KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday remanded key accused of Baldia Factory fire Abdul Rahman alias Bhola in police custody till December 19.

The court ordered that an SP rank police official be appointed for investigation into the case.

Rahman alias Bhola is one of the main accused in Baldia factory inferno case, which claimed more than 250 lives.

Rahman pleaded not guilty in the court. "The allegations hurled at me are false. Asghar Baig had set the factory on fire," he said.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) brought Abdul Rahman to Karachi from Bangkok on Tuesday.

A two-member FIA team went to Thailand on Sunday to get custody of Abdul Rahman. After reaching Thailand the team requested access to Bhola, who was under treatment at a hospital of Bangkok prison for having kidney problems.

The FIA had constituted a two-member team comprising Deputy Director Badar Baloch and Inspector Rehmatullah Domki for Bhola's extradition to Pakistan, sources had informed. The team arrived in Thailand along with documents and legal records pertaining to the Baldia factory tragedy, for taking custody of Rahman alias Bhola.

Earlier in his initial statement to the Interpol in Bangkok, Bhola had maintained himself as a 'political worker affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement,' sources within the Federal Investigation Agency had told Geo News. Bhola was on the run since four years.

He was rounded up from Bangkok by the Interpol on December 03, upon the request of Pakistani authorities. 

On November 28 during hearing of the Baldia factory fire case, an anti-terrorism court had grilled authorities for not being able to arrest Hammad Siddiqui and Rahman alias Bhola. The court had ordered the interior ministry to arrest fugitives with the help of Interpol.

In September 2012, a deadly fire devoured over 250 lives at a factory situated in Karachi's Baldia Town. Subsequent investigations led to revelations that the factory was deliberately set ablaze over non-payment of extortion money.

Tracing Rahman alias Bhola's trail from Karachi to Bangkok

Abdul Rahman alias Bhola arrested in Bangkok by Interpol was an illegal immigrant, Geo News had learnt. Abdul Rahman travelled to Bangkok from Malaysia aided by human smugglers.

Forty-seven-year old Abdur Rahman made his first passport in 2009 on which he traveled to Dubai. Immediately after the Baldia Factory fire incident Rahman got a residence visa for Dubai. In June 2014, a new passport was issued from Dubai. This passport is valid till January 2019.

PSP, MQM-Pakistan deny links to Rahman

Paksarzameen Party and MQM Pakistan in separate statements had refuted allegations that Rahman was once associated with their parties.

MQM-P leader Rauf Siddiqui speaking to journalists in Karachi said that he could neither accept nor deny that Rahman was associated to MQM. 

Whereas, PSP Chief Mustafa Kamal, speaking to journalists in Lahore said that Rahman was not a member of his party. "He was arrested from outside Pakistan. He was never part of PSP," he said.

On 8 November Donald Trump was declared the winner of the US presidential election. His victory, however, won't be official until 19 December, when the 538 members of the electoral college gather in state capitals across the US to formally cast their ballots for the next president.

The electoral college vote is a vestigial constitutional organ - a political appendix - that in practice has amounted to little more than a rubber stamp for the president-elect. The year 2016 seems determined to continue breaking rules and norms right up until its last day, however, so of course there's now a movement among some electors to challenge this status quo - and the Clinton team just gave a wink and a nod of approval to their efforts.

On Monday John Podesta, the chair of the Clinton campaign, issued a statement saying that they supported a request by 10 electoral college voters - nine Democrats and one Republican - to receive a briefing from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on evidence that the Russian government meddled in the US presidential election.

"The bipartisan electors' letter raises very grave issues involving our national security," Podesta, himself a victim of the alleged Russian hacking, writes. "Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution, and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed."

Those electors are part of a manoeuvre they say was endorsed by founding father Alexander Hamilton, who wrote that a core purpose of the electoral college was to serve as a constitutional failsafe to prevent unqualified candidates or those under the influence of "foreign powers" from becoming president.

As justification for their request they point to the revelation last Friday that the US intelligence community has evidence that Russian hackers specifically targeted communications by Democratic Party and Clinton campaign officials in an attempt to aid Mr Trump's election.

