PakMonitor - News Around The Globe

Militants kill dozens in north Iraq ‘massacre’: officials

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZIFV9YEcjxgS8S3YxXAM1FXyGqDqCiMtXbk9Gwy40Ni7H8RFw2rgDM4nYGQh6lsioXxFHDxFpTmCz1LMyc96k942POZYx-H74tqDKQ5fWjCq6HdxsEXhG8n3umSnvv1ngx0J8xmpy90/s1600/iraq-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZIFV9YEcjxgS8S3YxXAM1FXyGqDqCiMtXbk9Gwy40Ni7H8RFw2rgDM4nYGQh6lsioXxFHDxFpTmCz1LMyc96k942POZYx-H74tqDKQ5fWjCq6HdxsEXhG8n3umSnvv1ngx0J8xmpy90/s1600/iraq-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
BAGHDAD: 
Militants carried out a "massacre" in the northern Iraqi village of 
Kocho, killing dozens of people, most of them members of the Yazidi 
religious minority, officials said on Saturday. 
 
Militants
 from the Islamic State (IS) group are carrying out attacks against 
minorities in Iraq´s Nineveh province, prompting tens of thousands of 
people to flee. 
 
"We have information from multiple 
sources, in the region and through intelligence, that (on Friday) 
afternoon, a convoy of (IS) armed men entered this village," senior 
Iraqi official Hoshyar Zebari told. 
 
"They took their 
revenge on its inhabitants, who happened to be mostly Yazidis who did 
not flee their homes," Zebari said, referring to a religious community 
regarded as heretics by militants. 
 
"They committed a massacre against the people," he said. "Around 80 of them have been killed." 
 
Harim
 Kamal Agha, a senior official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party
 in Dohuk province, which borders Nineveh, put the death toll at 81 and 
said the militants had taken women to prisons they control. 
 
And Mohsen Tawwal, a Yazidi fighter, told by telephone that he saw a large number of bodies in the village. 
 
"We made it into a part of Kocho village, where residents were under siege, but we were too late," he said. 
 
"There were corpses everywhere. We only managed to get two people out alive. The rest had all been killed." 
 
Militants-led
 insurgents launched a major offensive in June that began in Nineveh and
 swept security forces aside, overrunning large areas of five provinces. 
 
In
 one of the most dramatic chapters of the conflict, the militants 
stormed the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq earlier this month 
prompting tens of thousands of people, many of them Yazidis, to take 
refugee in the mountains. 
 
Kurdish fighters on the ground 
and US air strikes eventually helped most of those trapped to escape 
after more than 10 days under siege, but some remain in the mountains.

Militants kill dozens in north Iraq ‘massacre’: officials

BAGHDAD: Militants carried out a "massacre" in the northern Iraqi village of Kocho, killing dozens of people, most of them members of the Yazidi religious minority, officials said on Saturday. Mil…

16 Aug 2014

Boeing, South African Airways to make jet fuel from tobacco

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF7apFycFbhyphenhyphenqLOmW92IczMVog7sWXJPr3kGV6ZBNJQJMq2WVkrKCUGZ8iohN4dBUJ1ENcvXrL4eEBFge8tJ4WxZUnZZs7YTEqBom-KFqiTEs76czeXavXbY4zmKzmJgNTGFVpsrIqvA/s1600/Boeing-Tobacco_8-7-2014_156139_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF7apFycFbhyphenhyphenqLOmW92IczMVog7sWXJPr3kGV6ZBNJQJMq2WVkrKCUGZ8iohN4dBUJ1ENcvXrL4eEBFge8tJ4WxZUnZZs7YTEqBom-KFqiTEs76czeXavXbY4zmKzmJgNTGFVpsrIqvA/s1600/Boeing-Tobacco_8-7-2014_156139_l.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
JOHANNESBURG:
 US planemaker Boeing has teamed up with South African Airways to 
develop jet fuel from a tobacco plant as part of efforts to cut carbon 
emissions and promote green energy in Africa's most advanced economy. 
 
