Psychiatric society to observe World Mental Health Day

#GNN #PESHAWAR: #World Mental #Health Day 2014 is being observed here on Thursday with the theme of “Living with Schizophrenia” a major mental illness, which affects the thinking, feelings and behavioral faculties of the individuals suffering this illness.

This was stated by Professor Dr Sayed Mohammad Sultan, head Department of Psychiatry, Khyber Medical College (KMC) and Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Peshawar. He is also the president of Pakistan Psychiatric Society and SAARC Psychiatric Federation. He was flanked by Dr Bashir Ahmad, Psychiatrist, KTH, Peshawar.

Professor Dr Sayed Mohammad Sultan said that if the illness left untreated or even if treatment is delayed, schizophrenia can result in a major mental, social and occupational handicap, resulting in a tremendous amount of burden on the family and on the society.

The people with mental illness and their families are victims of domestic violence, abuse, discrimination and stigmatization. It is for this reason that World Health Organization (WHO) has dedicated this day to Schizophrenia to create robust awareness about the illness.

The senior psychiatrist said that in the country there is alarming increase in the incidence of mental illness due to a persistent wave of violence, political turmoil and frequent changes in the social fabric and family disintegration. As a result of this a range of psychiatric disorders have been reported such as depression, substance and alcohol misuse, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

WHO recently reported that one in four people meet criteria for psychiatric problem at some point in their lives.

He said that epidemiological studies carried out in Pakistan have shown that 34% of the general population suffers from anxiety and depression, in addition to 1% population suffering from schizophrenia.

The prevalence of severe mental retardation in children between 3 years and 9 years of age has been estimated at 0.5%.

Due to lack of facilities, shortage of mental health professionals and lack of awareness, majority do not receive treatment for mental illness.

He said that Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that there should be one psychiatrist for a population of 10,000. In Pakistan there about 400 psychiatrists and 3000 beds in state-run hospital.

As part of public awareness initiative, the Department of Psychiatry, KTH in collaboration with print and electronic media to increase awareness about psychiatric illness and encourage community participation in care of mentally ill people.

For bringing improvement in psychiatric services, Pakistan Psychiatric Society recommended the provision of psychiatric services not only at district and tehsil level but to incorporate psychiatric services in the primary health care as well.

The society has also demanded the implementation of Mental Health Act in its true spirit to facilitate and help psychiatric patients, establishment of sub-specialties of child psychiatry, old age psychiatry
and forensic psychiatry.

The society also called for the introducing of evaluation system of behavioural sciences and clinical psychiatry in all medical and dental colleges of the province.

Source: GNN, APP, AIP

Schools re-open after Eid holidays with thin attendance

#GNN #KARACHI: #Schools across the city were re-opened Thursday after five day Eid holidays with many of the students not turning up as they perhaps had preferred to be back to their classes from early next week.

Heads of may educational institutions said this was expected as many of the students had left for their home towns to celebrate the festival while there was also many who or their parents thought it better to wait for a few more days.

“There is a rampant impression among many of the parents that academic activities, after any interval, would resume to its optimum from Monday, the first day of the next week, only,” said Mrs. Mukhtar Khan, headmistress of a local government school.

The school head said that parents are repeatedly reminded that classes would duly begin from the first working day as announced by the government yet this really dose not matter to them.

In reply to a question, she said teachers be they from government schools or from private institutions necessarily resume their duties more out of fear for deductions of their salary and also want to avoid any negative remark in their annual conduct reports.

Interestingly, some of the private schools have found out a way to end the practice, said Mussarat Jahan Arshad, head of a chain of a reputable schools.

“As usual this time also we had our Eid Milan Party which most of the kids do not want to miss and compel their parents to ensure their presence in the activity,” she said.

It was thus of no surprise to see many of the children attired in their eid dress, carrying one or the other of their favorite dishes going towards their schools with all excitement written large on their faces.

Source: APP, AIP

AIOU to receive its admissions’ form till October 15 with late fee

#GNN #ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will receive the admissions’ form of its Matric to Ph.D level programs with late fee charges for the Semester Autumn, till October 15.

The candidates around the country could submit their admission forms with late fee charges till October 15 at all the countrywide branches of Bank Al-Falah, Habib Bank Ltd, First Women Bank and Allied Bank and at the nominated branches of National Bank of Pakistan and Muslim Commercial Bank.

The late fee charges are Rs 100 for matriculation, Rs 200 for PTC, intermediate and graduation, and Rs 500 for bachelor of education and master’s programmes, a news release issued here Thursday said.

AIOU has already been approved special fee concession for those candidates who residing in flood-affected areas and for the IDPs, in this connection, all Regional Directors have been advised to propagate the fee concession decision in all the affected areas.

The University has already been set-up points for sale of admission forms at its main campus in Islamabad and at its 44-Regional Campuses and 122-Coordinating Offices across the country to facilitate the students at their door-steps.

Ph.D, MS/M.Phil, M.Sc (Statistics), COL (MBA/MPA) and LLM/MS Shari’ah have been offered on merit basis. All those interested for admissions in these programs should send their admission form directly to their concerned departments without admission fee according to the procedures laid down in the prospectus.

There will be no requirement of NTS-GAT (General/Subject) for admission in Ph.D and MS/M.Phil programs, however entry test will be conducted by the concerned department.

Continuing admission forms have already been dispatched to all the continuing students, however, if somehow any of student has not received the said admission form, he/she can download the same from the AIOU website www.aiou.edu.pk and deposit in any designated bank branch with late fee charges till October 15.

