Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time- Two Hundred Thirty THREE
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sees "no insurmountable barriers" to completing US-India nuclear deal soon
http://in.reuters.com/Civil society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions of the market.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society
25/11/2009
Barack Obama hails 'indispensable' India: Images
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle personally received Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — the first State Guest of the 10-month-old Obama administration — and Gursharan Kaur at the White House. During their 90-minute meeting, the two leaders agreed to step up cooperation and collaboration on pressing global challenges like terrorism and climate change and decided to take new bilateral initiatives in education, healthcare and agriculture sectors. For the first time in public, the US President recognised India as a "nuclear power".
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk out onto the North Portico to welcome India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur to the State dinner at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. For the first time, the US president recognised India as "nuclear power" publicly. AP
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guardian.co.ukObama, Manmohan vow to implement nuclear deal - 10 hours ago
WASHINGTON: Reaffirming the "global strategic partnership between India and the United States", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama ...Economic Times - 5874 related articles »
No fear of ties suffering under Obama: Manmohan Singh - Hindustan Times - 3407 related articles »From the DC to Bollywood: Michelle Obama's state dinner dress ... - New York Daily News - 164 related articles »Obama hails US-India ties amid talks with Singh - Yahoo! News
24 Nov 2009 ... President Barack Obama welcomes India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a AP – President Barack Obama welcomes India's Prime Minister ...
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091124/ap_on_go_pr.../us_us_india - Cached -India fears losing US favor even as Obama fetes Manmohan Singh ...
23 Nov 2009 ... As India's prime minister Manmohan Singh arrives to a red carpet welcome in Washington Monday – the first state guest of President Barack ...
news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20091123/ts_csm/osingh -Obama rolls out red carpet for Manmohan Singh barack obama ...
24 Nov 2009 ... Washington, Nov 24 (IANS) President Barack Obama rolled out the red carpet Tuesday for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the first ...
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- Report imagesThank you for the feedback. Report another imagePlease report the offensive image. CancelDoneManmohan Singh is a marvel for the entire world: Obama
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Obama talks about Manmohan Singh and the measure taken to emanate terrorism from Pakistan.
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Obama Welcomes Manmohan Singh, Indian PM, At Start Of State Visit - Barack Obama on The Huffington Post - 1 day agoNo fear of ties suffering under Obama: Manmohan Singh- Hindustan Times
24 Nov 2009 ... As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began his state visit to the US, the first by any global leader under the Obama administration, ...
www.hindustantimes.com/...Obama-Manmohan-Singh/Article1-479248.aspx - Cached -Obama appreciates Manmohan Singh
Congratulating Manmohan Singh for his second term as the prime minister of India, US president Barack Obama on Thursday said Singh is a very wise leader ...
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21 May 2009 ... Manmohan Singh a very wise leader: Obama| Rediff.com: India news | news columns | interviews & more.
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1 post - 1 author - Last post: 3 AprLondon, Apr 3 (ANI): Impressed by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's persona, US President Barack Obama described him as a.
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Manmohan Singh, Obama to discuss Pakistan - 1 post - 29 Mar 2009
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Obama, Manmohan Singh agree Indo-US ties "very important" - 1 post - 12 Nov 2008
Obama, Manmohan Singh pitch for enhanced Indo-U.S ties | Top News
3 Apr 2009 ... Obama, Manmohan Singh pitch for enhanced Indo-US tiesLondon, April 2: The much-awaited meeting between U. S President Barack Obama and ...
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25 Nov 2009 ... The United States, Barack Obama on Wednesday, Nov 25, joined India Manmohan Singh called for 'absolute imperative' to bring to justice the ...
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N-deal will happen: Obama to PMIBNLive.com - 5 hours ago Washington: US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur ... Video: PM-Obama: The next step  NDTV.com Obama, Manmohan vow to implement nuclear deal Economic Times Bring perpetrators of Mumbai attack to justice: Obama, Manmohan Hindustan Times No fear of ties suffering under Obama: Manmohan SinghHindustan Times - Nov 23, 2009 As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began his state visit to the US, the first by any global leader under the Obama administration, he expressed confidence ... Unlike China, India has growth with values: PM Manmohan Times of India India PM meets Obama on state visit Aljazeera.net From the DC to Bollywood: Michelle Obama's state dinner dress designed by ...New York Daily News - - 49 minutes ago ... to the presidential couple's first official state dinner last night in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur. ... Michelle Obama's dinner gown, made in India by an Indian Economic Times Obama always keeps a picture of the Mahatma: Michelle Deccan Herald Michelle Obama, a knockout in Naeem Khan Newsday (subscription) Obama strikes a Hindi chord with 'Namaste' and 'Swagat'Times of India - 1 hour ago "Tonight, we gather again, for the first State Dinner of my presidency — with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mrs Gursharan Kaur, as we celebrate the ... Obama meets Indian PM at White House杭州网 - 6 hours ago WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday welcomed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House, with both sides vowing to promote ... India, US to set up framework for enhancing eco co-operationBusiness Standard - - 5 hours ago ... issued by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama. The joint statement was issued after the meeting between Singh and Obama. ... India indispensable to future we want to build: ObamaIndian Express - 10 hours ago Can Manmohan Singh get a statement from Obama that Arunachal is integral part of India and China should work with India for human rights in Tibet ? ... India lays to rest a Bush-era ghost Asia Times Online 'Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative'The Day After - - 3 hours ago 'Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative,' this is based on the meeting of the two countries leaders Indian PM, Manmohan Singh and the American ... India, US agree to expand educational exchanges Expressindia.com Obama Praises India's Singh PartnershipecPulse - 45 minutes ago US President, barrack Obama, praised India and its leader, Manmohan Singh, on his alliance and stance on security, climate change, trade and education ... PM urges world to pressurise Pak over 26/11IBNLive.com - Nov 24, 2009 INDO-US TIES: PM Manmohan Singh and US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi address media at Capitol Hill. ibnlive.com is on mobile now. ... • India –US goes for trade talks Institute of International Trade |
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Anarya Dravid Vanga Indigenous: Bengali Intelligentsia on Pay Roll ...
Palash Biswas. Kolkata, India. Nov 07, 2009 01:18 AM .... civil society, media and intelligentsia tried their best to finish us! ...
anaryadravidvangaindigenous.blogspot.com/.../bengali-intelligentsia-on-pay-roll.html - Cached -Anarya Dravid Vanga Indigenous: DUMPED in CHILKA Lake, They are my ...
[ZESTCaste] would they divide india again.htm (From Palash Biswas Gosto . ..... academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and ...
anaryadravidvangaindigenous.blogspot.com/.../dumped-in-chilka-lake-they-are-my.html - Cached -Arya-Brahmin Vengeance on Bengali-Tamil Dalits & Chakma Adivasi ...
- 2 visits - 15 Oct7 Apr 2009 ... It adjudicates civil cases in the Tibetan community as long as they do not .... In 1959 Pundit Nehru created the Society for Tibetan Education within the ...... Palash Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gostokanan, Sodepur, ...
sheetalmarkam.wordpress.com/.../arya-brahmin-vengeance-on-bengali-tamil-dalits-chakma-adivasi-indigenous-refugees/ - Cached - Similar -mukto-mona : Message: Hello CPD, Hello Civil Society: Barisal City ...
16 Dec 2007 ... May I fervently ask our great leaders of civil society especially to CPD Executive .... Dalit Bharat Victimized Palash Biswas *Contact: Palash C Biswas, ...
groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/42066 - Cached -Good governance and eradication of poverty - 28 Nov 2007
RE: [mukto-mona] re: Ahmed Sofa's religious ... - 30 May 2007
nandigram - Palash Speaks
Nandigram, noam Chomsky and Civil Society Movement Palash BiswasContact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. ...
palashspeaks.blog.co.uk/tags/nandigram/ -Maoists help promote ethnic cleansing - Contribute - MSNIndia
by Palash Biswas 21 Nov 2009. This story has been read 10 times. ... calrified that only a faction of the Intelligentsia and civil Society support Mamata! ...
content.msn.co.in/msncontribute/story.aspx?PageID=3712b370... - Cached -Why sachin has to defend Indians in Mumbai - Contribute - MSNIndia
by Palash Biswas 14 Nov 2009 ... Icons do Promote free market democracy killing the Sate and civil Society Brahaminical, Toilet media, FIIs, LPG Mafia, ...
content.msn.co.in/msncontribute/story.aspx?PageID=ce55aaf5... - Cached -Palash chandra Biswas's Blog at BIGADDA >> Full MOON Looks like a ...
15 Nov 2009 ... Palash Biswas asks why sachin has to defend Indians in Mumbai .... Civil society must shun those guilty of heinous crimes. ...
blogs.bigadda.com/.../full-moon-looks-like-a-burnt-chapatihunger-sos-to-a-billion/ - Cached -Just Visit nandigram United to have the Documents on Marichjhapi ...
Published on 21-01-2008 In World. Viewed 1667 times | Written by Palash ... Political parties and civil society to enter into the area. ... without the prosecution of the killers of Marichjhanpi and Nandigram! Yours. Palash Biswas ...
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- [ Translate this page ]Palash biswas द्वारा 3 जनवरी, 2009 11:34 PM पर पोस्टेड # ... Civil Society Stands United with UNWANTED ... आगे पढ़ें. ...
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Obama invites Singapore PM to nuclear summit
15 Nov 2009 ... US President Barack Obama on Sunday invited Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to a nuclear summit next year in recognition of the ...
www.zeenews.com/news579218.html - Cached -Obama set to meet Myanmar PM at ASEAN summit- Hindustan Times
15 Nov 2009 ... Obama set to meet Myanmar PM at ASEAN summit. Reuters. Singapore, November 15, 2009. First Published: 10:10 IST(15/11/2009) ...
www.hindustantimes.com/.../Obama...PM...summit/Article1-476629.aspx - Cached -Obama, PM to meet on sidelines of G-20 Summit
US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are most likely to meet on the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.
ibnlive.in.com/news/obama-pm-to-meet...summit/101927-3.html - Cached -BBC News - Barack Obama praises India ties in talks with PM Singh
25 Nov 2009 ... US President Barack Obama hails India as "indispensable" as he holds talks with PM Manmohan Singh at the White House.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8375904.stm - 14 minutes ago - Cached -PM-Obama Summit : Time for plain speaking by Rajinder Puri
As Dr Manmohan Singh visits Washington for his meeting with President Obama one thing is clear. Unless President Obama satisfies Dr Singh with the private ...
www.boloji.com/myword/mw159.html - Cached -Release Suu Kyi, Obama tells Myanmar PM - Yahoo! News
15 Nov 2009 ... Release Suu Kyi, Obama tells Myanmar PM ... Obama was sitting down with friends and foes alike at an unprecedented summit between a US president and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ...
news.yahoo.com/s/afp/.../apecsummitusaseanmyanmardiplomacy - Cached -PM-Obama summit: Fighting terrorism a key focus
23 Nov 2009 ... PM-Obama summit: Terrorism a key focus. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama. (File photo) ...
www.expressbuzz.com/.../story.aspx?...PM-Obama+summit...Obama+summit... -Image: Obama, PM at the White House: Rediff.com India News
24 Nov 2009 ... Obama, PM meet at White House. Last updated on: November 24, ... of the G-20 Summit in London [ Images ] and briefly at Pittsburgh's G-20 ...
news.rediff.com/report/2009/nov/24/obama-pm-meet-at-white-house.htm -Barack Obama | Manmohan Singh | India | United States | G20 Summit ...
3 Apr 2009 ... President Obama told Prime Minister Singh that the United States sees ... The US President, who arrived in London to attend the G20 summit, ...
news.oneindia.in/.../obama-manmohan-singh-pitch-for-enhanced-indo-us-ties.html - Cached - Similar -Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: Obama announces a "jobs summit"
12 Nov 2009 ... Obama summit equals the Tower of Babel. Dhuka on November 13, 2009 at 9:36 PM. A jobs summit, sort of like he's been holding an Afghanistan ...
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Iranian Civil Society and the Role of U.S. Foreign Policy ...
Experts say the allocation of U.S. funds toward civil society taints those ... years and have more experience than we do [in civil society promotion]. ...
www.cfr.org › by publication type › backgrounders - Cached - Similar -States and Civil Society Groups: Canada's Promotion of Cultural ...
(October 29 2005) States and Civil Society Groups: Canada’s Promotion of ... "Deeply Flawed U.S. Says: Robert Martin delivers final U.S. statement on ...
www.allacademic.com/meta/p91727_index.html - Cached -Jammu and Kashmir coalition of civil society - ::CCCS ::
About Us. The Srinagar-based Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil ... Kashmiri civil society, even before the outbreak of the militancy in 1989, ... Unfortunately international organizations that traditionally promote civil society and ...
www.jkccs.org/main%20links/About%20Us.HTM - Cached - Similar -"Democracy Promotion and Civil Society: Six Models in Search of ...
"Democracy Promotion and Civil Society: Six Models in Search of Reality" ... Conclusions about the Impact of US Democracy Promotion in Russia and Kyrgyzstan ...
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Tocqueville's Missionaries: Civil Society Advocacy and the Promotion of Democracy. ... find ... US Fed News Service, Including US State News; February 7, ...
www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62002644.html - Cached -AMERICAN DEMOCRACY PROMOTION
Second, how has the United States promoted democratic governance? .... In Civil Society from Abroad: U.S. Donors in the Former Soviet Union, ...
web.ceu.hu/ires/courses0506/americandemocracy.html - Cached - Similar -Round Table Considers Ways Civil Society Can Help Promote ...
The Round Table on Partnership with Civil Society in the Implementation of the ... the U.S. Congress has been withholding funds for population programmes. ...
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NLM Gateway A service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health ... Human dignity promotion and civil society building as interventions to prevent STD/AIDS: ...
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In recent years the United States and many other international donors have embraced civil society aid as a key tool of democracy promotion. ...
www.carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=539&lang=en -Iran: U.S. Senator Discusses Democracy-Promotion Efforts - Radio ...
So this has to change, and it's part of the reason why I've been a very strong supporter of U.S. government funding for civil-society programs in Iran. ...
