Canadian Pakistani Times
Thursday
June 04, 2013
Volume 1, 65
Punjabi Press Club of Canada Celebrates 146th birthday of Canada with style.
Ontario Appoints Lead Negotiator for Ring of Fire
UAE sentences 68 in mass coup plot trial
ABU DHABI: More than 65 suspects accused of plotting a coup in the United Arab Emirates received prison sentences of up to 15 years on Tuesday in a mass trial that underscored the widening crackdowns on perceived Arab Spring-inspired dissent across the entire Gulf Arab region. Rights groups have accused the UAE of widespread violations including jailhouse abuses against the 94 suspects on trial. The suspects included teachers, lawyers and even the cousin of one of the UAE's rulers. Authorities have rejected the claims and have moved ahead with further arrests sweeps targeting suspected groups linked to networks such as Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The UAE — which allows no political parties — has not faced any street protests or direct pressures since the Arab Spring uprisings began in the region more than two years ago. But Western-backed officials have turned their attention to suspected Islamist cells and online activists who have called for a greater public voice in the tightly controlled country. Prominent rights activist Ahmed Mansoor — who was jailed in some of the first UAE crackdowns after the Arab Spring — said prison terms of 15 years were given to
eight suspects tried in absentia. Ten-year sentences were handed to 60 others, including Sheikh Sultan bin Kayed al-Qasimi, who was head of a group known as alIslah, or Reform. He is a cousin of the ruler in Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost of the UAE's seven emirates. At least 26 of the suspects were acquitted, Mansoor said. Security was tight around the court Tuesday with many foreign journalists, family members and observers blocked from the session. The Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National reported that chants of ''Allahu Akbar,'' or God is Great, came from defendants and some relatives as the verdicts were read. Mansoor said at least two brothers of the suspects were detained hours before the verdicts were handed down, reflecting wider trends across the Gulf as leaders attempt to quash any challenges to their rule. Dozens of people have been jailed across the Gulf for blog posts and Twitter messages deemed offensive to rulers. Authorities across the Gulf also have claimed to have dismantled alleged espionage rings — some accused of links to rival Iran or its proxy Hezbollah. But the UAE has been the most aggressive in moving against suspected threats from Islamist
groups. Last month, UAE officials said they plan another high-profile trial against 30 Egyptian and UAE suspects for alleged coup plots l i nked t o Egypt 's M us l im Brotherhood. The case raised tensions with the Brotherhood-led government of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who is now under extreme pressure at home from protesters and military officials calling for him to step down. In the Emirates' case against the 94 suspects, prosecutors claimed that the group al-Islah — which was headed by the ruler's cousin alQasimi — was influenced by Muslim Brotherhood ideology to oppose the Western-oriented system in the UAE. The suspects rejected the claims, saying the group only supported Islamic viewpoints and conducted needed social outreach in poorer areas of the country beyond the skylines of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Al-Islah has operated openly for decades in the UAE under the tactic agreement that members would not get involved in political affairs. In London, the director of the Emirates Center for Human Rights said the aim of the trial was to ''silence political activists and intimidate others who may support democratic reforms''. ''Allegations of torture remain without investigation and numerous fair trial standards have been violated,'' said Rori Donaghy. ''UAE authorities must quash these verdicts, release these individuals against whom they have presented no credible evidence and investigate the allegations of torture that have been made,'' Donaghy added.
Ontario has appointed former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Frank Iacobucci as lead negotiator on behalf of Ontario in discussions with Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council on resource developments in the Ring of Fire, a project that will create jobs and grow Ontario's regional economies. Former Justice Iacobucci looks forward to communitybased discussions on regional considerations with the Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council and their lead negotiator, Bob Rae. Mr. Iacobucci hopes to be invited to visit the Matawa First Nations communities closest to the proposed resource developments in the Ring of Fire prior to engaging in more formal negotiations. He hopes to address the following priorities:
Environmental protection and monitoring Regional infrastructure planning and development Resource revenue sharing Social and economic supports These discussions will support ongoing work with individual First Nations to address their issues and concerns, and fully meets Ontario's duty to consult. A smart, sustainable and collaborative approach to development in the Ring of Fire, which is expected to create thousands of jobs and bring social benefits to local communities, is part of the Ontario government's plans to create a fair and prosperous society. Q UICK F ACTS
Mr. Iacobucci will report directly to Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle, and will be supported by the Ring of Fire Secretariat. The Ring of Fire, located 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, is one of the most significant mineral regions in the province, and includes the largest deposit of chromite ever discovered in North America. Chromite is a key ingredient used to create stainless steel. The Ring of Fire also holds the potential for significant production of nickel, copper and platinum. About 27,000 Ontarians are already directly employed in metal mining, and 50,000 are in jobs associated with mineral processing. The mining sector is already the largest private sector employer of Aboriginals in Canada. Ontario leads all provinces and territories in mineral exploration, with 23 per cent of the country’s exploration investment located within the province.
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July 04, 2013
Weekly Fortune: by Kiran Pandey Rai (kiranpandeyrai@gmail.com) 04Th JULY –26th JUNE _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ARIES (21 Mar- 20 Apr) You shall be very focused on your work and communication , but at the end of this week it seems your preferences will change. After almost four months, Saturn is getting direct , which may help settling your fluctuating gains. A pilgrimage or a short journey to any religious place can be predicted. Drive safely to avert an accident . Mother’s health may be cause of concern. Lucky Days : Saturday and Tuesday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TAURUS (21Apr- 21 May) Love is in the air. You will have a family get together too on this weekend. Unexpected financial gains will boost up your courage to play even in share market, which should be avoided. Relation with siblings can improve. This weekend onwards you will find yourself more stable than before at your workplace. Lucky Days : Thursday, Tuesday and Sunday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
GEMINI (22 May- 21 June) You will be more inclined towards spirituality or occult sciences. Your ego will may disturb the peace of your family . There is chances to have some dispute related to land with your siblings. So if possible , better delay any such discussions. Do not try to overpower your partner , better sit and have a peaceful talk with him/her. Lucky Days : Thursday , Saturday and Sunday. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CANCER (22 June- 22 July) Try to control your over emotional attitude towards your partner and be practical . Expenses are beyond your pocket . Your workplace seems little disturbed due to your impractical approach towards your work. Best part of this week is your gains of worldly pleasures. A long awaited proposal from foreign country can be seen . Go for meditation to avoid restlessness of mind. Lucky Days : Thursday, Monday and Tuesday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LEO (23 July- 22 Aug) Meeting with influential people is on the card. Your mind will be working in multi-dimensional ways and sources of income from more than one ways can come to you. Luxuries are at peak in these days. Circumstances of being independence is giving you to breathe a lion way and this lead you to have a lovely weekend with your loved one. Lucky Days : Friday and Saturday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
VIRGO (23 Aug- 23 Sept) If planning to buy a house or land ,you will rethink over this , even some of you will deal with such projects at the end of this week too. Behaviour of your boss will be amazingly favourable with you at the end of week. Try to avoid any disturbance at home. Take care of the health of your parents . Lucky Days : Thursday, Friday and Saturday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LIBRA ( 24 Sept-23 Oct). Travelling is on the way on behalf of your official project, so just get ready for living away from family or loved ones for quiet sometime. Eventually your work will be noticed among your colleagues . You may be rewarded or if pending , can get promotion or increament. You will find yourself more inquisitive towards religious activities
Prime Minister arrives in Beijing on five-day visit ISLAMABAD: Pri me Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif arrived in China Wednesday morning on a five-day official visit, his first foreign trip since his party came to power in the May 11 general elections. Sharif was accompanied by Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, as well as Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatimi flew in a special Pakistan Air Force plane.
