Will the Nepali Maoists go the Hamas way?
By Shylashri Shankar, IANS,
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) pulled off an upset over the traditional ruling parties such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) in the elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA).
Once the results for the 240 seats decided on first-past-the-post and the 335 seats decided on the basis of the proportional electoral system are tallied, the Maoists are likely to be the single largest party.
Will the oil price hike help or hinder the government?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
For a party and government which seem to have become temperamentally averse to taking risks and offending allies, the Congress and the Manmohan Singh government have taken an uncommonly bold step in hiking the fuel prices.
In taking this controversial decision at a time of inflation and electoral setbacks, what are the factors which may have influenced them ?
For one, the government must have realised that it could not go on swimming indefinitely against the rising tide of world oil prices without driving the oil companies towards bankruptcy.
Oil pool account can redress petrol price burden
By Nandakumar J and A. Vinod Kumar, IANS,
Just before inflicting a burdening oil price hike on his countrymen, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hinted that no solution exists for this tangle, supposedly created by a global surge in oil prices.
The situation was worsened by the precarious financial health of oil marketing companies (OMCs), which had to bear the brunt of escalating global prices by subsidising the final product to the consumer.
Creativity as resistance, an interview with Rafa Al-Nasiri
By Martina Sabra, CGNews,
Rafa Al-Nasiri is one of the best-known contemporary Iraqi artists on the international stage. His work is deeply influenced by the culture of Arabic script, and also by his intensive encounters with artists in China and Europe. Martina Sabra interviewed the artist at his home in Amman, Jordan.
Arabic script occupies an outstanding position in contemporary Arabic art, and also in your own work. Does calligraphy play a similar role in Chinese art?
One of the best planned transitions in corporate history
By Prasanto K. Roy, IANS,
It's finally happened. Thursday was Bill Gates' last day as full-time Microsoft employee. It is not, of course, a shock. It is possibly the best planned - and definitely the best publicised - transition in recent corporate history.
In 1998, Gates' long-time business partner Steve Ballmer became acting president of Microsoft. In January 2000, Gates handed over the chief executive reins to Ballmer, becoming its chief software architect.
Discontents of democracy
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
Democracy is supposed to be the best form of governance but experience both of western and eastern countries show a wide gap between theory and practice. Nothing that pertains to human beings can approximate, let alone be equal to ideals. Philosophers also say real is not ideal and ideal is not real. Democracy is no exception. Democracy is an ideal but its practice within a given society makes it operation extremely complex.
Scandinavia’s scarred Mr Dialogue
By Roger Cohen, CGNews,
Scandinavia does reasonableness well, even when faced with unreason. The Oslo Accords of 1993 were as close as Israelis and Palestinians have come to looking each other in the eye, admitting neither side is going away, and jettisoning a bitter past for a better future.
The mediation habit stayed with Norway, despite Oslo's collapse. Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian foreign minister, is a battle-hardened Mr. Dialogue. He took a personal terrorism course earlier this year while on a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan.
Cussedness, underhand dealings mark countdown to trust vote
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The prelude to the July 22 trust vote in parliament on the nuclear deal on which the fate of the Manmohan Singh government depends has added yet another dark chapter of opportunism and horse-trading to Indian politics.
The curious case of India’s oil policy
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
India's petroleum policies are getting curiouser and curiouser. The latest report on the oil sector by former petroleum secretary B.K. Chaturvedi has proposed a phased raise in oil product prices so that eventually, domestic retail prices are brought on a par with international levels. This is surely an Alice in Wonderland proposal.
Indian Muslims: Spiritualise the radicals
By M. Rajaque Rahman, IANS,
The toll in the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad needs to be counted beyond the numbers of deaths and injured. If the bombings are the handiwork of the Indian Mujaheeden as claimed by the outfit, then the biggest casualty of the latest episodes of fanatical madness is India's ability to tackle terrorism.
Changes brought by Games highlight scientific outlook on development
By Huo Xiaoguang, Yuan Zhenyu, Meng Na, Xinhua,
Beijing : With the Beijing Paralympic Games in full swing, people in the Chinese capital are not only experiencing the same enthusiasm for sport in full-packed competition venues as during the Beijing Olympic Games, but also enjoying the same cheerful living environment, including blue skies, clean air and smooth city traffic.
This is because the city has continued to enforce a series of environment-friendly and traffic control measures, introduced in late July in the final run-up to the Olympics.
Indian hockey is drifting rudderless
By K. Datta, IANS,
Things were never so bad, even during the dark days of the power struggle in Indian hockey in the 1970s when the country's participation in the 1975 Kuala Lumpur world cup itself was in danger. There was no set-up as the Sports Authority of India then; so on a request by Raja Bhalindra Singh, the then president of the Indian Hockey Federation, Giani Zail Singh, the then Punjab chief minister, took the responsibility of preparing the World Cup team in Chandigarh. The rest, as they say, is history.
‘Eichmanns’ with Z-class security propel repetitive terror
By NM Sampathkumar Iyangar
Adolf Eichmann, the genius scientist who invented the gas chamber for the Nazis as a ‘perfect solution’ to end the ‘Jew menace’, remained incognito for 15 years after Nazis fell. When he was captured in a covert act by the Mossad in Argentina, Argentina and even UN initially said it as “violation of the sovereign rights of the Argentine Republic.”
