Internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee: 'Staggering how people are hateful on the web'

The founder of the internet Sir Tim Berners-Lee finds it "staggering" how many people feel compelled to make hateful comments on the web.

As well as enabling the good side of humanity the internet is also used to express the dark side, the developer said to the BBC  yesterday.
He said: "It's staggering to me how people who clearly must have been brought up like anybody else will suddenly become very polarised in their opinions and suddenly become very hateful.
"This ability is that people in the human race can polarise and demonise each other."
The Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, said that trolls, those who harass or threaten online, could face up to two years in prison under new legislation.
Sir Tim, who helped create the world wide web in 1989, said the possible solution could be web-based tools built to "help us keep people on the path of collaborating rather than fighting."
Brenda Leyland, who was found dead in a hotel room this month, was accused of being one of a dozen online users who "trolled" the parents of Madeleine McCann, who went missing after she was left alone for the evening by her family in a Praia da Luz holiday apartment in 2007.
When asked why she was virtually attacking Kate and Gerry McCann before she died earlier this month, Ms Leyland is reported to have answered: "I’m entitled to do that."
Brenda Leyland, right, was accused of trolling Kate and Gerry McCann Peter Nunn from Bristol, 33, was jailed for 18 weeks last month for sending abusive messages on Twitter to Labour MP Stella Creasy.
Last week TV host Judy Finnegan made off-the-cuff remarks that footballer and convicted rapist Ched Evans had "served his time" for a crime that wasn't "violent" like a street attack rape.
This resulted in rape threats being sent to her daughter Chloe Madeley from those incensed by her comments, although she has apologised for her choice of words.
Chloe had said that being able to send malicious messages should not be considered freedom of speech, but that it should be viewed as “online terrorism” and her TV host father Richard warned the trolls that they could expect a visit from the police.
The victim raped by Evans was named by trolls on Twitter 6,000 times despite being granted lifelong anonymity by the courts and up to 10 people have admitted to the charges.
The penalty for sending menacing, obscene or offensive communications is currently set at six months in prison, a level five fine up to £5,000, or both.
Mr Grayling had said: “No one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media. That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month sentence.”
In 2011 the CPS brought more than 2,000 prosecutions under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

Ramzan gift for people: CNG prices jacked up

ISLAMABAD: Government has raised the prices of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), mounting burden in the holy month of Ramzan on the people already battered by high rate of inflation.

According to Chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Saeed Ahmed, the prices of CNG were raised in the wake of increase in Gas Infrastructure Tax.

He said the CNG prices were raised by Rs2.10 per kilogram to Rs76.35 in Region one that includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar and Balochistan.

In Region two, which consists of Sindh and Punjab excluding Potohar, the price of CNG has been hiked by Rs5.36 a kilo to Rs71.50.

227,000 people have left NWA

PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Abdul Qadir Baloch said here on Friday that more than 227,000 people had left the North Waziristan Agency following the military operation that began six days ago.
Talking to reporters at the Governor’s House here, he said 15,757 families comprising 56,214 men, 70,465 women and 100,370 children had so far left North Waziristan.

He said more displaced families were arriving in Bannu where four registration points had been established. He said each family was being provided Rs12,000 in cash.

Abdul Qadir Baloch said only eight families were residing in the government camp in the Bakkakhel area in the Frontier Region, Bannu, while most of the displaced families were staying with relatives and friends. He added that some of the IDPs owned houses in the settled areas.

The minister said the commissioner of Bannu division was the focal person while Brig Mukhtar from the Army, Abbas Khan from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and a representative of the Fata Disaster Management Authority would assist him in making arrangements for the IDPs.

He said Rs3,000 would also be provided to the IDPs residing in rented houses. “Arrangements have been made to provide medical treatment, food and water to the IDPs at the camp,” he added.

Qadir Baloch said the IDPs had been divided into two categories as some had left for the settled areas while others had relocated to safer places inside North Waziristan. He said transportation arrangements had also been made for the IDPs.

He claimed that according to Additional Secretary, Safron, Tariq Hayat, some 2,000 buses had been hired to transport the IDPs. He said the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) had established 14 points to facilitate the verification process.

He said the residents of North Waziristan had been given time to vacate the troubled areas. He feared the number of IDPs might reach four to five lakh in the coming days.

Lauding the tribal people, the minister said it was a great sacrifice to leave one’s home. “The nation will have to be united to defeat militancy. The political parties should also support the security forces that are rendering sacrifices for the country,” he said.

