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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    FILE: Dr Maleeha Lodi addressing at the United Nations - INP Pakistan has told the UN Security Council that declared plans by one nuclear weapons state to expand its nuclear capabilities would renew an arms race and seriously set back global disarmament efforts.

    Speaking in the Security Council debate on 'Global efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors', Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN, Dr Maleeha Lodhi criticised one of the P-5 states which has vowed to "greatly strengthen and expand nuclear capabilities by outmatching and outlasting potential competitors".  
    These plans Dr Lodhi warned, "would renew a nuclear arms race".
    She argued that disarmament and non-proliferation were organically linked and criticised those Nuclear Weapon States that were neither willing to give up their large inventories of nuclear weapons nor their modernization programmes, even as they pursue non-proliferation with messianic zeal.
    Dr Lodhi also pointed out that grant of discriminatory waivers to some and making exceptions out of power or profit considerations remained a key challenge to non-proliferation norms and rules.
    These "special arrangements", she warned, carry obvious proliferation risks and open up the possibility of diversion of the material intended for peaceful uses for military purposes, in addition to undermining regional strategic stability.
    The Pakistani envoy made a strong case for Pakistan's NSG membership by highlighting her country's credentials as a credible global partner in international non-proliferation efforts.
    She expressed Pakistan's commitment to Security Council's resolution 1540 and told the Council that Pakistan had submitted its fifth national implementation report as a manifestation of that commitment.
    Ambassador Lodhi called for strengthening the non-proliferation regime through transparent, objective and non-discriminatory criteria that ensured equal treatment of non-NPT applicants for the NSG's membership.
    She emphasised the importance of staying a step ahead of non-State actors, that seek to kill and maim innocent people by using WMDs, especially in view of the rapid advancements in science and technology.
    Dr Lodhi called for leveraging the cooperative approach as spirit of national ownership that resolution 1540 engendered.
    Stressing the importance of supporting member states in need of assistance for implementation of resolution 1540, Ambassador Lodhi expressed Pakistan's readiness to offer assistance to interested states for capacity building, technical assistance and training in collaboration with the 1540 Committee, in the areas of regulatory infrastructure in export controls and nuclear security, commodity identification training for enforcement officials,training for licensing officers, internal compliance, industry outreach and public awareness raising as well as specialized courses in the field of nuclear safety and nuclear security, CWC-related assistance and protection courses.


  2. Waqas Dar
    Rain and thundershowers with strong gusty winds are expected at scattered in Karachi. KARACHI: Moderate monsoon currents which are penetrating the country are expected to weaken in the next 24 hours, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department on Thursday.
    A westerly wave which is affecting upper parts of the country is also likely to move eastwards in the next 24 hours.
    Rain and thundershowers with strong gusty winds are expected in scattered areas on Karachi, Kashmir, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions, added the PMD.
    The PMD has warned that there is a risk of landslides in hilly areas of KP, Gilgit-Baltstan and Kashmir. 


