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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Photo: AP NEW YORK: Former US president Barack Obama hailed Jay Z as a kindred spirit as the hip-hop mogul became the first rapper to enter the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday.
    The elite club also welcomed Motown records´ pathbreaking founder Berry Gordy at its annual induction -- an evening of performances by top stars that, like songwriters themselves, stayed decidedly lower-key than televised award galas.
    Obama made a surprise appearance by video to present the honor to Jay Z, who grew up as Sean Carter in a troubled housing project in Brooklyn and has gone on to become one of music´s wealthiest entrepreneurs.
    "I like to think Mr Carter and I understand each other. Nobody who met us as younger men would have expected us to be where we are today," Obama said of the rapper, who with his wife Beyonce actively campaigned for the first African-American president.
    Obama said he related to Jay Z in that neither grew up with a father, both understood deprivation "and, let´s face it, we both have wives who are significantly more popular than we are."
    Obama described himself as a longtime fan of Jay Z and, in a veiled reference to his successor Donald Trump, said: "I´m pretty sure I´m still the only president to listen to Jay Z´s music in the Oval Office."
    "That may change at some point, but I´m pretty sure that´s true now," he said.
    Jay Z did not appear at the ceremony. Beyonce is pregnant with twins, and his absence is sure to fuel speculation that her delivery date is approaching.
    The rapper took to Twitter to thank artists who influenced him. In a speech in his name, his music publisher Jon Platt said the award came after years of rappers being told "you´re not songwriters."
    "Jay would want you to know that this induction is a signal that your time has come and your time is now," he said.
    Respect for songwriters
    Pitbull, the bilingual Cuban-American rapper, took the most political turn of the gala as he received an award for global contributions.
    He warned that the United States is being led by "a donkey" in Trump, saying music has the power to unite people across barriers.
    But creative people are too often overlooked even though their content grosses billions, he added.
    "We are the reason that these tech guys get to put on jeans and a T-shirt," Pitbull said.
    Jimmy Jam also called for respect to songwriters as he was inducted alongside Terry Lewis, his longtime partner. The duo is best known for developing Janet Jackson´s sound as well as hits such as The Human League´s "Human," which the pair performed at the gala.
    "We´re like the farmers," he said. "Without us the music doesn´t exist for anybody -- for Spotify, Pandora, you name it."
    New award for Motown legend
    Motown´s still-sprightly 87-year-old founder Gordy was inducted for songwriting after winning myriad other awards.
    "All I can say is that it´s about time," he said before enjoying a standing ovation.
    Gordy wrote classic songs from The Contours´ "Do You Love Me" to the signature tunes of The Jackson 5. He found a home for his music by creating Motown in Detroit, once the country´s biggest African-American-owned business.
    "Songwriting was my first love and protecting that love was the motivation for everything else I did," Gordy said.
    "All I had to do was to convince white disc jockeys that my songs were music for all people," he added.
    Other songwriting inductees included Max Martin, the Swede who has worked with Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Adele and other stars to create some of the 21st century´s biggest chart-toppers; Babyface, the force behind dozens of R&B hits by Whitney Houston and other artists; and Robert Lamm and James Pankow of the jazz-rock band Chicago.
    The 26-year-old English superstar Ed Sheeran received an award for young songwriters and performed an acoustic version of his "Castle on a Hill."
    "Performing a gig feels good, drinking alcohol feels good, having *** feels good," he said. "But writing a song -- there is nothing like that moment."


  2. Waqas Dar
    Google Drive?s new massive update will allow the users to back up their entire computer data, Google informed in a post on Thursday.
    ?On June 28th, 2017, we will launch Backup and Sync from Google, a tool intended to help everyday users back up files and photos from their computers, so they?re safe and accessible from anywhere,? read the post.
    Currently, the users who want to save their files, photos on Google Drive first move their data to the Google Drive and then sync it with Cloud.
    However, this is soon going to change as new update will allow users to save files on desktop of one?s PC/Laptop without any problem whatsoever.
    Users will be restricted to use 15 GB data and if they want to save more data then they will have to pay for it.
    At first, only Android users can avail this new feature.


  3. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Two suspects were arrested on Friday from Karachi airport for allegedly smuggling foreign currency worth Rs100.90 million
    The Federal Investigation Agency?s (FIA) Anti-Corruption Cell arrested two suspects, identified as Irfan Ahmed and Zeeshan Haider, during an operation at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
    According to the FIA, Irfan is an employee of a company which deals with foreign currency exchange while Zeeshan works for a private airline.
    Zeeshan was helping Irfan smuggle currency to Dubai, said the FIA.
    The currency was seized from the suspect and a case has also been registered.  


  4. Waqas Dar
    geo_embedgallery LOS ANGELES: A giant Bat-signal lit up the side of City Hall in Los Angeles Thursday night to honour Batman actor Adam West, who played the superhero role in the 1960s television series.