Further detail about admissions for the Semester Autumn, 2014 can be obtained from Information Management Unit, Admission Department at Ph. No.051-9057151, information about Teacher Training Programmes on 051-9057426, Secondary Programmes on 051-9057431, Higher Secondary on 051-9057432, Bachelor Programmes on 051-9057435 while for further information of the Postgraduate Programmes on 051-9057422.

Source: GNN, APP, AIP, GA

Rates for conversion of FCD, DBC, FCBC, US dollar bonds

#GNN #KARACHI: The following rates will be applicable for conversion into rupees of Foreign Currency Deposits, Dollar Bearer Certificates, Foreign Currency Bearer Certificates, Special U.S. Dollar Bonds and profits thereon by all banks and for providing Forward Cover on Foreign Currency Deposits (excluding F.E- 25 deposits) by the State Bank on October 10, 2014.

The rates are U.S. Dollar 102.8310 Japanese Yen 0.9534 Pound Sterling 166.6274 and  Euro 131.2741.

Source: APP, AIP

FPCCI committee meets on Friday to review losses caused by sit-ins

#GNN #ISLAMABAD: The executive committee of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) will meet on Friday to review economic losses being caused by the ongoing sit-ins in the Federal Capital, besides approving the election schedule.

FPCCI chief Zakaria Usman will chair the session at the federation’s headquarter, which will be attended by all the committee members, including former presidents.

The newly elected presidents of chambers and their executive committees across the country have already expressed their serious concern about the huge losses caused to the businesses, both in corporate and private sectors, besides rendering millions of daily wagers jobless.

Meanwhile, the United Businessman Group, an alliance of chambers in the country, held a meeting on Thursday and adopted a future line of action and strategy to counter the economic damage due to sit-ins.

The participants of the meeting were of the view that traders were suffering 60 to 70 per cent loss in their business.

Group chairman Iftikhar Ali Malik chairing the meeting, assured that the group would adopt hard line policy with regard to the sit-ins.

Although the federation was a non-political entity but the business community could not afford more losses. The group in consultation with all trade leaders would chalk out a strategy to keep abreast the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek about the impact of sit-ins on their businesses.

Source: APP, AIP

HESCO revives sports committee

#GNN #HYDERABAD: The management of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company Thursday revived its sports committee with induction of new members.

According to a HESCO spokesman, the Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Saleem Jaat will act as the Patron in Chief of the committee while Director Admin and HR Syed Imran Ali Askari, Project Director Construction Najamuddin Abro and Manager Civil Farhat Kamal will work as President, Vice President and General Secretary of the committee.

Besides, Assistant Director Audit Saeed Ahmed Khan and Muhammad Azam Khan from CBA have been appointed as the sports coordinators.

Source: APP, AIP

US oil prices fall to 18-month low on supply report

#GNN - NEW YORK: Oil prices in New York dropped to an 18-month low Wednesday after the US petroleum inventory report showed mounting stockpiles in the world’s top crude consumer.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for November delivery fell $1.54 to $87.31 a barrel, the lowest level since April 2013.

European benchmark Brent crude for delivery in November fell 73 cents to $91.38 a barrel.

The Department of Energy said Wednesday that American crude reserves climbed by 5.0 million barrels in the week ending October 3, much above the 1.9 million billion forecast by analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires.

Andy Lipow, head of Houston  consultancy Lipow Oil Associates, said the drop in prices was due to the US inventory report.

The report was “just one more news item in a series of bearish headlines that have been plaguing the oil market over the last couple of weeks,” Lipow said.

Source: APP, AIP

Several US banks attacked by hackers who hit Chase

#GNN - NEW YORK: Several US financial institutions were targeted by the same computer hackers who breached the systems of JPMorgan Chase earlier this year, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

While the location of the hackers was not clear, the sources told AFP that numerous intrusion attempts were made at computer systems at major banks and other institutions.

The disclosures confirm earlier comments from US officials who have said that computer systems of US banks had been under attack from hackers, and that these systems could be considered part of the nation’s “critical infrastructure.”

Source: APP, AIP

US stocks jump after Fed minutes; Nasdaq +1.9%

#GNN - NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks finished with large gains Wednesday after traders viewed new Federal Reserve meeting minutes as a sign the US central bank will remain dovish on monetary policy.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 16,990.47, up 271.08 points (1.62 percent).

The broad-based S&P 500 jumped 33.51 (1.73 percent) to 1,968.61, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index soared 83.39 (1.90 percent) to 4,468.59.

Minutes from the Fed’s September monetary policy meeting were released amid investor concerns that the Fed’s plan to shift away from record-low rates in 2015 will harm the economy.

But markets had a “major liftoff” after the minutes, said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities.

Source: APP, AIP

PC market steadies in third quarter: survey

#GNN - NEW YORK: The #global #market for personal computers showed signs of stabilizing in the third quarter as infatuation with tablets appeared to fade, a market tracker said Wednesday.

The quarterly report by Gartner Inc. said global PC shipments dipped 0.5 percent from a year ago to 79.4 million units in the quarter ended in September.

Gartner said the PC market grew in “mature markets” such as North America and Western Europe, offsetting declines in emerging markets, and suggested the worst may be over for PC makers.

