Job posted to Hacker News: TrueVault is hiring a Content Marketer

TrueVault is hiring a Content Marketer
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Somalia's deaf footballers create their own league

Players fed up with being excluded from existing teams started their own league.

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Malaysia's civil aviation chief resigns in wake of MH370 report

07/31/18 3:22 AM

Aid sector 'almost complicit' in sex scandal, say MPs

Aid sector bosses were "self-deluded" and "collectively failed" to tackle exploitation, MPs say.

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North Korea 'working on new missiles', US officials say

US intelligence leaks suggest the North may be building ballistic missiles, despite recent pledges.

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Tom Watson accuses NEC member of being a 'loud-mouthed bully'

Peter Willsman was recorded suggesting "Trump fanatics" are behind Labour anti-Semitism claims.

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Dixons Carphone says data breach affected 10 million

The retailer says details of 10 million customers were affected by last year's data breach.

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Women 'illegally buying abortion pill online'

The abortion process can start within 30 minutes, meaning many want to take the pill at home.

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The battle to stop ex-IS fighters reaching Europe

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville follows the teams trying to trace ex-IS fighters who have fled Syria.

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Corrie Mckeague: Airman 'somewhere in Suffolk waste disposal system'

Corrie Mckeague is "no longer missing" and his remains are "irretrievable", his father says.

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Andy Murray beats Mackenzie McDonald in Washington Open

Andy Murray fights back to beat Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 6-4 7-5 in the Washington Open first round in his fourth match since returning from hip surgery.

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Love Island: Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham win ITV2 series

After eight weeks of dumpings and drama, the winning couple of the ITV2 series is revealed.

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Lombok earthquake: More than 500 hikers evacuated from Mt Rinjani

More than 500 hikers were stranded on Indonesia's Mt Rinjani when a deadly quake triggered landslides.

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IS claims fatal Tajik attack on foreign cyclists

Two Americans, a Swiss and a Dutch citizen died after being struck by a car on Sunday.

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Brexit and your holiday: Five things that could change

How the UK leaving the EU could impact things like flights, visas and mobile roaming.

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Durex recalls condoms over split worries

The company says the products are not passing "stringent shelf-life tests", meaning they could burst.

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The Papers: Manchester bomber was 'rescued by Royal Navy'

Tuesday's papers include stories on the Manchester bomber, Love Island, and a Fortnite addict.

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News Daily: Aid sector abuse and North Korea missile reports

Your morning briefing for Tuesday 31 July 2018.

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Bruce Beach has built a 10,000 sq ft nuclear bunker

At 10,000 sq ft, Ark Two is one of Canada's largest nuclear fallout shelters.

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Trekking to Everest: 'Challenging but rewarding!'

As adventure tourism booms, more people are trekking the route to Mount Everest's base camp.

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Messi has a kickabout with his dog

A video posted by Lionel Messi's wife, of the footballer playing football with his dog, has gone viral.

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In pictures: Behind the mask

British photographer Rory Lewis's portraits of actors and other public figures go on show in London.

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Melinda Messenger: 'How do breasts have so much power?'

Former glamour model Melinda Messenger reflects on the breast augmentation she had in her 20s.

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Somalia's deaf footballers create their own league

Players fed up with being excluded from existing teams started their own league.

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Intrepid French hunt for sunken warships Cordelière and Regent

The Regent and Cordelière burned together and are now the focus of a French explorer's mission.

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Will EU healthcare for tourists survive Brexit?

Will you be able to use the European Health Insurance Card when the UK leaves the EU?

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What happened to the boy who chased away the lions?

As a child, herder Richard Turere invented a device to stop lions killing cattle but who benefited?

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Would you quote Rick Astley in your out-of-office?

Not everyone sticks to the standard out-of-office reply - we take a look at the more unusual ones.

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Fast fashion: Inside the fight to end the silence on waste

We asked major labels if they destroyed their excess stock. They weren't all forthcoming.

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How will the Love Island contestants cash in following the show?

The next few weeks will be crucial for the Islanders as they establish their brand outside the villa.

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Are UK trains the 'envy' of Europe?

Northern Rail passengers have had huge disruption, but is the rest of Europe jealous of our railways?

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North Korea 'working on new missiles', US officials say

US intelligence leaks suggest the North may be building ballistic missiles, despite recent pledges.

US airport security's 'Quiet Skies' programme tracks passengers

The programme secretly targets people who exhibit odd behaviour such as excessive sweating.

France shocked by video of woman being slapped by harasser

A student speaks out after CCTV shows a man slapping her for objecting to abuse in a Paris street.

IS claims fatal Tajik attack on foreign cyclists

Two Americans, a Swiss and a Dutch citizen died after being struck by a car on Sunday.

Trump says ready to meet Iran's Rouhani

"If they want to meet, we'll meet," the US president says.

Italy earthquake 'hero dog' found dead

The owner of Kaos, which rescued people in 2016, says the animal was poisoned.

Lombok earthquake: More than 500 hikers evacuated from Mt Rinjani

More than 500 hikers were stranded on Indonesia's Mt Rinjani when a deadly quake triggered landslides.

Russia World Cup: Pussy Riot protesters detained on leaving jail

The activists served 15 days for storming on to the pitch during the World Cup final in Russia.

Backpackers attacked with shovel in Australian bush

One backpacker was rammed with a four-wheel-drive before being attacked with a shovel, police say.

Uber halts development of self-driving trucks

The ride-hailing firm says it will now focus solely on the development of self-driving cars.

James Gunn: Guardians of the Galaxy cast back fired director

Chris Pratt says that James Gunn "is a good man" despite his "inappropriate jokes from years ago".

Largest king penguin colony shrinks 90% in 30 years

The world's largest colony, in the Indian Ocean, has shrunk 90% over 30 years, research suggests.

The battle to stop ex-IS fighters reaching Europe

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville follows the teams trying to trace ex-IS fighters who have fled Syria.

Bruce Beach has built a 10,000 sq ft nuclear bunker

At 10,000 sq ft, Ark Two is one of Canada's largest nuclear fallout shelters.

Brexit and your holiday: Five things that could change

How the UK leaving the EU could impact things like flights, visas and mobile roaming.

World-famous aerialist on the keys to her success

Christine Van Loo, a seven-time US national acro-gymnastics champion, explains how she got to the top of her game.

Nailing it: How the National Gallery of Ireland is taking the masters to the masses

The National Gallery of Ireland is teaming up with a Dublin based nail bar to recreate the greats in 'minicure' form.

Canadian puddle splash van driver loses job

Employer confirms driver has been sacked after his anti-social behaviour is caught on dashcam.

Russian ministry spokeswoman turns songwriter

Foreign Ministry's Maria Zakharova pens lyrics for popular Russian singer.

Intrepid French hunt for sunken warships Cordelière and Regent

The Regent and Cordelière burned together and are now the focus of a French explorer's mission.

The fight to end silence on fashion's waste problem

We asked major labels if they destroyed their excess stock. They weren't all forthcoming.

Will EU healthcare for tourists survive Brexit?

Will you be able to use the European Health Insurance Card when the UK leaves the EU?

Would you quote Rick Astley in your out-of-office?

Not everyone sticks to the standard out-of-office reply - we take a look at the more unusual ones.

Letter from Africa: How bruised is President Buhari by defections?

Journalist Mannir Dan Ali considers the Nigerian president's chances of re-election after the loss of key allies.

Germany gripped by #MeTwo racism debate

Thousands of tweets document racism in German schools, housing and jobs.

Job posted to Hacker News: Fond (YC W12) Is Hiring Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) in Portland

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Job posted to Hacker News: Standard Cyborg (YC W15) Is Hiring a 3D Machine Learning Engineer

Standard Cyborg (YC W15) Is Hiring a 3D Machine Learning Engineer
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Job posted to Hacker News: Apptimize is hiring for multiple engineering positions

Apptimize is hiring for multiple engineering positions
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Job posted to Hacker News: EasyPost is hiring

EasyPost is hiring
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A Migrant Boy Rejoins His Mother, but He’s Not the Same

By MIRIAM JORDAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2LVfOnX

If an N.B.A. Workout Isn’t on Instagram, Does it Even Count?

By SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2AAY4tB

Lassie Got Help, Would Your Dog?

By JAMES GORMAN from NYT Science https://ift.tt/2AmCrwE

After Doctors Cut Their Opioids, Patients Turn to a Risky Treatment for Back Pain

By SHEILA KAPLAN from NYT Health https://ift.tt/2v3sI9D

Brexit, Russia, Mars: Your Tuesday Briefing

By REMY TUMIN from NYT Briefing https://ift.tt/2v4wMX7

What’s on TV Tuesday: ‘Please Like Me’ and ‘Frontline’

By GABE COHN from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2KbQhBC

Ceramics Aren’t Enough. Bring on the Spaceships, Italian Town Says.

