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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar on Friday inaugurated two NADRA megacentres in Defence and North Nazimabad areas.
    Talking to media after the inauguration, Nisar said that he has directed to establish a system at NADRA centres which would reward or punish employees on the basis of their performance, and asked media to point out good and bad performers.
    All megacentres will also have a complaint desk, he said.
    The interior minister, on a two-day visit to Karachi, strongly refuted the claim that 500,000 CNICs have been blocked in Karachi.


  2. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Judicial Council on Friday accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s reference against National Accountability Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry for an initial hearing in the capital, which will be on May 16.
    The reference seeks the removal of the NAB chairman in wake of the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Leaks case.
    The PTI reference has been filed under the Article 209 of the Constitution, basing the apex court verdict as the argument that the NAB chairman showed dereliction of duty.
    The SJC sent a letter to PTI Spokesman Fawad Hussain in this regard.
    Fawad Hussain Chaudhry upon the acceptance of the reference said that it is a ‘victory for the party’.
    He stated that Qamar Zaman has no justification for retaining the post and every person involved in corruption should be taken to task.
    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had on April 24, announced the party's decision to approach the Supreme Judicial Council for action against the NAB chairman.                  
    "We have requested the Supreme Judicial Council to immediately restrict the Chairman NAB from carrying out his duties," Chaudhry said. “NAB's chairman was responsible for establishing an accountability system in the country but the institution fast became one of the most corrupt institutions in the country.”
    In the verdict on the Panama Papers case, judges of the apex court had blamed the NAB chairman of being "too partial and partisan to be solely entrusted with such an important and sensitive investigation involving the prime minister and his family."
                     


  3. Waqas Dar
    A guest of the prime minister shuttled in the host’s motorcade and taken to a hill-station for a meeting has the opposition benches riled up. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPPP) legislators raised the issue during a meeting of the standing committee on foreign affairs in the national assembly on Friday.
    PPP’s Nafisa Shah demanded to know why the Pakistani government was silent on the matter of Sajjan Jindal’s visit to the country.
    Sajjan Jindal, an Indian businessman and a personal friend of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had arrived in Pakistan a day earlier, from Afghanistan. According to PTI legislators, Jindal only had a visa that allowed travel to Islamabad and Lahore but he was whisked off to Murree in the prime minister’s motorcade for a meeting.  
    PTI’s Shireen Mazari demanded an explanation how Jindal ended up in Murree when his visa did not allow travel to the hill-station. She demanded to know why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had reports of receiving the Indian businessman if he was on a private visit to the country.
    Chairman of the standing committee, Owais Leghari responded to the PTI legislator that Marriyum Aurangzeb, the State Minister for Information and Broadcasting had already explained the government’s position on the matter and directed the legislators to focus on items listed on the agenda.
    The PTI and PPP legislators then focused their energies on the matter of former COAS General (retd) Raheel Sharif’s appointment in the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance.
    Adjournment Motion
    Besides raising the issue in the standing committee meeting, another PTI legislator, Murad Saeed submitted an adjournment motion requesting for the suspension of the normal agenda to discuss the matter. Saeed linked Jindal's visit to the “serious national security challenges in the form of News Leaks Scandal and arrest of Indian spy” Kulbushan Jadev and “demand an explanation about the matter from the Prime Minister himself.”


  4. Waqas Dar
    President Donald Trump complained on Thursday that US ally Saudi Arabia was not treating the United States fairly and Washington was losing a “tremendous amount of money” defending the kingdom.
    In an interview with Reuters, Trump confirmed his administration was in talks about possible visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel in the second half of May. He is due to make his first trip abroad as president for a May 25 NATO summit in Brussels and could add other stops.
    "Frankly, Saudi Arabia has not treated us fairly, because we are losing a tremendous amount of money in defending Saudi Arabia,” he said.
    Trump’s criticism of Riyadh was a return to his 2016 election campaign rhetoric when he accused the kingdom of not pulling its weight in paying for the US security umbrella.
    "Nobody’s going to mess with Saudi Arabia because we’re watching them," Trump told a campaign rally in Wisconsin a year ago. “They’re not paying us a fair price. We’re losing our shirt.”
    The United States is the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighters to control and command systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years, while American contractors win major energy deals.
    The world's top oil exporter and its biggest consumer have enjoyed close economic ties for decades, with US firms building much of the infrastructure of the modern Saudi state after its oil boom in the 1970s.
    Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Trump's latest comments.
    But Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir rejected similar comments from Trump during his election campaign, telling CNN during a visit to Washington last July that the Islamic kingdom "carries its own weight" as an ally.
    Saudi Arabia’s powerful deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Trump last month in a meeting that was hailed by a senior Saudi adviser as a “historical turning point” in relations. The talks appeared to signal a meeting of minds on many issues, including their shared view that Iran posed a regional security threat.
    Daesh "humiliation"
    Asked about the fight against Daesh, which Saudi Arabia and other US allies are confronting as a coalition, Trump said the militant group had to be defeated.
    "I have to say, there is an end. And it has to be humiliation," Trump said, when asked about what the endgame was for defeating violent extremism.
    "There is an end. Otherwise it's really tough. But there is an end," without detailing a strategy.
    f


