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Pakistani scholar inducted into MIT top 35 researchers in the world

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="173"] Dr. Umer Saif, The MIT award holder[/caption] Associate Professor, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Dr Umar Saif has been recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of the top 35 innovators (TR35) in the world.  He is the first Pakistani scholar to have been selected for the prestigious TR35 award in the last decade, says a press release. “The TR35 recognizes the world’s top 35 young innovators that are radically transforming technology as we know it. Their work – spanning medicine, computing, communications, energy, electronics and nanotechnology -- is changing our world”, according to MIT Technology Review.

Scandinavian scientists develop dog 'translator'

  BBC News - Scandinavian scientists develop dog 'translator' .

A report on progress made on tax, trade and transparency during the year of the UK’s Presidency of the G8

  UK G8 Presidency Report 2013 - Publications - GOV.UK .

South Sudan rivals to open peace talks

  BBC News – South Sudan rivals to open peace talks .

Scots awarded New Year's Honours

  BBC News - Scots awarded New Year's Honours .

Innovation in 3D printing through arc welding technology

  Innovation in 3D printing through arc welding technology - Technorati Technology .

Egypt’s iGDP registers $2.5bn

  Egypt’s iGDP registers $2.5bn - Daily News Egypt .

New Hepatitis C cure: Should Egyptians breathe a sigh of relief just yet?

Dr Tarek Hassanein via New Hepatitis C cure: Should Egyptians breathe a sigh of relief just yet? - Daily News Egypt .

Photos of Eyes Could Be Used to Help Solve Crimes

  Photos of Eyes Could Be Used to Help Solve Crimes | LongIsland.com .

Now 3D-print your chocolate face and eat it

  Now 3D-print your chocolate face for £80 and eat itTechie News .

Neural Engineering

Neural Engineering  - is a discipline within  biomedical engineering  that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or otherwise exploit the properties of neural systems....

Bagladesh Army Receives New SP Guns, Metis M-1 Missiles

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the much waited self-propelled ( SP) guns, and Metis M-1 anti tank guided Missiles to Bangladesh Army in Tarmac area at the Dhaka Cantonment. Bangladesh Army entered into a new era with the induction of these artillery. The PM also handed over the PF-98 anti tank weapons made by China and light armored vehicles made by Turkey to the infantry regiment and sound ranging equipment to Locating Wing of the Artillery Regiment. On this occasion, Hasina hoped that the addition of the modern equipment, avant- grade canon and armored vehicles would boost psychological and moral strength of Bangladesh Army. She also said agreements have already been signed to buy modern war equipment including the multiple rocket launcher system which would be inducted in the army very soon. The Prime Minister said that these equipment have been added to Bangladesh Army with tireless and coordinated efforts of the concerned ministries and these are also important steps tow

Bangladesh Deploys Army for Electon Duty

Team of thousands of Army personnel are being deployed across Bangladesh for 15 days from December 26 to try to prevent political violence ahead of next month's election. The army personnel will work as striking force for co-operation of the civil administration and they will patrol important areas, streets and highways. Initially, necessary number of army will be deployed at the district headquarters where the election will be held on January 5. Later, the forces will be deployed at different points of metropolitan areas, thanas and upazilas in coordination with returning officers. The voting will took place in the 146 out of 300 constituencies, as 154 candidates have been elected unopposed since they were the lone candidates in their constituencies. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ) and its allies are boycotting the vote to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to hand power to a non- party caretaker government that would conduct the the polls. Prime Minister

Ban-Ki-moon Calls Sheikh Hasina: Request for more Peacekeepers.

