Nawaz all set to return today

LONDON: The Home Office has issued new official visas to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif â€" who is all set to fly for Pakistan early on Saturday (today) after recovering from an open heart surgery â€" as well as the members of his entourage.

Around a dozen visas had been applied for three weeks back after the one-month-long official visas issued to the prime minister and his staff had expired. With Prime Minister Sharif having gone for the heart surgery, the visas were bound to expire, hence an extension request was made, which could have been done only from within the UK.

Nawaz Sharif is to fly from the Stanstead Airport for Pakistan early on Saturday. A Boeing 777-200 of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is all set reach the airport three hours before the PM’s departure. Landing permission from the airport has been obtained and all arrangements are in place, said a source involved with making the arrangements.

The prime minister will be accompanied to the airport by representatives from the British government, officials of the Pakistan High Commission and family members.

Sharif underwent an open heart surgery at a London hospital on May 31. The need for the surgery arose after the premier went through a cardiac procedure called Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in 2011 “during which certain complications occurred resulting in perforation of heart”, according to Maryam Nawaz, the PM’s daughter.

PM Nawaz Sharif stayed in hospital for less than a week. Thousands of people visited the hospital and his son’s flat on Park Lane to send him flowers and cards of well-wishes.

Due to the strict guidelines and instructions issued by his doctors to avoid any issues, PM Sharif didn’t meet his well wishers in person but replied to thousands of letters and cards wishing him well. His sons Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz remained with him throughout, and his nephews Hamza and Suleman Shahbaz Sharif visited London twice from Pakistan to be with their uncle. They arrived in London two days ahead of Eid and spent Eid with him.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif famously remarked that while “Nawaz Sharif is over 65 years old but he now has a heart of 25 years old”.

â€" Originally published in The News

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Abdul Sattar Edhi ? journey of a sole man

KARACHI: Six days after Pakistan became an independent country, a teenager stood on a dusty street of Karachi with a begging bowl. He wanted to buy medicines for the migrants from India.

That young boy grew up to become Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan’s pride, the revered philanthropist who gradually became the heart, soul and brain behind the Edhi Foundation.

“At the camps where the migrants had arrived, people were dying of diseases. There were dead bodies lying on the streets. I had to do something, so I buried the bodies, asked people for money and bought medicines for the sick,” says a frail-looking Edhi, at his office at old Karachi’s Mithadar.

He sits on a sofa at the sparsely-furnished head office, meeting visitors and random strangers who enter to pay him respect. The Edhi offices are spread over a number of apartment buildings at the crowded Mithadar, where cars, vendors, people and stray dogs fight for space.

In the late 1960s, Edhi began welfare work at a small shop at Mithadar. As his charity spread, he established an orphanage, ambulance centre, kitchens, and a medical dispensary in the same area.

To this day, the 90-year old Edhi, with a failing kidney and fading memory, occupies a single room at the head office as his resting space.

For people who grew up in Karachi, Edhi’s slightly eccentric ways of raising funds for the needy are nothing new. Be it collecting relief for earthquake victims or ransom for sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates â€" Edhi would stand on the street with a begging bowl, and passersby would stop, shake hands with him and contribute money.

Did he ever feel awkward begging on the streets? “What is wrong in asking people for help?” he says.

In the restive port city, as Lyari gangs picket and Mohajir and Pathan fight turf wars, Edhi ambulances quietly make their presence felt, picking bodies, rescuing people regardless of which side of the law they are on â€" police and criminals both co-operating with the Edhi drivers.

His son Faisal Edhi who now looks after the Edhi Foundation remembers how for forty years his father would personally perform the last funeral rites of unclaimed bodies recovered from across the city. “For 20 years he would drive the only ambulance the Foundation had. Lots of people later came to me telling stories, wanting to donate to the Edhi Foundation because Edhi sahib had helped their ailing relatives,” says Faisal. “That is my father’s investment to the cause.”

Faisal claims Edhi’s passion is the sole driving force for the over 3000 employees who work at the foundation with wages much lower than the market rate.

Close to Edhi’s side has been his wife for 50 years, Bilquis Edhi. Much younger than Edhi, Bilquis sits at the orphanage and women shelter on the first floor. An old woman whose eyes light up when she talks, Bilquis frets about Edhi’s health. “He never listens to me.”

“We married for love,” says Edhi. “I saw her taking care of babies who people had thrown in the garbage, and I fell in love with her. We have been together ever since we married in 1965.Ye mujhay chorti nahin hai, aur main isay chorta nahin.” (She doesn’t leave me, I don’t leave her either.) The couple has four children together, two sons and two daughters.

In the late 1990s when the Edhi Foundation introduced a cradle outside many of its offices so that parents who did not want their babies could leave them at their centres instead of killing them or throwing them in garbage, the foundation faced backlash from the clerics.

“Religious leaders led a vicious campaign against the Edhi Foundation, claiming that we were encouraging children born out of wedlock,” says Edhi. “But we were only saving babies from dying, safeguarding their right to live.”

Contrary to popular belief, most children left at the Edhi cradles actually have parents. They are left there because parents feel they cannot afford to take care of them. “Of every 20 babies left, 19 are girls.”

“Parents feel that their sons will earn for them in old age, and their daughters will be an economic burden. Aren’t they stupid? No one can match a daughter’s love for her parents,” he says.

Edhi is critical of religion and how it spreads hatred. “Mazhab nay bara tang kiya hai. It divides. The clerics are just there to manipulate religion as they will.”

