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By Zeina Khodr in Asia on February 7th, 2010

Continental Hotel, Kandahar - an address many foreign journalists, businessmen and employees of international organisations and aid groups know.

An oasis in a province at war … that was what it used to be – at least, for me.
I have visited Kandahar province numerous times since January 2008.

Without a doubt it is a dangerous place to work in - not only for foreigners but Afghans alike.
But at the end of a long day, we used to enjoy our dinners in the hotels' garden, benefit from the good internet connection and satellite television – yes, luxuries in many areas of Afghanistan.

Outside its walls was a very different reality.

Not any longer.

I came back a few days ago only to find most of the hotel no longer standing. In December a suicide bomber blew himself up in the street outside the hotel killing and wounding Afghans.

Tags: Kandahar
By Kamal Hyder in Asia on February 5th, 2010
Photo from AFP

Pakistan is marking Kashmir day with countrywide demos to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir. Pakistan believes that there can be no lasting peace with India unless the core issue of Kashmir is settled.

Just yesterday Pakistan’s Military Chief said the country’s army would remain focused on India.

Despite international pressure on  Pakistan to deploy more forces on its Western Border to fight the Taliban the Pakistani army is still eyeball to eyeball with the Indians after India reactivated its forward operating airbases and deployed its forces on the border with Pakistan.

That prompted Pakistan to go for a policy of a quid pro quo by sending her forces to take up defensive positions and reinforce her forward positions to thwart off any Indian attack.

The Indian military Chief has recently talked about a Cold Start option, i.e. to strike first and mobilise later policy.

By Alan Fisher in Asia on February 4th, 2010
Photo by Reuters

After my recent trip to Pakistan, many people have asked me 'But what's it REALLY like?' For them, and others, here are a few random thoughts about Pakistan.

Despite what you read in some newspapers, despite what you hear from some "news" outlets, Pakistan isn't actually filled with millions of radicalised Muslim extremists who want to kill Westerners.

The biggest problems facing Pakistan are poverty and lack of opportunity. From these two sores, numerous evils flow.

America and Pakistan are more alike than they'd care to admit. Many Pakistanis believe in working hard, making money, bettering themselves and providing a better life for their families.

Pakistani shortbread and diet cola drinks don't taste the same as those in UK.

The Taliban is not about to seize control of Pakistan. Many intelligence reports put the numbers of Taliban in Pakistan at around 15,000-20,000.

By Melissa Chan in Asia on January 31st, 2010

 

Anyone who follows China news will recognise the familiar theme of this story — a government-backed land seizure to make way for a more profitable project -- better real estate.

Those who are now landless are not adequately compensated. They voice their grievances, and are punished for their complaints.

An unremarkable story in so far as how often this happens in China, but it is remarkable how difficult it can be to get any information in these situations.

Authorities knew before we arrived we’d be there. I don’t know how they would know. Maybe one of the people we planned to speak to had his phones tapped.

By Matthew Allard in Asia on January 30th, 2010

Sri Lankan Tamils pray at a Hindu temple in Colombo on the morning of the country's presidential elections.

They endured more than 30 years of civil war and are now hoping for a brighter future. Many feel neglected by a government that they say discriminates against them.

Tags: Sri Lanka
By Matthew Allard in Asia on January 28th, 2010

I have been using big cumbersome broadcast cameras for 20 years now. While they haven't got any lighter, the quality has improved dramatically. From standard definition 4:3 to full 16:9 HD, they have come a long way in a short period of time. At Al Jazeera, we shoot on Sony's XDCAM HD system, which basically records to a disc that is similar to Blu Ray technology.

The biggest problem with most TV cameras in general is their lack of dynamic range (i.e. the ability to show dark and bright images in the same shot). This is where film cameras have a huge advantage. Up until recently most film cameras were very expensive and out of reach of most people. Now there are fantastic new DSLR cameras available from Canon and Nikon that enable you to get a film-like image for a fraction of the price.

By Mike Hanna in Asia on January 24th, 2010
Photo by AFP

The campaigning is now officially over in Sri Lanka. Election regulations stipulate a so-called quiet time before Tuesday's election in which voters can ponder their choice free of political distraction.

But in this supposed period of silence, the debate continues to be intense. The election has caught the imagination of the country’s people like few have before.

There is a discernible excitement; and an apparent national awareness that the race is too close to call.

It wouldn’t have appeared to be that way when the election was called on the 23rd November last year. At the time, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was effectively running in a one-horse race. The war that had lasted nearly three decades was over and he was riding a surge of popular support as a result.

By Wayne Hay in Asia on January 23rd, 2010
Photo from EPA

Sri Lanka is in the unusual position of preparing for a presidential election while just under 100,000 of its citizens are being held in refugee camps. Yes, they can leave temporarily, but they can't go home.

We were granted the chance, by the Sri Lankan Army, to visit one of the camps, which were set up to house those displaced during the final stages of the civil war against the rebel Tamil Tigers. At its peak, the population was more than 245,000.

The Sri Lankan government was condemned in some quarters for forcing the Tamils into the camps, where according to some, the living conditions were less than satisfactory.

There's no doubt we were taken to the best one, and were closely watched by the officials.

By Wayne Hay in Asia on January 21st, 2010
Photo by AFP

This would have to be one of the more intriguing presidential elections the world has ever witnessed. The two leading candidates for the top office in Sri Lanka are the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and the retired army General, Sarath Fonseka.

The election on January 26 will be the first since the end of the civil war in May 2009, when the Rajapaksa government overcame the rebel Tamil Tigers who'd been fighting for an independent state for 26 years.

By Alan Fisher in Asia on January 18th, 2010
Photo by AFP

On Thursday, the rumours circulated widely that the Americans had got their man - the leader of Pakistan Taliban had been killed in a drone attack. From Peshawar to Islamabad, officials speculated Hakimullah Mehsud was dead.

There's no doubt he was the main target of Thursday's attack by the unmanned drone strike on a compound on the North/South Waziristan border. Ten militants were killed but the Taliban insisted that Hakimullah Mehsud had left the area more than forty minutes before and was safe and well.

However sources in the area that night reported that the Taliban was blocking access in the area, which led to suggestions that their leader was, if not dead, then seriously wounded.

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