New Dating App May Help You and Your Dog Find Love

A new app that allows dog owners to connect and perhaps find love for themselves and their pooches has been developed.

Tindog is the first social app for dog lovers who want to connect with other owners nearby that share a similar passion for canines, according to its developer Holidog, an online marketplace for pet services.

The app can also help owners socialise their pet and perhaps arrange dog-dates.

The users can create a profile for their pooch on the app and search to find new furry and human friends. They can chat, share photos and create events to connect with other dog lovers in their area.

Based on Global Positioning System (GPS) location, Tindog will suggest nearby matches and - much like Tinder - allows users to swipe left (no) or right (has potential) through recommended profiles.

If both users swipe right, then it's a match and the new friends can chat to learn more or arrange a meet-up.

"Dogs bring so much joy and love, that they really have the power to connect us. That's why we wanted to make it easy for dog lovers to meet new people around them who feel the same way," said Julien Muller, Founder & CEO of Holidog.

"Whether it's building new friendships or even making a love connection, Tindog is a great way to expand your social circle with others who love man's best friend just as much as you do," Muller said.

I have no links with any political leader: Ayyan

RAWALPINDI: For the first time since her arrest, supermodel Ayyan has taken the stand in court to proclaim her innocence, saying she has no connections with any political leader, Express News reported.
“I have not committed any crime,” Ayyan was quoted as telling a customs court on Monday.
Denying allegations that she maintains links with political leaders and was laundering money for them, the supermodel said, “I have no connections with any political leaders.”
“Pakistan is my country after getting bail, I am not going to run away,” she went on to add.
The customs court once again extended Ayyan’s judicial remand and adjourned hearing in the money laundering case till July 11.
Ayyan was expected to be indicted in the money laundering case on Monday. However, the court accepted the defence counsel’s argument that he was not provided with the complete challans pertaining to the case.
During the court proceedings, Ayyan’s counsel, Sardar Latif Khosa, pleaded the court to adjourn the hearing in money laundering case as a bail plea for her release had already been filed in the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing in the application of Customs intelligence to register a new money laundering case against the suspect till July 16.
Earlier in the day, the model was presented before the court in a police armoured personnel carrier amid strict security.

Eid preparations: Pret wear — a threat to tailors

ISLAMABAD: It is a rather known phenomenon that when Eidul Fitr draws near, Eid shopping gains immense momentum.
Over the years, one business that has been benefiting from high turnover all through Ramazan is that of tailors. However, the trend seems to be changing this year in the capital where people have varied demands and expectations pertaining to their clothes.
Tailors across the twin cities seem to have lost ground to various pret wear clothing options available to women. Catering to different economic segments, readymade clothing stores display their Eid collections way ahead of the big day to attract customers.
The days when tailors had immense workload during Ramazan and started refusing orders from the month’s first week because of pending work are long gone.
“Ready-to-wear has become extremely common these days. People prefer it over the option of buying unstitched cloth and getting it stitched. Readymade kurtas and shirts have not only become common but are in fashion and are considered a status symbol too. This is why the business is suffering,” said Naseer Ahmad a tailor who has a shop in Sector F-11.

In the offing: Gilgit-Baltistan cabinet to be sworn in on Tuesday

GILGIT: A six-member cabinet will be sworn in in Gilgit-Baltistan during an oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday, insiders told The Express Tribune.
The decision comes after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave his nod of approval on a summary containing the names of candidates who are likely to be appointed as ministers in the new government. The list had been forwarded to the PM Nawaz by G-B Governor Barjees Tahir.
Meet the cabinet
According to insiders, the prospective ministers are Farman Ali from Astore district, Muhammad Wakil and Janbaz Khan from Diamer district, Ibrahim Sanai from Ghanche district, Dr Muhammad Iqbal from Gilgit and Rani Atika from Hunza.
The governor will administer the oath to the ministers in Gilgit. Rani Atika, wife of Mir Ghazanfar – governor hopeful – is the only minister who was appointed to the assembly on a women’s seat on a PML-N ticket.

