Eidul Azha is being celebrated today (Saturday) across the country with religious fervor to commemorate the great sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismael (AS).
The day dawned with special prayers in mosques for well-being of the Ummah and progress, prosperity and security of the country.
Eid congregations are being held at mosques, Eidgahs and open places in all cities, towns and villages across the country.
In the federal capital, the main Eid congregation will be held at the Faisal Mosque. Ulema would deliver Khutbah highlighting significance of the day and philosophy of great sacrifice.
After offering Eid prayers, the faithful will sacrifice animals to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS).
The federal and provincial governments have chalked out elaborate security plans.
The government has advised the faithful to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for containing the COVID-19 while perform the ritual of sacrificing animals. While offering Eid prayers, they should keep distance, and avoid hugging and instead extend only greetings.
The spokesperson of the Foreign Office (FO) has clarified that Pakistani troops had responded to protect the local population and acted only in self-defence when Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire on innocent civilians gathered at the Chaman’s Friendship Gate on July 30.
The FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a media statement that Afghan forces had opened unprovoked fire on innocent civilians gathered towards Pakistan’s side of the international border at the Friendship Gate Chaman on July 30.
She added that Pakistan troops deployed on the posts were also simultaneously engaged by Afghan posts.
‘Pakistan troops responded to protect our local population and acted only in self-defence. It is reiterated that Pakistan Force did not open fire first and responded in self-defence only.’
To de-escalate the situation, the Pakistan side immediately activated both military and diplomatic channels and it was after hectic efforts that the firing was stopped from the Afghan side.
It must be noted that the borders with Afghanistan were opened for pedestrian movement and trade, upon the request of the Afghan authorities.
The statement read, ‘Pakistan is undertaking concerted efforts to ensure regulated movement of trade between the two countries, which are being challenged by elements opposed to such regulation. Moreover, due to Eid ul Azha, pedestrians’ move was also allowed. People gathered for this purpose were deliberately targeted by Afghan forces for incomprehensible reasons.’
‘This unfortunate incident resulted in numerous casualties and deliberate/serious damage to State infrastructure on the Pakistan side. There were, reportedly, unfortunate losses on the Afghan side as well. All this could have been avoided if fire had not been initiated from the Afghan side.’
Pakistan reiterates its sincere readiness to further enhance fraternal relations with Afghanistan in the interest of peace and stability in the region. We hope our constructive efforts will be reciprocated, said the FO spokesperson.
A senior executive for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has confirmed that his company cannot face legal action for any potential side effects caused by its Covid vaccine. Those affected will have no legal recourse.
AstraZeneca is one of 25 pharmaceutical companies worldwide already testing their Covid vaccines on humans, in preparation for injecting hundreds of millions of people. These are flush times for Britain’s largest pharmaceutical company, worth something in the order of £70 million. They have just reported bumper profits of $12.6 billion in the last six months alone.
But despite its healthy balance sheet, AstraZeneca is unwilling to be held responsible for any potential side effects of its ‘hopeful’ vaccine candidate. In other words, the company is completely protected, or indemnified, against lawsuits from people who are injected with their vaccine and experience negative effects, regardless of how severe or long-lasting they are.
The firm’s lawyers have demanded that clauses to that effect be put in their contracts with the countries AstraZeneca has agreed to supply with its Covid vaccine. The company says that, without such guarantees of indemnity, they would not be incentivised to produce the drug. And it seems most of the countries have ceded to this demand.
Done in the national interest?
Ruud Dobber, a senior AstraZeneca executive, told Reuters “In the contracts we have in place, we are asking for indemnification. For most countries it is acceptable to take that risk on their shoulders because it is in their national interest’’. For “national interest,” read “government interest.” Whether what is happening is good for the actual people of vaccinated countries is, to put it very mildly, an open question.
Dobber refused to name the countries which have placed orders for the firm’s vaccine, although many major western democracies are likely to be on the list. The UK government has been on a vaccine spending spree, buying 250 million doses from various Big Pharma outfits. America, meanwhile, is way ahead of the curve here – they have a special legal framework in which no pharmaceutical companies face lawsuits for side effects of vaccines in case of ‘public health emergencies’. This legislation, known as the PREP Act, was the product of a massive lobbying effort from the US pharmaceutical industry, and was introduced despite vigorous opposition from consumer groups. Unless the vaccine maker intentionally murders or injures you – willful misconduct – you cannot sue them.
As senior EU officials told Reuters this week, they are locking horns with the vaccine manufacturers over price, payment timelines and, above all, liability. That no one wants to be stuck with liability is hardly surprising. Pump a population full of an experimental vaccine to ‘immunise’ them against a disease that is harmless to most people, and then be held accountable for the consequences? I don’t think so. Big Pharma executives do not earn the seven-figure salaries they do for falling into traps like that.
