Frida Kahlo Was a Painter, a Brand Builder, a Survivor. And So Much More.

By REBECCA KLEINMAN from NYT Arts https://nyti.ms/2sYCybg

Brexit: 'Extra time' may be needed, says Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt says a delay beyond the 29 March deadline depends on progress in the coming weeks.

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'American Dying' cooled Earth's climate

European settlement of the Americas killed so many people, it disturbed Earth's climate.

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Pakistan’s first organic cotton bale harvested in Balochistan

QUETTA: Balochistan has produced Pakistan’s first organic cotton bale, while the ceremony for its certification was held at Kot Sabzal, ARY News reported Thursday.

According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the harvesting of the cotton bale was made possible due to cooperation of Balochistan’s Department of Agriculture.

Balochistan’s Minster for Agriculture Engineer Zamrak Khan said the provincial government was committed to promoting organic agriculture throughout the province. He added the government was paying special attention to Balochistan.

He further said that Balochistan would be developing an organic agriculture policy soon.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of cotton in the world and the third largest exporter of raw cotton.

WWF-Pakistan Director General Hamad Naqi Khan said, “We have made a major breakthrough in the cotton sector of the country that will benefit stakeholders and the overall economy of Pakistan.”

In his remarks, Secretary Agriculture Balochistan Khaleeq Nazar Kiyani appreciated the efforts of WWF-Pakistan and the Agriculture Extension team.

“The certification is a step towards a more sustainable Pakistan. Production of organic cotton will propel the cotton sector into a new direction,” he said.

Later, a consultative workshop was conducted in which representatives from ginners, spinners, textiles, brokers and brands participated and presented their concerns regarding development of a tenable supply chain of organic cotton in Pakistan.

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Ruling reserved on plea against disqualification of KP MPA

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its ruling on a petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision of disqualifying a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly over his name being on the fourth schedule list, ARY News reported.

A high court bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the petitioner’s lawyer Babar Awar.

The commission had disqualified Shah Muhammad, who was elected on the provincial assembly seat (PK-89) in Bannu, for being on the list compiled under the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

Awan contended before the court that the district police officer concerned had given his client a clearance certificate before he submitted his nomination papers for the 2018 general elections.

“Placing a name on the fourth schedule is violation of basic human rights,” he argued, adding that the Election Commission couldn’t de-seat a lawmaker for being on the fourth schedule.

“The court will assess the legal aspect of the case,” remarked Justice Farooq before wrapping up the hearing.

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Pakistan’s mini-budget supports manufacturing, exports: Moody’s

KARACHI: Moody’s rating agency in a report released on Thursday said the government’s recently announced mini-budget supports manufacturing sector and exports.

However, it will enhance the challenges of fiscal consolidation for the government, the report said.

Moody’s report said that the fresh budget measures would support manufacturing sector, fostering exports and import substitution, help narrow current account deficit.

Finance Minister Asad Umar, on January 23, announced the government’s second mini-budget, which largely focuses on revenue-based measures to improve supply-side conditions for businesses and incentivise domestic reinvestment.

The report said in the absence of new spending cuts or revenue-raising measures, however, these measures will keep Pakistan’s budget deficits wider for longer, potentially eroding the credibility of government efforts to achieve fiscal consolidation.

The government’s this mini-budget aims to improve business conditions, including for manufacturers and exporters, by removing or reducing existing taxes that erode profit margins or disincentivise reinvestment.

Specific measures include reductions in import custom duties on essential raw materials and machinery, the abolition of tax on retained earnings, and incentives for the agriculture sector, which accounts for around 20% of the country’s exports.

The government presented limited revenue-raising measures, primarily taxes on large vehicles and high-end mobile phones.

The mini-budget places greater weight on improvements in tax administration and spending restraint for the government to meet its deficit target of 5.1% of GDP.

The report said the deficit to expected to widen to 6% of GDP in fiscal 2019 because revenue growth is likely to be below government projections, given slower economic growth and the new revenue based incentives, before gradually narrowing to 5% of GDP by fiscal 2021 as the economy picks up.

This mini-budget comes against a backdrop of low export growth in the first six months of fiscal 2019, despite the Pakistani rupee’s 25% decline against the US dollar since December 2017, the report said.

The report said weak exports aside, Pakistan’s current-account dynamics have been largely positive in recent months.

Remittances rose by 10% year on year in US dollar terms in the first half of fiscal 2019, while goods imports slowed sharply to around 3% year on year as non-fuel goods imports contracted.

The government has secured $12 billion in financing from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, amounting to $6 billion and divided equally between deposits and deferred oil payments – which is likely to largely cover the country’s net financing needs for fiscal 2019, the report said.

However, a net financing gap beyond fiscal 2019 remains because of the still sizable current-account deficit.

Pakistan remains in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a new programme that would provide a stable additional source of external financing.

The country is also in discussions with other countries and multilateral lenders such as China, Qatar, the Asian Development Bank, the IBRD and the Islamic Development Bank over external funding support to shore up its external position.

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US and China resume trade talks

WASHINGTON: Top US and Chinese trade officials returned to the bargaining table Wednesday, working to avoid a sharp escalation in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

At the head of a 30-person delegation from Beijing, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He greeted his counterpart, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, against the backdrop of Washington’s prosecution of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, which has outraged Beijing and infused the negotiations with uncertainty.

The two sides have just a month remaining in a 90-day truce declared in December. Should the talks fail, US import duties on $200 billion in Chinese imports are due to more than double on March 2 — something economists say could help knock the wind out of the global economy’s sails.

The world’s two largest economies are battling for nothing less than future dominance in critical high-tech industries, according to Lighthizer, the lead US negotiator.

A little over three years ago, Beijing launched a strategic plan dubbed “Made in China 2025” that aimed to make the nation the global leader in aerospace, robotics, artificial intelligence, new-generation autos and other areas — sectors US officials say now represent the “crown jewels” of American technology and innovation.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he favors a healthy Chinese economy, but not at the expense of American business and know-how.

