 Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani chairing the CCI meeting at PM Secretariat Islamabad on Tuesday. – Online Photo ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said the federal government, despite difficulties has recently released around Rs 4000 million to the provinces for the flood affectees. "In order to provide immediate fiscal support to the provinces, it has been decided to transfer funds for the devolved ministries budgeted in 2010-11 to the provinces and federal territories," he added. Welcoming Chief Ministers, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Chairman Implementation Commission and other members at the meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI) here, the Prime Minister said today’s critical issues are financing of projects being devolved to the provinces, remedial measures to meet the energy crisis, discontinuation of subsidies in view of the financial crunch and Management Outsourcing of Power Sector Entities through Public Private Partnership (PPP). It was the fourth CCI meeting after the 18th Amendment. He said, "our democratic government strongly believes in provincial autonomy and participative management both by the federation and the provinces and we have amply demonstrated this through our actions." "Addition of important subjects in the Federal Legislative list part-II, for which policy is formulated and regulated by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) under Article 154 of the Constitution, is indicative of our sincere intention to decide various matters through mutual consultation and discussions," he added. The Prime Minister expressed his immense satisfaction that provinces through CCI are participating in major policy formulation on issues of national importance. He said the 7th NFC Award provides for allocation of more than 50% funds of the central pool to the provinces resulting in uplift of economy of the federating units. He further said that expenses in the war against terror, rising prices of oil in the international market and recent floods in the country have adversely affected finances of the federation as a result of which the government had to scale down its development activities. The Prime Minister pointed out the country is facing acute energy shortage especially in the winter season when the utilization of gas increases manifold. He said, "we need to encourage these companies to invest in Pakistan by providing additional incentives which will make their ventures economically viable." He said companies which have international credibility should be encouraged and selected through a transparent system. The Prime Minister said that another burning issue is rationalization of the subsidies, as with the present meager resources of GDP, it is very difficult for the federal government to continue with these even for agricultural tube wells. He mentioned that majority of the farmers are using diesel tubewells and subsidy to electric tubewells is causing a sense of discrimination. He asked the CCI for taking a decision on this issue. The Prime Minister said the government will watch the interest of public with its share in the strategic management and the modalities of public private partnership in privatized entities. He mentioned that the experience of handing over the strategic management to the private sector with reference to Karachi Electric Supply Company and PTCL has posed some challenges and at times the government has had to step in to resolve the issues. The Prime Minister expressed his commitment to help the provinces in handling their new responsibilities. – APP |
2011-02-01
Rs 4000 m released to provinces for flood affectees: Gilani
PM dispels impression about pressure for Davis’ release
 PM Gilani in meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani at PM Secretariat in Islamabad. Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain also present on the occasion.—APP ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday dispelled the impression that his government was under pressure to release the American citizen, Raymond Davis, involved in the killing of three citizens in Lahore. He was talking to Chief Ministers of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Sindh Qaim Ali Shah, Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani and Information Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mian Iftikhar Hussain who met him on sidelines of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting at the PM House in Islamabad. Gilani said that the rule of law is supreme in the country and no one is above the law. The matter is sub judice and we will respect the law of the land, he added. |
World must demand Egypt respect Israel peace: PM
 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak to the press prior to attending a joint dinner in Jerusalem, on January 31, 2011. – Photo by AFP JERUSALEM: The international community must demand that any future Egyptian government that takes power respect the 30-year peace treaty with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday. "Israel believes that the international community must demand that any Egyptian government must preserve the peace treaty with Israel," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. His comment came as Egypt battles a momentous tide of civil unrest, with hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak who has long been Israel’s closest ally in the region. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu held a meeting Tuesday with the heads of the country’s intelligence and security services and members of his inner cabinet. The meeting, an annual review, had been scheduled before the outbreak of protests in Egypt, but it focused heavily on the events unfolding in Israel’s southern neighbour, the reports said. Officials confirmed that Netanyahu held "security consultations," but declined to provide further details. Since the protests began last week, Israel has stressed its focus is to preserve regional stability and its peaceful relations with Egypt, with which it signed a treaty in 1979. Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel after four wars, initiating three decades of quiet on Israel’s southern border. Since then Cairo has played a key role in mediating between Israel and the rest of the Arab world and the Palestinians in particular. Netanyahu has held frequent meetings with Mubarak since coming to office in 2009, more than any other world leader. As such Israel has been hesitant to support the pro-democracy protests in Egypt. Promoting democracy in the region could advance peace but it could also be exploited by extremist forces which would have the opposite effect, he said in a reference to Israel’s fears that an Iran-style regime could arise in Egypt. "Israel is a democracy and encourages the advancement of democracy in the Middle East," Netanyahu said. "But if this allows extremist forces to exploit the democratic process to come to power and further their anti-democratic goals, as we have seen in Iran and other places, the results will be damaging to peace and to democracy."Netanyahu had on Monday raised the spectre of an Iranian-style regime led by extremists arising out of the chaos sweeping through Egypt. In Iran, mass protests against the Western-backed shah erupted in January 1978 and he was forced out a year later, leaving a power vacuum that was grasped by the exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who returned to set up the Islamic republic. Since then, the Tehran regime has become Israel’s most virulent enemy, with its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly predicting the demise of the Jewish state. – AFP |
Taliban frees six tribal elders: official
 Afghan Taliban. – Photo by Reuters (File) KABUL: Taliban militants have freed six out of 21 tribal elders kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan close Pakistan’s lawless border area around ten days ago, a provincial police chief said Tuesday. A local official told AFP Monday that a group of the rebels had kidnapped the elders in Kunar province, near the Pakistani border where Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked networks have carved out strongholds. Taliban commander, Qari Zia-ur-Rahman, told AFP via a text message that the elders were abducted because "some relatives, sons and close family members of these men, work in the Afghan army, Afghan police and some with NATO". Provincial police chief Khalilulah Zeyayee confirmed that "six elders were released by Taliban" on Monday night with the help of a tribal community council. Negotiations were ongoing for the release of the remaining hostages, he said adding no concessions had been made to Taliban demands. Qari Zia-ur-Rahman initially said the militants would not release the elders until their sons and relatives "resign their jobs with the army, police and NATO." – AFP |
Mexico complains about BBC show’s “offensive” slurs
