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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Bose Corp spies on its wireless headphone customers by using an app that tracks the music, podcasts and other audio they listen to, and violates their privacy rights by selling the information without permission, a lawsuit charged.
    The complaint filed on Tuesday by Kyle Zak in federal court in Chicago seeks an injunction to stop Bose's "wholesale disregard" for the privacy of customers who download its free Bose Connect app from Apple Inc or Google Play stores to their smartphones.
    "People should be uncomfortable with it," Christopher Dore, a lawyer representing Zak, said in an interview. "People put headphones on their head because they think it's private, but they can be giving out information they don't want to share."
    Bose did not respond on Wednesday to requests for comment on the proposed class action case. The Framingham, Massachusetts-based company has said annual sales top $3.5 billion.
    Zak's lawsuit was the latest to accuse companies of trying to boost profit by quietly amassing customer information, and then selling it or using it to solicit more business.
    After paying $350 for his QuietComfort 35 headphones, Zak said he took Bose's suggestion to "get the most out of your headphones" by downloading its app, and providing his name, email address and headphone serial number in the process.
    But the Illinois resident said he was surprised to learn that Bose sent "all available media information" from his smartphone to third parties such as Segment.io, whose website promises to collect customer data and "send it anywhere."
    Audio choices offer "an incredible amount of insight" into customers' personalities, behaviour, politics and religious views, citing as an example that a person who listens to Muslim prayers might "very likely" be a Muslim, the complaint said.
    "Defendants' conduct demonstrates a wholesale disregard for consumer privacy rights," the complaint said.
    Zak is seeking millions of dollars of damages for buyers of headphones and speakers, including QuietComfort 35, QuietControl 30, SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II, SoundLink Color II, SoundSport Wireless and SoundSport Pulse Wireless.
    He also wants a halt to the data collection, which he said violates the federal Wiretap Act and Illinois laws against eavesdropping and consumer fraud.
    Dore, a partner at Edelson PC, said customers do not see the Bose app's user service and privacy agreements when signing up, and the privacy agreement says nothing about data collection.
    Edelson specialises in suing technology companies over alleged privacy violations.

    View the full article
  2. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Another footage of a brawl between two female Norwegian nationals and a lady constable of the Federal Investigation Agency surfaced late Wednesday, in which the two passengers were seen misbehaving with officials on duty at the Islamabad airport.
    The issue began with a scuffle between two female passengers and an FIA lady constable at the Benazir International Airport Islamabad on April 15, over absence of tissue papers in the restrooms during immigration clearance.
    The incident garnered social media attention after a video, showing a FIA female constable berating the same women, surfaced. Due to the beating, the passengers, identified as Haseen Begum, Fauzia Umer and Fatima Umer, also missed their flight to Frankfurt.
    The FIA had at first issued a statement claiming that the passengers misbehaved with FIA official, Noshila Bibi, at the immigration counter.
    However, the fresh Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera video shows the female passengers messing up with the FIA lady constable, before being tortured by another female personnel.
    One of the ladies is seen in the video misbehaving with other officials of the agency present at the airport. Besides shoving hand of the lady constable, she attempted to snatch mobile phone from a male official.
    On Wednesday, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nasir also took notice of the incident at Islamabad airport, and sought a report from the interior secretary and DG FIA in three days.
    The FIA, contrary to its earlier statement, suspended junior constable, Ghazala, for manhandling the passengers.
    Moreover, an enquiry, on the orders of the interior ministry, is underway pertaining to the incident.

    View the full article
  3. Waqas Dar
    People who cycle to work have a substantially lower risk of developing cancer or heart disease or dying prematurely, and governments should do all they can to encourage more active commuting, scientists said on Thursday.
    In a study published in the BMJ British medical journal, the researchers found that cycling to work was linked to the most significant health benefits - including a 45 percent lower risk of developing cancer and a 46 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to non-active commuters.
    Walking to work was linked to a 27 percent lower risk of developing heart disease and a 36 percent lower risk of dying from it, though it also appeared to have no effect on cancer risk or overall premature death risk, the study showed.
    The research involved 264,377 people with an average age of 53 whose data forms part of the UK Biobank - a database of biological information from half a million British adults.
    Since the study was observational, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, the researchers said. Its findings could also be affected by some confounding factors, they added, including that the mode and distance of commuting was self-reported, rather than objectively measured.
    However, "the findings, if causal, suggest population health may be improved by policies that increase active commuting, particularly cycling", they said.
    These would include creating more cycle lanes, introducing more bike buying or hiring schemes, and providing better access for cyclists on public transport.
    Lars Bo Andersen, a professor at the Western Norwegian University of Applied Sciences, who was not directly involved in the research but wrote a commentary on it in the BMJ, said its findings "are a clear call for political action on active commuting", saying this had the potential to significantly improve public health by reducing rates of chronic disease.
    "A shift from cars to more active modes of travel will also decrease traffic in congested city centres and help reduce air pollution, with further benefits for health," he said.