He also has no love lost for big businessmen. “The Edhi Foundation has always grown from the money the middle class contributes. The middle class has helped me through thick and thin. The businessmen just want their names publicised.”

A case in point is when a robbery took place at the Mithadar office in 2014. Bahria Town tycoon, Malik Riaz, offered the Edhi Foundation a cheque worth Rs50 million. Edhi returned it. “We do not need funds from people who corrupt the system,” says Edhi.

But the robbery hurt Edhi, for he felt he had helped police and robbers alike. To remember the date, he has marked it on the iron cupboard where he stores the funds â€" 19/10/2014.

The Edhi Foundation is a journey of a sole man â€" an outcast and a rebel â€" who wants to live his life helping mankind. He was ridiculed, scorned at but he stood his ground and established an empire which would serve humanity for years to come.

“We have no shortage of funds. Faisal, are we short on funds?” Edhi asks.

“No, Papa, we are never short on funds.”

â€" This interview was originally published in The News in January, 2016.

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Jeddah suicide bomber proves to be Indian instead of Pakistani

RIYADH: An investigation conducted following the suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia said that the bomber who hit near the Us Consulate in Jeddah was an Indian national. Earlier, the Saudi interior ministry had declared the Jeddah suicide bomber a Pakistani identified as Gulzar Hussain who was staying in Saudi Arabia for the last 12 years.

However, the latest Saudi interior ministry report said that the Jeddah suicide bomber was from the Indian state Maharashtra and his name was Fayyaz Kaghazi.       

Reuters adds: Saudi Arabia said a suicide bomber who attacked Masjid-e-Nabavi in the city of Madina on Monday was a 26-year-old Saudi citizen with a history of drug abuse.

Nineteen people, including 12 Pakistani nationals and seven Saudis, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia following the suicide attacks on Monday, including one near Islam?s second-holiest site in the city of Madina, the kingdom?s Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Naer Muslim Hamad crossed a parking lot next to the Holy Prophet?s mosque in Medina and detonated an explosive belt near a security headquarters, killing four soldiers, the state news agency SPA quoted an Interior Ministry spokesman as saying.

?When security guards intercepted him he blew himself up,? said the spokesman.

The statement also named three individuals who carried out bombings in the province of Qatif on Monday.

All of the men were in their early 20s and one had previously taken part in anti-government rallies.

Suicide bombers hit three Saudi cities on Monday in apparently coordinated attacks that targeted US diplomats in Jeddah and Shia Muslim worshipers in Qatif, jolting the kingdom as people prepared to break their fast on the penultimate day of the holy month of Ramazan.

A Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman told Al-Ikhbariya TV that the Madina bomber had traveled outside the country several times, most recently early this year. He said nitroglycerin from the blasts in Qatif and Madina seemed to match those found at the Jeddah attack suggesting they may have been coordinated.

The UN human rights chief described the bombing outside the Holy Prophet?s Mosque in Madina as "an attack on Islam itself". No group has claimed responsibility but Islamic State militants have carried out similar bombings in the US-allied kingdom in the past year, targeting minority Shia and Saudi security forces. Militant attacks on Madina are unprecedented. Islamic State has said the Saudi rulers are apostates and has declared its intention to topple them. Monday?s attacks highlighted how young Saudi men are being drawn to Islamic State, which has launched attacks on Shias in smaller Gulf Arab states and stepped up violence in the holy fasting month of Ramazan. King Salman, in a speech on Tuesday marking Eidul Fitr, said a major challenge facing Saudi Arabia was preserving hope for youth who faced the risk of radicalisation.

Salman said his country would strike with an "iron hand" against people who preyed on youth vulnerable to religious extremism. Saudi security officials have said Islamic State supporters inside the kingdom mainly act independent of the group in Iraq and Syria, its main areas of operation.

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Raonic stuns Federer in five sets to make Wimbledon final

LONDON: Milos Raonic became the first Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon on Friday when he stunned punch drunk seven-time champion Roger Federer in a titanic five-set struggle.

Sixth seed Raonic triumphed 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 and goes on to face second seed Andy Murray, the 2013 champion, or 10th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.

"I pushed him on a few service games, couldn´t get it done," said Federer.

"He hit the lines with the serve and forehand. He did a great job. It´s something I want to forget about."

"It hurts. I was so, so close."

It was 25-year-old Raonic's first win on grass against a top 10 opponent and shattered Federer´s hopes of going on to claim a record eighth All England Club crown and 18th major.

"There was a little opening and I took it," said Raonic who looked down and out in the fourth set.

"It's a big impact for Canada. Hopefully, it will be even bigger if I win on Sunday.

"I was struggling throughout the third and fourth sets, he was playing some real good tennis. It's a great feeling to be continuing."

After weathering an early storm, Federer had been in complete control of the semi-final, his 10th at the tournament, until the tie turned suddenly and dramatically in the fourth set.

The 34-year-old, bidding to become the oldest finalist in 42 years, squandered three break points in the set and slipped from 40-0 up on serve in the 12th game.

Federer, whose last Grand Slam crown came at Wimbledon in 2012, had already required five sets to get past Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals, saving three match points in the process.

And the effort took its toll on the 17-time major winner in the decider where he needed treatment on his right thigh and jarred his left knee and foot in a worrying fall.

"I hope I haven't hurt myself," said the Swiss.

Raonic, nine years his junior, pounced for a 3-1 lead while Federer had to save two more break points in the sixth game.

