Monday 3 July 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Qatar responds to demands after deadline extended

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KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwaits emir.The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was made to be rejected and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as an affront to international law.They are reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of bully states that have historically resulted in war, said the lawyers.In the evening, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir expressed hopes for a positive response to be able to resolve the crisis.Qatars reply would be examined with precision, Jubeir told a news conference with German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabias regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the worlds largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.The UN Security Council has told Qatar to sort out its differences with its Gulf neighbours, Chinas UN ambassador Liu Jieyi said in New York Monday, indicating that the top UN body has no plans to get involved in the dispute.Gabriel, who will also visit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, on called for serious dialogue to end the crisis.We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula, said the German minister.Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAEs ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.As well as taking steps to expel Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britains Guardian newspaper.Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis.Kuwait, which along with fellow GCC member Oman has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadhs position.Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabis crown prince and the Qatari emir about his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.The US president underscored that unity in the region is critical but also reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology, a statement said.Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is expected to visit Paris before the end of the summer for talks on the Gulf crisis with President Emmanuel Macron, the French presidency said Monday.The two leaders spoke by phone and Macron said hhe would bring up the issue on the margins of this weeks G20 summit and with Trump when he visits Paris on July 13-14.Meanwhile Germany announced that Saudi King Salman had cancelled plans to attend the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg.

Tougher fighting, more suicide attacks as IS hits back in Mosul

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MOSUL (AFP) - Iraqi forces are facing increasingly difficult fighting and a rising number of suicide attacks, including some by female bombers, in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, commanders said Monday.Following recent suicide bombings by two girls, security forces in the Old City were seen ordering civilians to remove some of their clothing before approaching to guard against the threat.More than eight months since the start of the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, the jihadists have gone from fully controlling the city to holding a limited area on its western side, but resistance is still tough.The fighting is becoming harder every day because of the nature of the Old City, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a commander in the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said of the area of narrow streets and closely spaced buildings where the end of the battle for Mosul is unfolding.Iraqi forces have been closing in on the Old City in west Mosul for months, but the terrain combined with a large civilian population has made for an extremely difficult fight.The same conditions that aid jihadist defences also serve to shield Iraqi forces from snipers, Assadi said, and our losses are not to the level that would prevent us from advancing.Staff Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi, another top CTS commander, said IS had increased the number of suicide attacks it is carrying out.The enemy has been using suicide bombers, especially women, for the past three days in some of the neighbourhoods. Before that, they were using snipers and bombs more, said Aridhi.Yesterday, four women blew themselves up... today there were two, and yesterday there were seventeen (suicide bombers), including the four women, he said.There are still at least 200 fighters from the (IS) organisation in Mosul, most of them foreigners, Aridhi said. The battle will end in five days to a week.CTS forces in the Old City ordered fleeing civilians to remove some articles of clothing before approaching on Monday in an effort to detect suicide bombers.Men were told to remove their shirts, while women had to take off veils covering their faces and hair, and flowing abaya robes.The measure followed two recent suicide bombings -- one by a 14-year-old girl and another by a 12-year-old that killed three members of CTS, soldiers said.Brigadier General Mohammed al-Jawari, the head of civil defence in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, said the bodies of 50 people shot by IS had been recovered from a street in Al-Zinjili area in west Mosul.The recovery of the bodies began on Sunday, following the recapture of a nearby medical complex in which IS had placed snipers who fired on the civilians, Jawari said.Civilians fleeing the fighting are receiving treatment at a makeshift clinic in Mosul.People come from the Old City of Mosul, where fierce fighting is taking place. Theyre running away from (IS), running away from death, hunger and fear, said Nazar Salih, a doctor at the clinic.Shahed Omar, a 20-year-old who fled the Old City, pointed to two children at the clinic.This ones father was killed, and that girl there, her father was killed as well, Omar said.Security forces have made significant progress since launching a renewed assault on the Old City on June 18.But the impending end of the battle has given rise to the latest round of inter-service rivalry over who gets to declare it over.A statement attributed to the federal police chief circulated on Sunday, feting their victory... which was achieved in the territory of Mosul, while police forces in the city celebrated with a band, flags and dancing.But police commander Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat later said that while the mission of the federal police was over, other forces were still fighting and an announcement of victory would be made later by the Iraqi premier.Iraqs Joint Operations Command on Monday said that the federal police were still fighting and had not captured all of their objectives.Federal police forces continue to fight fierce battles... on the southern front and are advancing toward their targets, the JOC said.IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost.The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the war against IS.The jihadist group holds territory elsewhere in Iraq as well as in neighbouring Syria, and has been able to carry out attacks in government-held areas.

