moving traffic to be found inside Stamford Bridge.
    Chelsea resumed their assault on the visitors' goal in the second half, Pedro grazing the bar from Hazard's lay-off and Azpilicueta pinging a shot narrowly over.
    Costa could only get a couple of studs on a fierce Alonso cross, Gary Cahill almost surprised Guzan with a rasping drive and Fabregas saw a deflected effort bobble agonisingly wide.
    The third goal arrived 20 minutes into the second period and owed once again to the inventive brilliance of Fabregas.
    His flicked pass was chested down by Matic, who arrowed a low shot between the legs of the overworked Guzan.


  7. Waqas Dar
    TANDO ALLAHYAR: More than 20 people were injured after a speeding bus overturned in Tando Allahyar late Monday, police said.
    The bus, full of devotees, was on its way back from Samman Sarkar shrine that its tie rod broke and the bus overturned near Sanchar Chang More in Tando Allahyar, police officials said.
    Consequently, more than 20 devotees were wounded.
    Police said the incident resulted from over-speeding.
    The injured also included women and children, who were shifted to Civil Hospital Hyderabad.
    Hospital sources say four of the wounded persons are in critical condition.


  8. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: Hip-hop star Nicki Minaj has promised to pay university tuition for dozens of fans after a promotional contest metamorphosed over Twitter.
    Minaj’s transformation into educational benefactor took place over the weekend as she unveiled a contest of the sort popular among celebrities seeking an online buzz.
    Minaj invited her 20 million Twitter followers to make their own videos for one of her new songs for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas to see her perform at the Billboard Music Awards later this month.
    But when one respondent said she would rather have help paying tuition, Minaj agreed.
    "Show me straight A’s that I can verify with your school and I’ll pay it. Who wants to join THAT contest?!?! Dead serious," she tweeted.
    Minaj soon had made promises in response to more than 30 tweets seeking help paying university tuition, which can be notoriously expensive in the United States, or to cover student loans or textbooks.
    One Twitter user -- whose handle is Dash Minaj in apparent tribute to the rapper -- was overjoyed after she pledged to pay the $1,800 he said he needed to resume his studies at Ohio University.
    "My idol is paying for me to go back to school. I’m literally in... tears," he tweeted.
    Minaj ended the spree by tweeting, "It’s been fun. Let me make those payments tomorrow then see if I have any money left. I’ll do some more in a month or two."
    Minaj, who was born in Trinidad and raised in New York, won a spot at the city’s prestigious public LaGuardia High School for aspiring artists and did not go on to university.
    In March, the 34-year-old Minaj surpassed Aretha Franklin as the female artist who has had the most songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart of top US singles.
    Minaj has landed 76 songs on the chart after releasing three singles in March, including her latest collaboration with superstar Drake.
    Forbes magazine estimated that Minaj earned $20.5 million in the 12 months to June 2016, making her the only woman among the year’s richest hip-hop artists.


  9. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister House on Monday clarified the media reports regarding Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's response on a query about investigation into corruption scandals of previous government, saying he was quoted out of context.
    According to a PM House statement, during his visit to the New Islamabad International Airport on May 6, a journalist had raised a question regarding the undue delays and phenomenal increases in the cost of development projects initiated during the previous regimes.
    The prime minister was asked whether the present government was considering investigation and identification to find those responsible in the previous government so that such practice was not repeated in future.
    The PM House said that referring to the corruption scandals of the past regimes, the prime minister had stressed on holding those accountable who were at the helm of affairs in the past and looted public money while claiming to serve the nation.
    The prime minister, while endorsing the need to hold the previous regimes accountable said that such probes must obviously reach their logical conclusions.
    "History is witness to the fact that PML-N's government has always come into power after the people of Pakistan renewed the credentials of the party's leadership.
    This is the result of honouring of commitments made by PML-N's leadership to the people of Pakistan," the statement said.
    The prime minister said that the government's commitment to root out corruption was evident from the fact that despite completing mega projects in diverse fields, there was no scam of corruption against the present government.
    He said the government had ensured merit and transparency in the execution of all projects, saving billions of rupees for the national exchequer.
    The government, however, cannot divert its energies from bringing revolution in the socio-economic spheres and accomplishing the hitherto ignored infrastructure development in the country in a qualitative and transparent manner, he added.
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said there was rule of law in the country and all institutions were performing their mandated duties without fear or favour.


