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Geopolitics

Pakistan's Supreme Court Orders Arrest Of Prime Minister

BBC (UK), DAWN (Pakistan)

Worldcrunch

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on corruption allegations.

Ashraf has been accused of accepting bribes during his term as minister for water and power in 2010. Authorities have 24 hours to take him into custody, along with 15 others included in the charges.

Pakistan daily Dawn notes that allegations in that the RPP energy giant received government subsidies for projects that suffered large delays or didn’t happen at all.

Though these accusations might not force him out of his position, Ashraf suffered a serious blow to his credibility as protesters celebrated the court’s decision, reports the BBC. His predecessor was forced from office in another showdown with the judiciary.

The 62-year-old has denied all accusations.

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Society

Tales From A Blushing Nation: Exploring India's 'Issues' With Love And Sex

Why is it that this nation of a billion-plus has such problems with intimacy and romance?

Photo of Indian romance statues

Indian romance statues

Sreemanti Sengupta

KOLKATA — To a foreigner, India may seem to be a country obsessed with romance. What with the booming Bollywood film industry which tirelessly churns out tales of love and glory clothed in brilliant dance and action sequences, a history etched with ideal romantics like Laila-Majnu or the fact that the Taj Mahal has immortalised the love between king Shahjahan and queen Mumtaz.

It is difficult to fathom how this country with a billion-plus population routinely gets red in the face at the slightest hint or mention of sex.

It therefore may have come as a shock to many when the ‘couple-friendly’ hospitality brand OYO announced that they are “extremely humbled to share that we observed a record 90.57% increase in Valentine’s Day bookings across India.”

What does that say about India’s romantic culture?

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