(LinkAsia: November 16, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Moving now to South Asia, where the shooting of a Pakistani teenage girl last month shocked the world. Malala Yousufzai was badly wounded by militants opposed to schooling for girls. NHK has this report on the problems faced by women seeking education in Pakistan.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: November 12, 2012

Reporter:
Sixteen year old Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head last month by the Taliban movement of Pakistan. The radical Islamic group said girls have no right to education. The teenager is currently in Britain receiving treatment in hospital. One month after the attack Malala's school remains under tight security from the Pakistani military. Two girls who were with Malala and were also shot that day describe what happened. Shadziya and another Kainat have returned to school. They were traumatized by the incident. But decided to come back to carry on Malala's fight for education. People around the world have praised Malala's courage. On Friday Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy on Education and the former British Prime Minister gave his support to her campaign for female education in a speech in Islamabad.

Gordon Brown:
We in the international community want to say to you today that we will support you in your determination that no girl should be prevented from going to school out of fear.

Reporter:
Even after Malala's shooting six schools have been blown up by militants. The attacks are believed to be the work of Pakistani Taliban. Authorities said several hundred fifty one schools were attacked by extremists in the past ten years including 233 that were almost destroyed. But Islamic extremism is not the only reason why many Pakistani girls are denied an education. Poverty is another major problem that needs to be addressed. Malala's shooting has exposed the challenges faced by the Pakistani government. It's under renewed pressure to crack down on extremism and take steps to help children of poor families get an education.

Hideki Yui, NHK World, Islamabad.

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Yul Kwon:
Pakistan has announced it will provide a small subsidy – the equivalent of about two dollars a month - to families for every child enrolled in primary school.

(LinkAsia: June 8, 2012)
Thuy Vu:

The relationship between Pakistan and the US is at an all-time low. Pakistan is denouncing the United States' continued use of drone air strikes in the country. The complaint follows the latest US attack in the country that killed Al Qaeda's second-in-command. The disagreement over drone strikes is driving another wedge into the already tense relationship between the two countries. Here's NHK with that story.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 6, 2012

Reporter:
The air strike was carried out on Sunday. According to the Pakistani government, 16 militants were killed by unmanned aircraft in the country's northwest region. Those killed include Abu Yahya al-Libi, a close aid to current al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Pakistani government summoned US Deputy Ambassador Richard Hoagland on Tuesday to protest the attack. Pakistan claims that action was not only illegal, but also violated the nation's sovereignty. Despite Pakistan's objection, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday that US drone strikes have been an effective means of combating al-Qaeda.

Jay Carney, White House Spokesperson:
There is now no clear successor to take on the breadth of his responsibilities. And that puts additional pressure on al-Qaeda's post-bin Laden leader, Zawahiri, to try to manage the group in an effective way. This would be a major blow.

Reporter:
Carney said al-Libi's death is the harshest blow to the new leadership of the group since the killing of Osama bin Laden. Drone strikes by the US have caused civilian casualties in Pakistan and are fuelling anti-US sentiment among its people. But the air strikes are still frequent, averaging one every two days during the past two weeks. Pakistan's parliament is demanding an immediate halt to such actions. Hideki Yui, NHK World, Islamabad.

(Press TV: 0243 PT, May 12, 2011) This pro-military rally, apparently urged by the government, was aimed at easing the pressure over the controversy surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden. But the mood was different at a meeting of the country's main opposition party, which was discussing the fallout of the Abbottabad operation that killed Bin Laden. Press TV's Kamran Yousaf reports from Islamabad

 

 

US Attorney General: US Drone Strikes in Pakistan 'Legal'

(Channel 4 News: 0740 PT, May 12, 2011) Eric Holder, United States Attorney General, tells Channel 4 News that US drone strikes in Pakistan are consistent with international law.

 

 

(Euronews: 0734 PT, May 3, 2011) Two days after the raid that ended Osama bin Laden's life, Washington insists that it shared its knowledge of the location with no other country, including Pakistan. The assertion on the White House website was that secrecy was considered as essential to the raid team's success. The compound is said to be close to both a civilian health centre and Pakistan's top military college.

 

 

US-Pakistan Row Intensified by Osama bin Laden Death

(Press TV: 0927 PT, May 3, 2011) Press TV reports on the latest development on the death of Osama bin Laden and the row between Washington and Islamabad.

 

 

Official: Pakistan 'Hit Below the Belt' Over Bin Laden

(ITN News: 0431 PT, May 3, 2011) Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK, rejects accusations that his country didn't do enough to help capture Bin Laden, and says Pakistan has been at the forefront of the war on terror.

 

 

(Associated Press: 0904 PT, May 2, 2011) Chris Brummitt, AP bureau chief in Islamabad, Pakistan, talks about how the killing of Osama bin Laden happened so close to several Pakistani military installations, and what his death could mean for US-Pakistan relations

 

 

(Associated Press: 2057 PT, May 1, 2011) Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead and the United States has his body, President Obama announced at the White House late Sunday. Bin Laden was killed in a mansion close to Islamabad, Pakistan.

 

 

Raw Video: Crowds Cheer Outside White House

(Associated Press: 2057 PST, May 1, 2011) Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House, cheering and chanting after President Obama's announcement that Osama bin Laden was dead.

 

 

(Russia Today: 0719 PST, April 14, 2011) Tensions between the US and Pakistan have risen sharply in recent weeks leading Islamabad officials to demand a cut in the number of CIA personnel in the country. It comes as its foreign office called American drone-attacks a "core irritant" in the fight against terror. The latest attack drew strong criticism after several civilians were killed in North Wariziristan on Wednesday.