.pOINT_bLANK: Cartoons, India

Maha Twitter

2010-04-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Shashi Tharoor tonight resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs after the high-level Congress Core Group decided that he should quit in the wake of controversy over the IPL Kochi franchise, capping a week-long drama that threatened to suck the government and the party into it. - Times of India, 19 April 2010

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Poodle

2010-03-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

Even as it was, the decision to “pull out” of China (all the way to Hong Kong) was finely balanced. Google decided that its brand, which depends on its image as a champion of liberalism, was worth more than a slice of China’s still-nascent online advertising market. That judgment became easier as Beijing grew more heavy-handed in policing the internet and as Chinese hackers – with or without the authorities’ blessing – grew more adept at tunnelling into Google’s databases... more...

Happy Republic Day

2010-01-26T03:23:00.001-08:00

Chavan does a U Turn

2010-01-24T02:32:00.000-08:00

A day after the state cabinet mandated knowledge of Marathi and state domicile for a taxi driver’s licence, a move that smacked of the anti-migrant agenda of the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), chief minister Ashok Chavan moved into damage control mode. The U-turn, however, came after vociferous protests from United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies and a rap on the knuckles from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. “The emphasis on local language was as per norms. I don’t mean local language has to be Marathi. It also means Gujarati and Hindi,” said a visibly upset Chavan. - DNA, 21 January 2010

Idiots!

2010-01-03T00:08:00.000-08:00

While the stars the director of '3 Idiots' maintain the film is only loosely based on Five Point Someone, writer Chetan Bhagat insists the movie shares its plot with his book, apart from some 'Bollywoodisation'! - The Times of India, 29 Dec 2009. Read article here.

.pOINT_bLANK IS BACK!

2010-01-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

New Year resolution :). I hope you enjoy the cartoons. I have also started working on a caricature series on India called Verry India. Would love to hear your feedback. Thank you!

Never Say Live

2008-10-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

The NSA (National Security Advisor) said there was a need to effectively deal with organisations like SIMI and Bajrang Dal "because then there are many copycat organisations ... Several micro units of the same kind may come up." He claimed "SIMI and Bajrang Dal are not two sides of the same coin, but both of them are dangerous." - PTI, 12 October 2008.

Indian Response to Terrorism

2008-09-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

Home minister Mr Shivraj Patil was today under intense pressure to quit his post coming under attack from within the UPA coalition and the Opposition amidst growing concern within the Congress party itself over his handling of internal security. The all-round attack on Patil in the wake of serial blasts in Delhi on Saturday that claimed 24 lives came as Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of senior leaders to discuss the internal security situation in which Mr Patil was significantly not present. – The Statesman, 15 September 2008.

Chuck De India

2008-05-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) suspended the national hockey federation on Monday after a television show accused the federation's secretary of corruption. The IOA's executive council made its move after the nation was rocked by a show which last week alleged that hockey secretary K.Jothikumaran had accepted money from undercover reporters to select a particular player. The hockey federation was already under fire after the men's team, eight-time former gold medallists, were eliminated from the 2008 competition in Beijing, marking the first time they will miss the Olympics since sending the first team in 1928. - Reuters, 28 April 2008

Soaring Food Prices

2008-04-26T08:18:00.001-07:00

A sharp rise in food prices has developed into a global crisis, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday. Ban urged leaders of the international community to sit down together on an "urgent basis" to discuss how to improve economic distribution systems and promote the production of agricultural products. - The Associated Press, 25 April 08

Food Wise

2008-04-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

Google Cloud Computing

2008-04-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Tibet Steals (Lime)Light Off Beijing Olympics

2008-04-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

Oh & btw - just read this today... :)

The (Indian) government was on Tuesday claiming to have made adequate security arrangements to ensure that the Olympic torch relay in the Capital on April 17 was not disrupted, but Tibetan protesters took the security personnel by surprise by taking out their own ‘protest torch relay’ on Rajpath. The protesters were stopped by the police and placed under arrest. Delhi Police PRO Rajan Bhagat said that 27 Tibetan protesters, including 12 women, were arrested by the Tilak Marg police under preventive sections and will be produced before a city court on Wednesday. - The Times of India, 16 April 2008

Microsoft Pursues Yahoo

2008-04-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Nuclear Deal: Can't Make Up Our Mind

