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April 20, 2012

Legal advisor of Shahzain Bugti (JWP) kidnapped in Quetta


quetta
QUETTA - Unknown gunmen kidnapped the legal adviser of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Shahzain Bugti here on Friday. 
According to police, Advocate Mukesh Kohli was abducted by armed men while he left his house for court in Satellite Town area of Quetta. 
The police cordoned off the area soon after the incident and launched search to recover Mukesh but the kidnappers managed to escape. 
Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) has condemned the kidnapping and in protest against the incident, boycotted all courts, including the High Court on Friday. 
BBA President Dawood Ahmed said that kidnapping of a lawyer shows the failure of security forces to maintain law and order in the city and called for immediate recovery of Mukesh Kohli.

April 17, 2012

Balochistan hosts a treasure trove of fossilised history


Published: April 18, 2012
The discovery of Baluchitherium also proves —they say — that Balochistan hosts a treasure trove of fossilised history of immense scientific value. ILLUSTRATION : JAMAL KHURSHID
The 2006 military operation that led to the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti, which involved the bombing of the hills and hamlets across the Dera Bugti region may — apart from so many other things — also have cost us one of the most important paleontological findings of our time. According to a recent report in this newspaper, in 1999, a team of French scientists had uncovered, in the sandy hills of Dera Bugti, the fossilised remains of what they believed was the largest mammal to ever walk the earth. The hornless, rhinoceros-like creature, which lived some 30 million years ago, is called Baluchitherium, after it was named as such by the British scientist, who in 1910, found evidence of its existence. The French team, which nearly 90 years later, put together its bones, believed it weighed as much as four elephants, stood some 18 feet high and measured 21 feet in length.
It is now feared that this discovery — made after the Martyr Nawab granted permission for the Dera Bugti hills to be excavated — may have been lost forever following the bombing of the region. It had been agreed at the time that the bones would not be removed from Balochistan, but after some hesitation, Nawab Bugti had allowed them to be shifted to Karachi so that they could be assembled in a more suitable setting. Funding for shifting the bones to Karachi was being sought, and meanwhile, they were stored at the Nawab’s mansion. The scientists also made discoveries, which indicate the Dera Bugti area was once a tropical forest.
The French team believes a key discovery has been destroyed forever. However, local paleontologists are more optimistic that some of the remains may have survived. The discovery of Baluchitherium also proves —they say — that Balochistan hosts a treasure trove of fossilised history of immense scientific value. What is lacking is the interest, the funds and the will to explore this heritage further, and by doing so, making a key contribution at the global level to what we know about the past of our country and the territory that it stands on today.

April 16, 2012

Balochistan: Shoot at sight


Balochistan: Terrorism of Pakistan FC, Shoot at Sight Have Been Ordered on pillion ride (2 men on a bike). "
GEO NEWS"






BALOCHISTAN IS BURNING
BALOCHISTAN WANT FREEDOM 

UN where are you - Balochistan is Bleeding



Balochistan being pushed to civil war: Raisani


QUETTA, (SANA): Balochistan Chief Minister Sardar Aslam Raisani has said the province is being pushed to civil war through a plan.
While chairing a meeting to review law and order situation in the province, Aslam Raisani said that the government would launch a targeted operation in Quetta for the restoration of peace.
Provincial Home Minister Zafarullah Zahri, Ali Madad Jatak, religious leaders and representatives of law enforcement agencies were also present on the occasion.
Raisani urged the religious leaders to play their role to normalize the situation in the province.
Raisani was also briefed about the situation. Raisani said that the police department would be restructured and non-discriminate measures would be taken against culprits and target killers.
Ends-SANA-ZS
http://www.sananews.net/english/balochistan-being-pushed-to-civil-war-raisani/