N.Korea fires ballistic missile: South's military

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SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday, the Souths military said, just days after Seouls new leader Moon Jae-In and US President Donald Trump focused on the threat from Pyongyang in their first summit.The launch, which came as the US prepared to celebrate its Independence Day on the Fourth of July, was the latest in a series of provocations that have ratcheted up tensions over the nuclear-armed Norths weapons ambitions.The unidentified ballistic missile was fired from a site near Panghyon in North Phyongan province, the Souths Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, and came down in the East Sea, the Korean name for the Sea of Japan.It flew for several hundred kilometres, they added.The device may have come down in Japans exclusive economic zone, a spokeswoman for Tokyos defence ministry told AFP -- waters extending 200 nautical miles from its coast.Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew for about 40 minutes -- an unusually long flight time.This launch of a ballistic missile can never be tolerated, and Japan strongly protested to North Korea and condemned it, he told a briefing.Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against the threat of invasion and has carried out multiple launches since Moon -- who backs engagement with the North but also stresses the need for sanctions -- was elected in May.Moon called a meeting of the Souths National Security Council in response to the launch.At their summit in Washington at the weekend, Trump declared that the US had run out of patience with North Korea over its weapons drive, which includes developing a missile capable of delivering a warhead to the US mainland.Together, we are facing the threat of the reckless and brutal regime in North Korea, Trump said. The nuclear and ballistic missile programs of that regime require a determined response.The North Korean dictatorship has no regard for the safety and security of its people, for its neighbours and has no respect for human life.He later discussed the issue in separate phone calls with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.Shea Cotton, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in the US, suggested Tuesdays launch was deliberately timed to coincide with the anniversary of the US declaration of independence.Its already 4th of July in North Korea, he said on Twitter. I somewhat suspect theyre shooting off some fireworks today specifically because of that.Washington, South Koreas security guarantor, has more than 28,000 troops in the country to defend it from its Communist neighbour, which has been intensifying missile tests.There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma in June, dying days later.Trump had been pinning his hopes on China -- North Koreas main diplomatic ally -- to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang but declared last week that their efforts had failed.

Trump, Merkel to meet ahead of G20 talks

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BERLIN (AFP) - US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet Thursday for what are expected to be tricky talks on the eve of a Group of 20 summit in Hamburg.Merkels spokesman Steffen Seibert said the meeting would come before the summit, most probably in the early evening of Thursday.The pair also spoke by telephone on Monday, the White House said.Trump and Merkel addressed climate issues, the Womens Entrepreneurship Financing Initiative and trade, including global steel overcapacity, the White House said in a statement following their extensive discussion.The president said that he looks forward to helping Chancellor Merkel make the summit a success, it said.Transatlantic differences on climate change, trade, defence spending and refugees hang over the July 7-8 meeting of the worlds major industrialised and emerging economies.Last week Merkel met with key European leaders and vowed to make a stand for climate protection and open markets at the meeting with Trump, who has said he will take the US out of the Paris climate deal and pursue a protectionist America First policy.Merkel said that the differences are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up. That I wont do.She also said the US exit from the 2015 Paris climate pact had made Europe more determined than ever to make the accord a success.On Monday, presenting her partys election platform, Merkel predicted a whole series of thorny issues at the G20.We know the positions of the US government and I do not expect them to disappear on a two-day trip to Hamburg, the chancellor said.She warned against high expectations, noting that the summits final communique has to be approved unanimously.She said that while there would be common ground on combating terrorism financing, in other areas there are many differences.German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, also said current differences with the US are unlikely to end.If everyone in the world is looking for the best deal then in the end we all lose, he said in an interview with Stuttgarter Zeitung.I am very worried by these changes (in US foreign policy), and we cannot expect quick changes.More than 20,000 police will be on duty for the G20 meeting, whose participants include Chinas President Xi Jinping, Russias Vladimir Putin and Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan.More than 30 anti-capitalist protests are expected.A day before the G20 starts, Trump will head to Warsaw for a meeting of central and eastern European leaders likely to include Hungarys hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has sparred with western European leaders, especially on the refugee issue.

