by Sahar Habib Ghazi From her home in Brooklyn, New York, Natasha Jahangir reached out to one of the world’s most famous actors, in a rather unusual way. She tweeted: “It’s so sad @TomCruise is ignoring his Pakistani fans. -Help raise awareness/donations for Pakistan. Please RT! #pkfloods.” By using Twitter’s @ or mention function, Jahangir ensured that her message would feature in a tab on Tom Cruise’s page. Three days later, the Mission Impossible star tweeted: “People of Pakistan, our thoughts R with U.” Cruise encouraged his 900,000 twitter fans to look up more information on “how to help by … Continue reading Tweeting for Pakistan

Foreign musicians campaign for Pakistan Proceeds from Bjork’s new single will go to Unicef’s flood relief efforts in Pakistan. PHOTO: EPA Icelandic singer Bjork is the latest to join a list of celebrities who have been campaigning for donations for Pakistan. Bjork’s “The Comet Song”, featured in the 3D children’s movie Moomins and the Comet Chase, will be released digitally on September 6. Bjork announced that the proceeds from the release will go to Unicef to provide relief to the flood victims in Pakistan. Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise has also urged his fans to generously donate for the victims … Continue reading Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Ashton Kutcher, Preity Zinta campaign for Pakistan

Meet Panjo, the 23st Bengal tiger who raids the fridge, sleeps on the sofa and is fed milk from the bottle Curling up on the sofa, nuzzling his owner’s hand and teasing the neighbourhood dogs, Panjo acts just like any other family cat – except he is a 23st Bengal tiger. Bengals may be fearless predators when in their natural environment, but Panjo is more at home playing with Goosey Fernandes and his adopted family at thier home near Pretoria, South Africa. Panjo was hand-reared from the age of just three weeks when he was left clinging to life after … Continue reading Panjo – the tiger

Inside Tokyo’s death house: Japan opens door to the chilling execution chamber where condemned men get one hour’s notice The sparsely furnished room with wood panelling and blue curtains could be an annex to any conference room. However the mundanity masks the dark secrets of one of the world’s largest economies. For this is where Japan executes those condemned to death by its courts. The last two criminals for whom these walls were their final sight of the world were the killers Kazuo Shinozawa, 59, and Hidenori Ogata, 33, who were hanged last month. And for the first time, the … Continue reading Japan – Hanging House

The Afghan war from behind enemy lines: Documentary-maker follows Taliban as they attack U.S. soldiers By James White A documentary made by a Norwegian journalist embedded with Taliban fighters has provided a rare glimpse of the other side of the Afghanistan conflict. The raw footage – captured by Paul Refsdal – shows the Afghan militants attacking U.S. convoys on a road below their mountainous hide-out and celebrating hits with a high-five. The men also show their softer side to the Norwegian journalist by singing, reciting verses from the Koran and even brushing their long hair as he quietly records their … Continue reading Afghan Taliban view

Copy cats (and dogs): The quirky new calendar that uses pets to spoof the rich and famous Their images are iconic, but surely there’s something a little strange about these 20th-century heroes and villains… Taken from a quirky new calendar by design company Takkoda, photos of pets were digitally altered to create spoof poses of the rich and famous. So which lookalikes do you think belong in the doghouse, and which are simply purrfect? You’re Havana laugh: Revolutionary Che Guevara The final front ear: Straight out of Star Trek, the Rex generation Your fez looks familiar: A bewhiskered Tommy Cooper … Continue reading Copy cats (and dogs)

COMMENT: Blood sport —Reem Wasay We have instigated religion into biting back. We have set in stone indictments and harsh retributions that have no business in a humane habitat. We have cordoned off our God into becoming a deity of blood and punishment In a land groped by dogma and deeply penetrated by the vile prejudice of self-endorsed righteousness, we are a people devoid of compassion because we are a folk stripped of our spirituality. Breaking down divine philosophies that are magnanimously vague in their definition of the cosmos and luminous in their absolute limitlessness, into step-by-step codes and how-to … Continue reading We have instigated religion into biting back.

Pakistan’s challenge By Mohsin Hamid dawn.com “Our goal must be not merely to restore their lives to what they were before the floods, but to give them better lives than before the floods.” – AP Photo This year’s floods have brought more devastation to what is now Pakistan than any event since the mass migration and mass murder that accompanied partition in 1947. What happened 63 years ago shaped the fate of this country. So too could the current disaster. I don’t believe the often-repeated claim that the floods mark some great opportunity for terrorist groups. Terrorist groups in Pakistan … Continue reading After the rebuilding – Pakistanis must focus on education and skills