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International Day on the Elimination of Violence against WomenUNPO - 4 hours ago I am also committed to promoting and strengthening the engagement of the mandate with regional mechanisms and civil society actors. The upcoming Beijing +15 ... India, a traditional partner of AfghanistanMyNews.in - Nov 24, 2009 Those, who came to India, studied in its secular educational institutions and went back as enlightened members of the Afghan civil society. ... Uganda: Remarks by Stephen Lewis, Co-Director of AIDS-Free World Delivered at ...AllAfrica.com - 8 hours ago Parents, teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, preachers, landlords, community health workers, members of the media, civil society activists, anyone who can ... Uganda: Anti-gay bill puts Uganda in spotlight Afrique en Ligue End of the road for the armed struggle in Sri Lankan politicsSri Lanka Guardian (blog) - 17 hours ago They hounded and gruesomely murdered the left political and trade union activists, civil society and political leaders in the South who supported the 13th ... Een pleidooi voor Christelijk bewustzijn?Het Vrije Volk - - 13 hours ago Third, the common good of civil society is damaged when the law itself, in its critical pedagogical function, becomes a tool for eroding a sound ... What Does the Manhattan Declaration Really Mean? ChristianityToday.com ASIA: Civil Society Steps Up Efforts Towards Alternative EconomyIPS - - Nov 23, 2009 The term was first coined at the World Social Forum, originally a Brazil-based civil society's answer to the World Economic Forum held also annually in ... Norway - State in fragile environments: Common engagement for conflict ...ISRIA - 2 hours ago The purpose of the conference is to agree on a framework for practical action - between governments, international organisations and civil society – to ... Gambia: Freedom of Expression Festival Ends in Ouaga AllAfrica.com - - 4 hours ago Ï% Exhort the African Union authorities to have civil society organizations, particularly those that defend the freedom of expression, or get involved in ... Regional blocs to launch Free Trade Area by 2012The Zimbabwe Guardian - 13 hours ago The FTA will cover the promotion of customs cooperation and trade facilitation, at regional and tripartite level from early 2010 up to June 2011. ... Treatments against AIDS Are Being Improved, But Prevention is the SolutionUANL - - Nov 23, 2009 So, Rivera Morales said we must promote the prevention since elementary school, without waiting for the Government to do it, because from civil society, ... | |
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World Bank to start agriculture fund with $1.5 bn
The World Bank will start a trust fund to boost agriculture in poor countries with an initial $1.5 billion, its president Robert Zoellick said on Tuesday, warning of the risk of another food price crisis.
Crop shortages in India and the Philippines combined with increased speculation in commodity markets by investment funds have increased the risk that food prices could spike, as happened in 2008, Zoellick said.
"I'm not forecasting this. I'm just staying we have to anticipate this as a possible risk," he told reporters on the sidelines of a food security event at Brookings Institution.
More than 1 billion people are now chronically hungry as food prices have been slow to fall from last year's record highs, and as nations grapple with the global economic downturn, United Nations agencies have said.
The world's richest nations pledged to give $20 billion over three years to help small farmers in developing countries grow more food, but diplomats and aid groups have estimated only $3 billion appears to be new spending.
Asked whether he thought the $20 billion would be new spending or money diverted from existing aid programs, Zoellick said: "From what I can see so far, it's going to be a mixture, as these things usually are."
The World Bank was asked by the Group of 20 nations in September to create a fund to help quickly disburse the pledges.
"I'd like (the World Bank) to get more (of the $20 billion promised) but the key thing is that people keep their pledges," Zoellick told reporters, noting that some aid may be delivered bilaterally or through other multilateral agencies.
"My key point is, let's get these things up and running," he said.
The World Bank fund will pool money from the United States, Canada and Spain, Zoellick said, and the European Commission will also add funds.
WORLD FALLING SHORT ON EMERGENCY AID
Climate change and the other factors that caused the run-up in food prices last year remain risks, said Josette Sheeran, head of the UN's World Food Program.
"I don't think it was a one-off phenomenon," Sheeran said. "I think what it was was more of a wake up call that exposed fault lines in access to food from the village level up through the national, regional and global level."
The UN's World Food Program, which feeds about 100 million people in 72 countries with government donations, has fallen far short of its emergency needs this year, raising only $3.7 billion against requirements of $6.4 billion, Sheeran said.
The WFP appealed last week for $1 billion to feed 20 million people in east Africa over the next six months, and secured pledges of half that amount, including donations from the United States and Spain, she said.
"It's a challenging time. Even in the richer countries, the countries are going through a period of financial challenge," she told Reuters.
(Editing by Alan Elsner)
Roberta Rampton, reuters
President Patil makes history by flying in a Sukhoi
Pune, November 25 (ANI): President Pratibha Devisingh Patil created history on Wednesday by becoming the first serving female head of state to fly in an Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft from the Lohegaon Air Force Base in Pune. What was even more remarkable was the fact that she achieved the feat at the age of 74. Patil landed at the air force base after 22 minutes of flying.
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http://videos.sify.com/watch/President_Patil_makes_history_by_flying_in_a_Sukhoi-jlzpEcfadeh.html
India, US to expand strategic partnership as US Promoted CIVIL Society enters in the Shoes of PANCHAM VAHINI, the Fifth Column reminiscent World war Times!
Save for an option of green curry prawns, President Barack Obama offered his guests an all-vegetarian fare at his first state dinner in honour of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who one newspaper had described as an 'abstemious vegetarian.'
Reaffirming the 'global strategic partnership between India and the United States, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama have vowed to expand it for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia, and for the betterment of the world.
As a Joint Statement issued Tuesday after their meeting in the Oval Office with all the bells and whistles of a state visit, the first of the Obama presidency, said: 'President Obama stated the United States looks forward to a stable and prosperous India playing an increasingly important role in world affairs.'
Dubbed by some as Washington's most elite social event since his Jan 20 inauguration, the Tuesday dinner also featured fresh arugula from the White House garden and entertainment by Oscar winners A.R. Rahman and Jennifer Hudson.
The food and wines on the menu:
- Potato and eggplant salad
- White House arugula with onion seed vinaigrette
- 2008 sauvignon blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa Valley, Calif.
- Red lentil soup with fresh cheese
- 2006 Riesling, Brooks 'Ara,' Willamette Valley, Ore.
- Roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra or green curry prawns, caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens and coconut-aged basmati
- 2007 grenache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, Calif.
- Pumpkin pie tart, pear tatin, whipped cream and caramel sauce
- Sparkling chardonnay, Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello, Va.
- Petits fours and coffee
- Cashew brittle
- Pecan pralines
- Passion fruit and vanilla gelees
- Chocolate-dipped fruit
After a quiet wedding in Khandala on Sunday,Newly weds Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra hosted a wedding reception in Mumbai plush Grand Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday night.Mother Sunanda Shetty,father Surinder Shetty and sister Shamita Shetty,seemed quite busy attending the guests.
With Shilpa in a stylish Tarun Tahiliani's golden outfit, and Raj in a chic black sherwani,the couple looked really gorgeous.
Colonel Siddharth Barve ringed me this afternoon from Mumbai and informed that the Rashtriya Mulnivasi Sangh had been denied Police Permission to Demonstate aginst SEZ Drive while Medha patkar and Nrmada Bachao Andolan is Permitted. He also informed me tht the Parliament is all set to pass the NUCLAER Energy Privatisation Bill.
Indian Express reports:
In their first steps towards taking the Indo-US strategic partnership to a new level, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama sought to consolidate gains rather than break new ground as they identified five core areas to carry forward what the US President called the "defining partnership of the 21st century."
With the agreement on reprocessing US-origin nuclear fuel hitting a roadblock, the best takeaway for both sides was the ever-improving personal equation between the two leaders.
PranabDhalSamanta, express news service
Last Day , I could not update my blogs and I expected my readers to read my post, be Aware of America so that it would prove to be a Home work for the Discussion Mandatory on Indian Hegemony Involvement in the Zionist Warfare galaxy Order TRIIBLIS!
Meanwhile,ADHARSHILA has published my write up on Trilochan Shastri in its Trilochan shastri special issue. In this article I have dealt with Rural World. Interested readers may log in :
adharshila.blogspot.com
I was busy with my Film director friend , Rajiv kumar. our Friend and Professor in DSB college, Dr Batrohi wanted to make a Film on our Old Nainital. We invested the day to plan the Project sipping old day wine , RUM! Sabita was engaged with the family as we were enclosed in the Study. We had a round of talks with Colonel barve on cell Phone. I Also Called dr. batrohi and applauded his Concept as we may take up the Global Issues of climate Change and Global warming, realty Boom in this film along with overwhelming Nostalgia and elegant landscape full of the Fragrance of Wild and Originality. The ladies could not smell the liquor. We returned by Klayani local late in the night as I entrained Normally in the Crowded train from Vidhan nagar. We shared the same bed after Browsing and viewing the Summit Live Coverage in which Barrack Obama told at apoint about the People to people Inod US relations. He also admitted that hitherto United states of america was instrumental for Military Help to Pakistan but now USA is ENGAGED to Promote Civil Society in Pakistan. I was wondered that no body noticed it as the SUMMIT was Live in Global media! Such is the Media Mind Control.
Waking Up in the Morning, I discovered my KHAINI Dibia was MISSING and I could realise that sabita might Had dumped it in the Dustbin. I had to go to the Market to fetch a new container for raw Tobbaco. The Morning Telecast was all about the Open Air Banquet involving ZIONIST Hindutva Lobby Ruling America and the NRIs. Simultaneously Indian Media was showcasing the ladY President of India, Mrs Pratibha Debi Patil riding a War Plane, Sukhoi.While talking to the Colonel, I emphasised this media Hype fpr the 74 years old Indian Lady President doses jsutify the Long Shopping List including Nuclear Armamnet which Dr. man Mohan Singh carried with him and never told us. It is really the Iconisation of Nuclear Super Power Hindu India.
US Promoted Civil Societies Have Captured Power as well as Resistance Hegemonies in India, Pakistan and the Third World as Obama manMohan SUMMIT in the White House EXPOSES the Skin of War Economy Galaxy Wide! A candle-light vigil, a police parade, an all-religion prayer meet at the Gateway of India and a memorial service at Chabad House - people from all walks of life will remember the victims and heroes of the 26/11 terror attacks a year ago in this city ...US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the White House on Tuesday.
The two leaders 'today reaffirmed the global strategic partnership between India and the United States, and launched a new phase in this partnership,' it said as 'they committed to build upon the India-US Strategic Dialogue announced in July 2009.'
'Commending the deepening bilateral cooperation between the world's two largest democracies across a broad spectrum of human endeavours, the two leaders recognized that the common ideals and complementary strengths of India and the United States today provide a foundation for addressing the global challenges of the 21st century.'
The two leaders noted that the shared values cherished by their peoples and espoused by their founders - democracy, pluralism, tolerance, openness, and respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights - are acquiring an increasingly greater prominence in building a more peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, secure and sustainable world.
'These values are exemplified by the vibrant linkages between their peoples, which are a unique asset for both countries, and are reflected in the role played by the Indian-American community,' the Joint Statement said.
'The two leaders resolved to harness these shared strengths and to expand the US-India global partnership for the benefit of their countries, for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia, and for the betterment of the world,' it said.
Text of Manmohan Singh-Barack Obama joint statement
Text of the Joint Statement between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama issued after their summit Tuesday:
INDIA AND THE US: PARTNERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama today reaffirmed the global strategic partnership between India and the US, and launched a new phase in this partnership. Commending the deepening bilateral cooperation between the world's two largest democracies across a broad spectrum of human endeavours, the two leaders recognised that the common ideals and complementary strengths of India and the US today provide a foundation for addressing the global challenges of the 21st century.
The two leaders noted that the shared values cherished by their peoples and espoused by their founders - democracy, pluralism, tolerance, openness, and respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights - are acquiring an increasingly greater prominence in building a more peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, secure and sustainable world. These values are exemplified by the vibrant linkages between their peoples, which are a unique asset for both countries, and are reflected in the role played by the Indian-American community.
The two leaders resolved to harness these shared strengths and to expand the US-India global partnership for the benefit of their countries, for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia, and for the betterment of the world. To this end, they committed to build upon the India-US Strategic Dialogue announced in July 2009. President Obama stated that the US looks forward to a stable and prosperous India playing an increasingly important role in world affairs.
ADVANCING GLOBAL SECURITY AND COUNTERING TERRORISM
Prime Minister Singh and President Obama recognised that the India-US partnership is indispensable for global peace and security. In this context, the interests of both countries are best advanced through the values mirrored in their societies.
They acknowledged the common threat that international terrorism poses to regional and global security. They condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and declared that there could be no justification for terrorism anywhere.
On the eve of its first anniversary, President Obama reiterated the US's condemnation of the terrorist attack in Mumbai in November 2008. The two leaders underscored the absolute imperative to bring to justice the perpetrators of this terrorist attack.
They expressed their grave concern about the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremists emanating from India's neighbourhood, whose impact is felt beyond the region. The two leaders agreed that resolute and credible steps must be taken to eliminate safe havens and sanctuaries that provide shelter to terrorists and their activities. These undermine security and stability in the region and around the world.
They vowed to redouble their efforts to deal effectively with terrorism, while protecting their countries' common ideals and shared values and committed themselves to strengthening global consensus and legal regimes against terrorism. They decided on a Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative to expand collaboration on counterterrorism, information sharing, and capacity building.
The two leaders reiterated their shared interest in the stability, development and independence of Afghanistan and in the defeat of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and Afghanistan. President Obama appreciated India's role in reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan. The two leaders agreed to enhance their respective efforts in this direction.
The two leaders committed to continue pursuing mutually beneficial defense cooperation through the existing security dialogue, service-level exchanges, defense exercises and trade and technology transfer and collaboration. They recognised the scope for cooperation in the areas of non-traditional threats to security, peacekeeping, humanitarian and disaster relief, and maritime security and protecting sea lanes of communication. They agreed to expedite necessary arrangements to facilitate these activities.
The two leaders agreed that strengthening high technology trade between their countries is in the spirit of their strategic dialogue and partnership. They reiterated their shared commitment to technology security and that it is in their mutual interest to invigorate this area of their partnership.
