The Loeb Awards have been presented for 35 years by Anderson School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles. They were established in 1957 by Gerald Loeb, a financier and founding partner of E.F. Hutton, to encourage quality reporting in business, finance and the economy.

Sanjay Jha is the co-recipient of the prize in the “Television Daily category” for “India’s promise”, a PBS Nightly Business Report along with Steve Washington, Darren Gersh and Dana Greenspon. The prize carries a cash award of US $ 2000.

The political stature of Raj Thackeray: Raj Thackeray’s political stature is diminishing day by day following his expulsion from the Bal Thackeray’s stable in Maharashtra politics. Even in the last elections for the Mumbai Corporation, Raj’s political group failed to make a significant headway.

The political stature of another maverick Lalu Prasad Yadav: Far away in Bihar, the Bihari maverick politician Lalu Prasad Yadav has failed grandly and gravely to check the increasing erosion of his political base. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, though handicapped as head of a coalition government, has succeeded in drawing back the derailed administration to the rails and restoring the rule of law and order in Bihar, which once upon a time seemed to be a lost case beyond redemption.

Conspiracy to befool the gullible Indians: Both the discredited politicians are sailing in the same boat. They urgently required a plank to salvage their declining political graph. Therefore, they hatched a conspiracy to fool the Indian public, in particular residents of Bihar or those who hail from Bihar. And these gullible victims, highly susceptible to the dirty political game to divide the country on regional lines, easily fell in line.

Media in League with them: The eager media, print as well as electronic, readily provided a ready forum to them to ventilate their venom. After all, they too have to sell themselves. The Congress party, at the helm of affairs in Maharashtra and in Centre, where Lalu Prasad Yadav is a cabinet minister remained callous to such unholy alliance between two discredited politicians. Rather, it extended covert support to Raj in Maharashtra in a bid to tame his uncle Bal Thackerey.

Who is the loser?: Can anyone justify the reiterated call of Raj to challenge Lalu Prasad Yadav and Biharis to observe Chhath Puja which is about six months ahead. Chhath Pooja is observed around Deepawali. Who is the loser? The common man, the country. Unfortunate is the development that even the intelligent Biharis too have started playing to the game as per the gameplan by joining war of words with Raj.

The Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), more or less a paper organization, popped up often by the media, is an example. Recently some reported activists of this banned organization including its President were arrested in India. The way the confessions of these arrested leaders were made readily available to the media which in turn too accepted the story eagerly and flashed the role of these arrested SIMI leaders in every conceivable terrorist activity in India puts a question to the credibility of these confessions as well as the media which, in this case at least, acted as a lapdog instead of a watchdog.

The SIMI hardly received support in the student community in Indian colleges and universities including the Aligarh Muslim University but it has become a convenient tool in the hands of the establishment to blame for most of the terrorist activities in India. Such trial if the SIMI by the media without much ground work and evidence puts a question mark to the credibility of the media.

These Tibetans who have miserably failed to assimilate in the Indian mainstream too brought the machinations of the statecraft including dark intrigues and conspiracies along with them. The Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Dalai Lamas died young, some believed to have been poisoned. The predecessor to the present Dalai Lama, the XIIIth Dalai Lama, too barely escaped an assassination bid by his regent. The monastic elite lived off the labour and taxes of peasants and thwarted away every attempt to ameliorate the lot of common men. The Chinese assertion over Tibet changed the situation and brought development to the roof of the world. Even in India, the Dalai Lama is a prisoner of coterie in Dharmshala (Himachal Pradesh) in India where the Tibetan Government in exile is seated though no one has recognized this government, not even the USA or Great Britain.

In the emerging economic era of Chindia, these Tibetan Buddhists cannot be allowed to disrupt the increasing ties between the two Asian giants.

After one year, this ‘Lost Rebellion’ will be two decade old. Meanwhile enough water has fallen in the Jhelum river. The West is no longer interested in propping up the struggle of Kashmiris in the post 9/11 world. Pakistan is too witnessing the historical moments of revival of democracy for the betterment of the country. Pakistan, the financier and moral booster, besides providing base to the infiltrators and mercenaries in the name of Islam, has preferred to adopt a lukewarm attitude on the vexed Kashmir issue. A few days ago, Zardari, the PM aspirant told a new channel that the Kashmir issue could be shelved for the time being. He expressed the priority of the new Pakistani rulers. No murmur was heard in Pakistan over this blunt about-turn of Pakistani ruling elite on the issue of Kashmir which was played by successive rulers to arouse the sentiments of Pakistanis.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) stands divided. One faction is headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while the other one is being led by the hardliner octogenarian separatist leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami SAS Geelani. It is believed that the Hurriyat has not received funds from Pakistan for the last three months. It seems that the romance of Pakistan with Kashmir is over. On the other hand, the Kashmiris in the valley are reaping the spending spree of the middle-class Indians who flock to the Valley.

