Mad scramble for Afghan exits

Credit: Asia Times: The continuing lull in US-Pakistan relations complicates the Afghan withdrawal process for European forces, with Central Asian routes more expensive and diplomatically complex than the Pakistani link closed over last November’s friendly fire incident. Anger at “negative acts” by US troops is also high among US allies. […]

Russia nudges Syria to move on

Credit: Asia Times: The latest United Nations Security Council statement on Syria displays unanimity of opinion over the year-long crisis. The onus on the West now is to find a way to work with Russia rather than around Russia, which is taking a lead role in pressurizing President Bashar al-Assad. […]

Mullah Lavrov!

By TARIQ ALHOMAYED, ARABNEWS A dangerous statement, or gaffe, was made by the Russian Foreign Ministry, by its minister Sergey Lavrov, in which he said: “If the current Syrian regime collapses, some countries in the region will want to establish Sunni rule in Syria.” It is very strange that a […]

Bhagavad Gita: You Are Not The Body

Source: Huff Post Religion When I first came across this concept, in theBhagavad Gita, about 20 years ago, I was immediately fascinated by it. Not being subjected to birth, old age, disease and death got my attention. It’s safe to say that no one is looking forward to these aspects […]

Religion and Climate Change Fuel Chaos in Sahel

Credit: Spiegel Germany: y Horand Knaup. AP Bloody conflicts in a band of Africa stretching from Senegal to Somalia are hampering efforts to bring progress to the troubled region. Muslims are increasingly pitted against Christians, and nomads against sedentary farmers. Matters are made worse by climate change and a flood […]

New Protests Test Saudi Monarchy’s Control

Credit: Stratfor: The Arabian Peninsula has not been immune to the wave of recent demonstrations in countries across the Middle East. Notably,protests have been ongoing in Saudi Arabia’s Shiite-concentrated Eastern Province for more than a year. Recently, however, unrelated demonstrations began in parts of the country where such unrest is […]

Viruses Recruited as Killers of Tumors

Source: The New York Times In 1951, a 4-year-old boy with leukemia contracted chickenpox. His liver and spleen, swollen by the cancer, soon returned to normal, and his elevated blood cell count fell to that of a healthy child. His doctors at the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology in San Francisco were thrilled […]

How the German Economy Became a Model

Source: Spiegel Germany:By Thomas Schulz in New York Getty Images It wasn’t so long ago that many viewed Germany’s economic model as outdated and the country as the “sick man of Europe.” These days, however, even the Americans have come to praise parts of it, though they still doubt whether […]