The ‘Ugly American’ in Kabul By M K Bhadrakumar A war in which the general doesn’t know his enemy is a war lost. The manner in which the Barack Obama administration is handling its equations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai suggests Karzai is the US president’s enemy number one in the Hindu Kush, not the insurgents. The number of dogfights between US special representative Richard Holbrooke and the Afghan government is now legion. The tussles are watched in regional capitals with amusement as Holbrooke tirelessly wages his war with Karzai’s leadership. While it is unclear whether this is part of … Continue reading Karzai – The ‘Ugly American’ in Kabul

Confessions of a Pakistani spy By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – Retired squadron leader Khalid Khawaja, a former Inter-Services Intelligence official and a close friend of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during the resistance in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s, has explained in videos sent to Asia Times Online how he was on a mission to broker a deal between militants and the army when he was captured by militants, and how he played a double game by deceiving a radical cleric into being arrested. Khawaja was dismissed from the air force in the late 1980s and subsequently … Continue reading Confessions of Khalid Khawaja ex-ISI AQ Buddy!

Over the top Down the drain thenews.com.pk Masood Hasan At Mr Jaswant Singh’s book launch the other day, during the Q&A session, a gentleman at the back stood up and said, ‘Mr Singh you have been here a few days and you can see how we are suffering from load-shedding – even here a generator is working. Can you please give us our water back so that we can produce some electricity?’ The question was greeted with clapping and laughter and although Mr Singh could not help us, the questioner had made his point. For a nation that has more … Continue reading Over the top

Farewell to Facebook thenews.com.pk Aakar Patel I failed to do social networking. It isn’t that I did not try. I befriended 250 people on Facebook, I signed up to broadcast tweets into the ether, I put my life up on display on MySpace, I was open for business on Linkedin. The problem was not knowing what to do after I had done all this. There were benefits to being found and to finding others on Facebook, and I got in touch with friends from school again. But there wasn’t much to say after the memories had been revisited with exaggerated … Continue reading Farewell to Facebook

Stephen Hawking: Earth could be at risk of an invasion by aliens living in ‘massive ships’ By Fay Schlesinger New series: Stephen Hawking revealed he believes in life on other planets Stephen Hawking has revealed a strong belief in aliens and warned the Earth could be at risk from an invasion. In a new documentary series, the renowned astrophysicist argued that it is ‘perfectly rational’ to assume intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. And in an extraordinary series of assertions, he said Earth might be at risk from what he imagines to be ‘massive ships’ which could try to … Continue reading Earth at risk of an invasion by aliens – Stephen Hawking

Advisers to Pope Benedict XVI ‘regret’ plan for state visit to UK Ruth Gledhill and Kate Youde thetimes.co.uk (Reuters) Advisers to the Pope are starting to regret that he accepted an invitation to visit Britain this September after official papers emerged that suggested he should be asked to open an abortion clinic, bless a gay marriage and launch a Benedict-branded condom range. The document also suggested that the National Anthem be changed, from God Save the Queen to God Save the World. As the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was forced into a rapid damage-limitation exercise with an official apology for … Continue reading British Foriegn Office asks Pope to bless Gay Marriage and Launch Condoms!

White robber wears African-American ‘Hollywood’ mask to hold up bank A white bank robber is alleged to have attempted to fool US police by wearing a Hollywood special effects mask and gloves that disguised him as a black man. dawn.com Conrad Zdzierak, 30, used the £450 ($700) silicon mask in an audacious string of six bank robberies Photo: SPLASH NEWS Hollywood mask ‘The Player’ sold on the internet for $700 Photo: SPLASH NEWS According to police reports, Conrad Zdzierak, 30, is alleged to have used the £450 silicon mask in an audacious string of six bank robberies in Ohio. Five … Continue reading White robber uses Black ‘Hollywood’ mask to hold up bank!

Stephen Hawking: alien life is out there, scientist warns Stephen Hawking has suggested that aliens almost certainly exist but has warned humanity not to try to contact them. dawn.com Life could evolve in the upper atmosphere of gas giants Jupitar Photo: Discovery channel Alien hunters prepare to attack a herd of plant-eaters Alien predators finish off a large grazer with repeated poison stinger strikes Photo: Discovery Channel A squid-like creature feeds on the bottom of the salty ocean thought to exist below the surface of one of Jupiter’s moons Photo: Discovery Channel/Darlow Smithson Productions Prof Hawking steps down as Lucasian … Continue reading Stephen Hawking: alien life – be scared, very scared!!

Pope receives apology from UK Foreign Office for ‘condom’ memo Internal Foreign Office memo filled with ironic suggestions about the pope’s September visit to the UK has prompted an official apology to the Vatican Stephen Bates and Fiona Winward in Rome guardian.co.uk, The Foreign Office has apologised over a jokey internal memo written by junior staff suggesting the pope should open an abortion clinic during his visit and start a child abuse line. Photograph: Giuseppe Giglia/EPA An internal Foreign Office memo about this September’s papal visit to Britain which started as a Friday afternoon joke, today has resulted in a … Continue reading Blasphemous FCO!!!