Siasat Wala Blog

NOWSHERA: Police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested a suspect who allegedly raped and killed an eight-year-old girl in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The body of a minor girl, who had gone missing on Dec 27, was found in a graveyard near Khesghi Road on Dec 28. Speaking at a press conference today, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mardan Muhammad Ali Khan announced that the 21-year-old man had been arrested after his DNA sample matched with samples collected from the crime scene. He said the prime suspect was a friend of the victim girl’s father, adding that he was arrested from his residence. A total 20 suspects had been interrogated in connection with the case while more than 200 DNA samples were taken to find the culprit, the DIG added. Earlier, a first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered at Nowshera Kalan police station under section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code. The post Police arrest suspected rapist, murderer of Nowshera girl appeared first on ARYNEWS .

ISLAMABAD: The petition, challenging the verdict of Al-Azizia corruption reference against former premier Nawaz Sharif, has been prepared by the legal team of the incarcerated leader.  According to details, the petition, finalized by Nawaz’s lawyer Khawaja Haris and his team, will be sent to the the supreme leader of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) for his signature. The petition prays to declare the accountability court’s verdict null and void, arguing that the point of view of the defence side was not heard properly by the court. It is pertinent to mention here, only three days are remaining to challenge the verdict of the accountability court. On December 24, an accountability court announced the verdict in two National Accountability Bureau’s references namely Al-Azizia Steel Mill and Flagship Investment and punished Nawaz to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay $25million and Rs1.5 billion as fine. However, he was acquitted of all charges in the Flagship Invest

BANGKOK: An elaborate three-day coronation ceremony for Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn will be held May 4 to 6, the palace announced Tuesday, nearly two and half years after the death of his revered father Bhumibol Adulyadej. Vajiralongkorn, formally known as Rama X of the Chakri dynasty, ascended the throne following his father’s death in October 2016, which ended a tumultuous seven-decade reign over the Southeast Asian kingdom. He has since dramatically reorganized palace affairs, bolstering his own security detail and granting himself personal stewardship of the multi-billion-dollar crown assets. Thailand’s monarchy, one of the world’s richest, is shielded from criticism by a harsh royal defamation law punishing any transgressors with up to 15 years per charge. In a televised announcement the Royal Household Bureau said the coronation will take place in early May. “It’s suitable time to hold the coronation in accordance to the tradition and for national celebration and jo

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit their respective reports on assets owned by Pakistanis in Dubai. A bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, was hearing a case pertaining to Pakistanis’ properties abroad. The FBR chairman informed the bench that a total of 775 people furnished affidavits with regard to their properties abroad, adding that 60 cases involving more properties have been identified which would likely yield more money in taxes. He requested the judges to grant some time to submit a comprehensive report in this regard. A lawyer for a citizen, Waqar Ahmed, informed the bench that his client had paid a penalty of Rs60 million for owing assets abroad. Justice Ijazul Ahsan, a member of the bench, questioned the FBR chief about progress on 21 model cases, to which he replied that action was being taken in this regard. The chief justice rem

A New Mexico family of four was rescued after going missing for several days after they were caught in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, police said. The Rogers family was elk hunting in southern New Mexico’s Lincoln National Forest when a blizzard hit the area, according to a statement by New Mexico State Police over the weekend. Cutter Rogers, 36, of Carlsbad, and his three children, aged 11 to 14, got stuck in snow in their pickup truck and hunkered down in the vehicle, police said. The Rogers were reported missing on Thursday when they did not return to a local hotel. Search-and-rescue workers and police as well as relatives and friends went out on snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles to find them. The National Weather Service reported snowfall of up to 18 inches (45 cm) in mountains north of the area. The Rogers’ silver pickup was located around noon on Friday south of Cloudcroft, with the family safe inside. They were airlifted off the mountain, police said. “They stayed hunk

TOKYO: At least eight people were injured, one seriously, when a vehicle plowed into crowds celebrating New Year’s Day in Tokyo early on Tuesday. A police spokesman said the driver had been detained and national broadcaster NHK said the man had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He was identified as Kazuhiro Kusakabe, 21, from Osaka, a major city about 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Tokyo, NHK said. NHK said the suspect had initially described the incident as an “act of terror” but later said the attack was in retaliation for capital punishment. The incident happened shortly after midnight local time on Monday in the popular tourist area of Harajuku, near Meiji Shrine, in central Tokyo. “I can’t believe it, this is a place I’m familiar with, so it’s very shocking,” said Tatsuhiro Yaegashi, a 27-year-old worker in the area. The street was closed to vehicles at the time of the incident to accommodate the large number of pedestrians making their way to the shrine for N

