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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Barca star is all set to play the most important league of his life.
    Yes! Lionel Messi is all ready to tie the knot with his longstanding partner.
    The two have been together for ten years.

    The pair who has been together for such long time finally agreed to get married a few months ago.

    The wedding date and location is confirmed as the duo is set to get married on June 30th, in the pair’s hometown of Rosario in Argentina.

    The most anticipated wedding is set to take place just days after Messi’s 30th birthday, which is one the 24th June.
     


  2. Waqas Dar
    The world’s favourite leader Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently popped into office accompanied by none other than his 3-year-old son Hadrien and it melted everyone’s hearts.
    The little munchkin hopped here and there, running in the corridors…
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Addressing the media…
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Playing hide and seek… 
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Looking busy on the PM’s seat…
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    And speaking to the Parliament!
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Tiny Hadrien looked very busy as he pretend-worked sporting a Star Wars t-shirt.
    Being the awesome man he is, the mini-Trudeau came to office not because there was a special occasion or lack of a babysitter at home, but just cuz why not!? It just goes on to show that he certainly is a very loving father.
    Of Justin and Sophie Trudeau’s three children, Hadrien is the youngest. He has an 8-year-old sister Ella-Grace and 9-year-old brother Xavier.
     
     


  3. Waqas Dar
    TANK: The Pakistan Army and local political administration on Saturday started surveying the houses destroyed during Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan.
    A monetary compensation of Rs. 400,000 for completely destroyed houses, and Rs. 150,000 for partially damaged houses will be awarded to those affected.
    The survey commenced today in Kaniugram's villages Silay Roga, Sikandra, Chilgozi, Asman Munza, and Saam, according to political administration officials.
    "Teams comprising members of the Pakistan Army, political administration, building department, and tribal elders have been formed to complete the survey," South Waziristan Political Agent Zafar Islam Khattak said.
    To-date, Rs. 30 million have been distributed as compensation for destroyed houses, and the government has been requested to further grant Rs. 3 billion in order to distribute the compensation amount to the affected residents at the earliest , the political agent said.
    Operation Rah-e-Nijat was launched by the army in South Waziristan Agency in 2009. 


  4. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: A domestic helper on Saturday passed away after she was allegedly tortured in Lahore's Model Town vicinity.

    20-year old Munazza, who hailed from Vehari, was employed by a house in Model Town's H block, the police said.
    She was admitted to Jinnah Hospital for treatment following which she passed away.
    Read more: 12-year-old maid allegedly abused by employers in Faisalabad
    According to the police, the woman's body does not have any torture marks.
    The deceased's family alleged that Munazza was physically tortured by her employers.
    Read more: Allegedly tortured child maid recovered from Islamabad
    "The post-mortem report will determine if the cause of the death was an ailment or suicide," the police stated.
     


  5. Waqas Dar
    Anyone who was hoping that the super stylish Bollywood couple- Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan will contemplate reconciliation, we have got a sad news for them.

    The duo has been granted divorce by Bandra Family Court, just a day after they attended the Justin Bieber Purpose Tour together.
    Fans of Arbaaz and Malaika were left in surprise when the couple filed for divorce last November by mutual consent, ending their 18-year marriage.
    The real-life couple appeared for the final hearing two days back and then met the principal marriage counselor VS Athavale where they were granted divorce by the Family Court Judge.

    The couple was given a mandatory six-month waiting period to return to court with a decision on whether or not they want to end their marriage.
    However, the couple decided to head for divorce.Malaika has full custody of their son Arhaan and Arbaaz has been granted complete access to his son whenever he wants.
    While Malaika has full custody of their son Arhaan, Arbaaz has been granted complete access to his son whenever he wants.
    Although there were rumours circulating that Malaika has asked Arbaaz for alimony but the model-actress has neither asked for alimony nor property.
    Malaika and Arbaaz got tied the knot on Dec 12, 1998.

     
     


  6. Waqas Dar
    GWADAR: Unidentified attackers gunned down ten labourers in two separate incidents on the outskirts of Gwadar on Saturday.
    Two labourers are also said to have been injured in the attacks.
    The incidents took place in the Pishgan and Ganth Road area of Gwadar where the labourers were working on construction projects.
    The victims are said to be natives of Naushero Feroze, Sindh, according to sources. 
    Sources added that the site of the incident has been cordoned off by security forces and a sweeping operation is under way. 
     
