Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Express Tribune Newsletter: March 21, 2012

 

Today's Headlines

March 21, 2012

 

Reconfiguring foreign policy: Opposition seeks time to dissect 40-point proposals
Zahid Gishkori

Washington will have to wait. The long-awaited review of relations by Parliament has another hurdle to cross: a seemingly discerning opposition.
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National/City

Supreme Court resumes hearing of PM contempt case
Web Desk
The Supreme Court of Pakistan resumed the hearing of the contempt of court case against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday.

World Bank approves $1 bn for projects in Pakistan
AFP
The World Bank said Tuesday it would fund two projects totaling $1.09 billion, in energy and irrigation, aimed at supporting Pakistan's growth agenda for reducing poverty.

Chief ministers' assets: Hoti 'poorest', Raisani 'richest'
Our Correspondent
Of the chief ministers of three smaller provinces whose asset details for 2011-12 were made public on Tuesday, Amir Haider Khan Hoti of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the 'poorest' while his counterpart from Balochistan is the 'richest.'

Response: US diplomats not surprised … but waiting
Kamran Yousaf
For the United States, it was not a shock by any definition. Not even a surprise. However, the response will come only after the parliamentary process is over.

Balochistan solution: Unhappy with govt efforts, SC proposes grand jirga
Azam Khan
The government's lucrative economic package and its peace overtures have thus far failed to stabilise Balochistan. But on Tuesday, the apex court came up with a solution based on local tribal traditions.
_______________________________________________

Business

Feasibility: PTA makes a business case for 3G spectrum in Pakistan
Farooq Baloch
As some of the world's leading telecom operators showed lack of interest in the upcoming auction of cellular licence in 3G spectrum, the industry experts raised a question: is it even viable to run 3G networks in Pakistan? The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority argues that it is and backs up their claims with data and case studies.

Power tariffs to rise by as much as 21%
Zafar Bhutta
It does not come without warning, but the nearly 21% increase in power tariffs that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) approved on Tuesday is likely to be unwelcome amongst consumers of electricity who only last month went through another 39% increase in electricity rates.
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Sports

Asia Cup: Bangladesh send India home
Our Correspondents
Bangladesh shocked 2011 World Cup losing finalists Sri Lanka to reach the final of the Asia Cup where they will take on Pakistan tomorrow.

Amir to join PCB in fighting corruption
Fawad Hussain
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reiterated its plans of using banned fast-bowler Mohammad Amir in fighting corruption and warning the country's cricketers about the effects of indulging in spot-fixing or match-fixing, according to the board's chief Zaka Ashraf.
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Life & Style

Coffee culture: Whats brewing?
Momina Sibtain
Caffeine is to a writer what a beautiful woman is to a painter; it literally jumpstarts one's creativity. This may be the reason that many writers have penned some of their best creations in java joints around the world. 

Saif-Kareena spy flick Agent Vinod banned across Pakistan
Our Correspondents
Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer spy flickAgent Vinod has been banned in Pakistan, reportedly for having various references to Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), NDTV reported on Tuesday.
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Opinion

The void and us
Fahd Husain

One step forward, two steps back
Najma Sadeque

How Iran's oil was nationalised
Anwer Mooraj

A federation of dunces
Farrukh Khan Pitafi

Welcome change or more of the same?
Tariq Fatemi

Blogs

Did you buy Mohammad Amir's story?
Umair Qazi

Was war always on the cards for Iran?
Muhammad Saqib Tanveer

The birth of our nationalist media
Muhammad Rizwan

Kohli: The future of Indian batting
Dr Amyn Malik

Poll

Is the PTI's decision to make Javed Hashmi party president a good move?

No (23%, 175 Votes)
Yes (77%, 589 Votes)
Total Voters: 764

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Monday, March 19, 2012

The Express Tribune Newsletter: March 20, 2012

 

Today's Headlines

March 20, 2012

 

Vital precedent: Oversight on foreign policy starts today
Irfan Ghauri

Though many may term it an eyewash, a joint session of Parliament will set an important precedent today.
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National/City reports

Delayed response: US to apologise over NATO air raid – finally
Kamran Yousaf
After months of diplomatic squabbling over a deadly cross-border air raid by Nato troops on Pakistani posts, the United States now plans to offer a formal public apology to Islamabad, officials said on Monday.