By JASON HOROWITZ from NYT World https://ift.tt/2vonAfu

Philippine Bombing Kills 10, Showing Insurgents Remain a Problem

By FELIPE VILLAMOR from NYT World https://ift.tt/2KhkD5Q

How Trump Allies Shifted Their Defense as Evidence of Contacts With Russians Grew

By MARK MAZZETTI from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Kbq7Pz

Former FEMA Official Accused of Sexual Misconduct That Spanned Years

By MATT STEVENS from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2LGBip2

Quotation of the Day: Why Global Greening Isn’t as Great as It Sounds

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://ift.tt/2M0WLFu

Review: In a New Orleans ‘House,’ Wealthy Women Are Haunted by Slavery’s Ghosts

By BEN BRANTLEY from NYT Theater https://ift.tt/2mVsj4v

With Trades, Yankees Pitching Staff Remains a Work in Progress

By BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2Kc6uqw

Corrections: July 31, 2018

By Unknown Author from NYT Corrections https://ift.tt/2OsgCPz

The Third-Party Option

By DAVID BROOKS from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2KhiuaA

New York City Is Thriving. Why Is Transport Such a Nightmare?

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/2v2dWjd

Four People, Including a 5-Year-Old Boy, Are Shot and Killed in Queens

By BENJAMIN MUELLER and HANNAH WULKAN from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2v3idmO

Murder Suspect Used Dating Apps to Prey on Women, Police Say

By ASHLEY SOUTHALL from NYT New York https://ift.tt/2KbEEL8

More to Come

By DEB AMLEN from NYT Crosswords & Games https://ift.tt/2v4Zabw

Bob Woodward’s New Book Will Detail ‘Harrowing Life’ Inside Trump White House

By MATT STEVENS and JASON M. BAILEY from NYT Business Day https://ift.tt/2vjb15l

Donald Trump's lawyer unsure if collusion with Russia is a crime

<strong>Washington D. C. : Rudy Giuliani, the lawyer of United States President Donald Trump on Monday said the former was not sure whether collusion with Russia would be considered a crime.</strong> Giuliani further denied the involvement of Trump's presidential campaign's former chairman, Paul Manafort, in intimate business relations with the US President, CNN reported. Manafort is facing trial for bank and tax fraud charges levelled against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as part of his investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election. "Four months, they're not going to be colluding with Russia, which I don't even know if that's a crime, colluding about Russians. You start analyzing the crime, the hacking is the crime. The President didn't hack," Giuliani told CNN. This comes despite legal experts saying that anyone found to be colluding with Russia will be liable to be charged with criminal offenses such as conspiracy. Giuliani also said that he was not sure whether Trump would pardon his former legal counsel Michael Cohen, who is under a criminal investigation. He also said that recommendations for a meeting between Trump and Mueller by the former's legal team had not been responded to for more than a week by the latter's team. Although Trump has strongly opposed views there was any collusion between Russia and his campaign, he has made similar remarks as Giuliani in the past, a New York Times report highlighted. Also, ousted FBI Director James Comey had said at a CNN town hall in April that collusion was "not actually a thing that exists under the federal laws of the United States," adding that conspiring with a foreign government to commit crimes against the US was a crime. Mueller, in his investigation which started in 2017, has levelled criminal charges against several Russian citizens, five American and one Dutch national, but has so far not uncovered any instance of Trump's campaign being involved in these activities.

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Twarit Vishwa: North Korea\'s dictator Kim Jong-un reportedly resumes missile program

North Korea has begun dismantling key facilities at a site used to develop engines for ballistic missiles, according to an analysis of satellite imagery, the first significant step towards denuclearisation following the last month\'s historic summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. <br /> The Sohae Satellite Launching Station has been the main site for North Korean satellite launches since 2012. The testing facilities at the site are thought to play a role in the development of liquid-fuel engines that can also be used in North Korea\'s ballistic missile programme.<br /> The images published by 38 North, a US-based website focused on North Korea that is affiliated with the Stimson Center in Washington, were taken on July 20 and July 22, respectively.<br /> New commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae station indicates that the North has begun dismantling key facilities, the 38 North said in a report.<br /> If the analysis of the satellite imagery is accurate, North Korea may be taking a small but significant step toward the disarmament that was agreed upon by the North Korean leader and President Trump during a landmark meeting in Singapore on June 12, it said.

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3 in 5 babies not breastfed in first hour of life

<p>New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): According to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO), around 78 million babies or three in every five are not breastfed within the first hour of the birth, putting them at a higher risk of death and disease and making them less likely to continue breastfeeding.</p><p>Most of these babies are born in low- and middle-income countries.</p><p>According to the report, newborns who breastfeed in the first hour of life are significantly more likely to survive. Even a delay of a few hours after birth could pose life-threatening consequences.</p><p>It should be noted that skin-to-skin contact along with suckling at the breast stimulates the mother's production of breast milk, including colostrum, also called the baby's 'first vaccine', which is extremely rich in nutrients and antibodies.</p><p>UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said, "When it comes to the start of breastfeeding, timing is everything. In many countries, it can even be a matter of life or death," adding, "Yet each year, millions of newborns miss out on the benefits of early breastfeeding and the reasons - all too often - are things we can change. Mothers simply don't receive enough support to breastfeed within those crucial minutes after birth, even from medical personnel at health facilities."</p><p>Breastfeeding rates within the first hour after birth are highest in Eastern and Southern Africa (65%) and lowest in East Asia and the Pacific (32%), the report says.</p><p>Nearly nine in 10 babies born in Burundi, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu are breastfed within the first hour.</p><p>WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "Breastfeeding gives children the best possible start in life," adding, "We must urgently scale up support to mothers - be it from family members, health care workers, employers and governments, so they can give their children the start they deserve."</p><p>Capture the Moment, which analyzed data from 76 countries, found that despite the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding, too many newborns are left waiting too long for different reasons, including:</p><p>· Feeding newborns food or drinks, including formula: Common practices, such as discarding colostrum, an elder feeding the baby honey or health professionals giving the newborn a specific liquid, such as sugar water or infant formula, delay a newborn's first critical contact with his or her mother.</p><p>· The rise in elective C-sections: In Egypt, caesarean section rates more than doubled between 2005 and 2014, increasing from 20% to 52%. During the same period, rates of early initiation of breastfeeding decreased from 40% to 27%. A study across 51 countries notes that early initiation rates are significantly lower among newborns delivered by caesarean section. In Egypt, only 19% of babies born by C-section were breastfed in the first hour after birth, compared to 39% of babies born by natural delivery.</p><p>· Gaps in the quality of care provided to mothers and newborns: The presence of a skilled birth attendant does not seem to affect rates of early breastfeeding, according to the report. Across 58 countries between 2005 and 2017, deliveries at health institutions grew by 18 percentage points, while early initiation rates increased by 6percentage points. In many cases, babies are separated from their mothers immediately after birth and guidance from health workers is limited</p><p>Earlier studies, cited in the report, show that newborns that began breastfeeding between two and 23 hours after birth had a 33% greater risk of dying compared with those who began breastfeeding within one hour of birth.</p><p>Among newborns that started breastfeeding a day or more after birth, the risk was more than twice as high.</p><p>The report urges governments, donors and other decision-makers to adopt strong legal measures to restrict the marketing of infant formula and other breastmilk substitutes.</p><p>The WHO and UNICEF-led Global Breastfeeding Collective, which tracks progress for breastfeeding policies and programmes also released the 2018 Global Breastfeeding Scorecard.</p><p>In it, they encourage countries to advance policies and programmes that help all mothers to start breastfeeding in the first hour of their child's life and to continue as long as they want. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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PML-N, PPP, MMA to form opposition alliance