Sale of party tickets in Indian democracy
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The allegation by the senior Congress leaders Margaret Alva and Yogendra Makwana regarding the sale of party tickets have brought the functional dynamics of the Indian democracy into open, purportedly touted as the largest in the world.
Each ticket was supposedly sold at a premium of 80 lakh to 1 crore rupees. A cheap bargain described a witty scribe when he heard the rates and said in actual practice the price tag are much higher.
For fresh thinking, two cheers for Rahul Gandhi
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Since honesty is not generally associated with Indian politicians, it is always a matter of surprise and admiration when someone deviates from the usual cynical norms to acknowledge a widely accepted truth.
Rahul Gandhi's description, therefore, of the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 as "wrong" is bound to earn him a round of applause. Yet, so pervasive is the prevailing scepticism about political calculations that the comment has been interpreted by some as an attempt to influence Sikhs before the elections to the Delhi and other assemblies.
Pranab Mukherjee: jack of all trades – except one
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Even as Pranab Mukherjee acknowledged with folded hands and a shy smile L.K. Advani's lavish praise for him in parliament, both he and members on both sides of the house knew that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was right in saying that without the external affairs minister, who is now also India's finance minister, at the helm, the government might have found it difficult to function during Manmohan Singh's hospitalization and recuperation.
A hockey victory to rejoice after gloom
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian hockey team's victory at Ipoh, jubilantly holding aloft the Azlan Shah Cup Sunday evening, is a cause for rejoicing as it has to been in the context of what has happened in the last three years.
First, India were humiliated at the 2006 Doha Asian Games finishing out of the medal bracket and then disaster struck them at Santiago when they failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.
Bengal verdict: Left has only itself to blame
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The West Bengal poll results may well mark the beginning of the end for the Left. Even the most optimistic among its supporters can no longer expect the Communists to win next year's assembly elections.
The series of setbacks for the comrades - from the panchayat polls of 2008 through last year's parliamentary elections and the subsequent assembly by-elections to the latest municipal polls - have highlighted the deep popular disenchantment with the Communists.
Whither urban development? Bleak future stares at India’s cities
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
A New Delhi newspaper reported last Thursday that local authorities received 117 complaints of waterlogging, five of falling trees and six of building collapses, in one of which a four-year-old boy was killed. A school bus carrying 35 children became so deeply "embedded" in a road that a crane had to be called in, but it, too, got stuck. There was another report of a road caving in. Since it was in an area where several embassies are located, the incident will not send a flattering image of India abroad.
Force of faith trumps law and reason in Ayodhya case
If left unamended by the Supreme Court, the legal, social and political repercussions of the judgment are likely to be extremely damaging
By Siddharth Varadarajan,
India-China trade blooms, but trust deficit festers
(50 years after 1962)
By Manish Chand, IANS,
Domestic violence – most destructive war within us
By Shahnoor Rahman,
I remember, on 26th June 2011 when I was in second year MBBS in Gauhati Medical College, while passing through the postmortem ward, I had fainted when I saw the corpse of a woman slaughtered by her husband as he suspected her of adultery.
How to make our parliament more accountable
By M.R. Madhavan, IANS,
The last session of the 15th Lok Sabha brings to an end one of the most disappointing...
Of indigenising military hardware and conspiracy theories
By Vishnu Makhijani,
For a country that produces just a handful of domestically-developed cars, SUVs and trucks -- two and three-wheelers are deliberately left out...
Congress heavy artillery changes Punjab equations
By Jaideep Sarin ,
Chandigarh: When ruling Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal recently assured BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi that the...
Afghanistan faces a make or break polls
By Monish Gulati ,
Afghanistan will go to polls April 5 to bring about the first democratic transition of power in the South Asian nation's...
Kerry visit a start, Modi visit to US pivotal
By Evan A. Feigenbaum,
John Kerry visits India Wednesday as a raft of crises consume American diplomacy. By contrast, US-India relations are at a moment of opportunity, but the US Secretary of State faces challenges in New Delhi that are significant in their own way.
‘अच्छे दिन’ – सच या शिगूफ़ा
By सिद्धान्त मोहन.