    View the full article
  4. Waqas Dar
    CARACAS: Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas as demonstrators staged what they billed as the "mother of all marches" against President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday, and a student caught up in a clash died after being shot in the head.
    Opposition supporters protested in Caracas and other cities, denouncing Maduro for eroding democracy and plunging the oil-rich economy into chaos. Crowds swelled to hundreds of thousands, including Maduro supporters who held a counter-demonstration in the capital at the urging of the president, and clashes were reported across the South American country.
    Maduro says that beneath a peaceful facade, the protests are little more than opposition efforts to foment a coup to end socialism in Venezuela.
    The dueling marches drew parallels to the clashes between pro and anti-government protesters in 2002 that triggered a brief coup against late President Hugo Chavez.
    Carlos Moreno, 18, a student, was on his way to play soccer in Caracas and did not plan to take part in the demonstration when government supporters approached an opposition gathering and fired shots, according to witnesses and a family member. Moreno was shot in the head, they said.
    His death means six people have now been killed during protests in Venezuela this month. The opposition blames the deaths on security forces and armed pro-government supporters seeking to spook protesters.
    Waving the country's red, yellow and blue flags and shouting "No more dictatorship" and "Maduro out," demonstrators clogged a stretch of the main highway in Caracas. Troops fired tear gas in Caracas neighbourhoods, the border city of San Cristobal, the depressed industrial city of Puerto Ordaz, and the arid northern city of Punto Fijo.
    "We have to protest because this country is dying of hunger said Alexis Mendoza, a 53-year-old administrator marching in the Caracas neighbourhood of El Paraiso. "There are a lot of people in the opposition and they are full of courage."
    The march followed a fortnight of violent protests, in which five people have been killed, triggered by a Supreme Court decision in March to assume the powers of the opposition-led Congress - which it quickly reversed under international pressure.
    The court's move nonetheless fuelled long-simmering anger over the ruling Socialist Party's handling of the economy. The OPEC country suffers from Soviet-style shortages of food and medicines and triple-digit inflation.
    The opposition is demanding early elections, the freeing of jailed politicians, humanitarian aid, and respect for the autonomy of the opposition-led legislature.
    Moreno, the student hit by gunfire, died in a clinic after undergoing surgery, according to three security officials who asked not to be identified.
    "There was an exchange of words, the situation got complicated and, well, they shot the young man," said Arhiam Cano, a graphic designer who witnessed the event, in a telephone interview. "When they took him to (a nearby clinic), the government supporters left."
    Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond to an email seeking details.
    The marchers gathered at more than two dozen points around Caracas, although some were stalled by authorities closing around 20 subway stops. Protesters hoped to converge on the office of the state ombudsman, a guarantor of human rights, but like in previous attempts were blocked by the National Guard.
    In many cases protests have ended with youths throwing rocks squaring off against security forces spraying tear gas in melees that have dragged on well into the evening.
    ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
    Maduro has charged that the opposition is trying to relive the 2002 coup against Chavez, his predecessor and mentor. Analysts say there is less likelihood of a putsch against Maduro because Chavez launched a broad purge of the armed forces following his brief ouster.
    Many Venezuelans also steer clear of protests, too busy looking for food, fearful of violence, or cynical that marches can bring about change.
    Socialist Party officials dismiss the opposition marches as efforts to destabilize the government, pointing to barricades of burning trash mounted by protesters and vandalism of public property.
    "They've got the right to march but marching isn't burning stuff, throwing rocks," said Jahil Marcano, a 48-year-old construction worker who had joined the pro-government rally. "They view us Chavistas with hatred."
    Venezuela benefited for years from oil-fueled consumption and many poor citizens rose into the middle class. But the 2014 collapse in oil prices left the government unable to maintain a complex system of subsidies and price controls. Snaking grocery lines are now a common sight and people routinely say they skip meals and cannot find basic medication.
    Further spurring outrage was a decision by the national comptroller's office earlier this month to disqualify opposition leader and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles from holding office for 15 years, dashing his hopes for the presidency.
    The elections council, which is sympathetic to the government, has delayed votes for state governors that were supposed to take place last year. The opposition charges that this is because the Socialist Party would be likely to fare poorly in such a vote.
    Eleven Latin American countries issued a joint statement this week calling on authorities to set a time frame for elections to "allow for a quick solution to the crisis that Venezuela is living through."
    Demonstrators also gathered on Wednesday in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz, home to Venezuela's struggling state-run mining companies, and the oil city of Maracaibo.
    "I've just graduated ... and what I've got in the bank isn't enough for a bottle of cooking oil," said Gregorio Mendoza, a 23-year-old engineer in Puerto Ordaz. "We're poorer every day."

    View the full article
  5. Waqas Dar
    New York's famed Empire State Building lit up with sky-high iconic fashion photographs after nightfall on Wednesday to celebrate the 150th anniversary of style magazine Harper's Bazaar.
    Beginning at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Thursday) and slated to run until midnight, the north side of the building flashed iconic shoots and cultural moments from the pages of Harper's into the New York skyline.
    Among reproductions of the glossy pages set to shine over Manhattan, and streamed live on the magazine's Facebook page, was Barbadian superstar Rihanna sitting in the mouth of Jaws.
    Since 1976 the Empire State Building has traditionally changed the colour of its tower lights to celebrate or commemorate different occasions and organisations throughout the year.
    In 2012, they installed a new computer-driven LED light system capable of displaying 16 million colours, which can change instantaneously.

    View the full article
  6. Waqas Dar
    Thousands of Syrians were evacuated from besieged towns on Wednesday with tight security in place after a weekend bombing against those leaving government-held areas killed dozens, including nearly 70 children.
    The evacuations are part of a deal between government and opposition representatives to relieve thousands from suffocating sieges imposed by the regime and rebels.
    A large convoy of buses set out from the government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib province on Wednesday morning, carrying 3,000 people to the rebel-held transit point of Rashidin near Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said.
    At the same time, 11 buses carrying around 300 people left rebel-held Zabadani, Serghaya and Jabal Sharqi in Damascus province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
    Evacuees finally reached the government-controlled district of Ramussa south of Aleppo on Wednesday evening, the Observatory said.
    Security was tight throughout the day, AFP's correspondent said, after a devastating bomb attack on evacuees in Rashidin on Saturday that according to the Observatory killed 126 people, including 68 children.
    Most of the dead were from the two towns, with a handful of aid workers and rebels guarding the convoy also killed.
    Dozens of wounded were taken to hospitals in nearby rebel-held territory, while others were taken to Aleppo, which government forces regained full control of late last year.
    When the exchange is complete, a total of 8,000 people should have left Fuaa and Kafraya, with another 2,500 civilians and rebels leaving opposition areas.
    'Everything in God's hands'

    Armed rebels were standing guard at Rashidin on Wednesday and carefully inspecting vehicles arriving in the area.
    "We chose a different location as the gathering point for fighters from Fuaa and Kafraya with their families, because we are obliged to protect them until they leave here," said rebel fighter Abu Obeida al-Shami.
    Buses were parked in a semi-circle, forming a makeshift barrier around an area in the centre of a lot where evacuees including dozens of children milled.
    "Where do I even start? It would have been easier if we had just died. Death is so much easier than this humiliation," said elderly evacuee Abu Ahmad.
    He told AFP he was preparing himself never to see his hometown of Fuaa again.
    "Someone like me, who is already 85 years old -- I'm going to die tomorrow or the day after."
    Pro-government militiamen among those being evacuated from Fuaa and Kafraya squatted next to one bus, smoking cigarettes.
    Standing nearby, 55-year-old Um Joud from Fuaa said it was difficult to describe how she felt.
    "I'm not afraid, because everything is in God's hands," she told AFP.
    "Of course I would have preferred to stay in my home, but I left for the sake of my children and their lives and futures."
    The deal was brokered late last month by Qatar, a longtime opposition supporter, and Iran, a key regime ally, but its implementation had been repeatedly delayed.
    Zabadani and neighbouring Madaya "are now empty of any rebel presence," said Mayyada al-Aswad, a member of the coordinating committee for the operation on the government side.
    Wednesday's evacuations mark the end of the first stage of the deal, with a second phase due to begin in June.
    Fuaa and Kafraya will be emptied entirely, with residents and fighters heading to Aleppo and then on to government-held Latakia or Damascus.
    All rebels are expected to leave Madaya, Zabadani, and other nearby oppositions-held areas, but civilians who want to remain may do so.
    Those leaving rebel-held areas will head to Idlib province, which is held by an opposition alliance.
    30,000 to be evacuated

