Pakistan News Time

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday formally identified Pakistan as a country with "strategic deficiencies" in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime, notifying the steps the country must take to address the shortcomings. Pakistan's placement on FATF's 'grey list', which had been decided in February, had taken effect on Thursday after the country negotiated an action plan with the global illicit financing watchdog to address the deficiencies in its regime. According to a Dawn report , Pakistan reportedly committed to a 26-point action plan, which would be implemented over the next 15 months. Besides other actions, the plan includes squelching of finances of Jamaatud Dawa, Falah-i-Insaniat, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Haqqani network and Afghan Taliban. Failure to negotiate the action plan could have led Pakistan to the blacklist. Editorial: Placing Pakistan on 'grey list' while an interim govt is in p...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced an extension in polling time for upcoming General Election by an hour. The polling will now begin at 8am and end at 6pm instead of the usual 5pm, an ECP press release said. The purpose of the extension is to ensure greater participation of voters in the polling process, the ECP said. The move comes days after the ECP rejected Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) plea to extend polling hours until 8pm saying that the timings were ordained by the law and there was no need for them to be extended. ECP issues notice to Nawaz over party name Separately, the ECP issued notice to PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif to appear before the commission in a petition arguing the name of the party cannot contain the name of a disqualified person. Nawaz, who was disqualified via the Panamagate verdict last year and later removed from his own party's presidency , has been asked to appear on July 9. from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/...

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Friday appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) not to pass personal or derogatory comments against judges of other courts, saying that all judges are equally worthy of respect. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge said that while CJP Mian Saqib Nisar has the right to set aside, modify or uphold the verdicts of other judges, he does not have the right to humiliate them. Judges who are ridiculed by the CJP will be bound to respond to the comments, which will be damaging to the judicial institution, Justice Siddiqui added. The high court judge made the comments during hearing of a case regarding encroachments in the capital, in which lawyer Raja Inam Ameen Mihas argued that in a case regarding private school fees — which was heard by Justice Siddiqui — the apex court had upheld the status quo and remanded the case back to the IHC. Earlier, Justice Siddiqui had restrained private schools from collecting fees during summer vacations. However, a ...

The former president of PML-N's Sindh chapter, Babu Sarfaraz Jatoi, on Friday came forward with serious accusations against the party leadership, saying that they had demanded Rs3 million in exchange for awarding him a party ticket. Jatoi, who has also remained the party's senior central vice president, alleged that the Rs3m demand had come from the leadership of the party's Sindh chapter. "I was not awarded the NA-201 Larkana ticket for refusing to pay Rs3 million," the dejected leader said. "This is the reward I get for my 30-year service to the party." Jatoi claimed that he had waited all day for news of the ticket but when he contacted the party's Sindh leadership, he was asked for Rs3m. He alleged that Shah Muhammad Shah, the current PML-N Sindh president, had "set up a mandi (market) in Sindh and distributed party tickets in exchange for money". Read more: The PML-N made bold claims in its 2013 manifesto. How many of those prom...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday suspended the Punjab Election Appellate Tribunal's decision disqualifying former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for life for not being 'honest' and 'sagacious', and barring him from contesting the election from his native NA-57 (Rawalpindi-I) constituency. A two-judge LHC bench headed by Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi summoned the federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to appear in the hearing of the case on July 2. Abbasi's lawyer told the court today that the appellate tribunal only has the right to accept or reject nomination papers, and cannot disqualify a candidate. He maintained that Abbasi presented details of all his assets in the nomination papers. The presiding officer of the tribunal, Justice Ibadur Rahman Lodhi, had on Wednesday disqualified both Abbasi and Pakstan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Fawad Chaudhry. A visibly angry Abbasi had soon after announced he would challeng...

