Yahoo News
15 June 2017

President Donald Trump has lambasted James Comey, the former FBI director, as a "leaker" for making public his accounts of his meetings with the president.© AFP Brendan Smialowski)
If there is one thing the White House has sought to hammer home about the FBI investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, it is that President Donald Trump was not a subject of it.

The point was so important to Trump that he repeated it in his letter firing FBI Director James Comey.

"I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation," he wrote.

When Comey told Congress last week that he had, in fact, confirmed to Trump on at least two occasions that he wasn't under investigation, Trump and his allies said they felt "vindicated," even though the investigation into his campaign team was ongoing. And they continued to rail on "innuendo" that the president's interactions with Comey were unethical or illegal in any way.

But when The Washington Post reported on Wednesday night that Robert Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the FBI's probe, was investigating whether Trump obstructed justice, the talking points circulated by the Republican National Committee did not dispute the accuracy of the report. Neither did Trump's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz.

According to Axios and The Daily Beast, that's at least partly because Trump's aides and people close to him know that Comey's version of events — that Trump asked him for loyalty, to back off the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and to announce publicly that Trump himself was not under FBI investigation — is most likely accurate.

Similarly, White House officials "assume [Trump] did, indeed, ask Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, if they could help derail the Flynn probe," Axios' Mike Allen reported. "They also assume he said similar things to other officials."

Having fielded Trump's requests, Comey was likely to have sensed that the president would not let the FBI get in the way of clearing his name and would pressure those he considered allies to find ways to intervene on his behalf. Even if Comey didn't predict as much, however, he made clear in his testimony last week that he took Trump's comments about the Flynn investigation — "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go" — as an order.

Which is all to say: Comey — who has said he documented every interaction with Trump because he was often "stunned" by the president's overtures — couldn't announce publicly that Trump was not under FBI investigation because the likelihood that he soon might be increased with every public and private comment Trump made about the Russia probe.

'The president did this to himself'

"Keep him away from Twitter, dear God, keep him away from Twitter," one Trump aide told The Daily Beast when asked about the White House's game plan. "The president did this to himself."

Trump's obsession with clearing his name most likely muddied the situation even further. The angrier he became with Comey for refusing to say publicly that he was not a subject of the investigation, the more he tweeted about it and asked the people around him to interfere.

At that point, as Trump had essentially built an obstruction-of-justice case against himself, for Comey to testify publicly that Trump was not being investigated would have been shortsighted and, as The Post made clear on Wednesday, ultimately incorrect.

"Just to be clear, for you to make a public statement that he was not under investigation would not have been illegal, but you felt it made no sense because it could potentially create a duty to correct, if circumstances changed?" Republican Sen. Marco Rubio asked Comey last week.

"Yes, sir," Comey replied. "We wrestled with it before my testimony where I confirmed that there was an investigation. And there were two primary concerns. One was it creates a duty to correct, which I've lived before, and you want to be very careful about doing that. And second, it's a slippery slope, because if we say the president and the vice president aren't under investigation, what's the principled basis for stopping?"

Islamabad
16 June 2017

(APP): Pakistan has called upon the international community to urge India to put an immediate end to the ongoing bloodshed of innocent Kashmiris and behave as a responsible member of the international community by honoring its commitments and obligations under the international human rights and humanitarian law.

Taking part in the general debate on Human Rights in the 35th Session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday (Agenda Item 4), Pakistan said the grave situation of gross and systemic violations of human rights and denial of fundamental freedoms in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir required council’s urgent attention.

Pakistan maintained that the Indian government has broken its own record of brutality in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, not only in target killing but also by indiscriminately killing over 100 young unarmed Kashmiri protesters.

The Indian forces have blinded hundreds of Kashmiris, including children, and injured over 16,000 protesters with live ammunition, pellet guns and gas shells.

The world witnessed its first “mass blinding” in Kashmir, which compelled the New York Times to label the year 2016 as a “Year of dead eyes” in Kashmir.

The continuing Indian brutalities and unprecedented violence by Indian occupation forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir since July 2016 are crimes against humanity. Indian barbarities are a cause of deep anguish and pain for the Kashmiris and a slur on respect for human rights globally, Pakistan deplored.