  5. Waqas Dar
    Fed up with high roaming charges when you go abroad? Hong Kong-based firm Tink Labs says Handy is the answer – a free smartphone for hotel guests.
    Phil Yuen, Chief Technology Officer at Tink Labs, explained, “[…] The guest checks in, walks in the hotel room, finds the device there. The device gives the guests unlimited calls, internet, and they can take it around town and learn about the city through our city guide and all the different information on the device.”
    By the year end, Tink Labs claims there will be handy devices in a million hotel rooms worldwide, with half of them being in Europe, including London's exclusive Ritz. The firm says it will save guests from the misery of large data roaming bills.
    “The idea behind the device is to have the traveller always travel like a local. […] I have access to all the information about the city telling me what to do, what to eat, where to shop,” the official added.
    Tink Labs believes that guests are willing to pay more to book a room equipped with Handy – while, on the other hand, the device helps the hotel sell more of its extra services. The second generation of Handy launches next month, with new features based on client feedback.
    In addition, one of the very crucial features of Handy is that it replaces the hotel room key. “[…] When integrated with the hotel system, […] you can also use it as a complete in-room control device. So the device itself it's a remote control, you can control lighting, curtains, temperature,” highlighted Yuen.
    The company has so far raised $125 million in its latest round of funding. It hopes one day to have a device in every hotel room in the world.


  6. Waqas Dar
    The Afghan Taliban launched their "spring offensive" Friday, heralding fresh fighting in the drawn-out conflict as embattled security forces struggle to recover from a devastating attack on a military base one week ago.
    Operation Mansouri -- named after the group´s former leader, killed in a US drone strike in 2016 -- will target foreign forces with "conventional attacks, guerrilla warfare, complex martyrdom attacks, insider attacks", an insurgent statement said.
    "The enemy will be targeted, harassed, killed or captured until they abandon their last posts," it continued.
    The annual spring offensive normally marks the start of the "fighting season", though this winter the Taliban continued to battle government forces, most successfully in last week´s attack on the military base outside the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
    The massacre last Friday saw insurgents armed with guns and suicide bombs slaughter at least 135 young recruits, according to the official toll, though multiple sources have claimed it is much higher.
    The assault is believed to be the deadliest by the Taliban on an Afghan military target since they were driven from power in 2001, and fuelled fears of insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on colleagues or on international troops.
    The attackers carried valid passes to the base, security sources said, and were dressed in Afghan army uniforms. The defence minister and army chief have resigned, and at least 35 soldiers have been arrested over the incident.
    Already beset by killings, desertions, and struggles over leadership and morale, Afghan forces have been straining to beat back insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.
    They faced soaring casualties in 2016, up by 35 percent with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to a US watchdog.
    With more than one third of Afghanistan outside of government control, civilians also continue to bear a heavy brunt, with thousands killed and wounded each year with children paying an increasingly disproportionate price, according to UN figures.
    Afghanistan´s Interior Ministry shrugged off the Taliban threats Friday, saying the offensive was "not something new".
    "We will target, kill, defeat and suppress the Taliban... all across the country," acting ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP.
    The Taliban statement said they would focus on state-building and "establishing mechanisms for social justice and development" in the areas under their control.
    Afghan and international officials have repeatedly called on the Taliban to disarm and join the political process, a call they have so far refused.
    Kabul-based analyst Ahmad Saeedi said the insurgents -- "emboldened" by government failures -- would instead seek more territory this year.
    "I believe this will be a difficult year for Afghan security forces, as they will be facing the resilient Taliban´s complex and sophisticated attacks countrywide," he told AFP.
    ´Another tough year´
    The Taliban announcement comes days after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis visited Kabul as the Trump administration seeks to craft a new strategy in Afghanistan.
    Mattis also warned that 2017 would be "another tough year" for Afghan security forces, but would not be drawn on recent calls by NATO commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson for "a few thousand" more troops.
    The Afghan conflict is the longest in US history -- US-led NATO troops have been at war there since 2001, after the ousting of the Taliban regime for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
    The US has around 8,400 troops in the country with about another 5,000 from NATO allies.
    Earlier this month, the American military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Daesh hideouts in eastern Afghanistan, killing nearly a hundred militants, according to unverified figures from Afghan officials.
    The bombing triggered global shockwaves, but was criticised by observers who questioned its use against a group that is not considered as big a threat as the Taliban.
    Some analysts even argued the strike could boost the Taliban, who had been fighting a turf war with Daesh in Nangarhar province near the border with Pakistan, where the bomb was dropped.
    Two US troops were killed Wednesday while fighting Daesh militants near the blast-site, the Pentagon has said, highlighting the price of its continuing role in the conflict.


