Modi: Worrying signs of a one-man show
By Amulya Ganguli
What has been feared about Narendra Modi is proving to be true. The rough-and-ready manner in which he has been...
Governance over democracy?
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam
Whatever the result of this Lok Sabha election, this much is sure that the country has finally reached a watershed where established democratic procedures are openly being rejected in favour of a business administration model of governance, which is not in evidence anywhere else in the democratic world.
A tale of two brothers
By Mohammed Abdul Jawad,
It’s not a story penned down in imagery, but a true one—a desperate son, not much literate, working in Saudi Arabia as an expatriate is eager to call his old mother on a visit visa. But then, there’s an obstacle! His profession is marked as ‘house-driver’ on his residence permit, and with this status he cannot apply for a visit visa for his mother.
Can Pakistan be saved from going the Iraq way?
By C Uday Bhaskar,
The Pakistan military launched Zarb-e-Azb, a major offensive operation against terror groups operating from North Waziristan Sunday, a week after the Karachi airport was audaciously attacked by the Taliban. In the last 48 hours, it is reported that more than 170 terrorists were killed while six soldiers died during the operation which is still continuing.
Whither women’s security in Akhilesh’s Uttar Pradesh?
Being a woman and moving around in Akhilesh Yadav's Uttar Pradesh seems to be a mortally scaring thought.
While union home ministry records show that rape cases in India's most populous state of over 200 million people, which sends the largest number of 80 lawmakers to the national parliament, have seen a quantum jump of 55 percent over the previous year, the state government and the police force, possiblyl the largest in the country and pathetic by all standards, continues to drag its feet in one-line statements and knee-jerk reactions of setting up teams and taking the PR route of "CM blasted officials, probe is in the right direction".
Forebodings of great violence
By Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
The violent energies unleashed by communal politics before, during and after the elections have led to social tension that might erupt into great violence any moment. These violent energies have not yet spent themselves as is evident from reports of stray communal violence in the country.
SAI, not federations, raises Incheon hopes
By Veturi Srivatsa,
If Sports Authority of India (SAI) director general Jiji Thomson confidently says India will win 70-75 medals at the Incheon Asian Games, one has to take the figure seriously. Normally, it is the national sports federations that make tall claims about their chances, not the sports ministry or any of its agencies.
Modi should speak out more on sports in India
By Veturi Srivatsa,
One wonders how Narendra Modi could draw a parallel between India winning a cricket match and the Mars achievement of space scientists when he himself and his alter ego Amit Shah controlled Gujarat cricket till the two shifted to Delhi.
The Siege and a Twitter account: Questions Begin
By Amit Dasgupta,
The Sydney café siege is over. While no tears will be shed over the gunman, two families have lost their loved ones. Christmas will not be the same. The incident has left fun-loving Sydney shaken and will trigger introspection and investigation. In a separate incident, techie Mehdi Masroor Biswas was arrested with the assistance of MI6 and the Bengaluru police have started retracing his digital footprint to identify his proximity with the IS network. Are there parallels between the two incidents?
Isolating Moscow will not help India or the West
By Amit Dasgupta,
By all accounts, the Russian economy is in imminent danger of collapse. After a period of relative economic stability under President Vladimir Putin, the rouble is now in free-fall. The central bank has announced an increase in interest rates from 10.5 percent to 17 percent. It failed to stabilize the rouble. This has reduced the purchasing power and seriously affected ordinary Russians, as the bulk of food and consumer goods are imported.
Modi & Erdogan: Parallel lives?
By Amulya Ganguli,
The writer Amitav Ghosh has noted "striking" parallels between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "In both...
India’s can make distinctive contribution to Paris climate conference
By Sujatha Byravan, Amit Kanudia and Arushi Sen,
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) meeting to be held in Paris (COP-21) in December 2015 is expected to establish a new international agreement on climate change. The main bone of contention lies in the differentiation and sharing of the remaining carbon space in order to avoid catastrophic warming. China and the US, which are the world's largest CO2 emitters, have recently announced an agreement to restrict emissions by 2030.
Government must not be a tax terrorist: Experts
By Venkatachari Jagannathan,
Chennai: Even as the central government has decided to review the new norms to file income tax returns barely three days after...
A popular Muslim stereotype as opposed to official one
By Saeed Naqvi
On July 30, 2015, two high profile burials took place, almost formalizing new stereotypes of Indian Muslims. A former president of...
