MAQzine

I had just returned home with family when it started raining and just a few minutes later we heard that there has been heavy rain and hailing in parts of the city.  What I missed, to regret forever in the rest of life, was captured by others. Here are some photos and a video clip of the snowy-makeover of my Lahore by mother nature on the evening of Saturday the 26th of February, 2011. All photo credits to my son Abdullah's friend Umar.

MONDAY, FEB 21, 2011 13:22 ET BY   GLENN GREENWALD (updated below - Update II - Update III [Tues.] - Update IV [Tues.]) Earlier today, I   wrote in detail   about new developments in the case of Raymond Davis, the former Special Forces soldier who shot and killed two Pakistanis on January 27, sparking a diplomatic conflict between the U.S. (which is demanding that he be released on the ground of "diplomatic immunity") and Pakistan (whose population is demanding justice and insisting that he was no "diplomat").  But I want to flag this new story separately because it's really quite amazing and revealing. Yesterday, as I noted earlier,   The Guardian  reported   that Davis -- despite Obama's description of him as "our diplomat in Pakistan " -- actually works for the CIA, and further noted that Pakistani officials believe he worked with Blackwater.  When reporting that,   The Guardian noted that man...

February 21, 2011 American Held in Pakistan Shootings Worked With the C.I.A. By MARK MAZZETTI, ASHLEY PARKER, JANE PERLEZ and ERIC SCHMITT WASHINGTON — The American arrested in  Pakistan  after shooting two men at a crowded traffic stop was part of a covert,  C.I.A. -led team of operatives conducting surveillance on militant groups deep inside the country, according to American government officials. Working from a safe house in the eastern city of Lahore , the detained American contractor, Raymond A. Davis, a retired Special Forces soldier, carried out scouting and other reconnaissance missions as a security officer for a Central Intelligence Agency task force of case officers and technical surveillance experts, the officials said. Mr. Davis’s arrest and detention, which came after what American officials have described as a botched robbery attempt, has inadvertently pulled back the curtain on a web of covert American operations inside Pakistan , part of a secret war ...

Khan agrees McCloskey title fight Amir Khan will defend his WBA light-welterweight title against Northern Irishman Paul McCloskey. Negotiations between the Khan and McCloskey camps broke down two weeks ago but the bout is now set to go ahead at Manchester 's MEN Arena on 16 April. "He [McCloskey] is meant to be a great fighter, undefeated and European champion," said Khan, 24. "It's going to be a big night for me. He'll be fighting for a world title. I'm giving him that chance." McCloskey's manager Francie McNicholl confirmed to BBC Sport that contracts had been signed. I am absolutely confident that I will be world champion  Paul McCloskey The McCloskey camp had been unhappy at the financial terms being offered to their fighter but McNicholl said that the Irishman had been given "an improved deal". "All contracts were signed late on Saturday night," added McNicholl. "After receiving the improved offer, we are n...

Destroys Thousands of Copies of Army Officer's Memoir By Chris Lawrence and Padma Rama, CNN September 28, 2010 Washington (CNN) -- The Department of Defense recently purchased and destroyed thousands of copies of an Army Reserve officer's memoir in an effort to safeguard state secrets, a spokeswoman said Saturday. "DoD decided to purchase copies of the first printing because they contained information which could cause damage to national security," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. April Cunningham said. In a statement to CNN, Cunningham said defense officials observed the September 20 destruction of about 9,500 copies of Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's new memoir "Operation Dark Heart." Shaffer says he was notified Friday about the Pentagon's purchase. "The whole premise smacks of retaliation," Shaffer told CNN on Saturday. "Someone buying 10,000 books to suppress a story in this digital age is ludicrous." Shaffer'...