The Canadian held his nerve and claimed victory when Federer went wide with a weary forehand which condemned the Swiss star to his first loss in a Wimbledon semi-final.

Raonic finished with 23 aces and 75 winners while Federer converted just one of nine break points.

Pounced

Raonic, playing in his second Wimbledon semi-final after losing to Federer at the same stage two years ago, came out blasting from the start.

He carved out and converted the only break point of the first set for a 3-1 lead before unleashing the fastest serve of the tournament of 144mph (231.7km/h) in the fifth game.

Federer squandered four set points in the 10th game of the second set, the last of which off a sloppy backhand.

But the veteran wasn´t to be denied when Raonic left the door open again in the tiebreaker with his sixth double fault of the tie.

The Swiss soon went to another three set points and this time he pounced, levelling the match when a Raonic backhand stab drifted wide.

Federer broke for the first time in the semi-final for a 4-3 lead in the third set as Raonic suffered a sudden loss of momentum, backing it up with a service game to love.

His seventh ace of the contest sealed the set in the 10th game.

With his coach John McEnroe commentating for British television, Raonic had to save two break points in the fifth game and another in the ninth of the fourth set.

However, in a remarkable 12th game, Federer was pegged back from 40-0 after serving up back-to-back double faults and Raonic levelled the semi-final on a third set point when the Swiss meekly teed-up an opportunity for the Canadian to pass him.

Federer then required treatment on his right thigh in the changeover.

The fatigued legend saved a break point at 1-2 in the decider but only after jarring his left foot and knee in an awkward fall.

A breathtaking close-up rally at the net went in the Canadian´s favour and he broke for 3-1 in what proved to be the crucial breakthrough.

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Entire nation praying for Edhi's recovery: PM

LONDON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday hailed the tireless efforts of Abdul Sattar Edhi and urged the nation to pray for his health, after reports that the renowned philanthropist was in critical condition and being treated in intensive care at a Karachi hospital.

In a statement from London where the prime minister is himself recovering from his recent heart surgery, Sharif lauded Edhi's services to humanity and claimed that very few people had served mankind like the Karachi-based philanthropist had his whole life.

"Edhi is the perfect example when it comes to serving humanity," said the prime minister. "May God be with him in this critical moment of his life."

The prime minister recognised Abdul Sattar Edhi's services by stating that his tireless efforts had saved thousands of lives in Pakistan. He said that Edhi deserved the same care that he had so selflessly given to the nation and its people.

PM Nawaz further said that the entire nation was praying for the recovery of the respected humanitarian.

Faisal Edhi, son of Abdul Sattar Edhi, announced earlier that his father was in critical condition and had been put on the ventilator at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). He revealed that Edhi's kidneys had failed and that he had been encountering severe problems in breathing during his regular dialysis today, after which he was shifted to intensive care and put on the ventilator.

Faisal Edhi urged the nation to pray for his father's health and prolonged life.

The renowned humanitarian, who is the founder and chairman of the Edhi Foundation, was diagnosed with kidney failure three years ago but has since been unable to receive a transplant due to his poor health.

The Edhi Foundation is one of Pakistan's largest public welfare organisations and runs one of the biggest fleets of ambulances, and dozens of clinics and orphanages in the country.

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Raonic stuns Federer in five sets to make Wimbledon final

LONDON: Milos Raonic became the first Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon on Friday when he stunned punch drunk seven-time champion Roger Federer in a titanic five-set struggle.

Sixth seed Raonic triumphed 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 and goes on to face second seed Andy Murray, the 2013 champion, or 10th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.

"I pushed him on a few service games, couldn´t get it done," said Federer.

"He hit the lines with the serve and forehand. He did a great job. It´s something I want to forget about."

"It hurts. I was so, so close."

It was 25-year-old Raonic's first win on grass against a top 10 opponent and shattered Federer´s hopes of going on to claim a record eighth All England Club crown and 18th major.

"There was a little opening and I took it," said Raonic who looked down and out in the fourth set.

"It's a big impact for Canada. Hopefully, it will be even bigger if I win on Sunday.

"I was struggling throughout the third and fourth sets, he was playing some real good tennis. It's a great feeling to be continuing."

After weathering an early storm, Federer had been in complete control of the semi-final, his 10th at the tournament, until the tie turned suddenly and dramatically in the fourth set.

The 34-year-old, bidding to become the oldest finalist in 42 years, squandered three break points in the set and slipped from 40-0 up on serve in the 12th game.

Federer, whose last Grand Slam crown came at Wimbledon in 2012, had already required five sets to get past Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals, saving three match points in the process.

And the effort took its toll on the 17-time major winner in the decider where he needed treatment on his right thigh and jarred his left knee and foot in a worrying fall.

"I hope I haven't hurt myself," said the Swiss.

Raonic, nine years his junior, pounced for a 3-1 lead while Federer had to save two more break points in the sixth game.

The Canadian held his nerve and claimed victory when Federer went wide with a weary forehand which condemned the Swiss star to his first loss in a Wimbledon semi-final.

Raonic finished with 23 aces and 75 winners while Federer converted just one of nine break points.

Pounced

Raonic, playing in his second Wimbledon semi-final after losing to Federer at the same stage two years ago, came out blasting from the start.

He carved out and converted the only break point of the first set for a 3-1 lead before unleashing the fastest serve of the tournament of 144mph (231.7km/h) in the fifth game.

