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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    TOKYO: A solid gold Darth Vader mask is going on sale in Japan, with a $1.4 million price tag for a one-of-a-kind likeness of science fiction's most famous villain.
    Jeweller Ginza Tanaka on Tuesday showcased the 15-kilogramme (33-pound) sculpture, which has been commissioned to mark the 40th anniversary this year of the release of "Star Wars".
    The mask will be available for purchase on May the fourth -- a date known among fans as "Star Wars Day" because of its similarity to one of the franchise's most famous lines: "May the Force be with you".
    The jeweller also plans to release gold coins specially designed to celebrate the anniversary in the more affordable price range of $1,200 to $11,000.
    Ginza Tanaka, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has in the past created other gold commemorative products including a Christmas tree, samurai helmets and footballer Lionel Messi's left foot.


  2. Waqas Dar
    MALAKAND: Former President and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Asif Ali Zardari continued to take shots at his political opponents, this time taking aim at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan

    “Go Imran Go,” the former president chanted during a rally held here on Thursday. Zardari further said “One politician calls himself Pakhtun but he is a fake pathan,” in a clear reference to Imran Khan.
    While addressing party workers in Malakand on Tuesday, Zardari said that the country's leadership was deeply involved in all businesses from poultry to energy business.
    All of Pakistan's resources were controlled by one family, promising to bring back the “looted” money back to the country, Zardari said.
    Criticising the prime minister, he said that Nawaz Sharif is a student of former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq and is continuing with his policies till today.
    He also said that the prime minister’s “philosophy” is the reason for the murder of Mashal Khan, who was lynched by an enraged mob on blasphemy allegations.
    The PPP co-chairman added that Swat's people have made a lot of sacrifices for the area's peace. "It was Bibi shaheed's dream to restore peace in Swat," he said.
    Taking the credit for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said that he his government had introduced the project for Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
    The former president said that the PPP will form its government in all four provinces including KP.
    Earlier on Thursday, Zardari condemned the Supreme Court's decision on Panama Leaks case and demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
    Speaking to the press, along with the party stalwarts, Zardari said, "I condemn this nine-month joke with the nation. I condemn this justice and judgment;” further adding, “today democracy and justice were adversely affected."
    He demanded resignation from the PM Nawaz by saying: “Prime minister should morally tender his resignation though I know him well that he will not resign till the last extent - our struggle will continue till then.”
    Zardari, however, was all praises for the two judges who ruled against PM Nawaz.
    Read more: Zardari condemns SC decision, demands resignation from PM
    “I salute the two senior judges who gave the disqualification verdict against Prime Minister – decision of senior judges prevails over junior judges,” he said.
    Speaking on the verdict, the former president said that the overall decision was a nine-month joke with the nation.
    “Can a 19-grade officer under the Prime Minister do what the Supreme Court couldn't?, ” he remarked, “Will they investigate him, will they  disqualify him, will they take the statement from the Prime Minister from the PM house or police station.”


  3. Waqas Dar
    A new update on the iPhone will enable users to have Siri read their WhatsApp messages. According to macrumours, the latest update will be available to users running at least iOS 10.3.
    Other changes include:
    In my updates screen, users can select multiple statuses at once and forward or revoke them Voice call icon has been replaced the + icon Two-step verification interface redesigned to make it easier to use Contact info, group info and calls section also redesigned Persian language added WhatsApp may soon let you unsend messages
    WhatsApp could soon let users recall messages sent within five minutes, offering a way to prevent an embarrassment over mistaken texts.  
    The sought after feature will allow users to "unsend" messages, removing them from a receiver's phone before they have had a chance to read them.
    The app wants to help its users save themselves from the regret caused by misfired messages
     


  4. Waqas Dar
    NEW DELHI: Reports of discrimination against Muslims continue in India, with the latest incident taking place on a Delhi train.
    According to the Hindustan Times, an elderly Muslim man was denied a seat in the Delhi metro by a group of youth who hurled abused and slurs against him.
    When the youth were asked to apologise, they responded by telling the elderly Muslim man to “Go to Pakistan.”
    A complaint against those involved was filed at a local police station, however, the elderly man decided not to pursue it.


  5. Waqas Dar
    NEW DELHI: There is a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the participation of India in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, reports in the Indian media said on Tuesday.
    India’s participation remains in doubt as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rejected a new revenue model of the International Cricket Council (ICC), which would see an additional USD 100 million being paid to India.
    According to a BCCI official, there is a trust issue with the ICC which is why the new offer is not even being considered.
    In the existing revenue sharing model, BCCI receives USD 579 million from the ICC, however, after this is restructured the share would decrease to USD 290 million.
    The BCCI has also not announced the squad for the Champions Trophy, despite an ICC deadline.
    India are scheduled to open their Champions Trophy campaign against Pakistan on June 4.


  6. Waqas Dar
    MARDAN: Two more important suspects involved in the Mashal Khan lynching case were arrested with the help of a video, the District Police Officer Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed said on Tuesday.

