Pakistan News Urdu Fast

President Arif Alvi and federal minister Shafqat Mahmood on Monday filed acquittal petitions in cases related to attacks on Pakistan Television (PTV) and Parliament House in 2014. As an anti-terrorism court began hearing the cases today, twelve accused in the case filed pleas of exemption from appearing before court. Among those who filed exemption pleas are Finance Minister Asad Umar and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Last month, the ATC had granted Prime Minister Imran Khan permanent exemption from appearing before it in the two cases. The cases The anti-terrorism court is hearing two cases – attack on the state television building and Parliament – against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leaders. In August 2014, Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri took to streets in Islamabad against alleged rigging in 2013 general elections and Model Town sit-in. The protest had continued for 104 days. During the sit-in, the protesters beat up SSP Asmatullah Junej...

An accountability court on Monday reserved its verdict on the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) plea to auction absconding suspect Ishaq Dar's assets in Pakistan. After hearing the anti-graft body's arguments today, the court reserved its verdict on the plea. The petition was filed by the NAB after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader went to London for medical treatment and continues to abscond in corruption cases against him in the accountability court. Last week, NAB had submitted to the accountability court details of the former finance minister’s assets that have been seized. During the last hearing, NAB special prosecutor Imran Shafiq said if reservations are not raised within the given time then the assets can be sold. "The accused can approach the court till six months after the assets are sold," he added. The NAB prosecutor further said that so far Dar has expressed no reservations and even if he appears before the court after the a...

Real Madrid were criticised by Israeli officials on Saturday after Ahed Tamimi, a teenager associated with Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation, was pictured being presented with a club shirt. The 17-year-old is visiting Spain this week with her family to participate in various social and political events. According to top Spanish sports daily Marca, she was offered a Real jersey and posed for photos with Emilio Butragueno, the club s former striker and now director of institutional relations. However, Real Madrid has not issued any official statement regarding her invitation on its social networks or website. When contacted by AFP, the club declined to comment. Daniel Kutner, Israel s ambassador to Spain, wrote on Twitter: "Ahed Tamimi does not fight for peace, she defends violence and terror, the institutions that have received and celebrated her indirectly encourage aggression and not the dialogue and understanding that we need." Emmanuel Nahshon, spokes...

The new innovation is emerging in drone technology and now a company has made a complete water-proof drone that can swim on water, like a submarine while its controller, Interestingly, is also full water proof. Spry drone is the world s first water-proof drone, manufactured by American engineers which can fly at a speed of 60 Km/h. The Swail Pro Company, located in Florida, has made it. Spry drone has 4-K cameras , sakat (stall) photography and many other amenities. Although it can fly once for 17 minutes when charged but amazingly it reaches up to a kilometer. It also has GPS systems, apart from mobile apps. Its video can be seen on several platforms simultaneously. According to American experts, its manufacturing and design have been completed in a time lapse of two years.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said the purpose of his visit to the US was not to seek aid but build deteriorating ties between the two countries. “I am not here to talk dollars and cents, I am not here seeking aid,” Qureshi said in an interview with Fox News. The foreign minister said Pakistan wants to fix 'a relationship that went sour – a relationship that has mutually-benefited both sides.' "We have been allies for a long time, it is time to rebuild that powerful relationship," Qureshi said. Talking about Dr Shakil Afridi, the foreign minister said the issue could be discussed with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Afridi’s future, Qureshi further said, lies not with politics but with the courts. “We have a legal process. Afridi went through that legal process, he was given a fair chance to plead his case. He was sentenced, he was convicted and is serving a sentence,” Qureshi added. “We expect you to respect our legal process, as we r...

Iranian TV aired footage showing a March encounter when the USS Theodore Roosevelt was shadowed by a pack of fast attack craft apparently manned by the Islamic Republic’s elite Revolutionary Guards. The camera, said to be installed on a nearby Iranian vessel, captures the USS Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, as well as her escort ship traversing waters of the Straits of Hormuz. Multiple Revolutionary Guard speedboats are seen closing in on the US carrier while an American helicopter is seen cruising over the area. Some activity may be spotted on Roosevelt’s upper deck, with another helicopter preparing to take off. The video was part of an Iranian documentary on the encounter that took place on March 21 in Persian Gulf waters. The 100,000-ton USS Roosevelt has been deployed to the Gulf since last year. Aside from a 5,000-strong crew, she usually carries up to 130 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets as well as E-2 Hawk...

