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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a negotiated settlement of Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.
    In an interview to an Indian TV channel in Ankara ahead of his visit to India, Erdogan urged Pakistan and India to settle the Kashmir dispute “once and for all”.
    Expressing concern at the continuing stand-off between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, he stated, “We should not allow more casualties to occur, and by strengthening multilateral dialogue, we can be involved, and through multilateral dialogue, I think we have to seek out ways to settle this question once and for all.”
    “Relations between India and Pakistan, if we dig closer, dig deeper, I can confidently say that the relations between the two nations are improving on a daily basis, which makes me very happy,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Indian media.
    “But this Kashmir question, this question saddens us deeply. It upsets both the countries involved. And surmounting the Kashmiri challenge will contribute tremendously to global peace,” he added.
    He also rejected any similarity between Kurdish rebels and Kashmiris.
    Responding to a question about Turkey's move to block New Delhi’s admission to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Erdogan said Ankara has always been supportive of India’s entry into the group and also that of Pakistan in a similar way.
    Erdogan's statement comes ahead of his scheduled two-day visit to India, where the Turkish president is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
    The Turkish premier is expected to hold talks with Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
    The two leaders are also expected to discuss India's NSG membership bid and ways to further strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and trade. Turkey is a member of the NSG.


  2. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: The police arrested 15 suspects during raids conducted in Paposh Nagar and Madina Colony in Karachi on Monday.
    Terrorists opened fire on a police official's house in Garden Headquarter. However, no casualties were reported.
    According to the police official Hasnain, the attackers were in a government license-plate car.
    The case was registered in Nabi Baksh Police Station.
    Read more: Female prisoner caught escaping Karachi’s Central Jail
    In a separate operation in the Docks vicinity, Kalari police arrested 13 gamblers and seized 13 mobiles and Rs. 59,000 from Khan Badshah AKA Khani's gambling den.

    The police arrested a suspect accused of drug peddling and street crimes from Baldia Town.
    Earlier on April 30, a female prisoner was caught during an attempt to escape the Central Jail.
    Read more: Drunk police volunteer tramples three of a family under his car in Karachi
    The female prisoner climbed the jail’s wall, located in PIB Colony. The prisoner was attempting to climb the wires around the jail’s boundary when the area's residents informed authorities and she was apprehended soon after. 
     
     
     


  3. Waqas Dar
    Weather is expected to stay dry and very hot throughout the country on Monday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.
    A dry continental wind persists in most parts of the country, the Department added.
    The temperature in Karachi is forecasted to go as low and high as 25° and 42° Celsius, respectively, on Monday, while in Lahore and Islamabad, it is expected to remain between 23°-37° Celsius and 14°-30° Celsius, respectively.
    Lower parts of the country, especially Sindh and Southern Balochistan, are forecasted to receive most heat over the next 24 hours, with heatwave expected to remain for at least two more days.
    In addition, temperatures in Lasbella is forecasted to touch 44° Celsius, 43° Celsius in Shaheed Benazirabad, Turbat, Chhor, and Mithi, and 42° Celsius in Thatta, Sibbi, Dadu, Badin, and Padidan.
    Over the next 48 hours, on the other hand, rain with thunder is predicted in some locales of Quetta, Malakand, northern FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir. While Sindh and lower Balochistan already remain quite hot, south Punjab is also expected to experience rising temperatures.
    Hunza on Sunday received most rainfall at 6mm.


  4. Waqas Dar
    SHEIKHUPURA: The security forces, on Monday, recovered a huge cache of arms from a car in Kot Pindi Das in Sheikhupura.
    Two suspects were arrested after the Motorway Police recovered approximately a hundred rifles, Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, and a huge cache of bullets from a car.
    The accused were transporting the arms and ammunition from Islamabad to Lahore via the Motorway, the Motorway Police told Geo News.
    "The arms were hidden in a secret compartment in the car," the Motorway Police said. "We acted on a tip and intercepted the plan to use the arms for acts of terrorism."

    Read more: Huge cache of arms recovered from Karachi neighbourhood
    Earlier on April 8, a large stock of arms was recovered from an empty plot in Karachi’s Ahsanabad during a search operation.
    The operation was conducted after police received credible information regarding the presence of weapons in the area however no suspects were arrested during the operation.
    SSP Malir Rao Anwar said that when police reached the site unidentified gunmen started firing on them.
    During the exchange of fire, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London’s (MQM-London) sector in-charge Naseem Ajmeri managed to escape, Anwar said.
    The police seized 12 light machine guns snipers, 13 Kalashnikov rifles, 8mm and 9mm pistols and G3 among several rounds of bullets. Explosive materials were also recovered.


  5. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have reiterated the government’s commitment to take all measures, including strengthening of labour laws, for enhancing the welfare and living standards of workers and their families.
    The prime minister, in his message on the Labour Day globally observed on May 1 every year, said the contributions of Pakistan’s workforce must be recognised.
    “I truly believe that our workforce is an extremely important pillar of society, playing a pivotal role in its socio-economic development,” he said.
    The prime minister said Labour Day is observed to honour the workers for their long and arduous struggle. The Day provided an opportunity to recognise and pay tribute to the contributions the workers had made to progress, prosperity and well-being of their respective countries, he added.
    The prime minister said the government’s goals of fast and inclusive growth leading to a modern and industrialised economy could only be achieved through a committed, hardworking and skilled workforce.
    He congratulated members of the country’s workforce, in both the private and public sectors, for their contribution and untiring struggle.
    “Our belief in the dignity of labour is stronger than ever and we are cognisant that only a prosperous and happy workforce can enable Pakistan in realising its full potential and compete in today’s highly competitive globalised market economy,” the prime minister said.
    “Workers and employers are our social partners. On this day, I reaffirm the government’s commitment to protecting the dignity of labour and pay special tribute to them for their concerted struggle and the indispensable role they have played in the nation’s socio-economic progress.”
    The prime minister also extended his heartiest congratulations and earnest wishes to the entire workforce in Pakistan.
    Economic progress not possible without relentless efforts of labour force: President
    President Mamnoon Hussain said the government is fully cognisant of the problems and needs of the workers community and utmost efforts are being made to protect their rights.
    In his message on the Labour Day, the President said Pakistani labour is distinguished for its progressive approach and productivity.
    “Economic progress and development witnessed by our country would not have been possible without relentless efforts of our vital labour force,” he said.
    About significance of the Day, the President said Labour Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of working men and women who are an indispensable pillar of the country.
    “They are an essential constituent of our thriving economy and therefore all necessary efforts are being made for providing them with better housing, medical and educational facilities,” he added.
    The President further observed that the day symbolised the strength and character of the Pakistani workforce and its devotion and commitment towards making the country a prosperous and progressive nation in the world.
    On the day, the President greeted the workers all across Pakistan and prayed for their future well-being and prosperity.
    Remembering Chicago Martyrs on this day for their valiant struggle against oppression, exploitation and injustice, he also paid tribute to the labour community for its valuable contribution in nation building.
    The President emphasised that through cooperation and support of all stakeholders, they could achieve a better standard of living for the working class and ensure environment of equal opportunity and rights for all.
    The President said he was aware of the fact that a lot more needed to be done for the betterment of the working community and the endeavour to provide due rights to all workers, required renewed focus and attention.


