Property price to be fixed on market value for tax

ISLAMABAD: An important amendment has been made to Section 68 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 through the Finance Act 2016, which will be effective from July 1.

Under the amendment, the property evaluation rate set by the provincial governments will no longer remain relevant.After that, all investors will have to get their properties evaluated through the valuers of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) under a new mechanism.

One or more valuers of the SBP will fix the real market value of the immovable property and refer it to the FBR Inland Revenue Department.This amendment will do away with the informal economy or black economy in the real estate sector to a great extent.

It will not only bring black money into the tax net but also put high penalties on tax evaders under Section 192-A.The penalties can amount to 100 percent of the evaded tax. These will be in addition to the additional tax imposed on the evaders.

This amendment will direct unproductive investment to industry and as a result add to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), creating job opportunities.According to an estimate, at present about Rs30,000 billion of black money is being used in the sale and purchase of property.

-Originally appeared in The News

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Myanmar women fear ban on working as foreign maids puts them at risk

CHIN STATE, MYANMAR: Van Biak had only been away from her family in Leilet in north west Myanmar for two weeks, but her mother was in tears as they embraced on the veranda.

Biak and her older sister Van Hnem left to find work as maids in Singapore with few job opportunities in their remote village in Chin State, the poorest region of Myanmar where 73 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

Biak and Hnem were aware of the risks.

Another maid from Leilet has been working in Saudi Arabia for six years without pay or hope of return - and this was not isolated case.

A number of high profile cases of worker abuse prompted the government in September 2014 to put a temporary ban on women going abroad to find work as maids.

But with few economic opportunities at home, the number of women leaving to get jobs abroad as domestic workers has not abated and more do so illegally, prompting calls for the newly appointed government of Aung San Suu Kyi to lift the ban.

"I'm ready to work hard and face difficulties abroad in order to help my family," said Biak, who, at age 15, was too young to get a passport and so returned home.

Hnem, who is 18, made it to Singapore with six other girls from Leilet, lured by the chance to make up to US$370 (S500) a month compared to Myanmar´s mininum wage of about US$67."I am so scared they will be used as slave labour," said her mother, a fear echoed by all parents whose daughters are now working abroad illegally.

For the ban has not only failed to stop women from Myanmar going abroad to work, but it has led to a black market that puts the women at greater risk of exploitation and slavery, according to the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), set up to protect migrant workers´ rights in Singapore.

In debt for the jobs

Since the ban was implemented, the fee paid by workers to secure a job abroad has increased in order to facilitate the bribes required to circumvent the ban.
Workers do not start to see any money themselves until this debt is paid off.

Moreover, since these workers often leave their country as a tourist, they are not protected by labour or migration laws.

Jolovan Wham, executive director of HOME, said the number of Myanmar maids in Singapore grew 50 percent between 2013 and 2015 with over 30,000 there now which was evidence that the ban was not effective.

"Unfortunately, a lot of Singaporean employers request Myanmar maids because they are more affordable and generally more compliant," Wham told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Sian Men Mawi legally worked as a maid in Singapore before moving to China, lured by the promise of a lucrative employment contract.

She arrived in Guangzhou on a tourist visa. Sian Men, 26, said she was enslaved by her agent who locked a number of Myanmar girls in separate houses and rotated them through different jobs, holding their wages and never letting them pay off their debts.

"We didn't know the agent would exploit another human being like that," Sian Men said from her mother's home in the Chin village of Zawgnte.

Sian Men managed to escape and returned to Myanmar by bus, evading the police who manned checkpoints along the route.

"We get into difficulty because of the agents but we can´t do anything about it because we don´t have legal passports or work permits.

We have to do what the agency says," she said.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation managed to get hold of Melody, Sian Men´s agent in Guangzhou, who admitted to enforcing a six month debt bondage period but denied exploiting her employees.

"If their employer is unhappy then I have to replace them [before they pay off their bondage debts]," she said repeatedly, without giving her full name.

The Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation (MOEAF) said it has become harder for the authorities to police the movement of domestic workers across

Myanmar´s borders because large employment agencies have been replaced by individual traffickers, often from within the victim's social circles.

"It is particularly difficult to track the trafficking of girls from Chin and Kayin state because their church is often involved," said Win Tun, vice chairman of MOEAF.

There were 130 official cases of trafficking in Myanmar last year, with a total of 641 victims.

Chin State was the only region of Myanmar not to have recorded any official cases.

The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Police Division does not have a branch in Chin State.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation contacted the nearest office on Kalaymyo, Sagaing Region, but they were unable to comment on the presence of trafficking in their neighbouring state.

In 2015, MOEAF signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 12 employment agencies in Hong Kong who agreed to treat Myanmar staff according to the federation´s employment standards and it wants to see similar deals in other countries.

"These agreements would make it less dangerous for girls because we can ensure their labour rights are protected in their host countries, hold information about who is abroad and offer assistance to anyone that gets into trouble," said Win Tun.

"But the last government didn´t want to know anything about them."

MOEAF have met with members of the new government twice since it took over in April.

The Department for Labour declined to comment to the Thomson Reuters Foundation but a parliamentary committee is now considering whether to lift the ban.

"We are just waiting for permission from the new government, we are ready to sign MOUs with countries we know will offer good salaries and working conditions including Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Japan," said Win Tun.

But until they do, campaigners fears thousands of women in Chin State - and across Myanmar - will continue to seek employment as domestic workers through illegal channels, putting themselves at risk of slavery, trafficking and exploitation.

"When I am the right age, I will go again," said Biak.

 

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With vultures gone, Mumbai Parsis turn to cremations

MUMBAI: Kaikobad Rustomfram always thought that when he died vultures would feast on his corpse, as is Zoroastrian tradition. But then the scavenging birds disappeared from India's skies.

The 90-year-old was cremated last month instead of receiving a sky burial, one of a growing number of Parsis opting to use a new prayer hall in Mumbai that is changing the ancient community's funeral customs.

Rustomfram's wife, Khorshed, who died in January aged 82, also chose cremation at the ten-month-old facility, which conservative Zoroastrians oppose, in the centre of India's bustling financial capital.

"They wanted to be cremated ever since they learnt that the traditional way of disposing of the dead wasn't working because there were no vultures," their daughter, Hutokshi Rustomfram, told AFP.

Zoroastrians believe in the god Ahura Mazda and follow the teachings of the ancient Prophet Zoroaster. They worship in ´fire temples´, believing fire to be a symbol of god´s purity.

Known as Parsis, Zoroastrians first arrived in India more than 1,000 years ago after fleeing persecution in Persia. 

They became one of India's wealthiest communities, boasting a number of famed industrialists including the Tata family synonymous with the financial rise of Mumbai.

For centuries the community, which is dwindling at such a rapid rate that its future existence is now under threat, have laid their dead out at the city's Towers of Silence.

Ravenous vultures would devour the flesh of the body within an hour, leaving the bones to dry in the sun before being placed in a well, an efficient disposal system believed to purify the deceased.

But India's vulture population began to drastically decline in the early 1990s and was virtually wiped out by the mid nineties owing to Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat cattle. Birds which gorged on dead animals that had recently been administered the medicine died of kidney failure, resulting in the disappearance of around 99 percent of India's total vulture population.

Toxic drug 

India banned the veterinary painkiller in 2006 but the damage to Zoroastrian sky burials had already been done, with claims that bodies were piling up at the tower in Mumbai's plush Malabar Hill district.

"Kites and crows just pecked at the bodies. Those birds did nothing at all," Dinshaw Tamboly, a former trustee of Mumbai´s leading Parsi organisation the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, told AFP.

"They would lie rotting in the heat for six to eight months. The pallbearers were complaining about the stench," added the 71-year-old.

Two Parsis a day die on average in Mumbai. Across India, where most Zoroastrians live, their numbers have halved since 1940 to around 60,000.

With numbers dwindling, the community is split over how best to preserve their religion and culture, including the most appropriate way to dispose of the dead. 

Tamboly was one of several reformists to advocate that Parsi priests should be allowed to officiate at cremations.

After several years, space at an existing crematorium was granted by Mumbai´s civic local authority and a large private donation was received, allowing the hall to open in September last year.

Tamboly says the number of cremations at the centre, situated in the Worli area, are "steadily increasing" from four in the first month to an average of between eight and ten currently. 

At Kaikobad Rustomfram´s funeral service two Parsi priests, clad entirely in white chant prayers from the sacred Zoroastrian text Avesta for an hour as around 80 mourners look on in the spotless hall.

"My father got a great sense of satisfaction that the prayers were performed in a suitably dignified and reverential manner here for my mother," Rustomfram, 59, explained. 

"It´s not a nice thought to think that your loved one's body is lying there like that in a heap. My parents felt they should adapt to the times," she added.
The strength of feeling runs equally deep amongst traditionalists.

Cremations ´wrong´ 

Khojeste Mistree, an orthodox scholar, insists the sky burials still "work effectively, although slightly slower" without the vultures, and denies that there´s a stench emanating from the Towers of Silence.

He also points out that a "massive majority" still favour traditional decomposition. The numbers being cremated are rising significantly but it´s still a fraction of the small but influential community.

Jehangir Patel, editor of community magazine "Parsiana", told AFP that cremations now accounted for around 15 percent of funerals in Mumbai´s community of an estimated 45,000 Parsis -- up from 6 percent before the prayer hall opened.

