Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: December 1, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

December 01, 2011

 

NATO attack: Dempsey questions logic of Pakistani accusations

Reuters

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/300404-Dempsey_JOSCPHOTOREUTERS-1322680545-186-640x480.jpg
The top US military officer on Wednesday denied allegations by a senior army official in Islamabad that a Nato attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers was a deliberate act of aggression. _______________________________________________

National/City

Bonn conference boycott: Gilani unmoved by Merkel's gentle nudge
Hafeez Tunio / Zia Khan
The prime minister has simmered down, but not enough to confirm Pakistan's attendance at the Bonn conference.

NATO attack has raised serious questions: FM Khar
APP
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Tuesday that the NATO attack on the Mohmand checkpost was not an isolated incident and had raised much bigger questions than whether Islamabad will join an investigation on the event.

Black gold: Oil prices spurt upwards
Zafar Bhutta
The government has increased the prices of petrol by Rs0.48 and high speed diesel by Rs4.89 per litre. The hikes are in line with global oil price rises and are effective from Thursday (today).

Contracting AIDS abroad: For an HIV-positive immigrant, secrecy is the only way to be
Taha Siddique
When he found out he was HIV positive three years ago, Tanveer* assumed the worst – he thought he would die soon.

From medieval Taliban to a tech-savvy militia
Naveed Hussain
They hated modernity, secular education and modern scientific inventions – they banned music and smashed television sets during their rule in Afghanistan until 2001. But 10 years on, things appear to have changed – radically.

ISI comes under fire for 'not paying electricity bills'
Our Correspondent
Pakistan's premier spy agency ISI and other government departments came under fire at a meeting of parliamentary panel for not paying electricity bills that have stalled the whole energy sector due to alarming receivables of Rs326 billion against the defaulters.
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Business

Sales tax on services: Government takes back decision, FBR to collect
Hafeez Tunio
In an apparent reversal of its promise to promote provincial autonomy, the federal government has backtracked from its decision to handover to the Sindh government the right to collect GST on services as agreed in seventh National Finance Commission (NFC) Accord.

G-B to be declared tax-free zone
Shabbir Mir
After deferring the decision of imposing taxes in Gilgit-Baltistan due to its controversial status, the federal government has planned to declare the autonomous region as a tax-free zone with an objective to attract foreign investment.
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Sports

Unanswered omission: Wahab sliding into oblivion
Our Correspondent
His heroics in Mohali were deemed enough to guarantee him a place in the playing-eleven for months to come, especially after the team had lost another performing left-armer to the world of crooks.

Snooker: Toba, Shehzad cruise into 2nd round
Our Correspondent
Pakistan cruised into the second round of the IBSF World Championships after Mohammad Asif Toba defeated England's Michael Wild 4-2 and Australia's Vinnie Calabrese 4-1, and Imran Shehzad convincingly beat Ireland's Mark Tuite 4-2 in Bangalore.
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Life & Style

Drama production: From the city of kites to the city of lights
Sher Khan
While surfing channels, you will notice that television dramas have become an essential part of TV entertainment in Pakistan. The growth of private media has opened up doors to the drama industry, which has flourished tremendously over the last decade. However, much to the surprise of audiences, the television market has detoured to Karachi — despite the fact that Lollywood is a Lahore-based industry.

London Paris New York: Ali's aspirations
Our Correspondent
Pakistani singer-cum-actor, Ali Zafar, is working hard on his newest film London Paris New York, which marks his debut as a composer after already proving himself as a playback singer in films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Tere Bin Laden, reportsThe Hindustan Times.
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Opinion

Bonn in the USA
Sami Shah

No more headlines at Express 24/7
Khurram Husain

Desperately seeking change
Poonam Pervaiz

I'm a ghairatmand Pakistani
Atika Rehman

Bitten by a double-sting operation?
Imtiaz Gul

Blogs

The death of English news in Pakistan
Ovais Jafar

Imran Khan: The hero that stole Christmas
Aroosa Shaukat

Why I let my children smoke
Mariam Ashraf

Edhi we love you
Amna Khalid

Poll

Should Pakistan have boycotted the upcoming Bonn Conference on Afghanistan?

No (20%, 156 Votes)
Yes (80%, 624 Votes)

Total Voters: 780

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: November 30, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

November 30, 2011

 

Afghan conference boycott: No Bonn voyage for Pakistan
Abdul Manan


If the Afghan endgame is a chessboard, Pakistan is believed to be the queen; the game can't be played without this crucial piece.
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National/City

US preparing to vacate Shamsi air base
Reuters
The United States (US) is preparing to accede to Pakistani demands that it vacate a remote air base in Pakistan used for drone flights, but the move is not expected to have a significant impact on operations against militants, US government sources said late on Tuesday. 

