pakistan news

Tokyo: Outgoing Japanese emperor Akihito on Tuesday performed the main ritual to hand over the Chrysanthemum Throne to his son Naruhito -- Japan´s first abdication in more than two centuries.Akihito technically remains emperor until the stroke of midnight when the country ushers in the new imperial era of Reiwa, or "beautiful harmony", that will last as long as Naruhito reigns.In a brief speech, the 85-year-old said he had spent the 30 years of his reign performing his duties with "deep respect and love for the people.""That has been a great blessing," he added.And he offered his "heartfelt gratitude to the people of Japan who accepted me as the symbol of the state and supported me."The brief ritual in the sumptuous "Room of Pine" in Tokyo´s Imperial Palace saw the outgoing emperor turn over the throne in the presence of the imperial regalia -- an ancient sword and sacred jewel that are considered to legitimise an emperor.Prime Minister...

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Berlin: Amazon worker representatives from 15 countries met in Berlin on Monday to coordinate their strategy against the US online retail giant, after years of individually battling against its often-criticised employment practices.More than 50 Amazon employees from as far afield as Egypt, Brazil and Pakistan, as well as neighbouring Italy, Poland and France, gathered in the German capital in a closed-door summit.The aim: to compare notes on working conditions in Amazon’s logistics centres around the world, the engine rooms that speed wares from the so-called "everything store" to customers’ homes."We learn that we’re not alone, that we’re facing some of the same challenges everywhere in the world," said Christy Hoffman, secretary-general of the international UNI Global Union.Alfred Bujara of Poland’s Solidarnosc union said that "we’re sharing information about the different rules and regulations, then we can use those in the negotiations," blasting Amazon...

ISLAMABAD:  Pakistan is making sincere efforts for success of the Afghan peace process, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.Speaking at Seventh Round of Pakistan-Afghanistan Track-II Dialogue, he said he has visited different countries and also held several meetings with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad for peace in Afghanistan.The minister said peace in Afghanistan is imperative for regional connectivity, adding that  Afghan people themselves have to decide their future.He said Pakistan and Afghanistan have the shared future, inviting Kabul to  make a new beginning.Qureshi said said Pakistan has played its due role in development of Afghanistan.The Minister said Afghanistan is a Pakistan's major trading partner, and the two countries do trade through rail and road.He said Afghanistan's importance in regional connectivity cannot be ignored as completion of projects with Central Asian states such as TAPI and C...

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Finance on Tuesday said federal government has neither reduced nor delayed transfer of funds to any of the provinces.The ministry said in  a statement  all the provinces have been receiving their share in Federal Transfers in accordance with the NFC Award."Federal Government makes these transfers, fortnightly, on the same day of reporting of the collections by the collecting agencies," Radio Pakistan reported.It said  shortfall in revenue collections results in a uniform change in the share of the Federation and the provinces in the Federal Transfers. from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2V2Mhha

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MUMBAI: Bollywood's debonair star Alia Bhatt, who will be  seen with  Ranbir Kapoor  for the first time in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra, has admired  her boyfriend's work ethics.Alia has always been very sensitive about her personal life and relationships.  But in a recent interview, she opened about how Ranbir makes her feel and what she thinks of him as an actor.The actress called it a magical experience to work with Ranbir, saying: "I have always loved Ranbir as an actor - he’s just so fabulous on screen, he’s powerful yet so honest and complete."Alia commended the actor's work ethics  in her own way, adding:  "It’s so nice to just see him be. He really inspires me to be a better version of myself at work. His work ethics are commendable and I’m still learning from him. " Alia and Ranbir confirmed their relationship last year.  Alia confirmed it during her appearance on Koffee With Karan. “Ranbir makes me feel different. He gives me a differe...

PARIS: US actress Elle Fanning and Serb-born French comic book writer Enki Bilal will join the jury for this year's Cannes festival alongside Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos and French counterpart Robin Campillo, organisers said Monday.The panel will be made up of four men and four women under its president, Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who was named in February.The rest of the jury comprises Burkina Faso´s Maimouna N´Diay, American Kelly Reichardt, Italy´s Alice Rohrwacher and Poland´s Pawel Pawlikowski.They will hand down the prizes at the 72nd edition of the festival which begins on May 14 and ends on May 25.Australia´s Cate Blanchett presided last year´s jury which awarded the Palme d´or accolade to Hirokazu Kore-Eda´s "Shoplifters". from The News International - Entertainment http://bit.ly/2vsi3VA

KARACHI: Singer/actor Meesha Shafi is firm on her stance that her fellow singer/actor Ali Zafar harassed her on two occasions.She was talking with Shahzaib Khanzada in his programme at Geo News “Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada key Sath” just a day after Ali Zafar appeared in the programme.Meesha said that she wanted to avoid the incident and did not speak on it publicly for four months as she did not want to perform again with Ali Zafar after that. For this, she tried to communicate him through some representatives but after the issue was not resolved she had to reveal it on a tweet. from The News International - Entertainment http://bit.ly/2vuSRhw

MUMBAI: The candid party pictures Isha Ambani, daughter of India’s richest person Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, along with Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, Pareeniti Chopra and other friend have gone viral on the internet.The photos shared by Priyanka Chopra on her Instagram page with caption: “Making home made ice cream! Thank you to the hostess with the mostest.”The friend enjoyed the party at Isha Ambani’s residence.Isha Ambani, who tied the knot with Anand Piramal last year, could be seen with friends Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra, Srishti Behl Arya, Radhika Merchant and Tamanna Dutt. Priyanka further says “@_iiishmagish love u! Your home is amazing! I wish you love and laughter always. Here’s to many more girls nights! @aliaabhatt u Missed the madness by minutes! Love all u ladies!”Pareeniti Chopra commented on Priyanka's photo and called it  "Best Night Ever".Later, Pareeniti also shared the photo on her Instagram. She writes “We made icecream at home! (And t...

