Four steps to US fiscal health
WASHINGTON, DC: The United States has a significant budget deficit, likely to be $1.3 trillion (10 percent of GDP) this year, and the long-term forecasts are worrying. According to the…
Addressing conflict means looking into land rights in Pakistan
MELBOURNE/LAHORE: Pakistan is presently caught in the midst of devastation on many fronts: floods, terrorism, sectarianism and street vigilantism. Yet there is another issue that is critically important for Pakistan’s…
Donors want Pakistan to tax rich to pay for floods
KARACHI: Pakistan's plea for billions of dollars to recover from this summer's floods has sparked pressure on the country to reform a tax system that collects very little money, even…
Iraq sets gas field auction for October 20
BAGHDAD: Iraq is to hold a public auction on October 20 for the rights to work on three gas fields, an oil ministry spokesman said on Monday. The sale of…
Dubai: Metro running smoothly
Almost one year since opening, Dubai's metro is on track to meet the expectations of its creators despite doubts that the cosmopolitan city's citizens could easily be wooed away from…
Rioting breaks out at Lebanon prison, warders seized
TRIPOLI: Rioting broke out at a prison in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Monday with inmates taking warders hostage to demand better conditions and reduced sentences, a security…
Shiite cleric stripped of Bahraini citizenship, say media
MANAMA: Bahraini authorities have stripped high-ranking Shiite cleric Ayatollah Hussein Mirza Najati of his citizenship for "violation" of the law, local media reported on Monday. The move comes amid heightened…
New aid for Pakistan comes with calls for accountability
UNITED NATIONS: World powers made fresh aid pledges for Pakistan's flood disaster on Sunday, after a two-billion-dollar UN appeal, but pressed the stricken nation to fully account for the money.…
Sudan ‘too slow’ on referendum, says Norway
UNITED NATIONS: Sudan's progress on organizing a key referendum in January is "too slow," Norway's diplomatic chief warned Sunday about the vote over whether the south will break off from…
As freed American returns, Iran presses US to reciprocate
NEW YORK: Iran urged the United States on Sunday to free eight Iranians as a "humanitarian gesture," while freed American hiker Sarah Shourd made an emotional plea for the release…