The expectation gap thenews.com.pk Dr Maleeha Lodhi The writer is a former envoy to the US and the UK, and a former editor of The News. President Asif Ali Zardari’s decision to continue with his visit to Britain despite more than one tragedy unfolding at home has drawn sharp criticism both within and outside the country. And for good reason. It was poor judgement to press ahead after Prime Minister David Cameron’s gratuitous remarks questioning Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism – remarks that enraged most Pakistanis. What was worse was that the president did not cut short his trip at … Continue reading Dr Maleeha Lodhi talks about Zardari

Human race ‘must colonise space or face extinction’, warns Stephen Hawking By Niall Firth Stephen Hawking has warned that unless the human race colonises space within two centuries it will disappear forever. The astrophysicist says that our only chance for long-term survival is to move away from Earth and begin to inhabit far-flung planets. In an interview with the website Big Think, Professor Hawking said he was an optimist but the next few hundred years had to be negotiated carefully if humans were to survive. Stephen Hawking has warned that humans will only survive if we leave Earth and venture … Continue reading Humankind must go into space – or die!

VIEW: The case against ‘the people’! —Hassan Iftikhar While media outlets remain corporate entities, profiting and expanding all the while, the situation demands a villain to crusade against. And since politicians are few and the population many, any self-serving marketing guru would point to where the profits really are On behalf of ‘the people’, newspapers and news channels, columnists and anchors are furious at the government. Every day thousands of words are written and spoken, highlighting and analysing the failure of the government to govern properly. We are told stories of deceit, treachery and corruption, of how the current government … Continue reading The case against ‘the people’!

COMMENT: Readership in Pakistan —Aliya Anjum The dismal state of readership in Pakistan can be gauged from the fact that bookstores are scarce and knowledge-based books such as geo-political commentaries, historical accounts, current affairs write-ups and autobiographies are hard to come by unless bought at exorbitant prices from elite bookstores The intellectual and societal development of a society can be gauged from the books being read by its people. Where there are no books, there is no knowledge, and where there is no knowledge there is unrest, intolerance and persecution. This fact is true of Pakistan more than anywhere else. … Continue reading Readership in Pakistan

DEVELOPMENT: Coping with the floods —Syed Mohammad Ali If the donors and the government want to win the support and respect of the masses, and prevent their exploitation by those with militant and myopic agendas, they must think long and hard on how to effectively change the lives of poor people Amidst the hapless struggling to cope with conflict, economic woes, the energy crisis, increasing food insecurity and a range of other problems, Pakistan has been hit by another major natural disaster. While not much could have been done to avert the ongoing floods, the on-ground management of this problem … Continue reading Coping with the floods

VIEW: The Cabinet Mission Plan —Ishtiaq Ahmed For its part, the Muslim League passed a resolution on June 6, 1946 in which it regretted that the demand for Pakistan had not been conceded fully — but nevertheless accepted the Cabinet Mission’s proposals because the idea of Pakistan was inherent in them “by virtue of the compulsory grouping of the six Muslim Provinces in Sections B and C” The recent discussions in the Daily Times on the partition of India elicited a number of responses from readers eager to understand if by rejecting the Cabinet Mission Plan the Indian National Congress … Continue reading The Cabinet Mission Plan —Ishtiaq Ahmed

In this July 14, 2010 photo, Mohammad Sherzad places scorpions on his hand at his homeopathic clinic in Charakar province, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. – AP Photo CHARAKAR, Afghanistan: The hundreds of patients who flock to Mohammad Sherzad’s homeopathic clinic in northern Afghanistan are greeted with a glass case of snakes and a covered glass dish of scorpions. For decades, Sherzad has been extracting poison from snakes and scorpions, mixing it with natural herbs and using the concoctions to treat people ill with epilepsy and vitiligo, which causes white, depigmented patches on the skin. Medical facilities are so scarce in … Continue reading Homeopathic doctor uses venom to treat Afghans

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron meets with Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari. – AP LONDON: A diplomatic row between Britain and Pakistan over its approach to militants will hurt intelligence sharing, though in the longer term the ties between the two countries are too tight for it to cause lasting damage. Analysts say remarks made last month in India by Prime Minister David Cameron that Pakistan must not “look both ways” in dealing with militants has caused deep resentment in the Pakistan Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. That is unlikely to be alleviated by talks in Britain last … Continue reading Suspicions likely to linger in UK-Pakistan ties

Bride is seventh generation of family to marry at same church A bride has made it seven successive generations of her family that have married at the same church telegraph.co.uk Daryl McClure and Dean Sutcliffe St Michael’s Church in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, where seven generations of Daryl’s family have married Photo: CAVENDISH Daryl McClure, 25, married Dean Sutcliffe, 27, in the eleventh recorded family wedding to be celebrated by the family at their local church since 1825. The family have also held a large number of christenings and funerals at St Michael’s and All Angels’ Church in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. They … Continue reading Bride! And the Number Seven

Woodpecker takes on aggressive squirrel A woodpecker received an unpleasant surprise when it returned from a food hunt to find a squirrel had occupied its nest. telegraph.co.uk Wildlife photographer Howard Reid was lucky enough to watch the drama unfold in his Florida garden. Photo: CATERS But the Red Bellied Woodpecker refused to give up without a fight, and after initially failing to make an impression, decided to lie in wait on the far side of the tree. Thinking its adversary had flown away, the squirrel poked it head out of the nest to check, exposing itself to another attack. The … Continue reading Woodpecker and Squirrel fight!