MUMBAI: Bollywood celebrities cast their vote as voting in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election 2019 began as the ‘City of Dreams’ Mumbai goes to polls.Bollywood biggies Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan with little AbRam, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan with wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Tiger Shroff, Mahesh Bhatt, Paresh Rawal, Sonali Bendre with hubby Goldie Behl, Kajol and Ajay Devgn with son Yug, Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Varun Dhawan with daddy David Dhawan arrived to exercise their right to vote. Priyanka Chopra was among the early voters as she posed for candid pictures post casting her vote.  from The News International - Entertainment http://bit.ly/2W8nSTY

Karachi: The weather in Karachi is hot and dusty with  temperature expected to touch 41 Celsius, according to Met Office on Tuesday.With mercury rising in the metropolis, weather turned dusty since early morning.The Met office has forecast a heatwave that would grip the Karachi during 1 – 3 May 2019. During the first three days of May, maximum temperature would range between 40-42 C during this period. "Winds flow will be from North/Northwest during daytimes," said a Heatwave alert.The Met Office requested the authorities to take precautionary measures.  from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2LdaYDg

Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, while very hot in south Punjab and Sindh. However, dust-thunderstorm/rain with gusty winds is expected at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Mardan, Peshawar, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Lahore divisions, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.Weather Forecast for Wednesday: Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, while very hot in south Punjab and Sindh. However, dust-thunderstorm/rain with gusty winds is expected at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Mardan, Peshawar, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha divisions, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.Past 24 Hours Weather: Rain-thunderstorm occurred at scattered places in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Faislabad, Sargodha, Malakand, Hazara, D.I khan divisions, Kashmir, while at isolated places in D.G khan, Peshawar divisions and Gilgit-Baltistan. Weather remained hot and dry in other parts of the country.Rainfal...

ISLAMABAD: The model courts established in 116 districts of the country have decided a total number of 2,301 cases in 15 working days since its start from April 1. This was said by Sohail Nasir, Director General Monitoring Cell, while briefing the meeting of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC), said a press release issued by Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) on Monday.The meeting was held here under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, in the committee room of the Supreme Court. CJP is also chairman NJPMC.Sohail Nasir presented details regarding the performance review of the Model Courts. He briefed the committee that after counting of the number of closed holidays and strikes by lawyers, the model courts have operated for 15 days in which 116 model courts throughout the country have decided the total number of 2,301 cases, including 888 murder cases and 1413 Narcotics cases. Statements of total number of 9,71...

LONDON: Leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been advised by surgeons for various further tests as part of his medical check ups, especially for the pain he developed while in custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB).Shabaz Sharif has been in London for two weeks now, meeting doctors for inspection and check ups.The former chief minister visited renowned Pakistani Consultant Neurosurgeon for consultations on related to his historic chronic backache, with the latest episode starting in December 2018.The News has learnt that on examination, Dr Malik noted that his spinal movement is restricted in flexion and his pinprick is reduced in the lower back. Dr Malik has recommended hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and x-rays of the lumbosacral spine, flexion and extension views. A source confirmed that Dr Malik has referred Mr. Sharif to a specialist Physiotherapist and the first session is scheduled later this week. The source said that...

ISLAMABAD: Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), a department of Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, has successfully auctioned 12 vehicles in the wake of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s austerity drive.The auction of the cars was carried out on the instructions of the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis & HRD, Zulfikar Bukhari. Zulfikar Bukhari praised the efforts of OPF's Managing Director, Amir Sheikh, for successfully carrying out the auction and for ensuring transparency in the process. As a result of the auction, OPF is to receive Rs. 7,149,385. After the auction the department will be able to save more than 18lac per annum in terms of POL (Fuel). Additionally, more savings will come in the form of less repair and maintenance costs. Maintenance and repair cost is to drop by more than 13lac annually. On the occasion, Zulfikar Bukhari said that the amount received through auction will be spent for the welfare of the Overseas Pa...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said his party would not change its stance on 18th amendment, democracy and the media censorship.Addressing a press conference here Monday, Bilawal said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s economic policy was not in favour of the country. He termed government’s economic policy as anti-people.Bilawal went on to say the government has accepted its incompetency.PPP chairman called upon the government to present its deal with International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the parliament otherwise his party and nation would not accept it.He called upon the PTI government to review its economic policy.Bilawal Bhutto went on to say the National Accountability Bureau cannot scare them with the threats of arrest.He raised question about amnesty scheme for the rich, saying the government is introducing amnesty scheme for the rich, what it is doing for the poor to save them? from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2UNVTHF

Karachi: K-Electric has signed an agreement with the state-owned China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for the development a state-of-the-art 700MW IPP based power project at Port Qasim, Karachi.Construction of the plant is expected to commence in the first quarter of next fiscal year. Once the project comes online it will not only help meet the growing power demand in Karachi and its adjoining areas but will also allow KE to diversify its fuel mix.The project was formally announced at the Pakistan Trade and Investment Forum held alongside the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China. The project agreement and contracts were signed by Moonis Alvi, Chief Executive Officer K-Electric and Zhang Chun, Chairman CMEC in the presence of Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser for Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment. This is a milestone project in the economic cooperation between China and Pakistan and will directly benefit Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub.Abdul Razak Dawoo...

