Pakistan News Time

WASHINGTON: Flight restrictions imposed after India-Pakistan skirmishes in February are affecting hundreds of commercial and cargo flights, says OPSGROUP, which monitors international flight operations. Read: India-Pakistan tensions ground thousands of air travellers worldwide In a report titled “No end in sight for Pakistan airspace restrictions,” the group calculated that the closed airspace was affecting as many as 350 flights daily. OPSGROUP made this calculation using data provided by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. A map of regional flights, made recently by the Reuters , reported that the restrictions affected at least 311 flights between four airports in Europe and four in Southeast Asia. Pakistan continues to restrict its airspace after an airstrike in late February by the Indian military in northern Pakistan. Most of the restrictions implemented in February remain in place, effective through to May 15 at the earliest. Read: Thousands were stranded due to P...

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has calculated an increase of Rs14.38 and Rs4.89 per litre in the price of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) respectively for the month of May. The oil and gas regulator has estimated a 15 per cent increase in prices of all petroleum products following the rise in international crude prices amid rumours of supply shortage. In addition to the petrol and HSD, Ogra has also calculated an increase of Rs7.45 and Rs6.41 per litre price for kerosene oil and light diesel oil (LDO). Read more: Petrol, diesel prices touch nine-month high HSD is usually used as fuel for heavy vehicles and machinery whereas LDO is used in vehicles with older engine models and small-scale mills which are mostly found in the rural areas. Ogra has forwarded the summary of increase in petroleum prices to the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) on Monday but sources at the division said the government is likely to bring down general sales tax (GST) on die...

Iran will continue to export oil despite US pressure aimed at reducing the nation's crude oil shipments to zero, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on Iranian state TV on Tuesday. "America's decision that Iran's oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won't let this decision be executed and operational," Rouhani said. "In future months, the Americans themselves will see that we will continue our oil exports," he said. If the United States is able to stop one method for Iran to export oil, then it will find other ways, Rouhani said. Oil prices hit their highest since November last week after Washington said all waivers for sanctions-hit Iranian oil would end this week, pressuring importers to stop buying from Tehran and further tightening global supply. Read: Trump to sanction allies over Iran oil, causing new friction The United States demanded last Monday that buyers of Iranian oil sto...

MUZAFFARABAD: A large number of traders staged a demonstration on Monday in protest against India’s unilateral decision to suspend barter trade across the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir and demanded its immediate resumption. The protesters assembled outside the local press club from where they marched towards the office of the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan near Domel, the confluence of the Neelum and Jhelum rivers, while chanting slogans. “Let the trade continue, let the poor [traders] make ends meet,” they shouted. The protesters were also holding a banner and several placards, reflecting their stance and demands about the activity. The suspension of intra-Kashmir trade from both Chakothi-Uri and Tetrinote-Chakan da Bagh crossing points was announced by India in a unilateral move on April 18, citing alleged misuse of these routes by Pakistan-based elements. Read: India unilaterally suspends intra-Kashmir trade “...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday presented nine demands to Prime Minister Imran Khan, besides declaring that it would “vehemently” oppose any steps in the coming budget that would increase the already skyrocketing prices and fail to provide relief to the people. The decision was made at a joint meeting of the party senators and members of the National Assembly presided over by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. According to PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, the party has demanded that the prime minister must explain the reasons for the cabinet reshuffle and the terms and conditions for the International Monetary Fund (INF) bailout package on the floor of parliament. The PML-N also wants the premier to brief parliament on the conditions of the LNG deal. The opposition, she said, wanted the government to explain the reasons for “tampering” with gas bills to which it had already conceded. The prime minister should fix responsibility on the ...

