7 Feb 2012
the Humans Vs The small species
"The human species, armed with tremendous power derived from its mastery over science and technology, considers its interests superior to others. Thanks to its ever-increasing numbers, it requires more and more resources for satisfying its endless requirements. In this endless quest for cornering all the natural resources, where does it leave any space for the lesser species?"
Charged with terror, damned by aliases
"The incredible story of boy ‘terrorist' Mohammad Aamir whose youth was destroyed because of his wrongful arrest and 14-year long incarceration."
Over the following 14 years, the darkness and isolation of Aamir's solitary high-security cell became his world even as the world outside changed unrecognisably. His father, in financial ruin and broken from failing to free his only son, died without Aamir knowing about it. His mother, struck down by a brain haemorrhage, lost her voice and became paralytic.
The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Charged with terror, damned by aliases: When Aamir, now 32, finally walked free, he had been acquitted in 18 of the 20 terror cases — an astonishing acknowledgement of the lack of evidence against him.
Indeed without a single witness in any of the cases connecting him to the blasts, the trial court — which acquitted him in 17 cases — came up with the same line on each judgment day: “there is absolutely no incriminating evidence against the accused.” The Delhi High Court which overturned one of the three cases that went into appeal said: “the prosecution has miserably failed to adduce any evidence to connect the accused appellant with the charges framed, much less prove them.”
His case reinforces the demand for urgent police reforms.
Syria needs diplomacy, not intervention
"If anything, the pursuit of regime change is hurting the international community's ability to end the crisis."
President Bashar al-Assad's government has used brute force to crush a genuine popular upheaval against his regime. Human rights have been systematically violated. But the crucial question is how and what steps can international society lawfully take to bring an end to the crisis. The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Syria needs diplomacy, not intervention:
One suspects that regime change is the main objective; human rights violations are a pretext for it. Beneath the crisis in the U.N. system lies a deeper crisis of the legitimacy of an order which is devoid of an international consensus. That can be restored only by a wide consensus.
President Bashar al-Assad's government has used brute force to crush a genuine popular upheaval against his regime. Human rights have been systematically violated. But the crucial question is how and what steps can international society lawfully take to bring an end to the crisis. The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Syria needs diplomacy, not intervention:
The Syrian regime, however unpopular, is supported by a significant section of people. Regime change through outside intervention wreaks havoc, violates the United Nations Charter, the rules of international law, and undermines the stability of the world order. These fundamentals must not be overlooked.
Bashar al-Assad is no pushover. Diplomacy should seek his consent to a plan which leaves him in office but ensures a democratic transition. The resolution is not an aid to diplomacy but an instrument of duress. The Arab League and its Western backers were impatient on regime change.
Bashar al-Assad is no pushover. Diplomacy should seek his consent to a plan which leaves him in office but ensures a democratic transition. The resolution is not an aid to diplomacy but an instrument of duress. The Arab League and its Western backers were impatient on regime change.
Hell hath no fury like Britain 'scorned'
"No single issue in recent years has generated so much anti-India sentiment in Britain as the Rafale deal which many Britons see as a calculated ‘snub' to their country."
Two entirely separate issues — India's decision to accept the French bid and the British aid to India — have been conflated to accuse India of “ingratitude” by suggesting that as a recipient of British money, New Delhi had a “moral” obligation to reciprocate and give it the contract. Crudely put, there were no free lunches. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Hell hath no fury like Britain 'scorned'.
The anger is palpable, cuts across party lines and — fuelled by the right-wing media — has percolated down to ordinary Britons on the street. Some of the reaction, especially on the Right, has a whiff of the hard-to-die old cultural arrogance: “how dare a country, a former colony to boot, and a recipient of our aid dare snub us?”
The fact is that India has been extremely reluctant to take British aid and has made it clear on more than one occasion that it does not want it describing it as ‘peanuts' in terms of India's massive development efforts.
Two entirely separate issues — India's decision to accept the French bid and the British aid to India — have been conflated to accuse India of “ingratitude” by suggesting that as a recipient of British money, New Delhi had a “moral” obligation to reciprocate and give it the contract. Crudely put, there were no free lunches. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Hell hath no fury like Britain 'scorned'.
The anger is palpable, cuts across party lines and — fuelled by the right-wing media — has percolated down to ordinary Britons on the street. Some of the reaction, especially on the Right, has a whiff of the hard-to-die old cultural arrogance: “how dare a country, a former colony to boot, and a recipient of our aid dare snub us?”
The fact is that India has been extremely reluctant to take British aid and has made it clear on more than one occasion that it does not want it describing it as ‘peanuts' in terms of India's massive development efforts.
Talk less, text more
"Government's decision to reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR) — the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a phone — is a prudent one. So all mobile phone handsets sold in India, will have to meet stringent electromagnetic emission limits."
