by Aljazeera.Net
Rights groups and politicians say that anger is growing among the country's
minority Hindu community as temples, many of historic value, are bulldozed
at the rate of at least one every few weeks to make way for new developments.
.....
by Muqtedar Khan
We entered the mosque through a large iron gate closely watched by a score
of Turkish men. Unlike most architecturally interesting buildings in Berlin
which are open and easily accessible, this mosque which is both majestic
and grand, is surrounded by a high wall and is accessible only through
iron gates. .....
by Deccan Chronicle
The Wakf Board on Thursday handed over control of 11 prime Wakf properties
to an all-woman panel in the city. Angry clergy immediately passed a fatwa
against the move. The five-member women committee was constituted on May
23 under the presidentship of Ms Salma Jalees. On Thursday, the Board
handed over the management of 11 Wakf properties to the committee. .....
by Arthur J Pais
The farming town of Smith Center in Kansas, which calls itself the Heart
of the Nation, Still Beating Fast, can certainly do with extra cash flow.
.....
by The Hindustan Times
The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat police on Friday arrested two
Lashkar-e-Taiba men and claimed to have cracked the LeT module in the
state that planned to target several commercial and religious places,
including the historic Somnath temple and the Kandla-Bhatinda crude oil
pipeline. .....
by Lakshmi Iyer
Samajwadi Party's Amar Singh is curious to know how Congress chief Sonia
Gandhi can afford to dine in five-star hotels with just Rs 20,000 to her
name. .....
by CBC News
A Muslim religious leader in Toronto who knows some of those charged in
the suspected bomb plot says the young men underwent rapid transformations
from normal Canadian teenagers to radicalized introverts. .....
by Sandhya Jain
If the UPA's foreign-born leadership did not have a seriously divisive
agenda for India, for which the Muslim community is being used as an instrument,
there would be no need to set up two committees to specifically survey
the status of Muslims in the country. .....
by Philip Johnston
In less than three weeks' time, the families and friends of 52 people
killed on the London transport system will mourn their loved ones on the
first anniversary of their deaths. These were, let us remember, innocent
people going about their daily business, blown to bits on an Underground
train or a bus, many of them on their way to work. .....
by Subramanian Swamy
When Ron Watts, a Christian missionary from USA was ordered to leave the
country by the Madras High Court based on a report submitted by the Dharmapuri
TN District Magistrate-highlighting on his unacceptable and nefarious
activities, Watts landed up in New Delhi and went straight to meet Smt
Sonia Gandhi. He then flaunted his photograph with her to all and sundry.
.....
by Sandhya Jain
The gutter inspectors are out, revelling in the discomfort of devout Hindus,
telling us exactly what's wrong with us. To begin with, it's the Brahmins
and the caste system, a euphemism for the fact that we're still a predominantly
Hindu society. Then it's those few Hindu mathams that still enjoy the
wealth and eminence characteristic of the pre-Islamic era, and do not
have to beg for survival. .....
by Syed Akbar
With instances of religious conversions on the rise in the country, Visakhapatnam-based
Sri Swarupanandendra Swami of Sri Sarada Peetham has launched a nationwide
campaign to mobilise the support of Hindu seers to protect the Vedic dharma.
.....
by Youssef Ibrahim
In its war on terror, America is unquestionably on a collision course
with Islamic fundamentalism. The question is how far Islamic fundamentalism
is from a collision with Islam itself, as interpreted today by the vast
majority of ulemas, imams, theocratic schools, and many of its 1.1 billion
followers. .....
by Andrew G. Bostom
During the discussion period after a recent talk by the courageous secular
Muslim "apostate" Wafa Sultan, Judea Pearl, father of slain
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (who was barbarously murdered
by pious Muslim terrorists), alluded to the Koran's "verses of peace"-which
certain votaries of Islam uphold as the religion's exclusive legacy. .....
by M. V. Kamath
Day after day one hears of terrorist attacks whether in Srinagar or elsewhere
in India and the Government of India finds itself voiceless. The latest
attack is on the RSS headquarters in Nagpur by Lashkar-e-Toiba militants
dressed deceptively in police uniforms and carrying AK-47 rifles and hand
grenades. .....