The lifeless bodies of three babies were brought ashore in Libya on Friday, victims of a Mediterranean migrant shipwreck in which survivors say 100 people are still missing. Around 120 migrants were aboard the inflatable craft when it ran into trouble, according to survivors taken to Al-Hmidiya, east of the capital Tripoli. Sixteen people were rescued, while the missing included two babies and three children under the age of 12. Survivors told AFP the boat sank a few hours after its pre-dawn departure from Garaboulli, east of Tripoli, following an explosion on board. The motor then caught fire and the vessel began taking on water, they said. The passengers included several Moroccan families, none of whom survived. “When I saw the number of people on the boat, I refused to get on board, because we had been told that we would be 20 (passengers),” said survivor Amri Swileh, from Yemen. Showing his bruised arms, the 26-year-old said he was threatened by smugglers and forced onto the...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday sentenced four people, including a former MNA, to one month in prison for contempt of court and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on each of the convicts. Kasur police had booked over 80 people ─ six of whom were identified as members of the ruling PML-N ─ after parliamentarians and local government leaders on April 13 took out a protest rally against the apex court verdict on the lifetime disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, and used expletives against the judiciary. They were booked under Sections 166, 506, 341, 228 109, 147 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal code, and later Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 was also added to the case. Kasur District Bar Association President Mirza Naseem and others had petitioned the court saying that the rally was a planned conspiracy against the judiciary. The petitioners prayed that the actions of the respondents amounted to contempt of court and they were all liable to be punished under the law. They asked the c...

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday said that an ‘action plan’ had been negotiated with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to address strategic deficiencies in Pakistan’s anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing regime, which had been pointed out by the global illicit financing watchdog. Now that the action plan has been negotiated, Pakistan’s grey listing , which had been decided in February, would take effect. The FATF would officially announce Pakistan’s inclusion in the grey list on Friday. Responding to reports that the government had failed to prevent Pakistan’s inclusion in the grey list, FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said: “In February 2018, during the FATF plenary session in Paris, it was agreed that Pakistan will be included in the ‘grey list’ in June 2018.” He noted that it had also been agreed in February that Pakistan and the FATF would negotiate an action plan by June. “This has been done,” he added. Terror financing watchdog to announce Isla...

 کراچی:  چین کی گاڑیاں بنانے والی بڑی کمپنی چینگن آٹوموبائل اور ماسٹر موٹرز کے درمیان جوائنٹ وینچر کے لیے معاہدے پر دستخط کردیے گئے جس کے تحت پاکستانی آٹو صنعت میں 10 کروڑ ڈالر کی سرمایہ کاری کی جائے گی جو چین کی بڑی سرمایہ کاری ہے۔ واضح رہے کہ یہ نئی آٹو پالیسی2016-21 کے تحت پہلی سرمایہ کاری ہوگی۔ چینگن آٹو موبائل کے اسسٹنٹ صدر اور جنرل منیجر اوورسیز بزنس ڈیولپمنٹ ڈپارٹمنٹ وینگ ہوآن رن اور چیئرمین ماسٹر موٹرز لمیٹڈ ندیم ملک نے معاہدے پر دستخط کردیے تاکہ وہ اپنے وسائل اور مہارتوں کو یکجا کرتے ہوئے 2025 تک پاکستان کی بڑی کار ساز کمپنی بننے کا مقصد حاصل کرسکیں۔ وینگ ہوآنرن نے کہا کہ ہم پاکستانی مارکیٹ میں موجود مواقع سے فائدہ اٹھانے کے لیے انتہائی پرامید ہیں اور ساتھ ہی برآمدات کے مواقع کے لیے بھی پرجوش ہیں۔ چینگن نے پاکستان کو رائٹ ہینڈ ڈرائیو (آر ایچ ڈی) گاڑیوں کی برآمد کرنے کے لیے مرکز بنانے کی غرض سے منتخب کیا ہے تاکہ ان گاڑیوں کو آر ایچ ڈی والے ملکوں کو برآمد کیا جاسکے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ چینگن کی تیار کردہ گاڑیاں گزشتہ 10برسوں سے چین میں سب سے زیادہ فروخت ہونے و...