India has banned the social, electronic and print media to prevent reports of brutalities against Kashmiris from reaching the outside world. Despite this media blackout, the atrocities being committed in IoK are being reported in Indian and international media, Pakistan said.

These brutalities are also being increasingly criticized in many parliaments around the world. Political analysts and members of civil society from across the globe have concluded that the large scale uprising, which is going on in IoK, involving mostly young unarmed Kashmiris confronting fully armed Indian occupation forces, clearly shows that Kashmir is a burning issue requiring urgent International attention, Pakistan emphasized.

In their desperation to hide the reality of the indigenous uprising of young Kashmiris, including by tens of thousands of girls and boys, India is trying to equate it with terrorism, Pakistan argued. The facts have repeatedly come out proving that indigenous Kashmiris were killed by Indian occupation forces in ‘fake encounters’ and ‘buried’. Nobody believes that thousands of young boys and girls, who have been agitating ceaselessly since July, 2016 are terrorists, Pakistan said.

The people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir are losing faith in Indian democracy since in the recent sham by-election in Srinagar on April 9, 2017. The abysmally low voter turnout of 7% collapsing to 2% during re-polling is the lowest in 30 years.

“Despite Indian state terrorism and repression the steadfast resolve displayed by the Kashmiris sends a clear message to India. How many more Kashmiris would India kill so mercilessly? If India thinks that by killing more and more Kashmiri youth India would suppress the Kashmiris movement for their right of self determination, it has not learnt any lessons from history,” Pakistan pointed out.

Pakistan explained that it was making this right of reply in response to the Right of Reply made by India.
“We are amazed at the Indian delegation’s persistence of fudging the facts and telling outright lies. It is perplexing whether they understand the meaning of the words “State-sponsored terrorism” or they follow a very different definition than the rest of the planet.”

Pakistan said, “State sponsored terrorism is when your neo-fascist government believes in Hindutva and follows a state policy of persecution of minorities including Christians, Dalits and Muslims; When you have blood at your hands of around hundred thousand innocent Kashmiris;

When you have raped more than 8,000 women and blinded more than 250 youth including girls and children; When you attack ambulances and have impeded access to medical care to the injured;

When you use a third country to wage terror wars in another country;

When you do cease fire violations at the Line of Control causing deaths of innocent villagers;

When you send your in service RAW agents to run terror networks and fuel sectarianism in other sovereign states;

When you use draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act to give blanket impunity to perpetrators of torture and extra judicial killings; And finally

when you celebrate and decorate those who commit heinous crimes against human dignity such as tying an innocent person in front of jeep to be used as human shield.”

Pakistan has been at the forefront of global fight against terror and its efforts and sacrifices have been universally accepted and recognized. “We have sacrificed more than 65,000 innocent souls in this fight. Our
success against the terrorists’ networks would definitely not go well with India considering that they had put in years of effort in creating those terror networks by actively engaging in state sponsored terrorism. But our resolve, conviction and policy of zero tolerance against terrorism has triumphed,” Pakistan maintained.

The fact finding report of 25 Citizens Group, Pakistan highlighted, has clearly concluded that the actions of the Indian state in the Kashmir valley are far removed from the values of a democratic republic.

Pakistan always stood up for the oppressed and suppressed people of the world. It’s time that we, the United Nations should join our voices to stop the Indian persecution of innocent Kashmiris who are paying the price for freedom with their blood. Basic rights and fundamental freedoms of innocent Kashmiris are being ruthlessly violated with impunity everyday, it added.

Concluding the debate Pakistan quoted Martin Luther King Junior’s saying who too had suffered indignities, “The ultimate tragedy is not the repression by bad people but the silence over it by good people.”

Islamabad
16 June 2017
(APP)

Advisor to the Prime Minister on foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, Friday terming Pakistan and China as “Iron Brothers” said the great friendship between the two has stood the tests of time and has moved from strength to strength under successive generations of leaders of both the countries, but in the past four years, it is crossed new thresholds and culminated in CPEC.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) set up at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) here, Sartaj said the strategic cooperative partnership must also include enhanced, pragmatic and meaningful cooperation in research, academia and science & technology.

