Manoj JoshiEven as a coalition government reaches the mid-point of its five-year term in India, and its economic growth settles around a handsome 8 per cent, our neighbours — east, west, north and south — a

Harry de QuettevilleWhen Avigdor Lieberman, a populist Israeli politician frequently compared to Austria’s Jörg Haider and France’s Jean-Marie le Pen, proposed to bus thousands of Palestinians to the Dead

Minister of education Mr. Imkong Imchen’s statement that the state government would not remain silent on the affiliation of schools of Naga-dominated areas of Manipur to the Nagaland Board of School Education

Gopal KrishnaKeeping in mind the characteristics of Indian municipal solid waste, a Supreme Court committee had recommended composting and recycling. Still, in our cities and towns, on an average, only 60 per c

George Monbiot It is a testament to the power of money that Nicholas Stern’s report should have swung the argument for drastic action, even before anyone has finished reading it. He appears to have demon

K. RatnayakeTalks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Geneva last weekend broke up without agreement on any issue, including the convening of another round. The

Zakie Khate One-day future generation of Nagas will look back at the present times and say that it was one of the darkest periods in the Naga History. They would say that the present time was the most sens

Aseem ShrivastavaIn an article concerned with the rapid urbanization of India and China, a writer for London’s Financial Times (August 5/6, 2006) points out that Bangalore “has become a byword for a catastr

Hartosh Singh BalPeople-to-people contacts between India and Pakistan will mean nothing if commerce does not pick up. An appreciation of Indo-Pakistani prospects requires looking at Punjab-PunjabOnce again, wit

Ilina SenOn 12 September, a huge rally of indigenous people from more than 15 villages around Dhurli, in Dantewara District of Chhattisgarh, marched to the offices of the district administration in Dantewara to

Umendra Dutt The impending water crisis in Punjab has not only eclipsed its agriculture and economy but also ruined the ecology, health, life style and social fabric of the state. It has severely destroyed

Antoaneta BezlovaCelebrating the success of microfinance as an antidote to poverty has raised some uncomfortable questions here over China’s reluctance to allow civil society a bigger role in addressing tough

Helen CaldicottWith all the hype about North Korea, we’re forgetting that the world is still staring down the barrels of thousands of US and Russian ICBMsIt is difficult to underestimate the problems associat

Paranjoy Guha ThakurtaAs India’s leaders gear up to boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to a dizzying 10 percent per annum, analysts warn that although double digit growth is achievable the cou

Jawed NaqviIt was colonial perfidy, or so our elders said. They said divide and rule was a British way to pit Indian against Indian. That’s how they created Pakistan. That’s what we were told. So the Britis

Nirmalangshu MukherjiThe attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001 was a major event in contemporary India. As the judicial procedure into this case nears its end, with Mohammed Afzal to be hanged on October 20

Praful BidwaiThe “black warrant” issued to Mohammed Afzal for his involvement in the 2001 Parliament attack has triggered widespread popular protests in Kashmir and revulsion among the country’s liberals.

SujaiMost people in the world grow up with prejudices and preset notions ingrained into them by the schools, parents and the media.This is no different for people of India. For example, an Indian talking to Pak

Walden Bello The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus, regarded as the father of microcredit, comes at a time when microcredit has become something like a religion to many of the powerful, r

K.G KannabiranFormer Supreme Court Judge is all over the news. The Committee headed by him appointed to Review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 has submitted its report and two well-known journalists, S