    "The accused Ashfaq Khilji deeply wounded Mishal by hitting him on the head with a plant pot and the accused Fazal Razak disrespected the deceased's body," the DPO said.
    The arrested individuals were remanded to the police for four days.
    Mashal Khan was a student of journalism at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan and was lynched by an enraged mob on April 13 which had accused him of blasphemy.
    Read more: Mashal murder case: Police arrest AWKUM employee who incited mob
    A total of 35 suspects have been arrested so far in the lynching case.
    Earlier on April 23, an employee of the AWKUM, wanted for inciting the mob to murder Mashal Khan over unfounded blasphemy allegations was arrested.
    The AWKUM employee, identified as Bilal Baksh, shouted slogans calling for the murder of Mashal Khan and incited the mob, which was beginning to gather around Mashal, to carry out the horrific lynching, the police said.
    On Saturday, police arrested another suspect, a student named Amir, from Tangi tehsil in Charsadda. The suspect was identified in the lynching video that surfaced soon after the horrific killing of Mashal at the hands of the violent mob.


  7. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan said Go Nawaz Go will start from Friday. He said this while silencing the crowd that was chanting the slogan at the under-23 games at Hayatabad Sports Complex on Tuesday.  
    On the occasion, Imran congratulated Younis Khan on being the first Pakistani cricketer to make 10,000 runs in test cricket.
    "Sports is very necessary in life as it teaches you, not only how to win but to also accept your defeat," Imran said. "Had I not been involved in sports, I would not have been standing here."
    He told the audience that the more high one's ambitions are the more one has to work hard.
    "I was sent out of the team after the first test match that I played," he added. "I came back after three years, wishing to become the best player in the country.
    Imran maintained that he worked harder to then become the best player in the world.
    "I would not have been able to build Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, had I not learnt in cricket what hard work is." 
    Imran said his endeavours also helped him make Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf 21 ago.


  8. Waqas Dar
    DETROIT: US auto parts maker Flex-N-Gate owned by Pakistani-American Shahid Khan will build a plant in Detroit in what local officials described on Monday as the first new investment by an automotive supplier in decades for Motor City, the cradle and former beating heart of the car industry.
    "This is the largest automotive supplier investment in Detroit in more than 20 years," Mayor Mike Duggan said at a groundbreaking ceremony under a light blue spring sky on Detroit's northeast side. "We're starting to compete and win again."Urbana, Illinois-based Flex-N-Gate will invest $95 million in the plant, which will employ 400-700 people and supply parts to Ford Motor Co. It is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2018.
    Urbana, Illinois-based Flex-N-Gate will invest $95 million in the plant, which will employ 400-700 people and supply parts to Ford Motor Co. It is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2018.Flex-N-Gate owner Shahid Khan said Ford was the "great impetus" behind locating the plant in Detroit and said it aims to employ locals. Workers would earn up to $27 per hour including benefits and the plant will use state-of-the-art automated technology "in order to pay people a living wage," he said.
    Flex-N-Gate owner Shahid Khan said Ford was the "great impetus" behind locating the plant in Detroit and said it aims to employ locals. Workers would earn up to $27 per hour including benefits and the plant will use state-of-the-art automated technology "in order to pay people a living wage," he said.The supplier makes plastic exterior parts, especially front ends, and headlights.
    The supplier makes plastic exterior parts, especially front ends, and headlights.A Ford spokeswoman said the company would not provide "specific production details at this time" on which models the plant's parts would be used.

    Flex-N-Gate owner and businessman Shahid Khan (R), embraces Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan before speaking during a groundbreaking ceremony for a Flex-N-Gate manufacturing facility in the I-94 Industrial Park in Detroit, Michigan, US - REUTERS
    A Ford spokeswoman said the company would not provide "specific production details at this time" on which models the plant's parts would be used.Pakistan-born Khan, who also owns the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars, came to the United States decades ago to study mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois.
    Pakistan-born Khan, who also owns the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars, came to the United States decades ago to study mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois. Auto plants once proliferated across Detroit, and many today are empty red-brick hulks. Only General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV still have operational plants in the city.
    Auto plants once proliferated across Detroit, and many today are empty red-brick hulks. Only General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV still have operational plants in the city.Over decades of decline, Detroit's population fell to 700,000 from a peak of 1.8 million people in 1950, reflected in the many vacant and decaying homes in the area around the future Flex-N-Gate plant.
    Over decades of decline, Detroit's population fell to 700,000 from a peak of 1.8 million people in 1950, reflected in the many vacant and decaying homes in the area around the future Flex-N-Gate plant.Since going through bankruptcy earlier this decade, Detroit has experienced a slight renaissance with businesses and artists moving in.
    Since going through bankruptcy earlier this decade, Detroit has experienced a slight renaissance with businesses and artists moving in.The plight of American manufacturing, as well as immigration, were the focus of Republican President Donald Trump's election campaign. Trump has
    The plight of American manufacturing, as well as immigration, were the focus of Republican President Donald Trump's election campaign. Trump has criticised automakers for building cars in Mexico and talked up announcements of US investments by Ford, GM and FCA, including some that had been announced before he took office.
    Khan said the decision to invest in Detroit predated Trump's presidency. But he said that in the US automotive industry today, "you have to have a social conscience. You can do that and still make investments like this."
     