MIRAMSHAH: Two security personnel were martyred and another was injured in separate attacks in North Waziristan tribal district on Monday. According to official sources, militants opened fire on a checkpost in the Sheen Kandai area of Dattakhel tehsil. As a result, Sepoy Mujahid was martyred. His body was shifted to the Miramshah district headquarters by helicopter. In the other incident, security forces exchanged fire with militants along the border in Ghulam Khan tehsil. The sources said that security forces challenged the militants during a search operation in the Meerkhwand top area that led to the shootout. Havaldar Nazeer Meer was martyred in the exchange of fire while Naik Qaiser sustained injuries. The militants escaped from the area after the clash, sources said. The security forces launched a search operation in the surrounding localities to track down the attackers. Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019 from The Dawn News - Home http://bit.ly/2vvs4lc

ISLAMABAD: Sherry Rehman, chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, (CPEC) on Monday proposed forming a ‘CPEC authority’ to take advantage of opportunities offered by the huge project. Speaking at the Senate CPEC Committee and National Defence University’s workshop on the lessons of developing a multi-partisan support for CPEC, Ms Rehman said, “We must take ownership of planning and ensure the trickle-down benefits permeate across all provinces”. She said this could only be achieved if a CPEC authority which is either a part of the planning ministry or exists as an autonomous body is put into action. “It must be made very clear that the challenge to maximising CPEC gains is from Pakistan not China.” The former federal minister underlined the need to focus on four Cs to maximise CPEC’s potential: consensus, coordination, capacity and clarity. She said at the moment there appeared to be a lack of federal capacity to manage policy frameworks...

KARACHI: K-Electric has planned to set up a 700MW power project with the assistance of a Chinese engineering firm, calling it a milestone project in the economic cooperation bet­ween China and Pakistan. The project, it said, would directly benefit the country’s economic hub and “meet the growing power demand of Karachi and its adjoining areas”. In a statement issued here on Monday, K-Electric announced that it had recently signed an agreement with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) to establish a state-of-the-art 700MW IPP-based power project at Port Qasim. The project was formally announced at the Pakistan Trade and Investment Forum held alongside the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, the statement said. Read: Imran asks Chinese entrepreneurs to shift industries to CPEC special zones It said the project agreement and contracts were signed by K-Electric chief executive officer Moonis Alvi and CMEC chairman Zhang Chun in the presence of Adviser to the Prime Minister...

The Senate on Monday passed the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2018 which proposes that the legal minimum age of marriage in the country be set at 18. The bill was presented by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, who told the House that according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund, around 21 per cent Pakistanis got married before turning 18. She also pointed out that Muslim countries including Oman, Turkey and United Arab Emirates have already set 18 as the minimum age of entering marriage. Rehman also apprised the upper house of the fatal threat that underage marriages pose to mothers. "One woman dies in childbirth every 20 minutes," she said, adding that the reason for these deaths were early pregnancies. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Senator Ghafoor Haideri opposed the bill, saying that complicated pregnancies were not tied to age but poor healthcare. He argued that Islam allows marriage after puberty and recommended that the bill be sent to the Co...

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday urged the federal government to "provide relief to the poor" and instead go hard on the rich if it has to, in order to "create fiscal space". The PPP chairperson, who was holding a press conference at Zardari House in Islamabad, criticised the government's performance on the economic front, alleging that it is favouring the rich and burdening the poor. "No one in the history of Pakistan took as much debt as they have taken in just several months of their government. They celebrate upon securing loans. What is there to celebrate when the poor and the common man will have to bear the burden of paying off these loans?" Bilawal asked. "The way they are running the economy, there will be a reaction from the poor spectrum of the society. If you want to create fiscal space and burden someone then burden the rich like Jahangir Tareen. For the rich you have an amnesty scheme but for the poor you have infl...

The elusive chief of the militant Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has appeared for the first time in five years in a propaganda video released on Monday by the extremist organisation. It is unclear when the footage was filmed, but Baghdadi referred in the past tense to the months-long fight for Baghouz, IS's final bastion in eastern Syria, which ended last month. “The battle for Baghouz is over,” he said, sitting cross-legged on a cushion and addressing three men whose faces have been blurred. But he insisted that IS's operations against the West were part of a “long battle,” and that IS would “take revenge” on members who had been killed. “There will be more to come after this battle,” he said. Baghdadi, 47, had a long grey beard that appeared dyed with henna and spoke slowly, often pausing for several seconds in the middle of his sentences. He appeared for the first and last time in public in Mosul in 2014, where he declared a “caliphate” in the swathes of t...