The
 jet fuel will be made from a hybrid tobacco plant known as Solaris, 
which will be produced by alternative jet fuel maker SkyNRG, both 
companies said in a joint statement on Wednesday. 
 
Test 
farming of the plants, which are nicotine-free, is ongoing in South 
Africa, with biofuel output expected in the "next few years", the 
companies said. 
 
"By using hybrid tobacco, we can leverage 
knowledge of tobacco growers in South Africa to grow a marketable 
biofuel crop without encouraging smoking," Ian Cruickshank, SAA's Group 
Environmental Affairs Specialist, said. 
 
This biofuel has 
potential in several regions where traditional tobacco is cultivated, 
including Africa, southern and central Europe, Asia, Oceania and Latin 
America, Boeing spokeswoman Jessica Kowal said. 
 
South 
Africa has set the beginning of October next year as the date when fuel 
producers will start blending diesel and petrol with biofuel to cut its 
reliance on imported fuel. 
 
The biofuels industry in South 
Africa, the continent's biggest agricultural producer, has been held 
back by an inadequate regulatory regime and concerns that biofuels would
 hurt food security and impact food prices.

Boeing, South African Airways to make jet fuel from tobacco

JOHANNESBURG: US planemaker Boeing has teamed up with South African Airways to develop jet fuel from a tobacco plant as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions and promote green energy in Africa's…

16 Aug 2014

Facebook buys cybersecurity startup PrivateCore

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrWd7e2jYj2A-v123gh7xy66DTCF_75pnhNhMRUg7ELmWhkHCn6vl4iB10GlQ70XZamuY5cgoRgypbUonh-wNA6xvbYbA5Xl-TzdwHppf75-5q0JcfndbJaErRiGPSYj3J7Ovk8Uw-U0/s1600/world-facebook_8-8-2014_156191_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrWd7e2jYj2A-v123gh7xy66DTCF_75pnhNhMRUg7ELmWhkHCn6vl4iB10GlQ70XZamuY5cgoRgypbUonh-wNA6xvbYbA5Xl-TzdwHppf75-5q0JcfndbJaErRiGPSYj3J7Ovk8Uw-U0/s1600/world-facebook_8-8-2014_156191_l.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
NEW YORK: 
Facebook announced Thursday it was buying California-based cybersecurity
 startup PrivateCore, in a move to boost defenses of its vast server 
network. 
 
"I believe that PrivateCore´s technology and 
expertise will help support Facebook´s mission to help make the world 
more open and connected, in a secure and trusted way," Facebook´s Joe 
Sullivan said. 
 
"Over time, we plan to deploy PrivateCore´s technology directly into the Facebook server stack." 
 
PrivateCore
 was launched in 2012 in Palo Alto and specializes in protecting servers
 against malware and other kinds of intrusions. 
 
PrivateCore´s Oded Horovitz said in a blog post that the two firms "have an aligned mission." 
 
"Since
 the beginning, we have worked tirelessly on our technology to protect 
servers from malware threats, unauthorized physical access, and 
malicious hardware devices," he said. 
 
"Working together with Facebook, there is a huge opportunity to pursue our joint vision at scale with incredible impact." 
 
Terms of the deal were not announced. (AFP)

Facebook buys cybersecurity startup PrivateCore

NEW YORK: Facebook announced Thursday it was buying California-based cybersecurity startup PrivateCore, in a move to boost defenses of its vast server network. "I believe that PrivateCore´s techno…