KARACHI: Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh for Information, Law and Anti-corruption, Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said  that 112 heatwave centers in different health care facilities and 185 cold water points had been set up in different locations of the metropolis while 24 ambulances will remain standby after heatwave alert.Talking to media persons at Sindh Assembly media corner, he   said that after heatwave alert, the chief minister Sindh had directed all commissioners and deputy commissioners of the province to take precautionary measure and set up heatwave centres in health care facilities and cold water facility at district and tehsil level for the immediate medical assistance to affected person while the provincial rehabilitation and health departments has also been issued directives to prepare plan to cope with the challenge.The advisor said that commissioner Karachi had been supervising the relief measures in Karachi.He said that 112 heatwave centers in differen...

KARACHI: Pakistan actress Veena Malik has said that broken economy from decades could not be fixed in months and we have to give Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government a decade to start seeing results.Commenting on a tweet, Veena Malik said they (Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari) ruled for decades so at so at least we will keep reminding them of their corruption for decades.She went on to say “Even an illiterate would know that broken economy from decades could not be fixed in months. We have to give this government a Decade to start seeing Results!”Veena was commenting on the Tweet from a local journalist who had shared news former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja in which he slammed news anchors and opposition for criticising PM Khan for price hike.The local journalists said Ramiz has started an interesting debate! But for how long we will continue to blame Nawaz and Zardari for Economy? Imran Khan’s government has to come up with solutions. from The News International - National ht...

ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) recommended Rs14.37 per litre hike in the price of petrol from May 01, sources disclosed Monday.Sources privy to the development said the OGRA has moved summary of increasing petroleum product prices to the petroleum division.The final division will be made by the ministry of finance with the consultation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.In its summary, OGRA has suggested Rs4.89 per litre increase in diesel prices, Rs7.46 per litre in kerosene oil and Rs6.40 per litre hike in Light diesel prices.  from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2vr91s3

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has a pivotal role towards the elimination of corruption from the country.He added that indiscriminate accountability is need of the hour, in order to discourage the corrupt elements. The President said this while talking to Chairman NAB, Justice (R) Javed Iqbal, who called on him here at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad. Chairman NAB also presented Annual Report-2018 of his organization to the President. The President stated that corruption has been lifelong concern for him, as this menace has destroyed both the institutions and economy of the country. He emphasized that it is of utmost importance to root out corruption in order to ensure progress and development in the country. Dr Arif Alvi underscored that the government's mission is to make Pakistan a corruption free country in which NAB has to play an important role. Expressing his satisfaction over the performance of NAB, he said that NAB is an independen...

ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and US Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, South and Central Asia, Alice Wells Monday held a delegation-level talks here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Office spokesman said.The Pakistan side consisted of an inter-agency delegation led by Additional Secretary (Americas) Aftab Khokhar, the Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammed Faisal said in a tweet on his social media account.Ambassador Zalmay Khalil and Ambassador Wells arrived here this morning to hold meetings as part of regular consultations on bilateral relationship and Afghan peace process.Zalmay Khalilzad, who arrived here from Kabul after holding talks with the leadership, tweeted about his meetings with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, other political stakeholders and youth leaders.He mentioned that the discussions included a range of topics related to Afghan peace process and...

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan military has said that madressas in the country will be mainstreamed and the government has now allocated funds to implement the plan.Briefing the media, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor explained in detail how the state has planned to implement the scheme.The military spokesperson clarified that Pakistan has firmly decided to root out the extremism from the country in national interest and not under any pressure from FATF or IMF.In January 2019, a decision was made in principle to mainstream the 30,000 plus seminaries and 2.5 million students receiving education there, he said but the plan was put on back burner due to financial constraints.Then in February, funds were allocated for the purpose and now the military is now working with Ministry of Education to prepare the syllabus and introduce contemporary subjects the new curriculum.Army Chief in the past few months have had extensive interactions with the religious scholars from different sects and they were o...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has concluded his official visit to China from 25-28 April 2019. The Prime Minister was visiting China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) and the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing International Horticulture Exhibition 2019. The Prime Minister delivered a keynote speech at the Opening Ceremony of the BRF on 26 April 2019. He attended a banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping for the world leaders the same evening. The Prime Minister also delivered remarks at the first session of the Leaders' Roundtable on 27 April 2019. The theme of the Roundtable was: "Boosting Connectivity to Explore New Sources of Growth." In his statements, the Prime Minister inter alia proposed four new areas for Belt and Road cooperation: (i) digital connectivity; (ii) mobility of labour; (iii) cultural connectivity; and (iv) sharing best practices in knowledge and innovation. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Mi...

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced ‘Allama Iqbal Scholarships’ for as many as 1000 Sri Lankan students to study in the best higher educational institutions of Pakistan.According to the sources, the scholarships would be provided under the Pak-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme.The scholarship offers full tuition fee of the programme for study in Pakistani universities, accommodation allowance, study allowance, books allowance, and one-time return air-ticket, sources said.Sources further informed that the scholarships were spread over next five years and provided an excellent opportunity for 1000 Sri Lankan students to visit Pakistan and pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degree programs in Engineering Science, Basic and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.The programme aimed to promote an effective exchange of knowledge and better understanding of cultures and tradition between Sri Lankan and Pakistani students, they added.The s...