  7. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Corrupt activities are taking place under the nose of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, till when he will let it continue, asked opposition leader Khursheed Shah on Friday. 
    "The prime minister should not support the officials involved in corruption," he said while speaking to the media in Islamabad. "[However] the premier himself is involved in the Panama case, he cannot control such activities."  
    Shah added that many cases have been heard and none of them proved Nawaz to be an honest person.
    The opposition leader spoke in favour of the federal minister for inter-provincial coordination, Riaz Pirzada, who has levelled allegations of pilferage in every government department, while tendering his resignation on Friday.
    In his resignation letter, Pirzada says that during the current tenure repeated requests for a meeting with the prime minister were denied. According to him, this adversely affected the working of his ministry since the envisioned progressive initiatives could not be implemented. 
    Pirzada wrote that there was continued interference in his ministry and affiliated departments by the PM's principal secretary. "This suggests a lack of confidence in my abilities or a loss of faith and trust."  
    The minister adds that the interference has not only distressed him but also clipped his powers. "Clip the wings of the bird and ask it to fly," Pirzada writes.  
    “I have been insulted so many times by the principal secretary that I do not want to return…I will now speak in the assembly,” Pirzada said while speaking to the media. 
    Read: Federal Minister Riaz Pirzada resigns, accuses PM's principal secretary of interference
     


  8. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited bids from interested parties seeking to acquire franchise rights for a sixth team to be introduced to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from 2018 onwards.
    Interested parties can collect bid documents till May 15 upon payment of a non-refundable payment of USD 1,000.
    Currently, the PSL consists of five teams, Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi.



  9. Waqas Dar
    Austrian president, Alexander Van der Bellen told an audience that a day will come when all women will be asked to wear a headscarf if Islamophobia continues in the country.
    The comments were made weeks ago during a talk with students but only surfaced on Tuesday when Austrian media aired the clip looking back at the president’s first 100 days in office.
    Van der Bellen told students that he believed a woman should wear whatever she wants, adding that if the rampant Islamophobia in Austria continues a day will come when all women would be asked to wear a headscarf out of solidarity towards those who do it for religious reasons.
    The Austrian president who took office in January had earlier spoken against national borders suggesting abolishing them and creating a Europe without borders.
    Unfortunately for Van der Bellen, as president, his role is purely symbolic and he has little to no influence over the country’s policy. The president’s comments also go against recent legislation in Austria that banned the Burqa in public places last month.


  10. Waqas Dar
    The winds are a-changing.
    Sea breeze – that usually keeps Karachi’s weather in check – is expected to give way to hot winds coming in from the plains of interior Sindh. Consequently, temperatures in the country are expected to surpass 40° Celsius.
    “Mainly hot and dry weather is expected over most parts of the country,” the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said, adding that temperatures over the past 10 days have remained 3° Celsius below average.
    The new heatwave, however, is not forecasted to stay for more than three to four days.
    PMD said dust storm is expected in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions, alongside gusty winds that will add to the hot weather.
    On the other hand, rain with thunder is forecasted mainly in Malakand, Hazara, and Gilgit-Baltistan, and at some locations in Mardan, Peshawar, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha divisions, Islamabad, FATA and Kashmir.


  11. Waqas Dar
    PARIS: The German parliament followed several other European countries that have banned veils, totally or partially.
    On Thursday, the parliamentarians voted on a partial ban on "covering the face".  
    The text does not specifically mention the full Islamic veil but was clearly drawn with the burqa in mind.
    In December 2016, Chancellor Angela Merkel had said that full veil must be banned wherever it was legally possible.
    According to the legislation, civil servants and officials, including judges and soldiers, must have their faces uncovered.
    The law, which must also go for approval by the upper house of the parliament, also says people can also be required to remove facial coverings in order to match them with their identity papers.
    France was the first European country to ban the full-face veil in public spaces with a law that took effect in April 2011. 
    The European Court of Human Rights upheld the burqa ban in 2014, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breached religious freedom. 
    The law has resulted in around 1,600 arrests since it came into force, and violations can result in fines of up to 150 euros.
    Austria´s chancellor Christian Kern had said in January he will seek to ban full-face veils in public.
    In Belgium, the wearing of the full veil is governed by a June 1, 2011 law prohibiting "appearing in places accessible to the public with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable". Violations can result in fines and/or up to seven days in jail.
    In Britain, there is no law restricting the wearing of garments for religious reasons. However in March 2007, the education ministry published directives allowing directors of public establishments and denominational schools to ban the veil.
    In September 2016, Bulgarian lawmakers approved a law that bans wearing in public clothing that partially or completely covers the face, with exceptions for health or professional reasons.
    In Italy, a 1975 law aimed at protecting public order makes it illegal to cover one´s face in public places, but courts have systematically thrown out local moves to use the ban to outlaw the full-face veil. 
    Two regions held by the anti-immigrant Northern League, Lombardy and Venetia, have banned the burqa and full face veil in hospitals and public places.
    In Netherlands, legislation passed by the lower house in November 2016 and currently being examined by the Senate would ban the wearing of burqas, helmets and face masks on public transport as well as schools, hospitals, and government buildings. Violations would result in a fine of up to 405 euros.
    In Norway, the government said in October 2016 it was seeking regulations prohibiting the full-face veil in schools and universities. 
    The Scandinavian neighbours, Denmark and Sweden, have allowed schools, administrations and companies to decide the issue for themselves, while there is no ban in Finland.
    Moreover, Switzerland´s upper house earlier in 2017 voted against a draft bill on a nationwide burqa ban. 
    In the southern Ticino region, however, the burqa has been forbidden since July 1, 2016 and violators face a minimum fine of 100 Swiss francs ($95). A group of private individuals is currently seeking signatures to force a national referendum on the issue.
    Three other countries that have not banned the burqa are among those closest to the Middle East or North Africa – Greece, Portugal and Spain.


