Debate Spark Over Retaining 'Capital Punishment' In India

The hanging of Yakub Memon gives us a good reason to start the debate over the death penalty. I would like to make out a case in favour of retaining the death penalty.

The main arguments trotted out in favour of the abolition of capital punishment are these. First, we should not be party to taking precious human life. Second, sentencing someone to death when facts may later prove him or her innocent means irreparable injustice will be done. Third, death is never a deterrent. And, a fourth, that retribution should never be the aim of capital punishment. It is primitive and barbaric to seek death even for the worst crimes.

Let me agree that none of these arguments are invalid in toto. But they are not as strong as they appear to be at first glance.

Are Travel Philanthropists Doing More Harm Than Good?

Tourists seeking to make voluntary work part of their holidays have helped build a sizeable industry which is now open to sharp criticism.

It seems like the best of both worlds. People using their hard-earned vacation time to give something back to those worse off than themselves. At its finest, travel philanthropy is seen as a form of direct development assistance – a benign initiative flowing from the travel industry and travellers into conservation initiatives, community projects and philanthropic organisations.

Yaqub Memon's Death Brought India 'Closer To Life'?

What were Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon's thoughts as the hangman’s noose was lowered around his neck in a Nagpur prison, a little before 7 am on July 30?

Did Yakub die a stronger man? Did he die as a man who listened to his conscience 21 years ago and returned to his country to face trial? Or as a man who repented his role in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts that killed 257 innocent people? Or did he breathe his last as a man who felt betrayed by the investigating officials who had promised him leniency in exchange for his surrender?

How 'Americans' Zoomed Into India’s Car Rental Market?

Four years ago, it came as a big shock to Americans Greg Moran and David Back that India lacked any short-term car rental services. So in 2013, the two University of Pennsylvania graduates, who frequently used such services in the US, decided to fill that void.

“For the first two or three months we were in disbelief,” Moran explained. “We knew that it would be a huge opportunity—whether we do it or someone else does.”

Today, their startup Zoomcar is among the largest self-driven car rental companies in India.

Opinion: 'Hanging Yaqub Memon Will Change Our Country'

By Jyoti Malhotra

Before his execution, certain gloating has accompanied the rejection of each appeal and every petition that lawyers and counsels for Yakub Memon put up before the Supreme Court over the last few days. And drastically faced 'rejections' to his pleas.

From some members of parliament to journalists - leave alone the understandable anger of families of the 257 victims of the 1993 Mumbai blasts - a certain bloodthirstiness has taken over the national mood. 

Yakub Memon, actually, stood little chance. And got the bitter result of his goodness, advocacy and gentle behavior and a perfect cooperation with investigators and government.

Focus: Is India’s 'Reserve Bank' Doomed To Be Powerless?

The power struggle between India’s reserve bank and the Narendra Modi government is intensifying.

At the heart of the conflict is a new proposal by the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission—first set up by the previous United Progressive Alliance government in 2011—that seeks to dilute the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) control over the country’s monetary policy.

Last week, a draft proposal from the commission suggested the formation of a monetary policy committee (MPC), where four out of the seven members will be appointed by the government. The draft also proposes taking away the veto power from the RBI governor.

How Can Online Advertisers Get Most Mileage For Money?

Advertisers often use multiple publishers for their online campaigns, but may not use the best metrics to decide which ones they should compensate. Should companies compensate the publisher who showed the last ad to a consumer before a purchase? Or, should they pay publishers every time they show the ads to prospective consumers?

Research by marketing professor Ron Berman finds that the “last touch” or “last click” method advertisers typically employ to compensate publishers is the wrong way to go about it. Berman’s research shows that the “last click” method entails a moral hazard in driving “adverse selection,” where publishers show ads to consumers who would buy the product anyway.

News Analysis: Did 'Yaqub Memon' Make A 'Big Mistake' By Trusting Indian Investigators And Government?

The unfortunate Mumbai blast convict Yaqub Memon finally got rejection for his all pleas to live in this world and ordered to get hanged on his 'birthday' when he turns 53 years, the gnawing question that will continue to stare us in the face is not if he ever participated in the conspiracy and its execution, but if the Indian investigating agencies betrayed him and used his own evidence to hang him.

