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Pakistan, Belarus establishing economic ties on strong footing:

ISLAMABAD, Oct 5 (APP) : Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Wednesday said Pakistan and Belarus were establishing a strong footing to promote trade, business and investment, adding that it would provide a solid basis for enhancing their multi-dimensional relations.

The Prime Minister made the remarks at a round of delegation-level talks with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko here at the PM House.

The President of Belarus is on a three-day official visit to Pakistan.

Prime Minister welcomed the delegation and said Pakistan values its relations with Belarus and said the two countries enjoy a warm, cordial and multi-faceted relationship.

“Pakistan is keen to forge closer ties with Belarus in all fields including trade, economy, investment, industry, education, defence, agriculture, culture and other areas,” the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Sharif said Pakistan today was one of the most investor friendly countries; offering excellent opportunities for foreign investors with investment-friendly regulations and a huge market of nearly 200 million people.

The Prime Minister said establishment of Joint Trade Committee was an important vehicle to identify bottlenecks and resolve issues in trade relations of both the countries.

The Prime Minister noted that both the Joint Economic Commission and the Joint Trade Committee are actively pursuing these issues.

The Prime Minister informed the visiting President that his government was focused on reviving the economy, overcoming the energy shortage.

“We are committed to good governance, curbing corruption, ensuring fiscal discipline and widening the tax base to revive the economy to its true potential,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said the momentum of increased high level exchanges between the two countries needs to be maintained.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said Belarus has significant expertise in building of heavy machinery including automotive engineering, agricultural harvesting machinery, road construction machinery and dump trucks.

He said both sides can develop joint ventures and business-to-business contacts in these areas.

President Lukashenko said Belarus and Pakistan need to explore the possibility of creating joint ventures for the production and processing of wide range of agricultural products, including the production of milk powder, other dairy products, textiles, auto parts, surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals and other areas of mutual benefit.

The President of Belarus applauded Pakistan for making huge successes in the revival of economy.

The president supported Pakistan’s stance in nuclear supply group, a statement from the PM House said.

In the context of regional peace and stability, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan pursues the policy of maintaining good relations with all its neighbours.

He said Pakistan wants peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues with India, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I want to thank you for your expression of support for peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said India has deliberately escalated tensions at the LoC to divert attention of the international community from the grave situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The Prime Minister informed the visiting President that over 110 innocent people have lost their lives, and more than 12000 injured, with hundreds in critical condition.

More than 700 people have suffered severe eye injuries due to the use of pellet guns by the Indian occupation forces and more than 150 have been permanently blinded, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister later hosted a luncheon in honour of the President of Belarus and his delegation.

Pakistan’s stance on its nuclear programme vindicated at ICJ: FO

ISLAMABAD, Oct 5 (APP): The International Court of Justice
(ICJ) has ruled in favor of Pakistan in the case brought to the
Court by the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), regarding
‘Obligations concerning Negotiations Relating to Cessation of
the Nuclear Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament.’

RMI had filed suits at the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) against all the nine states possessing nuclear weapons, a Foreign Office statement issued here on Wednesday said.

However, in conformity with the Statute of the Court, only
Pakistan, India and the United Kingdom had been asked to respond to the RMI’s suits since these countries recognized
the jurisdiction of the court for certain specific issues at the
time of their ratification of the Court’s Statute.

In its comprehensive written response to the ICJ, the
statement said, Pakistan had sought dismissal of the
suit for lack of the Court’s jurisdiction to entertain the RMI’s
claims and the inadmissibility of its application.

Moreover, there was no dispute, let alone a legal dispute,
that existed between the RMI and Pakistan. Therefore, RMI lacked the requisite standing to institute the proceedings.
The court upheld the strong counter arguments put forth by
Pakistan.

“The decision of the court is a vindication of Pakistan’s
stance that its nuclear programme is a matter of its national
defense and security which falls exclusively within its domestic jurisdiction,” the statement added.

India adopting provocative stance to divert world attention from Kashmir

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (APP): India is adopting provocative stance to divert the attention of the world community from the horrendous human rights violations being committed by the Indian troops in the held Kashmir, Special Envoys of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Jammu and Kashmir told a media briefing in Washington.