Writers’ Buildings renovation yet to start even after three years
By Sahana Ghosh
Kolkata : As the glossy facade of Nabanna - the temporary seat of the West Bengal government in neighbouring Howrah - prepares...
Role of madrasas in the 1857 War of Independence
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed
More than half a million Muslim clerics sacrificed their lives for India during the various phases of the great 1857 revolt - a fact almost buried like the mutineers themselves. These Indian freedom fighters came from the same madrasas that have been under scanner all over the world since 9/11.
Jet-Sahara deal: heralding new phase in Indian civil aviation industry
By Sushma Ramachandran
India's leading private airline Jet Airways finally announced a takeover of the much smaller Air Sahara at a cost of Rs. 1450 crore ($346 million) last week, ending prolonged speculation over the deal which had been announced originally in January 2006. With this merger, the process of consolidation has begun in the country's civil aviation industry. It will emerge as the largest player in the Indian skies.
Sri Lanka’s militarism keeping tourists and investments away
By Lee Salter, IANS
Sri Lanka figures intermittently in the British news media, but the coverage does not really prepare first-time visitors to the country like me who usually get a different sort of information in universities and the media.
A week travelling across the country recently brought to me the reality of Sri Lanka's conflict-ridden everyday life. As a white Westerner, I was immediately absorbed by the many Colombo-based NGO workers, or 'internationals', as they refer themselves.
Hadiths provide guidance too
By Amin Farzanefar
Bonn, Germany : In public discourse in the West, it is assumed that the Qur'an is the sole foundation of the Islamic faith, and other sources, which contribute to the diversity of the faith, are simply ignored. Marco Schöller, a scholar of Islam who has now translated the popular hadith collection of al-Nawawi into German, elaborates on this particular source in the following interview:
Mr. Schöller, what is a hadith?
I have to escape from the death chamber, says Taslima
By Taslima Nasreen
A day after she announced her decision to quit India, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen tells IANS in an email of her mental trauma of being confined to a 'safe house' in New Delhi for several months:
Don’t just invest, collect art
By Shylashri Shankar, IANS
There really is no such thing as art, there are only artists, said Gombrich in his seminal work, "The Story of Art". Artists "are favoured with the wonderful gift of balancing shapes and colours till they are 'right', and rarer still, who possess that integrity of character which never rests content with half-solutions but is ready to forgo all easy effects, all superficial success for the toil and agony of sincere work," he wrote.
Are India’s lower courts failing to deliver justice?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
For all of Narendra Modi's and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to shift the focus of attention from the Gujarat riots to the state's development, the outbreak of 2002 continues to return to the headlines to haunt the chief minister and his party.
India needs to shake hands with Maoists in Nepal
By Pranay Sharma, IANS,
India's inability to correctly predict the outcome of the Nepal elections indicates its mindset as well as its failure to keep pace with the changing ground reality in the neighbouring country. It is hardly a consolation that like New Delhi, many key international players were also wrong in their assessment of identifying the Maoists as the winner of the Nepalese polls.
Separatism gets competitive in Kashmir valley
By Tarun Vijay, IANS,
It's election time in Jammu and Kashmir and once again the politicians are divided between issues of national integration and separatism to gather votes. It's not electricity or water supply, but security of the people and declarations of equidistance from India and Pakistan that hog the electioneering, speeding up a strange competition in raising secessionist voices.
The photographer from Kabul
By Martin Gerner,
Photographers occasionally share the same lot as literary translators – people know their work, but not their names. Massoud Hossaini, for instance, has had his photos emblazoned across the front pages of international newspapers in Hong Kong, New York, and Germany. The 28-year-old Kabul native works in the Afghan capital as photographer for the AFP news agency.
Zionism and power
By Rabbi Michael Cohen, CGNews,
Within the rubric of national sovereignty come many challenges; the use of power is paramount to how a nation defines itself.
Misreading the messenger
By Lawrence Pintak, Jeremy Ginges and Nicholas Felton, CGNews,
"Arabic TV does not do our country justice," President George W. Bush complained in early 2006, calling it a purveyor of "propaganda" that "just isn't right, it isn't fair, and it doesn't give people the impression of what we're about."
Preserve the sanctity of Test cricket
By K. Datta, IANS,
Oh no! Not two of them. As though one Indian Premier League (IPL) was not enough to satiate your year's fill of excitement...Someone had to say it. Who better than Virendra Sehwag? And he put it bluntly. Four months of IPLs a year would see many early retirements from international cricket.