  9. Waqas Dar
    55 percent respondents to a survey on the Panama case believe that the verdict was in favour of the Prime Minister while only 14 percent believe it was against him, the recent research revealed.

    The Supreme Court Announced its verdict on the Panama Papers case on April 20. 

    It announced a Joint Investigation Team would be formed to further probe the involvement of Sharif family in the Panama Gate scandal.


    Two of the judges of the bench were in favour of de-notifying the prime minister, while three others suggested a JIT be formed.


    Declaring the Panama verdict a victory for the party, PM’s daughter Maryam Nawaz said the petitioners had failed to prove any of their allegations and shared pictures of the celebratory atmosphere at the PML-N camp on Twitter.

    PTI chief Imran Khan called for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down until an investigation team ordered by the Supreme Court completed its probe.

    Terming the apex court’s verdict "a historic judgment in Pakistan's history", he told reporters on Thursday that all five members of the bench had rejected PM's explanation into his source of income and money trail that led to his children's offshore holdings.

     
    Data courtesy: Gallup International 
     


  10. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Ambassador-designate to Washington Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry Monday called on United States President Donald Trump and presented him his credentials.
    “I presented my credentials to the US President Donald Trump today in a prestigious ceremony today,” the ambassador said in an exclusive conversation with Geo News.
    “I conveyed best wishes to the US president on behalf of Pakistan’s leadership and people and expressed the desire that the ties between the two countries continue to strengthen,” Chaudhry said.“President Trump also expressed his good wishes, especially for the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.” 
    Chaudhry, a Foreign Service officer with over 36 years of bilateral and multilateral experience in the field of diplomacy, was appointed the ambassador to the United States in February, this year.
    The meeting between the Pakistani ambassador-designate and the US president took place in Washington.
    Speaking to Geo News, Chaudhry said that President Trump, at the meeting, expressed his well wishes for Premier Sharif.
    Prior to this, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry served as the country's foreign secretary.


  11. Waqas Dar
    SHANGHAI: China is targeting 35 million vehicle sales by 2025 and wants new energy vehicles (NEVs) to make up at least one-fifth of that total, the industry ministry said on Tuesday.
    The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a market "road map" that China's urbanization drive and the overseas expansion of its automakers would help drive annual vehicle sales up around 25 percent from last year's total.
    Automakers in China, the world's largest automobile market with sales of 28 million vehicles in 2016, are increasingly pushing into electric and hybrid vehicles to meet stringent new government quotas.
    Sales of new energy vehicles should reach 2 million by 2020 and account for more than 20 percent of total vehicle production and sales by 2025, the ministry said. That implied annual NEV sales of over 7 million within the next decade.
    Green energy car sales have risen dramatically on the back of government policies, but still represented less than 2 percent of China's overall auto market last year.
    The government body also said it would push to create local champions in the industry who would be increasingly competitive with overseas rivals in China as well as in overseas markets.
    "The quality of Chinese brand vehicles has clearly risen, while brand recognition, reputation and global influence are much stronger," the MIIT said. "By 2025, we should have some Chinese vehicle brands that are in the global Top 10 by sales."
    China's domestic automakers, including SAIC and Geely Automobile Holdings Co, are already challenging better-known global rivals with new models and marketing strategies.
    MIIT added it would look to loosen rules on foreign joint ventures in the market. Currently, overseas carmakers, such as General Motors or Nissan Motor Co, are limited to a 50 percent stake in a China JV.
    "We will loosen joint venture ownership restrictions in an orderly manner," MIIT said, without elaborating about a time frame or what stake foreign carmakers may be able to own.
    The ministry added that Chinese carmakers would also look to increase exports to developed nations over the next decade, and improve battery technology for electric vehicles.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Just when the Galaxy S8 was finally available for general purchase last week, the flagship broke sales records before shipping a single unit.
    Amazing? Isn't it?
    Pre-orders for the S8 and S8+ were up 30 percent from last year's number of reservations for the S7 and S7 Edge, according to a statement Samsung provided us via email.
    While concrete sales numbers weren't disclosed, the company said the S8 had the most successful pre-sale period for a smartphone in Samsung's history. 
    The phone has been received with mostly positive reviews overall, with praise coming from the massive button-free display.
    Samsung president TimBaxter said, "The response is humbling, energizing and points to a great launch week."
    "We aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the name of a better, smarter, more exciting experience for our consumers.” He added.
    The flagship launch hasn't been total without a hitch, though — some of the first S8 owners reported their devices were plagued with red-tinted screens, an issue that Samsung acknowledged and has promised to fix with an upcoming software patch. 
    Early adopters have also complained that Bixby, the much hyped AI assistant that warrants its own dedicated button on the side of the phones, doesn't even work at full power. Samsung stated that won't happen until "spring," which led to some intrepid S8 users to find other uses for the button, and Samsung, in turn, to block them from doing so.
    Time will tell just how successful the S8 will be as it pushes through the release weekend hiccups — but one thing's for sure: as long as it can avoid the issues that plagued its explosive cousin, it'll be a step in the right direction for Samsung. 
     


