Author Archives: Jason Burke
Burma agrees to prisoner amnesty
Political prisoners may among those released as government signs ceasefire with Karen rebels in east of the countryAuthorities in Burma are set to release hundreds of prisoners in a new amnesty, in the latest step towards wholesale reform in the secret… Continue reading
Hague: Burma needs to do more before sanctions are lifted
British foreign secretary acknowledges clear ‘momentum for change’ but says international pressure must be kept upWilliam Hague, the British foreign secretary, has warned Burmese authorities that “much more is needed to be done” before EU sanctions on … Continue reading
Is democracy finally coming to Burma?
With elections and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, Burma’s brutal military regime seems to be loosening its grip. But can the generals be trusted?At around 10am one morning earlier this week, a dazed and haggard man in su… Continue reading
A moment in history as Hague meets ‘the lady’ of Burma
Foreign secretary meets Aung San Suu Kyi in British ambassador’s residence in Rangoon She arrived exactly on time. At seven o’clock a car drew up at the pillared portico of the British ambassador’s residence in the centre of the bustling, ramshackle ci… Continue reading
Aung San Suu Kyi can rule Burma one day, says presidential aide
Personal political adviser of President Thein Sein said change in Burma was ‘genuine and authentic’A senior aide to the Burmese president has welcomed the prospect of the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy campaigner and Nobel prize winner, takin… Continue reading
Immunisation push propels India towards victory in war against polio
Support from initially hostile Muslim clerics means disease is rapidly vanishing, even in city where it had the strongest holdMoradabad is a nondescript and scruffy city, 110 miles north of the Indian capital Delhi. Few have heard of it, despite its po… Continue reading
Imran Khan: set to play the innings of his life | Observer profile
After years on the political fringes, the playboy cricketer turned philanthropist and party leader is being widely hailed as the new saviour of PakistanThe crowd gathered fast and within an hour, the dust of the sports ground below the old city walls o… Continue reading
Zardari issues rallying cry for democracy in Pakistan amid coup fears
President makes speech on fourth anniversary of the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir BhuttoThe embattled president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, on Tuesday used a speech on the fourth anniversary of the assassination of his wi… Continue reading
Al-Qaida leadership almost wiped out in Pakistan, British officials believe
Senior members of al-Qaida are feared to be moving to north Africa to open up a new front after being weakened in PakistanSenior British officials believe that a “last push” in 2012 is likely to definitively destroy al-Qaida’s remaining senior leadersh… Continue reading
Stop looking for the next al-Qaida | Jason Burke
We’ve made progress fighting ‘blame al-Qaida syndrome’, but the search for new threats creates another dangerous disorderIn the last week there have been two good examples of a very familiar malaise that periodically affects governments around the worl… Continue reading »