  12. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: The Punjab government has warned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan of legal action over his allegation of being offered Rs 10 billion to stay silent in the Panama case.
    During a news conference, Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan said Imran Khan should reveal the name of the person who made him this offer. “If he (Imran) does not provide the name in three days, we will file a defamation notice against him and file a claim in the Court of competent jurisdiction.”

    Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan
    The PTI chairman while addressing a gathering earlier this week had alleged that he had been offered Rs 10 billion to stay silent in the Panama case.
    "Just imagine how much money he offered me to be silent. Rs10 billion. If he can offer me this much money, just imagine how much he would offer to others. That is why if we don't maintain public pressure on this issue, then after two months it will be dragged to next year," Khan said.
    In an interview televised following this statement, Khan did not reveal the name of the person who made the offer but did state that this person was close to Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif. Khan claimed that Rs 10 billion was the initial offer which was made two weeks ago.
    On Thursday, the federal government decided to take legal action against Imran Khan over his allegation, sources told Geo News.
    They said that the decision was taken in a high-level consultative meeting, held to review the Supreme Court’s decision on Panama Leaks case.
    Sources said that a defamation notice would be sent to Imran Khan over his claims. A team of legal experts has also been constituted in this regard.
     
     


  13. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor who is quite famous for his straight forward and blunt style has recently slammed the new generation stars.
    The Amar Akbar Anthony star and a close friend of Vinod Khanna shared a series of angry tweets as no young star of Bollywood attended Vinod's funeral.
    The Kapoor and Sons actor didn't hesitate to thrash the stars for their absence and tweeted in anger.
    The actor not only showed his disappointment at the film fraternity for attending the funeral in such small numbers but also called 'Chamcha' to those who attended Priyanka Chopra's birthday bash in large numbers night before the death of Vinod Khanna.
    Rishi Kapoor earlier shared a picture of him with Vinod Khanna as a tribute to the departed actor.
    He captioned the picture with, "Remembering the good times with you, Vinod. Thank you for being my friend.


  14. Waqas Dar
    Yakutsk in Russia’s Siberia province is one of the coldest cities in the world, with temperatures dropping to an average of minus 34° Celcius during the freezing winter months and only five hours of daylight.
    While this means crops can't be grown in the frozen soil, local authorities now believe they've found a way around that. They've teamed up with Japanese firm Hokkaido Corporation to build greenhouses with special technology.
    The local mayor Aisen Nikolaev hopes the project will go a long way to providing the fruit and vegetables that Yakutsk's people need.
    Once the infrastructure construction has passed the second stage of completion, “we plan to harvest around 1700 tonnes of cucumbers, more than 600 tonnes of tomatoes, and around 25 tonnes of greens, which should satisfy about 30-40 percent of the Yakutsk population's needs”, explained Nikolaev.
    The greenhouses are specially designed to withstand the extreme cold. Three layers of a thin film made from rubber with thermal insulation properties are used. The mayor said, “It is three times thinner, but at the same time it can be stretched widely. It takes seven tonnes of weight per square metre piece for the film to break.”
    Interestingly, the material has the ability to receive better sunlight than ordinary glass. “[It] managed to last through this winter with temperatures dropping below minus 50 Celsius,” Nikolaev added.
    Most of the produce till now had to be transported from Russia's Krasnodar region or imported from China. But if this technology proves to be a success, the tomatoes won't have to travel too far to feed Yakutsk.
     