Deciding portfolios
According to a party insider, portfolios have been decided but will be disclosed during the oath-taking ceremony. “These details will come to the surface in due course,” he said.
However, another government official said Iqbal will be appointed minister for health while Sanai is expected to become minister for planning.
Phase-wise
Chief Minister Hafeezur Rahman said the formation of government will be completed in two phases. Talking to The Express Tribune earlier this week, Rahman said each district will be given representation in the cabinet to keep a better connection with the people.
“In the first phase, ministers will be appointed while in the second phase advisers will be appointed,” he added.
With 22 seats, PML–N has emerged as the single largest party in G–B in elections held across the region on June 8.

Four soldiers killed as army pushes to finish anti-Taliban offensive

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
Taliban ambushes killed at least four Pakistani soldiers in the northwest as the military made a new push into the militants’ last major stronghold near the border with Afghanistan, ISPR said on Sunday.

At least four soldiers and 12 militants were killed in a clash on Sunday in troubled tribal belt where the army is fighting a major offensive against Taliban insurgents, the statement said.

The army said the incident took place in the Ghaziza area of Datta Khel town, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of Miramshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district which borders Afghanistan.

“Fleeing terrorists also left behind three of their dead bodies. Four soldiers also embraced Shahadat (martyrdom) in the exchange of fire,” it said in a statement.

A security official in the area confirmed the incident and casualties.

The conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists making it difficult to verify the army’s claims, including the number and identity of those killed. The military says more than 2,700 militants have been killed since the launch of the major offensive.

Bomb blast in Quetta kills one, injures 18

QUETTA:
At least one person was killed while 18 others got injured in an IED blast near Bacha Khan Chowk area of Quetta on Sunday afternoon.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema while speaking to media confirmed the casualties.

“Terrorists have now chosen common people as their target,” he said.

People were shopping in the area’s main market when the blast took place.

Police and security forces soon reached the site and cordoned off the area. The deceased and injured meanwhile were shifted to the civil hospital.

Read: Four policemen killed in Quetta gun attack

According to the hospital sources, four people, including a woman, are in critical condition.

BDS officials said around 5kg of explosive material was used in the attack.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier on May 22, at least one person was killed and seven others including four FC personnel injured in a remote-controlled blast near Qambrani road.

PM Nawaz leaves for Norway to attend Oslo Summit

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for a three-day official visit to Norway on Monday to attend the Oslo Summit on Education for Development, Radio Pakistan reported.

This visit marks the first time that a Pakistani leader is making an official visit to Norway in over a decade and experts hope that this visit will help strengthen ties between Pakistan and Norway.

According to sources, PM Nawaz will address the Education Summit and is also scheduled to meet several world leaders.

Further, delegation level talks are to be held by the Prime Minister with his Norwegian counterpart. Crown Prince of Norway Haakon Magnus would also be meeting PM Nawaz. The visit will be an opportunity for the Prime Minister to discuss bilateral as well as global and regional issues with the Norwegian leadership.

Food poisoning: Stale bread lands over 180 children in hospital

ISLAMABAD:  More than 180 children from a government-run orphanage on Sunday fell seriously ill after consuming substandard food, which caused excessive vomiting and partial unconsciousness.

The children sheltered by Pakistan Sweet Homes (PSH), a project of Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM), were rushed to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for medical treatment. Some of the kids were also taken to Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi for treatment.
PIMS spokesperson Dr Ayesha Isani said around 185 kids suffering from diarrhea were brought to the hospital’s emergency department at around 10am in the morning. Sixty of them were admitted due to their serious condition while the rest were discharged after preliminary treatment. Ten children were still admitted to the hospital when this report was filed on Sunday evening.

12 militants killed in Datta Khel operation

BANNU:  As Pakistani troops made a new push into Shawal Valley, the last major stronghold of Taliban militants in North Waziristan Agency, the military claimed on Sunday that it had killed at least a dozen insurgents elsewhere in the agency.

Taliban militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting soldiers who were conducting a search operation in the Datta Khel area Sunday morning. Four soldiers were slain in the pre-dawn attack mounted by the militants.

Security forces embarked on retaliatory action immediately after the attack, the military’s media wing, the ISPR, said in a statement. Twelve militants were killed in the ensuing fighting, it added.