ENSURING SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE
Recognising that energy security, food security, climate change are interlinked, and that eliminating poverty and ensuring sustainable development and a clean energy future are among the foremost global objectives, the two leaders agreed to enter into a Green Partnership to address these global challenges.
They two Leaders reaffirmed their intention to promote the full, effective and sustained implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in accordance with the Bali Action Plan. Recognising their special role in promoting a successful and substantive outcome at the UNFCCC 15th Conference of Parties at Copenhagen in December, 2009, they reaffirmed their intention to work together bilaterally and with all other countries for an agreed outcome at that meeting.
The two leaders also affirmed that the Copenhagen outcome must be comprehensive and cover mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology, and in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, it should reflect emission reduction targets of developed countries and nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing countries. There should be full transparency through appropriate processes as to the implementation of aforesaid mitigation actions. The outcome should further reflect the need for substantially scaled-up financial resources to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, in particular, for the poorest and most vulnerable. It should also include measures for promoting technology development, dissemination and transfer and capacity building, including consideration of a center or a network of centers to support and stimulate climate innovation. India and the US, consistent with their national circumstances, resolved to take significant national mitigation actions that will strengthen the world's ability to combat climate change. They resolved to stand by these commitments.
Recognising the need to create the clean energy economy of the 21st century, Prime Minister Singh and President Obama agreed to launch a Clean Energy and Climate Change Initiative. The goal of the Initiative would be to improve the lives of the people of both countries by developing and improving access to technologies that make our energy cleaner, affordable and more efficient. The initiative will include cooperation in wind and solar energy, second generation bio-fuels, unconventional gas, energy efficiency, and clean coal technologies including carbon capture and storage. The success of this Initiative is expected to enhance the ability of India and the US to provide new economic opportunities for their people and create new clean energy jobs.
The two leaders intend to take practical steps to promote global food security, including by advancing the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative. They looked forward to increasing India-US agricultural cooperation with the purpose of promoting agricultural research, human resources capacity building, natural resource management, agri-business and food processing, and collaborative research for increasing food productivity. This cooperation would contribute to joint development of technology that would improve weather forecasting, including predicting monsoons, and technology that would contribute to food productivity and food security efforts in India.
They agreed to collaborate in the application of their space technology and related scientific capabilities in outer space and for development purposes, including in the field of agriculture.
The two leaders reiterated their intention to realize the full potential of the India-US Agreement for Cooperation concerning the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy through the implementation of its provisions. They agreed to expedite US firms' participation in the implementation of this agreement.
STIMULATING GLOBAL ECONOMIC REVIVAL
Prime Minister Singh and President Obama noted the new opportunities offered by their economies and their respective strengths, and their potential for future growth to catalyse global economic growth, and pledged to create conditions that would facilitate their continued expansion.
The leaders also noted that the US is currently the largest trading partner of India in goods and services.
The leaders reiterated their pledge to bolster and deepen cooperation on economic, trade and agricultural issues, including working bilaterally and with multilateral trade organisations to foster increased trade. Both leaders welcomed the potential for further expanding trade and investment between their countries, including in sectors such as infrastructure, information and communication technologies, healthcare services, education services, energy and environmentally friendly technologies.
As members of the G-20, they agreed to advance the G-20 understandings including with regard to energy security and resisting protectionism in all its forms. The two leaders agreed to facilitate greater movement of professionals, investors and business travellers, students, and exchange visitors between our two countries to enhance their economic and technological partnership.
They committed to strengthen and reform the global economic and financial architecture in the G-20, World Bank and the IMF. They resolved to seek an ambitious and balanced outcome of the Doha Round, consistent with its mandate and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, fair, equitable, transparent and rule-based multilateral trading system.
The two leaders announced their intention to develop a Framework for Cooperation on Trade and Investment. This Framework is expected to foster an environment conducive to technological innovation and collaboration, promote inclusive growth and job creation, and support opportunities for increased trade and investment - including for small and medium-sized enterprises. They agreed to launch the US-India Financial and Economic Partnership to strengthen engagement on economic, financial, and investment-related issues.
The two leaders welcomed the progress achieved in the discussions on a Bilateral Investment Treaty and pledged to take further initiatives that would contribute to creating a more conducive environment for investment flows.
They recognised the contribution of the business and industrial sectors of both countries in this regard and called upon the India-US CEOs Forum to identify new directions in the India-US economic relationship.
EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING FUTURE GENERATIONS
Recognising the cultural emphasis on education in both countries, Prime Minister Singh and President Obama emphasised that education holds the key to the advancement of their societies, and to a more prosperous and stable world.
They agreed that access to and development of technology was a cross-cutting requirement to meet the challenges that their two countries face. They acknowledged the fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the fields of education, research and science and technology, which has contributed to their emergence as knowledge societies.
Taking advantage of that strength, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh launched the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative with funding from both sides to increase university linkages and junior faculty development exchanges between the US and Indian universities, including greater emphasis on community colleges.
They agreed to substantially expand the Fulbright-Nehru programme to provide more student and scholar exchange grants in priority fields such as science, technology and agriculture. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of expanding cooperation in higher education and research, and according priority to cooperation in the area of skill development.
They also expressed their support for the India-US Binational Science and Technology Commission and the Endowment, which is expected to give a fresh impetus to collaboration in the cutting edge areas of scientific research, technology and development.
The leaders affirmed the importance of women's empowerment to advancing global prosperity and stability, and welcomed the establishment of a Women's Empowerment Dialogue to promote women's participation and equality in all spheres. They emphasised that women's empowerment is a cross-cutting goal that should be pursued across the full scope of US-India Strategic Dialogue initiatives.
PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF OUR PEOPLE
Prime Minister Singh and President Obama welcomed the strong collaboration between India and the US in the area of public health. They agreed to build on existing strong ties across academia and scientific communities by advancing public health and biomedical research collaborations between the US and India. The two countries plan to establish a Regional Global Disease Detection Center in India and to build a partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The leaders also pledged to enhance collaboration in controlling diseases such as polio, and discovering new and affordable technologies and treatments for the benefit of their peoples and for those of other countries who seek their assistance.
TOWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE GLOBAL COOPERATION
Prime Minister Singh and President Obama recognised that the India-US relationship is important for managing the challenges the world will face in the 21st century.
The two leaders underscored the compelling need to put in place global institutions which are both inclusive and effective to meet present and future challenges. They welcomed the emergence of the G-20 as a premier forum to deal with international economic issues. The two leaders recognised the scope for their countries to increase cooperation in peacekeeping, development and the promotion of essential human freedoms. They committed themselves to achieving genuine reform of the United Nations including in its Security Council in a manner that reflects the contemporary realities of the 21st century and thereby enhances its ability to carry out its mandate as a representative, credible and effective forum for meeting the challenges of the new century.
Prime Minister Singh thanked President Obama and the people of the United States of America for their generous hospitality and warm welcome. President Obama looks forward to visiting India with his family in the near future.
Indo Asian News Service
China's aggression baffling: Manmohan
Certain "assertiveness on the part of China" was inexplicable though China and India have agreed for a peaceful settlement of all outstanding issues between the two countries, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"World has to come to terms with the peaceful rise of China. However, there is a certain assertiveness on the part of China. I am unable to understand it. It should be taken note of," Singh said addressing a gathering of American policy makers and intellectuals at think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
Singh's statement is the strongest Indian response to China's aggressive posturing in recent months ranging from raising the noise on the border dispute to issuing stapled visas to Indian passport holders from Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh's explanation of the Chinese behaviour was clearly targeted at his American hosts, who India suspects are increasingly accommodative of the Chinese positions. A joint statement during President Barack Obama's state visit to China from November 15 to 19 had agreed to jointly "promote peace, stability and development" in South Asia, in the context of India and Pakistan. India had seen it in conflict with the country's position that there is "no scope or requirement for a third party role" in resolving India-Pak conflict.
"The US wants to keep the Chinese in good humour, given the economic clout it has attained, particularly in a global slowdown," pointed out C Raja Mohan, the Kissinger Scholar in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress.
The PM pointed out the difference between India and China and the similarities between India and the US. Singh said "GDP alone" could not be the benchmark of a country's progress. "There are certain values and principles too. China's economic growth has been superior to us. But India does not want to adopt the Chinese model. We have our own model where human rights, religious freedom, democracy and multiculturalism are appreciated. Reforms in a democratic set-up are far more effective," Singh said, answering questions at CFR.
In his written speech, the PM reminded the American audience of the shared values between the two countries. "Both India and the US draw strength from their common values of respect for cultural diversity, democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law."
Ready to talk to Pakistan?
Three days away from the first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, the PM said Pakistan's "selective approach to terrorism, tackling it in one place while ignoring it in others," will not work. However, if Pakistan comes to the "table with good faith and sincerity," India is "ready to pick up the threads of the dialogue," said the PM. India had suspended the dialogue with Pakistan after Mumbai attacks.
'Iran can't have weapons'
The PM avoided a direct reply to a question whether India will support a UN sanction against Iran if the country does not come clean on charges of nuclear proliferation. "India has always upheld UN decisions," he said. The PM added that as a signatory to NPT, Iran has a right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes but not weapons.
Hindustan Times
Liberhan Commission report had lost its value: Karat
Terming the Liberhan Commission report as a delayed one that had lost its value, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat today alleged that it failed to indict the P V Narasimha Rao government, which he held "equally responsible" for the Babri Masjid demolition. The Liberhan report had lost its value since it had been delayed for a long time and "also failed to come out with the punishment" to the perpetrators, Karat told reporters here.
He alleged that though the report named 68 persons, including leaders of BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal and RSS, it failed to indict the P V Narasimha Rao government which was "equally responsible" for the Masjid demolition. Addressing a rally organised by CPI-M, CPI and Forward Bloc on price rise earlier, he flayed the UPA government for its "wrong policies", which, he alleged, resulted in "skyrocketing" prices of essential commodities, causing hardship to the common man and the poor.
Karat demanded that the Centre reintroduce universal ration card system which was prevalent in 1992 as under the present BPL card system, those who were eligible were not getting the benefits. He also asked the Centre to abolish future trading on essential commodities, saying that rise in prices was "not because of shortage but due to speculation indulged in future trading".
The Centre should take steps to expand Public Distribution System and introduce a legislation on Food Security, proposed by the Vajpayee government, Karat said. PTI
Liberhan findings vague, uncertain: Advani's counsel
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani's counsel Satya Pal Jain Wednesday said the findings of the Liberhan Commission into the 1992 Babri mosque demolition were 'vague and uncertain'.
'The findings of the commission are vague and uncertain. They are targeting L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and other leaders without proper evidence,' Jain, who represented Advani before the Liberhan Commission, told mediapersons here.
He added that the commission's report was deliberately delayed from being tabled in parliament by the government to suit its political interests.
'The report itself looks like a thesis against the BJP and RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh),' said Jain, a former BJP Lok Sabha MP.
He said that the BJP was fully prepared to rebut the findings of the report when discussion on the issue begins in parliament Dec 1.
He said that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been found 'culpable' in the demolition despite neither being called for any hearing nor any evidence being collected against him.
Jain wondered how then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao could be let off by the Liberhan Commission despite evidence being recorded against him for inaction.
Jain also sought that Home Minister P. Chidambaram resign from his post on moral grounds following the 'selective leak' of the Liberhan report by the home ministry before it was tabled in parliament.
The Liberhan panel report, which was tabled in parliament Tuesday, has indicted members of the Sangh Parivar, including senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani, for razing of the 16th century mosque in Ayodhya. The vandalism and destruction triggered communal riots across the country.
Liberhan suggests revamp of civil, police recruitment
The recruitment into the civil and police services should be extensively revamped and aptitude, education and experience should be preferred over academic excellence, the Liberhan Commission that probed the Babri Masjid demolition has recommended.
The commission, whose report was tabled in parliament Tuesday, said the police and bureaucracy face a crisis of confidence and general public does not trust them either.
'The nexus between the politician and the policemen or the bureaucrats needs to be disrupted. The confidence of the common man needs to be restored. Experts have already written lengthy monographs on the subjects and suggested specific changes. We need to ensure that these reforms are undertaken holistically at the earliest,' the report said.
The commission said the root cause of the problem may possibly lie in the very process which is used to recruit these officers.
'Just as in areas requiring excellence such as the profession of medicine, the profession of governance cannot admit of candidates whose merit is not of proven providence,' the report said.
'It may be particularly useful to conduct periodic exercises of screening the members of the civil and police services to identify and weed out the communal and biased elements.'
India has emerged stronger after 2611: Sonia
Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday said that India had 'emerged stronger' after the 26/11 attacks and the terrorists had also 'miserably failed' to break the spirit of Mumbai.
'If the terrorists were seeking to divide our nation, create chaos and divert us from our chosen path, they miscalculated totally. India has emerged stronger,' Gandhi said in a statement on the eve of the first anniversary of 26/11.
'We have learnt many hard lessons from the tragedy of 26/11. But we have also learnt that no terrorist attack will ever be able to hit at the spirit of Mumbai and its people. If that was the aim of the terrorist strike, they miserably failed.'
At least 166 people were killed in the mayhem by 10 Pakistani terrorists in India's commercial capital Mumbai a year ago. The terrorists sneaked into the city by sea and went on a killing spree at chosen spots.
'It was an assault on a city and its spirit of vitality and enterprise, its rich pluralistic culture, where people of different faiths and communities live together in harmony. It was an assault on the very idea of India,' Gandhi said.
She said it was a brutal and wanton assault on innocent men, women and children.
Saluting the memory of those who perished in the attack, she said they included unsuspecting victims whom destiny had placed in the path of terrorist bullets, the brave officers and men of Mumbai police and National Security Guard and hotel staff who were killed as they tried to shelter their guests.
'We continue to draw strength and inspiration from the heroism and humanity displayed by so many ordinary citizens who risked their lives to save others,' she said, referring to work done by doctors, nurses, ambulance staff and fire department personnel.
She said in the past year the country had witnessed courage, resilience and determination by the residents of Mumbai.
