Free Republic

Pakistani forces fired at a fuel tank inside a controversial mosque early Saturday, causing an explosion heard across the capital, intelligence sources said. The fuel tank had been used for running generators in the besieged mosque, the sources said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Shortly after the blast, gunfire erupted again between the radical Islamic students inside the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, and the Pakistani security forces outside. The four-day siege has resulted in at least 26 deaths. The latest confirmed deaths were two students who tried to surrender Friday but were shot dead by other students,...

The failure of footballer of George Best to refrain from drinking alcohol despite a life-saving liver transplant just 12 months ago has prompted questions about the merits of offering transplant surgery to alcoholics. Some say it is a waste of a precious and scarce resource, but others say there is no reason why people suffering from such a debilitating disease should be discriminated against. The George Best case may give the impression that people suffering from alcoholism take their place in the transplant queue like any other person with severe liver disease. In fact, this is not the case....