November 2011 ~ Pakistan News Fan

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Russia launches Chinese satellite

07:52 Noman Ahmed No comments

MOSCOW: A Russian Proton-M rocket completed the successful launch Saturday of an advanced Chinese communications satellite that should help expand television coverage in parts of Southeast Asia. The Roscosmos space agency said the AsiaSat 7 satellite was placed in its designed orbit after being launched from the Baikonur space centre in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan. The mission was accomplished after a recent string of Russian space failures that included the botched launch this summer of what was billed...

Samsung wins appeal in Apple tablet battle

07:41 Noman Ahmed No comments

SYDNEY: South Korean electronics giant Samsung Wednesday won its appeal against a temporary ban on sales of its Galaxy tablet device in Australia, a rare victory in its legal battle with rival Apple. The Federal Court of Australia in Sydney lifted the ban on the sale of the Galaxy 10.1 Tab ahead of a final hearing, with the US giant claiming the device copies its iPad computer. But Apple immediately won a stay of orders, meaning that Samsung will not be able to sell the Galaxy in Australia until 0500 GMT Friday. "The appeal will be allowed,"...

Toyota unveils high-tech concept car

07:35 Noman Ahmed No comments

TOKYO: Toyota's president unveiled a futuristic concept car resembling a giant smartphone to demonstrate how Japan's top automaker is trying to take the lead in technology at the upcoming Tokyo auto show. Toyota Motor Corp. will also be showing an electric vehicle, set for launch next year, and a tiny version of the hit Prius gas-electric hybrid at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public this weekend. But the automaker's president, Akio Toyoda, chose to focus on the experimental Fun-Vii,...

Vending machine offers DIY banners at Dutch airport

07:20 Noman Ahmed No comments

AMSTERDAM: Ever wanted to meet and greet your loved ones at the airport to be sure they don't miss you in the crowds? Then try Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, which now has the world's first vending machine capable of printing out personalized giant canvas banners in just a few minutes. You can pick your message, whether that is "Missed you Mummy," "I love you," "Will you marry me?," or anything else that makes you stand out from the crowd, choose the font and background design, pay between four...

The shark, a predator turned prey

07:09 Noman Ahmed No comments

BERGEN: Sharks may strike terror among swimmers at the beach but the predators are increasingly ending up as prey, served up in fish-and-chips shops, sparking concern among environmentalists. The great white shark, the one that most frequently comes to mind, is a protected species -- though that hasn't prevented its stocks from declining -- but tens of millions of other sharks are caught each year by fishermen. Why are they in such demand? Their fins are the main ingredient in shark fin soup,...

Woman gives birth at airport restroom

07:06 Noman Ahmed No comments

WASHINGTON: A woman gave birth in a restroom at Baltimore's airport after arriving on a flight, an airport spokesman said on Monday. The woman gave birth to a boy on Sunday afternoon at Concourse D of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the spokesman said. Police and emergency medical personnel were called to the restroom and a Maryland Transportation Authority police officer assisted at the birth, he said. The woman and the baby were transported to the Baltimore-Washington...

What would Mars probe failure mean for Russian space?

06:46 Noman Ahmed No comments

As Russian hopes of reviving the stranded Phobos-Grunt space probe fade, the nation's entire planetary exploration programme for the next decade hangs in limbo.Designed to bring samples of ancient soil from the mysterious Martian moon Phobos, the spacecraft got stuck in low-Earth orbit immediately after its launch on 9 November. If all attempts to restore the contact with the probe fail, Russian scientists, and many of their colleagues abroad, would lose a unique opportunity for planetary research,...

US hits Iran with new sanctions

06:44 Noman Ahmed No comments

WASHINGTON: The United States announced fresh sanctions against Iran's energy sector Monday and warned firms against dealing with its banks as it pressed Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons drive. 'The message is clear,' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. 'If Iran's intransigence continues it will face increasing pressure and isolation. Today the United States is taking a series of steps to sharpen this choice.' Clinton, unveiling what she called a 'significant ratcheting up of pressure on Iran,' said the United States was targeting Iran's...

