PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s waving to the crowd (on GT Road) has moved candidate for the Democratic US presidential nomination Hillary Clinton.

“I just saw Bilawal Bhutto on TV and he sounds just like his mother," her text message to former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani reads.

“Tell him I said good luck and I hope he achieves the success his mother was trying to achieve”, the text goes on.

Mr Gilani told Dawn that he had received the text message from Ms Clinton on Tuesday.

On Monday, Mr Bhutto-Zardari took on his first ever road show from Islamabad to Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

At places, the PPP chairperson braved security threats and came out of his vehicle to wave to the charged crowds.

Mr Gilani was elated at the sentiments of Ms Clinton.

He wrote to her: “It’s a pleasure to hear such reassuring words from you. I have conveyed your sentiment to Chairman Bilawal and he is really happy to receive such encouragement from you. You have been a consistent friend of Pakistan and the PPP. We hope to see you as president soon and wish you all the success in the upcoming elections”.

The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought details from the Punjab Censor Board about its May 30 meeting allegedly convened to give legal cover to federal government’s act of banning exhibition of film Maalik.

Representing Punjab Assembly opposition leader Mahmoodur Rasheed during hearing of several petitions against the ban on the Pakistani film, Advocate Sheraz Zaka told the court that the provincial censor board held its meeting on May 30 and discussed the issue of federal government curb on Maalik’s exhibition.

He said the meeting had been convened to provide a legal cover to the ban with mala fide intention as federal government could not exercise its powers on a provincial subject.

The counsel said the board had not so far announced its decision that had been reserved for June 1. He asked the court to restrain the provincial censor board from passing any adverse order as the matter was sub-judice.

Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza issuing notices to the Punjab Censor Board for June 2, observed that whatever the board decided would be subject to the court’s final decision.

The petitioners mainly contended that the ban on the film was a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens. They also questioned jurisdiction of the federal government in the matter.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with political administration have completed distribution of maize seed, poultry and livestock among more than 17,000 recently rehabilitated families of Bara sub-division in Khyber Agency.

The FAO, under its rehabilitation plan of returned families, had conducted a need assessment survey in Malakdinkhel, Akkakhel, Qambarkhel, Shalobar and Sipah areas to collect data of needy and deserving families under their slogan of ‘Apna Ogao, Apna Khao’(grow yourself and eat yourself).

FAO coordinator for Bara Gul Mohammad told Dawn at Qambarabad distribution point that the survey was conducted in a transparent manner with the help of local communities to identify deserving and poor farmers. He said that initially 15,000 farmers were provided with 25 kilograms of Azam brand maize seeds and 20 kilograms of Sorgham brand seed for the current cultivation season in Bara.

“The basic aim of this project is to facilitate the returning families to restart cultivating their barren lands and to enable them to stand on their own feet,” said Gul Mohammad.

He said that FAO also distributed seeds of six different vegetables among another 7,500 families. The FAO also selected at least 2,000 poor widows, who were provided with poultry and livestock during the three-week seed distribution process.

SCHOOL: Pakistan Baitul Maal on Monday inaugurated a primary school in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency to provide free education to poor students of the area.

The school at Nayee Abadi in Jamrud was inaugurated by managing director of Baitul Maal Sheikh Abid Waheed, MNA Shahjee Gul Afridi and Senator Taj Mohammad in the presence of local officials and tribal elders.

Speaking of the occasion, Mr Waheed said that as many as 120 poor children would be provided free education at the school along with provision of Rs300 as monthly stipend and free uniform.

He said that the school was established on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to help the needy students of tribal areas. He said that similar schools would be established in other parts of Fata. The poor tribal students would be admitted to Islamabad Sweet Home for better education and look after, he added.

Mr Waheed also distributed cheques of Rs500,000 among 50 poor students and their parents.

Also in the day, at least 120 physically challenged persons of Khyber Agency were enrolled during a registration ceremony organised by a private organisation at the Jirga Hall in Jamrud.

Niaz Afridi, the chief executive of Niaz Disabled Organisation Khyber, said on the occasion that out of the total 3,700 disabled persons in Khyber Agency, 1,900 were registered with the organisation.

LOS ANGELES: Lionel Messi and Argentina will be targeting the country's 23-year title drought when the Copa America Centenario kicks off on Friday after a troubled build-up marred by corruption allegations which threatened to derail the event.

One hundred years after Uruguay clinched the inaugural four-team South American championship in Argentina, 16 teams from across the Americas are gathered in the United States for a special one-off edition of the tournament.

The three-week festival of football gets under way at the Levi's Stadium in California on Friday, when the United States face Colombia at the home of the San Francisco 49ers American football team.

The tournament will conclude with a final at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on June 26, drawing a line under what is arguably the biggest tournament held in the United States since the 1994 World Cup.

Billed as a celebration of football across the Americas, 10 South American teams and six teams from the CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) region make up the field.

For organizers, the mere fact that the tournament is taking place at all is something of a triumph.

For several months last year the Copa faced an uncertain future after the arrest and indictment for corruption of several officials from South America and CONCACAF responsible for dreaming up the tournament.

'World Cup of Fraud'

When plans for the tournament were launched at a glitzy event in Miami in 2014, CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb stood proudly alongside South American federation (CONMEBOL) chief Eugenio Figueredo.