Pakistan-US ties: TTP keenly watching parliamentary review
Zia Khan
Pakistani Taliban will be watching keenly when Parliament begins on Tuesday a long overdue review of the country's war on terror cooperation with the United States and may announce a ceasefire if the outcome is of their liking.

Missing persons case: Supreme Court slams agencies for illegal detention
Our Correspondent
The increasing number of cases of illegal detention allegedly at the hands of the country's premier intelligence agencies forced the Supreme Court to pass a strong verdict on Monday ordering a halt to the practice.

2008 attacks probe: Pakistani panel concludes proceedings in Mumbai
Asad Kharal
The Pakistani panel investigating the 2008 Mumbai attacks has completed its proceedings in Mumbai, but may make little headway after the commission was not allowed to interrogate Ajmal Kasab or cross-examine other witnesses.

Mangal Bagh reported killed in Tirah: Police chief
Our Correspondent
There are conflicting reports about the death of the dreaded commander of the Lashkar-e-Islam extremist group, which has unleashed a reign of terror in the Khyber tribal region.
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Business

Insufficient protection: Businessmen exhort Rangers on extortion
Salman Siddiqui
The business community has expressed displeasure with the performance of Pakistan Rangers in ensuring their safety and security from extortionists in the city.

Financing needs: IP gas pipeline – Russia catches Pakistan's eye
Zafar Bhutta
As a Chinese bank has backed off from financing the $1.5 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project amid pressure from the United States, Russia has caught the attention of Pakistan, which is planning to explore this viable option first.
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Sports

Asia Cup: A number of poor decisions cost us the India game, says Sarfraz Nawaz
Fawad Hussain
Former Pakistan fast-bowler Sarfraz Nawaz, who mentored the team's fast-bowlers before the Asia Cup, defended the pacemen after they were thrashed by India batsmen during their Asia Cup clash on Sunday.

Cricket: Amir says 'brother' Butt lured him into fixing
AFP / Web Desk
Disgraced Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Amir said Monday that former captain Salman Butt had betrayed their friendship by involving him in the spot-fixing scandal that has seen him banned from cricket and serve time in a British prison.
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Life & Style

'Uth Records' episode 3: Of wonders and blunders
Rafay Mahmood
After running smoothly for two weeks, the third episode of "Uth Records" came up with some pleasant surprises and shocking blunders. Surprises are purely musical and will be discussed later in the piece but the blunders, which were quite technological and unexpected in nature, will be stated first.

Nabila: Let your hair down
Hani Taha
What's the difference between an atelier and a salon? If you ask stylist and L'Oreal creative consultant Nabila, there is none and that's precisely what she sought to demonstrate with L'Oreal Professional's new summer range of colour in her show 'Somptueux' on March 18.
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Opinion

Did Dr Shakil Afridi commit treason?
Feisal H Naqvi

Whose money is it anyway?
Shahzad Chaudhry

Al Qaeda and its apologists
Raza Rumi

What if the conspiracy theorists are correct?
Nadir Hassan

Cash cropping versus food sovereignty
Syed Mohammad Ali

Blogs

Kohli: The future of Indian batting
Dr Amyn Malik

Religion or science: That is not the question
Danish Shah

A houseplant I named Hope
Daliah Merzaban

Pakistan's got heroes (not just terrorists)
Adeel Ansari

Poll

Is the PTI's decision to make Javed Hashmi party president a good move?

Yes (72%, 214 Votes)
No (28%, 82 Votes)
Total Voters: 296

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Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Express Tribune Newsletter: March 19, 2012

 

Today's Headlines

March 19, 2012

 

Swiss letter impasse: Gilani offers to resign, but says it will not help
Abdul Manan

A defiant premier has said that he is willing to resign, if it helps. But, in the same breath, he added that his resignation will not resolve the issue of president's immunity and that the matter should be referred to Parliament.
_______________________________________________

National/City

Memogate scandal: Probe panel summons Haqqani on March 26
Our Correspondents
Memogate scandal whistleblower Mansoor Ijaz was once again at the centre of attention during Sunday's proceedings of the commission investigating the matter. But he will soon hand over the hot seat to former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani.

ANP, MQM-H to form 'grand alliance' to bring peace to Karachi
Our Correspondents
To restore peace in Karachi, Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) and Awami National Party (ANP) has decided to form a grand alliance.

