QUETTA: Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has announced to hold dialogue with all militant groups operating in the restive province of Pakistan. Speaking in the Balochistan Assembly over worsening law and order in the province on Monday, Dr Baloch said a high powered committee comprising members of the assembly would be formed to hold dialogue with all militant groups operating in Balochistan.
Mobilink-owner Vimpelcom eyeing Warid bid: sources
DUBAI: Telecoms group Vimpelcom has agreed to sell two of its sub-Saharan assets for about $100 million and is bidding for Pakistan’s mobile operator Warid Telecom, two banking sources familiar with the matter said. Vimpelcom is the major shareholder of unit Orascom Telecom, which operates under the name Mobilink in Pakistan and is the sector leader. Vimpelcom has hired Citigroup Inc to advise on the potential acquisition of Warid Telecom, put up for sale by its Abu Dhabi owners, and the bidding process has already started, the two sources said.
Pope Francis: ‘Who am I to judge’ gays?
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis reached out to gays on Monday, declaring that it is not his place to judge them – while also condemning the Vatican’s reported gay lobby as a “serious problem”. The remarks to journalists as he flew back to Rome from a high-profile trip to Brazil appeared to be more conciliatory towards homosexuals than his predecessor Benedict XVI. “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?” the pope asked.
Saudi man dies of MERS virus: ministry
RIYADH: A Saudi man has died of the coronavirus MERS and another has contracted the virus, the health ministry said on Saturday, bringing the kingdom’s deaths from the virus to 39. The man, who had previously been diagnosed with the SARS-like virus, died in the southwestern province of Asir, the ministry said on its website. The other man who contracted the virus, 83, is in the same province, it said.
How I cheated death by assassin’s bullet…thanks to the fall that nearly killed me: Imran
LONDON: I had been told I was number one on the terrorist hit-list, although who the terrorists would be was anybody’s guess. There are perhaps 25 militant groups, which now call themselves ‘Taliban’ and any one of them could have been hired by my political opponents, said Imran Khan to a British newspaper.
LNG permit of three firms revoked
ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has cancelled the permit of three companies because of their failure to take steps for import and sale of 1,400mmcfd of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Cancellation of terminal construction licences assigned to these private companies is also likely soon.
JJ Cale, songwriter behind Clapton, Skynyrd hits, dies at 74
LOS ANGELES: Grammy-winning singer-songwriter JJ Cale, whose music was made famous by Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Johnny Cash and others, has died in California. He was 74. He died Friday at a hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack, according to a statement on his website. “Donations are not needed but he was a great lover of animals so, if you like, you can remember him with a donation to your favorite local animal shelter,” the statement added.
ECP moves to protect secrecy of presidential vote
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised arrangements for holding the presidential election on July 30. Mamnoon Hussain, the PML-N candidate, and retired justice Wajihuddin Ahmed of the PTI are now left in the field after withdrawal of candidature by Mr Hussain’s cover candidate, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra. An ECP official told DNA that transportation of about 2,000 ballot papers would be completed by Monday. If required, C-130 planes and helicopters would be used for the purpose, he added.
Italy top court to shape Berlusconi’s political fate
ROME: Italy’s Supreme Court meets Tuesday to examine a fraud trial against Silvio Berlusconi which could see him ousted from politics and risks upsetting the country’s fragile coalition government. The court will rule on whether to uphold a tax fraud conviction against the former premier and confirm the one-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office, which would effectively end his 20-year political career. The 76-year-old is unlikely to be jailed because of his age, but his banishment from parliament would be a blow to the centre-right. It could also unsettle Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s centre-left and right coalition, already riven with bickering.
Malians to defy death threats to vote in new leader
BAMAKO: Malians were preparing Sunday to defy Islamist death threats and vote in their millions for a president expected to usher in a new dawn of peace and stability in the conflict-scarred nation. They will have a choice of 27 candidates as they vote for the first time since last year’s military coup upended one of the region’s most stable democracies, as Islamist militants hijacked a separatist uprising to seize much of the country.
