View Articles

Two diametrically opposite developments are again shifting the focus on Jammu and Kashmir. One relates to the Centre's moves to revive the suspended peace process in the state. The other is Pakistan's stepped-up pressure on India for resuming composite dialogue including on the Kashmir issue between the two countries. India has resisted the pressure saying Pakistan should first fulfill its commitment on stopping the use of its territory for terror attacks on India and punish the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

India's strengthening of border defences must have told China that its pinpricks - incursions, claims on Arunachal Pradesh, stapling of visas of the Kashmiris, etc - have had the opposite effect of what it may have intended. Beijing was probably still guided by the memories of 1962 when India's diplomatic naivety and the consequent lack of military preparedness made it easy prey to China's Middle Kingdom aspirations.

New York: A person in a developed country is now 200 times more likely to be a broadband Internet user than someone living in a least developed country, putting the latter at a major competitive disadvantage in business and trade, according to a new United Nations report.

The G-7 led by USA has set up a novel combination of developed and what are called emerging countries in the world order to pull the global economy out of unprecedented recession. This move was initiated by former US President Bush and is now being completed by his successor, Barack Obama.

NEW DELHI: Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid seemed quite justified when he recently sought to urge the corporate sector to avoid payment of lavish pay packets to their chief executives and other members of the management. The corporate bosses were unnerved by this simple exhortation and mounted pressure on the Government to contain the Minister.

New York: A new United Nations report calls for a more sophisticated approach to developing biofuels as an energy option to ensure that it benefits society, the economy and the environment as a whole.

There have been great hopes in the RSS parivar when Sarsangh Chalak Mohan Bhagwat called a halt to the bickering within the BJP and set the ground rules for refurbishing the party. The terms he put forth included a president in the 55-60 age group, early retirement of L.K. Advani and election of a new chief by the year-end. The other two points he made - that Advani himself should be the search engine for his successors and an assurance that the RSS would not meddle in BJP's internal functioning - had raised hopes of a perfect relationship.

The nexus between the management of the country's major port trusts and dredging companies is not only robbing the nation of hundreds of crores of rupees annually, but also impeding the fast movement of ships and foreign trade. The obnoxious alliance between port trusts and dredger operators, especially in large government ports, is also costing shippers - both importers and exporters - and shipping companies a fortune.

New York: Women living in rural areas in many parts of the world face severe deprivations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today in a message on the International Day of Rural Women calling for greater support of their rights.