Education policy and local languages By Zubair Torwali Published: June 2, 2014

The writer is executive director at the Institute for Education and Development in Swat

In late 2010, encouraged by the Eighteenth Amendment, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)provincial cabinet meeting, discussing language instruction, approved a multilingual solution to the teaching of mother languages in schools across the province. For the first time in the history of the province, Hindko, Khowar, Seraiki and Indus-Kohistani were included in the syllabus apart from Pashto, the main language of K-P.
According to the official website of the K-P government, Pashto will be introduced as a compulsory subject in 17 districts from grade one to grade 10, with Hindko, Seraiki, Khowar and Indus-Kohistani introduced in the remaining seven districts of the province. Moreover, the K-P government had also taken steps to see to the formation of a Khyber-Pakhtunhwa Regional Languages Authority (KPRLA), which would work for the promotion of all the languages spoken in the province.
The provincial authorities have, indeed, taken some laudable measures in this regard, but progress in planning and implementation of these policies has yet to be witnessed. Indeed, catering to teaching materials in the local languages is not an easy task. On the one hand, Pakistan still lacks experts in curriculum designing while, on the other, many of the local languages, excluding Pashto, do not have standardised orthographies.
Amongst experts and language activists of the country, there is a collective realisation that many languages of this land are not duly recognised and explored. Owing to the perpetual neglect by the state, indigenous linguists are almost non-existent. There may be considerable awareness among speakers of indigenous local tongues that their languages might be in danger, but effective initiatives have yet to take place to preserve their richness.
Secondly, education and overall community development is actually at risk from current educational policies. Mainstream education today makes students disregard their native languages and culture. The contents of the syllabus are not only insufficient by global standards, but also cause tremendous damage to indigenous wisdom and knowledge by making it inferior in the eyes of youngsters. As a result, people deem their local culture and languages as the main cause of their lagging behind the larger communities in terms of development and progress. This attitude leads to a ‘language shift’ and thus poses a great threat to the linguistic and cultural diversity of the country.
Generally, the overall public education system is inadequate and language teaching is the primary victim. The reasons behind this deplorable situation are, of course, inadequate teaching materials, lack of teacher training, ineffective monitoring and lack of motivation in the teachers. A cursory look at the language textbooks makes it clear that they instruct students in everything but languages. Not only are the lessons in these books boring and unimaginative, they include no exercises in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Most of the lessons in these ‘language books’ are from Islamic history or Pakistan Studies.
The proposed KPRLA should assess languages pedagogy in the smaller languages so as to devise effective language teaching curriculum for the other languages, which would match the global standards of teaching languages. But unfortunately, the authority is now in doldrums and is far from accepting the linguistic diversity of the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2014.

Google is to start building its own self-driving cars

Google is to start building its own self-driving cars, rather than modifying vehicles built by other manufacturers.

The car will have a stop-go button but no controls, steering wheel or pedals.
Pictures of the Google vehicle show it looks like a city car with a "friendly" face, designed to make it seem non-threatening and help people accept self-driving technology.
Co-founder Sergey Brin revealed the plans at a conference in California.
"We're really excited about this vehicle - it's something that will allow us to really push the capabilities of self driving technology, and understand the limitations," said Chris Urmson, director of the company's self-driving project.
He added that the cars had the ability to "improve people's lives by transforming mobility".
But some researchers working in this field are investigating potential downsides to driverless car technology.
They believe they could make traffic and urban sprawl worse, as people accept longer commutes as they do not have to drive themselves.
Flexible windscreen The BBC was given access to the Google team to talk about the secret project, and see early renderings of the car.
It looks almost cartoon-like, it has no traditional bonnet at the front, and the wheels are pushed to the corners.

Google says it will initially build 100 prototype vehicles

It will seat two people, propulsion will be electric, and at the start it will be limited to 25mph (40km/h) to help ensure safety.
The most significant thing about the design is that it does not have any controls, apart from a stop/go button.
For early testing, extra controls will be fitted so one of Google's test drivers can take over if there is a problem.
The controls will simply plug in, and Mr Urmson believes that over time, as confidence in the technology grows, they will be removed entirely.
The front end of the vehicle is designed to be safer for pedestrians, with a soft foam-like material where a traditional bumper would be, and a more flexible windscreen, which may help reduce injuries.
The vehicle will use a combination of laser and radar sensors along with camera data to drive autonomously.
It will depend on Google's road maps, built specifically for the programme, and tested on the company's current fleet of vehicles.