KARACHI: Dr Farooq Sattar, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), on Thursday said he had conveyed to the party’s Bahadurabad group that he did not want to contest in the July 25 election but wanted to lead the [party’s] election campaign. “I have conveyed my desire of not contesting election this time around and requested the party leadership to allow me to get my nomination papers withdrawn,” said the veteran politician, who was the youngest mayor of Karachi and has won in all seven general elections since 1988, while addressing a press conference at his party office. He said he had expressed his full support to the party’s Bahadurabad group and would agree to whatever was decided by the party’s Rabita Committee and its convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Requests workers, supporters to extend complete support to Rabita Committee in Bahadurabad “I have asked the party leadership to give me a break for the sake of the party. I don’t want to contest elect...

A man firing a shotgun and armed smoke grenades killed four journalists and a staffer at Maryland's capital newspaper The Capital Gazzette , then was swiftly taken into custody by police who rushed into the building. Police said the suspect in custody is a white man in his late 30s. Acting Police Chief William Krampf of Anne Arundel County called it a targeted attack in which the gunman “looked for his victims". “This person was prepared today to come in, this person was prepared to shoot people,” Krampf said. Journalists crawled under desks and sought other hiding places in what they described as minutes of terror as they heard the gunman's footsteps and the repeated blasts of the shotgun as he moved about the newsroom. Those killed included Rob Hiaasen, 59, the paper's assistant managing editor and brother of novelist Carl Hiaasen. Carl Hiaasen said he was “devastated and heartsick” at losing his brother, “one of the most gentle and funny people I've ever ...

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court single bench on Thursday referred a petition to a division bench to decide whether convict in Zainab’s rape-cum-murder case should be hanged publicly. Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq was hearing a petition moved by father of Zainab demanding public hanging of Imran Ali, the convict. The judge observed that a division bench should decide the matter since the convict had been sentenced under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Therefore, the judge referred the petition to the chief justice for its fixation before division bench. Zainab’s father Amin Ansari had contended through counsel that appeals of the convict stood dismissed by all legal forums including the high court and the Supreme Court. He said section 22 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 empowered the government to hang a convict publicly. The counsel requested the court to order the government to ensure that the convict was hanged publicly to satisfy the requirement of deterrence in society. An anti-terr...

Iraq executed a dozen death row terrorists on the order of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, his office said on Friday, in retaliation for the Islamic State group's (IS) murder of eight captives. The executions on Thursday came shortly after Abadi ordered the "immediate" implementation of the death sentences of hundreds of convicted militants in response to the killings by IS. "By order of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, 12 terrorists sentenced to death (whose appeals were exhausted) were executed on Thursday," a statement released by Abadi's office said. It did not specify how they were executed but death sentences in terrorism-related cases are usually carried out by hanging. More than 300 people, including around 100 foreign women, have been condemned to death in Iraq and hundreds of others to life imprisonment for membership of IS, a judicial source said in April. Abadi, who has faced charges of failing to respond in force to IS, on Thursday ordered ...

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal has rejected Pakistan Muslim League’s allegations that the anti-graft watchdog is only targeting a single party, saying the bureau has no political agenda and will continue its actions against corrupt elements in accordance with law without any influence. “We are targeting no specific political party. We have no political agenda. People (politicians) should appear before NAB when summoned in any investigation and at the same time they can run their election campaign,” the NAB chairman told journalists in Lahore on Thursday. “As NAB chairman, I have never taken any action beyond law and Constitution. I request do not politicise NAB. It is established to fight corruption and serve people. It has got nothing to do with politics. Whether A or B is in the government NAB has to fight corruption and I believe that its actions (against the corrupt) cannot be stopped,” he added. Talking about those who wer...

LAHORE: Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has warned that the country may face “dangerous consequences” if alleged pre-poll rigging did not stop, and complained that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been denied a level playing field in the July 25 polls. Visibly perturbed, Mr Sharif expressed anguish over the “targeting” of his party men by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and their disqualification by the courts. “A new history of rigging is being written. Only the PML-N is being targeted (by NAB and courts) which amounts to pre-poll rigging. Have we not learned anything from the dismemberment of Pakistan,” he questioned, while regretting the disqualification of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former state minister for privatisation Daniyal Aziz . Talking to reporters in London, Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said: “A dangerous game is being played, and its consequences will be dangerous for the country. Over the last several months, the court’s deci...