  15. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan spoke with reporters here on Friday, informing them that Pakistan was the most affected by the Big 3.
    “I think Pakistan was the most affected by the Big 3 because after accepting the Big 3 formula we were unable to play the six series against India because they refused.”
    Khan emphasised that the agreement to play the series against India was a legal contract. “You (India) did not honour the legal contract and since there was no development, we will file a legal case. I conveyed this to the person leading the Indian delegation.”
    The PCB chairman in reference to a cricket series agreement with India said that with the Big 3 abolished, all agreements would also not be valid anymore,
    Terming India the richest cricket board, Khan stressed that it was not as important for them to play against Pakistan as it was for us. “Our entire development has stopped. We want to make stadiums in Islamabad and Gwadar but have been unable to do so. This is why we incurred a financial loss, more than anyone else.”
    Khan added that Pakistan had wanted a change to the Big 3 and was now being supported by Australia and England. “The reason for their support is that in Australia and England there is criticism of the formula being wrong.”
    According to Khan, India and Sri Lanka had opposed new proposals which were brought forward in the ICC meeting. “India opposed the proposals with the main disagreement being the financial model.”
    The PCB chairman informed reporters that Sri Lanka did not have any issue with the financial model, rather with the governance. “Sri Lanka said their reservations were not given due importance nor were they entertained.”
    During the new conference, the PCB chairman also announced that all World XI matches to be held in September will be played in Lahore. 
    The Indian cricket board was left isolated as a majority of the full members of the ICC outvoted BCCI’s position on the new proposed constitution of ICC to abolish the Big 3 model.
    The only support India got in the ICC meeting in Dubai during voting on a new constitution was from Sri Lanka, that too only for the governance changes. No one supported BCCI’s stance on its stance on the financial model.
    After the voting, the new proposed constitution of ICC got 9-1 approval on financial model and 8-2 approval on governance change in existing ICC structure, which means abolishment of the unnatural big-three model.
    According to the newly approved financial model, BCCI’s share from ICC revenue is now cut short to around $293 million from its demand of $570 million.
     


  16. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold its first public rally since the Panama case judgment was announced. The stage, for the first of a string of rallies planned across Pakistan, is being set in Islamabad’s parade ground.
    Workers and supporters from Lahore and Peshawar are expected to attend the rally. Caravans from the two cities are expected to reach Islamabad ahead of the Imran Khan’s address.
    In order to secure the rally and avoid an untoward incident over 2300 police personnel will be deployed on duty at the parade ground. A separate enclosure has been made for ladies; interestingly the ladies enclosure will be secured by 50 female police personnel instead of the usual PTI tigers.
    Three stages have been set at the parade ground, one for the party’s top leadership, another for the second tier leadership and a third for the media personnel covering the rally.
    Three entry points have also been set up; one for the VIPs, another for ladies and third for the general public wishing to attend the rally.
    The crowds are expected to start arriving at the parade ground by 4:00PM


  17. Waqas Dar
    Exposing babies to puppies and other furry pets might help them accumulate two types of bacteria in their gut that are associated with a lower risk of allergies and obesity, a Canadian study suggests.
    When researchers analysed faecal samples from 746 babies, they found having dogs and cats in the home during pregnancy and early infancy was associated with higher levels of two gut microbes: Ruminococcus and Oscillospira, which have been linked with lower odds of allergies and obesity, respectively.
    “The concept of a 'dog intervention' during pregnancy as a preventive measure for allergies and obesity is not too far-fetched but definitive studies are required to provide evidence for this health benefit,” said senior study author Anita Kozyrskyj, a paediatrics researcher at the University of Alberta.
    While the study doesn’t prove pets directly prevent allergies or obesity or demonstrate how cats and dogs cause changes in gut bacteria, it’s possible that pet exposure during pregnancy may influence the composition of gut microbes in the infant by affecting the mother’s vaginal or skin microbes, Kozyrskyj said by email.
    Changes in the mother’s microbes might be passed on during birth, even with a surgical delivery, Kozyrskyj added. After that, pets might directly transfer beneficial microbes when they touch babies, and infants may also pick up pet microbes that are left on household surfaces or in dust.
    About 45 percent of the households in the study didn’t have any pets, and another 8 percent only had animals during pregnancy, researchers report in the journal Microbiome.
    Among the homes with pets both during pregnancy and afterwards, 44 percent had only dogs, 34 percent had just cats, and 20 percent had at least one of each.
    Regardless of the way babies were delivered, they were more than twice as likely to have high levels of Ruminococcus and Oscillospira when they were exposed to furry creatures while in the womb or during infancy.
    Among vaginally delivered babies whose mothers got antibiotics to prevent group B Streptococcus transmission during birth, infants exposed to pets in utero or after delivery had lower levels of Streptococcaceae bacteria in their faeces. This family of bacteria can cause pneumonia in infants.
    Pet exposure was also linked to lower faecal levels of Enterobacteria even among babies born by emergency cesarian who normally have high levels of these microbes at three months of age. These bacteria are associated with Salmonella and other infections.
    The study isn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove that pets prevent diseases, the authors note.
    Still, the findings add to growing evidence linking exposure to household pets and farm animals with a lower risk of health problems like asthma and allergies, said Tove Fall, a researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden who wasn’t involved in the study.
    “This study shows that some bacteria are more common in the gut flora of children born in homes with pets - these findings need to be replicated in other studies,” Fall said by email. “It is not known how these bacteria affect the child health, but in general a higher diversity and richness of the gut flora is thought to help to protect the child from diseases linked to the immune system.”


