08/05/16 ~ Expresso News

Friday, August 5, 2016

Ex-CIA boss calls Trump Â´unwitting agentÂ´ of Russia

By Solution Providers 6:30 PM No comments

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump suffered more blows to his presidential campaign Friday when a CIA ex-director accused him of being an "unwitting agent" of Russia, as polls showed rival Hillary Clinton surging, even in traditional Republican strongholds.

TrumpÂ´s drive for the White House hit another snag when he made the rare acknowledgement of an error, backtracking from claims that he saw video footage of money being transferred to Iran by secret plane.

Despite the stumbles, including TrumpÂ´s refusal to back down in a confrontation with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in action in Iraq, his campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Fox News it has been "an improving week."

The latest setback came in the form of harsh criticism by Michael Morell, a 33-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency who served presidents of both parties and then helmed the agency in 2011.

"On Nov. 8, I will vote for Hillary Clinton," he wrote in a New York Times column, adding that Trump "may well pose a threat to our national security."

Morell said that as RussiaÂ´s president, "Putin played upon Mr. TrumpÂ´s vulnerabilities by complimenting him. He responded just as Mr. Putin had calculated."

Trump has praised Putin as a great leader, and taken policy positions "consistent with Russian, not American, interests" including endorsing Russian espionage against US figures like Clinton, Morell said.

"In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation," he added.

TrumpÂ´s running mate Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana, was dutifully dispatched to counter the assertion, telling NBC that "these people are playing politics."

Clinton Â´short-circuitedÂ´ FBI

Clinton was enduring criticism of her own Friday, as she took the rare opportunity to face reporters at a Washington conference of journalists where she was pressed on her recent comments that she has been truthful about her private email account while she was secretary of state.

The Democrat had told Fox News Sunday that FBI director James Comey said her "answers were truthful" about whether she sent or received classified material via private email.

That comment was branded false by Washington-based fact-checkers, but Clinton doubled down on it Friday, while admitting some of her answers may have been less than clear.

"I have said during the interview and in many other occasions over the past months that what I told the FBI, which he said was truthful, is consistent with what I have said publicly," Clinton said.

"So I may have short-circuited, and for that I, you know, will try to clarify."

The moment came as she opens substantial leads over Trump in opinion polls following last weekÂ´s Democratic National Convention.

A national McClatchy-Marist poll released Thursday showed Clinton surging to a 15-point advantage, 48 percent to 33 percent.

In Georgia, which has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1996, Clinton leads by four points, according to an Atlanta Journal Constitution poll Friday.

Which plane was it?

Capping the lousy week, Trump admitted Friday he wrongly claimed to have seen secret Iranian footage of $400 million in hard currency being delivered to Tehran as payment for the release of US prisoners.

Trump raised eyebrows this week when he made that assertion and gave many details of what he said he saw in the film.

But he then made a rare backtrack. "The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva, Switzerland, not the plane carrying $400 million in cash going to Iran!" Trump tweeted.

TrumpÂ´s campaign has insisted that the money was "a payment for hostages" held in Iran who were released in January.

The White House says it was returning cash from an unfulfilled 1970s Iranian military order.

"We do not pay ransom for hostages," President Barack Obama said Thursday.

Rally in Ryan country

Trump may try to help right the ship with a campaign appearance later Friday in Wisconsin, the home state of House Speaker Paul Ryan, whom the brash real estate mogul this week refused to endorse for his congressional re-election bid.

Trump, perhaps amid pressure to stop the campaign hemorrhaging, is expected to reverse course and endorse Ryan at the rally, CNN reported.

The nominee meanwhile announced additions to his economic advisory team.

But several of the new members -- 13 men and no women -- are super-rich investors and bankers whose inclusion on TrumpÂ´s campaign could be seen as smudging his populist economic message and his claims to be fighting for AmericaÂ´s middle class.

"I am pleased that we have such a formidable group of experienced and talented individuals that will work with me to implement real solutions for the economic issues facing our country," Trump said in announcing the team.

Absent among the group is billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who has endorsed Trump and has been described as a master negotiator by the nominee.

Olympics: Rio Games opening ceremony kicks off

By Solution Providers 5:00 PM No comments

RIO DE JANEIRO: The Rio Olympics opening ceremony got under way at the iconic Maracana Stadium on Friday, kicking off a four-hour celebration to herald the 31st Olympiad.

