The battery’s dead? The battery, which has powered our lives for generations, may soon be consigned to the dustbin of history. British scientists say they have created a plastic that can store and release electricity, revolutionising the way we use phones, drive cars  –  and even wear clothes. It means the cases of mobiles and iPods could soon double up as their power source  –  leading to gadgets as thin as credit cards. Researcher Natasha Shirshova with her team’s invention The technology could also lead to flexible computer screens that can be folded up and carried around like a piece … Continue reading Scientists invent wafer-thin plastic that can store electricity

Draconian anti-terror laws are blocking the serious study of terrorism and counter-terrorism at UK universities Rizwaan Sabir guardian.co.uk, Since my arrest under the Terrorism Act in May 2008 at the University of Nottingham for possession of the so-called Al-Qaida Training Manual, I have been following the increasing pressure faced by lecturers regarding the teaching of terrorism. One example is the pressure to submit reading lists to research ethics committees for vetting purposes in case they contain material that may be deemed “illegal” or that “may incite violence”. The latest fiasco to have hit Nottingham involves my former PhD supervisor, the … Continue reading Terror, British police and academic freedom

Bonuses and lavish expenses do not mean a job done well, as our bankers and MPs have shown. Time for a return to dignity Stephen Moss guardian.co.uk, Greed is not good: Michael Douglas as trader Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive Naturally enough, the threatened collapse of debt-laden EMI, new M&S boss Marc Bolland’s £15m “golden hello”, and the MPs’ expenses scandal have all been in the news this week. But these three aren’t different stories, to be treated in separate sections, filed under business, politics and – in the case of Bolland – reader reaction. They … Continue reading Money, the false motivator and god of bankers and MPs

In our obsession with the economy and celebrity gossip, we are forgetting the deeper questions of human existence Darragh McManus guardian.co.uk Our culture – the media and the broader populace – is obsessed with the economy. And since Lehman Brothers went kablooey in September 2008, our fascination has gone to a deeper level. Googling the word “business” gets a scarcely feasible 1.6 billion hits. “Economics” gets 92 million. (Weirdly, “Gordon Brown is a moron” returns almost 60 million. I don’t know what that signifies.) And this is fine: money is important, we all need jobs; redundancy is awful. I wouldn’t … Continue reading Can philosophy save us?

With so many more vulnerable western targets to choose from, why do terrorists choose international flights? Diego Gambetta guardian.co.uk, Amid all the discussion about terrorism, one obvious question is rarely asked: why does al-Qaida have a predilection for targeting aircraft when there is a wealth of vulnerable western targets from which to choose? We have no access to the reasoning of the perpetrators, but it seems safe to suppose that they want to cause as much havoc as possible to as many people and “infidel” countries as possible by the cheapest of means. Crashing a plane fits this double aim … Continue reading Why does al-Qaida target planes?

Paying militants to switch sides has had some success in Iraq. Now the US hopes the same tactic will succeed in Afghanistan James Denselow guardian.co.uk Can ‘surgenomics’ work in Afghanistan? US soldiers in Zabul province, southern Afghanistan. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters One of the more immediate results of the London conference on Afghanistan was the idea of paying the Taliban to switch sides. This was described more diplomatically by David Miliband as a “reintegration programme” that leans heavily on learning from successes in Iraq. For an on-the-ground examination of the Iraqi “surge” successes, filmmaker Jon Steele spent 90 days with Baker … Continue reading Will the Taliban buy into surgenomics?

A few good men —by Afrah Jamal Quiet Diplomacy: Memoirs of an Ambassador of Pakistan By Jamsheed Marker Oxford University Press; Pp 448 Jamsheed Marker belongs to an exceptional cadre of Foreign Service officers entrusted to keep things on an even keel on the diplomatic stage. Providence chose him to fill the void brought on by a sudden influx of newly independent nations and the subsequent need to expand diplomatic service during the 1960s. A stellar career in fostering global diplomacy as the longest serving ambassador has earned him a special place in history. This veteran Pakistani diplomat has a … Continue reading Quiet Diplomacy: Memoirs of an Ambassador of Pakistan

Sting Music has always been my refuge from sadness. The guitar I inherited from my uncle John now has decent strings, and I am no longer making the ‘broken’ music that so upset my grandmother; in fact I am making a lot of progress, but the limitations of my first instrument are holding me back. There are things that I simply cannot do with this primitive heirloom. From the money I earned on the milk rounds I have saved up enough for a new acoustic guitar that I have had my eye on. It has been hanging from the wall … Continue reading Music of childhood

Farhat Taj In terms of the drone attacks, the US must not make any distinction between al Qaeda and the Taliban. They both have internalised a global ideology that is anti-civilisation and anti-human There is news coming up in the media that al Qaeda in Waziristan may run away to Yemen in the face of growing drone attacks. The people of Waziristan have expressed deep concern at this news. They do not want al Qaeda to run away from Waziristan. They want al Qaeda along with the Taliban burnt to ashes on the soil of Waziristan through relentless drone attacks. … Continue reading Drone attacks, Mullahism and US reputation

Ismail Khan Military regimes in Pakistan did not find space for academia in the social sciences or student unions in general. In Pakistan, during Musharraf’s time, much to the chagrin of top educationists, higher education was equated with science and technology only According to a news story published by the Washington Post, the US administration is considering providing the largest educational assistance ever given to Pakistan. Amounting to a total of $ 200 million, this assistance is supposed to reform the schooling system of Pakistan. The Washington Post story leaves little to the imagination that in the primary education of … Continue reading Mullahism and tertiary education