Grisly discovery: 14 bullet-riddled bodies found in Bara
Our Correspondents
In a grisly discovery, villagers on Sunday found 14 bullet-ridden bodies scattered around an area where paramilitary troops have been conducting sporadic operations against extremists for over three years now.

'Osama good, Zardari bad'
Our Correspondent
Osama Bin Laden was a "great martyr" while Asif Zardari is "the biggest traitor", said Jamaat-i-Islami Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan on Sunday.

Diplomatic staff being harassed, complains US
Asad Kharal
US authorities have lodged a fresh complaint against the harassment of its diplomatic, expressing concern at the 'inaction' over an earlier complaint lodged some two years ago.
_______________________________________________

Business

Change of guard: Kick-starting the privatisation process
Ali Wahab
On February 9, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) announced a tentative timeline for a Secondary Public Offering (SPO) of its shares to the general public worth on the Karachi Stock Exchange. This is a welcome step since it will help kick-start the stalled privatisation process, as well as reignite interest in the capital markets of Pakistan. Though the sale will not really help the state in managing its fiscal requirements by a considerable degree, the SPO is bound to be a litmus test for our capital markets.

Promoting Pakistan-UK trade relations
Humayon Dar
There has recently been much talk at the Pakistan High Commission in London about the so-called success of its Trade Division in promoting bilateral trade between Pakistan and UK. Statistics are impressive, as the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries is approximately £1.4 billion (see the table for volume and growth trend).
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Sports

Cricket: Kohli makes mockery of Pakistan's 329-run total
Our Correspondents
A stunning 183 from India's batting sensation Virat Kohli powered the team to a crucial six-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Asia Cup encounter in Dhaka.

Squash: Waqar in reckoning for Asian Championship
Our Correspondents
Banned player Waqar Mehboob could be included in the squad for the upcoming Asian Championship, which will be held in May, as his sanction ends on March 28, it has been learnt by The Express Tribune.
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Life & Style

Snapistan: Aim for change
Sher Khan
'A picture is worth a thousand words' is the motto that photographers Natasha Noorani and Aizaz Ahsan are putting forward through their photography website Snapistan. With Pakistan being promoted in a negative light in the news, the two young photographers have decided to make a difference by capturing and archiving positive images of their country. The main aim of this project is to make people realise that life in Pakistanis is not as destructive as portrayed by the media, both locally and abroad.

Meherjaan: When love and hate collide
Saadia Qamar
Love knows no boundaries nor does it understand the man-made differences between different sects and ethnicities, but every lover knows that it is taboo to fall in love with the enemy. Controversial Bangladeshi film Meherjaan, which portrays the love dynamics between two young lovers coming from opposing backgrounds, was screened and discussed at The Second Floor (T2F) on Friday.
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Opinion

What Pakistan should do in Afghanistan
Pervez Hoodbhoy

Two-nation theory
Tanvir Ahmad Khan

The demographic edge
Dr Akmal Hussain

Some lessons from India
Shahid Javed Burki

No more wars, please
Rasul Bakhsh Rais

Blogs

What kind of Pakistani life do you lead?
Nadya V

Note on terrorism from a Pakistani 5th grader
Moeed Ur Rehman

Emo kids get shot in Iraq
Tooba Masood

Sachin: The unmaking of a god
Khurram Baig

Poll

Should the police be allowed access to public mobile phone data to track criminals?

No (55%, 252 Votes)
Yes (45%, 210 Votes)
Total Voters: 462

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Top 10 on Tribune (March 11-18, 2012)

 

Top 10 stories of the week
 

March 11-18, 2012
 

1. Imran Khan refuses to attend India conclave in Salman Rushdie's presence – Our Correspondent

2. University student lands job at Microsoft Corporation – Farooq Baloch

3. The lies and triangulations of Imran Khan – Saroop Ijaz

4. Veteran television actor Tahira Wasti passes away – Web Desk

5. Pak-India World Cup semifinal fixing claims surface, ICC to probe – Web Desk

6. 10 things I hate about the humsafar finale – Saba Khalid

7. Army denies new ISI chief related to Shah Rukh Khan  – News Desk

8. Generals — theirs and ours – Khaled Ahmed

9. PTI got 'out of control' after Lahore rally, admits Imran – Web Desk/Zahid Gishkori

10. How come Hindu men aren't converting, only marriageable young girls? – Rabia Ali

 

