Swiss man breaks world record for 8,000m jump without oxygen

GENEVA: A Swiss man set a new world record on Sunday when he leapt from a hot-air balloon from an altitude of 8,000 metres (26,200 feet) without oxygen, the ATS news agency reported.

Remo Lang, 38, threw himself out of the balloon early in the morning and landed around 10 minutes later at Aarberg, in the Berne canton of Switzerland. Wearing a "wingsuit", his freefall lasted five minutes.

Lang´s team said he prepared himself for the jump by taking in oxygen from a tank intensively for half an hour before the stunt. (AFP)

No going forward without education, peace: Imran Khan

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan Sunday said moving ahead was impossible sans peace and that the country will have to be pulled out of the quagmire of war-on-terror to pave the way for restoration of peace.

Addressing a gathering at a private university during a programme here, Imran Khan said today’s Waziristan is a reflection of the flawed policies and that an atmosphere of counter-terrorism could be created through promotion of education.

“We promoted the culture of weapons and adopted other’s war for dollars,” the PTI Chief lamented, adding ‘Islam produced some of the best scientists of the world’.

He said the biggest Leader of the world preached promotion of education. “No nation can make progress in the absence of education,” he added.

Imran Khan went on to say that only the government should have access to weapons and not the individuals.

‘Afghan expatriates doing business without FBR registration’

ISLAMABAD: Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt. Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch on Monday stated that the people of Afghan origin were running their businesses in the country without Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s registration or any other entity at provincial level.

He pointed out that according to a survey, conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) during 2010-2011 about the Afghan Population Profiling, Verification and Response (PPVR) and their economic activities in the country, 44,076 Aghan nationals had invested considerable amounts of money in their business over the years.

The minister said that 38.7 percent enterprise owners paid taxes worth of Rs707.33 million per annum in mode of 9.2 percent direct tax and others General Sales Tax (GST) on Consumer items, Federal Excise Duties (FED) on utilities, Withholding Income Tax (WIT) on cellular phone usage, Toll Tax (TT) on traveling through highways and other networks of communications. Dr. Azra Fazal Pehchuho put forward the suggestion to make a mechanism for bringing Afghan businessmen under tax network through proper channel.

 

No economic progress in Pak, without tapping economic potential of women: EU

ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) and its Member States said on Friday that there could not be a sustainable economic growth without tapping the economic potential of women in Pakistan.
The EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in a statement here on the occasion of international women day, called for removing all obstacles in way of women to enable them 'play a pivotal role' in Pakistan society.
"We will continue to work with all concerned stakeholders to promote the rights and empowerment of women in Pakistan. The EU Guidelines on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them, address discrimination as well as violence against women," said an EU statement.
This year, the EU and its Member States are highlighting women's empowerment in Pakistan. In close cooperation with the Suleman Dawood School of Business (LUMS), the Netherlands Embassy, on behalf of the EU, is sponsoring a mentoring event titled "Women Mentoring Women in Business".
"We bring together ten female business mentors with fifty female business students from ten business schools in Lahore with the aim of enhancing women's leadership role in business," it said.
It said protecting and promoting women's rights is a priority in the EU's foreign policy. The EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Development 2010-2015 aims to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs.
This plan will also to attain the goals set out by CEDAW, the Beijing Platform of Action, and the Cairo Programme of Action, while improving coordination to increase impact on the ground. Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment is mainstreamed in all our actions.