"Players retire karke sirf IPL hi khelenge," the Delhi Daredevils captain is reported to have said. (Players will retire to only play IPL). Not that Sehwag is the first to have expressed such fears, but nobody has made the point so tellingly and with such earthy sarcasm.
Indian Premier League is here to stay
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
The numbers for the Indian Premier League (IPL) are not in, neither for the viewership nor the ones that balance the books. But be sure, when they are out, the former will be a cause for yet another party, and the latter a cause for some concern.
There are lessons to be learnt from the inaugural edition. Next year there will be more time to sell and attract sponsors and, more importantly, a lot of expenses will come in for a severe scrutiny.
Bengal’s misfortune: follies of Mamata and Marxists
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
It is West Bengal's misfortune that its political fate is in the hands of some of the most short-sighted and petty-minded politicians in recent memory. Nothing brings out this fact more than the fiasco over the Nano plant of the Tatas in Singur.
In the normal course of things, all sensible politicians would have welcomed the project, which has attracted worldwide attention because of the technological marvel of so cheap a car.
Terrorism: Hashmi and Puniyani’s letter to the PM
Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh,
The blasts in Delhi (September 13, 2008) are another in the series of tragic blasts in which scores of people have been killed. We strongly condemn the blasts and demand a proper, unbiased investigation into the same. We demand that the guilty be punished. At the same time it seems that our investigating agencies are ignoring some thing very crucial in the matters of investigating the acts of terror.
Muslim party: should or should not be
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
These days some Muslim leaders are throwing up the idea of forming a separate Muslim party. Recently some leaders from Maharashtra got together and said Muslims should not vote for Congress-NCP Alliance nor for Shiv Sena-BJP and since there is no third alternative hence a hurried conclusion was drawn to set up a separate Muslim party. Will it be a wise move to form a separate party? It has given rise to this debate.
Enough is enough
Says who to whom?
By Badri Raina
The Light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
(Gospel, Matthew, 6:22)
I
My skimpy acquaintance with the Taj hotel in what was then Bombay goes back to 1962.
I had been selected as a rookie sales executive by the then world's largest corporate house, Standard Oil, whose Asia division was called ESSO.
Our offices, also then the only air-conditioned building in Bombay, was at Nariman point.
Exercising the military option: possible, but not feasible
By A. Vinod Kumar, IANS,
Ever since the Pakistan link in the Mumbai attacks was traced, many strategic analysts have been rooting for punitive action against Pakistan - also referred to as pre-emptive strikes and hot pursuit. This is not the first time such suggestions have been mooted. After the parliament attack in December 2001, India launched Operation Parakram to mobilize its troops along the international border with the assumed intention of a frontal response to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
Mangalore pub attack: Lessons India’s civil society must heed
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
The violent attack on a group of women in a Mangalore pub (Jan 24) by activists of the self-styled Sri Ram Sene who could not countenance such innocent revelry is to be condemned in the most unambiguous terms. Ostensibly carried out to protect the ''morals'' of society and the ''honour'' of the women involved, the invocation of Hindu religion to justify the mob violence that included beating up the women and sexually molesting them is an act that ironically sullied the 'very idea' of India on the eve of the Republic Day celebrations on Jan 26.
Study in Scarlett: Goa refuses to learn
By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, IANS,
It is past 1 a.m. on Anjuna beach. And nearly a year after her body was discovered on the sands here, Goa has disgracefully unlearned every lesson the Scarlett Keeling murder taught.
State laws prohibit the playing of loud music after 10 p.m., but at Anjuna beach, the law has been made a mince-meal of, best stuffed in a baked clay chillum with a small lump of hashish and puffed away. Just the way a Japanese youngster in a batik-dyed waistcoat and stained three-quarter trousers lounging at a table is doing it.
USA would not succeed on ‘war on terror’ without judicial reforms in Pakistan
By Hem Raj Jain,
No use of going into the debate that how much intervention by USA and other friends of Pakistan, in order to save ‘global war on terror’ was responsible for March 16 patch up regarding ‘Long March’. As far the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chowdhary is concerned it was over-due since the time Musharraf failed to sustain the impeachment proceeding against Iftikhar.
Indian art museums decaying for want of professional curators: official
By IANS,
Kolkata : Indian art museums are decaying due to lack of professional curators and a training programme to groom more professionals is the need of the hour, an official of the ministry of culture said here Monday.
