Apple replaces revolver emoji with toy gun in latest update

Apple has replaced a realistic revolver emoji with a water gun in its latest software update.

The iOS 10 which is set to release this year introduces a new range of emojis including a dancing cat and a female athlete.

It also adds a rainbow flag in line with its support to the LGBT community.

Changing the gun to look like a toy has been welcomed by gun control groups who claim that the move will reduce violence among users.

The realistic revolver emoji has been used as a threat in fact a French court has warned that the sending a weapon emoji to someone will be considered a death threat.

 A statement on Apple?s website did not address the change in the gun design but only said that a new range of emojis have been introduced.

?More than one hundred new and redesigned emoji characters will be available to iPhone and iPad users this fall with iOS 10,? Apple said in its official announcement. ?This exciting update brings more gender options to existing characters, including new female athletes and professionals, adds beautiful redesigns of popular emoji, a new rainbow flag and more family options.

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Apple replaces revolver emoji with toy gun in latest update

Apple has replaced a realistic revolver emoji with a water gun in its latest software update.

The iOS 10 which is set to release this year introduces a new range of emojis including a dancing cat and a female athlete.

It also adds a rainbow flag in line with its support to the LGBT community.

Changing the gun to look like a toy has been welcomed by gun control groups who claim that the move will reduce violence among users.

The realistic revolver emoji has been used as a threat in fact a French court has warned that the sending a weapon emoji to someone will be considered a death threat.

 A statement on Apple?s website did not address the change in the gun design but only said that a new range of emojis have been introduced.

?More than one hundred new and redesigned emoji characters will be available to iPhone and iPad users this fall with iOS 10,? Apple said in its official announcement. ?This exciting update brings more gender options to existing characters, including new female athletes and professionals, adds beautiful redesigns of popular emoji, a new rainbow flag and more family options.

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Pak embassy sets up facilitation centre for workers without wages in Riyadh

ISLAMABAD: A facilitation centre has been formed for Pakistani labourers without wages in Pakistan’s embassy in Riyadh, said the Prime Minister House’s spokesman.

According to the spokesman, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has issued directions for the assistance and complaint resolution of the labourers in Saudi Arabia. A special fund has also been allocated for the plight of the struck Pakistani workers.

On July 29, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development was briefed about 450 Pakistani workers facing financial problems in the Dammam area of Saudi Arabia.

The committee meeting at the Parliament House noted that overseas Pakistanis are facing severe financial problems as the company that hired them did not pay them salaries for the last several months.

Foreign Affairs Additional Secretary Tasawar Khan had told the committee that the Pakistan’s embassy in Riyadh was in contact with the workers. He had said that the government of Saudia Arabia had assured of clearing the dues of Pakistani workers.

Earlier it was reported that more than 1.6 million Pakistanis proceeded to Saudi Arabia during 2011-15 for employment purposes, making the country the largest market for Pakistani workers across the world.

According to an official of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, overall 49.9 percent (1.6 million) workers had proceeded to Saudi Arabia during the stated period.

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Samia Shahid murder case: Headway as new doubts arise over father

JHELUM: Investigations in the murder case of Samia Shahid, a British national allegedly killed for 'honour' by her family on a visit to Pakistan, finally picked up momentum after her father Chaudhary Shahid was found to have omitted important information in his statement to the police.

Samia Shahid’s father Chaudhary Shahid is once again on the police radar after it was discovered he left out crucial information when questioned by the police regarding the murder.

According to a copy of his statement obtained by Geo News, Chaudhary Shahid did not mention that Samia’s first husband went missing after the murder.

This omission has given the police new reasons to suspect the father. The police are already probing Samia’s mother and sister in the case.

Samia’s father on Sunday declined to recognize her second husband before a high-level investigation committee formed last week to probe the matter.

Samia married Mukhtar Kazam less than two years ago against her family's wishes and went to live with his family in Dubai.

In July Samia, originally from Bradford, went to visit her father in a village called “Poteh” near Dina on the 14th of July. Her family, who are also British nationals, were in Pakistan following a bereavement within the family.

It is understood that after marrying Mukhtar Kazam, the couple had faced death threats.

After Samia’s death in mysterious circumstances, her husband was told she died of a heart attack but the parents lodged a statement saying she committed suicide.