 

Top Life & Style

Sana Safinaz's lawn: How Uncoolie
Saba Imtiaz

Top 3 blogs

1. Seven reasons girls can't answer the phone
Adeel Ansari

2. 'My husband is my father's age…'
Ayesha Pervez

3. Lawn is (literally) the latest rage
Sara Muzammil

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Express Tribune Newsletter: March 18, 2012

 

Today's Headlines

March 18, 2012

 

Address to parliament: President makes history amidst vociferous protests
Irfan Ghauri

Having already made history by addressing a full quota of addresses to a sitting government, the president on Saturday touched on another landmark exercise that will begin next week.
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National/City reports

Engagement with the US: Top civil, military leaders pour over draft proposals
Kamran Yousaf
The country's top civilian and military leadership huddled on Saturday to finalise a strategy for the much-awaited joint session of Parliament to debate new terms of engagements with the United States.

Traders, transporters strike: Many Sindh cities shut to protest extortion
Our Correspondents
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a key ally of the Pakistan Peoples Party, late Friday night reversed its decision of boycotting the presidential address – it was, perhaps, too late for the party to withdraw its support for a traders' strike.

Missing person reunites with family – thanks to SC
Azam Khan
A suo motu action by the apex court finally has some concrete results to show for itself.
After allegedly being in the custody of intelligence agencies for the last six days, Umer Mahmood reunited with his family on Friday night.

In custody: Bin Laden's family sent on judicial remand
Our Correspondent
The three wives and 11 children of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were sent on judicial remand until March 26 by a district court in Islamabad on Saturday.

President's speech: Reading from the script
Gibran Peshimam
Theatre is all about execution.
You don't sit through a Beckett play wondering if Godot will be found. It's about to what degree the audience is convinced that the actors truly believe if Godot will be found.
Saturday's joint session was nothing if not scripted down to the commas.
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Business

Weekly review: Market rally comes to an end as profit-taking kicks in
Bilal Umar
The stock market's rally finally came to an end as investors chose to book profits, resulting in the benchmark KSE-100 index shedding 0.4% or 55 points to close at the 13,297 point level, during the week ended March 16.

Trade with Iran: Govt to barter wheat for seeds and fertilisers
Shahbaz Rana
Pakistan has decided to export one million tons of surplus wheat to Iran in return for agricultural seeds, equipment and fertilisers and will send a delegation to Tehran to determine prices of commodities to be traded under a barter system.
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Sports

Asia Cup: Stage set for Pakistan-India clash
Fawad Hussain
After being reduced to facing off each other only in multi-nation tournaments, Pakistan take on India in the high-profile and eagerly-awaited Asia Cup clash today, looking to secure a place in the final.

Usman Salahuddin: Aiming for a strong comeback
Nabeel Hashmi
Batsman Usman Salahuddin, who has been a prolific run-scorer this season, said that he was not discouraged after being left out of the team and is looking to make an impressive return to the side.
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Life & Style

Song covers: Secondhand serenading
Sher Khan
These days, many musical acts are covering songs from legendary artists of the past. From Bilal Khan to Farhan Saeed, it seems that for Pakistani musicians, releasing covers is an easier and more popular option than creating an original song.

Pushto telefilms: Back from the brink
Fazal Khaliq
Swat, the land of colour, roses and flowing rivers was once synonymous with love, peace, and hospitality. How this paradise on earth became a valley of death and destruction still sends shivers down the spine. The transformation not only saw loss of lives, but also loss of an economy, culture, arts and films.
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Opinion

Coming home to roost
Saroop Ijaz

Misdiagnosis as cure
Khaled Ahmed

The political role of the ISI
Asad Munir

Institutions versus organisations
Ejaz Haider

A brief history of modernity
Aakar Patel

Blogs

Emo kids get shot in Iraq
Tooba Masood

Sachin: The unmaking of a god
Khurram Baig

Thin needs to stop being 'in'
Hiba Akhtar

Political moralization is not the way
Sher Khan

Poll

Should the police be allowed access to public mobile phone data to track criminals?

Yes (55%, 115 Votes)
No (45%, 95 Votes)
Total Voters: 210

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