The moot point is certainly not about law, but about ethics. If the evidence, even voluntarily submitted by him, proves his criminality, he deserves punishment. But if he was duped into a sense of safety, it was unethical because it would have made him complacent and thereby denied himself a fair shot at the legal avenues.

Remembering APJ Abdul Kalam: Perfect 'Crisis Manager'

TRIBUTE: As scientist and as president, Kalam asked the questions that pointed us in the right direction. My (Madhavan Nair) association with A.P.J. Abdul Kalam began in 1967 when I joined the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, Thiruvananthapuram. Through the years, he had been my guide and mentor. I learned about the technology behind rockets and project management from him. 

We worked together for nearly 20 years — first at Thumba and later on the satellite launch vehicle (SLV-3) project. I owe all my achievements to this great personality.

A Shocking Video Reveals How Pregnant Women Are Forcefully Vaccinated In An Open Field In Ranchi

Recently, a shocking video shows the brutality of health officials in Jharkhand state how the open vaccination were given to pregnant women. In Pundag village of Ranchi district, the absence of an Anganwadi Centre in the village means that pregnant women are forced to undergo check-ups and are vaccinated in an open field. “We aren’t comfortable undergoing check-ups in the open. We have to put up curtains to make ourselves comfortable or travel too far,” says a woman who delivered a baby recently.

Gurdaspur Terror Attack: Revival Of Khalistan Or ISI Plot?

By Likha Veer in Delhi

On a clear day, the dome of Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur is visible from the rooftop of Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahab in Pakistan. It would be, naturally, tempting for Pakistan to eye Gurdaspur as a soft target.

Geographically, Gurdaspur is vulnerable to infiltration. On paper, anybody willing to enter the town from Pakistan would just have to navigate the Ravi and cross into adjoining Dinanagar, the third largest municipality of Gurdaspur and erstwhile summer capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This is the route terrorists currently holed up inside a police station in Dinanagar seem to have taken.

The Art & Science Behind Eating A Meal On A Banana Leaf

It's a familiar sight at south Indian weddings or at weddings involving a South Indian bride or groom--the uncertainty of the guests encountering a meal served on a banana leaf for the first time. How to eat, where to start, how to fold--many questions arise when you sit before a glorious banana leaf meal for the first time.

Comedy group Put Chutney has come up with a video guide to solving this problem.

At the end of the meal, to indicate if you've liked the food, fold your banana leaf towards you, and vice versa.

Why The 'Falling Price' Of Gold May Cause 'Optimism'?

By M H Ahssan - Editor in Chief

WEEKEND ANALYSIS: The love affair with gold as a financial instrument can be traced back for centuries. Gold prices have tumbled to a five-year low. As a tradeable commodity, the price of gold is largely linked to supply and demand. While supply remains fairly fixed, demand is shaped by the state of the global economy and investor perceptions of gold’s value as an asset – this is in turn shaped by the strength of the US dollar.

The intrinsic value of gold has long made this precious metal a useful resource in the absence of legal or reliable money. The ease at which gold may substitute for currency means that during turbulent economic times gold is a valuable asset to hold.

Unfortunate Yakub Memon's Justice Or Vengeance? 'Born' On July 30 And 'Being Hanged' On Same Day!

By Newscop

This is very unfortunate that a person will be hanged on his birthday. India's worst terror-suspect criminal who funded the terror conspiracy which claimed several lives earlier...yes, he is Yakub Abdul Razzak Memon lodged in Nagpur jail and after trail he is being hanged on July 30, 2015.

Yakub Abdul Razzak Memon was once named as the best chartered accountant by the Memon community, who has been sentenced to death for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was once named as the best chartered accountant by the Memon community.

The brother of Ibrahim alias Tiger Memon, the chief conspirator of the 13 blasts which hit the country’s commercial capital, Yakub Memon, 53, is lodged in the Nagpur Central Jail and will be the first and only accused in the case to go the gallows.

Wanted: 'Pregnant Decoys' To Save The 'Girl Child' Project

SPECIAL REPORT: Ignoring societal pressures, a few brave women are helping activists nab doctors who assist in sex selection. Will their numbers increase?

