xavia

I don't know about AEDB, however, I know in and outs of AWC, so I assume it is load of crap… nothing else…

"For match schedules and results, see 2010 FIFA World Cup schedule.
"2010 World Cup" redirects here. For other competitions with the name "2010 World Cup", see 2010 World Cup (disambiguation).
This article is semi-protected.
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host country South Africa
Dates 11 June – 11 July
Teams 32 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s) 10 (in 9 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played 40
Goals scored 83 (2.08 per match)
Attendance 1,937,989 (48,450 per match)
Top scorer(s) Argentina Gonzalo Higuaín (3 goals)[1]
← 2006
2014 →
v • d • e

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international association football tournament. It is being held in South Africa, beginning on 11 June and scheduled to conclude on 11 July 2010. The tournament is the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams; as such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations."

Source: Wikipedia.org - custom papers

Shaabash! Yehi loog to iss mulk ka assal sarmaya hain. Loot key khayain gay nahi to mulk taraqi kar jaega na. Shaabash mere jawanoon.

Malaysia's average temperature has risen by 1.1 degree Celsius in the past 50 years, consistent with the warming of global temperature, the Dewan Negara was told today.

This resulted in changes in the rainfall patterns, causing more floods, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Unggah Embas said.

The latest finding also showed that the sea level was also on the increase, at the rate of 1.25mm a year, he added.

"Based on the climate modelling for the next 100 years, the temperature is expected to rise between 0.7 degree and 2.6 degrees Celsius," he said in reply to Dr Syed Husin Ali in the Dewan Negara.

Syed Husin wanted to know the effects of global warming to Malaysia.

Uggah said during the period rainfall was expected to fluctuate within the range of between minus 30 and 30 per cent.

He said global warming, which also affected the weather in the country, might also increase the occurrence of vector-borne diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue.

source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20100427181626/Article/index_html

A new government report says global warming could lead to an increase in both cancer and mental illness worldwide, and it calls for more federally funded research to determine how that might happen.

The report, A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change, was published by the Interagency Working Group on Climate Change and Health – a combination of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIH, State Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Agriculture, the EPA, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The report's overall thrust is for more federally funded research to investigate the alleged links between global warming and public health, including the potentially negative effects from warming and the potentially negative side-effect of green technologies.

While the report touches on, for example, the health effects of unclean water and respiratory ailments, it also deals with two other types of health issues not normally associated with global warming: cancer and mental illness.

Cancer

While the report does not claim that global warming will cause new types of cancer, it says that “higher ambient temperatures” caused by global warming will have an effect on cancer rates, probably pushing them higher.

“There are potential impacts on cancer both directly from climate change and indirectly from climate change mitigation strategies,” the report said.

This increased risk supposedly comes from increased exposure to toxic chemicals, caused by global warming. The report also said that global warming would cause heavy rainfall, which would wash these toxic chemicals into the water. Hotter temperatures may also make these toxic chemicals even more toxic.

“One possible direct impact of climate change on cancer may be through increases in exposure to toxic chemicals that are known or suspected to cause cancer following heavy rainfall and by increased volatilization of chemicals under conditions of increased temperature,” states the report.

Another way that global warming will cause more cancer, the report said, was from increased exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is known to cause some types of skin cancer. While UV exposure happens every time you go out into the sun, the report said that global warming will make it worse, leading to potentially more skin cancer.

“Another direct effect of climate change, depletion of stratospheric ozone, will result in increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. UV radiation exposure increases the risk of skin cancers and cataracts,” the report stated.

The report also highlighted a surprising way that global warming may cause more cancer: the development of green technologies. Green technologies often involve exotic metals and alloys that, according to the report, may cause cancer.

“Increased use of NiMH [nickel-metal-hydride] batteries [used in hybrid and electric cars] will necessarily require significant increases in nickel production and the impacts associated with nickel mining and refining,” states the report. “High-level nickel exposure is associated with increased cancer risk, respiratory disease, and birth defects; the same is true with certain other metals, especially cadmium and lead [used in solar cells and batteries].

“Increased production of solar cells also can lead to increased environmental risks,” reads the report. “For example, cadmium-tellurium (CdTe) compounds in photovoltaic systems and the potential for increased cadmium emissions from mining, refining, and the manufacture, utilization, and disposal of photovoltaic modules. Cadmium and cadmium compounds like CdTe are classified as known human carcinogens.”

Despite these warnings and predictions, the report admitted that the government knows little about whether or not any of these supposed new causes of cancer will actually cause any more cancer.

“Very little is known about how such transfers will affect people’s exposure to these chemicals — some of which are known carcinogens — and its ultimate impact on incidence of cancer,” the report states. “The largest research gaps are in the materials and methods used for mitigation and adaptation, and their potential to increase or decrease cancer risks.”

Mental Health

Another effect of global warming, the report said, was increased mental illness caused by natural disasters. These disasters, which already occur but will be more catastrophic as the world warms, cause stress and anxiety, which can lead to mental illness.

“A variety of psychological impacts can be associated with extreme weather and other climate related events,” reads the interagency report.

