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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC), on Tuesday, ordered Director General Rangers to arrest and present Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - Pakistan leader, Farooq Sattar and others in court till May 31.
    The court issued orders to DG Rangers, Muhammad Saeed, to present MQM leaders Farooq Sattar, Amir Khan, and other on-the-run accused in the incendiary speech case that involved attacking media houses in Karachi.
    The directives were issued today after the police failed to arrest and present the accused in court. 
    The self-exiled MQM leader, in his speech to participants of a hunger strike outside Karachi Press Club on August 22, had incited party workers to take to the streets, ransack media houses and vandalise property.
    At least one person died and eight others were injured in the ensuing violence.
    Read more: Non-bailable arrest warrants for Farooq Sattar, MQM founder issued
    On May 4, the Sindh High Court approved the bail of 10 accused, including MQM leader Gulfaraz Khattak, in the incendiary speech case.
    The court ordered the defendants to submit Rs 200,000 each as bail bond.
    Read more: SHC approves bail of 10 accused in MQM founder incendiary speech case
    The special public prosecutor stated that the accused individuals attacked media houses following the vitriolic speech by the MQM founder.
     


  2. Waqas Dar
    CHAKWAL: At least five of a family were killed when a truck and van collided near Qasba Mona in Chakwal early morning on Tuesday.
    Eleven people including six children were injured in the accident were shifted to the hospital, rescue sources told Geo News.
    Read more: Four children, driver killed as oil tanker crushes school van
    On Monday, at least four schoolchildren and a driver were killed and eight children critically injured when a speeding oil tanker crushed a school van in Multan.                    
    The unfortunate accident took place on Makhdoom Rasheed Road when the oil tanker crushed the school van due to alleged over-speeding. According to reports, the injured and deceased were immediately shifted to Nishtar Hospital.
    A total of 12 children were on their way home in the school van.
    According to rescue sources, the van had to be cut to extricate the children


  3. Waqas Dar
    SEHWAN: A man involved in suspicious activities was arrested from the compound of the Laal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine on Tuesday.
    The suspect, who was arrested from the internal compound of the shrine's Golden Gate, is of Pashtun descent, the police said.
    "Afghan and Pakistani currency that the man was carrying was seized from his possession," the police told Geo News. 
    A cross sign was visible on the Pakistani currency, police sources added.
    Read more: Sehwan blast claims 90 lives 
    "Pictures of four Afghan nationals were in the possession of the suspect," a police official said. 
    On February 16 this year, a suicide bomber struck the shrine of the revered saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh, killing around 90 people and injuring many.
    On May 12, intelligence agencies nabbed a suspected facilitator of the Sehwan shrine bombing during an operation in Uthal area of Balochistan.
    The suspect, identified as Tahir, is accused of transporting the suicide bomber and facilitators from Uthal to Sehwan. Sources also revealed that Tahir helped take the facilitators out of Sehwan following the deadly bombing.
    Read more: Sehwan blast ‘facilitator’ held in Balochistan raid
    He is also suspected of having worked for Abdul Hafeez Pandrani, a leader of the Hafeez Brohi group affiliated with the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) who now is reported to have joined Daesh.
    Police and intelligence agencies suspect Pandrani to be the mastermind of the Sehwan bombing
     


  4. Waqas Dar
    RAHIM YAR KHAN: A fake faith healer, identified as Ghulab Singh, raped two women in Jetha Bhatta, police informed on Tuesday.
    According to the womens’ families, the faith healer took them with him to get rid of ‘jinn’ from them and raped them Monday night.
    The women’s father then registered a case at the Saddar police station. Police are conducting operations to arrest the faith healer, who remains absconding
    On April 23, the police had arrested a woman, claiming to be a faith healer, and her husband for selling a four-month-old child in Muzaffargarh. The doctor and his wife who bought the child were also arrested.   
    Read more: Police arrests fake faith healer for selling child in Muzaffargarh
    The parents of the child told the media they had taken their son to the faith healer in Jhuggi Wala area of Muzaffargarh, where the fake faith healer kept the child inside a room for two hours. After that, they said, she told the parents the child had died. The parents said she had administered an injection to the child after which he fell unconscious.


