#KM Rafiq

[directsellingnow]

Direct Selling News: तीसरे CEDSA डायरेक्ट सेलिंग कॉन्क्लेव का शूलिनी विवि में सफल आयोजन

Direct Selling News: सेंटर ऑफ एक्सीलेंस फॉर डायरेक्ट सेलिंग इन एकेडमिक्स (CEDSA) ने शूलिनी यूनिवर्सिटी (सोलन) के सहयोग से 11 जुलाई को तीसरे CEDSA (3rd CEDSA Direct Selling Conclave) डायरेक्ट सेलिंग कॉन्क्लेव का भव्य आयोजन हुआ, जिसमें देश भर के प्रमुख डायरेक्ट सेलर्स ने हिस्सा लिया और विभिन्न पैनल चर्चाओं के जरिए डायरेक्ट सेलिंग के भविष्य, इस क्षेत्र की चुनौतियों और समाधान के बारे में बातचीत…

[speedywonderlandtrash]

Class 7 math chapter 13 short question and one word questions

Class 7 math chapter 13 short question and one word questions

  Class 7 Math Chapter 13 Short and One-Word Questions for Exam Preparation,Comprehensive Guide to Class 7 Math Chapter 13: Short and One-Word Questions with Answers,Chapter 13 Class 7 Math: Short Questions and One-Word Answers for Easy Revision, Math Chapter 13 for Class 7: Short and One-Word Question Bank with Solutions   MCQ question 1. Anika's weight is 45 kg. What would you call this in statistical terms? a) Sentence b) Argument c) Information d) Data 2. The number of absent students in your classroom today is 5. What would you call this? a) Sentence b) Information c) Number of absentees d) Data 3. Which of the following cannot be expressed in numbers? a) Price b) Demand c) Height d) Cloud 4. How many types of data are there? a) 2 types b) 3 types c) 4 types d) 6 types 5. What is the data called that can be expressed in numerical terms? a) Quantitative data b) Qualitative data c) Descriptive data d) Discrete data 6. Which type of data cannot be expressed in numerical terms? a) Numerical data b) Quantitative data c) Qualitative data d) Discrete data 7. Which type of data cannot be measured in quantity? a) Qualitative b) Continuous c) Discrete d) Numerical 8. What is another name for qualitative data? a) Numerical data b) Quantitative data c) Descriptive data d) Continuous data 9. How many types of quantitative or numerical data are there? a) 2 types b) 3 types c) 4 types d) 5 types 10. The primary characteristic of discrete data is that over time it— a) Changes b) Does not change c) Increases d) Decreases Class 7 math HCF and LCM short and one word questions 11. Which of the following can be considered discrete data? a) Integer b) Fractional number c) Both integer and fractional number d) Complex number 12. The length of the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh is 6.15 km. What type of data is this? a) Qualitative b) Discrete c) Continuous d) Descriptive 13. Which type of data remains numerically constant even after repeated measurements? a) Discrete data b) Continuous data c) Qualitative data d) Descriptive data Class Seven Math Chapter 9: MCQs and One-Word Questions 14. Which of the following is discrete data? a) Rainfall b) Income c) Height d) Number of fingers on a hand 15. Which of the following do you consider discrete data? a) Number of spokes in a bicycle wheel b) Weight c) Demand d) Cloud 16. Which of the following is an example of qualitative data? a) Number of members in your family b) The amount of money in your wallet c) Your age d) Your religion 17. Which of the following is qualitative data? a) Religion b) Color c) Skill d) All of the above 18. Which of the following is an example of continuous data? a) The length of the Padma Bridge is 6.15 km b) Your height is 4.5 feet c) The total number of students in your class d) Your current shoe size 19. Continuous data always consist of— a) Integers

b) Fractional numbers c) Both integers and fractional numbers d) Complex numbers 20. What is the primary characteristic of continuous data? a) Its value is unlimited b) Its value is always fixed c) Its value is unchanging d) Its value does not vary 21. Which of the following is a method of data collection? a) From the internet b) Using questionnaires c) Through observation d) All of the above 22. Which of the following is NOT a method of collecting statistical data? a) Through testing b) By asking someone questions c) Based on the data collector's preference d) By conducting interviews 23. Rafiq's height is 4.5 feet. In statistical terms, what would you call 4.5? a) Number b) Information c) Data d) Figure 24. After collecting data in statistics, what is the next step? a) Data analysis b) Data presentation c) Data processing d) Accepting the data correctly 25. How would you write five tally marks? a) ||||| b) ||| c) |||| d) 26. How many steps are followed to create a series for determining the frequency of continuous data? a) 2 b) 3 c) 4 d) 5 27. The difference between the maximum and minimum value of data is called— a) Average b) Range c) Class width d) Number of classes 28. What is the formula for determining the range? a) Range = Maximum value - Minimum value b) Range = (Maximum value + Minimum value) + 1 c) Range = (Maximum value - Minimum value) + 1 d) Range = (Maximum value - Minimum value) - 1 29. For the classes 1–10, 11–20, 21–30... what is the class width? a) 6 b) 10 c) 11 d) 12 30. The number of classes into which a range is divided is called— a) Frequency b) Class width c) Number of classes d) Lower limit 31. What is the formula for determining the number of classes? a) Number of classes = Class width ÷ Range b) Number of classes = Range ÷ Class width c) Number of classes = Class width × Range d) Number of classes = Range 32. If the range of data is 36 and the class width is 5, how many classes will there be? a) 7 b) 7.6 c) 8 d) 10 33. By subtracting 0.5 from the lower limit and adding 0.5 to the upper limit of each class, which of the following is determined? a) Class width b) Number of classes c) Actual class limits d) Range 34. In the frequency distribution of class limits 41–45 and 46–50, what is the actual class limit of 45–50? a) 45–45.5 b) 45.5–50.5 c) 45–50 d) 45.5–50 35. If any statistic is presented as part of "300," what is it called? a) Bar chart b) Column chart c) Pie chart d) Line chart 36. How many students study less than 8 hours daily? a) 34 b) 32 c) 22 d) 12 37. Which of the following is used for representation based on frequency-dependent numbers? a) Line chart b) Pie chart c) Bar chart d) All of the above 38. In a bar chart, the width of the bars is equal to which of the following? a) Class width b) Range c) Arbitrary d) Frequency 39. The height of the bars in a bar chart is proportional to what? a) Arbitrary b) Proportional to frequency c) Equal to the measure of the variable d) Equal to class width 40. In a bar chart, the height of the bars represents— a) Arbitrary b) Equal to the measure of the variable c) Proportional to frequency d) Equal to class width 41. In a bar chart, the width of the bars is equal to what? a) Class width b) Arbitrary c) Frequency d) Equal to the measure of the variable 42. Who first used the term "Histogram"? a) Karl Pearson b) R.A. Fisher c) Professor Bowley d) Carl Spearman 43. What does the height or length of the bars in a bar chart indicate? a) Class width b) Frequency c) Number of classes d) Range 44. What is the central angle of a larger segment in a pie chart? a) 90° b) 110° c) 180° d) 360° 45. In which of the following is the circle divided into triangular segments and data represented as percentages? a) Bar chart b) Line chart c) Histogram d) Pie chart 46. What is another name for a pie chart? a) Pie diagram b) Circular diagram c) Angular design d) All of the above one-word questions Question 1: What is it called when descriptive or numerical values are collected from a field of inquiry? Answer: Data. Question 2: When information is expressed in numbers, what is the number called? Answer: Datum. Question 3: "Among the students in your classroom, 10 like to play cricket"—what is this called in statistical terms? Answer: Information. Question 4: "Afifa’s age is 14 years"—what is this? Answer: This is information. Question 5: What is the next step after collecting data in statistics? Answer: Data processing. Question 6: When does data become meaningful? Answer: After processing. Question 7: How many types of data are there, and what are they? Answer: Two types. Question 8: What is data that can be expressed in numerical terms called? Answer: Quantitative data or numerical data. Question 9: What type of data does not include any numerical values? Answer: Qualitative data. Question 10: What is data called when its quantity cannot be measured? Answer: Qualitative data. Question 11: What is data called that cannot be expressed in numerical terms? Answer: Qualitative or descriptive data. Question 12: What is another name for quantitative data? Answer: Numerical data. Question 13: How many types of quantitative data are there? Answer: Two types. Question 14: What is another name for qualitative data? Answer: Descriptive data. Question 15: What type of data does not change numerically when measured repeatedly? Answer: Discrete data. Question 16: What type of data can be counted separately? Answer: Discrete data. Question 17: Is discrete data always an integer? Answer: No, discrete data can be either an integer or a fraction. Question 18: "The length of the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh is 6.15 km"—what type of data is this? Answer: Discrete data. Question 19: What is the main characteristic of discrete data? Answer: Unchangeability. Question 20: What type of data are the number of fingers on a hand and the number of spokes in a bicycle wheel? Answer: Discrete data. Question 21: What do you call data whose value is not fixed? Answer: Continuous data. Question 22: What is the main characteristic of continuous data? Answer: The main characteristic of continuous data is that its value is not fixed; it can take any value. Question 23: "The value of Bangladeshi currency is 'fifty paisa'"—what type of data is this? Answer: Discrete data. Question 24: What type of data are price and demand? Answer: Continuous data. Question 25: What type of data would you call your family's monthly income and expenses? Answer: Continuous data. Question 26: "Bangladesh's rice production over the past five years"—what type of data is this? Answer: Continuous data. Question 27: "The temperature of a particular day in Bangladesh"—what type of data is this? Answer: Continuous data. Question 28: What type of data is "the number of members in your family"? Answer: Discrete data. Question 29: What type of data is "the height of a tree"? Answer: Continuous data. Question 30: What type of data is "the total number of students in your classroom"? Answer: Discrete data. Question 31: What type of data is "the number of books in your home"? Answer: Discrete data. Question 32: What type of data is "the number of books in a library"? Answer: Discrete data. Question 33: What are numerical data in statistics called? Answer: Data. Question 34: If the weight of a cupboard is 52 kg, what do we call the number 52? Answer: Data. Question 35: What is it called when data are divided into several classes with convenient intervals based on the number of data points? Answer: Classification. Question 36: What is it called when collected data are arranged in a table for processing? Answer: Processing. Question 37: On what basis is data classified? Answer: Based on the number of data points. Frequency Table (Textbook, Page 247) Question 38: Write the formula for determining the range in continuous data. (Sample question) Answer: (Maximum value - Minimum value) + 1. Question 39: In a continuous dataset, if the maximum value is 90, the minimum value is 35, and the class width is 5, what is the number of classes? (Sample question) Answer: 12. Question 40: What is the most reliable geometric method for organizing continuous data? Answer: Frequency table. Question 41: What does each tally mark indicate? Answer: Each tally mark indicates one frequency. Question 42: What is the difference between the maximum and minimum value of data called? Answer: Range. Question 43: What is the lowest value in a class called? Answer: Lower limit. Question 44: What is the number of classes into which the range is divided called? Answer: Number of classes. Question 45: How do you write five tally marks? Answer: ||||| Question 46: How many steps are generally followed to create a frequency table? Answer: Four steps. Question 47: What is the formula for determining the range? Answer: Range = (Maximum value - Minimum value) + 1. Question 48: What is the highest value in a class called? Answer: Upper limit. Question 49: What is the class width for the class 1–10? Answer: (10 - 1) + 1 = 9 + 1 = 10. Question 50: What will the number of classes always be? Answer: The next whole number. Question 51: What is the actual class width for the class 41–45? Answer: 40.5 – 45.5. Question 52: When do you need to determine the actual class limits? Answer: When the class width is given using the inclusive method. Question 53: Who first used the term "Histogram"? Answer: English mathematician Karl Pearson. Question 54: What is the height or length of a bar in a bar chart equal to? Answer: Equal to the value of the variable. Question 55: What is the length of a bar in a histogram proportional to? Answer: Proportional to the frequency. Question 56: What is the width of a bar in a histogram equal to? Answer: Equal to the class width. Question 57: What does the height or length of a bar in a histogram indicate? Answer: It indicates the frequency. Question 58: What does "Pie" mean? Answer: A type of circular pastry. Question 59: What is another name for a pie chart? Answer: Pie chart, pie graph, or circular diagram. Question 60: What is the method of dividing a circle into triangular segments and representing data as percentages called? Answer: Pie chart, pie graph, or circular diagram. Question 61: What is the central angle of a circle? Answer: 360°. Question 62: What is it called when a statistic is presented as a part of 360°? Answer: Pie chart. Read the full article

[melissahausen]

Summerslam?