  13. Waqas Dar
    SEOUL: North Korea conducted a big live-fire exercise on Tuesday to mark the foundation of its military, media reported, as a US submarine docked in South Korea in a show of force amid growing concern over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.
    The port call by the USS Michigan came as a US aircraft carrier strike group steamed toward Korean waters and as the top envoys for North Korea policy from South Korea, Japan, and the United States met in Tokyo.
    Fears have risen in recent weeks that North Korea could conduct another nuclear test or long-range missile launch in defiance of UN sanctions, perhaps on the Tuesday anniversary of the founding of its military.
    South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that the North appeared to have deployed a large number of long-range artillery units in the region of Wonsan on its east coast on Tuesday, for a live-fire drill.
    The report, citing an unidentified South Korean government source, said the exercise was possibly supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
    South Korea's Defence Ministry said it could not immediately confirm the report.
    "Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military's movement in Wonsan areas and we are firmly maintaining readiness," South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
    North Korea's state media was defiant in a commentary marking the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People's Army, saying its military was prepared "to bring to closure the history of US scheming and nuclear blackmail".
    "There is no limit to the strike power of the People's Army armed with our style of cutting-edge military equipment including various precision and miniaturized nuclear weapons and submarine-launched ballistic missiles," the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a front-page editorial.
    North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threat is perhaps the most serious security challenge confronting US President Donald Trump.
    Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the United States with a nuclear missile and has said all options are on the table, including a military strike.
    He sent the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group for exercises in waters off the Korean peninsula as a warning to North Korea and a show of solidarity with US allies.
    South Korea's navy said it was conducting a live-fire exercise with US destroyers on Tuesday in waters west of the Korean peninsula and would soon join the carrier strike group approaching the region.
    Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshide Suga told media that China's nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, would hold talks with Japanese Foreign Ministry officials on Tuesday. A ministry source said Wu was likely to meet his Japanese nuclear counterpart on Wednesday.
    Japan's envoy on North Korea, Kenji Kanasugi, said after talks with his U.S. and South Korean counterparts that they all agreed China should take a concrete role to resolve the crisis and it could use an oil embargo as a tool to press the North.
    "We believe China has a very, very important role to play," said the US envoy for North Korea policy, Joseph Yun.
    Rare US Senate briefing
    Matching the flurry of diplomatic and military activity in Asia, the State Department in Washington said on Monday U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would chair a special ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on North Korea on Friday.
    Tillerson, along with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Joint Chiefs chairman General Joseph Dunford, would also hold a rare briefing for the entire US Senate on North Korea on Wednesday, Senate aides said.
    A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said those meetings called by US officials clearly reflected the U.S. pressure that could "ignite a full-out war" on the Korean peninsula.
    "The reality of today again proves the decision to strengthen nuclear power in quality and quantity under the banner of pursuing economic development and nuclear power was the correct one," the unidentified spokesman said in a statement issued by the North's state media.
    On Monday, Trump called for tougher UN sanctions on the North, saying it was a global threat and "a problem that we have to finally solve".
    "The status quo in North Korea is also unacceptable," Trump told a meeting with the 15 UN Security Council ambassadors, including China and Russia, at the White House. "The council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs."
    The official China Daily said on Tuesday it was time for Pyongyang and Washington to take a step back from harsh rhetoric and heed voices of reason calling for a peaceful resolution.
    "Judging from their recent words and deeds, policymakers in Pyongyang have seriously misread the U.N. sanctions, which are aimed at its nuclear/missile provocations, not its system or leadership," the newspaper said in an editorial.
    "They are at once perilously overestimating their own strength and underestimating the hazards they are brewing for themselves," it said.
    In a phone conversation with Trump on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all sides to exercise restraint.
    As the carrier group drills continued, the USS Michigan arrived in the South Korean port of Busan on Tuesday, the US Navy said. The nuclear-powered submarine is built to carry and launch ballistic missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
    As well as his military show of force, Trump has sought to press China to do more to rein in its nuclear-armed neighbor.
    China, North Korea's sole major ally, has in turn been angered by Pyongyang's belligerence, as well as its nuclear and missile programs.


