International Karachi, Sunday, October 10, 2010, Zul-Qa’dah 1, Price Rs12 Pages 8
Democracy is our future, says Awan See on Page 8 Economic Indicators $16.99bn 12.79% $5.18bn $9.03bn $(3.85)bn $(944)mn $1.72bn $267.10mn Rs 185bn $55.63bn Foreign Debt (Jun 10) Rs 4705.40bn Domestic Debt (Jul 10) $100.90mn Repatriated Profit (Jul- Aug 10) 3.05% LSM Growth (Jul 10) 4.10% GDP Growth FY10E $1,051 Per Capita Income FY10 170.74mn Population
Forex Reserves (1-Oct-10) Inflation CPI% (Jul 10-Aug 10) Exports (Jul 10-Sep 10) Imports (Jul 10-Sep 10) Trade Balance (Jul 10-Sep 10) Current A/C (Jul 10- Aug10) Remittances (Jul 10-Aug 10) Foreign Invest (Jul 10-Aug10) Revenue (Jul 10-Aug10)
Portfolio Investment SCRA(U.S $ in million)
46.01 -3.21 0.15 2353
Yearly(Jul, 2010 up to 07-Oct-2010) Monthly(Oct, 2010 up to 07-Oct-2010) Daily (07-Oct-2010) Total Portfolio Invest (1 Oct-2010)
NCCPL (U.S $ in million)
FIPI (06-Oct-2010) Local Companies (06-Oct-2010) Banks / DFI (06-Oct-2010) Mutual Funds (06-Oct-2010) NBFC (06-Oct-2010) Local Investors (06-Oct-2010) Other Organization (06-Oct-2010)
0.38 -0.94 0.12 -0.29 0.23 0.71 -0.21
Global Indices Index
Close
Change
10,260.48
68.80
Nikkei 225
9,588.88
95.93
Hang Seng
22,944.18
59.86
Sensex 30
20,250.26
65.06
SSE COMP.
2,738.74
83.08
FTSE 100
5,657.61
4.52
Dow Jones
11,006.48
57.90
KSE 100
GDR update Symbols MCB (1 GDR= 2 Shares) OGDC (1 GDR= 10 Shares) UBL (1 GDR= 4 Shares) LUCK (1 GDR= 4 Shares) HUBC (1 GDR= 25 Shares)
$.Price PKR/Shares 2.60 111.41 18.10 155.12 2.00 42.85 1.70 36.42 9.67 33.15
Money Market Update T-Bills (3 Mths) T-Bills (6 Mths) T-Bills (12 Mths) Discount Rate Kibor (1 Mth) Kibor (3 Mths) Kibor (6 Mths) Kibor ( 9 Mths) Kibor (1Yr) P.I.B ( 3 Yrs) P.I.B (5 Yrs) P.I.B (10 Yrs) P.I.B (15 Yrs) P.I.B (20 Yrs) P.I.B (30 Yrs)
12.83% 13.07% 13.22% 13.50% 12.89% 13.02% 13.22% 13.61% 13.71% 13.83% 13.92% 13.99% 14.23% 14.38% 14.58%
06-Oct-2010 06-Oct-2010 06-Oct-2010 29-Sep-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010 08-Oct-2010
Commodities Crude Oil (brent)$/bbl 84.03 Crude Oil (WTI)$/bbl 82.66 Cotton $/lb 107.17 Gold $/ozs 1,345.30 Silver $/ozs 23.11 Malaysian Palm $ 901.30 GOLD (NCEL) PKR 36,839 KHI Cotton 40Kg PKR 7,663
Open Mkt Currency Rates Symbols
Buy (Rs)
Australian $ 84.60 Canadian $ 84.30 Danish Krone 15.40 Euro 118.70 Hong Kong $ 11.10 Japanese Yen 1.018 Saudi Riyal 22.95 Singapore $ 65.05 Swedish Korona 12.90 Swiss Franc 88.45 U.A.E Dirham 23.40 UK Pound 135.10 US $ 86.30
Sell (Rs)
85.10 84.60 15.60 119.10 11.40 1.044 23.10 65.15 13.30 89.30 23.60 136.10 86.60
Inter-Bank Currency Rates Symbols
Australian $ Canadian $ Danish Krone Euro Hong Kong $ Japanese Yen Saudi Riyal Singapore $ Swedish Korona Swiss Franc U.A.E Dirham UK Pound US $
Buying TT Clean
Selling TT & OD
84.33 84.32 16.04 119.56 11.04 1.031 22.84 65.57 12.86 88.67 23.32 136.15 85.70
84.52 84.51 16.07 119.84 11.07 1.033 22.89 65.72 12.89 88.88 23.37 136.47 85.88
Weather Forecast CITIES
ISLAMABAD KARACHI LAHORE FAISALABAD QUETTA RAWALPINDI
MAX-TEMP
33°C 34°C 35°C 36°C 30°C 34°C
MIN
18°C 26°C 23°C 22°C 8°C 20°C
Subscribe now Tel: 92-21-5311893-6 Fax: 92-21-5388428 Email: editor@ thefinancialdaily.com
www.thefinancialdaily.com
Inside PM Gilani says Pak to continue backing Kashmir World should respect Pak sovereignty Malik Work on Bhasha Dam starts from next mth
See on Page 8 See on Page 8 See on Page 8
Dr Shaikh focalises Pak economy in talks with IFIs
Pakistan seeks new IMF loans Minister informs IFIs about ongoing tax reforms ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: The government has decided to obtain new loans from International Monetary Funds (IMF) to return foreign loans and finance ministry is preparing a summary in this regard. The recommendations for getting new loans from IMF are being prepared by ministry finance as it would be used for returning previous foreign loans. Meanwhile, Minister Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that Pakistan is focused on macroeconomic stabilisation, domestic resources mobilisation, public sector restructuring and addressing some of the structural issues including power sector, he expressed these views as he met with world finance leaders during annual IMF-World Bank meetings. To meet the challenges of
post-floods rehabilitation and reconstruction, the government is re-prioritising its development budget and making necessary adjustments in the foreign assistance, he said. Besides attending IMF-WB meeting, Dr Shaikh is also heading the Pakistani delegation of top economic managers at Commonwealth Finance Ministers Conference, InterGovernmental Group of 24 Meeting. Saudi Arabia has already honoured its pledge made at Tokyo last year and has released full amount for the first year. The finance minister also briefed the senior leaders of the United States including Deputy Secretary Treasury Neal Wolin, Special Assistant to the President on International
Economics and Special Representative Ambassador Richard Holbrooke regarding ongoing tax policy and energy sector reform as well as strategy to deal with post-floods rehabilitation and reconstruction. He highlighted that Pakistan is disbursing cash grants from its own resources for partially compensating the damages done to private properties and early recovery. The Finance Minister urged fast-track reimbursement of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) and disbursement of funds under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act committed and authorised by the US Congress earlier this year. Dr Shaikh in his meeting with the Vice President of the World See # 18 Page 7
FBR told to address investors’ issues
Duty Free Sugar
WB urges early repay of claims
FBR issues notification
ISLAMABAD: World Bank has urged Federal Board of Revenue to clear the pending refund claims before implementing Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST).According to the sources, World Bank said that clearance of refund claims and Expeditious Refund System are main concerns and it is necessary to address and resolve these issues before implementing the RGST. Sources further revealed that WB review team has submitted its report regarding Tax Administration Refrom Project to the Government of Pakistan;
and FBR has issued a detailed executive order in this regard to carry out the suggestions. The WB has recommended to the FBR to closely monitor the execution of the Executive Order and prepare a specific plan to extend the ERS to commercial exporters. The WB pointed out that the FBR has moved considerably with its reform plan, but some management issues have still to be addressed. The WB recommended the FBR to centralise the issuing of notifications and intimations as See # 14 Page 7
Refiners, Gas co to pay Rs80bn
OGDC in deep liquidity crisis Staff Reporter / Agencies KARACHI: Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) is in deep liquidity crisis due to delay of Rs80 billion payments from Oil Refineries and Gas companies, and Company now has only Rs six billion in liquid reserves. According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources country's five big oil refineries and two major gas companies had to pay Rs80 billion to the OGDCL but after not getting a single penny from these entities, OGCL now pondering over to borrow from banks to keep the projects running.
According to the news, Company's assets that can be readily converted into cash have come down sharply from around Rs19 billion in June 2010 after payments of deferred taxes and dividends. The Company has annual cash flow of Rs93 billion from sale of oil and gas and its strong balance sheet has helped it stay away from banks during last five years. The petroleum giant has to raise between $400 and $500 million from banks in fiscal 2011/12. OGDCL has set a capital expenditure target of $800 million for next fiscal year, most of which will go to See # 15 Page 7
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued SRO notifying zero per cent duty on import of raw sugar of cane sugar and beet sugar by the private sector, says a statement issued by the Ministry of Industries and Production. See # 11 Page 7
NAB chief appointment
‘N’ releases letters written to PM Gilani ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has released letters to media on Saturday, which were written to the Prime Minister over appointment of Chairman National Accountability Bureau. See # 12 Page 7
Govt seeks more time in NRO cases ISLAMABAD: The government Saturday filed another request in the Supreme Court seeking more time in the NRO review case, media reported. Advocate on Record Raja Abdul Ghafoor filed the plea in the SC. The government has decided to appoint another counsel in place of Kamal Azfar and need time to make the appointment, the plea said. See # 13 Page 7
MURREE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani addressing on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Lawarence College. -APP
Pakistan reopens border gates for Nato supplies
Toll tax on Nato vehicles mulled US apology on border strikes accepted, Malik ISLAMABAD: The federal government Saturday said that it is considering imposing a tax on Nato supply trucks going to Afghanistan from Pakistan routes, meanwhile it announced to reopen Torkham routes for the Nato supply trucks to travel to Afghanistan. The announcement came nine days after Nato helicopters violated Pakistan's border limits. Trucks which had been stranded at the Pak-Afghan border were also allowed to proceed towards Afghanistan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said that the government decided to reopen the border for Nato and ISAF forces after the US apologised for the strikes and also after the assess-
ment of the security situation. Abdul Basit said that measures were being taken to ensure better delivery of Nato and ISAF supplies and in order to continue the uninterrupted supply, Pakistani officials at the border would be consulting Afghan officials at the other side of the border. Official sources said that the Nato supply trucks would resume their journeys on Monday as supplies normally remained suspended over the weekend. "After assessing the security situation in all its aspects, the government has decided to reopen the Nato/Isaf supply from the Pakistan-Afghanistan See # 8 Page 7
29 more Nato tankers torched BOLAN: Unknown persons have set on fire twenty-nine oil tankers of Nato Forces in an area of Muthary, District Bolan Balochistan. Levies Forces said that oil tankers were carrying oil supply for Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan. These containers left for Afghanistan from Karachi. However, on their way in an area of Muthary, Bolan some See # 9 Page 7
Deedar assumes charge as new chairman
NAB head vows to root out corruption Appointment of Deedar Shah challenged in court ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau Justice (Retd) Deedar Hussain Shah directing NAB authorities to ensure early completion of corruption cases in transparent manner said that he has no political agenda and he would fulfill his responsibilities in line with the constitution and law. According to NAB spokesman, chairing an introductory meeting of NAB author-
ities on Saturday after assuming his charge as NAB chairman, Justice (retd) Deedar Hussain Shah urged the senior officers of NAB to work diligently, honestly and according to law to ensure fair accountability in the country. He assured the participants that he will make all efforts to eradicate corruption from the country. He informed them that he will
always be accessible to them for official work and underscored the importance of team work and collective effort to achieve the objectives as envisaged in the Accountability Ordinance. Sources told that the new chairman was given a comprehensive briefing on pending cases, under trial cases and working of NAB. See # 10 Page 7
Former ruler talks to Indian magazine, says he regrets doffing the uniform; NRO a blunder
Governance failure biggest threat: Musharraf LONDON: Dubbing his political detractors as "cowards," Pakistan's former ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that the greatest threat his country is facing today is "failure" of governance, rather than India or Taliban. "I would say, failure of governance is the greatest threat today," Musharraf, who has announced his return to active Pakistani politics from London where he has been living in selfimposed exile.
