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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told journalists on Saturday that the International Court of Justice has not given any order regarding consular access for Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. 
    He said the government decided to go in the International Court of Justice after due consultation.
    "It was a consensus decision to appoint Khawar Qureshi as our lawyer," he said. "Everyone was satisfied with the arguments of Qureshi. Some are saying that we had 90 mins, why we used only 50 - a substantive argument can be given in only 10 mins."
    Aziz said that Jadhav was sentenced according to the laws of Pakistan after he admitted to entering the country on fake passport and involvement in terror activities. 

    The advisor said that on every death penalty case, the ICJ have given a provisional order. 
    He added that it was not possible for Pakistan to appoint an Ad hoc judge in five days time.
    "Pakistan had only five days to prepare its case," he said.  
     The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav until a final decision in the proceedings.
    "Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings," ordered Judge Ronny Abraham, president of the court, as he announced the decision.
    The ICJ rejected Pakistan's stance and stated that the court had jurisdiction and would hear the case and seek arguments from both parties.
    Judge Abraham stated that the ICJ had prima facie jurisdiction under Article 1 of the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention. The court further observed that the existence of a 2008 bilateral agreement on consular relations between India and Pakistan does not change its conclusion on the issue of jurisdiction.
    ?Pakistan shall inform the court of all measures taken in implementation of the present order. The court also decides that, until it has given its final decision, it shall remain seised of the matters which form the subject-matter of this order,? the order stated
    Explaining its reasoning, the court began by establishing that based on the initial facts, it has jurisdiction over the case.
    According to the judgment, it then turned to the question whether the rights alleged by India are at least plausible and decided in the affirmative.
    The court then focused on the issue of the link between the rights claimed and the provisional measures requested and observed that a link exists between the rights claimed by India and the provisional measures being sought.
    The court then examined whether there is a risk of irreparable prejudice and urgency. It considered that the mere fact that Jadhav is under a death sentence and might, therefore, be executed is sufficient to demonstrate the existence of a risk of irreparable prejudice to the rights claimed by India. The court further observed that Pakistan has indicated that any execution of Jadhav would probably not take place before August 2017. ?This means that there is a risk that an execution could take place at any moment thereafter, before the court has given its final decision,? it stated, adding that Pakistan has [also] not given any assurance that Jadhav will not be executed before the court has rendered its final decision. ?In those circumstances, the court is satisfied that there is urgency in the present case,? it stated.
    Following the judgment, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria stated that Pakistan had challenged the authority of the ICJ after consulting with all institutions and agencies. "No institution can be party to Pakistan's national security," Zakaria said.




  2. Waqas Dar
    The Monetary Policy Committee of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 5.75 percent on Saturday.
    Real GDP growth in the fiscal year 2017 is provisionally estimated at 5.3 percent, representing a 10-year high.
    The revival of domestic demand, in particular, has been instrumental in the current upturn. The major thrust has come from the ongoing public and private investment chiefly in infrastructure and power sector, the SBP said. 


  3. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff is gearing up to play the iconic John Rambo character in the upcoming remake of the 1980s action movie, Rambo.
    Yes, you can soon expect the Rambo in Bollywood.
    While the news has generated a huge amount of excitement and hype on part of Bollywood fans, there are also mixed reactions coming about the news.
    According to Indian media, Tiger Shroff will play the role of the last surviving member of an elite covert unit of the Indian Armed Forces. 
    The first poster for the much-anticipated action remake has also been unveiled. 
    Tiger?s physical appearance has got quite a resemblance with the real Rambo and the poster shows a tough and scary-looking Tiger Shroff with attitude.
    In response to the news about the remake of Rambo, Sylvester Stallone wrote on Instagram, ?I read recently they are remaking Rambo in India!! .. Great character..hope they don?t wreck it.?



    Tiger Shroff had a humble response to this as he took it to his Twitter.




  4. Waqas Dar
    Khalid Latif pictured with his legal counsel. Photo: File  LAHORE: Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif?s legal counsel boycotted the Pakistan Cricket Board?s (PCB) anti-corruption tribunal on Saturday.
    The cricketer, who is currently suspended for alleged involvement in spot-fixing, refused to appear before the PCB?s anti-corruption tribunal following a tiff with the PCB?s legal counsel.
    Badar Alam-Khalid?s lawyer- said that he has reservations against tribunal?s head Justice (retd) Asghar Haider while speaking to the media after appearing before the tribunal on Saturday.
    He explained that he had asked for the video of the May 19 hearing, but that was rejected by the tribunal. The tribunal claimed that the video is the property of the PCB.
    However, he said that his client will no longer appear before the tribunal unless the video is issued to them.
    ?We protested the hearing and left it. Currently, the hearing is going on without us,? he remarked.
    The PCB?s anti-corruption tribunal?s hearing is not according to the constitution, it is following the jirga system, he had alleged.
    On Friday hearing, a heated exchange of words was reported between the counsels of PCB and Khalid Latif during the hearing of PSL spot-fixing tribunal.
    Badar Alam told the press that the tribunal mistreated his client as he is not being given a proper opportunity to defend his case.
    Read more: Spot-fixing tribunal: Khalid Latif's counsel, PCB at loggerheads
    Alam claimed that in a video presented to the tribunal, it is evident that Nasir Jamshed offered a number of times to Khalif Latif which he refused.