Dobber also added: “This is a unique situation where we as a company simply cannot take the risk if in ... four years the vaccine is showing side effects.” Oh… okay then. So who does take on the responsibility then? The WHO? Pull the other one. Politicians? Don’t make me laugh. No one? Gotcha.
Who pays?
Because there is a virtual guarantee that in a major vaccination programme some people will be harmed or even killed by the vaccine, some countries have set up special public funds to pay compensation to those affected. The WHO supports this model of taxpayer-funded damages for vaccine claimants.
The US has such a fund, as do many European countries including the UK, Germany, Sweden and Italy. It might be worth looking up the relevant system in your own country if you are worried about taking the vaccine. One thing is certain though: when it comes to Covid-19, private capital have decided that they want nothing to do with the long-term consequences of their vaccinations.
British filmmaker Alan Parker has died after a long illness, his family has announced. The director’s work earned 10 Academy Awards and 19 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).
Parker was best known for his ability to move between genres, finding success in most that he explored. He got behind the camera for serious social dramas like the Oliver Stone-penned 1978 film ‘Midnight Express,’ about an American imprisoned for years for drug dealing in a foreign country, but Parker also dove into music-themed films like 1982’s ‘Pink Floyd: The Wall’ and 1980’s ‘Fame.’
Not one to be pigeon-holed, the filmmaker would also go on to dabble in horror with 1987’s acclaimed ‘Angel Heart,’ starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro, a New Orleans-set noir piece that found Parker battling the Motion Picture Association of America system when it was initially slapped with an X-rating for its intense violence and sexual content. Other successful films by Parker included 1988’s ‘Mississippi Burning’ and 1996’s ‘Evita.’
R.I.P. Alan Parker one of the best and most versatile directors of our time. He could do it all with style. pic.twitter.com/DWfh6HG3jc
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker. As BAFTA-winning filmmaker, he brought us joy with Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Midnight Express and many more. pic.twitter.com/fVOcXARgKM
We're deeply saddened to learn that British filmmaker Alan Parker passed away this morning. Also a former Chairman of the BFI, his works as director include Midnight Express, The Commitments and Angela's Ashes https://t.co/wuBtJvHG1bpic.twitter.com/TDEqyxWgWb
Born in London, Parker did not set out to be a filmmaker, nor did he have any connections to the business. Born to a seamstress mother and a house painting father, the director eventually got into advertising, starting as a copywriter and then making commercials for the ad firm CDP.
Eventually forming his own company to make advertisements, Parker slowly moved into the world of filmmaking through scripting the 1971 ‘Melody’ and eventually moving to directing full features with 1976’s ‘Bugsy Malone.’
After years of acclaim and studio battles, Parker stepped away from the camera after 2003’s ‘The Life of David Gale.’ He confirmed his retirement in 2015.
“I've been directing since I was 24, and every day was a battle, every day it was difficult, whether you're fighting the producer who has opinions you don't agree with, the studios, whoever it is,” he said.
Film...is hugely expensive, and the moment it gets expensive, you've got people you have to serve.
Films like ‘Angel Heart’ and ‘Fame,’ however, only grew in popularity, and Parker was never far from the public eye.
He was awarded the Academy Fellowship, the highest honor in the British film industry, in 2013, and was knighted in 2002. He spent his later years focused on painting.
From "Fame" to "Midnight Express," two-time Oscar nominee Alan Parker was a chameleon. His work entertained us, connected us, and gave us such a strong sense of time and place. An extraordinary talent, he will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/OxZPBxTE8F
The train was carrying 240 people, according to Reuters. The country's national relief operations authority CNOS said over 160 rescue personnel are working at the site, as well as two medical helicopters.
Five of the injured are said to be in critical condition, while 30 have only minor injuries.
The US Africa Command will seek to move its headquarters as the Pentagon plans a major reduction of American forces based in Germany. The German Defense Ministry is now considering how to help regions after the US withdrawal.
Since its establishment in 2008, the US Africa Command has been headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of Germany’s southwestern Baden-Wurttemberg state. Now the command “will look first at options elsewhere in Europe, but also will consider options in the United States,” AFRICOM said in a statement.
AFRICOM chief US Army General Stephen Townsend noted that the decision-making will “likely take several months” as the command searches for a new home.
The Pentagon previously said it will move the Special Operations Command Europe, also based in Stuttgart, to Mons in Belgium. Overall, the US plans to withdraw nearly 12,000 of the 36,000 American troops stationed in Germany, relocating a portion of them to other NATO member states, including Belgium and Italy.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called the plan to reduce the US military presence in the country “regrettable.” She promised to invite the heads of German states after the summer to discuss how that the German forces can “support the affected regions.”
We’re bearing German and European interests in mind. The truth is that a good life in Germany and Europe increasingly depends on how we ensure our own security.