  6. Waqas Dar
    SHEIKHUPURA: The security forces, on Monday, recovered a huge cache of arms from a car in Kot Pindi Das in Sheikhupura.
    Two suspects were arrested after the Motorway Police recovered approximately a hundred rifles, Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, and a huge cache of bullets from a car.
    The accused were transporting the arms and ammunition from Islamabad to Lahore via the Motorway, the Motorway Police told Geo News.
    "The arms were hidden in a secret compartment in the car," the Motorway Police said. "We acted on a tip and intercepted the plan to use the arms for acts of terrorism."

    Read more: Huge cache of arms recovered from Karachi neighbourhood
    Earlier on April 8, a large stock of arms was recovered from an empty plot in Karachi’s Ahsanabad during a search operation.
    The operation was conducted after police received credible information regarding the presence of weapons in the area however no suspects were arrested during the operation.
    SSP Malir Rao Anwar said that when police reached the site unidentified gunmen started firing on them.
    During the exchange of fire, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London’s (MQM-London) sector in-charge Naseem Ajmeri managed to escape, Anwar said.
    The police seized 12 light machine guns snipers, 13 Kalashnikov rifles, 8mm and 9mm pistols and G3 among several rounds of bullets. Explosive materials were also recovered.


  7. Waqas Dar
    CÁCERES: It´s dark and surprisingly warm in a cave in western Spain that hides our most intimate connection to the prehistoric past -- hand silhouettes painted tens of thousands of years ago.
    Archeologist Hipolito Collado and his team had not entered the Maltravieso Cave in the city of Caceres for close to a year to avoid damaging the 57 faded hands that adorn the walls, precious remnants of a far-flung piece of history we know little about.
    Why did our ancestors or distant relatives paint hands in caves? Was it merely to make their mark, or part of a ritual to commune with spirits?
    Do they tell us anything about the role of women during the Paleolithic era that ended some 10,000 years ago? And why are some fingers missing?
    ´Inaccessible art accessible´
    In a bid to unlock some of these mysteries, Collado, head of archeology for the government of the Extremadura region where Caceres is located, has set out to catalogue all of Europe´s prehistoric painted hands.
    Crouching under low hanging rocks or abseiling down crags, he and other archeologists have been going from cave to cave, taking scans and high-resolution photos of all the hands they encounter.
    They then post them in detailed, 3D format in a free-to-use online database, as part of an EU-funded project called Handpas.
    The idea is for researchers anywhere in the world to be able to examine them all in one place without having to visit every cave or gain access to those closed for conservation, in the hope of producing a breakthrough.
    "It´s about making inaccessible art accessible," says Collado, as he checks sensors for any change in CO2 levels, temperature or humidity since he last visited the meandering, cramped cave.
    Surrounded by high rises in what was a poor neighbourhood of Caceres, the cave was discovered in 1951 in a quarry but left neglected for decades, squatted by thrill-seekers, junkies and others until authorities put up a wrought-iron gate barring the entrance in the mid-1980s.
    I woz ere?
    According to Collado, a Spaniard who is also head of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations, painted hands have been found in 36 caves in Europe -- all in France, Spain and Italy.
    Some also contain animal drawings and fossils but his project focuses only on hands.
    Further afield, hands have also been discovered in South America, Australia and Indonesia, where recent research revealed that a hand silhouette in a cave on Sulawesi island was 40,000 years old -- the world´s oldest.

    A prehistoric hand painting, seen on a wall of the Maltravieso cave in Caceres, Spain/AFP
    That was around the time when Homo sapiens -- the first modern humans -- arrived in Europe after having emerged in Africa and lived in parts of Asia.
    Theories abound about what the hands mean, but with no written records, much of it is conjecture.
    Researchers have tried to determine whether they were male or female, and why in some cases fingers are missing.
    Was this a ritual? Did they lose them in freezing cold weather? Or -- as is more commonly believed -- did they simply fold some fingers over when painting in some sort of sign language?
    What if scientists were able to determine for certain that all hands in one area were done by women?
    "It could mean a matriarchal society," says Collado´s colleague Jose Ramon Bello Rodrigo.
    And did Homo sapiens -- or possibly Neanderthals before them -- merely wander into a cave and casually leave their hand imprint as a form of ancient "I woz ere"?
    Paul Pettitt, professor of Paleolithic Archeology at Britain´s Durham University, doesn´t think so.
    His research focuses on where people placed their hands and he found that in some cases, fingers appeared to be deliberately placed over a bump in the wall like they were "gripping" it.
    Many hands are also in the deeper recesses of the caves.
    "It must have been very frightening, it must have been quite a degree of exertion, a lot of climbing in the darkness," says Pettitt.
    "You don´t do that for fun."
    Awaiting French go-ahead
    Why then would people go to such lengths to paint hands onto the walls -- be it via stencils, created by spraying pigment around an open hand, or actual handprints applied to the rock face?
    French prehistorian Jean Clottes believes it may have been a form of shamanism.
    "It´s likely that putting paint -- what we could call sacred paint -- on the rock face introduces a link between the person who does it and the rock face, and therefore with the forces in the rock face," he says.
    Collado also interprets some of the hands he has seen as warnings.
    "In the La Garma Cave (in northern Spain) there is a panel with hands that is next to a big well that would be deadly," he says.
    "These were definitely done to say ´stop´."
    Work on documenting painted hands in two Italian caves has also begun.
    But the project has come up against a major stumbling block as Collado´s team has yet to get the green light to access the French caves -- 18 months after sending their first letter to the culture ministry.
    "We´re on standby," he concludes impatiently.