Imtiaz Dharker (L) with her daughter Ayesha DharkerLONDON: A Lahore-born Pakistani Scottish Muslim is expected to be named next month as the new poet laureate, replacing Carol Ann Duffy.Imtiaz Dharker, 65, would be the first Asian, Muslim or Pakistani person and second woman to become poet laureate in the position’s 350-year-long history. She has written about religion, identity, culture and feminism. She was born in Lahore to conservative parents but moved to live in Glasgow as a child and studied locally.Imtiaz Dharker’s daughter, Ayesha Dharker, 41, is a Shakespearean actress who also appeared in Coronation Street.On Desert Island Discs in 2015 Dharker said: “I am a Pakistani Scottish Calvinist Muslim, adopted by India and married into Wales . . . Don’t try to put me in a box . . . I’m a cultural mongrel.”The culture department said that an appointment has not yet been confirmed and the final decision will be taken by The Queen. It is understood that Dharker was chosen by the go...

ISLAMABAD: A seven-member British Backpacker Society (BBS) team has arrived in Pakistan with an aim to understand “how Pakistan can realize it’s huge tourism potential”.According to a statement issued by British Backpacker Society (BBS) on Monday, their journey began at the Wagah Border on a hot autumnal afternoon, after a short rickshaw ride from Amritsar, India.After crossing the border, the team watched an impressive – and highly unique – border-closing ceremony, before watching the sunset and jumping in a taxi to Lahore.The seven-member team is comprised of individuals from five different countries, who can speak over 10 languages.The team have visited over 140 countries worldwide and each member has a real passion for travel and learning more about the world.Their areas of travel expertise range from aviation to sustainability and each is now looking forward to better understanding that how Pakistan can realise it’s huge tourism potential. from The News International - National ...

KARACHI: The Sindh government and Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Monday issued heatwave alerts to all the concerned departments and emergency services.All the 13 health facilities under KMC management were put on high alert to address any untoward situation in the metropolis.On the other hand, the provincial government has also made necessary arrangements in this regard. Talking to media persons, Sindh Minister Murtaza Wahab said 24 ambulances in the city were reserved to meet any calamity in the city.The Met office informed that a heatwave is likely to grip the Karachi city during 1 – 3 May 2019 during which the day maximum temperature would range in 40-42 C.Winds flow will be from North/Northwest during day time, it added.The PMD requested the authorities to take all the precautionary measures. from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2UMntoX

NEW DELHI: The United States has conveyed to India that any information regarding Pakistan’s use of F-16 will not be shared as it is a bilateral issue between the two countries.“Soon after we were informed by the Indian side about Pakistan using F-16 aircraft on February 27, we informed the Indians that we will not be sharing any information on the subject,” a US official confided to Indian Express on condition of anonymity.“If a third country tomorrow wants information about the C130 or C17 or Apaches that the IAF uses, our answer would be the same. It is a bilateral matter between India and the US,” the official clarified to the Indian side.Although New Delhi shared information regarding Pakistan’s use of US-built fighter jet, the official added, it did not provide any evidence nor asked for any inputs about the shooting down of an F-16 by the IAF on February 27.A recent report in Foreign Policy magazine busted Indian claims that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down an F-16 ...

ISLAMABAD: US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, South and Central Asia Alice Wells reached Islamabad Monday as part of renewed efforts to seek Pakistan’s help to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table for the stalled Afghan peace dialogue in Qatar.Foreign Office Spokesperson, Dr Mohammad Faisal tweeted that Zalmay Khalilzad and Ambassador Alice Wells held delegation level talks at the foreign ministry today.“Pakistan side consisted of interagency delegation led by Aftab Khokhar, Additional Secretary (Americas), he further added.Both Pakistan and the United States have condemned the recent attacks by the Taliban inside Afghanistan, saying the conflict would not help anyone. Pakistan has stated that it will not be party to any internal conflict in Afghanistan anymore while cautioning the Taliban that it is not right to seek an edge in dialogue through coercion.The United States says it challenge...

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has termed as misleading the media reports about a US Federal Registry notification on introduction of new rules on consular matters.According to the details, the United States has placed Pakistan in the list of countries facing sanctions within the framework of a law under which countries refusing to take back deportees and visa over-stayers will be denied American visas.In statement on Sunday, the Foreign Office clarified that there are ongoing discussions between Pakistan and the United States on consular matters including repatriation issues.It said both countries are working bilaterally on these issues consistent with their respective laws and have made considerable progress.The statement said we understand that the US government would continue the normal consular operations at their Embassy in Islamabad and the ongoing discussions would not affect issuance of visas to routine Pakistani applicants. from The News International - National http://bit.l...