Dr Sarawati Munde took less than five minutes to conduct a sonography and determine the sex of the foetus, recalls Prerana Bhilare of their meeting five years ago. When the doctor wrote “16” on the case papers, Bhilare asked her about her child’s sex. “Can’t you read the paper? It is good news. It is a boy,” came the reply.

“Where 'Being Human' Is A Mere T-Shirt Print”: From The Heart Of The Daughter Of A 'Hit-And-Run' Victim

I am the daughter of a hit-and-run victim. My father was on a motorbike on a highway in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh when someone hit his bike from the wrong side of the road. He was a marketing professional and was on his way to meet a client. When my father was hit, he fell off the bike in a way that the bike ended up on top of him, causing a deep gash on his leg. As my father lay injured on the road, whoever had hit him fled the scene immediately.

He was found unconscious on the road by some students of a nearby college who had the humanity to call the last dialled number on his phone.

Special Report: How An Indian Tradition Is Destroying The Lives Of Young Girls In The Name Of Marriage?

“I was married at 12, I didn’t know much back then. A lot of my time was spent doing what my mother and father said I should, and after my marriage, what my husband expected of me. It was so scary. 

For a whole year after my marriage, I was always in pain, falling sick all the time. But that was a different time, and now you girls have seen more world than us. You will make better choices.” Little did my grandmother know that what she suffered nearly 65 years ago is the dogged fate of nearly one third of the young girls in our country even today.

Jharkhand Education Minister Thinks 'APJ Kalam' Is Dead?

By Likha Veer in Ranchi

In what has turned out to be a major embarrassment for the BJP-led Jharkhand government, the state education minister Neera Yadav was spotted paying shraddhanjali - floral tributes to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who is well, alive and kicking.

The local vernacular daily newspaper has carried a picture of the minister at the event in a school in the state's Hazaribagh district where Yadav was the chief guest. The photograph in the newspaper that says "Education Minister offers last rites to President Kalam" shows the minister garlanding the former President and paying floral tributes to him.

'Bin Roye' Film: Pakistan Throws A Challenge To Bollywood

A new Pakistani film could finally revive the country’s long-dormant industry. Bin Roye—a romantic drama adapted from the Pakistani novel, Bin Roye Aansoo—is one of the country’s first films to release worldwide on the same day.

In addition, it is one of the country’s most expensive films—made on a budget of 35 million Pakistani rupees ($345,541). It also received a West End premiere on July 19, something unheard of in a movie industry that was until recently in deep water. West End is London’s glamorous centre for red carpet movie premieres, generally packed with Hollywood stars.

Why Do We Cry? Let Us Know The Science Behind Tears

Let us know the science behind the tears - ‘Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots,’ says Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Eat, Pray, Love.

Anything from moist eyes to full-scale sobbing is crying. Women seem to be more susceptible to tears than men, with statistics revealing that women cry 5.3 times a month, while men cry about 1.3 times a month on an average. Why? Biologically speaking, men have more testosterone, which inhibits tears. On the other hand, women have more prolactin, which stimulates tears.

Is Indian Real Estate Heading For A 50% Crash In Prices?

By M H Ahssan - Editor in Chief

PERSPECTIVE: We all know that real estate in India is terribly expensive and is now selling at prices making it practically unaffordable for almost everybody who wants to buy a home to live in. But how expensive is expensive? This is an important question that needs to be answered.

One way of looking at this problem is through the rental yield available on houses at any point of time. Rental yield is the annual return that can be earned by renting out a house. The number is obtained by dividing the annual rent of the house by its market price.

And what is the rental yield in India? As Ashwinder Raj Singh is CEO – Residential Services of JLL India points out: "Rental yields vary across the globe, but an average of 2 per cent of rental yield is considered a good deal for residential properties in India."

Growing 'Nutrition Merchandise' In Indian Pharmacies

SPECIAL REPORT: Changing lifestyle has pushed the demand of nutritious supplements, seen stocked in the pharmacies nowadays. Here is a report on the growing nutrition merchandise in pharmacy retail, transforming the traditional business model.

There has been intense market competition and consolidation among providers of pharmaceutical products. In the retail pharmacy, the notable changes have been seen in closures of local independent pharmacies and growth in pharmacies located in supermarkets and mass merchandise stores.

Giant pharmacy chains like Guardian Pharmacy, Apollo, Religare and others similar to these are seen on the busiest street of Indian small and big towns. Not only do they fill prescriptions and sell OTC medicines, but are also offering wide variety of nutrition merchandise to the consumers.

