Category Archives: News

Culture, News

Finally! Science proves that Canadians are way more polite than Americans.

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It is a generally assumed principle, much like the sun rising in the east or bears hibernating in the winter, that Canadians are an unfailingly polite people. They don’t like to argue; they apologize for mistakes that others make.

We accept that Canadians are exceedingly polite — and now we have some data to prove it. Two doctoral students at McMaster University, a bit outside of Toronto, compared millions of geotagged tweets from the United States and Canada from 2015. They looked at the top 10 percent of words most likely to be used by Canadians and compared them with the top 10 percent most likely to be used by Americans.

They found that Canadians, true to form, are just way nicer on Twitter. This is a word cloud of each country’s most-used words — note that some on the American side had to be blurred out, as they were not appropriate for the university’s website:

Read more » Vox
See more » http://www.vox.com/2016/1/7/10729110/canadians-polite-twitter

News, Pakistan, technology

Netflix has extended its services to Pakistan

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Pakistani users can rejoice because now they will be able to consume a lot ofNetflix content through its official presence in Pakistan. Netflix has opened its service for all the world including Pakistan. The announcement was made by the CEO of Netflix Reed Hastings at the keynote at CES Tech Show in Las Vegas.

For the uninitiated, Netflix is an on demand video streaming service, a better alternative to traditional television channels for watching movies, dramas and videos on your own terms.

Reed Hastings also confirmed that the service will begin offering HDR content in a few months time.

Read more » TechJuice
See more » http://www.techjuice.pk/netflix-pakistan-service-launch/

India, News, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

The Sindhis of Sindh And Beyond

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As I sat there, on that dreaded dentist’s chair with my mouth wide open, and subject to poking, and prodding by a myriad tools, gizmos and devices, my polite dentist tried to distract my attention away from the pain. She tried to make polite conversation.

Having noticed my last name, she asked if I was Sindhi. Now, as an Indian, if your last name ends with the three letters ani, the odds are fairly high that you are indeed going to be Sindhi; that is you are going to be from a community that finds its origins and traces its roots back to the Sindh province in what is now Pakistan. For someone not from that part of the world, for her to know and point out correctly my origins and community was actually quite impressive! It probably showed more knowledge and a keen sense of observation on her part than any great acknowledgement or global recognition of the Sindhi community.

I nodded yes that, I am indeed Sindhi

Read more » The Huffington Post

News, Pakistan, Punjab

Pakistan’s Punjab province govt launches income support program for special persons

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Punjab govt launches Khidmat Card Programme for special persons

 

LAHORE (Web Desk) – The Government of Punjab on Tuesday launched Khidmat Card Programme with two billion rupees for providing financial assistance to special persons, the Radio Pakistan reported.

Under the programme, special persons will be provided 3,600 rupees after every three months.

Initially, two hundred thousand people will benefit from the programme.

Addressing the ceremony in Lahore today, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said special persons from the entire province will benefit from the programme.

He said the objective of the scheme is to empower the special persons financially. He said special persons have equal rights in the country.

The Chief Minister said the programme will be monitored at every level, and it will be implemented transparently.

On the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif also distributed Khidmat Cards among special persons.

News courtesy: Dunya News Tv
Read more » http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/315069-Punjab-govt-launches-Khidmat-Card-Programme-for-sp

India, News, Pakistan, Politics

Pakistan, India can’t live as enemies, says PM

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By SALEEM SHAHID

ZHOB: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited India to hold dialogue with Pakistan on all issues, saying the two countries cannot live as enemies.

“Pakistan and India will have to resolve all issues amicably and in a comprehensive way,” he said while addressing a foundation stone-laying ceremony for the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project here on Wednesday.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1229802/

Health, Islamabad, News, Pakistan

National Health Insurance Scheme to cover 100 million Pakistanis

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By APP

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday approved the National Health Insurance Scheme aimed at providing health care to some 100 million people in Pakistan.

The prime minister chaired a meeting to give in principle approval to launch the Health Insurance Program. The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Chairperson PM’s Youth Program Maryam Nawaz, Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarrar, and senior officers of the health and finance ministries.

Maryam Nawaz, the architect of the scheme, gave a detailed briefing to the Prime Minister in which comparative study of major health blanket models of the European Union, United States and India and options for implementing the scheme in Pakistan were discussed.

“A health insurance programme is the only way forward to provide health care protection to economically deprived people of the society. The scheme is the first of its kind to introduce a grievance redressal system as well as social security safety net for the poor people of Pakistan,” he said.

PM Sharif said the programme will not only give the vulnerable sections of the society an access to cash free health facilities but will also help to develop and revolutionise the health infrastructure across Pakistan.

The prime minister further said the scheme will also increase public-private partnership in Pakistan and will open up further avenues for investment.”

