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Poor in India Starve as Politicians Steal $14.5B of Food
"This scam, like many others involving politicians in India, remains unpunished. A state police force beholden to corrupt lawmakers, an underfunded federal anti-graft agency and a sluggish court system have resulted in five overlapping investigations over seven years -- and zero convictions. ... Even after accounting for the wastage, only 41 percent of the food set aside for feeding the poor reached households nationwide in 2005, according to a World Bank study commissioned by the government and released last year." In some Indian states more than 80% of aid was diverted.
Despite Drought, 2012 Most Profitable for Farmers in 40 Years
As previously noted, as a percentage of GDP this year's US drought appears to far better than a couple of droughts in the 1980s. And in Canada, grain crop yields seem much higher than normal.
"The World Is Sliding Backwards," Hillary Clinton Says Of International Religious Freedom Report
"State Department's annual summary indicates that oppression of religious minorities is on the rise."
Americans Having Fewer Babies Crimping Consumer Spending
Which is the bigger risk: overpopulation or population implosion? In related news, Singapore is cranking up taxation due to an aging population.