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A news report, and some gruesome pictures associated with it, recently caught my attention. I had not heard about the turtle population in Pakistan for many years now, and was somehow under the impression that steps taken by government to ban poaching and export had resulted in significant protection of the turtle habitats.

Well, according to the news item, a study conducted by the WWF-Pakistan at the Taunsa Wildlife Sanctuary concluded that that the turtle population not only faces brutality at the hands of poachers, but is also under threat of extinction.

Unlike many other topics that people in our country love to discuss around chai-time, protection of wildlife, and in this case turtles, has never gained popularity. The result of our collective social apathy towards the issue has resulted in significant loss of wildlife, and endangerment of precious species.

It is understood hat the various body parts of the turtle, especially the fresh water turtle, have become ‘hot export items’. Fisherman in Sindh and Punjab are found illegally hunting turtles and in some cases, a turtle is killed for a mere payment of 2 to 4 US dollars. The bulk of turtle exports, worth millions of dollars, are destined for Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and Taiwan where the soft shells and chest pellicles of the turtles are in the manufacture of Traditional Chinese Medicines. The practitioners of these medicines believe that the turtle shells are highly effective for purifying blood and curing many diseases.

Ofcourse the illegal hunters are not the only source of the problem. For example, the most commonly found turtles along the beaches of Karachi are known as Green Turtles. They are one of the seven marine turtles found in the world, and are the largest species of marine turtles after the Leatherbacks. It is Pakistan’s unique treasure that a significan percentage of the world’s green turtle population lays their eggs and builds their nests on the beaches of Sandspit and Hawksbay, on the shores of Karachi, and in Jiwani, a coastal town in the western part of the Makran Coast.

These turtle populations are in grave danger because of significant human footprint in their eco-systems. Excessive construction of beach huts and other buildings along the beaches are destroying some of the habitats used for breeding. Pollution, especially from the picnickers, is another major problem on the beaches in Karachi.

People go for picnics and outings and carelessly dispose of their garbage, which usually includes plastic bags, on the shoreline. During high tide, the water takes the garbage along with it into the sea. Green turtles usually eat jellyfish, which resembles the plastic bags, and hence, these turtles literally eat the bags and die!

Courtesy: http://www.pakistaniat.com

Saturday, August 08, 2015 - Islamabad—Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has conducted 8 successful raids in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad against the illegal DECT 6.0 Cordless phones sellers.

During the raid, huge stock of illegal DECT 6.0 phones was confiscated and action has been initiated against the illegal sellers in the light of prevailing Law, said spokesman of PTA.

He said that PTA once again warns all the illegal importers, distributors, sellers and users of DECT 6.0 cordless phones, to refrain from such illegal activity otherwise legal action shall be taken against them.

It may be added that this operation is only against sale and use of DECT 6.0 and Cordless Phones operating in licensed bands.—APP

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), on Tuesday terming the use of Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications DECT 6.0 cordless phones illegal, announced to step up its efforts to eradicate the sale and use of this device. 

Our technical team has found that the strong signals of DECT 6.0, interfere with the signals of mobile phone operators, that’s why we have banned the cordless in the country and sought law enforcing agency’s help in eliminating use of this particular device, said PTA official.

DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is an advanced remote phone innovation, which has made cordless telephones considerably more regular in both organizations and homes.In Pakistan likewise, a substantial number of buyers are embracing this new innovation because of its straightforwardness, voice quality and wide scope zone. But these devices are having a high range of frequency which causes interference in sensitive areas and cause hurdles in communications. For this reason PTA has taken steps to avoid these issues.

An earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the early hours of Tuesday, spreading fear and panic among the populace.

According to European seismological centre here, the intensity of the quake was recorded as 5.6 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was the Himalayan mountain range.

The tremors were felt in Peshawar, Malakand, Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Murree, Gilgit, Abbottabad, Nowshera, Haripur, Hazara, Lahore and the federal capital among other parts of the country where residents evacuated homes and buildings out of fear.

No casualty or damages, however, reported from any part of the country. The earthquake tremors were also felt in the border areas of Afghanistan.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake had struck Balochistan, killing over 370 people in September, 2013.

Northern areas of the country were also hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people leaving more than 3.5 million homeless.