 The prime Minister has given her approval. Bangladesh's permanent representative to the  United Nations AKA Moment said the troops would set of for the mission by December 28. The UN Security Council immediately wanted deployment of 14,000 troops to South Sudan as the situation there worsened. The Bangladesh Army and  Air Force jointly have taken all the preparations needed to send troops, military plans and helicopters to South Sudan. Thousands of people have died in clashes between the government and the rebels over past several weeks in South Sudan. At this situation United Nations decided to send more troops to secure the humanity. According to the latest update (  November) 98267 soldiers from 120 countries on UN peace keeping missions. Among them, 7968 of them are from Bangladesh, 8298 are from Pakistan. Bangladesh has been sending troops to the UN peacekeeping mission since 1988 and it is only behind Pakistan in sending troops to UN peacekeeping missions. Some 110 Banglades

Cheap Method has been Invented to Test Formalin

Recently a cheap method has been invented to test formalin and toxic chemicals in food by Md. Faruq bin Hossain Yamin, a researcher at Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI). He said Complex-1 and Complex-2 will be used for the test. Using this method one can test formalin and harmful chemicals within 5 seconds. Mr. Yamin wants to launch this commercially and very much hopeful about this invention's success as it cost only TK 1 per test. But he didn't disclose the chemicals of the solution. Because this formula is the intellectual property of the institution. Before this amazing invention, it was too expensive to test formalin and other toxic element in the food. In Bangladesh thousands of people die  every year, according to the specialists, toxic element of food is responsible for many diseases i.e. cancer, respiratory disease, kidney failure etc. Now-a-days number of cancer patients is increasing due to the toxic element of food. Food Ministry had supplied 87 kit b

E-Cardiology introduced in Pakistan by a renowned local hospital

[caption id="attachment_2431" align="alignright" width="253"] E-Cardiology introduced in Pakistan by a renowned local hospital[/caption] A renowned Pakistani Hospital, ‘Indus Hospital’ introduced E-Cardiology for the very first time in the country’s medical history. This facility is wide-acceptable and growing service that is provided to heart patients for monitoring and immediate help when required, by electronic means. Health information management system along with the cardiology squad of the Indus Hospital has made possible any video or image transfer right from the hospital room to directly unto the cardiologist’s mobile phone in a matter of seconds. In this way, cardiologist’s can deal with sudden emergency’s that may arise with the heart patient through the help of E-Cardiology system at the hospital.

DEVELOPERS FROM PAKISTAN COME UP WITH A MUCH NEEDED SECURITY APP_ LOCK PRO

All mobile users, at least at one point in their lives, must have worried about the privacy of their cellular content, be it text messages, photographs, social media updates or anything like that. Leaving your phone lying about at home or workplace and wondering later if somebody went through your personal stuff, exchanging it with a friend for a couple of minutes and suddenly realizing the presence of really personal messages that must not be read by anyone else. We often find ourselves in many synonymous situations. Needless to state the embarrassment one has to face in case of confrontation which is often a sure consequence of exposure. Fortunately, the issue of privacy is no more a serious concern, thanks to the latest smartphone application in market nowadays, called Lock Pro. This application, a must-have for all smartphone users, has been developed by a group of young Pakistani enthusiasts, under the umbrella of Plan 9, which is the largest technical incubator of Pakistan. It wa

Samata announces college education in Nepal for a dollar

[caption id="attachment_2416" align="alignnone" width="700"] Schoolchildren in assembly at Samata School in Nepal, also called the 'bamboo school'[/caption] The commencement of Samata College amidst a ceremony in Kathmandu was indeed positive news for the masses. Newspapers and websites of Nepal were buzzed all week since the announcement of the college. Like Samata Sikchya Niketan's low-fee school model, the students would be charged  only Rs100 ($1) per month. Operating quality high schools in 19 districts of Nepal, Samata  is quite  a familiar name in the country. Nepal is ranked as one of the poorest nations in the world by most globally recognized index. The wealth divide and income inequalities have deprived the majority population of many basic services. Generally,  quality education  is condered to be the privilege of the sons and daughters of the relatively wealthier segment of the society. Private institutions that deliver quality