Eight dead in Bangladesh garment factory blast

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DHAKA (AFP) - At least eight people were killed and up to 50 injured after a boiler exploded at a garment factory in Bangladesh on Monday, authorities said.Dozens of labourers were on site at the factory in an industrial district outside the capital Dhaka when a blast tore through the six-storey building, causing its walls and a roof to collapse.It is a terrible scene. Fire brigade officers have arrived and are doing rescue work. The factorys boiler exploded and the blast also affected other buildings near the factory, police officer Harunur Rashid told AFP.The factory is owned by textiles manufacturer Multifabs, which makes clothing for mostly European brands according to its website.Eight people were killed and approximately 50 were injured. Six bodies were recovered at the spot and two more in the hospital. The casualties included passers-by who were walking outside the factory, Mohammad Akhteruzzaman, deputy assistant director of the fire service, told AFP.He said the explosion so powerful that it destroyed parts of the factory including a roof and several walls.Al Amin, a worker at a nearby garment factory, said he was attending evening prayers at a mosque some 300 yards (metres) from the factory at around 7pm (1300 GMT) when the explosion shook the whole area.I ran to the spot instantly and saw a huge smoke. I saw blood all over the bodies of some injured workers and instantly called the fire brigade, he told AFP.According to factory director Mesba Faruqui, the main site was closed on Monday but a group of workers were overseeing maintenance of the boiler.Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories employing four million mostly female workers at minimum monthly wage of $68.The industry is notorious for poor workplace safety, with many of the factories lacking basic equipment such as ventilation and air coolers.In April 2013, the nine-storey Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people in one of the worlds worst industrial disasters.

Boston airport taxi crash injures 10: police

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NEW YORK (AFP) - A taxi driver plowed his car into a group of people outside Bostons international airport on Monday, injuring 10 people on the eve of the Independence Day holiday in the United States, police said.The 56-year-old driver was being interviewed by officers but there was no initial indication that the crash was intentional, Massachusetts state police said.The incident happened at 1:40pm (1740 GMT) at the cab pool at Logan International Airport. Ten people were taken to hospital with injuries of varying severity, police said.The cause of the crash remains under investigation, state police added. US media reported that a taxi driver appeared to have lost control, hitting the gas pedal instead of the break.

Lahore: Police nab two suspects during search operation

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – At least two suspects were taken into custody during police search operation in Muslim Town area of Lahore on Monday, Dunya News reported.Police sources said that the search operation was conducted in localities around Chinese Consulate in Muslim Town on intelligence report that suspects are present in the area.Sources said that biometric device was used for the identification of the residents during house-to-house search in the area and two suspects were apprehended who failed to produce and identity document.The arrested persons were later shifted to some undisclosed location for further investigation.

Kamoke: ASI killed, three injured in petrol shop blaze

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KAMOKE (Dunya News) – Fire at a petrol shop at the Kasoke Road in Kamoke on Monday claimed life of an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police while three other people sustained injuries.According to details, fire broke out at an illegal petrol shop situated at the Kasoke Road in Kamoke during unloading of petrol from an oil tanker, injuring two real brothers and owners of the shop Zeeshan Ebad and Jibran Ebad and their servant Waqar Hussain. Rescue teams shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.A police contingent reached the spot after the incident to monitor the situation. Assistant Sub-Inspector Javed Iqbal fell unconscious due to smoke. He was rushed to hospital but died before getting any medical treatment.

Hussain Nawaz to appear before Panama JIT today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz will appear before Joint Investigation Team (JIT), formed by the Supreme Court to probe Panama scandal, today (Tuesday), Dunya News reported.This will be Hussain Nawaz’s sixth appearance before the JIT. Hussain Nawaz will be quizzed by the probe committee headed by senior official of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Wajid Zia.PM Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz is scheduled to appear before the JIT on Wednesday.The joint investigation team probing offshore wealth of Sharif family in Panama Papers case will present its final report regarding the matter to Supreme Court on 10th July.

US Senate delegation along with COAS visit SWA

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RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) - A delegation of US Senate (Armed Services Committee) headed by Senator John McCain along with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on Monday.According the ISPR press release, the US delegation was briefed about Pakistan-Afghan border security including recent measures for its improvement through fencing and enhanced surveillance.The delegation was also briefed on socio-economic development efforts in the Agency.The delegation was flown over the Agency to have view of the border area, newly constructed forts/posts and development works including schools, colleges, hospitals, sports stadium, water supply schemes and roads communication infrastructure.The delegation having seen the realities on ground acknowledged efforts and sacrifices by Pakistan Army and of the local tribes for re-establishing peace and order in the area. The senators reiterated importance of institutionalized Pakistan-Afghan border security coordination and cooperation mechanism.Later, the delegation was scheduled to visit LOC which couldnt get through due to bad weather. COAS thanked the senators for their visit and their support in socio-economic uplift of FATA.Earlier, upon arrival at Wana, the delegation was received by Commander Peshawar Corps Lieutenant General Nazir Ahmad Butt and GOC Wana.

