Muslims in China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) are increasingly becoming more aware of their Isamic heritage, thanks to more liberal policies followed by the Chinese government in the last three decades, according to an on-the-ground report from David Brown, the Consul General of Chengdu in Sichuan, a province adjoining the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). However, […]
The coming to power of Mayawati, India’s most powerful Dalit leader, in Uttar Pradesh has instilled fear in the minds of criminals and improved law and order, the US embassy to India felt after a review at the end of 100 days of her rule in UP in 2007. While she may not be “up […]
Dish TV, India’s first DTH operator and part of the Essel Zee group of Subash Chandra, has finally come out with its ‘cam module’ that allows consumers of other DTH operators to also watch Dish TV channels on their existing equipment. The Cam Module (see picture) is inserted into the ‘cam slot’ located just above […]
Singapore consciously cultivates its relationship with India as a way to counter-balance China’s growing influence in South East Asia, according to a cable written by American ambassador to the city-state, Franklin Lavin in 2004. According to Lavin’s reading of the country’s new “India fever”, Singapore does not want China to dominate South East Asia and […]
In a bid to ‘clean up’ the government’s image before upcoming elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has moved with unprecedented speed to address concerns of a scam in the Commonwealth Games coverage. The PM on Friday evening removed Aruna Sharma, Director General (DG) of Doordarshan from her post and back to her original cadre, while […]
18 percent of all IT outsourcing contracts will have elements of ‘as a service’ or ‘utility’ billing model this year, according to a survey of the IT Outsourcing (ITO) companies by Gartner, the World’s largest IT research agency. This will rise to 24% in 2012, according to the same survey. It also found some IT […]
Days after launching the first of the new line-up of powerful candy-bar Blackberry phones, online e-tailer Letsbuy has now become the first to launch the Blackberry Torch 9810, first slider Blackberry phone built on the new platform. The Blackberry Torch 9810’s price in India is Rs 29,749. The Blackberry Torch 9810 is one of the […]
The recent expose of scams seemed to have made the Congress leadership more determined in cleaning up the system. ‘Cleaning up’ the system finds the second place in the Government’s to-do list for the next financial year, according to the speech read out by President Pratibha Patil in Parliament at the start of the Budget […]
The hard-line Deobandi school of Islam has the support of only around 20% of India’s 16-18 crore Muslims and most Indian Muslims prefer Sufi flavored versions, Timothy Roemer, the then Ambassador to India, told Farah Pandit before her first visit to India as Obama’s Administration’s ‘Special Representative to Muslim Communities.’ In a thorough analysis of […]
India’s slow moving bureaucracy and legal system came out as its biggest disadvantage relative to China, executives of American firms in Bangalore told a visiting Senator in 2007. The cumbersome nature of carrying out development work, including slow moving legal challenges and overall decision making, was keeping India back from developing critical infrastructure like roads, […]
US officials worried that the Union Government’s move to absorb private universities into the Government system and force its own curriculum on them is likely to dent India’s ability to churn out graduates whose training is in line with the needs of modern industries like IT, according to a 2010 cable leaked by Wikileaks. Education […]
Pakistan felt it was unfair to give India a higher status than itself at Climate Change negotiations despite having less to lose from it, according to US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson. Writing from Islamabad shortly after the Copenhagen round of Climate Change negotiations petered out, Patterson noted that the mood in Islamabad was particularly […]
I do have a strong set of issues with the supposed ‘intelligentsia’ response to the Anna Hazara / IAC movement / Jan Lokpal bill – I use the terms loosely and interchangeably. The key stands, summarising Nitin Pai, Amba Salakar, Arundhati Roy et al seem to be: 1. “We (the civil society experts / bloggers […]
Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has lent strong support to passing a “strong and effective” Lokpal bill as soon as possible. She also lent support to Anna Hazare group on all three questions which were subjected to debate in the Parliament today. 1) On the issue of including the Judiciary, […]
India’s active mobile subscribers are only aorund half of the gross subscribers reported by the mobile operators, according to a survey by Juxt Consult, one of India’s pioneering mobile and Internet research agency. According to Juxt Consult, India had only 48.7 crore (487 million) mobile subscribers in June this year, compared to the 85 crore […]
India will get a new media regulator in less than a month, Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said at a CII conference on Friday. The minister said that industry-government body meant to recommend the structure of the new body has finalized its proposals and the same are about to be forwarded to the Cabinet. […]
Emailing continues to be the most popular online activity even as Facebook is fast emerging as a strong competitor to Google in India’s online landscape, according to the 2011 online survey by mobile and online research firm Juxt Consult. While 95% of India’s online population use email, it is followed closely by product search (with […]
Congress leader Sandip Dixit, son of Sheila Dixit, refused to support Anna Hazare’s demand to include the lower bureaucracy within the investigative powers of the Lokpal. He was the first speaker from the Congress party speaking on merits at the Parliamentary debate on Anna Hazare’s three demands today, inaugurated by Pranab Mukherjee. While he supported […]
Anna’s health has dipped below optimum levels, leading to the posting of a permanent medical team by his side. “We have increased his fluid in-take.. We’ll check today’s blood results and advise him in the evening,” Dr Naresh Trehan, one of country’s most prominent doctors, said after examining Anna Hazare’s health in the morning today. […]
Members of Parliament expressed their frustration and anger at being tarred as corrupt by the popular movement led by Anna Hazare. Leading the attack, senior leader of the Janata Dal (United) party, Sharad Yadav urged the protesters to remain civil and choose their words carefully. “Please keep your words within limits and we shall also […]