The commando-turned-politician said the immediate necessity on the ground in Pakistan is a "functional governance structure free of corruption". In an interview here to Indian publication 'The Week,' Musharraf said the current Pakistan Peoples Party-led government has failed to effectively govern the country. "The PPP government has failed to do so. Nawaz Sharif came to power twice but could not do anything productive
because he is actually brainless," Musharraf said. His remarks came amid criticism of the PPP-led government for its inept handling of the catastrophic floods and corruption. Asked if he planned to return to Pakistan, the 67-year-old Musharraf said he would as soon as election is announced. "I will return as soon as elections are announced. In the meantime, I will focus on strengthening the party from
here," he said, referring to his 'All Pakistan Muslim League' which he launched here on October 1 thousands of miles away from Pakistan. The next general election in Pakistan is scheduled for 2013. Musharraf also said he was not perturbed by reports that he will be facing trouble if he returned to Pakistan. "Let them do whatever they want to. As far as I am concerned, there are no hindrances for my return when I want to. All those
Masood ready to become approver in Bugti case: Talal DERA BUGTI: Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) President Talal Bugti claimed Saturday that Brigadier Masood Malik (Retd), an ex-officer of a security agency, has agreed to become approver against former president Pervaiz Musharraf in Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case, media reported. He was addressing media men at Bugti House. PML-N leader Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasir was also See # 16 Page 7 opposing me are cowards and "We want good relations with are scared of my return," he India, but it has to be based on said. See # 17 Page 7
2
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Mobilink tops OICCI donors list
AJK MP removed over fake degree M U Z A F FA R A B A D : Minister of Trade and Industry of Azad Kashmir and ruling Muslim Conference leader Chaudhry Rukhsar has been dismissed from his post due to submitting fake educational certificates. Opposition People's Muslim League candidate Chaudhry Arshad filed an application before the Election Commission, alleging that Chaudhry Rukhsar's matriculation certificate was fake. The Election Commission shifted the application to the District and Sessions judge of Rawalakot for a formal hearing. As a result, on Saturday the District and Sessions Court disqualified Rukhsar after declaring his educational documents fake. In addition, the court ordered the Election Commission to hold another election for the vacant seat in Mirpur Constituency-4 within 90 days. -NNI
SUNDAY Time Programmes 8:00 Pakistan This Week (Rpt) 8:30 Filmi Samaa (Rpt) 9:00 Awam Ki Awaz (Rpt) 10:00 Smithsonian Documentry 11:00 Tijarti Dunya (Rpt) 11:30 Dilkash Pakistan (Rpt) 12:00 Kamyab (Rpt) 13:00 Agenda 360 (Rpt) 14:00 Amnay Samnay (Rpt) 14:30 Music Scene (Rpt) 15:00 Awam Ki Awaz (Rpt) 16:00 Pakistan This Week (Rpt) 16:30 Tijarti Dunya (Rpt) 17:00 Kamyab (Rpt) 18:00 Dilkash Pakistan (Rpt) 18:30 Filmi Samaa (Rpt) 19:00 Chai Time (Rpt) 20:00 Badalta Pakistan 21:00 Amnay Samnay-2 21:30 Red Carpet 22:00 Uff TV 22:30 Sara Jahan 23:00 Agenda 360 12:00 Awam Ki Awaz (Rpt)
TV PROGRAMMES SUNDAY Time 7:00 8:00 9:05 10:05 12:00 13:10 14:10 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:05 19:30 20:05 21:00 22:03 23:05
Programmes News News Manzil (Rpt) The Reema Show (Rpt) News Faisla Aap Ka (Rpt) The Anchor (Rpt) News News News News I Samaa Mutasareen The Reema Show News Faisla Aap Ka Tafteesh
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah receiving relief-goods for flood affectees donated by Iranian Counsil General Abbas Ali Abdollahi. -APP
Dengue ward setup at Abbasi Shaheed KARACHI: City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has established a special ward for patients affected with dengue and other harmful viruses and contagious diseases in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH). The new 40 bedded ward will be available for admission of patients in any emergency. The new unit was inaugurated by the Provincial Minister for Environment Khalid Umer on Saturday who also met with the patients. MPA Rehan Zafar, MS Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Dr Hamid Zaheer, Add MS Dr Saeed Rajput, Principal KMDC Professor Waqar Kazmi, Dr Prof Saleemullah, Dr Khurram Danial, Dr Gulnaz, Dr Naz Jameel and other senior professors and doctors were also present on this occasion. A detailed briefing was also given regarding the
Initial report on shrine blasts submitted KARACHI: Crime Investigation Department, Karachi on Saturday submitted a preliminary report on Thursday's suicide bombings to the Crisis Management Cell and Inspector General of Sindh. According to the report, three to five kilograms of explosives and belts were used in the two attacks. The report said that suicide bombers used belts instead of suicide vests to carry out the attack, reported a private news channel. The first blast took place at the main gate, while the second attack happened in front of Aukaf department office. At the time of blasts, 23 private security guards and 15 policemen were on duty at the shrine. At least nine people were killed and scores of others wounded after two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the premises of Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine.-APP
establishment of new ward at ASH. It was informed that so far 33 patients had been found infected with the dengue virus out of total 102 patients tested in the hospital. Already 8 patients have been recovered and checked out while treatment to remaining 25 patients was underway. A special Cell Separate process has also been started working in the hospital which is first time in the history of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Talking to media representatives on this occasion the Provincial Minister for Environment Khalid Umer said that the former Haq Parast City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal had made Abbasi Shaheed Hospital one of the modern hospitals of city with latest facilities available for patients. The hospital now has the facility for full treatment of almost every disease.
He said that this hospital though in past had the facility of treatment of patients infected with dengue virus but now a special ward has been established here with 40 beds and the number of beds could increase if needed. EDO Health Dr. Nasir Javed said that the poor and needy patients could not afford the costly dengue virus treatment in private hospitals of city and that is why this facility has been provided to such needy citizens in Abbasi Shaheed Hosptial without any cost. MS Dr Hamid Zaheer said that the new ward will also be used for emergency. He said that the cell separate arrangements have also been made in the hospital and already more than 6 units have been prepared in just two days.Agencies
Pak, Tunisia to multiply trade volume: ICCI ISLAMABAD: Mourad Bourehla, Ambassador of Tunis visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry to congratulate newly elected President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mahfooz Elahi, said a statement issued here on Saturday. Mourad Bourehal, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia while addressing said that business community for their interest to enhance bilateral trade. He was of the view that it was need of the day to explore new avenues of trade and investment between both the countries having same religion and cultural values. He also highlighted about the great potential of trade with Tunis and urged to exchange the trade delegations by holding trade exhibitions. He said that bilateral trade agreements between Pakistan and Tunis was in process to sing to promote trade ties between both the countries. He said that Pakistan and
Tunis was enjoying very old traditional and religious relations and urged Chambers of Commerce and Industries of both the countries could play their active role to motivate the business community and investors to invest in each other country. He agreed for MOU between Tunis Chamber & Islamabad Chamber of Commerce, so that the trade between both the countries could be enhanced. He also agreed to invest in Pakistan in its energy sector to bring the country of out its energy crises. Mehfooz Elahi President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry in his welcome address stressed the need to promote trade and investment between Pakistan and Tunis. He said that being Islamic countries both enjoy very cordial and friendly relationship, but the trade volume between both the countries is very low and it is the need of hour to enhance it, which in favour for both the countries.-Online
Reconciliation beneficial for durable peace: Sharmila KARACHI: Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqui said on Saturday that the PPP government is committed to follow reconciliation with political parties for ensuring durable peace and stable democracy in the country for the good of masses. The government under the dynamic leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari is taking all its coalition partners on board and is in touch with other political, social and religious parties for peace in Karachi and other parts of the country, she said in a statement. Sharmila said the reconciliation is the only way to ensure resilient peace and
bolstering democracy in country that is why the PPP government is striving hard in this regard so that the masses' problems could be resolved on priority basis. She said the PPP wanted to go forward taking all parties and the institutions along, adding that only the civilian government could tackle the challenges facing the country and the nation. "The policy of reconciliation is a clear manifestation of unity as it has united the nation on all important issues. We are fulfilling the promises made with the people and are boosting performance with each passing day," she said.
Some elements opposed to reconciliation in the country are trying to destabilise the coalition in Sindh but we are capable enough to safeguard it, she said and added that the government wants all state institutions get respect and there should be no clash among institutions that could affect democracy and peace in the country. The credit to flourish consensus culture in the country goes to the PPP government which never adopted revengeful acts. It is our government which has always held consultations with all stakeholders in the policy making, Sharmila concluded.-PPI
KARACHI: Mobilink has been recognised by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI) as the top donor amongst its member companies for relief of the flood affected people. The OICCI which represents 185 foreign companies, highlighted Mobilink's contribution of Rs236 million that is one of the largest private sector relief initiatives in the country followed by Unilever at Rs128 million. A significant portion of Mobilink's contribution is in the form of pre fabricated sheets worth Rs140 million that have been donated to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Thardeep Rural Development Program (TRDP) to establish over 400 basic health units. The shelters are easy to assemble, transport and store as per requirements. Made of durable material, they are not only be useful during the current relief efforts but are a long term donation for future use as schools and dispensaries in coming months and years particularly in areas where rehabilitation will be a slow and lengthy process. Mobilink has also put to use discarded panaflex and billboard skins to pack relief items. Very sturdy, these bags can hold up to 10 kilos, are waterproof and hence of long term use to aid recipients. Channeled through the Mobilink Foundation, more than 100,000 flood victims have been reached through these efforts.-PR
Mirza made PTV Chairman ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday appointed Yousuf Baig Mirza as Managing Director of Pakistan Television, replacing Arshad Khan. The new managing director also assumed charge of the office on the same day. According to official sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had already issued a notification for the appointment of Mirza. It is for the third time that Mirza has been given top position in the state-run television. Earlier, Mirza has held top positions in different private television channels.-APP
Youth governance moot held KARACHI: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) organised a two day convention here recently to teach the youth about the necessity of good governance, said a handout issued here. Chief Guest of the event former federal secretary H N Akhter, said that corruption can be eradicated from the society only if we start reforming ourselves. We can bring change if we believe in ourselves and try to understand the true meaning of a patriot and be honest in our thoughts and our actions. Talking at the occasion Shabbir Kazmi a senior Journalist from The Financial Daily urged the students to realise the importance of their attitude towards everything. This session began with a speech of a senior Professor from Institute of Business Management Prof Moinuddin Ali Khan. His topic was "malpractices in secondary education sector". He said that local education boards have made blatant mistakes in their curriculum but still they're taught everywhere.-PR
‘I can call Gilani back to PML’
Pagara upbeat on PML unification KARACHI: Pir Pagara, chief of PML-F has said he will go to Lahore to meet Mian Nawaz Sharif in connection with unification of all the factions of Muslim League. "I will go to Lahore to meet Mian Nawaz Sharif but I will not go to London as I can not remain alone in London", he said this while talking to media men at Kingri house Saturday during his meeting with Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, chairman Awami Muslim League (AML). Regarding the question about inclusion of Yousuf Raza Gilani in PML, he said "I have sent Gilani to PPP and I will call him back to PML when he becomes tired." Responding to a question Pir Pagara said President Asif Ali Zardari had neither contacted him nor he had contacted him. "I am not among those
who offer sacrifice but I am among those who take sacrifices. Whose doom has come near will be sacrificed. Who has to be sacrificed may be from any province," he added. Replying to a question about nominating Sheikh Rashid as prime minister in next election he said the decision regarding nominee will be taken during the meeting of unified Muslim League. To a question that winter season is nearing close and if the national politics will heat up or stay cool, Pir Pagara said as far as winter is concerned the politics will be heated up with the help of heater. Replying to a question what is going to happen in future he said all will happen in future which you don't know. About Kalabagh dam spiritual leader of Hurrs Pir of Pagara said this dam
will not be constructed. AML chairman Sheikh Rashid Ahmad had predicted last three months of the year are very crucial and work had been started for bringing change. Clash between government and institutions was going on and unification of all the factions of Muslim League was the only way to escape from extra judicial and ultra constitutional change, he remarked. He went on to say NAB chairman Deedar Hussain Shah is a good person adding it is a separate thing if he becomes bad with reference to Asif Ali Zardari. To a question about appointment of Deedar Hussain Shah as chairman NAB, he said that not only Deedar Hussain Shah but favorites had been inducted in Steel Mills, PIA, Railway, PASCO and other institutions.-Online
KARACHI: Chief of the Awami Muslim League, Sheikh Rasheed talking to media persons after meeting with PML-F Chief Pir Pagara at Kingri House. -APP
Qaim thanks Iran for aiding victims KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Saturday met with Iranian Consul General, Abbas Ali Abdollahi at Iran Consulate here. Talking to the Iranian CG, Sindh CM thanked the government of Iran for assisting Sindh government in relief and restoration of the flood affectees in Sindh province. Abbas Ali Abdollahi recalled that total $10 million financial aid was announced for flood affectees by Iran in the beginning. Later, keeping in view the flood situation in Pakistan, the financial assistance was increased by Iran upto $ 100 million, he added. He said the assistance will be spent on reconstruction and resettlement activities in flood-hit areas.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah said recent flood is a big tragedy and the people suffered a lot due to flood devastation. He said besides Iran government, the people of Iran have also provided help to Pakistan in tough times. The Sindh CM recalled that a delegation of women from Iran had participated in relief activities at floodhit areas at Thatta, Sindh, where they also provided medical cover to the flood victims. He said the Iran has recently sent 100 trucks loads of relief goods to Karachi which also carry the relief goods for flood affected areas in Sindh. He said Pakistan and Iran are not only two neighboring friendly countries but both have old and close relations.