Three servicemen lost their lives on the spot and another succumbed to his injuries later. The casualties were airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital in nearby Bannu Town where medics identified the slain soldiers as Saeedur Rahman, Muhammad Salim and Fazal Amin.

Death toll from accident to Pakistan army train rises to 17

People gather during a rescue operation, after a bridge collapse led a train to fall into a canal in Wazirabad, near Lahore, Pakistan Thursday, July 2, 2015. At least four cars of a train being used to transport Pakistani soldiers fell into a canal because of a bridge collapse in the eastern Punjab province on Thursday, killing at least twelve soldiers, officials said.


ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s military said Friday the death toll from an accident to a special train that plunged into a canal because of a bridge collapse has risen to 17. Divers were searching for more bodies.
The train derailed Thursday while crossing the Chanawan canal near the industrial city of Gujranwala in eastern Punjab province. Civil authorities and commandos and divers from the army retrieved 80 passengers, five of whom had been injured.
Pakistani army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, tweeted Friday that so far 17 bodies had been recovered and that the rescue work was still in progress.
The dead soldiers included the unit’s commander, his wife and a daughter, the state-run Pakistan television said.
TV networks showed footage of soldiers and civil authorities taking part in the rescue operation as helicopters flew overhead.
Shortly after the accident, soldiers broke the windows of the train with hammers and pulled out passengers trapped inside.
Pakistan Railways spokesman Abdul Rauf Tahir says another passenger train carrying hundreds of people had passed over the same bridge about 90 minutes before the train carrying soldiers fell into the canal.
“We frequently examine our bridges, but it is too early to say what caused the accident,” he told The Associated Press.

British PM David Cameron arrives in Pakistan today

ISLAMABAD: British Prime Minister, David Cameron, will arrive here today on an official visit to hold wide-ranging talks with Pakistani leadership.
According to a handout issued by the Foreign Office of Pakistan, Cameron will meet Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. The meeting will focus on the regional situation with particular reference to the Afghan reconciliation process, the handout added.
It further stated, that both the leaders will discuss ways to further expand Pak-UK bilateral cooperation in various fields.
David Cameron will also call on President Asif Ali Zardari.
The British Prime Minister is also slated to hold meetings with business leaders in Islamabad to discuss new avenues of bilateral cooperation for enhancing mutual trade and investment.
He will also interact with young students to exchange views on various regional and international issues.

Father accused of daughter's murder in Lahore

LAHORE: A father has been accused of murdering his 20-year old daughter who was an MA student.
Imanat a resident of Badami Bagh had divorced his wife six years ago. They have four sons and a daughter. Two of his sons and a daughter lived with the mother, while two other sons lived with him.
His daughter Nasira was leaving for office at 10:00 AM when she was ambushed by her father who allegedly opened fire and killed her.
According to the police, Imanat was not pleased with his daughter’s employment. Nasira’s body has been sent for a post mortem while the police have filed a murder case against her father and two others.

Meera, husband Navid part ways

LAHORE: Pakistani actress Meera and her husband Captain Navid have separated only three months after the couple tied the knot in the United States.
Raja Pervez, Meera’s father-in-law, told media that his son had returned to the US without informing his actress wife.
He said that Meera reached New York yesterday (Thursday) and asked Navid to come to the airport.
Pervez said he asked his son to either leave their parents or his wife, adding that Navid didn’t go to the airport to receive Meera.
He said that Navid’s mother didn’t allow Meera to enter their house as she reached there. 

Imran Khan's sisters not happy with his marriage

 

LAHORE: Imran Khan has tied the knot with anchorperson Reham Khan and while the news of his marriage has been well received, the cricketer turned politician’s sisters are not happy.
According to family sources, Imran’s sisters were not happy as news pertaining to his marriage started circulating and did not even attend the nikkah ceremony held at the PTI chairman’s Bani Gala residence on Thursday.
Imran Khan’s sisters were in Lahore at the time of the nikkah. Aleema Khan told Geo News that they had learnt of his wedding from television. “We were neither aware nor informed of the nikkah prior to this,” she said.
Aleema Khan further said that no member of the family had attended the nikkah. Imran Khan’s elder sister Rubina is also visiting Lahore from the US and staying with Aleema Khan.
Family sources have also informed Geo News that Imran will travel to Lahore to reconcile with his sisters.

