“What’s gone wrong with America’s image and why – reprise 2006″. For more food for thought on this subject there is lot to chew on in WhirledView. Some excerpts:… “An America that does not understand – and makes little effort to understand – why it has become so unpopular abroad is almost certain to find itself both disliked and ineffective in many parts of the world. “The W administration response? Convene a new-old committee to draw...

A Leader in the British newspaper Observer stands out in sharp contrast to the article I had mentioned earlier in this blog from The Times of London.

We are now flooded with the imagery of violence on a daily basis. From reports coming in from Iraq or Afghanistan…to our daily speech/thought/writing/blogging. So how does one survive in such a world in a healthy manner? Here is a report from The Washington Post providing an option. There is also an interesting documentary “The Laughing Club of India” by internationally-acclaimed filmaker Meera Nair. She allows her subjects to tell how being part of a laughing club affected them...

There is an excellent piece from The Times correspondent in Afghanistan trying to understand the unexpected retaliation by the Afghans. “British commanders seem genuinely surprised by the level of resistance they are facing in Helmand. The Ministry of Defence described the Taliban attacks as ‘unexpected’. “Unexpected? This is a country that has been battling foreign forces and their new-fangled weapons, almost as a way of life, ever since Alexander the Great arrived with...

The Economist of London in its latest issue presents a virtual three-dimensional view of Pakistan. It is the strongest indictment of General Pervez Musharraf’s seven-year rule on almost all fronts. First, a hard-hitting editorial. “The West has invested a huge amount in Pakistan’s General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in October 1999. This newspaper was prepared to give him a chance on condition that he acted swiftly and firmly to rein in extremism and sort out the economy,...

(Click on the photo to enlarge) Interesting and surprising developments are taking place at a furious pace in the Indian subcontinent following economic liberalisation and globalization – as a result of fast changing geo-political and economic realities. Take for example the opening today (Thursday) of the famed Silk Road, an ancient trading route that once connected China with India, West Asia and Europe, after more than 44 years. This development is described as a potent symbol of rapprochement...

Is the real goal of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to curb the growing influence of the USA in the Central Asian region? Is the SCO now becoming more of a political and security entity – a Russo-Chinese version of NATO? Or, is SCO concerned primarily with the economic interests of the member countries? These questions popped up when the SCO Summit was held at Shanghai last month. The presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who attended as an observer, and the Afghan...

Highly endangered Chiru or Tibetan antelope(Click on photo to enlarge.) Here is a fascinating first person account of the journey across the roof of the world by Jane Macartney of The Times. “AS THE train climbed towards the highest railway pass on Earth, funny things began to happen. Pens leaked. Air-tight bags of crisps and peanuts burst open. Laptops crashed and MP3 players stopped working. Passengers began feeling nauseous, and some reached for their oxygen masks. A few were sick. “But...

The death of a British Muslim soldier – of the Intelligence Corps – in Afghanistan has attracted big media attention. Here I am mentioning about two major stories in the British press. First, The Independent story. “Jabron Hashmi came to Britain at the age of 12 with his family from Pakistan. He was comfortable as a Muslim and a Briton, proud of his community and, after embarking on a career in the armed forces, keen to serve his country. “L/Cpl Hashmi, 24, was killed on...

There are lot of red faces in the Indian intelligence agencies with the Third Secretary in the US Embassy in India, Rosanne Minchew, reportedly gaining access to the country’s higly sensitive secrets, including nuclear information. Minchew, who was running a ring with “insiders”, has escaped to the US. Imagine this scandalous news should be making world headlines on America’s Independence Day! And, worse, the news relates to two great democracies who are emerging as great...

President Bush celebrates his 60th birthday on Thursday. A surprise birthday gift comes his way in the form of a column by Fareed Zakaria in the Newsweek magazine. Zakaria asks sympathetically why is that the Bush administration, despite its recent broad shift in American diplomacy, still gets unfavourable response within the country and worldwide. “The Bush administration must wonder these days if it has a Rodney Dangerfield problem. No matter what it does, it can’t seem to get any...

Saddam Hussein’s daughter Raghd and his first wife, Sajida Tulfah,now figure among the Iraq’s 41 fugitives most wanted by the Iraqi government. The inclusion of Sajida Tulfah, who lives in Qatar, and Raghd, who went to Jordan where she was given refuge by King Abdullah II, was a surprise. They are accused of using stolen funds to help to finance insurgent operations, though no reward was offered for their arrest. According to Jordan News Agency - PETRA – Jordanian Prime Minister...