Twelve people died and six were critically injured on Monday when a van collided with one of Islamabad toll plaza's walls, took multiple tumbles before catching fire, according to Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamza Shafqat. The automobile, a Toyota Hiace, was carrying 18 passengers — comprising both men and women — from Sargodha to the capital when it met the accident. Nine passengers died on the spot, while three others succumbed to their injuries later. The injured were shifted to the intensive care unit of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), a Rescue 1122 official said. Islamabad deputy commissioner said that of the dozen dead, four have been identified so far. He quoted Naseerabad police station officials as identifying "brake failure" as one possible cause of the accident. However, he could not say with certainty whether "speeding or the bursting of the gas cylinder" triggered the tragedy. DC Shafqat said that since the accident di...

Pakistan was 2018's 20th biggest military spender in the world with an expenditure of $11.4 billion, a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said. The military spending of 2018 made up for four per cent of Pakistan's gross domestic product (GDP) which is the highest level since 2004, according to the report by the Sweden-based institute. The Sipri report ranked Pakistan among the top 10 countries with the highest "military burden" — described as a "state’s military expenditure as a share of GDP". Since 2009, Pakistan's military spending has increased every year, the report stated, adding that between 2009 and 2018 the spending increased by 73pc. In 2017-18, the increase in military expenditure was 11pc, it said. Top military spenders The top military spender in the world is the United States, which spent $649bn on its forces last year. The US military spending, however, has decreased by 17pc over the past ...

Pakistani and United States (US) officials held delegation-level talks on the Afghan peace process in Islamabad on Monday, Radio Pakistan reported. US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells arrived in the capital today for a meeting with the government's interagency delegation led by Additional Secretary Americas Aftab Khokhar. According to the state-run radio service, both sides discussed bilateral relations and the Afghan reconciliation process in today's meetings. According to a press statement from the Foreign Office, the Pakistani delegation stressed that an "intra-Afghan dialogue" was "vital" for the process to move forward. Pakistan also insisted that a "conducive environment" should be created in Afghanistan to ensure an "early and dignified return of Afghan refugees". The two sides also discussed bilateral rela...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to furnish a written response to a petition challenging its Chairman Ehsan Mani and Managing Director Waseem Khan's appointments on the grounds that they allegedly are in a conflict-of-interest situation. The petition, filed by Nauman Butt, a member of PCB's board of governors (BoG), said that since "Mani is a permanent resident of Britain, his appoint is illegal as it constitutes a conflict of interest." The petitioner also said that "a majority of the BoG members have already declared the appointment of Waseem, the managing director, as null and void owing to him being a British national." "To not implement the orders of the BoG members as per the PCB constitution is a violation of the law," the petition stated, requesting the court to intervene and remove Khan from the position. After a preliminary hearing, Justice Muzamil Akhtar issued notices to PCB officials, d...

ISLAMABAD: A number of officials in the finance ministry and some top members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) believe that reasons behind the removal of Asad Umar as finance minister were “political” rather than economic policies. Justifying this view, they said only a few days back the prime minister had praised Mr Umar for his efforts in lowering the scale of adjustments demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the proposed bailout package. The sources said that Mr Umar, who was once considered a close confidant of the prime minister, had received the news of his removal with a “high surprise” as he was not expecting such a move days after his “successful” visit to Washington in connection with the negotiations with the IMF. ‘Interest groups’ played a key role in changing PM’s perception, says a cabinet member; aide to premier denies political motive for the removal “We have almost agreed to the basic framework agreement with top IMF officials,” a sour...

WASHINGTON: The United States government has declined to share with India information on the use of F-16 fighter jets by the Pakistan Air Force during a recent dogfight, the Indian media reported on Sunday. “Soon after we were informed by the Indian side about Pakistan using F-16 aircraft on Feb 27, we informed the Indians that we will not be sharing any information on the subject as it is a bilateral matter between the US and Pakistan,” a US official told Indian Express . The official said that India understood the US position, which was not India or Pakistan-specific. “If a third country tomorrow wants information about the C130 or C17 or Apaches that the IAF uses, our answer would be the same. It is a bilateral matter between India and the US,” the official added. The subject is a bilateral matter between Washington and Islamabad, Indian newspaper quotes an American official as saying The Indian Air Force had complained to the Pentagon in March that Pakistan had violated the e...

