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Interview with India's Environment Minister
Jayshree Bajoria
India and China have long maintained their economic growth will suffer if they accept binding emission targets under an international agreement on climate change. Instead, they have called for mitigation commitments by the developed world and financial support from rich countries to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
Working Together, Brazil, Russia, China and India Increase Leverage
Ian Bremmer
In 2003, a report authored by Goldman Sachs economists popularized the term BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- to describe a whole new category of emerging-market powerhouse. The report argued that with sound political leadership and relative international stability, the BRIC economies would together outpace the original G6 industrialized nations in dollar terms by 2040 -- a fundamental shift in the global balance of power. Since then, these four countries have assumed ever-greater importance in the international investment community's collective imagination.
Elections Give India's Congress Party Clout to Push Agenda
by Ian Bremmer
For nearly a year, an unmanageable coalition government in India has obstructed the ruling Congress Party's policy agenda and brought the country's economic reform process to a grinding halt. Now that an impressive electoral triumph in national parliamentary elections held in April and May has allowed the party to shed unreliable allies, can its leaders move the country in a more market-friendly direction. There are grounds for both caution and optimism
India's Fortune: Prospects of a Country on the Rise
by Edward Luce
Nandan Nilekani's book, Imagining India, charts how India arrived at the potentially transformative moment it has reached today and describes the gargantuan challenges the country will have to overcome if it is to fulfill that potential
Indian Ocean: Center Stage for 21st Century Struggles Between India & China
by Robert D. Kaplan
Competition between India and China suggests that the Indian Ocean is where global struggles will play out in the twenty-first century. The old borders of the Cold War map are crumbling fast, and Asia is becoming a more integrated unit, from the Middle East to the Pacific.
Brazil, China & India Can Mitigate Global Crisis
Global Economic Viewpoint
Brazil, India and even China will not be able, by themselves, to correct the dysfunctions that produced the global crisis. But it is true that the economic power of these three countries can mitigate its negative consequences. ...
India losing English advantage to China
India is rapidly losing an economic advantage, with the number of Chinese able to speak English now on a par with its rival, a British Council study shows
India's billionaires outstrip US counterparts
India's billionaires secure more wealth than their US counterparts in 2009 according to Forbes rich list, in a further sign the subcontinent is recovering faster than western economies
Three arrested in Vedanta plant deaths probe
Indian police arrest an executive and two other officials from the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta for alleged negligence in connection with the collapse of a power plant chimney that killed 41 people
Michelin to invest $870m in India
The world's largest tyre company will set up in Chennai its first Indian manufacturing facility that is expected to generate at least 1,500 jobs
India bans 'pay as you go' in restive Kashmir
Mobile phone users in India's Kashmir region are upset over a government decision to ban pre-paid mobile phone services in order to avoid "misuse" of the phones by terrorists
Broker Newedge opens first India office
The world's largest futures broker said it had started offering broking services in India to foreign institutional investors with the opening of a securities company based in Mumbai
Lack of 3G in India an 'issue'
Delays in bringing third generation (3G) mobile telephone technology to India threatens to stunt one of the fastest growing markets in the world, says the chief executive of Alcatel-Lucent
Carmaker JLR secures loan of £170m
The working capital facility is an important step for the lossmaking company as it seeks to shore up a financial position weakened by the credit crisis and falling sales
India probes accounts linked to London UBS case
The fine imposed on the Swiss bank by Britain's financial watchdog is part of an unfolding investigation into the past management of Indian private banking accounts
Australian PM calls for 'partnership' with India
Kevin Rudd said he wanted to build a 'comprehensive, enduring strategic partnership'. The two countries have had a roller-coaster relationship over the past decade, with deep differences over India's nuclear programme
Wipro begins to outsource Indian workload
India's Wipro Technologies has begun 'reverse offshoring' by sending work from its Indian clients to Egypt, in a sign of the growing multinational nature of the country's outsourcing business
India to support domestic demand
India says it will maintain its policies to stimulate growth at home until a stronger global recovery offers a boost to its languishing export sector
Renault to trump Tata's Nano on cost
Carlos Ghosn, Renault and Nissan chief executive, pledged that a low-cost car the group is planning to make with an Indian partner would be more economical to produce than the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car
India education faces overhaul
Radical shake-up of higher education under way that aims to unshackle universities from decades-old constraints imposed by centralised government bureaucracy
Pakistan in Chinese fighter jet deal
China is to sell at least 36 advanced J-10 fighter jets to Pakistan in a landmark defence deal that could be worth as much as $1.4bn and highlights Beijing's increasing strategic clout in Asia
FT.com - India
FT.com - India
India, U.S. trying to close differences on nuclear deal ahead of PM’s visit
Optimism prevails on both sides eventually implementing all aspects of the agreement
Guard of Honour for Manmohan in U.S.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be accorded a Guard of Honour on the South Lawn in the White House when he reaches Washington for the first state visit by any head of state or government under the Obama presidency. This, ...
Party will decide on next BJP chief: Venkaiah
HYDERABAD: Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu has said the party would decide the next president and that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had nothing to do with the day-to-day political affairs of the organisation. He told journalists ...
Attack was spontaneous, says Shiv Sena MP
Mumbai: Sanjay Raut, Sena MP and editor of the party mouthpiece Saamna admitted to The Hindu over telephone that those who targeted the IBN offices in Mumbai and Pune on Friday were Shiv ...
26/11: The first few hours at the Taj
I had no idea when I heard the firing that they were terrorists, says SI Kakde
International communist meet says socialism is the way forward
NEW DELHI: Disputing the current approach in handling the international financial crisis and terming it as a typical capitalist solution, an international meeting of communist parties and workers on Friday advocated that socialism is the only ...