    In all, up to 30,000 people are expected to leave under the deal.
    President Bashar al-Assad says evacuation deals are the best way to end the six-year war, but the opposition says they amount to forced relocation after years of bombardment and siege.
    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's bombing, which was condemned by Syria's opposition, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham rebel group.
    The government blamed "terrorists" -- a catch-all term for its opponents.
    Syrian state television on Wednesday reported another bomb blast in Aleppo that killed six people.
    A local medic told AFP that 32 people were wounded in the blast.
    The United Nations says 600,000 Syrians live under siege, mostly by the Syrian army, but also by rebels or the Islamic State group.
    The war has killed more than 320,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. More than half of the population have been forced from their homes.

    View the full article
  7. Waqas Dar
    The US economy has continued to expand with only modest price increases, but companies are increasingly complaining of trouble finding workers, including for low-skill jobs, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.
    In its periodic report on economic conditions, known as the beige book, the Fed noted fairly widespread optimism in the manufacturing sector, as output continued to gain, tempered with some caution due to issues including uncertainty over Trump administration trade policies.
    All of the 12 Federal Reserve districts across the country once again reported continued economic growth since the March survey, "with the pace of expansion equally split between modest and moderate" according to the report, which collects views of economists, business contacts and others across the country.
    But amid the growth and rising employment, the striking feature of the report was nearly every district saw increasing signs of labor shortages, which now extend beyond high-skilled technical jobs and are hitting sectors like construction.
    "Labor markets remained tight, and employers in most districts had more difficulty filling low-skilled positions, although labor demand was stronger for higher skilled workers," the survey said.
    The competition for workers led to anecdotal reports of companies offering higher pay or bonuses, staffing firms declining to work with employers paying less than $11 an hour, and one South Carolina construction firm closing its doors after 25 years.
    And although wage increases generally ranged from "modest to moderate," the potential for tight labor markets to push wages higher and spill over into inflation will be a key concern as central bankers review the report ahead of the May 2-3 policy meeting to determine the level of the benchmark lending rate.
    Already worker shortages in some areas and increased labor costs "were restraining growth in some sectors, including manufacturing, transportation, and construction."
    The Fed has increased the key interest rate twice since December, and is widely expected to hike twice more this year to get ahead of inflation as the economic recovery accelerates.
    However, if inflation ignites it likely would prompt the Fed to raise rates more quickly.
    The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, grew at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in February, passing the Fed's two percent target for the first time since early 2012.
    The PCE price measure has been gaining steadily and joins other data showing gradually rising prices, including the consumer price index which in March rose 2.4 percent.
    Optimism in manufacturing

    Most areas of the country reported a "modest to moderate" expansion in manufacturing, a key focus of the Trump administration, with widespread optimism about orders in the coming six months.
    However, some businesses were cautious and noted some of the optimism might be overblown.
    "Several contacts expressed concerns about policy uncertainty," the Boston Fed said, noting worries about trade policy.
    The Fed in Cleveland, Ohio said a few large manufacturers "cautioned that the new found optimism may be unwarranted," and pointed to the strong dollar and uncertain trade policy as issues of concern.
    Dallas-area firms were particularly concerned with trade policies impacting Mexico, which has close ties to that region of the country.
    Labor shortages also could hinder manufacturing, with firms in the district of Richmond, Virginia, saying the issue has pushed up labor costs and squeezed margins "leading to cutbacks in planned capital spending."


  8. Waqas Dar
    SHEIKHUPURA: Eight terrorists affiliated with a banned outfit were killed in a shootout in Sheikhupura late Wednesday, officials of the Counter Terrorism Department claimed.
    A raid was conducted in Sheikhupura's Narang Mandi area following a tip-off, which led to an exchange of gunfire with terrorists late Wednesday, CTD officials said.
    Consequently, eight terrorists were killed, who were said to be affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, they said. The deceased could not be immediately identified.
    Two CTD personnel were also reportedly injured in exchange of gunfire.
    The law enforcers recovered 3 kg explosives, suicide vests, three Kalashnikovs, five handguns and several live rounds from the scene. Officials added that three to four terrorists managed to flee during the encounter.
    They said the deceased terrorists wanted to target key places and installations in the city.
    The bodies of terrorists and injured personnel were shifted to hospital.


  9. Waqas Dar
    BARCELONA: Barcelona failed to produce another miraculous Champions League comeback as Juventus held out for a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals 3-0 on aggregate.
    The Spanish champions had overcome a 4-0 first leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 with a dramatic 6-1 win back on home soil.
    But Juventus showed why they boast the best defensive record in the competition as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were blunted as the Italians gained revenge for their defeat in the 2015 Champions League final.
    Juventus join holders Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Monaco in Friday's semi-final draw.
    Straight from kick-off the visitors seemed determined to learn from the French champions' mistakes.
    Massimiliano Allegri's men pressed high to prevent Barca dominating possession and enjoyed the better of the early chances.
    Former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain volleyed over from the edge of the area before only a brilliant challenge from Gerard Pique prevented Juan Cuadrado's cross providing Higuain with a tap in.
    Barca had to wait 19 minutes for their first clear sight of goal as they intricately worked the ball around a packed Juventus box before Messi fired inches wide.
    Messi then Gianluigi Buffon's palms for the first time on the half-hour mark.
    At the other end, Higuain threatened again when he just couldn't get enough power on Miralem Pjanic's dinked cross to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
    Neymar had been Barca's hero in a remarkable finish with two goals and an assist in the final minutes against PSG.
    Yet, he found it far harder up against friend and former Barca teammate Dani Alves and his frustrations at a perceived lack of protection from referee Bjorn Kuipers spilled over as he was booked just before half-time.
    Juventus also had the first big chance of the second half as Cuadrado fired across Ter Stegen but wide of the far post.
    Ter Stegen was then forced to turn behind another driven effort from the Colombian.
    Messi was being forced to come deep in search of possession, but he briefly had Juventus hearts in mouths with a low effort that was deflected inches wide.
    Barca boss Luis Enrique forlornly turned to Paco Alcacer from the bench as the hosts played with four forwards for the final half hour.
    Messi had another big chance after a rare Buffon handling error from a corner, but unfortunately for Barca it fell on his right foot and the Argentine fired well over.
    Sergi Roberto was Barca's unlikely hero with the 95th minute goal that sealed the 6-1 win over PSG six weeks ago.
    He nearly delivered another important and rare goal, but when the right-back's effort flew inches wide 20 minutes from time so did Barcelona's hopes.
    Juventus comfortably saw out the final stages to register their eighth clean sheet in 10 Champions League games this season.
    And the only negative news of the night for the Bianconeri was a yellow card for Sami Khedira that will rule the German international out of the first leg of their semi-final.


