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Afghanistan: Where boys are kept as concubines
feature The practice of bacha bazi, which means “boy for play,” was banned by the Taliban during its rule in the 1990s, but it has returned in recent years, said Ghaith Abdul-Ahad in The Guardian.<
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Venezuela: Training ground for terrorists
feature Two captured members of the banned Basque militant group ETA—which has been waging a fight for independence from Spain—told Spanish authorities that they had been trained in Venezuela.
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Israel: Ariel Sharon’s ambiguous legacy
feature Ariel Sharon played a key role at every major crossroads Israel faced in his adult life.
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Middle East: Lawlessness in Sinai
feature An incident in the Sinai peninsula at the border between Israel and Egypt reveals the uneasy peace between the two countries.
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Canada: A slogan not worth the money
feature In the middle of a global recession, Calgary, Alberta, wants to spend $1 million to “rebrand” itself, said Michael Platt in The Calgary Sun.
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Russia: Cracking down on musical dissent
feature Last month, members of the punk band and activist group Pussy Riot were sentenced to prison for their protest against Vladimir Putin.
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Best columns: International
feature Why civilian rule is hardly a cure-all for Pakistan; how to stop thieves from stealing energy in Zimbabwe; and gaining land while losing credibility in Israel
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Israel: Killing protesters in the Golan Heights
feature Israeli troops killed at least 20 people when they opened fire on hundreds of unarmed protesters who crossed into the Golan Heights.
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Canada: A slap on the wrist for a pedophile
feature Canadians are outraged over the laughably light sentence given to a child molester.
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Why ethnic homogeneity is dangerous
feature When a small state "dominated by a single ethnic group" starts to whip up nationalistic sentiment, there’s no stopping it, said Boris Kagarlitsky in The Mosc
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South Korea: Why can’t we stop the hazing?
feature Such shocking hazing has been reported again and again at our universities, and authorities promise in vain to stamp it out, said Kim Sang-beom in The Hankyoreh.
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India: A home-grown Taliban for Hindus
feature Few outsiders realize that India has its own, Hindu version of the Taliban, said Neha Dixit in Tehelka.
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Middle East: What comes after Syria’s collapse?
feature The quicker the Assad regime crumbles, the better off the whole region will be.
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Saudi Arabia: When vice is wearing eye makeup
feature Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice “have repeatedly shown that they do not respect the people’s right of privacy,” said Khalid Alnowaiser at Arab News.
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