BEIJING: Prime Minister Imran Khan visited headquarters of FOTON automotives here on Sunday.Chairman FOTON Gong Yueqiong, briefed the prime minister that FOTON was investing in Pakistan through establishment of assembly plant as a joint venture.Founded on August 28,1996, Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. (FOTON) is a trans-regional, trans-industry and trans-ownership state holding listed company.Headquartered in Changping District of Beijing, the company has existing assets of nearly 30 billion Yuan and nearly 40,000 employees. from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2vnXFFl

MADRID: Spain’s center-left Socialist party, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, was victorious in Sunday’s general election. The party took 29% of the vote, winning 123 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.“We made it happen,” Sánchez told supporters in Madrid. “We’ve sent out the message that we don’t want to regress or reverse. We want a country that looks forward and advances.”But in order to advance, the Socialists will have to work with smaller parties to reach the 176 seats required to form a coalition government. It’s unclear what such a coalition might look like; even if it partnered with the far-left United We Can party, which won 42 seats, that left-wing alliance wouldn’t have enough seats to control the government.The main opposition party, the conservative People’s Party, fared poorly. It won only 66 seats — 17% of the vote — less than half the number of seats it secured during the last election in 2016. According to the New York Times, it was the worst performance ...

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Ukrainians and Russians were "one people" and would benefit from common citizenship, after he angered Kiev by offering to fast-track Russian passports for Ukrainians."I’ve said many times that Ukrainians and Russians are brotherly nations. More over, I believe that they are essentially one people with various cultural, linguistic and historic peculiarities," a smiling Putin told reporters."If Ukraine gives passports to Russians and we in Russia give passports and citizenship to Ukrainians then sooner or later we will inevitably have a predictable outcome -- everyone will have common citizenship.""This should be welcomed," Putin said before saying "Goodbye" to reporters in Ukrainian. Observers are closely watching for signs of a thaw in ties between Russia and Ukraine after a comedian with no political experience, Volodymyr Zelensky, won a landslide victory in presidential elec...

ANKARA: A suspected Emirati spy who was detained by Turkish authorities 10 days ago has killed himself in prison, a Turkish government source and state media said on Monday.The suspect was found dead in Silivri prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, state news agency Anadolu reported. A Turkish justice ministry source confirmed the report to AFP. Istanbul prosecutor’s office later said the suspect was found hanged on Sunday.The man was taken into custody with another alleged spy as authorities probed whether they were tied to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October in Istanbul. The suspect was later formally charged with "military and political" and "international espionage", according to Anadolu.Khashoggi was killed and dismembered on October 2 after he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his upcoming marriage. While the kingdom initially denied having any knowledge of what happened to the former insider turned cr...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president suspended the chief of police on Monday and appointed a new defence secretary in a shake-up of the shell-shocked country’s security services following the Easter Sunday terror attacks.Intelligence warnings from abroad alerting to possible attacks by Islamist extremists were ignored ahead of the multiple bombings of churches and upscale hotels on April 21 that killed 253 people and injured nearly 500.Chief of police Pujith Jayasundara had refused to quit to clear the way for a shake-up of the 85,000-strong force, prompting President Maithripala Sirisena to suspend him on Monday. Senior Deputy Inspector-General Chandana Wickramaratne was appointed acting police chief in his place, Sirisena’s office said in a statement.Separately Sirisena appointed on Monday a former head of the army, Shantha Kottegoda, as the country’s top defence official. His predecessor at the ministry of defence and law and order, Hemasiri Fernando, stepped down on Thursday in the wake ...

WASHINGTON: Facebook announced on Monday its first research grants to academics studying the impact of social media on elections, part of an effort to prevent manipulation of social platforms.The leading social network said some 60 researchers from 30 academic institutions across 11 countries were selected under a review process by the Social Science Research Council and the independent group Social Science One.Facebook began the research initiative last year after revelations of foreign influence campaigns on the 2016 US election and the Brexit vote in Britain. It began soliciting proposals last year, and on Monday unveiled its first research grants."To assure the independence of the research and the researchers, Facebook did not play any role in the selection of the individuals or their projects and will have no role in directing the findings or conclusions of the research," said a blog post by Facebook executives Elliot Schrage and Chaya Nayak. from The News Internationa...

WASHINGTON: The commander of the US prison at Guantanamo, where 40 "war on terror" detainees are still held after 17 years, has been fired for "loss of confidence," the military said on Monday.Navy Rear Admiral John Ring was removed on Saturday as commander, Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, according to a statement from the US Southern Command, which oversees the prison.Ring was relieved "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command", the statement said. "This change in leadership will not interrupt the safe, humane, legal care and custody provided to the detainee population at GTMO," it said.Ring’s deputy, Army Brigadier General John Hussey, has been named acting commander. No specific reason was given from Ring’s removal, which came less than two months before he was scheduled to leave the position, according to the New York Times.The Times said the decision came after a month-long investigation of unspecified nature. The facility, located...

BRUSSELS: The EU on Monday extended a ban on selling arms to Myanmar and prolonged sanctions against high-ranking officials over their role in the Rohingya crisis.The measures, which include an embargo on weapons and other equipment that could be used for repression, will stay in place until at least April 30, 2020. Some 14 top military and border officials are under individual EU sanctions -- barring them from travelling to or through the European bloc and freezing any assets they hold in Europe -- over alleged human rights violations, including killings and sexual violence.Some 740,000 Rohingya refugees fled a military crackdown in Myanmar to cross into Bangladesh, where 300,000 members of the persecuted Muslim minority were already in camps. Rohingya refugees said there had been mass rapes and slaughters, and UN officials have said the crackdown needs a genocide investigation. from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2vza7St

BAGHDAD: The elusive chief of the Islamic State group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has purportedly appeared for the first time in five years in a propaganda video released on Monday by the terrorist organisation.It is unclear when the footage was filmed, but the man said to be Baghdadi referred in the past tense to the months-long fight for Baghouz, IS’s final bastion in eastern Syria, which ended last month."The battle for Baghouz is over," the man said, sitting cross-legged on a cushion and addressing three men whose faces have been blurred. But he insisted that IS’s operations against the West were part of a "long battle," and that IS would "take revenge" on members who had been killed."There will be more to come after this battle," he said. Baghdadi, 47, had a long grey beard that appeared dyed with henna and spoke slowly, often pausing for several seconds in the middle of his sentences.He appeared for the first and last time in public in Mosul in 20...

