India has one of the largest open and distance learning (ODL) systems in the world, second only to China. To increase the gross enrolment ratio (GER) there is every need to increase the number of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and ODL comes in to help...
Abbas Milani Iran’s presidential election June 18 was the most farcical in the history of the Islamic regime – even more so than the 2009 election, often called an “electoral coup.” It was less an election than a chronicle of a death foretold – the...
Melvin Durai Cellphones have become a necessity for many people, including me. I enjoy many of the features of my phone, including talking, texting, taking photos and browsing. But I have to constantly resist the temptation to use my cellphone at inappropriate times. It’s not...
Malay Mishra Cold wars need not be symmetrical. They could vary with change in actors, circumstances and time. To assess the aftermath of the recent Biden-Putin summit meeting June 16 as a ‘cold peace’ or a full-fledged cold war in the making is immaterial. It...
Harish Barthwal Music has ever been integral to social, cultural and religious ethos of mankind. In wintry nights early men gathered around fire, danced and sang in accompaniment to music as a refreshing relief from drudgery of diurnal life. This energised them to take up...
SN Misra India is going through an unprecedented economic crisis, with the estimated GDP growth being scaled down to 8 per cent from an earlier estimate of 15 per cent. The wholesale price index has gone up to 12.94 per cent and consumer price index...
Santosh Kumar Mohapatra Fuel prices which have witnessed sporadic rise recently have surpassed the inglorious landmark of Rs 100 per litre in some cities. When the pandemic has been devastating lives and livelihoods, eroding purchasing power of people, dampening demand, the reluctance of the government...
Dr. Panchanan Dalai Bhubaneswar, besides being the capital city of Odisha and one of India’s smart cities, has been a city of historical importance due to its temples, architectures and urban planning. The historically sacred geographies in its vicinity and the urbane architectures inside the...
Bimal Prasad Mohapatra Now, US forces are leaving Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of Taliban facilitated al-Qaeda terror attack on US in 2001. And this is about to happen without accomplishing the forces’ much tom-tommed assignment of releasing the landlocked nation from the clutches of...
Melvin Durai It takes five to seven days and costs Rs 1,299 for an Indian to get a tourist visa for Bangladesh. But if you don’t have the money or you’re in a big hurry, there is another option: wear a tiger costume. Tigers have...
By Dilip Cherian Forget the slogans. The story isn’t about “opening the doors” to experts so much as about how...
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Appeasement or tacit approval of invasion and capture of foreign land helped the rise of Adolf Hitler and the formation...
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Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently, at a gathering at Udaipur’s Bhupal Nobles’ University, sought to brand the ‘educated’ citizens...
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It was a moment of geopolitical déjà vu. On the same calendar day, separated by thirty-six years, United States forces...
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