Lucky Days : Sunday and Monday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SCORPIO (24 Oct-22Nov) Area to take care of this week the most , is your health. Behave diplomatically with everyone , otherwise your straight talk may hamper the peace of your surroundings. Relation with your spouse or partner won’t be appreciable. Secret affair is in the air. Play safe otherwise chances to expose .
The Pakistani prime minister was welcomed at the airport by the Chinese deputy foreign minister. Pakistan's ambassador to China Masood Khalid the premier's first official visit to China would further strengthen Sino-Pak strategic bilateral ties.
Lucky Days : Thursday, Sunday and Monday
He said that, in his meetings the Chinese top leadership, Sharif would _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ focus on Pakistan's power sector, the development of Pakistani infrastructure, SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov-2 1 Dec) and the promotion of bilateral trade and Educational activities are focused these days. You need to keep a check on your temper at the later part of the week . New relationships commerce between the two neighbours. are indicated for some of you. You will pay attention to your looks more than usual . You will be surprised with the way things work out for you. Expect to see some positive development with pending projects. Sharif will meet with Chinese Lucky Days : Saturday and Tuesday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CAPRICORN (22 Dec-20 Jan) . You will have plenty of energy at your disposal in this week . With so much energy, you will be capable of working at two or three regular jobs. The tendency of extravagance should be kept well in check. People in position of authority may be hesitating to grant you favours. Health will remain in fine condition. Keep yourself away from arguments and disputes. Get together is likely in the weekend. Lucky Days :Thursday and Monday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AQUARIUS (21 Jan-19 Feb) Monetary transaction should be avoided this week. Though financially a gainful week . You may have tremendous support from you colleagues and your creativity will be at its peak. Romance is in the card. You can plan to study further or some of you may start reading religious books too. Drive safely , don’t rush and rash for any destination. Lucky Days : Thursday and Monday _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PISCES (20 Feb-20 Mar) Transfer or change of workplace is indicating in the card. A family get together and pack of fun is almost sure for most of you. One warning for your speech, use polite words to sustain the positive aura around . You may help someone or participate in some charity work. Profits may fluctuate. Buying house or vehicle won’t be a surprise for you. Lucky Days : Friday and Monday
President Xi Jin Ping to discuss issues of regional and global importance and mutual interest, he said. The prime minister is also scheduled to meet with top leaders and executives of Chinese financial institutions, he said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier this week that Sharif's visit will "help promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries." He said his country is willing to work with the new Pakistani government to implement the consensus reached during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Pakistan and the common views shared by the two countries' leaders. Yi met with Sartaj Aziz, advisor to the Pakistani prime minister on foreign affairs and national security, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Burnei on Tuesday. A number of agreements and memorandums of understanding between are expected to be signed by the two countries during Sharif's five-day visit.
03
July 04, 2013
MP Kyle Seeback's Canada Day breakfast.
Bolivian president's plane diverted over 'Snowden' suspicions
Abu Dhabi to invest $50bn in India infrastructure: report
And another leftist Latin American leader, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, also offered him a degree of hope. Maduro, who like Morales was in Moscow for a two-day energy summit, praised Snowden's actions in leaking information on US spying activities. “What is happening now should not be — he never killed anyone or planted any bombs,” he added.
MOSCOW: US fugitive Edward Snowden's struggle to find a safe haven sparked a diplomatic row Tuesday after Bolivia President Evo Morales' plane was diverted to Austria over suspicions he might be on board. The incident happened hours after Morales had said his country would consider a request for political asylum if Snowden submitted one. Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca accused France, Italy and Portugal of having denied airspace to the plane, forcing it to reroute. “The president was forced to land in Vienna,” he told reporters in La Paz. Morales's life had been endangered by what he described as a forced emergency landing, he added. “There were unfounded rumours that Mr Snowden may have been on board the aircraft,” Choquehuanca said. “We have no idea who made up this huge lie.” A u s t r i a n f o r ei gn mi n i s t r y spokesman Alexander Schallenberg confirmed to AFP that Morales' plane had landed at Vienna and that Snowden was not on board. “President Morales will leave early Wednesday morning for La Paz,” the Bolivian capital, he added. Austria did not know why the plane had landed at Vienna, he said. Officials at the French foreign ministry and the prime minister's office said they knew nothing about the incident. Earlier Tuesday, Morales had been asked about Snowden's bid for a haven, as Washington sought his extradition for having leaked intelligence secrets. “If there were a request, of course we would be willing to debate and consider the
idea,” Morales told Russia's state-run RT television in comments translated from Spanish. Bolivia is one of 21 nations to which Snowden had applied for asylum, according to the website of the antisecrecy group WikiLeaks, which helped file the requests. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday Snowden had already withdrawn his application there. Putin made it clear on Sunday that he would have to end revelations about US intelligence activities if he wanted to stay. A number of other countries on his list were quick to either reject his application or give it a cool reaction. Germany, the Netherlands and Poland rejected Snowden's asylum bid; an Indian foreign ministry said there was “no reason to accede to the request”; Brazil said it was “not going to respond”. Austria, Finland, Iceland and Norway each said Snowden's request was invalid because it was not filed from inside their respective countries. Ireland and Spain issued similar statements. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said they knew nothing about a bid apart from media reports. France and Switzerland said they had not yet received an application, while Italy said it was “contemplating” the request. Hope from Latin America As Snowden's options narrowed however, there was some comfort from Morales' response.