Google says it expects its self-drive cars to be on the road 'within a year'

Ready in a year Google recently announced that its self driving cars had covered 700,000 miles of public roads in autonomous mode, and that they were now tackling the tricky problem of busy city streets.
The company plans to build a fleet of around 200 of the cars in Detroit, with the hope of using them as an autonomous technology test bed.
"We'll see these vehicles on the road within the year," says Mr Urmson.
Advocates claim that autonomous cars have the potential to revolutionise transport, by making roads safer, eliminating crashes, and decreasing congestion and pollution. In the year to June 2013, more than 23,500 people were killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents in the UK, according to government figures.

 

The view from Google's self-drive car and its computer during tests

Ron Medford, previously the deputy director of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and now the safety director for the self-driving car team at Google, believes that number could be drastically reduced by removing the chance of driver error.
"I think it has the potential to be the most important safety technology that the auto industry has ever seen," he said.
But Sven Beiker, executive director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford, cautions that driverless cars may still require human input in extreme circumstances and that people may forget how to operate their vehicles if they do not do it regularly.
This could be particularly dangerous in an emergency situation where the computer does not know how to react, and asks for input from a human who may not have been paying attention, he warned.
"You will not be able to fiddle around looking for the instruction manual in the glove box that you've never looked at before," he said.
He equates it to people who drive automatics forgetting how to easily drive a car with a manual gearbox.

Listeners in the UK can hear more on the potential of driverless cars on Frontiers on BBC Radio 4 on Wed 4 June.

روشن کمرے میں سونے سے وزن بڑھتا ہے: تحقیق

’اس حوالے سے مزید تحقیق ہونے کی ضرورت ہے کہ اگر کمرہ روشن نہ ہو تو اس سے وزن میں کمی ہو گی یا نہیں‘

ایک تازہ برطانوی تحقیق سے یہ بات سامنے آئی ہے کہ روشن کمرے میں سونے سے وزن میں اضافہ ہوتا ہے۔

لندن کے کینسر ریسرچ انسٹیٹیوٹ کی جانب سے کی گئی تحقیق میں کہا گیا ہے کہ اگر خواتین ایسے کمرے میں سوئیں جہاں اتنی روشنی ہو کہ پورے کمرے کو دیکھا جا سکے تو ان کی کمر بڑھ جاتی ہے۔

اسی بارے میں

• موٹاپے سے متاثرہ ممالک میں پاکستان نویں نمبر پر
• ’خوراک میں چربی کم کرنا موٹاپے کے لیے ناکافی‘
• موٹاپے سے ہڈیوں کی بیماری کا خطرہ

متعلقہ عنوانات

• سائنس

تاہم تحقیق دانوں کا کہنا ہے کہ ابھی اس تحقیق کے حوالے سے وہ لوگوں کو کمرے میں موٹے پردے ڈالنے یا روشنی گُل کر کے سونے کا مشورہ نہیں دیں گے۔
اس تحقیق کے لیے کینسر ریسرچ انسٹیٹیوٹ نے ایک لاکھ تیرہ ہزار خواتین سے سوالات پوچھے۔
اس سروے میں خواتین سے پوچھا گیا کہ وہ اپنے سونے والے کمرے کی وضاحت کیسے کریں گی
1) اتنی روشنی ہوتی ہے کہ پڑھا جا سکے
2) روشن ہوتا ہے لیکن اتنا نہیں کہ پڑھا جاسکے
3) اتنا روشن ہوتا ہے کہ کمرے میں دیکھا جاسکے لیکن پڑھا نہیں
4) اتنا روشن ہوتا ہے کہ اپنا ہاتھ دیکھا جاسکتا ہے لیکن پڑھا نہیں جاسکتا
5) بالکل اندھیرا ہوتا ہے یا پھر آنکھوں پر ماسک پہن کر سوتی ہیں
کینسر ریسرچ انسٹیٹیوٹ کے پروفیسر اینتھنی سورڈلو نے بی بی سی کو بتایا ’اس سروے میں یہ بات سامنے آئی کہ رات کو روشن کمرے میں سونے اور وزن میں اضافے کا ربط ہے۔ تاہم اس حوالے سے مزید تحقیق ہونے کی ضرورت ہے کہ اگر کمرہ روشن نہ ہو تو اس سے وزن میں کمی ہو گی یا نہیں۔‘
سائنسدانوں کا کہنا ہے کہ روشنی باڈی کلاک میں خلل پیدا کرتی ہے۔
سرے سلیپ سینٹر کے مطابق اس میں کوئی قباہت نہیں اگر بیڈ روم میں مکمل اندھیرا کر کے سویا جائے۔ ’لوگوں کو اکثر نہیں پتہ چلتا کہ ان کا بیڈروم روشن ہے۔ اس لیے ضروری ہے کہ لوگ اپنے بیڈ روم کا دوبارہ معائنہ کریں اور دیکھیں کہ مکمل اندھیرے میں سونے سے کیا فرق پڑتا ہے۔‘