To a question that the provincial government had complained that it had not been taken into confidence on the military operation, he said the whole nation was on board, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). “All the elected members are on board and they have been included in the supervision process,” he claimed.

He urged the media to support the government and the army so that the military operation could be carried out successfully.To a question about the duration of military action, he said atime frame couldn’t be given as the offensive would continue till the elimination of the last terrorist.

“The federal government has released Rs500 million to provide relief to the IDPs and more money would be made available if needed. No effort will be spared to mitigate the sufferings of the IDPs,” he vowed.He said most of the tribesmen were fed up with militancy and wanted to see an end to the violence on their soil.

Our Miranshah correspondent adds: The Pakistan Army’s Cobra helicopters on Friday pounded suspected hideouts of the militants in the Qutabkhel village and reportedly killed 12 militants, including foreign fighters.

Residents in North Waziristan’s headquarters Miranshah said the people panicked when gunship helicopters early morning started shelling targets in Qutabkhel, about six kilometres east of Miranshah.

As it was the last day for evacuation of the tribesmen from North Waziristan, those who had already packed their belongings and were about to leave became worried after hearing shelling by the helicopters.

The military authorities later informed the local people that it was a targeted action and would not affect their evacuation.The military said local and foreign militants had established sanctuaries in Qutabkhel and used to plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the main Miranshah-Mir Ali Road to target security forces.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said three hideouts of terrorists were destroyed in the military action. It said that 12 militants, including Uzbek fighters, were killed in shelling on their hideouts.

“It was an integrated action by the Cobra gunships, artillery and snipers. Besides the loss of 12 terrorists, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was also destroyed,” the ISPR statement said.

Military officials said security forces had cordoned off the entire North Waziristan tribal region as many hardcore terrorists were planning to escape.The press release said on the sixth day of the military operation “Zarb-e-Azb”, security forces apprehended three local persons who claimed to be residents of North Waziristan but couldn’t provide any proof of their identity.

According to the military officials, they were trying to flee the tribal region during the night between Thursday and Friday.Meanwhile, the press release said security forces took 24 other men into custody during routine screening of displaced persons before leaving North Waziristan at the Khajori checkpoint near the Mir Ali town.The military officials said these men were suspects and were trying to escape in the guise of IDPs.

26 people lost lives in Taftan gun and suicide attack

QUETTA: At least 26 pilgrims -- including women -- were killed in a gun and suicide attack in Taftan area near Pakistan-Iran border, officials said Monday.

The attack late Sunday night came when a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims returning from a visit to holy Muslim sites in Iran stopped at a restaurant in the Pakistani town of Taftan in troubled Baluchistan province. At least 20 people were injured in the deadly attack.

Authorities airlifted the bodies to the northwestern city of Kohat where most of the victims were from, the officials said. The Jaishul Islam militant group has claimed the attack.

MQM asks people to resume routine activities

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has appealed traders, transporters and citizens to resume their routine activities.

Speaking to media on late Wednesday night, MQM leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that party’s sit-ins would continue across Sindh including Karachi.

He said that entire nation expressed solidarity with Altaf Hussain and the MQM was thankful to people, traders, laborer, transporters and school owners.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain, who is in police detention since yesterday, asked sympathizers and workers of his party at MQM London Secretariat via telephone to remain strong and peaceful.

The founder leader of the MQM told the party workers to refrain from taking law into their hands.

Altaf Hussain’s message was read out to the workers staging a sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi Karachi.

Until last reports, the detained MQM leader, who had stayed in self-imposed exile in London since 1991, was taken to a hospital in London for getting his medical tests done.

Some people want to end democracy in country: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Maulana Sirajul Haq has said that some people wanted to bring democracy to an end in the country as the issues being faced by the country could not be discussed while sitting in London.

He rejected the plan to form an opposition alliance in London and demanded of the leaders gathered there to come back to the country and try to correct things here.Talking to the media after chairing a party meeting at Mansoora on Sunday, Sirajul Haq said a clash among the institutions would harm democracy. JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch, other leaders and workers were also present.

The JI Ameer said instead of destabilising the government, the opposition should give the rulers time to deliver and find out solutions to people’s problems.He said the PTI Chairman Imran Khan had the right to protest against the ‘rigging’ in elections as “the Election Commission had failed to conduct impartial, free and fair elections”.

The JI Ameer asked the government to announce a special package of Rs100 billion each for Karachi and the tribal areas for rehabilitation of the people affected by terrorism there. He urged the PM to expose those who wanted to sabotage the peace talks with the Taliban.

