palashcbiswas,
gostokanan, sodepur, kolkata-700110 phone:033-25659551
From: "communistpartyofpakistan@yahoogroups.com" <communistpartyofpakistan@yahoogroups.com>
To: communistpartyofpakistan@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 21 July, 2009 17:28:11
Subject: [communistpartyofpakistan] Digest Number 1440
There are 7 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. COUP D'ETAT & NOAL BY FIDEL CASTRO
From: Dallamy Diaz
2. TERROR CURVE Sharpest to ENVELOP Hillary Arms and MONSOON Premier of
From: palashc biswas
3. On Misogynist Hadith Traditions
From: yogi sikand
4. Assistance to students from poor financial background
From: bency mohan
5. Islam and Inter-Religious Dialogue: Maulvi Syed Nikhat Husain Nadwi
From: yogi sikand
6. What's new at Links: Obama & Africa, Honduras, Nicaragua, S. Africa,
From: glparramatta
7. How Muslims Should Dialogue With Others
From: yogi sikand
Messages
________________________________________________________________________
1. COUP D'ETAT & NOAL BY FIDEL CASTRO
Posted by: "Dallamy Diaz" niurka@eth.net dallamydm
Date: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:30 am ((PDT))
The Cuban Five will return!!!
Embajada
de la República de Cuba
New Delhi, July 20th, 2009
PARTIDO COMUNISTA DE PAQUISTAN
Esteemed COMUNISTA DE PAQUISTAN,
The Embassy of the Republic of Cuba has the pleasure to enclose herewith the
latest REFLECTIONS by Comrade Fidel Castro Ruz, where he refers to the Coup
D'Etat in Honduras, carried out some weeks back by the army in that country,
as well as Raul Castro's Speech at the Non-Aligned Summit in Egypt.
THE <> COUP DIES OR CONSTITUTIONS DIE
WHAT <> SHOULD BE DEMANDED FROM THE UNITED STATES
SPEECH AT THE NAM <> SUMMIT BY CUBAN PRESIDENT
Due to the importance of the information contained in this document we
recommend you to read them. Spreading of these articles would be highly
appreciated.
The Embassy of Cuba invites you to send us your comments on them and, in
case you are not interested in receiving information about Cuba, feel free
to tell us and we will stop sending these documents to you at once.
Regards,
Mrs. Dallamy Díaz Muñoz
Second Secretary
Press and Culture Office
Cuban Embassy
New Delhi, India
Telephone No. 29242467/ 468/ 470
Mobile 98 99 492 529
Fax No. 011-29232469
Embassy´s e-mail: embcuind@del6.vsnl.net.in
Embassy´s Web site: embacuba.cubaminrex.cu/indiaing
<http://embacuba.cubaminrembacuba.cubaminrex.cu/indiaing>
W-124 A, Greaer Kailash – I,
New Delhi – 110 048
Reflections by comrade Fidel
THE COUP DIES OR CONSTITUTIONS DIE
The countries of Latin America were struggling against history's worst
financial crisis within relative institutional order.
When US President Barack Obama -- while on a trip to Moscow to discuss vital
topics on the subject of nuclear weapons -- was declaring that the only
constitutional president of Honduras was Manuel Zelaya, the ultra right-wing
and the hawks in Washington were making manoeuvres for Zelaya to negotiate a
humiliating pardon for the illegalities attributed to him by the
perpetrators of the coup.
It was obvious that before his people and the world such an act would be
tantamount to his disappearance from the political stage.
It is a proven fact that when Zelaya announced he would be returning on July
5th, he had decided to fulfil his promise to share the brutal repression of
the coup with his people.
Travelling with the president was Miguel d'Escoto, the president pro tempore
of the UN General Assembly, along with Patricia Rodas, the Honduran foreign
minister, a Telesur journalist and others, a total of 9 persons. Zelaya
maintained his decision to land. I know for a fact that in mid-flight, when
they were nearing Tegucigalpa, he was informed from the ground about Telesur
broadcasting the moment when the enormous mass of people awaiting him
outside of the airport was being attacked by soldiers with tear gas and
automatic rifles fire.
His immediate reaction was to request that they took up altitude in order to
denounce the events on Telesur and to demand of the commanding officers of
those troops that they ceased the repression. Then he informed them that he
would carry on with the landing. The high command then ordered the landing
strip to be blocked. In a matter of seconds, motorized transport vehicles
were obstructing the runway.
The Falcon jet made three passes, at a low altitude, over the airport.
Specialists explain that the tensest and most dangerous moment for pilots is
when fast, small planes -- like the one carrying the president -- reduce
speed for touchdown. That's why I think that attempt to return to Honduras
was audacious and brave.
If they wanted to put him on trial for alleged constitutional crimes, why
not allow him to land?
Zelaya knows that it was not only the Constitution of Honduras what was at
stake, but also the right of the peoples of Latin America to elect the
people who govern them.
Today Honduras is not just a country occupied by a coup, but it is also a
country occupied by the armed forces of the United States.
The military base at Soto Cano, also known by its name of Palmerola --
located less than 100 kilometres from Tegucigalpa and reactivated in 1981
under the Ronald Reagan administration -- was used by Colonel Oliver North
when he was running the dirty war against Nicaragua, and from there the US
government directed the attacks against the Salvadoran and Guatemalan
revolutionaries that cost tens of thousands of lives.
That is the location of the US Joint Task Force-Bravo -- made up of
personnel from the three forces -- that occupies 85 percent of the area of
the base. Eva Golinger reveals its role in an article published on Rebelión
web site on July 2, 2009, entitled "The US military base in Honduras at the
centre of the coup". She explains that "the Constitution of Honduras does
not legally allow for foreign military presence in the country. A
'handshake-like' agreement between Washington and Honduras authorizes the
important and strategic presence of hundreds of US soldiers on the base,
under a 'semi-permanent' deal. The agreement was reached in 1954 as part of
the military aid the United States was offering Honduras…the third poorest
country in the hemisphere." She adds that "…the agreement that allows the
military presence of the United States in the Central American country can
be removed with no notice given".
Soto Cano is also home of the Aviation Academy of Honduras. The components
of the US military task force are partly made up of Honduran soldiers.
What is the objective of the military base, the planes, the helicopters and
the US task force in Honduras? Without any doubt they are only adequate for
use in Central America. The war on drug trafficking does not require those
weapons.
If President Zelaya is not returned to his position, a wave of coups
threatens to sweep away many Latin American governments, or these will be at
the mercy of the ultra right-wing military, educated in the security
doctrine of the School of the Americas, an expert in torture, psychological
warfare and terror. The authority of many civilian governments in Central
and South America will become weakened. Those dark days are not very far
back in time. The military perpetrators of the coup would not even pay any
attention to the civilian administration of the United States. It can be
very negative for a president who wants to improve that country's image,
like Barack Obama does. The Pentagon formally obeys the civilian power.
The legions have not yet taken over control of the empire as they did in
Rome.
It would not be understandable for Zelaya to now admit to stalling
manoeuvres that would wear out the considerable social forces that support
him and only lead to an irreparable attrition.
The illegally overthrown president does not seek power, but he defends a
principle, and as Marti said: "One just principle from the depths of a cave
can be mightier than an army."
Fidel Castro Ruz
July 10, 2009
6:15 p.m.
WHAT SHOULD BE DEMANDED FROM THE UNITED STATES
The meeting in Costa Rica didn't, nor could it, lead to peace. The people
of Honduras are not at war, it's just the perpetrators of the coup who are
using weapons against the people. One should demand that they cease their
war against the people. That meeting between Zelaya and the coup was only
good for discrediting the constitutional president and wearing away at the
energies of the Honduran people.
World public opinion learned about what was happening in that country
through the images broadcast by international television, basically Telesur,
which without losing a single second, faithfully broadcast each one of the
events happening in Honduras, the speeches made and the unanimous agreements
of the international bodies against the coup.
The world could watch the blows that rained down on men and women, the
thousands of tear gas bombs thrown into the crowd, the rude gestures with
weapons of war and the shots intended to intimidate, wound or murder
citizens.
The idea that the US ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Hugo Llorens, didn't know
about or discouraged the coup is absolutely false. He knew about it, just
like the American military advisors who didn't stop for a minute in their
training of Honduran troops.
Today we know that the idea to promote a peace process from Costa Rica arose
from the offices of the State Department, in order to contribute to the
strengthening of the military coup.
The coup was conceived and organized by unscrupulous characters on the
far-right, who were officials in the confidence of George W. Bush and had
been promoted by him.
All of them, without exception, have a thick file of activities against
Cuba. Hugo Lorens, the ambassador in Honduras since the middle of 2008, is
a Cuban-American. He is part of the group of aggressive US ambassadors in
Central America, made up of Robert Blau, the ambassador in El Salvador,
Stephen McFarland in Guatemala and Robert Callahan in Nicaragua, all
appointed by Bush in the months of July and August of 2008.
The four of them follow the line of Otto Reich and John Negroponte who,
together with Oliver North, were responsible for the dirty war against
Nicaragua and the death squads in Central America that cost the peoples of
the region tens of thousands of lives.
Negroponte was Bush's representative at the United Nations, the US
intelligence tsar, and finally under-secretary of State. Both he and Otto
Reich, using different routes, were behind the coup in Honduras.
The base at Soto Cano in that country, home to the Joint Task Force-Bravo of
the US Armed Forces, is the main point of support for the coup d'état in
Honduras.
The United States has the dismal plan to create five more military bases
around Venezuela, with the excuse of replacing the one in Manta, Ecuador.
The absurd adventure of the coup d'état in Honduras has created a really
complicated situation in Central America that cannot be resolved with
trickery, deceit and lies.
Every day we learn about new details in the US implication in that action
that will also have serious repercussions in all of Latin America.
The idea of a peace initiative from Costa Rica was transmitted to the
president of that country from the State Department when Obama was in Moscow
and he was declaring at a Russian university that the only president of
Honduras was Manuel Zelaya.
The perpetrators of the coup were in a predicament. The initiative
transmitted to Costa Rica was seeking the goal of saving them. It is clear
that every day of delay has a cost for the constitutional president and
tends to dilute the extraordinary international support he has received.
The Yankee manoeuvre does not increase the possibilities for peace, just the
opposite, it decreases them, and the danger of violence grows, since the
peoples of our America will never resign themselves to the fate that has
been programmed for them.
With the Costa Rica meeting, the authority of the UN, the OAS and the other
institutions that committed their support to the people of Honduras is being
questioned.
When Micheletti, the de facto president, yesterday announced that he is
willing to step down from his position if Zelaya resigns, I already knew
that the State Department and the military in the coup had agreed to replace
him and send him again to Congress as part of the manoeuvre.
The only correct thing to do at this moment is to demand that the government
of the United States ceases its intervention, stops giving military aid to
the coup and pulls out its Task Force from Honduras.
What they want to demand from the Honduran people in the name of peace is to
deny all the principles for which all the nations of this hemisphere have
fought.
"Respect for the rights of others means peace", said Juárez.
Fidel Castro Ruz
July 16, 2009
1:12 p.m.
REMARKS BY ARMY GENERAL RAUL CASTRO RUZ, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA,
AT THE 15TH NAM SUMMIT, SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT, JULY 15, 2009
Your Excellency Mr. Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of
Egypt:
Distinguished Heads of State or Government:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
On behalf of my delegation I wish to express our appreciation to the
Egyptian government and people for their warm welcome. We are convinced
that this 15th Summit Conference will strengthen the Movement of Non-Aligned
Countries. Cuba shall offer its full support to Egypt as its new chair.
It is an honor for our country to pass the chair of the Movement on to one
of its founders. From its early days, the Cuban Revolution found friendship
and support in this Arab nation; and this year we shall celebrate together
six decades of continuous fraternal relations.
We never forget the noble gesture of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of
the founding fathers of non-alignment, who visited the then Prime Minister
of the Revolutionary Government, comrade Fidel Castro Ruz, when both
converged in New York in 1960 to attend the 15th Session of the UN General
Assembly and the Cuban leader was accorded a discriminatory and insulting
treatment by the U.S. authorities.
The ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of NAM held in Havana
April 27 to 30 this year succeeded in its basic objective of making
arrangements for this summit conference. The ministers and heads of
delegations assembled there reached consensus on their positions with regard
to the most pressing issues affecting humanity and particularly the
developing countries.
The Special Declaration on the World Economic and Financial Crisis adopted
in that meeting is proof of the transcendence of the debates and of our
determination to work in concert towards the solution of the international
problems. NAM has asserted its firm belief that every country, and not only
a few, should participate in the quest for effective and just solutions to
the current crisis.
As we said in Havana, the Non-aligned countries are the ones most affected
by the global economic crisis. Hundreds of millions of people in the world,
especially in our countries, are the victims of illiteracy, unemployment,
hunger, poverty and curable diseases, which condemn the human beings living
in the South of the planet to live shorter and harder lives than those in
the industrialized North.
Paradoxically, as it is usually the case, this crisis originated in the rich
countries due to the structural unbalance and irrationality of an
international economic system based on the blind laws of the market, on
selfishness and consumerism and on the squandering of a few at the expense
of the suffering of our peoples.
We call for the urgent construction of a new international financial
architecture where every country has a real participation, particularly the
developing nations. The current crisis cannot be solved with cosmetic
measures that actually try to preserve a deeply flawed, unfair, unequal and
ineffective economic system. The solution of the global economic crisis
demands a re-founding of the international monetary system.
The new currency pattern to be established should not depend on the economic
stability, legislation or political decisions of only one state, its power
and influence notwithstanding.
Many countries, Cuba among them, put forward this position during the recent
UN High Level Conference on the impact of the economic and financial crisis
on development.
The new system should acknowledge the particular situation of the developing
nations and grant them a special and differential treatment. It should also
promote a fair and equitable international economic order based on
sustainable development whose institutions subordinate to the United Nations
system.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is an honor to introduce Cuba's Report on the activities of NAM in the
past three years. The extensive and detailed paper will be circulated to the
delegations. The most important conclusion we have drawn from this period
chairing the Movement is that unity and solidarity among the member
countries are indispensable requirements to enhance the impact of our
actions.
The strength of NAM lies in its capacity to reach consensus as a result of
open discussions. Every member has had the opportunity to be involved in the
design and defense of our agreements and lines of action. Success lies in
the intensification of the unity stemming from the diversity characterizing
our Movement.
In 1961, we were 25 countries in the NAM, and Cuba was the only Latin
American. Today, we have 118 member states which make up the majority of the
international community. But we have not only grown in number, as history
has also showed the justice of our aspirations and goals. Our demands can no
longer be ignored, nor can any decision be adopted on the main problems
affecting mankind without the active participation of NAM.
The Non-aligned countries are facing numerous and grave challenges. Never
before was inequality as prevalent in the world, nor were inequities as
deep; but as challenges have grown so have our Movement's resilience and
strength.
We have confronted threats and aggressions and condemned unfair treatment in
international trade and finances, and we have urged our full involvement in
the main world governmental forums. A decisive part of Cuba's term at the
head of NAM was concurrent with one of the most aggressive and hegemonic
governments ever in the United States, and a violator of international law.
The actions of NAM, even under the most complex circumstances, have been
guided by the founding principles of Bandung, and more recently by the
"Declaration on purposes and principles" and "The role of NAM in the current
international juncture" adopted at the 14th Summit in Havana. Both documents
spell out a program to jointly face the enormous challenges to the struggle
for a better world where our peoples' right to peace, self-determination and
development are respected.
It is important to carry on with the systematic assessment of NAM's
mechanisms and methodology to be able to use all of their potential. The
leadership of the Chairman is crucial. His authority can be consolidated by
building consensus and steadily defending the agreements adopted and their
subsequent implementation.
The agreements adopted will remain a legacy to the Plan of Action of the
Non-Aligned Movement. The promotion of multilateralism and democratization
in international relations, and full respect for the UN Charter and
International Law are inherent in the very existence and the effective work
of NAM. We have rejected antidemocratic methods and the lack of transparency
as well as the obstacles to full participation and discrimination in
multilateral negotiations and discussions.
NAM should be present in every relevant multilateral scene to advocate the
interests of the developing nations. Its premise will never be competition
but rather complementation with other coordination mechanisms of the South
countries. In this token, major progress has been attained in the work of
the Joint Coordinating Committee of NAM and the G-77, an increasingly strong
instrument whose impact is growing; therefore, it should continue to receive
our full support.
The preservation of international peace and security should remain a basic
priority of the Movement. Meanwhile, the total removal of nuclear weapons
and other weapons of mass destruction are still urgent but pending goals.
We are still far from reaching our objectives in that area; therefore, we
should continue working until their realization. It is irrational that while
annual military expenses are rapidly increasing and already touch the
scaring figure of 1.46 billion dollars --almost 60% concentrated in only one
country-- the number of starving people in the world is reaching one
billion.
