Siasat Wala Blog

ISLAMABAD: A bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ordered removal of the name of Tariq Malik, a former chairman of National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) from the Exit Control List (ECL), ARY News reported. The federal authorities had added the name of Tariq Malik in the ECL after his return to Pakistan. Tariq Malik challenged the government decision in IHC seeking removal of his name from the no fly list. Malik facing a case of concealment of his dual nationality during his tenure at NADRA. Tariq Malik returned in December to Pakistan from his self-exile. Justice Aamir Farooq of the high court ordered removal of Malik’s name from the ECL. The counsel of Tariq Malik told the media that the district court has also approved the bail petition of his client today. After general elections of 2013, the opposition had demanded the government to verify the authenticity of the election. As NADRA chairman, Tariq Malik had confirmed that the opposition’s demand could be

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s frustration over his campaign to fence off the US-Mexican border spilt into linguistic territory Thursday when the president declared himself fed up with people dancing around what to call his dreamed-of barrier. “Lets just call them WALLS from now on and stop playing political games! A WALL is a WALL!” Trump tweeted. Lets just call them WALLS from now on and stop playing political games! A WALL is a WALL! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019 So great to watch & listen to all these people who write books & talk about my presidential campaign and so many others things related to winning, and how I should be doing “IT.” As I take it all in, I then sit back, look around, & say “gee, I’m in the White House, & they’re not! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019 Large sections of WALL have already been built with much more either under construction or ready to go. Renovation of existing WALL

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the federal government to submit comments on a petition seeking explanation of procedures regarding inclusion and removal of names in the Exit Control List (ECL). A high court bench directed the government to come up its reply to the petition by Feb 20. The federal government, prime minister, interior minister, chairman NAB and other departments concerned have been made respondents in the petition. “According to the law, secretary interior has right to place names on the ECL”, the petitioner stated in his plea. He further contended that names were not included or excluded from the ECL even on the court orders, which made the ECL procedure further complicated. He pleaded the court to clarify the procedure of induction and removal of the names from the ECL. Earlier, on Jan 17, the federal cabinet ordered removal of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s names from

LAHORE: A petition was moved in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday seeking the formation of a judicial commission to probe into the Sahiwal incident, ARY News reported. The petition filed by Judicial Activism Panel states that a judicial probe into the Sahiwal shootout is necessary to bring to light the facts of the incident. “A letter was written to the authorities concerned, demanding the constitution of a judicial commission, but to no avail,” it reads. “Punjab Tribunals of Inquiry Ordinance provides for an inquiry into such incidents,” the petitioner contends. Earlier, on Jan 31, Muhammad Jalil, brother of Khalil killed along with his wife and a teenage daughter in the alleged encounter, filed a petition in the LHC challenging the formation of the JIT. He stated in the petition that following the ‘fake’ encounter a false FIR had been registered to label the victims of the incident as terrorists. However, another FIR was lodged against CTD personnel after a protest by citize

LAHORE: A delegation of Pakistani water officials led by Indus Water Commissioner Mehr Ali Shah will return from New Delhi on Friday (today), ARY News reported. The team of Pakistani water officials had left for India via Wagah border crossing on January 27 to inspect India’s contentious hydroelectric projects, being built at Chenab river. The water officials of Pakistan and India met after about five months since August last year talks. The delegations held talks under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) signed by the leaders of the two countries in 1960. In previous round of talks in Lahore, the officials of Pakistan and India were failed to gain any progress over the river water dispute. According to official sources, Pakistani team inspected the 1000-MW Pakal Dul and 48-MW Lower Kalnai hydroelectric projects on two different tributaries of River Chenab by India. The previous round of talks was ended in a stalemate due to lack of flexibility from India, however, the Indian side led

The United States and China said their trade war negotiations resulted in major progress as the clock ticks on a March deadline to avert a massive escalation of tariffs that could bruise the global economy. US President Donald Trump hailed “tremendous progress” and welcomed a “beautiful” letter from his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who said he hoped for further cooperation. Beijing´s official Xinhua news agency said Friday that US and Chinese negotiators made “important progress” during two days of “candid, specific and fruitful” discussions in Washington. Although the latest round of talks ended with positive words, the White House emphasized the two sides still faced the “hard deadline” of March 1 to avoid another sharp escalation in their trade war. Economists say that prospect — which would mean more than doubling US tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods — would be a body blow to the global economy. In a letter from Xi to Trump that was read out by the Chinese delegatio