The people most likely to be affected by global warming-caused mental illness are those already susceptible to mental illness, especially stress-induced mental illness.

The report states: “Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding, can create increased anxiety and emotional stress about the future, as well as create added stress to vulnerable communities already experiencing social, economic, and environmental disruption. Individuals already vulnerable to mental health disease and stress-related disorders are likely to be at increased risk of exacerbated effects following extreme weather or other climate change events.”

The possible mental health conditions that could be caused by global warming range from irritability to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, sexual dysfunction, and drug abuse.

“The most common mental health conditions associated with extreme events range from acute traumatic stress to more chronic stress-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated grief, depression, anxiety disorders, somatic complaints, poor concentration, sleep difficulties, sexual dysfunction, social avoidance, irritability, and drug or alcohol abuse,” reads the report.

As with global warming-caused cancer, the report admits that much more scientific work is needed on the links between global warming and mental illness, saying “numerous research gaps exist.”

“More work is necessary to understand the effects of climate change and extreme weather events on mental health status, to determine how to mitigate these effects, and to overcome the barriers to utilization and delivery of mental health services following extreme weather events,” says the interagency report.

Despite the admissions that more research was needed, the report concluded that there was “abundant evidence” of man-caused global warming, saying that “climate change will have” direct impacts on public health.

“There is abundant evidence that human activities are altering the earth’s climate and that climate change will have significant health impacts both domestically and globally.”

The report then called for an “overarching” international research effort to determine how all of the “abundant evidence” of global warming would lead to poorer public health.

“To be successful, an overarching research program needs to be integrated, focused, interdisciplinary, supported, and sustainable, yet flexible enough to adjust to new information and broad enough to cover the very diverse components described in this document,” states the report. “The effort must also be multinational, multiagency, and multidisciplinary, bringing together the strengths of all partners.”

The other public health effects of global warming cited in the report include: asthma and other respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, heat-related deaths, human developmental effects, neurological diseases, waterborne diseases, weather-related deaths, and infectious and animal-borne diseases.

source: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/64827

The scientists at the heart of the Climategate email scandal were disorganised, poor with figures and naive - but not dishonest, it has been ruled.

An independent inquiry into the work of the University of East Anglia's world-leading global warming unit concluded that the researchers were 'ill-prepared for being the focus of public attention'.

Their record-keeping was not up to scratch and some of the statistical techniques used were out of date

But their studies into long-term changes in temperature were carried out 'fairly and honestly', the panel chaired by geologist and cross-bench peer Lord Oxburgh found.

The inquiry was set up by the university after hundreds of emails sent by researchers at the UEA's Climatic Research Unit were leaked on the internet.

First revealed by the Daily Mail in November, the files showed scientists plotting how to avoid Freedom of Information requests and appeared to show them discussing how to manipulate data.

Some of the most controversial contained personal attacks on climate change sceptics and one mentioned using a 'trick' to massage years of temperature data 'to hide the decline'.

The seven-member panel analysed at least 11 influential studies published by the CRU over the last 20 years and carried out extensive interviews with the scientists

Their report, published yesterday, raises concerns about the scientists' use of statistics.

The panel said the researchers had not always used the most up-to-date techniques when analysing vast quantities of 'messy' data on temperatures and tree rings.

In fact, the CRU has not employed a full-time statistician for 'some years'. Despite these misgivings, the panel decided that the scientists' lack of statistical expertise was unlikely to have affected their results.

Lord Oxburgh, a former chairman of Shell UK, concluded: 'We found absolutely no evidence of any impropriety whatsoever. That doesn't mean that we agreed with all of their conclusions, but people were doing their jobs honestly.'

The report is the second of three into the scandal. The first, by the House of Commons science and technology committee, found that the researchers had a 'unacceptable' culture of secrecy but said there was no evidence they manipulated data to strengthen the case for man-made global warming.

The third investigation, also commissioned by the university, is due to finish next month and will examine all claims of data manipulation.

Edward Acton, UEA's vice-chancellor, said: 'We have had months of vilification against our most precious asset of scientific integrity which, as this report confirms yet again, was totally unjustified.'

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1265921/No-evidence-malpractice-scientists-accused-fabricating-global-warming-results-inquiry-finds.html

Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf is planning to launch a political party in a comeback bid two years after he was unseated in elections, officials said Wednesday.

Musharraf, who has been abroad since ending his nine-year stint in power, could face a criminal trial if he returns home and he is wanted for questioning by the government over the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.

An aide and election official confirmed to AFP that the retired general had applied to register a new political party with the electoral authorities in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

Mohammad Ali Saif, a former cabinet minister and now a legal adviser to Musharraf, said election authorities would hear the application on May 10.

"I have formally applied for a new political party called All Pakistan Muslim League.

"Pervez Musharraf is the head of this party and we will formally announce it after getting registered," he told AFP.

Saif, an unofficial spokesman for Musharraf, is active in organising the new political party and said the former president had told him in London that he intended to return to Pakistan and fight a criminal case.

