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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION: A suspected religious extremist shot and wounded two policemen on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion as they tried to arrest him on Thursday, authorities said.
    The attack comes a week after a French policeman was shot and killed and two others wounded on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, just days ahead of the first round of the presidential election.
    More than 230 people have been killed in a string of attacks by radicals on the French mainland since January 2015 and the country has been under a state of emergency for nearly a year and a half.
    "The man refused to be arrested and fired a rifle at police," a government official said, adding that the suspect -- in his 20s, who is believed to be a recent convert to Islam -- was now in custody.
    The lives of the two officers are not in danger and the anti-terrorist department of the Paris prosecutors´ office is investigating the attack.
    The man lived with his mother, also in custody, in an apartment in Saint-Benoit, in the island´s east.
    Authorities seized several weapons and other material that could be used to make Molotov cocktails, France´s interior and overseas ministers said in a joint statement.
    The suspect "is a very discreet man who didn´t seem to have a lot of friends and was never a problem," a neighbour said.
    "We did notice that he had been sporting a beard lately but we didn´t pay much attention to it," added a young man.
    A network of religious terrorists, the first in a French overseas territory, was smashed in Reunion in June 2015. Its leader, a 21-year-old known as "The Egyptian", was arrested and transferred to Paris.
    The local government official said Thursday´s assailant was also "suspected of being radicalised".
    France´s police union Unite SGP POLICE FO said it was "deeply shocked and angry after this new attack."
    It "shows that policemen are in danger throughout the national territory and not only in certain areas as judges would have us believe," it added.
    France remains on high alert as it prepares to choose between centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election on May 7.


  2. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON DC: People who are suffering from bowel diseases should eat a diet supplemented with soy protein as it may serve as an effective adjunct therapy, said Penn State researchers.
    Penn State researchers reported the results after completing a study that included mice and cultured human colon cells.
    The findings are significant because inflammatory bowel diseases -- including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease -- are characterized by either continuous or periodic inflammation of the colon and represent a significant risk factor for colon cancer.
    Stats suggest that also known as IBD, inflammatory bowel diseases affect nearly four million people worldwide and have an economic impact of more than $19 billion annually in the US alone.
    Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science in the College of Agricultural Sciences, said that the development of dietary strategies to mitigate IBD is of considerable public health importance.
    He claimed that his team found that soy-protein concentrate can exert antioxidant and cytoprotective effects in cultured human bowel cells and can moderate the severity of inflammation in mice that have an induced condition similar to ulcerative colitis.
    Zachary Bitzer and Amy Wopperer, former graduate students in the Department of Food Science and the lead researchers, substituted soy-protein concentrate into the diet of the mice and removed corresponding amounts of the other protein sources, equaling about 12 percent. They kept human equivalents in mind as they determined the amount.
    "We didn't want to get carried away with using doses that were really high and would crowd out all the other protein that was there," Bitzer said. "Instead, we wanted to find a scenario that was going to fit into a more human-relevant situation."
     


  3. Waqas Dar
    A Russian naval intelligence ship sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast on Thursday after colliding with a vessel carrying livestock and all 78 personnel on board were evacuated, Turkey's coastal safety authority said.
    The ship, identified as the Liman, collided with the Togo-flagged Youzarsif H, the authority said on its website.
    The collision was caused due to fog and low visibility, the Turkish shipping agency GAC said. It occurred 18 miles (29 km) from Kilyos village on the Black Sea coast just north of Istanbul, broadcaster NTV said.
    Turkish authorities dispatched a tugboat and three fast rescue vessels, the coastal safety authority said.
    Advisers to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim conveyed his sadness over the incident to Russian counterparts, according to sources in his office.
    No information was immediately available about the state of the Youzarsif H, or its crew or cargo. The Togo-flagged livestock carrier was built in 1977 and has a capacity of 2,418 tonnes, according to Thomson Reuters shipping data.
    It is managed by Nejem Co. Marine Services, according to the data.
    It was not clear whether either vessel was headed to the Bosphorus Strait from the Black Sea.
    The Bosphorus, which cuts through Istanbul, is one of the world's most important waterways for transit of oil and grains. The 17-mile waterway connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.