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday rejected opposition complaints of vote rigging and said people had gone to the polls enthusiastically in a largely peacefully general election that her ruling alliance swept with a landslide. Hasina won a third straight term in Sunday’s election, with alliance led by her Awami League winning 287 of the 298 seats for which results had been declared, the Election Commission said. But the opposition rejected the result and called for a fresh vote, complaining of what it said was widespread rigging. Hasina dismissed complaints of cheating and the chief election commissioner rejected the opposition demand for a re-run of the vote. He said voting had been held in a peaceful manner. At least 17 people were killed during the vote, police said, after a violent campaign in which the opposition alleged the government denied it a level playing field. The Election Commission said earlier it was investigating allegations of vote rigging

Bollywood’s actor-cum-writer Kader Khan has died at the age of 81 in Canada after battling with chronic health issues; his last rituals will be observed on Tuesday (today),  Hindustan Times reported.   According to details, the seasoned artist was admitted to a hospital on Dec 28 after complaining about breathlessness. He was unable to talk and was put on a ventilator. Kader’s son, Sarfaraz Khan, had dismissed the reports of his father’s death a day earlier, however, he confirmed the tragic news today while speaking to Press Trust of India (PTI). “My dad has left us. He passed away on December 31 at 6 pm as per Canadian time due to prolonged illness. He slipped into coma in the afternoon. He was in the hospital for 16-17 weeks. The last rites will be performed here in Canada only. We have our entire family here and we live here so we are doing it,” Khan’s son Sarfaraz told PTI. “We are thankful to everyone for their blessings and prayers,” he added. Kader Khan had been suffering

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Asad Umar will chair a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) today (Tuesday). In the meeting, the ECC will likely discuss and grant an approval for an agreement between the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) with regard to supply of fuel, ARY News reported, citing sources. The finance minister will also review measures taken to address the issue of supply of urea. Whereas, a report on export of surplus wheat and other items will also be presented before the committee. A summary with regard to the release of funds for the employees of the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory also figures on the agenda of the meeting. On Dec 31, the finance minister presided over a meeting to review progress on different economic zones in the country. Minister for Planning and Development Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar was in attendance in the meeting. The meeting decided that the planning minister will ensure necessary in

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed on Tuesday his resolve to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula but warned he may have to take an alternative path if the United States continued to force Pyongyang into unilateral action. In his New Year address, Kim said he was willing to meet US President Donald Trump again at any time to achieve denuclearisation, and urged Washington to take unspecified corresponding action to speed up the stalled process. North Korea, however, would have “no option but to explore a new path in order to protect our sovereignty” if the United States “miscalculates our people’s patience, forces something upon us and pursues sanctions and pressure without keeping a promise it made in front of the world,” Kim said in his nationally televised address. The comments are likely to fuel growing scepticism over whether Pyongyang intends to give up the nuclear weapons programme that it has long considered essential to its security. Kim and Trump vo

LAHORE: Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim sworn in as the new chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday morning at Governor House here, ARY News reported. Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar administered the oath of office to the new chief justice of the high court. Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq retired as the chief justice of the LHC after attaining the age of superannuation on Monday (yesterday). Earlier, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had recommended senior judge of LHC Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan as the new Chief Justice of high court. Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan had taken oath as Judge of the high court on 19 February 2010. A full court reference was held on Monday for chief justice, Mr. Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq to pay tribute to the outgoing chief justice yesterday. Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim speaking at the reference, lauded the services of Justice Anwarul Haq as the chief justice of the LHC. LHC judges, Advocate General of Pun

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan in his first tweet of the new year reiterated his government’s resolve to root out poverty, illiteracy, injustice and corruption from the country. “Our New Year resolution is to wage jihad against the 4 ills of our country: poverty, illiteracy, injustice and corruption. InshaAllah 2019 is the beginning of Pakistan’s golden era,” he wrote on his official twitter handle today. Our New Year resolution is to wage jihad against the 4 ills of our country: poverty, illiteracy, injustice and corruption. InshaAllah 2019 is the beginning of Pakistan’s golden era. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 1, 2019  On Dec 31, the Director General (DG) of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor termed the new year 2019 “year of progress.” He tweeted: “In our national pursuit for a peaceful, prosperous & vibrant Pakistan, 2019 is year of progress. May Allah continues His blessings upon us.” In our national pursuit for a peaceful

