Monday, January 30, 2012

1913 painting by Adolf Hitler sells for $40,000

Adolf Hitler. Photo / Supplied

A 1913 painting by Nazi Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler sold for 32,000 euros (A$39,635) in a Slovak internet auction on Sunday, the Darte auction house said.

The starting price for the painting titled Maritime Nocturno was set at 10,000 euros (A$12,386), while an expert put its value at 25,000 euros (A$30,965), said Darte, which sold the painting in a closed VIP auction.

The mixed-media painting depicts a full moon over a glittering seascape.

India must shape up in order to compete economically with China

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Simple facts of the two fastest growing economies of the world say, Chinese dragon is way ahead of Indian elephant in terms of their respective future economic growth. For India, the elephant needs to be winged to fly; she can not afford to wait for the evolution of a flying Elephant, writes Bishwajit Okram, Financial Controller, C&F Group, Ireland.

China will take over USA in 2018 as the world’s largest economy, says an economic game published in the December 31st edition of the Economist.

India is nowhere near the two; interestingly at the least, nowhere near China. The economic barometer is pointing towards a Chinese economic world no later than 2020.

Protests against Ahmedis in Rawalpindi

A large number of local activists from different religious parties gathered near a local hospital to urge the government to stop what they called the ‘unconstitutional activities’ of Ahmedis in Rawalpindi.

Arranged by trading associations,the protest was attended by activists from Jamaat-ud-Dawa,Jamat-e-Islami,Sipah-e-Sahaba and Ahl-e-Sunnat Jammat. The protest was headed by Sharjeel Mir and Shahid Gafoor Paracha. Over 5,000 people attended the rally.

Those who spoke at the gathering urged Ahmedis to stop their religious activities,which include preaching and worshipping in the area.

SC extends Memo Commission deadline by 2 months

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The Supreme Court has extended the Memogate commission’s deadline for two more months as Mansoor Ijaz failed to appear before the commission to record his statements, Express News reported on Monday.

The court was hearing an application filed by the judicial commission, which sought the extension of the deadline to complete the probe.

The court accepted the application and said that it was up to the commission whether it wants to go abroad to record Ijaz’s statements or call him to Pakistan.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Pakistan’s Security and Protocol Gilt Attack

Government officials and people in key high powered positions all over the world have the carte blanche to security and protocol. The sheer size and grandeur of the Saudi King’s posse and motorcade for example,puts any semblance of showmanship anywhere else to sad sorry shame.

Recently Obama received a lot of backlash for bowing to King Abdullah and his wife Michele was criticized for patting the queen on the back. The tacit Debretts Peerage of the modern world still caters to the eccentricities of the rich and famous;with VVIP protocol now being extended to politicians even in airspace.

India’s 63rd Republic Day parade

An impressive display of armour and unmanned aerial vehicles recently added to India’s military prowess was on full display at the 63rd Republic Day parade on Thursday that also showcased...

An impressive display of armour and unmanned aerial vehicles recently added to India’s military prowess was on full display at the 63rd Republic Day parade on Thursday that also showcased the country’s rich heritage.

The early morning chill did not deter people along the 8-km-parade route as they gathered on both sides of the majestic Rajpath, the country’s ceremonial boulevard facing the Raisina Hills, and cheered the contingents as they went past portraying the diverse culture of the country.

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Manufacturing and Import of Medicines is the Federal Govts responsibility: CM Shahbaz

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Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that more than 100 heart patients had died in and out of various hospitals from reactions to a dubious drug distributed by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), outlining the scope of the catastrophe, now in its fifth day, that has caused widespread panic. In a strange move, the chief minister revealed figures that were a lot more than the ones reported to the media by the Health Department. Shahbaz told reporters after a meeting held to review the measures taken to overcome the situation that the drug samples had been sent to drug testing laboratories in Britain and France through two responsible people and action would be taken upon receiving the lab reports. 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Syria allows one month extension to Arab League Observer

DAMASCUS — Syria has agreed to extend a widely criticised Arab League observer mission for a second month, just hours after launching an angry tirade against the bloc’s efforts to...

DAMASCUS - Syria has agreed to extend a widely criticised Arab League observer mission for a second month, just hours after launching an angry tirade against the bloc’s efforts to mediate in the crisis.

