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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    KABUL: A suicide bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday killed eight people and wounded at least 28, officials said, in an attack on a convoy of armored personnel carriers used by the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.
    The blast hit the NATO coalition convoy during the morning rush hour in one of the busiest areas of Kabul. Public health officials in the capital said eight civilians were killed and at least 25 wounded, with a number of civilian vehicles that were near the convoy destroyed or badly damaged.
    A Resolute Support Spokesman, US Navy Captain Bill Salvin, said three US service members were wounded in the attack. The armored personnel carriers, which are designed to withstand large blasts, were able to return to a coalition base under their own power, he said.
    The attack follows a threat by the Taliban to target foreign forces in the spring offensive that it launched last week.
    Witnesses said traces of blood and clothing could be seen on the ground at the blast site. Kabul television stations earlier reported that at least three people had been killed.
    The heavily armored MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles that coalition forces use to travel in Kabul appeared to have suffered only relatively minor external damage, witnesses said.


  2. Waqas Dar
    JERUSALEM: UNESCO's executive board on Tuesday passed a resolution denouncing Israel's actions in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
    The resolution, passed at the UN organisation´s Paris headquarters, describes Jerusalem as "occupied" and declares Israel's sovereignty over the city "null and void", and was backed by 22 countries, a UNESCO spokesman said.
    It particularly criticises Israel´s annexation of Jerusalem following its occupation of the city´s east in 1967, a move never recognised by the international community.
    The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed the declaration, calling it "a victory for international law".
    It said the decision reaffirmed "the centrality of Jerusalem to world heritage as well as the need to confront the dangers posed by the illegal practices of Israel, the occupying power... which threaten the cultural and historical integrity of these invaluable sites."
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, slammed the resolution, and said it denies the Jews´ historical connection with Jerusalem by presenting Israel as an occupying power there.
    Netanyahu dismissed the resolution, which passed by 22 votes to 10, with 23 abstentions.
    "There is no other people for whom Jerusalem is as holy and important as it is for the Jewish people," he said in a statement, accusing UNESCO of "denying that simple truth."
    But Netanyahu claimed the vote was a victory for Israel.
    "The number of countries that supported this absurd proposal continues to decline," he said.
    "A year ago 32 states supported it. Six months ago this figure had dropped to 26 and this time there are only 22."
    Israel claims Jerusalem as its united capital, while the Palestinians claim the city´s east as the capital of their future state.
    Israeli officials criticised UNESCO for holding the vote on Tuesday, Israel´s Independence Day.
    Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the vote "amounts to denying Israeli sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem and presents our country as an occupying state on the day when we celebrate our independence".
    Israel and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation had a similar showdown in October after the body passed an Arab-sponsored resolution that criticised the Jewish state for restricting access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem.
    The UNESCO resolution referred to the holy site in Jerusalem´s Old City only by its Muslim name, Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif.
    Jews refer to the site as the Temple Mount and it is considered the holiest site in Judaism.
    Israel recalled its ambassador to UNESCO over the issue.


  3. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will play peacemaker at the White House on Wednesday, meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as part of an effort to end the long-running Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
    After hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, the self-styled deal-maker-in-chief will host Abbas for the first time since coming to office.
    "The President´s ultimate goal is to establish peace in the region," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
    That long-shot effort -- which has eluded US presidents since the 1970s -- got off to a rocky start early in Trump´s administration.
    Trump renounced US support for a Palestinian state and vowed to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, breaking two tenets of US policy held for decades.
    Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday said Trump is still "giving serious consideration into moving the American embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."
    Read more: Trump, Putin discuss first meeting, Syria during 'very good call'
    That move would likely spark Palestinian fury and is privately seen by many in the Israel and US security establishments as needlessly inflammatory.
    At the same time, Trump has urged Israel to hold back on settlement building in the West Bank, a longstanding concern of Palestinians and much of the world.
    Pence said Trump is "personally committed to resolving the Israeli and Palestinian conflict" and "valuable progress" is being made.
    "Momentum is building and goodwill is growing," he said at an Israeli independence day event at the White House.
    Abbas makes the trip to Washington while politically unpopular back home, with polls suggesting most Palestinians want the 82-year-old to resign.
    ´The home run´ 
    Abbas´s term was meant to expire in 2009, but he has remained in office with no elections held.
    But he will be hoping Trump can pressure Israel into concessions he believes are necessary to salvage a two-state solution to one of the world´s longest-running conflicts.
    Palestinian officials have seen their cause overshadowed by worry over global concerns such as the war in Syria and Islamic State group jihadists, and want Trump´s White House to bring it back to the forefront.
    The meeting Wednesday is a sign that "Trump´s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is more conventional than anyone expected," said Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for New American Security.
    "The big question now is what Trump will try to accomplish during this first meeting. If he goes for the home run and tries to restart negotiations, he is likely to fail."
    "Instead, Trump and his team should focus on incremental steps to improve the situation on the ground, preserve the possibility of the two-state solution at another time, and set conditions for negotiations in the future."
    One of Trump´s top advisers, Jason Greenblatt, held wide-ranging talks with both Israelis and Palestinians during a visit in March.
    Abbas and Trump spoke by phone on March 11, and there are suggestions the US president could visit the Middle East this month.
    A group of three influential Republican Senators -- Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham -- have called on Trump to ask Abbas to stop funding Palestinian prisoners and their families.
    That could pose major domestic political headaches for Abbas, as he battles unpopularity and challenges from rival factions.
    But according to former White House official Dennis Ross, Trump is in some ways helping Abbas by extending the White House invite.
    "The president, in some ways, has already added to his relevancy by inviting him to come."
    But mutual distrust between Palestinians and Israelis will be a formidable, if not impossible, barrier for Trump to overcome.
    "The gap between the parties has probably never been greater, both psychologically and practically," said Ross.
    "In my mind, as someone who´s worked on this for the last 30 years, I don´t think we´ve ever been at a lower point."