Army denies Taliban talks

06:43 Noman Ahmed No comments

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army has strongly denied media reports that they were in talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A spokesperson for the ISPR said the Army was not undertaking and kind of negotiations with the TTP or its affiliated militants. Such reports are concocted, baseless and unfounded, he added. Any contemplated negotiation/reconciliation process with militant groups has to be done by the government, the spokesperson concluded.Reads m...

London 2012 Olympics fraudsters on their marks

06:38 Noman Ahmed No comments

In eight months time, athletes on the Olympic track or cyclists in the London 2012 velodrome will be seeking out their opponents' weak spots and taking the chance to strike for gold.Outside the Olympic Park, fraudsters and counterfeiters will be doing much the same, as they try to trick the many visitors to the Games out of their money. From accommodation and parking to tickets and merchandise, these con artists will be taking every opportunity to make money from the festival of sport coming to the UK. That is the warning from trading standards...

Haqqani meets civil, military leadership

06:36 Noman Ahmed No comments

Updated at: 1558 PST, Tuesday, November 22, 2011 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani is meeting with the country’s top civilian and military leadership, Geo News reported. The meeting which is taking place at the presidency is being attended by the President, Prime Minister, Army chief and the ISI chief. Haqqani is briefing the participants of the high-level meeting about the memo. Since his arrival, the Pakistan's Ambassador to the US has been advocating that an investigation should be conducted into the...

How much privacy can smartphone owners expect?

06:34 Noman Ahmed No comments

The US Supreme Court could soon allow police to monitor the movements of US mobile phone users without a warrant. Now that most of us carry sophisticated tracking devices in our pockets, how much privacy do we have a right to expect?Millions of us happily invade our own privacy every day on Twitter and Facebook, sharing personal details with the world and broadcasting our location in a way previous generations would have found bizarre. Even those who shy away from social media and new technology in general are not immune. The most basic mobile...

No more excuses – leading companies in WWF Scorecard show sustainable palm oil sourcing is possible now

06:32 Noman Ahmed No comments

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – Companies in Europe, Australia and Japan are buying more certified sustainable palm oil than ever before, but urgent action is still needed to avoid the irreversible loss of tropical forests, according to WWF’s latest assessment of the industry that buys palm oil. “It’s never been easier for companies to be responsible about the palm oil they use,” said Adam Harrison, Senior Policy Officer for WWF UK and WWF’s representative on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Executive Board. “There are options available...

World's 'lightest material' unveiled by US engineers

06:31 Noman Ahmed No comments

A team of engineers claims to have created the world's lightest material.The substance is made out of tiny hollow metallic tubes arranged into a micro-lattice - a criss-crossing diagonal pattern with small open spaces between the tubes. The researchers say the material is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and has "extraordinarily high energy absorption" properties. Potential uses include next-generation batteries and shock absorbers. The research was carried out at the University of California, Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute...

Scanners could reduce number of autopsies

06:30 Noman Ahmed No comments

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Egypt unrest: Protesters gather for Tahrir Square rally

06:23 Noman Ahmed No comments

Egyptians are gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a mass protest to put pressure on the military to speed up the transfer of power.Violence broke out again in streets close to the square and a BBC correspondent there describes the situation as volatile. Three days of clashes between security forces and protesters have left at least 28 dead and hundreds wounded. The unrest has thrown into doubt elections due to be held next week. Demonstrators are concerned that the military intends to hold on to power, whatever the outcome of the vote. The military...

Defiant Asif changes defence team for appeal

06:16 Noman Ahmed No comments

LONDON: Cricketer Muhammad Asif has changed his legal defence team to launch an appeal against his conviction and sentence, this significant development has been disclosed by a credible source to The News/Geo. Asif was given a 12 months prison sentence whilst ex-captain Salman Butt was jailed for 30 months, and Mohammed Amir received a six month term for their participation in a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test match against England. Butt and Amir have appealed against their sentences but not their convictions. Their appeal will be heard...