  18. Waqas Dar
    Tired of charging your phone with cords and chargers? Apple has got something new for you.
    In the future, charging your iPhone could be as seamless as getting in range of a Wi-Fi signal.
    Yes, it's happening!
    Apple was recently granted a patent for a system equipped to harness the wireless signals emitted by routers to charge electronic devices. The system described in the filing, which was uncovered by AppleInsider, would depend on the same frequencies we now use to transfer data over the air to give our phones a constant source of power. 
    The system described in the filing, which was uncovered by AppleInsider, would depend on the same frequencies we now use to transfer data over the air to give our phones a constant source of power. 

    Now, you could walk into a room with one of the routers and automatically connect to the power source, finally freeing up our phones from wires, external packs, and charging platforms to make battery woes a thing of the past.
    Cool! Isn't it?
    The design calls for routers with specialized antennae and circuitry systems that could boost the wireless signal with even more output power, which would then be harnessed by a receiver in the iPhone and converted to more juice for your battery.

    It looks like a promising way to wirelessly charge your iPhone. It could also curb the number of gadgets you need to have in your house, and it might even mean Apple’s AirPort router isn’t dead, after all.
    The antennae could make use of beam steering (or beamforming), a technology used to more accurately direct wireless signals to connected devices.
    The upcoming iPhone 8 is rumored to use that setup of close range wireless charging using the Qi standard (the same inductive setup used by Samsung and others) — so for now, our full-on wireless dreams will have to wait for the technology to develop.
     


  19. Waqas Dar
    The dollar edged up in Asian trading on Friday but was on track for a losing month against a basket of currencies, while the euro shed some of its monthly gains after the European Central Bank (ECB) maintained its easing bias.
    The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, edged up 0.1 percent to 99.205, but down 0.8 percent for the week and 1.1 percent for April.
    The euro was down 0.1 percent at $1.0863, but up 1.3 percent for the week and 2 percent for the month.
    ECB chief Mario Draghi said on Thursday after the central bank's policy meeting that removal of the bank's easing bias was not discussed, stressing the barriers the ECB still faces before beginning to tighten its ultra-loose financing conditions.
    However, he also said that euro zone's recovery was increasingly solid and downside risks had diminished.
    "My feeling is that Draghi's statement will be an important factor to set the tone for the euro's movement next month," said Masashi Murata, currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo. "He said the ECB is unlikely to start its exit strategy this year."
    Against its Japanese counterpart, the dollar inched 0.1 percent lower on the day to 111.30 yen, up 1.9 percent for the week but still down 0.2 percent for the month.
    "The Japanese Golden Week holidays are ahead, and investors have already adjusted their positions," said Kaneo Ogino, director at foreign exchange research firm Global-info Co in Tokyo.
    Tokyo markets will be closed for three days from May 3 for a string of holidays known as the Golden Week, and some market participants take additional time off.
    "Because of the holidays, we're not seeing the usual Japanese profit-taking or exporter selling on the dollar's rise, though some investors are still hoping for a chance to buy the dollar on dips," Ogino said.
    Liquidity is likely to be thin next week, which market participants say could exacerbate any sudden moves.
    Traders continue to monitor tensions on the Korean peninsula, any escalations of which could give the perceived safe-haven yen a lift.
    US President Donald Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview on Thursday that a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute.
    On Thursday, the BOJ kept monetary policy unchanged as expected, but offered its most optimistic assessment of the economy in nine years, signalling its confidence that a pick-up in overseas demand will help sustain an export-driven recovery.
    Japanese economic data released early in the session showed Japan's core consumer prices rose at a slower than expected pace in March from a year earlier, but they posted their third straight month of increase, driven by rising energy costs.
    Later in the global session, investors will get a first look at the preliminary estimate for US gross domestic product in the first quarter. Economists polled by Reuters expected an increase of 1.2 percent, and any downside surprise would likely pressure US Treasury yields and the dollar.
    The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes stood at 2.292 percent in Asian trading, not far from its US close of 2.296 percent on Thursday.
    The dollar was steady against the Swedish crown at 8.8374 crowns per dollar after it jumped on Thursday in the wake of a decision by Sweden's Riksbank extended its bond-buying. The central bank also predicted its first interest rate hike in mid-2018, later than previously projected.