The resources allocated today to the war industry should be used in
education, healthcare and culture as well as in the economic and social
wellbeing of our peoples, but this calls for political will and true
commitment. It requires giving up hegemonic projects, the threat and use of
force, selfishness and the reckless squandering of a few. It calls for the
removal of an international order based on the implementation of imperial
plans.
Another priority of NAM has been to ensure a broader participation of the
South in the proceedings and decision-making process of the UN Security
Council. The NAM Caucus in that body has made progress; however, much
remains to be done. We have failed to take advantage of all of the current
possibilities and our actions still fall short of decisively weighing on the
agreements adopted there. Of course, structural problems remain that can
only be surmounted through a major democratization of the Security Council
as part of the reforms required by the UN.
The stable and dynamic work of the Coordinating Bureau and the consolidation
of its eight Working Groups have led to the reinforcement of the Non-aligned
countries' positions in key processes within the framework of the UN. The
decisions of the Coordinating Bureau in New York tend to be increasingly
far-reaching and transcendental.
Support for the just Palestinian cause and those of other occupied Arab
peoples has been and will continue to be at the center of NAM's actions. We
have not hesitated in condemning the aggressions and crimes of the occupying
power, Israel, and we shall not rest until the fulfillment of the demands of
our Palestinian and Arab brothers. There is no other way but dialogue and
negotiation to attain a just and lasting peace in the entire Middle East
region; and this cannot avoid the foundation of an independent Palestinian
State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On the other hand, NAM is determined to continue to support one of its
members, the fraternal people of the Republic of Honduras, in its struggle
against the brutal coup d'état that ousted the constitutional government of
that country. It is also NAM's duty to urge respect for the UN General
Assembly's agreement to return President Jose Manuel Zelaya to his position
without humiliating preconditions, and to continue denouncing the repression
and murdering of our Honduran brothers and sisters.
NAM has become more active in UNESCO, but there is potential to continue
strengthening and consolidating its work in this agency where the efforts of
the NAM member countries are crucial to turn into a reality such
indispensable objectives as education for all and respect for cultural
diversity; the preservation of humanity's cultural heritage and the end of
brain drain from our South nations; and, the shrinking of the enormous gap
between the rich and poor countries in the areas of information and
communication.
The Movement of Non-Aligned Countries is an indispensable actor in the Human
Rights Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. We should be prepared for the
institutional review of the Human Rights Council. Our objective should be to
preserve cooperation, respect and dialogue in order to promote and protect
human rights for all. We cannot allow the Council to return to the practices
that led to the discredit of the late Human Rights Commission.
Of special significance is the progress achieved in the coordination of our
actions in the World Health Organization and the International Labor
Organization as demanded by the relevance of the issues discussed there to
the developing countries. The annual meetings held by our Health and Labor
ministers and the decisions adopted therein have given a necessary impetus
to the defense of the interests of the South nations in these international
organizations.
For example, we have pressing goals to reach at the WHO such as curbing the
death toll of 10 million children every year from preventable diseases;
reversing the 40-year difference between life expectancy in the richest and
poorest countries; expanding the training of healthcare personnel in the
developing nations; and, demanding greater attention to diseases affecting
our peoples.
Cuba is a small developing country with no resources to spare. Additionally,
it has endured the longest, most encompassing and cruel system of unilateral
sanctions imposed by a powerful State.
Actually, despite the almost unanimous outcry of the international
community, the rejection of its own people and the promises of change of the
new U.S. administration, the truth is that the same illegal blockade decreed
against Cuba almost five decades ago is still being enforced today with
maximum rigor.
Allow me once again to express our appreciation for the solidarity of the
countries that steadily demand the immediate removal of that morally
unsustainable and unjust policy which intensifies the impact of the world
economic and financial crisis on my homeland.
Yet, under such challenging conditions, our people has modestly proven what
can be done in terms of solidarity and international cooperation,
particularly in the health area, when there is a political will.
At the moment, almost 51 thousand Cuban workers are assisting in 98
countries to save lives, prevent diseases or contribute to development while
over 32 thousand youths from 118 countries, mostly in the Third World, are
studying free of charge in our educational centers, 78% of them in medical
schools.
These numbers account for only a small part of what could be done if
selfishness yielded to cooperation and solidarity; if we united in the
struggle against a system of exploitation and plundering that tends to
reproduce underdevelopment and widen the gap between a limited group of rich
nations, where barely 20% of the world population lives, and an extensive
periphery made up by our countries, where 80% of mankind lives.
We are convinced that a better world is possible and that the Movement of
Non-Aligned Countries has an essential role to play in its conquest.
But, even if what we have done together is encouraging, it is still more
important that we are aware of huge looming challenges.
Six years ago, in his remarks to the 13th Summit at Kuala Lumpur to express
his appreciation on the decision to appoint Cuba to chair NAM as of 2006,
Commander in Chief Fidel Castro stated that from that position Cuba was
willing "to work to consolidate the actions of the Movement, both at the
United Nations and in other forums, in the struggle for peace, justice,
equal opportunities and respect for the principles of International Law
which has always been at the root of the Movement and in the struggle for
development and against an international economic and financial order that
marginalizes our countries making them poorer and more dependent."
With sincere and modest pride, after having fulfilled our duty we pass the
chairmanship of NAM on to Egypt. In spite our dissatisfaction with
everything we could have done better, it can be said that we have an
invigorated Movement that will carry on playing the major role expected of
it in the current world.
On behalf of the Cuban government and people allow me to reiterate our
appreciation to all of you for the support provided through these three
years. You can be certain that our commitment to the Movement of Non-Aligned
Countries will remain unchanged.
I reaffirm our most sincere friendship and recognition to every one of you
with whom we have shared in the trenches fighting colonialism, apartheid,
interventionism, arms build-up, economic exploitation, diseases and
illiteracy, and who have always given our people solidarity in the struggle
to safeguard their sovereignty and independence, and to overcome the illegal
obstacles unilaterally imposed to jeopardize their right to development.
Now, all that is left for me to do, --and I feel honored to do it—is to
submit to this plenary session the election by acclamation of the new
Chairman of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, his Excellency Mr.
Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
I assume that you all agree. I offer my congratulations to the new Chairman
and our best wishes for success.
Thank you, very much.
Messages in this topic (1)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. TERROR CURVE Sharpest to ENVELOP Hillary Arms and MONSOON Premier of
Posted by: "palashc biswas" palashcbiswas@yahoo.co.uk palashcbiswas
Date: Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:40 am ((PDT))
TERROR CURVE Sharpest to ENVELOP Hillary Arms and MONSOON Premier of Drought and the Winning Pack
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, chapter 290
Palash Biswas
Fresh News
General Kapoor to visit US from July 20-25
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First day on job, US envoy Tim Roemer meets Menon
Times of India - ‎Jul 17, 2009‎
She also reiterated the Obama administration's commitment to the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement but said she would like to discuss with Indian leaders the ...
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SamayLive
'Partnership with US vital to achieve developmental goals'
Hindu Business Line - ‎Jul 13, 2009‎
She said that Indo-US relations have undergone a historic transformation over the course of the past decade. Ms Shankar said both the US President, ...
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Market Watch
Graphs
Stocks
Sensex Nifty http://profit.ndtv.com/2009/07/14230452/India-Incs-rain-hopes.html
70 p.c. of defence equipment being imported, says Antony
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister A K
Antony on Monday said it was "unfortunate and painful" that 70 per cent
of defence equipment was still being imported and informed the Lok
Sabha that government was working towards manufacturing
state-of-the-art equipment indigenously.
"It is unfortunate and painful that 70 per cent of defence equipment is still being imported," he said during the Question Hour.
Mr. Antony said till India reached a
stage where it could provide state-of-the-art equipment, it would have
to rely on imports. "If Indian products are not of state-of the art
quality, using them would be dangerous," he said.
The defence minister said his ministry
had decided to accord first priority to Indian public and private
companies which are able to provide such equipment.
In reply to a question on whether there
was a time-frame by when India would become self-sufficient in defence
production, Mr. Antony hoped the process would be "speeded up".
He said the procurement policy would be reviewed annually.
Minister of State of Defence, Vincent
Pala conceded that there were deficiencies in bullet proof jackets but
said these were not "sub-standard".
On the issue of delay in buying defence
equipment, Mr. Antony said a committee has been constituted for the
purpose and given financial powers which were till now vested with the
defence minister.
"We should understand that we are a
democracy and have a system and procedure (for procurement of
weapons)," he said, responding to Naveen Jindal (Cong) who said the
forces were still using World War II vintage weapons while Pakistan and
Bangladesh had better arms. In reply to a query by Lalu Prasad
(RJD), Mr. Antony said there was an "inordinate delay" in starting the
Ordnance Factory set up at Rajgir in Bihar during the NDA regime, but
added that it would be expedited now.
tates Affected by Drought
http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/mapinnews/03052000.htm
Image results for Drought in India - Report imagesReport the following images as offensive. Confirm CancelThank you for the feedback.
* INDIA NEWS
* JULY 14, 2009, 1:15 A.M. ET
No Signs of Drought in India
Dow Jones Newswires
NEW
DELHI -- There are no signs of drought in India despite below-normal
monsoon rains, a senior meteorological official told the CNBC-TV18
television channel Tuesday.
"July is the rainiest month in terms of quantity. If we get more
than 90% (of long period average), it will be good," said A. Mazumdar,
a senior official of the India Meteorological Department.
India's four-month-long annual monsoon is crucial for summer-sown crops as 60% of the agricultural area is rain-fed.
Write to Dow Jones Newswires editors at asknewswires@dowjones.com http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124754824791737459.html
No plan for drought-proofing the economy
17 Jul 2009, 0151 hrs IST,
In
June, from peasants to the prime minister's office, everyone was praying for
rains. In July, their prayers seem to be heard, and some catching
up of delayed
monsoon has occurred. But still, the cumulative rainfall of the country from
June 1 to July 9, was deficient by 34% from its Long Period Average (LPA) of 89
cms measured over a fifty-year period of 1941-90.
It is strange that
while we boast of resilience of Indian economy from global financial shocks, yet
a 15-day delay in monsoon can send jitters to policymakers. The reason for this
paradox is the huge under-investment in water resources, as also the almost
complete lack of institutional and pricing reforms in the water sector,
including power for irrigation.
Indian agriculture is still
considered a gamble in monsoons as about 60% of cropped area remains rainfed.
This need not be so, and the fate of Indian peasants can change in just five
years if the policymakers decide to scale up investments in the irrigation
sector, from rainwater harvesting schemes to small and medium, and even large,
irrigation schemes to, say, Rs 40,000 crore a year for the next five years, as
has been done for National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) programme.
The reason is that there are more than 400 irrigation projects
waiting to be completed, which need a total investment of more than Rs 200,000
crore. But the budget allocation under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme
for 2009-10 is only Rs 9,700 crore.
No wonder, at this pace, Indian
peasants will keep looking up to the sky for the next 20 years. Enhanced budget
allocations alone will not solve the problem. The irrigation sector needs a
major dose of institutional and price reforms to "tame the anarchy".
Unfortunately, there is no such vision, no priority, and there is no
solid agenda on the table towards drought-proofing the economy. The proposal for
inter-linking of rivers has been gathering dust for years. No wonder then Indian
agriculture remains hostage to the vagaries of monsoons.
(Ashok Gulati, Director in Asia,
International Food Policy Research Institute)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET-Debate/No-plan-for-drought-proofing-the-economy/articleshow/4787252.cms
Effective monsoon-governing strategy missing
17 Jul 2009, 0153 hrs IST,
As the
demand for water in India is increasing from 634 BCM (billion cubic metres) in
2000 to 813 BCM in 2010, 1443 in 2020, our dependence on
monsoon will be
increasing manifold in the years to come.
Thus there is a need for
serious policy planning to meet and manage the requirement in the face of
frequent deficient monsoon. Demand-side management strategy is needed for
rationalising water use patterns and address the problem of monsoon dependency.
While dependence cannot be eliminated, it may be possible that
appropriate interventions in technology, socio-economic and geo-political
spheres can address the negative impact.
The monsoon rainfall is the
major source of irrigation (70% water for agriculture, 22% for industry and 8%
for urban areas), yet its major portion is being wasted due to lack of water
holding capacity in the traditional rain water harvesting structures.
Under the circumstances, carefully designed investment strategy on
low-cost but effective watershed management, restoration and management of
natural water bodies with the help of peoples´ participation would go a
long way in mitigating the impact of monsoon.
The solution to
minimising the dependence on the monsoon lies in an effective monsoon-
governance strategy such as proven forewarning systems and rainfall forecasting,
institutional setup to ensure timely and assured input-output delivery system
including seed system, rural credit and crop insurance.
There should
be an enabling environment and capacity to develop and adopt water-saving
mechanisms such as drip irrigation, fertigation and other moisture conserving
practices.
The promotion of resource conserving practices is
essential for ensuring sustainable food production given the uncertain monsoon.
The system of rice intensification, hybrid rice, aerobic rice, zero tillage,
direct seeding rice practices, etc, are notable here.
Since the
small farmers are unable to invest in irrigation infrastructure, the government
plays a big role in fulfilling the social responsibility. The lesson learnt from
shallow tube well schemes in Assam is worth mentioning in terms of impact
management -- which transformed the perpetual deficit state to a
surplus rice-producing state.
(B C
Barah, Principal Scientist, National Centre for Agricultural Economics and
Policy Research, New Delhi)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/ET-Debate/Effective-monsoon-governing-strategy-missing/articleshow/4787256.cms
Prepare for drought
Economic Times - ‎16 hours ago‎
If July witnesses good rainfall across north India, the kharif crop will recover substantially. If, however, July rainfall is seriously deficient for the ...
Drought likely if monsoon fails to pick up now domain-B
Poor monsoon raises concern over India's growth Emirates Business 24/7
Monsoon Delayed, Two Indian States Declare Drought EcoWorldly
SteelGuru - Forbes India
all 13 news articles »
Email this story
Monday Market Monitor - India (WEEK 29) - Drought continues
SteelGuru - ‎11 hours ago‎
Another factor, which may affect long product market in India, is the likely shortage of power due to reduced hydro generation, which would put small ...
Calcutta Telegraph
MP drought-hit
IBNLive.com - ‎Jul 9, 2009‎
... the intensity is expected to increase and if that happens, then Sharad Pawar's confidence that there will be no drought in India will not be misplaced. ...
Indian needs more rains : US report Commodity Online
Good rain in east, south and central India: Met dept Times of India
Drought threat in farming zones Calcutta Telegraph
Zee News - Business Standard
all 125 news articles »
Email this story
Voice of America
No Signs of Drought in India
Wall Street Journal - ‎Jul 13, 2009‎
NEW DELHI -- There are no signs of drought in India despite below-normal monsoon rains, a senior meteorological official told the CNBC-TV18 television ...
No plan for drought-proofing the economy Economic Times
India Inc's rain hopes NDTV.com
Monsoon to pick up; drought in northeast Reuters India
Livemint - Commodity Online
all 192 news articles »
Email this story
Fleeting Rains, Looming Drought to Hit Main Crops
Wall Street Journal - Rajesh Roy - ‎7 hours ago‎
Associated Press Farmers sprinkle fertilizers on their rice crop on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Area under summer-sown crops ...
Press Trust of India
Rains forecast in India's sugarcane, rice areas
Reuters India - Himangshu Watts, John Mair - ‎3 hours ago‎
An unusually dry June, which saw
the lowest rainfall in more than eight decades, followed by
below-normal rains in early July led to fears of drought, ...
Revival vision dims as rains refuse to fall Economic Times
Low monsoon rain concern for India's farm output: Pawar Thaindian.com
all 20 news articles »
Email this story
A primer on droughts
Economic Times - Nidhi Nath Srinivas - ‎Jul 18, 2009‎
Maharashtra alone has about a quarter of India's drought-prone districts. About 50 million Indians are affected every year. Climate change is accelerating ...
Woe of seven sisters: northeast heading for drought?
SINDH TODAY - ‎8 hours ago‎
Agartala/Shillong, July 20 (IANS) In India's northeast it has rained a little, but way too little. The weatherman has no pleasant news for states in the ...
Hindu
Mahindra Holidays lists up 7 pct, ends IPO drought
Reuters India - ‎Jul 16, 2009‎
... as investors cheered the end of a 15-month drought in initial public offers (IPOs). Shares of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd (MAHH. ...
Mahindra Holidays lists up 7%, ends IPO drought Hindustan Times
Mahindra Holidays makes positive debut in bourses, ends IPO drought IBTimes India
'Mahindra Holidays and Resorts' lists high on NSE Thaindian.com
Reuters India
all 48 news articles »
BOM:533088 - BOM:500520
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SINDH TODAY
Opposition wants drought declared
Hindu - ‎Jul 15, 2009‎
His demand for a discussion on drought was backed by Mulayam Singh of the Samajwadi Party and Basudeb Acharia of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), ...