  14. Waqas Dar
    Not much fazes Roberta Vinci after 16 years on Tour but the maelstrom swirling around her opening match in Stuttgart against Maria Sharapova will test even the Italian's vast experience.
    Her 946th singles might ordinarily have been one to chalk off and forget about but standing over the other side of the net on Wednesday will be the former world number one on her return from a 15-month doping ban.
    Whatever else is happening on any other tennis court in the world will become irrelevant as Russian multi-millionaire Sharapova, who turned 30 last week, resumes a career that made her the world's richest sportswoman.
    Debate still rages about Sharapova's crime and punishment.
    While some say the five-times grand slam champion, initially banned for two years after testing positive for Meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, has done her time some fellow players are angry the red carpet is being rolled out.
    With no ranking after such a long period without swinging her racket in anger, Sharapova could have been forced to work her way back from the lower rungs of the tennis ladder.
    Instead, with tournament chiefs and sponsors well aware of her ticket-selling appeal she has been handed wildcards into the claycourt events in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome.
    It is not an arrangement Vinci approves of. "My personal opinion is (I do) not agree about wild cards... about Rome, about other tournaments," she said in a press conference at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart.
    "She is a great player - I don't have nothing against her. She made her mistakes for sure. She can return to play but without wild cards. I know (Sharapova) is important for the WTA, for tennis, for everything. She is a great person, a great champion. My personal opinion is this."
    Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska have also cried foul, believing a player returning from a doping ban should have to do it the hard way.
    Sharapova, whose defense was that she had not realised Meldonium had been added to a list of banned substances at the start of 2016, insisted the substance is as common as aspirin in Russia where it is known as Mildronate.
    The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agreed that Sharapova was not an intentional doper shortened her ban from two years to 15 months.
    While admitting her mistake, Sharapova has hardly been full of contrition and has criticised the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for failing to notify her that Meldonium, a medication she said she had used for a number of years to treat health issues, had indeed been flagged up by WADA as 'performance enhancing'.
    Only last week Sharapova's agent Max Eisenbud stoked the fires by saying the likes of Wozniacki and Radwanska were "journeyman" players hoping to benefit from Sharapova's exclusion.
    Sharapova's prospective second-round clash in Stuttgart against Poland's Radwanska could be an awkward encounter.
    A decision is expected soon on whether the French Tennis Federation (FFT) will fast-track the 2012 and 2014 Roland Garros champion into the French Open draw. Her only other route is to win the Stuttgart title so that she can boost her ranking to enter French Open qualifying.
    What adds intrigue to Sharapova's return is that it comes at a time with the WTA Tour reeling from the news that world number one and 23-times major champion Serena Williams will not play again this year after announcing she is pregnant.
    With twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova recovering from being stabbed, former number one Victoria Azarenka still to return from childbirth the cupboard looks a little bare when it comes to headline acts.
    So while Sharapova's might get a lukewarm welcome in the locker room there is no question the money men will welcome her back with open arms, not least Porsche.
    The German sports car giant is the lead partner of the Stuttgart event and also sponsor Sharapova.


  15. Waqas Dar
    Elton John spent two nights in intensive care with a potentially deadly bacterial infection and has canceled all his concerts for the rest of April and May, his publicist said on Monday.
    The British musician, 70, became "violently ill" on a flight home from his recent South American tour, spokeswoman Fran Curtis said in a statement.
    The "Rocket Man" singer spent two nights in intensive care in the UK and is resting at home after being released on Saturday, the statement said.
    The infection was not identified, but the statement said John contracted the "harmful and unusual bacterial infection" during his South American tour, which ended in Chile on April 10.

    "Infections of this nature are rare and potentially deadly," the statement said, adding that his time in intensive care was followed by an "extended stay in the hospital."
    John is expected to make a full recovery but has canceled all his concerts in Las Vegas for April and May, as well as a gig in Bakersfield, California, on May 6.
    John apologized to fans for disappointing them, adding in a statement: "I am extremely grateful to the medical team for their excellence in looking after me so well."
    He is due to resume performances at a concert in Twickenham, England, on June 3.
    John, a Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner for his work in film and theater, is working on a score for a Broadway musical adaptation of the comedy-drama "The Devil Wears Prada."


  16. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Four hardcore terrorists, who were involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism were executed at a jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, according to an ISPR press release.
    The convicts, found guilty of involvement in the killing of innocent civilians, attacking armed forces of Pakistan, and law enforcement agencies  (LEAs) were tried by military courts and awarded the death sentence. 
    Rehman Ud Din (son of Moamber) was an active member of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, who was involved in attacking the armed forces of Pakistan, LEAs, and killing a member of the peace committee. Firearms and explosives were recovered from his possession.
    The convict admitted to his offences before the magistrate and the trial court, following which he was awarded death sentence.
    Read more: Former Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan surrenders to Pakistan Army: DG ISPR
    Another active member of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Mushtaq Khan (son of Umar Saleem), who was also involved in attacking LEAs, which resulted in the death of several soldiers and injuries to an officer and a soldier, was awarded the death sentence after he admitted to his offences before the magistrate and the trial court.
    Khan was found in possession of firearms and explosives.
    Two other members of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Obaid ur Rehman (son of Fazal Hadi) and Zafar Iqbal (son of Muhammad Khan) were also awarded the death sentence after they admitted their offences before the magistrate and the trial court.  
    Rehman was found guilty of killing innocent civilians and possessing explosives whereas Iqbal was found guilty of being involved in attacking LEAs, which resulted in the death of a Junior Commissioned Officer and a soldier of Frontier Constabulary, and injuries to a police Assistant Sub Inspector and a soldier of the Frontier Constabulary. He possessed firearms and explosives.