  3. Waqas Dar
    The prospects of Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May have plummeted because of a disastrous election gamble - AFP   LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May's government faces a vote of confidence on Thursday, three weeks after a disastrous election left her authority in tatters and her Brexit strategy in doubt.
    Members of the House of Commons will vote on the Conservative leader's legislative plans -- the Queen's Speech -- in a key test of whether she can stay in power.
    The government should pass its programme after forming a deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose 10 MPs will vote with the 317 Conservatives in the 650-seat chamber.
    But May's personal authority has been deeply damaged by the election, which she called three years early expecting to win a landslide -- only to find herself hanging on by a thread.
    The majority of the bills in the Queen's Speech concern Britain's departure from the European Union, on which the first formal negotiations took place last week.
    But May's Brexit plan is under scrutiny as many saw the election as a rebuke to her move to pull Britain out of Europe's single market -- its largest trading market -- to prioritise cutting EU immigration.
    The government is also dealing with the fall-out of a string of terror attacks and the blaze at the Grenfell Tower block in London, which left at least 80 people presumed dead and saw May accused of taking too long to respond.
    The prime minister is cutting short a trip to Berlin Thursday with other European allies ahead of the G20 summit next week, to ensure she will be back for the early evening Commons vote.
    Brexit plans in flux
    Calls to prioritise jobs and growth during the Brexit process are growing, including from finance minister Philip Hammond, whom May was expected to sack after the election but has stayed on.
    Cabinet tensions have also seen Hammond take a swipe at eurosceptic Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson over his claim that Britain could "have its cake and eat it" in the negotiations.
    "I try to discourage talk of 'cake' amongst my colleagues," the finance minister said during a speech in Berlin.
    Hammond emphasised the need for transitional deals to avoid a damaging "cliff-edge" when Britain leaves, but in London, Brexit minister David Davis slapped him down, saying his views were "not quite consistent".
    May's spokeswoman insisted that "everybody is on the same page", and nothing had changed.
    However, when European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was asked at a summit last week whether he was clear on Britain's position on Brexit, he replied: "No."
    "Whatever May and Davis are saying in public, Brexit policy is in fact in flux," said Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform.
    He noted the increased influence of Hammond and the Scottish Conservatives, who did well in the election and have also emphasised maintaining trade ties with the EU.
    Meanwhile, Labour, which won 262 seats, has accepted that Britain will be leaving the single market but wants "full tariff-free access" to protect jobs.
    'Future leader'
    "The easiest thing for May to do is to press ahead with the Brexit that her right-wing desires. But that is probably not sustainable in the long term," Grant said.
    He added: "If May doesn't reinvent herself as a soft-Brexiteer, she is likely to be defeated in parliament."
    May announced a deal with the DUP on Monday where they agreed to back her minority government in confidence and budget votes, in return for an extra £1.0 billion (1.1 billion euros, $1.3 billion) in state aid for Northern Ireland.
    But there is doubt about how long the alliance can last, as the DUP's ultra-conservative views on abortion and gay marriage have caused disquiet among many Conservatives.
    Many of May's MPs have become emboldened by the election to speak their mind -- and not just on Brexit.
    Conservative lawmakers and the DUP voted together to defeat a Labour amendment to the Queen's Speech late Wednesday calling for an end to a six-year cap on public sector pay -- but not before some expressed their doubts about austerity.
    Talk is now of when, not if, May will step down.
    Former Conservative minister Nicky Morgan, who was sacked by May, told the BBC that once the Brexit deal was clear, her party "must not miss the opportunity at that stage to think about who we want to be our future leader".


  4. Waqas Dar
    FILE PHOTO - An Etihad Airways Boeing 777-3FX company aircraft takes off at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, August 9, 2016 - Reuters   DUBAI: Etihad Airways is allowing nationals from six Muslim-majority countries on a US travel ban list to board flights to the United States if they have valid travel documents, the Abu Dhabi-based airline said on Thursday.
    The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday to allow part of the ban which applies to citizens and refugees from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
    Visa applicants from the six countries must have a close US family relationship or formal ties to a US entity to be admitted to the United States under guidance distributed by the US State Department on Wednesday.
    "The airline continues to accept nationals with valid travel documentation from the six listed countries," an Etihad Airways spokesman said in a statement. "Acceptance, as per standard procedure, is subject to checks completed by US. authorities at the preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi airport.?
    Emirates, the Middle East's largest airline, earlier said its flights to the United States were "operating as per normal" after the United States announced new travel restrictions.
    The United States has also released new security measures for inbound flights that are designed to prevent expanding the in-cabin ban on laptops.
    "Our flights to the US are operating as per normal. All passengers must possess the appropriate travel documents, including a valid US entry visa, in order to travel. Emirates remains guided by the US Customs and Border Protection on this matter," an Emirates spokeswoman said in a statement.
    Etihad flies to six US cities. Emirates flies to 12.


  5. Waqas Dar
    Pentagon forecast that Beijing would likely build more bases overseas. BEIJING: China said on Thursday that talk the country was building a military base in Pakistan was pure speculation, after a Pentagon report earlier this month singled out Pakistan as a possible location for a future Chinese military base.
    The Pentagon forecast that Beijing would likely build more bases overseas after establishing a facility in the African nation of Djibouti.
    Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian was asked at a regular monthly news briefing if China would build a naval base in the Chinese-invested Pakistani port city of Gwadar.
    "Talk that China is building a military base in Pakistan is pure guesswork," Wu said, without elaborating.
    Djibouti´s position on the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean has fuelled worries in India that it would become another of China´s "string of pearls" of military alliances and assets ringing India, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
    China has repeatedly downplayed expectations it could be about to embark on a plan to build military bases around the world, even as it ramps up an impressive military modernisation programme.


  6. Waqas Dar
    Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif after a meeting in Bhurban in 2008. Photo: Reuters   NAUSHERO FEROZE: Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that now [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif will understand what accountability looks like.

