annaqued test post content

annaqued test post content

M&M launches Verito Vibe at a starting price of Rs 5.63 lakh

Heating up the competition in the auto industry, Mahindra & Mahindra on Wednesday launched the Verito Vibe compact car at a starting price of Rs 5.63 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).


The Verito Vibe will come in three variants D2 (Rs 5.63 lakh), D4 (Rs 5.89 lakh) and D6 (Rs 6.49 lakh). Vibe will be offered in seven colour variants.

The ARAI claimed fuel efficiency of the saloon is 20.8 km/litre. M&M is offering Verito Vibe with a 3 year/100,000 km warranty. The sub-4 metre car has the same 1.5-litre, 65PS dCi diesel unit that does duty on the Verito.

The car boasts of 330 litres of boot space. The latest offering from M&M is likely to compete with Maruti Swift, Toyota Liva and Honda Brio. According to M&M, the Verito Vibe is a wide bodied compact car that offers seating for three adults in the rear seat. The car boasts of three adjustable rear headrests. The vehicle has been designed with LED light streaming tail lamps on the C-pillar.

The D6 is also the only variant to come with safety features such as ABS with EBD, and driver airbag.

With an overall length at 3,991mm, the Verito Vibe falls well below the crucial 4-metre mark. This means that it can enjoy excise duty benefits.

Having a presence in the small car market will be a positive if demand returns in the next fiscal year.

"Verito Vibe gives us the opportunity to play in the large and highly competitive compact car segment," Pravin Shah, head of Mahindra's automotive division, told media.

The flagship company of the $16 billion Mahindra Group builds every other SUV sold in India, but its share in the segment fell to 48 per cent in the fiscal year that ended in March from 56 per cent a year earlier, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

In the passenger car segment, which excludes utility vehicles and vans, the company last year held less than 1 per cent of the market that is dominated by Maruti Suzuki.

Key to Mahindra holding its market share is not a small car but more SUV launches, some analysts say.

"Mahindra will continue to lose market share in the overall passenger vehicle industry, because of lack of new launches (by Mahindra) in the SUV segment and an extremely competitive environment thanks to launches by their competitors," said Yaresh Kothari, an auto analyst with Mumbai-based Angel Broking.

Renault SA's Duster has become popular in India since its introduction last year, and Mahindra must also compete with automakers including Ford Motor Co and Japan's Nissan Motor Co Ltd, both of which are expected to launch SUVs this year. 

Source  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/auto/automobiles/mm-launches-verito-vibe-at-a-starting-price-of-rs-5-63-lakh/articleshow/20441446.cms

Campaign to create awareness of traffic rules launched

The traffic police department launched a campaign in the city on Monday for creating awareness about traffic rules.Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Traffic Abdul Khalique Sheikh said the 13-day ‘Traffic Awareness Campaign 2013’ would continue till April 28.

“Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan and it is also the country’s hub of industrial and economic activity,” he said, adding that the volume of traffic had increased manifold in the metropolis in the past two decades.

The city is spread over 3,500 square kilometers and the length of its roads and streets is 30,000 kilometres. The length of roads with marked lanes is190 kilometres, and the total static traffic duty points are 970.

The total number of registered vehicles in Karachi is about 3.14 million and the number of vehicles increasing per day is 800 on average. The number of heavy and light vehicles entering the city daily is about 13,000 and the estimated number of commuters is six million.

Speaking at a media briefing, the traffic DIG said the manpower ratio to the numbers of vehicles and population was low.

“The total working strength of the traffic police is 3,349, while the number of registered vehicles is about three million, which means a ratio of 1:1,119. The city’s population is about 16 million, with its ratio to the traffic staffers standing at 1:5,971.”

Sheikh said the volume of traffic was more than the capacity of roads, and there was inadequate deployment of staffers due to a shortage of manpower. Other problems compounding traffic problems were encroachments, lack of parking places, illegal intercity and provincial bus terminals, damaged roads, development works, roads under construction, and excavation of roads and footpaths by civic agencies without prior notice and coordination with the traffic police, he noted.

Sheikh said most accidents took place due to negligence, reckless driving and speeding, unfamiliarity with rules, mechanical failures on major thoroughfares, defective traffic engineering, bad road conditions, inadequate pedestrian facilities, encroachments, lengthy court proceedings and a slow response to emergency.

To resolve the issues, he said, the traffic department had decided to adopt concrete measures. He pointed out a Command and Control Room had been established at the CPO, Karachi, 198 cameras installed at 40 important intersections, 10 main roads declared model roads with zero tolerance for violators, and 170 enforcement officers deployed in two shifts.

Car patrolling on important roads, i.e. Sharea Faisal, Korangi Road, Sunset Boulevard Road and Mai Kolachi Road, had been introduced and a vigilance team deployed to check the working and any irregularities committed by traffic field staff, he said.

Apart from that, traffic helpline ‘Rehnuma-1915’ is working round the clock and the minimum fine has been increased from Rs500 to Rs2,000 for different violations.