But Maduro refused to entertain Russian media speculation that he might take Snowden on a plane with him from Moscow. Snowden has remained quiet and out of sight of reporters since arriving at Sheremetyevo Airport. His initial plan, on arriving from Hong Kong on June 13, had been to take a flight to Cuba the following day. He never claimed the seat he had booked however, because he lacked the proper boarding papers after Washington revoked his US passport. Late Monday, he issued his first statement since arriving in Moscow — a blistering attack on the United States. He accused Washington, which has charged him with espionage for his intelligence leaks, of pressuring foreign leaders to refuse him refuge. “These are the old, bad tools of political aggression,” Snowden said in a statement published by WikiLeaks. “Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me.” But a top US official rejected Snowden's claims that Washington was leaning on countries to leave him out in the cold. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the US was simply telling countries that “Snowden has been accused of leaking classified information”. She added: “He is somebody that we would like to see returned to the United States, of course. And we are hopeful that will happen.” Snowden's latest major leak about US spying on EU countries has angered many European governments and threatened to derail preparations for delicate talks on a massive free trade
NEW DELHI: Abu Dhabi has promised to invest $50 billion in India's cash-hungry infrastructure at a time when growth in Asia's third-largest economy has sharply slowed, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The pledge by Abu Dhabi was the key factor in pushing New Delhi to approve a bilateral deal to increase flights between the two countries, an Indian official told the Indian Express. “A commitment to invest $50 billion in the infrastructure sector of the country by Abu Dhabi was a key reason for us to agree to the increase,” a senior government official, who declined to be named, said. News of the investment comes just months after the International Monetary Fund criticised India for not improving its creaky infrastructure during the period it experienced growth rates close to double figures. The IMF said in February that India would likely see slower growth than expected in 2012/13 at 5.4 per cent and pay the price for failing to ensure investment in infrastructure kept pace with economic growth in the previous decade. The plan to increase flights between the UAE and India is linked to a controversial proposal by the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad airline to purchase a 24 per cent stake in India's Jet Airways for 20.5 billion rupees ($342 million). That deal, the largest foreign investment proposal in India's aviation sector, faces regulatory hurdles, with many ministries raising objections over the bilateral increase in flights as well as over control of Jet after the sale. “The increase was arrived at based on the request for a hike in entitlements made by various carriers, including Jet,” the government official said. Many of the new seats - a nearly three-fold jump from 13,000 to 36,600 seats -- would go to Jet and Etihad. India's opposition has alleged that the increase in flights was aimed at clinching the Jet-Etihad sale and could divert vital business from ailing state-run flagship Air India. The Jet-Etihad deal, announced in April, marked the first overseas investment in an existing Indian carrier since New Delhi eased restrictions to allow foreign firms to take up to a 49 per cent holding in the country's airlines. But a request by the Indian prime minister's office on Monday for the plan to be discussed by cabinet provoked new worries about the fate of the sale and sent shares of Jet plunging six per cent.
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July 04, 2013
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July 04, 2013
SPORTS Pakistan turn on the style with 6-2 win over South Africa Smith’s men seemed a tall order at half-time, Pakistan made sure there was no hope left with a second half-blitzkrieg. They scored their fourth through Haseem Khan who linked up nonchalantly with Muhammad Waqas. The rising star of Pakistan hockey, Haseem Khan, then completed his hat-trick in the 60th minute and the brilliant Shakeel Abbasi added the sixth goal for good measure to cap a clinical match for his side. South Africa, in between, mounted several attacks and even managed to pull one back in the final minutes of the game through Craigh Haley. But while the 6-2 scoreline was a testament of Pakistan’s dominance in the field, it was also a reflection of the incredible outing Imran Butt had in goal. In Butt, who was also injured mid-way through the match, Pakistan have found a solid replacement for Salman Akbar and is living up to the legacy his brother Rehan Butt has left in the team.
-Photo by AFP
Pakistan turned on the style in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, handing South Africa a 6-2 master class courtesy a superb hat-trick by talented forward Abdul Haseem Khan and a great display of goal-tending by Imran Butt in the last group match of the World Hockey League (WHL) on Tuesday. The match, after which the quarterfinal lineup of the WHL was confirmed, saw Pakistan in an electrifying mood, and while
number 12th ranked South Africa were lighter opponents, Muhammad Imran’s side finally delivered a performance worthy of the praise they have been receiving from the experts present in Malaysia. Muhammad Zubair set things into motion, netting the first goal in the 13th minute before forward Shafqat Rasool pounced on a saved penalty corner to make it 2-0 in the 17th minute. It was a great display
of skill from the Greenshirts, as Pakistan are famously known as, and a throwback to the days when they ruled the field of hockey. South Africa mounted a comeback of sorts by grabbing a goal in the 25th minute but Haseem Khan then got into the act and gave Pakistan a two-goal lead once again before half-time. If mounting a comeback for Austin
The result means Pakistan topped Group ‘B’ and will now face Korea in the quarterfinal stage on July 4 (16:15 PST), their first real test of the tournament. Quarterfinal lineup (July 4): Argentina v South Africa England v Japan Pakistan v Korea (16:15 PST) Germany v Malaysia
Clarke confirms plans to review Amir's ban International Cricket Council (ICC) committee chairman Giles Clarke, also chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), confirmed the formation of a team to review the conditions of Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir's ban.
ICC board, would allow Amir to use PCB facilities such as cricket grounds and gyms. Clarke, who headed a special group to help Pakistan bring international cricket from 2008-2011, stressed the importance of banned players admitting their guilt and apologising.
The development comes after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) interim chairman Najam Sethi discussed reducing Amir's ban at the annual meeting of the ICC in London last week.
“The two important things for these cricketers, who are either found guilty or implicated, is to come clean by recognising their guilt and apologise and assist the authorities in cleaning up the mess,” he said.
Clarke said the PCB had pointed out that Amir had collaborated with an ICC anti -corruption unit, admitted his guilt and apologised to fans and to Pakistan and the world community. “In the light of Amir's cooperation and his public submission of guilt and his undergoing a rehabilitation programme, I stated that I would be prepared with a small
“They owe the Pakistan fans that obligation. group, including Cricket Australia chairman and the representative of Singapore cricket association, to look into the matter,” Clarke
told AFP by phone. Any relaxation, if approved by the
I am pleased that Salman Butt has now apologised publicly and recognised and admitted his guilt. That is the first step.”
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July 04, 2013
Christian Dior unveils multicultural collection catering to a tiny number of the world's richest women, are increasingly winning customers in parts of the world such as China. Simons' collection took inspiration from four realms - Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa - with models from all over the globe on the catwalk. Asian-influenced pieces were “full of balance tradition and purity”, while European clothes focused on the “almost mythical status of 'La Parisienne' and the intimate links with the history of the house of Dior”, the house said. For Africa, the “personal style of the Masai is particular in its inspiration”, it added, and the Americas were represented by pieces that were “bold, sporty, dynamic and graphic”.
PARIS: Christian Dior artistic director Raf Simons on Monday unveiled a collection full of multicultural influences, in what the designer acknowledged was a step away from Dior's exclusively French sense of itself. Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence, who famously tripped on a Dior gown as she collected her Oscar, joined big names from Asia such as South Korean actress Gianna Jun and China's Sun Li in the front row. Simons, presenting his third couture show since taking over in the wake of flamboyant John Galliano's sacking, said he began by looking at “women from different continents and cultures who wear couture (and) their personal style”.