    However, these claims were countered by PCB's legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi, who said PCB has ample evidence against Latif.
    ?Not only we found grips given by the bookie Yousuf in Latif's kitbag but also they were on his bats ? which he had admitted". 
    NCA returns Nasir Jamshed?s electronics
    National Crime Agency (NCA) returned Nasir Jamshed, also alleged to be involved in spot-fixing scandal, his laptop and IPad, he said while speaking to Geo News on Saturday.
    ?They even told me that they will contact me if they want to later on,? he said.
    He informed that his passport is still with NCA, adding that he is on bail till June 27.
    ?I will also approach the court regarding my character assassination by the PCB?, he remarked, adding that he has also contacted his lawyer for advice.


  5. Waqas Dar
    Pakistan's High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit - File photo Pakistan will not compromise on principles of national security, said Pakistan?s High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit on Saturday.

    In an interview to an Indian newspaper, Basit said ?Pakistan is a responsible state and will not compromise on principles for temporary gains.?
    He stated that Pakistan wants to hold meaningful dialogue with India, and stressed that if not now then five years from now, both countries will eventually have to resolve their issues through dialogue.
    Talking about the recent verdict of the International Court of Justice on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, he said ?Jadhav was not going to be hanged immediately.? He stated that Pakistan is on solid grounds regarding the issue, adding that the very case testifies the fact that there are external elements behind terrorism in Pakistan.
    He commented that consular access to the RAW agent and issues related to granting his family visas will be decided on merit.  


  6. Waqas Dar
    The Titanic star is single once again.
    It's sad but well, it's true.
    Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend, model Nina Agdal, have called it quits.
     According to a source close to the couple, ?They broke up a couple of days ago?.
    ?Nina and Leo have parted ways. It is amicable. They will remain friends,? the source added.
    The Revenant star was reportedly spotted dancing earlier this week at L.A. hotspots The Peppermint Club and Avenue LA at the latter club with model Ella Ross, who has recently been linked to Scott Disick.
    DiCaprio and Adgal started hooking up in May 2016.
    According to People's magazine, when DiCaprio turned 42 last year, Agdal was on hand for a special trip to French Polynesia with him and his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken.
    And later in the month, Agdal and DiCaprio were seen spending Thanksgiving Eve together in Charleston, South Carolina.

    But that didn't last for long as the couple has reportedly broken up.
    According to a source, their split was ?drama-free?.




  7. Waqas Dar
    Photo: file  Former Indian Supreme Court Judge, Justice Markandey Katju remarked that India has made a ?serious mistake? by approaching International Court of Justice.
    In a Facebook post, he said that ?People are gloating over India's victory before the International Court of Justice regarding Kulbhushan Jadhav. My own opinion is that it was a serious mistake for India to go to the ICJ on this issue.?
    He mentioned that ?we have played into Pakistan's hands, and given it a handle to open up many other issues. In fact, that is why it seems that Pakistan did not seriously object to the jurisdiction of ICJ.?
    ?Now it is certain that Pakistan will approach the ICJ for deciding the Kashmir dispute, and it will then hardly lie in our mouth to object to the jurisdiction of ICJ.?
    He remarked that Pakistan must be quite ?happy? that India approached ICJ.
    ?Pakistan must be very happy that we went to the ICJ over a single individual's fate, as now they can raise all kinds of issues, particularly Kashmir, in international forum, to which we had always objected till now. By going to the ICJ we may have opened up a Pandora's box,? he added.
    Justice Katju, who is very active on social media, is known for his biting remarks and criticism of the Indian government. 















  8. Waqas Dar
    US president Donald Trump?s wife emerged from Air Force One in a sleek jumpsuit as it landed on Saudi Arabiaan soil on Saturday.
    The Kingdom's Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir was quoted as telling media Thursday that America?s First Lady and First Daughter won?t be required to dress conservatively or tone down their usual high-fashion look. 
    Women in Saudi Arabia, including foreign visitors, are expected to wear floor-length black dresses ? not pants ? that cover their entire bodies, including their legs and arms. 
    They should also wear a head scarf that covers their head and hides their hair. More conservative women wear veils that also cover their faces, save for a slit that makes their eyes visible.