  5. Waqas Dar
    Ruins of the metropolis that existed around 3000 BC, boasting toilets and a water waste system, Mohen jo Daro, could fade to dust and obscurity if nothing is done to protect them, archaeologists have warned.  
    "Everybody knows Egypt, nobody knows Mohen jo Daro, this has to be changed," says Dr Michael Jansen, a German researcher working at the sun-baked site on the banks of the Indus River in Sindh.
    Jansen is at the forefront of a new effort to promote the site internationally while finding ways to protect what is left of the settlement that was once the centre of a powerful ancient civilisation.
    In summer temperatures can soar above 46 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit). "There is enormous thermo-stress," says Jansen, adding that salt from the underground water table is also damaging the ruins.
    But it is more than just the weather and time. Pakistan´s bloody fight against militancy has also raised the spectre of destruction by an Islamist group, much like Daesh destroyed the ruins in Syria´s Palmyra.
    Most horrifying, however, is the wanton disregard for Mohen jo Daro — a Sindhi language phrase that means mound of the dead — by the citizens.
    In 2014, police stood atop the main stupa as hundreds of people swarmed the site to, ironically, commemorate Pakistan´s cultural heritage – complete with scaffolding, dancing, fireworks, heavy spotlights and lasers.
    Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Sardar Ali Shah had vowed never to let such a thing happen again.
    "It´s like you are jumping on the bed of a 5,000-year-old ailing patient," he tells AFP.
    Yet today curious visitors still roam the remains with impunity, many leaving rubbish in the once pristine streets and wells.
    Preserving the site
    Jansen and his Friends of Mohenjo Daro society aim to promote the site internationally, with plans to recruit Pakistanis around the world for conferences, seminars and debates.
    Dr Kaleem Lashari, chief consultant to the Pakistani government over Mohen jo Daro, says they will also digitally archive the Indus script — which has never been deciphered — in hopes that making it accessible will increase the site´s profile.

    A caretaker at the UNESCO World Heritage archeological site of Mohen jo Daro, Ismail Mugheri, points out a well. PHOTO: AFP
    At the site itself, he says, technical reviews are being held to examine the water logging issue and other ways to shore up the ruins, while exploring new, modern technology that allows researchers to ascertain what lies beneath the surface in the portions of the city not yet excavated.
    But, Lashari says, perhaps the biggest challenge remains Pakistan´s international image, tarnished by extremism, corruption, poverty, and insecurity.
    "Foreigners are afraid to visit Pakistan and the site because of the chronic issue of law and order," he warns.
    All roads lead to equality?
    The issues he cites underscore unsettling differences between modern day Pakistan and the civilisation found among the ruins.
    At their peak during the Bronze Age, the Indus Valley people are believed to have numbered up to five million, with Mohen jo Daro their largest and most advanced settlement.
    Clay and metallic seals, coins, standardised weighing stones, gold and bronze ornaments, toys and whistles – the bric-a-brac of ancient lives have revealed volumes about thriving Indus trade and commerce.
    The layout of the city itself suggests an egalitarian people more concerned with cleanliness than hierarchy, says Dr Jonathan Mark Kenoyer of the University of Wisconsin.
    "In Mesopotamia, the streets went from the city to the palace ... whereas in (Indus) cities all the streets were organised to allow access to the whole city," he says.
    Mohen jo Daro had a complex water and waste management system which observers have wryly noted was better than in many parts of Pakistan today.
    Only a small portion of the site has been excavated properly, but the most important building appears not to have been a palace or a place of worship, but a massive public bath.
    Houses had tiled bathrooms and their own cylindrical brick wells, sometimes raised to the second floor to allow for a flush system.

    Visitors walk through the site. PHOTO: AFP
    None of this, however, has yet explained why such a powerful, advanced and flourishing civilisation disappeared so abruptly around 1900 BC.
    Currently, there is no bid to excavate further among the plans being laid by Lashari and Jansen. "It is actually preserved when it is buried," explains Harvard University´s Dr Richard Meadow.
    Their access to new technologies puts researchers in a quandary, especially as they try to understand what happened to the Indus people. As Jansen says, the "best way to learn information is to excavate".
    But mysteries take time to solve: for now, the researchers say, they will settle for ensuring that Mohen jo Daro endures for a few centuries more.


