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High alert in KP as tension with India escalates

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has declared “high alert” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and convened special meeting of the cabinet on Thursday in the backdrop of volatile situation along the eastern border. Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai told Dawn on Wednesday that heads of Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence and other departments would also attend the meeting. “All departments concerned have been put on high alert across the province to cope with any type of emergency,” he said. Bacha Khan International Airport was closed down for commercial flights after Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued NOTAM early morning. Aircrafts of foreign and domestic airlines were stranded at the airport following closure of the airspace. Special meeting of cabinet convened; leaves of health staff cancelled An official said that 10 international and two domestic flights were cancelled from the city’s airport. A UAE-based airline informed its passengers th

New planet to wow ‘Star Wars’ fans

LOS ANGELES: When the “Star Wars” galaxy is brought to life at Walt Disney’s US theme parks later this year, fans will not step onto the iconic landscapes of Hoth or Tatooine. The 14-acre (6-hectare) Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge sections of the two theme parks are set on Batuu, a remote frontier planet never seen on screen. Expectations run high from generations of fans, many of whom have waited 40 years since the original 1977 film to visit a real-world version of the galaxy far, far away. Disney describes Galaxy’s Edge as its most ambitious park expansion ever. Theme park designers said they debated whether to replicate a well-known movie location such as Luke Skywalker’s desert home of Tatooine or the icy planet Hoth. The team consulted with the Lucasfilm division and opted to build a planet that had been mentioned in “Star Wars” movies and books but was not yet familiar to fans. The goal was to make visitors feel like they were in the “Star Wars” world but could have a new expe

Samjhota Express operations suspended

In light of the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India, operations of the Samjhota Express have been suspended temporarily, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. A press statement by the Foreign Office (FO) said that the operations will resume "as soon as the security situation improves between India and Pakistan". The Samjhota Express runs twice a week (Monday and Thursday) from Lahore to Attari via the Wagah railway station. Yesterday, the Pakistan Railways had said that the train would depart for Attari at 8am as usual. Security arrangements across Pakistan have been tightened in light of tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Flight operations were suspended when Pakistani airspace was closed to commercial flights on Wednesday. Tensions between the neighbouring countries escalated after an Indian aircraft violated Pakistan's airspace on Tuesday. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had "immediately scrambled" and the Indian pla

Trump 'walks' as North Korea talks end abruptly without deal

The nuclear summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Hanoi ended abruptly on Thursday as they cut short their discussions and failed to reach an agreement. The second meeting between the two leaders was supposed to build on their historic first summit in Singapore but they failed to bridge their differences and did not sign a joint statement as initially scheduled. “Sometimes you have to walk and this was just one of those times,” Trump told reporters. Trump said that the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear programme had been the sticking point. “Basically they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn't do that,” he said. But he insisted he was “optimistic that the progress we made” before and at the summit left them “in position to have a really good outcome” in the future. “I'd much rather do it right than do it fast,” he added. The outcome fell far short of the pre-meeting expectations and

PHC judge, driver injured in gun attack: police

Two unidentified gunmen opened fire on Peshawar High Court (PHC) judge Justice Ayub Khan's car on Thursday morning while he was on his way to the high court, police said. The judge and his driver, both of whom suffered injuries were shifted to a private hospital, Superintendent of Police (SP) Wasim Riaz said, adding that the victims were out of danger. The incident took place in a residential area in Hayatabad's Phase V, SP Riaz said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zahoor Afridi said that a 9mm Kalashnikov had been used by the gunmen, who fled the scene after the attack. The police have launched a probe and recorded the statements of two eyewitnesses so far, SSP Afridi told the media. He said that the police were also investigating why a security guard had not been accompanying the injured judge. from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/2ToP82k via IFTTT