An earthquake with magnitude 5.5 occurred near Feyzabad, Afghanistan at 22:07:48.00 UTC on Jun 29, 2015.

Courtesy: http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-189640-5.4-magnitude-quake-jolts-parts-of-Pakistan,-Afghanistan

He's a cameraman and a personal assistant. He reads bedtime stories to your kids and can connect you with family and friends on different parts of the planet. And at 11 inches tall, he'll be priced similar to an iPad.

He's Jibo the social robot, the brainchild of MIT roboticist Cynthia Breazeal, who has been working full-time, and secretively, on the company since she took professional leave from MIT last November.

Venture-backed Jibo Inc., headquartered in Weston, was unveiled Wednesday corresponding with the launch of an online crowdfunding campaign where customers can pre-order the robot for $499 and have it shipped to them in late 2015.

Breazeal, who has spent more than a decade researching social robots, isn't restrained when she talks about plans for Jibo, billed as "the world's first family robot." She envisions Jibo being used by people all over the world, in homes and institutions ranging from hospitals to senior living facilities.

"The way you have smartphones and tablets everywhere, you're going to see Jibos everywhere," she said in an interview.

Photographer, storyteller, messenger and more

At 6 pounds in weight and 11 inches in height, the robot is capable of many tasks. It acts as an "on-demand cameraman," picking up on cues like movement, speech commands and smiles to know when someone's posing for a picture. Breazeal says that's important for any parent who wants to be in a photo with their family as opposed to constantly being the designated photographer.

Jibo is also connected to a mobile app for iOS and Android. Users can ask Jibo to take voicemails or remind them of things they need to do. "Since he recognizes you and each member of your household, and can interact with natural social cues, Jibo can deliver the right messages to the right people at the right time," according to a company release.

The robot includes a "see-and-track camera" that makes eye contact with people in a room. For example, a person can video chat with their family and click on a family member's face, telling Jibo to turn its camera and focus on that person.

Because Jibo's target demographic is households and institutions, Breazeal said it was important for the social robot to be warm and anthropomorphic, which is why the robot is referred to by the company as a "he" and features a congenial voice.

"It's about the people," said Breazeal, also the founder and director of the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab. "The first technology that can really forge that relationship with the family is going to forever have a competitive advantage against anything else that comes in the house."

See video above of Cynthia Breazeal talking about why Jibo's voice is male and other aspects of the robot.

Company history

Founded in late 2012, Jibo Inc. is backed by about $5 million in funding from investors including CRV, formerly known as Charles River Ventures, with offices in Cambridge and Silicon Valley, and Cambridge-based Fairhaven Capital.

Jibo Inc. is aiming to raise another $100,000 from the online crowdfunding campaign and also wants to use the campaign as a way to finalize the official retail price. Breazeal said the retail price will be similar to a high-end tablet.

The robot is also available for professional developers who aim to create new applications for the robot. The developer package can be pre-ordered on MyJibo.com for $599.

The company is based in Weston, has offices in San Francisco, and its total headcount is about 10. Weston is home to the "robot secret-sauce team," as Breazeal likes to call it, which includes luminaries from iRobot, Disney and Symantec who have been working on Jibo for several months.

San Francisco is home to Jibo's vice president of engineering, Andy Atkins, who was formerly the director of engineering at Netflix, and several speech specialists are also based there.

The company's team of employees has helped make Jibo more than just a robot, Breazeal said. Jibo is meant to be a useful, artificially intelligent assistant in busy households, but also meant for people — ranging from children to the elderly — who might need a bit more companionship, or an "emotional connection," she said.

"There are areas where social support and feeling like you have support of presence really make a big difference for people," she said. "Data alone and information alone isn't enough."

Report by : http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/bio/18391/Sara%20Castellanos

Courtesy : http://www.bizjournals.com/

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful flight test of the indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) “Ra’ad”, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release.

The Ra’ad missile, with a range of 350 km, enables Pakistan to achieve 'strategic standoff capability' on land and at sea.

“Cruise Technology” is extremely complex and has been developed by only a few countries in the world. The state of the art Ra’ad Cruise Missile with stealth capabilities is a low altitude, terrain hugging missile with high maneuverability; can deliver nuclear and conventional warheads with pin point accuracy.

Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, while congratulating the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of historic significance, termed it a major step towards strengthening Pakistan’s full spectrum credible minimum deterrence capability. Pakistan’s strategic pursuits are aimed at achieving strategic stability in the region, he said.

He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed whole heartedly to make this launch a success.

He showed his full confidence over operational preparedness of strategic forces including employment and deployment concepts, refinement and training of all ranks in operational and technical domains.

The successful launch has been commended by President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who have congratulated the scientists and engineers on their outstanding achievement.

Courtesy: http://www.dawn.com/news/1161034/

US actor Robin Williams has been found dead, aged 63, in an apparent suicide, California police say.

Marin County Police said he was pronounced dead at  his home shortly after officials responded to an emergency call around noon local time.

Williams was famous for films such as Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets Society and won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting.

His publicist said he had been "battling severe depression".

In the past he had talked, and even joked, about his struggles with alcohol and drugs.

Williams had recently returned to a rehabilitation centre to "fine-tune" his sobriety, the Los Angeles Times reported in July.

"At this time, the Sheriff's Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made," police said in a statement.

In a statement, Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, said she was "utterly heartbroken".

"On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."

Williams had three children from previous marriages.

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1951, Williams joined the drama club in high school and was accepted into Juilliard School in New York, the prestigious American academy for the arts.

There, he was encouraged by a teacher to pursue comedy.

The actor was first known for his zany portrayal of an alien in the 1970s TV show Mork and Mindy.

He was a regular stand-up comedian while continuing to act in such films as Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Mrs Doubtfire and as the voice of the genie in Aladdin.

While many of his roles were in comedies, Williams won the Oscar in 1998 for best supporting actor as a therapist in Good Will Hunting.

Courtesy: http://www.bbc.com/

The chip would need replacing every 16 years (chip pictured is not the one described in the article)

A contraceptive computer chip that can be controlled by remote control has been developed in Massachusetts.

The chip is implanted under a woman's skin, releasing a small dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone.

This will happen every day for 16 years, but can be stopped at any time by using a wireless remote control.

The project has been backed by Bill Gates, and will be submitted for pre-clinical testing in the US next year - and possibly go on sale by 2018.

The device measures 20mm x 20mm x 7mm and will be "competitively priced", its creators said.

Convenience factor

Tiny reservoirs of the hormone are stored on a 1.5cm-wide microchip within the device.

A small electric charge melts an ultra-thin seal around the levonorgestrel, releasing the 30 microgram dose into the body.

There are other types of contraceptive implant available, the researchers noted, but all require a trip to a clinic and an outpatient procedure in order to be deactivated.

Someone across the room cannot re-programme your implant” - Dr Robert Farra

"The ability to turn the device on and off provides a certain convenience factor for those who are planning their family," said Dr Robert Farra from MIT.

The next challenge for the team is to ensure the absolute security of the device to prevent activation or deactivation by another person without the woman's knowledge.

"Communication with the implant has to occur at skin contact level distance," said Dr Farra.

"Someone across the room cannot re-programme your implant.

"Then we have secure encryption. That prevents someone from trying to interpret or intervene between the communications."

Huge range

The same technology could be used to administer other drugs.

Simon Karger, head of the surgical and interventional business at Cambridge Consultants, said that implanted technology like this faces a range of challenges and risks.

But he added that overall "the value to the patient of these types of implant can be huge and we foresee a future in which a huge range of conditions are treated through smart implanted systems".

Implanted devices could help people who forget to take medication at the correct time

The innovation comes at a time when governments and organisations around the world have agreed to try to bring family planning to around 120 million more women by 2020.

This challenge opens the door to this kind of implant technology being used in areas where access to traditional contraceptives is limited - a bigger priority, argued Gavin Corley, a biomedical engineer.

Courtesy : By Dave LeeTechnology reporter, BBC News

Courtesy : http://www.iflscience.com/

ABU DHABI: Former chairman and present consultant of Bahria Town, Malik Riaz Hussain has signed an agreement with His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan; Chairman Abu-Dhabi group, Union National Bank & United Bank Limited.

