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Pakistans Hunza Valley: Another Paradise Lost?

The new year in the Hunza valley began with a catastrophe. On January 4, a crack in the sloped terrain of Attaabad in the Upper Hunza valley widened and gravity took its toll: houses in the village collapsed. A major landslide caused a wave of dust and gravel; subsequently, material from the moraine blocked and dammed the Hunza valley. Four months later, the villagers in the northwest of Karakoram still live in a state of uncertainty.

Attaabad is one of the younger villages in Hunza, inhabited by people from the central oasis five generations ago. The exposed location made irrigated agriculture difficult, favoured orchards and allowed easy access to the high pastures.

The crack in the slope had been discovered some time ago in the aftermath of the Astor earthquake. Humanitarian organisations such as Focus Humanitarian Assistance had assessed the likely danger and advised the villagers to leave their unstable abodes high above the Hunza river. Despite the timely warning, around 20 people lost their lives, 50 houses were destroyed and 1,500 people were displaced and forced to live in camps or with relatives and friends in neighbouring villages. The Karakoram Highway – while undergoing repairs by Chinese engineers – was damaged along a 1.5-km stretch. A lake formed upstream into Gojal where it submerged roads and bridges, lands and residences of Ainabad and Shishket. Recently it reached Gulmit, the largest village and tehsil headquarter of Gojal, however, the upper lake level has not been affected yet.

Farhan Lalji

Farhan Lalji is the Vancouver Correspondent for SportsCentre, TSN’s flagship news and information program.

Lalji joined TSN in 1997 and is the Vancouver correspondent for SportsCentre, covering the Canucks, Lions and other sports stories in the Vancouver area.

During his 14 years at TSN, he has covered some of the biggest sporting events in North America, including the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games, the Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, Grey Cup, MLB and NBA All-Star Games, and golf’s U.S. Open and PGA Championship.

Born in Tanzania, Lalji has resided in Vancouver since the age of four and his love of sports began at an early age. Lalji got his start as the Sports Information Director at Simon Fraser University from 1991 to 1994.

AKAMs Micro Health Insurance Product reach

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Microfinance Focus, June 15, 2010: Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM) is an industry pioneer in developing micro health insurance products. Realizing the fact that a near absence of health insurance, often leaves the poor impoverished due to illnesses and sudden causalities, AKAM opened the First Microinsurance Agency Pakistan in 2007 and the First Microinsurance Agency Tanzania in late 2008. To further extend its services, it has recently tied up with Pakistan’s New Jubilee Insurance Company (NJI), which developed micro health insurance products to be distributed through MFIs/NGOs to the uninsured poor.
Peter Wrede 216x300 AKAM’s Micro Health Insurance Product reaches 60, 000 Clients

AKAM’s hospitalisation insurance, for example, helps families prepare for both expected and unexpected health expenditures by encouraging saving for the future and providing insurance safety nets for catastrophic events. The insurance safety nets kick in when households experience an event requiring immediate hospitalisation, such as accidents, obstructed births and acute illnesses. Other products protect families from the death of a breadwinner. Crop, livestock and asset insurance products are also being developed.

Walkers aim to ease poverty

About 5,000 raise $900K for sustainable development overseas
KATIE TURNER
FOR METRO CALGARY
June 14, 2010 5:05 a.m.

Thousands of Calgarians took steps towards the solution to global poverty yesterday during the World Partnership Walk in Prince’s Island Park.

Now in its 26th year, the walk is an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada and raises funds which go directly towards sustainable development in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, said long-time volunteer and spokesperson Rehana Rajabali.

“Over the last 25 years across the country, $50 million has been raised,” she said, adding that 100 per cent of the profits go towards the overseas projects.

Rajabali said she has been participating in the walk since she was about six and has a personal connection to the event.

World Cup puts promise of Africa on the map

By Mansoor Ladha
June 10th, 2010

On Friday and for the next month, all eyes will be on South Africa when it hosts the FIFA World Cup of Soccer -- the first African country ever to host the game. It's a distinction that South Africans of all races should be proud of.

South Africa, the apartheid capital where racism and discrimination was supreme, went through several reforms under President Frederik de Klerk until 1994 Nelson Mandela won the first multiracial elections.

On Friday, South Africa will be ready to receive the world, after polishing its image. Johannesburg, formerly called the "murder capital of the world," has cleaned up its tough neighbourhoods, filling them up with art galleries, boutiques, hotels and cafes in readiness for 350,000 tourists.