by M Bharat Kumar
With the controversy triggered by Kannada actress Jayamala's claim that
she had touched the idol of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala temple heating
up, several devotees have expressed shock and disappointment over this
and other developments all across the country. In fact, they see a 'pattern'
to all the happenings. They also feel there is a concerted campaign against
the Hindus and their faith by some vested interests. .....
by The Hindustan Times
The Army has busted three huge arms caches near the Line of Control in
Jammu and Kashmir from which terrorists picked up weapons after sneaking
into the state, officials said in New Delhi on Thursday. .....
by The Times of India
The only Hindu temple in the Pakistani city of Lahore has been demolished
to pave the way for construction of a multi-storied commercial building.
.....
by Arun Anand
Hindu groups in Malaysia allege that the Government is demolishing temples
and have appealed to Indian rights groups and the UN to help protect their
heritage. According to the Hindu groups, the latest instance was that
of a 107-year-old place of worship that was razed last month in the capital,
Kuala Lumpur. .....
by Kuldip Nayar
If the number of bus services started between India and Pakistan was the
criterion for judging their relationship, the latter would have been considered
normal. The fact is that the enthusiasm over the inauguration of a bus
service does not last beyond the duration of the ceremony. .....
by Asia Times
Four hundred low-intensity bombs exploded across Bangladesh on August
17, 2005, resulting in two people killed and more than 100 seriously injured.
The blasts, though not powerful, were well coordinated, signaling that
those who masterminded them had a network to carry them out. Leaflets
calling for the establishment of Islamic law in the country were found
at the sites of the blasts. .....
by Organiser
Even the universally respected and honoured academics and scholars were
not spared. The first and the most prioritised innovation was thus being
implemented as if the victimisation of individuals and demoralisation
of institutions were the only priorities before the education system of
India. .....
by Dr Maheep Singh
"We are told that Aurangzeb was annoyed because the Guru had converted
a few Muslims to Sikhism." Who told this story to Satish Chandra?
He has not given the source of his information. Historians like Sir Jadunath
Sarkar, Dr Indu Bhushan Banerjee, Dr Hari Ram Gupta or Dr Ganda Singh
have not mentioned that Guru Tegh Bahadur had converted some Muslims to
Sikhism. .....
by Press Release
Hindu Mandir (Temple) Executives representing 57 temples from more than
20 states of US, Canada and Caribbean Islands converged in Atlanta to
attend the first ever Hindu Mandir Executive conference (HMEC), from June
23rd through June 25th. They traveled from as far as British Columbia
in Canada, Hawaii, California, Florida, and the heartland of America,
with a mission to nourish, protect and sustain Hindu Dharma in America.
.....
by www.aumscience.com
Under the auspices of the American University of Mayonic Science and Technology
and in association with the Vaastu Vedic Research Foundation and the International
Institute of Mayonic Science and Technology a summer series in Vastu Science
and Vaastu Science and Technology is being offered during July 21, 2006
through August 5, 2006 In Santa Fe, New Mexico and the surrounding area.
.....
by The Indian Express
Under attack from pro-Congress Sikh religious leaders here for her comments
on the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said
she stood by her remarks that a Hindu courtier had little role in the
execution of the fifth Guru ordered by Emperor Jehangir. .....
by T.S. Ranganna
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests of blood samples from people in the
Indian subcontinent have confirmed that the human race had its origins
in Africa and not Europe or Central Asia as claimed by a few historians.
.....
by Michael Gove
The British State has come under severe criticism following the Forest
Gate raid for its intelligence failures in the fight against terrorism.