Shahzeb Khan's sister says family living under 'tremendous pressure'

LONDON: The sister of a Karachi teenager assassinated by the son of a powerful feudal and industrial family has said that her family and people closely associated with the case have been put under "tremendous pressure" by the defendants and their powerful supporters.
Shahzeb Khan's sister Parishay Khan, who now lives in London, broke her silence for the first time in an exclusive interview with The News here and said that her brother Shahzeb Khan's case highlights how the justice can be manipulated in Pakistani courts. She revealed that the main accused of the murder case are attempting to manipulate the justice system in their favour - by allegedly using their wealth and political influence.
Various tactics have been used by the accused party to divert people from the main objective of the case, she told The News. Rumours regarding a settlement between both the parties have also been spread to malign us and to distort the facts, a distressed Parishay Khan said. She alleged that the powerful Jatoi family are "misleading people by stating that it is a fight against 'Sindhis' whereas it is simply a murder case".
"It has nothing to do with the caste of the murderer. It's only about the brutal and heartless killing of my loving brother whose life was cut short by arrogant people who have no regard for the rule of law and who believe that the justice can be purchased and denied," she said.
It has been over six months that the case has been running but "we are struggling to get justice for my brother and to get his murderers convicted".

'Love marriage' turns ugly outside Lahore high court

LAHORE: A case pertaining to the alleged kidnapping of a girl turned ugly on Tuesday when female members from both sides exchanged verbal abuses and physical blows outside the Lahore High Court.
The case relates to the marriage of a girl named Rimsha, who her family alleges has been kidnapped by a man named Imran. The man’s family, on the other hand, claims Rimsha married Imran of her own free will after the two fell in love with each other.
As soon as court proceedings ended today, female relatives from sides first got engaged in a verbal altercation, trading abuses with each other. The quarrel soon turned physical as the women got engaged in a brawl, trading punches, hurling shoes and tearing each others' hair.
The women had to be separated by security personnel present on the court premises.

New UK immigration rules to hit Pakistanis hardest

LONDON: New immigration rules affecting marriage from overseas came into effect on Monday and it was clear that Pakistanis be the community hardest hit by these heavy-handed laws.
Every year, around 40,000 people come to the UK on marriages or spouse visas. The number of British Pakistanis going to Pakistan to get married has been increasing as the community here retains strong ties back home. Most of the spouses – men and women - from Pakistan come to the UK from Mirpur and Kotli districts in Azad Kashmir, followed by spouses from the Punjab province.
Of the average 40,000 who enter into the UK every year, the number of spouses coming from India tops every other nationality, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Pakistani communities live in the most deprived areas, have the highest number of unemployment in some areas and many of them work in sectors where the salaries are so low that they will not enable them to meet the new Home Office requirements.
The key changes in the immigration rules set minimum income threshold at £18,600 for those who wish to sponsor the settlement of a spouse or partner in the UK. A higher threshold will be required for the additional sponsorship of migrant children under the age of 18: £22,400 for one child and an additional £2,400 for each further child sponsored before the migrant parent reaches settlement.
The new rules will take into account £16,000 and above for the sponsor from the UK but in certain cases savings in excess of £90,000 may be required. In a dreadful move, for entry clearance purposes, only the income of the UK partner will be taken into account and it will not matter how much the person in Pakistan is making from his/her businesses or jobs.

Brigadier (retd) with family killed in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: Four persons of the same family were found murdered in Al Shifa Colony on Tuesday.
Police said that four bodies were recovered from one house in Al Shifa Colony, which were identified as Brigadier (retired) Sikandar Malik, his wife and two daughters.
Police have cordoned off the area, while the bodies have been shifted to the hospital. Further investigation was in progress.

Chaudhry Nisar wants Malik Riaz's man exposed

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday anyone who was bought with 'haram' resources by Malik Riaz, the owner of Bahria Town, should be exposed.
Talking to media persons outside the Parliament House, Nisar demanded that the agreements entered into between Bahria Town and DHA be brought before the Supreme Court, adding he would also provide facts in this regard.
"Whether the Chief Justice's son was given money or not and whether it was legal or illegal will be decided in the court of law," he said while commenting on the suo motto notice taken by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on the allegations that his son Dr. Arsalan Iftikhar received hundreds of millions of rupees from Malik Riaz.
He alleged that Malik Riaz is a man who set a record of giving huge kickbacks to important state organizations and officials, casting an influence on their functions.
It should also investigated, Nisar demanded, as to how an ordinary clerk of MES became a billionaire in a course of only a few years.