Source: APP, AIP

Murray crashes to Ferrer in Shanghai

#GNN #SHANGHAI: Britain’s Andy Murray crashed out of the Shanghai Masters against Spain’s David Ferrer on Thursday in a blow to his hopes of making the end-of-season World Tour Finals.

The 11th seed took the first set with ease before crumbling, as Ferrer took it 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 to leapfrog Murray into ninth place in the race to reach the eight-man year-ender.

It was a crushing setback for Murray, who has won seven of their previous 12 meetings and must now scramble if he is to make next month’s season finale in London.

A day after Rafael Nadal was one of five top-10 players to fall, Murray started the third-round match brightly, going 5-1 ahead within 25 minutes before closing the first set 6-2 with his fifth ace.

But fifth seed Ferrer took the initiative in the second set with increasingly powerful groundstrokes, snuffing out the threat from Murray’s aggressive serving game.

The 27-year-old Scot earned just one break point in the second set, as he made a series of mistakes dealing with Ferrer’s topspin.

And the Spaniard continued to torment early in the decider, breaking serve at his second attempt after Murray drove a routine groundstroke into the net.

He then broke again to charge ahead at 5-2 before sealing it in one hour and 55 minutes.

Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer have already qualified for the World Tour Finals, leaving five spots up for grabs.

But most of the players gunning for the remaining positions have already lost in Shanghai, with only Tomas Berdych, in seventh place, remaining.

And the Czech sixth seed strengthened his bid when he won his third round match against Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4 in just one hour four minutes.

Meanwhile, Gilles Simon of France continued his fine form at the tournament, dumping out Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 6-2, 6-3 after ousting Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round.

Elsewhere, Julien Benneteau of France beat American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4.

Source: APP, AIP

Pietersen blames Flower for ‘choking’ England

#GNN UK - #LONDON: There were many villains in the England dressing-room but none was bigger than coach Andy Flower, Kevin Pietersen said as he launched a fresh attack on the man he blames for master-minding a covert operation to get rid of him.

Forty-eight hours of Flower-bashing did not seem enough to satisfy Pietersen as even when he was asked about his so-called ‘back-stabbing’ team mates or the England and Wales Cricket Board’s desire to produce “choir boy” players, the 34-year-old turned the focus back to his nemesis-in-chief.

Asked if things turned sour with his team mates due to a clash of personalities or jealousy, Pietersen told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday: “We’ll leave the team mates out of this for now and we’ll just talk about the coach (Flower).

“The coaching issue was a big issue. The coach didn’t like me.

Coach wanted me out. At any opportunity that he got he would collect his notes and he’d eventually get me one day.

It’s incredibly unfortunate that it ended the way it ended.”

Pietersen accused wicketkeeper Matt Prior and bowlers Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson of forming a clique which made life miserable for other members of the team due to their bullying tactics.

But South-African born Pietersen was adamant that it was Flower who “let that clique grow like a bad weed and choke our team”.

“The team mates played a part in it because they were allowed to play a part in it. But a decent man manager, a decent coach would have sorted the situation out and none of this would ever have happened,” added Pietersen on the eve of the publication of his explosive biography – KP.

“If a great coach was in charge of England, none of this would have happened.”

Flower led England to the top of the world test rankings for a year from August 2011, master-minded three Ashes series victories and was coach when they won the World Twenty20 Cup in 2010.

Since making his England debut in a one-dayer in 2004, Pietersen’s on-pitch fireworks enabled him to amass 13,797 runs over 277 international matches to become England’s highest ever run scorer.

However, it is his inability to stop those sparks flying when he comes off the field that has made him persona non grata in the England set-up — with the axe falling on his career following the 5-0 humiliation in the last Ashes series.

“They want the characters, they want the personalities on the field, they want the headlines, they want the guys to perform and they will very happily accept all the big endorsements and the companies that will sponsor them,” Pietersen said.

“But goodness, anybody who dares say anything, other than strict regime line, you get in trouble. Unfortunately, you can’t have the two.

“You can’t have the maverick or the great player who does extraordinary things on the field and then have a choir boy off it. It just doesn’t work.”

Source: APP, AIP

Function on World Egg Day on Friday

#GNN - #RAWALPINDI: On the occasion of World Egg Day, a function will be held at Poultry Research Institute Punjab, Shamsabad, here on Friday.

Director Poultry Research Institute Rawalpindi Dr. Abdul Rehman, poultry experts and researchers will highlight diet significance of egg and proteins on this occasion.

World Egg Day is observed on 2nd Friday of Oct. every year throughout the world and objective of observing this day is to project and highlight the importance of egg in human diet.

An egg of standard size has 75 calories and five gram proteins ingredients in it and is vital as diet and food.

Source: APP, AIP

8 PR Police employees dismissed for killing passenger

#GNN - #LAHORE: Eight employees of Pakistan Railways Police have been dismissed for killing a passenger Salim who was travelling in Mehr Express train.

According to a press release on Thursday, the SP PRP Rawalpindi dismissed the accused police employees after they were found guilty in the departmental inquiry.

Those cops were dismissed include: sub-inspector Abdul Latif, head-constable Liaqat Ali, constables Waseem Abbas, M Rafique, Abdur-Rasheed, Ameer Hamza, Nasir Masih and Ameer Umar.

These PR police employees have already been arrested.

Source: APP, AIP

PTI wants unrest in country: Abid Sher Ali

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Water and Power, Abid Sher Ali Thursday said that it seemed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers wanted to create unrest in the country through undemocratic behavior.

He said that PTI leadership would not succeed in his objectives.

