Friday, February 13, 2015
Oil platform explosion kills 3 in Brazil
At least three workers were killed and 10 were injured Wednesday in an explosion at an offshore oil and gas platform in Brazil, according to the state oil company.
Inspirational tech guru owning cerebral palsy like a boss
Disability doesn't mean disadvantage. And Farida Bedwei, a celebrated software engineer from Ghana, is proof of that.
Taliban attack on mosque attack kills 19
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for a Friday attack on a Shiite Muslim mosque in Peshawar in northern Pakistan -- a suicide bombing and gunfire assault that a hospital representative said killed 19 people and injured dozens of others.
Indian train derailment, 11 dead
At least 11 passengers were killed when a train jumped the tracks in southern India on Friday, authorities said.
Eternal love: 6,000-year-old remains of an embracing couple found in Greece
Archaeologists have unearthed the undisturbed remains of a 6,000-year-old couple who were found holding hands and spooning in a Greek cave, in what could be the oldest known romance in the world.
According to Discovery, the remains were found in the Alepotrypa, or foxhole, one of the Diros caves in southern Greece, the prehistoric remains were positioned curled into the fetal position, as if spooning each other. While the grave also contained broken arrowheads, it was unclear what had caused the couple’s death.
The pair had been originally found in 2014 by George Papathanassopoulos’s team of archaeologists and speleologists. But it wasn’t until Thursday that the Greek Ministry of Culture announced results of DNA and carbon dating tests. They confirmed that the skeletons were dated to 3800 BC and that the remains belong to a man and a woman.
“Double burials in embrace are extremely rare,” the ministry said. “The skeletons of Diros represent one of the oldest, if not the oldest, found to this date”
The Alepotrypa Cave, first discovered in 1958, is believed to have been inhabited between 6,000 and 3,200 BC. Around 3,200 BC, its entrance collapsed due to severe earthquakes.
Excavations in recent years have yielded the remains of adults, children and even embryos. A 13-foot wide crypt, paved with a unique pebble floor was also discovered. The burial contained dozens of skeletons, along with pottery, beads and a dagger.
The new Ebola: Are we ready?
Experts say it's not a question of if, but when, the next global epidemic will happen. But scientists are working to stop the next outbreak in its tracks.
Opinion: 3 slain college students strived for a better world
I was on the phone with a friend in his junior year at my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, discussing his campus work and future goals, when his roommates relayed the news and he stopped, suddenly, and said: "Mariem, Deah and his wife were shot. They are dead."
Afghanistan gain momentum with UAE rout
MELBOURNE:
Afghanistan will head into the cricket World Cup with momentum after downing a spirited UAE by 14 runs in the teams’ last warm-up match in Melbourne on Friday.
A match that had meandered for much of a steamy day at Melbourne’s Junction Oval sprang to life late in the afternoon as the dogged Emiratis scrambled hard to reel in their opponents’ 308-9.
All-rounders Rohan Mustafa (24) and Amjad Javed (18) mounted a lusty eighth-wicket stand to push UAE within 20 runs of victory, but paceman Dawlat Zadran intervened to bowl Javed and the Middle Eastern minnows succumbed quickly thereafter.
Paceman Aftab Alam took 3-43 from his 6.2 overs to be the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers, including the match-winning wicket of tail-ender Saqlain Haider for one.
All-rounder Javed, one of the few home-grown Emirati players in the side and an airline cargo supervisor away from the game, took 4-39 to lead the UAE bowling.
Left-handed batsman Khurram Khan, the team’s 43-year-old talisman, sparkled with an 86 before being trapped lbw by Alam.
Afghanistan were on the back foot early on a steamy day and slumped to 50-3 when Javed removed number three batsman Nawroz Mangal for 16 after also capturing opener Javed Ahmadi for 12.
Samiullah Shenwari steadied the innings with a controlled 58, allowing fellow middle order batsman Najibullah Zadran (46) and all-rounder Mirwais Ashraf (34 not out) to set up an imposing total.
Afghanistan will head to Canberra seeking to upset Bangladesh in their World Cup opener on February 18, while UAE take on Zimbabwe in Nelson, New Zealand the day after.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
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Apple hiring auto experts for ‘secret research project’
Apple Inc is hiring automotive technology and design experts to staff up a top-secret research lab, with the possible intention of building a car that will rival Google’s self-driving vehicle, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing several people familiar with the iPhone maker.
It’s unclear whether the world’s smartphone maker is simply looking for talent to shore up CarPlay, the in-car entertainment and software service it unveiled last year that CEO Tim Cook has identified as pivotal to the company’s longer-term future.
