Pakistan Breaking News Online

PM announces Rs 8.48 cut in petrol, Rs 4.67 in HSD prices ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday announced major reduction in prices of petroleum products including the cut of Rs 8.48 per litre in petrol, Rs 4.67 in high speed diesel, Rs 1.97 in light diesel and Rs 2.98 in high octane. The Prime Minister also announced to maintain the price of kerosene oil by rejecting a proposal of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) for increasing the same by Rs 1.66 per litre. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a statement, said Pakistan was the only country in the region which passed on the cut in petroleum prices to masses, whenever these are reduced in the international market... Source:  http://www.samaa.tv/economy/2016/02/pm-slashes-petrol-price-by-rs8litre/

‘That is the power of film’ HOLLYWOOD: A documentary about a Pakistani girl shot in the face by her own family won an Oscar on Sunday, after helping persuade the government to fight so-called "honor killings." Key Oscar winners: The complete list LOS ANGELES: The 88th Academy Awards, the highest honors in the movie industry, were handed out a ceremony in Hollywood hosted by comedian Chris Rock. ‘Spotlight’ wins Oscar for best picture LOS ANGELES: “Spotlight,” the movie that recreates the Boston Globe’s probe of sex abuse in the Catholic Church, won the Oscar for best picture on Sunday, the highest honor in the film industry. Brie Larson wins best actress Oscar for ‘Room’ LOS ANGELES: Brie Larson won the best actress Oscar on Sunday for her role as a young woman held hostage for years with a young son in the emotional thriller “Room.” Alejandro Iñárritu wins best director Oscar for ‘The Revenant’ HOLLYWOOD: Mexico’s Alejandro Iñárritu won the best director Os

DiCaprio wins best actor Oscar for ‘The Revenant’ LOS ANGELES: Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar on Sunday for his leading role in revenge movie “The Revenant.” Source:  http://www.samaa.tv/entertainment/2016/02/dicaprio-wins-best-actor-oscar-for-the-revenant/

A look into Oscar winning “Girl in the River” "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" directed by Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has won Oscar award for best documentary short.

Sharmeen Obaid Wins Oscar HOLLYWOOD: Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has won Oscar award for her short documentary on the issue of honour killings in Pakistan. She accepted the Best Documentary Short Subject award for ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’ during the 88th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Monday.

Mumtaz Qadri executed at Adiala Jail RAWALPINDI: Mumtaz Qadri, a former Elite Force commando convicted for killing Punjab governor Salman Taseer, was executed at the Adiala Jail early Monday morning. Security was stepped up at flashpoints across the country including the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where hundreds of supporters began gathering at Qadri's family home.

Pakistan on alert as Taseer killer Hanged RAWALPINDI/KARACHI: Following execution of Mumtaz Qadri, who was convicted for killing Punjab governor Salman Taseer, authorities put police and Rangers on ‘high alert’ amid protests in different cities. Qadri was hanged in Adiala jail Monday morning. He killed Taseer in Islamabad’s Kohsar Market on January 4, 2011 for speaking out against misuse of blasphemy laws.

ATC indicts Ubaid K2 for possessing Explosives KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Saturday indicted Ubaid K2 on charges of possessing explosive material, Samaa reported. According to details, the suspect was produced before the ATC amid tight security. During the hearing, the accused refuted charges against him.

Asian giants ready to Battle for the Crown Nowadays one could say that cricket season is at full swing where the much celebrated PSL came to an exciting end there the ASIA CUP is all set to entertain masses there was a time when ASIA CUP was more like a triangular series between Pakistan, India and Sri lanka but now the time has changed and Bangladesh is also become a force, UAE team is also into the tournament.

Big-budget “Gods of Egypt” Released Gods of Egypt is a fantasy film featuring ancient Egyptian deities. Mortal hero Bek teams with the god Horus in an alliance against Set, the merciless god of darkness who has usurped Egypt's throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. Director: Alex Proyas Budget: 140 million USD

Have a look at Green Line Project Watch this report on Green Line Bus Rapid Transit System in Karachi. The Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, performed groundbreaking of the 16 billion rupee project on Friday.

Angry Alamgir vows to Strike Back Alamgir Khan, the social activist running his self-initiated #FixIt campaign in Karachi, has vowed to give a tough time to Sindh government after his release on bail.  

