غیرسیاسی News(English)

SARGODHA: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilwal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said he would present his reaction on arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif only after he would learn about merits of the case, ARY News reported.

“I am incognizant of the facts as to what the case was and what proceeding was going on, however this (arrest) will do send a bad impression to the world. I would not want to comment without reading the case,” he said while talking to media in Sargodha.

اپوزیشن لیڈر کی گرفتاری سے دنیا میں برا تاثر جائے گا، چیئرمین پی پی پی بلاول بھٹو زرداری

میں شہباز شریف کے خلاف مقدمے کی نوعیت اور میرٹ سے واقف نہیں ہوں، @BBhuttoZardari#PPP
معاملے کے حوالے سے مکمل آگاہی کے بعد میں ردعمل دوں گا، بلاول بھٹو زرداری#ShahbazSharif pic.twitter.com/qxt43Y7Lrx

— SyedNasirHussainShah’s Office (@NasirShahOffice) October 5, 2018



The PPP chairman said it was unexpected from the government that speaks of justice to arrest the opposition leader.

“Since, I do not know the merits of the case, so I should not be commenting (just) on the basis of speculations,” he said.

Read More: More people involved in graft to be brought to book: Fawad

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Sharif Junior in Rs 14 billion Ashiana housing society case.

He was served summons many a times and he appeared today to record his statement where he was taken into custody by NAB officials.

Shahbaz’s blue-eyed officers, Lahore Development Authority former director general Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hasan Fawad, are already in NAB custody in the Ashiana Housing case.

Fawad Hasan Fawad, former principal secretary to ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in his statement before NAB in August claimed that he had awarded a contract to a “favourite firm” in the Rs14bn Ashiana Housing project on Shahbaz’s behest.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said those who had plundered public exchequer should be held accountable.

The post PPP chief refuses to comment on Shehbaz’s arrest until knowing full facts appeared first on ARYNEWS.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz on Friday termed his father’s arrest by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a “case of political revenge”, ARY News reported.

“Why is it that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) only arrests PML-N leaders before elections and does this job perfectly,” Hamza Shehbaz while addressing a press conference.

The PML-N MPA maintained that Shehbaz Sharif was arrested for cancelling the contract with the contractor Chaudhry Latif who was involved in corruption in Orange Line train and Sargodha train project, adding that the cancellation of contract was done under the LDC regulations.

Hamza Shehbaz accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of entering into a collusion with NAB to make sure PML-N leaders are arrested.

He maintained that his party and family has seen harder times during former military dictator General (retired) Pervez Musharraf’s tenure when he used to sit hours outside NAB office in politically motivated cases.

“I used to sit hours after NAB office during Musharraf-era and was not even allowed to leave Lahore, when Musharraf’s tenure ended then NAB chairman told me he was under a lot of pressure to bring up cases against Sharif family,” said Hamza Shehbaz.

He urged the PTI government to stop bringing “politically motivated” cases against Sharif family for he would gain nothing as his family is honest.

“I am proud to be Shehbaz Sharif’s son and Nawaz Sharif’s nephew for they have served country. My father taught me that one can’t take worldly belongings with oneself as funeral shroud doesn’t have pockets,” said Hamza Shehbaz.

The PML-N leader also criticised the PTI government for failing to deliver both in Punjab and in center and accused them of arresting his father to influence the upcoming by-polls.

“They (PTI leadership) fear the opposition’s strong position in upcoming by-polls,” said Hamza Shehbaz.

Urging PML-N workers to stay calm, Hamza Shehbaz vowed to fight “legal and constitutional battle” against his father’s arrest.

Earlier in the day, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Rs14 billion Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly has been accused of corruption in the Ashiana Housing case.

He will be produced before an accountability court for remand tomorrow. He will be kept in a highly-secured lock-up inside the NAB Lahore office until his appearance in court.

PML-N’s parliamentary party too condemned the arrest by terming it against the parliamentary norms.

The post Hamza vows to fight ‘legal and constitutional battle’ against Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest appeared first on ARYNEWS.