Weightless US teachers eye giant science leap

06:12 Noman Ahmed No comments

LONG BEACH: "Excited," "nervous," "terrified" - just three emotions described by a group of US teachers about to take a dizzying "weightless" flight all for the cause of science, naturally. The 30 classroom professionals donned blue "astronaut" jumpsuits to defy gravity in the skies above California, in a project designed to help them capture the imagination of young science students. On the back of her jumpsuit, teacher Michelle Luke taped a drawing made by her pupils at Manhattan Beach Middle School, southwest of Los Angeles, showing two figures...

3-day gas outage to kill textiles: APTMA

06:07 Noman Ahmed No comments

PESHAWAR: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Chairman, Mohsin Aziz has said that three-day gas outage would bring the textile industry to a grinding halt, Geo News reported. Talking to Geo News here, he said that myriad of crises has already thrown so many spanners in the works and denying us gas would prove last nail in the coffin of this threadbare industry. The worst hit would be textile exports, he said warning depriving industry of gas for almost half-a-week would only add to closures and subsequent unemployment bringing more...

لیبیا پر42 سالہ حکمرانی کا سورج غروب!!!

05:56 Noman Ahmed No comments

ظہیر اعوان لیبیا پر42 سالہ حکمرانی کا سورج بالآخر غروب ہوگیا۔مغرب کی آنکھوں میں کھٹکنے والا اور ایک وقت میں عالم اسلام کا ہیرو معمر قذافی اپنے ہی ملک کے لوگوں کی نفرت کی بھینٹ چڑھ گیا۔ انجام وہی ہواجو ہر آمر کا ہوتا ہے۔کل کا مطلق عنان ، 42برس تک لیبیا کی قلم رو پر بلا شرکت غیرے حکومت کرنے والا قذافی دنیا سے رخصت ہوا تو لوگ جشن منارہے تھے۔ صدام کی طرح قذافی بھی اپنے آبائی شہر کی ایک سرنگ سے برآمد ہوا اور مخالفین کی تڑتڑاتی گولیوں کا نشانہ بن گیا۔ یہ ہردل عزیز شخصیت کیوں عوام کے غیض و غضب کا نشانہ بن گئی ، یہ امر قابل غور ہے۔ اگر تیونس اور مصر کی...

Samsung holds final talks on Google TV venture

05:54 Noman Ahmed No comments

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics is holding final talks with Google about launching a television using the US search giant's software platform next year, an executive of the South Korean company said Tuesday. Yoon Boo-Keun, president of the visual display division, declined to elaborate on the timing of the launch saying only that Samsung would not unveil the new model at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Samsung is the world's largest maker of flat-screen televisions, but wants to offer more high-tech models such as smart TVs...

منصور اعجاز کا خط .... حقیقت کیا ہے؟

05:51 Noman Ahmed No comments

فنانشل ٹائمز میں شائع ہونے والے ایک مضمون نے پاکستانی اور امریکی قصرنشینوں کی خواب گاہوں اور غلام گردشوں میں ہلچل مچا دی ہے۔ مضمون نگار پاکستانی امریکن بزنس مین منصور اعجاز ہیں جنہوں نے مبینہ طور پر صدر مملکت آصف علی زرداری اور امریکی فوج کے کمانڈر ایڈمرل مائیک مولن میں ہونے والی خفیہ مراسلت کا پردہ چاک کرتے ہوئے ان اطلاعات و خدشات کو تقویت فراہم کردی ہے کہ حکومت اور فوج کے مابین تعلقات میں سب اچھا نہیں ہے۔منصور اعجاز نے اپنے مضمون میں فوج کو سخت تنقید کا نشانہ بنایا ہے۔اس خفیہ مراسلت کے ایک اہم کردار کے طور پر امریکا میں پاکستان کے سفیر حسین حقانی...