 In this undated handout photo issued by the BBC, US actors Tom Cruise left, and Cameron Diaz, centre, are welcomed by British television presenter Jeremy Clarkson during the filming of an episode of the programme Top Gear, Friday, July 23, 2010. – Photo by AP LONDON: Mexico’s ambassador in London has written a furious letter to BBC bosses to complain about "offensive and xenophobic" comments made by presenters of the popular TV motoring show "Top Gear". Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora was infuriated by "insults" made by presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May during Sunday’s episode of the cult show, which has been sold to television channels around the world. "Why would you want a Mexican car? Because cars reflect national characteristics don’t they?," said Hammond as they discussed the Mexican sports car, the Mastretta. "Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat." The trio then described Mexican food as "refried sick" before suggesting Mexicans spent all day asleep. "That’s why we won’t get any complaints about this because at the Mexican embassy the ambassador’s going to be sitting there with a remote control like this," said Clarkson, pretending to slump in a chair, snoring. – Reuters |
India ready for World Cup pressure cooker: Dhoni
 Dhoni poses for a photograph during a press conference in Mumbai.—AFP MUMBAI: India are ready to deal with the pressure of being World Cup hosts in a cricket-mad country, their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Tuesday. India’s 1.15 billion people will put aside everything else to follow their team in the Feb. 19-April 2 tournament, hoping Dhoni can emulate Kapil Dev’s feat of leading the team to the 1983 World Cup title. "For a change, we won’t be considered as underdogs," Dhoni told reporters. "Most of the places we go to, there is plenty of pressure on us and what we have done in the past two or three years is we have changed the meaning of pressure and responsibility." Dhoni said the Indian players were not thinking about things beyond their control. "It is very important to play every game in the right frame of mind and that is what we are focusing on," he said. "I never predict when it comes to cricket. We will just try and give it our best shot." Happy with the composition of his squad, Dhoni does not feel India were wrong to omit left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. "We also don’t have an extra wicketkeeper in the squad because we tried to accommodate one utility player," Dhoni said. "But right now what is important is those 15 players who are selected… Those are the ones who will have (to make) an impact on the World Cup." India are in the tournament’s Group B and play their first match against Bangladesh on Feb. 19. |
Student arrested for ‘blasphemous’ exam answer
 A supporter of a religious party holds a placard during a rally in support of Pakistan's blasphemy laws in Lahore January 30, 2011. – Photo by Reuters KARACHI: Police have arrested a 17-year old Pakistani boy for writing an allegedly blasphemous remark in an examination paper, an officer said Tuesday. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have come under intense scrutiny since the murder of a prominent politician last month who had campaigned to change them. They allow for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of insulting Islam. Critics say they are often used to settle scores and unfairly target the country’s non-Muslim minorities. School authorities lodged a police complaint against the boy, identified as Sami Ullah, in January after reading an examination paper he took in the city of Karachi, said police officer Qudrat Shah Lodhi. Lodhi said he could not repeat what the boy, who is a Muslim, had written because he would be committing blasphemy if he did. He said the boy told police he wrote the blasphemous material out of frustration when he was not able to answer the exam question. ”He submitted an apology to the examination authorities and feels ashamed and depressed,” Lodhi said He said Ullah had been placed in police custody while officers investigated the case. No one has been put to death for blasphemy, and most times guilty verdicts are overturned on appeal. But there have been several documented cases of mobs killing people accused of blasphemy. Critics have said the laws either need to be repealed or amended to stop them from being abused or applied frivolously. But Pakistan’s powerful clerical class have campaigned against any change in the laws, and portrayed their critics as being anti-Islam _ a potent charge in this Muslim-majority nation. – AP |
Pakistan to repatriate citizens from Egypt
 Passengers wait for check-in at Cairo's international airport. Cairo's international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt.—AP ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday ordered a special plane to be dispatched to Cairo to repatriate non-essential staff from its embassy and any of its citizens who wish to leave as the Egyptian revolt deepens. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ordered the defence ministry to dispatch the "special aircraft" to Cairo to bring back families and non-essential staff of the embassy, his office said. The aircraft will also evacuate all Pakistanis, including stranded tourists, who wish to leave Egypt. Islamabad expects around 200 Pakistanis to be airlifted home from Egypt by a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) charter in coming days. Protests in which hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have marched in a bid to bring down President Hosni Mubarak’s regime are being watched closely in Pakistan, where the government has vowed the same cannot happen. Around 300 people are believed to have died in the Egypt revolt, which erupted after protestors in Tunisia forced president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee into exile last month. |
Jordan king appoints new PM, government quits
 A combo of file pictures shows (L) newly appointed Jordanian Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit and (R) outgoing premier Samir Rifai.—AFP AMMAN: King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday sacked the government after weeks of protests, but his choice of replacement premier failed to satisfy the powerful Islamist opposition’s demands for reform. The king named Maruf Bakhit to replace Samir Rifai with orders to carry out "true political reforms," the palace said, but the Islamists criticised the choice, saying he is not a reformist. "Bakhit’s mission is to take practical, quick and tangible steps to launch true political reforms, enhance Jordan’s democratic drive and ensure safe and decent living for all Jordanians," a palace statement said. But Zaki Bani Rsheid, a leader of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), said Bakhit "is a not a man of reforms." "He carried out the worst parliamentary elections in Jordan in 2007. He is not the right person to run things at this current state and get Jordan out of crisis," Bani Rsheid told AFP. The Islamists have long charged that the 2007 election was rigged after only six of the IAF’s 22 candidates were victorious that year, a tally sharply down on the 17 seats the group won in the previous polls in 2003. Loyalists of the king again won a landslide in new elections last November after the IAF boycotted the poll in protest at constituency boundaries they said under-represented their urban strongholds. "We need a man who is well respected by the people, a man who does not have a history of corruption and oppression. How can he (Bakhit) lead political reform?" Bani Rsheid asked. For IAF chief Hamzah Mansur, "reforms have not started yet." "With the choice of Bakhit, it’s obvious that reforms have not started yet. We are against Bakhit because our experience with him is not encouraging," Mansur said. "There is no reason to stop the protests now," he added, referring to his party’s calls for a sit-in outside the prime minister’s office. The Islamist opposition said on Monday that it had started a dialogue with the state, saying that, unlike the situation in Egypt, it did not seek regime change. Opposition demands included "the resignation of the government, the amendment of the electoral law and the formation of a national salvation government headed by an elected prime minister," Bani Rsheid told AFP then. The Islamists have also called for constitutional amendments to curb the king’s power in naming heads of government, arguing that the premiership should go to the leader of the majority in parliament. The constitution, adopted in 1952, gives the king the exclusive prerogative to appoint and dismiss prime ministers. Despite recent government measures to pump around 500 million dollars into the economy in a bid to help improve living conditions, protests have been held in Amman and other cities over the past three weeks to demand political and economic reform. Official unemployment stands at 14 per cent in a country of six million people, 70 percent of them under the age of 30. Independent estimates put the jobless figure at 30 per cent. Tunisia’s popular revolt, which ousted veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has inspired dissidents across the Arab world. Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Egypt for eight straight days calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down after three decades in power. Rifai, 43, formed a first government in December 2009, and reshuffled it in November 2010. |
Court to decide Davis’ fate, says Malik
 Director Public Prosecutor (inspection) Chaudhry Mohammad Jahangir examining the site of the killing of three men by Americans in Lahore.—Online ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday categorically stated that central and provincial governments would not hinder the court proceedings regarding Raymond Davis, who killed two Pakistanis in Lahore last week. Talking to newsmen outside the Parliament House, Malik said that Davis’ fate would be decided by the court. He expressed ignorance about putting the name of Davis on the Exit Control List (ECL). Regarding progress on the Mumbai attack case, he said that Pakistan is not delaying the investigation, rather India was creating hurdles for access to the judicial commission. Referring to the tight security measures put in place in Karachi, the minister said there was a sharp decline in the cases of target killing. He out rightly stated that the government has no plans to amend the blasphemy laws. |