    He died on Friday at age 88 following a battle with leukemia.
    The caped crusader helped protect the fictional Gotham City in a franchise that began as a DC Comics strip before also moving to television and film.
    When Gotham´s authorities needed Batman´s help, they projected a light beam with his logo into the sky.
    Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and police chief Charlie Beck led Thursday´s tribute.
    Hundreds of fans thronged the ceremony, many dressed up in costumes from the television series and films.
    Two replicas of the 1960s-era Batmobile were parked outside the building.
    Burt Ward, 71, who played Batman´s sidekick Robin on the show, also took part.
    "I´m here to tell you that my friend Adam would want every single one of you to be incredibly happy and to be joyous," he told the crowd.
    The 1966-68 TV series had a low-brow comedy touch that made it far different from the darker "Batman" moves of today.
    West delivered his often corny lines with deadpan earnestness, entertaining children and adding a touch of satirical humor for adults.
    The series epitomised the era´s kitsch, with exclamations like "POW!" and "BAM!" written in pop-art script flashing across television screens.
    The show gave rise to a movie version in 1966, in which West also starred, and fueled a franchise that included merchandise like toy Batmobiles, Batphones, dolls and lunchboxes. 


  5. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood?s ?Bhaijaan? Salman Khan surprised the fans as he cycled on Mumbai streets.
    He gave a loving salute to all his fans who shouted out to him. Salman Khan is currently busy promoting eco-friendly electric cycles along with his upcoming movie, Tubelight.
    However, he showed the fans his lighter side as he shouted Shah Rukh Khan?s name while passing the King Khan?s residence, Mannat.


    Shah Rukh Khan also has a special appearance in Tubelight.

    Speaking about the cameo, director Kabir Khan said that Shah Rukh?s character in the movie will shape Salman's role.
    ?In a certain way it sets off the process of Salman character of what he will do in the film. It?s going to be a treat to Salman and Shah Rukh together on screen after 20 years. It?s a beautiful scene. And I too am looking forward to the audience reaction to that part. I have left a little lull in that scene just for people to scream, shout, whistle and settle down before I go forward. I know what?s going to happen in the theatre. It?s going to be Mayhem when the two of them come together," he said, according to Indian media.
    The duo has appeared together in many films including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega and Karan Arjun.
    The movie is all set to release on June 23.


  6. Waqas Dar
    Baghdadi in a mosque in Mosul, Iraq in 2014. Photo: Reuters MOSCOW: Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday it was checking information that a Russian air strike near the Syrian city of Raqqa may have killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in late May.
    The air strike was launched after the Russian forces in Syria received intelligence that a meeting of Daesh leaders was being planned, the ministry said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
    "On May 28, after drones were used to confirm the information on the place and time of the meeting of IS leaders, between 00:35 and 00:45, Russian air forces launched a strike on the command point where the leaders were located," the statement said.
    "According to the information which is now being checked via various channels, also present at the meeting was Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was eliminated as a result of the strike," the ministry said.
    The US-led coalition fighting Daesh said it could not confirm the Russian report that Baghdadi may have been killed.
    The strike is believed to have killed several other senior leaders of the group, as well as around 30 field commanders and up to 300 of their personal guards, the Russian defense ministry statement said.
    The Daesh leaders had gathered at the command centre, in a southern suburb of Raqqa, to discuss possible routes for the militants' retreat from the city, the statement said.
    The United States was informed in advance about the place and time of the strike, the Russian military said.
    Daesh fighters are close to defeat in the twin capitals of the group's territory, Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.
    Russian forces support the Syrian government which is fighting against Daesh mainly from the west, while a US-led coalition supports Iraqi government forces fighting against Islamic State from the east.
    The last public video footage of Baghdadi shows him dressed in black clerical robes declaring his caliphate from the pulpit of Mosul's medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque back in 2014.
    Born Ibrahim al-Samarrai, Baghdadi is a 46-year-old Iraqi who broke away from al Qaeda in 2013, two years after the capture and killing of the group's leader Osama bin Laden.
    Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, cast doubt on the report Baghdadi may have been killed. He said that according to his information, Baghdadi was located in another part of Syria at the end of May.
    ?The information is that as of the end of last month Baghdadi was in Deir al-Zor, in the area between Deir al-Zor and Iraq, in Syrian territory,? he said by phone.
    Questioning what Baghdadi would have been doing in that location, he said: ?Is it reasonable that Baghdadi would put himself between a rock and a hard place of the (US-led) coalition and Russia??


  7. Waqas Dar
    Flames and smoke billow as firefighters deal with a serious fire in a tower block at Latimer Road in West London. Photo: Reuters LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May faced mounting criticism on Friday for not meeting the survivors of a deadly London tower block blaze, ratcheting up the pressure as she tries to strike a deal to stay in power after a botched election gamble.

