Indian Journalist’s Murder: The Ultimate Form of Press Censorship?

Gauri Lankesh, photo source: Wikipedia “Gauri Lankesh’s death is another stark reminder of how violence is the new normal (in India).” –A senior journalist. BHUBANESWAR, India, Sep 7 2017 (IPS) – Dauntlessly crusading against...

One Earth: Why the World Needs Indigenous Communities to Steward Their Lands

Out of 370 million indigenous people spread across 70 countries worldwide, India holds as many as 700 different ethnic groups, adding up to 104 million people. BHUBANESWAR, India, Aug 7 2017 (IPS) – “Showing...

Millets travel from tribal farms to dinner tables

The indigenous Dongria Kondh community in Odisha is helping to restore the popularity of native varieties of millets that can grow in droughty weather conditions, even as millet products gain traction among affluent consumers...

Killer heatwaves set for dramatic rise, researchers warn

BHUBANESWAR, India Jun 19, 2017 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Nearly one in three people around the world is already exposed to deadly heatwaves, and that will rise to nearly half of people by 2100...

When Women Have Land Rights, the Tide Begins to Turn

NEW DELHI, Jun 12 2017 (IPS) – In Meghalaya, India’s northeastern biodiversity hotspot, all three major tribes are matrilineal. Children take the mother’s family name, while daughters inherit the family lands. Because women own...

Rural India needs solar power for more than just lighting, study finds

BHUBANESWAR, India, May 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – In the next five years, India plans to install 10,000 small-scale solar-power grids across the country to bring basic electrical power to communities without it. But...

Land taken for Indian car factory returned to farmers, bears fruit

The future looks bright for farmers in West Bengal after India’s Supreme Court ordered a carmaker to return the 400 hectares of land SINGUR, India, May 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Farmer Dibakar Ghosh...

Solar power brings light to dark corners of Indian train stations

A push to green India’s vast railway network with solar panels and LEDs also helps passengers and homeless migrants feel safe. Visakhapatnam, 8th May 2017 -The pounding of trains running through the night does...

Green Climate Fund project for India offers hope to drought-hit farmers

In Odisha, where late monsoons mean crop failures, poverty and even suicide, a novel scheme aims to boost water access. Bhubaneswar, 26th April 2017 – “The farmer who is suicidal will follow the season’s...

Trolling of Women Journalists Threatens Free Press

NEW DELHI, May 1 2017 (IPS) – “It’s not what you say that prompts it—it’s the fact that you are saying it,” says Mary Beard, a Cambridge University classics professor about online trolling. “If...