MUMBAI/BENGALURU: Higher domestic prices dented demand for physical gold in India, prompting dealers to offer the biggest discounts in 3-1/2 months this week, while neighbouring Bangladesh approved its first policy to regulate imports and exports of the metal.

Some customers in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia cashed in on a slight dip in global prices earlier this week, even as markets in top consumer China were closed for the Golden Week festival.

In India, the second biggest gold consumer after China, dealers offered discounts of up to $6.5 an ounce over official domestic prices, the highest since mid-June, compared with $2 discounts last week. The domestic price includes a 10 percent import tax.

“Retail demand is weak due to the price rise. Buyers are waiting for correction,” said Harshad Ajmera, a gold wholesaler based in the eastern city of Kolkata.

Earlier this week, gold futures in India hit their highest since June 15, at 31,350 rupees, while the rupee hit a record low of 74.1 to the dollar on Friday.

Read More: India eyes higher import duties on key items, but will spare gold: official

“Jewellers are not active due to a falling rupee. International markets are also very volatile,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.

India’s gold imports were expected to rise in the fourth quarter.

Demand usually strengthens at the end of the year, driven by the wedding season and major festivals, when bullion buying is considered auspicious.

Bangladesh approved its first gold policy this week, which will facilitate the import and export of the metal, Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam said.

Bangladesh’s central bank will appoint dealers for importing gold bars, which were previously smuggled in because of the absence of an import policy, he said.

In Singapore, premiums of 80 cents to $1.30 an ounce were charged over global benchmark rates, versus $1-$1.50 last week.

“Somewhat surprisingly, the upward move in the U.S. dollar gold prices this week triggered some of our larger customers in Singapore to make purchases,” said Ronan Manly, precious metals analyst at Singapore-based dealer BullionStar.

“This may signal a confidence by those customers that this week’s price recovery has legs and offers a good entry point at current levels.”

Benchmark spot gold traded between $1,184.21 and $1,208.32 per ounce this week.

“If the price goes down by another $20, we will see demand emerging,” a banker in Singapore said.

Premiums in Hong Kong were mostly unchanged at 70 cents-$1.30.

“Demand should recover after October as we move into the festive season,” said Peter Fung, head of dealing at Wing Fung Precious Metals in Hong Kong.

In Japan, prices remained on par with the benchmark, a Tokyo-based trader said.

($1 = 73.82 Indian rupees)

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KARACHI: Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Friday brought out that the mobile phones snatched in Karachi were being smuggled to Iran, ARY News reported.

This was revealed after CTD operation wing in a big operation arrested three culprits involved in more than 100 incidents of cell phone snatching.

SSP Pervez Chandio said the phones were sold after flashing them. He said the suspects used to sell cheaper phone sets in Karachi and smuggle expensive ones to Iran. “Several dozens cell phones were smuggled to Iran through Balochistan,” he said.

He said weapons were also recovered from their possession.

The SSP said they would carry out criminal activities in SITE area, Sher Shah, Pak Colony and Baldia Town. He said they belonged to Lyari Gang War’s Jabbar Langra Group.

Read More: 85 pct of total petrol in Sindh is smuggled from Iran

Separately, Sindh Rangers arrested 14 suspects alleged to be involved in different crimes.

The Rangers spokesman said the culprits were arrested in raids conducted in different areas of the megalopolis including Saudabad, Surjani and Baldia Town.

He said the culprits included those also who were involved in altering International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

CTD officials said efforts were underway to arrest other members of the gang.

The post Gang involved in snatching cell phones in Karachi, smuggling to Iran busted appeared first on ARYNEWS.

LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will vacate her private rooms at Buckingham Palace in 2025 as part of a 10-year refit of the building to prevent a catastrophic disaster such as a fire or a flood, a senior royal official said on Friday.

The palace is undergoing a 369 million pound ($481 million) reservicing program to replace ageing and dangerous electrical wiring and boilers. It started in April last year and is due to be completed in 2027.

