Reports have surfaced that India has deployed half a dozen refueling aircraft at Panagarh, an Indian Army and Air Force base in West Bengal, as a supplement to fighter planes deployed on the Chinese border. Rajeev Sharma in The Diplomat sees this as a sign that India is “upping the ante” with China: However, the latest […]

The Huffington Post website carries a blog with the title “Faith Shift” written by Jaweed Kaleem. Last year, the blog reported on a large conference in Garrison, New York, supported by major Buddhist centers and periodicals. The focus of the conference was the future of Buddhism in America. The religion is represented in this country […]

This week the Turkish Press noted the announcement by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu that number of Syrian refugees residing in Turkey has reached 70,000. Davutoğlu reiterated that, should the number rise to 100,000, Turkey will seriously consider unilateral armed action to establish “secure zones” for the refugees. (CNNTurk)Valerie Amos, the UN emergency relief coordinator dealing […]

The recent DUI arrests of a distinguished, high-profile U.S. diplomat and a senior clergyman should serve as sobering reminders that alcohol, for many people, is a dangerous drug. Each year thousands of lives are lost in alcohol-related driving accidents. There are plenty of alcohol fueled celebrity meltdowns as well as alcohol can make a bad […]

The WSJ has profiled a hedge fund manager and high-level donor to the Romney/Ryan campaign whose political views break significantly with Republican Party orthodoxy: This behind-the-scenes influence has prompted chatter in GOP circles that [Paul] Singer, already an informal policy adviser to the Romney campaign, might be offered a job in a potential Republican administration. Mr. […]

The latest sign of economic weakness in Asia comes from Japan. The government’s monthly report on the economy was downgraded for the first time in ten months: The downgrade highlights the vulnerability of Japan’s economic recovery to slowing global growth, as concerns over the impact of the euro-zone debt crisis chill demand in key export […]

The time to save the euro is running out, but there is one tentative flicker of hope beaming over the stormy scene: Germany and France seem to be working together again.After Chancellor Merkel supported Sarkozy against Hollande in the French presidential race, relations between the two countries that historically run Europe were strained. But according […]

Hundreds of Pakistani Christians have fled Islamabad following blasphemy accusations against a young Christian girl (who may have Downs Syndrome). While some have returned home, CBS reports, many Pakistani Christians are still living in a state of fear and uncertainty: . . . Nooran Bashir, who had fled a few hours after the girl’s arrest, was back in […]

One of the principal roadblocks to creating a vibrant Indian manufacturing system is the issue of land rights. Indian landholdings are normally quite small, and because the land is often very fertile, farmers are reluctant to give up the only occupation they have ever known, especially when caste and identity are also linked to occupation.Here’s how […]

One of today’s more colorful news stories comes from the West Texas town of Lubbock, where Judge Tom Head, now the official Via Meadia State Loon of Texas, warned that the reelection of President Obama would lead to blood in the streets and a UN takeover of the town. The New York Times reports: “He is […]