Batla House encounter – Justice in waiting
By Afroz Alam Sahil (translated from Urdu by Rehan Ansari),
He asked me if he’ll die or live: Hangal’s son
By IANS,
Mumbai: A.K.Hangal's son Vijay says he was speechless when the veteran actor asked him whether he will live through his ordeal in the hospital.
‘Documentary “An American Mosque” needs to be seen by people across the globe’
By Ras H. Siddiqui,
California: Many people in this country are not aware that South Asians came to the United States over a century ago. They gravitated to California and more specifically in the Yuba City and Live Oak areas near the state capital of Sacramento long before British India was partitioned in 1947 into what became India and Pakistan. The vast majority of these immigrants were Sikhs but they also contained a significant Muslim population and the Hindus amongst them ranked third in terms of numbers. The Muslim Mosque in Sacramento has catered to community needs since 1947 but distance and the need for catering to an aging population of worshippers, growth in numbers due to family reunification, other forms of immigration, plus marriages outside the community necessitated the building of more localized Mosques, like a project started in the early 1990’s in Yuba City.
Khushwant Singh: A born raconteur, a vintage sardar
By Vikas Datta
Fittingly, I was in a bookshop when I heard about the death of Khushwant Singh. It was undoubtedly unexpected, for the...
Mulayam no hero for Mainpuri’s young
By Puja Awasthi,
Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh): Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is no longer a hero for the young in Mainpuri, the constituency which...
BJP now wants to rule Haryana
By Jaideep Sarin ,
Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana had always played second fiddle to regional players in the state. But with...
Jaitley’s budget mustn’t sell rupee short
By Vatsal Srivastava,
The Iraqi crisis and the possibility of an oil supply shock have shown how quickly things can change in the foreign exchange market. The global macro risks that have merged out of the Middle East in recent weeks have pushed crude prices higher by about five percent and this in turn has led to the rupee breach the all important psychological 60 mark to the dollar.
Special Social Development Corridor can ensure inclusive growth
By Sachi Satpathy,
Can the new NDA government break the existing political vendetta in the administrative system and open space for all chief ministers, irrespective of their political affiliation, to collectively work and take ownership of the much-awaited nation building process and help achieve the much needed growth in selected worst performing states on major human development indicators? In this direction, a national program with focus and complete concentration on specific areas and issues can be an option to bring balanced inclusive growth in the country.
Modi sends Advani, BJP old guard into exile
By Amulya Ganguli,
In the Hindu way of life, old age entails exile from home and hearth. As the Manu Smriti says, when a man sees "his skin wrinkled and his hair gray and when he sees the son of his son, then he should resort to the forest".
Ebola: No panic movement by Indians from West Africa
By Francis Kokutse,
Accra: There is no panic movement out of West Africa by Indian nationals living in the region following the spread of the...
States as magnets for investment
By Amit Kapoor,
The theory that developing countries should attract investments is based on the fact that investments, especially FDIs have immense ability to raise the standard of living of the people. FD’s continued to be the most significant foreign inflows to developing countries in 2014. If the inflows to China are taken out of the equation, FDIs become the second largest inflows after remittances. India accounts for roughly $71 billion out of the $608 billion expected to be remitted to countries, according to the World Bank, in 2014. China is at a close second and is expected to have remittance flows of $64 billion.
Jaitley’s clout has grown with latest cabinet expansion
By Arvind Padmanabhan,
That the defence portfolio will be taken away from Arun Jaitley was a given. The lawyer-politician, who will turn 62 next month, had himself said in as many words that it was an additional charge he was holding, which would be assigned to someone else at the first given opportunity.
Summer safaris and spirituality for NRIs
By Kul BhushanUnlike most NRIs who would not go to India during summer, Siddharth 'Sid' Verma landed in New Delhi this month. With temperatures...
A president should be someone with a vision for India
By Shekhar Tiwari
India is in the thick of electing a new president and the time could not be more opportune to reflect on the qualities we must look for in the new leader even though the office is more symbolic than executive. It is disheartening to notice that the entire debate on the presidential election ends up focusing on the superfluous, the partisan and the non-essential.
Awake, it’s no Satan, it’s just Salman
By Manish Chand
Bigots baying for the blood of celebrity novelist and freshly knighted Sir Salman Rushdie, from Iran to Pakistan to Malaysia to Srinagar, are back in business, albeit with a slightly farcical hiss. However, this time round their rage has turned not such much on the "apostate" novelist but on the not-so-great Britain they have come to see as the blood brother of the almighty America in stigmatising and attacking Muslims.