As well as Baden-Wurttemberg, the US is set to pull some of its troops from Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria.
US President Donald Trump and other officials have accused Berlin of not contributing enough to NATO. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper argued that Germany “can and should pay more to its defense.”
German officials were caught off guard by Trump last month when he first announced the decision to scale down the US contingent in the country. Politicians from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union argued that the withdrawal will weaken NATO, while the opposition Left party welcomed the decision.
As part of its military repositioning scheme, the Pentagon plans to move the HQ of the US Army’s V Corps to Poland. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed that at least 1,000 additional American soldiers will be deployed in the country. Poland currently hosts around 4,500 US personnel.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam invokes her emergency powers to postpone the city’s September legislative election by one year, citing coronavirus resurgence as reason.
The leader made the announcement on Friday, while addressing the media, and called it “the most difficult one” since the virus outbreak started. She added that though the decision is a tough one to make, it is “essential” to ensuring public safety and health.
Chief Exec. Carrie Lam says the #Covid19 situation is at its worse in #HongKong. She says she has approval from Beijing to delay the September elections. pic.twitter.com/VVAfZJdB1m
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@HongKongFP) July 31, 2020
Lam is reported to have said that the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong was at its worst, and that Beijing had given her the green light to implement the precautionary measures.
It had been previously speculated by the media, that the election was going to draw crowds to the polling stations and increase the risk of the virus’ transmission.
Since 2019, Hong Kong has been rocked by protests, initially triggered by a proposal of a now defunct extradition bill. The demonstrations grew into a full-blown anti-Chinese government movement, fueled by the strict new national security law in 2020, a law perceived by dissenters as an attack on the territory’s special status.
The opposition protests have attracted the support of many Western countries, namely the US and the UK, who have taken political action, including sanctions, to punish Beijing for what they say are human rights violations. In response, China has been calling out its detractors for what it perceives as interference in its internal affairs.
Hong Kong has seen a massive rise in untraceable infections since the start of July. The numbers now stand at more than three thousand cases and twenty-seven Covid-related deaths. On Monday, local authorities introduced mandatory social distancing measures, including limiting public gathering to just two people and making facemasks compulsory to wear outdoors.
The delay also follows Tuesday’s events, when twelve anti-Beijing activists were banned from participating in the election. “These people intended to paralyze the government and subvert state power,”explained Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, one of the banned activist leaders Joshua Wong said that Beijing “tramples upon the city’s last pillar of vanishing autonomy.”
Newly taken pictures show an interstellar phenomenon fluttering its ethereal wings in stunning detail. The spectacular display comes from a highly symmetrical gas nebula known as NGC 2899.
The image was captured as part of the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Cosmic Gems program, for the purposes of education and public outreach.
Peering into deep space through the ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers enjoyed a view of the huge bubble of glowing gas, in a near-symmetrical shape resembling a butterfly, between 3,000 and 6,500 light years away from Earth.
Though the nebula was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel in 1835, no one has ever seen it in such high resolution before.
The butterfly's wingspan reaches nearly 19 trillion kilometers, or two light years. It is also incredibly hot, as the hydrogen and oxygen which make up its ‘body’ are heated to around 10,000 degrees Celsius (twice as hot as the Sun) thanks to two stars in its center, which are believed to give it its symmetrical appearance.
The NGC 2899 can only be viewed from the Southern hemisphere, and only through a powerful telescope – aptly known as the Very Large Telescope – which is conveniently located in Chile.
Its four 8.2-meter telescopes have discovered numerous images of deep space objects, such as the first known interstellar asteroid and light from a gravitational wave source, among others.
Iran has agreed to pay compensation for its accidental shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane, although details of payment amounts have yet to be determined. Kiev said if it feels Tehran is stalling, it may launch legal action.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down in January by an Iranian air defense unit shortly after departing from Tehran. Marathon talks concerning the incident, held in Kiev this week, were hailed as constructive by both parties.
Tehran agreed to pay compensation for the loss of lives and property, but determining its scope will take time, due to “technical and legal aspects,” the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abbas Mousavi, said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Iranians had pledged to conduct a “transparent and objective” investigation of the plane’s downing and to meet all its obligations under international agreements on aviation safety.
Establishing all relevant facts is necessary to determine the size of the compensation package. “The sum cannot be taken out of the blue,” the minister said.
Kuleba said he was convinced that Iran was determined to put everything right. But, he added, if Kiev feels Tehran is stalling it may look at “an alternative scenario to see compensations paid,” like going to international courts.
The Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 airliner was downed after Iran’s military mistook it for a missile targeting Tehran. All 167 passengers and nine crew members on board were killed after a surface-to-air missile hit the jet.
The tragedy happened as Iranians were bracing for possible US retaliation for its ballistic missile strikes at US military bases in Iraq. Those strikes had been launched in a show of force and in response to the US’ assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani days earlier.
