Google home was not much of a help when making the journey home from a party or work. However, it was recently announced that with the assistance of different modes, the navigation app can now give transit directions.
The “Mixed modes” option will soon be added on the transit tab which will include ride-sharing and cycling options within the public transit directions to make the commute easier for the user.
Rather than navigating a trip on your own, the app gives you a different option to use.
The app also provides detail information about ride-sharing, cost of using Uber or Lyft, different types of rides, the cost and the time it will take you to make a journey from one location to another.
Furthermore, the app allows users to access information about the train or bus and expected traffic. Despite the navigation apps ease of use, in order to book yourself an Uber or Lyft you’ll have to use their respective apps.
The navigation app helps cyclist and bike-riders find friendly routes to reach the train station.
The multi-modal planning tool will soon be added to the Google Maps app on Android devices and iOS phones and other devices in the coming weeks, after which Google plans to release the updated version of the app in 30 countries to start with.
Currently, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Indonesia, India, Japan, Mexico, Tanzania, and the US are some of the countries that will have access to the ride-sharing option on Google maps.
Bollywood actress and Congress politician Urmila Matondkar lashed out at the Indian government against the ongoing security crackdown in occupied Kashmir.
Urmila said that due to the communications lockdown, her husband was unable to contact his parents for the last 22 days, according to an India Today report.
The actress’ in-laws live in the occupied valley and going through terrible conditions after the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the valley’s special status.
Urmila said that her in-laws are diabetic and high-blood pressure patients.
"My father-in-law and mother-in-law stay there. Both are diabetic, have high blood pressure. Today is the 22nd day, neither me nor my husband have been able to speak to them. We have no clue if they have medicines available at home," said the actress.
She further said that the abrogation of Article 370 was done in an ‘inhuman manner’.
The valley is under strict lockdown since August 5 when the Narendra Modi-led government in New Delhi stripped occupied Kashmir of special status by repealing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
The occupation authorities have converted Kashmir valley into a military garrison by deploying hundreds of thousands of Indian troops and paramilitary personnel in every street, line and by-lane to stop people from staging demonstrations against the abrogation of the special status of the territory.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Dr Aamir Liaquat is set to face disciplinary action by the ruling party over his negative comments against the prime minister’s special assistant, Firdous Ashiq Awan, and federal minister Ali Zaidi.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of Liaquat’s actions and has directed his special assistant and senior PTI member, Naeemul Haque, to conduct an inquiry.
The development comes after Liaquat lashed out at Firdous and Zaidi during television interviews and also on microblogging site, Twitter.
Liaquat, who was elected from NA-245 (Karachi East-IV), criticised Awan in a series of posts on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.
The MNA said he was happy about unfollowing Firdous on Twitter and criticised the de-facto information minister for “nonsense” statements which he claimed contravened PM Imran’s directives.
Listing specific incidents, Liaquat also accused her of turning a blind eye to irregularities in the affairs of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).
The Karachi-based MNA’s issue with Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi was related to the latter’s recent cleanliness drive in the port city.
In a television interview, Liaquat said Zaidi and other party members did not consult with him before launching a campaign in Karachi.
The former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) member said he was willing to play his part in the uplift of Karachi but was being ignored by the PTI leadership.
Liaquat said no senior party member, including PM Imran, had reached out to him even after he aired his grievances.
This is not the MNA’s first controversy with fellow PTI members.
In August last year, Liaquat left a PTI WhatsApp group, made for communication between the party’s lawmakers, after being snubbed from a meeting held at the Governor House in Karachi.
A month later, he was barred from meeting Imran Khan during the premier’s one-day visit to Karachi.
Earlier this month, one of the most sought after actresses of our country, Mehwish Hayat received the Pride of Performance in Norway. This was followed by multiple appearances on various international platforms where she spoke about how the world of cinema is fueling Islamophobia. Meanwhile, the Chhalawa actress has also been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of Muslim Islamic Charity, Penny Appeal.
The good news is that Mehwish Hayat has now made it to the list of The Muslim Vibe’s top five Muslim women in the world who are striving to make the world a better place to live in.