New party forms government in Delhi

Delhi’s Chief Minister What would you say when just one year old party makes a debut in politics, takes on two of the strongest national parties and comes close second only to form the government in the administrative capital of the nation. Yes! It is not a fairy tale; it has happened in India today. A civil rights activist and 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Arvind Kejriwal today took oath of Delhi Chief Minister after his party, founded less just a year back, formed the government in Delhi. The anti-corruption crusader who served Indian Revenue Service earlier left his additional commissioner’s job to raise the issue of Right to Information Act and won the battle when the RTI Act came into force in 2005, which later won him the Ramon Magsaysay Award (regarded as Asia’s Nobel prize) as well. In 2011, he joined Anna Hazare to raise the issue of Jan Lokpal Bill (Anti-Corruption Bill), such meticulous was his planning to garner support among masses and campaigning that the government h

Robi Makes First Digital Flag of Bangladesh

Robi, one of the leading mobile operators of Bangladesh , has made the first digital flag of Bangladesh . The operator took the initiative for the people who would be unable to participate in the world record of human national flag campaign physically and created a platform for them to virtually participate in making the first ever digital flag of the country. Robi created a microsite – www.bdworldrecord.com – on the December 11 and after receiving a good response from online viewers, the operator had started the digital flag campaign on December 13. The flag was completed within three days on December 15. Participants were asked to go to the digital flag section of the website and click on two stated colors – red and green – for as many times as they wanted in order to complete the digital flag. It started with filling the red blocks of the flag. The release claimed that a total of 16,371 people participated in the three days and it took 2,103,630 clicks to complete the country’s fi

World's Largest Human Flag in Bangladesh

It was in an emotional display of patriotism that over 27,000 people proved their collective strength on 16 December as Bangladesh set the world record for the largest human flag ever made. And it could not be done at a more opportune moment or against a more desired opponent. A staggering 27,117 people stand united, holding green and red boards above their heads, to put up the world’s largest ever-human flag at the National Parade Ground on Victory day of Bangladesh. The National Parade Ground, where history was rewritten on 16 December, was buzzing with enthusiasm from the early morning, with as many as 27,117 participants students, members of Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force and Ansar Bahini ready to be a part of the big moment. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, holding placards of a rectangular shape overhead, framing an exact replica of the national flag. As they raised their hands high into the air, the whole ground became a triumph of green and red. They stood there for six m

India government moves apex court to decriminalize gay sex

[caption id="attachment_2392" align="alignleft" width="300"] Delhi Gay Parade[/caption] Weeks after India's Supreme Court criminalized gay sex under Section 377 and asked the Parliament to review the existing law for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Community; Indian government filed a review petition in the apex court to review its verdict. The SC verdict created a furor among Indians across the world and cheered up conservative section which were happy to marginalize LGBT community. While almost all the health organizations, human and gay rights activists came all out against the verdict calling it regressive, archaic and biased towards a minority community. The voice of the non-government representatives found support from political entities as well. India's major national party Congress slammed the verdict and expressed resolve to overturn it by making necessary amendments in the existing law. Although there are still political fo

Sign-ups surge ahead of Obamacare deadline

  Sign-ups surge ahead of Obamacare deadline - Dec. 24, 2013 .

British space-weather centre will give advance protection from solar super-storms

  British space-weather centre will give advance protection from solar super-storms - Science - News - The Independent .

New genetic clues for rheumatoid arthritis cure

BBC News - New genetic clues for rheumatoid arthritis cure .