More like summersnooze

What a fuxking boring PPV

The best matches were genuinely cody and brock (yes I said that) and seth and finn.

Thank god for Tony Rafiq Khan.

I know we shit on him for booking descions and him being "coked" up but I genuinely wouldn't be watching wrestling if it wasn't for him.

Cause if I was forced to watch that shit every month I'd KMS.

Anyway 21 days till you all get a decent PPV

Not long guys.

Also fuxk roman reigns and fuxk vince mcmahon

3 years is enough give someone else a shot you twatwaffle!

[hajifurodaid]

Masjid Quba, Masjid Pertama yang Dibangun Rasulullah

Masjid Quba merupakan masjid yang pertama dibangun oleh Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam tepatnya pada tahun 1 Hijriyah atau 622 Masehi di Quba, atau letaknya sekitar 5 km di sebelah tenggara kota Madinah. Didalam Alquran disebutkan bahwa masjid Quba adalah masjid yang dibangun atas dasar takwa sebagaimana disebutkan dalam ayat berikut ini:

وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مَسْجِدًا ضِرَارًا وَكُفْرًا وَتَفْرِيقًا بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِرْصَادًا لِمَنْ حَارَبَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ وَلَيَحْلِفُنَّ إِنْ أَرَدْنَا إِلَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ

“Dan (di antara orang-orang munafik itu) ada orang-orang yang mendirikan masjid untuk menimbulkan kemudharatan (pada orang-orang mukmin), untuk kekafiran dan untuk memecah belah antara orang-orang mukmin serta menunggu kedatangan orang-orang yang telah memerangi Allah dan Rasul-Nya sejak dahulu. Mereka Sesungguhnya bersumpah: “Kami tidak menghendaki selain kebaikan”. Dan Allah menjadi saksi bahwa sesungguhnya mereka itu adalah pendusta (dalam sumpahnya).”

لَا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ۚ لَمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَىٰ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَقُومَ فِيهِ ۚ فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَتَطَهَّرُوا ۚ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ

“Janganlah kamu shalat dalam masjid itu selama-lamanya. Sesungguhnya masjid yang didirikan atas dasar takwa (masjid Quba), sejak hari pertama adalah lebih patut kamu shalat di dalamnya. Di dalamnya masjid itu ada orang-orang yang ingin membersihkan diri. Dan sesungguhnya Allah menyukai orang-orang yang bersih.” (QS. At-Taubah: 107-108)

Masjid Quba merupakan salah satu rumah ibadah yang sejarahnya lekat dengan Nabi Muhammad shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. Sebab, masjid ini dibangun sendiri oleh Rasulullah.

Masjid Quba berada di tepi kota Madinah. Kala itu, Nabi Muhammad baru saja menyelesaikan perjalanan hijrahnya dari kota Mekah dan langsung memerintahkan untuk membangun Masjid Quba.

Dikutip dari detikcom dari buku 'Amalan di Tanah Suci: Membantu Haji & Umrah Anda Lebih Produktif' karya H Rafiq Jauhary', Nabi Muhammad singgah di Madinah selama empat hari dan disambut meriah oleh para penduduk.

Allah SWT dalam Quran surat At Taubah ayat 108 juga berfirman mengenai kehebatan Masjid Quba, sebagai berikut

Arab: لَا تَقُمْ فِيْهِ اَبَدًاۗ لَمَسْجِدٌ اُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوٰى مِنْ اَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ اَحَقُّ اَنْ تَقُوْمَ فِيْهِۗ فِيْهِ رِجَالٌ يُّحِبُّوْنَ اَنْ يَّتَطَهَّرُوْاۗ وَاللّٰهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِيْنَ

Latin: lā taqum fīhi abadā, lamasjidun ussisa 'alat-taqwā min awwali yaumin aḥaqqu an taqụma fīh, fīhi rijāluy yuḥibbụna ay yataṭahharụ, wallāhu yuḥibbul-muṭṭahhirīn

Artinya: Janganlah engkau melaksanakan salat dalam masjid itu selama-lamanya. Sungguh, masjid yang didirikan atas dasar takwa, sejak hari pertama adalah lebih pantas engkau melaksanakan salat di dalamnya. Di dalamnya ada orang-orang yang ingin membersihkan diri. Allah menyukai orang-orang yang bersih.

Sejarah Masjid Quba dibangun pada 8 Rabiul Awwal atau 23 September 622 Masehi. Masjid ini berdiri di atas kebun kurma seluas 1.200 meter persegi. Kemudian, masjid direnovasi sehingga luasnya saat ini mencapai 5.860 meter persegi sehingga dapat menampung 20 ribu jamaah.

Menariknya, dalam proses pembangunan Masjid Quba, Nabi Muhammad ikut terlibat sendiri membawa bahan-bahan bangunan. Bahkan, badan Rasulullah dipenuhi debu dan pasir.

Setelah masjid Quba selesai dibangun, Nabi Muhammad turut memimpin shalat terbuka untuk para sahabat. Bahkan, Rasulullah semasa hidupnya selalu pergi ke Masjid Quba setiap hari Sabtu, Senin, dan Kamis.

Semoga kumpulan artikel ini dapat memberi inspirasi bagi kita semua, Paket Biaya Umroh 2021 2022 1443 H dari Pusat Umroh Indonesia dapat menjadi pilihan anda ketika melaksanakan perjalanan ibadah Umroh nantinya. Semoga Allah memberikan limpahan karunianya bagi anda semua.

[rbsland1]

Lahore smart city overveiw and Payment Plan

Lahore Smart City is another project by Habib Rafiq (PVT) Limited to full fill the needs of urban development in a city like Lahore after its success in Capital City. Lahore is Provincial Capital of Punjab, A province with 110 Million Population and 4.9% GDP growth per anum.

Interesting fact about Province of Punjab is that its boundaries go beyond the boarders as well.

Lahore Smart City lies in Metropolitan City which is also known as industrial hub for Pakistan. Just like Capital Smart City Islamabad, Lahore Smart City is also designed by the world famous Surbana Jurong (SJ).  A Singaporean based firm with vast experience in the field.

Lahore Smart City Location

Location of Lahore Smart City takes a prime advantage on Lahore Bypass and got direct access to Kala Shah Kaku Toll Plaza.

Lahore Ring Road will have direct access to Lahore Ring Road which eventually will connect the city to whole Lahore City.

Some of the main cities of Punjab are less than 100 KM from this new built town. For instance:

1.     Gujranwala

2.     Shiekhupura

3.     Muridke

4.     Jaranwala

5.     Narowal

6.     Daska

7.     Nankana Sahib

8.     Wazirabad

9.     Hafizabad

 Although this city aims to build a University inside its boundaries but new Campus for UET Lahore is just 5 minutes from the western side of the town.

 LSC NOC

Good NEWS! for everyone out there interested in this project as the city enjoys legal status from Lahore Development Authority. LDA has already issued NOC to the city so it is a 100% legal project.

 Total Land

Lahore Smart City covers 20,000 Kanals of land in first phase whereas the day by day increasing interest of investors gives a sign that city is definitely going to extend its boarders in near future.

 Owners and Developers

If we talk about the developers of the city, they are non other than the world famous Habib Rafiq (PVT) Limited Developers and Future Development Holdings (PVT) Limited FDHL.

Habib Rafiq

Habib Rafiq (PVT) Limited is a trusted name in real estate and working for more then 60 years in the field. Habib Rafiq (PVT) Limited have delivered many state-of-the-art projects country wide like:

·        Multan International Airport

·        Motorways all across the country

·        Convention Centre Islamabad

·        DHA Islamabad Phase-2

FDHL

FDHL has a team of highly skilled Professionals, Engineers, Architectures and Designers.

FDHL is also working on Capital Smart City along with Habib Rafiq and Surbana Jurong (SJ).

·        Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Modern days wonder also goes on credit of Surbana Jurong (SJ)

·        Master Planning for more than 30 countries

·        Largest Architecture Group in Singapore

Master Plan

Lahore Smart City is mainly divided in 2 blocks:

1.     Executive Block

2.     Overseas Block

Executive block is most luxury and prestige block in Lahore Smart City.

Division of Plots in executive block is done in following ways:

·        5 Marla (25x50

·        10 Marla (35x70)

·        1 Kanal (50x90)

 Overseas Block is specially specified for the Pakistanis living across the boarders, This Block is most safe and secure in Lahore Smart City and its architecture is specially designed to meet the needs of overseas.

The Division of plots is done in following ways:

·        5 Marla (25x50

·        10 Marla (35x70)

·        1 Kanal (50x90)

Districts of Lahore Smart City

Just like The Capital Smart City, Lahore Smart City is also divided into different districts. Lahore Smart City is divided into 7 Districts, which are described here:

General Block

General Block is purposely designed for residential units, Apartments and Mosques. This block contains low budget and affordable units for sale. This block is a proper affordable approach for ultimate smart facilities at your door step.

Overseas Block

To full fill the needs of people living outside the country Lahore Smart City has a special plan. A fully gated and secure environment will be provided to those living abroad inside the city with all the world class infrastructure. Overseas Block will be one of most luxury blocks of this city as well.

Executive Block LSC

Executive Block distinguish itself from its name as it describes this block will be most executive and will be presenting a true picture of luxurious world. This block will also contain residential units, Apartments, Commercial areas and mosques but as compare to other blocks this block will be expensive of all.

