Siasat Wala Blog

LONDON: The London Bridge attack pushed law and order towards the top of the British political agenda on Saturday, with days to go before a snap election, after police said the assailant had previously been convicted of terrorism offenses but freed early from prison. Usman Khan, wearing a fake suicide vest and wielding knives, went on the rampage at a conference on criminal rehabilitation beside London Bridge on Friday, killing two people. The 28-year old Briton was wrestled to the ground by bystanders then shot dead by police. Police said on Saturday that Khan had been convicted in 2012 for his part in a plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange. He was released in December 2018 subject to conditions. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, criticized the government’s sentencing policies. “There’s got to be a very full investigation,” said Corbyn who is seeking to depose Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the election on Dec. 12 but trails in opinion polls. “I th...

SRINAGAR: Indian troops in their unabated act of state terrorism martyred seven Kashmiris in the occupied Kashmir during the month of November. According to Kashmir Media Service, during the month, eighty-two people were critically injured due to the firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells on peaceful demonstrators by the Indian military, paramilitary and police personnel in the occupied territory. At least sixty civilians, mostly youth and political activists including one, Bashir Ahmad Qureshi, were arrested. The troops molested or disgraced a woman and damaged three houses during cordon and search operations in the month. The occupation authorities also did not allow people to offer Friday prayers at historical Jamia Masjid in Srinagar since August 5. Read more: Pakistan eggs on India to act responsibly over Kashmir dispute In occupied Kashmir, 119 days on, routine life continues to remain badly affected in the Kashmir Valley and Muslim-majority areas of Jammu region owi...

WASHINGTON: A plane crash in the US state of South Dakota killed nine people, including two children, and injured three others on Saturday while a winter storm warning was in place, officials said. The Pilatus PC-12, a single-engine turboprop plane, crashed shortly after take-off approximately a mile from the Chamberlain airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. Among the dead was the plane’s pilot, Brule County state’s attorney Theresa Maule Rossow said, adding that a total of 12 people had been on board. The three survivors had been taken to the hospital in Sioux Falls, she told US media. The flight left the airport just before noon local time, with a destination of Idaho Falls Regional Airport in the western state of Idaho. The FAA said investigators were en route to the crash site and that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would be in charge of the investigation. The NTSB tweeted that it was “investigating today’s crash of Pilatus PC-12 near Cham...

PARIS: Paris, London and Berlin on Saturday welcomed six new European countries to the INSTEX barter mechanism, which is designed to circumvent US sanctions against trade with Iran by avoiding use of the dollar. “As founding shareholders of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), France, Germany and the United Kingdom warmly welcome the decision taken by the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, to join INSTEX as shareholders,” the three said in a joint statement. The Paris-based INSTEX functions as a clearing house allowing Iran to continue to sell oil and import other products or services in exchange. The system has not yet enabled any transactions. Washington in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the international agreement governing Iran’s nuclear programme and reinstated heavy sanctions against Tehran. The accession of the six new members “further strengthens INSTEX and demonstrates European efforts to facilitate legitimate...

BEIJING: China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets starting Sunday, according to the country’s information technology authority, as Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls. In September, China’s industry and information technology ministry issued a notice on “safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens online”, which laid out rules for enforcing real-name registration. The notice said telecom operators should use “artificial intelligence and other technical means” to verify people’s identities when they take a new phone number. A China Unicom customer service representative told AFP that the December 1 “portrait matching” requirement means customers registering for a new phone number may have to record themselves turning their head and blinking. “In next steps, our ministry will continue to…increase supervision and inspection…and strictly promote the management of real-name registration ...

MEXICO CITY: A shootout in a Mexican town near the US border between suspected drug traffickers and police left at least 14 dead, including four officers, officials said Saturday. The confrontation broke out shortly before noon in Villa Union in the northern state of Coahuila when officers detected several vehicles and heavily armed passengers touring the small community, which is roughly 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the US border. Four of those killed were police, seven were suspected criminals and another three unidentified bodies were found nearby on a rural road, Coahuila governor Miguel Angel Riquelme told reporters. Six officers were also wounded but their injuries were not serious and they had already been discharged from hospital, Riquelme said. An unspecified number of people — including a child — were also missing, government officials added. Local authorities said twelve trucks were seized in the operation, as well as several high-calibre weapons and an unspecified lo...