Indian MPs concerned over impending drought Daily Times
BJP almost invisible in Lok Sabha Livemint
This is Lok Sabha, Not London, Mulayam tells Jairam Ramesh Daijiworld.com
all 41 news articles »
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab opened fire on commuters, it is alleged
The leading suspect in last November's deadly attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) has pleaded guilty.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab stood up before the court to say he admitted his role in the killings.
Mr Qasab, who is a Pakistani, faces 86 charges, including waging war on India, murder and possessing explosives.
It
is not clear why he changed his plea after pleading not guilty in May
to all charges. More than 170 people died in the attacks, nine of them
gunmen.
Prosecutors say Mr Qasab is the sole surviving attacker.
He could face the death penalty if his confession is accepted and judges agree to impose the maximum penalty.
'Shocked'
The BBC's Prachi Pinglay, who was in the courtroom in Mumbai, said Mr Qasab appeared calm.
INSIDE COURT
Prachi Pinglay
Mumbai
Mohammad
Ajmal Amir Qasab appeared very calm in court, smiling a number of times
as his confession was being recorded. Now Pakistan has accepted he is a
Pakistani national he wanted to confess, he told the court.
Mr
Qasab spoke lucidly for several hours, giving specific details of names
of people he had met, the kind of training he had received and weapons
he had used. He talked about his family and named his two brothers and
two sisters.
The
judge will now meet prosecution and defence teams to hear their views
about the change of plea. Legal experts say it is still not clear if
the trial is over.
He said there had been no pressure on him to confess and it had been his decision to do so.
"I request the court to accept my plea and pronounce the sentence," he told the judge, smiling.
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: "We were not expecting this. We were all shocked when he made a plea of guilt.
"It is for the court to decide whether to accept his plea or not. It was all of a sudden. The court is now recording his plea."
Shortly afterwards Mr Nikam told the BBC the confession was "a victory for the prosecution".
During
his testimony, the suspect gave details of his journey from Pakistan,
the attacks at a historic railway station in Mumbai and the city's Cama
hospital.
Mr Qasab's lawyer said he had nothing to do with the confession.
It is not fully clear what prompted Mr Qasab to change his plea.
He said he had done so because Pakistan had finally admitted he was a Pakistani citizen, but that was some time ago.
Police
say Mr Qasab confessed before a magistrate to the attacks after his
arrest, but he retracted that confession at an early hearing.
His lawyers said then that it had been coerced.
Wept in court
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, 21, was arrested on the first day of the attacks and has been in Indian custody ever since.
MAIN QASAB CHARGES
Waging war on India
Murder
Conspiracy to murder
Destabilising the government
Kidnap
Robbery
Smuggling and possessing illegal arms and explosives
Profile: Mumbai suspect
Tears and smirks in the dock
In his initial appearances before the court, Mr Qasab appeared relaxed and smiled and grinned.
But
more recently, he broke down and wept in court as a witness recounted
the violent events which took place over three days in late November.
The attacks led to a worsening of relationship between India and Pakistan.
India accused Pakistan-based fighters from the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba of carrying out the attacks.
In
the immediate aftermath of the killings, Pakistan denied any
responsibility, but later admitted the attacks had been partly planned
on its soil.
Islamabad also eventually admitted that Mr Qasab was a Pakistani citizen.
MUMBAI ATTACKS
KEY STORIES
Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty
Mumbai warrants seek 22 suspects
Mumbai suspect denies all charges
Pakistan admits India attack link
ANALYSIS AND BACKGROUND
Police 'name gunmen'
Mapping the key targets
Attacks as they happened
Will India's overhaul work?
Pakistan scepticism
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS
'No value on life'
'We barricaded the door'
'They killed so many'
IN VIDEO CCTV of gun battle on night of attacks
Shot Briton: 'He opened fire on us'
RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Maharashtra police
Mumbai High Court
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
FROM OTHER NEWS SITES
Jerusalem Post Lone surviving Mumbai-attacks gunman admits guilt - 1 hr ago
AFP via Yahoo! Surviving Mumbai gunman in dramatic guilty plea - 1 hr ago
Reuters India Kasab pleads guilty - 1 hr ago
Washington Post Lone Surviving Mumbai Gunman Admits Guilt - 2 hrs ago
Mail Online UK Mumbai terror attack gunman makes dramatic courtroom confession - 3 hrs ago
About these results
TOP SOUTH ASIA STORIES
Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty
US 'seeks Afghan prison overhaul'
Clinton meets top Indian leaders
| News feeds
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8158741.stm
Drought in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The dry bed of the Niranjana River, Bihar.
Drought in India has resulted in tens of millions of deaths over the course of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on the climate of India: a favorable southwest summer monsoon is critical in securing water for irrigating Indian crops. In some
parts of India, the failure of the monsoons result in water shortages,
resulting in below-average crop yields. This is particularly true of
major drought-prone regions such as southern and eastern Maharashtra,
northern Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
Contents[hide]
* 1 History
* 2 Impact of El Niño
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 Citations
* 6 Further reading
* 7 External links
[edit] History
In the past, droughts have periodically led to major Indian famines, including the Bengal famine of 1770,
in which up to one third of the population in affected areas died; the
1876-1877 famine, in which over five million people died; and the 1899
famine, in which over 4.5 million died.[1][2]
[edit] Impact of El Niño
All such episodes of severe drought correlate with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.[3][4] El Niño-related droughts have also been implicated in periodic declines in Indian agricultural output.[5] Nevertheless, ENSO events that have coincided with abnormally high sea
surfaces temperatures in the Indian Ocean-in one instance during 1997
and 1998 by up to 3 °C (5 °F)-have resulted in increased oceanic
evaporation, resulting in unusually wet weather across India. Such
anomalies have occurred during a sustained warm spell that began in the
1990s.[6] A contrasting phenomenon is that, instead of the usual high pressure
air mass over the southern Indian Ocean, an ENSO-related oceanic low
pressure convergence center forms; it then continually pulls dry air
from Central Asia, desiccating India during what should have been the
humid summer monsoon season. This reversed air flow causes India's
droughts.[7] The extent that an ENSO event raises sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean influences the degree of drought.[3]
[edit] See also
* Peak water
[edit] References
* Allaby, M (1998), Floods, Facts on File, ISBN 0-8160-3520-2.
* Allaby, M (2002), Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate, Facts on File, ISBN 0-8160-4071-0.
* Balfour, E (1976), Encyclopaedia Asiatica: Comprising Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Asia, Cosmo Publications, ISBN 8170203252.
* Burroughs, WJ (1999), The Climate Revealed, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-77081-5.
* Caviedes, C (2001), El Niño in History: Storming Through the Ages, University Press of Florida, ISBN 0-8130-2099-9.
* Chouhan, TS (1992), Desertification in the World and Its Control, Scientific Publishers, ISBN 8-1723-3043-X.
* Collier, W & R Webb (2002), Floods, Droughts and Climate Change, University of Arizona Press, ISBN 0-8165-2250-2.
* Heitzman, J & RL Worden (1996), India: A Country Study, Library of Congress (Area Handbook Series), ISBN 0-8444-0833-6.
* Nash, JM (2002), El Niño: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather Maker, Warner, ISBN 0-446-52481-6.
* Posey, CA (1994), The Living Earth Book of Wind and Weather, Reader's Digest Association, ISBN 0-8957-7625-1.
* Singh, VP; CSP Ojha & N Sharma (2004), The Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources, Springer, ISBN 1-4020-1737-5.
[edit] Citations
1. ^ Nash 2002, pp. 22-23.
2. ^ Collier & Webb 2002, p. 67.
3. ^ a b Kumar
KK, Rajagopatan B, Hoerling M., Bates G, Cane M (2006). "Unraveling the
Mystery of Indian Monsoon Failure During El Niño". Science 314 (5796): 115-119. doi:10.1126/science.1131152.
4. ^ Caviedes 2001, p. 121
5. ^ Caviedes 2001, p. 259.
6. ^ Nash 2002, pp. 258-259.
7. ^ Caviedes 2001, p. 117.
[edit] Further reading
* Toman, MA; U Chakravorty & S Gupta (2003), India and Global Climate Change: Perspectives on Economics and Policy from a Developing Country, Resources for the Future Press, ISBN 1-8918-5361-9.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Atlas of India
Ecology portal
India portal
General overview
* "Country Guide: India". BBC Weather. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT002240.
* "India-Weather and Climate". High Commission of India, London. http://www.hcilondon.net/tourism-information/weather.html.
Maps, imagery, and statistics
* "India Meteorological Department". Government of India. http://www.imd.gov.in/.
* "Weather Resource System for India". National Informatics Centre. http://www.weather.nic.in/.
Forecasts
* "India: Current Weather Conditions". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/IN_cc.html.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_in_India"
Categories: Climate of India | Droughts | Environment of India | Natural disasters in India | Agriculture in India
TERROR CURVE Sharpest to ENVELOP Hillary Arms!
With Clinton´s nuclear assurance; India, US to hold reprocessing talks!uly 19th, 2009 - 3:51 pm ICT by IANS -
By Manish Chand
New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
making it clear that the future of the India-US nuclear deal is secure
despite the G8 declaration on the transfer of sensitive technologies,
the two countries will hold talks in Vienna next week on reprocessing
American-origin spent fuel.
Undeterred by the G8 declaration this month on banning the transfer
of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technologies to those countries
that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), India
is likely to announce two sites for American nuclear reactors after
Clinton´s talks with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here
Monday.
These sites are likely to be in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, reliable sources told IANS.
In another important step to implement the India-US civil nuclear
accord signed last year, Indian and American officials will hold talks
in Vienna July 21 to reach an agreement on arrangements and procedures
for reprocessing spent fuel.
With the difficult experience of the US-assisted Tarapur reactor in
the past, India wants to ensure there are no glitches this time round
on the issue of reprocessing.
The negotiation on reprocessing to be done in a safeguarded facility
in India, according to the 123 agreement, has to be completed within a
year after it begins.
Richard Stratford, director of the Office of Nuclear Energy Affairs
in the State Department, will lead the American side. A five-member
technical committee will be headed by R.B. Grover, director (strategic
planning group) in the Atomic Energy Commission.
The US is understood to have handed to India a draft earlier this month that could form the basis for the Vienna talks.
The transfer of sensitive reprocessing technologies is currently barred under the US law save for exceptions like Japan.
With the G8 declaration at the L´Aquila summit banning the export of
the sensitive ENR technologies, India will seek clarifications on the
reprocessing issue from the US when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
External Affairs Minister Krishna meet Clinton.
India has said it will go by a country-specific clean waiver it has
received from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
In an interview to the Times Now after landing in Mumbai Thursday,
Clinton stressed that "the civil nuclear deal stands on its own merit".
"No. I worked hard to pass the India-US civil nuke deal and am very
committed to it and its implementation," Clinton replied when asked if
the nuclear deal will be held hostage to India signing the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Clinton, however, stressed that the US will seek India´s help in
preventing the proliferation of nuclear technologies to non-state
actors and countries like Iran and North Korea.
S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday called
on Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here and discussed
several issues, including cross-border terrorism and Indo-US relations.
Clinton went to Gandhi's residence at 10, Janpath, after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani.
Sonia Gandhi's son, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, was also present during the meeting.
Sonia Gandhi, who is also chairperson of the
ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), voiced optimism about the
future of India-US relations and expressed concern on the use of
terrorism by Pakistan against India, according to party sources.
Earlier in the day, Clinton for met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who hosted her to a lunch.
Is India winning or losing? We live in an age of manias and phobias. ... ranging from a nation of caste-bound and poverty-ridden pack of ... cannot start before it becomes abundantly clear that New India means business!Rains have always played an important role in the Indian economy.
Between the two monsoon seasons - the south-west monsoon
(June-September) and the post monsoon/north-east monsoon
(October-December) - the focus usually centres on the former, as it
accounts for about 80% of India´s total rainfall.
In the past
two decades, most of the major droughts were caused by deficient
rainfall in July, usually the wettest month of the south-west monsoon.
Such
deviations have adversely affected agricultural production, and
therefore overall GDP growth. In recent years, 2002 was one of the
worst droughts, as grain production declined, dragging down
agricultural growth significantly.
This Monsoon, India has a GUEST who sells US ARMS and WARS ! The
SUPER Sales woman has everything in her purse infinite! Wars and civil
wars, foreign relations, environment, climate, woman and child welfare,
education, shining India dream and India to be Nuclear super Power!
What a Monsoon!
This
MONSOON, in fact the HORRIBLE Premier of DROUGHT, has focused on Indo
Us Nuke deal, Defence Pacts, Arms bargain, strategic Realliance in US
Israel Lead, War against Terror, Indo Pak USA Triangular instead of
Climate, Weather and Harvest! It is quite different for us!
For
a person like me who was born and brought up amidst Himalayan Monsoon,
it is rather the Experience to be amidst some THRILLER of a dreading
Horror Film!
I grew up as a helping hand in a Peasant
family in the Terai! My people, the Bengali Refugges from east Bengal,
had been trown in the Dense Forest of plague, malaria, wild animals in
nainital Terai! I opened my eyes and saw the Jungle around me which
hosted Gim Corbett once upon a time!
I had never been in
East Bengal and I have no idea what meant monsoon for my ancestors! But
I had the feeling while I invested the best of my childhood time to
help my family working hard day and night in our fields during Rain as
well as heat!
We never experienced DROUGHT there but we
had to encounter Heavy Rain during Monsoon and we ENJOYED it every
time! We used to swim in our fields! It often rained for almost a week!
But we never faced any FLOOD! Floods were introduced with Intense
Deforestation and Big Dams later!
Even my student life is full of MONSOON Memories, Rain and rain, Land slides and Romance!
But
MONSOON has changed with Global warming and climate Change in this part
of the GLOBE! Rivers have been sold out! Big Dams stops the Lifelines
from my Home, the Himalayas!
Former FIRST Lady of United States of America has rather INTRODUCED a DIFFERENT Monsoon EXPERIENCE!
Meanwhile,Opposition
parties on Monday slammed the government for ignoring the interests of
farmers and said funds allocated in the General Budget for agriculture
ministry were not sufficient.
Participating in the debate on
demands
for grants for the Agriculture Ministry, Rewati Raman Singh (SP) said
farmers in Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka were committing suicide
despite the loan waiver announced by the Centre.He claimed children of
farmers were not ready to take up the profession and were ready to work
as peons.
Mr.
Singh said while 58 per cent of
country's population was involved in agriculture and related
activities, the government has neglected the farmers.He said in the
absence of cold storage facilities, 40 per cent of fruits and
vegetables were getting damaged.
The SP member suggested that the
government set up bio-fertiliser plants in both public and private
sector to help farmers get sufficient fertilisers.
He also demanded a 'white paper' on the condition of agriculture sector in the country.
Vijay Bahadur Singh (BSP) lamented that
while 62 per cent of the population was dependent on agriculture, the
budgetary provisions were a mere one per cent. "For 62 per cent people
you provide only one per cent, and for the rest 38 per cent the
allocation is 99 per cent," he added.
Those
were the days while MONSOON meant Culture, Folk, Songs, dance,
Literature, Poetry, Love and Romance! Now, it is associated with
Repression, Ethnic cleansing, SELL Off, Big Projects to feed the Killer
machine, Retail chain, Displacement and Exodus, Freesensex and GROWTH
Rate! monsoon remains the bandles of hard datas and False Statics as
the Inflation Rate anouncements!
The Bombay
Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Monday regained the 15,000 level by
gaining nearly 272 points in opening trade, extending last weeks' gains
on increased capital inflows by foreign funds, supported by
better-than-expected earnings by some blue-chip companies.
Firm Asian equity markets also supported the rally.
The 30-share index again breached
15,000 points level to trade 271.83 points, or 1.45 per cent higher at
15,016.75 points in the first five minutes of trade, a level last seen
on July 6. The sensex had surged by nearly over 9 per cent last week.
The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 78.50 points, or 1.53 per cent to 4,453.45 points.
Stock brokers said announcement of
better-than-expected quarterly results by some blue-chip companies this
earning season so far mainly buoyed the trading sentiments, sparked-off
buying activity.
They said firming global cues after positive US housing data also influenced the domestic markets' sentiments.
Shares of oil and gas, power, realty and IT sectors were in good demand, attributing major support to the Sensex.
Reliance Industries stocks were in keen
demand and shot up by 3.44 per cent to Rs 2,020 as the Supreme Court
begins hearing a case related to a gas pact between the RIL and RNRL.
Thus BLOOMBERG.COM reports:
India Rain Deficit to Narrow, Aiding Crop Sowing (Update1)
Share | Email | Print | A A A
By Thomas Kutty Abraham
July 16 (Bloomberg) -- India´s monsoon deficit will drop
below 20 percent by end of this month as rains increase, easing
a dry spell that´s dented sowing of crops in the world´s second-
biggest producer of rice, wheat and sugar.
The shortfall for the season started June 1 narrowed to 27
percent as of yesterday from 45 percent last month, the India
Meteorological Department, said. Falls were 6 percent more than
the long-period average for the week ended July 15, the first
weekly surplus this year, the weather office said.