  20. Waqas Dar
    MARDAN: The shooter of Mashal Khan was presented in an anti-terrorism court on Friday and remanded in police custody for four days along with other five other suspects.
    The five other suspects include Abdul Wali Khan University students, Abbas, Suleman, Usman and university employees Shabir Ahmed and Nawab Ali.
    On Thursday police said the person who shot Mashal Khan had been arrested. The person identified as Imran was a classmate of Mashal in the journalism department.
    "Two confessional statements mentioned the name of the person who shot at Mashal. The person identified as Imran was a class fellow of Mashal in the journalism department," said DIG Mardan Alam Khan Shinwari.
    The culprit has confessed to the crime in front of the magistrate, he added.
    On April 23, an employee of the university wanted for inciting the mob which murdered Mashal was arrested.
    Abdul Wali Khan University Student Mashal Khan was killed by an angry mob who had accused him of blasphemy on April 13.  


  21. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan cannot even be given Rs10, said Punjab Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah on Friday.
    He was referring to the accusation made by Imran of being offered Rs10 billion for keeping silent on the Panama Papers case.
    "These people want to foster their negative politics," he said outside the Punjab Assembly while talking about the public gathering planned for Islamabad by Imran. "They want to close down cities and stand on containers to pressurise institutions."
    While lauding the Metro bus project, Sanaullah said the public transportation system would not only benefit the people of Lahore but hundreds of thousands of others who will use the service.
    "Lahore is an international city [hence] the Metro project is the need of the hour," he maintained. "But some people do not understand this."
    He added that such people only want to cause hindrances so that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif cannot complete his projects.
    About the resignation of federal minister for inter-provincial coordination, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Sanaullah said he was not aware of his resignation.
    On Thursday, the federal government decided to sue PTT chairman Imran Khan over his allegations that he was offered Rs10 billion for keeping mum on the Panama Leaks case, sources told Geo News.
    They said that the decision was taken in a high-level consultative meeting, held to review the Supreme Court’s decision on Panama Leaks case.
    Sources said that a defamation notice would be sent to Imran Khan over his claims. A team of legal experts has also been constituted in this regard.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has always been a private person as she has always distanced herself from social networking platforms.
    The actress, who only recently made her Facebook debut a few months ago, jumped on the social media bandwagon and joined the photo-sharing app Instagram to connect with her fans.
    While officially joining Instagram, Kat also shared a perfect moment from her "happy place".
    The Jagga Jasoos actress was dressed in a breezy, white beach dress looking like a dream as she poses casually for the camera.
    She captioned the picture saying, "New beginnings ... coming from my happy place #helloinstagram."
    Katrina captioned the picture saying, "New beginnings ... coming from my happy place #helloinstagram."

    The account has already raked in 170K followers in less than a day.

    We are looking forward to seeing more breathtaking pictures of the actress in the near future.
     


  23. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said a major conflict with North Korea was possible over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, while China said the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control.
    Trump, speaking to Reuters on Thursday, said he wanted to peacefully resolve the crisis, possibly through the use of new economic sanctions, although a military option was not off the table.
    "There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea," Trump said in an interview at the Oval Office.
    "We'd love to solve things diplomatically but it's very difficult," he said, describing North Korea as his biggest global challenge.
    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said there was a danger that the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control, according to China's foreign ministry.
    Wang made the comments in a meeting with a Russian diplomat on Thursday at the United Nations, the ministry said in a statement.
    China, the only major ally of North Korea, has been increasingly uncomfortable in recent months about its neighbour's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles in violation of UN resolutions.
    Trump lavished praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping for trying to rein in Pyongyang, calling him "a good man".
    "I believe he is trying very hard. I know he would like to be able to do something. Perhaps it's possible that he can't. But I think he'd like to be able to do something," Trump said.
    US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that China has asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests. Beijing had warned Pyongyang it would impose unilateral sanctions if it went ahead, he added.
    "We were told by the Chinese that they informed the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own," Tillerson said on Fox News, without specifying what sanctions he was referring to.
    Tillerson did not say when China made the threat and there was no immediate confirmation from Beijing. He is due to chair a meeting with UN Security Council foreign ministers on Friday, where he said he would stress the need for members to fully implement existing sanctions as well as possible next steps.
    China banned imports of North Korean coal in February, cutting off its most important export, and Chinese media this month raised the possibility of restricting oil shipments to the North if it unleashed more provocations.
    MISSILE DEFENSE, CARRIER GROUP
    In a show of force, the United States is sending the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to waters off the Korean peninsula, where it will join the USS Michigan, a nuclear submarine that docked in South Korea on Tuesday. South Korea's navy has said it will hold drills with the US strike group.
    Admiral Harry Harris, the top US commander in the Pacific, said on Wednesday the carrier was in the Philippine Sea, within two hours' striking distance of North Korea if need be.
    Harris also said a US missile defence system being deployed in South Korea to ward off any possible North Korean attack would be operational in coming days.
    However, Beijing has been angered by the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system, complaining that its radar can see deep into China and undermines its security.
    Trump said in the interview he wants South Korea to pay the cost of the THAAD, which he estimated at $1 billion. South Korea, one of Washington's most crucial allies in the region, said the United States would have to bear the cost, pointing to possible friction ahead.
    Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the United States with a nuclear missile, a capability experts say Pyongyang could have some time after 2020.
    North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and numerous missile tests, including one this month, a day before a summit meeting between Trump and Xi in Florida.
    Any direct US military action would run the risk of massive North Korean retaliation and huge casualties in Japan and South Korea and among US forces in both countries.
    Trump, asked if he considered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to be rational, said he was operating under the assumption that he is rational. He noted that Kim had taken over his country at an early age.
    "As to whether or not he's rational, I have no opinion on it. I hope he's rational," he said.
    In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on North Korea and other countries on Thursday to avoid behaviour or rhetoric that could increase tensions around Pyongyang's nuclear program.