  4. Waqas Dar
    BEIJING: Twelve workers died following an explosion in a high-speed rail tunnel in southwestern China, state media said Wednesday, after rescuers spent over 14 hours searching the rubble for survivors.
    The blast occurred after gas filled the tunnel, which was being bored in the province of Guizhou, leaving 12 injured and 12 trapped, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
    Over 2,000 rescue workers searched the tunnel for survivors before ending the operation at 4:45 am Wednesday morning, it said.
    The cause of the accident is under investigation, the report said, adding that the tunnel was designed to pass through a coal seam.
    Read more: Four killed in suicide bomb attack on NATO convoy in Kabul: officials
    The country has been on a high-speed rail building spree for over a decade, putting up over 17,000 kilometres (10,500 miles) of the track at a rapid clip, raising concerns about corner-cutting.
    Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.
    In 2015, the country recorded 66,000 workplace deaths, according to the most recent government statistics.


  5. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Four hardcore terrorists, tried by Military Courts, were executed on Tuesday, according to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release.
    The terrorists were involved in the killing of innocent civilians and attacking the armed forces of Pakistan and law enforcement agencies.
    Barkat Ali (son of Abdul Ghafar), Muhammad Adil (son of Muhamad Akbar Jan),  Ishaq (son of Abdul Hai), and Latif-ur-Rehman (son of Saif-ur-Rehman) were all actives members of the terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
    Read more: Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad: Two wanted criminals, 16 suspects arrested in Bhakkar
    All four terrorists admitted to their offences before the magistrate and trial court, and were subsequently awarded the death sentence, the ISPR statement read.  
    According to the ISPR, the terrorists were found guilty of various crimes including kidnapping and slaughtering soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary, destruction of a police station, killing a junior commissioned officer, and possession of firearms and explosives.
    Earlier on April 24, four hardcore TTP terrorists who were found guilty of involvement in committing heinous offences related to terrorism were executed at a jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
    Read more: Four TTP terrorists sentenced by military courts hanged: ISPR
    The convicts were involved in the killing of innocent civilians, attacking armed forces of Pakistan, and law enforcement agencies  (LEAs) were tried by military courts and awarded the death sentence. 
     


  6. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A three-member special bench of the Supreme Court will commence hearing into the implementation of the order of the apex court in the Panama Papers case verdict on Wednesday.
    The bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, will start hearing the Panama implementation case at 1:30pm today.
    On April 20, a five-member larger bench of the apex court, in its verdict on the Panama Leaks case, had ordered the formation of a six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe corruption allegations by opposition parties against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Leaks case.
    Meanwhile, the SC has also established a special section to help constitute the JIT. Additional registrar Mohammad Ali has been appointed as the coordinator and would be responsible for facilitating all communication between the JIT and the Supreme Court bench.
    The JIT would submit its report on the progress in the probe to the coordinator every 15 days.
    Read more: SC constitutes special bench ‘for implementation of order' in Panama case
    The Supreme Court has received names of the six officers who would comprise the JIT. All the relevant institutions have submitted names of the officers who would be part of the JIT, to the apex court as per the stipulated deadline.
    The JIT would consist of an FIA officer, a NAB representative, an SECP officer, a State Bank of Pakistan nominee, and an officer from the ISI and MI.
    "The JIT shall investigate the case and collect evidence, if any, showing that respondent No.1 [Nawaz Sharif] or any of his dependents or benamidars owns, possesses or has acquired assets or any interest therein disproportionate to his known means of income," read the order of the apex court.
    The court has also ordered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and his two sons Hasan and Hussein Nawaz to "appear and associate themselves with the JIT as and when required".
    The investigation team has to complete its report and submit it to the apex court within 60 days of its formation.


  7. Waqas Dar
    BHAKKAR: Two wanted criminals and 16 suspects were arrested in a search operation in the ongoing Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, Tuesday.
    Law enforcement agencies apprehended four terror suspects and confiscated three motorcycles in Lodhran.
    Security forces arrested eight suspects in different raids in Quetta.
    Read more: Every Pakistani is a soldier of Op Radd-ul-Fasaad: COAS
    Earlier on May 2, at least three terrorists were killed after Pakistan army troops repulsed a cross-border attack in South Waziristan Agency late Monday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
    Terrorists attacked two Pakistani outposts in South Waziristan Agency from across the border, the ISPR said in a statement.
    South Waziristan is one of the seven tribal agencies in the country, part of which also borders Afghanistan.
    Read more: Pak Army repulses cross-border attack in SWA; three terrorists killed
    The troops stationed at the border posts valiantly repulsed the terrorist attack, killing three infiltrators. Scores of militants were also wounded in an intense exchange of fire, the ISPR statement read.
    Pakistan and Afghanistan share a long porous border, which comprises difficult-to-access areas, high mountain passes and treacherous terrain, making it difficult to secure every inch of the frontier.
     