Balochistan violence: Two bodies found in Khuzdar and Quetta


One of the victims was identified as Abdul Latif Jattak, while the other's could not be ascertained.
QUETTA: As the spate of violence continues in Balochistan, two dead bodies were found dumped in desolate places of Khuzdar and Quetta on Sunday.
According to Levies Force sources, passers-by spotted a dead body in Tehsil Kararru area of Khuzdar and informed the Levies about it.
The Levies personnel took the body into custody and moved it to the state-run hospital for autopsy where the victim was identified as Abdul Latif Jattak, resident of Mulla area of Khuzdar.
Multiple bullet wounds was cited as the cause of death.  However, it could not be confirmed since when the victim was missing.
Meanwhile another body was found by Quetta police in the Western Bypass area. A police party on patrol spotted the dead body and moved it to the Bolan Medical Complex Hospital for autopsy. The victim’s identity could not be ascertained till this report was filed.
According to the doctors, the bullet riddled body was kept in the morgue for identification.
Balochistan has been plagued by sectarian killings and mysterious disappearances of people, with the Hazara Shia community, particularly, targeted in the province.
Earlier a member of the Hazara community was shot dead on Abdul Sattar Road after Friday prayers.
The deceased, who was identified as Mohammad Ali Hazara, was a watchman and was sitting outside a shop when armed men opened fire on him.

April 15, 2012

Pakistani forces killed 8 unarmed Baloch civilians including women and children in Dera Bugti


by Somalan Baloch
(Balochistan, Sri Lanka Guardian) Occupied Balochistan:The Pakistani military in a latest brutal operation in adjacent areas of Dera Bugti killed eight Baloch unarmed civilians including women and children and also abducted 12 villagers.The military in a fake encounter killed innocent women & children and labelled them as militants in order to hide their crimes and justify their dirty designs before the world.
Meanwhile Miss.Shama Bugti,the senior member of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) said in a press release, the Pakistan military has started a new offensive in Sangsela, Sartaaf, Bando, Jori,Kashi & adjoining areas of Dera Bugti.
The forces set abalaze the houses of the innocent Bugti tribesmen.The forces opened indiscriminate firing on civilians,3 men and 5 women along with children killed.The forces also abducted 12 people most of them are women and children.
Mr Baghya Bugti is also abducted along with his two children by the forces.Its pertinent to mention here that previously one of Baghya’s son namely Rustam Bugti was burnt alive along with Geo Bugti and Miran Bugti by the Pakistani military in 2008.Pakistani forces are continuously threatening the villagers to migrate from the area otherwise they will face similar fate.
Once before similar kind of military operation was conducted in Sangsela are of Dera Bugti,where forces abducted Merzar Bugti, Wazeer Bugti, Mandi Bugti and Dito bugti along with their children and wives namely Shali Bugti, Losha Bugti, khaira Bibi Bugti.The military used the exactly same words to their family members,’’if you want to see your loved ones alive then you have to migrate from the area’’.The poor villagers left the area in a hope that their loved ones might be set free but the whereabouts of their missing family members are still unknown.
Such brutal military operations are only mean to silence the voices of the local population and pave way for the exploration of Gas and Oil from the area.Pakistani military will go to any extent of Baloch genocide for plundering the natural resources of Balochistan.
We appeal to the International community, United Nation,Human Rights Watch,and all other human right groups to take serious action against the Pakistani state atrocities in Balochistan.

April 14, 2012

Bugti killing was solely Musharraf’s decision: Balochistan


The Balochistan government denies any role in the killing of Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Bugti. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: 
The Balochistan government on Friday denied any role in the killing of Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Bugti, saying the entire operation was carried out solely on the orders of then chief of army staff General Pervez Musharraf.
The denial is contained in written statements submitted to the apex court.
Advocate General of Balochistan Amanullah Kinrani informed the three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, that as per the civil administration’s affidavits, the authorities – which include the chief minister – were not taken on board about the decision.
The chief justice posed a few questions about evidence in the case and the number of accused involved, which the advocate general chose to duck, saying only that a charge-sheet has been produced before the court against Musharraf.
In the hearing on Balochistan’s law and order case, the provincial inspector general of police (IGP) was asked to appear before the court. However, when asked about the murder of three Hazaras in Quetta, he seemed clueless.
Justice Chaudhry expressed concern over the inefficacy of the police in curbing sectarian violence. Referring to the security cameras installed around the city, the chief justice asked, “Did you identify the culprits or make any arrests?”
The inspector general, however, informed the court that all 23 of the CCTV cameras installed in the city are ‘faulty’, to which the CJ retorted, “it is your responsibility to install quality cameras.”
The court directed the police official to stop the installation of such faulty cameras, which do not help in identifying the culprits.
‘Missing’ persons case
The IG informed the court that a missing person, Mazhar Khan Marri had returned home last night and presented a copy of his statement.
The court expressed concern over the kidnappings for ransom, saying it was the duty of the police to recover the abducted men.
The CJ directed the police to record the home minister’s statement regarding the alleged involvement of provincial ministers in kidnappings. “You should interrogate the suspected ministers.”
The court also directed the IG to produce three missing persons Dr Nasir Ahmad, Akhtar Lango and Abdul Hafeez Lodeeni on April 16 before the bench.
The IG said he could not promise the recovery of these people, but said he would try his best.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2012.

