by The Times of India
Manufacturing and retail sectors have emerged as the largest employers
in the country even as the number of employed has increased significantly
between 1998-2005 compared to 1990-98, the latest economic census has
revealed. .....
by The Indian Express
The debate about the Indo-US civil nuclear initiative has long ceased
to be a technical one. It is now about the Congress leadership's political
will to wrap up the next steps in implementing the historic initiative.
Put simply, is the Congress ready to put India's nuclear interests above
the political survival of the UPA? .....
by Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
The intellectuals of West Bengal, led by Gyanpith award-winning writer
and social activist Mahashweta Devi, now want to extend their movement
against CPI(M) especially with regards to its land acquisition policies,
beyond the boundary of the state. .....
by S Gurumurthy
The Karnataka polls outcome is not a replay of Gujarat for the BJP. For
the Congress, it is, but with a difference. The response of the Congress
party to the Karnataka result was precisely the same as when the Gujarat
results were out. In both cases, with the top leadership running away
from owning defeats, the party had to begin a desperate search to identify
a proxy loser from within to save the real losers! .....
by Vivek Gumaste
Apart from breaching the symbolic barrier of the North-South divide by
expanding its influence across the Vindhyas, the BJP, with its electoral
victory in Karnataka, has also validated certain important facets of its
appeal: An acceptability that cuts across regions, demolishes caste barriers
and one that reaches into the remotest rural hinterland of the State.
.....
by The Pioneer
Contrary to what Delhi's lib-left commentariat would have the people of
this country believe, the 'elected' Government of Pakistan, despite its
pledge to combat Islamic fanaticism and shut the doors on the Taliban
and Al Qaeda foot soldiers, is in effect striving to strengthen those
very elements that have caused, and continue to cause, so much death,
destruction and misery in this part of the world and beyond. .....
by Rasheeda Bhagat
The BJP's victory in Karnataka is well-deserved; it was the aggrieved
party that was tricked once again by the JD (S) in the revolving chief
ministership game, and on that count alone it deserved to win. The most
important outcome of this election will be Lok Sabha polls as scheduled
and not earlier .....
by The Hindu
The effortsof Gujarat, ruled by the BJP, in ensuring power supply to farmers
has received laurels from an unexpected quarter -- the Congress-led UPA
government at the Centre. .....
by Ashok Malik
In 2004, when the historian Ron Chernow wrote his eponymous biography
of Alexander Hamilton, he was partly impelled by the sense that his subject
had not been given his due. Hamilton was an American nationalist, a votary
of federal institutions, a Republican, an advocate of limited Government
and a patron of the industrial society before these terms were coined
or at least entirely understood. .....
by Pratap Bhanu Mehta
When the Gurjjar agitation started, knowledgeable observers had widely
feared that its denouement would be something resembling war. More than
50 deaths, several districts under blockade, some virtually under a state
of siege, mobile services suspended, transport interrupted, leaders unable
to move freely, and a deep sense of foreboding, all suggest that the worst
fears about this agitation have come true. .....
by Prakash Singh
Human right groups and the Left parties have mounted a campaign against
the Salwa Judum experiment in Chhattisgarh. A three-member CPI delegation
recently urged the prime minister to intervene and disband the Salwa Judum.
Their contention was that it was abetting "a social strife-like situation
in the state leading to the suffer-ing of innocent villagers and adivasis".
Fortunately, the prime minister did not succumb to their pressure tactic.
.....
by Swapan Dasgupta
Earlier this month, there was an exchange on BBC Radio London between
a politician and a psephologist during the painfully slow counting of
votes for the mayoral election in London. A Labour Party stalwart expressed
his deep scepticism of a poll conducted by YouGov, a well-respected political
polling company, which indicated a clear win for the Conservatives. .....
by Shiv Sahay Singh
The IIT-Kharagpur administration has decided not to provide hostel accommodation
for its married students from the ensuing academic session. The reason:
It has to make room for the undergraduate (UG) and post graduate (PG)
students who will be admitted following the recent Supreme Court's decision
to allow 27 per cent quota for OBC students. .....
by Haindava Keralam
Hundreds of devotees will participate in today's protest march to Feroke
police station, Demanding strict action against DYFI goons who attacked
KannathuMottaGurudevanTemple in Feroke. .....
by B R Haran
If Parliament is the 'Heart' of Democracy, then the Armed Forces can be
called as the 'Central Nervous System' which is vital for the democracy
to survive and succeed. .....
by The Times of India
A man suspected to be involved in the Jaipur serial blasts, which killed
over 60 people and injured more than 200, was arrested here late Wednesday,
police said. .....
by The Times of India
A top Muslim cleric has been arrested from Bharatpur in connection with
the Jaipur blasts, a private news channel reported on Monday. .....
by Daily News & Analysis
Speaking before parliamentarians in 1990, Rajiv Gandhi said, "If
you believe in a casteless society, every major step you take must be
such that you move towards a casteless society. You must avoid taking
any such step that takes you towards a caste-ridden society. .....
by Gyan Varma
Anti-OBC quota protests are yet again gaining momentum in the capital,
with over a 100 medical students and doctors deciding to go on an indefinite
hunger strike. .....
by The Times of India
A distant farmer relative of President Pratibha Patil died at Hingna Karegaon
in Buldhana district on Saturday, after he consumed poison on Wednesday.
Rajendrasingh Navalsingh Rajput, 46, died at a private hospital in Akola
in the wee hours of Saturday. .....
by Binay Singh
A mini 'Banaras' was created on Mexico's Costa Careyes beach as celebrity
couple, supermodel Heidi Klum and her singer husband Seal, reaffirmed
their commitment to each other in a Hindu wedding ceremony on their third
wedding anniversary. .....
by The Times of India
The National Commission for Women (NCW) is campaigning for an amendment
to a law governing the portrayal of women in media. Chairperson Girija
Vyas discussed the matter with industry professionals and women's activists
in the city on Saturday. .....
by The Indian Express
Home Minister Shivraj Patil has been at the centre of the UPA government's
silence on whether Afzal Guru should be granted clemency. In 2004, the
Supreme Court had convicted Afzal Guru for the attack on Parliament in
December 2001 and sentenced him to death. In these years, a passionate
debate has taken place on the merits of his case for clemency specifically
and, in a more general context, on the wisdom of retaining the death sentence
in India. .....
by Sreenivas Janyala
The Naxal movement in Andhra Pradesh is diminishing slowly, but the Maoists
are striking with a vengeance on the Andhra-Orissa border. These are not
well-planned attacks on police stations or government machinery, but cold-blooded
killings of former sympathisers or anyone they don't like. The Maoists'
general refrain is that they were police informers and hence, the execution.