KARACHI: The Supreme Court verdict in Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification case also applies on Faryal Talpur and others for hiding their work permit (Iqama), stated the lawyer of the petitioner, who has challenged the eligibility of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders. According to details, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday was hearing a case filed against Faryal Talpur, Manzoor Wasan, Sohail Anwar Siyal and other PPP leaders for not disclosing their work permit (Iqama) in nomination papers of General Elections 2018. As the hearing went underway, petitioner’s legal counsel recalled the apex court’s ruling in the disqualification case of the former premier and maintained that the foreign work permit was the key reason behind the ouster of Nawaz not only as the chief executive of the state but also as a party head of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz. “On the same ground, the SC verdict, pertaining to hiding Iqama, is also applicable on the PPP leaders,” he maintained. The petitioner so

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to look into a complaint of Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda against Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar over alleged financial wrongdoings, ARY News reported. A high court bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh disposed of a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader seeking directives for the corruption watchdog to launch a probe against the mayor. The bench directed the bureau to examine the petitioner’s complaint against Akhtar as per the law. The minister’s lawyer, however, demanded the court to order an investigation into corruption allegations against the mayor on his client’s complaint. Turning down his plea, the bench ruled, “We are not giving NAB any order. It should examine the matter as per the law.” “Your client is a federal minister as the federal government can get a probe conducted,” remarked the chief justice. In his petition, the Kar

LOS ANGELES: Music superstars Beyonce and Jay-Z are offering fans a chance to win free tickets for life to their concerts in exchange for adopting a vegan diet for a month. The “Lemonade” singer announced the contest to her 123 million Instagram followers late on Wednesday in support of the Greenprint Project, which encourages people to reduce their environmental footprint by eating plant-based meals. Beyonce pledged to eat plant-based breakfasts and go meatless on Mondays, while Jay-Z is promising to eat two plant-based meals a day. The project is the brainchild of Beyonce’s personal trainer, Marco Borges, who published his “The Greenprint” book in December explaining his plant-based diet and exercise plan. The singer and her spouse wrote the introduction to the book. A study in the journal Science last June concluded that avoiding meat and dairy products would be the biggest way to reduce the environmental impact on the planet because of reduced irrigation of farmland, animal e

LAHORE: A medical board who had examined former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, has recommended to shift him to a hospital for treatment, citing sources ARY News reported on Friday. A board of six doctors had examined Sharif at Kot Lakhpat Jail on Wednesday. Nawaz Sharif’s personal physician was also present during his examination. According to sources, the medical board has sent its report to Punjab Home Department in the light of which decision will be taken. PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif had complained of chest pain some days ago, following which his medical tests were carried out. The tests had indicated that Sharif, has cardiac issues, sources said. It may be mentioned that Nawaz Sharif had undergone an open heart surgery in London in 2015. The team of doctors which examined Sharif in jail, comprised Dr Talha Bin Nazir, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology Rawalpindi, Dr Hamid Sharif Khan, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology Rawalpin

KARACHI: Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi predicted on Friday that the Pakistan People’s Party led Sindh government will survive until the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) report on fake bank accounts. Speaking to the media before embarking on a visit to interior Sindh, he said he is going to experience the development that the ruling party has been bragging about. “I am the opposition leader of not just Karachi but the entire province,” the PTI leader said. “I’ve decided to spend at least two days a week in interior Sindh. I want to know the problems confronting Sindhi brothers first-hand.” He recalled he visited Tando Allahyar where a public hospital was in shambles and its medical superintendent (MS) complained of shortage of manpower even to keep the medical facility clean. Slamming the PPP, Naqvi said no development in Larkana is visible despite the provincial government’s claim of spending Rs90 billions of public fund. He said Prime Ministe

