Prashant BhushanAt a time when the dominant class in India is obsessed with power and when India appears to be at the threshold of becoming an “economic and military superpower”, it is interesting that Tehe

Praful BidwaiIndia, which has long prided itself as a shining example of democracy and religious-cultural pluralism, is being forced to contend with an unpleasant truth: the foundations of its claim to religiou

Ram PuniyaniThere may be various parameters to judge the prevalence of democratic spirit in a country. One of them may be how well the minorities are doing, how safe they feel, how aligned they feel, how much a

Vidya Bhushan RawatIn the country of one billion people over 24% of the population belong to Dalits and tribals. Nearly 80% of the Dalit population in India lives in villages and very interestingly the gender r

Dr Bhaskar DasguptaOver the past few weeks, I was reading in the newspapers about various decisions made, and I cannot help but wonder whether these people have simply taken leave of their senses. I know common

Subramaniam VincentFinally, it feels the way it must feel. Relief, that community radio stations will be a reality soon, and excitement, that there is much to look forward to. An NGO can now get a license to ai

Harsh DobhalNew private ward. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. As you enter the building, about a dozen policemen and intelligence personnel stop you. After seeking permission from a

Daryl G. KimballThis week, the Senate might debate and vote on proposed legislation (S. 3709) to relax long-standing restrictions on U.S. nuclear trade with India, which is not a member of the nuclear Nonprolif

Karl D JohnThe capitalist credentials of Vietnam’s Communist Party will be under the global spotlight when the country hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. [1] At the same time, the mass

The tribals of Manipur constitute a sizable percentage of total population consisting of abut 30 odd tribes living in the five hill districts namely Chandel, Churchandpur, Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul.  

Pallavi Aiyar Even as China has become a “model” that India’s political and business classes look to emulate whether it comes to special economic zones or urban planning, the Chinese until recently w

Sudha Ramachandran A recent media report has pointed out that Muslims have been kept out of some wings of India’s intelligence apparatus. While the thin presence of Muslims in jobs and education is well

Shawn W Crispin For those looking for chinks in Thailand’s new government’s armor, they’ll be hard-pressed to find any vulnerability in the military-appointed interim administration’s economic stew

Benjamin MaikhoThe famous mind boggling Pink Floyd song ‘Another brick in the wall’ goes ‘hey teachers leave the kids alone, we don’t need no education’. Today our kids need education. Education is so

Dhruba Adhikary The deal reached on Wednesday in Nepal is being described as historic. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who has been leading a coalition government since May, told the Nepali people th

Brian MurphyThe death threat came on simple white fliers blowing down the streets at dawn. A group calling itself “Friends of Muhammad” accused a local Palestinian Christian of selling mobile phones carryin

M. Shahid AlamIn a recent interview published in Haaretz, Naftali Tamir, the Israeli ambassador to Australia, articulates a perennial need for ‘white’ collaborators that has defined the Zionist project sinc

Roni Ben EfratChallengeAmerica’s entrapment in Iraq creates a vacuum through the Middle East. The way out of that war has become the great question of US politics. Mid-term Congressional elections are due on

It is good news for the Naga students of Manipur four hill districts that the Nagaland government has decided to allow the students of the four Naga districts to appear for the Class X Examinations to be conduc

Richard HumtsoeGod knows that acrimony and detestation can cause severe headache; a desire for revenge can cause ulcers.These attitudes hurt other people too. God showed his love for us by setting certain limit