Beans control cholesterol

LONDON: Researchers found that red beans contain more disease--fighting, skin--protecting antioxidants than blueberries, known for their high antioxidant content. One third cup of cooked beans has 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates, and little fat. In addition, beans are full of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which promote-digestive health and relieve constipation. Eating beans may help prevent colon cancer and reduce blood cholesterol, a leading cause of heart disease, researchers say. Beans are also a great protein source. Add beans in your diet as many times as you can. Kidney beans, navy beans, soybeans and lima-beans will help you a lot in controlling the cholesterol level. Even if you eat just one and a half cup of beans everyday, then it will help in controlling the bad cholesterol up to 22 percent. You do not have to eat that much at once, but if you include beans in yourdiet it will help you keep the cholesterol in control. Even beans have pectin lowering-qualities. Beans are bursting with protein, fibre, iron and calcium. The fibre in baked-beans goes on to produce a type of fatty acids that can help protect the colon from cancer. Beans also lower cholesterol. However, tinned baked beans contain a lot of salt which can lead to high blood pressure. Try the reduced salt, reduced sugar variety take them on toast or add to a casserole. The tomato sauce on them is also a great source of lycopene, an antioxidant which helps to prevent heart disease and prostate cancer.

Orange juice lowers blood pressure

NEW YORK: Scientists have found that two glasses of orange juice a day can lower blood pressure and cut the risk of heart disease.

They discovered that middle aged men who drank half-a-litre of juice every-day for a month, equivalent to about two glasses, saw a significant decline in their blood pressure readings.

Findings confirm the presence of a natural-plant chemical called hesperidin part of a class of disease fighting compounds found in plant foods like tea, fruit, soya and cocoa.
High blood pressure, which puts our arteries under greater pressure when the heart beats, affects one in five people and is one of the major risk factors contributing to a cardiac arrest.

The World Health-Organisation estimates that 50 per cent of all heart attacks and strokes are due to raised blood pressure.

The finding has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

Mango combats some types of cancer

NEW DELHI: It’s definitely not that mango springs to mind the image of a medication. Rather it is the “king of fruits” and a darling of all! Mango comes as a respite in the sweltering heat and charms one and all.

Besides tantalising the taste buds it has been found to fight tumours and make cancer fret. Nutritionally mango is a rich source of beta-carotene, sugars and fibres.

Now research conducted at Indian Toxicology Research Institute (ITRC), Lucknow based on experiments conducted in the USA scientists believe that mango inhibits pancreatic cancer and regulated a number of processes involved in cancer development.

Lupeol is the wonder anti oxidant found in mangoes, which can prove highly beneficial in heart diseases, cancer and ageing. This anti-oxidant is formed in mangoes as a result of heat and water effect by nature.

In the initial trials mango pulp was extracted and fed to mice. The results before and after were tabulated. When analysed they revealed that lupeol is also effective against-environmental toxins. Scientists say that when the experimental trials are completed they can further aim towards making lupeol extracted from mango pulp as a nutraceutical.

These experiments once successful can be a boon for cancer-treatment. People are so fond of mango, so they will not mind taking it as a prescription. In fact the prescription will become a licence for mango consumption. Children and the aged population will not have to be coaxed into taking their timely medicine. In fact they will never forget their medication time. As it is, cancer detection is depressing news, but with the advent of mango based treatment it will not be so bad after all.

FANNIEST PAKISTAN

FUNNY PAKISTAN

WORLD'S BIGGEST MOTORBIKE:

WASHINGTON: The world’s largest motorcycle comes with a $300,000 price tag and stands-- at 11 feet high and --measures 20 feet long. Created by Greg Dunham, this --monster motorcycle --could actually drive.

Summit draft for securing all nuclear materials in 4 years

WASHINGTON: The final communique of President Barack Obama's nuclear summit would commit the 47 nations in attendance to secure all nuclear material in four years, according to a draft of the document obtained by media late on Tuesday.

The document began circulating even as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that his government would shut down its last plutonium factory, a significant milestone in the world's efforts to limit the spread of material that could be used to construct nuclear weapons.

The three-page communique spells out 12 obligations of the nations in attendance, including a promise by each of the signatories to maintain effective security of the nuclear material in their countries.

And it commits the nations to a specific work plan, also to be adopted Tuesday, that spells out best practices, encourages the participants to join international efforts to restrict the exchange of nuclear material, and directs nations to make new investments in nuclear security measures.

The nations pledge "to prevent nonstate actors from obtaining the information or technology required to use such material for malicious purposes; and emphasize the importance of robust national legislative and regulatory frameworks for nuclear security," the document says.

The communique is slated to be announced formally at the end of the afternoon plenary session of the government leaders. Obama is scheduled to hold a televised news conference after the session ends.

A statement released by the United States at the conclusion of the summit Tuesday says the summit has helped move the world toward the ultimate goal Obama offered in Prague a year ago: a world without nuclear weapons.

"Our objective is clear: ensure that terrorists never gain access to plutonium or highly-enriched uranium - the essential ingredients of a nuclear weapon," the statement says.

"The challenge we face is how to lock down the over 2,000 tons of plutonium and highly enriched uranium [that] exist in dozens of countries with a variety of peaceful as well as military uses."

In opening the summit, Obama told the gathering that in a "cruel irony of history," the threat of nuclear terrorism has increased even as the chances of a nuclear confrontation between nations has decreased.

The United States and Russia later unveiled an agreement to dispose of huge amounts of plutonium from their nuclear weapons.

The agreement, which updates an accord negotiated by then-Vice President Al Gore and the Russians in 2000, was signed Tuesday by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Under the agreement, both sides said they would dispose of 34 metric tons of weapon-grade plutonium. The combined amount of 68 metric tons could be used to build about 17,000 nuclear weapons, U.S. officials said.

In his opening remarks, Obama called for a new global "mindset" in which governments move beyond talk and embrace action to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of al-Qaida and other terror groups.

"Terrorist networks such as al-Qaida have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeeded, they would surely use it," he said. "Were they to do so, it would be a catastrophe for the world, causing extraordinary loss of life, and striking a major blow to global peace and stability."

Speaking at the Washington Convention Center, Obama added: "In short, it is increasingly clear that the danger of nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to global security - to our collective security."

The purpose of the two-day summit is to shift the world's attention away from the Cold War view of nuclear threats, where nations conducted foreign policy in the shadow of enormous stockpiles of missiles with armed nuclear warheads waiting to be launched. Obama has argued since he was a senator that the greatest threat in the 21st century instead will be the danger of terrorists building even small nuclear weapons that could be smuggled into a country and detonated.

"Nuclear materials that could be sold or stolen and fashioned into a nuclear weapon exist in dozens of nations," Obama said Tuesday morning. "Just the smallest amount of plutonium - about the size of an apple - could kill and injure hundreds of thousands of innocent people."

But even as Obama warned of those dangers, his administration was using the gathering of leaders to pursue agreement on a more traditional threat: the Iranian government's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons capability. The president's one-on-one sideline discussions with several foreign leaders - which began Monday and continue -- are aimed largely at seeking agreement on U.N. sanctions that could be imposed on Iran over its uranium-enrichment program.

U.S. officials expressed confidence in those talks after Obama received positive indications of support from Chinese President Hu Jintao during a private, 90-minute discussion.

"The two presidents agreed that the two delegations should work on a sanctions resolution in New York, and that's what we're doing," said Jeffrey Bader, the National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs. The Chinese, he said, "made clear that they are prepared to work with us."

China has backed three previous sanctions resolutions on Iran, and its support is crucial because it is one of five veto-wielding members of the Security Council. Bader called Monday's meeting "another sign of international unity on this issue."

But Ma Zhaoxu, a spokesman for the Chinese delegation, was more cautious, indicating that the two sides still differ on the elements of a sanctions resolution. Ma repeated the standard Chinese diplomatic formulation, saying that Hu told Obama he hoped that countries would "actively seek effective ways to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations."