Dozens of heads of state were among a crowd of thousands as the ceremony started with fireworks and a dance by performers.

Carried by samba stars, a supermodel and Prince Albert of Monaco, the Olympic torch made its final journey on Friday from Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue to the Games' opening ceremony amid anti-government protests.

After seven years of preparations for Friday's opening at the Maracana stadium, organizers hope the start of the Games will turn the page on months of bad publicity for Rio, over everything from crime and polluted water to faulty plumbing at the athletes' village and worries about the Zika virus.

Under cloudless blue skies, former Brazilian women's volleyball player, Isabel Salgado, lifted the flame beneath the giant statue of Christ that overlooks downturn Rio and the waters of Guanabara Bay.

Amid cheering crowds of local and tourists, the torch made its way along Rio's seafront avenues and traveled to the top of the famed Sugar Loaf mountain on the top of the cable car.

"May this be the moment for us to overcome difficult times and to work as a team, to make our country and our world fairer and safer," Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta said beneath the arms of the giant statue at the start of the route, flanked by Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes.

Thousands of flag-waving protesters blocked traffic on the curving boulevard beside Copacabana beach, in front of the city's storied Palace hotel, calling for the removal of conservative interim President Michel Temer.

After taking office when leftist President Dilma Rousseff was put on trial in the Senate in the midst of a sweeping graft scandal, Temer has steered Latin America's largest economy - and one of the world's most unequal countries - sharply to the right.

Small groups of protesters waving banners reading 'Exclusion Games' gathered near the Maracana stadium where Friday's opening ceremony will be held, but heavily armed riot police barred the streets and prevented them from approaching the venue.

Having won the Olympics in 2009 during an economic boom, Brazil since slipped into its worst recession in decades and a political crisis that has deeply divided the nation of 200 million people.

The torch's three-month, 20,000-km journey across Brazil ran into difficulties this week as protests flared in towns around Rio against the Games' $12 billion price tag, at a time of high unemployment, rising crime and cutbacks to health and education spending.

"We want to show the world that we won't stand for this totally illegitimate president," said sociologist Luiz Mazzei, who arrived with his wife wearing "Temer Out" shirts.

"It's a shame. We're so excited for the Olympics. We bought tickets for almost every day. But now it's an awkward mix: we're happy about the Olympics but fed up with Brazil's situation."

SECURITY TEST

Rio will seek to put that behind it on Friday when fireworks light up the night sky above the Maracana. Some 50,000 spectators are expected, with some 3 billion people tuning in around the world as Brazil lifts the curtain on its second major sporting event in two years, after the 2014 soccer World Cup.

Security challenges in the sprawling beachside city are at the forefront of many people's minds, not only because of Rio's reputation for violent crime but also due to a spate of deadly attacks in Europe and the United States.

Brazil detained 12 people under tough new anti-terrorism laws on suspicion of links to Islamic State last month, but it has insisted the threat to the Games is 'minimal'.

With many of the Games' 11,000 athletes and dozens of heads of state in attendance, the opening ceremony will be the first major test of Rio's preparedness. In the latest of a series of crimes in the run up to the Games, police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer on Friday on sexual assault charges.

With more anti-government protests scheduled for Friday afternoon, police cleared the area around the stadium.

Brazil has deployed some 85,000 police and troops, roughly twice the number at London's 2012 Olympics, to protect locals and the half million tourists expected to visit the city.

Rio has consistently pulled off massive events with few security hiccups, including Carnival, the 2014 World Cup final and one of the world's biggest New Year's Eve bashes.

In what organizers have called a low-tech ceremony constrained by the dire economy, Brazil will showcase its natural treasures and the cultural riches created by one of the world's most diverse nations.

Samba, Carnival and the famously fun Brazilian spirit are expected to play heavily into the three-hour ceremony, as will a call to save the planet from climate change.

One of the most anticipated moments will be seeing which famous Brazilian will light the Olympic cauldron. In a surprise announcement, representatives for soccer legend Pele said he would not be taking part.

"I ask God to bless all who participate in this event and that it is a great success and end in peace!" Pele tweeted.

