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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has recalled fond memories of his friendship with several Indian cricketers, but noted Gautam Gambhir as an exception saying that the veteran opener had still not got over on-field altercation the two had a few years ago.
    In an exclusive column on the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the lead up to the heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy on June 4, Afridi said he has always enjoyed good relations with Indian players.
    Unlike popular perception, players from both nations get along very well off the field, the all-rounder said.
    “Contrary to popular belief, India and Pakistan players get along very well. Of course, there are exceptions like Gautam Gambhir, who dare I say isn’t the friendliest,” Afridi wrote, referring to an ugly spat the two had on the field years ago.
    “We are unlikely to be found together at a coffee shop anytime soon. We had a heated exchange on the field some years ago and it made headlines all over the world. While I have moved on in life as I feel these things are part and parcel of the game, Gautam for some reason can’t get over it. Good luck to him!”

    Ugly spat between Afridi and Gambhir, AFP/Getty Images
    Gambhir had collided with Afridi on the pitch during Pakistan’s tour to India in 2007 while attempting a run, after which the duo exchanged abuses and the umpires had to intervene to de-escalate the situation.
    Afridi said he has enjoyed excellent relationships with Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.
    “The three are one of my best mates and we have some wonderful memories together from the times when both the sides used to play and tour each other on a regular basis.”

    Afridi shares lighter moments with Indian players
    “In the early days of our careers, we used to hang out together quite a lot and also spend time at each other’s homes. Now, all of us are married and, as such, responsibilities and the priority lists have changed. But whenever we catch-up, we meet with warmth and love, and remember our good times together,” the 37-year-old wrote.
    Afridi also had some glowing words for India captain Virat Kohli and said he cherishes the gesture the skipper showed by gifting him an India shirt signed by the team last year.
     “Another player I admire and respect from the present lot is Virat Kohli. He has a fantastic cricket bat in hand and an even a better heart in his supremely fit body.
    “I will always remember him for the gesture he showed when he gave me an India cricket team signed shirt following our match in Kolkata in the ICC World Twenty20 2016. This shirt sits prominently in my collection and will always remind me of not only my matches and visits to India, but my excellent relationships with most, if not all India cricketers.”
    Read more: Afridi thanks Kohli for 'wonderful' farewell gift
    Afridi also recounted moments from India’s tour to Pakistan, when he invited the entire India team to his Karachi residence. That experience ended up as one of the funniest and most embarrassing memories he has.
    “I recall during one of India’s tours to Pakistan, I invited the entire India team to my Karachi house. We prepared special Pathan-style rich food, full of lamb and mutton dishes. When the food was served, there was a complete silence in the room and my Indian friends were looking at each other. At that point, I realised that my honourable and respectable guests don’t eat that type of food!
    “Quite a few of them were vegetarians, and so, we had to urgently replace the food with Daal (lentils) and vegetables dishes. It was quite embarrassing for me to not know about the dietary requirements of the guests since our similarity of culture made me take many things for granted. That was a funny memory of my ‘hospitality’ for the Indian team.”
    Afridi said it was sad the two teams were not playing each other often anymore due to the prevailing relations between the two neighbours.
    "Hopefully, the situation will improve soon so that the old friends can reunite to relive old memories,” he wrote.


  2. Waqas Dar
    Family members of three victims of the December 2015 shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California, have sued Facebook, Google, and Twitter, claiming that the companies permitted Daesh to flourish on social media.
    The relatives assert that by allowing Daesh militants to spread propaganda freely on social media, the three companies provided "material support" to the group and enabled attacks such as the one in San Bernardino.
    "For years defendants have knowingly and recklessly provided the terrorist group Daesh with accounts to use its social networks as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda, raising funds and attracting new recruits," family members of Sierra Clayborn, Tin Nguyen and Nicholas Thalasinos charge in the 32-page complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
    "Without defendants Twitter, Facebook and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of Daesh over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," the complaint said.
    Spokeswomen for Twitter and Google declined to comment on the lawsuit. Representatives for Facebook could not immediately be reached by Reuters on Thursday afternoon.
    Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire on a holiday gathering of Farook's co-workers at a government building in San Bernardino on Dec. 2, 2015, killing 14 people and wounding 22 others.
    Farook, the 28-year-old, U.S.-born son of Pakistani immigrants, and Malik, 29, a Pakistani native, died in a shootout with police four hours after the massacre.
    Authorities have said the couple was inspired by militants. At the time, the assault ranked as the deadliest attack by extremists on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In June 2016, an American-born gunman pledging allegiance to the leader of Daesh shot 49 people to death at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, before he was killed by police.
    In December 2016 the families of three men killed at the nightclub sued Twitter, Google, and Facebook in federal court on allegations similar to those in the California lawsuit.
    Federal law gives internet companies broad immunity from liability for content posted by their users. A number of lawsuits have been filed in recent years seeking to hold social media companies responsible for terror attacks, but none has advanced beyond the preliminary phases.


  3. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The ongoing heatwave is predicted to continue for three to four days, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stated on Saturday.
    In view of the forecast of the possible heat-wave, doctors have appealed citizens to avoid going out during the heat wave and take all precautionary measures in this regard
    To avoid a repeat of the catastrophe in 2015 which claimed over 1,500 lives during a heat-wave that persisted for at least a week.
    You can use the following precautions to beat the heat this summer:
    Stay covered

    Avoid the harsh direct sunlight hitting you, not only will it burn your complexion — but the sun's ultraviolet rays can be extremely dangerous, and excessive exposure may result in cancer. Try to stay indoor, and if you need to be outside; don’t spend extended amounts of time without shade or clothes that expose your skin to the sun. Wear light clothes

    Lightweight clothes are the best choice when you’re trying to keep cool. Wear linen, cotton, silk, or other breathable fabrics. Keep your clothing loose and breezy, so you don't feel suffocated in the humid heat. Find shade

    Look for a shade, find a tree. You probably won't believe this, but the cooling effect of a tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours per day! Stay well hydrated with the best desi drinks
    We're not short of our very own concocted drinks, that help you refresh and revitalise from the scalding heat out there. Neembu Paani, Lachaydaar Rabri Doodh, Ganna Juice and Sattu are some compelling options, have one or have 'em all, why not? And oh! Don't forget Lassi! Nothing reenergizes quite like good ol' Lassi.  It is, therefore, wiser not to go out during the peak sunlight hours to stay safe from a heatstroke. The use of ice packs, cold sheets, and wet towels is advised, and drinking more water is recommended.


