News & Updates

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Misbah-ul-Haq.jpg The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to retain Misbah-ul-Haq as Test and ODI captain until the next World Cup in 2015 in order to crush apparent unrest in the national team over the captaincy issue. Misbah, 40, who has led Pakistan in all formats of the game since late 2010 is not seen as a popular choice to captain in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by a particularly strong lobby within and outside the board which has promoted flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi as a better choice to lead the side in one-day internationals. Even chief selector and team manager, Moin Khan had at a press conference sometime back confirmed there had been discussions held on Misbah’s captaincy and on a possible change in captain. He later denied he was speaking in specific terms about the ongoing controversy over whether Misbah or Afridi should lead the team.

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-3-vs-Pro-2-main-1024x731.jpg PCWorld raved about Microsoft Surface Pro 3’s display. Now, professional display analyst Raymond Soneira has done so as well, proclaiming Microsoft’s tablet among the best in display quality. In a report released Wednesday, DisplayMate’s Soneira said the Surface Pro 3 joins the top tier of tablet displays, just behind the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5. Soneira called the Surface Pro 3 “one of the very best and most accurate displays available on any mobile platform and OS,” with the most accurate on-screen colors of any tablet that the firm has ever measured. Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 measures 12 inches on the diagonal, a supersized tablet that packs in 3.1 megapixels in a 2,160 x 1,440 IPS display that’s oriented in the 3:2 format. That’s 89 percent larger than the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, the only other display to win “very good” to “excellent” rankings in all of DisplayMate’s evaluations. Whi...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/3479447773_d5f60bd92e_b-470x260.jpg If you think reconciling the Israelis and Palestinians is hard, try the Indians and Pakistanis. The latest war in Gaza has laid bare India’s and Pakistan’s different views about the Middle East, revealing a great deal about how these countries view themselves and each other. The newly elected Indian government of the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become more confident about showing sympathy for Israel, bringing to the surface a relationship that has been growing for more than two decades. Pakistan refuses to recognize the Jewish state and its outrage over Palestinian deaths in Gaza is colored by its identity as a country bristling to defend the rights of Muslims around the world, from Palestine to Kashmir. These different worldviews could ultimately exacerbate the historical animosity between the two countries, and pit the pro-Israel Hindu right in India against the hawkish pro-military ...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/01.jpg There’ve been demonstrations around the world over the war between Israel and Hamas, often against Israel’s role in the conflict. So clearly some people feel strongly about the issue, but what does everyone else think? There’s data to help answer this. A regular BBC World Service poll on international views of Israel tells us a lot of interesting things about how the country is perceived and its place in the world. The BBC poll asks people in 22 countries (plus, some years, a few others) whether they have a “mainly positive” or “mainly negative” view about a list of countries set by the BBC. Here are the results for Israel from the past three years — it’s important to look at all of them, because the 2012 survey was conducted before Israel’s generally unpopular 2012 aerial campaign in Gaza: Click for a zoomed-in version. BBC World Service There’s a lot to pick apart in here, but there are some obvious, consisten...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/wtc-5-300x225.jpg   In July 2010, amid the gargantuan rebuilding effort at the site of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, construction workers halted the backhoes when they uncovered something unexpected just south of where the Twin Towers once stood. At 22 feet (6.7 meters) below today’s street level, in a pit that would become an underground security and parking complex, excavators found the mangled skeleton of a long-forgotten wooden ship. Now, a new report finds that tree rings in those waterlogged ribs show the vessel was likely built in 1773, or soon after, in a small shipyard near Philadelphia. What’s more, the ship was perhaps made from the same kind of white oak trees used to build parts of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed, according to the study published this month in the journal Tree-Ring Research. [See Photos of the Ship and Its Tree Rings] Archaeologists had ...

