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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    CARDIFF: Subcontinental titans Pakistan and Sri Lanka face off in Monday?s must-win Champions Trophy group match after producing two of the tournament?s biggest upsets so far.

    The winner of the match would face England in the semifinals while the losing team would be knocked out of the tournament.
    Pakistan bounced back to beat top-ranked South Africa by 19 runs on Wednesday at Edgbaston, after suffering a heavy defeat to India at the same venue days earlier.
    Sri Lanka upset India at The Oval with a stunning seven-wicket win after losing their opening match to South Africa earlier in the tournament.

    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/2d8ff093a921204e857edff0a512ae26.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni8xMi8yMDE3IDg6MDA6MzggQU0maGFzaF92YWx1ZT1VRzAySzdUNDVIY1NOdUFaVVQ0N053PT0mdmFsaWRtaW51dGVzPTYwJmlkPTE= style=center]
    ?Boost to players?
    Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, speaking to media ahead of the big game, said: "We had a good bowling meeting. We took wickets. If you take wickets, every good team feels under pressure."
    The Green Shirts were also inspired by playing in front of a partisan crowd, something they have rarely enjoyed in the recent past.
    "That is a feeling we miss, not playing in Pakistan," said Sarfraz. "Maybe that was a difference, the crowd was supporting us and that?s why the players were boosted."
    "It?s one of the top wins, to beat India," said Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews. "The bowlers did brilliantly to restrict India to 321. It was a very chaseable target.
    "Not many people expected us to win and that took a lot of pressure off us."
    Pakistan do have some recent knowledge of the ground having beaten England there by four wickets in a one-day international last year.
    Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim starred with both bat and ball in that Cardiff clash and he will hope for more success upon on his return ?home? -- he was born in the nearby town of Swansea.
    Squads 






  2. Waqas Dar
    CARDIFF: Subcontinental titans Pakistan and Sri Lanka face off in Monday?s must-win Champions Trophy group match after producing two of the tournament?s biggest upsets so far.
    The winner of the match would face England in the semifinals while the losing team would be knocked out of the tournament.
    Pakistan bounced back to beat top-ranked South Africa by 19 runs on Wednesday at Edgbaston, after suffering a heavy defeat to India at the same venue days earlier.
    Sri Lanka upset India at The Oval with a stunning seven-wicket win after losing their opening match to South Africa earlier in the tournament.
    ?Boost to players?
    Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, speaking to media ahead of the big game, said: "We had a good bowling meeting. We took wickets. If you take wickets, every good team feels under pressure."
    The Green Shirts were also inspired by playing in front of a partisan crowd, something they have rarely enjoyed in the recent past.
    "That is a feeling we miss, not playing in Pakistan," said Sarfraz. "Maybe that was a difference, the crowd was supporting us and that?s why the players were boosted."
    "It?s one of the top wins, to beat India," said Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews. "The bowlers did brilliantly to restrict India to 321. It was a very chaseable target.
    "Not many people expected us to win and that took a lot of pressure off us."
    Pakistan do have some recent knowledge of the ground having beaten England there by four wickets in a one-day international last year.
    Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim starred with both bat and ball in that Cardiff clash and he will hope for more success upon on his return ?home? -- he was born in the nearby town of Swansea.
    Squads 






  3. Waqas Dar
    Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing with heavy weapons in Jandrot and Hot spring sectors along the LoC,according to ISPR. Photo: File  Two civilians were martyred and three injured in Indian troops? unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday, according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) ? the army's media wing.
    Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing with heavy weapons in Jandrot and Hotspring (Tattapani) sectors along the LoC, the ISPR said in a statement. The Indians also fired mortars into the Pakistani side of the control line.
    Pakistan Army effectively responded to the firing on civilians. Reports of damage to Indian posts and casualties also surfaced, ISPR informed.
    The deceased civilians have been identified as 18-year-old Waqar Younas and 19-year-old Asad Ali. Both were residents of Bhabra village.
    The injured include 30-year-old Muhammad Shahbaz, resident of Bhabra village, Shumaila Khurshid, 35, and 14-year-old Hafsa Shabbir, residents of Chakrali village.
    Following the incident, Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to record Pakistan's protest over the unprovoked firing by the Indian troops.
    On Saturday, a 70-year-old man was martyred in unprovoked firing across the LoC by Indian troops in Chirikot. 
    The same day, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited troops along LoC in Muzaffarabad. The army chief was given a detailed briefing by local commanders regarding the operational situation, Indian cease fire violations and response by Pakistani troops.

    During the visit, Pakistani troops pledged  that no Indian misadventure shall go without a befitting response.


  4. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Reacting to news of the prime minister's summoning by the Panama case Joint Investigation Team, the Pakistan Stock Exchange showed a downward trend at the start of trading on Monday.
    By noon, the benchmark KSE 100-index had fallen by more than 1,800 points, showing a decline of 3.44%.
    The benchmark index at present stands at less than 47,000 points. 
    A downward trend has been witnessed at the stock exchange for the last couple of weeks owing to various factors, including the recently presented federal budget 2017-18. 
    Reports indicate the index has fallen around 10% since its high a few weeks ago. 


  5. Waqas Dar
    Qatar's Finance minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi speaks during a briefing on the financial outlook for Qatar, in Doha. Photo: Reuters/file Qatar can easily defend its economy and currency against sanctions by other Arab states, Qatari finance minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi told CNBC television in an interview broadcast on Monday.

