Gambling with the planet
By Joseph Stiglitz DUBAI: The consequences of the Japanese earthquake — especially the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant — resonate grimly for observers of the American financial crash…
MENA activists bring hope online
BEIRUT: Hope just got a boost online. From photos of youth in Saudi Arabia rebuilding after recent floods, to blog posts about solidarity in peaceful protests in Tahrir Square, to…
Inflationary angst
By Harold James PRINCETON: Can central banks contain inflation? We once thought they could. Over the past 20 years, central banks around the world, including the United States Federal Reserve, pursued…
Democracy at the local level in Pakistan
By Geoffrey Weichselbaum and Katherine Vittum ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan has made significant gains in deepening the democracy that its people worked hard to achieve during the 2008 general elections, democratic institutions…
Libyan rebels, Gaddafi forces fight on coast road
AJDABIYAH: Libyan rebels reported heavy fighting with the forces of Muammar Gaddafi on the Mediterranean coast road on Wednesday as both sides tried to break a stalemate in the seven-week…
Oman protesters seek prosecution of those behind killings
MUSCAT: Omani protesters asked the public prosecutor on Wednesday to charge members of the security forces responsible for killing two demonstrators in separate clashes in the northeast industrial city of…
Gulf Arabs to try to draw Yemen opposition to talks
SANAA: Gulf Arab ambassadors were to meet Yemen opposition figures on Wednesday to urge them to join mediation talks as protesters around the country again demanded an end to President…
Syria reverses ban on Islamic face veil in schools
BEIRUT: Syria's Education Ministry has reversed a decision that banned teachers from wearing the niqab — the full Islamic veil that reveals only a woman's eyes — and authorities closed…
Egypt’s revolt; lessons of Iran
When the Egyptian army announced its ‘neutrality’ at the very early stages of the recent mass uprisings, it was clear that a different policy was in effect as compared to…
Slain Assiut priest killed by maid and three associates
CAIRO: A priest who was found dead in his apartment in Assiut in February was killed during an armed robbery facilitated by his maid, the Ministry of Interior confirmed on…