Massive IOC fire left no time to respond, Deora tells Lok Sabha
NEW DELHI: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that the magnitude of last month’s fire at the Indian Oil Corporation depot in Jaipur was so massive that it virtually left no time to put in ...
“Ask Maoists not to disrupt elections in Jharkhand”
NEW DELHI: The Union government on Friday urged civil society organisations to ask Left-wing extremists not to disrupt the Assembly elections in Jharkhand. While expressing confidence that the State people would face the challenge of the ...
Former Minister B. Shankaranand passes away
Belgaum: B. Shankaranand, former Union Minister, passed away at a private hospital here in the early hours of Friday. He was 84 and leaves two sons, including Om Prakash Kanagali, a former Minister in Karnataka, and six daughters. Mr. ...
Kamat dismisses reports of terror threat to IFFI
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and the State police on Friday dismissed media reports about a possible terror threat to the coming International Film Festival of India (IFFI), set to begin here on Monday. Speaking to ...
3 NDFB militants killed in Assam
GUWAHATI: Three National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants were killed in two separate encounters in Assam on Friday, police sources said. An NDFB militant was killed at Podumpkhuri in the Jalukbari area of the city in an ...
Mobile porting charge is Rs. 19
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday fixed Rs.19 as the porting charge (the amount to be paid by a subscriber to the recipient operator) for availing the mobile number portability (MNP) facility, which is ...
“Funds for North Cachar Hills used for arms deals”
Guwahati: Money diverted from the development fund of Assam’s North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to the militant outfit Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa faction) has gone to Thailand, Singapore and Nepal for procuring illegal ...
China can play a role in resolution of Kashmir issue: Mirwaiz
SRINAGAR: Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference (moderate) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Friday that China had a stake in peace in the region, thus suggesting a role for it in the resolution of the Kashmir issue. The Mirwaiz hailed ...
Advisory to TV channels on 26/11 anniversary
NEW DELHI: Anticipating a slew of special programmes ahead of the first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Friday issued an advisory to television channels drawing broad parameters for such ...
Protests cause adjournments in Parliament
NEW DELHI: The Opposition stalled the proceedings in Parliament for the second day on Friday over the new sugarcane pricing policy. Opposition members raised slogans in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, highlighting the plight of ...
Jurists meet on terror today
New Delhi: Ahead of the first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, President Pratibha Patil will inaugurate a two-day International Conference of Jurists on Terrorism here on Saturday. International Terrorism, International ...
‘SDR a popular alternative to dollar’
It is linked to a weighted basket of four major currencies
Strike paralyses Darjeeling
KOLKATA: Life in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal was severely affected following a 12-hour strike called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) on Friday demanding the regularisation of ad hoc workers of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council ...
A historic first for women
Kochi: History was created at the Southern Naval Command here on Friday when the first two women combatants of the Navy were awarded with the ‘wings’ at an impressive passing-out ceremony. Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai, Flag ...
Two killed in Orissa firing
BERHAMPUR: Two members of the ‘Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS)’ were killed when police opened fire on them to prevent arms loot at the Narayanpatna police station in Koraput district on Friday afternoon. Inspector in ...
The Hindu - National
The Internet edition of The Hindu, India's national newspaper
Convicted felon in US, Gilani changed name to hide tracks
Daaod Gilani, one of the two Pakistani expats charged with transcontinental terror plots, is a convicted felon who served prison sentence in US before he changed his name to David Coleman Headley.
Dalai Lama's dig at judges' 'pocket money'
Venturing far beyond where public figures have treaded on judicial corruption, the Dalai Lama during a lecture said, "Maybe in judiciary some pocket money... is working."
India can win Nobel for filth, says Jairam Ramesh
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, known for courting controversy, said if there was a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India would get it.
Sachin Tendulkar completes 30,000 runs
Sachin Tendulkar slammed 43rd Test ton during the India-Sri Lanka first Test after the batting maestro completed his 30,000 runs in international career.
PM-Obama banquet: It just keeps getting bigger
The guest list for President Obama's state banquet for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expanded to nearly 400, forcing the White House to shift the venue.
Babus risk angering Left, attend Mamata's dinner
Mamata held a quiet, private dinner for bureaucrats from the West Bengal cadre on Wednesday at party MP and minister of state for surface transport Mukul Roy's residence.
Pay just Rs 19 for portability
Come January 2010, consumers need to pay only Rs 19 and change their service provider, even as they retain the same mobile number.
Madhuri Dixit as Indira Gandhi?
Former Bollywood diva agrees to do Krishna Shahβs film on the late PM.....
South star Prakash Raj gets divorced
Court dissolved Prakash Raj's marriage with his wife of 15 years. The Principle Judge for family courts B Ramalingam ordered the dissolution of the 1994 marriage, taking note of the petitions filed by the actor and his wife Lalithakumari.
Indian hubbies want protection from nagging wives
Shrews, beware: a group of Indian husbands tired of being harassed by their wives are demanding the local government create a male protection society to address their grievances.
Headley case update: Mahesh Bhatt lashes out
Headley case update: Mahesh Bhatt lashes out
What you didn't know about one-night stands!
Sex, or, better said, one-night-stands are a common occurence. The possibilities of such relationships are endless, so don't be in a hurry to give up on them, after only one night.
Pakistan has nothing to fear from India: Manmohan
In an interview to the Washington Post ahead of his state visit to the US, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was a 'tragedy' that Pakistan has come to the point of using terror 'as an instrument of state policy'.
Blame game can be as contagious as epidemic
Discover your man's pleasure zones
One-film-a-year concept not for me: Amitabh
"It shall not be one film a year. I am not that big or important to make such decisions. It is a wonder that I am getting any offers at all," Amitabh said.