Rise of Fascist forces in India
Independent People's Tribunal on Rise of Fascist Forces and the Attack on the Secular State
By Anhad Delhi
Pakistani dictators have a shelf life of 10 years
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Pakistan's tryst with individual dictators seems to last for about 10 years. Even Ayub Khan (1958-69), who had the advantage of assuming charge when dictators everywhere were America's favourites, couldn't last much longer.
Endgame in Afghanistan and the Musharraf factor
By Brig Arun Sahgal (retd) and Rahul Bedi
The United States' apparent determination to somehow ensure a second term in office for Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is closely linked to Washington's efforts to 'manage' Afghanistan that is fast spiralling out of its control.
Information pieced together from diplomats as well as military and Western security sources reveal that the US is embarked on a course to orchestrate the 're-coronation' of Musharraf in return for his assistance in brokering a deal with the 'good' and 'moderate' Taliban.
Is India aligning in a new Cold War?
By Sreeram Chaulia, IANS
Even as Russo-American tensions smoulder from Eastern Europe and Central Asia to the Arctic seabed, the US Secretary of State is denying the onset of a renewed Cold War. Yet, unmistakable signals of a counter-balancing effort by Russia and China were sent last month through the largest-ever war games of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a six-nation anti-US alliance.
Groundbreaking event in Muslim-Christian solidarity
By Claude Salhani, CGNews
"The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians." An open letter carrying this message was sent by 138 of the world's most senior Muslim leaders to the heads of all Christian churches — including Pope Benedict XVI, addressing Christians around the world on the eve of Eid ul Fitr, the Muslim holy day marking the end of Ramadan.
The Left has limited stake in India’s development
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Although the Indian communists are using an ideological cover to explain their opposition to the nuclear deal, there may be another explanation for their obdurate stand. It is the depressing realisation in their ranks that they will never play a major role in Indian politics. As such, they seem to have only a limited stake in India's development.
NGOs need to work with Muslim orgs: Gagan Sethi
Gagan Sethi is the Managing Trustee of Jan Vikas, an NGO in Ahmedabad which has been active in the struggle for justice for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat genocide. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he talks about his work.
YS: Jan Vikas is said to have played an important role in the battle for justice for the victims of the Gujarat genocide of 2002. What has been the nature of this work?
Preventing nuclear terrorism worldwide
MOSCOW. (Yury Zaitsev for RIA Novosti) - Starting in 2008, the U.S. defense budget will feature allocations for protection against nuclear terrorism.
This will ensure the safe storage of radioactive substances in the United States and abroad, and will facilitate operations against terrorist groups attempting to lay their hands on nuclear weapons.
Budget will spur sustainable, inclusive growth
By Lt Gen (retd.) S.S. Mehta, IANS
The budget 2008-09 has taken the necessary steps to boost consumer demand and revive manufacturing in the light of emerging global slowdown and inflationary pressures. The strategy to revise upwards the slabs for personal income tax, reduce excise on key items and reduce Cenvat from 16 percent to 14 percent will help bolster flagging consumer demand, and consequently favourably impact the consumer durables segment.
Has India let down its spies?
By Maloy Krishna Dhar, IANS
The media has often accused the Indian government of neglecting spies once their cover is blown. The reality is that intelligence agencies take full responsibility of locating, cultivating and, if possible, retrieving highly prized agents as opposed to others who pass off as spies.
Col. B. Bhattachariya, arrested in East Pakistan from a border region, attained national attention because of the war-like situation between India and Pakistan in the early 1960s. Bhattachariya was a spymaster and not a spy.
Explaining shari’a
By Noah Feldman
Last month, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, gave a nuanced, scholarly lecture in London about whether the British legal system should allow non-Christian courts to decide certain matters of family law. Britain has no constitutional separation of church and state.
Urdu must be kept alive, and not just on FM and films
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed, IANS
The head of a government-run primary Urdu medium school in Delhi made a shocking revelation recently. Last year Urdu books were not available till October although schools opened in the summer and Urdu is a second language in the city along with Punjabi.
And this is just one of the many problems confronting Muslims towards quality education.
Sending money home: top priority for NRIs
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
Sending money home remains the top priority for most NRIs. After arriving - legally or illegally - in the host country, the first task is to start earning; and then sending a major part of their earnings back home to the family. Just like arriving can be legal or illegal, sending money can also be legal or illegal - by official transfers through a bank if the NRI has legal status or through the black market in case of illegal status and/or a better exchange rate.