No evidence Zardari sent memo: Pentagon

05:45 Noman Ahmed No comments

PENTAGON: Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby has said that the memo sent by Pakistani origin US citizen Mansoor Ijaz was not credible and Mike Mullen was confident that it was not sent by President Zardari. In a statement, Pentagon Spokesman Kirby said former US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen neither knew Mansoor Ijaz and nor did he ever communicate with him. Kirby said Admiral Mullen knew intermediary who brought secret memo to him, adding that the memo was not signed and was not credible. There was nothing in the memo that indicated...

Suicide jacket defused near secret agency office

05:42 Noman Ahmed No comments

ISLAMABAD: Security forces found an abandoned suicide jacket near the office of a secret agency on Tuesday, Geo News reported. The jacket was immediately defused by the bomb disposal squad that was immediately called in by the police. Police and security officials cordoned off the office after the jacket was found outside the office building. According to police, security personnel saw a suspected person in front of the office main entrance located in Shakarparian area of the federal capital who later flee into woods abandoning the jacket. Police...

Mukhtar not aware of Gen. Pasha, Mansoor Ijaz meeting

05:38 Noman Ahmed No comments

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar while speaking to Geo News said he was not aware of a meeting between ISI chief Shuja Pasha and US businessman Mansoor Ijaz. Mukhtar said that US Ambassador to Pakistan Husain Haqqani would be meeting with the country’s top leadership over the course of the next few days. Mukhtar also endorsed the notion that those involved in the memo scandal should stand trial. Earlier while talking to media here, Mukhtar said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was investigating the matter and the results...

Haqqani meets Zardari; ready to hand over Blackberry

10:58 Noman Ahmed No comments

ISLAMABAD: The beleaguered Pakistani Ambassador in the US Hussain Haqqani Sunday called on President Asif Ali Zardari, Geo News reported. According to sources, the details of the meeting are being kept away from media attention Read more...

Academic concerns

10:54 Noman Ahmed No comments

Francis Robinson is Professor of History of South Asia, Royal Holloway, the University of London. Robinson’s special area of interest is South Asian history, particularly the Mughal period. He has held senior academic positions in prominent institutions and has observed European and Muslim societies with a keen eye. Amongst his publications are: Separatism Among Indian Muslims (Cambridge 1974). Atlas of the Islamic World since 1500 (Oxford, 1982);Read m...

Energy Solar solution

10:49 Noman Ahmed No comments

Instead of investing heavily in the oil-run power plants, the government should explore the abundant solar energy potential for power generation By Tahir Ali Though Pakistan is beset with an acute energy crunch, it has failed to exploit the huge hydel power resources as well as the abundant solar energy potential for the power generation purposes for years. The resourceful but unfortunate country...

Significance Of 11/11 In Britain And Mischief Of A Tiny Muslim Group

10:46 Noman Ahmed No comments

The 11th of November has a very special connotation in Britain and in many European countries that together formed the so-called Entente Powers during the First World War. Celebrated throughout the country as Armistice or Remembrance Day, it marks the day in 1918 when an armistice was signed to bring a formal conclusion to that war, a long and brutal confrontation which, by the time it had ended, had resulted in almost fifteen million deaths with another twenty million suffering casualties....

منصور اعجاز کا خط .... حقیقت کیا ہے؟

10:39 Noman Ahmed No comments

EU agrees 2pc budget rise for 2012

07:40 Noman Ahmed No comments

BRUSSELS: European Union negotiators agreed to a two percent rise in the bloc's budget for next year to 129 billion euros ($174 billion), following more than fifteen hours of talks which ended in the early hours of Saturday morning. The deal was seen as a victory for cash-strapped capitals grappling with Europe's debt crisis, which had opposed demands by EU lawmakers to increase the budget by more than 5 percent.Read m...

Syria 'will not bow down' to foreign pressure: Assad

07:38 Noman Ahmed No comments

LONDON: President Bashar al-Assad said Syria would not bow down in the face of mounting international pressure over his lethal crackdown on dissent, in an interview with The Sunday Times. Assad told the British weekly newspaper he was "definitely" prepared to fight and die for Syria if faced with foreign intervention. "This goes without saying and is an absolute," he said.Read m...