  8. Waqas Dar
    The Eagles have filed a lawsuit accusing the owners of a Mexico hotel of using the name "Hotel California," arguably the band's most famous song, without permission.
    In a complaint filed late Monday, the Eagles said owners of the 11-room Todos Santos hotel in Baja California Sur "actively encourage" guests to believe the hotel is associated with the band, in order to sell t-shirts and other merchandise, and make guests feel welcome.
    This allegedly included piping "Hotel California" and other Eagles songs through the hotel sound system, and selling t-shirts in that refer to the hotel as "legendary," resulting in apparent confusion among many guests who posted online reviews.
    The Eagles also noted that the defendant Hotel California Baja LLC has applied with the US Patent and Trademark Office to register the Hotel California name.
    "Defendants lead US consumers to believe that the Todos Santos Hotel is associated with the Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in 'Hotel California,' which is false," the complaint said.
    The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court seeks a variety of damages and a halt to any infringement.
    Neither the hotel nor the lawyer who filed its trademark application immediately responded on Tuesday to requests for comment.
    The Todos Santos hotel was named Hotel California when it opened in 1950, but went through a series of name changes before a Canadian couple, John and Debbie Stewart, bought it in 2001, and according to the Eagles began using the original name in marketing.
    "Hotel California" is the title track from the 1976 Eagles album of the same name, and won the 1977 Grammy award for record of the year.
    It is known for its long guitar outro featuring Don Felder and Joe Walsh, and complex lyrics sung by Don Henley.
    In an interview with CBS News last year, Henley said the song is about "a journey from innocence to experience. It's not really about California; it's about America."
    The case is Eagles Ltd v Hotel California Baja LLC et al, US District Court, Central District of California, No. 17-03276.


  9. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: The US National Security Agency collected more than 151 million records of Americans' phone calls last year, even after Congress limited its ability to collect bulk phone records, according to an annual report issued on Tuesday by the top US intelligence officer.
    The report from the office of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats was the first measure of the effects of the 2015 USA Freedom Act, which limited the NSA to collecting phone records and contacts of people US and allied intelligence agencies suspect may have ties to terrorism.
    It found that the NSA collected the 151 million records even though it had warrants from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court to spy on only 42 terrorism suspects in 2016, in addition to a handful identified the previous year.
    The NSA has been gathering a vast quantity of telephone "metadata," records of callers' and recipients' phone numbers and the times and durations of the calls - but not their content - since the September 11, 2001, attacks.
    The report came as Congress faced a decision on whether to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits the NSA to collect foreign intelligence information on non-US persons outside the United States, and is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
    Privacy advocates have argued that Section 702 permits the NSA to spy on Internet and telephone communications of Americans without warrants from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and that foreign intelligence could be used for domestic law enforcement purposes in a way that evades traditional legal requirements.
    The report said that on one occasion in 2016, the FBI obtained information about an American in response to a search of Section 702 data intended to produce evidence of a crime not related to foreign intelligence.
    The report did not address how frequently the FBI obtained information about Americans while investigating a foreign intelligence matter, however.
    On Friday, the NSA said it had stopped a form of surveillance that allowed it to collect the digital communications of Americans who mentioned a foreign intelligence target in their messages without a warrant.
    TRUMP'S ALLEGATIONS
    The new report also came amid allegations, recently repeated by US President Donald Trump, that former President Barack Obama ordered warrantless surveillance of his communications and that former national security adviser Susan Rice asked the NSA to unmask the names of US persons caught in the surveillance.
    Both Republican and Democratic members of the congressional intelligence committees have said that so far they have found no evidence to support either allegation.
    Officials on Tuesday argued that the 151 million records collected last year were tiny compared with the number collected under procedures that were stopped after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the surveillance program in 2013.
    Because the 151 million would include multiple calls made to or from the same phone numbers, the number of people whose records were collected also would be much smaller, the officials said. They said they had no breakdown of how many individuals' phone records were among those collected.
    In all, according to the report, US officials unmasked the names of fewer Americans in NSA eavesdropping reports in 2016 than they did the previous year, the top US intelligence officer reported on Tuesday.
    The report said the names of 1,934 "US persons" were "unmasked" last year in response to specific requests, compared with 2,232 in 2015, but it did not identify who requested the names or on what grounds.
    Officials said in the report that US intelligence agencies had gone out of their way to make public more information about US electronic eavesdropping.
    "This year's report continues our trajectory toward greater transparency, providing additional statistics beyond what is required by law," said Office of the Director of National Intelligence spokesman Timothy Barrett.


  10. Waqas Dar
    A shallow westerly wave is affecting upper and central parts of the country and likely to persist during next 24-36 hours, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasted on Tuesday.             
    Mostly partly cloudy and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country in the next 24 hours. However, dust-thunderstorm/rain with gusty winds is expected at a few places in Quetta, Zhob, Malakand, Hazara, Mardan, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi divisions, Islamabad, upper FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. Duststorm/gusty winds are expected in Multan, D.G. Khan, and Sargodha divisions.
    Rainfall in the last 24 Hours (mm)                                           
    Punjab: Murree 07, KP: Kakul 04, Saidu Sharif 02, Kashmir: Rawalakot 03, Garhi dupatta 01.
    Yesterday's highest temperatures                                      
    Larkana, Bahawalnagar 44°C, R.Y. Khan, Padidan, Moenjo daro, Dadu, Jacobabad 43°C, Sibbi, Rohri, Sh. Benazirabad, Khanpur, Turbat, MirpurKhas, Noorpur Thal, Mithi 42°C.
     
