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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    Imran Khan speaking to the media. -Geo News ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on Saturday that leaders are always held accountable in a democracy and with the Sharif family appearing before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), it does not mean they are being victimised. 
    Critisising the premier, he asked how are they being victimised if they have become billionaires.
    "Nawaz Sharif has 12 corruption cases pending against him while Shehbaz Sharif is also implicated in a case," alleged Imran while speaking to the media in Islamabad. 
    Reiterating his earlier stance, the PTI chairman assured the apex court and the JIT that the entire nation stands with them and the masses are eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the investigation. 
    "They are making a fool out of the Pakistani nation," said Imran. 
    He said the ruling family had a single factory when they came to power during Zia's era and claimed they now have 30 factories. 
    "Ishaq Dar has already revealed everything and given all the information to the magistrate during his testimony," said Imran and asked why the first family is repeatedly changing its statements.
    The statement by the PTI leader follows an appearance by Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif in front of the JIT.
    Shehbaz Sharif is the fourth member of the Sharif family to appear before the JIT.
    The Punjab chief minister stressed before the media that this was not the first time the Sharif family was being held accountable. 
    The JIT is probing the global money trail of the Sharif family in light of the Supreme Court?s April 20 judgment in the Panama Papers case.















  2. Waqas Dar
    Pan-Arab satellite network Al Jazeera said on Saturday the Twitter account for its main Arabic language channel was back up and running after briefly being suspended.
    A source at the Qatar-based broadcaster, which is caught up in an economic and diplomatic dispute between Qatar and other Arab powers, said a technical issue had been to blame.
    On another of its Twitter feeds, the broadcaster had earlier tweeted: "The account of Al Jazeera on twitter @ajarabic is currently suspended due to what seems to be an organised campaign and we are doing the necessary work to get the service back." It did not say who was behind the alleged campaign.
    The @ajarabic account later resumed, with a message saying: "We bring the attention of our followers to the fact that our main Al Jazeera account @ajarabic is now working again."
    No comment was immediately available from Twitter.
    Al Jazeera is the flagship broadcaster for Qatar, which is the target of a diplomatic and economic boycott by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, in a stand-off that is endangering stability in the region.
    The other Arab powers accuse Qatar of supporting Islamist militants, which it denies, and some of them have criticised Al Jazeera as a terrorist mouthpiece and an agent of interference in their affairs.
    The network has rejected those accusations and said it will maintain its editorial independence.
    Al Jazeera said on June 8 it was combating a large-scale cyber attack but that all its entities remained in operation.


  3. Waqas Dar
    Photo: courtesy Today.com WASHINGTON: Pop superstar Katy Perry has made history by becoming the first user to garner 100 million followers on Twitter, the social media platform announced.

    "Today we #WITNESS history," Twitter said Friday in a tweet, referencing the title of Perry´s recently released fifth album.
    "Congratulations @katyperry, the first to reach 100 million followers! #LoveKaty."
    The 32-year-old singer recently livestreamed her life for 96 hours, inviting fans to watch as she slept, cooked, did yoga, cuddled with her dog Nugget and chatted with a stream of celebrities who showed up at her door.
    Despite putting her life temporarily under observation with 41 cameras, Perry -- born Katheryn Hudson to conservative Christian parents in California -- said she struggled to handle the attention to her life more broadly.
    "I built up this Katy Perry thing that everybody knows and that´s the reason why they´re tuning in and it´s fantastic, but it´s more of a facade," she told the therapist Siri Singh.
    "I´m human and I´m living under this crazy microscope," she said, tears smudging her mascara.
    Singer Justin Bieber trails on Twitter with just under 97 million followers, while Perry´s pop rival Taylor Swift has 85 million.


  4. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is facing new hurdles in piloting the new biometric electoral voting system in the upcoming PS-114 by-elections, which are scheduled for July 9.

    According to sources, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has yet to release voters? fingerprint and facial picture data to the ECP.
    In a letter, dated June 9, addressed to Chairman NADRA Dr Usman Yousuf Mubeen, TRnE additonal Secretary Zafar Iqbal Hussain asked the chairman to provide ECP with the records.
    On May 24, NADRA representatives had committed to provide biometric fingerprint data to ECP before June 15, wrote Hussain in the letter.
    Use of EVMs unlikely as election commission needs Rs90b funds
    Almost all political parties, except Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have also backtracked from their demand of using the EVMs in the elections
    He urged the NADRA representatives to share the details regarding biometric finger print data and facial picture along with index of voters of PS-114 by-election, and electoral roll data of voters of PS-114 before June 10.
    Hussain asking for NADRA?s cooperation wrote that by-election is a ?national task.?
    In order to make the upcoming general elections more transparent, the ECP had purchased around 250 electronic voting machines and biometric voting machines to be used as a pilot project during this year?s by-elections across the country.


  5. Waqas Dar
    The deceased were shifted to Talagang tehsil hospital for completion of medico-legal formalities. Photo: Geo News screen grab  Chakwal: A grandfather, son and grandson were shot dead when unidentified men opened fire on them in Chakwal?s Talagang tehsil on Saturday.
    The grandfather, identified as Ghulam Ali, son, Shabir Haider, and grandson, Zeeshan Haider, were shot dead over old enmity, according to the police.
    Upon information, the police reached the site and shifted the bodies to the Talagang tehsil hospital.
    Initial investigation reveals that the unidentified gunmen where riding motorcycles.