Farm Houses

If you want to live life your own way this district is specially made for you. Wether you want to keep your pets or you love gardening you can do whatever you want. Farmhouses will be covering  and  kanals of land each to live life your own way.

Health Care District of LSC

Healthcare district will be providing health facilities to the inhabitants of LSC. This District will be equipped with a 500 beds hospital and other than that it will also have some residential units and villas. Food Stops will also be right here.

Sports District

Sports Districts of Lahore Smart City is designed specially to promote sports activities and specifically International Cricket in Pakistan. Other than Sports facilities this district also includes leisure facilities and residential units. A football Stadium and a racing track also features in sports district.

Education District

Education District will be providing educational facilities to the residents of the city. This District will be consisting of a University, A College and Medical College. Other than these there will be Schools and day care centres as well.

Theme Park

Theme Park District is designed on theme of a park and is specified for leisure activities specially.

This District includes a massive family resort with high-end facilities and amenities, A grand Bird Park and retail areas. This place will also include food and beverage corners for proper hospitality.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley will be consisting of many Offices, Warehouses, Technology Operational Offices and IT Campuses. Silicon Valley will be hub of all technology related projects and will be presenting residential apartments as well.

Price Plan

Facilities and Amenities

 Amenities and Facilities of LSC:

This is the second smart city of Pakistan. There are a few in the world. This will surely meet all the high standards that all others have in them. It will be a completely automated society. The whole city will be a new innovation that will be second to none. Plus it will also bring a completely new lifestyle in the city. Following are some of the main amenities that are present in Lahore Smart City:

·        Luxury Living

·        Internet of Things (IoT)

·        Educational Facilities

·        Modern Health Facilities

·        Proper Waste Management System

·        Intelligent systems

·        Installation of fiber optics

·        Smart Parking

·        Smart Energy management System

·        High end and modern management

·        Silicon Valley

 Conclusion From RBS

Royal Business Solutions also known as RBS is one of the leading real estate Corporation in Pakistan. RBS recommends Project like Lahore Smart City for their High-end and world class Infrastructure. This project is developed by very famous HRL which is a great sign of success itself as they have very hard earned reputation in the field real estate and construction.

  Booking Procedure

1.     Registration / Transfer Form.

2.     NICOP / CNIC of self & Nominee.

3.     Payment Receipts / Pay Order / Draft.

4.     2 x photographs.

5.     Membership Performance.

6.     Signature & Thumb impression form

 Contact Us:

RBS Real Estates & Builders DHA-2 Office

+923335180008

Info@rbsland.com

[trekkinginpakistan]

New Post has been published on Trekking in Pakistan

New Post has been published on https://trek.pk/gojra/

Gojra

Gojra (Punjabi and Urdu: گوجرہ‎), the administrative capital of Gojra Tehsil, is the city of Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Gojra is 50 kilometers (31 mi) from Faisalabad, 170 kilometers (110 mi) from Lahore, and 20 miles (32 km) north of Toba Tek Singh. Founded in 1896 during the British colonial period, Gojra was the commercial center of lands which had recently come under cultivation and was known for its “mandi” (market) for cash crops. It is the 51st largest city of Pakistan by population according to the 2017 census.

History

Pre-Independence

Gojra city was established in 1896 when the colonization of Faisalabad began. The railway line between Faisalabad and Gojra was laid in 1899. The town was given the status of notified area committee in 1904 and upgraded to a B-Class Municipality in 1925. In 1906, the population was 2,589, according to The Imperial Gazetteer of India.”The business is done in this rising mart on the railway, which has sprung into existence in the last six years owing to the extension of the Chenab Canal to the surrounding country, bids fair to rival in importance that of Faisalabad itself”.

In 1919, following the Rowlatt Act, hartals broke out throughout Punjab. Gojra was affected by serious protests and a member of the Church Mission Society had to be escorted out of the town by loyal residents.

Post-Independence

In August 1947, India and Pakistan achieved independence. Riots and local fighting followed the expeditious withdrawal of the British, resulting in an estimated one million civilians deaths, particularly in the western region of Punjab. Gojra, which was in the region of the Punjab Province that became West Pakistan, was populated by a number of Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the district.

After independence from Britain, in view of its increasing size, it was declared as a 2nd class Municipal Committee in 1960. Gojra was raised to the status of tehsil town and affiliated with the newly established district Toba Tek Singh on 01.07.1982. After the introduction of the Devolution of Powers Plan, the Tehsil Municipal Administration Gojra came into being on 12.08.2001.

Geography

Gojra’s coordinates are as UTM: BQ74

Geographical coordinates in decimal degrees (WGS84)

Latitude: 31.150

Longitude: 72.683

Geographical coordinates in degrees minutes seconds (WGS84)

Latitude: 31 09′ 00

Longitude: 72 41′ 00

Geology

The district of Toba Tek Singh is part of the alluvial plains between the Himalayan foothills and the central core of the Indian subcontinent. The alluvial deposits are typically over 1,000 feet thick. The interfluves are believed to have been formed during the Late Pleistocene and feature river terraces. These were later identified as old and young floodplains of the Ravi River on the Kamalia and Chenab Plains. The old floodplains consist of Holocene deposits from the Ravi and Chenab rivers.

The soil consists of young stratified silt loam or very fine sand loam that makes the subsoil weak in structure with common kankers at only five feet. The course of the rivers in Faisalabad is winding and often subject to frequent alternations. In the rainy season, the currents are very strong. This leads to high floods in certain areas which last for days.

The Rakh and Gogera canals have encouraged the water levels in the district; however, the belt on the Ravi River has remained narrow. The river bed includes the river channels which have shifted the sandbars and low sandy levees leading to river erosion.

This area is between the Chenab and Ravi rivers. There is a mild slope from the northeast to the southwest with an average fall of 0.2–0.3 meters per kilometer (1.1–1.6 feet per mile). The topography is marked by valleys, local depression, and high ground.

Economy

The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the lower Chenab River, produces cotton, wheat, sugarcane, vegetables and fruits. The city is an industrial centre with major railway yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Gojra is known for producing crops, especially in wheat production, as well as sugarcane and cotton. Gojra has its own fabric mills, which import and export to other countries.

Culture

Festivals

The Punjabi people celebrate cultural and religious festivals throughout the region, such as arts and craft, music, local events, and religious celebrations.

The city of Gojra customarily celebrates its independence day on 14 August by raising the Pakistan flag at every home and important Govt buildings. Bazaars are colourfully decorated for the celebration, government and private buildings are brightly lit, and there are similar flag–raising ceremonies that are typically held in the district and its tehsils.

The arrival of spring brings the annual “Rang-e-Bahar” festival during the month of March, where the Parks & Horticulture Authority of the Gojra Municipal Committee organise a flower show and exhibition at Civil Club, Gojra.

Being a Muslim majority city, religious observances include Ramadan(Ramzan) and Muharram. The festivals of Chaand Raat, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha are celebrated and are national holidays. The celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday is observed in the city which is often referred to as “Eid Milād-un-Nabī”. There are darbar and shrines which attract devotees during the annual Urs. There are Christian churches in the city where Easter and Christmas services take place.

Attire

Traditional attire in Gojra is Punjabi clothing such as the dhoti, kurta and pagri. Gojra men wear white shalwar kameez as do women but with a dupatta (scarf). Mostly women wear burqas that may or may not cover the face. Combinations of Pakistani and Western attire are worn by women, such as an embroidered kurta worn with jeans or trousers, and half sleeve or sleeveless shirts with Capri pants. Men have adopted some of the modern Western styles for both casual and formal business dress such as dress pants, trousers, T-shirts and jeans.

Food

Gojra’s cuisine is very much Punjabi cuisine, with influences from the times of the Mughal and Colonial empires. Key ingredients include rice or roti (flatbread) served with a vegetable or non-vegetable curry, a salad consisting of spiced tomatoes and onions, and yogurt. This is usually accompanied by South Asian sweets such as jaggery, gajar ka halwa, gulab jamun, and jalebi. Tandoori barbecue specialties consist of naan bread served with tandoori chicken, chicken tikka or lamb shishkebab served with a mint chutney.

Street foods are a key element to cuisine. Samosas (deep fried pastry filled with vegetables or meat) are topped with an onion salad and two types of chutney. Other street foods include dahi bhale (deep fried vadas in creamy yoghurt), gol gappay (fried round puri filled with vegetables and topped with tamarind chutney) and vegetable or chicken pakoras. Biryani and murgh pilao rice are a specialty in Gojra.

A typical breakfast in Gojra is halwa poori comprising a deep-fried flatbread served with a spicy chickpea curry and sweet orange-coloured halwa. It is customarily accompanied by a sweet or salty yoghurt-based drink called lassi. During winter, a common breakfast is roghni naan bread served with paya curry.

Specialty drinks vary depending on climate. During winter, hot drinks are available, such as rabri doodh, a creamy dessert drink commonly made with full-fat milk, almonds, pistachios and basil seeds, dhood patti (milky tea), and Kashmiri chai, a pink coloured milky tea containing almonds and pistachios. During summer, drinks such as sugarcane rusk, limo pani (iced lemon water), skanjvi (iced orange and black pepper) and lassi are common. The famous food points are Rafiq samosa corner, molvi ky pakory, Shahryar ice-cream, gujjar chaye wala, attari fruit chaat, Pardesi Burger, Al-Madina Tikka shop, Barkha Sweets.

Languages

The population speaks Punjabi as mother tongue while the national language Urdu is widely spoken.

Arabic is taught in Madrasahs and Masjids as a religious language. English as the official language is taught in all schools.

[gurukulabotanicalsanctuary]

Caring for Kallampuzha

Above: Kallampuzha where it is still Onnampuzha in the forest, a kilometre or so upstream of GBS. Photo by Jaimon

Plastic in our bloodstream. Pollutants in our cells. Petroleum in our brains. Seriously, plastic is in everybody's body everywhere on the planet. Here is a tiny effort to do something about it. People downriver of us, i.e. everyone along the Kabini and the Kaveri, please know that one of the headwater streams, a tiny one called the Kallampuzha is getting a major revival!

Above: Before and after clean up. How lovely is this water now! Photos by Jaimon.

  Years ago when plastic appeared in the stream by which we live, Wolfgang (founder and late chief of GBS) said civilization has arrived. The river has been a dump ever since. 

Starting in October 2017, Jaimon, Sajji, Suresh, Nisha, Jerin, Balan and I, formed a local conservation group (all neighbours). We have been busy doing many things, from cleaning up the river, to organic farming, teaching visiting children about the forest, involving the community, attending meetings with the panchayath, kudumbasree and district admin, organizing garbage collection for recycling, and most important, observing plants and animals so we can support them better. In this post:  some pictures of the river clean up operation.

From left to right: Suresh, Jaimon, Sajji and Nisha

Our little team (Jerin and Balan are missing in this photo) consists of individuals who live along Kallampuzha, and have grown up swimming in it, bathing in it, and fishing in it. And of course drinking from it. 