“I am so honoured to be chosen by the international magazine, The Muslim Vibe, as one of the top five Muslim women in the world who are breaking stereotypes and changing the world,” Mehwish wrote on her Twitter handle. “To be thought of in the same breath as women I look up to is humbling.”
This list was released on Women’s Equality Day 2019, which is observed on August 26 around the globe.
Apart from Mehwish, the list includes an Egyptian athlete, Manal Rostom, who is also the founder of online community Surviving Hijab and Ilhan Omar, who is the member of the US House of Representatives as well as the first woman of colour and the first Somali American to be elected from Minnesota. Besides, it also features Linda Sarsour, an American political activist and American sabre fencer and Ibtihaj Muhammad.
The Muslim Vibe is a non-profit media platform that aims to inspire, inform and empower Muslims and provide a space for the younger generation to learn about their faith and reclaim the Muslim narrative from the mainstream
Emirates airlines first officers Maryam Bin Ismail, Ayesha Yousuf, Bakhita Al Mheiri, Nouf Omar and Hanan Mohamed are to put the spotlight on women in aviation and the advancement of women in the UAE, by flying to five continents on the same day, in celebration of this year’s Emirati Women's Day on August 28th.
"Emirati women are icons of tolerance, exemplifying the core values held by our community via their care, determination, ability to nurture future generations, and pursue success in their various fields of work. Their hard work and talent have helped build our company and nation, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all Emirati women for setting new benchmarks and continuing to make us proud," said H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group.
In the Emirates Group, more than 1,100 Emirati women are employed across diverse functions. Their professions span a myriad of roles across the company, from operational departments like Flight Operations and Engineering to frontline roles at Emirates Airport Services, Commercial Sales and Customer Affairs, to corporate functions like HR, Group IT, Finance and Commercial, amongst others.
Microblogging giant Twitter rejected a complaint it received against President Dr Arif Alvi’s account, where the Pakistani head of state has been vocal against India’s ongoing atrocities in occupied Kashmir.
Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari shared a screenshot of an email received by President Alvi from Twitter, in which the company said it had received a complaint against his account regarding a tweet highlighting India’s violations in occupied Kashmir.
Twitter, however, “could not identify any violations of its rules or applicable law,” the company said, adding that it did not take any action accordingly.
“Twitter has really gone too far in becoming mouthpiece of the Rogue Modi govt! They sent a notice to our President! In bad taste and simply ridiculous,” Mazari captioned the screenshot.
On August 5, Modi's Hindu-nationalist government revoked the autonomy of the Muslim-majority territory where tens of thousands of people have been martyred in an uprising against Indian occupation since 1989.
New Delhi sent reinforcements to the estimated half a million troops already stationed in occupied Kashmir, cut phone lines and the internet, placed severe restrictions on movement and arrested thousands, according to multiple sources.
India says no civilian has died from police action since August 5.
But residents have said at least three people have been martyred, including a young mother who choked after police fired tear-gas canisters into her home.
Multiple hospital sources have told AFP at least 100 people had been hurt during the lockdown, some with firearm injuries.
Taylor Swift's highly anticipated seventh album has arrived in all its lovestruck, honeyed glory -- a clear shift from the vengeful goth lite of her previous record.
But the 18-track "Lover" is not just an ode to matters of the heart -- it's the pop star's first studio album that she actually owns, under the terms of the multi-album deal she struck last year with Universal Music Group/Republic Records.
"This album is very much a celebration of love, in all its complexity, coziness, and chaos," Swift tweeted upon Friday's midnight release of her latest project.
"It's the first album of mine that I've ever owned, and I couldn't be more proud."
"Lover" sees Swift, no stranger to catty celebrity feuds and lyrical disses, set a mood of moving on -- with a touch of snarky self-care -- in her opener, "I Forgot That You Existed."
It's a break from 2017's "Reputation," when Swift momentarily tossed her princess tiara to try on the hardened snakeskin of Dark Taylor.
In classic Swift form, the new album includes a streak of reflection on her past romantic woes but maintains an ebullient optimism, particularly concerning her current relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn, with several songs hinting at marriage.
"Swear to be overdramatic and true," she sings with a self-aware wink in the album's title track.
