MOSCOW (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova – Russia and Pakistan are working on the first ever year of cultural exchange, as part of a larger effort to boost “multidimensional” ties between the two countries, the Pakistani ambassador to Russia told Sputnik on Saturday.
More » Sputnik
A credit suisse report has revealed richest 1% Indians owns 53% of country’s wealth while the top 10% owns 76.30% of the country’s wealth.
Courtesy: The Logical Indian
The first drug that targets precise genetic mutations in prostate cancer has been shown to be effective in a “milestone” trial by UK scientists.
Read more » BBC
According to Kuwaiti Al Qabas daily, the flamboyant Saudi Prince and entrepreneur, al-Waleed bin Talal posited that his country must reconsider its regional commitments and devise a new strategy to combat Iran’s increasing influence in Gulf States by forging a Defense pact with Tel Aviv to deter any possible Iranian moves in the light of unfolding developments in the Syria and Moscow’s military intervention.
Read more » The Nation
Learn more » AWD News
By Binaj Gurubacharya / The Associated Press
KATHMANDU, Nepal – Fuel-starved Nepal has signed an agreement with China to import gasoline, diesel and cooking gas, effectively ending a monopoly on supply from India, which has restricted fuel convoys as a result of political protests in the Himalayan nation.
Read more » Time Colonist
Asad Chadio addressing in Protest at Karachi Press Club against religious extremism in Sindh and Pakistan. The language of the speech is in Sindhi.
Courtesy: Social media
By Larisa Brown Defence Correspondent For The Daily Mail
Putin asked by Afghan government to help country fight the Taliban
President Ghani appealed to the Kremlin for help after recent violence
Afghan President asked for artillery, small arms and helicopters
Russian officials have said they are ‘willing to help’
Read more » Daily Mail
See more » http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3290914/Afghan-leader-begs-Putin-send-gunships-fight-Taliban-insurgents-clear-signal-worsening-security-war-torn-country.html
By Peter Holley
Sharafat Khan, co-owner of a million-dollar mansion in suburban Houston, has spent the past six months living in his own front yard after his wife kicked him out of the house and changed the locks.
The 69-year-old’s health is deteriorating, and neighbors in his Seabrook, Tex., community fear he’ll meet his demise on the nicely manicured lawn.
“He’s wearing the same clothing, it’s dirty,” neighbor Debbie Scoggins told NBC TV affiliate KPRC. “He has no bathroom facilities, no shoes.”
“The weather is starting to get colder,” said Laurel Stout, who lives across the street. “He’s very frail, he can’t even walk. I’m afraid he is going to die out here in his yard.”
How did it come to this? Depends on who you ask.
Khan — who claims to suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure — said a spousal argument got him unexpectedly banished from his home in the Galveston Bay community. Police told KPRC that they’ve responded to the residence for domestic disputes as many as 30 times in the past six months. It’s unclear whether all those altercations occurred after Khan ended up squatting on his front lawn.
Read more » The Washington Post
See more » http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/07/husband-has-lived-in-his-front-yard-for-six-months-after-wife-kicked-him-to-the-curb/
KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan was informed on Friday that work on the first phase of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) — Green Line and Orange Line — in Karachi would begin next month and be completed within one year.
Dr Ibad, who chaired a meeting at Governor House on transport projects in Karachi, was given a detailed briefing by the chief executive of the Karachi Infrastructure Development Board regarding the Green Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line and Blue Line projects of the BRTS.
The official said that the Green Line project — from Surjani Town to M.A. Jinnah Road — would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs16.85 billion to be funded by the federal government.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1215129/
Not today, hate politics. Not today.
By Imaan Sheikh
Tired of the increasing hate politics between India and Pakistan, Mumbaikar Ram Subramanian started a beautiful campaign yesterday called #ProfileForPeace.
by: SPECIAL TO PEOPLESWORLD.ORG
Fifty years ago, the Indonesian killings of an estimated more than 500,000 people in an anti-communist purge had risen to its height. The massacre, following a failed coup of the 30 September Movement, led the country into a “New Order” and the elimination of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as a political force. The upheavals led to the downfall of President Sukarno and the commencement of Suharto’s 30-year presidency.