Dip in industrial growth: time to change gears
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
It's more bad news for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on the economic front, even as it looks forward to the general election in 2009. Industrial growth has dipped to a six-year-low of three percent in March this year. Coupled with raging inflation, the economic outlook is far from satisfactory at a time when both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram were expecting to pat themselves on the back for a great five-year performance.
An empowered agency can control terrorism
By N.R. Madhava Menon, IANS,
How does one characterise the predicament of the country today with terrorist attacks continuing unremittingly? There has been no proper response that is capable of instilling some sense of fear in terrorists and a degree of security for the people.
The nation seems unable to act decisively to control the menace on the ground that the constitution would not allow the centre to take on issues relating to law and order or that a stricter law may be misused by state governments.
PM scores a morale-boosting goal for Indian hockey
By K. Datta, IANS,
Prime minister Manmohan Singh meant to cast no aspersions on cricket when he revealed he was no devotee of the game. He was only voicing the feelings of millions of people, the 'aam admis', as politicians with an eye on votes describe them, a class of people among whom there is little fervour for the so-called religion of cricket. These masses, less articulate than cricket fans, are drawn more to games like hockey and football.
Iran nuclear deadlock hard to break up
By Che Ling, Xinhua,
Tehran : The stalemate surrounding Iran's nuclear issue seems to remain hard to break up although an updated package of incentives offered by six major world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States was handed over to Iranian officials by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Saturday.
Obama finds more support among Indians the world over
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
Having faced racial prejudice at one time or another, many Indians across the globe have expressed support for Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for US president.
Although Hillary Clinton would have been the first woman in this office, which too would have been pathbreaking, Obama as the first possible non-Caucasian US president seems more popular with Indian origin people in the US and in other countries.
India’s national interest and smaller parties
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
The current political turbulence and the calculations about the way in which the smaller political parties will vote on a major issue involving India's changing foreign policy paradigm have highlighted the need for smaller parties taking interest in foreign policy and international relations.
Dividing Jerusalem
By Uzi Benziman, CGNews,
On June 9, 1967, two days after Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troops reached the Western Wall, Anwar al-Khatib, the Jordanian official responsible for administering the Jerusalem district, was whisked away to the Ambassador Hotel in the eastern part of the city for a meeting with IDF General (res.) Chaim Herzog, who only minutes earlier had been appointed the military governor of the West Bank.
Shebaa Farms can create momentum for peace
By Cesar Chelala, CGNews,
Shebaa Farms is a sliver of land located in the border area between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. It can play an important role, much larger than its size. An agreement on that area – located some 16 square miles on the western slopes of the Hermon Mountain range – can help create a much-needed momentum for peace in the region.
Trust! Manmohan Singh will now bat for reforms
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
By using the term "bonded slave" in his speech at the conclusion of the trust vote, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh eloquently expressed his feelings during the four years of ties between the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Left parties. The pioneer of economic reforms in the 1990s, Manmohan Singh was expected to push forward the reform agenda during his tenure as prime minister but was hamstrung at every step by the Left partners.
US policy not a scapegoat for extremists
By Daniel Yankelovich, CGNews,
As the competition for the US presidency heats up, the threat of Muslim extremism is bound to become a major issue in the campaign. The reason is its link to the war in Iraq. Public polling shows that Iraq is the top foreign policy issue for most Americans, with many seeing the war as increasing the risk of future terrorism against the United States and its allies. The presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has called the threat of Muslim extremism "the transcendent challenge of our times."
India needs economists to manage economic affairs
By Syed Zahid Ahmad,
It is better to see Dr. C. Rangarajan resigning as chief of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC). He might be eying a bright career as consultant for new growing business of financial inclusion. This way he might have escaped from facing the utter failure of UPA government on economic front.
Sign language over cell phones now possible in US
By IANS,
Washington : A Washington University team has developed a software that enables deaf or hard-of-hearing Americans to use sign language over a mobile phone video link.
The real-time video communication between cell phones, demonstrated for the first time in the country, has evoked tremendous response from the aurally challenged since its posting on YouTube.
"A lot of people are excited about this," said principal investigator Eve Riskin, a professor of electrical engineering at the Washington University (WU).
Is India an outlet for Sotheby’s unsold art?
