Opinion

By Dave Feschuk Sports Columnist Wed., Jan. 16, 2019 As the Maple Leafs and Lightning readied for their second meeting of the season Thursday, maybe it was absurd to pose the question: Which team finds itself in the more enviable position? The knee-jerk answer is easy: Definitely not the Maple Leafs. In some eyes Toronto’s NHLers, by losing five of their past seven games, have exposed a defensive ineptitude that’ll be difficult to overcome without some trade-deadline rejigging. Until Frederik Andersen rediscovers the form interrupted by his month-long battle with a groin injury, they look like something less than a contender. And what’s to envy about that? “We’ve been hit and miss since Christmastime,” acknowledged Mike Babcock, the Toronto head coach, speaking after practice on Wednesday. And what’s not to like about the Lightning? Sitting 10 points clear of the closest challenger for top spot in the league … [Read more...] about Cure for Leafs’ holiday hangover well within reach

February 14 is an eventful time in Pakistan. Roads are blocked, cafes are full and social media is flooded with opposing views either in support of the day or against it. It is a day when conservative religious scholars feel especially relevant because of their obsession with Valentine’s Day. The reality is that it is just a day, something the majority of conservative Pakistanis often fail to understand. This year a Pakistani university has decided to present Valentine’s Day in a bizarre rebranded manner. The University of Agriculture in Faisalabad has renamed February 14 as “Sisters Day” in order to promote cultural and religious values that align with the conservative majority of the country. As per the university, headscarves will be given to female students in order to challenge the “evils” associated with traditions of the “West.” The dailyReport Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Valentine’s Day … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s unhealthy obsession with Valentine’s Day

By Vinay Menon Entertainment Columnist Wed., Jan. 16, 2019 If Justin Trudeau had any sense, he’d fly to Afghanistan with military extraction experts, surround the Tolo TV station and kidnap Abdul Salam Maftoon. It’s weird. Until a few days ago, if someone asked me to guess where a Trudeau look-alike might be discovered, the last place I would’ve said was, “Afghanistan.” That’s like stumbling upon a jungle cat inside the Tokyo Stock Exchange. But if you’ve seen the headlines in recent days — “People Are Convinced This Wedding Singer is Justin Trudeau’s Doppelgänger,” “Afghan Singer Finds Fame As Trudeau Double,” “Could This Man Be Justin Trudeau’s Long Lost Twin?” — you now know there is a 29-year-old contestant on Afghan Star who could slip into Rideau Cottage tonight and demand a batch of poutine without anyone asking any questions whatsoever: Yes, … [Read more...] about Maybe Trudeau’s Afghan wedding singer doppelgänger could put the song back in Justin’s heart

The beating of the war drum, faint as of now, points to a direly intricate outlook for the island nation and President Tsai’s appeal can be contextualised with the simultaneous directive of the Chinese President to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be “combat ready”. The military was urged to make “solid efforts on combat preparedness in order to accomplish the tasks assigned by the CPC and the people”.  Bereft of specifics, the appeal was clothed with the imperative to “respond quickly and effectively to contingencies”. On closer reflection, it is the expansionist design that is the thread binding the presidents of China and Russia, if Crimea and Ukraine are held up as case  studies.  On her part, Tsai has virtually ruled out “acceding” to Xi’s brand of expansionist geopolitics, one that is manifest from Hong Kong to Taiwan. Implicit in her statement is that the offer of unification is not … [Read more...] about HK predicament will make Taiwan wary of China

Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in efforts to end its protracted conflict and attain peace in recent days. However, the momentum of the peace talks has been temporarily impeded by the Afghan Taliban abruptly canceling a scheduled meeting with US officials in Qatar on the grounds of “agenda disagreement.” There are reports that the impasse in the negotiations between the US and the Afghan Taliban to reach a political settlement is related to the issue of the maintenance of US military bases in the country. The dailyReport Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Waheed Muzhda, a former Taliban official in Kabul who remains in regular contact with the insurgent group’s leaders, reportedly said: “The US wants the Taliban to accept at least two military bases, Bagram and Shorabak. The Taliban are not willing to accept it.” He further maintained that the insurgent leaders are unwilling to accept anything more than a nominal number of troops … [Read more...] about The challenges ahead for US-led Afghan peace efforts