    The area was cordoned off for the arrest of the suspects. 
    A case has been registered and further investigation is under way. 


  6. Waqas Dar
    LONDON: The sporting world?s biggest clash, the game that always ?stops two nations? unfurls on Sunday when a resurgent Pakistan face title holders India in the Champions Trophy final at The Oval.

    And the question millions of cricket fans around the world, possibly even a billion, are all asking is ´which Pakistan will turn up?´
    Rising from the ashes after a 124-run thrashing by arch-rivals India at Edgbaston on June 4, where some often thoughtless bowling and timid batting, along with woeful fielding, led to coach Mickey Arthur labelling the performance as ?shambolic?, Pakistan went on to defeat top-ranked South Africa and knocked out Sri Lanka as well as hosts and favourites England to burst into the finale, shocking all those who had written them off.

    geo_embedgallery
    So which Pakistan will turn up? Will it be the slick, skilled side who hammered England by eight wickets in the semi-finals, with Hasan Ali, the competition´s leading wicket-taker, spearheading a brilliant bowling effort as the previously unbeaten tournament hosts were dismissed for just 211 before the likes of Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman helped knock off the runs in dashing style?

    When it comes to assessing most teams, the temptation is to look at their most recent result as a form guide.
    But not only have Pakistan, the lowest ranked team in a tournament featuring the world´s top eight one-day international sides, long been regarded as world cricket´s most "unpredictable" outfit, they have lost all three of their previous knockout matches against India at ICC tournaments.
    ´History can change´
    "We´ve got nothing to lose -- the pressure is more on them (India)," Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood told reporters at the Oval on Friday.
    "But I can tell you one thing -- we have come to win," the former all-rounder, who spent several seasons with Oval-based Surrey, added ahead of Pakistan´s first match of the tournament at the ground.
    "History can change, and I hope we can (change it)."
    The Oval was where, back in 1882, England´s defeat by Australia led to a mock obituary in a newspaper referring to the "ashes" of English cricket and hence the name for all future Anglo-Australian Test series.
    But few would dispute that India-Pakistan is now the world game´s premier contest -- certainly not the ICC who, by their own admission, now fix the draw at their events to ensure the Asian giants meet in the group phase.
    "It is massive," insisted Azhar. "It is bigger than the Ashes -- and expectation is high from both nations, crazy about cricket."
    Pakistan could make one change if Mohammad Amir, who missed the semi-final with a back spasm, is fit.
    Yet such was the form of replacement left-arm quick Rumman Raees, who marked his ODI debut with two wickets, it is by no means certain even a fully fit Amir will come straight back into a side that has been well-led by Sarfraz Ahmed, in fine form as both wicket-keeper and batsman.

    geo_embedgallery
    India, with skipper and star batsman Virat Kohli heading the tournament batting averages with a stratospheric 253, are a formidable outfit.

    As well as Kohli, their batting line-up boasts the likes of dynamic opening pair of Rohit Sharma, fresh from a hundred against Bangladesh, and Shikhar Dhawan with Yuvraj Singh, former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Hardik Pandya to come in if needed.
    They also have a well-balanced attack, with new-ball bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah supported by contrasting spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, with the like of Kedar Jadhav, as he showed against Bangladesh, also able to chip in with useful wickets.
    Yet it was at the Oval where India suffered their only defeat of this tournament so far when Sri Lanka chased down a target of 322 to win by seven wickets -- and Pakistan´s preference is to bat second.
    "The turnaround has been magnificent," said Kohli of Pakistan´s march to the final. "They´ve beaten sides that looked really strong against them."
    But Kohli, understandably confident in his own team added: "I don´t know there´s much that we need to change.
    "If we focus on our skills and our abilities and believe in ourselves, we´ll give ourselves a chance to do some good things for the team."




















  7. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Economy Watch President, Dr Murtaza Mughal has said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a fate changer for the people of Pakistan.
    Talking to Radio Pakistan, he said that the investment of $46 billion under CPEC had increased up to $56 billion now.
    According to Dr Mughal $35 billion will be invested on energy projects and remaining on infrastructure improvement.
    He said this would help overcoming Pakistan's energy crisis.
    The head of Pakistani Economy Watch  mentioned that CPEC would create more than 700,000 new jobs in Pakistan.
    The exports of the country would also increase which would lead to prosperity, he added.
    Under CPEC, special economic and industrial zones would be established in provinces and under the control of centre in Pakistan, he said.
    Economic expert Dr Gulfaraz Ahmed also said that the government had been focusing on building new energy projects under CPEC.
    He said that the distribution of energy was another challenging issue for Pakistan.
    It was required to improve the efficiency, decrease losses and modernize the process of distribution of energy, he added.
    Dr Gulfraz further said Asian Development Bank's loan for this purpose would be very useful, adding it would improve the country's distribution system of energy.


