The Express Tribune Newsletter: July 23, 2012

Today's Headlines The endgame: Afghan opposition says peace hinges on Pakistan Kamran Yousaf While the Afghan endgame may be a difficult proposition for the Americans and their western allies to handle but for many Afghan leaders the solution is simple — they believe that the road to peace in Kabul is through Islamabad. Allied victory: Pranab Mukherjee wins India's presidential race Aditi Phadnis Presidential candidate of India's ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee gleaned the magic number of votes (around 518,000) to become the 13th president of India. He secured the required number during the ongoing counting of votes at Parliament House here on Sunday. Analysis: PPP playing it close to the heart M Ziauddin Contrary to predictions of some pundits and the impression being created by the publicists of the PML-N and the PTI, the two parties are going to find it almost impossible to get the better of the PPP and its coalition partners if the general elections are held today or for that matter any time before the 'due date'. 27 petitions: SC to start hearing on Contempt of Court Act Azam Khan A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry would start the hearing of some 27 petitions against the new contempt of court law on Monday. Business Point of concern: Has our banking system become unsound? Ali Salman Pakistan's financial sector liberalisation in general and privatisation of banks in particular has largely been hailed by experts on account of professionalisation, financial inclusion and penetration of banks. Notwithstanding the usual criticism of a high interest spread and high bank charges, strong evidences have now emerged which suggest that the banking sector has become visibly unsound. Conflict, security and development: The hidden costs of violent conflict Khurram Baig The region of South Asia is profoundly marked by internal conflicts. Indeed, there is not a single country in the region today, except perhaps for Maldives that has remained unaffected by national strife and violence. Nor are there any signs of abatement in the number of casualties, except in Sri Lanka. _______________________________________________ Sports Hockey: Greenshirts 'ready' for showdown Fawad Hussain Pakistan hockey team, the country's main medal contender at the London Olympics, has wrapped up a 10-day training camp in Cannock and shifted to the Olympics village. Bangladesh rise to fourth in T20 rankings Our Correspondents Bangladesh rose to fourth spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 rankings after they completed a 3-0 whitewash of Ireland with a dramatic last-ball win in the final game at Stormont.  _______________________________________________ Life & Style Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan announces new album Sher Khan Renowned Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, who gained recognition across the border for his remarkable playback vocals, has announced that he will be releasing a new album for his fans very soon. But this time, it will be a digital release (over the internet) and not through CDs. Musical: 'I thought I was the only one in the world' Saadia Qamar Arshad Iqbal is a 17-year-old boy who recently discovered that he loves to play the drums. He has the knack to play the instrument, but he did not know it till students at the Nixor College helped him and other students at his school by giving summer lessons in drumming and theatre. _______________________________________________

Opinion ISI's interface with terror Khaled Ahmed The frivolous and inane Tazeen Javed Drone buzz Tanvir Ahmad Khan Winds of change Rasul Bakhsh Rais Pakistan in the role of Asian glue Shahid Javed Burki   Blogs US ties are not dispensable Kazim Alam Malaysia's exquisite mosques Dalia Merzaban Ramazan and the 'holier than thou' syndrome Danish Shah To hell with ODIs and T20s; it's Test cricket that matters! Umair Qazi Poll Should the government complete its term or hold early elections? Hold early elections (53%, 262 Votes)  Complete its term (47%, 236 Votes)  Total Voters: 498 Links Contact us Tribune on Facebook Tribune on Twitter About us RSS Feed Subscribe to the Paper Careers Copyrights Jobs Classifieds

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