India

India Ramps up Nuclear Power With Help From the United States

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:43:58 -0500

by Priyanka Bhardwaj

At the insistence of the United States, India has been granted global “nuclear exception” status despite being a non-signatory on nuclear non-proliferation treaties, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal (signed in October of last year), consensus at the Nuclear Supplier’s Group and clearance by the global nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), means that India can now access dual-use nuclear technology to generate electricity.

Hillary Peddles Worst Sort of Wares in India

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:46:11 -0400

by Amitabh Pal

To assist the corporate bottom line, the Obama Administration is peddling the worst sort of wares abroad.

Bhopal: The Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:55:43 -0400

by Billy Briggs

BHOPAL - Unable to steer safely in the mud, the driver of our rickshaw pulls into the side of the road to allow us to take shelter from torrential rain. There, under a shop's awning, a small crowd of people are standing together waiting for the weather to break. They include Sapna Sharma and her brother-in-law, Sanjay. Sanjay is holding his 18-month-old nephew, Anshul, who has kohl-rimmed eyes and silver bracelets on his ankles. As we stand talking, some of the people start pointing to the child's hands and feet while speaking animatedly to us in Hindi.

Farm Suicides Turn Children Into Farmers

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:48:12 -0400

by Jaideep Hardikar

YAVATMAL, India - Eleven-year-old Digambar Rathod looks older than his age. Shy and uncertain, he stares disconcertedly at the garlanded photograph of his father Jaideep, a 42-year-old cotton farmer who committed suicide on Jan. 1, 2009 in Tiwsala village, in eastern Maharashtra state's suicide-torn Yavatmal district.

As the new head of the household, the boy-turned-farmer has adult responsibilities like the repayment of a bank loan of 190,000 rupees (roughly 3,960 dollars) that was the cause of his father's death.

How is India?

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:05:53 -0400

by Ananya Mukherjee Reed

"How is India?" asked an erudite friend of mine from North America soon after I reached India last December.

1,500 Farmers Commit Mass Suicide in India

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:43:55 -0400

Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.

The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.

"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine

"Most of the farmers here are indebted and only God can save the ones who do not have a bore well."

Poor Pay Price of Progress in India

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:59:27 -0400

by Rick Westhead

NEW DELHI - One recent morning, as she'd done most days over the past 20 years, Fatima Begum left her hovel in a slum tucked in the corner of this city's diplomatic enclave and shuffled to a nearby dumpster to begin her work day.

As Begum began to root through refuse, searching for bottles, old light bulbs, and anything else that might be recyclable, someone punched the 65-year-old in the back of the head. She collapsed. Her attacker continued to punch and kick her.

India Tests Missile Amid Tensions With Pakistan

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:15:03 -0500

NEW DELHI - India successfully tested a supersonic cruise missile Tuesday in a remote desert close to the Pakistan border, officials said, amid continuing tensions with its nuclear-armed rival over the November attacks in Mumbai.

Indian officials say the launch of the Brahmos was only part of ongoing reliability tests, but some analysts say the timing was sensitive and could alarm Pakistan.

"The test was successful," a defense ministry spokesman said, without giving details.

Israel: Mini-Me?

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:50:49 -0500

by John Feffer

There is a deep affinity between the United States and Israel. I'm not talking about the Israel Lobby, which concentrates its influence in Washington. Or the connections between neoconservatives and the Israeli right wing. Or the rhapsodizing of fundamentalist Christians, who embrace Israel as part of their scenario for the Apocalypse.

Tensions Mount as Pakistan Shifts Troops to Indian Border

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:00:57 -0500

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has redeployed thousands of troops to the border with India, officials said Friday, in a dramatic escalation of tensions with New Delhi in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh summoned his military chiefs to review New Delhi's "defence preparedness" while his foreign ministry advised Indians not to travel to Pakistan, saying it was unsafe for them to be in the country.