Rains have intensified since July 8, helping allay fears of
a drought undermining Prime Minister Manmohan Singh´s efforts to
push economic growth back to a 9 percent pace. A deficit of as
much as 50 percent earlier this month in the northwest region,
the nation´s grain bowl, has dimmed prospects for bigger crops
of rice, oilseeds and sugar cane.
"The good news is that the current active phase of the
monsoon has helped alleviate drought fears," D. Sivananda Pai,
a director at the weather bureau said in a phone interview from
Pune today. "Most parts will continue to receive good rains,
though the northwest remains a bit of a concern."
The formation of a low-pressure weather system over the Bay
of Bengal may bring more rain starting July 20, A.B. Mazumdar,
deputy director general at the weather office, said today from
Pune. The current spell across paddy, oilseeds and cane growing
areas will persist for at least two days, he said.
India got 220.5 millimeters (8.68 inches) of rains between
June 1 and July 15, compared with the 50-year average of 300.8
millimeters, the weather bureau said. Falls were deficient in 22
of the 36 weather divisions, down from 25 in the previous week.
Rice Crop
Area planted to rice in the past week has risen 76 percent
from the previous week, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said in New
Delhi today. That compares with a 20 percent drop in crop area
to 7.43 million hectares on July 10.
"Rains have improved in the last one week and there seems
to be no shortage in sowing of paddy," Pawar told reporters.
The monsoon is the main source of irrigation water for the
nation´s 235 million farmers as more than half the crop land
isn´t irrigated. Sowing begins in June and ends mostly by July.
An El Nino that´s forming over the Pacific Ocean may not
impact the June-September rains, Pai said. The weather event,
which occurs about every four to seven years, causes dry weather
conditions in many Asian countries.
"By the time the El Nino phenomenon peaks, a better part
of the monsoon would have been over," he said. "It may impact
the last leg of the rains in September."
India got below normal rains in 15 of the 36 El Nino years
it had in the 1875-2008 period, the weather office said June 24.
Showers this season may be below normal, or 93 percent of
the long-period mean of 89 centimeters (35 inches), the bureau
said last month. In April, it forecast rains to be near normal.
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Kutty Abraham in Mumbai at tabraham4@bloomberg.net.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aEwjnzeLyJVg
And see this:
Monsoon picks up; govt says no need to panic
Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:57pm IST
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By Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajesh Kumar Singh
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has a contingency plan if annual
monsoon rains remain below normal and there is no need panic, the
finance minister said on Wednesday.
India has suffered the worst start to the vital monsoon in eight
decades, raising fears of a drought in a country where only 40 percent
of farmland is irrigated.
But the rains have picked up from a shortfall of 34 percent of the
long-term average in the June 1-July 9 period, to 29 percent between
June 1 and July 14, weather officials told Reuters.
The weather office on Wednesday forecast rains in key cotton, rice
and soy regions, including widespread precipitation in the next 48
hours in central India, boosting the soybean crop.
"There has been some concern on the progress of the monsoon. As I
mentioned earlier, the government is monitoring the situation," Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament.
India was ready to implement a contingency plan, he said, but did not elaborate.
"At the same time I would not like to press the panic button," he added.
Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed 15 people
in Orissa, but in Assam and Manipur authorities have declared droughts
after scant rain. Continued...http://in.reuters.com/article/specialEvents1/idINIndia-41056020090715
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top leaders, as part of
her visit to the country.
Indian relations with Pakistan are thought to be high on the agenda, along with education and technology.
The countries are also expected to sign deals on arms sales and the building of US-funded nuclear plants.
Correspondents say the visit aims to show the US is committed to broadening its ties with Delhi.
Addressing
students at Delhi University ahead of the talks, Mrs Clinton said the
US wanted to "deepen our strategic understanding" with India and find
more common ground.
As well as Mr Singh, Mrs Clinton has held talks with the leader of the opposition, Lal Krishna Advani.
Drought
threat is looming large over north India. Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir have received only
half the normal amount of rain that they get by this time of the
year..Though hard data on the India economy continues to improve,
uncertainty over the monsoons is weighing on sentiment!
As
per the latest report released by the Indian Meteorological Department
(IMD), the cumulative seasonal rainfall for the country as a whole from
1 June to 9July was 34% below the long period average (LPA) - if
rainfall is below 10% of the LPA it constitutes a drought.
More importantly, the distribution remains highly skewed, with the north-west region of the country being the worst hit.
Specifically,
the important crop-producing states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand,
Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat
region have witnessed rainfall deficiency of 60% or more.
If
the situation does not improve, it will have an impact on agricultural
growth, economic activity, fiscal deficit, inflation, and overall
market sentiment. We have analyzed the impact of such events in the
past to better understand the probable effect on the economy should the
monsoons turn out to be detrimental.
In the event of a
drought, adverse impact on growth and inflation is inevitable. But the
effects should be relatively less severe than in prior years
A drought in India's major tea growing region has led to a dramatic
fall in production during the first quarter of the year, industry
officials said Sunday.
Tea growers in the northeastern state of Assam say they produced
12,000-15,000 tons less tea in the first quarter than in the same
period last year because of insufficient rain, said Dhiraj Kakati, head
of the Assam Branch Indian Tea Association.
Assam and neighboring states account for more than 70 percent of the
more than 1 million tons produced by India's $1.5 billion tea industry.
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says that publicly Mrs Clinton
has insisted that what Pakistan and India do is completely up to them.
However,
he says that everyone in Delhi is clear that it was pressure from
Washington that pushed the countries to hold talks in Egypt last week.
Pakistan-India
relations dominated Mrs Clinton's visit to Mumbai on Saturday, in the
wake of attacks on the city last November that left more than 170
people dead.
India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the
attack. Much of the US focus in the region has been on countering
militancy in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
India's junior foreign minister, Shashi Tharoor, told the BBC that Delhi and Washington shared similar concerns on security.
"We
believe that terrorism of any stripe needs to be tackled firmly and we
believe Washington is on the same page as us," he said.
BBC reports:
Climate disagreements
Mrs Clinton is spending three full days in India. She departs on Tuesday.
On
Sunday, talks in Delhi focused on climate change, which remains a
sensitive subject for developing countries such as India and China,
which have so far refused to commit to carbon emissions cuts in a new
treaty.
Ms Clinton has also met opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani
Mrs Clinton also sought to assure India the US would not try to impose conditions that might affect India's economic growth.
But Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said his government could not accept targets that would limit economic growth.
India argues the US must do more as it has been historically to blame for the emissions.
Mrs Clinton later told reporters she was optimistic a deal on climate change could be reached.
The
key date for climate change is December - when a summit in Copenhagen
will look to forge a new international treaty that will replace the
Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Meanwhile,Activists of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI)
held a
demonstration in the national capital, on Wednesday over irregularities
in the distribution of Below Poverty Line (BPL) social security
cards.Scores of SUCI activists marched to Delhi state secretariat,
raising
slogans against the government, alleging that Delhi government is
laidback in issuing BPL cards.
"Today our main demand is that people of this (Delhi) region that
are living Below Poverty Line (BPL) have not yet received BPL cards.
Many people have applied for these cards but so many years have passed
and they are yet to receive BPL cards," said Pratap Samal, State
Secretary of SUCI.
"People who have given cards for renewal have not received them back," Samal added.
Meanwhile, a member of parliament belonging to SUCI alleged that BPL
cards are being issued to people living above poverty line, which is a
gross misuse of the facility.
"Taking the Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards there are lots of delay
dealings, there are lots of corruption and there are nepotism. Those
parties who are in power either in the state or the central government
they are using these BPL cards for Above Poverty Line (APL)." said a
member of parliament of SUCI.
"The real people are not getting the BPL facilities," the member added.BPL cardholders are entitled to get subsidised food grains from the government.
Standard Chartered Bank has said that the country's growth this fiscal could dip to 6 per cent in the case of a drought but the
government's fiscal measures should prevent it from falling further.
"...growth could dip to below 6 per cent (we forecast 6.4 per cent for
FY'10) in the event of a drought, support from fiscal measures should
prevent it from falling more dramatically," Standard Chartered Bank said in a report.
It further said that a slowdown in personal consumption expenditure,
which contributed 55 per cent of overall GDP in the last fiscal, is
inevitable, should the rains fail, as the agriculture sector employs 52
per cent of the total labour force.
It added that drought would also have an adverse effect on the industrial sector.
As per the latest report released by the Indian Meteorological
Department (IMD), the cumulative seasonal rainfall for the country as a
whole from June 1 to July 9 was 34 per cent below the long period
average (LPA). A rainfall below 10 per cent of the LPA constitutes a
drought, the report said.
Recently, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE),an economic
think-tank, has revised down India's growth forecast to 5.8 per cent in
the current fiscal on account of lower agricultural output and slower
industrial recovery due to the poor progress of monsoon.
Tackle climate change now: Scientists
As leaders of the world's
13 major countries prepare to meet at the G8+5 summit in Italy this week, 24
leading scientists from these
countries have appealed to them to take immediate
action to combat climate change.
"We come together to call on our
government leaders to recognise both the unacceptable risks that climate change
creates for our societies, and the unprecedented opportunities a clean energy,
low-carbon transition creates for our economies," the scientists said in a joint
appeal.
The appeal appeared as an advertisement in the International
Herald Tribune newspaper Tuesday. The scientists asked the leaders of the
industrialised eight and developing five countries to take five specific steps
at their summit this week:
* Recognise that present global warming of 0.8 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels is already having a
significant impact, and that warming exceeding 2 degrees Celsius predicted for
later this century would create great risks and have irreversible consequences.
* Commit to peak global greenhouse gas emissions by no later than
2020 and reduce these by at least 50 percent relative to 1990 levels by 2050.
* For developed countries, commit to emissions reductions of at
least 80 percent relative to 1990 by 2050 with appropriate intermediate targets
set in time for Copenhagen (the next climate summit scheduled this December).
* For developing countries, commit by Copenhagen summit to
significant gains in energy efficiency, reductions in carbon intensity, and cuts
in non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades; this
should be designed to support sustainable development and to lead to substantial
reduction from business-as-usual emissions.
* Recognise that the
impacts of existing changes in climate are primarily due to past emissions by
developed nations, and that unless the burden of poverty in developing nations
is alleviated by significant financial support for mitigation, adaptation, and
the reduction of deforestation, that ability of developing countries to pursue
sustainable development is likely to diminish, to the economic and environmental
detriment of all.
The scientists who signed the appeal included:
Kamal Bawa of the University of Massachusetts in the US; Kirit and Jyoti Parikh
of the Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research in Mumbai; Martin Parry
of the Imperial College in London and a former lead author of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Robert Costanza of the University of
Vermont (US); Hironori Hamanaka of Keio University (Japan); John Houghton of the
British Meteorological Office; Gordon McBean of the Royal Society of Canada;
Anthony J. McMichael of the Australian National University; Stefan Rahmstorf of
the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Germany); and Henning Rodhe
of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
They said: "The world is
looking to the MEF leaders to act on this challenge and to seize this immense
opportunity. The time for bold leadership is now."
Globalist Perspective > Global Diplomacy
Time to Reset U.S.-India Relations
By W. Pal Sidhu | Monday, July 20, 2009
With
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concluding her visit to India
today, the EastWest Institute´s W. Pal Sidhu examines creative ways in
which the two countries can build on the successful civilian nuclear
deal. Security and counter-terrorism continue to be important, he
argues, but Afghanistan´s development may prove to be a key issue as
well.
illary
Clinton's first visit to India as U.S. Secretary of State, within the
first six months of the Obama Administration, is significant for
several reasons.
First, it is the clearest indication that the new U.S.
administration is committed to building and expanding on the
relationship established by the previous administrations, especially
that of George W. Bush.
The
visit by National Security Adviser General Jim Jones in late June was
another indication of the growing strategic ties between the world´s
oldest and largest democracies.
Second, given Clinton´s own political gravitas in the United
States - especially her historic presidential run and her reputation as
an avid supporter and friend of India - this messenger is more
important than the message she will bring.
Even her itinerary, which deliberately (if somewhat
inconveniently and artificially) leaves out Pakistan, is perhaps
reflective of the efforts being made to "de-hyphenate" the
India-Pakistan relationship and focus on India alone. Clearly, this
administration is determined to "reset" U.S.-India relations at a
higher plane.
The significance of the Clinton visit notwithstanding, she is
not the first senior member of the Obama Administration to visit India.
In fact, she is also not the second. Leon Panetta made history of sorts
when he became the first CIA chief to visit India in his first outing
in March. This visit was clearly prompted by the terrorist events in
Mumbai last November and the realization in Washington that the
atrocities that were committed in India could be exported to the United
States.
The visit led to an unprecedented level of intelligence
cooperation. Similarly, the visit by National Security Adviser General
Jim Jones in late June and his discussions on Iran, energy and defense
ties was another indication of the growing strategic ties between the
world´s oldest and largest democracies.
The Clinton visit will undoubtedly continue this promising trend
in Indo-U.S. ties, which is being built on the initiatives taken during
the eight previous years of the Bush Administration. Indeed, the
crowning glory of the bilateral strategic partnership was the
controversial India-U.S. civilian nuclear cooperation agreement - which
succeeded despite the fact that it nearly brought down the previous
government in New Delhi and remains unpopular in many corners of
Washington, D.C.
The
Clinton visit will undoubtedly continue the promising trend in
Indo-U.S. ties, which is being built on the initiatives taken during
the eight previous years of the Bush Administration.
Unlike the Bush Administration, which was ideologically driven
and dominated by neo-conservatives, the Obama Administration will not
rebuild fences where they already exist. But it will probably give them
a fresh coat of paint.
Even before the Clinton visit, it was apparent that the new
pragmatism in Washington will not "reset" the Indo-U.S. relations to a
pre-Bush era.
For instance, Phil Gordon of the Brookings Institution and a
nominee for a senior State Department position notes: "In an ideal
world, rejection of the nuclear deal would preserve the sanctity of the
nuclear non-proliferation regime... In the world we live in, however, it
would do little to prevent non-proliferation and significantly harm
India, the United States and their ability to do good things together."
Similarly, Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy for South Asia,
has at the insistence of New Delhi dropped the Kashmir issue from his
portfolio. Although this might be to the detriment of India in the long
run, he is now solely focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
This pragmatism notwithstanding, there is a need to reset some
aspects of the Indo-U.S. relationship so that the world´s two biggest
democracies can do good things together. First, the relationship should
go beyond just the nuclear agreement - otherwise there is a real
concern that it may become uni-dimensional.
This could be done by looking for greater cooperation on new
security issues such as cyber-security (given the vulnerability of the
Indian software industry to cyber attacks), climate change (akin to the
green partnership being considered between China and the United States)
and maritime security (especially protecting the trade routes against
piracy).
On cyber-security, India and the United States could work
closely with each other, and perhaps Russia and China as well. The
nations need to develop at least some basic norms and a common lexicon
to ensure the presence of clear red lines - so as to avoid an
inadvertent lapse into cyber-warfare.
The Obama Administration will not rebuild fences where they already exist. But it will probably give them a fresh coat of paint.
Similarly, climate change has the potential to become a divisive
issue if not addressed cooperatively. This is certainly the Chinese
perspective, which has led them to work with the United States on
building a "green partnership."
In addition, although India and the United States have had some
maritime cooperation (evident in the joint tsunami rescue operations),
there is potential for greater cooperation - especially in anti-piracy
operations.
Finally, perhaps for the first time, Washington and New Delhi
share the same deep anxiety about counter-terrorism, Pakistan and
Afghanistan. They should explore the possibility of positive engagement
in these spheres of mutual concern.
In the counter-terrorism sphere, India and the United States
should build on the cooperation between the Indian intelligence
agencies and the CIA. After all, this led to the first-ever public
admission by Pakistan of the role of their nationals in one of the most
dramatic incidents on Indian soil. In a similar vein, India should also
seek greater coordination and cooperation of its role in Afghanistan in
the context of U.S.-led operations.
This does not necessarily mean military cooperation (although it
might be in India´s interest to work closely with the United States and
NATO-led International Security Assistance Force), but it could mean
integrating New Delhi´s impressive Afghanistan assistance program with
that of other key countries operating in Afghanistan.
The Indian model of development assistance in Afghanistan has
been widely praised and should be promoted as new initiatives are
launched in Afghanistan.
The Clinton visit provides a promising opportunity to widen and
deepen the strategic Indo-U.S. relations. However, unless the new
Congress-led government in New Delhi is more pragmatic and imaginative,
it could be that Indo-U.S. relations will wear the same old coat of
paint.http://www.theglobalist.com/storyid.aspx?StoryId=7885
* Views
*
A revival of the nuclear issue?
