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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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			<title>Data centre backlash scrambles US midterm politics</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626529/data-centre-backlash-scrambles-us-midterm-politics</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626529/data-centre-backlash-scrambles-us-midterm-politics#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 26 07:42:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2626529</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Democrats, Republicans air ads over rising bills, noise]]>
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				<![CDATA[The data centres powering America&#39;s artificial intelligence boom have become an unlikely target in November&#39;s midterm elections, as anger over rising electricity bills and noise turns Democrats - and a growing number of Republicans - against Big Tech.

Candidates in at least 21 races across 18 states have aired television advertisements mentioning data centres this cycle, according to marketing data cited by US media, almost evenly divided between both parties.

On the grid serving Senate battleground Ohio, as well as 12 other states, demand from data centres drove up capacity costs by $9.3 billion in a single year, a 174% increase, according to an independent market monitor.

Anger over household bills has merged with a broader populist distrust of Silicon Valley, exposing lawmakers who, until recently, were courting the sprawling server farms with tax breaks and promises of jobs and investment.

Read:&nbsp;US data centre protests go national as backlash grows

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott has frozen new projects while regulators weigh their impact on power and water supplies. It was Abbott who, not long ago, called his state the &quot;epicentre&nbsp;of AI development.&quot;

His Democratic challenger wants a moratorium until lawmakers pass stronger safeguards, and accuses Abbott of putting wealthy interests ahead of ordinary Texans.

In Brazoria -&nbsp;between Houston and the Gulf Coast -&nbsp;44-year-old Melissa Burnett told AFP the serenity of her quiet neighbourhood had been shattered by a 17-megawatt centre&nbsp;last year that is &quot;like a freight train always coming at you.&quot;  

&quot;We were not supposed to hear it, nor was it supposed to affect our quality of life, and it&#39;s just done the opposite, you know?&quot; she said.

Almost alone among Republicans, President Donald Trump has not moved. He still calls the industry essential to beating China on AI, leaving him at odds with candidates running under his own banner.

&#39;Sleeper issue&#39;

The midwestern former manufacturing hub of Ohio offers perhaps the sharpest test of the politics of data centres.

Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who lost his Senate berth in 2024, is running for the Buckeye State&#39;s other seat. Brown has run at least four ads attacking Republican Jon Husted for courting data centre investment as lieutenant governor.

They brand Husted &quot;the face of data centres,&quot; and Brown has promised to make operators pay the full cost of the power they use.

Senate Republicans have warned that the issue could cost Husted the race. Their campaign arm called data centres a &quot;sleeper issue&quot; and said a defeat blamed on them would chill political support for the industry nationwide.

Read More:&nbsp;Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots, to protect US AI buildout

The same argument is turning up in races that have little else in common: a Republican running for governor in Florida promising to shield families from facilities that push up utility bills; a Pennsylvania Democrat demanding that tech companies cover their own costs; a Wyoming Republican who won a House primary on advertisements attacking Silicon Valley billionaires.

In Michigan, the issue toppled two better-connected Democrats in a primary won by a leftist who said opposition had united committed Republicans, Trump voters, independents and Democrats.

Both parties turn

In Wisconsin, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany has taken to calling his Democratic opponent &quot;Data Centre David Crowley.&quot; Earlier this year Tiffany was praising the technology and voting to speed AI infrastructure through.

Tiffany now wants the state&#39;s tax incentives scrapped and the industry more tightly regulated, though he stops short of a ban.

Democratic governors are moving the same way.

New York has imposed a year-long moratorium on new hyperscale facilities, and Pennsylvania now requires developers to cover infrastructure costs and meet tougher standards on water use, hiring and community consultation.

Also Read:&nbsp;Trump crypto firm backs venture offering AI from restricted Chinese companies

Trump has not moved with them.

&quot;America must remain dominant in the AI race that is the future. I think the American people understand that, and this president certainly does,&quot; his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

His administration has signed up Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI and Amazon to a voluntary &quot;Ratepayer Protection Pledge.&quot; Under it, the companies undertake not to leave consumers paying for the power plants and grid upgrades their facilities require.

The pledge has not stopped the advertisements.]]>
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			<title>Five killed in India military transport plane crash</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2612952/military-transport-plane-crashes-in-india-casualties-unknown</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2612952/military-transport-plane-crashes-in-india-casualties-unknown#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 26 08:18:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Indian air force operates about 100 of them for military supplies, civilian aid in country’s remotest mountain areas]]>
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				<![CDATA[Five Indian air force personnel were killed when a military plane crashed while landing at a base in the country&rsquo;s remote northeast on Saturday, the military said in a statement.

&ldquo;The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat&rdquo;, a city in Assam state, the air force said in a statement.

It did not say how many people were on board at the time, or whether there were any survivors.



The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat, Assam.

Sqn Ldr Prashant Singh, Flt Lt Shubham Kumar, Sgt Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.&hellip; pic.twitter.com/9SmOjtS5mU
&mdash; Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 13, 2026



However, an air force official, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, told AFP the co-pilot had survived.

Read: A year after deadly Air India crash, families await answers

News channel NDTV broadcast images of the crash site, showing a thick black plume of smoke and the aircraft apparently broken into pieces.

The air force said it &ldquo;extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief&rdquo;.

It said earlier that the Russian-made Antonov An-32 was on a &ldquo;routine sortie&rdquo; when it crashed as it came in to land.

&ldquo;A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident,&rdquo; the air force said. The An-32, a twin-engine turboprop, is specially designed to perform well at high altitudes and in extreme climates.

The Indian Air Force operates about 100 of them to deliver military supplies and civilian aid in the country&rsquo;s remotest mountain areas. The last major crash involving the plane occurred in 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh state, near the border with China, when 13 people were killed.

The Indian air force operates about 100 of them for military supplies and civilian aid in the country&rsquo;s remotest mountain areas.

The last major crash involving the plane occurred in 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh state, near the border with China, when 13 people were killed.]]>
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			<title>Pacquiao 'hungry' for comeback after four-year layoff</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2552911/pacquiao-hungry-for-comeback-after-four-year-layoff</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2552911/pacquiao-hungry-for-comeback-after-four-year-layoff#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 25 01:47:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2552911</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The 46-year-old icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas]]>
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				<![CDATA[Manny Pacquiao said Wednesday that his lengthy layoff from boxing has reignited his passion for the sport as he prepares for next month&#39;s world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios.

The 46-year-old Filipino boxing icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight ended in defeat.

Pacquiao has reunited with long-time veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month&#39;s title tilt, and spoke to journalists on Wednesday as he worked out at the Hall of Famer&#39;s Wild Card gym in Hollywood.

&quot;Four years rest has been good for me,&quot; Pacquiao said after showing off some impressive hand speed in an open pads session.

&quot;I&#39;ve been in boxing for so many decades, so it&#39;s good for my body to rest for four years.

&quot;Now I&#39;m back, I&#39;m hungry to fight again. I&#39;m hungry to fight in a big fight like this. To work hard, have discipline, everything like that.&quot;

&quot;I&#39;ve missed boxing. I feel like the passion, the fire in my eyes, working hard -- it&#39;s still there.&quot;

Pacquiao said while his recovery times were now slightly longer, he had not noticed any drop off in his physical conditioning.

&quot;I&#39;m fast, I can move like I did before. I can run in the mountains with the young boxers, so I&#39;m happy,&quot; he said.

&quot;I&#39;m enjoying this training camp. There&#39;s a couple of adjustments for bodily recovery. We have to control the body, give my body time to rest and recover.&quot;

Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, refused to be drawn on whether his comeback next month would be &quot;one and done&quot; or just the first step of a full-fledged return to the sport.

&quot;It&#39;s hard to say,&quot; he said when asked about future bouts. &quot;Now I&#39;m back so one at a time, after this fight we can plan whatever we want.&quot;

For some in boxing, however, Pacquiao&#39;s return to the ring represents an unnecessary risk.

British promoter Eddie Hearn was the latest to cast doubt on the wisdom of the Filipino&#39;s comeback earlier this month, predicting that the 30-year-old Barrios will be &quot;too young and too strong&quot; for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao smiled on Wednesday when asked for his response to Hearn&#39;s remarks.

&quot;Just watch on July 19th,&quot; he said. &quot;It will be a good fight.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Aus thump Ind at fortress Adelaide</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2514651/aus-thump-ind-at-fortress-adelaide</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2514651/aus-thump-ind-at-fortress-adelaide#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 08 Dec 24 21:01:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2514651</guid>
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				<![CDATA[The five-match series is level at 1-1 after an Aussie 10-wicket victory]]>
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				<![CDATA[A resurgent Australia thumped India by 10 wickets to win the second Test on Sunday and level their blockbuster five-match series 1-1 after a batting and bowling masterclass at fortress Adelaide Oval.

Chasing just 19 for victory, openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney steered the hosts to the meagre target without loss on day three of the pink-ball clash. The visitors resumed at 128-5 after their hopes were left in tatters during a final fiery session on Saturday at the hands of an Australian pace onslaught.

They only boosted the total to 175 before meekly surrendering.

Dangerman Rishabh Pant failed to negotiate the opening over from Mitchell Starc and was out without adding to his overnight 28 while Pat Cummins accounted for Ravichandran Ashwin (7) then Harshit Rana (0).

Allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy made a plucky 42 before he fell to Scott Boland, who then removed Mohammed Siraj (7) to end the innings.

Cummins ended with 5-57 while Boland grabbed 3-51. Starc took eight wickets for the match.

Defeat was another painful memory of Adelaide for India, who also crashed within three days in 2020 when they were bundled out for 36 &ndash; their lowest-ever Test score.

Victory capped a fighting turnaround for Australia after being crushed by 295 runs in the opening game at Perth, which sparked fierce criticism over whether the top-ranked but ageing team could still produce the goods.

While Khawaja and Steve Smith were again notable flops with the bat, the hosts largely silenced the critics &ndash; at least until the next Test at the Gabba in Brisbane from Saturday.

Australia were always odds-on favourites in Adelaide despite the Perth calamity, boasting far more experience of day-night Test cricket.

They have now won 12 of their 13 games played under lights, including a perfect 8-0 record in Adelaide.

In contrast, India have a 3-2 win-loss record in the format, with both defeats to Australia in the South Australian capital.

India&#39;s problems began on the first ball of the match, when a menacing Starc trapped hot-shot young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal &ndash; a century-maker in Perth &ndash; lbw.

They never recovered, all out for 180, with Reddy top-scoring on 42 and Starc ending with a career-best 6-48.

Game-changing

India&#39;s pace attack were then unable to make the best use of the new pink ball when Australia battled through a difficult phase till stumps for the loss of just Khawaja on day one.

The visitors&#39; bowling coach Morne Morkel pinpointed a failure by their young attack to find the right lines and lengths.

The next day Travis Head made them pay with a rollicking game-changing 140 while Marnus Labuschagne hit 64 to propel Australia to 337 and an ominous 157-run lead. And in contrast to India, Australia then drew on their experience to decimate India&#39;s top order when they took the new ball at dusk on Saturday.

It left them with just five wickets to mop up Sunday, which they did with minimum fuss.

Pant made his intentions clear, swinging wildly at Starc&#39;s second ball, and was gone four deliveries later, thick-edging to Smith.

Cummins took care of Ashwin, who gloved a bouncer to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, then Rana for nought with another bumper that popped up to Khawaja at gully.