Specifically, US officials are attacking Chinese trade practices they say are unfair, spotlighting the forced transfer of American technology through requirements that foreign companies form joint ventures with local firms, as well as the alleged theft of American intellectual property through hacking.

To pressure Beijing, the White House has imposed tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports.

Beijing hit back with duties on virtually every product it buys from the United States, about $110 billion in goods annually.

Given the complexity of the issues, a finished agreement is unlikely to emerge from the two days of talks in Washington this week.

But US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday he expected “significant progress,” and noted the governments had time left remaining in their truce.

Trump so far has projected optimism, believing Washington has the upper hand given China’s weakening economy.

Last year, the Asian country recorded its slowest growth in nearly 30 years, making the US trade war an unwelcome development.

But Trump also may appear weakened after agreeing to end a five-week government shutdown without extracting any concessions from opposition Democratic lawmakers in a battle over funding to build a wall on the Mexican border.

“The danger here is that other countries will conclude Trump is a paper tiger,” said Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“He blusters and takes very strong public positions, puts himself in situations he cannot win, and then meekly backs down and declares victory,” Alden added.

“It will reinforce that argument that China’s best strategy is to wait and to stonewall and Trump will back down.”

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West Indies Women demolish Pakistan in first T20I

Visitors claim emphatic 71-run win over Bismah Maroof’s charges at Karachi’s Southend Club

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CTD officials deny firing gunshots at Sahiwal family

SAHIWAL: Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials arrested in the Sahiwal shootout case have denied that they fired shots at Khalil and members of his family who were travelling in a car driven by a terror suspect, ARY News reported.

The CTD officials in their statement to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the incident revealed that neither did they open fire at the Sahiwal family nor had anyone given them directives to do so.

To a question about how the car passengers got killed, the personnel said they were shot dead by their associates who were travelling on a motorcycle. The CTD officials, however, said they had opened fire at terrorists in retaliation.

Khalil, a resident of Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat, along with his wife Nabeela and teenage daughter Areeba were killed in a shady encounter involving the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district last week.

Earlier today, Sahiwal vicitm’s brother, Jalil, refused to appear before the JIT for the identification parade of CTD officials.

The identification parade was put off for the third time today after the main complainant in the case didn’t turn up. The JIT will now inform the relevant judicial magistrate in this regard.

On Jan 30, Jalil had appeared before the JIT but refused to be part of the identification parade.

Accusing the JIT of destroying evidence in the case, Jalil had said, “How can the identification parade could be conducted until all the accused are not arrested.”

He had also said the police and JIT knew who the killers of the Sahiwal victims were. “The JIT is troubling eyewitnesses and destroying evidences in the case.”

Jalil had demanded to transfer the case to Lahore. “Why should we come to Sahiwal for the identification of the accused? We have demanded the constitution of a judicial commission.”

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Man trafficking drugs hidden in fruits arrested at Peshawar Airport

PESHAWAR: A man was caught at the Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar on Thursday trying to smuggle drugs hidden in fruits, ARY News reported.

According to Airport Security Force (ASF), the man had hidden drugs inside oranges and pomegranates and wanted to smuggle them to Qatar.

He was due to board a flight, but was caught during screening of his goods. The passenger had hidden charas weighing more than four kilograms inside the fruits.

The ASF personnel have taken the man into custody and began investigation. Sources at the airport said joint search counters were helping the Airport Security Force in catching all such elements.

Earlier in the day, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) claimed to have foiled a bid to smuggle drugs out of the country by nabbing two suspected smugglers at the Islamabad airport.

ANF officials said one kilogram of heroin amounting to millions of rupees was seized from the possession of the arrested smugglers. They were to board a Doha-bound flight (QR-633).

The accused allegedly had links with an international network of drug suppliers, claimed the officials.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ANF had earlier this week claimed to have seized 1995.475 kilograms drugs amounting to 1.684 billion rupees throughout the country. According to a press release, the ANF also arrested five culprits and impounded three vehicles while conducting seven counter-narcotic strikes on different places.

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Neha Kakkar breaks the internet with a TikTok video on Fahad Mustafa’s game show

The singer and her friends lip-synced popular phrases from Fahad Mustafa's show

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Federal cabinet approves Hajj policy for 2019 with higher subsidies for pilgrims

The cabinet discussed a 20-point agenda

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International skiers continue to slalom in Naltar

Racers from 13 countries are vying for titles at Karakoram International Alpine Ski Cup

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Neha Kakkar’s take on the cute ‘Zufra’ clip has everyone in stitches

Fawad asks China to co-produce feature films with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Thursday, it is high time to broaden the cooperation between Pakistan and China by exchanging information and co-producing feature films, Radio Pakistan reported. 

In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing in the federal capital, the information minister sought assistance from its all-weather friend in setting up a technical media institute as part of the Media University, which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government has vowed to establish soon.

Meanwhile, the Chinese envoy hailed the new visa policy and said the move of the government was indicative of an open, confident and secure Pakistan.

He further commended the PTI government’s efforts to beef up bilateral relations between the two ally countries, while lauding the personal efforts of the information minister in promoting a positive image of Pakistan.

Earlier in January, the federal minister for information and broadcasting while addressing a ceremony of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers’ Editors (CPNE), urged the attendees to look into the ongoing crisis in the field of media.

Terming the independent media as an important pillar of the state, Chaudhry stressed that the incumbent government wanted to see the industry flourishing.

The government stands with the media and has been supporting it in every possible manner it can,” he asserted.

 

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Knife crime: Suspects could be banned from social media

Those breaching sanctions aimed at cutting rising violence could face up to two years in prison.

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Warwick students suspended over rape threats allowed to return early

One of the targeted students said she felt "terrified" at the prospect of seeing the men on campus again.

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Polar vortex: Fire used to melt ice on Chicago train tracks

Flames from gas-fed heaters stop snow and ice from clogging up the track at railway intersections.

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The GP substitute will see you now

Some 20,000 physios, pharmacists and paramedics are to be recruited to work with under-pressure GPs.