Hillary Clinton´s visit to India is an opportunity to clarify the US´ position on India´s nuclear programme
Arundhati Ghose
US
secretary of state Hillary Clinton is in town today, with the stated
purpose of consolidating and pushing further the new directions in
Indo-US strategic and economic relations, created over the last
half-decade. On her agenda, she has indicated priority to both global
and bilateral relations. At the global level are climate change and
non-proliferation, and there are several issues at the bilateral level,
including the "operationalization" of the iconic Indo-US civilian
nuclear agreement. India, too, is bound to have its own agenda. In an
otherwise fairly upbeat scenario, a small and abstruse element in
bilateral nuclear relations has thrust itself to the forefront.
Photo: Haraz N Ghanbari / AP
The normally sober Hindu reported that at the recently concluded Group of Eight, or G-8, summit
in Italy, the G-8 countries had "blocked `full´ nuclear trade with
India" and had imposed a "ban on ENR (enrichment and reprocessing)
sales" to India. The relevant part of this G-8 declaration reads:
"While noting that the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) has not yet
reached consensus on this issue, we agree that the NSG discussions have
yielded useful and constructive proposals contained in the NSG´s clean
text developed at the November 20, 2008 consultative group meeting.
Pending completion of work in the NSG, we agree to implement the text
on a national basis in the next year." The "clean text" referred to is
not a public document, and it is somewhat confusing that TheHindu relied
on a comment by an unnamed diplomat from a G-8 country that
non-membership of NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty) was an agreed
criterion for restrictions on ENR transfers should have led to such a
conclusion. Nonetheless, the issue has raised concerns both in the
public mind and in Parliament. It is clear, though, that G-8 does not
refer to India or NPT, nor does it refer to a ban on exports to India.
The civilian nuclear deal was meant to remove the nuclear thorn in the side of Indo-US relations
There
is, however, agreement in NSG that the transfers of technology and
material related to ENR by those who possess them should be
restricted-it is clear from the beginning of the paragraph that the
context in which the increased restrictions are being considered is the
so-called nuclear "renaissance". What is not agreed is to whom these
should not be exported. It has been agreed that a criteria-based
approach should be used to identify those who are to be denied these
technologies and materials, but there is no agreement on what those
criteria should be. Certainly, the inclusion of countries which are not
members of NPT-a so-called "objective" criterion-is on the table,
proposed by the US, but so are other criteria, such as countries that
do not already possess such technologies, countries in volatile areas,
countries that have not signed an additional protocol with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), countries that are not of
good standing (a "subjective" criterion) and so on. There is no
agreement to date in NSG, which works by consensus.
For the
sake of clarification for the general reader, ENR technologies could
enable countries to produce nuclear weapons, through uranium enriched
beyond 95% and plutonium reprocessed from spent fuel from nuclear power
reactors. India already has both technologies, though access to global
technologies may help in upgrading facilities-should that be required
in the future.
On 4 September, while NSG was debating the
issue of restricting transfers of ENR technologies and materials, NSG
agreed to "exceptionalize" India and waived the guidelines that had
restricted global civilian nuclear cooperation with India. India, in
return, had made certain non-proliferation commitments-such as
continuing the moratorium on testing and support for the objectives of
non-proliferation. The question that has been raised is whether the G-8
exhortation- which in itself is non-specific and certainly not aimed at
India- would lead to a formulation in NSG which, in effect, would open
up the waiver of September 2008.
The Prime Minister has
clarified that France, a member of G-8, has assured him of "full"
civilian nuclear cooperation; the finance minister has relied on the
acceptance by IAEA and NSG of India´s "exceptionalization". Is it
likely that those countries which have individually and formally
informed IAEA of the change in their laws following the NSG waiver of
September last would change their laws again-against India? Perhaps.
But would the criterion of non-NPT membership contribute to the goal of
non-proliferation at a time of nuclear renaissance? There are only four
countries that are not members of NPT-Israel, India, Pakistan and North
Korea. And all are known to be nuclear-armed; therefore, all possess
ENR technology. The only purpose to include such a criterion would be
to try and pressure these countries to join NPT.
Those who
are today wary of the non-proliferation policies of the new Obama
administration may be justified if the linkage to NPT is the case. The
Indo-US nuclear agreement was meant to remove the nuclear thorn in the
side of Indo-US relations. Even if this issue is not on the agenda of
secretary of state Clinton, the opportunity should not be missed to
clarify issues rather than permit a potential irritant to fester.
Arundhati Ghose is former ambassador to the UN Conference on Disarmament. Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com
http://www.livemint.com/2009/07/19211810/A-revival-of-the-nuclear-issue.html?h=B
Bed here, bite there
ANANYA SENGUPTA
A jawan outside Hillary´s Delhi hotel. (PTI)
New Delhi, July 19: Below
the radar of policy wonks scanning the horizon for even a minute shift
in Indo-US ties, a "strategic relationship" has changed without much
fanfare.
Hillary
Clinton is staying in the capital at Taj Palace Hotel, not at ITC
Maurya that had hosted her husband Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea
during the charm-charged visit in 2000 when the then US First Lady
could not accompany her family.
For
some years, the Maurya had been a favourite of the Americans: it also
hosted Bill Clinton´s successor George W. Bush in 2006 and Hillary´s
one-time predecessor in the state department, Colin Powell.
This
time, the pendulum has swung towards the Taj. The hotels are situated
adjacent to each other in the diplomatic enclave in central Delhi - so
location could not have been much of a deciding factor.
The
card rate - the actual tariff could be lower - for the most expensive
suite at the Maurya is Rs 2,90,000 a night, while the Taj´s top slot
goes for Rs 1 lakh, according to their official websites.
American-baiters may not miss the opportunity to draw attention to the
recession and cite the change of hotels as an instance of the
superpower´s newfound austerity.
Officials
from both hotels declined comment. But a source pointed out that
Hillary had started out in Mumbai by staying at the Taj to express
solidarity with the victims of the 26/11 terror strikes and she may
have wanted to stay on the same course in Delhi, too.
Hillary
enjoys a good rapport with Ratan Tata, whose Indian Hotels runs the Taj
group of hotels. The two had interacted closely when Hillary was New
York Senator and Tata headed the Indo-US CEO Forum. The head of the
Tata corporate office in the US, David Good, has also had a long
association with the American foreign service.
But
all´s not lost for the Maurya. Hillary today turned up at the Bukhara,
a restaurant at the Maurya, for dinner and sat at the same table (No.
64) made famous by her husband.
Bukhara
was so taken in by the charm of the then most powerful man in the world
that its menu has a Presidential Platter named in Bill Clinton´s honour
and a Chelsea Platter.
Hillary
did not let Bill down tonight, opting for the Presidential Platter: dal
Bukhara, paneer tikka, murgh malai kebab, sikandari rann, seekh kebab
and mixed raita. For dessert, she chose kulfi and ras malai.
Asked
whether a platter would be named after Hillary, too, a hotel employee
refused to comment. But he added: "It´s a pity she isn´t staying here.
But the table is always ready for her."
One
occupant at the Maurya may have stoked Hillary´s interest. Foreign
minister S.M. Krishna, whose official bungalow has been allocated but
is not yet ready, has been mostly staying at an apartment in the Maurya
complex. Hillary is scheduled to meet Krishna tomorrow. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090720/jsp/frontpage/story_11258718.jsp
Lawyers perplexed at Kasab's dramatic confession
Mumbai (PTI) The dramatic confession of
the lone surviving gunman Abdul Kasab admitting his crime in the Mumbai
terror attacks triggered a collective gasp in the court room and left
lawyers perplexed raising questions whether it was voluntary or a ploy.
Ujwal Nikam, the Special Public
Prosecutor in the high-voltage case, admitted he was "surprised" at the
"unexpected" confession for the first time in the court hailing it as
as a big victory for the prosecution.
He said Kasab(21) may have realised
that the "cat is out of the bag" after 134 witnesses gave evidence
against him since the trial began in April.
But another criminal lawyer Satish
Manishinde counselled caution saying it should be known whether the
"belated" confession was voluntary and whether he was coerced or got
any instructions even though there was "clinching evidence to his
involvement.
The action of the Pakistani national
pleading guilty on the 65th day of his trial in the high security
Arthur road prison left those in the special court shocked.
And Judge M.L. Tahiliyani, who was
apparently taken aback, called lawyers from both sides to figure out
the significance of Kasab's statement.
"We are surprised that Kasab has abruptly taken this stand (of confessing to involvement in 26/11 attacks)," Nikam said.
"Everybody in the court was shocked the
moment he said he accepts his crime. It was unexpected," he said,
adding," We are minutely assessing what he admitted in court," he said.
Harish Salve, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, said it is not clear if Kasab confessed voluntarily.
"I hope it is not a ploy and he doesn't come the day after and give it another twist,"he said.
Policemen claim Kasab's confession reveals 'Pak's role'
Mumbai (PTI) Policemen, who were in the
team that arrested Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai
attack, on Monday said his confession to the crime was a "smart act"
after being cornered and exposed Pakistan's hand.
N R Mali, Senior Inspector D B Marg
police station (who was also instrumental in arresting Kasab) said,
"Kasab should have confessed long back..Now after two months into the
trial he realised that everything is going against him and that he is
in trouble..so he smartly confessed..."
"Kasab's confession has revealed
Pakistan before the whole world..," said Sanjay Govilkar, Assistant
police inspector D B Marg police station who was injured while
arresting Kasab at Girgaum Chowpatty said.
Govilkar said, "The moment we arrested
Kasab, he acted as if he was unconscious and when he was admitted to
the hospital he started speaking...this clearly shows the training he
has undergone as to how to trick police officials. I am hoping that
Kasab is hanged to death thus briging justice to Tukaram Ombale who
fell victim to Kasab's bullets and other victims."
Govilkar, who was injured near his wais
when one of Kasab's bullets scraped through him, added, "I managed to
escape death by a whisker..if that bullet had pierced through me then
after Ombale it would have been my turn."
Kasab's confession proves need for GUJCOC, MCOCA-like laws: BJP
New Delhi (PTI) Claiming that the
confession of key accused Ajmal Kasab in Mumbai attack trial was a
"success" for MCOCA which was invoked against him, the BJP on Monday
said it should convince UPA government to give its consent to a similar
anti-terror bill passed by Gujarat.
"Kasab's confession is a step forward.
MCOCA was imposed on him due to the deficiency of earlier laws.... This
is the success of MCOCA," Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha
Sushma Swaraj said.
Pitching for passing of anti-terror
bills patterned on Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA)
and the scrapped POTA passed by BJP-led state governments, Swaraj said
the UPA government should now give its assent to them.
GUJCOC, the anti-terror bill passed by
the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat which makes confession made
before a police officer admissible in a court of law, has been rejected
twice by the Centre despite being passed by the state government.
Mr. Modi has pledged to pass GUJCOC again and send it to the Centre for its assent.
Anti-terror bills formulated on the lines of GUJCOC by other BJP governments have also failed to get the Centre's nod.
MS, Clinton tie-up offers free GHG on-line tool for cities
Washington (PTI) As US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton tries to rope in India in combating climate
change, Microsoft has teamed up with her husband's NGO to create a free
on-line tool for global cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, to monitor
their greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.
Microsoft, the global software firm,
has created the online carbon accounting tool called 'Project 2
Degrees' for cities across the world to monitor their GHG emissions and
open up an area for enterprise software companies to provide the best
tools for the job.
Cities account for only two per cent of
the world's land mass but produce up to 75 per cent of worldwide
greenhouse gas emissions, so they became the focus for 'Project 2
Degrees' that is a collaboration with software designers Autodesk and
the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), a programme launched by former US
President Bill Clinton.
"This is a long journey for our
governments, be they local or national, but we could have the biggest
impact by working with local governments as they have the ability to
measure what's happening locally in terms of greenhouse gas emissions
and to have an effect on the local economy and the local environment
first," Matt Miszewski, Microsoft's general manager for Worldwide
E-government, said.
Oil Ministry not to let RIL off hook for MoU with ADAG
New Delhi (PTI) The government has not
let Reliance Industries off the hook for signing a private MoU with a
firm run by Anil Ambani Group to divide entire gas volumes from KG
basin fields, thus holding industrial development to ransom, the
Petroleum Ministry said on Monday.
"We for the first time got to know from
the Bombay High Court judgment (of last month) that all volumes beyond
28 mmscmd committed to (Anil Ambani's) RNRL and 12 mmscmd to NTPC were
divided between RIL and RNRL in 60:40 ratio," Petroleum Secretary R.S.
Pandey told reporters here.
Peak gas out from KG-D6 fields may be 100-120 million standard cubic meters per day.
"The MoU also states that they are free
to price the volumes beyond those locked in litigations. So
practically, RIL may transfer KG-D6 gas for use in its refineries and
petrochemical plants at USD 1 per mmBtu," he said.
Other industries will be dependent on
the mercy of RIL and RNRL to get the scarce fuel, he said, adding that
the government filed a petition in Supreme Court to get the MoU
declared null and void to prevent such appropriation of natural
resource through private agreements.
"We have so far not taken any action
against RIL as it has so far not done anything in contravention to the
gas pricing and utilisation policy as derived from Production Sharing
Contract," Mr. Pandey said. "I cannot today say that no action will be
taken."
Media picks up sensational issues, not real ones: CBI chief
New Delhi (PTI) CBI Director Ashwani
Kumar on Monday took a dig at the media saying it was only giving
prominence to sensational issues.
Mr. Kumar, some of whose decisions had come under attack, had a word of advice on 'investigative journalism'.
"A serious journalist will try to
understand the whole scheme of things and then he will arrive at his
opinion based on objective inputs. As it is, it runs counter to
investigative journalism...(sic) Even national dailies are not free
from this malaise."
Mr. Kumar said dependence on advertisements has led to compromising commitment of professional mediapersons.
The media establishments are dependent
on advertisements and this tendency, particularly in TV channels, is
compromising the commitment of professional mediapersons.
"As professional media managers, you
(reporters) can cherish the values of propriety and balanced writing in
exposing corruption in India. You should stand resolutely against any
blockade in the area of professionalism in media," he said in an
interaction with journalists at the CBI headquarters here.
India isn't under obligation to take emission cut target: Govt.
New Delhi (PTI) India is not under any
obligation to take any emission reduction target and has asked
developed nations to go for deep and ambitious carbon cut for the
second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol commencing 2013, Rajya
Sabha was informed on Monday.
"There is no obligation for India under
the provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC)
and its Kyoto Protocol to take any emission reduction target,"
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in a written reply.
On the other hand, he added, "India has
urged developed nations to take deep and ambitious emission reduction
targets for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol starting
from 2013."
The Minister said the government was
committed to implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change
(NAPCC) envisaging eight national missions in specific areas and
several other initiatives that will have co-benefits in terms of global
warming.
"The documents in respect of the
national missions are at various stages of finalisation and will be
implemented after approval of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate
Change," he further added.
'Annual mean temperature for country has risen by .52 degrees'
New Delhi (PTI) Annual mean temperature
for the country as a whole has risen by .52 degree celsius in the past
107 years since 1901, according to a data analysis by the Met
department, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
In his reply to a written question in
the Upper House, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, "the analysis
of data for the period 1901-2008 by Meteorological Department suggests
that annual mean temperature for the country as a whole has risen by
.52 degree celsius over the period."
Mr. Ramesh said the concentration of
Green House Gas (GHG) in the atmosphere was leading to global warming
and that spatial pattern of trends in the mean annual temperature show
significant positive (increasing) trend over most parts of the country.
However, in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar significant negative (decreasing) trends were observed, the minister added.
Regarding the melting of glaciers, he
said as per Geological Survey of India, the majority of Himalayan
glaciers were receding at varying rates during the twentieth century.
However, he added, "Recession of
glaciers is a complex phenomenon ... Thus it is not possible to specify
the role played by the rise in temperature alone in this shrinkages."
The receding of glaciers may lead to
reduction in their ice reserves, besides changes in the river
hydrology, enhanced silt and debris production, ecological disturbances
and rise in sea level, Mr Ramesh said.
Kalam wants India to adopt Bangladesh's Grameen Bank model
Dhaka (IANS): Inspired by Bangladesh's
Grameen Bank endeavour, former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has
mooted a separate Indian law for micro credit in rural areas, a media
report here said Monday.
Responding to Dr. Kalam, who is on a
three-day visit here, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus Sunday said that
Grameen Bank would be delighted to help in any effort to set up micro
credit programmes in India and is already involved in such an effort in
Kerala.
Yunus presented Dr. Kalam the Hindi translation of his book Banker of the Poorduring his visit to the Grameen Bank, the Daily Star reported.
India's first technocrat president, who
held office from 2002 to 2007, also mooted joint research and
development, using modern technology, of jute -- the "golden fibre"
common to Bangladesh and India. Its production has steadily declined in
recent years.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday hosted a dinner in Kalam's honour.
Dr. Kalam's itinerary here includes visiting Dhaka University and the historic Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. Dr. Kalam, along with President Zillur
Rahman, will Monday attend the first convocation of the University of
Information Technology and Sciences (UITS).