"Trump's willingness to disregard conclusions made by the intelligence community and his continuing defence of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin demand close scrutiny and deliberation from the electoral college," the 10 electors write in an open letter to Mr Clapper.

Any hope of swaying enough electors to hand the presidency to Mrs Clinton or a more moderate Republican (Ohio Governor John Kasich, for example) is the longest of long-shots. Although one Republican from Texas, Chris Suprun, has said he won't vote for Mr Trump, another 36 would have to break ranks to drop the Republican below the 270-vote threshold necessary for victory.

That isn't happening, writes the Atlantic's Garrett Epps.

"I don't think the Founding Fathers somehow 'intended' the electors to function in this situation as wise elders," he writes. "If they did, I think the electoral college would operate far differently. The electors never meet, they don't debate, they vote only once, and they disappear. To me, that's not a deliberative body; that's a protection for states that choose to disfranchise their people."

Complicating matters further is the fact 29 states have laws that require presidential electors to support the candidate who wins a plurality of votes in their state. Two Democratic electors in Colorado are challenging the legality of those laws in court - a move that's being opposed by the Trump campaign.

The lawsuit "threatens to undermine the many laws in other states that sensibly bind their electors' votes to represent the will of the citizens, undermining the electoral college in the process", writes a Trump campaign lawyer in a request to participate in the Colorado case.

That is a measured response compared to what is likely to come from Mr Trump himself, once he offers his inevitable counterpunch on Twitter. He's already likened the allegations of Russian electoral meddling to a conspiracy theory and has said that the push for vote recounts in three key swing states to find evidence of tampering, which the Clinton campaign also is supporting, is a scam and a waste of time and money.

Beneath all of this sound and fury is the reality that Mr Trump enters the White House with very tenuous claims to a presidential mandate. He trails Mrs Clinton in the popular vote by 2.8 million votes, his Electoral College margin is modest by historical standards, and he has some of the lowest approval ratings of any president-elect.

Mr Trump and his team have clearly decided that any investigations into whether there were foreign attempts to meddle with the election, either through the ballot box or via email hacking, must be aggressively challenged no matter how unlikely they are to succeed.

With Podesta's move, the Democrats open themselves up to charges that they're sore losers - and with only a week before the electoral college votes, any efforts to block Mr Trump's path to the presidency are almost certainly hopeless.

They could prompt an overreaction from Mr Trump and his team, however, and set them at odds with Republicans in Congress who have called for a closer look into Russia's activities.

Anything that knocks the president-elect off his stride and foments dissent in Republican ranks could be viewed by Democrats as a win, and at this point they'll likely take whatever they can get.

LAHORE (Awesome News) - At least seven people were killed and several injured in various accidents due to fog in several cities of Punjab. 

Three people were killed when a motorcycle clashed with a donkey cart in Burewala while two dead in another accident in Gujrawala’s Ratta Jheel area.

The deceased Shaukat and Umair were the residents of Talondi Moosa Khan.

Two motorcycle riders also lost their life due to fog at Sahiwal’s Naiwala Road.

According to details, zero visibility was witnessed in several cities of Punjab as motorway was temporarily closed at Lahore, Sheikhupura, Pindi Bhattian, Faisalabad and Gojra.

Traffic situation went out of control in Gujranwala and on a standstill at National Highway.

Motorway police has advised the citizens to drive slowly and use fog lights

Fog has also disturbed the daily-life activities in Pattoki, Okara, Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh and Mian Channu.

Many flights were delayed after flight operation was suspended in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan.

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Antonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, saying the world body must change to better confront global crises such as the war in Syria.

During a solemn ceremony at the General Assembly, the former prime minister of Portugal placed a hand on the UN charter and took the oath of office administered by the president of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson.

The first former head of government at the UN helm, Guterres takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 amid ongoing bloodshed in Syria and questions over how the US role in the world chould shift under President-elect Donald Trump.

"This organization is the cornerstone of multilateralism, and has contributed to decades of relative peace, but the challenges are now surpassing our ability to respond," Guterres said in an address.

"The UN must be ready to change."

The 67-year-old socialist politician said the United Nations must "recognize its shortcomings and reform the way it works," singling out the failure to prevent crisis as a serious weakness.