The JI leader alleged that the PM’s evasion of Kashmir and water issues during his visit to India and avoiding a meeting with the Hurriyat Conference leadership sent a negative message to the people of Kashmir. He said the people of Pakistan were standing with their Kashmiri brothers in their struggle for freedom.

He advised the government to go through its election manifesto once again and implement it instead of complaining against the people’s wrath.Sirajul Haq said the tribal people were patriotic and had equal rights to the country’s resources. The government should launch education and health schemes in the tribal areas and create jobs for them.

He said the political parties had given the government the mandate for peace talks, but it had started an operation there without taking the parties into confidence. As a result, the tribal people had become sandwiched between the government and the Taliban.

He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit North and South Waziristan to get cooperation from the tribal people. Meanwhile, addressing the annual meeting of the IJT, the JI chief said the elements talking of secularism were in fact going against the will of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the Constitution.

Govt starts uplift projects to facilitate people: Dar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had launched several development projects to improve economy and facilitate the people.

He said that Nandipur, Dasu, Bhasha, Neelum-Jhelum and other projects would be completed in near future to meet the growing demand of energy in the country.

Talking to the official television, he said that PML-N government was taking all important steps to streamline the system. Ishaq Dar said the government had paid circular debt to bring improvement in the energy sector.

Ishaq Dar said that budget deficit had been reduced due to the dynamic policies of the present government.

He said that a large number of people would be provided assistance through Income Support Programme.

The finance minister said that the PML-N was following its manifesto given during the election campaign.

Replying to a question, he said that present government wanted to produce 40,000MW electricity through different resources for achieving speedy progress in all the sectors.

Ishaq Dar said that a huge amount was allocated for fee reimbursement programme of the students.

To another question, he said the government was not getting any dictation from International Monitory Funds (INF).

He said that an additional amount would be given to the provincial governments to bring prosperity in the country.

Meanwhile, the World Bank (WB) Country Director for Pakistan, Rachid Benmessaoud, expressed the hope that the board of the bank would approve assistance for Dasu Project.

“We are working day and night for board meeting to be held on June 10 and hope that the assistance for Dasu Project will be approved,” he said during his meeting with Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar here.

During the meeting WB Country Director assured the finance minister that things were moving positively for Pakistan at the World Bank.

He said that they were encouraged by the positive trends of the economic indicators.

The meeting was also attended by Shahid Mahmood, Special Assistant to the Finance Minister and senior officials of the Finance Ministry.

Ishaq Dar informed the Country Director that Pakistan’s economy was moving in the right direction and that we would continue to engage with multilateral fora including World Bank for assistance in energy and infrastructure development programmes initiated by the government.

He added, in line with the vision of the prime minister to make Pakistan developed and prosperous country, the government has embarked upon a plan to meet the energy requirements and make Pakistan an economically viable country.

He emphasized that World Bank’s assistance in energy and development projects particularly on Dasu Dam and CASA -1000 will help Pakistan progress.

Geo/Jang Group gains sympathy among Baloch leaders, people

QUETTA: Sympathy for the Geo/Jang Group has increased in Balochistan in the wake of the campaign launched against it throughout the country.

Despite all efforts of powerful elements, journalists here are united and demonstrations are also being held for the freedom of the press. The BNP of former Chief Minister Balochistan Akhtar Mengal held demonstrations across the province in favour of Hamid Mir while opposition leader of the JI Maulana Abdul Wassay moved a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly against the attack on Hamid Mir which was unanimously approved by both the ruling and opposition parties. Besides this, leaders of various parties and organisations expressed solidarity with the Geo/Jang Group.

Different columns and editorials were written in favour of Hamid Mir, Jang and Geo in the local newspapers of Balochistan.

In the past, politicians and people belonging to other areas were suspicious of the views of journalists, especially those of the Punjab, but now their attitude is changing. Discussions are held at different levels and it is being said that earlier many Baloch politicians, especially nationalists, were called traitors but it is astonishing to see that today a patriotic journalist Hamid Mir is being declared a traitor. Due to this, anti-federal forces in Balochistan are becoming more powerful.

It is also the subject of discussion that a campaign is being carried out against Jang and Geo for their courageous and bold stand on different issues such as missing persons, the discovery of mutilated bodies and the law and order situation. On the other hand, a campaign is being launched through ‘Tanga’ parties and nameless persons. This campaign does not have any impact on the people.

Around 2,500 people feared dead: Badakhshan Governor

MAZAR-I-SHARIF: More than 300 people were killed and hundreds of others feared dead after a landslide buried an Afghan village, officials said, as rescue teams on Saturday rushed to the scene in the hope of finding any survivors.