When I (Suprabha, the writer of this post) came to the Sanctuary in 1993, Nisha was not yet born, and Suresh, Sajji and Jaimon were boys and I was quite young too!. We’ve all known each other for two or more decades, and everyone has been connected in one way or another to the Sanctuary. Sajji used to bring forest honey for Wolfgang, who would buy, in a year, some 50 kgs. Suresh has worked at the Sanctuary and over the years taken many people to the forest. Jaimon is our most immediate neighbour, and also nephew to Leela and Wolfgang. He worked as an autorikshaw driver for many years.  Jerin is Jessy’s son and Laly’s nephew, sisters who work at the Sanctuary.  Balan is Suresh’s relative from further upstream and a member of the Vana Samrakshana Samithi.

All this to say, we’re connected, by a river and other beings, and some pressing concerns.

Above: Sajji takes a selfie of the plastic haul with Jaimon (left) and Suresh (right).

Imagine if every stretch of river or every body of water, tiny to vast, had the people living on its bank cleaning it up and caring for it. We have done 15 km so far. I know there are lake revival groups in Bangalore and other cities. What does it actually take to revive a river, or a lake or an aquifer, or a dead part of an ocean? 

Above: Bottles of pesticide, shocking amounts were picked up. Photo by Sajji

Above: Plastic strap-wires used in plantations. Dumped whole into the stream. Sajji and Suresh pull them out of the sediment. Photo by Sajji

Above: Dumped banana stems create a log jam of sorts. Though they are organic material, they are full of chemicals, and also when dumped in huge quantities they spoil the water. Photo by Sajji

Above: Hauling banana debris to the bank, and then further into the forest. To make compost! The forest will appreciate some compost! Hideously smelly stuff! Photo by Sajji.

Above: CFL kids, MNREGA crew, Panchayath member Rafiq (centre), Forest Department personnel and our local brigade. Although Jaimon and others have been at it since October, they have also organized large group operations on several days. Photo by Kamala

Above: GBS staff joined the clean up operation. The dairy team Molly, Pushpa and Suja, trawl the stream for plastic and other garbage. Photo by Suprabha.

Above: Sajji picks up disintegrating sacks. These are awful things, for they powder over time, and every living being dependant on this stream will imbibe fractional pieces of plastic. Photo by Suprabha

Above: Linoleum strips haul. Festooning the reeds were huge quantities of discarded linoleum. In this picture from left to right: Rohan, Josie, Dhruv, Azaadi and Lorenzo. CFL kids and our overseas visitors pitched in enthusiastically! Photo by Suprabha

Above: CFL kids and Sanctuary staff scour the banks for plastic. Photo by Suprabha.

Above: After a good morning’s work the group gathers for a photo. Suhas, Aryaan, Tanmayee, Kunju mon, Raman, Josie, Shraddha, Nikita, Ranjan, Rohan, Dhruv, Arnav, Azaadi, Jaimon, Pushpa and Pushpa, Suja, Rosalie, Laly, Shantha, Soniya, Molly and Molly, Mary, Lorenzo, Mohammed, Suresh, Kelu, Sajji and Suprabha. Photo by Arun.

Above: Plastic Village, a film by Jaimon Joseph

Plastic bottles, plastic sacks, plastic stools, plastic cans, plastic carry bags, plastic shoes and slippers,  thermocol, wire, beer bottles, satellite dish antenna, light bulbs, and so on. It must be said that this is the first ever clean up of this stretch, so the stuff has accumulated over a decade or more.

Now to deal with this stuff is another matter. George Joseph of Hill Blooms School introduced us to a private company Anugrah Plastic which is recycling all these horrid things. 

We know that no matter of recycling is going to deal with the problem in an ultimate sense, because energy intensive machines are required to incinerate or transform these materials. Plastic should never have been invented, nor should it continue to be made. There’s nothing that can break it down and make it useful for the planet, though we hear of waxworms eating polyethylene, and some fungi making their forays into petroleum products. 

My nightmares consist of waking up one morning with a recycled plastic body, my hair and skin and organs all plastic. It’s not too far from reality, there are dioxins found in the bodies of humans in the furthest reaches of the arctic, and there is a continent sized floating plastic island in the Pacific. 

The only solution is to ban further production of it altogether. 

Above: Raman and Kunjumon, GBS staff pause during clean up.

On another note, and speaking for myself, I don't promote planting millions of trees, in fact, plantations may suck up a lot of water as they are even-aged and all baby trees grow fast with access to water, and they alter the natural habitat, which may consist of reeds, or ferns, or different grasses. Rivers are diverse in all the habitats and types of beings they support. Much better to stop toxins, prevent overuse, theft and diversion, and participate in cleaning it. 

An important thing Jaimon and Sajji and Suresh have done is to prevent the use of copper sulphate and dynamite for fishing. Just one season of patrolling has checked a few illegal users of these awful substances, and increased the fish population in our stretch of river because the water is so much cleaner and there is no decimation of fragile fish populations. They have also talked to more than 100 households along the river, and written up a beautiful appeal on why this river is the most beautiful river in the world. For each of us, surely our homes, by which I mean the natural habitats where we live, are the most beautiful homes in the world!! Take care of your waters, which take care of you! Take care of your beautiful natural homes!

Above: Cleaner river, clearer water in the wake of the clean up crew.

Special thanks to students and staff of Centre for Learning and Shibumi (schools in Bangalore)  who spent several days participating in this operation. May sweeter Kaveri water flow through your veins!

[bigyack-com]

India’s biggest detention camp nears completion - india news

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim in a speech on December 22 that no detention camps existed in India whipped up a bit of a political storm in New Delhi, triggering allegations and counter-allegations by the ruling dispensation and the opposition.Oblivious to the political back and forth, workers are trying to finish the construction of India’s biggest detention centre in Assam. Spread over 25 bighas, the detention centre, being constructed at a cost of Rs 46 crores, is located at Matia in Goalpara, 129 km from Guwahati, and will be able to house 3,000 inmates. “We were to finish construction this month, but due to suspension of work during monsoon, we got delayed. My concern is to get the raw materials on time to finish construction soon,” said Mukesh Basumatary, one of the senior workers at the site.Modi’s statement at a Delhi rally came in the context of the debate currently underway over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which seeks to fast-track grant of Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis and Jains from the Muslim-majority countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Modi said “the Congress, its friends, and some urban Naxals are spreading rumours that all Muslims will be sent to detention centres”.In Matia, Basumatary, who belongs to Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, and his team are erecting housing quarters at the detention centre, which will have 15 four-storey structures, each able to house 200 inmates.Work on the detention centre started in December. Besides the housing quarters, the facility, which is surrounded by 20-22 feet high boundary walls, will contain a staff quarters, hospital, school, an office complex, kitchen and dining and community space.In another part of the compound, Mohammed Rafiq and his team are busy giving finishing touches to a toilet complex. There are six toilet blocks, each has 15 toilets and an equal number of bathrooms. To cater to the construction workers and the steady stream of visitors to the facility, a couple of makeshift tea shops have sprung up nearby. Local residents are hopeful that the facility will generate employment for them.“Since the centre has been constructed close to our village, we expect that the fourth-grade jobs would go to our youth,” said Bipul Kalita, a local resident.According to state government officials who didn’t want to be quoted, construction of most of the housing quarters would be over by March; inmates of other detention centres in the state would be shifted here initially.Plans are underway to construct 10 such detention centres in Assam, where an exercise to update the National Register of Citizens this year excluded over 1.9 million people — 6% of the state’s population. The Other CentresBesides the one under construction, Assam has six other detention centres (at Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Silchar), set up inside district jails between 2009 and 2015 on the direction of the Gauhati high court to house those declared foreigners by the 100 foreigners tribunals (FTs) in the state—till they are deported or released.“Detention centres were set up under order of the Gauhati HC. The Prime Minister is correct when he says that the central government hasn’t constructed any detention centre,” said senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier this week.Congress leader and former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi agrees that the detention centres inside jails were set up under HC orders during his tenure, but says Modi lied about construction of new detention centres.“In 2018, Narendra Modi government at Centre sanctioned ~46 crore for constructing the largest detention centre at Matia in Goalpara district. Suddenly he says there is no detention centre,” said Gogoi on Friday.As per government records, from 1985 (when the Assam Accord was signed) till October 2019, nearly 129,000 people have been declared foreigners by FTs. Around 73,000 of them have gone missing and have not been deported or kept in detention.According to Assam government records, until November 2019, a total of 988 people were lodged in the six detention centres. While 957 of them were declared foreigners, 31 were children lodged along with their mothers. Since 2016 until October 2019, 28 detainees have died.Inmates of these centres are those who were marked D-voters (doubtful voters without proof of citizenship) in electoral rolls and those suspected to be foreigners by the state police. These people have to approach FTs to prove citizenship, failing which they are sent to detention centres.Though 1.9 million people didn’t find their names in the final NRC, they are not being kept in detention centres. They would have to approach FTs to prove citizenship, and might be kept in detention centres if they fail. Assam is setting up 200 more FTs, in addition to the existing 100.“At present there are 366 inmates in Goalpara district jail. Of them 184 are those who have been declared foreigners by FTs and are lodged in a different section. Since a Supreme Court order allowed conditional bail to ‘declared foreigners’ who have been lodged for over three years, we released 56 detainees,” said AR Phukan, jail superintendent.Life inside a detention centreLife in a detention camp isn’t easy. Mohammad Sanaullah, a retired Army veteran who spent 11 days inside one earlier this year before getting bail, agrees.Sanaullah, who had served the Indian Army for 30 years before retiring in 2017, was declared a non-citizen by an FT on May 23 and sent to the detention camp five days later. The 52-year-old was released after he was granted interim bail by the Gauhati HC.“Nearly 40-45 people are crammed inside one room. We had to sleep on the floor, the food was inedible and the toilets were dirty. Mornings started with one roti and stale tea without milk or sugar, for lunch there used to be stale rice, watery dal and one subzi and a similar routine was followed for dinner,” he said.“When family members come to visit, we had to talk to them from inside an iron grill while they stayed 5-6 feet away behind a fence. It was my fate that I had to spend time in detention despite being an Indian,” he said.In January, the Union home ministry issued a manual for detention centres stating that living standards inside should be in consonance with “human dignity”. It stipulated that rooms should be airy, well-lit and hygienic and equipped with water, electricity and communication facilities.It called for open spaces for detainees to move around, detention of family members in one facility, and special attention to the needs of women, nursing mothers and transgenders.“We have tried to improve facilities in our detention centre. Two months ago all inmates were moved to a newly constructed building. The quality of food has improved and we haven’t witnessed hunger strikes in recent months. The SC order to give conditional bail to those who have spent three years has also given hope to those lodged,” said Goalpara district jail superintendent Phukan.While life is tough for those lodged inside detention centres, their family members also have to go through difficult times. Kabita Kalita Mondal who travelled all the way from Guwahati to Goalpara on Friday along with her 10-year-old daughter to meet her husband Mrinal, who was lodged inside, says “We have no idea how my husband ended up here. My life has been shattered.”Hailing from West Bengal, Mondal, was running a grocery shop in Guwahati when his name figured as a D-voter. Following a trial, he was declared a foreigner and sent to Goalpara detention centre in August this year. Read the full article

[mowaishf-blog]

Thousands From JKLF Led Freedom March Have Reportedly Taken A Break In The Town Of Garhi Dupatta (20 km Away From LoC) In Azad Kashmir, After Walking 2nd Whole Day On Foot. Total Blackout By Pakistani Media For Any Kashmir's Event, As Usual ............ !!!

