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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    According to experts,  people should take an active break from sitting every 30 minutes.Photo:  file  People with desk jobs are at a greater health risk than they realise, according to a latest research.
    A new research showed that people who sit for more than seven hours a day are more likely to be overweight, obese, die prematurely, and have higher chances of being diagnosed with cancer and type two diabetes.
    Sitting in one position for long periods tends to slow the metabolism.
    According to the research, most adults in United Kingdom spent about seven hours a day sitting or lying, and this generally increases with age.
    Experts advised that people should take an active break from sitting every 30 minutes.
    However, another research suggested that exercising for at least 60 minutes a day can offset the negative effects of sitting too much throughout the day.
    The link between illness and sitting first emerged in the 1950s, when researchers found London bus drivers were twice as likely to have heart attacks as their bus conductor colleagues.
    However, the research evidence is based on observational studies, which have only shown an association between sitting and ill health but not a direct cause.


  2. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman called on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad today (Monday).

    The air chief briefed the prime minister regarding operational preparedness of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), particularly the training aspect.
    The PM praised the professional attitude of PAF and stated that the forces are able enough to promptly respond to any kind of threat faced by the motherland.
    Matters pertaining to PAF development strategy and future force goals were also discussed.
    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz were also present during the meeting.


  3. Waqas Dar
    Indian troops stationed outside shops in IoK following a curfew. Photo: AP/file  SRI NAGAR: Indian troops martyred two more Kashmiris in Pulwama district early Monday morning, according to the Kashmir Media Service.
    In Indian-occupied Kashmir, clashes had erupted after Indian troops launched a siege and search operation in Pulwama district.
    People of the area protest the troops? house-to-house search operation in Malangpora village and pelted stones on them. However, the Indian forces responded by using tear gas shells and pellets to disperse the protesters.
    On June 30, two civilians including a woman were killed and many others injured on Saturday after Indian troops opened fire on peaceful protesters in Islamabad district of IoK.
    The troops had fired bullets, pellets, and tear gas shells on the demonstrators killing two civilians, Tariq Ahmed and Tahira Begum, and injuring many others, the KMS said. 


  4. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The Sindh government is expected to table a bill seeking to repeal the applicability of the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999 during provincial assembly session today (Monday).

    The bill seeks to curtail NAB?s powers and give it the mandate to probe and hear cases related to federal institutions after a formal endorsement from the Sindh Assembly.
    Over the matter, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders informally met Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari at Zardari House in Nawabshah on Sunday.
    Meeting participants included Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, law minister and advocate general.
    During the meeting, Zardari was advised on the legal aspects of repealing the NAB ordinance. CM Sindh said that all PPP members of the assembly have been instructed to attend the session today (Monday).
    Interestingly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has already curtailed the powers of NAB in the province and established their own Ehtesab Commission. 
    However, the move to make a similar move in Sindh has led the opposition to question its maintainability.
    The opposition members also pointed out that most of the ministers and officials affiliated with the party are currently being investigated by the NAB. Moreover, they expressed their fears that NAB?s role will be taken up by Anti-Corruption Establishment, which is controlled by the Sindh government.
    On Friday, the Sindh cabinet gave its approval to repeal the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance in Punjab.

    Sindh cabinet approves repealing of NAB ordinance
    Provincial cabinet also approved a proposal to impose restrictions on the establishment of new sugar mills
    The approval was given in a high-level meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad at the CM House, after a briefing on the subject by Advocate General for Sindh Zamir Ghumro.
    According to Sindh?s advocate general, corruption cases related to provincial institutions will now be probed by the Provincial Ehtesab Bureau.
    A committee has been constituted by the cabinet to give recommendations for changes in the anti-corruption laws within a month. 