.....
by Yubaraj Ghimire
Nepal is replete with legends of how the high and the mighty were destroyed
by curses of wronged women. Maoists may not believe in them but Prachanda
is now facing the wrath of a woman fighting for justice. .....
by Bidyut Roy
The CPM is facing an unprecedented dent in what it has long taken for
granted, its support in the rural areas in West Bengal. The trickle of
defeat during Wednesday's counting of the panchayat polls at the Zilla
Parishad (district council) level turned into a flood today when results
of the lower tiers emerged. .....
by The Times of India
The HuJI militant arrested on Wednesday from New Delhi railway station
was part of the module involved in the Varanasi blasts in 2006, according
to cops. He was also involved in smuggling of 10 kg of RDX into the capital,
months before the 2005 Diwali blasts which killed 67 people. .....
by The Indian Express
Nearly five years after registering a case against former Chhattisgarh
Chief Minister Ajit Jogi in cash-for-MLA scam, the CBI now says he cannot
be prosecuted under any law. The CBI, in a note conveyed to the Law Ministry,
has said that there is no provision either under the Indian Penal Code
or Prevention of Corruption Act under which the Congress MP could be prosecuted,
Law Ministry sources said. .....
by Milind Ghatwai
It doesn't matter if your party has virtually no presence in a state when
its founder is the powerful Railway Minister at the Centre. You may not
get votes but you can certainly pull strings to get train tickets reserved.
.....
by Pranab Dhal Samanta
A day after according him star status at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's
dinner, the Congress-led UPA government has honoured a longstanding demand
of Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh and upgraded his security
to the Z category. .....
by Peter J. Smith
Norwegian police arrested two Christian missionaries for spreading the
Gospel to crowds alongside an Oslo parade celebrating the birthday of
Norway's constitution last week. .....
by Khelen Thokchom
Under a blazing mid-morning sun, 48-year-old Thokchom Mohon Singh watched
with satisfaction his hamlet's transition from vulnerability to empowerment.
.....
by Ajai Sahni
Structural infirmities and manpower and material deficits of policing
and intelligence systems need to be addressed. Else, the terror strikes
will continue to occur with impunity, and our leaders will continue with
their habitual fits of breast-beating and finger pointing .....
by The Pioneer
After the serial blasts in Jaipur, the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehadi
Islami (HuJI) had planned terrorist strikes in important and crowded markets
of the Capital. Interrogation of a HuJI militant, arrested near the New
Delhi railway station late on Wednesday, has revealed that the outfit
had planned serial blasts in Delhi before this weekend. .....
by Organiser
To say that the nine blasts in 15 minutes that killed 64 and maimed over
150 persons in Jaipur shocked the nation is an editorial hyperbole. The
common refrain is India has learnt to live with terror. There is no nation-wide
outrage and this act of satanic treachery will also add to the cold statistics
of the national crime bureau like all the previous terror attacks. .....
by Udayavani
The proposed Sethusamudram project, if implemented, will adversely affect
marine biodiversity in the "protected" Gulf of Mannar Biosphere
Reserve, according to Director of Kochi-based Centre for Marine Fisheries
Research Institute (CMFRI), N G K Pillai. .....
by The Pioneer
Protest marches to the facilities of Swargeeya Virunnu (Heavenly Feast),
the Christian prayer-healing movement run by two 'brothers' in Kottayam
and Thiruvananthapuram on Friday morning, led to tension even as various
probe agencies intensified their investigations into financial deals by
godmen in the State. .....
by The Telegraph
Alleged CPM supporters stormed the house of a Trinamul Congress village
panchayat candidate today and beat him, his pregnant wife and mother.
.....
by Free Press Journal
The Manmohan Singh government seems to be in utter disarray four years
into its term and just a year before the nation goes to polls. Nothing
illustrates this better than the uncharacteristically personal attack
on Dr Manmohan Singh by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
wherein he opined that the Congress is on the decline after he took over
as Prime Minister. .....
by The Pioneer
In his recent briefing to the Union Cabinet, National Security Adviser
MK Narayanan admitted that there was lack of coordination between the
Intelligence Bureau and State-level intelligence agencies, and that the
inputs provided by IB were "not actionable" and were imprecise
and general. In doing so, Mr Narayanan has put two sets of people in the
dock. .....
by Mumbai Mirror
The special court hearing the 1993 serial blasts case has given its verdict
after what came to be known as 'the world's longest terrorism trial,'
a book has been written on the explosions and a film too screened in theatres
across India. .....
by Nirmala Ravindran
For over 150 years there has been no artist who can claim to have captured
the imagination of India like Raja Ravi Varma; for Indians, even today,
recognise Hindu gods and goddesses depending on how Ravi Varma painted
them. .....
by Sarita Kaushik
The Pardhi community of Maharashtra has an unenviable reputation. Despite
the Criminal Tribe Act being repealed in 1949, this nomadic community
continued to be blacklisted by the police, with members being considered
criminals although many are now farmers and labourers. .....
by News.com.au
Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has called for the ban of an
"infidel" Islamic sect as debate raged in the world's most populous
Muslim country over religious freedom and tolerance. .....
by The Pioneer
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has the unique knack of putting both
his feet into his mouth every time he chooses to speak on matters of state.
In the best of times, he comes across as a Home Minister who is totally
clueless about issues that pertain to his portfolio; he either waffles
or ends up inviting ridicule both inside and outside Parliament. In the
worst of times, which is more often, his utterances are shocking, to say
the least. .....
by Zeenews.com
In a significant decision, the Centre on Thursday announced an over Rs
330 crore relief package for the victims of the 2002 post-Godhra riots
in Gujarat. .....
by NDTV.com
Delhi Police have recovered three kg of RDX, five detonators and one timer
in West Delhi after they interrogated a man allegedly belonging to the
Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami or HuJI. .....
by Outlook
Taking umbrage at Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi suffering a two-hour voluntary
powercut at Raj Bhavan daily from today, West Bengal's ruling CPI(M) today
questioned the necessity of the gubernatorial post. .....
by Rediff.com
With a view to strengthening its movement against the Rs 2,400 crore Sethusamudram
Shipping Canal, involving dredging of the Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge), the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad will organise a two-day national meeting of 'sadhus'
to press the Centre to announce Ram Sethu as a national heritage of historical
importance. .....
by J. Gopikrishnan
In yet another instance of the glaring nexus between the Union Health
Ministry and private vaccine-producing companies, a Public Sector Undertaking
(PSU) paid an astronomical amount to a politically-connected private company
for measles seeds, primary raw material for vaccines, and entered into
a lopsided profit-sharing agreement which benefited the latter. .....
by NDTV.com
Illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Assam were encroaching land of nearly
900 Vaishnava monasteries across the state threatening the existence and
safety of the people there, a former director general of museums claimed.
