Persian Epic Shahnama Transcends Time and Space
Issued by the Dar Suad Al-Sabah for Publishing and Distribution in Kuwait, is a new edition of one of the most important epics of world literature, Shahnama, the most famous work of art in Persian literature, written – basically – by Abu Qasim Firdawsi, more than 1000 years ago. Introduced by Dr. Suad Al-Sabah, poetess […]
Drought and famine cause death of scores of children every year in Pakistan’s Thar Desert
The persistent drought spell, compounded by poverty, poor nutrition and lack of health facilities and awareness, continues to take its toll on the children of Tharparkar, the desert district of southern Sindh province of Pakistan bordering India. Around 140 children have reportedly expired and over 200 admitted to local hospitals during last two months while […]
[Transnational] Witnesses of the Incheon Asian Games
Returning to the Forgotten values of sports Maria Mejia·Colombia·Graduate student of Global Sport Management at SNU The 17th edition of the Asian Games represented for Korea not only the third opportunity to host the games, but also set questions within the sport world towards the readiness of a city to host such an event, and […]
Thatta: the city of vibrant and fascinating faces
I felt like Hunter S. Thompson. No, more like Raoul Duke (or Rahul Duke, you might say). Only I was not high on acid. I found myself in the middle of a very small city known as Thatta in Sindh, Pakistan, which boasted of academic excellence in Sindh a couple of centuries ago. It was […]
Polio cases surge in Pakistan
Pakistan is heading for one of its worst years for polio in recent times. According to figures from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), 166 cases of polio have been verified this year, compared to 28 at the same time last year, says a report released by United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). This […]
Rampant bribery in Philippine judicial system
The Supreme Court’s almost unanimous decision on Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong is both laudable and frustrating. Ong was found guilty of accepting payoffs to favor alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles in another case in 2010. Laudable, because the high tribunal did not spare the rod on a spoiled member of the judiciary; frustrating, […]
Democracy and social justice for peace
These days, peace is endangered in the world. Many good people, public institutions and international organizations are working to establish peace in the world, but the question we should ask is: what is “peace”? In other words, the question is: “Does peace mean no war?” The answer is “NO.” This definition belongs to some centuries […]
China Lays Claims to Leadership of the Buddhist World
With an impressive display of Chinese Buddhist culture and hospitality, China laid claims to giving leadership to the Buddhist world, by hosting over 600 international delegates for the 27th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) at the historic city of Baoji in northwestern China from October 16-18. The conference theme of “Buddhism […]
Psy, Return to Gangnam Style
Every day on our way to my two daughters’ school, I am asked by both of them to play a selection of songs in the car CD player; the Egyptian version of “Gangnam Style” is one of those songs. It is no surprise to have an Egyptian touch of the worldwide hit of singer Psy. […]
Extremism haunts Pakistan’s Nobel Laureates
Pakistan’s two citizens – Theoretical Physicist Dr. Abdus Salam and a teen-age girl Malala Yousufzai won Nobel Prize, one in 1979 and the other after 35 years in 2014, but despite being the symbol of honor for their country, they faced the same unfortunate situation of being away from motherland for threat to their life […]