A preliminary report released by Iranian investigators earlier this month blamed a string of human errors made by its military for the tragedy.
The next round of Iran-Ukraine talks is scheduled for October.
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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday constituted an 11-member inquiry team to investigate sugar mills based on the findings of the Sugar Inquiry Commission report, days after the government gave the go-ahead to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and FIA to launch an investigation.
The 11-member team, which will be headed by Director FIA Islamabad Zone Dr Moeen Masood and comprising Customs, FBR and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) representatives, will investigate how sugar was being exported to Afghanistan.
The government on July 23 had directed the departments to launch an investigation. The federal government had further ordered that a report on the investigation should be submitted within 90 days.
Sugar Inquiry Commission report
The report mentioned in depth how the amount of sugar exported to Afghanistan is routinely inflated to show as if 75 tonnes of the commodity were being exported per truck.
However, this is barely possible, given that the maximum capacity of a truck, even when overloaded, does not exceed 30 tonnes.
The scam also seemingly has another purpose: laundering money. If sugar is being exported to Afghanistan, the payment should also be coming in from the same country.
However, it was found by the commission that many sugar mill owners were receiving telegraphic transfers for payments for sugar sold to Afghanistan from the US and Dubai, therefore seemingly whitening money and earning dollars at the same time.
Another important finding highlighted in the report was that sugar mills paid an estimated Rs22bn in taxes to the Government of Pakistan, but out of that total amount, Rs12bn was reclaimed in rebates. Hence, the net contribution was close to around Rs10bn.
Twitter has revealed that over 100 accounts, including those of famous people, were targeted earlier this month because its staff were tricked into giving away their support credentials to online scammers.
The intruders “targeted a small number of employees through a phone spear phishing attack,” Twitter reported in its security update.
Spear phishing is a popular method used by cyber criminals to steal personal information. The scammers send emails, masquerading as a legit entity – usually an existing company, agency or NGO – to dupe the victims into surrendering their passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive data.
The phishing attack on Twitter allowed the hackers to steal the “credentials” of employees with access to “account support tools,” the company said. From there, the criminals targeted 130 Twitter accounts. They tweeted from 45 hijacked profiles, accessed the DMs of 36, and downloaded the data from seven.
On July 15, the scammers hijacked the accounts of former US President Barack Obama, US presidential candidate Joe Biden, billionaires Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, rapper Kanye West and his wife, model Kim Kardashian, among others. The hackers posted tweets advertising a cryptocurrency scheme, and reportedly managed to collect more than $100,000 in bitcoin donations.
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A monument to Soviet Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky has been decapitated by vandals after it was stolen from a cemetery in the Polish city of Legnica.
The statue of Rokossovsky, who commanded the Soviet troops which liberated Poland in 1944-45, was stolen from its pedestal within a local exposition in a military cemetery on Thursday night. A day later, the 600kg bronze statue was found in a field outside of the town with its head missing.
Shameful Polish war against #WWII memorials continues. Even cemeteries are not a safe place for relocated monuments.
Another act vandalism has been committed in 🇵🇱Legnica against sculpture of Soviet, Polish Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, Chief Commander of the 🇺🇸Legion of Merit. pic.twitter.com/oca2Aj9gtb
According to local media, police are now searching for the perpetrators.
The monument to Warsaw-born Rokossovsky was first erected in Legnica in 1978 and renovated in 1998. The reasons behind the act of vandalism are yet to be established.
Soviet monuments often become a target for mistreatment in the countries of the former Soviet bloc. On several occasions, they have suffered not at the hands of vandals, but of the local authorities themselves.
In April 2020, a monument to Marshal Ivan Konev, who commanded Soviet troops liberating Prague from the Nazis in May 1945, was removed from its pedestal in the Czech capital.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said his country won't cave in to US demands to stop developing ballistic missiles and a nuclear industry, saying Tehran is capable to stand up to Washington's "bullying."
The sanctions that the US imposed against Iran are meant to destroy its economy and reduce Tehran's regional influence, but they are only making Iran more resilient, Khamenei said on Friday, in a televised address on the occasion of the Islamic holy day of Eid al-Adha.
"The sanctions are a crime against the Iranian nation," he said. "They may seem to target the establishment, but in fact they hurt the entire nation."
🔴 LIVE: Leader of Iran delivers televised speech onoccasion of Eid al-Adha https://t.co/1ECfAB41Im
Khamenei said despite all the US effort, Iran won't stop producing ballistic missiles for its defense or develop its nuclear industry. He also promised that Iran will continue “resistance forces” in the region “as much as it can”.
"Relying on national capabilities and cutting our dependence on oil exports will help us to resist America's pressure," he assured viewers.