  5. Waqas Dar
    Cambodian migrant workers carry their belonging as they walk to cross the border at Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo June 15, 2014. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that over the past week 100,000 Cambodians have poured over the border, as the military that seized power in a May 22 coup intensifies lax measures to regulate illegal labour. Photo: Reuters  Tens of thousands of workers have fled Thailand, most of them for homes in neighbouring Myanmar, immigration officials said on Monday, after new labour regulations adopted by the military government sparked fear and panic among the migrant community.
    Millions of workers from poor neighbours, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, form the backbone of Thailand's manual labour force, with industries such as the multi-billion-dollar seafood business heavily reliant on foreign workers.
    Since taking power in a 2014 coup, Thailand's ruling junta has attained varying degrees of success in campaigns to regulate the foreign workforce, spurred partly by media reports that unregulated workers faced exploitation by employers.
    About 60,000 workers left between June 23 and 28, and the number has risen since, an Immigration Bureau official said.
    "They were of all nationalities, but the biggest group was from Myanmar," Deputy Commissioner Pornchai Kuntee told Reuters. "They are probably very scared."
    Following news of the exodus, Thailand on Friday promised a 120-day delay in enforcing parts of the decree, including fines that can range up to 800,000 baht ($23,557) for employers who hire unregistered foreign workers without permits.
    Geta Devi, 28, a Myanmar worker based in Bangkok, the Thai capital, said some of her friends panicked after hearing about the decree.
    "They went back to Myanmar," she added.
    The mass movement leaves undocumented workers vulnerable, said Andy Hall, a British specialist in migrant workers' rights who has monitored such migration in Thailand for more than a decade.
    "It's clear to me tens of thousands of migrants only move like this after instigation," Hall, who has worked extensively with Myanmar workers, told Reuters.
    He said "corrupt officials" would try to take bribes from fleeing migrants despite the threat of punishment. 
    "Mass profit is to be made in a short time from the panic and commotion," Hall added.
    Police officers who try to extort money from employers or migrant workers will be punished, Thai police chief Chaktip Chaijinda said on Friday, in a bid to discourage exploitation of undocumented workers.
    Last month, the United States kept Thailand on a trafficking watch list, saying it did not meet the minimum standards to end human trafficking.
    Thailand defended its efforts to stop trafficking and urged US officials to visit and gauge its campaign.
    More than three million migrants work in Thailand, the International Organization for Migration has said, but rights groups put the figure higher.


  6. Waqas Dar
    A 'brain training' game developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could help improve the memory of patients in the very earliest stages of dementia, suggests a study published today in The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. Photo: Sahakian Lab, University of Cambridge  A brain training computer game developed by British neuroscientists has been shown to improve the memory of patients in the very earliest stages of dementia and could help such patients avert some symptoms of cognitive decline.
    Researchers who developed the "game show"-like app and tested its effects on cognition and motivation in a small trial found that patients who played the game over a period of a month had around a 40 percent improvement in their memory scores.
    "We hope to extend these findings in future studies of healthy ageing and mild Alzheimer's disease," said George Savulich, who led the study at Cambridge University.
    Dementia is a huge global health problem. The World Health Organization says some 47.5 million people had dementia in 2015, and that number is rising rapidly as life expectancy increases and societies age.
    The condition is incurable and there are few drugs that can alleviate the symptoms - which include declining memory, thinking, behaviour, navigational and spatial skills and the gradual loss of ability to perform everyday tasks.
    Publishing his results in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Savulich said that as well as improving their memory scores in the game, patients who played it retained more complex visual information than those who didn't.
    Independent experts said the study's findings were encouraging, but that the app needed be tested against other forms of brain training in trials involving more people.
    "While this type of brain training will not ultimately be able to prevent or cure memory diseases like dementia, (it is) a promising way to improve early memory symptoms of the disease," said Tara Spires-Jones of the University of Edinburgh.


  7. Waqas Dar
    Photo: File  A seasonal low lies over northeast Balochistan on Monday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said. 
    Weak monsoon currents continue to penetrate eastern and northeastern parts of the country.
    Mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country in the next 24-hours the PMD said. However, rain-thundershowers with gusty winds are expected at isolated places in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat divisions, Islamabad, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
    Past weather
    The weather remained hot and humid in most parts of the country on Sunday. However, rain-thundershowers with gusty winds occurred at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Quetta, Hyderabad divisions, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
    Rainfall (mm) in the past 24 hours
    Balochistan: Barkhan 12, KP: Saidu Sharif 06, Malamjabba 03, Balakot 01.Sindh: Mithi 05, Punjab: Murree Trace, Kashmir: Muzaffarabad 08, Kotli 01,GB: Bagrote 01.
    Yesterday's highest maximum temperatures
    Dadu, Sibbi, Sukkur 45°C, Turbat, Rohri, Larkana 44°C.


    Data courtesy: Pakistan Meteorological Department 


  8. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on the news media Sunday by tweeting a video -- bizarre even by his standards -- showing him knocking down and beating a professional wrestling "villain" whose face had been replaced by a CNN logo.
    The 10-year-old video, hailing back to Trump's days as a guest celebrity at pro-wrestling events, came after a week in which his unrestrained Twitter attacks on two MSNBC talk show hosts drew widespread condemnation from members of both political parties.
    The latest tweet was immediately condemned by journalists, who said Trump seemed to be promoting physical violence against the media, while a Republican lawmaker said the president was trying to "weaponize distrust" through his postings.
    But administration officials insisted Trump has a right to respond to critical coverage.