Krishna to attend ARF meet in Thailand tomorrow
New Delhi (PTI) With terrorist threats
spanning across the globe, the ASEAN Regional Forum, to be attended by
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in Thailand, will come out with
a work plan to tackle the threat.
The two-day meeting in Phuket is also expected to discuss global economic crisis and food and energy security.
Progress on the negotiations for Free
Trade Agreement between India and ASEAN is also expected to be reviewed
during the three-day visit of Krishna beginning Monday.
The Work Plan is aimed at committing
the 26 member countries to make efforts towards concrete,
capacity-building efforts, technical support and information exchange.
The meeting will also discuss other
global and regional challenges like food and energy security, climate
change, regional security, nuclear non-proliferation, disaster
management and prevention and control of pandemic diseases.
The ARF meet will issue a Vision Statement, outlining the roadmap to give a fillip to cooperation among the member countries.
The ministerial meeting of the ASEAN and ARF will set the agenda for the Summit to be held in Thailand in October.
Congress refuses to comment on India, Pak's joint statement
New Delhi (PTI) The Congress on Monday
refused to comment on the joint statement of India and Pakistan in
Egypt, saying the party had nothing to add to the two statements of
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, including one on the floor of the House.
Replying to a volley of questions on
whether the joint statement negated what India had been standing for
and whether the party endorsed it, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi
said, "if you need any further clarification, go to Government of
India".
He said the PM's statement leaves no scope for any doubt.
Mr. Singhvi also parried questions on
Leader of Opposition L K Advani's criticism of the joint statement
saying such statements came even during the Indo-US nuclear deal.
"There are objectives he has been using...They don't deserve to be answered," he added.
To a query about the proposed rath
yatra of Mr. Advani, Mr. Singhvi said he wished him "happy journey" but
added that the country was in turmoil when similar yatra was undertaken
earlier.
Tapioca kept for sale in a street in Kochi. It is as a nutritious
food substitute, and in animal feed formulation, production of starch,
sago and commodity chemicals like citric acid and high fructose syrup.
Photo: K.K. Mustafah.
Photo Gallery
Cane output may fall 17 million tonnes below demand by 2012
New Delhi (PTI): India's sugarcane production is projected to fall
short of the demand by 17 million tonnes at the end of this Plan period
(2007-2012) from a surplus supply of 14 million tonnes now, as per the
Planning Commission.The country is ... More
Chilli, turmeric rises on tight supply
New Delhi (PTI): Red chilli and turmeric prices rose up to Rs 200 per
quintal in the national capital on Monday on fall in supplies from
producing belts amid fresh buying support from local parties and
stockists.Red chilli prices were up by Rs ... More
Copra, dry dates up on fresh buying
New Delhi (PTI): Copra and dry dates price rose by Rs 100 per quintal
in the national capital on Monday on the back of buying by retailers
and stockists due to festive demand.Fall in supplies from producing
Southern region also supported the rise ... More
Agriculture Ministry advising farmers on sowing Pepper futures price improve on fresh buying Cardamom strengthens on pick up in spot demand Jeera future prices up on short-covering Almond extends gains as demand rises PEC invites bids for import of pulses `Cultivate different crops without fertilisers'
From The Times
July 16, 2009
Indian food and power shortages loom as monsoon arrival is latest in 80 years
Rhys Blakely in Delhi
Recommend? (6)
India is looking anxiously to the skies as the worst start to the
monsoon in 80 years raises fears of food shortages, power cuts and
riots.
In Bhopal a young couple and their son were beaten and stabbed to
death yesterday, allegedly after a dispute with their neighbours over
water in the drought-stricken city.
In the surrounding state of Madhya Pradesh water tankers were under
police guard as they visited areas where normal drinking supplies have
been exhausted for weeks.
"Street brawls are happening as the water supplies are coming in.
It´s hot; tempers are short; people are thirsty and frustrated," said
Indira Khurana, of WaterAid India.
Related Links
* India's imperfect storms
* Scientists seeks to bring on Indian monsoon
The monsoon´s prolonged tropical downpours, which account for 80 per
cent of India´s annual rainfall, should have started early last month
but have only just begun. The delayed onset of the rainy season has
pushed back the planting of staples such as rice and grain after a
scorching June, in which temperatures in the northwest hovered 6-7C
above historical averages, and led to vegetable crops and paddy
nurseries withering in the sun.
While food prices have risen, the stock market in Mumbai has
plummeted. Last week it suffered its worst falls since October over
fears that a failed monsoon could ruin the livelihood of millions of
poor consumers.
Economists now fear that the vagaries of the weather could wreck a
national economy that has weathered the financial storms of the global
credit crisis relatively unscathed.
State governments in the central region of Jharkhand and the north
eastern region of Manipur have already declared droughts - a highly
unusual step so early in the growing season. Assam, also in the
northeast, which produces tea and rice, said 14 of its 28 districts are
suffering drought.
In Punjab, the northern region known as the bread basket of India,
rainfall has been less than half the historical average. Across the
country as a whole it is about 30 per cent below normal. The Government
banned wheat exports from the country this week, over concerns that a
poor harvest will lead to shortages and price increases.
The looming crisis has emphasised just how dependent India remains
on the monsoon - even to keep the lights on. The country relies on
hydroelectric generation for about a quarter of its power output. With
electricity being diverted to irrigate crops, vast areas face blackouts.
Meanwhile, most of the 800 million Indians who rely on agriculture
for their living are hanging on the weather man´s every word. Here, at
least, the latest news is comforting, with the heavy rains that have
descended on much of the country in the past few days forecast to
continue.
Indians pray that now the rains have started they will continue.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6715468.ece
India Inc's rain hopes
NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 (New Delhi)
The
monsoon is still to reach the optimum levels in many parts of the
country, raising fears of even a drought. But is the situation that bad
or is there still some hope left?
A
seventy per cent of Indians are farmers, dependent on the monsoon and
their livelihood now hangs in balance, thanks to large parts of the
country getting poor rainfall. There is already fear in the markets and
the government is treading softly, but are the concerns justified?
According
to the Metereological department, June saw 55 per cent less than normal
rains, but July made up with 95 per cent rainfall in the first week,
which means late sowing is possible and reservoirs are filling up.
BP
Yadav, director of IMD, said, "There was a 54 per cent deficiency
earlier that has come down to 32 per cent, which means an improvement
of 20 per cent and it has come mainly from South India and Central
India. The rains have been enough in quantity and distribution but
northwest areas still remain a concern."
While industries related to agriculture have cause for concern, some players feel they can weather the storm.
Vivek
Saraogi, MD of Balrampur Chini Mills, said, "The cane is a crop that
does not require rainfall equal to something like paddy. I don´t think
there is going to be too much of a dip in production.
HM
Bangur, MD of Shree Cement, said, " The monsoon is good. It was delayed
but we do not think that it is going to effect much."
However, India Inc´s confidence may be a little misplaced. Manipur has
declared a drought and so have parts of Jharkhand and if the situation
does not improve soon, India could be facing a long summer of
discontent.http://profit.ndtv.com/2009/07/14230452/India-Incs-rain-hopes.html
* Posted: Wed, Jul 15 2009. 10:32 PM IST
*
* Economy and Politics
*
Opposition wants Centre to declare drought
The
opposition has demanded that the government call a meeting of chief
ministers, leaders of all political parties and experts to chalk out
strategies to deal with the foodgrain scarcity
Liz Mathew
New
delhi: Even as the government maintained that the monsoon is likely to
get stronger over the next few weeks, the Opposition on Wednesday
demanded the Centre to declare a drought in the country and offer
financial assistance to farmers who are dependent on the monsoon.
A
senior minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government
admitted that the monsoon situation in the north-west is "worrying" and
that the rains in July would not compensate for the shortfall in June
in this region. He said the progress of the rains was unlikely to be
good in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and eastern Uttar Pradesh as the
monsoon rains had started moving south, away from the region.
Dry
tension: Farmers ploughing a field in north India. Parts of the country
face the threat of a drought after recording weak rains. Ramesh
Pathania / Mint
"As of 12 July, 25 of 36 meterological
subdivisions fall under scanty or deficient monsoon category. But the
mitigation strategy has to be worked out at the states," the minister,
who did not want to be identified, said.
In the Lok Sabha,
urging the government to declare a "drought", the opposition demanded
that the government call a meeting of chief ministers, leaders of all
political parties and experts to chalk out strategies to deal with the
"foodgrain scarcity, power shortage and drinking water scarcity",
which, they said, would be the outcome of deficient rains.
The
proceedings in the Lower House was adjourned for half-an-hour after the
opposition MPs led by Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), leader Sharad
Yadav wanted Speaker Meira Kumar to suspend Question Hour and discuss
the "drought situation" in the country. Lawmakers cutting across party
lines said the government must chalk out a contingency plan to deal
with the situation.
Communist Party of India MP Gurudas
Dasgupta said rice acerage in the country has dropped by 20% and the
area under oilseeds cultivation has fallen 45%. The government,
however, did not respond to this.
Parts of India face the
threat of a drought after recording weak rains, despite flash floods in
Orissa and Mumbai claiming the lives of at least 15 people. In Assam
and Manipur, authorities have already declared drought after scanty
rainfall. Four districts in Jharkhand were also declared drought-hit.
Although
stating that the monsoon will improve in the latter half of July, the
government has banned export of wheat. However, minister of state in
the Prime Minister´s Office Prithviraj Chavan said: "If there is a
shortage of foodgrain, we will import. We have plenty of stock for the
current year."
http://www.livemint.com/2009/07/15223255/Opposition-wants-Centre-to-dec.html?h=B
Clouds, seas to be targeted by UN climate report
17 Jul 2009, 2026 hrs IST, REUTERS
OSLO: Cloud formation, sea level rises
and extreme weather events are among areas set to get more attention in the next
UN report on global
warming due in 2014, the head of the Nobel Peace Prize
winning panel said on Friday.
Rajendra Pachauri also said the panel
did not plan to issue more frequent reports as suggested by some governments,
reckoning that several years were needed to come up with robust findings. The
last series of reports was in 2007.
"We would certainly have much
more greater detail," in the next reports, Pachauri told in a telephone
interview from Venice, where leading scientists have been meeting from July
13-17 to work on an outline to be approved later this year.
"In the
case of clouds we will certainly provide much greater emphasis in this report --
clouds, aerosols, black carbon. These are issues that we will certainly cover in
much greater detail," he said.
The 2007 report pointed to cloud
formation as a big uncertainty in climate change. Warmer air can absorb more
moisture and so lead to more clouds in some regions -- the white tops can
reflect heat back into space and offset any warming.
In an opposite
effect, black carbon -- or soot from sources such as factories or forest fires -- can blanket ice and snow with a heat-absorbent dark layer and so accelerate a
thaw.
"Sea level rise is another issue that...will get much greater
in-depth attention," he said.
Scenarios for sea level rise this
century in the 2007 report ranged from 18 to 59 cm (7-24 inches). But it said
that 59 cm should not be considered an upper limit because of uncertainties
about a possible melt of Greenland and Antarctica.
And the panel,
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is also planning an extra
report on extreme events such as droughts, floods, heatwaves or mudslides
projected because of global warming.
Pachauri said the next report
by the IPCC, which shared the 2007 Nobel Prize with former US Vice President Al
Gore, was intended to guide nations after the planned agreement of a new UN
climate treaty in Copenhagen in December.
He welcomed an agreement
by major economies at a Group of Eight summit in Italy last week to recognise a
broad scientific view that world temperature rises should not exceed 2 Celsius
(3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.
But he said too little
was being done to achieve the limit. "It's a step forwards. I wish they would
have made some commitments on what would ensure limiting the temperature
increase to 2 degrees," he said.
"In the (2007 report) we said if
you want to limit temperatures to that range all we have is up to 2015 as the
year when global emissions must peak and they must decline thereafter," he said.
Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, have
risen fast in recent years although recession is now curbing industrial activity
in many nations. China has overtaken the United States as top emitter.
Of 177 scientific scenarios in the 2007 report, only 6 looked at
tough emissions curbs needed to keep temperature rises below 2 Celsius.
Governments have put more funding into scientific research into
higher emissions limits that they judge to be more likely.
"We're
certainly going to look at much more stringent mitigation," Pachauri said, when
asked if governments were still reluctant to put money into looking at curbs
needed to achieve the 2 Celsius limit.
MNCs' buyback rush may open arbitrage gate
18 Jul 2009, 0210 hrs IST, Vijay Gurav, ET Bureau
Print EMail Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
MUMBAI:
Investors could see some good arbitrage opportunities coming their way, as
foreign parents of many multinational companies (MNCs) are
expected to hike
their holdings in Indian subsidiaries through open offers, feel investment
bankers. Anticipating a further improvement in market conditions, these
companies may rush with voluntary or delisting offers before valuations become
expensive, investment bankers reckon.
Brokerage house Edelweiss Securities has named 10 MNCs which may come out with open offers. These are
Atlas Copco, Alfa Laval, Avaya Global, Gillette India, BASF India, Monsanto
India, BOC India, Ingersoll Rand, Blue Dart and Oracle Financial Services.
"With stability returning to equity markets, MNCs would like to make the
most of the current reasonable valuations for consolidating holdings in their
Indian subsidiaries.
Going by the trend observed in the case of
recent offers, it appears that the market is ready to make the most of these
special situation arbitrage opportunities," said Edelweiss Securities in
its report `Master Moves´.
The past trend showed that as soon
as a company announces an open offer - which is generally at a premium to
the prevailing market price - investors flock to the counter to buy shares
in anticipation of a further rise in the price.
Pricing of open
offers has been a major issue among investors, particularly those holding shares
for a long time, because of which not many offers could be completed
successfully. Some MNCs had to make quite a few attempts to increase their stake
in local arms over a period of few years, while others had to increase their
offer price to attract shareholders. Novartis and Pfizer are the two latest
examples where the acquirers had to hike the respective offer prices. The
foreign parents could hike their stake in Novartis from 50.9% to 76.4% (against
the proposed 89.9%) after raising the offer price from 351 to Rs 450 per
share.
Despite a smart recovery in the market, many MNCs are
currently quoting at a substantial discount to their peak values and so could
see their parents rushing with offers, feel bankers. "Hopes of further
improvement in valuations could prompt foreign parents of MNCs to acquire shares
through open offer. Being cash-rich, most of them need not raise funds to run
their operations and would like to eventually delist shares," said Almondz
Global Securities investment banking head Sharad Rathi.
All the MNCs
mentioned above are currently quoting between 14-36% lower than their 52-week
highs. For instance, Atlas Copco closed at Rs 616 on Friday, which is 36% lower
than the 52-week high price of Rs 960 scaled on September 8, 2008. Swedish
parent Atlas Copco Group had made an open offer in 2002, which increased its
holding from 51% to nearly 84% in the company. In another notable example, Alfa
Laval, where the foreign parent holds as high as 89% stake, is currently quoting
at Rs 885, 14% lower than its peak value. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Market-Analysis/MNCs-buyback-rush-may-open-arbitrage-gate/articleshow/4791269.cms
India wilts as monsoon fears grow
By Santwana Bhattacharya
NEW DELHI - India could be staring at an imminent drought. It's not the delayed national budget, but the specter of a delayed - or, in large measure, denied - monsoon that's giving everyone sleepless nights. The Indian Meteorological Department has stopped short of baneful predictions in an economically stressful year - mindful of the political implications - but the signs are dire.
It has been a heart-breaking June, with the fabled wet wind from the southwest absent in most regions normally on its itinerary. The northern plains are bone dry, with temperatures regularly touching the mid-40s in centigrade. They are the last port of call
for the complex, mobile weather system which usually arrives there in July after drenching the vast swathes of peninsular India in June. But the monsoon has not even kept this date, for a number of reasons.
The monsoon season had an ominous start. In May, a spoiler developed in the Bay of Bengal in the shape of Cyclone Aila. Its low pressure core sucked off huge volumes of moisture from the incipient monsoon system building up off the Arabian Sea coast in the southwest, pouring it down in torrential buckets over the eastern seaboard states of Orissa and West Bengal. The residual moisture was funneled up into India's northeast, which saw rains a week or so ahead of schedule.
In the southwest and over the peninsula, the delicate monsoon never really recovered. It mostly hovered around the windward areas of the Western Ghats, the Malabar and Konkan coasts proper, as if hesitating to make an ingress into the mainland because it didn't have enough wind in its sails.
By the end of June, the rains were estimated at 54% below normal levels in these parts, with the deficit reaching 75% in central India. Desperation has began to show, with the state of Andhra Pradesh readying for cloud-seeding and some analysts gloomily offering el-Nino as a possible cause. Those capable of seeing patterns beyond the rational, of course, sought refuge in prayers and rituals, the most exotic instance being the marriage of two frogs organized in Nagpur to propitiate the gods.
