India

By Simon Redfern | (The Conversation) | – For some time scientists have realised that the Kathmandu valley is one of the most dangerous places in the world, in terms of earthquake risk. And now a combination of high seismic activity at the front of the Tibetan plateau, poor building standards, and haphazard urbanisation have […]

Bangladesh

The Moment the Nepal earthquake hit

contributors

BBC News | – “Video shows the moment earthquake hit Nepal… a powerful earthquake that struck Nepal, wrecking many historic buildings. The quake measured 7.9 and struck an area between the capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara, the US Geological Survey said. Danny Savage reports.” “Moment Nepal earthquake hit – BBC News”

Barack Obama

Obama, Modi and India’s Solar Future

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) In his visit to India, Barack Obama pressed unsuccessfully for India to set specific carbon limits. Nevertheless, he did get agreement from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the USA and India would pursue vigorously non-carbon energy sources, including nuclear and renewables such as solar. That was a better […]

Energy

Turns out Rightwing Hindu PM more reasonable on Climate Change than US Congress (Obama visits Modi)

contributors

NDTV | — “Six years after we signed a bilateral agreement we are moving towards commercial viability,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announcing an agreement on the nuclear liability issue after talks with US president Barack Obama.” Further quotes from Bloomberg: Modi: “When we think about the future generations and what kind of a world […]

Climate Change

Dual Use: Solar Panels conserve Canal Water In India

contributors

By Malini Shankar | (IPS) Sunlight pours over a break in canal-top solar panels recently installed over the Vadodara branch of the Sardar Sarovar canal project in Gujarat. Credit: Malini Shankar/IPS BARODA, India (IPS) – It began with an experiment to install photovoltaic cells over an irrigation canal that forms part of the Sardar Sarovar […]

History

‘The Struggle for Pakistan’ (Ayesha Jalal)

contributors

By Joseph Richard Preville and Julie Poucher Harbin (ISLAMiCommentary) Column » ‘By the Book’ with Joseph Preville| — Pakistan is a nation with a strong will to survive. It has endured political upheavals, ethnic discord, military dictatorships, and the challenges of religious extremism. In her new book, The Struggle for Pakistan: A Muslim Homeland and […]

Afghanistan

Listening to Nobelist Malala Yousafzai instead of just Honoring Her

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole Malala Yousafzai has become the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in history, sharing it this year with India’s Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist. Ms. Yousafzai, from Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, was shot in the head by a member of the Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP or Pakistani Taliban Movement) two […]

Democracy

Democracy, in India as elsewhere, is not a tyranny of the Majority

contributors

It’s Not About The Numbers There is a broader—and deeper—meaning to democracy. Part of that ideal is the idea that every tessera in the mosaic can sparkle. By Gyanendra Pandey Democracy, it is commonly said, is the rule of the majority. Majoritarianism intensifies this belief with the proposition that those constituting the majority should make […]