Mistree says that leaving corpses open to the skies is the only option because Zoroastrians believe dead bodies to be impure.

"Zoroastrians are extremely eco-conscious so the body cannot be burnt because that´s desecrating fire," he told AFP.

"It cannot be buried because that´s polluting the earth and it cannot be drowned because that's sullying the waters.

"Those who want to take the cremation route can certainly do it. But from a religious point of view clearly it´s wrong," Mistree added.

For reformists such as 71-year-old Naval Surty and his wife, who have already told their two children that they wish to be cremated, they are merely being practical.

"If the vultures were still here then things would be different, but now this is the best way to let the body pass," he told AFP.

 

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Who is the most powerful woman of the world?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been nominated as the most powerful woman in the world?sixth time in a row by Forbes magazine.

Forbes list of the 25 most powerful women of the world includes the names of the smartest and toughest female business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, philanthropists and CEOs making their mark in the world today. These women are laying down rules in financial markets, leading politics and policy making, and are managing multi-million dollar brands.

Merkel emerges right on top with the presidential candidate Hilary Clinton following close behind.

The list took four things into account: money, media presence, spheres of influence and impact.

This year?s list has a more global outreach. Scotland, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Croatia, Lithuania, and Taiwan are some of the countries who have made it to the list this time.

This includes Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who recently polled as the most popular Scot in the land; Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung Sun Suu Kyi, who saw her years of sacrifice as a pro-Democracy leader awarded; and Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, who recently stepped into office after winning a landslide victory.

The list also include Melinda Gates who has helped fight polio in the world and Sheryl Sandberg COO Facebook.

Indian woman Indra Nooyi CEO of Pepsi Co also makes it to the list. No woman from Pakistan made it to this prestigious list. 

The list does not include any celebrities. Ellen DeGeneres, Taylor Swift, and Angelina Jolie who have been part of the previous lists did not make it this time.

 

 

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Ralph Lauren to cut about 1,000 jobs and shut shops

Ralph Lauren Corp (RL.N) is cutting about 1,000 jobs and closing 50 stores as part of a sweeping plan to lower costs and revive sales growth at the luxury fashion brand.

Shares of Ralph Lauren, which also forecast declines in full-year and first-quarter revenue, fell as much as 10.4 percent to $86.32 in early trading on Tuesday.

The jobs being eliminated represent about 8 percent of the company's full-time jobs, spokesman Ryan Lally told Reuters.

Ralph Lauren, like some other luxury brands, has been struggling amid sluggish spending on luxury apparel and accessories. The company's margins have taken a knock as department stores discount heavily to get rid of excess inventory.

Moreover, the company's lower-end Polo and Lauren brands are facing competition from retailers such as H&M (HMb.ST) and Inditex's (ITX.MC) Zara, which are known for their shorter production times.

Ralph Lauren said on Tuesday it would try to reduce the time taken to get new products to shelves to nine months from 15.

The company brought in Stefan Larsson as chief executive late last year in the hope that he would replicate his success of reviving sales at Gap Inc's (GPS.N) Old Navy, where he cut down production times and focused on offering trendy clothes at low prices.

Larsson has also worked with H&M for about 15 years, where he helped grow the company's sales to $17 billion from $3 billion and introduced partnerships with luxury brands such as Versace and Karl Lagerfeld.

The company will focus on its luxury Ralph Lauren line and the lower-end Polo and Lauren brands, Larsson said in the 49-year old company's first investor day call on Tuesday.

The company's sales have fallen in every quarter in fiscal 2016, leading to a full-year sales decline of nearly 3 percent.

Ralph Lauren said it expects net revenue for the current fiscal year to fall in the low-double digit percentage range, hurt partly by store closures, pullback in inventory receipts and weak traffic.

The company said it expects to record restructuring charges of up to $400 million and an inventory reduction-related charge of up to $150 million, mostly in the current fiscal year.

The restructuring measures are expected to result in annualized savings of about $180-$220 million.

The company had about 493 directly operated retail stores and employed about 26,000 people, roughly 15,000 of who work full time as of April 2.

Shares of the retailer had recouped losses and were trading down 4.8 pct at $91.96. Up to Monday's close of $96.33, the stock had fallen nearly 14 percent this year.

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Ali's legend floats like a butterfly through a hometown festival

A celebration of Muhammad Ali's life continued on Wednesday in the late boxing champion's hometown of Louisville, where a daylong "I Am Ali" Festival passed his legend on to a new generation through stories and arts and crafts.

Craig Davidson, 45, of Louisville, brought his 15- and 11-year-old sons to the festival to pay their last respects.

"I grew up as a kid at their age watching his fights," Davidson said. "I knew about his stance during the Vietnam War. ... I just wanted them to know more about him."

Ali, whose boxing prowess, showmanship and public opposition to the Vietnam War made him one of the world's most famous people in the turbulent 1960s and '70s, died last Friday of septic shock in an Arizona hospital. He was 74.

Plans were being finalized for the final days of mourning, including Friday's public service at the KFC Yum! Center.

Before the festival started on Wednesday, fans gathered at the arena to claim tickets for the service. At least 14,000 tickets were distributed after officials released them early due to the long line of people.

The final service will include such luminaries as former U.S. President Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal. Actor Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in a 2001 movie, and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers.

Butterflies released to honor Muhammad Ali

The festival, at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, was aimed at children, celebrating Ali's life with music, dance, and art and educational activities.

Children had the chance to color butterfly and bee masks, an homage to Ali's famous quote about his boxing style, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see."

"Today is about making sure they've got that connection to Muhammad Ali," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in an interview on Wednesday. "As they grow up they can reflect back on this, so his legacy can live for multiple, multiple generations."

The festival opened with the release of 30 Monarch butterflies into the air.

Before Ali won the boxing heavyweight title or an Olympic gold medal, he was a young boy named Cassius Clay in Louisville who had his bicycle stolen, according to a story shared with festival attendees. When Ali turned to the police for help, he was introduced to the sport of boxing.

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Scotland police introduces hijab as part of its uniform

Scotland police is preparing to introduce the hijab as an optional part of its uniform to encourage more Muslim women to join the police force.

The decision is part of the force?s Work Force Diversity Strategy plan which aims to recruit a more religiously and racially diverse work force into the police.

According to Herald Scotland, numbers reveal that only 2.6% of the applications received by police are from the minority groups; and that at least 650 people from ethnic minority groups need to be recruited for a correct representation of the 4% of Scotland?s minorities.

?Police Scotland is committed to working with communities to encourage under-represented groups to consider policing as a career. Part of this involves removing unnecessary barriers, which include considerations about the officers? uniform. As a result, work has been undertaken to source a uniform hijab.? Said Peter Blair, head of resource management at Police Scotland while speaking to Herald Scotland.

Currently officers needs to take permission before wearing a hijab with the uniform. However, once it becomes an optional part of the uniform, no special permissions would be required.

The Metropolitan Police in London approved a uniform hijab more than 10 years ago.

?Anything that can help increase diversity within the service is surely to be welcomed and I don?t see why anyone would have any problem with that.? said, Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation.

 

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Instagram attracting more advertising than Twitter: survey

SAN FRANCISCO: Advertising agencies are for the first time turning to Instagram more frequently than Twitter for social media ad campaigns, a survey released Thursday showed, a further indication of weakness in an ad sales operation that has been one of the few bright spots for Twitter.

The survey, from a unit of Comcast called Strata, came the same week Twitter Inc said its head of product, who took over the team in September, was leaving. The research firm eMarketer said earlier this month that Snapchat was on pace to surpass Twitter in US active users, highlighting the threat Twitter faces from faster-growing competitors.

Amid Twitter's ongoing struggles with stagnant user growth, management turmoil and a tumbling stock price, the advertising operations under chief operating officer Adam Bain had been a relative oasis of stability. Bain, who joined the company in 2010, helped build Twitter from scratch to more than $1 billion revenue in just over three years.

But cracks in the ad business began to emerge in the company's first-quarter earnings report, in which it missed its numbers due to weaker-than-expected spending by big advertisers and provided a weak revenue forecast. The stock has fallen 15 percent since the April earnings announcement and closed Wednesday at $14.60 - far below its $26 IPO price in November of 2013.

The Strata survey asked 83 advertising agencies which social platform their clients preferred for social media campaigns. Sixty-three percent of advertisers said they were most likely to use photo-sharing app Instagram, compared with 56 percent who said they would use social network Twitter. Facebook dominated, with 96 percent of advertisers saying they were likely to use it.

Twitter rejected the survey results, pointing to a 2015 study by Advertiser Perceptions that showed 37 percent of advertisers intended to buy ads on Twitter, compared with 28 percent on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. The same study showed that 46 percent were considering buying ads on Twitter compared with 41 percent on Instagram.

"The data presented in this survey couldn't be farther from the truth," a Twitter spokesperson said. "We have close relationships with our agency clients and continue to hear that Twitter offers the most powerful creative canvas."

Still, the survey shows the growing power of Instagram, which has the benefit of using Facebook's advertising technology and has been rolling out features that make it more useful for sharing news and activity updates that are the bread and butter of Twitter. Instagram has more than 200,000 advertisers compared with Twitter's 130,000.