Clinton hopes for Pakistan cooperation despite Bonn boycott
Reuters
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday she regretted Pakistan's decision to boycott next week's international conference on Afghanistan but hoped to secure Islamabad's cooperation in future. 

'NATO lured by Taliban into raid'
News Desk
Nato forces may have been lured into attacking Pakistani outposts in a calculated manoeuvre by the Taliban, according to preliminary US military reports on the deadliest friendly fire incident with Pakistan since the Afghanistan war began, The Associated Press reported. 

'Unprovoked': DGMO gives details of aerial assault
Quatrina Hosain
The Nato attack on two military check posts in the Mohmand Agency early Saturday morning was an "unprovoked act of blatant aggression," said the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Ishfaq Nadeem on Tuesday, adding that all options remained open to the  government and the military. "The final decision rests with the prime minister.We are considering a range of options," he told journalists at a briefing, adding that the military will have its input into the decisions taken.  A review of the incident is under way at the GHQ, he said. 

UN Human Development Report: Pakistan slips down development rankings
Shahbaz Rana
Pakistan has slipped into the low human development group of countries as almost half of the country's population is deprived of basic education and health facilities, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday. 

BBC taken off air in Pakistan by cable operators
Our Correspondents
Popular British news channel, BBC World News was taken off air by a number of Pakistani cable television operators late on Tuesday after proclaiming to 'ban' the channel for airing anti-Pakistan programming following a NATO air strike on a Pakistani border check post that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. 

UN climate summit: Pakistan tops climate-risk index
Farrukh Zaman
Pakistan has been ranked as number one on a list of countries hit worst by weather extremes in 2010 by Germanwatch, a climate and development organisation. The index, which ranks countries affected over the last twenty years by weather extremes such as flooding and storms, was announced during an address at the United Nations Climate Summit in Durban, South Africa.
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Business

Reko Diq project: Tethyan Copper files for international arbitration
Our Correspondents
Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) has filed for international arbitration on Tuesday to protect its legal rights after Balochistan rejected its mining lease application. 

Market Watch: Bourse ends flat in dull session
Our Correspondents
The stock market closed flat on Tuesday although intraday losses were recovered as investors bought heavyweight Oil and Gas Development Company at lower levels.
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Sports

Only Twenty20: Spinners carve out 50-run win
AFP
A resurgent Pakistan continued their winning run to defeat Bangladesh by 50 runs in the only Twenty20 international in Dhaka after having been bowled out for their lowest total against Bangladesh. 

Army asked to help with boxing event
Our Correspondents
The Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) will hold meetings with government and army officials in a bid to ensure tight security arrangements for the 2nd Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Championship scheduled to take place in Islamabad next month.
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Life & Style

Poor Rich Boy band: Get rich or die trying
Sher Khan
'Alice' could be about the friendship between America and Pakistan, a page from a book or even Alice from Alice in Wonderland. It really depends on how you interpret it," exclaims Omer Khan, one of the vocalists of Poor Rich Boy. 

R for recycling: I spy something useful
Taneeya Hasan
Necessity is the mother of invention' is one of the most cliched, oft repeated and freely abused adage since Methuselah's birth. However, as much as you want to roll your eyes back in your head and bawl at the repetitiveness of common home remedies, some of the eccentric, contemporary ones actually manage to make you put aside your mockery and consider the value of 'useless' things lying around in your home.
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Opinion
 

Do away with this charade
Ejaz Haider

Husain Haqqani versus Pak Army
Khaled Ahmed

The memo that opened the gates!
Shaukat Qadir 

A grave crisis in Pakistan-US relations
Tariq Fatemi 

The road much travelled
Amber Darr 

Blogs

Violence against women, no more
Sadya Siddiqui 

Sim Sim Hamara: Sesame Street comes to Pakistan
Ovais Jafar 

How I learnt where Islam ends, and culture begins
AbuBakr Agha 

Dr Abdus Salam who?
Amna Lone 

Poll

Do you feel the Pakistan government and Army have appropriately responded to the Nato attack?

