Jamil Jan Kochai on traditions of Afghan oral storytelling By Jamil Jan Kochai Listen, Before I read Kipling or Faulkner or Pynchon, before I studied John Gardner or Doug Rice, before I journeyed to Hogwarts with Potter, before Ms. Lung re-taught me my alphabets and pretty much all of the English language in second grade, before I learned to spell my first …
By Emily Temple As the year draws to a close, some of us like to look forward, and some of us backward—and some way backward. Last month, while working on the not-at-all-controversial Books That Defined the Decades series, I was often surprised by the dissonance between the books that sold well in any given year and the books that we now consider relevant, important, …
By: Francis Xavier Tajikistan is one of the most mountainous countries in the world with over 50% of its land mass at 3000 meters above sea level but it only has one ski resort. Constructed during the Soviet era Safed Dara Ski Resort was fully renovated in 2015 and would make for a really cool off the beaten path ski destination. …
Runyu Liang This Photo Friday highlights Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, located on the India and Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir. Soldiers there are facing harsh conditions to ensure stableness of the line between the countries. On 25 December, the Indian Army announced the recovery of an army helicopter stuck at 18,000 feet. This ALH Dhruv chopper had …
New research suggests that a more equal society is a more productive one IT IS OFTEN said that rapid social change is behind the reactionary politics of America’s new right: older white heterosexual men feel their traditional role is under attack. But while they may have lost privilege, they may have gained from productivity. Two recent papers suggest that declining …
Pakistani passport has moved up two spots on the 2019 Henley Passport Index but continues to remain the fifth-worst passport globally, offering its holders visa-free access to just 33 countries. In the newly unveiled index, Pakistan occupies the 102nd spot as compared to the 104th spot in the previous list, reflecting a two-spot jump for the green passport. However, as …
Couple who was lynched over blasphemy accusations left behind three young children — one of whom witnessed the horror. Xari Jalil Do you remember the ill-fated Shama and Shahzad Masih, the Christian couple from Kasur’s Kot Radha Kishan district in a brick kiln village called Chak 59? The husband and wife – who was pregnant at the time – were …
Rina Saeed Khan LAHORE At his house on busy Mall Road in Lahore, environmental lawyer Rafay Alam runs three air purifiers around the clock, keeps his windows shut and stuffs towels into the gaps under his doors. Some winter days, when the city’s smog is particularly bad, “I don’t send my daughter to school,” he admits. “I am not going …
AFP Thirtysomethings Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic share the Australian Open record with six wins, but either could make history with a magnificent seventh when the first Grand Slam of the year begins in Melbourne on Monday. The pair face a stern challenge from youthful force Alexander Zverev, looking for a first major as the torch-bearer for the next generation. …
My father would tell me: don’t tire yourself, tire the mountain with your patience, writes Osman Ehtisham Anwar Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.— Anatoli Boukreev People of all leanings have been drawn to the mountains for centuries, some for spiritual reasons, some to experience the …