By Uma Nair, IANS,
Did international auction house Sotheby's bring famed contemporary artist Damien Hirst's works to India because a "mountain" of unsold works lies in wait in London? Is Sotheby's looking at India to sell hitherto unsold art?
These are the questions being asked by art critics and collectors in India, but a declaration Friday by the Bloomberg publication announced that Damien Hirst's London dealer White Cube has denied it has a "mountain" of unsold works before a Sotheby's sale that previewed in the Hamptons and New Delhi two days ago.
India’s nuclear deal – and two worldviews
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
Now that India and the US have formally inked the 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement and sealed another pact with France following the Sep 6 waiver by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), it is time to look at the fierce debate on the issue in this country with some detachment.
Jehadis could target Obama with psychological warfare
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
President-elect Barack Obama's reputedly conciliatory approach towards international flashpoints can potentially open the door for psychological warfare against the United States by Islamic jehadi groups.
Fighting Fascism
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Last month, the New Delhi-based human rights' group Anhad, along with some 90 other organizations, held a two-day national convention on the theme, 'Countering Fascism: Defending the Idea of India'. It was attended by scores of social activists from various parts of the country. Predictably, it received hardly any mention in the so-called 'mainstream' Indian media.
Countering Fascist Forces
Countering Fascist Forces
Iran goes into space
MOSCOW. (Andrei Kislyakov for RIA Novosti) - On February 3, Iran fulfilled its promise to launch its first satellite, Omid (Hope), into orbit by its own carrier rocket before the end of the Iranian year (which ends in March).
The world media reported that it has already transmitted a message from the Iranian leader to the effect that the successful launch "officially seals Iran's presence in space."
Interim budget a tale of delayed policies
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
An interim budget by an interim finance minister, in the midst of a global financial meltdown, is surely an extraordinary event by itself. No wonder then that all of us who were waiting with bated breath for an immediate solution to the country's economic crisis were sadly let down.
Sri Lanka: Humanitarian disaster in making
By Bobby Ramakant, CNS,
Activists expressed their deep anguish and concern on unabated mass killings in Sri Lanka which is, as they underlined, "no short of a humanitarian disaster in northern Sri Lanka".
"We also protest the covert provision of economic and military aid to Sri Lanka by Indian government which has, certainly, deeply aggravated the situation in Sri Lanka" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and Convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM).
Vote share of national parties actually slipping
By Gilles Verniers, IANS,
A quick look at the vote shares of the many contenders in the 15th Lok Sabha elections tells us quite a different story from the one told about the United Progressive Alliance's landslide victory. Not only have the national parties not increased their vote shares nationally, it appears that very small local players in many states have played a determining role in the Congress' victory by splitting the opposition vote.
Media frenzy must end: Australia not an unsafe place for Indians
By Rajni Luthra, IANS,
Most Indian homes in Australia have had this phone call from concerned family in India by now. "Are you alright? What are they doing to you guys over there?" It's almost as if Australian gangs are roaming the trains seeking out Indians to bash up, or roaming the streets seeking out Indian homes to throw petrol bombs into.
"Stay safe," the relatives are saying over the phone from across hundreds of miles. "Don't go out alone at night; don't take 'pangas' with others on the trains ..."
BJP unity will now be at expense of moderates
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The premature exposure of the Liberhan Commission's report on the Babri Masjid demolition may have given the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a day to put its thoughts together. But the extra time wasn't of much help since the earlier revelations proved to be reasonably accurate after the report itself was placed before parliament on Tuesday.
Nor was this turn of events unexpected since the "leaks" were published and telecast by reputed newspapers and television channels. There was no reason to suspect, therefore, that they were wide off the mark.
With Dantewada massacre, Maoists on suicidal course
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The Maoists may have signed their own death warrant by carrying out the massacre at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. The very success of the ambush can spell doom for them. No government can accept the brutal gunning down of as many as 76 security personnel at one spot without gearing up for a massive retaliation.
In a way, the episode was like 26/11, which convinced New Delhi of the futility of a dialogue with Pakistan. Similarly, what happened in Dantewada could prove to be a turning point in the government's anti-Maoist strategy.
Manmohan Singh’s second term: Drift, disunity, unfulfilled expectations
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Expectations about the Manmohan Singh government performing better in its second term as the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) completes a year since it returned to power are yet to be fulfilled. It was hoped that a more secure majority in parliament and the absence of an obstructionist Communist bloc would enable the prime minister to push ahead faster with economic reforms and provide more purposeful governance.