<p>Islamabad [Pakistan], July 31 (ANI): The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Majlis Amal (MMA) have agreed to form a 'solid' alliance in the Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies.</p><p>According to the Express Tribune, the MMA was on Monday swayed by the PML-N and the PPP into an agreement to not boycott the assemblies and to protest against the alleged wrongdoings during the July 25 General Elections in a constitutional manner.</p><p>A meeting between senior leaders of the PML-N, PPP, MMA and the Awami National Party (ANP), chaired by PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, discussed the political developments since the MMA decided to boycott the parliament and provincial assemblies.</p><p>According to sources, the leaders of the PML-N, PPP and the ANP agreed to cooperate in the national and provincial assemblies to form a 'solid' opposition.</p><p>Three former Pakistani Prime Ministers, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Awami National Party's Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, MMA chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other top leaders were part of the meet.</p><p>Fazal was reportedly told that none of the opposition parties were going to side with him in the boycott of the parliament and provincial assemblies, and with the Jamaat-e-Islami, a part of the MMA, deciding that its lawmakers would take the oath of office, Fazal was effectively left alone.</p><p>"Fazl has probably realised that he was going to take a solo flight on the boycott question that could lead him to isolation. "So, he decided to mend his ways for good," a PML-N source told the Express Tribune.</p><p>Both, the PML-N and the PPP have come to the conclusion that their protests in the parliament and the provincial assemblies will not "bypass the democratic and constitutional norms," insiders close to the developments say, with both parties wanting to cooperate to be able to put up a fierce opposition to the PTI and its allies.</p><p>Several political outfits and organisation based in Pakistan are accusing the military of rigging elections and falsely making Imran Khan's political outfit Pakistan Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) the winner.</p><p>The PTI emerged as the single largest party with 115 seats after the Election Commission of Pakistan on Saturday released the complete preliminary results for 270 of 272 National Assembly constituencies. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Sharif's ward in PIMS declared as 'sub-jail'

<p>Islamabad [Pakistan], July 31 (ANI): Islamabad's chief commissioner on Monday declared former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's private ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences' (PIMS) Cardiac Centre as a 'sub-jail'.</p><p>According to The Dawn, the chief commissioner said that the PIMS Cardiac Centre ward will be declared "as sub-jail for keeping Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, convicted prisoner in NAB case with immediate effect."</p><p>The notice also mentioned that the ward will remain as a sub-jail till the time Sharif is admitted there for medical attention, while security detail will be provided for by the Islamabad Capital Territory Police.</p><p>On the orders of Pakistan's interim government, Sharif was on Sunday transferred to PIMS from the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi due to deteriorating health conditions. This came hours after the jail authorities informed the Pakistan Interior Ministry about Sharif's health complications, wherein he complained of severe pain in the chest and left shoulder.</p><p>Also, head of PIMS cardiology department, Dr Naeem Malik had asked authorities to shift the three-time premier as blood tests had indicated signs of clotting, which was an alarming sign.</p><p>On July 13, Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who were convicted in the Avenfield reference case by the National Accountability Court, were sent to the Adiala jail. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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PTI seeks support from MQM-P

<p>Karachi [Pakistan], July 31 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Tehreen on Monday led a delegation of his party to the office of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in Karachi's Bahadurabad, seeking the latter's support to form the government in the Centre.</p><p>Firdaus Shamim Naqvi, Imran Ismail and Haleem Adil Siddiqui were part of the delegation led by Tehreen.</p><p>According to sources quoted by Geo News, the MQM-P has made the PTI leaders aware of its demands.</p><p>Karachi Package, constitutional amendment for empowered local bodies, administrative units for the urban Sindh, community police and mass transit in Karachi are some of the demands that have been put forth by the MQM-P, with their support conditional to the acceptance of their demands. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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NAB files corruption reference against former Pak PM Shaukat Aziz

<p>Islamabad [Pakistan], July 31 (ANI): The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday filed a corruption reference against former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the accountability court.</p><p>The notice from the NAB stated that former federal minister for power and water Liaquat Jatoi, former secretary Ismail Qureshi, additional secretary Yousaf Memon and ex-secretary of Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), Dr Naseem A Khan, have also been nominated in the case, as reported by Geo News.</p><p>The reference was filed in connection with the alleged illegal appointment of Basharat Hasan Bashir as a consultant for one of the country's top alternative energy board on a Management Position-II (MP-II) scale salary package.</p><p>According to the Express Tribune, the ex-joint secretary of water and power, Ghulam Nabi Mangrio, ex-section officer of water and power, Umar Farooq and retired air marshal and former chairman of AEDB, Shahid Hamid, are also among the accused in the NAB reference.</p><p>Allegedly, Bashir was appointed as the consultant in 2006 without following prerequisite procedures. His appointment also violated MP scale policy guidelines.</p><p>"After the expiry of his consultancy contract in May 2008, the accused Basharat Hasan Bashir illegally held the said post for almost 5 years without any extension, notification or regular appointment and kept on enjoying salary and all perks and privileges illegally in connivance with the management of AEDB," the NAB stated in the reference. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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MH-370: Malaysian report fails to determine cause of plane's disappearance

<p>Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], July 31 (ANI): Malaysian authorities have not arrived at a definitive conclusion to determine the cause behind the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines' ill-fated MH-370 flight.</p><p>Releasing the much-awaited safety investigation report on Monday, the investigators cited a lack of clear evidence to determine what exactly happened to the plane.</p><p>Stating that the report had to be published with the evidenced gathered as they had to provide closure, the investigators indicated that the publication of the report was not the end of the matter as the wreckage of the plane had not been found yet, as reported by CNN.</p><p>Addressing a presser, lead investigator Kok Soo Chon said that while the plane had diverted its course back towards Malaysia under manual controls, it was not clear yet as to whether it was being flown by a pilot or if there was any unlawful interference.</p><p>Ruling out several speculated factors for the disappearance of the aircraft, including the pilot's mental health, remote control of the flight's operation systems and aircraft malfunctions, Chon said that the investigations would be initiated again in case the plane was to be found in the future.</p><p>"The disappearance of MH370 and the search effort are unprecedented in commercial aviation history. Improvements must be undertaken to ensure that this type of event is identified as soon as possible, and mechanisms are in place to track an aircraft that is not following its filed flight plan for any reason," the Malaysian report read.</p><p>It also underscored that the international aviation community needs to provide assurances to the passengers that the location of commercial aircraft is always known; adding that to not do so was unacceptable.</p><p>In what turned out to be one of the biggest aviation mysteries in the world, the Malaysian Airlines flight-MH-370 disappeared in 2014 with as many as 239 persons on board, with 227 of them being passengers and 12 crew members.</p><p>Joint search efforts carried out by China, Malaysia and Australia were called off in January 2017 after no trace of the aircraft was found in a more than 710,000 square kilometer radius of the Indian Ocean. In May, another search effort was initiated by a private company after it reached an agreement with the Malaysian government, but that too was called off. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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WATCH: Man attacks woman in broad daylight after she responds to eve-teasing, viral video sparks probe

<strong>New Delhi:</strong> A young woman posted a video of a man punching her in broad daylight in Paris, in a crowded area outside a cafe, after she angrily responded to his sexual comments. The public prosecutors have opened an inquiry in the case after she posted the video online. Marie Laguerre, a 22-year-old student, posted the video on Facebook. She wrote that while she was returning home a man passed lewd comments on her. She said it was not the first time she has faced such sexual harassment. Since she was tired she just responded with a shut-up and kept walking in opposite direction. The man too walked away. In the video, it could be seen that the man grabbed an ashtray and hurled it at her.  Seconds later he came back and smashed the girls' face. The victim filed a complaint with police and later posted the video, writing that "we must no longer keep quiet". The matter came in highlights and caught the attention of France’s Equality minister who urged the witnesses to help police to identify the culprit. <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://ift.tt/2AqCGH6" width="560" height="336" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>  

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Pak: ANP workers stage protest against rigging in polls

<p>Islamabad [Pakistan], Jul 30 (ANI): Protests are being held by workers of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) against the alleged rigging in the just-concluded general elections held on July 25.</p><p>Mass protests are being held in Charsadda, Buner, Lower Dir, Peshawar, Nowshera and other district headquarters in the province.</p><p>Earlier on July 27, ANP central president Asfandyar Wali Khan said that his party rejected the results of the general elections due to rampant rigging and stated that peaceful protests would be held for the same in all district headquarters of KP province.</p><p>Addressing a press conference in Charsadda, Khan was quoted by The Dawn as saying, "We (ANP) follow Bacha Khan's philosophy of non-violence movement and therefore, we (ANP) will record our protest against poll rigging in a peaceful manner."</p><p>He alleged that the terrorists had attempted to keep ANP out from the 2013 elections and accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), caretaker government and the Pakistan Army for doing the same in this year's polls.</p><p>Khan asserted that the polls were rigged to sway the results in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), particularly its chief Imran Khan. He claimed that all electoral agents were driven out from the polling stations during the counting of votes.</p><p>Khan added, "Some rigging videos circulating on social media are enough to open the eyes of the Election Commission of Pakistan. If the chief election commissioner wants to know the reality about election rigging, it is there on social media."</p><p>He stated that the elections were rigged to keep Pakhtun leaders out of the National Assembly and to favour a political party only, as per The Dawn report.</p><p>The ANP central president announced that the next course of action would be discussed over poll rigging and the prospects of re-election in the country.</p><p>Khan thanked the people of Pakistan for voting for ANP, despite unfavourable circumstances and hot weather conditions.</p><p>Amidst allegations of rigging in the recently concluded general elections in Pakistan, an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) spokesperson has asserted that the same were conducted fairly.</p><p>The PTI emerged as the single largest party with 115 seats, after the ECP on July 28 released the complete preliminary results for 270 of 272 National Assembly (NA) constituencies. However, the party fell short of the 137-majority mark.</p><p>The ECP completed the process after almost three days when the general elections were held. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which won 64 seats came second, while the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) bagged 43 seats and finished third.</p><p>Pakistan went to polls on July 25 and the counting of votes began soon thereafter in the evening, which was marred by tedious counting and allegations of rigging by major political parties, including the PML-N and PPP.</p><p>On July 27, a multi-party conference was called for by the PML-N to prepare a strategy over the alleged rigging of the General Elections 2018.</p><p>Chaired by PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the all-party conference has rejected the poll results and demanded a transparent re-election in the country. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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IMF bailout of Pakistan would be a bad idea

