Beijing is in a state of shock after the recent Tibetan uprising, and not just because the Beijing Olympics are only a few months away. News reports indicate that the Chinese government is showing signs of bitterness, nervousness and hostility following the outbreak of sudden violent protests in different parts of Tibet. “Despite 20 years of iron-fisted security, huge investments and mass migration since the last Tibetan uprising, the roof of the world once again looks like a hostile place...

Yousaf Raza Gillani, who was Speaker of Parliament in Pakistan in the 1990s under the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is expected to be sworn into office as prime minister on Tuesday. Gillani has been reportedly handpicked by Asif Ali Zardari, the late Benazir Bhutto’s husband, who appears to have his own ambition to capture that chair as early as possible. (The Zardari’s PPP party has agreed to form a coalition government with the party of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted by Musharraf...

In the Indian subcontinent the virtues/benefits of “selfless-giving” is not only woven into the religious/social/spiritual discourse in all religions from time immemorial, but commonly practised even by those whose financial position may be just above the subsistence level. Now a “scientific study” (from the very bastion of self-acquisitive culture) tells us that “money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else.” “Spending as little as...

It is a sad story…typical of incidents that are not uncommon in some Pakistani cities/towns, as well as in some parts of India, especially northern India (and Delhi in particular). To read the first-hand account of sexual harassment narrated by a young woman/writer in the blog the Pakistan Spectator please click here… Shockingly, many incidents of harassment take place in full public view. Many times the police is are silent spectators and least helpful (something to do with lack of...

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, an outspoken supporter of Tibet’s freedom, travelled to the north Indian picturesque hill abode of the exiled Dalai Lama to express her concern at the violence that has gripped Tibet in the wake of widespread and bloody protests there. Ms Pelosi has strongly criticised China’s crackdown on Tibet. According to a news report: “Speaking of the violence in Tibet, she said the situation of Tibet is a challenge to the conscience...

The Economist magazine’s Beijing correspondent was perhaps the only foreign journalist in the Tibetan capital Lhasa when the riots broke out there. It is a balanced account of what exactly happened there. With the Beijing Olympics beginning in August this year, China tried its best to somehow prevent a bloody show-down with the Tibetan protestors, and the consequent international outrage. (Meanwhile an Associated Press report says that the Dalai Lama offered Thursday to meet with Chinese...

Despite the iron-grip of the Chinese government and dispatch of large number of troops, violence has spread to other provinces in Tibet. The Associated Press reports from Beijing: “China acknowledged for the first time Thursday that anti-government riots that rocked Tibet last week have spread to other provinces, while communist authorities announced the first group of arrests in connection with the violence. “The Xinhua news agency report confirms previous claims by exile Tibet activist...

In the wake of the recent bloodbath that followed violent protests in Tibet, and the crushing of the rebellion by the Chinese troops, the Tibetan spiritual and political leader in exile in India, the Dalai Lama (a Nobel laureate), is back in the news. A useful Q&A on Dalai Lama and the Tibetan issue appears in The Independent…Click here… Excerpt: “Why is Dalai Lama so well known? The Dalai Lama is the man who brought Buddhism to Hollywood. Buddhism is the fastest growing Eastern...

I always thought that passengers were kicked out of the aircraft after becoming a nuisance… too much tippling, or harassing a woman. Please click here for ten interesting reasons why people were not allowed to remain on board…

Coming months/years would be spent in assessing whether the US administration’s strategy/decisions were worth it. It will be a tough task. Two leading economists seem to have set the agenda for future debate in their book that has attracted media attention. There are lot of questions that arise and deserve convincing, not emotional/ideological, answers. The Three Trillion Dollar War has been written by Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel prize-winner in economics, and Linda Bilmes, a budget and public...

I am again reminded of one of my favourite singer Harry Belafonte’s number “Women smarter…” after I read this court judgement pronounced in Italy. Their lordships observed women were justified in bending the truth in order to conceal extra-marital relationships. (For my “Women smarter-Part I… click here.) Italy’s highest appeal court has ruled that married Italian women who commit adultery are entitled to lie about it to protect their honour, reports the...

President George W. Bush is angry that the world leaders, except for a few from the former Communist bloc countries, have not supported him in his crusade to introduce democracy in Cuba. He “chastised” most other countries Friday for “a sad and curious pattern” of doing little to speak out against human rights and political abuses in Cuba, reports the Associated Press. “Unfortunately, the list of countries supporting the Cuban people is far too short and the democracies...

