Political Soldiers and the New Man – part one April 26th, 2010 by Dave Rich This is the first in a three-part series of blogs Edmund Standing wrote a while ago about a BNP member, Edith Crowther, who had posted a blog comment claiming that: I realised long ago that the BNP is the British equivalent of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, whom I admire and respect and who have great courage. That is why I joined. There was some bemusement at the idea that a BNP activist could make this claim. However, these ideas are not new on the British far … Continue reading Why did Nick Griffin depose John Tyndall?

No ‘good’ Taliban thenews.com.pk Zafar Hilaly The regularity with which the military claims to be killing as many as 30-40 militants in a day may be gratifying, but the frequency with which the Taliban are bombing schools and police stations and killing friendly tribals, police, political workers and innocent civilians is alarming. As the military is spreading out the Taliban are re-infiltrating. Those who surrendered are being released by the military along with “surrender letters” allowing them to return home unmolested, which they do gladly, and then rejoin the fray. Others are released for “want of evidence,” or freed on … Continue reading Taliban Mullahs – find me the good ones?

BOOK REVIEW Reviewed by Robert E Looney In 1936 in the depths of a world-wide economic depression, John Maynard Keynes described the decline of the world’s financial markets as a result of playing at a casino: “Short-term speculation with little regard to fundamentals.” A cursory examination of the current global financial crisis suggests little has changed since Keynes’ day – the conventional financial system, despite various patches and fixes over the years, is still prone to periods of extreme instability and abuse. Unfortunately, the economics profession has provided little in the way of constructive input in re-designing a more stable … Continue reading Islamic finance – steady amid chaos

DAMASCUS – In a bygone era, cinema-going in Syria was a popular event, shared by young and old. Men would dress in full attire, women in evening gowns, and children with bow ties, to attend blockbuster films in Damascus. That came to an abrupt end in the 1960s when the importation of foreign films fell under the strict monopoly of the government, which then practiced a radical brand of socialism. All films from the United States were banned and replaced with those cranked out by the Soviet Union. The only American films in the country were those smuggled in on … Continue reading My Name is Khan too, say Syrians

By Syed Fazl-e-Haider KARACHI, Pakistan – A deal potentially worth US$25 billion for French firm GDF Suez to import to Pakistan 3.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year has been cancelled after the country’s top court declared the contract null and void on the grounds that the award process was not transparent. The Supreme Court held in its verdict that the contract process was awash with irregularities, hence the contract awarded to GDF Suez on February 9 has been declared not binding. The court also directed the government to fix responsibility on persons involved in the “process … Continue reading Pakistan cancels US$25bn energy deal

By Sudha Ramachandran BANGALORE – China’s dam-building spree has lower riparian countries worried. There is concern in India’s northeast and Bangladesh that its construction of dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (known as the Brahmaputra in India) and possible storage and diversion of its waters will leave little water for them, rendering the region parched. The dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo is at Zangmu in Tibet. The project is being executed by Gezhouba Corporation, one of China’s biggest engineering and construction companies and is expected to be complete by December 2015. The Yarlung Tsangpo begins in the Jima Yangzong glacier … Continue reading India sweats over China’s water plans

By M K Bhadrakumar Two veteran diplomats, one from China and the other an American, trudge their weary way from their respective capitals to the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to witness as “observers” a gathering of eight leaders from South Asia agonizing over the stasis of their 25-year old regional forum. And then they retire to Beijing to exchange notes. One year ago, such a scenario would have been considered implausible – even illogical. Yet, when Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya receives the United States Assistant Secretary of State Robert O Blake Jr at Beijing on Monday for … Continue reading China breaks the Himalayan barrier

Nick Clegg: we have taken Labour’s place in UK politics Exclusive: Liberal Democrat leader rejects tactical voting, and says the race for PM is between him and Cameron Patrick Wintour, Allegra Stratton and Aida Edemariam guardian.co.uk Nick Clegg campaigning in Derby. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters Nick Clegg today makes a bold pitch to Labour voters, claiming that the Liberal Democrats have supplanted Gordon Brown’s party to become the natural home of progressive politics in Britain. In a Guardian interview, Clegg accuses David Cameron of having no agenda for progressive reform of the country, and says the Lib Dems and Labour come … Continue reading Nick Clegg: either I or David Cameron will be Prime Minister on Friday!