Sanjay Dutt's $5000 gift to director
In Cape Town, Sanjay Dutt purchased a warm jacket worth $5000 and gifted it to director Anees Bazmee.
The Times of India
Times of India brings the Latest & Top Breaking News on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Cricket, Sports, Business, Bollywood News and Entertainment, Science, Technology, Health & Fitness news & opinions from leading columnists.
Indian security officers trained on preventing terror attack
Select officers from Indian security agencies today completed a two-week training course at the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) on preventing terrorist attacks conducted by American trainers.
Rajdeep Sardesai to meet CM over attack on IBN Lokmat
Senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai will meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan here tomorrow to lodge a formal protest over the attack on the offices of 'IBN-Lokmat' TV channel.
Koda seeks time from the Enforcement Directorate
Former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, who skipped from appearing before the Enforcement Directorate yesterday, has sought time saying his documents are not ready.
Indian brands shine at best of wines contest
Indian wine drinkers now have a reason to smile. No, their glass of Shiraz isn’t getting any cheaper, but their knowledge of what’s best in the market has just been given a fillip, reports Dhamini Ratnam.
SRPF jawans out of Gateway now on footpath
The 30 jawans from Solapur who had been staying at the Gateway of India and guarding the Taj hotel for at least two months were asked to move out of the heritage structure on Thursday night even though they had nowhere else to go, reports HT Correspondent.
Preferential treatment given to convicts with connections
The Delhi government came under fire from the Delhi High Court on Friday for giving preferential treatment to convicts with high connections like Manu Sharma.
City gets world s longest suburban train today
The much-delayed plan to give Mumbai its first 15-coach train will become a reality on Saturday. Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee will flag off the train from Andheri, reports Shashank Rao.
Woman held for running extortion racket
From her home near the shores of Uttan, this Class 10 dropout managed an extortion empire in the city on behalf of her gang leader based in faraway Hong Kong, reports HT Correspondent.
No name finalised for BJP chief post
A day after BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said she turned down an offer to become the next party chief, Venkaiah Naidu declared, “I am neither in the race nor interested to become president once again as I had been the party chief once. The party has given me that opportunity at the age of 52.”
Car park planned at Matunga a safety hazard
Civic Improvements Committee members have strongly opposed the proposal for a multi-level car park next to Matunga station, reports Amrita U Kadam.
Security agency took too long to lodge a complaint
Praveen Belokar (28) may not have escaped with Rs 83 lakh in cash if the security van’s cashiers and armed guard had not taken 90 minutes to lodge a police complaint, reports Shahkar Abidi.
Your commute is changing
Hoping to rid arterial roads of traffic jams and make the city more pedestrian-friendly, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is considering a proposal for underground roads in South Mumbai, reports Bhavika Jain.
Van driver steals Rs 40 lakh
On Friday morning, a cash transport van rolled into ABN Amro’s automated teller machine (ATM) at Oshiwara in Andheri (West), with Rs 83 lakh in cash, reports HT Correspondent.
Pollution kills 8 lakh in India every year Report
A report prepared by The Energy and Resources Institute revealed that 800,000 people died in India every year because of environmental factors, reports Chetan Chauhan.
26 11 ex top cop finds fault with senior officers
Ten months after Hasan Gafoor was removed as Mumbai’s police commissioner allegedly for inaction during 26/11, he has accused some senior officers of not taking on the terrorists, reports HT Correspondent.
PM leaves for US N tech transfer terror on agenda
PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to the United States — the first by a head of state after Barack Obama became president — is expected to “take the strategic partnership between the two countries to the next level”, a government spokesperson said on Friday. Singh and Obama will discuss counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and climate change among other things in Washington on Tuesday. Varghese K George examines...
Busan is Mumbai s new sister city
Busan, a port city located at the southern tip of the Republic of South Korea, is now Mumbai’s new sister city, reports Sayli Udas Mankikar.
TV channel s Pune office also attacked Shiv Sena draws flak
Minutes after Marathi news channel IBN-Lokmat’s Mumbai office was ransacked on Friday, its Pune office was also attacked allegedly by Shiv Sainiks, reports HT Correspondents.
After lull swine flu claims 1
After sparing Mumbai for over 50 days, the H1N1 virus on Friday claimed another life, reports HT Correspondent.
Saved 400 got Rs 500
For saving some 400 lives on the fateful night of the 26/11 terror attacks, Bablu Kumar Deepak, a railway announcer at the out-station train section of CST, was awarded an amount so meager that he even does not want to talk about it, reports Naziya Alvi.
An all star evening at Bandra amphitheatre
On Friday night, Bandra was wowed by the on-stage magic of Merlin and the All Stars performing at the Celebrate Bandra festival in partnership with Hindustan Times.
Rebels kidnap 14 after train attack
Maoists abducted 14 members of a village peace committee in West Singbhum district of Jharkhand on Thursday night, barely three hours after blowing up a passenger train in the same district.
Fusion with nostalgia
It’s been over three decades, yet from the annals of her dusty memory, Annette Pinto can recall most vividly, her time as a singer working with the godfather of Hindi film music, RD Burman, reports Purva Mehra.
Plane changes altitude almost hits another
Two international flights carrying around 500 passengers together narrowly missed crashing into each other about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai on Thursday night, reports Soubhik Mitra.
Building on salt pans will mean disaster
The civic body’s plans to allow construction on Mumbai’s last few stretches of salt pans would mean disaster for the city, say citizens groups and environmentalists, reports Bhavika Jain.
The library within
A few steps from Churchgate station is a fascinating library you can mine for Mumbai nuggets, Karthik Balsubramaniam.
