June 2021 Blog Posts (10)

The Biden Bounce: US Student Visa Applications From Pakistan Jump 37% in 2021

Student visa applications from Pakistan have jumped 37% this year. Overall, the number of international student applicants has increased by about 9% this year from last year, according to data from the Common App, as of January 22, 2021. Most of the top “sending” countries are showing increases, with the notable exception of China, the leading source of international students. But that decrease has been more than offset by substantial increases from countries like India, Canada, Nigeria,…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 28, 2021 at 6:30pm — 8 Comments

Top One Percent: Are Hindus the New Jews in America?

Hindu Americans have surpassed Jewish Americans in education and rival them in household incomes. How did immigrants from India, one of the world's poorest countries, join the ranks of the richest people in the United States? How did such a small minority of just 1% become so disproportionately represented in the highest income occupations ranging from top corporate executives and technology entrepreneurs to doctors, lawyers and investment bankers? Indian-American Professor Devesh Kapur,…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 26, 2021 at 9:00am — 58 Comments

John McAfee (1945-2021) Launched Security Software in Response to "Pakistani Brain" Virus

Security software pioneer John McAfee was found dead in his jail cell in Spain today. He was 75 years old. He started McAfee Associates in 1987 in his small house in Silicon Valley, in response to the news of a Pakistani computer virus called Pakistani Brain, thought to be the first to infect personal computers. Miko Hypponen, a top software expert, believes that "they (Pakistani brothers Amjad and Basit Alvi) never meant to destroy any data or cause any harm for anyone". He was fighting…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 23, 2021 at 7:06pm — No Comments

IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin Started His Career in Karachi, Pakistan

Jesper Brodin, CEO of Holland-based Ingka Group, started his 25-year career working for Ikea in Karachi, Pakistan in 1995. Ikea does not operate its stores in Pakistan but the company sources home textiles from the South Asian country. Today,  Ikea is a major global retailer of home furnishings with worldwide sales of over $40 billion. Like any other major retailer, it is responding to its customers' demand for products produced in a sustainable way in terms of their impact on the…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 20, 2021 at 8:00pm — 3 Comments

US Census: Pakistani-Americans Are Young, Well-educated and Prosperous

Over half a million Pakistani-Americans constitute the 7th largest Asian ethnic group in the United States. Pakistani-Americans are young, well-educated and prosperous. Median age for Pakistani-Americans is 31.7 years. 60% have at least a bachelor's degree. Their median household income is $87,510 a year.  The graph below shows that immigration into the United…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 15, 2021 at 8:00am — 15 Comments

Pakistan-Origin Muslim Actor Riz Ahmad Leads Campaign to Make Hollywood More Inclusive

“With all my privilege and profile, I often wonder if this is going to be the year they round us up, if this is the year they’re going to put Trump’s Muslim registry into action, if this is going to be the year they ship us all off,” Riz Ahmad said back in 2019 at Creative Artists Agency's Amplify Conference. “The representation of Muslims on screen — that feeds the policies that get enacted, the people that get killed, the countries that get invaded.”…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 12, 2021 at 10:00am — 7 Comments

Did Pakistan Help China Access American Stealth Helicopter Technology?

American Defense publication "The Drive" claims that Pakistan has helped China get access to American stealth aircraft technology. Specifically, the American website alleges that the Pakistanis gave Chinese access to the wreckage of the US stealth helicopter destroyed during the American raid to kill Usama Bin Laden in Abbottabad in 2011. Chinese experts have called the accusation "groundless", according to Global Times. …

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 8, 2021 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

Surging Food Prices Push Pakistan Overall Inflation Rate to 10.9% in May 2021

Food prices in Pakistan rose 14.8% in May while the average inflation rate for July-May period of the current fiscal year came in at 8.83%,  according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.  Meanwhile, global food prices have surged by 40% in May,  the highest rate in a decade, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Poor harvest due to bad weather and …

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 4, 2021 at 7:00pm — 13 Comments

Pakistani-American VC At Top Silicon Valley Firm Leads First Investment in Pakistan

Kleiner Perkins, a top Silicon Valley venture capital investment firm, is leading series A round of $17 million investment into Pakistani start-up Tajir. The startup operates an online marketplace for small store merchants in Pakistan. The announcement came via a tweet by Mamoon Hamid, a …

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 2, 2021 at 8:47pm — 8 Comments

India's Covid Crisis Decimates Country's Middle Class

Indian economy shrank 7.3% in fiscal year 1920-21, its worst performance since independence in 1947. Nearly 230 million middle class Indians have slipped below the poverty line, constituting a 15 to 20% increase in poverty since Covid-19 struck last year, according to Pew Research. Middle class consumption has been a key driver of economic growth in India. Erosion of the middle class will likely…

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Added by Riaz Haq on June 2, 2021 at 10:30am — 39 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    Russian Hackers Steal Indian Military Secrets From Pakistani Cyber Spies

    Hackers linked to Russian intelligence have stolen Indian military data from cyber spies believed to be working on behalf of the Pakistani state, according to an assessment by Microsoft researchers. All those involved are part of what are known as "advanced persistent threat" (APT) organizations in their respective countries.  TechTarget defines "Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on December 8, 2024 at 8:00am

    IDEAS 2024: Pakistan Defense Industry's New Drones, Missiles and Loitering Munitions

    The recently concluded IDEAS 2024, Pakistan's Biennial International Arms Expo in Karachi, featured the latest products offered by Pakistan's defense industry. These new products reflect new capabilities required by the Pakistani military for modern war-fighting to deter external enemies. The event hosted 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, as well as 350 civilian and military officials from 55 countries. 

    Pakistani defense manufacturers…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on December 1, 2024 at 5:30pm — 3 Comments

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