    This is a developing story and will be updated as further details are available. As with breaking news initial reports may sometimes be inaccurate.


  7. Waqas Dar
    BEIJING: Pakistan and China on Saturday signed a series of agreements in Beijing for cooperation in different sectors.
    Three agreements pertaining to economic and technical cooperation worth 3.4 billion Yuan for Gwadar port and East Bay expressway were signed, according to media reports.
    Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) related to cooperation within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century Maritime Silk Road initiative, upgrading the main railway line track ML-I, and the establishment of Havelian Dry Port were also signed.
    The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese premier Li Keqiang. Federal ministers, Advisor on Foreign Affairs and chief ministers of all four provinces were also present on the occasion.
    Read more: PM Nawaz Sharif meets Chinese counterpart
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is leading a high-level delegation to China, met Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Li Keqiang on Saturday.
    In the meeting with the Chinese president, PM Sharif said the presence of all the chief ministers [of Pakistan] shows the importance our nation gives to Pak-China ties. 
    "China is our strategic partner, and has always stood by our stance on the Kashmir issue," said the premier. 
    The benefits of the Chinese investment of $56 billion with regards to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will soon reach the common man in Pakistan, he added.
    Earlier, after his meeting with the Chinese premier, Sharif said that Pakistan considers China its most important friend and fully backs Beijing's One Belt One Road Initiative. He said participation of key world leaders in the forum is a good omen.


  8. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: Fire engulfed a commercial building at Defence Mor on Saturday.
    Reports stated that rescue teams are at the site of the incident and trying to douse the flames.   
    It is yet to be ascertained what the cause of the fire is and if any people are inside the building, according to rescue officials. 
     
     This is a developing story and will be updated as further details are available. As with breaking news initial reports may sometimes be inaccurate


  9. Waqas Dar
    NEW YORK: Actress Melissa McCarthy took her impersonation of Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, to the streets of New York City on Friday, rolling through midtown traffic on a motorised lectern in an apparent shoot for Saturday Night Live.
    McCarthy is due to host the NBC television show on Saturday, when she is expected to revive her portrayal of Spicer as a gum-chewing shouter who berates and threatens journalists for asking probing questions.
    The hour-long skit show has been broadcast live since it began in 1975.
    Cellphone videos posted on social media showed McCarthy suited up shouting at cars to get out of the way as she cruised through traffic.
     

    Melissa McCarthy stands on a mobile lectern as she is filmed portraying White House spokesman Sean Spicer for an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live on the west side of midtown Manhattan, in New York City, New York, US, May 12, 2017. Courtesy of Josh Thorne/Handout via REUTERS
     
    Spicer said in an interview with the news magazine show Extra in February that the impression was "funny", although he also suggested she "could dial back" the performance somewhat. He has also referred to McCarthy's tendency, when dressed as Spicer, to drive a motorized lectern rapidly toward a reporter who asks an aggravating question.
    "Don't make me make the podium move," he said to laughter at a news briefing in March in response to a pointed question about the latest employment figures.
    Spicer's boss, US President Donald Trump, has been a guest host on Saturday Night Live twice, in 2004 and 2015. He now takes a dim view of the show, which has also regularly featured an unflattering portrayal of him by Alec Baldwin wearing orange make-up.
    On Twitter, Trump has called the show "unwatchable", "biased", "not funny", and "sad".


  10. Waqas Dar
    The world’s favourite leader Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently popped into office accompanied by none other than his 3-year-old son Hadrien and it melted everyone’s hearts.
    The little munchkin hopped here and there, running in the corridors…
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Addressing the media…
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Playing hide and seek… 
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Looking busy on the PM’s seat…
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    And speaking to the Parliament!
     

    (Image: Justin Trudeau's Facebook page)
     
    Tiny Hadrien looked very busy as he pretend-worked sporting a Star Wars t-shirt.
    Being the awesome man he is, the mini-Trudeau came to office not because there was a special occasion or lack of a babysitter at home, but just cuz why not!? It just goes on to show that he certainly is a very loving father.
    Of Justin and Sophie Trudeau’s three children, Hadrien is the youngest. He has an 8-year-old sister Ella-Grace and 9-year-old brother Xavier.
     