<p>Washington D.C. [USA], Jul 30 (ANI): Pakistan would need another USD 3 billion in the next few months from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a bid to bail out the nuclear-armed country from the reeling economic and financial woes. However, it would be a bad idea to do so, according to a former United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defence.</p><p>In an editorial titled 'Bailing out Pakistan', that appeared in The Washington Times, Jed Babbin writes that Pakistan requires financial assistance to avoid defaulting on loans from China, World Bank and the IMF.</p><p>While Babbin expresses confidence that the IMF would bail out Pakistan, he opines that there are two reasons why such an action is not to be taken.</p><p>Firstly, Pakistan continues to support terrorism and harbours a variety of terrorist networks with the help of its spy agency, the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). Islamabad supports the dreaded al-Qaeda, Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist groups. The LeT was responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which claimed over 160 lives.</p><p>This can be supported by the fact that al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, responsible for orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, hid in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad for many years, before his death by the US forces in a massive search operation in May 2011. "It is unthinkable that the ISI was not responsible for his shelter," says Babbin of The Washington Times.</p><p>The Donald Trump administration has taken a tough stand on Pakistan with regard to terrorism and has terminated the military aid for not doing much to stop supporting terror networks with fighters, money and intelligence information.</p><p>The second main reason for not bailing Pakistan out from financial woes should be "China's growing de facto colonisation of Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," a mass project comprising of building roads, railways, power plants and military bases in Pakistan.</p><p>The economy of Pakistan is in dire straits due to a growing debt crisis and large-scale corruption. The money Islamabad owes to other countries and non-Pakistani organisations is over 30 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), partly due to the extensive loans it has received from China to build the CPEC corridor, as per the report of The Washington Times.</p><p>Citing a Wall Street Journal report, Babbin says that China is building infrastructure projects in Pakistan, investing USD 62 billion for them. But after three years, only half of the planned projects have begun.</p><p>Babbin continues, "China is conducting what some call 'debt trap diplomacy', through which Pakistan is becoming so indebted to China that it will be compelled to follow China's policies in Southwest Asia and beyond. In fact, the debt trap has already been sprung with the eager assistance of Pakistan's government, ISI and army."</p><p>Gwadar is a city situated in Balochistan province in Pakistan and faces the Arabian Sea. Owing to its location, Chinese officials have demanded much of the nearby population to be moved away for "security reasons" and bring in thousands of Chinese military forces and civilians for constructing large port facilities in an aim to transform the key port city into a Chinese naval base eventually.</p><p>Babbin underscores, "Pakistan's government - dependent on its army for whatever level of stability it can achieve - will not suffer de facto colonisation gladly. Despite Pakistan's support of terrorism, China's corrupting largesse will be able to satisfy the Pakistani army and ISI sufficiently to quell any thoughts of rebellion."</p><p>The writer states that another IMF bailout for Pakistan would be considered "a Western contribution to China's transformation of Pakistan into a tribute state." He says that the US, which is IMF's largest contributor, needs to raise its voice against the bailout in a bid to prevent it.</p><p>As per a report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in 2016, US obligations to the IMF had amounted to USD 164 billion. But according to the CBO report, it is a tough task to account for the actual costs the US incurs. Because of the risk of defaulted loans, Washington's contributions to the IMF "are at a risk."</p><p>Babbin implies that some would argue that Pakistan would force itself to borrow more money from China if the IMF bailout is denied. This will help Beijing to speed up its dependence on Chinese largesse and power. But that dependence has been firmly established and the scenario would not change, whether the IMF would grant a bailout or not.</p><p>Denying another IMF bailout "would make Pakistan's subservience more obvious to the Pakistani population and government." This could create ripples between Islamabad and Beijing and there is no reason as to why the IMF should not grant a bailout.</p><p>The writer adds, "Pakistan's immediate importance to us is the logistics route it has provided for supply our and our allies' forces in Afghanistan. China's power over Pakistan may cause future closures. Thus, our policy toward China has to factor in the war in Afghanistan. India, which borders both Pakistan and China, is the key."</p><p>Babbin notes that the US' policy towards China is unclear, due to US President Donald Trump's tiff on trade. "The accelerating trade war will not make trade more fairer," he says.</p><p>The writer suggests that President Trump should instead raise his voice on China's de facto colonisation of Pakistan and other countries, The Washington Times report says.</p><p>"If such action were coupled with a clear embrace of India, comprised of a new trade agreement and the beginning of a defense alliance, the president's policy could help contain China's ambitions," Babbin concludes. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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India has every reason to be alarmed by Pak-China alliance: US lawmaker

<strong>Washington</strong>: India has every reason to be alarmed by the Pakistan-China alliance, which has emerged as a threat to their neighbours and democracy in the region, a top US lawmaker said today. China has emerged as an all-weather ally of Pakistan, where it has launched several development projects with an investment of over USD 50 billion under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Border and Road Initiative (BRI). The CPEC, launched in 2015, is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. China has also blocked India's move to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief and Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the United Nations. The Pakistan-China alliance is hostile to the basic tenants of democracy and hostile to its neighbours, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said during a Congressional hearing. "India has every reason to be alarmed by this new cooperation and coordination between China and Pakistan. Pakistan, who is immersed and its leaders are immersed in radical Islam and terrorism, not only to terrorise their neighbours, but to terrorise their own populations into submission," the lawmaker said. He alleged that Sindhis were being brutalised and murdered. And same is the treatment with supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi and the Balochs. "These groups of people are being brutalised by this corrupt government in Islamabad in alliance now with China, which of course is the world's worst human rights abuser," Rohrabacher said. Congressman Brad Sherman raised the issue of human rights violations against Sindhis. Responding to questions, Senior Bureau Official for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells told members of House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee for Asia and the Pacific that of late there has been popular protests against the disappearances against staged encounters in Pakistan. "This is very much a leading part of political dialogue right now in Pakistan, the rule of law and the relationship of the political establishment to its people," Wells said.

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"My wife is Japanese", UK top envoy makes 'terrible' blooper in China

<strong>New Delhi:</strong> Britain’s foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt made a blunder on his maiden official visit to China. Hunt wanted to strike a chord by mentioning that his wife is also Chinese, but ended up blurting ‘Japanese’ instead of ‘Chinese’.  Now, it is known that China and Japan are traditional rivals for centuries. Though relations have somewhat improved lately, they still remain at loggerheads because of issues such as Japan’s bloody occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 40s. Hunt immediately acknowledged his terrible mistake and corrected himself. “My wife is Japanese..My wife is Chinese. That is a terrible mistake to make”, he told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, AFP reported. He added: "My wife is Chinese and my children are half-Chinese and so we have Chinese grandparents who live in Xian and strong family connections in China.” Hunt is married to Lucia Guo, with whom he has three children. He is in China in a bid to strengthen trade ties with Beijing ahead of Britain's exit from the European Union next year.

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India key partner of US to ensure peace in Indo-Pacific region: Trump Administration

<strong>Washington: India is a key partner in America's efforts to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the strategic Indo-Pacific region, the Trump administration has said.</strong> The remarks by a senior US diplomat came ahead of the announcement by the US of initiatives for development and economic assistance in the entire region. The move comes nine months after the Trump administration openly spoke against the "predatory economic policies of an Asian giant" that threatens to eat into sovereignty of countries in the Indo-Pacific region, which has now emerged as a critical engine for growth. Brian Hook, senior policy advisor to the US Secretary of State, said the US and India are not only working bilaterally, but also cooperating with other like-minded partners, especially Japan, Australia and South Korea to advance their shared vision of the Indo Pacific. "India is a key partner in our efforts to ensure that the entire Indo Pacific region is a region of peace, stability and growing prosperity. We work very closely with India," Hook told reporters during a conference call. "I would say last year and a half of this administration has been a great deal of focus on deepening economic, security and diplomatic ties between the United States in India. And there's so much more good work to come, Hook said. Observing that India and the US share enduring interests and values as the oldest and largest democracies, the top American diplomat said that India-US partnership is rooted in shared democratic values. "When you look at the democracies spanning the Indo-Pacific region, from the US, India, Japan, and other very strong democracies that span the Indo Pacific, we share an interest in advancing security and prosperity in the region," Hook said.