  10. Waqas Dar
    KABUL: Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said on Monday that no state can play more role than Pakistan in the Afghan peace process.
    Speaking to Pakistani journalists in Kabul, he said that Afghanistan does not want to destabilise Pakistan – neither it has potential to do it, further adding that whoever harms Pakistan would harm Afghanistan.
    “We consider Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan a terrorist organisation – whoever harms Pakistan, harms Afghanistan.”
    Abdullah said that he has not issued any directives against Islamabad.
    Meanwhile, Pakistani and Afghan authorities mooted over the control of areas — Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir — affected during firing and shelling by Afghan forces on Friday, as yet another flag meeting between the officials of the two countries ended in a stalemate.
    During the second meeting after the firing incident at the border, Afghan authorities were of the view that Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir fell under their jurisdiction, sources said. But Pakistani authorities said the areas were situated within the Pakistani territory which could be verified from Google maps.
    Earlier, neither Frontier Corps nor Afghan forces were present in the villages situated near the border. However, electricity and infrastructural facilities present in the areas belonged to Pakistan, according to sources.
    At least 11 people were martyred and 46 injured early Friday when Afghan border forces opened fire on Frontier Corps Balochistan soldiers deployed for security of census team near the Chaman border.
    Bab-e-Dosti remains closed
    The Bab-e-Dosti gate situated on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman remained closed on the third day following the firing incident.
    Pakistan Army and FC personnel were deployed at the border to monitor the situation and also stop people from crossing the border. Even trucks carrying goods are not being allowed to cross the border.
    The Pakistan military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, had stated the Afghan Border Police have been creating hurdles since April 30 in the census process in the divided villages of Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir in Chaman, on the Pakistani side of the border.
    "This was done despite the fact that Afghan authorities had been informed well in advance and coordination was carried out through diplomatic and military channels for the census process," the ISPR statement read.
    Chaman shares a border with the Afghan province of Kandahar and is home to a busy international border crossing between the two countries.  


  11. Waqas Dar
    UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday congratulated Emmanuel Macron on his election victory and said he hopes to meet with the French president-elect soon.
    Macron´s election was welcomed news at the United Nations as it battles to ward off plans from US President Donald Trump to cut funding to the world organisation.
    France is a "highly-valued partner of this organisation" and the agenda for a first meeting would include climate change, the fight against terrorism and peacekeeping among others, said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
    Guterres is planning to write a letter to Macron to propose a meeting "in the very near future," said Dujarric.
    "We look forward to rapid engagement," he added.
    Macron, who defeated far-right leader Marine Le Pen in a runoff on Sunday, campaigned on a pledge to defend the Paris climate deal on combating global warming.
    The Trump administration is expected to decide in the coming weeks on whether to withdraw from the agreement signed by 175 countries at the United Nations last year.


  12. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz remarked that the Chaman incident is unfortunate while addressing a news conference at the Foreign Office on Monday.
    He also remarked that Pakistan responded to the firing from across the border. 
    On May 5, at least 11 people were martyred and 46 injured when Afghan border forces opened fire on Frontier Corps Balochistan soldiers deployed for security of census team near the Chaman border.
    Read more: 11 martyred, 46 injured in firing by Afghan forces at Chaman border
    In response, the gate between both the countries on the Chaman border, Bab-e-Dosti was closed following firing from the Afghan border police. 
    On May 7, more than 50 Afghan soldiers were killed and about 100 injured when Pakistan retaliated to unprovoked firing and shelling by Afghan forces at Chaman border, Balochistan Frontier Corps Inspector General Major General Nadeem Ahmed said.
    Strengthening ties with Oman