Saluting the indomitable spirit of the people of India on behalf of her party, Gandhi paid homage to those who lost their lives in the attack.
Pak will do more against terror: Obama tells Manmohan
Pakistan has begun to recognise extremism can do no good and "there is some progress" in taking action against terrorists located on its soil, said US President Barack Obama. Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House after the duo discussed at the State dining room on issues ranging from regional security to climate change, Obama said he was confident that there would be "further clarity and determination" on Pakistan's part to act against terrorism. "Pakistan's role is crucial in countering terrorism. And they are taking action in South Waziristan and SWAT. Our policy towards Pakistan is being refocused. So far we have had a single focus approach, on the military aspects of it. We realise
strengthening the Pakistani civil society is equally important," the President said. The President said it is in the strategic interests of the US to not let Al-Qaida operate and his new policy for the region will be announced soon aftter the Thanks Giving week. Obama said he shared India's grief on the first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks. Obama said his government is committed to the full operationalisation of the India-US civil nuclear cooperation deal and both have resolved to strive for a "comprehensive and substantive" agreement at the Copenhagen conference on climate change next month. A much awaited joint statement of the two leaders did not materialise by the time of the press conference, but both paid rich complements to each other, as the PM's state visit was inagurated. "Namaste," the US President said opening the presser. "Prime Minister Singh is a wise leader," Obama said, accepting an invitation to visit India next year. "A very warm welcome awaits you, your gracious wife and two daughters," the PM said. An American diplomat, eager to find a binding between the two before the visit began, had pointed out that both were fathers of daughters. The personal chemistry between George
Bush and Singh was noticeable and both the US and Indian sides were enthusiastice to find one between Obama and Singh too. In the morning, heavy rains forced the White House to shift the ceremonial reception for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from the south lawns to the East Room. But the warmth between the two leaders was palpable when President Barack Obama declared that Singh's visit, being the first state visit since his presidency began, reflected the "abiding bonds" between the two nations. "I appreciate your personal committment to Indo-US ties," the PM told Obama. The White House hosted at least two dozen world leaders after Obama took over, but Singh's is the first state visit and it includes a banquet in honour of the PM. The last time an Indian PM was hosted for a banquet at White House was A B Vajpayee in 2000.
Vice president Joe Biden and several members of the US cabinet including secretary of states Hillary Clinton were present. A high powered Indian business delegation, among them Ratan Tata and Deepak Parekh, were also witness to the grand cermony besides External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.
Hindustan Times
Guess who came for Obama-Manmohan dinner?
Guess who came for US President Barack Obama's first state dinner? Washington's worst-kept state secret was out Tuesday evening as Hollywood moguls, billionaire tycoons, powerful senators and prominent Indian Americans gathered for the hottest social event in town at the White House.
The glamour and glitz mingled with high gravitas and pomp of office at the biggest social event of the Obama presidency held in honour of India's highly respected economist-turned-prime minister Manmohan Singh and his spouse Gursharan Kaur.
Over 300 guests arrived for the dinner hosted in a majestic white tent on the South Lawns of the White House as their names were announced with Oscar-style fanfare. They posed before the paparazzi, smiled, traded small talk, with society columnists dissecting every small detail of what they wore and what they thought.
Actors Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and Indian-American auteur M. Night Shyamalan, musician A.R. Rehman, who composed the Oscar-wining score for blockbuster 'Slumdog Millionaire', competed for attention with writer Jhumpa Lahiri, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, author Thomas Friedman and new age guru Deepak Chopra.
'Everyone looks great; we're feeling great,' White House social secretary Desiree Rogers said as she gingerly walked to the dinner venue on the expansive lawns.
'We are trying to have a good time,' gushed Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a Chinese American scientist and a Nobel prize winner who visited India earlier this month.
The political establishment, sporting black tuxedo and black tie, turned out in full strength.
Vice-President Joe Biden, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Representative Howard Berman were among the power pack who dutifully trooped to the most glamorous party hosted by the Obama administration.
Top Indian billionaires like Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, who between them contribute a sizable portion of India's GDP, were also present.
The spirit of bipartisanship that Obama has championed was reflected in the choice of guests.
Among the prominent Indian-Americans who attended the power do were Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, Rajat Gupta of McKinsey fame, Vishakha Desai, president of Asia Society, Kamla Harris, district attorney of San Francis district, hotelier Sant Chatwal and Sonal Shah, an economist who heads Obama's office of social innovation.
(Manish Chand can be contacted at manish.c@ians.in)
Manish Chand
Michelle Obama's dinner gown, made in India by an Indian
First Lady Michelle Obama glowed in a silver-sequined, strapless gold and cream gown Tuesday night at the first state dinner hosted by her husband in honour of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She owed her dazzling appearance to the Indian-born US-based designer Naeem Khan.
Khan has earned a niche in the fashion world for dressing Hollywood A-list women, including Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Katherine Heigl, Eva Longoria and even Queen Noor of Jordan.
Michelle Obama's fabulous gown was crafted at the designer's family workshop in India, with 40 people working to create this fashion masterpiece that combined regal style with a traditional sari-dress.
In an interview with CNN's Larry King, Khan said he wanted to dress the first lady in something 'Indian, chic, simple but very glamorous'.
'For me to be part of this historic occasion, being Indian, it is beyond amazing. It is an incredible moment for me.'
In the morning while welcoming Manmohan Singh's spouse Gursharan Kaur at an elaborate ceremony at the East Room of the White House, Michelle Obama, a fashion icon known for choosing dresses that reflect what a writer has called fashion democracy, wore an orange and russet dress that stood out for its austere beauty and elegance.
In the afternoon, Mrs. Obama wore a skirt crafted by Indian-American Rachel Roy as she previewed the state dinner, customs, china, protocol and entertainment for children and the media.
Manish Chand
Will wrap up case on 26/11: Nikam
The prosecution in the 26/11 case is likely to wrap up its evidence against lone arrested terrorist Ajmal Kasab and two Indians on the anniversary of the terror attack.
"We are likely to complete evidence against the accused by November 26, exactly a year after the attack by Kasab and his nine accomplices," said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
While the prosecution has examined 266 witnesses so far, six more are yet to be quizzed. All the remaining witnesses are investigating officers of the 12 different cases registered against the accused at different police stations on the night of November 26, 2008.
Nikam said, "We will also be submitting affidavits of around 300 formal witnesses to save the court's time. These witnesses include those who were injured at various targets but did not see the gunman; the officers who seized the articles and took them for carrying out chemical test; and relatives of the victims who claimed their bodies."
After the prosecution closes its case, defence lawyers may exercise their right to examine their witnesses.
Finally, the court would give its verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.
In a related development, accused Sabahuddin Ahmed's lawyer Ejaz Naqvi moved a plea before the court, seeking to make Mohammed Janjua and Aamir Janjua the father-son duo arrested in Italy for allegedly funding the communication between the attackers and their handlers in Pakistan conspirators in the case.
Dismissing the plea, judge M L Tahaliyani observed, "How am I concerned about all this? I am only concerned about the chargesheet before me."
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch is likely to ask the court to issue a Letter Rogatory to the Italian court to officially follow up the father-son duo's arrest.
Express News Service
US President Barack Obama has said that he is determined to "finish the job" in Afghanistan.
According to the New York Times, his aides have said that the president would send as many as 25,000 to 30,000 additional American troops, though they admitted that the final number remains in a flux.
Obama has completed nine rounds of consultations with his war council, the last meeting taking place on Monday night and would formally announce his decision in a national address next week.
During a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Obama said that he would outline his Afghanistan strategy after Thanksgiving.
"I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive," he said.
It is expected that the announcement will be made next Tuesday.
Reaffirming the 'global strategic partnership between India and the United States', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama have vowed to implement their landmark nuclear deal to realise its full potential.
'The two leaders reiterated their intention to realise the full potential of the India-US Agreement for cooperation concerning the peaceful use of nuclear energy through the implementation of its provisions,' said a joint statement issued Tuesday after their summit meeting in the Oval office during the prime minister's state visit.
'They agreed to expedite US firms' participation in the implementation of this agreement,' the statement said without indicating a time frame.
Regarding transfer of high technology, another key objective of Manmohan Singh's visit, the two leaders 'agreed that strengthening high technology trade between their countries is in the spirit of their strategic dialogue and partnership.
'They reiterated their shared commitment to technology security and that it is in their mutual interest to invigorate this area of their partnership,' the statement said.
The two leaders committed to continue pursuing mutually beneficial defence cooperation through the existing security dialogue, service-level exchanges, defence exercises, trade and technology transfer and collaboration.
They recognised the scope for cooperation in the areas of non-traditional threats to security, peacekeeping, humanitarian and disaster relief, and maritime security and protecting sea lanes of communication, the statement said. 'They agreed to expedite necessary arrangements to facilitate these activities.'
Manmohan Singh and Obama also agreed to collaborate in the application of their space technology and related scientific capabilities in outer space and for development purposes, including in the field of agriculture.
Iran must avoid going down the nuclear weapon path: Manmohan Singh
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that Iran must not go down the nuclear weapons path, and added that New Delhi has unambiguously and consistently said that it does not support such a step.
Interacting with noted diplomat and president of the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) during a question and answer session that followed a speech to the august gathering, Dr. Singh said: "As far as Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions are concerned, I have unambiguously said that I don't support it. Iran is a signatory to the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty), and has a right to peaceful use of nuclear energy."
However, be this as it may, Tehran also needed to understand that it has to meet its obligations under the same treaty, IAEA and UNSC guidelines on nuclear use, he added.
"If the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) passes a resolution, India has abided with it. Our hope is that whatever steps the United States and other countries take vis-a-vis Iran, it will yield results," Dr. Singh told Haas during the interaction.
He also recalled meeting with an Iranian academic who had once been a student of his, and he had told him (Dr. Singh) that Iran is encouraged by the messages coming out of the Obama administration.
Under a glowing white marqee with a glass ceiling and chandeliers, US President Barack Obama toasted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the lawns of the White House at the first state dinner of his presidency to celebrate the 'great and growing friendship' between India and the US.
'Aapka Swagat Hai (you are welcome),' said the daal-loving Obama, in a slightly accented Hindi, setting the perfect mood for Washington's most discussed social event, symbolising romance and friendship between the world's great democracies.
'In India, some of life's most precious moments are often celebrated under the cover of a beautiful tent. It's a little like (that) tonight,' Obama who turned out in a full black-tie tux told the Indian prime minister.
'We have incredible food, the music, and are surrounded by great friends,' he said.
'It's been said that the most beautiful thing in the universe are the starry heavens above us and the feeling of duty within us. Mr. Prime Minister, today we worked to fulfil our duty to bring our countries closer together than ever before.'
'Under the stars, tonight we celebrate the friendship between India and the US. We celebrate the great and growing partnership between India and the US,' Obama said to ringing applause from a star-studded audience of over 320 guests.
Chants of A.R. Rehman's 'Jai Ho' resonated in the marquee as the beautiful and the powerful partook a predominantly vegetarian dinner, save for prawns. It was a sartorial feast too, with American women rediscovering the calm magic of the Indian sari, and giving a tough competition to hottest designer labels in the town.
The guest list at the Obama presidency's first state dinner was an eclectic one, and packed under the majestic marquee were some of the most powerful, wealthiest and talented Indians and Americans.
Over 300 guests arrived for the dinner hosted on the lawns of the White House as their names were announced with Oscar-style fanfare. They posed before the paparazzi, smiled, traded small talk, with society columnists dissecting every small detail of what they wore and what they thought.
Actors Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and Indian-American auteur M. Night Shyamalan, musician A.R. Rehman, who composed the Oscar-wining score for blockbuster 'Slumdog millionaire', competed for attention with writer Jhumpa Lahiri, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, author Thomas Friedman and new age guru Deepak Chopra.
The entire American establishment, including Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Obama's trusted aides like Rahm Emmanuel and Valerie Jarrett were among those present at this power-packed gathering.
'Everyone looks great; we're feeling great,' White House social secretary Desiree Rogers said as she gingerly walked to the dinner venue on the South Lawns.
Indian billionaires Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, high profile, high achieving Indian-Americans like Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi, the young and powerful Anish Goel, South Asia expert in Obama's National Security Council, Rajat Gupta of McKinsey fame were among those who cheered as Obama pledged to take India-US ties to a new high.
Invoking Diwali celebrations and Guru Nanak's birthday he hosted at the White House, Obama lauded over two million Indians who are enriching American life in all corners of the country.
An admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, Obama recalled fondly the legendary Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, and said 'his words speak to our hopes tonight'.
'It's the bond of friendship between a president and a prime minister who are bound by the same unshakeable spirit of possibility and brotherhood that transformed both our nations, the spirit that gave rise to movements led by Gandhi and King, and which are the reason that both of us can stand here tonight,' he said.
The giagantic white shamiana resonated with convivial cheer as Obama proposed the toast to 'great triumphs and achievements' that await the two countries as they forge a twenty-first century partnership.
Manmohan Singh warmly reciprocated Obama's greetings, saying he was overwhelmed by the warmth of his hospitality and the courtesy extended to them and the grace and charm of First Lady Michelle Obama.
In a speech punctuated by applause, Manmohan Singh showered praise on Obama, saying his journey to the White House has captured the imagination of millions of people in India.
If Obama invoked Gandhi and Nehru, Manmohan Singh recalled the words of Abraham Lincoln in a heart-felt tribute to the man thirty years his junior who shattered the glass ceiling to become the first African-American president of the US.
'In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years,' he said quoting Lincoln.
Manmohan Singh also praised Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
He said, 'The coveted award was a recognition of the healing touch you have provided and the power of your idealism and vision.'
Conjuring a robust picture of India-US relations, Manmohan Singh, who is the third Indian prime minister to be accorded the signal honour of the state dinner, said the two countries must find new pathways of international cooperation that respond more effectively to grave challenges confronting the world.
'A strong and sustained engagement between our two countries is good for our people and the world. We are embarking on a new phase of our partnership,' he said.
Year after: Pak reframes charges against 26/11 accused, Lakhvi named mastermind
In a blatant move to protect Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Mohammad Saeed from being prosecuted in the 26/11 trials, the Pakistan government on Wednesday reframed charges on all seven accused, naming Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as the mastermind of the terror attacks.