Read more » People’s World
See more » http://peoplesworld.org/today-in-history-half-a-million-communists-massacred-in-indonesia/
As calls of congratulations rolled in to Canada’s Prime Minister-designate from leaders around the world, it appears Nixon’s gracious comment was a prophecy.
By: Thestar.com and The Canadian Press
As Justin Trudeau took calls of congratulations from world leaders Tuesday, a story emerged of a prediction for his future made a few months after his birth, by a former U.S. president.
It has already been dubbed “the Richard Nixon prophecy.” At a state dinner in Ottawa in 1972, when Justin Trudeau was just a few months old, the then-U.S. president toasted the baby’s arrival, and joked that Pierre Trudeau’s son would himself become prime minister someday.
It’s an obvious thing to say about the offspring of a fellow world leader. But it is also now the case that Nixon, who made errors and misjudgments that finally brought down his presidency, called Justin Trudeau’s ascension correctly.
Read more » The Star
See more » http://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/2015/10/21/in-1972-richard-nixon-predicted-justin-trudeau-would-be-pm.html
Collaborative jam at Pozo Hondo, a farm house near Austin Texas. Beautiful place with beautiful people and lovely music! Thanks to Jeremy of found sound nation and US Department of State for making it happen.
Courtesy: via Facebook
ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) continued its tradition of focusing on issues concerning women at its 200th meeting, on Monday.
The meeting, chaired by Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, ruled that covering the face, the hands up to the wrists and feet was not mandatory for Muslim women.
Incidentally, some of the more liberal members of the CII, including Maulana Tahir Ashrafi and Allama Amin Shaheedi, did not attend the first sitting of the two-day meeting.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1214319/
Courtesy: DailyMotion
Courtesy: Lux Style » DailyMotion
Written by Parul | Chandigarh
Dalip Kaur Tiwana, a novelist and short story writer from Punjabi, announced Tuesday that she is returning her Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award. Tiwana, 80, is the first to give up a Padma award to express “solidarity with writers who are protesting against increasing cultural intolerance in our society and politics”.
Read more » The Indian Express
BY DAWN.COM
MUMBAI: As tensions between India and Pakistan run high and leaders from either side lock horns over a range of political differences, a rare act of kindness from across the border might have changed a Pakistani girl’s life forever.
An Indian non-governmental organisation (NGO) has raised almost Indian Rs1.3 million in funds for the treatment of a young Pakistani girl, who suffers from Wilson’s disease — a rare genetic disorder, said a reportpublished on The Time of India.
Saba Tariq Ahmed, a 15-year-old Karachi resident, returned home along with her mother Nazia, after undergoing treatment for the disorder — that results in poisonous accumulation of copper in the body — at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai.
TOI quoted Jaslok hospital CEO Dr Taran Gainchandani as saying: “Saba and her mother, Nazia, boarded an afternoon flight for Karachi. They were extremely happy about how well the treatment worked for Saba.”
According to the report, Saba’s family was assisted financially for her treatment twice between April and October, 2015.
In April-May, an NGO, Bluebells Community, raised INR 700,000 from Mumbai citizens. “But Saba did not respond too well to the regularly prescribed medicines for Wilson’s disease,” TOI quoted liver specialist Dr Aabha Nagral, who has been treating the teen, as saying.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1212816/charity-beyond-borders-indian-ngo-raises-funds-for-pakistani-girls-treatment
VIENNA: Austrian oil and gas company OMV has found gas at the Latif exploration block in Sindh, according to a press release issued by the company on Monday.
The Latif South-1 well had a gas throughput of 2,500 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) a day during testing, the company said in a statement.
“We are very pleased with this exploration success,” Johann Pleininger, an OMV board member in charge of exploration and production, said in a statement
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1212814/
by :kamayani
As India basks under the glory of unchecked hate-crimes, it is time to remember the lines of Pakistani female poet Fahmida Riaz, who warned about such scenario long ago. The video of Fahmida Riaz herself reciting this poem can be seen below:
तुम बिल्कुल हम जैसे निकले
तुम बिल्कुल हम जैसे निकले
अब तक कहां छुपे थे भाई?
