'Monster' earthquake shakes Anchorage, Alaska; Widespread damage reported

Around 8:30 a.m. AKST, a massive earthquake shook the city of Anchorage, Alaska. The National Weather Service initially issued a tsunami warning for nearby coastal waters, but at 10:00 a.m. AKST, the warning was canceled.

Gov. Bill Walker has issued a disaster declaration in Alaska in response to Friday’s earthquake, which was approved by President Donald Trump.

CANCELLATION: M7.0 005mi N Anchorage, Alaska 0829AKST Nov 30: No tsunami observed

#NTWC

— NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) November 30, 2018

The Anchorage School District has canceled classes and its buildings will be examined for potential damage and gas leaks, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Anchorage Municipal Manager Bill Falsey said that over two dozen mainline water breaks have occurred in the city, leaving some residences flooded, according to the AP.

Evacuations have taken place throughout the city as stores, buildings and homes have been impacted. Employees working in the air traffic tower at the Anchorage Airport were also evacuated, as the tower is inspected for damage.

Pictures shared on Twitter show widespread power outages already impacting areas. 

Major quake here in Anchorage. You can see power outage across much of the city. Lots of damage. #earthquake #anchoragequake pic.twitter.com/nsgeoJf579

— Don Rearden (@donrearden) November 30, 2018

For families and individuals impacted by the power outages and destruction, the weather and temperatures in the coming days will be manageable.

"The good news is that bitter cold is not expected," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said. "Temperatures will actually be a little above normal for at least the next six to 10 days."

However, for the crews handling repairs and cleaning up the destruction left behind by the earthquake, smaller storm systems in the coming days may cause issues.

"While only light rain and snow is expected over the weekend, there will be strong winds," Samuhel said. "The Turnagain Arm, which is just southeast of Anchorage, could see winds of 50-60 miles per hour. Winds in Anchorage could reach 40 miles per hour. A more significant storm could bring a few inches of snow Sunday night into Monday morning."

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski added that the limited sunlight will also hamper recovery efforts.

"The biggest obstacle is short daylight," Sosnowski said. "Crews will have to be using spotlights due to the limited daylight."

Road and bridge damage has also been reported in and around the city.

The United States Geological Survey also released an aftershock forecast, warning Anchorage residents to be prepared for aftershocks and ensuing damage. "According to our forecast, over the next 1 Week there is a 4 % chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 7.0. It is likely that there will be smaller earthquakes over the next 1 Week, with 20 to 2,200 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks. Magnitude 3 and above are large enough to be felt near the epicenter. The number of aftershocks will drop off over time, but a large aftershock can increase the numbers again, temporarily."

Within the first 12 hours following the major earthquake, the USGS reported over 100 aftershocks in the area measuring at least 2.5 on the Richter scale.

The Anchorage Police Department is operational in the city and alerted people that many roads and bridges are closed. They added that there has been major infrastructure damage across Anchorage with damage to many homes and buildings.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin shared on Twitter that her house was damaged by the quake.

?? for Alaska. Our family is intact - house is not... I imagine that’s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake.

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 30, 2018

Lady Health Workers stage protest outside SC Lahore registry

Lady Health Workers on Saturday staged protest outside Supreme Court ‎‎(SC) Lahore registry, demanding to increase their salaries. ‎

According to details, the protesters demanded the concerned authorities to make them permanent ‎and urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to take notice of the issue.

‎They chanted slogans against the district government and said that they are being paid very low for their services.‎

The workers also warned of continuing the protest if their demands are not met. ‎

 

FM Qureshi terms Indian army chief's remarks to make Pakistan secular state 'illogical'

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday has termed the ‎remarks of Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat regarding turning Pakistan into a secular state as illogical.‎

Talking to media in Multan, the foreign minister rejected General Rawat’s statement, saying that the ‎ideology of Pakistan cannot be changed at any cost. Opening of Kartarpur corridor may improve ‎Pakistan and India relations, he added.‎

On Friday, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that Pakistan ‎has to develop as a ‎secular state if it wants to enjoy good ties with India.‎

Responding to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement regarding peace and dialogue between the two ‎‎countries, General Rawat said that its Pakistan’s turn to show practical action against terrorism.‎

While ignoring worst behavior with the Kashmiris and minorities in India, the army chief asked Pakistan ‎to take steps ‎for secularism. ‎

UN Official: Polio Remains Global Threat

Tremendous progress has been made in efforts to wipe out polio around the world. Before a global eradication program began 30 years ago, about 350,000 children became paralyzed from polio each year. The figure dropped to 28 in 2018.

Nevertheless, Helen Rees, chair of the World Health Organization’s emergency committee, said Friday that polio remained an international threat. She said every available health strategy must be used to prevent the wild polio virus from spreading across borders.

"The fear is that we might well see a resurgence, that we could see exportation again and a reversal of all of the work and all of the country global efforts that have gone into trying to eradicate polio,” Rees said. “And we certainly cannot allow that to happen."

Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Rees said that over the last few months, there has been a worrying exportation of the wild polio virus to and from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“We have got widespread, positive environmental sampling in Pakistan,” she said. “And in Afghanistan, because of the more difficult situation there in terms of security, we are unable to access probably as many as a million children for vaccination."

Separately, there is good news from the African region. The director of WHO's polio eradication program, Michel Zaffran, noted that the wild polio virus has not been seen in Nigeria since it was last detected more than two years ago.

If this keeps up, he said, the regional certification commission could be able to declare the wild polio virus eradicated from the African region at the end of 2019 or early 2020. He said $4.2 billion would be needed over the next five years to see the last of this disease.

Polio, which has no cure, invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. The WHO says polio is transmitted from one person to another through the fecal-oral route, or less frequently by a common vehicle like contaminated food and water. Fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and limb pain are among polio's symptoms.

Kremlin Says Putin, Trump Will Meet on Sidelines of G-20

Russian authorities said Friday that Vladimir Putin will have a brief meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"There is no scheduled pull-aside," was the only response from a White House official when queried about a Kremlin spokesman saying there would be an "impromptu" meeting on the G-20 sidelines. The U.S. comment, however, leaves open the possibility there could, indeed, be an unscheduled encounter.

On Thursday, Trump said he was canceling his scheduled meeting with the Russian leader following Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian vessels and their crews in the Black Sea region.

"Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina," Trump tweeted Thursday on Air Force One on his way to Buenos Aires.

The announced cancellation also came hours after U.S. prosecutors revealed that Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted lying to Congress about a Trump real estate deal in Russia.

The revelation signaled the special counsel is focusing more closely on the Trump campaign's communications with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. When asked about the canceled Putin meeting Friday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders emphasized the move was about Russia's action in Ukraine, not the special counsel's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.

"The Russian witch hunt hoax, which is hopefully now nearing an end, is doing very well. Unfortunately, it probably does undermine our relationship with Russia. However, the reason for our canceled meeting is Ukraine. Hopefully, that will be resolved soon so that productive conversations can begin," Sanders told reporters in Buenos Aires.

FBI raids home of whistleblower who had ‘dirt’ on Clinton Foundation, Mueller

More than a dozen FBI agents searched for six hours the house of a contractor who had given Congress and the DOJ documents about the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One scandal, implicating then-FBI director Robert Mueller.

