E. coli lettuce outbreak traced to California

An outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce appears to have been traced to crops in California, the US food authority said Monday.

American consumers were warned against eating the leafy salad by health officials last week.

The outbreak has caused 43 people to become sick in the US and another 22 in Canada, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"Our investigation at this point suggests that romaine lettuce associated with the outbreak comes from areas of California that grow romaine lettuce over the summer months," the FDA said in a statement.

"The outbreak appears to be related to ´end of season´ romaine lettuce harvested from these areas," it said.

The harvest has now shifted to other areas and it was "critically important to have a ´clean break´ in the romaine supply available to consumers in the US in order to purge the market of potentially contaminated romaine lettuce," the FDA said.

It added that the break in supply appears to have been accomplished after officials requested on November 20 that the produce be withdrawn from the market and destroyed.

On the same day — two days before the Thanksgiving holiday when Americans gather and feast together — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised consumers not to eat any romaine lettuce and to throw away any they might have in their homes.

Nawaz demands NAB probe into Dubai property owned by Aleema Khan

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Wednesday raised questions over a Dubai property owned by Prime Minister Imran Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, and demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe into her sources for purchasing the property.

In his informal conversation with journalists during his appearance before an accountability court, the former premier said the NAB does hold investigations against members of his party, adding that the anti-corruption watchdog should also find out how the prime minister's sister purchased the property.

This month, Aleema Khan deposited half the total cost of her previously undeclared Dubai property with tax authorities as penalty.

Aleema paid 25 per cent of the total estimated amount of her luxurious flat, "The Lofts East-1406", in taxes and 25 per cent fine charges, officials had said. The prime minister's sister was slapped with a double penalty (taxes and fine) because she did not disclose the said property worth around Rs74 million.

The said luxurious flat was located in the heart of Dubai, adjacent to Burj Khalifa, the most expensive area in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), added the officials.

"Wherefrom did Aleema Khan get property worth billions in Dubai," Nawaz questioned, adding that Aleema Khan does not even have any sources of income.

He said the prime minister's sister paid fine for hiding property, questioning, "Isn't it an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance)?"

Noting that Aleema is also a board member of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH), the former premier asked what is the money trail of her property.

He said the nation wants to know who is behind Aleema Khan's property.

Nawaz said they saved Rs160 billion in power projects, behind which was tireless efforts of the then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif.

"But Shehbaz Sharif was thrown in jail instead of commending him," he lamented.

The former premier further said the Lahore-Multan Motorway project has been completed, but it is not being operationalised.

"Name the project PTI Motorway, but at least open it," he urged, saying the government is not ready to operationalise projects initiated by them.

Nawaz further regretted his incarceration despite having done much for the country.

"We made JF-17 fighter jet in collaboration with China. Is it reward for that we are made to face prisons?" he asked.

"Thinking about this hurts. Then you say I do not speak up," the former premier told reporters.

He said people accuse him of making a 'compromise' if he does not speak up, questioning, "Can an individual, returning from London after being sentenced, go for an NRO?

"You can neither write nor publish whatever I would say," Nawaz told the newsmen.

Once feted, Saudi crown prince faces cold shoulder abroad

RIYADH: Once feted on the world stage, Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince faces the cold shoulder abroad as he struggles to shrug off the lingering stigma of a critical journalist’s murder.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been on an Arab tour before he attends the Group of 20 summit in Argentina on Friday, where he faces world leaders who have strongly condemned Jamal Khashoggi’s killing last month in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.

The country’s de facto ruler has brushed aside the international pressure, attempting to use the overseas visits — followed by a whirlwind domestic tour –- to shore up his tarnished reputation and reinforce relationships with allies.

“The question is who among global leaders will agree to stand with him publicly,” said H.A. Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute in London.

The prince faces the grim prospect of being treated as an “outcast” by some leaders at the two-day G-20 summit, said Bessma Momani, a professor at Canada’s University of Waterloo.

“Group photos may be unavoidable, but liberal democratic leaders from countries such as Germany and Canada will not want to be seen shaking his hand,” Momani said.

Former Spanish King Juan Carlos faced scathing domestic criticism over his handshake with the prince in Abu Dhabi, his first stop in a regional tour which also included close allies Bahrain and Egypt as well as Tunisia.

An image of the laughter-filled encounter at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last Sunday was dubbed by a conservative Spanish daily as “the photo of shame”.

But the 33-year-old prince, widely known as MBS, used the regional tour as something of a victory lap after US President Donald Trump — who has praised Saudi Arabia as a “truly spectacular ally” — threw his weight behind him.

Trump’s emphatic support came despite the Central Intelligence Agency’s reported assessment that the prince –- who controls all major levers of power in the Saudi government — was behind the killing.