Senator Mushahid Hussain and Dr. Shazra Mansab Ali Khan who are currently in Washington to apprise the US authorities about the situation in the Indian held Kashmir, emphasized that Kashmir was a flashpoint and there could not be any peace in the region without the resolution of this lingering issue.

“The Kashmir dispute needs to be resolved in line with the aspiration of the Kashmiri people,” Senator Mushahid said.

Both the Envoys stated that since the killing of young Kashmiri freedom fighter Burhan Wani in July, India is witnessing a popular, indigenous, spontaneous and widespread freedom movement in IoK.

India has wrongly alleged Pakistan in a jiffy after Uri attack without taking into consideration the ground realities. The whole area of LOC in Uri is electronically fenced so there was no possibility of crossing over, the Envoys said.

While answering a question, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that Indian narrative of cross border infiltration is baseless.

“India has adopted a provocative stance to divert the attention of the international community from horrendous human rights violations being committed by the Indian occupation forces.”

Dr. Shazra Mansab Ali Khan explained in detail the horrendous human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir. She narrated that curfew had been in place in the Valley for more than 80 days and over 100 people had been killed during last two months. 150 people have been blinded with pallet guns by Indian forces.

More than 500 people have been partially blinded and approx. 12000 people wounded . Crops have been burnt and orchards destroyed. Indian forces are committing war crimes with impunity.

Both the Envoys remarked that USA as a leader of free world should raise voice for oppressed people of IoK. Dr. Shazra further insisted that a plebiscite should be held in Kashmir to ascertain their will on the lines of East Timor. “Kashmiris have been giving their verdict day in, day out and international community should play its due role in this regard.”

UN top court throws out Marshalls nuclear case against India

The Hague, Oct 5 (AFP) The UN's highest court today threw out a bid by the tiny Marshall Islands to sue India for failing to halt the nuclear arms race, saying it lacked jurisdiction.

"The court upholds the objection to jurisdiction raised by India... and finds that it cannot proceed to the merits of the case," judge Ronny Abraham told the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

अमेरिकी नागरिकों से धोखाधड़ी करने के मामले में कॉल सेन्टरों पर छापेमारी

ठाणे, पांच अक्तूबर :भाषा: अमेरिकी नागरिकों को कथित तौर पर धमकी देने और उनसे रूपये एंेठने के एक मामले में यहां मीरा रोड पर कुछ कॉल सेन्टरों पर एक बड़ी छापेमारी करते हुये पुलिस ने 500 से अधिक कर्मचारियों को हिरासत में ले लिया।

पुलिस ने आज बताया कि इस छापेमारी में 200 से अधिक पुलिसकर्मी शामिल हुये जिसमें से अधिकतर अपराध शाखा के थे। यह छापेमारी कल देर रात और आज तड़के तक जारी थी।

उन्होंने बताया कि ये कर्मी मीरा रोड इलाके में कॉल सेन्टरों में काम करते हैं। यह इलाका ठाणे ग्रामीण पुलिस के अधिकार क्षेत्र में आता है। कर्मियों ने खुद को अमेरिकी कर विभाग के अधिकारियों के रूप में पेश किया जो भारत में आयकर विभाग के बराबर होता है।

उन्होंने अमेरिकी नागरिकों को फोन किया और उनके वित्तीय और बैंक संबंधी ब्यौरे मांगे। ऐसा नहीं करने पर उन्होंने कथित तौर पर उन्हें कानूनी कार्रवाई सहित गंभीर परिणाम भुगतने की धमकी दी।

पुलिस ने बताया कि अमेरिकी नागरिकों से ब्यौरा हासिल करने के बाद इन कॉल सेन्टरों के कर्मचारियों ने उनके खातों से रूपये निकालले की योजना बनाई थी । उन्होंने बताया कि इस तरह की जानकारी प्राप्त कर जो धन निकाला जा सकता था वह अनुमानत: प्रतिदिन एक करोड़ रूपया से अधिक होता ।