It then evolved “to be about Dior not just being about Paris and France, but about the rest of the world and how many fashion cultures impact on the house and myself,” the Belgian couturier said in a statement. “My main aim has been to bring a sense of reality back to haute couture. This collection is about focusing on the reality of the woman herself, including her culture and personality,” he added. Looks marrying global influences with traditional Dior styles included a grey silk wool dress with black buttons down the arm, skirt and neckline and a cobalt blue one -shouldered wool dress. Less traditional was a sheer sleeveless grey robe that left the model entirely exposed save a pair of black
shorts. Reacting to the collection, Vogue magazine said that although the Dior hallmarks were all there, they “at times became virtually unrecognisable” due to African beading or changes to hemlines. “There was a sense of modernity and this was a new way of thinking from Dior: taking fashion tradition and making it obviously and successfully relevant to different cultures, though potentially moving away from an expected and classic idea of luxury in the process,” it said in a review on its website. Haute
couture
James Cameron sued by British artist over Avatar for $50m
fashion
Christian Dior chief Sidney Toledano, meanwhile, told AFP the house was continuing to add new customers. “Haute couture is going well and everywhere. Raf Simons has won the hearts of existing clients and is winning new ones. The Americans are coming back strongly and the clientele is getting younger,” he said. “Haute couture is no longer something for old women. We are selling to lots to women in their thirties,” he added. In January, Toledano said that Dior was winning new customers in particular in South America and Asia. Four days of haute couture collections for autumn 2013/winter 2014 run until Thursday. Tuesday will see Karl Lagerfeld present a collection for Chanel as the house marks the 100th anniversary of the opening by Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel of her first shop in Deauville in the summer of 1913.
houses,
'The Bible' TV miniseries will get NBC sequel
LOS ANGELES: "The Bible" is getting a sequel. US television network NBC said on Monday that it will produce a follow-up to the History Channel's popular miniseries "The Bible," which topped ratings when it premiered in March. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in Avatar. —Reuters (File) Photo
The Hindustan times reported that Director James Cameron has been sued by a British artist who claimed that the blockbuster film Avatar that also bagged three technical awards at Oscars were his ideas. Dean has filed a legal action at a court in New York last week, while accusing Cameron of "wilful and deliberate copying, dissemination and exploitation" of his original images, the BBC reported. In the legal action, the British artistdescribed in the papers as "an international artist and designer, whose evocative and visionary images created a new genre of work"- has claimed
that the 58-year-old filmmaker had "studied and referenced his art in preparation for the film". Dean, who graduated from the Royal College of Art, in London, in 1968, also asserted that, in particular, his paintings of floating islands and huge graceful arches in the sky, painted over the course of 40 years, were copied by Cameron. He also pinpointed the similarities between the Tree of Life and the Home Tree of Avatar's fictional alien race the Na'vi, and his works Pathway and Floating Jungle.
The sequel, which does not have an expected air or production date, has the working title "A.D.: Beyond the Bible," picks up in the time following Jesus Christ's death. It is the first announced project of Comcast Corp-owned NBC's long-from programming initiative. The History Channel's miniseries drew strong ratings for a cable program. It averaged 11.4 million viewers over its 10 episodes and its March 3 premiere episode was watched by 13.1 million, which beat all broadcast TV programs on that day. The series averaged about 11 million viewers per episode. "The Bible" miniseries was created by husband-and-wife team Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The History Channel is owned by Walt Disney Co and privately held Hearst Corp.
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July 04, 2013
First person: Hotstepper alert Five years later, Amna’s one of the ‘veterans’ now with a Lux Style Award (LSA) nomination for emerging talent from 2011 to her credit. Had she expected to win — and did it feel bad when she didn’t? “I had a feeling I wouldn’t win,” she confesses. “That doesn’t mean that I didn’t feel bad when I didn’t. Of course, I’d love to win an LSA but for now, it isn’t my one and only goal. There are so many other things that I’m looking forward to.” One of these is the release of her film, the Sabiha Sumar-directed Good Morning Karachi (earlier titled Rafina) and Zinda Bhaag. “Acting was an interesting experience and I wouldn’t mind pursuing a career in it,” she says. “With modeling, the most I can do is strike a dramatic pose. With acting, I can emote and speak rather than just strike a pose.”
Amna Ilyas. Shoulders set, back ramrod straight, balancing perfectly on a pair of high wedges, there’s something about Amna Ilyas that makes you swivel your head towards her and ask, “Who’s that girl?” She certainly knows how to walk the catwalk, carrying off anything from an ornate bridal dress to casual pret with an easy grace. She’s also a current favourite with fashion designers, featured in a myriad different fashion shoots, a dusky, sultry-eyed wisp of a girl who stares out at you from absolutely every glossy in the country.
Iraj Manzoor, Pakistan’s original catwalk siren, who has always vocally spoken against cosmetic surgery. “That’s the kind of attitude a model should have,” points out Amna. “Iraj eats healthy and works out which is why she can still walk the catwalk at the age of 40.”
There are so many things that make Amna stand out amongst the burgeoning milieu of models that surround her. For one, she’s 5 feet 8 inches tall — not exactly statuesque by international standards but at least taller than most Pakistani models. She’s also extremely thin and is utterly at ease in high heels; thus fulfilling some of the veritable prerequisites required of models. Furthermore, in a sea of painted pink and white faces, Amna’s dark skin is her most distinguishable feature. That, and her face, which is yet to have gone under the knife for any corrective procedure. This is quite a rarity in an industry where the odd nip, tuck, injections or, as models prefer to address it, ‘accident’, has become the order of the day.
For now, though, she’s more than happy with her skyrocketing career. “It was easy for me to step into modeling,” she recalls. “I was 16 years old when family friend, photographer and stylist Akif Ilyas photographed me and introduced me to the field. My two elder sisters had already been models so my family was open to the idea. For the first six months, I just learnt the ropes with Akif and then, I began to take up more work.”
“I would probably consider cosmetic surgery if I developed premature wrinkles. For now, though, I am more comfortable without it,” she professes. “I think that an individual should be able to carry his or her natural features confidently rather than have them rectified to the point of risking skin damage and looking disfigured.” It’s no wonder then that she admires
But like Iraj, does Amna also want to be a model till a ripe old age? “No, I think I’d like to retire by my late 20s,” she says. “That’s how it’s done internationally and besides, there are so many other things than a woman can do.”
