President directs initiation of programme for women empowerment

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KARACHI, Aug. 31 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the initiation of a special programme for the emancipation and empowerment of women in the country. He issued a directive to this effect while chairing a meeting here at the Bilawal House on Monday. The meeting was attended by Sindh Governor Dr. Ishratul Ebad Khan, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and the provincial ministers. Later, briefing the newsmen Sindh Minister for Information, Ms.  Shazia Marri, said that the programme has been named as ‘Benazir Behan Basti Programme’.

She said that this very programme pertains to housing and meant for the women who are poor and do not have a home. They can benefit from this scheme through the  Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme cards.

Ms. Marri said that the land to be utilized for this scheme would be provided by the government and for its funding the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Forum would be approached.

She said that the President also focused on irrigation and stressed that there should be lining of all the canals in Sindh and the methods of drip and sprinkler irrigation be utilized.

For this there would be a meeting soon of WAPDA and all the provincial irrigation departments to devise a comprehensive plan in this respect to convince for drip and sprinkler irrigation.

Shazia said that President Asif Ali Zardari also directed to identify an area in each district of Sindh, where pilot programmes of drip and sprinkler irrigation would be started.

She stated that the meeting also focussed on housing facilities for the police and noted that a number of plans are under consideration in this connection.

The Minister said that in the meeting the President expressed the desire that the police force be brought to the fore as a better service provider.

For this, she added, a number of facilities have been made available, but police force faced  difficulty in housing. Some areas have been identified where police buildings already exist and in these areas highrises would be constructed so that better quality housing could be made available to the police personnel.

Shazia said that in the meeting there was also focus with regard to jails.

She stated that the President expressed concern at the condition of the barracks in the jails and called for providing better facilities to the inmates in the jails especially with regard to space.

The Minister said that the President directed that the barracks in the jails be improved, more construction be undertaken there in accordance with the existing jail manual.

She said that the President directed that lists be prepared which should carry the names of inmates over 70 years of age, women with minor children, and they should not be involved in anti‑state or serious crimes.

This list, the Minister added, would be considered for remitting any sentences.

Shazia said, the President directed that the cardiovascular unit at the Lyari General Hospital be started at the earliest.

He also called for prompt initiation of nursing training centre with a hostel in Lyari.

The Governor and the chief minister apprised the President that in Karachi’s Mauripur Road there is a truck stand on 1,000 acres and steps are being taken to vacate it, because the people have been facing difficulties in travelling in the area because of congestion on the road.

Shazia said that the President expressed the desire that after vacating that place, a park and a university be established for the people of Lyari.

She said that the President also reiterated the desire that all the political parties should work together for carrying forward the process of political reconciliation.

Replying a question, Shazia said the Ramzan package launched by the Government of Sindh for providing subsidized Atta to the people, was appreciated by the President who said that its management should be further improved.

To a question regarding the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, she said that the President has fulfilled his responsibility in this connection in accordance with the Constitution.

The Minister further said that now it is up to the provinces to take their decisions with mutual understanding and consensus.

She said that they should work out a formula for the equitable distribution of resources.

Shazia said that she was sure that better results would emerge in this regard in a politically reconciled environment as well as better conditions.

Are eggs healthy for weight loss?

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A new study in the online journal entitled Risk Analysis reports that eating one egg a day accounts for less than 1 percent of the risk of heart disease, the leading killer of American men and women. This helps deflate the myth that all eggs are always bad for you and can never be included in a heart-healthy meal plan.he researchers cited lifestyle factors, such as a poor diet, smoking, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle as chief contributors (30 to 40 percent) of someone’s heart disease risk, with men having higher risks than women.

Risk factors that could be potentially treated, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, accounted for a whopping 60 to 70 percent of the risk. In this light, a single egg doesn’t seem so big a threat.

Eggs have gotten a lot of bad press of late. There seems to be a constant drumbeat, perhaps in the media, about eggs being off-limits if you want to keep your heart healthy.