But the background and seniority of the executives it is recruiting suggest that Apple may be trying to build a car, the newspaper said, citing sources.
Apple recently hired the head of Mercedes-Benz’s Silicon Valley research and development unit, Johann Jungwirth, according to a LinkedIn profile.
While his title on the site is Head of Mac Systems Engineering, the Financial Times claimed he had joined the new research team.
Apple, which like Google Inc is trying to incorporate its software into cars, has recently tried to recruit from the automotive industry, two sources with knowledge of the approaches told Reuters.
The company has been trying to poach experts in fields such as robotics, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
“Three months ago I would have said it was CarPlay,” FT quoted a person who has worked closely with Apple for many years as saying.
“Today I think it’s a car,” the person said. The research lab was set up late last year, soon after Apple revealed its forthcoming smart watch and latest iPhones, the daily said.
Trying to design and build an actual car would mark a change for the iPhone maker, which researches and discards plenty of projects but has so far mainly stuck to its core expertise in mobile and electronic devices. But it’s been open about wanting to integrate its core iOS software into automobiles.
The connected car, or vehicles with a full range of Internet and software services beyond mere navigation and communications, is considered one of the ripest areas for expansion for technology companies.
Last March, Apple unveiled CarPlay, which lets drivers access contacts on their iPhones, make calls or listen to voicemails without taking their hands off the steering wheel. Along with HomeKit and HealthKit, the idea is to extend Apple’s software dominance into industries including home devices, healthcare, and automobiles.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
Stunned Murray shown the door by Simon
ROTTERDAM: Frenchman Gilles Simon ended a 12-match losing streak to Andy Murray as he dumped the top seed out in the quarter-finals of the ATP Rotterdam World Tennis event on Friday.
Simon stood 1-12 in previous encounters against the two-time Grand Slam winner and unleashed one of his best performances to stage the 6-4, 6-2 upset.
Murray, who went down double breaks at the start of each set, confessed to getting off to a poor start; the recent Australian Open finalist admitting he never found the rhythm to recover. “I struggled with most shots and I had a poor start,” said the world number four who won the Dutch title in 2009. “Simon is a top player who has been around the top 20 for most of his career. None of the matches I’ve won against him have been easy.”
Simon will take a 6-3 head-to-head record into his semi-final with defending champion Tomas Berdych, who scraped his knuckles during a second-set fall on court on the way to beating Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-4.
“I had lost so many times to Murray that I was not afraid at all,” said the 19th-ranked French winner. “I know his game so well, there are no surprises.”
Aisam, Zimonjic exit last eight
Pakistan tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi and his partner Nenad Zimonjic crashed out of the doubles quarter-finals after losing 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) to Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.
The pair put up a fight in the first set, breaking Rojer and Tecau’s serve once and levelling the set 6-6, but lost 7-6 in the tie-break. The Pak-Serb duo incurred two double faults in the opening set and only managed to hit two aces compared to their opponents’ six.
Rojer and Tecau sealed their win in the second set 7-6 with 77 points won against Aisam and Zimonjic’s 67.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
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Opposition walkout: Assembly in deadlock over ‘mini-budget’
ISLAMABAD: Following the continuous protest of the opposition parties against the recent ‘mini-budget’ through which the government has imposed new taxes without parliamentary assent, the government seems inclined to prorogue the National Assembly session than to allow debate on its ‘out of parliament’ taxation measures.
Soon after the question-answer session, the opposition parties did not allow the Speaker to take up the day’s agenda. “This is nothing less than a money bill,” thundered Dr Nafisa Shah before leading the pack of opposition MPs out of the assembly hall.
Deputy Speaker Javed Murtaza Abbasi made a futile attempt to persuade the opposition to take up the issue with the relevant committee of the house. As members of PPP and MQM, fresh into a new phase of bonhomie, staged the walkout, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) MNA Sher Akbar Khan pointed out the quorum.
The opposition parties described Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s initiative as the key sticking point, demanding that the government take back the recent taxation on petroleum and 285 other items.
“We were expecting some relief for the poor masses from Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday when he turned up to the Assembly, but to no avail,” Dr Nafisa Shah said. She recalled that “we have staged protests thrice but no one took us into confidence so far on this policy”.
The session was convened on the requisition of the opposition parties to discuss the recent shortage of petrol but the ‘out of parliament’ taxation policy of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has become the chief reason of deadlock.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
How long can you survive in freezing water?
Mainsail's Shirley Robertson goes through simulators that showcase the danger sailors face in competition.