     


  11. Waqas Dar
    A global cyber attack leveraging hacking tools widely believed by researchers to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency hit international shipper FedEx, disrupted Britain's health system and infected computers in nearly 100 countries on Friday.
    Cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files.
    The ransomware encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of $300 to $600 to restore access. Security researchers said they observed some victims paying via the digital currency bitcoin, though they did not know what percent had given in to the extortionists.
    Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries with Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan the top targets.
    The most disruptive attacks were reported in Britain, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers.
    International shipper FedEx Corp said some of its Windows computers were also infected. "We are implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible," it said in a statement.
    Still, only a small number of U.S.-headquartered organizations were hit because the hackers appear to have begun the campaign by targeting organizations in Europe, said Vikram Thakur, research manager with security software maker Symantec.
    By the time they turned their attention to the United States, spam filters had identified the new threat and flagged the ransomware-laden emails as malicious, Thakur said.
    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said late on Friday that it was aware of reports of the ransomware, was sharing information with domestic and foreign partners and was ready to lend technical support.
    Telecommunications company Telefonica was among many targets in Spain, though it said the attack was limited to some computers on an internal network and had not affected clients or services. Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina both said they were also targeted.
    Private security firms identified the ransomware as a new variant of "WannaCry" that had the ability to automatically spread across large networks by exploiting a known bug in Microsoft's Windows operating system.
    "Once it gets in and starts moving across the infrastructure, there is no way to stop it," said Adam Meyers, a researcher with cyber security firm CrowdStrike.
    The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility or otherwise been identified, likely made it a "worm," or self-spreading malware, by exploiting a piece of NSA code known as "Eternal Blue" that was released last month by a group known as the Shadow Brokers, researchers with several private cybersecurity firms said.
    "This is one of the largest global ransomware attacks the cyber community has ever seen," said Rich Barger, director of threat research with Splunk, one of the firms that linked WannaCry to the NSA.
    The Shadow Brokers released Eternal Blue as part of a trove of hacking tools that they said belonged to the U.S. spy agency.
    Microsoft on Friday said it was pushing out automatic Windows updates to defend clients from WannaCry. It issued a patch on March 14 to protect them from Eternal Blue.
    "Today our engineers added detection and protection against new malicious software known as Ransom: Win32.WannaCrypt," Microsoft said in a statement. It said the company was working with its customers to provide additional assistance.
    The spread of the ransomware capped a week of cyber turmoil in Europe that kicked off a week earlier when hackers posted a huge trove of campaign documents tied to French candidate Emmanuel Macron just 1-1/2 days before a run-off vote in which he was elected as the new president of France.
    On Wednesday, hackers disputed the websites of several French media companies and aerospace giant Airbus.Also, the hack happened four weeks before a British parliamentary election in which national security and the management of the state-run National Health Service (NHS) are important campaign themes.
    Authorities in Britain have been braced for possible cyberattacks in the run-up to the vote, as happened during last year's U.S. election and on the eve of this month's presidential vote in France.
    But those attacks - blamed on Russia, which has repeatedly denied them - followed an entirely different modus operandi involving penetrating the accounts of individuals and political organizations and then releasing hacked material online.
    On Friday, Russia's interior and emergencies ministries, as well as the country's biggest bank, Sberbank, said they were targeted. The interior ministry said on its website that around 1,000 computers had been infected but it had localized the virus.
    The emergencies ministry told Russian news agencies it had repelled the cyber attacks while Sberbank said its cyber security systems had prevented viruses from entering its systems.
    Although cyber extortion cases have been rising for several years, they have to date affected small-to-mid-sized organizations, disrupting services provided by hospitals, police departments, public transportation systems and utilities in the United States and Europe.
    "Seeing a large telco like Telefonica get hit is going to get everybody worried. Now ransomware is affecting larger companies with more sophisticated security operations," Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer with cyber security firm Veracode, said.
    The news is also likely to embolden cyber extortionists when selecting targets, Chris Camacho, chief strategy officer with cyber intelligence firm Flashpoint, said.
    "Now that the cyber criminals know they can hit the big guys, they will start to target big corporations. And some of them may not be well prepared for such attacks," Camacho said.
    In Spain, some big firms took pre-emptive steps to thwart ransomware attacks following a warning from Spain's National Cryptology Centre of "a massive ransomware attack."
    Iberdrola and Gas Natural, along with Vodafone's unit in Spain, asked staff to turn off computers or cut off internet access in case they had been compromised, representatives from the firms said.
    In Spain, the attacks did not disrupt the provision of services or networks operations of the victims, the government said in a statement.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Gunmen killed a Saudi child and a Pakistani man during an attack on workers at a building project in the restive eastern Saudi Arabian region on Wednesday, the Saudi interior ministry said on Friday.
    The gunmen tried to stop redevelopment work in the old quarter of the town of Awamiya, where authorities say militants are hiding, said an interior ministry spokesman quoted by state news agency SPA.
    They fired at security personnel and passersby, killing a two-year-old Saudi child and a Pakistani national, and wounding ten others, including two Pakistanis, he said.
    "Workers were shot at by terrorist elements from the neighbourhood to obstruct the project and protect abandoned houses used to ... kidnap citizens," said SPA.
    The attack took place in Qatif, an oil-producing province that has witnessed protests for more rights in the country.
    Residents and activists told Reuters on Wednesday that several people were injured during clashes between security forces who had entered the old part of the town known as al-Musawara (the walled part) backed by bulldozers.
    A local newspaper reported Saudi security forces shot dead a wanted man.
    Authorities say the narrow streets of the old town, built during Ottoman rule more than 200 years ago, have become a hideout for militants believed to be behind attacks on security forces in the region.
    Awamiya has long been a flashpoint between the government and residents complaining of discrimination. Tensions have increased since Nimr al-Nimr, a cleric convicted of inciting violence, was executed a year ago.
    Some citizens complain of marginalisation in the birthplace of Islam. Authorities deny these accusations and have said those killed since protests began in early 2011 were shot in exchanges of fire.


