Speaking at a meeting of legal eagles, Jethmalani poured vitriol on Wahhabi sect of Islam, spewed fire at jihadis and poked fun at their idea of god — until finally, the Saudi ambassador staged a walkout. Jethmalani, who is not known for his diplomatic skills, kicked up the row at an international conference on terrorism, by taking on Wahhabism. He criticized the jehadi doctrine, which allegedly propagates, in his words, the belief that martyrs would ‘‘get a place in heaven and the company of the opposite sex there’’. He wondered aloud about the almighty’s ‘‘job in heaven’’. He went on to warn the government and the international community against trusting god when it comes to fighting terrorism. ‘‘He will not help as he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease,’’ Jethmalani quipped. Soon enough, Saudi ambassador Faisal-al-Trad was seen walking out of the conference, apparently offended by the remarks.

:: via indiatimes.com

“All of us together are smarter than any one of us alone,” social-media pioneer Anil Dash said when asked why AAAS has launched Expert Labs. An independent effort to enhance the policy-making process, Expert Labs will leverage and extend the potential of social networking. There has been a lot of attention on how the government is using new technology to talk to citizens,” Dash added. “Expert Labs is about making technology that helps government listen to citizens.” Expert Labs—supported by a $500,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation—will be directed by Dash, who helped found the pioneering blogging-software company, Six Apart. He is the publisher of an influential blog at Dashes.com. Dash said that the new initiative's name reflects its goal of bringing three distinct communities of experts together: “We're going to tap into the expertise of the policy community to identify what questions need to be answered,” he explained. “We're going to tap into the technology community to collaboratively build platforms that help get those questions answered, and finally, we'll tap into the science and technology communities to provide the answers themselves.”

:: via aaas.org

That led to one of the report’s most surprising findings: Only a third of those polled thought democracy was the best system for Pakistan, equal to the number that preferred Islamic law, in what David Martin, director of the British Council in Pakistan, called “an indictment of the failures of democracy over many years.” Only 1 in 10 said they were “very interested” in political events in Pakistan, while more than a third said they were not interested at all. The highest-ranking institution was Pakistan’s military. Sixty percent of those interviewed said that they trusted it. Second highest was religious educational institutions, trusted by about 50 percent of respondents.

:: via nytimes.com

In honor of this week’s Food Issue, I dove into Patricia Tanumihardja’s “The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook.” The title appealed to me because I suspected that an Asian grandmother’s cooking would be far tastier than my well-meaning Russian-Canadian Jewish grandmother’s (memories of watery chicken soup and moldy cakes). The success or failure of a grandmother-themed cookbook seems heavily dependent on whatever culture that grandmother hails from. Tanumihardja writes in her introduction that she “never really knew her grandmothers.” Yet this book, subtitled “Homecooking From Asian American Kitchens,” is clearly a paean to the role grandparents play in passing on the culinary traditions of their ancestral culture.

:: via newyorker.com

India has approved plans for a huge increase in the amount of electricity it generates from solar power. It aims to boost solar output 1,000-fold over 12 years from its current negligible level. Its 20 gigawatt target would power several big cities. The government wants to reduce India's dependence on coal and boost the export industry for solar power equipment. Critics say solar power will supplement - and not replace - fossil fuels even under India's most ambitious plans. Concerns over land "The cabinet gave its approval for launching of the Jawaharlal Nehru national solar mission, Solar India," Information Minister Ambika Soni said in Delhi. The $19bn (£12bn) three-phased plan aims to boost solar power output across the country from close to zero to 20 gigawatts by 2022. It is hugely ambitious and has been welcomed by the country's renewable energy suppliers, although some say it is unclear where the money will come from, says the BBC's technology correspondent Mark Gregory.

:: via bbc.co.uk

BANGALORE: When Iskcon sent an email to donors abroad, seeking donations for their successful Akshaya Patra, with details of how many children the scheme was feeding every day, they are supposed to have received a reply, asking to reconfirm the 1 million number -- it could not be that high, was the doubt. The missionaries who pioneered the model and made it the success it is, had to reaffirm that indeed, they were feeding over a million children, every single day. At last count, Akshaya Patra was feeding 11,86,206 children all over the country, apart from senior citizens, expectant and nursing mothers, and jail inmates in Bangalore. Chanchalapathi Dasa, vice-chairman of Akshaya Patra Foundation, tells `The Times of India' that they have been getting invitations to start a kitchen from countries like Kenya, Cambodia, Indonesia, Uganda and others. "But the first priority is India, and to fulfil invitations from within the country," he says.

:: via indiatimes.com

The mother who gave up conjoined Bangladeshi newborn twins for adoption said Saturday she is overjoyed the toddlers have been successfully separated and wants them to grow up in Australia. The girls' Australian legal guardian for the past two years, Moira Kelly, the charity's founder, said Saturday she has not considered adoption. "I haven't even thought about it," Kelly told reporters. Adoptions could be stymied since Australia restricts the adoption of foreign children with medical problems that could burden its health care system.

:: via usatoday.com

Two Pakistani men accused of providing logistical support for last year's deadly terror attacks in Mumbai, India, were arrested Saturday in Italy.

:: via cnn.com

CarDekho.com - Tata Nano India - View Tata Nano models, Tata Nano Price, Tata Nano specifications, Read Tata Nano Reviews, Price: Rs 115361.0 - Rs 172361.0, Average: 22.0, Reviews: 110, Engine Type: Petrol, Models: Cx BSII, Cx BSIII, Lx BSIII, Std BSII, Std BSIII.

:: via cardekho.com

Driving through Bangalore’s Whitefield, it’s easy to miss MediVed Innovations’ office tucked away in a corner building. But there’s something about the work it does that makes the tech revolution pale in comparison. MediVed’s facilities make pacemakers, which while in existence for years, have been difficult to produce. MediVed is among a clutch of mid-sized Indian companies which includes Trivitron Healthcare and Opto Circuits who are taking on global leaders like Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific and Hologic with affordable alternatives to life-saving medical equipment. MediVed plans to test the waters in Greece, Balkans, and China next year, while Opto further makes inroads in the US market while increasing its manufacture of the lucrative ‘invasive’ products.

:: via indiatimes.com