Afghan govt involved in terrorist activities to create instability in Pakistan: IG KP

Inspector General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Dr Sanaullah Abbasi said there was evidence that the Afghanistan government was involved in terrorist activities aimed at creating instability in Pakistan.

“However, the armed forces including the Pakistan Army, the Frontier Corps and police will not tolerate any violence in the territorial limits of Pakistan,” he said.

“It is part of our record that extortion calls came from towers placed in Afghanistan. We have a one-year data of 78 calls that came from Afghanistan [for extortion]," he added.

"We’ll make sure that the issue is taken up with the Financial Action Task Force once we have compiled the record [of phone calls]," he said, adding that this was beind gone so the government can keep a check on cross-border militancy from Afghanistan.

Replying to question regarding involvement of the Afghan government in terrorism in Pakistan, he said the police has evidence that terrorists receive directions from across the border as they attempt to cause instability in Pakistan through terrorism.

Terrorist outfits regrouping in Afghanistan

Replying to a question regarding terrorist outfits regrouping in Afghanistan, Abbasi said "the challenge is [still] there".

However, he said that the Pakistan Armed Forces, intelligence agencies and the police's CTD had joined hands and would thwart any activities aimed to destabilise Pakistan.

He said that random incidents of terrorism had taken place but there had been no 'resurgence' of any terrorist outfit. Dr Abbasi said that this enough was proof of the police, armed forces and intelligence agencies' success.

He reiterated the KP police are intently monitoring the new development in the region in the background of the merger of some terrorist groups.

Responding to a question, he said the targeted killings had been taking place in Swat every week since September last year. The KP police rounded up all the criminals and recovered the money they received from Afghanistan, he said.

Abbasi pointed out that a lot of cases of 'terrorism' were just people who were killing each other due to personal vengeance. He said that these acts of personal enmity often led to terrorism.

Fata merger is extension of basic human rights

The police chief also spoke on the Fata merger, which he said was meant for a better future for the tribal people. “The Fata merger means the extension of civilian rule, especially police and judiciary, into the former Fata areas. It also means an extension of fundamental human rights to ex-Fata areas,” he said.

Abbasi said 29,000 Levies and Khasadar personnel have been absorbed in the KP police force.

He also said that the training process for these personnel has been started from this month.

"We need assistance from the Pakistan Army and the FC as we are in the process of transition and capacity-building," he said.

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Mali's coup leaders meet mediators seeking return to civilian rule

A key meeting on Saturday between Mali’s coup leaders and mediators from West Africa’s regional bloc seeking a return to civilian rule ended after just 20 minutes.

Tuesday’s overthrow of Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been condemned abroad, but celebrated by many in a country battling an Islamist insurgency and months of political unrest.

A delegation from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) earlier arrived in the capital, Bamako, for talks aimed at reversing the overthrow of Keita.

The bloc has taken a hard line on the coup, shutting borders and halting financial flows - a move diplomats said was as much about warning opponents at home as stabilising Mali.

Ahead of a series of meetings with the mutineers and other groups, the head of the delegation, Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan, sounded optimistic.

“I believe at the end of the day we will come up with something that is best for the people and is good for ECOWAS and the international community,” he told journalists.

The most-anticipated meeting was held in the defence ministry, where ECOWAS mediators in face masks sat at a long table opposite junta leader Assimi Goita, who wore a desert camouflage uniform and was flanked by other military officers in berets and fatigues, photos on Twitter showed.

The talks were set to last 90 minutes, according to a provisional ECOWAS schedule, seen by Reuters. But the meeting ended after just 20 minutes, a Reuters reporter said.

It was not clear if the schedule had been changed or talks were cut short. ECOWAS and the coup leaders, who call themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), have yet to comment on the discussions.

The CNSP has controlled the country since Tuesday, when the mutineers detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to resign. They have promised to oversee a transition to elections within a “reasonable” amount of time.

