Canadians trimming food budgets in face of higher prices, RBC says

Bank report suggests as much as 91 per cent of Canadians plan to cut back food spending.

By Allison Brogan, CBC News

Canadian families are planning to cut back on the amount they spend at the grocery store in the face of rising food prices, a new report from one of Canada’s largest banks said Thursday.

The RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook Index showed Canadians’ are displeased with rising food prices at the grocery store.

As much as 91 per cent of respondents to the survey said they have taken notice of rising food prices and are being more budget oriented as a result.

Read more » CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/05/16/business-rbc-food.html

What’s Wrong with Pakistan?

Why geography — unfortunately — is destiny for South Asia’s troubled heartland.

BY ROBERT D. KAPLAN

Perversity characterizes Pakistan. Only the worst African hellholes, Afghanistan, Haiti, Yemen, and Iraq rank higher on this year’s Failed States Index. The country is run by a military obsessed with — and, for decades, invested in — the conflict with India, and by a civilian elite that steals all it can and pays almost no taxes. But despite an overbearing military, tribes “defined by a near-universal male participation in organized violence,” as the late European anthropologist Ernest Gellner put it, dominate massive swaths of territory. The absence of the state makes for 20-hour daily electricity blackouts and an almost nonexistent education system in many areas.

Life after Pakistan judicial coup

By: Manoj Joshi

On Tuesday, Foreign Policy and Fund for Peace published their fourth annual failed states index. The good news was that Pakistan had moved from the 12th position to the 13th in the rankings.

The bad was that on the same day, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had conducted a judicial coup and declared that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani stood dismissed from his office. ….

Read more » Wichaar.com

Somalia, Pakistan top world terror risk list

LONDON: Pakistan is in the second spot in the world terrorism risk index (TRI), said a risk-advisory firm report that places Somalia at number one.

Global risks advisory firm Maplecroft prepared the index after assessing the frequency and intensity of terrorist incidents in 196 countries.

The report places 16 countries in the “extreme risk” category. While Iraq is placed third, Afghanistan is number four. …

Read more : THE ECONOMIC TIMES

Going down: India more corrupt than year before

Iraq and Afghanistan today came near the top of a closely watched global list of countries perceived to be the most corrupt. India slipped from 84th position to 87th. Nearly three-quarters of the 178 countries in Transparency International’s annual survey scored on the sleazier end of the scale which ranges from zero (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (thought to have little corruption). India scored 3.3 in the corruption perception index, which ranks countries on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).

Pakistan climbed up the corruption index from 42nd position in 2009 to 34th this year.  China was at 78th position indicating it’s less corrupt than India.

“The results indicate a serious corruption problem,” the Berlin-based non-governmental organisation said.

“Allowing corruption to continue is unacceptable; too many poor and vulnerable people continue to suffer its consequences around the world,” said TI’s president Huguette Labelle in a statement. …

Read more : Hindustantimes

Rice, potato & Banana increase the blood glucose level more than sugar

The glycemic index (GI) is an exciting, new approach to preventing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Sugar makes our blood glucose rise. It’s, but so does a potato and the slice of bread too. Science has proven that all carbohydrates raise the blood glucose levels. Especially, rice and potato increase the blood glucose twice than sugar. The knowledge of glycemic index will help us sort out that how the foods affect our blood glucose levels. 5 grams of potato increase blood sugar level more than the 5 grams of sugar. Rice, potato and corns have properties to increase the body weight. Glycemic index of 100- Sugar, white bread and white bread products, ripe banana’s Glycemic index is greater than 100.

Rice, corn flakes, ice- cream, fried potato – Glycemic index 90 to 99

‘Pakistan fifth most unstable country in world’

Pakistan is ranked fifth in the list of the world’s most unstable countries, according to the US State Department’s Global Peace Index (GPI). Only Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan rank lower that Pakistan, whose position deteriorated for the second consecutive year as it slipped three places to find itself placed in the bottom five in the list of 149 countries.