Judicial intervention not negative for foreign investment: Justice Ramday
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 Supreme Court of Pakistan. — Photo by AP ISLAMABAD: During a hearing of the Reko Diq case in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday said the court’s intervention will not have a negative impact on foreign investment in the country. The apex court heard a number of petitions challenging the award of the contract to the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) – a Canadian consortium of Barrick Gold and Antofagasta Minerals – for exploring gold and copper in Reko Diq, a small desert town in Chagai district of Balochistan. Foreign companies should understand that the judiciary in Pakistan is independent and therefore they can consider themselves safer in this situation, Justice Ramday remarked. He further said that the Reko Diq contract was signed when a caretaker government was in place, adding that it appeared that the contract was finalised in a day. The hearing into the case was adjourned until Wednesday. |
Afridi with slight edge as fans join captaincy debate
 Fans remain divided over the issue of captaincy but so far it seems Shahid Afridi has a slight edge over Misbah-ul-haq. -Photo by AFP ISLAMABAD: The die-hard cricket lovers of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have also joined the debate of who will lead Pakistan at this years World Cup and it seems dazzling all-rounder so far has an edge over Misbah-ul-Haq. Pakistan squad for the mega event includes Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir and Ahmad Shahzad. In a causal chat with APP, a local taxi driver, Jahan Sher said, "I just cannot understand why the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has delayed to announce the captain on February 4. By not announcing the captain, the board has split the players into Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul Haq groups. In such circumstances I believe Afridi is the best possible choice to lead the team for the world cup." "If PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is waiting till February 4 to see how Afridi performs as captain in the one-day series in New Zealand then I don’t think that it is a wise move because this is not the time to change the captain. For the World Cup they should continue with Afridi," Rahim Khan, a local passenger at a bus stop, said. A government employee, Mir Shah said, "The team selected is good but I am bemused about the fact that naming a captain for such a big event has been delayed so much. No team in the world of cricket is named without a captain." Support for the now axed Mohammad Yousuf was also split as some fans believed the decision to drop the veteran batsmen would deal a severe blow to Pakistan chances. Others, however, were of the view the Yousuf was a spent force for ODIs. "I don’t know about who will be the captain but Pakistan will surely miss Mohammad Yousuf. Our team’s chances of reaching even the quarter-finals are dull," a private telecom company employee, Yasir Ali Khan said. A government employee, Faisal Shah said, "I am happy they did not include Mohammad Yousuf this time. We need young blood. You can’t bet on the same horse to win your races for 20 years." Wishing good luck to the team, he said, "even if they lose, I hope they will put a fight until the end because you cannot win every match but you can put up a fight and at least try to win. I think the team is quite capable of giving a tough time to any opponent." There was also some support for the suspended fast bowler Mohammad Amir "Pakistan cricket’s team is over confident and they lack respect towards the opponents’ abilities. I just wish that a miracle happens and Mohammed Amir get clears on February 5 from the International Cricket Council and gets included in the squad," an optics shopkeeper at Aabpara, Salman Hadyat, said. The captaincy issue it seemed had created doubts not only within the Pakistan setup but also the fans who were judging Afridi and Misbah on their current performances during the series in New Zealand. An employee in a marketing company, Khurram Qasim told said, "I think Afridi should be kept as captain for this event. This is a mega event and we all know that he is the best possible choice for the event." A commuter at the zero point bus stop, Ali Zahid said, "I support the squad, as it is the best possible we can have in the given circumstances. No doubt Misbah’s recent form makes him contender for the captaincy." |
Ant genome reveals the hardy pest’s survival secrets
 The ants also appear to have adapted to the variety of poisons they may encounter in their diet by developing "a large number of cytochrome P450 genes, which are important in detoxifying harmful substances," the study said. – Photo © Alex Wild / Eureka Alert WASHINGTON: The kitchen-invading Argentine ant has acute senses of smell and taste and possesses a built-in genetic shield against harmful substances, researchers who sequenced its genome said Monday. Knowing more about how the brown pests operate may help eradicate the larger threats they pose to crops and native species, said the study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The Argentine ant is a species of special concern because of its enormous ecological impact," said Neil Tsutsui, associate professor at UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science. "When the Argentine ants invade, they devastate the native insect communities while promoting the population growth of agricultural pests," said Tsutsui, corresponding author on the Argentine ant paper and co-author of two other papers on the genomes of the red harvester and leaf-cutter ants. "This genome map will provide a huge resource for people interested in finding effective, targeted ways of controlling the Argentine ant."The genome project showed that Argentine ants have a whopping 367 sensory receptors for odor and 116 for taste, more than double the honeybee's capacity for smell and almost well above the mosquito's 76 taste sensors. "Ants are ground-dwellers, walking along trails, and for many, living most of their lives in the dark, so it makes sense that they would have developed keen senses of smell and taste," said Tsutsui. The ants also appear to have adapted to the variety of poisons they may encounter in their diet by developing "a large number of cytochrome P450 genes, which are important in detoxifying harmful substances," the study said. "Argentine ants have 111 such genes, while European honeybees, in comparison, have 46."While the Argentine ants may excel beyond the honeybee in some aspects, in social ways the two are rather similar, each with a dominant queen who is responsible for reproduction in the colony and workers who hunt for food. "We now know that ants have the genes and genome signature of DNA methylation — the same molecular mechanism that published honeybee studies have shown is responsible for switching whether the genome is read to be a worker or queen," said Christopher Smith, assistant professor of biology at San Francisco State University, an author on three of the four genome studies. Further study of the ant's genes, particularly those that detoxify it, could help determine whether the ants are resistant to pesticides, and possibly move researchers toward a new way to kill them. But such developments can take a long time, and are trickier than they may appear. "In biology, the idea is that once we know the genome of a pest species, we can come up with a magic bullet or smarter bullet to defeat it," said Smith. "In reality, the genome is really just information; we now have to put that into action, and in order to do that, we must genetically manipulate ants to confirm if a target gene does what we think it does," he said. "Having a genome is like being handed a big book with a bunch of words we don't understand. Now we have to figure out the grammar and syntax." |
Indian website offers bachelors a virtual wife