Security To Stop These March 8 km Away From LoC Looks Very Weak, These 800 Police Personals With Tear Gas & Some Containors Will Not Stop Thousands From Reaching LoC. It's Peaceful Yet, But Some Clashes Are Expected Tomorrow Morning As They'll Continue Moving Towards Chakothi ............. !!!

On A Response To PMIK's Today's Tweets & Indian Claims, Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Spokesperson Muhammad Rafiq Dar Said “We Reject Both The Notions, Of India That We Are Doing This March Towards LoC On The Behest Of Pakistan And, Of Pakistan That We Are Playing In The Hands Of India. It Is Our Own Indigenous Initiative” ............. !!!

Hopeful That This March Will Be Managed Peacefully & People From Both Sides Of Kashmir Stay Safe "In sha ALLAH" 😊🤲😉 !!

#KashmirIssue

#FreedomMarch

#KashmirUnderCurfew

#62DaysOfBlackout

#SaveLivesInKashmir

[graanablog-blog]

Capital Smart City is a housing project launched by the renowned M/S Habib Rafiq Pvt Ltd, situated close to the Thalian Interchange on the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M-2). Capital Smart City is approved by the RDA and designed by the Norman Foster Meinhardt Group Singapore. The society will have its own interchange on the M2, which will be approximately 5.5 km from the Islamabad Toll Plaza. Capital Smart City plans to become Pakistan’s first smart city and a model for sustainable development.

For more details visit Graana.com.

[alamenterprisespvtltd]

Capital Smart City Islamabad

#Introduction:

The grand residential project will be the first of its kind not only in Islamabad but also in Pakistan.It is First Smart City in Pakistan and 4th in Asia. Due to its smart features and promised grade 8 development it is one of the most popular housing projects in Pakistan. It is planned to be a self-sustaining eco-friendly Smart city. The society has many salient features for the convenient of its residents, making Capital Smart City an ideal investment and a perfect place to raise a family in.

#Designer and Developer:

Capital Smart City Islamabad is a joint collaboration between Future Holdings Developments and Habib Rafiq(Pvt). Habib Rafiq(Pvt) is a well known name in the real estate industry in Pakistan, they are developers of Bahria and DHA in Islamabad. They have also successfully executed their own housing societies in Sarghodha and Multan by the name of “Royal orchard”.

The Master plan of the society was given to a Singapore based consultancy firm named Surbana Jurong (SJ), It is designed by Norman Foster.

#Location:

The project is located at Lahore-Islamabad Motorway at distance of 9.2 km from M-2 Toll Plaza near Thalian interchange, falling on the eastern route of CPEC.Only 5-6 mins away from the new Islamabad airport. Its neighboring housing societies include Al Mairaj housing scheme, Eighteen Islamabad and Blue World City.

For Bookings and general inquiries

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Total Area:

Capital Smart City covers a total land of 55,000 kanals. It will be one of the closest housing society to the new Islamabad International Airport.

#Access Points:

It can be easily accessed through Main Chakri road from M-2 Motorway and via ring road in near future.It will also have its own designated interchange from motorway which has been approved by FWO.

#NOC and permissions:

NOC of Capital Smart City is being approved by the RDA and is one of the legal housing projects in that area.

#Features:

Eco Friendly City

Green and Clean environment

Metro bus system

Underground Electricity

24/7 Water, gas & electricity

Smart apps i.e traffic, weather, electricity, internet

Hotels, Shopping centers and Sports clubs

Smart and modern Housing plan

World Class infrastructure

Overseas block

Mosques, Parks, lakes

Recreational Activities

18-Hole Golf Course

Moven Pick hotels & Resorts

Designated interchange from M-2

Close proximity to Islamabad and Rawalpindi

Payment Plan:

The society offers a variety of plot sizes in residential, commercial blocks and Luxury Villas ranging from now sold out 5 Marla to 1 & 2 Kanal Plots in easy 3 years Quarterly installments. Kindly refer to the payment plan attached below for compete details.

#Overseas Block:

A specially designed overseas block is being introduced in the housing society for the first time in Pakistan for Pakistani citizens living abroad. Capital Smart City has aimed to provide the best opportunity to invest in Pakistan for overseas people. In order to book a residential or commercial plot in Overseas block of Capital Smart City one has to attach a copy their or Overseas National Identity card along with all the other relevant documents.

#Development work:

The development work is on very initial stages at Capital Smart City since the project has not officially been launched yet. The leveling and plotting of the land has begun with high tech machinery. The officials have decided to start development work in the overseas block first as it is located in the phase 1 of the society and is given priority. The work on rest of the blocks is likely to be started soon.

#Pros:

First ever Smart City in Pakistan

Reliable & Trust worthy

Upgraded and modern living

Safe Investment

Easy Installment plans

Very Attractive Facilities

Grade 8 Development

Investment of Foreign Companies

National Defence University

Good return on Investment

Smart apps

Designated interchange by FWO

Diversity of jobs and careers

Cons:

Location is away from the main city

Will take a few years to get fully developed

Conclusion:

Many feature contribute to making a housing project a success but the most important one is the reputation of the owner and developer .Habib Rafiq is one of the most trusted names in Real Estate industry in Pakistan so naturally the investor have full confidence in the project. Even though the project is yet in its pre-launching phase, most of the plots have already been sold out and now are resold at profit.

The development and the master plan both look extremely promising and will contribute to making Capital Smart City a very prestigious project.It will be a unique and a complete package for all individuals of the society. With all the upgraded features and facilities there is no doubt that Capital Smart City will be one of its kind and most successful housing schemes in the region

Alam Enterprises

03-111-155-166

03-222-255-266

www.ambd.com.pk

[rafiqiqi-blog]

3 STY LINK HOUSE @ RASAH KEMAYAN OPEN FOR SALE Rimba Residensi is a gated and guarded development of 99 units of link and detached villas built entirely on elevated ground that offers spectacular panaromic view, soothing breeze and calming sunshine with a clubhouse with pool and playground . The aim to introduce healthy, community-centered lifestyle in a modern architectural setting. Within the development, residents can enjoy their own private security and management. Here, everyone owns a part of communal property which adds to the feeling of responsibility towards neighbors and the community as a whole. 🌟Property Type: 3-sty Link House 🌟Starting Price from: RM 56X,XXX 🌟Land area : 1410sf 🌟Built-up : 2518sf 🌟Rooms: 4+1 🌟Bathrooms: 4 🌟Carpark: 2 🌟Title: Freehold 🌟Furnishing: None / Fully Furnished 🌟Hill Top View!!! 🌟Currently Vacant 🌟Bumi & Non Bumi Lot Still Available 🌟Intermediate & Corner Still Available 🌟Bungalow units also available 🌟Free Legal Fees, except for MOT. 🌟Booking Fees only at RM3000. 🌟Terms and Condition apply. 🌟Facilities Barbecue Area, Club House, Covered Parking, Gymnasium, Jogging Track, Playground, Swimming Pool, Wading Pool, 24hr Security 🌟Education Nearby: 2.87 km SK Seremban 2B Public Secondary School 2.87 km SK Seremban 2A Public Primary School 🌟Shopping Nearby 2.34 km Tesco Extra Seremban 2 (Hypermarket) 2.89 km 99 Speed Mart (Convenience Store) 2.92 km 7-Eleven (Convenience Store) Preview Property Video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rdW6yEqFcpY (youtube) Play video before decide to view. Viewing by appointment only. Please check your loan eligibility first for easier decision making. https://goo.gl/yhkPJj (Whatsap me) or call me. 🌟Want to Sell or Rent your Property??? You are welcome To List!!! Call / Whatsap me🌟 Mohd Rafiq (REN24828) Real Estate Negotiator IQI Realty Sdn Bhd. 0172260065. 🌟🌟Subscribe to this page and please Like or Share this post. Thanks🌟🌟 #3StyLinkHouse #RasahKemayan #HouseforSell #IQIRealty #PropertyHub2u

[decaffeinatedlightluminary-blog]

Meluhha, Gerrha, and the UAE – The Search for National Identity of a Young Nation. Part IV

New Post has been published on http://rolexsubmariner.shop/meluhha-gerrha-and-the-uae-the-search-for-national-identity-of-a-young-nation-part-iv/

Meluhha, Gerrha, and the UAE – The Search for National Identity of a Young Nation. Part IV

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Meluhha, Gerrha, and the UAE – The Search for National Identity of a Young Nation. Part IV

A Predestination, and A Millennia Long Path of Global Trade and Wealth

By Prof. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

Main Chapters

I. National History, National Identity and Colonialism

II. Orientalism and Hellenism

III. UAE Historical Heritage Threatened by Academic Colonialism

IV. Neighboring Nations & Cultures – Key Components of UAE National History

V. National History of the Emirates – Diachronic Trends   

VI. Assyrian – Babylonian Literature about UAE territory: Meluhha

VII. Assyrian – Babylonian ‘Meluhha’: UAE territory, not Indus Valley

VIII. Assyrian – Babylonian Texts about Meluhha – Emirates

IX. Meluhha – Emirates, and the Late Use of ‘Meluhha’ in Assyrian Imperial Annals

X. The Aramaean Foundations of UAE History: the Rise of Gerrha (539 BCE – 642 CE)

XI. Gerrha, Achaemenid Iran, and the Interconnectedness between Africa and Asia

XII. Gerrha’s Prominence in Antiquity – Harbinger of the Present UAE Rise 

XIII. Gerrha and Alexander the Great

XIV. Why Gerrha Cannot Be Located in Al Ehsa Province of Saudi Arabia

XV. Macedonian Naval Expeditions around the Peninsula, and Gerrha

XVI. Arsacid Parthian Iran, Seleucid Syria, Ptolemaic Egypt, and Gerrha

XVII. Agatharchides on Gerrha and the Sabaean (Sheba) Yemenites

XVIII. The Romans in Egypt, the Roman Naval Expedition in Yemen, and Gerrha

XIX. Strabo’s Textual References to Gerrha

XX. Gerrha and the Anonymous Author of the Text ‘Periplus of the Red Sea’

XXI. Pliny the Elder and Gerrha

XXII. Ptolemy the Geographer – his Description of Yemen, Oman, and the Emirates

XXIII. Sharjah (Sarkoe) aand Umm Quwain (Kawana) Mentioned by Ptolemy the Geographer 

XXIV. The Correct Location Gerrha in UAE, and Ptolemy the Geographer

XXV. Western UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Al Ehsa as per Ptolemy the Geographer

XXVI. UAE Islands Mentioned by Ptolemy the Geographer

XXVII. The Rise of the Sassanid Empire of Iran, and the End of Gerrha

XVIII. The Romans in Egypt, the Roman Naval Expedition in Yemen, and Gerrha

The antagonism between Alexandria and Gerrha progressed slowly; for about one century (end of 2nd century BCE to 30 BCE), Ptolemaic Egypt was an ailing power, during Rome’s advance in the East. When Rome completed the conquest of the Mediterranean coastlands and Octavian invaded Egypt (30 BCE), Egypt as a Roman border province acquired an increased importance.