  4. Waqas Dar
    A young man in a white t-shirt pulls on a dark blue denim trucker jacket, tucks his smartphone in an inside pocket and puts in-ear headphones in his right ear.
    He mounts a fixed-gear bike with flat, slightly curved wide handlebars. Riding through the streets of San Francisco, he occasionally taps or swipes his right hand over the left cuff of his jacket, as the directions he's listening to continually pop up on the screen of this advertisement.
    It's an ad from iconic US jeans maker Levi Strauss for Project Jacquard, an initiative with Google that the companies started two years ago for so-called "smart" denim.
    The future of the popular fabric was the focus at a recent international fashion fair in Paris -- after all most believe the word denim derives from the French "serge de Nimes", a surge from the city of Nimes.
    The fair featured many wearable innovations such as a waterproof jacket with sunscreen bands and a cable in the pocket to recharge a cell phone, or jeans that keep your body temperature stable.
    Once mainly the purview of athletic gear -- with moisture-wicking shirts and trousers and then clothing that can track motion, heart rate, and body temperature -- the new trend for fashion designers is to take everyday wear and transform it using new technologies.
    This is clothing made from specially woven fabric with touch-screen control capabilities that can be designed in such a way to visually stand out or go unnoticed depending on designers' wishes.
    French-based fashion company Spinal Design, for example, has created jeans that can give wearers with directions without having to whip out the mobile at every single intersection.
    Through blue tooth sensors stitched into the jeans' waistband, the smartphone stays out of sight.
    "You put a destination into the pap (and) sensors will vibrate right if you need to turn right, left if you need to turn left," Spinal innovation director Romain Spinal told AFP.
    In 2015, the company from the eastern French town of Mulhouse designed a bikini that tells women when it's time to apply more sunscreen.
    The two-piece retails for 149 euros ($163) and comes with a small detachable ultraviolet sensor that, through a smartphone or tablet, sends a "sunscreen alert" when the sunbather's skin needs more protective cream.
    The detector is calibrated to the wearer's skin type and how much of a tan she wants to get, and is "virtually devoid of any radiation," Spinal said.
    The Spinal jeans, made in France, cost 150 euros and also have email notification capabilities.
    "They will vibrate differently depending on whether the message received is from your family, your friends or work, in a way that you won't have to constantly check your email on weekends or on vacation," Spinal said.
    On their end, Google and Levi expect to release their denim jacket sometime this year, but it will come with a hefty $350 price tag due in part to its special interactive fabric that allows the jacket's wearer to order various products online.
    Environmental concerns
    Other international techs and fashion companies have also jumped on the "smart" denim bandwagon.
    Using thermo-regulated fabric and microfiber cloth popular in athletic wear, Brazilian textile maker Vicugna Tex til has designed denim that will keep the wearer's core temperature stable.
    American designer Cone Denim for its part has blended its denim with technical textile fibers from equipment used on motorcycles -- this to better tout the sturdiness of its clothes.
    But these companies recognise that there has to be more to "smart" jeans than just fashion sense and connected capabilities and that means making sure they are environmentally friendly.
    "The consumer demands greater traceability and ecology, especially when it comes to denim because it is a product that is a bit controversial," said Marion Foret, fashion products chief for Premiere Vision Paris, which organises trade shows for the textile and clothing sector, including the denim show.
    Denim is a product "that doesn't always carry the best reputation, so textile makers are forced to use more ecological processes," Foret added, such as making denim with organic or traceable cotton, cleaning denim without water, and using dyes that won't pollute the land.


  5. Waqas Dar
    CHAMAN: At seven Pakistani citizens, including three children, were injured in unprovoked, cross-border firing and shelling by Afghan forces in Chaman early Friday, sources informed Geo News.
    The unprovoked fire by Afghan forces, using both light and heavy arms, began at 4:00 am and lasted until 6:30 am, sources said.
    Large contingents of Frontier Corps and Levies reached the area as soon as the vicinity came under heavy fire from across the border.
    Pakistani security forces effectively responded to the firing and shelling from Afghan side.
    A mortar shell, which fell on a house in a village close to Chaman border, left at least seven civilians wounded. The injured also included three children.
    They were whisked to district hospital, where from two critically injured persons were referred to Quetta.
    There have been reports of injuries to other civilians as well, sources added.


  6. Waqas Dar
    Human noise is polluting more than half of natural protected areas in the United States, to such an extent that it could interfere with animals' ability to hunt and survive, researchers said Thursday.
    Sounds were recorded at 492 sites meant as havens for biodiversity across the country, said the report in the journal Science.
    Researchers found that background noise exceeded three decibels (dB) in 63 percent of protected areas, it said.
    In 21 percent of areas, background noise was 10 dB higher than it would have been without the influence of humans.
    This meant between "a doubling and tenfold increase in sound levels above natural," said lead author Rachel Buxton, a conservation biologist at Colorado State University.
    Another way to look at it, Buxton said, is that human-caused noise has reduced the area where natural sounds can be heard by 50 and 90 percent.
    "So if you could have heard something at 100 feet (30 meters) away, now you can only hear it from 10 to 50 feet away," she said.
    A computer algorithm was used to estimate the baseline for natural sounds in an area, based on its unique features.
    The sources of the extra noise include oil and gas exploration, fracking for natural gas, timber and mining activities, motorcycles and vehicle traffic, and just general human development.
    The impact of the added noise could be vast.
    "Birds may have a harder time finding a mate, or a prey species may not be able to hear the approach of a predator and may be more likely to be eaten," Buxton said.
    "Even if only one species is actually being affected by noise directly, these impacts may cascade through an ecological community."
    Researchers said the study shows that human noise pollution, while often considered a city problem, is much more far-reaching than previously understood.