The Champions of human rights
By Navi Pillay United Nation for High Commissioner for Human Rights, IRNA,
Tendulkar and Dhoni can stop this overkill of cricket
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS,
The killing cricket schedule is unsparing, and when it comes to the Indian Premier League (IPL) cash cow, even the players are not complaining of overkill.
Book Review: Godse’s Children: Hindutva Terror in India
Reviewed by Mahtab Alam for TwoCircles.net
Book: Godse’s Children: Hindutva Terror in India
Author: Subhash Gatade
Price: Rs. 360/
On safety, small-car-makers must look beyond pricing
By Rohit Bansal, IANS,
Some years ago in the US, Saurabh Narain, a top banking executive, was hit by a distracted trucker. His BMW turned...
We must not vote for those with self-declared criminal cases
By Jagdeep S. Chhokari,
The final episode of Satyamev Jayate, the popular Sunday TV show hosted by actor Aamir Khan, on March 30 focussed on criminalization of politics. It presented data from the Lok Sabha elections of 2004 and 2009. What shocked many viewers was that the number of people elected to the Lok Sabha and who had criminal cases pending against them, as declared in their affidavits, had increased from 125 in 2004 to 162 in 2009.
Lessons in corporate leadership
(IANS Books This Weekend)
Whether you want to launch a new business or product, or are keen to know how to climb up the corporate...
European Central Bank has acted strongly to combat deflation
By Vatsal Srivastava,
The markets began 2014 looking to move in the direction of how two underlying themes play out - the "great rotation" and the "great normalisation". Asset managers were bullish on equities. Since the financial crisis, money had largely been pumped into debt and as a gradual recovery gathered pace, this "great rotation" would push equities higher (above their 2013 highs) as money flowed from bonds to stocks.
Israel and Saudi Arabia in a jam in Gaza
By Saeed Naqvi,
The US decision to launch limited air strikes to check the ISIS in Iraq and the Gaza initiatives in Cairo are obviously linked.
To understand the collective Arab panic over the Gaza ceasefire, an overview is required.
Is (only) Jamia Nagar ‘bad’ for Women?
By Mahtabnama,
Having lived in Jamia Nagar for almost half of my life (nearly 14 years), last week, I was startled to read the heading of an anecdotal piece of writing in Okhlatimes.com, Is Jamia Nagar bad for women? A firsthand account from Aamna.
Xi visit to India: Symbolism should not score over substance
By Saurabh Kumar,
The focus of the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week should be on tangibles - on mutually beneficial diversification and intensification of economic and cultural ties, tapping of all possible complementarities through imaginative arrangements and programmes. Not on political documentation, which there is a surfeit of already.
India largely lacks innovation skills
By Amit Kapoor,
Entrepreneurship and innovation are intrinsically linked with growth and development of any economy. Newer ways of competing define not just innovation but are also intrinsic to the very idea of capitalism. India of late is realizing this paradigm of innovation. How real is it? There are several organizations (the likes of ISRO, DRDO, various CSIR labs, L&T) that are engaged in and are doing path-breaking work. These are in several areas like space science (the Mangalyaan mission which has been described by China as the Pride of Asia) amd technological innovations (weapon systems co-developed by L&T and Indian Navy). A grassroots innovation movement has also taken strong shape in India. Newer frameworks like ‘jugaad innovation’ have become buzzwords. There is also a paradigm of ‘Reverse Innovation’ in which companies are innovating in India or a developing world context and once the innovation has taken proper shape, introducing it to the developed market.
A budget for the United Federation of India
By Amit Kapoor,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 28 delivered a budget that will go down as one of the best since liberalization began in 1991. It took stock of India’s present set of challenges and accordingly adjusted the priorities and solutions. Six salient points reflect the government’s economic thinking and strategy.
Safe, Habitable or Smart? India’s 100 Smart Cities must be all three
By Sanjiv Kataria,
Each time there is a mention of Smart Cities in India, I get concerned about the safety of women because there is a surfeit of news stemming from the vulnerability of women in our cities. A few incidents that shook India recently, include:
PM speaks his mind: But his government needs to look inward
By Sushma Ramachandran
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears to be in a mood to speak his mind. In a series of speeches lately, he has made blunt comments about the state of the economy and the role of private industry. The question is: what has prompted the prime minister to suddenly shift from his usual moderate tone to aggressively talk about the ills affecting the country.