The US is pursuing a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, saying it is necessary to force it to behave "like a normal country." The policy was adopted by the Donald Trump administration in a U-turn from what his predecessor, Barack Obama, had done.
The change required Washington to withdraw from a 2015 agreement, which was signed by Iran, five world leading nations and the EU, and promised Iran relief from sanctions, as well as business opportunities, in exchange for accepting restrictions on its nuclear program. The Obama administration touted it as a way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, an ambition that Tehran denies ever having.
In the speech, Khamenei blamed European signatories of the nuclear deal, for giving Tehran “hollow promises” to salvage it while failing to take the necessary steps to shield the Iranian economy from US sanctions.
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Jinnah International Airport authorities here have launched an operation to restrict bird activity at the airport.
Concerned staff has initiated a drive on the directives of the airport’s chief operating officer to limit the bird movement in the area, an official said.
The bird shooters have hunted more than 25 birds on the runway, the airport manager said.
Garbage dumps in the areas adjacent to the airport attracts increasing movement of birds in the vicinity of the airport.
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has launched a public awareness campaign on Eid ul Azha to avoid piling of garbage.
Carcasses and remains of sacrificial animals dumped near airports attract a large number of birds, making them a potential hazard to air-traffic, airport manager said.
The official advised the people to pack the animal offal and leftovers in garbage bags and dispose off them at the designated places.
The bird shooters are routinely deployed by the CAA to target the birds that may cause hindrance at airports routine activity.
The aviation authority use routine measures including bird shooters, pressure horns, acoustic guns, fire crackers, scarecrows, patrolling vehicles to limit the bird activity in the vicinity of airports.
According to reports the CAA now mulling on getting advanced sonic machines for controlling the bird movement.
Pakistan to observe ‘Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir’ (Day of Exploitation in occupied Kashmir) on August 5, to mark one year of Indian government’s move of scrapping special status of the valley.
This was announced by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
Last year, Modi government launched demographic apartheid in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and divided the region into three parts.
FM Qureshi said Indian government tried to divide the Kashmiri people through this illegal act.
The foreign minister said that Kashmiri people are facing immense difficulties, pain and persecution under the continued military siege for the last one year.
FM Qureshi reiterated government’s resolve that entire Pakistani nations stands by with their Kashmiri brethren in their just struggle for right to self-determination.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech at UN General Assembly awakened the world and gave a new life to Kashmir dispute.
He said Pakistan’s political leadership is united on the Kashmir issue and Indian attempts to jeopardize this unanimity have been frustrated.
The minister said Corona lockdown realized the world about difficulties being faced by the Kashmiri people who were in lockdown even before virus outbreak.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) in its weather outlook for Eid-ul-Azha holidays, from Friday to Sunday, predicted rain/wind-thundershowers with isolated heavy falls at several places in the country.
The met office has forecast rainfall in Hazara, Malakand, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Barkhan, Khuzdar, Zhob, Musa Khel, Kashmir and Islamabad from evening or night to morning hours in eid days, while humid and partly cloudy weather conditions during the day.
Light rain is also expected along Sindh-Makran Coast on Friday and Saturday, according to the weather report. Hot and humid weather expected in other parts of the country.
The weather in Karachi will remain partly cloudy on Friday (today) with maximum temperature between 35 to 37 degree Celsius. Southwestern winds are blowing with 12 kilometers per hour speed, the met office report said.
Mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country on Sunday, the second day of Eid-ul-Azha. However, rain-thundershower is expected in Kashmir, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Sialkot and Narowal, according to the weather department.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Washington was expanding the scope of Iran metals sanctions to target Iran's nuclear, military or ballistic missile programmes.
Pompeo called the move a "major expansion" of Iran metals-related sanctions administered by the State Department, allowing Washington to blacklist those who knowingly transfer 22 specific materials to Iran that are allegedly used in connection with military programmes.
"Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile, and military programs pose a grave threat to international peace and security," Pompeo said in his statement.
Pompeo also repeated allegations that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) control Iran's construction sector.
As a result, sanctions may still be imposed on those who knowingly transfer certain materials, including graphite or raw or semi-finished metals, to or from Iran to be used in connection with the construction sector, Pompeo said.
The United States has previously targeted Iran's metals sector with sanctions in an effort to slash Iranian revenues.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have spiked since Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and began reimposing sanctions that had been eased under the accord.
China said that its BeiDou-3 global satellite navigation system is now fully operational and ready to provide high-precision positioning services across the globe. The system is set to compete with GPS.
BeiDou-3 was inaugurated after its final satellite completed in-orbit tests and joined the network earlier this week. This means that China now has its own independent global navigation system, similar to GPS, Russia's GLONASS and EU's Galileo.
China has been developing BeiDou since the mid-1990s. Its network gradually grew to 35 operational satellites, with the last one launched on June 23.