"We're seeing almost all of our clients shifting if not all of their budgets, then most of their budgets from Twitter to Instagram," said Chris Gilbert, senior social strategist at digital agency Kettle, which works mostly with fashion brands. "Marketers typically want to be where the audience is."

Some ad agencies said their clients are shifting more of their budgets to Instagram because it has more users - more than 400 million compared with 310 million on Twitter - and because Facebook's ad technology allows them to target highly specific audiences.

"We've had more emphasis on Instagram for the last year," said Jason Peterson, chief creative officer at ad agency Havas Worldwide North America.

Instagram declined to comment on the Strata survey.

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The bright side: global 'light pollution' obscures starry nights

When Vincent van Gogh peered out the window of the Saint-Paul asylum at the nighttime sky in Saint-Rémy in 1889, he saw the brilliant light of innumerable stars over southern France that inspired his evocative painting "The Starry Night."

But nights no longer are so starry for billions of people. About 83 percent of the world's population, including more than 99 percent in Europe and the United States, live in areas beset by nocturnal "light pollution" from the incessant glow of electric lights, researchers said on Friday.

It is so pervasive that more than a third of people globally, including nearly 80 percent of North Americans and 60 percent of Europeans, cannot see the luminous band of the Milky Way, a familiar nighttime sight for the eons of human existence.

"It is surprising how in a few decades of lighting growth we have enveloped most of humanity in a curtain of light that hides the view of the greatest wonder of nature: the universe itself," said Fabio Falchi of the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute in Italy, who led the research published in the journal Science Advances.

"Our civilization's roots are connected to the night sky in every field, from literature to art to philosophy to religion and, of course, to science."

Physicist Christopher Kyba of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences added, "Appreciating beauty is just part of what makes us human."

The researchers used satellite and sky brightness data to create a global atlas of light pollution, the artificial illumination of the night sky sufficient to substantially wash out starlight. It is one of humankind's most omnipresent forms of environmental alteration, exemplified by the nocturnal glow over cities.

"Countries even as large as Italy or Spain or France or Germany do not have any single spot in their territory with a pristine night sky," Falchi added.

Despite the American West's vast open spaces, almost half of U.S. territory has light-polluted nights. The East Coast is particularly hit hard, with only part of Maine and the islands at the end of the Florida Keys having pristine sky quality, U.S. National Park Service researcher Dan Duriscoe said.

The most light-polluted country is Singapore. The hardest-hit G20 countries are Italy and South Korea.

Only small areas in western Europe remain relatively unaffected, mostly in Scotland, Sweden and Norway. Australia and Africa are least-affected among the populated continents.

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Microsoft dives into social with $26 bn LinkedIn deal

 

WASHINGTON: Microsoft said Monday it was buying the professional social network LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in cash, a move that would help refocus the US tech giant around cloud computing and services.

With its biggest-ever acquisition and one of the largest in the tech sector, Microsoft is taking a big step into the world of social networking, adding a new tool for its efforts to boost services for business.

"This deal brings together the world´s leading professional cloud with the world´s leading professional network," Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said in a statement.

Nadella added that LinkedIn "has grown a fantastic business and an impressive network of more than 433 million professionals."

LinkedIn "will retain its distinct brand, culture and independence," with Jeff Weiner remaining as LinkedIn CEO, a statement from the two firms said.

The companies said they had reached a "definitive" agreement that would close later this year, with the support of LinkedIn chairman and controlling shareholder Reid Hoffman.

The move comes as Microsoft is moving away from its role as a pure software firm, and LinkedIn seeks ways to boost growth.

LinkedIn, which enables members to connect with similar-minded professionals and facilitates recruiting and job hunting, has carved out a social network with a distinct identity.

But the company reported a loss of $46 million in the past quarter and a $166 million loss for 2015, which put its shares at multiyear lows early this year.

LinkedIn, which calls itself "the world´s largest and most valuable professional network," has been seeking to expand its offerings with more messaging and mobile applications, and revamped its "newsfeed" to help boost engagement.

Connecting the 'graphs'

The deal reflects Microsoft´s new focus on business services and cloud computing, Nadella said in an email to staff.

It "is key to our bold ambition to reinvent productivity and business processes," he added.

During a conference call later, he identified several ways for the firms to integrate their services.

Each company has collections of data about their users, or "graphs," that complement the other's.

Microsoft holds data such as contacts and calendars, while LinkedIn has deeper biographical and professional network information.

"If you connect these two graphs, that´s when the magic starts to happen," Nadella said, adding that Microsoft can use this data with its Cortana virtual assistant and artificial intelligence.

"Imagine you're walking into a meeting and Cortana tells you about the people in that meeting because it has access to that professional network," he said.

Clever, or too late?

Analysts were divided about whether the deal is good for Microsoft.

Benedict Evans, a member of the Andreessen Horowitz venture capital firm who blogs about technology, said it seems to be future-looking.

"Very clever and oblique MSFT thinking -- how will we communicate, share & connect in a decade? Not docs + email. Social graph is key," he said in a tweet, referring to the company´s Wall Street trading symbol.

Jack Gold of J. Gold Associates said LinkedIn "is highly complementary" to Microsoft services such as Skype for Business and Yammer.

The acquisition "gives Microsoft a great way to keep a pulse on what business users are doing on the web and how they may use certain tools and products," he added. "This ability will give Microsoft lots of knowledge in what and how to deploy future products."

But Roger Kay, analyst and consultant with Endpoint Technologies Associates, said it is doubtful Microsoft can use the deal to compete in a world of social networking dominated by Facebook.

"It doesn´t help at all competing with Facebook," he said. "LinkedIn is not in the same league as Facebook."

Microsoft, paying a premium of some 50 percent for LinkedIn, will probably end up writing down much of the investment, Kay said.

"It seems extraordinarily expensive," he added. "There is no way they can extract $26 billion from LinkedIn."

Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research said Microsoft has not learned from a string of failed acquisitions.

Microsoft "was late to mobile" with its purchase of Nokia´s phone division and "failed miserably on it," he said, adding that Skype usage "has gone in only one direction, and that is down."

"It is extremely difficult for a company to acquire insights," Chowdhry added.

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PlayStation VR headset to hit market in October

Los Angeles: Sony Interactive Entertainment on Monday said its keenly awaited PlayStation virtual reality headset will hit the market on October 13 at a price of $399.

The arrival of PlayStation VR will come later than expected, to provide time to get games ready and to build up an ample supply of headsets for launch, according to Sony.
At a PlayStation press event on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Sony Interactive Entertainment worldwide studios chairman Shawn Layden proclaimed a "seminal moment" in virtual reality.

Layden promised more than 50 games for PlayStation VR will be available within months after the launch, among them zombie-shooter "Resident Evil," one based on the iconic "Star Wars" franchise, and another on the comic book dark knight "Batman."

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) and DC Entertainment announced that "Batman: Arkham VR" will be released exclusively for PlayStation in October, for the first time ever allowing players in virtual reality to "be the Batman."

David Haddad, President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment said, "Virtual reality is expanding the video game space and entertainment overall, so it is extremely exciting to have our incredible team at Rocksteady Studios dive into this new storytelling medium with the Batman Arkham franchise," said WBIE president David Haddad.

Haddad promised that people would see through the eyes of the DC comic character referred to as the world´s greatest detective, and deliver a "more immersive experience than anyone could have imagined only a few years ago."

Facebook-owned Oculus began selling its Rift virtual reality headsets earlier this year for $599, a price which does not include the cost of a computer that can handle the processing and graphics demands of the technology.

HTC set a price of $799 for Vive VR gear, which also requires computer systems that can handle the rich experience,

Layden said that PlayStation VR headsets will work with PS4 consoles, more than 40 million of which have been sold.

"Our mission is to make PlayStation the best place to play for gamers," Sony Interactive Entertainment president Andrew House said during the press event.

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Twitter invests $70 million in SoundCloud: Re/code

Twitter Inc has invested about $70 million in Berlin-based music service SoundCloud, technology website Re/code reported citing people familiar with the deal.

Twitter confirmed the investment, but did not provide any financial details.

"Earlier this year we made an investment in SoundCloud through Twitter Ventures to help support some of our efforts with creators," Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said.

Soundcloud, a platform that enables people to upload and share music and other audio files, also confirmed that Twitter had made the investment.

Twitter's investment was part of a funding round expected to be in the range of $100 million, which would value SoundCloud at about $700 million, the Re/code report said.

The microblogging site has previously attempted to make a foray into music with the launch of Twitter Music in 2013, which was closed a year later. At the time, the company said that it would look for new ways to bring music based content to the service.

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Less is more as Japanese minimalist movement grows

TOKYO: Fumio Sasaki's one-room Tokyo apartment is so stark friends liken it to an interrogation room. He owns three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and a meager scattering of various other items.

Money isn't the issue. The 36-year-old editor has made a conscious lifestyle choice, joining a growing number of Japanese deciding that less is more.

Influenced by the spare aesthetic of Japan's traditional Zen Buddhism, these minimalists buck the norm in a fervently consumerist society by dramatically paring back their possessions.

Sasaki, once a passionate collector of books, CDs and DVDs, became tired of keeping up with trends two years ago.

"I kept thinking about what I did not own, what was missing," he said.

He spent the next year selling possessions or giving them to friends.