    The rules, however, apparently won?t apply to model-turned-FLOTUS Melania Trump. When asked if Melania would have to dress accordingly, Al-Jubeir said their government ?usually doesn?t demand? but makes ?suggestions.?
    Yahoo! Style raised the question last week of whether Melania would have to don all black and a head scarf when she meets with members of the Saudi royal family for a dinner Saturday.
    Melania is accompanying Trump on a five-country tour that also includes stops in Israel and Italy. 
    Their visit to Saudi Arabia comes as his administration reels from the fallout of his firing of FBI Director James Comey and after being accused of Islamaphobia for trying to impose a travel ban on people coming to the US from Muslim-majority nations (though Saudi Arabia wasn?t included in that ban).
    Female dignitaries from Western countries have recently opted out of the Islamic country?s strict dress code, and they sometimes do so to make a statement, according to Yahoo! Style.
    British Prime Minister Theresa May refused to wear a headscarf during a visit in early April. She wanted to be an inspiration to women in Saudi Arabia by showing people there ?what women can achieve.?
    May was in part defending her decision to visit the kingdom, given its misogynistic laws and traditions.
    A few weeks later, German chancellor Angela Merkel also made a point to go to Saudi Arabia with her head uncovered, after her country?s Parliament approved a ban on civil servants, judges and soldiers wearing Islamic full-face veils at work.
    Princess Diana shrugged off the head scarf back in the 1990s when she paid a visit to the Saudi king. Former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton also didn?t wear headscarves during their visits in 2008, 2012 and 2015.
    For the most part, Michelle Obama didn?t either during a visit in 2015. Her choice to go without a headscarf sparked criticism, including the Twitter hashtag #Michelle_Obama_Immodest. However, she wore a scarf on her head when she and her husband toured a mosque in the Kingdom.
    Former First Lady Laura Bush also opted to keep her head bare but was presented with the opportunity to try on a head scarf when she and her husband visited in 2007. She received a head scarf from a female Saudi doctor during an event in Jeddah and had her show her how to try it on.


  9. Waqas Dar
    PM Sharif in a meeting with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz at the King's Palace in 2015. - APP/File Photo  ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will not be holding any bilateral meetings in Saudi Arabia during his two-day visit, the Foreign Office clarified on Saturday.

    In response to media reports about the possibility of the premier?s bilateral meetings at the Islamic summit in Riyadh, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ?full agenda of the half-day summit?, does not permit sideline bilateral meetings.
    Earlier, it was reported that the prime minister will depart for Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit on Sunday to take part in the Arab Islamic American Summit; with bilateral meetings with the Saudi King and US President Donald Trump on the cards.
    The summit, expected to have the participation of more than 35 leaders of the Islamic world as well as secretary generals of the Organisation of Islamic Countries, Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council, is also being attended by President Trump.
    Trump arrived in Riyadh on Saturday ? the first leg of his maiden international trip since taking office in January. He will be leaving for Israel on Monday, and will also visit Italy and Belgium. 

    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/930fc83b7368a4422d69890c9b4025e0.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9NS8yMC8yMDE3IDk6MjU6MDQgQU0maGFzaF92YWx1ZT00RkpMaXJGWHBKcHVERGErTm9iZTR3PT0mdmFsaWRtaW51dGVzPTYwJmlkPTE= style=center]






  10. Waqas Dar
    Iranians yearning for more freedom at home and less isolation abroad have emphatically re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, throwing down a challenge to the conservative clergy that still holds ultimate sway.
    State television congratulated Rouhani on his victory. The architect of Iran's still-fragile detente with the West, he led with 58.6 percent of the vote, compared with 39.8 percent for his main challenger, hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi, according to near-complete results broadcast on Saturday.
    Although the powers of the elected president are limited by those of unelected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who outranks him, the scale of Rouhani's victory gives the pro-reform camp a strong mandate.
    Rouhani's opponent Raisi was a protege of Khamenei, tipped in Iranian media as a potential successor for the 77-year-old supreme leader who has been in power since 1989.
    The re-election is likely to safeguard the nuclear agreement Rouhani's government reached with global powers in 2015, under which most international sanctions have been lifted in return for Iran curbing its nuclear program.
    And it delivers a setback to the Revolutionary Guards, the powerful security force which controls a vast industrial empire in Iran. They had thrown their support behind Raisi to safeguard its interests.
    "I am very happy for Rouhani's win. We won. We did not yield to pressure. We showed them that we still exist," said 37-year-old Mahnaz, a reformist voter reached by telephone in the early hours of Saturday. "I want Rouhani to carry out his promises."
    Nevertheless, Rouhani stills faces the same restrictions on his ability to transform Iran that prevented him from delivering substantial social change in his first term and thwarted reform efforts by one of his predecessors, Mohammad Khatami.
    The supreme leader has veto power over all policies and ultimate control of the security forces. Rouhani has been unable to secure the release of reformist leaders from house arrest, and media are barred from publishing the words or images of his reformist predecessor Khatami.
    "The last two decades of presidential elections have been short days of euphoria followed by long years of disillusionment," said Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment who focuses on Iran.
    "Democracy in Iran is allowed to bloom only a few days every four years, while autocracy is evergreen."
    The re-elected president will also have to navigate a tricky relationship with Washington, which appears at best ambivalent about the nuclear accord signed by former US president Barack Obama. President Donald Trump has repeatedly described it as "one of the worst deals ever signed", although his administration re-authorized waivers from sanctions this week.
    Trump arrived on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, his first stop on the first trip abroad of his presidency. The Saudis are Iran's biggest enemies in the region and deplore the nuclear deal.
    TURN-OUT
    Rouhani, known for decades as a mild-mannered member of the establishment, campaigned as an ardent reformist to stir up the passions of young, urban voters yearning for change. At times he crossed traditional rhetorical boundaries, openly attacking the human rights record of the security forces and the judiciary.
    During one rally he referred to hardliners as "those who cut out tongues and sewed mouths shut". In a debate last week he accused Raisi of seeking to "abuse religion for power". The rhetoric at the debate earned a rare public rebuke from Khamenei, who called it "unworthy".
    The big turnout appeared to have favored Rouhani, whose backers' main concern had been apathy among reformist-leaning voters disappointed with the slow pace of change.
    Many voters were particularly determined to block the rise of Raisi, one of four judges who sentenced thousands of political prisoners to death in the 1980s, regarded by reformers as a symbol of the security state at its most fearsome.
    "The wide mobilization of the hardline groups and the real prospect of Raisi winning scared many people into coming out to vote," said Nasser, a 52-year-old journalist.
    "We had a bet among friends, and I said Raisi would win and I think that encouraged a few of my friends who might not have voted to come out and vote."
    The election was important "for Iran's future role in the region and the world", Rouhani said on Friday after voting.
    Raisi, 56, had accused Rouhani of mismanaging the economy, travelling to poor areas and holding rallies where he promised more welfare benefits and jobs.
    Despite the removal of nuclear-related sanctions in 2016, lingering unilateral U.S. sanctions that target Iran's record on human rights and terrorism have kept foreign companies wary of investing, limiting the economic benefits so far.