  8. Waqas Dar
    DUBAI: Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had arrested 46 members of a militant cell responsible for a deadly suicide bombing attack on Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) Mosque in the holy city of Medina last summer that was blamed on Daesh.
    The suspects, which included foreign and Saudi citizens, were detained in the Western port city of Jeddah, state news agency SPA quoted the interior ministry as saying.
    Three suicide bombers and two members of the security forces were killed in the unprecedented attack on the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque – which is one of the religion´s holiest sites.
    There was no claim of responsibility for the attack nor did the interior ministry statement blame a specific group.
    Daesh, based in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a series of bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia since mid-2014, killing scores of people, mostly members of the Shi´ite Muslim minority and security services.
    It has vowed to uproot Gulf monarchies it accuses of being in the thrall of the West.


  9. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Monday he was plunging back into domestic politics in order to fight against Brexit.
    Blair, who led the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007, will not be standing in the June 8 general election.
    But he said he wanted to build a political movement to shape the policy debate as Britain starts its negotiations to leave the European Union.
    Blair, 63, who was prime minister for a decade from 1997 and whose legacy has been defined by the Iraq war, said he knew he would face intense criticism for doing so.
    But the ardent Europhile, who has largely been working on Middle East and African issues since leaving office, still wanted to get his "hands dirty" and re-enter the fray, saying voters should have the chance to change their mind once the final EU exit deal becomes clear.
    "This Brexit thing has given me a direct motivation to get more involved in the politics," he told the Daily Mirror newspaper.
    "You need to get your hands dirty and I will.
    "I know the moment I stick my head out the door I´ll get a bucket of wotsit poured all over me, but I really do feel passionate about this.
    "I don´t want to be in the situation where we pass through this moment of history and I hadn´t said anything because that would mean I didn´t care about this country. I do.
    "I am not sure I can turn something into a political movement but I think there is a body of ideas out there people would support."
    He said his push was not about defying the vote to leave the European Union.
    He said leaving the European single market and seeking a free trade agreement, as is Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May´s intention, would be "relegating ourselves" from the top order.
    Opinion polls put the Conservatives far ahead of Labour, a few weeks out from the general election.
    Blair, who won three straight general elections as Labour leader, was from the most centrist strain of the party, while current leader Jeremy Corbyn is from its strident leftist wing that reviles Blairite politics.
    "Unless you are providing answers for the future you are not going to win," Blair warned.


  10. Waqas Dar
    Faced with exploding populations and steadily rising temperatures worldwide, cities must make haste in reinforcing defences against climate change-induced flooding and heat waves, experts warned this week.
    City temperatures are forecast to shoot up in the coming years, exposing inhabitants to killer heat spikes, while rising sea levels and river flooding threaten homes, drinking water, and transport and electricity infrastructure.
    Cities are vulnerable to a unique risk called the "urban heat island" (UHI) effect -- their concrete surfaces retain more of the sun's heat than undeveloped areas, scientists explained at a meeting of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) in Vienna.
    By midcentury, if planet-warming fossil fuel emissions continue unabated, city temperatures in Belgium could exceed today's heat-alert levels by as much as 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) for 25 days each summer, according to one research paper.
    Another study showed that heat waves will become a frequent challenge for European cities -- more numerous in the south of the continent, more intense in the north.
    And floods, a major risk to Europe's dense urban settlements, will become more common because of an increase in freak rainstorms, as well as sea-level increases caused by polar ice melt and warmer ocean water expanding.
    In flood-prone southeast Asia, precipitation is set to increase by 20 percent this century, one researcher said in Vienna.
    The stakes are especially high given the projections for expansion of urban areas, which are often ill equipped to deal with nature's vengeance.
    High stakes

    Already, more than half the world's population live in cities.
    By 2050, 80 percent of people in rich nations, and 60 percent in developing states, will be concentrated in built-up areas, according to recent calculations.
    This corresponds to the appearance of a settlement of a million inhabitants somewhere on the globe every week for the next 40 years.
    Occupying only a small portion of Earth's available land, cities are responsible for 80 percent of all energy consumed and generate over 60 percent of the planet-warming greenhouse gases emitted when humans burn fossil fuel for heating, power and transportation.
    In spite of efforts to curb emissions, the planet has already warmed about one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on average from pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
    Many scientists say the planet may be on track for three degrees Celsius of warming or more, exceeding the two-degree cap politicians set in Paris in 2015.
    This means cities must act now to shore up their defences against impacts that can no longer be avoided, French climatologist Herve le Treut warned at the annual EGU gathering.
    "It's already happening," Le Treut said of climate change impacts. "We have to start structural action quickly: transportation, houses... mainly in the cities, especially in vulnerable places."
    Most of the infrastructure constructed by humanity is un urban zones.
    "The ways cities are built is not optimal" for today's climate reality, said Daniel Schertzer, a hydrometeorologist at the engineering school Ecole des Ponts ParisTech.
    "Historically, humans have settled near water, thinking of its usefulness, but not of the risk! Cities were conceived without taking geophysics into consideration, now they are discovering that nature is complicated, not just good," he told AFP on the sidelines of the conference.
    Paris, for example, is due for its next so-called one-in-a hundred-year flood.
    It will occur

    The last major Paris flood, in 1910, saw the Seine river rise 8.62 metres (28.3 feet), shutting down much of the City of Light's basic infrastructure.
    "It... will occur some day," said Sebastien Maire, who goes by the title of Paris's chief resilience officer.
    And when it does, research shows it will cost about 100 billion euros ($109 billion) and some 400,000 jobs, and harm France's economic output for five years afterwards.
    A flood of this level would damage the underground metro system to such an extent that "it will take five to 10 years to rebuild," Maire said.
    Paris is vulnerable because much of its critical infrastructure lies near the Seine -- including power distribution, heating, telecommunications and fresh water networks.
    Maire is part of 100 Resilient Cities, a think-tank created to help city planners prepare for natural shocks such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires and floods.
    Thinking globally about urban exposure to climate change and extreme weather is a relatively new field, and presents a unique opportunity to "incorporate resilient design," Maire said.
    Half the city infrastructure that will be in place by 2070 has not yet been built, he pointed out.
    "We've asked researchers to help us," Maire said. "Cities need the science to work on this."
    One solution mooted at the conference was "greening" cities via balcony and rooftop gardens to counter the effects of "urban heat islands" -- since plants absorb heat.
    Another proposed taking lessons from tradition.
    Uchimizu, a technique used in 17th-century Japan to gather rainwater and sprinkle it on the ground, "considerably" reduced surface-level temperatures in an experiment conducted at Delft University in the Netherlands.
    "It's something anyone can do," researcher Anna Solverova said.