  13. Waqas Dar
    The Gaza Strip's film festival opened on Friday with artists and audience walking along a red carpet laid on a floor built from the rubble of homes destroyed in wars with Israel.
    Organisers of the Red Carpet Human Rights Film Festival, running for the third time since 2015, say the goal is to raise awareness of hardship in the Gaza Strip, home to almost two million Palestinians. About 1,000 people attended opening night.
    Running until May 17, the festival was timed to lead up to the Cannes film festival and coincide with the 69th anniversary of what the Palestinians call the Nakba, or Catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands left or were forced to flee their homes in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that led to Israel's establishment.
    The festival will feature 25 films, made by Palestinian, Arab and international artists in Gaza, the West Bank and the Israeli-Arab city of Haifa, said festival spokesman Saud Aburamadan.
    "Our message is: 'We love life as much as we can," Aburamadan said.
    Gaza is ruled by the Hamas movement and is under a partial Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Poverty and unemployment are rife in the enclave. Israel and Gaza's fighters have fought three wars since 2008.


  14. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals for Saudi Arabia totalling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump's planned visit to Riyadh.
    The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than $300 billion over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining US ally Israel's qualitative military edge over its neighbours.
    "We are in the final stages of a series of deals," the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom on May 19, the first stop on his maiden international trip.
    Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Trump's visit.
    The United States has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the US economy by boosting manufacturing jobs.
    The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defence, and maritime security, the official said. "We'll see a very substantial commitment ... In many ways, it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face," he added.
    The official stated, "It's good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge."
    While in Riyadh, the official said Trump would attend three major events: A series of meetings with Saudi officials, a separate session with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and a lunch with Arab and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been invited, to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing.
    Trump will discuss how to counter the threat from Daesh militants, the war in Yemen, and threats of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the official said.
    US Navy commanders have accused Iran of jeopardising international navigation by "harassing" warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf Arab states are optimistic about Trump whom they see as a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran.
    A major part of the agenda with Gulf leaders will be the Syrian civil war amid calls for "de-escalation zones" in Syria to provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees.
    Besides Saudi Arabia, Trump's first foreign trip will also include visits to Israel, the Vatican, Brussels for a NATO summit, and Sicily for a Group of Seven summit.


  15. Waqas Dar
    A senior North Korean diplomat who handles the reclusive country's US affairs said on Saturday Pyongyang would have a dialogue with the US administration if conditions are right, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
    Choe Son Hui, who is the North's foreign ministry director general for US affairs, made the comment to reporters in Beijing as she was travelling from Norway back to North Korea, Yonhap said.
    The comments by Choe, who is a veteran member of the North's team of nuclear negotiators, came amid international efforts to ease tension over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear arms.