    He added that the countries which had imposed sanctions would also lose money because of the damage to business in the region.
    "A lot of people think we're the only ones to lose in this... If we're going to lose a dollar, they will lose a dollar also."
    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties a week ago, accusing Doha of backing terrorism. The sanctions have disrupted flows of imports and other materials into Qatar and caused many foreign banks to scale back their business with the country.
    But Emadi said the energy sector and economy of the world's top liquefied natural gas exporter were essentially operating as normal and that there had not been a serious impact on supplies of food or other goods.
    Qatar can import goods from Turkey, the Far East or Europe and it will respond to the crisis by diversifying its economy even more, he told CNBC.
    The Qatari riyal has come under pressure in the spot and forward foreign exchange markets, but Emadi said neither this nor a near 10 percent plunge in the local stock market was cause for concern.
    Qatar says Gulf citizens can stay despite crisis
    The crisis has raised major concerns of instability in the region
    "Our reserves and investment funds are more than 250 percent of gross domestic product, so I don't think there is any reason that people need to be concerned about what's happening or any speculation on the Qatari riyal."
    Asked whether Qatar might need to raise money by selling off stakes in large Western companies held by its sovereign wealth fund, Emadi indicated this was not on the cards at present.
    "We are extremely comfortable with our positions, our investments and liquidity in our systems," he said.
    Prices of Qatar's international bonds have dropped sharply, but in answer to another question, Emadi said he saw no need for the government to step into the market and buy those bonds to support prices.


  6. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Reacting to news of the prime minister's summoning by the Panama case Joint Investigation Team, the Pakistan Stock Exchange showed a downward trend at the start of trading on Monday.
    By noon, the benchmark KSE 100-index had fallen by more than 1,700 points, showing a decline of 3.44%.
    The benchmark index at present stands at less than 47,850 points. 
    A downward trend has been witnessed at the stock exchange for the last couple of weeks owing to various factors, including the recently presented federal budget 2017-18. 
    Reports indicate the index has fallen around 10% since its high a few weeks ago. 


  7. Waqas Dar
    A few days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif?s meeting with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Astana, India announced on Monday to release 11 Pakistani prisoners.

    The move has been described as ?goodwill gesture? by the Indian authorities. Pakistan had sought the release of these prisoners as they had all served their respective sentences.
    According to Indian officials, the release of prisoners is a humanitarian issue and should help to stem deterioration of relations between the neighbouring countries.
    On June 5, Indian authorities had released two Pakistani children who unintentionally crossed the border, informed diplomatic sources.
    India releases Pakistani children who crossed border unintentionally
    10-year-old Babar and 12-year-old Ali Raza were handed over to the Pakistan Rangers on Wagah border
    Ten-year-old Babar and 12-year-old Ali Raza were handed over to the Pakistan Rangers on Wagah border - both were arrested last year for crossing the border and entering India from the Narowal border.
    New Delhi released the children after receiving a legal notice and petition from the High Commission of Pakistan.
    The children were scheduled to be handed over to the Pakistani authorities on April 10, however, the release was delayed after the military court`s decision on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav`s death sentence.
    Both the children hail from the areas of Narowal and Sheikhupura.


  8. Waqas Dar
    Bomb blasts rocked Marawi City in the southern Philippines on Monday as the national flag was raised to mark independence day. Photo: Malaysia Today Bomb blasts rocked Marawi City in the southern Philippines on Monday as the national flag was raised to mark independence day, almost three weeks after hundreds of militants overran the town and hunkered down with civilians as human shields.
    Rescue workers, soldiers and firemen sang the national anthem and listened to speeches as three OV-10 attack aircraft darted through the cloudy sky, taking it in turns to drop bombs on areas where fighters are still holed up.
    "We want to tell them [militants] to stop their meaningless fight?," Vice Provincial Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. told the gathering.
    Flag ceremonies are normally performed twice a week, but this was the first in the mainly Muslim town since May 23, the first day of the siege, when the militants killed and abducted Christians, and torched a cathedral.
    Almost the entire population of about 200,000 fled from the lakeside town on the Philipppines' southernmost island of Mindanao, but beyond the checkpoints fencing it off there are still some 500-1,000 civilians trapped or being held hostage.
    As of Saturday the number of security forces killed in the battle for Marawi stood at 58. The death toll for civilians was 20 and more than 100 had been killed overall.
    The seizure of Marawi by fighters allied to Daesh, including some from the Middle East, has alarmed Southeast Asian nations which fear the ultra-radical group - on a backfoot in Iraq and Syria - is trying to set up a stronghold on Mindanao that could threaten their region.
    Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday he had not expected the battle for Marawi to be as serious as it has turned out.
    Duterte did not say how he knew that Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had given instructions for the attack on Marawi.
    PLAN TO TAKE OTHER CITIES FOILED
    Foreign Affairs Minister Allan Peter Cayetano said in an independence day speech in Manila that the militants' had planned to take over at least two or three cities in Mindanao.
    Their plot was foiled because troops made a preemptive raid on Marawi to capture Isnilon Hapilon, leader of the Abu Sayyaf group and Islamic State's "emir" of Southeast Asia.
    "We want to coordinate very well with Indonesia and Malaysia so they won't also suffer in the hands of extremists," he said.
    "But the president knew at the start of his term that, as the allies become more successful in Syria and Iraq, they (Daesh) will be looking for a land base, and Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will be a potential target to them."
    Washington said at the weekend it was providing support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to clear the militants from pockets of Marawi. Manila said this was technical assistance and there were no US "boots on the ground".
    An US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said support included aerial surveillance and targeting, electronic eavesdropping, communications assistance and training. A US P-3 Orion surveillance plane was seen over the town on Friday.
    The cooperation between the longtime allies in the battle is significant because Duterte, who came to power a year ago, has taken a hostile stance towards Washington and has vowed to eject US military trainers and advisers from his country.
    The Pentagon has no permanent presence in the Philippines but for years has kept 50 to 100 special forces troops in the south of the country on rotational exercises.
    Duterte said on Sunday he had not sought support from Washington to end the siege and had not been aware that US special forces were assisting.
    Cayetano said the government did not need to be involved in decisions on US participation because of a bilateral visiting forces agreement and, with "events happening real time", such matters are left to the armed forces and defense department.