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Turkey to split spy service after coup: report

ISTANBUL: Turkey is planning to split its spy service into separate units for foreign and domestic intelligence after the organisation was vehemently criticised for shortcomings over the failed coup, a report said Tuesday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been scathing about the failure of the National Intelligence Service (MIT) to warn him in a timely manner about the coup, complaining he found out when his brother-in-law called up.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Monday said a restructuring of Turkey's intelligence operations was "on the agenda" after the coup, just as with the military.

According to the Hurriyet daily, the move will involve splitting the MIT so that foreign espionage and domestic counter-intelligence work are in the future handled by different entities.

This would bring Turkey in line with the system in Britain, where foreign intelligence is handled by MI6 and domestic intelligence by MI5.

It said domestic intelligence would largely be handled by the police and the gendarmerie, which --- under separate reforms agreed after the coup -- will in future report to the interior ministry and not the military.

In a major shake-up of the security services, the authorities have sought to reassert civilian influence and also emphasise the presidency´s control so a coup never happens again.

The foreign intelligence entity will report directly to the Turkish presidency, which will also have a unit in charge of coordination between the two sections, it added.

But this unit will not just conduct coordination but will also do its own intelligence analysis, the report said.

There has been huge pressure on the MIT´s powerful chief Hakan Fidan in the wake of the coup, particularly following reports he found out about the planned putsch hours before the government was informed.

However, so far he has kept his job.

"We are all mortal," Kurtulmus said on Monday.

"Let's create such a system that no-one can make a coup again. Let's create such an intelligence system that gives Turkey the highest level of intelligence," he said.

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Samia Shahid murder case: Headway as new doubts arise over father

JHELUM: Investigations in the murder case of Samia Shahid, a British national allegedly killed for 'honour' by her family on a visit to Pakistan, finally picked up momentum after her father Chaudhary Shahid was found to have omitted important information in his statement to the police.

Samia Shahid?s father Chaudhary Shahid is once again on the police radar after it was discovered he left out crucial information when questioned by the police regarding the murder.

According to a copy of his statement obtained by Geo News, Chaudhary Shahid did not mention that Samia?s first husband went missing after the murder.

This omission has given the police new reasons to suspect the father. The police are already probing Samia?s mother and sister in the case.

Samia?s father on Sunday declined to recognize her second husband before a high-level investigation committee formed last week to probe the matter.

Samia married Mukhtar Kazam less than two years ago against her family's wishes and went to live with his family in Dubai.

In July Samia, originally from Bradford, went to visit her father in a village called ?Poteh? near Dina on the 14th of July. Her family, who are also British nationals, were in Pakistan following a bereavement within the family.

It is understood that after marrying Mukhtar Kazam, the couple had faced death threats.

After Samia?s death in mysterious circumstances, her husband was told she died of a heart attack but the parents lodged a statement saying she committed suicide.

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Turkish FM insists Gulen-run schools in Pakistan must close down

ISLAMABAD: The Turkish foreign minister emphasized that a chain of ‘Gulen-run’ schools in Pakistan should be closed, during a one-day visit here on Tuesday.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addressed a joint press conference after the meeting.

The Turkish foreign minister said that a coup had been planned by Fethullah Gulen from Pensylvania.

Turkey has blamed the US-based cleric who was a former supporter of Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan for a failed coup in Turkey, though Gulen has rejected the allegations.

He added that Turkey had asked Pakistan to close down these schools much before the attempted coup. “The request was made when President Mamnoon Hussain visited Turkey.”

The Gulen-run schools are functional in many different countries, he said.

The Turkish foreign minister said that Turkey had always supported Pakistan on its stance on the Kashmir issue.

He added that the two countries are in talks to initiate the Islamabad-Istanbul corridor.

Sartaj Aziz stressed that Pakistan and Turkey enjoy close brotherly relations. “We are on the same page when it comes to tackling terrorism.”

Sartaj Aziz also said that the Turkish people had foiled the attempts by a certain section of the Turkish army to stage a coup and overthrow the democratic government of Erdogan and Prime Minister Yildrim. Sartaj also reminded the Turkish Foreign Minister that the parliament of Pakistan had passed a resolution condemning the attempted military coup in Turkey.

Over 11000 students and 1500 teachers will be directly affected if the 23 Pak-Turk schools in Pakistan close down.

 

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