In "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince," she appears to take a stab at political content -- Swift has faced scorn in the past for shying away from social issues -- voicing disillusionment in the American mythos.
"American story burning before me / I'm feeling helpless / The damsels are depressed / Boys will be boys then / Where are the wise men?" she sings.
And in "The Man," she contemplates the double standards faced by women, both in work and in romance.
"I'd be a fearless leader / I'd be an alpha type / When everyone believes you / What's that like?" Swift asks.
In that track, she name-checks Leonardo DiCaprio, known for his revolving door of 20-something girlfriends, implying that her own past serial dating habits would be less maligned if she were a man: "And they would toast to me or let the players play / I'd be just like Leo in Saint Tropez."
Trumpian 'autocracy'
The besotted earnestness returns on "London Boy" -- which features a cameo from Idris Elba -- an ode to all things English like high tea, watching rugby at the pub and her beau's accent.
Her newfound romance with Britain is perhaps why the superstar chose The Guardian to discuss her disenchantment with the current state of the United States, telling the paper Donald Trump is treating his White House tenure like an "autocracy."
The superstar faced criticism in 2016 when she opted against using her enormous platform to endorse a candidate in the pivotal presidential vote that resulted in Trump's election.
She told the British paper, which will publish the full interview Saturday, that she feels "remorseful" for not speaking up, saying in hindsight that she would have backed Hillary Clinton.
Swift said at the time that her row with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, along with her mother's cancer diagnosis, had her hiding from the public eye.
"I just knew what I could handle and I knew what I couldn't. I was literally about to break," she said.
Swift vowed to "do everything I can for 2020," pointing in particular to ongoing battles that could result in more limited access to abortion services.
Owning it
"Lover" marks a new era for Swift in that she holds the keys to its future distribution.
Earlier this year, the star began publicly feuding with industry mogul Scooter Braun over his purchase of her former label, the Nashville-based Big Machine, which gave him a majority stake in the master recordings of her first six albums.
The owner of coveted masters -- one-of-a-kind source material used to create vinyls, CDs and digital copies -- is able to dictate how songs are reproduced and sold.
Always determined to have the last word, in the media blitz promoting "Lover," Swift said she would begin re-recording her early albums to create copies she owns herself.
She told ABC's "Good Morning America" that her contract allows her to begin redoing albums one through five in November 2020, and she plans to be back in the studio doing just that.
"I think that artists deserve to own their work," she said. "I just feel very passionately about that."
A woman was arrested on Wednesday for stabbing her husband to death because he refused to have another child, according to The Times of India.
The woman – Pranali Kadam – told the police that she stabbed her husband because she was upset as he did not want to have more children.
The married couple had two daughters and Pranali said she wanted to have a son.
She stabbed her husband 11 times with a kitchen knife in their bedroom early morning on Wednesday.
In earlier reports, the alleged murderer told the police that she stabbed her husband because he was having an affair with someone at his workplace.
Before that, she claimed he stabbed himself.
The police questioned the woman further and later arrested her.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday issued its detailed 25-page verdict on petitions in the video case of judge Arshad Malik.
The verdict stated that it was not an appropriate stage for the Supreme Court to interfere in the matter of the relevant video and its effects, particularly when the video may have relevance to a criminal appeal presently sub judice before the Islamabad High Court.
It added that a criminal investigation was already being conducted into the matter by the Federal Investigation Agency, some other offences or illegalities under some other laws referred to by Attorney General might also entail inquiries or investigations by the competent agencies or fora and any probe into the matter by a Commission to be constituted by the Government or by this Court may end up only with an opinion which may have no relevance or admissibility in the relevant appeal pending before the Islamabad High Court.
According to the verdict, the relevant video could not be of any legal benefit to Nawaz Sharif unless it was properly produced before the Islamabad High Court in the pending appeal, its genuineness was established and then the same was proven in accordance with the law for it to be treated as evidence in the case.
The verdict authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan stated that five issues needed to be attended to by the apex court.
1) Which is the Court of forum that can presently attend to the relevant video for any meaningful consideration in the case of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif?
2) How is the relevant video to be established as a genuine piece of evidence?