Pakistan police registered a case against Musharraf last August, a precursor to potentially putting the ex-president on trial for detaining judges in 2007 as he attempted to cling onto power.

Musharraf imposed a state of emergency and sacked about 60 judges in November 2007 when the supreme court appeared poised to declare him ineligible to contest a presidential election while in military uniform.

"Musharraf will certainly come. He will face all the charges. These are politically motivated cases with no evidence," said Saif.

"I am in Punjab to establish our party structure here. We will establish it across Pakistan. I can see a bright future for Musharraf in Pakistan."

Sabir Hussain Gilani, a spokesman for the election commission of Pakistan, confirmed that the body had received the application.

"They want to register their party as All Pakistan Muslim League but there are two more applications wanting the same name," he said.

The chief election commissioner has issued notices to all the applicants and will decide on their application next month, the spokesman added.

Musharraf seized power from prime minister Nawaz Sharif, now Pakistan's opposition leader, in a bloodless military coup in 1999.

He was replaced as president in 2008 by Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower, after Zardari's party won elections.

Musharraf used a speech in London in February to hint at a return to politics but said it would be up to voters to decide. He did not say whether he had decided to return to Pakistan to face trial.

A damning UN report into the December 2007 killing of Bhutto — while Musharraf was in power — said her assassination could have been prevented and accused the authorities of deliberately failing to investigate the case properly.

A spokesman for the presidency has said authorities would try to question Musharraf over the findings.

source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jRuv2q4yOkYzEldf_wOFxn8zw9qQ

The World Bank has agreed to postpone the decision of a 6 per cent raise in power tariff following successful negotiations with its representatives, a top government official said.

Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Embassy in Washington, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Hafeez Shaikh said that there is a likelihood that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will approve the release of the fourth tranche of $1.3 billion out of $11.3 billion agreed in November 2008 to Pakistan, following its board of directors meeting scheduled to be held on May 14.

Pakistan is committed to fulfill its obligations and commitments made with the global financial institutions and the government will implement the decision at a later stage, he said.

“The IMF management not only listened to us, but also accepted our point of view and allowed us to review the situation rather than increasing the power tariff immediately,” the adviser said.

For the last few years, the country faces tough situation as the GDP growth remained around 2 per cent and inflation went up to 25 per cent, he said, adding that now things are coming under control as inflation has come down to around 12-13 per cent.

“World leaders have accepted that there is political stability in Pakistan and the country is heading towards the right direction,” he said.

In response to a question, he hinted at introduction of new taxes in the coming budget, besides reforms in the public sector development. “We have made commitments to increase our tax net. Besides we need to carefully assess the development schemes, which are made part of the budget at the last moment,” he added.

At present, tax revenue is only 10 per cent of the country’s GDP, which is alarming, Shaikh said, adding, “We need to find ways to increase our tax revenue and it could be done by imposing some new taxes.”

Pakistan has not made any promise with the United States to finalise the transit trade agreement with Afghanistan, the adviser said.

The existing agreement with Afghanistan on the transit trade will continue, he said, adding that in case Afghanistan wants to amend the agreement it will require negotiations and the final decision will be taken in view of the national interest, the adviser said.

During his four-day stay in Washington, Shaikh said he met around 40 officials of different countries, including China, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Chinese and Saudi Arabian investors will be invited to Pakistan to explore investment opportunities in the power sector, he said and termed his meeting with US Ambassador Holbrooke beneficial.

source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=236298

There is an often-heard cliché that there are three dominant elements in Pakistan’s polity: Allah (religion), Army and America — its order varying according to the prevailing situation

For some years now, Pakistan has been getting a lot of international attention but for the wrong reasons. It is fighting the Taliban but without being sure of its strategic rationale. Hence, its on-again off-again deals with the militants, while still keeping up the military pressure, have not borne fruit.

The lack of strategic clarity is at the root of a lot of Pakistan’s problems. Pakistan is a country with great potential. But this potential has been squandered by its leadership, sadly lacking in a coherent vision or blueprint for the country. In other words, Pakistan has been badly served by its leaders.

Because its political leadership failed to develop self-sustaining constitutional processes (a working democracy), it enabled the country’s military leadership to subvert an imperfect political system. Not only that. The army generals even acted like they were the country’s saviours. Indeed, when the political rot reached its stinking worst (with large-scale corruption and a political culture of impunity), the people of Pakistan did believe, at times, that the generals were their best bet.

But, by God, the generals proved as self-aggrandising as the politicians they overthrew or co-opted. In other words, Pakistan went on in circles, with its establishment (political as well as military) forsaking the country’s good for their own gratification. And the process continues.

Some commentators believe that the proposed devolution of political power to the prime minister in cabinet might herald a change. But this is deceptive. The dominance of the army in the country’s political culture, whether directly running the country or in the background, is too much a fact of life in Pakistan.

In the midst of all this, it is the people of Pakistan who are paying a high price, with increasing poverty, high unemployment, loss of social cohesion and so on. The allocation of financial resources, both budgetary and in terms of foreign aid (largely from the US), were disproportionately diverted to the army and even lined the pockets of those entrusted with national good. It is no wonder that the Taliban have become the recruiting ground for many Pakistanis who have lost faith in the country’s leadership and what is left of its governing system.