  17. Waqas Dar
    French artist Abraham Poincheval, who famously spent a week inside a rock and two weeks inside a bear sculpture, has succeeded in hatching chicken eggs after incubating them for some three weeks.
    Poincheval embarked on his latest project in late March of imitating a mother hen by incubating some 10 eggs with his own body heat inside a glass vivarium at Paris' Palais de Tokyo contemporary art museum.

    At the time, he estimated it would take 21-26 days for the eggs to hatch and the first did so on Tuesday.
    A spokeswoman for the museum said on Thursday nine had hatched and the chicks were on their way to a farm.
    For the endeavor, Poincheval sat on a chair, wrapped in an insulating blanket, over a container with the eggs.
    He could leave his seat for no more than 30 minutes a day for meals.

    Earlier this year, the artist spent a week inside a block of stone, while in 2014, he lived in a hollowed-out bear sculpture for two weeks.


  18. Waqas Dar
    The Badlapur actor has come up with a perfect response to Sonu Nigam amidst the Azaan controversy.
    Recently, a new video was shared by Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his social media account where he attempts to strike at the heart of secularism.
    The Bollywood actor also makes an emotional appeal in the video which directly gets in the heart of the viewer.
    Nawaz made the video with Magic If Films (Shamas N Siddiqui who the business manager for the actor) and is titled Sixteen Point Six Six.
    The video starts with him introducing himself in regular clothes, holding up a poster which reads “Hi, I am Nawazuddin Siddiqui.”
    The next one reads “I had got my DNA test done and when the report came in, I found that I am...”. He is then dressed in white kurta pajama with a saffron cloth over his shoulder and a vermillion on his forehead. He now holds the placard that reads ‘16.66% Hindu’.
    Finally, when the actor ‘discovered his soul’, he finds that he is ‘100% artist’.
    The video seems to be Nawaz’s own way of weighing on the national debate raging on secularism in the country.
    Nawaz made the video with Magic If Films (Shamas N Siddiqui who the business manager for the actor) and is titled Sixteen Point Six Six.
    Check out the video below:



  19. Waqas Dar
    French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen stepped down as head of National Front on April 24.
    Pen announced her decision to temporarily “take leave” of the presidency of the National Front, the party founded by her father, remaining only the presidential candidate, after storming into the second round of the French presidential election.
    Ms Le Pen tweeted: “I take leave of the presidency of the @FN_officiel: I am only the candidate for the presidential.”
    "Je me mets en congé de la présidence du @FN_officiel : je ne suis plus que la candidate à la présidentielle." #JT20h pic.twitter.com/4XaLe8rcIq
    Her announcement came just a day after she and Emmanuel Macron were announced as the final two presidential candidates.
    Read more: Polling station evacuated in eastern France due to suspicious vehicle
    The pair will go head-to-head on May 7, when voters return to the polls.
    The surprise move has been interpreted as an attempt to woo the moderate voters she will need to win the presidency.
    Le Pen has worked to bring in voters from the left and right for several years, cleaning up her party's racist, anti-Semitic image to do so.
    Much of the antagonism towards the Front Nationale stems from its association with her father, the convicted racist and Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is now 88.
    He founded the party in 1972, at a time when it was associated with street violence and hatred of foreigners.


  20. Waqas Dar
    The second and final phase of the sixth national housing and population census began on Tuesday in 87 districts of the country.
    Addressing a news briefing in Islamabad, Chief Census Commissioner Asif Bajwa said 87 districts including 21 each in Punjab and Sindh, 12 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six Agencies of FATA, 17 in Balochistan and five each in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan will be covered in this phase.
    “The second phase will continue till May 24,” Bajwa said.
    Read more: SC dismisses request for inclusion of section for Sikhs in census forms
    In response to a question about missing enumerators in Kech district, the census commissioner said that seven out of the eight missing enumerators in the district have returned to their homes while one is still missing.
    The first phase, which commenced on March 15 and ended earlier this month, was conducted in eight districts of Sindh, 16 districts of Punjab, 14 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15 districts of Balochistan, five districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and five districts of Gilgit-Baltistan.
    Read more: Census to be completed at all costs, vows COAS
    As many as 84,000 enumerators are taking part in the census exercise to collect data from 168,120 census blocks across the country. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has reserved about ten percent of its staff and supervisors for the exercise, which brings the total census staff to over 118,000 persons.
    One soldier each is attached to every numerator. A total of 200,000 army personnel are engaged in the exercise.
    The PBS has established a helpline to provide assistance and access to citizens for any inconsistencies in the data collection activities.
    Also read: First phase of population census completed in 63 districts 


  21. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Fires erupted in two different warehouses in Karachi late Monday, according to firefighting officials.
    A blaze erupted inside a tyre warehouse in Mauripur area. Fire tenders faced shortage of water, due to which water bowsers were called in, said Chief Fire Officer Tehseen Ahmed.
    Ahemd said the blaze in Mauripur is of third degree.
    Meanwhile, another blaze was reported in a tent godown in Malir's Memon Goth area. Three fire tenders are busing in extinguishing the fire.
    The chief fire officer said that blazes erupted at the same time and efforts are underway to soon extinguish them.
    No loss of life has yet been reported in the wake of the two fires.