Sixteen agents showed up at the Maryland home of Dennis Nathan Cain on November 19, the Daily Caller reported this week, citing Cain’s attorney Michael Socarras. They demanded to see the documents Cain had already turned over to the Department of Justice inspector-general and the House and Senate intelligence committee.

“I cannot believe the Bureau informed the federal magistrate who approved the search warrant that they wanted to search the home of an FBI whistleblower to seize the information that he confidentially disclosed to the IG and Congress,” said Socarras. He also objected to the fact that the FBI at no point reached out to him, even though Cain provided the agents with his contact information, calling that “serious misconduct.”

Many are missing why this is so chilling.

The FBI raided the Clinton Foundation whistleblower’s home to recover the damning info on Mueller and the Clintons so that it wasn’t out there in the public domain.

Copies had already been provided to DOJ. https://t.co/YgTNYIOWpJ

— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) November 30, 2018

FBI spokesman Dave Fitz confirmed to the Daily Caller that the bureau had conducted “court authorized law enforcement activity,” declining to comment further.

The search warrant, signed by federal magistrate Stephanie A. Gallagher in the US District Court for Baltimore, said that Cain possessed “stolen federal property.”

Cain informed the agents that he was a federally protected whistleblower, but gave them the documents at their insistence, Socarras said. Even so, they searched his house for hours afterward.

So, yes, to repeat:

The FBI raided the home of a whistleblower, who not only has information on the Clinton Foundation,

but also on Mueller regarding Uranium One. #ClintonFoundation

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) November 30, 2018

What were the agents looking for? According to the Daily Caller, they were after the document suggesting that Robert Mueller – now special counsel in charge of the “Russiagate” probe targeting President Donald Trump, but FBI director back in 2001-2013 – failed to investigate allegations of criminal misconduct in the case of Uranium One.

The Canadian-based mining company controls over 20 percent of the US uranium supply, and was sold to the Russian conglomerate Rosatom in 2010. The sale needed to be approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFUS), which was chaired by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Since then, multiple whistleblowers have revealed claims of misconduct, bribery and fraud on part of the people involved in the sale, even suggesting a “pay for play” scheme in which the Clinton Foundation received millions of dollars in donations in exchange for greenlighting the deal. Republicans have also pointed to Bill Clinton’s $500,000 fee for a speech in Moscow in 2010 as evidence the Clintons were peddling influence for Russian money.

Democrats have dismissed the apparent scandal as a right-wing conspiracy theory, and Clinton herself called the accusations of wrongdoing “baloney.”

In April this year, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked the Utah-based US Attorney John Huber to investigate both the Uranium One probe and the FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server. That second probe was the subject of a scathing report in June by the DOJ IG Michael Horowitz, the same official to whom Cain gave the documents as a whistleblower. The status of that investigation is currently unknown.

Monstrous 1-ton ocean sunfish caught in Russia's far east, thrown to the bears

The group of Sakhalin fishermen did not expect to find the Lovecraftian monster in their nets as they took to the sea for smaller fry on Saturday. The enormous fish, considered a delicacy in some cultures, proved to be a dead weight as it didn't make it to the shore fresh.

Russian fishermen pulled a 1,100 kg ocean sunfish which got stuck in their net in the waters near Iturup island, according to Sakhalin info. Also known as moonfish and mola, the bizarre-looking creature is the heaviest bony fish on Earth.

“There has been no such specimen that I can remember; there is the dolphinfish, also known for its size and reaching 1.5 meters, but I have never seen a sunfish weighing more than a ton here before,” said fisherman Artur Balkarov.

By the time the fascinating behemoth was brought ashore three days later, it had begun rotting. The fishermen had no choice but take it to a dumping site where locals bring their fishing waste for wild animals, including bears.

While trade in moonfish meat is prohibited in the EU, a number of Asian countries, such as Japan and Taiwan, see it as delicious treat and handy ingredient in traditional medicine.

Aleema Khan says will reply to allegations levelled against her in supreme Court

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan on Friday said she will respond to all allegations levelled against her in the Supreme Court.

A day earlier, the Supreme Court while hearing a suo motu case on foreign properties owned by Pakistani nationals, directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to present property and tax amnesty details of Aleema Khan.

Aleema Khan, who is currently on a tour of Japan to raise funds for NUML University, while addressing an event in Tokyo said, “I am being asked tough questions because I am in the headlines these days.”

“I am answerable to God and when the court summons me I will respond to their questions as well,” she added.

The premier’s sister further said that she’s “not a public office holder but a private citizen” and “will reply where she has to”.

“I am being asked where I got the money from [to purchase property]. I inherited this money from my maternal and paternal grandfathers as well as my parents and even earned myself,” she continued.

Aleema, who is a board member of the Shaukat Khanum Hospital, added, “None of us board members have ever touched the money that has been raised and nor have we ever tried to earn money through the wrong means.”

Stating that the allegations against her “hurtful”, she said, “My father was also accused of corruption and that was painful.”

“My father taught us to always be honest and forget taking bribes he never even gave them except to one telephone person who he used to give Rs100,” Aleema added.

She further said that Imran “always opposed accumulating money”.

Former President George H.W. Bush Dies: A Life of Commitment to US

George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, a man born of patrician pedigree, but with a sense of honor, duty and service to his country that played out over the last 60 years of the 20th century, died Friday at age 94.

In a life on the world stage and at the highest levels of the American political scene, Bush lost and won elections before becoming the American leader in 1989, and then, with a declining U.S. economy and unemployment rising, was turned out of office after four years in the White House, losing his re-election bid in 1992.

He marked the start of his presidency with a sweeping inaugural declaration that “a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man’s heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree.”

His pronouncement soon proved prophetic, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union occurring early in his presidency. Bush met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, their Malta talks viewed as an important stepping stone toward the two leaders signing the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

During his four years in the White House, Bush ordered a military operation in Panama to overthrow its drug-trafficking leader, Manuel Noriega. Later, he sent troops to the Mideast to repel Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in his attempted takeover of oil-rich Kuwait. It was perhaps the high point of Bush’s presidency, his approval rating among U.S. voters reaching a record 89 percent, with a fireworks display lighting the night-time sky over Washington to salute the successful mission.

Upon later reflection, Bush’s foray into Kuwait was considered as something less than a total victory in that many Iraqi troops were pushed back into their homeland, rather than captured or killed, and Hussein remained in power, only overthrown years later in the 2003 U.S. invasion ordered by Bush’s son, President George W. Bush.

The elder Bush said he rejected an overthrow of the Iraqi government because it would have “incurred incalculable human and political costs. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq.”

Early commitment to country

Bush’s commitment to his country came early in life. He was a naval fighter pilot in World War II, attacking Japanese targets at the age of 18, victorious in one of the war’s largest air battles, the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Later, he completed one mission after his plane was hit by flak, leaving his engine on fire. He bailed out of the aircraft and was rescued in the waters off the Bonin Islands.

In his rise to the presidency, Bush held a variety of key positions over the years, often deemed by Republican presidents as the most qualified man in U.S. public life. He served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the early 1970s, chairman of the Republican National Committee a short time later, then as chief U.S. envoy to China in the mid-1970s. Later, he was director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

He was not always a successful politician, losing a 1964 election for a U.S. Senate seat from Texas, where he later founded an oil company. He won an election for a seat in the House of Representatives before losing another bid for a Senate seat. That loss set him on a path to the string of high-level appointments in the 1970s.