‘Fix It’ Campaigner Released on Bail   KARACHI: Alamgir Khan, a social activist, and his driver were released on bail, a day after the founder of his #FixIt campaign was arrested for attempting to dump garbage near Chief Minister House, Samaa reported Friday. Police produced handcuffed Khan, wearing a green T-shirt saying “MAD”, and his driver before Judicial Magistrate South in City Court.

‘Fix It’ Campaigner Arrested KARACHI: Police on Thursday arrested Alamgir Khan, a Karachi-based activist who gained media attention through his social media campaign #FixIt, Samaa reported. According to our correspondent, Khan drove a tractor loaded with waste to dump the garbage outside Sindh Assembly building. However, police foiled his attempt by arresting the campaigner.

Thousands of ATM Cards Hacked The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is probing into a mega cyber attack on Pakistan’s banking sector in which data of thousands of ATM Cards was hacked. Watch this report…

Islamabad United Win First PSL Crown DUBAI: Islamabad United defeated Quetta Gladiators in the final match of first season of Pakistan Super League by 6 wickets in a packed Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Dwayne Smith made 73 runs off 51 balls hitting 7 fours and 4 sixes while BJ Haddin    scored 61 off 39 deliveries with 2 fours and 5 sixes to help United achieve 175-run target.

Man Stabs Mother to Death KARACHI: The continuous argument between his wife and mother turned sanguinary when he stabbed his mother to death in Karachi area of Clifton. Also watch:  Mother killed: Psychoanalysis Police arrested the culprit, Ghulam Rabbani, Director State Bank of Pakistan on the spot. The gory incident took place at Falcon Terrace near Clifton shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. Also watch:  Mother killed: Bilal Qutb’s analysis Ghulam Rabbani told police that his wife, sister and mother frequently had wrangles , adding, “During yesterday’s dustup , I divorced my wife. When the argument heated up today, I killed my mother in a flare-up of anger.

Zalmi -Gladiators PlayOff Today DUBAI: Peshawar Zalmi will take on Quetta Gladiators in the first playoff of Pakistan Super League today (Friday), while Islamabad United will face Karachi Kings in the second playoff on Saturday. Peshawar Zalmi Shahid Afridi (captain), Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaun Tait, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Khan, Jim Allenby, Aamer Yamin, Dawid Malan, Imran Khan jnr, Shahid Yousuf, Abdur Rehman, Musadiq Ahmed Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Brad Hodge, Irsarullah, Taj Wali. Quetta Gladiators Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Kevin Pietersen, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Jason Holder, Luke Wright, Zulfiqar Babar, Umar Gul, Elton Chigumbura, Bilal Asif, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Nawaz, Saad Nasim, Mohammad Nabi, Akbar ur Rehman, Bismillah Khan, Kumar Sangakkara, Aizaz Cheema, Ramiz Raja jnr.

Afridi, Sarfraz take on Wahab-Shehzad Spat Watch what Pakistan Super League’s franchises captains Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Ahmed had to say about the spat between Wahab Riaz and Ahmed Shehzad.

Wahab, Shehzad fined for Fighting in PSL Match SHARJAH: Wahab Riaz and Shehzad have been fined after indulging in an altercation during the 17th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Samaa reported. Match referee Roshan Mahanama fined Riaz and Shehzad for 40 and 30 percent of their match fee respectively for breach of the ICC code of conduct. Both the players engaged in a scuffle after Wahab Riaz of Peshawar Zalmi bowled out Quetta Gladiators' Shehzad. Wahab Riaz was seen giving Shehzad a shove after both the players exchanged harsh words following the latter's dismissal. Other players intervened to prevent the situation from worsening. -SAMAA 

10 Children Among 15 Die in LPG Tanker Blast NANKANA SAHIB: At least 15 people, among them 10 schoolchildren, lost their lives when a tanker filled with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) exploded near Nankana Sahib city of Punjab, Samaa reported Wednesday. According to our correspondent, the incident took place in Kotwar village, on the outskirts of Nankana Sahib, where a tanker containing LPG hit a car before exploding.

Queen Maxima of Netherlands arrive in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived in Pakistan Tuesday on three day visit . The Queen is visiting Islamabad in her capacity as UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate (UNSGSA) for Inclusive Finance for Development. During her visit, the Queen will have meetings with the Prime Minister and the President besides other engagements with a range of stakeholders from the public and private sectors, officials said.