Instead of worrying about an egg a day, we should turn our attention to the potential risks of stress (especially chronic stress), physical inactivity, and poor overall diet choices (like diets high in junk foods and low in fruits andvegetables).

This research, which was (full disclosure) funded by the Egg Nutrition Center, serves to further substantiate the premise that healthy adults really can eat (whole) eggs without upping their heart disease risk significantly.

What is it about eggs that could actually help your heart?

Eggs are high in choline, an organic, water-soluble nutrient that’s usually grouped in with the B vitamins. They are also high in betaine, a nutrient related to choline. Together these 2 are associated with lower levels of homocysteine (an amino acid that studies have shown to be related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease).

It’s good to keep homocysteine levels under control because high homocysteine levels usually suggest chronic inflammation, a process that has been linked with heart disease, as well as to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Treatment of a high homocysteine level usually involves supplementation of the B vitamin folic acid but don’t take more than 1,000 micrograms—1 gram—a day, or it can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Eggs are a great source of high-quality (or high biological value, HBV) protein; in fact, they are considered to be the best overall source of protein.

Eggs provide 13 essential vitamins/minerals, including riboflavin, an important B vitamin needed to help your body get energy from food. Eggs also contain vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin lacking in the diet of many Americans. People who are overweight and/or have diabetes are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Eggs also help you feel full, since your body produces a hormone called PYY when you eat high-protein foods. PYY tells your brain you’re no longer hungry, so if you’re trying to lose some pounds, opting for a high-protein snack like a boiled egg can really help you feel full (and it’s only 75 calories).

The organic eggs high in omega 3 fatty acids (the healthy fats), from chickens raised without hormones or chemicals are benefit for health. These eggs are higher in omega 3s because of the healthier feed given to the chickens. The high-omega-3 eggs add another possible benefit to a balanced diet.

However, if, for whatever reason, you want to keep the fat and cholesterol content in your diet low, eat the egg whites and skip the yolk, since all the protein (and virtually none of the fat) is in the whites. There are even cartons of pure egg whites in the grocery store that make it easy. Or you could separate the eggs at home by discarding the yolks, or at least a few of them.

This study, however, seems to be suggesting that even the egg yolk isn’t anywhere near the health risk people have perceived it to be for all these years. They’re also a very affordable source of protein, a big plus in today’s economy!

Car bomb in southern Russia kills 1, injures 8

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MOSCOW: Police in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan say a driver stopped by traffic police has detonated explosives in his car, killing a passer-by and injuring several police.
Spokesman Mark Tolchinsky says the blast struck early Monday at a traffic checkpoint on the outskirts of Dagestan’s capital city, Makhachkala.
Tolchinsky told media that the police post was partly destroyed in the blast.
Dagestan’s Interior Minister Ali Magomedov says in stopping the car, the traffic police managed to avert a large-scale terrorist attack in Makhachkala.
Dagestan suffers such attacks frequently. The violence, which plagues a broader area within Russia’s North Caucasus, stems from two bloody wars in nearby Chechnya and is blamed on separatists.

SEYYED AMAR AL-HAKIM CHOSEN TO LEAD SUPREME IRAQI ISLAMIC ASSEMBLY

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The Executive Council of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Assembly has elected Seyyed Amar Al-Hakim, the eldest son of the Seyyed Abdol-Aziz al-Hakim, as the movement’s new leader. In a statement issued by the Executive Council of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Assembly, Seyyed Amar Al-Hakim was chosen with a unanimous vote as the best possible candidate to lead the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Assembly. The statement praised Seyyed Amar Al-Hakim’s political (and jihadi) background. It is expected that Seyyed Amar Al-Hakim will be formally approved by the full Supreme Islamic Assembly session which will be held on Tuesday. The former head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Assembly, Seyyed Abdol-Aziz al-Hakim, passed away last Wednesday after a prolonged and grueling fight with lung cancer.