The DIG traffic said that for better traffic management they had made some suggestions, which included a mass transit system and the construction of roads on both embankments of the Malir River from the Malir bridge upto Khayaban-e-Ittehad, and as well as an elevated expressway from the West Wharf to the Northern Bypass. Parking Plazas in commercial areas like Saddar, Bolton Market, Tariq Road and Clifton have also been proposed. 

Source  http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-171594-Campaign-to-create-awareness-of-traffic-rules-launched

Caretaker setup : Civil society demands end to stalemate

A number of civil society groups came together to demand the end to a deadlock over the selection of the caretaker setup that is preventing a smooth transformation to the democratic process of elections in the country.

In a statement issued in Karachi on Tuesday the civil society groups observed that what was supposed to be a serious democratic exercise has turned into a point-scoring game with all political parties wanting their favourite candidate to be selected as the caretaker Prime Minister. Every political party has a list of candidates they support suggesting that knowingly or unknowingly all parties want the caretaker PM to favour their interests. This is a complete mockery of the democratic procedure that requires consensus on an individual with professional integrity and competency having the capability to implement the mandate of conducting free and fair elections.

The main qualification of a caretaker Prime Minister should be honesty, integrity, administrative and professional skills and respect for the rule of law. The caretaker PM’s job is to facilitate a set up to ensure impartial elections including facilitating conducive environment to ensure that the Election Commission carries out its job independent of any influences. The caretaker PM must also supervise that all sections of the population including women and minorities are able to exercise their right to cast vote without the interference of the outside forces. The caretaker setup should comprise members who represent and protect the interests of the marginalized, including workers, peasants and women.

The civil society groups also demanded that the suggested candidates having links with international financial institutions should be kept away from the democratic process. With all due respect to their credentials as competent professionals, they are also responsible for causing damage to the country’s economy and political and administrative set up because of the policies they sought to impose on direction from the international agencies. This is an issue of basic democratic principles. The caretaker set up’s job is merely to ensure free and fair elections. Favouring the proposed candidates for the purpose that they will help access concessions from the IMF is an undemocratic step.

The government is urged to refrain from sensationalizing the selection of the caretaker setup as that is not only preventing the smooth running of the affairs of the country, it is unnecessarily creating controversies that may harm the electoral process. The parties should develop a consensus soon and announce the caretaker government in the interest of protecting democracy that has repeatedly come under attack during the course of the last five years.

Citing the example of Fakhruddin G Ebrahim who was proposed as a candidate for the position of the Chief Election Commission Pakistan by the opposition party, the PML-N, and had the consensus of all political parties for his integrity, independence and professional ethics, it was suggested that a similar approach be adopted for the selection of the caretaker PM. An impartial caretaker set up is most critical for the smooth transition to the next democratically elected set up and only a candidate with no vested interests attached to any group or institution is capable of handling the job. pr

Source  http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\03\20\story_20-3-2013_pg7_17

Civil society protests Lyari student’s murder

A large number of civil society activists including students staged a protest demonstration before the Karachi Press Club here on Sunday and demanded immediate arrest of killers of Jamal Qadri, a BCom student belonging to Lyari.

The protestors said armed bandits targeted two twin brothers Jamal Qadri and Haider Qadri, sons of Dr Abdul Ghafoor Qadri of Lyari General Hospital, on January 2 while they were going to Karachi University from their house at Agra-Taj Colony. Jamal Qadri died on the spot while Haider Qadri sustained serious injuries and still fighting for life in a local hospital.

Students Action Committee leader Syed Abdul Rasheed, Human Rights Network chairman Intikhab Alam Soori, and other civil society leaders in their speeches said that today (Jan 27) was the birthday of slain Jamal Qadri.

They said the Supreme Court had taken notice of the murder of a posh area resident Shahbez, and it should also take notice of the murder of Jamal Qadri, a resident of poor slum area so that erroneous notion that law is there for the rich only could be proved wrong.

They gave the government ultimatum of three days to arrest the killers of Qadri and warned to take to streets along with the whole youth of the area if the government ignored their demand. 

Source   http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/01/28/city/karachi/civil-society-protests-lyari-students-murder/

Top 3 health tips: Add years to your life

Women's Health magazine, published by Rodale, has steps you can take right now to help prolong your life. Follow these tips to lengthen your life and be a little healthier along the way:

WHITTLE YOUR MIDDLE

1 Looking to whittle your middle? Avoiding processed foods with trans fats will help. Studies show that this type of fat packs on the most belly blubber, so limit yourself to 2 grams daily.

Women's Health magazine, published by Rodale, has steps you can take right now to help prolong your life. Follow these tips to lengthen your life and be a little healthier along the way:

WHITTLE YOUR MIDDLE

1 Looking to whittle your middle? Avoiding processed foods with trans fats will help. Studies show that this type of fat packs on the most belly blubber, so limit yourself to 2 grams daily.

Source  http://articles.mcall.com/2013-01-11/health/mc-top-3-health-tips-allentown-0112-20130111_1_studies-show-soy-risk-of-breast-cancer

Follow these tips for healthy holiday eating

Eating healthy and staying fit are not usually on the priority list during the holidays. But health experts say it is important to try to keep yourself on track during the season.

