The Indian Express Expressions Page

The Indian Express

The Financial Express

Latest News

World News

EIW

Market Indicators

Screen

Celebrity Chat

Express Computers

Advertisers Forum

Career India

Business Forum

Match Maker

Express Properties

Travel & Tourism

Information Technology

Astrosurf

Eco-India

Dr Know

Graffiti

Crossword

Drumbeat: Ad Buzzaar

Politics	Business	Expressions	General
World	Sports	Leisure	States

Tuesday, May 19, 1998

	Scientific breakthrough Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's statement that ``nuclear weaponisation is complete'' is supported by the other assertions made by him and his colleagues at a Press conference on Sunday. First, India has proven fusion capability, a huge advance on the fission capability demonstrated in 1974. A genuine thermonuclear device with a yield of 45 kiloton was exploded among the five at Pokharan this month.		Good sense from G-8 India has reason to heave a sigh of relief at the G-8 summit desisting from announcing combined sanctions against this country in the wake of its nuclear tests. Bite as the American, Japanese and some other countries' sanctions will, their effect would have been greatly compounded if all the G-8 countries had decided to join hands in imposing sanctions.
	Parable for nuclear families Pushpaben died a year ago. Her weathered bones of 80-odd years gave in to the bitter cold that envelops Nagpur in January. She was forced out of her home in what was the culmination of a series of tiffs with her bahu and younger son. Homeless in the biting cold, she dragged her frail frame nearly three kilometres to her elder son's house, only to have the door slammed in her face.		Don't dismiss it outright There is a well-known saying of Prophet Muhammad: "Don't see who is saying it; consider what is being said." Because the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, is advocating the switch from the parliamentary to the presidential system for India, leaders of the Congress and the United Front have joined hands to oppose his suggestion.

The Chinese threat is very real
Thirty-four years ago this month (May 27, 1964) Nehru passed into history. For most of his life, if Nehru did favour one country above all others, it was China. During the dark days of 1942, Nehru said: "I see the future filled with hope because China and India are friends and comrades, in the great adventure of man". And then, in the year 1950, the first shock was experienced: China invaded Tibet.

Caution: stored chemicals
If you ask Sunil Rai, a rickshaw-puller, to take you to the region where the Dasnagar fire broke out on April 20, he will warn you against going there. "You'll first get a headache and if you spend a few hours more, you may feel like vomiting," he observes knowledgeably. Clearly, the fear of the godowns of Dasnagar has not quite died down even though it's been over a month since a chemical godown here was gutted by a fire leaving four dead and scores in the local hospital.