2007-10-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

Under pressure from the Left parties to make clear whether the Indo-US nuclear deal is on or off, government on Monday said the operationalisation of the deal will take place in accordance with the UPA-Left committee's findings. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee made this clear after a meeting between leaders of the Left parties and the UPA coalition formed to go into the concerns of the allies on the nuclear deal. The minister announced that the committee would meet again on November 16. - The Times Of India, 22 October 2007

Surprise Surprise - Al Gore Wins Nobel

2007-10-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

New Delhi Blues

2007-10-08T01:11:00.001-07:00

A speeding Blueline bus mows down a group of people crossing a road in South Delhi, killing five women and a man (Updated: and a child). Eight others, including some who were crossing the road, were injured when the bus ran into a crowd while trying to overtake a stationary Delhi Transport Corp (DTC) bus from the wrong side at Aali Goan, near Badarpur. Sunday's accident takes the number of people killed by the rampaging Blueline buses in the capital this year to 93.- Hindustan Times, 7 October 2007

YanGOONS

2007-10-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

A relentless crackdown on Myanmar's pro-democracy activists showed no sign of easing with the junta announcing on Sunday that 78 more people have been detained in spite of global outrage and new sanctions. The latest arrests, reported by the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, brought to nearly 1,000 the number of people the military regime acknowledges holding in detention centers. In addition, it says 135 Buddhist monks remain in custody. - The Times Of India, 7 October 2007

You can go to Amnesty.org to voice your concern.

Judiciary Bullying

2007-09-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Mid Day, a Delhi tabloid, ran a series of stories in May which said Y.K. Sabharwal, until recently the most powerful man in the Indian judiciary, had used his office to benefit his sons' businesses, among other allegations. Last week, Delhi High Court sentenced two editors who reported the stories, the paper's publisher and a cartoonist to four months in jail for criminal contempt of court, although they were released on bail while they appeal. - Reuters India, 28 September 2007

Ram Setu Fiasco

2007-09-16T10:25:00.001-07:00

"It was a classic case of how the government was casual and careless in dealing with such sensitive issues which hurt the sentiments of crores of people," Venkaiah Naidu said. In a damage control exercise, the government suspended two officers of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and withdrew the controversial affidavit on Lord Ram, the BJP leader said, adding that the extent of damage would be known when Congress party goes to the people.
The image of both Central and state governments has taken a severe beating because of the way the government has been handling sensitive issues like Ram Setu, Indo-US deal and farmers problems. - The Hindu, 16 September 2007

President Who??!!

2007-07-22T03:34:00.000-07:00

But when was the last time you were presented with a complete unknown as your next president? Kalam, Zail Singh, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, V.V. Giri, Sanjeeva Reddy were all people you had seen long enough in public life, so you were unlikely to discover any surprises about them. This is where the Congress went wrong with Pratibha Patil. The Congress’s guilt is not so much about who they chose for the job as it is about how it trivialised that job, to begin with. - Shekhar Gupta, Indian Express, 30 June 2007

Terrorism Backfires in Pakistan

2007-07-15T03:11:00.000-07:00

Altogether 102 people have died in the operation, including 10 Army officers, a Ranger and 91 civilians according to a report in the Dawn which quoted the interior minister Mr Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao. The admission came two days after President Pervez Musharraf hinted in a televised address to the nation, that some women and children had died in the fierce clash which turned the capital into a battleground. - The Statesman, 14 July 2007

US Missile Chaos

2007-07-07T00:46:00.000-07:00

The US will not allow Russia to stop it from deploying anti-missile defences in Europe, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said in Moscow. "I don't think anyone expects the United States to permit a veto on American security interests," she said after meeting President Vladimir Putin. But she also said: "If there are concerns about how the United States has and is continuing to exercise power, absolutely, we can have that discussion." - BBC, 15 May 2007

Presidential Puppet Show

2007-07-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Leader of Opposition L K Advani has “appealed” to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to withdraw its candidate Pratibha Patil from the race for the president of India taking into account the “list of scandals and controversies with which her name is associated.” - Indian Express, 29 June 2007

Exercise Your Right To Information

2007-06-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Triveni is a poor woman. She lives in a slum in East Delhi. She holds an Antyodaya card issued by the government to the poorest of the poor. However, it isn't easy to get ration from a ration shop. She didn't receive any grains for the last six months. Whenever she would go to the shop, the shop would either be closed or the shopkeeper would say that there was no stock. In February 2003, Triveni filed an application under the Right to Information Act asking for the quantity of ration issued to her as per records and also copies of cash memos purported to have been issued to her. Before she could take any action, the shopkeeper came to her house and pleaded with her not to take any action and that he would mend his ways in future. Since then, Triveni is getting right amount of ration at the right price. - www.parivartan.com