Towards the end of the works, the 92-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip, 97, will have to move out of their apartments in the palace’s north wing for about two years when work starts there in 2025.

“The queen is immensely pragmatic and she wants to stay in the palace,” a senior royal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters. “She said ‘let me know where you would like me to go’.”

Read More: Justin Bieber serenades Hailey Baldwin outside Buckingham Palace amid marriage rumours

So far, 3,000 meters of old cabling has been removed from the palace and work is now underway to empty the famous East Wing, the public facade of the building which includes the balcony on which the royal family appears on special occasions.

Next week, a compound for 200 contractors will be erected on the forecourt to one side of the building.

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However, the palace will remain fully open for state visits and other regular events during the overhaul and its outward appearance will be unaffected as there will be no scaffolding, said Tony Johnstone-Burt, Master of the Queen’s Household

“I am absolutely convinced that by making this investment in the palace now, we will… avert a much more costly and potentially catastrophic failure of the building in the years to come,” he said.

The emptying of the East Wing will mean three of the queen’s four children – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – moving their offices. Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles will be unaffected as his London home is at nearby Clarence House.

Some 3,000 artworks and other items such as beds, clocks and chandeliers from the Royal Collection, housed in 200 rooms in the wing – the palace’s largest – will be moved out over six months to allow the work to begin.

Tim Knox, Director of the Royal Collection, said some of these items would go on public display at other palaces while 150 objects would return to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, George IV’s “bizarre” seaside home on the south coast of England from where they were moved in 1850 when that residence was sold.

Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 as a large private home and was only acquired by the monarch, King George III, in 1761.

The East Wing was part of an extension built in the reign of Queen Victoria. The front facade was refaced in 1914 in harder-wearing Portland stone when George V – Elizabeth’s grandfather – was on the throne.

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ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said more such people would be rounded up who have been involved in financial embezzlement, ARY News reported.

“The government is completely disinterested in this case. It has nothing to do with arrest of Shehbaz Sharif. All these cases were registered before the incumbent government’s coming into power,” he said while talking to media in Islamabad regarding arrest of the former chief minister Punjab and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Sharif Junior in Rs 14 billion Ashiana housing society case.

He was served summons many a times and he appeared today to record his statement where he was taken into custody by NAB officials.

Read More: NAB arrests Shehbaz Sharif in Ashiana housing scam

Fawad Chaudhry said those who had plundered public exchequer should be held accountable. Those should also be held who have been involved in big cases, he added.

He said the NAB was not under control of the government; however, it would provide every support to the accountability bureau. “The government would extend all-out cooperation to the NAB.”

The minister said corruption of Rs 56 billion was done in Ashiana Housing Scheme.

Shahbaz’s blue-eyed officers, Lahore Development Authority former director general Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hasan Fawad, are already in NAB custody in the Ashiana Housing case.

Fawad Hasan Fawad, former principal secretary to ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in his statement before NAB in August claimed that he had awarded a contract to a “favourite firm” in the Rs14bn Ashiana Housing project on Shahbaz’s behest.

The post More people involved in graft to be brought to book: Fawad appeared first on ARYNEWS.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday heavily criticised the government for what he termed “arresting PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif without any evidence of wrongdoing”, ARY News reported.

Speaking to media after the party president’s arrest, the PML-N MNA maintained that Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest is nothing but a clear case of political revenge and just shows the government’s frustration after failing to woo people of Punjab with their performance.

“When you will replace Shehbaz Sharif with Usman Buzdar, people will vote against you and this arrest is also aimed at influencing the upcoming by-polls,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb.

She said that “detractors” did everything in their capacity to damage PML-N but could neither deprive it of its popularity nor succeeded in making a forward bloc.

“My message to conspirators is that you can do what you can, you can only fail,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The PML-N leader, however, urged the party workers to remain calm as the party’s leadership and legal team is meeting in Lahore to develop future strategy.

Earlier in the day, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Rs14 billion Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly has been accused of corruption in the Ashiana Housing case.