एक लंबा समय बीत चुका है. जिस समय अरविन्द केजरीवाल ने दिल्ली में सरकार बनायी थी, सरकार बनने के अगले दिन से ही भाजपा ने केजरीवाल से एक-एक दिनों का हिसाब मांगना शुरू कर दिया था. तब तत्कालीन दिल्ली सरकार के लगभग हरेक फैसलों पर भाजपा ने आलोचनात्मक रवैया अपनाया था. थोड़ी कूटनीतिक चूक और ज़्यादा जोश की ज़द में आकर जब अरविन्द केजरीवाल ने खुद की सरकार को 49 दिनों में गिरा दिया, भाजपा ने भी मौके को भिन्न-भिन्न तरीकों से भुनाने में कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ी. यह भी एक कारण था कि बनारस की इस साल की लोकसभा सीट पर हुए चुनाव में अरविन्द केजरीवाल को हार का सामना करना पड़ा. इन बातों को यहां गिनाने का आशय साफ़ है, यदि भाजपा किसी एक सरकार की आलोचना करने का अधिकार रखती है तो इतने स्पष्ट और विराट बहुमत से आई केन्द्र सरकार के प्रति भी सराहना और हौसलाफ़जाही के साथ-साथ जनता को प्रश्नांकन और आलोचना का अधिकार प्राप्त है. कुछेक महीनों पहले मोदी सरकार ने कांग्रेस के दस सालों के शासनकाल का हवाला देते हुए जनता से अपनी सरकार को ‘हनीमून पीरियड’ देने की गुज़ारिश की थी. लेकिन जनता, जो लगभग पिछले एक साल से वादों, घोषणाओं और भर्त्सनाओं के ज़रिए ‘रामराज्य’ के सपने देख रही थी, द्वारा देश की केन्द्रीय सत्ता से सवाल करना गलत तो नहीं है. चूंकि नरेन्द्र मोदी बनारस से चुनकर प्रधानमंत्री की कुर्सी पर बैठाए गए हैं और उन्होंने बार-बार ‘माँ गंगा’, ‘बनारस के बुनकरों’ और बहुलतावादी संस्कृति का हवाला दिया है, इसलिए TCN ने बनारस के भिन्न-भिन्न तबकों – जिनमें मतदाता, चुनाव प्रत्याशी, सामाजिक विचारक और राजनेता शामिल हैं – से मिलकर मोदी सरकार के इन लगभग शुरुआती तीन महीनों का हिसाब माँगा.
Why the Hindi belt must embrace English
By Birbal Jha,
Today, most people are aware that English is the most commonly used language among foreign language speakers. Moreover, English is no longer a foreign language in the strictest sense. Having the ability to contact with people globally and travel easily is just two of the many reasons for gaining English language skills.
‘Decision makers need not balance science versus nonsense on GM crops’
By Vivian Fernandes,
The moment you say GM food, you see a phalanx of activists lining up to shoot down any discussion on allowing it in India. But many scientists and some ecologists point to the benefits available from adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops. Several of them are now getting heard, their voices rising above the din.
India should take seismic protection more seriously
 By Sandeep Donald Shah, IANS
India's growing economic might is making many countries look at it with a sense of envy. This newfound economic prosperity has also left India more vulnerable and susceptible to natural calamities. It is imperative that we start following the global best practices and stop living in a sense of denial.
India's growing economic might is making many countries look at it with a sense of envy. This newfound economic prosperity has also left India more vulnerable and susceptible to natural calamities. It is imperative that we start following the global best practices and stop living in a sense of denial.
Prepare youth to be the leaders of tomorrow
By Nathan Render, CG News Service
What do religious extremists and interfaith youth organisers have in common? A lot more than one might think.
College students begin their search for summer internships with enthusiasm and excitement at the opportunity to make an impact. Unfortunately, many end up doing busywork, unable to share their skills and talents. Still, these overworked, underpaid students are motivated to find meaning in their jobs. Most are trying to find purpose in their lives as they transition from childhood to adolescence, and ultimately adulthood.
A look back at the Turkish elections
By Saad Eddin Ibrahim and Mensur Akgun, C G News Service
We were both in Turkey before and after Sunday, 22 July, the day of the intensely debated parliamentary elections. Given the large-scale, contentious demonstrations and the post-modernist military intervention - via the internet - over the issue of secularism, there were hundreds of eager international observers expecting something spectacular to happen. But to their dismay, and to the dismay of many others, balloting was calm and orderly.
Gujarat: towards vibrancy or abolition of democracy?
By Ram Puniyani
There is a widespread impression amongst different sections of society and media that Narendra Modi is leading Gujarat towards the path of development. Also a section of patidras are happy with his policies which are giving them a fertile ground for social and economic enhancement. Another section of Hindus eulogize him for being the emperor of Hindu hearts, Hindu Hridaya Samrat, in the aftermath Gujarat anti Muslim pogrom, which took place when he was the Chief Minster. He had called this shameful carnage as the Gaurav (honor) of Hindus. Where do matters stand today?
Benazir’s Assassination: A Tragedy Foretold
By Sreeram Chaulia, IANS
The assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto by snipers and suicide bombers Dec 27 in Rawalpindi has left the world shell shocked. One could see it coming, though, as a predictable outcome of the tailspin into which Pakistan's polity and society have hurtled through incessant militarisation. Beyond the semantics about derailment of democracy, Benazir's violent end brings into sharp relief the inseparability of Pakistan's governance and social life from Kalashnikov and jehad culture.
$1.5 trillion in foreign investment for 2007
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Global foreign direct investment (FDI) grew to an estimated $1.5 trillion in 2007, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said today, attributing the record high to the growth of transnational corporations and strong economic performance in many parts of the world.
Healing Separation
By Lila Sophia Tresemer
In October 2006, a group of women from the Holy Land gathered in Colorado to co-create a Middle Eastern village experience—living, eating, and learning together. The women came from a wide variety of backgrounds: Jewish (several were religious, others secular and some pagan), Arab (Druze, Muslim, Christian and pagan), as well as women from the US with a range of cultural identities.
Will Muslim veil split secular Turkey?
MOSCOW. (Alexander Bakustin, RIA Novosti) - The Turkish parliament recently adopted a government bill lifting a decades-old ban on wearing the hijab - a headscarf used by Muslim women to cover their hair.
This revolutionary change has already caused fierce disputes between different classes of Turkish society, and may eventually split it altogether.