     
    Data courtesy: Pakistan Meteorological Department


  11. Waqas Dar
    Global warming has caused ice to melt faster than normal in the Antarctic, but a study Tuesday suggested the rate of loss in some areas may be slower than previously thought.
    Researchers in Britain mapped the change in the speed of ice loss using data from five different satellites, said the report in Geophysical Research Letters, a US scientific journal.
    After studying changes at more than 30 glaciers since 1992 in Western Palmer Land -- the southwestern corner of the Antarctic Peninsula -- they found ice loss has increased.
    "Between 1992 and 2016, the flow of most of the region's glaciers increased by between 20 and 30 centimeters (eight to 12 inches) per day, equating to an average 13 percent speedup across the glaciers of Western Palmer Land as a whole," said the report.
    But the change amounts to just a third of the 45 cubic kilometers (11 cubic miles) of ice loss per year from the sector recently reported by another research team at the University of Bristol.
    "Although Western Palmer Land holds a lot of ice -- enough to raise global sea levels by 20 centimeters (eight inches) -- its glaciers can't be responsible for a major contribution to sea level rise, because their speed has barely changed over the past 25 years," said study co-author Andrew Shepherd, a professor at the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment.
    The greatest speed up in flow and ice loss was seen at glaciers that were grounded at depths more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) below the ocean surface, where warm and salty water can melt ice at the base.
    Researchers say that, despite the slower rate of melting found in some regions, the continent as a whole is losing mass faster than ever due to climate change.


  12. Waqas Dar
    MUZAFFARGARH: A fire broke out in a forest near Muzaffargarh late Tuesday, which was doused after more than three hours of rigorous efforts, officials said.
    The blaze erupted all of a sudden in Shah Wala jungle in Muzaffargarh's Sultan Colony, Rescue 1122 officials said.
    The fire, which spread due to strong winds and dry grass, affected more than 25 acres of woodland.
    Three fire tenders of Rescue 1122 and fire brigade department took part in extinguishing the blaze, which burnt several trees to ashes.
    It took the firefighters more than three hours to douse the fire.
    The process of cooling is underway at the site.


  13. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will arrive in Islamabad Wednesday on a one-day visit to Pakistan, diplomatic sources told Geo News.
    Sources said the Iranian foreign minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation. He will hold meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Pakistan's National Security Advisor Nasser Khan Janjua.
    Javad Zarif is also expected to call on President Mamnoon Hussain during his daylong visit to the country.
    Sources further said the meetings are likely to discuss situation arising from recent terrorist attacks on Iranian border guards.
    Several other affairs including bilateral ties, regional situation, counter-terrorism measures along Pak-Iran border, gas pipeline project and SAARC summit would also come under discussion at the meetings.


  14. Waqas Dar
    Car sales in the US slowed significantly in April, compounding several months of declines and suggesting the industry's record sales streak may be behind it.
    The big three American automakers on Tuesday all reported that sales fell in April compared to the same period last year.
    Industry-wide, automakers sold 8.3 percent fewer cars last month compared to March, and 4.7 percent fewer than in April 2016, according to Autodata.
    Many analysts had expected the retreat, forecasting an industry-wide decline, but the drop was steeper than forecast.
    It was the fourth straight month of falling sales for the industry, which Automotive News characterised as "the longest losing streak since the market bottomed out in 2009."
    The seasonally-adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of sales fell to 16.88 million units, from 17.4 million last April when car sales were headed for another record year, according to Autodata.
    - 'Starting to see the slowdown' -
    GM, the biggest US automaker, saw its sales drop 5.8 percent from April 2016, while Ford sales fell 7.2 percent, and FCA US, the North American arm of Fiat Chrysler, dropped seven percent.
    Toyota, one of the world's biggest carmakers, saw a decline of 4.4 percent in the US market year-over-year, while Nissan was down 1.5 percent.
    Together these automakers accounted for about two-thirds of all cars sold in the United States, according to Barclays Research.
    Sales to consumers at car lots -- rather than corporate, government and rental fleet sales -- accounted for a big part of the downward slide at most companies.
    Even Americans' love affair with sport utility vehicles and light trucks could not compensate for the decline. In the first three months of the year, SUV sales accounted for 40 percent of all vehicles sold in the US for the first time ever, said industry analyst Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds.
    But slowing demand for all vehicles still pushed the industry downward.
    "The industry has been holding its breath to see if the days of peak sales are over," Caldwell said. "We're starting to see the slowdown in 2017 we've been anticipating."
    Bigger incentives

    Car makers have relied on incentives and discounting to lure customers into dealership lots. Total incentive spending was up 13 percent so far this year to $3,814 per new vehicle, according to a joint analysis by JD Power and LMC Automotive.
    As consumers gobbled up pricier SUVs, that may have accounted for average transaction prices remaining flat in April. For the industry overall, it stood at $34,814, according to Caldwell.
    While likely off their peak, car makers are selling a lot of vehicles in the US market, and Barclays analyst Rob Martin maintained his expectation of a rebound in the current quarter.
    "April sales are in line with our longer-term view on motor vehicle sales," Martin said.
    Much of the enthusiasm remained in the light truck and SUV market. GM touted double-digit spikes in sales of crossover vehicles, with Chevrolet and GMC models up 20 percent or more, and Buick and GMC models seeing increases in the 40 percent range.
    "Just five years ago, about one in four GM sales were crossovers. Today, they account for almost one-third of our deliveries and we see more growth ahead," Kurt McNeil, vice president of GM's US sales, said in a statement.
    Ford's bright spot was SUVs, with a 1.2 percent gain, while the company's total car sales plunged 21.2 percent.
    FCA US was down across all of its brands, except Ram trucks which saw sales rise five percent.
    Toyota SUV sales rose 12.9 percent, while Nissan's light truck and SUV sales were up 11.2 percent.
    Honda was down seven percent overall, with the CR-V sport utility one of a handful of models showing growth.
    Volkswagen saw sales increases overall, as it continued its recovery from the emissions cheating scandal. In April, it was fined $2.8 billion after earlier pleading guilty to three felony charges of defrauding the United States and conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.
    The German global auto behemoth increased US sales by 1.6 percent in April. But the total, a mere 27,557 units, was less than the number of Honda CR-Vs alone sold in the same month.