  4. Waqas Dar
    To understand why it is so difficult to defend computers from even moderately capable hackers, consider the case of the security flaw officially known as CVE-2017-0199.
    The bug was unusually dangerous but of a common genre: it was in Microsoft software, could allow a hacker to seize control of a personal computer with little trace, and was fixed April 11 in Microsoft's regular monthly security update.
    But it had traveled a rocky, nine-month journey from discovery to resolution, which cyber security experts say is an unusually long time.
    Google's security researchers, for example, give vendors just 90 days' warning before publishing flaws they find. Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) declined to say how long it usually takes to patch a flaw.
    While Microsoft investigated, hackers found the flaw and manipulated the software to spy on unknown Russian speakers, possibly in Ukraine.
    And a group of thieves used it to bolster their efforts to steal from millions of online bank accounts in Australia and other countries.
    Those conclusions and other details emerged from interviews with researchers at cyber security firms who studied the events and analyzed versions of the attack code.
    Microsoft confirmed the sequence of events.
    The tale began last July, when Ryan Hanson, a 2010 Idaho State University graduate and consultant at boutique security firm Optiv Inc in Boise, found a weakness in the way that Microsoft Word processes documents from another format. That allowed him to insert a link to a malicious program that would take control of a computer.
    Combining flaws
    Hanson spent some months combining his find with other flaws to make it more deadly, he said on Twitter. Then in October he told Microsoft. The company often pays a modest bounty of a few thousands dollars for the identification of security risks.
    Soon after that point six months ago, Microsoft could have fixed the problem, the company acknowledged. But it was not that simple. A quick change in the settings on Word by customers would do the trick, but if Microsoft notified customers about the bug and the recommended changes, it would also be telling hackers about how to break in.
    Alternatively, Microsoft could have created a patch that would be distributed as part of its monthly software updates. But the company did not patch immediately and instead dug deeper. It was not aware that anyone was using Hanson's method, and it wanted to be sure it had a comprehensive solution.
    "We performed an investigation to identify other potentially similar methods and ensure that our fix addresses [sic] more than just the issue reported," Microsoft said through a spokesman, who answered emailed questions on the condition of anonymity. "This was a complex investigation."
    Hanson declined interview requests.
    The saga shows that Microsoft's progress on security issues, as well as that of the software industry as a whole, remains uneven in an era when the stakes are growing dramatically.
    The United States has accused Russia of hacking political party emails to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, a charge Russia denies, while shadowy hacker groups opposed to the US government have been publishing hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency.
    Attacks begin
    It is unclear how the unknown hackers initially found Hanson's bug. It could have been through simultaneous discovery, a leak in the patching process, or even hacking against Optiv or Microsoft.
    In January, as Microsoft worked on a solution, the attacks began.
    The first known victims were sent emails enticing them to click on a link to documents in Russian about military issues in Russia and areas held by Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, researchers said. Their computers were then infected with eavesdropping software made by Gamma Group, a private company that sells to agencies of many governments.
    The best guess of cyber security experts is that one of Gamma's customers was trying to get inside the computers of soldiers or political figures in Ukraine or Russia; either of those countries, or any of their neighbors or allies, could have been responsible. Such government espionage is routine.
    The initial attacks were carefully aimed at a small number of targets and so stayed below the radar. But in March, security researchers at FireEye Inc (FEYE.O) noticed that a notorious piece of financial hacking software known as Latenbot was being distributed using the same Microsoft bug.
    FireEye probed further, found the earlier Russian-language attacks, and warned Microsoft. The company, which confirmed it was first warned of active attacks in March, got on track for an April 11 patch.
    Then, what counts as disaster in the world of bug-fixers struck. Another security firm, McAfee, saw some attacks using the Microsoft Word flaw on April 6.
    After what it described as "quick but in-depth research," it established that the flaw had not been patched, contacted Microsoft, and then blogged about its discovery on April 7.
    The blog post contained enough detail that other hackers could mimic the attacks.
    Other software security professionals were aghast that McAfee did not wait, as Optiv and FireEye were doing, until the patch came out.
    McAfee Vice President Vincent Weafer blamed "a glitch in our communications with our partner Microsoft" for the timing. He did not elaborate.
    By April 9, a program to exploit the flaw was on sale on underground markets for criminal hackers, said FireEye researcher John Hultquist.
    The next day, attacks were mainstream. Someone used it to send documents booby-trapped with Dridex banking-fraud software to millions of computers in Australia.
    Finally, on the Tuesday, about six months after hearing from Hanson, Microsoft made the patch available. As always, some computer owners are lagging behind and have not installed it.
    Ben-Gurion University employees in Israel were hacked, after the patch, by attackers linked to Iran who took over their email accounts and sent infected documents to their contacts at technology companies and medical professionals, said Michael Gorelik, vice president of cyber security firm Morphisec.
    When Microsoft patched, it thanked Hanson, a FireEye researcher and its own staff.
    A six-month delay is bad but not unheard of, said Marten Mickos, chief executive of HackerOne, which coordinates patching efforts between researchers and vendors.
    "Normal fixing times are a matter of weeks," Mickos said.
    Privately-held Optiv said through a spokeswoman that it usually gives vendors 45 days to make fixes before publishing research when appropriate, and that it "materially followed" that practice in this case.
    Optiv is now comparing the details of what Hanson told Microsoft with what the spies and criminals used in the wild, trying to find out if the researcher's work was partly responsible for the worldwide hacking spree, the spokeswoman said.
    The spree included one or more people who created a hacking tool for what FireEye's Hultquist said is probably a national government - and then appearing to double-dip by also selling it to a criminal group.
    If the patching took time, others who learned of the flaw moved quickly.
    On the final weekend before the patch, the criminals could have sold it along to the Dridex hackers, or the original makers could have cashed in a third time, Hultquist said, effectively staging a last clearance sale before it lost peak effectiveness.
    It is unclear how many people were ultimately infected or how much money was stolen.


