What not to wear boarding a flight… a pair of electronic massage shoes (complete with batteries and an on/off switch) Enlarge   Arrested: Faiz Mohammad behind bars A passenger was detained by airport authorities in Pakistan after electrical circuits and batteries were found in the soles of his tennis shoes, an airport security official said today. Officials were investigating what the components could be used for and why they were concealed. Similar materials can be used in the construction of bombs. Faiz Mohammad was arrested at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport last night, said Munir Ahmed, a spokesman for the airport … Continue reading Do not wear electronic massage shoes to the airport!

Where’s the dignity in this? A notorious suicide clinic is dumping human remains at  bottom of Swiss lake… but were 50 Britons among them? The tiny bay is in one the world’s most idyllic spots. On the horizon is the vista of snowcapped mountains. Crystal-clear water laps at a wooden jetty and sleek sailing boats bob on their moorings a few feet away. On Sunday, at Trotte Bay on the shores of Lake Zurich, the silence was broken only by the splashes of a passing swimmer and the hourly bells of St Georg’s Catholic Church, up the hill in the … Continue reading Human remains at bottom of Swiss lake… but were 50 Britons among them?

Polar bears dancing on ice: Mother and baby captured skidding across frozen Arctic seas As frost was forecast to hit the UK this week, ice was no problem for this polar bear cub and his mother as they larked about on the frozen water, skidding about, then jumping in the icy waters. The youngster had been taken to the coast by his mother just as the sea began to freeze. Fascinated by the holes in the newly forming ice he leapt in and out of the water. Slip-sliding away: The polar bears appear to be making the most of the … Continue reading Mother and baby captured skidding across frozen Arctic seas

Pimp my tank: The £323,000 bulletproof ‘limo’ measuring 20ft that dwarfs a Hummer It can withstand a barrage of bullets, features its own entertainment system and bar and is so big it dwarfs a Hummer. The Knight XV – dubbed the world’s most luxurious armoured vehicle – is the new mode of transport for people wanting to combine security and comfort. At 20ft in length, the imposing car stands at more than three feet longer than a Hummer and is a whole foot wider. Heavy duty: The Knight XV, which has been described as the world’s most luxurious armoured vehicle, … Continue reading £323,000 bulletproof ‘limo’ that dwarfs a Hummer

Ambulance service bosses spend £10,000 on survey that asks ‘How cool was Hitler?’ Ambulance service chiefs spent £10,000 on a questionnaire for staff which asked them to rate how ‘cool’ Hitler was. The survey, which appeared in a newsletter for West Midlands Ambulance Service staff, is part of a project to find out what makes a good boss. It bizarrely asked staff to rate how ‘cool’ different leaders were including Sir Richard Branson, Gordon Brown, Adolf Hitler, Fabio Cappello and their own chief executive Ian Cummings. Titled ‘Making Leadership Cool; How Do Emerging Leaders Want to be Supported and Managed’, … Continue reading Ambulance service – ‘How cool was Hitler?’

To Shave or Not to Shave, that is the Question Posted by Doctor ‘T’ & Raza Qureshi An event was to be held on the 30th of March 2010 at Hall 6 of Expo Center Karachi, to break India’s world record of most people shaving at the same time. The event was being sponsored by Gillette, a reputed shaving company, the event was advertised well & over 2000 people showed up at the venue on their own free will, voluntarily, to be part of the smooth shavng spree. The Organizing committee started receiving threats a couple of days leading to … Continue reading To Shave or Not to Shave mullahs in Pakistan?

Ulema and terrorism By Muhammad Ali Siddiqi dawn.com Some ulema suggest the government’s ‘pro-America’ foreign policy justifies the militants’ war against it. — Photo by AFP National US, Pakistan need each other, says Haqqani US, Pakistan need each other, says Haqqani The proceedings at the Deobandi ulema’s recent conference in Lahore must be studied less for its expected refusal to condemn suicide bombings and more for the insight it gives into the psyche of a large section of our powerful ulema community. Of equal significance are the fissures that came to the fore between hardliners and harder-liners. Evidently, the latter … Continue reading Ulema and terrorism – one and the same?

dawn.com Arrested Pakistani civil engineer Faiz Mohammad stands behind bars at a police station in Karachi early May 10, 2010. – AFP KARACHI: A Pakistani man arrested at Karachi airport with batteries and electrical circuits in his shoes was likely wearing “therapy shoes” and his detention could be a false alarm, officials said on Monday. The man, identified as Faiz Mohammad, 30, was about to board a Thai Airways flight to Muscat late on Sunday when the devices were found during a routine security check. He was not carrying any explosives nor were any other suspicious items found on him … Continue reading Man held at Karachi airport with “therapy shoes”

COMMENT: Tinkering with the military system —Shahzad Chaudhry The chiefs of the three services in Pakistan end up being both, the commander-in-chief and the chief of staff, defeating the underlying intent and the principle of division of control and power I have held back this column for a long time now simply because when you have two friends heading the two four-star positions in the army, a chairman joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC) and the chief of army staff (COAS), any inference when discussing the military system is bound to impinge on their incumbent positions and their persons. But … Continue reading Tinkering with the military system

COMMENT: The attempted Times Square bombing —Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain The problem with many Pakistani-Americans is that they still have not been able to decide whether they are Pakistanis living in the US or are they Americans who came from Pakistan. Clearly they are both, but the question is: which part of their identity is more important to them? The Pakistani-American Muslim community is in a state of extreme bother about Faisal Shahzad, the alleged Times Square bomber wannabe. The community that I speak of is the one that consists of reasonably successful professionals. Almost all members of this community … Continue reading The Pakistani-Americans and Faisal Shahzad