  6. Waqas Dar
    Dubai plans to develop a 6.3 billion dirham ($1.7 billion)tourist resort on two man-made islands it will build either side of the Burj Al Arab, its luxury sail-shaped hotel.
    It is the latest development planned by the emirate as it aims to attract 20 million visitors a year by 2020 when Dubai will host the World Expo 2020 exhibition.
    Spanning 4 million square feet, Marsa Al Arab will be made up of two islands, one dedicated to entertainment and family tourism and the other featuring luxury villas and a private marina, state news agency WAM reported on Monday.
    Dubai is already one of the world's most visited cities, although its hotels, shopping malls and state-owned airline, Emirates, have been buffeted by a strong US dollar which has made the emirate pricier for many overseas visitors. The United Arab Emirates pegs its dirham to the dollar.
    Around 4.6 million tourists visited Dubai during the first quarter, up by 11 percent compared to the same period of last year, according to Dubai Tourism data.

    Marsa Al Arab will feature 140 villas, a marine and waterpark and a theater with capacity for 1,700 people to host Cirque du Soleil, local media reported. Work on the project will break ground in June and be completed by late 2020, WAM said.
    The agency did not mention how the project would be funded.
    Dubai is working on several big projects due for completion in the next few years and being funded by debt.
    It is building the World Expo 2020 exhibition site, an extension to Dubai's Metro system and Al Maktoum International Airport, a new airport being developed on the edge of Dubai, which will serve up to 146 million passengers by 2025.
    Marsa Al Arab will add 2.2 km (1.4 miles) of beach to the emirate's coastline, WAM said.
    Dubai's most famous artificial island, Palm Jumeriah, is home to several hotels, villas and apartments. But other islands it planned to develop were stalled or scaled back after the emirate's 2009 debt crisis.
    Palm Jebel Ali, which began construction in 2002, has yet to be completed, while plans for Palm Deira have been reworked to create a scaled-down project called Deira Islands.
    Another man-made archipelago, The World, a 300-island chain laid out in the shape of the world's continents, has only been partially developed.


  7. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said on Tuesday he is pleased that students are appearing for their examinations earnestly and not resorting to cheating.
    “You will realise the importance of studying earnestly later in your life,” he said during a visit to city’s two colleges, PECHS Boys College and DJ Science Government College.
    He also spoke to the students regarding their problems and preparations for the examinations. He told the students that he is an alumnus of DG Science College.
    The issue of cheating has become a serious concern for the province’s education board as about 15 board papers were leaked in the annual examinations of 2017. The Sindh government took action and imposed Section 144 to curb cheating.
    Read more: Inter board officials involved with 'cheating mafia', claim CTD sources
    So far, CTD officials have probed more than 50 people over the cheating issue. They have questioned the inter board as to what measures it had taken to stop the leaking of papers or action taken against those involved. Sources said the CTD would start arresting the accused once the inter board replies and the government gives them permission to do so. 


  8. Waqas Dar
    KABUL: Afghan security forces have regained control of a district centre close to the northern city of Kunduz that fell to Taliban insurgents earlier this month, officials said on Tuesday.
    A statement from the interior ministry said security forces had launched their operation to retake Qala-i-Zal, a district to the northwest of Kunduz, on Tuesday morning and had secured the district governor's office, police headquarters and other areas.
    "Right now, a massive operation in insecure areas of Qala-i-Zal is ongoing," it said. "Afghan security forces will not let Taliban insurgents rule our people in any part of the country."
    The defence ministry said one insurgent had been killed in the operation. There was no word on any casualties among security forces.
    Taliban fighters seized Qala-i-Zal, on the border with Tajikistan, on May 6 as they stepped up pressure on Kunduz at the start of their annual spring offensive.
    Fighting has been going on all around Kunduz, with security forces struggling to open the main highway into the city after it was blocked with mines and improvised roadside bombs.
    Although the city centre itself is in government hands, the Taliban control most of the surrounding districts and thousands of residents are reported to have fled their homes to avoid the fighting.
    Kunduz has been one of the Taliban's main targets ever since international troops largely ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014. Over the past two years, the insurgents have twice managed to seize the city centre for brief periods before being driven off after days of fighting and air strikes.
    According to US estimates, the government controls only about 60 percent of the country with the rest either under Taliban control or contested by the insurgents.