Before his formal remarks Tuesday morning, Obama called for a moment of silence in memory of the Polish president, first lady and other top officials who were killed in a plane crash last week. "This was a loss not just for Poland but for the world," he said. "As a close friend and ally, the U.S. stands with Poland and Poles everywhere in these very difficult days."

Obama also announced that South Korea will host another summit dedicated to containing the spread of nuclear materials in 2012.

And as the talks continued, the White House announced a trilateral agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico to convert the fuel in Mexico's research reactor into a less dangerous form. The agreement, which Obama hailed as a "critical step forward," will eliminate all of the highly enriched uranium - which could be used to make a bomb - from Mexico, officials said.

The Nuclear Security Summit is the first large meeting of world leaders focused on how to keep nuclear materials away from terrorist groups such as al-Qaida. The event has turned the eastern part of downtown Washington into an ultra-high-security zone, with speeding black convoys and flashing police lights criss-crossing the city since Sunday and occasionally snarling traffic.

U.S. officials structured the summit to avoid controversial topics and achieve broad agreement on improving security at places where nuclear material is stored: military installations, civilian research reactors and other facilities. Iran was not invited to the summit. Nor was North Korea, which quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003 and has twice tested a weapon. But with a flurry of meetings on the sidelines of the summit, "those countries not here are not out of the agenda. People will discuss how to manage them," Finnish President Tarja Halonen said in an interview.

The summit comes at a key moment on the diplomatic calendar. In addition to the looming sanctions effort at the United Nations, nearly 200 countries are scheduled next month to consider strengthening the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the pact that long checked the spread of weapons but is now in danger of collapse. Fortifying the treaty is at the heart of Obama's nuclear agenda.

Joshua Pollack, a nuclear expert, said Obama's meetings Sunday and Monday with some of the less prominent world leaders, such as those from Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Ukraine, reflected preparations for next month's treaty conference in New York.

At that meeting, "every member state has an equal vote, even the ones that don't often dominate the headlines ... so there's a courtship aspect," he wrote on the blog ArmsControlWonk.

Obama pledged during his campaign to lock down all "loose" nuclear material in four years - a goal he says he is determined to pursue, despite a lack of progress in his first year.

The objective is to secure nuclear material in military installations, civilian research reactors and universities worldwide and to prevent smuggling. Experts say there is enough nuclear material in the world to make more than 120,000 nuclear weapons.

According to the State Department, the summit is the largest gathering of heads of state and government called by a U.S. leader since the United Nations was founded in 1945.

"I think it's an indication of how deeply concerned everybody should be with the possibilities of nuclear traffic," Obama told reporters, referring to the turnout. "And I think at the end of this we're going to see some very specific, concrete actions that each nation is taking that will make the world a little bit safer."

Obama opened the event with new pledges from countries to secure their material and discourage smuggling. Ukraine announced Monday that it will dispose of its stock of highly enriched uranium, a critical material used in nuclear weapons. The statement came after Obama met with President Viktor Yanukovych, their first encounter since the Ukrainian leader's February inauguration.

The former Soviet state has about 200 pounds of highly enriched uranium at its civilian research reactors, enough "to make several nuclear weapons," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. Ukraine's government has agreed to covert the reactors to low-enriched uranium, which is more difficult to weaponize.

Canada also said it will return its spent nuclear fuel to the United States. Those announcements came after Chile said it had given up its last 40 pounds of highly enriched uranium.

Obama also met Monday with Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia. As a condition for Najib attending the summit, the Obama administration demanded that the Malaysian government adopt stricter import and export controls to prevent the country from being used as a transshipment point for smuggled nuclear materials and technology, officials said.

The White House said in a statement that Obama congratulated Najib on the legislation, and that the leaders will work together to strengthen the Non-Proliferation Treaty next month.

The two "agreed on the need for the international community to send a clear signal to Iran that while it has the right to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Iran should not use this right to develop nuclear weapons capability," the statement said.

Iran announced Sunday that it will hold its own summit on April 17 and 18, titled "Nuclear Energy for Everyone, Nuclear Arms for No One," according to the Arabic-language broadcaster al-Jazeera.

A majority of Americans are not confident that the summit will make it more difficult for terrorists to get a hold of nuclear materials, according to a new Washington Post -ABC News pool.

The survey, conducted on the eve of the meeting, found that 40 percent of respondents thought the talks would result in tighter controls on nuclear materials, while 56 percent said they were not confident they would succeed in doing so.

World's second-tallest building under construction in Mecca

DUBAI: An under-construction hotel complex in Saudi Arabia will feature the world's second-tallest building, topped by a clock six times bigger than London's Big Ben, the hotel's general manager said Tuesday.

The Mecca Royal Clock Tower will be made up of 662 metres (2,171 feet) of concrete structure and a 155-metre (508-foot) crecent-topped metal spire, Mohammed al-Arkubi said at a press conference in Dubai.

Combined, the two parts of the tower in the Muslim holy city of Mecca would be only roughly 11 metres (36 feet) shorter than Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower at 828 metres (2,717 feet).

Even the concrete section of the Mecca Royal Clock Tower would be taller than the current second-tallest building in the world, the 508-meter (1,676-foot) Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

"The first part of the hotel will open at the end of June, while the clock will begin operating at the end of July," ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin around August 10, Arkubi said.

The German-made clock, billed as "the largest in the world," will have 45-metre (147-foot) wide and 43-metre (141-foot) tall faces on all four sides of the tower, he said.

He added that it will be visible from 17 kilometres (10 miles) away at night and 11 to 12 kilometres (six to seven miles) away during the day.

"Putting Mecca time in the face of Greenwich Mean Time, this is the goal," Arkubi said.

He said the three-billion-dollar, seven-tower complex of hotels, called Abraj al-Bayt Towers, will contain 3,000 rooms and suites, the majority of which will overlook the Grand Mosque, which Muslims face for daily prayers.

The complex is being constructed by the Bin Laden Group, a giant real estate firm, on behalf of the Saudi government, he said.

The complex will be managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and its revenue will be placed in a "waqf," or Islamic trust, devoted to the development and maintenance of Muslim holy sites, Arkubi said.

SELEX Galileo Falco

Unmanned aircraft, such as this FALCO UAV made by the Selex Galileo unit of Italy’s Finmeccanica, play an increasing role in warfare. The model shown here, designed for surveillance missions, can be loaded with high-tech gear including thermal imaging sensors, color TV cameras, and lasers for designating targets.

SPECIFICATION

Range Class: Tactical

Airframe High wing monoplane with twin tail booms and single pusher propeller
Span 7.20 m
Length 5.25 m
Max take-off weight 420.00 kg
Payload Weight 70.00 kg

Cruise speed 117.00 kts

Endurance <14hrs

NAME OF ALLAH IN THE PIECE OF MEAT:

Pakistan Air Force employs air-to-air refuelling skill

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Sunday employed air-to-air refuelling skill successfully thus attaining another milestone to prove itself 'second to none' as envisioned by Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The attainment of the capability was a part of the on-going High-Mark-10 exercises kicked off a week ago.

The first Air-to-Air Re-Fuller aircraft of Pakistan Air Force which had joined PAF in the mid of December-2009, today took active part in the exercises and ably refuelled two fighter aircraft in the PAF's inventory, a senior officer of PAF said.

The PAF is expecting delivery of three similar refuelling aircraft by June this year.

By virtue of its ability to refuel Air Defence aircraft in air, PAF's overall capability in terms of its effectiveness to defend the airspace of the motherland has significantly enhanced, he said.

The area of exercise High Mark-10 is spread over the entire country from Skardu in the North up to the Arabian Sea in the South. The exercise has been tailored to include joint operations with extensive participation from Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy that would further enhance might to conduct joint operations amongst the three most essential services.

High Mark-10 is aimed at conducting operations in near-realistic tactical environment while integrating new inductions and providing role-oriented training to combat and support elements of PAF and other services.

"It is designed to achieve stipulated objectives with special emphasis on exposing PAF combat crew to simulated air battles based on contemporary concepts," he said.

