In a continuous thread of news from India, this week had two stories, strangely similar, yet very different. It’s about infrastructure. This growing world power has the population to thrive and the means to do so, yet how the government chooses to spend its money is incredibly interesting considering the rate of poverty. Recently the government has declared the construction… Read more »
New Delhi (CNN)India and Pakistan are set to inaugurate the construction of a corridor to facilitate hassle free cross-border travel for religious devotees — a rare step to improve ties between the two South Asian foes even as deep-seated divisions continue to obstruct progress in long-stalled peace talks. The Indian cabinet approved the building and development of the so called… Read more »
An explosion has ripped through a mosque inside an army base in Afghanistan’s volatile eastern Khost province, killing and wounding dozens of soldiers. The explosion targeted members of the 2nd regiment of the Afghan national army as they held their Friday prayers inside the base. Abdullah, an Afghan military spokesperson, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency… Read more »
Security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir claim they have killed a senior fighter believed to be involved in the murder of a prominent Kashmiri journalist in June. Naveed Jatt, the fighter who was killed after a gun battle, was a member of the Pakistan-based armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, police said on Wednesday, adding that he was part of the group of assailants who killed… Read more »
New Delhi/Mumbai – On Wednesday, thousands of farmers, labourers, and rural workers from across India boarded trains to the capital to participate in a two-day “Dilli Challo” (Let’s go to Delhi) march. They are gathering in central New Delhi on Thursday in preparation for their march to parliament on Friday and ask legislators to tackle the many challenges facing agrarian society…. Read more »
Pollution in India is an epidemic, the country has nine of the worlds ten most polluted cities. With a massive population this isn’t hard to believe. However as the years go on with no change this pollution will just get worse. Pollution is even believed to be responsible for over 1 million deaths in India per year. It’s reported that… Read more »
NEW DELHI (AFP) – New Delhi’s homeless will be given cotton masks to help them survive in the world’s most polluted major city, officials said Monday (Nov 12), although experts said the basic coverings would be useless against deadly smog particles. Each winter the capital of 20 million chokes through haze so extreme that levels of airborne pollutants eclipse safe… Read more »
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (NYTIMES) – More than 28,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed since 2015, the Afghan President revealed this week, breaking with his government’s long-standing suppression of casualty totals. The admission from President Ashraf Ghani came during a particularly bad week for Afghanistan’s beleaguered government forces, with at least 242 security force members killed from Nov 9… Read more »
India is participating in a Russia-sponsored peace conference with Taliban in a significant reassessment of its position on talks with the armed group that has waged an armed rebellion since 2001. New Delhi has sent former Indian envoys to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Amar Sinha and TCA Raghavan respectively, to attend the conference at the “non-official level”. “India supports all efforts at peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan that will… Read more »
New Delhi (CNN Business)Ikea has come up with a plan to help some of the world’s most polluted cities breathe easier. The global furniture giant will start making products out of agricultural waste in India, meaning farmers no longer have to burn it. The initiative, called “Better Air Now,” will provide Indian farmers with a use for unwanted rice straw, which… Read more »