Iran nuclear impasse likely to persist despite new UN resolution
By Wu Zhiqiang, Xinhua
United Nations : The stalemate surrounding Iran's nuclear program looks set to persist despite a new resolution adopted by the UN Security Council slapping additional sanctions aimed at pressing Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, analysts say.
Dual-Track approach
High oil prices could hit India’s growth
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS
India's hopes of reaching a 10 percent growth rate on a sustained basis may be dashed if oil prices continue to rule at over $100 per barrel. Even the Planning Commission in its approach to the Eleventh Five Year Plan has estimated that high oil prices could affect the growth rate by up to 0.5 percent.
India must market for global satellite contracts
By R. Ramaseshan, IANS,
The success of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Monday in putting into orbit 10 satellites with a single launch is certainly a commendable achievement marking as it does the second largest number of satellites launched at one go. Now it needs to push aggressively for more contracts in this niche market.
Besides ISRO's own two primary satellites, Cartosat-2A (690 kg) and IMS-1 (83 kg), Monday's payload included seven nanosatellites (1-10 kg class) and one microsatellite (10-100 kg class) from foreign customers, which together weighed about 50 kg.
At least 14 dead in mounting South Africa xenophobic violence
By Xinhua,
Johannesburg : The death toll in a week-long wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa rose sharply over the weekend as reports of people being burnt and beaten to death poured in from squatter camps around the business capital Johannesburg.
The police said that 12 people were killed over the weekend as shack dwellers in one poor community after another turned on migrants living in their midsts, beating them, sometimes fatally, torching their homes and looting their possessions.
Hiding injustice behind smoke screens of economic growth
By Sadia Dehlvi
The Amnesty International Report 2008 was jointly released by Professor Mushir ul Hasan, activist writer Sadia Dehlvi and journalist Vinod Vershney at a function held on 28th May in New Delhi. The report was released simultaneously in a hundred and fifty countries. Text of the speech by Sadia Dehalvi on this occasion
Doha trade talks fail, but developing South wins
By Sushma Ramachandran
Headlines can be misleading! The media stories on the recent trade negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva had banners saying "Talks fail" or "Doha Round Collapses". These gave the impression that calamity had struck the prolonged negotiations among its 153 members. But the ground reality was quite different. The talks did fail, but it also had a great outcome, at least for India and all the other developing countries, given the state of play.
US-Russia Escalation at heights over US missile deal with Poland
By IRNA,
Tehran : Escalation between Washington and Moscow reached its heights when the United States signed a deal with Poland to house the 10 interceptor missiles as part of the defense shield whose directional radar is to be sited in the Czech Republic.
The US and Polish officials say the timing of the deal had nothing to do with events in Georgia, but no one is going to believe this, least of all the Russians who will inevitably see it as a further gauntlet thrown down by the Bush administration.
Thackerays strike again – and tolerant India bends a little more
By Minu Jain, IANS,
It went from being Bombay to Mumbai, from being a vaunted melting pot of cultures to a place where non-Maharashtrians, even its biggest icons, are being forced to reassess their lives and loyalties after decades in a much loved city. With Amitabh Bachchan apologising profusely for wife Jaya's "anti-Marathi" comments, and Delhi born Shah Rukh Khan being targeted because he says he is a "Dilliwala", alarm bells toll again.
Failure of Indian intelligence: The buck stops nowhere
By Wilson John, IANS,
Almost a dozen state police units and intelligence agencies were tracking down terrorist groups across India for the past two years but missed to detect the activities of the men who were involved in the Mumbai terror attack.
Though there were reports, based mainly on the interrogation of terrorists arrested in the recent past, about Mumbai being the next target, there were no specific leads about how the terrorists will strike.
India will be big technology innovator in next decade
By Pradeep Gupta, IANS,
Economists have been predicting it, stargazers have been forecasting it, and now the technology trend watchers are saying it - the coming decade is surely going to belong to India.
Jason Pontin, the charismatic editor and publisher of MIT's "Technology Review" - the publication of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - confidently proclaims that India is going to dominate the innovation space.
Draconian laws, delete them
By Dr. Mookhi Amir Ali
Dr. Binayak Sen will now be out on bail but not without celebrating the second anniversary of his needless detention. He was detained under Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Under these laws a person can be detained for flimsy reasons with no provision of bail. This is not the only law in our book which can be used by the government to harass a citizen who is inconvenient to them.
Team Manmohan has a settled look, despite faltering start
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
If the Manmohan Singh government appears to have made a faltering start, the blame falls on the unavoidable exigencies of coalition politics. However, of all its partners, it is the regional ally from Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which must be held responsible for creating most of the problems.
Its antics started with its ailing leader, M. Karunanidhi, leaving Delhi in a huff and returning to Chennai with his band of relatives and party members because he was unhappy with the ministerial berths being offered to the party.
Activists oppose reintroduction of land acquisition and resettlement bills
By Bobby Ramakant, CNS,
The proposed introduction of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bills by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the last day of the Budget Session despite of the objections by struggling peoples movements and one of the UPA key allies Trinamool Congress smacks of a conspiracy and only reflects the government succumbing to the demand of the industries, builders and corporations, said the activists of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM).
Of the freedom to revel and to abstain
By Shobha Shukla, CNS,
The Supreme Court of India has ordered a closure of all slaughter houses and eateries serving non vegetarian food for nine days, starting 15th August, all over the country. This has been done in deference to the wishes of the Jain community during the holy period of their Paryushan Parva.