    Addressing an event in Naushero Feroze, Zardari claimed the ruling party has forgotten what accountability looks like.
    ?We have said it before as well that these [2013 general elections] were ROs? elections, but we accepted the results for the sake of democracy,? he said, adding that ?I respect democracy, unlike Nawaz Sharif. Him and Kaptaan [Imran Khan] do not care about democracy.?
    Explaining his party?s achievements, he said we completed the Constitution given by [Prime Minister Zulfikae Ali] Bhutto.
    The former president also claimed that Pakistan?s increased economic ties with China were a ?gift? to the nation by the PPP.
    ?When the US gave a statement against Pakistan, China gave one in our favour,? he added.
    Earlier, speaking at the event, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah, said the present government is snatching the livelihood of people.
    ?Only PPP understands the true meaning of politics and serving the people,? he added. 


  7. Waqas Dar
    BRUSSELS: NATO will increase troop numbers in Afghanistan to help train local forces facing a resurgent Taliban but will not return to a combat role, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
    The alliance ended its longest-ever military operation in 2014 when it handed over post-9/11 frontline duties to the Afghan military and took on an advice and training mission.
    But NATO commanders have asked for more troops following recent Taliban gains, stoking fears that NATO could get sucked back into the conflict just as it faces a host of new threats including Russia, terrorism and cyber attacks.
    "I can confirm we will increase our presence in Afghanistan," Stoltenberg said as he arrived for a defence ministers meeting at the 29-nation alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
    An increase of up to 3,000 troops from the current figure of 13,500 soldiers is under consideration, diplomatic sources said, though Stoltenberg did not give a precise figure.
    He said 15 countries had already pledged more contributions and he hoped for more.
    "We have to understand this is about training, assistance, advice... It is not to conduct combat operations but to help the Afghans fight," Stoltenberg said.
    The extra troops could help bolster Afghan special forces, improve Kabul's air force to provide ground support and evacuations, and step up officer training, he added.
    'The long haul'
    About half of the soldiers in what is known as the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan are currently from the US.
    US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis is due to brief the allies later Thursday but Stoltenberg said he did not expect him to give specific troop numbers.
    "We will look into how we together can... have enough troops to help the government and break the stalemate and so lay the ground for a political solution," Stoltenberg said.
    US President Donald Trump has pushed the Cold War-era alliance to do more to counter terror and for the allies to increase defence spending to ease the burden on Washington.
    British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said London would provide just under 100 troops, on top of 500 already in Afghanistan.
    Fallon also emphasised that the troops would have no combat role and that the deployment was needed to help Afghanistan combat terrorism which threatened regions across the globe, including Europe.
    "We're in it for the long haul," Fallon told reporters. "There is every incentive to stay the course."
    Separately, a senior NATO military official played down concerns that the alliance would get embroiled once again in Afghanistan, where it took over the lead role from US forces in 2003.
    The real increase would number only in the hundreds to meet fresh tasks contained in a new Afghan government plan for the war, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
    It only comes to thousands if current shortfalls in Resolute Support Mission numbers were included, the official said.
    Terror, cyberattacks, Russia
    Stung into action by Russia's intervention in Ukraine, NATO has embarked on its biggest military buildup since the end of the Cold War to face a more assertive Moscow.
    Defence ministers will discuss progress just as four "tripwire" battalions totalling some 4,000 troops complete their deployment in the three Baltic states and Poland.
    In a statement to mark the event, the four countries and the four lead nations -- Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States -- said the battlegroups were "ready and able to deter and, if necessary, immediately respond to any aggression."
    Stoltenberg warned on Wednesday that NATO must also step up its defences against cyber attacks after ransomware hackers caused chaos worldwide.
    NATO agreed last year that a cyberattack could warrant invoking Article 5 -- the alliance's 'all for one, one for all' mutual security guarantee.
    The global terror threat, highlighted by the Daesh militant group, also figures high on the ministers' agenda after NATO leaders agreed at a summit last month to join the US-led anti-IS coalition.


  8. Waqas Dar
    Emergency services at the site of the accident in Shahkot. Photo: Geo News  FAISALABAD/LAHORE: Four women and as many children were killed while 14 were injured in two road accidents in Bhera and Nankana Sahib on Thursday.
    In the first incident, a passenger van travelling to Murree from Lahore collided with a speeding car, resulting in the death of two women identified as Noreen and Sidra and three children, identified as Hamza, Hadia and Wasiq. 
    Eight passengers injured in the incident were taken to a hospital in Bhera.
    The second accident occurred in Shahkot, Nanakana Sahib when a vehicle travelling to Faisalabad from Jaranwala caught fire due to an alleged CNG cylinder leak.
    Two women and a child died as a result of the fire. 
    Passersby rescued the people from the burning car and transferred them to a hospital. 
    Fire tenders also reached the site and doused the burning vehicle. 