                                      

BBC  2014 Copyright

گنگنم سٹائل، دو ارب ہِٹس مکمل

’میں اپنی ہی ویڈیو سے مقابلہ کر رہا ہوں‘

جنوبی کوریا کےگلوکار سائی کی ویڈیو’گنگنم سٹائل‘ یوٹیوب کی تاریخ کی پہلی ویڈیو بن گئی ہے جسے دو ارب سے زائد مرتبہ دیکھا جا چکا ہے۔

یہ ویڈیو جولائی 2012 میں منظر عام پر آئی تھی اور اس میں سائی نے ایک ایسا ڈانس متعارف کرایا جو چند ہی ہفتوں میں دنیا کا مقبول ترین ڈانس بن گیا تھا۔

گلوکار جسٹن بیبر کا میوزک ٹریک ’بے بی‘ وہ دوسرا ٹریک ہے جو یوٹیوب پر سب سے زیادہ دیکھا گیا ہے اور اب تک اسے ایک ارب مرتبہ دیکھا جا چکا ہے۔
سائی کے دلچسپ انداز کے ہٹ ہوتے ہی اس نغمے کی نقل میں کئی نغمے بنانے کی کوشش کی گئی ہے۔ اس نغمے کے مداحوں میں فلپائن کی جیل میں قیدیوں سے لے کر اقوام متحدہ کے سیکریٹری جنرل بان کی مون تک شامل ہیں۔
گینگنم سٹائیل کی عالمگیر پذیرائی کے بعد سائی کا دوسرا میوزک ٹریک ’جینٹل مین‘ بھی یو ٹیوب پر بہت سراہا گیا ہے اور اب تک اسے تقریباً 70 کروڑ مرتبہ دیکھا جا چکا ہے۔ اس کے علاوہ ’جینٹلمین‘ کو یہ اعزاز بھی حاصل ہے کہ اسے یوٹیوب پر ایک دن میں سب سے زیادہ مرتبہ، یعنی تین کروڑ 80 لاکھ مرتبہ دیکھا جا چکا ہے۔

"ویڈیو کے کچھ مناظر میں چونتیس سالہ سائی کو گلابی رنگ کے جانگیے میں دھوپ کا مزا لیتے ہوئے ہوئے، زیر زمین ٹرین میں مختصر کپڑے پہنے ڈانس کرتی ہوئی لڑکی کو محبت بھری نظروں سے دیکھتے اور سمندر کے کنارے ورزش کرتی ہوئی خاتون کی طرف اشارہ کرتے ہوئے دکھایا گیا ہے۔"

جسٹن بیبر کی ویڈیو ’بے بی‘ کے بعد یوٹیوب پر تیسرے نمبر پر آنے والی ویڈیو ’چارلی بِٹ مائی فنگر‘ ہے جسے سات کروڑ سے زیادہ ہِٹس مل چکی ہیں۔
گذشتہ برس سائی نے اپنا زیادہ وقت دنیا کے مختلف ممالک میں اپنے شو کرنے میں گذارا جہاں ناظرین نے انھیں گینگم سٹائیل میں براہ راست دیکھا۔
36 سالہ سائی سے جب پوچھا گیا کہ آیا وہ خود گینگنم سٹائیل کا ریکارڈ توڑ سکیں گے تو ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ’اب مسئلہ یہ ہو چکا ہے کہ میری میوزک ویڈیو خود مجھ سے بھی زیادہ مقبول ہو چکی ہے۔ یعنی اب میں اپنی پہلی ویڈیو سے مقابلہ کر رہا ہوں اور مجھے اپنی ہی ویڈیو کو شکست دینی ہے۔‘
کچھ عرصہ قبل یوٹیوب کا کہنا تھا کہ اس ویڈیو کو اوسطاً سات سے دس ملین افراد روزانہ دیکھتے ہیں۔
ویڈیو میں جنوبی کوریا کے دارالحکومت سیول کے ایک خوشحال علاقے گنگنم میں صارفیت یا کنزیومرازم پر طنز کیا گیا ہے۔
’گنگنم سٹائل’ ویڈیو میں گلوکار سائی کچھ اس انداز میں رقص کر رہے ہیں گویا کہ وہ گھوڑے پر سوار ہیں اور گھوڑے کی لگام ان کے ہاتھوں میں ہے۔