  9. Waqas Dar
    The A330 plane on the tarmac at Sydney International Airport after the emergency landing. Photo: Reuters A China Eastern flight bound for Shanghai was forced to turn back to Sydney due to a mid-air emergency, a spokeswoman for the airline said on Monday, with pictures showing a gaping hole in the casing of one of the plane's engines.

    The plane, which data from flight tracking website FlightAware showed was an Airbus A330-200 twin jet, landed without incident and there were no injuries, said Kathy Zhang, a general manager at China Eastern Airlines.
    "The crew observed the abnormal situation of the left engine and decided to return to Sydney airport immediately. All passengers and crew members were landed safely," she said.
    Photographs published by several Australian media outlets showed a large gash well over a meter long in the casing of the plane's left engine.
    A spokeswoman for Rolls-Royce, which manufactured the plane's Trent 700 series engines, said in a statement: "We are aware of the incident and will be working closely with our customer and relevant partners to understand the cause of the issue."
    Professor Jason Middleton, an aviation expert at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said it appeared that the engine cowling had been ripped away forward of the main compressor blade.
    "When one of these things happens you often don't know how the damage began. It could have begun from loose screws," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp News.
    The Australia Transport Safety Bureau said it was investigating the incident.
    China Eastern's Zhang said a comprehensive investigation would involve aviation authorities from Australia and China.
    "The engine for the aircraft is a big issue so we need to investigate with the governments, with the Rolls Royce company and with our headquarters as well," she said.
    Television station Seven News reported that passengers heard a bang shortly after Flight MU736 took off and could then smell burning before the flight turned back.
    "We went up in the air and all of a sudden we heard this noise ... it kind of smelt like burning. Oh, I was scared. Yeah, I was really scared. Our group was terrified," one unidentified passenger told Seven News.
    Another passenger, identified only as Eva, said the cabin crew tried to calm passengers and told them to fasten their seatbelts after a noise was heard.
    "We were very panicked because we had no idea what was happening," she told Channel 9 television.


  10. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange showed a downward trend at the start of trading on Monday.
    The benchmark KSE 100-index fell by more than 1,500 points, showing a decline of 2.47%.
    The benchmark index at present stands at less than 48,000 points. 
    A downward trend has been witnessed at the stock exchange for the last couple of weeks owing to various factors, including the recently presented federal budget 2017-18. 


  11. Waqas Dar
    British police investigating last weekend's deadly attacks on London Bridge said they arrested a 19-year-old man in east London on Sunday.
    The Metropolitan Police, in a statement posted on its website, said the man was taken into custody at a south London police station and was being detained under the Terrorism Act. 
    Six other men are in custody in connection with last Saturday's incident in which eight people were killed and 50 injured after three militants drove into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed people.