    Sartaz Aziz with Foreign Minister of Oman Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah. Photo: APP 
    Sartaj Aziz also met the visiting Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the Foreign Office.
    "We share perceptions on a number of important matters of mutual interest and issues related to promotion of regional peace and stability,” said Sartaj.
    “We have agreed that there should be more regular political dialogue on such issues to promote these understandings even further", he added.
    He maintained that Pakistan and Oman have also been traditional partners supporting each other on various international fora and lobby for each other's candidatures in various international bodies.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     


  13. Waqas Dar
    Famous comedian Zaid Ali T’s latest selfie is with no one other than the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan. The selfie, albeit impressive, has the internet wondering how their paths crossed.
    The young social media star posted on Twitter, expressing his excitement upon seeing the Bollywood actor.
    The YouTube sensation has more than two million followers on Twitter and almost double amount of likes on his Facebook page.

    The Canadian-Pakistani is known for his videos highlighting the plight of teenagers dealing with daily issues (most of all ‘desi’ parents) in a humorous way.
     


  14. Waqas Dar
    Game Of Thrones" stars Lena Headey and Iain Glen are taking a break from swords and intrigue to tackle a real-world crisis in their latest venture: a low-budget, independent film on Europe's refugees.
    Both appear as immigration officers in "The Flood", which follows the journey of an Eritrean migrant trying to reach Britain.
    "You know what's happening in the world, globally is horrific. And, you know, for it to be dealt in cinematic form, I think is a great thing to do", said Headey, best known for her depiction of the twisted matriarch Cersei Lannister in the TV series.
    The film's title is a reference to the often pejorative language used to describe the arrival of large numbers of migrants in Europe.
    The film's producer Luke Healy said he bypassed the usual funding channels and managed to get financial support from a prospective buyer he was showing round his apartment.
    "She didn't end up buying the flat - but she bought the movie. She was our sole investor," he told Reuters.
    The film is still in production, and is expected to be released in 2018.


  15. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Opposition members in Sindh Assembly on Monday protested in Sindh Assembly against the provincial government for unfair distribution of development funds.
    Opposition leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said that the attitude of the government has been very inappropriate with the opposition legislators over the development funds, he further added that the opposition benches are asking funds for the people not for their personal interest.
    The opposition members raised slogans of ‘Go Corruption Go’ in front of Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza`s rostrum.
    The assembly proceedings were suspended until Tuesday morning.
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf`s legislator Dr Seema Zia said that the Sports Minister Sardar Mohammad Baksh Khan Mahar should rather concentrate on his ministry than pushups.  
    In reply to her remark, the deputy speaker said that the female legislator should refrain from making a personal attack.
    Responding to the opposition`s protest, Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement and their allies cannot save Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from their protests.
    The Sindh Assembly’s session on March 10, was disrupted when a ruckus broke out between MQM MPA Saifuddin Khalid and Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, resulting in MQM staging a walkout from the session in protest.
    The commotion started when the MQM said it wanted to talk about public issues and share its grievances, but was cut short by Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, who was also chairing today’s session.
    “Why are we not allowed to discuss our grievances? Why are our privilege motions bulldozed?” the MQM protested.
    MQM MPA Saifuddin Khalid complained that he was not being allowed to talk about the issues.
    Shehla Raza, in response, instructed MPA Saifuddin Khalid to follow the guidelines.
    “I will not entertain your ‘call attention’ notices,” she warned. “Get out of the session if you can’t read them!”
    She then shut down the opposition’s microphones, prompting the MQM MPAs to stage a walkout from the assembly.


  16. Waqas Dar
    BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson on Monday said he hoped Pakistan and Afghanistan would properly address the border issue and jointly uphold peace and stability.
    "As a close neighbor to both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Chinese side hopes that the two sides will properly address the relevant issue," Geng Shuang remarked during his regular press briefing here responding to a question regarding unprovoked firing by Afghan forces on security personnel detailed for the security of population census team in Chaman area causing death and injuries to Pakistani citizens.
    Read More: Census activities resume in Chaman after cross-border firing
    Afghan Border Forces opened unprovoked fire on Pakistani officials when they were conducting population census in a village near Pak-Afghan border in Chaman area of Balochistan on last Friday.
    The unprovoked firing from Afghan side not only led to the loss of precious lives and injured many, but had also disrupted the census in areas on the Pakistan side of the border and caused damaged to properties.