Jihad, crusades and tolerance: a Christian scholars view
By Marty Martin
Chicago, Illinois - Over the past five years, as part of a project on religious fundamentalism, I've studied and talked with Muslims from Houston to Auschwitz. And as I've gained a better understanding of how Christians and Muslims see each other, I've learned that how we communicate is as important as what we communicate.
Cynicism of ‘secular’ parties helps Hindu, Muslim extremists
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
As if to show that Hindu extremism too is alive and well, the Shiv Sena of Mumbai followed up the Islamic fundamentalist Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen's (MIM) attack on Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen by ransacking the offices of Outlook magazine for depicting Sena chief Bal Thackeray as a villain.
Instability raises questions on Pakistan’s future
By Rahul Bedi, IANS
A steady collapse of governance across Pakistan and the resultant loss of state control over large swathes of its territory have heightened insecurity in the country, triggering ominous portents for the future.
The Pakistani state - represented almost exclusively by the army and the larger security apparatus - exercises limited control over the western Balochistan province, parts of neighbouring Sindh province and portions of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
The return of the natives – global Indians are returning home
By Shubha Singh, IANS
Global Indians are wooing and are being wooed by top Indian corporates to return home to India. It is not just techies but Indians working in different sectors of industry are homeward bound to be part of a booming Indian economy. The number of returning non-resident Indians (NRIs) has swelled in the past one year as expatriates find better job offers in India.
NRI passengers look for way out of the fog
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
The tourism promotion slogan 'Incredible India' can take a whole new meaning when NRIs land at Delhi or Mumbai this winter. Between Dec 10 and around Jan 15 each year, flights are badly affected by the dense fog in Delhi. As most flights from Europe and the US carrying full loads of NRIs and tourists arrive in the early morning when the fog is very dense they are sometimes diverted to other airports - as far away as Mumbai.
Magnetic power more than form gets Sehwag in team for Australia
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS
There is some inexplicable magnetic power in Virender Sehwag that seems to attract successive India captains to strongly plead for his inclusion in the India team.
First, Sourav Ganguly not only fought for him to be included in the squad as a middle-order batsman but also created a place for him in the eleven by forcing him to open the innings on the 2002 England by dropping the regular opener Shiv Sundar Das. Sehwag justified his captain's confidence in him and poor Das' international career ended then and there.
A case for marriage registration
By Abdul Hafiz Gandhi
Religion has come to be used for pursuing personal agenda. This is not a new phenomenon. In the past also many divisive forces have used religion for their ulterior motives. The irony of the matter is that those who claim to be torch-bearer of faith are misusing it for monetary gains.
Punishment on Harbhajan was too harsh: Qamar Ahmad
Punishment on Harbhajan was too harsh: Qamar Ahmad
Veteran cricket journalist Qamar Ahmad has seen ups and downs in world cricket from close range. He has covered 711 ODIs, a record in the history of cricket journalism. In an encounter with TwoCircles.net, he assesses Sydney cricket disaster: poor umpiring, Australians’ behaviour and Harbhajan’s case.
TCN: You have covered more cricket matches than any other journalist in the world. How many test matches have you covered? What are your future plans?
Come to save country from communal claws
By Tanveer Jafri
India which teaches world the lesson of love, harmony, tolerance and co-existence, is passing through a phase of political infection these days. There is no doubt that there is an atmosphere of peace prevalent in the greatest democracy of the world. At the same time, however, some extremist powers and organizations are active spreading poison in the name of religion, and many a time undertake violent and inhuman activities which worry the peace-loving society of the country.
Cynicism, casteism haunt women’s reservation bill
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Since electoral considerations rather than a genuine desire for women's empowerment were behind the latest move to revive the 12-year-old legislation for reserving parliamentary and assembly seats for women, its fate may be no different from what happened earlier.
The very manner in which the measure was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, with several women MPs shielding the law minister from unruly critics when he tabled the bill, showed that its passage would not be easy.
Management of contradictions key to India-Pakistan stability
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
The just concluded visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Islamabad (May 20-21), and the tenor of domestic developments in both India and Pakistan over the past week, suggest that many opposing impulses are at play in both polities and that astute management of these multiple contradictions will hold the key to nurturing stability in the troubled bilateral relationship.
Bangladesh government’s clean up act might backfire
By Sreeradha Datta, IANS,
The Bangladesh caretaker government is not giving up. This time it's a month-long nationwide drive against crime that has been launched. Beginning from May 30, over 12,000 have been arrested in the first week. The numbers will only multiply over the next few weeks.