  9. Waqas Dar
    Sarfraz celebrates win against Sri Lanka in Champions Trophy/Getty Images  ISLAMABAD: With the security situation improving in the country, Pakistani cricket fans may soon have something to cheer for: the Sri Lankan cricket team is expected to tour here at the end of this year.
    Talking to APP, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official confirmed that the Sri Lankan cricket team is expected to tour Pakistan in November or December.
    "Our Sri Lankan counterpart have expressed willingness in sending their team to Pakistan as the security situation is improving in the country," he said.
    The official said that the Sri Lankan team would be playing ODIs and T20Is against Pakistan which would be staged only in Lahore.
    "The world had witnessed the type of security that was provided in the high-profile Pakistan Super League (PSL) final at Lahore. PSL final had proved a great breakthrough in reviving international cricket in Pakistan," he said.
    The official added that a World XI team would also be touring Pakistan in September, which would include foreign players from Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa.


  10. Waqas Dar
    Australia cricket captain Steve Smith got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Dani Willis during holidays in New York City on Thursday.
    Smith, who has been dating Willis, a law student, since five years, got down on one knee and popped the question on New York?s Top of the Rock.
    The excited cricketer shared the picture on his Instagram. ?Today I got down on one knee and (Willis) said YES,? he wrote.

    Smith, 28, met Willis at a bar during the first edition of the Big Bash T20 league in 2011-12 in Australia.

    The couple is currently vacationing in the United States following Smith?s disappointing Champions Trophy exit earlier in June.


  11. Waqas Dar
    If it is shiny and sharp and wait... if it is on Mars then, it's must be aliens!


    Something which appears to be a chunk of metal was recently photographed by the Opportunity Rover.

    The finding of Opportunity Rover actually shows an unusually shiny, and object on the top of the grainy surface of Mars' Meridiani Planum.
    The internet which has already gone wild over it has the reactions coming.
    One commentator noted it as it "Looks like light glimmering off of a genuine spaceship on an alien planet in outer space." 
    Another suggestion which was given that it could be a piece of debris from the rover itself or a heat shield from the craft that delivered it.


    Even successful projects litter the landscape with debris as they plough through the thin atmosphere.

    And Opportunity has been travelling back along the line of its lander's approach.
    While the internet is still debating over it, no statement from NASA has been released yet. 


  12. Waqas Dar
    While Bollywood actor Salman Khan's movies generally promise a big opening but this did not happen this time.
    Salman Khan starerTubelight which was released this weekend but contrary to expectations and much hype created, the film underperformed at the box office.

    Salman performed the role of a man-child in the movie which was set against the backdrop of Indo-Sino war of 1962.
    The movie was directed by Kabir Khan and this was the third time Salman-Kabir duo collaborated after Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
    Tubelight which opened on a decent note of around INR 20 crore has now finally entered the 100-crore club on its sixth day of release.
    Tubelight was expected to race ahead of the previous record, however, now that looks a bit difficult looking at the soaring state of the movie.
    Produced by Salman Khan Films, Tubelight also stars Chinese actor Zhu Zhu, Sohail Khan, Matin Rey Tangu and late Om Puri in pivotal roles. 


  13. Waqas Dar
    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/b956f5179c7510092c63e22b628243f1.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni8yOS8yMDE3IDEwOjI5OjE5IEFNJmhhc2hfdmFsdWU9TnpUbGNtR1hqRkFzWWh3b3pPSnl5dz09JnZhbGlkbWludXRlcz02MCZpZD0x style=center] KARACHI: Railways Minister Saad Rafique said on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is being punished for turning Pakistan into an atomic power in 1999.

    In a message on Twitter, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader said world powers, through their 'puppets' Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf and former Chief Justice of Pakistan Irshad Hussain, were behind the premier?s dismissal then.
    This time around there is a conspiracy to punish Nawaz Sharif over his economic turnaround of the country with regards to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said, adding that this is an old game of the world powers but the players are new.
    He urged the public to recognise the puppets working against Pakistan?s development for their personal interests.
    He termed those who made an uproar over ?rigging? in the 2013 elections and then the Panama Papers puppets of various colours and sizes.