  9. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A session of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Panama case summoned the television interviews and statements of the Sharif family on Tuesday.
    The asked the Press Information Department to submit a summary of the PM, Hussain Nawaz, and Maryam Nawaz's statements.
    The team will compare the statements of the PM's family and other documentary evidence, sources told Geo News.
    Any discrepancies in the statements of the Nawaz family will be part of the questions that will be posed in the probe, sources added.
    On Monday, the JIT decided to hire the services of a private British audit firm to probe documents related to Panama Papers, sources told Geo News.
    Read more: Panama Leaks: JIT to take services of British audit firm
    Security and Exchange Company representative in the JIT Bilal Rasool was handed over the responsibility of contacting the British audit firm.
    It was also observed during the meeting that the documents provided by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were not verifiable.
    The JIT decided that only verified documents will be used in the probe.
    The Supreme Court’s special bench constituted the JIT to probe funds used by the prime minister's children to buy properties in London through offshore businesses.
    The Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad was declared the JIT Secretariat and members moved their offices to the location for the investigation.


  10. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: The crew members of Pakistan International Airlines were not detained at Heathrow Airport, as was earlier claimed by the British police, a PIA spokesperson said on Tuesday.
    The spokesperson said the airline management was trying to find out reasons behind the alleged detention. 
    The British police had earlier claimed that at least 13 crew members, including the pilot, of PIA flight PK-758 scheduled to travel from London to Lahore were detained at the airport late Monday night over alleged security threats.
    The crew was taken into custody for interrogation purposes pertaining to the security concerns that had arisen lately, British police said. However, nothing was found during the search of the crew and plane, PIA sources explained.
    While the crew has been released and sent back to the hotel, as per British authorities' statement, it still remains under investigation. The crew members' passports were also reportedly taken by the police.
    PIA earlier said it seeks to protest against the misconduct and hopes that the passports are returned to the crew tomorrow.
    The flight, meanwhile, was cleared to take off from Heathrow Airport with replaced crew members.
    The Metropolitan police said in a statement earlier that action against PIA crew members was taken by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), which is directly dealt by the home office. A spokesman of the home office said the relevant UKBA officers at Heathrow Terminal 3 would be asked to find out why the PIA crew was arrested.


  11. Waqas Dar
    MONTREAL: An Afghan pilot hoping to become the youngest woman in history to complete a solo round-the-world flight was preparing Monday to start the Transatlantic leg of her journey.
    Shaesta Waiz, 29, was born in a refugee camp at the end of the Soviet war in Afghanistan before immigrating with her family to the United States in 1987.
    There, she discovered a passion for flying and obtained her pilot´s licence -- becoming the youngest certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan.
    Now she wants to share that sense of freedom of soaring high above ground with other young women.
    "When I found my passion -- flying -- that´s when I started to challenge myself. I started to read. I started to do better in maths. I started to look at the world differently, the sky differently," Waiz said as she made a stopover in Montreal.

    "What´s important is finding your passion and going after it."
    Waiz took off from Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday and has mapped out a route that will take her aboard her Beechcraft Bonanza A36 aircraft approximately 25,800 kilometers (16,000 miles) to more than 18 countries, including Spain, Egypt, India, Singapore and Australia, before ending the trip back in Florida in August.
    During her 30 stopovers, the engineering graduate and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is backing her trip, will host events to try to get schoolchildren interested in science -- notably aeronautics.
    According to ICAO figures, less than five percent of commercial pilots are women.
    "If you really break it down into science, technology, engineering and math and explore what those career fields offer, it´s very exciting," Waiz said.
    "We hope to present to the young kids at these events what those careers are... and hopefully get them to pursue these careers that are in need of more talent."
    On the website of her non-profit Dreams Soar, she commented: "Every time I open the door of an aircraft, I ask myself, ´How did a girl with my background become so lucky? The truth is, anyone can be me.´"


  12. Waqas Dar
    The Cabaret Queen of the 1960s and 70s, Helen Khan has been Bollywood's darling for quite a long time.
    The grace and sophistication brought by Helen on the screen have always been unmatched. 
    The journey of Cabaret Queen's as a dancing diva to the wife of Salim Khan is absolutely worthy of a feature film, and that’s what is going to happen soon.
    Bollywood actor Salman Khan is planning yesteryear actress's biopic along with his father Salim Khan.
    According to sources close to the Khan family, Helen biopic would be produced by Salman Khan and scripted by Salim Khan.

    And that's not it!
    If you're wondering whom Helen would want to play her part in the biopic then let us enlighten you it's Bajirao Mastani actress.
    On a comedy show, when Helen was asked whom did she think could essay her on-screen, she immediately said, “Padukone!”