  15. Waqas Dar
    Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw will see a specialist after damaging ligaments in his foot during the Premier League game against Swansea City, British media reported on Tuesday.
    Shaw left the field nine minutes into the match at Old Trafford on Sunday, and manager Jose Mourinho said after the 1-1 draw that he suspected the 21-year-old had sustained a "big injury".
    United, who also lost centre-back Eric Bailly to injury during the match, have a lengthy casualty list, with defenders Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo all sidelined along with top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
    Shaw has endured a difficult time since returning from a double leg break that kept him out for nearly a year, with Mourinho publicly questioning his commitment and ambition earlier in the season.
    United, who are fifth in the Premier League table, a point and a place behind Manchester City with four games to play, take on Celta Vigo in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in Spain on Thursday.


  16. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: A suspect was killed in an encounter with police in Karachi late Tuesday, while four 'gangsters' among eight suspects were arrested in different raids, officials claimed.
    Police raided a house located near Dubai Chowk in Lyari late on Tuesday night, police said. The suspects inside the house opened fire on the law enforcers as soon as they spotted them.
    In retaliation by the police, a suspect was killed. The deceased was said to be affiliated with Baba Ladla group.
    Officials also claimed to have recovered weapons and a hand grenade that had belonged to the deceased suspect.
    On the other hand, a law enforcement agency conducted house-to-house searches in Lyari's Eidoline and Rangiwara areas, following intense gunfire by gang war suspects in the vicinity.
    The law enforcers apprehended four suspects during the search operation. They were identified as Lagu alias Mulla, Arshad Sunhara, Pakhia Baloch and Codu. Officials claimed to have seized firearms and hand grenade from arrested suspects.
    Meanwhile, Nazimabad police rounded up three suspects, however, details of the offences they were allegedly involved in were not divulged.
    In another raid in Haji Mureed Goth a suspect, Nasir, was nabbed. Police said they recovered 280 gram of charas from the suspect.


  17. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed steps to ease Syria's civil war and a possible first face-to-face meeting, during what the White House described as a "very good call" Tuesday.
    The US and Russian leaders spoke by telephone, focusing on the six-year-old Syrian conflict, which has pitched Moscow and Washington into rival camps.
    "President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence," the White House said.
    Trump aides also said "the conversation was a very good one" that included "discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones" in Syria "to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons."
    The White House said the two leaders also spoke about "how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea."
    And the Kremlin added that both men were "in favor" of meeting at a G20 summit in Germany this July.
    That meeting is sure to be closely watched in the United States, where Trump has come under sustained criticism over his campaign's ties to Russia and his praise of Putin.
    US intelligence agencies believe that Putin approved of a wide-ranging campaign to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favour, prompting US sanctions imposed by former president Barack Obama.
    The FBI is still investigating possible collusion between the campaign and Moscow.
    Trump has been muted in his criticism, but tensions between the White House and the Kremlin have resurfaced after the suspected use of the chemical agent sarin against civilians prompted Trump to strike a Syrian regime airbase also used by Russia.
    Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the call -- which he sat in on -- was "very productive" with "a lot of detailed exchanges."
    "We'll see where we go from here."
    No details were given about the possible safe zones, which have long been discussed, but faltered as Bashar al-Assad's regime and assorted groups of rebels, Kurds, Iranian-backed militias, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters have kept-up a bloody war that has killed an estimated half million people.
    The Kremlin, meanwhile, said "the emphasis was put on the potential for coordination of actions by the United States and Russia in the fight against terrorism."
    The State Department earlier announced that it would send a junior minister to Russian-backed peace talks in Astana later this week.
     


  18. Waqas Dar
    A powerful Saudi royal said Tuesday that there could be no rapprochement between his country and Iran, which he said wants to dominate the Muslim world.
    In a television interview, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also said that his kingdom could withstand a long war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia fights in support of pro-government forces against Iran-backed rebels.
    "How can we get along with a regime which has an extremist ideology... and a profound wish to dominate the Muslim world and spread the Shiite faith?" Prince Mohammed said.
    Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia's longstanding accusations of regional interference by Iran have found a more favourable ear in Washington since President Donald Trump took office in January.
    The region's leading Shiite and Sunni powers have no diplomatic ties and are at odds over a range of issues, including the wars in Syria and Yemen.
    Prince Mohammed said "there are no points of convergence" with Tehran, whose principle aim is to harm his kingdom.
    Saudi leaders regularly accuse Iran of stirring regional conflicts by supporting Shiite movements in Syria, Irak and Bahrain as well as in Yemen.
    Tehran denies the charges and in turn says Riyadh supports radical Islamist groups.
    Prince Mohammed, interviewed on MBC television, said that Iran never acted with sincerity towards Saudi Arabia and that all its attempts at rapprochement were "comedies".
    The prince, 31, has risen to become one of the kingdom's most powerful and prominent figures since he was named deputy crown prince two years ago.
    'A long war' in Yemen

