Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

Axis in the making ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to India earlier this month — the first ever by an Israeli leader — might have lasted only two days, but it spoke volumes about the strength of the relationship between Tel Aviv and....		Fears are not unfounded THE first-ever visit by an Israeli prime minister to India predictably set the alarm bells ringing in Pakistan. The visit also enraged Indian Muslims and left-wing parties. Pakistan’s Foreign Office dourly declared that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s sojourn...
What is patriotism? LET us overcome the invisible barriers of time, and travel back into the realms of the forgotten past. Let us enter an era of quick trials and quick executions during mankind’s transformation from savagery to civility. Each citizen was required to testify his patriotism, failing which the person had to die at the guillotine....		Church and peacekeeping A LEADING priest, Bishop Reverend William E. Swing, says: “The 20th century was the bloodiest one in terms of religious persecution. More people were killed in the name of religion...
Another decision that boggles the mind IMAGINE a situation where each one of the numerous departments at the University of the Punjab or the Quaid-e-Azam University has more foreign faculty members than local lecturers. Imagine also, the worst scenario...		Preparing for Haj EVERY year, for the past 1400 years, millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the small, yet the most significant town of Makkah. For forty days, just before and...
Cafes of a different kind CYBER cafes are everywhere. Ever since the first cafe opened in London, 10 years back, one can find cyber cafes anywhere in the world, even in the remotest of places, like...		Mystery of the Tomb of Mary AMONG the various, fascinating legends connected with the popular tourist resort of Murree, the self-styled ‘Queen of the Hills’ in Pakistan, is a unique tale about the tomb of Virgin Mary. Believe it or not but some...
Healthy diet is the key IT is well known that diet influences the risk of several major chronic diseases. These include coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. These conditions are the common cause of premature death and disability in affluent...		Hidden beauty of Hindukush TANGIR is a small tribal valley in the Diamer district of Northern Areas. Nestled within the ranges of the Hindukush mountains, it offers enthralling beauty with spectacular terrace fields lining both...
Motion of matter THE law that each higher life stage intellectually and consciously lives outside all the preceding life stages establishes that the universe is a living universe which consists of successive life orders....		Battle queen of India THERE have been many women rulers in various parts of the subcontinent before the British took over control of India. There was Chand Bibi in the Deccan, who not only reigned but also fought in battles, and died in one. Then there was the Rani of Jhansi who revolted against the British occupation of her...
Hasrat re-discovered MAULANA Chiragh Hasan Hasrat least deserved to be consigned to oblivion. He was a distinguished journalist and more than that. I will venture to say that in the history of Urdu...		Hot Seat EXTREMELY fond of watching movies, Rizwan Beyg, the well-known haute couture designer, claims that he has so many favourites that it is very difficult to name just a few. However, he...
The uncertain wait continues IT took New Zealand 26 years to break their winless deadlock in Test cricket when, in their 45th match. That was when they defeated West Indies in Auckland, in 1955-56. The Kiwis then had to wait for another 14 years to claim their first series...		Nothing but gold will do BY the time these lines appear in print, the Asia Cup would have gone under way. I generally avoid unnecessarily putting my neck on the line by talking about what might...
Souls more loyal than the king I AM not too sure with how much interest the people are following the One-Day series against Bangladesh, if they are watching it at all. A series of five such games is a bit too much and I think it would have been infinitely better to limit it to three....		Pakistan’s image abroad A COUNTRY’S image abroad has multiple dimensions, such as impressions of its history, religion and culture, and profile of its politics, governance, foreign relations and national institutions....
Lahore and the Lahoris IT is the city of those who know the unconquerable worth of heritage, traditions and customs. It is a cultural nexus of all thoughts, practices and beliefs. It is a city seeped in history. “Lahore, Lahore hai” is a statement that is more of an adage now, leaving the city...		Illiterate moulvis WITH reference to the letter by Salman Baig (August 31), I think that the writer became emotional, denied some facts and favoured moulvis just for nothing....
MOSAIC: Tourism: a threat to environment A BOOM in world tourism is posing a huge threat to some of the planet’s most sensitive ecosystems. This was according to a study released recently, by Conservation International (CI) and the United Nations Environment...		Newsmaker IT was celebration time in Singapore on September 16 when Lee Kuan Yew, the architect of Singapore’s emergence from a topical backwater into one of Asia’s wealthiest economies, turned 80. But those who thought that the Lee, who was this island...