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz made an important decision on Sunday regarding the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee. The former ruling party has decided that in case if fails to gain chairmanship of the PAC then it will withdraw all its members from the other committees. Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is not in the favour of someone from the opposition holding the chairmanship of PAC. The PML-N members will not be a part of any committee then including the standing committees. On September 25, a session of the PML-N had decided to name party President Shehbaz Sharif as its candidate for chairman PAC.

The helicopter of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider was reportedly fired upon when it was flying atop Pakistan’s airspace Sunday. According to details, the AJK prime minister had been travelling to offer condolences on the demise of an acquaintance when his white civil helicopter was shot at from an Indian checkpost. It is mandatory for Pakistan and India to inform each other beforehand the movement of military aircrafts. The procedure, however, is not a prerequisite for the movement of civil helicopters. Later, the white helicopter, confused with a Pakistani military chopper by the Indian military, carrying AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Farooq Haider landed safely.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday asserted that all state institutions stand by Prime Minister Imran Khan and are working together to lead the country toward development. While talking to journalists, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that before Khan came to power, every politician thought that “corruption was their right”. However, PM Khan had ended tolerance for corruption after he assumed office, Chaudhry claimed. When people do not have money to buy medicines then how can a prime minister live lavishly?” said Fawad Chaudhry. “They [the previous government] had ordered cars worth Rs980 million for one SAARC conference,” Chaudhry said, adding that the maintenance expenditure of the cars amounted to Rs350m. He said that previous governments had left the country up to its eyeballs in debt by spending huge amounts of money on extravagance. The new premier was trying to repay this debt. He further said that the budget allocated to state institutions like Pakist...

In yet another hapless incident of similar nature, eight-year-old Aqsa on Sunday succumbed to injuries of stray bullet. As per details acquired, Aqsa was rushed to hospital on Firday after she was hit by a stray bullet in her school. Medics disclosed that bullet had hit Aqsa’s lungs. Aqsa was under treatment at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). Aqsa remained in Intense Care Unit( ICU) for 48 hours. Eventually, she lost her battle for life. In a similar incident occurred few days ago, a ten-year-old girl Amal fell prey to stray bullet during cross-firing between police and robbers. Supreme Court has taken suo motu notice of the incident and constituted a committee to determine those responsible.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Saqib Nisar on Sunday ordered the authorities to arrest Mansha Bomb, who is accused of operating a land grabbing group in Lahore. A two-member bench of the apex court was hearing a citizen's petition against the land grabber at the Supreme Court's Lahore Registry. PTI MNA Malik Karamat Khokhar and MPA Nadeem Abbas were present in court. As the hearing went under way, the top judge asked, "Who is Mansha Bomb?" The police superintendent apprised the bench that the man was part of a huge lang grabbing group in Johar Town. The police superintendent further said that Mansha Bomb along with his sons is accused of illegally grabbing land in Johar Town. "70 cases have been registered against Mansha," the SP said. "When we took action on the court's orders, we started receiving calls to stop our operation," the police official said. In response, the chief justice inquired who had called the police off...