  8. Waqas Dar
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan remarked that the appearance of the ruling Sharif family before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is a ?matter of shame, not applause.?
    In a tweet, he wrote ?It [should] be a matter of shame, not applause, for [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz] that their [leaders], the [Prime Minister], [Chief Minister] and their kids have to appear before JIT on criminal charges.?
    He further remarked, ?Outrageous: PMLN comparing corrupt, money laundering, asset concealing, tax evading Sharifs to Hazrat Umar RA a paragon of honesty [and] virtue.?
    On Friday, Imran Khan had claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had lied over the Qatari prince's letter to the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and National Assembly (NA).
    ?Had the Qatari letter been true there would have been at least a banking transaction. When Nawaz Sharif addressed the assembly, there was no mention of the Qatari prince ? but the name was suddenly mentioned in the Supreme Court,? said the PTI chief while addressing a press conference to announce the inclusion of former PPP leader Imtiaz Safdar Warraich.
    ?Nawaz Sharif is accused of corruption, money laundering, concealment of assets and tax evasion,? he added.
    Abid Sher Ali lashes out at Imran Khan
    State minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali lashed out at Imran Khan and remarked that Khan is attacking the democratic institutions of the country while speaking to media in Faisalabad on Saturday.
    Khan is politicising the forces and judiciary. ?Are the institutions helpless in front of Imran Khan??
    Imran Khan keeps on saying whatever he wants regarding the country?s institutions and no one has taken notice of it, remarked Abid Sher Ali. ?It seems as if Imran Khan has enslaved all the institutions. If anyone information is leaked, then Imran Khan is the first one to find out.?
    Chief Justice of Pakistan should take a suo moto notice against Imran?s baseless allegations.
    Abid Sher Ali also remarked that the person responsible for leaking premier?s son Hussain Nawaz?s picture of JIT interrogation should be named. It the party?s constitutional right to find out who was responsible for the picture leak.


  9. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Director General of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on Saturday informed the Supreme Court of Pakistan in writing that the IB did, in fact, gather ?low-downs? on the Judicial Investigation Team (JIT).
    According to the document available with Geo.tv, the IB informed the apex court that ?the Directorate General of Intelligence Bureau gathers intelligence on matters having bearing on national importance.?
    ?As a regular practice, the bureau collects low-downs of the government personnel and other subjects of interest working on important positions. Such low-downs are maintained for ready reference.?
    While the IB confirmed it had collected the true facts and relevant information regarding JIT members, it expressed ignorance over how the gathered intelligence.

    [embed_video1 url=http://stream.jeem.tv/vod/ce286db37a0506161f7b2ce1c7573d6e.mp4/playlist.m3u8?wmsAuthSign=c2VydmVyX3RpbWU9Ni8xNy8yMDE3IDk6MDc6NDEgQU0maGFzaF92YWx1ZT1WdFcxTXJRU3RwQWdTQlVFR05Mem1RPT0mdmFsaWRtaW51dGVzPTYwJmlkPTE= style=center] ?It is hereby confirmed that low-downs of JIT members were collected since Panama Leaks case is a high profile case having serous repercussions on the political fabric of the country. How the said low-downs leaked is a matter of great concern and is being investigated.?

    The Intelligence Bureau however categorically denied allegations of involvement in hacking the Facebook account of JIT member Bilal Rasool or his family. The IB also denied infringing privacy or harassing any JIT member or their members of their families.
    ?The Bureau, however, categorically denies allegations of hacking of facebook of Mr Bilal Rasool or his family, or infringing privacy and causing harassment of any JIT member or his family.? 


  10. Waqas Dar
    Weapons, ammunition and explosives material was seized from the suspect?s possession. Photo: Geo News screen grab KARACHI: Rangers arrested on Saturday four suspects during operations in Baldia Town and Orangi Town.
    The suspects had made all preparations to carry out a suicide attack during the Youm-e-Ali procession in Karachi, according to the Rangers spokesperson.
    The alleged terrorists belong to banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Weapons, ammunition and explosives material was seized from the suspect?s possession.
    Over 5,570 police personnel and officers have been deployed across the port city to protect the participants of the processions and Majalis on Youm-e-Ali.
    The Sindh government on Thursday issued notifications banning pillion riding for motorcycles and scooters and the use of ?heli-cams? for media coverage on the occasion. 


