Simon de Bruxelles Casper enjoyed a nice rest on the No 3 bus to Plymouth A commuting cat that was mourned around the world after being killed by a hit-and-run driver eight days ago is to be immortalised in print. Casper became an international celebrity last year after it was revealed that he regularly caught the No 3 bus from his home in Plymouth for the 11-mile (18km) round trip into the city centre. The 12-year-old black and white cat would queue patiently with other commuters and, if there was a spare seat on the bus, would curl up and … Continue reading Casper, the late commuting cat, to have a tenth life in his own book

Brown’s talks are irrelevant to Afghanistan Nushin Arbabzadah guardian.co.uk, The London conference on Afghanistan is getting under way today but on the ground in the country, no one seems to care. “What London conference?” said one British aid worker in Kabul. Then she remembered a security alert email warning about the possibility of attacks in Kabul on the day of the conference launch. “Nobody gives a damn here. As if nothing matters. Except for the negotiation thing,” added an Afghan contact in Kabul. By “negotiation thing”, he meant the Afghan peace package for the Taliban, which is planned to be … Continue reading As the London conference on Afghanistan opens, Afghans feel increasingly detached from western plans for their country

Saving Yemen Brian Whitaker guardian.co.uk, There were a number of encouraging signs from yesterday’s international meeting in London about Yemen. The first is that it didn’t get too preoccupied with al-Qaida and recognised that the country faces “many urgent problems” (to put it mildly) which are inter-related and need to be tackled across a broad front. This is what almost everyone familiar with the country has been saying all along. The statement at the end of the meeting was short on details but it did identify the areas for attention and set in motion processes for attending to them, including … Continue reading The international community now recognises that Yemen faces ‘many urgent problems’, but Saleh’s regime is one of them

While Natasha Walter’s book provides some genuine insight, its appeal is restricted to British, middle-class, heterosexual readers Syma Tariq guardian.co.uk, Natasha Walter says at the start of her engaging new book, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism, that it accounts for the British, heterosexual experience of gender inequality – and this it does with genuine insight. The author interviews people from all backgrounds, including sex workers, lap dancers, teenage girls and professional women. These interviews show how degrading attitudes towards women are silently becoming mainstream. It’s all around us, she writes: there are more lap dancing clubs on the high … Continue reading Feminism shouldn’t be exclusive to a select few fanatical Amazonians

Report blames ‘Islamophobic, negative and unwarranted portrayals of Muslim London’ for increase in attacks in the capital Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk, Muslims at an east London mosque: a report has blamed sections of the media and politicians for a rise in anti-muslim hate crimes. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images A rise in the number of hate crimes against Muslims in London is being encouraged by mainstream politicians and sections of the media, a study written by a former Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officer, published yesterday, says. Attacks ranging from death threats and murder to persistent low-level assaults, such as spitting and name-calling, are … Continue reading Media and politicians ‘fuel rise in hate crimes against Muslims’ says former Police Spy

Dawn.com Maz Jobrani. – AP (File Photo) History says Maz Jobrani is descended from Caucasians. Some Americans think he’s a dangerous Arab. Jobrani, however, prefers to call himself ”Brown and Friendly.” That’s the title of a new comedy special from this Iranian-born comedian who was raised in the United States and now travels the world running roughshod over ethnic stereotypes. Jobrani starts his show laughing at his fellow Persians, then widens his scope to the whole Middle East. His Indian wife gets no mercy. Before the end of the show, Mexicans, white Americans, Japanese, the Swiss and more get lampooned, … Continue reading From Mullah to Comedian, Iranian-American scholar spares no race!

By Tariq Fatemi One cannot but be saddened at how much Obama’s administration has reneged on its commitments. –AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta Pakistan More bickering More bickering It is not only in domestic politics that President Obama has wavered between keeping faith with his followers and placating the opposition. In the field of foreign policy the disappointment has been greater, especially in the Muslim world. Recalling the uplifting words of his inaugural address and the assurances held out in his Cairo speech, one cannot but be saddened at how much his administration has reneged on its commitments. It is, however, … Continue reading A growing gulf between Muslims and the US