इस बारे में शिकायतें मिलने के बाद पुलिस ने कल देर रात अचानक कॉल सेन्टरों पर छापेमारी की और कर्मचारियों को धर दबोचा।

पुलिस ने बताया कि इस मामले में अपराध दर्ज करने की प्रक्रिया चल रही है।

रैकेट के बारे में विस्तृत ब्यौरे की प्रतीक्षा है।

पाकिस्तान को ‘आतंकवाद प्रायोजक’ देश घोषित करने संबंधी याचिका ने बनाया रिकॉर्ड

वाशिंगटन, पांच अक्तूबर :भाषा: पाकिस्तान को आतंकवाद का प्रायोजक देश घोषित करने की मांग करने वाली याचिका को 50,000 से अधिक नए हस्ताक्षर मिल जाने से यह अमेरिका में अब तक की सबसे लोकप्रिय याचिका बन गई है।

‘‘हम लोग प्रशासन से पाकिस्तान को आतंकवाद का प्रायोजक देश :एचआर 6069: घोषित करने की अपील करते हैं’’ याचिका को 6,13,830 हस्ताक्षर मिले जिसे व्हाइट हाउस ने पुरालेख में दर्ज किया ।

याचिका पर हस्ताक्षरों की संख्या कल दोपहर तक 51,939 नए हस्ताक्षरों के साथ 6,65,769 पहुंच गई।

ऐसा माना जा रहा है कि यह अब तक की सबसे लोकप्रिय व्हाइट हाउस याचिका बन गई है। किसी भी व्हाइट हाउस याचिका ने अभी तक 3,50,000 का आंकड़ा पार नहीं किया है।

इस बारे में व्हाइट हाउस ने अभी तक कोई बयान नहीं दिया है। यह संभव है कि व्हाइट हाउस द्वारा याचिका बंद किए जाने से पहले किए गए इन हस्ताक्षरों को विधिवत सत्यापन के बाद अंतिम संख्या में शामिल किया गया था। ऐसा होने पर फर्जीवाड़ा किए जाने की आशंका कम हो जाती है।

याचिका ने ओबामा प्रशासन की प्रतिक्रिया हासिल करने के लिए आवश्यक एक लाख की संख्या की सीमा पार की ली है। व्हाइट हाउस की ओर से इस याचिका पर निर्धारित 60 दिनों के समय में आधिकारिक प्रतिक्रिया मिलने की उम्मीद है।

UAE's Etihad in talks with Germany's TUI to create new airline

DUBAI, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Etihad Aviation Group, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Germany's TUI AG said on Wednesday that they are in talks to create a European "leisure airline group" in order to connect "key tourist markets."

The new company will focus on point-to-point flying to connect key tourist markets such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Under the proposal, the touristic operations of the Air Berlin group, in which Etihad has a 29.2-percent stake, and the German TUIfly company will form the new airline group, Etihad said in a joint statement.

Etihad (Arabic for "unity") Aviation Group's flagship is Etihad Airways, the government-controlled airliner of the oil-rich sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi, also the capital of the UAE.

The TUI Group, whose shares are traded at stock markets in Frankfurt and London, is the world's biggest tourism business group, controlling a portfolio of 300 hotels, 14 cruise liners, six airliners in Europe and 1,800 travel agencies.

TUI shares fell by 1.9 percent on Wednesday's trading. Shares of Air Berlin, on the other hand, gained over 4 percent.

No commercial trade in lion bones from Namibia

WINDHOEK, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The rejection of the proposal by some other African countries, for African Lions to be moved from Appendix II to I, is a blessing to Namibia, according to the Environment Ministry.

In an update on the CITES meet from Namibia's Ministry of Environment on Wednesday, Minister Pohamba Shifeta said in this case the status quo remains and Namibia will continue with their business as usual, which is sustainable use to ensure the survival of the lion in the wild.

"We strongly feel that the conservation of the African lion will be better served through initiatives at national level to address specific identified major threats," he added.

"The only change will be that no commercial trade in lion bones from Namibia will be allowed which is a blessing to the country," he said.