According to Xinhua, the system has already been in use in various fields, including transportation and agriculture. The news agency said that BeiDou-based services are used in more than 100 countries and regions.
In view of recent terrorism acts and imminent threat Pakistan Rangers and Sindh Police conducted search operations in three jails in the province.
According to a spokesperson of Rangers, different wings of the paramilitary force participated in search operations in Central Jail Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur.
The law enforcement agencies personnel thoroughly searched the barracks and cells in prisons along with the bomb disposal squad and sniffing dogs, Rangers spokesperson said.
Several prohibited items including television sets, knives, scissors, USBs, memory cards, MP5s, lighters, nail cutters and heaters recovered in search operation, according to the spokesperson.
The law enforcement officials also checked entry and exit points and other security arrangements in jails, spokesperson said.
Balochistan government has extended the timing of businesses till midnight tonight in the wake of Eidul Adha, which will be celebrated tomorrow (Saturday).
The provincial government has allowed continuing businesses at markets and shopping malls till 12:00 midnight, an amended notification was also released in this regard.
The move has been taken after decease in coronavirus cases and Eidul Adha. However, tandoor, dairy shops, medical stores and blood banks will remain open round the clock.
Earlier on Tuesday, Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani had said that the number of new Covid-19 cases in Balochistan were going down and routine life will return to normalcy soon.
He had said that from overall 22 active cases of the novel coronavirus in the province, nine patients were in critical condition. He warned of stern action against the people who would violate the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
He had earlier said that new coronavirus cases have dropped by 50 per cent in the province.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he was taking antibiotics for an infection that left him feeling weak, chuckling in an online video about “mold” in his lungs, having spent weeks in isolation after catching the novel coronavirus.
“I just did a blood test. I was feeling kind of weak yesterday. They found a bit of infection also. Now I’m on antibiotics,” Bolsonaro said in a livestream video, without elaborating on the infection.
“After 20 days indoors, I have other problems. I have mold in my lungs,” he said, referring to nearly three weeks he spent at the official presidential residence. He tested positive for the coronavirus on July 7 and then negative last Saturday.
His wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, tested positive on Thursday, according to a statement from the presidential palace. Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes also said he had tested positive for the virus, making him the fifth cabinet minister diagnosed publicly.
Bolsonaro said he would go ahead with his visit to southern Rio Grande do Sul state on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to address the U.N. General Assembly in person in September, his U.N. envoy said on Thursday, while all other world leaders will send videos instead of traveling to New York amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The annual high-level gathering had been shaping up to be a weeklong celebration of the 75th anniversary of the world body, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested in May that leaders send video statements due to likely travel issues.
The 193-member General Assembly agreed last week to the special measures, which allow one - possibly two - New York-based representatives for each country to be in the General Assembly hall for the speeches.
“We’re hoping that President Trump will actually be speaking in person in the General Assembly. He will be the only world leader to be speaking in person,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft told the Meridian International diplomacy think tank.
“Obviously we’re going to be focused on human rights issues, on transparency, on accountability,” she added.
The United States is traditionally the second country after Brazil to address the General Assembly, due to start this year on Sept. 22.
The coronavirus has infected at least 17.1 million people and there have been more than 668,000 known deaths worldwide, according to a Reuters tally. New York was an epicenter earlier this year for the virus, which emerged in China in December.
Germany’s U.N. Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said there were no plans for German Chancellor Angela Merkel or Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to come the New York in September.
“We have to be careful, we must not endanger people by coming with a big delegation here, and therefore we agreed to the proposal to have the leaders present their speeches in a virtual way,” Heusgen told a news conference to mark the end of Germany’s July presidency of the U.N. Security Council.
A sea of people has filled a park for a rally in support of Svetlana Tikhanovskya, opposition candidate in the Belarussian election set for next week, in what is reported to be the biggest anti-government protest in a decade.
Thousands of people flocked to the ‘Druzhba’ [Friendship] park in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, on Thursday to voice support for Tikhanovskya, who has emerged as a top challenger to the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko after several prominent opposition candidates were disqualified from the race.
According to estimates by Belarusian human rights group ‘Viasna,’ at least 63,000 people joined the rally-slash-concert. Attendees sang along in Russian, while flashing cell phone lights and waving balloons, red-and-green state banners as well as historical white-red-white flags.
The latest data from @viasna96: at least 63,000 rallied tonight in #Minsk. It’s one of the largest rallies in #Belarus then. Also,the site is not popular in the city. Security measure were increased,too. Usually,pre-election rallies were not popular at all pic.twitter.com/6l2xEuqdxR
Tikhanovskya first addressed the rally in Belarussian, and then switched to Russian. She said that she rejects revolution, and wants “peaceful changes” through “fair elections.”
The rally proceeded incident-free, with no arrests or disruptions reported.