He said, all the Main Operating Bases (Peace Time) and Forward Operating Bases (War Time) are operative during the on-going exercise.

New inductions like JF-17 Thunder aircraft and force multipliers such as Saab-2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft and Air-to-Air Refueller aircraft are participating in the exercise for the first time.

Exercise High Mark is PAF’s biggest operational event that is being conducted after a pause of five years.

The ever changing geo-political environment in the region demands change in the employment concepts and doctrinal changes in the application of air power with emphasis on joint operations, he said.

Exercise High Mark 2010 would provide PAF an opportunity to validate these concepts that are vital in the overall defence of the country."

Khamenei accuses Obama of plotting against Iran"

TEHRAN: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his new year address to the nation on Sunday accused the US president of plotting against Iran as crowds of worshippers shouted "Death to Obama!"

In his defiant outburst, the all-powerful Khamenei dismissed President Barack Obama's frequent offers of dialogue with Iran which began with last year's historic Nowrouz greeting marking the Persian new year.

He lashed out at the Obama administration in his speech, broadcast live on state television, saying after last June's presidential election, the United States had taken a "worst stand" against Tehran.

He said Obama's offer last year of a "new beginning" with Tehran turned out to be "deceptive," as he had thought at the time that it would be.

"The US government and new administration claimed they wanted to have fair and correct relations, wrote letters and sent messages and even shouted through loudspeakers 'we want to normalise relations with the Islamic republic,' but unfortunately in practice they did the opposite," Khamenei said.

"The US president called the (post-election) rioters human rights activists.

"You take the side of rioters and call it a civil movement. Are you not ashamed? You are in no position to speak of human rights. Did you reduce the killings in Iraq and Afghanistan?" Khamenei asked as worshippers, their fists raised, chanted "Death to Obama! Death to America!"

Khamenei, who is also Iran's military commander-in-chief, said that Iran "condemns" such "arrogant" powers.

"You cannot talk about peace and friendship and at the same time plot and plan sedition and think that you can hurt the regime of the Islamic republic of Iran," he said.

A significant part of his speech focused on the controversial re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the nation's "enemies had plans" to derail the poll but that this was prevented by a massive voter turn-out.

"By resorting to violence, they wanted to change the result of the election. they wanted to trigger violence by bringing people to the arena and by burning buses... but the Iranian nation triumphed," the cleric said.

"They wanted to divide the people between majority and minority... and to spark a civil war, but the nation was alert. If they had been able to do so, the US and Zionist regime would have sent troops to Tehran's streets, but they knew it would hurt them. So they spread propaganda and supported the rioters."

India successfully tests BrahMos cruise missile

BHUBANESHWAR: India today became the first country to have a 'manoeuvrable' supersonic cruise missile when it successfully test-fired the vertical-launch version of 290-km range BrahMos from a warship in the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast.

"The vertical-launch version of missile was launched at 1130 hours today from Indian Navy ship INS Ranvir and it manoeuvred successfully hitting the target ship. It was a perfect hit and a perfect mission," BrahMos aerospace chief A Sivathanu Pillai said.

After today’s test, India has become the first and only country in the world to have a "manoeuvrable supersonic cruise missile in its inventory," he said in New Delhi.

In separate messages, President Pratibha Patil and Defence Minister A K Antony congratulated the BrahMos scientists and the navy for the successful test-launch.

Seven years on Iraq war

BAGHDAD: The seventh anniversary of the start of the Iraq war dawned today with very little notice in the media--but at the start of the war, many more newspapers opposed it than we now remember.

Americans believed Saddam had WMD--and no wonder, given the deceitful propaganda from the Bush administration--and that they backed an invasion if it came to that. But most surveys also showed a clear split between those who wanted to go to war soon, and those who wanted to wait for more diplomacy or to give the United Nations inspectors more time to work (remember, they had found nothing and then were withdrawn by the president).

Perhaps more important in the minds of many Iraqis was the ongoing wait for final results from the country’s second nationwide parliamentary election. The milestone will determine who will oversee Iraq as U.S. forces go home, but could also point the direction the fragile democracy will take down the road — deeper into the sectarian divide that followed Saddam’s fall, or toward a more secular, inclusive rule.

Many blame the U.S. for the sectarian violence that erupted after the invasion.

While violence has dropped since the height of the bloodshed in 2006 and 2007, attacks continue, although in smaller numbers.

Many Iraqis view the U.S. withdrawal with concern that the lull in violence may break and killing return.

Others think the violence will dissipate after the U.S. pulls out.

Massive financial scam of Rs500 mln recorded in PCB

LAHORE: Massive financial irregularities worth Rs500 million have been recorded within the Pakistan Cricket Board from year 2003 to 2008, reveals a report prepared by the Auditor General of Pakistan.
The report says that the board had spent Rs180.53 million on the construction of Qaddafi Stadium for and Pavilion. The project caused the cricket board a loss of Rs40 million due to some poor planning, it said.
In addition, the PCB suffered losses worth Rs50.82 million in the form of Security Insurance Premium paid for the recently held Pak-Australia series.
According to the report, former chief operation officer (COO) Shafqat Naghmi was illegally paid Rs10.07 million in the form of salary and benefits.
The audit report further says that eight senior officials were also illegally paid Rs10.28 million during the Champions Trophy 2008.
Besides, the board’s staff was also paid Rs90.72 million in the form of bonuses in violation of the laws.

The Pakistan Navy Custodian of The Country's Coastline

As the custodian of the country's coastline, territorial waters, and Sea Lines Of Communications (SLOCs) the Pakistan Navy has a vital role to play in the defence set-up of the country.
The Pakistan Navy's primary role is to guard the country's territorial waters and oversee enforcement of jurisdiction over nearly 240,000 square miles of waters constituting Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The navy is also tasked with protection of Pakistan's SLOCs, its 960km long coastline and its ports, especially the port of Karachi. Barely 150 km from the Indian border, Karachi has the only developed berthing facilities for handling the bulk of Pakistan's trade, naval dockyards, repair and overhauling facilities as well as the strategic national petroleum reserves. Another port of significance is Port Qasim, a more modern commercial port designed primarily for grain exports, but without naval shore facilities. Of lesser importance are the subsidiary ports of Pasni. Jiwani and Gwadar. Critical SLOCs are the maritime routes running from Karachi to the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, East Africa and the Far East.
After the Passing of the UN Law of Sea Convention of 1982, Pakistan acquired an EEZ of about 240,000 square miles. In order to provide protection to this vast area, the Pakistan Government decided to raise the Maritime Security Agency (MSA), which was formally inaugurated on 1 January 1987. The MSA implements the local and international laws in the EEZ, and provides surveillance against poaching by illegal vessels and unauthorised survey by foreign craft. It also conducts SAR missions, and implements measures for control of pollution and fishery protection. Available SAR facilities include aircraft, surface vessels and a network for the reception of distress signals.
Secondary navy's mission comprise coastal surveillance; SAR duties, hydro-graphic surveys, maintaining navigational aids, and law enforcement. As regards in particular the latter, in recent years the navy's role has been expended to include narcotics interdiction, anti-terrorist operations, anti-smuggling, elimination of piracy and combating environmental pollution. The naval headquarters is situated at Islamabad but the fleet as logistic commands are in Karachi, together with most of the training facilities. During the late 1980s, in association with the expansion of the fleet, the Pakistan Government ordered the construction of a new major base at Ormara, 200km west of Karachi. The Ormara Project was named "Jinnah Naval Base" after the founder of the nation.
During the 1980s, the Pakistan Navy went through an unprecedented period of growth. It virtually doubled its surface fleet from nine main surface combatants in 1980 up to 16 by 1989, also acquiring sophisticated long-range anti-ship missiles and enhancing its maritime reconnaissance capabilities. This expansion process also proved the navy's ability to manage the added administrative, maintenance and operational loads.
The submarine force currently consists of two HASTMAT class (AGOSTA type) built between 1976 and 1980, four HANGOR class (DAPHNE type) built between 1967 and 1970 and one KHALID class (AGOSTA 90B type), all of these boats being of French origin. The HASHMATs were modified in 1985 to fire Sub-HARPOON depth-to-surface anti-ship missiles. The HANGOR class boats, now close to obsolescence, will be replaced by three new AGOSTA 90B type submarines, first of which has already been inducted into Pakistan navy.
The main assets of the naval air wing currently consist of two P-3C ORION and four improved Breguet ATLANTIC anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft, four F-27 maritime surveillance and EW aircraft, plus thirteen ship-borne helicopters, comprising six Mk45 SEAKINGs, three LYNX ASW/attack types and four SA-319B ALOUETTE IIIs. The Marine Corps is the youngest force in the Pakistan Navy. With its establishment the navy has become capable of operations on four dimensions, i.e., on the sea with surface combatants, under the sea with submarines, in the air with naval aircraft and on the ground with the Marine Corps.
The Pakistan Navy is moving from the old to new technologies at a rapid pace. The navy will have to consolidate the new weaponry, which will take time as this will involve a basic restructuring of personnel and logistics to suit future needs.

