Ashish Kumar Sen

Blind activist hits China’s commitment to rule of law   The blind Chinese civil rights activist who escaped from house arrest in April says China's government needs to stop trying to “put a lid” on its problems and pretending they don’t exist.

Diplomats from Syria expelled by U.S., allies International outrage over violence in Syria neared the boiling point Tuesday as the U.S. and other Western nations expelled Syrian diplomats for Friday’s massacre of at least 108 people, mostly women and children, in a western village in the strife-racked country.

Sentencing of doctor A US Senate committee on Thursday cut $33 million in aid to Pakistan to protest against the prison term for a Pakistani doctor in Peshawar who helped lead the CIA to Osama bin Laden.

U.S. slams Pakistan for jailing doc who led CIA to Osama The Obama administration and US lawmakers on Wednesday reacted angrily to news that a Pakistani court had sentenced a doctor, who helped the CIA locate Osama bin Laden, to 33 years in prison.

Sikhs in US hail passing of Anand Marriage Bill Indian American Sikhs on Tuesday welcomed the Indian Parliament’s decision to pass a Bill that allows Sikhs to register their marriages under the Anand Marriage Act. The Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Anand Karaj Amendment Bill on Monday, and on Tuesday the Lok Sabha approved the legislation with a voice vote.

Pakistan convicts doctor who helped bin Laden raid A Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden was convicted of treason Wednesday by a Pakistani tribal court that sentenced him to 33 years in prison and fined him $3,500.

Fleeting Obama-Zardari meet puts spotlight on frosty ties The fleeting interaction between US President Barack Obama and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari at the NATO Summit in Chicago on Monday served to underscore the frosty relationship between the two countries.

Tanzanian plows fertile ground in pitch for aid   Tanzania ’s president is waging a war on hunger - and while he’s at it, he wants to modernize his East African nation’s agricultural sector to lift millions of his countrymen out of poverty.

War crimes: US wants Lanka to hold ‘guilty’ accountable US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday pushed Sri Lanka to hold accountable those responsible for committing war crimes during the nearly three-decade-long civil war with the Tamil Tigers.

Clinton urges Sri Lanka to prosecute war criminals Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris on Friday apprised Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of the steps his government is taking to hold accountable those responsible for committing war crimes during a three decade-long war with Tamil rebels.

Syrian opposition group fractured as leader pledges to resign Syria ’s main opposition group is in disarray, and its leader Thursday offered to step down, nearly 15 months after the start of an uprising aimed at toppling President Bashar Assad ’s regime.

Clinton aide pressed about Iranian dissident camp Lawmakers have pressed a top State Department official on whether the Obama administration believes that a group of Iranian dissidents in an Iraqi camp have given up their weapons.

Pakistan’s Zardari to attend NATO summit in Chicago Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will attend the NATO summit, which begins Sunday in Chicago, his office said Wednesday, signaling that a deal is close on reopening alliance supply routes into landlocked Afghanistan from Pakistani ports.

Obama backs gay marriages Barack Obama on Wednesday said he supports gay marriage, reversing his long-standing opposition and becoming the first sitting US President to support the same-sex alliance.

Obama cites Punjab-born Saund to laud Asian contribution   US President Barack Obama on Tuesday heaped praise on Punjab-born Dalip Singh Saund, the country’s first Indian-American member of the Congress. In his address at the annual gala of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, the US President described the late Saund as a “trailblazer”. Photo credit: Ashish Kumar Sen  President Barack Obama at the Asian American Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies gala in Washington, D.C.

Lawyer: Clinton to decide Iranian exiles’ fate after they move Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will decide on removing an Iranian dissident group from the U.S. list of foreign terror groups only after all its members have left a camp north of Baghdad, a Justice Department lawyer told a federal court Tuesday.

South Sudan envoy: Sudan is warmongering A top South Sudanese official on Monday said Sudan is violating a U.N. ultimatum to halt the fighting that has brought the two African neighbors to the brink of an all-out war.

Obama ensnared in mystery of Chinese dissident The Obama administration Thursday found itself on the defensive over its handling of a blind Chinese dissident at the center of a diplomatic firestorm between Washington and Beijing, as confusion over the fate of Chen Guangcheng only deepened in both capitals.

Sudanese conflict creates land of the lost The “Lost Boys” of Sudan walked for months over punishing terrain and waded across rivers teeming with crocodiles to get to refugee camps in neighboring countries.

Taliban-US peace efforts create rift in ranks of terror outfit  US-led efforts to make peace with the Taliban have created turmoil in the ranks of the militant group, deepening rifts between those in favour of reconciliation and those determined to continue the war, according to US and Afghan officials. 

Obama’s deal with Afghans angers war opponents The long-term partnership that President Obama signed with the Afghan government commits the U.S. to a role in the troubled nation for at least a dozen more years, leaving critics fuming over the uncertain costs of a conflict that already has stretched for a decade.

Taliban announce start of fighting season The Taliban on Wednesday announced the start of their spring fighting season, just hours after President Obama concluded a surprise visit to Afghanistan .

Drone strikes legal, ethical: U.S. U.S. President Barack Obama’s counter-terrorism adviser on Monday defended the use of unmanned Predator drones to kill terrorist suspects despite Pakistan’s opposition to such warfare.