Chaudhry Nisar postpones press conference due to 'extreme backache'

Dawn Online: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will not be able to hold his press conference today due to an extreme backache, said his spokesperson on Sunday.

Chaudhry Nisar has been recommended complete bed rest, and the press conference has been rescheduled for Monday at 5pm, according to his spokesperson.

Insisting that the press conference was delayed solely because of the interior minister's ill health, the spokesperson requested the media to avoid reading too much into the matter.

Earlier, TV channels had reported that federal ministers Saad Rafiq, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Rana Tanvir Hussain met Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday to persuade him to cancel his press conference where, the channels claimed, he would announce an end to his 35-year association with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

This was the only news report about him in recent days that was not rebutted by the interior ministry.When contacted, a spokesperson for the minister had said that he had seen none of the ministers coming to Punjab House to hold a meeting with Chaudhry Nisar.

Abbasi said that he had not held a meeting with the interior minister on Saturday to convince him to change his plan. Giving his personal assessment, he said there were no differences in the PML-N, and that "Nisar is going nowhere”.

The interior minister had attended a meeting of the federal cabinet on July 13 where members of the cabinet reposed confidence in the PM’s leadership. But he skipped two important meetings of the PML-N after that.

While many members of the cabinet kept on issuing vociferous statements against the Joint Investigation Team constituted in the Panama Papers case and some even indirectly uttered remarks against the judiciary, Chaudhry Nisar was not among the crowd as he chose to remain silent on the issue at the height of the controversy.

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Iran seizes Saudi Arabian fishing boat and arrests crew as tensions escalate in Persian Gulf

Associated Press: Iran's Revolutionary Guards have detained a Saudi Arabian fishing boat and arrested its crew, an Iranian state news agency reported on Saturday, at a time of increased diplomatic tension between the two regional powers.

Five Indian nationals on the vessel were detained on Friday after they crossed into Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf, Ardeshir Yarahmadi, a spokesman for the fisheries department of Bushehr province, was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Yarahmadi said it was the second time in the past month that a Saudi boat and its crew had been detained.

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are at their worst in years, with each accusing the other of subverting regional security and supporting opposite sides in conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Riyadh, along with other Arab governments, has severed ties with Qatar, citing its support of Iran as one of the main reasons for the move.

Iran has blamed Saudi Arabia for being behind deadly twin attacks on June 7 in Tehran claimed by Islamic State. At least 18 people were killed and more than 40 wounded in the attacks, in which Riyadh has denied any involvement.

Iranian media reported last month that Saudi border guards had opened fire on Iranian fishing boats in the Gulf, killing a fisherman and arresting three others.Iran has urged Saudi Arabia to release the trio, who Tehran said had legal documents but lost their way.

The Saudi Information Ministry said it had intercepted the boat in Saudi waters on June 16 and that three members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards had been detained in the incident.

It said the seized vessel was carrying explosives and those captured intended to conduct a "terrorist act" in Saudi territorial waters. Iran has denied the allegation.

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Sean Spicer quits: White House press secretary plays down 'row'

BBC: White House press secretary Sean Spicer has moved to minimise talk of divisions within the Trump administration after announcing his resignation.

Mr Spicer is reportedly stepping down because he is unhappy with President Donald Trump's appointment of a new communications director.

But he told Fox News he had "no regrets" about his six-month stint.

Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci has been picked for the role that Mr Spicer had partially filled.

The shake-up at the White House comes amid several investigations into alleged Russian meddling in last year's US presidential election and whether Mr Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow.

"The president obviously wanted to add to the team, more than anything," Mr Spicer told interviewer Sean Hannity.

"I just thought it was in the best interest of our communications department, of our press organisation, to not have too many cooks in the kitchen.

"Without me in the way, they have a fresh start, so that I'm not lurking over them."

He defended President Trump's agenda, saying it was an honour and a privilege to serve him, and hit out at what he termed "media bias".

He said: "I was increasingly disappointed about the way the media here do their job - or don't do their job."

The 45 year old also said he had told Mr Trump he "would stay on for a few weeks to achieve a smooth transition", and was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

President Trump tweeted: "Sean Spicer is a wonderful person who took tremendous abuse from the Fake News Media - but his future is bright!"

The New York Times reported that Mr Spicer had "vehemently" disagreed with the appointment of Mr Scaramucci, which he believed to be a "major mistake".

Mr Spicer's often chaotic press briefings over the past six months were a cable news hit, but in recent weeks he had withdrawn from appearances in front of the camera.

What does Scaramucci say?

In an assured debut, he attended Friday afternoon's news conference to announce that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, formerly Mr Spicer's deputy, would step into his shoes.

"I love the president and it's an honour to be here," Mr Scaramucci said, adding: "He is genuinely a wonderful human being."

Mr Scaramucci, who has no previous experience in communications roles, paid tribute to Mr Spicer as "a true American patriot" and "incredibly gracious".

"I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money," he added.

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