FARUKH SHEHZAD

WASHINGTON, NOV 9 – US President-elect Joe Biden has announced plans to rejoin the Paris climate accord and will reportedly issue an executive order on his first day in office reversing Trump’s travel ban on mostly Muslim countries.

Joe Biden took the first steps on Sunday towards moving into the White House in 73 days, as Donald Trump again refused to admit defeat and tried to sow doubt about the election results.

With congratulations pouring in from world leaders and supporters nursing hangovers after a night of celebrations, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced they would receive a joint briefing on Monday in Wilmington, Delaware from their transition Covid-19 advisory team.

Biden would then deliver remarks on coronavirus and economic recovery. They also launched a transition website, BuildBackBetter.com, and a Twitter feed, @Transition46.

Meanwhile, Trump played golf at his course near Washington, the same place where he was on Saturday when news broke that Biden had secured enough Electoral College votes for victory.

“Since when does the lamestream media call who our next president will be?” Trump complained in a tweet on Sunday.

Trump, who has no public events scheduled for Monday, plans to file a string of lawsuits in the coming week, according to his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who said he had “a lot of evidence” of fraud.

But former president George W. Bush said the “outcome is clear” and added that he had called “president-elect” Biden and Harris to extend his congratulations.

Bush said in a statement that “the American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair […] We must come together for the sake of our families and neighbors, and for our nation and its future.”

Biden’s transition website lists four priorities: Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.

“The team being assembled will meet these challenges on Day One,” it said in a reference to January 20, 2021, when Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.

Biden, who turns 78 on November 20, is the oldest person ever elected to the White House. Harris, 56, a senator from California, is the first woman, first Black person and first South Asian person to be elected vice president.

Biden plans to name a task force on Monday to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 237,000 people dead in the United States and is surging across the country.

Biden has vowed to name a cabinet that reflects the diversity of the country, although he may have trouble gaining approval for more progressive appointees if Republicans retain control of the Senate — an outcome that will depend on two runoff races in Georgia in January.

‘Accept the inevitable’

Biden, who after John F. Kennedy is just the second Catholic to be elected US president, attended church on Sunday morning in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

He also visited the graves of his son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, and his first wife and daughter, who died in a 1972 car accident.

The Trump campaign has mounted legal challenges to the results in several states, but no evidence has emerged of any widespread irregularities that would affect the results.

Giuliani told the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures” that Trump’s team would file a lawsuit in Pennsylvania on Monday against officials “for violating civil rights, for conducting an unfair election (and) for violating the law of the state”.

“The first lawsuit will be Pennsylvania. The second will either be Michigan or Georgia. And over the course of the week, we should get it all pulled together,” Giuliani said.

First Lady Melania Trump also chipped in Sunday, tweeting: “The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal — not illegal — vote should be counted.”

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, senior Biden advisor Symone Sanders dismissed the court challenges as “baseless legal strategies”.

Biden received nearly 74.6 million votes to Trump’s 70.4 million nationwide and has a 279-214 lead in the Electoral College that determines the presidency.

Biden also leads in Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes, and Georgia, which has 16. If he wins both, he would finish with 306 electoral votes — the same total won by Trump in 2016 when he upset Hillary Clinton.

Only two Republican senators, Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski, have congratulated Biden. Democratic Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina said the Republican Party has a “responsibility” to help convince Trump it is time to give up.

Romney, who voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trial, said the president will eventually “accept the inevitable”.

The Utah senator added that he “would prefer to see the world watching a more graceful departure, but that’s just not in the nature of the man”.

‘Do not concede’

Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the 74-year-old president should keep fighting.

“We will work with Biden if he wins, but Trump has not lost,” Graham said on Fox News. “Do not concede, Mr President. Fight hard.”

In a victory speech on Saturday, Biden promised to unify the bitterly divided nation and reached out to Trump supporters, saying, “They’re not our enemies, they’re Americans.”

“Let’s give each other a chance,” he said. “Let this grim era of demonisation in America begin to end, here and now.”