    He holds the posts of defence minister, heads the main economic policy coordinating body, and is the main proponent of a wide-ranging plan unveiled in April last year to reform the oil-dependent economy.
    A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen more than two years ago after Huthi rebels allied with members of the security forces loyal to Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized the capital Sanaa and overran other parts of the country.
    Both Washington and Riyadh accuse Tehran of arming the Huthis, though analysts say they have seen no evidence of large-scale shipments.
    Some analysts say Prince Mohammed must be seen to win in Yemen to protect his leadership future.
    The fighting has killed more than 7,700 people over the past two years, according to the United Nations, and the country faces the threat of famine.
    Rebels still hold Yemen's capital.
    "The Huthis and their allies could be rooted out in several days but the cost would be thousands of dead among our soldiers and losses too high among the Yemeni civilians," the prince said.
    He added that "a long war is in our interest", as the coalition has the advantage in arms supply and financing.
    The television appearance coincided roughly with the one-year anniversary of the Vision 2030 economic reform plan, which was the focus of the interview.
    The Vision plan aims to develop Saudi Arabia's industrial and investment base as well as small and midsize businesses to employ more locals and reduce the reliance on oil revenue.
    At the heart of the plan is the sale of less than five percent of state oil company Saudi Aramco on the stock market.
    Prince Mohammed confirmed the share sale would take place next year.


  19. Waqas Dar
    CAIRO: Unidentified gunmen attacked an Egyptian police convoy near the main ring road around Cairo, killing three officers and wounding five others, the interior ministry said early on Tuesday.
    "Armed elements riding in two vehicles approached a moving security convoy" around 11:45 pm Monday, the ministry said in a statement.
    The convoy was crossing a roundabout that intersects with the main ring road that surrounds the capital, separating New Cairo and newer real estate projects from the city.
    Police returned fire at the attackers' vehicles, which police were pursuing "in an effort to apprehend the perpetrators," the ministry said.
    While no one claimed responsibility for the attack, Egypt has been fighting an insurgency by a local affiliate of the Daesh in North Sinai province.
    Hundreds of soldiers and policemen have been killed in the insurgency since the army overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
    Following deadly church bombings last month, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency on April 10.
    Daesh said it was behind the church bombings in Tanta and Alexandria on April 9 that killed 45 people.
    The military has killed several of the group's top leaders, but the extremists have increasingly expanded their attacks from Sinai to other parts of Egypt, including Cairo.


  20. Waqas Dar
    Barricades of rubbish and bins blocked streets in Venezuela on Tuesday in big protests against President Nicolas that threaten to intensify after he called for the constitution to be rewritten.
    His plan, announced Monday, has inflamed the opposition, which is calling for even bigger demonstrations to demand elections. A "mega protest" is planned for Wednesday.
    International concern is also rising.
    The United States condemned Maduro's announcement, while Brazil's foreign minister, Aloysio Nunes, branded it a "coup."
    The Venezuelan opposition says the gambit further weakens the chances of holding a vote to remove Maduro, whom they blame for an economic crisis that has sparked food shortages and rioting.
    'Coup' against whom?

    Maduro said the process to bring in a new constitution was necessary to fend off what he describes as an attempted foreign-backed "coup" against him.
    He has vowed to defend the socialist "revolution" launched by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez, who oversaw the writing of the current constitution.
    Various analysts said the socialist president was playing for time and looking to delay presidential elections due next year.
    "Maduro is gaining time at the expense of everybody, including by stomping on the roadmap left by Chavez himself," said one socialist-leaning analyst, Nicmer Evans.
    "This constituent assembly Maduro wants is a clear betrayal of Chavez and the people."
    Fresh violence erupted as armed men clashed with riot police who fired tear gas in Caracas, where hundreds of people blocked streets.
    State ombudsman Tarek William Saab said on Twitter that masked men threw Molotov cocktails at a building housing a branch of his department in the northern city of Valencia.
    A stun grenade reportedly went off in the courtyard of the opposition-controlled National Assembly legislature in Caracas as lawmakers prepared to hold a debate on how to pressure Maduro.
    - 'Step backwards' -
    Washington reiterated its concerns for democracy in Venezuela after Maduro's constitutional announcement.
    "We view it as a step backwards," said top State Department official Michael Fitzpatrick.
    "This process is not, by the initial indications, shaping up to be a genuine effort of national reconciliation, which is really what Venezuela needs now."
    The head of the Organization of American States, a regional bloc with its headquarters in Washington, slammed Maduro's move.
    "The announced proposal is wrongheaded, unconstitutional and fradulent," OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said in a video message.
    The past month of protests has shut down many schools and businesses.
    The city's once-vibrant nightlife has died due to fears of violence and looting.
    Prosecutors said 28 people were killed last month in violence between protesters and police.
    Conflicting reports of attacks by government-backed thugs or pro-opposition agitators have sown fear among citizens.
    Many workers walked to work on Tuesday as the protests disrupted transport and metro stations were closed.
    "Normally it takes me half an hour to get to work. Today it was two hours," said David Ramos, a 58-year-old laborer.
    "But you have to protest. There is no food or medicine."
    Caracas bus driver Luis Guillermo Perez, 52, kept on supporting Maduro however, as the protests forced him to take detours.
    "I've had to juggle things around to work today and the passengers getting on are tense," he said.
    "Why are they blocking everything? They demand freedom and they are denying us freedom of movement. People are anxious."
    New constitution

    The opposition is demanding early elections to replace Maduro.
    The president instead said he was invoking his power to create a 500-member "constituent assembly" to rewrite the constitution.
    That would cut out other political parties and the opposition-controlled Congress from the process.