"People need to keep their current health routines going," said Becky Porter, a dietitian with the Tulsa City-County Health Department. "I know it's tempting to let the crazy, hectic holiday schedule take over, but people really need to work to make sure they're getting enough sleep and to maintain their exercise habits."

Don Wilber, a physician with the Oklahoma-based health maintenance organization GlobalHealth, said, "The CDC recently reported that the diabetes rate in Oklahoma has tripled over the last 15 years, which is largely a result of the increasing rate of obesity in our state. As such, it's important that we encourage Oklahomans to eat right and stay active by following a few simple steps, especially with the holidays in full swing."

Here are a few tips Porter and GlobalHealth recommend to help:

Plan ahead

Porter said planning ahead, whether you're eating out or heading to a party, can help you make better decisions.

Check menu nutrition information online before you head to a restaurant. If you're going to an evening party, save calories and prevent hunger by eating light, high-fiber meals during the day.

Pack healthy snacks

If you're going to be traveling a lot during the holidays, GlobalHealth suggests packing healthy snacks to help you avoid fast food.

Some options include fruit, granola bars and packets of almonds.

Limit the drinks

Porter advises keeping the alcohol to a minimum - approximately one drink for a woman and one to two for a man.

"It can weaken your resolve," she said.

Also, try to avoid drinking your calories.

Avoid soda, eggnog and other high-calorie drinks to make more room for food.

Break up exercise routine

If you have trouble keeping up your regular exercise routine because of a busy schedule, break it up into smaller pieces, suggests the GlobalHealth tipsheet.

Fit in a few 10-minute bursts of cardio when you have some time during the day.

Avoid the buffet table

To keep yourself from having seconds, fill your plate up once, then move away from the buffet table.

As Porter says, "Make the evening more about socializing."

Source   http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20121210_4_D2_CUTLIN944613

Pakistani military agitated with judiciary: Report

The Pakistani security establishment feels extremely agitated over a plethora of statements coming from the highest judicial circles, coupled with some recent court decisions which it believes were tantamount to undermining the Pakistan Army as an institution which should have been credited not only for strengthening democracy but also for ensuring the independence of the judiciary, news reports said .

Even though the restoration of the superior judiciary in 2009 became possible due to combined struggle of the lawyers, civil society, political parties and media, there are those in the security establishment who think otherwise and insist that the defiant judiciary owes its current independence to Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani who had played a vital role at the time of the March 2009 long march by the opposition to ensure the restoration of 100-plus deposed judges of superior courts, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, The News reported Friday.

The most recent development which seems to have really angered the establishment is the acceptance of an application by the Islamabad High Court, challenging the extension given to General Kayani as Army Chief in 2012.

But the most disturbing aspect of the petition for the khaki leadership is the impression created by the petitioner that the COAS was indulging in politics. Col (R) Inamur Rahim, the petitioner, has alleged in his November 12 application with the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court that the COAS had issued a political statement on November 5.

While seeking an early hearing of his intra-court appeal challenging Kayani’s extension, the petitioner has maintained that the November 5 statement by the Chief of Army Staff has disturbed the civil society and caused fears about the future of democracy in Pakistan.

The Colonel, who was subjected to severe torture on November 14 in Rawalpindi by unidentified assailants, has maintained in his November 12 application to the IHC Chief Justice: “Had General Kayani ever been a person subject to the Army Act 1952, he would not have dared to issue a political statement (advising the state institutions not to cross the limits prescribed in the Constitution) which is in clear violation of the oath of the office of a legitimate Army Chief”. 

A division bench of the IHC has accepted the application and put off the hearing of the case till the third week of November.

The Army Chief had stated on November 5 while talking to a group of Army officers in Rawalpindi: “Weakening of institutions and trying to assume more than one’s due role will set the country back. No individual or institution has the monopoly to decide what is right or wrong in defining the ultimate national interest”.

While the judicial circles in Islamabad believe that General Kayani’s statement carried veiled challenges to the superior judiciary, those in the military establishment insist that it was purely a non-political statement in which General Kayani had not named any of the institutions or individuals.

But the fact remains that Kayani had spoken the day (on November 5) Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry addressed the participants of the National Management Course in Lahore and redefined the term national security by describing the Supreme Court as the absolute authority with regard to the national interests of the state and adding that weapons alone could no longer assure national security.

It is largely assumed that General Kayani’s statement, which was officially provided to the media by the ISPR, was directed towards the superior judiciary whose verdict in the Asghar Khan case has not gone down well with the khakis.

However, a senior khaki official said General Kayani’s statement actually reflected the concerns of an important state institution which is being undermined not only by a ‘hyper active judiciary’ but also by an ‘increasingly reckless media’.

Source  http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pakistan-afghanistan/214693-pakistani-military-agitated-with-judiciary-report.html

'Innocence of Muslims' no longer innocent in Russia

Despite media reports claiming that Russia’s Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin will challenge the ban on the "Innocence of Muslims" film he is not going to do it, according to a posting on his website.

