"For over a decade, Modi has not lacked for comparators. He's been likened to Nero, Hitler, Putin. To me, he has all the makings of a Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: a hi-tech populist holding together a fragile coalition of big business, impatient urban youth and religious fundamentalists. Those disparate groups can be kept together as long as growth comes. But if it doesn't, Modi and his generals will go hunting for an enemy: Pakistan, India's own minorities, and the pseudo-seculars."
With the Lok Sabha elections just weeks away, a Leftist Opinion: "Who are the AAP voters who would otherwise vote for the BJP? By definition, they are people who wouldn’t mind having a prime minister who presided over a massacre of Muslims in Gujarat (whether or not they know what role he played in it). This is where the AAP and BJP constituencies overlap. But these voters are fickle. AAP issued just one statement during its election campaign about the violence in Muzaffarnagar, and apparently that was enough to make the overwhelming majority of Jats, who constitute a strong voting bloc in outer Delhi constituencies, decide to support the BJP. In other words, the more AAP makes anti-communal statements or takes left-wing positions, the less it is a threat to the BJP."
In February 2012, the procurement director, Mr. Sergei Shutov of Zio-Podolsk was arrested for buying low quality and cheap raw material, passing it off as more expensive grade and pocketing the difference. Another Russian court has convicted one Mr. Alexander Murach, Director of another notorious Russian company, Informtekh, for fraud and sentenced him to three years in prison for selling counterfeit measuring equipment for the Russian nuclear power plants' turbines.
by Fatemeh Aman IPS May 22 2013 Following on Nawaz Sharif's victory in the May 11 national elections in Pakistan, many analysts are indicating cautious optimism on the prospect that the new prime minister can strengthen bilateral relations with the country's neighbours, particularly India.
by Niharika Mandhana WSJ 2 Jan, 2014 In Delhi's Dec. 4 state polls: -AAP 28 seats -Bharatiya Janata Party 31 seats -congress p 8 seats (of 70 allinall) “The common man dared to enter politics because politics in this country failed,” Arvind Kejriwal, AAP’s founder and Delhi’s new chief minister, said in the assembly on Thursday. “Very basic demands of the people were not met in the 65 years since independence.” In national polls, AAP, popular among urban middle-class voters, is likely to chip away at the support base of the opposition BJP, AAP’s leaders then had to prove that they could form a legitimate government. The party, which was created in 2012 out of India’s anti-corruption movement, sailed through its first legislative test with support from the Congress party, which has eight seats.
AAP changes political chemistry in an election year (AAP has now declared that it will contest the national elections due to take place in April-May) Opinion by Saba Naqvi, aljazeera 15.1.14: ...one may have expected more enthusiasm from the left: Since the liberalisation of the economy, AAP has been the first influential force to actually unsettle the politician-business nexus and demand scrutiny. What is happening instead, is that commentators are demanding to know AAP's stance on issues like Kashmir and national security, both areas on which mainstream parties have to tread carefully. Because AAP is the creation of an activist like Kejriwal, there is an expectation that he will take a position on every issue. But within AAP there is an argument that realpolitik demands ambiguity on some issues. The party says it wants to occupy the middle and appeal to a cross section of opinion.
by G Pramod Kumar Nov 16, 2012 Indian media has been full of Aung San Suu Kyi for the last two days with the headlines playing up the regret element - that she was saddened by India’s support to the junta, but never felt betrayed.
Locally known as Rampal power project, a joint venture between India and Bangladesh, it has created tremendous resentment in the affected areas. In a chat with Nidheesh J. Villatt, Professor Muhammad says the project will destroy the Sundarbans. He says Indian and Bangladeshi big business would make a huge profit at the cost of the camaraderie between the people of two countries.
The map above is probably the most detailed map of Medieval Trade Routes in Europe, Asia and Africa in the 11th and 12th centuries you can find online. It includes major and minor locations, major and minor routes, sea routes, canals and roads.
A journey from maulvi to Pandit - Amidst an intensive conversion programme, launched by various Hindu outfits across the country, Pandit Mahender Pal Arya has become the most sought for pracharak (preacher). A foot soldier of Army Samaj for past 30-years, he owes his coveted status, not only for converting to Hinduism from Islam, but he is perhaps the only 'maulvi' or Islamic preachers crossing the religious divide.