South Asia Citizens Web

The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2012
January 8, 2012
The news from CERN was stunning: the European nuclear science laboratory had just discovered (September 2011) that particles known as neutrinos — called so because they are neutral and carry no charge — habitually travel a little bit faster than light. This threatened to shake the very foundations of Einstein’s theory of relativity, which had laid the basis for the atomic bomb, nuclear energy, and most of modern day physics. (…)

The low-profile chief minister of M[adhya] P[radesh] is wilier than we think. Having successfully sold the idea that here is a man whose sole concern is aspirational politics — bijli, sadak, pani — Chouhan has been cannily pursuing the politics of Hindutva Plus. Because he chooses to operate below the media radar, the country remains blissfully ignorant of his relentless Hinduisation of MP society.

The Island, Colombo, 6 January 2012
5 January 2012
Since the end of the war in May 2009, it has become important for all ethnic communities of Sri Lanka to re-examine and re-evaluate their past. It is through this process of self-reflection that some of the major issues that confront state and civil society today can be meaningfully reconceived and reconfigured for the future.
While the war has drawn to a decisive close, the ethnic conflict is far from over and demands solutions short- (…)

In December 2011, the 42nd report of Standing Committee of Finance (SCoF) rejected the National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010. The collective view of the committee members was expressed clearly in the concluding paragraph of the report - ‘The UID scheme, particularly considering the contradictions and ambiguities within the Government on its implementation as well as implications, the Committee categorically convey their unacceptability of the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 in its present form.’ How did the standing committee come to a conclusion that NIDAI bill is unacceptable ? This essay looks at the relationship between the idea of evidence and parliamentary processes in democracy.

We, the undersigned, express our grave concern that Pakistani human rights defenders are being threatened and intimidated for their stance in the ‘memogate’ case. We are also concerned at the danger this crisis poses to Pakistan’s democratic political process that had taken a step forward with the elections of 2008.