AIRPLANE FLIGHT MAP

A top secret National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) drafted by US intelligence agencies and leaked to the media last week, summed up the situation in Pakistan as “no money, no energy, no government”. According to McClatchy newspapers, the NIE warned that the government was facing an accelerating economic crisis that includes food and energy shortages, escalating fuel costs, a sinking currency and a massive flight of foreign capital accelerated by an escalating insurgency.

Just two years ago, economic commentators were describing Pakistan as a success story under former military strongman President Pervez Musharraf and speculated that it would be the “next Asian Tiger”. But the situation dramatically changed after Musharraf was compelled to call elections. His party suffered a humiliating defeat in February and he was finally forced to step down as president in August. The ruling coalition led by President Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is already confronting mass resentment over the continuing war in the border areas and a worsening social turmoil.





This is what it feels like when a country faces bankruptcy. The electricity goes out for as much as 12 hours a day, the gasoline lines get longer, and depositors rush to banks to pull out their meager savings. After weeks of begging in vain for help from the international community, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have dropped to just $4.3 billion, down nearly 75% in the past year because of soaring prices for commodities, particularly oil, which accounts for about one-third of imports. The country presently has only enough cash to pay for about 45 days of imports at current rates. And the rupee has lost about 25% so far this year. Unlike Iceland, whose economy collapsed (BusinessWeek.com, 10/9/08) as a direct result of the global credit crunch, Pakistan’s problems are largely homegrown. Indeed, its banks are well capitalized and did not get caught up buying fancy debt securities linked to the U.S. housing market.



the crisis’s impact on Pakistan’s real economy, which was already reeling from a 60% increase in oil prices since the beginning of the year and inflation at a 30-year high, has been severe. Last year it was the star performer among Asia’s indexes, but for now the Karachi Stock Exchange is in complete paralysis. On Aug. 27 the exchange introduced a circuit breaker that prevents prices from falling. Trade, which had already halved by 50% from January to May, to about 150 million shares a day, has dwindled to a few thousand per day.



By Vilani Peiris

The White-throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis also known as White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in plains and lower hills all over India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Four races have been identified according to colour and size differentiation.

The adult has a bright blue back, wings and tail. Its head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly are chestnut, and the throat and breast are white. The flight of the White-throated Kingfisher is rapid and direct, the short rounded wings whirring. The large bill and legs are bright red. In flight, large white patches are visible on the blue and black wings. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller version of the adult. The call of this noisy kingfisher is a chuckling chake-ake-ake-ake-ake.

White-throated Kingfisher is a common species of a variety of habitats with some trees, and its range is expanding. It perches conspicuously on wires or other exposed perches within its territory, and is a frequent sight in south Asia.

The nest is a 50cm tunnel in an earth bank. A single clutch of 4-7 round white eggs is typical.

Diet

This species mainly hunts large insects, rodents, snakes, fish and frogs. It is reputed to eat tired migratory passerine birds like Chiffchaffs where the opportunity arises. Like pied kingfisher, white breasted kingfisher also observes its prey from the superior position and the moment its within reach, a flash of lightening it catches it.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Coraciiformes
Family:Halcyonidae
Genus:Halcyon
Species:H. smyrnensis

PHOTO TAKEN NEAR GUJRANWALA. This is the most expensive picture on flickr. It costed me and my friend GR Moughal, one 400D SLR, a 20D SLR, one 300 mm L-Series Fixed Tele, a 75-300 mm tele zoom, two memory cards, 15,000 cash, plus one LCD, and USB to get this photo. All these things were robbed by two robbers on the same day when we were about to return after a very productive day in terms of birds photography.