8 Feb 18

CMYK
CMYK
Thursday, February 8, 2018
CMYK
CMYK
CMYK
At least seven killed, 67 missing after
quake rocks Taiwan tourist area
HUALIEN, Taiwan:
Rescuers combed through
the rubble of collapsed
buildings on Wednesday, in
a search for 67 people missing
after a strong earthquake
which killed at least seven
near Taiwan’s popular
tourist city of Hualien.
The magnitude 6.4
quake, which hit near the
coastal city just before midnight
(1600 GMT) on
Tuesday, injured 260 people
and caused four buildings to
collapse, officials said.
Hualien Mayor Fu Kunchi
said the number of people
missing was now close
to 60, although an exact figure
was not provided. As
many as 150 were initially
feared missing.
Many of the missing
were believed to be still
trapped inside buildings,
some of which tilted precariously,
after the quake struck
about 22 km (14 miles)
northeast of Hualien on
Taiwan’s east coast.
At the city’s Marshal
Hotel, rescuers trying to free
HUALIEN: Rescue workers are seen by a damaged building after an earthquake hit.
two trapped Taiwanese
pulled one out alive, but the
other person was declared
dead, the government said.
Mainland Chinese,
Czech, Japanese,
Singaporean and South
Korean nationals were
among the injured.
“This is the worst earthquake
in the history of
Hualien, or at least over the
I S L A M A B A D : Khawaja recommended
“Khokhrapar agreement increasing the frequency of
between Pakistan and India
is regularly renewed for the
period of three years and
the railway service is operational.
The agreement was
train movement and making
it a safe journey while also
working towards using this
border for trade between the
two countries on the pattern
signed on 31st January of Wahga border.
2018 for the next three
years.”
This was told to the
Senate Standing Committee
on Foreign Affairs whose
The meeting discussed
in detail the matters of hunting
of birds by Arab Princes
in Sindh and Balochistan.
moved by Senators Karim
meeting was held here on Ahmed Khawaja and
Wednesday with Senator
Nuzhat Sadiq in the chair.
Jehanzeb Jamaldini respectively.
Senator Karim Ahmed The Committee was
past 40 years that I’ve been
alive,” said volunteer Yang
Hsi Hua.
“We’ve never had anything
like this, we’ve never
had a building topple over.
Also, it was constantly shaking,
so everyone was really
scared, we ran to empty
open spaces to avoid it.”
Aftershocks with a magnitude
of at least 5.0 could
rock the island in the next
two weeks, the government
said. Smaller tremors rattled
nervous residents throughout
the day.
Residents waited and
watched anxiously as emergency
workers dressed in
fluorescent orange and red
suits and wearing helmets
searched for residents
trapped in apartment blocks.
Train service between India Pak
through Khokhrapar operational
given briefings on the issue
by Foreign Secretary
Tehmina Janjua, Secretary
Forests, government of
Balochistan and Secretary
Forests and Wildlife,
Government of Sindh.
The Committee was told
that a number of SOPs have
been prepared time and
again but their implementation
remains the main issue.
Provincial representatives
told the meeting that the
number of birds is depleting
due to unaccounted for
hunting as well as environmental
situation.
In this connection
provincial governments
were of the view that
Foreign Affairs ministry
should just convey the
requests from foreign dignitaries
and all terms and conditions
should be identified
by the provincial governments.
It was suggested that
fixing an amount of money
as fee and deputing a
wildlife officer at the campsite
should be made a compulsory
condition for issuing
of licences.
ISLAMABAD: Group photo of Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost at the ceremony in connection with 9th anniversary
of the Islamic Revolution at Lok Virsa.
PTV mulls to quit
three, initiate two
new channels
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan
Television (PTV) has
planned to coup with
severe financial loss,
closed three channels and
announced two new ones,
kids and Parliament channel.
It was also suggested to
change the name of PTV
home to PTV entertainment,
according to
received documents PTV
family has eight on air
channels, including PTV
News, PTV Sports, PTV
World, PTV Global, PTV
Bolan, PTV Home, PTV
National and Aazad
Kashmir TV.
Now it has planned to
quit PTV Bolan, PTV
National and Azad
Kashmir TV and starting
new channels namely
Parliament House and Kids
channel.
Facing Trump's demands, NATO to
consider larger Iraq training mission
BRUSSELS: The
United States is renewing
pressure on its European
NATO allies to establish a
long-term train-and-advise
mission in Iraq, diplomats
said, reviving a divisive
issue for an alliance wary
after a decade in
Afghanistan.
