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Question remains where Saudi Arabia gained the technical know-how to build such a facility.  A military base deep inside Saudi Arabia appears to be testing and possibly manufacturing ballistic missiles, experts and satellite images suggest, evidence of the type of weapons programme it has long criticised its arch-rival Iran for possessing. Further raising the stakes for any such programme are comments by Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said last year that the  kingdom wouldn't hesitate to develop nuclear weapons  if Iran does. Ballistic missiles can carry nuclear warheads to targets thousands of kilometres away. Officials in Riyadh and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Having such a programme could further strain relations with the United States, the kingdom's longtime security partner, at a time when ties already are being tested by the  killing of  Washington Post ...

Decision taken amid concerns about foreigners visiting sensitive locations without permission. RAWALPINDI: Due to concerns about foreigners visiting sensitive locations without the permission of intelligence agencies, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has been asked to develop software which will contain all information regarding foreigners and the exact number of foreigners in the country and to share the same with law enforcement agencies. Sources said the provincial government has also been asked to maintain an updated record of foreigners to ensure a strict check on their movement and ensure their security. The decision was made in a high level meeting held in Islamabad which was attended by senior officials of the federal government and intelligence agencies. Decision was taken amid concerns about foreigners visiting sensitive locations without permission The meeting also discussed loopholes in the existing security apparatus for ...

Baidu and Microsoft's Bing are widely used search engines in China.  Microsoft's Bing search engine was inaccessible in China on Thursday, with social media users fearing it could be the latest foreign website to be blocked by censors. Attempts to open cn.bing.com has resulted in an error message for users since Wednesday, taking away the most prominent foreign search engine available in China. “We've confirmed that Bing is currently inaccessible in China and are engaged to determine next steps,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a brief statement, hours after saying the company was investigating the matter. China's Communist authorities operate an online censorship apparatus known as the “Great Firewall”, which blocks a slew of websites including Facebook, Twitter and several foreign media outlets. But it was not clear whether or not Bing had joined the list of prohibited websites, or if its China service was experiencing technical difficulti...

WhatsApp mulling ways to stop the misuse of app following global concern that it was being used to spread fake news.  In a bid to fight "misinformation and rumors", the renowned Facebook-owned messenger service WhatsApp has decided to put a limit on the number of times a user can forward a certain message,  CNBC  quoted company executives as saying. "We're imposing a limit of five messages all over the world as of today," WhatsApp’s Vice President for Policy and Communications Victoria Grand said at an event held in Jakarta. The cap on message forwarding was first introduced in India after the spread of rumors on social media led to killings and lynching attempts. Now the management has decided to extend this for users across the world. Earlier, users had the option to forward a single message to 20 individuals or groups. However, following the latest update rolled out by WhatsApp from Monday will activate the five-recipient limit. What...

All content hosted on unsecured websites is being currently handled through telecom operators and PTA itself.  Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has established a Cyber Vigilance Division (CVD) to handle complaints against unlawful online content under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). In order to handle this role, PTA has also developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for lodging complaints and their disposal has been developed accordingly. All content hosted on unsecured websites is being currently handled through telecom operators and PTA itself. On the contrary, any content which is unlawful and hosted on secured web site is handled differently. Popular social media websites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are a few examples of secured websites which are hosted outside of the physical boundaries of Pakistan. As per PTA's latest report, the authority has developed close liaison with all such platforms to honour requests made...

Pakistan signed the Basel Convention to control the trans-boundary movement of obsolete and hazardous waste from wealthy developed countries and its disposal in 1994.  ISLAMABAD: Electronic waste —mainly personal computers, monitors, televisions and wiring — imported as scrap is being burned in the open in the outskirts of the capital, polluting the ground and air. According to a source in the Ministry of Climate Change, electronic waste is being imported without following international guidelines. This is particularly alarming, he said, since Pakistan is signatory to international laws that prohibit electronic waste from being imported under the Basel Convention. Pakistan signed the Basel Convention to control the trans-boundary movement of obsolete and hazardous waste from wealthy developed countries and its disposal in 1994. The official said the convention defines electronic waste as hazardous material, and its import in bulk as scrap is prohibited. Pak...

