Following the publication of the latest Index of Failed States by Foreign Policy,� India probably has the unique distinction of being the only “stable” country in the world that is “ringed” by failed states on all sides of its borders:
In the West, we have Pakistan (at # 12); In the north/northeast, we have Nepal (at #21); to the east, Bangladesh (at # 16) and to the south, Sri Lanka (at #25).
We may feel a little more relaxed about China (which is at #62) – or should we? (see link below …

Last year I wrote about how the media often resorts to cliches and convenient stereotypes rather than doing the hard work to get the true story behind sensational headlines.
I was referring to the much-hyped headlines and reports about an AIDS epidemic in India. It now looks almost certain that the numbers may have been overinflated.
The Times quoted Denis Broun, India country director for UNAids as saying, “For the country as a whole, the risk of an Africa-type epidemic is very remote” while the NY Times mentioned in its report that, …

I read this headline earlier this morning and thought it was a joke… Govt mulls ban on Orkut�
But apparently not… “The (Shiv) Sainiks vandalised a cyber cafe in Thane, Mumbai and demanded a ban on Orkut because of the remarks posted on one of its forums”
“Orkut is used by many destructive elements to spread canards about India, Hindus, our gods and cultural heritage,” said Abhijit Phanse, president of Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena.�
Now I am not very familiar with Orkut but the argument seems to be a bit like: Lets ban the …

A few days ago I wrote this semi-serious post wondering whether I had missed the riots following the Mumbai blasts, the attack on Akshardham and the blasts in Varanasi…�
The post was prompted by reports of rioting in Hyderabad following the Mecca Masjid blasts….It now turns out that there may not have been any riots at all.�
So, what is going on?
If there really were no riots, first of all, I would like to offer an unconditional and full apology to all my readers particularly Muslim readers whose sensibilities may have …

These two news items were posted within hours of each other on IBN:
First headline:
China is India’s best neighbour: PM� – slightly mis-leading headline…what he actually said was that China was “India’s “greatest neighbour”…and New Delhi wanted the “strongest relationship” with Beijing”.
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The second headline:
Arunachal accord: China backtracks “China is backtracking on an agreement reached with India two years ago (that) clearly stated…both countries shall safeguard the interests of their settled population in the border areas.
…However, media reports now say China no longer seems to accept that. This was reportedly conveyed to …

According to a UNESCO report quoted by the BBC:
“…Academic fraud, such as fake degrees, is more common in the United States than in developing countries…”
Brief excerpt:
“…The study of more than 60 countries says that in some, illegal use of funds meant for schools can be very high.
In higher education, the problems centre mostly on bogus universities, degrees which can be bought rather than earned and fake accreditation or licensing of institutions.
The study says the number of fake universities on the internet offering bogus degrees rose from 200 to 800 between …

…looks like�we are not alone.
Here’s “Inside the Scandal at Justice” – a TIME magazine�investigation that reveals�the�depth of political influence on the�Justice department in the United States.
Related posts:�
“Har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai”
“Corruption in Public Life: Are we the only ones?”
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Thanks to Shadow Warrior on whose blog I first came across this extraordinary piece of reporting: “Who says Indian Media isn’t biased?“*about the mass conversion of Dalits into Buddhism last Sunday in Mumbai.
After reading that, I was left wondering how many actually converted (the point is not trivial and this is not about conversions per se – I will write a separate post on that)…but the links below illustrate – once again – how sloppy, inaccurate and biased reporting passes for respectable journalism in India these days… Now read on …

Excerpts from a column by British PM Tony Blair in the Sunday Times recently (May 27, 2007) (emphasis mine):
“The absconding of three people on control orders because of suspicion of their involvement in terrorism has, once again, thrown into sharp relief the debate about terrorism and civil liberty…(that is)… the balance between protecting the safety of the public and the rights of the individual suspected of being involved with terrorism.
…We have chosen as a society to put the civil liberties of the suspect, even if a foreign national, first.
I happen …

At the risk of having to eat my own words, here is a bold prediction:
Before 2014, India will have Lalu-ji (Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav) as Prime Minister with Rahul Baba as PM-in-waiting and very likely to “succeed” him in 2014.
To everyone watching the Congress performance in UP, I would say, “Don’t be fooled by the election results…this is just a brake on Rahul Baba’s march to 7 Race Course Road”
The signs of this happening are unmistakable although the dots are scattered all over:
The first dot is that the future of …