  KARACHI: A teenage boy has sustained severe gunshot wound as unidentified people in a vehicle fired bullets and abducted the girl walking alongside with him in Karachi, ARY News reported on Sunday. The incident took place in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Bukhari Commercial where a group of men in a vehicle fled after kidnapping the girl. The victims are identified as Dua and Haris. Haris was later shifted to the hospital in critical condition. Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) South told media that the department is investigating the incident and recording statements of eye-witnesses. He confirmed that the boy was wounded by gunshots fired by the culprits, who abducted the girl. The police officer said that it seems not an abduction for ransom case citing the financial condition of the girl. Police officials said Haris confirmed in his initial statement the people in a car who kidnapped her friend after firing a bullet to him. The wounded boy and the abducted girl are re...

KARACHI: Taking notice of killing an 11-year-old girl in Dadu over honour, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Syed Kaleem Imam has sought report into the matter, ARY News reported. The IGP Sindh has directed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dadu to submit details of the incident. He also directed him to ensure the delivery of justice and stern punishment to those involved in the crime. The incident occurred on November 21 in Johi, a small town in Dadu, where an 11-year-old girl was stoned to death in the name of honour and was later secretly buried. Read more: Parents, facilitators held over 11-year-old’s honour killing in Dadu The police responded to the reports and arrested parents of the victim and two other facilitators. A case was also registered with the Dadu police. According to the FIR , the girl’s father, his relative, and four others had “hatched a conspiracy for the murder of the girl and killed her by stone-pelting”. They then bought a shroud and buried her ...

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan, said in her Twitter messages on Sunday that young generation is the country’s precious asset and hope to bright future, ARY News reported. Firdous Ashiq Awan said the interpretation of the dreams of youth is the prime mission of Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that the premier ordered for resolution of issues to the students. “The PM asked federation and provinces to envisage strategies [for students]. The demand for rights from the students is a good sign which reflected their consciousness and thoughtfulness.” نوجوان نسل ہمارا قیمتی اثاثہ اور روشن مستقبل کی امید ہے۔نوجوانوں کے خوابوں کی تعبیر وزیراعظم عمران خان کا بنیادی مشن ہے۔طلباء کے حقوق کے تحفظ اور مسائل کے فوری حل کے لیے وزیر اعظم نے وفاق اور صوبوں کو جامع حکمت عملی مرتب کرنے کی ہدایات دی ہیں۔ — Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousPTI) December 1, 2019 اپنے حقوق کا مطالبہ طلباء کے بڑھتے ہوئے شعور اور فکر کی عکاسی ہے جو نہ...

World Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Day is being observed today (Sunday) with an aim to create awareness about HIV/AIDS and express solidarity with people living with the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care around the world. This year theme of World AIDS DAY is Communities make the difference. The  Day was first observed on 1st December 1988. Since then, this date is dedicated to raise awareness about the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). According to doctors and professionals, there are three main ways to contract AIDS i.e. having unprotected sex, sharing needles and via mother-to-child-transmission. Read more: World AIDS Day: 8 celebrities who contracted HIV/AIDs Seminars and gatherings are held to educate the people regarding the menace of HIV/AIDS and how to counter it. Treatment methods are also dis...

MEXICO CITY: Ten suspected cartel gunmen and four police were killed during a daytime shootout on Saturday in a Mexican town near the US border. The government of the northern state of Coahuila said state police clashed with a group of heavily armed gunmen riding in pickup trucks in the small town of Villa Union, about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the border city of Piedras Negras. Standing outside the Villa Union mayor’s bullet-ridden offices, Coahuila governor Miguel Angel Riquelme told reporters the state had acted “decisively” to tackle the gunmen, who he said had entered from the neighboring state of Tamaulipas. Riquelme said 10 gunmen had been killed, three of them by officers in pursuit of the gang members after the gunfight that claimed the lives of four police and wounded six more. Around midday, heavy gunfire began ringing out in Villa Union, and a convoy of armed pickup trucks could be seen moving around the town, according to video clips posted by social media users. ...