US H1B Protectionism

2007-06-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

NASSCOM, the body that represents Indian software companies, has once again refuted claims made by some US senators that Indian IT companies are abusing H1B visas. H1B visas have nothing to do with US job losses and wants to speak to US senators. “H1B visa is not limited to the IT sector or Indians alone and any move to prohibit companies from hiring H1B visa holders is "protectionist",” says NASSCOM. -CNN-IBN, 30 May 2007

Blame it on Gujjars

2007-06-17T02:52:00.001-07:00

Gujjars and Meenas who lived peacefully as neighbours for decades are today at daggers drawn. Lifelong friends have developed visceral hatred for each other. As politicians play their games, the nation is being torn apart. Those who think the crisis has ended need to re-think. The crisis has begun. It will spread to other states, among other communities. Sociologists are poring over data to determine which caste fits which category. Politicians and media are busy analyzing recent political moves for the blame game. Why don't they see the big picture? - Outlook, 12 June 2007

G8 Hypocrisy

2007-06-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

India and China are coming under increasing pressure to sign up to a mandatory limit on greenhouse gas emissions at the G8 summit in Germany. But, India says it cannot take steps which will retard its economic growth which is the only way to deliver the vast majority of its people from poverty. Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon says it is unfair to target India when the problem of global warming has been created by the industrialised countries. "Once our per capita emission levels reach the same as those of the industrialised countries, we'll be very happy to do our share too." - BBC News, 06 June 2007

Mobile Rules No# 06

2007-06-09T04:39:00.000-07:00

Terrorism: The American Definition

2007-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

India: A Failing State of Affairs

2007-06-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

The UPA Government completed three years at the Centre on Tuesday but rising inflation and an agrarian crisis seem to have put a dampener on any plans for a celebration. - CNN-IBN, 22 May 2007

General Injustice

2007-06-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

The government banned demonstrations in Pakistan's capital Friday, the latest effort to quell mounting political turmoil over President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's decision to suspend the chief justice. Thousands of Pakistanis have joined a series of protests since the March 9 ouster of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, accusing Musharraf of trying to sideline the independent-minded judge before elections this year. Riots erupted last month when authorities stopped Chaudhry from leading a demonstration in the city of Karachi, leaving more than 40 people dead. - Washington Post, 01 June 2007

Then, on ‘Black Saturday’, armed members of opposing political parties converted the streets of Karachi into a battle zone. Almost 50 were dead by the end of the carnage and hundreds wounded. The Karachi killings became a sideshow in the running battle of nerves between General Pervez Musharraf and Iftikhar Chaudhry, the chief justice he is attempting to oust. A lawyer-led mass movement has emerged against the president, with the chief justice as an icon and rallying point. Despite heavy-handed police action against lawyers’ demonstrations and fundamentalist-engineered diversions, the tide of support for Chaudhry has not slowed. - www.himalmag.com

Just Buy It

2007-05-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

India Inc is on a merger and acquisition (M&A) binge like never before, as the takeover fever has gripped India Inc. For the first time, outbound investments from India have surpassed inbound investments. According to reports, there were 80 M&A deals with a total value of about $10.73 billion till October 2006. The total M&A deals between January and October 2006 have been about 380 with an announced value of $24.4 billion. - NDTV, 3 March 2007

Mobile Rules #05

2007-05-20T10:32:00.001-07:00

Mobile Rules #04

2007-05-18T07:41:00.001-07:00

Mobile Rules #03

2007-05-18T07:37:00.001-07:00

Mobile Rules #02

2007-05-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Mobile Rules #01

2007-05-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Middle East Relay

2007-05-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda. - The Newyorker, 5 March 2007

Fake Encounter

2007-05-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Three IPS officers are under arrest for the murders of Soharabbudin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi. Sheikh was gunned down in a fake encounter in November 2005 near Ahmedabad and Kauser Bi was killed later. The murders have embarrassed the Narendra Modi government and raised question whether the police was acting alone or following orders of their political bosses. - CNN-IBN, 06 May 2007