  16. Waqas Dar
    HYDERABAD: Two goods trains collided between the Bholari and Meeting Pul near Hyderabad early Saturday morning. As a result, several bogies crashed into one another, and many were also thrown  off track.
    Officials said a goods train transporting containers crashed into the rear side of another train carrying oil.
    Rescue and other officials are assessing the extent of the damage and whether any casualties took place, sources added.
    It was further stated that both the North and South-bound train network was halted owing to the accident.


  17. Waqas Dar
    Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country on Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasted.
    However, dust, thunderstorm, and light rain with gusty winds are expected at a few places in Quetta, Kalat, Zhob, D.G. Khan, D.I. Khan, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Sargodha divisions, Islamabad, FATA, and Kashmir.
    Read more: 7 easy hacks to beat the heat 
    Past weather
    The weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, dust, thunderstorm, and rain with gusty winds occurred at isolated places in Makran, Kalat, Quetta, Bahawalpur divisions, and Kashmir.
    Rainfall of last 24 Hours (mm)      
    Balochistan: Panjgur 08, Khuzdar 01.
    Yesterday's highest temperatures         
    Read more: Here's how to beat the heatwave this summer         
    Jacobabad 46°C? Larkana, Sukkur 45°C, Noorpurthal, Rohri, Sibbi,  Sh. Benazirabad 44°C.


  18. Waqas Dar
    BEIJING: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is leading a high-level delegation to China, met Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Li Keqiang on Saturday.
    On the meeting with the Chinese president, PM Sharif said the presence of all the chief ministers [of Pakistan] shows the importance our nation gives to Pak-China ties. 
    "China is our strategic partner, and has always stood by our stance on the Kashmir issue," said the premier. 
    The benefits of the Chinese investment of $56 billion with regards to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will soon reach the common man in Pakistan, he added.
    Earlier, after his meeting with the Chinese premier, Sharif said that Pakistan considers China its most important friend and fully backs Beijing's One Belt One Road Initiative. He said participation of key world leaders in the forum is a good omen.
    "We all stand as one for CPEC and Pakistan is determined for its early completion," the Pakistani PM said.
    After the meeting between the two heads, ministers from the two sides signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) of multiple agreements between China and Pakistan. These included agreements on the upgradation of Pakistan Railways system as well as development of an international airport in Gwadar. 
    The PM is accompanied by chief ministers of all four provinces, as well as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railways Minister Saad Rafique, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir and IT Minister Anushay Rehman, among others.
    The prime minister will attend the inaugural session of the One Belt One Road Summit, a plenary meeting of high-level dialogue and the state banquet.
    The prime minister will also attend leaders’ roundtable sessions scheduled to be held on the second day of the forum.
    As many as 28 heads of state and government, over 50 leaders of international organisations, over 100 ministerial-level officials, as well as over 1,200 delegates from various countries and regions will participate in the forum.
    The forum will build consensus and connect development strategies of various countries and will also examine cooperation in key areas and finalise major projects in infrastructure connectivity, trade and investment, financial support and people-to-people exchanges, according to a senior official of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    Medium and long term cooperation initiatives will be announced and long-term cooperation mechanisms explored to build a closer and more result-oriented network of partnerships.


  19. Waqas Dar
    BEIJING: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is on a six-day visit to China, on Saturday called on his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang and felicitated him for organising One Belt One Road Initiative.
    PM Sharif, at the meeting, said that Pakistan consider China as its most important friend and it fully backs the One Belt One Road Initiative. He said participation of key world leaders in the forum was a good omen.
    "We all stand as one for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Pakistan is determined for its early completion," the Pakistan premier said.
    After the meeting between the two heads, ministers from the two sides signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) of multiple agreements between China and Pakistan. All the four chief ministers from Pakistan were also present on the occasion.
    In his six-day sojourn, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to meet high-level Chinese leadership.
    He is accompanied by chief ministers of all four provinces, as well as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railways Minister Saad Rafique, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir and IT Minister Anushay Rehman, among others.
    The prime minister will attend the inaugural session of the One Belt One Road Summit, a plenary meeting of high-level dialogue and the state banquet.
    The prime minister will also attend leaders’ roundtable sessions scheduled to be held on the second day of the forum.
    As many as 28 heads of state and government, over 50 leaders of international organisations, over 100 ministerial-level officials, as well as over 1,200 delegates from various countries and regions will participate in the forum.
    The forum will build consensus and connect development strategies of various countries and will also examine cooperation in key areas and finalise major projects in infrastructure connectivity, trade and investment, financial support and people-to-people exchanges, according to a senior official of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    Medium and long term cooperation initiatives will be announced and long-term cooperation mechanisms explored to build a closer and more result-oriented network of partnerships.