WASHINGTON: After just over 800 days in office, President Donald Trump has made more than 10,000 "false or misleading claims," according to a tally released on Monday by the Washington Post. The count, kept by the newspaper’s "Fact Checker" database, was started in the Republican leader’s first 100 days in office in early 2017. At the time, Trump averaged just five false claims a day. In the past seven months, that total has risen to an average of nearly 23 every day, made at rallies, on Twitter, in speeches or in encounters with the media.During his "Make America Great Again" rallies, Trump has taken the most liberties with the truth, the Post said: 22 percent of his erroneous comments are made at rallies of his dedicated supporters.Another notable element of these claims is that the former reality television star -- who frequently rails against the "fake news" media -- has a tendency to repeat the same false formulas again and again.The Post sa...

MUMBAI: Billionaires and Bollywood stars urged Indians to go out and vote as they took their turn with Mumbai’s millions of slum dwellers on Monday to cast ballots in the world’s biggest election.India’s film and finance capital took centre stage in the fourth of seven rounds of the mammoth democratic exercise due to wrap up on May 19 with results expected four days later. At least 40,000 police and security personnel were deployed across the megacity of 20 million people while workers were given a holiday to vote for Mumbai’s six lawmakers.Twenty-six of the 10,000 polling stations were staffed by women only. Media scrums were set up at the stations where India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, Bollywood superstars including Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, as well as Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar voted."It’s a very proud and happy day for all of us today. Happy voting day everyone," Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan said alongside his director wife Kiran Rao at a school in...

KHARTOUM: Sudanese protesters on Sunday welcomed a breakthrough in talks with army rulers who agreed to form a joint civilian-military council, paving the way for the civilian administration demanded by demonstrators.Saturday’s agreement would replace the existing 10-member military council that took power after the army ousted veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on April 11 amid massive protests. "What happened yesterday is a step to have a civilian authority," said Mohamed Amin, one of thousands of demonstrators who have been camped for weeks outside the army headquarters."We are happy about the progress in the talks, but we are still waiting for the composition of the council and the civilian government." The joint civilian-military council would be the overall ruling body, the protest leaders say, while a new transitional civilian government was expected to be formed to run the country’s day-to-day affairs, a key demand of protesters.That civilian government would wor...

WASHINGTON: Footage of an American aircraft carrier in the Gulf which Iran claimed it shot with a drone in the Gulf appears to be "several years old", the US Navy has said.The video was shot by a military drone, Iran’s Tasnim news agency claimed on Sunday in a report on its website, and published some of the imagery from the surveillance flight. "The footage the Iranians recently released... appears to be several years old, and of the last deployment to the Arabian Gulf by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)," Lt. Chloe Morgan, US Naval Forces Central Command spokesperson, told AFP in an email.The video, which could not be independently verified, showed a light blue drone of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards taking off from a desert base near the sea, followed by imagery purportedly from its cameras of an escort ship and then an aircraft carrier with planes parked on the deck.Tasnim did not identify the vessels or say when the drone footage was shot, but in the vid...

JAKARTA: Indonesia is considering a plan to move its capital away from sprawling megalopolis Jakarta, officials said Monday, but any jump to a new city could still be years away.The idea of moving Indonesia’s seat of government from an urban conglomeration of nearly 30 million people with some of the world’s worst traffic jams has stretched on for decades. Low-lying Jakarta is also prone to annual flooding and is one of the world’s fastest sinking cities due to excessive groundwater extraction.On Monday, urban planning minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said the long-stalled relocation plan won approval from President Joko Widodo who favoured moving the capital away from Indonesia’s most populous Java island.Jakarta, which suffers billions of dollars in annual congestion-and-flood linked economic losses, would remain the country’s financial hub. "Widodo decided on ... the option to relocate the capital," Brodjonegoro said after a cabinet meeting.In a statement before the meeting, ...

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Monday welcomed hairdressers, hairstylists and beauticians to the Vatican but warned them not to indulge in gossip while feathering locks or painting fingernails."Practise your profession in a Christian style, treating customers with kindness and courtesy, and always offering them a good word and encouragement," he said. Snip split ends and wax limbs while "avoiding giving in to the temptation of chatter that easily creeps into your work environment," he urged them during an audience in the Vatican.He said the cosmetologists should be guided by their patron saint, Peruvian Martino de Porres, a 16th-century barber-surgeon whose miracles include levitation, being in two places at once, instant cures, and an ability to communicate with animals.De Porres, who is also the patron saint of mixed-race people, innkeepers and public health workers, was a barber-surgeon in Lima, an ancient trade which covered everything from haircuts to amputation...