.....
by Rajan Mahan
It's now exactly a week since the serial blasts in Jaipur killed 65 people.
The probe into the terrorist strike has made little headway. .....
by The Indian Express
Stoking the Afzal Guru row and linking it with that of Sarabjit Singh's
release, the Home Minister Shivraj Patil said, 'If you are asking for
Afzal's hanging how can you ask pardon for Sarabjit.' He said that the
attack on Parliament was a personal blow to him but one particular community
can't be blamed for everything while saying that 'we will do whatever
is appropriate according to law.' .....
by Nitish Sengupta
In the past week or so, during the panchayat elections in West Bengal,
the CPI(M) cadre in Nandigram, Khejuri, Keshpur and many other pockets
in the state have gone crazy violating criminal laws and constitutional
rights in order to retain their physical control over their areas of influence.
.....
by Krishnakumar P
A week after nine bombs killed 66 people in Jaipur <http://www.rediff.com/news/rajblast08.html>,
a team of Jaipur police is still verifying the antecedents of the people
living at the Bagrana transit camp, about 10 km from the city. .....
by The Pioneer
But for evidence to the contrary, the UPA Government's astonishing faith
in "building trust and cooperation" with Pakistan could have
been dismissed as nothing more than the touching naïveté of
the uninitiated. What makes the Government's decision to despatch Foreign
Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Islamabad to carry forward the bogus 'peace
dialogue' doubly dubious is the timing of the visit. .....
by Shilpa Dhamija
Twenty-two-year old Rahul Krishnakumar Vaid was arrested by the cyber
crime cell of Pune police last Friday from Gurgaon in Haryana for posting
vulgar content about Congress president Sonia Gandhi on social networking
site Orkut. .....
by Abdur-Rahman Raines
Having browsed through some of the postings by Muslims regarding Muslim
Schools on this forum, it has only served to endorse further my long held
belief that the whole movement for founding "Muslim" and "Islamic"
schools whether state aided, or independent, is very much a wolf in sheep's
clothing, promoted and endorsed by some of the "leading lights"
of the majority Indo-Pak community residing with in these Isles. .....
by Sumit Pande
The Centre has again shifted its focus on to posting minority groups'
personnel in areas whose demographics show a pronounced minority slant.
.....
by Heather Timmons and Hari Kumar
The Chinese government is refusing to issue visas to Hindus trying to
make the traditional summer pilgrimage to what they hold to be the home
of Lord Shiva in Tibet, forcing thousands to delay or cancel the trip.
.....
by Google News
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen said she plans to return to
her adoptive home India by August, just months after she was hounded out
of the country by Islamic radical death threats. .....
by Mitali De
People at the helms of affairs in New Delhi and Kolkata must know that
the 4,096-kilometer-long and porous India-Bangladesh border is a time
bomb that will explode sooner or later. In West Bengal and particularly
places like Maldah, South Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri and other areas adjoining
Indo-Bangladesh border, illegal immigration has been a long standing problem.
.....
by Ravindra Saini
Lok Jagran Manch of Assam alleged that Bangladeshi intruders in the state
had links with Islamic terrorist organisations and the ISI. It criticised
the Union and the Assam governments for patronising the intruders for
electoral gains. The Manch expressed its concern over the increasing Muslim
population in Assam. .....
by KS Tomar
Panic prevails in the slum colonies of Bangladeshis in various districts
across the state, as Rajasthan police have started an aggressive campaign
to verify their credentials prior to deporting them to their own country.
.....
by R. Upadhyay
Whenever talk revolves around gender equality, women's right or their
empowerment people are found to be indifferent toward 70 million Muslim
women in India who have been facing the most humiliating aspect of their
lives like polygamy and divorce. They are compelled to bear this pang
of social humiliation for centuries under the water tight compartment
of Shariat (Islamic law). .....
by The Indian Express
Advocating a ''bullet for bullet" approach to combat terrorism, Jammu
and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in a fiery rhetoric, said:
"How can you initiate talks with terrorists, who after attaining
training from across the border, come to kill you. Either you have to
kill him, otherwise you will be killed." .....
by The Times of India
It is rare that ministers speak so candidly in public. Two ministers of
the Left Front government in West Bengal have gone on record about the
arsenals their respective parties stock to fight political battles. RSP
minister Kshiti Goswami regrets that his party has only hand bombs whereas
CPM cadre carry light machine guns, muskets, revolvers and explosives.
.....
by The Indian Express
Two BJP workers succumbed to bullet injuries following a poll eve Naxal
attack at Hebri in Udupi district. The BJP workers, Bhoja Shetty, a teacher
in a local school, and his brother-in-law Suresh Shetty, had returned
home to their village around 8.30 p.m on Thursday after participating
in a pre-election BJP meeting when the Naxals visited their house, police
said. .....
by Nitin Mahajan
I just remember that I was somewhere near the Bapu Bazaar area when a
loud explosion occurred, and then there was darkness. I don't even know
who brought me to hospital," says Geeta Sahu, an injured at the Sawai
Man Singh Hospital here. .....
by Pranab Dhal Samanta
China has surprised India by laying claim on a small tract of land in
North Sikkim, even threatening this week to demolish existing stone structures
there. India has strongly rebutted these claims, lodged an official protest
and barred Chinese troops from entering the area. .....
by Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui
Call it a mere coincidence or something more sinister, but the recovery
of an abandoned Maruti Esteem from outside the Jaipur railway station
has brought out a common element between the March 2006 serial blasts
near Sankat Mochan in Varanasi and the Tuesday blasts in Jaipur. .....
by The Times of India
Origin | Formed in 1990 in Afghanistan, LeT's 'political' wing Jama'atud-Da'awa
is based at Muridke near Lahore. Prof Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is the organization's
Amir. .....
by Himanshi Dhawan
Moving in to sanitise the small screen, the government on Friday banned
two underwear advertisements, calling them indecent and vulgar. .....
by Pradeep Thakur & Nitesh Kumar
Sharma
The Jaipur bombers merrily shopped around for bicycles carrying the explosives
in bags casually slung over their shoulders, investigators have found
three days after the blasts which killed 63 and injured many more. Sources
said that members of the gang had nonchalantly discussed the prices of
the cycles they bought. .....
