A 23-year old girl, raped and beaten to pulp by half a dozen goons, battled for life in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital for almost thirteen days; a day before the end she was flown to a Singapore hospital in a vain last-ditch attempt to save her life. She died early in the morning of December 29. Her injuries were so severe that an ordinary person may
In May 2009 super cyclone “Aila” swept the Sunderbans in eastern India and thousands of hectares of rice were ruined overnight and the area completely submerged in salt water. A handful of traditional rice farmers sowed three salt-tolerant rice varieties. These farmers were the only ones who harvested some rice in the following winter. These are no
Way back in 1968, Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan reputedly mused that if they [the West] could somehow topple the Gamal Abdul Nasser regime and bring the Muslim Brotherhood to power, “then we can smell killings and bloodsheds everywhere in Egypt. Let this be our aim with the help of our American friends”. The Brotherhood, like all Islamic fun
In a previous article on Dhi, the writer pointed out that Dhi is the cognitive science of the Vedas which in its highest accomplishment enables one to comprehend the Ultimate in this Universe. The Ultimate is Brahman in Vedic science and Vedantic literature. Dhi is not only vested in an individual but has a collective existence. It nurtures the ent
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28 Dec 2012
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Update from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic established pursuant to United Nations Human Rights Council Resolutions S-17/1, 19/22 and 21/26, dated 20 December 2012 I. Introduction 1. The unrelenting violence in Syria has resulted in thousands of deaths, untold thousands of wounded, detained and
According to the elite newspapers and journals of opinion, the future of foreign affairs mainly rests on ideas: the moral impetus for humanitarian intervention, the various theories governing exchange rates and debt rebalancing necessary to fix Europe, the rise of cosmopolitanism alongside the stubborn vibrancy of nationalism in East Asia and so on
There are some aspects in governance where politics should not be played; security is the main amongst these. When there is a situation of conflict the political establishment of a nation, regardless of its affiliation and ideology, needs to maintain a united front and more importantly, to be seen to be doing so. When this does not happen the enemy
Many analyses, reports and positions in regard to the Syrian situation have been talking about the impossibility of settlement at the level of the ongoing conflict between the Syrian national state and the Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist gangs led by the Al-Nusra Front and including a mixture of Muslim Brotherhood elements and multinational Takfiri g
For decades, the Middle East has been living under the stipulations of the agreement signed between the French and British foreign ministers under the name Sykes-Picot in 1916. Unlike what many Arabs assume, this agreement did not stem from the French support offered to a group of Lebanese leaders, none of whom is still alive while Sykes-Picot is.
Good evening London. What a sight for sore eyes. People ask what gives me hope. Well, the answer is right here. Six months ago – 185 days ago – I entered this building. It has become my home, my office and my refuge. Thanks to the principled stance of the Ecuadorian government and the support of its people, I am safe in this embassy to speak to you
The Pakistani Taliban continue to undermine Pakistan's government and military establishment, and in doing so, they continue to raise questions over the security of the country's nuclear arsenal. On Dec. 15, 10 militants armed with suicide vests and grenades attacked Peshawar Air Force Base, the site of a third major operation by the Pakistani Tali
I love this country in the off-season. The tiresome tourists are all gone. The North is already covered in snow, but here in Crimea, autumn still lingers in all its late beauty. The forests are full of colour; not just green, but all hues from mellow yellow to a violent violet. Vineyards display more shades of red and purple and yellow than Microso
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22 Dec 2012
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Surplus income of some countries and under-employed experts when combined together can create global havocs. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is one such havoc. It is an unnecessary duplication of existing organisations and can do more harm than good in furthering the triple objectives of
The first issue is that Washington informed Tehran that it was quickly heading towards the ending of the dispute over the nuclear file, considering it can no longer maneuver and hide the reality that Israel is suffering an internal crisis and unable to affect Washington's decision. Indeed, Washington believes that the transformations in Egypt and w
While India is crying hoarse for criminal action against Hafiz Saeed and the United States has gone to the extent of declaring his organization, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), a terrorist outfit, the amiable emir continues to be a hero in Pakistan. This is so because he has the support of the regime in Islamabad as was obvious from the statements made
Often the real drama is staged behind the scene, real news is hidden behind the headlines and real politics is played away from debates in Parliament. The discussion in both the Houses of Parliament on the motion opposing FDI in retail exemplified all these. It was more posturing than exchange of views. Both the main parties, the Congress and the B
On the political level, the government in Riyadh and the remaining Gulf governments, with the exception of Qatar, committed at the beginning of the Syrian events and for the next six months to stressing the necessity of maintaining Syrian stability. These reservations were caused by Saudi fears over the consequences of the actions witnessed in the
The state of Israel has a basic, inescapable geopolitical dilemma: Its national security requirements outstrip its military capabilities, making it dependent on an outside power. Not only must that power have significant military capabilities but it also must have enough common ground with Israel to align its foreign policy toward the Arab world wi
In a confidential memorandum in December 1991, Lawrence Summers, World Bank Chief Economist, urged his colleagues: “‘Dirty’ Industries: Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Less Developed Countries]? I can think of three reasons”. Those who believe that the transfer of
Rarely does the release of a data-driven report on energy trends trigger front-page headlines around the world. That, however, is exactly what happened on November 12th when the prestigious Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) released this year’s edition of its World Energy Outlook. In the process, just about everyone missed its real news