He said our people visit the holy places in Iran and the people from Iran visit Pakistan too. He said our people are suffering due to the flood and they not only need relief goods and medical facilities but they also needed to be resettled. Speaking on the occasion, Iranian CG expressed deep sense of sorrow over losses caused by the recent massive flood in Pakistan. He informed total 20 aeroplanes from Iran have brought relief goods to Pakistan so far including 10 ones reached Karachi while rest ones at Islamabad, Sukkur, Lahore and Peshawar. He noted that 450 loads trucks relief good have also been distributed among flood victims at different areas in Pakistan.-APP
Corps chief visits Chinese medical camp
KARACHI: Women take keen interest at jewelries at a stall during “Fashion” exhibition organised by Jinnah Women University (JWU) held in karachi on Saturday. -PPI
KARACHI: Shabbir H Kazmi, senior journalist of The Financial Daily giving presentation at Transparency International Governance seminar held here.-Staff Photo
KARACHI: Corps Commander Lieutenant General Shahid Iqbal visited the Chinese Field Hospital and inspected the troops deployed in flood affected areas of Sindh on Saturday. The commander appreciated the dedication and humanitarian support provided by Chinese hospitals. China is one of our best friend and caring neighbour who has always supported in testing times. The medical authorities of Chinese Army have established two field hospitals in Thatta and Sehwan Sharif respectively. Medical staff includes male and female doctors and paramedics who are serving the marooned people round the clock. It is also worth mentioning that four MI-17 helicopters are also busy in relief operation and augmenting the relief efforts of Pakistan Army, says an ISPR press release.-PPI
Analysis & Feature
Sunday, October 10, 2010
3
IRAN’S NUCLEAR ENERGY PLANS DRAW SCEPTICISM l Iran aims to have 20,000 MW in nuclear energy capacity l Country seeks foreign suppliers for atomic power plants l West suspects nuclear programme is cover for bomb aims
I
ran justifies its atomic activity with plans to set up a network of nuclear power plants, but Western analysts say a lack of indigenous resources and growing international isolation make those ambitions look farfetched. The issue of whether Iran can build as many as 20 reactors during the next two decades goes to the heart of an eight-year diplomatic row over the Islamic state's nuclear programme. Iran insists it needs to enrich uranium -- material which can also be used to make weapons if refined much further -- to fuel future power stations designed to generate electricity and enable the country to export more of its gas and oil riches. It says its first such facility, a Russian-built 1,000 megawatt (MW) reactor near the Gulf coast city of Bushehr, will start supplying energy in early 2011 after years of delays. But the United States and its allies believe Iran's uranium enrichment is part of a covert weapons drive and have imposed tough sanctions on Tehran to force it to halt the work. "It is simply unrealistic to build so many nuclear reactors in such a short time," said Oliver Thraenert, senior fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
"The Iranians don't have the experience, they don't have the infrastructure and it is possible they don't have the money due to the sanctions," he said. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, told the UN nuclear watchdog's annual assembly in Vienna last month about a parliament decision to construct nuclear power plants generating a total of 20,000 MW by 2030. He urged "all potential suppliers to seize this opportunity to participate in the construction of the new power plants". Mark Fitzpatrick, a former senior US State Department official now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank in London, dismissed this as a "pipe dream" which made no economic sense. "Talking about 20,000 MW capacity is an excuse to try to justify the enrichment programme," he said. NO BIDDERS? Ian Anthony, director of the arms control and non-proliferation programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said building the number of power plants Iran wanted would be "extremely expensive" but not impossible. Critics of Iran's nuclear programme argue that it makes no commercial sense for it to enrich uranium in the
absence of plants to use the fuel, he said. But if the country had more atomic power stations then it could become more logical. The question is whether the plan to establish such an nuclear energy network is "an after-the-fact construct to reduce criticism of the enrichment programme or whether it is the true intention of Iran to build these power plants", Anthony said. With Iran facing increased political and economic isolation, global nuclear energy firms are unlikely to enter the Islamic Republic at a time of growing international demand for nuclear plants which can cost about $4 billion. "It's a seller's market. Foreign companies wouldn't be tripping over themselves doing business there in the current circumstances," said Ian Hore-Lacy, public communications director of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) industry body. Iran lacked some of the key manufacturing capacities to make key components itself, he said. Mark Hibbs at the Carnegie Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said no "suppliers anywhere in the world, including China and Russia, will export reactors to Iran" as long as it is deemed to be violating UN resolutions. Iran, which now gets 90
per cent of its electricity from fossil fuels, invited bids in 2007 for two reactors near Bushehr of 1,000 and 1,600 MW each that would be launched in 2016. "It is not known whether any bids were received," the WNA said on its website, adding the country has also announced plans to construct
a 360 MW reactor at Darkhovin in its southeast. As part of this nuclear expansion drive, Iran says it will build 10 more enrichment plants, on top of its only operating one at Natanz and another under construction in a mountain bunker near the city of Qom, further worrying the West.
"They have some interest in civilian use of nuclear energy. But I'm totally convinced that their more important motivation is to create a nuclear weapons option," Thraenert said. Olli Heinonen, the former head of the UN nuclear watchdog's inspections worldwide, now at Harvard
University, said only Iran itself knew what its nuclear aims really were. "It has to do with prestige, it is to do with their own security, to be a regional player, it is a complex thing. It is not just about, let's say, nuclear weapons or to produce fuel for Bushehr," Heinonen said. -Reuters
Karzai's push for Afghan peace a distant dream A
fghan President Hamid Karzai's bid to start peace talks with the Taliban, setting tough conditions which have failed before, offers little hope of bringing nearly 10 years of war to an end. Karzai has long advocated talks with the insurgents, his spokesman has acknowledged two years of on-again-offagain contacts and the president recently unveiled a list of members of a High Peace Council to kick-start and manage any talks process. Supporters of talks, who are spread from Kabul's presidential palace, across European capitals and to Washington, say the Taliban leaders are starting to reach out too. The Taliban are weary of fighting, their argument goes, mistrustful of the long-term intentions of their hosts in Pakistan and fearful that if they win total
military control of Afghanistan, international support will dry up and a generation of young insurgents could marginalise them. But the Taliban have the upper hand in military terms, despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops. There is widespread loathing of foreign forces and Karzai's government is largely seen as corrupt or incompetent. The conditions Karzai is suggesting are more or less a repeat of the deal he has been trying to sell for years without success: lay down your arms, accept the constitution, renounce violence and al Qaeda, and in return get a place in my government. "What will the Taliban gain from the talks and joining the government?" asked Daad Noorani, an Afghan writer and analyst. "The Taliban regard them-
selves as victors of the war since they have control in the south, east and have infiltrated the north. Under such a situation I would call any hope a joke." A large tribal jirga in June endorsed Karzai's plan for a peace council to try to coax Taliban leaders to talks while using cash and other aid to tempt foot soldiers to switch sides. But the unrealistic conditions even prompted a senior former Taliban figure who has been involved in indirect talks in the past, Abdul Salaam Zaeef, to turn down an invitation to join the peace council, Noorani said. "The Taliban do not recognise Karzai's government yet the government says 'come over, surrender your arms and accept the constitution'," said former prime minister Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai. "It can't work this way. This
is not making peace." Matt Waldman, a fellow at Harvard University who is in contact with insurgents, says Karzai's offer casts doubt on whether he and Washington are genuinely interested in pursuing a negotiated solution. "The preconditions they have laid down are perceived by the Taliban as an invitation to surrender, which they are in no mind to accept," Waldman, an ex-defence and security adviser to the British and European parliaments, wrote to Reuters in an email. TALIBAN CONDITIONS Before and after their resurgence, the Taliban have demanded the expulsion of foreign forces as their condition for engaging in any talks with Kabul. With Obama preparing for a drawdown of troop numbers from next July, some of those in Kabul believe they may
have a unique window now, both to win over the Taliban and protect their country from years of even more damaging fighting. The Taliban's success in the war comes despite the killing and arrest of some key figures in recent years, particularly following the surge of US troops since last year. The older Taliban who have survived might now be more willing to support a negotiated end to the war, in order to ensure a larger slice of peacetime power, some analysts say. "If you don't talk to the Taliban now, increasingly their leadership is becoming more radicalised. You have got a lot of the Guantanamo generation coming in as commanders who are very close to al Qaeda and radicalised," said Pakistani author and Afghanistan expert Ahmed Rashid. "If you kill off all the older leadership and you don't deal
with them, this new lot in two years will be in control and they will not want to talk at all and you will be in a much dangerous position," he said recently. Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omer, on Wednesday said there had been regular contacts for two years between the Taliban and Kabul, either at the request of Taliban members or tribal chiefs. But under Russian occupation, close family members fought on different sides of the war, while keeping channels of communication open. "Behind the scenes talks" during the current conflict may be little more than this kind of family connections, aimed at keeping dead family to a minimum, avoiding damage to tribal set-up and devastation to villages. There are also reports some Taliban do not trust Pakistan, long their backers and now their hosts.
Islamabad, many Afghans believe, is seeking to manipulate the Taliban to influence Afghanistan's future as part of its rivalry with India. Early this year, it arrested a number of top Taliban leaders, among them Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was involved in moving towards talks with to Karzai's government, according to several Afghan officials. Other Taliban fear they could be next if the winds of Pakistan's notoriously unstable political world change direction, and Karzai has played on this fear, indirectly warning them to either join the talks or risk detention in Pakistan. But they also know they are Pakistan's best bet as it is through them that Isalambad can direct the shape up of any talks which then will have impact on Afghanistan's future. -Reuters
Cameron, Sarkozy find austerity, reform hard C
hallenged even by their own supporters over pension or benefits cuts to middle income families, political leaders in both Britain and France are finding austerity and reform perhaps harder than expected. That doesn't mean they will be forced to roll back on their wider strategy of spending cuts and pension changes, but it is a sign that they may be at their most vulnerable over reforms that upset their political base. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, facing a wave of strikes but also the risk of a revolt by centrist supporters in the upper house, announced plans on Thursday to tweak a pension reform to ease the impact on women who stopped work to raise children. British Prime Minister David Cameron faced outrage even
from some of his own MPs over plans to cut child benefit for higher earning parents. He was forced to apologise for not putting it in his election manifesto and the row apparently prompted him to resurrect a suggested tax break for married couples. The bottom line, analysts say, is that reducing spending in Western democracies was always going to be difficult politically and produce a much more complex reaction than a simple left-wing backlash. Nowhere will this be harder than in cutting back services -from higher education to health, defence to pensions -that touch on the preoccupations of middle-income voters and centre-right newspapers. "There is nothing that is easy to cut," said David Lea, western Europe analyst at Control
Risks. "What has surprised Cameron and Sarkozy is the way even their own base has reacted. They expected trouble from the unions, the left-wing newspapers. They're getting it from the right as well." Proposed British defence cuts have also proved contentious on both the right and left, with ministers reported to be clashing over how military downsizing will hit industrial jobs as well as Britain's power in the world. MORE TO COME Europe's era of austerity is producing a cacophony of campaigning and lobbying from assorted interest groups desperate to avoid the axe. This is particularly evident in Britain, where some of the most radical reforms are planned. The government will announce a spending review
on Oct. 20 with more details. "There are going to be so many issues people will fight back about," said Kevin Craig, managing director of British lobbying firm PLMR. "What we've seen so far is nothing compared to what is to come." Few analysts have been surprised that trade unions have howled against spending cuts, taking to the streets -- albeit in very varied numbers -- across the continent. Huge displays of public discontent seem unlikely to bring down European governments or block reforms, but they could make it harder for leaders from Spain and Portugal to Ireland and France to win reelection. Both Cameron and Sarkozy expect left-wing opposition, and will largely shrug it off. But both are more sensitive
to pressure from the centre. Few middle income parents - aside from a handful of loyal Conservative MPs -- are enthusiastic about losing 2,000 pounds a year in child benefit if they are in the top two tax brackets. The issue dominated coverage this week at the Conservative party conference. The policy will survive, but the lessons will have been noted. Neither key Conservative decision-makers nor generally supportive media had been briefed before the announcement, a fact that appeared to intensify criticism. France's situation is different, but some of the same drivers are in play. Sarkozy chose to make his pension concession to working mothers, a key voter group whose support may be crucial in the 2012 presidential election.