  22. Waqas Dar
    KINGSTON: Yasir Shah ripped through the top order of the West Indies second innings in the final session of another long day to put Pakistan on course for victory at the end of the fourth day of the first Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Monday.
    After captain Misbah ul Haq became just the sixth batsman in Test history to be left stranded on 99 not out as Pakistan were dismissed for 407 in their first innings, the hosts, trailing by 121 runs, were reduced to 93 for four at stumps with Shah taking all four wickets.
    They go into the final day needing another 28 runs to erase the first innings deficit with the pair of nightwatchman, Devendra Bishoo and debutant Vishaul Singh, expected to be under immense pressure, especially from the rampant leg-spinner, when play gets underway on a wearing pitch on the final morning.
    Shah struck with his very first delivery, bowling Kraigg Brathwaite with a ball that skidded through on the opening batsman.
    He quickly added the scalps of newcomer Shimron Hetmayer and Shai Hope before finishing off with the important wicket of Kieran Powell, the opener taken at slip by Younis Khan for a well-played 49.
    That late drama was in contrast to the pedestrian progress through the first two sessions of the day as Misbah worked his team into a dominant position despite being left one run short of an 11th Test century.
    Last man and debutant Mohammad Abbas was trapped leg-before by Roston Chase on the stroke of the tea interval.
    In his usual phlegmatic manner, Misbah ensured Pakistan constructed their position of dominance via a succession of partnerships after they resumed on the fourth morning at 201 for four and facing the threat of the second new ball.
    Yet it was a far from a flawless effort as the West Indies extended their season of woe in the field, allowing the opposing skipper to escape when he should have first been taken at short-leg by Singh off Shannon Gabriel and then later on in the morning session by Alzarri Joseph running back at mid-off to the bowling of leg-spinner Bishoo.
    It was Bishoo who eventually broke an 88-run sixth-wicket stand between Misbah and Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper batsman playing in his usual pugnacious manner in getting to 54 before he was bowled around his legs attempting a sweep shot just after lunch.
    "I just wanted to upset the fast bowlers´ line by doing a few unorthodox things because they were bowling very well," Ahmed explained at the end of the day. "It´s all part of my game to be positive and today it came off."
    During the course of his innings, Ahmed went past 2,000 runs in his Test career.
    Misbah achieved a milestone of his own when he notched his 5,000th Test career run before reaching the half-century mark and began to play an increasingly important role through the afternoon session as the West Indies emerged from the listless indifference of the first session to finally get among the wickets.
    Determination and discipline
    Joseph removed Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz in quick succession to finish with three wickets in the innings, the same as fellow opening bowler Gabriel.
    When substitute fielder Jermaine Blackwood ran out Shah, Misbah was on 68 with the score at 373 for nine.
    However, Abbas displayed determination and discipline in surviving with his captain for 45 minutes while Misbah controlled most of the strike and edged towards the coveted century.
    Just one run away, though, he was denied when Chase trapped the newcomer in front.
    Misbah´s innings spanned nine minutes short of six hours, during which he faced 223 deliveries, striking three sixes and five fours.


  23. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Chairman Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Mustafa Kamal has said that he will stand ‘unconditionally’ with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) if the party resigns from all the assemblies.
    Speaking on Geo News' program 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath,' Kamal said: “If they (MQM-P) collectively resigns, the government will shake. It will be an international news that lawmakers from a party resign for the rights of a city.
    “I will then unconditionally stand with them,” he said, “I will be with them in every movement for the rights of Karachi. Even today, they don’t want to give resignation.”
    Without naming MQM-P, he called the party, “part of the problem”.
    “It is good that they have to come out but it is because people are buying our ideas. They are forced to do it if they don’t they will become obsolete.”
    Kamal said that in the million march scheduled on May 14, PSP will present demands to the provincial government.
    The PSP chairman, however, refrained from disclosing location for the march.
    Earlier on Sunday, the PSP ended its 18-day protest sit-in over civic issues in Karachi. The protest, which began on April 16, was staged outside Karachi Press Club and had been continuing since.
    The protesters also included women and children, besides party leaders and activists.
    A rally was also held from press club to Pakistan House on Sunday. Before the rally started, PSP founder Mustafa Kamal addressed the participants and announced that the party will hold a million march on May 14.
    “We have to prepare for the next phase starting from tomorrow,” he remarked, adding “Tomorrow [Monday] onwards, we will go to the houses of all the people to campaign for the million march.”
    He also said, “We can close the entire city again, if we want, but we are peaceful people.”
    Speaking about the other three rallies in the city on Sunday, he remarked that those political parties are just trying to preserve their false portliness.
    On Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), he said that the part is holding a rally for the sake of its so-called identity.  “MQM never protested over public issues,” he claimed.
     