"Spending less time on cleaning or shopping means I have more time to spend with friends, go out, or travel on my days off. I have become a lot more active," he said.

Others welcome the chance to own only things they truly like  a philosophy also applied by Mari Kondo, a consultant whose "KonMari" organizational methods have swept the United States.

"It's not that I had more things than the average person, but that didn't mean that I valued or liked everything I owned," said Katsuya Toyoda, an online publication editor who has only one table and one futon in his 22-square-metre apartment.

"I became a minimalist so I could let things I truly liked surface in my life."

Inspiration for Japan's minimalists came from the United States, where early adherents included Steve Jobs.

Definitions vary, because the goal is not just decluttering but re-evaluating what possession mean, to gain something else - in Sasaki's case, time to travel.

Just how many there are is unclear, but Sasaki and others believe there are thousands of hard-core minimalists, with possibly thousands more interested.

Some say minimalism is actually not foreign but a natural outgrowth of Zen Buddhism and its stripped-down world view.

"In the west, making a space complete means placing something there," said Naoki Numahata, 41, a freelance writer.

"But with tea ceremonies, or Zen, things are left incomplete on purpose to let the person's imagination make that space complete."

Minimalists also argue that having fewer possessions is eminently practical in Japan, which is regularly shaken by earthquakes.

In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people and led to many re-evaluating possessions, Sasaki said.

"Thirty to 50 percent of earthquake injuries occur through falling objects," he said, gesturing around his apartment.

"But in this room, you don't have that concern."

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Tennis star Sania Mirza tops best dressed sportsperson list

More than half of the people who voted in an online poll in India declared Sania Mirza to be the best dressed sports star.

According to a survey conducted by online ethnic wear website craftsvilla.com, Sania Mirza bagged 62.9% votes and became the best dressed sports personality.

Often clad in traditional saris and lehngas, Mirza is considered a style icon by people of the region and is known to have a great sense of style both on and off the court.

Craftsvilla co-founder Monica Gupta expressed her joy at seeing sports personalities in traditional Indian wear and believes they are the new style icons.

?I feel great joy, when I see these iconic sportswomen in ethnic wear. They have graced magazine covers, ramps and of course, our medal tallies,? said Gupta.

According to the polls, Indian badminton player Sania Nehwal garnered 2nd spot with 18.8% votes.

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Govt may go for majority instead of consensus on ToRs

ISLAMABAD: Although, the PTI and PPP have distanced themselves from the committee on terms of reference (ToRs), technically the forum is not finished. If the situation persists as of now, one of the government’s strategies could be to extract majority-agreed ToRs.

The government side aims to secure an eight or nine-member (nine, in case the JI supports) majority decision from the 12-member committee even if the PPP, PTI, PML-Q or JI walks away, it was learnt. In that eventuality four PML-N members, two allies with the help of ANP and MQM could do the needful and come up with ToRs which can then be sent to the Supreme Court with a new request to form a judicial commission on Panama Papers. Even if the exercise doesn’t lead anywhere, some advisers to the prime minister are resolute to tread this course to deprive, as per their own estimates, the PPP-PTI led opposition from political point scoring and blame game in the days to come. And the government could also brave Parliament and public forums with its own version of things, and claim its sincerity towards the whole Panama Papers investigation issue, till date being dubbed as a time buying effort by the PPP, PTI and rest of the opposition bandwagon.

These days, top government ministers are in constant touch with the leadership of three opposition parties (ANP, MQM and JI) which are part of Parliamentary Committee on PanamaLeaks to secure their support for a majority agreed ToRs in case a consensus could not be arrived at by all the 12 members of the committee, a government member of the committee told The News on condition of anonymity. The ANP and MQM have, however. advised the PML-N and allies to exhaust all the talks and consensus efforts, and then go for the majority decision as everyone knows the PPP, PTI, and PML-Q would in the eventuality assume that the committee ceases to exist after their withdrawal. Both these parties, especially the MQM, would also like to discuss some fine details and politics at large, before siding with the government on ToRs, a situation the mainstream opposition parties already bear in mind, and employing in their political tactics.

Sensing the planned government move, the PTI has already taken the legal course filing petition in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to seek disqualification of the prime minister on assets non-declaration charges and approaching the Supreme Court, if need be. The PPP is all set to follow suit through its separate petition today (Monday) in the ECP. And both the parties, at loggerheads with each other in the past, have already indicated to join hands in streets protest against the government in surprise political synchronisation, some feel is aimed at sending a message across to the garrison that time has come to rock the boat of Premier Nawaz Sharif-led dispensation, and for fresh elections "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly feels that a judicial commission should be in place even if opposition forces want to scuttle the judicial probe in absence of consensus ToRs, and launch street protest to meet their political ends," a federal minister and member of the 12 member parliamentary committee told The News.

“And we don’t want the PPP and PTI to use non-formation of judicial commission as an excuse or slogan for their agitation campaign. So, we plan to come up with ToRs for judicial probe, through consensus or majority decision,” the minister added.

Recent consultations between the federal ministers and prime minister who plans to return on Eid days or immediately after that, sugges that the premier is in no mood to let the PTI and PPP walk away from the committee and bring the whole effort to a grinding halt with no judicial commission in sight.

Members of the government team are therefore planning for the eventuality, and could come up with an eight or nine-party agreed ToRs. It could be nine-party consensus in case the JI opts to side with government, and eight if it opts out. The government side plans to woo the JI too, but all depends on the political discourse the Jamaat will opt to pursue in the days to come.

The Parliamentary Committee on PanamaLeaks was formed late last month as government and opposition parties vowed to come up with consensus ToRs to pave way for a judicial commission comprising judges of the Supreme Court. Till date the committee held eight sittings in all, but could not arrive at a consensus due to sharp differences over various clauses dealing with scope and ambit of the ToRs. The main bone of contention between the two sides gridlocked on the issue is opposition’s focus to zero in on the prime minister and family. They want the premier and his family to prove their innocence before the commission, and also provide affidavits that could help in the probe for forensic audits. The government side complains that the prime minister specific ToRs are not acceptable as his name was never mentioned in the Panama Papers. But opposition parties insist that the PM and family will have to be the first ones to present themselves for accountability before the proposed judicial commission.

-Originally appeared in The News

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Picasso's Cubist Painting Sold For $63.4 Million

Pablo Picasso's artworks are particularly famous among the art lovers of the world and his painting grace the walls of every major international art museum.

Considered to be Picasso's most seminal work, Femme Assise (1909) an early cubist painting was up for auction and sold for a whooping $63.4 Million at Sotheby's London Auction, the CNN reported.

Sotheby described the artwork as "the greatest cubist painting to come to the market in decades."

The painting is said to have broken all previous sales record and has become the most expensive cubist artwork to have been sold at an auction.

Experts are of the opinion that the painting depicts the artist's lover and model Fernande Olivier.

Sotheby's global co-head of impressionist and modern art department, Helena Newman says that the artwork is "extremely rare".

She explained that a vast majority of cubist art went to museums because Picasso's cubism has been since long considered groundbreaking not only for the artist himself but the then future of modern art.

The current owner first brought the painting at a Sotheby auction for $486, 000.

"I think what people are excited about is that sense of being upfront with Picasso at the very moment of his creative process. It's that sense of the potential of being able to have a piece of that moment of what defines Picasso," said Newman.

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Argentina begs Messi not to quit

BUENOS AIRES: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona and the country´s President Mauricio Macri urged Lionel Messi on Mondaynot to leave the national team despite his vow to quit after a humiliating defeat.

The Barcelona superstar left the field in tears after missing a spot-kick in the Copa America Centenario final shootout against Chile on Sunday.

He promptly told reporters he was quitting, throwing Argentine football into turmoil ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

"He has to stay because he still has playing days ahead of him," Maradona was quoted as saying by La Nacion newspaper online.

"He will go to Russia in form to be world champion."

Messi, 29, is widely rated as the best player in the world, but Sunday´s loss was his fourth defeat in an international final for Argentina.

After an outpouring of disappointment by fans online, Macri joined the calls for the Barcelona superstar to stay with Argentina.

"He called him and told him how proud he feels of the national team´s performance and asked him not to listen to the criticism," a spokesman for Macri told AFP by telephone.

Argentine football ´disaster´ 

The 1986 World Cup winner Maradona, 55, blamed Argentina´s recent lack of trophies on the country´s football association (AFA).

He accused it of not supporting Messi and letting him take the blame for Sunday´s defeat.

"Those who are saying he should quit are doing it so that we won´t see what a disaster Argentine football has become," La Nacion quoted Maradona as saying.

Messi and the squad landed back in Buenos Aires on Monday evening after the tournament in the United States.

Television cameras followed their coach but the players had yet to make any comment to the media.

´Saturated with criticism´ 

Messi is loved in Barcelona but his friends complained of how harshly he has been judged in his homeland.

"This lad is just saturated with criticism and being so badly treated," said Ernesto Vecchio, who was Messi´s first coach in his native city of Rosario.

"I don´t want him to quit but when I put myself in his shoes it seems unfair that they should look to him as the savior when there are 11 players on the team."

Messi´s cool head on the pitch makes him an efficient goalscorer, but his reserved manner has drawn criticism.

Ahead of this month´s Copa, Maradona himself accused Messi of having "no personality" for a captain.