Я был на концерте Макса Коржа на стадионе динамо в Минске, но это даже близко не сравнится по атмосфере с тем, что я видел сегодня. pic.twitter.com/t98NpIXIA7
Tikhanovskya’s husband, YouTuber Sergei Tikhanovsky, remains in jail on charges of obstructing elections and interfering with the work of the Central Electoral Commission. On Thursday, he faced additional charges of inciting mass riots which were tied by the country’s investigative committee to the case of 33 suspected Russian mercenaries arrested in Minsk earlier this week.
The Belarussin security chief identified them as the members of the ‘Wagner Group’ – a shady company providing mercenary services throughout the world said to be operating from Russia.
While speculation has been rife as to how the arrest of alleged Wagner-linked contractors might impact the looming vote, Lukashenko himself did not point any fingers, ordering a thorough probe into the incident and saying that he has “no intention of smearing an allied nation” without getting to the bottom of the case.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Thursday that 33 Russian citizens were arrested in Belarus, and that another warrant had been issued for 200 more. He said that Moscow is so far unaware of any illegal activities incriminating the Russian citizens, adding he expects their rights to be respected during the investigation.
Presidential elections in Belarus will be held on August 9, and the results are likely to hand reelection to Lukashenko, who is polling high at 72.3 percent, with Tikhanovskya lagging far behind at 7.5 percent, according to the latest Ecoom's survey poll.
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The European Union has imposed sanctions on six people and three entities, including a Russian military intelligence unit over their alleged involvement in various hacking activities, in the first ever such move from Brussels.
EU officials slapped the “Special Technologies” unit (GTsST) of the Russian military intelligence (also known as GRU) with sanctions, accusing it of being behind several high-profile cyber-attacks — including the infamous NotPetya virus that inflicted $10 billion worth of damage to the world economy in 2017.
The origins of that virus are still unclear. Yet, what is known for certain is that it targeted Russian companies just as it did foreign firms. This fact, however, never bothered any western officials blaming the NotPetya attack on Moscow.
Other supposed crimes allegedly committed by Russian intelligence include several attacks targeting Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016. While various cybersecurity experts confirmed the Ukrainian power grid was indeed targeted in cyberattacks, little is known about their origin. Some US experts, however, blamed them on the usual culprit — Russia — without providing any solid evidence.
The EU also linked the GTsST to the mysterious Sandworm hacking group. No conclusive evidence of the group’s existence has been presented to the public as of yet — though it has also been blamed for various attacks by Western media, including the very same NotPetya virus now used by the EU to impose sanctions on the GRU unit. Sandworm has also been accused of spying on NATO — and one journalist for the Wired tech website even wrote a book on its supposed activities.
The connection between the group and GRU was made by US spy agency NSA in a May press release. The NSA, which itself is infamous for its world-spanning secret surveillance activities, warned that the Sandworm hackers supposedly gained access to mail servers and took control of them. It did not provide any proof to substantiate its claims.
The EU also singled out four people it described as GTsST operatives who Dutch authorities accused of trying to hack into the OPCW wifi network, but were prevented from doing so by local intelligence.
Two Chinese nationals accused of contributing to ‘Operation Cloud Hopper’ — a series of cyberattacks aimed at stealing commercially sensitive data from multinational companies around the world — also made it onto the sanctions list.
Other names on the list include Chinese company Haitai Technology Development and a North Korean firm, Chosun Expo.
Haitai Technology Development is accused of providing “financial, technical or material support” for Operation Cloud Hopper for simply employing the two Chinese individuals included on the sanctions list. Chosun Expo, in turn, was similarly accused of facilitating the WannaCry ransomware attack, which crippled 200,000 computers in 150 countries in 2017.
That attack was attributed to the notorious Lazarus Group – an organization of hackers reportedly active at least since 2009. Although little is known about it, some experts earlier linked it to North Korea. Pyongyang repeatedly denied having anything to do with it.
Brussels has not provided any specific evidence that could prove the guilt of any of the mentioned parties.
According to EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, the list of restrictions include travel bans and asset freezes. It is unclear, however, if there are in fact any accounts to freeze in the first place — or whether any of the targeted individuals planned to travel to the EU at all.
Yet, imposing the sanctions — the EU’s first related to cybercrime — seems to be a good PR stunt at the expense of perennial boogeymen Russia, China and North Korea. Indeed, the move drew quick praise from London.
The UK Foreign Office welcomed the sanctions drive and boasted that it was virtually one of the first to identify these “malicious actors” when the EU had not yet made its move. It added that the UK, which has now left the union, was “at the forefront of efforts to establish the EU Cyber Sanctions regime.”
Despite Moscow and Washington having been at odds over scores of international and bilateral affairs, Russian and US scientists managed to find a common language in jointly fighting a shared threat – the coronavirus pandemic.