  11. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Another fire was successfully doused after blaze erupted inside a building located on Karachi's II Chundrigar Road, in the wee hours of Monday
    Earlier on Saturday, the fire had engulfed 17 and 19 storeys of the building, which was extinguished after 12 hours of intense efforts.
    However, the blaze once again caught the 15th storey of the same building. Around five fire tenders spent three hours putting it out.
    In the wee hours of Monday, another fire broke out inside the 16th storey of the same building.
    According to firefighting officials, the blaze was of low intensity and was successfully extinguished, then followed by the process of cooling.


  12. Waqas Dar
    A Metallica cover band distraught after its equipment was stolen has been able to return to stage after a gift from surprise benefactors -- the metal legends themselves.
    Blistered Earth, a four-piece band from Spokane, Washington that covers Metallica classics and emulates the group's headbanging look, said a trailer with all its gear was snatched after a show last week in Portland, Oregon.
    After two days, the band -- which lost three guitars, two bass guitars and a drum-kit plus an array of amplifiers and pedals -- said everything had been replaced.
    "Sometimes when bad things happen it really brings out the best in people," Blistered Earth wrote on Facebook.
    James Hetfield "and the rest of the guys in Metallica (thanx guys) have seen fit to replace our equipment. Thank you guys!!"
    There was no immediate word from Metallica. The band on May 10 begins in Baltimore an extensive tour of North America and Europe after completing a leg in Latin America.


  13. Waqas Dar
    Universal's "The Fate of the Furious" continued to dominate the North American box office over the weekend, easily fending off three newcomers at home while also passing the $1 billion mark worldwide, industry data showed Sunday.
    The eighth installment in the high-octane series starring Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took in an estimated $19.4 million for the three-day weekend, website Exhibitor Relations reported. The film has grossed $192.7 million domestically in its three weeks out.
    "Fate," directed by F. Gary Gray, has stayed strong after a huge global opening. In the movie, termed a "dazzling action spectacle" by Variety, Diesel's character is coerced by the cyberterrorist played by Charlize Theron to turn against his own team.
    The next three films topping the North American box-office list are all new releases.
    Pantelion's "How to be a Latin Lover," a comedy starring Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell and Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, took in an estimated $12.0 million for the weekend despite showing on relatively few screens.
    "Baahubali: The Conclusion" is a sequel to a 2015 film also starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia. An epic fantasy of murder, love and royal intrigue, the film was produced by Arka Mediaworks. Only the third Indian film to be released in Imax format, it took in $10.1 million, also on a relatively small number of North American screens.
    STX Entertainment's "The Circle," starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson (who also stars in "Beauty and the Beast," still in wide release), takes on the issues of privacy, paranoia and Silicon Valley ethics in a near-future world. The film, based on a book of the same name by Dave Eggers -- who co-wrote the screenplay -- earned $9.3 million for the weekend.
    In fifth place, still performing strongly in its fifth week, is DreamWorks animation "The Boss Baby," which took in $9.1 million. The tale of rivalry between infants and puppies features Alec Baldwin as the voice of the tie-wearing baby-in-chief.
    The industry is now awaiting the domestic release next weekend of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," which took in an estimated $101.2 million internationally this weekend and is expected to outperform the original "Guardians" blockbuster, website BoxOfficeMojo.com reported.
    Rounding out the current top 10 were:
    "Beauty and the Beast" ($6.4 million)
    "Going in Style" ($3.6 million)
    "Smurfs: The Lost Village" ($3.3 million)
    "Gifted" ($3.3 million)
    "Unforgettable" ($2.3 million)


  14. Waqas Dar
    LAHORE: At least 63 kite flyers were arrested in a crackdown on Sunday by the police and over 59 cases were registered.
    Despite a ban on kite-flying in Lahore and frequent crackdown operations by the police since three months, some people still continue making and flying kites, while disobeying the law.
    According to police officials, in crackdown operations across various areas of Lahore, the police arrested 63 kite flyers in total, while 59 cases were registered. Police also seized huge amounts of kites, rolls and strings.
    DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf said kite flying will be strictly prohibited and action should be taken against those found violating the ban by flying or selling kites and the material associated with the activity. He also appealed that parents should discourage their children from participating in this dangerous activity.

    The ban on the selling and flying of kites will be maintained by any means, added police officials.
    Earlier, at least three people were injured as youth in Lahore engaged in kite flying on weekend night, defying the ban.
    In Singhpura area, a 31-year-old man was injured after a kite string slit his neck and hand. The man, Qadeer, was shifted to Mayo Hospital, where he got six stitches on his neck.
    Ali Hassan, 25, and Abrar, 28, were also wounded in similar incidents in Dhobi Ghat and Railway Station areas. They were also shifted to Mayo Hospital.
    Citizens complained that violation of the ban on kite flying during night-time has become a routine in Salamatpura, Harbanspura, Journalist Colony and several other areas.
    In the past three months, over 300 kite flyers have been arrested from several areas of Lahore. Police also seized over 6,000 kites, rolls and strings.