  5. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: A recent study has concluded that obesity is more dangerous than diabetes, smoking and high blood pressure for shortening of average lifespan.
    Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and New York University School of Medicine found that obesity causes 47 percent more life years lost than tobacco.
    The research will be presented at the Society of General Internal Medicine 2017 Annual Meeting in the US.
    The team found the greatest number of preventable life-years lost was due to obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
    "Modifiable behavioral risk factors pose a substantial mortality burden in the US," said lead author Glen Taksler.
    "These preliminary results continue to highlight the importance of weight loss, diabetes management and healthy eating in the U.S. population," Taksler added.
    They compared the results with the change in life-years lost for an "optimal" population that eliminated all modifiable risk factors.
    Recognising that some less common factors might place a substantial burden on small population subgroups, they also estimated life expectancy gained in individuals with each modifiable risk factor.
    "The reality is, while we may know the proximate cause of a patient's death, for example, breast cancer or heart attack, we don't always know the contributing factor(s), such as tobacco use, obesity, alcohol and family history. For each major cause of death, we identified a root cause to understand whether there was a way a person could have lived longer," Taksler stated. (ANI)
     


  6. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: With the ICC Champions Trophy is hardly one month away, two players elected to represent Pakistan in the event have got themselves involved in war of words against each other.
    Fast bowler Junaid Khan and Umar Akmal have shunned each other publicly, in televised interviews and video statement, over a minor dispute.
    The unwanted scenario emerged when Umar Akmal was asked by the TV host at the toss ahead of Pakistan Cup match between Umar-led Punjab and Sindh in Rawalpindi.
    “I am surprised to know that Junaid Khan didn’t come for the match, I don’t know where he was, he didn’t inform me about his absence from the match,” Umar told the anchor.
    However, moments after Umar’s statement which was broadcasted live on national TV, Junaid released a video message from his hotel room rejecting Umar’s claims.
    “I wasn’t feeling well since last night due to food poisoning everyone in the team was aware of it,” Junaid said.
    “Team doctor treated me all night and suggested that I should take the rest. Everyone in team management was aware of the fact that I was unwell,” added Junaid.
    The fast bowler further said that he was shocked to hear such comments from his team captain Umar Akmal and said it was uncalled for.


  7. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: United Airlines said on Thursday it would offer passengers who volunteer to forfeit their seats on overbooked flights up to $10,000 as part of the carrier's efforts to repair the damage from the rough removal of a passenger.
    The offer came after rival Delta outlined plans to offer up to $9,950 in such cases.
    United also said it would take actions to reduce overbooking flights and improve customer satisfaction.
    "Our goal is to reduce incidents of involuntary denial of boarding to as close to zero as possible and become a more customer-focused airline," the carrier said in the statement.
    United had spent the last two weeks embroiled in controversy after videos recorded by fellow passengers, which went viral, showed David Dao, 69, yanked from his seat aboard a Louisville, Kentucky-bound United flight before takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to make room for crew members.
    Dao lost two front teeth in the scuffle, incurred a concussion and broke his nose, according to his lawyer, and will likely sue the airline.
    United typically oversells flights by less than zero to 3 percent of the plane's seat capacity to account for no-shows.
    United said it would no longer call law enforcement to deny passengers boarding, nor would passengers who are already seated be required to give up their seats on overbooked flights.
    United will adopt a "no questions asked" policy on permanently lost baggage, paying customers $1,500 for the value of the bag and its contents, beginning in June.
    "This is a turning point for all of us at United," Chief Executive Oscar Munoz said in a statement.
    Munoz, who took the helm at United in 2015 as part of an effort to improve customer relations, has faced calls to step down after referring to Dao as "disruptive and belligerent" in a statement following the incident.
    It sparked a national conversation on US carriers' treatment of customers in an industry comprising just a handful of competitors following years of mergers and consolidations.
    United announced last week that Munoz, in a move he himself initiated, would not become company chairman in 2018 as stated in his employment agreement.
     


