North Korea nuke

8226; Hardline Jamaat-e-Islami8217;s bi-weekly, Daawat, in an editorial note on October 13 writes that 8220;the question is, if manufactu...

8226; Hardline Jamaat-e-Islami8217;s bi-weekly, Daawat, in an editorial note on October 13 writes that 8220;the question is, if manufacture of nuclear weapons is a condemnable act, why did those attacking North Korea do the same in the first place?8221; The paper says, 8220;Israel has had dozens of nuclear bombs for a long time. Why don8217;t the US and its allies consider those dangerous?8221; Delhi and Kolkata daily Akhbar-e-Mashriq in its editorial dated October 11 comments, 8220;in the testing done by North Korea, a large part of the blame has to be shouldered by the US. Their calling them part of the 8216;axis of evil8217;, alongwith Iran, has provoked them to test their nukes.8221; Delhi-based daily Pratap on October 11 has an editorial on the same subject where it writes, 8220;North Korea8217;s foolish act has now prompted the question, whether or not all this will influence the thinking of the Iranian government.8221; It says, 8220;so far, Tehran has been behaving like Pyongyang.8221; It expresses apprehensions over the nuclear black-market saying that 8220;the possibility of a similar move by Iran cannot be ruled out even in the short term.8221; The editorial in the Hyderabad daily Siasat October 17 concentrates on sanctions against North Korea.

Garibi Hatao

8226; The Congress8217;s reinvention of its 1970s8217; call, Garibi Hatao, has prompted comment in the Urdu press. Interestingly, the National Herald group8217;s Qaumi Awaz hasn8217;t commented editorially on this slogan. But Akhbar-e-Mashriq October 8 takes several digs at the slogan. Its editorial is entitled, Baasi Kadhi mein Ubaal 8212; that is, a sudden stirring in a stale dish. It says 8220;these days, old films are being remade, black and white films are being coloured and even songs are being remixed. But the question is, will the filmi formula be acceptable in the political arena?8221; Pratap in a signed editorial by editor, Narendra October 7, says this is 8220;a fresh attempt by the Congress to mislead the people of the country.8221; It says, 8220;the economic crisis in rural and urban India has compelled the Congress to renew its slogan8221;.

George and Barak

8226; Qaumi Awaz writes in an editorial on October 13, that 8220;George Fernandes should be treated in the same way as an ordinary accused, and his very close relationship with Jaya Jaitly and R.K. Jain should be probed deeply.8221; It also adds that his 8220;relations with certain countries as a trade union leader should also be probed in the light of Indian interests.8221; Delhi daily Hindustan Express October 12, in its editorial, 8216;George ki Israel Nawazi8217; George8217;s pro-Israeli slant, writes 8220;all other issues apart, but even India8217;s foreign policy being sacrificed at the altar of Israeli interests is tragic and a sign of extreme intellectual dishonesty.8221;

The Prize

8226; The man behind micro-credit in Bangladesh, Mohammed Yunus, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week, has not received much attention, neither by way of editorials nor prominent displays. Rashtriya Sahara does have an editorial on October 15, praising the 8220;achievements8221; of Mohammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank. It writes that 8220;by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the Bangladeshi economist, an effort is made to demonstrate that peace can be established through social and economic routes.8221; Qaumi Awaz and Hindustan Express carried brief news items the day after the award. Ironically, the Nobel Prize for literature having gone to Turkish author Orhan Pamuk who wrestles with several identity issues that Urdu dailies are usually immersed in, has also not found even a mention in most Delhi-based dailies, not to talk of editorial comment. But news of Kiran Desai8217;s Man Booker has been prominently covered, complete with front page pictures in some!

Dalit Messiah

8226; The death of the founder of BSP, Kanshi Ram, received wide coverage. Hindustan Express in an editorial October 10 writes that 8220;it is a great loss to dalit politics that will be remembered for a very long time8230; It is not the death of a person or political leader, but of a complete movement and the end of an era.8221; Akhbar-e-Mashriq in an editorial on October 12 says 8220;despite being a part of NDA, he was a big roadblock on the Hindutva path and foiled attempts of the Sangh Parivar to implement the Hindutva agenda.8221;

Compiled by Seema Chishti