  10. Waqas Dar
    MONACO: Teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe scored again to set Monaco on their way to a 3-1 second-leg victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday that allowed them to win their Champions League quarter-final 6-3 on aggregate.
    Radamel Falcao also netted for the home side in a whirlwind start at the Stade Louis II, and Dortmund were left with too much to do to save the tie.
    Their skipper Marco Reus pulled a goal back early in the second half but Valere Germain came off the bench to put the seal on a famous win for a brilliant young Monaco side, who go through to the last four for the first time since 2004.
    Meanwhile, Dortmund bow out after a tie overshadowed by the bomb attack on the team's bus last week that forced the first leg to be postponed by a day.
    The Germans lost that match 3-2, their minds elsewhere, but their hopes of turning the tie around in the second leg were not helped when their bus was held up on the way to the Stade Louis II, leading to a five-minute delay to the kick-off.
    UEFA blamed "heavy traffic" for the hold-up but, on their official Twitter account, Dortmund said they had been delayed in leaving their hotel by police for around 20 minutes "without justification".
    While the appearance of Spanish defender Marc Bartra -- who needed surgery for a broken wrist suffered in last week's attack -- at the stadium was a boost to Dortmund, the delay unsettled Thomas Tuchel's side and their hopes of turning the tie around were effectively ended in a terrible opening 20 minutes.
    The away defence backed off as Benjamin Mendy advanced and when the full-back's powerful left-foot strike stung the palms of goalkeeper Roman Burki, the 18-year-old Mbappe was on hand to convert the rebound.
    That strike meant Mbappe, who netted twice in the first leg, became the youngest player ever to reach five goals in the Champions League, beating Real Madrid great Raul by 41 days.
    Nuri Sahin cracked a free-kick off a post at the other end and Monaco survived that scare to increase their lead on 17 minutes at the end of a counter-attack.
    The rampaging Mendy's initial cross came back to Thomas Lemar and he held up a ball that was headed home by captain Falcao, the prolific Colombian marking his 50th appearance in European competition with his 45th goal.
    Like in the first leg, Tuchel's decision to start with three at the back had backfired and he changed things up before the half-hour mark, bringing on Ousmane Dembele for Erik Durm and revertng to a four-man defence.
    Dortmund now needed to score three times without reply just to force extra time but they did not manage to get one back until three minutes after the restart, Dembele tormenting Mendy on the right before his cutback was lashed home first-time by Reus.
    But it was Monaco who had the best chances to score again after that, with Burki tipping over Almamy Toure's looping header and Falcao squandering a fine chance before substitute Germain made sure of their place in the last four.
    He had only just come on for Mbappe when he applied a first-time finish to Lemar's square ball with nine minutes to go, allowing Monaco to join Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in the semi-final draw.


  11. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan will announce its verdict in the Panama leaks case on April 20 at 2 PM.
    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are holding meetings ahead of the verdict.
    Read: What will Panama judgement entail? 
    ‘Not waiting for any decision’
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told a meeting of PML-N leaders that he was not waiting for any decision, sources informed Geo News.
    The prime minister stressed that they were elected by the people to work, not to wait on decisions. “I am working and will continue to work,” the PM was quoted by sources.
    Prime Minister Sharif in a message aimed at those attending the meetings, said that elections in Pakistan will be held as per the schedule in 2018.
    He was also critical of the performance of the PPP in Sindh, stating that the party in the last eight years had not done anything in the province.
    Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said that Zardari and ‘his gang’ had kept the people of Sindh in a stranglehold.

    PM Nawaz says elections will be held in 2018
    PTI will go to the public
    The central leadership of the PTI met under party chief Imran Khan and discussed the party’s course of action following the Panama case verdict.
    According to sources, the party has decided to go to the public irrespective of what the verdict is. The leadership of the party has also recommended holding a rally at the Parade Ground in Islamabad.

    PTI leaders have recommended holding a rally in Islamabad
     
    PPP to form grand opposition alliance after verdict
    Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has decided to form a grand opposition alliance after the verdict.
    Sources said that PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari chairing a party meeting on Wednesday said that they don’t have high expectations from the verdict.
    The sources said that PPP had decided to form a grand opposition alliance after the Panama verdict. Zardari said that the PPP would not take solo flight but take all the opposition parties into confidence after the Panama decision.
    The former president said that a befitting response would also be given to the decision.
    During the meeting, it was decided to launch a mass contact drive in the country while a formal approval was also given to start protests against load-shedding.
    Earlier, speaking to Geo.Tv, Senator and former Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman said "If the judgement is a slap on the wrist it will show that there is one kind of justice reserved for the Sharif family and another for the Pakistan Peoples Party" the Senator said citing disqualification of Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister during the PPP's tenure.
    The party’s legal advisers have also been asked to stay in the capital.
    Panama leaks case
    It all began in April 2016 with a huge leak of 11.5 million documents from the database of a Panama-based law firm, Mossack Fonseca, exposing politicians, celebrities, businessmen and criminals who had set up offshore companies.
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family came under fire at home with opposition parties accusing them of widespread corruption, after names of PM’s children cropped up in the leaked documents from the Panamanian law firm.
    On October 20, 2016, the Supreme Court took up petitions by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamhoori Watan Party and others for hearing, in an open court, beginning the long-drawn proceedings of the case in the apex court.
    The five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court concluded hearing the Panama Papers case on February 23, and reserved the final judgment. Headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, the larger bench comprised Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. 
     