There is a need in this context to link Pakistani Think-Tanks with their counterparts in China. These linkages would help in promoting better understanding of the vision of the two countries and focusing on complementary between the peoples of Pakistan and China.

“I believe that this Study Centre will be a promising addition for providing a dynamic platform for scholars of both the countries to jointly pursue research projects on many areas of common interests and further promoting and cementing academic and scholarly exchanges between Pakistan and China.”

Think-tanks and Study centers are the nerve-centers of ideas and policy initiative so necessary for overall development and growth of countries, Sartaj said. They provide vision and guidelines to embark on the journey of prosperity and progress, he added.

Advisor said the knowledge creation and innovative research was key to excel in this globalized world. In this regard, The Institute of Strategic Studies has rendered outstanding services in excellent research and interaction on strategic and related issues, he remarked.

“I am confident that the timely initiative of establishing this center will provide the policy makers and intelligentsia the key resources to fully understand contours of bilateral relations between Pakistan and China and also provide opportunities to explore and expand cooperation.”

It goes without saying, he said, that China’s rise and economic pre-eminence is creating a new, economically prosperous and vibrant region. “We in the region are fortunate to be at the centre of these dynamic
changes. Together we must employ our academic and research resources to promote regional connectivity, trade, cultural, economic and people-to-people linkages, to create sustainable development and prosperity.”

In the recently held Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Sartaj Aziz said a full session was dedicated to connectivity of think tanks among the OBOR countries.

“In my address there, I highlighted the need for closer cooperation among the think tanks for exchange of ideas and the need to come together and pool our intellectual resources. Through knowledge and experience sharing, both countries can learn, grow and progress together in the light of shared vision of common development and shared prosperity.”

In the context of the far reaching Belt and Road Initiative and its flagship project: China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this Study Centre would prove to be a milestone for promoting academic exchanges and linking up think-tanks of both countries. I hope the centre will attract scholars and research of high quality, he said.

The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Sun Weidong addressing the inaugural ceremony said the China’s initiative of connecting the regional countries through One Belt, One Road (OBOR) is carrying the spirit of peaceful cooperation that would be beneficial for all the countries in the region due to enhanced connectivity.

He said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the pilot project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The China-Pakistan friendship is based on mutual respect, trust, and support, he added.

He said the establishment of China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) is the manifestation of the strong friendly relations between the two countries. He said the people are interested to know more about China and its
relations with the external world. People wanted to know how China developed and emerged as the second largest economy of the world.

The Ambassador highlighting the reasons behind quick development of China said the strong leadership of the communist party, peaceful development, hardworking nature of the Chinese people, peaceful coexistence, respecting sovereignty of other countries, and its history of never seeking expansion and hegemony enabled to achieve what it did in such a short span of time.

The Chairman ISSI, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, said the CPEC is the stimulus for the establishment of the CPSC. He said the Centre would carry out research on China’s culture, education and society. The findings of the Centre would be published in the form of books, he informed.

Moscow
16 June 2017
(TAS)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, "being the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, receives reports from the Defense Ministry on a regular basis," Kremlin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said, answering a question on whether the leader of the Islamic State (IS, terror organization outlawed in Russia) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed.

Answering reporters’ questions, the Kremlin spokesman refused to weigh the Russian airstrike on Raqqa’s southern suburbs that had presumably killed the IS leader. "The Defense Ministry may consider the result of the airstrike from both tactical and strategic points of view," he explained. Peskov also redirected the question on al-Baghdadi’s possible death to the Defense Ministry.

Earlier Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that it was checking information on the death of the IS leader.

According to the ministry, the airstrike was conducted overnight into May 28 on a command post where the IS leaders were discussing exit routes for militants from Raqqa through the so-called southern corridor.

"According to information that is being looked into now through various channels, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi also took part in the meeting and was killed in the airstrike," a report from the Defense Ministry said.

The Defense Ministry also reported that Russian servicemen had killed a number of high-ranking IS commanders and around 330 mid-ranking field commanders and private militants during the airstrike on the southern suburbs of Raqqa.