Messi has been named FIFA World Player of the Year five times. But he has been haunted by comparisons with Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup triumph in 1986.

Players ´devastated´

The star´s departure could herald a broader change in the Argentina line-up.

Manchester City star Sergio Aguero warned other players could also quit the national side.

"We were all devastated in the dressing room, particularly Leo, I´d never seen him in such a state," he said.

"Several players are wondering whether to continue."

Aguero did not say whether he would follow Messi in quitting but he, Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain were mentioned in media reports.

 String of defeats 

Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the final of the 2014 World Cup and lost on penalties, also to Chile, in the 2015 Copa America final.

Messi also tasted defeat with Argentina in the final of the 2007 Copa America.

In this month´s Copa semi-final win over the United States, he became Argentina´s top international scorer of all time with his 55th goal.

But after Sunday´s final, his typical composure gave way to tears of frustration.

"I´ve done all I can, I´ve been in four finals and it hurts not to be a champion," Messi told reporters.

"It´s a hard moment for me and the team, and it´s difficult to say, but it´s over with the Argentina team."

His departure left many fans no longer thinking about the Copa.

"Losing a final is something that happens in sport," wrote one fan, Fede Ruiz, on Twitter.

"But losing you is the most painful defeat of all."

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Smash hit 'Hamilton' sweeps Tonys with 11 wins; Lange, Langella, 'The Humans' win big

"Hamilton", the pop culture phenomenon based on US founding father Alexander Hamilton swept the Tonys on Sunday, winning 11 of Broadway's top awards including best musical, best actor, best direction and best score and book for creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

"Hamilton", which tells the story of the ill-fated Hamilton with a deft musical melding of hip-hop and rap, R&B, ballads and traditional Broadway showstoppers, also won for featured actress and actor and several technical awards.

A somber note was cast over the festivities by the attack on a gay nightclub in Orlanda, Florida early on Sunday that killed 50 people and injured 53 others, and several winners spoke of the tragedy in their acceptance speeches.

Winning her first Tony as morphine-addicted Mary Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night, Jessica Lange said the honor "fills me with such happiness, even on such a sad day as this."

Host James Corden opened the usually ebullient show with a statement to victims and others affected, saying, "Your tragedy is our tragedy ... hate will never win."

"Tonight's show stands as a symbol and a celebration of that principle."

"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, accepting best score of a musical, delivered a sonnet for his acceptance, done in the style of verse heard in "Hamilton" and which spoke to the shootings.

"Senseless acts of tragedy ... times of hate," he intoned, ending, voice breaking, with "love is love is love, cannot be killed." Miranda also won best book of a musical.

Backstage, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber observed "No child is ever born to hate."

And best actor in a play Frank Langella, winning his fourth Tony, as an Alzheimer's-afflicted patriarch in "The Father," said the theater community stood strong in support.

"I urge you, Orlando, to be strong," Langella said.

"The Humans" won the Tony for best play, while Jayne Houdyshell and Reed Birney were named best featured actress and actor in a play for the family drama. It also won for scenic design.

"The Color Purple" took best revival of a musical, while star Cynthia Erivo took the Tony for best actress in a musical.

Miranda, who plays Hamilton, lost best actor in a musical to co-star Leslie Odom Jr., as nemesis Aaron Burr.

"God bless you, you've given us a new vision," Odom told Miranda.

"Hamilton" also won awards for Renee Elise Goldsberry and Daveed Diggs as best featured actress and actor in a musical, best director Thomas Kail, and for best lighting, costumes, choreography and orchestrations.

Other winners included Ivo van Hove, best director of a play for "A View from the Bridge," which also won best revival of a play.

The 70th annual Tony Awards, which aired on CBS, were expected to reverse a recent slide in TV ratings, as "Hamilton" devotees and those keyed in to the fanfare drove interest.

The show's success has played a big part in a record-breaking Broadway season, including attendance of 13.3 million and $1.37 billion in sales.

In a year when the Oscars drew criticism for lacking non-white nominees, the Tonys, led by the multi-cultural cast of Hamilton, stood rich with diversity. Corden joked that the Tonys were "like the Oscars -- but with diversity."

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Fans disappointed as Zayn Malik pulls out of concert last minute

Zayn Malik pulled out of the Capital's Summertime Ball minutes before he was expected to perform, stating that the magnitude of the event got the better of him.

According to The Mirror, the 23-year-old star who recently split from the boy band One Direction was supposed to perform at Wembley Arena on Saturday night. Malik later took to Twitter and Instagram to apologize to his fans who had been disappointed by him pulling out last minute.

In a detailed statement posted on Twitter, he wrote "Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me."

“I know those who suffer anxiety will understand and I hope those who don't can empathize with my situation,” he added.

The fans who were initially disappointed  later took twitter to wish the star well and voiced out their support.

Post the event rumored girlfriend Gigi Hadid took the micro blogging website Twitter to write a heartfelt message for her beau.

“Z - I’ve seen the battles you go through and the way you fight to get to a place that allows you to get up there for your fans.”

“Your bravery in those times makes me proud, but your honesty last night proved what you’re all about, being real. Human recognizes human. You made the best of the situation and have given your fans an opportunity to understand you better as a performer. Those who can find compassion now are the ones that deserve to watch you continue to grow,” wrote Hadid.

 

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Udta Punjab to release in Pakistan with 100 cuts

It appears that the Pakistani censor board is even more ruthless than its Indian counterpart. While the censor board of India objected to the film Udta Punjab and suggested 89 cuts to the film, the censor board in Pakistan gave the film a green signal after making 100 cuts to the film, excluding all sorts of expletives and any anti-Pakistan content.

Udta punjab had recently been in the limelight due to its struggle with the Indian censor board. The producers weren't ready to budge and took the case to the Bombay High Court were the ruling came out in their favour. The film did not receive any cuts and was released with an 'A' certificate in India.

In Pakistan the 10-member Central Board of Film Censors decided to censor the movie at over a 100 places. “All 10-members of the CBFC have unanimously allowed ‘Udta Punjab’ to be released after editing objectionable content,” Mubashir Hasan, the CBFC head, told media.
 
He said that they demanded major cuts in the film due to the frequent use of offensive words that go against the sensibilities of the Pakistani audience.

“We have cut all derogatory and offensive words/dialogues and anti-Pakistan content from the film. More than 100 cuts, mutes, beeps have been suggested to the film’s distributor.

Once he will complete the editing as per the requirement of the board, it will again be presented before it for final approval,” ​said Hassan. 

It was initially feared the film would be banned in the country but the censor board decided to spare it look on the distributor's persistence. 

“We had not banned this movie. On the appeal of the distributor the full board sat together today and gave conditional approval for its screening here,” ​added Hassan. 
​

The Pakistani censor board never compromises on any anti-state, anti-islam content but since Udta Punjab did not fall into those categories the film was given a green signal after several cuts. 

Distributors believe that the film will be screened across Pakistan this weekend. 

The movie stars Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt in its lead roles and is a crime drama based on the drug mafia.
 

 

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'Inferno' world premiere set for Dante's birthplace of Florence

SINGAPORE: The Italian city of Florence, birthplace of Italian poet Dante Alighieri, will stage the world premiere of "Inferno", the third film to be adapted from the Dan Brown novels about symbologist Robert Langdon.

"I’m happy to say it is in beautiful Florence in Italy," Ron Howard, director of all the three previous films, told Reuters in Singapore on Tuesday, adding that the location was appropriate given that the city was the "centerpiece of the movie".

The premiere will be on Oct. 8.

"Inferno" sets Harvard symbologist Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, on a manhunt as he races to stop a plot to control the world's population by the unleashing of a deadly artificial plague.

The film is the latest in line from the blockbuster book and film franchise that began with Brown's 2003 religious-themed mystery novel "The Da Vinci Code", and sees Hanks reprising the role of the character he once described as "the smartest guy in the room".

The movie's name and many of the symbols examined by Langdon draw largely from the life and works of Alighieri, whose greatest literary achievement was the 14th-century "Divine Comedy" trilogy, the first of which is entitled "Inferno", and describes nine circles of suffering in hell.

The film also stars British actress Felicity Jones and Indian actor Irrfan Khan, while Ben Foster plays the scientist who intends on releasing the virus to solve the world's population increase.

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Hearing in Amber Heard restraining order against Johnny Depp called off

A hearing on the restraining order obtained by Amber Heard against Johnny Depp, in a divorce between the celebrity couple in which Heard has accused Depp of abuse, was called off on Thursday, a day before it was set to occur, court officials said.

Heard was expected to testify at the hearing related to the restraining order in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, according to E! News and other media outlets.

Instead, the next hearing in the divorce filed by Heard against Depp last month will occur on Aug. 2, court officials said in a statement. The restraining order is part of the divorce case.

The delay allows Depp to gather more witnesses to defend himself against abuse allegations, while for Heard it allows the restraining order to remain in effect at least until the next hearing, said attorney Christopher Melcher, who previously served as chair of the state bar of California family law section, in a phone interview.

It was not immediately clear which side moved to vacate the hearing set for Friday. Attorneys for Depp and Heard did not immediately return calls.

There have been conflicting reports in the media about whether the two sides are moving toward a settlement in the divorce case.