Local people used shovels to search for anyone trapped under a massive river of mud and rocks that engulfed the village in Badakhshan province, leaving little sign of the hundreds of homes it destroyed.

The United Nations confirmed that 350 people were dead, and provincial officials said more than 2,000 were still missing more than 20 hours after the disaster.

Emergency workers arrived at the scene on Saturday morning to be confronted by the enormous scale of the landslide, hundreds of homeless families and the risk of more earth sweeping down the hillside.

Badakhshan governor Shah Waliullah Adeeb told AFP that 2,500 people were missing. "Our initial findings based on local people´s reports show around 2,500 people, including women and children, might be dead," he said late Friday. "It is difficult to get confirmed information from the scene and we are seeking to determine the facts.

"Provincial officials said that two successive landslides hit Aab Bareek village within one hour. Villagers were at Friday prayers in two mosques when they were entombed by a tide of debris, and the second landslide hit many who had rushed to assist those in need.

"The number of deceased has increased to 350," the UN mission in Afghanistan said. "A response is being mobilised for those who survived but were displaced, with some partners already on the ground."

The NATO military Regional Command in the north (is) in contact with the Afghan National Army in regards to search and rescue efforts.

"Badakhshan is a remote, mountainous province in northeast Afghanistan bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan. It has been relatively peaceful since the US-led military intervention began in 2001, but has seen increasing Taliban activity in recent years.

President Hamid Karzai expressed his condolences to those affected and said immediate action was being taken to find any survivors. Local officials said that the landslides occurred at about midday (0730 GMT) in the Argo district of Badakhshan after days of heavy rain. Between 350 and 400 houses were destroyed, they said. "It is a disaster.

The landslide has affected around 1,000 families," Sayed Abdullah Homayun Dehqan, provincial director of the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority, told AFP. "Around 300 families are missing, that could involve around 2,000 people. People are working to remove the rocks. "Around 700 families were rescued, we have sent in some basic assistance such as tents and blankets.

"The UN was helping to coordinate relief work, but warned that roads to the area could not take heavy machinery. "The foremost priority at the moment is saving as many lives as possible of those still beneath the rubble," Mark Bowden, UN humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said.

US President Barack Obama described the deaths as "an awful tragedy" and pledged to help the relief effort. The landslides follow recent severe flooding in other parts of northern Afghanistan, with 150 people dead and 67,000 people affected by floods in Jowzjan, Faryab and Sar-e-Pul provinces. Nearly 3,500 houses were damaged and destroyed by the floods, creating an urgent need for shelter, clean water, medical supplies and food. Flooding and landslides often occur during the spring rainy season in northern Afghanistan, with flimsy mud houses offering little protection against rising water levels and torrents of mud.

In the last major flooding in Afghanistan, 40 people died in August in flash floods in eastern and southeastern provinces and some districts of the capital Kabul.

Nawaz, Zardari show their strength to ambitious people

 

DUBAI: It would be a little too early to say that battle lines have been drawn, but serious polarisation has begun to show between forces, both political and apolitical, on the issue of General Musharraf’s fate and the once blurred lines are now getting clearer by the day.
After meeting a number of well-informed people, both in khaki and civvies over the last week in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, it was apparent that the uncertainty below the surface is simmering, with everyone waiting for the other to blink.

Supporters and opponents of the political and security establishment are also coming out in the open, judging the fast pace of the developments behind the scene. The expected cooling down of the face-off led by the Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has not yet happened and despite PM Sharif’s return from China four days back, General Sharif has not called on him. Khawaja Asif’s attempts to talk to the khakis have reportedly not produced any result so far.

The pro-Musharraf elements have started rallying and raising the temperature, day by day, degree by degree. The MQM has been in the forefront to stir the pot. The Sindh Assembly scenes of tearing up papers, shouting slogans as if it was the Bhaati Gate of Lahore or Chowk Yadgar of Peshawar and the immediate calls for protests in Karachi to be followed by the rest of Pakistan, are some of these signs.

Although, Haider Abbas Rizvi of MQM, a serious leader of the party, explained to me that the issue was of their missing persons and extra-judicial killings, the timing seems more linked to the tensions created by the Musharraf trial. The missing persons have been missing for years and killings have been going on also for years, both by security people and by rival political groups.

Likewise, the PML-Q and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain have come out in the open to support Musharraf. Dr Tahirul Qadri has announced his plans to fill the streets again in early May and Musharraf’s lawyers have been blatantly taunting the military to save their ex-chief.