Olympics: Rio Games opening ceremony kicks off

By Solution Providers 5:00 PM No comments

RIO DE JANEIRO: The Rio Olympics opening ceremony got under way at the iconic Maracana Stadium on Friday, kicking off a four-hour celebration to herald the 31st Olympiad.

Dozens of heads of state were among a crowd of thousands as the ceremony started with fireworks and a dance by performers.

Amid cheering crowds of local and tourists, the torch made its way along Rio's seafront avenues and traveled to the top of the famed Sugar Loaf mountain on the top of the cable car.

Having won the Olympics in 2009 during an economic boom, Brazil since slipped into its worst recession in decades and a political crisis that has deeply divided the nation of 200 million people.

"We want to show the world that we won't stand for this totally illegitimate president," said sociologist Luiz Mazzei, who arrived with his wife wearing "Temer Out" shirts.

"It's a shame. We're so excited for the Olympics. We bought tickets for almost every day. But now it's an awkward mix: we're happy about the Olympics but fed up with Brazil's situation."

SECURITY TEST

Brazil detained 12 people under tough new anti-terrorism laws on suspicion of links to Islamic State last month, but it has insisted the threat to the Games is 'minimal'.

With more anti-government protests scheduled for Friday afternoon, police cleared the area around the stadium.

Brazil has deployed some 85,000 police and troops, roughly twice the number at London's 2012 Olympics, to protect locals and the half million tourists expected to visit the city.

Rio has consistently pulled off massive events with few security hiccups, including Carnival, the 2014 World Cup final and one of the world's biggest New Year's Eve bashes.

Samba, Carnival and the famously fun Brazilian spirit are expected to play heavily into the three-hour ceremony, as will a call to save the planet from climate change.

"I ask God to bless all who participate in this event and that it is a great success and end in peace!" Pele tweeted.

Cloth worth millions burnt in Karachi shopping center fire

By Solution Providers 4:30 PM No comments

KARACHI: A fire broke out at a shopping center located in Karachi's Defense area on Friday night that engulfed several shops and burnt cloth worth millions, officials and shop owners said.

The blaze erupted late on Friday night at the second storey of a shopping center in Defense Phase-1, according to fire brigade officials. The fire has not yet been brought under control despite three hours of efforts.

Eight fire tenders of the Clifton Cantonment Board and Karachi Municipal Corporation are busy in efforts to extinguish the blaze. A snorkel has also been deployed at the scene to put out the fire.

Cloth worth millions had been reduced to ashes in the wake of blaze, said shop owners present at the spot. They also questioned firefighting capability of concerned departments.

Cloth worth millions burnt in Karachi shopping center fire

By Solution Providers 4:30 PM No comments

KARACHI: A fire broke out at a shopping center located in Karachi's Defense area on Friday night that engulfed several shops and burnt cloth worth millions, officials and shop owners said.

Eight fire tenders of the Clifton Cantonment Board and Karachi Municipal Corporation are busy in efforts to extinguish the blaze. A snorkel has also been deployed at the scene to put out the fire.

Cloth worth millions had been reduced to ashes in the wake of blaze, said shop owners present at the spot. They also questioned firefighting capability of concerned departments.

From Syria to the Olympics, Refugee girl tells how she swam to save 19 lives

By Solution Providers 1:30 PM No comments

LONDON: Last year Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini had to swim for her life when her boat broke down as she tried to reach Europe; this month the teenager will be swimming in the Rio Olympics.

Yusra, who is a member of the first ever Olympic refugee team, told how she and her sister Sara feared they might drown after their overloaded dinghy started taking in water as they crossed the Mediterranean to Greece.

Along with another refugee they jumped in the sea and pulled the boat for three hours through the water, saving the lives of 19 others.

"When I was in the water there was fear. You don't know whether you are going to live or die," the 18-year-old said in a video interview published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Mardini, who will compete in the 100-metre freestyle, is among 10 athletes in the refugee team which will march behind the Olympic flag at Friday's opening ceremony in Brazil.

"When I was swimming for my life, I never would have believed I would be where I am now," the IOM quoted her as saying.

The two sisters, who now live in Germany, left their home in Syria's war-battered capital Damascus a year ago and headed to Turkey.

One evening they boarded a dinghy on the Turkish coast along with 20 others - around three times as many people as it was designed to carry.

"Before you go on the boat, people tell you that you are going to die," Sara told IOM in an interview published on Monday.

