November 19, 20240 Comments

Chocolate makers stoke boom for Indian cocoa beans

George Matthew George Matthew moved into cocoa production to keep his farm going If it hadn’t been for the squirrels, George Matthew’s attempt to become a cocoa bean producer might have failed. His farming career began in the 1970s when he inherited a rubber plantation in the the southern Indian state of Kerala , which he managed alongside his career as a doctor. It was a bad time to inherit

Read More
November 8, 20240 Comments

Indian officials misplace Salman Rushdie’s book ban order

Getty Images Salman Rushdie’s outspoken views on Islam have made him a target of extremists Is it legal to import Sir Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses in India? This question has been puzzling legal experts since the Delhi High Court suggested this week that the notification banning the novel’s import – issued in 1988 – might no longer be valid, as the government couldn’t locate it. The Satanic Verses, criticised

Read More