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China's invasion of Taiwan has already begun

<p>Hong Kong [China], July 30 (ANI): China's invasion of the "renegade province" of Taiwan has already begun. Of course, not a physical assault by military forces - not yet, at least - but rather a campaign of psychological and diplomatic pressure against Taiwan that has seriously intensified in recent months.</p><p>Take, for example, the issue of airline reservations, with China issuing a directive in April to 44 foreign airlines that they change the name "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China" on their global websites.</p><p>Numerous carriers such as Qantas, Air India, Lufthansa, British Airways and Air Canada caved in, even though the White Housecriticized Chinese demands as "Orwellian nonsense" and "part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party [CPC] to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies".</p><p>In like fashion, the Marriott hotel chain, Gap clothing and Mercedes-Benz have all at some point felt China's wrath for offending its sensibilities about descriptions of Tibet or Taiwan. Each apologized for not complying with China's standards.</p><p>This Chinese pressure has been ramping up since President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party took office in Taipei in January 2016. There was an immediate cooling of relations with Beijing, and China has attempted to marginalize Taiwan at every opportunity. Tsai insists she wants to maintain the status quo in terms of bilateral relations, but the CPC fears she will push for formal independence.</p><p>Tsai is facing extreme pressure from China, as well as internal political and civil pressure to modify her stance. Nevertheless, it appears that Taiwan is the only party intent on observing the status quo in cross-straits relations. China certainly is not.</p><p>In March at the National People's Congress, President Xi Jinping said, "It is a shared aspiration of all Chinese people and in their basic interests to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and realize China's complete reunification."</p><p>Xi received rapturous applause when he threatened, "Any actions and tricks to split China are doomed to failure and will meet with the people's condemnation and the punishment of history.The Chinese people share a common belief that it is never allowed and it is absolutely impossible to separate any inch of our great country's territory from China."</p><p>Later, in June, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office in China, warned, "We have the stern will, full confidence and sufficient capability to defeat any form of Taiwan independence separatist plots." He added that China "absolutely will not permit Taiwan independence forces to...interfere with the course of China's great rejuvenation.Taiwan independence is a dead-end street.We warn Taiwan independence forces not to play with fire."</p><p>Ian Easton, a research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, a Virginia-based think tank, told ANI, "In the past ten years, most people took peace for granted. Most thought Taiwan's going to be absorbed.by China. They thought this is a flashpoint not worth considering anymore. The US didn't talk much about it and nor did its allies."</p><p>However, Easton said the threat to Taiwan has grown greatly under Xi. "There's no question about it.Clearly his approach is different to that of Hu Jintao - his personality is different, he's much more ambitious, much more aggressive, he's much more interested in Taiwan than Hu Jintao was." Easton pointed out, "Xi Jinping has been much more focused on preparing to one day occupy the island. It's always been the party's and the People's Liberation Army's [PLA] main strategic direction ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union."</p><p>For now, China is prosecuting a short-of-war campaign tobludgeon Taiwan. Russell Hsiao, writing for The Jamestown Foundation, delineated ten elements to this pressure campaign: poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies; military coercion; economic coercion; excluding Taiwan from international organizations; pressuring foreign corporations; pressuring Taiwan's non-diplomatic allies; economic incentives; political warfare; cyber espionage; and traditional espionage.</p><p>Taiwan now has diplomatic relations with only 18 countries worldwide. It lost formal ties with Sao Tome and Príncipe in December 2016, Panama in June 2017, and the Dominican Republic and Burkina Faso in May 2018, after China lured them away.</p><p>Beijing, like it did with South Korea over the topic of a US Army missile defense battery stationed on its territory, is unafraid to use its considerable economic clout against Taiwan. Thus, it limited the number of tourists travelling to the islandsince Tsai assumed office, with the number falling 700,000 in 2017 alone.</p><p>In international organizations, China has gleefully pressured others to ostracize Taiwan. Thus, Taiwan was denied observed observer status at the World Health Assembly in May. Another example is the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), with China pressuring the group to exclude Taiwan. The ICAO has remained silent on China backtracking on its 2015 agreement with Taiwan over using the commercial M503 flightpath near the centerline of the Taiwan Strait.</p><p>Authoritarian China, thanks to its growing technological and digital knowhow, is increasingly taking advantage of the liberties and openness of Western and Taiwanese democracies. Indeed, Easton warned that China is subverting Taiwan's democracy, "everything from espionage to cooperating with pro-unification and organized crime syndicates in Taiwan, gunrunning, drugs and smuggling people into Taiwan. They're going to do things that will destabilize Taiwan's society." Easton even spoke of Chinese intelligence operatives being mixed in with pro-unification groups and their protests, some of which have turned violent.</p><p>The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is actively engaged against Taiwan. Hsiao commented, "In Taiwan, the UFWD targets a broad range of constituencies, including aborigines, local villages and townships, youths and students, pro-China political parties and groups, and Taiwan military veterans. Taiwan's government has previously estimated that China spends at least $337.8 million per year on UFWD recruiting efforts in Taiwan, but has also said it believes there might be more 'invisible funding'."</p><p>China is routinely using social media disinformation, propaganda, "content farms" and bots to fan the flames of social instability via UWFD proxies. Taiwan has an extremely high internet usage rate of 82.3% and smartphone penetration rate of 73.4%, and China can relatively easily spread fake news on messaging sites such as Line, as well as imagery. One example of the latter is a picture of a Chinese H-6K bomber flying near Jade Mountain in Taiwan. Such an event did not occur, yet the image still went viral. China is also good at misquoting officials or ex-officials in either Chinese or Taiwanese forums to show purported approval of the CPC.</p><p>Hsiao, executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute,concluded, "The CPC has a long history of using propaganda and disinformation against Taiwan. In social media it has found a fertile information environment to amplify its time-honed tactics of political and psychological warfare. Flooding Taiwan's society with propaganda and disinformation can weaken its people's trust in democratic institutions and lead to political instability."</p><p>He continued, "The CPC's ultimate goal is the subjugation of Taiwan under the PRC, and propaganda and disinformation are means to weakening morale and people's resistance towards that political end."</p><p>Likewise, China is manipulating the cyber sphere to its advantage. Taiwan is the number one target of Chinese hacking, with a reported 20-40 million attempted hacks against its public sector each month throughout 2017.</p><p>Hsaio explained that Taiwan has suffered a number of embarrassing high-profile espionage incidents too, often involving the military. From 2006-16, some 40 Taiwanese - including military officers, businesspeople and government officials - were prosecuted for spying on behalf of China.</p><p>With such intense bullying of Taiwan and of anyone else that does not submit to Beijing's narratives, and with mounting concerns over China's hard-nosed One Belt, One Road initiative, China is beginning to face adverse reaction on the international stage. Ironically, Beijing's squeezing of Taipei does permit more countries to see the ugly nature of this authoritarian regime and its leader.</p><p>While China is happy to bully those weaker than itself, it also shows a remarkably thin skin for a nation that regards itself as a global power. China was incensed by Trump accepting Tsai's congratulatory telephone call in December 2016. Beijing also feels antagonized by ongoing American military equipment sales to Taiwan, with the USA the only country willing to stand up to Chinese bluster. China was further infuriated by Trump's legislation encouraging the USA to send senior officials to Taiwan and vice versa.</p><p>China continues to ramp up pressure against Taiwan militarily. It has hundreds of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles aimed at the island. It has also boosted the number of military exercises near the island. For example, from August 2016 to December 2017, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense counted at least 26 PLA aerial exercises, of which 15 circumnavigated the island. There were just eight in 2015 and 2016 combined. The Chinese Liaoning aircraft carrier has passed Taiwan four times already.</p><p>ANI asked whether a military confrontation between China and Taiwan becomes more likely the longer Xi stays in power. Easton replied, "Yes, it does," and he outlined two reasons. One is that Xi will inevitably get older, weaker and face more health issues. 'There are going to be potential power struggles, and there are going to be all the problems associated with a dictatorship - especially a communist-style dictatorship - and we've seen this with Mao and Stalin."</p><p>Easton described the potential for leaders to developmegalomania because they become godlike. "There's already this incredible cult of personality in China, and being godlike makes people go crazy. It corrupts their sense of reality, so there's a rea risk of that." A related danger is that Xi will not receive accurate information from his underlings. After having done so much to eradicate opponents within the party and military, Xi could end up being surrounded by "yes men" who simply tell Xi what he wants to hear. This may lead to huge miscalculations, with Xi making decisions based on wrong assumptions.</p><p>The second reason given by Easton regarding the rising possibility of war is that the PLA will grow increasingly stronger over the coming 10-20 years. China has made huge investments in the PLA, but these may not bring a payback straight away. Indeed, it may take years to get a return on that investment.</p><p>"So a lot of the heavy military spending, research and development and training that we're seeing right now, they're going to come to fruition in the next one to two decades. When they do, China's going to have so much more military power than it currently has and that it has had over its entire modern history. When that happens, I should think there's going to be even greater temptation to do something that could be disastrous," Easton warned.(ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Imran Khan to take oath as PM on August 11 - three days before Pakistan's I-Day