    In the 28-second video, Trump, in a suit and tie, is seen knocking down another man in a suit who is standing next to a wrestling ring. Trump repeatedly pummels the fallen man, whose face is covered by a superimposed CNN logo. A fake CNN logo then appears on the screen reading "FNN: Fraud News Network."
    A longer version of the video online shows that the man being beaten was World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) owner-promoter Vince McMahon, a friend of Trump's. In that version, Trump also gets in the ring to shave McMahon's head as part of the "The Battle of the Billionaires" at the WrestleMania 23 event.
    McMahon was present at the White House in February to pose smilingly with the president when his wife Linda McMahon -- a former WWE executive -- was sworn in as Trump's Small Business Administration chief.
    Encouraging violence?

    Trump has recently stepped up his attacks on the news media. Besides the crude attack on MSNBC co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski -- he called her "low I.Q." and said he had seen her bleeding after a facelift -- he has specifically bashed outlets including CNN, NBC, The Washington Post and The New York Times.
    Amid a torrent of criticism over his attack on Brzezinski, Trump doubled down Saturday, tweeting: "My use of social media is not Presidential - it's MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!"
    With Trump's tweets coming just weeks after a mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice, reporters on Thursday asked White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders whether his rhetoric might be promoting violence.
    She replied: "The president in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary."
    But the wrestling video prompted a wave of recriminations.
    "It is a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters," CNN said in a statement. "Clearly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied when she said the president had never done so."
    CNN suggested that Trump should instead be focusing on issues like health care, tensions with North Korea and his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hamburg, Germany.
    A journalists' group, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, roundly denounced the video. "We condemn the president's threat of physical violence against journalists," said a statement from the group's executive director, Bruce Brown. "This tweet is beneath the office of the presidency. Sadly, it is not beneath this president."
    'A right to respond'

    A White House official, Homeland Security adviser Thomas Bossert, defended Trump's video and said it demonstrated the president's "genuine ability to communicate to the people."
    "I think that no one would perceive that as a threat," he said on ABC. "I hope they don't. I do think that he's beaten up in a way on cable platforms that he has a right to respond."
    But Republican Senator Ben Sasse rejected that argument, saying on CNN that there is a difference between complaining about bad coverage and "trying to weaponize distrust."
    Meanwhile, several journalists said they feared Trump was stirring up anti-media violence.
    Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times, said it was "unseemly" that Trump would "encourage such anger at the media."
    And Annie Lowrey, a journalist with The Atlantic magazine, tweeted: "In seriousness, I am terrified that a journalist -- perhaps one of the many political reporters I know and love -- is going to end up dead."
    Trump may see the news media as an easy target, one deeply disliked by his political base. But public approval of newspapers, at least, has significantly risen in the past year, a period marked by intensive and often critical reporting on the unorthodox Trump presidency.
    Only 20 percent of Americans expressed confidence in newspapers in June 2016. But by last month the figure had risen to 27 percent, the Gallup polling firm reported.


  9. Waqas Dar
    The rodent-borne bubonic plague may seem unappetizing, but for a few San Francisco visionaries, it proved just the inspiration needed to launch one of the city's latest eateries: The Rat Cafe.
    The pop-up cafe, which opened Saturday, offers visitors a chance to munch on a breakfast of pastries, coffee and tea, and enjoy a bit of play time with a small handful of rats.
    Hosted inside The San Francisco Dungeon, an immersive tourist attraction that takes visitors on a journey through the city's dark past from Alcatraz to the violence and greed of the Gold Rush, the $50 breakfast was conceived after some employees began pondering the venue's section on a black death plague that struck in the early 20th century.
    "We tell the story of the (bubonic) plague here in San Francisco and we really thought we wanted to do something special for the summer," said the Dungeon's Matthew Gunter.
    "Let's bring the rats to life, let guests actually get a chance to get up close and personal with rats, of course plague-free rats," he said.
    Several dozen people have shelled out the money to attend one of two breakfast sessions in which they get to interact with approximately six to eight rats and have breakfast. The venue says more breakfasts may be planned at a future date.
    Krissi Reeves, a spokeswoman for the Dungeon, said tickets for the July 1 and 8 events sold out in less than an hour.
    "The rats are pretty darn cute and the people who purchased tickets, I think they have already decided that they're gonna like the rats and not be too scared," she said.
    The rats are provided by Rattie Ratz, a California non-profit that helps place pet rats in homes.
    "They love to be petted, they're very affectionate. They're way more affectionate than any small animal I know," said the organisation's Jennifer Girgar.
    The Rat Cafe opens amid a booming cat cafe trend in parts of Asia and even the United States and Europe, in which visitors sip beverages surrounded by felines which are often available for adoption.