By Sara Orchard BBC women’s rugby commentator IRB WOMEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUP Hosts: France Dates: Fri 1 August – Sun 17 August Coverage:  Reports and updates on BBC Sport website, BBC Sport app and BBC Radio 5 live; live text commentary on later stages; live coverage on Sky The seventh Women’s Rugby World Cup begins in Paris on Friday, 1 August with defending champions New Zealand aiming to win a fifth consecutive title. England, perpetual bridesmaids it seems, have lost the last three finals, despite home advantage four years ago. The 2010 tournament was a huge success for the women’s game but success again proved tantalisingly elusive for the Red Roses, beaten 13-10 in front of a capacity crowd at the Twickenham Stoop. Four years on, the semi-finals and final of the forthcoming tournament will be staged at the 20,000-capacity Stade Jean Bouin in central Paris, the home of Stade Francais rugby club. France Women have always attracted large, ...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/40-ferrai-out-300x168.jpg Ferrari seems to have a monopoly on the world’s most expensive cars. A 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO took that title last year with a $52 million sticker price. Yet it could be on the verge of being usurped… by another 250 GTO. ALSO SEE: Compilation Of Supercars Starting Is A Great Use Of The Internet: Video A seller in Germany recently placed an ad on the website  Mobile  for a 1962 250 GTO, with an asking price of 47.6 million euros, or about $62.7 million at current exchange rates. That includes Germany’s 19 percent Value Added Tax, but if someone bites it would still make this GTO the most expensive car ever sold. This particular example is one of the first of the 39 250 GTOs to have left Ferrari’s factory. Each of the hand-built cars is a little bit different, perhaps creating a sense of uniqueness that could explain the recent frenzy of multimillion 250 GTO dollar sales. Before the 1963 250 GTO was sold to its myst...

Discount store chain Dollar Tree Inc said it would buy rival Family Dollar Stores Inc for about $8.5 billion, creating North America’s biggest discount retailer. Shares of Family Dollar, which has been under pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn to sell itself, rose almost 25 percent to $75.50 in premarket trading on Monday. Dollar Tree shares were up 8.8 percent at $59. Dollar Tree, whose products cost $1 or less, caters to the middle class. While Family Dollar also sells many items priced at $1 or less, it stocks items priced $1-$5 and higher as well. “This acquisition will extend our reach to lower-income customers and strengthen and diversify our store footprint,” Bob Sasser, Dollar Tree’s Chief Executive said in a statement. Dollar stores have struggled in a weak U.S. economy and increased competition from large discount chains such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which are increasingly chasing penny-pinching consumers by offering more items priced at $1 or less. ...

The platform might be going away but owners of first generation Nokia X devices finally have something to cheer about. Microsoft has started rolling out the Nokia X Software Platform 1.2 update for the Nokia X, Nokia X+, and Nokia XL handsets.The company announced the news on its official Conversations blog saying, “Starting from today, those of you with a Nokia X, Nokia X+, or Nokia XL can expect to see some brand new features and enhancements coming your way.” Nokia X device owners can check for updates by going to  Settings > About Phone > System Updates and tapping Check Now . Some of the key features that the Nokia X Software Platform 1.2 update brings are the new app switcher, which allows closing apps with a single tap; pre-installed Outlook.com and OneNote apps; updated Nokia Store that comes with better integration with third-party stores; new scrollable widgets; call reject with a message; contact search in the dialler...

KARACHI:  Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Acting President Muffasar Atta Malik expressed deep concern over prolonged power outages being suffered by the people of Karachi since Friday morning. Malik held K-Electric responsible for the power crisis as the utility service provider kept the available furnace oil-based thermal power plants suspended even in dire need. The KCCI president said in a statement on Saturday that it has been more than 24 hours since the first drop of rain struck the ground, but power to the city remains unstable at large. Malik said that although power supply to K-Electric was curtailed by 650 megawatts (MW) on Friday morning due to tripping of the Jamshoro Grid, the company is fully capable of producing additional 1,200MW of electricity through its existing furnace oil-fired thermal power plants. Unfortunately, K-Electric continues to keep these thermal plants shut in order to cut expenditures on furnace oil. “K-Electric sho...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1406360397-44591-300x214.jpg Islamabad- Pakistan Railways will procure 75 new locomotives to improve its efficiency and facilitate passengers for their timely journey. Various international companies including General Electric of the United States have expressed their interest to provide these locomotives to Pakistan Railways. The federal government has allocated 4.6 billion rupees for the procurement of new locomotives during the current financial year. Ministry of Railways has decided to issue open international tenders for the procurement of locomotives focusing on long term joint ventures with the providers.

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/53d385ec942e82-300x180.jpg “Neither the Muslim League Working Committee nor I ever passed a resolution [called] ‘ Pakistan ka matlab kya ‘ — you may have used it to catch a few votes,” said Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah when a Muslim Leaguer chanted this slogan at the last session of the All India Muslim League. Unfortunately, the slogan-monger prevailed over Jinnah. Those who believe in this slogan now dominate Pakistan. Those who remember what Jinnah said on this or other occasions can be counted on fingers. The poem, “Pakistan ka matlab kya,” was written by a schoolteacher from Sialkot, Asghar Sodai. He lived a long life (Sept. 26,1926 – May 17, 2008) but never had any direct political influence. His poem, however, proved to be the most influential piece of poetry ever written in Pakistan. It was more influential than the poetry of Iqbal and Faiz put together, seeing as this single poem shaped the country’s official ideology. Pakis...