Islamabad<b>:</b> Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will take oath as Prime Minister on August 11, three days before the nation celebrates its Independence Day. Speaking to the newly-elected members from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Islamabad, Khan said a decision regarding nomination of the Chief Minister will be taken soon and in the best interest of the people, according to Radio Pakistan. PTI emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly in the July 25 polls whose results are fudged, claimed other major parties. PTI is still short of numbers to form its government on its own and several key parties have now begun queuing up to be a part of the next government that will be formed under his leadership . According to news agency IANS, to meet the required number of votes, the PTI leadership has reportedly approached the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), PML-Quaid (PML-Q) and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), as well as Independents. The worry, however, for Imran is that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan Peoples Party have agreed on formulation of a "coordinated joint strategy" to keep PTI out of power. The National Assembly, Pakistan's parliament, has 272 contested seats and Khan's party has done far better than all the others, winning 115 seats. The magic figure required is 137.

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Pakistan Elections 2018: Election Commission of Pakistan issues notice to Imran Khan

<strong>Lahore: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman and Pakistan's Prime Minister in-waiting Imran Khan on Monday, asking him for written explanation over his alleged voting in full public view and in front of camera in the just ended general elections on July 25.</strong> His alleged act is violation of model code of conduct as per the ECP's rules. Babar Awan, Imran's counsel appeared before ECP earlier today after which the ECP asked for a written reply from Khan and adjourned the hearing till August 16, reported Geo News. The ECP had earlier summoned the cricketer-turned-politician. The ECP issued notice to Khan since it violated the secrecy of the ballot when he allegedly cast his vote in NA-53 constituency while surrounded by friends and supporters. Apparently neither the presiding officer nor the polling staff objected to the violation. According to Section 185 of the Election Act, a person can be given a six-month jail sentence and/or fine of Rs 1,000 for not casting their vote in secrecy. PTI leader Naeemul Haque has blamed the polling staff present at the booth for the controversial casting of vote. The PTI emerged as the single largest party with 116 seats, after the ECP on July 28 released the complete preliminary results for 270 seats out of 272 constituencies in the National Assembly (NA), according to reports. The process of counting took more time than usual. The ECP completed the process after almost three days since the General Elections got over. Imran Khan will be sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan before August 14, according to a party leader.

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Trump offers to meet with Iranian President Rouhani with “no preconditions”

07/30/18 2:47 PM

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Rand Paul says he will support Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh

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Dogs Took Over the Internet. Our Souls Are at Stake.

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Jeremy Hunt gaffe: 'My wife is Japanese'

The foreign secretary got muddled about whether his wife was Chinese or Japanese.

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Tajikistan probes 'attack' that left four foreign cyclists dead

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Donald Trump brands journalists 'very unpatriotic'

<strong>Washington: US President Donald Trump has called American journalists "unpatriotic" as he accused them of putting lives at risk by their reporting.</strong> "When the media - driven insane by their Trump Derangement Syndrome - reveals internal deliberations of our government, it truly puts the lives of many, not just journalists, at risk! Very unpatriotic!" Trump said in a series of characteristic tweets. "Freedom of the press also comes with a responsibility to report the news accurately," he said accusing the mainstream media of wrongful coverage. "Ninety per cent of media coverage of my administration is negative, despite the tremendously positive results we are achieving, it's no surprise that confidence in the media is at an all time low!" he said. "I will not allow our great country to be sold out by anti-Trump haters in the dying newspaper industry. No matter how much they try to distract and cover it up, our country is making great progress under my leadership and I will never stop fighting for the American people!" Trump said. He alleged that "the failing New York Times and the Amazon Washington Post do nothing but write bad stories even on very positive achievements - and they will never change!" Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that he had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A G Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, 'Enemy of the People'. Sad!," he said. The account of the meeting was challenged by Sulzberger. My main purpose for accepting the meeting was to raise concerns about the president's deeply troubling anti-press rhetoric. I told the president directly that I thought that his language was not just divisive but increasingly dangerous," said the NYT publisher. The meeting between the two took place at the White House on July 20. Sulzberger said the meeting was off the record, but Trump by tweeting about it had made it on the record. "I told him that although the phrase 'fake news' is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labelling journalists 'the enemy of the people'. I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence," he said in a lengthy five-paragraph statement. "I repeatedly stressed that this is particularly true abroad, where the president's rhetoric is being used by some regimes to justify sweeping crackdowns on journalists," he said. Sulzberger said he warned Trump that "it was putting lives at risk, undermining the democratic ideals of our nation, and that it was eroding one of our country's greatest exports: a commitment to free speech and a free press". "Throughout the conversation I emphasised that if President Trump, like previous presidents, was upset with coverage of his administration he was of course free to tell the world," he said. "I made clear repeatedly that I was not asking for him to soften his attacks on The Times if he felt our coverage was unfair. Instead, I implored him to reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country," he said.

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Face aux accusations d’agression sexuelle contre Luc Besson, une réaction contenue

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Birmingham police chase crash leaves woman dead

The woman dies after a car believed to be stolen crashes into another car during a police pursuit.

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Mirror and Express owner slumps to £113m loss

Reach writes down the value of its regional newspaper titles by £150m amid "difficult" trading.

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Pollution can change wildlife behaviour

<p>Washington D.C. [USA], July 30 (ANI): With an increasing number of factors affecting the animal behaviour, the field of behavioural toxicology is gaining traction within the environmental sciences.</p><p>A team of scientists from the University of Portsmouth has developed new scientific tests to better understand the effects of pollution on wildlife behaviour.</p><p>An organism's behaviour is fundamentally important to their survival through feeding, finding mates and escaping predators. Any chemical which could interfere with these responses has the potential to impact the food chain.</p><p>Using small shrimp-like crustaceans called amphipods, which are commonly used to monitor environmental toxicology, the researchers have been designing experiments to best answer the questions.</p><p>In previously determining that these animals prefer to swim away from the light (negative phototaxis) and preferably be touching the sides of the tanks (positive thigmotaxis), they first set about asking whether these preferences could be altered by the size and shape of their testing tanks.</p><p>The results found that tank size and shape can alter their exploratory behaviours, the time they spent next to a wall (wall-hugging) and the speed at which they swam.</p><p>"Environmental toxicologists around the world often use similar processes but not always for the same species for their pollution testing. For example, a chemical might have the capacity to alter a certain behaviour but if two closely related species have subtly different reactions to a stimulus (light for example) then this might mask the impacts of the pollutant," said researcher Alex Ford.</p><p>The findings are published in the Journal of PeerJ. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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This is how jumping genes drive evolution

<p>Washington D.C. [USA], July 30 (ANI): Turns out, almost half of our DNA sequences are made up of jumping genes, which are also known as transposons.</p><p>Transposons is a DNA sequence that changes its position within a genome, sometimes creating or reversing mutations and altering the cell's genetic identity and genome size. They jump around to develop sperm and egg cells.</p><p>According to researchers at Carnegie Institution for Science, the mobilization of these genes can also cause new mutations that lead to diseases, such as haemophilia and cancer. Remarkably little is known about when and where their movements occur in developing reproductive cells, the key process that ensures their propagation in future generations but can lead to genetic disorders for the hosts.</p><p>They developed new techniques to track the mobilization of jumping genes. They found that during a particular period of egg development, a group of jumping-genes called retrotransposons hijacks special cells called nurse cells that nurture the developing eggs.</p><p>These jumping genes then use nurse cells to produce invasive material (copies of themselves called virus-like particles) that move into a nearby egg and then mobilize into the egg's DNA.</p><p>Animals unwittingly developed a powerful system to suppress jumping gene activity that uses small, non-coding RNAs called piRNAs, which recognize jumping genes and suppress their activity.</p><p>Occasionally, jumping genes manage to move, suggesting that they employ some special tactics to escape piRNA control. However, tracking the mobilization of jumping genes to understand their tactics has been a daunting task.</p><p>The researchers also developed approaches to track the movements of jumping genes using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. To facilitate their investigation, they disrupted piRNA suppression to increase the activity of these jumping genes and then monitored the movement of them during the egg-development process. This led to their discovery on the tactic that allows jumping genes to move.</p><p>"We were very surprised that these jumping genes barely moved in stem cells that produce developing egg cells, possibly because the stem cells would only have two copies of the genome for these jumping genes to use. Instead, these moving elements used the supporting nurse cells, which could provide up to thousands of copies of the genome per cell, as factories to massively manufacture virus-like particles capable of integration. Our research shows how parasitic genetic elements can time their activity and distinguish between different cell types to robustly propagate to drive evolutionary change and cause disease," explained co-author Zhao Zhang.</p><p>The findings appeared in the Journal of Cell. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Trump corners Robert Mueller over "Witch Hunt" probe