  17. Waqas Dar
    OSLO: The Norwegian government on Monday authorised the slaughter of a herd of around 2,000 reindeer in a bid to eradicate a brain-destroying disease, after several cases were detected in Norway for the first time in Europe.
    In chronic-wasting disease (CWD), a cousin of mad-cow disease and already present in North America, deer brains turn spongy, causing the animal to lose weight and die.
    It is contagious among deer and reindeer but not known to pass from animals to humans.
    The disease was detected for the first time in Europe last year in Norway, with three known cases of reindeer infected in a single herd and two other cases among moose -- though the latter cases were considered to be of less concern since moose do not live in herds.
    To prevent the spread of the disease, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority -- which oversees animal health issues -- called for the slaughter of the affected herd, which has between 2,000 and 2,200 wild reindeer living in the southwestern mountainous region of Nordfjella.
    In a letter sent Monday to the authority, the agriculture ministry gave the green light "based on the knowledge we have today and the unanimous recommendations of experts."
    The herd, which represents about six percent of Norway´s total reindeer population, is to be eradicated by May 1, 2018, the ministry said.
    The Food Safety Authority has until June 15 to present an action plan.
    Possibilities being considered include rounding up the animals for slaughter, or extending hunting in the region.


  18. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: Rap mogul Jay Z was confirmed Monday to play several upcoming festivals, adding to hints of a return to music after years focusing on his business empire.
    The husband of pop superstar Beyonce -- who canceled at last month´s Coachella festival in California as she is expecting twins -- has not released an album since 2013´s chart-topping "Magna Carta Holy Grail."
    Hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz fueled speculation of new music over the weekend when he posted on Instagram a picture of himself with Jay Z and wrote: "Album Modezone."
    On Monday, The Meadows -- one of the growing number of festivals in New York -- announced the lineup for its second edition, to take place on September 15-17, with Jay Z as a headliner.
    The announcement came shortly after news that Jay Z will headline the Austin City Limits festival in Texas in October as well as the Made in America festival in Philadelphia, which Jay Z founded.
    The rapper, a strong supporter of former president Barack Obama, said some proceeds from the September 2-3 festival in Philadelphia would go to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has been on the frontlines of legal challenges to President Donald Trump.
    Jay Z -- whose net worth together with Beyonce is estimated at $1 billion -- had concentrated in recent years on his business projects, most notably the upstart Tidal music streaming service.
    He has returned to music intermittently since his last album, including contributing a verse last year to a remix of Fat Joe and Remy Ma´s hit "All the Way Up."
     


  19. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: In another twist, it was revealed that Uzma was already aware that Tahir has four children from his first marriage, which is contradictory to her previous statements.
    Uzma’s claims were challenged by her husband, Tahir Ali, while speaking to the media. Tahir said he also knew that Uzma has a daughter from her first marriage.
    Uzma, who belongs to New Delhi, met Tahir and both fell in love with each other in Malaysia. Afterward, Uzma travelled to Pakistan on May 1 via the Wagah border, and got married on May 3, said Tahir.
    He said that if Uzma doesn’t want to live with him then that’s her right which she can rightly exercise.  
    Tahir also remarked that he has all the proofs to show that he is speaking the truth. “I have a proof of all my claims and witnesses.”
    He also rejected the claims that he had assaulted her. He said “you can get her medical tests done to see if I have harmed or tortured her in anyway.” 
    Speaking about how the two met, he told Geo News that they met for the first time in Malaysia, where he was working as a taxi driver.
    “We stayed friends for eight to nine months,” he said, adding that later Uzma expressed her desire to marry him.
    Uzma had claimed that I gave her sleeping pills but it is all a lie, he claimed.
    After coming to Pakistan via Wagah Border, we had even stopped for lunch at Swabi. We waited for two days before our marriage. During this time, she knew about my first marriage and children.
    Earlier, a video of the nikkah ceremony of the couple had emerged which also contradicted the statements of Uzma that she was forced into marriage at gunpoint.
    In the video, Tahir can be seen sitting with Uzma, who is donning a white niqab, with a moulvi and three witnesses for their nikkah in a local court in Daggar tehsil of District Buner. No signs of intimidation or violence are present in the video, which contradicts Uzma’s earlier statement that she was forced into marriage at gunpoint.