But the biggest failure of all in the battle against Islamist extremism
has gone practically unnoticed. .....
by Daily Excelsior
The recent escalation in the militant activities and the affects on tourism
sector and Amarnath Yatra were discussed at length during the State Cabinet
meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad
at Srinagar late yesterday evening. .....
by KPS Gill
In the aftermath of the Assam Assembly elections where the Assam United
Democratic Front (AUDF), a coalition of Muslim parties in the State that
came into existence just months before the polls, captured 10 seats, there
is now a focused effort, particularly among the more communal-minded Muslim
leaders, to extend this experiment to other parts of India. .....
by The Pioneer
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) BB Tandon's response to the Supreme
Court has come as a shot in the arm for the Bharatiya Janata Party which,
on Saturday, demanded that the Centre forward its petition seeking removal
of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla to CEC without waiting for the Supreme
Court's clearance. .....
by Ellen Wulfhorst
One U.S. West Coast marketing agency encourages employees to stop work
and duck out for massages, while at one New York hedge fund, workers break
during the day for yoga classes. .....
by Muqtedar Khan
We entered the mosque through a large iron gate closely watched by a score
of Turkish men. Unlike most architecturally interesting buildings in Berlin
which are open and easily accessible, this mosque which is both majestic
and grand, is surrounded by a high wall and is accessible only through
iron gates. .....
by Madhuri Santanam Sondhi
All right-thinking people subscribe to the doctrine of freedom of conscience:
a person should be free to change, adopt, enlarge or abandon any belief
according to his or her conscience, and this freedom is enshrined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). But thanks to deep differences
of belief and custom between the various faiths lumped together under
the English term "religion," the historical conflict between
converting and non-converting faiths persists. .....
by Prafull Goradia
The blame for the demolition of the only Hindu temple in Lahore situated
at Wachhoowali, Rang Mahal, must rest with Hindu leadership. This is not
the first desecration of its kind. According to records available with
me, since 1947, 244 mandirs, across 11 districts, have been destroyed
in Pakistan. The message that has been registered on most Muslims over
the centuries is that the Hindus do not care about the safety of their
temples. .....
by The Hindu
Shimoga. "Upanayana" for girls. It may sound incredible as it
is held as the exclusive domain of men in the Vedic system and a taboo
for women in the Hindu community. .....
by Dola Mitra
It's Saturday, the day of the Goddess Kali. At Calcutta's Kalighat temple,
among the holiest places of worship in the country, a queue of people
waiting for a darshan or a glimpse of the deity stretches from the entrance,
snakes along the wide and winding cobbled temple yard and spills onto
the street outside, nearly obstructing traffic. .....
by Shireen M Mazari
The US may claim that it has de-linked its relationship with India from
that with Pakistan, but ironically, its policies relating to India now
impact Pakistan's security concerns as never before and US government
representatives continue to identify common security issues for Pakistan
and India. .....
by Amir Mir
The APNS award in the category of the Best Investigative Report goes to
Mr Amir Mir of the monthly, Herald. But the award cannot be given to him
right now and the president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS),
Mir Shakilur Rehman, would honour Amir Mir once the award distribution
ceremony is over," so said the man conducting the annual APNS award
distribution ceremony in Islamabad, on May 26. On the rostrum stood the
chief guest of the function, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, looking
as impassive as ever. .....
by Nandadulal Das
For the past two years, he has been seen performing puja and chanting
mantra in his village hut. Few know about him and his work. But he is
paid in dollars from Thailand, Philippines, and the USA. .....
by Pramod K Singh
In a bid to appease fundamentalist Muslims in the run-up to the 2007 general
election in Bangladesh, certain sections of the Begum Khaleda Zia Government
are mounting pressure to shift the historic Dhakeswari Kali temple located
in the heart of Dhaka to a more nondescript smaller plot. .....
by Haindava Keralam
The history of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) is written with
blood, terror, riots and violence. The stories behind SIMI is tragic and
rarely known. Ideologically, SIMI believes in establishing a Dar-Ul-Islam
in India. Mass agitation, violence, terrorism, bombing, riots, bus burning,
and kidnapping are some of the strategies employed by SIMI to intimidate
and coerce the public. .....
by The Star
It is also understood that one of the temple priests suffered a heart
attack when he saw the temple being demolished and was taken to the Kuala
Lumpur Hospital where he is reportedly in a stable condition. .....
by Md A Basith
With the new academic year set to start next week and the admission process
at its peak, several city--based muftis issued a fatwa on Tuesday asking
Muslims not to admit their children in schools where Vande Mataram is
sung every morning. Children who are already studying in such institutions
must be immediately shifted to other schools, the fatwa ordered. .....