Rahul Gandhi: The Future Is Dim

2007-04-29T11:09:00.001-07:00

Rahul Gandhi, the heir of India's Nehru-Gandhi family, has sparked a political storm with a series of controversial remarks that analysts said showed the immaturity of a likely future national leader. First, Rahul said that had his family been in power in 1992, it would have stopped Hindu mobs from razing a controversial mosque in Uttar Pradesh. Then last week, Rahul claimed family credit for India getting independence from Britain in 1947 and also for saying his family was responsible for the division of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. - Reuters, 17 April 2007

Babubhai Travels

2007-04-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

BJP MP Babubhai Katara could be in a bigger soup as the police is now probing whether he was in possession of more passports allegedly used for trafficking people out of the country. Besides, the police have sent teams to Gujarat and some other states to nab the travel agents who had been allegedly hob-nobbing with Katara, who was arrested here while making an unsuccessful bid to smuggle a woman and a boy to Canada. - Indian Express, 20 April 2007

Lal Masjid Fiasco

2007-04-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

A radical cleric set up a vigilante Islamic court in Pakistan's capital yesterday and threatened to unleash a wave of suicide bombs if the government tried to repress his Taliban-style movement. The challenge to the authority of President Pervez Musharraf, by a firebrand cleric, Maulana Abdul Aziz, came amid growing fears of what the local media has dubbed a "creeping Talibanisation" across Pakistan. "Our youths will shake their palaces with their suicide attacks," said Maulana (Father) Aziz in a sermon delivered to thousands of his followers at Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in central Islamabad.- Telegraph, 07 April 2007

Agni III Test

2007-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

In a significant leap for the country’s missile programme, India today successfully test-fired Agni-III, a nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) designed to reach over 3,000 km. Today’s test comes after the aborted mission in July last year when a wire cable in the missile got burnt because of suction of warm air near the control system. It was rectified with the installation of a heat shield in the missile. - Indian Express, 13 April 2007

Shashi Tharoor & The Saree Saga

2007-04-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Feedback is, of course, the life blood of the columnist, but sometimes you get so much feedback it amounts to a transfusion. That's what happened to your beleaguered columnist (Shashi Tharoor) after the appearance of my appeal to 'Save the sari from a sorry fate' (March 25). Practically every woman in India with access to a keyboard rose up to deliver the equivalent of a smack across the face with the wet end of a pallu. - Shashi Tharoor, Times of India, 15 April 2007

Congress: Non Starter In U.P.

2007-04-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

Rahul Gandhi, probably Congress’s last hope in UP, has almost conceded defeat. While his roadshows through Samajwadi Party strongholds of Bhartana and Lalitpur in southern UP have drawn good responses, Rahul is now cautioning everyone not to expect immediate results. Talking with reporters in Kanpur in central UP, the Gandhi family's scion said that this was just the beginning of a long journey for Congress. CNN-IBN, 04 April 2007

Surprise! Tigers Can Fly!!

2007-04-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

India is seriously concerned by the audacious air attack mounted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka on Monday, official sources said even as the External Affairs Ministry remained silent. According to the sources, the attack showed that the Tigers had the ability to take their military prowess to a new level. It displayed a capability the LTTE so far did not possess, they added. - The Hindu, 27 March 2007

Iraq Exit

2007-04-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

President Bush called it “political theater” and an “abdication of responsibilities” by Democrats. But for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, passage of legislation ordering troops home from Iraq next year was sweet victory. “Proudly, this new Congress voted to bring an end to the war in Iraq,” she said after the House vote Friday. - KansasCity.com, 24 March 2007

Mulayam's Undisclosed Assets

2007-03-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

A whopping Rs275.5 million. That is the difference between assets declared by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav before the returning officer and the figure submitted in the Supreme Court. - Khaleej Times, 22 March 2007

Indian World Cup (Non) Performance

2007-03-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

India's World Cup bandwagon hit an abrupt dead-end after a thorough thrashing at the hands of Sri Lanka in their last league match. No one in India was smiling. Their World Cup was over in eight days, their team had lost to Bangladesh, and had just been humiliated by Sri Lanka, that record 413 against Bermuda now just a pathetic joke. Except for a mathematical probability (see table on page 20), which comes into play only if rank outsiders Bermuda upset Bangladesh in their last league match, the 69-run defeat virtually means the end of road for India at the 2007 Caribbean carnival. - Indian Express, 25 March 2007

Killing Cricket

2007-03-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

The hunt for Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's killers may take the lid off cricket's darkest secret - match-fixing and betting, a racket worth crores of rupees that has tainted the gentleman's game. - NDTV, 25 March 2007

See No Evil, Shoot No Evil

2007-03-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

The French constitutional council has approved a law that criminalises the filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than professional journalists. Perpetrators face up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (£51,000). According to a French civil liberties group, the law could also be used against eyewitnesses who video acts of police violence, and the website operators who publish such images. - Excerpts from http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/greenslade, 08 March 2007

Human Rights & Wrongs

2007-03-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

This year's State Department annual report on human rights practices around the world puts China at the top of the list of violators repressing freedom of speech and information, including blocking access to Internet sites.