LAHORE: The Department for Schools Education of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have extended the duration for winter vacation due to intensifying cold weather. According to a notification, the schools across Punjab would reopen on January 7 instead of January 1. Whereas KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan also announced to extend winter vacations until January 7. The vacations have been extended after keeping the prevailing cold and dry weather conditions in both the provinces. Dear All Due to severe cold the winter vacations (in summer zone) has been extended till next Sunday and all government schools (in summer zone) shall re-open on next Monday 7 January 2019 Director kpese — KP_EDU (@KP_EDU) December 31, 2018 Previously, the schools of KP and Punjab were scheduled to reopen from January 1, 2019. On the other hand, the schools of Sindh have reopened from today, January 1, 2019 after a 10-day break. The post Sindh schools reopen; children of Punjab, KP to enjoy ex

SRINAGAR: Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) continued to witness grave human rights violations during the year 2018 as Indian forces in their barbaric acts of state terrorism martyred 375 Kashmiris. According to a report compiled by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, Indian troops conducted 2,939 cordon and search operations across the disputed territory during 2018. The martyrs included highly qualified youth like Professor Dr Muhammad Rafi Butt, Dr Manan Bashir Wani, Dr Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, Dr Aijazud Din Khan and Dr Abdul Ahad Ganai. Those killed also included Hurriyet leaders Mir Hafizulla, Tariq Ahmad Ganie, Mohammad Yousuf Nadeem and Hakim-ul-Rehman Sultani. A journalist, Shujaat Bukhari was among those killed by unidentified attackers. Of the martyrs, 21 were killed in custody. As a result of the atrocities, 34 women lost their spouses and 78 children were orphaned while 75 women were molested by the men in uniform. Indian forces destroyed 605 residential houses as th

KARACHI: At least 18 people, two women and a minor girl among them, sustained gunshot wounds as a result of aerial firing in various parts of Karachi during the new year celebrations. As per details, people resorted to aerial firing to celebrate the new year in Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Lyari, Cantt Station, Old Sabzi Mandi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Garden, FB Area, Airport, North Karachi, Tariq Road and other areas of the city. Police said a seven-year old girl and two women got injured owing to aerial firing in the Ayesha Manzil area. Those injured in the aforesaid areas were shifted to various hospitals for medical attention. The Sindh government had imposed a ban on aerial firing, firecrackers, and display of weapons to prevent any untoward incident in the city. The post 18 injured in new year celebratory firing in Karachi appeared first on ARYNEWS .

KARACHI: New Year night celebrations have kicked off all over the country with new hopes, wishes and ambitions for 2019. Bahria Town Lahore has organised splendid show of fireworks. ARY News has also extended its viewers New Year greetings. People in all major cities of the country prayed that 2019 will usher the country into a new era of prosperity and peace. Security measures were beefed up as a large number of revellers took to streets to celebrate this occasion. Families enjoyed food while youth were making merry with bike riding stunts and fireworks. In a surprise move for the residents of the biggest city of the country, the Sindh government has withdrawn the notification banning pillion-riding within a couple of hours of its issuance. Aerial firing has been banned to avoid casualties and heavy deployment of police and other law enforcement agencies has been ensured to impose this ban in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi.       Her

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Amin Aslam on Monday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has taken special measures besides evolving long and short term policies to control smog in the country. Addressing a press conference regarding 100-day performance on environment related issues in Lahore, he said the PTI government soon after coming into power formulated a comprehensive policy to monitor and overcome smog as there was no such policy before in the country. He said that monitoring radars at Jail Road and Wagah Border were functioning which helped in identifying air quality index that was below than 200. The air monitoring stations in and around Lahore were also being established, he added. The adviser said that challans were issued to more than 4,000 kiln owners whereas about 70 percent small steel mills in provincial capital have been converted to modern technology to combat smog. He said as many as 10,000 kiln owners have been direc

LAHORE: keeping in view the severe cold, the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Monday extended the winter vacations for one week. According to the details, all the public and private schools in Punjab and KP will remain closed till January 6 and the provincial governments have issues notifications in this regard. KP elementary and secondary education department directer said in a tweet that due to the severe cold, the vacations has been extended till next Sunday.   Dear All Due to severe cold the winter vacations (in summer zone) has been extended till next Sunday and all government schools (in summer zone) shall re-open on next Monday 7 January 2019 Director kpese — KP_EDU (@KP_EDU) December 31, 2018 After the extended winter vacations, schools in Punjab and KP will reopen on January-7 (Monday). Read More: Caretaker govt extends summer vacations in Sindh It is pertinent to mention here that then caretaker Sindh government, on July 10, had an