​Reagan’s running mate

Bush sought the 1980 Republican presidential nomination but lost it to then-California governor, Ronald Reagan, who tapped Bush as his vice presidential running mate in two successful national campaigns, in 1980 and again four years later.

With Reagan barred by the U.S. Constitution from serving more than two terms, Bush plotted a presidential run for 1988, ultimately defeating the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

The campaign was marked by an infamous political television ad produced by a group supporting Bush that depicted Dukakis as weak on crime because as governor he had released on weekend furlough a convicted killer, a black man named Willie Horton, who then raped a white woman and assaulted her white fiance. Some critics viewed the ad as racist and an attempt to play on white voters’ fears of crimes committed by menacing black men.

Four years later, however, Bush lost the presidency to Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, although the two later became friends, occasionally dispatched by subsequent U.S. presidents to oversee assistance efforts after natural disasters.

Elder statesman

In his retirement years, Bush watched as one of his sons, George W. Bush, twice won the presidency, only the second time in U.S. history that a father and son both became the U.S. leaders. Bush oversaw the opening of his presidential library in College Station, Texas, and was widely honored as an elder statesman. But on several occasions, as he was confined to a wheelchair while he battled a form of Parkinson’s disease, he had to apologize for inappropriately touching women who were standing next to him after telling a sexually suggestive joke.

Bush was married for 73 years to the former Barbara Pierce, a woman he met in his teenage years. It was the longest marriage among any U.S. presidential couples. She died at 92 in April 2018.

23 civilians killed in US air strike in southern Afghanistan, UN probe reveals

At least 23 civilians, including women and children, were killed by a US air strike in southern Afghanistan earlier this week, according to a UN investigation, as ordinary Afghans continue to bear the brunt of the 17-year conflict.

“Initial findings indicate that the vast majority of the victims were women and children,” the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a report received by AFP, adding that at least three people were also injured in the attack.

The strike occurred during a firefight between Afghan special forces working with US advisers and Taliban insurgents on Tuesday in restive Helmand province.

Nato said air support was requested by security forces on the ground as the militants deployed heavy weapons and retreated into a nearby compound.

Provincial authorities had earlier said several members of a single family appeared to be killed in the strike, with one official saying “at least 18 civilians were killed”, which could not be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Nato has said it was investigating the incident.

Haji Mohammad, who lived near where the incident occurred, said the strike came after the Taliban entered a home during a battle with security forces, saying it killed several civilians inside along with nine insurgents.

Civilians continue to face “extreme levels of harm”, a recent UN report said, with 8,050 people killed or wounded in the January to September period this year.

Violence has escalated in the past year as US and Afghan forces press ground and air offensives against Taliban and IS insurgents.

The Taliban has also upped assaults on Afghan forces even as the United States increased efforts to engage the militants in peace talks.

Washington is trying to find a way out of the conflict more than 17 years since it began.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is spearheading efforts to strike a peace deal with the Taliban before Afghanistan's presidential election, scheduled for April next year though officials have said it could be postponed until July.

A Taliban delegation met with Khalilzad in Doha in October and November to discuss ending the Afghan conflict. Khalilzad has said he is “cautiously optimistic” for an end to the conflict.

PPP calls on CJP to take notice of party leadership's 'media trial'

The PPP has called on Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take notice of what it calls a "media trial" of the party's top leadership, allegedly at the behest of investigators probing a money laundering case.

PPP-Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and several of their business associates are currently being probed as part of a 2015 case regarding fake accounts and fictitious transactions — which were initially found to have totalled Rs35 billion — conducted through 29 ‘benami’ accounts in Summit Bank, Sindh Bank and UBL.

While forming a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the 'fake' accounts case, the Supreme Court had barred the probe team and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from issuing press releases or providing information about the investigation to the media.

"Honourable SC in its order ... had clearly directed that to ensure transparent and effective inquiry, no member of the JIT or FIA will divulge any information to the media," said a statement issued by Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesperson for PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

"Sadly what we are seeing is that in clear violation of SC orders, sources 'within JIT' are openly being quoted on various talk shows and media outlets, to speculate on the ongoing inquiry," the statement claimed.

The PPP lawmaker said that the alleged speculation is being done with a "mala fide agenda" to malign the party's top leadership and to "create confusion in the minds of the general public".

“This raises a lot of questions on the credibility of the investigators, the conduct of the investigation and [it] seems that the outcome is already pre-determined,” Khokhar said.

He expressed the hope that Justice Nisar would take appropriate action regarding their complaint.

Zardari, his siblings and their business associates face allegations that they illegally channelled funds through the said fake accounts to launder them in connivance with the CEOs of major banks.

Peshawar girl students thrash harassers at busy market

In an act of bravado, two girl students thrashed two young men catcalling at them at a busy market of Peshawar forcing them to flee.

In an undated video clip that went viral on social media on Friday, the two girl students wearing hijab could be seen angrily slapping across the faces of two young men as a crowd gathers at the scene.

Surprisingly, none of the onlookers in the crowd came forward to help the girls. The owner of a shop in the market told media, the men had been teasing and catcalling the girls for the past few days.

“Today, when the men tried to intercept the women, they reacted angrily, snatched the keys of the motorcycle they were riding and started slapping them right in the middle of the market,” he added.

As onlookers gathered at the scene of the brawl, the men denied they eve teased or catcalled at the women, further angering the girls. While the crowd looked on, one woman grabbed one harasser and hit him repeatedly.

However, he managed to break himself free and ran away, shows the video clip. The woman chased him until he disappeared at a street corner. The other man, in the meantime, received sound drubbing before the crowd intervened.

Last year, two teenaged girls beat up a man after he groped one of them on Tariq Road, an upscale shopping district of Karachi, when they were shopping.

Search of Deutsche Bank offices continues in German 'Panama Papers' probe

German authorities are continuing to search offices of Deutsche Bank as part of an investigation into suspicion that some employees helped set up offshore companies that were used to launder hundreds of millions of euros.

The Frankfurt prosecutors' office told the dpa news agency on Friday that additional materials were being secured in the second day of the raids.

On Thursday, about 170 police officers, prosecutors and others searched through the bank's headquarters in Frankfurt and buildings in nearby areas, seizing electronic and paper records.

Prosecutors say information from analysis of documents leaked from tax havens in recent years, including the 2016 "Panama Papers", prompted their investigation.

Two employees, aged 50 and 46, are currently under investigation for allegedly failing to report suspicious transactions but prosecutors say the investigation could broaden.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Deutsche Bank confirmed the search and said "the investigation has to do with the Panama Papers case".

"More details will be communicated as soon as these become known. We are cooperating fully with the authorities," the bank said.

American blind girl travels to Pakistan to marry visually impaired cricketer

As marrying a US national is making headlines these days, in a new ‘love story’ a Pakistani visually impaired cricketer has tied the knot with an American blind girl in Bahawalpur.

It all began after Brittney Montgomery, the American national, befriended Mujeebur Rehman on the popular social media platform – Facebook.

She travelled to Pakistan on Wednesday and married to Mujeeb on Thursday in the city of Punjab. The groom is partially blind while his bride is completely blind.

Brittney embraced Islam two years ago after becoming the Facebook friend of the visually impaired sportsman.

According to Pakistan Blind Council’s spokesperson, the Bahawalpur born cricketer is a fast bowler and has played key roles in several victories for the Bahawalpur Blind Cricket Team.