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‘Meeting the stranger who saved my life’

Liv Pontin had decided to take her own life, when a train driver stopped her. Now they are reuniting.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2TsPbqZ

Sarah Sanders says 'God wanted Trump to be president'

In an interview, the White House press secretary says Donald Trump had divine support.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2Bm9a3B

MPs say fast fashion brands inaction on ethics is shocking

JD Sports, Sports Direct, TK Maxx, Amazon, Boohoo and Missguided must do more, say MPs.

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Brexit: How ready is the UK government for no deal?

A think tank report assesses how ready the government is to leave the EU without a deal.

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Brexit: Car investment halves as industry hits 'red alert'

The UK industry's trade body warns of "permanent devastation" if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

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House price growth at near six-year low

The annual rise in house prices "almost ground to a complete halt" in January, the Nationwide says.

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The Papers: 'May woos Labour MPs with cash'

Thursday's front pages feature stories on Brexit, Facebook, stalkers and a new NHS recruitment plan.

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News Daily: Knife crime crackdown, cold weather and fast fashion

Your morning briefing for Thursday 31 January 2019.

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It's deadline day - can you handle the pressure?

Nearly two million people are estimated to have left it until the last minute to fill in their tax returns.

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'Women are seen as home cooks - not chefs'

Meet the professional chefs changing the way people think about women in the kitchen.

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Polar vortex: What is it and how does it happen?

The deep freeze gripping much of the US has been blamed on a polar vortex. Here's what that means.

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Kate Spade's niece Rachel Brosnahan is the new face of her label

Rachel Brosnahan, star of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, honours her late aunt in the new collection.

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How to de-ice your car - and other questions

How should I drive in the snow? Why does salt melt ice? How can I boost my immune system?

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Inflatable puffer fish pill 'could track patient's health'

US scientists say it could be used to monitor tumours or ulcers for a month in the stomach.

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Gay dating app Scruff bans underwear photos

The app bans images of men in underwear and swimwear after "repeated suspensions by app store distributors".

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2SgJDCi

Attacked Empire actor Jussie Smollett 'has tasted brutality of hatred'

Stars support Empire actor Jussie Smollet, the victim of a suspected hate crime in Chicago.

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The city with no homeless on its streets

What can UK cities learn from Finland, where the number of rough sleepers has fallen dramatically?

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Why some Japanese pensioners want to go to jail

Japan is in the grip of an elderly crime wave. Poverty and loneliness are two of the possible causes.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2sUSv2f

How do you compost a human body - and why would you?

A US state could become one of the first places in the world to allow corpses to become fertile soil.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2S04WbU

The unlikely stars bucking the High Street slump

Museum and gallery shops are reporting rising sales and greater interest. What is their recipe for growth?

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2CRvcuO

Nastya Rybka: Model who got caught up in the Trump-Russia row

The story of Nastya Rybka, who was questioned in a Thai jail by the FBI about the Trump-Russia inquiry.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2HHJ9kz

On the buses? Where and how often are we travelling?

Councils say they are "desperate" to protect services but funding cuts forced "difficult decisions".

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2Saz4AQ

Taliban say they are not looking to rule Afghanistan alone

The Taliban said on Wednesday they are not seeking a “monopoly on power” in a future administration in Afghanistan but are looking for ways to co-exist with Afghan institutions — the most conciliatory statement to date from the militants.

The statement came amid intensified United States-led efforts to resolve the long-running Afghanistan war. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad reported this week that there had been “agreements in principle” toward a framework for peace with the Taliban.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman based in Qatar where the Taliban have a political office, said that once US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban want to live with other Afghans, “tolerate one another and start life like brothers”. Shaheen’s statement was provided in an exclusive audio message to The Associated Press.

“After the end of the occupation, Afghans should forget their past and tolerate one another and start life like brothers. After the withdrawal, we are not seeking a monopoly on power,” Shaheen said.

“We believe in an inclusive Afghan world, where all Afghans can see themselves in it,” he added.

“We believe in an inclusive Afghan world, where all Afghans can see themselves in it,” Taliban spokesperson said.

He also said the Taliban envision a reformed police and local police forces, without offering specifics. Afghanistan’s local police forces have been widely criticised as deeply corrupt and intimidating of the local population.

Shaheen said another round of talks with Khalilzad is planned for February 25 in Doha.

Khalilzad, who held talks with the Taliban for six days last week in Qatar, said during a visit to Kabul on Monday that much more remains to be done but that there has been significant progress toward an agreement with the insurgents.

In turn, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani assured Afghans that no deals would be made without the Kabul government’s awareness and full participation.

Shaheen also said the US and the Taliban will establish joint technical teams to work out details of a future US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as well as ways of preventing Afghanistan from again becoming a haven for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda.

“The withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and a pride for all Afghans,” Shaheen said.

Khalilzad, who was appointed last September, has stepped up efforts to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s protracted war that will allow an eventual withdrawal of US forces and bring to an end America’s longest military engagement that has already cost Washington about $1 trillion.

President Donald Trump has also expressed frustration with the continued US involvement in Afghanistan, lending a greater urgency to an early settlement.

Atta-ul Rahman Salim, deputy head of the Afghan High Peace Council which comprises top Afghan clerics and other prominent figures, said the only way to peace is through direct talks with the government.

“If the Taliban really want to join the peace process, the best and easy way to start is with direct peace talks with the Afghan government,” he said, adding that “there is a big difference between what you say and what you do”.

Despite the Taliban insurgents’ refusal to negotiate with Kabul, Shaheen’s message appeared directed at a wide array of stakeholders in Afghanistan — possibly even Ghani’s government — who could work together to hasten US troop pullout.

“The withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and a pride for all Afghans,” Shaheen said.

 

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Dollar falls by 30 paisa, trading at seven-week low

It is currently trading at Rs138.5

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‘Lightning’ Boult helps New Zealand thrash India in fourth ODI

Black Caps win by eight wickets after restricting Men in Blue to just 92

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Shopkeepers blame short circuit for fire that damaged two stores at Pakistan Chowk in Karachi

The police say K-Electric's slow response caused further damage

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Europe stands against May’s bid to rewrite Brexit

European leaders moved Wednesday to head off British Prime Minister Theresa May’s bid to rewrite the Brexit divorce deal, warning they will not budge.