"So the first thing you think about when you get on that boat is death. You don't think of anything else."

Hundreds have died crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey as they tried to reach Europe after fleeing conflicts and political turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

COLD AND EXHAUSTED

Sara, also a swimmer, said she told her sister that if their boat capsized during the journey they should just try to save themselves as it would be impossible to help everyone else.

But when the engine stopped and the boat started deflating she realized she could not let the others drown.

"We needed to have less weight on the boat and nobody else besides us could swim ... When I first got into the water my whole body was shaking like it does just before competition," she said.

"At that very moment I felt that life was bigger than me alone. All the people on that boat were part of me.

"I thought it was my duty to jump in the water ... if I (had left) them I would feel bad with myself for the rest of my life."

She described how her father's friend cut off her trouser legs in the sea to stop her clothing weighing her down.

After two hours she was battling exhaustion and knew she risked falling asleep and drowning.

"It was getting dark and cold, the wind was blowing and I was freezing. I could not open my eyes any more, they were full of salt water," she said.

They eventually arrived on one of the Greek islands in the middle of the night.

Her sister Yusra says she hopes her story will inspire others.

"Now we are training really hard," she said. "I think about making my parents proud and everyone who supported me."

The teenager has three dreams. "I hope that they will open the borders for refugees, and I hope to get a medal in the Olympics, and that my home town is in peace again."

Scientists rehash evidence on sunscreen and skin cancer

By Solution Providers 11:00 AM No comments

There isn?t much evidence to conclusively prove that daily sunscreen use can prevent most skin cancers, a research review concludes.

But that doesn?t mean we shouldn?t use sunscreen, doctors say. It just means it?s unethical to do experiments testing the effectiveness of sunscreen by randomly assigning some people to use it and others to skip it.

?Lack of high-quality experimental evidence should not be equated with evidence that such interventions are ineffective and it is important that patients and consumers do not stop protecting their skin until better quality evidence emerges,? lead authors Dr Ingrid Arevalo-Rodriguez and Dr Guillermo Sanchez of the Instituto de Evaluacion Technoloica en Salud in Bogota, Colombia told Reuters Health by email.

Dr Laura Ferris, a dermatologist at the University of Pittsburgh who wasn?t involved in the research review, pointed out, also by email, that it?s difficult to measure the effect of sun protection on the prevention of skin cancer, ?particularly because it is not ethical or practical to randomise the population.?

?One could not, for example, tell one group to seek shade, wear a hat, and use sunscreen and another to sit in the direct sun and abstain from use of sunscreen,? Ferris added. ?So lack of evidence does not mean that sun protection has no impact on the risk of skin cancer, just that the impact is difficult to measure.?

In a review published by the Cochrane Library, Arevalo-Rodriguez and Sanchez and colleagues set out to assess how much we already know about whether sunscreen and other protective measures, such as wearing hats or sunglasses or staying in the shade, prevent skin cancer.

They focused on what?s known as basal cell and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas, which make up the majority of skin cancer cases. Their analysis didn?t look at melanoma, a rare and much more deadly type of skin cancer.

The research team only wanted to look at trials that randomly assigned some people to use sunscreen or other protection - and they found just one study that met their criteria.

This study, done in Australia, monitored about 1,600 people for more than four years and didn?t find a meaningful difference in the number of new cancer cases detected based on whether people used sunscreen every day or only occasionally.

That might not be long enough to follow patients to see if sunscreen prevents skin cancer because it can take several years after sun exposure to detect abnormalities on the skin.

What this does suggest is that more high-quality research is needed, the authors told Reuters Health.

In the meantime, ?Patients and consumers in general need to consult health professionals to obtain specific advice about the need of specific preventive measures, according with their age, skin colour, occupation and presence of other risk factors for skin cancer, among other factors,? they added.

Even without more studies, there?s already plenty of proof that exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun causes skin cancer and melanoma, noted Dr David Leffell, a skin cancer researcher at Yale School of Medicine who wasn?t involved in the research review.

?The scientific facts are inescapable?regular use of sun protection reduces skin cancer and cancer precursors,? Leffell said by email.

?The benefits of sun protection and the incontrovertible evidence of sunburn and chronic sun exposure as a cause of about 60% of melanomas should inspire people to continue reasonable sun protection if they fit into the moderate to high-risk groups, and even if they don?t,? Leffell added.