Two basic requirements for any credible governance are the physical and economic security of the people at a minimal level. And on both of these counts, Pakistan is under terrible strain. In some areas, like the tribal belt and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, militants seem to operate at will. Even Lahore is now prone to random attacks.

The military obviously reacts to such violence with its own operations, which tends to only compound the situation. The military operations in Swat, and now in the tribal belt, are a colossal tragedy in terms of displacement of the civilian population and civilian casualties, whether through US drone operations or the army’s action. And the result of these on-off operational activities is that more and more people are losing confidence in the state’s capacity to deal with the militants. There seems to be a growing sense of helplessness among the people caught in the middle.

The dominance of the army in Pakistan’s national affairs, since almost independence, has had the effect of narrowing the country’s national perspective. As Ahmed Rashid wrote in The New York Review of Books last year: “The army has always defined Pakistan’s national security goals. Currently, it has two strategic interests: first, it seeks to ensure that a balance of terror and power is maintained with respect to India, and the jihadis are seen as part of this strategy.” Rashid goes on: “ Second, the army supports the Afghan Taliban as a hedge against US withdrawal from Afghanistan and also against Indian influence in Kabul, which has grown considerably.”

Indeed, a perceived threat from India has been a constant, which has had the effect of elevating the army’s role in national affairs, and distorting and skewing the country’s national priorities. National security thus came to be seen largely as a function of the army and its weaponry. But a country’s national security is much more than just military hardware. For a country to feel secure and confident, it needs a secure economic base with a blueprint for the future.

This has been sorely lacking, thus making Pakistan subordinate to the strategic objectives of external powers, principally the US. Since the 1950s, it has been tied up, willingly or unwillingly, with the US strategy in our part of the world, first, against the Soviet Union and now as part of the US war against the Taliban and terrorism.

But it is important to note that, by and large, Pakistan joined the Western alliance system for its own strategic reasons: to secure political, military and economic assistance from the US to strengthen its position against a perceived security threat from India. But it did not quite work like that. It never does in a dependency situation. In the bargain, though, it compromised its sovereignty to the policy dictates of the US. This dependence on the US also distorted its internal polity. The often-heard cliché that there are three dominant elements in Pakistan’s polity: Allah (religion), Army and America (its order varying according to the prevailing situation) might be an over-simplification. But, like all clichés, this too has some truth to it.

For instance, the execution of Prime Minister Bhutto in 1979, most likely, would have created a strong reaction from the US. But General Ziaul Haq was on his way to become an important US ally in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. And, in some fundamental ways, Pakistan’s polity took a turn toward an extreme version of Islam, which is haunting the country to this day.

There is a need for a complete rethink of Pakistan’s national ethos, with more emphasis on the needs of people rather than the self-aggrandisement of its leaders. If people can be galvanised into a national movement to redefine the country’s charter, Pakistan will be a reckonable country. It will also channel people’s energies into a constructive enterprise, as against the mayhem being inflicted by the extremists and militants.

It is a tall order. But without a new beginning, Pakistan is likely to keep going in circles until it has no way to reclaim its national identity.

source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C04%5C28%5Cstory_28-4-2010_pg3_4

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the country is facing a serious energy crisis and shortage of electricity is badly affecting all the sectors, especially industry, trade and agriculture.

Talking to British Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan Peter Tibber at the Chief Ministerís Secretariat here on Monday, he said there was a need to work on emergency basis for energy generation for the development of the country and the Punjab government was launching various projects for power generation.

Shahbaz said special attention was paid to the power generation through hydle, solar, waste, windmill and coal. He said a 120MW hydle power project was being set up at the Taunsa Barrage while generation of energy from sugarcane waste was also being considered. He said a separate department was being set up for the speedy implementation of power generation projects, adding that a plant would be set up in Dera Ghazi Khan for power generation from coal and an agreement had been reached with the Balochistan government for the supply of coal.

The CM said there were vast opportunities of power generation through natural resources and there were prospects of investment in energy and other sectors and the friendly countries should come forward for the development of these sectors in the country. He said the Asian Development Bank was also cooperating in various projects of power generation.

The chief minister said the Punjab government had implemented a third-party audit policy to ensure quality completion of development projects in a transparent manner. He said the Punjab government had also taken revolutionary measures for the uplift of education sector, adding that IT Labs had been set up in more than 4,000 schools of the province and the project was executed with the help of international companies at a cost of Rs 5 billion. He said Danish School system had also been initiated for the provision of modern educational facilities in far-flung areas of the province and poor male and female students would be provided free education in these schools. He said that through the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, financial assistance would be provided to talented students facing economic problems.

Shahbaz said the nation had reshaped history by rendering invaluable sacrifices in the war on terror and the army had set glorious examples of courage. He said besides elimination of terrorism and maintenance of law and order, promotion of social and economic activities and provision of justice to people of the areas where military operation had been conducted was vital.

