I.A Rehman THE world has been observing anniversaries of important signposts during the final phase of the Second World War, such as the Soviet forces’ entry into Berlin, and the Allies’ victory in Europe. These celebrations will continue till the middle of August when the anniversary of Japan’s surrender (after the indefensible use of atom bombs on the civilian population …

Displaced from their land by multinational mining companies, nomadic herders defied the odds to preserve their heritage for future generations by Rod Austin Just 10 years ago, the district of Khanbogd, in southern Mongolia’s Omnogovi province, was a barely known region of eastern Asia. That changed with the discovery of gold and copper deposits below the seemingly endless Gobi desert, home to a …

Najam Sethi reviews Nasim Zehra’s book From Kargil to the Coup: Events that shook Pakistan The Kargil story or “misadventure” is now well known, thanks in no small part to Nasim Zehra’s chilling thriller From Kargil to the Coup: Events that shook Pakistan. The book was published last year, twenty years after the event. You can understand why it took so …

Herald Report Experts, academics and government representatives have called for sustainable exploration of mineral deposits and safeguarding the interests of indigenous communities and environment. They discussed the environmental and economic challenges in mining sector at a roundtable conference organised by the University of Central Asia’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA) of the Graduate School of Development in Bishkek, …

Kurdish-led group says last of militants cleared from stronghold of Baghuz After almost five years, the battle to dismantle Islamic State’s brutal “caliphate” has ended with an announcement from US-backed forces that the militants have been driven out of their last stronghold of Baghuz, deep in the Syrian desert. Isis had held out for months against the Syrian Democratic Forces …

Arley Titzler India and Pakistan were separated at birth, established in 1947 when they gained independence from Britain. Since then, these two countries have been engaged in a violent, 70-year-long dispute over control of Kashmir, waging three wars, countless skirmishes, attacks, and subsequent retaliations. Today, India occupies 45 percent of Kashmir, Pakistan occupies 35 percent, and China occupies the remaining 20 percent. …

Herald Report Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan authorities have signed agreement to ease tension on the borders of the two Central Asian countries after three days’ negotiation at the Chorkuh village of Khoji Alo Jamoat (municipality). The road that connects the Voruh exclave with the city of Isfara was opened today, after a five-day blockade. The road, previously blocked by the Kyrgyz side, was …

Two Tajiks killed, over 30 wounded in two days clashes; Kyrgyz authorities evacuate two villages on the border area Herald Report Tense situation on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border continues amid talks between the authorities of the two neighbouring countries. Kyrgyz authorities have evacuated residents of two villages near a disputed section of its border with Tajikistan following deadly clashes in the area. …

News Desk Deadly violence has broken out for a second consecutive day along a disputed section of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border after Kyrgyzstan restarted construction work on a controversial road in the area. An official in Tajikistan’s interior ministry told RFE/RL that one villager from Tajikistan’s Vorukh exclave in the Ferghana Valley was shot dead on March 14 and two others …

Four others were injured and 20 affected in clash over construction in disputed area. People gather at the Isfara town of Chokuh municipality on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border where a Tajik teacher was killed and four others injured in skirmish.One Tajik national was killed and at least four others were wounded in a skirmish along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border on Wednesday (March …

HOSSAM EL-HAMALAWY Counterrevolution has taken hold across much of the region, but uprisings in Sudan and elsewhere show the potential for the tide to turn, writes Egyptian journalist and socialist activist Hossam el-Hamalawy, in an article published at Al Araby. Eight years after the explosion of the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions, the situation in the region looks bleak in the eyes of …