  20. Waqas Dar
    Actors come and go, radio presenters live or die by their ratings and musicians top the charts only to be dropped, hostages to the vagaries of fickle public opinion.
    But some stars are destined to be remembered forever, their successes immortalized in terrazzo and brass on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- a draw for visitors from across the world that has more staying power than any individual celebrity.
    Launched in 1958, the walk has built up more than 2,600 stars, each a tribute to the contribution of a public figure in the fields of motion picture, television, recording, radio or, latterly, live theater.
    "The criteria for getting a star are longevity in the field of entertainment -- of five years or more -- awards nominations, and very important to us is that they do philanthropic work," said Ana Martinez, who arranges the ceremonies.
    The ceremonies often coincide with the release of a movie as it is the celebrity who chooses the date, and a $40,000 fee is paid by the honoree's entourage -- $15,000 to cover the event and the rest for maintenance.
    Trump's star vandalized

    Despite the large fee, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which runs the show, received more than 300 applications last year, but generally accepts around 30.
    Martinez, who has been working for the Walk of Fame for more than 30 years, tries to stage around 24 ceremonies a year, beamed live from the walk's website, but says the number has been going up.
    Among the most photographed sidewalk stars are those honoring Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Harrison Ford and Donald Trump, who may well also hold the dubious distinction of having the most vandalized star, although there is no official tally.
    Trump, now the US president, got a star in 2007 for his work as a reality TV celebrity.
    - Millions of tourists -
    Nearly 50 years after its launch, the 2.5-mile (four-kilometer) stretch smack in the middle of Hollywood now attracts an estimated 10 million tourists a year, who come to soak up the glamour.
    "It's very special to be here, to be here in person to see the stars of the singers I love and I listen to often, and of the actors that I grew up with," Brazilian tourist Daniela Oliveira told AFP.
    Not all the honorees are actors and musicians, of course -- the late film critic Roger Ebert has one, as do hockey announcer Bob Miller, LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Winnie the Pooh.
    Other stars often go to groups -- fictional or otherwise -- such as the munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz," "The Muppets" and "The Simpsons," while Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse and Godzilla have their own.
    Selection controversy

    E.M. Stuart, erstwhile president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, is credited with coming up with the idea in 1953 for an attraction that would "maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour."
    The walk's initial costs came to $1.25 million and the first stars honored the likes of Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Burt Lancaster and Joanne Woodward.
    The selection process for honorees sparked controversy, however, when it emerged that Charlie Chaplin had been turned down for a star and his son sued unsuccessfully for damages amounting to $400,000.
    Chaplin finally got his star in 1972, five years before his death.
    The walk was designed to accommodate 2,518 stars, and by the 1990s most of the space had gone, prompting the dedication of a second row.
    Now there are hundreds of blank stars -- leaving hope for newcomers to the entertainment industry pining after the Hollywood dream.


  21. Waqas Dar
    A Dutch engineer aiming to clean up vast ocean "garbage patches" of plastic Thursday unveiled a radical design breakthrough, enabling his ambitious project to start two years early.
    Boyan Slat's innovative scheme seeks to use ocean currents to help gather up an estimated five trillion pieces of plastic -- everything from bottles, to plastic bags, flip-flops and other detritus -- from the planet's waters.
    After several years of research, including the first-ever detailed aerial survey of the largest garbage patch lying in the Pacific between Hawaii and the Californian coast, his Ocean Clean-up scheme has radically overhauled its plans.
    Slat, who is still only 22, now hopes to begin deploying the first clean-up system within the next 12 months, instead of in 2020 as first promised.
    He also hopes to be able to remove 50 percent of the Pacific patch within five years, compared with initial estimates of 42 percent within a decade.
    Defying past gloomy predictions by top experts who said nothing could be done, Slat now believes by 2050 the whole patch could be cleared.
    "Actually, I think that's quite a conservative estimate," he told AFP.
    Initial ideas to deploy a 100-kilometre (60-mile) long V-shaped barrier, tethered to the seabed, to catch the plastics have been ditched.
    The idea is that "to catch the plastic, act like plastic," Slat told guests as he unveiled the new design in Utrecht.
    Now a team of scientists and engineers plan to replace the one large barrier with "a fleet of many smaller systems," he said.
    And they will not be attached to the seabed, but be weighed down by a specially designed floating 12-meter (40-foot) anchor, slowly moving with the plastic, driven by the same winds and currents.
    The first system is already in production in California. "We think the optimum length is between one to two kilometres," Slat told AFP, adding research was still continuing.
    They will be equipped with GPS and monitoring systems, and the operating team will relay their positions to ships ploughing the area.
    Each will cost around an average of 5 million euros to make, with the lower cost making them more attractive to sponsors, and helping to shave roughly a third off the scheme's original estimated cost of 320 million euros.
    Decades to disintegrate