گذشتہ برس سائی نے اپنا زیادہ وقت دنیا کے مختلف ممالک میں اپنے شو کرنے میں گزارا

ان کا یہ ڈانس دیکھتے ہی دیکھتے اتنا مشہور ہو گیا کہ ہر جگہ لوگ اس کی نقل کرتے دکھائی دیے۔
ویڈیو کے کچھ مناظر میں چونتیس سالہ سائی کو گلابی رنگ کے جانگیے میں دھوپ کا مزا لیتے ہوئے ہوئے، زیر زمین ٹرین میں مختصر کپڑے پہنے ڈانس کرتی ہوئی لڑکی کو محبت بھری نظروں سے دیکھتے اور سمندر کے کنارے ورزش کرتی ہوئی خاتون کی طرف اشارہ کرتے ہوئے دکھایا گیا ہے۔
’گنگنم سٹائل’ کی ویڈیو کو اس سال کا ایم ٹی وی یورپ میوزک اعزاز بھی حاصل ہوا تھا۔ اس کے علاوہ یہ نغمہ اٹھائیس ممالک میں موسیقی کے چارٹ میں نمبر ون رہ چکا ہے۔

دس چیزیں جن سے ہم لاعلم تھے

۔ یورپ میں درجہ حرارت بڑھنے کے باعث تتلیوں کا رنگ ہلکا ہوتا جا رہا ہے۔

   کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے (نیچر کمیونیکیشنز) 

 

ہلکے رنگ کے بالوں والے فٹ بالر کا پنلٹی کک پر گول کرنے کا امکان گہری رنگ کے بالوں والے کھلاڑی سے 15 فیصد زیادہ ہے۔

کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے (دی ٹائمز)
3۔ویکیپیڈیا میں سینٹ میریز چرچ کے بارے میں معلومات سب سے زیادہ مبہم ہے۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے (سلیٹ)
4۔ بڑی سمندری لہر سمندری برف میں سے سینکڑوں کلومیٹر کا سفر کرسکتی ہے۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے کلک کریں
5۔ 1970 کی دہائی میں برطانیہ کے پہلے یوروکریٹ نے ’فرنچ فیس ایک‘ (French face-ache) کا لفظ استعمال کیا۔ انہوں نے یہ لفظ اس تاثر کو بیان کرنے کے لیے استعمال کیا تھا جب برسلز میں اجلاس کے دوران پورا دن نہایت تکنیکی فرانسیسی بولنی پڑی۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے (فنانشل ٹائمز)

کونگو میں کوئلے کی دلدل کا حجم انگلینڈ جتنا ہے

6۔ کونگو میں کوئلے کی دلدل کا حجم انگلینڈ جتنا ہے۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے کلک کریں
7۔ ہوائی کے دو جزیروں پر جھینگروں نے یہ صلاحیت پیدا کر لی ہے کہ وہ اس وقت آواز نہیں نکال پاتے جب شکاری آس پاس ہو۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے کلک کریں
8۔ تولوز میں ایئر بس کے ایک کیمپس سے دوسرے جانے کے لیے ایک گھنٹے کی پیدل مسافت درکار ہوتی ہے۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے (فنانشل ٹائمز)
9۔سرے میں سپیلتھورن انگلینڈ اور ویلز کا کان کنی کا مرکز ہے۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے کلک کریں
10۔ مغربی یورپ میں سب سے زیادہ موٹے اور زیادہ وزن والے افراد آئس لینڈ میں ہیں۔
کلِک مزید جاننے کے لیے (دی گارڈیئن

BBC © 2014

Businessman buries his £310,000 Bentley so he has can use it in the afterlife

He has all the riches he could ever dream for in this life. But to avoid any risk of missing out in the afterlife, wealthy entrepreneur 'Count Scarpa' is burying his greatest treasure - his new £310,000 Bentley convertible.

In a bizarre announcement on his Facebook page the 62-year-old declared that he plans to do as the Pharaohs of Egypt did and take his riches with him when he dies by burying them.

So tomorrow, he will entomb his brand new Bentley Continental worth over £310,000 to make sure he has a comfortable journey into the ‘other side’. The funeral ceremony, he promises, will be at 11am.