Financial markets welcomed Biden’s victory, with shares up in Tokyo and Hong Kong, and US futures up on Wall Street on Sunday evening.

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other European countries sent congratulations to Biden, along with Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan and South Korea.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would wait until all legal challenges are resolved, while Trump ally President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has yet to make any official comment.

COURTESY DAWN NEWS!

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Jannat Mirza is the social media sensation who gained popularity with her TikTok videos. Her beauty captures everyone’s attention instantly and that’s the reason she got more than 10 million followers on TikTok. Jannat Mirza hit the fame with her entertaining content including Bollywood lip-syncs, slow-motion clips, and parodies.

Right after the day she announced reaching a milestone of 10 million followers, the TikTok entertainment app got banned. However, Jannat Mirza then decided to move to Japan. The news surfaced on social media that Jannat has said goodbye to Pakistan due to the ban of TikTok app.

Here is Why Jannat Mirza Moved to Japan!

Jannat has posted a video with clarification about why she actually left Pakistan and moved to Japan. As soon as she took it to Instagram, the video has been going viral on social media. Check out here what she revealed in the video!

As per the details, Jannat Mirza expressed in this video that every channel broke the news that I have left Pakistan for good. Moreover, my statement was linked to the ban of TikTok and that had nothing to do with the reality.

While explaining her perspective further, Jannat said that I decided to go to Japan because Pakistan is an insecure place for women. She added that I got so much disturbed to learn how harassment and rape cases are dealt with in our society.

Moreover, Jannat said that she will be coming back to Pakistan soon and will be returning to Japan after 3 to 4 months. She has plans to continue with her studies in Japan with a major in Film. After completing her studies, she will be coming back to Pakistan and work behind the camera as well.

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Azerbaijan demands immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces

BAKU, NOV 9 (DN) - On Nov 7, 2020, the villages of Barda district outside the frontline zone of Azerbaijan were intensively shelled by the Armenian armed forces with rockets and heavy artillery.

Armenia, violating the existing humanitarian ceasefire, continues its criminal activities, targeting the Azerbaijani civilian population, disregarding international humanitarian law and its obligations.

One civilian, a 16-year-old teenager was killed in a shell attack on a private house in Yeni Ayrija village of Barda district, thus bringing the number of Azerbaijani civilians killed as a result of Armenia's new aggression against Azerbaijan to 93 since September 27.

MoFA of Azerbaijan strongly condemned Armenia's continuing aggression policy and shelling the civilians, contrary to the norms and principles of international law and disrespecting the efforts of international mediators.

We demand from Armenia immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan still remaining under occupation, in accordance with the requirements of the international community, including UN Security Council resolutions.

The elimination of the occupation and the return of IDPs to their homes is an important condition for lasting peace in the region.=DN

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BAKU, NOV 9  (DN) - Building of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ukraine's Kharkov City was subjected to fire at about 2.30 am, on the night of November 6 to 7.

Six shots were fired at the door and windows of the consulate building. There are no injuries among employees of the Consulate because there was nobody in the building at night hours.

We would like to note that the cameras of the Honorary Consulate recorded two attackers responsible for the incident.

In connection with the attack on the Consulate building, the Kharkov city police opened a criminal case.

Taking into consideration the continuous threats made by the radical Armenian forces against Azerbaijan's diplomatic representations in foreign countries recently, this attack made on our Honorary Consulate in Kharkov should be considered in the context of these threats.

We resolutely condemn the attacks and life threats by the radical Armenian forces against Azerbaijan's diplomats, as well as the members of the local Azerbaijani communities in foreign countries.

Relevant institutions of our country will implement joint activity and cooperation with local law enforcement agencies in foreign countries in order to ensure that all those responsible for such criminal actions against the Azerbaijani citizens and members of the local Azerbaijani community abroad will be held accountable before the law.-DN

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The election campaign for Romania’s 2020 general elections started on Friday, November 6, and will end on December 5. Thus, the political parties hoping to get most seats in the Parliament have a month to convince people to vote for them.