by CBC News
Critics are warning that some spiritual conferences held by Muslim organizations
in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada provide platforms for extremist views
that could radicalize young people. .....
by Pallavi Singh
In Cotton Green's Chatai Chawl, Ramchandra Kharkhele (45)-a peon with
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited-is famously known as Reena's father. .....
by The Times of India
The leader of Al Qaida in Iraq urged Sunnis to confront Shiites and ignore
calls for reconciliation in a new audiotape posted on the web on Friday,
saying Shiite militias are killing and raping the Sunni Arab minority
The tape was a four-hour sermon by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi against Shiites,
denouncing their top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani as an "atheist"
and saying the community had collaborated with invaders throughout Iraq's
history. .....
by Shyama Haldar
André Béteille once began an editorial piece in The Hindu
(20 June, 2000) with an anecdote that is as much a sharp slice of academic
wit as it is quintessential of its teller. Over table talk with a scholar
from Cambridge, Béteille relates, he told the don that he "did
not think the English were a particularly civilised people" The Cambridge
man asked for a definition of 'civilised'. "Simply someone who's
at home in at least two different languages," Béteille replied;
"having one language makes us human, being at home in two makes us
civilised." .....
by D.A. Ramachandra
It is necessary to refute the theory of Aryan Invasion/Aryan Migration
(a more sophisticated yet highly dubious version now being propagated
by people like Ms. Romila Thapar). It is just a mischief of missionaries/Leftists
and other westernised people. .....
by Shachi Rairikar
Pope's condemnation of India is uninvited and ridiculous. Isn't it ironic
that Pope, the head of the smallest independent nation in the world, which
is neither secular nor democratic and is governed by a religious head
elected by some cardinals, is advising religious freedom to one of the
largest secular democracies? .....
by S.R. Ramanujan
Can the establishment succeed in imposing reforms in religious institutions?
Is it in keeping with the secular nature of the establishment? Is it ethical
to single out a particular religion for such reforms? Is there a mandate
for it? Is it one of the priorities of the administration especially when
the solemn promises made during the run-up to the polls are so many that
one full term of 5 years is not enough for implementation? .....
by Lokpal Sethi
Last year, about 500 children between the age group of 10 and 15 years,
landed at Kota railway station from different parts of the country. Accompanied
by some Christian missionaries, they were being taken to a church at Kaithun
Road, just on the outskirts of the city. .....
by Caroline B. Glick
This is how London's Sunday Telegraph explained the decision of 17 Canadian
Muslims to stockpile three tons of ammonium nitrate and plot acts of war
against their country. .....
by Haindava Keralam
The multicrore Muslim Haj House in Mumbai is the largest Muslim pilgrim
center for Muslims enroute to their annual Haj trip to Saudi Arabia. The
state and center government subsidize the sprawling Haj House with tax
payers money. Now it is being reported that Muslim Haj House in Mumbai
has become the largest Jihadi terrorist center in India. .....
by The Pioneer
For someone who first tasted success directing two future MPs - Vinod
Khanna to the right and Shabana Azmi to the left - in Lahu ke Do Rang,
Mahesh Bhatt has, appropriately, established himself as a deft exponent
of the "rent a cause" game. Most recently he has jumped onto
the Fanaa bandwagon and lent his name to a public interest petition asking
the Supreme Court to force the Gujarat Government to have the Aamir Khan
film screened in the state. .....
by Jan Markell
What do you say when a good friend who loves God, reads her Bible, and
talks and walks her faith becomes a devotee of "Christian yoga"?