  8. Waqas Dar
    Where medical marijuana is legal, adults are more likely to use the drug illegally and are at an increased risk of cannabis use disorder, according to a new study.
    Researchers found that illegal use of marijuana and rates of cannabis use disorder rose to a greater extent in US states that adopted laws legalizing marijuana for medical purposes than in states that didn't adopt such laws.
    The risks of medical marijuana laws are important to convey, said lead author Deborah Hasin, of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York.
    "Just as the case for alcohol, not everybody who uses it is harmed but there are some risks," Hasin told Reuters Health.
    Previous research that focused on adolescents' use of the drug in the wake of medical marijuana laws didn't find an increase in that age group, she said.
    "The laws may not be too relevant and salient to teenagers so we thought it was important to look at adults," said Hasin.
    The new conclusions, published in JAMA Psychiatry, are drawn from three national studies conducted between 1991 and 2013. The studies compared illicit drug use in the past year and rates of cannabis use disorder between states with and without medical marijuana laws.
    Illicit use was generally defined as illegal use of marijuana without a prescription at least 12 times during the past year. Cannabis use disorder occurs when users' lives are impaired by cravings or withdrawal, for example.
    In states that never legalized medical marijuana, the average prevalence of illicit use was 4.54 percent in 1991 and 1992, rising to 6.70 percent in 2012 and 2013. By comparison, in states where the drug did become legal for medical use, the rate of illicit use went from 5.55 percent to 9.15 percent.
    The pattern was similar for drug use disorder. The average rate went from 1.35 percent in 1991-1992 to 2.30 percent in 2012-2013 in states that didn't enact medical marijuana laws, and from 1.48 percent to 3.10 percent in states that did.
    States that adopted medical marijuana laws had a 1.43 percentage point increase in illicit cannabis use and a 0.66 percentage point increase in cannabis use disorder between 1991 and 2013, compared to states that didn't enact those laws.
    If the US population remained constant over that time period, the researchers calculate, medical marijuana laws could be linked to 1.1 million additional cannabis users and 500,000 extra people with cannabis use disorder nationwide.
    The new study can't say medical marijuana laws caused the increases, but Hassin said it's possible adults interpreted the laws to mean marijuana is harmless. Also, she said, marijuana dispensaries proliferated along with advertising.
    "I think all of these things can contribute to increases, but we can’t pinpoint them for sure because it’s not what the study was designed to address," said Hassin.
    The increase in use disorders may be partially explained by an increase in the potency of cannabis products, said Beatriz Carlini, of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington in Seattle.
    "We are seeing (the increased potency) in states with no medical marijuana laws," said Carlini, who was not involved with the new research. "Now that you have marijuana sold at the retail level, you see that increase in the potency, too."
    People should look at the larger picture when evaluating marijuana laws and policies, she suggested.
    For example, she said, research has tied medical marijuana laws to fewer opioid overdose deaths. And public insurance payments for certain drugs were found to fall in states with medical marijuana laws.
    In an editorial accompanying the new study, Dr. Wilson Compton of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues say policymakers need to understand which parts of medical marijuana laws are tied with positive and negative effects.
    "In the meantime, it is clear that a robust system of education, prevention, and treatment is needed to minimize the negative consequences that might arise if cannabis use continues to increase," they write.


  9. Waqas Dar
    A high-level delegation of the Pakistan Army led by the Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Bilal Akbar visited Afghanistan on the directions of the Chief of Army Staff, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.
    The delegation met with the Afghan army chief, acting defence minister Tariq Shah Bahrami and other officials, and held discussions on steps on bilateral border coordination.
    According to the ISPR, the Pakistani delegation informed Afghan officials that border areas of Pakistan are under complete control, and reiterated that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used against Afghanistan.
    The delegation on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa condemned the Taliban attack on an Afghan military base in Mazar-e-Sharif last week, which killed over 100 people and injured dozens, and expressed solidarity with the Afghan people and the military.


  10. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: In an ongoing crackdown against smuggling of donkey hides, Customs department seized additional 300 hides from a warehouse in Mauripur on Thursday.
    In a press conference, Deputy Collector Customs Ali Raza revealed that the raid was conducted on the information given by the smuggling suspects, who were arrested during an operation in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 12 on Thursday.
    One Chinese national and six others, including a woman, were arrested for involvement in the heinous crime. It was revealed that the hides were brought illegally from Lahore to be smuggled abroad.
    Read more: More than 4,500 donkey hides recovered in Karachi
    There were about eight hides in one sack, revealed SSP West Faisal Abdul Chachar, adding that one hide is sold for approximately Rs25,000.
    Raza added that the police and Customs working to counter smuggling of donkey hides.
     


  11. Waqas Dar
    MARDAN: The man who shot Mashal Khan has been caught, police said on Thursday.
    During a news conference, DIG Mardan Alam Khan Shinwari revealed that the shooter who has been identified as Imran was caught on information based on confessions of other accused in the case.
    “Some things we will share with media later,” said DIG Mardan.
    Shinwari said that all the investigation has been evidence-based and use of technology has been utilised to catch the culprit.
    So far, 36 people have been arrested in the case, out of which nine were employees of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.
    Earlier on April 23, an employee of the AWKUM, wanted for inciting the mob to murder Mashal Khan over unfounded blasphemy allegations was arrested.
    Mashal Khan, who was a student of journalism at AWKUM, was lynched by an enraged mob on the university premises on April 13. The mob killed the student over charges of blasphemy.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Ivanka, daughter of the US President Donald Trump, took to social media to send a sweet birthday wish to Melania Trump, who turned 47 on Wednesday.
     
     
    In her message, Ivanka called Melania an “incredible step-mom”, who is a “wonderful example of kindness and grace for us all!”
    Trump himself also posted a birthday wish to his wife.
     
     
    Melania Trump was in Washington “to attend a luncheon for Senate spouses at the National Gallery of Art, where she is set to make remarks”, E! Online reported. A private party was slated at the White House in the evening.
    Ivanka Trump usually performs the duties of the First Lady instead of Melania, as has been commonly observed. She recently travelled to Germany on the US President’s behalf.