LAHORE: With the finalisation of party tickets, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has moved to pacify many a senior and known party workers who were expressing strong reservations about the selection of candidates. As many aspirants were running from pillar to post for tickets, party chairman Imran Khan and vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi came to Lahore and met different [disgruntled] leaders and explained them about the ‘ground realities.’ “Everybody cannot be given ticket. This is every political party’s issue. The PTI is trying to find a middle ground through negotiations in the best interest of the party,” the vice chairman told media persons here on Thursday. Qureshi says party to ‘compensate’ all those who could not get tickets Stressing that it is high time that all PTI workers gelled together and worked for Imran Khan’s vision of “Naya Pakistan”, Mr Qureshi said the party would ‘compensate’ all those, who could not get tickets, after forming the government following the Jul...

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar conceded on Thursday that being head of an institution he had failed to put his house in order. “I admit openly that I have been unable to put the house in order,” the chief justice acknowledged while heading a four-judge bench that had taken up a petition seeking fresh rules for lower courts to decide suits, petitions and appeals within a stipulated time limit. The petition was jointly moved by Umeer Ijaz Gilani, Attaullah Hakeem Kundi, Muhammad Haider Imtiaz, Raheel Ahmed and Hadiya Aziz, all legal practitioners. During the hearing, the chief justice referred to a recent incident that happened during his inspection visit to Larkana district courts as a result of which Additional District and Sessions Judge Gul Zamir Solangi tendered his resignation letter. KBA resolution expresses dismay over resignation tendered by Larkana Judge Gul Zamir Solangi The chief justice explained that the district judge had decided only ...

The US president has five people in mind, including two women, and will name his choice on 9 July. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2yUJ6xr

The UK's biggest steelworks at Port Talbot will become part of the newly merged group. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2tFD0fk

James Melville is the latest senior US diplomat to resign in protest at controversial Trump policies. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Mzanr9

Canada also unveiled $2bn in aid to protect its steel and aluminium industries from the US tariffs. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2IHjuE8

The Capital Gazette gunman shot one victim trying to flee through a door he barricaded, say police. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2IDKAfb

Virunga and Salonga national parks in DR Congo are home to threatened mountain gorillas and bonobo. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2lGo0JP

A deal to curb irregular migration was reached at a gruelling summit but leaders interpret it differently. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2ID36o9

A bystander took a picture of a Good Samaritan rescuing a man who fell off the subway platform. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2lIaeWX

Some $300m allegedly stolen by ex-military ruler Sani Abacha is to be distributed to poor Nigerians. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2KjrccX

Eren Erdem is jailed pending trial just days after losing his parliamentary seat in elections. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2IHle08

US police say a 32-year-old man handed himself into police after his secret camera exploded. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2MwWARX

One couple were treated to a big surprise on their wedding day by a cameo appearance from Adam Sandler. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2yXAA0M

Rescuers have been searching for a group of boys who went to explore a cave with their football coach. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2KySVpi

Also this week - why Cristiano Ronaldo needs his sleep and a football-loving kangaroo. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2tQ5MJC

The story of a deaf dance star. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2lFMNOe

The two ex-England players had slightly different welcomes, with Rooney heading to a beer garden. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2yTkO72

Germany's BND spy agency acknowledges it hired Nazi Heinrich Himmler's daughter during the 1960s. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2MBvGIX

Leesa A sings in the music video of her driving released on the day a decades-old ban was lifted. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2N9McAP

Is Sebastian Kurz getting too close to the far right as he pursues a hardline migrant policy? from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2tRYncH

Mexicans will be voting in general elections on Sunday against a backdrop of record levels of violence. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2lHky1B

A full-scale international effort is under way to reach 12 young Thais and their coach lost in a vast cave. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2ICDyrb

The kingdom of Swaziland, now known as eSwatini, is holding its first gay pride march - despite homosexuality being illegal. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2tMKvjK

The deal's convoluted language reflects continuing splits on the issue, writes Laurence Peter. from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Kh8kLD