Why 'Bajrangi Bhai' Is Turning To Be Salman's Biggest Hit?

By Nishi Khan in Mumbai

Nothing comes between Salman Khan and record-breaking box-office numbers when it comes to his Eid releases—not even an ongoing court trial.

The Bollywood actor’s latest film, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, has become the fastest Bollywood film to earn Rs100 crore at the box office within India. In the first three days of its release—or the opening weekend—the film collected Rs102.60 crore.

Don't get taken in by the gushing noises around Bajrangi Bhaijaan. This Eid release is not an un-Salman Khan film. Actually, it is everything that a Salman Khan film is expected to be in recent times - a two-and-half-hour-long exercise establishing Khan as the human NREGA, the great saviour of the country's poor, ageing and (of course) women. Thus, you can also call these movies film-shaped definitions of the word 'irony'.

The 'World Pharmacy' Goes 'Crazy On Drug Combinations' Go Unregulated, Despite Strict Norms And Laws!

By Dr.Muneeb Faraaz

EXCLUSIVE: Combination drugs are considered an innovation of India's medicines industry but they are not as safe as they should be.

India has been called the pharmacy of the world. Many generic drugs are made there and much of its drug production is exported internationally. Thousands of fixed dose combination drugs – where two or more drugs are combined in a set ratio in a single dose form, usually a tablet or capsule – are formulated, made and sold within India.

Many FDCs are safe and effective. They are used in situations where both the drug combination and the doses needed are standardised and stable, for example, in the treatment of HIV, for Parkinson’s disease and in contraceptive pills.

New Initiative: IT Cos To Include Coffee Machine And Air-Conditioning Cost In CTC Of Fresh Campus Recruits

SATIRE: Leading software services providers Comfy Inc. and PCS software solutions have decided to include the cost of coffee machines, air-conditioning, and internet broadband bills in the Cost-To-Company (CTC) of fresh recruits from campus.

Nilesh Nankaani senior recruiter at Comfy provided more details to the media on this matter. He said, “Last year we asked our HR analytics experts to analyze the data-set of all our coffee expenses, air-conditioning bills, and internet usage bills after 7:30 PM. After 1 year of deep dives into data they came back with results.

Public Reaction: 'Sorry Salman Khan, You Won't Get Your 'Innocence' Back With 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'!

By Nishi Khan in Mumbai

Salman Khan wants his innocence back with Bajrangi Bhaijaan. And he wants you to pay for it. Will you?

"This movie (Bajrangi Bhaijaan) needed sincerity and innocence which I had lost. Both, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo will bring back my sincerity and innocence," Salman said, sharing his Eid wish-list.

Salman is, obviously, not talking about the loss of 'innocence' of his screen avatar. On screen, he has stuck to the sterotype of a sweet-talking, doe-eyed do-gooder with a heart of gold, arms of steel and a 56-inch chest. Forget dark, villanous characters, Salman's reel-life avatars haven't even had a hint of grey.

OpEd: Rs.33 Crore Splurged On PM Modi’s Three Cancelled Varanasi Visits Could Have Built 660 Homes For Poor?

By Likha Veer in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Varanasi was cancelled due to heavy rains on Thursday for the third time in last 9 months. In order to set up the stage and make other arrangements for PM Modi’s visit to the city, at least Rs 33 crore were splurged. It included the expenses for setting up the stage, tents, security and hospitality arrangements.

The whopping Rs 33 crore could have been used to build 660 homes for poor or 33000 toilets in the city. The Parliamentary seat of PM Modi, Varanasi will be waiting for him for the launch of more new projects.

Focus: Where Are The Free School Textbooks For Children?

By Rati Kumar in Bhopal

In August last year, the a vernacular newspaper reported from Varanasi, that none of the students of class I, II and III had school text books. The whole of July had gone by without anything being taught in schools and the students spent most of their time playing. Varanasi is just as an example; the situation across the country is equally disappointing.

According to the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, every child in a primary school should have text books available on time i.e. at the beginning of the academic year. But the reality is far from what the Act stipulates. In fact, most children do not receive school books and even those who do, don’t necessarily get all the books and rarely at the beginning of the academic year.