“This time instead of winning a cricket match, Mujeeb won the heart of an American girl,” he added.

PMLN leaders react to PTI govt's performance

Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbsi on Friday said that the policies of his party should be implemented if the PTI government was serious in resolving issues facing the country.

Addressing a press conference along with other PML-N leaders in Islamabad on Friday, he said that the prime minister didn’t say a single word about tax evaders, adding that those who don’t pay taxes have weaken the system.

Criticising the government, Abbasi said that they regret PM Imran couldn’t even hire a peon in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), adding that he should decide if the anti-graft watchdog was under his control or not.

“The value of rupee has depreciated to the lowest level in history,” the former premier said and added the reforms introduced by former minister Miftah Ismail are the only way to stop money laundering and theft.

Taking a jibe at PM Imran’s speech, Abbasi asked the government reveal the country where US$11 billion are and bring the money back to Pakistan.

The PML-N leader said that the government has not revealed any plan on how it would construct five million houses.

Speaking on the occasion, former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan couldn’t even get to know which departments come under federation and which come under provincial government.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the prime minister had said that he will end corruption within 90 days. “Despite passing of 100 days, the premier hasn’t learnt the rules of business,” he added.

Earlier, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that nation should not be disappointed and should search on ‘Google’ the next 100-day plan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

PML-N reacted over the 100-day performance of the PTI government after they held a ceremony on November 29, regarding completion of their first 100 days in government.

PML-N leader and former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair also has criticized the performance of PTI government that failed to give satisfactory results and now has announced to give another plan.

Mohammad Zubair added that PM Imran Khan failed to present any achievement of government.

On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also strongly criticized the government and termed the first 100 days of PTI government u-turn.

PPP chairman spokesperson said that PM Khan’s address on the occasion of completion of 100 days was not an effective speech as he had nothing to inform the nation.

The spokesperson further said that the extraordinary increase in the prices of electricity, gas and gasoline has worried people.

“Political intervention in police and bureaucracy has exposed the claimants of change,” he added.

Former Opposition Leader in National Assembly (NA) Khurshid Shah said that the premier was feeling proud over asking for loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Previously, on November 29, during the ceremony regarding completion of PTI first 100 days in government at the Convention Centre, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that he said that the government tried to benefit common people from their policies during 100 days but Corruption has ruined the country’s institutions.

The premier had said that the PTI government strengthened the FIA to curb money laundering.

PTI government was trying to introduce uniform curriculum across the county, Khan had said and added we have made plan on how to bring children back to school.

Syed Ali Gilani terms Imran Khan’s statement as realistic

In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Gilani, has said that Kashmir is the bone of contention between Pakistan and India since the creation of the two countries in 1947.

Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar termed as realistic the Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan’s assertion that Kashmir is the main dispute between Pakistan and India. “Kashmir is in fact the bone of contention between two nuclear neighbors. It is the undoubtedly historic fact that the sore in the shape of Kashmir continues to bleed right from the birth of both sovereign countries,” he said.

The APHC Chairman said the statement of India’s Ministry of External Affairs that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India is a brazen lie. He said that India had been arrogantly parroting this lie for the last 71 years, but it had not changed the contours and dimensions of this long pending dispute. “There are ample proofs and concrete indications that prove beyond doubt that this piece of land (Jammu and Kashmir) is a disputed territory,” he maintained.

Syed Ali Gilani said that the death and destruction on both sides due to their armed collision, unrealistic race of weaponry especially by India, huge and fatty defense budget and the 71-year-long and bloody struggle of Kashmiris were visible to everybody. He deplored that once again hand of friendship extended by Pakistan has been turned down by the egoistic rulers in New Delhi, which speaks of their euphoric and arrogant attitude of power and might.

The octogenarian leader said that accusing its neghibours of violation of international laws was not only hypocratic but funny as well because India despite being a signatory to these laws had itself crushed them under military might and had emerged as an Asian monster trying to engulf its small and weak neighbours and forcibly occupying Jammu and Kashmir. “Indian rulers always parrot these said lines of integral and inalienable part, because they know from the inner core of their heart that we should continue to repeat the claim of what actually is not ours, otherwise they never say these words about rest of their states,” he pointed out.

The APHC Chairman said that the statements of Indian leaders regarding Jammu and Kashmir would make no difference because the people of Jammu and Kashmir were pursuing their right to self-determination and would continue it till the Kashmir dispute was resolved as per their aspirations.

'Our consumption choices are driving biodiversity loss'

Humankind is decimating plant and animal species, with alarming consequences for the planet. From the UN biodiversity conference in Egypt, Cristiana Pasca explains why preserving biodiversity is key to our survival.

Biodiversity is the cornerstone of our existence — a fact many of us seem to forget in our daily lives. And biodiversity is not just about orangutans and elephants, but also the smallest living organisms in this world.

A recent World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report pointed to how wildlife populations have declined 60 percent globally since 1970. UN experts have warned that if we don't rapidly change our ways, we may be the next species to go extinct.

Cristiana Pasca, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), talked to DW about all these issues from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where the 14th annual conference of the parties (COP14) of the Convention on Biological Diversity is taking place (November 17 to 29).

She explained that when we protect biodiversity, we also protect ourselves.

Cristiana Pasca: You're absolutely right — climate change is absorbing a lot of focus and political attention, and this is very good because it's a very big problem.

However, we need to be concerned not only about climate change, but in general about the state of the planet. Biodiversity is the infrastructure that supports life on Earth. We cannot function without healthy ecosystems. Climate change is just a result, it shows that the planet is no longer healthy. So further biodiversity loss causes further climate change, and further climate change causes further biodiversity loss. We are in a vicious circle.

We need to approach these topics in a holistic way. A minister of environment alone can not solve the problem of biodiversity loss. So we have to raise public awareness. People already notice the impact of climate change on their everyday life, especially in vulnerable countries such as small island states.

With biodiversity, the impact is not as visible right now, but that doesn't mean that it's not extraordinarily dangerous. So we are trying to raise awareness that climate change and biodiversity loss have to be addressed together.

People are becoming more aware that products with palm oil contribute to loss of wildlife. What other daily habits put biodiversity at risk?

This is a very important question. Our consumption choices are driving biodiversity loss. We can consume less and we can be more mindful about what to consume. For example, it's important to reduce our plastic consumption. We can also reduce our consumption of red meat and dairy products consumption.

We can also think twice before buying wild animals or products made from an exotic plant. We are in the International Year of the Reef, and corals are extraordinarily sensitive to climate change, so maybe we can avoid sunscreens with chemical ingredients that end up in water and affect corals. These are just a few examples of daily choices.

Protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation, but also support many human livelihoods. Nearly half of the world's population depends on protected areas for its livelihood, including many of the most vulnerable people.

I actually have some good news. In 2010, we set the target of increasing terrestrial protected areas to 17 percent and marine areas to 10 percent by 2020, and there is a high probability that we'll meet this target by then.

But we cannot stop there. We cannot preserve our diversity just by putting a fence around these areas and destroying everything outside of that. We need to manage all land and water in a sustainable way. It is also important to increase not only the quantity of protected areas, but also the quality of management systems. In general, we need a much more transformative approach to biodiversity. We need to consider it as limited capital. We only have one planet, and we have to treat it as such.

