It is interesting that the global war against plastic bags is progressing faster that the war against terror. I am proud to say that in India my hill state of Himachal Pradesh banned the use of plastic bags in 2003. However, the first city to do so in the country was Mumbai or Bombay in 2000 (now much in news for all the wrong reasons). A BBC report says that in the US, San Francisco became the first city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets and pharmacies in March 2007. Several months later...

While the media keep reporting on the events related to terror in Mumbai and elsewhere, their viewers might also be interested in fresh perspective/analysis on terrorism, instead of listening to the same old theories. Deepak Chopra, a well known writer/thinker, raised some vital questions on CNN’s Larry King Live. “Who is financing this (terrorism)? Where is the money coming from? What role do we have in this? Are our petrodollars funding both sides of this war on terrorism? Why are...

New Delhi: Reports are now coming in from terror-struck Mumbai (or Bombay) of the valiant rescue effort of the Indian army and the police thus saving the lives of scores of foreigners held hostage during the past 24 hours. Top police officials led from the front and at least three anti-terrorist cops were killed.(Photograph on top – courtesy Reuters – shows a commando landing at the Jewish center.) Latest: For an eyewitness account please click here… And here… Mumbai, a...

Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holzberg is reportedly being held as a hostage at the terror-hit Mumbai’s Jewish center, the base for the American Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch. The centre for prayer and study attracts many Jewish and Israeli visitors every year. (Photo above of the Mumbai Jewish Center) According to the BBC, reports say his wife and son have been freed. “The Reuters news agency says that four gunmen remain in the building. There have been reports of gunfire.” More...

New Delhi: India has lived through several major terror strikes during the past two decades in different parts of the country, including a major attack on Indian Parliament to kill important leaders. Ordinary people continue to suffer pain and anguish non-stop on this account. (Photo above courtesy Associated Press: Foreign tourist saved from an attacked Mumbai hotel.) (Meanwhile Army commandos moved into the luxury Oberoi and the Taj Mahal hotels to flush out terrorists holed up there. A militant...

Mumbai, or Bombay, India’s business hub, is under siege. NDTV, India’s leading television channel, reports that more than 100 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a series of well-coordinated major terrorist attacks at 10 places. (Photo above: India’s famous Taj Hotel under attack: Courtesy Times of India. “Gunmen wanted anyone with British or American passport,” said one eye-witness. (Meanwhile an Israeli rabbi is among at least three people being held hostage...

With the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama ‘Tenzin Gyatso’, 73, not keeping good health in recent times, there is speculation that a “regent” may be appointed for the interim period after the passing away of the present Dalai Lama. The Times of London reports that the Tibetan exiles are keen to prevent China from hijacking his reincarnation, as it has tried to do with other of the most senior positions in Tibetan Buddhism. “The idea was discussed this week at...

Thank you Associated Press for this great photograph. One has to be either a genius or an idiot to smile like that when the USA and the world are gasping/agonizing over the financial mess or an uncertain future. Please keep this photograph in safe custody and look at the faces of these luminaries exactly after a year from now. I sincerely hope they are able to retain this beatific smile on their faces. A recent report in Huffington Post is not exactly to cheer us all: “The economy took a...

Pakistan’s former military dictator Pervez Musharraf arrived in London on Sunday. This is his first visit abroad after he resigned from the post of president to escape imminent impeachment in August this year. India’s leading TV channel NDTV reports that “Musharraf’s visit comes amidst much speculation that he is planning on settling in the UK and is not intending to return to Pakistan.” There were “no cameras, and almost no mention of Musharraf’s visit...

I feel uncomfortable/cramped in the economy class seats while travelling by air. I have always wondered how those who enjoy a larger girth than mine manage to squeeze into the narrow seats. So it is heartening to hear that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada. More here… The case has been going on in other courts for the past few months. For an earlier report please click here…

The current debate on the health of journalism is more than welcome. Earlier I had written about media baron Rupert Murdoch’s take on the subject. And now comes a powerful defence of traditional journalism from Lionel Barber of London’s Financial Times. Barber begins on a nostalgic note about his stint with The Washington Post, then makes a fascinating comparison between the British and the American press, and finally writes about the arrival of Citizen Journalists and the impact on...

President Asif Ali Zardari has become Pakistan’s first head of state to promise a “no-first nuclear-strike” against India. He talked of the need for change and reconciliation in India-Pakistan relationship, and the possibility of doing away with passports for travel between the two countries. The surprise statement came when Zardari was addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at New Delhi on Saturday via a satellite link from his official residence in Islamabad. Telecast live...

Britain’s first woman Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced plans to get tough on prostitution. This has led to a lively debate in the media. The new changes in the laws aim to crack down on those who buy sex or control its sale, rather than those who offer it. Ms Smith says that paying for sex with someone who is “controlled for another person’s gain” should be a criminal offence. The BBC reports: “This will be a ’strict liability’ offence, and ignorance...