    The legendary actress-dancing queen thinks that the attractive Deepika Padukone is the perfect choice to essay her life on 70mm.
    We just can't wait for it to happen!


  13. Waqas Dar
    A 35-year-old man in India was arrested for trying to register himself in the name of the dead al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
    In a bizarre incident, the Rajasthan police took into custody Saddam Mansuri, who attempted to get an ‘Aadhaar’ card in the name of bin Laden. The man, who works at Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), even uploaded a blurred picture of bin Laden with his application.
    The address he mentioned in the ‘Aadhaar’ enrollment form was that of Abbottabad, a town located in the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-eastern Pakistan, where bin Laden was killed by an elite team of US Navy SEALS in 2011.
    The police would hold a detailed interrogation of Mansuri to find out the motive behind his alleged act of forgery, an official told Indian media.
    The UIDAI verification team in New Delhi found the anomalies suspicious and reported the incident to the state government’s IT Department, which in turn lodged a complaint with the police.
     


  14. Waqas Dar
    QUETTA: At least three people were injured when a car collided with a train in Quetta on Tuesday.
    The car collided with Akbar Bugti Express en route Lahore.
    The car was completely destroyed in the accident, and traffic on the railway track was suspended, rescue sources told Geo News.
    Read more: Goods trains collide near Kotri 
    Earlier on Saturday, a goods train transporting containers to Lahore crashed into the rear side of another train carrying oil to Multan between the Bholari and Meeting Pul near Kotri, resulting into several bogies crashing into one another and many getting thrown off track.
    Railways DS Nisar Memon said around 23 bogies were derailed, whereas the engine of one of the trains was also completely destroyed. 
    Both the North and South-bound train network were halted owing to the accident, with Memon saying it could take around eight hours to clear the tracks and reopen rail traffic between Karachi and Punjab. 
    No casualties were said to have taken place in the accident. 


  15. Waqas Dar
    Rahim Yar Khan: Around 30 devotees, including women and children, were injured when a bus overturned on National Highway near Bahadurpur Chowk on Tuesday.
    The devotees were returning after attending the Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
    The injured were shifted to different hospitals by rescue sources.
    On May 9, more than 20 people were injured after a speeding bus overturned in Tando Allahyar.
    Read more: Over 20 injured as speeding bus overturns in Tando Allahyar
    The bus, full of devotees, was on its way back from Samman Sarkar shrine that its tie rod broke and the bus overturned near Sanchar Chang More in Tando Allahyar, police officials said.
    Police said the incident resulted from over-speeding.
    The injured also included women and children, who were shifted to Civil Hospital Hyderabad.


  16. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Efforts were under way to expedite work on Orange Line Metro Train, which was delayed due to some legal issues, said Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif while talking to China Exim Bank Vice Chairperson Liu Liange.  
    "Each penny received from China is being spent [carefully]," Shehbaz said. 
    The work on Orange Line Metro Train was paused when a case was filed in the Supreme Court, expressing concern over the damage that could be caused to 11 heritage sites, during construction. 
    On August 19, 2016, the Lahore High Court had barred provincial authorities from carrying out construction work within a distance of 200 feet of around 11 heritage sites, including Shalimar Gardens, Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Chauburji, Buddhu ka Awa, Zebunnisa’s Tomb, Lakshmi Building, General Post Office, Aiwan-e-Auqaf, SC Lahore registry building, St Andrews Presbyterian Church on Nabha Road and Baba Mauj Darya Bukhari’s Shrine.
    The Orange Line Metro Train project is a project of the Punjab government which promises to lay a 27.1-kilometre rapid transit line which is expected to benefit 250,000 people every day.


  17. Waqas Dar
    HANGZHOU: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday Pakistan possesses immense potential for investors, during a visit to the headquarters of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group in Hangzhou city of China's Zhejiang province.
    The Prime Minister, during his visit, said that Pakistan is a growing economy and the government is taking all efforts for the prosperity of the people, adding that since 2013 Pakistan’s economic conditions have improved.
    “Our purpose is to empower people and strengthen the economy of Pakistan,” he remarked.
    Speaking about Alibaba, he praised the company’s growing e-commerce business and said that e-commerce ends information gaps and saves time.
    Upon arrival at the company headquarters, the PM was received by Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma, who founded the Alibaba Group in 1999. The PM was also given a detailed presentation on the company's performance, achievements and future targets.
    He was briefed that besides online trade, Alibaba has also spread its network to rural economy, microfinancing, marketing, public welfare, life sciences and traffic control with 33,000 stations operating across the globe.
    Jack Ma said that that the company has a consumer base of around two billion, besides providing jobs to 100 million people.
    The executive also informed the PM that Alibaba’s microfinancing business has a recovery ratio of around 99 percent. He claimed that the company delivers 60 million packages across China every day and has a record of delivering products to the toughest locations around the world, including Mount Everest.
    Later, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Pakistan and the Alibaba Group. Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastagir inked the MoU from Pakistan’s side, while the PM was a witness to the ceremony.
    The PM also visited the Alibaba Museum wherein he was given an overview of the company's history and profile.