For the last eight years, China has issued a rebuttal in the form of its "Human Rights Record of the United States." This year is no different. In its annual 'back-at-ya' document, China criticizes the United States for using its military might to trespass on the sovereignty of other countries and for violating human rights domestically and across the globe. - ABC News, 08 March 2007

America Goes Green 2

2007-03-15T02:54:00.000-07:00

The ethanol boom is coming. The twin threats of climate change and energy security are creating an unprecedented thirst for alternative energy with ethanol leading the way. That process is set to reach a landmark on Thursday when the US President, George Bush, arrives in Brazil to kick-start the creation of an international market for ethanol that could one day rival oil as a global commodity. The expected creation of an "Opec for ethanol" replicating the cartel of major oil producers has spurred frenzied investment in biofuels across the Americas. - The Independant, 05 March 2007

Hide & Seek

2007-03-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

The cat-and-mouse game involving Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi has taken a dramatic turn. Even as the Supreme Court took exception on Monday to being kept in the dark about Quattrocchi's detention, the government let on that the fugitive, who is wanted in the Bofors payoffs case, had secured bail on Friday—the very day the CBI formally announced his detention in Argentina. - Times of India, 27 February 2007

Pakistan Acting On Terror

2007-03-05T01:36:00.000-08:00

America warns Pakistan to act on terror. Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced trip to Pakistan on Monday to deliver what officials in Washington described as an unusually tough message to General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al Qaeda. - Indian Express, 26 February 2007

IT MATters

2007-03-05T01:27:00.000-08:00

Reacting a good four hours after the FM finished his Union Budget speech in which he sought to levy a minimum alternate tax on 11.33% on IT companies, the main lobbying association for the sector Nasscom said in a carefully worded statement that it was dismayed at the proposal and described it as a “regressive step”. - Indiatimes Infotech, 28 February 2007

Common Indian: Born Victim

2007-02-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

Indian President APJ Kalam has expressed concerns over the country's rising inflation, saying the government will strive to keep it in check. India's inflation has soared to over 6.5% this year, exceeding the government's annual target. - BBC.co.uk, 23 February 2007. This in the same week where another bomb went off in a train in Panipat, India killing almost 70.

Killer Policies

2007-02-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

70 Farmer Suicides in Vidarbha in 2007. In the last three days, nine more farmers have committed suicide in Vidarbha. This brings the number of suicides in six districts of Vidarbha to 1000 – after the visit by the PM and an announcement of a special package of Rs 3750 Crores on July 1st, 2006. Even official data shows that the state of cotton growers in west Vidarbha has worsened with the wrong policies of the state, and free trade policies tied to economic liberalization. - www.thesouthasian.org, 11 February 2007

Blinded By Capitalism

2007-02-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

The world sat up and listened when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its report released last week in Paris, said that climate change was real and man-made. The first report said that temperatures in the next century are expected to go up by 2.5 to 4.5 degrees Centigrade. What does this exactly translate for India? Most figures add up to a serious shortage of water and threat to food security. It just might be the wake up call that policy-makers in India need. - Indian Express, 12 February 2007

And The Future Is...

2007-02-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

Indibloggies 2006

2007-02-12T05:06:00.000-08:00

.pOINT_bLANK has been nominated for the most humorous Indiblog at Indibloggies 2006.

To vote go to www.indibloggies.org. Voting is open till 20th Feb 2007. Some say that the ballot is stronger than bullets. Thank You!