  11. Waqas Dar
    Johannes Vermeer's "Young Woman Seated at a Virginal" is displayed as part of the Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection exhibition at China's National Museum in Beijing - AFP BEIJING: Standing in a dimly-lit gallery space in China's National Museum, the owner of the world's only privately-held Vermeer gazed at the small oil painting for a long moment, before showing it to the assembled press.
    Since American billionaire Tom Kaplan purchased the piece in 2008, it has spent most of its time on loan to various museums around the world.
    When the investor -- who made his fortune betting on precious metals and natural gas -- and his wife began buying up works by 17th century Dutch painters in 2003, their goal was to take "paintings from the private domain and return them to the public", he said.
    Now the collection is set to find its biggest audience yet when a selection of around 70 of its more than 250 works goes on show from Saturday through September 3 just steps from the mausoleum of Communist China's founder Mao Zedong on Tiananmen Square.
    China is the first stop on a world tour of the works, known as the Leiden Collection after the Dutch town where many of its contributors plied their trade during the European nation's golden age.
    After three months in Beijing, the exhibition will move to a private museum in Shanghai before heading to Russia and then the United Arab Emirates.
    The National Museum, according to officials, has passed the Louvre to become the world's most visited, and if all goes according to plan, the exhibition will see hundreds of thousands of visitors flood through its doors.
    While the Vermeer is a showstopper, the exhibit is built around the Kaplans' collection of 11 Rembrandts and focuses on the artist's evolution and influence on his contemporaries.
    It is a major step towards achieving the couple's goal of promoting the Dutch master's legacy to an international audience, an effort which Kaplan believes will be greatly boosted by a positive reception in China.
    "The cultural influence of China is going to multiply in the next decade," he said, adding that the painter's future will "be very different depending on the way China reacts to his art".
    "The country will hopefully embrace Rembrandt for the genius he is."
    'Beauty is truth'
    Kaplan expresses a fervent belief in the transformative power of art, promoting his favourite painter with an almost missionary zeal.
    The investor discovered the artist during a visit to the New York Museum of Metropolitan Art when he was six years old, sparking a life-long obsession with the Dutch master.
    He and his wife began collecting Rembrandts after a chance encounter in 2003 with a renowned art expert, who informed him that many of the paintings remained in private hands and were available for purchase.
    The couple soon began snatching up works from the era, buying "on average a painting a week for five years," Kaplan said.
    He believes Rembrandt's power lies in his universality and the revolutionary message hidden in his work: "Beauty is truth. It's humanity. That's our salvation."
    Rembrandt lived in an era when the Netherlands was a global trading powerhouse in the 17th century, something that should resonate with many Chinese visitors to the exhibition, who are grappling with their own country's sudden access to wealth.
    "We believe very strongly that perhaps uniquely Rembrandt can serve as (a) bridge," he said.
    "(Rembrandt) is truly a universal artist from whose DNA we've seen art all over the world be able to find its freedom and liberation."
    Beware of riches
    As attendees leave the exhibition, they will be confronted by a wall of paintings captioned with an admonition to "Beware of Riches."
    It is a timely, if perhaps unintentional, warning for a country that is grappling with rampant corruption, as well as a spiritual malaise linked to what many see as increasingly pervasive materialism.
    While the exhibition is expected to receive a warm welcome in China, the underlying message might find a less eager audience.
    The concept of "universal values" is not a popular one in modern China, where the government of President Xi Jinping has demonstrated an almost reflexive distaste for the kinds of "Western" ideals Kaplan embraces.
    But the billionaire has no interest in lecturing. Rembrandt, he said, speaks for himself.


  12. Waqas Dar
    Pakistani human rights activist Mukhtar Mai (C) receives a standing ovation as she takes the stage following a performance of the opera. Photo: AFP LOS ANGELES: Fifteen years after her horrific gang rape by a local clan in her village in Pakistan, Mukhtar Mai is reliving her ordeal -- and courageousness -- through a US opera inspired by her story.
    "I was very emotional when I first started watching it and began reliving the incident in my mind," Mai, 37, told AFP on Friday, after attending the Los Angeles premiere of "Thumbprint."
    Kamala Sankaram (L) portrays Pakistani women´s right activist Mukhtar Mai in the opera. Photo: AFP "But then as the opera progressed, it became easier to watch and I felt more courage," she said in Urdu, speaking through a translator.
    The opera, by composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Susan Yankowitz, recounts Mai´s 2002 rape and her decision to defy her attackers and take them to court -- an unusual move in male-dominated society, where a woman who suffers such a crime often commits suicide rather than endure the stigma and shame associated with it.
    "Thumbprint" first opened in New York in 2014 but Mai had never seen the opera. She traveled this week from her home in the remote Pakistani village of Meerwala to attend the West Coast premiere.
    While the story onstage ends when Mai´s rapists have been sentenced to death, in reality her attackers walk free -- seemingly going about their daily life with total impunity after their sentences were overturned on appeal.
    The men had raped Mai -- with the approval of the village council -- as a punishment after her 12-year-old brother was falsely accused of having an illicit relationship with a woman from the dominant clan in the village.
    Pakistani human rights activist Mukhtar Mai receives a standing ovation as she takes the stage following a performance of the opera. Photo: AFP "My rapists live across from my house and I try not to cross paths with them," said Mai, who used compensation money from her case to start several schools and a women´s shelter in her village. "When I walk past, they taunt me and make catcalls."
    In an added strange twist to her story, the children of her rapists attend her school, and the daughters of some of the village elders who ordered her rape have sought refuge at her shelter.
    "Even though some members of my own family were outraged, I told them I could not turn away the kids as the school is here to serve everyone in the community," she said.
    Mai, who married in 2009 and has three children, acknowledged that her story had empowered women in her village and beyond, giving them courage to stand for their rights.
    But she said she held little hope that the legal system in her country would ever render her justice.
    "All four of the men who raped me and the two village elders who ordered the rape are free," she said. "And they will only learn that what they did is a crime if they are punished."
    Daily threats
    She said she had grown tired of being the woman everyone points to because of her ordeal, in contrast to her rapists who are unconcerned and will likely never pay for their crime.
    Kamala Sankaram (C) portrays Pakistani women´s rights activist Mukhtar Mai in the opera. Photo: AFP "I am the one who is always interviewed and put forward in this case," she sighed. "Why doesn´t anyone confront them, why doesn´t anyone point them out in the street and say, ´These are the people who committed horrific acts against Mukhtar Mai?´"
    She said she receives threatening messages daily on her telephone, Facebook page or in person and is now afraid for the safety of her children.
    "I have reported nearly 35 such threatening calls and incidents and only one person was arrested, but even he was let out on bail," she said. "I want to make it known that if anything happens to me or my children and family members, the Pakistani government is responsible."
    As for the opera inspired by her story, she doubts it could ever be shown in Pakistan, where it would certainly hit a nerve.
    But, she said, "I would like it to be shown everywhere."
    "And I would like for the people who committed this crime to be identified and come face to face with what they did."