"During the hearings we spoke about a shortage of competitiveness in such hearings as an important procedural problem. But this has nothing to do with the assessment of the content of the "Innocence of Muslims" film," the posting says.

Meanwhile, President of the Chechen Republic has regarded the ban as positive sigh for Russia. “It’s a good example of a civilized approach to resolving the problem,” he said in a posting on his press service web-site.  “General Prosecutor’s office and the [Moscow] court demonstrated their vigor to withstand any attempts of breeding strife between citizens of the country on national and religious basis.”

Yesterday, a Moscow district court found the film “Innocence of Muslims” to be extremist and thereby approved a petition from the General Prosecutor’s office, which had argued that the film sows religious discord and provokes increased intolerance in society.

Marina Gridneva, official spokesperson for the General Prosecutor’s office, told RBC that the petition was made because the film includes video sequences and dialogue which imply that Islam and Muslims are inferior.

“A psychological and linguistic study of the film carried out at the request of the General Prosecutor’s office confirmed that its content is intended to provoke religious hatred and humiliate people on the basis of their ethnicity and religious affiliation,” Gridneva noted.

The court’s decision will now be sent to the Russian Ministry of Justice, which will include the video on its federal list of extremist materials.

The Leninsky district court in Grozny, Chechnya had previously found a trailer for the film to be extremist.

Under Russia law, such a decision by any court to ban extremist material automatically comes into effect throughout the entire country. At the same time, other Russian courts are also entitled to take decisions concerning such petitions by the Prosecutor’s Office. In the case of conflicting verdicts, the matter is resolved by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile service providers in some Russian regions put a temporary ban on access to YouTube last week on the basis of a letter from the Prosecutor’s Office.

Google’s Russian division has already stated that it’s prepared to block access to the film on YouTube as soon as it receives an instruction from a court to do so.

“Innocence of Muslims” was released at the beginning of September and featured content many Muslims found offensive. The film sparked a series of worldwide anti-American protests. The video is already blocked in a number of countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sudan, Egypt, Libya and Malaysia.

Source  http://rbth.ru/articles/2012/10/02/innocence_of_muslims_not_innocent_in_russia_18755.html

Pakistan's top court strikes down contempt law

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday struck down a recently passed law to protect the prime minister from being charged with contempt of court and ousted from office, like his predecessor, for refusing to reopen an old corruption case against the president.

The ruling comes less than a week before the deadline set by the court for the current premier, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, to tell the judges whether he will obey their order to write a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen the graft case.

The government and court have been locked in conflict over the issue since the beginning of the year, stoking political instability that has distracted from what many in the country see as more pressing problems, such as the struggling economy and a Taliban insurgency.

The court could repeatedly disqualify prime ministers over the issue, undermining the government and forcing an early national.

Parliament passed the new law in early July after former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was convicted of contempt and forced to step down. The law provided greater protection to the prime minister and other senior government officials against contempt charges.

The court struck down the law because it violated the basic principle of equality among the country's citizens, said Zafr Ullah, a lawyer who challenged the law.

The government has refused to reopen the corruption case against Zardari, saying he enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office. His supporters have accused the court of relentlessly pursuing the matter because of bad blood between Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and the president.

The new prime minister, Ashraf, has also indicated he has no plans to write the letter to Swiss authorities. If the court convicts him of contempt and orders his removal from office, the government would be forced to once again seek support in parliament to elect a new premier or call early national elections.

It's unclear which option the government would choose. The ruling Pakistan People's Party has been keen on holding elections as scheduled in early 2013 because it could then boast being the first civilian government to serve a full five-year term in the country's 65-year history. Past governments have been toppled by the direct or indirect intervention of the army, often with the help if the judiciary.

The case against Zardari relates to kickbacks he and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly received from Swiss companies when Bhutto was in power in the 1990s. They were found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003.

Zardari appealed, but Swiss prosecutors dropped the case after the Pakistani parliament passed an ordinance giving the president and others immunity from old corruption cases that many agreed were politically motivated.

The measure was criticized by many in Pakistan, who saw it as an attempt to subvert the law. The Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2009 and ordered the government to write to Swiss authorities requesting they reopen the case.

A Swiss prosecutor told the media last year that Geneva couldn't bring proceedings against Zardari because he has immunity as a head of state.

The Supreme Court has also said it would respect the president's immunity, but it still wants the government to write the letter to the Swiss and is frustrated the government has long disobeyed its orders to do so.

The court has ordered the government to declare whether it will write the letter by Aug. 8.

Source  http://www.nbc29.com/story/19187173/pakistans-top-court-strikes-down-contempt-law

No crime, no time

As I read York's two newspapers recently, I found it interesting to note how former Rep. Steve Stetler's friends and political cronies/pals reacted to his guilty verdicts on conflict-of-interest, criminal conspiracy, and the felonies of theft.

Steve Chronister, president York County Commissioner, said Mr. Stetler is a "good man" but "I certainly don't second-guess the jury" and "just hope an innocent man wasn't charged." Come on, Mr. Chronister, you do not want to second guess the jury but it seems like you just did. Commissioner Chronister then noted that prisons are for criminals, and Mr. Stetler is not a criminal in his book. Then what is he? An innocent non-criminal felon? Get real.