  11. Waqas Dar
    The queen has made her entry and you should be better prepared for it!

    Bollywood beauty and Bachchan bahu, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made the first of her red carpet appearances at the Cannes Film Festival in a fairy tale style while leaving everybody in awe of her.
    The Devdas actress was looking miraculous as she wore a powder-blue brocade ball gown by Michael Cinco.
    This is Aishwarya's 16th year at the Cannes Film Festival, where she is attending the festival among the knot of actresses and models who represent cosmetics giant L'Oreal.
    Here are some of Aishwarya's stunning pictures in her red carpet look.














  12. Waqas Dar
    Google?s latest venture Google Lens seems to make the technology giant?s vision for future a little clearer.
    Google CEO Sundar Pichai introduced the venture during Google?s developer conference, which wrapped up on Friday.
    "All of Google was built because we started understanding text and web pages. So the fact that computers can understand images and videos has profound implications for our core mission," he said while speaking about Lens.
    The technology basically turns the camera from a passive tool that?s capturing the world around you to one that?s allowing you to interact with what?s in your camera?s viewfinder.
    A few of the features of the Lens include: 
    1) Telling species of a flower by viewing the flowers through camera lens
    2) Read a WiFi password through the camera 
    3) Offering information pertaining to restaurants by viewing them through the camera
    The feature is being added to Google Photos and personalised artificial intelligence software assistant. The technology will also help with translation purposes.
    Pichai's full demonstration of the new technology can be seen here: 




  13. Waqas Dar
    The weekly has been operating from Islamabad since two years. - Photo: contributor  ISLAMABAD: With the recent influx of Chinese investment in Pakistan have arrived other avenues such as restaurants and language courses catering to Chinese nationals working in the country. 
    It is in this light that Huashang ? the first Chinese weekly newspaper ? operates out of Islamabad.
    According to BBC Urdu, the publication, which also has an English version, produces 5,000 copies a week and claims a readership of 60,000 people. The newspaper has been working in Pakistan for the past two years. 
    The paper is mainly targeted towards Chinese embassy staff, its nationals living in Pakistan and those working on Chinese projects. 
    In the Chinese language, ?Hua? means flower and ?Shang? means business, therefore, the literal meaning of Huashang is 'business of flower', or 'pure business'.
    According to the Facebook page of the newspaper, Huashang was launched in response to the Chinese "One Belt, One Road" initiative to better promote enterprise-depth cooperation between China and Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
    Talking to BBC Urdu, the publication's chief editor said their focus is on news stories related to culture, tourism and recreational activities in both countries.
    The publication is willing to transform into a daily newspaper and sees a bright future for Chinese language journalism in Pakistan.
    According to senior member of the newspaper's staff, Arsalan Raza, there are 400,000 Chinese nationals in the country, with around 25,000 in Islamabad. He said there is thus a substantial readership for Chinese language publications in Pakistan. 


  14. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Huashang is the first Chinese weekly newspaper launched in Pakistan, along with its English version. It is mainly targeted towards Chinese embassy staff, its nationals living in Pakistan and those working on Chinese projects. 
    According to BBC Urdu, the newspaper Huashang, with its head office located in Islamabad, publishes 5,000 copies every week. The Chinese weekly hits 60,000 readers. This week was Huashang?s 21st edition in Pakistan.
    The inside environment of Huashang?s office, situated in a busy market in Islamabad, reflects the atmosphere of Beijing.
    In the Chinese language, ?Hua? means flower and ?Shang? means business, therefore, the literal meaning of Huashang is 'business of flower', or 'pure business'.
    According to the Facebook page of the newspaper, Huashang was launched in response to the Chinese "One Belt, One Road" initiative to better promote enterprise-depth cooperation between China and Pakistan under the "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor".
    Talking to BBC Urdu, the publication's chief editor said their editorial policy is to give importance to news stories related to culture, tourism and recreational activities in both countries.
    The publication is willing to transform into a daily newspaper and sees a bright future for Chinese language journalism in Pakistan.