However, as it happened at the local elections, the campaign will be different this 

year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Although Romania has been 

registering record daily increases in COVID-19 cases (reporting almost 10,000 

new daily cases on November 5), the president and the prime minister believe 

the elections can still be organized on time (on December 6).

During the campaign, the organizers of the electoral events must take several 

measures to prevent and control the spread of the new coronavirus. 

For example, people attending electoral events/meetings must keep at least 

one meter between them, even when the electoral event/meeting is held 

outdoors, according to News.ro. They will also have to disinfect their hands 

regularly and wear protective masks. 

The rules of access and individual protection will have to be displayed in 

visible places in the spaces where the events/meetings take place.

A maximum of 20 people can participate in an event/meeting held in a closed 

space, and the event will last no more than two hours. In the case of 

events/meetings held outdoors, the maximum number of participants 

will be limited to 50. 

Also, groups of maximum six people can be formed during street actions. 

In the case of door-to-door activities, only two-people teams are allowed.

The election campaign will end on December 5, at 07:00.

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The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to the chief executive and editor-in-chief of Jang Group of Newspapers, Mir Shakilur Rehman, in a 34-year-old case related to land he allegedly acquired “illegally” in the tenure of then chief minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif.

The court granted Rehman bail against a surety bond of Rs10 million.

Rehman was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on March 12 in connection with “alleged illegal exemption of 54 plots (each measuring one kanal) in H-block of Lahore's Johar Town phase-II allotted to him being the holder of general power of attorney on behalf of Hidayat Ali and Hikmat Ali by the then Punjab chief minister (Nawaz Sharif in 1986) in violation of the relevant laws/rules”.

The Lahore High Court had earlier denied bail to Rehman, after which he had appealed the decision in the Supreme Court.

Last week, a two-member bench of the apex court referred Rehman's bail plea to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed for re-fixing of its hearing by a three-judge bench after Justice Umar Ata Bandial – who was earlier heading a three-member bench recused himself from hearing the plea moved by the media tycoon citing personal reasons.

During today's hearing, Rehman's counsel, Amjad Pervaiz, informed the court that the Jang group editor-in-chief was arrested by NAB at the inquiry stage. He said even though the reference was filed against four people — then chief minister Nawaz Sharif, then director land department, then director Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and Rehman but nobody other than Rahman was arrested.

He added that NAB Chairman Javed retired Justice Javed Iqbal had not issued arrest warrants for director land department and DG LDA.

Explaining how the land was acquired, Pervaiz said the total land was 80 kanals and 18 marlas, purchased to build Mohammad Ali Jauhar Town. The owner of the land died and it was divided and transferred in 1985, he added.

The heirs requested the LDA to grant permission to start construction on the land in 1986, which was rejected by the then DG LDA, the lawyer said, adding that the official wrote to Rehman saying that under the land policy, his share equalled 54 kanal, 5 marlas.

"Not one rupee of the government was lost during this entire matter," he claimed. At this, Justice Qazi Amin asked whether NAB had raised the matter of the government accruing any losses to which Pervaiz replied in the negative.

Pervaiz argued NAB had not accused Rehman of not paying for the property he acquired, saying that the amount was paid according to the policy. "NAB's case is that the money should be paid according to market rates and not according to policy," he said.

Justice Yahya Afridi observed NAB had to determine whether the case was valid, according to the policy. The anti-graft body also had to disclose how many cases the judge who heard Rehman's case previously had, he added.

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia finally congratulated Joe Biden on Sunday on his election victory, more than 24 hours after he defeated Donald Trump, who had close personal ties with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The former US vice president pledged in his campaign to reassess ties with the kingdom, demanding more accountability over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Istanbul consulate in Riyadh and calling for an end to US support for the Yemen war.

As other Arab states raced to applaud the Democrat challenger, the kingdom’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman remained silent on the US vote even as he sent warm words to the president of Tanzania on his re-election.

At 1932 GMT on Sunday, Saudi king Salman and his son, the crown prince, congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on winning the presidential election, state news agency SPA reported.