Great interest was immediately shown to ensure a Roman alliance with Meroe, capital of Ethiopia (Ancient Sudan, a totally different country and nation than modern Abyssinia that has fallaciously used the name). A Meroitic – Roman alliance would consolidate the former Ptolemaic Red Sea colony Ptolemais Theron (today’s Suakin) as a Roman entrepot in the Red Sea.

Then, Octavian sent a naval expedition against Yemen, which is the furthermost point ever reached by a Roman military. The high customs charged by the Yemenites on all East African, Indian and other Oriental products, transported to Roman Alexandria, was the reason of the Roman naval expedition against Arabia Felix (today’s Aden), a former Qatabani harbor that had been for ca. 150 years in Sabaean – Himyarite hands.

The destruction of Arabia Felix, few years after the fall of Alexandria, ushered the wider region into an era of intense trade with Rome; the era lasted ca. 250 years and despite Alexandria’s prevalence in the trade between Rome and the East, Gerrha retained its wealth as the key point of the East African and Yemenite trade with Iran, Mesopotamia, Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

XIX. Strabo’s Textual References to Gerrha

At the end of the 1st century CE, the Cappadocian historian, geographer and scholar Strabo, who was a Roman citizen and supported explicitly pro-Roman ideas and viewpoints, while only writing in Greek, composed his 17-volume masterpiece ‘’Geographica‘’; he referred to Gerrha, and saved the following key details about the Orient’s wealthiest city: (Strabo, 16.3 – 4 / English translation is available: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/16C*.html)

“3. After sailing along the coast of Arabia for a distance of two thousand four hundred stadia, one comes to Gerrha, a city situated on a deep gulf; it is inhabited by Chaldaeans, exiles from Babylon; the soil contains salt and the people live in houses made of salt; and since flakes of salt continually scale off, owing to the scorching heat of the rays of the sun, and fall away, the people frequently sprinkle the houses with water and thus keep the walls firm. The city is two hundred stadia distant from the sea; and the Gerrhaeans traffic by land, for the most part, in the Arabian merchandise and aromatics, though Aristobulus says, on the contrary, that the Gerrhaeans import most of their cargoes on rafts to Babylonia, and thence sail up the Euphrates with them, and then convey them by land to all parts of the country.

4. On sailing farther, one comes to other islands, I mean Tyre and Aradus, which have temples like those of the Phoenicians. It is asserted, at least by the inhabitants of the islands, that the islands and cities of the Phoenicians which bear the same name are their own colonies. These islands are distant a ten days’ sail from Teredon and a one day’s sail from the promontory near the mouth of the gulf at Macae”.

The above text by Strabo irrevocably demolishes all assumptions and efforts to locate Gerrha on modern Saudi territory; even more so, the evidence brought forth by Strabo helps accurately locate Gerrha in the wider area of today’s Abu Dhabi Emirate, somewhere near the UAE coastland. 

The text narrates details about the Gulf’s coastlands, starting from the Hormuz straits and advancing toward the estuary of Euphrates and Tigris in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq and Kuwait); across paragraph 2 (one paragraph before the above text), the author describes in detail the Persian coastland from Hormuz to the westernmost ends of the Gulf that Strabo calls the ‘outlet of Euphrates’. Strabo then deals with the southern coastland, proceeding analogically, from East to West.

The analogy becomes even more evident when, after the description of Gerrha, the text focuses on the islands of Tyros and Arados that correspond to today’s Bahrain and Muharraq respectively.

Strabo then gives details about the distance between the two islands and the promontory of today’s Qatar peninsula (today’s Madinah ash Shamal) that he names ‘’the mouth of the gulf at Macae”. This makes stronger the effort to identify Qatar with the Assyrian / Babylonian land of Magan that was located between Tilmun (Tylos / Bahrain) and Meluhha (Gerrha / Emirates). Magan may have easily been deformed to Macae in Greek. Actually, it was one day’s sail from Tylos (Bahrain) to the northern end of Qatar’s peninsula.

Strabo also gives details about the distance between the two islands and Teredon, at the estuary of Euphrates; to sail alongside today’s Saudi Arabian Gulf coastland to the mouth of the river, it would take 10 days’ sail. However, there was no major settlement in this coastland, and Strabo did not mention anything. 

In addition to the aforementioned, Strabo gives key info and precise details that only vicious, colonial forgers of History and imbecile, ignorant authors can disregard. Strabo offers an accurate estimate of Gerrha’s location. As per the above text, Gerrha was located at a distance of two thousand four hundred stadia from the Ormuz straits.

Stade (or rather stadion) is an Ancient Greek unit of length that has some known variants; the Attic stade equals 185 m, whereas the Olympic stade makes 176 m; however, ancient authors, starting at least with Eratosthenes (who died ca. 130 years before Strabo was born), when counting distances in itineraries, used another stade variant that totaled 157 m. This means that two thousand four hundred stadia equal 377 km.

The modern city of Dubai lies at a distance of 190 km from Khasab, the major Omani city in Musandam Peninsula. Abu Dhabi lies at a distance of ca. 129 km from Dubai. This makes a total of 319 km of modern road, at times close to and at times far from the coastline. However, Khasab lies at a certain distance from the straits that are exactly located between the two capes, Ras Qabr Hindi in the southeast, and Ras Shuraytah in the northwest. In-between lies Jazirat (island) Musandam from where ancient geographers and navigators must have started their calculations. Khasab is not linked by land road with the extreme coastland between the aforementioned two capes. Of course, the modern road system is not made of direct lines, and in addition, it does not follow the ancient itinerary. In the Antiquity, calculations were made in terms of sailing off the coast, and the navigation line was straight except the landscape imposed otherwise.

Bird’s eye distance of 377 km from Jazirat (island) Musandam, involving a curve parallel to the modern Emirati coastline, indicates a terminus around the area of the modern towns Al Rafiq, Tarif, and certainly not beyond Al Mirfa. We have also to take into consideration that Gerrha was not a coastal city but lied safely in the inland at a distance of two hundred stadia distant from the sea, which means ca. 30 km from the coast. The triangle area between Al Rafiq, Al Mirfa and Habshan is certainly the approximate location of Gerrha, as per Strabo’s authoritative text.

Beyond the details about the city location, Strabo’s reference to Gerrha offers a great number of details about the world’s wealthiest city of those days, but a full analysis of the above excerpt goes far beyond the limits of the present introductory article.

It is however noteworthy that at another point of his Geographica, Strabo saves an earlier account of the entire Arabian Peninsula, namely that of Artemidoros; in that part, there is another reference to Gerrha: (Strabo, 4.18 / English translation is available: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/16D*.html)

“18. After saying all this about the Troglodytes and the neighbouring Aethiopians, Artemidorus returns to the Arabians; and first, beginning at Poseidium, he describes Arabians who border on the Arabian Gulf and live opposite the Troglodytes. He says that Poseidium lies farther in than the Aelanites Gulf; and that contiguous to Poseidium there is a grove of palm trees, which is well supplied with water and is highly valued because all the country around is hot and waterless and shadeless; and that here the fertility of the palms is wonderful; and that a man and a woman have charge of the grove, being appointed to that charge through hereditary right. They wear skins, and live on dates from the palm trees; but on account of the number of wild beasts they build huts in trees and sleep there. Then, next, one comes to the Island of Phocae,201 which was so named from the number of seals there. Near the island is a promontory, which extends to the Rock of the Nabataean Arabians, as they are called, and p343to the Palaestine country, whither Minaeans and Gerrhaeans and all the neighbouring peoples convey their loads of aromatics. Then one comes to another coast, which was formerly called the coast of the Maranitae, some of whom were farmers and others tent-dwellers, but is now called the coast of the Garindaeans, who destroyed the Maranitae by treachery; for the Garindaeans attacked them while they were celebrating some quadrennial festival, and not only destroyed all the people at the festival but also overran and exterminated the rest of the tribe. Then to the Aelanites Gulf, and to Nabataea, a country with a large population and well supplied with pasturage. They also dwell on islands situated off the coast near by; and these Nabataeans formerly lived a peaceful life, but later, by means of rafts, went to plundering the vessels of people sailing from Aegypt. But they paid the penalty when a fleet went over and sacked their country.

            19 Bordering upon these people is the very fertile country of the Sabaeans, a very large tribe, in whose country myrrh and frankincense and cinnamon are produced; and on the coast is found balsam, as also another kind of herb of very fragrant smell, which quickly loses its fragrance. There are also sweet-smelling palms, and reeds; and serpents a span in length, which are dark-red in colour, can leap even as far as a hare, and inflict an incurable bite. On account of the abundance of fruits the people are lazy and easy-going in their modes of life. Most of the populace sleep on the roots of trees which they have cut out of the ground. Those who live close to one another receive in continuous succession the loads of aromatics and deliver them to their next neighbours, as far as Syria and Mesopotamia; and when they are made drowsy by the sweet odours they overcome the drowsiness by inhaling the incense of asphalt and goats’ beard. The city of the Sabaeans, Mariaba, is situated upon a well-wooded mountain; and it has a king who is authority in lawsuits and everything else; but it is not lawful for him to leave the palace, or, if he does, the rabble, in accordance with some oracle, stone him to death on the spot. Both he himself and those about him live in effeminate luxury; but the masses engage partly in farming and partly in the traffic in aromatics, both the local kinds and those from Aethiopia; to get the latter they sail across the straits in leathern boats. They have these aromatics in such abundance that they use cinnamon and cassia and the others instead of sticks and firewood. In the country of the Sabaeans is also found larimnum, a most fragrant incense. From their trafficking both the Sabaeans and the Gerrhaeans have become richest of all; and they have a vast equipment of both gold and silver articles, such as couches and tripods and bowls, together with drinking-vessels and very costly houses; for doors and walls and ceilings are variegated with ivory and gold and silver set with precious stones. This is Artemidorus’ account of these peoples, but the rest of his statements are partly similar to those of Eratosthenes and partly quoted from the other historians”.

XX. Gerrha and the Anonymous Author of the Text ‘Periplus of the Red Sea’

Writing almost one century after Strabo, the anonymous author of the famous Ancient Greek text ‘Periplus of the Red Sea’ preserves for us a captain’s and a merchant’s notebook as regards the navigation and the trade between Alexandria, East Africa, Arabia, Central Asia, India and China. He presents his data as per nautical charts; first, the entire schedule from Arsinoe (modern Suez) to Rhapta (Darussalam, Tanzania) alongside East Africa’s coasts, and then the longer and perplex schedule of those sailing from Arsinoe to Arabia Felix (Aden) alongside the western coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, and thence either alongside the Yemenite and Omani coast to the Ormuz straits and beyond up to the Delta of Indus and further on to the western coast of India or straight from Aden and the Horn of Africa (‘Akroterion Aromaton’: Cape of Perfumes) to the western coast of India and further on to East India, Chryse (Indochina and Indonesia), and China.