The CM said Musharrafís policies intensified the problem of terrorism as no attention was paid to economic and social aspects for resolving the issue. He said Pakistani nation was united to root out terrorism and peace and normalcy will soon return to the country.

The British deputy high commissioner assured the chief minister of cooperation in energy, education and other sectors. Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmad, Chairman Special Initiatives Haroon Khawaja, Vice-Chairman Punjab Investment Board Pir Saad Ahsanuddin and the secretary information were also present.

source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=236283

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday reiterated the government's resolve to solve the prevailing energy issue in the country.

Gilani vowed to reduce scheduled load shedding by one-third or 33 per cent in the coming future.

He also revealed that the provincial chief ministers have proposed to set up a Public Sector Energy Fund which was designed to solve the ongoing energy crisis.

Briefing the media on the Energy Summit in Islamabad, the prime minister urged the nation to show patience and allow the government to deal with the lack of electricity in the country.

He added that the government will focus on supplying more power to the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Gilani also said that the recommendations that were put forward during the Energy Summit will be implemented and reviewed every 15 days.

He said that a number of foreign investors were putting their money into Pakistan's energy sector. He said the government has plans to produce about 30,000 megawatts of electricity through coal-based power projects.

He assured the people of Pakistan that the current regime is determined to eliminate the shortfall in electricity.

Gilani said the energy crisis was not a new phenomenon and the government had inherited the issue which had been around since 2006.

After Gilani, the Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf's briefed the media about the summit in Islamabad. The minister said that the government would lead by example and reduce the usage of electricity in its own offices.

Ashraf said that only government officials who occupy a rank higher than Grade 20 would be allowed to use air conditioners in their office, and that too, after 11 am.

Ashraf said that among the various measures to conserve power was the closure of all shops and other commercial entities by 8:00 pm. Only pharmacies and other medical stores would remain open after that time. He added that the use of decorative lights for commercial activities would be restricted as well.

However, power supply would be reduced by 300 megawatts in Karachi, in order to allow a fairer distribution of power to other parts of the country.

source: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-energy-crisis-is-not-a-new-phenomenon-gilani-ss-06

Judging from details and Pakistani culture the article may have some truth but much seems to be inaccurate assessment. Today AEDB is headed by Mr. Arif Allauddin. While doing my research thesis on 'Solar Thermal Power Generation for Pakistan' I met him a number of times and also a couple of his directors. I cant comment on their honesty as I am not knowledgable enough but I found them dedicated, hardworking and frank in discussions. They are on to a number of projects involving private funding but there are many complecations which cause long delays in maturing it. They have been instrumental in singing of a couple of windmil projects in Jhimpir area but I hope that local politics and corruption of govt functionaries will be overcome for the success of these projects as the area is estimated to have a potential of 50,000 MW. They are also in contact with a firm for installation of 500MW solar thermal power plant but the company seems to be heading for a financial collapse. Therefore, they are treading very very carefully with her. So, personally I am hopeful of positive progress with current team but would preffer a much faster and much more dynamic approach.

'Current affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast.

This differs from regular news broadcasts where the emphasis is on news reports presented for simple presentation as soon as possible, often with a minimum of analysis. It is also different for the news magazine show format in that the events are discussed immediately.

The UK's Office of Communications defines it as "explanation and analysis of current events and issues, including material dealing with political or industrial controversy or with public policy" and distinguishes it from the coverage of news, coverage of special events like parliamentary proceedings, and the coverage of consumer affairs, among other exceptions. The BBC cites Panorama as its flagship current affairs programme, with BBC One programmes such as Real Story, BBC Scotland Investigates, Spotlight, Week In Week Out, and Inside Out also fitting the definition.

Source: wikipedia.org : essay papers

Pakistan is threatening to cancel a $3bn copper and gold exploration project by Canada’s Barrick Gold and Chilean miner Antofagasta in the country’s resource-rich south-western Baluchistan province, citing the pressing need to “protect the country’s national interests”.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Shaukat Tarin, Pakistan’s finance minister, said: “We can’t continue with this project in its present form. We have to protect our key national interests.”

The provincial government of Baluchistan last month recommended the cancellation of the Reko Diq contract, a move that needs the federal government’s backing before it can be formalised.

The province of Baluchistan has a 25 per cent stake in the project, expected to cost $3bn to develop, with the rest owned by the two mining companies since 2006.

Mr Tarin’s comments are likely to upset the few foreign investors still prepared to venture into the strife-ridden south Asian country but the government wants to avoid selling valuable assets at a throwaway price.

The minister said raw copper extracted from the Reko Diq site in Baluchistan would earn between $40bn and $50bn in the next 25-30 years.

He argued that Pakistan would earn 10 times the amount if the copper was processed and sold in a refined form. “Why should they [the investors] take our raw material for processing to a third country and then make huge profits?”

A senior official in the provincial government of Baluchistan said that sales from the site could jump to $1,000bn in the next 25-30 years if earnings from gold and other precious minerals were included. The Reko Diq site holds up to 11bn pounds of copper and 9m ounces of gold reserves, according to the government.