  13. Waqas Dar
    Amir celebrates after taking a wicket against Sri Lanka  LONDON: Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir believes he is ?fast gaining fitness? ahead of the Champions Trophy final against arch-rivals India.
    The 25-year-old left-armer missed Pakistan?s shock eight-wicket semi-final win over tournament hosts England in Cardiff on Wednesday with a back spasm.
    But after bowling in the nets at the Oval ? the venue for Sunday?s final ? on Friday, Amir told AFP: ?I am fast gaining fitness.
    ?I bowled in the nets and felt no discomfort and since we have one more day (to prepare) I hope the recovery will be complete,? explained Amir, who took none for 32 in Pakistan?s 124-run defeat by India in the teams? tournament opener at Edgbaston on June 4.
    ?I look forward to playing as it?s a big occasion,? added Amir, now firmly back in the international fold after his career was halted by a ban and jail sentence for his part in a 2010 spot-fixing scam during a Test against England at Lord?s.
    Amir, who took two wickets, including that of all-time batting great Sachin Tendulkar, when Pakistan beat India at Centurion in the 2009 Champions Trophy, starred with both bat and ball in the virtual quarter-final victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Monday.
    He took two for 53 in 10 overs as Sri Lanka were held to 236 and then made an unbeaten 28 as he and Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed (61 not out) steered their side to a tense three-wicket win with an unbroken stand of 75.
    But he was hardly missed on Wednesday, with fellow left-arm paceman Rumman Raees, despite making his one-day international debut, taking two for 44 as England were skittled out for just 211.
    Amir, however, has once again become a mainstay of the Pakistan team since returning to the side early in 2016, appearing in 47 of the team?s 57 matches across all international formats following his comeback.
    As well as bowling in the nets on Friday, Amir received treatment from the Pakistan team physiotherapist and bowling coach Azhar Mahmood told reporters: ?He bowled today without any problem whatsoever.
    ?The back spasm took two days to get over, and he?s better now,? the former Pakistan all-rounder added.
    ?We will go with Amir if he is fit. But we don?t mind ? if he is not fit, then we move on with Rumman Raees.?
    Azhar added: ?We have the bench strength. Last match, when Amir was not there, people were worried about our main strike bowler not playing.
    ?But the way Rumman Raees came in and bowled, it showed we have the bench strength.
    ?We have guys who have such skill and such an ability that they can perform on any stage. It is just a matter of self-belief and confidence. I think anyone can replace anyone.? 


  14. Waqas Dar
    Rain and dust-thunderstorm with gusty winds is expected at isolated places. Photo: Reuters/file  Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country for the next 24 hours, according to Pakistan Metereological (Met) Department.
    Moreover, a weak seasonal low is lying over northeast Balochistan. However, a shallow westerly wave is still affecting Kashmir and its adjoining areas.
    Rain and dust-thunderstorm with gusty winds is expected at isolated places in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, DG Khan, DI Khan, Multan, Zhob divisions, FATA, Islamabad and Kashmir.
    While thunderstorm and light rain/drizzle is expected at few places along Sindh and Makran coast.
    Past weather:
    Weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country. However, rain-thunderstorm with gusty winds occurred at isolated places in Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Hazara divisions and Kashmir.
    Rainfall (mm):
    Kashmir: Punjab: Sialkot (AP 05, City 04), Gujranwala 04,Gujrat 01, KP: Balakot 01.
    Yesterday?s highest temperatures:
    Moenjodaro 50°C, Dadu 49°C, Nokkundi, Dalbandin, Larkana48°C, Sibi 47°C. 
    Data courtesy: Pakistan Metereological (Met) Department


  15. Waqas Dar
    That fateful scoop - Misbah-ul-Haq scoops Joginder Sharma off what was the final ball of the match, India v Pakistan, ICC World Twenty20 final, Johannesburg, September 24, 2007 - Getty Images LONDON: Those hoping for a thrilling Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan at the Oval on Sunday may take heart from the only other occasion the arch-rivals have met in the climax of a major ICC world event.

