The mother of a five-year-old British boy kidnapped by gun-wielding robbers in Pakistan broke down in tears today as she said her family had “no chance” of meeting a £100,000 ransom. Sahil Saeed, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was snatched this morning in the Punjab region after his grandmother’s house was raided by robbers. His father, Raja Naqqash Saeed, said the kidnappers had put a noon deadline (9am GMT) on the ransom for his safe return. Speaking at the family’s home, his mother Akila said there is “no chance” her family would be able to pay. She wept as she told … Continue reading It would be wise to release this child unharmed within next 24hrs…!

A PAIR of rabid rabbits has been caught killing a series of snakes near Cairns. For three weeks Armando Del Manso believed his dog was responsible for the dead snakes showing up with teeth marks all over them on his East Barron property’s lawn each morning. But it turns out it was a pair of rampaging rabbits killing the snakes. Pictures: Cairns snakes The 42-year-old boilermaker first made the discovery Tuesday night when he spotted the two wild rabbits attacking a king brown snake. “The snake was raised up in the air in the striking position and the two rabbits worked … Continue reading Rabbit fights and kills snake!

Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal al-Jamaikee (The Jamaican), the radical Jamaican-born cleric, made international headlines when he was arrested in Mombassa, Kenya on New Year’s Eve 2009.  Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unity (ATPU) arrested al-Faisal in the suburbs of Nyali after he was leaving a local mosque with fellow worshippers following the conclusion of evening prayers.  According to initial reports by Kenyan authorities, al-Faisal was detained because he violated the terms of his tourist visa; he was apparently granted entry into Kenya on a tourist visa which precludes him from preaching in local mosques (Daily Nation [Nairobi], January 1).  Kenyan authorities later admitted … Continue reading A Profile of Radical Jamaican-born Cleric Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal al-Jamaikee

Sahil Saeed, 5, taken by robbers demanding £100,000 ransom from family Sahil Saeed was kidnapped while on holiday in the Punjab region of Pakistan. Photograph: Manchester Evening News Pakistani police have arrested a man described as a “prime suspect” in the kidnapping of a five-year-old British boy being held to ransom for £100,000. Sahil Saeed from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was taken from the Punjab region this morning after the family was held captive and robbed by five men armed with guns and hand grenades. Sahil had been staying with his grandmother in the city of Jhelum and was due to … Continue reading Pakistan police arrest suspect in kidnap of British boy

Gas mask bra honoured with IgNobel prize Engineers who invented a bra that converts into a gas mask, pathologists who determined that beer bottles can crack your skull even when empty, and Irish police officers who mistakenly wrote speeding tickets to somebody called ‘Driver’s License’ were all honoured for their dubious achievments at the IgNobel prizes on Thursday. The gas mask bra can be easily fitted to any passer-by Prizes also went to Zimbabwe for issuing banknotes that range in value from one Zimbabwean cent to 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollars, to Mexican scientists who made diamonds out of tequila and … Continue reading Can you use a bra as a gas mask?

Frozen bug could hold clues about aliens Herminiimonas glaciei could provide insights into alien life forms A newly-discovered bug trapped for over 120,000 years under three kilometres of ice could hold vital clues about the existence of alien life forms. The dormant bacterium was found in Greenland by a team of researchers from Pennsylvania State University who managed to gradually coax it back to life. They revived the frozen microbe, known as Herminiimonas glaciei, by carefully warming the samples of ice for almost a year. It is hoped that studying the bacterium will help provide insights into how microorganisms on … Continue reading 120,000 year old frozen bug coaxed back to life by Pennsylvania State University…

‘Take us to your leader’ – UFO files out Author: Catherine Archer Michael Howard’s home was an alleged focal point for extraterrestrials The latest instalment of Britain’s very own X-Files have revealed an unlikely destination for so-called extraterrestrial visitors – the former home secretary Michael Howard’s home. More than 6,000 pages of material from top-secret Ministry of Defence files have been released detailing eyewitness accounts of alleged alien encounters including reports of a “large triangular UFO” floating above the former Home Secretary’s Kent residence. The newly-released files make intriguing reading for UFO believers, with reports of tubes of light, flying … Continue reading Aliens met with Michael Howard and were not terribly impressed with our leaders – now for direct people to people contact!

Can termite mounds inspire eco-cities? Architects could model sustainable developments on termite mounds Architects working on models of sustainable development are turning to a new and rather unusual source of inspiration: termite mounds. Built entirely from natural, biodegradable materials, the looming, curiously shaped mounds dotted around the African savannah are both air-conditioned and humidity-regulated without consuming a single watt of electricity. Swiss entomologist Martin Luscher was researching the eco-credentials of termite mounds as far back as the 1960s, suggesting that modern architects might be able to learn a thing or two. Now, as developers wake up to the potential dangers … Continue reading Termite City shows the way forward for true Eco-Cities on Earth

Economy, energy replace extremism as top US concern By Anwar Iqbal Dawn.com Washington felt the need to now focus on Pakistan’s economic and energy issues, said Mr Holbrooke, adding that the Obama administration had set up a water resources task force at the State Department to help Pakistan deal with a looming water crisis. – Photo by Reuters. US envoy refuses to blame LeT for Kabul attack WASHINGTON: US special envoy Richard Holbrooke has told a briefing in Washington that he sees positive developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the point that his chief concern in Pakistan is not extremism. … Continue reading Economy, energy replace extremism as top US concern but is Pakistan government concerned?

Anger as energy Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha  The arrival of James Dean and Marlon Brando in the 1950s in films such as Rebel Without A Cause and On The Waterfront heralded a new kind of hero. He was the anti-heroic “angry young man.” A silent, brooding type with a tendency to explode into bursts of anger, reflecting a stark emotional vulnerability. The anti-hero was a complex character charged with the good intentions of the conventional hero but almost as morally flawed as the cinematic villain. Further highlighted by Richard Burton in Look Back in Anger (1958), Peter Fonda in … Continue reading Who is the James Dean of Pakistan and India?