The newly appointed governor of Gilgit Baltistan, Raja Jilal Hussain Maqpoon, took his oath on Sunday in the Governor House. Justice Javed Iqbal, acting chief of the Supreme Appellate Court, administered the oath. Maqpoon, who has now become the 6th governor of the region, is the provincial president of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). On Friday, Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan had resigned from the governorship of Gilgit-Baltistan. Khan, who belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), tendered his resignation to President Arif Alvi. At present, the region is ruled by the PML-N government and the GB assembly’s term will end in 2020. Media reports suggested that a few days ago a representative of the federal government had held a meeting with Governor Khan and asked him to resign from his post. Khan had decided to resign from his post to avoid any controversy. According to the GB Order 2018, a person selected for the post of GB governor should be a local resident. Maqpoon was...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to open one of Europe s largest mosques in Cologne on Saturday as he wrapped up a controversial visit to Germany, with police deploying in force to manage the rival rallies. The inauguration will mark the closing event of his three-day state visit, aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions. Erdogan left the German capital after a breakfast meeting with Angela Merkel, their second talks in two days. While both leaders signalled their interest in a cautious rapprochement, the German chancellor stressed that "deep differences" remained on civil rights and other issues. Erdogan then travelled to the western city of Cologne where several thousand critics took to the streets, protesting everything from Turkey s record on human rights and press freedom to its treatment of minority Kurds. On the bank of the Rhine, demonstrators waved banners reading: "Erdogan not welcome". Cansu, a 30-year-old s...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday stressed that the government should quit its attempts to roll back the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. Speaking to party leaders in Lahore, Rafique said the government's failure was evident from its foreign policy. "The government is trying to sabotage the CPEC project but it should quit its attempts to do so," the PML-N leader said. Further, the former minister also criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government for 'destroying public institutions.' "The current government is destroying [public] institutions that we had improved," the PML-N leader said. "We revived the railways department but the government seems to be inclined on destroying it." Moreover, Rafique expressed his disappointment with the Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad's attitude towards 'honest officers' of the department. "Sheikh Rasheed has given proof of hi...

Governor House Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opened its doors for public starting today. According to Radio Pakistan, the Governor House will remain open for public every Sunday. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had announced to open official buildings for public use soon after taking charge. On its opening day, students of two girls collages are visiting the building, with the Governor House being opened to families in the future. “We are very excited to have a chance to visit the Governor House,” one of the students visiting the KP Governor House said. Another student said, “This is the first time we have a chance to see what is inside the building. I am looking forward to it. Earlier this month, Governor House Punjab along with the Governor House in Murree were opened to the public after receiving Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directives on the matter. On September 7, the Sindh Governor House opened its door for citizens. The public has been allowed to walk in the spacious garden...

The provincial government has decided to take custody of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ehtesab Commission's assets. According to sources, the assets will be handed over to the province's Establishment and Administration Department. Further, the Ehtesab Commission's cases will be transferred to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Directorate of Anti Corruption. While some of the commission's staff will be able to opt for a golden handshake, others will be added to the surplus pool. The provincial cabinet will subsequently decide on revising the status of 41 contractual employees. Speaking to media, KP Secretary Establishment Arshad Majeed said, "Implementation on the provincial government's decision to close down the commission is under way." "In this regard, a repeal act has been sent to the government for approval," he added. The commission was established in 2014 through the Ehtesab Commission Act.  

The death toll from a powerful earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia leapt to 832 Sunday, as stunned people on the stricken island of Sulawesi struggled to find food and water and looting spread. The new toll announced by the national disaster agency was almost double the previous figure. Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla said the final number of dead could be in the "thousands." "It feels very tense," said 35-year-old mother Risa Kusuma, comforting her feverish baby boy at an evacuation centre in the gutted coastal city of Palu. "Every minute an ambulance brings in bodies. Clean water is scarce. The minimarkets are looted everywhere." Indonesia’s Metro TV on Sunday broadcast footage from a coastal community in Donggala, close to the epicentre of the quake, where some waterfront homes appeared crushed but a resident said most people fled to higher ground after the quake struck. "When it shook really hard, we all ran up into the hills," a ...

The foreign ministers of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries adopted a strongly worded statement — sponsored by Pakistan and Turkey — denouncing the increasing attacks on Islam, its revered personalities and symbols, and called for an immediate end to such campaigns. The ministers met on Friday on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly being held in New York. Speaking at the meeting, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed deep concern over the misrepresentation of Islam as well as at the activities that have hurt the feelings of Muslims all over the world, especially the disrespect shown to the most revered personality of Islam. In the statement, which was approved by the ministerial meeting, serious concern was expressed on the intensification of hate campaigns which were deliberately targeting Muslims and the Islamic religious symbols. The joint statement rejected provocative acts like the holding of the caricature contest to ...