by The Economic Times
National Security Advisor MK Narayanan has blamed the intelligence agencies,
the very agencies that he is supposed to supervise, for not providing
"actionable intelligence" on terror attacks. The NSA told the
Cabinet on Thursday that there was no warning about the jehadi attack
on Jaipur. .....
by The Economic Times
Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who broke off from
the political opinion that insists peace can be achieved by carrying no
stick, said that terrorists should be neutralised with force before they
kill innocents. .....
by Vishwa Mohan
The latest top 10 list released by Forbes features the world's most dreaded
criminals, in a major departure from the magazine's usual practice of
listing the planet's rich and famous. .....
by The Indian Express
Britain's controversial foreign and military policy has made UK the hub
of Islamic terrorism across Europe, and turned the country into a fertile
ground for jihadist recruiters, a report by the EU warned. .....
by Pallavi Singh
It's easy to miss Samkalp Bhavan in Paharganj's Aram Bagh, on a narrow
street dotted with small buildings. The white plaque announcing its existence
is inconspicuous. .....
by The Indian Express
The Union Home Ministry wanted the Rajasthan government to "collect"
illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and put them in a "transit camp."
.....
by Muzamil Jaleel
In the first such report compiled since the outbreak of militancy in the
Valley, a Jammu and Kashmir Police report says that 209 Kashmiri Pandits
were killed by militants since 1989. Chargesheets have been filed in 24
cases while killers in 115 cases remain unidentified or untraced. .....
by The Times of India
The police and intelligence agencies probing the May 13 serial blasts
in the city are on the lookout for Indore-based SIMI activist Abu Faisal
as he resembles one of the suspects of the terror attack. .....
by Vishwa Mohan
While claiming responsibility for the mayhem at Jaipur, the "Indian
Mujahideen" added a few words that could spell out an unfinished
agenda: "fidayeen wait Modi." While the script on Jaipur and
the video of the bomber-cycle were attachments, the Modi message was typed
in. .....
by Soumittra S Bose
It may sound shocking now, but a weekly Hindi newspaper published from
here had claimed in its March 28th edition that Jaipur had become "a
hub of terrorist activities after being infested by the Wahabi group who
believe in violence in the name of religion''. It had also warned that
the group may start a major operation in the walled city soon. .....
by Johnson T A
An uneasy peace exists in Sringeri these days. The temple town founded
by Sankaracharya on the banks of the river Tunga in Karnataka's Chikamagalur
district now has a fortified police station to guard against armed Naxals.
.....
by The Indian Express
A day after she suffered 90 per cent burns in an alleged attack by CPI(M)
cadres, Gouri Naskar, a relative of RSP minister Subhas Naskar, succumbed
to her injuries at the SSKM Hospital here on Friday. .....
by The Pioneer
The serial bombings in Jaipur have had the salutary effect of forcing
the Rajasthan Government to take a long, hard look at the festering problem
posed by the surge of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who have made
their way to this State. Initial investigations into last Tuesday's outrage
indicate that some of these Bangladeshis were involved in planning and
carrying out the bombings. .....
by The Pioneer
With the role of illegal Bangladeshi migrants coming under the scanner
in the wake of the Jaipur blasts, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara
Raje has claimed that the Centre had suggested to it to put them in a
"transit camp." .....
by The Statesman
A Tibetan friend mischievously told me: "The Chinese are lucky, Buddha
is more compassionate than Allah". This was not meant as judgment
on a particular religion, but rather to illustrate that the way Buddhists
react to a situation is quite different from the adepts of other credos.
This difference is particularly true when one looks at the so-called 'negotiations',
between Dharamsala and Beijing. .....
by David Rieff
The decision by the government of Myanmar not to admit foreign humanitarian
relief workers to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis has been met with
fury, consternation and disbelief in much of the world. .....
by The Pioneer
There are "formidable cases" for Pakistan to extradite underworld
don Dawood Ibrahim to India for trial, senior BJP leader LK Advani said
on Saturday. .....
by Haindava Keralam
It was the 2nd of May 2003 , under a crescent moon at the Marad beach.
The Hindu fishermen, most of whom had just hauled their daily catch and
were resting on the beach, never knew what hit them. Three teams of about
a hundred armed men climbed out of their fibreglass boats on to the shore.
.....
by Sudarshan Rodriguez
The religio-political controversy and public debate surrounding the Sethusamudram
Ship Canal Project (SSCP) have overshadowed the original arguments raised
against this project, namely its environmental, economic and social impacts.
.....
by Arun Kumar Singh
Tuesday evening's serial bomb blasts in Jaipur, in which over 60 people
were killed, has demonstrated yet again how ill-equipped India is to handle
the new complexities of terror warfare. A new command must be created
to protect the nation. .....
by Deccan Chronicle
A Sinhala scholar's remark that Mahendra, son of Emperor Asoka, reached
the island nation by land from South India has further substantiated the
existence of Ram Sethu, the controversial structure in the Indian Ocean.
"Mahendra preached Buddhism in south India for some time before embarking
on his Sri Lanka mission. .....
by ExpressIndia.com
On the eve of panchayat polls, CPM state Secretary Biman Bose issued a
veiled threat to intellectuals, including actor Aparna Sen, calling them
"kujon (evil people) and self-appointed observers". .....
by Barry Gewen
Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Irshad Manji are two of the most prominent and outspoken
critics of what they and others see as "mainstream Islam." Brilliant,
dynamic women - the overused word "charismatic" is not inappropriate
for either one - they have each rebelled against a Muslim upbringing to
become public figures with large and devoted followings. .....
by Tenzin Tsundue
When I packed my sleeping bag that early morning before sunrise for this
long journey, I placed a white (khatak) scarf at the altar of His Holiness
and said I have decided, whatever happens, I will make my way through.
Walking for almost 70 days with 300 people covering more than 900 kilometers
through Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, we reached Almora town yesterday
in the Kumaon mountains in Uttrakhand. From here, Tibet is not very far.