  10. Waqas Dar
    The death toll from a major cholera outbreak in Yemen has risen to 1,500, Nevio Zagaria, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Yemen, said on Saturday, and appealed for more help to put an end to the epidemic.
    Yemen has been devastated by a 27-month war between a Saudi-led coalition and the armed Iran-aligned Houthi group, making it a breeding ground for the disease, which spreads by faeces getting into food or water and thrives in places with poor sanitation.
    Speaking at a joint news conference with representatives of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank, Zagaria said that had been some 246,000 suspected cases in the period to June 30.
    The WHO said this week that the outbreak had reached the halfway mark at 218,798 cases as a massive emergency response has begun to curb its spread two months into the epidemic.
    Although most of Yemen's health infrastructure has broken down and health workers have not been paid for more than six months, the WHO is paying "incentives" to doctors, nurses, cleaners and paramedics to staff an emergency cholera network.
    With funding help from the World Bank, the WHO is setting up treatment centers with 50-60 beds each, overseen by shifts of about 14 staff working around the clock. The aim is to reach 5,000 beds in total.


  11. Waqas Dar
    Britain said Sunday it is to withdraw from a 50-year-old agreement allowing some foreign countries to fish close to the UK coastline, fulfilling a key Brexit pledge.
    The deal pre-dates Britain's EU membership and would therefore still have applied after the UK completes its divorce with the bloc, expected in March 2019.
    Britain will trigger on Monday a two-year withdrawal period from the agreement, the London Fisheries Convention.
    The convention allows vessels from five European countries -- Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands -- to fish within an area that is six miles off the UK's coastline.
    "Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy," Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in a statement.
    The agreement is in force alongside the EU's Common Fisheries Policy -- allowing vessels from EU member states to fish between 12 and 200 nautical miles off the UK -- which Britain will be excluded from after its exit from the bloc.
    "This is a historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union," Gove said.
    "It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters."
    According to government figures, British vessels caught 708,000 tonnes of fish in 2015, worth £775 million ($1 billion, 894 million euros).
    Other members of the convention landed an estimated 10,000 tonnes of fish in British waters.
    Ireland's Agriculture Minister Michael Creed blasted the UK's government decision as "unwelcome and unhelpful".
    "Brexit poses very serious challenges to the seafood sector and this announcement will form part of the negotiations," he added.
    Fishing rights became a hot topic during the campaign for the June 2016 Brexit referendum, with British fishermen voicing frustration over EU fishing quotas.
    Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage even led a small flotilla of fishermen up the Thames a week before the referendum, arguing Britain's fishing industry was "literally being destroyed" as a result of EU membership.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Saudi Arabia and three allies accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism have agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sunday's deadline for Doha to comply, according to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA.
    Without stating whether Qatar had rejected the ultimatum as was widely expected, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA said Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had asked Saudi Arabia and the three other countries boycotting Qatar to grant it an extension.
    Kuwait has been acting as a mediator after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran.
    Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands - including closing Qatar-based al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there - were made to be rejected.
    The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago.
    Egypt said on Sunday that foreign ministers from the four boycotting countries would meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, without providing further details.
    They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.
    The US State Department, which is an ally of all countries involved, endorsed Kuwait's role as a mediator and called for both sides in the dispute to exercise restraint.