April 13, 2012

Lyari violence kills four amid rocket attacks in Karachi


Police armored personnel carriers (APC) patrol during continuous firing at Lyari area in Karachi on Friday. – Photo by PPI
KARACHI: Angry people of violence-hit Lyari area of the metropolis on Friday clashed with police resulting in deaths of four more, at least two rockets were also fired by unknown miscreants, DawnNews reported.
According to sources, people were protesting against a raid allegedly by Crime Investigation Department (CID) police at the residence of People’s Aman Committee (PAC) leader Uzair Baloch.
Sources said CID police raided house of Uzair Baloch early in the morning and allegedly harassed his family members when they did not find him at home. Protests then started in Lyari Town including Lee Market, Aath Chowk and Chakiwara.
A man identified as  Hanif was killed and his teenage daughter Afshan and another child were wounded in a hand grenade attack by miscreants at his house in Hass Pora building in limits of Napier Police Station.
A schoolteacher identified as Iftikhar was shot dead in an earlier firing incident in the Baldia town area of Lyari.
A young man identified as Hayat Gul was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Miranaka in jurisdiction of Chakiwara police station.
Sporadic firing injured at least ten people as well. Bodies and injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital.
Frequent aerial firing forced owners to shut shops and small businesses. Mobs pelted vehicles with stones and blocked main roads leading to Lyari by burning tyres and placing hurdles.
Heavy contingents of police and rangers have been deployed in the affected areas to control the law and order situation.

HTC Wildfire S deals-Mid-range smartphone losing its charm



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HTC Wildfire S Deals are a mid-range smartphone with decent set of specifications and a beautiful design, however consumers are continuously losing their patience.
Tiny smartphones are selling like hot cakes these days, and HTC Wildfire S is clearly the proof of this statement, however one company who was trying too hard to prove this point is now no longer between us. We are talking about Sony Ericsson who popularized the concept of mini phones, and even received great response from consumers who bought these small devices in huge numbers, however many consumers consider this is a passing trend. Some may criticize and some will admire, HTC Wildfire S is one of the top-selling in the smartphone market, and does not care about the criticism of mobile critics.
This astonishing device comes with attractive paint jobs and friendly sleek dimensions that are perfect to appeal to potential consumers, and utilized intelligent designing to reduce the screen size without reducing the display size from the 3.2-inch benchmark. HTC seems to be in the money-saving mode while designing the layout of this device, as minor improvements are visible on the exterior of this gizmo, however being a miser is not a sign of a reputed mobile phone manufacturer. HTC Wildfire deals also seem to be your money saving guide, while maintaining the truth that these mobile plans have not been devising their structure in the recent past.
desire s deals
The complete HTC line up clearly not respects consumers expectations that even upgrades need to carry some significant improvements, the Wildfire S clearly not in our personal shopping list. Still, it is a nice Android-running smartphone with an enhanced screen, decent camera, a variety of color options to appeal to the younger crowd, several customized HTC attributes, and are these features enough to appeal to users? HTC Wildfire S deals are available in three categories, with consumers seem to be losing their patience.

Stardust recycling mystery solved



Polarised model images of W HydraeA computer model shows what the red giant W Hydrae would look like in different polarisations of light

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A long-standing mystery about how dying stars spew out the material of future planets is now solved, scientists say.
While stars like our Sun are known to eject much of their mass in their final years, it has remained unclear just how the dust is blown away.
Scientists reporting in Nature describe an astronomical study of extraordinary resolution to tackle the mystery.
They found dust grains of nearly a millionth of a metre across, big enough to be pushed out by dying stars' light.