'PML-N will not allow anyone to become PM through backdoor'

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq has said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will not allow anyone to become Prime Minister through backdoor.Criticizing the role of Join Investigation Team (JIT) formed to probe Panama case and other political opponents, Ayaz Sadiq said that the conspirators are getting instructions from abroad.He further said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif should not be summoned by the JIT for interrogation.Talking about former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf, the Speaker National Assembly said that he can return to Pakistan and also appear before the courts.

Sindh Assembly passes bill to repeal NAB Ordinance 1999

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Sindh Assembly on Monday passed a bill to repeal National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance, 1999 amid protest from the opposition lawmakers.The bill titled ‘National Accountability Ordinance 1999 Sindh Repeal Bill-2017’ was presented by provincial Law Minister Ziaul Hassan.Passing of the bill means that NAB has lost its right to take actions against any institution which comes under Sindh government or any of its officers.Opposition members belonging to MQM, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PML-Nawaz and PML-F raised objection and protested against repealing of NAB Ordinance in the House. After a few minutes of protest, the opposition members walked out of the session.

US dollar rebounds while global stocks post gains

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Rising oil prices and investor appetite for financial stocks helped boost most major US and European equities on Monday while the dollar rebounded on exchange markets ahead of the July 4 holiday in the United States.On a shortened trading day, Wall Street finished mixed, with the blue-chip Dow and the S&P both a hairs breadth below record closes while faltering tech stocks took the Nasdaq lower.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6 percent and the broader S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent, with investors rotating out of the tech sector and into financials. The tech-heavy Nasdaq suffered the consequences, diving 0.5 percent on the first trading day of the second quarter.Wall Street behemoths Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase were among the Dows leaders, each adding more than two percent.Art Hogan of Wunderlich Securities told AFP banks were boosted by rising yields on 10-year US Treasury bonds.That is helping the financials, he said.New figures on Monday also showed the US manufacturing sector expanding in June, perhaps helping investors shrug off disappointing but volatile economic data on construction spending, which was flat for the month.As the Gulfs diplomatic crisis over Qatar dragged on, oil prices rose for an eighth straight trading day, with light-sweet crude for August delivery closing up more than a dollar at $47.07 in New York. Supermajors Chevron and Exxon saw their shares gain 1.9 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.London, Frankfurt and Paris all moved higher, with the latter adding a strong 1.5 percent, rebounding from heavy declines ahead of the weekend.Eurozone markets also reacted well to regional manufacturing PMI data, but the UKs manufacturing reading came in at a three-year low of 54.3, which doesnt bode well for the countrys second-quarter growth, according to Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell.Exchange markets were somewhat subdued ahead of the US holiday but the dollar nevertheless posted strong gains against a basket of rival global currencies. By 2000 GMT, the dollar Index had gained 0.6 percent from Fridays reading.The US currency last week tumbled after central banks in Europe, England and Canada indicated that the age of cheap cash -- in place since the financial crisis -- was drawing to a close as the world economy gets back on track.During the first half of the year, the euro jumped about 10 percent against the dollar, while the pound gained almost as much from its January lows. But some analysts said the dollars recovery on Monday could be short-lived.After last weeks breakdown, the small rebound at the start of this week could prove to be a dead-cat bounce, said Fawad Razaqzada, Market Analyst at Forex.com.Elsewhere Monday, Tokyos Nikkei stocks index edged up 0.1 percent, helped by a slightly weaker yen and a pick-up in confidence among Japanese businesses, traders said. But investors were spooked by a huge defeat for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo assembly elections.Shanghai added 0.1 percent following a better-than-expected private survey showing Chinese manufacturing expanded last month.

The ultimate battle of 'a picture worth 1000 words'