Sports presenter Zainab Abbas carried her love for the game of cricket into her shendi, surrounded by cricket bats as she entered the venue.  This reminded us of when a cricket legend gets a memorable farewell on his retirement amid bats and fans cheering for him. The journo entered the venue on the tunes of Pakistan Super League’s anthem Phir Seeti Baje Gi as her relatives held cricket bats while fast bowler Mohammad Amir bowled to Zainab who hit back with a bat. View this post on Instagram The beautiful bride #ZainabAbbas made quite an entrance on her #Shendi today #Cricketalltheway!!! @zabbasofficial #NicheExclusive #weddings #pakistan and if you are guessing who is balling??? It’s #MohdAmir @lmransheikhphotos #hamzainab A post shared by Niche Lifestyle (@nichelifestyle) on Nov 29, 2019 at 9:32am PST Taking to Instagram , the happy bride shared beautiful photos from her big day. “Here’s to all the brides dancing their hea...

NEW DELHI: The fastest emerging economy of the world has grounded under Narendra Modi’s rule, according to the official data released here on Friday. Indian economy expanded at its weakest pace in more than six years with growth at 4.5 percent for July to September three months, while the economy’s growth rate in the same period last year remained seven percent, official data showed. The growth rate of the economy also remained lower than April to June 2019 three month, which was five percent. The economists were of the opinion that the economy is passing through a declining growth momentum and there is no easy way out, principal economist at Fitch India Ratings said. The pace of economic growth fell below 5 percent for the first time since the quarter ending March 2013 when it measured 4.3 percent. That slowdown has been visible across the country including in the low growth of utilities, including electricity – 3.6 percent, down from 8.7 percent a year earlier – indicating a sl...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has chaired a high-level session attended by bureaucracy and senior police officers of Punjab, ARY News reported on Saturday. The session was also attended by Firdous Ashiq Awan, Zulfiqar Bukhari, Barrister Shahzad Akbar, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, provincial chief secretary and inspector general police (IGP).  The premier congratulated new appointments of bureaucrats and police officers. He said that people were seen giving examples of good governance, bureaucracy and policy in the 1960’s era. PM Imran Khan said that the country is going through a sensitive period and economic stability is the need of time. He praised the economic team for making fruitful efforts to improve the national economy. “The appointments in bureaucracy and other positions have been made on merit as the present government freed officers from political pressure. You all have to complete tasks based on merit and not accept any pressure from political personali...

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday hoped that opposition will extend its cooperation for legislation in a matter related to COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s service extension, ARY News reported. Speaking to media in Multan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the extension was given in the wider interest of the country under the constitutional ambit. He said the government respects the court’s ruling and added that the government was waiting for the detailed verdict. “The flaws highlighted by the SC in the COAS extension summary were removed by the government.” On continued curfew and communication blockade in Indian occupied Kashmir, the FM said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has also second the stance of  Pakistan on the issue. Shah Mehmood Qureshi maintained that two hearing on Kashmir issue in the US Congress is Pakistan’s success and added that after 1965, the issue was raised aggressively. Read more: FM Qureshi lauds Malaysian stance against...

Prominent Pakistani actor Mehwish Hayat performed Umrah with her family and said it was a moving journey. The Tamgha-e-Imtiaz recipient took to social media to share her experience. She posted a picture on Instagram with her mother Rukhsar Hayat and brother Danish Hayat, standing infront of the Kaabah in Makkah. “‪Jumma Mubarak . By the Grace of Allah, I have been blessed to be able to perform Umrah,” she wrote. View this post on Instagram ‪Jumma Mubarak . By the Grace of Allah, I have been blessed to be able to perform Umrah. The feeling of being here with my family cannot be expressed in words. A truly moving and humbling journey that I pray every Muslim in the world gets to be able to experience as well Ameen @danish_hayat #DanishHayat #MehwishHayat #Umrah2019 #kaabahSharif #AllahuAkbar #Alhamdulillahforeverything A post shared by Mehwish Hayat (@mehwishhayatofficial) on Nov 29, 2019 at 5:17am PST The actress said she can’t descr...

