Former Pakistani Prez Thinks Perry is In

Count former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf among those who think Texas Gov. Rick Perry is gearing up for a presidential run.
Mr. Musharraf, who served as president from 2001 to 2008, said on CNN's "The Situation Room" Thursday that he recently met with Mr. Perry and was left with the impression that he would seek the Republican nomination next year.
Mr. Perry has said he will decide soon on whether to make a White House run, and has been meeting with advisers, potential donors and party officials in key primary states in recent weeks.
Asked directly where he thinks Mr. Perry will run, Mr. Musharraf said, "Yes."
He added, "I hope I'm not violating the confidentiality that he wanted to maintain about this aspect."

Obama looking Confused

Obama: The U.S. Pays Its Bills

With no clear end in sight to congressional negotiations that have dragged on for weeks, President Barack Obama asserted that the U.S. has never defaulted on its debt and won't do so now.

Race to the Moon Heats Up for Private Firms

Engineers from Carnegie Mellon University put on a presentation in Pittsburgh in June.

Now that the last space shuttle has landed back on Earth, a new generation of space entrepreneurs would like to whip up excitement about the prospect of returning to the Moon
Spurred by a $30 million purse put up by Google, 29 teams have signed up for a competition to become the first private venture to land on the Moon. Most of them are unlikely to overcome the financial and technical challenges to meet the contest deadline of December 2015, but

Debt Ceiling Talks Collapse as Boehner Walks Out

President Obama made a statement addressing the break down of debt ceiling talks in Washington on Friday. 

WASHINGTON — Negotiations over a broad deficit reduction plan collapsed in acrimony on Friday after Speaker John A. Boehner suddenly broke off talks with President Obama, raising the risk of an economy-shaking default.

The latest turn in the summer’s epic clash between the White House and Congressional Republicans came little more than a week before the government hits its borrowing ceiling, and set off accusations from both sides about who was to blame.
A visibly angry President Obama, in a hastily scheduled White House news conference, demanded that Congressional leaders come to the White House on Saturday morning. “I want them here at 11 a.m. tomorrow,” he said. “They are going to have to explain to me how it is that we are going to avoid default.”

Lessons for EU-Asia ties

CONVENTIONAL wisdom in Brussels has it that comparisons between American and European policies on Asia are unfair: US ‘hard’ military clout gives Washington unparalleled influence in the region while the EU with its ‘soft power’ credentials often fails to impress.

True, most Asian countries, with their rising defence budgets, still-unresolved territorial claims and tensions with neighbours, respect America’s military might. Pax Americana reigns supreme in Asia. As China rises and flexes its muscles, more and more Asians are even more convinced of the need for America’s military umbrella.
Europe’s burgeoning common defence and security policy did provoke some interest in Asia some years ago. But recent EU military missions have focused on Africa, not Asia. And EU policymakers are careful to stay out of Asia’s many trouble spots.

Facebook worry for FIA

The FIA is preparing a report on the federal officials’ facebook pages, which will be soon shared with the Ministry of Interior.

“Every official can use facebook but uploading pictures of prime importance for the federal government should not be allowed,” a senior FIA official, requesting anonymity, told Dawn on Friday.
The agency is preparing a report on the federal officials’ facebook pages, which will be soon shared with the Ministry of Interior.

Business ethics in Islam

THE term ‘business ethics’ refers to the behaviour that a business organisation is supposed to adhere to in its interaction with society, transactions with customers and in its internal affairs. The concept of business ethics is as old as business itself.
Initially, different cultures and regions had different ethics of business. With increasing globalisation, the various sets of business ethics are continuously acquiring common values and forms. Islam has given guiding principles for all human activities and also prescribes and explains the ethics of business.
However, the Quran is not the only divine text that lays down such instructions and Muslim thinkers were not the first to conceive this idea. The Bible, for instance, also has many notions that can be and have been applied to commercial activities.

Militant liberal

– Illustration by Faraz Aamer Khan/Dawn.com

For over two decades, Pakistan’s socio-political landscape has been dominated by narratives and actions of the religious right.
Those concerned by the right’s onslaught and dominance have bemoaned the decline and defeat of the country’s ‘moderate’ and liberal polities, rightly complaining that their voices have been drowned.
The religious right’s growing intolerance, intimidation and sometimes outright violence (ever since the 1980s), has actually helped it control and almost monopolise Pakistan’s religious and political discourse, allowing the spread of various right-wing fringe groups.
Though both the religious right and liberal sections of the population still have their mainstream political outlets, it is the religious right that is ruling the roost when it comes to visible militancy and affective propaganda.

Test cricket turns 2000 - A peek into history

The India-England Test at Lord's will be the 2000th in the history of the game. Mail Today looks back at the journey.
It is considered an anachronism in the fast-paced modern world with its craving for instant results. But the five-day format has not only survived, but also flourished amidst the surfeit of One-Day Internationals and the Twenty20 format.
Ask any cricketer worth his salt and he will tell you that the satisfaction gained from excelling in a Test match cannot be felt in any of the shorter versions. Despite several experts from time to time painting doomsday scenarios for Test cricket, the magic still keeps true lovers of the game spellbound.
As Test cricket reaches another major milestone, let's sit back and remember some memorable moments in its history.

India reveals massive uranium discovery

No details were released on the quality of the material in Tumalapalli, a key factor as other uranium mined in India has been inferior to imports being procured from France, Kazakhstan, Russia and elsewhere. - Reuters Photo

NEW DELHI: A new mine in south India could contain the largest reserves of uranium in the world, a government official said in remarks reported Tuesday, signalling a major boost for the energy-hungry nation.
The Tumalapalli mine in Andhra Pradesh state could provide up to 150,000 tonnes of uranium, Srikumar Banerjee, secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, told reporters after a four-year survey of the site was completed.

Drone attacks are wrong and cowardly, regardless

Drone attacks are wrong. I’m sure to be called an appeaser of terrorists for saying that, particularly in light of the latest events in Mumbai. But I think it’s important for Pakistanis, who are on the receiving end of the humiliation and much worse that drone attacks inflict, to hear an American say it. Hopefully some Americans will read this, too. First and foremost, whatever the official pablum or even the truth about “suspected militants” or “alleged al Qaeda leaders,” innocent civilians are being killed.

A dangerous Saudi affair

Life in Saudi Arabia is good – oil rich, tax free incomes, multiple servants, big villas and security.  Even labourers, remark on the improved quality of life in Saudi as compared to Pakistan. For them this is an opportunity to support their families in the relative security of the Kingdom.

It seems Pakistani expat workers are satisfied with life. Even migrant labourers who I have conversed with personally say life is better in Saudi than in Pakistan, and the incomes they receive give their families back home a fighting chance. Personally, I’ve had good experiences and memories of living in the Kingdom for many years. But let’s face it – there is a conflict between personal gain and ethical integrity when it comes to Saudi Arabia.