  13. Waqas Dar
    Qatar faces possible further sanctions by Arab states that have severed ties with Doha over allegations of links to terrorism, as a deadline to accept their demands is expected to expire on Sunday night.
    Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the demands were made to be rejected, adding that the Arab ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country's sovereignty.
    State news agency QNA reported that he would inform the ruler of Kuwait, a neutral Gulf Arab country seeking to mediate in the spat, of Qatar's response on Monday.
    Sheikh Mohammed earlier told reporters in Rome that Doha remained ready to discuss the grievances of its Arab neighbours.
    "This list of demands is made to be rejected. It's not meant to be accepted or ... to be negotiated," Sheikh Mohammed said.
    "The state of Qatar instead of rejecting it as a principle, we are willing to engage in (dialogue), providing the proper conditions for further dialogue."
    He added that no one had the right to issue an ultimatum to a sovereign country.
    The feud erupted last month when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran, charges that Doha denies.
    The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago.
    The demands include closing a Turkish military base in Qatar and shutting the Al Jazeera pan-Arab television network, which Doha also rejected.
    Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said on Sunday.
    "At the invitation of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, there will be a quartet meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Cairo on Wednesday July 5 to follow up on the developing situation regarding relations with Qatar," Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.
    A State Department official said on Sunday that the United States encourages "all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions. We are not going to get ahead of those discussions. We fully support Kuwaiti mediation."
    Qatar's Gulf critics accuse Al Jazeera of being a platform for extremists and an agent of interference in their affairs. The network has rejected the accusations and said it will maintain its editorial independence.
    FRESH PENALTIES
    Gulf countries have insisted the demands were non- negotiable.
    The UAE ambassador to Russia has said that Qatar could face fresh sanctions if it does not comply with the demands.
    Gulf states could ask their trading partners to choose between working with them or with Doha, he said in a newspaper interview last week.
    They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.
    A more serious sanction would be to ban investors from holding Qatari assets, but authorities have given no sign of doing this.
    Qatar's stock market fell sharply on Sunday. The Qatari stock index sank as much as 3.1 percent in thin trade, bringing its losses to 11.9 percent since June 5, when Saudi and the other countries cut diplomatic and trade ties.
    The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, played down the chances of an escalation, saying "the alternative is not escalation but parting ways", suggesting Qatar may be forced out of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
    The Western-backed body was formed in 1981 in the wake of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
    Speaking in Washington last week, the Qatari foreign minister said the GCC was set up to guard against external threats.
    "When the threat is coming from inside the GCC, there is a suspicion about the sustainability of the organisation," Sheikh Mohammed told reporters.
    DAVID AND GOLIATH
    Qataris appeared defiant on Sunday, with newspapers decrying a "siege" and sharing on social media a cartoon of David and Goliath to illustrate Qatar's struggle with its larger neighbours.
    A Qatari artist whose portrait of Qatar's emir has been draped from skyscrapers and affixed to car windows across the capital signed T-shirts for Qataris at a museum on Saturday.
    "As you see, the photo is now all over, it's a sign of loyalty to the emir and love for the country," he said.
    Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah bin Yahiya al-Moallemi, said on Twitter that Qatar had failed to take opportunities offered by its neighbours in the past to stop supporting terrorism.
    "Qatar had insisted on shaking the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and interfering in the affairs of countries in the region," Moallemi said.
    The crisis has hit travel, food imports and ratcheted up tensions in the Gulf and sown confusion among businesses while pushing Qatar closer to Iran and Turkey.
    But it has not hit energy exports from Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and home to the region's biggest US military base.
    The rift opened days after US President Donald Trump met Arab leaders in Riyadh and called for unity against regional threats such as Iran and hardline Islamist militant groups.


  14. Waqas Dar
    Eight people were wounded in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon in an incident police consider to be a settling of scores rather than a militant attack, a source close to the investigation said on Monday.
    Two of the eight wounded were hospitalised after the incident, according to the source, who also said that worshippers leaving the mosque had not been the intended target.
    La Provence regional newspaper, which first reported the incident, cited a judicial source as saying police are "not at all treating it as terrorist related" and suspected instead a dispute between youths.
    The newspaper also cited witnesses as saying that one of two gunmen with their faces covered had fired shots around at 10:30 pm as people were coming out of the mosque before the two fled the scene.
    Four people were wounded outside the mosque while a family of four in their apartment some fifty meters (yards) away took shrapnel, La Provence said.
    The incident comes after a man was arrested on Thursday after trying to drive a car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Creteil in an incident in which no one was injured.
    France is on high-security alert following a series of militant attacks in recent years.


  15. Waqas Dar
    West Indies captain Jason Holder led from the front with a five-wicket haul as his side snatched an 11-run win over India in the fourth one-day international in Antigua on Sunday.
    India came into the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium leading 2-0 in the series and set a modest target of 190 to maintain their unbeaten run in this short campaign.
    But the visitors were undone by a combination of disciplined West Indies bowling and their own inexplicable lethargy at the crease.
    That pedestrian progress was typified by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's painstaking innings of 54 off 114 deliveries -- the slowest of his 64 ODI half-centuries -- before he fell off the last ball of the 49th over bowled by Kesrick Williams.
    That left India needing 15 runs off the final over with only two wickets in hand.
    It was Williams' only success of a miserly 10-over spell but proved critical as Holder sealed the win which keeps the series alive heading into the fifth and final match in Kingston on Thursday.
    He dismissed Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami in the space of four balls to finish with five for 27, his best-ever ODI figures as India folded for 178.
    "At the halfway stage there were a few heads dropping in the dressing room but it took a big effort and I'm really pleased to play a part in keeping us in the series," said Holder after receiving the man of the match award.
    "We targeted getting wickets at the front to challenge their other batters who haven't had much work to do of late. It worked this time."
    Ajinkya Rahane's excellent form at the top of the order continued with a top score of 60, but the rest of the Indian batting struggled to establish any sort of momentum as the West Indies showed discipline and purpose with the ball.
    Young fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, brought into the team in place of medium-pacer Miguel Cummins, set the tone for the fightback with the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik.
    Meanwhile, Holder removed his Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli, for the second time in as many matches via a top-edged hook.
    Indian off day