16 Aug 2014

Judge rejects $324.5 million settlement over Apple, Google hiring

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU55xmQFB4LPolDIyrtdAocCcZ_FhKi-Bqat2f9ZYKJECz-uMMqhZazvJoMPumeTduqq3CDe7sex7SFkRiDp4jq4_S1DOiSOHDYo4VK1bTlDVkCSZinDUMkZ92uzDwZuguAuNz5jMUV4g/s1600/google-apple-judge-settlement-reject_8-9-2014_156369_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU55xmQFB4LPolDIyrtdAocCcZ_FhKi-Bqat2f9ZYKJECz-uMMqhZazvJoMPumeTduqq3CDe7sex7SFkRiDp4jq4_S1DOiSOHDYo4VK1bTlDVkCSZinDUMkZ92uzDwZuguAuNz5jMUV4g/s1600/google-apple-judge-settlement-reject_8-9-2014_156369_l.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
NEW YORK: 
Four Silicon Valley companies including Apple and Google failed to 
persuade a U.S. judge to sign off on a $324.5 million settlement to 
resolve a lawsuit by tech workers, who accused the firms of conspiring 
to avoid poaching each other's employees. 
 
In a ruling 
on Friday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, said 
the class action settlement was too low, given the strength of the case 
against the companies. Intel and Adobe were also part of the proposed 
deal. 
 
There is "substantial and compelling evidence" that 
late Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs "was a, if not the, central figure 
in the alleged conspiracy," Koh wrote. The judge provided details in 
evidence of anecdotes involving Jobs and other Valley executives to show
 why she thought the workers deserved more. 
 
Representatives
 for Apple and Google Inc declined to comment. Intel spokesman Chuck 
Mulloy said the company is disappointed Koh rejected an agreement "that 
was negotiated at arm's length over many months," but appreciates that 
Koh provided additional information on her views. 
 
Lawyers for the workers, along with an Adobe representative, were not immediately available to comment. 
 
In
 their 2011 lawsuit, the tech employees said the conspiracy had limited 
their job mobility and, as a result, kept a lid on salaries. The case 
has been closely watched because of the possibility of big damages being
 awarded and for the opportunity to peek into the world of some of 
America's elite tech firms. 
 
The case was based largely on 
emails in which Apple's Jobs, former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric
 Schmidt and some of their rivals hatched plans to avoid poaching each 
other's prized engineers. 
 
PARIS BLUES 
 
Koh 
referred to one email exchange which occurred after a Google recruiter 
solicited an Apple employee. Schmidt told Jobs that the recruiter would 
be fired. Jobs then forwarded Schmidt's note to a top Apple human 
resources executive with a smiley face. 
 
Koh also disclosed
 a 2006 exchange over Google's plans to open an engineering center in 
Paris. Google sought to hire three former Apple engineers for the 
project, but Jobs objected. Jobs wrote that his company would "strongly 
prefer that you not hire these guys." Google then told Jobs it had 
scrapped plans for the Paris center, "based on your strong preference." 
 
The
 four companies agreed to settle with the workers in April shortly 
before trial. The plaintiffs had planned to ask for about $3 billion in 
damages at trial, which could have tripled to $9 billion under antitrust
 law. 
 
Plaintiff attorneys argued Koh should approve the 
deal because the workers faced serious risks on appeal had the case gone
 forward. Some tech workers filed objections to the settlement, however,
 saying both sides should go back to the negotiating table in the hopes 
of obtaining a larger amount. 
 
Daniel Girard, a lawyer for 
one of the objectors, said he is "very pleased that the court agreed 
with his position." It is unclear whether objectors would be included in
 any future settlement negotiations. 
 
In her ruling, Koh 
repeatedly referred to a related settlement last year involving Disney 
and Intuit. Apple and Google workers got proportionally less in the 
latest deal compared to the one involving Disney, Koh wrote, even though
 plaintiff lawyers have "much more leverage" now than they did a year 
ago. 
 
To match the earlier settlement, the latest deal "would need to total at least $380 million," Koh wrote. 
 
