By LOLITA C. BALDOR WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon says an Iranian military plane fired upon, but did not hit, an unarmed U.S. drone aircraft a week ago in what a spokesman said was international airspace over the Persian Gulf. Pentagon press secretary George Little disclosed the incident was disclosed Thursday. Little said the drone aircraft was performing "routine surveillance" and was about 16 miles off ...

Israel’s prime minister ordered the military to go on high alert for a looming attack on Iran’s nuclear program two years ago, but backed off following strong objections from senior security officials, a respected Israeli news program reported The report exposed a deep rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top security officials over the wisdom of attacking Iran but also indicated that Isra ...

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall calls Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s new deal that will allow sales of uranium to India “very positive” for Saskatchewan. “The federal government has now announced they’re getting to the conclusion part of the nuclear co-operation agreement with India,” Wall told reporters Tuesday at the Legislative Building. “We don’t always agree with the federal government on everything th ...

By Jude Fernando The outcome of the United States Presidential elections is too close to call. Yet, three presidential debates reinforced the perception among informed voters that Mitt Romney is both a weak and most unpredictable candidate.  He does not grasp the complexities of the economy—a failing he obscures by refusing to be clear about his policies. His continual self-contradiction and his appeal to t ...

By Sajjad Shaukat Democracy which has displayed its success in the west has proved the fragile form of government in Pakistan. Therefore, it is generally said that “any instrument can be misused.” Although various mal-practices such as horse-trading, nepotism, bribery, illegal obligation etc. are very common in Pakistan’s politics, yet corruption of our politicians has exposed on October 19, this year when ...

Asif Haroon Raja Historically Pak-US relationship has always been marked by convergence and divergence of national interests that kept on switching from friendship to friction. The US gained more during the times of convergence of interests but periods of divergence outweighed the former.  Although Pakistan earned the title of ‘most allied ally of USA’, it is also the most sanctioned country in the world. B ...

Asif Haroon Raja Afghanistan shares 1400 km border with Pakistan. Apart from geographic contiguity, 42% Pashtuns of 28 million population of Afghanistan share religious, ethnic, linguistic and cultural ties with 15.2 million Pashtuns of 174 million population of Pakistan. Pashtuns living in close vicinity of Durand Line have blood relations and the border line has never acted as a barrier in their cross bor ...

By Sajjad Shaukat [caption id="attachment_3428" align="alignright" width="349"] Malala Yousafzai-A Vicitim of TTP[/caption] Debate on the tragic incident of a 14-year-old girl Malala Yousafzai, a female child educator, who was brutally shot in Swat on October 9, reduced in Pakistan. But, under the cover of attack on Malala by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which claimed responsibility for this heinous ...