Who will carry the Pakistani flag at Rio Olympics?

By Solution Providers 10:30 AM No comments

KARACHI: As other nations accelerate their preparations to win more medals than others, Pakistan Olympic Association and Pakistan Sports Board are meanwhile at loggerheads over who will carry the national flag at the opening ceremony of the games.

Pakistan Sports Board had put forward Judoka Shah Hussain Shahâ€™s name for the purpose, but Pakistan Olympic Association in the last moments finalised shooter Ghulam Mustafa Bashir as the flag-bearer.

Shah Hussain Shah has four international medals to his name, whereas Ghulam Mustafa has only one international medal.

Shaukat Javed, Head of Mission for the Pakistan contingent in Rio de Janeiro who is also vice president of the Pakistan Olympic Association, said Ghulam Mustafa trains in Pakistan all year round and participates in national sporting events.

Shah Hussain Shah, in contrast, resides in Japan, which is why Pakistan Olympic Association decided to bestow him the honour of bearing the national flag, the Head of Mission said.

Controversy over carrying of the national flag had erupted once before at Commonwealth Games in 2010, when the then Sports Minister had carried the flag and led the Pakistani contingent instead of wrestler Shujauddin Malik, who was originally supposed to be the flag-bearer at the opener.

The Pakistan Olympic Association and Pakistan Sports Board have a history of bad blood. Pakistan Olympic Association has also had conflicts with the Pakistan Judo Federation in the past.

For the first time, Pakistanâ€™s Olympic contingent will be without the hockey team; hence the tradition of the hockey team captain being the contingentâ€™s flag-bearer will not be met.

Pakistan's campaign in Rio Olympics will commence on 6th August when two of the countryâ€™s athletes will be in action at the games.

The first Pakistani athlete to be in action at Rio will be the shooter Minhal Sohail, who will participate in qualification rounds of 10m Air Rifle event for women, which is scheduled to commence at 4:30pm PST.

Also on Saturday, swimmer Haris Banday will jump in the pool for his 400m freestyle heats.

Shah Hussain Shah will fight his first bout on 11th August. He is participating in 100kg weight category of Judo competition.

Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, participating in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition, will be in action on 12th August.

Swimmer Lianna Swan will also be in action on the same day for the heats in the womenâ€™s 25m freestyle category.

Sprinter Mahboob Ali will run for the heats in the men's 400m on August 13th, while Najma Parveen will compete in the women's 200m heats on 15th August.

Who will carry the Pakistani flag at Rio Olympics?

By Solution Providers 10:30 AM No comments

Pakistan Sports Board had put forward Judoka Shah Hussain Shah?s name for the purpose, but Pakistan Olympic Association in the last moments finalised shooter Ghulam Mustafa Bashir as the flag-bearer.

Shah Hussain Shah has four international medals to his name, whereas Ghulam Mustafa has only one international medal.

Shah Hussain Shah, in contrast, resides in Japan, which is why Pakistan Olympic Association decided to bestow him the honour of bearing the national flag, the Head of Mission said.

The Pakistan Olympic Association and Pakistan Sports Board have a history of bad blood. Pakistan Olympic Association has also had conflicts with the Pakistan Judo Federation in the past.

For the first time, Pakistan?s Olympic contingent will be without the hockey team; hence the tradition of the hockey team captain being the contingent?s flag-bearer will not be met.

Pakistan's campaign in Rio Olympics will commence on 6th August when two of the country?s athletes will be in action at the games.

Also on Saturday, swimmer Haris Banday will jump in the pool for his 400m freestyle heats.

Shah Hussain Shah will fight his first bout on 11th August. He is participating in 100kg weight category of Judo competition.

Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, participating in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition, will be in action on 12th August.

Swimmer Lianna Swan will also be in action on the same day for the heats in the women?s 25m freestyle category.

Sprinter Mahboob Ali will run for the heats in the men's 400m on August 13th, while Najma Parveen will compete in the women's 200m heats on 15th August.

Traffic jams, power outages as heavy rain lashes Karachi

By Solution Providers 9:00 AM No comments

KARACHI: Heavy rain lashed several parts of Karachi on Friday evening, turning the weather pleasant but also leading to power outages and massive traffic jams in several parts of the metropolis.