When the World Cup is over, soccer fans will hopefully go home carrying good impressions of the country and how well the hospitable locals ran the biggest sporting event in the continent's history. Each foreign visitor will post-mortem their visit to South Africa and give that country a progress report of how it did. This century is also supposed to be Africa's century when the continent is undergoing massive transformation in growth and development.

Class Act 2010: Busy schedule includes volunteering cor Ali Tejpar

Age: 17 School: John G. Diefenbaker High School Career goal: International development or law

Ali Tejpar, 17, doesn't sleep much. How could he? With his lengthy list of activities, school and volunteer commitments, he admits there just aren't enough hours in the day.

"I do what I can to schedule myself," he says. "But I definitely haven't had a lot of time to sleep this past year."

He is, however, making a difference in the lives of Calgarians from all walks of life.

Born and raised in Calgary, Tejpar is a Grade 12 student at John G. Diefenbaker High School.

To list just a few of his myriad accomplishments, he's the president of the school's student council. He's a "Big Brother" volunteer, with Calgary's Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization. He's a "big buddy" volunteer with the Calgary Public Library, and a tutor with the Aga Khan Education Board. He's the president of the Calgary Ismaili Youth Club, and a member of the Calgary Mayor's Youth Council.

Abdul Samji New Chairman Of The Diamond Trust Bank

bank's strategy of significant growth and rapid expansion in Eastern Africa

Coastweek -- Diamond aTrust Bank has announced the appointment of its new Chairman at the Annual General Meeting held at KICC on May 27, 2010 .

Mr. Abdul Samji, is a long serving member of the Board.

Mr. Samji is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya.

He is a director of the Kenya Tourist Board and a former managing partner of PKF Kenya, a firm of Certified Public Account-ants.

Mr. Samji is a Trustee of several charitable and service organizations and is a past District Governor of Rotary International, District 9200.

The ICC and Afghanistan: A Moment of Opportunity for Justice by Rahim Kanani

A version of this article appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the International Herald Tribune/New York Times.

In today's International Herald Tribune, Candace Rondeaux and Nick Grono of the International Crisis Group argued that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should formalize their investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, now that the Taliban's military chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been arrested in Pakistan. I believe formalizing such an investigation at this particular stage would be catastrophic in consequence, and would ultimately harm both the development of Afghanistan and the standing and status of the International Criminal Court.

While I support bringing perpetrators of mass atrocities to justice in an effort to end worldwide impunity, there are two critical issues missing from the authors' analyses. First, the development of Afghan judicial and legal institutions should be seen as an opportunity for justice rather than a mere tragedy unfolding. And second, while the ICC is ideologically apolitical, independent, and led by a fierce Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Court of last resort nonetheless operates with very limited capacity in a highly politically-charged world. Therefore, advocating for an official ICC investigation in Afghanistan, based largely on the capture of Baradar and an inexcusable amnesty law granting immunity to warlords and brutal extremists, fails to grasp the true mandate and resources of the ICC, coupled with the wave of complexities that would unquestionably follow such formalization.

Yasmin Kanji

Yasmin Kanji - a Dundee Securities Corporation Vice President and Investment Advisor with a difference.

As one of the leading Investment Advisors in Canada today, Yasmin adds value to her clients in both their financial and personal lives. Often, Yasmin's clients feel that their lives are transformed as she gives honest advice and provokes them into action with her creative solutions. Inspired by her unconventional thinking and personal example, and impressed by her in-depth professional competence, many clients maintain long-term relationships and become family friends.

Yasmin Kanji holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, the Professional Financial Planning designation, and has over 20 years of experience with a major Canadian Financial Institution. Her commitment to her clients' specific needs makes her well respected among the investment community, so much so, that she shares her unique approach at universities, colleges, seminars, and leading corporations.

Navroz Mubarak 21st March 2010

~*~*~*~ =>> NAVROZ MUBARAK <<= ~*~*~*~

I Pray that May Mowlana Hazar Imam Bless us for Happiness, Peace, Love in our family and friends, Unity, Good Health, Fulfillment of Our All Wishes, Mushkil Asaan, Strength on Sirat-e-Mustaqeem, Regularity in our Morning and Evening Prayers, and Barakaat -- Aameen

May Mowlana Hazar Imam Shower his Countless blessings on us and May Mowlana Hazar Imam Come to Pakistan and give us Deedar. Aameen .

Many Many Best wishes to you and your family. Navroz Mubarak
Ya Ali Madad

Ibrahim Machiwala
http://www.machiwala.org