The Kota System: Rs.600 Crore 'Coaching Industry' In MP

Snazzy packaging, ironclad teacher contracts and study-on-the-go apps revive the city’s famed Rs 600 crore coaching industry in Mashya Pradesh.

Carrying a 420-page Mathematic textbook, Satvat Jagwani rushed to catch the Shipra Express, the start of a 15-hour journey from his home in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, to his coaching class (also known as ‘cram schools’) in Kota, Rajasthan. He had just finished school for the week and would now be spending the weekend taking mock exams. It was raining when he arrived at Bansal Classes in Kota, the pioneer of the coaching industry in the city. Having secured seats at different Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) for over 16,000 students so far, Bansal is highly coveted by aspirants.

Cricket’s 'Indian Premier League' Is In Deep Trouble?

By Aamir Khan in Mumbai

Just as one of cricket’s great spectacles, a Lord’s test match between England and Australia, gets underway, the sport in India has faced a day of reckoning. The suspension of two of the eight sides in India’s megabucks Indian Premier League (IPL) following an illegal betting and match-fixing scandal shows that cricket has a corruption problem, and is at something of a loss as to how to deal with it.

The IPL was born in 2008 as the new, bright, exciting face of 21st-century cricket. The great empire game, traditionally played over five days and where around 30% of all matches end in no result, was metamorphosing into a showbiz extravaganza.

Hyderabad Court: How long To Disqualify Rebel MLAs?

By Newscop in Hyderabad

Its Constitutional, legal crime committed in the name of Democracy by Politicians in this country. How can people elected on some other party which has its own agenda be allowed to be jumped over to another party and be allowed to be come Minsters, Members and what not? 

Does that not amount to cheating people who have voted a person from a party ? How can a speaker not find time to decide for more than 6 months ? This process of Speaker, Governor & President should be changed.

Special Report: Worshiped Inside Temples, But Mistreated Outside: The Fate Of Captive Elephants In India

WEEKEND KA TADKA: I recently visited a popular south Indian Lord Ganesha temple, Kottarakara Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple. What struck me besides the scorching summer heat, was the horde of devotees thronging the sanctum sanctorum with fervour. Murmured chants and prayers lent an other worldly feel to the atmosphere. Having sought my share of the Lord’s blessings, I ventured outside to explore the premises of the temple.

Outside the main entrance stood an elephant tethered to a tree, flapping its ears serenely, munching palm leaves and bananas. It was a majestic creature, easily the largest I had ever encountered, with its long trunk and gleaming tusks. A small crowd of excited onlookers watched with awe and took pictures from all possible angles.

Special Report: This Little-Known 'Hyderabadi Studio' Made The 'Baahubali' A Visual Mega Spectacle

India’s most expensive motion picture, Baahubali, owes its world-class special effects to a very young company.

Makuta, established just five years ago, was the principal studio for S S Rajamouli’s blockbuster film, which consists of 90% computer-generated imagery (CGI) and graphics, with some 4,500-5,000 visual effects (VFX) shots.

Everything about the period drama set in medieval India appears larger than life—including the kingdom of Mahishmati, with its gigantic temples and courtyards, the landscapes comprising mystical waterfalls and mountains, and the epic battles.

'Financial Independence Is Key To Women Empowerment'

Prerana Langa is the founder of Yes Foundation, which works towards empowering India through innovative changes and social transformation. 

In a candid interview, Langa explains why financial confidence is central to women empowerment and shares her experience as a single woman.

Langa also reflects on gender bias at the workplace and women's abilities in a professional world.

She invited the women organizations to join her movement and get the financial freedom with her unique programs. 

Details, please contact - editor@innlive.net

Salman Khan Redefines Himself With 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'

By M H Ahssan - Group Editor in Chief

After doing similar mindless blockbuster action comedies for years, Salman Khan has redefined himself in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. INNLIVE spoke to the actor about his latest film that deals with the issue of humanity and religious identity.

Salman Khan's Eid releases are a festive celebration for his mammoth fan base in India and overseas. Over the last seven years, every film of the superstar has been shattering box office records even though critics panned each of those films. When INNLIVE spoke to Salman Khan this time, he sounded different. After a long time, it felt that Salman really cared about the content and subject of his movie.