NEW DELHI/ISLAM­ABAD: India and Pakistan traded doubts on Friday over the delay in two terror trials — the Mumbai nightmare trial that New Delhi wants to be hastened, and the Samjhauta Express bombing, which Pakistan believes has taken too long a time in the trial stage. In a briefing to The Hindu, a Pakistan high commission spokesman said the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks trial was a judicial matter and there was nothing the government could do over the adjournment of the trial. The spokesman also expressed concern over the delay in the Samjhauta Express blasts trial in India, the paper said. Earlier in the day, India summoned Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner in New Delhi, two days after the ongoing trial of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks was adjourned in Pakistan on Wednesday. In a conversation with The Hindu, the Pakistan High Commission said it had conveyed its inability to “do anything” in the matter to the Indian government. “Like everywhere else in the developed world, the judic...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/53d2c5d4c106c-300x180.jpg NEW DELHI: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza broke down in tears on Friday after being described by a politician as “Pakistan’s daughter-in-law” and unfit to be an Indian representative. Sania Mirza, 27, who is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, wiped away tears as she told India’s NDTV network she was tired of continually being forced to defend her “Indian-ness”. “I am a very patriotic person. That is why I am so emotional right now,” she said in the interview aired on television. “After winning medals for India after I got married, (I) don’t know why I have to keep justifying that I am Indian,” Mirza said. In comments reported earlier this week by local media, K. Laxman, a regional legislator belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioned the credentials of Sania Mirza to be “brand ambassador” for India’s newest state, Telengana. Laxman was quoted as saying her marriage to Shoaib Malik made h...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/140724_em_tequila_1-242x300.jpg In honor of National Tequila Day, bars and restaurants are offering deals like $2 shots and $2 margaritas—and in at least one case, margaritas are totally free. MORE Meet the Guy Who Totally Makes Up the Fake Holidays We Celebrate Americans Really Like to Drink Beer, Says Unsurprising Poll 5 Beer Trends You’ll Be Seeing This Summer Thursday, July 24, is being celebrated as National Tequila Day, yet another of what seems like an endless stream of fake, completely made-up holidays. Contrived marketing scheme or not, today’s holiday comes with a range of tequila-infused deals and promotions in bars and restaurants around the country—so, yeah, there’s good reason to celebrate. Nationally, the On the Border restaurant chain is selling $2 house margaritas and $2 shots of Lunazul Reposado Tequila all day at participating locations. Other national chains with National Tequila Day specials include Abuelo’s, where h...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Conversion-to-Islam_ArabNews_0-300x181.jpeg Eleven Filipinos converted to Islam here after Taraweeh prayers on Wednesday, a local mosque has announced. The expatriates recited the Shahada at Jamiya Al-Salheen Mosque in Quwaiza under the guidance of Sheikh Hamdan bin Nasser Al-Juhani, in front of hundreds of witnesses. Manny Estanislao changed his name to Younes and said that he accepted Islam because he found it the right way to reach the Lord. This had taken place after he watched Muslim Filipinos practice their faith, and read the holy Qur’an and other Islamic books in his own language. Stanalow said he came to understand Islam. “I don’t want to burn in Hell in the Hereafter. My heart was always searching for the truth and never at peace until I found Islam. I love the true nature of Islam and its message of peace and giving to others. I am glad that I accepted the true religion on one of the best nights in the blessed month of Ramadan...

http://isthattrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/531892459-300x225.jpg OUAGADOUGO, Burkina Faso — An Air Algerie jetliner carrying 116 people — including five Canadians — crashed Thursday in a rainstorm over restive Mali, and its wreckage was found near the border of neighbouring Burkina Faso. It was the third major international aviation disaster in a week. The plane, owned by Spanish company Swiftair and leased by Algeria’s flagship carrier, disappeared from radar screens less than an hour after takeoff, en route from Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou to Algiers. French fighter jets, UN peacekeepers and others hunted for signs of wreckage of the MD-83 plane in the remote region, where scattered separatist violence may hamper an eventual investigation into what happened. The wreckage was found about 50 kilometres from the border of Burkina Faso near the village of Boulikessi in Mali, a Burkina Faso presidential aide said. “We sent men with the agreement of the Mali government to t...