  15. Waqas Dar
    After what he called a "very productive" first 100 days, President Donald Trump is vowing to roll out a new health plan and to completely renegotiate the NAFTA continental trade pact.
    His remarks, in a CBS interview broadcast Sunday, touched on daunting challenges domestic and foreign, from his vexed effort at health-care reform to a controversial new tax-cut plan to the rising threat from North Korea.
    But they followed his assurance at a raucous rally Saturday in Pennsylvania that the "great battles" ahead would be won.
    Trump insisted, even after two failed efforts to see an Obamacare repeal vote through Congress, that Americans will get a health-care package that preserves key protections, like coverage of pre-existing medical conditions.
    And as Republicans scramble for ways to pay for Trump's promise this week of major tax cuts -- the White House had hoped to use savings from the Obamacare repeal -- the president vowed that the money would not come through savings on the huge and popular Medicare program.
    "I'm not going to touch it," he said, except to eliminate "waste, fraud and abuse."
    Frustrations

    Trump, who is not known as particularly self-reflective, shared some of the frustrations he has encountered in his young presidency.
    He lambasted "unfair" media coverage; said Congress operates by "unbelievably archaic and slow-moving" rules; and called Democrats "totally obstructionist."
    But he will need some Democratic support to pass some of his more ambitious legislative objectives.
    House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that Democrats looked forward to working with Trump on issues like infrastructure spending and affordable child care.
    But so far, she said on ABC, "he hasn't really proposed anything."
    In a week when Trump dropped a threat to cancel the NAFTA trade agreement following what he called "very nice" phone calls from the Mexican and Canadian leaders -- instead ordering a six-month review of all trade deals -- he made clear that US security took priority over even trade.
    If China can help ease the nuclear tensions with Pyongyang, "that's worth making not as good a trade deal," he said.
    "Trade is very important," Trump added. "But massive warfare with millions, potentially millions of people being killed? That, as we would say, trumps trade."
    He scheduled the Pennsylvania appearance after snubbing an invitation to the traditional White House correspondents' dinner on Saturday, where he had risked being roasted by comedians.
    Instead, he declared himself "thrilled" to be far from "the Washington swamp" and its "fake news" journalists.
    The black-tie affair in Washington was headlined by veteran investigative journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame.
    Woodward rebuffed the president's relentless barbs against news outlets. "Mr. President, the media is not fake news," he said.
    "Whether the media is revered or reviled, we should and must persist, and I believe we will."
    Keeping promises

    Some of Trump's animosity stemmed from US media evaluating his 100-day record as meager and mixed.
    They have noted embarrassing setbacks for the Republican on health care and a travel ban, and his own reversals on China and NATO -- while also recognizing campaign pledges he has met, like appointing a conservative Supreme Court justice and pulling the country out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.
    In his speech, Trump presented his record so far as "very exciting and very productive."
    "We are keeping one promise after another," he asserted, adding that he was preparing for "the great, great battles to come and that we will win in every case."
    Trump also highlighted his tough approach to immigration.
    Stepped-up law enforcement was removing "drug dealers, gang members and killers" from the country, he said, though he did not acknowledge his difficulty in finding money to start work on the wall he has promised on the Mexican border.
    Trump said the US economy had surged since he took office, reinvigorating America's construction, manufacturing and energy sectors, as well as its declining coal and steel industries -- a key message for the crowd in rust-belt Pennsylvania.
    On the North American Free Trade Agreement, he said, "If we can't make a fair deal for our companies and our workers we will terminate NAFTA."
    He said he would be making a decision on the "one-sided Paris climate accord" in the next two weeks. He described the pact, meant to curb global warming, as an impediment to US economic growth.
    On CBS, Trump -- holding the only elective office he has ever sought -- was asked about an earlier comment that he thought the job of the presidency would be easier.
    "Well, it's a tough job," he said. "But it's something that I really love and I think I've done a very good job at it."


  16. Waqas Dar
    Elon Musk paused while chatting about his series of potentially world-changing endeavours to say he isn't in it to provide salvation.
    It was during a talk on Friday at a prestigious TED Conference in Vancouver, where the tech entrepreneur was discussing his ventures building electric cars and trucks, rockets, a newly launched tunnel-boring company and even dabbling with super-fast mass transit.
    "I'm not trying to be anyone's savior," Musk said while discussing colonizing Mars and other dreams. "I am just trying to think about the future and not be sad."
    "You'll tell me if it ever starts getting genuinely insane, right?" the Silicon Valley star known for turning his passions into visionary enterprises added playfully.
    Musk went on to tease the audience with a photo of a self-driving truck that his company Tesla Motors is adding to its line of electric cars.
    Describing the vehicle as powerful enough to tow a regular big rig up a hill, he said it would handle like a sports car.
    "When I was driving the test prototype for the first truck, it was really weird," he said. "I thought, 'This is crazy!' driving this large truck and it's doing these amazing maneuvers."
    Racing a snail

    A founder of the PayPal online payment system as well as Tesla and SpaceX -- the maker and launcher of rockets and spacecraft -- Musk is also working on building tunnels more efficiently at his aptly named Boring company.
    Describing traffic jams as "soul-crushing," he said they could be eliminated by building multi-level tunnel networks for cars.
    His company is already trying to bore tunnels under Los Angeles, he said.
    The Boring company has a pet snail named Gary that inches along far faster than the current machines used to create tunnels, he added.
    His machines would build small-bore tunnels "faster than Gary," in what he said would be a major, cost-saving advance.
    A concept video illustrated how cars might someday drive from streets onto sleds lowered into tunnels and be whisked on their way.
    Musk also described dabbling with an ultra-fast rail transport system known as Hyperloop that he detailed in a paper several years ago, inviting entrepreneurs to make it real.
    In his vision, Hyperloop pods would zip along vacuum-sealed tubes in tunnels that could conceivably be built by the Boring company.
    But Musk devotes only two or three percent of his time to the Boring company, he said, calling it more of a hobby -- and boasting that it is nevertheless making good progress.
    Wary of flying cars

    Although he also admires flying innovations -- witnessed by his SpaceX endeavors -- Musk isn't keen on the idea of cars in the sky.
    "If there were a whole bunch of flying cars going all over the place, that's not an anxiety-reducing situation," he quipped.
    "You're thinking, 'Did they service their hub cap, or is it going to come off and guillotine me?'"
    Speaking tech to power

    Musk depicted a not-to-distant future in which solar roof tiles generate electricity in homes and people share self-driving electric cars.
    With his first lithium battery Gigafactory ramping production in the United States, he revealed that he would announce plans later this year for as many as four more facilities "to address the global market."
    Musk also shrugged off criticism for agreeing to take part in advisory councils to US President Donald Trump.
    They meet approximately once a month and essentially consist of going around a room asking opinions.
    "I have used them thus far to argue in favor of immigration and in favor of (addressing) climate change," he said.
    "That wasn't on the agenda before," he added. "Maybe nothing will happen, but at least the words were said."
    One of Musk's latest big ideas is to send space tourists on trips around the moon.
    "There have to be reasons you get up in the morning and want to live," he said of pursuing big dreams such as space exploration.
    "If the future doesn't include being out there in the stars, being a multi-planet species, that is incredibly depressing."