Depp's legal team had filed court papers seeking to prevent witnesses from testifying on behalf of Heard at the hearing on Friday, on grounds that the actress' legal team had not provided the names of those witnesses, according to a report on the website of People magazine.

A judge on May 27 granted a temporary restraining order for Depp to stay at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from Heard and move out of the couple's shared condominium in downtown Los Angeles. The couple married in February 2015.

Heard, 30, said in court filings that Depp, 53, was abusive to her throughout their marriage and that it culminated in an argument last month in which he hurled a cell phone into her face and shattered various objects in her apartment.

In a counter argument, Depp's lawyer said in court papers last month that Heard "is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse."

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VIDEO: Justin Beiber falls off stage during live perfomance

Pop star Justin Bieber fell down hard from the stage on Friday during a live concert in Canada.

Justin appears to be adjusting his clothes while walking the dimly lit stage when his misses the edge and falls off. To protect the fall he grasps the edge and hangs on amid gasps from the audience.

Seconds later he appears on the stage, takes the mic and says,"Good thing I'm like a cat who lands on its feet."

 

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I Signed Mom Because Of Nawazuddin: Adnan Siddiqui

Contrary to popular belief, Boney Kapoor’s upcoming film Mom is not Adnan Siddiqui’s first big Bollywood offer. In a recent interview, the actor revealed that he was also approached for Rani Mukerjee-starrer Mardaani and Mahesh Bhatt’s Jism 2. However, Siddiqui rejected both offers because he felt the roles weren’t substantial enough to leave an impact on Bollywood.

In fact, Siddiqui was also initially apprehensive about signing Mom but that had more to do with the fact that he was nervous about working opposite veteran actress Sridevi.

“Initially, I was nervous about working with Sridevi ji, but her kindness made it easy,” he told Mid Day. “She reacts perfectly and puts you at ease. She is a great actor and extremely humble. That shows her class and what she has achieved. I have learnt a lot of things from her.”

Though Siddiqui is a loyal fan of the veteran actress, she wasn’t the only reason why he signed the film. A major motivation for Siddiqui was the presence of acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui who also features in the film. 

“Though I have no scenes with him, I can at least put in my resume that I have worked with him,” he noted.

Siddiqui has time and again proved his mettle as a versatile actor and though  a chunk of his work has been limited to local television serials, the actor was also seen in a small role in Angelina Jolie’s A Mighty Heart. One can argue that his role in the Hollywood venture was also small in what was essentially a female-oriented film, it seems it’s the significance of it that matters most to Siddiqui.

 “While I am of the same age as the Khans, they are still not my contemporaries. It would be stupid to think that I will get a role like they do. I am creating space like Irrfan, Kay Kay Menon or Manoj Bajpayee and a few other character actors,” he asserted. “If I think I can do what Shah Rukh Khan does here or, for that matter, what Fawad does in Pakistan, it will be stupid. You have to be aware of where you stand.”

â€" Originally published in The News

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Spain joins forces with Bollywood to boost tourism

Madrid: Spain is coaxing Indian moviemakers to use its colourful fiestas and historic monuments as settings for their films, in a move to grab a bigger share of India´s fast-growing overseas tourism market.

As part of its bid to lure visitors from the world´s second most populous country, Madrid will host next weekend the annual International Indian Film Academy awards, dubbed the "Bollywood Oscars".

In global tourism, Spain ranks as the third most visited country, but it now wants to diversify its tourism base beyond the traditional northern European sunseekers that account for the bulk of its visitors.

Among the Bollywood stars who will attend the awards ceremony in Spain will be hunky Indian actor Hrithik Roshan, the green-eyed star of the 2011 coming-of-age movie "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", which was produced in close collaboration with the Spanish tourism promotion agency, Turespana.

The film about three friends on a pre-marriage road trip across Spain includes scenes at "La Tomatina" festival in the town of Bunol, where half-naked revellers hurl mushy tomatoes at each other, as well as at Pamplona´s San Fermin bull running festival.

With scenes also set in Barcelona, Seville and the beaches of the Costa Brava, the movie was the first major Indian production to shoot extensively in various locations in Spain.

It was also the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2011.
"There was an immediate impact in the number of people requesting entry visas to travel to Spain," the director of the London office of Turespana, Enrique Ruiz de Lera, who led the agency´s talks with the producers of the movie, told AFP.

The year after its release, 60,444 Indians visited Spain, nearly double the 2011 figure, according to the industry and tourism ministry. Last year 85,000 Indians visited Spain.

Lonely Planet in 2013 launched a guide to Spain aimed specifically at the Indian market and travel agencies still advertise tours to the locations featured in the "Zindagi" movie.

India´s ambassador to Spain, Vikram Misri, said the film "was singlehandedly responsible for making Spain a household name in India and increasing tourism from India".

Cruise ship movie 

Turespana suggested locations for filming but gave no direct financial aid to cover the cost of making the movie, Ruiz de Lera said.

Instead it helped secure permits to film at key sites and negotiate deals on hotel rooms and transportation for the crew to lower production costs.
"We helped a lot with contacts so filming in Spain was easy," Ruiz de Lera said.

In return the producers of the film agreed to include a short advertisement before the start of the movie promoting Spain by award-winning Spanish director Julio Medem.
Spain and India signed a film coproduction agreement the year after "Zindagi" was released.

Turespana regularly takes part in film location fairs in India to pitch the tax breaks and other incentives available to movie producers who shoot in Spain.

Since "Zindagi", another "five or six" Indian films have been shot in Spain although none was as popular at the box office, the director of the Mumbai office of Turespana, Ignacio Ducasse, told AFP.

They include one by "Zindagi" director Zoya Akhtar --- "Dil Dhadakne Do" featuring Bollywood star Anil Kapoor -- which was filmed on a ship belonging to Pullmantur, Spain´s biggest cruise operator.

The comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family on a 10-day Mediterranean cruise was released last year and it includes scenes shot in Barcelona as well as in the various bars, restaurants and open decks of the ship.

Stars in ad campaign 

Kapoor, 59, best known internationally for his role in the 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire", said during a visit to Madrid in March to promote the Bollywood Oscars that he is "looking forward to coming back again and again to Spain".

Tourism is crucial for the Spanish economy, accounting for around 11 percent of gross domestic product and one in nine jobs, according to the tourism ministry.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation predicts Asian powerhouse India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020, up from just 18 million in 2014.

Turespana plans to create an ad campaign to appeal to this rising tide of tourists using images of Bollywood celebrities enjoying themselves in Madrid at the awards show.
The ceremony itself is expected to bring 15,000 visitors to the Spanish capital during the week of the show.

"We are counting that the arrival of several thousand Indian friends for the (awards) ceremony will help bring millions of their compatriots in the coming years," Spain´s secretary of state for foreign affairs, Ignacio Ybanez, said earlier this year.

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Qandeel Baloch stirs storm with selfies

KARACHI: So-called social media sensation Qandeel Baloch on Monday took Internet by storm as she shared a couple of selfies of herself with Mufti Abdul Qawi before ridiculing the cleric on different TV channels.

A selfie shows Baloch posing with Mufti Abdul Qawi, sitting next to him. The second picture shows Qawi holding a cell phone to his ear and the woman wearing his hat, standing close to him.

Mufti Qawi told Geo News that during an earlier encounter Qandeel Baloch had expressed her desire to meet him in Karachi.

“She wanted to have a meeting in order to get rid of a magic spell. She put my hat on her head, and took a selfie while I was busy on phone,” he said.

“She asked me to arrange her meeting with Imran Khan as she wants to discuss the treatment meted out to her by some people during PTI rallies. Since I am the head of PTI’s religious wing, I agreed that I would talk to Imran Khan,” he said.

However, the woman gave a quite different account of the meeting she held with Mufti Qawi.

“Why would I ask for a meeting with him…in fact, he had told me during a TV program that he would like to lay his eyes on my face before witnessing the moon of Ramazan,” she said.

“He told me, forget about Imran Khan as he is 65 and too old for me… he said I am 50 years old and an age gap of 25 years between us is not a big deal,” Qandeel Baloch said, breaking out in laughter.

Pakistan’s media watchdog has frequently issued show-cause notices to TV channels and imposed hefty fines for what it said violation of the code of conduct.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) took two TV shows off the air last week. The regulator also censured some TV channels for indulging in the ratting race.

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Bollywood?s Salman Khan draws ire for 'rape' analogy

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has sparked controversy in India by saying his heavy training schedule for an upcoming film left him feeling "like a raped woman".

Khan made the comments in an interview to promote his latest Bollywood movie Sultan, which tells the story of an ageing wrestler trying to make a comeback.

"When I used to walk out of the ring, after the shoot, I used to feel like a raped woman. I couldn´t walk straight," 50-year-old Khan said in an interview with local Indian website published on Monday.

India´s National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday demanded a public apology, calling the comments "reprehensible", following an outcry on social media.

"It´s not only a wrong statement, it´s very irresponsible and callous for a man whose fame and wealth is based on the adoration of his female fans," the head of NCW Lalitha Kumaramangalam told the Press Trust of India news agency.

The Bollywood star also said he had been able to quit every "vice" except women, giving up cigarettes, coffee and alcohol but not female company.

His father, Bollywood lyricist Salim Khan, took to Twitter to apologise on his son´s behalf, but insisted that "the intention (behind the comments) was not wrong".