    Twenty20, pioneered as a professional sport in the English county game, was still in its global infancy a decade ago, when Johannesburg hosted the 2007 World Twenty20 final, with many players inclined to treat it as just a bit of fun compared to the more serious business of one-day internationals and Test matches.
    The New Zealand team even took to wearing 'retro' kits and sporting 'comedy' facial hair in T20 internationals.
    But the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa was arguably the moment cricket's newest kid on the block achieved sporting adulthood.
    There had been concerns among many Indian officials about the impact of Twenty20, amid fears its abbreviated time frame might lead to a reduction in commercial revenues from ODIs, with sponsors, and therefore broadcasters, unwilling to commit funds in similarly vast quantities to a much shorter game.
    But just as India's shock defeat of the West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord´s sparked a shift in focus from Test to ODIs in the world´s second-most populous nation and thus, eventually, in global cricket as a whole, so the 2007 World Twenty20 final is now seen as something of a staging post.
    India celebrate their title win as MIsbah-ul-Haq sinks to his knees in the background, India v Pakistan ICC World T20 final, Johannesburg, September 24, 2007 - AFP Classic

    The match itself, which followed India's 'bowl out' win after a group stage tie with Pakistan, was a classic.
    India fought hard to get to 157 for five before some excellent bowling left Pakistan seemingly down and out, with 54 needed to win off 24 balls and a mere three wickets in hand.
    Yet Misbah-ul-Haq revived the contest by thumping off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for three sixes.
    Come the last over, Pakistan needed 13 to win with Misbah on strike but only one wicket now standing.
    Then India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni -- who will be in action again on Sunday -- gave the ball to the inexperienced Joginder Sharma, who bowled a wide.
    Misbah then hit a full toss for six and victory was within Pakistan´s grasp as they now needed six more runs off the remaining four balls.
    But Misbah, moving across his stumps, failed to connect properly with a scoop down to fine leg -- now a commonplace shot but in 2007 still daringly unorthodox -- and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth held a catch at short fine leg to spark scenes of jubilation among millions of India fans worldwide.
    A couple of months after the final, the ´rebel´ Twenty20 Indian Cricket League (ICL) was launched.
    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), unhappy at what it saw as a threat to its power, imposed lifetime bans on players joining the ICL and a year later launched the Indian Premier League, which effectively killed off its domestic rival.
    Now the IPL attracts the world´s best players and, in some cases, allows them to turn their back on Test cricket and still enjoy hugely lucrative careers -- something that would have seemed far-fetched only a generation earlier.
    The ICL may have forced the BCCI´s hand but without the catalyst of a thrilling win in a major international final, and over Pakistan as well, would Twenty20 have taken off with fans and officials alike in India, cricket´s economic powerhouse, in quite the same way?


  16. Waqas Dar
    John Avildsen, the Oscar-winning director who made Hollywood's quintessential underdog story in 1976 boxing saga "Rocky" with a then-unknown Sylvester Stallone, and crafted another inspiring tale in "The Karate Kid," died Friday at age 81, his family said.
    Avildsen had been suffering pancreatic cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his son, Anthony, said by phone.
    Avildsen won the Academy Award for best director for "Rocky" while the film was named best picture and other successes included the "The Karate Kid" series in the 1980s. He directed seven actors to Oscar nominations.
    In the years before "Rocky," Avildsen won praise for two dark character studies: "Joe" (1970) with Peter Boyle and Susan Sarandon and "Save the Tiger" (1973) starring Jack Lemmon, who won the Academy Award for best actor for the role.
    He also had his share of career setbacks, directing some clunkers and being fired as director of 1970s classics "Saturday Night Fever" and "Serpico" because of disputes with producers.
    "Rocky" proved to be as much of an underdog success story as the fictional Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa portrayed by Stallone, who wrote the screenplay. Stallone was an obscure actor at the time but stubbornly refused to allow studios to cast anyone but himself in the role. Producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler consented to let him take the role under Avildsen's guidance.
    "Rocky" was made for a modest $1 million and generated $225 million in ticket sales to became a cultural phenomenon, with a series of unforgettable characters and scenes and a blend of romance with pugilistic action.
    The film centers on charismatic champion Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, plucking Balboa, known as "The Italian Stallion," from obscurity for a dream shot at the world heavyweight boxing title.
    Rocky, who earns money as a collector for a loan shark, falls in love with the mousy Adrian (Talia Shire), the sister of his miserable friend Paulie (Burt Young), and gets help from a gruff trainer named Mickey (Burgess Meredith) who long felt Rocky had wasted his considerable potential.
    Avildsen took the "Rocky" job only because funding fell through for another movie he was set to direct.
    "My friend sent me this ("Rocky") script and got me to read it," Avildsen told the Birmingham, Alabama, News in 2000. "And on the third page, this guy is talking to his turtles, and I was hooked. It was a great character study."
    There were low expectations.
    "It had to be done in 28 days for less than a million bucks, and nobody bothered you because there was so little money involved," Avildsen said. "There was no anticipation of it being anything but on the bottom bill of a drive-in in East Podunk."
    "Rocky" was nominated for 10 Oscars and won three, with Stallone taking the best actor award.
    In accepting the Oscar for best director in March 1977, Avildsen told the audience, "I guess what 'Rocky' did was give a lot of people hope and there was never a better feeling than doing that."
    Avildsen's professional stumbles included tangling with stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd on the comedy "Neighbors" (1981), then made the crass male-stripper movie "A Night in Heaven" (1983).
    His next film, "The Karate Kid" in 1984, triumphed with an underdog theme similar to "Rocky" as a bullied teenager played by Ralph Macchio overcame the odds with the help of a wise martial arts master, played by Pat Morita. He also directed "Karate Kid" sequels in 1986 and 1989.
    Avildsen returned to the "Rocky" franchise to direct the critically panned "Rocky V" (1990) about a protégé who turns on Rocky. Avildsen intended for the Rocky character to die in the film but studio bosses disagreed.
    "They told me James Bond doesn't die. Superman doesn't die. Rocky doesn't die," Avildsen told USA Today in 2014. "So Rocky didn't die. But the movie died."
    Avildsen also directed Burt Reynolds in the likable caper "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" (1975), George C. Scott and Marlon Brando in the thriller "The Formula" (1980), Morgan Freeman in school drama "Lean on Me" (1989) and the apartheid tale "The Power of One" (1992).
    Avildsen was born on Dec. 21, 1935, in Oak Park, Illinois. After serving in the military, he made industrial films for companies and worked as an assistant to directors, including Otto Preminger before directing his first film in 1969, "Turn On to Love."