  14. Waqas Dar
    LOS ANGELES: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" sees one of the most successful superheroes in movie history return to his comic book roots -- but the film's release is a landmark Hollywood event for a different reason.
    The $175 million blockbuster brings together two corporate leviathans, Disney-owned Marvel and Sony, in a rare example of cooperation between rival studios on a major film.
    "It was one of a handful of 'This will never be possible but let's dream about it' moments at Marvel," the studio's president Kevin Feige, told reporters at the movie's New York press day on Sunday.
    Described by Marvel as the "crown jewel" of its comic book empire, the company sold "Spider-Man" to Sony for a reported $7 million in 1999, when superheroes had not yet become white-hot cinematic properties.
    The web-slinger has become Sony's own most prized asset over five movies from 2002-2014 that grossed $4 billion worldwide, making him the second-most bankable comic book character behind Batman.
    But the last of these, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014), starring Andrew Garfield, was considered a financial and critical disappointment.
    Sensing the writing was on the wall, Sony Pictures Entertainment's then co-chairman Amy Pascal agreed in 2015 to allow Marvel Studios -- after months of lobbying -- to produce a new series of "Spider-Man" movies.
    The result, starring 21-year-old Brit Tom Holland ("The Impossible"), is the first Spider-Man movie to exist in Marvel's "cinematic universe," a series of 15 interconnected superhero films.
    'Pretty exciting'
    Featuring Thor, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk and many other comic book favourites, the franchise has hauled in a staggering $11.8 billion, beginning with 2008's "Iron Man."
    Pascal lost her job in the aftermath of the November 2014 Sony hack but was allowed as part of her severance package to stay on as a co-producer along with Feige of "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
    The collaboration saw Sony paying Marvel an undisclosed producing fee, according to The Los Angeles Times, but keeping the profits and benefiting from being able to include fan favourite Iron Man in its movie.
    Sony is returning the compliment by allowing Spider-Man to appear in Marvel's upcoming "Avengers: Infinity War," after a cameo in "Captain America: Civil War," which amassed $1.2 billion in box office sales last year.
    "It started with a lunch between me and Kevin, and I can't believe we're here now. It's pretty exciting," Pascal told the New York news conference.
    There are precedents for such collaboration. Paramount has worked with Warner Bros. on several movies, including "Interstellar," "Friday the 13th" and "Watchmen," with one distributing internationally and the other domestically.
    Paramount also came on board with Fox when the budget for James Cameron's "Titanic" (1997) began to spiral out of control, but such arrangements are the rare exception rather than the rule.
    New stories
    "Spider-Man: Homecoming" picks up the action directly following the epic battle scene of "Civil War" as Peter returns home to his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr).
    His attempts to fall back into his daily routine are disrupted by the Vulture (Michael Keaton), a new villain who threatens everything that Peter holds most dear.
    Marvel's vision has been to return Spider-Man to the character of its 1960s comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko -- a teenage boy setting the world to rights alongside the Avengers.
    "Homecoming" is getting rave reviews from the previews and looks like it will be a hit with fans, creating more social media buzz than any other upcoming release and tracking to open as high as $100 million on July 7.
    "The opportunity to finally put Spider-Man where he belongs, in the Marvel universe, really if anything just opened up the doors to so many new kinds of stories that we could tell," director Jon Watts told reporters.
    "So if anything, I felt like we were being as true as possible, as anyone has ever been able to be, about Spider-Man and how he fits into this world."


  15. Waqas Dar
    Protests have been held in cities across India following the murder of a 15-year-old Muslim - AFP NEW DELHI: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned murder in the name of protecting cows, which are worshipped by the country's majority Hindus, after a string of killings targeting Muslims and other minorities.

    "Killing people in the name of Gau Bhakti (cow worship) is not acceptable. This not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve," Modi said.
    Modi's comments come just days after the stabbing murder of Junaid Khan by a group of men who accused the 15-year-old Muslim and his brother of carrying beef.
    India has been suffering a wave of vigilante murders, with at least 10 Muslims killed by mobs since April, said rights group Amnesty International.
    Khan's murder sparked protests across Indian cities, with demonstrators calling for an end to the violence under the slogan "not in my name".
    Modi expressed his "pain and anguish at the current environment" in India, listing incidents of vigilante violence.
    "No person in this nation has the right to take the law into his or her own hands in this country. Violence has and never will solve any problem," the prime minister said.
    Critics say vigilantes have been emboldened since Modi´s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party was elected in 2014.