DSP Imran’s office sealed

LAHORE: The office of DSP Ring Mahal police station, Imran Babar Jameel has been locked down while his entry has also been barred, Geo news reported.

Meanwhile, DSP Imran Babar has announced taking a legal action against police officials over placement of curbs from entering the office.

It may be mentioned, DSP Imran Jameel was stopped from entering office late on Wednesday night when he reached office for seizing necessary documents, besides he was also informed about his suspension orders.

DSP Imran Babar denied accepting his suspension orders, saying that he wanted from his office some necessary documents and examination slip of his son’s 10th standard exams.

He said he will file an appeal in court for action against police officials who did not allow him entry.

DSP Imran Babar Jameel remained for 4 hours at Ring Mahal police station but no responsible higher official came there.

World Smallest Man Dies aged 21 in Italy

He Pingping, the world’s smallest man who stood just over two feet five inches tall, has died at the age of 21. Mr He, who was 29 inches tall (74.61cm), suffered chest pains while taking part in a television show in Rome. He was taken to hospital but died on Saturday from what is believed to be heart complications.

Born in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, Mr He had a form of primordial dwarfism. His father He Yun had reportedly said that when Mr He was born he was small enough to fit into his parent’s hands.

Mr He was officially recognised as the world’s smallest man by the Guinness World Records in 2008.

Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of the London-based Guinness World Records, recalled measuring Mr He in Inner Mongolia in 2008.

"For such a small man, he made a huge impact around the world," Mr Glenday said.

"From the moment I laid on eyes on him, I knew he was someone special - he had such a cheeky smile and mischievous personality, you couldn't help but be charmed by him.

"He brightened up the lives of everyone he met, and was an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual."
Mr He regularly travelled around the world to promote the Guinness World Records with other record holders.

In September, 2008, Mr He visited London where he was photographed alongside Svetlana Pankratova, the woman with the longest legs for the launch of the 2009 Guinness World Records book. Earlier this year he travelled to Istanbul to launch of the Guinness World Records live roadshow, where he posed alongside the world’s tallest man, Sultan Kösen, who stands at 8 ft 1 in (246.5 cm).

His trip to Italy this month was to film an appearance on the records show Lo Show Dei Record. He reportedly began to feel ill two weeks ago when he was taken to hospital by production staff, however Mr He passed away on Saturday.

Guinness World Records said it would announce Mr He's successor as the world's shortest man in due course.

Khagendra Thapa Magar, 18, from Nepal, who is reportedly 20 inches (51cm) high, declared in February that he is the rightful holder of the title.

THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS POWERFUL CYCLONE HITS FIJI:

THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS POWERFUL CYCLONE HITS FIJI:


SUVA: A powerfull cyclone battered Fiji's northern islands, damaging homes and crops as thousands of people fled to evacuation centres, officials said.

Cyclone Tomas was classified as a category-four cyclone -- the second most destructive on a five-point scale -- and was packing winds averaging up to 175 kilometres (109 miles) an hour, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) said.

There were no early reports of casualties, although reports said one woman drowned over the weekend in stormy seas.

Indian State Rajhistan accidents

Indian State Rajhistan accidents, many people are died and lot of people are injured. Resources said that many people are students. According to resources, 26 died and something 35 injured.

ANOTHER (TTP)LEADER NABBED

FAISALABAD: Another Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, Qari Shabbir, was nabbed on Sunday in Faisalabad by security agency.

According to the sources, Qari Shabbir is said to be a close associate of recently killed extremist Dr Moaz alias Umar Kundi.

Shabbir has been shifted to an unknown place for investigation. Sources told Geo that he provided logistic support to the militants in the Punjab. However, police has denied his arrest.

Meanwhile three more terrorists were nabbed from Multan.

Formula One: Season’s first race Bahrain Grand Prix today

DOHA: The first race of the Formula One season Bahrain Grand Prix will begin here today.

The salient feature of the season is Michael Schumacher’s return to circuit.

The race to be held in Bahrain will be the first race of this season during which 19 races will be held.

Jansen Button of Braun team will defend his title in the event.

German driver Michael Schumacher has returned to the circuit.

The 41-year-old, seven-time world champion is making his comeback after three years in retirement. He also holds record of winning the most number of races (91).

He retired in 2006 and now he is making a comeback taking part in the Bahrain Grand Prix where an interesting contest is expected.

Schumacher's German compatriot Sebastian Vettel, 19 years his junior, topped the qualifying round and thus seized pole for Sunday's race in his Red Bull.

Defending champion Button will begin the race from the seventh position.

THE TRUTH BERMUDA TRIANGLE:

Introduction:
Let me tell you right off that the Bermuda Triangle is a myth that started off as old-time stories that sailors used to tell new ship mates to give 'em the heebie-jeebies. Now let me go on to say that the myths have become a great money making scam by people who like to stretch the truth. With that said, let me add I love the stories of the Bermuda Triangle and I love the way many FICTION writers have used the Bermuda Triangle as a premise for several fascinating STORIES.
The Purpose of this page is an attack on the pseudo-scientific publications that try to turn the Triangle into some mystical place that is a warp in the fabric of time or some kind of UFO landing spot. While some people will believe that stuff no matter what they read, this page is an attempt to explain away the myths and get to facts that created them. Let the fiction writers have their fun, let the pseudo-scientist with his half-baked facts.
What this page will explain is why currents in the area around the triangle can be dangerous, how a ship or plane can be lost without a trace, why many of the occurrences that are truly a mystery can not be attributed to the triangle, and why
some of the so-called mysteries are no more than over-active imaginations.

First Known use of the Bermuda Triangle

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, 2d edition, the first recorded use of the term "Bermuda Triangle" or "Devil's Triangle" was in February, 1964 in an article appearing in Argosy. The article, The Deadly Bermuda Triangle, by V. Gaddis can be attributed to all the hype and craziness centered around the mythical Bermuda Triangle.

For those not familiar with Argosy, maybe its subtitle will give you a clue about what it publishes:
Argosy : Magazine of Masterpiece Fiction.

It has also gone by the name:
The Argosy: A Magazine of Tales, Travels, Essays, and Poems.

Obviously not a major source for nautical research but definitely a place to spin a tale or two.

The Dimensions of the Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle covers approximately 500,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean.
The official dimmensions (if you can call them that) claim the triangle is that area between Bermuda, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Miami Florida. However when you start plotting ocean disasters that are attributed to the Triangle its boundaries shift all over the North Atlantic and sometimes into the Eastern Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. See the Mary
Celeste and the Sargasso Sea

The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream

The currents throughout the Bermuda Triangle are affected by the warm Gulf Stream. This current flows in a north easterly direction from the tip of Florida, up the Eastern seaboard to The Saint Lawrence Seaway and then roughly across the Atlantic toward the United Kingdom. The current divides the Cold waters of the North Atlantic from the hot water of the Sargasso Sea. The current accounts for the London fog as well as the temperate climate of Europe. Much of Europe is as far north as Canada, yet the climate tends to be more moderate, all because of this Gulf Stream.
The current is strong and small boats in the area that are not familiar with it (the Snow Birds and other Vacationers as well as new sailors) can easily be pushed off-course. The reason is that the current is continuously pushing the boat north and east of Florida and the Bahamas. In the area of the Florida straits (the narrow channel separating Florida and the Bahamas) the current is always swift, turbulent and traveling almost straight north! Debris form ships that have sunk in the Straights of Florida (as well as notes in bottles, and pollution) have been found all the way on the other side of the
Atlantic because of the force that this current possesses.