Having thrown out the exit deal May negotiated with the EU, divided British lawmakers voted on Tuesday to send her back to get an Irish border “backstop” clause removed.

May seized on this as a chance to prevent Britain crashing out of the European Union on March 29 without an agreement, vowing to return to Brussels to demand changes to the text.

But even she admits she faces a formidable challenge convincing Brussels to re-open an accord that took 18 excruciating months to conclude, and European leaders are so far united in dismissing any such manoeuvre.

“My message to PM @theresa_may: The EU position is clear and consistent. The Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation,” EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted.

“Yesterday, we found out what the UK doesn’t want. But we still don’t know what the UK does want,” he added.

Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said it was “an extraordinary situation when a prime minister and a government negotiates a deal and then goes back and during the ratification process votes against their own deal”.

“That’s like saying in a negotiation, ‘Well either you give me what I want or I’m jumping out of the window’,” he told RTE radio.

Other frustrated EU officials including Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier insisted the remaining 27 EU members were united and determined not to abandon the backstop clause they believe is key to maintaining peace on the border.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker addressed the European Parliament to push home the message that the withdrawal agreement would not be re-negotiated.

And he warned that the British vote had only “increased the risk of a disorderly withdrawal” and of Northern Ireland “slipping back into darker times past”.

Echoing earlier warnings from French President Emmanuel Macron and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, German leader Angela Merkel’s spokesman said reopening the deal was “not on the agenda”.

And Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar insisted “renegotiation is not on the table”.

Threat of ‘no deal’

May’s spokesman said she had been aware that “this wasn’t going to be an easy process” but that: “What the vote has actually done is set out what parliament requires in order to be able to pass this vote.”

The “backstop” written into the negotiated deal is seen by EU leaders as an insurance policy against disrupting the Irish peace process.

It could legally lock the UK into EU trade rules indefinitely in order to keep the Irish border free-flowing.

Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the European Parliament’s six-member Brexit steering group, said the backstop clause was “absolutely needed” and there was hardly room to change the deal.

Going further, group member Philippe Lamberts was scathing.

“Saying you’re against the backstop is like saying you’re against bad weather. You might not like it, but you can’t change it,” he said.

But a British MEP, Ashley Fox of May’s Conservatives, warned that after Tuesday’s vote the backstop was more of a threat than an insurance policy.

“The backstop will create a hard border, not prevent one,” he said, arguing that British lawmakers would never accept the clause and so it would lead to a no deal Brexit and renewed border controls.

‘Throw of the dice’

London stocks rallied and the pound rebounded slightly after suffering heavy losses on fears of Britain leaving the EU without a deal.

Carolyn Fairbairn, who heads the Confederation of British Industry lobby group, said: “Renegotiation is a throw of the dice. It must succeed or fail fast.”

Tuesday night’s parliamentary amendment called for the backstop to be replaced with “alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border” — vague wording that did not pin May to any approach.

Also Tuesday, MPs backed a non-binding measure that “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement”.

But they threw out another plan seeking to oblige May to request a delay to Brexit if no new deal with the EU emerges by February 26.

Corbyn meeting

May said parliament’s approval of the backstop amendment gave her a “mandate” to “seek to obtain legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement” and promised to give MPs a chance to vote on February 14 on what happens should she fail to win a new agreement.

On Wednesday, she met British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn for what her spokesman said were “serious and engaged” talks on the way ahead.

Later Wednesday May tweeted that she “stressed to him the importance of the UK being able to do our own trade deals, and emphasised that the only way to avoid No Deal is to vote for a deal”.

 

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India must fight elections on its soil, don’t drag Pakistan into it: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday said India must keep electoral politics on their soil and refrain from dragging Pakistan into it, ARY News reported.

During a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Faisal said India keep changing its policies [regarding Kashmir].

He reiterated that Pakistan had a clear stand on Kashmir and “that underlines the dispute should be resolved as per the United Nations resolution.” The occupied Kashmir is a disputed territory and its resolution is inevitable, he added.

The spokesperson said human rights violations in the held-Kashmir were alarming and they need to be addressed by the international community forthwith.

Dr Faisal said India was constantly violating the water agreement between the two countries, adding Pakistan had raised the issue at relevant forums.

Answering a question, he said the Pakistani high commissioner was summoned at the Indian High Commission on Wednesday night, in which they objected at a telephonic talk between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The FO spokesperson said Pakistan rejected all those allegations leveled by the Indian side. The Indian high commissioner will also be summoned to Islamabad today, the Foreign Office spokesperson said.

To another question regarding Afghan Taliban, he said Pakistan hoped the issues should be resolved peacefully.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office said Government of Pakistan categorically rejected the objections raised by India to the Pakistan Foreign Minister’s telephonic call to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

“We would like to reiterate that Kashmir is an outstanding dispute between India and Pakistan, and acknowledged as such through UN Security Council resolutions as well as numerous Pakistan-India documents including the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration. The Kashmir issue remains on the agenda of the UN Security Council,” the statement added.

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Where there’s a will, there’s a way: PML-N leaders ride motorcycles, rickshaws to get to Nawaz Sharif

Visiting day at Kot Lakhpat proved to be a test of loyalty for the PML-N

from Samaa Digital http://bit.ly/2HIhC2q

KP govt to establish donkey farms

PESHAWAR: As a part of its donkey export plan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) livestock department on Thursday announced to set up donkey farms in DI Khan and Maneshra.

According to the KP livestock department, the donkey farms will be established with foreign collaboration. “Agreements will be signed with the Chinese government as well as registered companies,” officials of the department said.

During the first phase of export, ailing, weak and paralysed donkeys will be supplied. “In the first three years, 80,000 donkeys will be exported. Donkeys are bred in farms in 2.5 to 3 years,” livestock department officials shared.

“An important breakthrough is expected this year in the plan to export donkeys.”