Reddy, India&#39;s best batter in both innings, was caught by McSweeney in the deep before Boland sent Siraj back to put India out of their misery.]]>
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			<title>Bangladesh seeks Sheikh Hasina's extradition from India</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2494698/bangladesh-seeks-sheikh-hasinas-extradition-from-india</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2494698/bangladesh-seeks-sheikh-hasinas-extradition-from-india#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 24 08:15:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2494698</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Efforts are underway to bring back the ousted leader from India as Bangladesh intensifies its extradition push.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Bangladesh&rsquo;s war crimes tribunal is set to seek the extradition of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina from neighbouring India, its chief prosecutor has said, accusing her of carrying out &ldquo;massacres&rdquo;.

Weeks of student-led demonstrations in Bangladesh escalated into mass protests last month, with Hasina quitting as prime minister and fleeing by helicopter to old ally India on August 5, ending her iron-fisted 15-year rule.

&ldquo;As the main perpetrator has fled the country, we will start the legal procedure to bring her back,&rdquo; Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh&rsquo;s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told reporters on Sunday.

The ICT was set up by Hasina in 2010 to probe atrocities during the 1971 independence war from Pakistan.

Hasina&rsquo;s government was accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killing of her political opponents.

&ldquo;Bangladesh has a criminal extradition treaty with India which was signed in 2013, while Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s government was in power,&rdquo; Islam added.

&ldquo;As she has been made the main accused of the massacres in Bangladesh, we will try to legally bring her back to Bangladesh to face trial&rdquo;.

Hasina, 76, has not been seen in public since fleeing Bangladesh, and her last official whereabouts is a military airbase near India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.&nbsp;

Dhaka has revoked her diplomatic passport, and the countries have a bilateral extradition treaty which would permit her return to face criminal trial.

A clause in the treaty, however, says extradition might be refused if the offence is of a &ldquo;political character&rdquo;.

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who took over after the uprising, last week said Hasina should &ldquo;keep quiet&rdquo; while exiled in India until she is brought home for trial.]]>
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			<title>Investigation reveals  Israeli tank fire hit AFP Gaza office</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2473857/israeli-tank-fire-hit-afp-gaza-office-media-probe</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2473857/israeli-tank-fire-hit-afp-gaza-office-media-probe#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 24 09:50:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The strike on the AFP bureau did not cause any casualties as staff had evacuated the site]]>
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				<![CDATA[A collaborative investigation by AFP and international media outlets published Tuesday points to Israeli tank fire likely being the cause of blasts that damaged the global news agency&#39;s Gaza bureau on November 2.

A consortium led by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and involving around 50 journalists from 13 outlets carried out a four-month probe into several strikes involving journalists and media infrastructure since the genocide in Gaza erupted on October 7.

The strike on the AFP bureau did not cause any casualties as staff had evacuated the site.

But the office&#39;s 11th-floor server room was severely damaged.

On a balcony on the floor below, an AFP camera was capturing live images of the Israeli offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory and beaming them to viewers around the world.

As the camera kept rolling, it caught the very moments the bureau was hit.

As part of the investigation, journalists and experts pored over archives of this live footage, images of the aftermath of the strike and satellite imagery to try to determine the cause of the blast.

Five experts consulted said the damage to the server room was likely caused by a tank, a weapon not owned by any other party in the conflict apart from Israel.

The Israeli military has said &quot;the building was not targeted in any way&quot;, and in June said the incident was under review.

Here is a breakdown of what the investigation has revealed:

Since 1993, AFP has had a bureau in the Gaza Strip.

n 2015, it moved to the three top floors of the 12-storey Hajji building in Gaza City&#39;s Rimal neighbourhood, two blocks from the Mediterranean Sea.

When conflict broke out on October 7, some of AFP&#39;s team of seven journalists, one technician and one accountant in the territory had been working for the agency for over two decades.

AFP has been particularly proud of the Gaza bureau, especially in view of the limited presence of foreign press in the Palestinian territory, the agency&#39;s global news director Phil Chetwynd said.

AFP staff &quot;have a great attachment to the people who work there and the very difficult work that they do&quot;, he said.

Adel Zaanoun, a journalist whose career with AFP in Gaza spans three decades, said the bureau in the Hajji building, with its view onto the Mediterranean Sea and over large parts of the city, had been useful for coverage, but also &quot;a safe haven in times of war&quot;.

It&#39;s our second home,&quot; he said.

It is from the office in the Hajji building that staff initially covered the conflict, with the agency sharing the bureau&#39;s address and coordinates with the Israeli military within the first day of the war.

The AFP team left on October 13, the same day Israel demanded all civilians leave Gaza City.

But the camera on its 10th-floor balcony continued filming.

As tanks slowly encircled Gaza in early November, it was live streaming images from the city.

On November 2 around midday local time, blasts rocked the AFP bureau, severely damaging the server room and leaving a gaping hole in one of its outside walls.

The live camera on the balcony on the floor below, connected to solar panels, was not hit and kept rolling.

After a few temporary interruptions, it only stopped coverage definitively on November 12, when no one was around to reboot the transmission system.

AFP on November 4 called on Israel for &quot;an in-depth and transparent investigation&quot; into the exact involvement of its military in the strike.

The Israeli military said there had been an Israeli &quot;strike near the building to eliminate an immediate threat&quot; that &quot;might have caused debris&quot;, but &quot;the building was not targeted in any way&quot;.

Archived live footage from the camera shows bright flashes in the distance several seconds before blasts rock the building, with several experts establishing a correlation between the two.

Five said it was likely tank fire that had hit the building.

Trevor Ball, a former US army explosives expert, said the damage to the server room was consistent with tank fire.

On a scale of one to 10, &quot;I would go with a 10 due to the small amount of damage and fragments consistent with tank rounds,&quot; he said.

British ammunition expert Adrian Wilkinson noted the damage inside the 11th-floor server room was consistent with a 120mm M339 &quot;bunker buster shell&quot; containing 2.3 kilos of explosive known to have been used by Israeli tanks during the Gaza war, and not owned by any other party in the conflict.

&quot;No other actor has a weapon system that fires line of sight with a warhead of 2.3 kilos, which is consistent with the damage caused inside the building,&quot; he said.

Damage showed &quot;the device certainly detonated inside the building&quot;, he added.

&quot;A debris strike would not cause the damage observed,&quot; he added, dismissing the Israeli military&#39;s claim.

He said the building was likely targeted.

&quot;The weapon type and accuracy inherent in the Israeli tank weapon system means that the weapon hit the target it was aimed at,&quot; he said.

&quot;Why it was fired? I cannot comment.&quot;

A weapons expert from the French military, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said that there was a &quot;more than a seven out of 10&quot; chance that it was an Israeli tank shell that caused the damage.

&quot;If it had been a different kind of projectile, we would have seen different kinds of shrapnel,&quot; he said.

War Noir, an independent weapons researcher who works under a pseudonym, said it was highly probable the live stream footage had caught a tank firing at the building.

&quot;It is very likely that most of the attacks in the streams were caused by a tank gun,&quot; he said.

Asked for clarification about the November 2 attack during the investigation, the Israeli military appeared to repeat its previous statement.

&quot;The offices of the AFP agency were not the target of the attack and damage to them could have been caused by the shock wave or shrapnel,&quot; it said, without clearly saying to what attack they referred or mentioning the date.

It added the incident was under review.

Where did the tank fire originate from?

For each strike, the live footage captures a flash, a strike on the building and then the sound of a muzzle blast.

Knowing the speed of sound, consortium journalists calculated the distance between the flash of the weapon going off and the camera that captured the sound of its detonation, placing the origin of fire at around three kilometres (1.8 miles).

Positioning that radius over a satellite map, it located the possible point of departure to a wasteland northeast of the AFP bureau.

While analysis of images could not clearly establish a line of sight from that plot, the investigation could not categorically exclude that one existed.

The ongoing nature of the conflict meant that a journalist could not be sent back there to take extra pictures.

But Israeli tanks were in that area around that date.

Satellite images of the area on November 3, the day after the strikes, show what look like vehicle tracks on that patch of wasteland.

Satellite imagery company Maxar sent partners views of other areas of the city on November 2, the day of the strikes on the AFP bureau, but for the full wasteland area said it did not have &quot;imagery that we can provide&quot;.

It also remains unclear why the building was struck.

AFP has no indication that any Hamas members were in the building on November 2 or in the days prior, said global news director Chetwynd.

The team did not hear any unusual activity going on near the camera in parts of the live stream footage that they viewed from November 2 and days before.

It is also unclear if the live stream was being targeted.

But the strikes come within a series of incidents involving the Israeli army and media over the course of the war.

Less than an hour before the strike on the AFP office, a strike hit another tower block nearby called the Ghefari building, on whose 16th floor a local outlet called the Palestinian Media Group (PMG) was also shooting live footage.

Its clients since the start of the war had included international news agency Reuters.

That strike damaged the 16th floor of Ghefari, wounding one of its journalists.

PMG&#39;s Hassan Madhoun said a second strike again hit his offices in the Ghefari tower on November 3 from a different direction, and he was certain &quot;it was targeting the cameras&quot;.

In southern Lebanon on October 13, an AFP team and reporters from other media outlets including Reuters and Al Jazeera were capturing images of clashes on the Israeli border, when they were also hit, killing a Reuters journalist and seriously wounding an AFP photographer who later had a leg amputated.

Al Jazeera was streaming live from the location at the time.

An AFP investigation in December also pointed to a tank shell only used by the Israeli army in the high-tension border region.

More recently, Israel last month briefly blocked the AP news agency&#39;s live video of Gaza from southern Israel.

For Shuruq Asad, spokeswoman for the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS), the intent of the November 2 strike was clear.

&quot;This is a clear and direct attack on a press office,&quot; she said.

&quot;Israel knows the importance of the live streams... how important they are for the international press which use these wire services.&quot;

Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said such footage could also sometimes be used as evidence.

&quot;Where there is strong potential for a war crime being committed, obviously the live stream becomes critical evidence,&quot; said Khan.

Chetwynd, AFP&#39;s global news director, called for &quot;a very clear and transparent investigation into both the incident in southern Lebanon and the incident in our bureau in Gaza&quot;.

&quot;Any kind of attack in which journalists or media structures are damaged or hurt is extremely serious and in both these incidents there are real concerns that there was some kind of targeting of either individuals or media infrastructure,&quot; he said.

UN expert Khan stressed, that even if the offices were empty, &quot;according to international humanitarian law, media infrastructure is civilian infrastructure, so targeting it would be potentially a war crime&quot;.]]>
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			<title>Reuters journalist killed in Lebanon in missile fire from direction of Israel</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2441104/reuters-journalist-killed-in-lebanon-in-missile-fire-from-direction-of-israel</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2441104/reuters-journalist-killed-in-lebanon-in-missile-fire-from-direction-of-israel#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 14 Oct 23 15:11:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2441104</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Reuters journalist killed and colleagues injured in Lebanon, Israel faces blame, calls for investigation]]>
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				<![CDATA[A Reuters video journalist was killed and six other journalists injured in southern Lebanon on Friday when missiles fired from the direction of Israel struck them, according to a Reuters videographer who was at the scene.