PARIS: Nearly 150,000 police are set to be on duty around France on New Year’s Eve when “yellow vest” protesters have called for another round of anti-government demonstrations. The French capital will be on high alert after repeated clashes over the last month between security forces and the protesters. President Emmanuel Macron is set to make a televised address to the country at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) — at the same time as protesters have been called to gather on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. The “yellow vest” movement has waned dramatically in the last fortnight, but the prospect of demonstrators mixing with revellers and tourists in Paris will present a new headache for the stretched Paris police force. “What can we expect? Disorder,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters as he visited a fire station in Paris. “What I see with the ‘yellow vests’ is a desire to be harmful, not to demonstrate.” The “non-violent and festive” demonstration has been organised on

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Asad Umar chaired a meeting in Islamabad on Monday to review the work progress on different economic zones in the country. Planning Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar was also present on the occasion. The meeting decided that the Planning Ministry will ensure necessary infrastructure arrangements for the zones which aimed to promote economic activities throughout the country. During a visit to China on December 21, Khusro Bakhtiar said efforts were being made to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for economic development in the country. He said this during a visit to Chinese Development and Research Centre in Beijing. The minister said Gwadar was being developed as driving force for the country and establishment of Petrochemical Complex would give a new dimension to Gwadar. Special Economic Zones being established to harness economic development: Khusro The post Finance minister reviews progress on economic zones appeared first on ARYNEWS .

BEIJING: The pace of reform in China will not stagnate and it will open its door wider still to the outside world, President Xi Jinping said on Monday in his New Year message, as he also warned of challenges ahead. Xi has repeatedly pledged his support for reform this year, as China marks 40 years since landmark changes to its economic model, amid mounting pressure to improve market access for foreign companies as a trade war with the United States weighs. In a speech carried by all major state media, Xi said that in 2018 China had pushed more than 100 important reform measures.  “The world has seen a China whose reforms and opening up have gathered speed…,” Xi said. “Our pace of reforms will not stagnate, and the door to opening up will widen further.” Xi made no specific mention of the trade war with the United States, noting that 2019 would bring “opportunities and challenges”.  “As we open our eyes to look at the world, we are faced with huge changes, changes not seen in 100

SYDNEY: Australia’s largest city Sydney put on its biggest-ever fireworks display in a spectacular welcome to the New Year, kicking off a wave of celebrations for billions around the world. A record amount of pyrotechnics as well as new fireworks effects and colours lit up the city’s skyline for 12 minutes and dazzled the more than 1.5 million spectators who packed the harbour front and parks. An earlier thunderstorm did not dampen the spirits of revellers who camped out at vantage points, some since the morning. To mark the international year of indigenous languages in 2019, the harbour also hosted a ceremony celebrating Aboriginal heritage that included animations projected onto the bridge’s pylons. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, more than 500 couples tied the knot in a free mass wedding organised by the government, with fireworks shows cancelled out of respect for tsunami victims. New Year’s Eve celebrations were also called off in nearby Banten province, where the disaste

RAWALPINDI: The Director General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor on Monday termed 2019 ‘year of progress’ and added that united we shall consolidate our success. In a tweet on the eve of new year, Major General Asif Ghafoor said, “In our national pursuit for a peaceful, prosperous & vibrant Pakistan, 2019 is year of progress. May Allah continues His blessings upon us.” In our national pursuit for a peaceful, prosperous & vibrant Pakistan, 2019 is year of progress. United we shall consolidate our successes,IA. May Allah continues His blessings upon us. Amen. Salute to resilient Pakistanis & Martyrs. #YearOfProgress2019 #ہمیں_آگے_ہی_جانا_ہے pic.twitter.com/RkcHvfwr9m — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) December 31, 2018 He also presented salute to the martyrs and resilient Pakistani nation. Read More: Army will continue to support all state institutions for peace, stability: COAS It is pertinent to mention here that Chi

LONDON: Britain’s tortuous breakup with the European Union took a bizarre turn Monday after it emerged that London has awarded an emergency ferry services contract to a company without any ships. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is ramping up preparations to avert chaos should Britain split from the EU in March without an agreement on future trade ties. May’s cabinet will meet next week for more “no-deal Brexit” planning in case the British parliament fails to approve a draft deal London and Brussels have reached after nearly two years of talks. The plan is deeply unpopular in London and May was forced to abort a December debate about the arrangement after admitting it faced heavy defeat. A new vote in the House of Commons is scheduled for the week starting on January 14. But the cabinet’s bid to show it was ready for anything was set back when the BBC discovered the ferry contract awarded to a firm without any actual vessels in place. Britain reached three commercial agr

