پاک چین دوستی کی یادگار کے طور پر 20 روپے کا سکہ جاری

اسلام آباد: حکومت پاکستان نے پاک چین دوستی کی یادگار کے طور پر 20 روپے کا سکہ جاری کر دیا۔

سکے کے فرنٹ پر اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان  لکھا گیا ہے جبکہ درمیان میں چاند تارا بنایا گیا ہے جبکہ پشت پر پاکستان اور چین کے جھنڈے بنائے گئے ہیں، یہ سکہ آج سے ملک بھر میں استعمال ہوسکے گا۔

واضح رہے کہ پاکستان اور چین کی دوستی لازوال تصور کی جاتی ہے اور آرمی چیف جنرل راحیل شریف کے حالیہ دورہ چین کے موقع پر چینی حکام نے پاکستان کی تشویش کو اپنی تشویش قرار دیا تھا جب کہ مارچ میں چین کے صدر پاکستان کا دورہ بھی کریں گے۔

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Misbah needs more time for retirement decision; Shahryar won’t let him go

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SHARJAH: Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq looked forward to his team’s bigger challenges ahead after thumping England 2-0 in the three-match series in Sharjah on Thursday, saying wins on away tours matter.

The series win lifted Pakistan to number two in the Test rankings but Misbah said it will be how they perform on away tours which will make his team greater.

"I think our biggest challenge is to play abroad so we have to get ready for that and prepare for that," said Misbah of Pakistan’s tours to England in July next year followed by visits to New Zealand and Australia.

Misbah said his team needed to prepare for the four Test tour of England as of now.

"We have achieved a big and satisfying win against England but we have to forget that and from now on really prepare for the tough challenges as we have to plan differently on tours," said Misbah, who remains undecided over his own Test future.

"There has been a lot of talk on that," said Misbah who had hinted retiring from Test cricket after the England series.

"Obviously I have some time to think about that, at the moment not sure about that.

"Let´s see, we have enough time for the next series and I can just rethink and plan what I am going to do in the next two three months," said Misbah, who admitted it will be tough to motivate himself after only playing one format.

"Obviously the hunger is there. I love the game and want to play it. The one thing that is difficult is when you are not playing any competitive cricket for six to eight months and suddenly you come and play against top players, that is the period where you need to motivate yourself, if you do then it´s good."

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan said that the team still needed the skipper to stay, adding that he will not allow Misbah to bid adieu just yet.

Satisfying

Misbah admitted England proved tough opponents, coming close to an upset win in the first Test and delaying Pakistan´s wins in the last two Tests until the fifth day.

"I think as far as the win is concerned this is great because England is one of the top teams and the way they have been playing after winning the Ashes and they put up good fight in all three Tests, so it’s satisfying to win."

Pakistan, defending a 284-run target, needed eight wickets on Thursday morning. They grabbed four inside the first hour before Alastair Cook (62) and Adil Rashid (22) put on a valiant 49-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah (4-44) and Shoaib Malik (3-26) dismissed England for 156 to give Pakistan a 127-run win.

"Obviously we were very confident of the win," said Misbah. "Because the manner in which our bowlers bowled yesterday and the pitch was spinning but we were also aware that England team has good players and their depth in the batting.

"We got our rewards by taking four early wickets at the start and then spinners did the trick. Credit to Yasir, Malik and all other bowlers."

Pakistan and England now play four one-day matches, the first in Abu Dhabi on November 11. The one-day series will be followed by three Twenty20 internationals.

AFP | Print this story

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Oil prices advance

London: The oil market rose on Friday but gains were limited by the global supply glut and after the US Federal Reserve hinted at a December interest rate hike.

In midday deals in London, Brent North Sea crude for December won 44 cents to stand at $48.42 per barrel.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in December rose 26 cents to $45.46 per barrel compared with Thursday´s close.

Despite the slender gains, prices are lower compared with the previous week as the market struggles with a crude oversupply and weak demand owing to sluggish global growth led by top energy guzzler China.

Increasing talk of an interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve has also bolstered the dollar, making dollar-priced oil more expensive for weaker currencies, hurting demand and prices.

A meeting last month of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) hinted that a decision to implement the first rate hike since 2006 could be made during a December meeting.

Comments this week by Fed chair Janet Yellen and New York Fed president Bill Dudley considered as "hawkish" by the market have firmed up expectations for the December FOMC meeting "as a live possibility for the first Fed rate hike in nearly a decade," Singapore´s United Overseas Bank said.

Markets are watching the US non-farm payrolls data to be released later Friday for further signs about the health of the US economy which could help swing any decision on interest rates, it said.

The data is a closely watched gauge of the unemployment situation in the world´s biggest economy and top oil consuming nation.

Oil prices have plunged by more than half from peaks of over $100 a barrel in June last year.

The International Monetary Fund has projected slower growth for the world economy this year and next.

AFP | Print this story

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Indian nursing assistant raped on bus in Bangalore

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Bangalore: A bus driver allegedly raped a 19-year-old nursing assistant in his vehicle on the outskirts of India´s southern technology hub Bangalore before dumping her on a roadside, police said Friday.

The attack is alleged to have occurred on Thursday when the woman boarded the bus to commute to her job at a nursing home in Hoskote, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city centre.

The driver allegedly asked the vehicle´s cleaner to drive the bus while he carried out the attack.