Ayyan Ali’s father shot and injured

RAWALPINDI: The father of model Ayyan Ali was shot on Saturday as he was driving to his daughter’s case hearing in Rawalpindi from Gujjar Khan.
Raja Hafiz was attacked by two men on a motorcycle who opened fire on his car. Hafiz was shot in the shoulder and taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Police said the area had been cordoned off and an investigation was underway.
Ayyan’s father said the people who had attacked him were the same whose money it was. Raja Haifz added that he was not being allowed to meet his daughter.
Meanwhile, Ayyan’s judicial remand was extended till April 11 during the hearing of her case at the Customs court.
Ayyan Ali was arrested from the Islamabad Airport on March 14 by Customs officials and was accused of attempting to smuggle $0.5 million to Dubai. 

Zardari worried since Ayyan’s arrest: Talal Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry said on Wednesday that Asif Ali Zardari had been worried since the arrest of model Ayyan Ali.
“Former president Asif Ali Zardari sahib is extremely worried ever since Ayyan Ali has been arrested,” Talal Chaudhry said while speaking with reporters.
The PML-N leader spoke of Zardari’s criticism of the military establishment and said such statements at a time when one year of operation Zarb-e-Azb has been completed were unacceptable. “These statements have been condemned by everyone.”
The PML-N leader added that democracy was being abused because of the PPP governance in Sindh. “Zardari sahib look at your performance and do not malign institutions. Everyone is working within the jurisdiction of the law.” 

Imran Khan's nephews arrested after alleged torture of traffic warden

LAHORE: Two nephews of Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan were arrested in Lahore on Wednesday after a traffic warden lodged a case accusing them of torturing him.
According to police, traffic warden Shakeel had stopped Khan's nephews Azam Khan and Abdullah Khan after they allegedly violated a traffic signal on Lahore's Mall Road.
Police said the two youngsters declined to show the vehicle's registration papers and got into a scuffle with the warden, who claimed that they beat him up.
Police registered a case on the complaint of the warden, after which the accused were taken into custody.

PTI’s Vawda fears fresh police transfers will affect Safoora, Baldia probes

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda late on Wednesday said that fresh high-level transfers in Sindh Police might affect ongoing investigations of Baldia Town factory blaze and Safoora bus carnage.
Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Munir Sheikh, DIG Sultan Khawaja and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pir Mohammad Shah, who were part of the joint investigation teams probing Baldia factory fire, Safoora Chowrangi bus attack among other important cases, have recently been transferred.
Speaking to Geo News, Vawda expressed doubts that these transfers might affect the outcome of the JIT reports.

Rangers arrest MQM workers for ‘forcibly’ collecting Fitra in Karachi

KARACHI: The Rangers paramilitary force claimed to have arrested 16 suspects belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for ‘forcibly collecting Fitra’ in the city’s Rizvia Society neighbourhood in the early hours of Thursday.
A spokesman for Rangers claimed that about 1,000 receipts and Rs31,500 were recovered from the possession of the suspects.

Responding to the development, the Rabita Committee of MQM lashed out at the law enforcement agency for what it termed creating obstacles in the party’s charity activities.
“Under what law collecting Zakat or fitra has become a crime?” the committee asked in a statement issued immediately after the arrests were made.
Khimat-e-Khalq Foundation – MQM’s charity wing – carries out its philanthropy work for the welfare of the masses, it said.
“Arresting workers for collecting Zakat and Fitra is an attempt to create hurdles in the way of welfare work and an atrocity on the masses,” it added.
Earlier, the party had announced that it will soon formulate a strategy against what it termed ‘unwarranted arrests’ of the party workers in the city.
Speaking at a press conference, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the MQM activists were being arrested without any reason. “Over 25 MQM workers including three sector in-charges have been arrested in the last seven days,” he added.