He will be produced before an accountability court for remand tomorrow. He will be kept in a highly-secured lock-up inside the NAB Lahore office until his appearance in court.

PML-N’s parliamentary party too condemned the arrest by terming it against the parliamentary norms.

PML-N lawmakers slam govt for arresting opposition leader without NA speaker’s approval

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers on Thursday heavily criticised the government for what they termed “arresting opponents to set political scores” by arresting Shehbaz Sharif, ARY News reported.

According a joint statement released by the party’s lawmakers, the party objected upon Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest by terming it against parliamentary norms.

“How can you allow the opposition leader’s arrest without getting approval from the National Assembly’s speaker?,” the PML-N leaders questioned.

The PML-N legislators warned government against using NAB against political opponents by saying that the “history is testament to the fact that using the anti-graft authority for settling political scores has never benefited anyone”.

The party’s lawmakers lamented that China and Turkey’s leaders have lauded Shehbaz’s performance as chief minister but the government instead arrested the true “servant of the people”.

Earlier in the day,  National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Rs14 billion Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly has been accused of corruption in the Ashiana Housing case.

He will be produced before an accountability court for remand tomorrow. He will be kept in a highly-secured lock-up inside the NAB Lahore office until his appearance in court.

The post PML-N lawmakers slam govt for arresting opposition leader without NA speaker’s approval appeared first on ARYNEWS.

WASHINGTON: Tiny chips inserted in US computer equipment manufactured in China were used as part of a vast effort by Beijing to steal US technology secrets, a published report said Thursday.

The Bloomberg News report said the chips, the size of a grain of rice, were used on equipment made for Amazon, which first alerted US authorities, and Apple, and possibly for other companies and government agencies.

Bloomberg said a three-year secret investigation, which remains open, enabled spies to create a “stealth doorway” into computer equipment, a hardware-based entry that would be more effective and harder to detect than a software hack.

Citing unnamed US officials, Bloomberg said a unit of the People’s Liberation Army were involved the operation that placed the chips on equipment manufactured in China for US-based Super Micro Computer Inc.

Supermicro, according to Bloomberg, also manufactured equipment for Department of Defense data centers, the CIA’s drone operations, and onboard networks of Navy warships.

The report said Amazon discovered the problem when it acquired software firm Elemental and began a security review of equipment made for Elemental by California-based Supermicro.

According to Bloomberg, the spy chips were designed for motherboards — the nerve centers for computerequipment — used in data centers operated by Apple, Amazon Web Services and others.

Apple said in a statement it “has never found malicious chips, ‘hardware manipulations’ or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server.”

A statement by Amazon to AFP said that “at no time, past or present, have we ever found any issues relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in Supermicro motherboards in any Elemental or Amazon systems.‎”

Supermicro could not immediately be reached for comment, but Bloomberg said the firm denied any knowledge of the espionage or investigation.

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ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Khan has said that government is committed to make Pakistan green and pollution free therefore it attaches highest priority to its “ten billion tsunami tree plantation project”.

In a statement, the Advisor to PM said that post plantation care is a part and parcel of the project and we are paying special heed towards prevention and protection of these planted trees.

He further shared that in KP one billion tree project was audited by WWF (A third party Auditor) and they confirmed in their reports that we have not only achieved our set target of plantation but also saved 80% of the planted trees with post plantation care and we will follow the same suit in this country wide ten billion tsunami tree plantation project, adviser to the PM added.

He further said that the current feedback from all the provinces on our plantation drive has testified our commitment that it’s a country specific project.

He categorically said that timber mafia is inflicting havoc to the country and his government will adopt a zero tolerance policy against these mafias.

He said that in collaboration with provinces, we will retrieve the land from land grabbers’ especially in plain areas and will use that land for plantation purposes.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Climate Change has decided to start next phase of “Plant for Pakistan” plantation drive by coming January.

Aslam had said that post plantation care is a part and parcel of the project and we are paying special heed towards protection of these planted trees.

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OXFORD: A new method of analyzing images from CT scans can predict which patients are at risk of a heart attack years before it occurs, researchers say.

