By Komal Pandey | INNLIVE Travel Desk
If you are an avid traveller and travelling is the only passion you nurture, we have some good news for you. Won’t the world have been less complicated, if there were no visas and heavy documents, and you could travel freely, without any hassles.
A backpack and a passport, and the world would be at your feet. Well, we bring to you some really exotic countries, which you can visit without a visa.
By Mahesh Mahtolia | Delhi
Elections are nearly over. About 100 seats remain to be polled. Most people are engaged in intense discussions about who will win. The Netas themselves are taking time off from what has been a grueling campaign for all concerned. The dust is yet to settle on the firmament. Many scenes from the battle remain etched in our minds. Personalities from the elections have cast their spell on us.
Congress is nearly done with this poll. It will take some time for it to sit down and ponder over the outcome. What are the abiding images from the run up to the polls?
By Zakir Meezaan | London
SHOCKING An investigation by the BBC revealed that government computers were used to insert insults into Wikipedia entries about Muslims including the phrase "all Muslims are terrorists" that had been added to an article on veils.
The changes were made from a Whitehall IP address around October 2006, a BBC report claimed.
Stevie Benton from Wikimedia UK, the charity behind the website, called the edits "appalling".
He added: "Wikipedia is the encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. "This openness has led to an enormous reference work of great value.
By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE
POINT BLANK Is there a Modi factor in the residual state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra, which goes to polls on May 7th? To check the facts for myself, I chose to visit Madanapalle in the Rayalaseema region, which was part of Modi’s itinerary on May First. I had indulged in a similar exercise in Tamil Nadu, when I attended a rally in Krishnagiri, addressed by Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister and the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. Unlike TN where the BJP is in alliance with small parties, here, in AP, it has tied up with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a regional giant. Both Seemandhra and Telengana are having simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and to their respective state assemblies.
By Rayees Jilani | Singapore
SHOCKING If you are an Indian in Singapore and looking for a house on rent, it is highly likely that you won't get one. Most Singaporean landlords don't rent their house to Indians and people from mainland China. According to local media reports, many landlords are open about it. The moment they realize that the tenant is an Indian, they say sorry and slam the door.
According to a report by the BBC, a quick glance at online rental listings shows many that include the words 'no Indians, no PRCs (People's Republic of China)', sometimes followed by the word "sorry".
By Likha Veer | INNLIVE
ANALYSIS The Lok Sabha elections 2014 is almost half-way over, with 122 seats having gone to the polls across the country today. A feature of this election that makes this year's polls stand out is the unprecedented voter turnout. For the seats that have gone to polls till now, an average increase of 10% voter turnout has been reported.
For the BJP this is a 'Narendra Modi wave'. Critics of the UPA suggest that such a high turnout will only be natural against the incumbent government that has been embroiled in many scams, blamed for high inflation and policy paralysis.
By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE
EYE OPENER When the Election Commission finally filed an FIR against Narendra Modi on 30 April for waving a white lotus around while addressing a press conference, it wasn't like the BJP, its prime ministerial candidate and pretty much every party hadn't already been making the most of loopholes in its model code of conduct.
The case that was finally lodged against Modi was under sections 126- 1(a) 126- 1(b) of the Representatives of People's Act for holding up the party symbol while addressing a press conference. He now faces a maximum punishment of up to 2 years in jail or could be let off with a rap on the knuckles and a fine.
By Sishir Gupta | INNLIVE
SPECIAL REPORT “To be born English, is to win first place in the lottery of life”- Cecil Rhodes. These words spoken at the height of the British Empire; clearly emphasise how an individual’s nationality, defined one’s role and the opportunities available to him. Nationality was considered to be a sacred allegiance, a privilege, one that could never be changed or altered and could only be taken away by the government.
Today, however the concept of citizenship has evolved, it is considered more as a property of the individual holder, one with which he can choose to do as he please, to keep or surrender.