The government camp has also rallied its supporters and the Nawaz-Zardari meeting on Tuesday was a major attempt to demonstrate the strength of the political side to the security establishment.

Statements that came after the meeting focused on protecting and preserving democracy, although no one has given any indication that the democratic set-up was or could be under any threat. So basically it was a show of muscle that politicians will again gang up if anyone had any overt or covert ambitions.

Nevertheless, some high profile political and non-political intermediaries have been working overtime for a rapprochement so that things do not spin out of control. One of these intermediaries, in a long talk, discussed the options the opposing sides have if things do not quickly settle down for better.

First, the military options; all concede that General Raheel Sharif has been embarrassed before his boys as he had taken upon himself to solve the matter. A military strategist and a political busybody told me identical stories separately in two cities. The script for Musharraf’s exit had been carefully written by trusted people, to the last dot. It was for his safe flight on a special private jet that had arrived at Islamabad. But hawks prevailed and the government side had second thoughts at the fag end of the deal, after Musharraf and his side had honoured their word — Musharraf had left the ICU, drove to the court, was indicted, challenged his indictment and said a few political words and the court, as expected, left it to the executive to let him go by removing his name from the ECL. That is where the government side went off the designated track.

The same night, almost in anger, Musharraf was switched from the AFIC to his home in Chak Shahzad, without even the knowledge of the civil authorities. He had been taken into protective custody by his boys.

This deadlock was not taken lightly by the Pindi boys. So what are General Raheel’s options, the informed intermediary went on. “Three options are obvious. One that he tells his commanders that he had failed and was quitting, so that someone else should pick up the thread. Obviously, if he resigns, one of those under him would have to be named as the new chief. A crisis would develop.

“The second option was that the boys be asked to suggest what the chief should do and Gen Raheel would then act accordingly. No one is ready to predict what the collective decision could be but those who know the boys don’t expect candies and cookies coming to Islamabad from Pindi.

“The third possibility was that the standoff may be allowed to continue but Musharraf could be whisked out in some manner that gives everyone a face-saving solution. He could take off from Islamabad for Karachi and then the plane develops ‘a fault’ or the weather ‘goes wrong’ or the control tower of Karachi develops a ‘malfunction’ and his flight lands in Dubai.”

Once he is out, the establishment then applies some sort of a go-slow on a few fronts where the political government needs them most. The talks with the Taliban get broken and when they retaliate, the security around key places is somehow found to be slack or something similar happens to bring the government under pressure.

The report by our Lahore correspondent Amir Mir that a warning has already been sent to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Group to pick up one side — TTP or the state of Pakistan — could mean strategists are already working overtime to fix potential loopholes.

The message would be: “Without taking over or disturbing the democratic set-up, the military has enough aces up its sleeve.”The options for politicians are tricky. If the government sticks to the hard line, does not reprimand big talkers like Khawaja Asif and Saad Rafique and the Musharraf trial gets underway on a fast track, as indicated by the special court, matters could get much worse.

Politicians are grouping together and will come closer if they feel the heat of a growing threat. But if a new army chief has to be appointed, an Oct 12, 1999-like situation may develop. Mian Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari must have discussed these options in their one-on-one whispers. But both Sindh and Punjab would be divided, the MQM going with Pindi as it needs badly needed oxygen in London and Punjab politicians behaving like they always do, go with the stronger party.

Balochistan and KP would not matter much but Imran Khan has said repeatedly that he would not support any out-of-the-constitutional box solution, yet Imran’s old and time-tested top leadership has always been cozy with the Pindi boys, barring a few oldies. So will Imran also face a split? May be, say insiders.

The media would be a big player but already splits are visible on the lines being seen in the political spectrum. The West and the US would be confused at best and indifferent at worst because they have their vested interests in coming weeks and months. They would like a strong government in Islamabad that can deliver.

When I had asked a top US diplomat in Islamabad last week whether he favoured a “Track-2” between Pindi and Islamabad, his response was a big laugh, with a crisp comment: “It is badly needed.” But he shrugged off a suggestion to play any role.

The bottomline is that someone, somewhere who can inject some sense, must intervene now and try to get utopian, frivolous issues off the plate, as both the military and the government have plenty of real issues to tackle.

“We don’t need another five-year fight to restore democracy again, and for whom, the politicians, who are themselves proving that the type of democracy they are practising cannot handle the dirty fish in their ranks, it cannot envisage real enemies and true friends and cannot time its moves properly. It has to offer real solutions to real problems,” said a Karachiite, known to be well-informed.

