Screaming from the margins Is it wrong for women to question the status quo? Persecution doesn’t always have to be physical. I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors of being physically abused, which is a daily reality for millions of women (and men) all around me (although the threat of that too is omnipresent), but there is a more subtle kind of persecution that absolutely none of us escape. Being a woman is bad enough, but if you are a woman and a hardcore feminist (and perhaps a few other progressive things along with that), well than god be with you. Don’t … Continue reading Wimmin!

On this Independence Day, we should seriously think about what we have lost as a nation and work towards building it back. Sixty-three years ago today, we became independent. Sixty-three years ago today, we became a country. But what we never became, and still are not, is a nation. We think of ourselves as Sindhis, Balochis, Punjabis, Seraikis, Pakhtuns and Mohajirs. We are yet to become Pakistanis. What we were meant to be we are not. And what we are, we are not even sure of. But what one thing I am certain of is that had the Quaid been … Continue reading In search of a nation

The writer is a special correspondent for Express 24/7 munizae.jahangir@tribune.com.pk I walk into Mohalla Qazian in Nowshera district. It is on the banks of the mighty Kabul River, which has swallowed hundreds of houses around it. There is a strong stench of dead animals. Men sit around on street corners. With hollow eyes they stare into space, as though they have seen a ghost. “No one has come to our rescue,” says Shamsul Qamar, a 75-year-old labourer whose house is still under water. “Will you form a task force to build houses or will you approach the local authorities?” I … Continue reading Where is Pakistan?

Iqbal’s message to us The writer is Professor Emerita at the University of Louisville, US Allama Iqbal’s message which had filled millions of Muslims with revolutionary zeal and galvanised them into action, has been all-but-forgotten in Pakistan. How could this happen when so many Pakistanis love Iqbal’s poetry which they often quote, and when both Iqbal’s  birthday and death anniversary are nationally commemorated? Iqbal’s message was a powerful source of inspiration when Pakistan came into existence in 1947, and in its early years. Every morning Radio Pakistan would broadcast Iqbal’s prayer for children which left a permanent imprint on their … Continue reading Iqbal’s message

Scientists discover new species of monkey hidden deep in Amazon rain forest By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 11:01 AM on 13th August 2010 Scientists have discovered a new species of  Amazon monkey species in Colombia, which they say is at risk as its home is gradually destroyed. A team of researchers from the National University of Colombia observed 13 groups of the new species – dubbed the Caqueta titi monkey because it was found in the southern state of Caqueta, near Peru. The new variety of titi monkey, which has the scientific name Callicebus caquetensis, is the size … Continue reading Callicebus caquetensis – a new titi monkey

The real A.I.: Childless millionaire builds ‘intelligent robot’ that sings Karaoke, laughs and tells jokes By Mail Online Reporter Tony Ellis and his wife, Judie, do not have any children or animals at home – but with chatterbox robot Aimec following them around, there is never a dull moment. The couple effectively have a robotic child, just like in the 2001 futuristic fairy tale Artificial Intelligence starring Haley Joel Osment. Their creation is so advanced it can tell jokes and keep its human parents up to date on their interests by scanning the internet. Mr Ellis has spent years creating … Continue reading Aimec – A robot

Last victim of Treblinka: He survived SEVEN Nazi concentration camps… but the nightmare caught up with him 44 years after starting a new life By Tony Rennell He was just another down-and out, one of the winos who routinely slept out on the perilous granite piers and iron girders of the railway bridge spanning the Clyde in the centre of Glasgow. There was a possibility that, befuddled by whisky, he accidentally tumbled into the waters swirling below  –  that he didn’t intend to die. But the more likely scenario was that he had deliberately jumped from his grim perch. Either … Continue reading Hershl Sperling

Quaid’s view of minorities By I.A. Rehman dawn.com In his Aug 11 speech the Quaid-i-Azam took a radical step beyond unexplained safeguards and called for excluding religion from the affairs of the state and offered the non-Muslim citizens complete equality with their Muslim compatriots. – File Photo. Quite a few groups and individuals wish to resurrect what they describe as Jinnah’s Pakistan. The argument in support of the effort is that decades of disregard for the Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of Pakistan has landed the country into one crisis after another and its future cannot be guaranteed without a return to its … Continue reading Make Pakistan a Secular Republic?

Reclaiming the faith By Irfan Husain dawn.com On another note (no pun intended), Ayatollah Khamenei is reported as having recently denounced music on the grounds of frivolity. While conceding that in Islam, music was halal, or kosher, Iran’s supreme leader went on to say: “… promoting it and teaching it is not compatible with the highest values of the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic … It’s better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music.” – File Photo. Although … Continue reading Reclaiming Islam from the Mullahs

Cholera in Pakistan as Prime Minister says 20 million affected by floods Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that 20 million people had been affected by the worst floods in the country’s history, as the UN confirmed the first cholera case. telegraph.co.uk Published: 1:29PM BST 14 Aug 2010 A Pakistani flood affected family eats charity food at a tent in Sukkur Photo: AFP/GETTY Independence day celebrations in Pakistan were cancelled as floods continued to bring misery to millions and aid agencies warned of a “second wave” of deaths from disease. “The floods affected some 20 million people, destroyed standing … Continue reading Cholera in Pakistan as PM says 20 million affected