News ki dunya

Gaza City: Israeli forces unleashed a wave of strikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday after saying its troops came under fire, killing three Hamas members as fears grew of a wider conflict.Fireballs exploded into the sky over the Palestinian enclave and Israel reported projectiles had been fired back at its territory, prompting the UN to urge all sides to step "back from the brink" after months of tensions.A fourth Palestinian was also shot dead during protests along the frontier with Israel, Gaza´s health ministry said.Israeli Defence Avigdor Lieberman warned of a "much tougher" response to any fresh missile fire by Hamas after the army reported "three launches" from the territory, two of which were intercepted.The United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, said "everyone in Gaza needs to step back from the brink. Not next week. Not tomorrow. Right NOW!""Those who want to provoke Palestinians and Israelis int...

Jibran Nasir’s manifesto for elections 2018 has been ranked the highest by  Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP), as compared to manifestos put forth by major political parties of the country, like Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). As an independent candidate with no affiliation with any of the mainstream political parties, Jibran’s manifesto received 70% score, followed by PML-N’s of 66%. Meanwhile, PTI and PPP received the lowest ranking; 63% and 52% respectively. Regarding the rankings, Jibran Nasir’s official page wrote: “We are proud of our team for its efforts, vision [and] understanding of issues and are grateful to policy experts who served as mentors. The journey begins with One.”The ranking was given based on the parties/candidate’s future plans, which were marked as either satisfactory, good or excellent. The manifestos were judged on the basis of access to justice, education, access to ...

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader  Ikramullah Khan Gandapur was laid to rest in  his native town  of Dera Ismail Khan after thousands of people attended his funeral at  Kulachi College Ground   early on Monday.Sardar Ikramullah Gandapur, PTI candidate for provincial assembly constituency PK-99, was martyred and five others, including his driver Mohammad Ramazan, former union council Nazim Najeeb Shah, gunman Dilnawaz, Abdur Razzaq and a passer-by Saifur Rehman were injured in a suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan  on Sunday.According to reports,  a suicide bomber blew up near the vehicle of Ikramullah Gandapur, whose brother Israrullah Gandapur was also martyred in a suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan in October 2013.Thousands of people, including, political leaders, military officials, PTI activists and a large number of locals attended the  funeral prayers of the slain leader of PTI.Meanwhile, the Election Commissio...

MULTAN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ( PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif  on Sunday warned that he won’t be able to stop “the flood” of people if  elections are rigged.Addressing a  public meeting in Multan, PML-N president lamented  that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is being treated as he is an enemy of Pakistan  even if he  conducted nuclear tests despite  pressure from the world community and made the country an atomic power.He  further said that they  are being pushed against the wall, adding; "We will break down the wall. We will save Pakistan.” Giving the example of Metro Bus Service projects in Punjab, he said the PML-N during its last government made record development projects, adding that his government established Lodhran-Khanewal Road.While lashing out at PTI chief , Shehbaz said that Imran used to criticise the Metro Bus project in Punjab and vowed not to start such projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but eventually did, he alleg...

QUETTA: At least 20 people have been injured in a hand grenade attack on an election office of Balochistan Awami Party in Dalbandin, police said. The injured have been shifted to hospitals in Chaghi and Quetta.According to details, unknown people hurled a hand grenade outside the BAP’s office and fled away. This was the third attack on an election-related activity in Pakistan within 12 hours. Earlier in the day, PTI candidate Israrullah Gandapur was killed when a suicide bomber hit his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan. Former chief minister Akram Durrani’s rally also came under firing in Bannu.  from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2uPXYIe

KARACHI: PTI chairman Imran Khan has said that a charter of democracy signed between the PPP and the PML-N was actually a charter of corruption. “It was a pact between two parties to take turns in the governments and corruption. You let us loot freely, then we let you loot freely,” Khan told a massive gathering of supporters in Karachi. “People of Karachi, we are not fighting political parties, we are fighting mafias. And in this fight you have the heaviest responsibility to shoulder,” he said. “People of Karachi, you are the most politically literate people. All major political movements have sparked from Karachi.”He said that there were mafias in Punjab and he was thankful to the Chief Justice Party (CTP) for best describing Sharifs as "Godfather" and "Sicilian Mafia".“The extent of hooliganism in Sindh is evident from Uzair Baloch's confession that he actually killed people at the behest of Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur,” he said.“The condition of Karachi...

ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court has requested Chief Justice Saqib Nisar to set up a judicial commission to investigate his allegations of agencies meddling in judicial affairs.In a letter written to the CJP, Justice Siddiqui said that a commission be formed with a retired or serving judge as its head. The judge should not be someone who took oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order, instated by former military dictator Pervez Musharraf in 2007, he said.His request came after the army spokesman requested the Supreme Court to take action into the “serious allegations against “state institutions including honorable judiciary and the premier state intelligence agency.”The Supreme Court also took notice of the speech and has summoned the record of Justice Siddiqui’s speech from PEMRA.The IHC judge claimed he had stated facts about the prevailing situation without any fear.A commission be formed to “probe the authenticity and truthfulness of the presented f...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said that he had addressed election rallies in Karak and Bannu on Saturday despite terror threats. “We are going everywhere to deliver our message. They had informed us in a written message that suicide attackers could target me in Karak and Bannu, but I risked my life since this election is a historic occasion for Pakistan,” Khan told media persons at Bagh-e-Jinnah in Karachi ahead of his party’s rally.His remarks came shortly after PTI candidate Ikramullah Gandapur died from injuries caused by a suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan. He accused Karachi administration of barring PTI supporters from heading towards the rally venue. “I will request the Sindh IG to facilitate the public today, let them reach at the rally,” he said.Khan rejected the impression created by some rival groups about pre-poll rigging in the coming elections. “Those who had broken records of rigging in the previous polls are making a hue and cry today...

