ALI IMRAN

US President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the possibility of delaying the nation’s November presidential election despite its date being enshrined in the country's constitution, drawing immediate objections from Democrats. It was not clear if Trump was serious and any such move would require action by the US Congress, which holds the power to set the timing of elections. Trump, without evidence, repeated his claims of mail-in voter fraud and raised the question of a delay, writing: “delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???” Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, which have been used in far greater numbers in primary elections amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has also made unsubstantiated allegations that voting will be rigged and has refused to say he would accept official election results if he lost. Democrats, including presu...

CHAGAI: The Iranian authorities on Tuesday handed over 14 convicted Pakistani prisoners to officials on this side of the Taftan border after they were released on humanitarian grounds. According to official sources, due to not having valid passports, the prisoners were allowed after processing their manual immigration clearance at the FIA immigration centre in Taftan. While confirming the development, Chagai Deputy Com­missioner Agha Sher Zaman told news that the prisoners were handed over to the superintendent of Nushki District Jail, who later shifted them to Nushki Jail. Sharing the development on Twitter, the Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran Rahim Hayat Qureshi wrote: “Pursuant to PM @ImranKhanPTI’s visit to #Iran & request to Pres @Hass­anRouhani for amnesty to Pakistani prisoners on humanitarian grounds, 14 Pak prisoners released today.#Pakistan Iran signed agreement on transfer of sentenced prisoners in 2014”. Superintendent of Nushki District Jail Malik Samiul...

SEOUL: A pair of new statues in South Korea of a man kneeling in front of a girl symbolising a victim of sexual slavery by Japan's wartime military is the latest subject of diplomatic sensitivity between the countries, with Tokyo’s government spokesperson questioning whether the male figure represents the Japanese prime minister. Kim Chang-ryeol, owner of a botanic garden in the mountain town of Pyeongchang, said on Tuesday that he canceled an unveiling ceremony for the bronze statues that was to take place on Aug 10 because of what he described as unwanted controversy. Kim said the statues were his idea, but that he didn’t specifically intend the male figure to be Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Since his inauguration in 2012, Abe has stoked anger among South Koreans over his nationalistic stance on Japan's wartime past and his demands that South Korea remove similar statues symbolising sexual slavery victims in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and other sites....

PARIS: Scientists have successfully revived microbes that had lain dormant at the bottom of the sea since the age of the dinosaurs, allowing the organisms to eat and even multiply after eons in the deep. Their research sheds light on the remarkable survival power of some of Earth’s most primitive species, which can exist for tens of millions of years with barely any oxygen or food before springing back to life in the lab. A team led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology analysed ancient sediment samples deposited more than 100 million years ago on the seabed of the South Pacific. The region is renowned for having far fewer nutrients in its sediment than normal, making it a far-from-ideal site to maintain life over millennia. The team incubated the samples to help coax the microbes out of their epoch-spanning slumber. Astonishingly, they were able to revive nearly all of the microorganisms. “When I found them, I was first sceptical whether the findings ar...

TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards blasted a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier with missiles on Tuesday during military exercises in sensitive Gulf waters, state television reported. The exercises — dubbed “Prophet Mohammed 14th” — were held near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for a fifth of global oil output. The US Navy condemned the “irresponsible and reckless behaviour by Iran”, calling it an attempt “to intimidate and coerce”. The Iranian maritime manoeuvre was staged at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and its decades-old arch enemy the United States. Footage of the war games broadcast on state television showed the Guards’ air and naval forces readying for an attack off the country’s southwestern coast. Speedboats skimmed across the water in formation before ground forces fired cannons and a missile was launched from a helicopter. The mock-up of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier came into view with rows of dummy fighter jets on either side of its lan...

PARIS: Work has begun to assemble giant components to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor in France that is expected to start up in 2035 and deliver energy in a process inspired by the Sun, the ITER project said on Tuesday. Launched in 2006 and based in southern France, the International Thermo­nuclear Experimental Reac­­­tor (Iter) had planned to test its first super-heated plasma by 2020 and achieve full fusion by 2023. But it has suffered massive budget overruns and multiple delays as the seven partners — Europe, United States, China, India, Japan, Russia and South Korea — struggle to coordinate financing and technological cooperation. At the end of 2016, Iter chief Bernard Bigot told reporters he expected first plasma in Dec 2025 and full power by 2035, although he said that schedule was challenging. “Constructing the mac­hine piece by piece will be like assembling a three-dimensional puzzle on an intricate timeline,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. “We have a c...

I am not sure what you mean by being poor.  As people perceive poverty in different ways. But I can tell you this, being raised in Pakistan, people who are actually very poor won't even be in Quora to answer this question. In our country, people with car or home are considered middle class depending on the size and cost of their home. But real poor people won't even have their daily food. I have been there, it is not always someone's mistake or lack of hard work. Sometimes shit happens beyond control. People fail. No matter how hard or smart they move, things go beyond control. They lose jobs. They lose homes. They lose business. There will be people who can't attend interviews just because they can't afford bus farebto reach the venue. It is no joke. At school, you can't even afford a decent bag , shoes or clothing. You feel low. What few people get very easily would be a dream for them. For example, a good lunch. Being poor at young age is a cruelty. Of course...