KARACHI: Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country on Friday with foggy conditions likely to grip the plains of Punjab and upper Sindh. According to the metrological department, mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, more rain-thunderstorm (with light snowfall over the hills) is expected in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and its adjoining hilly areas. Foggy conditions are likely in plain areas of the Punjab and upper Sindh. In the past 48 hours, large swathes of the country experienced intermittent rainfall as rain-thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills occurred in northern parts of the country. Punjab: Mianwali 34 millimeter rainfall, Islamabad (Z.P 29, Saidpur 29, A/P 27, Golra 26, Bokra 22), Murree 29, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad 27, Chaklala 24),  Bhakkar 24, Kamra, Noorpur Thal, Jhang 20, Layyah 19, Sargodha (city 18, A/P 13), Chakwal, Joharabad 16, Hafizabad 14, Mangla, Jhelum 12, Kot addu, M.B. Din,  11, Faisalabad 0

A French court on Thursday upheld a decision by doctors to withdraw life support for a man kept alive in a vegetative state for a decade, after the latest legal challenge by the patient’s parents in a divisive right-to-die case. Vincent Lambert, 42, was left a tetraplegic after a car accident in 2008, with doctors later determining that his severe brain damage was irreversible. Under French law, doctors then decided to remove the intravenous food and water keeping Lambert alive, a move backed by his wife and six of his eight brothers and sisters. But his deeply devout Catholic parents contested the decision arguing that Lambert’s condition might improve if he received better treatment. That set off years of legal wrangling over the power of French doctors to determine whether a patient in a long-term vegetative state should be kept alive. French courts have largely sided with Lambert’s doctors, prompting his parents to take the case as far as the European Court of Human Rights, w

BEIJING: China’s lunar lander has woken from a freezing fortnight-long hibernation to find night-time temperatures on the moon’s dark side are colder than previously thought, the national space agency said Thursday. The Chang’e-4 probe — named after a Chinese moon goddess — made the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3, a major step in China’s ambitions to become a space superpower. Temperatures on the moon’s surface plummeted to minus 190 degrees celsius (-310 degrees Fahrenheit) during the probe’s first lunar night, which “was colder than scientists expected,” the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said. The night-time temperatures were recorded by the Chinese probe after it became active on Wednesday, following a slumber that lasted for about two earth weeks. They were lower than those recorded by previous US missions to the near side of the moon, Zhang He, executive director of the Chang’e-4 mission, told Xinhua news agency. “That’s probabl

Honda all-terrain vehicles have replaced mules as the beast of burden of choice, but the wildcat mining camps of French Guiana are governed by the same rules and violence that have marked gold rushes since the 19th century. Around 10,000 men are thought to be toiling deep in the jungle of the territory in South America, stripping away the soil to sift for golden flecks while playing cat and mouse with the authorities. They have created a hidden economy, whose base currency is a gram of the prized metal – the average daily pay for the “garimpeiros” (miners) who brave muddy conditions, and the risk of arrest. The miners can buy supplies, transport – and pay bribes – with gold dust folded into pieces of paper, or an IOU voucher symbolising one gram, which is worth around 30 euros ($34). Soldiers in France’s Ninth Marine Regiment are well familiar with the workings of this backcountry society, having staged dozens of raids against the gold panning operations. “You start with the work

GENEVA: China and the United States are ahead of the global competition to dominate artificial intelligence (AI), according to a study by the U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published on Thursday. The study found U.S. tech giant IBM had by far the biggest AI patent portfolio, with 8,920 patents, ahead of Microsoft with 5,930 and a group of mainly Japanese tech conglomerates. China accounted for 17 of the top 20 academic institutions involved in patenting AI and was particularly strong in the fast growing area of “deep learning” – a machine-learning technique that includes speech recognition systems. “The U.S. and China obviously have stolen a lead. They’re out in front in this area, in terms of numbers of applications, and in scientific publications,” WIPO Director-General Francis Gurry told a news conference. U.S. President Donald Trump has accused China of stealing American innovations and technology and has slapped trade tariffs on $234 billion of Chinese g

Facebook will bar foreign-based election advertisements in Thailand in the lead-up to a March poll, the company said Thursday, after being pilloried for not controlling election interference on the platform. Thailand’s vote, set for March 24, is the first since a 2014 coup and will kick off a busy ballot season in Asia, with polls set for India and Indonesia in the coming months. Facebook has come under fire in a wave of scandals, including fueling hate speech in Myanmar and over the sharing of its users’ data. The platform was also used for Russian “fake news” influence campaigns during 2016 US presidential elections. Facebook, in a newsroom post, said it would help “protect” the Thai vote by temporarily not allowing ads from “foreign entities which are of an electoral nature”. The new rules, which cover paid-for content, will take effect from mid-February and will apply to external ads with references to “politicians, parties, ‘getting out the vote’, and/or election suppression