Will anyone ask for Bob Houghton’s head now?
By K. Datta, IANS,
Baichung Bhutia's men had done well enough in Hyderabad till the mud and slush at the Gachibowli Stadium became so unplayable as to force the organisers to shift the final to Delhi. They did even better on a drier, greener turf in the capital by winning the AFC Challenge Cup and qualify for the Asia Cup after 24 years.
Terror in Delhi – will the political leadership be found wanting again?
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
The multiple terror attacks that struck the national capital Saturday is the fifth such lethal attack since May this year. In the last four months, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad within the country and the Indian embassy in Kabul have been targeted. This begs the obvious question: is the Indian state unable or unwilling to prevent such attacks and protect its citizens?
The related issue is: what is the way ahead in a robust democracy that otherwise sees itself as an emerging major power in the Asian and global grid.
Poll outcome: the BJP loses its terror plank
By Amulya Ganguli
New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) Prima facie, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not fare too badly in the recent elections in north and central India. It beat the anti-incumbency factor in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to retain power and its vote share in Rajasthan, where it lost, was marginally less than the Congress'.
Election results bode well for Congress
By Gilles Verniers, IANS,
With election results in five states in, it appears that the Congress party will be quite unaffected by the recent economic slowdown and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. This could bode well for the party for the next general elections which are due in April/May next year.
Gilgit-Baltistan amalgamation: India must react
By Alok Bansal, IANS,
With the signing of the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order 2009 by President Asif Ali Zardari Sep 7, the Pakistan government has taken the first step towards amalgamating this strategically significant part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir into Pakistan. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government has patted itself on the back for undertaking far-reaching administrative, political, financial and judicial reforms in this region.
Let us preserve a white Christmas for future generations
By Rev. Babu Joseph, IANS,
World leaders have just returned to their respective countries after hard bargaining at Copenhagen to arrive at a consensus on reducing carbon emissions.
Obama’s jobs policy will hurt US MNCs most
By Bala Rajaraman, IANS,
Politics, like fashion, is all about the "here" and the "now". In Washington, the current spotlight is on American jobs or the lack thereof and rightfully so. But what will be its impact -- on Indian companies and US multinationals?
During the recent State of the Union address, President Barack Obama fired a few shots across the bows of American companies that he felt were hiring people overseas to the detriment of job-seekers in the US.
Reservation bill will be beacon for emancipation of women
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha is a momentous, heartwarming step not only for India, but is likely to be an inspirational trendsetter for women's empowerment in the entire region.
Although it is only the first step, the ripples from the smashing of a glass barrier are bound to be felt in virtually all areas of traditional male dominance. Like its democracy, therefore, India will also be a beacon in the matter of women's emancipation.
Government’s anti-Maoist policy mired in confusion
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Notwithstanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's description of the Maoist insurgency as the gravest internal threat faced by India, the government seems unsure about how to proceed against the leftwing rebels. As a result, the Maoists seem to have gained the upper hand at present, carrying out their acts of depredation - killing security personnel and blowing up railway lines - with impunity while the government gives the impression of helplessness.
The Gaza blockade and the flotilla: fighting violence with non-violence
By Michael N. Nagler
When organisers from the International Solidarity Movement, which aims to support and strengthen Palestinian popular resistance to the Israeli occupation, consulted us at the California-based Metta Center for Nonviolence about attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza in 2007, its first year, we advised them not to bring both humanitarian aid and people whom Israel had declared persona non grata on the same voyage.
Discriminating “others”
By Adnan Alavi,
Noted journalist and columnist Shobaa De recently found how several colleges in Mumbai were not giving admission to meritorious Muslim students though they fulfill all criteria.
‘Education is the key to community emancipation’
A Year-long Series on Education, Sponsored by The Aligarh Forum : - A Mirror on our Efforts, our Successes & our Shortcomings ; Stories...
Rajesh has got the rest he wanted
(A tribute from friend and neighbour Salim Khan)
By Salim Khan, IANS,
Court verdict on presidential reference boost for reforms
By Rohit Bansal and Manoj Kumar, IANS,
Open Letter to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi on her visit to AMU
By Nazir Ahmad,
To,
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi
President, Indian National Congress
Gandhi family fights for survival after striking a deal!
By Saeed Naqvi ,
The Gandhi family is in this battle with its back to the wall. A burst of energy at this late stage...