3) How is the relevant video, if established to be a genuine piece of evidence, to be proved before a court of law?
4) What is the effect of the relevant video, if established to be a genuine piece of evidence and if duly proved before the relevant court, upon the conviction of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif?
5) The conduct of the learned Judge namely Mr Muhammad Arshad Malik in the episode.
The case was heard by a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa.
The detailed judgement can be viewed here.
Last month, the Supreme Court took up the case on a petition submitted by a citizen named Ishtiaq Ahmed, who appealed to the apex court for an independent judicial inquiry of the video scandal.
On July 12, judge Malik was relieved from his duties by the federal government for his alleged involvement in the controversial video scandal.
During the hearing on August 20, CJP Khosa had inquired whether a petition had been filed in court to obtain any legal benefit, to which the attorney general said no petition had been filed.
Rs100mn was offered to me as bribe, claims judge Arshad Malik in affidavit
The chief justice remarked that the video would be of use for the release of Nawaz Sharif when a petition is filed. He added that it remained to be seen if a forensic audit could be carried out on a copy of the video and if this was possible for a YouTube video.
IHC orders disciplinary action against Judge Malik
On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered disciplinary proceedings against judge Malik for violating the code of conduct.
The court order against Accountability Court II Judge Malik stated, “The disclosures and admissions made by Mr Muhammad Arshad Malik, District & Sessions Judge/Former Judge, Accountability Court-II, Islamabad in his press release dated 07.07.2019 and the affidavit dated 11.07.2019, prima facie, constitute acts of misconduct and violation of the code of conduct, which warrant initiation of disciplinary proceedings against him.
“Therefore, the Hon’able Chief Justice of this Court has been pleased to order to place the said Judicial Officer under suspension and repatriate to his parent department i.e. Lahore High Court, Lahore, with immediate effect, for disciplinary proceedings to be conducted in accordance with law.”
Video controversy
Judge Malik, after becoming embroiled in the so-called judge video scandal, had penned a letter to the IHC in July wherein he had refuted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s claims and revealed other information related to the controversy.
In an affidavit submitted to the court, Malik had denied the contents of the video — which purportedly showed him admitting to a lack of evidence against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif — and termed them edited, fabricated, and aimed to defame him.
Maryam alleged that the judge had contacted Nasir Butt, a PML-N worker and told him that he was feeling guilty and having nightmares ever since he announced the verdict that led to Nawaz Sharif's imprisonment. The judge was "blackmailed" into handing down the sentence against Nawaz Sharif after some people threatened that they would release a private video of his, she alleged.
She claimed the judge was under immense pressure to send the former prime minister to jail, and that he had contemplated committing suicide several times since. She said the judge did not write the verdict but "was made to write" the prison sentence for Nawaz Sharif.
Responding to the allegations, the accountability court judge has called the video presented by the PML-N as fake and fallacious. He has demanded legal action against those involved in producing the videotape.
Indian rapper Hard Kaur has ‘exposed India’ in her latest video.
The singer’s Twitter account was previously suspended after she posted a video in which she is seen using abusive words for Indian PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The singer, along with Khalistan (a separate region for Sikhs in India) supporters, appeared in the two minute clip and also spoke in favour of the Khalistan movement.
She challenged PM Modi and Amit Shah in the video, siding with the Khalistan supporters. Kaur reportedly used expletives while addressing Modi and Shah in the clip that has gone viral on social media. Since then, Kaur was one of the top trends on Twitter in India.
Kaur, alias Taran Kaur Dhillon, on Monday made yet another video full of swear words and explicit language. In the video she can be seen saying that the supporters of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak, (RSS) had been been using extremely abusive language towards her.
She said that by abusing her, threatening her with rape; these people are only revealing the filth in their heads. “You are filthy people, extremely filthy and you wish I should side with you?” she said.
She also called out people who threatened her for maligning the image of ‘good Indians.’
“I’m not someone who has committed treason since I’m self made. You all dance on my songs, I’m self-made, I’ve earned this,” she responded to people who called her anti-national.