Five employees were killed after a gunman opened fire at a local Maryland newspaper. Who are they? from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Kt6F51

SINGAPORE: The redeveloped Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic officially reopened on Saturday (Jun 30), with bigger floor space, special features and a new model of care to better serve residents, especially the elderly. It is the first polyclinic in Singapore with a “wheelchair tilter” for dental patients, so ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KCYsIA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's new government said on Saturday (Jun 30) it is considering amending laws on human trafficking and migrant smuggling just days after the U.S. State Department reported a lack of progress in the country's efforts to counter trafficking in the past year. The Home Ministry ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2yVkKUl

MEXICO CITY: An earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude struck the Pacific coast of Mexico on Friday (Jun 29), 88km west-southwest offshore from Cihuatlan, in Jalisco state, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The USGS estimated the depth of the tremor at 10 km. More to follow.  from Latest News https://ift.tt/2N8xSIO

U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea has increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months and may try to hide these while seeking concessions in nuclear talks with the United States, NBC news quoted U.S. officials as saying. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2tQ9lQ4

SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old girl has been arrested for her suspected involvement in loansharking activities, police said on Saturday (Jun 30). In a news release, police said they were alerted on Jun 14 to loanshark harassment at Woodlands Crescent, where the gates of several residential units were ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2IEvQwq

WASHINGTON: The U.S. government said in a court filing on Friday that it has the right to detain children and parents caught crossing the U.S. border illegally for the duration of their immigration proceedings. A 1997 court settlement known as the Flores agreement has generally been interpreted to ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2yV9lE1

Growth in China's manufacturing sector slowed in June after a better-than-expected performance in May, official data showed, as escalating trade tensions with the United States fuel concerns about a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2lHwAI9

WASHINGTON: A prank caller talking to the leader of the world's most powerful country aboard Air Force One? It's apparently possible. Posing as New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, comedian John Melendez said he contacted President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Jun 27) night while he was on the ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KjZRre

Canadian rapper Drake, the world's best-selling artist of 2016, looked on course to set records tumbling again on Friday (Jun 29) with his soul-baring new album Scorpion, in which he reveals he is a father. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KzPnQF

A U.S. judge on Friday found that Abbvie Inc used sham litigation to illegally prevent generic versions of testosterone gel AndroGel from getting to market and ordered the drugmaker and its partner to pay US$488 million. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KlcuT2

SINGAPORE: Two people died and three others were injured in a traffic accident on the Causeway on Saturday morning (Jun 30).  According to police, the accident involved a trailer, a lorry and three motorcycles.  The accident resulted in all lanes of the Causeway leading to Johor Bahru to be ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KwzElb

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he is not looking for a new chief of staff to replace John Kelly but at some point, "things happen." from Latest News https://ift.tt/2lIyYhN

PARIS: An international group that monitors money laundering worldwide said on Friday Iran had until October to complete reforms that would bring it into line with global norms or face consequences that could further deter investors from the country. Tehran has tried to attract foreign investors ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2Kt5aUD

You know your laptop is filthy. You can see the dirt and grime on your keyboard. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2Kjn1hf

Vigorous walking requires about 130 steps per minute, while jogging starts at about 140. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2IEUu06

oBike's closure shows that in times of euphoria, poorly conceived ideas may get funded and survive for some time, but they will meet their fate sooner or later, says NUS Business School's Nitin Pangarkar. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KlG3Ue

SIEM REAP, Cambodia: A future ban on plastic in Cambodia’s world renowned Angkor Archaeological Park will be considered by authorities, in what could be symbolic step in the country’s struggle to deal with a waste crisis. About 30 tonnes of waste is collected from within the 400 square-kilometre ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KCnozW

We need to listen to the experiences of families, try to understand the effects of policies, and deliberate as a society about the minimum standards of living that we find acceptable, says one social worker. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2tPRad1

The donor lost her mother to liver cancer when she was just 10 years old. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2lHg8I3

The country’s gender imbalance has reached epic proportions and is disrupting its social order. The programme Insight looks at what it means for millions of men, and the wider implications. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2Kzel2o