The recent unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo, another Muslim majority country on the map of the world, notwithstanding the opposition by Russia is not cutting any ice with the Kashmiris whose separatist tendencies are meeting the hostile reception everywhere in the world.

Land reforms and a failed peace in Andhra Pradesh, growing industrial needs for land in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa causing displacement of people and resources, conflict of landed farmers and those without land in Bihar, rural poverty in Maharashtra and uprooting the firmly entrenched party cadres in West Bengal continue to be the hot bed for fermenting the Naxalite movement.

The highest causalities of Naxalite cadres, civilians or security personnel for 2006 too have been reported in these states. But with the ultra left Maoists movement having its tentacles spread across 170 districts in 13 states, the issue has been accorded an high priority law and order problem by the union government.

The sane appeal of Asian Centre for Human Rights to both the Communists Party of India (Maoists) and the security forces to show restrain and negotiate peace through dialogue would help to elevate the sufferings of thousands living under inhuman conditions.

Thousands of displaced persons living in relief camps under the Salwa Jundum campaign in Chhattisgarh because of the Naxalitie conflict are finding themselves trapped between the devil and the deep. Living under deplorable human conditions the about 44 thousand people are a soft collective target for the armed Maoist cadres. Of the 749 persons that fell victim to the bloody conflict in 2006 in the country, 363 causalities were in Chhattisgarh alone. In 2005, the conflict killed 892 people.

Until a development inclusive program for incorporating marginalized groups is not implemented in these Maoist infested districts; the law and order enforcement agencies are not better trained to tackle the problem more effectively; land reforms are not introduced; decent compensations for displacements caused by developmental or industrial projects are not awarded; proper health care and education not ensured; and the benefits of economic reforms do not percolate to these belts, the problem will continue to mount and threaten the very foundations of a nation that is looking forward to claim its position among the community of nations.

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Map Courtsy: IBN LIVE

Notwithstanding the increasingly nervous plaguing Japan in respect to deteriorating regional security, Japan’s foreign minister Taro Aso told the Japanese Parliament.

Nine countries in the world possess this deadly weapon against the humanity. Iran , Taiwan, Syria and South Africa are too stated to be in the race to possess atom bomb.

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Pope has already earned disapproval in Muslim countries for citing a critical comment by a medieval ruler about the real intention of Islam. Even then, he dared to address the solution for amity between two newest religions – one is 2000 year-old and another is 1400 year-old – heading for confrontations, to borrow septuagenarian scholar Samuel P. Huntington’s observations in “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order”.

Turkey is the only Muslim country in which veiling a woman is prohibited by the state’s laws. This rigidly secular state is at a critical juncture. The obscurantist forces are raising their ugly heads to pull it closer to Islam while the institutions safeguarding its secularism are reeling under constant threats. It is the only Muslim country in which the extremes jostle on Istanbul’s streets, where miniskirts mix with tightly tied head scarves and lingerie boutiques stand unapologetically next to mosques. Little wonder, there are two Turkeys within Turkey right now.

Via: BBC

However, it is heartening when voices are raised within Islam about the needs for reinterpretation of Islamic tenets, as there is no room for reform in Islam. Regarding inferior status to women by Islamist clerics, she urges, “Don’t let people masquerading as clerics claim monopoly on understanding Islam. Allah created us as equal.”

She adds that many Islamic laws, like stoning to death, are not even there in Koran. By another law, a rape victim has to produce four witnesses. This was to ensure no one would bring false testimonials. Today, the medical profession is such that it needs a single drop of blood to establish paternity. Surely, it can serve in place of four witnesses.

Don’t fear Islam, fear the dictators who hide behind the flag. In the name of Shariat people justify rape, forced marriage, unlawful talaq (divorce). But, Islam has different interpretations in different countries. In Saudi Arabia, a woman can’t even drive, let alone enter a political formation, while in Bangladesh and Pakistan women have become prime ministers. Again, stoning to death is permitted in Iran and Saudi Arabia but banned in Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisia, Algeria.

However, she regretted that fighting terrorism has become an excuse to infringe on human rights. On the pretext of ‘national interest’, governments around the world are increasing their powers and controls. But, this has not led to a decrease in terrorism. In fact, it seems as if it’s on the rise.

Via: The Times of India

Over the years, he has emerged as the most influential Communist leader, even overshadowing his mentor Fidel Castro of Cuba. He has too become the symbol of Communist forces, marching once again following setbacks to the Marxists in the erstwhile U.S.S.R and East European countries.

Rosales lashed out at what Chavez calls his plan for “21st century socialism,” saying it’s nothing more than a plan to be “president all his life, until he dies like Fidel Castro — indefinite re-election…..It’s Castro communism, the Cubanization of Venezuela….This country doesn’t want that. It wants modernity.”

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998, has said he wants to continue governing Venezuela until 2021 or longer. He said he plans to call a referendum to ask Venezuelans whether they support changing the constitution to allow indefinite re-election. It currently allows two consecutive presidential terms.

Via: BBC