LONDON: United States pop singer Jimmy Osmond, who performed the chart-topping hit “Long-Haired Lover from Liverpool” as a child in 1972, has suffered a stroke and will take time away from the stage, a spokesperson for the singer said on Monday. Osmond completed a performance of the Peter Pan pantomime on Dec. 27 at the Birmingham Hippodrome theater in central England before he was driven to hospital and diagnosed with a stroke, the representative said in a statement on the theatre’s website. Osmond, now 55, was the youngest sibling in The Osmonds family troupe and became the youngest person to reach number one on Britain’s singles charts with the release of “Long-Haired Lover from Liverpool” when he was aged nine. “He is grateful for all the well wishes and will be taking time out in the new year,” the spokesperson said. The post Singer Jimmy Osmond suffers stroke during UK pantomime performance appeared first on ARYNEWS .

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed 50 references including against four former prime ministers during 2018. This has been reported in the yearly performance report of the anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi office. “Total 50 references were filed including against four former PMs — Nawaz Sharif, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Yousaf Raza Gillani and Shoukat Aziz – and several other influential persons,” said the report. This year witnessed a great deal of financial embezzlement news as anti-corruption watchdogs delved deeper into illegitimate conducts allegedly committed by powerful politicians and public servants. The NAB Rawalpindi said 228 million rupees had been submitted to the public exchequer in the outgoing year. It said 50 persons were rounded up, 90 inquiries were held and 40 of the inquiries were completed. At least 28 new investigations were approved during the year, it added. The anti-graft body said Rs3, 601 million were recovered from the rental powe

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday lauded the generous contribution of the overseas Pakistanis in Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams fund. Talking to a delegation of overseas Pakistanis from Dubai, which called on him in Islamabad, PM Imran said that he will soon lay the foundation stone of Mohmand Dam. On the occasion, the delegation of oversees Pakistanis presented a cheque worth  $918,510 to PM Imran Khan for the dams fund. The Prime minister said the government is planning to start construction work of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams ahead of the schedule due to the encouraging response from the overseas Pakistanis. Read More: PM Imran Khan urges overseas Pakistanis to contribute to dam fund It is pertinent to mention here that PM Imran Khan, on September 7, had urged the overseas Pakistanis to donate generously for construction of dams in Pakistan to avert the looming water crisis. In a video message, the prime minister had  urged the Pakistanis working abroad to don

LONDON: Economic optimists have for years been misguidedly predicting the twilight of the boring, safety-first bond market. And the year gone by was another one that proved them wrong, particularly in the euro zone. Investors who bought government bonds from euro zone countries — with the admittedly large exception of Italy — at the start of 2018 booked a healthy profit if they held them to the end of the year. Even with the European Central Bank dialling back its stimulus, the dulling of a once-rosy growth outlook and political tensions made “boring” look attractive again. Demand was stoked by Italy’s wrangling with Brussels over its budget plan, uncertainty over Britain’s impending exit from the European Union, and global trade tension. This brought an astonishing 3.36 percent return on German 10-year bonds, defying start-of-year predictions of a return around 1 percent – after two years near zero because of massive ECB bond buying. And those bonds end the year yielding just 0.2

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday reduced the prices of petroleum products for January 2019.     According to a notification issued today, the petrol price has been reduced by Rs4.86 per litre; diesel by Rs 4.26 per litre; light diesel oil Rs2.16 per litre and kerosene oil by Rs.52 per litre.   The new prices of petrol will be Rs90.97 per litre, hi-speed diesel 106.68, kerosene oil 82.98 rupees while the price of light diesel will be Rs75.28 per litre.  The new prices will be applicable from 12 am tonight. Read More: OGRA proposes up to Rs15 cut in fuel prices for January-2019 It is pertinent to mention here that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), on December 28, had put forth a proposal to reduce prices of petroleum products up to Rs15 per litre for the month of January-2019 in the country, ARY News reported.    According to the details, OGRA had recommended Rs9.50 per litre cut in the price of petrol, diesel Rs15 per litre, light diesel Rs2 per litre and k

