Monthly archive

By Farzana Shah-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Pakistan

Militants from Tehrik-e-Taliban of Pakistan have started patrolling Mingora town of Swat on Sunday. According to sources the militants have seized many important government buildings for use as bases and have started patrolling Mingora town. Meanwhile, unknown men blew up a government boys’s school while armed assailants broke into Mingora Grid Station.

M.A. Kader-Our Correspondent in Bangladesh

A third bench of High Court on Sunday admitted the writ petition of BNP chief Khaleda Zia for ruling out the government notice that ordered her to vacate the Dhaka Cantonment house. The bench of justices Zinnat Ara Sultana and Abdul Hakim adjourned hearing until next Sunday on attorney general Mahbubey Alam's assurance that the opposition leader would not be harassed. However, two benches felt embarrassed to hear the petition, earlier. The bench of justices Syed Mahmud Hossain and Kamrul Islam Siddiqui was the second to decline a hearing.

By Quintus Perera – Asian Tribune

Movement for Land and Agricultural Reforms (MONLAR) issuing a statement coinciding the International Workers Day indicated that the International Workers Day is commemorated in summing up the milestone and victories attended by the working class in their struggle to earn their due right. It is with just pride and honour that they stand in defiance, up against all forces conspiring to undermine their right to life and dignity. MONLAR indicated that since the early 19th century, workers in different nations had opposed enslaved labor extending up to 16 - 18 hours a day. The organized efforts of the labor movements of the United States then, initiated on the campaign demanding a 10 hour work day culminated in bringing about the now infamous struggle for the "the 08 hour workday". in 1884.

By Ernest Corea

The practice of passing judgment on a new American president at the end of his first 100 days in office is an unavoidable political ritual that is buttressed by a national inclination towards doing everything by the numbers. Thus, on President Barack Obama’s hundredth day in office newspaper readers encountered snippets of information on the percentage of presidents in the post-World War 2 years who were left-handed (42) like Obama, the average age of the Obama Cabinet (46), and the number of recent newspaper references (75) to Portuguese Water Dogs, the breed of the puppy gifted to the Obamas by Senator Edward Kennedy.

By Nicola Nasser

Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to be the third pontiff to visit the Holy Land from 8 – 15 May, following in the footsteps of Paul VI in 1964 and John Paul II in 2000, on a mission officially described as a "pilgrimage" and one of "peace and reconciliation." However, the Pope will be stepping into "a diplomatic minefield," where the Catholic highest spiritual authority will be unmercifully scrutinized by the protagonists of the one hundred year old Arab – Israeli conflict for the Holy Father’s every step, word and handshake, which would force him into the defensive in an impossible balancing act that will rule out any hope his presence is supposed to inspire, especially among the down-trodden Arabs of Palestine, whether those who are "Israelis" living as second class citizens since 1948 or those Palestinians living under the Israeli military occupation since 1967.

M.A. Kader-Our Correspondent in Bangladesh

Denouncing the statement of opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh local government Minister Syed Asharful Islam on Sunday said Bangladesh would face the destiny of Pakistan if the country was not prepared to tackle the growing spate of terrorism. Talking to reporters at Secretariat in the Dhaka city capital Ashraf said Bangladesh needed to work seriously to tackle the issue since terrorism is a global phenomenon. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief on Saturday at a rally said that there was no militant in the country as they had controlled of the militants by arresting and executing all the militants. Khaleda accused the four-month-old government of the Awami League of plotting to bring foreign troops in the country in the name of anti-militancy fight.

"Sri Lanka is ready to rebrand itself and to talk off at this time to reach its full economic potential, when the challenge of terrorism was ending and Sri Lankans are seeing light at the end of the tunnel" said Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha. Noting that despite adversity, in recent years, Sri Lanka sustained economic growth at around 6%, and continued to draw steady flows of foreign investment and tourists, he said Sri Lanka was better prepared to shift gears in its race towards prosperity. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union (EU) made these observations when he addressed the launch of a comprehensive Sri Lanka Economic Promotion Programme in Brussels, which commenced with a 3 day Sri Lanka Sea Food Festival on 27 April 2009 at the Raddison BLU Hotel, under the patronage of the Governor of Brussels Hugo Nys.