The provincial department further said, “Chinese companies are interested in donkey farms and foreign companies are ready to invest $3 billion in them.”

Speaking about the critical aspect of the donkey export plan, the officials continued, “Over 70,000 households in the province are dependent on donkeys for their source of income, thus we want to sign agreements after thinking carefully as we do not want a scarcity of the animals in the province.”

Donkeys have huge demand in China, the livestock department said, as they are used for making medicines as well as furniture there.

 

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PML-N leaders visit Kot Lakhpat prison to meet jailed Nawaz Sharif

LAHORE: Several leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) visited imprisoned former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat Jail here on Thursday.

According to ARY News, party leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former president Mamnoon Hussain, Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Ahsan Iqbal, Javed Hashmi, Mariam Aurangzaib and others arrived at the prison to meet Nawaz Sharif on the meeting day.

A large number of party workers were also gathered in frosty weather outside the jail and chanting slogans in support of their jailed leader.

The prison officials at the gate of Kot Lakhpat Jail were allowing admission to each visitor after security clearance and watching their names in visitors list.

All visitors walked to the barrack after security clearance but former information minister Mariam Aurangzaib travelled in a rickshaw to the barrack.

Nawaz Sharif has challenged his conviction in a petition in Islamabad High Court as well as requested for bail in Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.

Sharif has pleaded that his sentence be suspended until the final verdict in his appeal challenging the case is announced.

The former PM is currently incarcerated at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore serving his seven-year sentence in the Al Azizia case.

The accountability court judge Muhammad Arshad Malik on Dec 24 sentenced Sharif to seven years in prison in the Al-Azizia accountability reference.

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British Airways to begin operating three flights a week from Islamabad to London in June

The airline is returning to Pakistan after a gap of 10 years

from Samaa Digital http://bit.ly/2DLqyQG

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Faisalabad police still haven’t arrested the spurned suitor caught on camera shooting two people

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Will new Asian infrastructure bank put $1b into Pakistan?

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Apple bans Facebook from running internal iOS apps after data misuse

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PAC examines audit papers of Civil Aviation Authority

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, chaired the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting today (Thursday), ARY News reported.

The meeting took up audit files of alleged financial irregularities in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

At the outset of the meeting, Shehbaz said the weather of Islamabad was pleasant. “We will enjoy and work as well.” His comment sparked laughter in the committee room.

After a few light exchanges, the committee members went through audit papers of the CAA. Shehbaz ordered that audit of irregularities below Rs 50 million would be conducted by a sub-committee that will be formed on Thursday (today).

The PAC members reviewed land utilization of the CAA.

The CAA officials appeared before the committee and informed the members that the land belonged to Sindh government.

PAC member Fakhar Imam questioned how land bore loss of Rs 5.4 billion, if it didn’t belong to CAA. “The CAA audit papers show the statistics clearly,” he added.

Earlier, NA Speaker Asad Qaisar had issued production orders of Sharif to attend the PAC meeting. The former Punjab chief minister is currently staying at minister’s enclave due to health issues. His residence has been declared sub-jail by the National Accountability Bureau.

Sharif chaired the first PAC meeting on Dec 28, 2018. The PML-N president had also decided that he will not chair any session related to the previous government’s rule. In the first session, it was also decided that no officer less than grade 19 will give briefing to the meeting.

Meanwhile, the government has also nominated Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed as member of the PAC, however his formal approval is awaited.

Rasheed last week said the government’s decision to appoint Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee was a blunder.

The minister claimed that “those involved in committing the mother of all crimes have been appointed to hold others accountable”. He added that there were no moral grounds for appointing Shehbaz.

“I have headed eight ministries and currently I am the most senior parliamentarian,” said Rashid and added that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the PML-N do not care about Parliament.

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Sahiwal shootout: Identification parade of CTD officials put off for third time

SAHIWAL: Jalil, the main complainant in the Sahiwal encounter case, didn’t appear before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the incident for an identification parade of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials in custody on Thursday, ARY News reported.

The identification parade was put off for the third time today after the complainant, brother of victim Khalil, didn’t turn up in pursuance of the probe team’s summons. The JIT will now inform the relevant judicial magistrate in this regard.

On Jan 30, Jalil appeared before the JIT but refused to be part of the identification parade.

Accusing the JIT of destroying evidence in the case, Jalil said, “How can the identification parade could be conducted until all the accused are not arrested.”

He said the police and JIT knew who the killers of the Sahiwal victims were. “The JIT is troubling eyewitnesses and destroying evidences in the case.”

Jalil demanded to transfer the case to Lahore. “Why should we come to Sahiwal for the identification of the accused? We have demanded the constitution of a judicial commission.”

Khalil, a resident of Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat, along with his wife Nabeela and teenage daughter Areeba were killed in a shady encounter involving the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district last week.

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SC reinstates life term of murder convict

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday revoked an acquittal order by a high court of a death row convict in the murder case, and reinstated his life sentence, ARY News reported.

The apex court declared the high court’s decision void that released the convict, Hazrat Ali, who was serving life sentence. A petition was filed in the top court challenging the high court order in the case.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked that it was ironic that case investigations don’t come out in detail even at the Supreme Court level.

“The top court also spends time to understand the case background.” “It’s witnessed here that complications are further compounded to trip up the courts, the CJP stated.

He said witnesses give conflicting statements that create difficulties during probe. The chief justice regretted that none of the witnesses spoke truth in this case as well. No one kept the sanctity of their oath in this honourable place, he added.

Justice Khosa said investigation institutions were meant to dig out facts, but to no avail.

After giving his observations, the CJP ordered arrest of the convict in the murder case. While the man accused of murder was arrested from the courtroom.

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Grievances within a coalition part of democracy, says Sarwar

LAHORE: Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said complaints within a party or coalition is part of democratic process adding that the grievances of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) will be addressed.

There were speculations about differences of the coalition partner with ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The PML-Q lawmakers in Punjab had expressed concerns over some ministers of the government.

Talking to mediamen Punjab governor said this government will complete its five years’ tenure denying any possibility of the mid-term elections in the country.