York City Councilman Henry Nixon was "saddened" by the verdict. I can buy that description. It is sad, but he then goes on to state, "If he ever did anything it was to better his community." Who knowingly commits numerous felonies "for the betterment of his community"? The "election system" is at fault. Not Mr. Stetler, but the system. Maybe the system should have just looked the other way since he was only trying to help his community. How thoughtful of him, looking out for all his district voters.

Former York Mayor John Brenner called the verdict a "tragedy." It did not have to be a tragedy, he never should have committed the felonies. It is as simple as that. No crime, no time. Play it straight and you do not have to worry about going to jail.

Source  http://www.ydr.com/letters/ci_21021704/no-crime-no-time

An unresponsive system

* Political will or interest alignment?

Often one hears that the state, though it might hold a position on principle, does not do anything about it because it lacks ‘political will’. When the Supreme Court decision on the Karachi suo moto was being analysed by politicians on various television channels, it was repeatedly said that the solutions had been pointed out but the government does not have the political will to do anything about it.

It is the same with the debate on education. Everybody agrees that all children in Pakistan should get quality education, yet the state is not doing anything about it. The Task Force on Education, set up by government, co-chaired by the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, had to argue that we need to impose an education emergency and had to resort to innovative marketing methods to reach out.

Why would one part of government have to do this sort of marketing and public cajoling to convince the rest of the government? Especially when rest of the government is also from the same political party, and it was the party head and the president of the country who had set up the task force in the first place? Not that there was any success even after that: we are still going our merry way. But, most people end up saying, the government does not have the political will to change education sector.

Is it really a question of political will? And more importantly, what is political will? Or is it a matter of interests? The players in question, individually and at group level, do not have any interest in addressing these questions. They might find a position morally, socially, or politically difficult to refute and they might, intellectually, agree with it too, and/or pay lip service to it. But if it is not in their personal, class or group interest, will they be willing to spend their effort or political capital on achieving it? For most politicians in Pakistan where it is not a matter of ideology or commitment to common good that makes politicians enter politics or continue in it, it seems private or group interests would trump any public considerations.

When we puzzle as to why the government and elected representatives do not make public schools better and improve quality, the question is why should they? It might be in the public interest, but the children of politicians do not go to these schools, and the politicians also know that it is not by improving education that they are going to be re-elected. It is by appeasing the establishment, getting the right ticket, and/or appeasing some biraderi groups that elections are won. Why should they spend any effort on the public school system? This is not a question of something called political will; it is purely a game of interests.

It is easy for opposition members to blame the government and/or the party in power. But in Pakistan right now, almost all the parties are either in a coalition with the main party or are in power in one of the provinces. Yet, we do not see the game being any different in these provinces too.

If PPP lacks the political will to do anything in education at the centre or in Sindh, what has stopped ANP, PML(N) or MQM from doing things in places where they are in power? Or, given that many school reforms are at the level of school or district and MNA/MPAs get funds for development for their constituencies, what have they done for public schools in their respective constituencies.

Conversations with several MNAs have revealed that they feel that since parents do not come to them articulating the need for improvements in quality of education in public schools, they have no incentive to take anything to their party leaders or do anything about education themselves. But they do agree, and wholeheartedly, that education is important and every child has a right to good quality education.

Given there is little chance that our political system will take a more ideological turn where people and parties will try to get into power to implement a defined and announced ideological agenda, at least in the short to medium run, we have to look to finding ways of how the interests of those in power can be aligned with the interest of the governed.

Elections are definitely a way of creating a feedback loop from citizens to elected representatives on the kind of governance they have been providing. But elections are too infrequent and there are too many issues to really make elections biting for any one issue, unless the issue assumes lexicographic importance in the agenda of citizens. Since there are usually a number of things that citizens care about, for example, infrastructure facilities, health, education, and law and order, periodic elections will not be enough.

What are needed are some other and more frequently available feedback loops between the governors and the governed. An idea that Immanuel Kant also talked about and developed was of public space. He had argued that the newly developing public space, that the civil society (for him civil society was any person who was using public space for public reasons) has, could be a way of providing that loop. Right now our media is probably offering that opportunity, though its usage needs to be improved. More importantly, the same kind of loops need to be created at local levels also, using local media, maybe FM radio channels and other public fora.

The idea of public space and its usage, in the Pakistani context, as a means of providing a feedback loop and connection between the governors and the governed needs more development and we will come back to this issue in subsequent articles. But for the moment, I just wanted to argue for and demonstrate that the talk of political will seems like barking up the wrong tree. The real issue is individual and group interests and their alignment with public interest.

Source http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/10/an-unresponsive-system/

Why penalize the innocent victims?

One who has violated the law should suffer the consequences of his or her actions. On the other hand, the victim of an offense should be compensated. But this is not the case for hundreds of Filipino teachers in Maryland.

The United States-based teachers were the victims of their employer’s violations of the working visa program. Yet, these Filipino teachers will suffer the consequences of those violations.