Khan is one of Bollywood´s biggest box-office draws, starring in more than 100 films and television shows since his first hit "Maine Pyar Kiya" in the 1980s.

But his personal life has long been dogged by controversy.

Last year he was cleared of killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run crash and he is battling allegations he used unlicensed arms to shoot antelopes in western India.

When he was appointed goodwill ambassador for India´s Olympic team in the Rio Games in April, the country´s sports stars reacted with dismay.

Bollywood films are notorious for their sexism and Khan´s movies in particular have been criticised for their weak female roles.

While several Indian filmmakers are breaking with stereotypes, such movies ese are still few and far between.

Shaina N.C., a spokeswoman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra state, tweeted: "Rape is an exercise of power to destruct a woman´s self esteem, (from what) I (know) of @BeingSalmanKhan he respects #women so he must apologise."

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Prince lost consciousness on flight days before death: report

WASHINGTON: Prince was having dinner on a flight home from his final public concert when he suddenly lost consciousness, according to the first published account Tuesday of the pop icon's health crisis six days before his death.

The April 15 episode prompted an unscheduled landing of his private plane and an emergency room visit, raising a sudden alarm over the state of Prince's health.

Judith Hill, an artist and protege of Prince who worked closely with him during the past two years, said in a New York Times interview that the two were chatting over pasta and vegetables as they flew from Atlanta to his home near Minneapolis.

Hill, 32, noticed that "his eyes fixed" just before he seemed to nod off shortly after 1 am (0500 GMT).

"Thankfully, I happened to be looking into his face," and realized he was unconscious and not asleep, Hill was quoted as saying.

Hill and the only other passenger on the jet, Prince's friend and aide Kirk Johnson, tried unsuccessfully to wake up the 57-year-old.

They alerted the pilot, who radioed air traffic controllers in Chicago to report an unresponsive man on board.

"We knew it was only a matter of time; we had to get him down," Hill was quoted as saying. "We didn't have anything on the plane to help him."

The plane landed in Moline, Illinois, met by an ambulance on the tarmac.

Prince was revived with an injection of Narcan, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses, the report said. He was taken to a hospital for several hours before being released and traveling home.

Publicly, Prince blamed the emergency landing on a bout of flu.

Although initially reluctant to seek help following the scare, Prince undertook tests with a local doctor and connected with an addiction specialist in California, The New York Times said.

"He did it because he was concerned, and he wanted to do the right thing for his own body," Hill said. "And that's the part that breaks my heart, because he was trying. He was trying."

Prince was found dead at his Paisley Park estate on April 21. His death was ruled an accident caused by an overdose of fentanyl, a powerful opioid used to treat severe pain.

He had appeared healthy and was legendary for his marathon performances. But the artist underwent hip surgery in 2010.

Hill said that despite her close relationship with Prince, she had no idea he was in pain, calling the circumstances of his death "very shocking."

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Matthew McConaughey On True Detective: ?I Miss Rust Cohle?

After a philosophical, gritty season one, True Detective fell from grace for a terrible second season. The first season, brought to life by the collective talents of actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, showcased exquisite writing while the second season faltered despite the presence of Hollywood heavyweights Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn. Rumours of cancelation have been around for weeks now with many wondering if HBO will fund a third season.

However, a recent statement from season one star Matthew McConaughey could turn the tide around for the crime show. Though the Interstellar star has a combination of high-profile films coming out, he’s still open to television. During a recent interview, the actor confessed that he is open to reprising the role, provided there is a story that needs to be told.

“I miss Rust Cohle, man,” he said in an interview with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show. “I miss watching him on Sunday nights. I was a happy man while we made that for six months, because I was on my own island.”

Matthew’s interest in keeping the show alive could convince HBO to bring the show back for a third and final season but a lot depends on writer/creator Nic Pizzolatto and director Cary Fukunaga who was pivotal to the show’s brilliant first season. Until then, McConaughey fans can look forward to the actor essaying the role of a rebel in the new release, Free State of Jones.

-Originally published in The News on Sunday

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Polio infected body builder wins titles for Pakistan but awaits recognition

LAHORE: Naveed Butt does not let polio corner him to victimhood. He trains hard at the gym everyday to maintain the body that has earned him international body building awards.

His rock hard abs won him the Mr Olympia title in the year 2013 and 2014. Now he is preparing for the Mr Universe and Mr Olympia titles which will be held in the United States.

In the year 2000, Butt represented Pakistan in the Paralympic Games in Sydney.

But all is not rosy in the picture. In the absence of state patronage for the sport, making ends meet is not an easy task for him.

“I have managed to defeat polio, and bring home the biggest title in body building, yet I have received no recognition,” he said.

Naveed even participated in the 2013 general elections, climbing three floors to cast his vote hoping that the new government would do something for him but he continues to suffer disappointment.

“I voted, assuming that the new government would learn of my achievements, recognize and reach out to me but sadly no one has contacted me.”

 

 

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I had never thought about my comeback: Amir

KARACHI: Pakistan's Mohammad Amir said match-fixers should be banned for life as he prepares to return to Test cricket at Lord´s, where an infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal landed him a jail term and a five-year ban.

The fast bowler backed comments from England captain Alastair Cook, who said anyone caught match-fixing should be thrown out of the sport for good.

"If fixing is still happening then it's really alarming," Amir said in an interview before his departure for the four-Test tour of England. "I fully back that fixers should be banned for life.

The 24-year-old left-armer can expect a cool reception from fans at Lord's, where he was caught bowling no-balls to order in a sting operation carried out by a tabloid newspaper.

But Cook said earlier this month that he had no problem playing against Amir, who has served his ban and returned to international cricket in January.

Amir and new-ball partner Mohammad Asif bowled no-balls to order on the instructions of their captain Salman Butt. All three received five-year bans and, together with sports agent Mazhar Majeed, jail terms.

Since his ban expired, Amir has played only limited-overs matches,but now he will come full circle with a Test return at Lord's -- a twist of fate that he called a "blessing".

"To be honest I never thought about my comeback and I feel seriously lucky to be back in the role to play Test cricket again," he said.

"I was all excited for Test cricket because that is where my career was held back and I still can´t believe that this is happening.

"You call it a coincidence or whatever but for me it´s a blessing that I am restarting (Tests) right at Lord´s from where I stopped in 2010."

´My real comeback´

Amir's pace and wicket-taking ability make him an automatic choice for the Test series opener from July 14, when he hopes to be able to put his past behind him.

"I may have registered my comeback months ago but Test cricket is actual cricket, and playing it again is what I was looking forward to and this is my real comeback," said Amir.

"I won´t say that I have forgotten my past and those incidents won't come back to haunt me, but I am looking at it positively as I want to replace the past with a better future.

"My memory still holds those moments from 2010 but I want to perform well, want to get my name (on) the honour board at Lord's once again," said Amir, whose haul of 6-84 in the tainted Test of 2010 features on the honours board, where outstanding play is chronicled.

Amir also said he will be ready for on-field sledging and the inevitable chants by England fans. At a Twenty20 international in New Zealand in January the stadium announcer played the sound of a cash register before one of Amir´s overs.

"Crowds in general get nasty sometimes but you are professional only if you handle any kind of situation wisely. It's my duty to be focused on the game," he said.

"Sledging is a part of the game and it indeed isn't new. But I don't want to think a lot about this. I will think about my performance," added Amir.

Amir also said his experiences had made him a stronger person than he was before the events of 2010, when he was still a teenager.

"I went through tough times which actually taught me a lot of good lessons and now I am much stronger than before. I have got enough in my life to stand strong," he said.

Pakistan will also play five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international during the tour.

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Zimbabwe stun India by 2 runs in T20 thriller

HARARE: Zimbabwe rose from the ashes of an embarrassing one-day series whitewash at the hands of India to stun the tourists in a thrilling Twenty20 international at Harare Sports Club.

Zimbabwe´s batting had been dismal in the ODIs, when they failed to score more than 168, but on Saturday they appeared to rediscover their joy for the game and posted 170 for six on the back of Elton Chigumbura´s unbeaten 54.

Manish Pandey led India´s reply with his 48, but Zimbabwe chipped away at the visitors to restrict them to 168 for six and win by two runs.

The second game in the three-match series takes place at the same venue on Monday.

With just six members of India’s 16-man squad boasting international experience in the shortest format, the tourists named five debutants for today’s game.

Batsmen KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh, allrounder Rishi Dhawan, and bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Yuzvendra Chahal all made their Twenty20 international bows.

Zimbabwe were without Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Vusi Sibanda due to injury. Allrounder Tinotenda Mutombodzi was recalled for his first Twenty20 international match in over three years, while Sikandar Raza Butt returned to the batting lineup after being dropped for the final ODI.

Teams

Zimbabwe: Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza Butt, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Richmond Mutumbami, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Graeme Cremer (capt), Neville Madziva, Tawanda Mupariwa, Donald Tiripano.

India: KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Axar Patel, Rishi Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal.

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Zimbabwe police detains Indian 'cricketer' over alleged rape

HARARE: The Zimbabwe authorities on Sunday detained an Indian 'cricketer' over an alleged rape of a local woman, media reports said.

It was alleged that the Indian 'cricketer' raped an intoxicated woman who was at the Meikles Hotel in central Harare where the team was staying.