  20. Waqas Dar
    Up to 5,000 ethnic Uighurs from China's violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang are fighting in various militant groups in Syria, the Syrian ambassador to China said on Monday, adding that Beijing should be extremely concerned about it.
    China is worried that Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people who speak a Turkic language, have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for militants there, having traveled illegally via Southeast Asia and Turkey.
    Daesh claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese hostage in 2015, highlighting China's concern about Uighurs it says are fighting in the Middle East.
    Hundreds of people have been killed in Xinjiang in the past few years, most in unrest between Uighurs and ethnic majority Han Chinese. The government blames the unrest on religious militants who want a separate state called East Turkestan.
    Syria's ambassador in Beijing, Imad Moustapha, told Reuters on the sidelines of a business forum that while some of the Uighurs were fighting with Daesh, most were fighting "under their own banner" to promote their separatist cause.
    "Our estimated numbers, because of the numbers we fight against, we kill, we capture, we wound, would be around 4-5,000 Xinjiang jihadists," he said. "China as well as every other country should be extremely concerned."
    Beijing has never given a number for how many Uighurs it believes are fighting in the Middle East, but has repeatedly warned they pose a serious threat to China. It is not possible to independently verify the number of Uighurs in Syria.
    Rights groups and Uighur exiles say many Uighurs have fled to Turkey simply to escape Chinese repression at home, accusations Beijing denies.
    Moustapha said China did not pick favourites with rebel groups, like Western countries, and China and Syria were cooperating to fight the threat.
    "They don't have a mixed message," he said, referring to China.
    "They understand the true nature of the…doctrine of these groups. Yes, we do exchange information and a little bit more than information regarding these terrorist groups," he said, without elaborating.
    'Right time'
    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with the Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television in March, praised "crucial cooperation" between Syria and Chinese intelligence against Uighur militants. He said ties with China were "on the rise".
    Syria is trying to woo back Chinese investment, with a group of about 30 Syrian businessman meeting about 100 Chinese representatives over two days in Beijing.
    Moustapha said he would be attending next week's summit on China's new Silk Road plan, which aims to expand links between Asia, Africa and Europe underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment.
    Aboud Sarrouf, chairman of the Sarrouf Group and member of the Syria-China Business Council, said they were hoping to get Chinese investment to help repair war-damaged infrastructure.
    "They are preparing and waiting for the right time. They are a little bit reluctant and hesitating," he told Reuters, referring to Chinese companies.
    "But we're coming here to start preparing the foundation."
    Syria may have difficulty encouraging back Chinese companies.
    Paul Liu, chief executive of Chinese steel products firm Sino Sources, said he wanted to hear about opportunities in Syria but was concerned about security.
    "If the government thinks things are not dependable, then we'll first plan and then execute later," Liu said.