Federer squandered four set points in the 10th game of the second set, the last of which off a sloppy backhand.

But the veteran wasn´t to be denied when Raonic left the door open again in the tiebreaker with his sixth double fault of the tie.

The Swiss soon went to another three set points and this time he pounced, levelling the match when a Raonic backhand stab drifted wide.

Federer broke for the first time in the semi-final for a 4-3 lead in the third set as Raonic suffered a sudden loss of momentum, backing it up with a service game to love.

His seventh ace of the contest sealed the set in the 10th game.

With his coach John McEnroe commentating for British television, Raonic had to save two break points in the fifth game and another in the ninth of the fourth set.

However, in a remarkable 12th game, Federer was pegged back from 40-0 after serving up back-to-back double faults and Raonic levelled the semi-final on a third set point when the Swiss meekly teed-up an opportunity for the Canadian to pass him.

Federer then required treatment on his right thigh in the changeover.

The fatigued legend saved a break point at 1-2 in the decider but only after jarring his left foot and knee in an awkward fall.

A breathtaking close-up rally at the net went in the Canadian´s favour and he broke for 3-1 in what proved to be the crucial breakthrough.

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Entire nation praying for Edhi's recovery: PM

LONDON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday hailed the tireless efforts of Abdul Sattar Edhi and urged the nation to pray for his health, after reports that the renowned philanthropist was in critical condition and being treated in intensive care at a Karachi hospital.

In a statement from London where the prime minister is himself recovering from his recent heart surgery, Sharif lauded Edhi's services to humanity and claimed that very few people had served mankind like the Karachi-based philanthropist had his whole life.

"Edhi is the perfect example when it comes to serving humanity," said the prime minister. "May God be with him in this critical moment of his life."

The prime minister recognised Abdul Sattar Edhi's services by stating that his tireless efforts had saved thousands of lives in Pakistan. He said that Edhi deserved the same care that he had so selflessly given to the nation and its people.

PM Nawaz further said that the entire nation was praying for the recovery of the respected humanitarian.

Faisal Edhi, son of Abdul Sattar Edhi, announced earlier that his father was in critical condition and had been put on the ventilator at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). He revealed that Edhi's kidneys had failed and that he had been encountering severe problems in breathing during his regular dialysis today, after which he was shifted to intensive care and put on the ventilator.

Faisal Edhi urged the nation to pray for his father's health and prolonged life.

The renowned humanitarian, who is the founder and chairman of the Edhi Foundation, was diagnosed with kidney failure three years ago but has since been unable to receive a transplant due to his poor health.

The Edhi Foundation is one of Pakistan's largest public welfare organisations and runs one of the biggest fleets of ambulances, and dozens of clinics and orphanages in the country.

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Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari graduates with MSc degree from UCL

LONDON: Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the youngest daughter of late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former President Asif Zardari, has graduated from University College London with a Masters degree in Global Health and Development.

Her father, Chairman Pakistan People's Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and sister Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari were present at the graduation ceremony held at Southbank centre in London.

The ceremony was also attended by Wajid Shamsul Hasan, who served as Pakistan's former High Commissioner to London during two previous tenures of the PPP government.

"The youngest Bhutto-Zardari now has an MSc," wrote Bilawal in a message on Twitter to congratulate his sister.

According to sources in the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is scheduled to return to Pakistan within the next two days.

His father Asif Zardari reached London on Thursday to attend his daughter's graduation ceremony and is expected to stay in London for around two to three weeks, the sources said.

Bakhtawar Bhutto, while congratulating her younger sister, shared several photos from the graduation ceremony as well as selfies with brother Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

"Congratulations to my little sister Aseefa Bhutto Zardari for her MSc in Global Health and Development from UCL," she wrote on Twitter congratulating her sister.

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Imran slams govt for 'economic murder of farmers'

SIALKOT: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan slammed the PML-N-led government during his address in Sialkot on Friday and held them responsible for the 'economic murder' of farmers in the country.

Addressing a PTI public gathering here, Imran Khan targeted PML-N chief Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, reminding the public how the incumbent prime minister had once promised he would turn Sialkot into Paris.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should travel on his own expense for his treatment," he said. "On one hand, the public is bearing the brunt of inflation while on the other hand, the government is imposing taxes," he added.

Imran said that a nation whose people robbed it of its wealth and shifted their gains abroad, could never progress. He also placed blame on the government for the difficulties farmers had to encounter.

"PML-N government has committed the economic murder of farmers," he said. Imran urged the people to vote for PTI's candidate Chaudhry Maqbool.

Imran's scathing criticism comes ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's return to the country on Saturday evening. The Pakistani Premier had been convalescing in London for more than a month after his open-heart surgery.

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Abdul Sattar Edhi in critical condition, put on ventilator at Karachi hospital

KARACHI: Pakistan's most respected philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi is in critical condition and has been put on the ventilator at a Karachi hospital after he suffered from severe difficulty in breathing, his family announced on Friday.

Addressing a press conference here, Faisal Edhi said that his father was unwell and had to go through a regular dialysis today when he suffered severe difficulty in breathing. Doctors at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) recommended that he be put on the ventilator, he said.

"Edhi sahib has more than one disease and complications. He is over 90 years of age," he said. "We wanted to undertake a kidney transplant but due to his old age and complications, it was not possible," he added.

"Edhi Sahab is hypertensive, is diabetic, and both his kidneys have failed. He has also not been eating for some time and is suffering from extreme physical weakness,” he said.