  17. Waqas Dar
    A top Venezuelan opposition figure called on Saturday for more marches aimed at taking back the courts and the National Electoral Council that he said had been "hijacked" by President Nicolas Maduro.
    Freddy Guevara urged people to protest on Monday -- May 1 or May Day, a traditional workers' holiday -- with marches to the Supreme Court and the National Electoral Council's offices.
    "We want to summon all Venezuelans, across the country's 24 states, to hit the dictatorship with a one-two punch," Guevara said, evoking simultaneous peaceful marches in the two locations.
    A month of demonstrations in April in Venezuela has left 28 people dead in clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters, according to prosecutors.
    More than 400 people have been injured, and nearly 1,300 arrested, according to the attorney general.
    The center-right-led opposition is demanding elections to remove Maduro, an elected socialist. It blames him for an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food, medicine and other basic items.
    "On May 1, after a month of resistance, we need to show that the people refuse to give up," Guevara said.
    Late Saturday, hundreds of people marched by candlelight, flowers in their arms, to pay homage to those killed in the latest protests.
    "We are here to remember our friends who have been killed seeking the release of those on our side who have been jailed. The (dead) deserve this recognition from all of Venezuela," said law student Amanda Fioretti, 20.
    Rights group Amnesty International urged the government on Wednesday to stop the "persecution" and "arbitrary detention" of protesters.
    Pope could mediate

    Earlier in the day, Pope Francis said the Vatican was ready to intervene as a mediator to try and end Venezuela's deadly political crisis under "clear conditions."
    Speaking on a plane bringing him back from Egypt to Rome, the pontiff said: "I believe that must be done under conditions. Very clear conditions."
    "There was an intervention by the Holy See following strong pressure" by four former leaders of Spain, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Colombia, he said.
    "This did not work because the proposals were not accepted. They were diluted. It was a 'yes, yes but no, no,'" he said.
    The pontiff said the four mediators were trying to relaunch the process, adding "they are looking for a venue" but the opposition was against the process.
    "We should do all that we can for Venezuela with necessary guarantees," he said.
    The pontiff did not clarify the conditions. But his Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the former papal nuncio in Venezuela, had in December spoken of four prerequisites: the establishment of an election timetable, the freeing of opposition supporters held in prison, allowing foreign health aid and giving the legislature back its powers.
    But senior opposition leader Henrique Capriles dismissed the idea of resuming dialogue with the government.
    The pontiff "speaks as if some wanted dialogue and others did not," Capriles told journalists at a memorial for those who had died in April protests.
    "We Venezuelans all want dialogue, but we are not disposed to a Zapatero dialogue," he said, referring to Spain's former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who led last year's Vatican-backed mediation bid between the goverment and the opposition.
    Just Wednesday Venezuela said it was quitting the Organization of American States in anger at pressure from the bloc over the government's handling of its political crisis.
    Echoed by the United States and European Union, the OAS has led an international chorus of concern over the economic and political chaos in the major oil-exporting country.
    Venezuela has suffered an economic collapse fueled by a plunge in international prices for its crucial oil exports.
    Maduro says the shortages and the protests are part of a US-backed plot to topple him.


  18. Waqas Dar
    George Michael fans on Sunday paid their last respects to the late British pop star at a public memorial service they organised themselves.
    Hundreds of fans from around the world attended the service at a church in Bushey, on the northwest edge of London, where Michael went to secondary school and met his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley.
    The service featured some of his best-known hits including "Jesus to a Child" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go".
    It was followed by a wake at The Three Crowns pub, where Wham! were formed.
    The singer was found dead at his home on December 25. He was 53.
    His funeral took place in private on March 29 at Highgate Cemetery in north London and was not announced to fans until it was over.
    George Michael Appreciation Group founder Tracey Wills organised Sunday's public event.
    "I have always been a fan and I decided that I was going to do something for him because he has done so much for everyone else," she said.
    "George left such a mark on a lot people and I felt like we needed to do something for him. The fans needed somewhere to grieve.
    "I put this together for George, for the fans. I wish his family were here to be able to see this."
    Michael's cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver, according to senior coroner for Oxfordshire Darren Salter.
    Dilated cardiomyopathy, which can be caused by substance abuse, affects the heart's ability to pump blood due to the muscle becoming enlarged and weakened. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart wall.
    Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou to a Greek Cypriot father and English mother in north London in 1963, Michael shot to fame with Wham! and sold more than 100 million records.


