LOCAL For the first time in Pakistan, a model court used videoconferencing technology to record a testimony The key witness, Roshan Harmozji, rightly picked the accused persons Manooj Kumar and Hina when they were brought before the camera attached with the video link. The accused have been charged with murdering Hina’s husband, Rajeshwar, and committing an armed robbery at Ms Harmozji’s house in Clifton in 2010. With this video-link arrangement, Karachi’s district south model court became the first model criminal trial court in Sindh to have used the e-court system to record testimony of an ailing witness at the prosecution’s request. The National Security Committee reiterated Pakistan’s determination to respond to any “misadventure or aggression” by Indian forces The meeting was summoned by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the wake of the Indian army’s use of cluster ammunition to target the civilian population in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) across the Line of Control (LoC) in violation of the Geneva Convention and international law. Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and other top civil and military leaders attended the meeting. The participants condemned Indian army’s “destabilising efforts” in AJK and occupied Kashmir at a time when “Pakistan and the international community were focused on resolving the Afghan conflict”. They also noted that aggression by the Indian forces will “increase the level of violence and turn [the region] into a flash point and a destabilising factor”. Maryam Nawaz Sharif has asked her supporters to join her when the party calls on them to march to Islamabad On Sunday, during her latest mass contact campaign — a ‘Free Nawaz Sharif’ rally in Khushab — the daughter of incarcerated former premier Nawaz Sharif called on supporters to “heed the call by their party to march to Islamabad for the final shove to topple the government. To [drive the final nail in the coffin] against this fake government, if your party Muslim League Noon calls on you to march on Islamabad, will you accompany me there?” she asked crowds gathered in a village off the Lillah interchange who gave her a rousing reception during her stop there. Three people were killed in Karak and Haripur districts on Saturday as rains lashed KPK The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said Khalid Usman and Safira Jan, the residents of Takhti-i-Nasrati area in Karak district, were swept away in flash floods. However, five people were rescued. A three-year-old girl died of critical injuries after the dilapidated roof of a mud house collapsed in Mohra Kalanwan area of Haripur district. Three girls, who were also studying in a room, were also injured in the incident, which occurred in the morning. The family said the injured girls were stable. GLOBAL Riot police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong yesterday evening during a second consecutive night of clashes The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city is reeling from two months of protests and violence triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law that has evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms. In the latest unrest, police fired brief volleys of tear gas at protesters who were approaching their lines in the well-heeled Sheung Wan district. There were also stand-offs between protesters and riot police close to the Liaison Office, the department that represents Beijing in the city. A huge power outage has hit the Indonesian capital Jakarta and surrounding cities,affecting millions of people The failure began at about midday local time (0500 GMT) and it could take hours for power to be restored. Traffic lights switched off in some areas of Jakarta, worsening congestion in a city notorious for traffic. Passengers on the city’s newly opened metro system were forced to evacuate with commuter trains also hit. “The train stopped all of a sudden, we had to wait for a long time,” Ella Wasila, a metro passenger told AFP. “There were so many babies in the coach, they were crying, and people were shouting ‘open the door’.” Nearly 10 million people live in Jakarta, with a further 20 million living in the surrounding cities, Outages have also hit neighbouring provinces, home to tens of millions more. A shooting at a supermarket in the US state of Texas that left 20 dead is being investigated as domestic terrorism A 21-year-old white man was arrested where the attack took place in the city of El Paso, near the US-Mexico border. He is believed to have posted an online document calling the attack a response to “the Hispanic invasion of Texas”. The man could face federal hate crime and firearms charges which carry a death penalty. The suspect opened fire on a crowded Walmart with an assault-style rifle and surrendered after being confronted by officers outside the store. Saturday’s attack also left 26 injured. “We’re treating this as a domestic terrorist case,” US Attorney for the Western District of Texas John Bash told a news conference, saying the attack appeared “to be designed to intimidate a civilian population, to say the least”.
According to Iranian state media, Iran has seized another foreign tanker in the Gulf A Revolutionary Guard Corps commander was quoted as saying it was “smuggling fuel for some Arab countries”. The commander said the tanker was carrying 700,000l of fuel, adding that seven sailors had been detained. Later reports said the captured ship was Iraqi. The reported incident comes amid high tension after the US tightened sanctions on Iran’s oil sector. The sanctions were reimposed after Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
SPORTS Everton has signed Juventus’ 19-year-old Italy international forward Moise Kean on a five-year deal Kean has scored eight times in 21 games for Juve, who he joined aged 10, and has struck two goals in three Italy matches. He becomes Everton’s fifth summer signing, joining for an initial fee of £25.1m that could rise to £27.5m. “I am very proud and honoured to wear the Everton shirt. I will give my best to this team,” said Kean. “I was convinced to sign because Everton is a club looking to the future and so am I. I know about the size of the club. It has big ambition and I will work very hard to help us fulfil what we want to achieve. “I am used to winning and I want to bring this winning attitude to the team.” On signing Kean, Everton manager Marco Silva said: “A striker was one of our priority signings this summer. “Moise is strong, fast, with many good qualities as a striker and he is just 19 years old. He has talent and he is ready to work, ready to improve our squad and gives us different solutions.” Steve Smith scored his second century on what is being described as his comeback tour during the Ashes tournament Smith, 98 not out at lunch on the fourth day, cover-drove fast bowler Stuart Broad for a boundary early in the second session to complete a 147-ball century with his 10th four. It followed his 144 in the first innings of what is the former Australia captain’s first Test since the end of a 12-month ban for his role in last year’s ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Smith is now just the fifth Australia batsman to have made hundreds in both innings of an Ashes Test following Warren Bardsley (1909), Arthur Morris (1946/47), Steve Waugh (1997) and Matthew Hayden (2002/03).