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(Web Desk) – ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is a popular English idiom often used to single out the significance of a photograph. In general, the idiom refers to the idea of communicating meaningful messages through visual illustration. According to Wikipedia, it was first used in a 1911 newspaper article.Although the origin of the idiom is debatable, the repeated use of it today on Twitter has certainly been interesting. It all started when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan posted a still of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar after he appeared before the Joint Investigation Team, tasked by Supreme Court to probe Panama case.A picture is worth a thousand words Guilt written all over his face. pic.twitter.com/ouvO9uVrj7— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 3, 2017 He wrote the caption, “A picture is worth a thousand words Guilt written all over his face.”Kaptaan didn’t just leave it there. He responded to his own tweet by saying, “And no amount of hysterical gutter language is going to get him off the hook.”It looks as if Imran Khan was distressed with the PML-N senator for accusing him to play gambling with the money attained collected from his charitable organisation. “Even in wars hospitals are not targeted by enemy but here Sharifs & their henchmen targeting SKMTCH providing cancer treatment for the poor,” PTI Chief noted.Later on, the‘youth leader’posted a picture of him with his close party leaders including Jahangir Tareen in the Nathia Gali residence, claiming to have no guilt. “When there is no guilt it shows on the faces,” the photo said.When there is no guilt it shows on the faces pic.twitter.com/9luVLbtiOo— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 3, 2017 As expected, there was backlash from the opposing party leaders. PML-N lawmaker and Minister of State for Water and Power, Abid Sher Ali, responded to Kaptaan’s tweet.A picture is worth a thousand words pic.twitter.com/1tezQNf0tn— AbidSherAli (@AbidSherAli) July 3, 2017 And it just didn’t end there. There were photo posts from the rival party workers and leaders to make fun of others.A drowning khota is worth a thousand words. pic.twitter.com/rINW5dM1rQ— Mariams Madness (@mariamsmadness) July 3, 2017 How dare u report my this tweet? pic.twitter.com/9qSVOuKmIR— Ali Haider (@SOLDIER__Ali) July 3, 2017 Perfect example of PHITKAAR on ones face pic.twitter.com/FEWPZav14v— (@mashwani_ak) July 3, 2017 A picture is worth a thousand words Guilt written all over his face,” Imran tweeted minutes later. pic.twitter.com/xo56KOyIxb— KingSyed (@syedking1) July 3, 2017 Picture worth a thousand wordstwo sides of the same coin. pic.twitter.com/lylgA37Icz— Better Pakistan (@nasirghuman) July 3, 2017 Lets look at some strong contenders from the past for the title of‘a picture is worth a thousand words’idiom.AML leader Sheikh Rasheed on top of DSNG vehicle after his Lal Haveli escapePPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto posing as the‘Sindh-Man’atSindh festival (Source: The Nation)Former President Asif Zardari laughing at a journalist’s questionThat moment when Naeem ul haq informed Imran khan saray roads block hain, U-turn ka koi raasta nai but IK still managed it. pic.twitter.com/C0tpCEvy1K— Ali. (@lovelisid) November 3, 2016 Nawaz Sharif in his‘Raiwind Palace’Share your thoughts on which photo deserves the title in the comments section below...

US manufacturing activity expands in June: ISM

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US manufacturing activity expanded in June with big jumps in all the key components, including production, new orders and employment, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday.This was a really strong performance, said Timothy R. Fiore, chair of ISMs Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.The ISM purchasing managers index surged nearly three points to 57.8 percent, the highest since August 2014, on a four-point jump in new orders to 63.5 percent.That was far stronger than analysts had expected, with the consensus forecast just 55.0. Anything above 50 indicates growth.The production index jumped 5.3 points to 62.4 percent, which in turn drove a 3.7 point increase in employment to 57.2 percent -- the ninth consecutive increase.New orders were up strongly, supported by an increase in production. The employment expanded to meet production needs, Fiore told reporters in a conference call.However, continued uncertainty over the Trump administrations trade policy -- amid multiple threats of action against key trading partners -- remains a concern that could impact investment.This uncertainty doesnt really help the business environment, Fiore said.Of the 18 industries surveyed, 15 reported growth, but as expected in such a strong month, inventories declined, falling 2.5 points to 49 percent, while the backlog of orders rose two points to 57 percent.The price index fell 5.5 points to 55 percent, indicating prices are still increasing but at a slower rate.Fiore noted that the close of the second quarter and the need to meet production goals, as well as possible ramping up of production ahead of normal summer shutdowns and vacations could have contributed to the big jump in June.But comments from those industries surveyed indicate orders are remaining strong and despite past reports of struggles to find qualified workers, hiring showed an uptick last month at the end of the school year, he said.Asked if the production gains were sustainable, Fiore said it is possible.Well see, he said. If new orders continue to come in as they have been and companies can keep up... and supply chain doesnt become a constraint, there is no reason this cannot continue.Barclays analyst Michael Gapen said he was more inclined to view this increase as a real move following a similar jump in February and March which he and his colleagues discounted... as reflecting, among other items, excessive optimism about policy expectations.We take a more constructive view of the recent improvement... and see the rise as driven more by actual changes on the ground, as activity has rebounded in the second quarter relative to earlier in the year.Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, noted that the state of the manufacturing sector disproportionately influences perceptions of the pace of growth, even though it should not have such a large impact on the overall economic outlook and by extension the course of action by the Federal Reserve.So this report will come as something of a jolt to investors comfortable with the idea that the economy has slowed to the point where the Fed need take no further action.The central bank has been widely expected to raise the benchmark interest rate a third time later this year, but some economists have been pushing back against that certainty given the very tepid inflation rate and absence of wage pressures.
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