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said on Saturday the Palestinians have petitioned the UN's top court, alleging that the US inauguration of an embassy in Jerusalem was illegal. The Palestinians have filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “for violating international law by moving its embassy in Israel to the occupied city of Jerusalem”, he said, quoted by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. In December, US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite Palestinian claims on part of the city and breaking with longstanding US policy. Palestinians have since refused all contact with the Trump administration. The US embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, a day marked by mass protest in the Gaza Strip, where about 60 Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli fire in border clashes. Israel occupied east Jerusalem along with the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War and later declared the ...

A high-level Saudi delegation, due to arrive in Pakistan today, is expected to sign five important Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the government. The Saudi delegation will include petroleum ministers as well as the Saudi finance minister and the energy minister, according to an announcement by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry. The prospect of setting up oil refineries in Gwadar is likely to be discussed by the delegation. According to sources, the Saudi officials are expected to sign an agreement to sell petroleum products to Pakistan on deferred payments. During its six-day visit to Pakistan, the Saudi delegation will also sign an MoU to make investments in the Balochistan Reko Diq gold and copper mines, sources said. Further, agreements to privatise two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plants and sale of phosphate-containing fertilisers to Pakistan are also expected to be signed by the delegation. The Saudi delegation will also visit the Gwadar port and Reko Diq ...

Another flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has joined Lahore Qalandars’ squad for next month’s Abu Dhabi T20 tournament, which will be played next month. The signing was announced from Qalandars’ official Twitter handle with a video message from the all-rounder saying that he’s excited to be a part of the Qalandars’ squad for the tournament which will feature T20 teams from various countries. “Abdul Razzaq is excited to represent Lahore Qalandars in Abu Dhabi T20 and is hoping to apply his exceptional skills and expertise to help his team emerge victorious,” said the tweet on Qalandars official account. Razzaq, in the message, stated that he’s thankful to the management of Lahore Qalandars. “I am going to play for Lahore Qalandars in the Abu Dhabi tournament. I am very excited and thankful to Aaqib Javed, the coach of Lahore Qalandars,” the 38-year-old said. Razzaq, who last played for Pakistan in 2013, has this year made a comeback in domestic cricket representing PT...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to spike target policy rate by 100 bps to 8.5 percent effective from 1st October 2018 in order to further consolidate efforts required to ensure macroeconomic stability, it said in a statement. The central bank said that though political uncertainty has relatively subsided due to smooth transition between governments, “concerns on the economic front continue to persist on the back of rising inflation and large twin deficits that are likely to compromise the sustainability of the high real economic growth path”. “Inflation is inching up, particularly from March 2018 onwards. So far, in the first two months of FY19, headline CPI inflation has averaged 5.8 percent as compared to 3.2 percent for the corresponding months of FY18, and an average of 3.9 for all of FY18,” it said. The bank said that for FY19, SBP’s inflation projections show that the average headline inflation is expected to fall in the revised forecast range of 6.5-7.5 percent...

The foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi warned on Saturday that if India launched any kind of misadventure Pakistan will respond it with aggressively Addressing to Unite Nation General Assembly (UNGA) in Urdu Pakistan foreign minister alleged that the terrorists of Army Public School (APS) and Mastung terror incident supported by India. Foreign Minister Qureshi said there can be no lasting peace in South Asia without a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute based on the UN Security Council resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people. He said India called off dialogue with Pakistan multiple times on flimsy grounds, preferred politics over peace – used the pretext of stamps issued of a Kashmiri activist and depicting grave human rights violations, including pellet gun victims, as an excuse to back out from the talks. “Pakistan continues to face terrorism financed and orchestrated by India – shall never forget the mass murder of more than 150 children in a Peshawar S...