States must lead the fight against Maoists
“The anti-Maoist threat cannot be solely a central initiative,” a top Congress leader told Hindustan Times, indicating this was the Centre’s considered view.
Centre s ordinance will not affect state farmers
The Centre’s decision to modify the order on sugarcane prices may not have a bearing on Maharashtra which produces nearly 33 per cent of India’s sugar, reports HT Correspondent.
Airtel cuts roaming rates by 60 per cent
India's largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel on Friday reduced roaming charges by up to 60 per cent for its 115 million subscribers. State-owned BSNL and MTNL said they will study Airtel tariffs and respond.
Will sugar crisis put Pawar in the dock
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar hardly ever drew praise for the way he ran the agriculture ministry. But after Thursday’s protests over sugar prices, his suitability for the ministry is being questioned, reports Dharmendra Jore.
Cops out of Gateway on the footpath
The 30 jawans from Solapur, who had been staying at the Gateway of India and guarding the Taj hotel for at least two months, were asked to move out of the heritage structure even though they had nowhere else to go.
Shopian women drowned CBI
The mystery surrounding the death of two young women in Shopian in May has cleared with the Central Bureau of Investigation concluding that Nelofar, 22, and her sister-in-law Asiya Jan, 17, died of drowning, reports Arun Joshi.
A warm winter an empty harvest
Yield is dropping in Punjab, the granary of India, as rising winter temperature hits wheat crop, breeds disease, reports Amit Sharma.
In arid fields bumper crop
As monsoons get more erratic and rainfall dips in northwestern Orissa, a group of farmers is collecting rainwater to rejuvenate their fields, reports Priya Ranjan Sahu.
Government backtracks on sugarcane pricing Opposition satisfied
The government on Friday bowed to pressure from sugarcane farmers, Opposition parties and some of its own leaders and allies and announced a rollback on the sugar control order that has paralysed Parliament for the last two days, reports HT Correspondent.
Fish move north to beat the heat
According to a study, conducted by the Sea Around Us Project at Canada’s University of British Columbia, India could lose 40 per cent of fish population over the next 50 years, reports Joydeep Thakur.
A ray of hope for Gangotri
India’s second largest glacier may be slowing its retreat as the Uttarakhand government controls tourist numbers, re-greens forest reserve, writes Sunita Aron. See graphics
Pocket money involved in judiciary Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama on Friday hinted that the judiciary was not free from corruption, making the remark in the presence of Supreme Court and Delhi High Court judges, reports Tushar Srivastava.
Pak plays spoilsport in Srinagar Delhi dialogue
Even as the Hurriyat Conference was seeking to overcome its own contradictions vis-à-vis talks with Centre to resolve Kashmir issue, Pakistan Friday threw a spanner the way it did nine years ago, and also to breach the secrecy of the quiet diplomacy and talks propounded by Delhi and the Hurriyat Conference, reports Arun Joshi.
BJP condemns Shiv Sena violence at TV channel offices
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly condemned Friday's attack by Shiv Sena activists on the offices of IBN-Lokmat network channel in Mumbai and Pune.
Beware of that probiotic drink
Guidelines standardizing probiotic products are being drafted by the Indian Council of Medical Research and will be ready in February, reports Sanchita Sharma.
Thefts in Metro a new trend
After bus stands, train stations and even the airport, thieves have found a new target — Metro stations, reports Vijaita Singh.
Young achievers get this year s Sanskriti Awards
The Sanskriti Awards for 2009 were presented by Sanskriti Pratishthan on Friday, reports HT Correspondent.
Mehrauli the millennium village
Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal, loved his monsoon and summer outings, a break from the walls of Red Fort in Shahjahanabad, reports Praveen Donthi.
I suspect Sena MP Raut engineered attack IBN Lokmat editor
Editor of IBN-Lokmat Nikhil Wagle said the attack on the Marathi news channel may have been instigated by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
Southeast Close finish in race to top
Sports and more, schools ranked between 4 and 10 in the HT-C fore Southeast Delhi school survey are neck to neck in providing facilities to students, find Meher Ali and Manoj Sharma.
Edgy art at new cafe
I am looking at what looks like a poster of the popular Facebook-based game Farmville. The pixelated greens and the yellows seem to be having a great time.
Braj Mahotsav begins
For a week starting today, Brajbhoomi will be recreated at the Matighar and lawns of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts with an exhibition, lectures (musicologist Mukund Lath, historian Irfan Habib, etc) and performances.
Out of the darkroom
Investment banker-turned-fine art photographer Siddhartha Tawadey, 32, turns nostalgic; he uses the darkroom and film technique of yore, abandoning the modern world of digital cameras and Photoshop.
Solving traffic problems with airborne cameras in real time
To ensure there are no traffic bottlenecks during the Commonwealth Games next year, the Delhi Traffic Police will take the help of images captured from high-resolution cameras, reports Vijaita Singh.
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'No better time to be a communist in US'
The international conference of communist and workers' parties began amidst a call to intensify popular struggles and expand solidarities in the wake of the current world capitalist crisis.
Snowstorm kills 8 in Rohtang
Eight people crossing the Rohtang Pass on foot were killed on Friday when they were hit by a snow storm.
Babus risk angering Left, attend Mamata's dinner
Mamata held a quiet, private dinner for bureaucrats from the West Bengal cadre on Wednesday at party MP and minister of state for surface transport Mukul Roy's residence.
Naidu denies claim that RSS scuttled bid for BJP top post
Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu has strongly denied that he was turned down for the post of party chief by RSS.
Naxals 'sorry' for Jharkhand train attack
On the back foot after Thursday's attack on a passenger train in Ghagra, the rebels apologised, saying it was carried out by "overzealous new recruits".
India can win Nobel for filth, says Jairam Ramesh
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, known for courting controversy, said if there was a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India would get it.