The scheme would be completely apolitical and would provide a blanket for cash free treatment to the poor people of Pakistan for major diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and complications, burns and RTA (life and limb saving treatment, implants, prosthesis), end stage renal diseases and dialysis, chronic infections (hepatitis), organ failure (hepatic, renal, cardiopulmonary) and cancer treatment.

The meeting also decided to establish the first ever public sector human organ transplant center in Islamabad.

The prime minister directed the Ministries of Finance and Health to coordinate and finalise the technical modalities and implementation strategy in minimum possible time so that an early relief could be given to the people.

News courtesy: DAWN
Read more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1110761

India, Life, News, Pakistan

Germany to India: ‘Pakistan and India are more alike than different’

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BY MORTEN HÜBBE

This is the travel blog of backpackers Rochssare Neromand-Soma (28) and Morten Hübbe (30) who met at the same university in Germany, where they both studied Literature and Media. They finished school in 2011 and started travelling immediately.

Their journey started with a trip to South America. They planned it as a six-month visit but ended up falling in love with the warm people and the breathtaking beauty of the region. It all started with hitchhiking (which is really common in Argentina and Chile) and enjoyed it so much that they kept travelling until they had discovered the entire continent.

They ended up staying back for over two years, and had by then, hitchhiked more than 50.000 kilometers, mostly with truck drivers. On the way, they met a Frenchman who told them about his hitchhiking adventures in Europe. He went from Paris to Istanbul all in just four days. This impressed the couple enough to decide to hitchhike all the way from Germany to India.

Now they are in Nepal. And look forward to travelling throughout the country before proceeding to their next destination. Read Part-I, II and III here. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1229171/

Life, News

Growing up under Communist rule made me the tough feminist I am today

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By Klentiana Mahmutaj

I am a child of communism. I was born in Communist Albania in the late seventies and was raised there until the age of 19 when I secured a scholarship to study at an English university. I am now a practising barrister in capitalist Britain and a mother of a two-and-a–half-year-old child, regularly facing the challenges that come with being a full-time working mother who seeks to succeed in a challenging profession.  Inspired by the ongoing debate on women’s inequalities, I have recently reflected on my own childhood politics and have come to the surprising conclusion that the place to look for solutions to gender inequality is the Communist model.

Read more » Telegraph.co.uk
See more » http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/growing-up-under-communist-rule-made-me-the-tough-feminist-i-am/

 

Economy, News, Sindh

THATTO DUAL CARRIAGEWAY PROJECT USHER IN NEW VISTAS OF INVESTMENT

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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that Thatta-Karachi Dualway Carriage would be a mile stone in the development of the province.

He said that he is committed with people and leadership to develop Sindh and create congenial atmosphere for investment in industrial sector, particularly in Thar coal filed.

He was addressing the signing ceremony of financing agreement Thatta – Karachi Dual Carriageway Project at the CM House here on Tuesday, said a statement.

He said that building infrastructure and commitment of providing better road network, the Works and Services Department in association with Sindh Public Private Partnership Unit is going to launch Karachi- Thatta Dual Carriageway Project.

The project is most important artery in the Province from Karachi to Thatta and a larger economic benefit of this Project is linked with connecting this corridor from Thatta towards Thar for Thar coal filed, he added.

Read more » Business Recorder
See more » http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/politics-a-policy/270302-thatta-dual-carriageway-project-usher-in-new-vistas-of-investment.html

Economy, International, News

Dutch city plans to pay citizens a ‘basic income’, and Greens say it could work in the UK

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By  in Utrecht

It’s an idea whose adherents over the centuries have ranged from socialists to libertarians to far-right mavericks. It was first proposed by Thomas Paine in his 1797 pamphlet, Agrarian Justice, as a system in which at the “age of majority” everyone would receive an equal capital grant, a “basic income” handed over by the state to each and all, no questions asked, to do with what they wanted.

Read more » The guardian

Economy, International, News

Zimbabwe to adopt Chinese yuan as legal currency after debt cancellation

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BY GEOFFREY YORK, JOHANNESBURG — The Globe and Mail

In an unprecedented move that signals China’s growing global influence, Zimbabwe has announced that it will adopt the Chinese currency as legal tender.

The announcement came after China cancelled $40-million (U.S.) in Zimbabwean debt earlier this week. China is already Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner, and Beijing is often praised by the Zimbabwean government, which has adopted a “Look East” policy after years of sanctions by Western governments.

While the decision to adopt the Chinese yuan as legal tender next month is largely a political message by an anti-Western government, it also illustrates China’s economic power in Africa, where Beijing has rapidly become a major investor and the continent’s biggest trading partner.

Read more » The Globe and Mail
See more » http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/african-and-mideast-business/zimbabwe-to-adopt-chinese-yuan-as-legal-currency-after-debt-cancellation/article27914154/

Economy, News, Pakistan, Sindh

22 wind power projects in pipeline

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PARVAIZ ISHFAQ RANA

KARACHI: Wind power generation capacity of the country is projected to increase from 250 to 1,530MW within a year as 22 windmill projects are in the pipeline.