No (67%, 687 Votes)
Yes (33%, 335 Votes)
Total Voters: 1022 

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Monday, November 28, 2011

The Express Tribune Newsletter: November 29, 2011

 

Today's Headlines

November 29, 2011

 

Damning details?: 'Nato assault lasted two hours, pleas went unheard'
Agencies

The alleged details of the Nato cross-border air strike on Pakistani military posts are more startling than the strikes themselves.
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National/City

Shamsi Airbase: Zardari turns down UAE request to review decision
Kamran Yousaf / Suhail Chaudhry
Pakistan, it seems, is not yet ready to let go and is still seething over the pre-dawn Nato air raid that killed 24 of its soldiers on Saturday. 

PPP warns Qureshi against censuring Zardari
Abdul Manan
Shah Mahmood Qureshi's announcement to join Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf is not the only thing that seems to have bothered his former party. 

Mumbai attacks: India names judicial panel for joint probe with Pakistan
Asad Kharal
Three years after the siege that rocked Mumbai, India has finally nominated a judicial commission to work with the Pakistan government to investigate the attacks on its financial capital. 

PTI sets its sights on prominent Karachi seats
Saba Imtiaz
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has deferred all talks of an electoral alliance for now, but the party is confident it will be able to give political parties a headache by challenging key constituencies, especially in Karachi. 

No more business as usual between Pakistan and US, says Gilani
Our Correspondents
Following the 'unprovoked' attack by NATO forces on Pakistani border checkposts, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani warned the United States, that their relations had gone south and that 'business as usual will not be there' now. 

PM recommends Abdul Sattar Edhi for Nobel Peace Prize nomination
Our Correspondnents
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has recommended renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi for a nomination of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. 

May 2 raid: Abbottabad panel to quiz Haqqani on Dec 14
Our Correspondents
The inquiry commission on the May 2 US raid in Abbottabad will interview Pakistan's former ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani on December 14, officials said. 

Express 24/7 bows out amidst revenue drop
Shehzad Baloch
Pakistan's only 24-hour English news channel, Express 24/7, part of the Express Media Group (of which The Express Tribune is a sister organisation) bowed out on Monday night after three years of transmission. CEO Sultan Lakhani in an e-mail to 24/7 staffers said that the decision had been taken as despite the company's best efforts "we simply have not been able to make Express 24/7 self-sustaining from a financial and commercial standpoint."
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Business

Oil and gas exploration: UK asks Pakistan to resolve income tax issue
Shahbaz Rana
The United Kingdom (UK) on Monday urged Pakistan to resolve the longstanding issue of income tax on British oil and gas exploration companies, cautioning any further delay may hurt foreign investment in the country. 

KESC fails to keep promise, industrialists may resume protests
Farhan Zaheer
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Mian Abrar Ahmed has announced that industrialists would resume their protest if the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) did not end the 12-hour power outages immediately.
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Sports

Blind cricket: Pakistan a safe country for cricket, says Indian captain
APP
India Blind cricket team captain Shekher Naik has termed Pakistan a safe country for staging international matches and has urged boards from across the world to send their teams to the country. 

Aisam no more: Bopanna to team up with Bhupathi in 2012
AFP
India's Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi have ended their successful tennis doubles partnership, which was hailed as a symbol of friendship between the rival nations.
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Life & Style

Seedlings: Taking root
Rafay Mehmood
This year has proved to be a good year for Pakistani cinema; from Bol to Bhai Log, viewers had the chance to experience different genres. A number of other films such as RafinaWaar and Kaptaan are underway and one film that has a lot of expectation attached to it is Seedlings. The film is an initiative of the makers of Kolachi; a sci-fi film that shows Karachi's state after an apocalypse-like disaster hits the city. 

Art beyond boundaries: The Novaro touch
Saadia Qamar
As you walk into the Unicorn Gallery, remarkable glass sculptures catch your eye. The glass art exhibition, which commenced on November 24, continues till December 2. Founder of Unicorn Gallery Seemah Niaz spoke passionately about Novaro's work, "The work whether it is an ashtray or a sculpture in the shape of a fish, has been made by a glass blowing technique which Novaro learned 40 years ago."
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Opinion

Nov 26 attack — cannot be business as usual
Nasim Zehra 

Crisis and bankruptcy
Meekal A Ahmed 

The Kashmir conflict — will it ever be resolved?
M Yusuf Buch 

Opening a new chapter
Dr Akmal Hussain 

Towards a united South Asia
Kuldip Nayar

Blogs

Team Green: Wish you all the best!
Ali Wahab

My school in Badin
Mahawish Rizvi 

The US media's (biased) version of the NATO attack
Gulfam Mustafa 

For Shah Mehmood Qureshi, it's about logic, not emotion
Adnan Khalid Rasool 

Poll

Do you think Shah Mahmood Qureshi's decision to join the PTI is a wise one?