An example: Daniel Henninger, columnist, The Wall Street Journal: “We don’t yet settle political campaigns on paper, the Web or on talk shows. Obama famously proved that politics remains a public-performance art. It took 11 straight losses for Hillary — once the smugly ‘inevitable’ nominee — to learn to play in Barack’s league. She’s certainly competitive now. … Democrats now slog toward the complete unknown. Is Florida the party’s Bermuda Triangle?...

Within three weeks the world would observe the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the US-led forces. The extent of pain and suffering of the Iraqi men, women and children (as also those of the brave US and other soldiers ordered to perform a thankless job, and their families) is yet to be convincingly reflected in the international media. Even the brave soldiers remain unsung. Now an artist in Britain has begun a heroic effort in this direction. “In 2003 (Britain’s) Imperial...

It is being argued that the famous divide between ‘wine-drinking’ Democrats and ‘beer-drinking’ Democrats threatens the party’s fortunes in the run-up to the presidential nomination this year. While Bill Clinton during his race for presidency reportedly managed to successfully bridge the divide, it is an altogther different story this time. The Economist describes the Democrats’ dilemma… Click here… While some seem worried at this fierce (even describing...

Economists now tend to agree that India has begun to influence the world economy. That is why the annual ritual of the presentation of the country’s federal budget February end is viewed with great interest not only within India but also in the corridors of economic powers worldwide. The Indian Budget this year becomes important for yet another reason…By the end of 2008 the general elections would be held in the country. The venerable British magazine The Economist year after year does...

I was driving in the hills when my wife placed a vintage Harry Belafonte audio cassette into the car stereo player… Belafonte’s magical voice never fails to refresh me during strenuous drives. Nearly 40 years ago this wonderful musician had swept American women off their feet with his broad smile and throbbing Caribbean songs…Somewhat like Obama, the politician, who has woven his own magic (with his presence and words) over women, as well as men, in the present day US of A. Of...

One of the last Gandhians, Murlidhar Devidas (“Baba”) Amte, 93, passed away on February 9. Read the obituary here…. And his biography here…

The Director of US National Intelligence Michael McConnell told the Bush administration that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf faces the threat of being impeached if the two major parties — PPP and PML(N) — which have joined hands to form the next government get the support of independents, reports The Times of India. More here…

I am just adding another point to Shaun Mullen’s post on the Bush administration’s acts of, what he calls, “criminality and misdeeds”. What took my breath away was this story in The Guardian newspaper that American officials processing the payments at the US embassy in Islamabad have concluded that no one knows where 70 per cent of the American aid to Pakistan has vanished!!! Wow! “America’s massive military aid package to Pakistan has come under scrutiny after...

The cussed approach of the US administration bodes ill for the emerging democracy in Pakistan and may create a serious crisis there. This is becoming clear by the latest news. The Pakistani Spectator says that the political parties that have won decisively, especially Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party does not believe that President Pervez Musharraf would leave office voluntarily, and is lobbying hard for his impeachment. The blog adds that Nawaz Sharif’s party has the support of the late Benazir...

Never in medical history the pharmaceutical giants, who reportedly enjoy clout next only to the international arms dealers, have witnessed such sustained assault on their credibility as in recent weeks. (By the way the mysterious silence of the U.N.’s World Health Organization on this issue is intriguing.) The latest attack was triggered yesterday by an analysis of published and unpublished trials of modern antidepressants, including Prozac and Seroxat, showing they offer no clinically significant...

An Arabic TV channel, Al-Arabiya, has aired a video claiming to show one of five Britons captured in Iraq eight months ago. A BBC report says: “The five men were seized from Baghdad’s Finance Ministry by gunmen wearing police uniforms on 29 May 2007 without a shot being fired. He (the hostage) asks Prime Minister Gordon Brown to free nine Iraqis in exchange for the release of the Britons. “The kidnappers appeared to have mellowed their tone since the release of a previous tape in...

While Ms Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, interacted with the Chinese leaders about the nuclear disarmament in North Korea, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra held a historic concert in the heart of North Korea — a nation still considered as an enemy by the US. The East Pyongyang Grand Theatre echoed with the strains of North Korean national anthem ‘Patriotic Song’, and followed by America’s ‘Star Spangled Banner” The concert was beamed live on the North...

It will be surprising if anyone claims that he/she has not been depressed at some time or the other in life. Our marital/personal/professional life, in this whirling and topsy-turvy modern world, faces extreme challenges in an attempt to retain a modicum of sanity. However, the popular myth that the ‘happiness pills’ help us come out of depression received a severe jolt recently. “One of the largest studies (in Britain) of modern antidepressant drugs has found that they have no...