The group of journalists, including from Al Jazeera and Agence France-Presse (AFP), were working near Alma al-Shaab, close to the Israel border, where the Israeli military and Lebanese militia Hezbollah have been trading fire in border clashes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a Hezbollah lawmaker blamed the incident on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel&rsquo;s UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, said in a briefing on Friday: &quot;Obviously, we would never want to hit or kill or shoot any journalist that is doing its job. But you know, we&#39;re in a state of war, things might happen.&quot; He added that the country would investigate.

Reuters said in a statement that Issam Abdallah had been killed while providing a live video signal for broadcasters. The camera was pointed at a hillside when a loud explosion shook the camera, filling the air with smoke, and screams were heard.

&quot;We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,&quot; Reuters said.

&quot;We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam&rsquo;s family and colleagues.&quot;

Two other Reuters journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the incident and released from a hospital after receiving medical care, Reuters said.

Read also:&nbsp;UN agency says 9 of its staff members killed in Gaza airstrikes since Oct. 7

Nazeh said Reuters and the two other news organizations were filming missile fire coming from the direction of Israel when one struck Abdallah as he was sitting on a low stone wall near the rest of the group. Seconds later, another missile hit the car being used by the group, setting it aflame.

While other news outlets, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, said the shells were Israeli, Reuters could not establish whether the missiles had actually been fired by Israel.

AFP said two of its journalists were wounded.

Qatari funded broadcaster Al Jazeera said two of its journalists were also wounded in the incident and had been clearly distinguishable as press. It blamed Israel for the incident, saying all those behind &quot;this criminal act&quot; should be held accountable.

&quot;The broadcast vehicle was bombed and completely burned despite the presence of our team close to/side by side with the rest of the international media crews in an agreed-upon location,&quot; Al Jazeera said in a statement.

The village of Alma Al-Shaab has been the site of repeated clashes since war erupted further south between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militia with close ties to Hezbollah.

Hamas fighters burst out of the Gaza Strip a week ago and launched a deadly assault on Israeli civilians and soldiers, triggering heavy bombardment of Gaza.

In an interview with Reuters, Fatima Kanso, Abdallah&rsquo;s mother, blamed Israel for the death of her son.

Read:&nbsp;Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon

&quot;Israel deliberately killed my son. They were all wearing journalists&rsquo; gear and the word &#39;press&#39; was visible. Israel cannot deny this crime,&quot; she added.

Shortly before Abdallah was killed, he posted on social media a photograph of himself wearing a helmet and a flak jacket with the word &quot;press&quot; visible on it.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kanso&#39;s remarks.

&quot;We always try to mitigate and avoid civilian casualties,&quot; Erdan, Israel&rsquo;s UN envoy, said to reporters in a briefing.

&ldquo;We regret them. We feel sorry. And we will investigate it. Right now, it&#39;s too early to call what happened there,&quot; he said.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a peacekeeping unit that patrols Lebanon&#39;s border with Israel, said it was saddened by the news and called for the firing to stop.

&quot;The potential for this escalation to spiral out of control is clear, and it must be halted,&quot; it said in a statement.]]>
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			<title>Who's India's Adani and why is his company tanking?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2398607/whos-indias-adani-and-why-is-his-company-tanking</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2398607/whos-indias-adani-and-why-is-his-company-tanking#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 23 10:53:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2398607</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hindenburg Research accused Adani Group of committing &quot;a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme&quot;]]>
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				<![CDATA[The business empire of Gautam Adani has shed tens of billions of dollars in value on the back of a report alleging accounting fraud that the Indian tycoon&#39;s firm has strenuously rejected.

Adani, 60, is a publicity-shy school dropout of humble origins who rose to become the world&#39;s third-richest man with a fortune -- until last week -- of around $130 billion.

Moving to Mumbai in his teens to work sorting diamonds, he formed his own import-export business. His big break came in 1995 when he acquired a shipping port just as India&#39;s economy was opening up.

Today Adani Group does everything from power generation and coal mining to cement, media and food. Its seven listed units had market value in January of around $220 billion.

Critics say Adani&#39;s closeness to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fellow native of Gujarat state, has brought his group an unfair advantage in winning business.

On the back of eye-watering rises in the share prices of his firms, Adani became Asia&#39;s richest man. Globally only Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault and family were wealthier, according to Forbes.

On January 24, Hindenburg Research -- an activist US investment group that bets on stocks falling -- accused Adani Group of committing &quot;a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades&quot;.

Hindenburg&#39;s two-year investigation also found that elder brother Vinod Adani, &quot;through several close associates, manages a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities&quot;.

&quot;We believe the Adani Group has been able to operate a large, flagrant fraud in broad daylight in large part because investors, journalists, citizens and even politicians have been afraid to speak out for fear of reprisal,&quot; it said.

The report has sparked a huge sell-off in shares in Adani&#39;s firms, wiping out more than $68 billion in market value, according to Bloomberg News. Trading in some stocks was temporarily halted.

Adani&#39;s personal wealth has dived by around $40 billion and he has tumbled down the real-time Forbes rich list to number eight.

The timing was also terrible, coming just as Adani Group is seeking to raise $2.5 billion to strengthen its finances with a sale of shares that is due to expire on Tuesday.

On January 25, Adani&#39;s finance chief called the Hindenburg report a &quot;malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations that have been tested and rejected by India&#39;s highest courts&quot;.

On Sunday the firm issued a 413-page statement that it said rebutted all of Hindenburg&#39;s claims, calling the group the &quot;Madoffs of Manhattan&quot; -- a reference to crooked financier Bernie Madoff.

&quot;This is not merely an unwarranted attack on any specific company but a calculated attack on India, the independence, integrity and quality of Indian institutions, and the growth story and ambition of India,&quot; it said.

Some of Adani&#39;s firms inched back upwards on Monday, but on the whole investors continued to dump Adani stock, wiping off billions more in market value.

Hindenburg said that only about 30 pages of the Adani statement focused on issues related to its report.

&quot;The remainder of the response consisted of 330 pages of court records, along with 53 pages of high-level financials, general information, and details on irrelevant corporate initiatives, such as how it encourages female entrepreneurship and the production of safe vegetables,&quot; it said.]]>
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			<title>Google signs 5-year deal to pay for news from AFP</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2329980/google-signs-5-year-deal-to-pay-for-news-from-afp</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2329980/google-signs-5-year-deal-to-pay-for-news-from-afp#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 21 04:50:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2329980</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Alphabet's Google will pay AFP for news content, as part of their 5-year partnership.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Alphabet Inc&#39;s&nbsp;Google will begin paying Agence France-Presse for its news content as part of broad five-year partnership announced Wednesday that marks one of the biggest licensing deals struck by a tech giant under a new French law.

News organizations, which have been losing ad revenue to online aggregators such as Google and Facebook, have complained for years about the tech companies using stories in search results or other features without payment.

New laws in France and Australia - fueled by media lobbying and public pressure - have given publishers greater leverage, leading to a slew of licensing deals around the world collectively worth billions of dollars.

The AFP accord follows France enacting a copyright law that creates &ldquo;neighboring rights,&rdquo; requiring big tech companies to open talks with news publishers that want a licensing payment.

Google declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, but confirmed it would run for five years. The companies said in a joint press release that they also will collaborate on projects, such as fact-checking.

&ldquo;This agreement is a recognition of the value of information,&quot; Fabrice Fries, Agence France-Presse&#39;s chief executive, said in a statement.

Google earlier this year agreed to pay $76 million over three years to a group of 121 French news publishers, not including AFP, Reuters previously reported. But the deal has been on hold, pending the outcome of an antitrust proceeding in which France&#39;s competition regulator has accused Google of failing to negotiate in good faith.

S&eacute;bastien Missoffe, managing director of Google France, said the AFP deal showed the tech company&#39;s &quot;willingness to find common ground with publishers.&quot;

The deal does not bring AFP into News Showcase, a feature that Google launched last year that promotes content from over 1,000 publishers that have agreed to license content for a fee.

Reuters signed a News Showcase agreement&nbsp;with Google in January, and Wall Street Journal owner News Corp&nbsp;closed a similar deal a month later.

Facebook last month signed a neighboring rights deal with a French alliance including dozens of publishers such as Le Figaro.]]>
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			<title>Suspects face attempted murder counts in Lady Gaga bulldog heist</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2297575/suspects-face-attempted-murder-counts-in-lady-gaga-bulldog-heist</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2297575/suspects-face-attempted-murder-counts-in-lady-gaga-bulldog-heist#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Apr 21 05:08:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Gossip]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2297575</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The suspects are three men ages 18, 19 and 27, and two were also charged with assault]]>
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				<![CDATA[Three men were charged with attempted murder and robbery on Thursday in the theft of singer Lady Gaga&#39;s dogs in February, authorities said, a crime that saw her dog walker shot on a street in Hollywood.

The suspects are three men ages 18, 19 and 27, and two were also charged with assault, the Los Angeles District Attorney&#39;s office said in a statement.

&quot;This was a brazen street crime that left a man seriously wounded,&quot; District Attorney George Gascon was quoted as saying, underscoring the &quot;very serious&quot; nature of the case.

The three, described by Los Angeles police as &quot;documented gang members,&quot; allegedly approached Lady Gaga&#39;s dog walker Ryan Fischer while he was out with the singer&#39;s French bulldogs near Sunset Boulevard on February 24.

Two suspects got out of a vehicle and demanded Fischer hand over the pets at gunpoint. He was shot once in a struggle with the two men who fled with two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav, police said.

A third dog, Miss Asia, ran away during the encounter before returning to the wounded Fischer, and was later recovered by law enforcement at the scene.

Police said they don&#39;t believe the suspects targeted the dogs because of their famous owner, but because French bulldogs are a coveted breed that can sell for thousands of dollars.

Two other suspects, considered accomplices by prosecutors, include a 50-year-old woman who turned the pets over to police two days after the theft.

She said she had found them in the street, after Lady Gaga had offered a $500,000 reward for their safe return.

Authorities said the fifth suspect had a relationship with the 50-year-old woman and was the father of one of the three attackers.]]>
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			<title>Man 'stalking' Taylor Swift arrested at singer's New York apartment</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2295756/man-stalking-taylor-swift-arrested-at-singers-new-york-apartment</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2295756/man-stalking-taylor-swift-arrested-at-singers-new-york-apartment#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 21 04:44:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2295756</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hanks Johnson, 52, was charged with criminal trespassing after police responded to an emergency call made by Swift]]>
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				<![CDATA[An alleged stalker of pop superstar Taylor Swift was arrested after she suffered a break-in at her New York apartment, police said Monday.

Hanks Johnson, 52, was charged with criminal trespassing after police responded to an emergency call on Saturday, reporting that someone was breaking into Swift&#39;s home in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan.

Johnson was released on his own recognizance following an arraignment in Manhattan criminal court Sunday night.

According to the New York Daily News, Johnson had shown up at Swift&#39;s building to ring the doorbell at least five times over the past six months.

The 31-year-old Swift -- who is back on top of the charts following the release of her re-recording of her hit Fearless&nbsp;album -- has been a victim of stalking at her various properties for years.

In June 2019 an Iowa man was arrested after traveling to Rhode Island, where she owns a home, with burglary tools including an aluminum baseball bat and plans to &quot;visit&quot; Swift.

Roger Alvarado was arrested multiple times for breaking into her Manhattan home in recent years.

