Cool escapes
MOUNTAINS measure time in millennia. The sight of Nanga Parbat’s peak from the plane as we neared Gilgit reminded me that PIA’s aircraft and I had grown older: the Himalayas…
How technology shapes power
In the early 15th century, the world still moved by hoof and sail. But within the walls of the Ottoman Empire, something formidable was taking shape. Not armies. Not treaties.…
Peshawar’s last sentinel
The grand old man of Peshawar, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, recently announced his retirement from parliamentary politics. At 84, Haji Bilour is the oldest surviving member of the Bilour family,…
Lethal pesticides
THE World Health Organisation estimates over 19,000 suicide deaths every year in Pakistan, with evidence suggesting that the actual number could be significantly higher due to under-reporting. Previous research from…
Frontline Peshawar
PESHAWAR bleeds once again. The brutal slaughter of more than 100 innocents by unidentified killers is another galling reminder that very little changes in the land of the pure. The response of…
Indigenous recipes
ALMOST every society is infected with the virus of extremism. Push and pull factors vary from one area to another; hence there is no standard recipe to deal with this…
Realism or pessimism?
WE want every child in Pakistan to have access to quality education for 10 years of their life (five to 16 years). This is a promise that is enshrined in…
Homeowners and housebuilders pin hopes on ECB rates cut
In the west Frankfurt suburbs on a plot wedged between a motorway and a wooded park, excavators are preparing the ground for 400 new apartments. The busy work at the…
Dealmakers eye all-stock deals as US rate cut hopes fade
As markets dial down expectations for US interest rate cuts this year, America’s largest corporations are poised to rely more heavily on their stock and a bulging cash hoard instead…
Russia hopes to wear down Ukraine with mass strikes: analysts
Russia’s latest massive strikes against major Ukrainian cities aim to wear out both the population and air defences, at a time when Kyiv is urging Western allies to provide more…