PTI had adopted unparliamentary manner which was not suited to the leaders for a political party, he stated while talking to a private TV channel.

He said peaceful protest was the right of every citizen.

Abid Sher Ali said that workers of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had showed their sentiments in Multan protest demonstration against the attitude of PTI leadership.

He said that PTI’s image in public has been affected badly due to fake allegations against the leadership of other political parties.

The minister appealed to workers the PML-N to show restraint and calm during the public gathering of PTI, being held in Multan.

Source: APP

4 judicial officers placed at IHC disposal

#GNN - #LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday placed services of four judicial officers including two district & sessions judge (D&SJs) and two additional district & sessions judge (AD&SJs) at the disposal of Islamabad High Court for their further posting.

According to a LHC notification, the services of Nazir Ahmad Gujana, D&SJ Sheikhupura, Sohail Ikram, D&SJ Mianwali, Muhammad Ata Rabbani, AD&SJ Bahawalnagar and Amir Saleem Rana, AD&SJ Rawalpindi were placed at disposal of Islamabad High Court for their further posting in Islamabad Judicial Service.

Meanwhile, the services of Muhammad Shiraz Kayani, AD&SJ Sarai Alamgir and Abdul Razzaq , AD&SJ Rawalpindi were placed at the disposal of the Supreme Court for three months.

The services of Ms Bushara Zaman, AD&SJ, on promotion as D&SJ, were placed at disposal of Punjab government for her posting as Judge, Anti-Terrorism Court-II, Gujranawala.

Source: AIP, APP

CM displeased over police failure to prevent illegal liquor business

#GNN - #KARACHI: #Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah taking serious notice of deaths due to consumption of contaminated liquor at Karachi and Hyderabad, has ordered suspension of concerned police and Excise officers.

Presiding over a meeting here Thursday, the Chief Minister expressed displeasure over the performance of district and Excise police for their failure in preventing, marketing of home-made liquor within their areas.

He ordered suspension of six SHOs; four from Karachi and two from Hyderabad, two DSPs from Karachi, two Director Excise one from Karachi and Hyderabad with immediate effects for their negligence.

He also constituted two separate inquiry committees each for Hyderabad and Karachi incidents. He appointed DIG Police Hyderabad Sanaullah Abbasi as head of inquiry committee for Hyderabad and DIG East Muneer Shaikh for Karachi cmmittee to probe into the matter, fix responsibility and submit findings within three days.

The Chief Minister said that no one would be allowed to play with the health, lives and property of the poor people.

He said that findings of inquiry committees whosoever is found responsible would be taken to task. He also advised the general public, elected representatives and opinion leaders of society to keep vigil on such illegal activities, peddling of drugs, and intimate the administration of the area or at least to the Complaint Cell at CM House so that prompt and strict action could be taken against those responsible and precious lives of the people could be saved.

Source: APP

PM lauds Pakistan Army for successful Zarb-e-Azb operation

#GNN - #MIRANSHAH: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Thursday paid rich tributes to the Pakistan Army for successfully fighting a difficult war to secure Pakistan’s future and make the country safe and peaceful.

He was addressing the officers and jawans after attending a briefing on the progress of the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb, to clear North Waziristan of extremists and terrorists.

The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of the country’s armed forces in clearing the area of the terrorists. He termed it a difficult war as the army was fighting a hidden enemy and appreciated the fact that they were succeeding and had cleared the area from the miscreants.

The Prime Minister also paid rich tributes to all those who laid down their lives for their country and said the supreme sacrifice of officers and jawans has made Pakistan secure. He prayed to Allah Almighty to shower his blessings on the martyrs.

He congratulated the families of all those who were fighting this war for Pakistan’s long term security needs. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also lauded General Raheel Sharif for successfully leading the war that was aimed at securing Pakistan’s peaceful and prosperous future.

The Prime Minister concluded the ceremony by raising the slogan of Long Live Pakistan Army and Pakistan.

The Prime Minister was received by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif when he arrived here at Miranshah, agency headquarter of North Waziristan. He was briefed on the operation and informed that so far over 1000 terrorists have been killed and 90 percent of area cleared of the miscreants.

He was told that Pakistan Air Force, Artillery units and Special Services Group played a key role in making the operation a success and added a new chapter of chivalry in the military history of the country.

He was informed that Mir Ali, Dekan, Boya and DataKhel have been totally cleared, the Command and Control Centre being used by the terrorists destroyed while huge quantity of weapons and ammunition has been recovered.

The Prime Minister was shown around the weapons recovered from the terrorist hideouts including multi barrel rocket launchers,automatic rifles, rocket launchers, mines, bomb making and communication equipment.

Minister for Interior Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt Gen (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan accompanied the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also had lunch with the officers and jawans.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Toxic liquor consumers’ death toll rises to 27

#GNN - #KARACHI: Four more persons, who had consumed toxic liquor on Eid day, died Thursday raising the death toll to 27 while more than 15 were still under treatment here at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

Three deaths were reported on Tuesday and 20 on Wednesday night.

Dr Seemien Jamali, head of JPMC’s Emergency Department, said all the victims were aged between 17 and 30 years, who lost their lives because of methanol, a poisonous liquid used in making wine which is extremely dangerous for essential body organs.

She feared that kidneys and eyesight of the suvivors could be damaged.

The home-brewed liquor that usually contains methanol, commonly used in anti-freeze and fuel, could lead to blindness, liver damage and death,said Dr Jamali.