People are dying of hunger: SC

 

 

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has asked what kind of Islamic welfare state Pakistan is where people are dying of hunger and they are made to pay for even breathing.
The observation came during the course of the hearing of a petition filed by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Secretary General Liaquat Baloch against the increase in flour (atta) price.A two-member bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Mushir Alam, took up the case on Monday.

The apex court constituted four committees to ascertain the price and availability of flour (atta) across the country in the context of the fundamental rights of the masses.During the course of the hearing, Taufique Asif, the counsel for the petitioner, suggested a sound basis for on-the-spot determination of flour and its availability in various parts of the country.

The court termed the suggestion of the counsel reasonable having the support of all counsel and law officers in the matter, and constituted four committees comprising Syed Attique Shah, Additional Attorney General for Pakistan, Taufique Asif, counsel for the petitioner, and the law officer of each province respectively.

The committees will ensure on-the-spot checks to assist the court in ascertaining the price and availability of flour in the context of fundamental rights enforcement.The court also directed the federal government to convene a meeting of the Federation and officials of provincial food ministries, who would propose possible ways and means through which the fundamental rights under articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution could be assured to citizens.

Rafique Rajwana, who has been appointed amicus curie (friend of the court) in the case, submitted that it was the state’s responsibility to provide essential food items at reasonable prices to citizens.

He proposed to the court to direct the federal government to convene a meeting of the responsible government functionaries of the Federation and the provinces to inform the court about the possible ways and means through which the fundamental rights could be ensured to citizens.

He contended that the procurement procedure was very difficult as the middlemen directly contacted the growers and after buying wheat from farmers exported it to Afghanistan. He informed the court that the government also bought wheat from the farmers hence, there was a need to check the attitude of flour mills.

Additional Attorney General Attique Shah said that a total of Rs40.1 billion subsidy on wheat was given by the federal and provincial governments to citizens. The AAG submitted the report which contained the input of the advocate general of all the provinces.

The court, however, termed the instant report incomplete and observed that it did not contain the relevant information and statistics to enable the court to ascertain whether the fundamental rights were indeed being ensured to citizens or not.

The court directed the law officers to submit a complete consolidated report which should also include the relevant statistical data showing that the fundamental rights had been ensured to the people.

During the hearing, Dr Shakeelur Rehman, Food Security Commissioner, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, said that a person in Pakistan required a minimum of 2,350 calories per day, which come from wheat. The government had made sure that wheat was supplied to every part of the country adding that in the whole year there was no wheat problem.

The court, in its order, recalled that on the previous date of hearing, it had noted that the minimum wage of an unskilled worker in the four provinces was Rs7,000 to Rs9,000 a month. Therefore, Dr Shakeel was asked to prepare a table to show as to how a family comprising two adults and two minors would be able to survive with dignity as per Article 14 of the Constitution within the minimum wage.Later, the court adjourned the hearing till April 22.

50 people kidnapped from festival in Haider Kando

KOHAT: At least 50 people have been abducted from an area bordering Orakzai and Khyber Agencies on Saturday, sources said.

According to the sources, unidentified armed men kidnapped 50 people from a festival in Haider Kando.

Security forces have kicked off search operation in the area, the sources said.

No common aspiration among Kashmiri people

All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is projecting self-determination as a common demand of the people of Kashmir, according to strategic analyst Alok Bansal.

“I do not think that there is a common aspiration among the Kashmiri people,” he said. “Different sections think differently. At this stage, it should meet the people’s aspiration, but within the norms of the Indian Constitution. Legally and historically, Jammu and Kashmir is an inalienable part of India. As regards Pakistan, it comes into play only as far as PoK is concerned.”

Capt. Bansal said such problems could not be resolved in a time-bound manner. “I feel the right time has still not arrived for discussions on the subject as Pakistan appears to be crumbling. Wahabisation in the valley has been increasing and insecurity of sectarian and religious minorities has increased.”

The peace process, he felt, was an ongoing exercise and must continue without interruption, irrespective of the setbacks.

Surgery is best for managing diabetes in heavy people

WASHINGTON: When it comes to managing type 2 diabetes in overweight people, stomach-shrinking surgeries are still more effective than trying to shed pounds with pills and lifestyle changes, researchers said Monday.

Three years into a US study that compares various approaches -- gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and simply trying medical counseling, diet, exercise and weight loss medications -- the findings show that the two surgical procedures are still superior at reducing blood sugar and weight.

Researchers said their findings could provide a way to help the some 23 million American adults who have type 2 diabetes, most of whom are overweight or obese.

Fewer than half of adults with diabetes are able to get their blood sugar under control with medication, experts say.