How To Sell Your Used Car At 'Best Price' In Indian Cities?

CarTrade.com shares some tried and tested ways to sell your car at the best price in the Indian market. Selling a car is always a forerunner to buying a new one; however, in doing so we should not hurry and lose any money in the process. You can sell your car yourself without paying any money to the dealers.

CarTrade.com is an online platform to Sell Your Cars for FREE!

We have used car buyers in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and across all other cities in India.

Higher Education Scenario: On Offer At Private Varsities Are Heated Pools, Gyms, Stadia, Salons And Malls

The contrast with state institutions is particularly glaring during admission season, even though many of them have a much better academic reputation.

Like many government-run entities, public universities in India often get criticised by students and their parents for their poor infrastructure, ranging from overcrowded hostels to stinking toilets. Some campuses are located several kilometers away from a town, making the commute for students both tiring and unsafe. This, however, does not seem to deter students who flock from across the country to take admission in premier institutions, such as Delhi University, whose students have protested against the inadequate living conditions.

Focus: Since Last Six Months She Published 'Charlie Hebdo' Cover, The Urdu Editor Struggles For Livelihood!

By Aarefa Johari in Mumbai

THE BIG TOP STORY: An unfortunate Urdu editor is struggling for livelihood since January, Shirin Dalvi has been boycotted by most of the Urdu media. She has now appealed for help to educate her children.

In the past six years, journalist Shirin Dalvi rose from the position of a features editor at one Urdu newspaper to the editor-in-chief of another. In Mumbai’s Urdu circles, she was the first woman ever to head a news publication. And at Awadhnama, the paper she edited, she was literally the only woman in an office full of men.

This fact, says Dalvi, is what worked against her when all hell broke loose at Awadhnama six months ago.

Satire: Srinivasan Donates CSK Stakes To AAP, Kejriwal Plans To Raise Money Through IPL Matches!

TAKE IT EASY: Ex-IPL Chief N Srinivasan has decided to donate stakes of his IPL team 'Chennai Super Kings' to the 'Aam Aadmi Party' in a desperate bid to mitigate the setback it received after Justice Lodha committee’s verdict on IPL betting was out.

Sources close to N Srinivasan said that the ICC Chairman was looking for a buyer after restrictions were imposed on his IPL team. “There couldn’t have been a better association of two beleaguered entities,” said an official related to the deal.

AAP, which is out of funds after spending 500 Cr on making TV commercial, seeks to earn revenue through IPL matches. The party plans to  rename the team as ‘Delhi Freeloaders’.

Special Report: India’s Socio-Economic Census Threatens To Exclude Crores Of Poor From Social Schemes!

The census says 9 out of 17 crore rural households face no 'deprivation' despite living in extreme poverty. If the government follows this definition, all these people will be left out of country’s social safety net.

The findings of the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 have been long awaited by academics and politicians alike. Now that they are out, there is a fear that they could end up being used to exclude crores of people from the country’s social safety net.

Spotlight: Will India Support A 'Small Firm's Bid' To Make 'Cheap Diabetes Drug' Or Cave In To 'Big Pharma'?

By Dr.Muneeb Faraaz

If the government grants Hyderabad's Lee Pharma a licence overriding AstraZeneca's patent, more than 60 million diabetes patients will benefit.

A little known pharmaceutical company of Hyderabad has again lit the fuse to the volatile issue of access to medicines and patent rights in India. Lee Pharma has applied for a compulsory licence to produce a cheaper version of a patented medicine to treat diabetes, a move that is likely to set off a furious global debate on the contested aspects of India’s patent law.

Reality Check: Vegans, There’s More Animal Blood On Food

By Oliver Sebastian in Sydney

HEALTH ALERT: We should choose the way that causes the least unnecessary harm to animals. Most animal rights advocates say this means we should eat plants rather than animals.

The ethics of eating red meat have been grilled recently by critics who question its consequences for environmental health and animal welfare. But if you want to minimise animal suffering and promote more sustainable agriculture, adopting a vegetarian diet might be the worst possible thing you could do.

Why Telangana 'Govt Employees' Are On 'Strike' Spree?

By Swati Sharma in Hyderabad

The strike by municipal civic staff employees of Telangana government has paralysed sanitation in the entire state. The streets and public places are stinking. Many people have already started complaining about health issues like diarrhea and viral fever.  