The first train from Lhasa Railway Station in Tibet yesterday. Photo: AP (click on photo to enlarge) This train journey should have been a dream journey of a lifetime…Alas! It is mired in a major controversy… The rail link to Lhasa, the capital of China’s Tibet region, makes it possible to travel from Beijing to Lhasa by train in just 48 hours (and just imagine for a moment the fabulous landscape unfolding in front of your eyes!!!) Three types of train tickets are available at...

“The Supreme Court building was designed on a scale in keeping with the importance and dignity of the Court and the Judiciary as a coequal, independent branch of the United States Government, and as a symbol of “the national ideal of justice in the highest sphere of activity.”” In a any democratic country it is not unusual for the Exceutive arm of the government to get into a fray with the Judiciary. However, to maintain the dignity/majesty of the law it is generally agreed...

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-2 to give a thumping majority support to the US-India nuclear cooperation accord on Thursday, a major step toward approval of the unprecedented deal. The debate preceding the vote lasted almost 90 minutes. This comes two days after the House of Representatives’ International Relations Committee approved a similar measure. The votes make it likely that both chambers of Congress will approve the agreement. In endorsing the India-US nuclear...

In a most serious indictment of the Bush adminsitration, the US Supreme Court today blocked the trial of Guantanamo Bay prisoners in special military courts, ruling that the process drawn up by the Bush Administration broke both American law and the Geneva Conventions. This judgement may expose the Bush administration to the charges of “war crimes”. The US Supreme Court has merely confirmed what many others the world over have been saying for months regarding the blatant violation of...

Two recent reports – one by the World Bank and the other in Time Magazine – attempt to draw a profile of a land that can fox the profoundest of pundits in search of parameters for assessing the country’s economic health now, as also in the foreseeable future. Sample this: 1) World Development Indicators (WDI), published annually by the World Bank, states that India’s per capita income is just a shade higher than that of sub-Saharan Africa, and about one-sixth that of Latin...

For decades, some holy cities and tourist destinations in India have attracted foreigners in view of the open use of cannabis/marijuana/hashish, especially in the post-Beatles days. Can it be clubbed with cocaine and heroin in terms of its after-effects? The debate goes on…So those interested can find out here. Cannabis is believed to have been used in India as early as 1000 B.C.E. In mainstream, lay religious usage, it is usually taken in liquid form as bhang and used during religious ceremonies...

What is common between Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, the Nizam (a former Prince) and a former Miss Turkey and pearls? Their association with the world’s happening hi-tech city of Hyderabad, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (the fifth largest state in the country). After New Delhi, Hyderabad is the only city in India to attract two US Presidents. About their visits later. First about the breaking story that concerns the Nizam and a former Miss Turkey, who was once his wife. Manolya...

The Indo-US nuclear deal got off to a roaring start in the US Congress on Tuesday. The House International Relations Committee, considered a tough cookie, endorsed the deal by an overwhelming 37-5 margin, says The Times of India. In a three-hour long debate preceding the vote, the committee consistently turned down killer amendments proposed by the opponents of the deal, many of them at the instance of Pakistan and China. The House Committee’s action, which saw many sceptics of the deal turn...

I have read about exploding cell phones, but never about laptops. A website claims that a laptop exploded at a Japanese conference. Has anyone heard of a laptop exploding? No more in my lap if they do!!!

India’s largest coffee growing company, Tata Coffee Ltd., has signed a deal to acquire U.S.-based 147-year-old Eight O’Clock Coffee Co. from Gryphon Investors for US$220 million (euro175 million). The deal is the latest in a string of overseas acquisitions by top Indian companies, which are trying to increase global visibility after thriving for decades on domestic sales and government protection. Earlier Mittal Steel’s takeover of Arcelor reinforced the growing need for consolidation...

When America’s King of Steel, immigrant Scot Andrew Carnegie, sold Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan more than 100 years ago, for $480 million, the renowned financier told him, “Congratulations, Mr. Carnegie, you are the richest man in the world.” Carnegie who had grown up in poverty in Scotland to become one of America’s most ruthless and successful businessmen, became a philanthropist and funded about 3,000 libraries around the world, including several in Ireland. Today, says...

Once individuals/nations get caught in a vicious web of violence/revenge/lies, it is difficult to have a level-headed discussion on any subject. But this question would always haunt us: WHAT PRICE THE IRAQI WAR? It is the sign of our time that we have begun to view the entire ugly episode in terms of statistics regarding “how many soldiers killed”, “how many civilians killed”, etc. Horrors of this war, as and when these are told in a truthful fashion, would again highlight...

In the backdrop of increased military cooperation between India and the United States, the Indian defence establishment has now gained direct access to the Pentagon, which houses the American Department of Defence, for working out issues of “mutual interest”, reports The Tribune. In another significant development, there have also been reports that India is to station permanent military attaches at the Pacific and Central Commands. Based at Hawaii, the Pacific Command’s AOR includes...