LINE OF CONTROL DECIDED TO BE MAINTAINED PEACEFULLY BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

A meeting between the directors general of military operations of Pakistan and India was taken place today at the Wagah border on the Pakistani side. The meeting was requested by Pakistan as a part of the series of efforts of the political leadership to ensure peaceful relations between the two countries. The meeting was tried to be scheduled many times in the past three months and finally the invitation was accepted by India recently. The meeting was first of its kind in the past 14 years owing to the long history of hostility which has caused 4 wars fought between the two. A ceasefire agreement has been in place since November 2003 but both India and Pakistan accuse each other of violating it multiple times. It may be noted that the Line of Control is highly populated by both the Indian and Pakistani armies on their respective sides of the border resulting in frequent tension occurrences. In the recently held meeting, it was decided by both the DGMOs to keep the ceasefire agreement i

Pakistani journalist receives WTN award

Pakistani media journalist Athar Osama has been given the all-renowned WTN award for his rigorous efforts to stimulate Islamic sciences again. The award has been given to him in an event held in UN Building, New York. The World Technology Network (WTN) award is considered as the Oscar of Technology & Sciences in the world.  Osama Athar has received the WTN award from some of the most talented and influential people in the field of Science, Media and Journalism, which includes Science Advisor for USAID Mr. Alex Dehgan.

Thousands more South Sudan peacekeepers approved

  Thousands more South Sudan peacekeepers approved - World News | TVNZ .

Madagascar voters elect new president in largely peaceful ballot

  Madagascar voters elect new president in largely peaceful ballot | UNDP .

Babajob provides real time access to jobs in India and joins the Business Call to Action

  Babajob provides real time access to jobs in India and joins the Business Call to Action | UNDP .

Global Health 2014 – Making Progress in a Fragile World

  Global Health 2014 – Making Progress in a Fragile World | Experts Corner | Big Think .

UN secretary-general calls for stopping violence against civilians in S. Sudan

  UN secretary-general calls for stopping violence against civilians in S. Sudan - Xinhua | English.news.cn .

Apple signs iPhone deal with China Mobile

  BBC News - Apple signs iPhone deal with China Mobile .

Robotic cube that can balance, jump and even walk

Robotic cube that can balance, jump and even walk | T3 . The Cubli is a 15 × 15 × 15 cm cube that can jump up and balance on its corner. Reaction wheels mounted on three faces of the cube rotate at high angular velocities and then brake suddenly, causing the Cubli to jump up. Once the Cubli has almost reached the corner stand up position, controlled motor torques are applied to make it balance on its corner. In addition to balancing, the motor torques can also be used to achieve a controlled fall such that the Cubli can be commanded to fall in any arbitrary direction. Combining these three abilities -- jumping up, balancing, and controlled falling -- the Cubli is able to 'walk'. Lead Researchers: Gajamohan Mohanarajah and Raffaello D'Andrea This work was done at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and was funded in part by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), grant number 146717.

MAURITIUS EXPRESSED WILL TO INCREASE TRADE VOLUME WITH PAKISTAN

Earlier this week, Secretary Foreign Affairs of Mauritius AP Neewoor keenly expressed his country’s desire to enhance trade relations with Pakistan. He appreciated the quality of Pakistani goods which fulfill international standards, being economical in price at the same time. He expressed his satisfaction for the existence of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries, according to which Pakistan provides concession on 130 goods to Mauritius while receiving concession on 102 goods in return. He said that the trade relations already in existence should be boosted with the signing of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries, so that remaining barriers in exchange of trade could be overcome satisfactorily. Later on, Deputy Prime Minister Mauritius, Dr. Ahmad Rashid Beebeejaun, also highlighted in detail the trade potential that exists between the two countries along with the possible issues that will come up during increased exchange of trade, such as lack o

Obama: Progress in 2014 depends of Congress

Obama: Progress in 2014 depends of Congress via Obama again urges Congress to extend unemployment insurance - UPI.com .

Pakistan in the NEXT-11 group of leading economic growth in 21st century

[caption id="attachment_2240" align="alignright" width="155"] NEXT-11 economic growth[/caption] From around the world, the leading global institutions chosen 22 countries independently which will lead the economic growth in the 21st century. Currently, these countries are accounting almost 75% of the worlds GDP while 70% of its total population. It is applicable to have knowledge of the fact that all of these 22 countries account for a straight 10% of the countries in the World Bank’s global database. The most encouraging news for Pakistanis is that Pakistan itself has also been included and considered a premier among the 22 in leading global economic growth in 21 st century’s timeline.