Indian police said on Sunday they raided the houses of three suspects in connection with a case concerning 15 people who left India to join the militant Islamic State (IS) group, a week after bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 250. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it carried out searches at three houses in the southern state of Kerala, located near the tip of the Indian peninsula. Read more: Suspected mastermind of Sri Lanka attacks spent 'substantial time in India': The Hindu The coordinated suicide bombings by militants at hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday sent shockwaves through the Indian Ocean island state that had enjoyed relative peace since a civil war ended a decade ago. “These persons are suspected to have links with some of the accused persons in the said case who had exited India to join the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS/Daish,” the NIA said in a statement, using other names by which the IS is known. The investigato...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the authorities to submit the record of proof that led to the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Labaik (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi. A two-member bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan, was hearing bail petitions filed by Rizvi and Pir Afzal Qadri. The high court also ordered the concerned SP Investigation and the investigation officer on the case to appear before the court in all consequent hearings of the case. Read more: Plea against Rizvi’s detention dismissed as withdrawn The petitioners held the Punjab government and others as party in their bail plea. The counsel for Rizvi contended that police arrested him on the bases of an "illegal" case. The allegation of incitement to violence against the TLP chief was baseless, he added. During the hearing, Justice Qasim pointed out that in the last hearing, the prosecutor general was asked to appear before the court. Deputy Prosecutor General Khurrum Khan, who was present...

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has decided to hold another round of Haj balloting after Saudi Arabia revised the quota for Pakistani pilgrims , it emerged on Monday. The Saudi government increased the Haj quota for Pakistani pilgrims to 200,000 from the previous 184,210. The religious affairs ministry has decided to divide the additional quota of around 16,000 pilgrims as per the existing formula under which 60 per cent of the seats will go to the government Haj scheme, while 40pc will be granted to the private sector, an official told DawnNewsTV . Take a look: Saudi thinks govt should hand Haj operations over to private tour operators: Noorul Haq Qadri The new ballot will include aspiring pilgrims who had applied for Haj under the government scheme for 2019 but could not succeed. According to a summary prepared by the ministry, balloting will be held for 9,474 places, whereas 6,316 pilgrims will perform the Islamic ritual through new private tour operators. Those applicants ...

WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan are working to resolve an issue that may lead to new visa restrictions on some Pakistani citizens if left unresolved, officials said on Sunday. Media reports claimed on Saturday that the United States had added Pakistan to a list of countries which face visa restrictions for refusing to take back their citizen deportees and visa overstayers. The report said that an official notification posted on the US Federal Register this week may lead to refusal of visas to those Pakistani officials who oversee the country’s policy for accepting deportees. But the US Embassy in Islamabad clarified that “consular operations in Pakistan remain normal and unchanged”. In a statement posted on social media, the embassy said that “the matter noted in the Federal Register is a bilateral issue of ongoing discussions between the US and Pakistani governments. We are not going to get into the specifics of this issue”. Pakistani officials contacted by Dawn expre...

Authorities in Sri Lanka on Monday banned women from wearing face veils under an emergency law put in place after deadly Easter Sunday attacks by militants. The measures would help security forces to identify people as a hunt for any remaining attackers and their support network continues across the Indian Ocean island, authorities said. But there are concerns within the Muslim community that a prolonged ban could fuel tensions in the religiously-diverse nation that emerged from a civil war with ethnic minority Tamil separatists a decade ago. Officials have warned that the militants behind the April 21 suicide bombings on hotels and churches that killed over 250 people were planning more attacks, using a van and bombers disguised in military uniforms. "It is a presidential order to ban any dress covering faces with immediate effect," Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake, a spokesman for President Maithripala Sirisena, told Reuters . Separately, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesingh...

BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday invited Chinese entrepreneurs to take benefits of investment-friendly policies of his government and relocate their industries to the special economic zones being built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Read: Huawei CEO expresses interest in 'heavy investment' during meeting with PM Imran in Beijing The Pakistan government wanted Chinese entrepreneurs to relocate their industries to special economic zones being constructed in the country just like they repositioned their industries in Vietnam and other countries, he said while addressing participants of the Pakistan-China Trade and Investment Forum organised by the Ministry of Commerce here. More than 370 Chinese companies and businessmen and 70 entrepreneurs from Pakistan participated in the forum. The prime minister also expressed his government’s resolve to remove impediments in the way of investment and make doing business easy for the Chinese business in Pak...

ISLAMABAD: It has become impossible to stop the circulation of fake videos, messages and propaganda against polio vaccinations on social media, and the polio vaccination programme failed to deal with the recent controversy over adverse reactions to the vaccine, an official from the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said on Sunday. Read: Polio drive suspended across country after spike in attacks The official said one of the reasons the programme could not deal with such rumours and conspiracies was the absence of its technical head, Dr Rana Safdar, who has been sidelined. The programme is now running without a coordinator for the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC). He added that the polio vaccination campaign is a strategic programme, and calculated measures should be taken to address this issue. “Morbidity in children below the age of five is very high in Pakistan, and half a million children die every year. This means one child dies every minute; these deaths ca...

ISLAMABAD: The government has firmed up a plan for privatisation and restructuring of major public sector entities (PSEs) as part of the proposed medium-term economic and financial policies. This will be part of discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week for a three-year bailout package under which the provinces have agreed in principle on a single sales tax pro forma that will ultimately lead to a single value-added tax (VAT) regime. Informed sources said the government was not committing with the IMF divestment of any of the loss-making entities at this stage and these would be passed through a restructuring phase, but transactions of seven mostly profitable and efficient entities would be completed in the first year i.e. fiscal year 2019-20. Govt not considering divestment of loss-making entities for the time being The sources said the authorities of the Federal Board of Revenue and four provincial revenue boards have already agreed to launch a common (si...

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court (AC) on Tuesday once again deferred the announcement of its reserved verdict on acquittal plea filed by former law minister Dr Babar Awan in Nandipur Power Project reference. The court on Friday had reserved its verdict and was set to announce it on April 30. As soon as the hearing underwent, the AC Judge, Arshad Malik said, the pleas of acquittal filed by other accused in the reference are also under the trial in the court. “The court will announce its verdict after hearing all the pleas”, he remarked. The court later adjourned the hearing into the case until May 6. It may be recalled that the NAB court earlier, had reserved the verdict in the case twice but deferred the announcement of its reserved verdict on acquittal plea filed by former law minister Dr Babar Awan. The National Accountability Bureau in the reference contended that the project had faced a delay of two years, one month and 15 days, resulting in a loss of Rs 27.3 billion to th...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States on Tuesday agreed to continue the engagement on the Afghan peace process and strengthening bilateral ties, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The understanding reached an important meeting wherein Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, US Secretary of State’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation and Ambassador Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, held delegation-level talks with Pakistani officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a day earlier. As per a handout issued by the ministry, the two sides reviewed recent developments regarding the Afghan peace process. It was underlined that this was a historic opportunity to end the prolonged Afghan conflict for which all Afghan stakeholders, as well as Afghanistan’s neighbours, had an important role to play. “Pakistan reiterated its support for intra-Afghan dialogue, which is vital to move the process forward. It was highlighted that the pro...

Getting recognition for their hard work, Pakistan women’s team travelled in the first class of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for the very first time. Sharing the tweet, sports journalist Atiq-ur-Rehman wrote: “اکستان ویمنز کرکٹ ٹیم جنوبی افریقا کہ دورے پر روانہ پہلی بار ویمنز ٹیم بزنس کلاس میں سفر کرے گی @ TheRealPCB .” پاکستان ویمنز کرکٹ ٹیم جنوبی افریقا کہ دورے پر روانہ پہلی بار ویمنز ٹیم بزنس کلاس میں سفر کرے گی @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/vNstm44ATe — Atiq-ur-Rehman (@Atiqdost73) April 29, 2019 Another sports journalist and presenter, Swera Pasha, also shared the tweet writing: “So happy to see that our girls are getting the treatment which they deserve. Going Business class is just one example, giving them respect & showing that they are important. # SAWvPakW # girlsingreen .” So happy to see that our girls are getting the treatment which they deserve. Going Business class is just one example, giving them respect & showing that they are important. #SAWv...