According to initial findings, the manufacturer and distributor of the home-made liquor was the same person running his liquor shop in Sharafi Goth having permit of the excise department, police officials told APP.

“The liquor’s samples have been collected to ascertain whether it contains methanol,” they said in reply to a question.

The unfortunate consumers, who have either passed away or are struggling for their lives, belonged to Quaidabad and Ibrahim Hydery in Malir district; Korangi, Landhi, Korangi Industrial Area, Awami Colony and Sharafi Goth of Korangi district; and Mehmoodabad, Baloch Colony, Frere and Preedy of South district.

Additional Inspector General of Police, Karachi, Ghulam Qadir Thebo acknowledged that such unfortunate incidents had been reported on many occasions in past in the metropolis. It is not easy to detect manufacturing units of the hazardous liquor set up in homes, he said.

To a question, the AIG said issuance of a licence for opening liquor shops and regulating the business was the sole responsibility of the excise department, which generates revenue by levying taxes and had a separate force to deal with it.

Thebo said such deaths had also been reported in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, which might be attributed to the unavailability of liquor, especially during holidays.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Khursheed Shah criticizes Indian aggression on LoC

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Thursday criticized Indian aggression on the Line of Control (LoC) which resulted in about twelve casualties as well as injuries of many Pakistanis over a period of few days.

In a statement here, he said that the cross border shelling and firing by Indian forces was escalating tension between the two neighboring countries and if the situation remained the same it might lead to worsening of ties between them.

Khursheed Shah informed that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had submitted an adjournment motion in the National Assembly regarding the continuous breach of the border by Indian security forces.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

People advised not to travel in unregistered vehicles

#GNN - #KARACHI: #Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqi advised the people to avoid travelling in unregistered vehicles plying on roads without road permits because such vehicles are risk to their life and property.

He said this while chairing a meeting about Karachi Circular Railway at the Commissioner Office here on Thursday, said a statement.

Shoaib Siddiqi said that the government is making active efforts to provide better transport facilities to masses. Construction of flyovers, pedestrian bridges, circular railways and other steps are being taken to improve transport system, he added.

He said that Chingchi rickshaws will be regularised keeping the safety standards in view and reservations of the people in this regard will be removed.

The Commissioner Karachi said that the federal and provincial governments are making serious efforts to implement the Karachi Circular Railway project.

He said that the Rapid Bus Transport Project has been launched on the directives and due to vibrant efforts of the Sindh Chief Minister.

The project about launching operations of buses in different corridors is also under consideration, he added.

He said that Karachiites are facing problems in travelling because no investment has been brought to transport sector in the metropolis,since long.

Additional Commissioner Karachi, Muhammad Aslam Khoso, Deputy Commissioner Malir, Director General MDA, MD KUTC, DS Railways, SSP Railways and other officials concerned were also present.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

PM orders implementation of Citizen Feedback Monitoring Program in federal Agencies

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Thursday directed all the federal agencies to implement Citizen Feedback Monitoring Program (CFMP), to improve service delivery, fight petty corruption, enhance citizen trust and communicate state responsiveness.

According to a communique from the Prime Minister secretariat, the CFMP, an innovative program which was first implemented in Punjab, is based on proactive approach.

It is aimed at creating a response based nexus with the identified beneficiaries of various services.

The feedback about the quality of service received will be communicated to federal agencies.

The Cabinet Division has been asked to oversee its implementation across the federal agencies and regularly brief the Prime Minister’s Office on progress.

In order to implement the CFMP, the Cabinet Division will appoint a focal person, not below the rank of Additional Secretary for day to day coordination of the Program.

It will also set up a dedicated unit, to properly analyse the feedback, improve implementation of the effort, and follow up on corrective actions to be taken by the respective agencies.

A working group, consisting of PTA, NADRA, Information Ministry, and Information Technology Division representatives to be chaired by Cabinet Division’s focal person, will guide fast and effective implementation.

The working group will, within two weeks, suggest measures, including any appropriate changes in rules that may be required, to leverage the NADRA and PTA/telecom databases to improve the quantity and quality of citizen cell numbers.

The Law Secretary will review PTA rules to establish if any amendments are required to enable proactive collection of feedback from citizens for improved service delivery and public sector management.

The Punjab Information Technology Board may be approached to provide technical assistance and help kick start the efforts till institutionalized arrangements are set up in the federal government.

The Planning Division will provide funds based on the multi-year financing needs identified by the Cabinet Division.

The PTA will suggest measures within two weeks, working with telecom companies and to reduce the cost of the exercise including use of the low cost short codes for brand recognition.

The Information Ministry will devise a comprehensive communication campaign to inform the citizens about this effort and the need for citizen participation

In the first phase of program, efficiency in service delivery of various programs will be ensured including immigration and passports, electricity and gas utilities, company/firm registration and other business services by SECP, new/renewal/change of CNIC by NADRA, property transactions, municipal services by CDA and ICT, Capital Police, attestation of documents by Higher Education Commission, Overseas Pakistani services in various embassies, complaint processing by Federal Ombudsman, taxpayer feedback on ease of tax filing and delivery of various services to BISP beneficiaries.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

PAF Retired Officers’ Association meeting on Saturday

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: #PAF Retired Officers’ Association (PAFROA) Rawalpindi/Islamabad chapter will hold monthly meeting at Air Headquarters Officers’ Mess at 1630 hours here on Saturday.