.....
by Sandhya Jain
Archaeology, long given the step-sisterly treatment by Marxist historians,
now finds itself at the high table of history, as it alone can deliver
a credible verdict on whether the Ram Setu shows evidence of human intervention
in the hoary past. .....
by JP Rajkhowa
Pseudo-secularists would not swallow any revelation that the Church in
the Northeast represented by its different factions - Baptist, Presbyterian
and Catholic - has been promoting, aiding and abetting insurgency in the
region in a clandestine manner, though in the garb of various welfare
measures for the uplift of the tribal population. .....
by B S Raghavan
Has anyone thought why there has not been a single instance of terror
in the United States of America post-9/11 unlike India where such attacks
occur almost every day? The difference lies in the desire to study the
problem scientifically and take remedial measures.... We do not have the
political will to fight terrorism....When new challenges come, new solutions
also have to be found. Terrorism is a gift of the last century. .....
by The Pioneer
As the 'prescient' Central agencies and 'all-knowing' Home Ministry wave
the time-worn HuJI-SIMI placard and claim to provide prior intelligence
inputs to State Governments about the designs of terror outfits, the country
has been presented with a murky spectacle of blame game over Tuesday's
serial blasts in Jaipur. .....
by The Pioneer
It is unfortunate, to say the least, that the Congress has chosen to blame
the victims of terrorism rather than address the crucial issue of how
to combat terrorists following Tuesday's gruesome bloodbath in Jaipur.
.....
by Rediff.com
A constable of the Indian Reserve Police has been arrested for alleged
links with the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, the police said. .....
by Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay &
Monotosh Chakraborty
It was all-out war in Amjhora and Charbidya, South 24 Parganas, as Left
Front partners used the terror tactics - meant to intimidate the Opposition
- against each other. .....
by Vaihayasi Pande Daniel
The serene teak forests and gently rising and falling grassy knolls that
make up the 1,412 sq km of the magnificent Gir Forest National Park are
home to about 350 of Asia's only lions. .....
by B K Upmanyu
Ram Sethu continues to evoke responses. This time it is the VHP. The organisation's
international president has warned the government against going ahead
with the project. He has also accused the government of hurting the sentiments
of the Hindus. .....
by Praveen Swami
Ever since newspaper and television stations received an e-mail from the
terrorists who carried out the Jaipur serial bombings, commentators have
busied themselves searching for messages hidden amidst its text. .....
by Dr C.I. Issac
The Sachar Committee report incontrovertibly accepts that the Kerala Muslims
are much different from the rest of the Muslims of India. It is true in
Kerala several Hindu jatis (castes) are far behind the Muslims. The socio-economic
condition of some of the forward Hindu (savarna) jatis, which were accounted
as frontward during the Independence time is too pathetic. .....
by The Times of India
A Dutch cartoonist and political parties across the board hit out on Saturday
following his arrest and detention for alleged incitement to hatred in
his drawings. .....
by Shantanu Guha Ray
Last Fortnight, South Block received a package - a few hundred Indian
passports sent to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) by the Interpol
office in Manama, in the Gulf state of Bahrain. The problem - they were
all forged, expertly, of course. .....
by DNA
The eight franchisee owners and sponsors of the Indian Premier League
(IPL) have decided to donate Rs.60 million for the victims of the serial
bombings that rocked the city on Tuesday. .....
by Andrew Bolt
Our top human rights body is so savage on Australia that it claims we're
guilty of "genocide". But when it comes to China, the Human
Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission can't grovel enough. .....
by Rajesh Kumar
More than 24 hours after the serial blasts shocked Jaipur, the Walled
City residents are yet to come to terms with the tragedy. The Pink City,
known for its tourist destinations rather than for being on the terror
map, is seething with anger at the dastardly act of terrorist outfits.
.....
by The New Indian Express
In a record time of 108 days a 108-foot-high statue of saint-poet Thallapaka
Annamacharya was sculpted at the saint's native village - Thallapaka in
Rajampeta mandal - which will be unveiled by Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara
Reddy on May 22. .....
by Rediff.com
National Conference President Omar Abdullah has accused Muslims of being
mute spectators at the time of exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley
in the 1990s. .....
by The Pioneer
Tuesday's ghastly serial bombings in Jaipur, coming in the wake of a surge
in cross-border terrorism, are a grim reminder that our internal security
situation continues to remain precarious. The bombings, which have extracted
a terrible toll of innocent lives and maimed scores of others, also bear
evidence of the fact that the evil forces of jihad, operating out of Pakistan
or through front organisations in Bangladesh, are neither down nor out.
.....
by Saugar Sengupta
At least nine lives were lost in the violence involving the Marxists and
their RSP comrades during the second phase of Bengal's panchayat elections
on Wednesday. Four RSP workers died of bullet injuries at Basanti. A CPI(M)
candidate died after RSP retaliated. News of poll-related deaths came
from other areas like Howrah, Nadia and Birbhum as well during elections
in the five districts. .....
by The Times of India
Political fratricide in trouble-torn Basanti reached a new high yet again
on Wednesday with the red motorcycle brigade letting loose a reign of
terror, encircling the Kumrokhali village, an RSP bastion, from all sides.
As if the deaths were not enough, the CPM-led brigade led the charge with
bombs and maskets as villagers fled for their lives. .....
by Lokpat Sethi
Police on Wednesday night claimed that they had found positive lead, which
strongly indicates that Bangladesh-based terrorist outfit HuJI was behind
Tuesday's serial bomb blasts in Jaipur. .....
by D K Singh
On the eve of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit to Jaipur to meet
victims of the serial bomb blasts, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara
Raje questioned the purpose of the visit, saying if Gandhi wanted to make
a "political point", this was not the time. .....
by The Times of India
The Central government came in for some searing criticism by Delhi HC
on Monday with respect to implementation of Sachar Committee recommendations
for welfare of Muslims. .....
by The Times of India
Agreeing to implement OBC reservation from this year, heads of more than
80 central educational institutions - including IITs, IIMs and NITs -
voiced concern about the problem of faculty and resources they would face
in expanding seats. .....
by Krishen Kak
This refers to Mr Chandan Mitra's article, "Why fida on Husain?"
(May 11). It is not just that MF Husain paints Hindu divinities as naked;
it is also how he himself, directly or implicitly, interprets this nudity.