The Punjab governor in an earlier media talk also dispelled the impression of internal differences and said that the PTI and the PML-Q coalition government has no threat from within as both parties had jointly won several seats in the election and are now complementing each other.

“The Chaudhrys are seasoned politicians and cannot go for an irresponsible reaction,” he said while responding to a question regarding a statement of a federal minister from PTI. He said the minister had already apologised for his uncalled for statement.

Replying a question, Chaudhry Sarwar said, “One should not interfere in Nawaz Sharif’s matter neither the government is doing so.”

“The courts are independent and free, what decision they will take on the matter, will be accepted to us,” Governor Sarwar said.

“I pray for recuperation of Nawaz Sharif, may Allah bless him with health,” Chaudhry Sarwar further said.

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Zardari disqualification plea not heard in IHC today

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court did not hear an appeal filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders (PTI) for the disqualification of former president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, ARY News reported.

According to reports, the aforementioned case was not listed in the cause list of IHC’s fixed cases. The registrar office will fix another date for the case to be heard.

Sources relayed that the counsel of PTI had requested the registrar office to not fix the case for Jan 31 because he had other cases fixed for hearing in the top court.

The petition filed by PTI lawmakers Usman Dar and Khurram Sher Zaman had pleaded the court to disqualify the Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman as a National Assembly member for not being “Sadiq and Amin” under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution.

It accused Zardari of owning an apartment in Belaire Condominiums located at 524 East 72nd Street in New York which he failed to disclose in his nomination papers for the 2018 general elections.

During the previous hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minhallah had observed that the petitioner should have approached the Election Commission of Pakistan instead.

Earlier, the Supreme Court’s registrar office had returned the petition after pointing out a few objections.

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PM acclaims polio worker’s dedication to duty

ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday acclaimed the Swat polio workers who braved harsh weather to administer polio vaccines to children.

“Irfan is one of 260,000 heroes who reach out to children with polio vaccines in extreme weather conditions. His viral video has left every individual with a sense of awe & pride. This dedication is what will enable us to achieve our goal of a polio free nation,” the premier said.

Irfan is one of 260,000 heroes who reach out to children with polio vaccines in extreme weather conditions. His viral video has left every individual with a sense of awe & pride. This dedication is what will enable us to achieve our goal of a polio free nation #SalamPolioWorker pic.twitter.com/4wPBxIDUDz

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 31, 2019

A video clip of a polio worker had went viral on social media in which he can be seen trudging through few feet of snow in intense cold weather. In recognition of their services, PM Khan had invited him along with other polio workers performing duties in harsh weathers to the PM House.

The premier had praised dedication and passion of the polio workers for eradication of polio from the country. They had also discussed on the strategy to make the country polio-free.

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from ARYNEWS http://bit.ly/2FZtSKf

PHC issues stay order against hike in medicine prices

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued a stay order against the recent hike in medicine prices, ARY News reported.

A high court bench comprising Justice Ikramullah Khan issued notices to the chief federal and provincial law officers to respond to a constitutional petition against the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for jacking up medicine prices by up to 15 per cent.

“People are dying while you are increasing medicine prices,” observed the judge, who warned that the pharmacies hoarding medicines to create an artificial shortage of drugs would be sealed.

It is pertinent to mention here that a similar petition is pending in the Lahore High Court.

During the preliminary hearing on Jan 18, the high court bench directed the respondents to submit their replies on the petition filed by Nadeem Sarwar in the next hearing.

The petitioner dubbing the hike in prices of medicines as illegal said that no new formula had been determined for fixation of drugs prices. “And without a price formula the prices could not be fixed.”

The petitioner pleaded to the court to declare the DRAP notification as null and void and also order for determination of a formula to fix prices.

The authority last Friday had announced to hike prices of medicines by up to 15 percent. A spokesperson for DRAP termed the hike to be in larger interest of the country and patients.

He said the increase in medicine prices was inevitable owing to various reasons. “The dollar increased by 30 per cent over the last year, which led to an increase in prices of raw material and packaging.”

Besides, the increase in utility tariffs, employees’ salaries and additional duty put extra burden on the pharmaceutical industry, the spokesperson said. The prices had to be revised to keep up with the cost incurred on the manufacturing of medicines, he added.

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Scientists generate electricity from WiFi

In a remarkable breakthrough, scientists in the United States have come up with a unique invention to generate electricity through WiFi signals, Daily Mail reported.

The device named ‘rectenna’, developed from a semiconductor, generates power. It could also allow for phones and other devices that don’t use batteries – as well as entirely new ways of using smart technologies.

According to scientists, the device could be used to provide battery-less power for smartphones, laptops, medical devices and wearable technology, according to the US-led team.

Wi-fi signals captured by an integrated antenna are transformed into a DC current suitable for electronic circuits. Because of its flexibility, it could also be fabricated to cover large areas.

This has major implications for the future of “electronic intelligence”, say the scientists.

Professor Tomas Palacios, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Microsystems Technology Laboratories Centre for Graphene Devices and 2D Systems, said: “What if we could develop electronic systems that we wrap around a bridge or cover an entire highway, or the walls of our office and bring electronic intelligence to everything around us? How do you provide energy for those electronics?

“We have come up with a new way to power the electronics systems of the future – by harvesting wi-fi energy in a way that’s easily integrated in large areas – to bring intelligence to every object around us.”

In experiments, the rectenna generated about 40 microwatts of power when exposed to typical wi-fi signals of around 150 microwatts. That is more than enough to light up a simple mobile display or activate silicon chips.

The research is published in the latest online issue of the journal Nature.

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LHC seeks govt policy on tree plantation

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday sought details of the government policy on tree plantation across the province, ARY News reported.

During hearing of a petition on non-plantation of trees in Punjab, director general Lahore Development Authority, director general Punjab Highway Authority (PHA) and officials of other relevant institutions turned up before the court.

The DG PHA informed the court that Rs 27 billion were required for plantation of trees. The summary for expenditure on the project has been forwarded to the federal government and their reply is awaited, he told the court.