  12. Waqas Dar
    A brokerage house in Beijing, China on January 5, 2016. Photo: Reuters TOKYO: Asian stocks fell on Monday, with electronics heavyweights such as Samsung Electronics knocked lower by a slide in US tech shares and caution ahead of this week's US Federal Reserve policy meeting.
    Spreadbetters expected European shares to follow suit, forecasting lower openings for Britain's FTSE, Germany's DAX and France's CAC .
    MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.8 percent, with the tech index .MIAP0IT00PUS sliding 1.5 percent.
    Technology stocks sold off sharply on Wall Street on Friday on concerns about Apple's new iPhones and a cautious Goldman Sachs report about the stocks, prompting heavy profit taking after an extended rally.
    Asia's tech giants followed suit on Monday, with South Korea's Samsung Electronics losing 1.8 percent, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co down 1.6 percent and Japan's Sharp Corp (6753.T) shedding 2.7 percent.
    Japan's Nikkei was down 0.6 percent and South Korea's KOSPI slid 1.2 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.3 percent while Shanghai's SSEC fell 0.5 percent.
    Electronics shipments have helped lead an export revival for many of Asia's trade-reliant economies.
    "The drop on Nasdaq appears to be taking a toll today. But the tech sector was strong and perhaps ready for profit taking, with the Fed meeting also approaching," said Yoshinori Shigemi, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.
    "One day of losses on Wall Street does not change the broader picture but it has managed to dampen sentiment."
    The Fed will begin a two-day meeting ending on Wednesday at which it is widely expected to hike interest rates. The focus is on whether the Fed thinks the US economy is robust enough to withstand further rate increases through 2017 and how it plans to whittle down its massive balance sheet.
    A rate hike accompanied by a message suggesting that the Fed may raise rates more than expected in 2017 would support the dollar but be negative for equity markets.
    "Political events like the UK election and Comey's testimony are over and the focus this week shifts to monetary policy," said Junichi Ishikawa, senior forex strategist at IG Securities in Tokyo.
    "The equity markets and the dollar have mostly priced in the Fed signalling three rate hikes in 2017. That explains why US equities have held up. But if the Fed hints at more than three hikes, that could trigger a sell-off in equities that many are bracing for."
    Equities navigated through last week's potential landmine events relatively unscathed.
    Congressional testimony by former FBI Director James Comey caused few market ructions, and the fallout of Britain's surprise parliamentary election result, at which the ruling party lost the majority, was mostly contained to the pound.
    Sterling was a shade higher at $1.2755 on Monday after sliding 1.7 percent on Friday, when it plumbed a near two-month low of $1.2636.
    The pound appeared to be taking a breather as British Prime Minister Theresa May scrambled to reunite her Conservative Party, attempting to strike a deal with a small Northern Irish party that would enable her to stay in power. Talks on Britain's exit from the European Union are due to start next Monday. 
    The dollar was steady at 110.300 yen. The euro inched up 0.1 percent to $1.1206 EUR= following three straight days of losses against the greenback.
    The dollar index against a basket of currencies was little changed at 97.200 following its rise on Friday to a nine-day high of 97.500.
    The US currency received support as Treasury yields, at seven-month lows early last week at the height of investor jitters towards the UK elections and Comey's testimony, continued their bounce ahead of the Fed's anticipated rate hike.
    In commodities, crude oil prices extended gains after rising on Friday when a pipeline leak in major producer Nigeria overshadowed supply worries weighing on the market. 
    US crude CLc1 and Brent LCOc1 were both 0.6 percent higher at $46.10 and $48.45 a barrel, respectively.


  13. Waqas Dar
    It has been one whole year since legendary Qawwal Amjad Farid Sabri was gunned down in Karachi?s Liaquatabad area on 16th of Ramazan, yet he remains alive in the hearts of his fans to this day and will continue to in future with immortal pieces, such as Tajdar-e-Haram and Bhar do Jholi.

    The late musician?s family, including his brother Sarwat Farid, on Sunday, visited the site where Sabri was shot at by two then-unknown gunmen on a motorbike on June 22, last year, as his car drove off a bridge in the congested area. He expired en route to the hospital, according to the police surgeon.
    Speaking to media, Sarwat Farid talked about how despite the facts that arrests were made earlier, his late brother?s assassins have still not been unmasked. The brother urged the authorities to proceed with naming the killers, as it has been a year since Sabri?s death.
    ?The Liaquatabad underpass should be named after Amjad Sabri,? Sarwat Farid said, adding that the memory of the singer remains in the family?s hearts.
    Suspect behind murder shot dead
    Kamran Bhatti, a highly wanted terrorist who was allegedly involved in Sabri?s murder was killed on April 10 during an encounter with Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel in Sukkur. He was a leading member of banned group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
    Terrorist behind attacks on Chaudhry Aslam, Amjad Sabri killed in Sukkur encounter
    Two accomplices of the deceased terrorists manage to flee away during the encounter, officials say
    Suspects confess to killing Amjad Sabri, military personnel
    The hardcore hitmen were arrested by CTD in-charge Raja Umer Khitab and were involved in nine high-profile cases










    Gunmen Capri, Bobby detained
    However, before that, Asim alias Capri and Ishaq alias Bobby ? the two suspects in the Amjad Sabri murder case on December 16, last year, confessed to having assassinated the famed Qawwal.
    Capri and Bobby were taken into custody on November 7, 2015, from Liaquatabad, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah disclosed in a news conference, adding that a large cache of weapons was also recovered from their possession.
    Amjad Sabri?s killers arrested: CM Sindh
    CTD arrests two suspects who are involved in nine high-profile criminal cases
    Amjad Sabri was murdered by hired assassins: Police
    Police arrested one of the assassins from Gulshan-e-Iqbal's block 13-D






    It is noteworthy that Capri was also arrested by Chaudhry Aslam in July 2013 in connection with the murder case of MPA Sajid Qureshi, but was released on bail in 2015, following which he restarted criminal activity.
    Earlier, police in July 2015 had reportedly detained one of the assassins involved in the assassination of Amjad Sabri from Gulshan Iqbal?s Block 13-D, making it a significant breakthrough in the murder case.
    Larger-than-life
    The whole of Pakistan shed tears when the soulful voice of the larger-than-life Qawwal was shut down in June last year, as the news was broadcasted to a stunned audience. His funeral was attended by thousands of supporters, devotees and fans.
    2016: The year the music died
    The year the music died: 2016 in retrospect
    Sabri, the son and nephew of renowned Qawwal icons Ghulam Farid Sabri and Maqbool Sabri, respectively, was himself one of South Asia's most popular singers of Qawwali ? the Sufi devotional music that dates back over 700 years.
    The late star?s immortal voice will continue to remind Pakistan of its rich music tradition and its survival story through the multitude of problems facing the music industry.
    ?Editing by Haseem uz Zaman


  14. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The police arrested three private security guards from a Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader?s residence for assaulting a reporter of an English language newspaper.
    Yasir Shah?s residence in Karachi?s Defence Phase 8 was raided late Sunday, SSP South Saqib Ismail Memon said.
    The suspects during the raid include Shah?s guards Majnon, Ghulam Shabbir, and Altaf Hussain. Three police guards were also detained for investigation.
    The reporter, Ashraf, was allegedly assaulted by the PML-F leader?s private guards when Shah?s convoy was crossing Korangi Road at around 7PM on Saturday.
    PML-F leader Yasir Shah Reacting to the raid on his house, Shah said, ?I am being targeted by my political rivals. Over twenty police cars raided my house.?
    He further added that prior to the police?s involvement; he had already asked journalist groups to solve the matter through bilateral talks. 