You might brace yourself and prepare yourself, because "Christian
yoga" is coming to a church near you. And to those who understand
yoga's Hindu roots and to all former New Agers, it will never be compatible
with Evangelical Christianity. .....
by David Leppard
UP TO 150 Islamic radicals have travelled from Britain to Iraq to join
up with a "British brigade" that has been established by Al-Qaeda
leaders to fight coalition forces. .....
by Stewart Bell
They are young, militant and Canadian. And according to senior counterterrorism
authorities, they have been plotting large-scale terrorist attacks on
Canadian soil. .....
by Moorthy Muthuswamy
Thank you for doing a great service to our nation, by representing us
ably. With confronting radical Islam taking the center stage, religious
issues abroad have become prominent in shaping our security, economy and
foreign policy. This is where United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) comes into picture. .....
by Aqeel Hussein in Baghdad and Colin
Freeman
As the purveyors of nothing spicier than the odd dash of hot chilli sauce,
Baghdad's falafel vendors had never imagined their snacks might be deemed
a threat to public morality. .....
by Nina Shea
Saudi Arabia's public schools have long been cited for demonizing the
West as well as Christians, Jews and other unbelievers. But after the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 - in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis
- that was all supposed to change. .....
by Olga Tellis
Maharashtra has been under the shadow of the Students' Islamic Movement
of India (Simi) ever since the 1980s, but this shadow has now become more
menacing. It is a well-known fact that the targets of militant groups
like Simi and the Kafila Shakt Jaan are Hindu fundamentalist groups like
the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. .....
by Amita Verma
It could be fire in the belly or simply the necessity to survive, but
a quiet social revolution has begun unfolding in several cities of Uttar
Pradesh, where brahmins and upper caste Hindus are applying for posts
of sanitary workers, known as "safai karamcharis". .....
by Amir Mir
"The APNS award in the category of the Best Investigative Report
goes to Mr Amir Mir of the monthly, Herald. But the award cannot be given
to him right now and the president of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society
(APNS), Mir Shakilur Rehman, would honour Amir Mir once the award distribution
ceremony is over," so said the man conducting the annual APNS award
distribution ceremony in Islamabad, on May 26. On the rostrum stood the
chief guest of the function, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, looking
as impassive as ever. .....
by K.S. Shaini
Much before Aishwarya Rai started persuading television viewers to pledge
their eyes to the visually impaired, residents of Neemuch-a small town
in western Madhya Pradesh-had made a commitment to donate their eyes.
So far, at least three thousand men and women all over the country have
been blessed with eyesight, thanks to the citizens of Neemuch. The town
even boasts of an ultra-modern eye hospital with in-house facilities for
corneal transplant. .....
by Satarupa Bhattacharjya
In the past, there have been sporadic skirmishes between the President
and the executive. But they mostly happened when the occupant of Rashtrapati
Bhavan was a proactive ex-politician like Giani Zail Singh or K.R. Narayanan,
who during his tenure on Raisina Hill never tried to hide his hostility
towards the BJP-led NDA government. .....
by Aditi Phadnis
It is hard to deny it this time. The government's goofed. And whatever
your views on the optical abilities of the President of India (he does,
after all, have a Vision 2020), he's in the right this time. .....
by Kashmiri-Pandit.org
Are Kashmiris not brothers of Indians? Do not forget if you ignore these
facts today, same facts shall apply you tomorrow! .....
by Colin Randall
At least 100 youths, many brandishing baseball bats, clashed with police
in a new outbreak of violence in the same Parisian suburbs in which nationwide
rioting started last autumn. .....
by Prakriiti Gupta
The alleged involvement of ministers, legislators and bureaucrats of Congress
led coalition government in a major sex racket that rocked Kashmir recently,
has brought forth the fact as how young and minor girls were sexually
exploited for the promises of jobs by the forces that to be. .....
by S Gurumurthy
The Pope wears two hats - one religious, as the global pontiff of the
Catholics, and the other political, as the head of Vatican State. The
second one gives him and the Catholic faith a global political and diplomatic
status which no other faith can match. As the head of the Vatican State,
the Pope relates to all heads of State as a political equal and more.