What this means: Boats go into the area an assume they are traveling in an easterly direction when in fact they are traveling east-north east. If the boat is going a short distance the problem can be corrected by simply watching the shoreline or other familair landmarks. If the boat is going a long distance the landmarks become lost beyond the
horizon. To further exaberate the problem the further the boat goes out the more off course it becomes.
To make matter worse, when the boat turns around and heads due west on its return route, it is still being pushed northeast. Anyone who has tried to paddle a canoe upstream realizes that it takes longer to go upstream than down stream. The same is true when fighting the Gulf Stream. Furthermore the current is still pushing you north so even if you compensate for the outward motion of the gulf stream you can still wind up several miles north of your destination unless you are a very good sailor.
To compound the problem, the Captain of the craft will probably "May Day" where he should be according to the route he thought he took, without making any compensation for the drift of the Gulf Stream, complicating any Search-and-Rescue mission.

The Ocean Floor
The North-American Continental Shelf explains the wonderful blue water of the Caribbean. In many places throughout the Caribbean Islands when flying over the shelf it is possible to see large objects submerged several feet under the water. It's a splendid sight and it would make it seem that finding a lost plane submerged in these parts quite easy, especially in this day of Black Boxes (Flight Data Recorders, Cockpit Voice Recorders and Emergency Locator Transmitter).
While the Big Jets have all sorts of tracking gear, Small Aircraft only have the Emergency Lacator Transmitter Unfortunately, the Black boxes don't work very well when they are submerged. Also, when the sandy bottom of the ocean floor is disturbed it can often cause the sand to lift up into a cloud and resettle on top of whatever disturbed it. To make matters worse, if a boat has capsized it may go completely unnoticed by all but the most sophisticated sonar equipment.
But these are only minor perils when it comes to searching for sunken craft in the Triangle. The real peril is that while many people have snorkeled in the wonderful shallow areas of the Caribbean, few have gone just a few miles away from these shallow areas where the continental shelf gives way to the ocean floor! Suddenly, within a matter of miles, what was once water only a couple hundred feet deep begins an ocean thousands of feet deep. About 100 miles north of Puerto Rico is the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean: the Puerto Rico Trench, estimated at 30,100 ft (9200 meters) deep. The Florida Straits, between Miami and the Bahamas at around 5,000 or so feet deep. This is the shallow water where so many planes and boats have disappeared with out a trace. The 120 mile distance between the Grand Bahamas from New Providence lies the North East Providence Channel which has a depth of ranging between 6,000 and 12,000 feet (2,000-4,000 meters).
The Channel is at the tip of the basin which spreads out covering much of the ocean floor from Miami and the Bahamas out to Bermuda. This basin is ap proximately 18,000 feet (6,000 meters) deep. Contrary to the Bermuda triangle legend, the water of the islands is quite deep and turbulent.

The North Pole.
This information is currently a rough estimate. However, the information is critical to understanding some of the reports of strange compass readings in the triangle. As more information is made available to me, I will update this information. There are three north poles, Magnetic, Grid, and True or Celestial North. True North True north is determined by Polaris, the North Star. It can be found using the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). To find it, line up the two stars at the end of the dipper and draw an imaginary line out to the last star in Ursa Minor. This is Polaris. Grid North is the real North Pole, at 90 degrees latitude. It is the North Pole according to maps and globes. Because Polaris is not directly above Grid North, the two sometimes differ.

Magnetic North
Magnetic North is where compasses point and is several thousand miles from the Grid North. It is located somewhere north of one of the Baffin Islands in the Hudson Bay. If you look at most globes, you can find a little (x) with the label(Magnetic North) marking this location.
This is the answer to many of the strange compass readings that have been discussed when crossing the Atlantic. Columbus was one of the first Navigators to recognize that True North and Magnetic North were not the same thing, and he noted this in his log. He also surmised, correctly, 500 years ago, that the compass must point to something other than the North Pole.
There are only two longitudes in the world where Magnetic and Grid, or Magnetic, and True North align. These location are near the center of Europe and near the eastern part of the United States.
At the tip of Portugal the difference between Magnetic and Grid North is about four degrees. As you travel west across the Atlantic, the difference between Magnetic and Grid North begins to increase. This difference can get as much as 22 degrees. This increase continues until you reach the middle of the Atlantic and the Sargasso Sea, and then slowly Grid and Magnetic begin to realign so that by the time you reach the southern tip of Florida the two are only one and a half degrees different. To get an idea of how Grid, True, and Magnetic Norths differ, go to any large library with a good
map collection and ask to see the USGS 1:24,000 maps for your home town, a map for Washington State, New York State, and Kansas. On the bottom of the map will be a small diagram showing the differences between the three Norths.

History Lesson:
Christopher Columbus
Three items are usually mentioned about Columbus and the Bermuda Triangle: the strange occurrence in the SargassoSea, the way his compasses acted up, and the strange lights he saw in the Indies.
First let's point out that Columbus was an excellent sailor and Captain, and despite several discussions of mutinies, none were attempted. His crew trusted his abilities. The main concern of his crew was the lack of land and the thought of running out of food and water on the journey. They had no idea how long they would be at sea, other than the
calculations of the Earth's circumference, according to Columbus.
There were two different circumferences of the Earth believed at this time. These estimates existed from as early as ancient Egypt. The basic way the circumference was figured out was by measuring the distance to the horizon from two different elevations (sea level and another height), and then using basic geometry determining the curvature of the circle.
No one with any education truly believed the earth was flat. Columbus believed the Earth to be about 15,000 miles in circumference; the shore of Asia should be reachable across the Atlantic. Most navigators used 25,000 miles, and believed the trip was impossible simply because it wasn't possible to carry provisions for such a long trip.
Furthermoe most Sailors liked to sail close to land in order to pick up provisions and fresh water. The open sea wasfeared and respected because of stormy weather conditions.
As Columbus went further out to sea, he ran into the Sargasso. The sea was a puzzle to him mainly because of the number of sea birds in the area; while usually a sign of land, no land was in sight. This was a major disappointment to Columbus and his crew and he made a special note of it for future voyages. (More as warning to future travelers not to
expect land fall than because of alien visitors.)
Later, as he went further west into the Atlantic, he noticed that the compass needle was acting up: the compass' North was not lining up with True (Celestial) North. Again he made a note of it, but didn't tell his superstitious crew. When others noticed the difference, Columbus informed them that he had made note of it, but it was not a major problem. He reasoned that the compass probably pointed to something other than True North. This, of course, has been proven to be true. Magnetic North is currently near Prince of Wales Island, half way between the Hudson Bay and the Geographic North Pole. Columbus and crew also spotted a meteor hitting the water. The crew was not puzzled by it, however, as it was not that uncommon to see shooting stars and the like. The meteor was noted in Columbus' log mainly because of the size. This occurred outside the boundaries of the Triangle. Columbus also logged a report of seeing lights in the distance, on October 11. He called for one of his men, who alsosaw the light. When a third man finally came, the light had vanished. By this time, the crew, while not mutinous, was calling for the ship to turn around. Columbus wrote that if land fall was
not made within f ew days, he would turn around. There was a reward for the first man to spot land and several bad sightings were made. There were visible signs, such as land birds or plants floating in the water, but no land was sighted. On several occasions, low clouds had been mistaken for land. Columbus issued an order that any false sighting would lead to a forfeiture of reward, because of the effect they were having on the crew.
The light Columbus had seen on the night of Oct 11 was probably from Man Island near Hispanola or from Hispanola itself. He failed to wake the crew because he did not want to report yet another false sighting. Four hours later, Rodrigo de Triana, aboard the Pinta, signaled land-in-sight. Land was spotted in the vicinity of where the light had been seen.

