Britain's Baroness Saeeda Warsi resigns from government over Gaza

Britain's first female Muslim Cabinet minister on Tuesday announced her resignation from the government over Britain's policy on Gaza.

Pakistani-origin Cabinet minister Saeeda Warsi posted a message on Twitter stating, "With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza."

According to the Telegraph, Warsi had taken the position of Senior Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and Minister for Faith and Communities at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

She was previously Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio, having joined the Cabinet in 2010.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said the news was "very sad" and hoped she return "as soon as possible" to the government.

Nearly four weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas has claimed the lives of 1,900 Palestinians — most of them civilians. The war has also left 67 Israelis dead, all but three of them soldiers.

The rise of the Yorkshire born Briton Saeeda Warsi to become the first Muslim woman named in a British cabinet gave Pakistan something to cheer about when she was appointed shortly after the failed Times Square bombing orchestrated by Faisal Shahzad in 2010.

Born into a modest family which migrated from Gujjar Khan to Britain in the 1960s, Warsi has been involved in politics since her college days.

Warsi runs five vocational training centres for orphaned girls in villages near Gujjar Khan through a women's charity. Prime Minister David Cameron visited Gujjar Khan with her in 2008.

Warsi's letter to the PM

Dear Prime Minister

For some weeks in meetings and discussions, I have been open and honest about my views on the conflict in Gaza and our response to it.

My view has been that our policy in relation to the Middle East peace progress generally but more recently our approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain's national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically.

Particularly as the minister with responsibility for the United Nations.The International Criminal Court and Human Rights I believe our approach to the current conflict is neither consistent with our values, specifically our commitment to the rule of law and our long history of support for International Justice. In many ways the absence of the experience and expertise of colleagues like Ken Clarke and Dominic Grieve has over the last few weeks become very apparent.

The decision has not been easy. It has been a privilege to serve for 3 years in your Shadow Cabinet and over 4 years in your Cabinet. Introducing you in Blackpool in 2005 as you made your bid for leadership I had the pleasure of being there at the start of the journey and it would have been rewarding to have been there till the end.

The last decade has given me the opportunity to work with some of the best in the Conservative Party and indeed in Government. William Hague was probably one of the finest Foreign Secretaries this country has seen and has been inspirational. He dismantled foreign policy making by sofa government and restored decision making and dignity to the Foreign Office. THere is however great unease across the Foreign Office, amongst both Ministers and senior officials, in the way recent decisions are made.

Eric Pickles has supported me tirelessly in our work on combating hate crime, challenging anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia and the pioneering work of celebrating faith in the public sphere. This new found confidence in Government has allowed me to take the very public International lead on religious freedom, specifically on the ever growing crisis of the persecution of Christians. However, early evidence from the Home Office and others shows that the fallout of the current conflict and the potential for the crisis in Gaza and our response to it becoming a basis for radicalisation could have consequences for us for years to come.

From both Eric and William I learnt the art of reconciling passion and idealism with pragmatism and realism, but I always said that long after life in politics I must be able to live with myself for the decisions I took or the decisions I supported. By staying in Government at this time I do not feel I can be sure of that.

It is therefore with regret that I am writing to resign.

You will continue to have my personal support as leader of the Conservative Party as you continue to ensure that our Party evolves to meet the challenges we face in Britain today and ensure that the Party is relevant and responsive to all communities that make up today's Britain.

Yours sincerely

Sayeeda

Reference:http://www.dawn.com/news/1123461/britains-baroness-saeeda-warsi-resigns-from-government-over-gaza

A tram in Australia inspired by truck art of Pakistan

Valiasr Street is The Longest Street in The Middle East

Valiasr Street is a tree-lined street in Tehran, Iran, dividing the metropolis into western and eastern parts. It is considered one of Tehran's main thoroughfares and commercial centres. It is also the longest street in the Middle East, and was reported as one of the longest in the world by former BBC (now Al Jazeera) journalist Rageh Omaar during the television documentary Welcome to Tehran.

The street was built by Reza Shah Pahlavi's order and called the Pahlavi's Street. After the 1979 Revolution the street's name was changed initially to Mossadeq Street (in reference to former nationalist prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh) and later to Valiasr (a reference to the 12th Shi'ite). Valiasr Street is the hub of different activities in Tehran and innumerable shops and restaurants as well a large number of parks (like  Mellat Park), highways, cultural centers are situated along this long avenue.

Rolls Royce Once Used for Transportation of City's Wastage in Pakistan by Nawab of Bahawalpur.

Rolls Royce & Nawab of Bahawalpur.

One day during his visit to London, Nawab of Bahawalpur was walking in casual dress in Bond Street. He saw a Rolls Royce showroom and went inside to inquire about the Price and Features etc of their cars.

Considering him a just another Poor Indian citizen, showroom salesmen insulted him and almost showed him the way out of the showroom. After this insult, Nawab of Bahawalpur came back to his Hotel room and asked his servants to call the showroom that Nawab of Bahawalpur city is interested in purchasing their few Cars.

After few hours King reached the Rolls Royce showroom again but with his full astonishing royal manner and in his royal costume. Until he reached the showroom there was already red carpet on the floor and all the salesmen were bent with respect. The King purchased all the six cars that they had at showroom at that time and paid full amount with delivery costs.

After reaching Pakistan, Nawab of Bahawalpur ordered municipal department to use all those six Rolls Royce cars for cleaning and transporting city’s waste. World’s number one Rolls Royce cars were being used for transportation of City’s waste, the news spread all over the world rapidly and the reputation of Rolls Royce Company was in drains.

