Recognised as the fifth religion in the world, very few people know about Sikhism. Sikhs precepts thrived under the influence of Gurû Nânak in XVIth century north-west India. It developed as an answer to the two majoritarian religions found in India: Hinduism and Islam. Discover the 20 million adepts of a religion advocating equality between men.

The end of June will be the landmark anniversary of the first Geneva conference aimed at finding a solution to the Syrian conflict. But once the final communiqué released, corps and atrocities kept piling up. Could Iran and its brand new president be part of the solution to the Syrian conflict? July is to host a second conference - Geneva II - gathering actors of Syrian civil war, to give a second chance to international diplomatic strategy. Though, Iran participation has imposed itself as the...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has concentrated its economic activities in a city located right in the desert, which is now hosting the most daring pioneering. Dubai - the business and cultural hub of the Emirates - is also a place for compromise between religion and economic development. Located between Saudi Arabia and economically advanced centres in Western Europe, the UAE has tried to place Islam back at the core of an everyday life made of gold and asphalt. It is precisely since the...

The new draft of the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill introduced by Fine Gael (centre-right, currently in a coalition government with Labour) and expected to pass next week continues to fuel the heated debate on abortion in Ireland.

After thousands of pilgrims were reported killed and several thousands more stranded with the rescue operations being impeded due to bad weather conditions, the state of Uttarakhand in Northern India was hit with mild earthquake of 3.5 in magnitude on the Richter scale. Over the past 10 days, rescue operations have been carried out in full swing even with the army being brought into the loop. This state which plays host for many Hindu pilgrim spots including the famous Badrinath and Kedarnath...

Since April 2011, Ethiopia has been undertaking the construction of a huge dam on the Blue Nile. Located upstream on the Nile, the "Renaissance" project has brought renewed tensions with Egypt, which fears for its water resources. The dam could however benefit several countries by improving access to electricity, energy which is still rare on the continent. The construction by Ethiopia of a huge dam on the Blue Nile is threatening the water resources of Egypt, which Herodotus described as "the...

A Maldivian court condemned, under Sharia law, a 15-year-old teenage girl – a presumed victim of rape – to a hundred whip lashes and 8 months of house arrest after she confessed having had premarital sex. More than a million people around the world signed an online petition condemning this decision and in this way hoping to put pressure on the Maldivian government. Maldives is the archetype of the tropical island where it is nice to spend the holidays. White sand, bungalows on piles, bikinis,...

It is a piece of land on the sterile, hostile and uninhabitable heights of the Himalayas. However, China has been claiming this Indian Territory for 50 years. Last month, a border incident renewed the tensions between the two most populous countries in the world. Thus, when China hardly tries to hide its imperialist-leaning, India does not intend to remain passive. It all began during the night of April 15th. About thirty Chinese soldiers crossed the border and established a camp more than 15...

Summer is festival season. Most of the line-ups have been revealed. Do you enjoy mud, crowd, beer heated by the 35°C air temperature, and most of all music? Le Journal International provides you with a selection of the best international festivals.

In India, the size of condoms is discussed. A recent study shows that Indian men wouldn’t have the same “weapons” as the other men on Earth. While some argue that this is a violation of privacy, others confirm that this study will finally be of use to adapt contraception to Indian features. In 2006, Damian Grammaticus was revealing on the BBC that “condoms are too big for Indian penises”.  Indeed, international standards didn’t take into account the specificities of this Far East country....