.....
by Chandan Mitra
A wave of jubilation is sweeping across the throng of pseudo-secularists
as they rejoice at the exoneration of self-exiled, multi-billionaire Maqbool
Fida Husain in three of six cases lodged against him on various counts,
ranging from obscenity to inciting communities against one another. .....
by The Times of India
Terror struck yet again - this time in Jaipur, at the busiest market,
at the busiest hour, aimed with chilling precision to kill, maim, terrify
and cleave the country. At last count, the toll was 80 killed, and with
over 150 injured, it could go up. .....
by Ch. Narendra
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the state had achieved agricultural
growth rate of 12 per cent, which is higher than the national rate of
1.7 per cent. .....
by Sandhya Jain
The current controversy over Ram Setu presents an ideal opportunity to
probe the reality of a god whose human incarnation is central to Hindu
faith. The deity who inspired a footbridge wide enough for an army to
cross the Palk Straits poses a powerful challenge to historians who hold
that India's first political states were the 16 mahajanapadas that fought
to control the Ganga valley in the sixth-fifth centuries BCE. .....
by Vikram Chowdhary & Zaffar Iqbal
Jammu's first major encounter with terrorists in nearly five years, in
which five people including a news photographer were killed, was a grim
reminder that all is not well in the valley and the stakes are high. .....
by The Pioneer
It is only to be expected that Mr Jyoti Basu, the acerbic Marxist leader,
should feel offended by Governor Gopal Gandhi's decision to switch off
all lights at Kolkata's Raj Bhavan for two hours every day to express
solidarity with the people of the State who are facing severe power cuts.
.....
by Virendra Kapoor
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dismissed as `routine' eight letters
written in as many weeks by his office to Petroleum Ministry seeking cheap
natural gas for the companies owned by the sons of Minister for Shipping,
Road Transport and Highways T. R. Baalu. .....
by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
Last week, I showed that spending $50 billion on dams and canals in the
11th Plan would be a waste. Surface irrigation provides water in quantities
and at times fixed by the irrigation authorities. This is useless for
farmers growing different crops needing different amounts of water at
different times. .....
by Anup Jalota
Everything nowadays is mini and compact, right from the clothes to 20-over
cricket contests. Classical music too has come a long way from the days
of long play disc to the compact disc. .....
by Chidanand Rajghatta
Why would a mentor group associated with a university that will be founded
in the boondocks of Bihar outside a village called Bargaon be meeting
in Tokyo, Singapore, and now in New York? .....
by J. Gopikrishnan
As the controversy rages over Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss' decision
to order closure of vaccine production by three Public Sector Undertakings
allegedly to benefit private suppliers, the former director of the two
companies has accused the Health Ministry of arm-twisting him to implement
the closure decision. .....
by Dr. BR Ambedkar
That the theory of the Aryan race set up by Western writers falls to the
ground at every point goes without saying. This is somewhat surprising
since Western scholarship is usually associated with thorough research
and careful analysis. Why has the theory failed? … Anyone who cares
to scrutinise the theory will find that it suffers from a double infection.
.....
by Saradindu Mukherji
Following Partition, Pakistan, unlike India, got rid of its minorities.
Except in Punjab, many Muslims migrated on their own volition. Muslims
wanted Pakistan but stayed back. Many returned and multiplied manifold;
hence, any comparison between India and Pakistan is illogical. Moreover,
the religio-ethnic cleansing in Pakistan had the approval of the state
and the clergy, whereas in India, the reaction, on the whole, was controlled.
.....
by The Times of India
West Bengal is suffering due to Manmohan Singh's incompetence, Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Saturday, a day after he lashed out at
the Prime Minister for rising inflation. .....
by Kanchan Gupta
Ten years ago this Sunday, India stealthily conducted three nuclear tests
at Pokhran, sending shockwaves around the world. The 'Powerful Five' and
Janus-faced moralists like Canada and Australia were aghast and almost
disbelieving -- not so much because India had decided to demonstrate its
nuclear capability, which it had kept under wraps for years, but because
of its audacious disregard for consequences, especially economic sanctions.
.....
by The Pioneer
The directions issued by the Supreme Court on Thursday in the Ram Setu
case are most welcome for they show that it has taken cognisance of the
sensitivities involved in the matter. The Supreme Court has rightly sought
to know about the possibility of conducting an archaeological study to
ascertain whether Ram Setu can be declared an ancient monument under the
definition of the existing law. .....
by J Gopikrishnan
A Chennai-based private company, owned by a close associate of Union Health
Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, was granted a Rs 14-crore bank loan for starting
production of vaccines just two weeks before the Health Ministry banned
vaccine production by three Central public sector undertakings (PSUs).
.....
by The Pioneer
After criticising the party's decision-making process, senior Congress
leader and Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh on Friday kicked up yet another
controversy by suggesting that there was more freedom of expression in
the party when Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi were at the helm. .....
by Mukul Kesavan
A conservative columnist in the New York Times, William Kristol, suggested
Bobby Jindal's name as a possible running mate for the Republican presidential
nominee, John McCain. Bobby Jindal is the recently elected governor of
Louisiana and in Kristol's view, he has several qualities that recommend
him. .....
by The Pioneer
The expert committee appointed by the Centre to review the Sethusamudram
project was biased, suppressed data and resisted archaeological probe
to arrive at truth that Rama Setu was a man-made structure, Janata Party
Chief Subramanium Swamy on Wednesday alleged in the Supreme Court. .....
by Shikha Mukherjee
It is bad enough that 2,857 candidates, mostly from the Communist Party
of India (Marxist), have been declared elected before even a single vote
is cast in the elections to the grassroots democratic institution of panchayats.
.....
by Mandeep Singh Chauhan
This refers to the letter, "Hindus loved Aurangzeb" (May 7),
by Zoheb Hasan. While reading the letters to editor column, one feels
only Muslims like Abdullah Khalil Nadwi and Zoheb Hasan love Aurangzeb.
.....
by NewKerala.com
An Islamic cleric in Pakistan has demanded that the 'fatwa' issued by
the mufti of the Darul Uloom Deoband (in India's Uttar Pradesh), which
cautioned Indian Muslims to be wary of Hindus' feelings while slaughtering
cows, be withdrawn immediately. .....
by ExpressIndia.com
Pakistani Hindus have been asked not to use a cremation ground allotted
to them during the British era in the country's troubled northwest. .....
by Dr. S. Kalyanaraman
Here is an account of the happenings in the Supreme Court on Rama Setu
protection case and the consequent introspections on why Rama Setu should
be protected despite the bogus, baseless arguments advanced on grounds
of non-existent abhyudayam. .....
by KR Phanda
In his letter, "Aurangzeb loved Hindus" (April 29), Mr Abdullah
Khalil Nadwi writes, "Maligning Aurangzeb is a conspiracy to sow
the seeds of misunderstanding between Hindus and Muslims." What the
Muslim rulers, including Aurangzeb, did to Hindus and Hindu ethos between
1206 AD and 1857 AD is well recorded in the history books written by British
historians like Elliot and Dowson, James Mill, Elphinstone, Stanley Lane-Poole,
Vincent Smith, among others. .....
by The Indian Express
On the second day of hearing arguments in the batch of petitions filed
against the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, the Supreme Court was
again faced with the question of faith versus development. Senior advocate
K Parasaran, appearing for Hindu Munani, argued how there was a need to
adopt a balanced approach between the two facets of public interests -
religious belief and developmental projects. .....
by The Pioneer
The expert committee appointed by the Centre to review the Sethusamudram
project was biased, suppressed data and resisted archaeological probe
to arrive at truth that Ram Setu was a man-made structure, Janata Party
chief Subramanium Swamy on Wednesday alleged in the Supreme Court. .....
by Newkerala.com
The Supreme Court Wednesday had to contend with a blunt answer to its
poser as to who goes to the Rama Sethu in the sea to worship it. "We
all worship the sun. But we don't go to the sun to worship it," said
former union minister Subramanian Swamy. .....
by The Pioneer
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union Government to consider holding
an archaeological survey to ascertain whether the Ram Setu can be declared
an "ancient monument". The court also asked the Centre to examine
the possibility of carrying out the project through other alignments.