The ouster of Keita, known as IBK, has been welcomed by many in Mali, which was rocked by months of protests calling for his resignation over alleged corruption and worsening security in areas where affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State are active.

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Mali's coup leaders meet mediators seeking return to civilian rule

A key meeting on Saturday between Mali’s coup leaders and mediators from West Africa’s regional bloc seeking a return to civilian rule ended after just 20 minutes.

Tuesday’s overthrow of Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been condemned abroad, but celebrated by many in a country battling an Islamist insurgency and months of political unrest.

A delegation from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) earlier arrived in the capital, Bamako, for talks aimed at reversing the overthrow of Keita.

The bloc has taken a hard line on the coup, shutting borders and halting financial flows - a move diplomats said was as much about warning opponents at home as stabilising Mali.

Ahead of a series of meetings with the mutineers and other groups, the head of the delegation, Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan, sounded optimistic.

“I believe at the end of the day we will come up with something that is best for the people and is good for ECOWAS and the international community,” he told journalists.

The most-anticipated meeting was held in the defence ministry, where ECOWAS mediators in face masks sat at a long table opposite junta leader Assimi Goita, who wore a desert camouflage uniform and was flanked by other military officers in berets and fatigues, photos on Twitter showed.

The talks were set to last 90 minutes, according to a provisional ECOWAS schedule, seen by Reuters. But the meeting ended after just 20 minutes, a Reuters reporter said.

It was not clear if the schedule had been changed or talks were cut short. ECOWAS and the coup leaders, who call themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), have yet to comment on the discussions.

The CNSP has controlled the country since Tuesday, when the mutineers detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to resign. They have promised to oversee a transition to elections within a “reasonable” amount of time.

The ouster of Keita, known as IBK, has been welcomed by many in Mali, which was rocked by months of protests calling for his resignation over alleged corruption and worsening security in areas where affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State are active.

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200 families in Surjani Town relocated as rain wreaks havoc

As many as 200 families in Karachi’s Surjani Town were forced to relocate on Saturday as rains continued to wreak havoc in the metropolis.

Residents of Yousaf Goth, Bismah Town, Sector 4-B and other low lying areas in Surjani Town had to relocate due to urban flooding in the area. The residents were moved with the help of Rangers and Edhi workers in trucks and boats to safe locations.

Low-lying areas in the city have been the hardest hit with the fifth spell of rain as nullahs overflowed and flooding in residential areas made life difficult for the people.

In New Karachi’s sector 5-E and the Hyderi Market rainwater flowed from the storm drains which could not be cleaned in due time due to the encroachments entering streets and houses.

The rains were followed with subsequent power outages across the city, with several areas of the metropolis plunged into darkness after nearly 600 K-Electric feeders tripped.

Areas that had experienced power outages included Surjani Town, Orangi Town, North Karachi, New Karachi, Liaquatabad, Jamshed Quarters, FC Area, Khamosh Colony, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Ahsanabad, Shadman Town, Safoora Goth, FB Area, Power House, parts of Clifton, among others.

MET Department Director Abdul Qayyum Bhutto had said the city might receive 100mm on Saturday with some areas receiving heavy or moderate showers.

Bhutto had said that the monsoon spell can last with intermittent rain showers until Wednesday, adding that heavy rains can cause urban flooding once again.

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200 families in Surjani Town relocated as rain wreaks havoc

As many as 200 families in Karachi’s Surjani Town were forced to relocate on Saturday as rains continued to wreak havoc in the metropolis.

Residents of Yousaf Goth, Bismah Town, Sector 4-B and other low lying areas in Surjani Town had to relocate due to urban flooding in the area. The residents were moved with the help of Rangers and Edhi workers in trucks and boats to safe locations.

Low-lying areas in the city have been the hardest hit with the fifth spell of rain as nullahs overflowed and flooding in residential areas made life difficult for the people.