Female, divorced & Christian
Christian marriage is thought to be an eternal bond. However, this institution is buffeted with all kinds of demands in the modern world. The marriage vows declared together on your wedding day can either turn out to be a joy or a pain. What happens if you choose the wrong person or circumstances pin you up against a brick wall? The less liked road to divorce is always fraught with heartaches and regret. However, in some cultures, even the mention of the word ‘divorce’ is frowned upon and it is regarded as a taboo, even more so in a Christian marriage, which is originally meant to be a life-long bond.
I am not an advocate of divorce; however, it is essential to highlight the legal implications which Christian women in particular face and make the sad reality of a failed marriage even more miserable. The current Pakistani justice system puts Christian women in chains rather than offering them a reasonable solution to get out of a failed marriage. Last year, the federal government proposed reforms to the old British Christian Marriage Law Act of 1872 and the Divorce Act of 1869, which in the past have proved to be an endless albatross for Christian women, locked in dead-end marriages with few legal rights to protect themselves and regain their so-called ‘societal prestige’ in an already conservative and patriarchal society.
Under Section 10 of the Christian Divorce Act, 1869, a man can seek divorce on the grounds of adultery while it is a lot more difficult for a woman to seek divorce on the same ground. The wife must provide evidence of adultery coupled with other reasons like bigamy, incest, sodomy, rape or bestiality, cruelty or she must prove desertion for a period of two or more years. In a society where the man in the house is an ‘uncrowned prince’ while women already live in the shadows, it can sometimes be impossible for a woman to stand up to her husband. The current state of affairs provides a lot of room for Christian men to abuse the divorce law. Men often bring false accusations of adultery against their wives in order to get a divorce. This gnawing legal gap, which gives more power to men over women, needs to be addressed.
The Express Tribune recently reported that a judge at the Lahore High Court termed the 1869 Christian Divorce Act as “derogatory” to women. He was hearing a petition from a Christian man, Ameen Masih, seeking divorce. Mr Masih is demanding separation from his wife since he feels he cannot live with her anymore but for that, he would have to declare her an ‘adulterer’. However, he does not want to accuse his wife of something she did not do, hence the complexity of getting a divorce becomes even more torturous.
In addition to this, there is the negative cultural perception of divorce. In Pakistan, being a woman, Christian and divorced is a treble-tragedy. Women, who are already marginalised with few legal protections, are left in a precarious situation, which makes them soft targets for abuse, neglect and violence. A divorce for a Christian woman is regarded as an eternal stigma while men walk away with a clean track record both because of favourable laws, as well as because of the way Pakistani society functions. The right of self-determination is not given in the current Christian divorce system, in fact, it supports the culture of stigmatisation of women.
Both the Christian Marriage Law and the Divorce Act are legacies of colonial times and have haunted countless women, while affecting tens and thousands of Christian families across the country. The Pakistani legal system is still stuck with the old laws while the British legal system has evolved with the passage of time. In British law, the dissolution of marriage was once the prerogative of men, which was as an expensive route available to the rich and those belonging to the royal family. Later in 1857, the Matrimonial Clause Act allowed common men the right to divorce as well. With time, British law also started allowing women the right of divorce if they could prove that their husbands had been unfaithful or if they were guilty of rape or incest. In 1923, a private member’s bill was proposed, which made the divorce procedure easier and in 1937, a few more stipulations were added that allowed the right of divorce if drunkenness, insanity or desertion could be proved. The most recent major change was made in 1969 when in case of only one spouse wanting a divorce, couples would have to be living separately for some years before a divorce could be possible. Divorces in Britain normally result in maintenance allowances being provided to the less wealthy spouse – usually the woman.
The case of Ameen Masih in Lahore should set the tone for more legal rights to be provided to Christian women and men in Pakistan if they seek divorce. The current system demands that spouses defame each other. Further, the laws leave little or no chance for Christian women to liberate themselves from abusive marriages and leave them in endless misery. An amendment of the current Christian marriage and divorce laws in Pakistan is long overdue.
Worldwide, recently, the Church has taken many strides to keep up with the times. The recent induction of Reverend Libby Lane as the first woman bishop of the Church of England has been hailed as a massive step. The Church in Pakistan must stand up to protect the rights of women as well. Many Pakistani Christian women have withstood abuse both, at the hands of their families as well as the wider society. Now it is time that both the Church in Pakistan and the state provide justice and equality to Christian women so that they can lead their lives in a respectable manner both in the eyes of the law and society.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
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Upholding the Kashmir cause
Every year on February 5, we observe the Kashmir Solidarity Day with great zeal and fervour, showing Pakistan’s full support and unity with the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir and their ongoing freedom struggle while also paying homage to Kashmiri martyrs who lost their lives fighting for Kashmir’s freedom. For decades, however, we have been observing this annual occasion as a ritual only with a countrywide public holiday and sporadic protest rallies and gatherings with no practical expression of solidarity for the legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people. As a nation, we just walk through the ritual, enjoying the holiday mostly sitting at home without even realising what it is all about.