  18. Waqas Dar
    HONG KONG: The Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will visit Hong Kong on a three-day official visit on Tuesday.
    The PM will hold meetings with the Chief Executive-elect Hong Kong, Mrs Carrie Lam, and executives of leading business companies during his stay in Hong Kong.
    He will address One Belt One Road – Pakistan Investment Forum, which will be attended by leading business companies of Hong Kong and Mainland China.
    Read more: One Belt One Road and CPEC all about ‘shared prosperity’: PM
    The focus of the Forum would be to highlight business opportunities emerging from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the One Belt One Road initiative. Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Mr C.Y. Leung will also address the forum.
    The Investment Forum is being organised by the Consulate General of Pakistan in Hong Kong in collaboration with the Government of Hong Kong SAR.
    During his visit, the Prime Minister will also meet Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR on May 17 at Government House. He will discuss enhancing bilateral ties between Pakistan and Hong Kong, particularly in the Belt and Road projects.
     


  19. Waqas Dar
    MIAMI: SpaceX on Monday launched a communications satellite for Inmarsat, marking its first launch for the London-based mobile broadband company.
    The Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite, built by Boeing, blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 7:21 pm (2321 GMT).
    "We´ve had confirmation of spacecraft separation," said a SpaceX commentator about 30 minutes after launch, signaling that the satellite was successfully deployed to a distant, geostationary orbit.
    "We´ve had good orbits, good separation, all you can ask for today."
    The satellite is the fourth in the company´s Global Xpress (GX) constellation, aimed at providing high-speed mobile broadband service.
    "Inmarsat, the only operator of a global Ka-band network, created the GX platform to enable communities across the world to benefit from the emerging digital society," said a company statement.
    SpaceX, which is headed by Elon Musk, did not attempt to bring the first stage of the rocket back to Earth for an upright landing following the launch.
    The payload weighed some 13,500 pounds (6,100 kilograms), and the force needed to propel it to orbit would not leave enough fuel for the rocket to maneuver back to Earth.


  20. Waqas Dar
    Cyber security researchers have found technical evidence they said could link North Korea with the global WannaCry "ransomware" cyber attack that has infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries since Friday.
    Symantec (SYMC.O) and Kaspersky Lab said on Monday that some code in an earlier version of the WannaCry software had also appeared in programs used by the Lazarus Group, which researchers from many companies have identified as a North Korea-run hacking operation.
    "This is the best clue we have seen to date as to the origins of WannaCry," Kaspersky Lab researcher Kurt Baumgartner told Reuters.
    Both firms said it was too early to tell whether North Korea was involved in the attacks, based on the evidence that was published on Twitter by Google security researcher Neel Mehta. The attacks, which slowed on Monday, are among the fastest-spreading extortion campaigns on record.
    The research will be closely followed by law enforcement agencies around the world, including Washington, where President Donald Trump's homeland security adviser said on Monday that both foreign nations and cyber criminals were possible culprits.
    The two security firms said they needed to study the code more and asked for others to help with the analysis. Hackers do reuse code from other operations, so even copied lines fall well short of proof.
    U.S. and European security officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity that it was too early to say who might be behind the attacks, but they did not rule out North Korea as a suspect.
    FireEye Inc (FEYE.O), another large cyber security firm, said it was also investigating a possible link.
    "The similarities we see between malware linked to that group and WannaCry are not unique enough to be strongly suggestive of a common operator," FireEye researcher John Miller said.
    The Lazarus hackers, acting for impoverished North Korea, have been more brazen in pursuit of financial gain than others, and have been blamed for the theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank, according to some cyber security firms. The North Korean mission to the United Nations was not immediately available for comment.
    Regardless of the source of the attack, investors piled into cyber security stocks on Monday, betting that governments and corporations will spend more to upgrade their defenses. 
    The perpetrators had raised less than $70,000 from users paying to regain access to their computers, according to Trump homeland security adviser Tom Bossert.
    "We are not aware if payments have led to any data recovery," Bossert said, adding that no U.S. federal government systems had been affected.
    WannaCry demanded ransoms starting at $300, in line with many cyber extortion campaigns, which keep pricing low so more victims will pay.
    Still, some security experts said they were not sure if the motive of WannaCry was primarily to make money, noting that large cyber extortion campaigns typically generate millions of dollars of revenue.
    “I believe that this was spread for the purpose of causing as much damage as possible,” said Matthew Hickey, a co-founder of British cyber consulting firm Hacker House.
     