    May promised to hold a public inquiry into a fire that killed at least 17 people when it engulfed a 24-storey social housing block in West London, expressing her sorrow in a televised statement after meeting with the emergency services.
    But unlike opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was confronted by a young boy asking "How many children died?", May did not meet with residents, prompting criticism from locals, media and within her Conservative party.
    "She wanted an entirely controlled situation in which she didn't use her humanity," former cabinet minister Michael Portillo told the BBC.
    "She should have been there with the residents. You have to be prepared to receive people's emotions, and not be so frightened about people," he said.
    When asked on Thursday about why she did not meet residents or visit a local community center, May said she wanted to visit the scene of the incident to be briefed by the emergency services.
    The Sun newspaper said 65 people are now feared dead or missing in the fire. London police expect the death toll to rise further but said it could take months to search the burned-out building and identify the victims.
    On Friday, British newspapers heightened their criticism of the government, saying there were a series of unanswered issues including as to whether the cladding used on the building helped the blaze spread.
    "Three lethal questions," headlined the right-wing Daily Mail newspaper, which backed May's Conservatives in last week's national election, saying ministers faced disturbing questions over the disaster.
    Local government minister Sajid Javid, responsible for housing policy, defended May for not meeting with those affected by the disaster:
    "What she wanted to do was to speak to the people working on the ground on the recovery operation, the rescue operation to make sure that they've got everything they want and see how she could help," he told Sky news.
    After May failed to win an outright majority in a snap election last week, she is battling to strike a deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party to support her government.


  8. Waqas Dar
    RAWALPINDI: Nearly 80 motorcyclists attacked Rawalpindi?s traffic police?s Chandni Chowk check post after their fellows were arrested for one-wheeling on Friday.
    The motorcyclists took traffic wardens hostage and attempted to set a government-owned car on fire.
    Seven suspects were arrested and an operation against one-wheeling is underway, a Rawalpindi traffic police official said.
    Warden officer Suhail Shehzad was seriously injured after attackers opened fire on him, a spokesperson for the traffic police said.
    ?The crackdown against one-wheeling will continue throughout Ramazan,? Wajid Sasti said. ?24 FIRs have been registered against one-wheelers to date, and a total of 26 suspects have been arrested.? 


  9. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif will become the fourth member of the Sharif family to appear before the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on Saturday.
    The JIT is probing the global money trail of the Sharif family in light of the Supreme Court?s April 20 judgment in the Panama Papers case.
    The chief minister arrived in the federal capital on Friday evening. 
    On Friday, Shehbaz said the conspiracy elements are once again indulging in politics of lies.

    ?I don?t have time to respond to the opposition?s baseless allegations and will serve the people till my last breath,? said the Punjab chief minister.
    Engaging in falsehood will not benefit their negative politics, he said, adding that people have never voted for those who level false allegations.
    In a recent report to the court, the JIT had complained of ?impediments? in its investigation by several government departments. 

    On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appeared before the JIT to answer their queries.
    After the session, he said that every penny earned by his family is accounted for, adding that these are assets related to his private family wealth and have nothing to do with public funds.
    He also rejected all allegations of wrongdoing and corruption hurled by his opponents.
    The JIT has summoned the premier?s elder son, Hussain Nawaz, five times and his younger son, Hassan, twice.
    The probe so far
    The Supreme Court began investigating the Sharif family late last year after the main political parties failed to agree on a committee to probe the Panama Papers leaks, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan threatened mass protests and to ?shut down Islamabad?.

    The JIT ? formed on May 6 ? was given 60 days to complete its probe into the Sharif family?s international financial dealings and submit its report to the Supreme Court?s special implementation bench overseeing its proceedings.
    The JIT team is headed by Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, and includes members from Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan and the National Accountability Bureau. 


  10. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The Sindh Government on Thursday issued notifications banning pillion riding for motorcycles and scooters and the use of ?heli-cams? on the occasion on Youm-e-Ali (RA).
    The ban will be effective from 12AM on Friday in Karachi and Hyderabad to maintain the law and order situation, the notifications said.

    Notification issued by Sindh Government banning pillion riding on Youm-e-Ali, to be observed on June 17.  However, the ban will not be applicable to ?women, children below the age of 12 years, senior citizens, journalists, personnel of law enforcement agencies/ security agencies in uniform and employees of the essential services.?



    Another similar notification issued by the Sindh Government banned the use of ?Heli-cams? by media outlets for video recording the processions to avoid ?any untoward incident.?
    Notification issued by Sindh Government banning the use of Heli-cams to record Youm-e-Ali processions. 




  11. Waqas Dar
    The logo of the Japanese auto parts maker displayed at a car showroom in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: AFP Japan's scandal-hit airbag maker Takata is expected to file for bankruptcy protection as early as this month as it prepares to sell its assets to a US company, a report said Friday.

