Obama imposing a Palestinian state By Victor Kotsev “US President Barack Obama’s demands during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Tuesday point to an intention to impose a permanent settlement on Israel and the Palestinians in less than two years,” the Israeli daily, Ha’aretz, wrote on Monday. We may draw a similar conclusion from analyses such as the one by Tony Karon in Asia Times Online. [1] United States-Israel rifts have widened to the point where the BBC recently reported that the US would “seriously consider abstaining” if the United Nations Security Council were to vote on a … Continue reading Gutsy Obama imposing a Palestinian state?

The Black Widow riddle By Pepe Escobar They were two Chechen “Black Widows” with dark hair, Caucasus features, not older than 25. They were trained by al-Qaeda Arabs, led by Abu Hanifah, in the Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan, alongside a bunch of Chechens and Uzbeks who came from Turkey – all part of a long-range al-Qaeda plan to wreak permanent havoc across Central Asia and the Caucasus. They crossed from the Pakistani tribal areas to Balochistan, and then to Sistan-Balochistan province in Iran – profiting from a deal between al-Qaeda and the anti-Tehran Sunni group Jundallah. From Iran … Continue reading Moscow Black Widow riddle

Birmingham City Council spells name of own city wrong Polling cards issued by Birmingham City Council spelt the name of the city wrong. telegraph.co.uk The grammatical gaffes were condemned by campaigners for better use of language Photo: NEWSTEAM The forms gave a return address for inquiries as ‘Great Charles Street, Birmingam.’ The error came a week after the council sent out 60,000 postal ballot cards with a return deadline of May 29 2009 – last year’s European Election date. A second set of polling cards later arrived on doormats with the correct deadline for this year’s local election of April … Continue reading Birmingham City Council – The City of Moronic Councillors?

France has begun another attempt to prevent the invasion of English words in its language by creating new words to replace common Anglicisms. By Alastair Jamieson telegraph.co.uk The suggestions were considered a by panel of members of the Académie Française as well as French politicians and a rap musician Photo: REUTERS A government agency announced the results of a competition among schoolchildren and students to identify French-sounding terms for 21st-century phenomena. A report in The Independent said the task was to come up with French replacements for “chat”, “talk” and “newsletter” as well as terms for “tuning” – where young … Continue reading French government picks new words to replace English

Will the Queen stop a second election? Brown could cling on as premier even if Tories win By James Chapman The Queen’s involvement is allowed under ancient conventions The Queen could step in and block a second General Election this year in the event of a hung Parliament, to prevent Britain spiralling into an economic crisis. Her action would force parties to work towards a coalition government rather than having to go to the polls again for a decisive result. It raises the possibility that Gordon Brown could remain as Prime Minister of a minority government. Mr Brown would stay … Continue reading HM The Queen and the possibility of a hung parliament!

Is the world ready for an Independence Day sequel? With Will Smith reportedly on board, do you want to see another round or two of alien invasion mayhem? guardian.co.uk Any sequel to 1996’s Independence Day will have to find a whole new range of monuments to destroy The only thing more miraculous than Earth’s victory over apparently indestructible alien forces in the 1996 Roland Emmerich blockbuster Independence Day is the fact that there has never been a sequel. Starring Will Smith as a fighter pilot heroically battling to take out extraterrestrial invaders, the film took $816m around the world and … Continue reading US President to declare Jihad on Aliens again?

UN report: World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ Trend towards ‘endless cities’ could significantly affect population and wealth in the next 50 years John Vidal, environment editor guardian.co.uk The world’s first mega-city, comprised of Hong Kong, Shenhzen and Guangzhou, home to about 120 million people. Photograph: Nasa The world’s mega-cities are merging to form vast “mega-regions” which may stretch hundreds of kilometres across countries and be home to more than 100 million people, according to a major new UN report. The phenomenon of the so-called “endless city” could be one of the most significant developments – and problems – in … Continue reading Countries to give way to Megacities!

By Irfan Husain dawn.com Widely respected as the man who warned about the coming recession five years ago, Vince Cable spoke bluntly and credibly about the state of the British economy, and of the pain ahead. –Photo by Reuters An institution unique to British parliamentary democracy is the system of the shadow cabinet. The opposition appoints members to positions they can expect to get once their party is in power, and are designated ‘shadow chancellor’, ‘shadow foreign secretary’, etc. These men and women then represent their party in their areas, and are regularly briefed by state officials. Thus, the shadow … Continue reading The duel of the chancellors

By Mahir Ali dawn.com US President Barack Obama signing the Health Care bill. –Photo by AP Observing it from afar, there are many aspects of the debate over healthcare reform in the United States that, on the face of it, defy comprehension. Why on earth would anyone vociferously oppose a law that makes it harder for the sick to be denied treatment? How, in heaven’s name, can the ‘freedom’ to die of a curable disease be elevated above the right to receive medical attention? Mind you, the legislation passed by the US House of Representatives and signed into law by … Continue reading Raise a cup of chai to America’s health

Customer support and administrative processes to connect claimants in the US with Indian call centres. – (File Photo) dawn.com Violent threats hit Obama allies over health vote NEW DELHI: Indian outsourcing firms are banking on a business bonanza from US President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare reform as cost pressures prod insurers and hospitals to become more efficient. The 940-billion-dollar US healthcare bill, passed in March, will extend health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans over the next decade and require insurers and medical care providers to cut costs substantially. “The influx of newly insured represents a big, exciting opportunity for … Continue reading Indian outsourcers eye bonanza from US healthcare bill