“It should come as no surprise that allies like Trump, China’s Xi (Jinping) and Russia’s (Vladimir) Putin will have no qualms in signalling that they are absolutely fine to continue doing business with MBS,” said Momani.

Frosty reception

But some officials in the prince’s entourage are bracing for a frosty reception at the G-20 summit.

Ahead of the prince’s visit, Human Rights Watch urged Argentine prosecutors to consider bringing criminal charges against Prince Mohammed over alleged war crimes in a brutal Saudi-led war in Yemen and his possible complicity in Khashoggi’s murder.

It was unclear whether Argentine prosecutors would act on the request.

Trump also faces growing pressure from US lawmakers, some of whom are demanding a probe into his financial ties to determine whether the president has any vested interest in backing the kingdom.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pentagon chief Jim Mattis were to brief American senators Wednesday on Saudi Arabia amid mounting bipartisan concern about the kingdom.

The prince’s supporters fear that world leaders could leverage his weakened international position to gain concessions from the kingdom, as it struggles with a slump in oil prices.

The prince is expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has kept international pressure mounting on the kingdom by saying the orders for Khashoggi’s killing came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government.

“In the event Erdogan meets with MBS on the sidelines of G-20, it will be indicative that some sort of a deal has been reached, which could include Gulf reconciliation and concrete steps on how to wind down the war in Yemen,” said Sigurd Neubauer, a Middle East analyst based in Washington.

‘He’s here to stay’

In a foretaste of expected acrimony at G-20, the prince faced hundreds of protesters Tuesday during a brief stopover in Tunisia, with many shouting “Go away assassin!” and some clutching red-stained chain saws -– a reference to Khashoggi’s gruesome murder.

The hostility stands in stark contrast to the prince’s month-long tour of the United States earlier this year, where he received something of a rockstar reception and hobnobbed with business titans such as Disney chief Bob Iger and Apple’s Tim Cook.

In PR-slicked campaigns, the crown prince had marketed himself as a liberaliser seeking to remake his state, while amassing power to a degree unseen by previous rulers.

The global fallout over the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the prince, appears to have torpedoed that effort.

But it has not so far has threatened to unseat the prince amid his tightening grip on military and security agencies and a ruthless crackdown on political rivals.

The prince’s supporters say the fact that he stepped out of the kingdom amid a crisis is an indication that he is firmly in control.

“The prince is trying to show his domestic and international audience that he’s leaving the palace and confident he’ll return to control it,” said Momani.

Contest election in punjab PM khan tells sidhu Indian Media News

YANGON ,Myanmar: Nearly 100 Rohingya Muslaims were forced back to Myanmar;s Rakhine state after being detained at sea en route to malaysia,police said wednesday, stirring fears of a fredh refugee beat crisis.

Three vessels carrying fleeing Rohingya have now been seized two weeks,as the monsoon season gives way to more favourable,if still treacherous, sailing conditions.

All on board the third boat were being returned to camps around the capital sittwe more than 120,000 people have been confined since intercommunal violence in 2012.

A photo in local media showed the group huddled on the deck in the baking sun,a scene reminiscent of the boat crisis in 2015 that saw countless Rohingya abandoned by smugglers in the Andaman sea after authorities shut down trafficking routes.

They were headed for malaysia when stopped by navy officers on sunday night off the southern town of dawei police major min lwin told AFP.

They were all sent back to sittwe on a navy boat last night,"he said, adding that the group, two thirds of whom were under the age of 18, would arrive on thursday e state or friday.

the plight of Rohingya Muslaims languishing in the central part of the state has been overshadowed by last years mass exodus of more than 720,000 Rohingya from northern Rakhine.

Those refugees fled over the border into Bangladesh to escape a brutal military crackdown.

UN investigators want Myanmar's top generals to be prosecuted for genocide over the crackdown but 

Myanmar says it was defending itself against Rohingya militants.

Around 10 boats,carrying a total of several hundred people,have left the camps in central Arakan project director chris Lewa, whose group monitors abuses against the Rohingya.

"i'm worried about Bangladesh. The border guards say they won't let people leave but if people do then the numbers would be much bigger," she said.

Desperation in the refugee camps across the border is also growing.

A repatriation deal has stalled, with Rohingya refusing to go home until their safety and right are secured.

The stateless minority are denied citizenship in Myanmar and face severe restrictions on movement as wellas a lack of access to work health care and schools in what amnesty international says amounts to apartheid.

one camp leader told AFP under the condition of anonymity that they try to leaving by boat but many are simply too desperate to listen.

"we are losing hope,"he said."Nothing has changed in the last six years."