Whenever someone used to boast in Europe or America that he owned a Rolls Royce, people used to laugh saying, “which one? The same that is used in Pakistan for carrying the waste of the City?”

Due to such reputation damages, sales of Rolls Royce dropped rapidly and revenue of company owners started falling down. Then they sent a Telegram to the Nawab of Bahawalpur for apologies and requested to stop transportation of waste in Rolls Royce cars. Not only this but they also offered Six new cars to Nawab of Bahawalpur free of cost.

When Nawab of Bahawalpur observed that Rolls Royce has learnt a lesson and they are sorry for their mistakes, He stopped using those cars for carrying wastes.

After some years Nawab of Bahawalpur Gifted the one of new Rolls Royce to King Saud's visit to Pakistan. That was first ever Rolls Royce in Saudi Arabia. One of new car was Gifted to to Quaid-e-Azam of Pakistan.

Terraces and Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey.

Terraces and Pools of Pamukkale | Turkey

The marvellous terraces and pools of Pamukkale ("Cotton Castle" in Turkish) located in Denizli Province of south-western Turkey, were created by mineralized water flowing from hot springs. The travertine basins were formed by the carbonate minerals in the flowing water. The pools vary in size and overlook the surrounding green countryside. In 1988 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and according to UNESCO, the supposedly therapeutic virtues of the water were used for health and religious reasons by local cults in ancient times, and the Temple of Apollo was built near a fault zone where vapors arose. Whether a soak in steamy mineral waters has any health benefits or not, the warmth of the water and the relaxation it encourages have made Pamukkale a popular destination for hundreds of years. 

This place comes with a lot of ancient ruins as well, called “Hierapolis”. Some of the ruins still lay in the pool where you can swim in. Absolutely a dream for cleopatra. Hierapolis basically was a cure center because of this therapeutic hot springs. Pamukkale is one of the most extraordinary natural wonders in Turkey and perhaps one of the most attractive spot for tourists. Thousands of tourists visit this spot everyday during the summer.

Source: http://ritebook.blogspot.com/2014/04/terraces-and-pools-of-pamukkale-turkey.html

So There’s A City In Russia Called Yakutsk. And If You Visit It Once, You’re NEVER Going To Forget It.

So There’s A City In Russia Called Yakutsk. And If You Visit It Once, You’re NEVER Going To Forget It.

If your city has “yak” in its name, then you probably know you’re not in for a good (or warm) time. Yakutsk is the capital city of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located only 280 miles south of the Arctic Circle. That means that every single person that lives in Yakutsk has to survive subarctic temperatures.

Yakutsk has been recorded as the coldest city on earth… and has officially been recorded in my travel journal as the last place I would ever want to go.

Although the cold city is beautiful, its bitter temperatures could frighten away most visitors.

During the winter, even the toughest residents of Yakutsk won’t stay outside for longer than 20 minutes.

Staying inside is how you survive the winter in this frozen city.

Not only is it the coldest city, but Yakutsk also experiences the most severe temperature changes over the course of the year.

Average monthly temperatures range from 67.1 °F in July to −37.5 °F in January.

Those with cars keep them in heated garages, covered in blankets.

They also wrap the batteries, insulating them from the cold.

At least there aren’t many pest problems.

They can actually SURVIVE living here.

The cold wild city is beautiful, but only the brave or adventurous dare travel there. Just staying in the hotels, you have to wear layers to bed. This place is never going on my bucket list, but I’ll be content to admire it from afar. On a beach. In the sun.

It’s certainly unique, though, so share it with others.

Source:http://www.visualnews.com/2014/04/07/welcome-yakutsk-coldest-city-world/

Chinese man covered with 460,000 bees for honey stunt

BEIJING-A Chinese beekeeper covered his semi-naked body in more than 460,000 bees for a publicity stunt aimed at selling more of his honey, he told AFP Thursday, using a technique known as “bee bearding.”

She Ping, a 34-year-old honey merchant from the southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, covered himself in bees that collectively weighed more than 45 kilograms (100 pounds) in a display for a group of French photographers on Wednesday, he said.

Bee bearding is a global pursuit, and Indian Vipin Seth holds the world record for wearing a mantle of bees weighing 61.4kg (135 lbs), according to Guinness World Records’ official video channel.

Participants generally attract the bees by placing a queen bee in a small cage hanging from their body. Pictures of She’s stunt show him posing topless beside more than a dozen blue hives, before the insects swarm over his body, which appears to be protected only by a plastic bag placed over his head.

“To be honest I felt very nervous, but I do it to promote my honey,” She said, adding: “I’m used to dealing with bees... and started these activities when I was about 22.”

Chongqing has emerged as a hotspot for bee bearders, with several other local honey merchants taking part, and honey shops with signs showing them covered in the insects visible in the city.

A pair of beekeepers in northwest China got married while covered in suits of bees, reports said in 2009. “To be honest I feel very nervous, but I do it to promote my honey,” She said, adding that he was stung more than 20 times during the 14-minute stunt. “The main preparation is avoiding taking a shower, especially avoiding using soap because it can excite the bees,” he said.

China is one of the world’s major producers of honey, though its exports have been banned in several countries due to fears of counterfeiting.

She admitted that his attempt fell short of a world record, but claims the record for carrying out the stunt without any clothes. “Of the people who do it naked, I’m probably the most awesome,” he said.

Link: http://www.nation.com.pk/picture-gallery/11-Apr-2014/body-with-bees