.....
by Dhananjay Mahapatra
In a development that could boost those opposing the Sethusamudram project,
the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to consider an alternative
alignment for the proposed canal. .....
by The Hindu
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to explore the possibility
of an alternative alignment or any other route for the Sethusamudram Shipping
Channel Project without damaging Ramar Sethu and to consider whether an
archaeological study could be conducted to declare Ramar Sethu a national
monument. .....
by The Middle East Media Research
Institute
Ashraf Mohamedy: "There are two twin sisters who are equally identical
and equally good looking, and they are walking down the street. At the
corner there is a hooligan waiting for a catch, waiting to tease someone.
One of the sisters is putting on the Islamic hijab, that is, covering
herself completely, except for the face and the hands up to the wrist,
and the other sister is dressed in a miniskirt. .....
by Majid Jahangir and Neeraj Santoshi
Within a couple of days after the Prime Minister announced Rs 1600 crore
package to bring Kashmiri Pandits back to the Valley, the Pandits who
stayed back in the Valley said that they have been "forgotten by
the Union Government and there was nothing for them in the entire package".
"We have been totally forgotten 'by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,"
said Sanjay Tickoo, president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti.
.....
by Preeti Sharma
Tempa Tsering, the Dalai Lama's representative in New Delhi, is restrained
in his praise of the recent Tibetan protests against China's authoritarian
rule. But he accepts that they have given a new voice to Tibet. He talks
about his people and reveals their suffering under ruthless Chinese rule.
.....
by Claude Arpi
You may think that it is presumptuous on my part to send a letter to the
premier of one of the most powerful nations of the world, but I was born
in the country which invented Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. I hope you
will not misinterpret my gesture. .....
by The Hindu
A religious belief which is genuinely and conscientiously held over a
long period by a substantial number of followers of a particular religion
becomes an integral part of that religion and is entitled to protection
under Article 25 of the Constitution (right to freedom of religion), senior
counsel Soli Sorabjee argued in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. .....
by Jug Suraiya
A reader, Harish C Sood of Bareilly, has suggested an admirable strategy
for the Congress to revive its flagging fortunes in UP, that traditional
crucible of Indian politics: Rahul Gandhi should enter into a matrimonial
alliance with a Dalit. .....
by New York Post
According to the Associated Press, the secretary of State hasn't publicly
uttered that word, except when referring to the name of a specific group,
for the past eight months. .....
by Indrani Bagchi
China's cyber warfare army is marching on, and India is suffering silently.
Over the past one and a half years, officials said, China has mounted
almost daily attacks on Indian computer networks, both government and
private, showing its intent and capability. .....
by P. Parameswaran
The United States has said it wanted Pakistan to live up to its commitment
of urgently bringing security under control in its remote tribal areas
allegedly used as safe haven by Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. .....
by Adam Entous
By day, Awad al-Qiq was a respected teacher and headmaster at a United
Nations school in the Gaza Strip. By night, he built rockets for Islamic
Jihad. .....
by Debbie Schlussel
Over the last two days, Ali Jawad--an open supporter of Hezbollah and
a federally convicted insurance defrauder--has been holding press conferences
demanding that John McCain apologize to him and invite him back to his
campaign. He claims that everything I wrote about him isn't true, but
won't refute a single thing I've written because it's all true. .....
by Dr. Shreerang Godbole
Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (May 28, 1883 to February 26,
1966) was a fearless freedom fighter, social reformer, writer, dramatist,
historian, political leader and philosopher. Unfortunately, Savarkar has
been a victim of malice and misinformation. Those who disagree with Savarkar's
political views start with the assumption that he was an obscurantist
and a reactionary bigot. .....
by GP Srinivasan
During the Course of hearing on Ram Sethu Case 14, April, 2008, one of
the Judges asked the petitioners "Does Someone worship in Middle
of Sea" .....
by Muzamil Jaleel
In the first such report compiled since the outbreak of militancy in the
Valley, a Jammu and Kashmir Police report says that 209 Kashmiri Pandits
were killed by militants since 1989. Chargesheets have been filed in 24
cases while killers in 115 cases remain unidentified or untraced. .....
by Gary Hughes
An alleged member of a home-grown terrorist cell praised God in front
of an undercover intelligence agent after hearing that Muslim insurgents
had attacked Australian troops in Iraq. .....
by The Hindu
In a re-enactment of recapture of Nandigram in November last year, armed
CPI(M) cadreson Monday took control of a stronghold of an opposition Trinamool
Congress-backed outfit, spearheading an agitation against acquisition
of farmland, ahead of next Sunday's panchayat poll. .....
by Swapan Dasgupta
Many years ago I read a flattering biography of AK Fazlul Huq, the flamboyant
politician of united Bengal who was subsequently Chief Minister of East
Pakistan. The biographer was amused by the frequent accusations of corruption
and nepotism levelled against Huq by the Congress. .....
by Kajari Bhattacharya
Today is Ms Zarina Bano's wedding. From tomorrow, the 28-year-old inmate
of a de-stitute home in Behala will be known as Joyita, and live with
her husband, Mr Sourav Biswas at his home in Madhyamgram. But this is
no Hindu-Muslim love story gone sour a la Priyanka-Rizwan. Mr Biswas's
family and Zarina's have arranged the marriage between the Hindu businessman
and Muslim orphan. .....
by The Indian Express
Rajendra Singh Shekhawat has resorted to semantics to argue that he has
done nothing that amounts to a breach of protocol. Shekhawat, as President
Pratibha Patil's son, is understandably keen to extricate himself from
a controversy about his unusual itinerary last month. .....
by Free Press Journal
So the Prime Minister finds `nothing unusual' in pulling stringson behalf
of a private company. Coming from Manmohan Singh this wasindeed most unusual,
though one must grant that over the years theself-avowed gentleman had
acquired all the negative traits of a typicalIndian politician. Barring,
of course, his financial integrity, the PMwas flexible on all other counts
--- moral, ideological, even legal. .....
by T V R Shenoy
As I write, Dalbir Kaur is appearing before the television cameras, to
plead with the government of Pakistan for the life of her brother, Sarabjit
Singh. The family -- Dalbir Kaur and her husband, Baldev Singh, Sarabjit
Singh's wife, Sukhpreet Kaur, and their daughters, Swapandeep and Poonam
-- say that Sarabjit Singh was nothing more than a farmer who wandered
across the border while he was drunk; the Pakistani authorities insist
that he is a terrorist. .....
by Vicky Nanjappa
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday questioned the constitutionality
of the actions of the Election Commission, which censored a video of Sushma
Swaraj in which she blames the Congress for inflation in the country.