Dalai Lama's dig at judges' 'pocket money'
Venturing far beyond where public figures have treaded on judicial corruption, the Dalai Lama during a lecture said, "Maybe in judiciary some pocket money... is working."
Day 2: Jawans still without a roof
Accommodation couldnβt be provided to the 30-odd SRPF personnel stationed at the Gateway of India on Friday despite police commissioner D Sivanandanβs assurance.
'Karkare death not due to faulty jacket'
The death Hemant Karkare, had nothing to do with the quality of the bullet-proof jacket he was wearing. For, not a single bullet that hit him went through the jacket, the postmortem report has revealed.
Govt doesn't expect any big-ticket gains from PM's visit to US
The government does not expect Prime Minister Manmohan Singhβs first state visit to post-Bush US to yield βbig-ticketβ gains as it is aimed at βsizing upβ the Democratic dispensation in Washington.
Amar Singh moves HC seeking stay on his arrest
Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has moved the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on his arrest in connection with a "politically motivated" FIR lodged in Kanpur charging him with amassing wealth by favouring certain companies.
Advani not to be Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition for 5 years: Naidu
L K Advani has told party leaders that he does not want to continue as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for the whole of five years, senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu said today.
Sonia avoids Koda's name during rallies in poll-bound Jharkhand
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said only her party can provide a clean government to Jharkhand.
'Signature of 26/11 accused matches with handwriting in maps'
Specimen signatures of 26/11 accused Faheem Ansari matched with the writings on maps of Mumbai terror sites seized from him by Lucknow Police at the time of his arrest in a bomb blast case in UP last year.
Delhi, Hurriyat talks can't succeed without us: Pak
Pakistan claimed that any talks between the Indian government and separatist Kashmiri leaders will not be successful without its involvement.
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Afghan MP Escapes Assassination Attempt in Kabul
Five bodyguards were killed. Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber killed at least 16 people in southwestern Afghanistan, while two roadside bombs killed 4 others in eastern Afghanistan.
Obama Calls on N. Korea to Return to Talks
U.S President Barack Obama is calling on North Korea to return to nuclear talks and he is warning of possible new sanctions on Iran. Mr. Obama spoke in Seoul after talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Monira Rahman Fights for Life Free of Violence
Human rights advocate, Monira Rahman, is Making a Difference through her Acid Survivors Foundation
Bangladesh Supreme Court Upholds Assassins' Death Sentences
Five former army officers convicted of the 1975 killing of the country's independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, could face the death penalty after the supreme court rejected their appeals. Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina - who is the daughter of the slain leader - had vowed to complete the politically sensitive trial when she took power, earlier this year.
DNA Results Give New Hope for 'Extinct' Siamese Crocodiles
A proposed breeding program for the critically endangered Siamese crocodile received a significant boost this month with the news that 35 crocodiles at a wildlife rescue center in Cambodia are purebred Siamese.
US, China May Set Emissions Reduction Goals
During talks in Beijing, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao endorsed a package of energy projects, including deals on clean coal and electric vehicles. Environmental analysts say the talks offer new hope the two countries will soon offer targets on emissions reduction.
Drone Kills 8 in Pakistan
Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. drone attack has killed at least eight people in the country's northwest.
Amnesty International Chief Blasts Australia's 'Panic' Over Asylum Seekers
The head of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, says the Australian government should close its immigration detention center on Christmas Island.
Karzai Sworn in for Second Term as Afghan President
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been sworn in after months of political uncertainty in the wake of a fraud-marred presidential election.
UN General Assembly Condemns Human Rights Violations in Burma, North Korea
U.N. General Assembly has expressed its grave concern about on-going human rights violations in Burma and North Korea.
Retiring Sri Lankan General Contends Government Politicians Planted Coup Rumors
In his 2,200-word retirement request General Sarath Fonseka says he was misled about his promotion this year to Chief of Defense staff, finding that he had "basically no authority."
Obama Meets With Chinese Premier
UN Appeals for $144 Million to Help Storm-Ravaged Philippines
Obama says Afghan Decision to Come Soon
U.S. President Barack Obama says a decision on a revised Afghanistan strategy will come soon, and he vows the United States military commitment there will not be open-ended.
Obama Meets Half-Brother in Beijing
US, China Seen as Making Progress on Climate Change
Although President Barack Obama's visit to China did not draw huge crowds and has been criticized in the United States, experts on China say Washington and Beijing made progress in several areas, especially climate change.
Refugee Stand-Off Ends in Indonesia
Sri Lankan asylum seekers transferred to an Australian-funded detention facility on Bintan island and are promised that if recognized as refugees they will be resettled within three months
Obama Visit Offers Reminder of South Korea's Own Blurring Racial Lines
Obama Visit Offers Reminder of South Korea's Own Blurring Racial Lines
Indonesia Deports Greenpeace Activists, Journalists
British PM Defends Military Mission in Afghanistan
VOA English - Asia
VOA English - Asia
Hong Kong's deferred democracy: Softly, softly
One man; one vote; one forlorn hope? ACCORDING to its chief executive, Donald Tsang, Hong Kong has reached another “critical juncture” in its political development. A reform proposal unveiled by his government on November 18th aims to increase the level of democracy “substantially” in 2012 when Mr Tsang’s successor is chosen and a new legislature elected. Pro-democracy politicians are far from convinced. This is Mr Tsang’s second attempt at trying to persuade legislators that he and, more critically, China’s leaders, mean to fulfil promises made at the end of British rule in 1997 that Hong Kong would move towards “universal suffrage”. His previous reform package was voted down by the legislature, known as Legco, in 2005 as too timid and lacking a clear timetable for universal suffrage. ...