  7. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE/VEHARI: Police claimed to have rounded up several proclaimed offenders among dozens of suspects rounded up from various Punjab cities late Thursday.
    Police conducted search operation several areas of Vehari. The law enforcers claimed to have arrested 18 proclaimed offenders among 24 suspects during the overnight searches.
    Officials also seized a rifle, three handguns, several rounds and drugs from arrested suspects.
    Another search operation was conducted in Lahore's Sundarpur area, in which women police personnel also assisted their male colleagues. Police verified particulars of residents and held six people for not having complete details.
    Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency arrested a suspect, Khalid, from Johar Town area of Lahore, who was said to be involved in making fake credit cards. Officials recovered an MSR machine, a thousand credit cards and other things from him.
    A human smuggler was rounded up in Sargodha, while a former Fesco employee was nabbed in Faisalabad for allegedly obtaining Rs40000 in facilitating installment of an electricity meter.
    In Bhakkar, police searched over 90 houses and arrested 17 suspects, with arms and drugs seized from them.


  8. Waqas Dar
    A student was shot dead at a meeting in Venezuela Thursday, prosecutors said, as anti-government protests raged in the streets.
    Crowds of students clashed with riot police in the latest in a wave of unrest as the opposition vowed no respite in its drive to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
    His opponents accuse him of trying to strengthen his grip on power and delay elections by launching moves to rewrite the constitution.
    According to the latest toll provided by prosecutors on Thursday, 35 people have been killed in just over a month of protests against Maduro, whose opponents blame him for food shortages in the oil-rich nation.
    Students clash with cops

    The student leader was at a meeting in the northern state of Anzoategui when "one of those present approached him and shot him several times before fleeing on a motorbike," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
    It did not say whether the killing was directly linked to the protests, but it came amid high tension, as students pushed on with a wave of street rallies.
    Crowds of them marched in Caracas, some clashing with riot police who blocked their way and fired tear gas.
    Hooded youths responded by throwing Molotov cocktails and stones.
    The prosecutors said a policeman died from a gunshot suffered during a protest Wednesday in the western city of Carabobo.
    That brought the death toll from the street unrest to 33, not including the student who was killed at the meeting in circumstances that remained unclear.
    Capriles on 'violence'

    The opposition wants a vote on removing Maduro from office.
    The president, elected in 2013, says the crisis is a US-backed capitalist conspiracy.
    The opposition and government have accused each other of fomenting violence.
    "I don't know how long the protests are going to last," senior opposition leader Henrique Capriles told AFP in an interview.
    "If we were being violent, if we were not being democratic, we would already have toppled the government."
    Constitution, elections

    In his latest crisis maneuver, Maduro on Wednesday launched procedures at the electoral council to elect a "constituent assembly" to draft a new constitution.
    "This is the path of peace and reconciliation for Venezuela," he said on television on Thursday.
    "It is a complex battle, but no one will take our homeland from us."
    Private polls indicate that more than 70 percent of those interviewed do not support Maduro.
    He said the constitutional reform body would not include political parties with seats in the opposition-controlled National Assembly, but representatives of social groups traditionally loyal to him.
    Maduro's center-right opponents and some international powers said the move is an attempt to dodge local elections this year and a presidential poll set for late 2018.
    "Since the government cannot win elections, it wants to dismantle the system for holding them," Capriles told AFP.
    Attorney General breaks ranks

    Attorney General Luisa Ortega broke ranks with the government over the political crisis.
    She told the Wall Street Journal that the government should ensure people's right to demonstrate freely, without arbitrary arrests.
    "We can't demand peaceful and legal behavior from citizens if the state takes decisions not in accordance with the law," the Journal quoted her as saying on Wednesday.
    Military allegiance

    Venezuela has seen three attempted military coups since 1992.
    The current unrest has come close to matching that of 2014, when clashes killed 43 people.
    Despite the country's chaos, Maduro retains the military's public backing -- one thing that analysts say could yet tip the balance against him.
    "What happens if the National Guard (military police) says they are not going to continue the repression?" Capriles said.
    "Will Maduro's position be sustainable?"


  9. Waqas Dar
    "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the smash-hit, award-winning London play about the fictional boy wizard as a grown father of three, will open in New York in spring 2018.
    The show will make its official Broadway debut on April 22 at the Lyric Theatre, currently under renovation in preparation for the North American premiere, producers of the London show said on Thursday.
    Preview performances and casting will be announced in the coming months, and tickets for the New York production will go on sale in the fall, they added.
    The play, which first opened in London in July 2016, this year won a record-breaking nine Olivier Awards, which honor the best of the city's West End.
    The English screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne wrote the two-part production based on an original story co-written by Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and the play's director John Tiffany.
    Set 19 years after the events of Rowling's seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the play features Potter working at the Ministry of Magic.
    He has now grown up, like many of his fans, and has three children with his wife Ginny Weasley, sister of his best friend Ron.
    He still has his trademark round-rimmed glasses and the scar on his head, a permanent reminder of his nemesis Lord Voldemort, and must now help his youngest son Albus confront the family's dark past.
    The seven Harry Potter novels have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide since the first book hit bookstores in 1997. The wizard's adventures have been translated into 79 languages and eight films.


  10. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Two people were wounded in separate shootings in Karachi late Thursday, while police rounded up 14 suspects in raids conducted in various areas, officials said.
    The law enforcer conducted raids in Gulbahar and on Hub River Road in Baldia Town. One Afghan national among three suspects were held in the raids.
    Police said the afghan national was staying illegally in the country, while the other two suspects were involved in different crimes.
    Four gamblers were arrested in a raid conducted in Rajput Colony, with cash put on stake seized from them.
    Gizri police searched selected housed in PNT Colony and adjacent areas late this night and held seven suspects. They were shifted to police station for further interrogation.
    Meanwhile, firing incidents left two people wounded in Nazimabad no 2 and Korangi Mehran Town areas, police said.
    The injured persons were shifted to hospital.