Meanwhile, in the case of the pangolin, which has been transferred from Appendix II to I, according to the Minister, Namibia does not trade in its specimens for primarily commercial purposes.

"Our pangolin population is being threatened by illegal catch and trade. With this transfer to Appendix I, our pangolin population may be more protected. Therefore, the results of this conference do not affect Namibia negatively," he said

Shifeta said that the pangolin is protected in Namibia and they will continue to focus our efforts on its conservation and also enhance efforts to catch the criminals involved in this trade.

Israeli war jets strike Gaza in response to rocket firing

GAZA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli war jets carried out a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon in response to rocket firing from Gaza into southern Israel, Hamas security officials said.

The security officials said that Israeli F16 warplanes hovered over the Gaza Strip and carried out more than four airstrikes on the coastal enclave.

The officials said one of the airstrikes targeted a Hamas movement's armed wing training post in east of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, adding that the second one targeted another Hamas military post in central Gaza.

The source said the Israeli warplanes kept striking Hamas military posts and waged more than two successive airstrikes on eastern Gaza City.

Medical sources said that at least three civilians were lightly injured when an Israeli missile hit an empty field east of Gaza city.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a southern Israeli town of Sderout on Wednesday morning, according to Israeli police.

No one claimed responsibility for the rocket firing. However, Israeli tanks fired two tank shells on the area where the Palestinian rocket was fired from, causing no injuries.

Breaking news-

BLAST IN AFGHAN CAPITAL KABUL, CASUALTIES FEARED .

Science news-Trio wins Nobel chemistry prize for 'world's smallest machines'

By Niklas Pollard and Kate Kelland | STOCKHOLM/LONDON

A trio of European scientists has won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for developing molecular machines that could one day be injected to fight cancer or used to make new types of materials and energy storage devices.

Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Scotland's J. Fraser Stoddart and Dutchman Bernard Feringa developed molecules that produce mechanical motion in response to a stimulus, allowing them to perform specific tasks, the Nobel Academy said on Wednesday in awarding the 8 million Swedish crown ($931,000) prize.

Such molecular machines can be developed in smart medicines that seek out disease or damage and deliver drugs to fight or fix it, and in smart materials that can adapt in response to external triggers such as changes in light or temperature.

"There are endless opportunities," Feringa, a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, told reporters when asked to predict what his work could eventually be used for.

"Think of a tiny micro-robot that a doctor in the future will inject into your blood and that goes to search for a cancer cell or goes to deliver a drug, for instance."

Goran Hansson, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences which conferred the award, said this year's recognition was "all about the world's tiniest machines".

"The sky's the limit," he said when asked where the discovery could lead.

The Nobel committee's statement said the science of molecular machinery was now "at the same stage as the electric motor was in the 1830s" - when scientists displayed various spinning cranks and wheels, unaware that they would lead to electric trains, washing machines, fans and food processors.

"We can still only guess at the thrilling developments ahead of us," it said. "However, we do have a definite answer to (the) initial question - how small can you make machinery?: At least 1,000 times thinner than a strand of hair."

Sauvage is professor emeritus at the University of Strasbourg and director of research emeritus at France's National Center for Scientific Research.

Stoddart, born in Edinburgh and now professor of chemistry at Northwestern University in the United States, said the prize was "quite unexpected".

"When it happens, it takes your breath away," he said in a phone interview as he watched the ceremony live from his home outside Chicago.

Chemistry is the third of this year's Nobels. Japan's Yoshinori Ohsumi won the medicine award on Monday, while three British-born scientists, including two Scots, took the physics prize on Tuesday.

The prizes are named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and have been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace, in accordance with his will.

($1 = 8.5947 Swedish crowns)

(Additional reporting by Anna Ringstom in Stockholm and Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Mark Trevelyan)

Pence takes tougher line than Trump on Russia at contentious VP debate

By Ginger Gibson and Alana Wise | FARMVILLE, VA.

U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "small and bullying leader" on Tuesday and condemned his actions in Syria, taking a harder line than Donald Trump at a contentious debate with Democratic rival Tim Kaine.

