COMMENT: Pakistan engulfed in crises —Jamal Hussain The devastating floods that have ravaged the country are heartbreaking, but the government’s response, or the lack of it, has made the situation worse The events of the past few weeks are frightening, sad and damaging. The WikiLeaks were followed by a series of disasters that included the crash of a private airline in Islamabad, ravaging floods, the ‘earth shaking’ revelation of the new kid on the block, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and the mayhem in Karachi following the murder of one of the MQM legislators. Much commotion was created by our … Continue reading Pakistan engulfed in crises

ROVER’S DIARY: The floods soaked the president’s image —Babar Ayaz The only way to stop the world from labelling us as a citadel of terrorism is to improve our behaviour. We have to distance ourselves from all such jihadi organisations that are considered as an asset by our national security managers. These groups are actually a great diplomatic liability It seems that Mr Asif Zardari is not a friend of President Zardari and he is not even the president’s good adviser. At least the recent untimely visit to France and Britain confirm my above observation. His already controversial image has … Continue reading The floods soaked the Zardari’s image

VIEW: The political economy of Bangladesh —Ishtiaq Ahmed The key to development and progress is always a combination of political, economic, social and cultural changes that complement one another. Thus a country once derisively described by Henry Kissinger as the ‘world’s basket case’ can actually become the most dynamic of all South Asian nations The news from Bangladesh in the last few years has been consistently good, though we in Pakistan have learnt more about the spectacular political advances that country has made in the last year or so. The political advances should indeed be described as spectacular because in … Continue reading Political economy of Bangladesh

Salon.com: How the “Ground Zero Mosque” Fear mongering Began Justin Elliot has a good piece on Salon.com, but he would have benefited from out pieces, Pamela Geller: The Looniest Blogger Ever and SIOA is an anti-Muslim Hate Group. How the “ground zero mosque” fear mongering began by Justin Elliot A group of progressive Muslim-Americans plans to build an Islamic community center two and a half blocks from ground zero in lower Manhattan. They have had a mosque in the same neighborhood for many years. There’s another mosque two blocks away from the site. City officials support the project. Muslims have … Continue reading How the “Ground Zero Mosque” Fear mongering Began

• Japanese economy grew by just 0.1% in second quarter • Figures seen as ‘symbolic’ shift in world power David Teather guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 August 2010 18.06 BST Article history A production line worker at a Shanghai factory. Photograph: Eugene Hoshiko/APChina overtook Japan as the world’s second-largest economy during the second quarter of this year, marking another milestone in the country’s transformation from impoverished communist state to economic superpower. With its red-hot economy growing at around 9% a year, some experts now expect China to outstrip the United States as soon as 2030, its financial strength carrying broad political implications. … Continue reading China overtakes Japan as world’s second-largest economy

How To Have Lucid Dreams: The Big Picture of Dream Control Did you know you can learn how to have lucid dreams in days or weeks? That’s no exaggeration. Many people are able to pick up this life-changing skill between three days and three weeks. All it takes is a little persistence. Dream control is all about learning how to recognize the dream state. Most lucid dreaming methods focus on planting an idea in the subconscious mind, so that you spontaneously become lucid while dreaming normally. Other popular techniques include regular theta meditation, performing waking reality checks, and keeping a … Continue reading Lucid Dreams

Travel the world, write a novel, even seduce a star… How  manipulating your dreams is not just fantasy By Michael Hewitt and Lydia Slater How would you like to be there when Daniel Craig emerges, as James Bond, from the sea in the Caribbean? Or win the National Lottery? Or appear on the couch with Oprah? In your dreams, you might say. Well, yes, actually … The powerful interplay between our dreams and our thoughts and emotions is an idea picked up by the summer blockbuster film Inception. In it, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a thief who first enters people’s dreams … Continue reading Travel the world, write a novel, even seduce a star

Policeman jailed for plotting raid at upmarket jewellers… using uniforms he had stolen By Daily Mail Reporter Corrupt policeman Dustin Hunter was unaware that his ‘accomplices’ were undercover police from his own unit A policeman was  jailed today for plotting an audacious raid at an upmarket jewellers – in which the robbers would wear police uniforms that he had stolen. Pc Dustin Hunter provided uniforms and a Royal Mail outfit for the raid, unaware that his ‘accomplices’ were undercover officers from his own force. Hunter was also sentenced for having nearly a kilo of cannabis, which he was caught with … Continue reading Bent Copper jailed for plotting raid

Clampers target nurse’s car and demand hundreds of pounds as she tends to sick elderly woman By Daily Mail Reporter A nurse’s car was clamped and held for five hours as she tended to an unwell elderly woman in her home. Despite Hannah Bannock being in full uniform and an NHS permit being on display in her vehicle, the workers demanded hundreds of pounds to release her car. Mrs Bannock had been in the patient’s parking spot in Clacton, Essex, for just 15 minutes when the clampers struck. Stand-off: Clampers threatened to tow Hannah Bannock’s car after she parked in … Continue reading Car Clampers will be executed come the Khilafah!