  12. Waqas Dar
    Twenty-First Century Fox Inc has decided to part ways with star cable news host Bill O'Reilly following allegations of sexual harassment, the company said on Wednesday.
    “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel,” the company said in a statement.
    O'Reilly said in an April 1 statement that he had been unfairly targeted because of his public prominence. Marc Kasowitz, O'Reilly's lawyer, said in a statement on Tuesday that the television host "has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America."
    It is not known exactly how Fox News would handle O'Reilly's exit or whether he would be allowed to say goodbye to viewers on the air, according to the New York magazine report.
    Representatives at Fox News and its parent, Twenty-First Century Fox, were not immediately available for comment about how O'Reilly might be replaced. A representative for O'Reilly, who has been off the air on vacation since April 11, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    A Vatican photograph showed O'Reilly shaking hands with Pope Francis after a general audience on Wednesday, but it was not clear if the Pope knew who the television host was.
    The New York Times reported on April 1 that Fox and O'Reilly, a 20-year veteran of the conservative cable network, paid five women a total of $13 million to settle harassment claims. The five women who received settlements either worked for O'Reilly or appeared as guests on his program, according to the New York Times story.
    O'Reilly said in the statement at the time that he had settled only to spare his children from the controversy.
    O'Reilly's show, "The O'Reilly Factor," is the top-rated show on Fox News. According to ad-tracking firm Kantar Media, it brought in $147.13 million in advertising revenue in 2016. Twenty-First Century Fox’s last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2016, brought in a total of $7.65 billion in advertising revenue.
    But after the New York Times report, advertisers including BMW of North America, Allstate Corp, French pharmaceuticals maker Sanofi SA and T. Rowe Price, pulled their advertising from O'Reilly's primetime "The O'Reilly Factor" show.
    O'Reilly's exit, which was first reported by New York magazine, follows that of former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, who was forced to resign in July after being accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women, including former anchor Gretchen Carlson. Ailes has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
    Twenty-First Century Fox had tapped the law firm Paul, Weiss Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which also looked into the allegations against Ailes, to investigate O'Reilly's conduct.
    "The O’Reilly Factor" has been the most-watched program on Fox News and was coming off the highest-rated first quarter in its history, averaging 4 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
    Investors seemed to take the news in stride. Shares of Twenty-First Century Fox were down less than 1 percent at $30.50 in Wednesday afternoon trading.
    O’Reilly’s departure will not have any effect on Twenty-First Century Fox’s overall profitability, said Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research.
    Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are co-executive chairmen of the company and son James is chief executive officer.
    “They could literally go dark during the time his program airs and they would still be profitable,” said Wieser.
    A bigger issue for investors is what the Murdochs will do to prevent the company being in the headlines again just a few months from now, Wieser said. “That’s bigger than O’Reilly,” he said. “The cultural issue is a big issue.”


  13. Waqas Dar
    A 75-year-old man died "peacefully" at his home in the US state of Oregon after his ex-wife led him to believe that President Donald Trump had been impeached.
    Michael Garland Elliott died earlier this month after Teresa Elliott, his ex-wife and best friend, broke the false news to him, according to his obituary published in The Oregonian.
    "Upon hearing that he took his final, gentle breath, his earthly work concluded," the obituary said.
    Teresa Elliott told several US media outlets that her ex-husband was appalled by Trump´s election and she wrongly told him he had been impeached so he could die happy.
    Elliott, who was born in Virginia and later moved to California, was a Porsche enthusiast and was passionate about golf, the humourous obituary says.
    On moving to California after college, he joined a semi-professional basketball team that toured the country dressed as women, it added.
    "At such times Mike was called Skaggy Maggie and continued round-ball domination, albeit with a different uniform," the obit says.
    It said that though his marriage to Elliott ended, the pair had remained friends after their divorce "and hers was the last voice Mike heard."
    Dozens of tributes have been posted on The Oregonian´s "guest book" to honor Elliott.
    "This was the best dang obituary I´ve ever read," one person wrote. "May its words be prophecy."


  14. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rasheed has predicted that the Supreme Court`s decision on the Panama Leaks case would be against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
    Speaking in Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Rasheed said that coffin of corruption would come out of the courtroom.
    “I have prepared one speech and I am sure that tomorrow will be the day of political funeral for the PML-N,” however, he immediately added, “we will accept the decision even if it is against us.”
    “I suggest Nawaz Sharif to distance himself from incompetent people”
    Meanwhile, banners in support of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif surfaced in areas of Lahore, a day after the Supreme Court announced that the verdict of the Panama leaks case would come on April 20.
    The banners, which showed up in the constituency of Khawaja Saad Rafique, had slogans printed which read: “Nawaz Sharif qadam barhao hum tumharay saath hain (Move forward Nawaz Sharif, we are with you).
    The banners appeared overnight in NA-125 constituency, having pictures of MNA Saad Rafique, MPA Mian Naseer Ahmed and Yasin Sohal.
    The Supreme Court will announce its verdict in the Panama Leaks case on April 20 at 2 PM.
    The case stems from documents leaked from the Panama-based Mossack Fonseca law firm appeared to show that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif´s daughter and two sons owned offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and used them to buy properties in London.
    PM Sharif told parliament last year that his family wealth was acquired legally in the decades before he entered politics and that no money was siphoned off-shore.
    The  Supreme Court has taken up petitions by PTI chairman Imran Khan, JI chief Siraj-ul-Haq and AML head Sheikh Rashid seeking the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
     
     


  15. Waqas Dar
    Tennis great Serena Williams hinted Wednesday that she´s expecting her first child, posting a photo of herself on Snapchat captioned "20 weeks".
    The photo, captured by US media, shows Williams in a yellow swimsuit with what appears to be a baby bump.
    The timing means that the 35-year-old American would have been pregnant when she won her record-setting 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January -- where she beat her sister Venus in the final.
    "The GOAT herself @serenawilliams took to Snapchat to announce she´s 20 weeks pregnant! Congratulations Serena!" the US Tennis Association, organizers of the US Open, tweeted.
    Fans, too, reacted with astonishment on social media.
    "Serena Williams was pregnant when she won her 23rd grand slam tournament at the Australian Open. And did not drop ONE SET. Let that sink in," tweeted @noelleharmony.
    Williams cited a knee injury in pulling out of tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March. Her inactivity saw her drop to second in the world rankings, but she is poised to return to regain the top spot from Germany´s Angelique Kerber on Monday.
    In December, Williams announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, first sharing that news on the Reddit social media site.
    While pregnancy may spell the end of Williams´s season, it doesn´t mean she won´t be back on court.
    Belgium´s Kim Clijsters came out of retirement at the age of 26 after having a child and won three Grand Slam titles.
    Australians Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court also won Grand Slam titles after having children.
    Former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 27, won the Indian Wells and Miami titles in March of last year before missing the rest of the season after announcing she was expecting a baby in December.
    Since the birth of son Leo, Azarenka has returned to training and plans to return to competition at the WTA tournament in Stanford, California, in July.