Pakistan once again vindicated its dominance in Asian junior squash by winning three Gold medals and one silver medal in the Asian Junior Squash Championship in Chennai. Abbas Zeb, Hamza Ali Khan and Haris Qasim won the finals of their respective age categories on Saturday while Anas Ali Shah lost the final of U13 and bagged Silver medal. The final of U19 category was won by Abbas Zeb as he defeated the second seed Chung Yat Long convincingly by margin of 11-4, 11-3 and 11-4. The U17 age group final between Pakistan’s Haris Qasim and Malaysia’s Mohammad Amir Amirul Bin Azhar was a nail biting encounter. Haris came back from 0-2 deficit to win the game 3-2 and add another gold medal to Pakistan’s tally. The score for Haris Qasim’s victory was 10-12, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 and 11-9. In U15 final, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hamza Khan outclassed India’s Arnaav Sareen in straight games with the score of 11-6, 11-9 and 11-7. However, Anas Ali Shah went down fighting 3-1 against India’s top seed ...

Prime Minister Imran Khan says a detailed and comprehensive policy will be made to promote tourism in the country in order to make this sector stronger. He was chairing a meeting of Task Force on Tourism in Islamabad on Saturday. The Prime Minister said the handing over of administration of government rest houses to private sector under a transparent and pre-arranged mechanism will promote tourism and ensure proper usage of these assets. He further said that by paying attention on historical sites dotted around the country will provide employment opportunities to millions of youth. The Prime Minister said tourism potential of the country could be highlighted across the country and abroad by using the modern technology and social media. Imran Khan said promotion of tourism is responsibility of the provincial governments but the federal government will help them overcome the obstacles and increasing their capacity. He said special attention needs to be given on promotion of eco, r...

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has decided to keep petroleum product prices unchanged for October 2018 in a bid to provide relief for consumers. The decision came despite the fact that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had recommended an increase of up to Rs4.41 per litre in prices of petroleum products for the monthly rate revision for October. Talking to media on Saturday, Finance Minister Asad Umar said the government had decided not to increase petroleum product prices for the month of October. Existing prices would be maintained as the government did not want to burden consumers with the price hike, he said. The regulator had proposed an increase of Rs4.10 per litre in the price of petrol and Rs4.41 per litre for high-speed diesel. For kerosene oil and light diesel oil, it proposed increase of Rs3.66 and Rs3.39 per litre respectively.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued the schedule and voters’ list for by-elections in the constituencies of national and provincial assemblies. According to ECP, 5.57 million voters are registered to cast their ballots in 12 constituencies of the National Assembly. In the provinces, 2.39 million voters will cast their ballots in 12 constituencies of Punjab, 1.58 million in 10 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 483,167 in three of Sindh and 183,381 in two of Balochistan. As per the schedule, by-polls will be held on a total of 39 constituencies 36 on October 14 and the remaining three have been scheduled for October 31. Eleven National Assembly and 26 provincial assembly seats fell vacant due to different reasons, including resignations by those elected on more than one seat and death of some contesting candidates. Four of the 11 National Assembly seats have been vacated by Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan who won all five seats he contested. The seats vacated by him are: NA-35 (Ba...

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday has ordered to register all illegal housing societies of Punjab. During the hearing, Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi has directed to complete the process in a month. He has also instructed Punjab Chief Secretary to constitute high-level committee in this regard. Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had issued list of illegal housing societies in Lahore. These included Al-Rehmat Town, Theme Park View Housing Scheme, Kamboh Colony, Bin Alam City and others. Earlier, forensic audit team of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also sealed offices of more than 17 illegal housing societies in Sargodha and directed the concerning authorities to stop sale of plots or houses. The bureau had also demanded to lodge case against the developers for violating Punjab Private Housing Schemes act 2010.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar called on Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar in Lahore today. They discussed political situation and administrative matters. The Governor said that improvement in law and order situation in the province is the top priority of the government. He said that the transfer of power at grass-root level will bring positive results. The Chief Minister said that merit will be ensured at all levels.