LOS ANGELES: A United States combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan who prosecutors say plotted to detonate multiple nail bombs at a Los Angeles-area white nationalist rally, seeking to cause mass casualties, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, federal prosecutors said on Monday. Mark Steven Domingo, 26, a US Army infantryman who recently converted to Islam, was taken into custody on Friday after undercover FBI operatives furnished him with what he thought were live bombs to be used in the attack, law enforcement officials said. Authorities said Domingo, who had no prior criminal record, came to their attention because of a series of violent extremist messages he posted in online chat rooms, one of which called for “retribution” for the massacre of 50 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a gunman in March. “Often we are asked what keeps us up at night. This is a case that keeps us up at night,” Ryan Young, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Tas...

KARACHI: Legendary paceman Wasim Akram cautioned against discounting Mohammad Amir ahead of next month´s World Cup, saying Pakistan´s pace spearhead would return to form following a disappointing string of performances at the crease. The 27-year-old Amir was left off Pakistan´s preliminary World Cup squad but has a chance to force his way back into the final 15 if he does well in the five-match one-day international series against England starting from May 8. All teams have until May 23 to change their World Cup squads. Missing the upcoming World Cup would likely serve as another crippling setback for the young bowler´s career after he missed the tournament in both 2011 and 2015 due to an embarrassing five-year ban over match-fixing. Since returning to competition, Amir has fallen into a rut after guiding Pakistan in a dramatic win over India in the Champions Trophy final in June 2017 — with just four wickets in 14 matches. However, Wasim said he still believed Amir could stage a...

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan security officials have warned that extremists behind Easter Sunday’s suicide bombings are planning attacks and could be dressed in uniform, as the archbishop of Colombo complained about insufficient security around churches. The militants were targeting five locations for attacks on Sunday just passed or on Monday, security sources said. “There could be another wave of attacks,” the head of the police ministerial security division (MSD) said in a letter to lawmakers and other officials seen by Reuters on Monday. “The relevant information further notes that persons dressed in military uniforms and using a van could be involved in the attacks.” There were no attacks on Sunday and security across Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka has been ramped up, with scores of suspected extremists arrested since the April 21 attacks on hotels and churches that killed more than 250 people, including 40 foreign nationals. The government has also banned women from wearing face veils...

As the north prepared for the battle of Winterfell, people in Rawalpindi were surprised to see Tyrion Lannister serving flatbread at a local restaurant. Waiter Rozi Khan has taken social media in his homeland – where  Game of Thrones  has a strong following – by storm for his uncanny resemblance to US actor Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister in the HBO fantasy series. Until a few months ago, the 26-year-old had never heard of Dinklage. But his life changed when the son of the restaurant owner he works for spotted the resemblance and posted his picture on Facebook. “In the beginning, they started calling me Peter Dinklage. After that, I saw his show, and then slowly, slowly I became famous,” Khan told Reuters. The resemblance goes beyond facial features: both men are also 4 feet 5 inches tall. “My wish is to work in movies. And my other wish is that I should meet Peter Dinklage,” Khan added. The eighth and final season of the wildly popular  Game of Thrones c...

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Utah Senator Mike Lee has written several books about the United States Constitution in an effort to help every American understand the importance of our founding documents. He's back with a new book about what he calls our "lost" Declaration of Independence. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2J0Fiy8

Oliver North has announced that he will not serve a second term as president of the National Rifle Association. He made it clear that he was forced out of the leadership of the organization, and there are claims that it's because he tried to oust longtime NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2IYDdCW

The family of the young boy who was thrown from the third fall of the Mall of America balcony is praising God after news that their son's condition has improved.  from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2USGpm0

In honor of its annual diversity conference, Harvard University's faculty of arts & sciences invited an anti-Christian activist to speak at its "Decade of Dialogue" event. Tim Wise, known for his hatred of Christians, pushed the racial divide and condemned Christian belief in his remarks. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2UN5dvt

