A Miliband battle may hurt Labour David and Ed Miliband are worthy contenders for Labour leader, but the party may suffer from such a narrow choice Tom Clark guardian.co.uk Labour’s band of brothers: Ed Miliband and David Miliband at the launch of a Labour poster campaign, 3 April 2010. Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA Well, if the Sun’s got it right, the Labour leadership election will indeed be a family affair along the lines I was musing on earlier this week. The newspaper reports that young Ed Miliband is preparing to challenge his slightly older brother, David, who has already confirmed that … Continue reading David and Ed Miliband are worthy contenders for Labour leader, but the Labour party may suffer from such a narrow choice

Don’t take offence at our coalition. Its aims are liberal A Lib-Con deal was the only responsible choice. And our shared aim is to build a fairer society by a radical dispersal of power <!–Topsy–> Nick Clegg guardian.co.uk The third runway at Heathrow has been cancelled. ID cards have been scrapped. There will be no more child detention. And reform is now under way to make taxes fair for millions of ordinary people. These are some of the early achievements of a government that had its first cabinet meeting just two days ago. A new government but, more important, a … Continue reading Don’t take offence at our coalition. It is the best choice!

VIEW: Media matters —Naeem Tahir The media anchorpersons seem to have recovered from the euphoria of democracy and started looking at the needs of the people. Perhaps there is a realisation that all systems, concepts, including democracy, are, after all, intended for the betterment of the people Since coming out of the bottle, the media genie has continued its non-stop attacks. It got its freedom during the times of President Pervez Musharraf. Then the genie looked around and found its favourite prey, Musharraf himself. To its delight, the last years of Musharraf also provided opportunities to the media genie to … Continue reading Media matters in Pakistan

VIEW: After Thimphu —Radha Kumar It would help Afghanistan if India were able to convince Pakistan that its intentions in Afghanistan are not mala fide, just as it would help if Pakistan were to convince India that it is opposed to Afghanistan’s being used for terrorist attacks on India and Indians The announcement that the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan will meet in July is a welcome follow-up to the talks between Prime Ministers Singh and Gilani at the recent SAARC Summit in Thimphu. But it is still not certain whether they will match in substance the peace process … Continue reading It would help Afghanistan if India were able to convince Pakistan that its intentions in Afghanistan are not mala fide,

VIEW: Will the Loya jirga be a success? —Mohammad Jamil Historical evidence suggests that the Afghans guard their independence very jealously. The idea of sending some leaders into exile would not be acceptable to the Taliban leaders, as they are from Afghanistan and they are going to stay there Most Afghan political leaders are of the opinion that in a country where tribal affiliations play a crucial role, a jirga representing influential tribes can persuade and convince the Taliban to end their insurgency. The upcoming jirga will decide how to reach out to Taliban leaders with a view towards persuading … Continue reading Will the Loya jirga be a success?

By Ali Hazrat Bacha dawn.com Tribal elders of FR Peshawar have been warned to expel militants from their areas, otherwise the government will take action against them as per the law. — Photo by AP National Three cops among six injured in Peshawar jail clash Three cops among six injured in Peshawar jail clash PESHAWAR: A deliberate show of flag by the militants in the suburbs of the provincial capital in recent days has panicked the local residents forcing many to shift to safer places. A source hailing from Matani told Dawn on Friday that around 80 masked men armed … Continue reading Prying militants spread scare in Peshawar suburbs

Balochistan schools receive TTP’s threatening letters DAWN.COM A student shows the threat letters sent by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan at Girls High School in Kali Shekhan, Quetta. — Photo by Online Pakistan Militants kidnap 60 in Kurram tribal region Militants kidnap 60 in Kurram tribal region QUETTA: A number of schools, including at least two girls’ schools, have closed down in Quetta after threatening letters were received by their managements. Security was also beefed up in parts of the provincial capital and in Mastung. Some of the letters threatened that if purdah was not observed in schools, then teachers and administrative … Continue reading Mullahs threaten more schools – this time in Balochistan

Draw Muhammad Day: Collectively Punishing Muslim Americans Shahed Amanullah By Shahed Amanullah In the wake of the self-censorship controversy surrounding South Park’s portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, artists intent on defending freedom of speech have responded by organizing an event they call Draw Muhammad Day, to take place on May 20. The goal, according to the website hosting the endeavor, is to defend free speech by showing Muslims that artists “don’t back down” when threatened. But the fact is that millions of Muslim-Americans — many of whom have known about South Park caricatures of Muhammad for years — behaved exactly … Continue reading Collectively Punishing Muslim Americans

Sarah Palin supports stoning and slavery? Posted on 14 May 2010 by Inconnu Franklin Graham and Sarah Palin Authored by: Inconnu Edited by: Danios There’s nothing quite like one loon being interviewed by another loon.  Sarah Palin, who defended Franklin Graham’s vitriolic comments calling Islam “a very evil and wicked religion,” recently appeared on the Islamophobic show The O’reilly Factor, where she claimed that the United States is a “Christian nation” and that U.S. law should be based upon the Bible and the Ten Commandments.  Palin declared: Go back to what our founders and our founding documents meant — they’re … Continue reading In support of Slavery and Stoning

Dr. Hesham Hassaballa Here is a good article by Dr. Hesham Hassaballa: Terror Double Standard On the evening of May 10, there was a small explosion and fire outside a Jacksonville, FL mosque. According to a fire department investigation and officials of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, worshipers heard a loud noise outside the mosque, and there was a small fire that was extinguished. The damage was described as “very minimal” by a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesperson. Thank God, no one was injured in the attack. According to the Council on American Islamic Relations, mosque officials reported that an … Continue reading Terror Double Standard