We humans are just the most evolved species, but we very much depend on nature. Nature doesn't depend on us. When we look at biodiversity, we have to see this complete picture — because each species, no matter how small, has an important role to play.

All forms of life are interconnected. We do need a change of narrative when we speak about biodiversity, we have to make sure people understand biodiversity is about all lives on the planet, including our life.

Cristiana Pasca Palmer was appointed as executive secretary of the Convention for Biological Diversity in 2017. Before that, she served as Romania’s environment minister.

Soviet moon rocks fetch $855,000 at New York auction

Three pieces of moon rock brought to Earth decades ago have sold at auction, nearly doubling their price. The tiny lumps, collected by a Soviet moon mission, are the only known material of their kind in private hands.

Sotheby's auction house in New York said the tiny pieces of moon rock had fetched $855,000 (€750,535) at auction on Thursday, being sold to an undisclosed private US buyer.

The lunar fragments had been offered for sale by an unidentified US collector who bought them in 1993 for $442,500.

The auction house had said ahead of the sale that the rocks — which range in size from 0.079 x 0.079 inches (2mm x 2mm) — could sell for as much as $1 million.

The samples had originally belonged to Nina Ivanovna Koroleva, widow of the former Soviet space program director Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. They were given to her as a gift from the Soviet Union in recognition of her husband's contributions to the program.

The pieces were gathered in September 1970 by the unmanned Luna-16 probe, which landed on the lunar Sea of Fertility to drill a core sample of the lunar surface.

Read more: China unveils plans to launch man-made moon into space

It's very rare for authentic lunar samples to come onto the market, with all those that were retrieved by NASA in the hands of the US government rather than private individuals.

Collectors pay hefty sums for space exploration artifacts. Sotheby's last year sold a "Lunar Sample Return" bag laced with moon dust that Neil Armstrong used on the first manned mission to the moon in 1969, for $1.8 million.

A lunar meteorite found in northern Africa last year sold for more than $600,000.

5.3 million Germans suffer from depression each year

Depression can take a massive toll not only on the sufferers, but also on their loved ones. A study by the German Depression Foundation found the illness caused relationship breakdowns for almost half of those affected.

The German Depression Foundation has published its 2018 Depression Barometer, offering an insight into how widespread the mental disorder is in Germany, and the impact it can have on personal relationships.

The foundation interviewed 5,000 people between ages 18 and 69 for the study.

Eighty-four percent of respondents stated that depression caused them to completely withdraw from social life, 72 percent experienced feeling disconnected from people in general, and 45 percent broke up with their romantic partner.

"The high number of separations shows what a profound illness depression is," German Depression Foundation chairman Ulrich Hegerl said.

Read more: Over the moon and down in the dumps

Around 5.3 million people in Germany suffer from depression each year, and around 17 percent of German adults will experience a persistent depressive disorder in their lifetime, the foundation said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 322 million people worldwide suffer from depression — that means roughly every 20th person you'd walk past in the street.

What are the typical symptoms?

Listlessness, insomnia, feeling emotionally drained — the symptoms of depression are diverse, and the illness itself is still taboo.

For a clinical diagnosis, symptoms have to be present for more than two weeks. It's not just about feeling a bit down at the end of the day. People suffering depression are often permanently exhausted and have trouble sleeping.

"People suffering from depression lose their drive, their interest ... they withdraw and see everyday life through black glasses," Hegerl said. "People lose their appetite, and hopeless thoughts and thoughts about self-harm swirl in their brain. Clinical depression is very different from sadness or stress."

These changes can have a destructive impact on relationships, which is why depression "is often the cause, rather than the consequence, of partnership conflicts," Hegerl added.

Still stigmatized

The German Depression Foundation warned that a lack of knowledge about depression had resulted in a stigmatized view of the disease in society.

According to its barometer, 56 percent of people think that living the wrong lifestyle can cause depression. About 30 percent said having a weak character was to blame.

The study, which also looked at how families respond to depression, found that 73 percent of relatives reported feeling guilt and responsibility for the suffering of a loved one.

CNN commentator sacked for giving pro-Palestine speech at UN

CNN has sacked political commentator Marc Lamont Hill after he gave a pro-Palestinian speech at the UN, where he called for justice for Palestinians and said there needs to be “a free Palestine from the river to the sea.”

A CNN spokesperson told Mediaite that “Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN.” The media outlet did not give a reason for the ouster, nor did it explicitly confirm Hill’s exit was a result of what he said at the UN.

Speaking at the pro-Palestine meeting at the UN on Wednesday, Hill urged the international community to boycott Israel, and called for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea.”

The comments sparked an immediate backlash from those who believed “from the river to the sea” is a phrase used by Hamas and other anti-Israel groups, and implies the replacement of Israel by a Palestine stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

“We have an opportunity to not just offer solidarity in words but to commit to political action, grass-roots action, local action and international action that will give us what justice requires and that is a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” Hill said at the UN.

Israeli lobby groups in the US accused the commentator of advocating for the destruction of Israel, but Hill wrote on Thursday his “reference to ‘river to the sea’ was not a call to destroy anything or anyone. It was a call for justice, both in Israel and in the West Bank/Gaza.”

My reference to “river to the sea” was not a call to destroy anything or anyone. It was a call for justice, both in Israel and in the West Bank/Gaza. The speech very clearly and specifically said those things. No amount of debate will change what I actually said or what I meant.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) November 29, 2018

“If we are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend itself," he said in his Wednesday speech.

"We must advocate and promote nonviolence at every opportunity, but we cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing.”

He also lashed out at the Israeli regime for denying “citizenship rights and due process to Palestinians just because they are not Jewish.”

Hill further expressed his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a global campaign promoting various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law.

He delivered the speech for the UN's International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which has been annually marked on Nov. 29 since it was established in UN General Assembly Resolution 32/40 B of 2 December 1977.

Speaking at a Wednesday meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, UN chief Antonio Guterres said the UN had created the day of solidarity 40 years ago to remind people of the unfinished task of resolving the Palestinian issue.

He took a jab at the Israeli regime and said “demolitions, illegal continued settlement expansion and construction, forced evictions and collective punitive measures will not bring peace.”

He also urged Israel to lift its restrictions on the flow of goods and people into the Gaza Strip and act with restraint along the Gaza fence.

The UN chief further called on Hamas to prevent violent actions and provocations, but at the same time noted “Palestinians in Gaza have legitimate grievances and the right to demonstrate peacefully.”

Yemen fires homegrown ballistic missile at Saudi led forces positions

The forces of the Yemeni army and Popular Committees, in a retaliatory attack against the Saudi-led coalition, fired a domestically made missile at the Riyadh-backed militants in the West Coast region, local reports said.

The Yemeni forces hit the positions of the Saudi mercenaries with a “Badr P-1” ballistic missile, inflicting heavy casualties on them, the Arabic-language al-Masirah TV reported.

The attack came after the Saudi fighter jets bombarded a residential house in al-Karamah, a village in the Yemeni province of Hudaydah, injuring 8 civilians, three of whom are in critical conditions.

The local TV also reported on Friday that a new offensive by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s al-Mina District, killed one civilian and injured five others, including two women and a child.

Yemen’s defenseless people have been under massive attacks by the coalition for more than three-and-a-half years but Riyadh has reached none of its objectives in Yemen so far.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights announced in a statement on March 25 that the war had left 600,000 civilians dead and injured until then. The war and the accompanying blockade have also caused famine across Yemen.

