The Global Social Network
Spurred by a favorable regulatory and technology environment, Pakistan is witnessing dramatic growth in branchless banking, according to a March 14, 2012 report by the State Bank of Pakistan.
Here are some of the key indicators contained in the State Bank report:
1. Number of branchless banking accounts jumped 40 percent to 929,184 in October-December 2011 (Second quarter of FY2011-12) from the preceding…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on March 16, 2012 at 9:13pm — 13 Comments
The revolutionary Khan Academy is a brainchild of Bangladeshi-American Salman Khan. It is growing in popularity among Pakistanis wishing to take advantage of "Free World Class Education" offered online via short 10-15 minute videos. The subjects range from math, physics, chemistry and biology to astronomy, history, economics, finance, engineering and medicine. Khan counts Microsoft founder Bill Gates among his fans and students. Gates has described…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on March 14, 2012 at 10:00pm — 6 Comments
Here's a report about a new tourism portal for Pakistan:
Pakistan-explorer.com: A ray of hope in the clogged-up tourism culture in the country
Launched with a distinct vision of promoting the tourism culture in the country,…
ContinueGrowing at more than 55% a year and collectively employing 41,000, the winners of Pakistan Fast Growth 100 contest were announced by Harvard-based Allworld Network last week. Of these 100 entrepreneurial companies, 70 also qualified for the Arabia500, putting…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on March 11, 2012 at 10:45pm — 3 Comments
Leaked emails by wikileaks suggest that dead Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad was working for the CIA. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods:
Email-ID 1644311
Date 2011-06-01 15:50:16
From burton@stratfor.com
To sean.noonan@stratfor.com, hoor.jangda@stratfor.com,…
NUST's new 132 Teraflop supercomputer has catapulted the Pakistani university's supercomputing center to the elite Top 200 list of supercomputing sites in the world, a list dominated by a handful of industrialized nations. National University of Science & Technology's supercomputer is named ScREC after its supercomputing research and education center. The cluster consists of 66 nodes equipped with a total of 30,992 cores. The NUST site…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on March 9, 2012 at 8:30pm — No Comments
Complete gene mapping of a Pakistani citizen by Human Genome Project in Karachi has put the country on a very short list of nations which have accomplished this scientific feat. To assess the state of genomics and biotechnology in Pakistan, let's take a look at what is happening in the country in this field:
1. Researchers at the Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD) in Karachi collaborated with Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) to complete gene mapping of Dr.…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on March 1, 2012 at 7:30pm — 33 Comments
Work started today to build a 21st Century eco-friendly model city about 50 km north east of downtown Karachi, Pakistan.
Named DHA City Karachi or DCK, the project has been planned by Doxiadis and Osmani Associates along with Professor Spiro Pollalis as its chief planner on an 11,640 acre rural site. Constantine Doxiadis (1914-1975) was a Greek architect and urban planner who planned Pakistan's capital Islamabad and several…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on February 23, 2012 at 12:00pm — 8 Comments
"...under 1.5% of GDP [is] going to public schools that are on the front line of Pakistan's education emergency, or less than the subsidy for PIA, Pakistan Steel, and Pepco." Pakistan Education Task Force Report 2011
Pakistan has ordered 5 Boeing 777s and 75 train engines for its state-owned companies in a bid to catch up with rising passenger and cargo service demands, according to media…
Added by Riaz Haq on February 20, 2012 at 6:30pm — 61 Comments
Pakistan ranks first in Asia and third in the world in Economist Intelligence Unit's overall microfinance business environment rankings for 2011. Among other Asian nations, only the Philippines at #6 made the top ten list.
On a scale of 0-100, Pakistan scores 62.8, just…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on February 18, 2012 at 7:29pm — 2 Comments
A worldwide cost of living survey of 131 major cities has found that big South Asian cities of Dhaka, Delhi, Karachi and Mumbai are among the ten least expensive in the world. In other words, foreign visitors, expatriate businessmen and overseas investors can live better for less in South Asia, particularly in Karachi which is the cheapest on the list, just one rank below Mumbai, India.…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on February 15, 2012 at 9:00pm — 1 Comment
Military-run Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra has launched manufacturing of Android tablets, Android eBook readers and Windows/Linux notebook computers.