World pole vault champion Sam Kendricks and national hammer throw record holder DeAnna Price will lead a U.S. team missing many top stars at next month's Athletics World Cup in London. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KDbARf

As Toys "R" Us Inc stores across the United States marked their final day in business on Friday, the bankrupt toy retailer posted a farewell message to customers on its website next to an image of its iconic Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot thanking them and urging them to "Play on!" from Latest News https://ift.tt/2IB1r2g

(Reuters Health) - Giving birth in water, also known as immersion labor and delivery or waterbirth, appears safe for mother and baby, at least when it takes place in a hospital.  Increasing numbers of women choose to labor and give birth in water, particularly in midwifery-led settings, so it is ... from Latest News https://ift.tt/2Kwiggl

Big-servers John Isner and Sam Querrey are unlikely to end an 18-year championship drought for American men at Wimbledon next week despite the service-friendly grass surface, former world number one John McEnroe said on Friday. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KjmImB

President Donald Trump said on Friday his administration's investigation into whether to increase tariffs on cars from the European Union and other trading partners would be completed in three to four weeks. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2tGHbaU

Apple Inc is rebuilding the widely used mapping application on its iPhones from the ground up with its own dataset, but Amsterdam-based TomTom NV will continue to be a data provider for Apple's maps app, Cupertino, California-based Apple told Reuters on Friday. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2Mx4meQ

Canada struck back at the Trump administration on Friday over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, vowing to impose punitive measures on CUS$16.6 billion (US$12.63 billion) worth of American goods until Washington relents. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2KjpTen

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would raise the issue of alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections during his planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2N9PNig

Wall Street stocks ended modestly higher on Friday (Jun 29), with energy shares especially strong while a rally in banking shares faded. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2Mx4gUw

Ryu So-yeon celebrated her 28th birthday with a three-under-par 69 that lifted her into a tie for the clubhouse lead at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship outside Chicago on Friday. from Latest News https://ift.tt/2IEr2as

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mexican assets are poised to strengthen even if leftist front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wins Sunday's presidential election, analysts say, on expectations he will govern from the center and as the uncertainty stemming from the race fades. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2tGIbeU

YANGON/COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Rohingya refugees returning to Myanmar will have no explicit guarantees of citizenship or freedom of movement throughout the country, under a secret agreement between the government and the United Nations seen by Reuters. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2tRmTui

BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - A ceasefire has been agreed for southern Syria between the government and rebels, a Jordanian official source said on Friday, amid fears of a gathering humanitarian catastrophe in a region sensitive to neighbors Jordan and Israel. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2lGOFpL

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea has increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months and may try to hide these while seeking concessions in nuclear talks with the United States, NBC News quoted U.S. officials as saying. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2lGFG89

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - More than 100 migrants are feared to have drowned off Libya's western coast after their overloaded boat capsized, coastguard officials said on Friday. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2MzDoTP

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's new government said on Saturday it is considering amending laws on human trafficking and migrant smuggling just days after the U.S. State Department reported a lack of progress in the country's efforts to counter trafficking in the past year. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2yYGoXY

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders on Friday claimed success in reaching a hard-fought agreement to control immigration but it faced instant criticism as vague, hard to implement and a potential threat to human rights. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2yVBWJt

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians, one of them a 14-year-old boy, and wounded 415 others with live fire and tear gas during protests along the Gaza border on Friday, Gaza health officials said. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2Kgwru9

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would raise the issue of alleged Russian meddling in U.S. elections during his planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next month. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2KCAyAd

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, less than two weeks before a NATO summit in Brussels, on Friday repeated his complaint that Germany and other European nations need to spend more on the military alliance. from Reuters: World News https://ift.tt/2MxezrA

PARIS: Air pollution caused one in seven new cases of diabetes in 2016, according to a US study, which found even low levels raised the chances of developing the chronic disease. Diabetes has primarily been associated with lifestyle factors like diet and a sedentary lifestyle, but research by the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis said pollution also plays a major role. The study estimated that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016 — or around 14 percent of all new diabetes cases globally that year. “Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, the study’s senior author. Pollution is thought to reduce the body’s insulin production, “preventing the body from converting blood glucose into energy that the body needs to maintain health,” according to the research. Al-Aly said the research, published in the Lancet Planetary Health, found an increased risk even with levels of ...