League officials had warned that the monitors, already depleted by the withdrawal of the six oil-rich Gulf states from the mission, would be confined to base from Wednesday if Syria’s agreement was not forthcoming.

‘Foreign Minister Walid Muallem sent a letter tonight to the secretary general of the Arab League (Nabil Al Arabi) informing him of the Syrian government’s agreement to extend the observer mission for one month, from January 24 until February 23, 2012,’ said a statement carried by the official SANA news agency on Tuesday.

The 10 Most Expensive Books in the World

The astonishing prices people will pay to own a piece of human history

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On Friday, Christie's New York auctioned a copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America, which already holds the title of most valuable printed book in the world, having sold for about $11.5 million in 2010. In fact, according to The Economist, a true list of the ten most valuable single books ever sold would have to include five copies of The Birds of America. Though Friday's sale didn't break the record, the book still sold for a considerable sum: $7.9 million.

Australian Ambassador says his government keen on investing in Pakistan’s energy sector

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Austrian Ambassador Axel Wech has said that his country was keen to invest in the hydel power and alternative energy development projects.

Besides, he also offered technical assistance in hydropower generation to address Pakistan crippling energy crisis.

Flanked by deputy head of Austrian mission Martin Thelen, he was talking to newsmen here on Monday after visiting Taxila Museum.

Militants might be kidnapping aid workers: Police

Police on Tuesday accused militants over the kidnapping of a German aid worker and his Italian colleague,snatched at gunpoint five days ago.

The two aid workers were dragged from the home they rented in Multan late Thursday,bringing to six the number of Westerners kidnapped in Pakistan since July.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Syria, Bahrain and then some…

The debacle of Gaddhafi’s regime after an un-exptedly long military intervention was the point of resurgence for NATO and the many Arab nations that took part. The campaign came at...

The debacle of Gaddhafi’s regime after an un-exptedly long military intervention was the point of resurgence for NATO and the many Arab nations that took part. The campaign came at a time when NATO was stretched thin, and its Arab allies had never enjoyed such a reputation. As such, as is the case before every major war, no one expected them to do much. It came as a surprise when NATO leaders and regional countries like Qatar and Kuwait doled out money and men in an unprecedented campaign of military intervention, something that atleast the Arab countries were never expected to be good at. The swift end of the Qaddhafi regime was the successful completion of the testing of new, more pro-active foreign policies of the participating Arab countries.

Hussain Haqqani’s wife Fears for her Life

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The wife of under-fire former Pakistani ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has fled to Washington, saying she feared of being kidnapped by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

The Sunday Times report quoted Farahnaz Ispahani, who herself is President Asif Zardar’s spokesperson, as saying that she fled to the US for fears that ISI might kidnap her to force her husband to sign a confession and implicate the president.

Human trafficking wears a new Garb

The age of slavery returns

The term slavery has various connotations;however the most aberrant remains the literal ‘buying and selling’ of humans for the most atrocious and abominable purposes. What qualifies under the parameters of slavery is still a grey area but it is not unwise to say that killings of domestic help,for any reason whatsoever takes us back to the dark ages when such practises were witnessed every day – another glimpse into the barbaric lives of ‘the uncivilised societies’.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

For Indian troops in IHK suicide is a common end

A recent report issued by the Indian Defence Ministry has indicated that around 780 Indian troops have committed suicide since 2005 in Indian Held Kashmir. According to KMS, a study...

A recent report issued by the Indian Defence Ministry has indicated that around 780 Indian troops have committed suicide since 2005 in Indian Held Kashmir.

According to KMS, a study conducted by two Indian psychiatrists shows that 38.56 per cent of Indian forces are schizophrenic, 14.17 per cent suffer from alcohol dependence syndrome and 9.8 per cent are struggling with depression.

Experts are of the opinion that the growing numbers are due to the rigors of dealing with protesters in occupied Kashmir and the remote northeast. The Indian troops have mainly been used for guarding restive borders, quelling civil riots and rescuing operations during natural calamities such as floods, cyclones and earthquakes.

Norway official resigns after revealing presence of intelligence agents in Pakistan

Norway’s internal security chief resigned late on Wednesday after revealing confidential information that the country had intelligence agents in Pakistan, government officials said.

