The collapse of the specialized silk industry in parts of India results from years of mismanaged industry policies and an influx of Chinese silk - a cheaper, more durable alternative. Five years ago, the Indian government allowed the free import of Chinese crepe silks, reversing a protectionist...
Raziya Biwi is angry. "My three-year-old son is dying of starvation. My husband lies unconscious beside him. My remaining six children are now beggars. The youngest feeds only on sugar and water as I'm incapable of feeding him." Over the past two...
Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of non-governmental orgnanizations (NGOs) have sprung up in Russia, enjoying a level of freedom unthinkable in the Soviet years. Yet following the pro-democratic revolutions in the former members of the Soviet Union, that freedom may be disappearing, says Liliana...
Seeing red: Moscow protesters decry plan to curtail NGOs by Putin government, worried about the color revolution in former Soviet states
MOSCOW: Despite rising foreign criticism of its plan to muzzle civil...
For the first time, municipal elections are set to take place in Saudi Arabia. The elections alone stand as an important sign of Saudi Arabia's increasing democratization, but even more surprisingly, women will be able vote in these elections. Women's activities are highly restricted in...
Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most male-dominated countries, is preparing to break with tradition and risk the wrath of religious conservatives by allowing women to take part in its first elections.
Plans...
Claims that Islam is incompatible with democracy and modernity are terribly off-base, says Asghar Ali Engineer, a scholar and author at the Institute of Islamic Studies in Mumbai. The observation that science and democracy are not found in contemporary Islamic countries is fair, he says, but the...
Because of certain happenings and because there happens to be monarchy or dictatorships in most of the Muslim countries it has been concluded that Islam is not compatible with democracy and also with modernity. Some...
An understanding of demographic trends can assist governments in targeting policies for the future and saving money for education, retirement, taxes, healthcare, distribution of natural resources, and more. More importantly, targeted policies can ease resentment emerging over demographic imbalances...
Demographic certainty: Population is in decline in developed countries (top); the number of elderly is on the rise in China
NEW YORK: While governments and institutions try to grapple with economic uncertainty and volatility an important factor of...
The fury of the Arab Spring, with widespread demands for freedom quickly followed by a re-emergence of authoritarian ways, has renewed debate about Islam and democracy in the Middle East, notes sociologist Riaz Hassan. Circa 1000 AD, the Middle East represented 10 percent of global GDP, as compared...
Cry of freedom in the Islamic world: Oppressed Syrians demonstrate for freedom (top); Indonesian supporters of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dance at an election rally (below)
SINGAPORE: The age-old debate about Islam’s role in the political...
“City commercial banks across China are increasingly relying on interbank funding and wealth management products as deposit substitutes– but growing investment holdings, waning liquidity and weakened capital buffers have rendered them more vulnerable to financial disruption, according to analysts...
Russia, in developing precision-strike capabilities, replaces old missile systems with road-mobile Iskander-M missile systems. These have a range up to 500 kilometers and can be armed with nuclear warheads. Writing for the Diplomat, Guy Plopsky details the locations: The purpose of systems in...