PAKISTAN HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION AND BRITISH COUNCIL AGREED ON INCREASING JOINT EFFORTS FOR PROMOTING EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN

The British Council in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has decided on embarking on a joint venture for promoting higher education in Pakistan, a feat which is the primary goal of HEC. A strategy document between the two bodies is decided to be developed. This co operation was agreed upon in a meeting held recently between a delegation from the British Council, headed by Director Jo Beall and Executive Director HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed. The collaboration between HEC and BC is not new, since the two are working together for the past couple of decades for similar educational purposes. In past, BC has awarded 25000 scholarships for PhD students, and facilitated return of 500 highly qualified Pakistanis to Pakistan for servicing their home country on long term basis. Pakistan and UK have had faculty exchange programs as well and researchers from both the countries have worked together on researches of mutual interest. According to Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, promoting educ

SUST Students Developed Electronic Device for Visually Challenged

  [caption id="attachment_2208" align="alignleft" width="323"] electronic device[/caption] Master's student Syed Rezwanul Haque and honors fourth year student Robi Karmakar have invented this device for visually challenged. Both are from Physics department of SUST. On the occasion of "World Disability Day 2013" this electronic device has inaugurated by Professor Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal who was the supervisor of the team. The team also examined the device for more than one month before the inauguration with visually impaired people of different ages. In the inauguration program, Md. Rajib Ali Khan, the secretory of Green Dijeb Foundation Sylhet, who is also visually challenged, was also present and expressed his satisfaction and gratitude. Visually challenged person usually needs stick to navigate the barriers but with the help of this device no stick is necessary to identify a barrier.   This device can be easily used by attaching to hand o

Bangladesh Approves Cultivation of Genetically Modified Eggplant

Bangladesh has approved commercial cultivation of genetically modified eggplant resistant to insect damage, designed noteworthy development after seven years of research. With this approval Bangladesh becomes the 29th country in the world to commercially cultivate any genetically modified crop. Director General of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Rafiqul Islam Mondal told the reporters that the environment ministry had approved cultivation of four varieties of  Bt bringal (eggplant). Mr. Mondal said, "we have taken the Bt gene technology  from India's Mahyco company but all varieties have been developed by our institute" He also added that cultivation will be done under strong monitoring, on a limited scale and the four varieties will be specific to different regions. The main planting season for eggplant in Bangladesh is December- January though it is also grown in the highlands over June and July. Genetic modification of eggplant by introducing the 'ba

2013 Year in review. United Nations Peacekeeping

2013 Year in review. United Nations Peacekeeping . United Nations, New York, 13 December 2013 - The Head of UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, describes the greatest challenges and successes of 2013, and the upcoming priorities for peacekeeping in to 2014.     United Nations, New York, 17 December 2013 - The Head of UN Department of Field Support, Ameerah Haq, describes the major challenges of 2013 and the priorities for field support in 2014.

Crimes in Kenya drop by 8 percent

  Crimes in Kenya drop by 8 percent | Capital News .

The 10 scientific discoveries of the year

  180 Science - The 10 scientific discoveries of the year .

SUS offer rapid test to diagnose HIV in saliva - Brazil

  SUS offer rapid test to diagnose HIV in saliva - Terra Brazil .

Youth-drug can 'reverse' ageing in animal studies

  BBC News - Youth-drug can 'reverse' ageing in animal studies .

IVF success rate 'could be doubled'

  BBC News - IVF success rate 'could be doubled' .

EU to boost joint military projects

  BBC News - EU to boost joint military projects .

Europe launches star-surveying satellite Gaia

  Europe launches star-surveying satellite Gaia - The Washington Post .