    Takata will make a formal decision about the bankruptcy filing at its board meeting this month, the leading business daily Nikkei reported, without citing sources.
    American autoparts maker Key Safety Systems, owned by China's Ningbo Joyson Electronic, will take over Takata's operations, the report said.
    Takata's US-based unit TK Holdings' board is expected to approve a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy there later this month, Nikkei said.
    Takata officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.
    Following the report, trading of Takata shares were suspended on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to give investors time to confirm it.
    Nearly 100 million cars, including about 70 million in the United States, were subject to the airbag recall, the largest in auto history, over the defective Takata airbags blamed for 11 deaths in the United States alone.
    Last month, four automakers including Toyota and BMW agreed to pay $553 million to settle a US lawsuit over the airbags.
    The lawsuit filed in late February claimed the carmakers were aware of the dangerous defects and used the airbags in their vehicles anyway. Nearly 16 million cars were involved.
    Takata pleaded guilty to fraud in February and agreed to pay a $1 billion penalty to settle the issue with US regulators.
    The Friday report said a new company created under Key Safety will purchase Takata operations for about 180 billion yen ($1.6 billion) and continue supplying air bags, seat belts and other products.
    The downsized Takata will remain responsible for recall-related liabilities, it said.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Officials of Punjab Rangers. Photo: File RAWALPINDI: Two ?terrorists? who were planning an attack on Youm-e-Ali processions and events (on Saturday) were killed in a targeted operation in Dera Ghazi Khan, the Inter Services Public Relations said on Friday.

    The ISPR claimed a major terrorist incident was averted in the intelligence-based action taken by officials of the Punjab Rangers as part of Operation Raddul Fasaad.
    Op Radd-ul-Fasaad: Punjab Rangers establish helpline to report ?suspicious activity?
    Punjab Rangers urge public to ?report any suspicious activity or information on terrorism in Punjab?
    Meanwhile, three suspected terrorists managed to flee after police launched a search operation in Rawalpindi?s Chak Beli road.
    SHO Basharat Abbasi said the ?terrorists? left behind three hand grenades and explosives, adding that their plan was to attack a grid station in the city.
    A team of the bomb disposal squad was called in to defuse the grenades and explosives. 
    On February 22 this year, the army launched a nationwide operation titled 'Radd-ul-Fasaad', which would include wide security and counter-terrorism operations in Punjab and the continuation of ongoing operations across the country.
    According to the ISPR Director-General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the operation?s aims include the elimination of the residual and latent threat of terrorism, consolidating gains of operations made so far and ensuring the security of Pakistan?s borders.
    Raddul Fasaad continuation of previous operation: COAS
    Speaking on the occasion, the COAS highlighted the endeavours of Pakistan against the forces of disorder and terror, over the last many years
    The operation will entail conduct of broad spectrum security and counter-terrorism operations by Rangers in Punjab, continuation of ongoing operations across the country and focus on more effective border security management, said the ISPR.
    The operation will also include a countrywide deweaponisation and explosive control as additional cardinals of the effort. The hallmark of this operation will be pursuance of the National Action Plan, it was stated further.
    The decision came after Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa held a high-level security meeting in Lahore.


  13. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The special Supreme Court bench overseeing the implementation of the Panama case verdict will hear Senator Nehal Hashmi?s reply in the contempt of court proceedings against him.

    The court had taken a suo motu notice after Hashmi ? then the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sindh secretary general ? hurled threats against ?those investigating the prime minister? in a video surfaced on May 31.
    CJP takes suo motu notice of Nehal Hashmi's speech
    The party has also issued a show cause notice to the PML-N leader
    At the last hearing on June 5, the three-member bench ? headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan ?had given Hashmi till today to file his reply as he had pleaded for time citing lack of a legal representative and possession of his speech?s transcript.
    After that hearing, speaking to the media outside the apex court, Hashmi thanked the Supreme Court for listening to his plea.
    Referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he said they [PTI] distorted my speech. ?This is a criminal act as per the relevant laws,? he said, adding that [PTI Chairman] Imran Khan is the one who has committed contempt. He further claimed that his reply to the court will prove this.
    Hashmi?s party membership was suspended by the prime minister as soon as his speech made the airwaves while a few days later a criminal case was registered against him in Karachi on directions of the attorney general.
    Hashmi also resigned from the Senate on orders of the party leadership but later took back his resignation, against party wishes. 


  14. Waqas Dar
    PESHAWAR: The funeral prayers for martyred police personnel were held at Peshawar?s Police Lines area on Friday.
    Unknown motorcyclists opened fire on a police vehicle in Peshawar?s Chamkani vicinity late Thursday, martyring three policemen and injuring one.
    Firing from police personnel in response to the attack killed one suspect.
    Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Core Commander, and Inspector General of Police attended the funeral of the martyred policemen. 


  15. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A single-member bench headed by Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Aamer Farooq will take up today a lower court judge?s plea challenging a show-cause notice by the high court over charges of misconduct.