The
 judge also said the plaintiffs had strong evidence to prove how the 
no-poaching deals impacted wages. In response to hiring pressure from 
Facebook, Google co-founder Sergey Brin announced a policy in 2007 of 
making counteroffers "within one hour" to any Google employee approached
 by the social networking company. 
 
Google then tried to 
entice Facebook into a no-poaching deal, Koh wrote, but Facebook 
refused. The Facebook threat eventually led Google to alter its salary 
structure and increase all salaries by 10 percent, Koh wrote. 
 
A further hearing in the case is scheduled for September 10. 
 
The case is In Re: High-Tech Employee Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California 11-cv-2509.

Judge rejects $324.5 million settlement over Apple, Google hiring

NEW YORK: Four Silicon Valley companies including Apple and Google failed to persuade a U.S. judge to sign off on a $324.5 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit by tech workers, who accused the …

16 Aug 2014

Australian hospital accidentally declares 200 patients dead

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCwdcFDZcD7rEXv0pQLFOwWfXjQsZvTZcZeI2AtEnap-wDH5haZUC1sMUfxRIjzpGJTx20BEDHjvpR39G0nON26Rl7leVDp8aWUdx5l9jn-LZwzQy1v_gF9tJlmRHfUObVQfQR1Egvco/s1600/australian-hospital-accidentally-declares-200-patients-dead-1408011841-7251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCwdcFDZcD7rEXv0pQLFOwWfXjQsZvTZcZeI2AtEnap-wDH5haZUC1sMUfxRIjzpGJTx20BEDHjvpR39G0nON26Rl7leVDp8aWUdx5l9jn-LZwzQy1v_gF9tJlmRHfUObVQfQR1Egvco/s1600/australian-hospital-accidentally-declares-200-patients-dead-1408011841-7251.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
MELBOURNE: 
An Australian hospital apologised "unreservedly" Thursday after sending 
out notices to the doctors of more than 200 patients telling them they 
had died instead of being discharged. 
 
The error by 
Austin Hospital in Melbourne was spotted within hours and the doctors 
were contacted, but not before at least one had called a family member 
to express their condolences, the Herald Sun newspaper reported. 
 
Austin
 Health, which runs the hospital, said the notices -- which were sent on
 Wednesday, July 30 -- were a result of "human error" after changes to a
 death notification template were saved to the standard discharge 
template. 
 
"On recognising the error on the Wednesday 
morning, Austin Hospital immediately contacted all GP clinics affected,"
 Austin Health spokeswoman Taryn Sheehy said in a statement. 
 
"We apologised unreservedly to affected clinics who, for the most part, were very understanding about the error." 
 
Sheehy
 added that patient care was not affected, but the president of the 
Australian Medical Association´s Victoria state branch, Tony Bartone, 
said the blunder was "unacceptable". 
 
"IT issues must not undermine patient care or trust in the Victorian healthcare system," he said in a statement. 
 
"Many of these GPs have long relationships with these patients and their families." 
 
It would have been distressing to receive such a fax, especially relating to the unexpected death of children and teenagers."

Australian hospital accidentally declares 200 patients dead

MELBOURNE: An Australian hospital apologised "unreservedly" Thursday after sending out notices to the doctors of more than 200 patients telling them they had died instead of being discharged. The …

16 Aug 2014

Tsunami can even storm into PM house: Imran Khan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2137Xr4_afio-1cm1bSjH0aODagjE6MCvG4Hm0_HAaHwHChIaO0a7I4SWgC73H977UCjKbx9inVID3s6C1dZ6Bi3nxkhYzzm-VWx7y4fHJcRSKKLYeeWoDMnbROMKuUV1-4xZFWKHjw/s1600/azadi-march-pti-islamabad-pakistan-nawaz-go-imran-khan_8-16-2014_156998_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2137Xr4_afio-1cm1bSjH0aODagjE6MCvG4Hm0_HAaHwHChIaO0a7I4SWgC73H977UCjKbx9inVID3s6C1dZ6Bi3nxkhYzzm-VWx7y4fHJcRSKKLYeeWoDMnbROMKuUV1-4xZFWKHjw/s1600/azadi-march-pti-islamabad-pakistan-nawaz-go-imran-khan_8-16-2014_156998_l.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
<div>