SAN FRANCISCO: A young boy whose mother had to fight for permission to visit him from Yemen as he lay gravely ill in a US hospital has died, a rights group said Saturday. Two-year-old Abdullah Hassan, who held American citizenship through his father, had been suffering from a rare genetic illness in its terminal phase. He died Friday in an Oakland, California children’s hospital. Despite her son’s grave condition, Shaima Swileh had been repeatedly turned down when applying for a visa because of the travel restrictions ordered by President Donald Trump against six mostly Muslim majority countries including Yemen. The story drew widespread media attention, especially after Abdullah’s father, Ali Hassan, made an emotional plea before television cameras, and ultimately the US embassy in Cairo granted an exemption to Swileh, who arrived at her son’s side on December 19. “We are heartbroken. We had to say goodbye to our baby, the light of our lives,” Ali Hassan said in a statement issue

KARACHI: The spokesperson of Sindh Rangers on Monday said the law enforcers apprehended 17 suspects during raids in different areas of Karachi, ARY News reported. He said weapons and drugs were recovered from the suspects. “The criminals were involved in extortion, murder, robbery and drug-peddling,” he said. The spokesman said the raids were conducted in Kalakot, Landhi, Korangi, Awami Colony, Garden area, Kharadar and Boat Basin. Read More: Rangers arrest two MQM-L activists, 11 others in raids across Karachi The paramilitary forces have released its performance report for law enforcement in Karachi reporting decline in terror incidents. The spokesman of Rangers has stated that the Rangers conducted 4,258 law enforcement operations in Karachi and arrested 2,245 terrorists and criminals and handed them over to the police for prosecution. The special teams of rangers recovered 12 kidnapped persons in the city. Four personnel of Rangers were martyred in operations, while nine ot

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Monday directed the authorities concerned to maintain peace across the province on the new year’s eve.   According to the details, CM Usman Buzdar asked the provincial cabinet committee on law and order to take adequate safety measures to maintain peace on the new year night. He directed to take indiscriminate action against the elements involved in aerial firing. The chief minister directed the police officers to increase police patrolling and remain in their respective areas to monitor the law and order situation. He also directed for necessary arrangement to ensure the flow of traffic. Meanwhile, CM Buzdar congratulated the nation on the eve of new year and hoped that 2019 will bring prosperity and development in the country. He said that they will leave no stone unturned to transform the country as a peaceful and a welfare state. Chief Minister said that our commitment is taller than the challenges and 2019 will bring a ray

Australia’s largest city Sydney put on its biggest-ever fireworks display in a spectacular welcome to the New Year, kicking off a wave of celebrations for billions around the world. A record amount of pyrotechnics as well as new fireworks effects and colours lit up the city’s skyline for 12 minutes and dazzled the more than 1.5 million spectators who packed the harbour front and parks. An earlier thunderstorm did not dampen the spirits of revellers who camped out at vantage points, some since the early hours of the morning. To mark the international year of indigenous languages in 2019, the harbour also hosted a ceremony celebrating Aboriginal heritage that included animations projected onto the bridge’s pylons. Around the world The party atmosphere will sweep across major cities in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas as the clock ticks past midnight. A strong police presence has become a key element of the festivities, to protect crowds that could be targeted in terror and ve

ROME: Visitors to Venice will have to pay a new tax to help cover the costs of keeping the tourist-thronged historic city clean and safe, city officials have announced. The measure, passed late on Saturday as part of the budget bill, allows the city authorities from July to being charging tourists a landing fee of between 2.5 and 10 euros ($2.9-11.5) depending on the season. The charge covers all visitors, whether they are staying overnight or not. That means it will apply to day-trippers such as the thousands of cruise ship passengers who currently escape the existing tax charged by hotels and the owners of rented properties for those staying overnight. Some 600 cruise ships stop at Venice every year, helping drive complaints that the city is being swamped by the millions of tourists who visit each year. Airlines and coach companies may also pass on the new tax in their charges. City officials estimate that the tax could bring in 50 million euros ($55 million) a year. “The co

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Maliha Lodhi on Monday discussed human rights and gender empowerment issues in Pakistan. “Pakistan is moving forward on its human rights and gender empowerment commitments and we need to send this message across the globe,” Dr Shireen Mazari said during a meeting with Dr Maleeha Lodhi here at the Ministry of Human Rights. During the meeting, Pakistan’s commitment to improve the human rights and gender empowerment conditions within country and ways to project Pakistan’s endeavours in this regard at the international level were discussed. Read More: Punjab govt will soon ban the disclosure of baby’s gender during pregnancy. They also deliberated upon the ways to raise Pakistan’s concerns over human rights violations in the Indian held Kashmir and condition of Muslims in the Europe. The minister apprised Dr Lodhi of the various steps being taken by the government in the direct