Mega volcanoes may be predicted

Source: BBC The eruption of some of the largest volcanoes on the planet could be predicted several decades before the event, according to researchers. Analysis of rock crystals from the Greek island of Santorini suggests eruptions are preceded by a fast build-up of magma underground, which might be detected using […]

Blasphemy laws

THE list of those charged or accused under the country’s questionable blasphemy laws — that too on the flimsiest of pretexts — is far too long. Soofi Mohammad Ishaq, sentenced to death by a judge in Jhelum on Monday in a blasphemy case, is another addition to this unenviable list. As […]

Taslima’s book launch cancelled

Source: BDNews24 Dhaka, Feb 1 (bdnews24.com) – Kolkata Book Fair cancelled the release of Taslima Nasreen’s latest book, Nirbashan, which was scheduled at 3 pm Tuesday. The organisers of the fair, Publishers and Booksellers Guild, telephoned the publisher to cancel the auditorium booking, The Times of India said. “We were […]

Rumor: NFC coming to iPhone5

Source: Webpro News. Ed McLaughlin, head of emerging payments at MasterCard, has given some weight to rumors that Apple’s next iPhone will finally include near field communication technology. In a recent interview with Fast Company, McLaughlin said that he expected the use of contactless payment systems like MasterCard’s PayPass – […]

Can Muslim states demilitarize politics?

By Shahid Javed Burki The Daily Star Can Muslim governments free themselves from their countries’ powerful militaries and establish civilian control comparable to that found in liberal democracies? This question is now paramount in countries as disparate as Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey. To predict how this struggle will play out, […]