The day is usually marked by public processions, special prayers in mosques for the liberation of Kashmir and protests against the Indian oppression in Kashmir. In practice, however, other than the familiar spectacle of a human chain with people standing in rows clasping each other’s hands on all major crossings into AJK from Pakistan, one doesn’t see any other public demonstration of solidarity in our major cities to reassure Kashmiris that they are not alone in their struggle. This year, for a change, one witnessed special fervour and passion on Kashmir Day at all levels in the country showing support and solidarity for the Kashmir cause.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif specially went to Muzaffarabad to address the joint session of the AJK Legislative Assembly and the Kashmir Council and reiterated that Pakistan would continue its moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in their legitimate struggle for the right of self-determination and that no decision against their will would be accepted. “There is no solution to the Kashmir issue except a plebiscite. I make it clear to the entire world that durable peace in South Asia is linked to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute,” he declared. This was a timely message to his Indian counterpart who misread Nawaz Sharif’s gesture of goodwill last year when he attended Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony in Delhi.
What should be clear to Modi is that by putting up an arrogant face, you cannot change realities. Besides representing the key unfinished agenda of the June 3, 1947 Partition Plan, Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute, which has been on the UN agenda for over six decades. In accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan was to be decided through a free and fair plebiscite under UN auspices. All those resolutions remain unimplemented, denying the Kashmiri people of their inalienable right of self-determination.
On their independence, India and Pakistan inherited many problems, but the Kashmir dispute was the mother of all. The Kashmir clash in 1948, the 1965 war, the Siachen dispute, the Kargil crisis, a volatile Line of Control with frequent violent eruptions, recurring skirmishes at the Working Boundary, frequent war-like military deployments and resultant tensions, water disputes, and mutual suspicions and accusations are all directly related to Kashmir. Even today, the two countries remain locked in a confrontational mode. While all other issues are amenable to easy solutions, the Kashmir dispute invokes intense feelings among the peoples of India, Pakistan and Kashmir.
It is not a ‘real estate’ issue or a question of ‘re-demarcation’ of geographical boundaries. It is a question involving the fundamental right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people, pledged to them by the international community through solemn UN Security Council resolutions. The setting aside of UN resolutions is one thing, the discarding of the principle they embodied is quite another. The underlying cardinal principle of self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter and reaffirmed in the Millennium Declaration cannot be ignored. The Kashmir settlement has to be in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, impartially ascertained under no coercion or intimidation.
As one of the oldest unresolved international conflicts, Kashmir is today a sombre reminder to the world that it cannot continue to ignore the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people. They want nothing but freedom from Indian occupation. The indigenous Kashmiri struggle goes on undeterred with thousands of Kashmiris already laying down their lives. No amount of atrocities and humiliations can stop them from pursuing their legitimate cause. The Kashmiri people continue to experience untold hardships, including human rights violations. This is the crux of the Kashmir situation. India will do itself good by seeing the writing on the wall.
India’s efforts to obfuscate the Kashmir dispute as an issue of terrorism will not succeed. Popular movements cannot be suppressed. Brutal military force brings no relief to anyone. Stark lessons are there to be learnt from history. Even the world’s sole superpower today owes its existence to a long war of independence. Modi cannot deny the history of his own country. It was the 1857 War of Independence that laid the road to India’s liberation as an independent state. India is forcibly hanging on to Kashmir when the Kashmiris don’t want to have anything to do with India. They want their right of self-determination.
Today, the voice of the Kashmiris is that of a wronged and forcibly subjugated people challenging India’s and the world’s conscience. For India, it is time to revert to the path of justice and fair play, and to heed to sanity and legality. On our part too, it is time to come out of our ostrich-like mode of total apathy and indifference to the Kashmir cause. Pro forma gestures of ritualistic solidarity are no service to the people of Kashmir. While India never showed the slightest change in its position, our rulers in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks gave wrong signals through their self-serving gestures of unilateral flexibility.
What they don’t understand is that beyond UN resolutions, there is no compact formula or tailor-made solution available for addressing the Kashmir issue. A free and fair plebiscite under UN auspices remains the only solution to which both India and Pakistan had committed themselves in terms of those resolutions. Our commitment to the Kashmir cause is rooted in this legal and moral reality and cannot be given up by our rulers merely as gestures of goodwill or as a confidence-building measure in pursuit of a peace that will never come by giving up on our principled position. Until then, we must continue to extend full political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmir cause and keep upholding the Kashmiris’ right of self-determination in every international forum.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
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Indian censor board goes beep beep
The chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Pahlaj Nihalani has sent the Producers’ Association and Regional Officers a list of words that should not be used in movies reported the Times Of India.