“You all should be thankful to me as I introduced a progressive image of India in the world through my music. I am the first female hip-hop artist from India,” she said, adding, “Indian misogynistic men cannot tolerate me because I am more talented, successful, famous and rich than most of them”.
She said that the Indian government should understand that she cannot be scared through death and rape threats because “nobody can stop me from speaking my mind out”.
“How dare the Indian government stop the 2020 referendum and call Sikh liberation group a terrorist organisation when the whole parliament at this time is full of RSS terrorists,” she said.
“So guess what, I am going to Pakistan to attend the 550th anniversary of Kartarpur Sahib and I will campaign for 2020 referendum and Khalistan,” she concluded.
Several Sikh groups have demanded for a separate country called Khalistan in Punjab as a homeland for Sikhs.
Kaur is best known for her songs Move your Body (Johnny Gaddar), Lucky Boy (Bachna Ae Haseeno) and others. She also acted in the 2011 Bollywood film Patiala House, alongside Akshay Kumar.
Days before the Indian government decided to revoke the special status of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad and New Delhi were in an advanced stage of backchannel talks to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New York next month.
The discreet diplomacy was not only meant to arrange an Imran-Modi meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s annual session but also aimed at laying the groundwork for resumption of the long-suspended dialogue between the two countries.
Both Pakistani and Indian sources confirmed that the two countries initiated backchannel talks after Modi returned to power with a landslide victory in the general elections in May.
The decision to work quietly for the resumption of dialogue was made to avoid media attention that often complicated the process.
Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria, who was recently expelled from Islamabad after Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India over its Kashmir move, was leading the Indian side while Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood, who not long ago was serving as the Pakistani high commissioner in New Delhi, was Pakistan’s point person.
Diplomatic sources revealed that the quiet diplomacy had enabled Imran and Modi to exchange letters soon after the Indian elections.
“Everything was carefully choreographed… from PM Imran’s congratulatory tweet to the telephonic conversation with Modi,” an official said.
In fact, when both Imran and Modi were attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in June in Bishkek, the two countries had already agreed to a meeting between the two premiers on the sidelines.
However, to avoid creating hype, the two countries decided to portray the meeting as unplanned and informal.
Both sides did confirm that Imran and Modi shook hands and exchanged “pleasantries”.
But the two countries played down the development as an informal interaction.
However, The Express Tribune can now confirm that the meeting was more than a mere handshake.
One diplomatic source revealed that when Imran entered the hall where other SCO leaders were present, Modi stood up for the Pakistani prime minister and they had a “very constructive discussion”.
All those efforts were meant to create a favourable environment for meaningful engagement between the two countries.
The sources said both sides had agreed that no dramatic announcements would be made to keep public expectations under check.
Pakistan had even agreed to address some of India’s concerns that would have enabled the Modi government to re-engage with Islamabad.
However, Pakistan was not expecting India’s sudden move to abrogate Article 370 that gave a semi-autonomous status to Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan seems to have been caught by surprise given the two countries were so close to arranging a meeting between Imran and Modi that might have led to the resumption of talks.
Apparently, Islamabad had not anticipated the Modi government’s Kashmir move.
After India revoked the disputed territory’s special status on August 5, Pakistan has mounted a diplomatic offensive against New Delhi.
PM Imran, who until recently believed that Modi could be the best bet for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, has now drawn parallels between the Indian prime minister and Adolf Hitler.
The personal attack launched by Imran against Modi reflects the former’s disappointment as he was genuinely looking forward to rapprochement with New Delhi, according to observers.
A video went viral on Saturday in which an Indian girl is being beaten up by a village elder in the presence of several others in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantpur district.
According to NDTV, the girl, who is believed to be a minor, had secretly running off to marry her 20-year-old cousin.
The couple was brought presented before the village elders and cautioned against having a relationship.
In the video, the 20-year-old is seated on the ground, with downcast eyes, and the so called village elder is questioning the frail girl before him.
An answer she gives upsets him and he starts assaulting her, multiple times, repeatedly, first with his bare hands and subsequently with a stick.
Anantpur district police chief B Yesubabu said that no one was coming forward to lodge a complaint against the village elder, not even the parents. “They say the elder intervened on their behalf and so they are not willing to complain.”