The Nero Of Bengal

2007-02-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Violence rocked Singur again as members of the Singur Save Land Committee who tried to uproot fences at four places around the project area clashed with the police who lathicharged and then lobbed tear gas shells to turn them away. The protesters alleged that the police also fired rubber bullets, but the police refuted the charge. - Indian Express, 8 February 2007

Violence erupted for the second time today since the first outburst on January 3 when people protesting against land acquisition for a proposed SEZ in Bhawanipore near Nandigram murdered a policeman of the district intelligence bureau around noon today. - Indian Express, 8 February 2007

Bail The Rich, Jail The Rest

2007-02-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

Relatives of the 1993 blasts convicts reiterated their demand that other convicts too be given bail and discharged from TADA charges, like Sanjay Dutt. "Is Sanjay God that only he is being talked about? Aren't the others human beings?" asked convict Yusuf Kasim Khan's wife Rubina at a press conference organised by Jan Morcha. - Indian Express, 10 February 2007

Communal Violence

2007-02-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

Barley 10 days after communal clashes in Bangalore city, Section 144 has again been imposed in the Bidar area of Karnataka. - Moneycontrol, 02 February 2007
As political parties gear for Assembly elections, this town in eastern Uttar Pradesh (Gorakhpur), finds itself in the grip of communal tension. - Indian Express, 30 January 2007

Communal Violence

2007-02-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Barley 10 days after communal clashes in Bangalore city, Section 144 has again been imposed in the Bidar area of Karnataka. - Moneycontrol, 02 February 2007

As political parties gear for Assembly elections, this town in eastern Uttar Pradesh (Gorakhpur), finds itself in the grip of communal tension. - Indian Express, 30 January 2007

America Goes Green

2007-02-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

In the speech, Bush highlighted a new proposal to cut U.S. gasoline usage by "20% in 10 years," to be accomplished primarily by mandating higher proportions of alternative fuels and increasing the fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. - Forbes, 2 February 2007

Bailing Out The Rich

2007-01-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is in Patiala jail, was today granted bail by the Supreme Court which also sought response from the Punjab Government on his plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a road rage case to contest Amritsar Lok Sabha bypoll. - The Hindu, 12 January 2007

January Murders

2007-01-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

It's been a bad bad start (it's not a typo) to the new year. Hoping that it gets better soon.

Happy Republic Day!

2007-01-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

Don't Mine Please

2007-01-21T04:53:00.000-08:00

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) wrote to Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf, urging him to abandon immediately the proposal to lay landmines along its border with Afghanistan, announced in late December 2006. "Using antipersonnel mines is not the answer to a country's legitimate security problems," said ICBL's Executive Director Sylvie Brigot. "History has shown that the human cost of using these weapons is far greater than their military utility, as recognised by the overwhelming majority of the world's nations." - Paktribune.com, 16 January 2006

Racism: The Goody The Bad & The Ugly

2007-01-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

Maybe it isn't racism, maybe it is only a reality show. But I guess we should give the benefit of doubt to ourselves & make sure we don't tolerate racism in any shape, size or form. Your views welcome.

ULFA Back With A Bang

2007-01-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Violence by the ULFA in Assam continued unabated on as the banned group gunned down two migrant workers, taking the toll in attacks on non-Assamese people to 68, and carried out two bomb blasts even as additional army and paramilitary forces were deployed for counter-insurgency operations. - Times of India, 08 January 2007

Do Hazaar Bigha Zameen

2007-01-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

After a week of protests in Nandigram, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has said that the acquisition related notification by the Haldia Development Authority in Nandigram was a mistake. He also admitted, for the first time, that the Haldia Development Authority had issued a notice on land acquisition, something the CPM has consistently denied. - NDTV, 09 January 2007

Nithari: Serial Lethargy

2007-01-14T08:40:00.000-08:00

As more skeletons and human remains continued to be unearthed from the house of horrors in Nithari on Thursday, the Supreme Court for the first time commented on the issue and blamed police inaction for the gory massacre of at least 17 women and children. - www.moneycontrol.com, 11 January 2007

Not So Happy New Year

2007-01-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

Seeking to allay any security related apprehensions of Non-Resident Indians, Home Minister Shivraj Patil today assured them that India was as safe as any other part of the world. - Indian Express, 09 January 2007

Hide Act

2006-12-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

A section by section analysis of the Act passed by the US Congress reveals stipulations that tie India down. Yet the fiction has been purveyed by the government through the media that these provisions have been dropped. The prime minister’s assurances to Parliament may not mean anything. Arun Shourie, Indian Express, 22 December 2006

No Water? Drink Coke!

