Regions

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Every Ahmedzai Wazir tribesman will fight US forces on Afghani soil if their incursions into South Waziristan continue, a 3,000-strong jirga ruled on Wednesday. The jirga consisting of pro-government tribal elders and pro-Taliban clerics was held in Wana. "Each and every Ahmedzai Wazir tribesman, be young or old, will take up arms against […]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: The Taliban on Wednesday warned a woman working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of "dire consequences' if she kept working. USAID employee Dr Aneesa Arif said three armed men with long hair and beards stopped her in front of her house in Hayatabad and demanded she stop working for […]

Pakistan: Air-fired missiles hit a militant compound near the Afghan border and killed at least six people Wednesday evening, officials said, soon after a senior American officer met with government leaders to discuss the furor over U.S. attacks inside Pakistan. The airstrike was likely to further fan anger among Pakistanis over a surge in cross-border […]

Imagine it: A government official in Africa goes out to pay a visit to the headquarters of a company. The company's managers pile up freebies for the official, gifts and extras and the usual pocket-lining tribute that has come to accompany power across the continent. But a funny thing happens on the way to business […]

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), an umbrella militant group in the Niger Delta, today threatened to broaden their “oil war.” MEND plans to target offshore oilfields, crude oil pipelines in the Niger Delta and other facilities. The organization is estimated to have cut Nigeria's oil output by a fifth.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan ‚ Five people were killed and three wounded when a United States Predator drone fired missiles into a house in Baghar Cheena, near Angora Adda in the restive South Waziristan tribal region, local residents said Wednesday. The residents, who brought the wounded to a hospital in the regional center of Wana, said that […]

This agenda has one article: disarming Hezbollah. We will reject it and we will only discuss how to build a strong state, which supports its population and army in confronting Israeli attacks. [NOW Lebanon] I agree with Mousawi. Lebanon should reject ALL foreign agendas and promote the Lebanese national interest full stop. Is Hizballah [and […]

Melamine, a chemical additive used to make plastics and fertilizer, has been confirmed to contaminate milk powder (produced by China's Sanlu Group), which is widely used in baby formula consumed both in China and New Zealand. Today, the contaminated milk product is confirmed to have been included in products reaching as far as Yemen, Bangladesh, […]

I did a quick summary of most of the major outcomes of the SCO's Dushanbe Summit on Monday, but I want to get a bit more into the affect of Russia's conflict in Georgia and all that has happened since diplomatically and strategically.  As we have read, the SCO's Dushanbe Declaration came out with a […]

Forgive the silence the last few days. A monstrous illness felled me and then for the last day or so I have been waiting for the Zimbabwe situation to sort itself out. As I’ve maintained all along, I am thrilled at the prospects of a resolution to the political stalemate and am more than happy to have […]

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a piece (or had – last week) on Saudi Arabia's massive recent investment in the education sector.  Other Gulf states are also cultivating investment in education, albeit more importing it than manufacturing it locally – my former workplace, NYU, just opened a campus in Abu Dhabi and my alma […]

Whose side is Pakistan on in the NATO-led conflict in Afghanistan?  Does the Pakistani government and army want to stop and defeat the Taliban?  Can it?  As a US decision maker, should you be extremely worried about Pakistan's answers to all of these questions?  Unfortunately, the last question is the only one that should be […]