From 2005 until 2009, Filipino teachers were recruited to work for the Prince George County Public Schools (PGCPS) in Maryland. Most of them paid more than $10,000 to a recruitment agency to cover “processing” costs which included, among others, the cost of their working visas.

After an investigation, the US Department of Labor found that the school district had failed to comply with wage requirements as well as various violations of the conditions of the visa issuance. The employer and interested parties were given 15 days to appeal the decision dated April 4, 2011.

Strong agreement

On July 7, 2011 the Department of Labor issued a public statement announcing that an “agreement” was reached wherein the employer would reimburse teachers their back wages (about $4,000 each) and the cost of their visa petitions. The assessment came up to $4.22 million for 1,044 teachers.

Included in the agreement was a “debarment” against the employer, prohibiting them from filing new working visa petitions, renewing visa petitions that were expiring; and filing immigrant visa petitions for their employees.

Those teachers who already have immigrant green cards will not be affected by the debarment. Unfortunately, many are still holding temporary working visas. Since the agreement was reached on July 7, 2011 termination letters have already been sent to those whose visas are expiring in July and August 2011.

Debarment is intended to punish the employer but it has an adverse effect on the employees.

Depriving these teachers the opportunity to extend their visas is an unfair result of a penalty due to the employer’s misdeeds.

At the time when former President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Law, these highly qualified Filipino teachers filled up positions and diligently practiced their professions both in non-critical and critical areas. Some of the teachers left promising careers and relocated their families. The monetary compensation in back wages and reimbursements is insignificant compared to the loss of their jobs.

They are not lawbreakers

The agreement reached between the DOL and the PGCPS appears not to have included the affected teachers during the negotiation. Instead of the agreement, a hearing on the matter should have been conducted to prove that the acts of PGCPS did not amount to a “willful” violation warranting a debarment. At the very least, the teachers who have served the children of PGCPS for many years must be exempt from the ‘debarment’ and should be allowed the opportunity to renew their visas. If not, prosecutorial discretion on the part of the Department of Homeland Security must be favorably exercised. For after all, the teachers are the victims and not the lawbreakers.

Source http://globalnation.inquirer.net/7111/why-penalize-the-innocent-victims

Take 2: 56ers, Fire to play Wednesday

It was a strange night of soccer Tuesday at Breese Stevens Field. And in the end, not very much soccer.

The Madison 56ers and the Chicago Fire's Premier Development League played just more than 17 minutes of their second-round U.S. Open Cup match before the game was halted by lightning with the Fire ahead 1-0.

A little more than 2 hours later, officials postponed the match, which will be replayed in its entirety at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Breese Stevens. The 56ers announced that admission will be free.

"It's a little weird. (Stuff) happens," 56ers coach Jim Launder said.

"It's good and bad. It's a replay, so we just erase the goal and start over. It's not good because we lost a huge fan night ... It's not good because we'll play in a dead stadium tomorrow, because nobody will be here at 4 p.m. And it's not good because I think we're going to be missing two players, maybe three."

The Fire certainly wanted the game to resume, having taken the early lead on Chris Estridge's goal in the ninth minute.

Indiana midfielder Harrison Petts, who pounded a shot from 23 yards out off the corner of the crossbar and left post in the fourth minute, chipped a ball for Estridge over the 56ers' backline and the Wake Forest midfielder calmly finished against Madison goalkeeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette).

Estridge raced over to celebrate with about 25 members of the Fire's Section 8 supporters group who made the trip north. They lived up to their reputation, pounding on drum, singing songs and waving massive flags.

Four minutes later, Fire forward Paulo Vaz also got in behind the 56ers' backline, but Dillman made a sliding save on the Lynn University striker.

"Two times when we didn't get pressure on the ball and we didn't step back and we just let guys run in behind us," said Launder, who added that he would re-evaluate his lineup overnight. "I wasn't impressed with our defensive stance. All of our backs did the same thing, they all just stopped."

Referee Margaret Domka suspended play 17 minutes, 19 seconds into the match as storms rolled into the area and lightning was spotted. Heavy rains followed, and intermittent showers and lightning persisted. All the while, the Section 8 group kept drumming and singing.

"It was a little surreal," Fire PDL coach Mark Spooner said. "We were trying to get updates and (the officials) weren't that forthcoming with them, so it was frustrating. But it is what is; nobody can do anything about the weather.

"The thing that I don't like, obviously, is now you start 0-0 again for 90 minutes. I would think that there would be a better method than that in a competition like this."

If the match had reached 45 minutes, it would have been declared a result.

However, for the game to be resumed, 20 minutes needed to pass without lightning in the area, and there still were regular flashes in the skies as the teams left the stadium. Also, the lights at Breese Stevens need to be turned off by 11 p.m. due to a local ordinance.

"They would want to get that half game in and win the game – I would, too," Launder said. "It wasn't going to happen."

So for the Fire, it was yet another night spent in a hotel. They had three road matches last week and have logged more than 1,500 miles during trips to Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin.