All the members and their families have been invited and requested to intimate about their attendance to Secretary PAFROA.

PAF retired officers who desire to become member of the association have also been invited.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Mirwaiz for resolution of Kashmir issue through talks

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: The All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has termed the escalation of tensions on borders between Pakistan and India as highly explosive and urged both the countries to resolve the Kashmir dispute through political means.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement issued in Srinagar expressed concern and regret over the loss of life and property on both sides of Line of Control. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had been the major victims of border tension between the two nations in terms of damage to the life and property, Kashmir service reported.

He described the lingering Kashmir dispute as the major cause of tension between the two nuclear neighbours.

He said the instability and clouds of war would continue to hover over entire South Asia unless the lingering dispute was resolved according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The APHC Chairman said that India should shun the path of obstinacy and initiate a meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders to settle the Kashmir dispute once and for all. “Violence is no answer.

If India and Pakistan want to settle Kashmir dispute they have to sit on table and start the peaceful dialogue process,” he maintained.

“Both countries have stopped talking to each other.

Even though Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in UN Generally Assembly pitched for bilateral talks with Pakistan but on ground India is moving away from it,” Mirwaiz said.

He added that India lost a golden opportunity to make headway for talks by cancelling the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Youngsters active to arrange barbecue parties after Eid ul Azha

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: #Youngsters in the twin cities of Islamabd and Rawalpindi are busy to arrange special barbecue parties on rooftops, green lawns and open places as well as other picnic spots for their friends and family members.

Bilal Shah , a university student while talking to  APP said, “Such parties not only give us an opportunity to enjoy Eid with loved-ones, but also give us a chance to taste different types of dishes made of sacrificial meat.”

“Week-long holidays along with the pleasant weather have added charm to Eid festivities as I can enjoy delicious meat dishes with my family and friends,” he said.

“I am a vegetarian, but after smelling the aroma of barbecue, I just cannot stop myself from eating meat. I have a great time when all family members, relatives and friends enjoy food and gossip on Eid,” said Bushra Irum while enjoying at a barbecue party.

“Eid ul Azha is always fun-filled as all my cousins gather at our rooftop and we enjoy a barbecue party and meat dishes at night,”  she said.

Meanwhile, vendors have established stalls at markets selling `Ingithi’ (coal stove), grills, iron bars, choppers and other kitched gadgets on sale.

Rao Athar, who was buying a chopper at Blue Area said, “People do not like traditional dishes like Qorma, Baryani, Polao etc on Eid.

Barbecue is the best way to eat sacrificial meat and enjoy the festivity with our near and dear ones.”

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Ali Gilani concerned over LoC tension

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: Veteran Hurriyet lerader Syed Ali Gilani has expressed serious concern over the increasing tension between Pakistan and India on Line of Control (LoC).

Ali Gilani said in a statement issued in Srinagar that the shelling at the LoC should be immediately stopped to safeguard the lives of civilians.

“It is unfortunate that innocent people are being killed on both sides. Many people are forced to migrate from their villages to safer places,” he said, according to KMS.

The veteran leader urged New Delhi and Islamabad to start a peaceful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute. He said that Kashmir was the core issue, which needed to be resolved for everlasting peace.

“Both the countries are nuclear powers and a  war between them can lead to a greater devastation. It is better to resolve the Kashmir issue through talks,” he maintained.

Syed Ali Gilani said India should adopt a realistic approach to settle the lingering conflict. “India must accept the reality of Kashmir and agree on the terms of UN resolutions.

Arrogance of military might won’t help it to suppress the aspirations of Kashmiri people,” he said.

The veteran leader pointed out that 150 rounds of talks had been held between India and Pakistan on Kashmir without yielding any results.

“India has always been in denial mode. It has become a bottleneck in the resolution of Kashmir issue. For last 67 years we are fighting for the resolution of Kashmir but India has never paid any heed.

India has to address the Kashmir issue to stop innocent killings on both sides,” he added.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Thin attendance at offices after Eid

#GNN - #ISLAMABAD: The attendance at government, semi-government and private sector departments remained thin on Thursday-the first working day after Eid holidays.

Most of the people have opted casual leave for Thursday and Friday to extend their Eid vacations till Sunday as majority of Capital residents went to their native places to celberate Eid with their loved ones and would be returning after the weekend.

Starting from Last Friday, such employees would enjoy 9 days break till next Monday when actually work at government and semi-government organizations would start on normal pace.

However, those who celeberated Eid in the twin cities or reside near by returned to their respective offices on Thursday.

Those attended offices remained busy in exchanging Eid greetings with each other besides disposing of their official obligations. The hot topic of discussion was everyone’s experience of sacrificing animals at Eid, high rates of animals and charges of butchers who took full benefit of their skill.

The government and private offices, business centres, small and large enterprises, corporations, banks, shops, medical centres and utility service centres also witnessed low number of clients.

The government had announced three Eid holidays and along with two weekly off at least 50 per cent of employees moved to their hometowns on last Friday and Saturday.

They would return to their workplaces on Monday, said Muhammad Akram working in bank here in Supper Market branch.

Similarly, a large number of private offices located in the federal capital also reported low attendance.

Similarly attendance at educational institutions remained thin.

Public transport on all routes of the twin cities also resumed on Thursday.

Traffic, especially public transport on these routes remained very thin or even off the road during Eid holidays, which resulted in exploitation of commuters at the hands of taxi drivers,” said Muhammad Afzal, a resident of Model town.

