Anshul Sharma, Correspondent (Asia: South) NEW DELHI – Cyclone Phailin struck India’s eastern coast last Saturday with all its fury – destroying remote villages, making a mess of power lines, felling trees like a deck of cards and blowing away thousands of homes (huts). Although the magnitude of devastation by Phailin is believed to be huge, initial reports confirm that the damage to life was minimal. This can surely, but solely, attributed to the […]
Ritambhara Rai Bhattarai, Correspondent (Asia: South) KATHMANDU — Twenty Bhutanese refugee families were transported back to their camps in Jhapa and Morang-Eastern Nepal, from Kathmandu after the third country resettlement programme was kept on hold by the U.S. government. Impact of the shutdown was felt even by the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Refugees who could not make it to the states this month had to return to their camps. To their disappointment, their dwelling […]
Ritambhara Rai Bhattarai, Correspondent (Asia: South) THIMPHU — Bhutan, a small country with a small economy, has always focused on its Gross National Happiness rather than its Gross National Product. Bhutanese people are trying to make an impact by starting from the root level on sustainable growth which is one of the four pillars on which Gross National Happiness relies. The Yurma Lower Secondary Boarding School located in South-East Bhutan has included “Agricultural Gardening” […]
Chang Mei Yen, Correspondent (Asia —Middle East and Central) UNITED NATIONS – Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced Iran’s ‘charm offensive’ in his annual speech at the United Nations on Tuesday. Mr. Netanyahu described Iranian president Hassan Rouhani as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ and has warned the international community that Iran’s overtures are ‘a ruse and a ploy’ designed to fool them into dropping their guard against Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. President […]
Emily Dutton, Correspondent (Politics) PHNOM PENH — The UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal continues to encounter obstacles as it endeavours to conclude the trial of Khmer Rouge members. It is currently trying two former leaders Khieu Samphan, 82, and Nuon Chea, 87. But overdue wages have led staff to strike and caused the tribunal to come to a halt. More than 200 court employees have gone on strike to demand wages which have not […]
Virginia Bonet Morell, Correspondent (Europe) VATICAN CITY - Last Sunday, Pope Francis commented on the situation of the war in Syria during the traditional weekly blessing in the Vatican City. In front of thousands of pilgrims, he condemned the use of chemical weapons and called for negotiations between the two sides of the civil war. Finally, he declared that he would lead a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for peace on September […]
Joanne Faulkner, Editor (Asia – Middle East and Central) DAMASCUS — The suffering in Syria is undeniable. Within two years, the death count from the bloody conflict has surpassed 1,00,000. Each day thousands of refugees flee their former homes-turned-battle ground for neighbouring countries; the populations of which swell. Lebanon, which has a population of four million, is now home to around one million Syrian refugees, who have spilled into informal ‘tent cities‘. The daily number […]
Lais Fulgencio, Correspondent (South America) BRASILIA — The Brazilian government has appointed a new Foreign Minister, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo. He was chosen by President Dilma Rousseff on Monday, after the resignation of former Minister Antonio Patriota. Patriota’s exit from the ministry is related to the the arrival of Bolivian Senator, Roger Pinto Molina, who had been convicted by Bolivian government for many offences. He was in exile for more than a year in the Brazilian […]
Alejandro Faini, Editor (North America) WASHINGTON- The latest alleged chemical attack in Syria has triggered the international community, especially the United States, where this week, President Barack Obama has stated his intentions to use the military power to intervene in the situation on Syria. White House’s plan might involve the use of missile and not of “boots in the ground” as stated by some inside sources. The American government has stated that it had […]
Sadichchha Pokharel, Correspondent (Asia: South) RAWALPINDI — Former Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, has been charged with the murder of ex-Prime Minister and political opponent Benazir Bhutto. A Pakistani anti-terrorism court made the unprecedented prosecution last Tuesday accusing the military leader of murder, conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder. Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack in December 2007 during a political campaign rally in Rawalpindi, the same city where the hearings were […]