  15. Waqas Dar
    US President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the first stop on his maiden international trip since taking office in January.

    Top regional ally Saudi Arabia has said the trip will conclude political and commercial agreements and will help bolster the joint fight against Islamist militants.
    Saudi and pan-Arab news channels showed Air Force One on the tarmac in Riyadh in front of a red carpet flanked by Saudi soldiers.
    The White House hopes the trip will shift focus away from domestic controversies and on to his foreign policy agenda.
    Saudi Arabia has been enthusiastic about Trump's presidency after seeing his predecessor Barack Obama as too soft on its arch regional foe Iran and cool towards Washington's bilateral relationship with Riyadh, a mainstay of the Middle East's security balance.
    Trump will make stops next week in Israel, Belgium and Italy. The trip has been billed as a chance to visit places sacred to three of the world's major religions while including meetings with Arab, Israeli and European leaders.




  16. Waqas Dar
    Photo: Reuters/file  SAN FRANCISCO: Uber is expanding into a new field with a version of its on-demand ride application that lets truckers book cargo hauls with simple taps on smartphones.
    Uber Freight rolling out in the US was touted by the company as an app that matches truckers or trucking companies with loads, and streamlines payments.
    "We take the guesswork out of finding and booking freight, which is often the most stressful part of a driver´s day," Uber said in a blog post available online Friday.
    "What used to take several hours and multiple phone calls can now be achieved with the touch of a button."
    San Francisco-based Uber made no mention of its efforts in self-driving vehicles, particularly trucks for cargo or deliveries.
    Uber acquired commercial transport-focused tech startup Otto late last year as the company pressed ahead with its pursuit of self-driving technology.
    Giants watching
    Some $7.7 billion in funding was pumped into supply chain and logistics companies last year, according to industry tracker CB Insights.
    UPS and FedEx were described as the two most active big logistics corporate investing in or acquiring private companies involved with applying new technologies to the trucking business.
    "Uber´s new Freight app more directly targets the trucking brokerage market, although logistics couriers like UPS and FedEx are surely watching with interest," said CB Insights senior research analyst Kerry Wu.
    The convoy of companies investing or acquiring trucking technology included Lineage Logistics; XPO Logistics, and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, according to CB Insights.
    "Investment to the industry can broadly be explained by the potential for efficiencies gained via structured processes and digitisation," CB Insights analyst Alex Paci said in comment provided by email.
    "The industry has repeatedly been described as a ´pencil and paper´ business, and disorganization exists from procurement to freight-forwarding to last-mile delivery."
    Amazon some time back launched its own fleet of cargo trucks and rumors began buzzing that the online retail colossus was making moves to become a full-scale logistics company, controlling movement of goods every step of the way.
    Brakes on brokers
    Uber Freight offered to spare truckers from needing to go through brokers or other middle-men for cargo-hauling jobs. A video ad online showed Uber smartphone applications being used to sign-on for loads, track cargo in real-time, and get paid.
    "Uber appears to be pitching Freight heavily towards carriers and truckers themselves, citing increased earning potential and greater flexibility," said analyst Wu.
    "The company certainly has the reach and capital to become a contender, although it will need to grapple with its ongoing image crises and allocating resources across its growing range of initiatives."
    While Uber did not disclose how much it charges to match drivers with loads, it is likely to undercut typical broker commissions to build its business the way it took on the taxi industry with low-priced on-demand car rides.
    A number of US startups including Cargomatic and Convoy have gotten a jump on Uber Freight, while established big companies have begun using mobile or desktop computer applications to smooth the road with truckers.
    "All the companies in this space are hoping they can upend a traditionally-run, relationship-driven business," said Wu.
    "Trucking as a whole has become a hot tech space."


  17. Waqas Dar
    Photo: file  LAHORE: Minister of Railways Saad Rafique took a jibe at his political opponents and said that ?tabdeeli? [change] does not come from leveling allegations.
    Rafique was addressing a school event in Jung area of Lahore. He remarked that leaders must work hard to bring about change.
    ?We are working hard for the country,? he said, adding that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership brought Chinese investors in the country. ?We are building roads and producing electricity. We will change the face of the country. We will change our country?s future.?
    He remarked, ?All media channels portray politicians as bad. If we are so bad then why do people continue to vote for us??
    People know who will work for their rights and provide them relief, he said.
    On terrorism, he said ?We broke the backbone of terrorism in the country.? He also said that it is evident from the change in Karachi. ?We are also working on improving [security] situation in Karachi.?