Nation should not worry about hike in Dollar: PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday his government was taking steps to ensure that a shortage of dollars would not exist in the future.

Addressing a ceremony to announce the launch of a car manufacturing plant by JW Forland, the prime minister spoke on the dollar reaching an all-time high of Rs142 in the interbank.

The prime minister said he had been receiving calls since morning about the hike in the dollar price. “I want to tell everyone not to worry about the dollar hike. There is an adjustment taking place. We are taking steps which will ensure that there won't be a shortage of dollars in Pakistan.”

The prime minister highlighted that Pakistan’s biggest problem was the current account deficit which stood at almost $18.5 billion. “The government is tasked with overcoming the deficit. When there is pressure on the dollar, the exchange rate increases.”

Prime Minister Khan stressed there was a need for a change in mindset, emphasising that his government had made investment easier. “Investment creates jobs and brings dollars in the country."

He spoke on ease of doing business for investors, which in turn would attract more investors. According to the prime minister, there was a need for technological transfer, which he said was among the areas of focus during his trip to China.

“For the first time, we have asked China for a technology transfer. When there is technology transfer, the country prospers.”

The prime minister further said that Pakistan had transformed into an import economy where manufacturing had diminished. “Where there were once factories, real estate projects now exist.”

Prime Minister Khan said for the first time in Pakistan’s history a complete car manufacturing plant was being set up and this would create 5,000 jobs which would increase to 35,000 in the future.

Speaking on the issue of money laundering, Prime Minister Khan said the government was taking steps to bring back looted money. "There is $10 billion of money laundering annually in Pakistan.” 

South Korea train enters North for first time in a decade

A South Korean train has crossed into the North to officially launch a historic joint project to reconnect railroad tracks between the two nations.

Footage of the landmark event Friday showed a red, white and blue train -- displaying a banner reading "Iron Horse is now running toward the era of peace and prosperity" -- depart from South Korea's Dorasan station.

"This signals the start of co-prosperity of the North and the South by reconnecting railways," said South Korean Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee.

He said relinking the railway will facilitate expansion of South Korea's "economic territory" to Eurasia by land because the division of the Korean Peninsula has left his country geopolitically cut off from the continent for decades.

Reconnection of the railway systems was among the agreements signed earlier this year during a crucial meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the South's President Moon Jae-in.

According to local press reports, the six-wagon train is carrying 28 South Koreans, including railway engineers and other workers, as well as 55 tonnes of fuel and an electricity generator.

After its arrival at North Korea’s Panmun station -- the first terminal across the border -- the six wagons will be linked up to a North Korean train, and the South Korean locomotive will return back home.

The South Korean rail workers and their counterparts in the North are due to stay in the train, inspecting two railway lines for a total of 18 days.

One of the lines is linking the North's southernmost Kaesong City to Sinuiju City near the Chinese border, and the other is connecting Mount Kumgang near the inter-Korean border to Tumen River, bordering Russia in the east.

According to South Korea’s transport ministry, they will travel nearly 2,600 kilometers on railway tracks together for the project.

The railway project has faced delays over concerns it could violate the US-led UN Security Council sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

The Security Council, however, granted an exemption for the joint project last week, but it remains unclear whether it will allow more following the conclusion of the initial assessment phase.

Seoul said the survey was purely intended for gathering information on the current state of the North’s rail system, insisting that actual restoration work would take place only after securing the Security Council's consent.

The study phase also comes amid emerging differences between South Korea and the US, which has deployed 28,500 military forces in the country as part of their decades-old alliance against the North.

South Korean President Moon has long favored engagement with North and has set aside large investment and joint cross-border projects as incentives for steps towards denuclearization.

The Friday rail trip marked the first time in a decade that a train from the South entered North Korea.

From December 2007 until November 2008, freight services ran between the two Koreas to support factories in a joint economic zone at Kaesong in North Korea. The line, however, was cut in 2008 as relations deteriorated.

Syria shoots downs ‘hostile targets' following Israeli attack

Syria has shot down "hostile targets" following an Israeli attack south of the capital Damascus and foiled its goals despite the "intensity of the aggression," state media said on Friday.

A military source did not specify the targets but dismissed earlier reports that an Israeli war plane had been downed.

Syrian air defenses responded to the attack aimed at the town of Kiswah, south of the capital Damascus Thursday night, destroying at least five missiles.

They "were able to foil its goals despite the intensity of the aggression," state media said.

Israeli media claimed that Iranian military advisers as well as fighters from Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah were the main target in the attack.

Israel claims that Iran’s presence in Syria as part of an advisory mission requested by Damascus poses a threat to the regime’s security. Using this pretext, Tel Aviv has struck alleged positions of Iranian and Iran-backed forces across Syria over the course of the seven-year conflict.

The attacks are usually viewed as attempts to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces.

Israel and the US have even put pressure on Russia, another close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the war against terrorist groups, to force Iran out of Syria.

In October, Moscow equipped Damascus with the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles, days after Israeli fighter jets attacking Syrian targets used a Russian surveillance plane flying nearby as a shield and misled the Syrian air defenses to shoot it down.

Since then Israel has been very careful with its operation over Syria.

It is not yet clear whether the S-300s were among the air defense systems used in the Thursday night counterattacks.

Law and order situation improved in Balochistan: IGP Mohsin Hassan

Inspector General Police Balochistan Mohsin Hassan Butt has said that law and order situation has considerably been improved in the province.

He was addressing passing out parade of 88th batch of newly recruits at Police Training Centre in Quetta on Friday.

The IG added that police and other law enforcement agencies are confronting against terrorism in province and the police force is on the forefront in the war on terror.

NASA selects commercial firms to make lunar robotic payloads

The United States space agency NASA has announced that nine commercial American companies in a partnership to develop lunar robotic landers in the coming decade.

NASA would buy space on commercial robotic landers to deliver payloads to the lunar surface, missions that could start as early as next year.

Those companies are eligible for competing for NASA's contracts valued at 2.6 billion U.S. dollars, according to NASA.

"The relatively small and inexpensive payloads delivered via the CLPS program would be followed by more traditional medium- and large-class missions," said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.

CLPS stands for Commercial Lunar Payload Services. It is an experimental part of the agency's plan for Americans to orbit the Moon starting in 2023, and land astronauts on the surface no later than the late 2020s.

"These early commercial delivery missions will also help inform new space systems we build to send humans to the Moon in the next decade," said NASA.

Those companies are Astrobotic, Deep Space Systems, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, Lockheed Martin, Mastern Space Systems, Moon Express, Draper and Orbit Beyond.

Orbit Beyond, a spacecraft company, is expected to fly its spacecraft to the Moon by 2020.

Masten Space Systems has a fleet of lunar landers that it plans to send to the Moon in 2021 while Moon Express also also has a host of landers that vary in size and capability.

Astrobotic Technology has built a lander called Peregrine, and have obtained backing from NASA to create a standalone system to land on the moon.

Lockheed Martin is planning for a massive lander that could ferry four astronauts from the Lunar Gateway to the moon, while Deep Space Systems is an aerospace engineering company developing the Mars Phoenix lander.

Firefly Aerospace designs, manufactures and operates launch vehicles for the small satellite and Draper works to provide payload operations guidance systems for the lunar lander.

Intuitive Machines, based in the state of Texas, specializes in autonomous systems.