  16. Waqas Dar
    DUBAI: The ruler of Dubai has taken to verse to urge Qatar to concede to the demands of Saudi Arabia and its allies for an end to a crippling embargo.
    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, is the latest in a long line of world leaders to turn to poetry to convey their message.
    In the poem, posted on Instagram late on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed urged Qatar to abandon its independent foreign policy and return to the Gulf fold.
    "Of one origin, people, existence/one flesh and blood, one land and faith," he wrote.
    "Yet Qatar turns to the nearby stranger, to the weak," he added, alluding to Doha's refusal to join the Riyadh-led boycott of Tehran.
    "Now is the time to unite, one heart/to protect one another beyond hate."
    The poem garnered more than 80,000 likes overnight.
    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and its allies Egypt and Bahrain severed all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of support for extremist groups -- a claim Doha denies.
    They closed their airspace to Qatari carriers and blocked the emirate's only land border, a vital route for its food imports. They also ordered all Qataris to leave and their own nationals to return home.
    Last week, Riyadh laid down a list of 13 "non-negotiable" demands for Doha, including ending its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.
    The UAE ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned in comments published by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Tuesday that Qatar could face further sanctions if it failed to meet the demands.
    Sheikh Mohammed is by no means the first world leader to turn to poetry.
    Former US president Jimmy Carter is a published poet. Barack Obama dabbled in poetry in the 1980s and his successor Donald Trump is now the unintentional author of a compilation of tweets and quotes entitled "Bard of the Deal: The poetry of Donald Trump".
    Bosnian Serb psychiatrist-turned-politician Radovan Karadzic, sentenced to 40 years in jail by a UN court last year for his part in the 1995 genocide of Muslims in the town of Srebrenica, also fancied himself as a poet, releasing a collection of poetry and a novel, "Miraculous Chronicles of the Night".


  17. Waqas Dar
    Donald Trump's ban on travelers from six mostly Muslim countries will last 90 days but not all its implications are clear - AFP 1 WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court's partial reinstatement of President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban has immigration lawyers and travellers trying to unpack how exactly the ban will be implemented when it takes effect Thursday.
    The court ruled that the president's executive order targeting citizens from six mainly Muslim countries could go into partial effect.
    But the court eased its punch by saying the measure could only be applied to travellers from those targeted countries "who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."
    Though Trump has claimed the Supreme Court's decision a national security win, the partial ban is narrower in scope than the president's first two versions. Here's what we know about what the ruling means:
    Who is allowed entry?
    The restrictions target visitors from six countries: Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen.
    Of travellers from those countries, the nation's highest court said those "who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States" cannot enter -- meaning US citizens and people with familial ties to the US can.
    The court also said students accepted to attend university stateside or who had been hired by a US employer would be able to come -- but emphasised that establishing such a connection just to gain entry would not be allowed.
    But the Supreme Court justices did not clarify how distant the family member can be, or what happens to those who have applied to school or jobs and are awaiting a response.
    And decisions over whose claims are tangible turn even murkier when it comes to short-term visitors. It is unclear how enforcement will differ for travellers coming specifically to see family and those travelling for tourism or medical treatment, for example.
    The ruling permits Trump to reinstate a 120-day ban on refugees -- though the Trump administration has already slashed the number of refugees it will admit annually to 50,000, a threshold the State Department anticipates hitting in a couple of weeks.
    When will it take effect, and for how long?
    Earlier this month Trump signed a memorandum informing agencies to begin enforcing the measure 72 hours after lower court freezes were lifted, and it is set to take effect Thursday.
    Bloomberg News reported that implementation would begin at 8 pm EST (1200 GMT), in order to provide embassies and consulates around the globe prior guidance on how to enforce the ban.
    Both the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security said they were waiting for clarification from the Justice Department on the meaning of "bona fide," to make sure authorities are clear on how to carry out the order.
    Officials in the administration as well as in airports are hoping to avoid the chaos sparked by Trump's original executive order, which was unveiled in January to massive protests and confusion at border control points as well as a flurry of legal challenges.
    Immigrant advocates said they would be at airports to aid any arrivals that immigration officers sought to turn away.
    The ban on travellers from the six countries will last 90 days, and the refugee ban for 120, as defined by the executive order.
    What are the next legal steps?
    The decision closed five months of legal wrangling, and the Supreme Court will take up the case when it returns in October from its summer recess.
    But as agencies await clarification on the partial ban's implementation, some anticipate legal battles will persist.
    Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who wanted the ban implemented for anyone from the six countries, wrote Monday he fears the court decision "will prove unworkable."
    It "will invite a flood of litigation until this case is finally resolved on the merits, as parties and courts struggle to determine what exactly constitutes a 'bona fide relationship'."


  18. Waqas Dar
    SYDNEY: For the first time, drone sirens will be used to warn beachgoers of approaching sharks, the New South Wales (NSW) State Government in Australia said on Thursday.