<p>Washington D. C. [USA], July 30 (ANI): United States (US) President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US Presidential Election.</p><p>Taking to his Twitter account, Trump stressed on the fact that there was no collusion, saying that the "Witch Hunt" was a rigged one as it was started by a fraudulent Dossier, and was funded by "Crooked Hillary" and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).</p><p>He further revealed that he had a "conflict of interest" with Mueller, adding that the two had a "nasty business relationship" and that he had turned him down as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director.</p><p>"Also, why is Mueller only appointing Angry Dems, some of whom have worked for Crooked Hillary, others, including himself, have worked for Obama....And why isn't Mueller looking at all of the criminal activity & real Russian Collusion on the Democrats side-Podesta, Dossier?" Trump added.</p><p>According to CNN, the investigation was started in July 2016 when Australian officials had tipped the FBI that George Papadopoulos, a former member of the foreign policy advisory panel to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, told them about alleged Russian involvement with Hillary Clinton.</p><p>In a memo released in February, The House Republicans had confirmed that the probe was launched following the information from Papadopoulos, who has been found guilty of furnishing wrong information to the FBI and is assisting with the Mueller investigation. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Google, Bitcoin.com offer job to homeless man who distributed resume on road

<strong>New Delhi:</strong> This story of a man with courage, initiative, and perseverance will encourage you to never give up on your dreams! David Casarez, an unemployed web developer who moved to Silicon Valley in California in the hope of breaking into the tech industry, ended up being homeless. Desperate for work, he took to the streets to ask for help. He wore a nice shirt, pants and tie and distributed his resume by standing on a roadside with a handwritten placard that read "HOMELESS, HUNGRY 4 SUCCESS. TAKE A RESUME.", reported New York Post. He handed out resumes instead of begging in order to alleviate himself out of poverty. After his unorthodox approach to job hunting was shared on social media by a stranger and his photo of him holding the aforementioned placard went viral on Twitter, he got more than 200 job offers! <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today I saw this young homeless man asking for people to take a resume rather than asking for money. If anyone in the Silicon Valley could help him out, that would be amazing. Please RT so we can help David out! <a href="https://t.co/ewoE3PKFx7">pic.twitter.com/ewoE3PKFx7</a></p> — FullMakeup Alchemist (@jaysc0) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaysc0/status/1022995030015766528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2018</a></blockquote> Even the internet giant Google and Bitcoin reached him out, Casarez told New York Post. "A product manager from Bitcoin.com was wondering if I could work remotely of if I want to relocate to Tokyo," he said. Casarez who has been living in his car for over a year said that he couldn't succeed in getting a job in Apple after qualifying for an interview in January. He claimed that the job was filled internally. Casarez, who did some freelancing in web design and logo design jobs earlier, is an information systems management graduate. He said that he dressed up nice in order to be presentable to my future employers. "It was basically a make-or-break moment," he asserted. On Saturday in twitter, his photo of him holding a placard and his resume was retweeted over 50,000 times and was liked over 70,000 times. "I wasn't expecting that kind of response," he added. <em>(With inputs from ANI)</em>

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Jailed former Pakistan PM Sharif hospitalised

<strong>Islamabad</strong>:  Jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was today admitted to the country's top hospital here, after his health deteriorated due to heart trouble in the high security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Sharif, 68, was shifted to the Cardiac Centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad this evening, where his condition is said to be stable, a hospital official said. The three-time Pakistan premier is serving a 10-year jail term in a corruption case over his family's purchase of luxury apartments in London. He has been lodged in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since July 13. The decision to shift Sharif to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad was taken by the Punjab government which has administrative control of the Adiala jail after a team of doctors recommended that Sharif needed proper medication and care as he has been suffering from acute pain in both his arms, likely due to lack of adequate blood circulation. Doctors had advised Sharif's transfer to hospital after an electrocardiogram had shown "variations", Punjab home minister Shaukat Javed was quoted as saying by the state-run PTV. Meanwhile, PIMS spokesman Wasim Khwaja said "Sharif was in the hospital's Cardiac Centre and his condition is stable". Doctors conducted a check-up of Sharif after he complained of chest pain and advised that he immediately be shifted to a coronary care unit (CCU) of the PIMS in Islamabad, Geo news reported. Last week, it was reported that Sharif is on the verge of a kidney failure. Doctors recommended to shift him to the hospital immediately. Earlier Javed had said that Sharif will be shifted to PIMS, where preparations have been made to keep the high-profile prisoner. A team of doctors headed by Dr Ejaz Qadeer and comprising cardiologist Dr Naeem Malik, Medical Specialist Dr Shaji Siddiqui, neurologist Dr Sohail Tanvir and Dr Mashood carried out medical checkup of Sharif after he complained of pain in chest. Dr Malik, head of the PIMS cardiology department, suggested that authorities shift Sharif to the hospital as his blood tests showed clotting which, according to the doctor, was an alarming sign considering his medical history. His ECG was also not satisfactory. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo has diabetes and undergone bypass surgery in 2016. He currently takes medication for his heart condition, cholestrol and diabetes. Last week, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif wrote a letter to caretaker Punjab government seeking better facilities for them at Adiala Jail. Shehbaz had asked the authorities to ensure continuous provision of medicines and medical examination to Sharif from his personal doctor as he was suffering from dehydration and his blood urea content was 50 per cent higher than it should have been. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in and around the Adiala Jail. Security personnel have been deployed around its premises and also special arrangements have also been made at the PIMS.

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Pak elections were fair, transparent: ECP

<p>Islamabad [Pakistan], July 30 (ANI): Amidst allegations of rigging in the recently concluded general elections in Pakistan, an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) spokesperson has asserted that the same were conducted fairly.</p><p>Speaking on a Geo News talk show, Altaf Ahmed said that the charges that have been levelled by the various political parties do not hold water as they did not furnish any proof.</p><p>Citing the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), which sent a delegation of observers for the elections, Ahmed said that an EU EOM report stated that the elections were "transparent and fair."</p><p>When questioned about allegations from political parties that their polling agents were ousted from polling booths during the counting of votes, the ECP spokesperson said that there were instructions that had been relayed to them allowing only one agent, while some parties had sent as many as seven.</p><p>"If you check the record, only irrelevant people were expelled from the polling stations," Ahmed said.</p><p>He also said that the leaders who had in violation of ECP Code of Conduct on the Election Day had been issued notices and that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan has been called to offer an explanation for his violation during casting his vote.</p><p>He also confirmed that the election governance body had launched an investigation into allegations that some polling agents were handed results on a piece of paper, instead of the Form-45 issued by the commission.</p><p>He said that the ECP attributed the delay in the declaration of the results to a "technological failure" in the Result Transmission System (RTS), adding that the android application could not cope up with the data of tens of millions of voters.</p><p>"There was a technological problem, but no failure (overall)," saying that it would have been deemed a failure if the entirety of elections had fallen apart due to it. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Imran Khan a man with no mandate: PML-N

<p>Lahore [Pakistan], July 30 (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khwaja Saad Rafique said on Sunday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, who is expected to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan, is "a man with no mandate".</p><p>His comments came after the count of the rejected votes from his NA-131 constituency was completed, Geo News reported.</p><p>He also rebuffed Khan's comments that he was okay with a recounting of votes in any constituency across the country, saying that legal counsel for the cricketer-turned-politician had already filed reservations against it.</p><p>Shoaib Siddiqui, Khan's lawyer, had declared that although the number of votes for the PLM-N candidate had risen by 70, Khan "as usual, stands declared the victor".</p><p>"Every child knows if the bags (of votes) are opened, Imran Khan will lose. A man who doesn't have a mandate is going to become the prime minister," Rafique said.</p><p>A recounting of votes was held in five of the constituency's polling booths, with Rafique confirming that there were 38 votes added to his favour.</p><p>"13,000 of the votes in my constituency were rejected," he added. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Homeless man flooded with job offers after he hands out resumes