However, it was observed that most of the government employees from far-flung areas of Sindh, Balochistan, KPK and Punjab could not make way to the Capital soon after the end of holidays due to rush at Bus terminals- another reason of thin attendance at offices.

Sahgeer Ahmed , working as manager in a private company said actually people moved to their hometowns to celebrate Eid. Obviously, it is difficult for them to return quickly after Eid like the residents of adjoining areas.

He said availability of transport was one of the major problems for them. “Well, we hope to see all the seats filled after Monday.”

Although the declared festival days are over but the spirit and happiness still persisted and people hugged their colleagues and friends warmly during their maiden encounter after the Eidul Azha.

Muhammad Ramzan, an employee of a mobile phone company while coming from Lahore said people were facing problems to get seats due to heavy   rush of passengers at the bus terminals.

Source: AIP, APP, AAJ

Ex-PM’s son and his guard kills Lahore youth

#GNN - #LAHORE: A case has been lodged against Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and his guards for allegedly killing a youth on Wednesday, sources said.

A guard escorting Gilnai opened fire on Tahir in the midst of a scuffle in Defence area of the provincial capital, police said.

The family of the slain staged a protest placing the dead body on the road. The heirs accused Gilani’s guards of killing the boy.

In this regard, Punjab Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif sought a police report and ordered action against elements responsible.(GNN, AAJ, AIP)

Israeli Startup Scene Thriving Despite Conflict

#GNN - Editor’s Note: Christine Magee is an analyst for CrunchBase.

Investments in Israeli startups climbed to near record highs in the third quarter, even as the country was in the throes of the worst violence it has seen in years.

Venture investments in Israel-based companies have not only increased in number of deals – with a near 40% rise this quarter over last- but more than tripled the total amount invested in Q1 of 2014. And this doesn’t account for the hundreds of venture-backed Israeli startups headquartered in New York or the Silicon Valley.

“Basically it did not create any disruption,” says Chemi Peres, managing partner at Pitango Venture Capital, of the recent violence. “The high-tech industry continued to be vibrant, and we never delayed a product or missed a milestone,” Peres attests, adding that the single time he has feared for the safety of a team was in 2001, when one of Pitango’s New York-based companies survived the World Trade Center attacks.

While it seems plausible that regional instability would hinder deals or deter investors, “the bottom line is that it comes with the turf,” says Hillel Fuld, Israeli entrepreneur and startup mentor. “Even when it’s quote-unquote peaceful here there’s always violence – we’re surrounded by enemies – but there are more entrepreneurs per capita in Israel than in any other country, and the innovation is really off the charts.”

“This appetite for innovation and breaking the rules a little bit is appealing to U.S. companies” says Bruce Haymes, SVP of Business Development at Nielsen, suggesting that Israel’s instability may not be a negative factor at all. The global information and measurement company launched Israeli incubator Nielsen Innovate just over a year ago as its first step into the world of venture capital, beating out many Israel-based multinationals for a partnership with the Israeli government.

“In our facility they converted our safe room into a conference room and teams worked out of the safe room for periods of time,” says Haymes. “People adapt and they continue to work.”

If outside investors are still weary, Israeli VCs are raising new funds to sustain the ecosystem without international assistance. Magma Venture Partners just closed a $150 million fund to invest in early-stage Israeli companies, which according to managing partner Modi Rosen was raised during the three months of war with very little difficulty.

Although the press tends to separate the Israeli discussion into two separate dialogues – the Israel of innovation and the Israel of war – the two are intimately linked. “There’s a war but at the same time the innovation that led to the success in the military campaign is just technology,” explains Michael Eisenberg of Israel-based venture firm Aleph.

From the Israeli army’s use of SMS messages – warning civilians in Gaza to evacuate prior to air strikes, to the apps launched during the height of the war to alert smartphone users to falling rockets or attempted kidnappings – it is clear that many Israelis turned to tech to combat increasing violence.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip do not have the same access to technology. Lacking an Iron Dome security system, over two thousand Palestinians were killed and thousands more wounded in comparison to the 68 Israeli deaths recorded in the seven-week span.

The majority of Israeli entrepreneurs receive their technical training in the military, which serves as a psuedo-accelerator to develop young Israelis into adept entrepreneurs with technical skills and practical experience. Carmel Ventures partner Daniel Cohen says that a lot of the entrepreneurs they back come out of the military, but adds that recently they’re starting to see many more 2nd and 3rd generation founders.

The connection between military training and startup success, however, means that a large group of Israel’s population is excluded from the burgeoning civilian tech scene. These are the 1.7 million Israeli Arabs, nearly 20% of the population, many of whom are highly skilled and highly educated.

To address this gap, Pitango’s Chemi Peres has helped launched Al Bawader, an investment fund with backing from the Israeli government, as well as startup incubator Takwin Labs, both dedicated to backing Israeli Arab entrepreneurs that are targeting the Arabic-speaking population.

“As a small country that mostly focuses on science and technology, we cannot allow ourselves to leave these minorities out of the circle,” says Peres, advocating for Israel to one, leverage inclusivity to raise national productivity, and two, focus on global markets, in order to retain its place at the forefront of global innovation.

Arabic speakers are believed to be the fourth largest language group of Internet users, following English, Chinese, and Spanish language groups, and the 300 million people in the Middle East have an average age of 25. The numbers alone signify a potentially massive opportunity for investors and founders alike.

