Thought Beans Blog

The Bangalore Internation Airport which has been in the making for the last 10 years is finally set to take off. The project has been delayed by the red tapism, beuracratic set up, infrastructure problems & others is finally taking wings. However, there is still many questions to be answered like jobs for local people, naming of the airport, connectivity problem & others. Also the economy of the area around the present HAL airport will be affected to an extent. The real estate business is already sky rocketting surrounding the new airport. The question for the long term will be with the new international airport,  how will the Bangalore Business district, electronics City & ITPL benefit. Will it help increase the Investment. Also what are the plans & how the present airport will be used.

Bush’s Middle east trip including Isreal, Saudi Arabia & other countries in the middle of high oil prices, global terrorism & other economic problems was expected to be a big one. However, the outcome of the trip was not as expected. The Saudi prince did not approve of Bush’s talk on Oil output changes. Also there is news that Bush attacked Obama’s policy on a foreign soil drawing heavy criticism back home. The question is will the next Democratic or Republican President will be able to exercise the same clout which US had earlier in the middle east. The US influence on the Middle east is at an all time low since the end of cold war. The gas price increase is creating a ripple effect on the global economy. Will the new President be able to play role in middle east. The Iran Nuclear program is also straining the relations.

The string of terrorist attacks since the last 2 to 3 years on major Indian Cities has resulted in Innocent civilians losing their lives. Though it goes beyond doubt that terrorist outfits from the surrounding countries are  responsible for it, the govt is unable to take any action. The entire country has become a mute spectator for the brutal acts. After a few days, the entire incident is forgotten. Does this mean, the govt is going soft on the neighboring countries who are harboring the terrorist outfits. What we are lacking is the political will to act. First it was Bombay, then Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur & the list will go on & on. The media will discuss this for a few days & then no more news about it. The terrorists have found a safe heaven in India & they are roaming the lenght & breadth of the country freely at their will. It is hightime the Govt wakes up & taken a stern action.

Prius, Toyota’s petrol/electric hybrid vehicle, has crossed the magical number of 1 Million units in sales worldwide. Introduced in 1997 in Japan & in US & Europe later on has been the best selling hybrid vehicle. With the recession, high gas prices, global warming & other important factors, the prius sales is at an all time high. The milege hungry customers have increased the sales of the Japanese cars worldwide. But the increase in the cost of raw materials is affecting the Japanese manufacturers. The Detroit is finding the going tough with all the 3 makers facing high energy costs, gas guzzling SUV’s, pension problems, tougher environmental rules by the US among other factors. Toyota Prius has caught the fancy of the celebrities worldwide.

There have been serial blasts in Jaipur in a span of 20 minutes. More than 50 have been killed & 100’s are injured. There is possibility of the use of RDX in the blast due to the high number of deaths. This is the first time Jaipur has become the target. Many innocent lives have been lost. center has rushed NSG & RPF to Jaipur. There is possibility of involvement of the terrorist groups. Home ministry has sounded alert all over the country

The Bellary politics has taken a curious turn with Divakar Babu of JDS defecting to Congress. With this, the fight is between the Cong & BJP. eEllary which traditionally has been the Cong bastion went to BJP in the last election courtesy the BJP mining lords. This has casued considerable heartburn among the Congress since then & congress is pulling out every card to defeat the BJP in its own turf. There is also rumor that Congress has entered into a secret alliance with the JDS there by helping it in the elections. The JDS also wants BJP defeted because of the allegations of janardhana Reddy’s 150 crore scandal by the JDS. So BJP has been trapped by cong & JDS in both Bellary & Shikaripur. How far will this benefit the parties is a wait & watch game.

The Karnataka Elections will serve as an indicator for the coming assembly elections. For the first time, Karnataka has had a coalition goverment & it was short lived. The Kichdi government right from the beginning had problems & the assembly was dissolved very early. Though different exit polls are predicting different kind of results, we’ll have to wait & see what the verdict will be. The development of northen karnataka has been a neglected one for decades & with the rampant landgrabbing & other issuses, south karnataka is a different story. BJP is hoping that it could win the sympathy votes of the people & come to power. S.M Krishna is the media savvy face of the party. It remains to be seen what role will Krishna play post elections. JDS is hoping that, it will get just enough seats to call the shots. The UPA led central govt will be watching the election results keenly for the next general elections.

Putin sworn in as new PM of Russia a day after Dmitry Medvedev took over as its president. He has vowed to put a check on inflation & bring back the good ol’ glory days of Russia. Putin wants to bring down the inflation to single digit. The west has criticized the power transfer in Russia with Putin still able to call the shots. The new president doesnt have backgrounds of Kremlin & will have to walk a tight rope. There is also speculation that Putin may return to power after a gap of 4 years. During Putin’s rule, Russian economic conditions improved a lot with the Petro dollars. The Russia has made a wonderful comeback in the global political & economic landscape. It has also emerged as a top destination for Luxury markets.