  16. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has announced to hold a public gathering immediately after the Supreme Court's decision tomorrow irrespective of the verdict on Panama Leaks case.
    The central leadership of the PTI met under party chief Imran Khan on Wednesday and discussed the party’s course of action following the Panama case verdict.
    The party has decided that only the senior leadership of the party will appear before the Supreme Court to hear the decision and requested its workers to arrive at the Parade Ground rally.
    PPP to form grand opposition alliance after verdict
    Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has decided to form a grand opposition alliance after the verdict.
    Sources said that PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari chairing a party meeting on Wednesday said that they don’t have high expectations from the verdict.
    The sources said that PPP had decided to form a grand opposition alliance after the Panama verdict. Zardari said that the PPP would not take solo flight but take all the opposition parties into confidence after the Panama decision.
    The former president said that a befitting response would also be given to the decision.
    During the meeting, it was decided to launch a mass contact drive in the country while a formal approval was also given to start protests against load-shedding.
    Panama leaks case
    It all began in April 2016 with a huge leak of 11.5 million documents from the database of a Panama-based law firm, Mossack Fonseca, exposing politicians, celebrities, businessmen and criminals who had set up offshore companies.
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family came under fire at home with opposition parties accusing them of widespread corruption, after names of PM’s children cropped up in the leaked documents from the Panamanian law firm.
    On October 20, 2016, the Supreme Court took up petitions by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamhoori Watan Party and others for hearing, in an open court, beginning the long-drawn proceedings of the case in the apex court.
    The five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court concluded hearing the Panama Papers case on February 23, and reserved the final judgment. Headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, the larger bench comprised Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. 
     
     


  17. Waqas Dar
    Within two years after a heart attack, nearly one in five people stop taking life-saving cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, according to a new US study. 
    And nearly two in five end up taking the drugs in lower doses or less often than they should, the researchers report in JAMA Cardiology. 
    "From a societal perspective, we need to make sure the highest-risk individuals are being treated with guideline-directed therapy," said senior author Dr. Robert Rosenson, a professor of cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. 
    Rosenson and colleagues write that the 2013 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) recommend high-intensity statins for people 75 years and younger who have coronary heart disease. The pills help prevent future cardiovascular events. 
    Statins include medications like Lipitor, which is sold generically as atorvastin, and Crestor, which is also known as rosuvastin. They work by inhibiting the production of cholesterol in the liver. 
    Rosenson told Reuters Health his team had previously found low use of high-intensity statins in people with previous heart attacks. The new study aimed to find out what traits were associated with discontinuing or reducing statins. 
    The researchers analyzed data collected from 57,898 people aged 66 years and older on Medicare, the publicly funded health insurance for the elderly and disabled. 
    Everyone in the study was hospitalized for a heart attack at some point between 2007 and 2012. They also all filled a prescription for a high-intensity statin within 30 days of leaving the hospital. 
    After six months, about 59 percent of people ages 66 to 75 continued to regularly take their high-intensity statin. About 9 percent switched to a lower dose. About another 17 percent took the medications irregularly and about 12 percent stopped taking the drugs altogether. 
    After two years, only about 42 percent were regularly taking their statins. About 13 percent had switched to a lower dose. About 19 percent were taking the drugs infrequently and another 19 percent had stopped the drugs altogether. 
    The researchers saw similar results for people age 75 and older, for whom the ACC/AHA guidelines generally recommend a slightly lower dose of statins. 
    African Americans and Hispanics, and those taking statins for the first time, were less likely to regularly take their medication. People were more likely to regularly take their statins if they saw their cardiologists often, took part in cardiac rehabilitation programs or were also enrolled in Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income patients administered by states and the federal government.
    People were more likely to regularly take their statins if they saw their cardiologists often, took part in cardiac rehabilitation programs or were also enrolled in Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income patients administered by states and the federal government.
    The researchers conclude that lower costs, more cardiologist visits and cardiac rehabilitation may boost the number of people staying on high-intensity statins and ultimately reduce the risk of future heart attacks. 
    Rosenson noted that statins are now available in less expensive generic forms. "You can’t say that cost accounts for all of this," he said. 
    People should know that statins have benefits beyond just lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as "bad" cholesterol, he said. They also have anti-inflammatory benefits. 
    "I think what the public needs to know is discontinuing or down-titrating your statins is associated with a greater risk of having a second heart attack and being in the hospital with a cardiovascular event that may result in a procedure that results in higher healthcare cost for them and the entire public," he told Reuters Health.


  18. Waqas Dar
    Palestinian leaders on Wednesday denounced Israel´s refusal to negotiate with Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli jails, warning of a "new intifada" if any of them die.
    Some 1,500 Palestinian prisoners have joined the hunger strike that began Monday, according to Issa Qaraqe, head of detainees´ affairs for the Palestinian Authority.
    Contacted by AFP, Israel´s prison service declined to comment on the number.
    The hunger strike has been led by prominent prisoner and popular Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences over his role in the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
    The prisoners have made a range of demands, from better medical care to access to telephones.
    Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes.
    Around 500 are held under administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charge.
    Palestinian prisoners have mounted repeated hunger strikes, but rarely on such a scale.
    Qaraqe said the strike followed months of attempts at negotiations with Israeli authorities.
    "If their demands are not met, more prisoners will join the strike," he said.
    "We have asked the international community and the UN to intervene immediately."
    He added that if prisoners die, "that could lead to a new intifada."
    Israeli officials have vowed not to negotiate with the hunger strikers, with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan on Tuesday calling them "terrorists and incarcerated murderers."
    Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said that authorities "would not hesitate to implement the law which authorises the force-feeding of detainees".
    The controversial law passed in 2015 concerns hunger strikers whose life is deemed in danger.
    Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he wanted to take the approach of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who publicly refused to accede to the demands of IRA hunger strikers in 1981, 10 of whom died.
    Qaraqe accused Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of "incitement" against the prisoners.
    Shawan Jabarin of Palestinian rights group Al-Haq said invoking the force-feeding law would be "tantamount to torture."
    Barghouti is popular among Palestinians, with polls suggesting he could win the Palestinian presidency.
    While many Palestinians view him as a hero, Israelis point to the bloody suicide attacks of the second intifada of 2000-2005 and his role in the uprising.
    He was convicted of attacks that killed five people, though declined to defend himself and did not recognise the court´s legitimacy.
    For Palestinians, the prisons have become a stark symbol of Israel´s occupation.
    Some 850,000 Palestinians have been incarcerated since the start of Israel´s occupation 50 years ago, Palestinian leaders say.


