A tea party made in heaven: should Islamabad be the next stop Angle & Co.? Posted By David Rothkopf Tuesday, July 20, 2010 – 3:46 PM  Reading this weekend’s New York Times‘s article on the deftness and ease with which the rich in Pakistan avoid paying taxes, an idea struck me. Well, actually to be perfectly honest, it struck my father — who passed it along to me. The fact that he is currently lying in a hospital being pumped full of mind-altering drugs doesn’t in any way undermine the quality of the idea. In fact, it just makes … Continue reading Tea Party Islamabad – Inc!

dawn.com In this photograph taken on February 20, 2008, at the Wagah border post with India, some 30kms from Lahore, Pakistani honour guards (black uniforms) and Indian rangers (background) take part in a daily flag-lowering ceremony. – Reuters (File Photo) National Progress on Pak-Afghan transit pact failed Progress on Pak-Afghan transit pact failed NEW DELHI: A daily, goose-stepping display of choreographed aggression by soldiers on the India-Pakistan border has been toned down because of knee injuries to the participants, a report said Wednesday. For years, the military flag-lowering ceremony that takes place every evening at the Wagah border post has … Continue reading India, Pakistan tone down Wagah border show

Dawn Editorial Policemen fire teargas shells to disperse the protesters during a demonstration against the killing of two Christian brothers outside the court building in Faisalabad. –Online Photo Pakistan LHC orders judicial inquiry into Faisalabad killings LHC orders judicial inquiry into Faisalabad killings There have been several instances where police apathy, perhaps in some cases connivance, has led to under-trial prisoners being targeted by vengeful elements on the court premises. Where the charge involves religion, there is a greater need for the police to be vigilant when escorting the accused to or from court, given the kind of fury that … Continue reading Jungle justice – no place in a modern nation

You just got eclipsed! by Hasaan Haider Yes, I saw the most talked about pop-corn film recently at a local cinema. Yes, a blog partially written about this film has already been published. No, I have kept my testosterones totally charged and my masculinity in check (thank God for the four women who went along with me keeping me inside the closet as hard as I was unintentionally inching towards escape.) Having not seen the first two parts to this so called ‘epic saga’, I have to admit I did enjoy delightfully adorable vampiresses engaging in skirmishes and the tunes … Continue reading Effeminate Werewolves

Megrahi release was compassionate, not political Scotland had nothing to gain from releasing Megrahi and the fact a dying man isn’t dead yet does not change that Ewan Crawford guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 21 July 2010 12.18 BST Article history A medical report last August stated that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was only likely to live for another three months. Photograph: ReutersWhen he released Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, the Scottish justice secretary made it clear he understood the pain his decision would cause the families of those killed in the Lockerbie atrocity. “Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let … Continue reading Megrahi release was compassionate

Voting abroad is every citizen’s right From refugees to those on business overseas, all expats should have the chance to engage with their democracy at election time Joseph Mayton guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 21 July 2010 11.30 BST Article history A British citizen living overseas chats with Conservatives Abroad worker registering voters for the 2010 general election in Madrid, Spain Photograph: Jasper Juinen/GettyAs someone who has voted while living outside my native country, I find it disconcerting that around 100 countries worldwide don’t allow their citizens this same right. Unsurprisingly, a vast majority of those that bar citizens from casting a ballot … Continue reading Voting abroad is right

Brazil’s poverty makes its aid donations both natural and surprising An increasingly assertive Brazil is now one of the world’s biggest providers of help to poor countries Conor Foley guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 21 July 2010 12.39 BST Article history Aid sceptics, such as William Easterly and Dambisa Moyo, have made a powerful case against not only the waste and perverse impacts of many misguided projects, but also the patronising and disempowering assumptions of “northerners” seeking to shoulder a new “white man’s burden”. Aid’s supporters, such as Owen Barder, point out that far from showering “trillions of dollars” on Africa, the world’s … Continue reading Brazil – shows the way of sharing and caring

Workmen hoist woman’s car into the air to paint yellow lines Workmen were so determined to put down double yellow lines that they hoisted a woman’s car into the air and painted them underneath. Published: 9:30AM BST 21 Jul 2010 telegraph.co.uk Workmen lifted Sally Baker’s car to put yellow lines underneath. Photo: M.E.N They then replaced the vehicle the other way round – complete with a parking ticket. Sally Baker left her Peugeot 206cc on Little Quay Street in Manchester city centre because the road had unrestricted parking. Related Articles Council workers paint double yellow lines under car then have … Continue reading Manchester City Council – radicalising car drivers

‘Rabbit-fearing’ German teacher loses case against pupil A German court has thrown out the case of a schoolteacher against a pupil who had allegedly been tormenting her by scrawling pictures of rabbits on the blackboard. Published: 1:07AM BST 21 Jul 2010 telegraph.co.uk The teacher had a fear of rabbits. Photo: Rex Features The teacher claimed that the pupil was abusing her by playing on her fear of rabbits. The court in Vechta, northern Germany declined to hear the complaint of the teacher, who was seeking an injunction against the 14-year-old girl to stop her from making the drawings or claiming … Continue reading ‘Rabbit-fearing’ German teacher

Robber holds up bank with bunch of flowers A robber has attacked a bank in New York, armed with a bunch of flowers and a note reading “Don’t be a hero”. Published: 6:15PM BST 20 Jul 2010 telegraph.co.uk The suspect standing at the cashier’s window holding the bouquet. Photo: NYPD/AFP/Getty The thief approached the cashier’s window in the United States with a large bouquet of flowers and handing over a hold-up note. Police told The New York Post they were examining a large bunch of blooms – yellow chrysanthemums, orange and red daisies, and gladiola buds, among others flowers – … Continue reading Robber attacks bank with bunch of flowers