Four ‘terrorists’ arrested with explosives, Iranian diesel in Karachi

KARACHI: The Sindh Police claimed to have arrested four terrorists and recovered explosives and Iranian diesel from their possession here in the early hours of Thursday.
According to Superintendent Police (SP) Baldia Town Ijaz Hashmi, two passenger buses have also been taken into custody during the raid in Saeedabad area.
The buses were being brought to Karachi from Gwadar, said Hashmi adding that explosives and diesel were hidden in different compartments of the buses.

SC reprimands NAB for not investigating major scandals

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court reprimanded National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Zaman on Wednesday for not investigating major scandals and using the bureau’s resources and energies on petty cases.
Taking notice of what it termed NAB’s ‘poor performance’, the court directed the bureau’s chairman to submit by July 7 a comprehensive report on investigations into 150 big corruption cases.
The court also ordered NAB to submit a separate report within a week on privatisation of the Muslim Commercial Bank.
During the hearing of a case related to suspension of investigation into privatisation of the bank, the court ordered the NAB chief to submit a report with details of 50 major financial scams, 50 land scandals and 50 cases of misuse of authority.
The court told the NAB chief it had been informed that NAB was doing nothing against big fish involved in major scams.
“NAB is afraid of some business tycoons who have plunged the country into crises,” Justice Maqbool Baqar remarked.

Resolving overseas Pakistanis’ issues a priority: ombudsman

ISLAMABAD: All-out efforts would be made to resolve the issues of overseas Pakistanis on a priority basis. They are the backbone of the country and they represent the face of the country abroad.
This was stated by Federal Ombudsman Salman Farooqi while chairing a meeting on issues of Overseas Pakistanis at the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat on Wednesday. Representatives of over 30 federal government departments attended the meeting.
Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis Hafiz Ahsaan Ahad Khokhar presented information on how the federal ombudsman office works. He also highlighted future plans to address issues of overseas Pakistanis.
In his presentation, Khokhar stated that nearly 7.5 million Pakistanis were living in 124 countries around the world. He added that the federal ombudsman has decided 152,000 complaints in two years and there is no complaint pending for more than 60 days.
He elaborated upon initiatives taken including a website for handling overseas Pakistanis complaints at the secretariat that have also been connected with the relevant government departments. He further said that an online complaint resolution mechanism has been established in relevant government departments for overseas Pakistanis.
Farooqi highlighted the struggle and contributions of overseas Pakistanis living in different countries. He stressed that the government agencies must resolve their issues on a priority basis. The office of Wafaqi Mohtasib, he added, would be available for the people of Pakistan and for overseas Pakistanis. It will address their issues related to maladministration of government officials.
Khokhar also mentioned that for the betterment of overseas Pakistanis, focal persons have been appointed for the services and complaints resolution. This initiative was taken for the welfare of overseas Pakistanis in 92 Pakistani embassies abroad.
He added that the Foreign Office had been advised to make arrangements to hear complaints through video links in secretariats with Pakistan Missions.

Press briefing: ‘Those killed in Sunday raid were al Qaeda operatives’

LAHORE:  Four people killed and others arrested in a joint raid by security and intelligence agencies at a house in Kala Shah Kaku on June 29 were associated with al Qaeda, Home Minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He said one of the four killed in the raid was believed to be al Qaeda’s leader in Pakistan. He was identified as Abdali. Two others had belonged to the Punjab. They were identified as Faisal Mubashir, a Faisalabad resident, and Saqib Hussain, a Rawalpindi resident. The fourth was identified as Muhammad Nauman, a Tank resident. The suspects arrested in the raid were identified as Hamza and Abdullah.
Khanzada said the suspects had arrived in the city to undertake a terrorist attack at the Intelligence Bureau headquarters on The Mall. He said based on information obtained from the two suspects teams had been sent to Karachi, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad to track down their accomplices.
Khanzada said a week before the raid provincial agencies had been alerted by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) about the possible arrival of the suspects in the city. He said according to the intelligence report three suspects had left Wana, South Waziristan, for Dera Ismail Khan. He said two of them had boarded a bus for Lahore on June 24. Their third accomplice had returned to Wana. He said the two suspects had spent two days at a Tableghi Jamat facility before moving to the house in Al-Raheem Housing Society, Al-Kareem Town, where the raid took place. He said the house had been rented by one of their accomplices for Rs5,000 a month.