Pence's denunciation of Putin for his interference in the Syrian civil war and support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was a departure from the frequent praise of Putin by Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who has called him a better leader than U.S. President Barack Obama and said he could work with him.

“The small and bullying leader of Russia is now dictating terms to the United States,” Pence said. "The greatest nation on earth just withdraws from talks about a ceasefire, while Vladimir Putin puts a missile defense system in Syria."

The encounter between Pence and Kaine, who is the No. 2 to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was the only such debate between the vice presidential contenders before the Nov. 8 election, and the two spent most of their time attacking each other's running mates.

For more than 90 minutes at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, neither Pence nor Kaine appeared to deliver a knockout punch. Pence sought to project an image as a reassuring presence, in contrast with the bombastic Trump, while Kaine tried to frighten voters away from Trump and make Clinton seem more trustworthy.

A CNN/ORC snap poll declared Pence the winner with 48 percent support, compared with 42 percent for Kaine, who frequently interrupted his opponent.

Trump watched the debate from Las Vegas and in an unusual move, live-tweeted during the debate and said he was pleased by his running mate's performance.

"Mike Pence won big. We should all be proud of Mike!" Trump said.

The encounter set the table for a second presidential debate looming on Sunday in St. Louis between Clinton and Trump, who needs to rebound from a rocky performance from his first debate, one that gave Clinton a boost in national opinion polls with Election Day only five weeks away.

RAISING EYEBROWS

Pence's comments raised eyebrows among establishment Republicans as to whether the governor of Indiana was breaking ranks with Trump on Russia. Trump himself earlier in the day condemned Russian bombing in Syria after the United States withdrew from ceasefire talks with Russia.

Conservatives who do not support Trump liked Pence's view.

"Pence's foreign policy is fine. Too bad it isn't Trump's," tweeted Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine.

Pence said "the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength” and that if Russia chooses to continue to be involved in “barbaric” attacks on civilians, “the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime."

Pence's blunt comments on Russia, more in line with thinking by traditional Republicans, came in response to Kaine's charge that Trump was too cozy with the Russian leader.

Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia, said Clinton would be tough in dealing with Putin.

"Donald Trump, again and again, has praised Vladimir Putin. And it's clear that he has business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are very connected to Putin," Kaine said.

Democrats were quick to point out the discrepancy between Trump and his running mate on Russia.

"All of a sudden we hear tough talk about Vladimir Putin. It’s the exact opposite of what Donald Trump has been saying," said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook.

Pence's toughened position on Russia gave him an opening to declare that Clinton had been outfoxed when she attempted a U.S. reset in relations with Russia when she was Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

LIVELY EXCHANGE

Bickering between Kaine and Pence was so intense that they frequently talked over each other. Kaine was seen by television commentators as being overprepared and overeager as he circled back to Trump's refusal to release his tax records at almost every opportunity.

Kaine called the Republican presidential nominee a danger to U.S. national security and someone who denigrates women and minorities and appears to pay little in federal taxes.

Kaine drew Pence's ire by hearkening back to a remark from former Republican President Ronald Reagan that some fool or maniac with a nuclear weapon could trigger a catastrophic event.

"And I think that's who Governor Pence's running mate is," Kaine said.

Pence shot back: "Senator, senator, that was even beneath you and Hillary Clinton and that's pretty low."

Kaine repeatedly sought to persuade Pence to defend Trump's positions, but Pence steadfastly refused to take the bait.

One of Kaine's most aggressive lines of attack was over Trump's refusal to release his tax records, a decision that breaks with the practice of all other presidential nominees in modern history.

The New York Times reported last weekend that Trump had taken a $916 million tax loss in 1995 and may have avoided paying federal taxes for 18 years because of it.

"Governor Pence had to give Donald Trump his tax returns to show he is qualified to be vice president. Donald Trump has to give his tax returns to show he is qualified to be president," Kaine said.

Pence defended Trump, saying the New York real estate developer had created thousands of jobs and had used U.S. tax laws as they were designed to be used.

"Why won't he release his taxes?" Kaine fired back.

(Writing by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington and Emily Stephenson in Colorado; Editing by Peter Cooney)