China has issued new rules banning online video and audio providers from using artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality technologies to produce “fake news.” The regulation published Friday by China’s cyberspace authority said that both providers and users of online video news and audio services are “not allowed” to use new technologies such as deep learning and virtual reality to create, distribute and broadcast “fake news.” “Fake news” has been generalised to mean anything from a mistake to a parody or a deliberate misinterpretation of facts. The rules come into effect on January 1, 2020. Failure to follow them could be considered a criminal offence, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said, without offering details on punishments. The rules require videos and audio tracks produced using AI or virtual reality technologies to carry clear labels warning users. The regulations particularly stressed the dangers of “deepfakes,” or technology that manipulates videos ...

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rasheed, claimed on Saturday that all sides are agreed for giving an extension to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa tenure, ARY News reported. Sheikh Rasheed, while addressing a press conference in Punjab’s capital today, said that the parliament could extend Bajwa’s tenure if it fails to get a simple majority. “Opposition leadership has nothing left to launch criticism against the present government. Those keep echoing the rhetoric of another NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] must remember [Prime Minister] Imran Khan’s commitment not to pardon the culprits.” “A mafia is making conspiracies against Imran Khan-led government but it has failed to create chaos in the country. The Army Chief is standing alongside the democratic government.” Read: Govt to remove legal flaws through legislation: Sheikh Rasheed While slamming the opposition leaders, the minister said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Maulan...

SAO PAULO:  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed on Friday that Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio financed fires being set in the Amazon rainforest, without presenting any evidence, the right-wing leader’s latest broadside in casting blame over forest fires that have generated international concern. Bolsonaro appeared to be commenting on social media postings claiming that the environmental organization the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had paid for images taken by volunteer firefighters that it then supposedly used to solicit donations, including a $500,000 contribution from DiCaprio. The WWF has denied receiving a donation from DiCaprio or obtaining photos from the firefighters. “This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, right? Giving money to torch the Amazon,” Bolsonaro said on Friday during brief remarks in front of the presidential residence. DiCaprio denied having donated to the WWF. In a statement, the actor lauded “the people of Brazil working to save their natural and c...

LAHORE: Newly appointed Punjab Chief Secretary (CS) Azam Suleiman Khan and Inspector General Police (IGP) Shoaib Dastagir called on PM Imran Khan in Lahore on Saturday, ARY News reported. IGP Shoaib Dastagir briefed the prime minister about law and order in the province and steps being taken to improve the police system. PM Khan directed him to utilize all the available resources for the protection of life and property of the people. He also tasked him to forward recommendations regarding changing in the police system. The chief secretary apprised PM Imran Khan about the measures for the betterment of administration and good governance in the province. On the occasion, the prime minister directed both the chief secretary Punjab and IGP to work freely and do not succumb to any pressure. Prime Minister Imran Khan is in Lahore, on a day-long visit. According to sources, Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair Parliamentary meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and will take it into confi...

OSLO: The sequel to Walt Disney Co’s 2013 hit animated musical Frozen  is generating excitement among indigenous Sámi people in northern Europe, whose culture the movie has taken inspiration from. Frozen 2  debuted in U.S. cinemas on Nov. 22 and is progressively rolling out worldwide. On its debut weekend, it grossed $350 million, making it “the biggest opening ever for Walt Disney Animation (not including Pixar)”, according to Hollywood trade publication Variety. The movie opens in Norway on Christmas Day. Norway inspired many elements of the first Frozen  movie, such as character Anna’s dress or the architecture of the fictional kingdom of Arendelle. The second film takes inspiration from the culture of the Sámi, an indigenous minority living across Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Russia, who have faced discrimination against their language and culture. In Norway, a state-appointed truth and reconciliation commission is investigating the discrimination perpetr...

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, on Saturday said that the opposition leader has suggested the names of bureaucrats instead of judges for the appointment of new chief election commissioner (CEC), ARY News reported. Fawad Chaudhry expressed hopes that the federal government and the opposition to make consensus over CEC position. He was commenting over the names suggested by the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, for CEC position in his letter sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan today. Fawad Chaudhry said that all three names recommended by Shehbaz Sharif are reliable and both sides will soon decide upon one names. He said that the federal authorities desired to remove all flaws from the electoral process which would ensure the organisation of transparent elections free from criticism. Chaudhry added that the government is committed to empowering the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Chaudhry said that his ministry is...