  15. Waqas Dar
    French President Emmanuel Macron President Emmanuel Macron's fledgling party is set to trounce France's traditional main parties in a parliamentary election and secure a huge majority to push through his pro-business reforms, projections after the first round showed on Sunday.
    The vote delivered a further crushing blow to the Socialist and conservative parties that had alternated in power for decades until Macron's election in May blew apart the left-right divide.
    With 90 percent of voters accounted for, Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) and Modem allies had won 31.9 percent support, Interior Ministry results showed.
    The conservative party The Republicans and allied center-right Union of Democrats and Independents held 18.9 percent, the National Front 13.8 percent and the Socialists 7.45 percent.
    Pollsters project Macron's alliance could win as many as three-quarters of the seats in the lower house after next week's second round of voting.
    That would give France's youngest leader since Napoleon a powerful mandate to make good on campaign pledges to revive France's fortunes by cleaning up politics and easing regulations that investors say hobble the euro zone's second-biggest economy.
    "France is back," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on French TV. "Next Sunday, the National Assembly will embody the new face of our republic."
    Voter turnout was a record low for parliamentary elections in the post-war Fifth Republic at 48.6 percent, taking the shine off Macron's margin of victory in the first round.
    Both the Socialists and the conservative Republicans urged more voters to cast their ballots in the June 18 second round, warning them against allowing too much power to be concentrated in the hands of one party.
    Macron professes to be of neither right nor left. His one-year-old LREM party fielded both seasoned veterans and political novices including a former bullfighter, a fighter pilot and a former armed police commander.
    "It's a renewal of the political class," said Jose Jeffrey, a Health Ministry administrator who voted LREM.
    "UNPRECEDENTED SETBACK"
    Projections by three pollsters of LREM's tally after the second round ranged from 390 to 445 of the assembly's 577 seats - potentially the biggest majority since president Charles De Gaulle's conservatives won more than 80 percent of seats in 1968.
    Macron, a former investment banker, wants what supporters describe as a "big bang" of economic and social reforms, including an easing of stringent labor laws and reform of an unwieldy pension system.
    The pro-European leader's program enjoys strong support among liberal, well-educated voters in France's big cities, but he is less popular in poorer areas where industry is in decline.
    Sunday's projections pointed to another torrid night for the two main traditional parties, which have suffered high-profile defections to Macron?s government, as well as the far-right National Front.
    The Socialist Party suffered in particular. Its chief, Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, confirmed he had been eliminated from his long-held Paris seat, a symbol of his party's stunning demise after five years in power. Benoit Hamon, its failed presidential candidate, was also headed for the exit door.
    Cambadelis acknowledged that the first round marked an "unprecedented" setback for the party, set to win a paltry 30-40 seats, and the broader left.
    "It is neither healthy nor desirable for a president who gathered only 24 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidentials and who was elected in the second round only by the rejection of the extreme right should benefit from a monopoly of national representation," Cambadelis said.
    Francois Baroin, who led the campaign of the conservative Republicans, projected to win 80-100 seats, echoed the sentiment.
    National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who led the voting in her northern constituency, called the huge abstention rate "catastrophic" and urged supporters to turn out in a week's time.
    Pollsters projected her party, which is still reeling from her disappointing showing in the presidential run-off vote against Macron, will next week win just a small handful of seats - perhaps as few as one.


    Among the LREM political newcomers who went through to second round were his key ministers and a retired bullfighter.


  16. Waqas Dar
    71st Tony Awards ? Show ? New York City, US, June 11, 2017 - Musical 'Groundhog Day'. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri  NEW YORK: Cynthia Nixon, Kevin Kline, and Laurie Metcalf were among early winners on Sunday at the annual Tony Awards honouring the best of Broadway.
    Host Kevin Spacey kicked things off with a medley of songs referencing his self-doubt about successfully hosting the annual awards show compared to Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden or Hugh Jackman, riffing on numbers from Dear Evan Hansen, Groundhog Day, and other top musicals.
    Kline, who was seen as a shoo-in for his lead actor turn as the egocentric actor in Noel Cowards' play Present Laughter, said "I want to thank everybody," adding "we don't do this alone".
    Nixon won the best-featured actress in a play for a revival of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes, about a greedy southern family's underhanded business practices.
    The actress lauded Hellman for her "eerily prescient play".
    Noting one of its lines about people who "eat the Earth" and others who "watch them do it", Nixon praised present-day activists as "the people who, in 2017, are refusing to just stand around and watch them do it".
    Former Roseanne star Metcalf won best lead actress in a play for her role in A Doll's House, Part 2.
    Michael Aronov was a surprise winner for his lively featured actor performance as an Israeli negotiator in Oslo, J.T. Rogers' behind-the-scenes look at the 1993 Middle East peace accords. Experts had predicted a win by Danny DeVito for The Price.
    "This is the biggest honour of my life," Aronov told the A-list audience at Radio City Music Hall as he paid tribute to his parents, who were with him.
    "My victories mean nothing unless I'm sharing them with you," the actor said.
    Gavin Creel won the best-featured actor in a musical for Hello, Dolly!, the revival that scored 10 nominations.