The pop phenom has cited violence as one of her &quot;greatest fears,&quot; and in the past reportedly has deployed facial recognition technology at some concerts to identify potential stalkers in the crowd.]]>
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			<title>Tipping point: Oscars filmmakers hail disability progress</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2295543/tipping-point-oscars-filmmakers-hail-disability-progress</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2295543/tipping-point-oscars-filmmakers-hail-disability-progress#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 21 04:48:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Film]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2295543</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[This year, the Oscars will feature a Best Picture contender about a drummer with hearing loss in 'Sound of Metal']]>
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				<![CDATA[This year, the Oscars will feature a Best Picture contender about a drummer with hearing loss, a nominated documentary exploring a hippie camp for disabled youths, and a nod for the first film ever to star a deafblind actor.

It&#39;s a step forward for disability representation in Hollywood, nominated filmmakers told AFP &mdash; but one that must be built on to prevent progress slipping away from our screens yet again.

Until now, Tinseltown producers &quot;haven&#39;t done a very good job &mdash; but they know that, we&#39;re making them aware of that,&quot; said Sound of Metal supporting actor nominee Paul Raci, who was raised by deaf parents.

&quot;I&#39;m one of the guys who has got to be in the forefront of not dropping the ball... keeping them aware of all the deaf artists that we have, all the disabled artists, all the genius that&#39;s out there, all the untold stories,&quot; Raci told AFP.

The wariness is understandable. This is a road Hollywood has attempted to travel down before.

In 1948, Jane Wyman, a hearing actress, won an Oscar for playing a deaf-mute woman in Johnny Belinda &mdash; a miscasting Raci likens to &quot;nails on a chalkboard.&quot;

Real progress came in 1987 when Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, won the Academy Award for best actress for Children of a Lesser God.

But until recently, that has remained a stark exception to the norm, even as Hollywood has made leaps and bounds in inclusive content involving Black and LGBTQ filmmakers and themes.

&quot;Oftentimes, the disability community brings up the rear as far as underrepresented communities getting the spotlight,&quot; said Doug Roland, director of the Oscar-nominated short film Feeling Through.

Roland is able-bodied, but his short film was inspired by a late-night encounter he had with a deafblind man who needed help crossing a New York street.

He cast first-time actor Robert Tarango &mdash; the first deafblind person with a leading role in any movie, according to filmmakers.

Matlin herself came on board as an executive producer, and the film is now on an Oscar shortlist of five.

&quot;That conversation has really started to shift in a very significant way to the disability community, and there&#39;s louder voices being heard,&quot; said Roland.

Subhuman

But disability representation is such an uphill battle in entertainment because biases are &quot;very deep and hard to identify,&quot; with those holding them often not even aware of their prejudice, according to Roland.

The community is &quot;often seen as &#39;less than&#39; in a way that&#39;s more severe than other communities,&quot; or even &quot;almost as subhuman,&quot; he told AFP.

&quot;That&#39;s something that has maybe stifled people really listening or leaning in or taking it seriously.&quot;

Raci, who plays an addiction counselor who lost his hearing late in life in Sound of Metal, agreed that &quot;people are afraid of the unknown, or they&#39;re threatened.&quot;

&quot;Deafness is a hidden disability &mdash; there&#39;s no sign in anybody that says &#39;I&#39;m deaf&#39;,&quot; he told AFP.

Another obstacle for actors with disabilities is physical access to film sets and locations, which are not always equipped for a wide range of people such as wheelchair users or the blind.

This month, A-listers including Amy Poehler and Naomie Harris signed an open letter to top movie studios urging them to hire permanent disability officers, who would help seek opportunities for disabled talent and ensure more inclusive hiring.

In a bid to change Hollywood&#39;s course, actor Nic Novicki in 2013 launched a film competition requiring at least one crew or cast member with a disability, which has now become the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.

&quot;When I started it... we were very underrepresented &mdash; much more so than now,&quot; said Novicki, who has a form of dwarfism, and was tired of being offered typecast roles where disability was &quot;the storyline.&quot;

&quot;If you look at the Academy Awards this year, the proof is in the pudding,&quot; he added, pointing also to Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp.

Tipping point

The film, from Barack and Michelle Obama&#39;s production company, begins at a 1970s New York summer camp for disabled youths, before charting their outsized role in the US disability rights movement.

&quot;That&#39;s one of the most inclusive and beautiful films I can remember,&quot; said Novicki, praising its co-director James Lebrecht, a lifelong wheelchair user born with spina bifida.

With roughly a quarter of the planet&#39;s population suffering some disability, the &quot;largest minority population in the world&quot; remains vastly under-represented, even at this year&#39;s Oscars, said Novicki.

But &quot;I think we&#39;re at that tipping point, honestly... just getting more and more in the mindset of everybody in the entertainment industry,&quot; he said.

&quot;It can&#39;t be all these able-bodied people, that&#39;s not how it works,&quot; agreed Raci.

&quot;It&#39;s about time to start paying attention to that, and this, and that &mdash; everything.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Iran Covid infections jump after new year holidays</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2293526/iran-covid-infections-jump-after-new-year-holidays</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2293526/iran-covid-infections-jump-after-new-year-holidays#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 21 07:22:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2293526</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The new reported cases brought the total number of infections to over 1.94 million]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Iran&rsquo;s daily new Covid-19 infections reached a four-month high today as the capital Tehran was put on the highest virus risk level, with authorities blaming increased travelling.

The Islamic republic is battling the Middle East&rsquo;s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, and case numbers have risen following a surge in trips during the Iranian new year holidays that started on March 18.

In the past 24 hours, 13,890 new coronavirus cases were recorded, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in televised remarks.

It is the highest number of daily infections since December 4, and close to the peak of 14,051 positive cases recorded on November 28.

The new reported cases brought the total number of infections to over 1.94 million, according to Lari.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki said Iran is facing &ldquo;one of the most severe waves&rdquo; of coronavirus.

&ldquo;Sadly, no one listened to me about managing travel, and today we&rsquo;re facing a great difficulty,&rdquo; he said, according to the ministry&rsquo;s website.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve now lost the reins (of the virus), and it&rsquo;s not clear when we can go below triple digit deaths.&rdquo;

Some officials, including Namaki, have admitted in the past that the virus numbers are likely higher than official figures.

&lsquo;Fourth wave&rsquo;&nbsp;

Tehran, with a population of over eight million, is now classified as &ldquo;red&rdquo; on the country&rsquo;s coronavirus risk scale.

Also read&nbsp;Supreme leader ushers in Iranian new year with message of hope&nbsp;

Only essential services, such as food providers and health centres, remain open.

Most major cities in the western half of Iran such as Isfahan, Shiraz and Karaj are listed as red as well.

Lari called the spread &ldquo;very concerning&rdquo;, and warned the rest of the country may soon follow.

Tehran was put on orange alert on March 28, leading to the closing of cinemas and theatres.

Authorities had warned of a concerning rise in the spread of the more contagious British variant of the disease and of a &ldquo;fourth wave&rdquo; prior to the holidays.

Iranians were allowed to travel to low-risk cities during the holidays, but were warned to leave or be fined if the level rose to orange or red.

In late March, deputy health minister Alireza Raisi criticised a significant lack of compliance with health protocols.

Iran has never imposed a full lockdown since the pandemic started.

Instead, it has resorted to limited and shifting measures, such as temporary bans on travelling or businesses.]]>
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			<title>Tribune Fact Check: Mahatir Mohamad says Muslims have right to kill the French?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2270444/tribune-fact-check-mahatir-mohamad-says-muslims-have-right-to-kill-the-french</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2270444/tribune-fact-check-mahatir-mohamad-says-muslims-have-right-to-kill-the-french#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 20 20:54:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Social Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2270444</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Statement is misleading as ex-Malaysian PM gives context for Muslims demonstrating restraint in face of provocation]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[An extract from a Twitter message by Malaysia&#39;s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has been used by various news outlets and social media users as evidence of him purportedly saying that Muslims have the right to kill the French people after blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the country sparked worldwide uproar among members of the faith.

The Express Tribune found the claim to be misleading as Mahthir merely gives context to how even in the face of repeated provocation from the French government Muslims have always shown restraint from carrying out violent acts.

Various publications such as the Agence France-Presse and France 24 cherry picked his quote to serve their own narratives, a screengrab of which can be seen below.



&quot;Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past. But by and large the Muslims have not applied the eye for an eye law. Muslims don&rsquo;t. The French shouldn&rsquo;t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people&rsquo;s feeling,&quot; Mahatir, who served as Malaysian premier twice for a total of 24 years, wrote went on to say as he detailed how members of the faith had always opted to peace instead of shedding blood.

Mahathir, 95, a respected leader in the Muslim world, gave a blue print in the statement of how the western world must respect the values and beliefs of Muslims.

He underscored that hurting the religious sensibilities of any faith is not freedom of speech but injustice.




RESPECT OTHERS

1. A teacher in France had his throat slit by an 18-year-old Chechen boy. The killer was angered by the teacher showing a caricature of Prophet Muhammad. The teacher intended to demonstrate freedom of expression.
&mdash; Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) October 29, 2020



&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Climate change is key factor behind California wildfires</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2266325/climate-change-is-key-factor-behind-california-wildfires</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2266325/climate-change-is-key-factor-behind-california-wildfires#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 20 07:11:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[As false claims circulate Social media posts that raging wildfires are due to poor land management]]>
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				<![CDATA[Social media posts claim that wildfires raging through California are due to poor land management, not climate change, echoing comments from US President Donald Trump. The claims are false; while land management is a factor, global warming has left California hotter, drier and more prone to wildfires, according to government-approved research and academics.

&ldquo;Forest fires are caused by poor management. Not by climate change,&rdquo; says one&nbsp;post, shared more than 12,000 times on Facebook since September 9, 2020. It says the Creek Fire and other blazes in California are the result of failures to clear &ldquo;brush and dead overgrown trees&rdquo; from the land.

A second&nbsp;post, also shared more than 12,000 times on the social network, attributes the fires to &ldquo;bad forestry practices&rdquo; and &ldquo;not the climate change hoax.&rdquo;



A screenshot of a Facebook post taken on September 18, 2020

And a third post writes off global warming as a factor in the wildfires, blaming a &ldquo;total lack of forest maintenance&rdquo; for the devastation.

The posts reflect a political divide on the disaster. Democrat-run California is sharply at odds with Trump, a Republican and climate change skeptic.

One Facebook post shared cartoons suggesting that Democrats and &ldquo;left-wing environmentalists&rdquo; have blocked the &ldquo;logging or brush clearing&rdquo; that has turned forestlands into &ldquo;dangerous firetraps.&rdquo;

The online posts mirror comments from Trump who, during a visit to Sacramento, California, attributed fires there and along the West Coast to &ldquo;forest management&rdquo; and failures by local authorities to rake forest floors and clear dead timber.

In a testy exchange with officials in California, who asserted that climate change had contributed towards the fires, Trump responded: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think science knows, actually.&rdquo;

But independent research endorsed by the federal government in the US National Climate Assessment in 2018 says otherwise. The study said that &ldquo;climate change is altering ecosystems and their services through major vegetation shifts and increases in the area burned by wildfire&rdquo; in the southwest.

Experts on climate, fires and weather patterns told AFP that the blazes in California, Oregon and Washington were down to multiple factors, but that global warming had played a central role.

Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate professor at Stanford University, cited the National Climate Assessment from two years ago, and said poor forest management alone could not explain the tenfold increase in land being burned across the western US these past four decades.