    "Our shot selection wasn't up to mark but credit to the West Indies bowlers for the pressure they put on us to force those mistakes," said Kohli in assessing his team's surprise defeat.
    "I am sure the guys are going to come back extra hard for the final match. We just needed a complete performance and today wasn't one."
    Ealier, pacers Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya claimed three wickets each while wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav again teased and tormented the West Indies batsmen in adding two more victims to his series haul as the hosts limped to 189 for nine batting first.
    While each of the top five managed to get a start, none could get past 35 as India exerted almost complete control over a line-up that lacked the inspirational spark to put the opposition under pressure.
    Openers Evin Lewis and Kyle Hope were the joint top scorers with 35 apiece although their slow progress -- the opening stand of 57 was broken in the 18th over -- meant those who followed were required to pick up the pace.
    None managed to do so for any sustained period with Pandya and Kuldeep doing the bulk of the damage to the West Indies batting line-up early on.
    Umesh then ensured there was to be no threat from the reputed lower-order big-hitters as he accounted for Holder, Rovman Powell and Ashley Nurse in his second spell.
    India had rung the changes for this match with Karthik replacing Yuvraj Singh in the middle-order, Ravindra Jadeja coming in as a specialist spinner for Ravichandran Ashwin and Shami making his first ODI appearance since the 2015 World Cup as Bhuvneshwar Kumar was rested.


  16. Waqas Dar
    "Despicable Me 3," the latest installment of the animated crime caper series, debuted at the top of the North American box office, estimates showed Sunday, but fell short of industry expectations in weekend ticket sales.
    Steve Carell stars as the voice of "despicable" bad guy-turned-protagonist Gru -- and his twin brother Dru -- in the Universal film.
    It also features Kristen Wiig as Gru's wife Lucy and "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker as Balthazar Bratt, a former child star and evil villain whose fashion sense is suck in the '80s.
    The film brought in $75.4 million in its opening weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations, falling short of predictions that it would breach at least the $80 million mark.
    Debuting in second place was hotly anticipated heist thriller "Baby Driver," with $21 million.
    Ansel Elgort ("The Fault in our Stars") stars as a gifted getaway driver who suffers from tinnitus -- ringing in his ears -- and has to play music on an iPod to concentrate when he is behind the wheel.
    Falling to third after its debut weekend at the top of the box office was "Transformers: The Last Knight," the fifth installment in the blockbuster series which raked in $17.0 million.
    The film, which is heavy on visual effects, features actors Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Anthony Hopkins, and opened to what was by far the weakest debut in the franchise's history.
    Warner Bros. superhero action film "Wonder Woman," starring Gal Gadot as the Amazonian goddess-princess, earned some $15.6 million, landing in fourth place and bringing the film's total domestic ticket sales to $346.1 million in five weeks.
    Meanwhile Pixar's "Cars 3" cruised into fifth place, with $9.5 million in its third weekend.
    The animated movie features Lightning McQueen and his longtime friends fighting off a challenge from a new generation of racers, voiced by actors including Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo and Armie Hammer.
    Rounding out the top 10 were:
    "The House" ($9.0 million)
    "47 Meters Down" ($4.7 million)
    "The Beguiled" ($3.3 million)
    "The Mummy" ($2.8 million)
    "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" ($2.4 million)




  17. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: At least ten kite flyers were arrested in a crackdown on Sunday by the police and cases were registered against them.
    Despite a ban on kite-flying in Lahore and frequent crackdown operations by the police since five months, some people still continue making and flying kites, while disobeying the law.
    According to police officials, in crackdown operations across various areas of Nawakot, 10 kite flyers were arrested. The police also seized huge amounts of kites, rolls and strings, and registered cases against the suspects.
    DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf said kite flying will be strictly prohibited and action should be taken against those found violating the ban by flying or selling kites and the material associated with the activity. He also appealed that parents should discourage their children from participating in this dangerous activity.
    The ban on the selling and flying of kites will be maintained by any means, added police officials.
    Earlier, in May, at least three people were injured as youth in Lahore engaged in kite flying on weekend night, defying the ban.
    In Singhpura area, a 31-year-old man was injured after a kite string slit his neck and hand. The man, Qadeer, was shifted to Mayo Hospital, where he got six stitches on his neck.
    Ali Hassan, 25, and Abrar, 28, were also wounded in similar incidents in Dhobi Ghat and Railway Station areas. They were also shifted to Mayo Hospital.
    Citizens complained that violation of the ban on kite flying during night-time has become a routine in Salamatpura, Harbanspura, Journalist Colony and several other areas.
    In the past five months, over 300 kite flyers have been arrested from several areas of Lahore. Police also seized over 6,000 kites, rolls and strings.