The text describes the important geomorphologic traits, the existing entrepots, and the merchandises available across the entire Yemenite and Omani coastlands, successively mentioning cape Syagros (Ras Fartak in today’s SE Yemen, near Al Ghaydah), the Omana gulf (immediately after cape Syagros), the mountains of the Dhofar coastland, the Asikhon coastland (between today’s Fararah and Sawqirah), and the islands of Zenobios (Khuriya Muriya). The author proceeds further, narrating about the part of Oman that was then under Arsacid Parthian Iranian administration and control. Further on, the text refers to the island of Sarapis (Masirah) that was then inhabited by the priests of the ‘fish-eaters’ (Ichthyophagi), and confirms the use of the Ancient Yemenite language (which was very different than pre-Islamic Hedjaz Arabic) as the native language of all the Omanis as well. Then, the anonymous author of the text goes on describing the geomorphology of the Omani coastline that turns to the Northwest after cape Ras el Had. In the area of the Ormuz straits, the anonymous author of the ‘Periplus of the Red Sea’ mentions the existing small islands (Calaios islands), the Kalon (”Good”) mountain, and Assabon (Musandam) mountain on the straits.

Describing what is important for the East – West trade from an Alexandrian point of view, the author of the ‘Periplus of the Red Sea’ does not mention Gerrha because he does not mention the entire Gulf region except for two lines; he there states that the Gulf is very long and quite large, adding that an entrepot named Apologou was nearby Spasinu, the capital of the small Aramaean kingdom of Characene that was located at the estuary of Euphrates. The fact that this text avoids any reference to Gerrha reflects to some extent the rivalry between Alexandria and Gerrha across the trade routes between East and West; the most probable reason is that the author, who may have been a captain or a merchant who had repeatedly and extensively traveled in most of the areas he describes in his text, found it necessary to obliterate any mention to Alexandria’s greatest rival because of his own economic interests.

It goes without saying that Gerrha linked its interests with the destiny of the Arsacid Parthian dynasty of Iran, while also maintaining very good relations with Tadmor / Palmyra, the major Aramaean state in Syria / Mesopotamia, and with Kushan, the powerful Eastern Iranian state that controlled an immense area encompassing today’s Afghanistan and vast territories of Pakistan, India and Central Asia, after the Macedonian state of Bactria collapsed.

The pearl trade between Gerrha in the Gulf and Palmyra, Doura Europos, Hatra, Edessa (Urhoy / Urfa) and Rekem / Petra in the area of Syria – Mesopotamia can be reconstructed thanks to Palmyrene inscriptions found in the Aramaean state of Characene, near the estuary of Euphrates.

XXI. Pliny the Elder and Gerrha

If an Alexandrian businessman like the author of the ‘Periplus of the Red Sea’ needs to hide the truth for his own lucrative interests, a state scholar in charge of the archives of an empire needs nothing to hide; that is why Pliny the Elder mentioned Gerrha in his grand opus Natural History. On repeated occasions, we have attested Pliny’s reliance on official documentation that we have to fully trust, as it was classified for the needs of the Roman imperial administration. Naturalis Historia, as the title stands in Latin, is a vast encyclopedia encompassing all the knowledge acquired by Roman experts in terms of natural sciences (geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology and astronomy); it is the largest single work survived from Roman imperial times. Divided into 37 books (or parts), Natural History features 15 chapters on Botany (chapters 12 to 27). Speaking about the tree called stobrum (which still remains unidentified, although it seems to have similar effects as aloe), in his 12th book, Pliny the Elder speaks of Gerrha (ch. 40); an English translation is available here (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=12:chapter=40):

‘’The Arabians import from Carmania also the wood of a tree called stobrum, which they employ in fumigations, by steeping it in palm wine, and then setting fire to it. The odour first ascends to the ceiling, and then descends in volumes to the floor; it is very agreeable, but is apt to cause an oppression of the head, though unattended with pain; it is used for promoting sleep in persons when ill. For these branches of commerce, they have opened the city of Gerrha (spelt Carræ in Latin), which serves as an entrepot, and from which place they were formerly in the habit of proceeding to Gabba, at a distance of twenty days’ journey, and thence to Palæstina, in Syria. But at a later period, as Juba informs us, they began to take the road, for the purposes of this traffic, to Charax and the kingdom of the Parthians. For my own part, it would appear to me that they were in the habit of importing these commodities among the Persians, even before they began to convey them to Syria or Egypt; at least Herodotus bears testimony to that effect, when he states that the Arabians paid a yearly tribute of one thousand talents, in frankincense, to the kings of Persia.

From Syria they bring back storax, which, burnt upon the hearth, by its powerful smell dispels that loathing of their own perfumes with which these people are affected. For in general there are no kinds of wood in use among them, except those which are odoriferous; indeed, the Sabæi are in the habit of cooking their food with incense wood, while others, again, employ that of the myrrh tree; and hence, the smoke and smells that pervade their cities and villages are no other than the very same which, with us, proceed from the altars. For the purpose of qualifying this powerful smell, they burn storax in goat-skins, and so fumigate their dwellings. So true it is, that there is no pleasure to be found, but what the continual enjoyment of it begets loathing. They also burn this substance to drive away the serpents, which are extremely numerous in the forests which bear the odoriferous trees”.

The text does not only highlight Gerrha’s importance, but it also offers an important time perspective, mentioning (in association with Gerrha) Herodotus’ reference to Yemenite trade with Achaemenid Iran, which establishes Gerrha’s rise in the early Achaemenid times (end of 6th century BCE).

(to be continued)

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Saturday, April 15th, 2017

International News:

--- "European Union lawmakers could summon French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen to discuss the lifting of her immunity over the alleged misuse of European Union money, before the second round of the French election, an influential legislator said on Saturday. French judges have asked the European parliament to lift the immunity of the National Front leader, who is a member of the EU legislature, to permit further investigations over alleged misuse of funds to pay for party assistants. "The legal affairs committee has agreed that Le Pen will be summoned for a hearing on the first possible date in May," Laura Ferrara, the deputy chair of the committee, told Reuters. She said the hearing could take place in the first week of May, before the May 7 runoff in the French election, which polls show Le Pen is likely to reach."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-lepen-idUSKBN17H0A9?il=0

--- "A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck northern Chile, 144 km (90 miles) southeast of Calama, at a depth of 188 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Saturday. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and struck at about 5:15 a.m. (0815 GMT), USGS said. There were no immediate reports on social media of damage or casualties."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-quake-idUSKBN17H07E?il=0

--- "The Tunisian who killed 12 people by driving a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin received his orders directly from Islamic State, a German magazine reported on Saturday. The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on Dec. 19, but it was unclear whether it had planned and executed it, or just inspired the attacker with its calls on supporters to hit targets in enemy countries. Der Spiegel cited information provided to German security authorities from the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 8 that said Anis Amri, the failed asylum seeker who drove the truck into the crowd, had received an order from a squad within IS. The squad is known to German authorities from other proceedings against suspected IS militants disguised as refugees, the magazine said. Amri, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was shot dead by Italian police in Milan four days after the Berlin attack. Islamic State said the attack had been perpetrated by an IS "soldier ... in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries"."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-security-idUSKBN17H0EH?il=0

--- "Members of Egypt's Christian minority flocked to church on Friday but two church bomb attacks on Palm Sunday that killed 45 people have left many in a sombre mood over Easter. Worshippers from the nearly 2,000-year-old Coptic Christian community attended church services, but the holiday to mark the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ was being observed in subdued fashion, according to church officials. In the city of Alexandria, Christians congregated at Saint Mark's Cathedral, historic seat of the Coptic Pope, to attend Good Friday prayers. Worshippers passed through a metal detector at the building entrance, where one of the bombs went off. Rafiq Bishry, head of the church's organizational committee, said he was surprised that so many people had come. "We expected that people would be too scared to attend prayers but there was no need for our expectations because there are a lot of people here," he told Reuters Television. "This is a clear message to the whole world that we are not afraid," he said. Last Sunday's attacks in Alexandria and the city of Tanta were claimed by Islamic State, which has been waging an insurgency against soldiers and police in Egypt's Sinai peninsula. The group has now stepped up assaults on Christians and warned of more attacks to come. It has claimed to have killed 80 people in three church bombings since December."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-violence-family-idUSKBN17H09G?il=0

--- "The explosives used in the attack on the bus of soccer team Borussia Dortmund may have come from supplies belonging to the German armed forces, a newspaper cited a source involved in the investigation as saying on Saturday. It is still unclear who carried out Tuesday's attack. German prosecutors have doubts about the authenticity of letters that suggested Islamist militants were behind it and Bild newspaper cited an investigator as saying right-wing extremists were probably responsible. "The explosives in the pipe bombs, which were filled with metal pins, might have come from the stocks of the German armed forces but that's still being checked," newspaper Welt am Sonntag cited a source involved in the investigation as saying. The source also said that specialist knowledge was required to use the military detonators, which are not easy to get. A spokeswoman for the federal public prosecutor's office declined to comment on the report."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-champions-dor-mon-blast-idUSKBN17G1C5?il=0

--- "An Islamic State militant linked to the deadly 2015 attack on French weekly Charlie Hebdo could be still be alive, the Iraqi military said on Saturday. Boubaker el-Hakim was reported by American defense officials to have been killed in November, in a U.S. drone strike in Raqqa, Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria. Iraqi intelligence supplied information to the Syrian airforce to carry out a series of strikes on Islamic State headquarters and hideouts in Syria, including one believed to belong to el-Hakim, an Iraqi military statement said. Aircraft from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's airforce targeted several locations in Raqqa and Albu Kamal, near the Iraqi border, said the statement, without indicating the location of el-Hakim's headquarters or the date of the raids. An Iraqi military spokesman told Reuters el-Hakim's headquarters were destroyed but it wasn't clear if he was killed."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-france-idUSKBN17H0F4?il=0

--- "A bomb blast hit a bus convoy waiting to cross into government-held Aleppo in Syria on Saturday, killing and wounding dozens of people evacuated from two Shi'ite villages the day before in a deal between warring sides. The agreement had stalled, leaving thousands of people from both government-besieged and rebel-besieged areas stranded at two transit points on the city's outskirts, before the explosion occurred. Pro-Damascus media outlets said a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb and killed at least 22 people. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll was at least 24. Footage on state TV showed bodies lying next to charred buses with their windows blown out, and vehicles in flames. The blast hit buses in the Rashidin area on Aleppo's outskirts. The vehicles had been waiting since Friday to cross from rebel-held territory into the government-controlled city itself. The convoy was carrying residents and pro-government fighters from the rebel-besieged Shi'ite villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in nearby Idlib province. They had left under a deal where, in exchange, hundreds of Sunni insurgents and their families were granted safe passage from Madaya, a government-besieged town near Damascus. But a delay in the agreement had left all those evacuated stuck at transit points on Aleppo's outskirts since late on Friday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKBN17H04Y?il=0