At this point, the government finally thought it fit to say something. In a sort pre-emptive measure, it officially downgraded the 2009 monsoon to 93% of normal. This is a "below normal" figure - a cautious trimming of the "near normal" 96% forecast in April.
According to data collected since the 1940s, "normal" is 890 millimeters for the whole season. This naturally varies in different parts of India - which allows for the co-occurrence of bounty and scarcity.
The current reading is that, since June accounts for less than one-fifth of this total, central India may recover in the latter part of the season. What is really worrisome is that India's northwestern foodgrain belt, falling in the states of Haryana and Punjab, is likely to be worst hit. The prediction is that it will get only 81% of the long-term average for the region. That is not counting the 5% to 8% error level which could bring the rainfall level down to 73% of the normal.
The fear of drought - it would be the first in seven years - looms large. With power and water scarcity setting in, tempers in the cities are soaring almost in tandem with the heat.
After the predictions were made public, the first knee-jerk reaction came from Punjab. The state banned the use of air-conditioners in government offices, boards and corporations - despite the sweltering heat - so eight hours of uninterrupted power could be supplied to the farm sector. Some states have begun advertising to persuade farmers to switch crops and are even inviting tenders for cloud-seeding. The government is trying to keep things calm. Agriculture Secretary T Nanda Kumar has acknowledged the concerns but has insisted there is no reason to panic yet. A delayed monsoon could still make up for the loss.
The monsoon, which runs from June through September, is such a big thing in India that a bad year has the potential to topple governments. Even now, 60% of Indian farmland is dependent on rains, not irrigation. It goes beyond the economic, the imprint goes into the very socio-cultural make-up of a nation. From classical culture to kitsch Bollywood romance, nothing is untouched by the the unfailingly iconic moment of the arrival of the rains.
Its failure to arrive, then, is a soul-killer. The image of the ubiquitous poor farmer scanning the skies for a sign of the first dark cloud, framed against a parched piece of land with as many cracks as there are on his face, is both a subject of cliche and a matter of all-too-mundane reality. Governments of India dread nothing more than a bad monsoon. On the scale of enormity, it is no less huge than terrorist attacks or internal turmoil. For economists, who ply a predictive trade as risk-prone as that of weathermen, it's a built-in uncertainty in their forecasts. Their permitted margin of error.
Scientific monsoon prediction in India is an old game. The Met Department was the first national weather service in the world to start operational monsoon prediction work in 1886. This was when a British officer-cum-researcher used the relationship between winter Himalayan snow cover and the monsoon to make predictions. Forecasting the quantum of rainfall for the whole season was found useful for planning purposes. For farmers now, official word on intra-seasonal phenomena such as onset and withdrawal of the monsoon cycle is crucial for planning.
In a nutshell, a truant monsoon plays havoc with the kharif (rain-dependent, summer) crops. The implications can be better understood when seen against what are otherwise mundane statistics - 60% of India's 1.1 billion population survives on agriculture. That they account for only a fifth of India's national income only underlines the peril-ridden nature of their economics.
A dry June means kharif sowing is badly affected as it needs good rains for at least 15 days of June spilling over to July. Kharif crops like paddy, sugarcane, groundnuts, maize and pulses have a significant bearing on the country's food security, while others like cotton shape rural incomes. The spate of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in the past few years was highest in peninsular India's cotton areas.
This is, still, part of the problem. As poor rains lower agricultural output, in a chain effect they will also raise food prices and dent rural demand. Not to speak of the impact it would have on corporate profitability and market sentiment. The corporate sector wants the government to take corrective measures, if there's a problem at hand, so that food prices can be kept in check. Even the prime minister's office is monitoring the reluctant march of the monsoon. The state governments have been called for a meeting on Thursday to thrash out a contingency plan. There's obviously no time to lose.
A drought would affect the central government's finances on both the revenue and expenditure sides. Reduced rural demand in turn impacts industrial demand and consequently growth. Lower collections of all major taxes ranging from personal income to corporate, excise and even customs is a natural corollary. India's relative immunity to the global meltdown was attributed to its large domestic economy - in particular its hitherto under-appreciated rural component, whose robustness, being more insulated from world trends, came to the rescue of the more glamorous cities. It is this sector that gets directly hit by a bad monsoon.
On the other side, there would also be more pressure on the government's social welfare schemes. Drought would most certainly increase demand for the rural employment guarantee scheme and other sops may also be necessary. Besides, the government has promised a National Food Security Bill that would statutorily require the supply of 25 kilograms of rice or wheat at 3 rupees (US$0.06) per kilogram to poor families - a measure that could push up the subsidy bill by millions of rupees. And all this is happening in a year when the government has little maneuverability to spend its way through the crisis.
Little wonder that Minister for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan has cautiously admitted, "The southwest monsoon from June to September is likely to be below normal. But we've July and August to make up for the deficit." In concrete terms, bad rains signifies trouble in states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa, where farmers could face crop loss; in Kerala, Uttarakhand and Punjab it could result in shrinking of reservoirs that would affect power generation and release of water to irrigated tracts.
For instance, the Tehri hydroelectric power station in Uttarakhand supplies power to New Delhi and its hinterland. The water level in its reservoirs has shrunk to dangerously low levels - 741 meters against a normal level of 830 meters during monsoons. The Bhakra dam, the biggest hydroelectric project in northern India, has water flowing in from the mountains. Its reservoir levels remain lower than they were last season.
Elsewhere in the country, the situation is no better. The Central Water Commission has made it known that in 80% of the reservoirs, the water level is below the 10-year average for the season. What has compounded the problem is that there was no snow in the higher ranges and no rain in the lower Himalayan mountains. In other words, with snow-fed rivers too under stress, a grim rain scenario would only complicate matters.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has the toughest job ahead. Scheduled to place a budget before parliament on July 6, he's faced with the task of producing a document that can revive an economy hemmed in by a high budget deficit and a looming food crisis. Actual gross tax revenue already fell by 3% in 2008-09, adding to Mukherjee's troubles.
All in all, it's the kind of crisis management that could require the Manmohan Singh government - voted back to power partly because of the premier's much-touted economic skills and partly because of its welfarism - to empty its coffers and stretch its talent pool.
Santwana Bhattacharya is a New Delhi-based journalist who writes on politics, parliament and elections. She is currently working on a book on electoral reforms and the emergence of regional parties in India.
(Copyright 2009 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
Rags remain India's true story
Jun 12,'09
In India, the comedy of power-sharing
Jun 1,'09
India wet and wary as rains arrive
Jun 6, 2008
Premier in drought areas visit as a little rain falls
Source: Xinhua | 2009-2-9 | NEWSPAPER EDITION
________________________________
Premier
Wen Jiabao inspects the growth of wheat in Yangbei Village, Yuzhou City
of central China's Henan Province. Wen visited the drought-hit Henan
over the weekend and urged all relevant departments to place
drought-relief work as their top priority. Parts of China's parched
north got light rain over the weekend after authorities fired shells
loaded with cloud-seeding chemicals to the sky, but there still seemed
to be no end in sight for China's worst drought in 50 years.
Photograph byXinhua
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PARTS of China's parched north got light rain after
authorities fired shells loaded with cloud-seeding chemicals into the
sky, but there was no end in sight for its worst drought in five
decades, the government said yesterday.
China
has declared an emergency across the country's north, where 4.4 million
people lack adequate drinking water and winter wheat crops are
withering.
"The drought situation will not be eased in the near future," the China Meteorological Administration said.
Some
areas got a sprinkling of rain and sleet at the weekend after clouds
were hit with 2,392 rockets and 409 cannon shells loaded with
chemicals, the administration said. It said clouds were thin and moving
out of the region, making conditions poor for more rain making.
Rainfall
in northern and central China is 50 percent to 80 percent below normal,
according to the Flood Control and Drought Relief Office.
Artificial
means were employed to create rains in at least seven provinces on
Saturday to alleviate the drought, the meteorological administration
said.
Rain-enhancing practices were adopted in Henan, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hubei and Anhui.
In
central China's Henan Province, artificial precipitation brought on
average 0.5 millimeters of rain to 17 counties and cities. The province
is one of the major wheat-producing areas.
Parts of the
artificially moistened provinces and north China's Hebei Province saw 1
to 5 millimeters of rain from Saturday to yesterday morning.
Irrigation
had covered 52.7 percent of the wheat farmland in the drought-hit
provinces by Saturday, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
A
total of about 5.67 million hectares of wheat land had been irrigated
in eight drought-stricken provincial regions, the ministry said.
Agriculture
Minister Sun Zhengcai said it was important to fully use machinery in
the fight against drought. He asked local governments to increase
subsidies for farmers to buy more irrigation-related and water-saving
equipment, and make every effort to expand irrigation coverage and save
water.
By Saturday, 10.1 million hectares of wheat farmland,
which accounted for 95 percent of the drought-stricken crops in China,
was affected in eight provincial areas of Hebei, Shanxi, Anhui,
Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi and Gansu. The drought began to hit
most parts of China's north in November.
The foul weather has
affected 1.07 million hectares of crops and threatened the drinking
water supply for 4.37 million people and 2.1 million heads of
livestock.
Relief work
Premier Wen Jiabao has urged
officials to place "top priority" on relief work as agricultural
stability concerned China's bid to revive its economy.
The
fight against drought has to do not only with the safety of grain
supply but also with the country's efforts to stimulate domestic
demand, Wen said during a visit to Henan Province over the weekends.
He said: "It's of vital significance to the overall economy to boost steady growth of grain production and farmers' income."
The
premier told local governments to allocate relief funds at the earliest
possible time, ensure adequate supply of farm tools, fertilizer and
pesticide and subsidize farmers' purchase of urgently needed machinery.
Local governments are also urged to speed up construction of water control works, reservoirs in danger and irrigation projects.
China
is to divert water from the nation's longest rivers, the Yangtze and
Yellow rivers, to irrigate drought-stricken farmland, a Ministry of
Water Resources official said.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200902/20090209/article_390386.htm
palashcbiswas,
gostokanan, sodepur, kolkata-700110 phone:033-25659551
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3. On Misogynist Hadith Traditions
Posted by: "yogi sikand" ysikand@yahoo.com ysikand
Date: Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:21 pm ((PDT))
On Misogynist Hadith Traditions
By Iqbal Khan
For many centuries, prejudices against women have been a characteristic feature of almost all human societies. This has been, in a sense, a universal phenomenon. Despite the egalitarian and emancipatory teachings of the Quran regarding women, it was impossible for Muslim society, after the demise of the Prophet, to remain immune from such prejudices. This was reflected, for instance, in the manufacturing of several reports, wrongly claimed to be Hadith or utterances of or about the Prophet, that sought to justify women´s subordination and deny them of their Quranic rights. The so-called hadith were fabricated by orators and story-tellers. Some of them might have had noble intentions in making up such stories, such as to protect the fabric of Muslim society, but there can be no doubt about the baneful impact of this, as well as the fact that concocting such reports and falsely attributing to the Prophet was a grave sin. They were reacting, in their own
ways, to the conditions of Muslim society that they saw before them, rather than expressing the actual teachings of the Quran and the sound or genuine Hadith of the Prophet in this regard.
Let me cite one such so-called hadith report. According to this report, the Prophet is said to have remarked that men should seek advice from their womenfolk in all matters, but that they should do exactly the opposite of what they advised. Some people still continue to believe that this is a genuine hadith. This report is totally against the teachings and spirit of the Quran, and so it is inconceivable that the Prophet could have made such a statement. So, too, is another report, which claims that the Prophet declared that women were congenitally less intelligent than men. Consider yet another such report. Some people believe that the Prophet once announced that if a dog, donkey or woman passed before someone who was praying, his prayer would be nullified. When, possibly after the demise of the Prophet, Ayesha, a wife of the Prophet, heard this narration, she protested, saying it was wrong, and that those who had invented this had sought to bring women
down to the status of dogs and donkeys. Hence, she said, this could not be an authentic hadith or a genuine Islamic commandment.
In relation to several hadith reports that some may feel to be problematic, including with regard to women, a principle that we must always keep in mind is that the Prophet had basically two aspects or statuses. Firstly, that of a prophet of God, when he used to utter words revealed to Him by God. Secondly, that of a human being and a member of a particular society. I am not making this distinction for the first time. For instance, the well-known eighteenth century Indian scholar, Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, and several other noted Islamic scholars have pointed out this difference in the two statuses of the Prophet, which, in turn, translates into a distinction in the status of what he said in his capacity as a prophet, which was infallible, and what he advised others as a fellow human being. It is important that we keep these distinctions in mind when approaching the corpus of Hadith, including those hadith reports that relate to women.
Let me clarify this point by adducing a well-known incident from the life of the Prophet. It was the practice of the people of Medina to pollinate their date trees. The Prophet suggested that if they did not do so, perhaps it would be better. Accordingly, the people refrained from pollinating their trees. As a result, they yielded a poor harvest. When this was mentioned to the Prophet, he replied, `I am only a human being like you. If I tell you to do something with regard to religion, then follow it, but if I tell you to do something based on my own opinion, I am only a human being´.
It is obvious in the matter of pollination, a worldly concern, the Prophet admitted that other people might know better than him. He indicated that, in this context, he had spoken to them as a well-wisher and advisor, not as a person laying down a law which was compulsory for them to follow. Hence, in such matters there is a possibility of difference of opinion.
Take another example. The Prophet advised a Muslim woman, Buraidah, not to separate from her husband and to stay with him. She asked the Prophet if this was simply his advice to her or an order. That is to say, she wanted to know if he was speaking here as a prophet or as a mere human being concerned about her welfare. The Prophet replied, saying that he was speaking as a human and was just giving her a suggestion, not a Divine command. Thereupon, Buraidah did not accept or act on his advice.
Another issue that must be considered while analysing hadith reports, including those that deal with women and which may seem to be problematic by some, is that, traditionally, Islamic scholars have sought to test the veracity or otherwise of hadith reports by their isnad or chain of transmission, rather than by their matn or content. Because of this, some hadith reports that might conflict with Quranic teachings (which made them impossible for the Prophet to have uttered) were considered to be authentic hadith narratives simply on the basis of what was judged by the ulema to be their proper isnads. This was one of the main reasons for differences about the authenticity and applicability of various hadith reports. It was not merely in such matters that there have been disputes among Islamic scholars. There were even differences among some Companions of the Prophet as to the details of the way of offering prayers of the Prophet, although they had seen him
praying on different occasions.
It is thus necessary that we approach the corpus of Hadith by examining both their isnads and their matn and their compatibility with the Quran, by locating them within the particular contexts in which they are said to have been uttered, and also by noting the crucial distinction between the two statuses of the Prophet: as a prophet of God, and as a human being and member of a particular society.
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4. Assistance to students from poor financial background
Posted by: "bency mohan" bency4578@yahoo.co.uk bency4578
Date: Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:47 pm ((PDT))
---
by M.A.I.K. Shaju/Bangalore/ KGJS on 07/10/2009 12:19 PM ----- Dear All,
If you have come across any bright students coming from poor financial background who have finished their 10th standard this year (April 2009) and scored more than 80%,
please ask them to contact the NGO-Prerana (supported by Infosys foundation).
The NGO is conducting a written test and those who clear the test will be eligible for financial help for their further studies.
Please ask the students to contact the people mentioned below to get the form #580,shubhakar, 44th cross,1st main road,jayanagar 7th block Bangalore- mob no- 9900906338(saraswat i)
Mr.Shivkumar( 9986630301) - Hanumanthnagar office
Ms.Bindu(9964534667 )-Yeshwantpur office
Even if you don´t know anyone, please pass on this info, some one might be in need of this help desperately.
Regards
.
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-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
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5. Islam and Inter-Religious Dialogue: Maulvi Syed Nikhat Husain Nadwi
Posted by: "yogi sikand" ysikand@yahoo.com ysikand
Date: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:12 am ((PDT))
Islam and Inter-Religious Dialogue
By Maulvi Syed Nikhat Husain Nadwi
In today´s world, one of the most crucial issues that we are faced with is the urgent need for different communities and civilizations to understand each other and to improve and strengthen their mutual relations. Modern developments have shrunk the world into a global village. Consequently, countries and communities are now heavily inter-dependent in order to sustain their lives. Different communities are now rapidly influencing each other at the social, economic, cultural and political levels. Increasingly, communities are influenced by each other´s ways of life, customs, practices and beliefs, not hesitating to adopt those that they find useful or good. Gradually, this is moving in the direction of a composite culture.
In this context, inter-cultural dialogue assumes a particular urgency. This is especially the case in a country where numerous cultural groups live together, where it is imperative that they must learn to respect each other´s rights, customs, mores and traditions. In the absence of this, particularly if one culture seeks to dominate or impose itself on others, such a society will inevitably move towards conflict and violence. This is why it is so necessary to seek to promote strong bonds of solidarity, based on dialogue, between people of different cultures and religions. This is needed not just for the proper evolution of these cultures and so that can learn from each other, but also for ensuring global peace and security. When cultures learn to not just tolerate each other but also to work together with others for their mutual advancement, they become supports of each other and a means for peace, rather than conflict. In this way, they can translate
into vehicles for the promotion of mutually beneficial relations at all levels-cultural, social, political and economic.
