In December 2008, about 60% of the eligible voters turned out to vote for the state elections in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Despite calls for boycott and threats of violence and intimidation by the separatists groups, the turnout was 17% more than the previous elections. 1354 candidates from 43 parties participated in [...]
Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese citizen has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is serving an eleven year term in a Chinese prison for “subversion” (Liu Xiaobo was active in the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests). Recently Liu Xiaobo authored a document called Chapter 08 which demanded greater freedom for Chinese citizens. This is by [...]
Recently a co-worker of mine who is a Muslim from the Middle East asked me whether Indians like the people of Pakistan. I explained to her that an average Indian citizen probably has never heard of Pakistan and would not be able to point out Pakistan or Kashmir on a map (an average Indian most [...]
Former American President and five-star general of the United States Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower once said that “We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom”. There is no question that peace and freedom go hand in hand. You cannot have peace if you do not have freedom. But this message is yet [...]
There is a tradition particularly among Catholics that a person should confess to his/her priest if they commit sins. The person will begin by saying “Forgive me father for I have sinned”. The priest will then listen to the sins and once it is concluded the priest will give the person penance (prayers). Confession gives [...]
Yesterday President Hamid Karzai was sworn in as the President of Afghanistan for the second time. The ceremony was held inside the presidential palace and was witnessed by a few foreign journalists. The capital Kabul was completely shut down and was under curfew.
One of the often discussed topics in India and the rest of the world is the difference between China and India in terms of economic growth and also the reasons for the difference. Most economist are of the view that China’s growth is outpacing India’s primarily because China is not a democracy and the Chinese [...]
The second paragraph of the American Declaration of Independence includes the following important statement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life,
CNN is reporting that one of the most popular bloggers in the world Yoani Sanchez of Cuba has been informed by her government that she cannot leave the country. She writes a popular blog called GeneracionY which gets more than a million hits every month.