Heavy rainfall hit Defence, Clifton, Saddar, Gushan-e-Maimar, Korangi, Shah Faisal Town, Gulistan-e-Johar, Malir, Gulishan-e-Hadeed and other areas. The rain inundated many low-lying areas.

Massive traffic jams were witnessed on major thoroughfares of the city.

Many areas also plunged into darkness with the first drop of rain.

A spokesman for K-Electric, the main power supplier in the city, said about 250 electricty feeders had tripped but 100 had been restored.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah telephoned Managing Director K-Electric and directed him to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the port city.

Traffic jams, power outages as heavy rain lashes Karachi

By Solution Providers 9:00 AM No comments

KARACHI: Heavy rain lashed several parts of Karachi on Friday evening, turning the weather pleasant but also leading to power outages and massive traffic jams in several parts of the metropolis.

Heavy rainfall hit Defence, Clifton, Saddar, Gushan-e-Maimar, Korangi, Shah Faisal Town, Gulistan-e-Johar, Malir, Gulishan-e-Hadeed and other areas. The rain inundated many low-lying areas.

Massive traffic jams were witnessed on major thoroughfares of the city.

Many areas also plunged into darkness with the first drop of rain.

A spokesman for K-Electric, the main power supplier in the city, said about 250 electricty feeders had tripped but 100 had been restored.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah telephoned Managing Director K-Electric and directed him to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the port city.

Imran Khan terms reference against him as ?blackmailing?

By Solution Providers 8:30 AM No comments

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Friday termed reference against him by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as â€˜blackmailingâ€™, adding that the ruling party only wants him to stay silent on the issue of Panama Papers.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, he said that the ruling party is identifying his alleged corruption after three years only because it fears Panama Paper's probe.

PTI chairman said that he would take his accountability campaign till the end in spite of PMLNâ€™s actions.

Imran Khan said that his partyâ€™s anti-government movement would kick off from August 7.

He said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was free from political influence.

â€œNow, only IG police will appoint or transfer officialsâ€, Imran Khan further said.

PML-N submitted a reference to the National Assembly against Imran Khan and party leader Jahangir Tareen today.

The reference was filed seeking disqualification of the two leaders for concealing details about off-shore companies and providing incorrect data of personal assets.

It was submitted to Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq.

Earlier, Dr Yasmin from PTI had filed a reference seeking Prime Minister Sharif's disqualification from the NA for concealing assets.

On July 25, PTI had submitted a reference against the PM and his family members for alleged corruption and corrupt practices, in light of the Panama Papersâ€™ revelations.

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Pakistan Navy takes command of CTF-150 taskforce

By Solution Providers 8:30 AM No comments

KARACHI: The Royal Navy handed over command of the multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) to Pakistan Navy at an impressive formal Change of Command Ceremony held at the headquarters US NAVCENT in Bahrain.

Commodore Bilal Abdul Nasir took over the Command of CTF-150 from Commodore Guy Robinson of the Royal Navy.

It is the ninth time that Pakistan Navy has been entrusted with command of Combined Task Force 150, a Pakistan Navy press release said on Friday.

Vice Admiral Kevin M Donegan, Commander US Naval Force Central Command, and Commander Combined Maritime Forces presided over the ceremony and presented the resume of CTF 150's recent successes.

Senior officers from foreign navies forming the coalition were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the audience, Cdr Bilal Abdul Nasir assured that his team was fully prepared to shoulder this prestigious responsibility.

The commander also lauded the outgoing Royal Navy team and their dedicated efforts to achieve objectives of CTF-150 during their tenure of Command and re-affirmed his resolve to continue operations with the same zeal and zest.

He further highlighted that relations between Pakistan Navy and coalition Navies continue to strengthen due to focused commitment in support of collaborative maritime security to bring peace and stability to this region.

Combined Task Force 150 is one of the three Task Forces within the ambit of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

It is a Multinational Coalition for Counter Terrorism operations at sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with the mission to promote Maritime Security at sea.

Prior to present command tenure, Pakistan Navy had the exclusive distinction of commanding CTF-150 for eight times which is a manifestation of the trust and respect enjoyed by Pakistan Navy among coalition partners.

Over the years, Pakistan Navy has not only served the maritime interests of Pakistan but has also very effectively fulfilled its international obligations.