"He will stay on the ventilator until his health recovers. We urge all of you to pray for his health. We are hopeful that he will recover due to your prayers and well wishes," said Faisal Edhi sitting alongside his mother Bilquis Edhi who appeared visibly emotional and in tears during the press conference.

Faisal Edhi urged the nation to pray for his father's health and prolonged life.

The renowned philanthropist, who is the chairman of the Edhi Foundation, was diagnosed with kidney failure three years ago but has since been unable to receive a transplant due to his poor health.

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Dallas shooting: Slain suspect wanted to 'kill white police officers'

 

DALLAS: The suspect in the Dallas police sniper attacks told negotiators that he wanted to kill white people, especially white cops, after a recent spate of US officer-involved shootings of black men, the city's police chief said Friday.

Chief David Brown appealed for unity in the wake of the attacks in the major Texas city, which left five police dead and nine wounded ? seven of them cops ? saying, "This must stop ? this divisiveness between our police and our citizens."

Brown said the suspect was killed by an explosive device detonated by police during a tense standoff after Thursday night´s rampage, which erupted during a protest over the fatal police shootings of two black men this week elsewhere in the United States.

"Dallas officers are hurting. We are heartbroken. There are no words to describe the atrocity that occurred to our city," Brown told reporters.

The police chief recounted how negotiations with the suspect, who has so far only been identified as male, broke down over time.

"He said he was upset about the recent police shootings. The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers," Brown said.

The gunman said he was not affiliated with any organized groups.

Though police said the gunman professed to be acting alone, three suspects were in custody. Mayor Mike Rawlings said earlier they were "not being very cooperative."

Of the five officers killed, one was a Dallas transit cop.

Rawlings asked Americans to join Dallas residents in prayer at midday, "to bring our city together and our country together ? to heal wounds, not create them."

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Abdul Sattar Edhi in critical condition, put on ventilator at Karachi hospital

 

KARACHI: Pakistan's most respected philanthropist and Edhi Foundation Chairman Abdul Sattar Edhi is in critical condition and has been put on the ventilator at a Karachi hospital after he suffered from severe difficulty in breathing, his family announced on Friday.

Addressing a press conference here, Faisal Edhi said that his father was unwell and had to go through a regular dialysis today when he suffered severe difficulty in breathing. He was shifted to SIUT where doctors put Edhi on the ventilator.

"Edhi sahab has more than one disease and complications," he said. "We wanted to undertake a kidney transplant but due to his old age and complications, it was not possible," he added.

"Edhi Sahab is hypertensive, is diabetic, and both his kidneys have failed. He has also not been eating for some time and is suffering from extreme physical weakness,? he said.

"He will stay on the ventilator until his health recovers. We urge all of you to pray for his health. We are hopeful that he will recover due to your prayers and well wishes," said Faisal Edhi sitting alongside his mother Bilquis Edhi who appeared visibly emotional and in tears during the press conference.

Faisal Edhi urged the nation to pray for his father's health and prolonged life.

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Six killed in suicide attack at mosque in NE Nigeria

MAIDUGURI: Six people were killed on Friday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a mosque in Damboa, northeast Nigeria, the army said, in the latest violence to hit the restive region.

Nigerian Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said the attack happened at about 5:15 am (0415 GMT) in the town of Damboa, some 90 kilometres (56 miles) southwest of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

He blamed the attack on "two Boko Haram terrorists".

"The first suicide bomber targeted Damboa Central Mosque but due to stringent security measures he could not gain entry. Obviously frustrated, he exploded and died near the central mosque," he added.

"However, the second bomber veered off and gained entry into another smaller mosque and detonated the bomb, killing himself and six other worshippers and injuring one other person.

"The wounded have been evacuated to a hospital while efforts are on to clear the rubble. Troops and other security agencies have been mobilised to the area."

The attack is the latest against a mosque in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region, as part of a campaign of violence by the extremist group against civilian "soft" targets.

On June 27, two would-be suicide bombers were killed in Maiduguri, as they tried to target an overnight Ramazan vigil at a mosque on the Damboa Road.

Three days later, at least 10 people were killed in the town of Djakana, in northern Cameroon near the Nigerian border, when a suicide bomber blew himself up.

On July 4, the Nigerian Army said it thwarted an attempted suicide bombing by three women against people displaced by Boko Haram in Monguno, northeast of Maiduguri.

There has been a relative lull in attacks, as troops regain control of territory once held by Boko Haram, whose fighters have been pushed into remote rural areas towards Lake Chad.

Usman said suspected Boko Haram fighters also attacked the village of Gaskeri, near the sprawling internally displaced people's camp at Dalori, outside Maiduguri, on Thursday night.

"They killed three civilian vigilantes and looted foodstuffs. Troops have been mobilised and they are on the suspected terrorists´ trail," he added.

The seven-year insurgency has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and displaced more than 2.6 million people, heaping pressure on local authorities in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

Aid agencies have warned that some 50,000 children under five are facing severe acute malnutrition in Borno alone this year because of food shortages caused by the conflict.

UN assistant secretary-general and regional humanitarian coordinator Toby Lanzer said in a statement that "time is running out for the poorest and most rural of people" in the northeast.

"A failure to act now will result in deeper and broader suffering, unlike anything seen to date in Nigeria's northeast and a steeper bill for all concerned to alleviate suffering and stabilise the situation," he added.