  18. Waqas Dar
    The United States on Sunday lifted a ban on laptops in cabins on flights from Abu Dhabi to the United States, saying the United Arab Emirates' Etihad Airways had put in place required tighter security measures.
    Etihad Airways welcomed the decision, and credited a preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport where passengers clear US immigration before they land in the United States for "superior security advantages" that had allowed it to satisfy US requirements.decision, and credited a preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport where passengers clear US immigration before they land in the United States for "superior security advantages" that had allowed it to satisfy US requirements.
    Etihad is the only airline that operates direct flights from Abu Dhabi to the United States.
    In March the United States banned laptops in cabins on flights to the United States originating at 10 airports in eight countries - Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey - to address fears that bombs could be concealed in electronic devices taken aboard aircraft.
    Britain quickly followed suit with a similar set of restrictions.
    Last week, the United States unveiled security measures for flights to the country designed to prevent the expansion of the ban to more countries that could cause major logistical problems and deter travel.
    DHS spokesman David Lapan said on Twitter on Sunday that Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi International Airport "have implemented the required initial enhanced security measures."
    Etihad Airways operates 45 flights a week between Abu Dhabi and the United States, the company said.
    Dubai-based Emirates, the largest international airline by passenger traffic and a rival to Etihad, said in April it was cutting flights on five US routes due to reduced demand, after a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump and the laptop ban.


  19. Waqas Dar
    An extra-time penalty from Adrien Silva gave Portugal a 2-1 win over Mexico and third place in the 2017 Confederations Cup on Sunday.
    Portugal, who missed a spot kick given thanks to the video assistant referees 16 minutes into the match, were awarded a second penalty after 104 minutes when Miguel Layun handled the ball.
    Adrien Silva converted the kick to give the European champions a hard-fought victory.
    The win came after Pepe saved his side with an equaliser in the 91st minute, hurling himself at a cross to knock the ball past Man of the Match Guillermo Ochoa with the sole of his boot.
    Mexico, champions of this tournament in 1999, had taken the lead after 54 minutes when keeper Rui Patricio missed a Chicharito cross and the ball bounced in off Luis Neto's leg for an own goal.
    Portugal had Nelson Semedo sent off for a second booking after 106 minutes, and Mexico's Raul Jimenez was shown the red card six minutes later as both sides went all out for the win.
    Mexico's Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio was also sent to the stands in the dying seconds after protesting about a decision not to consult the video referee over a penalty claim.
    The result, which means Portugal are still unbeaten against Mexico in five encounters dating back to 1969, came just hours before world champions Germany faced South American champions Chile in the final in St. Petersburg.


  20. Waqas Dar
    Germany survived a whirlwind assault by Chile and capitalised on an awful mistake by the South Americans to claim a 1-0 win in a pulsating, bad-tempered Confederations Cup final on Sunday.
    Lars Stindl scored the only goal into an empty net in the 20th minute after Chile midfielder Marcelo Diaz gave the ball away on the edge of his own penalty area.
    Chile, playing with their trademark high octane style and driven forward by another relentless display by Arturo Vidal, dominated the match but were let down by poor finishing.
    There was a controversial incident involving video technology in the second half when Chile defender Gonzalo Jara elbowed Timo Werner by the touchline.
    Serbian referee Milorad Mazic initially missed the incident, was alerted to it by the video assistants and then let Jara off with a yellow card instead of showing a red.
    There was late drama deep in stoppage time when Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen dived to push away an Alexis Sanchez free kick.
    The win could be a bad omen for Germany, however, as no team has ever won the World Cup after lifting the Confederations Cup the year before.


  21. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The joint investigation team probing the financial assets of Sharif family has summoned Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to appear before it today (Monday), informed sources.

    Dar will be appearing before the JIT at 3 pm, he will be appearing before the Supreme Court-constituted investigation team for the first time.
    Sources privy to development informed that Dar on Sunday received copies of his financial record from Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials. 
    Financial record of the finance minister is missing in the FBR record from the years, 2003-06.
    It's the third summon issued by the JIT to Dar. The finance minister earlier did not appear before the investigation team on grounds of occupied schedule. 
    Dar on Sunday prepared with FBR officials on the potential questions which could be asked by the JIT officials.
    A spokesperson of Finance Ministry confirmed that the summon notice issued on June 28 was received at the minister`s office on Sunday, he also claimed that the minister did not receive any summon notice before. 
    Dar has directed the officials of the finance ministry and FBR to reach office early today. 
    Meanwhile, Prime Minister`s son Hasan Nawaz is also scheduled to appear before the JIT members today.