In New Karachi’s sector 5-E and the Hyderi Market rainwater flowed from the storm drains which could not be cleaned in due time due to the encroachments entering streets and houses.

The rains were followed with subsequent power outages across the city, with several areas of the metropolis plunged into darkness after nearly 600 K-Electric feeders tripped.

Areas that had experienced power outages included Surjani Town, Orangi Town, North Karachi, New Karachi, Liaquatabad, Jamshed Quarters, FC Area, Khamosh Colony, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Ahsanabad, Shadman Town, Safoora Goth, FB Area, Power House, parts of Clifton, among others.

MET Department Director Abdul Qayyum Bhutto had said the city might receive 100mm on Saturday with some areas receiving heavy or moderate showers.

Bhutto had said that the monsoon spell can last with intermittent rain showers until Wednesday, adding that heavy rains can cause urban flooding once again.

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TikTok too challenge Trump executive order banning app

Video-sharing app TikTok has said it plans to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s executive order banning the Chinese-owned app.

As tensions soar between the world's two biggest economies, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 6 giving Americans 45 days to stop doing business with TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance effectively setting a deadline for a potential pressured sale of the viral video sensation to a US company.

"Even though we strongly disagree with the Administration's concerns, for nearly a year we have sought to engage in good faith to provide a constructive solution. What we encountered instead was a lack of due process as the Administration paid no attention to facts and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses," TikTok said in a statement.

"To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the Executive Order through the judicial system," it said, adding it expects to file its suit next week.

TikTok's kaleidoscopic feeds of short video clips feature everything from hair-dye tutorials to dance routines and jokes about daily life. It has been downloaded 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world.

Trump claims TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

The company has said it has never provided any US user data to the Chinese government, and Beijing has blasted Trump's crackdown as political.

The US measures come ahead of November 3 elections in which Trump, who is behind his rival Joe Biden in the polls, is campaigning hard on an increasingly strident anti-Beijing message.

Trump and China
Trump has increasingly taken a confrontational stance on China, challenging it on trade, military and economic fronts.

Shortly after Trump announced his moves against TikTok in early August, the United States slapped sanctions on Hong Kong´s leader over the Chinese security clampdown after last year´s pro-democracy demonstrations.

Microsoft and Oracle are possible suitors for TikTok's US operations.

Reports have said Oracle whose chairman Larry Ellison has raised millions in campaign funds for Trump — was weighing a bid for TikTok's operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The Trump administration has also given ByteDance a 90-day deadline to divest in TikTok before the app is banned in the United States.

The measures move away from the long-promoted American ideal of a global, open internet and could invite other countries to follow suit.

"It´s really an attempt to fragment the internet and the global information society along US and Chinese lines, and shut China out of the information economy," Milton Mueller, a Georgia Tech professor and founder of the Internet Governance Project said previously.

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COVID-19 spread: Children aged 12 and over should wear masks, says WHO

The World Health Organisation has recommended that children over the age of 12 should wear face masks like adults in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Children aged 12 and over should particularly wear a mask when a one-metre distance from others cannot be guaranteed and there is widespread transmission in the area, the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund said in a document on the WHO website dated Aug. 21.

Whether children between six and 11 should wear masks depends on a number of factors, including the intensity of transmission in the area, the child’s ability to use the mask, access to masks and adequate adult supervision, the two organisations said.

The potential impact on learning and psycho-social development, and the interactions the child has with people at high risk of developing serious illness, should also play a role.

Children aged five years and under should not be required to wear masks based on the safety and overall interest of the child, the WHO and UNICEF said.

Studies suggest older children potentially play a more active role in transmission of the new coronavirus than younger children, the WHO and UNICEF said, adding more data was needed to better understand the role of children and adolescents in the transmission of the virus, which causes COVID-19.

The WHO first advised people to wear masks in public on June 5 to help reduce the spread of the disease, but had previously not issued specific guidance for children.

More than 23 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally since it was first identified in China last year and 798,997​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

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