    Additional District and Sessions Judge Pervaizul Qadir Memon was recently suspended for allegedly taking Rs5 million as a bribe to favour the release of Axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh after quashing the case against him.
    Axact earned over $200m selling bogus degrees
    Axact case: Shoaib not produced in court for being ill
    The case against Sheikh, accused of spearheading a worldwide fake degree scam, was quashed for want of evidence by the sessions judge in 2016.
    Sources said Memon had accepted taking the bribe to favour the suspect in front of an IHC committee comprising judges and court officials. He was then sent a show-cause notice and given 14 days to reply to it.
    However, Memon challenged the notice in a petition, which will be taken up today.
    In May 2015, Axact had come under microscopic scrutiny when The New York Times? investigative journalist Declan Walsh broke a scandal shining light on the company?s notorious business of selling fake degrees.
    Following The New York Times report, Pakistani authorities had sprung to action. The Federal Investigation Agency and other law enforcement agencies had cracked down on Axact and closed its offices countrywide.
    Despite the initial swift action, however, the case proceedings faced numerous delays and obstacles.
    Four prosecutors, one after the other, dissociated themselves from the case for reasons unknown to this day.
    Arrest in US sting operation confirms ties to Axact, Shoaib Sheikh
    Details of the sting operation that led to the arrest of Umair Hamid and confirmed his ties to Axact and its owner Shoaib Sheikh
    Barrister Zahid Jamil, a top investigator of the FIA, tried to pursue the case again but his house in Karachi was attacked with a hand grenade by ?unknown assailants?.
    Despite assurances by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar that the case would be taken to its logical conclusion, evidence collection work in the courts remains halted since October 2015.
    Sheikh is also out on bail in the other cases registered against him. 


  16. Waqas Dar
    FAISALABAD: A man allegedly killed his two sisters in the name of honour in Faisalabad?s Nishatabad vicinity late Thursday.
    The suspect, Allah Ditta, was taking his sisters Sidra,18, and Aliza,14, to his home from their paternal home when he strangled the women and escaped, police officials said.
    The bodies were shifted to Allied Hospital for post mortem.
    The police are on the lookout for the suspect, a local police spokesperson said.
    Earlier on May 8, a father in collusion with his son strangled his daughter to death, in what appeared to be a case of honour killing, in Karachi?s Kemari area. 


  17. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Around 80 suspects were rounded up during search operations conducted in the metropolis' various areas ? including Pirabad, Ittehad Town, Gulshan-e-Ghazi, Saeedabad, Preedy, and Khamiso Goth ? late Thursday night, Geo News reported.
    The detainees have been moved to respective police stations for further questioning, police sources said.
    Rangers carried out a search operation in Saddar, Lines Area, and surroundings late Thursday night and sealed the entry and exit points to continue with the process, sources revealed.
    The Rangers' operation, which involved more than 20 officers, was conducted to analyse security for the upcoming Youm-e-Ali procession, according to sources.
    Law enforcement agencies, while barring the areas' entry and exit points, carried out an operation in Ittehad Town and Gulshan-e-Ghazi and searched houses one by one, police said.
    The search operation was conducted against criminals and fugitive suspects based on an anonymous tip that the police had received.
    Police officers of Ittehad Town and Saeedabad police stations partook in the search operation.

    During another operation in Rizvia Society, security officials took into custody a fugitive suspect, who was wanted in a robbery case.
    19 suspects were held and transferred to the police station during a search operation carried out in New Karachi's Khamiso Goth area, with entry and exits points sealed once again in the process.
    New Karachi police station officers participated in the operation, police stated.
    10 other suspects were arrested from Korangi's Bengali Para, Awami, Rizvia Colony, and Mochko.
    Suspect Nooruddin, alias Munna, was detained in Mochko, with security officers recovering weapons and a hand grenade from him. He was wanted for attempted murder and cases filed under Counter Terrorism Act.
    Police arrest policeman
    A police officer wanted in a firing case was arrested from Korangi's Bengali Para late Thursday night, security officials said.
    The detained officer, who served as a constable in the Sindh Reserve Police, is accused of shooting and injuring three men over the claim that the victims stole his pet dog, police sources disclosed.
    The officer has allegedly fled the scene at that time, police added.
    Body recovered
    The body of a woman was recovered from Mansoor Nagar, Orangi Town, late Thursday night.
    Rescue sources explained that the body was found with a noose around the neck.
    Lahore operations
    Four suspects who reportedly belong to a motorcycle-stealing gang were held late Thursday night in Lahore's Batapur area, police said.
    Six motorcycles were recovered from the suspects, the law enforcement officers mentioned, adding that a case has been registered against the arrestees.
    According to police, the suspects used to steal bikes from parks and shopping mall car parks.
    20 suspects were arrested in the city's Bakrmandi area and almost 100 houses searched during a search operation conducted late Thursday night, wherein a large number of policemen were present.
    Police also held flag marches in numerous blocks of Sabzazar, conducted snap checking in some areas, and checked people's identification documents as well.
    A bakery in the Shalimar police station's jurisdiction was robbed right after iftar, with the dacoit managing to escape with goods and cash worth a combined Rs. 100,000.
    Geo News has obtained and released the CCTV footage of the robbery incident.
    Rajanpur encounter
    Dacoit Manzoor, alias Kulhara, was shot dead by his own accomplices during an alleged encounter with police in the Harand police station's jurisdiction.