The technology, developed by teams at Oxford University and institutions in Germany and the United States, uses algorithms to examine the fat surrounding coronary arteries as it shows up on computed tomography (CT) heart scans.

That fat gets altered when an artery becomes inflamed, serving as an early warning system for what one of the researchers believes could be up 30 percent of heart attacks.

“If you are able to identify inflammation in the arteries of the heart then you can say which arteries … will cause heart attacks,” Oxford Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Charalambos Antoniades, told Reuters.

“With the new technology that we have we can achieve this by analyzing simple CT scans.”

Most heart attacks are caused by a build-up of plaque – a fatty deposit – inside the artery, which interrupts the flow of blood.

Currently, CT scans tell a doctor when an artery has already become narrowed by plaque.

With the new technology, for which the researchers hope to gain regulatory approval on both sides of the Atlantic within a year, doctors will be able to say which arteries are at risk of narrowing.

“(We) can say …your arteries are inflamed and a narrowing will be developed five years down the line. So maybe you can start preventive measures to avoid this formation of the plaques,” Antoniades said.

Heart disease and stroke are the two biggest causes of death worldwide.

“Although we have not estimated the exact number of heart attacks that we can prevent, we could potentially identify at least 20 or 30 percent of the people before they have (one),” Antoniades said.

An Oxford University spin-off company is now developing a service to analyze CT scans from across the globe in around 24 hours.

The research was published in late August in medical journal The Lancet.

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PARIS: French police have opened an investigation into the whereabouts of the president of international police cooperation agency Interpol, after his wife reported he had gone missing after traveling home to his native China last week.

The wife of Interpol head Meng Hongwei contacted police in Lyon, the French city where the agency has its headquarters, after not hearing from her husband since he traveled to China on September 29, police sources said. The investigation was first reported by French radio Europe 1.

Calls to an Interpol spokeswoman went unanswered.

Interpol’s main function is to provide a mechanism for police forces in different countries to notify each other of wanted suspects.

Meng has held several senior positions in China including vice minister of public security.

He was named president of Interpol in 2016. Rights groups expressed concern at the time that Beijing might try to use Meng’s position at the body to go after dissidents abroad.

Beijing has tried for many years to enlist the help of foreign countries to arrest and deport back to China citizens it accuses of crimes including corruption and terrorism.

Mr Meng was elected president of Interpol, which helps global police forces co-operate on investigations, in November 2016.

He is also China’s deputy minister of public security, and has previously served as head of the country’s counter-terrorism office, drugs control commission, and coast guard. His term as Interpol’s chief is due to run until 2020.

In a statement, the organisation said: “Interpol is aware of media reports in connection with the alleged disappearance of Interpol president Meng Hongwei. “This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch voiced fears China could look to exploit his position to pursue dissidents abroad, according to Independent.

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ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Friday sought an explanation from the K-Electric over the recent power breakdowns in the metropolis.

The power regulatory authority, expressing grave concern over the power distribution system of the K-Electric, said the power utility was not making sufficient investments to improve the distribution and transmission system.

It directed the K-Electric to submit a detailed reply over the recent power cuts.

A day earlier, the city witnessed another major power breakdown in a week with the K-Electric blaming the abrupt suspension of power supply to large swathes of the city on “effect of adverse weather conditions.”

The affected areas included Landhi, Malir, Korangi, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar, North Karachi, Federal B Area, Clifton and Defence.

The power supply remained suspended for more than three hours.

A K-Electric statement said power supply to Karachi was restored to routine levels after suspension was triggered due to the effect of adverse weather conditions resulting in abrupt disconnection of power supply to Karachi from the National Grid in the early hours of the morning. K-Electric is currently receiving 650MW on average from the National Grid.

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MUMBAI: A rumor is in the air due to Rishi Kapoor’s absence at his mom Krishna Raj Kapoor’s funeral held on Monday, that Rishi is suffering from third stage cancer, as he is in USA for his medical treatment.