Senior Sindh minister Nasir Hussain Shah on Saturday has refuted Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Taimur Talpur‘s claim of horse-trading during Senate polls. In a statement, Nasir said that one party received more votes during Senate elections due to rift in other parties. Earlier, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had summoned Taimur Talpur on October 4. On Thursday, in a startling revelation, PPP lawmaker Taimur Talpur had confessed to horse-trading in the Senate elections in the huddle of the Sindh Assembly. Taimur said, “Senate polls witnessed horse-trading. The member who sold his vote to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was also sitting in the House”. "We made a commitment that we won t ever discuss this,” said Nawab Muhammad Taimur Talpur in the Sindh Assembly. A ruckus erupted in Sindh Assembly soon after Talpur’s remarks as opposition’s lawmakers—who were left flabbergasted by the unforeseen disclosure staged protest and urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Ju...

A lawyer thrashed her colleague on the premises of the accountability court on Saturday, saying he pointed fingers at her character during a hearing. It is said that lawyer, Tajammul, made derogatory remarks on his colleague Advocate Nadia’s character during the hearing of a case, following which she caught him outside the courtroom and starting beating him. According to Nadia, Tajammul had also harassed her at various instances. Police personnel present on the court premises did not help, while lawyers threatened media persons for making a video of the incident. In August, a heated argument between two groups of lawyers led to a brawl at the premises of Lahore civil courts. The two groups of lawyers were discussing a case in the committee room when an argument broke out. Eventually, the argument resulted in groups brawling with one another. A video of the incident also surfaced, in which the lawyers could be seen punching, slapping and kicking one another. Both senior and junio...

The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) on Saturday rejected reports claiming the centre's founder, Dr Adib Rizvi, has passed away. The urology and transplantation centre issued an official announcement and said, "This is to inform that a totally false and fabricated news is being circulated on social media and text messages about the demise of Professor Adib Rizvi." "SIUT denies this baseless news," the announcement read. "There is no iota of truth in the messages that are being circulated," it added. SIUT also requested that such text messages not be circulated without authentication from SIUT. Further, the notice said that SIUT is "contemplating legal action under the Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, Section 18 for spreading false news regarding a person". Law enforcement agencies are to take punitive steps against such people that damage the iconic and respected personality of Pakistan, it added. Dr Rizvi is is a pr...

A Hong Kong man has developed the world´s first ever human case of the rat version of the hepatitis E virus, according to new research from one of the city´s leading universities. There had previously been no evidence the disease could jump from rats to humans, the University of Hong Kong said Friday, warning the discovery had "major public health significance". "This study conclusively proves for the first time in the world that rat HEV can infect humans to cause clinical infection," the university added. Rat hepatitis E virus is very distantly related to human hepatitis E virus variants, HKU said. The disease was found in a 56-year-old man who persistently produced abnormal liver function tests following a liver transplant. He could have contracted the illness through food infected by rat droppings, researchers said, according to details of the findings reported in the South China Morning Post. The man lived in a housing estate where there were signs of ra...

Animated movie “The Donkey King” will be released on the October 19 and the film follows the adventures of Mangu Mangu Jan Mangu, a daydreaming donkey who has aspirations to be more successful in life. Aziz Jindani is the director of the Donkey King. The film revolves around a daydreaming donkey who has aspirations to be more successful in life. Earlier, Talisman Studios has released a teaser trailer for its family-friendly cg animated feature The Donkey King.

An anti terrorism court on Saturday sentenced former sessions judge Sikandar Lashari sentenced to death. The former district and sessions judge (Mithi) had been charged with murdering the 19-year-old son of Jacobabad district and sessions judge in February 2014. Lashari had been serving a prison sentence in Hyderabad jail and was presented before the ATC today. During the hearing today, the ATC judge sentence Lashari to death. The second accused in the case, Irfan Bengali, was also awarded a death sentence. Aqib Shahani, the son of Jacobabad district and sessions judge was gunned down in Hyderabad on February 19, 2014.  