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The dust grains are like lots of little sails catching the wind, or in this case, starlight”
Barnaby NorrisUniversity of Sydney
The team of astronomers from Australian and European universities took a look at three so-called red giant stars - stars that were once like our Sun is now, but that have exhausted their supply of hydrogen and grown to gargantuan proportions.
In a process that is an extreme case of the kind of solar wind that our own Sun experiences, such stars blow much of their mass away in the form of gas and grains of mineral material on their way to becoming white dwarfs.
Lead author of the study Barnaby Norris, of the University of Sydney, told BBC News that the stars were "the galaxy's great recyclers" - the material that they spit out "goes on to make the next generation of stars and planets".
Polarising discussion
What has confused astronomers until now is just how that material is expelled; computer models of the process suggest that particles coming from the stars should be so small that they would simply absorb the light around them and undergo significant heating.
VLT telescopesThe measurements were made with the European Southern Observatory's VLT
To get a look at the dust surrounding the three red giants, Mr Norris and his colleagues used the Very Large Telescope in Chile, applying a technique called polarimetric interferometry.
The light from the three stars, like that from our Sun, is unpolarised - the light waves undulate in random directions.
But light that strikes the dust surrounding them is preferentially bounced toward us, undulating along a particular direction - just as sunlight reflected off a body of water is polarised along a direction parallel to the water's surface.
The team refined a method of blocking some of the VLT's light and combining images of the stars in different polarisations. As a result, they could tell apart distant objects separated by just 15 billionths of a degree in the sky.
"This is equivalent to standing in Sydney and looking at a coffee cup sitting on a desk in Melbourne, and being able to measure its size," Mr Norris explained.
The team saw that the sphere of dust surrounding the red dwarfs was smaller than many models suggest - within two times the radius of the star itself.
Because grains of dust scatter the light differently depending on the colour of the light that hits them, the team was able to analyse their data for different colours and determine an average grain size: not much more than half a millionth of a metre.
That is far larger than anticipated, and as Mr Norris explained, large enough to solve the mystery of how the dust gets expelled: "The dust grains are like lots of little sails catching the wind, or in this case, starlight."
"The mechanism by which mass is transported away from these stars is one of the biggest questions in stellar astronomy, and underpins our whole understanding of how heavy elements are spread throughout the galaxy. Our study is just one small piece in this puzzle."

Space station used for Ardbeg distillery experiments



Bill LumsdenBill Lumsden said the experiment would throw new light on the effect of gravity on the maturation process
An island distillery has taken to space in a bid to discover the taste of the future.

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We are all tremendously excited by this experiment - who knows where it will lead?”
Bill LumsdenArdbeg Distillery
Experiments using malt from the Ardbeg distillery on Islay are being carried out on the International Space Station to see how it matures without gravity.
Compounds of unmatured malt were sent to the station in an unmanned cargo spacecraft in October last year, along with particles of charred oak.
Scientists want to understand how they interact at close to zero gravity.
NanoRacks LLC, the US company behind the research, has said understanding the influence of gravity could help a number of industries, including the whisky industry, to develop new products in the future.
The experiment, unveiled at the Edinburgh International Science Centre, will last for at least two years.
The molecules are tiny parts of the two substances known as terpenes - a set of chemicals which are often aromatic and flavour-active.
Ardbeg distilleryThe Ardbeg Distillery has been producing whisky for more than 300 years
It is believed the experiment is the first time anyone has ever studied terpenes and other molecules in near-zero gravity.
The researchers are also measuring the molecules' interaction at normal gravity on Earth so they can compare the way the particles mature.
Michael Johnson, chief technical officer of NanoRacks LLC, said: "By doing this microgravity experiment on the interaction of terpenes and other molecules with the wood samples provided by Ardbeg, we will learn much about flavours, even extending to applications like food and perfume.
"At the same time it should help Ardbeg find new chemical building blocks in their own flavour spectrum."
Dr Bill Lumsden, head of distilling and whisky creation at Ardbeg, which has been producing whisky for more than 300 years, said: "This experiment will throw new light on the effect of gravity on the maturation process.
"We are all tremendously excited by this experiment - who knows where it will lead?"