A Security delegation from Sri Lanka Cricket will reach Karachi tomorrow to decide if it is safe for its national team to tour Pakistan Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani said that the Sri Lankan delegation will visit the grounds and hotels where the teams will stay in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad besides meeting the PCB, police and security officials. According to Press Trust of India report, Mani said SLC has said it would take a final decision on sending its team to Pakistan for the two-Test series based on the report by its security delegation. “The Sri Lankan security delegation will be in Karachi on Aug 6 and then travel to Lahore and Islamabad,” he confirmed. Top Test teams stopped touring Pakistan after terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009. The Sri Lankan team was in the middle of a Test match and was going to the Gaddafi Stadium when its bus came under attack. TECHNOLOGY French inventor Franky Zapata has made the first-ever successful Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard Mr Zapata, 40, took off from Sangatte, near Calais, at 06:17 GMT on Sunday and landed in St Margaret’s Bay in Dover. The invention, powered by a kerosene-filled backpack, made the 22-mile (35.4-km) journey in 22 minutes. Mr Zapata, a former jet-ski champion, had failed in his first attempt to cross the Channel on 25 July after complications with refuelling. “We made a machine three years ago… and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy,” he told reporters, before breaking into tears. “Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell,” he added. A case has been filed against TikTok in the Lahore High Court looking to ban the video sharing app for “vulgarity and pornography” “TikTok is a great mischief of modern times. It is destroying the youth and promoting immoral activities,” states Advocate Nadeem Sarwar in his petition. The Federal Ministry of Law, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) have been listed as party in the petition. The application in-question was created by a Chinese company and introduced in overseas market last year, says the petition. The lawyer pleads that the application has been causing negative social impacts, wastage of time, energy and money and nudity, source of harassment and blackmailing.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, Telecom operators brought in $286 million as direct foreign investment According to a study by the State Bank of Pakistan, Telecom Operators have returned the most profits back to their respective home countries during the time taxes and services charges for mobile topups were suspended. However, during the same fiscal year, they have brought in $286 million in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI). The Supreme Court had struck down mobile top-up taxes back in June last year when the former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar had taken notice of the 42% tax on mobile top-ups. While the taxes have been restored, the State Bank, however, noted that these companies have made profit repatriation of $305 million during the time the taxes were suspended (FY 2018-19). This is also influenced by the fact that Jazz and PTCL recorded handsome growth during the same period.
ENTERTAINMENT The Original animator of The Lion King have called the live-action remake “cheap” The film failed to impress one of the original animator’s of the 1994 classic, David Stephan who called it “cheap”. In an interview with HuffPost, he said, “If you polled the crew of the original Lion King , most of them would say, ‘Why? Did you really have to do that?’ It kind of hurts.” He added, “It’s sort of sad that the stockholder is now in the room deciding what movies get made. Disney’s now taken the cover off, and it’s now in your face: ‘Yeah, we just want to make money.’ That’s disappointing as an artist, from a studio that was founded on originality and art.” Osman Khalid Butt thinks cancel culture in Paksitan’s entertainment industry has gone too far In a tweet, the actor shared a note starting off with how banning an actor due to his opinion, “however dangerous said opinion might be, sets a dangerous precedent. Because then your outrage cannot remain selective.” He called to end this cycle of pitting celebrities against one another, such as when they appear on talk shows and are asked to give their candid views for the sake of fodder, adding that the industry needs to be unified and respectful of each other. And no, he isn’t suggesting they lie through their teeth while sharing an opinion but that “criticism can be constructive rather flagrantly dismissive, no?” Added Osman, “Problematic behaviour should and must be called out. But you cannot play at extremes either way.” Selma Blair holds her son Arthur close as she shares more about her struggle with multiple sclerosis The two hugged in a new photo as the actress explained that “It is darkest before the dawn, I have always heard. I keep it in mind. And I still get overwhelmed in the chaos of the dark. And I am so deeply moved at how many people called or wrote or left comments after my last post,” read her caption. Blair recently shared that she had lost her hair as a result of some of her medical treatment. “The old me was ashamed,” she continued. “Ashamed to be so transparent with vulnerability or fear. And I wanted to delete the image. The heart bruised words. But you all changed that with your words of support. I was humbled … Maybe I will print and put in a book for when I need it again.” Blair added that she “failed as a mom a million times yesterday” but “Arthur was fine.”
Menu
Menu