 Bharat Matrimony's biwihotohaisi.com (an ideal wife) website allows men to choose from four different types of wife and then receive automated telephone messages from them that reflect their character. NEW DELHI: Indian bachelors keen to get a taste of married life can now log on and apply for a virtual wife online in a scheme that offers a glimpse into changing Indian society. Bharat Matrimony’s biwihotohaisi.com (an ideal wife) website allows men to choose from four different types of wife and then receive automated telephone messages from them that reflect their character. The first candidate is the devoted Ritu Gharwali (Ritu Homemaker), 23, whose saccharine entreaties to "please eat your lunch, I have made your favourite dish" would make her the ideal Indian housewife in conservative circles. Matrimonial advertisements in Indian newspapers and websites, still widely used to find prospective partners, often feature men seeking "simple, homely girls with good family values." There’s a more feisty version of Ritu for those wanting a more challenging partner in the form of 25-year-old Bijli Thakur (Electricity Thakur) who is described as "Dominating. Bossy. Control-freak." While Ritu Gharwali pleads with her hard-working husband to come home for dinner, Bijli Thakur angrily threatens to "send your bed to the office if you don’t leave soon." While these two characters would be clearly identifiable for men of older generations, it is the other women who offer the most revealing insights into the changing characteristics of modern Indian womanhood. Milli Chulbulli (Milli Naughty), 21, is an excitable secretary in a multinational firm with a life that revolves around shopping trips, neighbourhood gossip, and an addiction to television soap operas. Finally, the website offers a chance to hook up with Shalini Sheherwali (Shalini From the City), an ambitious 26-year-old banker. An independent, tech-savvy woman who purrs, "we’ll totally connect, honey!", Shalini Sheherwali loves shopping online and loathes soap operas. In a country where arranged marriages are still the norm and dating is often frowned upon, matrimonial websites are big business. Although none of the women advertised on www.biwihotohaisi.com is real, the website’s idea is that bachelors will rush to sign up to its parent site, Bharat Matrimony, to find a suitable wife after receiving so much attention by phone. |
Old swing habits die hard for frustrated Woods
 Frustrated and bitterly disappointed by his erratic performance, Woods has not committed to any tournament beyond next week's Dubai Desert Classic. -AFP Photo SAN DIEGO: Like a snake slowly trying to shed its skin, Tiger Woods has been struggling to remove old habits as he desperately searches for consistency in his remodelled swing. Frustrated and bitterly disappointed by his erratic performance at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open where he once reigned supreme, Woods has not committed to any tournament beyond next week’s Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour. While the former world number one has shown flashes of his best since joining forces with Canadian coach Sean Foley in August, he is still prone to sudden lapses under pressure when remnants of his old swing resurface. "They’re very different swings," Woods told reporters after closing rounds of 74 and 75 left him in a lowly tie for 44th place at Torrey Pines on Sunday, a distant 15 strokes behind winner Bubba Watson. "It’s tough. It’s one of the things I struggled with when I worked with Hank (Haney) trying to relearn some new things and going away from what I did with Butch (Harmon). "The old motor patterns are still there, and that is the thing. I’m going to have to fight through that. But I’ve done it before, and there’s no reason I can’t do it again." Woods is working on the fourth swing change of his professional career, having previously completed successful overhauls with former coaches Harmon and Haney. Although he often sounds like a broken record at news conferences when describing such swing changes as a "process", Woods had been greatly encouraged by his relatively swift progress with Foley. He ended a dismal 2010 campaign with a solid performance at the Chevron World Challenge, which he hosts in his native California, and was in a buoyant mood at the start of last week following a highly productive off-season with Foley. SAME GOAL "The goal’s still the same," Woods said on the eve of the tournament at Torrey Pines where he has triumphed seven times as a professional. "Try to beat other butts, it hasn’t changed." The world number three made an encouraging start to his 2011 season, recording seven birdies and no bogeys in his first 28 holes. Thereafter, his form became wildly erratic. By the time he completed Sunday’s final round, the tournament leaders had just reached the turn. "I hit a lot of good shots early in the week, and then it progressively got worse," Woods said after finishing outside the top 10 at Torrey Pines for the first time. "I’ve got a lot of work to do." Once renowned for his short game and uncanny ability to salvage par from awkward spots off the green, Woods said he was not tempted to play the same way as he has done in the past. "How else are you going to get better?" he added. "You’ve got to do it (follow the Foley path). It takes reps and it takes reps under competition. You can’t be afraid to go ahead and try it. "Sean and I have been talking about it every night. I can do it on the range, but it’s a little different when I’ve got to bring it out here (in competition) and I’ve got to shape shots. I’ve got to hit the ball with the right trajectory." Asked how he stayed patient, Woods replied: "It’s just commitment to change and to moving forward. I got committed to what I’m doing, and I’m not looking back. I’m moving forward. "That’s what I have to do, and that’s what I’m doing," added Woods, who has not won a tournament since the Australian Masters in November 2009. |
500,000 B.Tech graduates’ future at stake
 "The government for the several times reiterated its commitment to work for the promotion of technical education but PEC has prohibited the education ministry for establishing Pakistan Technology Council,," Said Sheikh Javed , head of Pakistan Council of Technologies. – Photo courtesy Pakistan Engineering Council, www.pec.org.pk. ISLAMABAD: More than 50,000 B.Tech graduates in the country are deprived of access to higher studies, job opportunity in public departments and promotions due to undefined status of their degree. While their longstanding demand of establishing Pakistan Technology Council (PTC) which can register technology graduates, safeguard their benefits and control technology institutions is still unheard. Talking to APP, Chairman Pakistan Council of Technologists, Sheikh Javed said that a draft bill for the establishment of Pakistan Technology Council (PTC) was dispatched to the Prime Minister in February 2010 which was forwarded to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) on March 3, 2010 for furnishing their comments but is still pending. Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has refused to control, register and promote the technologists and in its act passed on December 29 from the parliament excluded the terms 'technicians or technologists' which meant that the council is not ready to accept their status. The government for the several times reiterated its commitment to work for the promotion of technical education but PEC has prohibited the education ministry for establishing Pakistan Technology Council, Javed said. Over 10,000 B.Tech graduates complete their degrees from different institutes annually and start their struggle in the market for jobs. "I have completed B.Tech programme but there is no scope of this programme in Pakistan so I have decided to go abroad and seek job," said Atif Malal. B.Tech programme was formally launched in 1973 and the then Ministry of Education directed to give status of B.Tech (Hons) degree at par with B.Sc Engineering/B.E degree, according to the letter No. 15-29/73-Tech. According to the letter no PEC/4-P/QEC, PEC stated that B.Tech degree will be considered equivalent to B.Sc/BE and the same decision was taken in 9th inter-provincial ministers conference at Quetta in 1986, 39th HEC meeting on 12-2-98, FPSC in its letter no F4-89/2002-R but now PEC is not ready to accept their status. The B.Tech holders study the same courses like engineers and are equally competent but they have to struggle and file cases individually to recognize their degree status, Sheikh Javed said. Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has refused to register technologists while different public departments are denying to recognize their degree, not giving them jobs. While those who have been appointed already cannot promoted upto Grade 16, he said. Sheikh Javed said Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) is also not appointing the B.Tech degree holders directly. Most of the B.Tech graduates, after completion of their qualification, move to other countries in search of better job opportunities, he said. The technologists holding B.Tech qualification have filed several cases in courts and got 17 decisions in their favour,declaring their degree equivalent to B.Sc/BE but no decision could not be implemented so far. The full bench of Supreme Court in Suo Motu Review Petition No. 52 of 1993 given its verdict on June 05, 1995 in favour of B.Tech (Hons) (PLD 1995 SC 701), thrashing out the role of PEC. But, PEC in 2004-05 managed the amendments by adding new clauses and definition of professional engineering work and section 5A of Section 27 only to null and void the decision of full bench of Supreme Court thus to interfere in the service matters and blocking promotion channels of employees possessing B.Tech (Hons) degrees. Saleem Akhtar, Associate Engineer NESPAK told APP that B.Tech holders are facing severe difficulties due to unclear status of their qualification. Although Higher Education Commission (HEC) issues equivalence certificate to the graduates but the public departments refuse to employ them, he said. HEC through a letter accepted the status of B.Tech (Hons) equivalent to B.Sc /BE but PEC is not ready to agree. "Pakistan Technology Council, if established, will help register technology graduates, control technology institution and eliminate discrimination in access to higher education, job opportunities and scale promotions," Saleem said. |
Brisk walking linked to better memory for seniors