Power woes: ‘1,100km transmission line to be laid soon’

MULTAN:  State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said on Wednesday 1,100 kilometre transmission lines would be laid to resolve electricity crisis in the country.

He said 93 grid new stations were being established to eliminate the power crisis as soon as possible. He said 1,000MW would be generated by new power plants by the end of this year. He was talking to newsmen after inaugurating renovations of a grid station in Shujaabad.
Responding to a question, Abid said the PTI had not provided proof of rigging to the judicial commission formed on Imran Khan’s insistence. He said the PTI would lose credibility when the judicial commission made its findings public. He said an inquiry should be held against the PTI and pre-poll rigging in local government elections in Khyber Pakkhtunkhwa.
Abid said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had not launched any hydel project in the province since it was voted in.
He said the PTI should have been banned for attacking the parliament in August last year.
He said peace in Karachi was imperative for economic activity. He said the operation led by Rangers in Karachi was targeting hardened criminals. He said there was no likelihood of imposing of governor’s rule in Sindh.

Spotlight on Indonesia military's 'airline'

Janson Sinaga took his brother Sahat, Sahat's wife Rasia, their daughter and two other relatives to the military airport at 04:00 on that fateful Tuesday.

Sahat's family was visiting Medan, Indonesia's third largest city, from Ranai, a quiet town in the remote Natuna islands off Sumatra.
The family took a commercial flight to Medan, but to make their way home, Sahat decided to take a military transport plane because, he said, "it's more direct and it's cheaper", Janson remembers.
The C130 Hercules crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everybody on board. Janson lost five of his relatives.

Hitching a ride

While people around the world might have wondered how civilians could use a military aircraft for transport, Indonesians in places like Natuna islands see it as quite normal.
The islands are dots on the South China Sea, closer to the Malaysian part of Borneo than any large Indonesian cities. Only one commercial airline operates routine flights there and it does not take people very far.

Why Afghanistan's neighbours fear drugs influx

Could increased fighting in northern Afghanistan lead to an influx of drugs transiting through Tajikistan and Central Asia to Russia and Europe? That is the worry of senior officials in the region.

"The drug situation depends on Afghanistan, because all the drugs we catch come from Afghanistan," Lt Gen Rustum Nazarov, head of Tajikistan's Drug Control Agency, told me in Dushanbe.
He said that Afghanistan already produces 90% of the world's opium and that flow could increase if the Afghan government loses control of the porous Afghan-Tajik border, much of it formed only by the Panj river.
Hundreds of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and Central Asian fighters from half a dozen different groups have seized control of large tracts of the northern Afghan provinces which border Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
"We are looking at a worsening military situation in Afghanistan and the flow of drugs will increase the more the warlords and extremists get to control the Afghan side of the border," said Gen Nazarov.

Digital India: The challenges facing Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated "India Digital Week", aimed at reinvigorating an $18bn campaign to strengthen India's digital infrastructure.

The initiative introduces nine "pillars" that the government will expand on, in its push to try to bridge the country's digital divide. Prashanto K Roy explains the significance of each pillar and what challenges the government faces in trying to implement them.
Digital India aims to have broadband networks that will span India's cities, towns and 250,000 villages by end-2016, along with a system of networks and data centres called the National Information Infrastructure.
The vision is grand.
If successful, it could transform citizen access to multimedia information, content and services. It also gives the government access to a great deal of information.
However, laying cables doesn't ensure they will be used.
After years of broadband and nationwide fibre-optic infrastructure targets, India remains stuck at a total of 15 million wire line broadband users. Yet mobile broadband use has exploded, currently standing at 85 million users, driven by apps like Facebook and WhatsApp, and the sharing of images and videos.
Experience shows that it is communications and content, not empty pipes, that drive network usage. And manufacturing content is not a government strength.
This project needs content and service partnerships with telecom companies and other firms, with new entrepreneurs.