    However, two suspects ? Manzoor's accomplices ? managed to flee, DSP Asif Rasheed said. Police said Manzoor was wanted in cases of murder, kidnapping, and robbery.


  18. Waqas Dar
    BAHAWALPUR: Death toll in the bus accident that took place Thursday night near Chani Goth here has risen to six, according to rescue officials.
    In addition, 25 people were injured in the motor crash, the rescue officers mentioned.
    A bus travelling from Lahore to Karachi met an accident when it tumbled over from a bridge at Chani Goth, leaving half a dozen people dead and at least 25 injured. The cause of the crash has been determined as overspeeding.
    The wounded have been transferred to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and Victoria Hospital nearby, rescue sources added.


  19. Waqas Dar
    Photo: File  Hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country in the next twenty-four hours. 
    However, rain and thunderstorm with gusty winds are expected at a few places in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, D.G. Khan, D.I. Khan divisions, Islamabad, FATA, and Kashmir.

    A weak seasonal low lies over northeast Balochistan. However, a shallow westerly wave is still affecting Kashmir and its adjoining areas.

    Past weather
    The weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, dust thunderstorm and rain with gusty winds occurred at isolated places in Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Hazara divisions and Kashmir.
    Rainfall (mm)
    Punjab: Murree 09, Bahawalnagar 05, Gujrat 04, Mangla 03, Jhelum 02, Sialkot 01, Kashmir: Kotli 12, Rawalakot 03, KP: Balakot 03.
    Today's highest maximum temperatures
    Sibbi, Nokkundi, Dalbandin 48°C, Larkana, Dadu, Moenjodaro 47°C, R.Y.Khan, Sh. Benazirabad 46°C.


    Data Courtesy: Pakistan Meteorological Department 


  20. Waqas Dar
    House Majority Whip Steve Scalise speaks to reporters at the US Capitol, hours before an expected vote to repeal Obamacare in Washington, D.C., US on May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo  WASHINGTON: US Representative Steve Scalise's condition has improved but remained critical on Thursday, a day after a man who had expressed anger toward President Donald Trump opened fire on Republican lawmakers at a baseball practice.
    Trump on Thursday reiterated his call for unity in the aftermath of the shooting in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. But Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, criticised some Republicans who have blamed the shooting on vitriol from the political left.
    Scalise, a congressman from Louisiana who is the No. 3 House Republican, suffered injuries to internal organs, broken bones, and severe bleeding after being shot in the left hip on a baseball field where he and other lawmakers were practising for a charity baseball game.
    Scalise underwent a second surgery for internal injuries and a broken leg ? his third procedure overall ? and remained in critical condition but had shown improvement, MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a statement on Thursday.
    51-year-old Scalise and three others were wounded when a man identified as James Hodgkinson, 66, from the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois, opened fire on the lawmakers. The others wounded were a police officer, a congressional aide, and a lobbyist.
    Hodgkinson, who had a history of posting angry messages against Trump and other Republicans on social media, died after being wounded by police.
    The US Capitol Police said Hodgkinson used a 9 mm handgun and a 7.62-caliber rifle in the shooting, and traces run by investigators showed he evidently acquired the weapons legally.
    "Both were purchased by the shooter from federal firearms licensees," the Capitol Police said in a statement. "We currently have no evidence to suggest that the purchases were not lawful."
    The FBI recovered a cellphone, computer, and camera from Hodgkinson's van and was examining them for evidence, the statement said.
    US lawmaker Scalise in critical condition after attack by gunman at baseball field
    The gunman opened fire on a group of Republican lawmakers and colleagues at a baseball field in Alexandria
    Trump, who visited Scalise at the hospital on Wednesday, said the congressman was "in some trouble but he's going to be okay, we hope."

    "It's been much more difficult than people even thought at the time," Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday, adding he also visited the wounded Capitol Police officer at the hospital.
    Vice President Mike Pence earlier on Thursday said he visited the hospital where Scalise was being treated.
    Republican members of Congress played their Democratic colleagues in a charity game on Thursday night at Nationals Park ? home of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team ? with thousands of spectators attending.
    The lawmakers took the field with many wearing hats to honour Scalise. When the members of the Republican team were announced, mention of Scalise's name drew a standing ovation throughout the stadium.
    The shooting has raised questions about lawmakers' security, renewed the nation's contentious debate over guns, and drawn new attention to the harsh rhetoric that reflects America's political polarisation.
    Trump, in a video message played at the game, said the event had "a much deeper level of meaning" because of the shooting.
    "In Washington, we have our disagreements, but we all agree that we are here to serve this nation we love and the people who call it home," Trump said. "That?s the source of unity and more than ever we must embrace it."
    Pelosi criticises Republicans
    Many lawmakers in both parties called for unity after the shooting. But at a news conference, Pelosi bristled at comments made by a few Republicans and conservative activists who blamed heated Democratic rhetoric for the incident.
    "The comments made by my Republican colleagues are outrageous, beneath the dignity of the job that they hold, beneath the dignity of the respect that we would like Congress to command. How dare they say such a thing!" Pelosi said.
    She said Republican vitriol and caricatures of her had resulted in "calls to my home constantly, threats in front of my family, really predicated on their comments and their paid ads".
    Pelosi also cited past remarks by Trump, saying, "You have a president who says: 'I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and nobody would care.'"
    She did not specify which comments by Republicans she objected to.
    Among others, Republican Representative Steve King wrote on Twitter that "violence is incited by the leading cultural voices of the Left" and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich cited an "increasing hostility on the left".