  18. Waqas Dar
    Pakistan will handle the Kulbhushan Jadhav issue as an espionage case, and deal with it according to our own laws, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday.
    He added that Jadhav?s arrest helped avert several incidents of terrorism in the country.
    The minister was addressing the media after attending a passing out parade of the Frontier Corps (FC) in Warsak, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
    Talking about the regional issues facing the country, he said the ?hearts of Pakistanis and Afghans beat together.? However, he warned Kabul not to talk to Pakistan in India?s language and urged it to solve its own internal and external issues first, instead of blaming Pakistan. Commenting on the Iranian president?s recent visit to Pakistan, Nisar said all issues were discussed in the meetings President Hassan Rouhani held with officials in Pakistan, adding that both countries will not become party to any movement against the other. The minister also said that he will visit Iran along with a delegation after Ramazan, as per directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. ?You?ll see when we reengage Iran most [of our] issues will be settled,? he said.
    War against terrorism
    Earlier, in his speech to the cadets, the minister said, ?Our enemies fund terrorists who carry out violent acts in the name of Islam, but they have nothing to do with religion.?
    ?You?re not just FC?s soldiers but also soldiers of Islam and Pakistan,? he said, adding that you must protect Pakistan and defeat the handful of people who in the last 15 or so years have spread violence in the country.
    The minister directed the cadets to work to bring peace to Pakistan, and also congratulated and thanked the parents of all those who were martyred in the war against terrorism.
    ?Terrorism hasn?t completely ended; you [cadets] have to do that,? he said, adding that as the interior minister, he rests assured that the government, despite problems, is doing all it can to ensure the civil armed forces have what they need to combat terrorism.
    Commenting on the infiltration of terrorists from across the border, the minister said work on fencing the border has begun. He also said that new wings of the FC will soon be raised, and quoting the FC commandant, he said in the last six months alone, thousands of new cadets have passed out of the academy.
    Praising the century-old history of the FC, Nisar said hundreds and thousands of FC?s soldiers and officers have sacrificed their lives while serving in this force. ?There are lots of challenges ahead, I pray to God and wish you pass in all of life?s exams and set a good standard of serving the country,? he said.


  19. Waqas Dar
    French researchers said on Friday they had found a last-chance way for technicians to save Windows files encrypted by WannaCry, racing against a deadline as the ransomware threatens to start locking up victims' computers first infected a week ago.
    WannaCry, which started to sweep around the globe last Friday and has infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 nations, threatens to lock out victims who have not paid a sum of $300 to $600 within one week of infection. 
    A loose-knit team of security researchers scattered across the globe said they had collaborated to develop a workaround to unlock the encryption key for files hit in the global attack, which several independent security researchers have confirmed.
    The researchers cautioned that their solution only works in certain conditions, namely if computers had not been rebooted since becoming infected and if victims applied the fix before WannaCry carried out its threat to lock their files permanently.
    Europol said on Twitter that its European Cybercrime Centre had tested the team's new tool and said it was "found to recover data in some circumstances".
    The group includes Adrien Guinet, who works as a security expert, Matthieu Suiche, who is an internationally-known hacker, and Benjamin Delpy, who helped out by night, in his spare time, outside his day job at the Banque de France.
    "We knew we must go fast because, as time passes, there is less chance to recover," Delpy said after a second sleepless night of work this week allowed him to release a workable way to decrypt WannaCry at 6 am Paris time on Friday.
    Delpy calls his free tool for decrypting infected computers without paying ransom "wanakiwi".
    Suiche published a blog with technical details summarizing what the group of passing online acquaintances ) has built and is racing to share with technical staff at organizations infected by WannaCry.
    Wanakiwi was quickly tested and shown to work on Windows 7 and older Windows versions XP and 2003, Suiche said, adding that he believed the hastily developed fix also works with Windows 2008 and Vista, meaning the entire universe of affected PCs.
    "(The method) should work with any operating system from XP to Win7," Suiche told Reuters, via direct message on Twitter.
    Delpy added that so far, banking, energy, and some government intelligence agencies from several European countries and India had contacted him regarding the fix.
    "THE ONLY WORKABLE SOLUTION"
    Guinet, a security researcher at Paris-based Quarks Lab, published the theoretical technique for decrypting WannaCry files late Wednesday and Thursday, which Delpy, also in Paris, figured out how to turn into a practical tool to salvage files.
    Suiche, based in Dubai and one of the world's top independent security researchers, provided advice and testing to ensure the fix worked across all various versions of Windows.
    His blog post links to a Delpy's "wanakiwi" decryption tool which is based on Guinet's original concept. His idea involves extracting the keys to WannaCry encryption codes using prime numbers rather than attempting to break the endless string of digits behind the malicious software's full encryption key.
    "This is not a perfect solution," Suiche said. "But this is so far the only workable solution to help enterprises to recover their files if they have been infected and have no back-ups" which allow users to restore data without paying black-mailers.
    As of Wednesday, half of all internet addresses corrupted globally by WannaCry were located in China and Russia, with 30 and 20 percent of infections, respectively, according to data supplied by threat intelligence firm Kryptos Logic.
    By contrast, the United States accounts for 7 percent of WannaCry infections while Britain, France, and Germany each represent just 2 percent of worldwide attacks, Kryptos said.
    Only 309 transactions worth around $94,000 appear to have been paid into WannaCry blackmail accounts by Friday, sevens days after the attack began.
    That's just under one in 1,000 of the estimated victims.

    This may reflect a variety of factors, security experts say, including scepticism that attackers will honor their promises or the possibility that organizations have backup storage plans allowing them to recover their data without paying the ransom.


