WASHINGTON: Trade will be a valuable part of the new US strategy for fighting terrorism in Pakistan, says America’s top business lobby which also called for a cut in US tariffs on Pakistani textiles. President Barak Obama is expected to announce the new strategy on Friday. In a report issued on Tuesday evening, the US […]
Apart from being a bright, young journalist, Tariq Malik was also a son and a sibling who made his family proud – the same family that now sits deprived of their prized asset. Malik was brutally murdered by armed robbers on Sunday as he and his friend Imran were walking towards his house in Defence, […]
Ugh. That is the only word that really sums up the feelings of frustration regarding the latest report from unnamed American government officials detailing support given to the Taliban by Pakistani military intelligence officials. The US officials, which of course were not named because this information is supposedly not to become public, stated that Pakistan’s […]
The Kazakh government may not be able to continue the bailout of its biggest domestic bank, BTA, if any of its creditors ask for early repayment. The bank holds $12 million in foreign debt and will likely need to restructure it. So far, $2 billion in bailout funds has been injected into BTA In Uzbekistan, […]
Ali Abdel Karim Ali has been accepted as Syria’s first ambassador to Lebanon. The two counties gained independence from France in the 1940’s, but hadn’t established formal diplomatic relations until just five months ago. Part of what is considered Greater Syria for over 400 years, Lebanon was occupied by Syrian troops up until 2005. That […]
Central Bank advisor: China’s economy has bottomed Fan Gang, who sits on the Chinese central bank’s monetary policy advisory committee, believes the Chinese economy has bottomed. While further interest rate cuts might remain an option, Mr. Fan sees ubiquitous signs for an end in China’s economic slow down. In his opinion, strong growth in car […]
Regardless of some decent within the party, Labor narrowly voted to join the Likud-led coalition, officially giving Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu a majority of Knesset members supporting his bid for the Prime Minister. The unification talks with Labor increased pressure on Netanyahu, along with U.S. concerns for the new government, to pursue a peace deal […]
Pop Quiz Time: Citizens of which of the following countries drink the most Guinness? A) Ireland B) United States C) Nigeria The answer is C) Nigeria. There is a host of reasons for this, but primary among them is that Ireland’s finest export is believed to contribute to sexual potency. (Insert your own sex & alcohol joke here.) Nigeria’s […]
LAHORE, Pakistan — The opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, sealed his place as the most popular politician in Pakistan this month when he defied his house detention and led a triumphant protest that forced the government to restore the country’s chief justice. Now, as the Obama administration completes its review of strategy toward the region this […]
LONDON: Home secretary, Jacqui Smith has expressed serious concerns about the impact in Britain of the deteriorating situation in Pakistan where al Qaida and groups affiliated to the Taliban are rapidly gaining influence in the federally administered tribal areas. The home secretary while briefing the media here on Tuesday following the publication of the UK […]
Recent US policy in Afghanistan has involved a surge of troops, drone attacks, and now even a surge in these, but what about a diplomacy and civilian surge? Well, it looks like it may be here. President Obama is supposed to approve of a long, ongoing review of Afghanistan policy in the next week and […]
The US may be allowed to return to the Uzbek base of Karshi-Khanabad (K2) soon. They were evicted in 2005 after the massacre in Andijon in May and consequent international criticism. In recent weeks, Washington has spoken with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan about the possibility of a base, even after arguing that a base was not […]
Former head of the Israeli Civil Administration Brig. Gen. Ilan Paz speaks with Middle East Progress regarding the territories he formerly oversaw. He indicates that 270,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, not including Jerusalem, and that the only outpost removal occurred with the highly controversial Supreme Court decision to dismantle the Hebron house. […]
A few stories rattling around my brain today: There is trouble brewing in Kenya’s judiciary, where the country’s Chief Justice, Evan Gicheru, is caught up in controversy over judicial reform, cronyism, the rule of law, and general political machinations. This conflict is picking up steam, and as a general rule, these sorts of clashes do […]
Yusuf Mansur suggests that Islamic banking, which, thanks to its rather stringent standards for money management, hasn’t suffered all that much from the current economic climate, should seize the opportunity to re-brand itself before recovery lulls people back to conventional banks. He recommends setting minimum standards for the entire Islamic banking industry and aggressively marketing […]