Speaking to one of the leading newspaper, Randhir Kapoor said, “This is all rumor. Rishi at the moment is fine. As he is in great pain, he will be undergoing tests tomorrow. He did discuss it with us regarding his health.”

Reports about the actor had gone viral after Rishi along with his family, Neetu Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor missed the Kapoor family’s matriarch Krishna Raj Kapoor’s funeral.

Last week, Rishi Kapoor also informed his fans on twitter about his visit to US related to some health issues & treatment. Rishi, the 66-year-old actor recommended his fans not to worry on any baseless problems. However, even his request went in vain, rumors are widespread that the actor is suffering from cancer.

Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It’s been 45 years “plus”of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon!

— Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 29, 2018

Rishi is accompanied by his wife Neetu and son Ranbir to the USA for medical treatment.

Randhir Kapoor further added, “Let him go through the tests peacefully; whatever will be results, we will let everyone know. He has reached America two-three days ago and so far, he was being prepared for the tests that he has to undergo”.

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Vitamin D supplementation may not improve bone density or prevent fractures and falls in adults, a large new analysis suggests.

After combining data from 81 randomized controlled trials, researchers found no bone benefits from supplementing the vitamin, according to the report in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

“Our results show that there is little reason for adults to take vitamin D supplements for their bones to protect against fractures, except people from high risk groups, such as those who have a prolonged lack of exposure to sunshine,” said study coauthor Dr. Alison Avenell of the University of Aberdeen in the UK.

Vitamin D supplements have long been recommended to seniors for treating and preventing the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.

For the new study, Avenell and her colleagues scoured the medical literature for studies that examined the impact of vitamin D supplementation on bone health.

Ultimately they settled on 81 trials with a total of 53,537 participants. The length of time participants were studied varied widely, ranging from four weeks to as long as five years. More than three quarters of the trials included women over age 65.

Although most of the trials lasted a year or less.

“There were eight trials with over 33,000 participants that followed people up for three to five years. So the majority of the data comes from large, long-term trials.”

Most of the trials did not focus on participants with bone issues.

But, Avenell said, “one trial recruited people with low bone density, one with osteoporosis, six with people who had previous fractures – including one of the biggest with over 5,000 participants – 17 others were in older people from falls clinics, nursing homes or hospitals where increased risk of fracture was likely. Very few trials were in healthy younger populations.”

When the researchers pooled the data from all 81 trials, they found that vitamin D supplementation had no effect on the number of fractures and falls. Nor did the dosage of vitamin D seem to make any difference. Supplements also didn’t appear to increase bone density.

One big issue in studying vitamin D is there is no consensus on what’s a healthy level of the nutrient, Avenell said.

“The main reason older women begin to lose bone mass and to have fractures is loss of estrogen at menopause,” Siris said.

Siris said she’s concerned that news about the new research will convince people who already have brittle bones to stop taking their vitamin D supplements.

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LAHORE: A court here on Friday granted interim bail to Punjab Minister for Housing Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed’s son who is facing charges of kidnapping and torturing three policemen in Lahore.

The court approved bail for Mian Hassan against a surety bond of Rs100, 000 until Oct 15.

It summoned complete record of the case from the Ghalib Market police station on next hearing.

Police said the Ghalib Market area police personnel allegedly caught a young man and a girl in a car. As the police were taking them to the police station, the youth named Mian Hassan arrived there along with his three friends in two cars.

The police said the suspects snatched guns from policemen, pushed them into their cars and sped away. They later dropped the policemen at different places and escaped.

The police said when they traced the cars with the help of CCTV footage one of them was found to be in the name of PTI leader and provincial minister Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed.

The minister, while talking to the media, said his son’s friends had organised a tea party at a famous restaurant and were on their way to the restaurant when at least three police officers stopped and their car and demanded Rs50,000 as bribe.

“Ali (his son’s friend) said he doesn’t have Rs50,000 and could only give them two thousand rupees upon which they tortured him,” said the PTI leader.

He added that Ali then telephoned his son for help upon which he reached the spot.