“King Salman praised the distinguished, historic and close relations between the two friendly countries and their people which everyone looks to strengthen and develop at all levels,” SPA added.

Prince Mohammed’s relationship with Donald Trump had provided a buffer against international criticism over Riyadh’s rights record sparked by Khashoggi’s murder, Riyadh’s role in Yemen’s war and the detention of women activists. Those areas may now become points of friction between Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia, a major oil exporter and buyer of US arms.

“The only thing worse than Covid-19 would be Biden-20,” wrote Saudi Twitter user Dr Muna, while many other Saudi users of the social media platform simply ignored the result in the initial hours after US networks called the election for Joe Biden.

A Saudi political source played down the risk of a falling out between the kingdom and the United States, pointing to Riyadh’s historic ties with Washington.

But Saudi Arabia’s Okaz newspaper offered a sense of the uncertainty about how the future plays out for the kingdom. “The region is waiting ... and preparing ... for what happens after Biden’s victory,” it wrote in a front page article.

The kingdom may not have to wait long. Neil Quilliam, associate fellow at Britain’s Chatham House think tank, said the Biden administration would likely seek to signal early on its discontent with Saudi domestic and foreign policies.

“The Saudi leadership is concerned that a Biden administration and a hostile Congress will carry out a full review of relations, including re-evaluating defence ties and therefore will likely make positive sounds and moves towards ending the Yemen conflict,” he said.

Saudi Arabia was an enthusiastic backer of Trump’s “maximum pressure” of tough sanctions on regional rival Iran. But Biden has said he would return to a 2015 nuclear pact between world powers and Tehran, a deal negotiated when Biden was vice president in Barack Obama’s administration.

Abu Zaid, a cashier at a supermarket in Riyadh, said he hoped Joe Biden would take a different approach. “I am not happy with the Biden win, but I hope he learns from Obama’s mistakes and realises that Iran is a common enemy,” he said.

A Saudi political source said the kingdom had “the ability to deal with any president because the US is a country of institutions and there is a lot of institutional work between Saudi Arabia and the United States”.

“Saudi-US relations are deep, sustainable, and strategic and not prone to change because a president changes,” he said.

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The Shifa Foundation organized the closing ceremony of Breast Cancer Awareness Month at GIGA Mall, Islamabad to raise awareness of the disease that’s why it is now projected in every country almost. Throughout October, Shifa Foundation conducted various breast cancer awareness campaigns; with an aim to provide awareness on how to avert and treat breast cancer, before it gets very late.

As rightly said by President of Turkey Reccip Tayyip Erdogan that Azerbaijan is close to victory, which was a matter of days now.  Azerbaijan this time would like to take this conflict to its logical end, which means it will re-gain control of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian adventure has provided the Azerbaijani leadership with an ample chance of turning this act of aggression into an opportunity and thus settle this issue once and for all.

The valiant nation of Azerbaijan is set to regain its lost territory called Nagorno-Karabakh as the Azerbaijani forces have already re-taken a number of surrounding areas of the occupied territory. Both countries went into war when Armenians on September 27, 2020 attacked Azerbaijani areas killing innocent people.

Then Armenia attacked second largest city of Azerbaijan called Ganga where many innocent people were killed and scores of others left wounded. The international community then moved and tried to broker a peace deal. Russia jumping into the fray, facilitated a meeting of leadership of both countries and ‘succeeded’ to win a temporary ceasefire. However ceasefire could not last for long as both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire. It was Armenia that resorted to attack those cities which had nothing to do with the conflict while Azerbaijan forces kept their fight limited to the conflict zone only.