Modeling 101 However, while stepping into the field may have been easy, life as a new model couldn’t possibly have been a walk in the park. The business of beauty, bright lights and high fashion is rife with a backlog of manipulation and favoritism. And all a young model can do is bide her time by the sharks — until she becomes one herself. “I remember how older, experienced models would gossip about me right in front of me. They didn’t care that I was right there. I have never let such things bother me. Nor
have I ever tried to be part of the usual fights to wear the showstopper outfit or for the finale of the show.” “Most young models aren’t initially manipulative at all. It’s just that they are put under so much stress by the older models that they decide that there’s no other way to survive in this field,” points out Amna. Did this pressure also metamorphose her into a ‘mean girl’? “No and it’s probably because I kept to myself,” she says. “I was busy balancing my studies with modeling during the early years. I’d sit in a corner with my books while waiting backstage. I was too busy studying to have the time for petty politics and catfights.” Still, she remembers the painfully long hours she’d have to wait backstage as a fledgling model. “We’d be asked to come in at 10am for a show that would begin at 9pm. They wanted to get done with our hair and make-up beforehand. The veteran models were allowed the luxury to come by late evening. It was such an unnecessary waste of time especially since make-up teams could have simply been divided and have us all ready in the evening. It was just an exhausting ordeal that all new models had to — and still have to — endure.” And yet, Amna persisted along the arduous path to super model-dom. “No matter what, it’s fun,” she smiles. “It also comes naturally to me. Back when I was in college it was a great way to earn some extra money and everybody just thought I was ‘cool’. Later on, it just became an inevitable career choice.”
With modeling, a career high is working with a range of talented stylists and photographers. Some of her favorites include the duos of Nadir Firoz-Maha Burney and Ayaz Anis-Rana Khan. Getting to wear gorgeous designer wear is another plus. Some of her recent work has been for designers Shehla Chatoor, Sonya Battla and Sanam Chaudhri for Bonanza and Daaman.“It was such fun being part of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week (PSFW),” she speaks of her recent fashion week experience. “The designer line-up was fabulous and HSY as a choreographer has a positive energy that is infectious. He’d always be joking around, giving us pep talks and making sure he put out a grand show.” It’s the growing chasm between the fashion weeks of Karachi and Lahore that is new becoming all too pronounced. Amna was also part of Karachi’s Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) which she describes as ‘exhausting’. “There were 14 shows packed in each day when normally there are four to five,” she explains. “Also, usually models get divided between alternate shows but at FPW, there were too few of us. We had to be in every showcase.” However, she compensates that the good thing about fashion weeks by credible councils is that models always get paid — as opposed to dicey events where models have famously had to fight for their dues, which magically get ignored once the show is over. “It’s not easy being a model,” she reveals. “There are so many society taboos attached to the field and plenty of seedy characters trying to cheat you out of your money. Fortunately, I’ve always been very forthright about being treated fairly. I once had to fight with a certain organiser, even threaten him, until he accepted that he owed me money. “I’ve never fought, though, over what outfit I have to wear at a show. I wear whatever the designer has set aside for me and somehow it always gets noticed,” she laughs. And it’s all because whatever Amna wears, she makes sure she wears it well. That’s the true mark of a great model.
Hotstepper for fashion
Jennifer Lopez unaware of rights issues before Turkmenistan visit -publicist criticized Lopez for performing at the concert attended by Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Saturday.
LOS ANGELES: Jennifer Lopez would not have performed a private concert in Turkmenistan at the weekend had she known about charges of human rights violations in the Central Asian nation, her publicist said on Monday.
The 43-year-old singer came under particular scrutiny after singing "Happy Birthday" to Berdymukhamedov at the event, which was put on for local executives of the China National Petroleum Corp in the resource-rich desert nation. "The event was vetted by her representatives, had there been knowledge of human-right issues of any kind, Jennifer would not have attended," Lopez's publicist Mark Young said in a statement.
Human rights campaigners, who accuse Turkmenistan's government of restricting free speech and jailing political opponents,
"This was not a government sponsored event or political in nature," the statement added.
Rachel Denber, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, commended Lopez for coming clean about the performance but said any sort of vetting on the country should have been easy. "Just do a few Google clicks to look up their human-rights record," she said. "It's hard to know why they (pop stars) gravitate towards these unsavory leaders. It's worth noting that these leaders want public noticeability and prestige that these celebrities offer." Young said the birthday song was not in Lopez's contract for the show but the company had made a "last-minute 'birthday greeting' request" which she obliged. Berdymukhamedov became Turkmenistan's
president in 2006 after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, who took absolute control of the former Soviet republic following independence in 1991. Berdymukhamedov's regime has been accused by Western states at the United Nations of systemic repression of its 5.5 million people, but the country, which has world's fourth-largest known natural gas reserves, enjoys support from fellow Islamic and Asian nations. Young said there had not been any discussion of Lopez donating her performance fee to charity. Other pop stars, including Mariah Carey and Beyonce, did donate their fees after coming under fire for performing for the family of former Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
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July 04, 2013
Out-of-school children: Pakistan ranks second in the world
In its annual report, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) said about one fourth of the 19.75 million children in Pakistan aged five to nine were out of school — Photo AFP KARACHI, June 27: Pakistan ranks the second with the most out-of-school children in the world with only Nigeria ahead of it, said a child rights body on Thursday. In its annual report titled ‘The state of Pakistan’s children 2012’, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) said about one fourth of the 19.75 million children in Pakistan aged five to nine were out of school and factoring in adolescents increased the number to 25 million. Of them, seven million children (aged three to five) had yet to receive primary schooling. “The country reduced its spending on education from 2.6 per cent to 2.3pc of the GNP (gross national product) over the decade and ranks 113th of the 120 countries on the Education Development Index,” said the Sparc report launched in a hotel here on Thursday. At the provincial level, Punjab has the highest NER (net enrolment rate) for children in primary schools at 61pc followed by Sindh with 53pc, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 51pc and Balochistan with the lowest at 47pc. Pakistan has an NER of 74.lpc for all age groups enrolled either in primary, secondary or higher education.
