ISLAMABAD – With the Pakistan military to a large degree setting the rules of the game with Washington for reconciliation with the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s supreme commander in Afghanistan, has become the army’s first major delivery for the United States’ end game in Afghanistan. Baradar is reported to have been arrested several days ago in the southern port city of Karachi in a raid by Pakistani and US intelligence officials. He is now being interrogated by these officials, according to reports. The White House, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon have made no comment. … Continue reading Pakistan delivers a Taliban treat

By Tom Engelhardt Let me put American life in the “age of terror” into some kind of context, and then tell me you’re not ready to get on the nearest plane heading anywhere, even toward Yemen. In 2008, 14,180 Americans were murdered, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In that year, there were 34,017 fatal vehicle crashes in the US and, so the US Fire Administration tells us, 3,320 deaths by fire. More than 11,000 Americans died of the swine flu between April and mid-December 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, a staggering … Continue reading Hold on to your underpants

By Sudha Ramachandran BANGALORE – Developments in neighboring Sri Lanka are triggering unease in India. There is growing concern that President Mahinda Rajapaksa will use his second term to marginalize political rivals rather than seek a political solution to the island’s ethnic conflicts. The arrest last week of General Sarath Fonseka, former army chief and Rajapaksa’s losing rival in the presidential election in January, is fueling fears that the president is focusing on consolidating the already substantial grip of his family over the levers of power rather than on addressing the country’s bigger problems. Rajapaksa’s convincingly won the presidential election … Continue reading India uneasy over Sri Lanka’s slide

By Megawati Wijaya SINGAPORE – It is a sign of the changing aviation times that as once high-flying premium carrier Japan Airlines (JAL) was filing for bankruptcy last month, Singapore’s budget flier Tiger Airways was selling its shares to the public to such demand that its stock was oversubscribed by 21 times on the city’s stock exchange. Escalating fuel costs, plunging travel demand amid the global economic downturn, and last year’s H1N1 flu crisis, all conspired against the region’s full-service carriers (FSCs), causing many to cut routes and trim staff – or, in the case of JAL, to crash and … Continue reading New heights for Asia’s budget carriers

By Jim Lobe The ceasefire announced late last week between Yemen’s government and Houthi rebels in the northern part of the country is being greeted in the United States as an important initial step towards stabilizing the Arab world’s poorest country and reversing advances by al-Qaeda’s affiliate there. Washington wants the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh to make the battle against al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which was allegedly behind the aborted bombing of a US commercial airliner on Christmas Day, its top security priority. It is providing tens of millions of dollars in training, arms and other … Continue reading US keeps its eye on al-Qaeda in Yemen