The latest results from the largest randomized controlled trial of its kind were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting.

"Bariatric surgery was more effective than medical therapy in achieving glycemic control with weight loss as the primary determinant of this outcome," said study author Sangeeta Kashyap, associate professor medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

"We concluded that bariatric surgery should be considered as a treatment option for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in patients who are moderately and severely overweight."

- More weight lost by surgery -

The research included 150 overweight people with uncontrolled diabetes that had persisted for at least eight years when they began the study, despite taking three or more medications.

They were randomly assigned to undergo one of the two surgeries plus counseling, or simply expert therapy in health changes without surgery.

After three years, just five percent of patients who did not have surgery had achieved the desired level of glycemic control, defined as a three-month average blood glucose level of six percent or lower.

That target is slightly more aggressive than the American Diabetes Association recommendation of seven percent.

The surgery groups did much better, with 37.5 percent of gastric bypass and 24.5 percent of sleeve gastrectomy patients meeting the mark, after starting at an average blood sugar level of 9.2 percent.

Weight loss was five to six times greater in patients who had one of the surgeries.

The gastric bypass group lost on average a quarter of their body weight while the sleeve gastrectomy patients shed 21 percent. Those on medical therapy alone lost four percent.

- Quality of life -

Meanwhile, people who did not undergo surgery reported no improvements in quality of life, according to eight measures including body pain, general health, energy and fatigue.

Gastric bypass patients reported five improvements and sleeve patients reported two. There were no major complications among those who underwent the surgeries.

Gastric bypass involves reducing the stomach to below three percent of its natural volume, then connecting a new gastric pouch that bypasses the stomach and goes straight to the intestine.

In sleeve gastrectomy, part of the patient's stomach is removed to reduce its volume by about 75 percent.

Gastric bypass outperformed the sleeve gastrectomy in the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Cleveland Clinic and Ethicon, a division of pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson which sells surgical products for weight loss.

Amit Khera, associate professor at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, described the research as "important" because it addresses the longer-term benefits from surgery versus counseling and weight loss attempts alone.

"In the surgical arm, it does seem to be quite durable," he told reporters.

"Normalizing blood sugar seems to be retained at three years. That is a really important observation."

On the other hand, people who did not have surgery showed early improvements in their blood sugar, dropping close to the target of 7.5 in the first year.

But that group was back up to 8.4 percent in year three.

The study, called the Surgical Treatment and Medications Potentially Eradicate Diabetes Efficiently (STAMPEDE) trial, is designed to follow its patients for a total of five years.

 

People dying in Balochistan while chief secretary visiting US: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday observed that the Balochistan chief secretary was visiting the US while people in the province were dying.

The apex court gave these remarks when it was informed that the meeting of the chief secretary, the counsel for the FC Irfan Qadir, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and Balochistan Advocate General Nizamud Din could not be held as the chief secretary had proceeded on a visit to the US.

A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Mushir Alam was hearing the cases on the law and order situation in Balochistan, missing persons and the Khuzdar mass grave.

The court asked the Balochistan government what the solution of missing persons issue was and directed the chief secretary to submit a detailed report in this regard in the first week of April.

The court also directed the chief secretary, the counsel for FC Irfan Qadir, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and Balochistan Advocate General Nizamud Din to hold a meeting and decide how to proceed against the army officers, allegedly involved in the enforced disappearances of the people in Balochistan.

The court also directed the Punjab advocate general to appear on the next date of hearing and explain why a long time was required for finalising the DNA report of the bodies found from a mass grave in the Khuzdar district.

During the proceedings, the Balochistan Home Secretary, Asad Gilani, informed the court that 14 samples had been taken and now they had to be matched and it would take at least four to five months.

It means that the bodies would not be buried till the DNA report, Justice Amir Hani Muslim observed.The home secretary, however, replied that two persons had been identified and other bodies would be handed over after their identification.

The advocate general said that the samples had been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PSFA), Lahore, for DNA tests, which had told them that it would take four to five months to finalise the DNA report.

The court asked the Balochistan advocate general as to why the meeting of the provincial chief secretary, advocate general and counsel for the FC Irfan Qadir was not held.The Balochistan AG said that March 24 was fixed for the meeting but the prime minister called the chief secretary to Islamabad.

Justice Hani said that the meeting could have been held on the next day. However, the advocate general said after that, the secretary had flown to the US and was still in America.The court observed that on March 7, it directed the chief secretary, advocate general and FC counsel Irfan Qadir to hold a meeting on the missing persons’ issue.