"High-ranking terrorist commanders that were members of the so-called IS war council, as well as 30 mid-ranking field commanders and up to 300 militants who served as their personal guards were destroyed during the airstrike conducted by Su-35 and Su-34 warplanes," the ministry reported.

According to the ministry, among those liquidated were "Abu Al-Hajji Al-Misri (emir of Raqqa), Ibrahim Al-Naef Al-Hajj (he controlled the whole region between Raqqa and Sukhnah) and Suleiman Al-Shawah (head of IS internal security)."

More:
http://tass.com/politics/951795

Doha
AlJazeera News
16 June 2017
(0340 PM)

The cutting of diplomatic ties, closure of air, land and sea and the restrictions placed on Qatar are "worse than the Berlin Wall", according to the chairman of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC).

Speaking in Geneva on Friday, Ali Bin Smaikh al-Marri called on the UN Human Rights Council to condemn the blockade of Qatar as it infringes upon the rights of more than 13,000 citizens of the Arab countries involved.

According to a report released by NHRC on Thursday, the actions taken by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, separated mothers from their children in some cases.

Hundreds of complaints were submitted to the NHRC by email, phone and hotlines, or personal visits to its headquarters in Qatar's capital, Doha.

"These procedures [blockade] are worse than the Berlin Wall," Marri said.

"Families have been separated. In one instance, a Saudi man died in Qatar. His sons were prevented by Saudi authorities to bring the body back home so Qatar took the responsibility to bury him.

"This is collective punishment and the bloackade will affect thousands of people.

"If this blockade will go on we will ask the Human Rights Council (OHCHR) to form a fact finding mission to see and follow up on these violations," Marri said.

He also described the situation of students either being called back from Qatar or forced to leave universities in the Gulf countries, urging the OHCHR to "condemn these blockades against Qatari people".

On June 11, six days after the decision, Saudi Arabia issued a royal order to take into consideration the humanitarian situation of mixed families [Saudi-Qatar], then the UAE and Bahrain followed suit.

Saudi Arabia's closure of Qatar's only land border means more of the country's food has to be brought in by air.

Qatar imported the vast majority of its food from its Arab Gulf neighbours before the diplomatic shutdown, and has been talking with Iran and Turkey to secure food and water supplies since the crisis broke out.

Furthermore, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain have threatened sanctions against people who criticise moves taken by their governments against Qatar and has blocked access to Al Jazeera.

The UN aviation agency said it will review requests from Qatar to intervene after its Gulf neighbours closed their airspace to Qatar flights.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency that regulates international air travel under the Chicago Convention, said tranport ministers and aviation officials from Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt kicked off a two-day meeting at its Montreal headquarters on Thursday to seek a "consensus-based solution" that addressed "current regional concerns".

"ICAO is presently reviewing requests from the government of Qatar to assess the flight restrictions imposed upon it by neighbouring states," according to a statement by the agency.

Philippines
15 June 2017
(AlJazeera News)

A Philippines politician said residents fleeing besieged Marawi City have seen about 100 dead bodies in an area where the army and ISIL-linked fighters have clashed in the last three weeks.

Zia Alonto Adiong, a local politician who is helping with relief efforts in Marawi, told reporters on Thursday that 500-1,000 people were still trapped in the city, located on the southern island of Mindanao.

"Dead bodies, at least 100, are scattered around the encounter area," Adiong said.

Volunteers have been trying to extricate hundreds of civilians caught in the crossfire via "peace corridors", Adiong said, but many of those trapped were still opting to hide rather than risk being discovered by the fighters.

Most residents, however, have run out of food and water, Adiong added.

VIEW MORE- Marawi siege: Philippine army's battle against ISIL enters fourth week

Al Jazeera correspondent Jamela Alindogan said residents who initially fled and wanted to return to the city were being stopped by military forces.

"Martial law is being imposed here and across the entire island of Mindanao. Anyone is subject to investigation, even children," Alindogan said.

The black flags of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) were flying over several government buildings in Marawi City, she added.

"I lived here since I was 12," said Elvira Sacot, who was forced to flee Marawi. "It hurts me to leave everything behind. But it is more painful to stay. I don't think I'm coming back."