Under the agreement 45 billion dollars will be invested in Pakistan for various construction projects, which is the biggest and historical investment in Pakistan. Abu-Dhabi group has previously made huge and successful investments in Pakistan by the establishment of Bank Alfalah, Warid Telecom and Wateen Telecom.

Out of the total investment value 10 billion dollars will be invested in Federal Capital- Islamabad and Lahore (Punjab) whereas 35 Billion dollars will be invested in Sindh. These projects also include the construction of tallest building of the world (taller than Burj Khalifa, Dubai) in Karachi. Moreover, the project encompasses Sports city, Educational & Medical city, International city & Media city. The project also includes the construction of miniatures of Seven Wonders of the World.

These projects will employee more than 2.5 million people and will boost more than 55 industries like cement, bricks, iron, steel and glass. Moreover these projects are expected to represent all the social classes of the society and middle-class and lower-middle class will have equal representation.

The agreement will have a revolutionary impact on not only Pakistan’s economy but also tourism of the country and will be a milestone in reviving the lights of Karachi.

Speaking on the occasion, His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan expressed that Bahria Town not only represents modern Pakistan but is also a credible, respected and authentic name in the real estate sector world-over. “I am genuinely happy that in this historic project of Pakistan we are working with the visionary Malik Riaz Hussain, this guarantees that not only the project will be delivered beyond our expectations but also before time. We will Inshallah be welcoming first residents in next 3-4 years.”

Malik Riaz Hussain, former chairman and existing consultant Bahria Town, expressed his pleasure and said that it is a matter of great pride for me that His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan has selected us for making the dream come true for a modern and developed nation with this historical project. This is also a proud moment for Pakistan as such a huge foreign investment has never been made before.

A distinguished feature of this project is the utilization of seawater to produce electricity. The projects will have their own grid station.

Moreover, a separate modern water treatment plant will be established to convert seawater into drinking water. These features make this a landmark project in Pakistan, which addressing the current water & electricity issues of the country. Works on this monumental project will soon be starting.

Source : http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-88192-Worlds-tallest-building-to-be-built-in-Karachi-

British soldiers have been using the diminutive Black Hornet Nano mini-copter for surveillance in Afghanistan since 2012.
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com (Ministry of Defense) 

It's tiny, but it's not a toy.

British troops in Afghanistan have been testing out tiny unmanned aerial vehicles -- a.k.a. drones -- that are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. At four inches long and 16 grams, the Norweigian-made "Black Hornet Nanos" look just like the tiny play-helicopters you might see at the toy store, but they carry tiny cameras that capture both still images and video.

According to the BBC, about 160 of these little flyers are darting around Afghanistan on surveillance missions for soldiers.

"We used it to look for insurgent firing points and check out exposed areas of the ground before crossing, which is a real asset," Sgt. Christopher Petherbridge said in an announcement Monday. "It is very easy to operate and offers amazing capability to the guys on the ground."

The Hornets travel at a top speed of 22 mph and can remain in the air for about 30 minutes.

"Soldiers are using it to peer around corners or over walls and other obstacles to identify any hidden dangers and the images are displayed on a handheld terminal," the MoD announcement said.

Source: http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/02/04/British-army-unveils-toy-sized-Black-Hornet-drones/7671360008879/?spt=fsb&or=ros

SRINAGAR: An all-girl teenage rock band from Indian-administered Kashmir has decided to split after the region’s top Muslim cleric declared their music to be “un-Islamic”, their manager said Tuesday.

Pragaash, a three-piece group whose members are still in high school, had been the target of an online hate campaign ever since winning a “Battle of the Bands” contest in December.

But after initially insisting they would continue making music, they have now called it quits after the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Bashiruddin Ahmad, branded them as “indecent” and issued a fatwa calling for them to disband.

“After the fatwa the girls decided to quit and disband,” Adnan Mattoo, the band’s manager, said in brief comments to AFP.

The mother of one of the girls confirmed that her daughter had decided to leave the band, saying she was staying with relatives outside Kashmir until the fuss died down.

“My daughter had been depressed and irritable so we decided to send her away to another city for some time,” said the mother, who did not want to give her name.

The comments by the grand mufti have been widely criticized with the state’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah among those calling on the band not to be intimidated into giving up on music.