</div>
ISLAMABAD: 
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan Saturday said enthusiasm
 can be contained only to a certain limit and warned that his Tsunami 
can even storm into the Parliament House and Prime Minister House. 
“Mian
 sahab I am telling you to step down. I have been controlling the gusto 
of the marchers but the control also has a limit,” he warned while 
addressing the participants of his Azadi March here. 
 
Earlier, he congratulated the participants of the Azadi March, saying the first wicket had been blown away. 
 
“I
 had told the people of Lahore before embarking on Azadi March that I 
will return victorious,” Imran Khan clad in black shalwar kameez said to
 the cheering crowd. 
 
Without taking any names, he said, in
 a clear reference to Shahbaz Sharif that FIR is about to be lodged 
against the ‘small pharaoh’ in connection with Model Town tragedy. 
 
Earlier
 today a sessions court held the Punjab government responsible for the 
killings of people in Lahore’s Model Town incident. 
 
“Once 
the real story behind election rigging comes to the fore it will also 
throw the future of ‘big pharaoh’ in the oblivion of darkness,” the PTI 
chief said amid vociferous slogans of ‘go Nawaz go’. 
 
He said tonight the PTI will celebrate the independence of Pakistan. 
 
Imran Khan gave a choice to the marchers to go and rest in their homes tonight, saying, ‘I will spend the night here’

Tsunami can even storm into PM house: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan Saturday said enthusiasm can be contained only to a certain limit and warned that his Tsunami can even storm into the Parliament House an…

16 Aug 2014

PAT workers portray policeman as attacker - view video

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5ncV76nMOPu6gUC-_KPYhODUriTPmg8Qc_SdaCymIWgSjYPe4GeWROz_3YantvJsg_KJxXGdGf2eAARURFsoBKJc88Q21BHXqEUZWRyiiZNOF7C2KEAJrjlk1Gx7Sbjji3MztoJVark/s1600/qadri-man-gun-policeman-islamabad-pakistan_8-16-2014_157001_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5ncV76nMOPu6gUC-_KPYhODUriTPmg8Qc_SdaCymIWgSjYPe4GeWROz_3YantvJsg_KJxXGdGf2eAARURFsoBKJc88Q21BHXqEUZWRyiiZNOF7C2KEAJrjlk1Gx7Sbjji3MztoJVark/s1600/qadri-man-gun-policeman-islamabad-pakistan_8-16-2014_157001_l.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
 
ISLAMABAD: 
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers apprehended a man who they claimed 
to be an attacker during the address of Dr Tahirul Qadri. 
 
PAT
 workers claimed the man who was armed was at the rally to carry out an 
attack. The man was brought onto the stage and was forgiven by Dr Qadri 
who said: “I have forgiven this Gullu Butt of Islamabad.” 
 
The entire episode was played out on television screens as it took place when Dr Qadri was presenting the charter of demands. 
 
 
The man 
identified himself as policeman Adeel Qureshi and said he had provided 
his identification to PAT workers prior to the entire episode being 
played out. Qureshi said his official card and pistol was snatched from
 him. According to Qureshi he was wearing his uniform which was torn by 
PAT workers who made him were an ordinary shirt. 
 
A doctor said there was a 7 centimetre long and 1 centimetre deep cut on Qureshi’s head which was the result of a pointy object. 
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x23ume1" width="480"></iframe> 
 <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/GeoNews" target="_blank"></a>

PAT workers portray policeman as attacker - view video

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers apprehended a man who they claimed to be an attacker during the address of Dr Tahirul Qadri. PAT workers claimed the man who was armed was at the ra…

16 Aug 2014

Load more posts