    According to the Ocean Cleanup project, eight million tonnes of plastics enter the oceans every year, much of which has accumulated in the five giant garbage patches now fouling the seas.
    The plastic takes decades to break down. Slat showed off one old bottle crate, still clearly intact and dated 1977, which his team picked up in the Pacific last year.
    But micro pieces released as the plastics break down are dispersed through the seas, are also entering the food chain with harmful effects for all marine life.
    Turtles, fish, dolphins and others can also become entangled in the rubbish, or swallow pieces believing it is food which they then cannot digest.
    Months of tests have already been carried out using a small prototype launched in June off the Dutch coast in the stormy North Sea.
    The prototype was built at a cost of 1.5 million euros ($1.69 million), financed through crowd-funding as well as donations, including from the Dutch government.
    If the scheme progresses well in the Pacific, the next plan would be to move onto the second most polluted spot lying in the Indian Ocean between Australia and Madagascar.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Not many chefs don a welding mask before they enter the kitchen, but Sila Sutharat prefers to cook his chicken sunny side up.
    Two hours south of Bangkok this 60-year-old roadside vendor has found an ingenious way to offer his customers something a little different by harnessing the power of the sun.
    Using a large wall of nearly 1,000 moveable mirrors -- a device he designed and built himself -- he focuses the sun's rays onto a row of marinated chickens, sizzling away under the intense heat.
    His unusual culinary methods raised a few eyebrows when he first hit upon the idea.
    "They said that I'd gone mad, that cooking chicken like this was impossible," he told AFP next to his stall, the row of sun-drenched chickens behind him too bright to look at for any length of time.
    "After a long time passed by, they'd say: 'Actually, you could do it'," he added.
    That's because the the solar reflector generates intense heat, easily enough to match an oven, with a sunshine-baked chicken taking just twelve minutes to cook through.
    For much of the last 20 years Sila grilled in relative obscurity for a fairly local crowd.
    But after videos of his solar-cooker went viral online, people from across Thailand have flocked to his stall in Phetchaburi province.
    Daylight saving

    Sila says the idea came to him in 1997 when he was struck by the heat reflecting off a passing bus.
    "I thought, with this heat reflecting from the window from the sun, I could possibly change it into energy," he said.
    Sila says that compared to a traditional charcoal grill -- which he used before his solar epiphany -- his meat is more tender and evenly-cooked.
    And given Thailand's sweltering tropical climate, the sun is a free, clean and totally sustainable energy source.
    "At the time, energy such as petrol and gas was becoming more expensive and suppliers were also running out of wood to sell," he recalled.
    "I thought if I used solar energy, I could save a lot. And it also decreases pollution."
    Sila and his wife Pansri now cook around 40 chickens -- as well as several sides of pork -- each day.
    "We've been eating here for a long time," said regular patron Thanyarat Kaewpaleuk, who was tucking into lunch with her husband.
    "It's delicious. His chicken is fatty, it's not burned and doesn't smell like a charcoal grill, which you can smell on the meat."


  23. Waqas Dar
    SUKKUR: A doctor and his son were killed in firing on a clinic by unknown men in Sukkur late Friday, police said.
    The incident took place in Bachal Shah Miani, a suburban area of Sukkur, where armed motorcyclists opened fire on a clinic, according to police.
    It left two people dead and one wounded.
    The deceased were identified as Dr. Abdul Karim and his son, Raja Abbasi. The wounded man was said to be patient who had arrived at the clinic.
    The bodies and the injured were shifted to a hospital.
    Police said they were investigating the matter from different angles.