Byline:Array and disarray in the Left
By M.J. Akbar,
Leaders come in two cultures. One sort of leader accepts the necessity of accountability in public life. This group is in a minority. The majority follows a law, which their followers know only too well: “If we win, I get the credit; if we lose, you get the blame”.
A political safari
By M.J. Akbar,
Victory and defeat in an election are a judgement call between options, not an epic choice between good and evil. It takes a couple of days at most for the celebrations to peter out and the tantrums to ease; then it is back to the difficult business of delivering governance against the background of raised expectations.
Encountering peace: Change in Gaza is possible
By Gershon Baskin,
Jerusalem: Thirty-nine young people from Gaza applied to attend a peace education workshop sponsored by the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) that was held this past weekend in a school in Beit Jala. Thirty-five of them were denied entry by the IDF and did not have the opportunity to join the 70 other Israelis and Palestinians who spent the weekend in dialogue, debate, disagreement and agreement, rejoicing in the mutual recognition that we all want peace and that peace is possible.
India’s World Cup campaign flawed from the start
By Anand Philar, IANS,
It is time to pick up the pieces of Indian hockey even as coach Jose Brasa is humming John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" melody. One suspects that the Spaniard believes that he could be the first before the firing squad, post the Hockey World Cup.
Enforcing the Shariah: Some Critical Considerations
By Maulana Waris Mazhari,
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
Projecting retrograde fatwas: Reinforcing stereotypes
By Ram Puniyani,
The Islamic seminaries issue fatwas by the dozen, day in and day out. It is only on few occasions that these get media publicity, and the quantum of media publicity is also not uniform. Some fatwas are really projected very much hogging all the lime light ; some others are hidden on the back pages in small column centimeters while few others never taken note of. Which are these one’s where media interest and curiosity is maximum? This is the question which media pundits can introspect and debate but few observations are in order.
Mamata as chief minister? Jury still out
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Mamata Banerjee's ascent is based on an unrehearsed, inchoate, impulsive political movement, which has surged ahead of other parties in recent years in acquiring close grassroots links. As the name of her party, Trinamool (or grassroots) Congress, shows, she did not bank on any ideological conviction or organisational strength to reach her present position where she is regarded as the next chief minister of West Bengal.
Four Important Questions
By Dr Wasim Ahmad,
There are a few questions that I have been asked to respond to. My humble submissions are as follows:
1. Do you see Muslims having multitude of problems in India?
India unveils ambitious ‘Connect’ with Central Asia
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
A little noticed but major Indian policy initiative was unveiled in distant Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, last week.
Kamat was aware of illegal mining: Shah commission
Panaji, Sep 8 (IANS) Former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat and two key bureaucrats have been indicted by the Justice M.B. Shah Commission, which...
Ayodhya temple: BJP’s fraudulent religiosity
(Dec 6 is the 20th anniversary of the Babri Masjid's demolition)
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
India’s education system must prepare children for life
By Shashank Vira and Mark Runacres, IANS,
Deflation remains biggest threat to Euro Zone
By Vatsal Srivastava, IANS,
Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), decided to keep interest rates unchanged at the central bank's monthly monetary...
A jaded diplomatic dance in Obama-Dalai Lama meeting
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
When President Barack Obama meets the Dalai Lama in the White House on Friday morning, a jaded diplomatic dance will play out.
Young India not prepared for old age!
By Prashant Tripathy,
With better food supply and nutrition, healthier lifestyle, better hygiene and, most importantly, advances in healthcare, Indians now live longer - life expectancy has gone up from 31 years in 1947 to 64 years in 2005.
Where does facilitation stop and bribery begin?
By Vishnu Makhijani,
Some three decades ago, when I was in the government, I made the acquaintance of a senior bureaucrat in an economic ministry...
Will Antony do the unthinkable on army chief? His masterly inactivity cost the nation
By Surya Gangadharan,
Speculation about the government appointing the new army chief has been current for some time, the latest hinting that Defence Minister A.K....
How to make money and become an entrepreneur
Not every business idea flourishes and not all business ideas are dated. Following this mantra, IANS picks up interesting reads from the book pile to help you decide. Take a look.
Of Bengali society and absence of political representation
By Biswajit Choudhury,
The absence of representation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet for West Bengal, where the BJP won two seats, was depressing enough to provoke op-eds on the Bengali character.