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was  gravely concerned at the escalating threat to independent candidate Jibran Nasir in Karachi.  Nasir and his supporters – who have been canvassing on rights-based issues such as access to water, housing and education – have been targeted consistently by right-wing elements, especially over the last week. In a statement issued today, HRCP has strongly condemned ‘the violence and malice that has dogged Mr Nasir’s election campaign. It is of serious concern to the Commission that local clerics and supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have reportedly labelled Mr Nasir and his supporters ‘Qadiani agents’ and publicly incited charged mobs to engage in violence to prevent him from canvassing.' ‘No member of the public or of any state institution has any right whatsoever to question – or indeed, to demand he prove – his faith. The frightening implications this could have for Mr Nasir’s personal ...

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has expressed his grief on martyrdom of PTI candidate Ikramullah Gandapur in suicide attack.Gandapur, a PTI candidate in PK-99, was killed along with his drive when his vehicle was hit by a suicide bomber. In a statement, General Bajwa voiced his grief and called Ikramullah Gandapur a patriotic political leader.“We have lost another patriotic political leader who are being targeted by enemies of peace & democratic process. We stay determined & steadfast. Blood of our martyrs shall not go waste, IA”, COAS said, according to ISRP. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2uHUUyt

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has voiced grief over the death of his party’s candidate Ikramullah Gandapur in a suicide attack. Gandapur, a PTI candidate from PK-99, was killed when a suicide bomber hit his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday. “Saddened to learn that Ikram Gandapur succumbed to his injuries. My prayers go to his family. May Allah give them the strength to bear this loss,” Imran Khan tweeted.Separately, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the terrorist bomb blast in which PTI candidate Ikramullah Gandapur and his driver were martyred today.In a statement, the PPP Chairman expressed deep grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of Gandapur and his driver and sympathized with the members of bereaved families.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that terrorist attacks on the election candidates was a conspiracy and stressed the need for curbing extremism to eliminate menace of terrorism.Meanwhile, the PPP Chairman has...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s electoral body has postponed elections in NA-60, Rawalpindi a day after PML-N candidate Hanif Abbasi was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in an ephedrine quota case. “Only two days are left to the conduct of poll when Hanif Abbasi, a political candidate from NA-60 Rawalpindi, has been disqualified which has resulted in a heated debate in the media and political circles rendering the atmosphere as fully as negatively charged,” ECP said in a statement on Sunday. “Whereas the serious criticism is afloat qua the provision of level playing field in the general elections 2018.”"The ECP having taken cognizance of all the attending circumstances is bound to provide level playing field to the contestants under the constitution and law particularly Section 4 of the Election Act 2017 read with Article 218 (3) of the construction and the powers of the commission defined by the August Supreme Court of Pakistan in famous Workers Party case reported in PLD-...

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Affairs Secretary Tehmina Janjua Sunday arrived in Kabul along with a 28-member delegation to participate in the inaugural session of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).In her opening remarks to the media, the foreign secretary said their arrival in Afghan capital just two days before the general elections in Pakistan showed their commitment to APAPPS, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal said on his Twitter handle. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2NzX2iR

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani cricket stars have come out in support of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan as the country prepares to go to the polls on Wednesday. "It was in your leadership skip @ImrankhanPTI that we became world champions in 1992. It is in your leadership that we can again become a great democratic country," tweeted Wasim Akram. "You have got what it takes Skipper @ImranKhanPTI but it will take everything you have... No one can doubt your Honesty and thats what is require in our country...An honest LEADER," tweeted former captain Waqar Younis. BehindYouSkipper became one of the country´s top trending hashtags as celebrities and former cricketers came to Khan´s support. Former Australian star Dean Jones also lent his support."I am not a political person... but @ImranKhanPTI I would have loved to play under.... great leader and would do well for Pakistan if given the opportunity," he tweeted. Imran Khan was catapulted to global fame as a...

Photo Geo NewsDERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Ikramullah Gandapur was martyred in a suicide attack that wounded four others, a police official said, just days ahead of Wednesday´s general elections.The attack in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa follows a spate of bombings at political rallies before the election, the most devastating of which was a suicide attack this month that killed 149 people.Sunday´s attack targeted the vehicle of Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate of the PTI for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, two police officials told Reuters."Ikramullah Gandapur has been killed and we are conducting a post-mortem," said police official Zahoor Afridi. Video images from the scene showed three bleeding and unconscious passengers inside a badly damaged black sports utility vehicle.In 2013, Gandapur´s brother, Israrullah, who was then the provincial law minister, was martyred in a suicide attack on his home.As political parties step up ca...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Sunday demanded Supreme Court of Pakistan initiate "process to ascertain the veracity of allegations levelled against state institutions" by  the Islamabad High Court judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.Also read: CJP Nisar responds angrily to Justice Shaukat’s statement "An honorable judge of Islamabad High Court of Pakistan has leveled serious allegations against state institutions including honorable judiciary and the premier state intelligence agency," said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement  without naming the judge.More: IHC CJ approached for choice benches: Justice SiddiquiThe statement said in order to safeguard the sanctity and credibility of the state institutions, honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan has been requested to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and take actions accordingly. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2Lz6wNU