  22. Waqas Dar
    An employee of the advocacy group Basic Rights Oregon hands out stickers during an Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle department public hearing on the rights of transgender people as the state considers adding a third gender choice to driver's licenses and identification cards, in Portland, Oregon, May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester/File Photo2 Oregon on Thursday became the first US state to allow residents to identify as neither male nor female on state driver's licenses, a decision that transgender advocates called a victory for civil rights.
    Under a policy unanimously adopted by the Oregon Transportation Commission, residents can choose to have an "X," for non-specified, displayed on their driver's license or identification cards rather than an "M" for male or "F" for female.
    The policy change was cheered by supporters as a major step in expanding legal recognition and civil rights for people who do not identify as male or female. This includes individuals with both male and female anatomies, people without a gender identity, and those who identify as a different gender than listed on their birth certificate.
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    The authorities maintain that transgender Shahzad and her accomplice killed Rashid and threw his body near Jheel Park








    The state's Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division expects to start offering the option in July.
    "I very much plan to head to the nearest DMV and ask for that ID to be corrected on July 3rd," said Jamie Shupe, an Army veteran who successfully petitioned for the non-binary gender option. "And then I'll no doubt stand out front of the building, or sit in the car, and cry."
    Transgender rights have become a flashpoint across the United States after some states, including North Carolina, have tried to restrict transgender people's use of public bathrooms.
    At the end of May, a federal court ruled that a transgender boy must be allowed to use the boys' bathrooms at his high school in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

    The decision in Oregon comes a year after a Portland circuit court judge granted a request by Shupe to change gender from female to a third, nongender option.
    That 2016 ruling prompted state officials to examine how to allow a third option in the state's computer systems and how such a change would interact with the state's gender laws.
    During public hearings on the change, most comments were in favour, according to a summary by DMV officials.
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    A handful of people questioned the need for the third option and expressed concern that the change would complicate police officers' efforts to identify people.

    Having the third option on legal documentation can help reduce discrimination and raise awareness of "the spectrum of gender identity," said Diane Goodwin, spokeswoman for Basic Rights Oregon, an advocacy group that campaigned for the "X" option.
    Nearly one-third of transgender people who showed an ID with a name or gender that did not match their perceived gender reported harassment, discrimination or assault, according to a 2015 survey of more than 20,000 people in all states.
    A DMV spokesman added the agency has no estimate of how many people might apply for the new IDs.


  23. Waqas Dar
    Negotiations on Britain's withdrawal from the European Union will begin between British and EU officials on Monday, the British government said in a statement.
    "The first round of talks that will see the United Kingdom leave the European Union will start on Monday June 19," the Department for Exiting the European Union ministry said on Thursday.
    The announcement was agreed on Thursday between Brexit minister David Davis and the European Commission's chief negotiator Michel Barnier, the ministry said.
    Britain voted by 52 percent in favour of leaving the European Union in a referendum last year.
    Prime Minister Theresa May in March formally notified the EU of its intention to leave, starting a two-year timetable for negotiating the exit.
    Britain will be the first member state ever to leave the bloc.
    Negotiations had been expected to begin next week but May's loss of her parliamentary majority in a general election last week raised doubts about the date.
    She has since said the timetable will remain unchanged but there is growing pressure on her to moderate the government's approach and favour maintaining close ties with the European single market.


  24. Waqas Dar
    Eurozone ministers struck a long-delayed bailout deal with Greece on Thursday to unlock badly needed rescue cash, but warned Athens would have to wait for debt relief.
    After hours of talks in Luxembourg IMF chief Christine Lagarde and the eurozone's 19 finance ministers greenlit a payout of 8.5 billion euros to avoid Athens defaulting in July and avert another summer of Greek crisis.
    Payment of the latest tranche of Greece's 86-billion euro ($97-billion) bailout, agreed in 2015, has been held up for months by a row over its needs for debt relief which has pitted bailout-weary Germany against the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
    "I am pleased to announce we have achieved an agreement on all elements," Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem told a news conference in Luxembourg.
    "I think this is a major step forward," he added.
    In a breakthrough, Lagarde agreed in Luxembourg that the Washington-based IMF would join Greece's massive bailout, but said any payouts depended on the eurozone coming up with a full debt relief plan.
    "Nobody claims that this is the best solution. This is a second-best solution, but it's not a bad solution," said Lagarde, a former French finance minister.
    Greater clarity