It took the Pakistan government 364 days after the ghastly terror attack that rocked Mumbai on 26th November 2008, but the charges clearly appeared to be safeguarding Saeed, who India believes is the mastermind of the attack.
The special anti-terror court set-up in Rawalpindi's Adial jail while rejecting the 'no guilty' plea of the seven accused, summoned all of them to appear before it on December 5.
Details about the proceedings were not available as a media gag has been put in place, but sources privy to the issue said that the government has deliberately tabled evidence in the court with numerous flaws.
Seven LeT operatives including Lakhvi, communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz being tried by the anti-terrorism court.
They have been accused of providing training, financial support, accommodation, equipment and communications gear to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai last year.
No details are available of the charges against the two other suspects, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum.
Security agency Blackwater not operating in Pakistan: US
The US embassy here has rejected suggestions of secret operations by American security agency Blackwater in Pakistan, terming them false and baseless.
An article in a US magazine alleging Washington's collusion with Blackwater or any other contracting firm were equally baseless and false, the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
'US government programs for Pakistan are open and transparent and function in partnership with the government of Pakistan,' Ambassador Anne W. Patterson said in the statement.
'US personnel and programs in Pakistan have only one purpose - to assist the government and people of Pakistan as they face the complex challenges confronting their nation,' she added.
The statement comes as the Lahore High Court last week sought a detailed reply from the government on an application alleging that Blackwater was indulging in illegal activities in Pakistan and had a hand in the recent bomb blasts in Peshawar.
Holding that there was a possibility that Blackwater was behind the Peshawar terror acts, the petition, filed by advocate Zafarullah, asked that it be banned, Online news agency reported Friday.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Sharif, while issuing notice to the government on the petition, directed the deputy attorney general to file a detailed reply by Dec 4.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik had Saturday offered to quit if it was proved that the security agency had a presence in Pakistan.
Zafarullah's petition contended that Blackwater was involved in unconstitutional and illegal activities in Pakistan and its personnel were freely roaming on the roads of Islamabad.
The citizens are being roughly treated by this organisation, the petition maintained.
The petition wanted the court to issue directives to government to stop Blackwater from indulging in such activities.
Peshawar has witnessed nine terror attacks since early October that have claimed over 240 lives and injured many more.
The city witnessed this year's worst terror attack Oct 28 when a massive explosion in a crowded market killed 117 people and injured over 200.
The attacks have been blamed on the Taliban, which is battling the Pakistani military in the rugged South Waziristan region along the border with Afghanistan. The military has claimed considerable success in the operations.
Blackwater Global describes itself as an intelligence and risk management consultancy providing expertise, outsourcing and support functions for government, military and commercial clients.
'Passionate about delivering the finest products, services and talent available on the market, Blackwater helps clients gain insight into the complex activities, ideologies, capabilities and intentions of today's asymmetric adversaries,' a posting on its website says.
Blackwater Global had convened a web symposium July 21 entitled 'Top Challenges for Pakistan: Energy & Security', addressing Pakistan's strategy to tackle these challenges.
Israel set to declare settlement limits-govt sources
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to announce on Wednesday a formal plan to limit settlement construction for 10 months, hoping to revive talks with the Palestinians, government sources said.
Netanyahu's offer will exclude areas of the West Bank that Israel annexed to its Jerusalem municipality after capturing the territory in a 1967 war, the sources said.
That would fall short of a Palestinian demand that Netanyahu freeze settlement on all occupied land before peace negotiations, suspended since December, can resume.
"The prime minister apparently will announce this evening a 10-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, not including natural growth or East Jerusalem," one of the sources said.
Netanyahu's spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
The Israeli leader has rejected a complete halt to construction in settlements, saying the "natural growth" of settler families must be accommodated.
He has proposed limiting Israeli construction temporarily in the West Bank to some 3,000 homes. Israeli officials have said such a moratorium could last for nine months to a year.
By announcing a formal plan, Netanyahu could hope to win explicit U.S. backing and increased pressure from Washington on the Palestinians to return to peace talks without preconditions.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, asked about a possible 10-month Israeli moratorium, told reporters: "What has changed to make something that what was not acceptable a week or 10 days ago (acceptable now)? the exclusion of Jerusalem is a very serious problem for us."
COMPLETE FREEZE
In a video interview that appeared on Wednesday on the Web site of Argentina's Clarin newspaper, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his demand for a complete settlement freeze and called for U.S. pressure on Israel.
"We do not believe we can restart the negotiations with them while they are continuing building in our territories," Abbas said.
"They should stop it and after that we negotiate the borders," he said, referring to a state Palestinians hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Some 500,000 Jews live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem alongside 2.7 million Palestinians. The settlements, Palestinians fear, could deny them a viable state.
In the newspaper interview, Abbas appealed for greater personal involvement by U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington's efforts to restart the peace talks.
"Till now he didn't do anything. But he is doing his best to revive the peace process," Abbas said. "I believe that in the future he can play a role more than he is doing now."
Obama had initially called on Israel to freeze settlement activity, but later softened his position by appealing only for restraint. The shift frustrated Palestinian leaders who had hoped Obama would revive the peace process.
Abbas told the newspaper said he did not believe the Netanyahu government was looking for peace.
"But it is a problem of the Israeli side, the Israeli people. Because as far as I know, 70 percent of the Israelis are for peace. So they should elect a new government ... that believes in peace."
(Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Erika Solomon in Ramallah; editing by Samia Nakhoul)
(For blogs and links on Israeli politics and other Israeli and Palestinian news, go to http://blogs.reuters.com/axismundi)
Jeffrey Heller, Reuters
Pakistan confirms retired major arrested for Headley link
Pakistan Wednesday confirmed that a retired army major had been arrested for his alleged links with terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, nabbed by FBI on charges of plotting attacks against India and Denmark.
However, no serving army Officer is in custody as being reported in the foreign media, the military said.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Major General Athar Abbas told Online news agency that a former army major who retired two years ago is in custody and is being interrogated.
He was held as he was 'in communication' with Headley and Rana, Abbas said.
Abbas also denied a foreign media report that five army officers, including two serving colonels and a retired Brigadier, had been detained by the authorities, describing it as 'fabrication' by those running a 'campaign' to embarrass the Pakistan Army.
Indo Asian News Service
Taliban planning 'mass extinctions' by poisoning Karachi's water supply
Pakistan intelligence agencies have warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is planning to poison Karachi's main water supply.
According to sources, intelligence agencies have warned that the extremists are planning to wreck havoc in Karachi by adding cyanide to the city's main water supply lines.
Sources said that there is significant information about the Taliban arranging 200 kilograms of highly poisonous chemicals for carrying out its nefarious plans.
Following the intelligence report, all the concerned departments have been directed to secure all the big and small pumping stations in Karachi.
The authorities have also been asked to increase vigilance in and around the pumping stations and supply lines, The Daily Times reports.
Meanwhile, Punjab Home Department has issued a warning that the TTP has dispatched two terrorists to Lahore to target the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building, Liberty Market and government offices in Model Town.
In a circular issued by Home Secretary, Nadeem Hassan Asif, senior police officials have been asked to maintain strict vigil at all the exit and entry points of the city and enhance cooperation between the officials of intelligence and law-enforcement agencies. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday alleged that the victims of last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks have not received full compensation from the government and were facing harassment and red-tape in getting their grievances redressed.
'Out of 475 victims, not a single victim has got all the compensation and relief from the government. Inspite of struggle, victims are facing harassment and red tape,' said a statement released here by the party's Maharashtra unit.
A delegation of BJP leaders met Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on the eve of the first anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai attacks and submitted to him complaints and grievances of the victims on the financial compensation and medical treatment.
They also met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan besides officials of the Railway Board.
The complainants include police personnel and home guards who suffered injuries, hospital staff, widows and some victims needing medical treatment, the statement said.
Referring to the status report filed by Maharashtra government before the National Human Rights Commission, the statement said: 'Of 403 applications received, the prime minister had sent compensation or cheque to only 118 victims.'
The statement said that Ansari and Chavan assured the delegation that relief and rehabilitation work will be completed at the earliest.
The delegation included party leaders Sanjay Dhorte, A.T. Patil, Praraprao Sonawane, Haribahau Jawale, Shripad Naik and Kirit Somaiya.
Indo Asian News Service
BJP to go after PC, defend Vajpayee
As it became clear that the government would not initiate fresh action against those indicted by the Liberhan Committee report, the BJP, robbed of an emotive issue on which to peg its revival, went into attack mode.
Senior party leaders, who met twice in Parliament House to thrash out a strategy, decided to focus its attack on two flanks: It would target Home Minister P. Chidambaram for allegedly leaking the report to the media, thus, taking the focus away from its findings, which indicted practically the entire pantheon of the Sangh Parivar; and n It would trash the report for indicting former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his alleged role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, thus, calling into question its credibility. Vajpayee was not even present in Ayodhya when the mosque was demolished by frenzied kar sevaks.
Sushma Swaraj, senior BJP leader and deputy leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, fired the first shot when she demanded that Chidambaram resign, taking blame for the leak of the report. "I reiterate my allegation that the report was not leaked from the home ministry but by the home minister himself," she said.
Taking this line of attack further, BJP president Rajnath Singh demanded a CBI probe into the leakage of the Liberhan Committee Report. His party colleague Murli Manohar Joshi, meanwhile, wanted a Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) to go into the issue.
BJP leaders could not hide their glee at the report indicting Vajpayee.Initiating a sharp attack on Liberhan, Swaraj said: "The findings of this report are perverse, ill-founded and against the evidence placed before the Commission.
" She said the report also violated the principles of natural justice. "If there was any doubt in the mind of Justice Liberhan about the involvement of Vajpayee, he should have summoned him," she thundered.
Then, common refrain among the party leaders was: "What's new in it (the report)?" "Everyone knows we mobilised public opinion through our campaign for the Ram temple," said Joshi.
Hindustan Times
Lok Sabha passes workmen's compensation bill
Less than 75 MPs were present in the Lok Sabha when the house passed the Workmen's Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2009 by voice vote. The bill seeks to provide compensation to employees in the case of injury or death due to industrial accidents.
No big leader of both the ruling and opposition parties were present in the 545-member house when Labour Minister Malllikarjun Kharge moved the bill for consideration and for passing at 6.00 p.m. after 24 members discussed it for more than three hours.
Deputy leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sushma Swaraj made a brief visit in the house while the discussion on the bill was on.
At 5.30 p.m., the strength of the house dipped to 51, three number less than the required quorum. Later, few more MPs joined the house and saved the treasury benches from embarrassment.
Apart from Kharge and his deputy Harish Rawat, Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation Praful Patel, MoS Defence M.M. Pallam Raju, MoS Urban Development Saugata Ray, and MoS Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayanasamy were present on the treasury benches when the house passed the bill.
The bill also substituted the word 'workman' with 'employee'.
No senior leaders from the Left parties were present in the house at the time the bill was passed.
Indo Asian News Service
President Patil flies in Sukhoi, creates history
Pune: President Pratibha Patil did today what no woman before her has ever done - fly in a Sukhoi-30MKI, an Indian Air Force fighter jet. The Sukhoi took off from the Lohegaon Air Force base near Pune and did a sortie of 30-minute.
Upon her arrival around 9 am, Patil, the supreme commander of the armed forces, was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by the air-warriors. She then had breakfast since she cannot fly on an empty stomach.
The president, who is 74 years old, then changed into a special G-Suit (anti-gravity suit), which helps the flier withstand high gravitational pressure by preventing excessive blood from flowing to the brain.
Wednesday's epoch-making event was a culmination of more than three months' preparations after the president expressed a desire to fly in a Sukhoi.
Besides a fitness regime that she underwent, President Patil was given a detailed briefing on her proposed flight and an audio-visual presentation of what to expect before and during the flight by senior IAF officers at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The briefing included know-how of the different controls and equipment inside the aircraft, how to enter the aircraft, what she can touch, what she cannot touch, how to communicate with the pilot, how to handle the flying accessories like helmet and G-Suit and how the world would be visible from inside during the flight, Singha explained.
"President Patil has been found medically absolutely fit to undertake this flight," Singha said proudly.
The Sukhoi-30MKI belongs to the Rhino squadron that was formed Nov 1, 1969, making it 40 years old this month.
The president's flight was commanded by Wing Commander S. Sajan and the aircraft hovered at speeds of between 700-800 km/ph or 0.9 Mac.
"However, it will not achieve the supersonic levels of around 1100 km/ph. President Patil will occupy the rear seat behind the pilot and the flight will last around half hour," Singha said.
Patil followed in the footsteps of her predecessor A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who had also flown in a Sukhoi from Pune in 2006.
The IAF currently has 784 women officers working in different branches, but at present they are barred from the fighter stream.
Indo Asian News Service
PoK refugees observe black day in Jammu
The refugees of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) today paid tributes to those killed in holocaust of 1947 at Saheedi Smarak here. The refugees, who fled the holocaust of 1947 (Kabali raid) on Jammu and Kashmir in which hundreds of Hindus and Sikhs killed at Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimber, Haveli and Muzaffarabad, assembled at Saheedi Smarak at Bakshinagar here and offered floral tributes to those killed.
They also took out rally in the city as a protest against the step-motherly treatment by the state government with them, who have not been given full ownership rights of lands and properties and compensations.
India indispensable...n-power: Obama
In their first steps towards taking the Indo-US strategic partnership to a new level, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama sought to consolidate gains rather than break new ground as they identified five core areas to carry forward what the US President called the "defining partnership of the 21st century."
With the agreement on reprocessing US-origin nuclear fuel hitting a roadblock, the best takeaway for both sides was the ever-improving personal equation between the two leaders.
Obama referred to Singh as a "wise leader" and a person of "honesty and integrity". "I respect him and I trust him," said Obama. "And I have happily accepted his gracious invitation to visit India next year."
The PM praised Obama's leadership at the G-20 as major economies grappled with the economic crisis.
Seeking to make India a partner in his efforts on disarmament and non-proliferation, Obama referred to India as a "nuclear power" and hoped to build a partnership in this regard. "As nuclear powers, we can be full partners in preventing the spread of the world's most deadly weapons, securing loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and pursuing our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons."