  24. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is.
    President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.
    "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."
    A wealthy businessman from New York, Trump assumed public office for the first time when he entered the White House on January 20 after he defeated Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State.
    More than five months after his victory and two days shy of the 100-day mark of his presidency, the election is still on Trump's mind. Midway through a discussion about Chinese President Xi Jinping, the president paused to hand out copies of what he said were the latest figures from the 2016 electoral map.
    "Here, you can take that, that's the final map of the numbers," the Republican president said from his desk in the Oval Office, handing out maps of the United States with areas he won marked in red. "It’s pretty good, right? The red is obviously us."
    He had copies for each of the three Reuters reporters in the room.
    Trump, who said he was accustomed to not having privacy in his "old life," expressed surprise at how little he had now. And he made clear he was still getting used to having 24-hour Secret Service protection and its accompanying constraints.
    "You're really into your own little cocoon because you have such massive protection that you really can't go anywhere," he said.
    When the president leaves the White House, it is usually in a limousine or an SUV.
    He said he missed being behind the wheel himself.
    "I like to drive," he said. "I can't drive anymore."
    Many things about Trump have not changed from the wheeler-dealer executive and former celebrity reality show host who ran his empire from the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York and worked the phones incessantly.
    He frequently turns to outside friends and former business colleagues for advice and positive reinforcement. Senior aides say they are resigned to it.
    The president has been at loggerheads with many news organisations since his election campaign and decided not to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday because he felt he had been treated unfairly by the media.
    "I would come next year, absolutely," Trump said when asked whether he would attend in the future.
    The dinner is organised by the White House Correspondents' Association. Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason is its president.


  25. Waqas Dar
    Scientists said Thursday that they have manufactured tiny bricks out of artificial Martian soil, anticipating the day when humans may construct colonies on the Red Planet.
    Remarkably, the technique requires only that the red-hued building blocks be compressed in a precise way -- no additives or baking required.
    "The people who will go to Mars will be incredibly brave, they will be pioneers and I would be honoured to be their brick maker," said Yu Qiao, a professor at the University of California San Diego and lead author of a study in Scientific Reports.
    Structural engineers used a dirt mixture concocted by NASA that mimics Martian soil to make hundreds of 3 millimetre-thick (0.1 inch), disc-shaped bric
    By accident, they had discovered that high-pressure compression hardened the artificial soil into rock-solid structures stronger than steel-reinforced concrete.
    Once the stuff of science fiction, human habitation of Mars has captured the collective imagination, and inspired governments and billionaires to explore the feasibility of making the Red Planet a home away from home.
    In March, the US Congress passed a bill -- signed by President Donald Trump -- directing NASA to send a manned mission to Mars in 2033.
    Qiao believes real Martian soil could be compacted layer by layer to form a wall or shaped into larger bricks.
    Previous ideas for how to make construction materials on Mars involved building nuclear plants to fire bricks, or hauling large quantities of polymer -- a kind of glue -- from Earth.
    Professor Qiao's proposed masonry, on the other hand, would be 100 percent made-in-Mars and require minimal resources.
    "All the previous methods involved energy intensive heating or pretty significant space transportation from Earth for additives," the researcher told AFP.
    Iron oxide -- the component that gives Mars its reddish hue -- is thought to be the "cementing agent" that makes the soil so malleable.
    Whether real Martian soil would react in the same way is still uncertain, Qiao concedes -- only on site tests would tell for sure.
    But he hopes his approach will be given a hearing.
    Qiao initially set out to use lunar soil to make cement. When he applied the same technique to Martian-like soil, he discovered its exceptional properties.
    NASA's Curiosity rover collected samples of Martian dust and sand for the first time in 2012, analysing its composition in a laboratory inside the mobile robot.
    The soil was found to contain a complex chemistry of water, sulphur, and chlorine substances but no traces of organic carbon compounds that could indicate signs of life.


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