U.S. Secretary of
Defense Jim Mattis sent a
letter to NATO headquarters
in January calling for a
formal NATO mission to
Iraq with a semi-permanent
or permanent command to
train Iraqi forces, according
to five senior NATO diplomats.
After a three-year war
with Islamic State,
Washington wants to
ensure the militants do not
re-emerge. While NATO
does have trainers in Iraq
already, they number less
than 20. NATO defense
ministers are expected to
discuss the U.S. request in
Brussels next week, with a
possible decision at a summit
in July.
In his letter, Mattis left
many details open but suggested
developing military
academies and a military
doctrine for the Iraqi
defense ministry, diplomats
said. Other ideas cited by
diplomats include bomb
disposal training, maintenance
of Soviet-era vehicles
and medical training.
“The United States is
pushing hard for a NATO
role in Iraq, not in a combat
role, but for a long-term
assignment,” said one senior
NATO diplomat on condition
of anonymity.
“This looks suspiciously
like another Afghanistan,”
the diplomat said, referring
to the long-running conflict
where NATO is funding
and training Afghan forces.
“Few allies want that.”
Pentagon spokesman
Johnny Michael declined
to discuss whether Mattis
had sent a letter to NATO
but said: “The administration
continues to look for
ways allies can do more to
counter terrorist organizations.”
A NATO official said
that the alliance is “looking
into how we can step-up
our training efforts”.
NATO defense chiefs
will provide ministers with
a range of options for an
Iraq mission, while NATO
Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg has discussed
the issue with Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi,
who supports a mission,
diplomats said.
Hualien is home to about
100,000 people. Its streets
were buckled by the force of
the quake, with around
40,000 homes left without
water and around 1,900
without power. Water supply
had returned to nearly 5,000
homes by noon (0400
GMT), while power was
restored to around 1,700
households.
Emergency workers surrounded
a badly damaged
12-storey residential building,
a major focus of the rescue
effort. Windows had
collapsed and the building
was wedged into the ground
at a roughly 40-degree
angle.
Rescuers worked their
way around and through the
building while residents
looked on from behind cordoned-off
roads. Others
spoke of the panic when the
earthquake struck.
“We were still open
when it happened,” said Lin
Ching-wen, who operates a
restaurant near a damaged
military hospital.
No one will be spared if
there is truth in the report
of fake degrees: CJP
ISLAMABAD: Supreme
Court (SC ) has summoned
all the accused including
owner of Axact company in
fake degree suo motu notice .
The Chief Justice of
Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib
Nisar has remarked if there
is truth in media report pertaining
to fake degrees then
no one will escape and if
there is no truth therein then
action will be taken against
those who are launching
campaign.
He gave these remarks
while presiding over a 3-
member bench of SC during
the course of hearing of suo
motu notice of Axact fake
degrees Wednesday.
Director General FIA
Bashir Memon appeared in
the court and started reading
out report.
CJP remarked “ tell us
what is problem of axact.
This issue was earlier raised
too.
DG FIA said the documents
were taken into custody
after sealing the offices.
CJP remarked this issue
is being highlighted again. If
this is correct then tell us.
Country is being maligned.
CJP remarked if this incident
has not happened then
action will be taken against
those who are behind
unleashing campaign. If
there is any truth in the fake
degrees news then no one
will be able to escape.
DG FIA told that a report
found way to the media on
May 15, 2015 that professor
holding fake degree was
arrested in Peshawar.
DG FIA told the court
Axact headquarters is located
in Karachi.
WASHINGTON: Interior Minister
Ahsan Iqbal has said that security
threats are not a regional but a global
challenge.
Addressing a seminar on World
Geological Threats in Washington, he
said that terrorism will only be defeated
by joint efforts.
The Minister said Pakistan has rendered
great sacrifices in war on terror.
The backbone of terrorists in Pakistan
has been broken.
He said that the presence of Daesh
in Afghanistan is posing threat to
regional peace. Meanwhile, he said
improvement in security has made
Pakistan an attractive destination for
foreign investment.
He was talking to Senator Lindsey
Graham on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan wants to
work with the United States to bring
Former HC for practical steps
to resolve Kashmir issue
ISLAMABAD: Former
High Commissioner, Abdul
Basit said Wednesday that
Pakistan must take practical
steps for freedom of
Kashmir instead of delivering
speeches.
Addressing a seminar
held here in connection with
Kashmir Solidarity Day
under the auspices of
District Bar Association, he
alleged liberal faction was
aspirant of developing relations
with India instead of
paying heed towards
Kashmir issue.
