By Neeta Lal NEW DELHI – The fronts in India’s brinjal war are sharply drawn between opponents of the commercial launch of the nation’s first genetically modified (GM) vegetable and those who see it as a new avatar for the crop, which is commonly known as eggplant or aubergine. The biotech industry and some government ministers, say Bt Brinjal, as the GM version of the vegetable is known, is “safe for human consumption”, won’t hurt the environment and can reduce dependence on pesticides. Critics point to gaps in India’s regulatory process, a lack of a labeling regime for consumers, and … Continue reading Brinjal The Terrorist Veg in India!

It’s a hard life for some but not for this baby gorilla pictured relaxing in a human-like pose resting in the sun. Seemingly without a care in the world six-month-old lowland gorilla baby Yewande leans back with her arms behind her head Photo: CATERS Seemingly without a care in the world six-month-old lowland gorilla baby Yewande leans back with her arms behind her head. They are expertly balanced on a strip of cloth suspended between two wooden struts in her enclosure forming almost a hammock behind her head. Yewande – from Calgary Zoo, Canada – decided to take some time … Continue reading Baby gorilla pictured ‘relaxing’ in human-like pose

Muslim fundamentalists should “learn how to drink wine” because it would make them more tolerant, according to a philosopher. By Lucy Cockcroft Fundamentalists should drink wine, according to Roger Scruton Photo: Ian Jones Roger Scruton, 65, urged “lunatic fundamentalists who have set their heart on giving Islam a bad name” to imbibe, although it is considered against their religion, claiming it would help them to a more moderate view. Dr Scruton’s statement is part of an article in the latest issue of Decanter, the international wine magazine, in which he argues for the Latin maxim ‘in vino veritas’, or from … Continue reading Muslim fundamentalists should ‘drink wine to learn tolerance’

Muhammad Izharul Haq For decades I spent hours in the Zainab Market area whenever I travelled to Karachi. On a recent visit there, when I did not see the age-old signboard of Almas Book Shop on the opposite side of the road where Zainab Market is situated, I got panicky and asked my driver to park the vehicle where the shop used to be. I called over the panwaala serving customers at the closed door of the shop. “There used to be a bookshop here. Has it been closed?” I asked “Yes. It has been sold.” “And where is the … Continue reading Bookshops dying

Ikram Sehgal The disastrous aftermath of the massive economic downturn in 2008 gave rise to speculations about widespread political upheaval around the world. It did not take place, thankfully, and the world’s leading economies are growing again. The fear that haunted the minds of the world leaders in 2009 is almost over and a sense of relief was visible in the participants of World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010. Keeping in line with this year’s theme ‘Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild’, the WEF’s objectives were, create values framework, strengthen economic and social welfare, mitigate global risks … Continue reading Redefining Davos for the future

Muhammad Umer Nothing could be nobler than the pursuit of peace in South Asia, which remains plagued with the chronic conflict over Kashmir between India and Pakistan born out of the partition of the subcontinent. No sooner had the curse of colonialism been lifted with the departure of the British than the curse of hatred and war descended on the region. The consequences have been horrendous. More than two-thirds of the 1.5 billion people that inhabit South Asia live in squalor; UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report, 2010, says over half the total 759 million illiterate adults in the … Continue reading Aman ki Asha: the challenges ahead

John Kerry U.S. Senator from Massachusetts {crossposted from the VoteVets blog, VetsVoice} “Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates are both political appointees. They’re going to be biased. They’re going to say what the administration wants them to say.” — U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, Jr. Stunning. That was my reaction when I listened to a freshman Republican Congressman rebut the principled position of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and the Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, that the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” needed to end and that gay members of the Armed Services should be … Continue reading Let the Fairies Fight! Republicans Attack Military Leadership to Defend Ban On Gays

Roadside Bomb Kills U.S. Soldiers, Dozens Of Students At Girls’ School… Analyst: ‘Now Can We Start Treating This Like a Real War?’ (AP/Huffington Post) — SHAHI KOTO, Pakistan — A roadside bomb killed three U.S. soldiers and partly destroyed a girls’ school in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday in an attack that drew attention to a little-publicized American military training mission in the al-Qaida and Taliban heartland. They were the first known U.S. military fatalities in Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions near the Afghan border and a major victory for militants who have been hit hard by a surge of U.S. missile … Continue reading AMERICA’S ONCE-SECRET WAR IN PAKISTAN BUSTS OPEN

Executive Summary Religious Perceptions in America: With an In-Depth Analysis of U.S. Attitudes Toward Muslims and Islam is a study of Americans’ opinions regarding a number of world religions with a special focus on Islam and Muslims. The results are based on the Gallup World Religion Survey, which explores Americans’ opinions of four major religions — Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism — and their followers. This analysis examines Americans’ self-reported level of prejudice toward members of those faiths. Of the faiths Gallup asked Americans about, Islam elicits the most negative views. A slight majority of Americans (53%) say their opinion … Continue reading Religious Perceptions in America With an In-Depth Analysis of U.S. Attitudes Toward Muslims and Islam