  13. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesman, Nafees Zakaria said during the weekly news briefing on Thursday that confessions by Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had exposed India.
    Zakaria said that Jhadav was prosecuted as per the law of the land and his statements helped in intercepting a terrorist network in the country.
    “We already have evidence in the Jadhav case,” he said. “Kulbhushan is a spy, who was involved in terrorist activities.”
    Zakaria added that the decision to provide consular access Jadhav will be taken on merit.
    Read more: Pakistan informs India consular access only for prisoners, not spies
    Discussing the recent confession by former Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, Zakaria said that the former TTP member surrendered to the Pakistan army. “He has disclosed the presence of Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) presence in his statement.”
    “He [Ehsan] has disclosed the presence of Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) presence in his statement,” the FO spokesperson said.
    In the weekly briefing, Zakaria said that it was clear from Ehsan’s statement about Tehreek-e-Taliban commander Khalid Khorasani’s treatment in India that the Taliban are assisted by RAW.
    “The international community should take notice of Ehsanullah’s statement,” he said. “His statement exposed the real face of India.”
    He added that India has used Afghan territories for terrorist attacks in Pakistan. “Pakistan has raised this issue in the past,” he said.
    Read more: Former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan admits RAW, NDS using terrorists to destabilise Pakistan
    Zakaria, during the weekly media briefing, stated that 13 agents of the Indian intelligence agency RAW were killed when the US dropped a massive GBU-43 bomb, the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat, in eastern Afghanistan on April 14.
    “India is sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan,” the FO spokesperson said. “Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies are involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in Pakistan and we will raise the issue at all international forums.”  
    Read more: Attack on Indian army camp in Kashmir, 5 including officers killed
    He also commented on the growing extremism in India, and labelled it as a “matter of concern for the international community.” The foreign ministry official stated that Indian brutality has continued in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), with the recent detention of Syed Ali Geelani, Yasin Malik, and Asiya Andrabi. “India has banned social media in IoK in order to hide violations of human rights in the area.” 
    Read more: India blocks social media in occupied Kashmir 
    Condemning the terrorist attack in Kurram agency on Tuesday, Zakaria said that the banned terrorist outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar accepted the responsibility for the attack.


  14. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesman, Nafees Zakaria said during the weekly news briefing on Thursday that confessions by Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had exposed India.
    Zakaria said that Jhadav was prosecuted as per the law of the land and his statements helped in intercepting a terrorist network in the country.
    “We already have evidence in the Jadhav case,” he said. “Kulbhushan is a spy, who was involved in terrorist activities.”
    Zakaria added that the decision to provide consular access Jadhav will be taken on merit.
    Read more: Pakistan informs India consular access only for prisoners, not spies
    Discussing the recent confession by former Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, Zakaria said that the former TTP member surrendered to the Pakistan army. “He has disclosed the presence of Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) presence in his statement.”
    “He [Ehsan] has disclosed the presence of Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) presence in his statement,” the FO spokesperson said.
    In the weekly briefing, Zakaria said that it was clear from Ehsan’s statement about Tehreek-e-Taliban commander Khalid Khorasani’s treatment in India that the Taliban are assisted by RAW.
    “The international community should take notice of Ehsanullah’s statement,” he said. “His statement exposed the real face of India.”
    He added that India has used Afghan territories for terrorist attacks in Pakistan. “Pakistan has raised this issue in the past,” he said.
    Read more: Former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan admits RAW, NDS using terrorists to destabilise Pakistan
    Zakaria, during the weekly media briefing, stated that 13 agents of the Indian intelligence agency RAW were killed when the US dropped a massive GBU-43 bomb, the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat, in eastern Afghanistan on April 14.
    “India is sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan,” the FO spokesperson said. “Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies are involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in Pakistan and we will raise the issue at all international forums.”  
    Read more: Attack on Indian army camp in Kashmir, 5 including officers killed
    He also commented on the growing extremism in India, and labelled it as a “matter of concern for the international community.” The foreign ministry official stated that Indian brutality has continued in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), with the recent detention of Syed Ali Geelani, Yasin Malik, and Asiya Andrabi. “India has banned social media in IoK in order to hide violations of human rights in the area.” 
    Read more: India blocks social media in occupied Kashmir 
    Condemning the terrorist attack in Kurram agency on Tuesday, Zakaria said that the banned terrorist outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar accepted the responsibility for the attack.