"It's just one thing after another," said Spooner, whose team requested Wednesday's replay be moved to 4 p.m. from the scheduled 7 p.m. start time to help them get back to Chicago earlier with a PDL match Friday.

"You know, though, it's good for their development. This whole program is designed around them becoming pros, and this is part of it. We have to react now to it and see where we can go."

Speaking late Tuesday night, Spooner said when they got to the hotel, there weren't enough rooms.

"What a fun night," he deadpanned.

Source http://www.wisconsinsoccercentral.com/amateur/madison-56ers-npsl/3148-take-2-56ers-fire-to-play-wednesday

Justice Breyer lecture will draw crowd

An appearance Tuesday night by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will be widely attended, so much so, the event had to be moved to accommodate a larger crowd.

The event, originally scheduled at the Clinton Presidential Center, has been moved to the Statehouse Convention Center. The lecture will take place in the Wally Allen Ballroom from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Justice Breyer will discuss his book, "Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View", which focuses one chapter on Little Rock's 1957 desegregation crisis at Central High School.

A book signing will follow the lecture.

President Bill Clinton appointed Breyer to the high court in 1994.

Source http://www.katv.com/story/14389149/justice-breyer-lecture-will-draw-crowd

The consequences of neediness

ALL around Pakistan, in workplaces and in homes, the whisper is: change is imminent, matters are very far from being business as usual and something has to give.

Will it? That depends on how you define change. Change in the social fabric, change in those at the helm of government, change in the mode of government? Pakistan is learning that there will be no revolution here. We already had one, when we ousted an unpopular dictatorship. Now, all we have to do is wait and we can bring about a revolution through the ballot box. We can simply vote the government out.

Yet it seems that a lot of people deeply desire change, of any sort perhaps, because for many of the citizens the current situation, all said and done, is untenable. The reason for the existence of a state and its government, regardless of the form, is the citizenry’s welfare. And Pakistan has over decades failed to make that a priority in any meaningful terms.

The citizenry’s welfare translates in actual terms to the availability of and easy — or at least unimpeded — access to fundamentals such as safety, education, housing, health and economic opportunity. Other rights include freedom of expression and religion, equality before the law, a milieu free from discrimination, oppression and religious, sectarian, ethnic or racially motivated violence.

Compare these ideals to the realities of Pakistan. We know the status of religious and constitutional freedoms. We only have to remember Aasia Bibi, Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti and countless less well-known victims. An environment free of discrimination? Well, turn your attention towards Balochistan. Safety and security? Everybody knows the answer to that one. Human rights abuses? The courts are looking into the ‘missing persons’ cases.

Malnutrition levels in parts of Sindh have been compared to those prevailing in Chad and Niger. One in every four children in the country is in the category of severe malnutrition.

Data gathered by the UN World Food Programme and backed up by research conducted by other international and local agencies shows that the poorest households in the country are being forced to spend over 70 per cent of their income on just food, even after having cut down on their caloric intake. That means that people who made do with one roti now probably depend on half to keep body and soul together. Education? Of all the world’s out-of-school children, one in 10 is a Pakistani. A recent report titled Education Emergency tells us that if current trends are maintained, there is no chance at all of Pakistan meeting the 2015 millennium development goals of education.

Meanwhile, our population continues to grow at a frightening pace. Also, and perhaps as a result of all the above factors, violence increases, extremism takes root, frustration and inter-class divides grow.

All these factors are raising the levels of desperation in the country, and that desperation is manifesting itself in many cases of militancy, terrorism and crime. Recall that the people of Swat were initially brought around to offering support to the Taliban because of the latter’s promise of speedy and equitable justice. In Pakistan, the breakdown of the rule of law seems to be driven in no small part by sheer need.

I remember reading a report last year that the average Pakistani family’s per capita income has become fixed at $1,000. That was last year. Inflation and the cost of living have risen since then. The report contrasted this with theorists’ calculation that citizens in the modern world require an average per capita family income in the range of $3,000 to consider themselves stakeholders in the political process and be interested in sustaining a liberal democracy.

While one can cast doubt on the methodologies used in reaching such hard figures, one only has to look around to see that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis want for safe drinking water, food, education, affordable energy, employment opportunities, healthcare … the list seems endless. Literacy and dignity feel like a distant goal when even security and health are unavailable.

Rising crime, terrorism, militancy, secessionist tendencies — amongst other factors — these are all indicators of the citizenry’s growing lack of faith in the state’s ability to protect them or to make their welfare a priority. Defiance of law is a result of a social contract that is collapsing.

According to the social contract theory, civil rights bestowed in a state are neither natural nor permanent. The contract between state and citizenry is a means to an end: the benefit of all. The argument is that the social contract is legitimate to the extent that it meets the general interest.

Since civil rights come from agreeing to the contract, those who choose to violate their contractual obligations, such as by committing crimes, abdicate their rights and the rest of society can be expected to protect itself by punishing outlaws. When failings develop in the contract, people renegotiate through methods such as elections to change the terms. In worst cases, there is violence.

The social contract theory holds that for a country to continue to survive as a viable entity, amongst the essentials is a citizenry that believes in and counts itself as a stakeholder in the political process.