 The hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory, tends to shrink slightly with age and that's what happened in the group that only did stretching. But among people who took part in the walking program, the hippocampus region of the brain grew in size by roughly 2 per cent. – AP Photo WASHINGTON: A section of the brain involved in memory grew in size in older people who regularly took brisk walks for a year, US researchers reported Monday. The new study reinforces previous findings that aerobic exercise seems to reduce brain atrophy in early-stage Alzheimer's patients, and that walking leads to slight improvement on mental tests among older people with memory problems. The new analysis, led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, appears in Tuesday's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study involved 120 sedentary people, ages 55 to 80. They were divided into two groups: Half began a program of walking for 40 minutes a day, three days a week to increase their heart rate; the others only did stretching and toning exercises. The hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory, tends to shrink slightly with age and that's what happened in the group that only did stretching. But among people who took part in the walking program, the hippocampus region of the brain grew in size by roughly 2 per cent. Researchers found that there was some memory improvement in both groups, but ''in the aerobic exercise group, increased hippocampal volume was directly related to improvements in memory performance.'' ''We think of the atrophy of the hippocampus in later life as almost inevitable,'' Kirk Erickson, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the paper's lead author, said in a statement. Added Art Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois and the senior author: ''The results of our study are particularly interesting in that they suggest that even modest amounts of exercise by sedentary older adults can lead to substantial improvements in memory and brain health.'' Dr. Jeffrey Burns of the neurology department at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, said he was ''enthusiastic'' about the paper. Burns, who wasn't involved in the new research, said that while previous studies have pointed to the relationship between exercise and memory, this rigorous, yearlong study advances what's known about the brain and exercise. |
Turbat clash kills one, injures four
 The LEA and Levies Forces had also commenced a search operation to arrest remaining accomplices of the assailants. — Photo by AP TURBAT: One law enforcement agency man was killed and four people, including two LEA personnel, were injured in an armed clash took place between a LEA patrolling party and armed men in Turbat district on Tuesday. According to Levies sources, an LEA party was on routine patrolling in the area when it intercepted some armed men. The gunmen opened fire at the LEA team, killing one official and injuring two others. The LEA men retaliated, in which two men of the armed group were killed and two arrested. The arrested men were being interrogated. The LEA and Levies Forces had also commenced a search operation to arrest remaining accomplices of the assailants. |
Pakistan beat New Zealand by two wickets; lead series 2-1
 Pakistan's Younis Khan (R) is run out by Brendon McCullum of New Zealand during their fourth one day international (ODI) at McLean park in Napier. -AFP Photo
WELLINGTON: Misbah-ul-haq overcame the loss of late wickets to keep his cool and guide Pakistan to a two-wicket victory over New Zealand in their fourth one-day international match in Napier on Tuesday. Misbah, who has anchored Pakistan’s batting throughout the tour of New Zealand, proved once again a thorn in the side of Daniel Vettori’s team, scoring 93 not out as Pakistan finished on 264 for eight in 49 overs having chased down the host’s 262 for seven. The Pakistan test captain, who had been coasting to the victory target while batting with Younus Khan (42), was forced to take all the responsibility of getting his side home when Younus was run out in the 38th over. Umar Akmal then scratched around for 10 off 17 balls before he was well caught in the 43rd over by Nathan McCullum off Vettori, who trapped Shahid Afridi in front two balls later to give New Zealand a faint hope of running through the bowlers to win the match and take a 2-1 lead in the best of six series. Misbah, however, and Abdul Razzaq (23) managed to keep pace with the required run rate and while Razzaq was well caught by a hobbling Vettori, Misbah smashed 10 runs off two balls from Scott Styris and Sohail Tanvir (14) hit three boundaries off Tim Southee the next over to see their side home. Late call-up James Franklin had proved the saviour of New Zealand’s innings, which was about 30 runs short of a par total on a good batting wicket with short square boundaries. Franklin was only brought into the side after Jesse Ryder, who injured a finger while playing for Wellington at the weekend, withdrew before play began. The left-hander, who had scores of 72 not out, 98 not out and 17 not out in his previous three innings in India last December, top-scored with 62 to help arrest New Zealand’s mid-innings slump. The hosts had romped to 40 without loss but lost three wickets for four runs and then slumped to 79 for five before Franklin’s 62-run partnership with Brendon McCullum (37) and a stand of 64 runs with Nathan McCullum (53 not out) halted the slide. Scoreboard: New Zealand M. Guptill c Younis Khan b Wahab Riaz 21 Extras (lb 12, w 19, nb 2) 33 Total (7 wkts; 50 overs) 262 Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Guptill), 2-44 (How), 3-44 (Taylor), 4-68 (Styris), 5-79 (Williamson), 6-141 (B McCullum), 7-205 (Franklin) Did not bat: T. Southee, H. Bennett Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 9-0-67-0 (3w), Abdul Razzaq 7-3-16-1, Wahab Riaz 10-1-51-3 (1nb, 6w), Umar Gul 7-0-49-0 (1nb, 4w), Mohammad Hafeez 7-0-25-1 (2w), Shahid Afridi 10-0-42-1 Pakistan Mohammad Hafeez c Taylor b Bennett 12 Extras (lb 3, w 1) 4 Total (8 wkts; 49 overs) 264 Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Mohammad Hafeez), 2-71 (Ahmed Shehzad), 3-84 (Kamran Akmal), 4-173 (Younis Khan), 5-194 (Umar Akmal), 6-198 (Shahid Afridi), 7-238 (Abdul Razzaq), 8-250 (Wahab Riaz) Did not bat: Umar Gul Bowling: Southee 10-0-70-0 (1w), Bennett 10-0-48-2, N. McCullum 4-0-26-0, Vettori 10-0-48-2, Styris 9-0-40-3, Franklin 6-0-29-0 Toss: New Zealand Result: Pakistan win by two wickets Umpires: Gary Baxter (NZL), Steve Davies (AUS) TV umpire: Barry Frost (NZL) Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS) |
Benazir case: Aziz, Shahzad sent to jail on 14-day remand
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 Former premier Benazir Bhutto. — File photo RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday sent Rawalpindi’s former city police officer Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shahzad on a 14-day judicial remand in connection with the Benazir Bhutto assassination case. The case was heard in the ATC judge Rana Nisar Ahmed. Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad submitted their bail applications in the court. The court, subsequently, sent the two to jail on a 14-day judicial remand and directed the jail authorities to produce them before the ATC on February 14. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated three years ago in a gun and suicide attack after addressing an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi, on December 27, 2007. In April 2010, a UN panel accused the government of failing to provide Benazir with adequate protection and said investigations were hampered by intelligence agencies and other officials who impeded "an unfettered search for the truth". |
One killed in attack on Nato tanker in Mastung
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 Levis reached the site of the attack and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital. — Photo by AFP QUETTA: A driver was killed and a cleaner sustained bullet injuries in an attack on a Nato oil tanker in the Dasht area of Mastung on Tuesday. According to Levis Force, the tanker carrying fuel for International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) was on route to Afghanistan from Karachi when armed men opened indiscriminate fire at the vehicle in the Dasht region. Resultantly, the driver of a tanker died on the spot while a cleaner sustained bullet wounds. Levis reached the site of the attack and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital. The assailants, however, managed to escape from the scene. Levis, subsequently, registered a case and launched a probe into the incident. |
South Carolina scientist works to grow meat in lab