  16. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The officials of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were stopped from holding a news conference in Press Information Department Building on Thursday.
    "We will increase our efforts and will put forward our demands during our gathering tomorrow," Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Spokesperson Naeem-ul-Haq said while talking to the media outside PID. "The government is spreading rumours about us every other day here in PID."
    Other leaders of PTI, Shibli Faraz and Shehryar Afridi, exchanged harsh words with the administration officials of PID, over not being allowed to enter for a news conference.  
    "I ask my sister Marriyum Aurangzeb why her colleagues are stopped from entering PID," Afridi said, referring the question to the state minister for information. He added the building is not someone's family property.
    "All the members of the government have a right over the public offices."  
    However, he added, we will go on every level to defend the interests of Pakistan.
    "The nation has witnessed these are the leaders who take public institutes to be their property," said PTI's Shibli Faraz, who was also present on the occasion.
    When contacted, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb told Geo News PID administration sent a letter to PTI, telling them who can hold a news conference. She added they have also been informed of the procedure.
    "You can see the harsh behaviour they [PTI officials] have resorted to," she said. "We cannot be intimidated by them and exempt every rule."


  17. Waqas Dar
    Fashionistas rejoice! Or not…
    Various clothing stores in America, including Nordstrom, have been selling jeans with a “crackled, caked-on muddy coating”, but they recently came under the netizens’ watchful eye and you can imagine what happened next.
    The Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans are being retailed at almost Rs. 48,000 (approximately $450) as “rugged, Americana workwear that's seen some hard-working action”, according to Nordstrom’s website.
    Manufactured by PRPS, the fake mud jeans can be complemented with the fashion company’s “mud denim jacket” and alternated with the “Destroyed” jeans that replace dirt with paint.
     

    (Image: screenshot from Nordstrom website)
     
    So much for faking it, eh?
    The Internet exploded with sass and mockery at the trend (obviously), calling it insensitive and condescending about the actual working class.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    On the other hand, former Dirty Jobs TV show host Mike Rowe expressed his anger at the fake mud jeans on Facebook. He called it “a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job…made for people who don't. […] Something to foster the illusion of work. The illusion of effort.”
    Nordstrom is branding it as a pair of jeans “that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty.”
    This means that Rowe isn’t actually wrong either. “They’re a costume for wealthy people who see work as ironic – not iconic,” he stated in his post.
     

     
    While Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue have been stocking the fake-dirt jeans for quite some time as well – as per CNN Money, it is only Nordstrom that faced the heat.
    It is quite likely that the clothing brand tried to cash the hipster “lumberjack” trend, but sadly, it’s so 2016. Just so you know, the urban lumberjack style translates into a beard, unkempt hair, and plaid shirts, while pretending to be manly by going woodcutting in a real forest.
    In fact, a leading mens’ grooming expert late last year said, “I am confident that quite soon this trend will continue and men will go for a completely clean shave in 2017.”
    So what exactly are these fake muddy jeans for?
    ‘Yeah go adopt all these stupid fashion statements,’ we can already hear our mothers saying, as they let out a collective sigh.


  18. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: If Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson does not reveal the name of the person who offered him Rs10 billion then he will have to leave politics, said opposition leader Khursheed Shah on Thursday.
    "Imran should mention the name," Shah said while talking to the media. The issue of Imran being offered money should also be investigated, he added.
    "He will also have to prove the accusation," he maintained. "His claim is a public property as it was said before the media."
    The opposition leader was referring to Imran's claim of being offered Rs10 billion from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to keep silence on the Panama Papers case. 
    The PTI chief had made the accusations while speaking during a gathering at Shaukat Khanum Hospital Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre.
    "Just imagine how much money he offered me to be silent – Rs10 billion...," he had said. "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 this issue then after two months it will be dragged to next year."
    State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb while reacting to Imran's statement demanded he reveals the name of the person who made the offer.
    “If you have even slight morality then you should name the one who made this offer to you”, she had said, while speaking to the media in Islamabad.
    She had added Imran should provide evidence as only allegations are not sufficient.

    Imran was pressurised by leaders of various political parties to reveal the name, but he has not done so yet.
    Speaking in an interview, Imran had said the person who made an offer is close to Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif but in case if he reveals his name, the person will get into trouble.  


  19. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has refused to allot the 'bat' as an electoral symbol to former cricketer Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) until the party holds intra-party elections.
    In a letter dated April 26, the ECP said the matter of the allotment of symbols was place before the ECP, which held that "the symbol BAT may not be allotted to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf in future election till completion of intra-party elections and fulfilment of legal requirement by the party".
    The decision comes on the back of PTI's failure to hold intra-party elections, which were last due to be held in 2016.
    The ECP has circulated the latest notice to the offices of provincial election commissions in all four provinces.
    The ECP, however, added that till the political party successfully conducts intra-party elections, it will not be assigned the 'Bat' symbol for any elections in future.
    As per its own constitution, PTI is obliged to hold intra-party elections every four years.
    Late last month, the ECP stressed that PTI was ineligible to be allotted the 'Bat' symbol to contest for any election under sections 11 and 12 of the Political Parties Order (PPO) 2002.
    ECP officials said the Commission had withdrawn the ‘Bat’ symbol for PTI in the upcoming by-elections in Chakwal. It is noteworthy that PTI last conducted intra-party elections on March 23, 2013.


