By Abubakar Siddique An unlikely voice has joined the chorus of criticism directed against the Afghan government’s commitment to civil liberties – the Taliban. In a statement issued this month, the Taliban said it considered the Afghan government’s decision to ban live war coverage, on the basis that militants were using it to their tactical advantage on the battlefield, “a flagrant violation of the recognized principle of freedom of speech”. “The monopolization of activities of independent mass media outlets by the Kabul puppet administration is a clear-cut violation of norms and regulation of neutrality, independence and liberty of speech and … Continue reading Taliban cry foul over press curbs

By Pepe Escobar The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual show in Washington would hardly be out of place in a Quentin Tarantino movie; picture a giant hall crammed with 7,500 very powerful people regimented by a very powerful lobby – plus half of the United States Senate and more than a third of the congress – basically calling in unison for Palestinian and Iranian blood. The AIPAC 2010 show predictably was yet one more “bomb Iran” special; but it was also a call to arms against the Barack Obama administration, as far as the turbo-charging of the illegal … Continue reading Obama squeezed between Israel and Iran

By Peter J Brown The Chinese government is probably unhappy about a new report by a Virginia-based, non-partisan think-tank called Project 2049 [1] that reveals significant and previously little known details about Base 22 in the Qinling mountains in Shaanxi province, China’s primary storage facility for nuclear weapons. Publicity about this new report – “China’s Nuclear Warhead Storage and Handling System” – first appeared in Defense News in early March. [2] One can quickly understand the reason for Beijing’s displeasure. Although the existence of this strategic storage complex in northwest China has been known for years, what has been said … Continue reading US peeks into China’s nuclear fortress

By Francesco Sisci BEIJING – Vladimir Lenin’s mark on communist theory was his book on imperialism [1], which the Russian leader considered the supreme – and thus last – phase of capitalism. After the imperialistic stage, capitalism would fall. He was wrong in many respects. Capitalism did not fall apart, and imperialism was just a stage in capitalistic evolution. Now is the time of globalization. After imperialism and post-colonialism, globalization is the most recent phase of capitalism’s (r)evolution. As at every turn of economic transformation, political paradigms are also dramatically transformed. Are old zero-sum game political theories still working, or … Continue reading Globalization yet to have its day

By Olivia Chung HONG KONG – Rio Tinto executives, waiting to hear the fate of colleagues held in Shanghai on charges of bribery and stealing commercial secrets, may have to wait even longer for the outcome of usually contentious price negotiations for supplying iron ore to China. The annual talks involving Chinese steel companies and global ore suppliers set the price for the 12 months from April 1. Rio’s former lead iron ore negotiator in China, Stern Hu, is in custody with three other employees of the world’s third-largest mining company – Liu Caikui, Ge Minqiang and Wang Yong. A … Continue reading Rio gets back to business

By Brian McCartan VIENTIANE – A recent high-level meeting between United States diplomats and the Mekong River Commission in Laos was held amid growing suspicions of China’s management of the upper regions of the Mekong River, which in recent weeks has run dry in several downstream countries. The exchange was seen as the latest overture in a renewed US effort to counterbalance China’s rising influence in the region and boost the US’s image in a country where for historical reasons it has maintained a low profile. Neighboring China, meanwhile, has recently made deep inroads through trade, aid and investment initiatives. … Continue reading Superpower competition for little Laos

By Brian McCartan BANGKOK – Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come out strongly against new military-drafted election laws that bar her participation in the vote, referring to them as “unjust”. She has also called on her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party to boycott the polls, a date for which has yet to be set. The new election laws are likely to undermine the credibility of the polls scheduled for later this year in the eyes of the international community. Their restrictive nature also means that the national reconciliation that the junta claims its stage-managed transition todemocracy will lead … Continue reading Decision time for Myanmar’s opposition

By M K Bhadrakumar United States President Barack Obama is about to pull off his biggest foreign policy achievement thus far as a perfect twin to the historic healthcare reform bill passed this week. Obama was expected to pick up his “hotline” to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Friday to okay the first arms control agreement of the post-Cold War era. The “reset” of US-Russia ties is under way, which is no mean achievement considering the army of cold warriors in Washington, including within Obama’s administration. However, at this historic point in contemporary world politics, such an arms control … Continue reading China wary of US-Russia nuclear embrace

Supercar crash: 10 most expensive luxury car accidents A driver crashed a £528,000 supercar after spinning out of control on a test run down a country lane near Aberdeen, leaving an expensive insurance bill. Here are some other expensive crashes involving luxury cars. telegraph.co.uk The Aberdeen crash could leave a final bill of more than £300,000 once all the repairs are completed, insurers said. Photo: PA The car has now been sent for repair to Modena in Italy, where the vehicles are made. Photo: JEFF GILBERT 1 Ferrari 1962-64 250 GTO: £19 million. The car’s British owner, who has never … Continue reading 10 most expensive luxury car accidents!

Facebook: what social networking site ‘is blamed for’ amid syphilis claims There are, it seems, few social ills that have not at one stage or another been blamed on Facebook. telegraph.co.uk Facebook has been linked to a resurgence in the sexually-transmitted disease syphilis, according to health experts. Photo: BLOOMBERG Since its creation in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg the site has been held responsible for everything from the breakdown of marriage to childhood obesity. Most recently, a public health official even linked social network sites to a resurgence in the sexually-transmitted disease syphilis. Below are a few examples of the more … Continue reading Facebook blamed again… When will facebookers defend it?