Gilgit-Baltistan

ISLAMABAD: Around Rs. 500 million value of gemstones are extracted annually from Gilgit-Baltistan and efforts are underway to explore other precious minerals.

It has been confirmed that nearly all valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan are shedding gold and base metals but the need is investment to explore them in order to change fate of the area.

As per surveys conducted for gold and base metals carried by Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) and on the basis of Geo-chemical and hard rock samples, around 11 prospect areas confirmed gold value ranging from 0.10 to 24 Parts Per Million (PPM) in hard rock while 5 PPM gold is economical in the world, Tourism and Mineral Department official in GB told APP here Sunday.

The official said a total number of 3947 geo-chemical stream sediment samples were collected from less then one sqkm to 250 sqkm, covering 45,500 sqkm gold anomalies alone counted over 100, ranging in content from 5 PPM to 300 PPM. Around 500 samples were collected from hard rock including river floats and out crops.

A total of 50 samples pertaining to 10 areas conform gold values ranging from 0.10 ppm to 24.0 ppm according to laboratory reports, the official said and added the gold washers still recover gold from placer deposits of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The area is also rich with white colour Marble deposits of Shigar (Skardu), Nasirabad (Hunza) and Gupis (Ghizer) which are considered to be of international standard.

The other gemstones which are extracted from the area include Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Tourmaline, Garnet, Fluorite, Pargasite, Spinal, Zircon, Topaz, Berylspar, Corundum, Marganite, Serpentine, Sulpher, Moonstone, Amethyst.

The official said local administration was taking a major policy initiative to expand mineral sector of Gilgit-Baltistan and also encouraging local as well foreign investment in the sector.

Accordingly, many exploration licenses and mining leases have been granted to national and foreign investors and more applications for licenses are under process.

PAK WILL RETALIATE AGAINST US

Islamabad, Sep 28: Pakistan has informed the US that it will be forced to retaliate if American forces attempt to launch a unilateral strike on the country's tribal belt that the US has said is a safe haven for Taliban elements, according to a media report today (Sept 28).

The message was personally delivered by Inter-Services Intelligence powerful chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha to CIA head Gen David Petraeus during the former's recent trip to Washington, an official familiar with the development told The Express Tribune newspaper.

The unnamed official said Pasha had informed Petraeus that the "Pakistani people will not tolerate any US misadventure" and the government will be left with no other option but to retaliate if American troops launch a unilateral raid, the report said.

Senior ISI members had felt "betrayed" by US military chief Adm Mike Mullen's "blunt assessment" that the ISI had links with the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network, the official said.

Mullen has accused the ISI of supporting the Haqqani network to target US forces in Afghanistan. The US has been pressing Pakistan to launch a military offensive against the Haqqanis in North Waziristan.

However, in a closed-door meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence yesterday, a senior ISI official said the US was "simply attempting to make Pakistan the scapegoat to cover up its failures" in Afghanistan, the report said. 

13TH BIRTHDAY OF GOOGLE

There is confetti, colourful balloons, gifts and a birthday cake in the middle of a decorated room. Yes, the occasion is search engine giant Google's 13th birthday and how best to celebrate it than a Google Doodle. After honouring people, places and occasions in their doodle's, Google has come up with a simple-looking uncomplicated doodle on the ocasion of its birthday.

 

The doodle shows a party hat wearing Google that is perched atop a table laden with gifts, paper plates and a cake. With Google becoming a name to reckon with in the internet search sphere, it has now officially entered the teenager phase when it turns 13 today.

 

Google has been constantly inventing and re-inventing itself to stay on top of the game in spite of facing some intense competition from various quarters. Most prominent among the competitors is Facebook, that is making all efforts to outsmart Google.

 

Unlike earlier doodles, that evoked curiosity and excitement with its animated characters or mysterious hidden messages, Google has chosen to be low-key on this big day with a simple doodle. The first birthday Google Doodle started appearing on its home page in 2003. It would be however worth mentioning that in 2003 and 2004, Google celebrated its birthday on Sept 7 before changing it to Sept 27 since 2004.

 

Google has essentially become a game changer on the internet with Larry Page and Sergey Brin at the helm who began collaboration on a search engine, then called BackRub, in Jan 1996. They registered the domain name on Sept. 15, 1997. The company was however incorporated in Sept 7, 2008. But it was only until Sept 27, 2005 that Google started celebrating its birthday.

PAK MUST ACT AGAINST TERROR

Washington, Sep 28: Stepping up pressure, the US today (Sept 28) asked Pakistan government to clamp down on Haqqani network which it has blamed for attacks on its embassy in Kabul and also indicated that Obama Administration was reviewing its aid to the country.