The UN’s refugee chief for a decade, Guterres was sworn in as Syrian forces were on the verge of retaking the entire city of Aleppo -- a potential turning point in the nearly six-year war.

"This is a war in which everybody is losing. This became a threat for everybody around the world," Guterres later told journalists. "It is high time to put an end to this nonsense."

Guterres vowed to "engage personally" in conflict resolution, signalling a more pro-active approach to the role of secretary-general than under the 72-year-old Ban, the South Korean who led the world body for two five-year terms.

The election of Guterres has energized UN diplomats who see him as a skilled politician, able to overcome divisions that have crippled the United Nations, notably over Syria.

But Trump’s shock election has raised questions over Washington’s future role in the world and its relationship with the United Nations -- as the world body’s biggest financial backer.

The new UN chief will begin work just weeks before Trump takes office on January 20.

"Fear is driving the decisions of many people around the world," Guterres said, in a reference to the surge of populism that propelled Trump to the White House.

Citizens worldwide are losing confidence in their governments and in global institutions, he said, adding that it was "time to reconstruct relations between people and leaders."

He pledged to show the new US administration a "clear will to cooperate in relation to the enormous challenges we will be facing together."

Guterres laid out three priorities for change during his five-year term: work for peace, support sustainable development and improve internal UN management.

The 71-year-old United Nations has been criticized for its clunky bureaucracy, which has at times slowed down the response to global emergencies.

Guterres vowed to press ahead with gender parity at the United Nations, saying it was a priority to appoint more women to senior posts.

Among the appointments expected soon, Nigeria’s Environment Minister Amina Mohammed is tipped to become UN deputy secretary-general, diplomats say.

An engineer by training and a practicing Catholic, Guterres fought for migrants’ rights as UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015.

He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, anchoring his country to the European Union and working to raise living standards.

US Ambassador Samantha Power praised Guterres as "the man for the job in such challenging times."

WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - The World Bank Group today (Tuesday) announced a pause in the separate processes initiated by India and Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty to allow the two countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements.

The announcement temporarily halts the appointment of a Neutral Expert, as requested by India, and the Chairman of the Court of Arbitration, as requested by Pakistan, to resolve issues regarding two hydroelectric power plants under construction by India along the Indus rivers system. Both processes initiated by the respective countries were advancing at the same time, creating a risk of contradictory outcomes that could potentially endanger the Treaty, the World Bank stated in a press release.

“We are announcing this pause to protect the Indus Waters Treaty and to help India and Pakistan consider alternative approaches to resolving conflicting interests under the Treaty and its application to two hydroelectric power plants,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, "This is an opportunity for the two countries to begin to resolve the issue in an amicable manner and in line with the spirit of the treaty rather than pursuing concurrent processes that could make the treaty unworkable over time. I would hope that the two countries will come to an agreement by the end of January."

The pause was announced by Kim in letters to the finance ministers of India and Pakistan and emphasized that the Bank was acting to safeguard the Treaty. Pausing the process for now, the Bank would hold off from appointing the Chairman for the Court of Arbitration or the Neutral Expert – appointments that had been expected on December 12 as earlier communicated by the Bank.

The current processes under the treaty concern the Kishenganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants. 

The power plants are being built by India on, respectively, the Kishenganga and Chenab Rivers. Neither of the two plants are being financed by the World Bank Group.

The Indus Waters Treaty 1960 is seen as one of the most successful international treaties and has withstood frequent tensions between India and Pakistan, including conflict.

The Treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers, known as the Permanent Indus Commission which includes a commissioner from each of the two countries. It also sets out a process for resolving so-called “questions”, “differences” and “disputes” that may arise between the parties. 

ABBOTTABAD (Awesome News) – A team of foreigners comprising three French and three Canadian experts have arrived at PK-661 crash site in Havelian today (Tuesday).

Canadian experts include Mare Gratton, Stephen Vane Dudka and Jean Mare Ledoux while French officials include Pfeiffer Jerome, Pascal Epaule and Fablen Darsonval.

The officials of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are accompanying them to collect different samples from the location.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Monday grounded its 10 ATR turboprop planes after a crash last week killed 47 people and a second aircraft reported technical issues shortly before it was supposed to take off overnight.