Can tropical forests save the world?
By Nalin Srivastava, IANS,
Expectations about a new global climate deal have reached a fever pitch with only a few weeks to go before the start of the 15th annual United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen to finalise a global climate pact beyond 2012, when the first term of the Kyoto Protocol will expire.
CAT glitch notwithstanding, education needs e-governance
By Sanjiv Kataria, IANS,
Millions of us woke up on Sunday morning with front-page headlines that screamed "Online birth pangs dog CAT", "CAT's e-debacle leaves students foxed", etc. But what was a matter of clever wordplay for newspapers spells uncertainty and unwarranted anxiety for 240,000 IIM aspirants and their parents.
Quote, unquote, misquote… travails of Digambar Kamat
By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, IANS,
Panaji : Chief Minister Digambar Kamat is fast gaining a reputation in Goa and outside for putting his foot in his mouth with unerring precision, and with remarkable consistency.
Kamat, who leads the Congress-led coalition, said in a speech Saturday on women oriented issues that if women started pursuing politics, it would have a negative impact on society.
Rahul Gandhi: post-caste politician succumbs to caste politics
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
Indian politicians have mastered the art of perpetuating and mining the politics of sordid caste consciousness even while simultaneously pretending to reject it.
Legacy of US Iraq’s Invasion : Near extinction of Christian population?
By Navaid Hamid
With the withdrawal of the US led forces from Iraq, Operation Iraqi freedom turns into Operation Iraqi Christians decimation.
Kerala Govt’s silence over Togadia’s hate speech mysterious: Social activists
Saffroning Kerala: Part 10
By Abdul Basith MA, TwoCircles.net,
Afzal Guru: ‘Conscious’ travesty of justice
Soft on saffron terror, Muslims figure top on government’s to do lists
Dr. M Waseem Raja,
UT Austin discussion: Is intolerance on the rise in India?
By TCN News
Austin: Past Tuesday, University of Texas at Austin held a panel discussion on the topic of "Is intolerance on the rise in...
Effective utilization of Zakat can transform the “Zakat-takers” into “Zakat-givers”
By Faisal Thakur,
How many times do you come across a group of young, dynamic individuals driven by a dream, noble but yet so radical that you wonder with awe at the sheer effort that may be required to achieve it? Seldom.. But that’s precisely what we came across in a small room in Khar (Mumbai) where we met Mr. Javed Syed, who many know as an entrepreneur running a Graphics and Printing Business in Khar. However very few people know that he is also the Finance Secretary of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) - an organization of socially and intellectually progressive Muslims. Mr Syed said “This room, right here has been the hub of all our administrative and promotional activities since the past 7 years. This is where most of the brainstorming happens whether it is for starting a new project or upgrading the existing ones. It all happens right here….”. Many will be deceived by this humble place in the midst of a busy suburb, however when you are introduced to AMP’s body of work that’s when you are truly surprised and intimidated.
Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza is a promotional advertisement of its arms
By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
It goes without saying that devoid of an advertisement your products can not be sold in the market and to trade your products you first have to make people know about it. Promotion of the product in the world’s eye is as much important in trading as its quality and effectiveness. It is also the well understood phenomenon of the business that people opt for the things which are already tested and found to be effective in operation.
Walks to remember: Memories of Kalam
By Radhika Bhirani
New Delhi : "What would you want to be when you grow up," he asked. "Sir, I just hate maths...
Presidential polls – more about politics than the candidate
By Gilles Verniers
One does not remember a presidential election in India where the role of political parties has been so blatantly exposed to the public eye. The scrutiny of a candidate's credentials by the media is unprecedented. Public interest has also been fuelled by the hurdles faced by the Congress in carrying out an election process announced as having been won in advance.
Muslims look in from the outside
By Mir Hasan Ali, TwoCircles.net Four years, three months, and counting. The Iraq War’s place in...
In defense Of pluralism
By Ram Puniyani
A debate has been raging in the society about secularists being anti Hindu. Numerous examples are cited, their stance on the culprits of Godhra train burning, culprits of Bane family burning in Radhabai chawl, and to cap it all their insensivity to the plight of Kashmiri Pundits and security of Hindus in Kashmir. What is the truth? Why the perception sustains in this direction, not only by RSS combine communalists but in milder form by other sections of society also.
Pakistan’s third transition: Will it succeed?
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
In the 60 years of its existence, Pakistan has been under military rule for 32 years in three spells under four generals - Gen. Ayub Khan, who made himself a Field Marshal, Gen. Yahya Khan, Gen. Zia-ul Haq and Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Each spell of military rule had its distinct flavour and characteristics.
Ayub Khan experimented with basic democracy. Zia-ul Haq Islamised Pakistan. Musharraf coexisted with the assemblies elected in rigged polls and till he imposed emergency Nov 3, his military rule allowed full freedom to the media.
Let Kashmiris decide their destiny: Safvi
Once described as Paradise on Earth, Kashmir has now become a synonym for violence. Caught in the crossfires between the two neighbours of the Indian sub-continent, Kashmiris are living a life that is devoid of peace. What is the solution to the Kashmir issue? TwoCircles.net's Kashif-ul-Huda catches up with Syed Ali Safvi, Associate Editor of the newly-launched newspaper Etalaat. An AMU post-graduate in Mass Communication, Safvi talks about the solution to the Kashmir issue.
