On 16 July 2015, the Srinagar bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court set a dangerous precedent by ruling that the State legislature and not the Parliament of India, is sovereign. This poses a serious threat to national sovereignty and territorial integrity and calls for an immediate challenge in … Read More
Given the sharp and rising levels of agrarian distress in the country, the Centre has been wise not to press the land acquisition bill in the monsoon session (likely to be a washout unless the Speaker suspends the disruptive MPs) and to wait for the report of the joint panel. … Read More
United States By the time Ashraf Ghani took office, the security situation had become complex and a firm date for withdrawal of American troops was no longer a priority; indeed, one of his first acts was to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US and the multilateral security … Read More
China, Pakistan and India In a bid to expand its influence in Asia, and pursue its Silk Road project, China took a seat at the Afghan high table by inviting the Taliban to Beijing (November 2014) and urging them to negotiate with the elected government; it appointed a special … Read More
A 21st century version of the Great Game is unfolding in Afghanistan, even as its internally fractured regime strives to stabilise a land ravaged by 14 years of war that has not yet ended. Once the arena of intense rivalry between the British Indian Empire, Tsarist Russia and the Chinese … Read More
An ugly controversy has been created over an alleged plan to rewrite school textbooks by the new government. The insinuation is that teaching aspects of ancient (read Hindu) culture, or episodes embedded in majority consciousness, would shatter the social fabric. By a strange quirk, these polemics coincide with a fresh … Read More
The way out of the mess Lalit Modi has raked up is to make sitting MPS and MLAs resign from sports bodies. Professional sportspersons should take up the task of purging active politicians from sports bodies in toto. When the dazzling sun of a universe peopled by cricketers, politicians, film … Read More
Thousands of people in 428 cities across 38 countries joined the March Against Monsanto on May 23, to support the right to naturally grown food amidst rising concerns about the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) on the health of humans, animals, and the environment. Earlier, on March 15, the … Read More
There is disappointment that jobs have not materialised. But the groundwork is being laid at a furious pace. Meanwhile, the Modi Government has taken several initiatives, especially in the social welfare sector. From the moment he unveiled an enticing vision of growth before ambitious students at the capital’s prestigious Sri … Read More
Continuing tensions over Ukraine notwithstanding, including a US-led boycott of the Victory Day Parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Germany’s surrender in World War II, Russia under President Vladimir Putin has retrieved much of its eminence as a great power and even managed a handsome recovery of its sanction-hit rouble. … Read More