According to the 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, without a political government mankind’s ‘natural’ state would be a war of every man against the other, since they would compete over resources. Each person would have a licence to pursue everything in the world, inevitably leading to conflict.

To prevent this, men accede to a social contract and establish a civil society, which Hobbes defined as a population beneath a sovereign authority to whom all individuals cede certain ‘natural’ rights for the sake of protection. They gain rights in exchange for subjecting themselves to law or political authority.

If people gain no benefit from subjecting themselves to the political authority of the state, they might consider the contract broken. And so we have one facet of Pakistan’s situation. We agreed to be ruled by the state and its government in return for gaining liberties and protections. Over years filled with pain, it has become evident that few of these have been forthcoming.

Source http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/28/the-consequences-of-neediness.html

Campaign to support landless female farmers launched

On the occasion of 100th International Women’s Day (IWD), ActionAid launched a campaign to support landless women farmers in securing their right to land.

Women’s right to land includes their access, control and ownership of the land and other productive resources. The campaign launch was announced here on Tuesday in a press conference attended by landless women peasants, civil society representatives and development workers.

Women’s right to land campaign in Pakistan has its roots in ’HungerFree Women Campaign’ launched back in 2007. Since then, ActionAid has proactively taken up women farmer’s issues particularly denial of their right to land which results in their political, social and economic subjugation.

The major milestone of the years-long struggle is allocation of land to landless women peasants by the Government of Sindh. Interestingly, it allocated 70% of the land to poor landless women whereas the remaining 30% was allocated to other landless peasants.

However, after the recent flood disaster, women farmers are once again faced with issues land re-demarcation and resettlement.

"Women work three times over men farmers but are still not recognized as farmers. We can counter rising hunger and food insecurity by supporting women farmers who grow more than 80% of food in Pakistan. They are subject to multi-faceted injustice - they are paid no reward against the farm labour and household chores they do on daily basis. " Says ActionAid Pakistan’s Country director Jemal Ahmed.

On top of that, women suffer violence in the name of tradition and culture such as early marriage, exchange marriage, honour killing, no share in inheritance or property, lack of reproductive rights and absolute poverty. Of all human rights abuses, violence against women is the most systematic and accepted because; in so many places it is considered ’normal’, which is unacceptable." He adds.

Speaking at a press conference arranged at National press club Islamabad, ActionAid’s women’s rights officer Rukhsana Shama said "women farmers are subject to all forms of subjugation and discrimination. If we want to end hunger, we must support women landless women to access, own and control food producing resources including land."

Women peasants from different parts of the country shared how unjustly they had been treated by their male counter parts in all spheres of life. Saba, a women farmer for Kot Adu, Neelum Bahar a women farmer and hari activist from Nawabshah and Gulshan Sultana, a social worker from Dera Ghazi Khan shared their experiences terming gender violence and economic injustice as the two major hurdles in the way of securing women’s equal status in the society.

In the end, the participants asked all stakeholders particularly the media , civil society and concerned citizens to come forward and join hands with them in securing their entitlements as women farmers.

They demanded that women should be acknowledged as farmers and for putting an end to violence against women that is being carried out in the name of culture and tradition.

Source http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=176151

Blasts near police stations wound 2 in Pakistan

Pakistani police say small bombs near two police stations in the country's largest city have wounded two people.

Officer Irshad Sehar says Monday's bombings in Karachi were several miles (kilometers) apart. He says they caused minor damage.

Sehar says the apparently coordinated explosions were meant to create fear and panic in the city of 14 million people.

Karachi is a chaotic city where criminal, political and militant violence is common.

Source http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/blasts-near-police-stations-829405.html

$1.3B World Trade Center Bonds 'Temporarily Shelved' -Source

A $1.3 billion tax-exempt bond deal to help finance one of the World Trade Center towers has been "temporarily shelved" due to volatile conditions in the municipal bond market, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. 

The offering--which will help finance 4 World Trade Center, a 1.8 million-square-foot tower already under construction in Lower Manhattan--is expected ...

Source  http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110114-713167.html

New movie showcases 'pure magic' of India

Film fans can catch flights to India this year and follow in the footsteps of the stars of West is West, the sequel to the award-winning East is East, which is set to be released on 25 February.

Jet Airways said that people who are inspired by the 'beautiful cinematography' of the new movie can discover some of its locations for themselves.

Much of the film was shot on location in India, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Speaking about the experience of filming in the country, producer Leslee Udwin commented on the 'pure magic that inexplicably takes place' there.

Director Andy de Emmony said: 'We tried to find locations where the flat land met the mountains and the Shivalik range at the foothills of the Himalayas near Chandigarh was where [we] found it. The set was fantastic from my point of view - very real.'

Jet Airways was the official airline partner for West is West and regularly carried the production team to various cities in India over a number of months.

The airline operates daily flights from London Heathrow to Chandigarh via Delhi.

Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!

Source  http://news.opodo.co.uk/NewsDetails/2011-01-10/New_movie_showcases__pure_magic__of_India