  21. Waqas Dar
    LOS ANGELES: Spirited speeches were front and center at the MTV Movie and TV awards on Sunday, where the night's top winners at the usually irreverent awards show took to the stage to champion diversity and inclusion.
    A rare spell of wet weather in Los Angeles shut down the red carpet before the awards show, but inside, drinks were flowing as host Adam Devine literally set the stage on fire as he kicked off MTV's first awards celebrating both television and films.
    Streaming platform Netflix enjoyed the night's biggest spotlight when its 1980s sci-fi series Stranger Things won the inaugural Show of the Year award.
    "Thank you to Netflix, where would we be without Netflix? Like literally, when you're having a bad day, what do you do when you go home?," Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin said on stage, as the audience shouted back "Watch Netflix."
    Disney's live-action fairytale Beauty and the Beast won Best Movie and director Bill Condon thanked the female audience, saying "women have proven that they are huge and powerful audience and it's going to change the movie business".
    MTV did away with gender-specific acting categories this year for its fan-voted awards, where Beauty and the Beast star Emma Watson won best actor in a movie and Stranger Things newcomer Millie Bobby Brown, 13, won best actor in a show.
    "Acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and that doesn't need to be separated into two different categories," Watson said on stage.
    MTV's annual fan-voted, youth-orientated awards show is known for its irreverent moments, explicit jokes, and unconventional award categories, which Devine played up in off-kilter quips about his body and smoking marijuana.
    But this year's show saw presenters and winners get passionate about issues on stage.
    The Best Kiss award went to a tender moment between two teenage boys played by Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, and Sanders dedicated the win to "those who feel like the others, the misfits".
    US Representative Maxine Waters presented the award for Best Fight Against the System and said each of the nominees "pushes back against the bullies and uses their platform to inspire us all". The award went to Hidden Figures, the story of three black female NASA mathematicians.
    Logan stars Hugh Jackman and newcomer Dafne Keen won Best Duo, Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya won the Next Generation award, while NBC family drama This is Us won Best Tearjerker.
    The MTV Generation Award went to the Fast and Furious action franchise and star Vin Diesel thanked "a generation that was willing to accept this multicultural franchise where it didn't matter what color your skin was or what country you're from – when you're family, you're family".


  22. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Naeem-ul-Haque while talking to media on Monday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is trying to save himself and his family members from various scandals.
    Haque said that Nawaz Sharif is trying to save himself in the Panama Papers case, his brother Shehbaz Sharif in the Model Town case and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in the Dawn Leaks controversy.
    The PTI leader added that even an adversary would have confidence in the integrity of Imran Khan.
    He also demanded that the Dawn Leaks report be made public.


  23. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested on Monday four suspects for their involvement in leaking intermediate examination papers, according to sources.
    They identity of the suspects has to be revealed yet.
    According to the sources, the CTD were investigating four groups on WhatsApp where the leaked examination papers were being exchanged. Through the groups, the officials were able to trace a Facebook IP of a suspect.
    Read more: Question paper for intermediate physics exam leaked in Karachi
    On May 6, the question paper for a physics exam to be conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) was leaked.
    Earlier, the mathematics paper for intermediate part-II also reached candidates before time. Six exam question papers have been leaked this year.
    Examination rooms have been hit by a wave of tech-savvy cheating techniques, which has raised questions over lackluster management, corrupt administration, and the use of innovative methods by the cheating mafia.
    Read more: Candidates caught copying answers from WhatsApp group during exam in Karachi
    After cases of leaked exams papers surfaced, the Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah handed over the investigation to Sindh Police’s CTD.
    Additional Inspector-General Sanaullah Abbasi told Geo News that a two-member team has been formed, headed by DIG CTD Amir Farooqui, to lead the find out the culprits behind the cheating mafia in the province. 