2006-12-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

"We have arrived at the decision to ask both Coke and Pepsi to stop production and distribution of all their products, based on scientific studies which have proved that they are harmful," said Mr. Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan. Chief Minister Achuthanandan also pointed to the four year campaign by the community of Plachimada in Kerala where the community has protested falling water levels and pollution of the groundwater and soil - directly as a result of the Coca-Cola company's bottling operations in the area. - http://www.anitaroddick.com/readmore.php?sid=587, 10 August 2006

Taking Reservations Little Too Far

2006-12-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

In a significant development after the tabling of the Sachar report, Muslim MPs, cutting across party lines, today handed over a wishlist of sorts to Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh: IITs and IIMs exclusively for Muslims, 5,000 schools, 2 lakh scholarships and more campuses of the Aligarh Muslim University across the country. - Indian Express, 20 December 2006

Nuclear Co-operation or Compromise

2006-12-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Indian scientists have raised objections on certain points of the Indo-US nuclear deal. They have objected to the clause, which says India can't reprocess nuclear fuel. Questions have also been raised on the clause dealing with the inspection process. Scientists feel this will destroy the secrecy of India's nuclear program. More objections – this time to the clause, which forbids India from testing nuclear weapons, making the safety of existing nuke weapons difficult. - CNN-IBN, 17 December 2006

Sporting Blues

2006-12-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Men's hockey was a disaster waiting to happen as India lost to China and for the first time ever in the games history failed to qualify for the semi-finals and in the process also failed to directly qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The over 350-strong (exact numbers not known) contingent which took part in more than 28 disciplines was reduced to the 'also ran' category at the continent's biggest sporting arena. Display by most of them did not even merit mention in any local paper or TV shows beamed all over the world. - Zee News, 16 December 2006

Indian Cricket Hits Rock Bottom

2006-12-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

It did not take long for coach Greg Chappell to slump forward in his chair, hands locked together, supporting the weight of a thousand thoughts. His team was on the verge of its sixth straight defeat, its second series loss in six months, the tricolour lying trampled and limp somewhere on the highway to the World Cup. One block away, South African batting great Barry Richards was reaching for the coffee, shaking his head as former home skipper Kepler Wessels walked in. “No, No,” said Richards to Wessels, who replied with a wry smile. Even they had wanted India to put up a fight at the Centurion. Hoo Haa India? By the end of it all, the Blue Billion had given it their own spin: “Hai Hai India.” Indian Express, 03 December 2006

Think Small

2006-12-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

There can be no denying that an industrialisation impetus would involve land acquisition in rural areas, with property becoming prohibitively expensive in cities. But why target prosperous rural regions, where people are not interested in leaving their land for other occupations, when 21 per cent of India, or 68 million hectares, is wasteland? A conflict situation can derail the momentum of an industrial venture and dent the image of industry and government. - Times of India, 05 December 2006

Ministers & Murderers

2006-12-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not show much reluctance in re-inducting Soren into the union cabinet in late November 2005. Exactly a year later, just as the UPA regime entered the post mid-term comfort zone, Soren has struck again. This time the case is a lot more serious. He is the first minister to have been convicted by a court on charges as grave as kidnapping and the conspiracy to murder. - Indian Express, 1 December 2006

Be Dud Buy Dud

2006-12-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

The precision strike capability of the Indian military has taken a hit with the Russian Krasnopol 155-mm terminally guided ammunition turning out to be “defective” during Army test-firing in the Mahajan ranges in Rajasthan. The Krasnopol deal had been cleared by the NDA government during the Kargil war and is under the CBI’s scanner. – Indian Express, 26 November 2006

Human Rights or Human Wrongs

2006-12-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

The people of Manipur are on an ongoing struggle against the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) imposed in Manipur since 1958, which equips security forces with unrestricted powers. Manipuri activist poet, Irom Sharmila Chanu who is on an indefinite hunger strike againstpolice firings in Malom district on November 2nd, 2000, which killed 10 innocent and unarmed civilians, has now entered its sixth year. She has been held under arrest repeatedly on charges of “attempted suicide” by the government, and is being forcibly nose-fed. Even as most political parties have favoured repeal of AFSPA from the State, the ruling coalition partners Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India remain ambiguous on the vexed issue. For more go to http://manipurfreedom.org/

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide

2006-11-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

"If they have to salvage anything from this tour the Indians will have to start showing some character or this is going to end in a disgrace. It was a gutless showing. I've never seen anything like this before," Shastri said. - PTI, 24 November 2006

Small Favour

2006-11-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Until now, Rs 18 crore has been released for seeds and Rs 50 crore for tools. However, just like the 75% subsidy for cows — as reported in The Indian Express yesterday — both these offers have had little impact on the ground. Instead of 2.5 lakh quintals that was needed, only 1 lakh quintals was supplied through Mahabeej, the state government’s seed marketing unit. Result: it reached only 40% farmers in a quantity just about enough to plant a tiny patch of land in the backyard. - Indian Express, 22 November 2006