This had a reflection in the issues on which India and US agreed. One of them was explicit support from India for an early start of negotiations on a multilateral, non-discriminatory and internationally verifiable Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
The two leaders agreed to consult each other regularly as Obama prepares for the Nuclear Security Summit in April 2010.
While calling India a leader in Asia and "indispensable" to the "future we want to build," Obama was cautious when it came to Indian concerns over its military assistance to Pakistan.
"One of the things I admire most about Prime Minister Singh is that I think at his core he is a man of peace. Obviously, there are historic conflicts between India and Pakistan. It is not the place of the United States to try to, from the outside, resolve all those conflicts. On the other hand, we want to be encouraging of ways in which both India and Pakistan can feel secure and focus on the development of their own countries and their people."
He then went on to add: "With respect to the relationship between the United States and Pakistan's military, I think that there have probably been times in the past in which we were so single-mindedly focused just on military assistance in Pakistan that we didn't think more broadly about how to encourage and develop the kinds of civil society in Pakistan that would make a difference in the lives of people day-to-day."
The Indian side, however, was more focused on bilateral issues while trying to get a sense of Obama's vision for Asia. In this context, the two sides agreed on an exhaustive list for cooperation in different areas but, as the PM pointed out, there was still hope that US could lift restrictions on US technology transfer to India. There was no forward movement on the issue during the visit but both sides hoped to carry forward the conversation.
The five areas that India and US agreed to work on:
Advancing Global Security and Countering Terrorism: This includes expansion of the India-US Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative by committing to strengthen global consensus and legal regimes against terrorism. It also extends Indian support for early to start to FMCT negotiations.
Green Partnerships: This deals with launch of an Indo-US Clean Energy Research and Deployment Initiative, supported by government funding and private sector contributions. This includes a Joint Research Center operating in both India and the US to foster innovation and joint efforts to accelerate deployment of clean energy technologies. The Initiative will also facilitate joint research and provide support for Indian National Environmental Protection Authority that will focus on creating a more effective system of environmental governance, regulation and enforcement.
Economic Trade and Agriculture: Launch of a new Agriculture Dialogue and an MoU on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security that will focus on crop forecasting, management and market information. Also, this has an MoU on intellectual property.
Enhancing US-India Cooperation on Education and Development: Expansion of Fulbright-Nehru Scholarship Program and launch of Obama-Singh knowledge initiative.
Health Cooperation: Creation of a seventh Regional Global Disease Detection Center in India as a part of the Global Disease Detection network and launch of a Health dialogue.
Earlier, Obama welcomed Singh, saying: "Yours is the first official state visit of my presidency, it is fitting that you and India be so recognised... We want to build a future in which India is indispensable... India and US can strengthen the global economic recovery."
Noting that India and US share a "common story" of two "proud people" who struggled to break free from an empire and declare their independence, Obama said they are two great republics dedicated to ideals of liberty, justice, equality, and the "never-ending work of perfecting their union."
On his part, Singh said, "We should cooperate in addressing global challenges of combating terrorism, making our environment cleaner, and moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons."
Flanked by business leaders Ratan Tata, Sunil Mittal, Kris Gopalakrishnan and Deepak Parekh, Singh hoped that the two countries will be able to "harness the potential" of their talented people.
PranabDhalSamanta
Security strenthened in WB on eve of 26/11 anniversary
Though there is no increased threat perception, the West Bengal government has beefed up security in the state on eve today of the first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks. Stating that checking has been intensified at all public places, hotels and shopping malls, besides the Metro Railway stations, Home secretary Ardhendu Sen said "There is no increased threat perception as such.
But we are increasing security." Sen said DGP Bhupinder Singh and Kolkata Police Commissioner Goutam Mohan Chakraborty have been asked to increase vigil in their respective areas.
In reply to a question, Sen said that it had not yet been decided whether the government would buy a helicopter or hire one for flying Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to the districts following increase in Maoist activities. The DGP said that a demand for giving risk allowance to the Bomb Disposal Squad of the state and city police was under consideration as theirs was a high-risk job.
The allowance, which comprises 30 per cent of basic salary, is being given to policemen and officers posted in 21 police stations in areas affected by left wing extremism. It is also given to the anti-terrorist Special Task Force of the Kolkata Police.
Post-26/11, is India safer?
The BEST assessment is that the Government's strategy has broadly worked but there's no room for complacency. Home Minister Chidambaram gets a pat, but the threat remains and major systemic changes need to be carried out.
Aroon Purie, Editor-in-Chief, India Today:
Our first meeting was in March 2009 when the Board of Experts on Security Terror (BEST) was set up as a part of the India Today Group's campaign on the 'War on Terror' which was launched in the aftermath of 26/11. The idea was to keep our audience briefed with expert viewpoints on security and terror and what can be done. Our focus continues to be on the threat of cross-border terrorism and in the last 11 months, nothing major has happened as far as a terrorist attack is concerned. Is this our good fortune or has the government done something?
Meanwhile, other security and terror-related issues have come up. Naxal terror is now on top of the national agenda and we want to hear from you on how the Government should tackle it. We can't, of course, stop looking at Pakistan which seems to have its own internal problems but doesn't appear to be repentant for what it does to India and continues on its stubborn path. How we should tackle Pakistan remains an issue. Add to all this, of course, is tensions with China. We are keen to hear from you how India is dealing with China and what it really needs to do.
Raj Chengappa, Managing Editor, India Today:
In March, the BEST assessment was that the Government had totally failed to tackle the terror threat post-26/11. We are just a month away from the first anniversary of 26/11 and we need an assessment as to whether we have progressed, have there been any big shifts or as Aroon mentioned, are we just lucky that we haven't had a major cross-border terror attack?
Ved Marwah, Former Governor, Jharkhand:
A number of factors have helped in ensuring that we haven't had any major incidents since 26/11. Some credit for it goes to the Government and some to developments in Pakistan where the jihadis are busy fighting a battle for survival; India and Jammu and Kashmir is no longer on top of their agenda. If the Pakistan Army wins, we will have trouble and if the jihadis win, of course, we will have more trouble. P. Chidambaram taking over as the Union home minister has helped in creating a feeling of urgency in the security agencies-intelligence agencies, state police and paramilitary forces.
Certain legislative actions have been taken, the law has been tightened with the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act and an investigative agency has been set up. But the Government should not be complacent. The danger is very much there and the moment things settle down in our neighbourhood, we will be a big target for the jihadis. The apparatus inside the country is there; it hasn't been identified or eliminated. This can be activated at an opportune moment. For that the Government still needs to do a number of steps. Among them is that the Government needs to give the National Anti-Terrorism Agency a mandate to keep an eye on developments within the country and in the world. It should analyse every incident and take steps to strengthen our preparedness. We need a comprehensive law which is understood by the investigative agencies, the prosecution and the courts. We need a broad national consensus among all political parties and they should not make political capital out of a terror incident.
Satish Nambiar, Former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff:
Last time we started on the premise that our focus should be on prevention. I have been articulating this for sometime and this is relevant. Now it's almost a year and we have not had a major strike. So let us credit the establishment. I would also like to see us evolve a pre-emptive strategy and develop a capability for pre-emptive strikes on terrorists dealing with the jihadi groups. This means that we have to find out where they are located and where their leadership is. If we have not done that then there is something seriously wrong. The Air Force has the capability to effect precision attacks. We must focus on developing it because we cannot wait for things to happen. We must pre-empt terror attacks.
Brahma Chellaney, Professor, Strategic Studies, Centre for Policy Studies:
There has been no terror attack for nearly 11 months but that doesn't mean that India is less vulnerable to terror attacks since we last met. The vulnerability level remains the same, but are we better prepared? Yes, we are better prepared not institutionally but at the level of Governmental response. It goes to show that if you put a professional in charge of a ministry he or she can make a difference. Ever since Chidambaram took over as the home minister, we have seen a conscious effort to revamp India's internal security policy.
He began from scratch and today knows exactly what is happening. Plus, he has put everybody under pressure. Every morning, he meets the heads of different agencies and the National Security Adviser (NSA). Therefore, for the first time there's coordination at the senior-most level. The prime minister has given him a blank cheque and doesn't interfere at all with the execution of Home Ministry policies and therefore suddenly you find there is a sea change in terms of management of India's internal security policy.
For the last three-and-a-half years, I have heard the prime minister periodically say that Naxalism is the biggest threat to India's security but there was no action. It was as if just waving the red flag was enough. But suddenly we have at least an effort, if not a strategy, to deal with Naxal violence. All this is happening at a personal level. What happens if the person is no longer there, there will be a slide back to where we were a year ago. It is remarkable that there hasn't been a single major terror attack in the last 11 months because we have ensured that 26/11 is not forgotten.
Even though we know at the policy-making level that Pakistan will not do anything about it, we have adopted a policy of throwing a dossier at them to keep them on the defensive. I was quite sceptical at the beginning of the wisdom of preparing a dossier and handing it to the sponsors of terrorism in India. So far, we have seen that these dossiers keep them off balance and remind Pakistan that as long as it would not act against the masterminds of the 26/11, there will be no normalisation of relations with India. Earlier, the Government had not shown this kind of will to stay on the course for more than few months. It came close to reversing the policy at Sharm el-Sheikh. But then stepped back. In a way a message has been sent to Pakistan that the onus is on them.
Ajit Kumar Doval, Former Director, Intelligence Bureau:
When you say, "Is India now better prepared to tackle terror attacks?" the terror threat has got to be seen in two areas. First, Pakistan and terrorist groups are entities, and second is the response that is the Indian state in its pro-active capability to prevent and to punish. The threat level has gone down-partly due to what is happening inside Pakistan; partly due to diplomatic pressure on Pakistan, partly what India has done diplomatically- playing its card in sustaining the pressure, calibrating it and not letting it be put on the backburner. Pakistan has come to some sort of an assessment that any covert action may probably incur an unacceptable cost.
It appeared that they are working on this assessment as was evident during former Pakistan NSA Major-General Mahmud Ali Durrani's recent visit. Institutional changes have not come up in a big way, except in building up an organisation for investigation. Chidambaram has been able to put the house in order. It is not that new capacity building has been done, but the existing capacity is now being used more optimally. In being pro-active, intelligence services have an important role to play. Our intelligence services too are performing and they have been much more effective than they were before.
G. Parthasarathy, Former High Commissioner to Pakistan:
India's ability to influence the real decisionmakers in Pakistan is limited. Your leverage with the Pakistan military is limited. The US, China and Saudi Arabia are the only countries which wield clout in the Pakistan military. Now, Saudi Arabia seems to be going along with what the Americans want. I think our effort to thwart Pakistan's attempt to bring Kashmir into the entire terrorist Afghanistan-Pakistan equation was imaginatively done. The focus, therefore, remained only on Afghanistan-Pakistan. The second point is that we are able to work with this system and get provisions in the Kerry-Lugar Act which for the first time singled out and conditioned aid to Pakistan to fund terrorism across its borders.
This was a conscious effort and the embassy and the ambassador deserve some credit for it. We have been able to influence one side, but also managed to move away from the initial pressure. We will have to find a mechanism at least on a back channel to engage the ISI. Whether or not to share intelligence is debatable, but we should spell out specifically what they should not do and what we mean by the infrastructure of terrorism. How that works out still remains to be seen. Pakistan has got its hands full on its western border and it may have to pay a heavier price if it repeats or even tries to repeat something like the 26/11. This message has been conveyed primarily because many citizens from other countries were affected by the terror strike and, most importantly, the Israelis too had their own impact.
This was the fall out of Mumbai. India derived a benefit and, in fact, it neutralised many things the previous government did like weeping about Pakistan being a victim of terrorism, joint terror mechanism and all such nonsense. If the Government shifts its focus with respect to Pakistan, to tell them about the price which they will have to pay and about what we mean by the terrorism infrastructure, it will be useful. Pakistan is in a very delicate situation and my hunch says that its army will run into a mess in Waziristan. There's a power struggle going on between the army and President Asif Ali Zardari.
If the army prevails, then they will be emboldened to look eastwards. If they don't, they could well be emboldened to divert attention and so under no circumstances should we let down our guard. Chidambaram has changed the ambience of the Government and the way it looks towards terrorism. In China's case though, its Government seems to have gone the other direction. Immediately after Mumbai, they welcomed Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Tariq Majid and held out all sorts of goodies to him. The Saudis have been quiet apart from voting on Kashmir in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
Kapil Kak, Additional Director, Centre for Air Power Studies:
We are congratulating ourselves that nothing has happened in last 11 months. Let's reverse this. Nothing has happened as Pakistan is pre-occupied with its troubles on its western border. In the wake of 9/11, infiltration into J&K has virtually been reduced to a trickle, from 13 to less than one a day. Since Chidambaram took over as home minister, preparedness levels have been heightened but we have a long way to go. If there is an aerial attack, which has been feared and talked about, we are not prepared at all on the southern side which is very vulnerable as there are no radars to detect an aerial intrusion. Unless we get a homeland security kind of a template to prevent terror attacks, nothing much can be done. There has been a great deal of improvement on the intelligence side but I am not sure whether there has been an improvement in assessments. Situational awareness in managing terror now and in the next 10 or 15 years is crucial for any mechanism that would come in. I think it was a statesman-like act in not exercising the military option post-26/11. We have seen the rich dividends that philosophy has paid.
Yes, we have precision attack capabilities and have strengthened it competently and can deliver punishment precisely, but we also need to factor into our calculus that Pakistan is not going to let that attack or series of attacks go uncontested. Are we prepared to get into a limited war? I would much rather go the Chinese way. After the war with Vietnam, they tucked their tail between the legs and ran back to Beijing because they wanted to develop. We must follow the same strategy and keep in mind that strategic importance of India is its 9 per cent growth rate in the next 20 years.