Baluchistan, surrounded by borders with Iran and Afghanistan, and a southern coastline touching the Arabian sea, has been at the centre of a continuing nationalist insurgency for almost four decades. Rich in mineral resources, Baluchistan is also the most sparsely populated and the poorest of Pakistan’s five provinces.

The government of Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari has been trying to pacify armed militants in Baluchistan, by offering incentives such as more money for social services and larger representation for people from the province to high level government positions.

A key contentious issue remains a deep sea port developed with China’s financial assistance at Gwadar – once a dusty fishing town on Baluchistan’s Arabian sea coast. Nationalists from Baluchistan have repeatedly demanded the revenues from Gwadar to be given to the province rather than shared with the federal government.

This follows a long standing demand by Baluch nationalists for billions of dollars in payments from the federal government for outstanding royalties for the gas pumped from the province to other parts of Pakistan.

source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fcd4bff8-00d5-11df-a4cb-00144feabdc0.html

Pakistan’s inflation accelerated for the first time in 10 months in November, reducing the scope for the central bank to continue cutting interest rates.

Consumer prices in South Asia’s second-largest economy rose 10.51 percent from a year earlier after gaining 8.87 percent in October, the Federal Bureau of Statistics said on its Web site today. That was more than the median 10.2 percent forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of 11 economists.

State Bank of Pakistan on Nov. 25 cut its benchmark interest rate for a third time this year to aid an economy dragged down by a war against Taliban militants. The central bank said risks and uncertainties in the economy have “increased considerably” due to the country’s deteriorating security situation.

“There remain a number of challenges ahead,” said Anushka Shah, an economist at Citigroup Inc. in Mumbai. Borrowing costs may be reduced once more “before price pressures mount and the State Bank of Pakistan turns vigilant.”

Governor Salim Raza lowered the central bank’s key rate in November after inflation slowed in the previous month to the lowest in almost two years. Raza, who took over as governor at the start of 2009, has since April reduced the benchmark rate to 12.5 percent from a record-high 15 percent to prop up what the International Monetary Fund describes as an “anaemic” economy.

Growth Downturn

“The country’s growth downturn is bottoming out, its near-term external liquidity has improved, and macroeconomic imbalances are on the mend,” Aninda Mitra, an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, wrote in a report today. “However, structural problems in the electricity sector and the worsening security environment pose notable risks.”

Moody’s, which lifted Pakistan’s credit-rating outlook to stable from negative in August, rates the foreign debt at B3, six levels below investment grade.

Pakistan’s army began a military offensive against Taliban guerillas on Oct. 17, triggering a wave of retaliatory suicide bombings and commando-style raids in major cities that have killed more than 450 people.

Inflation may continue to accelerate after the government increased power charges by 7 percent in October as part of the conditions Pakistan was forced to accept to secure a rescue package from the IMF.

The IMF on Aug. 8 agreed to increase a loan to Pakistan by $3.2 billion, after the nation was forced to turn to the Washington-based lender for a $7.6 billion bailout in November last year.

Inflation pressures “could mount doe to the emergence of second-round effects of electricity and gas price adjustments and supply bottlenecks,” said Citigroup’s Shah.

Pakistan’s economy may expand 2.6 percent in the year through June 2010 and inflation may average 10.5 percent, according to Citigroup forecasts.

source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=ago6Gl3Wr4UA

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) (PSO.KA), the country's largest fuel supplier, will import 3.5 millions tonnes of diesel from Kuwait next year, sources in PSO said on Tuesday.

"We have had a long-term contract with Kuwait Petroleum and usually import between 3.2 million tonnes to 3.3 millions tonnes," said a PSO official.

"But just to be on the safe side, we are importing 3.5 million tonnes for next year," the official said.

One industry source said that PSO was not expected to get a lower premium for its 2010 supplies from state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), despite the heavy stockpiles that have plagued the global market for most of this year.

The supplies are for the January-June period, rather than for the whole year, the source said.

The source added that PSO bought nearly 3.0 million tonnes for its July-December 2009 supplies, when premiums were less than $3.00 a barrel, on a cost-and-freight (C&F) basis.

"Premiums will not be lower despite ample supplies and low demand," said an industry source.

Sources added that PSO had earlier asked for a spot parcel from a Western trader at premiums of less than $3.00 a barrel, C&F basis, which it had wanted to use as a yardstick for the term negotiations with KPC.

But it was unable to get that level for the spot cargo, industry sources said.

PSO was trading down 0.59 percent at 299.25 rupees by 3:18 p.m. in a broader market which was up 0.04 percent.

source: http://www.reuters.com/article/energySector/idUSSP41898120091124

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Asian Development Bank will contribute a total $660 million to a $2.2 billion programme to develop renewable energy projects in Pakistan, the EIB said on Tuesday.
The EIB will provide 100 million euros ($149.1 million) while the ADB will contribute $510 million to the multi-year programme set up by Pakistan's government, EIB said in a statement.

EIB vice-president Carlos da Silva Costa called the effort "a timely and visible contribution to the European Union policy aimed at consolidating democracy in Pakistan and supporting social and economic development in the country."