A hero for the Philippines: The thriller for Manila
Manny Pacquiao, boxer, national hero and political wannabe A HUSH fell over the Philippines as a bell rang, eight time zones away, to start Manny Pacquiao’s title fight in Las Vegas. The people of Manila deserted the streets to crowd in front of television screens and watch the most successful Filipino athlete of all time enter the ring. The quiet was soon shattered by a roar which echoed throughout the country as Mr Pacquiao knocked down his opponent for a first time. A crescendo followed, reaching its jubilant climax when the referee awarded victory to Mr Pacquiao in the 12th round. Mr Pacquiao’s defeat of Miguel Cotto, a Puerto Rican, means he has now won world championships in seven different weight divisions—a feat unprecedented in boxing history. He has become an extraordinary hero in the Philippines, where figures of international renown are scarce. Filipinos adore him for his rags-to-riches career and his unpretentious charm. The government says Mr Pacquiao will receive a special welcome on his return to the Philippines; delirious public celebrations are expected. ...
Banyan: Land of Eastern promise
India's membership of Asia remains primarily cartographic AN EASY but instructive way to bait an Indian economist is to credit the Chinese economy with coming to Asia’s rescue and arguably the world’s. It is, claims the economist, an example of anti-India bias. Why does India not get equal credit for robust growth? In all the frothy coverage about Asia’s amazing rebound, including in The Economist, where is India? “You’d think”, the economist complains, “that India isn’t even part of Asia.” To what degree India’s economy is part of a vibrant Asian whole has long been a preoccupation among Indian policymakers. Now the global slowdown has given the debate a keener edge, for it has disproportionately hit the commercial markets in America and Europe to which India traditionally looks. “Look East”, long an avowed tenet of government policy, is in vogue. ...
Afghanistan's anti-corruption drive: Taming the mafia state
The anti-graft pressure mounts on Hamid Karzai IT WAS no secret what the world wanted to hear from Hamid Karzai when Afghanistan’s president was sworn in for a second term on November 19th: a commitment to get tough on corruption. Visiting Kabul for the inauguration, Hillary Clinton, America’s secretary of state, said Mr Karzai had a “window of opportunity” to show tangible results. American officials say he has just six months to tackle what one calls “Afghanistan’s mafia state”. In his inauguration speech, he said ministers in his administration must be “competent and just”. But heeding Western concerns about their behaviour does not come naturally to Mr Karzai. He has been in a combative mood since the West’s much-resented demand that he accept that his re-election was marred by massive vote-rigging. In a recent American television interview he batted back questions about corruption in his government with his oft-repeated line that foreign donors must clean their own act up and stop development funds from being wasted. Such wastage, however, is at least lawful, unlike the Afghan government’s practice of selling jobs to officials who then repay themselves through extortion. Nor is it akin to the impunity the well-connected enjoy. ...
Sri Lanka's retired army chief: General intentions
The war’s winners fall out WHEN Sarath Fonseka sought permission this month to retire as chief of Sri Lanka’s defence staff from December 1st, President Mahinda Rajapaksa replied through his secretary that the general, who had led his government’s victory against the Tamil Tigers, could consider himself retired with immediate effect. So General Fonseka had to vacate his office in less than two days. He was told his large security detail would be slashed. He must quit his official residence. The impromptu farewell ceremony for him was so hastily arranged, apparently, that the commanders of the army, navy and air force could not attend. His retirement, more than a month before the end of his term, fuelled rampant speculation that General Fonseka would stand against Mr Rajapaksa at the presidential election he wants to call next year, nearly two years early, to capitalise on the government’s defeat of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in May. ...
Australia's child-migration horror: Better late than never
Kevin Rudd says sorry for a past evil CEREMONIES in the Great Hall of Parliament House in Canberra are typically attended by visiting royals, heads of state and other dignitaries. On November 16th several hundred ordinary, middle-aged Australians, with pain in their faces and tears in their eyes, packed the hall to witness a ceremony devoted to them. It seemed a miracle that many were there at all. Shipped from Britain as youngsters, or plucked from broken homes and single mothers in Australia, some suffered childhoods spent in orphanages where violence, sexual abuse and humiliation were rife. Some of their peers killed themselves. After years of campaigning, survivors gathered to hear Kevin Rudd, the prime minister, offer a formal apology for this “great evil”. It was the second such apology Mr Rudd has offered in under two years. Early last year, he began his government’s first term by apologising to the “stolen generations”: children, many of mixed race, taken by the authorities from aboriginal families. In all, by 1970 over 500,000 “stolen”, migrant and non-indigenous children had been placed in church, charity and government institutions. ...
Barack Obama in Asia: Scaling the Asian wall
The president pays Asia the compliment of courtesy; rewards are not immediate IT TOOK Barack Obama nearly a year in office to get to East Asia. When he did, it was for an intensive nine-day obstacle course, which he tried to negotiate with the placatory charm and openness to dialogue that have marked his diplomacy. Unsurprisingly, it went down well, but produced little of substance. The centrepiece of the trip was China, which he visited at a critical juncture in the world’s most important bilateral relationship. China handled the visit with ambivalence. It was keen to encourage Mr Obama’s friendly approach and his willingness to recognise China as a fellow great power. But it was also clearly nervous of a charismatic young president far better than China’s standoffish leaders at appealing to ordinary citizens (“voters”, as they are known in America). ...