When acronyms pack greater punch
By Vishnu Makhijani,
How would you react if you were asked for a report ASAP. You'd jump to it, won't you?
Now, what would your reaction be if asked for a report as soon as possible? You'd probably say: "Aw shucks, this guy is in no hurry." Such is the power of the acronym.
Amit Shah as BJP chief: Modi sidestepping RSS?
By Amulya Ganguli,
When L.K. Advani was dragged kicking and screaming from the post of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president in 2005 under orders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Delhi to Washington stated that the event "demonstrated the power of the RSS ... and will likely increase the party's (the BJP's) political decline".
Post-budget, Right-Left divide will become wider
By Amulya Ganguli,
Those who had expected the budget proposals to signal a flying start to the currently stalled economic reforms in keeping with Narendra Modi's reputation for decisiveness would be disappointed.
BRICS but not yet a Building
By Amit Kapoor,
The recently concluded BRICS annual summit held in Brazil resulted in the important Fortaleza Declaration and Action Plan from the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The joint declaration has some important points that highlight the importance of this year’s summit.
CWG is beyond the reach of smaller nations
By Veturi Srivatsa,
What is the relevance of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in the 21st century? This question pops up every four years, more so in the last two decades.
Competition commission proving to be efficient regulator
By Amit Kapoor,
Citizen control and takeover by companies is often pointed out as an Achilles’ heel in any capitalist society. People with leftist leanings, too often criticize free markets, citing market failure and greed as fundamental reasons for radical activism or resort to force. Not only does this position appear weak as an argument, but also appears to us as being fundamentally flawed. The reason for that is markets in our opinion expand choices and promote economic liberty for citizens.
Do the Owaisi brothers have a pan India potential?
By Saeed Naqvi,
The two successes of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) of Hyderabad in assembly elections in Maharashtra may not affect government formation in Mumbai but reverberations will be felt in the nation's politics for a long time.
Montreal Protocol: One more ‘BerlinWall’ fell 25 years back
By Rajendra Shende,
The Montreal Protocol's entry into force gave birth to the freedom from yet another Iron Curtain.
'Wall of Shame!' moaned the Western proponents of freedom to describe 155 km of Berlin Wall that finally came down Nov 9, 1989. The architects of the Wall, however, called it 'anti-fascist protection', built to protect the population of the eastern socialists from fascist elements. The West-East divide was not just physical. It was a philosophically brutal experiment in socio-political theories.
Modi-Obama’s bulletproof summit: Was it climate-proof?
By Rajendra Shende,
When US President Barack Obama alighted from his bulletproof car on Rajpath on Jan 26, he was received by a steady drizzle before being ushered to a bulletproof enclosure for viewing the Republic Day parade. The colossal and colorful crowd showed climate-proof enthusiasm, climate-proof because the rains were not able to rein in their fervor.
Is one going to see a more mature and pragmatic Kejriwal?
By Amulya Ganguli,
The first fallout of the Aam Admi Party's (AAP) spectacular victory in Delhi will be a renewed focus on sleaze in public life, as has been borne out by Arvind Kejriwal's commitment to make Delhi India's first corruption-free state in his inaugural address after being sworn in as chief minister for a second time.
Sowing the seed for holistic farming
By M. Rajaque Rahman,
The diktat to make it mandatory for domestic fertiliser producers to 'neem-coat' at least 75 percent of their urea production would...
Drip irrigation could be manna for India’s farmers
By Salim David,
Spending nights at a farm, one can hear the stillness, smell the freshness in the air and marvel at the clear skies. City folk thus romanticise rural life. They feel it is relaxed, slow-paced, with days spent in the midst of natural beauty.
Modi leads over 37,000 to mark International Yoga Day
New Delhi: unprecedented demonstration of India's soft power as a record-breaking 37,000 people, including senior officials and diplomats, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi...
Indo-Pak designers to share stage at ‘Shaan-e-Pakistan’
By Ruwa Shah
New Delhi: Huma Nassr, widely known as the first Pakistani entrepreneur in India, is set to launch a Shaan-e-Pakistan event at the...
New constitution in two months: Nepal Deputy PM
By Prashant Sood
Kathmandu : Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam has expressed confidence that a new constitution will be promulgated in the country in...
Mayawati: Now the bad news
By Amulya Ganguli
Even before the accolades about Mayawati's remarkable election victory in Uttar Pradesh, born of a path-breaking Dalit-Brahmin alliance, had subsided, several flawed aspects of her politics have come to the fore.
