Indian village that changed its name to honour Jimmy Carter pays tribute
New Delhi, India Reuters Thousands of miles from Washington, where the funeral of Jimmy Carter is set for next week, an Indian village named after the former US President fondly remembers his visit almost 50 years ago, paying tribute. A one-term president from 1977, Carter, who died on Sunday aged 100, is to be given […]
Toxic waste from India’s 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy site moved for disposal after 40 years
Bhubaneshwar, India Reuters Indian authorities said on Thursday they had completed moving toxic waste from the site of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster, which killed more than 5,000 people, to a disposal facility where it will take three to nine months to incinerate. In the early hours of 3rd December, 1984, methyl isocyanate gas […]
Thousands mark 20 years after deadly Indian Ocean tsunami
Reuters Survivors and families of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami 20 years ago visited mass graves, lit candles and comforted one another across South-East and South Asia in ceremonies on Thursday to mark the disaster that killed some 230,000 people. The tsunami on 26th December, 2004 was triggered by a 9.1 magnitude quake off […]
Thirteen dead after naval vessel hits passenger boat off Mumbai
Mumbai, India Reuters At least 13 people died when an Indian naval boat collided with a passenger ferry with more than 100 passengers which then capsized off the coast of financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday, officials said. The navy said 99 people were rescued with efforts ongoing for others. A military helicopter flies over a […]
Essay: India must turn from its current path of intolerance and impunity
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says the Indian Government – and international community – need to ensure families are free to live in the villages they call home “without fear of coercion, harassment or violence on account of their religious beliefs”…
Essay: Bhopal – after 40 years, ongoing effects of world’s worst industrial disaster show environmental racism is alive and well
M SUDHIT SELVARAJ, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at the 40 year fight for justice for survivors of the 1984 disaster in central India…
India: How anti-conversion laws are fine-tuned to allow policing of Christians
While they purport to protect poor Hindus from being exploited, anti-conversion laws have been found to have a more demonstrable effect of generating violence against Christians. MOHAMMAD ALI reports for Religion News Service…
Cyclone Fengal kills 19 in India and Sri Lanka
New Delhi, India Reuters Cyclone Fengal killed at least 19 people in India and Sri Lanka and caused flooding in Tamil Nadu state and the Puducherry region after crossing India’s southern coast from the Bay of Bengal on Saturday. Puducherry had been hit by the heaviest 24-hour rainfall in 30 years, India’s weather office said […]
Ethnic strife frustrates peace efforts in India’s Manipur
Borobekra, India Reuters Gunmen seized six hostages this month while exchanging fire with troops in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur after a rocket-propelled grenade reduced vehicles and homes to charred hulks in the hilly district of Jiribam. Ethnic clashes over land and quotas in education and government jobs have killed at least 258 people and […]
Toxic smog persists over India’s north; Delhi pollution remains severe
New Delhi, India Reuters Residents in India’s northern states woke up to another day of poor air quality on Tuesday, as a layer of dense fog shrouded most of the region, and pollution in the capital Delhi remained severe. India battles air pollution every winter as cold, heavy air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from […]