.....
by IBNLive.com
The Maharashtra Police foiled a terror bid on the headquarters of Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Nagpur and shot dead three armed terrorists
early on Thursday morning. .....
by ChennaiOnline.com
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to issue an order allowing all persons
in the Hindu community, with the required training and qualification,
to become archakas (priests) in temples. .....
by The Financial Express
The Bush administration said Wednesday it was planning to let Pakistan
buy advanced Boeing Co. Harpoon anti-ship missiles and related equipment
valued at up to $370 million in "a significant upgrade" of the
Asian nation's existing weapons systems. .....
by Aman Sharma
Three murders in 10 days, the same modus operandi in each. And in each,
the victim has been a prominent Hindu leader of Aligarh. Two of the three
killed had been arrested for allegedly inciting mobs on April 6 which
saw six Muslims die in communal clashes. And now as tension rises in Aligarh
after the murder last night of local BJP leader Om Prakash Gupta, Uttar
Pradesh police point to the pattern in the killings and suspect it may
be a planned, retaliatory strike. .....
by The Times of India
The anti-terrorist squad of the state police picked up a college student,
an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba sympathiser, from Aurangabad in the arms seizure
case. The accused, Akif Biyabani, was charged under the Unlawful Activities
Prevention Act. .....
by Shri Sundaram
India today is a land of chaos, confusion and consternation in every walk
of national life. This unhappy situation has been created by the irresponsible
UPA minority Government which is only committed to the cause of communal
and religious division of India with total focus on vote bank politics
by a motley crowd of irresponsible politicians. .....
by The Telegraph
Eleven-year-old Rangeela Khatun should have been playing around in her
village like any other child. But she is already a housewife, trying to
help out her mother-in-law in the kit-chen at Ichhakhali village, about
250 km from Calcutta. .....
by Siraj Wahab
Many Saudis will be learning more about Arjun Singh, India's minister
of human resources development, who is currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia
to strengthen educational ties between the two countries. The minister
arrived Monday night in Riyadh at the head of a delegation of India's
leading academics. .....
by Indian Catholic News
Eastern India's top tribal council has banned Hindu practices, images
and priests from tribal religious ceremonies. We have banned (tribal people)
going to Hindu temples and having idol worship," said Beokumar Dhan,
convener of Bisu Sendra, the highest council for tribal people in Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal states. .....
by P. V. Indiresan
The Government has shut the quota debate by pronouncing that it has decided.
But this, says P. V. INDIRESAN, is iniquitous as it has ordained that
no institution - even if it has no government patronage - can admit students
free of caste bias. More than the number, the reservation debate must
also be about how good are those that get admitted to institutions of
higher learning. .....
by The Indian Express
Agitating students of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur have adopted
the surname 'bharat' against the proposed reservations for OBCs in higher
education. .....
by Hindu Swayamsevek Sangh
Do you want to know more about Hindu Culture and the Dharmic Traditions
of India? Do you want to know about Hindu's contributions in math, science,
art and architecture? Do you want to know about Hindu Diaspora? Do you
want to share this knowledge with friends or your own children? In many
cities throughout the USA, an exhibition covering such diverse themes
of Hindu culture as "Festivals," "Dance and Music,"
"Yoga and Ayurveda," "Contributions in Mathematics and
Science" and the "Role of Hindu Women" will be held. .....
by Varghese K George
Why the hurry? What's the logic? What's the scientific basis behind the
figure? The Supreme Court's pointed questions today to the Government
of India on its proposed Bill for 27% OBC quotas echo the concerns that
the late Rajiv Gandhi raised in his speech on the Mandal Commission in
the Lok Sabha on September 6, 1990. .....
by Flemming Rose
European political correctness allows Muslims to resist integration, argues
the culture editor of Jyllands-Posten. Instead, Muslims should be treated
just like all Europeans -- including being subject to satire. He argues
that publishing the caricatures was an act of "inclusion, not exclusion."
.....
by Anand Kurien
There is a lovely story about Adi Sankara, the saint and poet-philosopher
from Kerala who lived 1,200 years ago. It is possible that the story is
apocryphal but many wise people believe it to be true and I would like
to think so too. .....
by Abhishek Sharan
Mumbai Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad has struck again. Another suspected
SIMI activist was arrested from Aurangabad on Saturday night. .....
by Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark
German authorities may have thwarted suicide bomb attacks in Iraq by German
women. According to intelligence sources, three women were prevented from
travelling to Iraq after one of them had announced she planned to blow
herself up in Iraq. .....