    The deal averts a repeat of the summer of 2015 when Greece spectacularly defaulted on an IMF loan, and allows Athens to meet seven billion euros of debt repayments due in July.
    "We feel that after this Eurogroup there is much greater clarity for both the Greek people and the financial markets," Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said after the talks.
    "There is now light at the end of the tunnel," he said.
    Athens had insisted all week it would veto the deal, bitter that the latest disbursement would come without firm debt relief commitments after it delivered on tough reforms.
    As a consolation, in a compromise negotiated by France, Greece won a certain amount of clarity from the eurozone on debt relief, including an agreement to link debt repayments to Greek growth.
    Debt relief "will be implemented at the end of the programme, conditional on its successful implementation" in 2018, said Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch finance minister.
    Exit strategy

    The eurozone will now draw up an "exit strategy" over the next year "to enable Greece to stand on its own feet again", Dijsselbloem said.
    He thanked the "Greek people for their intense efforts and resolve" after the government in Athens passed the latest in a series of tough reforms to get the cash.
    After three bailouts, Greece's debt currently stands at a staggering 180 percent of annual output, by far the biggest national debt pile in Europe.
    The IMF, which took part in Greece's two first bailouts, has long insisted that more debt relief was a necessary step to put the economy back on track.
    But Berlin, Greece's sternest critic and biggest lender, has resisted any fresh commitment to debt relief, saying Athens doesn't need it and must continue reforms.
    The IMF's decision to come on board was therefore a breakthrough. Lagarde said it would put $2 billion into the programme.
    Lagarde's move is controversial, with critics accusing the Washington-based organisation of bending its own rules to satisfy Berlin.
    The IMF had insisted repeatedly that Greece's debt is not sustainable, and that the country would require significant debt relief from Europe before the fund could approve a new loan programme.
    Greece nearly crashed out of the euro in 2015 after a furious fight over the bailout deal, and says its fragile recovery has suffered from the most recent delay.
    In an emotional editorial published on Wednesday in France, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Thursday's meeting was "essential" for the "future of Europe".


  25. Waqas Dar
    Actor and comedian Bill Cosby arrives with publicist Andrew Wyatt for jury deliberations during his sexual assault trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, US, June 15, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid  NORRISTOWN, PA.: The jurors in Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial concluded their fourth day of deliberation on Thursday, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the three charges against the entertainer.
    Judge Steven O'Neill in Norristown, Pennsylvania, sent the jurors ? many of whom looked exhausted ? back to their hotel a few minutes after 9 PM on Thursday after praising them for their efforts.
    The jury has completed about 40 hours of deliberations, including three consecutive 12-hour days, without reaching an unanimous verdict. It will now return on Friday.
    O'Neill had instructed the jurors to continue trying to deliver a verdict around 11:30 AM, following a note, in which they said they could not agree on a verdict on three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
    Cosby, 79, once beloved for his brand of family-friendly comedy, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, then 31, at his home near Philadelphia in 2004.
    Constand and other accusers say Cosby ? the star of the 1980s hit TV comedy The Cosby Show ? often plied them with pills and alcohol before assaulting them in a series of incidents over four decades.
    Constand's allegations are the only ones to result in criminal charges, with many of the others too old to allow for prosecution. Cosby has denied every claim, saying his encounters with Constand and others were consensual.
    A hung jury would represent a clear victory for Cosby, who would avoid what could have been years in prison. Prosecutors would have the option of seeking a retrial if the jury cannot reach a verdict.
    Following the jury's morning note, one of Cosby's accusers, Jewel Allison, began crying. Soon after, Cosby protesters and supporters faced off in verbal confrontations outside the courthouse.
    O'Neill rejected a motion from Cosby's lawyers for a mistrial on Thursday morning. The judge and the lawyers met in private just before 9 PM outside the presence of reporters gathered in the courtroom, so it was unclear whether defence lawyers renewed their request.
    The jurors have spent days wrestling with which version of the night in question was accurate: Constand's or Cosby's. They have spent days asking to have testimony read back, including Constand's trial testimony as well as the first report she made to police in 2005.
    The jury also revisited Cosby's description of the night from sworn depositions he gave in 2005 and 2006 during a civil lawsuit by Constand and a police interview he conducted in 2005. Cosby did not testify.

    Defence lawyers during the trial emphasised discrepancies in Constand's statements to police in 2005 in an effort to undermine her credibility.
    Prosecutors, meanwhile, used her testimony as well as the words of a second accuser, Kelly Johnson, to portray Cosby as a serial predator. Johnson told jurors Cosby sexually assaulted her in strikingly similar fashion in 1996.
    In his decade-old depositions, Cosby said he gave Constand Benadryl ? a common allergy drug whose side effects can include drowsiness. He called the pills her "friends" without telling her what they were and admitted to giving other young women Quaaludes ? a sedative ? in the 1970s.


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