  22. Waqas Dar
    A delegation of US senate (Armed Services Committee) on Sunday headed by Senator John McCain called on Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, informed ISPR. 
    Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator David Perdue and senior members of staff, including US Charge d' Affairs to Pakistan also accompanied the delegation.
    The delegation was briefed about regional security situation including Afghanistan, moreover, it was informed about how Pakistan has positively contributed towards peace and stability in the region.
    The ISPR statement said that COAS Bajwa thanked the Senators for the visit and efforts for forging a mutual understanding of the geo-political security situation and challenges ahead.
    COAS reiterated that Pakistan has done its best despite constraints and shall continue its efforts for peace and stability. In this regard enduring Pak-US security cooperation is a key factor.


  23. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Sindh Rangers recovered on Sunday 86 locally manufactured bombs from a well in Karachi?s Nazimabad No. 3 area.
    According to a Rangers' notification on June 23,  the paramilitary force dug up a well in Nazimabad area upon receiving a tip-off and recovered ammunition. After further digging of the well up to 50 feet, 86 locally made bombs were found.
    According to Rangers spokesman, the ammunition belongs to miscreants from Muttahida Quami Movement-London, who hid the ammunition upon the directives of party high-ups.


  24. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: An American warship on Sunday sailed close to a disputed island in the South China Sea occupied by Beijing, a US official said, a provocative move that could further strain relations between the superpowers.

    The USS Stethem destroyer passed less than 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, the official told AFP.
    The operation, meant to demonstrate freedom of navigation in disputed waters, came just hours before a previously scheduled phone call between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
    China did not immediately issue a response.
    It was the second operation of its kind carried out by the United States since Trump took office and comes days after his administration took a number of steps that seemed sure to strain US-Chinese relations.
    Trump on Thursday authorized a $1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province. The same day, the US Treasury Department slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.
    Also Thursday, the State Department expressed concern about Beijing´s respect for freedom in Hong Kong, on the 20th anniversary of Britain ceding the territory back to China.
    And two days earlier, the State Department placed China on a list of the world´s worst human trafficking offenders.
    A sharp cooling
    All those steps added up to a sharp reversal in tone from April, when Xi traveled to Trump´s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a first face-to-face meeting that Trump later said had helped build an "outstanding" relationship.
    Further positive signs had followed, including an agreement in May on exporting US beef and natural gas to China.
    Trump had praised China´s efforts to bring pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.
    But when those efforts failed to produce results -- Pyongyang conducted new missile tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions -- the American president made his frustration known.
    Those efforts had "not worked out," Trump tweeted on June 20, adding, "At least I know China tried!"
    Trump is scheduled to speak with Xi on Sunday at 8:45 pm (00h45 GMT Monday), 45 minutes after speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
    A growing Chinese presence
    The latest US "freedom of navigation" exercise comes as Beijing continues muscular efforts to cement its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan and Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
    The United Nations says countries can establish the reach of their territorial waters up to a limit of 12 nautical miles.
    China has rapidly built reefs in the area into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.
    Freedom of navigation operations are designed to challenge the sovereignty of countries with claims to disputed territory. Washington has challenged annexations of South China Sea islets while advocating for a diplomatic settlement.
    On May 25, the USS Dewey guided-missile destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from Mischief Reef -- part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, south of the Paracel Islands.
    China has recently built up its facilities on Triton Island, including a new helicopter landing site, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
    A large Chinese flag is displayed on the island, visible from aerial and satellite photos.
    Beijing´s continuing construction in the area will allow Chinese planes to operate over nearly the entire South China Sea, according to the AMTI.
    The United States in fiscal year 2016 conducted freedom of navigation operations "challenging excessive maritime claims of 22 different coastal states, including claims of allies and partners," the Pentagon said.


  25. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz met on Sunday a five-member delegation of US senators led by Senator John McCain here.

    During the meeting, Aziz said that the strategic partnership between Pakistan and the US is of utmost importance to achieve peace and stability in the region.
    Senator McCain said that the US policy regarding the Kashmir issue hasn?t changed, adding that the US wants an end to violence in the territory.
    The US senator declared Pakistan?s role as crucial for bringing stability in neighbouring Afghanistan.


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