Irfan Qadir, however, informed the court that he had talked to the chief secretary on phone. The court observed as to how the meeting could be held on phone.Meanwhile, the court directed the Balochistan chief secretary to hold a meeting on his return from the US and adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Adele’s songs accused of making people gay

Adele is on a list of things that "men should avoid if they want to be straight".

Oscar-winning singer Adele is accused of turning people gay with her music in a TV documentary.
The 25-year-old singer is on a list of things that “men should avoid if they want to be straight”, reported Daily Star.
Doctor Christian Jessen, 37, made the bizarre discovery in Channel 4′s ‘Cure Me I’m Gay’, which sees him visiting the States to test several therapies.
Retired doctor John Smid from Texas offers rehab and orders him to strip his life of things that encourage him to be gay.
In the documentary, Jessen said, “Adele is very popular within the gay community. You have to listen to Christian music.”
Jessen also said that he is shocked that people still think that being gay is a curable condition and that it’s a load of utter rubbish.

hyam Ramsay: People say the ghosts in my films were not scary

Patcy N in Mumbai

'People criticise me saying that the ghosts in my films sometimes wore canvas shoes and were not scary. That is true. In those days, we were not technically sound.'

'Films were made on a very low budget, so if there was a small defect, we would let it pass, and audiences often didn’t catch those defects.'

Shyam Ramsay tells us his 'horror' story.

The pioneers of horror cinema -- the Ramsays -- are making a comeback with yet another horror film, Neighbours.

And it’s themed on the topic of the day -- vampires.

Producer-director Shyam Ramsay talks to Patcy N about his new film, and also looks back at his classic scary movies that have made us associate his name with horror.

He also tells us just who the Ramsays are, how they got into the movie-making business and why sex is so important in horror movies.

Early days

My father F U Ramsay and his family came to Mumbai from Pakistan after Partition.

He financed a film called Shaheed-E-Azad Bhagat Singh in 1954. The film did well, and he wanted to make more films.

He made a historical drama called Rustom Sohrab (1963), with Prithviraj Kapoor, Premnath, Mumtaz and Suraiya.

In Prithviraj Kapoor-starrer Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi (1970), all the Ramsay brothers, including me, assisted. I was 22 then.

In a robbery scene in the film, Prithviraj Kapoor steals an antique from a museum. He uses a face mask to disguise himself.

The mask was imported. It was so horrifying that the film’s publicity was based entirely on this one mask. Posters of the mask were made and published everywhere.

Before that, nobody had seen a horrifying face on the big screen. People went to the theatre just to see Prithviraj Kapoor in that scary mask.

That’s when we thought that if audiences love to watch such scary faces, why not make a full-fledged horror film?

I directed India’s first horror film, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (1972).

After that, we made approximately 32 films, and all of them were horror films.

Govt to provide every help to drought-affected people: Pervaiz

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid has said that federal government will extend every possible help to drought-affected people of Thar.
In a statement, he said helicopters have been provided for the assistance of the affected people. Pervaiz Rashid said the Prime Minister will visit Thar tomorrow cancelling all his engagements.
He said long-term measures are also being taken to help the people of Thar. The Minister said Thar is part of Pakistan and it is our obligation to help the people of the area.

Govt taking measures to facilitate people: Khawaja Asif

SIALKOT: Federal Minister for Defence and Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif Sunday directed the government departments to utilize their full energies to serve the masses with devotion and dedication.

He said this while talking to party workers at his residence here.

MPAs Manshaullah Butt, Muhammad Ikram, Arshad Javaid Warraich and PML-N leaders Idrees Ahmed Bajwa, Shujaat Ali Pasha and others were also present.

Khawaja Asif said the government was fulfilling all its promises and making all-out sincere efforts to raise living standard of the people by ensuring an early and smooth provision of basic facilities to their door steps under a comprehensive multi-phased social welfare and development oriented programme.

He said the PML-N had successfully put the country on way to success after economical and political stability by taking very important decisions in the national interest.

The Minister said the PML-N government was implementing on several revolutionary and practical steps to steer the country and the nation out of energy crisis.

Earlier, the Minister listened to problems of the masses at his residence and issued orders on various applications.

KP govt announces aid package for Sindh drought-hit people

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a Rs100 million package for the drought-hit people in Sindh.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak directed PDMA to procure rice, flour, pulses, sugar, tea, cooking oil, dates, salt, potable water, milk and medicines from local markets and immediately dispatch them to the victims.

Expressing sorrow over the situation in Tharparkar, the chief minister said that the KP government would not leave the victims alone.