KARACHI: Two more people diagnosed with dengue fever succumbs to the disease in Karachi, ARY News reported on Saturday. As per details, a woman, resident of North Nazimabad and a three-month-old baby of Gulshan-e-Malir passed away in a private hospital of the metropolis due to dengue fever. According to the Dengue Surveillance Cell Sindh, the tally of those who have fallen to the dangerous virus has climbed to 42 in the province. Read more:  Dengue virus cases exceed 50,000 across Pakistan: Sources As many as 15,304 individuals have been diagnosed with the dengue fever in the province in the ongoing year, revealed the Sindh Dengue Surveillance Cell report. According to the Dengue Surveillance Cell, 14, 241 people have fallen ill due to the disease in Karachi Sindh alone during the ongoing year. Dengue cases in Pakistan  exceed  50,000. In the past 24 hours, 229 people have been diagnosed with the dangerous virus primarily carried by female mosquitoes. The post Two...

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan has suggested three names for appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), ARY News reported on Saturday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President has proposed the names of Nasir Mahmood Khosa, Jaleel Abbas Jilani and Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar for the appointment of the chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif in his letter has urged the prime minister for considering over these three nominees without further delay. “The five-year constitutional term of the chief election commissioner is going to complete on 06 December,” the letter said. The bench of the election commission requires to comprise of at least three members and it will become dysfunctional if the CEC and other two members would not be appointed, the opposition leader said in his letter. The constitution’s Article 213 (ii) A makes it mandatory for the prime minister to co...

LONDON: British police named the man who stabbed two people to death in London on Friday in what the authorities called a terrorist attack as 28-year-old Usman Khan, who had been convicted of terrorism offenses and was released from prison last year. “This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offenses,” Britain’s top counter-terrorism police officer, Neil Basu, said in a statement. “He was released from prison in December 2018 on license and clearly, a key line of enquiry now is to establish how he came to carry out this attack,” Basu said. A person who is released on license is subject to conditions for the duration of their sentence after leaving prison. The Times newspaper reported that Khan had agreed to wear an electronic tag. Read more: London Bridge attack: PM Boris Johnson hails bystanders’ bravery  Just before news broke of the suspect’s previous conviction, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is seeking re-election on Dec. ...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Saturday heard petition of a death-row prisoner seeking court directives for the government to ensure proper treatment of his poor eyesight, ARY News reported. Adial Jail officers and doctors appeared in the Islamabad high court (IHC) hearing conducted by Chief Justice Athar Minallah. A death-row convict, Khadim Hussain had wrote a letter to IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah who converted it into a constitutional petition and sought a reply in this regard from the authorities concerned. Providing due rights to prisoners is responsibility of the federal government, chief justice remarks, adding that the government forms a medical board where it deems fit. “If a medical board could be constituted for Nawaz Sharif then why not for other prisoners,” Justice Minallah questioned. The chief justice said he will visit Adiala Jail on this Friday to look into the issues to the inmates. There are such prisoners in jails which later acquitted from cases...

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said Saturday that the world is witnessing the rise in hate crimes as an outcome of Islamophobia, adding that there is no place exists for hatred and extremism in Islam, ARY News reported. CM Usman Buzdar urged the international community to pay attention to the severe outcomes of Islamophobia. He was pointing towards the video surfaced on social media in which a man can be seen burning a copy of the Holy Quran during an anti-Islam rally in Norway . While everybody looks on, a man whose identity is not known and social media is calling him Ilyas suddenly jumped over the fence and kicked the man. The chief minister termed the provocative action in Norway as ‘hatred’ and ‘extremism’. Read: Pakistan lodges strong protest with Norway over desecration of Holy Quran On November 25, Punjab Assembly had a resolution condemning the desecration of the Holy Quran in Norway. The resolution, moved by Pakistan Muslim League (Q) MPA Khadija Umar, was p...