COAS Chairs Apex Committee Meeting in Peshawar PESHAWAR: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif Tuesday presided over a meeting of Special Apex Committee in Peshawar. According to ISPR, the army chief visited Corps Headquarters in Peshawar where he chaired the meeting.

Ahmed Shehzad’s Dancing Moves Pakistani cricketer is well known for love selfies but when it comes to amuses his fan the batsman can dance too.  Watch this video.

Quetta Gladiators Extend Winning Streak DUBAI: Quetta Gladiators defeated Peshawar Zalmi by three wickets in a match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Dubai Cricket Stadium in UAE on Sunday. Contributions from top four batsmen Luke Wright (16), Kevin Pietersen (35), Ahmed Shehzad (16) and Sarfraz Ahmed (21) made sure that Gladiators maintained their winning streak. Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi bagged two wickets each to put up some resistance but that wasn’t enough to thwart Gladiators’ chase.

Blast near FC vehicle kills 8 in Quetta QUETTA: At least eight people were killed and several others were wounded when a bomb went off near a security vehicle close to Liaquat Park in Quetta on Saturday, officials said. Three FC personnel were among those who were killed in the attack. Heavy firing was also heard in the area following explosion . Three police were reportedly injured in the attack. Rescue teams and law enforcement agencies reached the scene and cordoned off the area. Anwar ul Haq, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, confirmed the martyrdom of FC men in the terrorist attack.

JAC Presents Masked Man before Media KARACHI: The Joint Action Committee of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which is spearheading a protest against privatization of the airlines, presented before the media a masked man, who was shown in a video released by the law enforcing agencies this week. This masked man was thought to be a suspect following a shooting incident earlier this week in which two PIA employees were killed. But the committee members during a press conference claimed that the ‘masked man’ is an employee of PIA.

Twitter Blocks 125,000 Accounts in ‘Terrorist Content’ Crackdown WASHINGTON: Twitter said Friday it suspended more than 125,000 accounts, most of them linked to the Islamic State group, as part of increased efforts to eradicate “terrorist content” on the popular messaging platform. The accounts frozen since mid-2015 were targeted “for threatening or promoting terrorist acts,” said Twitter, which is under pressure from governments to act but is also keen not to be seen as effectively censoring free speech. “Like most people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups,” Twitter said on its policy blog.

UK Press takes Swipe at Assange and UN Panel LONDON: British newspaper columnists on Saturday took aim at Julian Assange and the UN panel that found the anti-secrecy campaigner had been “arbitrarily detained”. The WikiLeaks founder, who faces a rape allegation in Sweden, urged Britain to let him walk free from Ecuador’s London embassy following the panel’s findings Friday. The 44-year-old Australian, who has been in the embassy for approaching four years, has refused to go to Sweden, fearing deportation to the United States over WikiLeaks’ release of 500,000 secret military files. “So that settles it then — everyone’s to blame except Julian Assange,” wrote Marina Hyde in The Guardian.

PM Sharif firm on PIA Privatization ISLAMABAD: The ongoing protest demonstrations and sit-ins could not shake resolve of the federal government to privatize Pakistan International Airline (PIA). Meantime, a strategy has been hashed out to spare the air travelers any trouble caused by the ongoing disturbance. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired an important meeting at Prime Minister House today. His close aides and ministers partook in the vital meeting that decided in principle to stay clear of the ongoing protests and sit-ins.

Russia, Turkey Trade Accusations over Syria BEIRUT/MOSCOW/LONDON: Russia said on Thursday it suspected Turkey was preparing a military incursion into Syria, as a Syrian army source said Aleppo would soon be encircled by government forces with Russian air support. Turkey in turn accused Moscow of trying to divert attention from its own “crimes” in Syria, and said Aleppo was threatened with a “siege of starvation”. It said Turkey had the right to take any measures to protect its security. In another sign of the spreading international ramifications of the five-year-old Syrian war, Saudi Arabia said it was ready to participate in ground operations against Islamic State in Syria if the U . S . -led alliance decided to launch them. The United States welcomed the Saudi offer, which together with any Turkish incursion would further embroil regional powers in a conflict that pitches Sunni-backed fighters against Damascus and forces backed by Moscow and Shi’ite Iran. The United