Swachch Hyderabad has become "durgandh" Hyderabad. Government has turned deaf ears on the demands of civic staff pay hike. The  government should have initiated steps to call the union leaders and municipal bodies and given a settlement immediately as the state is calling tourists also for Pushkarams.

Armed With The 'Qura'an' And The 'Constitution', These Strong Women Are Fighting 'Fundamentalism' In Life!

SUCCESS STORY: India's Muslim women, often called a minority within a minority for their double handicap of gender and faith, are challenging medieval religious laws that have oppressed them for centuries. 

In 2007, two women co-founded the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a group that is leading this fight. When Noorjehan Safia Niaz (43) and Zakia Soman (50) came together to empower Muslim women, they did not imagine the response they would get.

Coal-Based Power Plants: What Exactly Govt Is Missing?

By Likha Veer - Group Executive Editor

The draft notification specifying emission standards for coal-based thermal power plants is a welcome first step towards regulation, but needs much greater attention to detail and further calibration.

On 15 May 2015, the Government of India came out with a draft notification on emission standards for coal based thermal power plants, opening it up for public comments. Till the time, there had been no specific emission standards for thermal power plants, except in respect of Particulate Matters which was also very high when compared to global standards.

Focus: An Increase In MPs' Salaries Will Be Gift From India!

By Kartik Trivedi in Boston

Higher wages do not deter corruption, as is evident from the Enron and Satyam frauds. By how much would we have to raise salaries to deter a 2G-scale scam and most deadliest Vyapm scam to name a few?

"If we want India’s brightest to take to politics, we had better pay them well", Akshat Khandelwal committee has justified a proposal to increase the salaries of parliamentarians. His argument sounds logical on the surface but contains some deep-seated flaws.

After Two Years Of Sexual Harassement At The NGO I Worked For, An Apology E-mail Is All I Got As A Reward!

SHOCKING STORY OF A GIRL: In 2009, I joined as a volunteer for a well-respected environmental NGO, bright-eyed, idealistic, and ready for change. But in 2012, two years after I joined as an employee, my view of this place was completely and utterly undone, when an older male employee repeatedly sexually harassed me, and the senior management didn’t even blink.

One night at a hotel, on a work trip in October 2012, the man in question was drunk when he made an official call to me at around 10-11pm, telling me to vacate my room and insisting I sleep in his. He approached me physically despite my obvious discomfort, followed me around, insisted on force feeding me my birthday cake and sat next to me at breakfast when there were multiple other seats empty. At times, two of my male colleagues had to physically place themselves between the two of us to stop him from coming on to me.

Salman Khan Will Cast In My 'Ek Tha Tiger-2': Kabir Khan

By Nishi Khan in Mumbai

WEEKEND KA TADKA: Ace Bollywood director Kabir Khan talks about his equation with Salman Khan, why his daughter Saira isn’t in Bajrangi Bhaijaan and why filming it was satisfying in a informal chat with INNLIVE, recently.

Here are the edited excerpts: His first outing with Salman Khan in Ek Tha Tiger was not exactly smooth — there were creative differences — but with Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kabir Khan not only got the superstar on board as an actor but even as a producer. “Salman liked the script so much that he decided to produce it,” Kabir says happily. Clearly, the director and the actor have come a long way.

Focus: The 'Slow' Death Of Pakistan’s 'Indus River Delta'

Climate change and bad policies are wreaking havoc over Pakistan’s Indus river delta.

The over 3,000-km-long Indus river is a lifeline for countless farming and fishing communities in Pakistan, beginning in the Himalayas and flowing down to the Arabian Sea, where it forms a 600,000 hectare delta.

But this delta is now dying a slow death as the construction of dams for irrigation and power has choked off much of the fresh water supply. The result: its 17 major creeks are drying out and salty water from the sea is steadily entering the basin.

The Beginning Of The End For 'Flipkart On Mobile' Business

Putting an end to debates about the future of its desktop site, Flipkart has decided to go app-only by this September. This is by far the most ambitious call made by the company, even bigger than introducing and making Cash on Delivery (COD) work in India way back in 2010. COD revolutionised online shopping in the country and put Flipkart at the driver's seat in the e-commerce boom.