  19. Waqas Dar
    Roston Chase's second Test hundred and fine support from captain Jason Holder in a record unbroken partnership lifted the West Indies to 286 for six at stumps on the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan at Kensington Oval in on Sunday.
    Called upon to repair yet another debacle at the top of the order after Holder chose to bat first, Chase's unbeaten 131 was characterised by calm assurance and elegant strokeplay after he came to the crease at 37 for three.
    Even if he lived a bit dangerously, the skipper also played positively and will resume on the second day alongside Chase on 58, their partnership so far worth 132 runs and establishing a new record for the seventh wicket in Tests for the West Indies against Pakistan.
    Chase has so far faced 207 deliveries in five hours at the crease, stroking 17 fours while Holder's innings has occupied 125 deliveries over three-and-a-half hours with eight fours decorating his knock.
    On a surface offering very little assistance to the faster bowlers, the Caribbean team still managed to slip to 154 for six in mid-afternoon and at that stage it looked as if the tourists would have been well into their reply by the end of the day.
    Opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Abbas claimed a wicket apiece in each of the first two sessions while Shadab Khan, selected for a Test debut in support of senior leg-spinner Yasir Shah, earned his first success in the shape of Shane Dowrich after Shah had accounted for Shai Hope.
    Amir was the first to strike for Pakistan at the start of the day against a batting line-up surprisingly unchanged from the seven-wicket defeat in Jamaica.
    Kraigg Brathwaite enjoyed a moment of good fortune when he was dropped at short extra-cover off Amir.
    However the lapse did not prove costly for the visitors as Amir took the outside edge of the opener’s bat in the same over to give a straightforward catch to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.
    Shimron Hetmyer, one of two batting debutants from a week earlier, faced just three deliveries before driving loosely at Abbas for Azhar Ali to take a sharp catch head-high at third slip.
    Hope's struggle for runs continued when he was caught at the wicket off Shah, the leg-spinner extracting sharp turn off the first-day pitch and appearing to justify Pakistan's decision to give a debut to Shadab at the expense of their fastest bowler, Wahab Riaz
    Kieran Powell, who batted through the morning session, departed on the resumption after lunch.
    An lbw appeal off Amir with the batsman on 38 was ruled not out by on-field official Richard Kettleborough only to be overturned on review of the television replays.
    Vishaul Singh's miserable start to his Test career continued with a low catch to Younis Khan at second slip off Abbas and Younis' secure pair of hands were again in evidence when Dowrich, on 29, pushed at a full length delivery from Shadab and the veteran made no mistake.


  20. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur beat local rivals Arsenal with second-half goals from prolific pair Dele Alli and Harry Kane on Sunday to maintain their Premier league title challenge.
    A deserved victory kept them four points behind leaders Chelsea, who won 3-0 at Everton earlier.
    Alli put Spurs ahead in the 56th minute when he followed up after Christian Eriksen's shot was saved. Two minutes later Kane went down in the penalty area under Gabriel's challenge and got up to convert the penalty.
    Tottenham's victory in Arsene Wenger's 50th North London derby as Arsenal manager ensured Spurs will finish above their neighbours for the first time in 22 years.
    It was their ninth successive league win and the margin would have been greater but for some fine saves by Petr Cech.
    A disappointing Arsenal were restricted to a single chance in the first half when Aaron Ramsey brought a good low save from Hugo Lloris shortly before halftime.
    Spurs in contrast were guilty of two bad misses. Midway through the half Kane's effort was deflected to the far post where Alli could only head wide.
    Three minutes later Eriksen clipped the bar as another deflection reached him just a few metres out.
    Cech was much the busier goalkeeper, making saves either side of the interval from Jan Vertonghen and then Victor Wanyama.
    He then kept out a close-range effort from Eriksen but could not prevent Alli driving in the opening goal.
    In the next attack Kane won and converted the penalty to leave Arsenal wilting.
    The visitors exerted some late pressure but never looked like threatening Mauricio Pochettino's side and remain in danger of missing out on a Champions League place for the first time under Wenger.


  21. Waqas Dar
    Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus headed a late equaliser as they twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw against a Middlesbrough side battling for Premier League survival at The Riverside Stadium on Sunday.
    The result left second-bottom Boro six points from the safety zone with three matches to play, while City are level with third-placed Liverpool on 66 points and with the same goal difference, a point ahead of local rivals Manchester United.
    "I think the fight for the top four will go down to the last game," City manager Pep Guardiola told reporters.
    "Everyone who is competing for those places have tough games so it will not be easy but we give absolutely everything in these last few matches to try and be in there.
    "It’s a point and we are still there and it now all depends on the final few games at the Etihad,” he said looking ahead to three consecutive home matches in City's remaining four.
    Former City striker Alvaro Negredo put Middlesbrough ahead seven minutes before halftime with a shot from the centre of the box that went into the net off the inside of the post.
    Sergio Aguero pulled City level in the 69th with a penalty that was hotly disputed by Boro after Marten de Roon was ruled to have brought down substitute Leroy Sane.
    The Argentina striker equalled his club record of scoring in five consecutive away league matches.
    "From where I was I didn't think that it was a penalty and I thought Sane went down very easily. I find it strange that the referee can give the penalty from where he is positioned," said Middlesbrough caretaker manager Steve Agnew.
    Eight minutes later Boro went ahead again when Calum Chambers shot high into the net in a goalmouth melee after efforts from Stewart Downing and Negredo were kept out.
    Brazilian teenager Gabriel Jesus, in his first start since returning from an injury layoff, had the last word with a fine header from Aguero's cross five minutes from time.
    "To take the lead twice against a top team is something that is to the credit to my side. There are still nine points to play for and, with the spirit that the team has shown, there is no reason that we can't win more matches," added Agnew.


  22. Waqas Dar
    Chelsea took a major step towards the Premier League title with an impressive 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.
    A brilliant strike from Pedro in the 66th minute broke the deadlock and then goals from skipper Gary Cahill and substitute Willian made sure of the three points for Antonio Conte's side.
    With four games to play, Chelsea are now seven points ahead of second-placed Tottenham, who take on Arsenal in their North London derby later on Sunday.
    The four remaining fixtures look straightforward -- Chelsea are at home to Middlesbrough, at West Brom and then at home to Watford and relegated Sunderland and it would take an unlikely series of upsets to stop the West London club from winning their second title in three seasons.
    "It feels massive, we did what we need to do and it is a great victory, we knew this was like a final," Cahill told Sky Sports.
    Everton manager Ronald Koeman had no doubt his team had lost to the team who will win the title.
    "It is really tough to beat Chelsea. They showed today their belief and their quality. They will be champions," he said.
    If Chelsea were going to slip up late in their title bid then surely it was the trip to Goodison Park to face a seventh-placed Everton who had lost just once at home all season which presented the biggest danger.
    There was no sign of a wobble from the Londoners, however, and they came through this test with barely a hint of nerves.
    Everton were without their key French international defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who was ruled out with a thigh injury, and that robbed them of the solidity that has been a feature of their recent performances.
    Nonetheless, the home side started brightly with Dominic Calvert-Lewin striking the post in the second minute after a sublime pass from Ross Barkley.
    Koeman's side struggled to create real openings, however, and Chelsea grew increasingly dominant after the break.
    Pedro broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion, making some space for himself and then beating Maarten Stekelenburg with a left-foot drive from 25 metres out that flew into the top corner.
    The visitors doubled their advantage when Stekelenburg could only parry out a low, diagonal free kick from Eden Hazard and captain Cahill pounced to fire home the loose ball.
    Two Chelsea substitutes combined for the third goal, four minutes from the end, when, after a clever exchange with Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas slipped the ball to Willian for a simple close-range conversion.
    The visiting fans applauded their team off the field at the end, confident that there will be more celebrations to come in the next few weeks.
    "This was an important win but now we need to take it game by game and win these games," said Conte.
    "This has been an important week for us and we have ended it positively," he said.