Kiran Bedi, Former DG, Bureau of Police Research and Development:
We have more than a million policemen. I don't know whether any assessment has been made on their training, welfare or personnel policy. We invest nothing and have no objective assessments. I have not come across a single objective police assessment on police performance and their impact on us. The real intelligence, tackling of terror is actually done by the footsoldiers. I don't think that Chidambaram has reached the footsoldiers. Chidambaram has only reached the Central Police Organisations (CPOS). He has at least met the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and the NSA, but why didn't he meet the state DGPs? The BSF and CRPF should be a part of his meeting and he should start involving others CPOs.
I don't think the responses are truly corrective, they are still only reactive. I want to see Chidambaram grooming leadership. I doubt if he is doing it. I don't see impatience in him. We all have to be in a hurry to be good leaders. If Chidambaram says police is a state subject, it is not acceptable to me because he can groom leadership. Maybe our expectations from him are high.
There is a big difference in the way we are responding to this meeting and the last one; the last one was one of total helplessness. Today, we may be over the moon but we should not be satisfied. We expect Chidambaram to spread good practices, structures, systems, responses and human resource policies down the line.
Ajai Sahni, Executive Director, Centre for Conflict Studies:
I agree with Kiran. There is a tremendous change in ambience but it is essentially something on the surface. Basically, our expectations are too high. Our standards have fallen so low that we are delighted with anybody doing anything. India is the only country in the world which idolises people for doing their jobs. What has been done in terms of real capacity transformation? Yes, there has been some additional efficiency in utilisation of existing capacities. In certain sectors, intelligence is one of the critical areas, the Central agencies have also been geared up to start trying to coordinate with the state agencies.
Are we better prepared? Chidambaram's answer was "we are as vulnerable as we were on 26/11". It would be wonderful if he becomes the home minister of India and not just of the Centre. It's not his job. He can't be running police stations at the ground level. Yes, he can coordinate better and create a better ambience, but he can't be running the security apparatus of the whole country. I am not an admirer of his predecessor Shivraj Patil but it was completely nonsensical to say Patil must go because there has been a terror attack in Mumbai. Protecting Mumbai is the job of the Mumbai Police, in coordination with the other agencies. Is the Mumbai police better off today? The National Security Guards (NSG) and Force One of the Mumbai Police have been allocated land which has been encroached by a builder and a slum colony.
One can meet all the DGs in the country but are the DGs running a police force that can be effective? No. Orissa has a sanctioned strength of 207 IPS cadres. It has 84 officers in place. There are 30-40 per cent capacity deficits in leadership at different levels in the state police forces. You can coordinate all you like and pass any law in the country but who will implement this law? You can do nothing with 1.2 judges per lakh population when worldwide, it is between 11 and 39. A police force can't do its job efficiently because it doesn't have the capacity to do so. The IB has improved tremendously, in terms of coordination, but what about capacity building? There is, moreover, a certain critical mass below which no augmentation is going to diminish our vulnerabilities. See the training of police forces: raw recruits are being thrown into special operations groups after 13 weeks of training.
Chidambaram is doing a good job but it is not his exclusive job to protect India. The rest of the system is still dysfunctional and the accumulated capacity deficits are so great and the rate of redressal so slow that Chidambaram's efforts will soon be overtaken by challenges. You can celebrate 11 months without any terror incident but it has nothing to do with any response that we have put in place; the critical mass is simply not there to alter the quantum of threat we are confronted with. We are just as vulnerable today as we were before.
V.K. Datta, Former DDG MO (Special Operations):
Let's not be lulled into complacency because nothing has happened since 26/11. We have been lucky and the luck is due to circumstances that Pakistan is facing now. The demon has not gone away, only his attention has been diverted. What we must examine is that after 26/11, it was for the first time that we were able to actually prove to the international community that Pakistan is a rogue nation. The cumulative pressure of the whole episode of producing evidences and handing over a dossier of these to Pakistan, has put them on guard. It is not non-state actors like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) or the Hizbul Mujahideen which are attacking us, but it is the Pakistan Army and the ISI. If we wonder why Hafiz Saeed is not being hanged, it is because he is being run by the Pakistan army and they will not harm him irrespective of the government in power.
We created more NSG hubs. If a terror attack were to take place in Hyderabad, how much time will the NSG hub there take to intervene in the city's outskirts? In Hyderabad's traffic, it takes a minimum of an hourand-a-half to move. Has the commander on the ground in that metro been given the mandate to move his force immediately, the moment the state police chief asks or is he still going to seek clearances from the Centre, the Home Ministry and from the director-general of the NSG. If you don't have this response mechanism properly organised, we will find a time lag in our response. A terror attack should have an immediate response from the NSG team in the metro and the mandate should be given to that officer immediately.
Can 26/11 happen again? Yes, any time. Our responses may be better. When we talk about our crisis and a disaster, we always propagate prevention. Prevention involves intelligence and pre-emptive strikes on terror modules before they can strike. We have not improved our preventive capability but our response time to a strike has improved from two hours to half-an-hour. But we will take a long time as there is no equipment, finances are short and motivation depends on individual personalities.
Amitabh Mattoo, Professor, International Politics, JNU:
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. We haven't had a major terrorist attack since 26/11. Some things have changed. What is happening inside Pakistan makes it difficult or costly for elements there to mount the kind of attacks they did last year. Then there is turmoil whether as a result of our pressure, international diplomacy or from internal elements in Pakistan. We need to be cautiously optimistic as we have always been but the fact is that changes have happened in the NSG hubs, the NIA and the IB. There has been more coordination. Chidambaram is right but let's not forget the prime minister, who has given him the leeway, freedom and carte blanche. It's a combination of personalities, policies and systemic factors.
Kashmir is Ground Zero. For Pakistan, it still remains a central issue. And a deeply emotive one whether we recognise it or not. Even now, Kashmir remains a deeply passionate issue which when provoked can create the most virulent ideologies prevalent in Pakistan. I feel that there is a moment of opportunity even on the Kashmir issue because you had the most inclusive elections in J & amp;K which have brought a large section of the state in favour of certain accommodation with New Delhi. I am not one of those who believe that Sharm el-Sheikh was a disaster. Even today, Pakistan is in turmoil and requires a multiplicity of engagements. You need an engagement with the LeT, of the kind that Doval or Datta might be capable of or have the capacity to deal with, but you need a diplomacy to deal with both civil society actors and actors that you might want to strengthen.
INDIA TODAY
Monica Bedi's Portuguese connection - in previous life!
Actress Monica Bedi says she 'was a married Portuguese woman with three children' in her past life - something she claims to have discovered through a TV show. Incidentally, Portugal was the country she was extradited from in 2005 along with her former companion, the jailed mobster Abu Salem.
Referring to the reality show 'Raaz - Pichhle Janam Ka', Monica told IANS: 'When I underwent past life regression therapy here, I found out that I was a Portuguese girl in my last birth.
'It was then that I realised why I always feel at home when I go to Portugal,' said Monica claiming she has 'also been attracted to Christianity. I never knew why, but now I know that it's because I was Christian in my previous life.'
The show is premiering on NDTV Imagine on Dec 7 and Monica participated to find out why she has faced so many ups and downs in her present life.
'I also found out that I had three children. One of the daughters was named Neema, but I couldn't clearly understand what the others' names were. I couldn't even see who my husband was.
'Actually, once a person is regressed, he or she can see only flashes of the past, not an entire story. I saw some happy moments and some sad ones,' she said.
The 34-year-old also happened to see her death in her past life.
'I saw the cause of my death in my last birth. I died when I was around 70 years old and it was quite a peaceful death,' she said with a smile on her face.
Monica, who was once a small time Bollywood actress, made a surprise comeback last year when she participated on the reality show 'Bigg Boss'. It was her first on-screen appearance after being released from prison.
She had joined 'Bigg Boss' with an aim 'to start life afresh' and with the industry gradually warming up to the idea of working with her, Monica seems to have come closer to her objective. Thereafter, she featured on the dance show 'Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa'.
Monica is one of the few celebrities, including Shekhar Suman, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Celina Jaitley, who have been on the show to unravel reasons behind some mysterious events in their lives.
'Raaz - Pichhle Janam Ka' has Mumbai-based clinical psychologist Trupti Jayin conducting the therapy. She helps people find the reasons behind their present-day fears, phobias and physical ailments by finding their roots in their previous lives.
Asked about her experience on the show, Monica said: 'It was amazing. I felt very light and happy after the entire process. I never believed in past life and such things because my upbringing has been mostly abroad and there they never had any such beliefs.
'When I was offered this show, I felt it was unnatural. But now that I have seen it and experienced it myself, I do believe in it.'
The actress is planning to go through more sessions of therapy, 'but privately'.
In her short-lived Bollywood career, Monica was seen in films like 'Jodi No.1', 'Jaanam Samjha Karo' and 'Pyaar, Ishq Aur Mohabbat'.
(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)
Radhika Bhirani
Barack Obama to attend Copenhagen climate summit, White House official claims
White House official says US president will travel to Copenhagen before heading to Oslo to accept the Nobel peace prize
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Barack Obama in Seoul
The US president, Barack Obama, will travel to Copenhagen for the UN climate summit, official says. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
The US president, Barack Obama, will travel to Copenhagen next month for the UN's global climate conference, a White House official said today.
The official said the president will be in Copenhagen on 9 December before heading to Oslo to accept the Nobel peace prize. Obama's attendance had been in question until now.
At least 65 world leaders will attend the summit in Copenhagen to thrash out a global warming treaty to succeed to Kyoto protocol. Obama has said the goal should be an agreement that has "immediate operational effect," not just a political declaration.
The official spoke today on the condition of anonymity because the formal announcement has not been made.
Obama had previously said he would only attend the conference if "we are on the brink of a meaningful agreement and my presence in Copenhagen will make a difference in tipping us over the edge".
Earlier this month, the UK prime minister, Gordon Brown, confirmed he would be at the Copenhagen talks, along with other world leaders including the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/25/barack-obama-copenhagen
Act tough on Liberhan Commission findings: Achuthahandan
IANS 25 November 2009, 07:56pm IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan Wednesday asked the central government to take action against those responsible for
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the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.
Talking to reporters here after the weekly cabinet meeting, Achuthanandan said the responsibility of the government does not end by tabling the Liberhan Commission report in parliament.
"Politicians behind the incident like (former prime minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee, (senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K.) Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi did a great crime by raising communal passions. The government should take appropriate action so such a thing is not repeated again in the country," he said.
Achuthanandan also did not spare Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was the finance minister in 1992.
"The prime minister and the Congress should apologise for the incident," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thirupuram/Act-tough-on-Liberhan-Commission-findings-Achuthahandan-/articleshow/5268846.cms
Civil society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions of the market.
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[edit] Definition
There are myriad definitions of civil society in the post-modern sense. The London School of Economics Centre for Civil Society's working definition is illustrative:
Civil society refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values. In theory, its institutional forms are distinct from those of the state, family and market, though in practice, the boundaries between state, civil society, family and market are often complex, blurred and negotiated. Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality, autonomy and power. Civil societies are often populated by organizations such as registered charities, development non-governmental organizations, community groups, women's organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associations, coalitions and advocacy groups.—[1]
[edit] Origins
From an historical perspective, the actual meaning of the concept of civil society has changed twice from its original, classical form. The first change occurred after the French Revolution, the second during the fall of communism in Europe.
[edit] Pre-modern history
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The concept of civil society in its pre-modern classical republican understanding is usually connected to the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century. However, it has much older history in the realm of political thought. Generally, civil society has been referred to as a political association governing social conflict through the imposition of rules that restrain citizens from harming one another.[2] In the classical period, the concept was used as a synonym for the good society, and seen as indistinguishable from the state. For instance, Socrates taught that conflicts within society should be resolved through public argument using 'dialectic', a form of rational dialogue to uncover truth. According to Socrates, public argument through 'dialectic' was imperative to ensure 'civility' in the polis and 'good life' of the people.[3] For Plato, the ideal state was a just society in which people dedicate themselves to the common good, practice civic virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation and justice, and perform the occupational role to which they were best suited. It was the duty of the 'Philosopher king' to look after people in civility. Aristotle thought the polis was an 'association of associations' that enables citizens to share in the virtuous task of ruling and being ruled. [2] His koinonia politike as political community.
The concept of societas civilis is Roman and was introduced by Cicero. The political discourse in the classical period, places importance on the idea of a 'good society' in ensuring peace and order among the people. The philosophers in the classical period did not make any distinction between the state and society. Rather they held that the state represented the civil form of society and 'civility' represented the requirement of good citizenship.[2] Moreover, they held that human beings are inherently rational so that they can collectively shape the nature of the society they belong to. In addition, human beings have the capacity to voluntarily gather for the common cause and maintain peace in society. By holding this view, we can say that classical political thinkers endorsed the genesis of civil society in its original sense.
The Middle Ages saw major changes in the topics discussed by political philosiphers. Due to the unique political arrangements of feudalism, the concept of classical civil society practically disappeared from mainstream discussion. Instead conversation was dominated by problems of just war, a preoccupation that would last until the end of Renaissance.
The Thirty Years' War and the subsequent Treaty of Westphalia heralded the birth of the sovereign states system. The Treaty endorsed states as territorially-based political units having sovereignty. As a result, the monarchs were able to exert control domestically by emasculating the feudal lords and to stop relying on the latter for armed troops.[4] Hencefore, monarchs could form national armies and deploy a professional bureaucracy and fiscal departments, which enabled them to maintain direct control and supreme authority over their subjects. In order to meet administrative expenditures, monarchs controlled the economy. This gave birth to absolutism.[5] Until the mid-eighteenth century, absolutism was the hallmark of Europe.[5]
The absolutist nature of the state was disputed in the Enlightenment period.[6] As a natural consequence of Renaissance, Humanism, and the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment thinkers raised fundamental questions such as "What legitimacy does heredity confer?", "Why are governments instituted?", "Why should some human beings have more basic rights than others?", and so on. These questions led them to make certain assumptions about the nature of the human mind, the sources of political and moral authority, the reasons behind absolutism, and how to move beyond absolutism. The Enlightenment thinkers believed in the inherent goodness of the human mind. They opposed the alliance between the state and the Church as the enemy of human progress and well-being because the coercive apparatus of the state curbed individual liberty and the Church legitimated monarchs by positing the theory of divine origin. Therefore, both were deemed to be against the will of the people.