  17. Waqas Dar
    Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio confirmed Friday that he has turned over an Oscar won by Marlon Brando, along with other gifts, amid an inquiry into a multibillion-dollar money-laundering scheme involving a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
    US authorities are seeking to recover billions in money and assets allegedly embezzled by businessmen with political connections in Malaysia. The scandal has rocked the Malaysian governing class, exposing Prime Minister Najib Razak to allegations of corruption, which he has denied.
    A spokesman for DiCaprio said in a statement that the 42-year-old actor had contacted the US Justice Department last July after learning of a civil action against "certain parties involved in the making of 'The Wolf of Wall Street,'" a movie in which DiCaprio starred.
    He offered to surrender to US authorities any gifts "from the parties named in the civil complaint."
    DiCaprio "initiated return of these items," said the statement provided to AFP. It said he did so before the US government on Thursday filed a new complaint that cited the Red Granite production company behind "The Wolf of Wall Street."
    "He has also returned an Oscar originally won by Marlon Brando, which was given to Mr DiCaprio as a set gift by Red Granite to thank him for his work on "The Wolf of Wall Street.'"
    Jets, apartments and royalties

    US authorities announced Thursday that they intended to seize more than a half-billion dollars in additional assets acquired with money embezzled from the 1MDB Malaysian sovereign fund, at the heart of a vast international scandal.
    Those assets include a $261 million yacht purchased by Malaysian businessman Jho Low, as well as paintings by Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat; and the royalties of "Dumb and Dummer To" and "Daddy's Home."
    Those films were also produced by Red Granite, a Los Angeles company co-founded by Riza Aziz, son-in-law of Razak.
    In a statement received Friday, Red Granite said it was in "active" discussions with the Justice Department.
    The US authorities first moved in July 2016 to recover some $1 billion in assets, including private jets, luxury apartments and royalties from "The Wolf of Wall Street."
    The Justice Department said those assets had been acquired as part of an "international conspiracy" intended to launder billions of dollars embezzled from 1MDB, or 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a public fund created in 2009. Razak is its advisory chair.
    Razak created the fund shortly after coming to power in 2009, saying it would help modernise the country.
    1MDB now carries debt of some 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion). The prime minister and fund officials have consistently denied any wrongdoing.


  18. Waqas Dar
    China successfully launched on Thursday its first X-ray space telescope to study black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts, state media reported.
    A Long March-4B rocket carried the 2.5-tonne telescope into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi Desert at 11:00 am (3:00 GMT), according to the official Xinhua news agency.
    The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), named Insight, will allow Chinese scientists to observe magnetic fields and the interiors of pulsars and better understand the evolution of black holes.
    It will also help scientists search for gamma-ray bursts corresponding to gravitational waves and study how to pulsars can be used for spacecraft navigation, Xinhua said.
    "We are looking forward to discovering new activities of black holes and studying the state of neutron stars under extreme gravity and density conditions, and physical laws under extreme magnetic fields," Xinhua quoted HXMT lead scientist Zhang Shuangnan as saying.
    "These studies are expected to bring new breakthroughs in physics," Zhang added.
    The telescope will seek out new black hole activity by repeatedly scanning the Milky Way for active celestial bodies that emit X-rays.
    Black holes are usually undetectable, but when matter falls into a black hole, it is accelerated and heated, emitting X-rays in the process, Zhang explained.
    Compared with other countries' space telescopes, HXMT has a larger detection area and broader energy range -- providing advantages in finding black holes and neutron stars that emit bright X-rays -- and making scanning the galaxy more efficient, according to Zhang.
    Very bright objects have a large number of photon particles, which can result in image over-exposure, but HXMT designers solved the problem by diffusing photons instead of focusing them.
    "No matter how bright the sources are, our telescope won't be blinded," chief designer Chen Yong said.
    Beijing sees its multi-billion-dollar space programme as a symbol of its rise and of the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.
    In April, China's first cargo spacecraft successfully docked with an orbiting space lab -- a key development toward China's goal of having its own crewed space station by 2022.
    Last month, China opened a "Lunar Palace" laboratory on Earth to simulate a moon-like environment and house students for up to 200 days as the country prepares for its long-term goal of sending humans to the natural satellite.


  19. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Youm-e-Ali is being observed across the city to mark the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (RA) and processions are being taken out amid strict security.
    In Karachi, the MA Jinnah Road was blocked for traffic and police was deployed on the route of the Youm-e-Ali procession.
    The Sindh government on Thursday issued notifications banning pillion riding for motorcycles and scooters and the use of ?heli-cams? for media coverage on the occasion on Youm-e-Ali.
    Over 5,570 police personnel and officers were deployed across the city to protect the participants of the processions and Majalis.
    Moreover, cellular services are also expected to be suspended in the city in light of Youm-e-Ali.
    The main procession in Karachi will be taken out from Nishtar Park up till Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.