Some people argue that each culture should be allowed to grow on its own, in isolation from others. This suggestion is simply unworkable, because if a culture restricts and cocoons itself in this manner its rapid death is inevitable. In today´s world, no culture can even conceive of, leave alone claim to, exist isolated from other cultures because every cultural group´s very existence is now so heavily dependent on other groups. Global progress, peace and welfare are a common need and a shared aim of all the communities of the world, without which each community cannot properly prosper.
Some other people are of the view that each culture should be given full freedom to expand, even though this might mean that one particular culture finally dominates the entire world. Yet, this is a sure recipe for conflict. The same result would follow from another approach to inter-cultural relations that is rooted in a vision of cultural hegemony that refuses to tolerate the existence of other cultures and seeks to wipe them out or else subjugate them. Obviously, this is a totally unrealistic approach. It is also a negation of a basic message of all Divinely-revealed religions, according to which all human beings are made of the same basic substance and are offspring of the same primal parents, and that, till the Day of Judgment, all human beings will remain tied to each other through their shared humanity. This bond of humanity that knits together all people is the primary, most basic and strongest of all relations.
In a plural society, where people of different religions, ethnicities, language groups and cultures live together, every group must be given equal rights and the same opportunities to progress. This can only be ensured and sustained through continuous inter-community dialogue. In my view, the only way to prevent inter-cultural or inter-religious conflict, as well as to promote harmonious inter-community relations in a plural society and at the global level, is serious dialogue that aims at improving relations between different communities so that they jointly work for establishing peace.
The point then arises as to what the bases of such dialogue should be. Should dialogue concern itself simply with the niceties of the philosophies of different cultural groups? Should dialogue remain restricted only to the theological level? Should dialogue be limited simply to preaching about peaceful coexistence? Or, should it, as I believe, go beyond this to focus particularly on the various social and other such problems and issues that different cultural groups face in common? Until inter-cultural dialogue takes up these common problems as well as issues of common interest as its bases, it will remain very superficial. This is why I believe that the first stage in inter-cultural dialogue is for members of different cultural communities to identify issues of common concern as well as common interest, particularly those problems that are a hurdle to better relations between various communities. The second step is to evolve means to address these
issues through peaceful and sustained dialogue. But this must be carried out in a spirit of mutual respect, for no dialogue can succeed if it involves abusing or debasing the religious feelings and beliefs of other communities.
(This is a translation of extracts from Maulvi Nadwi´s Urdu booklet, `Muzakirat Ki Zarurat´ (`The Need For Dialogue´ (New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies, 2005).
Yoginder Sikand works with the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Social Policy at the National Law School, Bangalore
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6. What's new at Links: Obama & Africa, Honduras, Nicaragua, S. Africa,
Posted by: "glparramatta" glparramatta@greenleft.org.au glparramatta
Date: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:23 am ((PDT))
What's new at Links: Obama & Africa, Honduras, Nicaragua, S. Africa,
visit Venezuela, liberation theology, Cuba & Timor, COSATU, ALP, Comintern
***
Subscribe free to Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal -
at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373
You can also follow Links on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LinksSocialism
Visit and bookmark http://links.org.au and add it to your RSS feed
(http://links.org.au/rss.xml). If you would like us to
consider an article, please send it to links@dsp.org.au
*Please pass on to anybody you think will be interested in /Links/.
* * *
Obama in Ghana: The speech he should have made
<http://links.org.au/node/1156>
By Firoze Manji
July 16, 2009 -- The internet and wires have been burning with anger and
disappointment at the speech
<http://www.racewire.org/archives/2009/07/is_tough_love_a_twoway_street_1.html>
made by US President Barack Obama on July 11 at the start of his visit
to Ghana. Below is a speech Obama might have -- or should have -- made
during his second visit to the continent in the space of a few weeks.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1156>
(Updated July 16) Washington behind the Honduras coup: Here is the
evidence; Repression intensifies <http://links.org.au/node/1147>
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1147>
July 19, 1979: Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution remembered -- Video
by John Pilger <http://links.org.au/node/530>
On July 19, 1979, the Nicaraguan people led by the Sandinista National
Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew the brutal US-backed dictator Somoza.
In this film, made by John Pilger in the 1980s, the background to the
revolt and the gains won -- and the United States' virulent opposition
-- are graphically explained
Watch at http://links.org.au/node/530
How the West exploits Africa <http://links.org.au/node/1157>
By Tony Iltis
July 18, 2009 -- US President Barack Obama used his African heritage in
his July 11 speech to the Ghanaian parliament in Accra as justification
for proceeding to blame Africa's problems on its own people. He
acknowledged historical Western crimes, but denied that ongoing
suffering is caused by the current policies of the West. Western
aggression and exploitation, Obama claims, are things of the past. A
July 15 Los Angeles Times editorial said: "It was the same message about
good governance they'd heard from presidents [Bill] Clinton and George
W. Bush. No new programs or initiatives for Africa. But just because the
message is old doesn't mean it's not worth repeating."
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1157>
G8 and Africa: Some give, plenty of take <http://links.org.au/node/1155>
By Yash Tandon
July 16, 2009 -- The summit of the world's richest and most powerful
Northern countries that constitute the G8 took place in L'Aquila, Italy,
from July 8-10, 2009. In attendance also were the heads of state and
government of a host of other minor or lesser countries, some of whom
were admitted to the inner sanctum of the G8 summit, and some simply
hovered around in the corridors at the call of the G8 waiting to be
``invited'' for ``breakfast meetings'' or press conferences or
``bilaterals''. At one of these ``breakfast meetings'' the G8 broadened
their participants to take in the African countries of Algeria, Angola,
Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa, as well as
the IEA, World Bank, IMF, ILO, OECD, WTO and United Nations and the
African Union Commission's representatives. At this meeting the G8
graciously agreed to increase aid to Africa for food security and
agricultural development from an earlier figure of US$15 billion to
US$20 billion.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1155>
The crisis of the left in contemporary South Africa
<http://links.org.au/node/1154>
By Dale T. McKinley
The ideological, political, organisational and socioeconomic realities
of contemporary South Africa do not paint a flattering picture for the left
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1154>
December 1-9, 2009: Join the solidarity brigade to Venezuela and the
see the revolution first hand <http://links.org.au/node/1152>
By the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network
In a world being devastated by economic crisis, global warming, war and
famine, the Bolivarian revolution that is unfolding in Venezuela is an
inspiration, an affirmation that "people power" can rapidly change the
conditions of life for the majority of people. The Venezuelan people's
remarkable progress over the last 10 years in creating what they call
"socialism of the 21st century" proves that another world - a peaceful,
democratic and socially just world -- is possible.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1152>
`Bishop of the slums' -- Dom Hélder Camara and Brazil's church of
the poor <http://links.org.au/node/1151>
By Barry Healy
July 14, 2009 -- This year marks the centennial of the birth and the
tenth anniversary of the death of one of the most significant religious
figures of the 20th century, an instigator of the liberation theology
trend in Latin American Catholicism and a campaigner against military
dictatorship: Dom Hélder Camara.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1151>
Cuba's solidarity with Timor Leste and the Pacific -- the Pacific
School of Medicin <http://links.org.au/node/1150>
By Tim Anderson
July 14, 2009 -- In 2008, the 700 Timor Leste and Kiribati students
studying medicine in Cuba were joined by students from all over the
South West Pacific -- Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu. Their
college in western Cuba has been called The Pacific School of Medicine.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1150>
COSATU: Working-class internationalism in the era of deepening
global economic crisis <http://links.org.au/node/1149>
Declaration of the Congress of South African Trade Unions International
Solidarity Conference, Johannesburg, June 24-26, 2009.
Gathered at this historic International Solidarity Conference of COSATU
are workers, activists and internationalists committed to a new and just
world order, free from poverty, hunger and injustice. We have concluded
two days of intensive engagements, critical reflections and dedicated
work to assess and ascertain the revolutionary mood of workers and the
poor masses of the world, the ebbs and flows of the global class
struggle and the state of readiness by working-class forces and their
organisations to wage a decisive battle for the new and just global
economic system.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1149>
The record of the Australian Labor Party: high hopes and big
disappointments <http://links.org.au/node/1148>
This talk was presented at the A Century of Struggle -- Laborism and the
radical alternative: Lessons for today conference, held in Melbourne,
Australia, on May 30, 2009. It was organised by Socialist Alliance and
sponsored by Green Left Weekly, Australia's leading socialist newspaper.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1148>
Versailles vs Comintern: two visions of world peace
<http://links.org.au/node/1145>
By Barry Healy
June 28, 2009, was the anniversary of the two bookends of World War I,
in which it is estimated more than 15 million people died. On that date
in 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo
and, five years later, in 1919, 90 years ago this year, the Versailles
Treaty was signed in Paris. The first war in which the capacity of
modern industry to deploy, feed, arm and dismember people was so
hideously demonstrated, WWI was experienced by its victims as the "war
to end all wars". Unfortunately, it proved not to be.
* Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1145>
* * *
Links seeks to promote the international exchange of information,
experience of struggle, theoretical analysis and views of political
strategy and tactics within the international left. It is a forum for
open and constructive dialogue between active socialists coming from
different political traditions. It seeks to bring together those in the
international left who are opposed to neoliberal economic and social
policies. It aims to promote the renewal of the socialist movement in
the wake of the collapse of the bureaucratic model of "actually existing
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7. How Muslims Should Dialogue With Others
Posted by: "yogi sikand" ysikand@yahoo.com ysikand
Date: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:17 am ((PDT))
How Muslims Should Dialogue With Others
By Maulvi Syed Nikhat Husain Nadwi
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
There is no room for coercion in Islam. Islam appeals to people´s intellect, their minds, their sense of logic and reasoning in order to stress its claims. This principle can lay the basis for good relations between Muslims and people of other persuasions. Islam is not opposed to Muslims establishing social, economic or educational relations and bonds with others. This is why, from the early days of Islam onwards, Muslims have had these sorts of relations with others. The fundamental basis of such relations, as Islam understands it, is to jointly work against oppression and for establishing justice and peace. A second basis is the Islamic belief that all creatures are members of the family of God, and that, hence, they must be served. The third theological basis of inter-community relations and dialogue in Islam is the duty to respect the rights of all human beings.
Islam insists that there can be no compromise on its ideological principles, such as faith in the one God, prophethood, and the Day of Judgment. Besides this, there can be dialogue and discussion on all issues. Dialogue should also take a practical form, such as Muslims working together with others for constructive purposes, helping them or taking their help. Islam exhorts Muslims to respect others on the basis of their common humanity. It stresses social justice, peace and struggling against oppression, and for this Muslims can indeed join hands with others to work for a better world for everyone. This is a very important form of inter-religious and inter-community dialogue.
When two individuals are together, inevitably they start talking to each other. Without this, they cannot understand one another. If dialogue and interaction are so indispensable at the level of two individuals, how much more important it must be at the level of two or more cultures and religions! Obviously, unless members of different religious or cultural communities dialogue with each other there is no way they can truly understand one other. It is completely unreasonable to expect that cultural and religious communities can live in isolation with each other and not feel the need to understand each other´s beliefs, practices, issues, concerns and problems. Such isolationism will spell doom for the whole of humankind. It is also a form of escapism, and, undoubtedly, a reflection of obscurantism. The future of humankind critically depends on people of different communities understanding each other and jointly struggling for a more just and peaceful
world, to work towards ending illiteracy, poverty, war, conflict and disease wherever these may be found.
The fundamental foundation of productive and sustainable dialogue is for religious and cultural groups to first understand each other properly and, on that basis, to come closer to each other. For this purpose, it is necessary to study in detail about other´s cultures and religions, their languages, histories, beliefs, practices and traditions directly, from their primary sources, in an unbiased manner. This should also go along with efforts to devise means to work together with other communities to solve their problems and address their concerns. Only in this way can cultures come closer to each other.
Typically, human beings people do not understand the truth or usefulness of a matter unless they see themselves as benefiting from it. Thus, inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue must provide tangible benefits to people, such as helping them solve their problems or mitigating or ending their conflicts. No one´s wounds can be healed or their empty stomachs filled simply by preaching to them about philosophical niceties or lecturing to them about ideological issues. This cannot tear down the walls of hatred that divide people. People have to see direct benefits accruing to themselves from dialogue for them to appreciate its importance. Hence, the most productive form of inter-religious and inter-community dialogue is to understand the causes of conflicts and differences between different religio-cultural groups and then involve people from all parties to dialogue together to jointly work out solutions, which will benefit the parties or communities
involved in the dialogue. Similarly, they can work together for their common interests, including on economic, political, and social issues. This effort can start at the local level and then go all the way up to the national and international levels, too.
When seeking to initiate inter-religious or inter-cultural dialogue, it is crucial not to start with negative issues, because this is a sure way for dialogue efforts to fail. Rather, the focus should, as far as possible, be on positive issues and a constructive agenda. Likewise, it is not proper to seek to initiate a dialogue by harping on past events or grievances. Instead, the focus must be on the present, for the aim of the dialogue is essentially to improve the present conditions of, and relations between, two or more communities, not to harp on the past.
For such dialogue to succeed, partners to the dialogue must be willing to make sacrifices. They must be tolerant and broad-minded. They must take into account other people´s sensitivities and emotions and always be conscious not to seek to trample on their rights. Successful dialogue requires that partners be genuinely committed to work for peace, freedom, justice and good relations.
Another principle that must always be kept in mind when thinking about or engaging in dialogue is that to consider any other culture bad or to label it so is not proper. Islam forbids Muslims from abusing the deities of polytheists. This is so because this might provoke them to react in a similar way. This Islamic teaching suggests to us that Muslims must not abuse or vilify other cultures or brand them as enemies.
The rapidly changing world of today requires that all cultures must reconsider their ways of relating to each other, and work together for peace and prosperity for all. In our own country, India, home to numerous different religious and cultural communities, dialogue for this purpose is extremely necessary today. Unfortunately, the different religious communities in India know little about each other. This has given rise to numerous misunderstandings, which, in turn, continue to fuel conflict and violence. Very few Indians belonging to one community have studied, in a dispassionate and detailed manner, the religion, customs, beliefs, traditions and world-views of other communities living in the country in order to properly and dispassionately understand them. There are extremely few Muslims who have studied Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu scriptures, so that they could directly read and understand the Gita, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Vedas and so
on. Hardly any Muslims have studied the Pali language in order to read the Buddhist scriptures. There must be almost no Muslims who have directly met and interacted with Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religious leaders. Probably no Muslim has visited, or stayed for a while in, Hindu religious schools and other such institutions and their pilgrimage sites so as to directly understand them.
The same holds true in the case of all the other communities in India. There are hardly any Hindus who have read the Islamic texts, and have met, interacted and exchanged views with Muslim ulema. The distance between Hindus and Muslims has become so wide now that the doors of Hindu gurukuls and Muslim madrasas are closed to other communities, and both of them are characterized by a heightened sense of fear, insecurity and defensiveness.
All this so alarmingly suggests how distant the various communities of India are from each other. In fact, hatred between many of these communities has rapidly escalated in recent years, making the task of dialogue particularly difficult. Yet, dialoguing is an urgent task that must be taken up at all levels and as widely as possible. Dialogue is not the task only of our religious leaders and organizations, although they have a very crucial role to play in this. They must interact with their counterparts in other communities so as to create a climate of trust and dispel mutual suspicions and misunderstandings. This sort of dialogue is indispensable for the peace and prosperity of our common homeland. The different religio-cultural communities of our country also need to dialogue and unite to struggle against the baneful impact of many aspects of the dominant Western culture that is now playing such havoc with our cultures and mores.
Inter-community dialogue is indispensable to promote the unity and prosperity of our country and its traditional cultures. In this regard, I wish to point out that a major hurdle in this regard, and a cause for much acrimony, is the tendency of some people who, just because they are in a minority, insist that they have accepted the country´s political system and Constitution only out of compulsion, and claim that the moment they are able to gather enough power they will refuse to accept the Government and the Constitution of the land. This attitude has, in fact, become a major cause for concern throughout the world. Extremists, no matter what their religious identity, who espouse this view will not hesitate to use every means to capture power in the hope of thereby bringing about the Revolution of their dreams. Naturally, others will not take lightly to this. That is why conflict, force and violence must be avoided. We need to struggle against these
authoritarian tendencies, and, through dialogue, work to ensure that all people get the same rights and opportunities to live and prosper. This is the only way out for global, as well national and local, peace, welfare and justice.
(This is an edited version of translation of extracts from Maulvi Nadwi´s Urdu booklet, `Muzakirat Ki Zarurat´ (`The Need For Dialogue´ (New Delhi: Institute of Objective Studies, 2005).
Yoginder Sikand works with the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Social Policy at the National Law School, Bangalore
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