Cross Culture William Gomes Road to ‘75 Barisal , Bangladesh — Local and international media is covering the efforts of the Bangladesh government to uproot Islamic extremist groups within the country. But the reality is that the Islamic extremists are better equipped and strategically stronger than ever.

Media and Human Rights Jahangir Alam Akash UN day of solidarity for torture victims Hamburg, Germany — June 26 is a big day for every torture victim. The UN has declared June 26 as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. As a torture victim, I am very happy that the UN has made this initiative for torture victims.		Happenings Sekina Joseph Father's Day...commercial hype? Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Every year around mid-June, just as day follows night and spring follows winter, Father's Day follows Mother's Day. This seems an established commercial phenomenon. Family camaraderie is certainly at its best as we pay tribute to dear old Dad on this one special day. But how about the rest of the year?
Cross Culture William Gomes Breaking the silence: ensuring justice for women Khulna, Bangladesh — Women’s empowerment alone will not solve the problem; we need to treat women as human beings first. We need to break the silence and stand up against religious and cultural traditions that encourage the repression of women and children in Bangladesh.		Rupee News Moin Ansari The end of an innocent age New York, NY, United States — The Pakistan state and its actors have learned the lessons of apathetic negligence and indifferent inattentiveness. Pakistan is dealing with heavily armed terrorists, and has mounted a strong response by the Pakistan Army. The age of innocence is over.
Women of Strength Kamala Sarup Maoism in India Kathmandu, Nepal — The Maoists are gaining power in India and plan to create a “Compact Revolutionary Zone” stretching from Andhra Pradesh in the north through central and eastern India. This will not only offer Maoists solidarity, but also help them procure and distribute weapons illegally.		Culture, Life & Philosophy Ravindra Kumar India’s unity: democracy and minorities Meerut, India — India is a country of diversities. Her population is basically made up of descendants of six ethnic groups. It doesn't matter where they came from. Today, what is important is that all of them are Indians. They all are followers of the Indian Way.
UPI Softnews Muhammad Gharebag Who will win Iran's election? Tehran, Iran — As Iran's tenth presidential election approaches, things are heating up. The election that will be held next month is polarized, and current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a powerful rival in Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is from the reformists’ camp.		Transformations Namhi Hwang Hong Kong's money, Taiwan's culture Bridgeport, CT, United States — Someone asked me, as someone who has lived in both Hong Kong and Taiwan, what I felt the difference between the two places were. Immediately, what came to mind was the contrast between the wealthy city of Hong Kong and the welcoming atmosphere of Taiwan.
Village Voice Ashok Jha Shoe throwing: an act to show disgust New Delhi, India — The journalist who threw his shoes at American President George Bush in Dec. 2008 became an overnight celebrity. In March, a similar incident occurred against an Indian official, highlighting the need for Indian politicians to see that Indians are fed up with corruption.		Bharath is Truth Johann Samuhanand Why the Taliban hate the Predator Bangalore, India — History tells the world that Americans will throw in the towel in a conflict once the body count of American soldiers gets too high. So, a real problem for the Taliban is the unmanned Predator plane, which is being used in combat in Afghanistan.
Politics of War Raymond Caron In response to "North Korea’s trap for Japan" Ottawa, ON, Canada — In his article "North Korea’s trap for Japan," Richard Albert presented a point that Kim Jong II is a shrewd strategist and is a large source of instability for Eastern Asia. But his argument fails to support his conclusions of the re-armament of Japan, or its effect on the region.		Liberty Buddha Halder Bengali: the seventh UN official language? London, England — The Parliament of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh passed a resolution on Monday, April 6, 2009, to make Bengali an official language of the United Nations. With more than 230 million total speakers, Bengali is one of the most spoken languages in the world.
Collection of a Gangster's Words Yunfei Ran Chinese students are not machines Chengdu , China — Chinese want to spend the least money to get their children a good education, while their children have an interest in what they study. This request seems easy to fulfill, but in China, there is a huge hindrance coming from the exam-oriented education system.		Pukhtun Focus Ghulam Ghaus Taliban controls North-West Frontier Province Peshawar, Pakistan — Pakistan's North West Frontier Province has surrendered to the demand of Tehrik-e-Nefaze Shariat Muhammadi for enforcing Sharia law in the Malakand Division of North West Pakistan. Muslim Khan, a Taliban spokesman in Swat said they would provide support in enforcing the Sharia Regulation in the region.
Centerstage Alexander Martin Remollino Arroyo and People Power Manila, Philippines — Eight years after benefiting from a people-power uprising, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said another revolt would earn the country "condemnation whose political system is hopelessly unstable." The political scene is already very unstable, even without going through another uprising.		The Science of Spirituality Balakrishna Jayasimha Spiritual human resources Bangalore, India — The term "spiritual human resources" gains more relevance in current times. To understand the term, we first need to accept that "spirituality" has nothing to do with religion and is based on three factors, which are: unconditional acceptance, compassion, and truth.
india happy for single gold ausaf malik Top education program is a failure Bareilly, India — The Indian government has launched a "education for all" project to provide basic elementary education to all children. The aim is to achieve the goal of Universalization of Elementary Education through a time bound approach. Sadly, funds have not reached schools and implementation remains a serious problem.		Respond instead of react Malini Shankar Trauma of a natural calamity refuses to fade way Bangalore, India — The trauma faced by survivors of the deadly Tsunami of 2004, which killed over 200,000 people in South Asia, has refused to fade away. For many survivors, the tsunami washed away their lives. It washed away the entire household of Obed Janathe, chief captain Kakana Village, Car Nicobar.
Afghan Insights Marilyn Angelucci The real situation in Kabul Kabul, Afghanistan — I have been living in Kabul for the past three years, and the news reports still never cease to amaze me. According to my experience living here with my family, I can’t believe that the country they are describing is the same country that I live in.