  24. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: President Hassan Rouhani's trip to the coal mine in northern Iran was all going to plan, until the crowd massed in front of his car chanting "it's a day of mourning for workers".
    Seconds later, shaky footage of Sunday's protest showed a man jumping onto the bonnet and stamping hard on the metalwork, a rare direct confrontation against the background of a highly-charged election race that keeps returning to one subject - Iran's stuttering economy.
    Rouhani was officially there to visit families bereaved by an explosion at Zemestanyurt mine last week. But the protest slogans broadened out into other areas - poor safety standards, late payments, poor insurance coverage and seasonal unemployment.
    Media outlets supporting Rouhani's conservative rival, who have repeatedly accused him of failing to deliver the jobs and growth he said would follow his landmark nuclear deal, posted the film far and wide on social media. "The devastated miners cannot live with Rouhani’s hollow promises," said Tasnim agency.
    Other agencies, including ISNA, suggested the crowd in Golestan province had been infiltrated by Rouhani's enemies. The slogans were striking similar to ones shouted by protesters who disrupted the president's May 1 campaign speech at the mausoleum of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
    Staged or not, the slogans echoed the battle-cries of the broader election campaign, where Rouhani's rivals have focused on his handling of an economy threatened by high unemployment, low oil prices, slow growth outside the crude sector and a new, unpredictable foe in US President Donald Trump.
    "All the positive results of the nuclear deal and lifting of sanctions have been overshadowed by the low prices of oil," economist and Rouhani supporter Saeed Laylaz told Reuters in a phone interview from Tehran.
    The 2015 deal that Iran signed with world powers to limit its nuclear work in exchange for lifted sanctions - a pact that Rouhani has held up as his signature achievement - provided a short-term economic boost.
    Inflation dropped to single digits under his watch and real GDP grew by as much as 7.4 percent. But the economy, largely reliant on oil exports, took a hit when prices plunged from $104 to $44 per barrel.
    OIL, UNEMPLOYMENT
    Rouhani's rivals say the president bet too strongly on rapprochement with the West, waited in vain for foreign investment, and did too little at home to improve national production.
    Presidential hopefuls, among them influential cleric Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, have jumped on the unemployment rate which rose to 12.4 percent last year, up 1.4 percent from the previous year.
    Despite creating 600,000 jobs last year, the government only managed to absorb less than half the new entrants into the labor market.
    "Iran's large and youthful population is both an opportunity and a challenge for the Islamic Republic," Pratibha Thaker, The Economist Intelligence Unit's editorial director for Middle East and Africa told Reuters.
    "With around 35 percent of its plus population aged 15-29, Iran has one of the world's highest recorded ratios of a group seeking both marriage and employment opportunities," he added.
    Rouhani said last week that the way to tackle unemployment was to attract $140 billion in foreign investment to modernize oil and gas, transportation and telecommunication sectors after decades of international isolation.
    But foreign investors are still cautious about trading with or investing in Iran, waiting to see if Trump will tear apart the nuclear deal as he promised during his election campaign.
    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this year applauded Iran's "impressive recovery", but also noted that anxiety over the future of the nuclear deal had created "renewed uncertainty" that threatened the "anticipated recovery".
    Washington has put Iran "on notice" after Tehran's ballistic missile tests, imposed new sanctions, and it is launching a review of the nuclear agreement.
    "It is unlikely Trump will unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement..." said Ryan Turner, Middle East analyst at Protection Group International.
    "However, his administration could seriously undermine the nuclear deal by pressuring Western companies not to do business in Iran... or creating uncertainty around sanctions waivers."
     
    TRUMP TREMORS
    The uncertainty has caused long delays in contracts that Iran seeks with international firms to develop its oil and gas fields.
    Conservative challengers Raisi and Qalibaf have promised to create five to six millions job in their first term if elected.
    They have both said they will create an "inward-looking" economy, focused on national production and narrowing the gap between rich and poor.
    Raisi said he will triple the monthly cash handouts to the lower class. Qalibaf has promised to increase the national income 2.5 times in four years.
    Other political figures, from both the conservative and pro-Rouhani camps, have questioned their proposals.
    "Those who say they would create five million jobs are deceiving people," said Eshaq Jahangiri, first vice president who is also running in the election.
    Parliament's conservative speaker Ali Larijani, has criticized the candidates of promising the impossible and said there said there was no money to increase the government's cash handouts.
    "The candidates ... all want to create jobs, increase production and economic growth" said the pro-Rouhani analyst Saeed Laylaz. "They are repeating what Rouhani has said, only with bigger figures."
     


  25. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Absar Alam said on Monday that the organisation members are receiving threats, asking for help from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and Army Chief.
    The Pemra chairman was addressing media representatives in Islamabad.
    Alam said that the authority’s officials received phone calls making threats, adding that the calls should be investigated.
    He claimed that the lives of Pemra employees and their families are in danger.
    Alam said that it would be difficult to carry out routine work if action is not taken against the suspects.
    He claimed that the work of Pemra is now dependent upon the high courts. Alam said he has requested CJP in a written letter to take notice of these cases and solve them immediately.
    He also said that Pemra operated under the law and constitution.
    The chairman stated that Pemra took action 357 times over various matters, out of which 337 got challenged in the court.


  • Recently Browsing   0 members

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