 Scientists are trying to culture meat in the lab which they believes could resolve the future global food crises from shrinking amount of land to raise animals. – Reuters Photo CHARLESTON, S.C: In a small laboratory on an upper floor of the basic science building at the Medical University of South Carolina, Vladimir Mironov, M.D., Ph.D., has been working for a decade to grow meat. A developmental biologist and tissue engineer, Dr. Mironov, 56, is one of only a few scientists worldwide involved in bioengineering "cultured" meat. It's a product he believes could help solve future global food crises resulting from shrinking amounts of land available for growing meat the old-fashioned way … on the hoof. Growth of "in-vitro" or cultured meat is also under way in the Netherlands, Mironov told Reuters in an interview, but in the United States, it is science in search of funding and demand. The new National Institute of Food and Agriculture, part of the US Food and Drug Administration, won't fund it, the National Institutes of Health won't fund it, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration funded it only briefly, Mironov said. "It's classic disruptive technology," Mironov said. "Bringing any new technology on the market, average, costs $1billion. We don't even have $1 million." Director of the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Center in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology at the medical university, Mironov now primarily conducts research on tissue engineering, or growing, of human organs. "There's a yuck factor when people find out meat is grown in a lab. They don't like to associate technology with food," said Nicholas Genovese, 32, a visiting scholar in cancer cell biology working under a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals three-year grant to run Dr. Mironov's meat-growing lab. "But there are a lot of products that we eat today that are considered natural that are produced in a similar manner," Genovese said. "There's yogurt, which is cultured yeast. You have wine production and beer production. These were not produced in laboratories. Society has accepted these products." If wine is produced in winery, beer in a brewery and bread in a bakery, where are you going to grow cultured meat? In a "carnery," if Mironov has his way. That is the name he has given future production facilities. He envisions football field-sized buildings filled with large bioreactors, or bioreactors the size of a coffee machine in grocery stores, to manufacture what he calls "charlem" – "Charleston engineered meat." "It will be functional, natural, designed food," Mironov said. "How do you want it to taste? You want a little bit of fat, you want pork, and you want lamb? We design exactly what you want. We can design texture. "I believe we can do it without genes. But there is no evidence that if you add genes the quality of food will somehow suffer. Genetically modified food is already normal practice and nobody dies." Dr. Mironov has taken myoblasts – embryonic cells that develop into muscle tissue – from turkey and bathed them in a nutrient bath of bovine serum on a scaffold made of chitosan (a common polymer found in nature) to grow animal skeletal muscle tissue. But how do you get that juicy, meaty quality? Genovese said scientists want to add fat. And adding a vascular system so that interior cells can receive oxygen will enable the growth of steak, say, instead of just thin strips of muscle tissue. Cultured meat could eventually become cheaper than what Genovese called the heavily subsidized production of farm meat, he said, and if the public accepts cultured meat, the future holds benefits. "Thirty per cent of the earth's land surface area is associated with producing animal protein on farms," Genovese said. "Animals require between 3 and 8 pounds of nutrient to make 1 pound of meat. It's fairly inefficient. Animals consume food and produce waste. Cultured meat doesn't have a digestive system. "Further out, if we have interplanetary exploration, people will need to produce food in space and you can't take a cow with you. "We have to look to these ideas in order to progress. Otherwise, we stay static. I mean, 15 years ago who could have imagined the iPhone?" |
Rare western gray whale tracked off Canada
 The image shows an ordinary gray whale but the Western Pacific gray whales are the second-most threatened species of large whales after North Pacific right whales. Only 130 of the gray whales remain. – AP Photo ANCHORAGE, Alaska: A highly endangered whale that spends summers off Russia has moved into water off British Columbia after crossing the Bering Sea and passing the Aleutian Islands. The 13-year-old, male western Pacific gray whale dubbed Flex is being tracked by US and Russian researchers. Its last location was logged Thursday about 400 miles (645 kilometers) off the coast of British Columbia, said Bruce Mate, director of Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute. Mate said it was possible the whale's satellite tag had fallen off, or that bad weather interfered with transmissions. Western Pacific gray whales are the second-most threatened species of large whales after North Pacific right whales. Only 130 of the gray whales remain. In contrast, there are about 18,000 eastern Pacific gray whales. Those whales breed and give birth in warm water, mostly along Baja California, and migrate north to spend summers on feeding grounds in Alaska's Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Western Pacific gray whales spend summers near Sahkalin Island at the south end of the Sea of Okhotsk near Russia. Little is known of their winter habits. North America waters were not high on lists of suspected winter sites. Last year, researchers from Oregon State and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences had hoped to tag 12 western Pacific gray whales but were limited by typhoons and gales to one on the last day of field work. Flex was tagged Oct. 4. He spent more than two months feeding near Sakhalin Island and moved across the Sea of Okhotsk to the west coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Within a few weeks, the whale rounded the southern tip of the peninsula and left the east coast of Kamchatka across the Bering Sea, averaging about 4.5 mph (7.25 kph). On Jan. 13, Flex was about 80 miles (128 kilometers) north of Alaska's Pribilof islands. He turned south and was tracked on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula near the Shumagin Islands, possibly crossing the Aleutians through Unimak Pass or False Pass, two common routes for eastern grays during migration. A week ago, he was in the Gulf of Alaska about 400 miles (640 kilometers) south of the Alaska fishing community of Cordova. Researchers don't know where he wants to go. ''Our assumption right now, and it's very much an assumption, is that he's going to intersect the primary migratory pathway for the eastern gray whales, which is closer to shore by far than his current path,'' Mate said. If his goal is to head south, he's certainly turned the corner to be more efficient, Mate said. His trajectory now puts him on a course to be close to shore along the central Oregon coast by Thursday. Researchers are prepared to shadow the whale if he gets close to shore. Mate hopes swells are blocking transmissions from the whale. Satellite monitored radio tags have lasted as long as 385 days on a gray whale but average four months. The tag transmits four hours a day to conserve battery power. ''When animals are coming up to breathe, they basically surface in the trough,'' he said. ''The large swells on either side of him tend to mask the transmissions.'' The chances of finding the whale if the tag is off are minimal. The public can track the whale on Oregon State's website. |
Notes from Jaipur: The Pakistani writers
 The last few sessions at the Jaipur Literature Festival included a strong input from the rather exciting Pakistani contingent. - Photo courtesy: www.jaipurliteraturefestival.org Karachi – January 31, 2011. I am back home in Karachi and finally able to write of the Jaipur’s LitFest’s last sessions which a strong input from the rather exciting Pakistani contingent. This included a lively session “Pulp Fiction” with Faiza S. Khan and Pritham Chakravaty. Faiza spoke of her discovery of the Urdu detective novel Chalawa by Hussain Iqbal featuring a dashing and rich female sleuth Sabiha Bano. She read a lively extract which had been translated by Mohammed Hanif for The Life’s Too Short Literary Review of which Khan is the editor-in-chief. Pritham Chakravaty read extracts from the anthologies she has compiled of Tamil fiction translated by her. The session was chaired by the well-known Indian novelist Namita Gokhale who is the co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival. Gokhale was among the panelists, together with Kamila Shamsie, Anjum Hasan and Jaishree Mishra in a session called “Popcorn Essays: What Movies Do To Writers”. The title is that of an anthology edited by Jai Arjun Singh who chaired the session – and all four panelists were contributors. Gokhale read out a vivid account of her years with a ‘gossip driven’ film magazine Super; Kamila read out essay on the period between her novels Broken Verses and Burnt Shadows, during which, in an attempt to move away from her previous Karachi-based work and the written word, she immersed herself in films which made her think further about the difference between films and books. Kamila was also a participant in another panel “Imaginary Homelands” with Ian Jack, Junot Diaz, the Nepalese novelist Manjushree Thapa (Tutor of History) and the British novelist of Ukranian origin Marina Lewycka (A Short History of Tractors), all of whom discussed concepts of home and belonging in this mobile age – though Jack pointed out that his only migration was from Scotland to England. As time wore on, it became increasingly difficult for me to choose between sessions and so I took to “session-hopping”. This was not really the most brilliant of solutions – I missed Richard Ford’s apology for the omission of American women writers in an earlier panel that he was to discuss American fiction, but I was there in time to hear him read from his work: every nuance reminded me of why, I have been so spellbound by his short stories – and in Jaipur, I picked up a novel of his.