NO WAY BACK For a five-year transition period, they will be able to retire at 65 on a full pension even if they do not have enough contribution years but have taken career breaks to raise three children or more. Some suspect they may eventually be granted an openended full pension right at 65. The concession was intended to counter a growing strike and protest movement. But it also aims to head off a mini-revolt in the Senate, where Sarkozy's UMP party lacks an overall majority leaving him dependent on centrist allies. The strikes and demonstrations may grab headlines, but analysts say it is more targeted protests over individual issues that are more likely to force policy shifts. In one early example, in
October last year, supporters of Britain's reservist Territorial Army waged a swift, high-profile media campaign against a mere 20 million pound ($32 million) cut to its training budget. Within days, then Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed to ringfence the spending, to jeers from the then opposition Conservatives, who welcomed the climbdown. Now that Cameron is in power, he faces many similar battles but has little choice but to push through deep cuts. "This government's fate is so tied to deficit reduction, they have little choice but to continue," said PLMR's Craig. "They will want to frontload as much pain as possible in years one and two in the hope that by 2015 they are popular again." Reuters
4 Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Financial Daily International Vol 4, Issue 65
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Amir A. Ashary Editor: Shakil H. Jafri Executive Editor: Manzar Naqvi Honorary Advisory Board Haseeb Khan, FCA
S. Muneer Hussain Rizvi
Asim Abbas Ashary, CPA
Khurram Shehzad, CFA
Akhtar M. Zaidi, FCA
Prof. Zakaria Sajid (KU)
Dr. A. Hadi Shahid, FCA
Zahid Bukhari SVP HBL (retd)
Muhammad Arif
Ismat Sabir Head office
111-C, Jami Commercial Street 11, Phase VII, DHA Karachi Telephone: 92-21-5311893-6 Fax: 92-21-5388428 URL: www.thefinancialdaily.com Email Address: editor@thefinancialdaily.com
Lahore office 24- Peshawar Block, Fortress Stadium, Lahore Telephone: 92-42-6675595 Fax: 92-42-6664349 Email Address: editor@thefinancialdaily.com
Burning Nato tankers can't bring any respite Over the last couple of months more than 150 trucks/tankers taking Nato/ISAF supplies to Afghanistan have been burnt, most within the last fortnight. Some analysts term it retaliation by Taliban for accelerated drone attacks in North Waziristan. The Government of Pakistan also stopped Afghan-bound trucks after the US attack on a check post killed Pakistani soldiers. While Torkham border was closed, clearance from Chaman border continued. Lately, congestion at Chaman increased because Pakistan Customs decided not to clear any vehicle without completing the formalities. As the congestion increased vehicles became easy prey and around 10 vehicles were burnt on daily basis. It was rather unique that the US offered a formal apology but insisted that undertaking such attacks was in self defence. The lingering negotiations took some days, may be because the US was trying to give an impression that blockade was not making much difference. A little confusion was created due to contradictory statement. While some analysts were saying up to 40 per cent supplies pass through Pakistan others quoted the number as high as 80 per cent. However, one point was very clear that Afghanistan being a land-locked country has to have a transit trade agreement with more than one country i.e. Pakistan and Iran. However at present only Pakistan can provide this facility. It was a rare occasion to witness Pakistan taking a firm stand, despite the fact the US has provided an outstanding support to Pakistan in the aftermath of floods. May be stance has emerged because despite Pakistan's best efforts and the US administration accepting, pressure kept on building Pakistan to do more. One of the reason for strangulated relationship between the US and Pakistan is the duality of US policy towards Afghanistan. On one hand the US is trying to arrive at some sort of reconciliation with Taliban in Afghanistan but on the other hand it is insisting on weeding out of Taliban (often mixing with al Qaeda) from Pakistan. It has been nearly three decades that Pakistan was dragged into Afghan war. This started with USSR attacking Afghanistan in an attempt to get access to warm waters, but the move was frustrated by the US with the support of Pakistan. After the humiliating defeat of USSR, the US also withdrew leaving Afghans at the mercy of warlords. Subsequently Taliban government was installed, which was dislodged when the US decided to attack Afghanistan in 2001 for providing shelter to Osama bin Laden. Having fought an unyielding war the US administration has decided to take an exit, without letting the world know that the withdrawal is nothing but acceptance of the US defeat in Afghanistan, which is the bitterest pill to swallow for the sole surviving super power. Pakistan has been saying that lasting peace in Afghanistan can't be established without its active support. However, the US policy to deal with Taliban directly and involving India rather than Pakistan is likely to create misunderstanding that is exactly what is happening now. The US must make its policy towards Taliban public. The duality is likely to cause more damage rather than establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Disclaimer:
All reports and recommendations have been prepared for your information only. Summary and Analysis are not recommendation to buy or sell. This information should only be used by investors who are aware of the risk inherent in securities trading. The facts, information, data, indicators and charts presented have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but their accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. The Financial Daily International and its employees are not responsible for any loss arising from use of these reports and recommendations.
Climate talks marred by bickering China hit back on Saturday at U.S. claims it was shirking in the fight against climate change, likening the criticisms to a mythic pig preening itself. Frustration between the world's two top carbon polluters overshadowed week-long U.N. talks seeking progress on the shape of a new climate pact, with negotiators making some progress on financing but failing to dispel fears the process could end in deadlock. Su Wei, a senior Chinese climate change negotiator, swiped at comments from top U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern as the climate change talks drew to a close in the north Chinese city of Tianjin. Stern, in remarks at a U.S. university, said Beijing could not insist rich nations take on fixed targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions while China and other big emerging nations adopt only voluntary domestic goals. Su countered that Stern's claims were a diversion from the United States' failure to make big cuts in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases causing global warming. He likened the U.S. criticism to Zhubajie, a pig in a classic Chinese novel, which in a traditional saying preens itself in a mirror. "It has no measures or actions to show for itself, and instead it criticises China, which is actively taking measures and actions," Su said of the United
States. The talks in Tianjin reached firmer agreement on funding for poor countries hit by global warming, green technology transfers, and other steps intended to build momentum for more
Richards of the Climate Action Network, which monitored the talks. Progress this week should lead to some decisions in Cancun, said Wendel Trio, Greenpeace International climate policy director, but he pointed
Stern accused Beijing of sliding away from the Copenhagen Accord and said it established that China should be treated much like other big polluters. China has said it will not accept such a change. high-level treaty talks in Cancun, Mexico, from the end of next month. Cancun is meant to be the stepping stone to a legally binding deal next year that would lock in governments into reducing greenhouse gas pollution holding heat in the atmosphere and threatening to tip over into dangerous global warming. Officials and activists in Tianjin said they were frustrated that more was not agreed in sessions that often dwelt on procedures. Talks on protecting carbon-absorbing rainforests languished. NEED FOR SPEED "We're moving in the right direction, but we certainly need to put our foot on the accelerator," said Julie-Anne
to the bickering that has dominated the Tianjin meeting. "At times it has been like watching children in a kindergarten," he said. The jabs between Beijing and Washington exposed a rift likely to keep dogging talks: to what extent China should be regarded in treaties as an emerging economy free of fixed greenhouse gas reduction goals. The first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the U.N.'s main weapon against climate change, ends in 2012 and what follows from 2013 is under contention. The Protocol makes an either-or distinction between rich countries, which take on fixed targets to cut emissions,
and developing countries, including China. The U.S. is not a party. Nearly 200 governments failed to agree last year on a new legally binding deal. A meeting in Copenhagen last December ended in bitter exchanges between rich and developing countries and created a loose accord with many gaps. Stern accused Beijing of sliding away from the Copenhagen Accord and said it established that China should be treated much like other big polluters. China has said it will not accept such a change. China also demands that advanced economies, responsible for most of the industrial pollution fuelling global warming, must commit to deep cuts in emissions, giving poorer societies more room to grow their economies and greenhouse gas output. The top U.S. negotiator in Tianjin, Jonathan Pershing, demanded China and other big emerging nations expose their domestic emissions goals to tighter international scrutiny and put them in a new binding pact that succeeds Kyoto. "These elements are at the heart of the deal and the lack of progress on them gives us concern," Pershing told reporters. "The danger we face now is that the essential balance that allowed progress to be made is in jeopardy." Reuters
Education in shamble The slow and gradual death of education is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan as the colossal slashing in the budget allotted to the education sector this year narrates the entire tale of misery the future entails for us and our coming generations, but specifically in the Baluchistan province things have crossed all limits as anti-state forces are gaining strength and momentum and the successive killings of educationists leads to a sudden and rapid demise of knowledge and wisdom. Kofi Annan terms education as "the premise of progress, in every society, in every family" but this fundamental element seems to have alienated us as other things take precedent in our lives and our society as educationists are being singled out and targeted on a continuous basis and we don't hear the slightest of protests against the callous behavior that inflicts grave injustice upon the future of education in a country that is in dire need of it as its only hope towards progress. Hatred among different ethnicities and sects has a protracted history of Indian involvement in the Baloch region that has been fueled anew lately after being joined by a number of regional and International players in order to serve their vested interest in the region. The inability of foreign powers to shatter Pakistan by striking its economic backbone, that is due to the cohesion between the communities and the patience and perseverance practiced by the Baloch, Pukhtun and other ethnic groups, has propelled these forces to add a new dimension to the movement. Mengal, a prominent educationist and writer who served in various positions was mysteriously killed by a few gunmen a few days back, that later on succeeded in escaping. There is a long list of senior educationists that had faced a similar fate. In 2006, the pro Vice Chancellor of Baluchistan University was gunned down by BLA. Last year in 2009, minister for education Shafiq Ahmed Khan was gunned down in the daylight. The same year, Assistant Professor of Baluchistan University, Nazima Talib, was murdered brutally. In 2010 another well reputed Educationist was murdered in target killing. Due to the incessant attacks upon teachers and professors of various schools and colleges, many educational institutes have been forced to shut down and hundreds of students deprived of education that is classed as a human right with immense power to transform. Without this power our society is bound to fall into chaos and retreat into a darker zone than it is at the present. The government needs to realize the magnitude of this gradual demise of education that may be hard to overcome if left unheeded. Umar Khan, Islamabad
Time UN should wakeup India's desperation over maintaining its illegal and resented occupation of the disputed valley is blatantly evident from the current ingenious scheme the Indian minds have devised to mislead the world into believing its innocence by disguising the Indian forces in the garb of UN peacekeepers. Commendable is the meandering path the Indian creativity and imagination follows as no stone is left unturned in protecting its selfish interests. According to authentic sources, the Indian forces have now resorted to using the blue helmets of the UN peacekeeping forces to project a false front for the past many weeks. These helmets have been used primarily for exerting an added authority over the occupied territory as the influence of the Indian forces has waned thus increasing the Indian anxiety after the brutal force applied by them, signifies their impotence to curb the angry protestations of the unarmed Kashmiri youth. In addition to the use of props, the Indians have also issued pamphlets and flyers on behalf of the UN, demanding from the people an acceptance of the Indian rule by submitting their loyalties to them. This practice is not a new phenomenon, but an old one that the Indian have been using to get their evil ways, halting only after severe snubs from the UN. The Indian projection of the role of UN in using brute force in Kashmir present a striking contrast between the UN resolution that was passed in 1949 stating that "The question of accession of the State of Jammu & Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite" that was again endorsed in the resolutions 1951 and 1957. This is the most vicious form of violation that needs to be looked into by the UN immediately. Being a reliable and authentic organization, the UN ought to make inquiries into the matter that aims to malign its otherwise admirable role in peace and humanitarian issues. It is the right time for the UN to take a clear stance and clarify the ambiguity before the Indian plans can inflict more harm to both the repute of the UN and to the people of Kashmir. Ahmed Yar Khan, Multan
Puzzling Peace Motivation, it is believed, stems from the passion one feels towards the undertaken task without which its course becomes an incessantly burdensome toil. Among the various nations participating as the allied forces in America's war on terror, there are some that are not the slightest bit interested in fighting against an abstract phenomenon that deviates by miles from their hearts desires while some are peace loving to the extent that through deals made with the Taliban, they refrain from any sort of combat for the love of their lives. A greater part of the de-motivated forces in Afghanistan, apparently belong to the category in which the ill alliance with the US thrusts upon them the duty to follow the US ideology of heightened warfare and massive indiscriminate killings. Thus, confirming the facts that the Taliban commander, Mullah Muhammad Issa, has highlighted in his recent interview upon the insignificance and utter failure of the military operation launched by the allied forces in Kandahar with an apparent surge of thousands of additional troops for optimum effects that are obviously not attained. Clearly, the 'bleeding ulcer' remains just that, despite loud claims of the US policy makers, strategists and the media, failing to produce tangible results on the battleground as the insurgents have felt little or no effect from the US-led operation. The US motivation remains on the oratory level unable to materialize into concrete accomplishments which should be an eye opener for the US and should define for them their future course of action. This would only be possible IF peace in south Asia is what the US wants. Shamsa Ghazi, Karachi
A Schematic Change An ideological war being fought through military might, age old grievances of the local populace being addressed by fancy doctrines and strategies for operations and attacks, and proposals of peace being provided by hardcore war criminals, is how we can define the war on terror that stretches over a protracted span of nine years of agonizingly destabilizing state for the local population. In this backdrop, the conditions that have already grown from worse to extremely horrific after the failure of the Marjah operation and the onset of the very latest US operation in Kandahar that so far focuses upon eradicating all militant elements as a result of which a colossal number of civilian casualties have occurred thus compelling civilians to flee from the region. Refusal to bid the US command of a simultaneous operation in NWA by the military and political leaders of Pakistan the US has devised yet another strategy of achieving what they had purported to. A similar proposal has been presented by former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger who propositions that Afghanistan's neighbours would have to step up to help define the future of the country, rather than depend on unilateral US efforts since most of the countries, especially those in the region, have more immediate security interest in its future. Pakistan being an immediate neighbor sharing the longest border with the country is specifically looked upon for the maximum cooperation and assistance since the situation in Afghanistan bears considerable effect upon it as compared to others, thus, hinting that withdrawing of troops from the eastern borders to the western would be the ideal solution for all ills that have befallen the region. This notion might appear to be a novel one, but in reality it does resemble the initial US demand of kicking off a military operation along the Afghan border as the deployment of troops would obviously not be for any other purpose. To reshuffle the troops would only mean that every other concrete national interest be sidestepped to focus on an abstract phenomenon that apparently has no distinct beginning, a fuzzy middle and a muddled up ambiguous end, relying largely on possibilities and perceived constructs that may or may not be applicable. It is more than evident now that a "unilateral American role cannot be a long-term solution" of the Afghan problem. The muddle that Afghanistan owes all its woes to none other than the US and Pakistan too has suffered to a considerable degree at the hands of this protracted war is still far from over despite claims of reaching near conclusion. Lubna Umar, Islamabad
5
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Poor countries neglect mentally ill H
undreds of millions of people in poor countries suffer from untreated mental health disorders that could be helped with inexpensive care, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The United Nations agency launched guidelines for primary care doctors and nurses to treat patients debilitated by depression and psychosis as well as neurological ailments including epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. "We face a misperception that mental health care is a luxury item on the health agenda. But it costs $2 per person per year -- it is one of the best buys," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan. The $2 figure is the average cost of providing treatment in developing countries, which WHO says account for 75 percent of people with mental health and neurological problems worldwide. Its 100-page clinical guidelines, the "Mental Health GAP Intervention Guide," aim to help health care workers to assess and treat patients suffering from symptoms including anxiety, delusions, memory loss, suicidal thoughts and seizures. Patients can be treated through low-cost community services or in smaller units staffed by medical assistants, rather than in specialized hospitals, it says.
