WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the end of the Islamic State group’s “caliphate is in sight” following the fall of its former bastion Raqa, and a transition can soon begin to set conditions for lasting peace in Syria.

The United States and its allies will support diplomatic negotiations “that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people,” he said in a statement.

The declaration came four days after US-backed Kurdish-led forces recaptured Raqa, the capital of IS’s self-proclaimed caliphate and its last major stronghold in Syria.

Trump said the entire city has been liberated from IS control, which he said represented a “critical breakthrough” in the global struggle against the militant group.

“With the liberation of ISIS’s capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight,” Trump said, using an alternate acronym for IS.

“We will soon transition into a new phase in which we will support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again,” he said.

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Source: Tribune News | End of IS caliphate ‘in sight’ after Raqa’s fall, says Trump

A man was fined Rs300 for driving a car bearing a non-standard registration plate with ‘Kiu Nikala Mujhey’ (Why was I ousted) inscribed on it in Lahore on Saturday.

‘Kiu Nikala Mujhey’ (Why was I ousted) was a slogan deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif used during his public campaign against the July 28 court verdict in the Panama Papers case that disqualified him as the prime minister.

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The rival political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its chief Imran Khan have repeatedly used the slogan to mock the deposed premier.

By implementing the code-24 of traffic laws against car owner Abrar Ahmed, Warden Mudasir Iqbal handed over a challan of Rs300 to the driver and removed the license plate from the car in Township neighbourhood of the city, Express News reported.

The traffic warden wrote on the challan that the car did not have a standard registration plate, and handed it over to the driver, who left the scene afterwards.

A large crowed was gathered at the scene chanting ‘Kiu Nikala Mujhey’ slogans.

The post Lahore man fined for driving car with ‘Kiu Nikala Mujhey’ number plate appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News | Lahore man fined for driving car with ‘Kiu Nikala Mujhey’ number plate

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party came under fire on Saturday for demanding cuts to an Indian film, claiming it showcased “anti-Modi hatred”.

A scene in the Tamil-language film “Mersal” shows a character delivering a fiery monologue in which he attacks the government’s failure to provide free public healthcare despite charging a national goods and services tax (GST) of up to 28 percent.

“People are paying seven percent GST in Singapore and receiving free medical care. The Indian government is taking 28 percent GST from people. Why can’t the government provide free medical care?,” says the character, played by south Indian star Vijay, who goes by one name.

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The scene sparked an uproar among members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who have called for it to be deleted from the film.

The BJP’s demands for a cut to the film incited anger on social media, where hashtags #Mersal and #MersalvsModi were trending Saturday after many users accused the party of curbing freedom of expression.

Political rivals also attacked the Hindu nationalist party’s censorious demands.

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“Mr. Modi, cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don’t try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal,” Rahul Gandhi, vice president of the opposition Congress party, tweeted Saturday referring to the government’s controversial cash ban, the so-called demonetisation, imposed last year.

The GST, which came into effect on July 1, was designed to replace a web of state and national levies and transform India’s $2 trillion economy into a single market for the first time.

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But critics have said the tax’s complex structure – four main rates ranging from five to 28 percent – has confused businesses, hurt sales and pulled the brakes on the growth of Asia’s third-largest economy.

“Mersal” released on Wednesday to record earnings and has been running to packed theatres.

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Source: Tribune News | BJP demands censorship of anti-Modi film in India