One is her legal entanglement in a corruption probe. Although she has secured a reprieve because of Governor T.V. Rajeshwar's reluctance to permit the Central Bureau of Investigation to pursue its probe in what is known as the disproportionate assets case, the episode has cast a shadow on her - and the governor's - reputation.
A Russian view: European arms accord a non-starter
By Pyotr Romanov
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russia's obligations in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) and related international agreements. It will withdraw from the CFE 150 days after the signatory countries receive the official notifications, which are most likely already on their way.
NRIs in US, wake up and smell the curry!
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
Highly educated and rich, non-resident Indians in the United States are waking up to their clout - and also their flaws. When Indian Americans donate millions of dollars at the presidential hopefuls' fund-raising events, they also think about the returns on their 'investment'. Do they have adequate influence in the American establishment in line with their contributions?
Ramadan -Opportunity to work for the better world
By Asfar Faridy
Muslims are getting ready to welcome the holy month of Ramadan. Its not only the month of fasting but also of more prayer and opportunity to come closer to the Almighty Allah, at the same time it gives immense opportunity to control oneself. In this way the holy month of Ramadan can be taken as annual prescription for the purification of the soul as well as maintenance of the body.
Pakistan’s nuclear-armed army faces its sternest test yet
By Rahul Bedi, IANS
As Pakistan slips further into anarchy, it is its omnipotent 500,000-strong army that deserves attention as it remains the only institution, however imperfect, capable of providing a modicum of stability amidst grave turbulence.
Events on the ground, however, indicate that like Pakistan's politics, its judiciary and civil society, disturbing cracks are also emerging in its nuclear-armed army that has directly or indirectly ruled the country for most of the country's 60 years.
State logic is not simple logic
By Hamid Ansari
Following is the text of the address of the Vice President of India Mohd. Hamid Ansari at the ‘International Conference on Emerging Security Concerns in West Asia’ in New Delhi on 21 Nov 2007:
Life changes in 25 minutes during HIV test
By Sahil Makkar, IANS
Barely a few days ago, being a journalist and monitoring HIV/AIDS-related developments in the capital off and on, I had absolutely no doubt of my supreme knowledge over the subject until a visit to a small care and support centre in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
NRIs in Kenya: shaken but safe
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
In the light of disturbances in Kenya, NRIs may well ponder over an African proverb, "When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled." By and large, whenever there has been violence, Kenyan Indians have not been targeted directly, injured or killed except by accident or being on the fringes of action. However, when an angry crowd becomes a mob, the shops owned by Indians - or anyone else for that matter - get broken into and looted. This happens in any part of the world - not just Kenya. The latest rioting in Kenya is no exception.
Bush and Ahmadinejad fighting for time
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and U.S. President George W. Bush visited the Middle East almost simultaneously.
Bush went there to whip up support for an anti-Iranian coalition, while ElBaradei was in Tehran for a meeting with Iran's senior officials. The IAEA and Tehran agreed to broaden cooperation and step up efforts to resolve outstanding ambiguities in Iran's nuclear program.
Extremism in Pakistan: The way ahead
By Alok Bansal, IANS
Pakistan has emerged as the fountainhead of Islamic radicalism and terrorism in the world. Most of the recent terror attacks in the world have had a Pakistan link. The West believes that both the Al Qaeda and Taliban leaderships may be ensconced in Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban has been challenging the writ of the state in Waziristan for years, but the fire from South and North Waziristan is now spreading.
Space militarization
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a new priority for his department - protection of America's satellites. As if to underline the importance of the task, he demanded in early February that Congress allocate 10.7 billion dollars for the purpose in 2009.
Russia has voiced similar concerns. Air Force Commander Col.-Gen. Alexander Zelin told a conference at the Academy of Military Sciences in mid-January that the biggest threats to Russia in the 21st century come from air and space.
Nagaland – Dreamers under the Dark Tunnel
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
Nagaland is back on national radar for the simple reason that elections are being held there. I was seeing a long news clip that brought out different facets of this state. One that makes me to comment on this issue is about the youth of Nagaland who to me seem look like belonging more to the globalize world than to any tiny geographical entity that's sandwiched between India and Burma.
Tear down the wall and dance!