STIGMA AND ABUSE "We have been very free of commercial influence. It is easy to fall in
experts in drawing up the guide. Mental health problems often go undiagnosed and victims often
the trap of recommending drugs for every illness," said Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO's department of mental health. He led a team of 200
endure stigma and discrimination, according to WHO. "Human rights are abused in a large number of countries, developed and
developing. In fact it happens more often in specialized care settings than in primary care," Shekhar said. African countries in particular lack psychiatrists and must rely on communities and primary health workers for care. Ethiopia, which has an estimated 85 million people, has just 16 psychiatrists, yet one in three people there suffer a mental health problem at some point in their life, according to Girma Amare, an Ethiopian diplomat. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with 150 million people, also said it lacked trained psychiatric personnel. While orthodox psychiatric practice has grown considerably, many patients still seek help first from traditional healers and religious places of worship, according to Nigeria's charge d'affaires Cecilia Olufolake Yahaya. "Most Africans adhere in varying degrees to the belief in the supernatural causation of mental illnesses," she said. "Stigma remains a serious problem, with many cases of human rights violations like chaining or beating experienced by people with mental illness. Mental health problems remain a huge stigma in Nigeria with most people, even families of victims, choosing to ignore them in the hope the problems will simply go away."
Gum disease treatment suggested in pregnancy G
um disease can be safely treated during pregnancy and appears to significantly reduce the risk of premature birth associated with periodontal disease, Pennsylvania researchers report. "The present study has potential implications" for the calculations dentists make when deciding whether to treat gum disease during pregnancy, they write in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Gum disease -- typically caused by a bacterial infection that deteriorates gum tissue and leaves it chronically inflamed -- is a particular problem during pregnancy. Hormonal changes appear to make a pregnant woman more susceptible to developing it, yet the standard tetracycline-based therapy is not recommended because of its risk to the baby.
Nevertheless, considerable evidence points to gum disease itself raising the risk of premature birth. Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine and her colleagues wanted to know if treating pregnant women with periodontal disease using non-drug methods would reduce their risk of early delivery. The group recruited 322 pregnant women with gum disease for the study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive active treatment in the form of an aggressive teeth-cleaning method -- known as scaling and planning -- plus oral hygiene education, or to get oral hygiene education alone. (After delivery of their babies, all study participants were offered treatment for their gum disease). At the study's conclusion, the
researchers found no statistically significant difference in the number of premature births among the women who had been treated and the ones who were not. Of the untreated women, 52.4 percent delivered early, while 45.6 percent of women getting treatment had early births. On closer analysis, however, treatment -- when it was successful in curing the gum disease -- appeared to reduce the likelihood of an early delivery considerably; "a very exciting finding," Jeffcoat said. Among the women in the treatment group, 42 were treated successfully, meaning that on a second dental exam, their gum inflammation had disappeared and the separation of their gums from the teeth had not progressed any further. One hundred and eleven women in the treatment group
continued to show signs of gum disease, representing unsuccessful treatment. Just four of the 42 successfully treated women, or 10.5 percent, delivered prematurely compared to 69 premature deliveries, or 62 percent, among the 111 women who failed treatment. The researchers conclude that their results confirm the non-drug treatment method is safe and associated with reduced risk of premature birth. "It is appropriate for obstetricians to refer patients who require dental care to the dentist," they write. "It's not enough to treat periodontal disease, however," Jeffcoat told Reuters Health. "The treatment must be 'successful' and why the scaling and planing treatment was successful in some women and not others isn't known yet."
Fish-filled diet may cut prostate cancer mortality E
ating lots of fish may not protect men from developing prostate cancer, but it could reduce their risk of dying from the disease, a new review of the medical literature suggests. "In the United States, one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer over their lifetime," Dr Konrad M Szymanski of McGill University Health Center in Montreal, one of the study's authors, told Reuters Health. "One in six of these men will die of prostate cancer. Our study findings suggest that the number of men who die once diagnosed is lowered by more than 50 percent among men eating lots of fish." While fish is known to have many health benefits, including cutting the risk of heart disease and stroke, the question of whether it could protect against prostate cancer has been "a bit controversial," Szymanski said. To investigate further, he and his colleagues analyzed 31 studies including hundreds of thousands of patients, reporting their findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Seventeen of the studies were case-control, meaning they compared eating patterns among people with prostate cancer ("cases") and matched controls without the disease. The remaining 14 studies were cohort studies, which followed men over time and compared diets of those who developed prostate cancer to the diets of the men who remained free from the disease. Overall, Szymanski and his team found no link between eating lots of fish and men's risk of developing prostate cancer. But they did find that men who ate more fish were 44 percent less likely to develop metastatic prostate cancer, meaning disease that had spread beyond the prostate gland. Higher fish consumption also was associated with a 63 percent lower risk of dying from prostate cancer. Given that the studies included in their analysis used a number of different measurements of fish intake, the researcher said, it's impossible to say how much fish one would need to eat in order to get a protective effect. "All we can say is eating more fish can have some benefit. How many servings of fish or how many grams needed a day, unfortunately we cannot say." It's possible, he added, that fish may reduce prostate cancer mortality by reducing men's likelihood of developing metastatic disease. The antiinflammatory effect of fish oils could help fight cancer progression, he and his colleagues suggest in their report. Several previous studies have indicated that the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish and fish oil supplements may slow cancer progression by reducing inflammation and by a variety of other mechanisms. The current study did not include fish oil supplements in its analysis. Because the analysis only describes whether the subjects ate fish and how much, this study cannot determine for sure whether some other aspect of the heavy fish eaters' lifestyles may account for some of the benefits observed. Fish has known health benefits anyway, and the findings suggest that encouraging men to choose fish more often could have a major impact on public health, Szymanski said. "Prostate cancer is a very common disease," he added. "If we can possibly introduce a relatively cheap and easy-to-implement policy that could have even a small impact on how this disease affects men, we could make a very big impact overall."
Inhaled steroids don’t help asthma flare-ups D
oubling the dose of inhaled steroids doesn't appear to dampen asthma attacks, despite the practice being recommended by many doctors, Canadian researchers said Friday. More than seven percent of adult Americans, and even more kids, have asthma, causing millions of visits to emergency rooms and doctors' offices every year. Until recently, national guidelines advised people to double the dose of inhaled steroids when they felt the telltale signs of an asthma flare-up coming on, such as chest tightness and coughing. Those steroid medications, such as
Pulmicort or Flovent, keep airw a y
trol on a daily basis in asthmatics. So doctors had reasoned higher doses might work in emergencies. "It is a reasonable thing to try," said Dr. Andy Nish, an asthma expert at the Allergy and Asthma Care Center in Gainesville, Georgia, who was not involved in the new study, published by The C o c h r a n e Collaboration.
inflammation under con-
"This article shows that sometimes we do things that seem reasonable and yet maybe aren't as effective as we would like to think." The Canadian researchers pooled the best data available on outcomes with the higher doses, including five clinical trials that assigned 1,250 patients randomly to take either the standard dose of inhaled steroids or an increased dose. Overall, doubling or even quadrupling the amount of inhalant at the onset of a flare-up didn't make patients any less likely to need rescue treatment with swallowed or injected steroids such as prednisone. While effective, those stronger
treatments may cause serious side effects like depression or bone thinning, so patients and doctors prefer to limit their use. Except for 28 patients, all study participants were adults, so the findings may not apply to children. "The most important strategy to reduce the rate and severity of flareups is to take daily preventive medications for asthma," Dr Francine M Ducharme, who worked on the study, said in an e-mail to Reuters Health. Ducharme, of the University of Montreal, said it was still common for doctors to recommend high-dose inhaled steroids to stave off attacks.
Instead, she said, patients should try rescue inhalers, which contain short-acting drugs such as albuterol that open up the airways. If that doesn't work, swallowed or injected steroids may be necessary. Nish said the best thing to do is try to prevent flare-ups. "Avoid cigarette smoke, stay indoors if it is a highsmog day, avoid exertion if it's acold or a hot day, and get your flu shot." And with the right medication, he said, many asthma attacks can be prevented. "We can't keep you from getting a cold, but hopefully we can keep that cold from causing significant exacerbations in your asthma," he said.
Chinese tobacco termed heavily metalic S
ome Chinese cigarettes contain amounts of lead, arsenic and cadmium that are three times higher than levels found in Canadian cigarettes, a study has found. While consuming such heavy metals is widely known to be harmful to health, there is little research done so far about their impact when inhaled into the body. The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Tobacco Control on Thursday, said more investigation was needed. "While the per-stick levels of metals are what we measured, the real issue is repeated exposure. Smokers don't smoke just one cigarette, but 20 or so a day every day for
years because cigarettes are addictive," wrote lead author Richard O'Connor of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. "These metals get into smokers along with a cocktail of other toxicants. The effect of cumulative exposure to multiple toxicants, including metals, is the public health question that needs to be sorted out." The researchers used Canadian cigarettes for comparison in their study because Canadian manufacturers and importers are required to test for metals content in tobacco, and Health Canada, the country's public health agency, recently released data concerning this.
China has more than 320 million smokers and a million Chinese in the country die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. Smoking has been causally linked to hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cancer, heart and respiratory diseases, among others. China has the world's largest smoking population and is also the biggest producer of tobacco, manufacturing 2.16 trillion cigarettes in 2007, according to the Tobacco Atlas. O'Connor and colleagues analyzed 78 varieties of popular Chinese cigarette brands and found significantly elevated levels of heavy metals, with some containing three times the levels of lead, cadmium
and arsenic compared with Canadian cigarettes. "The higher yields of cadmium and lead in cigarettes manufactured in China are worrisome given current smoking prevalence in China and China National Tobacco Company's export ambitions," the researchers wrote in their paper. A member of the team, Geoffrey Fong from the University of Waterloo in Canada, said the heavy metals content was due to contaminated soil. "Tobacco like other crops absorbs minerals and other things from the soil, so if the soil has cadmium, lead or arsenic, they will be absorbed into the tobacco," Fong said.