In this age of world domination by “Go to Hell” religions based on colossal myths and gigantic superstitions, the “population targeted to go to hell” has an obligation to examine the basic premises of their own spiritual heritage. The people condemned to “go to hell” by the currently dominating world religions are so called “pagans” and “heathens”
In the context of the global war on Syria, the signs of the predicament affecting the colonial alliance led by the United States points towards a new strategic turn following the failure to destroy the Syrian state and undermine Syria's steadfastness and its resistance option. There is fear in American and Western circles regarding the transfo
Throughout early 2011, the European liberal left were in a frenzy over the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings that were sweeping across the region. The Mainstream Media supplied around the clock coverage of the mass demonstrations in Tahrir Square as we were told that the people of the Arab world were standing up to tyranny and demanding the democratic freedo
Catholic and Protestant churches across the country celebrated 9 December 2012 as ‘Dalit Liberation Sunday’. The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the National Council for Churches in India (NCCI) have suddenly become worried for their dalit brothers. Both these bodies work under the Vatican and the Geneva-based World Council of Churc
The issue of civil society groups receiving foreign funding has been a major point of discussion in Malaysia during recent times, causing controversy and drawing criticism from activists to members of Parliament alike. Some activists tend to view Putrajaya’s investigation into rights advocacy groups like SUARAM (a noted recipient of foreign funding
Who said the filthy rich are good for nothing? Their antics are very entertaining! The Nouveau Riche have always been notorious headline-providers, and the newest crop of Russian oligarchs make the robber barons of previous generations look timid and colorless. As money ages, it becomes anaemic; divided and subdivided by careful lawyers into a maze
Hey readers, I’ve got a scoop. It’s the text of a letter – don’t ask me how I got it – from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hamas leader Meshal. It was hand delivered in Gaza by one of Israel’s many Palestinian collaborators who lives there. Like most, if not all others of his kind, the poor man didn’t volunteer to spy for Israel. He was “recru
The Naval chief’s comment about enhanced Indian geo-strategic involvement in the South China Sea has expectedly raised hackles in Beijing. The stringent response by the Chinese foreign ministry has come at a time when there is increasing speculation about the effect that the imminent leadership change will have on relations between the two Asian gi
History stutters: thenew leader of the Syrian National Coalition, knighted by the West, is noneother than the grandson of one of the chief collaborators of the Frenchoccupation of Syria in the 20s. Formerly, the French colonial power resorted toreligious leaders to teach submission to the people under its domination; todayit relies on clerics to ov
The battle for Damascus is raging with increasing intensity while rebels continue to make substantial advances in Syria's north and east. Every new air base, city or town that falls to the rebels further underlines that Bashar al Assad's writ over the country is shrinking. It is no longer possible to accurately depict al Assad as the ruler of Syria
I drove up to white and sumptuous Livadia Palace with some difficulty. The palace, once a royal summer residence built and frequented by the last Russian Tsar, stands on a rather steep slope amidst a spacious park that descends to the Black Sea far below, and the road is scary.But who cares: the view is superb – taking in all of Yalta Bay -- with t
A ceasefire agreement between the Hamas-led Palestinian government in Gaza and Israel was announced today, Nov.21, in Cairo by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr. Clinton made an emergency trip to the Middle East with the aim of brokering a truce, a clear sign of the Obama administration’s fears t
The recent hostilities between the Gaza Strip and Israel have to be viewed in context of a broader geopolitical chessboard.The events in Gaza are tied to Syria and the US’ regional maneuvers against Iran and its regional alliance system. Syria has been compromised as a conduit for weapons to Gaza, because of its domestic instability. Israel has cap
The First Indian to become a Saint! The Son of soil becomes a Saint!A great hullabaloo in the district of Kanyakumari! As a first step towards making a Saint out of one Devasahayam Pillai, the Pope declared him a ‘martyr’ on June28, 2012. Frontline newspapers and magazines carried this news item as the day’s headlines and celebrated this annou
In the case of most countries, this would not be a matter of international note.But Egypt is not just another country. It is the largest Arab country and one that has been the traditional center of the Arab world. Equally important, if Egypt's domestic changes translate into shifts in its foreign policy, it could affect the regional balance of powe
On Nov. 1, Mohammad Ismail Khan, a big warlord,a former mujahideen commander in western Afghanistan, and now Afghanistan’senergy and water minister, told his supporters at a gathering in Herat thatthey needed to re-arm to defend the country from “foreign conspirators.” Priorto Khan’s call to arms, there were reports that the anti-Taliban United Fro
Even as the world is gearing up to celebrate world human rights day on December 10, in India the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) is gearing up to take cognisance of a very bizarre allegation. If news reports are to be believed, the commission has asked its Director General (Investigation) to collect facts and submit a report, within eight we
The Vatican in its third millennium is committed to plant its Cross over Asia as was done in previous millenniums over Africa and the Americas. In the case of Asia, the church generally signifies India and particularly Tamil Nadu, the most vulnerable place of Hindu social formations of India (the reasons for this vulnerability are not the subject o
The call for rethink comes close on the heels of NewDelhi’s vote against abolition of the death penalty in the UN general assembly,and reflects the desire of a section of our political and judicial elite toconform to European liberalism, even at the cost of the needs of Indiansociety. They are egged on by NGOs aligned with Amnesty International and
In 2011, when the Indian cricket team that had won the World Cup suddenly lost form all at once and all together on a tour of Britain, I expressed the fear that the hosts were not playing fair. Events since then, and research into what dark arts might have been used, have strengthened that belief. I think the Brits are cheating in sports in a big w
To read the mainstream Western media, one would conclude that China has become an economic giant now intent on flexing its military muscle and making a massive arms buildup to do so. China’s designated new President, Xi Jinping, has just won both the top Communist party post from predecessor Hu Jintao as well as the head of the powerful Central Military Comm...