But many of Israel’s most active VCs are choosing to take a more passive approach, maintaining the position that they will invest in Arab entrepreneurs if the business opportunity is good but will not seek them out.

“A lot of people are skeptical about the Middle East and don’t think it’s time to invest,” says Peres, “but my answer to them is this: 25 years ago it was not realistic to invest in China, 15 years ago it was not realistic to invest in Turkey, and 10 years ago Africa did not look so promising. We decided to be forerunners and invest.”

Photo via Flickr user Reinhardt Konig.

GitHub Partners With Digital Ocean, Unreal Engine, Others To Give Students Free Access To Developer Tools

#GNN - Back in the days of shrink-wrapped software, students would often get huge discounts on expensive software packages like Adobe’s Creative Suite or Microsoft’s developer tools. But because almost every developer startup has now moved to a SaaS model, it’s become a bit harder to find student discounts.

To help students start new software projects without breaking the bank, GitHub, Bitnami, Crowdflower, DigitalOcean, DNSimple, HackHands, Namecheap, Orchestrate, Screenhero, SendGrid, Stripe, Travis CI and Epic Game’s Unreal Engine are launching the GitHub Student Developer Pack, a new program to give students free access to their tools.

A GitHub spokesperson told me that the company already has about 100,000 students on its free plan, but with the Developer Pack, they can now get free access to a GitHub micro account (usually $7/month) with up to five private repositories for as long as they are students.

The other companies offer similar benefits — some for a year and some for as long as the student (13+) is enrolled in school. Unreal Engine is giving students free access to its $19/month subscription service, while Digital Ocean is making $100 worth of credit on its platform available to students. And once their project makes money, they can use Stripe to collect payments with fees waived on the first $1,000.

Overall, this looks like a pretty good program for students who want to get their first projects off the ground. Together with the free tiers on AWS, Azure and other platform, the GitHub Pack should give most students enough resources to get a pretty complex project off the ground.

To get access to the pack, students either need a school email address, valid student ID or some other proof of enrollment (enrollment letter, transcript, etc.). Students with existing GitHub student accounts will also automatically get access to the developer pack.

Here is a full list of all the benefits:

Bitnami
Install cloud applications in a single click
Business 3 plan (normally $49/month) for one year

Crowdflower
Crowdsourcing and data enrichment platform
Access to the Crowdflower platform (normally $2,500/month) and $50 in worker credit.

DigitalOcean
Simple cloud hosting, built for developers
$100 in platform credit

DNSimple
Simple DNS management with one-click services and a robust API
Bronze hosted DNS plan (normally $3/month) for two years

GitHub
Powerful collaboration, code review, and code management for open source and private projects
Micro account (normally $7/month) with five private repositories while you’re a student

HackHands
Live programming help available 24/7
$25 in platform credit

Namecheap
Domain name registration and SSL certificates
one year free domain name registration on the .me TLD (normally 8.99/year) and one year free SSL certificate (normally $9/year)

Orchestrate
Unified database as a service including search, key/value, graph, and events
Developer account (normally $49/month) while you’re a student

Screenhero
Screen sharing for collaboration in teams
Individual account (normally $9.99/month) while you’re a student

SendGrid
Email infrastructure as a service
Student plan (normally $4.95/month) for one year

Stripe
Web and mobile payments, built for developers
Waived transaction fees on first $1000 in revenue processed

Travis CI
Continuous integration platform for the open source and private projects
Private builds (normally $69/month) while you’re a student

Unreal Engine
A complete suite of game development tools made by game developers, for game developers
Unreal Engine (normally $19/month) while you’re a student

This Bluetooth-Enabled Temperature Tracker Will Tell You The Optimal Time For Baby-Making

#GNN - Husband and wife team Anna Mayer and Daniel Graf were both professionals in their early 30’s when they decided they wanted to start a family.

However, that proved a lot more difficult than they thought it would be. So mountains of research, visits to experts and some trial and error later, they decided to apply their experience to technology, and Ovatemp, a fertility tracking app, was born.

Mayer credits the methods applied on the app to helping her also produce a healthy baby boy earlier this year.

Ovatemp is now launching ONDO, a digital thermometer to monitor the start of ovulation. The idea is that a woman’s fertility cycle is able to be measured based on her body temperature throughout the month. The thermometer builds on the Ovatemp platform by taking the guess work out of manually checking that basal body temperature.

It works by simply sticking the thermometer under your tongue. It then sends temperature information via Bluetooth to your iPhone and integrates with Apple’s HealthKit.

The Ovatemp app is similar to Glow’s fertility tracker app. Women jot down their cycle, mood, nutrition and other factors. Both also offer a community of support for those trying to conceive. The difference is that Ovatemp is based on methods from traditional Chinese medicine and the FAM method, whereas Glow does not seem to claim a particular method.

“It was the FAM method that finally allowed us to conceive naturally and we’ve built Ovatemp and ONDO from the ground up based on FAM’s principles to make it easier for women to follow, track and conceive naturally with digital tools,” said Mayer.

Ovatemp co-founders say ONDO is actually a uniting technology for both Ovatemp and Glow. Both aim to help prevent or promote pregnancy through natural means and both track basal body tempearature via the app. According to Ovatemp, the ONDO digital thermometer can also integrate with both Glow’s fertility platform for additional information on a woman’s ovulation cycle.

The ONDO is available for purchase on the Ovatemp website, Amazon and Walgreens starting today. The ONDO device goes for $149. The app is free.