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Temporary reprieve
Despite the adept juggling of wordsmiths that helped conclude the four-week review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the UN, the treaty's future appears shaky. Despite its membership having grown to encompass most nations, the NPT regime has come under greater pressure, says Brahma Chellaney.
The forgotten uprising
'The Trotskyites came fairly close to pulling off their coup,
but it was just a combination of timing, luck and good, old-fashioned
ruthlessness on the part of the Indian Army that saved the day for Mrs
Bandaranaike's government. She was deeply indebted to Mrs Gandhi
for her help after that,' recalls Anvar Ali Khan.
'We belonged to an era where good lyrics and singing were appreciated'
'His kind of lyrics and my kind of singing always created a bond between us and I will always miss that when I remember him.' Manna Dey on Majrooh Sultanpuri.
So Who Can You Trust, Huh?
'To cut a long -- and sordid -- story short, I ultimately discovered that it was just the old Bible Salesman scam that the CA was trying to pull on me. And I very nearly fell for it.'
Sri Lanka -- war without end, peace without hope!
Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) explains the historical reasons behind the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka.
'Their discipline and self-restraint was a sign of their professionalism'
'But this was a professionalism that was wasted on their adversaries. Indeed, the whole UN presence in Sierra Leone felt, in retrospect, like the collision of two mutually uncomprehending moral systems. It was as if Gandhi had tried practicing civil disobedience on the Soviets.'
All according to the law
'The uncertainty about the regime's legitimacy is over, at least in the eyes of the law. The junta has been empowered to deal effectively with the myriad problems facing Pakistan without having to worry about tiresome court battles. So there is no room for excuses any more.'
No dash to the dustbin
'Indeed, the challenge to the NPT comes from the weaknesses in the international safeguards against proliferation. Although all NPT members are supposed to have safeguards deals with the International Atomic Energy Agency, some still do not.'
'We are not a war-making force'
Indian troops, part of the UN Peace Keeping Force, are now trying to restore peace in troubled Sierra Leone. How does the Indian Army carry out its brief, in an alien land where it is difficult to distinguish friend from foe? New York Times correspondent James Traub went recently to the frontlines, to find out for himself. Another rediff.com exclusive.
'Unless they see somebody dying from AIDS, they won't understand'
'Mentally ill women who roam around the streets don't take a bath, don't dress properly, still men have sex with them. I must tell you, you cannot change men's behavior at all.'
'I am scared. Please don't leave me here'
The shocking story of how mentally unstable women in Tamil Nadu are being infected by the dreaded AIDS virus.
'Now I can see life as a prisoner'
Ramesh Menon on how Laloo Prasad Yadav spent his days in prison. A rediff.com exclusive.
'This drought is not the worst ever'
'Today I am supplying water only to 448 villages; in 1988, 497 villages didn't have a drop of water. Our operation was at a much larger scale. But no one wrote about it!' says Jamnagar Collector Girish Murmu.
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