6
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Google debuts new image format
Mobile Prices Updated on 9 October, 2010
SYED ABUL ABBAS NAQVI
Nokia Nokia 1202 1203 1208 1209 1280 1616 1800 2220 Slide 2330 Classic 2600 Classic 2690 2700 Classic 2730 Classic 3600 slide 3610 Fold 5030 5130 5220 5230 5233 5310 5320 5530 5630 5730 5800 6120 6220 Classic 6300 6303 6303i 6600 Slide 6600 Fold 6700 Classic 6720 Classic 6730 Classic 6760 Slide 7210 7230 7310 7510 7610 C1-00 C3 C5 E5 E52 E55 E63 E66 E71 E72 E75 N78 N79 N82 N85 8GB N86 N97 N97 mini N900 X2 X3 X6 16GB X6
Price 2,100 2,050 2,200 2,250 2,075 2,350 2,700 4,500 4,400 4,950 5,200 6,900 7,500 12,900 9,600 3,000 7,750 10,400 13,400 11,800 12,400 14,900 17,200 17,200 23,000 21,700 11,700 17,900 10,800 11,300 11,000 18,900 17,800 19,800 19,800 15,200 18,800 8,550 10,750 11,000 14,000 13,200 3,200 12,500 14,200 21,300 21,200 23,000 16,800 20,000 21,300 27,500 24,000 19,800 26,300 26,000 22,800 31,500 39,000 33,000 39,500 9,850 11,900 31,500 57,000
Sony Ericsson T303 T707 W302 W380i W350i W395 W595 W705 W980 W902 W995 F305 S302 C510 C901 C902i C903 C905 G502 G700 XPERIA X1 Aino Jalou U100 Yari Satio Idou
8,700 16,800 9,600 8,800 7,700 9,700 13,200 19,000 18,200 43,500 25,600 9,400 8,200 12,700 14,800 15,600 16,100 21,400 14,500 12,800 33,000 30,800 17,300 18,700 38,700
Samsung B130 B200 B220 Guru B300 B3210 CorbyTXT B3410 B3410W Chat WIFI B5722 B7300 OMNIALite B7320 Omnia PRO Guru B100 E1080 E1100 E1125 E2125 E250 D980 (Dual Sim) J150 J700 M150 M200 M620 M3510 Beat b M3710 Corby Beat M7500 Armani M7603 Beat DJ M8910 Pixon 12 C3010S C3053 C3212 C3303k Champ C3510 Genoa C5212 DUOS S3310 S3653 Corby S3653 WIFI Star S5230 S5230W Star WIFI S5350 Shark S5550 Shark 2 S5560 Marvel S5620 Monte S7220 Ultra b S7350 Ultra s S8003 Jet S8300 Tocco Ultar Edition
2,050 2,600 3,900 3,600 9,700 12,000 13,400 15,400 24,000 19,200 2,450 2,200 2,450 3,200 6,050 5,200 20,300 6,550 7,550 5,100 6,200 6,250 9,200 12,700 30,300 32,000 40,600 5,700 6,000 8,000 7,600 8,800 9,800 7,900 10,600 13,400 11,000 12,300 12,000 14,500 15,600 15,500 21,000 22,100 24,000 28,200
LG KP110 KP199 KP220 KP320 KP175 KG288 KG195
3,700 6,600 6,500 8,500 5,950 2,450 6,100
NOTE: Always visit your local shop for the exact Mobile Phone prices.
C
ontinuing its campaign to speed up the Web, Google on Thursday released a developer preview of a new open-source image format called WebP that reduces image file sizes by an average of a third more than what JPEG compression can accomplish. Speed for Google is critical to making Web applications and mobile applications competitive with desktop applications and to a positive user experience in general. Smaller images mean that Web sites load faster. Google says that images are the single largest factor in Web page latency, representing 65% of the bytes transmitted when a Web page request is made. So its engineers have tried to make images smaller by improving lossy image compression techniques, which
tend to produce smaller image files than lossless image compression schemes. The JPEG format is the dominant lossy image file type on the Web. WebP, developed using
compression technology from the VP8 video codec that Google acquired from On2 and opensourced in May, compresses image files 39% smaller on average than JPEG, based on a
random sample of one million images selected from the Web. As a developer release, Google is providing a lightweight decoder for WebP files (libvpx) and a command line tool (webpconv) for converting images to the WebP format and back. It remains to be seen whether WebP will be drawn into a patent battle. In theory, WebP, as an open-source format, should be preferable to JPEG, which while beyond its 20-year patent term has been the target of patent claims, however weak, in the past. Given that an April e-mail attributed to Apple CEO Steve Jobs states, "A patent pool is being assembled to go after Theora and other 'open source' codecs now," a legal assault on the VP8 codec, perhaps affecting WebP, seems possible.
Motorola initiates with Droid Pro M otorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha made it quite clear what user segment the company is targeting with its latest Android device. "Motorola is ready for business," he said during a press conference. The Motorola Droid Pro resembles a BlackBerry in that it is a candybar-style device with a 3.1-inch touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard feels remarkably good, and closely matches what many users like about RIM's BlackBerry keyboards. One of the key features of the Droid Pro is that it is a global device. Verizon Wireless has not offered a
global Android device before the Droid Pro. This means it will work on Verizon's 3G network in the US, and c a n roam onto t h e 2.5G and 3 G net-
works in 200 countries around the world. That's a must-have feature for traveling
Ballmer promises Windows Slates for the holidays
M
icrosoft CEO Steve Ballmer said tabletstyle computers based on the Windows 7 operating season will be in stores in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season. "You'll see new slates with Windows on them," said Ballmer, speaking Tuesday at the L o n d o n School of Economics. "You'll see them this Christmas," said Ballmer. Microsoft is hoping to counter Apple's momentum in the tablet, or slate, computing market. The iPad hit Target stores throughout the U.S. on Sunday under a partnership that's designed to introduce Apple's
personal computing tablet to a larger audience while boosting foot traffic at Target's brickand-mortar outlets during the crucial holiday period. Microsoft has said it plans to offer a number of slate-style PCs in the coming months that leverage Windows 7's built-in touch capabilities. The company has said it will launch slates in partnership with several hardware makers, including Hewlett-Packard. "Windows PCs will absolutely offer the greatest variety and the most interesting content and entertainment experiences in the world," said Ballmer, during a keynote presentation earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
professionals. It will also have Verizon Wireless' Mobile HotSpot application, allowing up to five other devices to access the Internet through its data radio. The Droid Pro runs Android 2.2, with support for Adobe Flash Player Mobile 10.1, and Jha was sure to mention all the IT policy support it includes. That means Exchange email, remote lock/wipe, and VPN integration. "The Droid Pro is an advanced business-ready solution that provides users with the full smartphone experience, redefined by delivering the power of a Droid," said Sanjay Jha, chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility.
Vidyo, Adobe to demo telepresence plug-in
V
idyo and Adobe are preparing a plug-in that is capable of launching telepresence-quality Vidyo conferencing within an Adobe Connect session. A demo of the collaborative plug-in will be presented by both firms at the annual 2010 Educause Conference in Anaheim October 13-15. Vidyo's inexpensive telepresence use of the H.264 SVC standard has propelled its service over the Internet. The demo of the latest collaboration will show the integration of Adobe's "instant access" intuitive software with Vidyo's multiparty video communications application. "This is a new collaboration - not yet a product -- but heading in that direction," said a spokesperson for Vidyo of a potentially potent Vidyo-Adobe partnership.
Yahoo enhances search for entertainment, sports, news
Y
ahoo has introduced search enhancements that offer a broader selection of results when queries are related to entertainment, news or sports. The latest improvements, introduced Thursday, are in line with the web portal's focus on movies, celebrities and professionally created content. Yahoo's leanings toward entertainment are how it hopes to differentiate itself from other search engines, particularly market leader Google. Yahoo's direction with the enhancements is evident in the addition of "intelligent shortcuts" for movies, musical artists, celebrities and news topics. The feature, located at the top of results, gives users the option of viewing results of specific categories, such as images, articles, videos, tweets, event listings and ratings. Yahoo also puts the purchase option front and center by providing links to purchase movie and concert tickets while searching. Other new features include the introduction of what Yahoo says is the first of a series of "quick apps" for search. The new app lets Netflix subscribers add DVDs to their queue on the video subscription service without leaving Yahoo search. Netflix members also can watch movies and TV shows from Netflix's streaming video service. Yahoo also is tying search results closer to social networks. User can find and view public photo albums and individual pictures from friends on Facebook and photo-sharing site Flickr. The new features are available in the US Yahoo plans to start rolling them out worldwide next year. The deal has given Microsoft a major boost in the market. In August, the company's Bing search engine surpassed Yahoo to become the nation's second largest behind Google, according to market watcher Nielsen. Yahoo went live with Microsoft search Aug. 24.
Nokia’s Ovi Store Reaches 2.3 Million Daily Downloads
N
okia's Ovi Store is delivering 2.3 million downloads a day and more than 200,000 people are signing up daily for its Ovi services, Nokia said Friday. The services are available in 190 countries, Nokia said, and include Maps, Music, Messaging and Store. Its Life Tools service is also available in some countries. Some
70 developers and publishers have surpassed the million-download mark for their content in the Ovi Store, Nokia said. Content in this category includes Digital Chocolate, Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Indiagames, PepsiCo, Qik, Shazam, HeroCraft and Offscreen Technologies. HeroCraft, publisher of the game Farm Frenzy, has topped 10 million downloads and Offscreen, which develops touchscreen apps, more than 45 million, Nokia said. There are 14 content creators from the U.S.; 39 from Europe, the Middle East and Africa; 10 from Asia Pacific and seven from China, the Finnish maker of Symbian-based mobile devices said. "At Nokia, we believe that connecting people with great mobile experiences is at the heart of
what Ovi is all about," said Tero Ojanpera, executive vice president, Services, Nokia. "Today people discover Ovi through Maps, Music, Messaging, Store and Life Tools." Nokia's latest smartphone, the Nokia N8, will be the first to debut new content in the Ovi Store, which the company said has been updated for a "friendlier look and feel, faster content discovery," and additional content offerings including the location-based social networking site Foursquare, released this week, and the game
Angry Birds. The Nokia Qt Software Development Kit (SDK) has been enhanced so that the number of lines of code required when developing for the Symbian smartphones has been reduced by 70 per cent, the company said. Ovi Maps has also been expanded to include new features including walk and drive navigation in 78 countries and 46 languages, along with public transit details in more than 80 cities, the company said. Usage of Ovi Maps on a daily basis equates to driving around the world 80 times, Nokia said. Ovi Music is interconnected with the Gig Finder app to find relevant entertainment venues through a person's musical preferences and is available in 38 markets worldwide.
W3C to devs: not so fast on HTML5
S
ome of the largest corporations have made a lot of noise about the power of HTML5, including the likes of Apple and Google. Both companies are already working on HTML5-powered online services, and Google, in particular, has been aggressive about HTML5 mobile products. There's just one problem. HTML5 isn't ready yet. Speaking to InfoWorld, Philippe Le Hegaret, W3C interaction domain leader, said, "The problem we're facing right now is there is already a lot of excitement for HTML5, but it's a little too early to deploy it because we're running into interoperability issues." The main problem outlined by Le Hegaret is that the W3C is running into issues with online video and having it work properly across different browsers. The W3C is working to final-
ize the HTML5 standard, but it doesn't believe it will coalesce until the middle of 2011, after which it will still be in a testing phase. It needs to solve the interoperability issue, and it
also may change some of the APIs. The W3C, then, recommends that developers hold off on plans for creating HTML5based online content. Will they listen? Not likely. Apple has bet its iDevice
farm on HTML5 as a replacement for Adobe's Flash technology. Apple has even published a web site that demonstrates HTML5's capabilities. Apples position is that HTML5 accomplishes all that Flash does, except better. Google likely won't slow down its HTML5 efforts, either. It has been creating a slew of browser-based HTML5 services for the iOS and Android platforms. In fact, its most recent promise is to deliver a rich, HTML5-based version of Google Docs for the Apple iPad (due soon). It already has powerful HTML5 versions of Gmail for iOS and Android. At this point, users have come to rely on these products and are asking for more. Finished or not, with demand already in place, HTML5 development is not likely to slow.
Latest Gadgets Boa Folia iPad Case from Booq The Boa Folio is an iPad case that looks to do the same job as the official Apple iPad case. However, the Boa version looks a little nicer and has pockets on the outside and inside allowing you to hold documents and a smartphone in.
ACER Aspire AZ3100-U3072 All-In-One Verizon FiveSpot 3G WiFi Hotspot Verizon has announced a 3G MiFi device called FiveSpot. The FiveSpot is a 3G wireless hotspot that allows you to connect up several devices wirelessly to share a 3G connection whilst on the move. The device connects on to CDMA networks as well as GSM over HSPA networks which allows you to use it in other countries.
The Acer Aspire All-In-One range has just added a new device to the list. The new model is the AZ3100-U3072. This particular model has a 21.5 inch display that supports full HD at 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels). Powering the AIO is a 2.0GHz AMD Athlon II 170u processor. 3GB of RAM can be found inside and for storage it has a 500GB harddrive as standard.
Literati Color e-Book Reader The Literati is a 7 inch eBook reader that has a colour LCD display. The device has 3G connectivity and wireless. The 7 inch screen has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.