By Checkpoint 303
We had nearly finished getting our gear off the stage when someone from the audience came up to congratulate us on our show. After telling us how much he enjoyed the music and video projection, he added, with a slightly troubled look on his face: "…but I have a problem. Isn't it somehow wrong to dance to music that deals with the Palestinian cause?" He explained that while he found himself dancing to some of the more up-beat songs, he could not help asking himself whether it was okay to dance to the message our music embodies.
Admiral Gorshkov: the ship that launched a thousand rumours
By Ilya Kramnik, IANS
For months now, a Soviet-era warship has been making waves - and filling countless column inches - in both Russia and India.
The ship at the centre of the storm is an aircraft carrier called the Admiral Gorshkov - or the INS Vikramaditya - which Russia has been refitting for sale to the Indian Navy. Last year the Gorshkov was the subject of controversy after the Russians announced that they could not complete the refit within budget or on schedule.
Why no reservation to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians?
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
Will this past 3rd April prove to be a turning point for Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians in India? If you ask me, I would say, yes. Because this is the day when the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) came up with a much-needed report on these Dalits.
Inclusive growth shouldn’t mean ignoring OBCs
By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS
The Indian government's slogan of inclusive growth is in conflict with ground realities. Other Backward Classes (OBCs) - a major chunk of the needy - have been left out of efforts for multi-dimensional development of all sections of society.
A cursory glance at the much-hyped "inclusive growth budget" of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is indicative of how the government ignored the OBC segment while making allocations for education for the 2008-09 fiscal.
No Mandal magic for Congress in Uttar Pradesh
By Mahesh Rangarajan, IANS,
The timing of the verdict on reservations for the Mandal classes in institutions of higher education could not have been better for the ruling alliance. In particular, the Congress gets great store by the decision, which puts an end to an impasse that has lasted nearly two years. Close on the heels of the verdict came the statement of Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh, probably the most vocal proponent of reservations in the Congress. Rahul Gandhi, he felt, had what it takes to be prime minister.
Democracy – Inclusion or Exclusion?
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
Barack Obama, who is in the race for being nominated as presidential candidate for America, made a remarkable speech on race relations in America. It was not merely complaining about discrimination against blacks (African Americans) but it was about extending hand of friendship towards whites so that people of America could stand together and form a more perfect union.
National interest demands UPA, NDA forge common stand on N-deal
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Brajesh Mishra has risen above parochial considerations and come out strongly in favour of the India-US nuclear deal. Initially he was opposed to the deal on two considerations. The first is whether India's strategic programme would be capped short of its assessed requirement. Secondly will India be able to conduct a nuclear test if it became necessary.
Living conflict, writing peace
By Ibtisam Barakat
My story with art started when I met Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. That was in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. I was at a school-turned-shelter, and there was a chalkboard.
Chalk and dust from which Alef was born gave me a lasting link to the creative process. And the messy nature of dust that Alef lived in mirrored my own untidy and dusty life. I found a friend, who was like me—small, playful, a refugee from paper to paper, having no home. But Alef would never leave me and would always listen.
Understanding Pakistan’s tribal areas
By Frankie Martin and Hailey Woldt,
The vows of the new Pakistani coalition government to begin a dialogue with militants has turned many heads. To Washington's dismay, the new government led by Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari seems to have a different perspective on fighting terrorism. Here's why we should pay attention.
Don’t depend on outsiders to settle the Mideast dispute
By Shlomo Avineri,
Israel's 60th anniversary has come and gone. So, too, has President George W. Bush's final visit to the Middle East. Amidst the celebrations and the soul-searching, no meaningful breakthrough in the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is visible.
India’s ‘Obama moment’ will be when a Muslim becomes PM
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Barack Obama's emergence as the front-runner in the US presidential election confirmed that the much-hyped "American dream" is not a myth after all. It is possible for a person with talent and charisma to break through the glass barrier. No walls of prejudice separate him from the rest.
Obama's rise is the greatest vindication, therefore, of America's multicultural polity. If and when he takes the oath of office Jan 20 next year, it will be an unprecedented "Obama moment" in American history.
A ceasefire is no small thing
By MJ Rosenberg, CGNews,
The ceasefire is still in effect, which is something of a surprise. After all, this is a ceasefire few like—especially in Israel. Some of the same government officials who secured it, wasted little time in saying that they did not expect it to last and that, when it did collapse, Israel would launch its long-deferred invasion of Gaza.