Imran Khan with former wife Reham Khan-File photoISLAMABAD:  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has said marriage to  Reham Khan was  biggest mistake of his life, in rare remarks  about his past marriage with the former TV show host.In an Interview with Dail Mail, he said:  "Normally I don't say anything about Reham, but I will say this: I've made some mistakes in my life, but my second marriage has to be the biggest" Speaking of third marriage with Bushra BB, he said "I did not catch a glimpse of my wife's face until after we were married. I proposed to her without seeing her because she had never met me without her face being covered with a full veil". Photo of Imran Khan and his wife along with relatives at nikkah-AFPThe interview came just days before the country goes to poll on July 25 and  a few days  after his former wife Reham Khan launched her controversial book.He told the newspaper that Bushra Maneka, 39, is a leading scholar ...

Ayaz Memon Motiwala (left) and Nawab Ambar Shahzada. File photoISLAMABAD: There is the ecologist, the "semi-corrupt", the opportunist, and the indestructible. Alongside Pakistan´s mainstream politicians a battery of flamboyant candidates are contesting nationwide elections on July 25.Here are five who each embody the myriad challenges facing the country. Ayaz Memon Motiwala, the ecologistTo make his point, Ayaz Memon Motiwala campaigns from the gutters.Running as an independent in Pakistan´s largest city of Karachi, Motiwala prefers to get his anti-corruption, pro-environment message out as he lies in pools of sewage -- all while draped in Pakistan´s green and white flag."If they do not cover the gutters then this is my right to sit inside the gutter and protest," Motiwala tells AFP.Motiwala has chosen the water tap as his election symbol.Water is a highly charged issue, with experts saying Pakistan faces "absolute scarcity" -- less than 500 cubic metres a...

RAWALPINDI: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar expressed anger on the statement of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui in which he alleged that an agency was interfering in the superior judiciary’s matters.During hearing at the Karachi Registry on Sunday, the CJP remarked that the judiciary is working freely.“I felt saddened to read the statement of an Islamabad judge. As the head of judiciary, I assure you that we are not under any sort of pressure,” the CJP observed.Justice Shaukat of the Islamabad High Court, who is facing a reference of misuse of authority against him in the Supreme Judicial Council, threw barbs at the agency for its alleged interference but he gave no evidence in support of his allegation."I was told that if I pass judgments on ‘their’ directives, then the references against me will be withdrawn," he said, while addressing at the Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) officer here."I was also assured that I will be made chief justice of Pakistan in Septem...

Gunmen on Sunday targeted  vehicle of Muttahida Majlis Amal (MMA) candidate Akram Khan Durrani.Police said the attackers managed to flee after the attack.   The candidate remained unhurt in the incident.It was the second attack on Durrani  who earlier  targeted in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  during election campaign.At least four people were killed in the attack and several others injured. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2uR0L3W

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has issued a contempt of court notice to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan.Director General, Deputy Director General and Lahore Airport Manager have been named in the contempt of court notice, served after CAA continued with its motive of suspending all international flights of Shaheen Air International (SAI).The SHC also rejected all allegations and barred CAA from taking any further action against SAI. Earlier, the court had nullified the CAA’s letter dated July 13 where CAA threatened SAI to withdraw its services for international flights except flights to Saudi Arabia. The court also nullified the letter dated July 19 where the Lahore airport manager threatened to stop SAI flights from operating.Zohaib Hassan, Director Marketing, SAI said “The civil aviation authority of Pakistan with this step has not only cost the airline but also to the national exchequer billions of rupees.”He said as per today’s court orders, our international flight ...

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan said on Saturday that PTI was struggling for a new and respectable Pakistan to secure bright future of our young generation.Addressing public meetings during his election campaign here at Joray Pul and Shalamar areas, Imran Khan said he wanted such a Pakistan where foreigners come for employment instead of a Pakistan, where people queued up to get other countries’ visas to have jobs there. “We want such a Pakistan, which provides aid to poor countries as well as restoration of Pakistani passport’s credibility in the world”, he added.He assured that if elected to the government, the PTI would put Pakistan on its own feet and make Pakistanis a great nation.“A changed and developed Pakistan is my dream for which the youth is playing an eminent role to bring this positive change here and made PTI a success story”, he mentioned.Imran Khan said Nawaz Sharif’s conviction had brought a great revolution in Pakistan and now its PML-N cro...

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has strongly reacted to judgement against Hanif Abbasi and condemned the malafides behind the timing of this decision.PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, in a series of tweets shortly after an anti-narcotic court on Saturday sentenced party leader Hanif Abbasi to life in prison in an ephedrine quota case, said “the timing and manner of judgement of Hanif Abbasi clearly shows a discriminatory attitude towards PML-N, targeting our party on the eve of the polls when PML-N is on the verge of winning the polls.” Shehbaz Sharif went on to say, verdict, like judgement in the case came after an inordinately long wait on Saturday close to midnight, and that too in the midst of the election campaign. All cases against other politicians, including Imran Khan and Asif Ali Zardari have been deferred till after elections.”“Only an exception has been made in case of PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi. We condemn the malafides behind the timing of this decision, which is politically...