Janne Kristiansen, already under fire for missing signs that a far-right extremist was preparing attacks that killed 77 people in July, said the small Nordic nation had operatives in Pakistan during a parliamentary hearing earlier on Wednesday.

Kristiansen, the head of the agency in charge of Norway’s internal security (PST), did not say why the agents were there.

Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

“Ultimately,a right step in the wrong direction.”

Firstly,let’s not get emotional. There are many downsides to a World with free knowledge,for instance,infringement of intellectual property rights. Random Facebook users have been known to create pages like ‘Hotties of Pakistan’ with photographs only your friends were supposed to have access to and comments that whore girls down. Had it been for acts like SOPA and PIPA that mess could’ve been avoided (#JustSaying). So there definitely are many downsides to less monitoring which include hate-speech,racism,plain lying to misguide the public on the internet. These problems’ roots lie in ‘free’ distribution of knowledge. Fact:accountability has become a necessity.

Continue reading Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Indian military preparing for combined threat

Indian military planners are reshaping the Army in readiness for a potential combined threat from China and Pakistan. Can it “cold start?” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have told...

Indian military planners are reshaping the Army in readiness for a potential combined threat from China and Pakistan. Can it “cold start?”

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have told the country’s parliament last month that hedoesn’t expect an attack by China, but India’s military is taking no chances.

Resolving Pakistan's Institutional Conflict

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Change is in the air. The sixth option given by the Supreme Court judges in their judgment on the non-implementation of the controversial National reconciliation Ordnance (NRO) implies an interim government followed by elections. This is also the demand of the opposition parties especially the biggest one — the PML(N). The government is looking at October after the Senate elections in March in which they hope to win a majority. It’s a time and space game — the government slowly gives up its space for maneuver to gain time while others seek to deny it time as well as space. Going by this the chances are that the executive will obey the Supreme Courts orders as a last resort and at the last possible minute. The furor will then die down—at least on this issue. If this does not happen then the other options are always there.

Pakistan’s non-functioning alliance with America

US-Pakistan relations have historically ranged from eras of strong friendships to periods of outright animosities, sanctions and embargoes. This on-again-off-again (non)relationship has been epitomized by the US’ ruthless and brutal...

US-Pakistan relations have historically ranged from eras of strong friendships to periods of outright animosities, sanctions and embargoes. This on-again-off-again (non)relationship has been epitomized by the US’ ruthless and brutal exploitation of Pakistan’s peculiar political, economic and strategic vulnerabilities; and her remorseless betrayals of Pakistan at critical times!

The first betrayal:

Pakistan joined the US camp in the 1950s and became a member of SEATO and CENTO – earning the abiding animosity of the erstwhile Warsaw Pact/Soviet Union. However, the US’ peculiar role in the  1965 war with India put paid to this Pakistani fantasy as it laid bare the essentials of this non-alliance and opened up her eyes (and mercifully the road to China).

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OBL was dead in 2006

Osama Bin Laden cheated the gallows and died five years before US security forces officially announced he was killed,says a former CIA agent,currently living in Turkey.

I knew Bin Laden’s Chechen guards very well,Berkan Yashar,himself an ethnic Chechen,told the Russian TV station,Channel One. Samy,Ayub and Mahmud were with him right to the end. I remember well this date as there were three sixes in it – June 26,2006. Those three men,as well as two Muslims from London and two from the US saw Bin Laden dead.He was seriously ill before his death. He faded away to skin and bone. The three Chechens washed his body before burying it.

Continue reading OBL was dead in 2006

PTI Tsunami stands tall against status quo: Hashmi

Senior politician and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said on Thursday that even though he had respect for Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif, he detested the way his former party had been used as the chief’s personal property.

Addressing a gathering in Multan, he welcomed former deputy mayor Multan Nadeem Qureshi into PTI ranks while unleashing scathing attacks on his former party’s leaders. The former PML-N stalwart asserted that the party was not subservient to an individual family, adding that even though Nawaz had visited London at least 40 times in the past three years, he failed to visit Multan more than a couple of times, and  continued to ignore his requests.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A cynical electoral game at Indian Muslims' expense

Why India's largest minority should treat Congress overtures with reservations

The more things change for India's Muslims, the more they remain the same. Come elections and political parties invent ever new ways of wooing, using and exploiting them to reap their periodic harvest while the condition of Muslims worsens by the day.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Birth of Sectarian Conflict and Extremism in Pakistan

In post partition Pakistan, apart from a few clashes during Muharram ceremonies, Shias and Sunnis remained on mutually indifferent terms, under a state that posed no threat to their individual...