GENEVA: Cancer patients in developing nations are being denied basic pain relief, often because of excessive fears about opioid abuse, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday. Two-thirds of industrialized countries have oral morphine, an opioid widely used to lessen severe pain, available in more than half of their pharmacies, against only 6 percent of poor countries, WHO expert Dr Cherian Varghese said. The United Nations agency was issuing new guidelines for health authorities worldwide to manage the pain that affects 55 per cent of cancer patients undergoing treatment and two-thirds of those with advanced or terminal cancer.  “Nobody, cancer patients or not cancer patients, should live or die in pain in the 21st century,” Dr Etienne Krug, director of WHO’s department of noncommunicable diseases, told a briefing. “In some parts of the world … these drugs circulate too freely and are used for addictions,” he added. “There is a real, justified fear of that, but it sho

KARACHI: All the prosecutors of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi region on Thursday collectively tendered their resignation as a protest over new contract offered to them. The prosecutors demanded of the government to raise their salaries and perks. They said that they should be given perks equal to that of AG Sindh or the Office of the Attorney General. Sources said that NAB had not increase salaries of the prosecutors and added that mega corruption cases would face delay due to the resignations. The prosecutors who have tendered resignation from Karachi region are Zahid Hussain Baladi, Razzaq Dino Kalhoro, Kailash, Niaz Merani, Khalid Mahmood and Hamayun Hameed. In their collective resignation to the NAB prosecutor general, the prosecutors stated, “We NAB prosecutors hereby tender our resignation collectively to be treated as with immediate effect. As we served the bureau/state for a long tenure and have decided to discontinue our duties and responsibilities on the

LOS ANGELES: Music superstars Beyonce and Jay-Z are offering fans a chance to win free tickets for life to their concerts in exchange for adopting a vegan diet for a month. The “Lemonade” singer announced the contest to her 123 million Instagram followers late on Wednesday in support of the Greenprint Project, which encourages people to reduce their environmental footprint by eating plant-based meals. Beyonce pledged to eat plant-based breakfasts and go meatless on Mondays, while Jay-Z is promising to eat two plant-based meals a day. The project is the brainchild of Beyonce’s personal trainer, Marco Borges, who published his “The Greenprint” book in December explaining his plant-based diet and exercise plan. The singer and her spouse wrote the introduction to the book. A study in the journal Science last June concluded that avoiding meat and dairy products would be the biggest way to reduce the environmental impact on the planet because of reduced irrigation of farmland, animal em

The United States is “disappointed” with Turkey’s support of embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a senior US official said Thursday, after Washington backed a bid by the South American’s country’s opposition to remove the leader from office. Washington and a dozen Latin American nations quickly recognised Venezuela’s National Assembly leader Juan Guaido after he declared himself acting president on January 23. The opposition contents the legitimacy of the election Maduro won in May, which is also not recognised by the US, the European Union and a large part of the international community. Guaido is moving to marshal international support to form a transitional government to hold new presidential elections, with a new vote supported by the Washington, Europe and much of Latin America. But Maduro has rejected this, insisting his term ends in 2025. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave his support to Maduro over the telephone last week, urging him to “keep his head

PARIS: French lawmakers have backed a bill banning protesters from hiding their faces during demonstrations, reinforcing President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to push back against violent members of the “yellow vest” movement. The bill, which is expected to secure approval next week, also grants police greater powers to extract potential trouble-makers from demonstrations. Addressing the lower house National Assembly, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner urged members to “stop the brutes … (who listen) only to their hunger for chaos”. Opponents of the “anti-casseurs” (anti-hooligan) bill accused the government of impinging on civil liberties, with the debate exposing divisions within Macron’s party, which has a comfortable majority in parliament. The tactics used by police around the country have come under scrutiny, in particular the firing of “flash ball” riot guns, which have caused serious injuries, including at least one person blinded in one eye. “We’re not restricting freed