.....
by The Indian Express
The RSP, a partner of the ruling Left Front on Wednesday came down heavily
on big brother CPM. Accusing the CPM of becoming Fascists, RSP claimed
the party will be their main opponent in the upcoming panchayat polls.
.....
by The Pioneer
Breaking his silence on the controversy surrounding his office's role
in forwarding letters of recommendation for allotment of gas to the firms
owned by sons of Shipping and Highways Minister TR Baalu, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night said his office has done "nothing
unusual". .....
by Marathi Saptahik 'Vivek'
"Since I have been coming in the Kishori Vikaas (Teenage Girls development)
Project I have been undergoing excellent Sanskaars. I have learned here
how one should behave in front of people and how should one talk. I have
learned here to draw Rangoli, Mehndi and recite Shlokas. Presently I am
learning the art of sewing also. .....
by ExpressIndia.com
India was among the countries worst hit by terrorism in 2007 with over
2,300 deaths and the government's counter-terrorism efforts remained hampered
by "ill-equipped' law enforcement machinery and "slow and laborious"
legal systems, the US State Department has said. .....
by The Pioneer
Charging the Finance Minister with leaving an off-budget fiscal overhang
of Rs 300,000 crore which could wreck the country's economy, BJP on Wednesday
demanded resignation of Finance Minister P Chidambaram to escape "dismissal."
.....
by Gagandeep Kaur
This year, Preeti Agarwal, a 30-year-old housewife, broke tradition during
February rituals to worship the birth of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess
of knowledge. .....
by The Hindu
Koota Samaja Organisations Federation, a conglomerate of six associations
representing Brahmins hailing from Udupi district and living all over
the country has come out with an agenda to help poor and meritorious Brahmin
children with scholarship for pursuing their education. .....
by The International Herald Tribune
After facing major protests in London and Paris as the Olympic torch made
stops on its journey to Beijing, the Chinese government is said to be
looking for a public relations firm to patch up China's image before the
2008 Games in August. In the spirit of the Olympic ideals, we are prepared
to help China - free of charge. .....
by Patrick Poole
Imagine that following the bombing of Peal Harbor in December 1941, that
FDR had prohibiting the use of the terms "Nazi" or "Japanese
Imperialism" due to pressure brought to bear by German and Japanese-American
lobbying groups. Or at the height of the Cold War that the US government
had determined to ban the use of "Soviet" or "communism"
for fear of offending the sensibilities of Russian-Americans or European
socialists. .....
by Catherine Herridge
Cigarette smuggling is generating millions of dollars every year that
can be reaching terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda,
according to law enforcement sources. In a single case, $100,000 was sent
to Hezbollah. .....
by Niniek Karmini
Hundreds of protesters chanting "Kill, kill" set fire Monday
to an Indonesian mosque belonging to a Muslim sect they claim is heretical,
police said. .....
by Anand Natarajan and Priya Sahgal
He was always known as a man of letters. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
is doing all he can to distance himself from the eight controversial letters
his office is supposed to have sent recently. .....
by Elora Sen
No Ekalavya, you can't cut off your thumb to pay your gurudakshina. It
belongs to all of us," the heart-wrenching cry rents the air. .....
by The Telegraph
The superintendent of the prison where Nalini Sriharan is serving a life
sentence for her role in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination has denied that
his daughter Priyanka met the convict in jail. .....
by The Times of India
Controversy broke out over Priyanka Gandhi's reported meeting with Nalini
Murugan, who is serving a life term for her role in the assassination
of Rajiv Gandhi at Vellore jail, with the prison superintendent denying
that any such meeting took place. .....
by Joginder Singh
Politicians are flippant creatures. They speak what will catch public
attention and keep them in the limelight. Once I was talking to a politician
from Punjab, who later became its Chief Minister and was even elected
to the highest office of the country, about the assets, needs and liabilities
of a politician. He said that the biggest asset of a politician is to
be in the limelight. Otherwise, he is forgotten. .....
by Amitav Ranjan
The Petroleum Ministry had restored gas supply in January to King India
Chemicals Corp-one of the two firms for which Union Shipping and Surface
Transport Minister T R Baalu was pulling strings-but it quietly withdrew
the order last Monday after the Opposition badgered the government on
misuse of office. .....
by Kaleem Kawaja
Whenever I look up news reports on the issues and problems concerning
the Muslim community, I find that often the Muslim leaders addressing
these matters are clerics. The question arises, why is the politics of
the Muslim community in India dominated by clerics, many of whom are not
even Islamic scholars? Why is the proportion of the community's leaders
from the Muslim intelligentsia so small? .....
by Ambreesh Mishra
Horror tales of a bloody Partition might have faded away with the passage
of six decades but the tragedies continue to haunt the migrants in many
invisible nooks of Madhya Pradesh. .....
by Seema Sirohi
She is certainly not in the Princess Diana mould, nor in the jet-setting
mode of European royalty who ski in the Alps and waltz down the Danube
for pleasure. .....
by Outlook
Ever since he assumed the reins of power in Patna, Bihar chief minister
Nitish Kumar has grown significantly in political stature and national
importance. That hasn't affected his easy, laidback style, though. Despite
a tightly-packed day addressing public complaints, dealing with the bureaucracy
and handling his newly expanded cabinet, the Bihar CM found time for Outlook
at his Anne Marg residence. .....
by Saba Naqvi Bhaumik
Nitish Kumar is certainly a methodical man. When I go to meet the Bihar
chief minister, he has just spent the entire day reading 3,000 written
complaints from the people at his janata durbar. His ministers and bureaucrats
sit around him in attendance. .....