In post partition Pakistan, apart from a few clashes during Muharram ceremonies, Shias and Sunnis remained on mutually indifferent terms, under a state that posed no threat to their individual religious identities.

In 1979 however religious differences in the region assumed a political garb; with Zia’s fundamentalist approach towards political affairs and attempt to implement Sunni Hanafi Fiqh, and secondly the Iranian Revolution under Ayatollah Khomeini that tried to export its influence into Pakistan. The Iranian influence triggered proxy wars that were then sustained by stakeholders of Iran-Iraq war and the Mujahedeen who fought to drive the red army out of Afghanistan. Therefore Pakistan’s sectarian conflict was fueled by ‘Islamizing’ the state of Pakistan the Sunni way, in a region that had just been exposed to Shia nationalism.

THE IGNORED REALITY

If there is democracy and people are the most important factor in a democracy then there is something seriously wrong.

There is a news story in Pakistan Today (11.1.12) about the travails of an ex soldier. This unfortunate man made the mistake of helping the police in thwarting a bomb attack on a shrine. In retaliation his son was kidnapped and delivered dead in a gunny bag when no one helped him. Then his other son was kidnapped and given such strong drugs that he died of blood cancer. No one helped him. Now his teenage daughter has been kidnapped since May 2011 and once again no law enforcing or investigative agency is willing to help him. The kidnappers have demanded a huge ransom. The family has hit rock bottom and dead end. 

What man wants

A day that starts with beeps of communication devices even before the dawn has officially broken and ends with tears of tired and over worked eyes and a brain with overload of mostly useless information. Between the start and end is a blur,a bombardment of electronic communication based on texts,images,voice,videos,data and God knows what else.

Not to mention waking your kids in cold winter mornings to go to school,where they will eat crap and get “educated” from teachers who are least interested in their jobs and over tired from the private tuition’s they give after school till late at night (because that’s where the real money is!). In the school children will socialize and interact with all kinds of kids with some strange family structures and with financially constrained and depressed teachers who have been given total control of children belonging to much higher economic class or  maybe our children will get bullied or get influenced / pressurized to take part in some less desirable activities.

Continue reading What man wants

Pakistanis smoke away Rs200bn

Smoking

Despite no promotional campaign, attraction for cigarettes remained stable as Pakistanis burned Rs200 billion on smoking in fiscal 2011.

The startling cigarette production figures, provided by the State Bank of Pakistan in its latest statistical bulletin, show the number of cigarettes produced in the fiscal 2011 increased over last year.

The official figures do not show complete production figures because a number of unregistered factories across the country produce low-grade cigarettes with cheaper selling prices.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

TTP will continue to attack Pak Security forces, but avoid killing innocent people

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has said it will continue carrying out suicide attacks and targeting Pakistani security forces despite joining other militant groups in a pledge not to kill innocent people...

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has said it will continue carrying out suicide attacks and targeting Pakistani security forces despite joining other militant groups in a pledge not to kill innocent people or to resort to kidnappings for ransom.

“Yes, we signed an accord with three other major Taliban groups of Maulvi Nazeer, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and an Afghan Taliban faction to avoid killing of innocent people and kidnapping for ransom, but we did not agree with them to stop suicide attacks and our fight against Pakistani security forces,” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said.

Zardari calls for designing of a revamp plan for Sindhs irrigation and drainage problem

Taking up the issue of Sindh’s ailing drainage system, President Asif Ali Zardari reiterated his call for fashioning a workable and comprehensive ‘master plan’ to systematically deal with the drainage of stagnated water following two consecutive years of flooding.

The master plan — which envisages 20 years of irrigation revamping of the province — is to include the restoring, remodelling and enhancing of the discharge capacity of the existing drainage system.

Indian Army to supply its ‘glacier toilets’ to poor tropical areas

Developed for troops serving on glaciers high in the Himalayas,the non-flushing “bio-digester” toilet made by India’s top defence research body is now being offered to companies and poorer states.

It is one of 200 technologies produced by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) identified as for sale via the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Continue reading Indian Army to supply its ‘glacier toilets’ to poor tropical areas