     


  24. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The inquiry committee formed to probe Dawn leaks has recommended in its report to remove PM's aide on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Rao Tehseen from their posts, sources confided to Geo News late Monday.
    The English-language daily, Dawn, had published a story on October 6, in which journalist Cyril Almeida had written about an alleged civil-military rift during the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting over the issue of tackling jihadi outfits.
    The story drew an outpour of criticism with the military stating that it was fed to the reporter and demanded investigations into it. It cost Almeida placement of his name on the Exit Control List for less than a week, before the government eventually lifted his travel ban.
    However, the committee, headed by Justice (retd) Aamer Raza Khan, has now recommended removal of Tariq Fatemi and Rao Tehseen, sources said.
    The inquiry committee comprised one member each from the ISI, MI and IB, Secretary Establishment Tahir Shahbaz, Ombudsman Punjab Najam Saeed and an FIA director.
    The inquiry report is likely to be presented in next 24 to 48 hours.
    On October 29, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took back the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage from Pervaiz Rashid, weeks after the military's top commanders said a 'false and fabricated' newspaper report breached national security.
    Sources further informed said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved recommendations by the inquiry committee.
     


  25. Waqas Dar
    NEW DELHI: The recent arrest of Vijay Mallya highlighted the problem of bad loans in India, but analysts say the tycoon´s unpaid debts are just the tip of an iceberg that is already holding back the country´s economic growth.
    The multimillionaire owner of a Formula One team and founder of the Kingfisher beer brand was arrested on Tuesday in Britain, where he fled a year ago after allegedly defaulting on loans from Indian state banks worth more than $1 billion.
    From the mid-2000s onwards, Mallya and much of corporate India went on a shopping spree, picking up assets both at home and overseas even as a financial crisis hit the global economy.
    As a result, Indian banks are now saddled with some of the highest levels of bad debts in the emerging markets according to the International Monetary Fund.
    "Banks are so stretched that they´re not even lending to healthy companies, holding back growth," Rajeswari Sengupta, an economist in Mumbai, told AFP.
    "That´s a very big collateral damage... The biggest fall-out is the lack of private sector investment -- banks are stressed, private sectors are stressed, lending to corporates by banks has totally stalled."
    Banks coughed up cash for projects even when the business plans made no sense -- such as a Formula One track on the outskirts of the Indian capital that was practically abandoned after three races.
    Regulators, eager to spur growth, allowed many industries to restructure loans rather than write them off, and also agreed to a moratorium on interest payments.
    The excesses of the period remained hidden as banks sought to keep companies afloat by giving them enough capital to service their loans -- a practice known as ever-greening -- to disguise their own bad debts.
    By 2015, the share of companies it monitored that could not even service the interest on their loans had reached nearly 40 percent, Credit Suisse said in a February report.
    That has led to a situation where both banks and their clients are financially stretched.
    India remains the world´s fastest-growing major economy, with GDP expanding by seven percent in the last three months of 2016 -- the last quarter for which data is available.
    But economists say that growth is fragile because it is being driven by consumer spending rather than investment.
    ´Rotten system´
    India´s government is seeking to extradite Mallya and try him for fraud.
    He has said there is a "witch hunt" against him, arguing that there were much bigger defaulters.
    By September 2016, about 16.6 percent of loans to corporates -- or about 8.4 percent of GDP -- had been declared non-performing, according to Credit Suisse.
    "Eight percent of the GDP is a very big number," Sengupta told AFP.
    "When the size of NPAs (non-performing assets) hits five percent of the GDP, that is considered a crisis, and we have gone way past that."
    Banks were finally forced to confront the problem in September 2015 when the central bank set them a deadline of March 2017 to clean up their balance sheets.
    But more than a year into the forced clean-up, "corporate NPL formation still hasn´t abated at both (state-owned) and private corporate lenders," according to the Credit Suisse report.
    By its count, some 12 trillion rupees ($185 billion) have soured, the bulk of it at public-sector banks.
    The 10 largest corporates in the country -- including the owner of that abandoned F1 track -- are also the most burdened with debt and owe a collective 7.5 trillion rupees.
    "There is still no sign that the affected companies are regaining their health, or even that the bad debt problem is being contained," said Ashish Gupta, Credit Suisse´s head of equity research.
    "To the contrary, the stress on corporates and banks is continuing to intensify, and this in turn is taking a measurable toll on investment and credit."
    Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is looking for solutions.
    One idea his ministry mooted was to create a single "bad bank" which would take over all bad loans and leave the existing lenders in healthier shape.
    Another was to create asset management companies to tackle the problems.
    But not everyone is convinced that there is a way out.
    "We´ve been sitting on this ticking time bomb for so long that I don´t even know what are the solutions," Sengupta said.
    "It´s a completely rotten system and it´s been like this for so long that there´s no good solution any more."


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