Banyan: Barack Obama's Asian adventure
The president seems better at reassuring America's enemies than its friends ASIANS complain that when George Bush chose Iraq and terrorism as his main arenas in foreign affairs, it was at their expense. Barack Obama intends his first Asian trip as president, which begins in Tokyo on November 13th, as proof of change. As well as Japan, the tour takes in Singapore, China and South Korea. Engagement in the region, he says, is critical to America’s future. Advisers even suggest that what he achieves there will help define Mr Obama’s presidency. Of course, they say that about a lot of things on his plate. But to judge by ordinary folk, the region wishes him well. Many Indonesians think of Mr Obama as one of their own. In Japan students of English have emptied the bookshops of his collected speeches. Some activity suggests there is indeed a new engagement. In July, the American secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, signed ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Co-operation. The ten-member Association of South-East Asian Nations had been largely ignored by Mr Bush. This weekend Mr Obama will meet ASEAN’s leaders as a group, which is a first. His administration reached out to the thuggish junta in Myanmar, reversing a policy of isolation, and on November 10th said Mr Obama’s special envoy to North Korea would go to Pyongyang for talks with the obstreperous nuclear state (after close consultation with South Korea and Japan first). The president has taken pains to define China as a “strategic partner”, one without whom America has little hope of tackling everything from the global economic crisis to climate change and nuclear proliferation. And Mr Obama’s energetic support this year for the G20, with its Asia-heavy membership, can be read as a tacit acknowledgment that in economic and political terms the world’s centre of gravity has shifted away from the G8 group of wealthy nations. ...
Japan's government: Out of tune
The Democrats’ debut has been worryingly unharmonious—and the “bond vigilantes” are starting to make groaning noises, too YUKIO HATOYAMA, Japan’s prime minister, likens his role to that of a conductor trying to achieve “harmony”—one of his favourite words—from a pickup orchestra (for which read, novice cabinet). So far the result has been cacophony. Ministers have waged war in public and have floated ideas that, in some cases, are downright ludicrous. At times they have even challenged Mr Hatoyama’s authority. To his supporters, this reflects a refreshingly open debate in a new ruling party after decades of cloistered dealmaking. When Mr Hatoyama’s Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) swept to power in September, it was largely because of voters’ frustration at half a century of rule by the “iron triangle” of Liberal Democratic politicians, bureaucrats and big business. Mr Hatoyama promised a more open and genuinely democratic style of government. ...
Fiji and Oceania: Coconut dictator
A coup leader who is tough on the outside, softer underneath FIJI’S military strongman, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has thumped down his fist. He will restore relations with Australia and New Zealand only in 2014, he says, having booted out their High Commissioners on November 4th. He justified the expulsions by saying the countries were interfering in his efforts to replace judges he sacked when he abrogated the constitution in April. This latest diplomatic crisis, as with previous such episodes, led to a ratcheting up of repression at home: Brij Lal, a persistent critic of the regime and a distinguished historian of the Indian diaspora, was taken to a military barracks, harassed and thrown out of the country. This week, the authorities started jamming anti-government bloggers, who have proliferated since the coup of December 2006. ...
Singapore and immigration: A PR problem
Immigration becomes the hot political issue in a model city-state AT CHINA’s 60th anniversary bash last month, Zhang Yuanyuan, a China-born, permanent resident of Singapore, was caught on camera professing her love for her native country. The clip caused a storm in the island state; it was the latest sign of resentment towards incomers and evidence that immigration is becoming the city-state’s dominant political issue. Faced with an ageing population and low fertility, Singapore’s government has long courted foreigners to plug gaps in the workforce. In 1990, citizens made up 86% of Singapore’s 3m people. Today, the share is 64% of 5m-odd. More than one in three people are foreigners (permanent residents, known as PRs, and non-residents). ...
China's state-owned enterprises: Nationalisation rides again
Do state firms have too much power? A case in Hebei stirs debate THERE are so many examples of Chinese farmers enraged by industrial polluters that Hou Youliang, a 61-year-old cancer sufferer, might have struggled to get anyone to listen to his complaints about nearby iron mines. But Mr Hou’s grievance relates to a big state-owned enterprise. In recent months, worriers about China’s increasingly muscular state sector have grown more vocal. Mr Hou’s travails have given them fresh ammunition. Oddly it was a newspaper run by China’s official news agency, Xinhua, that broke Mr Hou’s story on October 15th. The state enterprise in question, China Minmetals Corp, is, like Xinhua, controlled by the central government. Normally Xinhua would avoid openly confronting the centre’s other bastions of power. Minmetals, clearly shocked by the breach of etiquette, summoned journalists the following day to issue a furious rebuttal of the allegation—made by the newspaper, Economic Information Daily—that two mines controlled by a Minmetals subsidiary had polluted Mr Hou’s village. ...
Thaksin Shinawatra and Hun Sen: A new way to annoy a neighbour
Cambodia appoints as a government adviser Thailand’s opposition leader SINCE last year, Cambodian and Thai troops have intermittently clashed over a disputed border temple. But now Cambodia has found a more elegant way to annoy its rival: appointing as economic adviser to the prime minister, Hun Sen, Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai premier who was ousted by a coup in 2006 and convicted in absentia of abusing his power. Thailand’s government wants Mr Thaksin in jail. Cambodia has refused to extradite him, arguing that his crime is political. Infuriated, Thailand last week withdrew its ambassador. Cambodia did the same. Thailand has torn up a joint maritime oil-exploration treaty. On November 15th, anti-Thaksin “yellow shirts”, who have stirred up trouble on the disputed border, plan to rally in Bangkok to protest against Cambodia’s decision to coddle their nemesis. Speaking at his opulent government guesthouse in Phnom Penh, a stone’s throw from the Thai embassy, where extradition papers lie waiting, Mr Thaksin affects not to know what all the fuss is about. He says that giving sound advice to Cambodia will benefit Thailand’s larger economy and the whole region. He describes Hun Sen as a pal of 20 years who “dares to say the truth to the world” about his ill treatment. Actually, the two men have not always seen eye-to-eye. But both see themselves in a similar light, as bluff sons of the soil, surrounded by royalist enemies. ...