  19. Waqas Dar
    PARIS: Astronomers on Wednesday announced the discovery of a "super-Earth" orbiting a nearby star which may offer the most promising target yet in the search for life beyond the Solar System.
    Named LHS 1140b, the planet orbits a star 40 light years away, circling it in the coveted "Goldilocks" zone.
    This is the distance from a star where the temperature is not too hot, nor too cold, but just right.
    So if there is water, the stuff of life, it can exist encouragingly in liquid form and not as rock-solid ice or vapour.
    Previous worlds in this temperate zone have already been spotted, notably a clutch unveiled just two months ago to great fanfare.
    But LHS 1140b is exceptional because of its location. Astronomers have a relatively grandstand view of it, and already some beguiling things are known.
    One way to hunt exoplanets, a field launched a quarter of a century ago, is to analyse tiny dips in starlight that occur when a planet transits in front of its star.
    From these minute changes, useful but sketchy details can be gleaned about the passing object.
    In the case of LHS 1140b, the starlight is bright, the orbit is only 25 days and the planet is seen almost edge-on from Earth.
    As a result, astronomers have been able to get close, frequent looks at the all-important light signature -- a big plus in the drive to figure out a planet´s size, mass and possible atmosphere.
    "This is the most exciting exoplanet I´ve seen in decades," said Jason Dittmann of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who led the team.
    "We could hardly hope for a better target to perform one of the biggest quests in science -- searching for evidence of life beyond Earth."
    Planet of the Sea Monster
    LHS 1140b, whose discovery is published in the journal Nature, orbits a so-called red dwarf star called LHS 1140 in the constellation of Cetus, the Sea Monster.
    The planet´s orbit is 10 times closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun, according to early measurements.
    In our Solar System, such a planet would be so scorched that any atmosphere and surface water would be stripped away.
    But red dwarves are much smaller and cooler than our Sun -- LHS 1140b receives only half as much sunlight as we do.
    Early measurements suggest it is about five billion years old, or about 500 million years more than the Earth, and has a diameter about 1.4 times the size of our planet.
    However, its mass is around seven times bigger than Earth´s, which means it is dense.
    Rather than being a planet made of gas, it is thus probably rocky with a dense iron core, and the neighbouring "red dwarf" seems benign and stable. Both are ticks in the theoretical boxes for habitable worlds.
    A Harvard team was first to spot the telltale dips in light from the star. HARPS, a powerful European telescope in Silla, Chile, was then trained on the find to make the crucial follow-up observations.
    On February 22, other researchers said they had discovered seven planets, similar in size and mass to Earth, near an "ultracool" red dwarf called Trappist-1, 39 light years from Earth.
    All seven of Trappist-1´s planets are considered potential candidates for having water in some form, but the chances are highest for three located in the Goldilocks zone.
    Xavier Bonfils, an astronomer at the Observatory of the Sciences of the Universe in Grenoble, France, said LHS 1140b now "joins Trappist-1 at the head of the rankings."
    "We are very excited by this discovery. It´s a super opportunity," he told AFP.
    Atmospheric clues?
    The next step will be to see if the planet has an atmosphere -- a goal that should be hugely helped by the James Webb orbital telescope, due to be launched in October 2018 as a successor to the fabled Hubble.
    But it could take several more years to know the atmosphere´s chemical composition, which will be sifted for clues of life, or the potential for it.
    According to the NASA Exoplanet Archive, the tally of confirmed exoplanets stands at 3,475.
    Only a handful have a mass similar to that of Earth and orbit the temperate zone.
    However, the shortlist is beginning to show intriguing variety, said Bonfils.
    "We are multiplying opportunities for looking for the place where life may have emerged elsewhere in the Universe," he said.


  20. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Banners in support of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif surfaced in areas of Lahore, a day after the Supreme Court announced that the verdict of the Panama leaks case would come on April 20.
    The banners, which showed up in the constituency of Khawaja Saad Rafique, had slogans printed which read: “Nawaz Sharif qadam barhao hum tumharay saath hain (Move forward Nawaz Sharif, we are with you).
    The banners appeared overnight in NA-125 constituency, having pictures of MNA Saad Rafique, MPA Mian Naseer Ahmed and Yasin Sohal.
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Tareen also pointed out the banners displayed at Walton Road in Lahore.
    He tweeted: “All of a sudden, these posters have started going up in Lahore. What are you trying to imply here Mr. Panama Sharif?”
    The Supreme Court will announce its verdict in the Panama Leaks case on April 20 at 2 PM.
    The case stems from documents leaked from the Panama-based Mossack Fonseca law firm appeared to show that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif´s daughter and two sons owned offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and used them to buy properties in London.
    PM Sharif told parliament last year that his family wealth was acquired legally in the decades before he entered politics and that no money was siphoned off-shore.
    The  Supreme Court has taken up petitions by PTI chairman Imran Khan, JI chief Siraj-ul-Haq and AML head Sheikh Rashid seeking the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
     


  21. Waqas Dar
    Political and economic realities in the United States, Europe and China are all clouding the global fiscal outlook but countries should still press forward with nuanced tax and spending policies, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.
    The international lender's temperature check on the fiscal situation of the global economy also said that overall public debt in advanced economies should stabilise in the medium term while fiscal deterioration in emerging economies appeared at an end.
    "The lack of specificity about the size and composition of the expected fiscal stimulus in the United States, a number of elections in Europe, and the upcoming party congress in China all contribute to policy uncertainty," the IMF said.
    The report came as policymakers began gathering in Washington for the semi-annual meetings of IMF and World Bank member countries.
    Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies, known as the G20, are also scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the April 21-23 conference.
    The IMF has long advocated for growth-friendly fiscal stimulus in countries that require a boost but has also warned robust economies to be fiscally prudent during good times.
    This time around, the IMF urged the United States to begin fiscal consolidation next year "to put debt firmly on a downward path" given the economy is close to full employment.
    Republican President Donald Trump has promised a fiscal stimulus including tax cuts. If enacted, the IMF said, it expected the US debt ratio to increase continuously over the next five years.
    The lender noted, however, a strong case for more public investment in many countries "in light of low borrowing costs and substantial deficiencies in infrastructure" as long as they were efficiently managed and said tax reform, particularly in the United States, could spur business investment.
    The IMF warned too that emerging market and developing economies remained at risk from a more rapid rise in interest rates, a large appreciation in the US dollar and lower commodity prices.
    All could "exacerbate debt vulnerabilities and trigger the materialisation of contingent liabilities, in particular those related to implicit government guarantees on corporate borrowing," the IMF said.
    On Tuesday, the IMF raised its 2017 global growth forecast on manufacturing and trade gains in Europe, Japan and China, but warned that protectionist policies threaten to halt a broad-based recovery.