Meanwhile, a senior member of the ISIL-linked group was arrested by the military near the coastal city of Cagayan de Oro, some 100km north of Marawi.

According to military spokesperson Jo-Ar Herrera, one of the seven Maute brothers, Mohammad Noaim Maute, was arrested at a checkpoint just after dawn.

The Maute group, led by two of Mohammad's brothers, has been at the forefront of the vicious battle with security forces for Marawi City since May 23.

READ MORE- The battle for Marawi: Confusion and contradictions

Mohammad, an Arabic language teacher, is the suspected bomb-maker for the group. He was holding a fake student card of the Marawi-based Mindano State University when stopped at a checkpoint.

Most of the Muate brothers are believed to be in Marawi. Their parents have been taken into custody last week in separate cities.

The military said 290 people have died in over three weeks of fighting, including 206 fighters, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians.

The city of 200,000 has been largely abandoned due to the fighting, which has seen the military relentlessly bomb areas held by the fighters, with residents fleeing to nearby towns.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

The United States and Qatar have signed a deal for the purchase of F-15 fighter jets with an initial cost of $12bn, as the US administration attempts to navigate an ongoing diplomatic crisis in the Gulf.

The aircraft purchase was completed by Qatari Minister of Defence Khalid Al Attiyah and his US counterpart Jim Mattis in Washington DC on Wednesday, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA).

Attiyah said the agreement underscores the "longstanding commitment of the state of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the United States in advancing our military cooperation for closer strategic collaboration in our fight to counter violent extremism and promote peace and stability in our region and beyond".

The deal is "yet another step in advancing our strategic and cooperative defence relationship with the United States, and we look forward to continuing our joint military efforts with our partners here in the US", said Attiyah.

The sale "will give Qatar a state-of-the-art capability and increase security cooperation and interoperability between the United States and Qatar", the Defence Department said in a statement.

The weapon transfer comes just weeks after President Donald Trump signed a deal with Saudi Arabia for almost $110bn in US arms.

It also comes amid a diplomatic row between a Saudi-led bloc of nations and Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain and a number of other countries severed relations with Qatar earlier this month, accusing it of supporting armed groups and Iran - allegations Qatar has repeatedly rejected.

Riyadh also closed its border with Qatar, the only land border the emirate has. In addition, the closure of Saudi, Bahraini, and Emirati airspace to Qatar-owned flights has caused major import and travel disruptions.

As the Saudi-led bloc moved against Qatar, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's attempts to remain neutral were overshadowed by a series of heavy-handed tweets from Trump, in which he accused Qatar of supporting "terror".

The US stance amid the Gulf's diplomatic rift was thrown into further confusion last week when Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia to ease the blockade on Qatar.

The US' top diplomat has since attempted to mediate between the two sides, and on Tuesday the State Department said efforts to resolve the crisis were "trending in a positive direction".

On Wednesday, Rex Tillerson - in testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Relations - said it was problematic to list the entirety of the Muslim Brotherhood - one of the "extremist" groups the Saudi-led block has accused Qatar of supporting - as "terrorists".

US Navy vessels arrive in Qatar

In another development, two US Navy vessels arrived in Doha on Wednesday for a joint exercise with Qatar's fleet.

The American boats arrived at Hamad Port south of Doha "to participate in a joint exercise with the Qatari Emiri Navy," according to a Ministry of Defence statement posted on QNA.

The crews of the two vessels were received by Qatari navy officers.

It was unclear if the arrival of the two warships was planned before the Gulf rift or if was a sign of support from the Pentagon.

Qatar hosts the biggest US military base in the Middle East with 11,000 troops deployed to or assigned to Al-Udeid Air Base. More than 100 aircraft operate from there.

ICC Cricket.com
15 June 2017

India will meet Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, a dream match-up that few could have expected when the two sides met to kick off their campaigns.

