Arab League recognizes new anti-Syrian bloc

The Arab League has welcomed the formation of a new anti-Damascus opposition bloc, and recognized the so-called Syrian National Council (SNC) as the representative of the Syrian people. On Sunday, Syrian oppositionists agreed to unify the multiple military councils in command of the foreign-backed insurgents inside Syria under pressure from […]

America’s questionable drone wars

By Barbara Lochbihler The Daily Star, Lebanon “Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come,” the American poet Carl Sandburg wrote hopefully in 1936. His sentiment seems more apt than ever nowadays, but not because humanity has turned pacifistic. Rather, wars are increasingly fought remotely, with drones – or […]

Petraeus: a warriors star tarnished

Story Summary by David Ignatius, The Daily Star, Lebanon Petraeus may have seemed larger than life in uniform, but beneath the ribbons he was a very human story. Petraeus’ 14-month tenure as CIA director was short and, compared to his rocket-like ascent to a four-star rank in the Army, something […]

Widowhood: A life interrupted

Dawn.com: Faiza Mirza. “I always felt different because everywhere I go people either give me sympathetic looks or are scared that I will bring bad luck. But the first time I actually felt betrayed was when one of my sisters was getting married. I was treated like an outcast by […]

Rethinking the ‘Just War,’ Part 1

NY times: Can war be justified? Is there such a thing as morally proper conduct in war? With Veterans’ Day upon us and, with the Obama administration preparing to face another four years of geopolitical choices in unstable regions, The Stone is featuring recent work by Jeff McMahan, a philosopher […]

Tablet Computer coming to India for $20-40

Source: BBC India is once again trying to make low-cost computers available to students across the country. The country’s president has unveiled an upgraded version of the world’s cheapest tablet computer – despite the functionality and distribution problems faced by the device’s predecessor. Made by UK-based Datawind, the Aakash 2 […]

Political humour

I am reminded of a joke… What happens if a politician drowns in a river? That is pollution. What happens if all of them drown? That is solution!!! How sad it is that we never learn from history! How true all of these are: We hang the petty thieves and […]