The Jungle Portable A brand-spanking new handheld gaming system has been unveiled by none other than. The Jungle will also apparently sport a mini HDMI port, a micro USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack to boot along with what looks like dual touch-sensitive Dpads and shoulder buttons.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
PPMA elects Haroon as chairman
FEUCHT: A plate with the Pfizer logo is seen at the entrance of the plant in Feucht, near Nuremberg, southern Germany. -Reuters
Sanofi makes hostile $18.5bn bid for Genzyme PARIS: French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis launched a hostile bid for Genzyme at $69 per share, or $18.5 billion (11.7 billion pounds), setting off what could be a protracted battle for control of the U.S. biotech. The move comes a month after Genzyme rebuffed an approach from Sanofi-Aventis at the same price. Sanofi has been in discussions with Genzyme shareholders and stated repeatedly that it would go no higher. Sanofi said in a statement on Monday that its offer, which is
No #1
all in cash, would expire on December 11 at 4:59 p.m. British time. "While Sanofi-Aventis' strong preference is to engage in constructive discussions with Genzyme, Genzyme's board and management team's continued refusal to do so has led Sanofi-Aventis to commence the tender offer," said Sanofi. Sanofi said its CEO Chris Viehbacher met with the CEO of Genzyme Henri Termeer on September 20, but the talks "proved unproductive." Sanofi added that it had met
Continued from page 8
Maulana Fazlur Rehman apprised the Prime Minister about the Committee's meeting with the leadership of All Parties Hurriyat Conference. He informed that during the meeting, the delegation threw light on the indigenous and people-led character of the recent uprising against the atrocities of the Indian security forces. He said that the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir assured the Hurriyat delegation of Pakistan's complete support and solidarity with the Kashmiri people in their just cause. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir briefed the Prime Minister about various proposals and recommendations to highlight the human rights violations in the occupied Kashmir at various international forums prior to the upcoming visit of the US President to India. Furthermore, Prime Minister Gilani urged the educated class to come forward and help the government in comprehensively eliminating extremism and terrorism through battle of ideas. Speaking at the Founder's Day 2010 of Lawrence College, Ghora Gali here, Prime Minister said Pakistan was at a decisive phase of its history and the retrogressive forces were adamant to snatch from its people their values, traditions and identity. Founder's Day marked the culmination of 150-year celebrations of the college. Prime Minister said," terrorism and extremism constitute a daunting challenge for the state and society and it is not merely a physical fight but rather it is a battle of ideas". "In order to comprehensively eliminate extremism and terrorism, we need to defeat the idea which generates it in the first place. This is possible only when our intellectuals, religious scholars, academia and students come forward and give their input," he added. -Agencies
No #2
Continued from page 8
Then the president forwarded name of former Justice Deedar Hussain Shah which was also disapproved by Chauhdry Nisar Ali Khan. He said he sent the note of dissent of opposition leader to the president after rejection of the names. Gilani said President Zardari used his constitutional and discretionary power when he appointed the NAB Chairman. Prime Minister denied that the Army Chief raised the issue of changes in the cabinet during a meeting with the president and him. Changes in the cabinet will be made if there is a need for them, he added. Gilani said he had to still receive the list from the Establishment Division of people who benefitted from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). -Agencies
No #3
Continued from page 8
power shortfall in July, August and September 2010 was recorded as 3257MW, 3409MW and 3297 MW respectively. Ashraf said the main cause of load-shedding is devastation caused by floods adding that in many areas the flood water washed away the grid stations, transmission lines and transformers. However, he said efforts are underway to improve the situation. He further said that there is huge gap between installed capacity and power generation. He said Pakistan raised objections on the design features and spillway structure of Kishan Ganga hydroelectric plant. But India did not cooperate in resolving the issue bilaterally, therefore the government has instituted the proceedings for resolving the dispute by court of arbitration as provided under the Indus Water Treaty, he added. To another question he said the project to distribute two energy savers to every household in exchange of incandescent bulbs is under submission for approval of the government. He said a consultant has been hired to formulate the proposal and mechanism for launching of the project, adding that the cost of the project is $ 85 million. -Agencies
No #4
Continued from page 8
The bench is seized with review pleas of former National Accountability Bureau officials who were removed from their jobs as results of apex Court's decision on NRO. The same bench will take up another plea filed by Maulvi Iqbal Haider against a decision of the Chief Election Commissioner over President's qualification for his office.
with Genzyme shareholders who collectively own more than 50 percent of the biotech, and that these people were frustrated with Genzyme's reticence to engage in real talks with Sanofi. In a letter dated October 4 that Viehbacher wrote to Temeer, he criticised Termeer's unwillingness to provide information about Genzyme's ongoing manafacturing issues and a promising new indication for a drug. Both questions are central to the valuation of the biotech firm's fortunes. Reuters
KARACHI: Haroon Qasim and Khawaja Shazeb Akram have been elected as chairman and vice-chairman (Central) of Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Association (PPMA) for the year 20102011. According to a PPMA press release issued here on Friday chief executive officers and representatives of pharmaceutical industry actively participated in the polls. Elected vice chairman of PPMA, Khawaja Shahzeb Akram speaking at the general body meeting, following the announcement of the election results, assured to come up to the expectations of the PPMA members. He asked the members to cooperate with the newly elected body in establishment of a WHO- approved drug lab besides strengthening of National Drug Council. -APP Meanwhile, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) has called upon the government to exempt the national pharma industry from the proposed "reformed GST" to save the industry as well as the poor patients. Newly elected chairman PPMA Haroon Qasim addressing a press conference alongwith zonal chairman Dr. Kaiser Waheed and past president Zahid Saeed here Thursday, said that presently the pharma industry was enjoying exemption from GST as is the case almost all over the world. Agencies
Another plea submitted by Tariq Asad and pleading contempt of Court's proceedings against the Minister for Law and Justice for non-implementation of NRO, has also been fixed before the larger bench. While six regular benches will also function in the next week. -APP
No #5
Continued from page 8
Liquidity-boosting efforts by the US Federal Reserve have led to a weaker dollar, while rigid foreign exchange policies in other countries, notably China, have left emerging markets bearing the brunt of currency adjustment as investors pile into higher-yielding assets. -Reuters
No #6
Continued from page 8
activities in order to restart talks," Erekat said. A diplomatic source at the Arab League meeting told Reuters another of the alternatives put forward by Abbas was for him to threaten to step down unless settlement building is halted. Abbas had been expected to address Arab heads of state gathered in the Libyan town of Sirte on Saturday, but aides said the Palestinian president would not deliver a speech. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Gaza Strip -- lands Israel captured from Jordan and Egypt in the 1967 war. Israel quit Gaza in 2005 but insists on keeping all of Jerusalem -- its declared capital --and swathes of West Bank settlements under any peace accord. -APP
No #7
Continued from page 8
Karzai travelled to Kandahar on Saturday with the commander of U.S. and NATO forces, General David Petraeus, and US ambassador Karl Eikenberry to seek support from hundreds of tribal elders in Arghandab, a volatile district where US troops are fighting. -Reuters
No #8
Continued from page 1
border at Torkham with immediate effect," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The statement also said that Pakistani authorities are in process of coordinating with the authorities on the other side of the border to ensure smooth resumption of the supply traffic. The United States on Wednesday apologised to Pakistan for Nato's cross-border raids. US Ambassador Anne Patterson and the top US Commander in Afghanistan Gen David Petraeus tendered separate apologies after a joint Pakistan and International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) investigation. The investigation concluded that the two Nato helicopters crossed into the country's air territory several times on September 30. It was established that the US helicopters had mistaken the Pakistani Frontier Scouts for insurgents they had been pursuing, Isaf said in a statement. Meanwhile, Government said that it is considering imposing a tax on Nato supply trucks going to Afghanistan from Pakistan routes. Nato supplies are sent to Afghanistan through Chaman and Torkham road networks. According to sources, some 500 trucks filled from Pakistani refineries go to Afghanistan on a daily basis. Numerous Pakistani highways have been adversely affected due to the transporting of heavy trucks and hence the federal government said that it has started considering a tax on the supply trucks. The government may also demand road tax from the US for the past seven years of transporting these trucks, which would amount to approximately Rs600 million. Furthermore, Interior Minister Rehman Malik stated that Nato's apology for violating Pakistan border limits has been accepted.-Agencies
No #9
Continued from page 1
unidentified armed men opened unprovoked firing and targeted them with rocket launchers, as a result the oil tankers caught fire. The fire also caught the nearby building while two officials of Levies Force Hakim Ali and Khamisa sustained injuries. Both were rushed to Civil Hospital, Sibbi, where doctors declared one in critical condition and later he was shifted to Quetta for treatment. -Agencies
No #10
Continued from page 1
Sources said that he said that equal accountability would be held of all and all steps would be taken to ensure elimination of corruption. Sources told that new Chairman NAB said that he has no political agenda and he would fulfill his assigned responsibilities in line with the constitution and law. He said transparency and merit would be ensured in NAB. He directed the concerned authorities to ensure early completion of all corruption cases in a transparent manner. He also instructed that NAB officers should be well prepared and have full proof before appearing before the accountability courts and no one should be apprehended without full information and concrete proof. Meanwhile, appointment of Deedar Hussain Shah as new Chairman of
7 J&J sticks to $2.4bn bid for Crucell AMSTERDAM: Crucell said it would recommend U.S. personal care group Johnson & Johnson's unchanged cash offer of 24.75 euros per share for the Dutch biotech as one shareholder said he would not sell at that price. Crucell management will recommend shareholders accept J&J's 1.75 billion euros ($2.4 billion) offer which represents a 58 percent premium over Crucell's closing price on September 16, a day before takeover talks were announced, the two companies said. Delta Lloyd Asset Management, Robeco and the Van Herk Group, which jointly control at least 15.5 percent of Crucell shares have suggested J&J's offer may undervalue the Dutch company, with the first speaking out Wednesday against it. "We would not tender our shares at this price, J&J gets a lot of value from this deal, given its client base and the sales potential involved. We consider this the starting point, Crucell's management would need to convince us in the coming days (on the price)," said Jack Jonk, head of equity at Delta Lloyd Asset Management, which holds about 4 percent in Crucell. A spokeswoman for Crucell, headed by Ronald Brus, would not comment on whether there had been contact with these investors. Crucell shareholder Robeco, which has about 1.5 percent of
Crucell shares, said it had not made a decision on whether it would tender its shares to the offer, but would not comment on potential talks with Crucell and Johnson & Johnson. "We have not made our final decision yet because we have to dig a little further, especially into the conditions for the bid to become unconditional," Robeco spokesman Ronald Florisson said. "It could take some time." Most investors may still deem that Crucell has got as much as it could out of J&J. Crucell shares were up 0.63 percent to 24.7 euros at 1029 GMT, in line with a 0.4 percent rise in the STOXX Europe 600 Health Care index. New Jersey-based J&J, with products from skin care to prescription medicines and headed by William Weldon, already had a 17.9 percent stake in the Dutch vaccines and anti-bodies group when unveiling its offer in September. EMPTY BOX If J&J acquires 95 percent of Crucell it will initiate squeezeout proceedings to obtain all of Crucell's shares, but if it acquires between 80 and 95 percent, it may use all other available legal measures to clinch full ownership, it said. This included a proposed sale of Crucell's entire business by Crucell to a J&J affiliate, followed by other appropriate steps, it added. "This is referring to an empty box strategy, whereby
J&J could transfer Crucell's assets to another company, leaving minorities with nothing," Petercam analyst Jan van den Bossche said. The transaction was expected to have a dilutive impact to J&J's 2011 earnings per share of $0.03 to $0.05, the company said. The offer memorandum was expected to be published by the end of November and the transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of 2011, the companies said. J&J bought its stake in Crucell, one of two major independent vaccine makers in Europe alongside Intercell, in September 2009 as part of a flu vaccine development deal. Crucell is on the cusp of sharp sales growth for its pediatric vaccine Quinvaxem after a production failure at rival Shantha Biotechnics which was bought by Sanofi-Aventis last year for 6.1 times annual sales. The J&J offer for Crucell is at 5.5 times estimated sales. J&J would be the latest large pharmaceutical company to invest in vaccines, an area once disdained by business. Several vaccines that address new conditions have become blockbuster products, and vaccines in general are viewed as having lower patent risk. Vaccines also stand to provide an entry for drugmakers into emerging markets, a focus for the drug industry as growth wanes in established countries. Barclays and Lazard are advising Crucell. -Reuters
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petitioner Barrister Iqbal Jaffery has argued in his application that Chief Justice of Pakistan and the opposition parties were not consulted for the appointment of Justice Deedar as NAB's next chairman. The petition said his appointment is in violation of 14 Articles of the constitution and against merit as well; instead, the appointment serves to protect personal interests. The petitioner further requested that the new NAB chairman remained affiliated with a political party in the past, while an impartial person should be required to be appointed on top accountability office. He requested the LHC to revoke his appointment immediately. -Agencies
No #11
Continued from page 1
In its meeting on September 21, the ECC allowed import of raw sugar by the private sector at zero customs duty with no limitations. This decision means that there is no capping on quantity of import or any linkage to timing of import of raw sugar. The SRO spells out the withdrawal of 25 per cent customs duty on import of raw sugar and the assurance that TCP will have no role in sugar import. -APP
No #12
Continued from page 1
Chaudhry Nisar Ali, leader of the opposition in National Assembly, in two letters addressed to the Prime Minister said over the government proposed names for NAB top office that Mukhtar Junejo has been a disputed person, while Deedar Hussain Shah has contested elections on Peoples Party ticket twice, which renders him ineligible for the NAB post under the Charter of Democracy.-Agencies
No #13
Continued from page 1
The SC in the request has been asked to delay the hearing till new counsel was appointed. It is pertinent to mention here that the hearing of NRO implementation and review cases is fixed for October 13, 2010. -Agencies
No #14
Continued from page 1
well as the automatic application of fines for non-compliance with filing and payment requirements. The Board should develop and put in place a centralised system to produce best judgement assessment as well as provisional assessments and send them directly to the relevant taxpayers. The FBR should design and put in place a strategy to significantly extend e-filing and payment and make available to small taxpayers a simple IT accounting system.-Agencies
No #15
Continued from page 1
development of Uch-II, Sinjhoro and Kunnar Pasaki Deep-Tando Allah Yar (KPD-TAY) fields. "Heavy cost is associated with these projects. Agreement for Uch has to be drawn out, land needs to be acquired and pipelines have to be laid for KPD-TAY. We also need money for hiring contractors and consultants." Sinjhoro field is being developed by OGDCL itself. An old compression plant at Dhodak field, which has depleted, is being dismantled and relocated to Sinjhoro. It will be producing 3000 bpd oil, 25 MMCFD gas and 120 tons LPG per day by June 2011. With a portfolio of 35 exploration licences, OGDCL has the largest exploration acreage in Pakistan, covering 23 percent of total awarded acreage. OGDCL accounts for 25 percent of natural gas production and 63 percent of oil output in the country.