     
    The countries most affected by WannaCry to date are Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, and India, according to Czech security firm Avast.
    The number of infections has fallen dramatically since Friday’s peak when more than 9,000 computers were being hit per hour. Earlier on Monday, Chinese traffic police and schools reported they had been targeted as the attack rolled into Asia for the new work week, but no there were no major disruptions.
    Authorities in Europe and the United States turned their attention to preventing hackers from spreading new versions of the virus.
    Shares in firms that provide cyber security services rose sharply, led by Israel's Cyren Ltd (CYRN.O) and U.S.-based FireEye (FEYE.O).
    Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) closed up 2.3 percent and was the second-biggest gainer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as investors focused more on opportunities that the attack presented for technology firms than the risk it posed to corporations.
    Morgan Stanley, in upgrading the stock, said Cisco should benefit from network spending driven by security needs.
    Beyond the immediate need to shore up computer defenses, the attack turned cyber security into a political topic in Europe and the United States, including discussion of the role national governments play.
    In a blog post on Sunday, Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) President Brad Smith confirmed what researchers already widely concluded: The attack made use of a hacking tool built by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) that had leaked online in April.
    He poured fuel on a long-running debate over how government intelligence services should balance their desire to keep software flaws secret - in order to conduct espionage and cyber warfare - against sharing those flaws with technology companies to better secure the internet.
    On Monday, Bossert sought to distance the NSA from any blame.
    "This was not a tool developed by the NSA to hold random data. This was a tool developed by culpable parties, potentially criminals or foreign nation-states, that were put together in such a way as to deliver phishing emails, put it into embedded documents, and cause infection, encryption, and locking," Bossert said.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting the technology's link to the U.S. spy service, said it should be "discussed immediately on a serious political level."
    "Once they're let out of the lamp, the genius of this kind, especially those created by intelligence services, can later do damage to their authors and creators," he said.


  21. Waqas Dar
    The teaser for Kangana Ranaut-starrer Simran was released recently and it seems all too familiar.
    The minute-long teaser predominantly features Kangana donning different avatars from a simple maid look to a punk rocker with red hair. Kangana’s performance seems reminiscent of her roles in blockbusters movies such as Tanu Weds Manu and Queen.
    The teaser has been crafted in a way that it reveals no major plot nor are there any dialogues.
    Interestingly, the teaser also reminds the viewers of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie.
    Director Hansal Mehta treated fans to a pleasant surprise and gave them many reasons to smile as he shared the teaser of his upcoming movie, Simran.
     
    Earlier, the director had shared the first look of the movie on social media.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Bollywood movies earning 100 crores has got an old thing now.
    Let's talk about something new.
    Recently, a Bollywood movie has crossed 1000-crore mark after being released in China. So, any guesses about the movie?
    Well, Mr. perfectionist has got you! 

    Aamir Khan's Dangal saw a phenomenal run at the Indian box-office upon its release in December 2016.
    The Nitesh Tiwari-directed film has seen a rise in its worldwide collection once again while it was released in China in the first week of May.

    'Dangal' has collected $59.70 million (Rs 382 crore) in ten days, according to Indian media report.
    As per the report, the business of the film till date stands at Rs 1100 crore (in all languages) adding that the worldwide total is difficult to predict at this point.
    'Dangal', which tells the story of Indian wrestler and coach Mahavir Singh Phogat and how he trained his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari to become world-class wrestlers, also became the first Bollywood film to cross the 360-crore mark and is the highest grossing film in Hindi cinema. 