The scientists have teamed up to cooperate in “all the areas related to the coronavirus, its nature, treatment and prevention measures,” the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) said.
The RAS and US National Academies of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering inked an agreement on Thursday around working together on a wide range of Covid-related areas, such as epidemiology, virology, infection pathophysiology as well as mathematic and computer simulations of the spread of the novel coronavirus.
As the Covid pandemic restricts face-to-face meetings, the scientists from both sides of the Atlantic signed the agreement via a Zoom videolink.
Russia and the US are among the countries with the highest rate of Covid-19 cases reported. But while Russia seems to be succeeding in containing the epidemic with over 13,350 fatalities nationwide, the US is still witnessing an upward trend, with the death toll passing 150,000 on Wednesday.
In the US, the government’s vaccine strategy Operation Warp Speed aims to provide a vaccine to the population by January 2021.
Russia plans to approve its vaccine by August 10 and launch vaccination of the population by early 2021. Still, Alexander Sergeyev, president of the RAS, said earlier it will be necessary to monitor the vaccine-induced antibodies for at least six months to declare victory.
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The presence of US troops remains a contentious issue in Germany, and their planned relocation could prompt Berlin to rethink the country’s defense strategy, an economist and member of Merkel’s ruling party told RT.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced a plan to pull nearly 12,000 soldiers out of Germany, cutting the American force stationed there by a third. US President Donald Trump has frequently chided its NATO ally for not paying a “fair share” in defense spending.
Max Otte, an economist and member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic Union, told RT that the issue is not only about the money. The scaling down of the US military presence in Germany is a populist move “in a sense that Trump knows this goes well with his electorate.” Otte suggested the money is “just a symbol,” before noting that the reduction of American boots of the ground will be “significant” for Germany.
Politicians in Berlin were predictably outraged by Trump’s decision. The government’s NATO coordinator, Peter Beyer, argued that the withdrawal of US troops goes against Germany’s security interests, and would “make no geopolitical sense” for the US either.
Otte said the presence of foreign troops is a “contentious issue” among the Germans.
Political elites and also corporate elites mostly think that we should keep it the way it is. But there is a significant stream in the German public that would say ‘let’s reduce it.’
The economist pointed out that such sentiment is particularly strong in Germany’s eastern lands, which were part of the Soviet Bloc prior to reunification.
“In the east of Germany – the former GDR – most people would say ‘let’s withdraw NATO [forces], let’s do it ourselves.’… The country is divided on that issue,” Otte said.
German politicians have grown equally irritated with Trump’s rhetoric in recent years. Earlier this month, Merkel stated it is “no longer self-evident” that the US would defend the EU.
In the same sense, Otte believes that the withdrawal of American forces could play a positive role, by triggering “deep thoughts” in reevaluating Germany’s military and security strategy.
[US-German relations] have never been an alliance of equals. But now, of course, it’s being turned and twisted into different directions, and people try to cling on to old structures for the lack of imagination or, maybe, the fear of the unknown.
According to the Pentagon, a sizable portion of the soldiers leaving Germany will be relocated to other NATO member states, including Belgium, Italy and Poland. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak welcomed the news, saying that the “most important land forces command” of American troops in Europe will be established in the country.
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Reports from Syria and a story on Afghans living in refugee camps in Iran were honored at RT’s Khaled Alkhateb International Memorial Awards, which pay tribute to journalists working in conflict areas.
Mohamed Ali has been covering the civil war in Syria since it first erupted in 2011. He was honored for a report for Iran’s Press TV from Syria’s Idlib province on the ever-fragile ceasefire there.
Ali said that the award means a lot to him, noting: “It means that my words are being heard, my reports are being seen, and my work is being appreciated.” He added that it is important to pay tribute to journalists risking their lives in war zones.
Alexander Konevich of Russia’s NTV channel won an award for a series of news stories, also from Syria. As a field reporter for the channel’s daily ‘Segodnya’ (Today) program, he covered the fierce battles against the militants in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. His segments also featured the delivery of humanitarian aid and operations by the Russian army.
Independent journalist Ruchi Kumar received an award for a story published in Foreign Policy magazine in January. Originally from India, Kumar has been living in Kabul and detailing the plight of Afghan refugees. Her piece described the struggles of the Afghans in the refugee camps in neighboring Iran, many of whom face detention and deportation to their home country.
Kumar said she was honored by the award for a story that was “a combination of a work of a lot of people.” She thanked fellow reporter Hikmat Noori, who helped her with the piece. “I’m very lucky I get to work with some very talented and strong-spirited Afghans who possibly deserve this award way more than I do,” Kumar added.
The annual Khaled Awards are named after young freelance journalist Khaled Alkhateb, who reported for RT Arabic from Syria. In 2017, he was killed by a shell launched by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the city of Homs.