"The Pakistani government needs to take action to deal with the links that exist there," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, adding that the Haqqani network was responsible for the attacks on US embassy in Kabul and then on ISAF, as well as some others." The hard comments by the White House come on the heels of Washington's demands that the Pakistan military sever its ties with Haqqani network and other militant groups.

Asked whether the US administration was reviewing large aid to Pakistan, Carney acknowledged that the Obama Administration is reviewing its aid.

"We obviously are always reviewing our aid programs. I believe the State Department and others have talked about that."

"I don't have anything new to add on that except that we obviously take it seriously and discuss these matters with our Pakistani counterparts," he added.

"I think we've been very clear about our views on this. One, and that. We work very closely with the Pakistanis and have had success due to that cooperation in fighting al Qaeda. As I've said in the past, in many ways, no country has suffered more at the hands of terrorists than Pakistan. So there is a common enemy here," he said in response to a question.

PTI

PAK, US TENSIONS

Islamabad, Sep 28: Pakistan and the US stepped up contacts to defuse tensions triggered by American allegations that the ISI was waging a proxy war in Afghanistan through the Haqqani network, with US envoy Cameron Munter meeting Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir for the second time in as many days.

Munter met Bashir at the Foreign Ministry to discuss ways to reduce tensions and bring relations between the estranged allies in the war on terror back on an even keel, diplomatic sources said.

Munter had met the Foreign Secretary yesterday after his return from Washington. Following yesterday's meeting, Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said in a message posted on Twitter that the talks between the two officials were a follow-up to the meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in the US on September 18.

"Both agreed on dialogue, deeper engagement at all levels," she said.

Pakistan and the US have had heated exchanges after American military chief Adm Mike Mullen accused the Inter-Services Intelligence of backing the Haqqani network in carrying out terror attacks in Afghanistan.

He described the Haqqani network as a "veritable arm" of the ISI.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik today said Pakistan expects the US and other allies to recognise its sacrifices in the war on terror as the country has lost 36,000 innocent lives and 68 billion dollars.

CONGRESS GRIDLOCK THREATENS

IRAQ PAID FOR F-16S

Iraq has made the first payment in a deal to buy 18 F-16 warplanes worth a total of about $3 billion from the United States, the US State Department has said.

"These aircraft are going to help provide air sovereignty for Iraq and to protect its territory," Victoria Nuland, a State Department spokeswoman, said on Tuesday.

"They also, as a significant military sale between us, are a symbol of the commitment that we've made to the Iraqi government to have a long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq," Nuland said.

Ali Mussawi, a media advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, confirmed the deal, though he did not give details on a potential delivery date, or how much of an initial payment Iraq had made.

Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, said that $1.4 billion had already been transferred as a partial payment.

Iraq and the US had been close to reaching a deal on the fighter jets earlier this year, but Baghdad re-routed $900 million earmarked for the purchase to a welfare programme amid nationwide protests.

Maliki announced in August that Iraq was looking at the purchase of 36 jets, rather than the previously proposed 18.

Ten Iraqi pilots are already training on the fighter in the United States and their instruction could be completed before the delivery of the first planes to Baghdad, General Russ Handy, head of US air forces in Iraq, said on September 14.

'Game-changer'

The F-16s aren't expected to arrive in Iraq until next fall at the earliest, and more likely not until 2013 - meaning US troops may still be asked to patrol the country's skies and train its air force for months, if not years, to come.

US Army Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter, however, called the F-16 deal "a game-changing capability".

"It provides the basis for their air sovereignty," Ferriter told reporters in his Baghdad office.

Iraq has said its air force is not ready to protect its air space alone, and the country's top-ranked military officer last year said US help may be needed until 2020.

Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, told the Associated Press news agency in an interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that the importance of the deal is "for the world to know that Iraq is an ally of the United States in the region".

Al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi government spokesman, cited a recent push to revive the F-16 deal "because the country's security is important, and the air force is the backbone for Iraq's defense".

"The air force is considered a vital factor to protect Iraq's sovereignty and security against external threats," al-Dabbagh said. "Iraq needs to build its air force and to depend on its own capabilities to defend the skies instead of asking other countries to do so - especially if we know that the US forces will leave at the end of this year."

Ferriter said it's still up to Iraq's government to decide if it wants US forces to do some of the training, or leave it all to private contractors.

Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister, said "the idea, the policy, is to reach some training mission arrangements, agreement" with the United States. At least some of the training - including English-language classes - will be done in the United States, he said.

Sources:Aljazeera.Net

US LISTERIA OUTBREAK

At least 13 people have died due to an outbreak of listeria in the United States, health officials have said.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that 18 states have reported 72 infections, linked to tainted cantaloupes, a type of melon, from one of the four strains of listeria involved in the outbreak.