  20. Waqas Dar
    A Minnesota judge has ruled that six siblings of pop music superstar Prince are the heirs to his vast estate, more than a year after his death from an accidental drug overdose, according to court documents released on Friday.
    Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, and his half-siblings, Omarr Baker, Alfred Jackson, Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson and John Nelson, were designated as the musician's heirs by Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide.
    Prince died at age 57 of an accidental, self-administered overdose of the powerful painkiller fentanyl in April 2016 at his Paisley Park Studios compound in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen.
    The creator of hits such as "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry," Prince did not leave behind a will, sparking a protracted legal battle over his estate, with dozens of people filing claims of heirship.
    The exact value of Prince's estate is unclear but believed to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He left behind some $25 million in properties alone, according to an inventory compiled after his death by an asset management company.
    Prince's assets will not be distributed to his heirs without a formal court order. If appellate court rules that rejected claimants could have a claim, Eide said he would consider them, court documents said.
    Last month, a U.S. judge blocked a planned release of new Prince music. The six-song EP "Deliverance" had been scheduled to be released on the first anniversary of Prince's death.
    It would have marked the first in a series of planned posthumous releases of material by Prince from the huge vault of discarded or unfinished material he reportedly left behind.
    Paisley Park now operates as a museum, with displays of Prince's flamboyant concert wardrobe as well as his instruments and motorcycle collection.


  21. Waqas Dar
    MADRID: Real Madrid are poised to win a first La Liga title in five years on Sunday as Zinedine Zidane´s men hold a three-point lead over Barcelona heading into the final day of the season.
    Barca need to beat Eibar at home to have any chance of a third straight title in outgoing coach Luis Enrique´s farewell to the Camp Nou.
    Madrid have looked in ominous form as they´ve edged towards the title by thrashing Sevilla and Celta Vigo 4-1 in the past week with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in both games.
    "We have to continue what we are doing because the league isn´t finished yet," warned Zidane after Celta were swept aside on Wednesday.
    However, having lost just three league games all season it would be a huge shock if 11th-placed Malaga denied Madrid at the final hurdle.
    Malaga, though, are one of La Liga´s form sides having picked up 13 points from their last five games.
    The Andalusians also did Real a huge favour by beating Barcelona 2-0 last month.
    And Malaga´s attitude towards the game will be under the spotlight after some controversial comments from their coach Michel.
    The former Madrid favourite admitted he wanted the title decided before his old side visited as he would have prefered to give them a "guard of honour" than deal Madrid´s chances "a blow".
    Those statements sparked a war of words between Malaga and Barcelona with Barca lodging a complaint with the Spanish sporting authorities after Malaga´s Qatari owner Abdullah Al-Thani described them on Twitter as "the scum of Catalonia".
    Barca should at least have Malaga´s best player and top scorer this season on their side.
    Sandro Ramirez made 32 appearances for Barca before moving to Malaga where he has scored 16 goals in his debut season.
    And Sandro could be bidding his farewell to La Rosaleda with a host of leading Spanish and English clubs interested in his signature for next season.
    Zidane is expected to unusually name an unchanged side from the team that started in Vigo in midweek with a two-week break to come before Madrid face Juventus in the Champions League final.
    Ronaldo will be looking to build on his stunning record of 13 goals in his last eight games, but Gareth Bale remains sidelined.
    Barca should at least force Real to get the point they need and give Enrique a victorious farewell when an Eibar side that have run out of steam after a great season visit the Camp Nou.
    Atletico Madrid will play their final competitive game at the Vicente Calderon before moving to the 67,000 Wanda Metropolitano next season with Athletic Bilbao the visitors earlier on Sunday.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Lodhran: The death toll in the Lodhran cylinder blast on May 14 has reached eight, as another person passed away on Saturday.
    On May 14, a gas cylinder blasted in a shop in Lodhran?s Adda Shahnal. During the incident, 2 people died on the spot and 21 others were injured.
    Eleven people who were critically injured were shifted to Multan Nishtar Hospital from the Bahawal Victoria Hospital. Of the 11, five passed away on Friday and another one on Saturday.
    The Punjab treasury has announced Rs100,000 for the families of deceased in the attack, while Deputy Commissioner has submitted a proposal to the Chief Minister to pay a sum of Rs500,000 to the deceased?s families. 


  23. Waqas Dar
    HOVE: Quinton de Kock scored 104 as South Africa swept past Sussex by 66 runs in the opening one-day match of their England tour on Friday.
    In a match reduced to 32 overs because of rain, De Kock scored 104 off 78 balls while Wayne Parnell and JP Duminy struck half-centuries as South Africa ran up a formidable 289 for four.
    Sussex were never in the chase after losing openers Chris Nash, the captain, and Luke Wells for ducks in the first over bowled by seamer Kagiso Rabada.
    De Kock, 24, who missed the Indian Premier League after suffering a finger injury in New Zealand in March, retired after striking five fours and seven sixes.
    He and Parnell put on 121 for the first wicket before Parnell hit 61 off 42 deliveries with seven fours and three sixes.
    Duminy scored 68 off 46 balls, hitting successive sixes off spinner Danny Briggs.
    South Africa have another warm-up game at Northampton on Sunday before facing England in the opening ODI at Headingley on Wednesday.