The minister, however, categorically denied that his son was involved in immoral activities or in torturing police personnel.

“I have asked him to cooperate with police in investigation and if his involvement is determined, I will resign from my post,” said the PTI leader.

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LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President, Shehbaz Sharif, in Saaf Pani Company case.

The PML-N president was served summons recently and he appeared today to record his statement where he was taken into custody by the NAB officials.

According to NAB officials, Shahbaz was summoned because he, in his capacity as a chief minister, had approved the alleged illegal projects being run by the company.

His son Hamza Shehbaz, former provincial finance minister Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and former MPA Waheed Gul were also summoned by the anti-graft watchdog previously.

Director General of NAB Lahore in his briefing in June this year had stated that during Shehbaz’s tenure in Punjab, the water plants costing 0.5 billion were reportedly installed at the additional cost of 1.5 billion. Four billion were given under the pretext of consultancy, he explained while adding that the company did new hiring on the orders of Shehbaz Sharif.

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed had earlier conceded before the Supreme Court that a single drop of water couldn’t be made available to the people of the province despite the government having spent Rs4 billion on the Saaf Pani Project.

The chief secretary told the judges that so far Rs4 billion had been spent on Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC), set up with an aim to ensure supply of potable water to the people, but not a single drop of water could be supplied.

Justice Nisar had expressed displeasure over the authorities, saying so much money was squandered on advertisement campaign, but the project couldn’t be completed.

He reiterated that everyone will be held to account and that he will ensure every single penny of public money is returned to the national exchequer.

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ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of Parliament on Friday passed a motion authorizing the Chairman Senate to nominate ten members in Parliamentary Committee investigating allegations of rigging in elections held on July 25, 2018.

Moved by State Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, the House approved this motion and also authorized the Chairman Senate to change the composition of Committee on election-rigging which will comprise 30 lawmakers including 10 Senators.

According to this motion, five Senators each will be from treasury and Opposition benches.
The Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani also admitted an adjournment motion for two-hour discussion in any of the next sittings. This motion was moved by Senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh and it was regarding the lack of modernization and internal accountability system in the Federal Investigation Agency due to which the Agency could not finalize the investigation in important cases.

Chairman, Standing Committee on Interior Abdul Rehman Malik presented fourth report of the Standing Committee on conduct of free, fair and transparent Elections/ Security of General
Elections, 2018.

The House also passed three motions granting extension to Senate Standing Committees on Interior and Water Resources for presentation of their reports

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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was informed on Friday that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has served a notice to Prime Minister Imran Khan over illegal construction of his Banigala residence. 

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to encroachments in the federal capital’s suburb, Banigala.

The chief justice said the CDA should first take action against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The bench was informed that the CDA has started issuing notices to those who erected buildings in violation of ICT Zoning Regulations 1992 and the prime minister was the first one to be served a notice.

CJP Nisar said the premier should be the first person to take steps for regularisation of his property as per laws so as others may follow his example.

At the previous hearing, the chief justice directed the prime minister to lead by example by submitting a fee for regularisation of his Banigala residence.

“Notice was taken on a complaint by the prime minister himself. He will have to pay a fine before anyone else,” the top judge remarked.

The CJP had taken a notice of encroachments in Banigala on the request of the prime minister in May, 2017.

Subsequently, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration submitted a report, informing the court that 122 illegal constructions in the area include a portion of Imran Khan’s 300 kanal residence.

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OSLO: Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist treating victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi human rights activist and survivor of sexual slavery by Islamic State in Iraq, won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it had awarded them the prize for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

“Both laureates have made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, such war crimes,” it said in its citation.

Mukwege, a gynecologist treating victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leads the Panzi Hospital in the eastern city of Bukavu.

Opened in 1999, the clinic receives thousands of women each year, many of them requiring surgery from sexual violence.

Murad is an advocate for the Yazidi minority in Iraq and for refugee and women’s rights in general. She was enslaved and raped by Islamic State fighters in Mosul in 2014.

The prize will be presented in Oslo on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.

More to follow

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