वह मूरखता, वह घामड़पन
जिसमें हमने सदी गंवाई
आखिर पहुंची द्वार तुम्हारे
अरे बधाई, बहुत बधाई
भूत धरम का नाच रहा है
कायम हिन्दू राज करोगे?
सारे उल्टे काज करोगे?
अपना चमन नाराज करोगे?
तुम भी बैठे करोगे सोचा,
पूरी है वैसी तैयारी,
कौन है हिन्दू कौन नहीं है
तुम भी करोगे फतवे जारी
वहां भी मुश्किल होगा जीना
दांतो आ जाएगा पसीना
जैसे-तैसे कटा करेगी
वहां भी सबकी सांस घुटेगी
माथे पर सिंदूर की रेखा
कुछ भी नहीं पड़ोस से सीखा!
क्या हमने दुर्दशा बनायी
कुछ भी तुमको नज़र न आयी?
भाड़ में जाये शिक्षा-विक्षा,
अब जाहिलपन के गुन गाना,
आगे गड्ढा है यह मत देखो
वापस लाओ गया जमाना
हम जिन पर रोया करते थे
तुम ने भी वह बात अब की है
बहुत मलाल है हमको, लेकिन
हा हा हा हा हो हो ही ही
कल दुख से सोचा करती थी
सोच के बहुत हँसी आज आयी
तुम बिल्कुल हम जैसे निकले
हम दो कौम नहीं थे भाई
मश्क करो तुम, आ जाएगा
उल्टे पांवों चलते जाना,
दूजा ध्यान न मन में आए
बस पीछे ही नज़र जमाना
एक जाप-सा करते जाओ,
बारम्बार यह ही दोहराओ
कितना वीर महान था भारत!
कैसा आलीशान था भारत!
फिर तुम लोग पहुंच जाओगे
बस परलोक पहुंच जाओगे!
हम तो हैं पहले से वहां पर,
तुम भी समय निकालते रहना,
अब जिस नरक में जाओ, वहां से
चिट्ठी-विट्ठी डालते रहना!
English translation by Shabana Mir:
Continue reading Pakistani poet’s message to India – Tum bilkul hum jaise nikle
Twenty-five-year old Shazia Parveen is breaking taboos in Pakistan by being the country’s only female fire fighter. The BBC’s Pakistan correspondent Shaimaa Khalil went to meet her in South Punjab.
Courtesy: BBC urdu
Shumita Didi Sandhu is making a documentary inspired by the marriage of a gypsy girl she befriended in Pakistan
BY RFAN ASLAM
Shumita Didi Sandhu, an independent filmmaker from India, was visiting Harappa when she met a Pakhiwasi girl, Riffat, near the archaeological site and developed a personal relationship with her.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1210745/indian-filmmaker-takes-a-fancy-to-harappas-gypsy-girl
India has a diverse list of spoken languages among different groups of people. At least 800 different languages and around 2000 dialects have been identified. The Constitution of India has stipulated the usage of Hindi and English to be the twoofficial languages of communication for the national government. Additionally, it contains a list of 22 official languages(including Hindi and English). These languages are entitled to representation on the Official Language Commission, and a candidate in an examination conducted for national government service may opt to take the exam in any of these languages.
As drafted, English ceased to exist as an official language (on par with Hindi) in 1965, after which it was intended to continue as an “associate additional official language” until such time that a duly appointed committee can decide on a full-scale transition to Hindi, based on a periodic review. However, due to protests from South Indian states where there is low Hindi penetration, the “twin language” system is still in vogue. Due to rapid industrialization, and a bustling multinational influence in the economy, English continues to be a popular and influential means of communication in the government and day-to-day business, and moves to replace it have effectively been shelved.
