Jonathan Mann awardee (2008) Dr Binayak Sen, who is a well-known paediatrician and human rights defender, will complete two years on 14 May 2009 in a Raipur prison on false charges of abetting Maoist activity in Chhattisgarh, sedition, and waging war against the State. This committed advocate of civ

In an attempt to restore peace in the restive Swat Valley, the Pakistani government signed a controversial peace deal in March with the Taliban-backed group Movement for the Enforcement of Shari'a (TNSM). In the following month, the Taliban extended its grasp beyond Swat to within 60 miles of Islama

On 18 April, the Somali parliament unanimously passed a bill to adopt Islamic law as national legislation. The real issue is not the adoption of Islamic law alone, but how it interpreted and implemented, and whether there can be national consensus on exactly what constitutes Islamic law in Somalia.

El Salvador, Benin and other low- and middle-income countries have a special reason to celebrate World Asthma Day on Tuesday, 5 May, this year. A purchasing mechanism run by the Paris-based International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is making it possible for these countrie

Which one is the greater challenge?
That there are Taliban in Swat or that the police and judiciary fall short of minimum standards.
To say that a militia of a few thousand fighters at best, is likely to run over a 600,000 strong Pakistan Army stretches creduility. Even the mighty Rustum feared t

More than 300 million people around the world have asthma, and the disease imposes a heavy burden on individuals, families, and societies.
The Global Burden of Asthma Report, indicates that asthma control often falls short and there are many barriers to asthma control around the world. Proper long-

A Muslim American woman, standing next to her new American Zionist friend, lit a candle on 20 April – Holocaust Remembrance Day – in honour of those who perished during the Holocaust.
The flame was placed at the centre of an image of the Earth printed on cloth, as Jews, Muslims, Druze and others fr

Often referred to as the “Switzerland of Pakistan”, Swat Valley – located 100 miles northwest of Islamabad – has a rich history. It has witnessed the arrival and departure of several cultures, religions and peoples for well over 2,000 years. It is the home to several of the Buddha’s relics, includin

The fall of large swathes of territory in Pakistan’s lawless north-west to the marauding Taliban, who, through an agreement reached with the Pakistani authorities, are now forcibly imposing what they regard as shariah laws in the region, has added a new dimension to the convoluted politics of Pakist

WHO and the United States Government have declared public health emergencies due to confirmed human cases of a new influenza virus - swine influenza (H1N1). Several countries including Canada have officially reported cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection.
There are no restrictions of regular travel

Dear Nazir:
First of all congrats on your new book. Its always good to know at least some one is making effort to raise voice for Christian community. I haven’t read the whole book but skimmed through some chapters. I would say the writing style seems as if you are only sharing your success stories

It is simple really.
No conspiracy against a country can succeed, if the country is not weak from within.
Strong law enforcement can thwart any number of efforts on the part of individuals or militant groups to destabilize the country.
Rule of law in the civilian population is enforced by the p

Turkey has strong ties both with its Muslim history and with secularism, understood as not mixing religion with politics. After decades of struggling between these two identities, this strategic NATO ally and EU contender has developed a hybrid identity that encompasses both. As a result, Turkey has

People with a hammer only see nails. This well-worn maxim aptly describes the United States' relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past several decades. As early as 1954, the United States identified the country as a bulwark against regional encroachment by the Soviet Union when Pakist

On the morning of 8 April, a US-flagged cargo ship – the Maersk Alabama – carrying US government food aid destined for Africa was hijacked by Somali pirates 300 miles off Somalia's coast. Eventually, the crew and the ship escaped to safety, while Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by the pir