UAE: US-Iran Detente Viewed With Caution
By Meena Janardhan
DUBAI - The turnaround in Washington-Tehran ties is being viewed with relief on the one hand and anxiety and anger on the other by various quarters within the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc.
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POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Malay-Muslim Call Shakes Opposition Unity
By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR - A key constituent of the opposition People’s Alliance coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim has opened secret talks with the ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) party of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in a move that threatens the stability of the fragile five-month-old opposition alliance.
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BURMA: UN Missions Draw Derision
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK - In their hour of despair, Burma’s beleaguered people continue to find comfort in humour. New jokes reflect new frustrations. The latest target is Ibrahim Gambari, United Nations special envoy for Burma.
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CAMBODIA/THAILAND: Temple Row - Latest in Testy Ties
By Andrew Nette - Newsmekong*
PHNOM PENH - The armed standoff between Cambodia and Thailand over ownership of the ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear is the latest chapter in the neighbouring countries’ troubled relationship.
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POLITICS-INDIA: Costly Vote of Confidence
Analysis by Praful Bidwai
NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has won a bitterly contested motion of confidence in his government by 275 to 256 votes in Parliament, securing his government's survival for several months.
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AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Encroach On Karzai's Turf
By Anand Gopal
KABUL - Dozens of civilians were killed over the weekend in Afghanistan, the latest in the trend of spiralling violence that has engulfed the embattled nation. The civilian casualties, Taliban attacks and troop casualty numbers are putting increasing strain on the Western-led coalition, leading some to speculate that the war is unwinnable.
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SRI LANKA: No Lessons Learnt From 'Black July' of 1983
By Feizal Samath
COLOMBO - On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom in Sri Lanka there are few signs that any positive lessons have been learnt from the gory events that changed this island nation’s history and sent a once booming economy into a downward trajectory.
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POPULATION-PHILIPPINES: Catholic Church Damns The Pill
By Stella Gonzales
MANILA - As World Population Day was being marked on Jul. 11, Tess and Andy were attending a family planning seminar as a requirement for their forthcoming wedding. It turned out to be window into one of the major problems besetting the Philippine population programme.
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Q&A: 'Guam Matters, Not Guamanian Rights'
Interview With Julian Aguon, Chamoru Activist
MELBOURNE - In this second of a two-part interview, IPS spoke with Julian Aguon -- whose homeland of Guam is soon to receive thousands more U.S. troops -- regarding the island’s economic problems, why Guam matters to Washington and the value of solidarity links between activists who are divided by oceans, yet united in a cause.
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US/IRAN: Scowcroft, Brzezinski Urge Bush to Drop Precondition
By Jim Lobe*
WASHINGTON - Two of Washington's most prominent foreign policy greybeards praised Saturday's direct participation in multinational talks with Iran by a senior U.S. diplomat but called on the administration of President George W. Bush to drop his demands that Tehran freeze its uranium enrichment programme as a precondition for broader negotiations.
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