Pakistan’s new PM will have to dodge many minefields
By Wilson John, IANS
The charade of democracy is now complete in Pakistan with the selection of a Punjabi feudal politician with a suitable religiosity (his family runs a Sufi mausoleum in Sindh) and a prison term on unproven charges of corruption as the new prime minister.
The problem is not with the new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani. He is, by all accounts, a suitable candidate for perhaps one of the most challenging political positions in South Asia -- to lead a civilian government in a country overshadowed by men in uniform.
Interview with Sari Nusseibeh
By Mohanan Hamed and Adham Manasreh, CGNews,
Israel is currently celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of its independence. How do you respond to that as a Palestinian?Sari Nusseibeh: I don't think it makes a lot of difference how many years Israel has existed. It's quite normal to celebrate anniversaries, and that applies to Israel too. On the other hand, the Nakba is for us the other side of what Israel celebrates as its independence. This contradiction will remain until we have reached a settlement and we have new relations between the two sides.
‘Moderate’ Advani vs ‘hardliner’ Rajnath Singh
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has convinced itself of its excellent prospects in the next general election, it is not surprising that its two top leaders have spelt out their visions for the future. The enterprise would have been enlightening but for the fact that their prescriptions cancel out each other.
Congress has its nose ahead in the political race
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Having won the trust vote in parliament, even if by dubious means, the Manmohan Singh government and the ruling Congress can be said to be in a more comfortable position at present than their opponents.
The latest terrorist outrages and the high rate of inflation may have soured the taste of their success in parliament, but if they have still managed to remain ahead of the pack, the reason is that their adversaries haven't yet been able to get their wits together after the defeat.
Middle East rhetoric obstructing US interests
By Richard Murphy and Ethan Chorin, CGNews,
It would be naive to assume that Undersecretary of State William Burns' presence at the recent EU-Iran nuclear talks has opened the door to a rapid improvement in US-Iranian relations, or that the US administration has abandoned its military option. But this recent tilt towards diplomacy offers a pause in which to take note of the unsung economic and political costs of hyped-up rhetoric.
US attacks could have serious implications for Pakistan
By Wilson John, IANS,
Three days before Pakistan elected its 14th president, on Sep 3, at 3 a.m., two CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters landed in the village of Zawlolai in South Waziristan with ground troops from the US Special Forces. The troops fired at three houses and killed over 17, including five women and four sleeping children.
Pakistan’s army: living in a state of strategic denial
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
A two-day international conference on genocide that concluded in Dhaka July 31 exhorted the UN to recognise the mass killings and rape that the Pakistan Army had unleashed in the torturous and tumultuous events that preceded the birth of Bangladesh in December 1971.
Jaswant episode demonstrates BJP’s lack of evolution
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
It is tempting to describe Jaswant Singh's unceremonious expulsion from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a glaring example of the culture of intolerance of independence of thought that runs through India's political class. In reality, it is merely one political party's inability to define itself.
By-poll shocks for ruling parties, except in Gujarat
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Within four months of the Congress's success in the parliamentary polls, the party has been rudely jolted in the latest round of assembly by-elections.
After a severe drubbing in Gujarat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrested five seats from the Congress along with one in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress lost two seats - Okhla and Dwarka - in its supposed stronghold of Delhi to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the BJP.
India too moulded in old style to learn power play
By Anand Philar, IANS,
That sinking feeling is all too familiar and it speaks for the depths Indian hockey has descended to over the past two decades. Now that India is all but out of contention for the semi-final at the ongoing Hockey World Cup, perhaps the hosts would be better off introspecting.
Mathematically, India's chances hinge on the results of matches involving the top three teams in the pool. At the same time, India would have to win their remaining two outings, against England (Saturday) and South Africa (Monday) to remain in contention.
Suicide attack kills seven policemen in Afghanistan
By DPA,
Kabul : A suicide car bomb targeted a convoy of Afghan and NATO forces in the northern province of Kunduz Thursday, killing seven policemen and injuring 13 other people, a district governor said.
The bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into one of the vehicles in the province's Emam Saheb district, Mohammad Ayoub Haqyar told DPA.
"Seven policemen were killed in the attack and six other police and seven civilians were injured," he said, adding that a police unit commander was among those killed.
An enabling street vendors’ livelihood legislature
By Ranjit Abhigyan and Anurag Shanker,
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act passed by the Indian Parliament on 19 February, 2014 is no doubt an enabling legislative instrument aimed at empowering the lives of more than 12 million urban street vendors and hawkers of India.
Sachar report has become an albatross for Narendra Modi’s BJP
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has the knack to mess up his own case by quoting data without applying his mind. Whether his speech-writer is to be blamed or he himself nobody can say with certainty but the truth is that by quoting the Sachar Committee report in a rally in the minority- concentrated Purnea district of Bihar he, instead of wooing the Muslims, ended up confusing himself and his own supporters.