At least seven Palestinians have lost their lives and over five hundred more sustained injuries when Israeli military forces opened fire on a group of protesters participating in anti-occupation rallies along the border between the besieged Gaza Strip and Israeli-occupied territories. The Gaza Ministry of Health said in a statement that 14-year-old Mohammed Nayef al-Houm was fatally shot in the chest during “The Great March of Return” protests east of Bureij refugee camp on Friday evening. The statement added that 18-year-old Iyad Khalil Ahmed al-Shaer and Mohammed Bassam Shakhseh, 24, were shot dead east of Gaza City. Four others were later identified as 24-year-old Mohamed Waleed Haniyeh, Nasser Azmi Musbah, 12, 18-year-old Mohammed Ali Anshasi and Mohammed Ashraf Awawdeh, 23. Another 506 protesters were also injured. A total of 210 demonstrators were admitted to hospitals and medical centers across Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment. Ninety people were struc...

The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision upholding National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) better known as NAB Ordinance has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Lawyers Foundation for Justice has filed the petition against LHC’s decision. The petition stated that the NAB Ordinance lapsed after the 18th Amendment and thus the Supreme Court should declare LHC’s decision null and void. The LHC had upheld the NAB Ordinance’s legality while hearing a petition to suspend the conviction of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar in Avenfield reference case on September 13. “NAB Ordinance is an effective law,” the LHC had remarked. “The NAB Ordinance holds and has neither been dissolved nor any changes have been made to it,” the court had stated. The LHC had further said, “The NAB Ordinance will be effective till any amendments are made to it.”          

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice of private universities across Punjab. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Nisar heard a case regarding a degree not being given to a student of University of South Asia’s affiliate college. The bench also directed the Punjab advocate general to submit a report regarding details of universities and affiliated colleges in the province. During the hearing, a Higher Education Commission (HEC) representative informed the court that University of South Asia made affiliations with colleges without seeking permission. “An institute should not only be issuing degrees but also have teachers to educate,” the HEC representative said. To this, the chief justice remarked, “They are defrauding people and have ruined the education system.” “Since when are these universities operating and how much fees do they charge?” Justice Nisar further asked. The chief justice then directed that criminal cases should be registered ...

A tsunami caused deaths when it hit a small city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday after a major quake, collapsing buildings and cutting off power, officials said, although the exact number of casualties was not clear. The tsunami up to two metres (six feet) high struck beaches as dusk fell in Palu, a sleepy but growing tourist resort, and the nearby fishing town of Donggala, closest to the epicentre of the quake 27 km away, officials said. “The earthquake and tsunami caused several casualties ... while initial reports show that victims died in the rubble of a collapsing building,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told reporters. “The number of casualties and the full impact is still being calculated.” Sutopo said the disaster caused a power outage that cut communications in Donggala and surrounding areas. The Communications Ministry is working to repair 276 electricity base stations. Officials said aftershocks, the communic...

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the United States should not lose time-tested ‘old friends’ despite changing its priorities and making new strategic partners in South Asia. Addressing a discussion held on Friday by the Asia Society on the occasion of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the foreign minister said that the US and Pakistan needed each other. “US priorities have changed … it has new friends in the region. But please understand the value of long-standing friendship [with Pakistan],” he said while discussing priorities of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s new government. “Pakistan and the US can’t do without each other,” Qureshi said. “Have new ones but why loose old friends?,” the minister added. “We need to see how to manage this new relationship [with the US] and expectations.” About his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 2, Qureshi said that he had a realistic agenda for the highly-anticipated meeting....

Facebook Inc said Friday hackers stole digital login codes allowing them to take over nearly 50 million user accounts in its worst security breach ever given the unprecedented level of potential access, adding to what has been a difficult year for the company’s reputation. Facebook, which has more than 2.2 billion monthly users, said it has yet to determine whether the attacker misused any accounts or stole private information. It also has not identified the attacker’s location or whether specific victims were targeted. Its initial review suggests the attack was broad in nature. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg described the incident as “really serious” in a conference call with reporters. His account was affected along with that of Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, a spokeswoman said. Shares in Facebook fell 2.6 percent on Friday, weighing on major Wall Street stock indexes. Facebook made headlines earlier this year after profile details from 87 million users were improper...