“The American continent may have been discovered in 1492, but I can't imagine a better way to unite this continent than with football,” Webb said.

Yet if prosecutors have their way, both men may soon be united behind bars.

Webb and Figueredo were among several officials arrested in Switzerland in May 2015 as part of the US-led corruption investigation which ultimately led to the sensational downfall of FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

With impeccable timing, Webb is due to appear in a New York courtroom on Friday — the day of the opening match — to face sentencing for his role in the scandal.

Figueredo, 84, was extradited to Uruguay from Switzerland last December and also faces criminal prosecution.

Both Figueredo and Webb — as well as former CONMEBOL chief Nicolas Leoz — are accused of pocketing millions of dollars in bribes linked to the award of media rights for the tournament, part of a scam dubbed a “World Cup of Fraud”.

'We deserve championship'

The sleazy background to the competition threatened to take the shine off an event which will bring together some of the world's best players.

Messi and Argentina will be aiming to win the country's first major title since the 1993 Copa America after a series of recent near-misses.

The Argentines lost both the 2014 World Cup final and the 2015 Copa America in Chile.

Messi, due in Spain this week to attend his trial for tax fraud, says it is time Argentina's talented players delivered.

“It has been a very long time since Argentina has won anything, and this group came very close in the World Cup and at the last Copa America,” he told Sports Illustrated on the eve of the tournament.

“I think we deserve to be champions of an important competition.” Argentina open their campaign against Chile in Santa Clara next Monday.

Panama and Bolivia complete Group D.

The United States meanwhile will aim to build on their encouraging performance at the 2014 World Cup, when they reached the knockout round, by progressing from a “Group of Death” which includes Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil will be favored to safely navigate Group B, where they face Ecuador, Haiti and Peru.

The Brazilians open against Ecuador at Pasadena's Rose Bowl on Saturday -- scene of their victory at the 1994 World Cup final.

Mexico and Uruguay will be expected to progress from Group C, with Jamaica and Venezuela completing the field.

BERLIN: German police have arrested three Pakistani suspects as 18 women have reported becoming victims of sexual assaults at a music festival, authorities said Tuesday.

The mostly young women said they were encircled and groped by groups of men on Saturday night in ways that recalled a spate of mob attacks at chaotic New Year’s festivities in Cologne.

Police said they were investigating whether the perpetrators also robbed the women in the latest attacks at a four-day open air music festival in the western city of Darmstadt.

Initially three women had filed charges, leading to the arrests of the three men, Pakistani asylum seekers aged 28 to 31, and another 15 women have come forward since.

Police said they were searching for another two or three men and said in a statement that "the women have reported that they appeared to be men from the South Asia region".

The Cologne attacks ─ committed in a crowd of mostly Arabic and North African men ─ appalled Germany and sharpened public concern about the arrival of over one million mostly asylum seekers last year, most from the Middle East.

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif may own property worth Rs116 million, which includes holdings in the United Kingdom, Lahore and Murree, but his only vehicle is a 2006 Toyota Land Cruiser, which he claims was ‘partially gifted’ to him.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak also owns over Rs267m in property, including over 216 kanals in Nowshera, but he claims to drive a simple Toyota Corolla, valued at Rs1,367,075. His wife also owns a house worth Rs35m in DHA, Lahore.

This information was released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), when it made public the annual statements of assets and liabilities, submitted by members of the provincial assemblies.

The Punjab CM has indicated that he owns stakes in four of the Sharif family’s enterprises: Hudabiya Engineering, Hamza Spinning Mills, Mohammad Baksh Textile Mills and Hudabiya Paper Mills.

According to the CM’s declaration, his spouse Nusrat Shahbaz has around Rs227m in non-agricultural and agricultural land, investments and foreign currency accounts. She also holds stakes in Sharif family enterprises, such as Ramzan Sugar Mills, Hamza Spinning Mills, Kalsoom Textile Mills, Mohammad Baksh Textile Mills, Madni Trading, Sharif Poultry, Sharif Dairy, Sharif Mills, Quality Chicken, Crystal Plastics and Ramzan Energy Ltd.

His other wife, Tehmeena Durrani, owns property and foreign currency to the tune of Rs9m.

Moonis Elahi, son of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, has declared a liquid value of nearly Rs300m, in addition to investments worth nearly Rs200m and properties worth around Rs124m, including homes in Lahore and Khaira Gali.

KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has assets worth Rs50m, including two plots worth Rs15m in Bani Gala, Islamabad, and property worth more than Rs34m in his home district of Swabi.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has declared wealth worth Rs20m, while former Sindh information minister Sharjeel Memon — who is currently out of the country — has declared property, vehicles and investments of over Rs100m.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri has declared property, jewelry and cash worth Rs 140 million, while former chief minister Abdul Malik Baloch is worth Rs33 million.

Although lawmakers are sometimes prone to undervaluing their assets, KP

MPA Ehtesham Javed, PK 88-Shangla, only owns inherited land worth of Rs 450,000 and furniture of Rs 30,000, making him one of the ‘poorest’ lawmakers in the provincial legislature.

Sultan Mohammad Khan of PK-18-Charsadda, despite his wealth, claims to drive a simple Suzuki Mehran hatchback, worth Rs525,000, which he claimed to have brought from his savings.