Islamabad:  Former President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the leadership and workers of PPP have rendered great sacrifices for restoration of democracy in this country and today democracy is being strengthened due to the pro-democratic policies of his party.Former President said this while addressing Party workers at the residence of Zulfikar Khadim Zardari in Shahdadpur. PPP did not have majority in 2008 parliament but even then PPP forced General Musharraf out of power and brought Pakistan in the comity of nations with democratic credentials, he said.He said that after 2008 his first priority was to restore 1973 constitution for which PPP has suffered immensely. He said that political autonomy was promised by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed and PPP fulfilled that promise too. He said that PPP has always provided employment to the youth of the country whenever it has come into power. With employment comes roti, kapra aur makaan. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has come out to compl...

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) clarified the circulating news story regarding the establishment of universities in Khyber Paktunkhwa, terming it 'fake.'The regulatory body clarified that the news circulating that claimed "HEC recognizes only 4 out of 9 varsities PTI claims it built in K-P" was not issued by its officials and went on to term the story as 'false.'The issued statement read: "This is with reference to a news story published subject in Express Tribune, on July 20, 2018 entitled HEC recognizes only 4 out of 9 varsities PTI claims it built in K-P". It is neccessary to correct the ensuring miscommunication. The Higher Education Commission has not rejected any university chartered by KPK Government."The declaration went on to state that the process involves the provincial federation to endows the charters subsequent to which the institutions apply to the regulatory body for their certification.  from The News Internat...

KARACHI: Former first daughter Maryam Nawaz's Twitter account published the first message by her since her imprisonment at Adiala jail.The message by the former PML-N leader was delivered through her official twitter account which was a couplet by the lauded Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The tweet was concluded with the distinguished slogan, '#VoteKoIzzatDo' (respect the vote), which was widely used by the ousted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif before he was detained in the Avenfield reference case last week.The father-daughter duo was convicted upon their arrival at the Lahore airport from London on July 13th and were taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.The Avenfield case verdict sentenced Nawaz to 11 years worth of prison term with a fine of £8 million while Maryam received eight years jail time with £2 million fine. On the other hand, Capt (retd) Safdar, is serving his one year jail term.  from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2uTBia9

SARGODHA: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that all u-turn sign boards should carry the picture of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.While addressing a rally in Sargodha, the PML-N leader said he cannot see Punjab getting ruined like Peshawar and pledged to evolve Sargodha into Lahore.Taking a jibe against PTI's chief,  he said  Imran has  a  history of taking u-turns, where at  a time he   aims at building a college and  later he steps back.He said Imran has already ruined the Peshawar metro mass transit project  by handing it over to a black-listed company. He  added that the metro has been revealed of Rs.40 billion corruption.He said that the high court has given the orders to run a probe into the Peshawar metro project.Taking aim at defeating Imran   in the election, Shehbaz said he will bring Nawaz Sharif and  Maryam Nawaz out of jail through the power of vote.He  said  that the former...

KARAK: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was caught shoving a party candidate amid his rally here on Saturday.The footage shows the PTI chief shoving the party candidate Shahid Ahmed Khattak while escalating the stairs during his rally at Karak.Khattak had been given the PTI ticket to contest from NA-34 constituency.Earlier, the party supremo was also spotted elbowing a member while going down the stairs which had gained rapid social media attention. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2Nzd78J

ISLAMABAD: PTI chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said that he had waged a long struggle against corrupt mafia.“I will introduce a new system to combat corruption which is the biggest menace in the country after coming into power,” Khan told a gathering of supporters in Karak. “We will improve the existing local bodies system across Pakistan to bring the development to grass-root level” Khan said."Development work is not the job of an MNA or an MPA. Their job is to do legislation," he explained. Khan lamented that international media had been supporting Nawaz Sharif despite his conviction for corruption. He promised that he would address the problem of water shortage being faced by the people of Karak. Launching a tirade against his opponents, Khan said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were sentenced to jail over corruption, adding that the Adiala jail was awaiting the corrupt elite.He said that the PPP and PML-N had signed a charter of democ...

The Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) has requisitioned Pak Armed forces to assist them in holding free, fair and transparent conduct of elections 2018, ISPR said."ECP has requisitioned Pak Armed Forces under Article 220&245 of Constitution to assist them in free, fair & transparent conduct of Elections 2018," DG ISPR Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted. "Shall undertake this mandated duty enabling people of Pakistan to freely exercise their democratic right in safe & secure environment.Pakistan will hold the general elections on July 25 amid heightened security. Troops will be deployed inside and outside the polling stations. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2uEUBES

THARPARKAR: PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that even a weak democracy was better than a powerful dictatorship.“Our successful rallies have negated the false perception that PPP had been finished after the martyrdom of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. Our work has just begun,” Bilawal said while addressing a massive rally in Nagarparkar area of Tharparkar.Puppet alliances had always been formed against the PPP but the nation has always stood with the PPP, he said. ‘Our jiyalas are not scared of Musharraf or Zia. Our supporters favour democracy.”He reiterated that Imran Khan had zero chance of becoming the next prime minister.The two so-called political parties — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz — had taken Punjab’s politics hostage. “Alliances have always been formed against the PPP but the party has persevered and will continue to fight for what is right,” he said. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2LahFpb

LONDON: Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to leave the European Union are overwhelmingly opposed by the British public and more than a third of voters would support a new right-wing political party committed to quitting the bloc, according to a new poll.May’s political vulnerability was exposed by the survey which found voters would prefer Boris Johnson, who quit as her foreign minister two weeks ago, to negotiate with the EU and lead the Conservative Party into the next election.Only 16 percent of voters say May is handling the Brexit negotiations well, compared with 34 percent who say that Johnson would do a better job, according to the poll conducted by YouGov for The Sunday Times newspaper.With a little more than eight months to go before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, May’s government, parliament, the public and businesses remain deeply divided over what form Brexit should take.May’s plans to keep a close trading relationship with the EU on goods thrust her gov...