The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Talk less, text more: A 2009 Swedish study found a link between long-term use and risk of cancer, in those people who had used mobile phones for at least ten years, especially those below 20 years of age, even though the precise mechanism by which the cancer is caused is not known. Hence it is wise to adopt a precautionary approach to minimise radiation risk!
The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Talk less, text more: A 2009 Swedish study found a link between long-term use and risk of cancer, in those people who had used mobile phones for at least ten years, especially those below 20 years of age, even though the precise mechanism by which the cancer is caused is not known. Hence it is wise to adopt a precautionary approach to minimise radiation risk!
Battling the king of maladies
"India needs to consider how its public health policy is dealing with the long and dark shadow of cancer, which imposes huge costs on state in providing tertiary care for advanced chronic cases."
There is a need to strengthen key policy goals — preventing new cases, offering low or no-cost treatment, improving quality of life or palliation. The single biggest intervention that public policy can make is to tighten curbs on the use of tobacco, given that major cancers in Indian men are linked to it. The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Battling the king of maladies
The Centre should accept the recommendations made by High Level Expert Group of the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage to improve access to cancer treatment and devote the funds necessary.
There is a need to strengthen key policy goals — preventing new cases, offering low or no-cost treatment, improving quality of life or palliation. The single biggest intervention that public policy can make is to tighten curbs on the use of tobacco, given that major cancers in Indian men are linked to it. The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Battling the king of maladies
The Centre should accept the recommendations made by High Level Expert Group of the Planning Commission on Universal Health Coverage to improve access to cancer treatment and devote the funds necessary.
Shared Stakes In Safety
Going to Afghanistan to train its security personnel is in India's interest
Shared Stakes In Safety
The strategic partnership agreement between India and Afghanistan during President Hamid Karzai's visit to India in October 2011 implicitly recognized "India's ability to rebuild Afghan institutions, including the military, whose requirement would be overwhelming following ISAF's departure," says the former army chief Deepak Kapoor. It is only a matter of choice as to the manner of implementing the training of the Afghan security personnel, two of which are suggested in the article.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Shared Stakes In Safety
The strategic partnership agreement between India and Afghanistan during President Hamid Karzai's visit to India in October 2011 implicitly recognized "India's ability to rebuild Afghan institutions, including the military, whose requirement would be overwhelming following ISAF's departure," says the former army chief Deepak Kapoor. It is only a matter of choice as to the manner of implementing the training of the Afghan security personnel, two of which are suggested in the article.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Four Bollywood actresses are making comeback attempts this year
Times View - Let youth prevail in Bollywood
Counter View - No sell-by-date on talent
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Counter View - No sell-by-date on talent
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
It's all about the money
For some to have more, others must have less
It's all about the money
Thoughts of a citizen over the nuances of income, poverty and capitalism.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
It's all about the money
Thoughts of a citizen over the nuances of income, poverty and capitalism.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Taking A Stand
India must become a part of the solution in Syria
Taking A Stand
It was highly encouraging to see India take a stand in the form of a "recent vote in favour of the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Syria." It is a "departure" from its usual trend of not committing to a stand, in effect, watching from the sidelines, and hence compromising on being a key voice of the developing world. India can presently take the opportunity to be a part of the Syrian solution.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Taking A Stand
It was highly encouraging to see India take a stand in the form of a "recent vote in favour of the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Syria." It is a "departure" from its usual trend of not committing to a stand, in effect, watching from the sidelines, and hence compromising on being a key voice of the developing world. India can presently take the opportunity to be a part of the Syrian solution.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Son Also Rises
By promoting a new campaign culture, Akhilesh Yadav is modernising the SP
Son Also Rises
Akhilesh Yadav, in his UP campaign, has been involved in modernising the earlier culture that had adopted such old rhetoric as those against computers and English. The extensive use of social networking sites in order to woo the young voters "fed up with (the) old-style political rhetoric" has been commonly seen, and can only turn positive for the Samajwadi Party campaign.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Son Also Rises
Akhilesh Yadav, in his UP campaign, has been involved in modernising the earlier culture that had adopted such old rhetoric as those against computers and English. The extensive use of social networking sites in order to woo the young voters "fed up with (the) old-style political rhetoric" has been commonly seen, and can only turn positive for the Samajwadi Party campaign.
-The Times of India, February 7, 2012
Cutting of our tongues
The recent fiasco with Taslima Nasreen's and Salman Rushdie's books not been allowed to be circulated among the masses or even be portrayed in any forums have evoked serious opinions by different cross sections of the society...
It is just the time for Anna Zeidi to have an opinion on the same and she has expressed her views in the article titled:
Chennai and DMK
Aditya Sinha explains the Tamilnadu present political scenario and how DMK are loosing their teeth and hence falling below the horizon...
Honour in Genl VK Singh's fight...
General VK Singh has gone to the courts against the government for falsely notifying his Date of birth...
He terms his fight is more about "Honour and Integrity" than the extension of his tenure...
Nagarajan Chelliah, questions his motive in an open letter addressed to him...
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