  11. Waqas Dar
    New claims for jobless benefits sank at the end of April, and the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits hit a 17-year low, the US Labor Department reported Thursday.
    The figures were more evidence of the persistently tight job market and came a day before the department is due to release its monthly employment report.
    In the week ending April 29, initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 19,000 to 238,000. Analysts had been expecting a drop of only 11,000.
    The less volatile four-week moving average held steady at 243,000, down 750 from the prior week's figure.
    Meanwhile the total number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell 23,000 to 1,964,000, the lowest since April 2000.
    Though they see big swings from week to week, jobless claims data can be used to measure the prevalence of layoffs and the health of labor markets.
    Job creation has been steady for many months, dropping the unemployment rate to 4.5 percent, and companies are reporting difficulty finding workers to fill open positions and in some cases have had to offer higher pay and benefits, even for low-skilled work.
    The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rates unchanged but signaled it may persist with an expected course of rate increases during the year, in large part due to strong job creation and low unemployment.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Barcelona forward Neymar and his parents will stand trial over alleged fraud and corruption, making the Brazilian the latest football superstar to have to take the stand, a Spanish court ordered on Thursday.
    The National Court also ordered Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell to be sent to trial over alleged fraud and corruption over Neymar's transfer from Santos in 2013.
    They will stand trial for "business corruption and fraud", the court said in a statement.
    The two clubs, Barcelona and Brazil's Santos, were also ordered to stand trial.
    Neymar's arrival from Brazil's Santos has been a huge success for the Spanish champions on the pitch but a judicial nightmare off it.
    The 25-year-old striker is being investigated in Brazil and Spain over his headline move to La Liga.
    The case initiated with a complaint from Brazilian investment company DIS, which owned 40 percent of Neymar's sporting rights at the time of his transfer.
    DIS received just 6.8 million euros -- 40 percent of the 17 million euros fee paid to Santos -- with the company claiming it was cheated out of its real share because part of the transfer fee was concealed by Barcelona, Santos and the Neymar family.
    But the court suspects Santos was actually paid 25 million euros, which would mean DIS was cheated out of 3.5 million euros.
    Barcelona originally published the transfer figure as 57.1 million euros ($62.3 million), with 40 million euros of that given to the player's family and the rest to Santos.
    Jail term

    DIS has called for five-year sentences for Neymar and his parents, who acted as the player's representatives, eight years for Rosell and Bartomeu plus a mammoth 195 million euro fine for Barca.
    Spanish prosecutors have recommended that Neymar be handed a two-year jail sentence and fined 10 million euros.
    Sentences of two years or less are habitually suspended for first time offenders in Spain.
    However, DIS also recommended that Neymar be banned from playing football during any judicial sentence.
    In July 2016 a judge ruled that irregularities in the transfer were detected, but said it was an issue for a civil court, not a criminal court to settle.
    But prosecutors successfully argued the player and his father were aware of potentially fraudulent dealings between Barcelona and Santos to the detriment of DIS to fully overturn that decision.
    The decision to order Neymar to stand trial is another blow to the image of the Spanish giants and the player himself.
    Barcelona hoped to bring an end to the murky affair when the club agreed to pay a 5.5-million-euro fine in a deal with prosecutors in June to settle a separate case and ensure the club avoided trial on tax-evasion charges over the transfer.
    Messi sentenced

    Neymar is far from the only Barca star to find himself embroiled in problems with the Spanish authorities.
    Five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and his father were given 21-month suspended jail sentences in July 2016 for tax fraud relating to the player's image rights.
    Barca's Argentine defender Javier Mascherano also agreed a one-year suspended sentence with authorities for tax fraud earlier this year.
    The off-field upheaval hasn't affected Barca, Neymar's signing being an undoubted sporting success as he has formed one of the most fearsome strike partnerships of all-time with Messi and Luis Suarez.
    Barca have won back-to-back Spanish league and Cup doubles with the trio and won the Champions League in 2015.
    Neymar signed a bumper new deal with the club to extend his contract until 2021 in July 2016 despite admitting he held talks with Paris Saint-Germain amidst interest from a host of top European clubs in luring him away.


  13. Waqas Dar
    Rescuers battled hazardous conditions Thursday at a coal mine in northern Iran where 26 miners died as attempts failed to save workmates trapped deep underground after an explosion.
    Hopes of finding nine missing miners alive were fading more than 36 hours after the blast Wednesday at the mine in Azadshahr in Golestan province, where three days of mourning were declared.
    The rescue operation at the Zemestan Yort mine was hampered by poisonous gases that filled the tunnels as well as by fears of a further collapse.
    The removal of rubble blocking the tunnel was expected to finish by the end of Thursday, state television broadcaster quoted Labour Minister Ali Rabii as saying from the site.
    Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered condolences for the "very bitter" tragedy.
    "Efforts by various organisations will be rewarded (by God). They (should) increase their efforts as much as possible," he said in a message.
    President Hassan Rouhani also expressed sorrow for victims of the disaster, which has overshadowed his re-election campaign.
    Tasnim news agency quoted director of Iran's emergency services Pir Hossein Kolivand as saying that 26 bodies had been recovered from the mine.
    Sadegh-Ali Moghadam, emergencies director in Golestan province, had said earlier that 21 victims were found at a depth of 600 metres (yards) and rescue teams had descended 1,400 metres into the tunnel where the blast happened.
    The hope of finding the remaining miners alive "is now minimal," he told state IRNA news agency.
    "The problem is the upper arch which has been weakened by the explosion. Miners are working to secure the tunnel" to be able to move forward, he said.
    The tunnel caved in when methane gas exploded underground as workers tried to jump-start a locomotive engine, according to initial reports.
    Rouhani ordered all departments "to use all equipment available to facilitate the rescue services and save those trapped".
    "The painful incident involving a number of hard-working miners in the Azadshahr mine brought sorrow and mourning to all Iranian people," he said.
    Gas poisoning

    Images broadcast on state television IRIB showed the evacuation of injured and exhausted miners on stretchers as rescue services worked relentlessly at the entrance to one of the mine tunnels.
    The army joined forces on Thursday with rescue teams by sending medics, bulldozers and trucks.
    More than 70 miners were treated in hospitals for gas poisoning and injuries, state news agency IRNA reported.
    The workers sent to hospital were among those who had rushed from outside to help the victims after the blast.
    Rouhani sent Rabii along with mining and industry minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh to the mine to oversee the rescue operations, treatment of victims and lead an investigation.
    Rabii told IRNA that all work at the mine will be completely halted for six months until the probe is completed.
    "The government will undertake the payment of all workers' wages until the mine reopens," he added.
    The mine has 500 workers and the explosion happened during a change of shift, state media said.
    The issue is particularly sensitive two weeks before a presidential vote in which Rouhani hopes to win re-election.
    Conservative candidates have accused the government of failing to care for the poor.