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Sunday it was looking more and more like his campaign for the 2016 presidential election had been illegally spied upon.Trump issued the tweet after saying documents about his former presidential campaign adviser Carter Page confirmed with little doubt that the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation had misled the courts.The FBI released documents on Saturday related to the surveillance of Page as part of an investigation into whether he conspired with the Russian government to undermine the election.Page has denied being an agent of the Russian government and has not been charged with any crime. In his tweets, Trump also took aim at defeated Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, her party’s governing body."Looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon surveillance for the political gain of Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC...

TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned the United States not to "play with the lion’s tail" on Sunday, saying that conflict with Iran would be the "mother of all wars".Addressing his US counterpart Donald Trump, Rouhani said: "You declare war and then you speak of wanting to support the Iranian people". "You cannot provoke the Iranian people against their own security and interests," he said in a televised speech at a gathering of Iranian diplomats in Tehran.Rouhani repeated his warning that Iran could shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for international oil supplies. "We have always guaranteed the security of this strait. Do not play with the lion’s tail, you will regret it forever," he said."Peace with Iran would be the mother of all peace and war with Iran would be the mother of all wars." Rouhani spoke ahead of a much-trailed speech by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later Sunday, see...

NEW DELHI: India said on Sunday people whose names are missing from a list of citizens to be issued by a border state this month will not be detained, amid concerns that Muslims will be targeted under the guise of detecting illegal immigrants from Bangladesh."We will ensure that every individual gets justice and is treated in a humane manner. All individuals will have sufficient opportunity for all remedies available under the law," Rajnath Singh, India’s interior minister, said in a statement."Any person who is not satisfied with the outcome of claims and objections can appeal in the Foreigner’s Tribunal. Thus, there is no question of anyone being put in a detention centre after the publication of NRC (national register of citizens)".For an update of the NRC to be made public on July 30, all residents of Assam state in the northeast have had to show documents proving they or their families lived in the country before March 24, 1971, to be recognised as Indian citiz...

DHAKA: A prominent former editor and critic of Bangladesh’s government was assaulted on Sunday by ruling party student activists after a court hearing, police and witnesses said.The cadres of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, attacked Mahmudur Rahman, 66, with bricks and bamboo sticks, his colleague Mohammed Abdullah said.The attack happened when he got into a car after being bailed over a defamation case by a court in the western town of Kushtia. "It was a brutal attack. They hit the right side of his head with a brick. We are now heading to Jessore city on an ambulance," Abdullah said.Images on social media showed Rahman bloody but conscious and able to walk. Rahman was the editor of the mass-circulation pro-opposition Bengali daily Amar Desh, which was shut down by the government in 2013. He also heads a pro-opposition professional group. Abdullah said Rahman had been confined to the courtroom for five hours after more than 100 of the activis...

AMMAN: Israel has evacuated 800 White Helmets rescuers and their family members threatened by advancing Syrian regime forces to Jordan for resettlement in Britain, Canada and Germany, Amman said on Sunday.Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders which rescues the wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory.Jordan "authorised the United Nations to organise the passage of 800 Syrian citizens through Jordan to be resettled in western countries," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said.An Israeli government source confirmed Israel’s military had rescued 800 people who were taken to Jordan. "Upon request of the US, Canada and European states Israel has completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organisation (‘White Helmets’) and families," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted. from The News International - World https...

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi security agency has admitted holding hundreds of "terrorism" suspects for months, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday while calling on authorities to inform the families of those held.The National Security Service acknowledged it was holding male prisoners at a facility in east Mosul, the Iraqi city from which the Islamic State group was ousted last year. After previously denying the existence of any detention facilities, the NSS allowed HRW on July 4 to visit the centre where the group found clean but "extremely overcrowded" cells."Researchers were granted access to the facility, where officials said 427 prisoners were being held at the time," HRW said in a press release. Before visiting the facility HRW interviewed archaeologist Faisal Jeber, who said he was detained in early April and estimated at least 450 prisoners were being held, based on a daily head count.While the 47-year-old was released within 48 hours, he "described horren...