Abdul Basit said over
1,00,000 people have been
martyred in occupied
Kashmir during the last
forty years. He stressed the
need to foil Indian conspiracies
regarding Kashmir
issue, saying India was trying
to divide Kashmir in
three parts since creation of
Pakistan.
Lashing out at the
Pakistani politicians, he said
these have not played their
role significantly and in real
sense. He said Jammu &
Kashmir resolution passed
NEW DELHI: Actress
Kriti Sanon, who featured
in some of the biggest hits
of 2017 but also experienced
a few disappointments,
says that failures
make her realise the value
of success and keeps her
grounded.
"I think when you go
through a failure, you also
realise the value of success
and it also somewhere
keeps you grounded," Kriti
told IANS in an e-mail
interview when asked how
she coped with the bad
times in her life.
"It also gives you a reality
check -- that there are
going to be ups and downs
in life and it's not going to
be smooth always; but as
long as you're doing what
you believe in, you're
doing things for a right
reason. I'm taking up a
film because I genuinely
love it or genuinely want
to work with those people,
or I love the character -- as
long as I'm true to that, it
doesn't matter.
"I feel successes and
failures are easily forgotten
and you move out of
it... what you learn in the
process is much more
important," added the
actress, whose films
in 1948 was not implemented.
He further said ex-
President Musharraf also
inflicted heavy loss to
Kashmir cause. He alleged
Musharraf made Kashmir
issue more disputed. He
added Kashmir issue was
started highlighting again.
He made it clear that
Kashmir issue will not
resolve until seriousness
was not showed. He categorically
said people of
Jammu and Kashmir will
not stop rendering sacrifices
for freedom of Kashmir.
Failure makes you realise the
value of success: Kriti Sanon
Palestinian killed, dozens
wounded in West Bank clashes
WEST BANK: A
Palestinian has been killed
in clashes with the Israeli
army in the city of Nablus
in the occupied West Bank,
according to medical
sources.
Khaled Walid Tayeh, 22,
from Iraq al-Tayeh near
Nablus, succumbed to his
wounds on Tuesday after
being shot in the chest, staff
at al-Najah Hospital told
Palestinian news agency
Wafa. At least 40 others
were injured in the violence,
which broke out after
Israeli soldiers entered the
city in order to carry out
arrests, the agency reported.
Wafa said six
Palestinians were in critical
condition, including a man
who was run over by an
Israeli army jeep and another
who was shot in the
thigh.
The army's raid was carried
out as part of a search
for the suspect in a stabbing
that killed an Israeli settler
near Nablus earlier this
week, Israeli and
Palestinian media outlets
reported.
A spokesperson for the
Israeli army told Al Jazeera
it was investigating and
could not confirm the
reports.
The Israeli settler was
killed on Monday in a stabbing
attack outside the illegal
settlement of Ariel, in
the northern West Bank.
Israeli soldiers launched
a manhunt for the suspect in
the area early on Tuesday,
Bethlehem-based Ma'an
News Agency said.
They blocked main
roads and shut down the
Huwwara checkpoint, Wafa
reported.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli
soldiers shot and killed
Palestinian 22-year-old
Ahmad Jarrar in a pre-dawn
raid in the northern West
Bank city of Jenin.
peace to Afghanistan because
Pakistan's economic and security gains
"Dilwale" and "Raabta"
did not do great business at
the box-office, but whose
"Barelli Ki Barfi" was a
roaring success.
Anti-India
Protests, Rallies
Held In Europe
LONDON: Tehreek-e-
Kashmir UK and Europe
mobilized the Kashmiri diaspora
and Pakistanis living in
numerous European cities to
express support to the people
of occupied Kashmir in connection
with Kashmir
Solidarity Day, observed on
February 5, every year.
According to KMS,
Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK
President Fahim Kayani and
Europe President Muhammad
Ghalib led rallies with thousands
of participants in
Lisbon, where the procession
led toward the Portuguese
Parliament. The current UN
Secretary General is the former
prime minister of
Portugal. “We remind the people
of Europe of their responsibility
to uphold human
rights. Some of the worst abuses
have been committed in
Indian occupied Kashmir and
for too long the world community
has turned a blind eye to
the suffering of the people.
Daesh in Afghanistan, a threat to regional peace: Ahsan
are at risk from continued instability in
Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal presenting a calendar to US
Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) after their meeting at
Capitol Hill. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Aizaz Ahmad
Chaudhry is also present.
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