His Bentley is his prized possession, so he's burying it, inspired by the Egyptian Pharaohs, in the hope of having it in his afterlife

In a photo on his social network site Count Scarpa stands beside his black Flying Spur, the latest model on the market, with a cockatoo on his arm and writes: 'I decided to do as the Pharaohs: this week I will bury my favourite car, the Bentley here in the home garden! Bury my treasure in my palace rssss !!!'

He says he’s digging the grave in the back garden of his mansion in Jardins, one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo.

On Tuesday, in another photo, sporting a pink tie, with his foot on a shovel, he stands in front of a deep hole with his shining Bentley parked behind him and warns: 'For those who doubt me, yesterday I already started making the hole in the garden to bury my Bentley! By the end of the week I will bury it'

The self-made businessman, who has a degree in economics and is a black belt instructor and owner of the Institute Maruyama Aikido, a Japanese martial arts academy, explains that his decision to start storing up his treasures for the life beyond came after watching a programme on Ancient Egypt on Sunday.

'I was watching a documentary about the pharaohs of Egypt, very interesting. They buried his entire fortune to have a comfortable life "the other side"!' he says.

Will he bury his parrot? After watching a documentary on Egypt on Sunday, he says he is completely serious and is going ahead with his car's funeral tomorrow. There was no mention of whether he wants his pet bird in the afterlife too

By Tuesday his decision to bury his Bentley had received over 5680 likes and more than 6000 shares.

On Wednesday, a new photo appeared updating his plans and shows just how serious he is. He’s pictured operating an excavator, in a cream coloured suit and lime green tie. It looks like he’s spent quite a few hours digging the grave. In front of him is very deep hole with a huge pile of dirt beside it.

On the same day he reveals that he’s appearing on a satirical talk show on Bandeirantes television,  hosted by Danilo Gentili  – photographed with him, to talk about the funeral of his beloved Bentley.   

In the TV interview he explains to viewers that he was travelling back from his farm after celebrating his birthday on Sunday and started thinking about how the pharaohs were buried with the most precious items in their life.

“I watched the film of the pharaohs and after seeing how they were buried with their treasures I decided that I wanted to copy them and bury my most precious item, which is my car,” he says.

In between his explanation, viewers tweet their comments. One says wryly: 'Chiquinho, is it true you want to bury your imported car because you don’t want to pay your taxes?'

'No,' he answers straight-faced. 'I’ve already shown all my documents to the authorities before doing the funeral.'

Another asks if he wants to adopt a family from Brasilia. He says he’s currently single and doesn’t want a family.  A lot of the comments are however, very critical and accuse him of wasting money. Instead of burying his car he should donate the proceeds to help Brazilian people.  ‘Maria Lucia’ sends a message begging Scarpa to send the car to her as she needs the cash.

Scarpa has had a brush with death a few times, having been in a coma with a superbug, so he's hyper-alert to preparing for what comes after life

Others are sarcastic: 'This is nothing new. Chiquinho may be burying his car but the Brazilian government has buried the Brazilian people,' says one referring to corruption and the wealth of the nation being 'buried' in the pockets of bent politicians.  

Scarpa says he is not one of these corrupt individuals and has paid all his taxes, never been in debt or been bankrupt.

‘Alex’ on the other hand agrees with the crazy decision and tweets: 'I think you should do what you want to do, because it shows that you cannot take anything with you from this life and you might as well enjoy the idea of doing so. However, if you would like to help me with the social project I’m running, I would be very grateful.'

Scarpa is not new to the idea of facing death. In 2009 he was in a coma for over two months  after a superbug nearly killed him following a stomach reduction operation. He ‘died’ twice during the ordeal and was given the last rites on both occasions by a priest.

In an interview with celebrity magazine, Caras, in January this year he said: 'When I had the surgery, I got a very strong bacteria that killed several people.

Count Scarpa says he was inspired to bury his most treasured possession after watching a documentary on Sunday about the Egyptian Pharaohs

The treasures buried with King Tutankhamun, pictured left in the Valley of Kings, and right, his exhibited gold mask, were believed to travel with the dead to their next life

'I was in a coma for 63 days; the doctor told me he had 'opened' me eight times. I came close to death twice. The priest gave me two anointings. This was all because of bacteria. I took it and got away with it. Unfortunately this was not the case with my mother. She had an operation on her femur, got the bacterium and died in February 2012. I am strong,' he adds.

Scarpa lives in one of the most expensive areas in Sao Paulo in a property spanning more than 14000m2. He inherited his title from his Italian-born father Count Francisco Scarpa who was given the honour by Pope Pius XII in 1949, for his charitable contributions to society.  