  21. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A working group has stressed that any attempt to counter extremism from the society cannot ignore reforms in the education sector and it should be aimed at achieving a knowledge-based society.  Only then can individuals be engaged be more immune to the monolithic messaging of militants.
    The working group discussed education forms, the ninth in a series conveyed by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think tank, on countering extremism in the country.
    The group called for inculcating positive ingredients of culture in the education, besides taking actions ranging from revisiting curriculum to regulating all types of educational institutions. 
    The working group blamed the trend to the dearth of intellectual rigor in the varsities, suggesting that universities be oriented towards research. Several members called for breaking the chain of education to pure commercial needs.  “The trend of creating university for the sake of university shall be discouraged.”
    Members underscored that education is a right of every citizen. The Article 25-A of the Constitution also ensures free education at lower-level, but this right is not granted, they noted.
    They called for some sort of accountability mechanism be adopted, pointing to the national and provincial legislatures as the right forums in overseeing effective implementation of all the provisions about education.
    The group called for establishing statehood on the basis of equality of citizens and acceptance of cultural diversity in the country. These values are often denied by extremists. Education can be a powerful medium in instilling those values, shrinking space for militants. As a policy principal, the group recommended, fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the constitution shall be made the basis of citizenship education.
    Moreover, policies shall be adopted for standardisation of education, having certain common goals and objectives, the working group said. It debated the rationale of the presence of a wide variety of schools. The group called for bringing them under some regulatory mechanism and for carrying out academic audit of all types of schools, especially foreign-funded, international, Islamic, and private schools.
    Noting that extremists have also targeted schools or those going to schools, the participants suggested creating suitable conditions in militancy-affected areas like tribal areas, enabling girls education, who face a variety of constraints, including from militants.
    They suggested an independent inter-provincial board be constituted to oversee curriculum development, which produce the minds of the future. In the History and Pakistan Studies books, the contribution of non-Muslims in Pakistan should be acknowledged, besides lauding non-warrior role models, such as poets, activists.
    The working group also called for reforming religious education sector, asking the provinces to regulate madrassahs and shape their curriculum.
    The participants included Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed, University of Karachi; A.H. Nayyer, educationist; Robina Sehgal, educationist; Dr. Qibla Ayaz, former vice chancellor, University of Peshawar; Zehra Arshad, education activist; Afrasiyab Khatak, former senator;  Yaqoob Bangash, historian.
    Umer Orakzai, development professional; Romana Bashir, peace-building activist; Rashad Bukhari, development worker; Dr. Aamir Abdullah, Islamic scholar; Dr. Hussnul Amin, International Islamic University, Islamabad; Dr. Khalid Mahmood, teacher; Azhar Hussain, education worker, and Muhammad Amir Rana, director, PIPS, were also among the contributors.


  22. Waqas Dar
    MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo proved Atletico Madrid's Champions League destroyer once more with a hat-trick as Real Madrid took a commanding 3-0 semi-final, first leg lead on Tuesday.
    Ronaldo extended his lead as the all-time top scorer in Madrid derby matches by taking his tally to 21 and put Real firmly on course to defend their title in the final in Cardiff on June 3.
    The Portuguese rewarded a bright Real start by heading home Casemiro's deflected cross after just 10 minutes.
    Ronaldo then smashed home from just inside the area and turned home Lucas Vazquez's cross in the final 20 minutes as Real continued their domination of Atletico having eliminated them in the Champions League for the past three seasons.
    "The team was tremendous. I scored the goals but the team was phenomenal from start to finish," said Ronaldo.
    The sides meet again for the second leg on May 10.
    "We have a good advantage but the tie isn't over yet," added Ronaldo.
    "Atletico are a good side and it is not a coincidence they are in the semi-finals again. We have to be concentrated next Wednesday."
    Atletico boss Diego Simeone, meanwhile, told his side to forget their latest derby demolition and hope for a miracle at the last European match at their Vicente Calderon stadium next week.
    "We need to forget about this game," said the Argentine.
    "It seems impossible, but it is football and football has these unexpected things that make it marvellous.
    "Until the last drip of hope is gone, we will give it everything we have."
    Real needed a stoppage time equaliser en route to beating Atletico in the 2014 final, scored a late winner in the quarter-finals a year later and edged last season's final between the two on a penalty shootout.
    However, there was far more a gulf between the sides this time round.

    Real piled on the pain in the opening stages for the 4,000 visiting away fans and could have killed the tie in the opening half hour.
    Atletico were handed a lucky escape on seven minutes when Jan Oblak parried Dani Carvajal's effort at the end of a careering run and the Slovenian recovered to also turn behind Karim Benzema's follow-up effort.
    No let off

    There was no let off three minutes later, though, as Atletico failed to clear a corner and Casemiro's bouncing cross looped up for Ronaldo to power home a header.
    Oblak kept Atletico alive in the moments that followed with a brilliant save from Raphael Varane's header and more comfortable stop from Isco.
    However, at the other end, Keylor Navas rescued Real from conceding a vital away goal when he got a touch on the ball as Kevin Gameiro tried to round him when clean through on goal.
    The majority of the efforts continued to rain down on Oblak's goal as Luka Modric drilled a shot from the edge of the box inches wide.
    And Benzema then acrobatically turned a Ronaldo cross just over the bar.
    The only negative news of the night for Real was an injury to right-back Dani Carvajal just before half-time as he pulled up with a muscle problem that looks set to keep him out of the second leg.
    Clear-cut chances were far harder to come by after half-time as Atletico toiled to create, whilst Real sat on their lead waiting for the chance to counter-attack.
    However, once again in ties between these two, Real got the slice of luck to go with their extra quality.
    The ball rebounded up perfectly off the heels of Filipe Luis for Ronaldo to blast high past Oblak.
    And Ronaldo completed his second hat-trick against Atletico this season four minutes from time when Lucas Vazquez's cutback picked out the four-time World Player of the Year to slot home from close range.


