Not coming slow

44 lives lost in 29 terror attacks in April PHOTO: EXPRESS/AFP As the temperatures rose, so did the number of terror attacks across the country with a slight uptick recorded in April over the attacks which took place in the preceding month. This was revealed in a monthly security report prepared by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies’ (PIPS). The report for April showed that as many as 29 terror attacks took place across the country — including three suicide blasts in Balochistan — which left 44 people dead. Another 98 were left injured in these attacks. 139 terrorists connected to Pakistan on UN sanctions list In March, there were 25 attacks which left 37 people dead. Among those killed in terror attacks in April, there were 22 civilians, 16 security personnel, and six militants. Among those injured, there were 47 civilians and 51 security personnel. Most of the casualties suffered by security and law enforcement personnel were caused by 18 terrorist attacks (62 percent of the total a...

I feel safer here than on some streets in Auckland: Pakistan women’s team coach PHOTO: AFP Pakistan women’s team coach Mark Coles has urged the New Zealand cricket team to tour the country later this year. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve received an offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a T20I series in the country in November later this year. They’ve also confirmed that the board is considering all options, and will decide after complete ‘due diligence’. If NZC will approve PCB’s proposal, it will be the first time the Black Caps will tour Pakistan since 2003. Arthur eager to see cricket’s full return to Pakistan The Men in Green have played most of their home cricket in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Sri Lanka team bus attack in 2009. Coles, who is also from New Zealand, revealed in an interview that he feels safe while staying in Pakistan. “I have a young family. I have two daughters, and my wife back home in New Zealand,” said Coles on ...

QAU physics department: Twitterati reacts to misinterpreted NA resolution by Safdar Joint Nobel Physics prize winner and Imperial College of London professor Abdus Salam, originally from Pakistan. PHOTO: FILE Capt (retd) Safdar’s resolution in the National Assembly (NA) regarding the renaming of a physics department at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) caused confusion after it was misinterpreted by certain media outlets. Users took to Twitter to express their feelings regarding the uncalled for change after some media outlets ran the news that the resolution passed called for a change to the name of Abdus Salam Center for Physics, however, the change was for the university’s physics department. Offended by Abdus Salam’s name, NA passes resolution renaming wrong building Some users were of the impression that the ‘change’ is a massive insult to Salam while others clarified the misinterpretation. The Lower House on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution for renaming the...

In a first, Palestinian flag to premiere at Cannes film festival Palestinians with their faces painted like characters from the movie "Avatar". PHOTO: AFP RAMALLAH:  The Palestinian flag will be raised next week at the Cannes film festival, which will host their first ever national pavilion. Film-makers said the new level of representation in the international village of the prestigious festival was a significant step for the fledgling Palestinian cinema industry. The pavilion, one of around 70 representing countries from across the globe, will give Palestinian film-makers an opportunity to pitch their work to top international industry executives. Mohanad Yaqubi, one of the co-founders of the Palestine Film Institute, said it was a significant moment. Israeli sniper kills Palestinian journalist covering Gaza protests “Almost every year Palestine has a film selected in Cannes but until now we didn’t have an official presence there,” Yaqubi, who is also a film-maker, told AFP....

Sharif not benami owner of London flats: NAB investigator IO admits no witness confirmed former PM paid money for purchasing four apartments. PHOTO: EXPRESS ISLAMABAD:  The three-day cross-examination of an investigation officer (IO) by the counsel for former premier Nawaz Sharif has revealed that no witness deposed that Sharif is the owner, beneficial owner or benamidar of the London flats, or that he ever paid for the flats from any of his bank accounts. On Friday, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) IO Imran Dogar admitted before an accountability court holding Sharif family’s trial in line with the apex court July 2017 verdict that no witness told him during the investigation that Sharif is the benami owner of the Avenfield Apartments. Nobody confirmed that Sharif’s son, Hussain Nawaz, was holding the properties as his benamidar or that the deposed premier paid the money for purchasing the four flats, Dogar told the court. Sharif owned London flats, IO tells accountability cou...

Pakistan moves to tax US tech giants including Google, Facebook The government wants to tax the digital advertising space along with hosting and maintenance of websites to tax the revenues of tech companies like Google and Yahoo, said Dr Mohammad Iqbal, Member Inland Revenue Policy of the FBR. PHOTO: FILE ISLAMABAD:  Pakistan has proposed 5% tax on digital revenues, hitting US tech giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook, while also moving to bring offshore-controlled companies in its tax ambit in an apparent attempt to tax Chinese earnings from the country. The tax measures have been laid before parliament as part of the Budget 2018-19, which is currently being discussed by the Senate Standing Committee on Finance. While the standing committee rejected all such tax proposals, it will not deter the government from taxing the income of tech giants and other offshore-controlled entities. The government wants to tax the digital advertising space along with hosting and maintenance of w...

ncs From the 70s: 'Outsiders' explores counter-cultural expressions in Pakistan PHOTO: GOETHE-INSTITUT PAKISTAN KARACHI:  Photographs are silent, yet they scream human truths. They have the ability to bypass language in a way that can connect a story with people all around the world. They offer visual narratives that sometimes give a voice to marginalised communities, which are silenced, or question and investigate standards in society. The Goethe-Institut Pakistan, in collaboration with the Amin Gulgee Gallery, presented ‘Outsiders,’ a curated event of multimedia series showcasing the intense outbreak of cultural activity as part of the ‘Brilliant Dilletantes’ subculture in the 1980s in Berlin and across Germany. The exhibition presented the energy of the subversive punk movement through photographs. The Pakistani show within the ‘Outsiders’ exhibition investigated counter-cultural expressions in the country from the 1970s to present day, as witnessed in diverse creations and ...