With India stomping over Bangladesh in a nine-wicket win in the second semi-final on Thursday, that match-up of rivals has become reality. This was to be Bangladesh’s biggest match in its history, and the team was keyed up for it. Perhaps a little too keyed up, as it squandered a strong batting position. Then the combine of Rohit Sharma (123 not out off 129) and Virat Kohli (96 not out off 78) showed that no matter what it would have got, it might not have been enough.

The two put on a batting exhibition in an unbeaten 178-run stand that took up only 25.3 overs. The end result was India coasting past Bangladesh’s 264 for 7 in just 40.1 overs.

India’s bowlers had done well to keep Bangladesh in check, with Kedar Jadhav emerging as an unlikely bowling hero alongside the established duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. Each of them took a brace of wickets, stymieing Bangladesh at key moments. And then it was the turn of the batsmen to take over.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit began the chase perfectly, not allowing the bowlers even a sniff of a chance. A few early wickets might have got some zip among Bangladesh’s bowlers, but Dhawan powered through and Rohit caressed it as the openers rattled along at pace. The result was that Bangladesh’s shoulders began to droop. The bowling, not very on-target to begin with, became even more directionless with the slightest error in length or room punished.

Rohit had the majority of the strike, but Dhawan was the more electric. As is his wont, Dhawan was particularly strong square of the wicket, not afraid to take the aerial route. His rich vein of form was to the fore, the timing leaving the fielders standing. He looked in complete command when a moment of indiscretion cost him, stepping out to Mashrafe Mortaza but only squirting a leading edge to point for 46 off 34 balls. The openers had put on 87 in just 14.4 overs, but if Bangladesh thought the wicket of the man who was hitting boundaries at will would bring respite, it was sadly mistaken.

Kohli got into his stride immediately, and Dhawan’s departure merely meant Rohit moved smoothly up a gear. Bangladesh tried six bowlers, it tried defensive fields, and it tried bowling dry. Against two men in imperious form, nothing mattered. Kohli dominated the bowling, almost toying with it, making 11 men look ridiculously inadequate to man a cricket field. Rohit had a strike-rate of 95.34 and looked unhurried, stroking and helping the ball to the boundary more than powering it.

Rohit’s 11th ODI century came with a hooked six off Mustafizur Rahman in the 33rd over. Kohli, meanwhile, reached a landmark of his own in getting to 8,000 ODI runs in just his 175th innings, a new world record that bettered AB de Villiers’s mark of 182. That Kohli didn’t end up with yet another century in a chase was just down to India having too few to chase, thanks to the task the bowlers had done.

Bhuvneshwar had given India the perfect start by snaring Soumya Sarkar in the first over, and then setting up Sabbir Rahman in the seventh to leave Bangladesh 31 for 2. Sabbir had begun with a flurry of fours off both Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah. But both bowlers cut down on the loose stuff and Bhuvneshwar mixed up his lengths nicely, before suckering Sabbir into an airy drive at a slower one that went straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point. Sabbir had thrown it away after looking good, but the experienced pair of Tamim Iqbal (70 off 82) and Mushfiqur Rahim (61 off 85) wasn’t about to do the same.

They got together with the run-rate having plateaued, thanks to two consecutive maidens, took some time to take stock and pounced when the opportunity came. Hardik Pandya was handed the ball for the 13th over, and not only did he overstep twice, one of the no-balls cost him the wicket of Tamim, who had played on and could have been out for 17. The over fetched 14 runs and was the cue for both batsmen to start stroking the ball more freely.

Bangladesh seemed on course for a massive total when the two were batting. That was when Kohli turned to Jadhav’s part-time off-spin. Denied pace off the ball, both Tamim and Rahim couldn’t rattle along. Had they perhaps weathered the lower run-scoring pace, they would have doubtless found avenues to accelerate again later. But betraying an impatience that Bangladesh has still not mastered, Tamim tried to go for a big slow-sweep, only to miss the ball altogether and see it hit the stumps.

Jadhav’s golden arm had broken a dangerous stand of 123 that took just 127 balls. That brought on the squeeze by India’s bowlers, with Jadhav and Jadeja operating in tandem. Once again, Bangladesh didn’t show the patience to ride out the rough periods, looking to hit its way out of a quiet spot but paying the price. Shakib Al Hasan was caught behind, MS Dhoni making another fast-reaction take look effortless, and in the next over, Jadhav had his second wicket when Rahim skipped down to slog-sweep straight to Kohli, who had taken a few steps to his left anticipating the ball when he saw Rahim shape up.