There was a packed audience for the British historian Alex von Tunzelmann who was interviewed by Karan Thapar on her critically acclaimed book Indian Summer: The Secret History of End of Empire which tells the story of Partition, as well as that of Edwina and Nehru. In recent years I have become increasingly interested in the creative memoir and literary non-fiction and found the dicussion “The New Non-Fiction” between Ahdaf Soueif, Basharat Peer, David Finkel, Martin Amis and Waheed Mirza to be full of insights. Many of them spoke of how the techniques of the fiction they had read influenced their writing. Pulitzer winner David Finkel, author of the Good Soldiers described how, as an “embedded” reporter in Iraq, he wanted to report, not daily events of the war, but what war did to the men who fought in it. While Waheed Mirza remarked that although his novel on Kashmir, drew on daily realities, he found fiction a better medium to express and imagine experiences which would have been restricted, had he limited himself to facts. Later on, I went to Will Fiennes talk about his creative memoir The Music Room and was spellbound by the extract he read about his relationship with his epileptic and handicapped brother. There absolutely no place for me to sit for Mohsin Hamid’s lively and witty session in conversation with journalist Shoma Chaudhury, because it was crowded and during which, the Harvard educated Pakistani scholar Aliya Iqbal Naqvi read out an extract from the Hindi translation of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Later, in answer to a question, Mohsin spoke about the complexities of making the text of The Reluctant Fundamentalist so ambiguous: once it was written, it was not just Chengiz’s story, but ‘yours’ i.e., each individual reader and it becomes a playground for what goes on in the reader’s head. Ahmed Rashid was as erudite as always – in conversation with the well-informed William Dalrymple. Ahmed spoke of the many years that he has covered the Afghan conflict, from the time Soviet troops rolled into Afghanistan. He went on to speak of the changing face of the regions, the difference between the mujahadin and the Taliban and the grave danger that Pakistan faces today as radicalisation spreads. It was quite a treat to hear Vikram Seth talk about his work and his plans for a new novel A Suitable Girl, which takes the story of Lata his protagonist in A Suitable Boy, forward to the present day and examines her relationship with her children and grandchildren. But I also managed to catch the Pakistani writers Zaheda Hina, Shahyrar Fazli and the Bengladeshi novelist Shaheed Akhter discussed their novels about war and violence in the sub-continent – Zaheda Hina’s on 1957, Fazli and Akhter’s on 1971. This session was moderated by Urvashi Butalia, who is among the advisors of the festival. The next day – on India’s Republic Day – I discovered that both Urvashi Butalia of Zubaan and my publisher, Ritu Menon of Women Unlimited, who had co-founded Kali, the first feminist publisher in India, had both been awarded the Padma Shri Award for their contribution to literature and education. So its seems that congratulations are in order all round – to Urvashi and Ritu for their achievements, to William Dalrymple, Namita Gokhale and their team which includes the immensely helpful Sanjoy Roy, Sheuli Sethi and Kritika Gupta, for a very successful festival. I had a wonderful time. Muneeza Shamsie, in Karachi |
Pakistan chase 263 after New Zealand recovery
 New Zealand's Nathan McCullum dives to make his ground. -Photo by AFP NAPIER: On a wicket described as a batting heaven, New Zealand struggled to 262-7 batting first in the fourth one-day international against Pakistan in Napier on Tuesday. A top order collapse nullified the experiment of removing the big-hitting Brendon McCullum from his customary opening slot and dropping him to number seven. James Franklin, a late addition to the New Zealand team when Jesse Ryder pulled out with a finger injury, top scored with 62 while the only other score of note was an unbeaten 53 by Nathan McCullum. On a placid pitch at McLean Park, Wahab Riaz finished with three for 47 from his 10 overs while Abdul Razzaq strangled the scoring with seven overs which resulted in a miserly one for 16 and included three maidens. When New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss he had no hesitation in batting first on a wicket which Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi described as "heaven for a batsman". Openers Martin Guptill and Jamie How justified the call with an aggressive start in which they raced to 40 without loss in the seventh over before the innings fell apart in the face of a lethal spell from Riaz and Razzaq. In two overs New Zealand lost three wickets for four runs, and in a 14-over spell they lost five for 39 before McCullum joined Franklin in the middle and they breathed life back into the innings as they cracked 62 in 12 overs. But the task of lifting the pace eventually proved too much for McCullum who reached 33 off 39 balls before being caught behind by Kamran Akmal off the bowling of Riaz. Franklin made 62 in 75 balls before he was dismissed, attempting to hit Afridi over the square leg boundary but instead sending the ball straight to the safe hands of Riaz. Nathan McCullum ensured there was life at the end of the innings with seven fours and a six in his 53 while Vettori was unbeaten on 13. |
In future, cars might decide if driver is drunk
 The Driver Alcohol Detection Systems for Safety, as the new approach is called, would use sensors that would measure blood alcohol content in one of two possible ways: either by analyzing a driver's breath or through the skin, using sophisticated touch-based sensors placed strategically on steering wheels and door locks, for example. – Photo by two hundred percent/Wikimedia Commons WALTHAM: An alcohol-detection prototype that uses automatic sensors to instantly gauge a driver's fitness to be on the road has the potential to save thousands of lives, but could be as long as a decade away from everyday use in cars, federal officials and researchers say. The technology is being designed as unobtrusive, unlike current alcohol ignition interlock systems often mandated by judges for convicted drunken drivers. Those require operators to blow into a breath-testing device before the car can operate. The Driver Alcohol Detection Systems for Safety, as the new approach is called, would use sensors that would measure blood alcohol content in one of two possible ways: either by analyzing a driver's breath or through the skin, using sophisticated touch-based sensors placed strategically on steering wheels and door locks, for example. Both methods eliminate the need for drivers to take any extra steps, and those who are sober would not be delayed in getting on the road, researchers said. The technology is "another arrow in our automotive safety quiver," said LaHood, who emphasized the system was envisioned as optional equipment in future cars and voluntary for auto manufacturers. David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, also attended the demonstration and estimated the technology could prevent as many as 9,000 fatal alcohol-related crashes a year in the US, though he also acknowledged that it was still in its early testing stages and might not be commercially available for 8-10 years. The systems would not be employed unless they are "seamless, unobtrusive and unfailingly accurate," Strickland said. The initial $10 million research program is funded jointly by NHTSA and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, an industry group representing many of the world's car makers. Critics, such as Sarah Longwell of the American Beverage Institute, a restaurant trade association, doubt if the technology could ever be perfected to the point that it would be fully reliable and not stop some completely sober people from driving. "Even if the technology is 99.9 percent reliable, that's still tens of thousands of cars that won’t start every day," said Longwell. Her group also questions whether an .08 limit would actually be high enough to stop all drunken drivers, since blood alcohol content can rise in people during a trip depending on factors such as how recently they drank and how much they ate. "It's going to eliminate the ability of people to have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a ball game and then drive home, something that is perfectly safe and currently legal in all 50 states," she said. LaHood disputed that the technology would interfere with moderate social drinking, and said the threshold in cars would never be set below the legal limit. In a recent demonstration, a woman in her 20s weighing about 120 pounds (54 kilograms) drank two, 1 1/2 ounce (about 40 grams) glasses of vodka and orange juice about 30 minutes apart, eating some cheese and crackers in between to simulate a typical social setting, said Bud Zaouk, director of transportation safety and security for QinetiQ. Using both the touch-based and breath-based prototypes, the woman registered a .06 blood alcohol content, Zaouk said, so she would be able to start the car. Laura Dean Mooney, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the technology could "turn cars into the cure." While she did not foresee the alcohol detection system ever being mandated by the government, Mooney, whose husband died in an accident caused by a drunken driver 19 years ago, said she could envision it someday becoming as ubiquitous as air bags or anti-lock brakes in today's cars, particularly if insurance companies provide incentives for drivers to use those systems by discounting premiums. |
Dozens of guilty pleas in NYC taxi fare-boost scam