The cheap and environmental-friendly wind energy, introduced late in Pakistan, is gaining popularity as it ensures quick return in a short cycle of three years.

Sources in the Ministry of Water and Power told Dawn that Pakistan has a 1,046km coastline in the South (Sindh and Balochistan), but most of the wind power projects are currently being installed at Gharo-Keti Bander and Hyderabad wind corridor.

Official sources said that nine wind turbine generator (WTG) projects are in advanced stage of development, while the other nine are under-construction and four have got their letters of intent (LoIs). Many more are under process and documentation. The estimated energy pot­ential of the wind corridor is 50,000MW. Besides Gharo, sev­eral other sites have been identified in coastal areas of Balochistan and Northern areas.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1227553/

Economy, News

Pew Report: The American middle class is shrinking & standards of living are slipping. 

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The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground
No longer the majority and falling behind financially

After more than four decades of serving as the nation’s economic majority, the American middle class is now matched in number by those in the economic tiers above and below it. In early 2015, 120.8 million adults were in middle-income households, compared with 121.3 million in lower- and upper-income households combined, a demographic shift that could signal a tipping point, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data.1

Read more »  PewResearchCenter

Life, News, Pakistan, Punjab

Chenab: Pakistan’s river of love

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BY SYED MEHDI BUKHARI

I often dream about long journeys that may bring my dreams to life; dreams of far-flung lakes, of colours, of people, of scenic beauty and starry-nights, which appear only at the end of a tiresome trail. These dreams have also often taken me on quests to seek answers.
I like to view my life as multiple voyages: the first is a physical one that requires me to walk the earth, the second is a journey from known to unknown. There is another journey that leaves one emotionally fatigued, and it is a need to form and nurture relationships.For me, the thought of new voyages is very refreshing. The North Wind holds you in thrall at your first visit (to the northern areas of Pakistan); subsequently, it keeps whispering in your ear to come back. You remember the blue sky of the day, the black cloak of the night embroidered with glittering stars, and the breeze dancing over the river in summertime; its scent can leave you intoxicated.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1219865/

News, Politics, Sindh

Karachi like rest of Sindh rejected right-wing -religious politics

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Next Karachi mayor likely to be from MQM — PTI, JI face setback

KARACHI: Following days of electioneering, canvassing and political debates, the day for local bodies election in Karachi came to an end and vote count in the polling stations is underway, ARY News reported.

The trend so far shows that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is likely to bring next Karachi mayor as the party has secured majority of seats in the local government elections.

The polling began at 7.30am and ended 5.30pm without any break.

The election were held in six districts of Karachi – District Central, District West, District Korangi, District East, District South and District Malir.

Read more » ARY News
See more » http://arynews.tv/en/polling-karachi-local-bodies-election-government/

India, News

Cow is safer in India than a Muslim: Shashi Tharoor

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today quoted some “Bangladeshi friend” to contend that a “cow is safer in India than a Muslim” to suggest “growing intolerance” in the country.

Participating in the debate on intolerance in the Lok Sabha, he said the Modi government cannot promote ‘Make in India’ while there is “hate in India”.
Read more » The Economic Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/cow-is-safer-in-india-than-a-muslim-shashi-tharoor/articleshow/50002191.cms
Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50002191.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Economy, News

China’s yuan gains IMF reserve status

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that China’s currency, the yuan, will join the fund’s basket of reserve currencies.

Currently just the US dollar, the euro, the yen and the pound are in the group.

The IMF said the yuan “met all existing criteria” and should become part of the basket in October 2016.

The yuan will now make up part of the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDR) – an asset created by the IMF which serves almost as a currency.

It is used for transactions between central banks and the IMF, and is used to decide the currency mix that countries like Greece, for example, receive when the IMF provides financial aid.

The last change made to the basket was in 2000, when the euro replaced the German mark and the franc.

Read more » BBC
See more »  http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34957580

India, News, Pakistan, Politics

Mani Shankar Aiyar embarrasses India in Pakistan; says remove Modi government to solve issues

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: Former Union minister and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar today stoked a fresh controversy by reportedly saying, during a panel discussion on a Pakistani news channel, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to be removed if talks between the two nations have to resume. The Congress leader’s comments evoked sharp response from BJP and RJD, with the saffron outfit saying Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi should react to this ….
Read more » The Economic Times

News, Sindh, Sindhi

I am Paris. We are Paris. Peace march for Paris victims in Karachi

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KARACHI: Activists of rights groups and civil society gathered at the Teen Talwar traffic intersection in Clifton on Sunday and marched on the French consulate to express solidarity with the victims of the Paris attacks. The rally called ‘peace march’ was organised by the Sindh Secular Forum and other civil society organisations in the city.

Read more » DAWN