  14. Waqas Dar
    Marcus Rashford's stunning free-kick 23 minutes from time put Manchester United on the brink of reaching the Europa League final with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Celta Vigo on Thursday.
    Celta goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez kept the Spaniards in the tie before half-time with a string of saves to deny Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jese Lingard.
    However, he was wrong-footed by Rashford's free-kick as United took a giant step towards reaching the final in Stockholm on May 24.
    And United manager Jose Mourinho hailed his wonder kid who has stepped up in the absence of top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to cruciate ligament damage.
    "He's a 19-year-old kid in love with football," said Mourinho.
    "He works, he's mature and what matters is not his age but his quality."
    Rashford's 11th goal of the season was just reward for United's superiority as they close in on not just the prestige of winning the Europa League for the first time, but also the prize of guaranteed Champions League football next season it would bring.

    "In the first-half Sergio had a couple of very important saves and the way we started the game and controled the game in the first half I think we deserved a better result," added Mourinho.
    "But the opponent was difficult, the stadium was difficult, so I cannot be happier with the players and their work."
    Celta, by contrast, failed to rise to the challenge of their first ever European semi-final, but they did have the first big chance just 10 minutes in.
    Nemanja Radoja's cross picked out the unmarked Daniel Wass, but the Dane miscued his header horribly wide with just Sergio Romero to beat.
    Thereafter, it fell on Alvarez to keep Celta in the tie.
    And he refused to give up hope of making the final.
    "Nothing is impossible," said Alvarez.
    "We have to recover as soon as possible and go there to show we are a brave team."
    His best stop came on 21 minutes when Rashford took aim from just outside the box and his shot was curling into the top corner only for Alvarez's fingertips to turn the ball behind.
    Paul Pogba was making his return after missing United's last two outings, and the world's most expensive player looked a class apart in midfield.
    A powerful run from the Frenchman teed up Mkhitaryan for the visitors best chance of the first 45 minutes.
    However, Alvarez rushed from his line to block from the Armenian.
    And Alvarez was called into action again moments later to parry Lingard's imprecise shot after he had been played in by Rashford's through ball.
    Celta's top scorer Iago Aspas was anonymous before the break, but started the second-half brightly and saw flicked header float just wide.
    Pione Sisto was then denied by a fine save from Sergio Romero as the Dane's deflected shot threatened to loop over the Argentine.
    Celta's greater attacking intent was offering United more space on the counter-attack and Rashford didn't make the most of one promising opening after skipping past Gustavo Cabral.
    However, the 19-year-old showed his class moments later as he won a free-kick on the edge of the area and then picked himself up to curl home a wonderful effort into the far corner.
    Aspas had Celta's best chance to respond but fired wide when Jonny's cross was fired into him at an awkward height.
    Celta have already overcome losing the first leg 1-0 at home on their run to the last four with a 2-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 32.
    But the Galicians need lightning to strike twice at Old Trafford on May 11 as United look set for their first European final since 2011.


  15. Waqas Dar
    The World Health Organization (WHO) is to launch a pilot project this year to assess cheap copies of expensive biotech cancer drugs in a bid to make such medicines more widely available in poorer countries.
    The UN agency said on Thursday it would invite drugmakers in September to submit applications for prequalification of so-called biosimilar versions of two such drugs on its essential medicines list, Roche's Rituxan and Herceptin.
    WHO also plans to explore options for prequalifying biosimilar insulin.
    The move is a boost for biosimilars which are expected to account for a growing proportion of treatments, particularly for cancer, as patents on the original branded products expire.
    The WHO plays a critical role in monitoring drug quality in poorer countries through its prequalification program, which ensures that treatments supplied by U.N. agencies such as UNICEF are of acceptable quality.
    The program is also used by many governments to guide the bulk purchase of medicines.
    "Innovator biotherapeutic products are often too expensive for many countries, so biosimilars are a good opportunity to expand access and support countries to regulate and use these medicines," said WHO Assistant Director General Marie-Paule Kieny.
    Roche's Rituxan, known generically as rituximab, is used principally to treat blood cancers, while Herceptin, or trastuzumab, is a treatment for breast cancer.
    The complex nature of biological medicines, which are made inside living cells, means copies can never be exactly the same as the original. But a growing number of such drugs have been approved as similar enough to do the job in several markets.