The framework agreement also represents the first joint partnership between the ADB and EIB, he added.

An EIB spokeswoman said it was not yet clear what types of renewable energy projects will be funded or if they will seek carbon offsets under a United Nations emissions trading scheme, but she said the projects will have a completion deadline of Dec. 2015. The projects will also get technical support from the ADB, the World Bank and development agencies USAID and Germany's GTZ.

Both the EIB and ADB have increased their renewable energy funding this year.

In the past two weeks, the EIB announced an 80 million euro loan to the 17-megawatt Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant in Spain and, along with commercial banks RBS (RBS.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Lloyds (LLOY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and BNP Paribas Fortis (BNPP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), kicked off a 1.4 billion pounds ($2.32 billion) loan programme for British onshore wind farms.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in June said it will raise its investment in clean energy to $2 billion a year from 2013 to significantly slow greenhouse gas emissions growth in Asia.

source: http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINGEE5AN1Z220091124

• Power minister skips questions on timeframe for ending load shedding
• Kaira says PEMRA issued 67 legal notices to 18 private TV channels for violating code of conduct

By Irfan Ghauri

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday informed the National Assembly the government had made advance payments of Rs 10.5 billion to five rental power projects (RPP) as security of payment guarantee.

In a written reply to a question during Question Hour, the minister said the power projects would generate a total of 841 megawatts. He said the advance payment would be recoverable from rental bills on commissioning of the plants.

Skipped: He skipped supplementary questions seeking a new deadline for the end to load shedding despite members from both sides raising the issue several times.

To a question he said average per unit generation/transmission/distribution cost had remained Rs 8.21/KW in 2008-09 while the average end tariff for consumers was Rs 5.44/KW. The additional cost had been absorbed in subsidies the government had provided to consumers.

Replying to another question, the minister said during the 2009 monsoon season around 4 million acre feet of water escaped into the sea due to the country’s insufficient storage capacity. To a question, he said 34 consumers of Chak Shahzad locality of Islamabad were found to be using electricity in violation of the appropriate tariff plan during routine checks. He said action was taken against the said consumers and they were charged Rs 3,084,731. Responding to a question, the minister said despite desilting of dams not being a feasible economic option, Tarbela Dam had been chosen for a study to determine a proper methodology for desilting. He said the World Bank had committed $3 million to undertake sediment management study of the Tarbela reservoir.

The minister said two units with a capacity of 480MW each would soon be installed at tunnel 4 of Tarbela Dam, which would cost $700 million, adding the World Bank has shown interest in providing $5.54 million for the preparation of a detailed engineering design, tender document and a PC-1.

In reply to a question, the minister said around 200MW had been saved by the application of daylight savings in Pakistan. He criticised the business community for not cooperating with the government and failing to close their businesses by 8pm.

To a question regarding electricity generation through coal, he said the government was processing two 1,000-1,200MW imported coal based power projects at Gadani in Balochistan, adding the Sindh government had finalised a joint venture with Engro Energy for development of coal mines at Block-II in Thar, which was likely to culminate in a 1,000MW power project.

He said the World Bank had agreed to fund a Thar Coal and Power technical assistance plan worth $30 million for capacity building and transaction advice, which would materialise in another 1,000MW power project at Block-1 in Thar.

Issued: Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told the House the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued 67 legal notices to 18 private TV channels for violation of code of conduct during 2007-08 and 2008-09. To another question. the minister said PEMRA had so far issued 81 licences for satellite TV channels in the country.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C10%5C13%5Cstory_13-10-2009_pg7_29

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has submitted a fresh report to the Supreme Court claiming that President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif and several other prominent people were not involved in the sugar crisis that hit the country in 2006.

Preliminary findings placed by the bureau before the apex court in 2006 had held them responsible for the crisis.

The court apparently wanted to examine the previous sugar scam to understand how sugar barons had once again manipulated the situation during the current year. ‘I have submitted a fresh report and informed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry that NAB had neither conducted any such inquiry nor submitted any inquiry report before the apex court in the past,’ the bureau’s Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Basir Qureshi told Dawn on Friday.

However, sources in NAB confirmed that the bureau had started an investigation to ascertain the cause of the crisis, but it was suspended on the directives of former president Pervez Musharraf as he wanted to save some leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

‘NAB had already informed the Supreme Court through a letter in 2006 that it had not conducted a proper investigation into the sugar crisis,’ the additional prosecutor said.

In 2006, NAB spokesman Brig Nasir had said at a press briefing that the bureau had launched an inquiry, but it was stopped because of fears that such an action could aggravate the situation and lead to more hoarding and increase in sugar price.

According to the fresh report, NAB’s awareness and prevention wing was assigned the task of holding a fact-finding preliminary probe into the cause of a rise in sugar price in the country and to suggest remedial and preventive measures.

‘The wing compiled the information from newspapers and other secondary sources about the state of stocks and annual demand and supply of sugar,’ the additional prosecutor general said.

He said the fact-finding inquiry was halted after an impression was created by some quarters that it was contributing to escalation of sugar price.

