CEC impasse
PAKISTAN is fortunate to have a constitutional provision which mandates the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) only after reaching a…
Euclid spacecraft prepares to probe universe’s dark mysteries
For now, Europe’s Euclid spacecraft sits quietly in a sterilised room in the south of France, its golden trim gleaming under the fluorescent light. But in a few months the…
An unfair burden: Pia Eberhardt and Cecilia Olivet
Twenty years ago, and without any public debate, an arcane international agreement entered into force. The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) gives sweeping powers to foreign investors in the energy sector,…
Former slave trade town seeks to become African art hub Cecile
Until last year, the few tourists who visited the small West African town of Ouidah were likely headed to the Gateway of No Return, a massive monument to the area's…
Bid to relocate US Space Shuttle Discovery faces museum pushback
Tucked inside President Donald Trump’s flagship tax and spending bill last month was a little-noticed provision to relocate the iconic Space Shuttle Discovery from a museum outside Washington to Houston.…
Public sound ‘bites’
Viral. Views. Vocal. Visual. Posts. Shares. Trolls. Fakes. Trends. Hits. The world is reeling. Scrolling, clicking, posting is the new norm. Public loves to talk, especially behind the social media…
A long winding road
Bhurgri (also spelled Bhurgari) is essentially a Baloch tribe that settled in Sindh a couple of centuries ago. Today, the community reflects a Baloch-Sindhi identity, with most members speaking Sindhi.…
Elite capture of space
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin’s first human spaceflight not only carried the hopes of the Soviet Union but also bore the aspirations of humanity as a whole. Gagarin’s view…
An unfathomable pit: Candid corner
Things getting chaotic may not be such a huge problem if it is cleared up over time. But when the intent is to continue piling on the mess, it can…
The final frontier
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly…