    "Drones and helicopters have proved a very successful measure in protecting beachgoers last summer they spotted 571 dangerous sharks and assisted in saving two swimmers caught in a rip," NSW Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said in a statement.
    "We are committed to doing all we can to protect beachgoers and one of the best ways we can do this during the busy school holidays is through our eyes in the sky.
    " Beginning on July 1, the Northern NSW coast will be the first location to trail the world-first technology, as the are has suffered a substantial increase in shark attacks over recent years.
    Of the 26 shark attacks that occurred in Australia during 2016, 16 of them were in New South Wales.
    The State is also turning to mobile technology in order to keep surfers informed.
    An app called SharkSmart will be used to update beachgoers of any breaking news at their local beach.
    To go along with the science-driven, shark management strategy, 35 baited drumlines have been deployed which provide real-time shark alerts via Twitter and the App when a tagged shark swims within 500 meters.


  19. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood has always been an important part of the global film industry.
    Actors and actresses of B-town are now receiving invitations to be members of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
    According to Indian media, top Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and a few others have been invited to be members of the Oscars organisation.




    Other than the aforementioned A-Listers, Irrfan Khan, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra have also been invited to be a part of the esteemed organisation.



    Last year only 683 members received the invitation and this time a record of 774 members have been invited to join the Oscars organisation, bringing the total number of members to 8, 500.
    Hollywood A-Listers who have been added to the list this year include Gal Gadot, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Pratt, Anna Faris, Margot Robbie, Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, Shailene Woodley, Ruth Negga, Rupert Grint and others.




  20. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Actress Meera has announced that she will be getting married on August 22 to a family friend.

    In an article published in Jang, the actress revealed that her Mehndi will take place on August 5 while the Valima ceremony will be held in November.
    Meera said that following her marriage she would no longer live in Pakistan and move to the US. Meera added that she would also be leaving the showbiz industry.
    According to the actress her husband to be does not work in the showbiz industry and this was an arranged marriage which her parents were extremely happy about. 


  21. Waqas Dar
    Lionel Messi with his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo ROSARIO, ARGENTINA: Football and showbiz stars gather in northern Argentina on Friday for Latin America´s celebrity wedding bash of the decade when Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi marries his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo.
    Pop star Shakira and her husband, Messi´s teammate Gerard Pique, are expected among the 260 guests, according to media and locals close to the event.
    They will join old friends of the couple and footballers such as his Barcelona strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar.
    The party at a casino in his hometown Rosario will be a respite for the player from his legal woes. A Spanish court last month rejected his appeal against a conviction for tax fraud.
    All-star guest list
    Brunette bride Roccuzzo, 29, will wear a dress by Spanish designer Rosa Clara, which has been flown over from Barcelona.
    The designer has dressed stars such as actresses Eva Longoria and Sofia Vergara as well as Spain´s Queen Letizia.
    From 2200 GMT the guests will pack into the Hotel City-Center Casino, which stands right next to a crime-ridden slum run by drug gangs.
    "Messi´s wedding accentuates the sense of inequality that is symbolized by the casino in that neighborhood," said Carlos del Frade, author of several books on the drug trade in Rosario.
    Gerard Pique and his partner Shakira are among the guests at the wedding This city of 1.2 million people is also a cradle of footballing talent, however.
    "Rosario lives and breathes football. That is another reason Lionel feels so comfortable here," the city´s mayor, Monica Fein, told AFP.
    "I think he is excited that through his wedding his friends (from abroad) will be able to get to know the city he loves so much.?
    Local delicacies
    The civil wedding ceremony and party will all take place inside the venue, and the guests will be lodged there too.
    Messi, 30 -- considered a man of few words -- has reportedly asked chefs to cook local delicacies such as "locro" stew and "empanada" pasties for the feast.
    The star dish is a typical Argentine beef roast including chitterlings, gizzards and kidneys.
    Uruguayan pop bands Rombai and Marama plus singer Karina, wife of Argentina footballer Sergio Aguero, will perform at the dance.
    It is not known whether the guests will also get a song from Shakira, the Colombian diva famous for "Whenever, Wherever."
    Tight security and media scrum
    Some 155 journalists have been accredited to cover the bash, but have been warned they will have no access to the guests.
    Security will be handled by a private team of Israeli specialists used by Messi for all his excursions.
    Messi and Roccuzzo with their sons Thiago and Mateo (picture taken from dailymail.co.uk) "In Lionel Messi´s case, he´s widely accepted by the people at all levels," said Diego Manso, a local private security consultant.
    "All the same, the security systems will never overlook the probability of a lot of people wanting to approach him, wanting to touch him, take photos with him, from their risk analysis."
    Messi and Roccuzzo live in Barcelona where he plays, but still return regularly to Rosario on holiday.
    The couple had their two children baptized there last year: Thiago, 4 and one-year-old Mateo, both born in Barcelona.
    "It´s no surprise that he is coming back here to get married," one of the wedding guests, the player´s old school friend Diego Vallejos, told AFP.
    "He is an ordinary person who just wants to be near his family and friends. He is a humble person. Money has not changed his personality."
    Messi and Roccuzzo met as children. He moved to Spain when he was 13 to join FC Barcelona. But they kept in touch.
    "They are the love of each other´s lives," says Vallejos.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: File  ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned on Thursday the acting Deputy High Commissioner of India, S Raguram, over a recent cross-border violation by Indian forces. 
    On June 28, a man was killed and three others, including a woman, injured in the Nakyal sector of Azad Jammu and Kashmir after Indian border forces opened indiscriminate firing across the Line of Control (LoC).   
    The deceased was identified as 22-year-old Abdul Wahab. 
    70-year-old martyred in Indian firing across LoC
    Indian troops resorted to firing in Chirikot sector along the LoC, in fresh violation of the ceasefire agreement
    Army officials said the Pakistani troops gave a 'befitting' response to the Indian shelling.
    The charge-sheet to the Indian diplomat, who serves as the first secretary in the high commission's political wing, was presented by the ministry's South Asia desk head. 
    In the charge-sheet, the Indian government was strongly urged to halt the continuous cross-border firing and adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement across the LoC between the two countries. 


