Pakistan among top 5 countries to discover oil and gas in 2017 on June 20, 2018Pakistan made two key oil and gas discoveries in the third quarter and another three discoveries in the fourth quarter of 2017. These discoveries may have prompted the US-based Exxon-Mobil to join off-shore drilling efforts in Pakistan. American energy giant’s entry in Pakistan brings advanced deep sea drilling technology, its long experience in offshore exploration […]
‘Veere Di Wedding’ challenges South Asian social norms on June 19, 2018I had a chance to watch ‘Veere Di Wedding’, the latest Bollywood flick released recently in Silicon Valley, CA. The movie’s story revolves around the lives of four childhood friends Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor), Avni (Sonam kapoor), Meera (ShikhaTalsania) and Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar). The film appears to be India’s version of the popular HBO series “Sex […]
Pakistan among top 5 countries to discover oil and gas in 2017 on June 18, 2018Pakistan made two key oil and gas discoveries in the third quarter and another three discoveries in the fourth quarter of 2017. These discoveries may have prompted the US-based Exxon-Mobil to join offshore drilling efforts in Pakistan. American energy giant’s entry in Pakistan brings advanced deep sea drilling technology, its long experience in offshore exploration […]
‘Veere Di Wedding; challenges South Asian social norms on June 15, 2018I had a chance this week to see Veere Di Wedding, the latest Bollywood flick released recently in Silicon Valley, CA. The movie’s story revolves around the lives of four childhood friends Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor), Avni (Sonam kapoor), Meera (ShikhaTalsania) and Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar). The film appears to be India’s version of the popular HBO […]
Politicians change election law to escape accountability on June 4, 2018Pakistan Elections Act 2017 passed by the National Assembly has removed the requirements for key disclosures relating to the ownership of assets, income taxes paid or owed, bank loan defaults, foreign residency (iqama) and educational qualifications of the candidates for national and provincial legislatures in the upcoming elections. This came in October 2017 after several […]
British government lists Pakistan among top 3 money laundering sources on May 20, 2018British National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified Pakistan, Nigeria and Russia as the top source countries for money laundering in the United Kingdom, According to British media reports. The NCA report says the UK is a prime destination for foreign corrupt and politically exposed people to launder money. NCA Report Highlights In its annual assessment […]
Pakistani debate on PTM and Manzoor Pashteen on May 18, 2018Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has held rallies across Pakistan in support of Pashtun rights. The movement was born in response to the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young Pashtun falsely accused of being a terrorist by a rogue senior police officer in Karachi. PTM has received very little coverage in Pakistan’s mainstream media but the […]
Is the media really free? on May 16, 2018The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently acknowledged the practice of hiring journalists vetted by MI5, the UK intelligence agency, to keep out the “subversives”. The CIA is believed to have driven American investigative reporter Gary Webb to suicide after he exposed the agency’s use of drug deals to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua. American researcher […]
How Pakistan’s corrupt elite use trade misinvoicing to launder money on May 2, 2018Pakistan’s exports have declined significantly since former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s PMLN party assumed power in 2013. They are down from about $25 billion in 2013-14 to about $20 billion in 2016-17. Overvaluation of the Pakistani currency is often cited as a reason for it. The other, probably more important reason, may be increasing misinvoicing […]
Comment Social media and tribalism on May 2, 2018Social media news feeds are driven by users’ profiles to reinforce their preferences and prejudices. News feeds are customised for each user. Any posts that don’t fit these profiles don’t get displayed. The result is increasing tribalism in the world. American and British intelligence agencies claim that Russian intelligence has used social media to promote […]