Reference against Ahsan Iqbal in final phase in Sports City Case: NAB

An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday adjourned the Narowal Sports City case against PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and others until October 20.

The PML-N leader appeared before the court as it resumed hearing the case instituted against him and others by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). During the hearing, the bureau’s prosecutor informed the judge that the reference against the accused is in a final phase and would soon be filed before the court.

The court, thus, adjourned the hearing until October 20 with direction for the national graft buster to file the reference at the earliest.

At the previous hearing, Ahsan Iqbal’s lawyer had slammed the bureau saying it had failed to file a reference despite arresting his client. He said the NAB chairman also failed to come up with explanation on delay in filing the reference.

The judge asked the NAB prosecutor to explain as to why the reference against Ahsan Iqbal was not filed yet, to which he replied that the reference was sent to Headquarters for approval and will be filed once it is approved.

Ahsan is accused of using funds of the federal government and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for a sports city in Narowal.

NAB had announced to initiate a probe into alleged violation of rules in the construction of the National Sports City project – a day after its inauguration by the then President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain.

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People of occupied Kashmir still await fulfillment of the commitment made by UN: Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine disputes are the United Nation’s (UN) most glaring failures.

Addressing the 75th anniversary of the UN from Islamabad via video link, he said the people of occupied Kashmir still await fulfillment of the commitment made to them by the United Nations to grant them their right to self-determination.

Referring to the UN role, he said it addressed an historic need to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war; to reaffirm equal and fundamental rights of men and women and nations large and small; and to promote better life in larger freedoms.

Qureshi said that today the UN resolutions and decisions are flouted; international cooperation, especially in the Security Council, is at its lowest; force is threatened with abandon; critical Treaties and Covenants, designed to promote development and protect the globe’s fragile environment, are discarded.

He pointed out that the very forces that led to the Second World War, racism and fascism are taking the shape of rising xenophobia and Islamophobia. “While we have seen enormous international cooperation to combat COVID-19, it has failed to unify humanity as it could have,” he said.

Highlighting Pakistan’s contributions to the world body, he said Pakistan remains an ardent believer in multilateralism and the indispensability of the United Nations and has contributed over 200,000 troops to 47 Missions in 26 countries, losing 157 of our bravest in the process. He said the country has also hosted the largest protracted refugee population.

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British public warned to get serious about safety measures as coronavirus toll set to surge

The United Kingdom is on track for about 50,000 COVID-19 infections a day by mid-October and a surging death toll unless the public gets serious about preventive action, top British advisors warned on Monday.

Rates of infection in England are replicating the strong resurgence of COVID-19 seen in France and Spain, roughly doubling every seven days, the government's chief medical officer Chris Whitty told a media briefing.

"We are seeing a rate of increase across the great majority of the country," he said, urging the public to respect stricter guidelines on social distancing.

"This is not someone else's problem. It's all of our problem."

The briefing previewed an expected announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week detailing government action to flatten the exponential coronavirus curve heading in to winter, when regular respiratory diseases typically spike.

Johnson last week said Britain was already seeing a second wave of COVID-19, and the government introduced new restrictions for millions of people across northwest, northern and central England.

People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus could face fines of up to £10,000 ($13,000, 11,000 euros) under tough new regulations announced Saturday.

Johnson said that from September 28, people will be legally obliged to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to by the National Health Service (NHS) tracing programme.

Whitty said it was essential for the public to play its part in preventing the NHS being overwhelmed in the colder months.

"We are in a bad sense literally turning a corner, although only relatively recently. At this point the seasons are against us," he said at the briefing, alongside the government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance.

Vallance said that on current trends, the daily count of cases will reach about 50,000 on October 13, and a month later exceed 200 deaths every day.

Almost 42,000 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died in Britain, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe.

After a summer lull, cases have been rising rapidly to more than 3,000 daily.

Whitty said "science in due course will ride to our rescue" with a successful vaccine but over the next six months, "if we don't change course, the virus will take off".

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Trump to block any TikTok deal allowing Chinese parent firm to retain control

US President Donald Trump on Monday — throwing into doubt a deal to restructure ownership of the popular video app TikTok — vowed to block any deal that allows its Chinese parent firm to retain any control.

The comments raised fresh concerns over a weekend deal that appeared to avert a US-ordered ban of TikTok, which the Trump administration has called a national security risk.

The deal would make Silicon Valley giant Oracle the data partner for TikTok with retail giant Walmart also taking a stake in a new entity to be called TikTok Global.

But details of the plan remained unclear, amid differing accounts on the American and Chinese shares of the new firm, and who would be in control of the data and algorithms.

Trump on Monday told Fox News that TikTok's Chinese parent firm ByteDance "will have nothing to do with it and if they do, then we just won't make the deal."

He added Oracle and Walmart "are going to have total control over it. They're going to own the controlling interest... If we find they don't have total control, then we're not going to approve the deal."

ByteDance, under pressure in China not to give in to US demands, said it would hold an 80% stake in TikTok Global after a public share offering.

The Chinese firm said the current plan "does not involve the transfer of any algorithms and technologies" and that reports to the contrary were "rumors."

A separate statement from Oracle offered a different view of the transaction.

"Upon creation of TikTok Global, Oracle/Walmart will make their investment and the TikTok Global shares will be distributed to their owners, Americans will be the majority and ByteDance will have no ownership in TikTok Global," Oracle vice president Ken Glueck said.

TikTok — which became a global phenomenon with its brand of short, addictive phone videos — has come under fire in recent months as tensions escalate between China and the west.