  24. Waqas Dar
    You might not get what you pay for when it comes to healthcare, a new study suggests.
    A report in Health Affairs found little association between how much physician practices charged and patients’ perceptions of their quality of care.
    “We’re asking consumers to make a lot of decisions about healthcare purchasing without a lot of information. Price is not really a definitive signal of quality,” said lead author Eric T. Roberts, a health-services researcher at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
    “Practices with higher prices perform no better in terms of patients’ ratings of their care,” he said in a phone interview.
    Working with nationwide databases, Roberts and his team looked at the fees practices had negotiated with commercial insurance companies. On average, high-price practices charged $84.45 for an office visit - 36 percent more than the charge at the average low-price practice, the study found.
    Roberts and colleagues then looked at survey data and insurance claim information from more than 31,000 patients at those same practices who were insured through Medicare, the federal insurance policy for the elderly and disabled.
    The researchers studied these patients because, under Medicare, the government sets non-negotiable fees. Medicare patients would have been unaware of the price differential and therefore would have been free from any influence of knowing the cost, making it easier for researchers to tell whether practices that negotiated above-average prices with commercial insurers for their non-Medicare patients delivered better care in general.
    Medicare patients in high-price practices did report better coordination and management of their care, were more likely to see doctors within 15 minutes of scheduled appointments and were slightly more likely to receive flu and pneumonia vaccines. Otherwise, however, based on their survey responses, they didn’t feel they received more valuable care than patients in lower-price practices in the same geographic areas.
    Researchers found no significant differences in overall ratings of care or doctors, timely access to care and interactions with primary physicians. Higher prices failed to lead to fewer hospitalizations, and patients in high-price practices were no more likely to get mammograms or other preventive or acute care.
    The study debunks the myth that more expensive healthcare is superior healthcare, said Martin Gaynor, an economics and health policy professor at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
    “Don’t just assume that because this practice is more expensive, the care is going to be better,” Gaynor, who was not involved with the study, said in a phone interview. “There’s no consistent finding across the board that quality is better for patients who go to more expensive practices.”
    The authors conclude that the weak association they found between price and the quality of care calls into question providers’ claims that their higher prices signal higher-value care.
    The study found that high-price practices were much larger in size than low-price practices, suggesting that “larger provider groups with market power are able to command substantially higher prices without having to offer markedly better care than smaller practices,” the authors say.
    “There’s a widespread conception that bigger is better, and all of this leads to better outcomes for patients,” said senior author Dr. J. Michael McWilliams, a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School.
    “We know it leads to higher prices. What has been less clear is whether it has led to higher quality,” he told Reuters Health. “And we’ve convincingly shown that large-scale consolidation does not benefit patients.”
    Large practices, with on average 155 clinicians, charged 20 percent more on average for office visits than small ones, which had an average of 11 clinicians, the study found. Like patients in high-priced practices, patients in large practices reported shorter time spent in waiting rooms before seeing doctors, better care coordination and management and that they were more likely to receive pneumonia and flu vaccines than patients in small practices.
    But patients perceived their care similarly in small and large physician practices, except that overall ratings of care tended to be worse in large practices than in small ones.
    “Small practices in many ways do as well as large practices,” Gaynor said. “Bigger is not necessarily better. Sometimes bigger is worse.”


  25. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: A man crushed two suspected muggers under his car in Karachi late Friday killing one of them and getting the other arrested, police officials said.
    The incident occurred near Aisha Manzil when two muggers, Haseeb Khan and Usman Ghani, were fleeing on their motorbike after having robbed a citizen.
    The same man, after being robbed, chased the fleeing suspects and hit them with his car, which left suspect Haseeb dead, said SP Gulberg Bashir Brohi.
    His accomplice, Usman, managed to flee away, but was arrested by the police a while later, the official said. The law enforcers seized weapons and a motorbike from the suspect.
    On the other hand, a suspect was killed in an alleged encounter with police in Lyari's Baghdadi area. The deceased was identified as Sameer.
    Police said the deceased was affiliated with a Lyari gang and involved in an attack on a police van, a few days ago.
    Meanwhile, Ferozabad police rounded up four suspected robbers from Tariq Road. The suspects were identified as Asim, Amjad Khan, Irfan and Rafiq.
    Four more suspects were nabbed by Mobina Town police. The suspects, Gul Hassan Memon, Suleman, Shahzeb and Sawan, were involved in frauds and other crimes.
    One more suspect was held from Jackson area with weapons and drugs seized from him.


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