Mexico pipeline blast kills dozens, authorities blame fuel thieves Dozens of people were killed and many more injured when a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico.   (Reuters) MEXICO CITY —  At least 66 people were killed when a fuel pipeline exploded outside Mexico City, unleashing a massive fireball after residents tapped into the duct to steal buckets of gasoline, officials said Saturday. The explosion late Friday occurred in the midst of the Mexican government’s campaign against oil theft, which costs the country about $3 billion per year. Earlier this month, Mexico’s new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, closed many of the country’s pipelines, saddling dozens of cities with an acute gasoline shortage. The governor of Hidalgo state, Omar Fayad, said Saturday the death toll had risen to at least 66. López Obrador rushed to the state of Hidalgo, where the explosion occurred, about 60...

OAHU (US): A shark researcher swims with a great white shark off the shore of Oahu, Hawaii.—AP LOS ANGELES: An enormous great white shark — believed to be one of the biggest on record — has been spotted off the coast of Hawaii by divers who took a swim with the predator. The 20-foot (six-metre) female shark — bearing similar markings as “Deep Blue,” the largest great white shark recorded — made its surprise appearance on Tuesday, joining other sharks feasting on a sperm whale carcass off Oahu. “We saw a few (tiger sharks) and then she came up and all the other sharks split, and she started brushing up against the boat,” said Ocean Ramsey, one of the divers, recounting the extraordinary encounter to the Honolulu Star Adviser. “She was just this big beautiful gentle giant wanting to use our boat as a scratching post,” added Ramsey, who swam with the shark all day and captured stunning pictures. “We went out at sunrise, and she stayed with us pretty much througho...

Nasa navigates a strict legal framework aimed at preventing technology transfer to China.— Reuters/file WASHINGTON: The space agencies of the United States and China are in touch and coordinating efforts on Moon exploration, Nasa said on Friday as it navigates a strict legal framework aimed at preventing technology transfer to China. “With the required approval from Congress, Nasa has been in discussions with China to explore the possibility of observing a signature of the landing plume of their lunar lander, Chang’e 4, using our @NASAMoon spacecraft’s instrument,” Nasa’s associate administrator for the science mission directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, said on Twitter. Zurbuchen’s tweet confirmed a similar statement made on Monday by the deputy chief commander of China Lunar Exploration Program, Wu Yanhua. Nasa shared information from a US satellite while China told the Americans about the latitude, longitude and time of the landing “in a timely manner,” he said....

The Epsilon-4 rocket lifts off from the Uchinoura space centre by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Kagoshima prefecture on January 18, 2019. ─ AFP A rocket carrying a satellite on a mission to deliver the world's first artificial meteor shower blasted into space on Friday, Japanese scientists said. A start-up based in Tokyo developed the micro-satellite for the celestial show over Hiroshima early next year as the initial experiment for what it calls a "shooting stars on demand" service. The satellite is to release tiny balls that glow brightly as they hurtle through the atmosphere, simulating a meteor shower. It hitched a ride on the small-size Epsilon-4 rocket that was launched from the Uchinoura space centre by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Friday morning. The rocket carried a total of seven ultra-small satellites that will demonstrate various "innovative" technologies, JAXA spokesman Nobuyoshi Fuj...

Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko listens to reporters' questions during a press conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on Friday.—AP Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn received nearly eight million euros in “improper payments” from a Netherlands-based joint venture, the Japanese car giant alleged on Friday, threatening to sue to recover the funds. Nissan said Ghosn entered into a personal employment contract with Nissan-Mitsubishi BV (NMBV), a company formed “with the mission of exploring and promoting synergies within the Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors partnership”. Under that contract, he received a total of 7,822,206.12 euros (including tax) in compensation and other payments of NMBV funds,” Nissan said, citing an ongoing investigation into alleged wrongdoing by Ghosn. The firm said the contract was signed without consultation with current Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa or Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko. “Nissan views the payments Ghosn received from NMBV to...