There is an air that surrounds the Indian subcontinent’s Parsi community. It is the sort of local fascination that the rest of the world could never understand. The Parsis of Bombay and Karachi are found in small, close-knit, and affluent groups. They have their own neighbourhoods, their own community centers, and their own customs. But their considerable social capital often makes them the center of their CIty’s social scene. The Parsi’s of Karachi, for example, live primarily in the City’s Parsi Colony, a clean, gated enclave. Within the gates of the colony are remnants of a time gone by. Enormous mansions and bungalows with sprawling lawns, shady trees and huge balconies hanging off airy block-like houses. Karachi’s Parsi Colony is different from the rest of the city. For one it is not cramped. If a stranger to the City were to be blindfolded and enter the area, they would never believe that Karachi has a real estate or a population problem. They would also not believe the violence...

KARACHI:  Unidentified attackers killed a former member of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) in Ancholi area of the city on Saturday night. The police told media that the firing was a result of target killing with 9mm pistol identified as the weapon used in the incident. The deceased has been identified as Furqan Abul Hasan, a former member of MQM-London, who was said to be involved in a number of cases. The police have started the investigation into the killing. Earlier this year, a man was shot dead in the Khayaban-e-Roomi in the city’s Defence locale by unidentified attackers who opened fire on his car, the police said, adding the second person in the vehicle identified as Hamza remained unharmed. from Pakistan Today https://ift.tt/2tGesCW

KARACHI: A petition filed by the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) challenging Karachi’s sixth census would be heard by the Supreme Court after general elections, a local media outlet reported on Friday. Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday allowed the petition to be fixed for hearing. Previously the petition was rejected by the registrar officer over a number of objections. PSP leader Mustafa Kamal, in the petition, had requested the ECP to reallocate national and provincial assembly seats in Karachi on the basis of latest Nadra data. Moreover, the petition argued that the 2017 population census underestimated Karachi’s population by over 5.2 million by estimating current population at 23.9 million. The petition also gave a number of reasons for the position. The Supreme Court was requested by the petition to summon fresh and accurate data from Nadra, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and the census commission as well. from Pakistan Today https://ift.tt/2KzOPu5

  The punditry’s ideas, frozen in time… You might have seen it. It was footage made from a cell-phone camera. Given the rapid improvements in phone cameras, the footage isn’t even grainy if there is a lot of natural light. And that, there was plenty of, on a scorching afternoon in district Dera Ghazi Khan, when Sardar Jamal Leghari was on his way to a funeral. His SUV was stopped by a bunch of local protestors, out of whom, one started vocally asking questions about the state of development in the area, in particular, the shoddy state of the local road. The youngster was articulate and seemed educated. Leghari,on the other hand, didn’t handle the situation well. Though he is not a shy sort, the son of the late president Leghari isn’t exactly a gifted communicator. And his appearance on political talkshows would have proved that he isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, to say the least. There is a shade of arrogance in his demeanour and it isn’t a smooth, palatable – even charmin...

When we – repeatedly, painstakingly, relentlessly, on a loop – talk about the revival of Pakistani cinema, the only thing that Wajood appears to have revived is Javed’s Sheikh movie-making count. What the film has also revived is the idea that our local films – on average – are actually farther from competing with their Bollywood counterparts than they were when this so-called revival began a decade ago. Wajood , meanwhile, couldn’t even capitalise on the Bollywood ban and did mediocre business in the first week. Of course things have only gone downhill since then for the crime and revenge thriller. In his comeback directorial venture Javed Sheikh himself stars as a ruthless investigator. Pity he didn’t investigate what actually qualifies as a decent film in the year 2018. Faizan (Danish Taimoor), a pilot, flies the movie plot with his return to Pakistan. Since he earns good cash, his family wants him married. After all, what else will he do with so much money? On cue, Faizan goe...