‘Since I was nine years old, I wanted to make a movie on Jinn’
By Ras Siddiqui, TwoCircles.net,
“In the Beginning, three were created. Man made of clay. Angels made of light. And a Third made of fire.” These form the elemental core of Jinn, a movie written and directed by Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad, an American of South-Asian origin with a passion for imagery. Jinn is slated to hit the screens on the first Friday of April, 2014 when it will attempt to capture viewer our imagination and the attention of a worldwide audience. Starring Dominic Rains, Serinda Swan, Ray Park, William Atherton and Faran Tahir, the movie highlights man’s meeting with that elusive third race “born of smokeless fire”, a rare encounter. “Similar to humans in many ways, the Jinn lived invisibly among us and only under dire or unusual circumstances were our paths ever meant to cross.”
Burning Sands of International Relations
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
International relation is gravitating towards chaotic world order. The forces of conflict seem to be dominating over those supposedly mandated to maintain global peace. There seems to be conspiracy of silence by the guarantors of peace, as the perpetrators of violence are masquerading like free booters on rampage all over the world.
Modi again shows his word is law
By Amulya Ganguli,
But for the drama of the Shiv Sena’s boycott of the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi’s expanded council of ministers, the occasion - the first expansion of his five-month-old government - passed off as a routine event.
Manmohan Singh held his ground on nuclear deal
By Amulya Ganguli
Considering that the Manmohan Singh government has generally been seen to be bullied by the Left into retreating on various issues such as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, economic reforms and so on, it is worth noting that the prime minister has been able to consistently hold his ground on the India-US nuclear deal.
A Global Satyagraha against Imperialism
By Rohini Hensman
Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2 provides a fitting occasion to launch a global satyagraha — defined by him as ‘truth-force’, a non-violent struggle using the power of the truth — against imperialism. Such a struggle is urgently needed today, given the carnage being inflicted by imperialism in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the threat of even greater carnage in Iran. Support for the people of these countries needs to be stepped up to a higher level globally if the continuing holocaust is to be halted.
Thus spake Benazir…
By IANS
"Life is very precious and gift of Allah. It should not and cannot be wasted. But when my country is in danger, when my countrymen are in danger, when there is no rule of law, when extremists are gaining ground, I am ready to risk my life."
"I was asked not to come to the country as I may face murder attempts. Why don't they arrest these people? Why are they moving freely in the country? If they cannot arrest the extremists, if they do not have ability to curb the extremism, they should resign and go home."
India salutes NRIs at annual conference
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
If you were visiting India in early January, you had the chance to attend a number of major NRI events. You could listen to and probably meet top Indian leaders and rub shoulders with fellow NRIs who are leaders in their own countries or achievers in their professions and businesses. It was a great chance to hobnob with fellow overseas Indians and to make new contacts, especially if you are in business.
India’s FDI liberalisation – is it enough and in time?
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS
With just a year left for the existing Indian government to run its course, it seems to have decided to forge ahead and further liberalise the foreign direct investment (FDI) policies despite the reservations of the ruling United Progressive Alliance's Left partners.
The aim is to cash in on the current interest of foreign investors in emerging markets like India rather than let them move on to greener pastures like China and the tiger economies of East Asia.
Should India also develop satellite-killing capability?
By Sreeram Chaulia, IANS
Former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's contention that India has the capability to intercept objects in space and destroy them within a radius of 200 km has ignited a strategic dilemma. The issue has gained significance after the US successfully shot down one of its own collapsing satellites at a height of 233 km. The fear that India will be left lagging in one more global arms race and pay a heavy ex-post price looms on the minds of the country's strategic elites.
Budget sidelined NRIs, but still something to cheer about
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
Have NRIs been sidelined in the latest Indian budget? Since the government is all out to get votes for the general election next year, special concessions for NRIs were perhaps not a priority. The focus was clearly on farmers and the common man. Another factor could be the high inflows of foreign funds invested in stocks and India's foreign exchange reserves crossing the $300 billion watermark.
UN Security Council seat: China outsmarts India
By Sreeram Chaulia, IANS,
The symphony of South-South cooperation at the recent conclave of foreign ministers of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) at Yekaterinburg was jarred by China's refusal to endorse India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC). In the joint communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, Chinese delegates scotched Russian proposals of supporting India's cause of entering the elite league at the UNSC.
The Anti Terror Fatwa: but who is listening?
By Salil Kader,
31st May 2008 was an important day for all those opposed to acts of terrorism being carried out around the world and which are wrongly attributed to Islam and its teachings.
Analysis: Iraq-U.S. pact talks in deadlock, but not dead
By Jamal Hashim, Shaalan Ahmed, Xinhua,
Baghdad : Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's harsh words on "deadlock" over Iraq-U.S. pact talks may not prevent Baghdad and Washington from hammering out a long-term relationship pact, analysts said Saturday.
Maliki could have made the pointed remarks under growing pressure at home and abroad, added the analysts.
Mall revolution back home blows away visiting NRIs
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
"Mind blowing," said my Indian friend from Dubai after visiting a shopping mall. No, he was not commenting on a shopping mall in Dubai but one in New Delhi. He said it was one of the biggest and most modern shopping complexes he had seen. Plus, it had lots of shoppers with bags.
NSG waiver means India has arrived as a power
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
India had always strongly supported the nuclear nonproliferation regime. In 1965, India with Ireland and other nations sponsored Resolution 2025 which laid down the balance of obligations between the five nuclear weapon powers and the rest of the international community. The nuclear weapon powers were to enter into negotiations in good faith to stop the arms race and reduce their nuclear arsenals.