TEHRAN: A series of moderate earthquakes in southern and western Iran on Sunday injured an estimated 25 people, state television said. Two quakes struck a remote region near the town of Lar in the southern Hormozgan province shortly after 0500 GMT, according to the US Geological Survey.The strongest of the two had a magnitude of 5.4. Another 5.9-magnitude quake struck a rural part of the western Kermanshah province at 1007 GMT. An AFP reporter said that quake was "felt strongly" across the border in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province. State television said some damage had been reported in villages and that 25 people had been injured, without giving details of their locations. from The News International - World https://ift.tt/2mC82Rk

ANKARA: Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make the latest in a string of trips to Africa this week, visiting South Africa and Zambia as well as attending a summit of the BRICS leading emerging economies, the presidency said on Sunday.The five BRICS countries -- Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa -- seen by analysts as rising challengers to established Western economies are holding the group’s latest summit in Johannesburg.Turkey is not a member of the BRICS, but Erdogan will attend a special session in his capacity as the current chair of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the event, the presidency said.Previous reports have said Erdogan is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the summit’s sidelines. Russia and Turkey have been cooperating increasingly strongly, notably on the Syria crisis, and Ankara is buying Russian S-400 air defence systems in a deal that has upset the West.The Turkish presidency described Erdogan’s participation in J...

Dozens of hot air balloons dot the skies over Italy’s central Umbria region as enthusiasts gather from around the world for two weeks of friendly competition.The event, which takes the colourful craft over the lush vineyards of Umbria’s Sagrantino valley, is the brainchild of Ralph Shaw, of dual Italian and British nationality. "We started off with just five balloons, and now this year we’ve reached our target of 90 balloons, and hopefully next year it will be 100," Shaw said.In addition to 22 teams from around Europe, pilots from the United States, Russia and Australia are taking part in the Sagrantino International Balloon Challenge Cup. "We have many flyable days in Italy, whereas in England for instance we may only have 20 days a year," Shaw said. "So everybody comes willingly to Italy because they...are sure of having a good flight."One of the most popular competitions at such events is the Hare and Hounds, in which one balloon -- the hare -- takes of...

KATHMANDU: Dozens of protesters in Nepal have been injured in clashes with police at a demonstration in support of a hunger-striking doctor seeking better healthcare in the impoverished Himalayan country.Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in solidarity with Dr Govinda KC, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly a month demanding reforms in the medical sector and education. Protestors from Nepal Tarun Dal, the youth wing of the opposition party Nepali Congress, were injured when police fired multiple rounds of teargas and used batons as they entered a restricted area near the parliament in capital Kathmandu.Activists on Sunday said they planned more protests following the clashes. "We are protesting against the government’s authoritarian-like behaviour. They are not listening to the people and to the just demands of Dr Govinda KC," Bhupendra Jung Shahi, general secretary of Nepal Tarun Dal, told AFP.Viewed by his supporters as a medical Robin Hood, Dr KC is well know...

MAE SAI, Thailand: Most members of the Thai youth football team rescued from a flooded cave will have their heads shaved, don robes and be ordained in a Buddhist ceremony this week, officials said on Sunday. The "Wild Boars" are enjoying their first few days home after being discharged from hospital and speaking to the media about their harrowing ordeal inside the Tham Luang cave near the Myanmar border. from The News International - World https://ift.tt/2mCwbHJ

KABUL: Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport as he returned home on Sunday from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival. Dostum, who left Afghanistan last year after heavy pressure from Western donors including the United States, drove away from the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the explosion, which police said killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 50.He was unharmed in the blast, which was claimed by Islamic State, and made only brief mention of it when he met cheering supporters who had been waiting for hours to give him a red carpet reception at a rally at his office compound. However, the incident underlined the increasingly volatile and unstable political climate in Kabul ahead of parliamentary elections in October that are seen as a dry run for more important presidential elections early next year. Dostum backed calls for peace talks with the ...

VALLETTA: Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Sunday a year-long inquiry into allegations of financial wrongdoing linked to the Panama Papers scandal had cleared him.Muscat called a snap election last year — which he won comfortably — after he and his entourage, including his wife Michelle, were accused of owning a company mentioned in the papers. “Today, justice has been served,” a visibly emotional Muscat told a press conference.He said a judicial investigation running to 1,500 pages showed former opposition leader “Simon Busuttil has thrived on a lie in a bid to win power.” And Muscat said that “the only honourable thing for (Busuttil) to do is resign from all his positions, including as MP.” The year-long probe was conducted by judge Aaron Bugeja and its conclusions were published a day after the report had been passed on to the attorney general. The inquiry also did not find any evidence that Muscat, his wife, his close aide Keith Schembri, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, or ...

AMMAN’ Israel has evacuated 800 White Helmets rescuers and their family members threatened by advancing Syrian regime forces to Jordan for resettlement in Britain, Canada and Germany, Amman said Sunday.Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders which rescues wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory.Jordan “authorised the United Nations to organise the passage of 800 Syrian citizens through Jordan to be resettled in western countries,” the kingdom said.“The government gave the permission after Britain, Germany and Canada made a legally binding undertaking to resettle them within a specified period of time due to ‘a risk to their lives’.”An Israeli government source confirmed Israel’s military had rescued 800 people who were taken to Jordan.“Upon request of the US, Canada and European states Israel has completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organisation (‘White He...

WASHINGTON: The FBI believed that a former campaign advisor to Donald Trump was “collaborating” with Russia as it worked to influence the 2016 presidential election, top secret documents released to US news organizations have revealed.The US president hit back Sunday, portraying the wiretapping of his ex-aide as part of a partisan and “illegal” conspiracy because the FBI partly relied on information provided by Democrat-funded research in seeking its warrant.The October, 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court named Carter Page, a former foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, according to the documents published late Saturday by The New York Times.The newspaper, along with USA Today and others, filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain the material, which the Justice Department released but with many details redacted.“The FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government,” the initial FBI application says b...

