In the good old days a dictator on the run could count on a sunny exile in a villa in France or a suite of rooms in Riyadh. But times have changed. The list of safe havens for retired despots is fast shrinking. And Gaddafi’s last option went down the drain.
#Gaddafi #Hosni Mubarak #Idi Amin #International Criminal Court #Libya #Mobutu Sese Seko #Muammar al-Gaddafi #Muammar Gaddafi #OnOurMind #Saddam HusseinBy making the transition from actor to activist, Aamir Khan has put up a brave gamble on his brand image. He is now an active participant dealing with social issues in a Citizen Journalist kind of way.
One of India’s most media savvy politicians Shashi Tharoor grades Team Anna’s political movement for the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Can India and Pakistan live together peacefully? But Mani Shankar Aiyar reminds us that the current European Union would have sounded as impossible hundred years ago.
Polite, engaged, charming, with a dash of un-fake humility, Khan seems the very antithesis of anyone’s idea of a rule-breaker.
Ursula Le Guin — celebrates her 82nd birthday today — has always been a writer of sweeping vision, and her books bring together tropes from science fiction and fantasy alike.
The cloud is about change. Not about the steady state and all change involves risk.
Ms Fisher’s writing highlights the enjoyment and the experience of food, rather than the making of it. Her recipes, as a result, are quick, quiet affairs: a short list of ingredients and an illustrative description of how they are to be combined.
This year’s Nobel Prize winning poet, Tomas Tranströmer won’t write about things you’d like to hear. The surrealism in his poetry is a treat to discover.
There is no substitute for a nuanced understanding of subjects that goes beyond just Wikipedia references or ‘Googled’ information. It matters enormously if our youngsters aren’t curious about the world.
#Doon School #Education #Google #Memory #Rote learning #TheOddAngleObituary writers are writing off the anti-corruption movement lead by Team Anna as dead. On the contrary, the job is far from done, but it has to be carried forward in ways that are different from the past.
#Anna Hazare #Arvind Kejriwal #Corruption #kiran bedi #Lokpal #TheLongViewThe protests over the withdrawal of AK Ramanujam’s 300 Ramayanas from a history reading list are warranted. But here’s a reading list to test those who think they are liberal.
#BooksWeLike #BR Ambedkar #Feminism #Germaine Greer #liberals #Riddles of HinduismNot a day goes without Anna issuing a statement or posting to his blog — and this despite a recent vow of silence. And his words reveal a leader out of step with the demands of modern-day leadership – at the national level, and perhaps even in his own village.
#Anna Hazare #anti corruption #India #Just Saying #Ralegan SiddhiHere’s what you ought to be watching tonight: The best music show on television which showcases a dynamic and vibrant Indian indie scene that is coming of age.
#Channel V #Imogen Heap #indie music conglomerate #MTV Coke Studio #MTV Unplugged #Music #Star World #TheIdiotBox #TV show #Vishal-ShekharThe nuclear debate in India has changed dramatically over the decades. Once even questioning nuclear power was taboo, a dissenter dubbed anti-national. But the old hawks are suddenly sounding out of tune, even when they are brought on television as experts.
#Anti-nuclear movement #Nuclear power #OnOurMind #Raja RamannaSufism and the Arab spring will the major theme for this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival.
#BuzzPatrol #Jaipur Literature Festival #Namita Gokhale #William DalrympleWhen Mukesh Ambani built his 27-storey mansion in Mumbai, critics carped about how he could live in such brazen splendour surrounded by so much poverty. Well, it turns out that a year after his grand housewarming party the tycoon doesn’t actually live in Antilia. He just serves canapes there.
#Antilia #Laxmi Mittal #Mayawati #Mukesh Ambani #Noida Park #ThatsJustWrong #Vastu ShastraThe Indian industry needs land, and farmers and tribals have it. India’s leading industrialist and best known land rights activist face off over the most contentious issue of the day.
#Anand Mahindra #Food security #Land acquisition #Medha Patkar #Rohini Nilekani
The world is waiting to see if Greece will exit the euro. The really worry is that it can never ever repay its huge debts, no matter what it does
Contrary to what is being said, the FM has to focus on reforms in energy pricing, subsidies and taxes. This is the remedy for a weak rupee
Facebook has denied a Sunday Times story that the social networking website plans to allow 13 year-old to join it.
A number of rich gay men live dual lives, either in other Indian cities or abroad. It helps live their true lives and ward off the stigma and discrimination within the family.
UPA-2′s third anniversary has to acknowledge the failure of its flawed political-economy approach.
Tania Bhardwaj is famous as the student whose question caused Mamata Banerjee to storm off the stage. But she says the question was not important till Mamata made it important.
Pilots of the erstwhile AI, affiliated to the de-recognised IPG, have been reporting sick for the past fortnight, severely disrupting the airline’s international operations. The IPG has not been invited for today’s meeting.
Hate groups, fake profiles, distorted photographs, hurtful comments. Bullying in the time of Facebook is rapidly becoming a serious worry for schools.
With consumer price inflation back in double-digits, and the rupee in free fall, the RBI can’t do much. It is Pranab Mukherjee’s job now – 100 percent.
Don’t change the channel. The Jaya-Rekha show unfolding live on Rajya Sabha television shouldn’t just be dismissed as Silsila reheated. In fact, it should be getting many awards for public service.
This is the first time the state has crossed a debt-burden of Rs 100,000 crore and it is likely to rise by a quarter by the end of the year.
Has Purno Sangma, who has been backed by the BJD and the AIADMK for president, shot down his own chances by naivete?
Manchester City have won two trophies since spending close to £420 million in the last four seasons. Man United took 12 seasons to spend the same amount, winning a dozen trophies. Whose side are you on?
The new feature which was released on Wednesday will draw from a Google-built database of more than 500 million people, places and commonly requested things to provide a summary of vital information alongside the main search results.
His recent behaviour will do little to maintain or enhance Shah Rukh’s image – the very image which made him India’s favourite brand ambassador.
The Finance Minister’s ‘remedy’, which focusses on unspecified ‘austerity’ measures, could compound the stagflation crisis if it shrinks aggregate demand.The real fixes like elsewhere.
What is the political significance of Jayalalithaa’s multi-crore media blitz in the national print media?
The rupee’s fall is based on fundamental factors and the government or the RBI cannot stem the fall in the short term.
For all the jihadi terror that Pakistan stokes in Afghanistan and India, the arc of history is bending decisively against it – and in India’s favour. Here’s why…
Being an MP in India is hardly unprofitable, most of our nations legislators have seen their incomes rise and their rising wealth also ensures they stay in power.
Now that A Raja finally is out on bail what does his political future hold for him? More importantly how safe is he given he is supposed to be the man who knows too much in the case?
Our fractious politicians have finally found an issue worth uniting over – the grave danger posed by cartoons. As MPs across the political spectrum railed against cartoons, was Mamata Banerjee thinking “I told you so”?
Chennai’s Detroit-tag appeared more credible on Monday with Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa signing five MoUs with auto majors for setting up production plants near the city.
BS Yeddyurappa’s challenge to the BJP needed a surgical response, but it has opted for homoeopathic medication.The party will regret this months from now.
