By AFP

The killing of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a covert US operation is a “victory for justice” that will bring “great relief” to the world, America’s allies said Monday.

Announcing the death of the planet’s most wanted man, President Barack Obama said “justice has been done”, while his predecessor George W. Bush hailed it as a “momentous” achievement.

But while news of what Israel called the “liquidation” of bin Laden was hailed by governments around the world, many cautioned that the fight against extremism was not over.

By Mahir Ali

I may as well come clean. I was appalled a few weeks ago to come across an editorial in my favourite British newspaper declaring a drastic change of policy.

“A decade ago,” it solemnly said, “the Guardian prominently announced its commitment to republicanism. But Prince William has shown that he can be a new kind of king. That is why, in a significant change of course, we today pledge our full-throated support for the British monarchy.”

By Paul Rogers

The diplomatic signals point to negotiation with the Taliban as a route to ending the Afghan conflict. But the geopolitical hurdles remain formidable.

By Razeshta Sethna

In Pakistan, hope has a conjoined twin: resilience. For third-generation Pakistanis today there aren’t many reasons for optimism in a country where since independence a great deal of ruin, decay and backwardness has set in. Liberals claim their progressive way of thinking is unthreatened, that there is hope beyond the challenge of education, terrorism, and economic collapse; that the religious right is a minuscule minority unable to win an election, in a country already in the grip of non-secular proxies.

By Niaz Murtaza

France has recently banned the burka and other face covers in public ostensibly on security grounds. However, the accompanying statements made by senior officials have created the strong impression that the law mainly targets the burka.

By AFP

Hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered Wednesday for the funeral of Sathya Sai Baba, one of India’s most influential spiritual leaders who enjoyed a global following.

While cremation is the most common practice at Hindu funerals, Sai Baba was buried in the custom accorded to Hindu holy men.