Anand Model should be replicated for inclusive growth
By Animesh Banerjee, IANS,
Traditional growth models are the legacy of the industrialization era that started a couple of centuries ago. The approach meant leveraging lowest cost resources with an aim of maximizing benefits to the owners of the enterprise. It is apparent now that pursuing a growth model that brings prosperity to a few while leaving the majority out of the ambit of its benefits is only furthering the gap between the haves and have not. There is a need to change that for inclusive growth, and the 'Anand experience' provides an excellent model.
Mayawati is letting down Dalits and Uttar Pradesh
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
With each passing episode, Mayawati is doing a disservice to herself. Her latest decision to have Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi arrested for badmouthing her is another controversy which will highlight her impetuousness.
Yet, perhaps for the first time, Mayawati had some reason on her side. The Congress chief's allegations about the role played by money in covering up rape cases were outrageous enough to shock several members of her own party. But the chief minister spoilt her own case with her penchant for overreaction.
A man’s battle for women’s rights
Feeling lost amidst academics spewing jargon at a recent seminar on Muslim women, I was relieved to meet Nasiruddin Haider Khan, ...
Cooperation is the key to success: Bihar Anjuman’s founder Shakeel Ahmad
Bihar Anjuman is the TwoCircles.net Organization of the Year 2010
By Mohammed Mudassir Alam,
An Indian hand in Saudi Arabia-Iran reconciliation?
By Saroj Mohanty,
Are regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia heading for a rapprochement? Is there an Indian hand in this? Talk on the possible development in the Gulf swirled in the diplomatic and strategic circles as India played host to Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the same week last month.
Look for NOTA – ‘None of the Above’ option on your EVMs
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
In the coming elections, when you go to vote and if you feel that none of the candidates are worth for representing you, then there is no need to quit voting, just vote 'NOTA' or None Of The Above' and show your displeasure. ‘NOTA’ option now will figure in the upcoming election at the end of the list of candidates in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the ballot papers.
Can club stars become national heroes?
By Santosh Rao,
New Delhi : The FIFA World Cup has over the years has thrown up the planet's biggest stars just as it has...
India’s Defense Preparedness on Top Gear
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first leader to sail on INS Vikramaditya and dedicate it to the nation. During his planned tour in mid June, Prime Minister sailed for few hours on board of the giant warship and saw its capabilities.
Building cities with no souls
By Amit Kapoor,
Urbanization has been an integral part of India’s growth story. The country today has an urban population of 377.10 million (31.2 percent of the total) and is continually expanding its base. Factors such as the rise in population, migration to urban areas and increase in nuclear families have changed the entire demographics of the country. This swift progression of the population base demands newer sets of cities, both for the urban and urban poor population.
Ignorance, hypocrisy or bias on Fatwas and ‘Shariat Court’?
By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
Figure this out, in a long pending petition, since 2005, the petitioner Vishwa Lochan Madan pleads in the Apex Court that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is striving to establish a ‘parallel judicial system in India,’ that makes it extremely difficult for Muslim women to get justice, he claims that Camps are being organised to train Qazis and Naib Qazis to administer justice according to Shariat; Dar-ul-Qazas, spread all over the country are functioning as parallel judicial system aimed to administer justice to Muslims in accordance with Shariat; and sought declaration that the Dar-ul-Qazas (Muslim Courts) and Shariat Court in India are “absolutely illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional”; and further that pronouncing fatwas has no place in Indian Constitution and hence, these should be banned and effective steps should be taken to disband these Dar-ul-Qazas and to direct the Muslim bodies to restrain from meddling in personal issues of individuals.
Curious case of a “secular Muslim”
By Abul Kalam Azad
Secularism is a cruel joke in this country: both the opponents and (a section of) the proponents of this glaringly basic...
Muslim quotas in AP
By Aariz Mohammed
It is the duty of the State to evolve criteria to identify ‘Backward Classes’ Irrespective of Caste, Religion, race, Sex and place of birth in accordance with the Philosophy of the Indian Constitutionalism.
Pakistani military bleeding through ‘someone else’s war’
By Rahul Bedi and Brigadier (retd) Arun Sahgal, IANS
The series of strikes on Pakistan's military battling Al Qaeda fighters and tribesmen aligned to the Taliban and its recurring operational setbacks are a pointer to the forces' declining morale and the overall will to fight.
Nearly 1,000 Pakistani soldiers have died fighting insurgents over the past year. And the army, under pressure from the US and other Western powers, appears increasingly unwilling to engage the well armed, battle hardened and cunning insurgents waging civil war against the state.
Can India gamble on oil price? $20 or $200 a barrel?
By Bhamy V. Shenoy, IANS
Since the mid-90s, oil experts have agreed upon one thing that no one has a perfect crystal ball to predict oil prices. Most forecasts made by experts and institutes like the International Energy Agency, the US Department of Energy and the World Bank for 2010 were in the narrow range of $20 to $30 per barrel. It looks like all of them are likely to be proven wrong.
However, now this range has widened to such a level that oil price forecasting with any degree of accuracy will be a hopeless task.
The unspoken truth in Iran’s nuclear report
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
The publication of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the Iranian nuclear weapons programme by the US intelligence community has taken the world by storm since that estimate contradicts the views of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and concludes that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons programme in the fall of 2003 and has not resumed it.