Council condemned over ‘Britain’s shortest cycle lane’ A council has been condemned for wasting taxpayers’ money after it built a cycle lane just 8ft long. By Murray Wardrop Kevin Hughes with the small cycle lane that has been painted on a road in Cardiff. Photo: Wales News At little more than the length of a single bicycle, the £2,000 road marking has left cyclists in Cardiff bemused. The feature, thought to be the shortest cycle lane in Britain, has been installed to encourage green transport. Cardiff Council claims that it will help riders safely navigate a turn on a new … Continue reading Britain’s shortest cycle lane! Only 8ft long!

‘I’m 50 Cent on stage, but at home I’m just Curtis’ The rap star talks about fame, fatherhood and why he likes the quiet life // // // // // <!– Remove following to not show photographer information –> <!– Remove following to not show image description –> 50 Cent <!– Remove following to not show enlarge option –> // Michael Odell <!– –> The next time that you are on holiday in a foreign city and a handsome black man with a bullet hole in his left cheek asks you to take a photograph of him by a fountain, … Continue reading I’m 50 Cent! And Yes I am a facebook friend also!

Saudi Arabia’s cruel marriage laws Saudi women who wish to marry non-Saudi Muslims face social prejudice and official discrimination Fahad Faruqui guardian.co.uk Accompanied by her father, Hassna’a Mokhtar went to the Saudi Arabian interior ministry in Jeddah to sign papers for a marriage licence. She was hoping to get a sense of how long it would take to get permission, so that she could plan her wedding. But that was not the case. A Saudi woman falling in love with a non-Saudi Muslim leads to more obstacles than a Capulet falling in love with a Montague. In most parts of … Continue reading Saudi women who marry non-Saudi Muslims face prejudice and discrimination

The pagan roots of Easter From Ishtar to Eostre, the roots of the resurrection story go deep. We should embrace the pagan symbolism of Easter Heather McDougall guardian.co.uk Hot cross buns: pagan symbols? Photograph: Alamy Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn’t really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross … Continue reading Why we should embrace the pagan symbolism of Easter!

Violence once more Dawn Editorial Enraged by expulsions on disciplinary grounds, students beat up a senior faculty member, leaving him bloodied and unconscious. –File Photo Matriculation exams postponed in Karachi The Punjab University became a virtual battleground on Thursday when dozens of activists allegedly belonging to the Islami Jamiat Tulaba, which is also suspected of having a hand in student violence in Peshawar recently, went berserk on campus. Enraged by expulsions on disciplinary grounds, they beat up a senior faculty member, leaving him bloodied and unconscious. They also ransacked the vice-chancellor’s office and residence. Such aggression against a teacher has … Continue reading Will Pakistani students resort to violence to get rid of Mullahism?

Now stand and deliver By Irfan Husain Nawaz Sharif has been given a very easy ride by the media, but after his attempt to derail the constitutional package, he came under scrutiny for the first time. –File Photo I wonder if Nawaz Sharif has ever considered a career as a captain of a submarine: the cold, ruthless manner in which he torpedoed the constitutional reforms package last week showed that he has a great future behind a periscope. However, his shifty manner and his party’s guilt-stricken expressions after the event appeared to show the realisation that rather than an enemy … Continue reading Why is Nawaz Sharif being given an easy ride by the media?

Couldn’t she just find a nice Indian boy? Posted by Amber Rahim Shamsi Now the Shiv Sena has a problem with Indian tennilebrity Sania Mirza marrying Pakistan’s cricket captain Shoaib Malik. To quote the right-wing Hindu party’s octogenarian chief Bal Thackeray: “Had [Sania’s] heart been Indian, it wouldn’t have beaten for a Pakistani. If she wished to play for India, she should have chosen an Indian life partner.” No surprises there. It kind of reminds me of a comedy sketch in BBC’s Brit-Asian show Goodness Gracious Me. An Indian boy decides to come out of the sandooqcha with his British … Continue reading Love is not limited to borders…

iPads on their way By Martin J Young HUA HIN, Thailand – Apple and its iPad tablet are at the center of a storm of hype this week in the run up to the April 3 launch of the company’s latest gadget. Watching on with pleasure, even if they have no plans to buy the iPad, are Apple’s shareholders who saw the stock reach a new high of US$233.87 on Monday, up 15% since the product was introduced in January. Analysts have been scrambling to predict a sales figure, as they did with the launch of the now iconic iPhone … Continue reading FREE iPads ?

Ilyas Kashmiri strategy behind Dagestan blasts By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – Twin blasts in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Wednesday, following the double explosions in the Moscow Metro on Monday, mark a refinement of guerrilla warfare first seen in Afghanistan after 2006. At that time, al-Qaeda gathered the best guerrilla fighters of local and foreign origin under the umbrella of Lashkar al-Zil (Shadow Army) and carried out a string of operations that included the Serena Hotel attack in Kabul in 2008 and the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. The Dagestan blasts, like the Moscow suicide … Continue reading Ilyas Kashmiri behind Dagestan blasts?

China joins imperialists in Guinea  pressure play By John Helmer MOSCOW – China has joined an English peer, a George W Bush administration retiree, and a special Kremlin envoy in attempts to persuade or pressure the Guinean government into halting court proceedings, and checks for fraud and tax evasion, involving international mining companies and restoring concession rights to Guinea’s resource treasures. At stake for China is access for Chinalco, the state-owned metals and mining company, to the Simandou concession, one of the world’s largest unmined reserves of iron-ore. The move by China’s embassy in Conakry, the Guinean capital, on Chinalco’s … Continue reading Why is China in Guinea?