 Unsuspecting passengers overpaid an average of about $5, officials have said. But each cabbie who faced felony charges overcharged at least 300 times, and some did it enough to steal more than $10,000, officials said. – Photo by Andy C/ Wikimedia Commons NEW YORK: More than two dozen taxi drivers have pleaded guilty after a broad probe into a fare-boosting scam that affected thousands of tourists and residents who rode in the city’s signature yellow cabs, prosecutors said Monday. The Manhattan district attorney's office compiled the numbers after the latest guilty plea, entered Monday by a driver accused of quietly manipulating his meter to double the fare rate for nearly 4,000 trips. With his admission, 26 drivers have pleaded guilty to felony charges, the DA’s office said; more than a dozen other cases remain open. Forty-five cabbies were charged with felonies in September after authorities said they repeatedly racheted their meters up to a higher suburban fare rate when they actually were in the city, where the basic rate is about $2 per mile (1.61 kilometer). Fourteen other drivers were charged with misdemeanors. The statuses of their cases weren't immediately available Monday. Unsuspecting passengers overpaid an average of about $5, officials have said. But each cabbie who faced felony charges overcharged at least 300 times, and some did it enough to steal more than $10,000, officials said. In one of the biggest cases, cabbie Santiago Rossi – accused of upping the fare 5,127 times to bilk about $11,000 – pleaded guilty in December to scheming to defraud, court records show. He was sentenced last week to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation, the records show. The driver accused of raking in the most money in the scheme, Mfamara Camara, has pleaded not guilty and continues to fight allegations of overcharging a total of about $15,500 through nearly 4,800 fares. Officials said the criminal cases represented just the most serious offenders among about 22,000 believed to have deployed the fare trick, together netting about $1.1 million before the city took steps to stop it this spring. The city has pursued fines or license revocations for thousands of drivers, the city Taxi & Limousine Commission said. Drivers have said some overcharges were honest mistakes, and some drivers' advocates have criticized the taxi meter technology used to build the cases. Officials stressed that the allegations involve only a portion of the city's roughly 48,000 yellow-cab drivers. All the city's roughly 13,000 yellow taxis are now equipped with warning systems that alert passengers if the higher rate is being charged. |
Urdu bazaar: The world of publishing and printing
| Located on M.A. Jinnah road, Urdu bazaar is one of the oldest book markets not just in Pakistan but in the entire subcontinent. Some business owners here are third- and fourth-generation immigrants from India, who began selling books in the area. Initially, it was a small market, comprising 10 to 15 small rustic stalls which were originally located at Mission Road at the time of Independence. It was in the 1950s that the market shifted to its present-day location. The bazaar is a hub for all services related to printing and publishing, with wholesalers selling paper, stationary and other materials required in the publishing industry. Still present in this market are publishers who have been printing Islamic and books on religion for over 50 years.– (Photos by Hussain Afzal/White Star) to |
Egypt braces for mass protests as army holds back
 Anti-government protesters are seen in Tahrir Square at nightfall in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets Tuesday to demand the removal of President Hosni Mubarak. – AP Photo CAIRO: Egyptians plan mass marches on Tuesday in their campaign to oust President Hosni Mubarak, reassured by the all-powerful army, which has said their demands are legitimate and that it will not fire on them. As Mubarak announced a new cabinet that saw the demise of a widely feared interior minister, and the newly appointed vice president offered talks with the opposition, protesters pushed ahead with a singular goal of forcing the president from office. They announced an indefinite general strike and called for a "march of a million" in the capital on Tuesday, the eighth day of an uprising that has claimed at least 125 lives in clashes between demonstrators and police. Another million-strong march was planned in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, as national train services were cancelled in an apparent bid to stymie protests. The new demonstrations will come as the hated police have returned to the street after a mysterious two-day absence that protesters said was a ploy to sow a sense of insecurity. But while it remains unknown what posture police will adopt in the face of the strike and marches, the army stated clearly that it would not confront the demonstrators. "To the great people of Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people," stress that "they have not and will not use force against the Egyptian people," the military said in a statement. Tens of thousands of protesters had carpeted Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the epicentre of demands for an end to the corruption, deprivation and police oppression indelibly associated with Mubarak's 30-year rule. Eid Mohammed, an organiser of the protests, told AFP: "It was decided overnight that there will be a million-man march on Tuesday. We have also decided to begin an open-ended general strike." Faced with the biggest protests of his presidency, an increasingly embattled Mubarak has appointed his first-ever vice president and a new prime minister in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. A new cabinet unveiled on Monday did little to placate the protesters. However, the departure of interior minister Habib al-Adly, whose notorious security forces have been accused of systematic human rights violations, was welcomed. "We will accept no change other than Mubarak's departure," said one protester who asked not to be named. Another, Rifat Ressat, said: "We want a complete change of government, with a civilian authority." Police were ordered back onto the nation's streets on Monday, after an absence during which the army was deployed in the face of the revolt, but few policemen were visible on Cairo's streets. Their vanishing act remains unexplained officially, but it left the city prey to looters and jail-breakers, and residents formed self-defence groups to protect their patches. As the anti-regime campaign continued apace, Vice President Omar Suleiman said Mubarak had tasked him "with opening immediate talks with the political forces to begin a dialogue around all the issues concerning constitutional and legislative reforms." Meanwhile, Arab League chief Amr Mussa, a highly former Egyptian foreign minister often tipped as a possible successor to Mubarak, called for a peaceful transition. "There has to be a peaceful way forward, a peaceful transition … from an era to the other," Mussa told AFP. "It is incumbent upon politicians or people working in politics to help that process." Protesters massed in downtown Cairo vowed that Mubarak's resignation would not be enough, while Egypt's main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, called for them to press on until they bring down his creaking regime. Amid chaos and lawlessness, several foreign governments said they would evacuate their nationals, and the United States authorised the departure of embassy families. Washington, a key ally of Egypt, has urged Mubarak to do more to defuse the crisis, with President Barack Obama calling for "an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people." |
Afghan drug war to be won with crops, not jails: judge
 Despite raids against drug facilities and eradication campaigns, Nato faces an uphill battle as Afghanistan remains the world's top producer of opium, the base for heroin, accounting for 90 percent of the global supply. – AP Photo BRUSSELS: Nato's military might will never win the war against Afghanistan's heroin trade alone, an Afghan judge said, urging the alliance to put more energy into weaning farmers off opium poppy crops. Afghanistan's primary court of counter narcotics in Kabul has handled more than 2,000 cases in the past four years, said Hayatullah Ahadyar, one of the six judges who sit on the court that oversees big drug busts. "We do not have to always use force, capture people, put them in jail. We have to have alternatives for farmers," he said. "How many people should we capture and put in jail? Maybe nobody will be left in Afghanistan, everyone will be in jail," he told AFP in an interview ahead of a meeting with Nato officials in Brussels on Monday. Despite raids against drug facilities and eradication campaigns, Nato faces an uphill battle as Afghanistan remains the world's top producer of opium, the base for heroin, accounting for 90 percent of the global supply. Afghanistan's opium industry is worth almost three billion dollars (2.2 billion euros) a year, supplying heroin to Europe and helping to fund the Taliban-led insurgency against foreign troops in the more than nine-year-old war. A square-jawed 31-year-old, Ahadyar has seen his share of cases: Nigerians caught at Kabul airport with pellets of heroin in their stomachs, an Iranian bus driver hiding drugs in his hold on his way to Iran, a Canadian bringing chemicals into the country. Impoverished farmers are often convinced to plant the drugs by cold hard cash from foreign smugglers or intimidated by Taliban fighters who use the trade to finance their activities, Ahadyar said. Suggesting alternative crops to farmers is not enough, he said. They need cool storage facilities for their fruits and vegetables and viable transportation to export goods. They also need security to prevent "terrorists from coming to their houses and asking: 'please cultivate this for us'," said the young judge, adding that he faces death threats "all the time." "The farmer in a bad economic situation will accept this," said Ahadyar, who was in Brussels along with an Afghan legal expert and a lawmaker to meet with members of the European Parliament and give talks to think tanks in a programme organised by the European Foundation for Democracy. The United States decided in March last year to shift its strategy on opium production in Afghanistan from eradication of crops to a broader focus involving prohibition and alternative agriculture. Convincing Afghan farmers to swap lucrative poppy crops for saffron, almonds and pomegranates will likely take time. A United Nations report last week expressed concern that more Afghan farmers may be tempted to produce opium after a disease decimated crops in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces last year, sending prices soaring. "Lack of security, lack of education, lack of a better life, this is why farmers are growing drugs," Ahadyar said. |