India's education system is like a naturally talented, malnourished child�€”capable of great things if given the proper support. India's natural advantage is its pool of manpower. But with masses of children crammed into classrooms where unmotivated and under-trained teachers greet them, if any teacher at all, the potential of this manpower is stunted. Especially at the primary and secondary school levels, India�€™s education system is plagued with teacher absenteeism, extremely high student-teacher ratios, and an over-emphasis on rote learning. India needs both more teachers and a different approach to learning.

After the dust has settled from what seems to be overwhelming joy at the victory of the Senator from Illinois, The United States, and probably other countries too, will sit down to take a long hard look at what exactly made Senator Barack Obama into President-elect Barack Obama. 

The bright graduates of business schools have proved me wrong. Writing in Part 18 of this series in August 2007, I had warned of a worldwide economic collapse by 2010. The MBAs have ensured it already in October 2008.

The impact of climate change is here to stay. One dramatic example is that for the first time in at least 125,000 years (or the beginning of the last Ice Age), ships can travel around the North Pole. The opening up of the North-west and North-east passages in the Arctic region is witness to this.

As the United States financial crisis looms large over international markets and threatens to engulf global economies into a downward spiral of recession and uncertainty, there is a stark reminder of how globalization and inter-dependence between nations exposes the frailties and vulnerabilities of the international system. 

As of October 3rd 2008 the 123 civilian nuclear cooperation between India and the United States had completed its 3 year long journey across the globe and been ratified by not only the parliament in both countries, but also been given its blessings by the international community. On October 10th External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed the agreement at a ceremony in the State Department, operationalising the deal which is now legally binding on both sides.

For many of us the term �€œpirate�€ conjures up images of 17th century buccaneers, coursing through the waters of the Caribbean, in search of lost treasure �€“ it holds within it, an element of make believe; of unscrupulous bearded men with eye patches, wooden legs and talking parrots.

Much has been written about the 12th President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari; people have been confused over what to make of him. He�€™s been described as a wily politician, �€˜Mr. 10 percent�€™, �€˜a Nelson Mandela in the making�€™; people have also talked about his meteoric rise in Pakistani politics since the death of his wife Benazir Bhutto last December.