News

 BURBANK: With “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” still in the first week of its record-breaking run, the Harry Potter film franchise has now crossed the $7 billion mark worldwide, and counting. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” has earned an astounding $640.2 million worldwide in its initial week, encompassing $214.9 million domestically and $425.3 million at the international box office.

In addition, the success of the movie has propelled Warner Bros. Pictures’ combined 2011 domestic box office past $1 billion for an eleventh consecutive year, which is an industry record.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. (Reuters)

 LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis said that senior and junior players will be combined in the upcoming tours, Geo News reported.

Younis returned home from Australia after a private trip and was talking to the media at the Lahore airport.

While praising the cricket camp in Lahore, he said that it is a positive step to highlight the young talent who can benefit from such training camps. He also said that he will be concentrating on cricket now after coming back from his personal trip.

The coach said that he will request the senior players like Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram to give tips to fresh players.

Younis was hopeful that the team will deliver good performance in the coming season.

He refused to comment when asked about the case hearing of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.

 FAISALABAD: Faisalabad region is facing CNG suspension for the second day today (Friday), therefore, gas stations throughout the city are closed, Geo News reported.

The cities facing gas closure include Sargodha, Khushab, Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh and Chiniot.

Sui Gas has suspended CNG supply to the region along with industrial sector following the gas load management schedule that is causing severe trouble to the commuters.

Gas supply will resume at 6 am on July 23. The three-day loadshedding started from July 21.

 KABUL: The U.S.-led coalition says more than 50 insurgents have been killed in a military operation at a foreign fighter encampment in eastern Afghanistan.

In a statement Friday, NATO says the camp in the Sar Rawza district of Paktika province is a staging area for foreign militants and members of Haqqani network, an insurgent group affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The coalition says the fighters were moved into Afghanistan by Haqqani insurgents who planned to use them for attacks throughout the country.

The coalition says that after getting tips about the camp, coalition forces, including Afghan Special Forces, battled heavily armed insurgents Thursday night and into Friday. The insurgents fought from several sites, including caves and fortified bunkers.

 KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) parliamentary party has nominated Raza Haroon for the opposition leader slot in Sindh Assembly.

Raza Haroon said that his party would be playing the role of a real opposition and not the friendly opposition.

Earlier before the assembly session, MQM parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly Syed Sardar Ahmad talking to media said that MQM has nominated Raza Haroon as their opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly.

Raza Haroon on this occasion said, “We consider ourselves opposition, as we have tendered resignations from the ministries and added accepting the resignations is the job of the government.” He further said that we played the role of opposition even when we were part of the government.

Flaying the killings of MQM activists in Malir, Raza Haroon said that efforts were afoot to get the city conquered. He said that MQM was being ambushed once again, which his party would forcefully resist. He said that MQM would not only raise the voice within the assembly but also outside against the reprehensible efforts to destabilize the city and finally conquer it.

 KARACHI: After four days of peace, violence returned to the streets of the metropolis. Firing between two groups in Malir and Landhi led to the death of ten while sixteen others were injured, Geo News reported. Rangers were deployed to Malir to maintain law and order.

According to police, firing started in Malir on Friday morning and continued for several hours. The firing resulted in the death of six people while 12 others who were injured were taken to the Jinnah hospital. The body of a young man was taken to the Abbasi Shaeed Hospital, and according to rescue sources the bodies of two men were taken to the Sindh Government Hospital Malir.

In Mohammed Nagar an area located in Landhi 89, firing began Friday morning and one person was killed while two were injured. According to reports a hand grenade explosion also took place in this area

Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that eight workers were killed during attacks while according to Mohajir Quami Movement leader Khalid Naqshbandi, after eight years of noninterference, four of their workers while returning home were killed in Malir.

Rangers spokesman Major Bilal Farooq said that after receiving directives from the provincial government a huge contingent of Rangers has arrived in Malir to maintain peace.

 MUMBAI: After the success of 'Zindagi na milegi dobara' the films' director Zoya Akhter is considering making a sequel. Hrithik Roshan is already a step ahead of her and has already conceived a plot for the sequel.

In the film Hrithik plays Arjun who prior to the wedding of a close friend sets of on an adventure with three of his buddies.

Hrithik is certain that the sequel of the movie will be successful and says that the story will revolve around the marriage of another friend. He is hopeful that Zoya will announce the making of the sequel soon.