Iran nuclear talks: Deadline extended to 7 July

The deadline for reaching an agreement was 30 June, but all parties agreed to extend it by another week, to 7 July.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that a deal was now "within reach".
But US President Barack Obama has said he will still "walk away from the negotiations if... it's a bad deal".
And Iran's President Hassan Rouhani warned: "If the other side breaches the deal, we will go back to the old path, stronger than what they can imagine."
The so-called P5+1, which includes the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany, want Iran to scale back its sensitive nuclear activities to ensure that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.
Iran, which wants international sanctions that have crippled its economy lifted in exchange, has always insisted that its nuclear work is peaceful.
The extension of the talks for a few days was widely expected, the BBC's Bethany Bell reports from Vienna, where the talks are being held.
She said differences on the key issues remained, including the timing of sanctions relief and the question of access for UN nuclear inspectors.
However diplomats say the sides are closer to a deal than they have ever been, she notes.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif returned to the talks on Tuesday, along with Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Hossein Fereidoun, President Rouhani's younger brother and special adviser.
The presence of Mr Salehi was a sign of Iran's serious desire to accelerate the negotiations and achieve a comprehensive deal, Iran's state news agency Irna said.
On Monday, the US warned that a framework deal agreed in Switzerland in April had to remain the basis for a comprehensive agreement.
It followed a speech by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, in which he rejected the key demands of the P5+1.
He insisted Iran would only dismantle its nuclear infrastructure if the sanctions were lifted first. He also ruled out a freeze on research and development for 10 years, as well as inspections of military sites.
In the US, President Obama has until 9 July to submit details of a final accord to Congress, triggering a 30-day review period before it can be signed and any US sanctions waived.
If a deal is submitted after 9 July, the review period will be doubled to 60 days.

Saudi prince to donate $32bn fortune to charity

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has said he will donate his entire $32bn (£20bn; €29bn) fortune to charity.

Prince Alwaleed, 60, is one of the world's richest people.
He said he had been inspired by the Gates Foundation, set up by Bill and Melinda Gates in 1997.
The money would be used to "foster cultural understanding", "empower women", and "provide vital disaster relief", among other things, he said.
Mr Gates praised the decision, calling it an "inspiration to all of us working in philanthropy around the world".
Prince Alwaleed is listed by Forbes at number 34 on the list of the world's richest people.
The money will go to the prince's charitable organisation, Alwaleed Philanthropies, to which he has already donated $3.5bn.

'Intrinsic part of my faith'

The prince, who does not hold an official government position, is chairman of investment firm Kingdom Holding Company.
The company owns stakes in hotels The Four Seasons, Fairmont and Raffles, as well as News Corp, Citigroup, Twitter and Apple.
The prince will be donating his personal wealth. "This is very much separate from my ownership in Kingdom Holding," he said at the announcement.
"Philanthropy is a personal responsibility, which I embarked upon more than three decades ago and is an intrinsic part of my Islamic faith," he added in a statement.
He said he hoped the gift would "help build bridges to foster cultural understanding, develop communities, empower women, enable youth, provide vital disaster relief and create a more tolerant and accepting world".
Prince Alwaleed's announcement comes during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims are encouraged to give charity and help the needy.
He said the donation would take place over several years and would be overseen by a board of trustees, which he will head.

Egypt vows to continue Sinai offensive 'until IS removed'

Egypt says its army will continue an offensive in the Sinai Peninsula, after clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants left more than 100 dead.

Operations will not stop until the area is cleared of all "terrorist concentrations", the army said.
Air strikes continued into the early hours of Thursday.
The army says 17 soldiers were among those killed after militants launched near-simultaneous raids on military checkpoints in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah.
Local reports put army casualties higher.
The attack was one of the largest co-ordinated assaults in the area yet by IS's local affiliate, Sinai Province. The peninsula has been under a state of emergency and a curfew since October, when dozens of soldiers were killed in a militant attack.
Separately on Wednesday, security officials said nine members of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood, including former MP Nasr al-Hafi, had been killed in a police raid on a flat in western Cairo.

The security situation in Egypt has worsened since the assassination of the public prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, three days ago in the capital.
Analysts said the car bomb attack that killed Mr Barakat also bore the hallmarks of Sinai Province, which was known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis until it pledged allegiance to Islamic State in November and changed its name.