PIA flight 661 smashed into a hillside in the country’s north while travelling from the city of Chitral to the capital Islamabad last Wednesday. The airline has said one of the plane’s two turboprop engines failed.

THAR (Dunya News) - Private Infrastructure Board on Tuesday has permitted Hub Power Company to start a coal power project of 330 megawatts in Thar.

As per company release, this project will start producing electricity by the end of 2018.

According to experts, it seems that the government’s announcement of eradicating load shedding by 2018 will be proven right due to its good economic policy and efforts to overcome energy crisis.

GENEVA (Web Desk) - Ambassador Tehmina Janjua, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, was elected today (12 December 2016) to preside over the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The unanimous decision was taken at the start of the Review Conference, being held in Geneva from 12-16 December 2016.

The Convention and its five Protocols deal with prohibitions and restrictions of certain conventional weapons, balancing humanitarian concerns with their military utility. The Fifth Review Conference of the Convention was preceded by a Preparatory Committee meeting in September 2016 that was also chaired by Ambassador Janjua.

Review Conferences of the CCW are held every five years to review the implementation of the Convention and its five Protocols, as well as to explore the possibility of developing new Protocols to address specific conventional weapons of concern.

The election of Pakistan as the President of this important Conference is an endorsement of the country’s strong credentials in multilateral diplomacy. It reflects, in particular, the international community’s confidence in, and recognition of Pakistan’s contribution to international security and arms control related issues.

The one remaining ship still looking for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has begun what is likely to be its final search. Dutch-owned Fugro Equator left the Australian port of Fremantle on Monday.

Several ships have combed the seabed of a vast search area in the Indian Ocean since the plane disappeared in 2014. The Fugro Equator is expected to finish scouring the final portion of the search area by early 2017.

Officials say they will suspend the search if the plane is not found by then. Not a single piece of wreckage or any clues to the whereabouts of the plane have been found so far by the operation.

"It has been an heroic undertaking but we have to prepare ourselves for the prospect that we may not find MH370 in the coming weeks, although we remain hopeful," Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester told the West Australian newspaper.

Several countries including Australia and China have taken part in the underwater search. Earlier this month the Chinese vessel Dong Hai Jiu 101 completed its mission and is returning to Shanghai, leaving the Fugro Equator as the last ship scouring the vast 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq miles) search area.

Whether the Fugro Equator's voyage is the ship's final month-long deployment would depend on the weather, the office of Mr Chester told AP news agency.

MH370 was carrying 239 people when it disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Many of the passengers were Chinese.

Last week family members of some passengers journeyed to Madagascar to look for clues on the ship's whereabouts.

A few aeroplane fragments confirmed to be from MH370 had been found by members of the public on the East African and Madagascan coasts in recent months.

The location of the debris is in line with drift modelling patterns based on the theory that MH370 went down in a part of the Indian Ocean near Australia.

The families have expressed frustration at the lack of concrete evidence turned up by the official search, and have called for a coordinated effort to search beaches for debris.

A British backpacker who says she was held against her will during a car trip in Australia was rescued after texting her location to her father in England. Mary Kate Heys, 20, had agreed to ride with a man from their hostel in south-east Queensland to Brisbane.

But when he drove in the opposite direction and refused to allow her out, she told her father to call police. Police intercepted the pair at Gympie, 90km (55 miles) from the hostel, after her father contacted them.

The 22-year-old driver, from Sweden, was arrested and taken to hospital for medical treatment. He will not face charges as Ms Heys withdrew her complaint against him, police said.

'I was so scared'

Ms Heys, from Manchester, told local media that the man woke her at 04:30 local time on Monday (18:30 GMT on Sunday) at the Mooloolaba hostel, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

She said she initially agreed to go on a road trip with him out of concern for his wellbeing.

But she said she began to feel unsafe when he changed the plan and said they should drive to Far North Queensland.

"I was so scared and I thought I was going to die," Ms Heys told the Courier-Mail newspaper.

She repeatedly sent her father her location, as well as messages reading: "I need you to call Australian Police" and "I've been taken by a man… please hurry".