"We have arrested accused Ravi, 26, with bus cleaner Manjunath, 23, under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint by the victim that she was raped by the driver when she was alone in the bus," S.R. Ramesh, Bangalore Rural Additional Superintendent of Police, told AFP.

"The accused asked the cleaner to drive the bus while he raped her and dumped her later on roadside," he said, adding that police had seized the bus, which was registered in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state.

The woman went to hospital and described the alleged attack to doctors, who called the police.

It comes after a 23-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by a driver and a cleaner in a van in a southeastern suburb of Bangalore on October 3. The two men accused in that attack have been arrested.

Karnataka´s new Home Minister G. Parameshwara said the accused would be dealt with strictly.

"We will not tolerate any incident of rape in any part of the state. I have directed the police to take preventative steps and act against the guilty strictly," Parameshwara told reporters later.

The fatal gang-rape of a young student on a bus in Delhi in 2012 led to an outpouring of anger over frightening levels of violence against women.

The attack led to a major reform of India

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Bollywood actors stand with SRK after ‘Pakistani agent’ rant

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Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan has received support from several quarters of Bollywood after being called a ‘Pakistani agent’ and compared to Hafiz Saeed by the ruling BJP leaders.

Khan had spoken out strongly on the importance of keeping India secular, telling the Indian media, “religious intolerance is the worst thing and will take India to the dark ages.”

A Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi had painted Shah Rukh Khan as a ‘Pakistani agent’ and called for him to be sent to Pakistan.

BJP’s VIjayvargiya had remarked that, “Shah Rukh lives in India but his heart is in Pakistan” but later retracted it. Senior party leader Venkaiah Naidu also rushed to clarify that Vijayvargiya spoke for himself and not the party.

SRK, who is routinely told to go to Pakistan, has told the Indian media on several occasions that it was degrading to keep proving his patriotism and that he wouldn't be leaving India. He, however, has not responded to the comments made by the BJP leader.

At a press conference regarding an upcoming film “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo”, Bollywood star Salman Khan opened up about SRK being termed a ‘Pakistani agent’ expressing his support for Shah Rukh.

Salman Khan said it was very unfortunate that Shah Rukh was termed a ‘Pakistani agent’. He added all who live in India were nothing else but Indians.

PRDP co-star Sonam Kapoor, who was also present at the event said, “Anything that is intolerant or that is said without complete evidence is unacceptable, so people just saying things in the name of religion, class, creed is disgusting and I think we should rest what we have to say at that point.”

Bollywood fraternity among many others took to Twitter to show their support for King Khan with #IStandWithSRK:

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Rescuers search for survivors of Lahore factory collapse

LAHORE: A four-storeyed factory producing plastic bags collapsed on Wednesday evening, killing at least 23 labourers and trapping dozens of workers under the rubble at the Sundar Industrial Estate near Lahore.

Rescue efforts were underway on Thursday to recover dozens of workers still trapped under the debris of the collapsed factory, which also claimed the life of the owner.

According to latest reports, the bodies of four more victims were found during the ongoing rescue operation, raising the death toll to 23.

"We can see the bodies of four more victims under the rubble," said the district coordination officer (DCO) in Lahore, confirming the latest deaths.

The official said that rescue workers had decided not to use heavy machinery due to fears of causing further damage to the collapsed structure and risking the lives of survivors still trapped under the rubble.

No part of the four-storey building remained standing after the disaster, and hundreds of rescue workers were carefully picking through piles of concrete and bricks to find survivors.

Officials said over 80 injured have been rescued, several of whom were in critical condition and were taken to hospitals for medical treatment.

It was unclear how many people were in the building when it collapsed or how many – dead or alive – may still be trapped. Officials have put the total number of those involved at around 150-200.

Several survivors trapped in the rubble of the factory plea

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Obama says bomb may have caused Egypt plane crash

With concerns over security mounting, a number of European airlines readied to bring home thousands of tourists from the Sinai peninsula resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the crashed Russian plane took off from last Saturday.

The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group has claimed responsibility for the disaster, in which the Saint Petersburg-bound jet crashed minutes after taking off, killing all 224 mainly Russian tourists on board.

Cairo and Moscow have sought to downplay the suggestion of an attack.

But Obama told a US radio station: “I think there is a possibility that there was a bomb on board and we are taking that very seriously,” while emphasizing it was too early to say for sure.

In London, where Cameron hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday, the British premier told reporters it was “more likely than not that it was a terrorist bomb” that caused the crash.

And The Times newspaper reported on Friday that electronic communications intercepted by British and US spies suggested a bomb may have been carried onto the plane.

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Thomas Drew appointed British High Commissioner to Pakistan

Mr. Drew has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Pakistan in succession to Mr. Barton, who will be transferring to another diplomatic service appointment, said a statement of UK Foreign Office.

Mr Drew will assume his responsibilities next year. He was also a UK’s political counsellor in Islamabad from 2006 to 2008.

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Court rejects Ayyan Ali’s petition for acquittal in currency smuggling case

The supermodel was arrested at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport on March 14 this year on charges of money laundering after being caught with over half a million dollars by customs officials.

The supermodel was released on bail from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after 122 days in the prison.

Her lawyers had filed an acquittal petition of the supermodel in the court which was rejected by the judge today.

Ayyan’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa has said that the court’s decision will be challenged in the high court.

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