Strongly influenced by the atrocities of Thirty Years' War, the political philosophers of the time held that social relations should be ordered in a different way than in natural law conditions. Some of their attempts led to the emergence of social contract theory that contested social relations existing in accordance with human nature. They held that human nature can be understood by analyzing objective realities and natural law conditions. Thus they endorsed that the nature of human beings should be encompassed by the contours of state and established positive laws. Thomas Hobbes underlined the need of a powerful state to maintain civility in society. For Hobbes, human beings are motivated by self-interests (Graham 1997:23). Moreover, these self-interests are often contradictory in nature. Therefore, in state of nature, there was a condition of a war of all against all. In such a situation, life was "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" (Ibid: 25). Upon realizing the danger of anarchy, human beings became aware of the need of a mechanism to protect them. As far as Hobbes was concerned, rationality and self-interests persuaded human beings to combine in agreement, to surrender sovereignty to a common power (Kaviraj 2001:289). Hobbes called this common power, state, Leviathan.
The social contract theory of Thomas Hobbes set forth two types of relationship. One was vertical, between the Leviathan and the people; therefore, the latter submitted themselves to the former. The second system was the realm of horizontal relationship among the people. In that system, people, under the surveillance of Leviathan, were compelled to limit their natural rights in a way that would not harm the rights of others. The first system denotes the state and the second represents civil society. In Hobbes's paradigm, the formation of the civil society led to the formation of government, state, and laws. Therefore, in his view, the state is imperative to sustain civility among men. Thus, Hobbes's concepts of the 'state of nature' and the 'sovereignty of the state' led to the later germination of realism that defined the nature of the relationship between the state and civil society.
John Locke had a similar concept to Hobbes about the political condition in England. It was the period of the Glorious Revolution, marked by the struggle between the divine right of the Crown and the political rights of Parliament. This influenced Locke to forge a social contract theory of a limited state and a powerful society. In Locke's view, human beings led also an unpeaceful life in the state of nature. However, it could be maintained at the sub-optimal level in the absence of a sufficient system (Brown 2001:73). From that major concern, people gathered together to sign a contract and constituted a common public authority. Nevertheless, Locke held that the consolidation of political power can be turned into autocracy, if it is not brought under reliable restrictions (Kaviraj 2001:291). Therefore, Locke set forth two treaties on government with reciprocal obligations. In the first treaty, people submit themselves to the common public authority. This authority has the power to enact and maintain laws. The second treaty contains the limitations of authority, i. e., the state has no power to threaten the basic rights of human beings. As far as Locke was concerned, the basic rights of human beings are the preservation of life, liberty and property. Moreover, he held that the state must operate within the bounds of civil and natural laws.
Both Hobbes and Locke had set forth a system, in which peaceful coexistence among human beings could be ensured through social pacts or contracts. They considered civil society as a community that maintained civil life, the realm where civic virtues and rights were derived from natural laws. However, they did not hold that civil society was a separate realm from the state. Rather, they underlined the co-existence of the state and civil society. The systematic approaches of Hobbes and Locke (in their analysis of social relations) were largely influenced by the experiences in their period. Their attempts to explain human nature, natural laws, the social contract and the formation of government had challenged the divine right theory. In contrast to divine right, Hobbes and Locke claimed that humans can design their political order. This idea had a great impact on the thinkers in the Enlightenment period.
The Enlightenment thinkers argued that human beings are rational and can shape their destiny. Hence, no need of an absolute authority to control them. Both Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant argued that people are peace lovers and that wars are the creation of absolute regimes (Burchill 2001:33). As far as Kant was concerned, this system was effective to guard against the domination of a single interest and check the tyranny of the majority (Alagappa 2004:30).
[edit] Modern history
G.W.F. Hegel completely changed the meaning of civil society, giving rise to a modern liberal understanding of it as a form of market society as opposed to institutions of modern nation-state.[7] Unlike his predecessors, the leading thinker of the Romanticism considered civil society as a separate realm, a "system of needs", that stood for the satisfaction of individual interests and private property. Hegel held that civil society had emerged at the particular period of capitalism and served its interests: individual rights and private property (Dhanagare 2001:169). Hence, he used the German term "bürgerliche Gesellschaft" to denote civil society as "civilian society" - a sphere regulated by the civil code.[7] For Hegel, civil society manifests contradictory forces. Being the realm of capitalist interests, there is a possibility of conflicts and inequalities within it. Therefore, the constant surveillance of the state is imperative to sustain moral order in society. Hegel considered the state as the highest form of ethical life. Therefore, the political state has the capacity and authority to correct the faults of civil society. Alexis de Tocqueville, after comparing despotic France and democratic America, contested Hegel, putting weight on the system of civilian and political associations as a counterbalance to both liberal individualism and centralization of the state. Hence, Hegel's perception of social reality was followed in general by Tocqueville who distinguished between political society and civil society.[7]
This was the theme taken further by Karl Marx. For Marx, civil society was the 'base' where productive forces and social relations were taking place, whereas political society was the 'superstructure'.[7] Agreeing with the link between capitalism and civil society, Marx held that the latter represents the interests of the bourgeoisie (Edwards 2004:10). Therefore, the state as superstructure also represents the interests of the dominant class; under capitalism, it maintains the domination of the bourgeoisie. Hence, Marx rejected the positive role of state put forth by Hegel. Marx argued that the state cannot be a neutral problem solver. Rather, he depicted the state as the defender of the interests of the bourgeoisie. He considered the state and civil society as the executive arms of the bourgeoisie; therefore, both should wither away (Brown 2001:74).
This negative view about civil society was rectified by Antonio Gramsci (Edwards 2004:10). Departing somehow from Marx, Gramsci did not consider civil society as coterminous with the socio-economic base of the state. Rather, Gramsci located civil society in the political superstructure. He underlined the crucial role of civil society as the contributor of the cultural and ideological capital required for the survival of the hegemony of capitalism (Ehrenberg 1999:208). Rather than posing it as a problem, as in earlier Marxist conceptions, Gramsci viewed civil society as the site for problem-solving. Agreeing with Gramsci, the New Left assigned civil society a key role in defending people against the state and the market and in asserting the democratic will to influence the state (Ibid:30). At the same time, Neo-liberal thinkers consider civil society as a site for struggle to subvert Communist and authoritarian regimes (Ibid: 33). Thus, the term civil society occupies an important place in the political discourses of the New Left and Neo-liberals.
[edit] Post-modern history
The post-modern way of understanding civil society was first developed by political opposition in the former Soviet block East European countries in the 1980s. From that time stems a practice within the political field of using the idea of civil society instead of political society. However, in the 1990s with the emergence of the nongovernmental organizations and the New Social Movements (NSMs) on a global scale, civil society as a third sector became a key terrain of strategic action to construct 'an alternative social and world order.' Henceforth, postmodern usage of the idea of civil society became divided into two main : as political society and as the third sector - apart from plethora of definitions.
The Washington consensus of the 1990s, which involved conditioned loans by the World Bank and IMF to debt-laden developing states, also created pressures for states in poorer countries to shrink. This in turn led to practical changes for civil society that went on to influence the theoretical debate. Initially the new conditionality led to an even greater emphasis on `civil society' as a panacea, replacing the state's service provision and social care[8], Hulme and Edward suggested that it was now seen as `the magic bullet.' Some development political scientists cautioned that this view created new dangers. For instance, in `Let's get Civil Society Straight' Whaites argued that the often politicized and potentially divisive nature of civil society was being ignored by some policy makers.
By the end of the 1990s civil society was seen less as a panacea amid the growth of the anti-globalization movement and the transition of many countries to democracy; instead, civil society was increasingly called on to justify its legitimacy and democratic credentials. This led to the creation by the UN of a high level panel on civil society [1]. Post-modern civil society theory has now largely returned to a more neutral stance, but with marked differences between the study of the phenomena in richer societies and writing on civil society in developing states. Civil society in both areas is, however, often viewed as a counter-poise and complement rather than an alternative in relation to the state [8], or as Whaites stated in his 1996 article, `the state is seen as a precondition of civil society'[2]
[edit] Democracy
The literature on relations between civil society and democratic political society have their roots in early liberal writings like those of Alexis de Tocqueville.[7] However they were developed in significant ways by 20th century theorists like Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba, who identified the role of political culture in a democratic order as vital.[9]
They argued that the political element of many voluntary organizations facilitates better awareness and a more informed citizenry, who make better voting choices, participate in politics, and hold government more accountable as a result.[10] The statutes of these organizations have often been considered micro-constitutions because they accustom participants to the formalities of democratic decision making.
More recently, Robert D. Putnam has argued that even non-political organizations in civil society are vital for democracy. This is because they build social capital, trust and shared values, which are transferred into the political sphere and help to hold society together, facilitating an understanding of the interconnectedness of society and interests within it.[11]
Others, however, have questioned how democratic civil society actually is. Some have noted that the civil society actors have now obtained a remarkable amount of political power without anyone directly electing or appointing them.[12][8] Finally, other scholars have argued that, since the concept of civil society is closely related to democracy and representation, it should in turn be linked with ideas of nationality and nationalism.[13]
[edit] Globalization
The term civil society is currently often used by critics and activists as a reference to sources of resistance to, and the domain of social life which needs to be protected against, globalization. This is because it is seen as acting beyond boundaries and across different territories.[14] However, as civil society can, under many definitions, include and be funded and directed by those businesses and institutions (especially donors linked to European and Northern states) who support globalization, this is a contested use.[15] Rapid development of civil society on the global scale after the fall of the communist system was a part of neo-liberal strategies linked to the Washington consensus.[8] Some studies have also been published, which deal with unresolved issues regarding the use of the term in connection with the impact and conceptual power of the international aid system (see for example Tvedt 1998).
On the other hand, others see globalization as a social phenomenon expanding the sphere of classical liberal values, which inevitably led to a larger role for civil society at the expense of politically derived state institutions.
 | This section requires expansion. |
[edit] Examples of civil society institutions
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Not every institution of civil society is a 'countervailing power' to the state.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "What is civil society?". Centre for Civil Society, London School of Economics. 2004-03-01. http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCS/what_is_civil_society.htm. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
- ^ a b c Edwards 2004. p 6.
- ^ O'Connell 1999
- ^ Brown 2001:70
- ^ a b Knutsen 1997:80-118
- ^ Chandhoke 1995:88
- ^ a b c d e Zaleski, Pawel (2008). "Tocqueville on Civilian Society. A Romantic Vision of the Dichotomic Structure of Social Reality". Archiv für Begriffsgeschichte (Felix Meiner Verlag) 50.
- ^ a b c d Pawel Zaleski Global Non-governmental Administrative System: Geosociology of the Third Sector, [in:] Gawin, Dariusz & Glinski, Piotr [ed.]: "Civil Society in the Making", IFiS Publishers, Warszawa 2006
- ^ Almond, G., & Verba, S.; 'The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes And Democracy In Five Nations; 1989; Sage
- ^ 'ibid'
- ^ Robert D. Putnam, Robert Leonardi, Raffaella Y. Nanetti; Robert Leonardi, Raffaella Y. Nanetti (1994). Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691078890.
- ^ Agnew, John; 2002; 'Democracy and Human Rights' in Johnston, R.J., Taylor, Peter J. and Watts, Michael J. (eds); 2002; Geographies of Global Change; Blackwell
- ^ Pollock, Graham.'Civil Society Theory and Euro-Nationalism' , Studies In Social & Political Thought, Issue 4, March 2001, pp. 31-56
- ^ Mann, Michael; 1984; The Autonomous Power of The State: Its Origins, Mechanisms and Results; European Journal of Sociology 25: pp185-213
- ^ United Nations: Partners in Civil Society
[edit] References
- Alagappa, Muthiah. Civil Society and Political Change in Asia. Stanford: Standford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8047-5097-1
- Edwards, Michael. Civil Society. Cambridge, England: Polity Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7456-3133-9.
- Hemmati, Minu. Dodds, Felix. Enayati, Jasmin. and McHarry,Jan downloadable copy of Multistakeholder Processes for Governance and Sustainability:Beyond Deadlock and Conflict
- O'Connell, Brian. Civil Society: The Underpinnings of American Democracy. Medford, Mass: Tufts University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-87451-924-1.
- Perlas, Nicolas, Shaping Globalization - Civil Society, Cultural Power and Threefolding. ISBN 0-95838858X .
- Pollock, Graham.'Civil Society Theory and Euro-Nationalism' , Studies In Social & Political Thought, Issue 4, March 2001, pp. 31-56
- Tvedt, Terje. Angels of Mercy or Development Diplomats. NGOs & Foreign Aid. Oxford: James Currey, 1998.
- Whaites, Alan `Let's get civil society straight: NGOs and Political Theory,' Development in Practice, 1996, [3]
- Whaites, Alan, `NGOs, Civil Society and the State: Avoiding theoretical extremes in real world issues,' Development in Practice 1998 [4]
- Zaleski, Pawel `Tocqueville on Civilian Society: A Romantic Vision of the Dichotomic Structure of Social Reality', Archiv für Begriffsgeschichte Bd. 50/2008
[edit] External links
- LSE Centre for Civil Society
- Civil Society in the Post-Communist Context: Linking Theoretical Concept and Social Transformation by Tanya Narozhna
- The Western Concept of the Civil Society in the Context of Chinese History by Thomas Metzger
- UN and Civil Society
- UNEP Global Civil Society Forum.
- EU relations with Civil Society
- UK DFID relations with Civil Society
- Global civil society (PCDF).
- One World Trust Database of Civil Society Self-regulatory Intiatives
- Cox, P., N. Shams, G. Jahn, P. Erickson and P. Hicks. 2002. Building collaboration between NGOs and agricultural research institutes. Cambodian Journal of Agriculture 6: 1-8.
- WiserEarth.org - World Index for Social and Environmental Responsibility - formerly www.civilsociety.org.
- Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future engagement in UN stakeholder relations
- International Society for Third-Sector Research
- Bied-Charreton Marc and Requier-Desjardins Mélanie, 2007. Science and civil society in the fight against desertification. Les dossiers thématiques du CSFD. Issue 6. 40 pp.
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100 years of trends in international civil society by the Union of International Associations
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