TOKYO’ Japan’s severe heatwave killed at least 15 people and sent more than 12,000 to hospital in the first two weeks of July, official figures show as the temperature neared 40 degrees C (104 F) in many cities on Sunday. Twelve people died of heatstroke in the week ending July 15 after three perished in the preceding week, according to latest data. More than 9,900 people were rushed to hospital during the week to mid-July, jumping from 2,700 in the previous week, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. The scorching weather shows no signs of easing. Kyodo News agency reported that at least 11 people, mostly elderly citizens, died on Saturday alone from suspected heatstroke. A total of 3,091 ambulances were dispatched in Tokyo on Saturday, a record for a single day, it said. from The News International - World https://ift.tt/2A0MtDx

NEW DELHI’ India has withdrawn a controversial tax on sanitary pads following a vocal campaign led by activists and Bollywood stars to boost female education and empowerment. Saturday’s announcement is part of a slew of changes to the national goods and services tax (GST) intended to reduce the prices of around 90 key consumer goods, many of which target urban middle classes ahead of next year’s general election. “I think all women will be happy to know that sanitary pads will now have 100 percent exemption. There will be no GST on sanitary pads,” India´s acting finance minister Piyush Goyal told journalists on Saturday. Activists, Bollywood actors and some politicians had opposed the 12 percent tax, citing a lack of access and affordability for a key hygiene product as a key barrier to female empowerment in the country. from The News International - World https://ift.tt/2mCvG0j

DHAKA’ prominent former editor and critic of Bangladesh’s government was assaulted on Sunday by ruling party student activists after a court hearing, police and witnesses said. The cadres of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, attacked Mahmudur Rahman, 66, with bricks and bamboo sticks, his colleague Mohammad Abdullah said. The attack happened when he got into a car after being bailed over a defamation case by a court in the western town of Kushtia. “It was a brutal attack. (They) hit the right side of his head with a brick. We are now heading to Jessore city on an ambulance,” Abdullah said. Images on social media showed Rahman bloody but conscious and able to walk. from The News International - World https://ift.tt/2A0MsPZ

DUBAI’ A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit western Iran on Sunday, injuring at least 128 people, hours after two quakes struck Hormozgan province in the south, state television reported. Houshang Bazvand, governor of the western province of Kermanshah, said that most of the 128 who received treatment did not require hospitalisation, the television station added. State media said that two earlier earthquakes, with magnitudes of 4.7 and 5.7, had damaged buildings in a few villages without causing casualties. Morteza Salimi, head of rescue at Iran’s Red Crescent, said that damage from the two earlier quakes appeared to be light. “Reports indicate that some walls have collapsed, but extensive damage has not been reported,” Salimi told official news agency IRNA. Iran is crisscrossed by major geological fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years. Last November, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit western Kermanshah province, killing at least 620 people and injuring th...

DUBAI: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned US President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying “America should know . . . war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” but he did not rule out peace between the two countries,either.Iran faces increased US pressure and looming sanctions after Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran’s nuclear programme. Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: “Mr Trump, don’t play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret,” the state new agency IRNA reported. “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” Rouhani said.“You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran’s security and interests,” Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilise Iran’s Islamic government. In Washington, US officials familiar with the...

NEW DELHI: India said on Sunday people whose names are missing from a list of citizens to be issued by a border state this month will not be detained, amid concerns that Muslims will be targeted under the guise of detecting illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. “We will ensure that every individual gets justice and is treated in a humane manner.All individuals will have sufficient opportunity for all remedies available under the law,” Rajnath Singh, India´s interior minister, said in a statement. “Any person who is not satisfied with the outcome of claims and objections can appeal in the Foreigner’s Tribunal. Thus, there is no question of anyone being put in a detention centre after the publication of NRC (national register of citizens).”For an update of the NRC to be made public on July 30, all residents of Assam state in the northeast have had to show documents proving they or their families lived in the country before March 24, 1971, to be recognised as Indian citizens.The exercise ha...

DAMASCUS: Israel on Sunday launched an air strike on a Syrian regime military target in the west of the country, Syrian state media reported.“One of our military positions in Masyaf was the target of an Israeli air aggression,” Syria’s official news agency SANA said quoting a military source.It was the fourth time this month that Syria has accused Israel of bombing a military position in the war-wracked country. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the report.A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also reported the air strike and said it targeted a “workshop supervised by Iranians where surface-to-surface missiles are made”.“Iranian forces and forces from Lebanon’s (Shiite) Hezbollah movement are deployed in that sector,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.A government scientific research centre is located in Masyaf and was hit by an Israeli air strike in September 2017.According to the United States sarin gas was being developed ...

First task for Peru’s new justice ministerAg AFPLIMA: Lawyer Vicente Zeballos took office Saturday as Peru’s new justice minister, facing the immediate challenge of dealing with a scandal over judges allegedly selling lighter sentences for a price.The previous justice minister, Salvador Heresi, resigned last week after investigative website IDL-Reporteros in Peru published more than 20 tapes, on some of which Heresi and different judges appear to discuss arranging lenient treatment in exchange for cash or favors. The scandal sparked street protests in several cities and prompted President Martin Vizcarra, in office only since March, to promise sweeping judicial reforms. Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva told Radio RPP that Zeballos had the legal and political experience to lead the Justice Ministry and “help a lot with reform.”Supreme Court president Duberli Rodriguez, as well as an appeals-court judge and three members of the National Council of Magistrates — which appoints judges and p...