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Colonel Ghaddafi?s son released from prison: Lawyer

Libyan military dictator Colonel Ghaddafi?s son Saif al Islam has been released from custody months after a Tripoli court sentence him to death.

His death sentence was canceled by Libya?s new UN backed government, the Guardian reported.

Saif, 44, was sentenced to death in July last year in a mass trial for war crimes which included charges for killing protesters.

His lawyer Karim Khan said that Saif was at an undisclosed location after being released from a five-year-long house arrest in Zintan province.

?He?s been released from Zintan detention. The release, I?m told, was on 12 April ? there was an order from the central government,? said Khan. ?He?s in Libya, he?s in good health, he?s safe and he?s well.?

The claim was not verified independently.

Saif was captured in the Sahara desert trying to flee to Niger after his father was killed by rebels in 2011.

He supported his father?s eight-month long civil war, often appearing on television speaking out against the rebels.

Libya's new UN-backed unity government, set up in Tripoli three months ago, is trying to bring together the various factions struggling for control of Libya and its oil resources.

Brigades of former rebels backing rival political factions remain the main power brokers in Libya, where the unity government has struggled to exert its influence.

Islamic State has also gained ground in the chaos.

 

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Germans´ football passion delights refugees

BERLIN: Among the crowds thronging the Euro 2016 fanzone at Berlin´s Brandenburg Gate are new faces cheering in beginners´ German -- refugees who have discovered their hosts´ unbounded passion for the beautiful game.

"In Iraq, this would be completely impossible, the danger of a bombing is too great" said Zaid Al-Ahmed, a 22-year-old Iraqi, as he stood among the black, red and gold-clad mass -- the colours of the German flag -- during Thursday´s semi-final against France that saw the nation´s hopes of a World Cup-Euro championship double dashed.

"It´s not uncommon for there to be brawls among fans of opposing teams. In Germany, people are there to celebrate, it isn´t violent," the young man from the city of Al-Hillah adds.

Ahmed followed the first few games of the tournament on a donated flat-screen TV in the refugee hostel where he lives.

But he could not have imagined the fervent support for the side -- known universally as "Die Mannschaft", the team -- that he would encounter at the public screening in the centre of the German capital.

It´s just one more thing to get used to about the strange country where he arrived to apply for asylum shortly before winter, after an arduous trek across Europe.
The young Iraqi hasn´t restricted himself to cheering for the white-clad Mannschaft, and now plays himself in a local club in Berlin.

"I believe football is a pillar of German culture," explains Ines Burckhadt, pointing out that the country´s stadiums are packed to the last seat for games even in deepest, chilliest winter.

´We aren´t just cold people´ 

Since the beginning of Euro 2016, Burckhardt has been organising "Soccer Dinners" for refugees to join Germans at home, sharing a pizza and a sofa in front of the game and getting to know their new neighbours.

"This lets refugees hang out with Germans," she explains, rather than being hermetically sealed away in hostels.
"This way, they see that we aren´t just cold people, that we can get excited," she adds with a chuckle.

And for many of the new arrivals, German footballing heroes and the smouldering rivalries of the national league are nothing new.

"I used to follow the Bundesliga on pay TV in Iraq, especially when Bayern Munich were facing Borussia Dortmund," Ahmed said.

In the Middle East, the Bundesliga is one of the most popular championships, says Syrian refugee Idrees Khrbotli -- himself a long-time supporter of the country´s best-known club.

"Bayern Munich is very well-known in Syria. Now that I live in Berlin, I support Hertha BSC (the capital´s biggest club) instead," he explains.
In fact, with the twists and turns of his escape from the brutal fighting in his homeland to Germany behind him, his routine hasn´t changed all that much.

"I used to go and watch the matches in Jableh, my hometown, on Friday. Now I go and see Hertha on Saturday afternoons," Khrbotli explains.
Like Iraqi Ahmed, he began following the Euro championship on TV with other refugees in the hostel where he lives.

But they only truly understood the power football has over Germans when they took to the streets after Die Mannschaft´s epic quarter-final victory over Italy -- long the nemesis of the Germans at international encounters.

"There were cars honking their horns constantly, people with flags shouting, fireworks," said Hamed Hosseini, an Afghan who fled his country in fear of reprisals after working for the Americans.

But what was particularly strange for Hosseini was to see some Germans shouting just as loudly for Italy.

Hosseini is unfamiliar with Germans´ strained relationship with their national symbols, appropriated and abused by the Nazis during 12 years of murderous dictatorship.

Even during football tournaments, brandishing the national flag or flying it from the windows of a car -- or singing the national anthem in stadiums -- were largely taboo until Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006.

"How can this be? In Afghanistan, everyone supports Afghanistan," Hosseini grins.

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Salman Khan's Sultan makes Rs 7 crore in two days of its release in Pakistan

Salman Khan's Sultan made Rs 7 crore in Pakistan, two days of its release.

Internationally the movie is all set to enter the Rs 100 crore club in the third day of its release.

On its second day, Sultan, which opened to jam-packed houses made Rs 73.7 crore.

The movie opened to 4500 screens in India.

The 50-year-old star who dons the role of a wrestler in Sultan is on a record breaking spree.

His recent movie Prem Ratan Dhan Payo was the number one weekend grosser, the Indian Express reported. The movie captured Rs129.7 crore, despite being panned by critics.

Bajrangi Bhaijan from 2015 and Kick (2014) are also among the jewels in Khan’s crown.