The Occurrences: The Myths & Facts
The Biggest Mystery, Flight 19

Flight 19. The disappearance of Five Avenger Torpedo bombers.

The Myth.
On a clear day five Navy Avengers of flight 19 took off for a routine mission. The experienced crew had a route that would take them 160 miles east, 40 miles north and the 120 miles straight back to base. The planes were suppose to carry three man crews, but one crew member failed to show. Perhaps it was just coincidence, or was it premonition?
The planes had done their required preflight test and every thing checked out in good working order. It was a routine two hour mission but the planes were still fully fueled. The planes had extensive radio equipment to include ten different radio channels and homing devices that would show them the way home. The first message that came from the patrol came in at 15:45: "Control tower this is an emergency. We seem to be off course. We seem to be lost. We can't make out where we are." The tower said "Head due west", but the flight did not know which way West was. "Everything looks wrong, even the ocean looks strange". The tower was puzzled; even if the compasses were not working, the crew should have been able to fly west by following the sun (which was several hours from setting). Finally around 16:25, the flight leader announced "We're not certain where we are. We must be 225 North east of base...it looks like we are..." and then silence. A Martin Mariner flight-boat with a crew of 13 took off to look for Flight 19. The Mariner sent several routine messages back to base before it, too, disappeared in the region where Flight 19 was thought to be. At 19:04, the last message from Flight 19 was received at base. It was only a faint message which repeated the letters FT FT, the call letters of Flight 19. The search for the planes continued for weeks, and even today the U.S. Navy has a standing order for crews to keep a look out for Flight 19. The military experts were completely baffled--how could 27 men and six planes just disappear? If the Avengers would have run out of fuel, the planes would have floated long enough for the crews to get out and onto their rafts. The men were well-trained in sea survival. The official Navy report stated that the planes had vanished "as if they had flown to Mars"

The truth:
Fact 1: Only the Patrol Leader Lt . Charles Taylor was an experienced pilot, and he had only recently been transferred to the US Naval Air Station in Fort Lauderdale. The other pilots, and all but one crew member were trainees.
Fact 2: The patrol was to conduct a low-level bo mbing mission at Hens and Chickens Shoal south of the Grand Bahamas. Lt. Taylor tried to get out of doing the flight, most likely because he was hung over.( He had been at a party
the night before.) No one else in the duty rotation felt like switching with him.
Fact 3: Soon after taking off, Taylor's compass went out, but he decided to fly by "dead reckoning" and "Pilotage".
Fact 4: Taylor got screwed up because of his dead reckoning flying. He was not wearing a watch (something that has been assumed because he was always asking his crew what time it was). After several minutes of flying in circles, he saw a land mark that he thought he recognized. Taylor lived in the Florida Keys, and he mistakenly identified an island of the Bahamas as the island he lived on. He then issued an order for the flight to fly due North until they hit the mainland of Florida. It was getting late and the weather had been getting progressively worse. After about an hour of flying north and not hitting the mainland, Taylor issued an order to fly east. He assumed that they were now over the Gulf of Mexico.
In fact, the flight had been flying north along the Atlantic coastline. When they decided to fly east, they started heading farther out into the Atlantic ocean.
Fact 5: Flight 19 was in continuous contact with Base throughout the flight, up to this time, and the tower was aware that Taylor was flying without a compass. They asked Taylor to switch over to the emergency radio channel, but Taylor refused because one of his planes had a faulty receiver and he was afraid that if he changed frequencies he would lose contact with the plane. The weather was now a major storm; visibility was poor.
Fact 6: Because of Taylor's refusal to switch to the emergency channel, Fort Lauderdale was picking up a lot of static on the line. It was also hard for the other radio stations along the coast to get a good fix on Flight 19. If Taylor had switched to the emergency channel, a fix could have been made almost immediately.
Fact 7: It was raining: the weather was not clear and the sun could not be seen.
Fact 8: A fix was made on the planes which put them around three hundred miles east of Jacksonville, Florida. When Taylor had thought he was lost, he was actually on course. If one were to back-track his flight plan from the point of where he thought he was lost, you will end up just South of the Bahamas.
Fact 9: Several of the crew members were heard informing Taylor that if they headed West, they'd hit Florida. Because of their adherence to military discipline, they followed their leader.
Fact 10: Fort Lauderdale sent vseveral messages to Flight 19. The flight was unable to receive the messages because of their distance from Lauderdale and all the interference from other radio traffic. If Taylor had switched to the emergency channel several other station could have contacted him. The other coastal stations id not have the
frequencies necessary to contact Taylor's group.
Fact 11: The Mariner was not the only plane dispatched to search for Flight 19. It was the only one that blew up, almost on take off. The explosion was witnessed by several people and an oil slick and debris were found. The Mariners was notorious for having fuel leaks and were known as "flying gas tanks"; it exploded 23 minutes after take
off, in the exact location were it should have been.
Fact 12: Avengers may float for up to two minutes, if you're lucky, make a perfect water landing, and the sea is calm. You might be able to get out of the plane if the sea is calm, you are uninjured from the crash (you don't land an Avenger like you would a sea-plane) and there is light. Ditching in the sea is dangerous even under ideal conditions. Flight 19 was flying in a rainstorm at night, over rough seas, with pilots who had no experience at ditching a plane; they were students. The planes would have sunk like rocks if they ran out of fuel and had to ditch. It is doubtful from the last few
radio messages, that the planes decided to ditch together.
Fact 13: It is common practice, upon the termination of any naval search, to conclude by stating that travelers in the area should remain on the alert. This order is never cancelled because it is part of termination orders. The Navy is not expecting to find Flight 19.
Fact 14: The planes had flown far enough out to sea to have placed them off of the Continental Shelf. They were no longer flying over the shallow Caribbean water, but over water thousands instead of hundreds of feet deep. It is difficult to find sunken debris in such deep water.
You decide. Is this a good story to tell around the camp fire or this a mystery that remains unsolved?
for some reason people are always asking for photos of Flight 19. I don't have any. Here is the stock U.S. Navy photo of Avenger aircraft that appear in almost every book that mentions Flight 19.

The Mary Celeste
The Bermuda Triangle wouldn't be complete without a story on the Mary Celeste. It was a 103 foot Brigatine displacing 282 tons. It was found, floating and completely abandoned, by the crew of the Dei Gratia on December 4, 1872. Both ships had taken on cargo in New York the previous month. The Mary Celeste was sailing for Genoa on November 7, and the Dei Gratia was to head-out a week later for Gibraltar. The Dei
Gratia sighted the ship sailing erratically. When the Captain went to investigate, he found that the only life boat had been launched, yet the ship was in perfect shape, with sails set. Numerous stories about the Celeste abound; the stories cover everything from bloody swords under the Captain's bed to strange vortices sucking off the crew, to an underground world.
The Facts
Fact 1: The ship was never in the Triangle. Its course was well north of the Triangle and it was found drifting by the Dei Gratia between the Azores and Portugal.
Fact 2: The ship had taken on some water and the Dei Gratia had run into several winter storms on the way across the Atlantic. It is reasonable to assume the same of the Mary Celeste. Most likely the crew launched the life boat, fearing
the ship would sink and then were probably lost at sea in the life boat. It wouldn't be the first or last time that a ship was abandoned in rough water only NOT to sink.
Fact 3: Did I mention that this didn't even happen in the Bermuda Triangle. Several of the incidents claimed of the Triangle occurred somewhere else in the world, some as far away as the Indian Ocean.