IRAQ TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST TERRORISTS

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The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, has said his government intends to initiate legal proceedings at international courts of justice against all those who are behind a wave of deadly terrorist attacks in Iraq. Nouri Al-Maliki made the comment in a meeting in Baghdad on Monday with the Turkish foreign minister, Ahmad Davoutouglou.
Maliki indicated that the Iraqi government will pursue this matter vigorously, and will insist that United Nations set up an international tribunal to try terrorists who have committed horrific crimes against innocent Iraqis.
Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki also stressed that all terrorists, including Baa’thists and “Takfiris”, should be expelled from Iraq.
For his part, Turkish foreign minister, Ahmad Davoutouglou, stressed that Turkey wants stability and security in neighbouring Iraq.

US military still holding 9,000 Iraqi prisoners

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A statement by the US military said on Sunday that the US has released more than 5,000 Iraqi prisoners since the start of the year. However it adds that about 8,947 prisoners remain in US custody.

“Since January, 1,179 detainees have been transferred to the government of Iraq with a valid warrant or detention order, and 5,236 have been released,” a US military statement said.

In line with an interim security pact signed between Baghdad and Washington in 2008, the files of all detainees in US custody must be handed over to the Iraqi authorities.

According to the so-called Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed last November, the fate of the detainees will rest with the Iraqi officials.

The US military statement added that the prisoners in its custody are held in detention facilities run by US forces at Camp Cropper, Camp Taji, and Camp Bucca.

The military says the number of prisoners, 8,947, is the lowest it has been since March 2005 and is down from about 27,000 in 2007.

UN pushes for creating a system to monitor marine environment

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept 01 (APP): Significant gaps exist in the understanding and management of the complex processes and trends at work in the world’s oceans and seas, warned senior U.N. officials on Monday as they urged governments to approve expert recommendations for establishing a system that plugs the holes. At the opening of a week-long governmental session tasked with considering proposals for the creation of a mechanism that monitors oceans and seas, which cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, Deputy UN Secretary-general Asha-Rose Migiro called for “a continuous, comprehensive and integrated review of the problems facing the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects.”

UN Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner said that declining fish stocks and land-based sources of pollution are some of the persistent challenges facing the marine environment, while the emergence of “dead zones” and the impacts of climate change—including acidification— are among the more rapidly emerging challenges.

“A systematic assessment process is long overdue,” said Steiner. “This meeting in New York represents a tremendous opportunity for governments to put the best marine science at their service in order to make the best management choices over the coming years and decades.”

If the UN General Assembly’s special working group, meeting from Aug. 31 to Sept.4, reaches agreement, the first globally integrated UN-backed assessment of the oceans could be delivered by 2014, according to a joint news release issued by UNEP and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO Director-general Koichiro Matsuura underscored concerns in the Assessment of Assessments report—the first-ever comprehensive overview of scientific marine assessments—which also considers socio-economic issues.

“The report is a clear signal that the world needs a more inclusive approach on its oceans and resources,” said Matsuura, adding that it “provides a framework and options for how this can be done.”

UNEP and UNESCO noted that despite the central role oceans play in the economic, environmental and social affairs of the world’s 6.7 billion people, not enough is known about their processes from the global climate system, the water cycle and circulation of nutrients, to changes affecting marine habitats.

The clearing of mangroves and coastal wetlands, the over-exploitation of fish stocks and rising tides of pollution are affecting the marine environment’s ability to sustain livelihoods and life itself, while climbing concentrations of greenhouse gases—equal to a third or more of annual carbon dioxide emissions—are being absorbed, as well as untold amounts of heavy metals, triggering mounting concern over the marine food chain.

To deal with this situation, improved monitoring and observation practices, regular assessments to provide a deeper understanding of the status and trends of environmental changes, and the know-how and ability to prevent, mitigate and adapt to these changes are urgently required, said the agencies.

This week’s meeting of the Working Group will consider the establishment of a management oversight body, a new expert group, and secretariat support mechanisms, which could cost between four million and 5.6 million U.S.  dollars a year.