by The Free Press Journal
All said and done, the return of the Office of Profit Bill (Prevention
of Disqualification) to Parliament by the President pinpoints the infirmities
of the Bill. That a Bill with such weaknesses was passed and sent for
the President's assent marks a low point in the efficiency of the UPA
government, if not loss of face for it. It is not every Bill that the
President sends back for reconsideration. .....
by The Pioneer
UPA making India a soft target ---- There is no denying the fact that
had the terrorists who set out on Thursday morning to blow up the RSS
headquarters in Nagpur succeeded in their mission, jihadis both in India
and abroad would have celebrated while the Government and its security
agencies would have been left looking utterly incompetent in combating
Islamist terrorism. .....
by Ojas Mehta
Anthony Mani R Mohan (60) once held reign from Dhobi Talao to Colaba,
by sheer muscle power. The man was a bhai, but the terrible days of murder
and mayhem ended suddenly one day with a visit to the Sai Baba temple
at Shirdi. .....
by The Asian Age
The BJP has been quick to accuse the Maharashtra government of being soft
on terrorists for the sake of its minority votebank. Making political
capital of the incident where terrorists were able to reach within 300
yards of the RSS headquarters, Nitin Gadkari, a senior leader and former
BJP minister, said: "The soft corner for the minorities has led to
growing aggressiveness of terrorist groups in the state." .....
by Ashok Malik
Meeting the new Indian Ambassador in his capacity as head of State of
the Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
complained about anti-conversion laws in India. Taking their cue, senior
functionaries of the Catholic Church in India had digs at BJP Governments
- particularly in Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan - that have brought in legislation
seeking to curb mass conversions - and at the VHP. .....
by The Indian Express
Agitating students of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur have adopted
the surname 'bharat' against the proposed reservations for OBCs in higher
education. .....
by Manju V
It's a major danger to aviation security that has not been attended to
for months now. There are at least 12 to 15 large gaping holes in the
boundary wall near the Mumbai airport's runway area. The wall was constructed
barely a year ago to separate the Rafiq Nagar and Vijay Nagar slums from
the tarmac area and it is suspected that the slum dwellers themselves
have made the holes. .....
by Gautam Dheer
A sleepy village in Nawanshehar, Khothran, celebrated the birth of 44
girls against 33 boys in 2005-a ratio of 1,334, up from 897 in 2004. The
state has a sex ratio of 886 overall and an abysmal 753 in the 0-6 age
group. .....
by Anjali Joseph
"It was like a dream", wrote a 19th century British diarist
on visiting the temple village of Walkeshwar, that still exists around
the Banganga tank. A century-and-a-half on, the surrounding area of Malabar
Hill may have changed drastically, with highrise apartment blocks peering
down at the holy tank, but the other-worldly atmosphere of Banganga remains.
.....
by Inayatullah
What a contrast - India being hailed as an emerging giant and lionised
by leading TV channels with special programmes highlighting its achievements
and how it compares with another giant, China. Pakistan, on the other
hand, is increasingly looked at as a failing state with no prestigious
international media channel willing to speak for it. .....
by Rajeev PI
If a Hindu MLA cannot take the oath of office in the name of a Guru, can
Muslim MLAs take the oath of office in the name of Allah and still remain
MLAs? This is the gist of a writ petition before the Kerala High Court
filed by a BJP youth wing leader who wants the court to declare as unconstitutional
the swearing-in of 11 newly elected Muslim MLAs who took the oath of office,
three days ago, in the name of Allah. .....
by Ritu Sarin
Two weeks after the Australian media reported that official documents
had confirmed commissions to the tune of $2.5 million (Rs 11.25 crore)
being paid into a Cayman Islands account for the 1998 Indian wheat import
deal, South Block has formally been informed about the development. .....
by The Indian Express
Three loss-making public-sector undertakings (PSUs) of Gujarat have started
making profits, and the turnaround is being attributed to absence of political
interference. .....
by The Economic Times
Even as Narendra Modi-baiters on Friday came together to put the blame
for the opposition against the screening of Amir Khan's Fanaa on the Gujarat
administration, the rent-a-quote mob in the 'secular' spectrum chose to
ignore the decision of the Congress-led Punjab government to ban The Da
Vinci Code. .....