The police has now sent a woman constable to check if the girl will file a complaint. If she mentions that she had a physical relationship with the boy, he could be booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences or POCSO.
If no formal complaint is lodged, the police will file a case under Prevention of SC/ST atrocities Act, police said.
Indian child rights activist Achyutha Rao of Balala Hakkula Sangham says he is alerting the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and has demanded that a case of attempt to murder and cruelty against children of JJ Act should be booked.
City Police Officer (CPO) Mohammad Faisal Rana said that the action was taken soon after a complaint was lodged on August 3 by a victim, an MSc student of Allama Iqbal Open University.
The accused couple, identified as Qasim Jahangir and Kiran Mehmood, confessed to the sexual assault of 45 girls, taking their photographs and making videos of at least 10 victims.
According to the complaint, the student, who is also married, was abducted from outside Gordon College by a woman who pretended to be a fellow student. She said that her ‘brother’ was coming to pick her in a while. After a few minutes, a man arrived in a grey car and the woman pushed the victim inside the vehicle and threatened her with a knife to silence her.
The student was taken to a house in Gulistan Colony where Qasim, the husband, allegedly raped her while Kiran, the wife, took pictures and recorded video of the crime. They threatened and blackmailed the victim by showing her sexually explicit video. She was dropped on Tipu Road later at night.
According to the complaint, the accused admitted to have kidnapped several girls of ages 8-12 with the help of his wife and subjected them to similar heinous crime.
Police also recovered photographs and video clips from the accused house.
The police official said that the couple had sold the videos and photos to an international porn website.
“The wife has been sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand by the court while the husband is in police custody on physical remand,” CPO Rana added.
He also directed police officials to identify the accused in the videos and pictures, and lodge a separate case for each incident.
Police have also recovered evidence from the crime scene and sent them for forensic examination.
American-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid has faced backlash over her recent comments during her trip to Mykonos, Greece. People are not happy about her ‘generalisations’ on the country based on her unfortunate experience of getting robbed.
She wrote originally on her second Gi’sposables Instagram, “Mykonos film in. PS(A). Don’t let insta fool u. Got robbed. Never going back lol. Wouldn’t recommend. Spend your money elsewhere.”
The statement upset many Greeks on the social media platform, who accused Gigi of of ‘defaming’ Greece. However after the photo was flooded with comments and circulated Instagram, the model doubled down on her statement by adding a series of additional thoughts.
She wrote, “Let me make this clear for everyone below who thinks I don’t deserve to have an opinion on my experience and warn people of this – I was robbed along with more than 30 houses at night, some to gunpoint. It was not possible to contact any form of law enforcement except through my local security who happened to have a contact. That is a privilege that most people travelling there wouldn’t have.”
Gigi Hadid wins lawsuit after being sued over Instagram photo
Gigi continued to explain her point of view. “If something happens while the police station is closed, there is nothing that can be done to protect yourself, and when the station does open it doesn’t seem as though their training and resources are in line with keeping people safe or keeping up with the amount of crime that is happening o a nightly basis (I speaking of the island specifically only because it’s where I experienced this).”
The popular fashion it-girl, who boasts over 41 million followers on Instagram, also asserted she would never have vacationed in Greece if she knew about the ‘security situation.’
“This is my opinion based on actual events and you not liking it isn’t my problem. Lastly, I work my a** off and never do a trip like this for myself and friends, so if I want to post pictures of the trip after being robbed, I will do so.”
A court in India issued on Tuesday an arrest warrant for Congress leader Shashi Tharoor over his comment that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to rewrite the constitution, paving the way for the creation of a “Hindu Pakistan.”
According to The Hindu, the statement had sparked furore in the ruling BJP with the party now demanding an apology.
During a speech last year, Tharoor had said that BJP’s return to power for the second term would pave the way for the creation of a “Hindu Pakistan.”
Chief metropolitan magistrate Dipanjan Sen issued a bailable warrant against the Congress leader on a petition by lawyer Sumit Chowdhury, who claimed the statement promoted disharmony.
The politician and renowned writer has been vocal of his criticism of his government’s decision to strip Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) of its special status, terming the move as “unconstitutional”.