&ldquo;It is not true that global warming is playing no role,&rdquo; he said by phone.

&ldquo;Research indicates that around half of that increase in area burned is due to long-term warming through the effects of temperature on the dryness of the vegetation.&rdquo;

Meanwhile, Diffenbaugh added, more people are moving from towns to rural areas, increasing the likelihood of accidental fires - highlighted by the ongoing El Dorado blaze in southern California, which was triggered by a firework at a family event.

Michael Goss, an earth sciences researcher at Stanford University, said via email that &ldquo;warmer, drier conditions brought about by climate change, and associated drying of fuels, absolutely increases the risk of fast, destructive wildfire spread in California.&rdquo;

And Bruce Riordan, director of the Bay Area Climate Adaptation Network in northern California, said by email that while some fires are raging through woodlands &ldquo;many have been in grasslands and other vegetation regimes that have nothing to do with forest management.&rdquo;

West Coast infernos have burned more than five million acres this year and killed dozens of people.

Scott Stephens, a fire science professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said via email that better forest management &ldquo;would enable more of our forests in California to withstand fire and climate change.&rdquo;

Still, he added: &ldquo;Climate change is certainly real and is impacting fire here.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Hollywood to self-censor its films for China</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258289/hollywood-to-self-censor-its-films-for-china</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258289/hollywood-to-self-censor-its-films-for-china#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 20 14:04:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Entertainment Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2258289</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The lures of the massive Chinese market is the main reason, states a report]]>
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				<![CDATA[The lure of the massive Chinese market has led Hollywood to readily self-censor its films to please Beijing, according to a new report by Pen America, an anti-censorship group, reported AFP. 

Screenwriters, producers and directors in the huge US film industry are changing scripts, deleting scenes and altering other content, afraid of offending Chinese censors who control the gateway to the country&#39;s 1.4 billion consumers, according to the report released Wednesday.

The actions include everything from deleting the Taiwanese flag from Tom Cruise&#39;s bomber jacket in the upcoming &quot;Top Gun: Maverick,&quot; to removing China as the source of a zombie virus in 2013&#39;s &quot;World War Z.&quot;

But it also means completely avoiding sensitive issues including Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong politics, Xinjiang and the portrayal of LGBTQ characters, the report said.

Faced with blacklisting and other punitive measures, Hollywood producers are even censoring films not targeting the Chinese market, in order to not impact others planned for Chinese theaters, Pen America says.

&quot;Steadily, a new set of mores has taken hold in Hollywood, one in which appeasing Chinese government investors and gatekeepers has simply become a way of doing business,&quot; the report said.

Lucrative market

Pen is a global organization that speaks out for the protection of freedom of expression for writers and artists worldwide.

It says Beijing enforces one of the world&#39;s most restrictive censorship systems, and numerous members of the group&#39;s China arm have been jailed, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died in 2017 while serving an 11-year prison sentence.

Censorship is now centralized under the Chinese Communist Party&#39;s Central Propaganda Department, which decides whether a foreign film gets access to what is soon to be the world&#39;s largest movie market.

Only a handful of foreign films are released in China each year.

The market&#39;s importance is clear. Hollywood films like &quot;Avengers: Endgame&quot; and &quot;Spider-Man: Far from Home&quot; made more money in China than in the United States.

&quot;The Chinese Communist Party, in fact, holds major sway over whether a Hollywood movie will be profitable or not -- and studio executives know it,&quot; the report said.

That explained why former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner apologized to Beijing after it banned the 1997 film &quot;Kundun&quot; about the Tibetan Dalai Lama, the report said.

And Richard Gere -- star of the 1997 thriller &quot;Red Corner,&quot; which depicted a corrupt Chinese justice system, and a vocal advocate for human rights in Tibet -- has said Hollywood producers avoid him so as to not provoke Beijing.

Increasingly, the report said, Hollywood people &quot;voluntarily internalize these strictures, even without being asked.&quot; Some even invite Chinese censors onto film sets.

One Hollywood producer told Pen: &quot;If you come up with a project that is actively critical,&quot; the fear is that &quot;you or your company will actively be blacklisted, and they will interfere with your current or future project.&quot;

Pen warned that acquiescence to Chinese censorship could become &quot;a new normal&quot; in countries proud of their free speech protections.

&quot;Hollywood&#39;s approach to acceding to Chinese dictates is setting a standard for the rest of the world,&quot; it warned.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below]]>
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			<title>‘Individual federations responsible for SAG doping controversy’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2231903/individual-federations-responsible-sag-doping-controversy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2231903/individual-federations-responsible-sag-doping-controversy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 30 May 20 15:14:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[natasha.raheel]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2231903</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan Olympic Committee official reveals no federation submitted forms of medications athletes were taking]]>
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				<![CDATA[In the wake of the doping controversy of three Pakistani track and field South Asian Games medallists failing the test, a Pakistan Olympic Committee official has revealed that none of the federations had submitted the form that details if the athletes are on medication before the South Asian Games and during the National Games.

The official added that it is unfortunate that three athletes have tested positive. The POA have acted as a coordinating body and had forwarded the details sent to them by the Nepal Olympic Committee's doping control body earlier this week, during Eid holidays.

Initially the athletes' names had not been revealed to protect them, and also to wait for further directives from WADA, while the local media had published the names, and so far there has been reluctance by all in naming the athletes out of embarrassment and disappointment, as well as a way to keep it humane for them.

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) revealed that three athletes, Olympian Mehboob Ali who won the 400m hurdle gold medal in Nepal at SAG, 110 metre hurdler Muhammad Naeem and sprinter Samiullah have tested positive for doping.

"We have passed on the information to the AFP but now we are going to be waiting for further procedures and clarity," the official told The Express Tribune. "The cases are being dealt as individual doping cases and so they have opted for Sample B. But it is up to the federations to take the tests of their top performers before and after and even randomly too to make sure where they all stand. But even last year the POA had conducted workshops and awareness programs during the National Games in November. We had asked all the federations to fill the forms and have the athletes fill them if they are taking any medications whatsoever, but none of the federations submitted the forms back to us."

The National Games were a prelude to Pakistan's SAG campaign as they took place in November last year, and the SAG were in December.

The official said that the POA had asked the federations to submit the information and forms before the Games too, before the teams left for Nepal, however, they never received any information the second time as well.

"The forms are given to the athletes, we had asked the federations to submit the forms back to us, but none of them provided us the forms or the records," said the official.

Meanwhile he said that the athletes at regional level know about doping and it is unrealistic for the national athletes to not know about the doping test and the lack of awareness about them.

"The athletes know what is wrong and right," said the official.

So far the AFP have set up a six-member inquiry committee and Wapda's Samiullah has admitted that he may have taken banned substance through a medication, and since he has been coming from an impoverished background from Fata he was unaware, whereas Ali and Naeem, both Army athletes have denied any wrongdoing, and have opted for Sample B of doping results and they have said, according to the AFP President Maj Gen (R) Akram Sahi, that they will pay for the sample B tests themselves.

An estimated cost of a doping test is $300 and testing every athlete is not possible, however the federations should test the top athletes and must follow the guidelines.

After the initial inquiry, with Samiullah admitting he took a medication and asking for pardon, the other two athletes are adamant that they will go for sample B, and the procedure, before getting to a final verdict may take time.

‘Nepal took almost six months to inform AFP’

AFP President Sahi has assured that he had warned the athletes of any doping or wrongdoing before the Games, and he is closely observing the proceedings of the inquiry committee, he admitted that the incident has brought shame to the country.

The medals, besides two golds and one bronze from Ali, Naeem and Samiullah respectively, two bronze medals in the relay competitions are not in doubt and will be stripped after complete findings and final verdict from World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"We had warned them strictly, one athlete has admitted and the other two are going for Sample B, but we have been talking to the athletes trying to find out what exactly happened, of course we will follow the guidelines from WADA, but for us we need to know if anyone else was involved too," said Sahi.

He added that Nepal took too long to inform the AFP about the tests.

"We have told them as well, and I'm saying it again that it is very embarrassing for us, they could have told us before too, why they have taken so long to reveal the results. We have asked the Nepal Olympic Committee of this delay. In fact if Covid-19 outbreak had not taken place these athletes could have competed in other events too, this has been an embarrassment for us, and the delay in informing us has not helped us," said Sahi.

When asked why athletes were not tested at home before going to Nepal for the Games, he said that each federation has their own resources, and even if they had tested them at home, what if the athlete had chosen to take any drug after landing in Nepal.

"There is a criticism, but I don't want to get into the politics, the key is that if an athlete had chosen to take anything in Nepal too, what could have been done?" he added.

On the other hand, all three athletes including 2016 Olympian Mehboob are from humble backgrounds, and Sahi acknowledged that the consequences of the controversy will hit the athletes badly.

"Of course they are all from humble backgrounds, Samiullah is at the level of a linesman in Wapda, of course they will be badly hit by this," he concluded.

The Inquiry committee has a meeting with athletes now that will take place soon.]]>
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			<title>Beloved arcade game 'Pac-Man' turns 40</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2227794/beloved-arcade-game-pac-man-turns-40</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2227794/beloved-arcade-game-pac-man-turns-40#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 23 May 20 11:21:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pac-Man is hailed as the most successful arcade game of all time]]>
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				<![CDATA[Forty years ago, a new video game featuring a bright yellow, dot-chomping, ghost-dodging character called Pac-Man appeared in Tokyo. It would become the most successful arcade game of all time.

The hero - shaped like a mouth opening and closing - races around a maze noisily gobbling dots and occasionally fruit for extra points, all the while avoiding four cunning ghosts named Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde.

As every Pac-Man player knows, the greatest joy comes from turning the tables by munching a power pellet, sending the ghosts fleeing in all directions as they suddenly become edible themselves.

The game was originally called Puck-Man (an onomatopoeic play on the Japanese word "paku", meaning to gobble) but it was changed when it launched in the United States for fear gamers would inevitably change the "P" to an "F".

Game designer Toru Iwatani came up with the shape for the adorable hero when he took a small slice from a pizza and realised the remainder looked like a wide-open mouth.

Pac-Man was aimed at women and couples - a different audience to the violent alien shoot-em-ups popular in Japanese arcades at the time, Iwatani explained in a 2010 interview with Wired magazine.

The first edition was placed in a cinema in the trendy Tokyo district of Shibuya rather than a male-dominated arcade to test the target audience, he said.

 

"The women and couples were very happy about the machine, very excited. They came up to it and put their hands on it, so we thought that our target concept had been very much in sync and correct," he said.

Hard-core gamers turned up their noses but "it was for people who didn't play games on a daily basis – women, children, the elderly".

The idea of Pac-Man turning the tables on his spooky tormentors came from the cartoon series Popeye, where the nautical hero is only able to take on his nemesis Bluto after a healthy dose of spinach, Iwatani explained.

Tremendously monotonous

From these humble beginnings, Pac-Man would go on to be recognised by Guinness World Records as the most successful coin-operated arcade game of all time.

It has spawned several spin-offs, including Pac 'n Roll, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-in-Time and Pac Panic - a massive money spinner for creators Bandai Namco.

The firm claims the loveable character has a brand recognition of 90 percent around the world - "one of the most recognised on the planet".

To celebrate the game's 30th birthday, Google unveiled its first-ever playable "Doodle" and the internet giant also rolled out a version of the game for its Maps service - turning the real streets of a city into a labyrinth to gobble up pellets and ghosts.