  16. Waqas Dar
    Russia, Iran and Turkey on Thursday signed an agreement to set up four safe zones in Syria that the United Nations described as a promising step to wind down the brutal six-year war.
    The United States however gave an extremely cautious welcome, citing Iran's role as a guarantor even as it expressed hope that the deal could set the stage for a settlement.
    Several members of the rebel delegation left the room shouting in protest as the signing ceremony got underway in the Kazakh capital Astana, angry at regime ally Iran, an AFP reporter saw.
    The plan for the "de-escalation zones" was discussed on Tuesday by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation that the White House described as a "very good one."
    The agreement provides for a ceasefire, a ban on all flights, rapid deliveries of humanitarian aid to the designated areas and the return of refugees.
    Russia and Iran, which back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the war, and Turkey, a supporter of rebel forces, hope to build on a ceasefire deal they reached in December.
    The Syrian government and rebel delegations are not signatories to the deal.
    "We are not supporting this agreement. It is an agreement between the three countries," said Usama Abu Zeid, a rebel spokesman. "We do not at all agree that Iran .. is a guarantor of this accord."
    UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was encouraged by the agreement.
    Guterres "welcomed the commitments to ceasing the use of all weapons, particularly aerial assets" and to quickly deliver medical aid and basic necessities, said the spokesman.
    The United Nations will support de-escalation, said the spokesman but he did not elaborate.
    UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, who was in Astana as an observer, described the agreement as "an important promising positive step in the right direction" toward de-escalation.
    A working group will be set up within two weeks to resolve technical issues and the three countries agreed to set up the four areas by June 4.
    The first zone included the whole of Idlib province along with certain parts of neighbouring Latakia, Aleppo and Hama provinces. The second will encompass certain parts in the north of Homs province and the third will be comprised of some areas of Eastern Ghouta, outside of Damascus.
    The fourth zone will include parts of the Deraa and Quneitra provinces in southern Syria, according to the memorandum seen by AFP.
    US doubts about Iran
    The UN envoy said the deal would be quickly put to the test and that success on the ground could pave the way to a new round of political talks in Geneva later this month.
    "There will be a period not longer than two weeks in which all this will be seriously put to the test and we want that test to succeed," he said.
    In Washington, the State Department, which had dispatched an observer to the talks, said it appreciated Russian and Turkish efforts but called into doubt Iran's role.
    "We continue to have concerns about the Astana agreement, including the involvement of Iran as a so-called 'guarantor'," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
    "Iran's activities in Syria have only contributed to the violence, not stopped it, and Iran's unquestioning support for the Assad regime has perpetuated the misery of ordinary Syrians."
    "We nonetheless hope that this arrangement can contribute to a de-escalation of violence, end the suffering of the Syrian people, and set the stage for a political settlement of the conflict," she said.
    Russia's envoy Alexander Lavrentiev said the zones would remain in place for six months, a period that could be extended.
    It remained unclear whether there would be any international monitoring of the safe zones.
    Putin said Wednesday that ways to monitor the zones would be an issue for separate talks.
    Lavrentiev said Moscow was ready to send observers to the zones.
    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in comments published Thursday that the plan for the "de-escalation zones" would "50 percent" solve the six-year conflict.
    Damascus supports the Russian plan, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
    Syrian rebels said earlier Thursday that they had resumed participation in the talks after having suspended their involvement a day earlier over air strikes against civilians.
    More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the country's war began with anti-government protests in March 2011.


  17. Waqas Dar
    French presidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron filed a legal complaint Thursday after his far-right rival Marine Le Pen repeated rumours that he had an offshore account during a particularly bruising TV debate.
    The pro-EU centrist Macron and Le Pen battled repeatedly over terrorism, the economy and Europe in Wednesday's TV duel watched by some 16.5 million people.
    "I hope that we will not find out that you have an offshore account in the Bahamas," Le Pen said during the debate, which was her last chance to narrow the gap before Sunday's run-off vote.
    Macron would win around 60 percent to Le Pen's 40 percent if the vote were held now, surveys suggest.
    The 39-year-old ex-economy minister described his rival's insinuation as "defamation" and after his complaint, French prosecutors launched a probe Thursday into who started the rumour.
    Macron's campaign team called it a "textbook case" of "fake news", saying the information began circulating online two hours before the debate started.
    The rumour was based on two documents that claimed to show he has an offshore company called "La Providence" in the Caribbean, which his team said included an "outrageous falsification" of Macron's signature.
    Macron's team said the information was spread on Twitter by accounts close to Kremlin-friendly news sites like Sputnik and RT as well as supporters of US President Donald Trump.
    Meanwhile, Le Pen's National Front party said her campaign website had been repeatedly targeted by a hacker close to the far-left, who was arrested last week.
    The probe into the anti-Macron allegations came as former US president Barack Obama threw his support behind the centrist, saying in a video he "appeals to people's hopes and not their fears".
    Obama said Macron had "put forward a vision for the important role that France plays in Europe and around the world" and added "Vive la France!"
    The day after the debate, in which Le Pen branded Macron "the candidate of the elite" and he called her "the high priestess of fear", the candidates were back at each other's throats.
    After the bruising confrontation, a snap poll by French broadcaster BFMTV found that nearly two-thirds of viewers thought Macron was the "most convincing" of the two, broadly mirroring forecasts for the decisive election on Sunday.
    "I succeeded in what I set out to do, annoy Mr Macron," she said on a campaign stop in the western town of Dol-de-Bretagne, where protesters threw eggs at her entourage, although she was not hit.
    At a final rally in the northern village of Ennemain the anti-immigration candidate told supporters she would given them back the keys to the Elysee Palace.
    "France cannot wait... five more years to hold its head high," she said.
    Macron, who headed to the southwestern town of Albi to meet supporters, told France Inter radio: "You can't choke off all of the lies but you can kill off some of them."
    At a final rally he promised cheering supporters: "We will keep our promise of change to the end".
    During the visit to Albi, the former economy minister was criticised by some 50 union activists who demanded the abolition of France's controversial 2016 labour reforms.
    'Brutal and violent' debate

    The aggressive and often unruly debate shocked many observers used to a more reserved tone in French political discourse.
    "It is misleading to call that fist fight a debate," an editorial in the right-leaning Figaro newspaper said.
    Le Monde said it had been "brutal" and "violent from start to finish".
    The Elabe poll for BFMTV showed that Macron had convinced 63 percent of viewers compared to 34 percent for Le Pen suggested she did little to win over new voters.
    Le Pen tried to portray Macron as being soft on Islamic fundamentalism, playing to the concerns of many of her supporters after a string of terror attacks in France.
    But Macron was in combative form throughout, repeatedly portraying Le Pen's proposals as simplistic, defeatist or dangerous and targeting her proposals to withdraw France from the euro in particular.
    The euro policy "was the big nonsense of Marine Le Pen's programme", he said.
    Le Pen called the euro, shared by 19 countries in the European Union and blamed by some in France for a rise in prices, "the currency of bankers, it's not the people's currency".
    In the first round of the election on April 23, Marine Le Pen finished second behind Macron with 21.3 percent after softening the FN's image over the past six years -- but without fully removing doubt about the party's core beliefs.
    She sees her rise as the consequence of growing right-wing nationalism and a backlash against globalisation reflected in the election of Donald Trump in the United States and Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union.


