Ishwar Sharan's Blog, page 173

Modi was advised by finance officials to ban 85% of India’s currency – Madhav Nalapat

The effects on the economic system post 8 November, combined with worries of further drastic steps including more demonetisations, is leading to hoarding of currency notes, thereby necessitating a higher volume of currency needing to get pushed into circulation. A senior official estimated that it will take eleven months for currency stocks depleted by the […]

Good riddance to Cuba’s brutal Big Brother – Carlos Eire

Deceit was one of Fidel Castro’s greatest talents, and gullibility is one of the world’s greatest frailties. – Prof Carlos Eire One of the most brutal dictators in modern history has just died. Oddly enough, some will mourn his passing, and many an obituary will praise him. Millions of Cubans who have been waiting impatiently for […]

When will the Catholic Church apologise for the Goa Inquisition? – Shefali Vaidya

“Goa is sadly famous for its inquisition, equally contrary to humanity and commerce. The Portuguese monks made us believe that the people worshipped the devil, and it is they who have served him.” – Voltaire The palace has been razed to the ground. Hordes of chattering tourists walk over the site now, clicking selfies against the […]

Wikileaks: Statement on the US Election – Julian Assange

We publish material given to us if it is of political, diplomatic, historical or ethical importance and which has not been published elsewhere. When we have material that fulfills this criteria, we publish. – Julian Assange In recent months, WikiLeaks and I personally have come under enormous pressure to stop publishing what the Clinton campaign […]

Pope wants to visit India next year – PTI

“What I understood is that the Pope wishes to visit India next year. An indication in this regard was given to me when I visited him at his residence at Santa Marta in Vatican,”  – Archbishop-designate Joseph Kalathiparambil Pope Francis, Head of the Roman Catholic Church, is likely to visit India next year, a senior Catholic […]

High time Catholic Church came clean on its role in the tragedy of Rwanda – Vincent Gasana

However it comes about, it is now well past high time that the Catholic Church apologised for its role in the tragedy of Rwanda throughout the 20th Century. Every social and political upheaval in Rwanda, from the beginning of that Century to 1994, had the Catholic Church’s finger prints all over it, and on two […]

Catholic Church finally admits complicity in Rwandan genocide – AP

Many of the victims died at the hands of priests, clergymen and nuns, according to some accounts by survivors, and the Rwandan government said many died in the churches where they sought refuge. – Associated Press The Catholic Church in Rwanda apologised on Sunday for the Church’s role in the 1994 genocide, saying it regretted […]

Bernie Saunders for Senate Minority Leader – M.D. Nalapat

Hillary Clinton may not approve, but … Bernie Sanders is the fittest candidate to serve as Senate Minority Leader. Should a Sanders associate become the House of Representatives Minority Leader as well, the pair would be a formidable force in Washington. – Prof M. D. Nalapat As predicted in these columns in July 2015, Donald […]

Private member’s bill to legalise recreational use of ganja in India – Debayan Roy

Romesh Bhattacharji, former commissioner of Central Bureau of Narcotics, and currently a member of the Institute for Narcotics Studies, told News18 that the bill would be “an excellent move to rectify an erroneous law.” – Debayan Roy Dharamvir Gandhi, Lok Sabha MP from Punjab, wants to legalise cannabis. And he is getting able support from a […]

The BJP does not seem to have learned anything from the downfall of UPA-II – Valson Thampu

Right now the people are not bothered about what the Congress did, but what the BJP is doing: the promises not kept, the hopes raised and dashed. – Valson Thanpu I melted when I heard Narendra Modi speak in Goa the other day. The vintage Modi was in full flow. I decided to check out […]