According to Wired, the "perfect score" is 3,333,360 points - possible only by getting to the final level 256 without losing a life and eating every dot, fruit and ghost possible.

"It was tremendously monotonous," Wired quoted the first record-holder, Billy Mitchell, as saying.

Pac-Man's 40th was celebrated with a special Twitter hashtag in Japan, with fans all over the country wishing their hero a happy birthday.

"The characters are colourful and cute. It was so fun. I remember I played a lot at my relative's house. Happy birthday Pac-Man!" said one.

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			<title>Netflix commits $100m to help crews thrown out of work</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2181031/netflix-commits-100m-help-crews-thrown-work</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2181031/netflix-commits-100m-help-crews-thrown-work#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 20 11:21:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Entertainment Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[TV]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2181031</guid>
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				<![CDATA[The moves comes in wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic]]>
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				<![CDATA[Streaming television giant Netflix on Friday launched a $100 million fund to help actors and production crews endure the hit to paychecks caused by the coronavirus pandemic, reported AFP.

The fund is meant to help offset hardship in the "creative community," with most of the money going to financially troubled workers on Netflix productions around the world, according to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

"This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide," Sarandos said in an online post.

Netflix is in the process of figuring out details of how money from the fund will be distributed. The Silicon Valley-based company had already committed to keeping casts and crews of suspended productions on the payroll for an additional two weeks.

"Almost all television and film production has now ceased globally -- leaving hundreds of thousands of crew and cast without jobs," said Sarandos.

"These include electricians, carpenters, drivers, hair and makeup artists and more, many of whom are paid hourly wages and work on a project-to-project basis."

About $15 million of the fund will go to organizations and non-profit groups providing emergency relief to out-of-work film crews and actors in countries where it has a large production base.

"What's happening is unprecedented," Sarandos said.

"We are only as strong as the people we work with and Netflix is fortunate to be able to help those hardest hit in our industry through this challenging time."

The move comes amid "shelter in place" orders in California and many other areas, and the closing of many business operations that could result in a surge in joblessness.

Have something to add to the story? Share in the comments below. ]]>
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			<title>FACT CHECK: This is a 2017 photo of Nawaz Sharif at a reception in Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2174648/fact-check-2017-photo-nawaz-sharif-reception-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2174648/fact-check-2017-photo-nawaz-sharif-reception-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 20 08:18:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2174648</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The photo has been shared more than 22,000 times]]>
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				<![CDATA[A photo has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter in January 2020 that claim it shows former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dining in London after being granted bail on medical grounds following corruption charges in Lahore. The claim is false; the photo actually shows Sharif at a 2017 reception dinner with politicians in the eastern Pakistani city of Gujranwala.

The photo was published here on Facebook on January 23, 2020.

It has been shared more than 22,000 times.

Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:


The post’s Urdu-language caption translates to English as: "A painful scene from an ICU of a British hospital".
Sharif, Pakistan’s longest-serving Prime Minister who reigned over three non-consecutive terms, was ousted of power in 2017 and imprisoned on corruption charges. He was serving a seven-year prison term when the judiciary granted him medical bail on November 19, 2019, and allowed international travel to London for a medical treatment. Sharif has since failed to adhere to the terms of his bail, refusing to send Pakistani courts his medical reports; and according to this AFP report dated March 4, 2020, Pakistan has “written to British authorities seeking his return”.
The photo was also published here on Facebook and on Twitter here, here and here, alongside a similar claim.
The claim is false; a Google reverse image search found the photo has circulated online since at least 2017.
AFP found the photo published in this August 12, 2017 report by Pakistan-based English-language newspaper The Nation, headlined “PML-N leadership in Gujranwala holds reception for Nawaz.”
Below is a screenshot of the report:

It reads, in part: “Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday visited the house of sister of Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan where he was warmly received by the hosts along with other leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
“The former prime minister thanked veteran politician and senior PML-N leader Ghulam Dastagir Khan for the reception to which the latter said that Nawaz came to Gujranwala after four years.”
The photo was also published in this article headlined: “Special breakfast for Nawaz Sharif in the City of Wrestlers”, published by the local Urdu-language newspaper Daily Pakistan on the same date.
Gujranwala is often referred to as the “City of Wrestlers” after it produced some of the country’s best sportsmen.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading post (L) and the photos published in The Nation and Daily Pakistan (R) :]]>
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			<title>Weinstein conviction should be a wakeup call for Pakistani showbiz: Saba Qamar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2164511/weinstein-conviction-wakeup-call-pakistani-showbiz-saba-qamar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2164511/weinstein-conviction-wakeup-call-pakistani-showbiz-saba-qamar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 20 07:06:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rafay.mahmood]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2164511</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Actor says both men and women are exploited for sexual favours and a court verdict is a major win for #MeToo]]>
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				<![CDATA[The #MeToo movement’s biggest expose has also turned out to be its biggest victory.  Hollywood media mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted of criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape by a New York court following testimonies of a former production assistant Miriam Haley and the then, aspiring actor Jesica Mann.

Apart from these two testimonies based on which the court proceeded; Weinstein was accused of predatory behaviour by close to 90 women, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

Accusers also included leading names such as Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie among other actors and Weinstein’s former employees. The head of the Weinstein Company now faces a minimum of five years to a maximum of two decades in prison.

Top row, from left, Sarah Ann Masse, Louisette Geiss, Romola Garai, Mira Sorvino, Judith Godreche, Léa Seydoux; Center row, from left, Rosanna Arquette, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Harvey Weinstein, Rose McGowan; Bottom row, from left, Lauren Sivan, Jessica Barth, Emma De Caunes, Heather Graham, Asia Argento, Cara Delevingne. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LAUREN MARGIT JONES /VANITY FAIR




His conviction is historic not only because he was found guilty solely based on testimonies and no physical evidence but also because no one saw a media god as resourceful and powerful as Weinstein being charged. This is perhaps the kind of support and acknowledgment  #MeToo movement needed to further legitimise its cause and gain more widespread appeal around the world.




The #MeToo movement has had its fair share of impact in Pakistan aswell. Survivors have started to use #MeToo to call out alleged predators and harassers but we are yet to see a major win in the courtroom. Critics and legal experts have also pointed out the shortcomings of the Anti-harrasement laws in Pakistan which is a necessary debate for any Weinstein-like showdown to take place.

In spite of the legal loopholes and the unlikeliness of a major trial in Pakistan, Saba Qamar, who is known for playing powerful characters on Pakistani telly and has lent support to issues such as child marriages and abuse has a reason to be optimistic in the post-Weinstein #MeToo world.

She feels that the Weinstein verdict should be a red signal for the Pakistani showbiz industry now that a court has given a verdict based on survivor testimonies.  “I am glad the Weinstein verdict came in favour of the survivors because now we have a tangible example of an accused being confirmed a predator by the rule of law. That is our biggest win,” Qamar tells The Express Tribune.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ilhBOhQK1/

According to the Cheekh actor, exploitation based on sexual favours and incidents of harassment and abuse are as common in the Pakistani entertainment industry as they are in any other showbiz circuit. What we lacked was a due course of action so that real predators can be convicted and not just shamed.




“It is eventually the rule of law that decides who is guilty not you and me no matter how true our stories maybe. I am not ashamed to admit that sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, and abuse is a common practice in our industry and it is high time we start reporting such cases,” says Qamar.

An industry that essentially relies on glamourising your personality, specifically the physical traits, develops a mechanism based on consensual and non-consensual favours across the food chain. This can't be truer for the small but significant Pakistani entertainment industry.

Victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse and their supporters protest during a #MeToo march in Hollywood, California. PHOTO: MARK RALSTON/AFP

What the larger audience ends up witnessing are harassment allegations on and by public figures and ‘stars’ but no one talks about the extra, the backup dancer, who is routinely harassed, or forced into sexual favours by an Assistant Producer (AP) or the Line Producer in charge.

In her personal experience, Qamar herself has received calls from a shady director or producer implying what can easily be understood as a setup for a ‘favour’ and that’s where you have to be smart, she says. “I believe no woman is a bechaari(helpless), all of us are powerful in our own ways and should be cautious and smart about an unwanted situation that can be avoided. And mind you, such predatory advances and behaviors are not just limited to the showbiz industry.”

Qamar is of the opinion that often the discourse around sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement is misled into being very gender-specific, which it isn’t and it shouldn’t be. In fact, men and children are also, routinely subjected to abuse just like women.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below. ]]>
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			<title>Against all odds: Kashmir journalist wins AFP's Kate Webb Prize</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2160549/odds-kashmir-journalist-wins-afps-kate-webb-prize</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2160549/odds-kashmir-journalist-wins-afps-kate-webb-prize#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 20 05:30:06 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category><category><![CDATA[Jammu &amp; Kashmir]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Unable to skirt shutdown in the occupied region, Ahmer Khan flew in and out of New Delhi to file his stories.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Freelance reporter Ahmer Khan was named the winner of the 2019 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize on Thursday for his coverage on the ground in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir during New Delhi's lockdown of the region.

The award, named after one of AFP's finest correspondents, recognises journalism by locally hired reporters in Asia operating in risky or difficult conditions.

Khan, 27, was honoured for a series of video and written reports that vividly illustrated the impact on locals in the Muslim-majority area following India's decision to strip the occupied reigon of its semi-autonomous status in August.

India's Hindu-nationalist government imposed restrictions on movement and a communications blackout, virtually cutting the occupied Himalayan region off from the outside world.

India insisted the move was aimed at bringing prosperity and peace to a region where tens of thousands of people have died in a decades-old freedom fight that India blames on arch rival Pakistan.

Despite curfews and a heavy security presence, Khan took to the streets with his camera to document the tensions, concerns and frustrations among the residents of Srinagar and other cities in IOJ&amp;K.

Unable to skirt the communications shutdown, he flew in and out of New Delhi to file his stories. "Reporting from Kashmir at this time has been extremely challenging for everyone, including the established foreign media," said AFP's Asia-Pacific regional director Philippe Massonnet.

"For an independent, local journalist those challenges have been far greater, and it is to Ahmer's enormous credit that he managed to provide accurate, high-quality journalism when it was so sorely needed."

Khan said on learning of his win: "This is a real honour, and a huge motivation to carry on my work with enthusiasm and determination."

"I want to dedicate this award to the courageous and resilient journalists from Kashmir who have been reporting in extremely difficult conditions for the past six months. This is a collective award."

The Kate Webb Prize, with a 3,000 euro ($3,400) purse, honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64, after a career covering the world's troublespots.

The award, which in 2018 went to reporter Asad Hashim for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan, is administered by AFP and the Webb family.

The prize will be formally presented at a ceremony in Hong Kong later this year.]]>
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			<title>Weinstein jury to begin deliberations</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2159277/weinstein-jury-begin-deliberations</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2159277/weinstein-jury-begin-deliberations#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 20 09:36:39 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The disgraced film mogul, faces life in prison if convicted]]>
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				<![CDATA[Jurors will begin deliberating the fate of ex-Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein on Tuesday in his high-profile sex crimes trial that marked a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement.

The disgraced film mogul, 67, faces life in prison if the jury of seven men and five women convict him of predatory sexual assault charges in New York.

More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct since allegations against him ignited the #MeToo global reckoning against men abusing positions of power in October 2017.