According to New Zimbabwe, police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident.

“There are allegations of rape against an Indian national by a Zimbabwe woman,” said Charamba.

The police spokesperson said that they were waiting for the outcome.

The Indian Foreign Ministry denied the claims, meanwhile, Indian officials said that the suspect is a sponsor company’s member not a cricketer.

The identity of the team member is currently being kept under wraps and it has been reported that the Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe was seen trying to make efforts against the Indian national’s arrest.

Indian cricket team is currently in Harare to play against Zimbabwe in Twenty20 international.

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Sri Lankan pacer Shaminda Eranga banned for illegal bowling action

LONDON: Hospitalised Sri Lanka paceman Shaminda Eranga has been banned from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect because of an illegal action, the International Cricket Council announced Sunday.

The ICC's statement came just hours after Eranga had been taken to a Dublin hospital to undergo tests on an elevated heartbeat after he fell ill during Sri Lanka´s 136-run win over Ireland in the second one-day international at Malahide on Saturday.

"The International Cricket Council today (Sunday) announced that an independent assessment has found the bowling action of Sri Lanka´s Shaminda Eranga to be illegal and, as such, the fast bowler has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect," said a statement issued by the global governing body.

"The assessment revealed that all deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations," the statement added of a test carried out at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, central England, an ICC accredited testing centre, on June 6.

"Eranga´s international suspension will also be recognised and enforced by all National Cricket Federations for domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction, save that, with the consent of Sri Lanka Cricket, Eranga may be able to play in domestic cricket events played in Sri Lanka under the auspices of Sri Lanka Cricket."

Eranga, who turns 30 on Thursday, will be able to return to international cricket if he passes a fresh test after modifying his bowling action

He had his action reported after the second Test against England at Chester-le-Street last month.

Eranga opened Sri Lanka´s bowling in the first innings of that match, taking none for 100 in 27 overs during England´s 498 for nine declared.

The right-armer then bowled just one over in England´s second innings as they chased down a target of 79 for victory.

Under ICC regulations, Eranga was allowed to continue playing until the results of his test were known and he featured in the drawn third Test at Lord´s, a result that saw England to an overall 2-0 series win, where he took one for 94 and three for 58.

Saturday saw Eranga, who has now appeared in 19 Tests and the same number of ODIs, come out to face the final ball of Sri Lanka´s innings at Malahide but he did not bowl and instead went to hospital.

"Eranga had an elevated heartbeat prior to the innings commencing and was taken to hospital for tests," Sri Lanka team manager Charith Senanayake told the ESPNcricinfo website. "He´s doing good but in hospital till Monday to complete all tests."

The ICC´s ban means Eranga will take no part in the upcoming five-match one-day international series against England, which starts at Nottingham´s Trent Bridge ground on Tuesday.

Eranga is the latest Sri Lanka pace bowler to be ruled out of the tour of Britain and Ireland.

Dhammika Prasad was sidelined with a shoulder injury before the Test series against England and Dushmantha Chameera then had to return home with a stress fracture of the back.

Bowlers are meant to keep their arms as straight as possible in delivery so that the ball is ´bowled´ rather than thrown towards the batsman.

The ICC define an illegal bowling action as one where the bowler´s "elbow extension" exceeds 15 degrees while he is in his delivery stride.

They set the 15-degree limit for all bowlers in November 2004 after research showed no bowler´s arm remained perfectly straight in delivery.

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India level T20 series with 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe

 

HARARE: Mandeep Singh blasted a quick-fire unbeaten half-century as India crushed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to level the Twenty20 series on Monday.

The result sets up a series decider in the third and final game that will also be played at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat, but could only muster 99 for nine in their 20 overs as the Indian bowlers strangled the run-rate.

The tourists made short work of their reply, racing to their victory target off 13.1 overs as Mandeep Singh (52 from 40 balls) and fellow opener Lokesh Rahul (47 from 40 balls) put on a century stand.

All the Zimbabwe batsmen struggled to score quick runs in their innings with none managing more than a run a ball. Peter Moor (31 from 32 balls) was the only one to muster any sort of resistance.

Debutant seamer Barinder Sran took for wickets to lead the Indian charge, while fellow paceman Jasprit Bumrah picked up three wickets in his four overs.

India also handed a debut to seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, though he was by far the most expensive of the bowlers as his one wicket cost 32 runs.

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Asif '100pc sure' he?d play for Pakistan again

OSLO: Pakistan´s Mohammad Asif has ended up playing in Norway as he plots a return to Test cricket, five years after a notorious spot-fixing scandal, a report said.

Asif, 33, told the Cricinfo website he was playing with Oslo´s Christiania Cricket Club to work on his fitness and was "100 percent sure" he´d play for Pakistan again.

Asif was caught bowling no-balls to order against England at Lord´s in 2010, an offence which landed him with a jail term and a five-year ban.

"One of my friends called me to ask me to come and play some cricket," he said, of his arrival in the cricketing backwater.

"There´s good weather for training -- that´s why I came here. The cricketing standard is not too high but it´s still cricket."

Asif´s one-time new-ball partner Mohammad Amir, now 24, is back in the Pakistan squad despite his involvement in the spot-fixing and is in line to return to Test cricket -- uncannily, at Lord´s -- next month.

But Asif and Salman Butt, their former captain who was also punished over the scandal, remain outside the international fold.

"Hopefully I will do well in Pakistan and get selected for the national team for the tours to New Zealand and Australia," Asif said, referring to Pakistan´s two series from November to January.

"It´s quite difficult after five years to come down and bowl fast but I´m a different kind of bowler," he added.

"I´m not like a 100-mile bowler -- I´m more dependent on swing and seam, they´re my main weapons. My pace was always 130 or 135 kph (81-84 mph).

"This (Oslo) is a good pace for swing. I just need good fitness."

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Knight shines as England women beat Pakistan in first ODI

LONDON: Heather Knight had a dream first match as England women’s captain starring with both bat and ball in a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the first One-Day International in Leicester on Tuesday.

Knight, who replaced Charlotte Edwards after the long-serving batsman was effectively forced into retirement by England women´s coach Mark Robinson, took five for 26 with her off-spin and then struck an unbeaten 50 as her side cantered to victory with more than 18 overs to spare.

Knight´s all-round feat was the first time in women´s 50-over international women´s cricket that any captain has taken five wickets and scored a fifty in the same match.

Thanks in large part to Knight´s efforts with the ball, England only needed 166 to win at Grace Road in a match held over from Monday because of rain.

Pakistan´s 165 all out was built around opener Sidra Ameen´s 52 but none of her team-mates could offer much in the way of support with the bat.

England have now won all five of their ODIs against Pakistan and will look to go 2-0 up in three-match series when the teams meet again at Worcester on Wednesday.

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Amir is one of the family for Pakistan´s Wahab

Mohammad Amir is part of the Pakistan family and will always have the support of his teammates as he prepares to return to Lord´s six years after the scandal that derailed his career, fast bowler Wahab Riaz has said.

The paceman spent time in jail and served a five-year ban for spot-fixing after admitting he had deliberately bowled no-balls at predetermined times in the fourth test against England at the fabled London venue in 2010.

Then 18, Amir was rated among the world´s most exciting fast bowlers before the high-profile incident stalled his progress and resulted in similar penalties for fellow accused parties, former test captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.

The 24-year-old has now returned to the Pakistan setup and the left-arm paceman will be firmly in the spotlight should he be selected for the first test of the four-match series starting at Lord´s on July 14.

"Obviously, he has struggled a lot," Wahab told cricket website ESPNcricinfo.

"He has learned a lot of things in the past five years, he has become stronger and he wants to answer everyone with his performances, and that´s what he´s really looking for.”

Amir´s return to the national side was initially resented by some of his teammates but the paceman has enjoyed steady and growing support from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Like a brother

"As a team, as a squad of 17 plus our team management, all of us are going to support Mohammad Amir," Wahab added.

"We are all behind him, we are all supporting him, whenever he needs us, however, he needs us, we will be around him all the time. So he is not the one who is being left alone, he is a part of our family.”

Wahab said, “He is the youngest part of our family, so he is like a kid to us, he´s like a brother to us, a son to most of our senior players.”

"We are always here for him, we are going to support him, and we will push him up because we know what kind of capability he has in his bowling and how he can perform.”

The 30-year-old Wahab said Pakistan would try to retain a positive attitude throughout what appears to be a tough series in England.

"What is in our hands is to go into the ground and have a smile on our faces," Wahab said.

"We know what our goal is and we know how to achieve our goal, so we have to do that.

"We have to enjoy our cricket, we have to laugh all the time if anyone says anything, a smile can do everything for them.”

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Police arrest 'cousins' for alleged rape of child with special needs in Gujranwala

GUJRANWALA: Police arrested two suspects on Tuesday involved in raping and killing of a 12-year-old, mentally challenged child in the outskirts of Gujranwala.

The child was allegedly raped and then murdered by his relatives.

The suspects had kidnapped the child from outside his house and after murdering him, threw the body in fields. The suspects, who are also cousins of the victim, were on the run after the incident.

The victim was a student of sixth grade in a special education centre in People?s Colony.

The post-mortem report confirmed rape. The suspects also confessed to the crime.

Police registered a case against the suspects.

 

 

 

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