Britain, France and Germany on Thursday launched a trade mechanism to bypass US sanctions on Iran, drawing praise from Tehran – and a warning from Washington. Brussels hopes the long-awaited special payment system will help save the Iran nuclear deal by allowing Tehran to keep trading with EU companies despite Washington reimposing sanctions after President Donald Trump abruptly quit the accord last year. The three countries – the European signatories to the 2015 deal that curbed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief – launched the device, which has been in preparation for months, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bucharest. Iran cautiously welcomed the news as a “first step” but US officials dismissed the idea that the new entity would have any impact on efforts to exert economic pressure on Tehran, and fired a fresh warning at anyone thinking of trading with the Islamic republic. While the new institution, called INSTEX – short for Instrument in Support

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a time and location for his second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un had been agreed upon, but he did not give any details and said they would be announced next week. “We’ll be announcing the location and … the exact date it will be, it’ll be end of February,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ll be announcing it next week.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview on Wednesday he was dispatching a team to prepare for the summit to be held somewhere in Asia in late February. The last summit, which took place in Singapore in June, was the first such event between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. The meeting resulted in a vague commitment by Kim to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But he has not yet taken concrete steps to that end, in Washington’s view. Trump said he was making “tremendous progress” with North Korea, but provided no evidence. In excerpts

A French court on Thursday sentenced two police officers to seven years in prison for the rape of a Canadian tourist at the Paris police headquarters. The men, Nicolas Redouane, 49, and Antoine Quirin, 40, had denied raping 39-year-old Emily Spanton, saying the sex was consensual. But the court was “convinced by the victim’s steadfast statements” that she was raped and “by scientific and technical” evidence, its president Stephane Duchemin said. The officers were also ordered to pay 20,000 euros ($23,000) in damages to the victim. Spanton met the officers on the night of April 22, 2014, at a bar near the fabled police headquarters at 36 Quai des Orfevres, which features in Georges Simenon’s Maigret detective novels. She then agreed to visit their offices at “the 36”, where both men were members of the elite BRI anti-gang unit. The officers, aged 40 and 49, had faced up to 20 years’ imprisonment for gang rape. Prosecutor Philippe Courroye on Wednesday had asked for seven-year pr

ORMARA: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi on Thursday expressed confidence over operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy to cope with all security challenges, Radio Pakistan reported. He was chairing a meeting of Command and Staff Conference of Pakistan Navy, which concluded at Ormara . The naval chief also reiterated that Pakistan Navy will continue to play a significant role in sustenance of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region in the midst of complex, challenging and evolving contemporary security environment. Matters related to operational preparedness, developmental plans of Pakistan Navy, prevailing security situation and training & welfare of troops were reviewed during the conference. Detailed briefing on various ongoing and future projects and plans of Pakistan Navy as well as operational activities and security aspects at Gwadar Port particularly with respect to Maritime Components of CPEC Project were also given to Chief of the Naval S

KARACHI: Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said on Thursday that President Arif Alvi will inaugurate upcoming Biryani Festival. “Such fiestas will be held every year and upcoming festival will be given status of an International festival,” the governor said while addressing in a lunch ceremony, held by Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan in the metropolis. He said government will support the Rice Export Association of Pakistan (REAP) with every possible effort it can. “Currently rice exports are at $2 bn, while the REAP has set target of $4 bn,” the governor said. He assured the rice exporters that PTI-led federal government will support each and every step that was aimed to uplift country’s economy. “We want to see economic activities flourishing in Pakistan.” Mr Ismail said steps taken by the government will soon bring visible results and added that the doors of the Governor house are always open for exporters. Read more:  Increase in worth of Rice Exports- US$ 1.889bn in 11 mont

PARIS: African American writers have been ignored for too long by Hollywood but “things are going to change radically”, declared the Oscar-winning filmmaker of “Moonlight”, Barry Jenkins. The director said James Baldwin, one of the greatest American novelists of the last century has never been adapted for the big screen in his homeland, while Toni Morrison — “one of the greatest US authors to have ever lived” — has only made it once with her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Beloved”. “Black writers in general are not adapted as often as their white counterparts in the US,” said Jenkins, in Paris promoting his new film “If Beale Street Could Talk” — based on a book by Baldwin — which is in the running for three Oscars this year. The 1974 story of a young black man and women in Harlem whose lives are turned upsidedown by an unplanned pregnancy and a false accusation of rape, was previously filmed in France. Director Robert Guediguian transposed the story to the port of Marseille in “A

