Pakistan

Elektra 1, the homemade electric car

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Faraz Khan has something to be proud of. He drives around his home city of Karachi in one of Pakistan's few electric cars. And he built it with his own hands. Read more...

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Obama boosts joystick funding for war on terror

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The Obama administration has just handed over five billion dollars to the armed forces to buy more robots. The country's ongoing "War on Terror" employs more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for its operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan than it does manned planes. Our Observer and expert in robotics tells us that the ethical concerns behind the programme have gone unnoticed. Read more...

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Our Observer describes the humanitarian disaster in Swat valley

One of our Observers in Karachi, south Pakistan, has travelled the length of the country in order to administer humanitarian aid in the war-torn region of Swat valley. The refugees are left with absolutely nothing, he tells us, and getting aid to them is hindered by the local authorities. Read his account...

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The Mingora diaries: “a fierce battle is going on”

Pakistan’s army has temporarily suspended a curfew in the Swat valley to help stranded civilians escape raging battles between Pakistani forces and the Taliban. Three days ago our Observer in Mingora told us his family had escaped, but he was staying behind. Now, his brother says he has no news from the war zone. Read more...

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The Mingora diaries: a heart-wrenching farewell

As Pakistan’s armed forces step up their offensive against Taliban fighters in the country’s north-west, hundreds of thousands of civilians are desperately trying to flee the conflict zone. Our Observer, who lives just outside of Mingora in the restive Swat Valley, tells us his family has joined the growing flow of refugees – but he is staying behind. Read more...
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The Mingora diaries: trapped between the Taliban and the army

The Pakistani Army launched a widespread offensive against the Taliban, pushing the militants back to the city of Mingora, in the restive Swat Valley, north-west of the capital Islamabad. Our Observer, who lives three kilometres from the centre, tells us that the residents there are rapidly running out of essentials, and, for the first time, he's considering fleeing his home. Read more...

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The Mingora diaries: “the firing never stops”

The Pakistani Army launched a heavy-handed offensive against the Taliban militants squatting in Swat Valley yesterday, pushing thousands of residents to flee the area. One of our Observers however, remains just outside the city of Mingora, the region's main town. Read his account...

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“The Taliban say they have an army of 2,000 suicide bombers”

Residents across various cities and villages in Pakistan's Swat valley are evacuating their homes ahead of a possible military operation to rout the Taliban militia in the region. Read more...

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Pakistan’s ghost schools… "partly funded by the World Bank"

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One of our Observers in Pakistan tells us that in the Sindh province alone there are more than 7,000 schools - partly financed by the World Bank - which don't actually exist. The money is pouring into the local authorities, but the schools are never opened. Read more...

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The Taliban advance in Pakistan and America's 'double game'

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The Taliban have positioned themselves less than 100km from the Pakistani capital. One of our Observers in the country tells us that she doesn't see the militant group taking power. She explains however that the US, which has today expressed alarm over the advancing Taliban, is partly responsible for the mounting success of Islamic extremism in the country. Read more...

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