Kashmir is India’s only Muslim-majority state and hard-line Islamists have a reputation for trying to impose Islamic law, forcing the closure of cinemas and liquor stores with the onset of an anti-India insurgency in 1990.

Source : http://dawn.com/2013/02/05/kashmir-girl-band-quits-after-fatwa/

July 7, 2010 will be remembered as the beginning of a fearful period in their lives. On that day, Mr. Shahid Nadeem Baloch, the Director of Cyber Crime Investigations for the Federal Information Agency announced the arrest of five ring leaders of the popular hacker forum "PAKBugs" in this release from the Press Information Department. Among those praised by FIA's Director General, Mr. Zafar Ullah Khan, for their roles in the investigation are Mr. Muhammad Idress Mian, who directs the National Response Center for Cyber Crimes (NR3C), Mr. Muhammad Raza, Cyber Crime Circle sub-inspector for the Rawalpindi Police, and NR3C Technical Officers Mr. Aun Abbas, and Mr. Amjad Abbasi.

PR. No. 78
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 07, July 2010

Taking notice of increasing number of websites hacking/defacement cases in the country, Mr. Shahid Nadeem Baloch (PSP), Director Cyber Crimes/FIA constituted an investigation team under the supervision of Mr. Muhammad Idrees Mian, Additional Director NR3C/FIA Cyber Crime Circle Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Mr. Muhammad Raza, Sub-Inspector of Police Station Cyber Crime Circle Rawalpindi/Islamabad with assistance of Technical Officers of NR3C Mr. Aun Abbas and Mr. Amjad Abbasi taking a prompt action carried out a detailed investigation.  FIA team unearthed notorious hackers’ group namely “Pakbugs” and arrested five (05) hackers belonging to this group from various parts of the country while taking the computers and other related equipment involved in various Cyber Crimes into possession. This group is involved in hacking/defacing thousands of websites belonging to various government/non-government organizations and international organizations also. Mr. Zafar Ullah Khan (PSP), the Director General Federal Investigation Agency appreciated the achievements of the team.

Details of these hackers are given below:

1. Jawad Ehsan alias Humza, located in Riyadh Saudi Arabia, still at large

Nick Name: ZombiE_KsA

Membership:           Pakbugs (Founder)

Total Defacements:  169 of which 69 single ip and 100 mass defacements

2. Ahmad Hafeez, arrested from Lahore

Nick Name: vergil

Membership:           Pakbugs (as moderator), Pakhaxorz (as moderator)

Total Defacements:  480 of which 157 single ip and 323 mass defacements

3. Hassan Khan, arrested from Peshawar

Nick Name: x00mx00m

Membership:           Pakbugs (Co-founder)

Total Defacements:  8697 of which 646 single ip and 8051 mass defacements

4. Farman Ullah  Khan, arrested from Bannu

Nick Name: Farman

Membership:           Pakbugs (as VIP-member)

Defacements details could not be retrieved.

5. Malik Hammad Khalid, arrested from Rawalpindi

Nick Name: inject0r

Membership:           Pakbugs (as super moderator)

Total Defacements:  134 of which 82 single ip and 52 mass defacements

6. Taimoor Zafar Bhatti, arrested from Rawalpindi

Nick Name: h4v0c-

Membership:           Pakbugs (as super-moderator)

Total Defacements:        105 of which 36 single ip and 69 mass defacements

FIA Cyber Crimes Department have also identified hackers with nick-names BiG^Smoke, Cyber-Criminal, spo0feR and [a], who have committed a large number of cyber crimes.

These individuals have expertise in following techniques:

1) Linux

2) SQL Injection

3) Trojan horses

4) Phishing

5) Rooting

6) Access to various servers

7) Botnets

8) PHP Scripts

9) Stealers

10) ASP scripts (self writing)

11) JSP scripts (self writing)

12) Key loggers

13) Credit Cards Jacking and usage of stolen Credit Cards

Source: Online, http://www.pid.gov.pk/press07-07-2010.htm

Kashmir Solidarity Day has been celebrated on 5 February each year since 1990 as a day of protest against Indian control of part of Kashmir. It is a national holiday in Pakistan. The core issue of Kashmir, between India and Pakistan, has led Pakistan to face three wars and have devoted a major portion of their national incomes to defense budgets. World leaders have stressed the need to resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan to avoid an eventuality that may cause a catastrophe in the region. Kashmir is the nuclear flash point of Asia, surrounded by three nuclear powers.