    Dear Evan Hansen, the teen-angst driven musical with no stars that set in motion by a suicide, won two early Tonys for best score and best book. The hit show is also favourite for the top prize, best musical, which will be announced at the end of the evening.
    Broadway enjoyed a record-breaking season this year thanks to last year's Tony winner and pop culture juggernauts Hamilton, and musicals like Sunset Boulevard, starring Glenn Close, and Hello, Dolly!, with Bette Milder.
    Midler, 71, is all-but-assured of winning her first competitive Tony later on Sunday for her star turn in Hello, Dolly!.


  17. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: The Airport Security Force (ASF) on Monday foiled an attempt to smuggle contraband at the Lahore airport.
    Six kilogrammes of heroin and ice was seized from a couple caught trying to smuggle the illegal drugs, the ASF said.
    ?The drugs were recovered during a search prior to Muhammad Anwar and his wife boarded a foreign airline to travel to Jeddah to perform Umrah,? ASF personnel said.
    The couple was taken into custody by security forces. 


  18. Waqas Dar
    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/008fede2bd5345a8cf0e386be1444c0a.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni8xMS8yMDE3IDc6NTY6MTcgQU0maGFzaF92YWx1ZT1WTDJ0aGt1QVFpdDVHVFFlNEkzWHdBPT0mdmFsaWRtaW51dGVzPTYwJmlkPTE= style=center]
    ISLAMABAD: The special implementation bench of the Supreme Court will hear issues related to the working of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Panama case today.

    Panama case: Supreme Court satisfied with JIT's second interim report
    High-profile probe team has spent 30 days investigating the premier's family's global money trail
    The bench ? headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justices Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Ijazul Ahsan ? will hear the reply of the JIT on a petition submitted by the premier?s elder son, Hussain Nawaz, as well as the JIT?s application on its own ?hurdles? in the high-profile probe.
    Hussain recently petitioned the Supreme Court against the JIT after a picture of him during the interrogation was leaked in the media. He pleaded the court to bar the JIT from recording its proceedings.
    SC seeks reply from JIT over Hussain Nawaz's leaked picture
    PM's son submitted petition stating leaked picture, recording of proceedings a violation of law and JIT's code of conduct
    Moreover, at an earlier hearing, the bench had directed the head of the JIT, Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, to submit in writing the hurdles being faced by the JIT after Zia mentioned them at the hearing.
    The JIT ? formed on May 6 in light of the Supreme Court?s April 20 judgment in the Panama case ? has 60 days to complete its investigation into the prime minister?s family?s financial dealings abroad. 


  19. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: The Airport Security Force (ASF) on Monday foiled an attempt to smuggle contraband at the Lahore airport.
    Six kilogrammes of heroin and ice was seized from a couple caught trying to smuggle the illegal drugs, the ASF said.
    ?The drugs were recovered during a search prior to Muhammad Anwar and his wife boarded a foreign airline to travel to Jeddah to perform Umrah,? ASF personnel said.
    The couple was taken into custody by security forces. 


  20. Waqas Dar
    RAJANPUR: On the other hand, two dacoits were killed in an alleged police encounter on Indus Highway, police sources said.
    The dacoits? accomplices attacked a police van in a bid to help them escape, security officials explained.
    Police further claimed that the suspects died as a result of their accomplices? firing. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, a policeman was also injured.
    Fugitive suspect
    A suspect on the run for years was arrested here in Baldia?s Ittehad Town late Sunday night, police sources stated.
    The arrestee ? identified as Faizan ? was on the run from law enforcement agencies since 2013, security officials revealed, adding that a case had been registered against him in Ittehad Town police station.

    Bhakkar operation
    Police officials took into custody three wanted criminals and 31 other suspects during a major operation conducted in Bhakkar?s Mankera, Darya Khan, and surrounding areas late Sunday night, authorities stated.
    Weapons and contraband were recovered from the arrestees, police mentioned, adding that cases were registered against the respective suspects.


  21. Waqas Dar
    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 isolated places in Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, D.G. Khan, Bannu, D.I. Khan, Hazara, Rawalpindi divisions, upper FATA, Islamabad, and Kashmir.
    A shallow westerly wave is affecting upper and central parts of the country and likely to persist during the next two days.

    Past weather:
    The weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, rain and thunderstorm with gusty winds occurred at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara divisions, and Punjab.
    Rainfall in the last 24 Hours (mm):
    Punjab: Multan 25, Sargodha 21, Faisalabad 19, Sahiwal 16, Okara 11, Kasur 10, Lahore, T?Singh 08, Bahawalpur 07, Jhang 04, Murree, Joharabad 03, Chakwal, M.B.Din, Jhelum, Bhakkar, Kot Addu 02, Mangla, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, NoorpurThal 01, KP: Lower Dir 29, Kakul 23 & Malamjabba 14.
    Today's highest maximum temperatures:
    Nokkundi 48°C,Dadu, Dalbandin, Sukkur 45°C, Sibbi, Rohri, Padidan 44°C.