Pakistan has the lowest youth literacy rate with 70.7pc. Only 61pc of girls are literate as compared to 79pc boys in the age group of 15-24 years. Progress has been slowest in lowincome countries, especially Pakistan, where only 15pc children received preprimary education in 2010. It quoted a recent report saying 63pc of children aged three to five years were not receiving any education related to early childhood development. The country ranks 129th among the 135 countries on the Gender Gap Index 2012 according to the Global Gender Gap Report. Data shows that gender parity for primary schools in Azad Kashmir is close to 1 (0.97). The GPI for Punjab stands at 0.98, in Balochistan it is 0.83 and in Sindh 0.81. The report said 43pc children born in Pakistan were afflicted with stunting. It was estimated that 21.7pc children were severely and 21.3pc were moderately stunted. It quoted the United Nations Children's Fund as saying that under five years mortality rate had declined from 122 per 1,000 births in 1990 to 72 per 1,000 births in 2011; far from reaching the assigned target of 52 per 1,000 births as per
the millennium development goal. More than 423,000 children die before reaching their fifth birthday, and almost one in five of these deaths are due to pneumonia. Pakistan accounted for nearly 30pc of all polio cases recorded worldwide. A total of 142 cases were reported in 2010; 198 cases in 2011. In 2012, the official reports show, 58 cases were recorded, excluding cases in the North and South Waziristan agencies. It is estimated that 2.1 million cases of measles are reported annually in Pakistan and 21,000 of the reported cases die of complications from the disease. Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for 29pc of deaths among children under five worldwide or more than two million a year; with Pakistan ranking fourth among the countries with the highest prevalence of the disease. A total of 55 of 96,000 infants, children and adolescents had been identified as HIV positive in Pakistan In 2012, around 5,659 cases of violence against children were reported across Pakistan from January to October 2012. These included 943 murders, 1,170 cases of injuries, 302 of sodomy; 204 of child trafficking, 410 of forced marriages and
164 of Karo-kari (honour killing) incidents, and 260 cases of missing children. Other incidents of violence included 407 cases of sexual assault, 547 torture cases, 323 child suicides, 530 kidnappings and 176 Vani cases.A total of 3,861 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in different parts of the country last year. Most of the cases were reported in Punjab (68pc), followed by Sindh (19pc), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (5pc), Balochistan (3pc) and FATA (3pc). The report said 197 of the 3,581 victims of drone strikes since 2004 were children. The participants said children in Pakistan had to cope with a lack of educational opportunities, poor health conditions, a near absence of protection for poor and vulnerable children, miserable conditions in juvenile jails and continued employment of children in hazardous occupations. Violence against children remains culturally entrenched as children in Pakistan have to cope with physical violence, sexual abuse, trafficking, recruitment in armed conflicts and acid attacks. In the absence of a national database on violence against children, the report relied on secondary sources to give the prevalence of various forms of violence against children.
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July 04, 2013
Trade with India: Pakistan urged to remove negative list ISLAMABAD: USAID Regional Trade Advisor Dr Manzoor Ahmad said on Tuesday that Pakistan needs to eliminate its negative list with India to allow import of all tradable products.
Pakistan’s exports through Wagha had gone up from just Rs3 million in 2007-2008 to almost Rs3bn. These are exceptional growths that Pakistan has not achieved with
development in both the countries. The participants concluded that no maximised benefits from normalised trade
Speaking at a seminar, organised by the ministry of commerce to shore up support from stakeholders for further liberalising trade regime with India, Mr Ahmed suggested lifting of ban by Pakistan on import of all tradable products from India via Wagha border.
Furthermore, both the countries should facilitate establishment of bank branches from the counterpart country to remove barriers to trade related to the payment and repatriation of profits across the border. Experts say that for Pakistan allowing import of all items via sea route may not be that sensitive, but allowing the same especially the agriculture produce via land route might not be acceptable to big farmers of Punjab.
Pakistan moved from positive list-based trade to negative list based trade in March 2012, and 1206 items were placed in the list. Dr Manzoor, who is a former permanent envoy of Pakistan to the WTO, said that Pakistan needs to eliminate this negative list, and to allow import of all goods through Wagha border. Currently slightly over 100 Indian items imports is allowed via Wagha. Dr Manzoor said that Pakistan needs to build capacity of the National Tariff Commission to deal with any injury to Pakistani industry from any increase in imports.
codes was also suggested to prevent disagreements during clearance of Pakistani exports by India Customs. India and Pakistan should implement customs agreement to simplify customs procedures, they said.
any other county. If Pakistan wants to achieve a higher GDP growth, trade normalisation with India would be the best route, he said. Secretary of Commerce Qasim Niaz was of the view that liberalising the existing trade regime with India would spur
Secure, Convenient 10-Year ePassport Available Now Calgary, July 2, 2013 — Canada's new and more secure 10-year ePassport is now available to Canadians, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. “The new, 10-year ePassport provides more convenience for Canadians, and facilitates safe, secure travel which, in turn, helps create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Canadians,” said Minister Kenney. “The Canadian passport is not only a privilege of citizenship, but a reflection of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.”
with India can be achieved until Pakistan improves its trade infrastructure, including warehousing facilities and railway wagon capacity for trade at Wagha and opens more land routes for trade to reduce the cost of imports from India. Harmonisation of product classification
Similarly, the commerce ministry negotiating team did not consider the subsidies being given to farmers in India while opening border for Indian products. India is one of the country providing huge subsidies to farmers while the same level of support is not available to farmers in Pakistan. The subsidy issue has not been taken into consideration while approving the liberalisation regime with India by the previous government.
Egypt braces for showdown: Army vehicles surround state TV building
ePassports are the international norm in travel documents. They contain technologically-advanced features, including an embedded electronic chip, to prevent fraud. The chip stores the same personal information as that which is recorded on the second page of the passport (except for the signature) as well as a photo and a digital security feature that proves that the passport was issued by the Government of Canada. To combat fraud, once the personal information is stored on the chip, it cannot be modified without invalidating the passport. The new ePassport features iconic images that celebrate our history and culture, such as: Robert Harris’s painting of the Fathers of Confederation; a depiction of the last spike completing the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885; and a picture of Pier 21 in Halifax - one of the most significant ports of entry for newly-arrived immigrants between 1928 and 1971, and now a National Historic Site. At $160, a 10-year passport provides better value for money for Canadians, as it costs less per year than the previous cost of a 5-year passport. It also means that Canadians will not have to renew their passports as frequently. In addition, the new fee structure comes into effect today which will enable the government to continue providing its citizens with one of the world’s most secure and internationally respected passports in a timely manner. Also, effective today Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) assumes primary responsibility for Passport Canada, which had previously been part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. This sensible move is in line with the duties CIC already performs, such as admitting permanents residents, promoting the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and determining Canadian citizenship. Canadians will not experience an interruption of services. They will be able to continue accessing passport services through all of the same service locations currently available in Canada through the existing network of 144 Service Canada Centres, 56 Canada Post intake locations, and 34 passport offices across the country. Service Canada will assume responsibility for passport operations, and, over time, services will expand to more Service Canada Centres and Canadians will ultimately be able to apply for a passport online.
Egyptian protesters calling for ouster of President Morsi gather in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 2, 2013. —AFP Photo CAIRO: Egypt braced for a showdown Wednesday as armoured vehicles surrounded state TV building, with hours left to the end of a military deadline for embattled President Mohammed Morsi to meet the demands of millions of protesters or face intervention by the army. Security sources said Egyptian troops with armoured vehicles have secured the central Cairo studios of state television. The sources said staff not involved in working on live broadcasts had left the building. The military had issued its ultimatum to Morsi on Monday, giving him 48 hours to either find a solution to the crisis or face being imposed with a roadmap that it has drawn up.
president believed it would be better to Army talks to opposition die “standing like a tree”, defending the electoral legitimacy of his office, than to Meanwhile, Egypt’s armed forces go down in history as having destroyed chief was meeting with opposition leader Egyptians' hopes for democracy. Mohamed ElBaradei and top Sunni Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders, a Saying that Mursi was not seeking source close to the military said. to cling to office for its own sake, spokesman Ayman Ali told Reuters that, The talks, focusing on the in his overnight speech to the nation, the roadmap the military has threatened to president had defied calls to resign in impose, involved General Abdel Fattah al order to “defend the democratic system”. -Sisi, former UN nuclear watchdog chief ElBaradei, Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II “It is better for a president, who and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand would otherwise be returning Egypt to imam of Al-Azhar, the top Sunni Muslim the days of dictatorship, from which God authority. and the will of the people has saved us, to die standing like a tree,” Ali said, Also present were representatives “Rather than be condemned by history of the Salafist Al-Nur Party and the and future generations for throwing away Freedom and Justice Party, the political the hopes of Egyptians for establishing a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, from democratic life.” which the embattled president hails.