Now when the conflict has already taken a heavy toll especially on the innocent people of Azerbaijan, what will happen next and what will be the likely future of Nagorno-Karabakh? That is the question all stakeholders are trying to find an answer. Turkey, as we know, has openly supported Azerbaijan while Russia has shown cautious response to Armenian call for help for Russians can only help Armenia if any of the Armenian territory is attacked. And the Russians have categorically conveyed this to the leadership of Armenia as well. Azerbaijan leadership on the contrary is exercising maximum restraint despite provocations by the Armenians. Attack on cities like Ganja in fact is a sort of provocation. Armenia wants Azerbaijan to lose its cool and attack Armenia to take revenge and thus it could tell to the world, especially the Russians that look Azerbaijan has attacked Armenia so come to its rescue.

Armenia so far has not been able to garner support of the international community in its favour that is why its frustration is increasing with the each passing day. So much so, Iran, which used to support Armenia in the past, has now openly supported the Azerbaijani stand. The Iranian president in a recent message made it clear that Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan. On diplomatic front this is ostensibly considered  a major achievement for Baku.

As regards Pakistani stand, our government, establishment, civil society and media have whole-heartedly been supporting Azerbaijan. In a rare show of solidarity with the government and people of Azerbaijan the members of civil society arranged memorial corners in different places in order to pay homage to the brave Azerbaijani forces.

Media support has also been forthcoming. Pakistani newspapers and periodicals published a number of articles highlighting various aspects of the issue. The Azerbaijan embassy in Islamabad spearheaded by Ambassador Ali Alizade has also been very instrumental in projecting and promoting the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. Likewise disseminating of latest information about the on-going conflict also contributed greatly towards keeping the media fraternity abreast with what was happening on ground.

There are loud and clear calls from the international community and Azerbaijan that Armenia must be tried for war crimes as it has killed many innocent people. This demand makes sense and the world must take note of it because any complacency in this regard would encourage acts of aggression even in the prospect.

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Send the lotas (turncoats) and selectors home, Maryam Nawaz told a crowd of PML-N supporters in Gilgit-Baltistan Sunday evening.

She is campaigning in GB ahead of the November 15 election, despite the GB High Court giving all ministers and politicians 72 hours to leave the region on November 6.

Maryam said she heard the PML-N was winning in the area. Don’t come in between me and Diamer, she told leaders on the stage, gesturing for them to move aside and not block her view of the crowd.

The PML-N vice-president alleged that rigging was occuring in the region ahead of the election but said when the lion stands up, all the birds flee.

“Do you know what our slogan of ‘vote ko izzat do‘ means? It means we wont let our votes be stolen,” she said, urging people to vote on election day.

Maryam also discussed turncoats, particularly a former PML-N minister who had joined the PTI, and said those who stand with you in good times but crumble under pressure aren’t worthy of votes.

We need a new tradition here, let’s start a tradition of sending lotas home, she said.

No one can sell your votes, Maryam told the crowd, adding that the PML-N’s other name was the safeguarders of the GB people.

She also praised GB Chief Minister Mir Afzal and said even if he isn’t the chief minister anymore, he is the CM of their hearts. A man who does his job, is like a tola of gold, she said.

Maryam listed a number of development projects undertaken and completed during her father Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, such as the airport, and sports complex she was speaking at, and said the people of GB need the PML-N.

She also promised to ensure fair compensation for the families displaced due to the construction of the Diamer Bhasha Dam.

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RAWALPINDI, NOV 8 (DN) – The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) President Mohammad Nasir Mirza has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has provided a huge relief to the industrial sector by announcing reduction in electricity tariffs and other incentives. The Rawalpindi Chamber welcomes this decision.

Addressing the second executive meeting, RCCI President said the relief package would benefit small and medium enterprises (SMEs), reduce electricity tariffs by 50 per cent on surplus consumption, and reduce other industries by 25 per cent.

The government has abolished peak hour tariff and reduced tariffs on used electricity, is a laudable step.

The President said that traders and industrialists appreciated the decision of the Prime Minister as the industrial sector was badly affected due to the Coronavirus. The government has already provided a number of incentives to the business sector, including soft loans, reduction in interest rates, as well as other financial decisions and manufacturing services that still need more help to grow economically.

He said the chamber has always demanded a reduction in the cost of electricity and gas to reduce business costs. Lower electricity rates will reduce business costs, he further added.=DN

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