Bridenstine said it was not a "guarantee" that all those missions would be successful, but even failed ones would be equally important. Xinhua

Frontier Corps Balochistan sets up free medical camp in Zhob

Frontier Corps Balochistan has set up a free medical camp in Qamardin, Zhob district on Friday.

During the camp, physicians and medical experts examined more than one thousand poor patients and distributed free medicines among them.

Petrol, Diesel prices reduced by Rs2 per litre

Finance Minister Asad Umar on Friday announced a reduction of Rs2 per litre in the prices of petrol and diesel.

During a press conference in Islamabad, he told that sales tax on diesel was 27.5 percent and 15 percent on petrol in the last month of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

When our government came, the prices went down at the end of August, he added.

“The prices of oil increased in international market after recommendation. In October the price reached to 84 dollars in October,” he asserted.

We reduced the levy of petrol from 8 to 6.51, said Umar

“In November, the price of oil is as per 60 dollars,” he said.

Russia and Ukraine refuse to back down as UN chief urges calm

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed hope that the international community will help calm tensions between Russia and Ukraine over a ship standoff near Crimea.

Guterres urged Russia on Thursday to respect “the territorial integrity of Ukraine” and “avoid the worst” after Russia seized Ukrainian naval ships and their crews in a dispute over maritime access.

The UN chief says he hopes the situation can be contained without escalation and is calling for international efforts for “meaningful dialogue".

Guterres spoke in Buenos Aires ahead of a Group of 20 summit where the standoff is likely to be a subject of discussion. United States President Donald Trump called off a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 over the ship seizure.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko announced in a tweet on Friday that the country has barred Russian men between 16 and 60 from travelling to the country.

The restrictions on Russian travellers, he said, have been imposed in order to prevent Moscow authorities from forming “private armies” fighting on Ukrainian soil.

On the other hand, the Tass news agency quoted Russian government-appointed ombudswoman as saying that the three commanders of the Ukrainian vessels, that were captured near the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula last weekend, were being transferred to Moscow for interrogation. The other 21 remain in custody in Crimea.

A Crimea court, earlier this week, ruled to keep the Ukrainian seamen behind bars for two months pending the investigation.

The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine bubbled over on Sunday when Russian border guards opened fired on three Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea. The Russians then captured the 24-member crew.

Russia claims that the Ukrainians violated its border while Ukraine insists its ships were acting in line with international maritime rules.

Ukraine's president urged Nato to deploy warships to the Sea of Azov, while Russia warned on Thursday that would worsen tensions.

Fans furious after Netflix cancels Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’

Netflix on Friday cancelled Marvel series ‘Daredevil’ leaving fans across the globe furious.

The streaming service cancelled the Marvel series just over a month after the third season was released.

"Marvel’s Daredevil will not return for a fourth season on Netflix," the streaming service said in a statement to Deadline. "We are tremendously proud of the show’s last and final season and although it’s painful for the fans, we feel it best to close this chapter on a high note,” it added.

"We’re thankful to our partners at Marvel, showrunner Erik Oleson, the show’s writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox as Daredevil himself, and we’re grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years."

Reacting to the news, Daredevil’s account tweeted: “Justice never stops.”

Deborah Ann Woll, who played Karen Page, in the Netflix series tweeted, "I’m so sad that we won’t be continuing this story. Mostly I’ll miss seeing the friends I’ve made everyday. Thank you to every person who contributed to this series over the years."

I’m so sad that we won’t be continuing this story. Mostly I’ll miss seeing the friends I’ve made everyday. Thank you to every person who contributed to this series over the years. And to @erikoleson because of you we are going out on a high. @Daredevil #Daredevil pic.twitter.com/aVmXu1UwFu

— Deborah Ann Woll (@DeborahAnnWoll) November 30, 2018

Meanwhile, Jay Ali, who played the role of FBI agent Rahul "Ray" Nadeem said, "So Sad to hear the end of @Daredevil.I was so lucky and fortunate to be apart of this amazing show and work with such an amazing cast and crew. An experience I will never forget. Thank you for all the love and support from the fans. You are the best. Until next time."

Arsenal and Chelsea power on in Europa League

Londoners Chelsea and Arsenal both enjoyed high-scoring Europa League wins on Thursday as Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers were left with work to do on the final matchday to qualify for the next stage.

Unai Emery selected a youthful Arsenal to play in the Ukraine and they romped past Vorskla Poltava 3-0, guaranteeing top spot in Group E in a match switched to freezing Kiev after security concerns in the east of the country.

Teenagers Emile Smith Rowe and Joe Willock scored either side of an Aaron Ramsey penalty as the Gunners went in 3-0 at half-time.

Vorskla Poltava s coach had complained that the switch forced by UEFA had deprived the city of a "holiday", and had also distracted his players.

Arsenal will now avoid any of the Champions League drop outs in the draw for the next round as they have a better head-to-head record with second-placed Sporting Lisbon.

Maurizio Sarri had demanded a reaction from his Chelsea side after they lost at Tottenham in the Premier League and the Blues answered his call, beating PAOK Salonika 4-0 to win their group with a brace from French target man Olivier Giroud.

"The main target was to win, we needed a strong team reaction and we did it well tonight," said the World Cup winner Giroud.

"I am really happy with the team spirit and we can move forwards now and start some new momentum.

"I ve scored goals in the past but it s true that I was waiting for more chances," said Giroud, who broke a long streak without a goal in the last round.

"You need a bit of luck in front of goal. I had a good assist from my team-mates, I love this kind of ball behind the defence.

"Four goals plus a clean sheet, a good night for us. When the manager starts me I try to give my best, do my part."

Celtic still need a final day draw to go through after beating pointless Rosenborg away for the second year in a row thanks to Scott Sinclair s emphatic header just before the break.

The Scots can thank Austrian outfit RB Salzburg, who won Group B outright with a victory over their German sister club RB Leipzig 1-0. The Germans now have to win in Glasgow to qualify ahead of Celtic.

Rangers drew 0-0 at home with Spain s Villarreal, keeping their hopes of last day qualification from Group G alive a point behind the Spaniards and Rapid Vienna who are both on seven.

Bayer Leverkusen, Zurich, Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal, Frankfurt, Lazio and Chelsea were already qualified before Thursday s games when Salzburg, Sporting Lisbon, Real Betis, Zenit Saint-Petersburg, Dynamo Kiev, Krasnodar and Fenerbahce all secured their place in the hat for the next round draw.

Sporting thumped six past Garabagh in Azerbaijan while in another high scoring game AC Milan emerged as 5-2 winners over minnows Dudelange of Luxembourg but need a draw with Olympiakos in the final game to qualify.

BMW mulls converting hybrids to electric only mode in polluted cities

BMW said it can force its hybrid cars switch to an electric-only mode in heavily polluted inner-city areas, helping its vehicles compete with pure battery-driven rivals as a raft of cities seek to create emissions-free zones.

“The car switches off the combustion engine automatically,” BMW’s board member for development, Klaus Froehlich, told Reuters at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Because of BMW vehicles’ connectivity and navigation systems, its cars can be converted to automatically disable engines, Froehlich said, adding that the new X5 sports utility vehicle has an operating range of 80 kilometers in electric-only mode.

BMW is currently demonstrating the technology to local authorities in German cities which may be forced to ban heavily polluting diesel cars as a way to meet European Union clean air rules.