Yes (85%, 1267 Votes)
No (15%, 223 Votes)
Total Voters: 1490 

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You may unsubscribe or change your contact details at any time.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Newsletter: November 28, 2011

 
Today's Headlines

November 28, 2011


High-profile transfer: Qureshi swept up by PTI 'tsunami'
Sarfaraz Memon

After weeks of sitting on the fence, Shah Mahmood Qureshi formally announced his decision to join Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf at a rally in Ghotki on Sunday.
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National/City

NATO raid upshot: Angry Pakistan threatens to derail Afghan endgame
Kamran Yousaf
As Pakistan buried its dead from Saturday's attack on a border check post by Nato troops, the government looked for more ways to express its anger against Nato and the United States for the incident. On Sunday, it threatened to review its role in facilitating talks with insurgents and re-think its participation in next month's Bonn conference. 

After NRO verdict, there may be more bad news for govt
Zia Khan
If the government is looking for support from allied parties on proposing a new bill to validate the National Reconciliation Ordinance, it will not find it. 

Delayed arrival: Pilot blamed for AirBlue crash
News Desk
A year and a half after the tragic AirBlue plane crash, the public will finally learn why the disaster happened. 

Occupy Numaish Chowrangi: Death of two scouts sparks 4-hour riot
Our Correspondents
Muharramul Haram began on a bitter note as two men were killed while a third was wounded when a scout camp was shot at Numaish Chowrangi on M A Jinnah Road on Sunday evening.

Memogate: 'Proof insufficient for charges of treason'
Our Correspondents
The Federal Investigation Agency cannot register an inquiry or case of high treason against former ambassador Hussain Haqqani over the Memogate scandal under the current circumstances, The Express Tribune has learnt. 

Seeking support: After NRO verdict, there may be more bad news for govt
Zia Khan
If the government is looking for support from allied parties on proposing a new bill to validate the National Reconciliation Ordinance, it will not find it.
_________________________________________

Business 

Support price for rice: Why many growers prefer to sell for less
Ali Salman
Like some other sectors in our economy, agriculture too is distorted by input subsidies and support prices. The government's interference, on pretext of powerful lobbies, reigns supreme and open market operations are absent. In this article I will discuss implications of support price for the rice crop which is currently being harvested. Instead of utilising macro-economic data let's take a look at a true story of a typical small grower in Punjab. 

By word of mouth: Student Biryani goes global
Farooq Baloch
Consistent taste and "word of mouth" is what has taken Student Biryani, a brand of Caf̩ Student, from a small roadside vendor to one of Pakistan's fastest growing franchise networks. The Karachi-based food outlet Рafter attracting notable traffic in Dubai Рnow wants to test North American and European markets; extend its Gulf network through global franchising.
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Sports

Cricket: Restoring ties with India top priority says Rameez Raja
Our Correspondents
Amidst increasing calls for the revival of bilateral cricket between the two countries, former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja has put his weight behind the issue and said restoring ties with India should be a 'top priority'. 

Confident Pakistan get snooker campaign underway
Natasha Raheel
Pakistan number one cueist Imran Shahzad remained confident over his chances at the IBSF World Championship in Bangalore that starts today with 78 other players competing in the prestigious tournament.
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Life & Style

ISPR documentary bags first prize at International Film Festival
Our Correspondents
A documentary by the Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), titled as "Glorious Resolve" received the first prize in the International Film Festival "Eserciti-e-Popoli" (Army and People) held at Bracciano. 

Jingle Bells: 'Tis the season to be jolly for the Christians of Karachi
Our Correspondents
Mirth and merriment is in the air for the Christians of the city, as they have started their annual festivities for Christmas.
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Opinion

Democracy and the military
Saleem H Ali

The great survivor bows out
Anwer Mooraj

In a state of flux
Shahid Javed Burki 

Restoring civil-military balance
Shahzad Chaudhry

Mother language education
Dr Tariq Rahman 

Blogs

Nudity, Niqab and the illusion of 'free choice'
Bina Shah

Balochistan: Hunger strike for not teaching?
Shehzad Baloch 

US playing Call of Duty…in FATA
Ahsan Pervez Daredia 

Can Kabaddi ever be taken seriously?
Natasha Raheel

Poll

Will Pakistan benefit from increased trade with India?

No (36%, 153 Votes)
Yes (64%, 276 Votes)
Total Voters: 429

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