Think Progress provides an interesting example of Bush Administration’s strategy to forcibly push “the political ideologues” down the throat of the new Obama administration. “The Washington Post reported this morning that between March and November, the Bush administration has ‘burrowed’ at least 20 political appointees into career civil service posts, initially depriving President-elect Obama of the chance to install his own appointees in key jobs. “In...

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s, and his family’s, adventures and victories in the field of journalism have won him admirers and critics. His detractors claim that he has trashed serious/traditional journalism. But journalism is neither static, nor a charitable activity. It has become a highly competitive business. It would be unfair to single out media owners for blame. The editors too must be held accountable for the present mess. Murdoch recently “tore into the ‘doom and...

With India’s first Moon Impact Probe landing on the moon’s surface Friday, the country has become a major player in the exclusive 21st century space race. “India planted a flag of sorts on the moon today as a probe painted in the national colors of green, white and orange slammed into the lunar landscape,” reports Bloomberg. “The foil-wrapped Moon Impact Probe photographed the rocky surface and sampled the thin atmosphere during a half-hour freefall, the Indian Space...

General Ann Dunwoody has become the first woman in American history to be promoted to the rank of a four-star general, the highest rank in the US army. Dunwoody will head the Army Materiel Command, one of the Pentagon’s largest outfits that is responsible for worldwide logistical and supply operations. “Coming less than two weeks after Barack Obama became the first African American to win the White House, the promotion marked the steady trend of shattering racial and sexual barriers...

With the excitement, dust, heat and frenzy generated by the US presidential elections seemingly behind us, the recent developments in Asia and other parts of the world deserve attention. The Economist, as usual, leads other world publications in bringing to us news stories in an insightful and succinct manner. First, how Australia and China facing the global financial crisis? Well they seem to be joining hands… During my five-month stay in Australia, it was clear that Mr Kevin Rudd’s...

It is much more than celebration time in India. Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential election has brought palpable relief among general public as well as political parties of all hues (Surprise…Surprise!!!…Including the Left parties). However, a few policy experts have some reservations about Obama. IANS writes: “Obama, 47, who has promised to renew American diplomacy to meet the challenges of the 21st century by rebuilding alliances and expressed a willingness...

Christina Lamb, of The Times of London, has provided one of the best assessments of the ground realities in Afghanistan. She should know as she has been reporting from Afghanistan for 20 years. I strongly recommend that her present analysis should be carefully read. One has to be patient as this is a longish report where she argues why the US and the NATO forces cannot beat the Taliban. Here are the excerpts from Lamb’s report: “Most alarming is the way Kabul has been encircled by the...

Aravind Adiga, 33, has emerged as the second novelist of Indian origin to win the prestigious Man Booker Prize for his debut novel The White Tiger – as Arundhati Roy did in 1997 with The God Of Small Things. The Independent reports: “Aravind Adiga, a first-time author from India, won the Man Booker Prize last night with his novel The White Tiger, which was praised by the judges for presenting the ‘dark side of India’ and likened to Shakespeare’s Macbeth ‘with a...

Time magazine deserves praise for bringing out a special edition devoted to the unsung heroes who are plodding on despite the climate of gloom and doom and, through personal example, carrying on a crusade to save the planet. The magazine states: “Because solutions do exist — and there are those who are leading us to them. Some are activists like Brazil’s Marina Silva, the godmother of the rain forest, and some are scientists like Germany’s Joachim Luther, the godfather of solar...

Recently I was served a kangaroo dish by my daughter at her home in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It so happens that the fascinating kangaroo is the national animal of Australia and finds a place of honour on the country’s coat of arms. On seeing my raised eyebrows, my son-in-law explained: “Don’t worry dad, we are also serving a national cause by opting for a kangaroo dish. It seems that the government would soon be encouraging Australians to have more kangaroo meat...

With the passing away of Marjorie Deane, financial journalism has lost one of its greats, reports The Economist. “Less a financial philosopher than a real reporter, she knew the numbers, knew the gossip and knew everyone who mattered, not least the former chairman of America’s Federal Reserve. “Bankers willingly opened their doors to her in the knowledge that they would be talking to someone almost as well-informed as they were themselves. She was trusted, respected and liked.”...

The ‘outback’ and the ‘bush’ have an iconic status in Australian life. A recent report for the Pew Environment Group and Nature Conservancy said that Australia had the highest number of endemic mammal and reptile species in the world. “Three million square kilometres (1.1 million sq miles) — an area 12 times the size of mainland Britain — have been left pristine. We were pleasantly surprised that there were still so many areas which came up in such good condition...