  23. Waqas Dar
    NASA has found signs of ancient water on Mars multiple times over the years but now their recent find is actually something kickass and amazing!
    Any guesses?
    Let us kill the suspense!
    NASA has recently discovered molten Martian lava on Mars.
    Yes. Molten lava!


    NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has taken photos of a part of the red planet that once played host to huge multi-tiered falls of lava that cascaded into a crater.

    The images also show off the (now dried) circular flow of lava at the base of the falls, where the molten rock fanned outward on the crater's floor.

    According to NASA, "The lava flows and falls are distinct as they are rougher than the original features that are smooth and knobby," 
    NASA referred the features as the "Niagara Falls of Mars."
     "In a close-up image the rough-textured lava flow to the north has breached the crater wall at a narrow point, where it then cascades downwards, fanning out and draping the steeper slopes of the wall in the process," NASA said in a statement.
    This isn't the first evidence of lava on Mars. Researchers have also theorized that there were once channels of lava on Mars, and even lava tubes on the red planet, shaping its geology.




  24. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anil Kapoor are all set and ready to share the screen soon.
    Excited much?
    The duo will be seen together after almost 17 years in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and KriArj Entertainment's next production ?Fanney Khan?. 
    The Devdas actress last shared the screen with Mr. India star in the movie Taal.

    However, in their upcoming movie, the charming duo won?t be playing each other's love interest.
    According to Indian media, the co-producer of the movie spilled the beans as she said, "The team starts building the set in Mumbai next month and Anil will kick off shooting in the first week of August. Aishwarya joins him by the month-end and the film will wrap up in a start-to-finish schedule by October."
    When asked about Aishwarya's role, the co-producer said, "Ash was blown away by her glamorous and ?highly stylised? character. We took the script to her two months ago and she immediately gave her nod."
    ?Their combined energy is unparallel. Almost all of Ash?s scenes are with Anil. Her character is the complete opposite of her serious turns in ?Jazbaa? and ?Sarbjit.? In our film she is the spunky, enchanting female protagonist," she added.

    There were also reports of Aishwarya getting selected for this film after Priyanka Chopra turned down the script. 
    However, the makers of the film have denied this news and said that Aishwarya had always been the first and the last choice for the film?s character.

    ?Fanney Khan? is the Hindi adaptation of the 2000 Dutch release ?Everybody's Famous? directed by Dominique Deruddere.




  25. Waqas Dar
    India captain Virat Kohli/ICC Virat Kohli is now only one spot behind becoming the ?King? of Facebook in India. The Indian skipper has surpassed Bollywood star Salman Khan to become the second most-followed Indian on Facebook, behind only Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    Kohli, with 35 million Facebook followers, is the most followed sportsperson in India and now just behind Narendra Modi, who has 42.2 million Facebook followers.
    The 28-year-old cricketer has left behind celebrities like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, and leads Sachin Tendulkar by more than 7.1 million likes.
    Kohli pictured with Sachin Tendulkar. File photo:AFP Kohli also stars in the list of the fastest-growing pages of sportspersons on Facebook, which is led by football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. All the top 10 athletes in this list include footballers, except Kohli and American wrestler John Cena.
    Earlier this month, Kohli also became the sole athlete from India to feature in the 2017 Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, ranking 89th with a total pay of $22 million. The list was led by football star Cristiano Ronaldo.
    The Indian cricket team, after suffering a heavy defeat by Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy final on June 18, is currently on tour to the West Indies.


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