Fall in US unemployment rate fails to enthuse markets
By Vatsal Srivastava,
Headline economic data releases point out that a gradual and sustained recovery in the US economy is underway. But it is quite...
“Leaders” should learn from the people
Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
Quite often an occasion arises in public life when even good leaders lose contact with public mood and do things that drive them further away from the people. At the time of partition of India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was so exasperated that he said a point had reached in his political career where he had to decide whether he wanted to lead the people or be led by them. The third course, that of ignoring the people, would further isolate him.
Slavery a disturbing truth in India
By Amit Kapoor,
The Global Slavery Index 2013, compiled by non-profit Walk Free Foundation, presents quite a dismal picture about a reality in India: Modern slavery. It estimates that 13.3 million to 14.7 million people are enslaved in India, exhibiting the full spectrum of such rights violations. It is scary, heart-rending, exposes our underbelly and gives a peep into our minds and the exploitative tendencies we have. Most of all, it depicts the feudalistic mindset we suffer from.
The Gandhis must vacate for an opposition to take shape
By Saeed Naqvi,
After the vigorous opening speech in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi's rump of a party looked even more battered and bruised.
Is Japan in bubble territory again?
By Vatsal Srivastava,
With another round of a massive bond buying program unleashed by the Bank of Japan (BoJ), Nikkei bulls are most likely having the best time of their lives since the late 1980s. It is easy to ride in a sea of liquidity. Although, Currency Corner fears that the BoJ exit from its quantitative easing program will be a more complex scenario than the US Fed’s exit, the current upward bias towards Japan is likely to remain for the coming few quarters at least.
Do we have a new energy Cold War?
By Bhamy V. Shenoy
Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pipeline deal in May this year with the presidents of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to transport their gas through Russia to Europe, there has been a cacophony on the new energy Cold War. Is this really an energy war? And is it even new? How is India placed to play its role in this energy war?
Shame on you hoodlums!
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed
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I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to death, your right to say it — Voltaire
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Dark clouds over Manmohan Singh government are lifting
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
The immediate threat to the Manmohan Singh government over the civil nuclear deal with the United States seems to have disappeared. For a start, it has been able to work out a formula for pacifying the belligerent Left parties by setting up a committee to examine the deal. But it is clearly no more than a typical delaying tactic to defuse the situation and doesn't mean the pact is about to be scrapped.
It is really a step that will enable the Left to claim that it has not been roundly rebuffed.
No to appeasement politics
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Taslima Nasrin has nothing to do with Nandigram, but for some illogical reason she was moved out of Kolkata as an answer to months of protest against the Nandigram violence in West Bengal. This is the latest in a long list of examples of politics of appeasement practiced in India since its independence.
Bush visits the good and bad guys in the Middle East
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Maria Appakova) - President George W. Bush is going to visit the Holy Land - Israel and the territory controlled by the Palestinian National Authority - for the first time since becoming president.
UN seeks $261 million to help 4 million displaced Iraqis
By TwoCircles.net news desk
The United Nations refugee agency is seeking $261 million this year to help some of the 4 million people uprooted by the conflict in Iraq, covering many of the 2.2 million Iraqis displaced within the country and the 2 million who have fled beyond its borders.
Turkey will not launch war against Kurds
MOSCOW. (Georgy Mirsky for RIA Novosti) - Turkey invaded North Iraq, the domain of the Kurdistan Workers Party, several times. Five years ago, I was in the area where fighting is now taking place. At that time, small Turkish groups used to cross the border to deliver strikes on Kurdish positions.
What has changed since then?
A new world peace initiative
By Saboor Syed
Worldwide attention has for some time now been focused on media sources that paint Islam as an ideology that causes unrest, turmoil and mayhem in the world at present.
Where booming missiles enthuse teeming beggars
By Sampathkumar Iyangar
India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) `successfully' conducted its first test of a ballistic missile from an undersea platform on Feb 26. A beaming Dr Prahlada, DRDO chief controller, proudly announced the launch of the "nuclear capable" missile from a submerged pontoon off India's south-east coast near the port city of Visakhapatnam.
India: Future of Congress and Sonia Gandhi
By Tanveer Jafri
Indian National Congress is known as the oldest political party of India. This political party that has completed its 122 years was established in 1885. This great and the oldest organization, at the time of its establishment, had a great challenge to free India; after independence i.e. after August 15, 1947, this organization had to bear the responsibility to run the democratic government of free India.