ElBaradei can inspire change in Egypt The 6 April clashes in Cairo show Mubarak’s vulnerability, and ElBaradei’s celebrity clout can help those below take advantage Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk He looked to be in his early 20s. With his shirt ripped open and blood trickling down one side of his face, it took all the energy he could muster to momentarily writhe free of the six thugs dragging him off to a police truck and issue a final, desperate appeal to the stunned tourists watching from the other side of the street. “This is the real Egypt!” he yelled as the … Continue reading ElBaradei, President of Egypt in waiting

Waterworld Creatures With Wings Here are fishes with wings. Some of them are actually capable of gliding high in the air. It’s a bird, it’s a plane! It’s superman? Of course not, it’s a fish! Yes, some fish do have wings like birds. Down, down … and here they are – waterworld’s creatures with wings. Band-wing flyingfish (Cheilopogon exsiliens) Image Source This creature of the waterworld is one of the most elegant-looking flyingfish. It have large pectoral and pelvic fins that looks like wings and like other species of flyingfish, it is capable of leaping out of the water that … Continue reading Winged Fish etc!

Pakistan’s divides grow ever-deeper By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – The brazen attack on Monday on the United States consulate in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), was the first ever against a US facility in the restive region. The attack, in which gunmen fired on a security post at the consulate in broad daylight before detonating a car bomb, killing eight people, comes at a key time in Pakistan’s turbulent history: deep fissures have created an environment ripe for exploitation by militants. At stake is not only the security – and survival – of Pakistan, but … Continue reading Mullahs Attack Peshawar!

By Julien Mercille The latest chapter in the Iranian nuclear crisis revolves around a possible “nuclear fuel swap” through which Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium stocks (LEU at 3.5%) abroad, possibly to Russia and France, which would further enrich it (making it LEU at 19.5%) and then turn it into fuel rods. The fuel rods would be sent to Iran, which could use them in the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) to produce much needed medical isotopes. The problem for Iran at the moment is that the TRR was last refueled in 1993 by Argentina, but it will … Continue reading The devil’s in Iran’s nuclear details

By Neil Arun and Abeer Mohammed IRBIL, BAGHDAD – Iran appears to have cemented its political hold over Iraq as the United States’ military has eased its grip – but its rise has been divisive, and as Tehran’s influence has expanded, its limits have also become clearer, concludes an Institute for War and Peace Reporting special report. IWPR interviews with analysts and political leaders have shown Iraqi politics is now polarized by its attitude towards Iran as it once was by its stance towards the US. Some fear that Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic feuds, barely calmed, will be rekindled as … Continue reading Rise of Iran reveals polarized Iraq

India sets sights on killer drones By Siddharth Srivastava NEW DELHI – Aside from the much discussed acquisition of big conventional weapons by India, a silent accretion has been the fleet of reconnaissance and “killer” unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), specifically aimed at neutralizing threats from Pakistan, and possibly China in future. Official sources have told Asia Times Online that if everything goes as planned, within the next two years India should possess a fleet of at least 25-30 attack UAVs compared to fewer than five now with such capabilities. Until now, India has never admitted to using the destroyer UAVs. … Continue reading Indian drones?

Beijing resets relations with the Internet By Iain Mills BEIJING – With the world’s media currently engrossed by the ongoing Google drama, the relationship between the Chinese government and the Internet is once again the subject of international scrutiny. With nearly 400 million users in China – a figure expected to increase to 500 million by 2012 – the Internet has become an increasingly prominent social force in China. In the absence of a traditional public sphere, the relative freedom afforded by the net has offered Chinese citizens a totally new and increasingly dynamic platform on which to voice to … Continue reading China the future of the internet?

Maoist attack stiffens India’s resolve By Siddharth Srivastava NEW DELHI – In the deadliest leftist attack in India, Maoist rebels on Tuesday killed 75 police personnel in the central state of Chhattisgarh, in the process making a mockery of New Delhi’s recent claims that its strong-arm tactics against Maoist strongholds across north and eastern India were paying dividends. A government paramilitary force – mostly from the Central Reserve Protection Force – was involved in flushing-out operations when it was attacked in the thick forests of Dantewada district by about 500 armed rebels. Interior Minister P Chidambaram, who is spearheading “Operation … Continue reading Maoist India?