All three products are being offered by Commercial Products Manufacturing Cell (CPMC), a join venture of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra (PAC) and Hong…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on February 9, 2012 at 10:00pm — 25 Comments
Pakistan defeated England in the final match of the cricket test series in UAE to complete a historic 3-0 whitewash.
Pakistani bowlers emasculated English batting throughout the series and won the third test by 71 runs in Dubai.
Pakistan won in spite of their relatively poor fielding and less than stellar batting which made them look very vulnerable at times. But the bowlers strongly reasserted Pakistan's dominance each time to bring their side back in the game, winning the…
ContinueShahid Khan, Pakistani-American owner of an NFL team, has put his luxury yacht up for sale. Asking price: $112 million.
The Pakistani-American owner of Jacksonville Jaguars NFL franchise owns the 223-foot Kismet, a German-made yacht built in 2007. The boat has an expansive bedroom suite, a formal dining salon, disco, teak decks, jacuzzi, sauna and gym. High-end woodwork adorns everything from a beer keg to a motorcycle hatch with crane. There's also a 25-foot Chris Craft boat, Yamaha…
ContinueGuest Post by Amjad Noorani
Like any young nation, Pakistan has been on a roller coaster ride. Things are looking up now -- and TCF is doing its part.
Here are sample facts about an emerging nation and its modest progress, through sources that underscore Pakistani business, its economy, education, social programs, democratic institutions, an improving infrastructure and quality of…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on January 31, 2012 at 9:30am — 4 Comments
With a score of just 3.73 out of 100, India ranks as the worst country for the ill effects of toxic air pollution on human health among 132 nations, according to a report presented at the World Economic Forum 2012. India's neighbors also score poorly for toxic…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on January 28, 2012 at 8:46am — 9 Comments
Emmy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s latest film Saving Face has won an Oscar nomination in the category "Best Documentary, Short Subject".
Saving Face is the story of two women from Southern Punjab who are victims of acid attack. “It’s a positive story about Pakistan on two accounts: firstly, it portrays how a Pakistani-British doctor comes to treat them and it also discusses, in great depth, the parliament’s decision to pass a bill on acid violence,” Obaid-Chinoy…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on January 24, 2012 at 4:00pm — 13 Comments
Arfa Karim Randhawa passed away at the tender age of just 16. Inna Lillah Wa Inna Elaih Rajeon!
Born in 1995, she achieved celebrity status after becoming the world's youngest computer expert at the age of 9, passing a tough series of Microsoft tests designed for software professionals. Her success brought her an invitation to Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, where she met its chairman, Bill Gates,…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on January 17, 2012 at 10:30am — 1 Comment
Pakistan's 152 billion text messages and Rs. 40 billion in texting revenue in 2009-10 put it among the top-ranking nations for sms traffic, says a report produced by Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA).
The main driver for growth of texting in Pakistan has been its low cost compared with voice…
ContinueAdded by Riaz Haq on January 12, 2012 at 10:41pm — 1 Comment
"Righteousness is not that ye turn your faces towards the east or the west, but righteousness is, one who believes in God, and the last day, and the angels, and the Book, and the prophets, and who gives wealth for His love to kindred, and orphans, and the poor, and the son of the road, beggars, and those in captivity; and who is steadfast in prayers, and gives alms." Quran 2:177
Added by Riaz Haq on January 9, 2012 at 3:42pm — 10 Comments
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Pakistani student enrollment in America's institutions of higher learning rose 16% last year, outpacing the record 12% growth in the number of international students hosted by the country. This puts Pakistan among eight sources in the top 20 countries with the largest increases in US enrollment. India saw the biggest increase at 35%, followed by Ghana 32%, Bangladesh and…
ContinuePosted by Riaz Haq on April 1, 2024 at 5:00pm
Pakistan's agriculture sector GDP grew at a rate of 5.2% in the October-December 2023 quarter, according to the government figures. This is a rare bright spot in the overall national economy that showed just 1% growth during the quarter. Strong performance of the farm sector gives the much needed boost for about …
ContinuePosted by Riaz Haq on March 29, 2024 at 8:00pm
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