Two languages are the languages used by the central administration:
A total of 22 languages are recognized by the Constitution of India:
Read more » Axistranslations
See more » http://www.axistranslations.com/translation-article/national-lanuages-of-india-list.html
By JOEL HILL
“Don’t go, comrade, they kill cricketers there!” This was the general reaction I received when I told people back home I was going to Pakistan.
They would also ask, “Why?”
I wasn’t entirely sure of the answer to that. All I knew was that when you get a chance to go somewhere that you otherwise would never be able to, you go.
There are some nutters that do it alone. They don’t speak the language and have this bizarre feeling of invulnerability. They come to Pakistan, hitchhike around in blissful ignorance of the possible dangers and almost always survive. I am envious of these people and definitely not one of them.
Luckily, I had a friend on the inside, Madeeha. She promised to show me the true side of Pakistan, and that is exactly what I saw from one entry point, Karachi all the way to the other, Khunjerab.
The warmth! The people are lovely, that’s just the way it is.
Nobody tried to rip me off, leer at me like I was an alien (well, there was some confusion initially) or generally appear threatening or nasty. People always wanted to say hello, offer us chai, have a photo taken and just chit chat.
Some would say, “Tell your friends back in Australia we are good people.” Which I have.
The pictures I took show breathtaking landscapes, glorious mountains and stunning lakes, but while my phone captured the vista, the people captured my heart.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1209973/
According to Indian media, a 35-year-old man abducted the little boy as he walked home from nursery and killed him in a ritual dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali
By Caroline Mortimer, @cjmortimer
A four year-old-boy has been beheaded in a gruesome “human sacrifice” ritual in a rural village in southern India.
Indian media reports a 35-year-old man abducted the little boy as he was returning home from nursery in the remote Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh state.
The man, named as Tirumala Rao, is reported to have beheaded the child in a ritual to honour the Hindu Goddess Kali and he was alleged to be seeking “divine powers”, according the Times of India.
Mr Rao was discovered next to the little boy’s, named locally as Manu Sagar, body.
Read more » Independent
See more » http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/four-year-old-boy-beheaded-in-human-sacrifice-in-southern-india-a6678026.html
KARACHI, SINDH – Pakistani film ‘Na Maloom Afraad’ has been declared best movie of the year at Lux Style Awards 2015 while veteran actor Javaid Shaikh won best film actor award, with Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayeza Khan winning the best TV actor awards for male and female category respectively. The couple’s drama ‘Payare Afzal’ was also announced as the best drama of the year.
Read more » Daily Pakistan
See more » http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/lifestyle/lux-style-awards-2015-na-maloom-afraad-declared-best-film-javaid-sheikh-best-actor-and-ayeza-khan-best-tv-actress/
Courtesy: DailyMotion
KARACHI (Staff Report) – Pakistan women cricket team on Thursday defeated Bangladesh by 34 runs in the second T20 match at Southend Club ground in Karachi.
The cricket team has also won the two match T20 series by 2-0.
While chasing Pakistan’s 115-run target, the Bangladesh team could only score only 80 runs for seven wickets in the given 20 overs. Rumana Ahmed remained the top scorer who scored 27 runs.
Pakistan’s Sumaiya Siddiqi and Nida Dar grabbed two wickets each for the green-shirts.
Earlier while batting first Pakistan team scored 114 runs when Bisma Maroof and Marina Iqbal contributed 44 and 33 runs respectively.
Bangladesh’s Nahida Akter picked two wickets, while Salma Khatun and Lata Mondal each dismissed one Pakistani player.
Earlier Pakistan team had won the first T20 by 29 runs on Wednesday.
The visiting Bangladeshi women team will play first ODI on October 4 followed by the second ODI on Oct 6.
News courtesy » Daily Pakistan
Read more » http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/sports/paksitan-women-cricket-team-win-t20-series-against-bangladesh-by-2-0
More details » BBC urdu
See more » http://www.bbc.com/urdu/multimedia/2015/10/151001_pak_bangla_women_t_20_pics_zz#
Read more in urdu » http://www.bbc.com/urdu/sport/2015/10/151001_women_twenty_match_hk
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