News & Updates

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Monday conducted successful test-launch of Intermediate Range Shaheen-1A (Hatf-IV) Ballistic missile which is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 900 kilometres. The launch was aimed at revalidating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system. According to ISPR, Shaheen-1A with its highly accurate and indigenously-developed guidance system is one of the most accurate missile systems. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, who witnessed the launch, congratulated the scientists and engineers for their dedication, professionalism and commitment towards achieving Pakistan’s Full Spectrum Credible Minimum Deterrence Capability. He reiterated Pakistan’s desire for peaceful co-existence in the region. The naval chief appreciated the professional attributes of all concerned towards accomplishment of the sacred mission. He showed his full confidence in armed forces’ capability to safeguard security of the m...

Ceremony also maks Marine Corps 239th birthday MiraCosta College held a dual celebration for the military at its Oceanside campus Monday with a cake to recognize the 239th anniversary of the Marine Corps and a ribbon-cutting to open a new Veterans Center. The number of veterans enrolled in colleges and universities has been steadily increasing in recent years as service members return from Afghanistan and Iraq. At MiraCosta, the new 1,600-square-foot Veterans Information Center will serve about 1,500 veterans, family members and active-duty military members enrolled at the school. That’s up from about 900 in 2004, said public information office Cheryl Broom. The college kept the cost of the new center to $75,000 by using money from its general fund to refurbish the school’s old arts building, which had been slated for demolition. Furniture for the space was donated by Bill Kuhner of BKM Officeworks. “We have here a place for veterans to relax,” said MiraCosta interim Pr...

Some 8,000 helium balloons have been released into the night sky over Germany's capital at the culmination of events to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Earlier, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the fall of the wall had shown the world that dreams could come true. Tens of thousands of people attended events, including a "citizen's party" at the Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to stop people fleeing the communist East. Its fall in 1989 became a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War. The white balloons - perched on 3.6m poles to match the height of the wall and stretching for 15km (nine miles) - were released one by one to symbolise the breaching of the wall by crowds of protesters. The Berlin State Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim played Beethoven's Ninth Symphony "Ode to Joy" in front of the Brandenburg Gate. "We're the happiest people in the world and we're thrilled that you...

Chris Nolan’s  Interstellar  topped the Friday box office with a $17 million, giving it $19.15 million since Tuesday night. Disney’s animated  Big Hero 6  earned a terrific $15.83 million and will probably top the charts for the weekend.  As expected, it was a pretty big Friday for both new releases. Chris Nolan’s  Interstellar  had a somewhat odd unique schedule, going out in 249 film-only theaters and racking up around $2.15 million prior to its national roll-out on Thursday at 8:00pm, where it grabbed another $2.7m from pre-release previews. So when I tell you that the film earned $17m on “Friday,” I’m including the $2.7m in Thursday sneaks (per usual) but not including the $2.15m in early previews over its first 48 hours. So for the moment, the Matthew McConaughey/Anne Hathaway/Jessica Chastain/Michael Caine outer-space adventure has earned $19.15m at the end of its first regular day of business. This is all worth clarifying becau...

Macaulay Culkin has once again died — at least, according to a death hoax spreading online. The troubled actor, who at one point was reportedly entrenched in heroin addiction that friends feared he had only months to live, is once again the subject of a hoax claiming that he was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. News that Macaulay Culkin had allegedly died spread quickly on Facebook and Twitter, with users linking to a story on something called MSNBC.website.com (which is entirely separate from the real MSNBC). The report read: Sources are reporting that Macaulay Culkin, best known for his role as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has been found dead at the age of 34. Multiple unconfirmed reports say Culkin was found dead Friday afternoon in his Manhattan apartment after police responded to a wellness check requested by a family member. At least one occupant of the Manhattan apartment confirmed the apartment bel...

Beth doesn’t plan to stick around this episode. All right, “Walking Dead,” we get it — there is no sanctuary, anywhere. Besides some brief, bucolic moments on Hershel’s Farm and in the prison (also under Hershel’s watch), every other community that we’ve stumbled across in this grave new world (Woodbury, Terminus and now Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta) has snakes in the grass. The more people you cram together, the more deranged they seem to get. Of course, compared to the cannibals at Terminus, waking up to indentured servitude in a hospital police state is almost cozy. Except for those handsy officers — I guess comely little wards like Beth (Emily Kinney) are supposed to consider sexual assault and possible rape as a small price to pay for being kept “safe.” HMO-no! So this week’s episode of “Lost” — sorry, “Dead” — begins with a close-up of Beth’s eyes opening some indeterminate period of time after she and Daryl were attacked by walkers and separated last season. ...

Week 9 winners Ben Roethlisberger : No quarterback in the NFL is hotter — his 12 TD passes  over a two-game span  are a league record. Big Ben also stood tall, per usual, against a brutal Ravens pass rush Sunday night. Cardinals defense : It hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season, and the victims now include Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray, who managed just 79 yards on the ground after topping the century mark eight consecutive times, a record to start a season. Beast Mode : Marshawn Lynch was the Seahawks' leading rusher (67 yards) and receiver (76 yards) and scored twice in a 30-24 victory against the Raiders. Whether he's gearing up for a playoff surge, ratcheting up his value if Seattle decides to cut him loose after the season or both, Lynch definitely looks like a player with plenty left to prove. Foxborough, Mass. : There's a reason Peyton Manning bellows "Omaha" instead of "Foxborough" when he audibles. The five-time MVP is now 2...