  18. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Federal Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Thursday said that issues between the civil and military leadership over Dawn leaks have been resolved.
    Speaking in Geo News programme, Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Rafique said, “Ahsan Iqbal have said on this issue that it would be resolved in a day or two, in my knowledge the issue has been resolved. The contact didn’t break for even a moment. The meeting on this issue had been on every relevant forum.”
    He said that the armed forces—serving and retired—want establishment and promotion of democracy.
    “There are many times when it appears that we are in conflict but in reality, we are not,” he said. “We have our objection over the tweet but it cannot become a basis of divide- neither it will. Unfortunately, there are certain elements in Pakistan who are always desiring to see a clash between institutions.”
    Rafique said that the civil-military relations improved during the respective tenures of General Raheel Sharif and General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani.
    He further said: “There is no ideal democracy in Pakistan – we are going through a special period – so the biggest responsibility in sustaining the system lies on the elected democratic party so that the country remains stable.
    “The democratic parties have to show restraint and patience and we have to give a way – and this is exactly why we gave a way to Musharraf.”
    Rafique said that the Director General ISPR is a professional soldier who wouldn’t even think of snubbing a democratically elected Prime Minister.
    “We don’t have to clash on the law and constitution. Politicians have to show flexibility and hopefully, we will pass through this time.”
    He said that the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz have filed a petition against Imran Khan in the Supreme Court in reaction to his role in the Panama leaks proceedings.


  19. Waqas Dar
    LOS ANGELES: The former business manager of Alanis Morissette was sentenced to six years in prison after he admitted stealing millions from the rock singer by misleading her about her finances.
    Jonathan Schwartz, who had worked for prominent Los Angeles-area firm GSO Business Management, was also ordered to pay $8,657,268 in restitution, according to a federal judge´s sentence announced late Wednesday.
    Morissette, attending the sentencing hearing, said Schwartz acted in a "long, drawn-out, calculated and sinister manner," and shattered her dreams of being able to focus on her family and causes.
    Schwartz admitted that he stole $4.8 million from Morissette between 2010 and 2014, classifying the withdrawals as the singer´s personal expenses and telling her she was in solid financial shape.
    When confronted, Schwartz acknowledged that he lied by telling Morissette that he was investing her money in the nascent marijuana business.
    Schwartz, a certified public accountant, also admitted stealing $1 million from another client in the guise of home renovations as well as $737,500 from another customer whose signature he forged on receipts.
    Deirdre Fike, the assistant director of the FBI´s Los Angeles field office, said Schwartz "used his clients´ funds as a personal ATM machine" and vowed that the bureau would keep investigating such crimes.
    "Individuals have a right to feel secure when placing their trust, as well as large sums of money, with financial managers," she said in a statement.
    Morissette won fame at an early age. When her 1995 album "Jagged Little Pill" won the Grammy for Album of the Year, she was 21 and the youngest artist ever to win the prestigious award, a record later broken by Taylor Swift.
    The Canadian-born singer is the voice behind energetic rock anthems that became some of the best-known hits of the 1990s including "You Oughta Know," "Hand in My Pocket" and "You Learn."
    Morissette´s case had echoes of the saga of another Canadian artist in Los Angeles -- the late Leonard Cohen, who a decade earlier discovered that a former manager had stolen $5 million from him, obliging the singer and poet to emerge from semi-retirement.


  20. Waqas Dar
    BRIDGETOWN: Shannon Gabriel´s five-wicket haul inspired West Indies to a 106 run victory over Pakistan on the final day of the second Test in Bridgetown on Thursday.
    Pakistan started the fifth day at the Kensington Oval requiring 188 runs but the visitors were blown away by the Windies´ bowlers who levelled the series at 1-1.
    The third and concluding test at Roseau starts on May 10.
    Pakistan had been set a victory target of 188 at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday.
    Yasir Shah claimed the final wicket of the home side´s second innings in the first over of the day to finish with seven for 94 in the innings and nine for 177 in the match.
    However, that proved to be the only high point of the session for the visitors who struggled to cope with a disciplined pace attack on a pitch that occasionally exaggerated the worries of the Pakistani batsmen who now require 153 runs to win.
    Gabriel started the rout with the wicket of first innings century-maker Azhar Ali as the opening batsman miscued an attempted pull for Shimron Hetmyer to take a diving catch at midwicket.
    Alzarri Joseph, sharing the new ball with Gabriel, struck in the very next over when Babar Azam flicked at a leg-side delivery for wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich to snare the chance and consign Pakistan´s brightest batting talent to the indignity of a ´pair´.
    Joseph should have also accounted for Ahmed Shehzad but the opening batsman, who enjoyed generous slices of luck in scoring 70 in the first innings, was missed at first slip edging an attempted drive.
    He resumes in the afternoon session on 14 alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed.
    That disappointment was replaced by even more jubilation in the West Indies camp though, as Jason Holder replaced Gabriel and immediately earned the prized scalp of Younis Khan.
    Adjudged LBW by on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough, Younis challenged the decision only to have it confirmed by the television replays.
    With Joseph tiring, Gabriel was recalled into action to replace the gangling Antiguan and the burly Trinidad and Tobago tearaway responded with two critical wickets in the space of three deliveries.
    Captain Misbah ul Haq was first ruled not out to vociferous appeals but replays following a challenge showed an inside-edge that lobbed to Shai Hope at gully and sent the Pakistan captain back to the pavilion without scoring.
    He was joined just a few minutes later by Asad Shafiq when the new batsman edged his second delivery for Powell to take the catch at first slip at the third attempt.
    West Indies were hoping to get to a lead of 200 with their last pair at the crease at the start of play, but after edging the first ball from Shah for four, Devendra Bishoo skied a catch to Ali at extra-cover four balls later to end the innings at 268 with last man Gabriel looking on from the non-striker´s end.