BEIJING: Chinese censors on Sunday deleted articles and postings about the vaccine industry as an online outcry over the country’s latest vaccine scandal intensified.Regulators said last week that they had halted production of a rabies vaccine at a large pharmaceutical company in the northeast after finding fabricated records and other problems during an inspection.It was just the latest in a series of health and safety scandals which have fuelled fear over the safety of basic food and medicine and anger at regulators asleep on the job.China’s censors and regulators struggled to stay abreast of the public’s response, deleting posts on WeChat as state media tried to take control of the narrative. On Sunday night China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) announced it had ordered all production stopped at the vaccine maker and launched an investigation.Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology is China’s second largest maker of the rabies vaccine and a subsidiary of a large publicly-traded vac...

KAMPALA: Three Ugandan soldiers were killed by an angry mob near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, after being accused of being criminals by the local population, police and a local official said Sunday.“Three of our soldiers have been killed by a mob and investigations are going on to establish the circumstances under which the soldiers were killed,” the official Peter Debele told AFP.“Three guns have been recovered from the scene of the attack and eight people have been arrested in connection with the killing of the soldiers,” he added.Debele said the armed soldiers were attached to an army unit guarding the Ugandan border point of Vurra. The government earlier this year banned civilians from donning any type of camouflage due to the number of criminals donning military-style gear.The soldiers, some eight kilometres (five miles) from their post, were stopped by residents for “questioning, they handed over the guns but the mob turned rowdy and lynched them alleging the...

LONDON:Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to leave the European Union are overwhelmingly opposed by the British public and more than a third of voters would support a new right-wing political party committed to quitting the bloc, according to a new poll.May’s political vulnerability was exposed by the survey which found voters would prefer Boris Johnson, who quit as her foreign minister two weeks ago, to negotiate with the EU and lead the Conservative Party into the next election.Only 16 percent of voters say May is handling the Brexit negotiations well, compared with 34 percent who say that Johnson would do a better job, according to the poll conducted by YouGov for The Sunday Times newspaper.With a little more than eight months to go before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, May’s government, parliament, the public and businesses remain deeply divided over what form Brexit should take. May’s plans to keep a close trading relationship with the EU on goods thrust her gov...

BUENOS AIRES: EU finance chief Pierre Moscovici fired a barb at US President Donald Trump on Sunday as he called on both sides of an ongoing global trade dispute to “act as allies.”The US and EU have been at loggerheads since Trump angered European allies by announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum as he launched trade restrictions targeting China in particular.Referring to Trump branding the EU, alongside China and Russia, as trade “foes,” Moscovici said the EU is “willing to build bridges.”“What I stressed several times in my meetings here is that the EU is certainly not the author of major trade imbalances,” Moscovici told reporters during the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires.On Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke at the conference about wanting to “balance” the country’s trade relationships with China and the EU, calling on both to respect “free, fair and reciprocal trade.”But Moscovici said that “we believe that targeting us is certainly inappropriate... and tha...

PARIS: A former top security aide for French President Emmanuel Macron was brought before a judge Sunday after videos emerged of him striking a young man during a demonstration, a scandal which has derailed parliamentary proceedings as lawmakers press the government for explanations.Alexandre Benalla, 26, was fired Friday after footage was released of him hitting the man at least twice as riot police looked on while breaking up a May Day protest in Paris.Benalla, who was wearing a police helmet with visor as well as a police armband, is facing charges of violence by a public official, impersonating a police officer and complicity in unauthorised use of surveillance footage.Three police officers, including two high-ranking officials, have been suspended on suspicion they illegally gave Benalla video surveillance footage last week so he could try to clear his name.His associate Vincent Crase, an employee in Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party who also attended the protest, is also...

MUNICH: Around 25,000 people braved the rain in Munich on Sunday to protest the hardline immigration stance of Chancellor Angela Merkel´s Bavarian allies three months before they face a tough state election in Bavaria.The protest is another sign of the Christian Social Union´s (CSU) waning popularity after an Infratest poll published last week put its support in Bavaria at 38 percent, compared with the 47.7 percent it secured in a 2013 regional election. March organisers said in a statement they were demonstrating against the “irresponsible divisive politics” of top members of the CSU which governs Bavaria and is the sister party to Merkel´s Christian Democrats (CDU).They mentioned CSU leader and interior minister Horst Seehofer and CSU Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder and said they were taking a stand against a “politics of fear” and a societal shift to the right. Seehofer´s immigration stance nearly brought down Merkel´s government earlier this month in a dispute over migration.B...

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has warned of a punitive action after receiving a report about alleged agreements by elders and candidates in several constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for disenfranchising women in the July 25 general elections.As per the report, issued by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability, a non-government organization working on election monitoring, elders and candidates are going to ban women voting at Sago Bair, Koz Jalkot, Koop Nala, Kail, Baryal, DC Colony and Kandokor areas inNA-11 Kohistan. The reasons are seasonal migration and long distance from the polling stations.Similarly, the reports claimed that elders and candidates in NA-12 in Batagram are also going to strike agreements in Chapargram, Shenglai Payeen, Gagbori, Perarhi, Ajmir Kuz Poo, Pagora and Jetol Bazaar and Rojmera areas of the constituency.The cultural barriers, long distance from polling stations and fears of violence in the election have been cited as ...