  23. Waqas Dar
    Misbah-ul-Haq missed a Test century by one run for the second consecutive match but Azhar Ali completed three figures as Pakistan reached 329 for seven at tea on the third day of the second Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Tuesday.
    Deprived of the landmark when left stranded on 99 not out in the first innings of the first Test in Jamaica, the Pakistan captain appeared destined to accomplish the feat on this occasion, only to be dismissed in a bizarre manner.
    Misbah's exit triggered a mini collapse in which three wickets fell for 13 runs just before the interval after Pakistan eclipsed the West Indies first innings total of 312.
    Having survived an optimistic appeal for lbw against his West Indian counterpart Jason Holder the ball before, Misbah attempted to pull out of the way of the next delivery which lifted sharply and came off the glove for Shai Hope to gleefully hold the catch at second slip.
    His typically phlegmatic, unflustered innings lasted almost five hours in which he faced 201 balls, striking two sixes and nine fours. It was also the first time he was dismissed in the series after two unbeaten innings in Kingston.
    His surprise demise broke a brisk 57-run partnership with Asad Shafiq after earlier adding 98 with Ali, the opening batsman reaching a painstaking 13th Test century shortly after lunch before he was caught at the wicket off Devindra Bishoo for 105, the leg-spinner’s third success of the innings.
    Ali’s marathon effort occupied seven-and-a-half hours during which he faced 278 deliveries, stroking just nine boundaries in an innings characterised by considerable discipline and patience.
    Buoyed by Misbah’s departure, West Indies enjoyed further success just before tea when wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed became fast bowler Shannon Gabriel’s second wicket, edging an attempted drive to Kieran Powell at first slip.
    Then off the very last ball of the session, Shafiq was ruled leg-before to Holder, giving the medium-fast bowler impressive figures of two for 23 off 23 miserly overs.
    An entertaining afternoon session that produced 103 runs for the loss of four wickets was in direct opposition to the tedium of the morning, where 54 runs came off 26 overs as Ali and Misbah batted with almost exaggerated care on a pitch showing increasing signs of wear and offering disconcertingly variable bounce.


  24. Waqas Dar
    Despite an agreement reached Tuesday on a reform package, Europe still needs to provide "credible" debt relief to Greece before the International Monetary Fund can provide more financing, an IMF official said.
    Greece and its creditors closed a troubled chapter in the negotiations with a preliminary deal on pension and tax cuts after many months of talks.
    "Now, this will have to go hand in hand with a credible strategy for how to restore debt sustainability," said Poul Thomsen, head of the IMF's European Department.
    Those discussions on how to address the Greek debt burden are only now getting underway, he told reporters in a conference call.
    "Once we have (a) program that consists of both legs -- strong policies and strong debt relief measures -- we can take it to the board" of the IMF for approval.
    But that could be the thorniest part of the negotiations with Europe, which has been reluctant to provide more debt relief, particularly Germany, where additional concessions are unpopular and a general election is looming in September.
    Greece Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said he hoped to see a final deal in time for the May 22 meeting of eurozone finance ministers, which must approve the agreement.
    A compromise is required to unblock a tranche of loans Greece needs to repay seven billion euros ($7.6 billion) in maturing loans in July.
    Thomsen said the fund is willing to agree to a deal in which debt relief is only delivered at the end of the agreement, and is contingent on "Greece meeting the targets."
    However, he would have to provide assurances to the IMF board "that we have a common understanding with our European partners of what kind of measures will be needed to deliver that debt relief."
    Growth-friendly measures

    The official said the IMF welcomed the agreement between Greece, the European Commission and European Central Bank, which "we think will allow fiscal policy to become much more growth-friendly."
    The Greek government agreed to reductions in tax breaks and pension cuts, which Thomsen said will broaden the tax base and allow lower tax rates. Athens also agreed to reduce pension costs to permit "more growth-friendly spending" on measures like targeted social benefits.
    Greece and its European creditors agreed to a third, 86-billion-euro ($94-billion) bailout deal in July 2015, but the IMF had refused to participate without significant debt relief.
    The nation's debt in 2016 stood at nearly 315 billion euros or 179 percent of annual economic output, up from 177.4 percent in 2015.
    The IMF also has resisted the European push for Greece to achieve a fiscal surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP, which Thomsen had warned would require that more austerity be imposed in the crisis-ridden country.


  25. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan reprimanding his ‘irresponsible behaviour’ on Tuesday.
    The resolution was moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Sorath Thebo, who alleged that Imran Khan has been lying in front of the media in order to be portrayed to as a ‘hero’.
    She said that Imran Khan’s behaviour has been quite irresponsible lately.
    The resolution received support from lawmakers of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). 
    However, the PTI members raised their voice against the resolution and this lead to a brief ruckus in the assembly’s session. Ultimately, the resolution left the opposition divided and it was passed with majority regardless of protest of PTI lawmakers.
    Moreover, the assembly also passes resolutions pertaining to serving one-dish in wedding ceremonies, which was moved by PTI’s Seema Zia, and putting an end to encroachments in the city, which was moved by a MQM lawmaker.
     


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