Poll: 84% of Egyptians Believe Obama's Election Will Not Change US Policy Towards Arabs and Muslims
December 1, 2008 2 min. read

A recent online poll by Egyptian opposition paper Al-Dustour revealed that 84% of Egyptians polled (3708 respondents) believe that Barack Obama will not change American policy towards Arabs and Muslims. 16% of those polled (706 respondents) believe that he “will work towards changing the American policy which his predecessor has followed." The commentary on the […]

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Happy birthday UAE
December 1, 2008 2 min. read

December 2 is the UAE's national day. Says UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed: My brothers and sisters in nationality, the march of our federation through the last 37 years has made numerous achievements, fulfilled enormous ambitions and encompassed several avenues of our lives, taking our nation, the society and the individual into the 21st […]

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on human rights in Saudi post-hunger strike
December 1, 2008 5 min. read

Saudi citizens concerned about human rights in the Kingdom staged a hunger strike November 6-7; I posted about it here. Apparently their efforts were noted by the government; here is an update from the detained activists’ defense team: Saudi Authorities Intensified Campaigns Aimed at Suppressing Freedom of Expressions, Blocking Media Outlets, and Stymieing Civic Movements […]

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INDIA/PAKISTAN: Pleas For Sanity as Sabres Rattle Over Mumbai Mayhem
December 1, 2008 8 min. read

By Beena Sarwar INDIA/PAKISTAN: Pleas For Sanity as Sabres Rattle Over Mumbai Mayhem Analysis by Beena Sarwar KARACHI, Dec 1 (IPS) – The pattern is all too familiar. Every time India and Pakistan head towards dialogue and detente, something explosive happens that pushes peace to the backburner and drags them back to the familiar old […]

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Govt convenes all-party conference
December 1, 2008 4 min. read

ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: Political and diplomatic activities revolving round the possible fallout of the Mumbai carnage on Pakistan-India relations acquired a hectic pace on Sunday with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani going all out to defuse tension that many believe could bring South Asia on the verge of a conflict. […]

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Karzai's 'timetable for Success'
December 1, 2008 3 min. read

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, with the latter in a joint news conference with the secretary general of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Afghan President Karzai voiced his displeasure with international NATO presence in his country and called for a timetable of withdrawal. In front of Scheffer, he used more careful language, calling for a 'timetable […]

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INDIA: Empathy, Grief in Pakistan at Mumbai Mayhem
November 29, 2008 7 min. read

   INDIA: Empathy, Grief in Pakistan at Mumbai Mayhem Analysis by Beena Sarwar KARACHI, Nov 29 (IPS) – The terrorist attacks unleashed in the Indian port city and financial hub of Mumbai continue to reverberate through Pakistan at a personal level and on the media. The crisis, that began Wednesday night and lasted through Friday, […]

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Religious Restrictions: No Thank You
November 27, 2008 3 min. read

I wasn't going to write a post today, it being Thanksgiving Day here and all, but then I read this article detailing recent laws in the works in all five of our CA states curtailing the freedom of religion. Yesterday, I spoke about one aspect, the wearing of the hijab in school settings in Kyrgyzstan […]

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Ban: Tribunal in Rafiq Hariri's case due to start in March
November 27, 2008 1 min. read

"On the basis of the progress so far reported … it is envisaged that the Special Tribunal will commence functioning on 1 March 2009," Ban wrote in a report to the UN Security Council.” [NOW Lebanon]

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The wild, wild card (By Ardeshir Cowasjee)
November 27, 2008 6 min. read

PRESIDENT of the Republic Asif Zardari was surprisingly in Pakistan at the end of last week, and more surprisingly in Karachi, considering his concerns about security as evidenced by his current penchant for building high walls around his various abodes, for one, it is said, blocking off a magnificent view of the Margalla Hills from […]

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Call for sovereign Palestinian state
November 27, 2008 2 min. read

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 26: Pakistan has reiterated its call for implementation of relevant UN resolutions to pave the way for a sovereign state of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. "We remain steadfast in extending our full support for the achievement of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to exercise self-determination and sovereignty in […]

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Danger of default averted
November 27, 2008 2 min. read

ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The federal cabinet on Wednesday discussed the economic recovery plan against the background of a bailout package approved by the International Monetary Fund and expressed satisfaction that the danger of default had been averted. A meeting of the cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was informed that most of […]

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