But the jury is considering charges related to just two: ex-actress Jessica Mann and former production assistant Mimi Haleyi, with many claims too old to prosecute.

Mann, 34, says Weinstein raped her in March 2013, while Haleyi alleges he forcibly performed oral sex on her in July 2006.

The proceedings, which began hearing testimony on January 22, threw up complicated issues surrounding consent and abuse of power for the jury.

Under cross-examination, both Mann and Haleyi acknowledged at least one consensual sexual encounter with Weinstein after the alleged assaults.

Defense lawyers presented dozens of emails and text messages in court that appeared to show both Mann and Haleyi on friendly terms with Weinstein years after the alleged attacks.

His team said the relationships were consensual and transactional, arguing that the accusers used sex with the defendant to advance their own careers.

Prosecutors said he was a career sexual predator who took advantage of his powerful position in the American film industry to prey on aspiring young actresses.

Weinstein, the producer of Pulp Fiction and Sin City, is the first man accused of abuse in the #MeToo movement to face a criminal trial.

In closing arguments Thursday, lead attorney Donna Rotunno urged the 12 jurors to make themselves "unpopular" by acquitting Weinstein, insisting he had been innocent from the start.

She stressed that prosecutors had failed to present any forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts.

The prosecution's case rests on whether the jury believes the six women, including actress Annabella Sciorra of The Sopranos, who testified that Weinstein had sexually assaulted them.

Have something to add to the story? Share in the comments below.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>AFP fact check: Photo shows damaged road in India, not Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2082391/afp-fact-check-photo-shows-damaged-road-india-not-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2082391/afp-fact-check-photo-shows-damaged-road-india-not-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Oct 19 09:06:52 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[It's not Peshawar's Ring Road!]]>
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				<![CDATA[A photo of a road with large potholes has been shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim it was taken in Peshawar, Pakistan after some light rain. The claim is false; the photo was taken in India, not Pakistan.

The photo has been shared more than 20,000 times after it was published in this Facebook post on July 16, 2019. The photo shows a road covered in potholes. A truck can be seen partially swallowed by one pothole.

Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:



The Urdu-language text superimposed above the image translates to English as: “Look at the change in Peshawar - This road is called Peshawar’s Ring Road, on which billions of rupees were spent, and today after a round of light rain, this is its condition. Share this widely so that it reaches every Pakistani.”

The Peshawar Ring Road is a highway located in Peshawar, the capital of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The post's caption translates to English as: “Send this post to Bani Gala.” Bani Gala is the private residence of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

It

A reverse image search on Google found the same photo published by online news site Indiatimes.com here on April 30, 2015. The photo's caption states: “No Road Left: When it rains in India, the roads get very damaged. But this road in Allahabad got damaged to the next level!”

Allahabad, or Prayagraj, is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The photo has been circulated online since at least 2012 alongside a description that it shows a road in India, including here and here. Posters seen on the lampposts on either side of the photo in the misleading post are written in Hindi, one of the official languages of India. One advertisement translates to English as: “Gemini Circus”.

The Times of India reported on the Kerala-based circus’ falling popularity in this September 2019 report. Kerala is a state located in India’s southwest.

Below is a screenshot of the photo in the misleading post with the posters circled in red by AFP:]]>
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			<title>Two Afghan journalists killed in attack on radio station</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1904778/two-afghan-journalists-killed-attack-radio-station</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1904778/two-afghan-journalists-killed-attack-radio-station#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 19 13:35:41 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[According to Reporters Without Borders, '2018 was the deadliest year on record for journalists in Afghanistan']]>
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				<![CDATA[Two journalists were shot and killed when gunmen stormed their radio station in northeast Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, underscoring the dangers faced by reporters in the war-torn country.

The pair, both men in their 20s, were gunned down inside the studios of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack and an investigation was underway, provincial spokesman Jawad Hejri told AFP.

"Two unidentified gunmen entered the radio station's office at around 6pm on Tuesday. They opened fire on two reporters who were behind their mics during a live programme. Both reporters died at the scene," he said.

The attack is the second this year in Afghanistan targeting journalists, and comes as diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war have intensified.

Last month, Afghan citizen journalist Jawid Noori was snatched from his car and murdered by the Taliban in Farah province in the country's west.

2018 was the deadliest year on record for journalists in Afghanistan, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Afghan media under pressure after journalist deaths

US ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, said he was "saddened and angered" by the killings.

"It is time to #EndImpunity for crimes against journalists. #PressFreedom," he tweeted.

Amnesty International described the latest attack as a "horrific crime" and urged Afghan authorities to ensure protection for journalists so they could work safely.

"This attack once again highlights the risks journalists continue to face in Afghanistan for just doing their job," the group's South Asia researcher, Zaman Sultani, said in a statement.

Afghanistan's Journalists Safety Committee called on the government to "identify the perpetrators and make sure that the justice is served."

AFP's chief photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was among 25 people killed along with eight other journalists in a bomb attack in April 2018.

Less than three months later, AFP driver Mohammad Akhtar was killed in another suicide attack on his way to work.

According to RSF, 60 journalists and media workers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime and enabled independent media to blossom in its wake — an average of around three a year.

The losses have devastated the tight-knit community that faces the real prospect of tragedy every time they go to work, and are forcing outlets to ask themselves hard questions about how to cover Afghanistan's conflict.]]>
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			<title>AFP fact checks doctored image of footballers handing over dam fund cheque to PM Imran</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1904631/afp-fact-checks-doctored-image-footballers-handing-dam-fund-check-pm-imran</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1904631/afp-fact-checks-doctored-image-footballers-handing-dam-fund-check-pm-imran#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 19 08:31:31 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The doctored photograph has been repeatedly posted on Facebook]]>
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				<![CDATA[A photo that has been shared thousands of times on Facebook appears to show three of the world’s top footballers handing Prime Minister Imran Khan a large cheque, purportedly to help build two new hydroelectric dams.

The claim is false and the image has been doctored from an original photograph posted on PM Imran's official Twitter account.
The photograph has been repeatedly posted on Facebook, for example here where it has been shared more than 1,000 times since it was published January 25, 2019.
The post’s caption says: “The great players of the football world present a blank cheque to Prime Minister Imran Khan for dam fund and express nobel wishes for Pakistan.”
AFP fact check: No, food inflation has not risen to 20% in Pakistan
The fund seeking donations to build two dams in Pakistan was set up in July 2018 and has been promoted by Prime Minister Imran Khan, for example here on his party's official Twitter feed.
The image appears to show three famous football players, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr posing for a photo while handing over a large cheque to the premier.
But the photo has been doctored from an original, which was posted on PM Imran's official twitter account on December 31, 2018.
AFP fact-check: Petrol prices are not being reduced to Rs20 per litre
The original photo shows a delegation of expatriate Pakistanis from Dubai presenting a contribution for the dam fund.
The tweet says: “PM Imran Khan has appreciated generous contribution and donations of the overseas Pakistanis in Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams fund. He was talking to a delegation of overseas Pakistanis from Dubai, who called on him in Islamabad and presented a cheque of $918,510 for #DamFund.”
https://twitter.com/PakPMO/status/1079735201792753670
Below is side by side comparison of the original and fake photographs:

[caption id="attachment_1904636" align="alignnone" width="625"] [L] The original photo issued by the PM Office. [R] The doctored image.[/caption]]]>
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			<title>AFP fact-check: Petrol prices are not being reduced to Rs20 per litre</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1871916/afp-fact-check-petrol-prices-not-reduced-rs20-per-litre</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1871916/afp-fact-check-petrol-prices-not-reduced-rs20-per-litre#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 18 12:38:06 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Claim is false, breaking news alert was taken from an old April Fools prank]]>
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				<![CDATA[Multiple Facebook pages with millions of followers between them have shared a purported breaking news alert which claims that the government has cut petrol prices to Rs20 per litre.

The claim is false, the breaking news alert was taken from an old April Fools prank, and the oil regulatory body said no such price cut has been announced.

The misleading Facebook post, shared by accounts millions of followers, has a caption saying: “Breaking news: Government has reduced the petrol price to Rs20 per litre for Pakistanis. How long is this offer valid? Watch the video.”



Fuel price hike triggers inflation explosion

The screenshot of the news bulletin had been taken from a 2018 April fools joke, in which a private channel's presenters reported that petrol prices have been slashed to Rs20 per litre, electricity blackouts have ended, and street crime has been totally eliminated in Pakistan.

At the end of the clip, the female presenter says: "Stop, stop you have given so much good news, I wish that all this news was true. Every Pakistani wants this. But today is April Fools Day. Before accepting this kind of news please verify it so that nobody can make a fool of you."

The morning-after saw transporters increasing their fares unilaterally, without any announcement and without approval from Regional Transport Authority (RTA).

Inflation bomb dropped on masses: PML-N

The fake news report was widely published in Pakistan on April 1, 2018.

A reverse image search found the photograph in the misleading Facebook posts purportedly showing people celebrating in the streets after fuel prices were cut was actually taken in Islamabad on June 21, 2009, by the Associated Press news agency. The image shows cricket fans reacting as the Pakistani national team beat Sri Lanka.

Government likely to increase gas prices by up to 86%

Here is a BBC story about the cricket victory which uses the AP photo.

AFP also took photographs of the same people celebrating the cricket victory in the streets of Islamabad. In the AFP photograph, the same man in a checked shirt can be seen in the centre of the image, with the same shop signs and lampposts clearly visible in the background.



&nbsp;

“This is fake news. Petrol price was never Rs20 per litre for the past many decades,” Pakistan Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) spokesman Imran Ghaznavi told AFP.]]>
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			<title>When hope is gone - AFP's Shah Marai in his own words</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1699662/hope-gone-afps-shah-marai-words</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1699662/hope-gone-afps-shah-marai-words#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 18 05:28:33 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Marai had been working for AFP in Afghanistan since 1998]]>
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				<![CDATA[Agence France-Presse's chief photographer in Kabul, Shah Marai, and five other journalists were among more than two dozen people killed in twin suicide blasts in the Afghan capital.

Marai was a man of immense bravery who began working with AFP in 1996 when the Taliban ruled the country. He leaves behind a family of six children, including a newborn daughter.

"This is a devastating blow, for the brave staff of our close-knit Kabul bureau and the entire agency," the agency's global news director Michele Leridon said.

"We can only honour the strength, courage, and generosity of a photographer who covered often traumatic, horrific events with sensitivity and consummate professionalism."

One tribute to his commitment comes in his own words: an essay from 2016 that he wrote for the AFP Correspondent blog that also reveals his loss of hope for Afghanistan.

[caption id="attachment_1699688" align="alignnone" width="625"] AFP photographer Shah Marai looks on at his home in KabulPHOTO: AFP[/caption]

When Hope is Gone

by Shah Marai

The time after the American invasion was a time of great hope. The golden years. After the darkness of the Taliban rule, Afghanistan finally seemed to be on the road to a better life. But today, fifteen years later, that hope has vanished and life seems to be even harder than before.

I began working as a photographer for AFP under the Taliban, in 1998.

They hated journalists, so I was always very discreet  I always made sure to put on the traditional shalwar kameez outfit when going outside and I took pictures with a small camera that I hid in a scarf wrapped around my hand.

The Taliban restrictions made it extremely difficult to work they forbid the photographing of all living things, for example, be they men or animals.

One day I was taking pictures of a line outside a bakery. Life at the time was hard, people were without work, prices were going through the roof. Some Taliban approached me
roached me.