Military strategy in Afghanistan: Tactical retreat?
NATO commanders want to withdraw from vulnerable outposts BEARDED fighters gleefully picked through the ruins of an abandoned American base in Kamdesh, in the mountains of Nuristan in eastern Afghanistan. The fortified ramparts were deserted. The Taliban showed off arms left by the Americans, including ammunition belts for grenade launchers and Claymore mines. One leader declared: “We have defeated the US forces, with the help of God.” These scenes were part of a Taliban video released this week to the al-Jazeera television network. If plans being considered by NATO to withdraw from other remote outposts go ahead, there will be more propaganda triumphs for the Taliban to brag about. Eight American soldiers and several members of the Afghan security forces were killed in Kamdesh last month as they fought a desperate battle to prevent hundreds of Taliban fighters from overrunning two outposts. But within days of repelling the attack, the Americans left the exposed positions anyway. Commanders said they had always intended to withdraw under new plans to leave remote districts and concentrate on major population centres. Yet the retreat is evidence of the pressure that Western forces are feeling. And in a war of perceptions, it undeniably handed the Taliban a propaganda victory. ...
India's wretched state of Manipur: Not free to starve
A poet from Manipur celebrates nine years of trying to kill herself IROM CHANU SHARMILA, 37, a poet and aspirant suicide, was this week unable to attend a cultural festival held in her honour in Imphal, capital of India’s north-eastern state of Manipur. She was in hospital, being force-fed lentil soup through a tube inserted into her nose. The festival and an attendant fast, joined by hundreds of Ms Sharmila’s sympathisers in recent months, were to mark an anniversary. On November 2nd 2000 the poet, known as the “Iron Lady”, embarked on a “fast unto death”—a threat respected as an act of protest in India, often used to great effect by Mohandas Gandhi. Yet Ms Sharmila’s case, like the wretched condition of Manipur, the most violent of seven troubled north-eastern states, is a national embarrassment. ...
Financial scandals in Thailand: Getting their man
Market panics, old and new IT TOOK 13 years for Thai justice to catch up with Rakesh Saxena, an Indian-born banker who fled to Canada in 1996. Once there, Mr Saxena (pictured left) dug in his heels during what became Canada’s longest-ever extradition case. Eventually, on October 30th, all his appeals exhausted, Mr Saxena arrived back in Thailand to face criminal charges over his role in the insolvency of Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC) in 1996. The sorry tale of BBC, which was milked by bank executives and politicians under the nose of regulators, was, in retrospect, a dry run for the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis that began in Bangkok. For Thailand, putting Mr Saxena on trial provides a bookend of sorts to the crisis. It also threatens to ensnare several politicians aligned to the present government who had dealings with BBC and may prefer Mr Saxena’s silence. Prison officials have made a show of securing his cell to prevent anyone getting to him. Regulators hope to tie up loose ends from BBC’s collapse under the weight of $3 billion in bad loans. Its president was jailed in 2005 for fraud. But many others escaped censure. ...
Indonesia's anti-corruption commission: The gecko bites back
Yudhoyono: second term, first crisis THIS was to have been Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s second honeymoon. Inaugurated for a second presidential term last month after a landslide election victory in July, he should have been basking in his recent international popularity and preparing for a regional summit in Singapore. Instead, he has been consumed by the fallout from a political scandal. On November 2nd he set up a team to look into an investigation by the police of members of the Corruption Eradication Commission, known as the KPK. The commission’s high-profile prosecutions had helped improve the country’s corrupt image and boosted the president’s standing. Mr Yudhoyono was responding to mounting public pressure and street protests that followed the arrest of two KPK deputy chairmen on dubious charges of abuse of power and extortion. This was the culmination of a months-long feud pitting the KPK against the national police and the attorney-general’s office. The two KPK officials, Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, were accused of taking bribes from Anggoro Widjojo, a corruption suspect, so that he could flee abroad. They say their arrests were part of a plot to frame them and weaken the KPK. ...
Banyan: Having it both ways
Despite protestations to the contrary, China needs NATO to fight in Afghanistan ONE day early this summer, when it was still possible to claim progress in Afghanistan, Robert Gates, America’s defence secretary, was at an Asian security gathering, reeling off the names of countries who had contributed to it. The list—Canada, Mongolia, Poland—went on and on, while the harrumphing of a Chinese general in the third row grew ever louder. Eventually, he held back no longer. “Why no China?” he demanded. “Where is China on this list?” Where indeed? The question seemed odd. Unlike the other countries on Mr Gates’s list, China has no military presence in Afghanistan. Though China has peacekeepers as far afield as Haiti and Sudan, it is allergic to sending them to neighbouring countries. Perhaps, this columnist later inquired of the general, he meant the modest intelligence that China shares with the United States on jihadists with connections in Xinjiang, China’s restive, preponderantly Muslim, western region? No, he replied testily. “I mean the mine. Our copper mine.” ...
Politics and the war in Sri Lanka: To which victor the spoils?
The mysterious ambitions of Sri Lanka’s victorious army commander NOT even six months has elapsed since the protracted war with Tamil Tiger rebels ended in a bloody climax, leading to the Sri Lankan government’s triumph. But already the leaders of the military campaign are sparring ahead of an election due next year. For weeks the press has been speculating about friction between the administration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka, the hawkish army general who commanded troops in the final assault against the Tigers. Jittery over rumours, spread mostly by opposition parties, that General Fonseka will challenge Mr Rajapaksa in the election, the government in October banned reports about his political ambitions. A communique from the army’s spokesman warned the press that several laws would be used against those who published “false reports” using the names of serving senior army officers. ...
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