Reema Khan’s ‘Rukhsati’

07:38 Noman Ahmed No comments

RICHMOND: Lollywood Barbie doll Reema Khan, the bride and Dr. Tariq Shahab, the bridegroom attired in their traditional wedding dresses arrived at the ‘Rukhsati’ ceremony being held at Tysons Corners local hotel in the US State Virginia, Geo News reported.Read m...

Pakistan bat in fourth Sri Lanka match

07:36 Noman Ahmed No comments

United Arab Emirates: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth day-night international at Sharjah stadium here on Sunday. Pakistan, who lead the series 2-1, made two changes from the line-up which won the second match by 21 runs in Dubai on Friday, bringing in paceman Aizaz Cheema and allrounder Shoaib Malik in place of Sohail Tanvir and Abdul Razzaq.Read m...

Memo issue to go to PM, if Haqqani found involved: Mukhta

07:34 Noman Ahmed No comments

LAHORE: Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar Sunday said the memo issue would go to the prime minister, if Haqqani was found to be involved, Geo News reported. The next few days would be difficult for politics, however there was no possibility of martial law, he predicted.Read m...

Text message obscenity banned

07:32 Noman Ahmed No comments

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's telecommunications regulator has ordered cellphone companies to monitor text messages and block any that contain anything on a list of more than 1,100 words and phrases that could be considered swear words, references to sex acts or terms of abuse.Read m...

Man stacks 3118 coins on a single dime

07:31 Noman Ahmed No comments

TUCSON: A man has settled for the record holder of the most coins stacked on a single dime.Read m...

MQM announces formation of CEC, names of members

07:29 Noman Ahmed No comments

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) formally announced on Sunday formation of Central Executive Committee with its members drawn from Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw, Balochistan and Sindh.Read m...

Zardari selling out Pakistan's sovereignty: Nawaz

07:28 Noman Ahmed No comments

FAISALABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N President Nawaz Sharif Sunday accusing President Asif Ali Zardari of selling out country's sovereignty, said the present regime wanted to put Pakistan's army under the US control.Read m...

DG ISI met Mansoor Ijaz in London

07:27 Noman Ahmed No comments

ISLAMABAD: The identity of the mystery government official whom American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed to have met in a European city and shared his trough of forensic communication data with, has remained a key missing link in the memo-authenticity-chain.Read m...

Commission should be formed to investigate Mullen memo: Nawaz

07:09 Noman Ahmed No comments

LAHORE: PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has demanded the formation an inquiry commission to investigate the memo allegedly sent to Mike Mullen, Geo News reported.Read m...

Explanation over Mullen memo sought from Haqqani: PM

07:05 Noman Ahmed No comments

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan's ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has been asked to explain the Mansoor Ijaz memo, Geo News reported. Read m...

Manmohan-Obama hold talks in Bali

07:04 Noman Ahmed No comments

BALI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama met in Bali, Indonesia on Friday and declared their intention to push the Indo-US cooperation both at bilateral and at multilateral forums.Read m...

Hollywood power couple Moore, Kutcher split

05:52 Noman Ahmed No comments

LOS ANGELES: Actress Demi Moore announced "with great sadness" Thursday the end of her high-profile marriage to Ashton Kutcher, after his reported infidelity with a woman less than half her age.Read m...

Facebook to help Congress expand online reach

05:34 Noman Ahmed No comments

WASHINGTON: Leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in the US Congress are reaching out to Facebook to help develop online tools to connect with their constituents.Read m...

Stars gather for ‘Breaking Dawn’ premiere

07:12 Noman Ahmed No comments

LONDON: Twilight fans gathered in their hundreds at the London premiere of "Breaking Dawn - Part 1," the fourth installment of the hugely popular Twilight franchise, as the stars of the film came out to greet them at the Westfield Stratford shopping centre.Read m...