Southern California is grieving after this weekend's deadly shooting at a synagogue near San Diego. On Sunday night, hundreds gathered for a vigil where the rabbi described the attack and the heroism of his congregants.   from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2GQX8Cb

BALTIMORE (AP) — A gunman fired indiscriminately into a crowd that had gathered for Sunday afternoon cookouts along a west Baltimore street, killing one person and wounding seven others, authorities said. Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the gunfire erupted after 5 p.m. on a block in the city’s western district of brick row homes. Harrison said a man approached a crowd on foot and began firing in what he called “a very tragic, very cowardly shooting.” Speaking at the scene afterward, Harrison said the shooting appeared “extremely targeted,” but he didn’t provide a possible motive. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2ZIyB9J

Friends of a the woman killed during the mass shooting at Congregation Chabad synagogue Saturday are calling her a hero.  60-year old Lori Kaye of Poway, California reportedly shielded her rabbi from the gunman, saving the life of Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2PyGOJa

A 19-year old man is in police custody following a shooting this morning at a synagogue in Poway, California just north of San Diego. One person was killed and three others injured at the Congregation Chabad Synagogue in San Diego County. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2vqreWM

A 19-year-old man armed with a rifle opened fire inside a synagogue near San Diego as worshippers celebrated the last day of Passover, killing a woman and wounding three people Saturday, authorities said. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2GNaPlz

There's been a major development involving an international faith-based foster care and adoption agency.  Michigan-based Bethany Christian Services announced this week it will place children in LGBT homes. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2GKmkdA

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday blocking a 2015 ban on dismemberment abortions. The decision prevents the state from enforcing a previously passed law that greatly limited second-trimester abortions. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2L0Uxd0

The U.S. economy grew at a solid 3.2% annual rate in the first three months of the year, a far better outcome than expected, overcoming a host of headwinds including global weakness, rising trade tensions and a partial government shutdown. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2J48moi

Severe weather, including several tornadoes, have ripped a path of destruction across the South killing at least five people.  from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2PvrOvu

A Washington Post editorial on abortion recently reported that most Americans identify as pro-choice and claims that "public support for abortion rights is at its highest since ...Roe v. Wade.'" The editorial, released April 23, cited a poll that showed that 67 percent of voters say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.  But Abby Jo hnson, the former Planned Parenthood abortion clinic director whose life story is the subject of the hit movie, "Unplanned," pushed back against those claims.  from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2IKCaY1

Loving teachers defend and protect all children and families no matter their religion, political leanings or sexual orientation. Make no mistake, teachers' unions don't represent our hearts or ethics. Unions use us, silence us, and undermine the traditional values most teachers cherish. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2IGJMup

Col. Oliver North says he's spent most of his life in the company of heroes. Now as president of the National Rifle Association he's taking his passion for telling their stories to NRA TV and so far, each episode of "Oliver North's American Heroes" highlights men and women of faith facing risk to help others. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2vo7yTw

Millions of Americans know Mike Lindell from his popular commercials for MyPillow, but many people are likely unaware of the iconic pillow magnate’s incredible backstory of overcoming addiction, finding faith and using his massive platform to help transform the lives of others. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2VuiT2S

The Earth's north magnetic pole has been moving from its old location in Northern Canada towards Siberia. And there is a growing concern among scientists that the weakening of the Earth's magnetic field could someday cause its north and south poles to flip. And that could lead to global chaos. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2Dz3W5D

Trafficking advocates say one of the best ways to give victims a true second chance is through a legal tool known as vacatur--which completely erases any criminal record they may be carrying from their time under the control of a trafficker. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2IZJhv3

The attorney general of Montana has invited Chick-fil-A to open more restaurants in his state after two other states have taken actions to block the food chain over its biblical values. from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2XHvPQp

California's Supreme Court has halted an abortion case surrounding the trafficking of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood employees, granting pro-life activist David Daleiden an unexpected victory. On Good Friday, a California Superior Court judge vacated the preliminary hearings against Daleiden and his co-defendant Sandra Merritt.  from CBNNews.com http://bit.ly/2IFWucT