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30 killed at Iraqi shrine, days after Baghdad blast

BAGHDAD: Daesh (Islamic State) group extremists attacked a shrine north of Baghdad, killing 30 people, just days after one of the deadliest ever bombings in the country, a security spokesman said Friday.

The overnight attack on the Sayyid Mohammed shrine in Balad, which involved suicide bombers and gun and mortar fire, also wounded 50 people, the Joint Operations Command spokesman said in a statement.

The attack followed a devastating bombing in Baghdad that tore through a crowded shopping area early on Sunday ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, killing 292 people.

The Sayyid Mohammed shrine, located in the Balad area, 70 kilometres (around 45 miles) north of Baghdad, was first targeted with mortar rounds, according to the statement on the attack, which it said it was carried out by the Daesh group.

Suicide bombers then arrived at the shrine and opened fire, it said. Two of the bombers blew themselves up in a market next to the shrine, while the third was killed and his explosive belt defused, it said, without specifying which forces killed the bomber.

The attack came just hours after Iraqi Health Minister Adila Hamoud announced that the death toll from the Sunday bombing had reached 292.

Hamoud said the bodies of 115 killed in the bombing had now been handed over to families, while the identities of 177 others have yet to be determined.

The blast also wounded 200 people, said the minister, who on Tuesday told AFP that the process of identifying the unknown dead -- which she put at 150 at the time -- was expected to take 15-45 days.

People have been furious over delays in determining the fate of their loved ones, and with the number of unidentified bodies now bigger, it may take even longer.

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Dedicated PIA aircraft to bring Prime Minister home

KARACHI: A dedicated Pakistan International Airline Boeing 777 aircraft will bring home the prime minister and his camp office from London.

A temporary camp office had been set up in London where the prime minister was recovering from a heart surgery.

The PIA aircraft will bring the entire camp office, the prime minister and the first lady Kulsoom Nawaz back to Pakistan, a PIA spokesperson said.

?The prime minister is fit to travel and is healthy,? the spokesman added.

He added that in regular PIA flights the number of seats are less. ?So there was no option but to depute a dedicated aircraft,? he added.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will leave London at 10 AM UK-time. He is expected to land in Lahore on Sunday.

The dedicated aircraft will reach Karachi from Torronto today after which it will set off for London, sources said.

Special changes will be made in the aircraft to make it comfortable for the prime minister's travel.

The prime minister consulted with his doctors thrice after his open heart surgery in London on May 31.

 

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Dedicated PIA aircraft to bring Prime Minister home

KARACHI: A dedicated Pakistan International Airline Boeing 777 aircraft will bring home the prime minister and his camp office from London.

A temporary camp office had been set up in London where the prime minister was recovering from a heart surgery.

The PIA aircraft will bring the entire camp office, the prime minister and the first lady Kulsoom Nawaz back to Pakistan, a PIA spokesperson said.

“The prime minister is fit to travel and is healthy,” the spokesman added.

He added that in regular PIA flights the number of seats are less. “So there was no option but to depute a dedicated aircraft,” he added.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will leave London at 10 AM UK-time. He is expected to land in Lahore on Sunday.

The dedicated aircraft will reach Karachi from Torronto today after which it will set off for London, sources said.

Special changes will be made in the aircraft to make it comfortable for the prime minister's travel.

The prime minister consulted with his doctors thrice after his open heart surgery in London on May 31.

 

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Fendi models walk on water in Rome´s Trevi fountain

ROME: Shimmering models wearing the latest creations by Fendi appeared to walk on water Thursday at a fairytale show in Rome´s Trevi fountain to mark the luxury fashion house´s 90th anniversary.

Above the sparkling waters of the Baroque fountain, models wearing hand-painted dresses in pale pink, blue and cream, adorned with hand-stitched flowers or starlit scenes, glided across a transparent catwalk in the basin.

The soft, luxurious collection of 46 outfits was inspired by Danish fairytale illustrator Kay Nielsen, who painted colour plates for the book Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen in 1924 and also later worked for Disney, including on sequences of the film Fantasia.

Glittering evening gowns with slits up the sides transformed their wearers into modern-day Hansel and Gretels, the reflection of lights scintillating in the turquoise waters echoing the shine of pebbles glinting in the moonlight in the fairytale.

Dresses were nipped in at the waist or featured a bell skirt, the house´s trademark fur coat made an appearance in lynx, but what wowed the 200 exclusive guests was a patterned cape, in grey silk, which opened at both the front and back.

Bags looked like they were made of fur but were actually tiny pieces of silk, sown together to look like snakeskin.

As the models, including Americans Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, wound up their catwalk, designer Karl Largerfeld, wearing his trademark gloves, came out to take a bow along with the Italian house´s accessories designer Silvia Venturini Fendi.

Coins in the fountain

Reaching the middle of the glass bridge he threw three coins over his shoulder into the fountain with a grin -- a tradition that is said to ensure a return to the eternal city.

The fountain, made famous by a scene in Federico Fellini´s "La Dolce Vita" in which Anita Ekberg wades through its pristine waters, was restored last year in a clean-up funded by the fashion house, which first opened its doors in the capital in 1926.

Commissioned by Pope Clement XII in 1730, it is the end point of one of the aqueducts that supplied ancient Rome with water.
The tradition of throwing coins into the fountain was made famous by Frank Sinatra´s rendition of "Three Coins in the Fountain" in the 1954 romantic comedy film of the same name.