Trump has increasingly put national security and his aggressive stance toward China at the center of his campaign, claiming without providing evidence that TikTok is collecting user data for Beijing.

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British public warned to get serious about safety measures as coronavirus toll set to surge

The United Kingdom is on track for about 50,000 COVID-19 infections a day by mid-October and a surging death toll unless the public gets serious about preventive action, top British advisors warned on Monday.

Rates of infection in England are replicating the strong resurgence of COVID-19 seen in France and Spain, roughly doubling every seven days, the government's chief medical officer Chris Whitty told a media briefing.

"We are seeing a rate of increase across the great majority of the country," he said, urging the public to respect stricter guidelines on social distancing.

"This is not someone else's problem. It's all of our problem."

The briefing previewed an expected announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week detailing government action to flatten the exponential coronavirus curve heading in to winter, when regular respiratory diseases typically spike.

Johnson last week said Britain was already seeing a second wave of COVID-19, and the government introduced new restrictions for millions of people across northwest, northern and central England.

People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus could face fines of up to £10,000 ($13,000, 11,000 euros) under tough new regulations announced Saturday.

Johnson said that from September 28, people will be legally obliged to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to by the National Health Service (NHS) tracing programme.

Whitty said it was essential for the public to play its part in preventing the NHS being overwhelmed in the colder months.

"We are in a bad sense literally turning a corner, although only relatively recently. At this point the seasons are against us," he said at the briefing, alongside the government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance.

Vallance said that on current trends, the daily count of cases will reach about 50,000 on October 13, and a month later exceed 200 deaths every day.

Almost 42,000 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died in Britain, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe.

After a summer lull, cases have been rising rapidly to more than 3,000 daily.

Whitty said "science in due course will ride to our rescue" with a successful vaccine but over the next six months, "if we don't change course, the virus will take off".

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British public warned to get serious about safety measures as coronavirus toll set to surge

The United Kingdom is on track for about 50,000 COVID-19 infections a day by mid-October and a surging death toll unless the public gets serious about preventive action, top British advisors warned on Monday.

Rates of infection in England are replicating the strong resurgence of COVID-19 seen in France and Spain, roughly doubling every seven days, the government's chief medical officer Chris Whitty told a media briefing.

"We are seeing a rate of increase across the great majority of the country," he said, urging the public to respect stricter guidelines on social distancing.

"This is not someone else's problem. It's all of our problem."

The briefing previewed an expected announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week detailing government action to flatten the exponential coronavirus curve heading in to winter, when regular respiratory diseases typically spike.

Johnson last week said Britain was already seeing a second wave of COVID-19, and the government introduced new restrictions for millions of people across northwest, northern and central England.

People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus could face fines of up to £10,000 ($13,000, 11,000 euros) under tough new regulations announced Saturday.

Johnson said that from September 28, people will be legally obliged to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to by the National Health Service (NHS) tracing programme.

Whitty said it was essential for the public to play its part in preventing the NHS being overwhelmed in the colder months.

"We are in a bad sense literally turning a corner, although only relatively recently. At this point the seasons are against us," he said at the briefing, alongside the government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance.

Vallance said that on current trends, the daily count of cases will reach about 50,000 on October 13, and a month later exceed 200 deaths every day.

Almost 42,000 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died in Britain, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe.

After a summer lull, cases have been rising rapidly to more than 3,000 daily.

Whitty said "science in due course will ride to our rescue" with a successful vaccine but over the next six months, "if we don't change course, the virus will take off".

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Suspects in Dr Maha death case flee from court to escape arrest

The two suspects in the Dr Maha case managed to flee from the courtroom to escape arrest on Monday, after their interim bail plea was rejected.

Junaid and Waqas, the two men who have been booked in the case, can be seen in a video running out of the court, the former wearing handcuffs as he ran.

Before he fled from the court in a rickshaw, Junaid alleged that the investigation officer had taken Rs100,000 from the two suspects to influence the case in their favour.

Meanwhile, Dr Maha's father had accused the suspects of getting his daughter "addicted to drugs", adding that the two will be able to flee the country similar to the way they had managed to escape from the court premises.

Originally from Mirpurkhas, Dr Maha Ali had rented a house in the Defence Housing Authority's Phase IV area and moved there along with her father and sisters.

She was working at a private hospital in the city's upscale Clifton area.

In August, she was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where she succumbed to her wounds after being admitted for suffering a critical injury.

The city police has declared Dr Maha's death a suicide, claiming that she had allegedly shot herself.

Prime suspects influenced probe

The doctor's father has claimed that two of the three prime suspects influenced the probe into his daughter's death.

Addressing a press conference, Syed Asif Ali Shah said Junaid and Waqas worked with doctors to have the medico-legal officer (MLO) changed when her daughter's body was sent to the hospital.

"Why did my daughter commit suicide? It was being claimed that Dr Maha was upset with her parents," he said, adding that he worked hard to ensure his daughter got a good education.

The first to reach the hospital was Waqas, who identified himself as a technician. Then Junaid arrived," Dr Maha's father added. "Waqas and Junaid, in collaboration with the doctors, had the MLO replaced."

Fighting 'legal battle alone'

The grieving father said Dr Maha's family was in shock and "not in the right state of mind" due to her death. "We had gone to the village afterwards, he had said.

Claiming that his daughter was being blackmailed, he said: "My daughter is gone now but people should save their daughters from men like Junaid.

"He treated my daughter horribly," he said, referring to Junaid, adding that the man physically abused her as well. "My daughter shared what happened with her to her friends.

"I will fight this legal battle alone," he added.

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