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Switzerland's unlikely World Cup heroes
The name of Switzerland's most famous historical hero is, of course, William Tell. More recently, a man called Roger Federer has joined the hall of fame.
Few, though, would have predicted that the latest hero to make Swiss hearts swell with pride would be called Xherdan Shaqiri - not to mention his team-mates, Valon Behrami, Granit Xhaka, Haris Seferovic, or Admir Mehmedi.
They are all members of Switzerland's national football team, currently ranked sixth in the world, and set to take on Argentina in the last 16 of the World Cup in Brazil.
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Muslims protect Hindu temple in Pakistan
Sikandar Chandio, 53, was born in the temple he now protects. “This is our fifth generation living on the premises of the temple. I believe it is a sacred place for some people and I don’t want this building to be damaged.”
Despite some recent untoward incidents against the Hindu community, the people of Sindh largely uphold religious harmony.
Chandio’s Muslim family ‘protects’ the only temple in Johi, a town in which no Hindu family resides. A Hindu man handed over the charge of the temple to his grandfather, Jamaluddin.
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From hellish Syria to heavenly Kosovo
Whether mis-placed or not, Syria and Kosovo attract a comparison. The hatred of the dictators, the massacres and the rapes look so similar. America-led NATO woke up for Kosovo but looks the other way on Syria. Kosovo won its independence after 9 years of war. Syria is in its third year of bloodbath. Yet there is no end to our sufferings in sight.
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An Ingenious Plan: How the CIA Vets the Syrian Rebels
So the decision has been taken, and the US will start training and arming the Syrian rebels after vetting them in Jordan. Now we all know what a capable organisation the CIA is so we should all be optimistic about this daring plan. The minor fuck-ups that the CIA has been involved in during its existence should not be a reason for us to doubt this carefully-considered plan. In order to illustrate the strength of its vetting programme, the CIA has allowed us to sit in on a few of those interviews scheduled to begin next month. Below is an accurate transcript of how they went:
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Call to prayer recited through minaret speakers in Sweden
After a municipality in the Swedish capital of Stockholm allowed the recitation of the adhan -- the Islamic call to prayer -- through minaret speakers, the inaugural adhan was heard on Friday, marking a first in Western Europe.
The Islamic Cultural Center of Botkyrka, a municipality in Stockholm mostly populated by immigrants, applied last year to municipal authorities seeking permission for the recitation of the adhan before Friday prayers through speakers in the minaret of the Fittja Mosque, located within the boundaries of Botkyrka.
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Mainstream media meltdown!
Newspapers will never be the same. But what happens to democracy if the Web business model can't fund journalism?
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