A global clampdown on vehicle pollution in the wake of Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) 2015 diesel emissions cheating scandal has prompted cities including London, Paris and Stuttgart to consider bans of combustion engine vehicles.

But customers have shied away from buying electric cars because of a lack of charging infrastructure, making hybrids a more attractive option for now.

Such a vehicle could be very important in regions such as Europe, where most drivers do not own multiple cars for different uses, he said.

Germany’s highest administrative court in February ruled cities could ban diesel vehicles from some streets in order to improve air quality.

PPP celebrates 51st Foundation Day today

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is all set to celebrate 51st Foundation Day today (Friday) with vigour and commitment to the ideology for which the leadership and workers sacrificed their lives.

The main function of the 51st Foundation Day of PPP will be held in Sukkur in which delegates from all the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan will participate.

A public meeting in connection with the 51st Foundation Day of PPP will be held at Z.A Bhutto Sports Complex Sukkur at 3:00pm. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other party leaders will address the gathering.

All arrangements for the public meeting have been finalized. A stage has been set up to accommodate PPP leaders. The venue has been decorated with posters and party flags while thousands of chairs have been placed for the workers.

Strict security arrangements have been made for the public meeting. Heavy contingents of police have been deployed on all roads around Z.A Bhutto Sports Complex for security of PPP leaders and workers.

ECC approves to gift 40,000 metric tons wheat to Afghanistan

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Friday accorded approval for gifting 40,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan.

According to details, Federal Finance Minister Asad Umar presided over an emergency meeting of ECC that was held in Islamabad today (Friday). The ECC agreed to gift the wheat worth Rs1.73 billion to Afghanistan.

According to sources, the meeting also reviewed problems being faced by the sugar mills owners and has decided to negotiate with the sugar industry owners.

The meeting also reviewed the issue of delay in payment by the mills owners to the sugarcane growers.

The ECC also approved the release of funds to Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

Following ECC’s decision, $82.6 million will be released for the 320,000 BISP card holders.

Breakthrough drug could treat blindness caused by diabetes

A new drug developed by Australian scientists is being heralded as a major breakthrough for people suffering from diabetic retinopathy, the main cause of blindness from diabetes.

The debilitating disease occurs in diabetic patients when tiny blood vessels in the retina of the eye, responsible for detecting light, leak fluid or hemorrhage.

However, the only treatment options available include laser surgery or eye injections known as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy, which do not always prove to be effective.

Lead author Dr Ka Ka Ting from the Centenary Institute in Sydney said."We believe (the new drug) CD5-2 could potentially be used as a stand-alone therapy to treat those patients who fail to respond to the anti-VEGF treatment."

She added, "It also may work in conjunction with existing anti-VEGF treatments to extend the effectiveness of the treatment."

Ting continued, "Proven to be effective on mice, the drug has the ability to reduce vascular leakage and repair damaged blood vessels in the retina.”

Head of Centenary's Vascular Biology Program Professor Jenny Gamble said, “This drug has shown great promise for the treatment of several major health problems, in the eye and in the brain."

The team is now planning to conduct a full-scale clinical trial.

"Pain of Kashmiris is felt by Pakistan" Fawad Chaudhry

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday advised the Indian government to accept that the Kashmir issue has no military solution.

Chaudhry was addressing a seminar of the All Parties Parliamentary Kashmir Group in Islamabad.

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi just announced that [his government] will give a package of billions of rupees to [Indian Occupied] Kashmir," Chaudhry said. "But independence cannot be bought with money. Independence is a sentiment felt in the heart, a narrative of the heart."

The information minister said that India's allegation that Pakistan was instigating unrest in Kashmir had no foundation and the Indian government had only adopted this stance because it was unable to crush the struggle for freedom in the region. He urged Indian authorities to realise that "armies cannot conquer the narrative of the heart".

Chaudhry said that Pakistan's stance on Occupied Kashmir was not inspired by the "beauty of Kashmir".

"We don't view the Kashmir issue from a territorial point of view. We look at it from a humanitarian angle," he said, adding that the "pain of Kashmiris is felt by Pakistan".

The information minister further said that pro-Pakistan sentiment in Kashmir was very high and political parties which contested elections in the territory realised this.

"[Kashmiri leader] Umar Farooq told me that political parties contesting elections in Kashmir knew that if they adopted an anti-Pakistan narrative, their voter base would alienate them," he said.

Khurshid Shah Grabbed Land of Hindu Community, Supreme CourtTold

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday has taken notice of alleged occupation of the properties belonging to Hindu community in Sindh.

During the hearing, the top judge directed the concerned authorities to investigate the matter and identify names of those behind it. Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ramesh Kumar told the court that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Khurshid Shah was also among the grabbers.

Earlier on October 12, Chief Justice (CJP) Saqib Nisar took notice of illegal encroachments on properties of the Hindu community in Sindh.A notification issued by the Supreme Court (SC) Registrar’s office stated that the CJP had taken notice of the issue on a video released by Bhagwan Devi, a retired professor Dr Bhagwan Devi w/o Professor Dr Baghwan Das, in which she claimed that the Hindu community in Sindh was the victim of “the worst lawlessness and mismanagement”.

She said that her lands and properties are being encroached by land mafia by force.
She said that the land mafia was taking over properties owned by Hindus in Sindh, especially Larkana, on the basis of “false power of attorney”. Devi added that affected members of the community were also being threatened into silence.

“Many Hindus of Larkana have sold their properties and are ready to leave [the country],” she regretted, adding that many have already left.

She also claimed that a “situation similar to that of Native Americans was being created for the local Hindus”. She accused Sindhi nationalists and the authorities for remaining silent.

Devi said that she had been protesting before the Larkana Press Club for the past 15 days with husband Bhagwan Das, a paediatrician and a professor. She appealed to the “CJP and 205 countries” to take notice of the Hindu community’s plight.

The court had notice issued to Attorney General for Pakistan, Advocate General Sindh, Secretary Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Islamabad, Secretary Human Rights Islamabad, Chief Secretary Sindh, Secretary Minority Affairs Department, Government of Sindh and Commissioner Larakana division for appearance.

Trump and Xi may reach a deal at the G-20

Expect a deal between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Argentina, but manage your expectations.

“I am optimistic that they will strike a deal. I don’t think it’s going to be the deal that either side wants, but I think there will be some concessions,” said Kirk Hartman, global chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Asset Management. “I think this is more about protecting U.S. technology as much as it is trade, so I think you will see some comments on that front. ”

Hartman said the U.S. may delay on Chinese imports that were due to take effect in January. Washington and Beijing may also agree to meet for further negotiations.

Trump told reporters Thursday that he was “close” to doing something on trade with China but added he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do it. “Because what we have right now is billions and billions of dollars coming into the United States in the form of tariffs or taxes, so I really don’t know,” he said.

Meanwhile, there were reports that White House advisor Peter Navarro would be attending the dinner between Trump and Xi. News of his attendance dampened hopes that a trade deal could be hatched at the meeting given his longstanding hawkish tone on U.S.-China trade.

Elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal reported that officials from both governments said the U.S. and China are exploring a trade pact that would halt further tariffs from Washington in exchange for new talks looking at major changes to Beijing’s economic policies.

“Both sides have so much at stake here that they going to reach some kind of agreement,” Wells Fargo’s Hartman said, adding that any agreement at the meeting “will be extremely positive for the market.”