  22. Waqas Dar
    The Saudi-led military alliance is likely to hold its first meeting in the coming months in Riyadh where defence ministers from member states will gather to agree on its structure and mission, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
    Attributing the revelation to Saudi Defence Minister's Adviser Major General Ahmed Asiri, the report stated that besides acting against international militant organisations such as Daesh and Al Qaeda the coalition force could also move against rebel groups and militias that pose a threat to member countries.
    The report made a bold claim that under the alliance, Pakistan would send a separate force comprising 5,000 personnel to Riyadh in order to help it safeguard its southern region which borders Yemen. The claim was linked to unnamed Pakistani officials, who also mentioned that a deployment in this regard is yet to be made.
    Approximately 1,200 Pakistani army personnel are in Saudi Arabia to train the country’s forces, said the report.
    The nearly-trained batch will soon be on an operational deployment, with an aim to protect installations from terrorist attacks and to thwart any aggressive attack within Saudi territory, stated the article.
    The report quoted DG ISPR Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor saying that any Pakistani troops sent “shall only be for employment within Saudi Arabia” adding that Pakistan “will not filter soldiers to send a particular sect only.”
    Pakistan in the past has refrained from being a part of Middle Eastern alliances.
    News of the alliance's formation was first reported in December 2015, with reports of Middle Eastern, African and Asian states including Saudi Arabia, Gulf states, Pakistan, Egypt being part of the then 34 nation coalition; according to a statement issued by Saudi Arabia the alliance will "coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism."
    With a Joint Comand Centre headquartered in Riyadh, the alliance includes Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Sudan, Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen and other Muslim countries.
    The coalition conspicuously lacks the presence of Iran.
    “They [Saudis] live in fear of Iranian expansionism. And when they realised they couldn’t rely on the US, they turned to allies who have armies,” the journal quoted an unnamed Gulf-based Western diplomat.
    Iran has registered its protest against the alliance; Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan protested the appointment of Gen. (retd) Raheel Sharif to Islamabad and added that Muslim countries "should come together to form a coalition of peace to resolve their issued rather forming a controversial military alliance."

    Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the journal, "This alliance is against terrorism, especially to help those countries which are threatened, but don't have the necessary wherewithal to combat terrorists," adding "we will not act against Iran." 
    Citing unnamed Pakistani officials the journal report added, the alliance will be run by a coalition of defence ministers from member countries, with a rotating chair, implying that decision making wouldn't be in Saudi Arabia's hands. 


  23. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday said the performance and sacrifices of Rangers were made unnecessarily controversial after every three months.
    In a statement, he said Rangers could only fulfil its responsibilities in Karachi when no excuse is used in giving it authority under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
    He said the intention of Sindh government to give limited powers to Rangers was against law and rules as no law could be limited through administrative orders.
    He said it was ridiculous that the provincial government of Sindh wanted to use Rangers as its guards but was not ready to give them powers under the relevant law for the protection of people of Karachi.
    Sindh Rangers was not a security company which could be deployed for security of VIPs, he added.
    The Interior Minister said this excuse was also unreasonable and illogical that Sindh government wanted to give the same kind of powers to Rangers as was given by the government of Punjab.
    The reality was that in Punjab too, Rangers were given powers under the sections of Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 and these powers were not limited by the government of Punjab or the federal government, he added.
    The minister said the people of Karachi and Sindh were not only satisfied with the performance of Rangers but also trusted them and it was not only strange but also a matter of concern that the provincial government for its specific political objectives was compromising on the security of people of Sindh.
    On one hand, the provincial government wanted the security of Rangers for itself and on the other insisted on leaving the people defenceless, he added.
    If for the sake of public interest, the provincial government would not issue notification for extension in the power of Rangers, then the federal government would consider alternative constitutional and legal options, he added.


  24. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that the Panama Leaks case decision would be the most important in the history of Pakistan.
    Speaking to the media after PTI's consultative meeting ahead of the announcement of the verdict, he said that the party's lawyers have said in detail whatever needed to be said on the case, and the people of Pakistan have already given their verdict on the matter.
    “The Panama issue would have died if the PTI leadership and its workers had not taken a firm stance against it,” he said. “PTI has always made it clear that it doesn’t intend to derail the system but rather want to press forward accountability in the system.”
    Qureshi said that media has also played a remarkable role in keeping the Panama issue relevant.
    He said that the PML-N believed the Panama issue will die soon but millions of people became part of the movement against corruption in the country.
    “The people of Pakistan made impossible, possible.”
    “Corruption is an issue of masses. People have to give credit to the PTI for putting up efforts on this case for more than a year. The Supreme Court listened to every party and took time in concluding the case.”
    Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired the PML-N’s consultative meeting.
    According to sources, the prime minister told PML-N leaders that he was not waiting for any decision and was elected by people to work. “I am working and will continue to work. Whatever decision is taken by the court, InshaAllah would be better,” the prime minister was quoted by sources as saying.
    Prime Minister Sharif told those attending the meeting that elections in Pakistan will be held as per schedule in 2018.
    Meanwhile, Opposition leader Khursheed Shah opined the Panama case that it was a testing time for the judges on the apex court bench who had heard the case.
    Referring to decisions from the last 70 years, he said the country had witnessed several key apex court verdicts "from Justice Muneer to Anwarul Haq", but the world today was not the same.
    "The world appears to be a global village now. It has shrunk, and nothing can be hidden anymore. The situation today is very different. This decision can either strengthen the state or weaken it as well," he said while talking to media in the parliament house.
     


  25. Waqas Dar
    MONTE CARLO: Andy Murray returned from over a month out with an elbow injury to launch his clay-court season with a gruelling 7-5, 7-5 defeat of Gilles Muller at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.
    The world number one and top seed waited until late in both sets to make his move, finally putting Muller away in just under two hours to reach the third round.
    But the 29-year-old Scot was poor on his serve with eight double faults while breaking Luxembourg´s Muller four times.
    And Murray was on the back foot in the opening set as he lost the first game and only caught up late.
    In the second he was also far from his fluent best, before grinding out victory.
    It was the first time back on the ATP since an elbow injury -- his last match was a second-round loss to Vasek Pospisil at Indian Wells on March 12.
    The three-time Monte Carlo semi-finalist, who has had a sticky start to 2017 with form and injury, now stands 13-3 on the season and has one title from Dubai in his pocket.
    Murray was joined in round three by Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka, who saw off Czech Jiri Vesely 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
    Three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka won Monte Carlo three years ago over compatriot and friend Roger Federer.
    Austrian Dominic Thiem, seeded sixth, advanced over Dutchman Robin Haase 6-3, 6-2 while Czech ninth seed Tomas Berdych put an end to the run of 39-year-old Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
    Pablo Carreno Busta, Alexander Zverev and Albert Ramos-Vinolas all advanced.


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