All Play & No Work Makes Baburao a MP

2006-11-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

Winter session: Day I adjourned after tributes, oath-taking. - Indian Express, 23 November 2006

Mosquitoes & Ministers

2006-10-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

Even as the number of people afflicted with dengue in the country touched nearly 3,000, with reports coming in from more states, the health minister, Ramadoss maintained there is no need to panic. - IndianExpress, 06 October 2006

Hypocritical War on Terror

2006-10-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

On the one hand Pakistan has been selling terrorists to the US, while on the other, they have categorically refused to hand over any terrorists responsible for Mumbai Blasts in July. But they have agreed to co-operate on everything else. Don't ask me what!!!

Exporting Terrorists

2006-10-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Amnesty allegations follow the revelation by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in his memoir "In The Line of Fire" that Pakistan had captured 689 al-Qaida terror suspects, and turned over 369 to Washington. "We have earned bounties totaling millions of dollars," Musharraf said, without specifying how much was paid. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam however, rejected the report's allegations that Pakistan illegally detained hundreds of people in exchange for money. - Associated Press, 28 September 2006

Bend it like Musharraf

2006-10-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Pakistani commentator Amir Mir, writing about Musharraf's book in the Frontier Post, has a different take. For him, Musharraf's memoir may seek to paint Pakistan's military ruler in glowing colours, but he shall continue to be seen by Pakistanis as a "self-obsessed and power-hungry man, who would go to any extent to remain in power." - Musharraf's Mein Kampf, The Pioneer, 30 September 2006

IMF: Size Doesn't Matter

2006-09-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram emphasised that the formula for allocating voting and other powers to countries in IMF must reflect the current economic status of various nations and not what it was in 1944 when the IMF was established. The 23 countries together amounted to only 9.4 per cent of the votes despite countries like India, Brazil, Argentina and Egypt being large economies with large population and area. What, he was stressing was that other under-represented countries should also get more voting rights by reducing those of several over-represented industrialised nations, including the United States and several European countries. - PTI, 19 September 2006

Sleeping With The Enemy

2006-09-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

In a reminder of the costs the Indo-US nuclear deal is continuing to exact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has lapped up a long-pressed US proposal, bringing about a tectonic shift in Indian policy on Pakistan — embracing the sponsor of terrorism as a partner in the fight against terror. While Islamabad has stood its ground, making no new pledge nor budging from any stance, India has overnight gone from portraying Pakistan as the source of the problem to accepting it as part of the solution. - U turn on Pakistan, Brahma Chellany, 19 September 2006

Gas Pipeline

2006-09-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

After the meeting Singh said that India would rework on the gas pipeline once the report of the experts on the feasibility of the USD 7.4 billion project is available. The issue of security for the pipeline came up during talks between Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Rajiv Sikri and Safari in view of the unrest in Balochistan through which the pipeline has to pass. - PTI, 19 September 2006

Corbett Apathy

2006-09-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Early on Sunday morning, within 7 km of the high-security reserve, three poachers allegedly killed a male tiger on the banks of the Dhela river in the Terai West forest division. Conservator of Corbett Tiger Reserve Rajiv Bharti confirmed Sunday’s killing but washed his hands of the incident saying he didn’t want to comment as the “incident occurred outside Corbett’s boundary.” - Indian Express, 13 September 2006

Eye for an Eye

2006-09-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

Five days after the blasts in Malegaon killed 30 people, the police have detained 20 suspects from a predominantly Hindu locality of the town. - Indian Express, 14 September 2006

Non Aligned, Almost

2006-09-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Havana summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on September 15-16 is expected to be a tightrope walk for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Loaded as the guest list for the summit is with leaders of well-known anti-US persuasion, India will hope to try and keep the Havana Declaration’s expected anti-US language to an absolute minimum. - IndianExpress, 9 September 2006

Gone With The Wind

2006-09-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Sultanpur bird sanctuary in Haryana, 50 km from Delhi, is a regular haunt for over 100 exotic species from as far away as Siberia. But now trouble is hovering over this national park with the 2500-acre Reliance Special Economic Zone about to surround the tiny 400-acre sanctuary. "It will be the end of the sanctuary. It was the last safe water body left for birds. Now an SEZ will be built. With its noise, construction and activity, birds will stop coming." - NDTV, 8 September 2006