‘Such an impression, though totally misplaced, could have caused further hardships for consumers. As NAB had no intention to create instability in the market, for the wider good and to restore confidence in the market it decided to close the inquiry,’ Mr Qureshi said.

‘In my latest report, I have informed the court that during investigation of an illegal assets case against Mr Zardari, NAB had not found any sugar mills belonging to him.

Nawaz Sharif was also not the owner of the mills reportedly involved in the crisis or hoarding. Similarly, a mill that was once owned by Gen Akhtar Abdul Rehman, father of then minister Humayun Akhtar, had been sold before the crisis.’

Meanwhile, President Zardari’s spokesperson Farahnaz Isphahani said he did not own any sugar mill in the country.

‘Years of investigation by accountability machines of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Gen Musharraf could not find any links of Mr Zardari to any mills.

‘It is very interesting that a preliminary report prepared with no proper inquiry or investigation in the year 2006 by NAB has been given so much credence now,’ she said.

She also pointed out that in 2006, President Zardari was being persecuted by the Musharraf regime and all his assets were frozen. Ms Isphahani said some lobbies were trying to malign the elected leadership.

‘These are the very people who have always benefited from military dictatorships and are present in different sections of society and they keep twisting facts to suit their agenda,’ she added.

source: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/11-nab-revises-report--clears-politicians-in--06-sugar-crisis--il--12

Assalam o Alaikum,

Verify this information and forward it as much as you can.

Hazrat Muhammad PBUH has already told us that yajuj & majuj have been set free.

Sahih Muslim:
Book, Number 6881:
Zainab bint Jahsh reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be
upon him) got up from sleep saying: There is no god but Allah;
there is a destruction in store for Arabia because of turmoil
which is at hand, the barrier of Gog and Magog has opened so
much. And Sufyan made a sign of ten with the help of his hand
(in order to indicate the width of the gap) and I said:
Allah's Messenger, would we be perished in spite of the fact
that there would be good people amongst us? Thereupon he said:
Of course, but only when the evil predominates.

Sahih Bukhari:
4.565:
Narrated Zainab bint Jahsh: That the Prophet once came to her
in a state of fear and said, "None has the right to be
worshipped but Allah. Woe unto the Arabs from a danger that
has come near. An opening has been made in the wall of Gog and
Magog like this," making a circle with his thumb and index
finger. Zainab bint Jahsh said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we
be destroyed even though there are pious persons among us?" He
said, "Yes, when the evil person will increase."

Allama Iqbal has also already told us that yajuj & majuj have been set free.

Khul ga’ay Ya’jūj aur Ma’jūj kay lashkar tamām,
Chashmay Muslim dekh lay tafsīray harfay yansilūn!
[Bāng-e-Darā ─ Zarīfāna:23]

“Set loose are all the hordes of Gog and Magog;
To the Muslim eye manifest is the meaning of the word yansilūn” (i.e. the
two verses of the Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh’, 21:95-6, which end with the word
yansiloon”)

“There is a ban on a town (i.e. Jerusalem) which we destroyed
(and whose people were then expelled) that they (i.e. the people of
the town) can never return (to reclaim that town as their own) until
Gog and Magog are released and they spread out in all directions
(thus taking control of the world while establishing the Gog and
Magog world-order).”
(Imran hosein's comments are in brackets) (Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh’, 21:95-6)

we must join hands with our other MUSLIM brothers who, like us, are fighting this global system. because UNITED WE STAND, divided we fall.

following are some amazing books.

Books:

An analytical study of Surah al-Kahf of the Qur'an that seeks to explain the reality of a mysterious European Jewish-Christian alliance that is waging unjust war on Islam and oppressing Muslims while pursuing a sinister global agenda on behalf of the Euro-Jewish State of Israel.

· Volume One: 'Surah al-Kahf: Text Translation and Modern Commentary';
· Volume Two: 'Surah al-Kahf and the Modern Age';
· Volume Three: 'Dajjal the False Messiah or Anti-Christ';
· Volume Four: 'Gog and Magog in the Qur'an and Hadith'

An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern Age
http://imranhosein.org/media/books/ivgmmw.pdf

Surah Al Kahf - Arabic text - Translation and Modern Commentary
http://imranhosein.org/media/books/SurahKhafX.pdf

Surah Al-Kahf and the Modern Age
http://imranhosein.org/media/books/SKAMA-Inet1428x.pdf

Jerusalem in the Quran
The book gives a detailed beautifully written exposition of these episodes with brilliant interpretations from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. Though some may differ with him with respect to his interpretations of some of the Qur’anic Verses or the Blessed Prophetic sayings, no one would fail to appreciate his penetrative thought and his spiritual depth. I therefore recommend the book very much to scholars and laity.

http://www.imranhosein.org/media/books/j_in_q.pdf

Videos:
http://www.imranhosein.org/video/23-older-videos/119-dajjal-the-false-mesiah.html

http://www.imranhosein.org/video/42/108-signs-of-the-last-day-and-the-modern-age.html

visit http://www.imranhosein.org/ for more information.