The eccentric businessman benefitted from his father’s wealth and made his fortune from the brewery and mining industry. He now runs an investment company and has been married twice. His first wife died and he is divorced from the second.  

He has even met Chelsea Football Club owner, Russian businessman, Roman Abramovich who invited him to visit his yacht in Capri, Italy, for dinner two years ago.

With no children to carry on the family name Scarpa says his cockatoo, which is perched on his arm in the facebook picture showing him standing beside his Bentley, is his offspring.

'This here is my "daughter",' he said in the interview with Caras.  'She is called Filomena Leopoldina Sofia Scarpa. She is six-months-old and is endangered,' he said.

The white cockatoo – which even has her own business card - is one of the most expensive birds in the world costing around £14,000.

The Pharaohs were known for burying their beloved pets with them so they could enjoy their company in the afterlife. So far Scarpa hasn’t said whether he plans to do the same with Filomena.

iPhone Kills Chinese Woman

A Chinese woman has been killed by her iPhone, the 23 year old died after she was electrocuted when she answered her iPhone. The phone was plugged into the wall charging at the time, when the lady named as Ma  Ailun answered the call.
According to Ma Ailun brothers, the handset had been bought from an official iPhone store and was not a fake device. He said that the device had been to Chinese authorities for examination. There are many fake handsets and chargers on sale in China, with many faults which could be dangerous.
Many people were alerted to the former flight attendants death who was due to be married later on in the year when her sister posted a warning on the internet:
‘Ma collapsed and died, while using her charging iPhone I want to warn everyone else not to make phone calls when your mobile phone is recharging,’
The news spread like wildfire across the internet, which is thought to be another blow to Apples reputation in China and the world after numerous bad press articles.
There are a number of theories on why poor Ma Ailun was electrocuted through her iPhone, including a faulty charger, poor wiring in her home and excessive temperatures damaging wires, although death by electrocution from a charging phone is extremely rare.
Apple said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and co-operate with authorities in this matter.”

A famous Funny Cricket Commentator

Gates stays atop Forbes list of America's richest

  

NEW YORK: America's superrich just keep getting richer.

Forbes on Monday released its annual list of the top 400 richest Americans. While most of the top names and rankings didn't change from a year ago, the majority of members of the elite club saw their fortunes grow over the past year, helped by strong stock and real estate markets.
Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates remains America's richest man, taking the top spot on the list for the 20th straight year, with a net worth of $72 billion.
Investor Warren Buffett, the head of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., keeps second place with $58.5 billion, while Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison stayed third with $41 billion.
Brothers Charles and David Koch, co-owners of Koch Industries Inc., stay tied for fourth with $36 billion each.
Wal-Mart heirs Christy Walton, Jim Walton, Alice Walton and S. Robson Walton took the next three spots, with holdings ranging from $33.3 billion to 35.4 billion. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the founder of the eponymous financial information company, rounds out the top 10 with $31 billion.
According to Forbes, the 400 people on the annual list posted a combined net worth of $2 trillion, up from $1.7 trillion a year ago. That marks their highest combined value ever.
Meanwhile, the average net worth of the list's members rose to $5 billion, the highest ever, up from $4.2 billion in 2012. Net worth grew for 314 members and fell for 30 members, Forbes said.
Net worth for America's wealthiest people have risen in the years since the financial crisis, widening the gap between the exceptionally well-to-do and the rest of the country.
According to a study of Internal Revenue Service figures released last week, the top 1 percent of U.S. earners collected 19.3 percent of household income in 2012, their largest share in IRS figures going back a century.

Imran Farooq's plan to launch political party remains key line of inquiry: London police (Src:Express Tribune)

LONDON: The London police, investigating the murder of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Imran Farooq, said the slain politician’s wish to launch a new political party before his death remains a key line of inquiry in the murder investigation.
In a statement published on the Metropolitan Police website on Farooq’s third death anniversary, the police announced a reward of up to £20,000 for anyone providing information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of those responsible for Farooq’s murder.
On September 16, 2010, 50-year-old Farooq was on his way home from work when he was attacked in Green Lane, outside his London home. The post-mortem examination revealed that he died from multiple stab wounds.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain was also interrogated by the London Police over the murder as well as suspicions of money laundering.
The police, in the latest statement, said their detectives from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) are committed to finding those responsible. “To date they have spoken to 4,076 people, reviewed 6,350 documents and followed up 2,114 lines of inquiry in order to bring his killers to justice,” the statement said