...Even if it means less democracy, so that their everyday problems get solved? argues R Jagannathan.
He could have blazed a trail that few Indian judges had. It was a missed opportunity of a lifetime, notes Ramesh Menon.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday pulled off a stunning performance in Maharashtra winning a record number of seats to propel the party-led ruling Mahayuti alliance to a landslide victory while the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) stormed back to power in Jharkhand on the back of a spectacular showing by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
The two major parties offer the United States choices that are basically unacceptable and the bench strength, such as it is, is not entirely capable of winning popular acclaim, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
Two women are in contention to become prime minister for the first time in Japan's history -- a potential turning point for a country that ranks below Saudi Arabia in terms of female political representation, points out Rajaram Panda.
China's stand is that relevant parties should find a solution internally.
In a village of Rajputs, the vote is for Modi even though the BJP is not contesting from here.
'The intellectual A G Noorani and A G Noorani the family man sound like a contradiction in terms, but both aspects were integral parts of the individual.'
China would have become another India "where around 20% of the world's poorest live" if it adopted democracy
Of all recent Japanese leaders, new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been the most enthusiastic about the future of India-Japan relationship and gave it an entirely new dimension. New Delhi now has a chance to greatly improve its ties with Tokyo. It must seize the moment, say Harsh V Pant.
Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has said the issue of attacks on minority Hindus in his country is 'exaggerated' and questioned the manner in which India projected it.
Though May won her Maidenhead seat in south-east England with 37,780 votes, she faced pressure to resign after losing her parliamentary majority.
In days of smart, networked technology and no shame over collateral damage, what will blow up next -- cars, mobile phones, TV sets, refrigerators? And where?, asks Shyam G Menon.
The leader of Liberal Democratic Party Shinzo Abe has become Japan's new prime minister, giving top priority to overcoming the prolonged economic slump. Abe, who led the LDP to a landslide victory in the general election after three years in opposition, will form a new Cabinet later in the day with his close allies.
Opposition Conservative party is now being closely followed by the Labour party, though the former still leads the race in the in the 2010 general elections.
'We should be mindful that the religious minority community in one country is the majority in another (and) so treatment of the minority community in our respective countries will be an important variable in our relationship'
The Democratic Party of Japan has won a landslide victory in the elections on Sunday, ending 50 years of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party, the BBC has said.
'Although there is a visible dent in TMC's urban votes, especially among women, the CPI-M and the BJP are unlikely to benefit from this'
The collegium system has shut the doors of judgeship in the higher judiciary on Dalits, OBCs and even the poor among the upper castes
Conservative leader David Cameron, whose party has secured the largest number of seats and highest percentage of votes, is expected to form the next government in Britain that is set for an India-style coalition politics after no party won an overall majority.
Bangladesh is in turmoil, which is not good news for India, which shares a porous 4000 km border with it. There is a danger of fundamentalism growing there, and India has to move in to reset its ties with the new dispensation before China and Pakistan make capital out of it, alerts Ramesh Menon.
Johnson has set his hopes for getting his snap poll bill through the Commons threshold. His latest attempt may just succeed after the Opposition Labour Party said it would back an early election in December.
'...We should first look at and acknowledge what we have done to ourselves.' 'To not do so opens us to the accusation of rank hypocrisy and also reduces the stature of our globetrotting peaceniks,' asserts Aakar Patel.
'Is there a connection between the way we pitched the entire issue of Udta Punjab's censorship and the apologetic, full-of-very-specific-answers tone of the movie?' 'Maybe it's just me, but as an Indian liberal, I am more scared of us liberals than I am of the average Indian conservative bloke,' says Sreehari Nair.
India said it will continue to extend its developmental assistance to the friendly people of Sri Lanka.
Whether Rajeev Chandrasekhar wins or not, Thiruvananthapuram will likely never see such an interesting contest again.
If one were to go by the latest manifesto, Hatoyama's world consists essentially of Japan, the US, China, South Korea, North Korea (all mentioned by name) and "other countries". India has been relegated to the position of one of the "other countries".
'The time has come for all those believe in a democratic India to stand up and be counted and to make a choice.'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made reviving the economy his government's top priority, but his spending promises have raised concerns that Japan's public debt burden, already the worst among major economies, could deteriorate further.
Jailed rights activist Binayak Sen's wife on Monday said it appeared that the only recourse left to her is to seek political asylum in some 'liberal' democratic country as she felt that her family is not safe in India.
'The struggle of insurgents and pro-independence political activists is fuelled by a deep conviction that not only is a free Balochistan possible, but they also believe that Pakistan will inevitably break apart, leading to Balochistan's independence.'
A number of Indian diaspora organisations in the UK have issued letters objecting to the creation of a new cross-party parliamentary group for British Gujaratis, warning that the move could be "divisive".
The decision follows a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Games over concerns about human rights in China
Britain's new Conservative- Liberal Democrat coalition government in its first policy pronouncement on Tuesday promised to "enhanced partnership" with India, but said that restrictions will be imposed on the entry of non-European Union immigrants.
The local police force where Rishi Sunak filmed a social media video in a moving car without a seatbelt on Friday fined the British Prime Minister for the legal breach.
A new India-UK relationship would need to include an annual strategic dialogue, cooperation on counter terror and enlarging the role of the G-20, writes Rahul Roy-Chaudhury
Britain's new Prime Minister David Cameron, who heads the Conservative-Liberal Democrats coalition government, would visit India later this year, official sources said on Friday.
Grey hair and seniority are no longer criterion to rule countries; the latest in the growing list of young leaders is British Prime Minister David Cameron.
As per the understanding between the Conservative and Liberal Democrats parties, it is the Conservative policy that has been adopted by the new coalition government.
The Tories and Liberal Democrats edged closer to a deal on coalition formation that might result in Conservative Party leader David Cameron enter Downing Street, even as reports emerged that United Kingdom Premier Gordon Brown had launched a last-minute bid to woo kingmaker Nick Clegg. Cameron appeared confident of winning Lib Dem leader Clegg's support after continued negotiations on Sunday night for a belt-tightening economic plan.