PARIS: The French government on Monday opened a suicide prevention unit for police officers after a sharp rise in the number taking their own lives since the start of this year.The move comes as prosecutors are investigating chants by some "yellow vest" anti-government protesters in recent weeks urging the police to "commit suicide", which have prompted widespread public outrage.Police unions say officers are under intense strain since the eruption of the protests last November, which have often degenerated into violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.So far this year 28 officers have killed themselves, up from a total of 35 for all of last year, according to interior ministry figures. "We have to break the fear, break the shame, break the silence," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said as he opened the prevention unit’s offices in Paris.He said officials would also evaluate practices and procedures in the police forces of other coun...

OUAGADOUGOU: Gunmen killed four worshippers and a pastor in the first Jihadist attack on a church in Burkina Faso, security and local sources said on Monday, in the latest violence to rock the formerly peaceful west African nation.Sunday’s raid took place in the small northern town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province. "Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji, killing four members of the congregation and the main pastor," a security source told AFP."At least two other people are missing," the source added. It was the first attack on a church since Jihadist violence erupted in Burkina Faso in 2015. Former colonial ruler France has deployed some 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces try to flush out Jihadist groups."The attack happened around 1:00 pm, just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service," a member of the ...

BEIJING: China on Monday lashed out at the United States for voicing alarm over the jailing of leaders of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, calling Washington’s comments a "gross interference".Four prominent activists were last week jailed for their role in the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, which paralysed Hong Kong’s central business district for months and infuriated Beijing with its show of anger over the city’s leadership and direction.The US State Department on Friday said it was "disappointed" by the jailing and called on the city to respect residents’ rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. "We expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to these comments," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing."China urges the US to respect China’s sovereignty, respect the rule of law in Hong Kong, respect the judicial independence that the US claims is important, and stop interfering in Hong K...

BARCELONA: A Barcelona court sentenced on Monday a former gym teacher at a Catholic school to over 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting students, in the latest abuse scandal rocking the church in Spain.Joaquin Benitez, who taught for nearly three decades at a Barcelona school run by the Marist community, a Roman Catholic order at the centre of a clerical abuse scandal in Chile, got a jail term of 21 years and nine months for assaulting four students.The court also ordered Benitez to pay the victims a total of 120,000 euros. This is the first sentence since public accusations of abuse against Benitez in 2016 triggered a cascade of other complaints at two other Marist schools in Barcelona.The ruling comes amid sustained criticism of the Vatican’s response to a decades-long sexual abuse crisis. The court said Benitez had an office with a bed "where he took students to give massages and treat injuries".His victims described behind closed doors at the trial in March how Benite...

ADDIS ABABA: At least 17 people have died in communal violence triggered by a personal dispute in western Ethiopia, a report said on Monday.The AMMA news agency said there were clashes on Saturday and Sunday pitting the Gumuz ethnic group against the Amhara, the second largest in the country, in Benishangul Gumuz state. The director of communications, Asmahegn Asres, in neighbouring Amhara state, told AMMA that 11 Amhara and six Gumuz people were killed in the clashes and the toll could mount."The death toll could rise even further as there is a search mission underway to find missing bodies, with federal police and army units deployed in the area to prevent a recurrence of the violence," the director was quoted as saying."Around 25 houses have been burned in the ethnic violence which started as a personal dispute between two daily labourers," he added. Communal clashes, typically sparked by disputes over land, are common in Ethiopia where a fast growing population ...

KABUL: Thousands of Afghans congregated in Kabul on Monday for a rare consultative meeting aimed at finding ways to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban and end Afghanistan’s war.The four-day consultative grand assembly, known as a Loya Jirga, is an attempt by President Ashraf Ghani to influence peace talks between the United States and the Taliban, which the Taliban have excluded his government from.“It is a proud moment for me to have representatives from all over the country here and today we are gathered to speak about the peace talks,” Ghani said in an opening ceremonyin huge tent set up for such assemblies in central Kabul. A Loya Jirga is aimed at building consensus among various ethnic groups and tribal factions and is traditionally convened under extraordinary circumstances.This week’s meeting, being attended by 3,200 trial elders, and community and religious leaders from all 34 provinces, aims to set out Kabul’s conditions for any peace deal. But opposition political leade...

WASHINGTON: After just over 800 days in office, President Donald Trump has made more than 10,000 “false or misleading claims,” according to a tally released Monday by the Washington Post.The count, kept by the newspaper’s “Fact Checker” database, was started in the Republican leader’s first 100 days in office in early 2017. At the time, Trump averaged just five false claims a day. In the past seven months, that total has risen to an average of nearly 23 every day, made at rallies, on Twitter, in speeches or in encounters with the media.During his “Make America Great Again” rallies, Trump has taken the most liberties with the truth, the Post said: 22 percent of his erroneous comments are made at rallies of his dedicated supporters.Another notable element of these claims is that the former reality television star — who frequently rails against the “fake news” media — has a tendency to repeat the same false formulas again and again. The Post said the president passed the 10,000-untruth ma...

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president suspended the chief of police on Monday and appointed a new defence secretary in a shake-up of the shell-shocked country’s security services following the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Intelligence warnings from abroad alerting to possible attacks by extremists were ignored ahead of the multiple bombings of churches and upscale hotels on April 21 that killed 253 people and injured nearly 500. Chief of police Pujith Jayasundara had refused to quit to clear the way for a shake-up of the 85,000-strong force, prompting President Maithripala Sirisena to suspend him on Monday. Senior Deputy Inspector-General Chandana Wickramaratne was appointed acting police chief in his place, Sirisena’s office said in a statement. Separately Sirisena appointed on Monday a former head of the army, Shantha Kottegoda, as the country’s top defence official. His predecessor at the ministry of defence and law and order, Hemasiri Fernando, stepped down on Thursday in the wake of the...