  23. Waqas Dar
    LOS ANGELES: Disney chief Bob Iger said Monday hackers claiming to have access to one of the company´s unreleased movies were demanding a "huge" ransom, according to US media reports.
    He did not reveal which film had been stolen but said the company would not be giving in to the blackmail attempt, according to The Hollywood Reporter, quoting Iger from a meeting in New York with employees of the Disney-owned ABC television network.
    The weekly reported on its website -- citing multiple unnamed sources -- that Disney is working with federal agents and monitoring for leaks online.
    Movie website Deadline identified "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," which opens on May 26, as the target, without revealing its sources, while some film writers speculated on Twitter that Pixar´s "Cars 3," due for release next month, might have been hit.
    Although both films are expected to do well for Disney, their profits are likely to be dwarfed by another film on the company´s slate -- "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which hits theaters on December 15.
    "IMO, if it were ´Last Jedi,´ he would pay in a heartbeat. But ´Pirates´... meh," Ryan Parker, a staff writer on the Hollywood Reporter, speculated on Twitter.
    The cyber-thieves demanded to be paid in online currency Bitcoin and are threatening to release five minutes of the movie, followed by 20-minute segments until the ransom is delivered.
    The hack follows a recent cyberattack on internet streamer Netflix that led to 10 episodes of "Orange is the New Black" being leaked ahead of release.
    "Dead Men Tell No Tales" is the fifth in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, which stars Johnny Depp and has taken $3.7 billion at the box office since 2003.
    Sci-fi novelist Paul Tassi, who comments on technology and the internet for Forbes Magazine, said "Pirates" would be unlikely to suffer were it the target, since its release date is so near.
    "Yes, going to a movie in theaters is one of the more exhausting media experiences still left in society, but the kinds of people who are willing to pay money to see Johnny Depp stumble his way through a fifth ´Pirates of the Caribbean´ movie in theaters are probably not the type to download a stolen copy of it right before it comes out," he said.
    "And like all movies, ´Pirates´ would appear on torrent sites regardless practically the day of its release, so the hackers seem to be really over-estimating their impact here."
    More than 200,000 computers in 150 countries were hit by a ransomware cyberattack, described as the largest-ever of its kind, over the weekend.
    Since Friday, banks, hospitals and government agencies have been among a variety of targets for hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in older Microsoft computer operating systems.
    Microsoft president Brad Smith said the US National Security Agency had developed the code used in the attack.
    The Walt Disney Company didn´t respond to requests for comment.


  24. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Seven members of the Pakistan squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 left for London early Tuesday morning ahead of the upcoming tournament.
    Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf departed from Lahore to participate in the Champions Trophy.
    All-rounder Imad Wasim tweeted a group photo of the players from the airport ahead of the departure.
    Pakistan will kickstart their Champions Trophy campaign with a match against archrivals India at Edgbaston on June 4.
    The Green Shirts will face South Africa on June 7 and Sri Lanka on June 12.
    Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali, Ahmad Shahzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmad (captain/wkt), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hassan Ali, Junaid Khan, Fahim Ashraf.


  25. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Index provider Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) on Monday reclassified Pakistan as an emerging market from frontier market status Emerging Markets status, driving a bullish trend in the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
    The benchmark KSE-100 index surged 400 points to reach 52,700 level at the open on Tuesday. The index also crossed an all-time high of 52,500 points on Monday ahead of the expected MSCI announcement.
    The MSCI Pakistan Index was upgraded from frontier market to its emerging market classification as part of the index's semiannual market reclassification. The Pakistan indexes will fully converge with the MSCI Provisional Pakistan Indexes, effective June 1. There will be no additions to and 10 deletions from the MSCI Pakistan Index and 11 additions and six deletions from the MSCI Pakistan Small Cap Index.
    During the reclassification, the MSCI added 57 securities and removed 28 securities from its All-Country World Index. It also announced changes to its emerging markets index, with the three largest additions measured by market cap slated to be Indian Oil Corp Ltd of India, Novolipetsk Steel of Russia and Bancolombia SA of Colombia.
    Read more: PSX touches new all-time high ahead of MSCI announcement
    The MSCI, in a review on June 14, 2016, had promoted Pakistan from the Frontier Market to Emerging Market status.
    The new changes will be implemented as of the market close on May 31. The announcement was part of quarterly adjustments MSCI makes to its indexes, which it says are tracked by $9.5 trillion in assets.
    With additional input from Reuters


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