A Crucial Test for the World The year 2014 ended with a cliff-hanger for the Israeli-Palestinian question. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed the Rome Statute on New Year’s eve. His move followed a vote against a Palestinian attempt to have the UN Security Council set a deadline for Israel to end its occupation of territories it captured in 1967. …

Have you ever wondered why the United States jumps through many hoops to accommodate the brutal whims of Israel? Why the world’s only ‘superpower’ becomes servile to the Israel’s diktats? Why a country like the US which champions democracy and human rights across the world is not willing to listen to the cries of the innocent Palestinians? Actually, it is …

What’s the future of oil geopolitics? On January 23rd, Saudi Arabia’s gerontocrat King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz passed away ta the age of 90 years. He was just shy of reaching the 10th anniversary of his accession to the Saudi throne — he took over in August 2005. Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz was appointed as the new king of the Saudi …

The year 2014 culminated in Afghanistan leaving the country in two important transitions. First is the political transition where a new government has been installed, though after a laborious and lengthy election process. Second is the end of the Isaf’s 13-year-long ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ ergo transferring of primary responsibility for security to the Afghan National Army and Afghan police force. …

Some incredible things happened in the science world in 2014, but one of the best things about science is that we learn more and make progress every year. We take new steps that we couldn’t imagine decades ago. And if we look at the rate of change over time, it’s astounding.  As retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recently said, “In …

“The relevance of Islam in the modern world” is the most talked-about topic in the discussions on religion. One often finds oneself in a quest to find the answer of the question: “Are Islamic traditions (shariah) relevant to the problems faced by the modern world?” The most argued point in this regard is the situation of the Muslim world in …

The word ‘civil’ refers to the civil government as an entity, of which the military itself is a significant part. The civil government is decidedly the superior of the two and the only relationship between them should be that of a superior and a subordinate. But, in Pakistan’s case, the subordinate entity has, time and again, toppled the superior entity’s …

Fishing in the Troubled Waters The economy of Pakistan had been in turbulent waters since it remained grappling with one crisis after the other during the previous year. During this year Pakistan witnessed a lot more politics as well as the scourge of terrorism that left little room for reviving the crippling economy. In fact the year ended with a …

Islamic banking is defined as a banking system which is in consonance with the spirit, ethos and value system of Islam and governed by the principles laid down by Shariah. As per the ordainments of Shariah, Islamic banking cannot deal in transactions involving interest/riba (an increase stipulated or sought over the principal of a loan or debt).

Who are the winners and losers? During the course of past six months, the global oil prices have fallen sharply. From 2010 until mid-2014, world oil prices had been fairly stable, at around $110 a barrel. But since June 2014 these have almost halved. On January 13, 2015 the price of a barrel of Brent Crude crashed through the psychological …