ALGIERS: Algerian Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal was questioned by a prosecutor on Monday in an investigation into alleged corruption including the misuse of public funds, state television reported.Former police chief Abdelghani Hamel was also questioned separately by a prosecutor as part of a judicial inquiry into alleged bribery, the state broadcaster said.Since Bouteflika resigned in early April after weeks of mass protests against his rule, several regime officials and businessmen close to him have been sacked, detained or questioned over alleged graft.Loukal, a former central bank governor, was appointed finance minister at the end of March when Bouteflika, facing massive pressure from demonstrators demanding change, named a new prime minister.A week ago, Loukal and former premier Ahmed Ouyahia were summoned for questioning but it was not clear if they would be heard as suspects or witnesses.State television said Loukal was being questioned in cases concerning “misuse of public f...

JERUSALEM: Israel’s attorney general has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until next week to confirm he wants a formal hearing to defend himself before corruption charges are filed against him.In a letter made public Sunday evening Avichai Mandelblit told Netanyahu’s lawyers that if he wants to excercise his right to defend himself before possible indictment he must notify authorities by May 10. The hearing itself must then take place no later than July 10. Netanyahu’s lawyers have been protesting non-payment of their fees to date and are refusing to collect the case files until they are paid, the letter said.The prime minister wants to raise a $2 million from two American businessmen — his cousin Nathan Milikowsky and friend Spencer Partrich — to pay his attorneys, Israeli media reported.However, the government committee that vets requests by government officials to accept money from outside sources has twice rejected his petition. from The News International - World http://b...

MADRID: Election authorities have banned Catalonia’s former president Carles Puigdemont, who fled Spain in 2017 after a secession attempt, from running in EU polls, his party said Monday. Together for Catalonia issued a statement accusing the electoral commission of wanting to “silence and push aside” Puigdemont “so that he can’t explain what he represents at the heart of European institutions.” The commission decision, seen by AFP, also excludes Toni Comin, who was in Catalonia’s regional government when the secession bid happened and is now in self-exile in Belgium. Clara Ponsati, another former Catalan minister who fled Spain and planned to run in the elections, has been banned as well. The commission would not comment when contacted by AFP. Puigdemont, Comin and Ponsati were all part of a push to hold an independence referendum in October 2017 in defiance of a court ban. That sparked Spain’s deepest political crisis in decades. The referendum in the wealthy northeastern region was ...

BARCELONA: A Barcelona court sentenced Monday a former gym teacher at a Catholic school to over 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting students, in the latest abuse scandal rocking the church in Spain. Joaquin Benitez, who taught for nearly three decades at a Barcelona school run by the Marist community, a Roman Catholic order at the centre of a clerical abuse scandal in Chile, got a jail term of 21 years and nine months for assaulting four students. The court also ordered Benitez to pay the victims a total of 120,000 euros ($134,000). This is the first sentence since public accusations of abuse against Benitez in 2016 triggered a cascade of other complaints at two other Marist schools in Barcelona. The ruling comes amid sustained criticism of the Vatican’s response to a decades-long sexual abuse crisis. The court said Benitez had an office with a bed “where he took students to give massages and treat injuries”. His victims described behind closed doors at the trial in March how Beni...

WASHINGTON: Footage of an American aircraft carrier in the Gulf which Iran claimed it shot with a drone in the Gulf appears to be “several years old”, the US Navy has said. The video was shot by a military drone, Iran’s Tasnim news agency claimed on Sunday in a report on its website, and published some of the imagery from the surveillance flight. “The footage the Iranians recently released... appears to be several years old, and of the last deployment to the Arabian Gulf by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69),” Lt. Chloe Morgan, US Naval Forces Central Command spokesperson, told AFP in an email. The video, which could not be independently verified, showed a light blue drone of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards taking off from a desert base near the sea, followed by imagery purportedly from its cameras of an escort ship and then an aircraft carrier with planes parked on the deck. Tasnim did not identify the vessels or say when the drone footage was shot, but in the video, the number “6...

WASHINGTON: The number of measles cases in the United States reached a record-setting 704 for the year last week, the greatest number of cases in 25 years, health officials said Monday. Three percent of those cases have developed pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that as of April 29, 704 measles cases have been confirmed in 22 US states since the start of the year. That was a jump of 78 cases from the previous week, it said. Measles were declared eliminated in the US in 2000 but this year has seen the greatest number of confirmed cases since 1994. from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2PBRp68

STOCKHOLM: Global military expenditure reached its highest level last year since the end of the Cold War, fueled by increased spending in the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, a leading defense think-tank said on Monday.In its annual report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said overall global military spending in 2018 hit $1.82 trillion, up 2.6 percent on the previous year. That is the highest figure since 1988, when such data first became available as the Cold War began winding down.U.S. military spending rose 4.6 percent last year to reach $649 billion, leaving it still by far the world’s biggest spender. It accounted for 36 percent of total global military expenditure, nearly equal to the following eight biggest-spending countries combined, SIPRI said. China, the second biggest spender, saw military expenditure rise 5.0 percent to $250 billion last year, the 24th consecutive annual increase. “In 2018 the USA and China accounted ...