As the deadline approaches when The deadline is set to expire at 5 the army high command is expected to step in and reorder Egypt’s political pm (1500 GMT). institutions, thousands of Egyptians are Better to “die standing like a taking to the streets as they have since Sunday to call for Morsi’s ouster, while tree” the president's supporters are also staging Meanwhile, a spokesman for mass rallies as they vow to defend him. Mohamed Mursi said the embattled
Members of the grassroots Tamarod movement, which mobilised millions of people onto the streets on Sunday to demand Morsi’s resignation, were also party to the talks, according to the source.
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July 04, 2013
Iraq attacks on Shiites kill 113 in three days among them 23 in a suicide bombing at a funeral in a Shiite religious hall. The United Nations has said that more than 2,500 people were killed in a surge of violence from April through June. Figures compiled by AFP, meanwhile, showed the death toll in that time was more than twice that of the first three months of the year. Attacks in recent months have targeted a wide cross-section of Iraqi society -- government buildings and security forces were hit by car bombs, mosques were struck by suicide attackers, anti-Qaeda militiamen were shot dead, and Iraqis watching and playing football were killed by blasts. Many of those attacks have struck Baghdad, but shootings and bombings have also been concentrated in the Sunni Arab north and west of the country. The surge in violence comes amid a protracted political standoff within Iraq's national unity government. BAGHDAD: A bombing on Baghdad's southern outskirts killed seven people Wednesday, the latest in a three-day wave of bloodshed targeting Shiite Muslims that has left 113 dead amid fears Iraq is slipping back into all-out sectarian war. The surge in violence also wounded more than 300 others, and comes as the country grapples with a protracted political stand-off and months of anti-government protests, with analysts warning the deadlock is unlikely to be resolved at least until general elections due next year. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings, but Sunni militants linked to AlQaeda often target Shiites, whom they regard as apostates.
In the latest attack, a bomb went off in the Nahrawan area of southeast Baghdad on Wednesday morning, killing seven people and wounding at least 14 others, security and medical sources said. It came after a wave of bombings and shootings across Iraq a day earlier killed 57, with 49 others having died in violence on Monday.
“This month will not be better because the security forces will carry out the same routine, there will be no change in their activities.”And “they (militants) will continue to show that they are everywhere, that they can reach any place.”The worst of Tuesday's violence struck Baghdad, with at least six car bombs hitting markets and commercial areas in predominantly Shiite neighbourhoods, leaving 42 people dead and more than 100 wounded.
And, according to one lawmaker, the situation is unlikely to get any better as Iraq heads into Ramadan, traditionally a month when insurgents look to step up their attacks.
Four others were killed in shootings in the capital, while bombs were also set off in the mostly-Shiite southern cities of Basra, Amara and Samawa, as well as the Sunni Arab cities of Abu Ghraib, Kirkuk, Baquba and Mosul.
“Nothing will change,” Hassan Jihad, a Kurdish MP on parliament's security and defence committee, told AFP.
Tuesday's violence came a day after a series of attacks north of Baghdad left 49 people dead,
While political leaders have pledged to resolve the dispute, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki meeting his two main rivals last month, no tangible measures have been agreed. Meanwhile, tensions have continued along a swathe of disputed territory in north Iraq, and months of protests among the Sunni Arab community have continued unabated, albeit in smaller numbers since provincial elections earlier this year.
Iraq attacks on Shiites kill 113 in three days ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday diverted about Rs66 billion of funds under Universal Service Fund (USF) and Research and Development Fund (RDF) to the Federal Consolidated Fund and allowed import of 300,000 tonnes of urea.
all such funds be immediately shifted to the Federal Consolidated Fund.
state that the federal government shall administer, control and manage the RDF. Provisions in the
The decisions were taken at a me e t i n g o f t h e E c o n o mi c Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
The meeting was informed that keeping funds in the accounts of commercial banks was not only violation of the constitution, but also a violation of general financial rules. The committee held that all such funds being kept by any ministry with commercial banks was also a violation of the constitution and general financial rules of the federal government. While approving the amendments proposed by the committee, the ECC directed that
The meeting also decided that 60mmcfd gas reserved for Guddo Power Plant from Mari Gas field which was unutilised would be given to fertiliser sector to help produce 50,000 tonnes of fertiliser per month. The ECC was infor med according to its decision of June 27, an amount of Rs322bn has been paid to independent power producers after signing of MOU.
The meeting authorised the petroleum ministry to negotiate a government-to-government deal with Qatar for importing 500mmcfd of LNG. The meeting was informed that a four-member committee, comprising Federal Minister Zahid Hamid, minister of state Anusha Rehman and secretaries for law and finance, had formulated amendments in the rules governing the USF and RDF to enable transfer of funds in the federal consolidated fund, commonly known as Account No. 1.
300,000 tonnes of urea.
The meeting was also informed that pursuant to the directives of the ECC, the Universal Service Fund and Research and Development Fund constituted under the Pakistan Telecommunications (Re organisation) Act, 1996, held in accounts with scheduled banks, have been transferred to the Federal Consolidated Fund after necessary amendments in the relevant rules. An official statement said the transfer was in conformity with the provisions of the 1996 Act which stipulate that the funds shall be under the control of the federal government. The USF Rules 2006 also stipulate that the federal government shall have the possession, management and control of the fund, its income, undertakings, properties and assets. Similarly the RDF Rules 2006
Act and rules relating to nonlapsing of credit balances in the funds and procedures for release and utilisation of funds therefrom remain unchanged. The meeti ng noted that Workers’ Welfare Fund and the Export Development Fund, which are of a similar nature, were also held in the Federal Consolidated Fund. The ECC was informed that stock of wheat as on June 24 was 6.4 million tonnes, which shows that sufficient quality of wheat is available for daily release to mills by provincial food departments and Passco. Sufficient stocks of sugar and POL products are also available. The ECC reviewed fertiliser demand and supply situation for Kharif (April-September) season and approved import of total of
The MOU required conversion to coal by projects with capacity of more than 2000MW, optimal utilisation of available capacities by IPPs, one month extension in the payment period to power companies and settlement of dues in accordance with provision of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) after withdrawal of cases by nine IPPs from Supreme Court. The ECC was further informed that this would bring an additional 1600-1700MW to the national grid and considerably reduce power shortage in the country and enhance credibility of the country and boost investor confidence. The ECC also decided to liquidate balance of Rs177bn circular debt before July 21 instead of August 10 as originally envisaged. The ECC was informed that month-on-month CPI-based inflation was estimated at 5.9pc in June 2013 with food inflation at 7.9pc and non-food inflation at 4.4pc.