Fendi, now part of French luxury giant LVMH, said it wanted to capture the romance of the nearly 300-year-old monument, visited by millions of tourists every year, where tradition has it visitors can ensure eternal love by drinking its waters.

For those not lucky enough to bag tickets to the show, the house was putting on a sumptuous dinner for 600 guests at in the city´s Villa Borghese park, decorated for the occasion with Roman fountains.

As part of its anniversary celebrations, the fashion giant is also hosting an exhibition in the Square Colosseum, its headquarters in Rome, from July 9 to October 23.
Entitled "Fendi Roma: The Artisans of Dreams", the show explores the creative history of the Italian house through a video installation and drawings by Lagerfeld of his most prized creations.

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CDC monitoring 320 US pregnant women with Zika

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that it is monitoring 320 U.S. pregnant women with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection, up from 287 women a week earlier.

However, the number of babies born in the United States with birth defects linked to Zika infection in mothers during pregnancy, or lost pregnancies linked to the virus, remained unchanged from last week's report at 7 and 5, respectively, according to a CDC registry created last month.

The registry compiles poor outcomes of pregnancies with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The latest figures are as of June 30.

Zika has caused concern throughout the Americas due to an alarming rise in cases of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe fetal brain abnormalities linked to the mosquito-borne virus reported in Brazil, the country hardest hit by the outbreak. Infants with microcephaly are born with abnormally small heads and may experience potentially disabling developmental problems.

Brazil has confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly linked to Zika.

All reported US cases of Zika have so far involved people who traveled to areas with a current outbreak, but health experts have warned that local transmission cases are likely to occur in the coming weeks during summer mosquito season. Gulf Coast states, such as Florida and Texas, are seen as particularly vulnerable.

The virus can also be transmitted via unprotected sex with an infected man.

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Police arrests 33 foreigners in Karachi raids

KARACHI: At least 33 people were arrested including 11 Afghan nationals during a search operation in Orangi and Baldia town areas on Friday.

SSP Baldia Town Asif Razzaq said that 11 Afghan nationals who were living illegally were arrested.

Police said that the operation was conducted according to the National Action Plan. A case was registered against the accused under the Foreign Act.

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Police arrests 33 foreigners in Karachi raids

KARACHI: At least 33 people were arrested including 11 Afghan nationals during a search operation in Orangi and Baldia town areas on Friday.

SSP Baldia Town Asif Razzaq said that 11 Afghan nationals who were living illegally were arrested.

Police said that the operation was conducted according to the National Action Plan. A case was registered against the accused under the Foreign Act.

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Griezmann double sends France into final

MARSEILLE: Two-goal Antoine Griezmann fired France into the Euro 2016 final on Thursday when a smash and grab 2-0 victory over a territorially dominant Germany ended 58 years of tournament suffering at the hands of their neighbours.

Griezmann drove in a penalty at the end of the first half after a needless handball by German captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and poked home in the 72nd minute following a blunder by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to set up a final against Portugal in Paris on Sunday.

"We are as happy as kids, the whole country is behind us," Griezmann said.

"This is the result of a group and of a lot of hard work from the staff. Now we're in the final and we want to lift that trophy. Playing a final is great but it's winning it that counts."

World champions Germany dominated the match in terms of possession but their lack of a deadly finisher cost them and razor-sharp Griezmann, whose double took his tournament-leading tally to six, was the difference.

It was the first time France had beaten Germany in a competitive match since the 1958 World Cup, including defeats in the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and the quarter-finals two years ago.

The hosts will go into the final as strong favourites to emulate the teams of 1984 and 1998, who won the European and world titles on home soil.

Germany will wonder how they failed to score but, after Jerome Boateng’s handball gave Italy a lifeline in the quarter-finals, their captain’s similarly inexplicable high hand swung the game France’s way when they most needed it.

France, roared on in a fantastic atmosphere, had torn forward in the opening exchanges.

Took control

However, Germany calmly and methodically took control, totally swamping the midfield and with their full backs hugging the touchlines, constantly probing.

Despite the dominance of possession, however, clear chances were few and far between, with Hugo Lloris saving comfortably from Emre Can and Thomas Mueller and Schweinsteiger off target when well-placed.

France showed glimpses of their sharpness in attack towards the end of the half but were gifted the opener when Schweinsteiger palmed the ball as he challenged Patrice Evra from a corner.

Few in the stadium saw it but replays appeared to validate Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli’s decision and Griezmann calmly sent Neuer the wrong way from the spot with the last kick of the half.

It did not take long for the second half to settle into the same pattern with almost all the action taking place in French territory.

Eventually, though, Germany’s relentless pressing meant gaps opened at the back and France took deadly advantage when Neuer flapped a Paul Pogba cross straight to Griezmann, who poked it back past him into the net.

Joshua Kimmich clipped a post with a superb curler, Benedikt Hoewedes headed just over and Lloris produced a brilliant save in stoppage time to deny Kimmich as Germany tried to find a way back.

But for once it was not to be.

It was the same result as when the teams met in a Paris friendly last November but that night will be remembered for the death and destruction caused when Islamist militants struck at the stadium and other locations in the city.

Seven months on the national team will return to the Stade de France in very difference circumstances, carried by a wave of national joy and goodwill.

"We're immensely satisfied but there's one step still to climb, the hardest one," Lloris said.

"Every player took responsibility, everybody raised the level of his game and when we do that, we're extremely hard to beat, even for the best team in the world."

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