The circular issued by the CBFC read, “It has been noticed that some of the objectionable words/abusive words are not still deleted from the films. The details of such words are given below. All ROs (regional officers) are directed not to allow such words in any category of the certificate. This is also applicable to regional languages films.” Another talking point of the circular was that the CBFC forbid from Mumbai being referred to as Bombay in the movies. The circular has attracted a lot of criticism from various quarters of the social media.
Independent filmmaker Onir took to his Twitter to share his views on the situation tweeting that, “Future of Indian Cinema is bleak. That is reacting to the new guidelines of the Film Certification Board.” Nihalani has previously also spoken out against showing nudity on television and internet.
“Nudity is available online and on certain TV programs like live fashion shows. It should be in sync with the rules followed in films. There should be one policy for nudity (portrayal of sex in films),” stated Nihalani. The chairman of the CBFC added that while TV content goes through a certification process many of the live programs are subject to self-regulation. “The self-regulation is not being followed. There is vulgarity on TV and it should be controlled,” said Nihalani.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
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Glam up this V-Day
It’s Valen-time and deciding what make-up to wear for a night out with loved ones is no easy feat. It may be time to sideline the V-Day make-up staples such as red lip colour and make your look less clichéd.
Diverge from the basics and look effortlessly cool by opting for dewy skin, a messy bun and softer colours this year. As compiled from Fox News, Harper’s Bazaar and Allure magazine, here are a few celebrity-inspired looks you can draw inspiration from this time.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2015.
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Fighting rages ahead of Ukraine ceasefire
Fighting continued Friday between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, ahead of a ceasefire due to come into effect over the weekend.
Ali Zafar allegedly caught driving unregistered car
LAHORE: Renowned singer Ali Zafar entered into a verbal spat with officials of the Excise Department after he was caught travelling in an unregistered car in Lahore, Express News reported.
According to Express News, the Excise Department has initiated an operation against unregistered vehicles in the city, and Zafar was stopped while passing through a checkpoint near Lorry Chowk, DHA.
When asked to present a copy of the vehicle’s registration documents, Zafar said he did not have one as he had just bought the car. However, documents checked by the excise officials revealed that the car was purchased at least a month ago.
The singer exchanged heated words with the excise official who wanted to confiscate the vehicle, as it had passed the legal time allotted for registration.
People gathered at the site requested officials to let him go as he is a renowned singer — a national hero, who has represented the country abroad as well.
He was set free after assuring officials to get the car registered within two – three days and present the documents to the Excise Department.
Curious case of Robert Allenby
There has been a new twist in the curious case of leading golfer Robert Allenby who last month reported being beaten and kidnapped in Hawaii.
Chapel Hill: When is a crime a ‘hate crime’?
U.S. officials are investigating reasons for murder of three Muslim students by their religion-loathing neighbor -- but community says it's clear: They were victims of a hate crime.
Blindfolded Muslim in Canada asks people to ‘show trust with a hug’
TORONTO: Faith in humanity was temporarily restored when a blindfolded man stood in the middle of Toronto’s Dundas Square next to two placards stating “I am a Muslim. I am labelled as a terrorist. I trust you – do you trust me? Give me a hug.” The Telegraph reported.
Created by Time Vision and dubbed ‘Blind Trust Project’, the experiment aimed to address the rise of Islamaphobia in North America and Europe.
PHOTO COURTESY: BLIND TRUST PROJECT
“The project aims to show our community how Muslims are made to feel in their own country,” according to the project’s Assma Galuta.
When put to the test, the results were heartwarming, to say the least.
PHOTO CORTESY: BLIND TRUST PROJECT
Throughout the three minutes, over 20 people had stopped to hug Mustafa Mawla in the busy area, while one man even got out of his car on a red light to add to the hugs.
Metro tunnels to cycle highways?
Could disused London underground tunnels be transformed into pathways for cyclists and pedestrians?
ISIS: Suspected terror cell leader in Syria
The manhunt for the suspected ringleader of a terror cell in Belgium has gone cold, a senior Belgian counterterrorism official told CNN.
‘Imitation Game’ is right: UK must pardon thousands of homosexuals
Prosecution of WW2 codebreaker Alan Turing was shared by 49,000 homosexuals, writes LGBT campaigner Chad Griffin, who demands pardons from the UK govt.