Fennell Presents NBA Star Anthony Bennett Key to the City Anthony’s Bennett is the first Canadian player to secure the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) first overall draft spot, Mayor Susan Fennell said yesterday. “This is why it gives me immense pleasure to award Anthony, a local Bramptonian, with a Key to the City,” Fennell added. Fennell invited Bennett to be her special guest during Brampton Canada Day celebrations at Chinguacousy Park, where she presented the 20-yearold basketball star the award in front of thousands of cheering residents. Bennett’s mother, Edith Bennett, was also on hand for the award ceremony. Bennett, who towers at six-foot-eight, attended Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School in Brampton and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Fennell concluded “All o f B r a mp t o n w i she s Anthony the very best with the Cleveland Cavaliers and we look forward to cheering him on during the NBA season.”
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July 04, 2013
Climate change: Pakistan's anti-climactic At a time when developing and developed countries across the globe are investing heavily in adaptation to and countering climate change, Pakistan has not only dissolved it’s climate change ministry but also slashed its development budget by more than 60 percent. The government allocated a total of Rs58.8 million to combat climate change in the Public Sector Development Program for 2013-14 as compared to Rs168.1 million allocated to the climate change ministry in 2012-13. The ministry has now been transformed into a division. Environmentalists and officials say the move may have serious repercussions on different fields in the country including agriculture, water and forestation besides losing representation at international forums. International donors and organisations working on climate change are also unlikely to support Pakistan in dealing with the relatively recent, but highly dangerous threat. Dr Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry, a lead author of the National Climate Change Policy and an expert on climate change, says Pakistan may face isolation in the international community if it doesn't take effective measures to cope with changing weather patterns. “We need to link all our development activities like dams, roads, canals and bridges with climate change; otherwise all the development may go waste,” he observes. At the moment, Pakistan receives around $3 million for a climate adaptation fund and $3.5 million in Glacier Lake Outburst Funding through international aid. “This aid is peanuts,” Dr Chaudhry says. To cope with climate change, developed countries have established a ‘Green Climate Fund,’ for which the plan is to raise a hundred billion dollars per annum by 2020. Unfortunately, Pakistan has no share in this, mainly because of its inefficiency in dealing with the environmetal challenge. “We need to develop sellable projects and enhance our capacity to get our share from the global fund; otherwise we may face regional and global complications,” Dr Chaudhry maintains. According to the 2006 Pakistan Strategic Countr y Environmental Assessment Report, the annual cost of environmental degradation in Pakistan has been estimated at Rs365 billion ($4.2 billion). Inadequate water supply, sanitation
and hygiene account for Rs112 billion ($1.3 billion), agriculture soil degradation for Rs70 billion ($807 million) and range land degradation and deforestation Rs6 billion ($69 million). Environmental experts believe the
cope with such challenges. It is also one of the biggest recipients of climate change aid. Pakistan’s allocation for climate change, meanwhile, is stuck at just 0.02 percent of the total Rs295.5 billion of development funds.
environment ministry has been devolved to the provinces. Now there is no cooperation between the centre and the provinces to deal with the menace. “The provinces are only dealing with environment-related issues while climate change is a vast subject and needs the attention of the federal government. The responsibility of drawing international funding and investment in different sectors mainly lies with the federal government,” Dr Amir clarifies. According to the National Economy and Environment Development Study 2011, Pakistan needs around $6 billion to $14 billion for climate change adaptation measures while mitigation efforts will cost around $7 billion to $18 billion dollars from now to 2050. For this, the country needs to develop climate change related projects to get its monetary share from the Green Climate Fund, since it cannot cope with these challenges from its own resources.
Dr Pervaiz Amir, an environmental expert and member of the Prime Minister’s Task Muhammad Khalid Siddiq, a joint Force on Climate Change, says Pakistan falls in the most vulnerable categories of the climate change but “we are doing nothing to cope with the challenge.” — File/Reuters secretary at the climate change division, told Dawn.com that the Planning Commission photo. initially approved their new projects for the annual cost of environmental degradation Dr Amir laments that Pakistan is also next fiscal year but later dropped them has now reached around Rs450 billion ($5.2 losing its representation at international without explanation. billion) in financial losses. forums for addressing this issue, mainly The agreed-upon projects with the because of official apathy: “Representatives The data available to Dawn.com from India and Bangladesh effectively commission were related to water sanitation, reveals the annual rate of deforestation fought their case in the Bonn conference to solid waste management and curbing rapid ranges from 4-6 percent while carbon seek international funding but there was no deforestation in the country. dioxide emissions are increasing annually at official representative from Pakistan to “We will take up the issue of new the rate of 8-10 percent. present a case. It is unfortunate.” projects with the government and seek Moreover, an estimated 250 million He says the international community funding for them,” he says, adding the gallons of untreated water out of Karachi is takes Pakistan as a ‘non serious country’ dissolution of the ministry has also not sent dumped into the Arabian Sea every day, and this may lead to the country’s isolation a good signal to the international causing great harm to both humans and the at an international level. “The government community. should revive the climate change ministry ecosystem. “Numerous international donors and and develop different viable projects to seek organisations working on climate change Recent data indicates that over one international funding for them.” have conveyed their annoyance over the million acres of fertile, arable land in the decision and we hope the government will Indus delta has become saline and unusable, Dr Amir fears that Pakistan may also largely due to the retention of freshwater lose foreign investment in different sectors revive the ministry for effective adaptation if it doesn't express its willingness to deal and mitigation measures on climate flows by large dams across the Indus River. with the challenges of climate change. change.” Dr Pervaiz Amir, an environmental Transnational and multinational companies Siddiq says the economic meltdown expert and member of the Prime Minister’s will prefer to invest in India, Bangladesh Task Force on Climate Change, says and other developing countries, since the may have forced the government to dissolve Pakistan falls in the most vulnerable latter are investing heavily in their the ministry and slash funding but, “they should have exempted the climate change categories of climate change but “we are environment. ministry because of its importance on the doing nothing to cope with the challenge.” Pakistan launched its first National global level.” Climate Change Policy in February this year He says that India and Bangladesh The writer is a freelance contributor. to cope with the threats of climate change have been spending a lot on addressing His Twitter handle is AamirSaeed_. evolving weather patterns, and are also through adaptation and mitigation measures receiving millions of dollars from developed but has not achieved even a single target so countries in climate change aid. India is far. spending over 2.6 percent of its GDP to After the 18th Amendment, the