  20. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Shahid Aslam ? the Project Director of the city's new airport ? has allegedly gone missing, Geo News reported.
    Aslam, who left home at 8:30 PM the previous night, has still not returned 24 hours later, a report filed by the official's brother-in-law in the Margalla police station revealed.
    Report of missing person was filed by Aslam's brother-in-law late Friday night.
    It is noteworthy that both of Aslam's phones appear to have been powered off, Geo News said. Security officials stated that his unusual disappearance is now under investigation.


  21. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: A 13-year-old boy working as a domestic servant in the federal capital was allegedly abused on Friday by his employer over the accusation of robbery.
    According to police, a resident of Shalimar Sector F called 15 on Friday evening to report that her servant stole from the house and should be arrested.
    Upon arrival on scene, police found the child with his mother and two brothers present alongside.

    The 13-year-old Ramzan had deep bruises above his eye, said police.
    After taking the child into custody, police shifted Ramzan to PIMS hospital for medical, where he underwent CT scan and X-ray.
    Police said that they have launched investigation on the matter, and will take further action after the medical report.





  22. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Two suspects were taken into police custody during a search operation conducted here in Sukhhan late Friday night, Geo News reported.
    Security officials recovered weapons, motorcycle, mobile phones, and contraband from the arrested suspects, police added.
    In another operation late Friday night, police sealed the entry and exit points of Metroville and Pathan Colony.
    The search operation, which was carried out following an anonymous tip, was mainly against criminals and illegal residents, police said.


  23. Waqas Dar
    Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave the club and Spain after being accused of committing tax fraud in the country, a report in Portuguese sports daily A Bola said on Friday.
    The newspaper said its story was based on a reliable source and that the 32-year-old four-times world player of the year had already made up his mind to ask the club for a transfer.
    It said that Ronaldo was "deeply disenchanted" with the allegations against him.
    Record, another sports daily, carried a similar story.
    Ronaldo's agents could not immediately be reached for comment.
    Spanish prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against the player accusing him of defrauding tax authorities of 14.7 million euros ($16.5 million) by hiding his image rights income between 2011 and 2014. Ronaldo has denied any wrongdoing.
    Real Madrid said on Thursday they were confident the Portuguese forward had acted legally. They could not immediately be reached on Friday to comment on the report.
    Ronaldo led Real Madrid to their 12th European Cup earlier this month after scoring two goals in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final, becoming the tournament's top scorer.
    Ronaldo, Portugal's all-time leading scorer, is the latest in a long line of soccer players in Spain -- among them Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Neymar -- to be caught up in cases over tax or transfers.
    Ronaldo has completed eight seasons at Real Madrid since joining them from Manchester United in 2009 for a then world record fee of 96 million euros
    During that time, they have won the Champions League three times and La Liga twice. In November, he agreed to extend his contract until 2021.
    He is currently at the Confederations Cup in Russia with the Portuguese national team where his teammate Andre Silva said that Ronaldo was motivated for the tournament.
    "All I can say is that he is motivated, focused on the national team and encouraging us on to win the tournament," he told a news conference in Kazan, where Portugal face Mexico on Sunday.


  24. Waqas Dar
    An odd-looking electric boat taxi whose inventor believes it could be an eco-friendly transport solution for cities worldwide was put to the test in Paris for the first time Friday.
    The brainchild of French yachtsman Alain Thebault, the aerodynamic Sea Bubble made no noise and no waves as it took a star turn on the River Seine with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo aboard.
    "It was a perfect flight," Thebault, 54, said after putting the prototype through its paces between the Eiffel Tower and the Musee d'Orsay.
    The white craft skimmed about half a metre (20 inches) over the Seine, executing turns while pausing occasionally to yield to passing ducks.
    "It's quiet, comfortable and fun," said Hidalgo, who has backed the project from the start and hopes it will provide an eco-friendly alternative for getting around the French capital within four years.
    The boat is similar to a hydrofoil, with fibreglass foils that deploy to hoist it into the air, powered by electric batteries, and capable of reaching the maximum allowed speed of 18 kilometres (11 miles) per hour.
    "It works like the wings of an airplane in the air. After it reaches a certain speed the Bubble lifts off," Thebault said.
    A Sea Bubble means "zero noise, zero waves and zero (carbon) emissions," he added.
    Thebault said he has received "an avalanche of requests" from cities including Miami and Seattle, Tokyo, Bangkok and no fewer than 15 cities in India.


  25. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Law enforcement officials recovered a machine gun as they dug at an unidentified house in Federal B. Area here late Friday night, Geo News reported.
    Police, which acted on a confidential tip received earlier, explained the machine gun will be sent for forensic testing, which, according to Superintendent of Police ? Gulberg Bashir Brohi, will help them understand any previous operations the recovered item was used in.
    While police did surround the bungalow as they carried out the operation, no one was inside, and thus, no arrests were made. However, a search is underway for the house owners, the SP stated.
    The tip, based on which the raid was initiated, had claimed there were ammunition and weapons and buried around the house, the SP said.


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