--- "Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai accused his successor on Saturday of committing treason by allowing the U.S. military to drop the largest conventional bomb ever used in combat during an operation against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan. Karzai, who also vowed to "stand against America", retains considerable influence within Afghanistan's majority Pashtun ethnic group, to which President Ashraf Ghani also belongs. His strong words could signal a broader political backlash that may endanger the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan. Afghan defense officials have said the 21,600-pound (9,797-kg) GBU-43, dropped late on Thursday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, had killed nearly 100 suspected militants, though they acknowledged this was an estimate and not based on an actual body count. "How could you permit Americans to bomb your country with a device equal to an atom bomb?" Karzai said at a public event in Kabul, questioning Ghani's decision. "If the government has permitted them to do this, that was wrong and it has committed a national treason." Ghani's office said the strike had been closely coordinated between Afghan and U.S. forces and replied to Karzai's charges with a statement saying: "Every Afghan has the right to speak their mind. This is a country of free speech." Public reaction to Thursday's strike has been mixed, with some residents near the blast praising Afghan and U.S. troops for pushing back the Islamic State militants."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-bomb-idUSKBN17F27U?il=0

--- "President Tayyip Erdogan appealed for support from Turkish voters in final campaign rallies on Saturday, the eve of a referendum which could tighten his grip over a country bridging the European Union and a conflict-strewn Middle East. Opinion polls have given a narrow lead for a "Yes" vote in Sunday's referendum to replace Turkey's parliamentary democracy with an all-powerful presidency, a move Erdogan says is needed to confront the security and political challenges Turkey faces. Opponents say it is a step towards greater authoritarianism in a country where 40,000 people were arrested and 120,000 sacked or suspended from their jobs in a crackdown following a failed coup attempt against Erdogan last July. Western countries have criticized that tough response, and relations with the EU - which Turkey has been negotiating to join for a decade - hit a low during the campaign when Erdogan accused European leaders of acting like Nazis for banning referendum rallies in their countries on security grounds. He has also said Turkey could review a deal under which it limits the flow of migrants - many of them refugees fleeing war in neighboring Syria and Iraq - into the European Union unless the bloc implements plans to grant Turks visa-free travel. At a rally in Istanbul, one of four he held in the last hours before Sunday's vote, Erdogan described the constitutional proposals as the biggest change in Turkey since the country was established nearly a century ago, and the culmination of the response to July's abortive putsch."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-referendum-idUSKBN17H0CU?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "Iran will ask "no one's permission" to build up its missile capability, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, in what appeared to be a defiant response to U.S. efforts to hamper the Iranian military. Facing an election in May where he hopes to secure a second four-year term, Rouhani has had to defend himself from opponents who say he has been too eager to appease the West, after agreeing to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the nuclear deal and said during his election campaign he would stop Iran's missile program. After Iran test-fired a new ballistic missile in January, Trump tweeted that it was "playing with fire". Addressing an event showcasing some locally built military hardware, broadcast on state TV, Rouhani said: "The strengthening of the capability of the Iranian armed forces ... is only for defending the country and we will ask no one's permission to build up the armed forces, and to build missiles and aircraft." He said Iran has never had "aggressive aims, but peace is not a one-way road and if we decide to be peaceful the other party ... may not. So there is a need for vigilance." A bill to impose new sanctions on Iran over ballistic missile launches and other non-nuclear activities has been delayed in the U.S. Senate due to concerns about the presidential election. Iran says its missile tests are not covered by the nuclear deal."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-defence-rouhani-idUSKBN17H0G2?il=0

Domestic News:

--- "Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets across the United States and beyond on Saturday to press President Donald Trump to release his tax returns and to dispute his claim that the public does not care about the issue. The demonstrations, organized by a loose coalition of labor and left-leaning groups with various economic agendas, are intended to focus on Trump's refusal to disclose his tax-paying history, something his predecessors in the White House have done for more than 40 years. "When we check in with our members, this is something they care about deeply," said Ben Wikler, Washington director of MoveOn.org, a progressive political group. Critics have raised questions about what Trump's tax returns say about his net worth and about his various business ties. Organizers of "Tax March" are planning events in more than 150 cities, including New York, Washington and Los Angeles, as well as cities in Europe, Japan and New Zealand...Organizers said they stuck with the traditional April 15 Tax Day for the marches because as a Saturday it would draw more attendance, even though this year's income tax filing deadline was pushed back to Tuesday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-taxes-idUSKBN17H0FW?il=0

--- "A judge in Arkansas moved Friday to block the state from carrying out up to seven executions this month, deepening the turmoil that surrounds a planned pace of killing with no equal in the modern history of American capital punishment. Judge Wendell Griffen of the Pulaski County Circuit Court issued a restraining order Friday that forbids the Arkansas authorities from using their supply of vecuronium bromide, one of three execution drugs the state planned to use. Hours earlier, the nation’s largest pharmaceutical company went to court to argue that the state had purchased the drug using a false pretense. The judge scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning, about 14 hours after the state had intended to carry out its first execution since 2005. The Arkansas attorney general’s office said the state would appeal the judge’s ruling, which threatened to derail a plan that once called for eight executions over the course of 10 days. The restraining order surfaced during an afternoon and evening of legal chaos: The State Supreme Court issued a stay of execution for one death row prisoner, and a federal judge was also weighing a request to block the executions. Yet Judge Griffen’s order appeared to have the widest immediate effect, and it was the first to focus on the misgivings of the pharmaceutical industry. Four companies have publicly raised concerns about how the Arkansas Department of Correction came to stockpile the drugs for its lethal injection cocktail — midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride — but only the McKesson Corporation, the drug distributor that ranks fifth on the Fortune 500 list of companies, made an explicit allegation of deception."

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/us/arkansas-is-accused-of-deception-in-buying-drug-used-in-executions.html?_r=0

--- "With the stroke of a pen this week, Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s new education secretary, thrust the future of the government’s system for managing federal student loans into confusion. It was a high-stakes move: Her department administers $1.3 trillion in loans on behalf of nearly 43 million student borrowers. At issue is which companies will handle the bulk of those loans in the future, and how they will do it. Under the Obama administration, the Education Department was on the verge of selecting a single vendor to build a new system for servicing its student loans, in what was expected to be one of the largest federal contracts outside of the military. But on Tuesday, Ms. DeVos signed an order rescinding key parts of that attempt to streamline the system — essentially hitting the reset button on the Obama-era plan. “The guidance from the last administration resulted in a process that involved moving deadlines, changing requirements and a lack of consistent objectives,” the Education Department said in a statement. It did not specify what changes — if any — it might make to the program. The government has for years relied on a patchwork of nine loan servicing companies to send bills to borrowers, collect their payments and handle any problems that arise. Complaints about slipshod service are rampant. A study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that borrowers with all of the major servicers “encounter widespread problems” at nearly every stage of the process. The Obama administration sought to replace this labyrinthine system with a single entry point — a sea change in how student loan servicing would work. Instead of dealing directly with private vendors, all federal borrowers would gain access to their accounts through an Education Department portal, with standardized forms and processes. A single vendor would take the lead in creating the system’s interface; others would play behind-the-scenes roles, fielding phone calls and handling other customer-service tasks."

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/business/dealbook/education-department-federal-student-loan-program.html

--- "Low-income people and older Americans would find it more difficult to win lawsuits for injuries caused by medical malpractice or defective drugs or medical devices under a bill drafted by House Republicans as part of their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. The bill would impose new limits on lawsuits involving care covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance subsidized by the Affordable Care Act. The limits would apply to some product liability claims, as well as to medical malpractice lawsuits involving doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said the bill would limit “frivolous lawsuits that unnecessarily drive up health care costs.” But Democrats and plaintiffs’ lawyers said it would take rights away from people served by federal health programs, including those harmed by horrific medical mistakes."

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/us/politics/republicans-health-care-bill-medical-malpractice-suits.html

--- "The Trump administration has proposed whacking the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by nearly a third, eliminating thousands of employees and scrapping dozens of programs, including climate-change research and cleanup efforts in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. But a detailed budget plan obtained by The Washington Post last week includes a request to add positions within the agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance  “to provide 24/7 security detail” for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt’s predecessor, Gina McCarthy, had what was known as “door-to-door” protection — essentially from her residence each morning until she returned at night, according to Liz Purchia, a communications director at the EPA in the Obama administration. She said security officers typically would leave McCarthy once she was at her office. Previous EPA administrators have had similar arrangements...Pruitt is hardly the only cabinet-level official to have some sort of security detail. Secretaries of the Treasury, State Department, Defense Department and others have long received protection, for example. But the Trump era has ushered in unprecedented security requests beyond just the EPA. Federal marshals are protecting Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at a cost to her agency of nearly $8 million over nearly eight months, according to the U.S. Marshals Service."

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/12/as-epa-cuts-loom-agencys-new-head-seeks-247-security-detail/?utm_term=.a8687dd74e12

[rafiqiqi-blog]

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[purpleavenuecupcake]

Esplosione in Pakistan, 139 i morti

S'aggrava ulteriormente il bilancio dell'incendio provocato da un'autocisterna piena di carburante che è esplosa in Pakistan oggi. I morti sono almeno 139. La tragedia è avvenuta in un giorno di festa: l'inizio dell'Eid al Fitr, che segna la fine del mese del digiuno del Ramadan, e quindi nel bel mezzo di grandi spostamenti di persone che vanno a raggiungere le famiglie. La catastrofe è avvenuta vicino alla città di Ahmedpur East, 500 km a sud di Lahore. "Il bilancio dei morti è salito a 139, la gran parte dei feriti sono in gravi condizioni", ha detto il ministro della Sanità della provincia Salman Rafiq, evocando la possibilità che il bilancio diventi ancor più pesante. Un'autocisterna che trasportava 40mila litri di carburante dal porto di Karachi fino a Lahore s'è rovesciata stamani presto sull'autostrada. La polizia stradale è artrivata immediatamente dopo l'incidente sul posto e ha tentato invano di far sgomberare la gente accorsa per approfittare dell'indiente e appropriarsi di carburante. "Gli abitanti del villaggio vicino di Ramzanpur Joya si sono precipitati sul luogo con secchi e altri contenitori e numerose persone in moto si sono fermate per recuperare il carburante", ha indicato il capo della polizia regionale Raja Riffat. "Dieci minuti più tardi - ha continuato - il camion cisterna è esploso, creando un'enorme fiammata che ha inghiottito coloro che recuperavano il carburante". Il fuoco si è velocemente diffuso a un'ampia porzione di strada dove numerose persone erano bloccate a causa della coda che si era creata sulla strada per l'incidente. foto Sky Tg24 Click to Post