From heartache to Afghanistan
By Beth Murphy, CGNews,
"Have you ever worn a burqa before?" asked the Amnesty International representative.
~Youth Views~ The world, ironed flat by globalisation
By Ceem Haidar, CGNews,
As I walked into the traditional living room of our Baalbek home in rural Lebanon, the television was on full blast. My family was gathered around and watching intently. I turned my gaze to find Eva Longoria acting in Desperate Housewives, the Emmy-award winning, prime time soap opera.
Where were you when they crucified me?
By Maxwell Pereira, IANS,
"Ohh... sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble... Were you there when they crucified me on the Cross!" These haunting words with the accompanying melody of this hymn were the theme throughout this Sunday's service at the village church I usually attend within Gurgaon's new developments. Though far from the carnage in Orissa, the poignant, electrifying and gripping service this Sunday was a penitential prayer service, to pray for Orissa - its victims and its perpetrators.
Corporates must pump money into sport at grassroots level
By K. Datta, IANS,
See what an Olympic medal can do for you. If it happens to be a gold medal it can even fetch you a doctorate from a university as it happened in the case of Abhinav Bindra in Chennai. Till only the other day the media didn't think it worth its while talking to boxers or wrestlers. The Beijing bronze medals have changed all that. Now Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar are much sought after by camerapersons and reporters. Even those who didn't win a medal, Akhil Kumar for one, are receiving flattering attention.
An Apology
Heartfelt reflections on the passing of a legendary Black American Muslim leader
By Azhar Usman,
Why India stands largely insulated from global financial crisis
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
The collapse of the mighty global financial system has triggered a series of chain reactions in India, but the impact is not going to be as widespread as earlier imagined. The reasons are numerous.
Next month’s polls will lead to Manmohan-Advani face-off
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The next round of assembly elections in five states, and also possibly in Jammu and Kashmir, will be of high importance for all the political parties for they will set the tone for next year's general election.
Whichever of the two major protagonists - the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - emerges victorious in most of the states will have the advantage of stitching up the alliance led by it. The loser, on the other hand, may find that some of its allies and would-be allies are drifting away from it.
Can India afford to remain frozen in inaction?
By Rajiv Dogra, IANS,
Finally it is out in the open. The Indian defence minister, A.K. Antony, has said that war with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack is not an option. And once again we find ourselves trapped in a dead end.
India, Indians and all things Indian permeate everywhere
By Fakir Hassen, IANS,
I am now convinced that India, Indians and all things Indian permeate almost every corner of the globe, influencing everyone and everything.
Arab discord is no better for Palestinians than Israeli bombs
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Maria Appakova) - Three weeks after Israel started a military operation in the Gaza Strip, when the number of deaths already exceeded one thousand, Arab League countries finally gathered for a summit in Qatar to discuss the situation in Palestine.
The Question of allegiance: Quandary of Aligarh Muslim University
By Akif Ahmad,
The Aligarh Muslim University administration has proved it time and again that at some occasions it is more loyal to the ruling class than the class itself.
Will Obama go further than Reagan in Reykjavik?
(RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Fedyashin) - Moscow as well as other capitals expected U.S. President Barack Obama to be more explicit on foreign policy issues at his first news conference. Apparently, because of the financial crisis, America needs time to collect itself.
Bangalore 2009: a promising air show
By Ilya Kramnik,
MOSCOW : The Aero India-2009 air show, which opened on February 11, ended. Although nothing sensational took place there, as no winner of India's tender for the delivery of 126 fighter jets was announced, the air show was successful and promising for Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation.
Price of terrorism: Mega sporting events at risk
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS,
Pakistan's most charismatic cricketer, Imran Khan, must be feeling let down by the gunmen who attacked the Sri Lankan team coach on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore's upmarket Gulburg area on the third day of the second and last Test.
The former Pakistan captain has been insisting that the terrorists will never attack cricketers and implored other cricket-playing nations to visit the country without any fear. He, like many in the subcontinent, thought that cricket is like an elixir and players will not be touched by the zealots.
A people’s manifesto for the 15th Lok Sabha polls
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi
The present UPA government promised to take firm initiatives to address Muslims' backwardness and insecurity issues in its common minimum program. The much hyped Sachar Committee set up by UPA for evaluating socio-economic conditions of Muslims was not even put to discussion in the Parliament. Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission constituted to recommend constitutional and legal solutions following the Sachar findings was also not tabled in the Parliament.
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