Salem-News.com India articles Page 46

Three Men Face Imminent Execution in India

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

(CHENNAI, India) - Two Sri Lankans and an Indian national convicted for the assassination of India’s former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, are facing imminent execution in Vellore prison in Tamil Nadu, India.

This follows the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President of India. If carried out, these would be the first executions in India since 2004.

Lies Agreed Upon, But Whose Lies?

A new Sri Lanka government counter documentary is redolent of that curious Rajapaksa mix of cynicism and naivety.

(CHENNAI, India) - ‘Lies Agreed Upon: Sri Lanka Counters Channel 4’ is a faithful reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of its maker – the Rajapaksa administration.

The documentary is at its strongest and most compelling when it deals with the manifold atrocities of the LTTE. The Tiger-crimes need no embellishment; just the bare facts suffice.

The Monsanto Way

How the US multinational won state governments and influenced policy.

(BHUBANESWAR, India) - When representatives of the world’s largest seed company, Monsanto, began to make discreet visits to the offices of the of the Gujarat government in 2007, it set in motion a process that would transform Indian agriculture in unexpected and significant ways.

Maize farming changed forever, with tribal populations giving up their traditional seeds for the world’s best-known Dekalb brand of hybrid maize (corn) and age-old methods of pesticide-free cultivation.

No More Faith in Colombo`s Peace and Reconciliation: Indian Women

"We strongly condemn the Indian government's silence and active participation in many of the human rights violations meted out by the Sri Lankan government..."

(CHENNAI TamilNet) - Prominent women’s rights activists in India said this week that they had stopped believing in Colombo's periodic pledges to bring about reconciliation in the country, reports Indian Express.

The activists faulted the Sri Lankan government for not acknowledging the range of rights violations committed by its armed forces.

An appeal to all Salemites in the US

Salem's chance to build international relations, goodwill, tourism and more.

(CHENNAI, India) - During 1959 and 1960, Mr. Hugh Morrow, a Rotarian and city librarian in Salem, Oregon, and Dr. Busnagi Rajannan, a well known Librarian of Salem, Tamilnadu, India corresponded with each and proposed the establishment of a Sister city programme.

Dr. Rajannan visited Salem, Oregon in the US in 1962, and was received by the Rotarians, city officials, senators, and the Governor of the State Oregon, and was presented with a Key to the American City-Salem.

Monsanto official Beaten by farmers in India over Failed GMO Bt Cotton Seeds

Special thanks to the Vidarbha Times for information in this report.

(NAGPUR ) - More than 10,000 here have committed suicide because of Monsanto's failed Bt cotton seeds. Monsanto stands accused of having an international monopoly of the notorious bio-engineered Bt cotton seeds.

Who, Us, What? Sri Lanka War Atrocities

Even pro-government Tamil politician Dharmalingam Siddarthan says human rights issues, if left unattended, would further widen the gap between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

(CHENNAI, India) - “Are you still afraid to kill a terrorist?” asks a man, most likely a soldier, in Sinhala to the one standing next to him, with his gun pointed at three blindfolded people, their hands bound, naked and kneeling on the ground.

Gunshots are heard, the three prisoners flop to the ground, their heads drenched in blood.

Tehelka Images Show Cop Brutality in Bihar, India

The particular incident in Bhajanpura was triggered by a protest by the villagers against the blockage of their only access road by a factory. They have been using this road for the past 60 years.

(BHAJANPURA, India Tehelka) - An obscure village of Forbesganj town in Araria, one of the most backward districts of Bihar, has unwittingly become the epicentre of communal politics.

On 3 June, police bullets and atrocities took four lives, including an seven-month-old baby, a pregnant woman and an injured man, who was heinously stomped to death.

`Jeetan Marandi death sentence; a black day in Jharkand`

Among the suspected killers, one gave a statement to police: Our human rights activist Jeetan Marandi was not even in that village at the time.

(RANCHI Newzfirst) - Jeetan Marandi is a human rights activist and his death sentence in Jharkand is a black day.

Jeetan Marandi along with three other Maoists was sentenced to death in Chilkari massacre.

India and Sri Lanka after the LTTE

While officials in New Delhi admit they are frustrated, India remains hesitant to press President Rajapaksa’s regime very hard.

(COLOMBO / BRUSSELS) - India has long been the country with the greatest influence over Sri Lanka but its policies to encourage the government there towards a sustainable peace are not working.

Despite India’s active engagement and unprecedented financial assistance, the Sri Lankan government has failed to make progress on pressing post-war challenges.