Life found on Mars in 1976 by Nasa's Viking probe, claims new study


surface on MarsTests done on the surface on Mars in 1976 may have found evidence of life (Picture: Nasa/Reuters)
Nasa initially believed tests done by one of its Viking probes showed only geological activity, not biological activity - an indication of life. 
But an international team of mathematicians and scientists who recently studied the data from the labelled release experiments, from a purely numerical perspective, found that its complexity was a strong indication of microbial life. 
One of the Viking probes found that something in the soil on Mars was metabolising nutrients it released - which would indicate microbes - but since other robots dropped on the planet at the same time were unable to find organic molecules in the soil, Nasa believed something non-biological was responsible for the oxidisation of the nutrients. 
'On the basis of what we've done so far, I'd say I'm 99 per cent sure there's life there,' said Joseph D. Miller, associate professor of cell and neurobiology at the University of Southern California's Keck School. 
'To paraphrase an old saying, "if it looks like a microbe and acts like a microbe, then it probably is a microbe".' 
He added: 'We have only one example of life in the universe - we are it. 
'Finding another example of life somewhere else could be the biggest step forward in biology since the delineation of the genetic code by Crick and Watson.'

Windfarms do not cause long-term damage to bird populations, study finds


A Welsh windfarm
The new study goes against widespread allegations by critics of windfarms that clusters of turbines routinely cause serious damage to wild birds. Photograph: Alamy
major new study has quashed fears that onshore windfarms are causing long-term damage to bird populations, but found new evidence that some species are harmed when windfarms are built.
The study by conservationists into the impacts on 10 of the key species of British upland bird, including several suffering serious population declines, concluded that a large majority of species can co-exist or thrive with windfarms once they are operating.
But the study, the largest carried out in the UK into the impact of onshore windfarms on bird life, also found strong evidence that some species suffered serious harm while windfarms are being built.
"It shows that there can be serious species-level impacts in the construction phase, so construction in the right place is absolutely key. But what it hasn't shown is that windfarms are 'bird blenders'. There is no impact from the turning of the blades," said Martin Harper, the RSPB's UK conservation director.
The study, which is published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, was carried out jointly by four naturalists and ornithologists from the RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). It goes against widespread allegations by critics of windfarms that clusters of turbines routinely cause serious damage to wild birds, through collision with the revolving blades, noise and visual disturbance.
James Pearce-Higgins, the lead author and principal ecologist with the BTO, said: "It was a bit of a surprise that the impact on windfarms seemed to be happening during construction rather than operation."
"It means we should look at ways in which these negative impacts can be minimised. The next step will be to find out whether those steps are effective," he said.
The most alarming findings were for the curlew, Britain's largest wader, whose numbers fell 40% in a radius of up to 800m from the site during construction at the 18 windfarms in northern England and Scotlandinvolved in the study. Curlew numbers remained "significantly lower" after the windfarms began operating, after they abandoned nesting sites. Snipe numbers also failed to recover, falling by 53% within 400m of the study sites. Red grouse numbers also fell but rose again after construction finished.
Ornithologists are becoming increasingly anxious about the UK's overall curlew numbers; they have fallen sharply by about half, since 1995, and the UK is host to one-third of Europe's entire curlew population. The species is now on the amber list of threatened bird species.
The study's authors said these findings were balanced out by the discovery that two species, the skylark and stonechat - which prefer open, broken and short vegetation - flourished during the building phase. The other species, such as meadow pipit, golden plover, wheatear, whinchat, dunlin and lapwings, showed either no change or less certain reactions. There was evidence that meadow pipits prospered on windfarm sites while golden plover numbers fell, but the authors said further work was needed to show a link to the windfarm development.
The study's authors warned that their findings presented strong evidence that new developments should be carefully sited to minimise impacts on birds.
Pearce-Higgins said one caveat was that more long-term data was needed to ensure their findings were robust: some of the windfarms being studied had only been operating for three years.
There have been notorious, historic, cases of windfarms in other countries affecting local bird populations. Studies in the UK had found evidence that birds of prey in particular avoided windfarms, reducing the available food supplies and habitat. Bats can also be affected.
The RSPB was very critical of a decision by the Scottish government last week to approve the Viking windfarm on Shetland, despite clear evidence that its 103 turbines would harm nesting grounds and habitat for whimbrel and red-throated divers.