The disappearance of NC-16002. DC-3. December, 1948

It was December 27, 1948. A commercial flight from San Juan Puerto Rico to Miami Florida was returning with a plane load of, you guessed it, Snow Birds. The pilot, Captain Robert Lindquist, radioed Miami. They were fifty miles out and requesting landing instructions, or so the story goes. Miami radioed back with the instructions but got no reply. The plane which was just full of happy people singing Christmas Carols, vanished
from the sky, never to be seen again.
The plane was not experiencing any radio troubles, and the pilot had made visual contact with Miami Tower but then just vanished. The weather was clear and calm, and the pilot and copilot both seasoned veterans No sight of the plane wreckage was seen in the water south of Miami where the pilot had last radioed his position.
Surely the wreckage of a plane would be seen in shallow water only twenty feet deep.

Fact 1: The plane's batteries would not hold a charge, and the pilot left San Juan even though the ground crew said he should replace them. The plane had been having difficulties with the radio ever since it had left Miami earlier in the morning. Since then, the DC3 had flown to San Juan and was now making the return trip to Miami. In all, the plane had been flying for close to twenty hours with the same crew and a radio that worked only intermittently, at best.
Fact 2: The Florida Straits have water close to 5,000 feet deep; the current is swift and deep. If the plane had gonedown in the vicinity of where they claimed to have been, they would have crashed in water which is neither still nor shallo w. The current would have had over three hours to disperse debris before any search party had started.
Fact 3: The pilot gave an estimate of where he thought he was. The transcripts of the flight messages have no mention of seeing Miami. He was giving an estimate based on his flight time, speed, and weather conditions. Pilots are often as much as fifty miles off when reporting these distances. This means he could have been between fifty and one hundred miles away from Miami. The pilot said he was due South, yet if he was on course, he should have been east-southeast of Miami.
Fact 4: The wind direction had changed since the pilot had taken off. The new wind direction would have caused the plane to drift further to the West by as much as fifty miles, if he was not aware of it. Most likely he was not aware of it, because he was out of radio contact. He could transmit but it was not known if he could receive, because he never responded to any message (including those from San Juan at take off). This means he could have missed the entire southern tip of Florida and flown off only to crash in the Gulf Of Mexico.
Fact 5: While the pilot had flown for sometime with other airlines in the area, this was his maiden flight for with this airline. The copilot was also new to the route.

FIVE BLASTS IN LAHORE WITHIN 50 MINUTES

LAHORE: Five back-to-back blasts of low intensity happened in Iqbal Town of Lahore within the last 45 minutes, triggering panic and fear among the citizens, Geo News reported Friday.
The blasts were caused by hand grenades hurled in different locations of Iqbal Town by a suspected person riding a motor bike, police sources said.
According to details, the first blast occurred in an empty plot near crowded Moon Market in Kashmir Block; the second blast hit a car parked outside a house; the third blast occurred near Edhi Center in Kashmir Block located in Iqbal Town; the fourth blast struck outside the residence of a serving DSP again in Iqbal Town and; the fifth and the last blast ripped through Karim Block.
No causalities were reported in these attacks. However, four people were injured.
It may be reminded here that dozens of people were killed in two blasts at Moon Market on December 7 last year.
Earlier, at least 39 people were killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in R A Market near security forces’ convoy.
Overall seven blasts have taken place in Lahore within 10 hours, killing at least 40 people, including security men, and injuring about 100 others.

ALL PAKISTAN HOCKEY TEAM ARE RETIRED:

Admitting their poor performance in the FIH World Cup, all players of the Pakistan hockey team have announced their retire. Due to lost the World Cup hockey 2010 matches.

Captain Zeeshan Ashraf, while talking media, said that he and his boys apologise with the nation on the team’s dismal performance in the World Cup.

He said that never in the history of Pakistan, such disappointing performance was displayed and the whole team is sad on today’s defeat. This is why all the players have decided in a meeting to quit hockey.

Zeeshan said that the players did not make this decision under any pressure but they did it only due to their poor performance.

KARAKORUM HIGHWAY;

The Karakoram Highway follows a network of ancient trade routes linking the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar in western China with the Pakistani capital, Islamabad . Along the way it crosses the Khunjerab Pass (4800m, 15,750ft). During the 20 years it digested lives of many workers to push level and blast the present 1300km (800mi) highway through the mountains: over 400 road-builders died. The souls that paved the way for the modern tarmac road named the Karakoram Highway still seem to flicker amongst the sharp moving shadows of the rocks and the almost countless but crumbly lucent glaciers that constantly embellish its existence. There has always been a long pass into, and out of China over what is sometimes called the 'roof of the world' but in ancient times it was a very perilous pathway. Starting near Rawalpindi, the bitumen sealed motorway winds through gently rolling, sandy foothills for approximately one hundred and twenty kilometres before intersecting the Indus river. (Called the 'Sind' by the Urdu language speaking Pakistanis) it then twines along the Indus's arc north eastward to within forty kilometres of the town of Gilgit.
Between these two points, (about four hundred kilometres) the road sometimes takes on a 'roller-coaster' aspect as it dips into, and out of the Indus's wide river bed. The final dip is at this forty kilometres point when the road joins the Gilgit river and continues to within twelve kilometres of the town of that name, then swings North, crossing the Gilgit river to join the Hunza river. The town of Gilgit is twelve kilometres off the actual Karakoram highway and is reached by a fairly smoothly laid and slightly inclined tarred road. Although the Karakoram Highway inclines upwards the whole way to the pass it's not until you get close to Gilgit that you begin to feel as if you are in mountains. Even so, the town is only at one thousand, five hundred meters (approx. five thousand feet) elevation and there is still a feeling of being in desert. The barren, dust laden and tan coloured hills that surround the area give the impression of being made from sand, however, it only takes a ride of a couple of kilometres north from Gilgit for one to get the impression of being in 'real' mountains - very high, and very sheer mountains. This is not to say that the actual road itself is steep - it's not, it's just that the demarcation between the almost sand dune like foothills, and the seemingly abrupt line of six to eight thousand meters high glacier and snow plaited mountains is almost overpoweringly awesome. The road then accompanies the Hunza river through these mountains, climbing gently almost all the way to the 4,700 metre high Khunjerab Pass. Only during the last twenty-odd kilometres from the top of the pass will you find short stretches of consistently steep road gradients of six to fourteen degrees. At the top of the pass, two tall memorial stones show that this is the convenient dividing line between political Pakistan, and political China. Both countries respective customs and immigration posts are some kilometres away on their respective sides of the pass. Sust, the Pakistan customs post is ninety kilometres before the peak. Taxgorgan, the Chinese customs post and town of that name, is one hundred and thirty kilometres from the peak. The pass also separates two differently named mountain ranges, the Karakoram range (on the Pakistani side), from the Pamir in China. Within these two massive ranges, there are other named but smaller clusters of rugged mountains, and a quick glance at a map can confuse one as there is no illustrated way that one can separate one range from the next. On the Chinese side of the pass the road is given a different name by the Chinese, who call it, loosely translated, 'The Big Pakistan/China Friendship Road'. This continuation of the Karakoram is also smoothly finished and well graded. It scrolls up and down through generally wide valleys for approximately four hundred and fifty kilometres to the camel market town of Kashgar, which is in the mostly Taklamakan desert filled Chinese province of Xinjiang. As most travellers consider the Karakoram highway and the Big Pakistan-China Friendship Road to be one and the same, I have done so in this guide, with the exception that I refer to the Chinese road(s) by their route numbers. All Chinese roads have designated route numbers and periodic 'kilometre' markers tell you what numbered road, or track you are on at any given time, for example, the Chinese side of the Karakoram road is route number 314, and you can stay on this route half way across China. The actual kilometre numbers on the stones don't seem to make any sense, and they certainly did not usually reflect accuracy as compared to both of our cyclometers, which always came out to within a hundred or so meters of each another at the end of every day. The numbers on the stones often showed a ten or fifteen kilometre difference to our daily total.