It is incumbent on the international community in general and governing world bodies in particular to intervene and force India to stop shedding innocent Kashmiri blood. Kashmiris should have the right to decide their fate according to the UN resolutions, which were adopted to resolve the issue. Without any doubt, Kashmir is jugular vein of Pakistan and it cannot evidently abandon it under any conditions. With both the South Asian neighbours armed with nuclear weapons, another conventional war on Kashmir has the potential to turn into a nuclear exchange that could be disastrous not only for South Asia but for the world at large.

Background

There is a part of Kashmir called Azad Jammu Kashmir (Azad means “Liberated” in Urdu). Many Indians call it Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Officially Pakistan recognizes AJK as a separate state, having its own parliament, head of state and governing institutions.

Kashmir Day was first observed in 1990 on call of Nawaz Sharif, who was the opposition leader and chief minister of Punjab at the time. Sharif appealed for a nationwide strike to protest against the Indian occupation of Kashmir and called for people to pray for the Kashmiri freedom movement’s success. The Pakistan People’s Party then declared February 5 as a public holiday and Kashmir Day has since been observed every year.

Public Life

Kashmir Day is a public holiday in Pakistan and AJK. Government offices (federal and provincial), banks, educational institutions and businesses remain closed. However, some multinational companies continue normal business activities on this day.

Public transport is available throughout the day, but traffic congestion is common in major cities. Major roads and streets remain blocked because of Kashmir Day parades and processions.

Symbols

The Kashmir valley is metaphorically referred to as “heaven on earth”. The valley is shown in modern art as being engulfed by flames, depicting unrest, uproar and peril in heaven. The valley is also shown to be surrounded by a barbed wire drenched in blood. This illustrates human rights violations in Kashmir.

What Do People Do?

Kashmir Day is observed by people throughout Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). It is an internationally recognized day observed by people, predominantly Kashmiris, worldwide. The day is marked by public processions, special prayers in mosques for the liberation of Kashmir and protests that are carried out against the Indian oppression of Kashmir.

Source: Online

Karachi :  Karachi Electric Supply Company under its Social Investment Program distributed solar-charged Study lamps among high performing students of The Citizens Foundation School on Friday.

The  Study Lamps for Students  with dual charging by solar power and electricity were handed to around 90 top students of TCF School Qayyumabad in a ceremony where CEO of KESC Tabish Gauhar was present along with TCF Chairman. Mushtaq Chhapra.

In his speech, Gauhar said this was the first step of the project initiated by KESC, under which the power utility would be providing solar lamps to all secondary high academic achievers in eight campuses of the TCF. Under its Social Investment Plan (SIP), KESC has already been providing free of cost electricity to all these purpose-built schools run by TCF with an approximate enrollment of 52,000 students in Karachi mostly coming from low income families.

Mushtaq Chhpara Chairman of TCF thanked KESC and termed the gift of lamp as  a friend to our students from KESC.

With the solar-charged lamp, which has a battery life of 6 hours, students would have an alternate source of carbon free light for studying. KESC s objective through this project is to provide extended study hours to students giving them an opportunity to enhance their academic performance.

Source: http://www.onepakistan.com.pk

ISLAMABAD:

With the number of people refusing to have their children inoculated against polio reducing and the reported cases themselves showing a sharp decline compared to 2011, the prognosis for polio in Pakistan looks good.

In 2011, 154 cases were reported in 48 districts, while in 2012 so far, 47 cases have been reported from 27 districts. The refusals have also fallen by about 60%, when compared to 2011, according to officials.

But the battle against polio is far from over as admitted by Prime Minister’s focal person on Polio Eradication, Shahnaz Wazir Ali. “Pakistan is one of the only three countries where polio still exists,” she said.

A senior official working closely with the polio eradication programme said the recent sharp decline in the number of refusals and polio cases in the country should not be considered as the only indicator to gauge the performance of the polio eradication programme. “The only correct indicator to gauge performance is a reduction in the number of children repeatedly missed.”