MULTAN: Another video of religious scholar Mufti Abdul Qavi surfaced on Thursday, in which he can be seen showering currency notes on a singer, ARY News reported. A former member of Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, Qavi was attending a Mehndi ceremony which was followed by a musical night.  As soon as a female singer started performing in the musical night, Qavi showered currency notes over her. He also danced in the ceremony along with his friends. Later, talking to ARY News, Qavi termed the act as a way to ‘show his happiness’, saying that the woman in question was ‘wearing proper clothes.’  Last week, Qavi was back in the news again, this time for a controversial video with a transgender on popular app TikTok. Read more:  Mufti Abdul Qavi’s TikTok video goes viral on social media The cleric was seen in the video posing as a security guard with a transgender named Shanaya Gul. It is pertinent to note here that back in 2016, Qavi’s pictures and videos with model and social media pe

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Thursday refused to form a judicial commission on Sahiwal incident. Talking to journalists after one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, CM Sardar Usman Buzdar said that investigations were being carried out by a joint investigation team transparently into the Sahiwal incident and added that on this stage, formation of the a judicial commission was not needed. He said that they had taken action against the five suspected CTD personnel and added that two high officials were also suspended in connection with the tragic incident. The chief minister vowed to take action against every individual involved in the Sahiwal incident and added that he will take briefing over the issue after two days from the officials. The chief minister said that they would give compensation money worth Rs20 million to the affected family. Read More: CTD officials deny firing gunshots at Sahiwal family Earlier, apprehended Counter Terrorism D

A Pakistani teacher has been voted as world’s most dedicated teacher in an annual competition hosted by the Cambridge University, ARY News reported on Thursday. Ahmed Saya, who is associated with Cordoba School in Karachi as an A-level teacher, was voters’ choice in Dedicated Teacher Awards 2019 . The awards are an annual feature and are open for entries from around the world. This year, 4000 nominations were received by the consortium, out of which a panel of judges shortlisted 50 entries. Six entries made it to the final list, after which the competition was made open for the public to vote for the winner. The event website described Mr Saya as a teacher who is always “ready to spare his weekends whenever a student needs his help, be it academically or anything personal. He actually deserves this for working so hard to ensure that his students are good humans.” According to the event website, Mr Saya has been teaching for 18 years. Currently, he is associated with several A le

MUSCAT: Pakistan and Oman have vowed to enhance bilateral relations by boosting trade and investment on Thursday. According to a joint statement issued after the meeting of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Omani deputy Prime Minister Syed Fahad bin Muhammad al Syed in Muscat, the two countries had decided to improve their bilateral trade and economic ties. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that they had inked multiple memorandum of understanding (MoUs) pertaining to labour, training and investment. The foreign minister said that they had signed MoU to finalize the joint ministerial commission and added that Pakistan and Oman vowed to further strengthen bilateral relations.   He said that 30 per cent Omanis actually hailed to Balochistan and added that around 0.3 million Pakistanis were playing major role in the development and progress of Oman. Qureshi said that 25,000 Pakistani labourers became the part of Omani market in 2018. Read More: FM Qureshi, Deputy PM Oman agree to enh

ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday announced to reduce prices of petroleum products for the month of February, ARY News reported. According to details, the price of Petrol has been slashed by 0.59 paisas and new price would be 90.38 rupees per litre. Light Diesel price has been reduced by 0.25 paisas and now will be sold at rs 75.03 per litre, while price of Hi-Speed Diesel to remain unchanged. The price of Kerosene Oil has been decreased by 0.73 and it will be sold out at 82.25 rupees per litre. The new rates will be applicable from today midnight. Read more:  OGRA recommends Rs4.5 per litre cut in petroleum prices next month Earlier, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) in its summary to the government had recommended up to Rs4.50 per litre reduction in petroleum prices for the next month. The regulator had suggested cut in fuel prices to transfer the benefit of lower prices in world markets to the consumers. The regulatory authority had worked out a reduction of R