  21. Waqas Dar
    DOHA: Mixed-gender relays are being considered as an Olympic event to ramp up interest in athletics, a senior member of the sport´s governing body said on Thursday.
    "As a sport we are looking at different formats," Olivier Gers, chief executive of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), told AFP.
    "It´s definitely something for the Olympics to look at and for the IOC to decide jointly with the IAAF.
    "It´s definitely something we have been talking about for quite some time."
    Mixed-*** relays were trialled at the IAAF World Relays in Nassau in April.
    A 4x400m event, with two men and two women per team running in no set order, proved a highlight at the championships in the Bahamas, especially as the home team won.
    "It was incredible," said Gers.
    "The crowd was incredible, I still have goosebumps thinking about it. These are the kind of things we need to look at."
    Gers was speaking in Qatar ahead of the opening Diamond League event of the season in Doha on Friday.
    Gers´ boss at the IAAF, Sebastian Coe, has spoken in the past about track and field changing traditional formats of various events as the sport competes for television audiences.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Marvel dropped the action-packed trailer of its much-awaited Netflix’s show, The Defenders, on Wednesday. 
    The show will weave together characters from other Marvel shows such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and we just can’t wait.
    Earlier, a teaser trailer showed the main characters from the all series standing together in an elevator giving a hint of the action awaiting us all.
    The new trailer is fun, snarky, full of action and is exactly what the fans needed after the disappointing first season of Iron Fist. The trailer shows that the “War for New York is [truly] here.”
    Here, are some of our favourite moments from the trailer.
    1) Suit up our favourite lawyer is back

    As Charlie Cox fans, we are just happy to have him back on our screens (Yes, two seasons of Daredevil were just not enough)
    2) Iron Fist gets the action sequence he deserves

    In case you missed the first season of Iron Fist (not that you missed a lot), but the season was full of below par action sequences (and don’t get me started on the dialogues). But, the hero seems to finally find his space and delivers an epic punch. 
    3) Elektra brings the angst back

    We really liked Élodie Yung as Elektra and are glad to have her back. But, she has clearly chosen a side and can be seen fighting Daredevil in the trailer
    4) Stick is back to his mentoring ways 

    While Stick is not an easy character to like but we sure are glad to see him mentor the team. However, we have yet to see if he has another agenda for mentoring the team. As we know, Stick never really does anything because of the ‘selflessness of his heart’.
    5) Bromance brewing

    It seems that we will probably see a bromance between Luke and Danny as clear from their fight sequence (which also shows how lame Netflix’s Danny Rand really is). We are anticipating some funny scenes between the two characters. 
    6) Jessica and Matt’s unlikely friendship

    From the first scene, it seems that Matt and Jessica will probably not be the best of friends. However, one scene which shows their equation is for sure quite remarkable.
    Jessica to Matt: You look like an idiot
    Matt to Jessica: It’s your scarf
    7) Sigourney Weaver as Alexandra

     
    Sigourney Weaver also makes an appearance as a new villain in the universe. She makes her mark despite just one dialogue in the trailer, “the more connections you have… the easier it will be to break you.”
    8) Killer soundtrack

    The first look comprises scattered fragments of the Nirvana’s classic, “Come As You Are”. An a cappella rendition of the sing mostly brings to the front Kurt Cobain’s vocals. An earlier teaser of the series also prominently featured the track.
    All in all, the trailer also comprises brief descriptions of the four characters; “devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Smart a** detective, the righteous ex-con and the kid with a glowing fist.”
    The show, which stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage and Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist, will come out in August.


  23. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday said that the official matters are not carried out through tweets — in a reference to the matter of Dawn Leaks — adding that the issue needs to be resolved instead of making it more complicated.
    The NA speaker was addressing party workers in Lahore. He said that whatever transpired regarding the issue of Dawn Leaks was inappropriate.
    The assembly would complete its tenure and the elections would be held on time, he said.
    Referring to the Pakistan Peoples Party protest campaign in Lahore, he said that loadshedding has been reduced and the power projects are quickly reaching completion.
    “There’s a huge difference between today’s Pakistan and that of 2013,” said Sadiq.
    He said that Imran Khan and Asif Zardari holding rallies is not a new thing as it’s a part of the election campaign.
    “The next elections would be based on performance,” said the NA speaker.
    Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approved the recommendations of the Inquiry committee made to probe the Dawn Leaks, ordering the withdrawal of Fatemi's portfolio and sanctioning Rao Tehseen Ali, the principal information officer at the Information Ministry.
    The PM also ordered that the editor of Dawn Newspaper, Zaffar Abbas, and reporter Cyril Almeida would be referred to the All Pakistan Newspaper Association (APNS) “for necessary disciplinary action.”
    The DG ISPR shortly after the PM's order, had tweeted that the Pakistan Army rejected the government's notification, saying it was "incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board."
    The English-language daily, Dawn, had published the story on October 6, last year, in which journalist Cyril Almeida had written about an alleged civil-military rift during a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting over the issue of tackling jihadi outfits.


  24. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The Sindh High Court suspended on Thursday Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) notification seeking closure of a private television channel.
    SHC bench, headed by Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar, also ordered PEMRA and federal government to submit their replies by May 10.
    SHC was hearing a case against closure of the channel. It was also said that the channel was closed after it failed to get security clearance from Ministry of Interior.
    However, this was challenged in the court by the channel’s legal counsel and they pointed out that the private television channel did get the security clearance certificate but it was overlooked by PEMRA.
    It was also argued that PEMRA and Interior ministry’s decision was ‘illegal’.


  25. Waqas Dar
    An Egyptian woman widely believed to have been the world's heaviest woman left an Indian hospital on Thursday more than 300 kg lighter for further treatment in Abu Dhabi.
    Eman Ahmed, who weighed more than half a metric tonne (1,100 lb) when she was operated on in March, has not walked for 25 years. She is in her mid-30s.
    A series of operations in Mumbai brought her weight down to below 200 kg (440 lb), her doctor, Muffazal Lakdawala, wrote in a blog post. But she would need further surgery to walk again, he said.

    Lakdawala wrote on Wednesday that he had promised Ahmed "a healthier life and weight loss" which he had achieved.
    "Her bone structure is poor," Lakdawala wrote. "So many years of disuse have compounded the problem. She will need multiple surgeries to straighten her hips and knees."
    Indian media outlets have said Ahmed's family was not satisfied with her treatment in Mumbai and that differences had arisen with the staff.
    Ahmed's family could not be immediately reached for comment.
     


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