Regions

Yesterday, I made a statement that it appeared that the Pakistani government was implicitly alright with the use of US drone predator missile attacks in their territory, as long they avoided civilian casualties. While according to statements by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry and several members of the country's ruling coalition, this is not completely true. The […]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan ‚ The Pakistani government lodged a formal protest Wednesday against American missile attacks on the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the nation's tribal areas and told the American ambassador the strikes should be "stopped immediately," the Foreign Ministry said. Ambassador Anne Patterson was summoned to the ministry two days after a missile strike […]

Arab News reports on the travails of the working Saudi woman: late night phone calls from one's boss, of course of a non-professional nature; childish behavior if one chooses to ignore those calls; ultimatums when one refuses to go on a date with one's boss. The Kingdom is considering passing a law that protects women […]

Yousif Khalaf, CEO of Ajman Bank, predicts that the financial woes of the present will increase demand for Islamic banking. Hence, the bank is focusing its expansion efforts within UAE.

QUETTA, Pakistan , A government minister says the death toll from an earthquake in southwestern Pakistan has risen to more than 100. Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Zamaruk Khan says the government is readying food, shelter and medical care for survivors of Wednesday's quake. He says “more than 100” people have been killed so far. […]

HONG KONG: Moody's Investors Service cut Pakistan's credit rating by one level to B3 on Tuesday, and warned of further cuts, given the depletion of the country's foreign exchange reserves. The country is scrambling to borrow funds to provide it with some breathing room, although many analysts expect it will have to seek support from […]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is facing serious balance of payment problems as the war on militants in troubled tribal areas is draining its resources partly because the United States has not reimbursed the committed $800 million Islamabad had spent on account of the war on terror. Well-placed sources told Dawn on Tuesday that Pakistan has so far […]

But is it too late to change the established narrative? The BBC reports that “that Georgia may have committed war crimes in its attack on its breakaway region of South Ossetia in August”. Yet the old line about one-sided Russian aggression persists in strength, and spreads to Eastern Europe.

Yet another casualty of the credit crisis: prices for Western European politicians have plummeted. What is the world coming to when a nouveau riche Russian aluminium baron can be suspected of buying an old-schooler-than-thou UK shadow chancellor, member of Oxford's elite Bullingdon club and heir to the third Osborne Baronetcy, all for a bargain $80000? […]

The Council on Foreign Relations has a report (available here with other resources and information) urging the United States to push for an expanded peacekeeping mandate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Whether now is a time when the United States will be inclined to engage in the Congo or anyplace else in which […]

Surprise, surprise! One of Mexico's key anti-drug units has been infiltrated by a drug cartel. This suggests not only that Mexico's best anti-drug units are still at risk of losing even more credibility (government agencies can always lose more credibility), but also that the Mexican government should start to hire more historians. Indeed, this is […]

The breakaway faction of the African National Congress will not succumb to name calling or fear as it prepares for the final steps that will lead to the establishment of a new party in South African politics. The leaders of the dissidents along with their supporters will meet this weekend in what will likely result […]