    Data courtesy: Pakistan Meteorological Department 


  23. Waqas Dar
    BEIJING: As the United States was withdrawing from the Paris climate pact, China's clean energy ambitions were being reflected in the launch of the world's largest floating solar farm.
    The 40-megawatt power plant has 160,000 panels resting on a lake that emerged after the collapse of a coal mine in central Anhui province.
    It is part of Beijing's effort to wean itself off a fossil fuel dependency that has made it the world's top carbon emitter, with two-thirds of its electricity still fuelled by coal.
    The solar facility went online around the time of President Donald Trump's much-criticised June 2 decision to withdraw from the international accord aimed at saving the planet from climate change catastrophe. His move shifted the spotlight to China and whether it will take on the leadership mantle in the fight against global warming.
    Days after his announcement ? and by coincidence ? Beijing hosted an international conference on clean energy. It was an opportunity for China, which already produces two-thirds of the world's solar panels, to boast of its commitment to accelerating investment and reforms for greater use of renewable energies.
    "The US's withdrawal from the Paris agreement offers China an unprecedented opportunity to take the lead in climate change," energy expert Frank Yu of Wood Mackenzie consultancy told AFP.
    China dominating
    The Beijing forum put a spotlight on efforts by Chinese authorities and companies to develop renewable energy.
    "Beijing may feel like it's dominating the game", especially because "China is already moving rapidly ? with or without the US ? in terms of investments" and innovation, Alex Perera, director of the WRI Energy Program, told AFP.
    It has been the world's largest investor in clean energy since 2012, spending $88 billion on wind and solar power last year, according to Bloomberg News.
    China's solar capacity more than doubled in 2016. The official goal is for 20 percent of Chinese power consumption to come from low-emission energy, including nuclear, by 2030, compared to 11 percent currently.
    "We must take these promises seriously," said Helen Clarkson, president of the Climate Group.

    geo_embedgallery Beijing hopes to combat endemic air pollution, but is also motivated by financial interests, as the country "is already reaping the economic benefits" of clean energy, Clarkson said.

    'Wake people up'
    With the US administration out of the Paris pact, China has signalled its readiness to deal with US local governments to advance its climate agenda.
    California Governor Jerry Brown used the Beijing conference to seek partnerships with China on climate change and was given the red-carpet treatment by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
    Brown, who has criticised Trump's June 2 decision, signed a memorandum of understanding with Xi as well as an agreement with Sichuan province.
    "I'm trying to wake people up to deal with climate change," Brown told AFP in Beijing.
    "China is an ally in that and it has tremendous resources and I want to work with those resources in a way that will accelerate our climate action," he said.
    Xie Zhenhua, China's top climate negotiator, made it clear at the clean energy forum that the country "will not only continue to strengthen cooperation with California but also strengthen the concrete cooperation with other US states, cities, enterprises, and scientific research institutions in fields including clean energy".
    US energy secretary Rick Perry was also at the forum but failed to get the same reception as Brown, meeting China's seventh-ranked official instead of Xi.
    Perry insisted Washington was not stepping back from its clean energy commitment.
    "It's good for China to step in and take on the issue and to attempt to be the leader in the world for emissions reduction," he said, adding, "The fact of the matter is the US is number one still."


  24. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May walk at the start of the NATO summit at their new headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst  Prime Minister Theresa May's office said on Sunday there had been no change to plans for US President Donald Trump's to come to Britain on a state visit after the Guardian newspaper reported the trip had been postponed.
    The paper, citing an unidentified adviser at May's Downing Street office who was in the room at the time, reported Trump had told May by telephone in recent weeks that he did not want to come if there were likely to be large-scale protests.
    "The statement surprised May, according to those present. The conversation in part explains why there has been little public discussion about a visit," says a part of the Guardian article.
    "We aren?t going to comment on speculation about the contents of private phone conversations," a spokeswoman for May's office said. "The queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no change to those plans."
    The White House also denied the Guardian report, with an administration official telling Reuters, "The subject never came up on the call."
    No date has been set for the visit, which was agreed during May's visit to Washington in January, but British media had reported it was planned for October.
    May's hold on power has been significantly weakened since the results of a snap election last week cost her Conservative Party a parliamentary majority. In a bid to save her position, May has been trying to form a government with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a small faction of social conservatives.
    British politics is going through an upheaval just a week before talks begin on Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), set for 2019.

    Public criticism by Trump earlier this month of London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the London terror attacks was condemned in Britain. May found herself forced to defend Khan, who is from the opposition Labour party.

    Trump doesn?t deserve UK?s state visit: London Mayor Sadiq Khan
    ?There is no need to invite Donald Trump on a state visit. His policies on Muslims and refugees are dangerous for the world,
    1,000,000 signatures fail to block Trump's UK visit
    An online petition against US President Donald Trump's visit to UK fails; the visit is likely to become a topic of discussion in the English parliament soon.








    Public criticism by Trump earlier this month of London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the London terror attacks was condemned in Britain. May found herself forced to defend Khan, who is from the opposition Labour party.

    Khan late last month said May should withdraw the state visit invitation to Trump over his extremely hostile views on Muslims and the immigrants.