According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative and UNICEF, over 0.5 million of children were missed in the October polio campaign which included 45,000 refusals.

The official said the biggest challenge is the polio teams’ inability to gain access to hundreds of thousands of children in North Waziristan and South Waziristan due to a ban by the Taliban.

An official working for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa said the inability of polio teams in the two tribal regions to reach 300,000 children during every polio campaign is one of the “biggest hurdles” in their way.

“This year, 11 polio cases were reported from Bara in Khyber Agency,” he said, while revealing that 157,000 children remained unvaccinated in Khyber Agency since September 2009. Only children that made it to Jalozai Camp near Peshawar were given polio drops. The 2009-2012 inaccessibility in Khyber Agency resulted in the outbreak, he added.

When contacted at the regional headquarters of WHO in Cairo, Chief of the Polio Section for Pakistan, Dr Elias Durry said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is the biggest challenge in the fight against polio. “By mid-November, Karachi will have been polio-free for one complete year.”

Successes in Karachi and Quetta districts clearly demonstrate the capacity of the polio programme to knock out polio, he said. “[But] the outbreaks like the one in K-P stress the fragility of the success and the urgency to implement quality campaigns throughout the country.”

In 1994, about 23,000 children were either paralysed or killed by polio in Pakistan. Subsequent campaigns helped bring the number of polio victims down. But the downward spiral stopped in 2006, coinciding with rising militancy in the tribal region.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2012.

Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/459512/world-polio-day-number-of-polio-cases-falling-but-pakistan-still-far-from-green/

While issuing the release order, the court directed Nadir Feroz to appear before the Sessions Court on Saturday and Supreme Court on Monday.

Source : Geo News

Students jumped in joy and punched the air in triumph and excitement as they along with teachers and parents entered the Government Muniba Memorial GBPS and Lower Secondary School in Block 6 in Federal B Area on Tuesday, 11 days after they had been banished from it by a group of land grabbers.

The school had been handed over to the land grabbers by Additional District Officer Gulberg Ali Akbar Shaikh on the basis of a notification issued by former education secretary Alam Din Bullo two years back, and the new occupants had locked the school after removing furniture from it.

Day after day, the students had been sitting on mats spread over the footpath outside their school, but no official bothered to pay any heed to their protest against the illegal occupation of their school and the removal of furniture from the classrooms.

On Tuesday, they along with their teachers and parents were attended classes on the footpath. A number of people, including Pakistan People’s Party leader Sohail Abidi, Khwaja Tariq of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Anees-ur-Rahman, Prof Iftikhar Azmi of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, Gul Hameed Mansoori of the Government Schools Teachers Association and representatives of civil society, visited the protesters and appreciated them for raising their voice for their cause.

Upon learning of the protest, Rangers and Gulberg police personnel reached the school and spoke to the teachers and parents. Sub-Inspector Rustam clarified that the police had not locked the school in collusion with the land mafia and that it had been sealed on the directives of the ADO Gulberg.

At hearing this, students broke open the lock and entered the school building. But they were shocked to see that the building did not have a single chair or desk on its premises, while a portion of the building had also been demolished. This caused many students to burst into tears.

“The occupants had ripped out the windows of the classrooms, demolished a portion and removed all the furniture, which is shocking to see,” a student said.

Worried parents and students complained that the school remained closed for 11 days when the annual exams were due after a month, but the authorities were least concerned about their problem. However, teachers said they were ready to continue teaching on mats. They asked the students to come to school regularly and continue their studies.

The representatives of teachers associations and politicians appealed to MQM chief Altaf Hussain to help protect the Muniba Memorial School and other government buildings from the land mafia and play his role in ensuring that poor students continued getting their education. They assured the teachers, parents and students of their help in fighting the land mafia.

Taleem Bachao Action Committee convener Anees-ur-Rahman and politicians vowed that they would stand by the students and teachers even if the land grabbers belonged to any political party.

Anees-ur-Rahman wondered who restored the ADO and DO Gulberg after their removal and the cancellation of the notification by Education Secretary Afzal Pecheho. He demanded an inquiry into the incident.

Source: Online