The court said it was an issue of importance; hence immediate steps were needed for its resolution. The LHC directed PHA, LDA and other institutions to file their replies on the petition by February 11.

The LHC also observed that no trees were being planted in any of the cities of Punjab.

The petitioner said chopping of trees coupled with climatic changes were triggering environmental changes quite rapidly.

He requested the court to order the government to start plantation of trees in all parts of the province.

Stressing on the importance of trees, recently the University of Science and Technology (UST), Bannu, made it a mandatory condition for students to plant a tree if they want their degrees.

As per the instructions of the varsity, degrees will not be given to students unless they plant, at least, one tree.

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ANF foils drug smuggling bid at Islamabad airport

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) claimed on Thursday to have foiled a bid to smuggle drugs out of the country by nabbing two suspected smugglers at the Islamabad airport, ARY News reported.

ANF officials said one kilogram of heroin amounting to millions of rupees was seized from the possession of the arrested smugglers. They were to board a Doha-bound flight (QR-633).

The accused allegedly had links with an international network of drug suppliers, claimed the officials.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ANF had earlier this week claimed to have seized 1995.475 kilograms drugs amounting to 1.684 billion rupees throughout the country.

According to a press release, the ANF also arrested five culprits and impounded three vehicles while conducting seven counter-narcotic strikes on different places. The ANF foiled a bid of smuggling drug abroad on January 22.

Officials of the ANF in a raid at the Islamabad airport arrested a man and captured 798 grams of ice heroin worth millions of rupees, from his possession, officials said.

The law enforcement agency officials captured drug, which was hidden in the shoes of accused Rashid Khan, who was going Dubai by flight number AK 615, officials said.

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from ARYNEWS http://bit.ly/2MI5w8u

Regulate social media to protect children, MPs urge

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Former Saaf Pani Company director gets bail

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted bail to former director of Saaf Pani Company Engineer Qamarul Islam Raja in the Saaf Pani Company corruption scam involving billions of rupees.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Raja, who was a PML-N ticket holder from NA-59 Rawalpindi-III, last year in June on charges of tampering with documents and awarding contracts of water filtration plants at excessive rates and causing a huge loss to the national exchequer.

Earlier in Dec, NAB filed an interim reference against 20 persons including Qamarul Islam and former CEO Waseem Ajmal.

The bureau filed the interim reference in an accountability court against Chief Technical Officer Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC) Dr Zaheer-ud-Din, Chief Procurement Officer Nasir Qadir Badhal, Consultant Engineer Saleem Akhtar and Managing Director KSB Pumps Muhammad Masud Akhter, Deputy Secretary Housing Khalid Nadeem Bukhari, Raja Qamarul Islam, former CEO Wasim Ajmal, former Deputy Secretary Zahoor Ahmed Dogar and others.

The accused allegedly awarded an illegal contract for installation of 116 water filtration plants at exorbitant rates and malafide involvement of PSPC officials by means of corrupt practices caused a collective loss amounting to Rs 345.282 million to the national exchequer.

The post Former Saaf Pani Company director gets bail appeared first on ARYNEWS.

from ARYNEWS http://bit.ly/2RppDJt

Facebook is paying teens to install an app that could collect data from their phones

It has confirmed the existence of the research program

from Samaa Digital http://bit.ly/2DK9XwR

Pakistan, South Africa clash in ODI series decider

All to play for as five-match series goes right down to the wire

from Samaa Digital http://bit.ly/2UuNycl

Juul plans India e-cigarette entry

US-based electronic cigarette company Juul Labs Inc is hoping to launch its products in India by late 2019, a person familiar with the strategy told Reuters, marking one of its boldest bets to expand away from its home turf.

After recruiting Uber India executive Rachit Ranjan as a senior public policy strategist, Juul this month hired India-based Mastercard executive Rohan Mishra as head of government relations.

It plans to hire at least three more executives, including an India general manager, LinkedIn job postings showed. It also plans “a new India subsidiary”, according to one posting.

“It (the plan) is currently at an exploratory stage, but the company needs people on the ground in India,” the source said.

Juul’s sleek vaping devices, which resemble a USB flash drive and offer flavors such as mango and creme, are a sensation in the United States but have drawn tighter regulatory scrutiny due to surging use among teenagers.

Related: Heart attack risk doubles for daily e-cigarette users: survey

Juul devices, like most electronic cigarettes, vaporize a liquid containing nicotine, the addictive stimulant that gives smokers a rush.

Advocates for the devices say that they are far less of a health threat because users don’t inhale the dangerous matter taken into the lungs through cigarette smoking.

Opponents argue the devices still involve addictive chemicals and can be a gateway to cigarette smoking, especially for the young.

The push to launch in India is part of the company’s broader Asia strategy. India has 106 million adult smokers, second only to China in the world, making it a lucrative market for firms such as Juul and Philip Morris International Inc.

However, India’s regulatory environment for tobacco and electronic cigarettes is highly restrictive. The health ministry last year advised states to stop the sale or import of e-cigarettes, saying they pose a “great health risk”. Eight of India’s 29 states currently ban e-cigarettes.

Juul is studying federal and state regulations that could block its plans, the source said, adding that it would engage with the medical community to build acceptance for the devices.

Juul said in a statement India was among the Asian markets under evaluation, but there were no “definitive plans”.

“As we explore potential markets, we are engaging with health regulators, policymakers and other key stakeholders,” the company said.

MEDICAL JOURNAL

As part of its evaluation, Juul said it would consult with the Indian Journal of Clinical Practice (IJCP), a healthcare communications company.

One of the journal’s editors is a former president of the Indian Medical Association, K.K. Aggarwal, who has publicly voiced his support for e-cigarettes.

The IJCP will advise Juul on the regulatory landscape and offer advice on how it should approach the market, a second person familiar with the plans said.

Juul would face competition from leading players in India’s $10 billion cigarette market – ITC and Godfrey Phillips – which sell such electronic devices as well.