    In an exclusive interview with Geo News earlier, the mayor said Trump stands against the American and British values of tolerance, humanity, and goodwill. ?There is no need to invite Donald Trump on a state visit. His policies on Muslims and refugees are dangerous for the world," Khan said.
    The mayor had advised May to be courageous and tell Trump that the ban on Muslims and refugees is wrong. Rolling out the red carpet may send out "a worrying signal to the world", Khan stressed.
    At that time, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said there was no reason to cancel the visit, while White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that Trump intended to go and that "he appreciates Her Majesty's gracious invitation".
    More recently, however, the London mayor hit back at Trump after the latter's uncalled-for criticism, reiterating that the American president?s visit to Britain should be cancelled.
    Speaking to Channel 4 News, Khan said Trump was had been wrong about ?many things? and the government should cancel his state visit to the UK, which is expected in October.
    After the June 5 London attacks, Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticise the mayor, blaming him for making excuses in the wake of continuous attacks in London.
    Khan had said in one of his first statements in reaction to the attack that people would see an increased police presence on the streets of the capital and should not be alarmed by that, which Trump had taken out of context to criticise him.

    Interestingly, a petition demanding Trump?s visit be cancelled ? as it will be an embarrassment to the Queen of England ? reached more than a million signatures in January.
    The petition surged exponentially in popularity, passing the 100,000-signature necessary to have it considered in the Parliament. ?At one point more than a thousand people [signed] each minute,? a British media outlet reported.


  25. Waqas Dar
    Qatar says it is open to talks on ending the dispute, which saw three Gulf states order all Qatari citizens out within 14 days. ? AFP DOHA: Qatar moved Sunday to avoid an escalation of its feud with Gulf neighbours by telling their citizens they are welcome to stay, while boasting of "business as usual" for vital gas exports.

    Iran also announced it had sent tonnes of vegetables to Qatar, which has seen food imports threatened after its neighbours cut air, sea and land links with the country.
    Nearly a week after Saudi Arabia and several of its allies severed ties with Qatar in an unprecedented Gulf diplomatic crisis, there were no signs of the bitter dispute being resolved.
    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others accused Qatar of supporting extremist groups, an assertion since backed by US President Donald Trump.
    Qatar strongly rejects the allegations and says it is open to talks on ending the dispute, which also saw the three Gulf states order all Qataris out of their countries within 14 days.
    The crisis has raised major concerns of instability in the region, and on Sunday Kuwait´s foreign minister said his country would continue its mediation efforts.
    Qatar said late Saturday it would not retaliate with similar measures.
    State media reported Doha would "not take any measures against residents of Qatar who hold the nationalities of countries that severed diplomatic ties... on the back of hostile and tendentious campaigns against the country".
    No gas interruption
    This will come as a relief to the more than 11,000 people from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain living in Qatar.
    Concerns have been raised for the impact of these measures on people in all the countries affected.
    "For potentially thousands of people across the Gulf, the effect of the steps imposed in the wake of this political dispute is suffering, heartbreak and fear," Amnesty International has said.
    Saudi Arabia said Sunday it was ordering "suitable measures" to help families with mixed citizenships, but provided few details.
    Despite the unprecedented sanctions, Qatar says that its crucial exports of liquified natural gas have not been interrupted.
    "Qatar Petroleum... is conducting business as usual throughout all its upstream, midstream and downstream businesses and operations, and in all activities across all of QP's world-class facilities," a statement read.
    Gas has helped transform the tiny emirate into one of the world´s richest countries, fuelling its rise into a major regional player and helping fund huge infrastructure projects such as the 2022 football World Cup, which Qatar will host.
    FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Sunday said he was confident the crisis posed no threat to the 2022 World Cup.
    Qatar's rivals have also accused Doha of being too close to Iran -- claims that Doha has also denied.
    Iranian officials said Sunday that tonnes of vegetables had been sent from Iran to Qatar since the measures were taken against it.
    Iran Air spokesman Shahrokh Noushabadi said five aircraft carrying around 90 tonnes of vegetables each had been sent to Qatar in recent days.
    "We will continue deliveries as long as there is demand," Noushabadi added, without saying if these were commercial exports or aid.
    Three ships loaded with 350 tonnes of fruit and vegetables were also set to leave Iran for Qatar, the Tasnim news agency reported.
    Mixed US signals
    Moscow on Saturday joined other nations in calling for dialogue, after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Saudi Arabia and its allies to ease their "blockade" of Qatar.
    Washington has sent mixed signals on the crisis, despite Qatar's position as a key ally and host to the region's largest US airbase.
    While Tillerson and others have called for an easing of tensions, Trump on Friday said Qatar had "historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level".
    Kuwait, which has not joined its neighbours against Qatar, has led mediation efforts and on Sunday Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled Al-Sabah said that would continue.
    "Kuwait stresses the need for the dispute to be resolved within the Gulf framework," Sheikh Sabah said in a statement quoted by the KUNA news agency.
    Qatar has expressed readiness "to understand the concerns of its brothers and respond to the efforts of the emir (of Kuwait) to strengthen peace and security," he said.
    In other diplomatic moves, the African Union chairman, Guinean President Alpha Conde whose country has close ties with Saudi Arabia, offered himself as a mediator.
    Morocco said it was "concerned" by developments and was "willing to offer its good offices", a foreign ministry statement said.


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