Suddenly, Bangladesh had gone from 159 for 2 in the 28th over to 184 for 5 in the 36th, and its ambitions of a big total had to be scaled down.

Mortaza swung his bat around, and had no fewer than three boundaries coming off edges, but he rode his luck to end with 30 not out off 25. It did spoil the figures of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar, who bowled with great control to nail their yorkers and bouncers, but saw boundaries flying off outside edges and top edges behind the keeper.

In the end, those extra runs merely meant Kohli got the chance to complete one landmark. And for India to set up what will doubtless be called the mother of all finals.

Geneva
15 June 2016

Dr. Ali Bin Samikh Al Marri, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar, today met with Rashid Khalikov, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Partnerships with the Middle East and Central Asia at OCHA, at the United Nations Offices in Geneva.

Both discussed the humanitarian and legal challenges resulting from the siege imposed on the State of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. The meeting also dealt with the decision taken by those countries to place some Qatari humanitarian organisations on a ‘terrorism list’.

Dr. Al Marri stressed during the meeting that these measures are intended to obstruct and interfere with the foreign humanitarian aid provided by Qatar by discrediting its charitable organisations. He said these accusations were not taken seriously by anyone as they were not issued by credible international institutions, such as the United Nations.

Qatari organisations are respected as reputable and credible at both regional and international levels, and work with the United Nations and the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). They also have partnerships with major international humanitarian NGOs such as the Red Cross and the Humanitarian Affairs Office of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Qatari humanitarian organisations also have strong links with their counterparts within the GCC.

Dr. Al Marri pointed out that the State of Qatar established the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA) several years ago to monitor and supervise the work of charities and humanitarian organisations from Qatar. “Qatar is the only state within the GCC to have done so”, he said. He added that this body has become a regional model in the field of supervision of charitable work, as documented in international reports issued by the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the US Treasury. “Thanks to these efforts, no Qatari humanitarian organisation has been in the United Nations’ international terrorism list, and some of these organisations have consultative status with the United Nations, such as Qatar Charity,” he said.

Dr. Al Marri denounced the attempt by the countries blockading Qatar to obstruct its humanitarian work. He said the classification of some Qatari humanitarian organisations on this so called ‘terrorism list’ was an unprecedented unilateral coercive measure, and constituted a violation of the right to development, assistance and relief, ultimately harming the basic rights of vulnerable and needy communities depending on this work.

Lahore
14 June 2017
(Daily Dawn)

Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif will be appearing at 1100 AM (Pakistan local time) before a Joint Investigating Team probing family investments outside & inside Pakistan as per reported in Panamaleaks. It is to note that Pakistani Prime Minister name is not included in the Panamaleak, however, his children names are appearing.

In today's development, The joint inve­stigation team (JIT) probing the offshore holdings of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children has summoned his younger brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, to appear before it on June 17 (Saturday).

Shahbaz Sharif will appear before the six-member JIT, headed by Federal Inves­tiga­tion Agency’s Addi­tional Director Wajid Zia, two days after the prime minister’s scheduled appearance.

Shahbaz Sharif has been asked to bring along with him relevant record/documents/material related to the Panama Papers case.

A spokesman for the Punjab government told Dawn that the chief minister had not yet received the JIT summons.

The JIT’s summons to Mr Shahbaz was issued on the day when his close aide and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana­ullah said that the joint inve­stigation team should better call Mr Shahbaz if it wanted to do a Ph.D. and write a thesis on the Sharif family.

“The JIT should invite CM Shahbaz as he will provide every detail it is seeking,” he said.

Talking to reporters here, the minister further said the chief minister would not mind “long interrogation sessions”.

“The JIT should also disclose who leaked Hussain Nawaz’s picture and which institution he belonged to and as to why it did not register an FIR against him,” he asked.

“We have not called PML-N workers to assemble on the arrival of the prime minister before the JIT on Thursday,” Mr Sanaullah said.