  24. Waqas Dar
    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/31fe20ef04e409c29e20152917ee533e.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9NS8yMC8yMDE3IDU6NTA6NTQgQU0maGFzaF92YWx1ZT1weG1CL0o3L1kxNElXR3NndHQwNTl3PT0mdmFsaWRtaW51dGVzPTYwJmlkPTE= style=center]
    LAHORE: Three labourers were killed and five injured in the city?s Misri Shah locality on Saturday night when strong winds caused an under-construction wall to collapse on them while they were sleeping.

    According to rescue sources, the deceased labourers ? who were asleep on the roof of a warehouse ?have been identified as 50-year-old Yaseen, 32-year-old Bashir and 28-year-old Irfan. Police and rescue officials shifted the injured and deceased to Mayo Hospital.
    The windstorm which struck Lahore also resulted in injuries to three members of a family after the roof of their house collapsed on them in Baghanbura locality of the city. The injured were shifted to Services Hospital for treatment.
    Strong winds also uprooted several trees and knocked down billboards in the city. 


  25. Waqas Dar
    RIYADH: US President Donald Trump will seek to rebuild relations with the Muslim world on his first foreign trip starting Saturday in Saudi Arabia as political scandals mount at home.
    Trump can expect a warm reception when he arrives in the oil-rich kingdom for talks with King Salman, but the domestic mood was grim following news that the FBI's investigation into his campaign's ties with Russia extends to a current senior White House official.
    Former FBI director James Comey has agreed to publicly testify about the probe, piling pressure on the White House as fresh allegations emerged about Trump calling him a "nut job" in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week and saying his sacking had relieved "great pressure".
    Before departing, the president tweeted he would be "strongly protecting American interests" on his marathon eight-day trip to the Middle East and Europe, that presents a major diplomatic test.
    While his predecessor Barack Obama was viewed with suspicion by Gulf Arab states for his tilt towards their regional rival Iran, Trump is likely to take a harder line against Tehran.
    "He's going to be tougher on Iran," said Philip Gordon, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
    "He's not going to lecture them on democracy and human rights," he added.
    Ahead of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, where he will be accompanied by his wife Melania and daughter Ivanka, Washington and Riyadh issued their first "joint terrorist designation" -- blacklisting a leader of the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.
    Late Friday, Saudi Arabia announced it had shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemeni rebels south-west of Riyadh.
    The US provides weapons, intelligence, and aerial refuelling to the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Huthi rebels.
    'Muslim ban'
    Trump's relations with the wider Islamic world are still strained by his travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority nations.
    So all eyes will be on a speech on Islam that the president is scheduled to deliver to dozens of Muslim leaders at a summit in Riyadh on Sunday.
    "I'll speak with Muslim leaders and challenge them to fight hatred and extremism, and embrace a peaceful future for their faith," Trump said ahead of his visit.
    Trump wants Gulf states, in particular, to do more to tackle extremists such as terrorist outfit Daesh.
    "He will encourage our Arab and Muslim partners to take bold, new steps to promote peace and to confront those, from Daesh to Al-Qaeda... who perpetuate chaos and violence that has inflicted so much suffering throughout the Muslim world and beyond," said Trump's National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
    While most US presidents make their first foreign trip to neighbouring Canada or Mexico, 70-year-old Trump has opted for six stops.
    He will hold countless face-to-face meetings including with Pope Francis and France's new leader, Emmanuel Macron.
    It is a trip fraught with peril for the real estate magnate, who is known to dislike lengthy travel.
    The avalanche of revelations in the run-up to his departure have eroded Trump's standing at home -- where the parallels with Richard Nixon's ill-fated presidency are now being openly drawn.
    On Friday, a report by The Washington Post that the probe into his campaign's Russia ties had identified a "significant person of interest" in the White House, undercut Trump's insistence his election bid had nothing to do with the Kremlin.
    The White House was rocked by another bombshell when reports emerged that Trump said his firing of "nut job" Comey had relieved "great pressure" on him due to the investigation.
    The scandals have revived questions about his ability to strike a presidential tone with his foreign counterparts, with Trump declaring himself the victim of the "greatest witch hunt" in American political history.
    Arms contracts
    His visit to the Gulf is expected to bring lucrative arms contracts for US firms.
    "The big question mark that you should bear in mind is if Saudi Arabia signs up for a $100 billion arms deal with oil prices where they are today, how are they actually going to pay that in the future?" said Bruce Riedel, former CIA analyst and counterterrorism expert now with the Brookings Institution.
    After Saudi Arabia, Trump will head to Israel and the Palestinian Territories where he hopes to revive the moribund peace process.
    He will meet his "friend" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Bethlehem.
    The Israeli leg of his trip is already awash in controversy -- from a row over Trump's visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest prayer site for Jews, to his alleged disclosure of Israeli intelligence to Russian officials.
    Trump's meeting with Pope Francis -- two men at odds on everything from climate change to refugee policy -- remains highly unpredictable, although the pontiff says he will give America's bullish leader an open-minded hearing.
    The president will also meet members of the North Atlantic alliance in Brussels and attend a G7 summit in the picturesque Sicilian town of Taormina overlooking the Mediterranean.


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