  23. Waqas Dar
    BARCELONA: Rafael Nadal hailed a "dream start" to his clay court season after romping to his 10th Barcelona Open on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Austria's Dominic.
    The Spaniard also claimed his 10th title at the Monte Carlo Masters last week as he gears up for to go for his 10th French Open next month.
    "It is two consecutive weeks winning, in Monte Carlo and here, two special tournaments for me, it is a dream start on clay," said Nadal.
    "It means a lot for me to reach number 10 here in Barcelona, in front of the people of my club, I am very happy and emotional."
    Nadal won in Barcelona between 2005-2009, 2011-13 and now in the last two years.
    The 14-time Grand Slam champion also looks like the man to beat at Roland Garros after winning on a Barcelona court named after him and where he didn't drop a set all week.
    "I thank the club and its members for putting my name on this court. It means a lot to me," added Nadal.
    Nadal has now won 19 straight sets, but Thiem was the toughest opponent he has faced on clay so far this year.
    Thiem had shocked world number one Andy Murray in Saturday's semi-finals and showed some early resistance.
    The world number nine even had his only break point of the match in the first game.
    But Nadal, returning to top form at age 30, upped his intensity at the crucial moment and Thiem crumbled with three errors in the 10th game to give away the only break of the set.
    "The first set was vitally important," added Nadal.
    "It was hard. I was having a few more chances than him but it was very even and that is why I celebrated with so much energy at the end."
    The second set was a procession as Thiem's frustration at his inability to break through Nadal's defences saw him consistently fire long.
    Thiem held off three break points in his opening service game, but was powerless to stop Nadal thereafter as he won the last five games to seal victory in just over 90 minutes on court.
    However, Thiem wasn't too disheartened after losing out to the king of clay after what had been a productive week.
    "I really enjoyed the week in Barcelona," he said.
    "There are worse things than to lose against the greatest player on clay ever."


  24. Waqas Dar
    Manchester United's hopes of a top-four finish suffered a blow on Sunday as relegation-threatened Swansea City came back for a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
    The result left United in fifth place behind Manchester City on goal difference. City occupy the final Champions League qualification spot and could leapfrog third-placed Liverpool later on Sunday if they beat Middlesbrough.
    It was United's 10th home draw - the highest number in the Premier League this season - and the team's injury woes continued to mount with defenders Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly both taken off during the game.
    "We lost players and we lost points, so yes today was a bad day," said manager Jose Mourinho.
    "We are tired and exhausted. You cannot isolate the performance out of the context. This is the ninth match of April, it is not human. We have a squad of 22 that is reduced to 13 or 14 players. The players are very tired," he added.
    United are hoping to make the Champions League by winning the Europa League. They face Celta Vigo in Spain in the first-leg of their semi-final on Thursday.
    For Swansea though, the point could prove to be precious as they bid to get out of the bottom three - they are now two points behind 17th placed Hull City with three games remaining for both clubs.
    Wayne Rooney put United ahead from the penalty spot on the stroke of halftime after Marcus Rashford was ruled to have been brought down by Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski.
    Swansea protested the decision arguing that the 19-year-old England forward had dived but Rooney kept his cool to drive in.
    It was Rooney though who gave away a freekick on the edge of the area which allowed Gylfi Sigurdsson to curl in a magnificent effort in the 79th minute.
    Questions will be asked, however, of the decision to move Ander Herrera from his position on the goal-line, into the wall, with Sigurdsson's shot going exactly in the spot where the Spaniard had been stood.
    United's injury list already included top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, record signing Paul Pogba and key defender Marcos Rojo, as well as defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling and Mourinho was understandably concerned.
    "I don't know about the injuries. I think Luke Shaw's must be a big injury, because to leave the pitch after 10 minutes I am expecting a very big injury.
    "At the moment, we can walk from the bed to the toilet and break a leg," he said.


  25. Waqas Dar
    Tesla on Friday said that its subsidiary SolarCity will curtail door-to-door sales of rooftop solar installations over the next month as Tesla seeks to absorb the company into its high-end brand.
    The move comes at a time when growth in sales of residential solar systems has slowed in key states, including California, where Tesla is based. Industry watchers say consumers in more mature solar markets have tired of the industry's aggressive sales tactics.
    "We believe this decision reflects what most of our prospective customers prefer, and will result in a better experience for them," a Tesla spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
    Tesla has built its luxury electric car brand on exclusivity, whereas SolarCity marketed its systems to a wide range of consumers mainly by promising cost savings.
    As a result, the move marks a major shift for SolarCity, which before its acquisition by Tesla had become the nation's top solar installer by amassing a legion of sales representatives in solar-friendly states across the country. Though most sales are generated through customer referrals, door-to-door sales became a significant means of reaching new customers over the last three years.
    Most affected employees will be reassigned to other sales channels or given the opportunity to interview for other positions, Tesla said. About 1,000 people work in door-to-door sales for the company.
    The company said it plans to expand its retail and online sales of solar systems, including in Tesla stores. It will also continue selling systems through long-standing partnerships with retailers, including Home Depot and Best Buy Co Inc.
    "We expect the growth of these channels to end up more than offsetting the loss of door-to-door sales," Tesla said.
    Tesla, which completed its acquisition of SolarCity in November, has repeatedly said that it would prioritise preserving cash over increasing sales of solar systems. It has also said that it would reduce the cost of acquiring new customers, a metric that has remained stubbornly high across the highly competitive industry.
    In keeping with its move toward more distinctive solar offerings, Tesla has said it plans to roll out a line of solar roof tiles later this year. The solar-powered roof shingles were unveiled last October to showcase the benefits of combining Elon Musk's electric car maker with the solar installer.


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