  20. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday, dismissed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan's claim of being offered a Rs 10 billion bribe to remain silent on the Panama Leaks case.
    "Imran Khan has made a record of lying," said Sharif while addressing a ceremony at Awan-e-Iqbal. "I have the right to take this up in the court of law."
    The CM said that if the PTI chief's allegations of Sharif's friend offering him Rs 10 billion as a bribe in Dubai is proven true, the public "should not forgive him till the end of days."
    Read more: Was offered Rs10 bn to hold silence on Panama case: PTI Chairperson Imran Khan
    Earlier today, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf chief Imran Khan lied about a bribe offered to him to remain silent on the Panam Leaks case.
    "Khan is perplexed and he is lying. We will take this up against him in court," Shehbaz said commenting on the PTI chief's claim that the government offered him Rs 10 billion for keeping mum on the Panama Leaks case.
    Read more: Maryam says 'fears for Imran's fate in hereafter'
    "Khan should either validate his claim by sharing proofs or be ready for legal proceedings against him," the PML-N leader said.
    Commenting on Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's claim of initiating work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Sharif ridiculed the claim by saying "did Zardari forget to lay the foundation of the Gawadar port if he started work on the CPEC project."


  21. Waqas Dar
    Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union (EU) will be very demanding, both for the British and the remaining 27 members of the bloc, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
    "The exit negotiations will definitely demand a great deal of the European Union as well as Britain itself in the two years. I think that is completely beyond doubt," Merkel told Germany's Bundestag lower house of parliament.
    She said she shared the view of European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude Juncker that the Brexit negotiations could only get going properly after Britain's June 8 election.
    On the other hand, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday the 27 EU countries should remain united during negotiations with the Great Britain on its exit from the bloc.
    Speaking in parliament ahead of an extraordinary EU summit on Saturday called to set the terms for the negotiations, Gentiloni said he expected negotiations to begin in mid-June, and he "trusted" they would lead to a positive result, in which the United Kingdom would remain a "friend and ally".
    "It's crucial that the 27 countries remain united," Gentiloni said. "If the 27 countries are divided and each negotiates independently in its own interest, then it will kill all possibility of an accord."


  22. Waqas Dar
    MOSCOW:  Speaking at the sixth Moscow Conference on International Security, Pakistan’s Defence minister Khawaja Muhammed Asif said that Russia must play its part to stabilise the situation in Afghanistan.
    Discussing the Kashmir issue, the minister said that if left unresolved, it has the potential to threaten the peace and stability of the entire region. 
    “The Kashmir issue must be resolved in accordance with the UN resolution,” the defence minister said. “I must share that all peace overtures and sincere efforts made by Pakistan are not being reciprocated [by India].”  
    He stressed that it is the responsibility of the world community to address some of the long-standing conflicts of the world. “India continues to stay away from any plausible diplomatic approach for the resolution of Kashmir issue.”
    Expressing his views on the situation in the Middle East, the minister termed the United States’ attack on Syria as 'external interference.'
    Read more: Khawaja Asif slams term “Islamic terrorism” at Munich Security Conference
    Asif said that polarised societies are breeding grounds for terrorism. “From Palestine to Kashmir, we have a history of suppression and denial of basic human rights,” he said.
    “Extremists garner support by exploiting polarisation - so there is a need to develop stronger counter-narratives, based on interfaith harmony, economic equality, cross-cultural mutual respect, to deny extremists that space,” the defence minister stated. 
    Read more: Pakistan not the property of any religion or sect: Khawaja Asif
    The minister stated that Pakistan does not believe in any distinction between terrorist outfits. Talking about the Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, he said the remaining terrorists are being combed out through the operation.  
    He thanked the Russian defence ministry for inviting and affording Pakistan the opportunity to share the country's perspective on the issues of global security and challenges of the 21st century.
    Asif complimented the defence ministry of the Russian federation for hosting the important activity "which provides us [Pakistan] a useful platform to interact with the policy makers from across the globe. It also allows us to visit the Russian nation which is home of a great nation. Strong traditions, rich history, and one of the most important players in the emerging polycentric world order."
    He said the "controversial expectations of democratic peace," continues to be "marred by accentuated regional disputes, political instabilities, rising socio-economic challenges, widespread trans-national terrorism, and a fragile international system to handle all this."
    The defence minister remarked that as a consequence, "multiple actors have gained prominence, thereby changing the balance-of-power equation across the globe and causing gradual dissuation of the so-called uni polar international system."