The decision to go app-only seems to have stemmed from a number of factors - Myntra running fairly well on its app platform, the speculation that m-commerce will take over e-commerce, more customer information resulting in personalised services, ease in pushing notifications to the customers, saving costs for running a desktop website.

'Baahubali' Review: A Giddy Spectacle With New Content

By Nishi Khan in Mumbai

As the titles for Baahubali: The Beginning showed up on screen, a decidedly juvenile thought crossed my mind. "It'll be hilarious if they write 'Baahubali: The Intermission' during the mid-way mark and 'Baahubali: The Conclusion' at the end of the movie," I thought, chuckling to myself and not daring to share that thought with the person sitting next to me.

And, well, that's exactly what happens. Only, by the time that final slate appeared on screen, I wasn't chuckling anymore.

Baahubali: The Beginning is a grand and largely impressive epic by Telugu film director S. S. Rajamouli. With budget estimates swinging wildly between Rs 170 crore and Rs 220 crore, it is rightly being touted as the most expensive Indian movie ever made.

Your Pursuit Of Happiness Ends This Ramadan, For Sure!

INNLIVE Media Team

It is that time of the year when Muslims unite in a spirit of piety and togetherness. Prayers, fasting and abstinence from ill deeds and negativity being the means to spirituality this month, the entire Islam community looks forward to bask in a climate of religiosity.

The spirit of Ramadan is such that not only Muslims, but individuals across various other religions also enjoy the opportunity to exult in harmony, humility, benevolence, compassion and charity during this holy month. The very essence of Ramadan is in the fascinating emotion of comradeship and togetherness and familial affection displayed by all.

Skipping 'Regular Meals' With 'Diabetes' Is 'Dangerous'?

By Dr.Razia Bano

The practice of intermittent fasting has garnered a lot of media attention in the last several years, prompting many people to ask questions about the safety and/or the health benefits of skipping meals. For diabetics, however, the answers are more complicated.

While some studies suggest that short periods of fasting (14-24 hours) can actually improve insulin levels, people with current blood sugar problems should never attempt to skip meals unless under the supervision of a doctor.

Skipping meals can lead to serious consequences for diabetics, some of which may lead to dangerous health complications.

Focus: Special 'Ramadan Foods' From Around The World

By Sheena Shafia

RAMADHAN SPECIAL: Iftar can be described as a fast-breaking meal which is a daily ritual during the holy month of Ramadan. A traditional Iftar menu around the world consists of juice, fruits, dates, milk, and water. Muslims belief that the Prophet Mohammad usually broke his fast by either eating dates or drinking water.

Ramadan is a month of fasting and celebration for Muslims around the world. It is a significant month throughout the Middle East. Muslims reflect on their spiritual side and spend quality time with family and friends. During Ramadan, it is very important to focus on what’s important in life and how to improve relationships between family and friends.

New Robot Journalists: ‘Quakebot’ Is Just The Beginning!

By Sarah Williams
Group Regional Editor - USA

EXCLUSIVE: When an earthquake hit Los Angeles recently, Ken Schwencke, a journalist and programmer for the Los Angeles Times, was first to get the news out. Woken up by the tremors at 6:25 a.m. on Monday, March 17, he went to his computer and found a brief story already waiting, courtesy of a robot — an algorithm he developed and named Quakebot.

Quakebot’s role in the swift reporting of the earthquake story has industry observers talking about the role of robots in the future of journalism. Among those at the forefront of robot journalism is Noam Lemelshtrich Latar, dean of the Sammy Ofer School of Communications at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel.

‘Mutual Respect’: When 'Consumers' And' 'Brands' Collide

By Newscop
Group Managing Editor

FACE-TO-FACE: Shailesh Rao, vice president of Asia Pacific, the Americas and emerging markets for Twitter, sees himself as an educator and an evangelist. He did not know how much he would fit into this role until he arrived in India in 2007 as Google’s head for that country and discovered lack of understanding about the Internet. According to eMarketer, India is set to become Twitter’s largest market after the U.S. with a projected 40 million users by 2018, up from 17 million this year.

Twitter, says Rao, is powerful. It is a platform that enables a specific kind of communication and exchange, which is real time, public and conversational. Everybody on the planet is able to get value and use Twitter, he adds.