Sreeram Chaulia

Feb 14, 2012

Fear trumps hope

A long-delayed election to the Provincial Council on September 21 in formerly war-devastated Northern Sri Lanka could have been a harbinger of justice. But it may well turn out to be a false promise that further alienates the Tamil minorities.

The election impact

Elections for choosing people’s representatives are the rituals and festivals of democracy.

Zimbabwe shock Pakistan

A sturdy 85 from Hamilton Masakadza and a crucial late cameo from Sean Williams saw Zimbabwe record their first one-day win over Pakistan since 1998.

Water, uneven growth creating unease in Maha

The issue of sharing of water and imbalanced development is creating unease in different parts of Maharashtra at a time when neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has virtually become a “disturbed state” on the issue of Telangana.

‘I have faced rejections in the film industry’

Think of Kailash Kher and the first thing you recall is his raw earthy voice that stands out among other singers in the industry. Kher agrees that his unique voice has helped him be noticed but admits he has faced a fair amount of rejection too. The singer says, “I thank God for all he has given me.

Guns and games

A recent revelation claiming that Israel had supplied high-tech weapons to Pakistan has caused a flutter. Although vehemently denied by the governments of Israel and Pakistan, the fact that the United Kingdom’s department for business, innovation and skills, which assesses export licences, had listed Pakistan as one of the destinations to which Israel exported arms with British components in 2010 and 2011 has generated bewilderment.

Light on cheats

The only two certainties in life are death and taxes,” wrote Mark Twain in the 19th century. He lived in an era before unbridled tax havens and banking secrecy took centrestage to strike off one of these certainties for the privileged. A new pathbreaking expose by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) highlights the unimaginable size and murkiness of the contemporary “offshore” banking services industry.

Sensex recovers 115 points on rate cut hopes, lower crude prices

The BSE benchmark Sensex today recovered 115 points on funds buying in bluechip stocks such as ONGC, SBI, Bharti Airtel and RIL amid lower crude oil prices in overseas markets and hopes of rate cut by RBI in May after lower-than-expected inflation number in March.

Ranbir back to his wicked ways

Ranbir Romeo strikes again. And we thought he had settled into his relationship with a besotted Kat. Not quite. Word is out that Ranbir went back to his wild ways during his recent trip to Canada.

Seduced by the gun

Ghastly bomb blasts and gun rampages targeting Shias are yet again shattering Pakistan’s social fabric, which is already badly torn by a deep-seated ambivalence towards violent terrorists. Relentless bloodshed on the streets is forcing a confused nation to grapple with a home-bred monster — angry armed men launched by state authorities to pursue unholy political goals.

Horoscope