PAKISTAN: Behind Bars, Music and Art Free Prisoners

It’s an odd group of 30 men, all of different ages, crammed together in one room. There’s a man who used to run a computer shop. Another is an ex-car dealer. There’s a tailor and beside him is a truck driver.

Lurching from One Disaster to the Next

The world is ill-prepared for the human toll from the expected increase in floods, droughts and extreme storms and hurricanes on the horizon.

RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Death Row Convicts Bear Brunt of Torture

As if being sentenced to death is not enough punishment, those on death row in Pakistan are also among those being singled out for abuse by jail personnel.

PAKISTAN: After the Bitterness of the Floods Comes ‘Sweet Water’

Pakistan’s recent catastrophic floods has had many alternately worried and depressed, but the indigenous community that calls the mudflats between the creeks of the Indus delta home has been having a decidedly far different reaction.

U.S.: Think Tank Calls for “Bold Leap Forward” in India Ties

On the eve of U.S. President Barack Obama's maiden voyage to India early next month, an influential think tank is calling for "a bold leap forward" in ties between the two nations.

AFGHANISTAN-US: Report Shows Drones Strikes Based on Scant Evidence

New information on the Central Intelligence Agency's campaign of drone strikes in northwest Pakistan directly contradicts the image the Barack Obama administration and the CIA have sought to establish in the news media of a programme based on highly accurate targeting that is effective in disrupting al Qaeda's terrorist plots against the United States.

Pakistan’s Convoy Halt Forces U.S. to Reduce Tensions

By continuing its halt in NATO convoys headed for Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing into a second week, Pakistan's military leadership has brought an end to the unilateral attacks in Pakistan pushed by Gen. David Petraeus and forced Washington to make a new accommodation.

AFGHANISTAN: Nine Years in, Afghans Don’t Trust U.S.

On the ninth anniversary of the U.S. military intervention in their country, a new report released here Thursday finds that Afghans remain deeply distrustful and resentful of the impact and intent of foreign forces there.

DEVELOPMENT-PAKISTAN: Torrents of Criticism Greet Flood Tax Proposal

It was meant as an appeal to generous souls, but a suggestion for a one-time tax to help raise funds for Pakistan’s millions of flood victims has instead reminded many Pakistanis of their country’s faulty tax system.

US-PAKISTAN: Rise in Cross-Border Attacks Spurs Backlash

The steady increase in U.S. cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into the frontier areas of Pakistan – whether by drone missiles or attack helicopters – is causing a serious backlash from both the region's residents and Islamabad's government and military leadership.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Averting the Grimmest Scenarios

The catastrophic floods in Pakistan have added urgency to a high-level United Nations summit this week, with delegates from mostly South Asian nations convening Tuesday to call for increased technology transfer from richer countries and to compare strategies to avert the worst effects of climate change.

INDIA: Draconian Law Under the Lens

A draconian law that allows army officers to shoot civilians in areas declared 'disturbed' has come under intense scrutiny, mainly as a result of months of separatist street protests in India's Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state.

U.S. Boosts Aid Amid Doubts About Pakistan’s Recovery

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has announced it will provide an additional 75 million dollars in food aid to help Pakistan cope with floods that have affected about one-fifth of the country - including some 20 million people - since they began in July.

ECONOMY-PAKISTAN: As Floods Recede, Hope Emerges in Next Crop

"The Indus (River) showed us who this country belongs to – and that is, to the Indus," declares economist Haris Gazdar, referring to the recent deluge that wrought untold devastation to Pakistan. "We must respect rivers and not treat them with the contempt we show towards everything else."

PAKISTAN: Floods Leave Afghan Refugees Down and Out

When they are not looking forlornly over what used to be their homes or trying to find help for relatives who have fallen ill, many Afghan refugees chase after vehicles that pass through the Great Trunk Road connecting Peshawar to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Flood-Ridden Pakistan Ineligible For Emergency Debt Relief

A loan deal between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and flood-stricken Pakistan announced Thursday has drawn the ire of several NGOs that claim the deal represents an "inadequate" and "cynical" response to the disaster that is estimated to have affected the lives of millions.

500,000 Pregnant Women at Risk in Pakistan Floods

Aid groups and U.N. agencies are raising the alarm over the vulnerability of pregnant women and babies in flood ravaged Pakistan.

US-MIDEAST: Light At End of Tunnel Elusive, Despite Obama’s Efforts

President Barack Obama will try this week to underline his progress in extricating the United States from the morass his predecessor's "global war on terror" in the Greater Middle East.

RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Mob Brutality Raises Painful Questions

A breakdown in Pakistan’s justice system, a sign of a society desensitised to violence, an example of mob brutality.

Pakistani Officials Seek Funds, Debt Relief in Washington

Pakistani officials continued their quest for help in light of the floods that have affected 20 million people in their country by meeting with officials at the International Monetary Fund here Monday.

PAKISTAN: Schools Cross Extremism Out Of Textbooks

Turn schools into hate-free zones, and achieving peace in violence-wracked Pakistan may not be far behind.