<p>Washington DC, [USA] July 29 (ANI): Several companies approached a homeless man with job offers after he started to hand out resumes instead of begging in order to alleviate himself out of poverty.</p><p>He wore a nice shirt, pants and tie and stood on a roadside with a handwritten placard that read "HOMELESS, HUNGRY 4 SUCCESS. TAKE A RESUME.", reported New York Post.</p><p>The homeless man has been identified as David Casarez, who turned out to be a web developer.</p><p>After his photo of him holding the aforementioned placard went viral on Twitter he got more than 200 job offers.</p><p>"Google reached out to me," New York Post quoted Casarez as saying.</p><p>"A product manager from Bitcoin.com was wondering if I could work remotely of if I want to relocate to Tokyo," he added.</p><p>Casarez who has been living in his car for over a year said that he couldn't succeed in getting a job in Apple after qualifying for an interview in January. He claimed that the job was filled internally.</p><p>Casarez, who did some freelancing in web design and logo design jobs earlier, is an information systems management graduate.</p><p>He said that he dressed up nice in order to be presentable to my future employers.</p><p>"It was basically a make-or-break moment," he asserted.</p><p>On Saturday in twitter, his photo of him holding a placard and his resume was retweeted over 50,000 times and was liked over 70,000 times.</p><p>"I wasn't expecting that kind of response," he added.(ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Trump's vandalised Walk of Fame star to stay put

<p>Washington DC, [USA] July 29 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star which was recently vandalised will not be removed.</p><p>According to TMZ, the Los Angeles Police department and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce have decided this since they realised that if it is removed then cases of violence between Trump supporters and haters will increase exponentially.</p><p>Also, both the agencies anticipated an increase in cases of vandalism might affect other on others stars. Interestingly, both the organisations were earlier in favour of removing the star.</p><p>A violence broke out on Thursday after a man named Austin Clay destroyed Trump's star using a pickaxe on Wednesday night.</p><p>This is the second time when Trump's star has been vandalised. Earlier in 2016, a man named James Lambert Otis destroyed the star with a pickaxe and sledgehammer. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Sniff of lavender can keep your horse calm

<p>Washington D.C. [USA], July 29 (ANI): Horse owners can reduce the stress level of their horses by just making them sniff a lavender.</p><p>The researchers at the University of Arizona found that horses that inhaled lavender from a diffuser show significant signs of stress reduction.</p><p>During the study, researchers used horses to teach students about heart rate and heart rate variability, which is a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat.</p><p>Heart rate and heart rate variability are indicators of the level of stress a person or animal is experiencing, though heart rate variability is a much more sensitive measurement.</p><p>Heart rate was the focus of a limited amount of prior research on the use of aromatherapy to calm horses in the presence of a stressor, such as trailering. In one study, horses were startled by an air horn and then provided with humidified lavender air. The horses' heart rates increased in response to the air horn but returned to normal more quickly in those that inhaled lavender.</p><p>"We wanted to test regular horses that aren't stressed out by external forces. Some horses and some breeds, it's just in their nature that they are more stressed. So, we wanted to use horses that were not being scared deliberately to see what effect, if any, the aromatherapy had on them," said researcher Ann Baldwin.</p><p>Each horse was led to a small paddock and held by a volunteer while a diffuser containing lavender essential oil was held near the horse's nose. A monitor tracked heart rates and heart rate variability for 21 minutes total, seven minutes before the introduction of the diffuser, seven minutes with the diffuser in close proximity, and seven minutes after it was removed.</p><p>The data were supported by the horses' observed behaviour, which often included relaxation signals such as neck lowering and licking and chewing while the lavender was being inhaled.</p><p>The experiment was repeated with water vapour and chamomile, neither of which produced a similar calming effect or increase in RMSSD.</p><p>"We did get a calming effect with the lavender, but when we measured afterwards, we no longer had the effect. So, it's just during the sniffing of the lavender that we see this calming effect," Baldwin added.</p><p>The research has direct implications for horsemen and horsewomen who may be looking for new or natural ways to calm an anxious or nervous horse. Traditional tranquillizers often have long-lasting effects, while lavender can be used precisely and exactly when needed.</p><p>The findings appeared in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Baloch activists hold anti-Pak protest in Germany

<p>Frankfurt [Germany], Jul 29 (ANI): Activists from the Baloch Republican Party (BRP)-Germany chapter recently held a protest against Pakistan over human rights violations and persecution of Baloch people in Balochistan province.</p><p>The activists gathered in Germany's Frankfurt city and raised anti-Pakistan slogans, calling it a "terrorist state". The demonstrators also accused Pakistan Army and spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for supporting terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS), al Qaeda and Taliban, who are engaged in the enforced disappearances and killings of Baloch people.</p><p>The protesters appealed to the European Parliament and the United Nations (UN) to take immediate note on the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan, which is the largest and resource-rich province of Pakistan.</p><p>A BRP Germany activist, Wasim Baloch said, "In Balochistan, the Pakistan Army has sped up human rights violations, which include the organised killing of Baloch leaders, political activists and civilians, who have been demanding justice for freedom."</p><p>He added, "The Army, the ISI and other agencies are abducting and killing these activists far away in their torture cells and hoping that the Baloch people will forget about them. The UN should take immediate action against Pakistan Army."</p><p>Thousands of Baloch political activists and intellectuals have been disappeared and many have been brutally killed, allegedly by Pakistan's secret services agencies and the Pakistan Army.</p><p>Taking cognizance of the same, the Baloch people have been protesting across the world seeking help from the international community and human rights organisations. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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Moths rest en masse in hollow trees

<p>Washington D.C. [USA], July 29 (ANI): Generally known as loners, moths are now famous for their slumber parties in hollow trees.</p><p>Researchers at Florida Museum of Natural History spotted unusual pattern inside a giant southern red oak tree where more than 400 moths were found resting inside the hollow tree. The moths seemed to be resting en masse, waiting for night to arrive.</p><p>In their observation, the moths oriented themselves toward the top of the tree and away from the light. They roosted silently, each slightly apart from the others. They saw both male and female moths, but none were mating, and no larvae were feeding nearby or inside the tree, although the immature stages of the moth eat bark and other organic material.</p><p>"This is completely new. Nobody has recorded daily communal roosting behaviour in moths. This appears to be a unique behaviour in this species and an important part of its biology," said lead researcher Andrei Sourakov.</p><p>Only a few species of butterflies and moths are known to gather in groups, the most famous example being the millions of monarchs that converge in Mexico each winter. The zebra longwing butterfly and other species in the genus Heliconius roost in small clusters of about a dozen at night, and several species of butterflies and moths shelter as groups in cool spots to escape the summer heat.</p><p>The researchers captured what seems to be the first-known example of moths congregating daily, apparently to sleep, a roosting behaviour more commonly observed in bats, one of the moths' top predators.</p><p>Why the moths gather together is still unclear, but researchers think the behaviour could be a "safety in numbers" defence strategy. By late summer, several spiders had set up webs inside the hollow red oak, but a few predators are unlikely to make a dent in a population of hundreds of moths.</p><p>"Large numbers of prey in a confined space presents a challenging environment for predators. Spiders, for instance, would have to constantly repair their webs torn by these many moths. But most importantly, the percentage of lost prey is not significant enough to undermine the population. 'Safety in numbers' doesn't mean everyone is safe, but the population is safe," he added.</p><p>The moths use sex pheromones as a signal for assembling and plans to continue studying them to gain further insights into their life history and behaviour.</p><p>The findings published in the Journal of Tropical Lepidoptera Research. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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PML-N, PPP may not boycott Parliament

<p>Islamabad (Pakistan), July 29 (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have taken the unanimous decision of taking part in the Parliament, rejecting the boycott call given by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Geo News reported on Sunday.</p><p>"Despite their reservations, both the PML-N and PPP have decided that their elected candidates will take the parliamentary oath," Geo News quoted sources as saying.</p><p>The sources further added that both the political parties will soon hold a protest in the Parliament over the matter of rigged votes in the recently concluded Pakistan General Elections."The two parties have agreed to lodge a protest against alleged rigging in the 2018 General Election in the Parliament," said the sources.</p><p>A formal announcement in this regard will be made after advisory committees of PML-N and PPP will meet each other and leaders of other political parties today, reported Geo News.</p><p>The development came a day after former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah informed PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif that the PPP will not boycott the Parliament.</p><p>Several political outfits and organisation based in Pakistan are accusing the military of rigging elections and falsely making Imran Khan's political outfit Pakistan Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) the winner.</p><p>The PTI emerged as the single largest party with 115 seats, after the Election Commission of Pakistan on Saturday released the complete preliminary results for 270 of 272 National Assembly constituencies. (ANI)</p><br/><center><em><p>This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI</p></em></center>

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