India’s vapour-products market was valued at only $15.6 million in 2017, according to Euromonitor International, but it is expected to grow by nearly 60 percent a year up to 2022.

Juul could be “potentially very attractive” to the growing number of young and wealthy smokers in India, said Shane MacGuill, Head of Tobacco Research at Euromonitor International.

Altria Group Inc last month paid $12.8 billion to take a 35 percent stake in Juul, a move expected to boost the company’s international growth prospects.

Philip Morris is also considering a launch of its heat-not-burn tobacco device iQOS in India, which it says is less harmful than conventional cigarettes, Reuters reported last year.

Many tobacco-control activists are opposed to e-cigarettes, saying they could lead to nicotine addiction and push people to consume tobacco. More than 900,000 people die each year in India due to tobacco-related illnesses.

“If they (Juul) try to launch in India, they need to be nipped in the bud before they become a major health hazard,” said Sanjay Seth, head of tobacco-control at Indian non-profit Sambandh Health Foundation.

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Senate body deliberates on Child Marriage Restraint Bill

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee for Human Rights on Wednesday deliberated over Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill 2018, ARY News reported.

The upper house of the Parliament had sent the bill tabled by Senator Sherry Rehman to the concerned committee for further debate and recommendations.

Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar chaired the standing committee session to discuss the bill.

Senator Sherry Rehman, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the upper house, talking on the bill said that the proposed legislation is aimed at preventing underage marriages, the legislation was also passed in Sindh Assembly earlier, she said.

Senator Rehman called for explanation of the word ‘child’. “Childhood marriages are the cause of 21 percent deaths in children, Sherry Rehman said. Pakistan is second from top in the countries where child marriages are rampant,” she said.

She demanded ban on marriages under the age of 18 years.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari said,” We have no objection over the bill.”

Chairman of the committee Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said, “the committee approves the bill”.

The bill says that a minor would be a person under the age of 18, the legislation shall extend to the Islamabad Capital Territory and come into force at once.

The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill despite insistence by some religious political parties’ MPs to set marriage age at 12 to 13 years, was moved in the Senate and referred to concerned committee of the House.

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan while not opposing the bill, pointed out that the bill recommended rigorous imprisonment, which should not be part of it. He said the advice of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) should be sought on the proposed piece of legislation.

The bill provides that a person marrying a minor is liable to pay Rs 0.2 million and serve three years rigorous imprisonment. Moreover, it states that a court, upon receiving a complaint, can issue a stay order to stall the marriage. Senator Rehman said that legislation should be made to discourage underage marriages.

She said that after every 20 minutes, a woman dies in Pakistan of maternity-related complications and that out of every 100 females, 40 percent are married below the age of 18. She read out part of a speech, delivered by the Quaid-e-Azam in 1929 against underage marriages in the then assembly, which led to passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Act same year.

She pointed out female-related issues were more alarming in Pakistan as compared to even Afghanistan and Yemen.

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from ARYNEWS http://bit.ly/2DIlkoN

Brexit: Firms speeding up no-deal plans, says CBI

A plan to renegotiate the UK's withdrawal deal "feels like a real throw of the dice", the CBI says.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2Sgmwrw

Woman dies carrying pram down stairs on New York subway

Malaysia Goodson, 22, fell at 7th Avenue station while carrying her one-year-old's pram.

from BBC News - Home https://bbc.in/2CUO3F8

PM Khan orders lifting ban on servants’ entrance into elite clubs

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan directed authorities on Tuesday to end restriction on the entrance of servants/maids into elite clubs of the federal capital. 

During a meeting on human rights at the PM Office, the premier instructed to remove all discriminatory signboards from clubs – Islamabad Club, Gymkhana etc – and other public places which bars the entry of maids, aayas or domestic servants.

In order to promote the move, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi on Wednesday in his Twitter post, shared a picture of a sign barring the entry of maids and ayas beyond a particular point.

Symbols of Elitism & colonial mindset will be removed. PMIK has ordered to remove the ban on entry of maids/servants in elite clubs i.e.starting from Isb club. Rather we should hv been thankful to them for carrying our weights. Abolish boundaries made in name of wealth, color etc pic.twitter.com/IgalVbyRvg

— Shehryar Afridi (@ShehryarAfridi1) January 30, 2019

The state minister wrote, “Symbols of elitism and colonial mindset will be removed.” Referring to PM Khan’s order to lift the ban on entry of maids/servants in elite clubs, he continued, “we should have been thankful to them [the maids] for carrying our weights.”

He further urged to “abolish boundaries made in name of wealth, colour etc.”

The lifting of ban will start from the Islamabad club, leading to other such places, as suggested by the Tweet of Afridi.

The prime minister had also directed yesterday to eliminate bonded labour from Pakistan and said steps must be taken to educate children of poor families.

 

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from ARYNEWS http://bit.ly/2UtpwhS

PM orders to improve Pakistan’s ranking on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ index

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Board of Investment (BoI) Haroon Sharif says Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed to improve Pakistan’s ranking on ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’, where it currently stands on 136 in the list of 190 countries, ARY News reported.

“Pakistan will be among the top 50 countries on the index by next year,” said Sharif while addressing a press conference here.

Flanked alongside Adviser to PM for Commerce, Textile and Industry Production Abdul Razak Dawood, Sharif said the business community had to pay 47 different taxes until three months ago, but now the number of such taxes had reduced to 16.

“Initiating a business in the country was a difficult process in the past, but now a any company looking to get itself registered will be able to do the same from a single place, instead of going to three different places”, he added.

He said Punjab had adopted the aforesaid system and now Sindh would also be transformed onto it. “Such steps will improve Pakistan’s ranking on the World Bank index.”

Haroon Sharif said centers would be opened in provinces aimed at facilitating businessmen. “A facility will also be created that will allow traders to apply online for a business visa,” he announced.

Earlier in his remarks, Abdul Razaq Dawood informed that Pakistan stood at 136 in World Bank’s index of ‘Ease of Doing Business’. He also said the PM had directed to improve country’s ranking on the index.

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from ARYNEWS http://bit.ly/2MFJGm5