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 pirateconjures 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.

In Sri Lanka, the majority Buddhists have backed a consensus to militarily defeat the minority Tamil's twenty-five year old insurgency. This time the Sri Lankan state may have finally amassed enough military strength and political will to flush the insurgents out of their northern Sri Lankan jungle hide-outs. A quarter century long insurgency may end very soon

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.