  23. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The registrar office on Thursday received nominations for the Joint Investigation Committee (JIT) ordered by the Supreme Court to probe into the Panama verdict, sources told Geo News.
    Names of nominated officers from the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) were submitted to the SC's registrar office.
    According to sources, the nominated names will be presented before the Panama bench for approval.
    Read more: Panama JIT: Two FIA additional DGs go on leave
    Earlier on Wednesday, two FIA Additional Director General (ADGs) went on a leave, following which the ADG Wajid Zia is expected to head the JIT. According to sources, FIA ADG Captain (retired) Ahmed Lateef and ADG Doctor Shafeeq cited medical reasons to take leave from office.
    Zia is the only ADG in the department after his counterparts took leave from office.
    The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a Joint Investigation Team to conduct a probe into funds used by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's children to buy properties in London through offshore businesses.
    Read more: Panama case JIT to remain as ineffective as Model Town's: Aitzaz Ahsan
    Citing the 'indifference' and 'unwillingness' of the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau in its verdict on the Panama leaks case, a five-member Supreme Court bench said there were still questions "which go to the heart of the matter and need to be answered".
    "A thorough investigation in this behalf is required," said Justice Asif Saeed Khosa as he read out the court's decision ordering a JIT to submit its report in 60 days.
    What is the Joint Investigation Committee
    According to the verdict, the six-member team will comprise of the following officers:
    1.   FIA officer
    A senior Officer of the Federal Investigation Agency, who will not be below the rank of Additional Director General. Having firsthand experience of investigation of white collar crime, the FIA officer will head the investigation team.
    2.   NAB representative
    Despite expressing their lack of trust in the National Accountability Bureau chairman to investigate the matter, a representative of NAB will also be part of the six-member JIT.
    3.   SECP officer
    A nominee of the Security & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). Having investigative and enforcement powers, the SECP is responsible for regulation and supervision of the corporate sector, capital market, insurance companies, and non-banking finance companies.
    Read more: Panama case: Who will be part of JIT and when will it begin its investigation?
    Here, the SECP will play his part in the investigation team as he would be familiar with issues of money laundering and white collar crimes.
    4.   State Bank of Pakistan nominee
    As the probe involves a lot of financial transactions, an official of the country's central bank will also be on the investigation team.
    5.   ISI officer
    The Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, will also be represented by on the team by a seasoned officer nominated by ISI Director-General Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar.
    6.   MI officer
    The Military Intelligence will also be part of the team, with a seasoned officer nominated by its director-general.
     


  24. Waqas Dar
    AMMAN/BEIRUT: A massive explosion struck near Damascus International Airport early on Thursday setting off large fires, a monitoring group said, without specifying the cause.
    But, quoting Syrian rebel and intelligence sources, news agency Reuters reported that Israel had struck an arms supply hub operated by the Lebanese Hezbollah group near Damascus airport.
    The blast was outside the airport itself. 
    Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, speaking from the United States, where he has been meeting US officials, to Israeli Army Radio: "I can confirm that the incident in Syria corresponds completely with Israel's policy to act to prevent Iran's smuggling of advanced weapons via Syria to Hezbollah in Iran. Naturally, I don't want to elaborate on this."
    "The prime minister has said that whenever we receive intelligence that indicated an intention to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, we will act."
     
     
    Read more: Three dead in Israeli attack on Syria military camp
     
    Israeli warplanes have hit the airport and other bases around the capital in the past, targeting what it said were weapons stockpiles of its Lebanese foe Hezbollah, which is allied with the Syrian government.
    Lebanon's al-Manar television, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said early indications were that the strikes hit warehouses and fuel tanks and had caused only material damage and no human casualties.
    "Al-Manar's correspondent reported that an explosion struck at dawn on Thursday in fuel tanks and a warehouse near Damascus International Airport and that it was probably the result of an Israeli strike," the channel said.
    The airport lies about 25 kilometres (15 miles) southeast of the capital.
    It was hit by Israeli air strikes in December 2014, Syrian state media reported at the time.
    Israel does not usually confirm or deny each individual raid it carries out.
    But last month, it said it had carried out several strikes near the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, targeting what it said were "advanced weapons" belonging to Hezbollah.
    The strikes prompted Syria to launch retaliatory ground to air missiles, one of which was intercepted over Israeli territory in the most serious flare-up between the two neighbours since the Syrian civil war began six years ago.


  25. Waqas Dar
    Fewer French voters believe centrist Emmanuel Macron got off to a good start in the last lap of France's presidential election than far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a poll showed on Thursday.
    Macron, the favourite to win the presidency, has suffered several costly public relations missteps since he and Le Pen qualified in a first round of voting on Sunday for the decisive May 7 runoff.
    The Elabe poll for BFM TV found that one out of two people surveyed considered that Le Pen's campaign had gotten off the ground well, compared with 43 percent for Macron.
    Striking workers jeered Macron, a 39-year-old former economy minister, on Wednesday during a visit to the Whirlpool tumble-drier factory in his hometown of Amiens in northern France after Le Pen unexpectedly turned up there hours earlier and was well received.
    Although Macron held his ground and the tension eventually eased, television channels repeatedly broadcast film of the candidate being heckled, marking a stark contrast with Le Pen taking photographs with workers.
    With polls indicating Macron will win the run-off against Le Pen by a comfortable margin, he has also taken heat for seemingly acting as if victory were already in the bag.
    Rivals and potential allies alike criticised his visit on Sunday night to an elegant Parisian restaurant for celebrations after coming out on top in the first round of voting.
    The visit to the Left Bank brasserie made him an easy target for Le Pen's campaign which seized on the incident to portray the former investment banker as a member of an arrogant political elite out of touch with the people.
    After that incident, Macron laid low for several days, while Le Pen's campaign went on the offensive.


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