News from July 2008

Government stops PPSC examination for ACE posts (news)

Lahore: The Punjab government has stopped the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) examination for posts in the Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE), sources said on Saturday.
PPSC Deputy Secretary Zahid Hussain said that the Services and General Administration Department had issued a letter to the PPSC in which the commission was directed to stop examinations [...]

Girls equal boys in Mathematics skills (news)

Sixteen years after Barbie dolls declared, ‘Math class is tough!’ girls are proving that when it comes to math they are just as tough as boys. In the largest study of its kind, girls measured up to boys in every grade, from second through 11th.
Parents and teachers persist in thinking boys are simply better [...]

Sindh schools reopening date yet to be decided after summer vacations (news)

Islamabad: There are many things to organise for children returning to school after summer vacations, therefore, one must plan ahead to avoid a rush at the end of holidays. After the long summer vacation, it is important to be prepared for the return to school to avoid a last minute rush, a private TV channel [...]

BBC fined over unfair competitions (news)

The BBC has been fined £400,000 by media regulator Ofcom for faking winners and misleading audiences in viewer and listener competitions.The penalty, for flagship shows such as Comic Relief, Sport Relief and Children in Need as well as the Jo Whiley and Russell Brand radio shows, is a record for the corporation.
The regulator said: “Ofcom [...]

Job market not easy on BS (Hons) graduates (news)

Despite the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC’s) acceptance of the four-year bachelor’s in science (BS) degree as equivalent of the old master’s degree (16 years of education), BS (honours) degree holders are having problems in getting jobs as they are considered “less educated”.
The graduates said that despite having a four-year bachelor’s degree, they were not accommodated [...]

Hacker loses US extradition appeal (news)

A UFO enthusiast accused of the “biggest military hack of all time” has lost his appeal to the Law Lords against extradition to the United States.
Gary McKinnon, an unemployed 42-year-old, faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted in the US of sabotaging vital defence systems.

Gary McKinnon faces up to 70 years [...]

OMG to be operational again: FPSC likely to recruit 200 section officers for OMG (news)

Lahore: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) is likely to conduct a special examination in November to recruit 200 people on the posts of BS-17 section officers, a senior Establishment Division official said on Tuesday.
The official said that the examination was being held after 10 yeas, and the successful candidates could be trained under the [...]

1,300 jobs to go at Northern Rock (news)

Nationalised lender Northern Rock is make around 800 compulsory job cuts as part of its efforts to shrink the business, the firm said.
Following consultation with unions, a further 500 will leave voluntarily, making a total of 1,300 redundancies.
The job cuts relate to previously-announced plans by the Newcastle-based business to cut 2,000 staff by 2011.
The [...]

10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed (articles)

Having been a non-employee for about 14 years now, I’ve made my share of stupid business mistakes. I’ve also coached a number of people to start their own businesses, and I’ve seen many of them make similar mistakes. This advice is geared towards small business owners, particularly people who are just starting (or about to [...]

How to Give Up Coffee (articles)

Caffeine is the modern drug of choice in the work world, easily accessible, socially acceptable, readily affordable, and of course perfectly legal. As for the health effects, I’ve read evidence both for good and ill, so right now I don’t fall strongly on either side. One thing is clear though — caffeine is addictive. [...]