No #16
Continued from page 1
present at the briefing. Talal was of the view that Musharraf has strengthen the case against him by declaring Baloch leader Akbar Bugti a traitor. Brig. Masood has agreed to become an approver against the dictator, Talal revealed. Sardar Yaqoob was critical of Musharraf over his comments regarding insurgency in held Kashmir and political leaders of the country.
No #17
Continued from page 1
justice and fairness. Kashmir is the primary problem and the improvement in bilateral relations between the two countries depends on the resolution of the Kashmir issue. "We want to maintain the pace and hope for an early settlement of all disputes which could turn a new page of peace, understanding and cooperation in South Asia" Musharraf said. He also spoke about Pakistan's apprehensions on India's role in neighbouring Afghanistan. "Pakistan's security situation gets muddled when India becomes hyper active in Afghanistan," he said. He said Pakistan has taken up this issue with India and the allied forces in Afghanistan repeatedly.
No #18
Continued from page 1
Bank Isabel Guerrero emphasised the early completion of Damages and Needs Assessment that could provide a basis to design and implement rehabilitation and remonstration framework. He stressed that the institutional framework already exists for approval of necessary projects and the government has already notified the oversight council to ensure transparency. He said Pakistan is open to suggestions to ensure credibility and transparency of approval and implementation processes. It is important to start the reconstruction to restore public infrastructure damaged during floods, he noted. Meanwhile, the finance minister participated in the Intergovernmental Group of 24 meeting where the ministers noted that the recently concluded UN Summit has highlighted the progress made on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's), as well as the substantial challenges that still remain. The ministers emphasised that actions undertaken by developing countries before the financial crisis have allowed gains, albeit uneven ones, at the level of poverty reduction, school enrollment and children's health and access to clean water. The ministers called for coordinated and sustained efforts to tackle hunger and malnutrition, maternal health, gender equality, environmental sustainability and basic sanitation, especially in low-income countries and fragile states which seem to lag behind the most. The finance minister also met with his Iranian counterpart Hosseini as they discussed matters of mutual interest and emphasised more such exchanges to enhance bilateral trade. The Pakistani delegation includes State Bank Governor Shahid Hafiz Kardar, Secretary Economic Affairs Division Sibtain Fazal Halim and Additional Finance Secretary Saleem Sethi. -Agencies
www.asharys.net
For Subscription
Manager Circulation Ahmad Omer
1.Classic News Agency Abdul Mutalib Ph: 0333 -230 07 66 2. E-mail at subscribe@thefinancialdaily.com, 3.SMS us at 0322-260 2 838 4. Contact Phone: 35 31 18 93 - 6
Italian Kitchens Karachi
Lahore
tel: 92(21)5860794-5
tel: 92(42)5694061-2
CJP constitutes seven benches
ISLAMABAD: US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Eric Schwartz called on Interior Minister Senator A Rehman Malik at Ministry of Interior-APP
5pc job quota for children of police martyrs announced
Malik asks world to respect sovereignty ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik said international community should respect Pakistan's sovereignty as Pakistan is working as front line in war against terrorism. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of National Police Monument at Police academy on Saturday Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that hire-killers are targeting Khanqas now after fighting Barelvi, Deobandi, Shia and Sunni. He said that the government would audit funds of religious ceremonies and facilitate registration of foreign students under an agree-
UK hostage killed in rescue bid KABUL: A British aid worker kidnapped by gunmen in Afghanistan last month was killed by her captors after a failed rescue bid, the British government said Saturday, and four more Nato troops died in an insurgent attack. The aid worker's death came as President Hamid Karzai sought tribal support for a Nato-led offensive against the Taliban in their southern heartland in an attempt to turn the tide in a war that has now dragged on for more than nine years. Linda Norgrove, 36, who worked for a US aid group, had been held hostage since September 26 after she was seized with three Afghan coworkers as they visited a project in remote part of Kunar province, a lawless region bordering Pakistan. "Responsibility for this tragic outcome rests squarely with the hostage takers. From the moment they took her, her life was under grave threat," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement. Hague gave no further details on the Friday night rescue bid and the motives for Norgrove's kidnap were unclear. Norgrove, a former UN worker, was director of a $150 million US aid project designed to build local economies. Her death highlights the increasing dangers faced by aid workers in Afghanistan, where insurgents and other armed groups hold sway in many parts of the country. In the latest violence, four Italian troops were killed in an insurgent attack in the west of the country. The soldiers from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, were returning from a mission when their vehicle was ambushed, Italy's defense ministry said. "This assault against Italian soldiers is an example of the high human cost we have to pay for a mission that is fundamental to our national security," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in a statement. See # 7 Page 7
ment with the Wifaq-ulMadaris. Malik said that families of many terrorists are still residing in Pakistan. "We gave respect to the family of Taliban leader Mullah Omar. But terrorists set the worst examples of brutalities," he said. Interior Minister announced 5 per cent quota for children of police martyrs and also announce to set up 100 societies. He said that Islamabad police sacrificed 1825 police youths to save law and order situation of the country. Regarding war on terror, Malik said we are moving
RIAZ NEWS AGENCY Cell # 0333-5373137
Sunday, October 10, 2010
8
ahead by following the Prime Minister's 3-D policy deterrence, development and dialogue. He said that country's defence would be saved at any cost. Meanwhile, Secretary Interior Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, IG Islamabad Kaleem Imam, former secretary Interior Sindh, Syed Kamal Shah and others urged the need to strengthen the police structure. On this juncture, Rehman Malik distributed appointment letters to martyrs children and also distributed shield letters. He assured to approve 6 July as National Martyr Day. -Agencies
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has constituted seven benches including a larger bench at the Principal seat to hear a number of important cases in the next week starting from October 11. A 17-member larger bench headed by the Chief Justice and comprising all the available Judges of the apex Court will hear on October 13, Federation's review plea over certain aspects of its decision of December 16, 2009, on National Reconciliation Ordinance. The bench will also take up cases of certain former officials who took benefits of NRO and appointed on government posts despite Court's decision. See # 4 Page 7
World leaders see bigger IMF role WASHINGTON: The United States led a drive on Saturday for the IMF to take a more assertive role in refereeing disputes over currencies and ensuring that national economic policies don't disrupt global growth. Strengthening the International Monetary Fund's hand could put global weight behind the US effort to persuade China to allow faster appreciation of its currency. But the proposal appeared to be gaining little support. Currencies have become a hot-button issue as countries seek to solidify a shaky economic recovery, particularly in advanced economies. See # 5 Page 7
SHAKIL NEWS AGENCY Cell # 0333-4400472
Urges educated class to stand up against terror
Gilani says Pak to continue backing Kashmir ISLAMABAD/ MUREE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated the government's resolve to continue extending moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of Kashmir in their struggle for self-determination. He urged the international community to take notice of gross human rights violations in the Indian-held Kashmir and pressurise India to put an end to the repression of the Kashmiri people. Durable peace and stability in South Asia, he added, was linked to peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with
President used discretion in NAB appointment: PM MURREE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday that President Zardari used his constitutional and discretionary power when he appointed the NAB Chairman. Talking to mediamen here after attending the Founder's Day at Lawrence College, Prime Minister said President Zardari first suggested the name of former Justice Mukhtar Junejo which was rejected by the Leader of Opposition. See # 2 Page 7 the UN's resolutions and aspira- Chairman of Parliamentary tions of the Kashmiri people. Committee on Kashmir, who Prime Minister expressed called on him Saturday morning these views in his meeting with at the PM House. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, See # 1 Page 7
Work on Bhasha Dam starts from next mth ISLAMABAD: Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf informed the Lower House that the construction work on Diamer Bhasha Dam would be inaugurated by the Prime Minister next month, adding that land acquisition process has been initiated. In response to various questions raised by parliamentarians in question hour, he said the government was vigorously pursuing the harnessing of
water resources to improve the water availability in the country. He said the designs and tender documents of Diamer Bhasha dam have been completed and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has promised to finance the project. The minister said that a comprehensive plan to construct a number of small dams in the country had also been launched to provide irrigation facilities
to areas outside the command if Indus system. He said Rs1.249 billion had been incurred on the planning and investigation of Kalabagh dam so far, adding that instead of initiating work on controversial projects and wasting huge money the government is working on non controversial projects. In response to another question, the minister said the See # 3 Page 7
Democracy is our future, says Awan MALIKWAL: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Dr Babar Awan said that democracy is Pakistan's future. Addressing to Malikwal Bar Association here on Saturday, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Dr Babar Awan said that democracy is near to Islamic Shura but unfortunately conspiracies are being hatched against democracy but the conspiracies would be foil. He said that after 18th amendment the way to dictatorship has stopped. He said that they rendered several sacrifices for the sake of democracy. He said that they respect the judiciary and always ready to present before the courts. He said that he is booked in two
cases of terrorism but he does not know when he would get justice. He said that the people who commit violence over lawyers could not sabotage the constitutions. He said that judges of small Bar Association and courts had been neglected in past. He said that if it is crime to provide job opportunities then we would continue to commit this crime. He condemned the barbarism in Kashmir by Indian troops. He said that Kashmir should be freed according to UN resolutions. He announced to give Rs 1 million for Malikwal Bar Association while Rs100,000 for purchase of books for the lawyers. -Online
Palestinians give US one month to curb settlements
Abbas seeking US recognition SIRTE: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told Arab powers he may seek US recognition for a Palestinian State taking in all of the West Bank should peace talks with Israel stay stalled, an aide said on Saturday. The idea, raised during close-door Arab League deliberations in Libya on Friday, could step up pressure on Israel to extend a freeze on Jewish settlement building in the occupied territory, without which Abbas has said peace negotiations cannot continue. Arab foreign ministers endorsed that Palestinian position but, hoping to head off a collapse of the talks launched by
US President Barack Obama just five weeks ago, said they would reconvene in a month to discuss "alternatives" mooted by Abbas. Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters these included "asking the United States to recognise the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders" and studying the possibility of a similar UN recognition through a Security Council resolution. "I cannot specify all the alternatives that were presented by President Abbas, but the president will keep working with the American administration to achieve a full cessation of settlement See # 6 Page 7
Ban upbeat on China Rights UNITED NATIONS: The UN chief and another top official of the world body welcomed the Nobel Prize given to Liu Xiaobo of China, saying the honour would contribute a lot for Beijing to focus on human rights and other issues. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced the hope yesterday that any differences over the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, which Beijing had opposed, would not detract from promoting the human rights agenda globally or from the prize's prestige. "The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu is recognition of the growing international consensus for improving
human rights practices and culture around the world," a statement issued by Ban's spokesman said. "The Secretary-General has consistently emphasised the importance of human rights along with development and peace and security as the three main pillars of the work of the United Nations."The statement added, "Over the past years, China has achieved remarkable economic advances, lifted millions out of poverty, broadened political participation and steadily joined the international mainstream in its adherence to recognised human rights instruments and practices. -Online
Printed & Published by Amir Abbas Ashary at DRC Printing Press for Data Research Communication (PVT) LTD, 111-C, Jami Commercial Phase VII, DHA Karachi.