“This is not the Indian democracy we have cherished for more than seven decades,” the former Indian foreign minister had tweeted right after New Delhi’s move to revoke Article 370 and enforce an information blockade in the Himalayan valley.
A raft of other prominent Indian opinion makers, ranging from politicians and journalists to legal experts to academics, joined the chorus of condemnation of what they unanimously agreed was an unconstitutional step.
Malala Yousafzai and Prime Minister Imran Khan have made it to the list of the World’s Most Admired People of 2019.
The Nobel Prize laureate and the premier made the cut for the top 20, according to an annual study compiled by YouGov.
The list includes men and women, chosen as a result of online interviews in which more than 37,000 people from 35 countries participated. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Michelle Obama took the top spot on the coveted list.
Former US president Barack Obama, actor Jackie Chan and Chinese president Xi Jinping followed Gates in the top 20 men while, on the women’s list, Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie secured second and third place, respectively.
Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone were among those featured. Actor Emma Watson and singers Taylor Swift and Madonna are also part of the list. The male list is filled with those from different political, business and sporting backgrounds. It includs Elon Musk, Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Warren Buffet and Bollywood actor Salman Khan to name a few.
Indian PM Narendra Modi is also on the list amongst other politicians including US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
A Frenchman who has spent years developing a jet-powered hoverboard zoomed across the English Channel on Sunday after a first attempt last month was cut short when he fell into the water while trying to refuel.
Franky Zapata set off on his "Flyboard" from Sangatte on the northern coast of France for the 20-minute trip to St. Margaret's Bay in Dover, on England's south coast.
Escorted by three helicopters, Zapata glided across the water in the early morning light and landed in the picturesque bay, where dozens of onlookers and journalists awaited him.
The five turbines on the former jet-ski champion's craft propel him at speeds of up to 190 kilometres (118 miles) an hour, powered by a backpack full of kerosene that can keep him airborne for around 10 minutes.
He had planned to make the 35-kilometre (22-mile) crossing in 20 minutes, keeping an average speed of 140 kilometres an hour (87 mph) at a height of 15-20 metres (50-65 feet) above the water.
Zapata tumbled into the middle of the busy shipping lane on July 25 after failing to land on a boat waiting in English waters to give him a fresh pack of kerosene.
"The trickiest part is really the refuelling," the 40-year-old Zapata said last Thursday. "I didn´t let up on the gas at the right moment."
"Aviation is the result of people who have had failures, and it's by getting back up that we move forward," he said.
This time the refuelling boat was bigger and had a larger landing area, and French navy vessels in the area kept an eye out in case of trouble.
French maritime authorities gave Zapata's team permission to keep the refuelling boat in French waters, something they had refused the first time around citing safety concerns.
Zapata's team had been racing to repair the hoverboard after it was damaged from falling in the Channel waters 10 days ago.
The main uncertainty this time around, Zapata said Saturday, was that his hoverboard might end up having "a little problem."
"Normally we test the machines for several weeks before big events. Here, it's a little bit worrying to be using a machine that has just been rebuilt," he said.
'My life's work'
Zapata has been developing his hoverboard for the past three years, despite losing two fingers during its maiden flight in his garage near Marseille, when they got sucked into the turbines.
He already holds the Guinness World Record for the farthest hoverboard flight, a 2.2-kilometre trip over the Mediterranean Sea in April 2016.
No Guinness adjudicator was on hand for the latest Channel attempt, though a spokeswoman said he could still be awarded a new record if the trip meets its guidelines.
Zapata burst into the spotlight at this year's July 14 Bastille Day military parade in Paris, where he and his craft soared noisily above a crowd of stunned onlookers that included French President Emmanuel Macron.
His device has also captured the attention of the French military, which in December gave Zapata's company, Z-AIR, a 1.3 million euro ($1.4 million) development grant.
Defence Minister Florence Parly told France Inter radio that it might eventually serve a variety of purposes, "for example as a flying logistical platform or, indeed, as an assault platform."
"I can't help it, the first time I saw it fly I said, 'This is going to be my life's work'," Zapata told the French online media site Brut in a recent interview.