BLAST IN NGO OFFICE MANSEHRA

Seven people including two women were killed on Wednesday when gunmen stormed a building used by a US-based charity in Mansehra.
The gunmen attacked offices of World Vision near Oghi town, in Mansehra district of North West Frontier Province, police and the aid worker said. "Some armed people stormed the building of World Vision NGO. There was firing and also an explosion inside," police official Sajid Khan told media. "They opened fire and also exploded hand grenades," he said. The aid worker confirmed the attack and subsequent clashes. "Six staff from World Vision are dead, six are seriously injured. More information is coming. The staff are trapped in the office," one of the air worker talking to media said.
There were reports of injuries among students of nearby schools after stampede among them. The building of the NGO has been completely collapsed and the blast formed a 14 feet craft on the site of the blast.
Federal Interior Minster Rehman Malik has sought report from IG NWFP. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the blast.
In their separate message, the president and the prime minister said that the nation is united against terrorists and they would not be succeeded in their nefarious designs.
They directed the authorities concerned to provide all possible medical facilities to injured.
Other political leaders including Quaid PML-N Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Chief PTI Imran Khan, Quaid MQM Altaf Hussain, Amir JI Manawar Hassan have also condemned the blast. Newly elected member of National Assembly Laiq Muhammad Khan and other local political leaders have hinted the involvement of foreign hand in Mansehra blast for paving the way of operation in the area.

Importence of Gawader

Gwadar is located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, close to the important Straits of Hormuz, through which more than 13 million bbd of oil passes. It is strategically located between three increasingly important regions of the world: the oil-rich Middle East, heavily populated South Asia and the economically emerging and resource-rich Central Asia. The construction of the Gwadar deep-sea port is just one component of a larger development plan which includes building a network of roads connecting Gwadar with the rest of Pakistan, such as the 650 km Coastal Highway to Karachi and the Gwadar-Turbat road (188 km). This network of roads connects with China through the Indus Highway. Pakistan, China, Kazakhistan, Kyrgizstan and Uzbekistan are developing extensive road and rail links from Central Asia and the Chinese province of Xinjiang to the Arabian Sea coast. The Pakistani Government has initiated several projects, with majority financial and technical assistance from China, to develop Gwadar’sstrategic location as a goods transit and trade point. The primary project is the construction of a deep-sea port at Gwadar to enable high-volume cargo movement to and from the landlocked Central Asian states. The new port will also encompass conversion facilities to allow for the movement of natural gas as a part of plans for a termination point for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan natural gas pipeline. The secondary project is a coastal highway connecting Gwadar to Karachi, whose $200 million cost will be completely financed by the Chinese. Gwadar will serve as a port of entry for oil and gas to be transported by land to the western regions of China. The significance of Gwadar is great to both Pakistan and China. Pakistan will be able to have astrategic depth southwest from its naval base in Karachi that has long been vulnerable to blockade by the Indian Navy. China is going to be the beneficiary of Gwadar’s most accessible international trade routes to the Central Asian republics and Xinjiang. By extending its East-West Railway from the Chinese border city of Kashi to Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest, Beijing can receive cargo to and from Gwadar along the shortest route, from Karachi to Peshawar. The rail network could also be used to supply oil from the Persian Gulf to Xinjiang. Pakistan’s internal rail network can also provide China with rail access to Iran. Rail access will however be hampered somewhat by differences in gauge: China and Iran – 1435mm; Pakistan – 1676mm; Central Asia – 1524mm.

Economic forecasts
The government declared Gwadar port a “Special Economic Zone” in the budget, 2003-2004. All banks will open their branches, five star hotels will be built, offshore banking will be started, factories, warehouses and storage will be set up, the tourism industry will be promoted in the area, an export processing zone will be set up, making Pakistan a very attractive place for direct foreign investment, and Gwadar port a regional hub of trade and investment activities.

Prospective Port for Regional Countries Trade Prospect with CARs.
The total population of this region is around 65 million, which is distributed amongst 6 states, out of which Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, have close geographical proximity with us and as such will be the potential users of Gwadar port. The present total foreign trade of the area is estimated to be 20 billion US$ with 12 billion US $ of exports. The total international trade in terms of weight and volume is approximately 80 million freight tons. The main items and commodities of trade brought in from various ports are all kinds of consumer goods, electronic items and garments. Exports, which are our main focus of attention, include cotton, metal ores, machinery, gas and oil. The road distance from Kushka in Turkmenistan to Gwadar is only 1200 kms whereas, the nearest Black Sea port of Odessa in Ukraine is approximately three thousand and four hundred kms away from Central Asian States (map at annex D). Thus Gwadar automatically becomes the most viable option available with the CARs. A 500-km long highway connecting Gwadar with CARS via Panjgur, Chaghi and Rabat, up to Herat is therefore being rightly planned.

Trade Prospect with China.
China is an economic giant of the region. The trade prospects with China are envisaged to evolve along with the construction of the port. Being a coastal region, the eastern part of China is far more developed than her Western region. But ever since China has triggered the western development strategy in the late 1990s, the western region has drawn the attention due to its cheaper labour force, rich natural resources and potential huge market. Incidentally the southern tip of the huge Xinjiang autonomous region is four thousand five hundred km from Chinese ports located on the eastern coast but only about 2500 km from ports of Pakistan. It is expected that China’s use of Gwadar port for exports originating from western region will provide her preferred option over the ports located along her eastern coast, for which a distance of 10,000 km has to be covered. Thus it may be logically visualized that Gwadar port will be an integral part of the China’s Foreign Trade route in future. The existing Karakoram highway already connects western China with Pakistan. With further expansion and upgrading of this traffic artery and proposed linkages with Gwadar via planned Ratodero – Khuzdar road, Western China shall have easier access to Gwadar.

Trade Prospects with Afghanistan.
Afghanistan after having been placed on a path of development is in desperate need of finding new avenues for boosting its economy. The country is full of natural resources amongst them are huge deposits of copper, high-grade iron ore, chromite, sulpher, zinc, precious stones, oil and gas. Besides this, the country possesses reserves of oil, gas, coal and precious stones. Once the conditions in Afghanistan become conducive to full exploitation of this productive potential, it will trigger a formidable momentum of trade activity, which would need operationally feasible and economically viable sea trade routes. Another important fact is US approval of over 1.4 billion US $ for the economic recovery of Trans Afghan gas pipeline. This project will carry 30 billion cubic meters of gas per annum from Turkmenistan’s gas fields to Gwadar, and will be the first and foremost step towards the perceived economic benefits. With almost 30 billion US $ already invested by US oil companies in Central Asian region, the suggested Afghan route would cost only one-half the amount of the other alternative, which would run through Georgia to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. This 1500 Km pipeline project can yield significant revenues as Pakistan has plans to build a liquid-gas plant at the Gwadar Port for export purposes. Therefore, the importance of Gwadar Port in providing sea access to Afghanistan cannot be over stressed.

Incentives for the Development of the Country The development of Gwadar port will also play an active role in changing the economic destiny of our country. This province has abundant mineral resources, which could not be exploited earlier mainly due to poor communication infrastructure. The development of roads due to increased economic activity in the province will bring about the much-needed development. Fishery is an avenue, which is providing employment to 300,000 fishermen. This is in addition to 400,000 attached to its ancillary industries. Karachi fish harbour handles 90% fish and sea food catch and earned 120 million US $ in export in the recent years. It is anticipated that with the construction of Gwadar port there would be a marked improvement in fish and seafood catch along with the enhanced offshore exploitation of EEZ.

Feasibility of Gwadar as a Free Port
The government of Pakistan has already planned to make Gwadar as a free port. The necessary study of the feasibility of Dubai based Jabal Ali free port has already been carried out and the same will be implemented at Gwadar Port.

Tourism Attractions
The government has already declared tourism as an industry and is taking practical steps in this regard. Incentives have also been given to tourists visiting Pakistan like availability of chartered flights, helicopter services, 30 days visa at the airport etc. In Gwadar, PTDC has four acres of land earmarked at a prime location in Gwadar over which a 12 room motel was approved for construction. The project however, could not be implemented due to lack of funds. PTDC has welcomed investors to undertake the project and enhance its scope to a beach resort having multifarious activities. The government of Pakistan is also giving various incentives to investors in this region. With the completion of the port the tourists flow is likely to increase many folds in Gwadar.