"What are you doing?" they demanded.

"Nothing," I answered. "I'm taking pictures of the bread!"

Luckily this was in the age before digital cameras, so they couldn't check to make sure I was telling the truth.

I rarely put my name on my photos at the time, I just signed them 'stringer,' so as not to draw unwanted attention to myself.

- Left alone -

AFP didn't really have a bureau here back then, we had a house in the same neighbourhood, Wazir Akbar Khan, that we do today. Special envoys would take turns coming here, and we would regularly go to the frontline on the Shomali Plain, where the Northern Alliance was holding out against the Taliban.

Aside from the BBC, only the three agencies,  AFP, AP and Reuters -- remained in the city. Then in 2000 all of the foreigners were finally chased out and I was left alone to hold down the fort at AFP's bureau. I would phone in information to the Islamabad bureau with a satellite phone.

I watched the September 11 attacks on the BBC, not thinking for a second that there would be possible repercussions for Afghanistan. It was the Islamabad bureau that warned me some days later: "Rumours are that the Americans are going to attack."

The bombings began less than a month later, on October 7, targeting the city of Kandahar near the Pakistani border, that the Taliban had made as their capital.

I was in the middle of phoning in the information to Islamabad when I heard the planes over Kabul. The first bombs were dropped near the airport. I didn't sleep that night, but I couldn't go outside.

The following morning I headed to the airport in my car. Not far from it, I came across a group of several dozen Taliban fighters, dressed in black.

Explosions in Afghan capital wound three: officials

One of them approached me. "Listen, I'm nice today so I'm not going to kill you, but get out of here right away."

I turned around, drove back and left my car at the office. The city was deserted. I came back with my bike, like an ordinary guy, a scarf wrapped around my hand to hide my camera. I took six photos that day, just six. I ended up sending two of them.

[caption id="attachment_1699691" align="alignnone" width="625"] AFP chief photographer for Afghanistan Shah Marai sits at his desk at the AFP office in KabulPHOTO: AFP[/caption]

- Coming out from the shadows -

Then one morning, the Taliban were gone, vanishing into thin air. You should have seen it. The streets were filled with people. It was like people were coming out from the shadows into the light of life again.

Colleagues began arriving in droves. AFP sent a text reporter and a photographer from Moscow right away and before you knew it, there were a dozen of us. Kabul became Journalistan. The office was never empty.

I helped out everybody, be it to find lodging, a car, a fixer, or a best way to get somewhere. My best friend opened the Sultan Guesthouse, the first one in Kabul and asked me to join him in the venture. I should have, he ended up making a fortune!

It was incredible to see all those foreigners after all the years of isolation under the Taliban. They came from everywhere, and groups of children would run ahead of them on the streets. I remember one young man, holding a dollar, repeating over and over: "It's the first dollar that I've ever held!"

It was a time of great hope. The golden years. No fighting in the city. The streets were filled with troops from Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Turkey. The soldiers would patrol the city on foot, saying hello, relaxed and smiling. I could photograph them as much as I wanted.

'Deadliest day for media': 10 journalists among dozens killed in Afghanistan attacks

You could travel anywhere, south, east, west. Everywhere was safe.

And then in 2004, the Taliban came back. First in the Ghazni province in the southeast. Then in 2005 and 2006, they began to spread out, like a virus. Then the attacks started in Kabul, targeting places frequented by foreigners. The party was over.

Today the Taliban are again everywhere and we are stuck in Kabul most of the time. T-Walls, those concrete blocks designed to protect against booby-trapped cars and trucks, have sprouted all over the city. People are no longer friendly toward someone with a camera. Often they become aggressive.

[caption id="attachment_1699692" align="alignnone" width="625"] Shah Marai (3R) along with friends and family of Afghan AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad carry his casket as they leave a mosque and head to the cemetary during his funeral in KabulPHOTO: AFP[/caption]

People don't trust anyone, especially someone working for a foreign news agency  "are you a spy?" they ask.

- There is no more hope -

Fifteen years after the American intervention, the Afghans find themselves without money, without work, just with the Taliban at their doorstep. With the withdrawal of essential Western troops in 2014, many foreigners have left and have been forgotten, as have the billions of dollars poured into this country.

I long for those years, immediately following the arrival of the Americans. Of course the city has changed a lot since 2001. New buildings have been built, large avenues have replaced tiny streets.

The signs of war have all but disappeared except for the old Darulaman royal palace, you won't see a ruin in the city. The stores are full and you can find almost anything.

But there is no more hope. Life seems to be even more difficult than under the Taliban because of the insecurity. I don't dare to take my children for a walk. I have five and they spend their time cooped up inside the house.

Afghanistan bombings: 63 dead in attacks on voter registration centres

Every morning as I go to the office and every evening when I return home, all I think of are cars that can be booby-trapped, or of suicide bombers coming out of a crowd. I can't take the risk. So we don't go out.

I remember all too well my friend and colleague Sardar, who was killed with his wife, a daughter and a son while on an outing at a hotel, with only his small son somehow surviving the attack.

I have never felt life to have so little prospects and I don’t see a way out. It's a time of anxiety.]]>
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			<title>Former AFP journalist's murderer gets death sentence</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1450912/former-afp-journalists-murderer-gets-death-sentence</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1450912/former-afp-journalists-murderer-gets-death-sentence#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 17 11:30:26 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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				<![CDATA[Anthony George was found guilty of murdering Mel Gunasekera in a break-in at her home in February 2014]]>
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				<![CDATA[Sri Lanka's High Court handed the death sentence Wednesday to a labourer who was found guilty of murdering former Agence France-Presse journalist Mel Gunasekera in a break-in at her home.

Anthony George, who stabbed Gunasekara to death in February 2014, will have his sentence automatically commuted to life in prison as Sri Lanka has an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment.

Mysterious circumstances: Journalist found dead on first day of Eid in Karachi

High Court judge Piyasena Ranasinghe also found George guilty of breaking and entering and of stealing Gunasekera's mobile phone.

During a lengthy trial, the court heard that he had murdered Gunasekera after she recognised him as a labourer who had been hired over a month earlier to paint her parent's house.

Gunasekera, 40, was an assistant vice president at Fitch's Sri Lankan operation, a position she took up in 2012 after a five-year stint as Colombo correspondent for AFP.

Police obtain custody of Zeba Burney’s alleged killer

She reported extensively on financial and political affairs in Sri Lanka, and also covered the Maldives.

She was the founding editor of Lanka Business Online, a pioneering financial news portal in the island.]]>
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			<title>Belgium charges attacks suspect, 'March Against Fear' called off</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1073665/belgium-charges-attacks-suspect-march-against-fear-called-off</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1073665/belgium-charges-attacks-suspect-march-against-fear-called-off#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 27 Mar 16 02:21:40 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[March organisers said the &quot;security of our citizens is an absolute priority]]>
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				<![CDATA[Belgium charged a suspect thought to be the fugitive third Brussels airport bomber with terrorist murder, as a Sunday peace march for the victims was cancelled for security reasons after the attacks in the heart of Europe.

The postponement of the Easter Sunday rally underscored the tension in Belgium as police track members of an Islamic State group cell linked to both Tuesday's Brussels attacks that killed 31 as well as the Paris assaults in November.

The airport suspect officially identified as Faycal C, and named by sources close to the inquiry as Faycal Cheffou, was arrested on Thursday night as investigators believe he could be the third man pictured in airport surveillance footage alongside two suicide bombers.

The third man, wearing a distinctive dark hat and light-coloured jacket, has been the subject of a massive manhunt after he fled the scene when his device failed to go off in the attack at Zaventem airport.

In the grieving Belgian capital, a defiant "March Against Fear" had been planned for Sunday from the central Place de La Bourse, which has become a shrine to the victims, but was called off after authorities said the mass gathering could draw much-needed resources away from the investigation.

"Let us allow the security services to do their work and that the march, which we too want to take part in, be delayed for several weeks," Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said.

March organisers said the "security of our citizens is an absolute priority. We join the authorities in proposing a delay and ask people not to come this Sunday."

Brussels airport meanwhile said an examination of the main building housing the departure hall wrecked by two suicide bombers showed the structure is stable and authorities will now see if temporary check-in desks can be installed.

In a separate statement earlier the airport said it did not expect to be able to reopen before Tuesday, with a partial resumption of passenger services, as it repaired the damage and put in place new security measures.

Ministers insist they did everything possible to prevent Tuesday's attacks and track a network also linked to November's Paris attacks, but the Belgian government is facing a torrent of criticism at home and abroad.

Many believe it failed to do enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria, and two senior ministers have offered to resign after it emerged airport bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui had been deported from Turkey as a "terrorist fighter".

"It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," said Le Soir daily in a front-page editorial.

Heavily armed soldiers and police patrolled Brussels and the airport on Saturday, as the city that is home to the EU and NATO headquarters remained on high alert.

Prosecutors charged three people including Faycal C, who is the first person formally accused over the suicide attacks on the airport and the Maalbeek metro station.

Le Soir said on its website that the suspect had been identified by a taxi driver who drove the three bombers to the airport on Tuesday.

A source close to the inquiry told AFP he was being tailed in a car by police when he was arrested on Thursday night outside the federal prosecutor's office with two other people.

He "has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder," the prosecutor said.

Asked if he was the suspected third bomber dubbed the "man in the hat" alongside bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, a source close to the inquiry told AFP: "That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on."

Another man arrested in Belgium named as Rabah N. was also charged Saturday in connection with a separate plot to attack France, deepening the links in what French President Francois Hollande has described as a single terror cell straddling both countries.

The Franco-Belgian links were highlighted the day before as it emerged airport attacker Laachraoui's DNA was found on bombs at the Bataclan concert hall and Stade de France sites in the Paris attacks.

In Italy, meanwhile, police arrested an Algerian national over a probe into fake ID documents used by the Paris and Brussels attackers, allegedly including those of Laachraoui.

As the painstaking task of identifying the victims of Tuesday's attacks continued, officials said 24 of those killed had now been formally identified, 11 of whom were foreign nationals.

Of the 340 people wounded, 62 were still in intensive care.]]>
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			<title>India's Maoist rebels kill four abducted policemen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/921230/indias-maoist-rebels-kill-four-abducted-policemen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/921230/indias-maoist-rebels-kill-four-abducted-policemen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 15 05:45:23 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Rebels throw bodies of policemen on the roadside near a forested area]]>
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				<![CDATA[India's Maoist rebels have killed four policemen they abducted from a bus in the restive central state of Chhattisgarh, a senior officer said Wednesday.

The guerrillas stopped the bus transporting the security personnel as it was passing through the Maoist-dominated Kutru village in Bijapur district late Monday.

Read: Maoist rebels abduct four police officers in central India

"We have been informed that the four abducted police personnel have been killed by the Maoists. The bodies were thrown on the roadside near a forested area," police superintendent K. L. Dhruv told AFP.

"Police parties have been sent out to the jungles to hunt for the culprits."

The bodies were discovered close to the area where they were abducted, raising doubts about the search operations that police said had been launched immediately after the abductions.

The rebels, who claim to be fighting for the rights of poor tribal minorities and farmers, have waged a decades-long battle across central and eastern Indian states to overthrow government authorities.

Read: India police say 12 Maoist rebels killed in shoot-out

The government describes the Maoist insurgency as the country's most serious internal security threat.]]>
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