Four of the deaths were reported in New Mexico, two in Colorado, two in Texas in one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

State and local officials are investigating a further three deaths which could be linked to the outbreak.

All of the illnesses started on or after July 31.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it had found Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterial strain found in the cantaloupes, in samples of melons taken from a Denver-based farm.

Jensen Farms, the company in question, recalled all of its Rocky Ford cantaloupes on September 14 in response to the outbreak. The fruit had been shipped to at least 17 states from July 29 to September 10.

The FDA has advised consumers not to eat the recalled cantaloupes and to throw them away.

Listeria bacteria thrive in low temperatures. Outbreaks are usually associated with deli meats, unpasteurised cheeses and smoked refrigerated seafood products, rather than fresh produce.

Listeria infections can be particularly dangerous for elderly people, pregnant women and patients with weakened immune systems, the CDC says.

Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get listeriosis, while those with AIDS are 300 times more likely to get the infection than healthy people, the CDC said on its website.

This is the deadliest listeria outbreak since a 1998 multistate outbreak involving contaminated hot dogs and deli meats, which killed 32 people and infected 101 others.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group, said the current outbreak underscores the need for the FDA to issue guidelines and regulations to help keep pathogens out of produce.

According to the group, melons have caused at least 36 outbreaks of foodborne disease since 1990, although this is the first attributed to listeria.

The death toll from this outbreak now exceeds that of the 2009 salmonella outbreak from tainted peanuts. That outbreak killed nine people and infected more than 700 others in the United States.

Sources: Aljazeera.Net

HAQQANIS AND OUR SOVEREIGNTY

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani warned Washington on Tuesday that continued accusations of playing a double game in the war on militancy only risked fanning anti-Americanism in Pakistan.

Gilani, speaking in an interview, also said any unilateral military action by the United States to hunt down Haqqani network inside Pakistan would be a violation of his country's sovereignty.

"The negative messaging, naturally that is disturbing my people," Gilani said.
"If there is messaging that is not appropriate to our friendship, then naturally it is extremely difficult to convince my public. Therefore they should be sending positive messages."

Asked how Islamabad would respond if there was a unilateral military operation by the United States inside Pakistan to go after the Haqqanis, Gilani responded: "We are a sovereign country. How can they come and raid in our country?"

He said Pakistan had conveyed to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that such unilateral action "will not be acceptable to Pakistan"

Sources: The News

HUAWEI LAUNCH SMARTPHONES

Huawei is all set to launch its smartphone handsets in Pakistani market by the end of 2011, well before the roll out of 3G services in the country, Nadeem Aslam Malik, Director Enterprises Business at Huawei Pakistan said.

In an exclusive interview to ProPakistani, Malik said that Huawei branded smartphones will be affordable for Pakistani customers, ranging from Rs12,000 to Rs25,000 with features and applications for cellular users on GSM or 3G networks.

Huawei brands have been gaining successful repute in the local and regional markets dealing in low-cost and high-end sets, he said. The company’s low-cost smartphone handsets have received excellent business in collaboration with its cellular partners including Ufone and Zong.

Presently, the company is working on channels and marketing of the handsets in the local market to compete different brands with competition on pricing and exciting offers, Malik added.
Huawei specializes in low cost smartphones powered by Google’s Android operating system and those with Windows platform.

Huawei has been carrying out its operations for two mainstreams cellular operators in the case of infrastructure building and handsets availability for large section of customers.

Malik said 3G is likely to hit Pakistan next year after conclusion of regulatory affairs, particularly regarding the roll out of 3G policy and auction of the licenses to the cellular operators.

Network vendors such as Huawei will roll out physical infrastructure for 3G for cellular operators in a minimum of three months once they are given the green signal from the partners and the regulator, he said. The investment on 3G is definitely significant but its lucrative when it comes to level and capacity of service offerings by operators.

“We have already completed our homework to roll out the physical network of 3G in Pakistan and are ready to kick off operations with the plans of our partner cellular operators,” Director Huawei said.

Mobilink and Ufone, the two major operators, have already enabled their networks with 3G technology in past two years with Huawei in position to deploy 3G technology in several major cities in the first phase, he revealed.

“I think cellular operators are reluctant to go for 3G technology but they are interested in 4G, which is an advanced technology. But, Pakistan, is not the market for 4G or LTE because this service is beyond the affordability of the customers compared with 3G,” he added.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a network swap from 3G to 4G is easy, rapid, affordable and does not involve many technical issues and complications, therefore, there will be no need for another heavy investment on 4G infrastructure when operators finds it suitable to launch.