• At about $2,000, the Tata Nano is the world's cheapest car, and was released in India yesterday.
• Naturally, it's a tiny car. The dimensions are nine feet long, five feet wide and about five feet tall, which is smaller than the Toyota Yaris
• The Nano is pretty bare-bones: It has a manual transmission, and no air conditioning, stereo or air bags (they can be purchased as add-ons). It only has a single windshield wiper.
• Tata hopes to make a better version of the car called Tata Nano Europa, which will cost $4,000.
• The Nano is pretty green when it comes to fuel consumption.  The car is certified by the Automotive Research Association of India as getting 56 miles per gallon, as well as  the lowest CO₂ emissions in India, at 101 gm/km.
• This doesn't mean the arrival of the Nano is green, though. Because it is so affordable, many environmentalists fear that it could double the amount of cars on already-crowded indian roads. According to the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, studies already show one person dies every hour in New Delhi from air pollution-related diseases.
• However, if people give up their polluting scooters - currently a popular method of transportation in India - for a cleaner Nano, it might not be so bad after all. According to Tata, the Nano pollutes 12 percent less than a typical scooter.
• The Tata Nano runs on petrol, however, Tata is working on a diesel one...

We had a lengthy discussion of this topic today...so hopefully we can continue this online..

• Is the Tata Nano beneficial for India?
• Should the international community suggest Indian governmental action? If so, in what way?

I'll have a better blog entry, but this was too good to miss...chek out this link... Obama condemns Darfur expulsions

It's pretty ironic that we just finished discussing this issue, and then Obama decides to talk about it as well. :)

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (aka LTTE or Tamil Tigers) is a militant group in Northern Sri Lanka that fights for a sperate Tamil state in North-east Sri Lanka. Founded in 1976, this miltiant group has waged ceaseless seccionist campaigns against the Sri Lankan government, leading to countless deaths and infrastucture destruction, including the assassinations of several high ranking Sri Lankan and Indian politicians, and recruiting child soldiers. They are known for suicide bombing as a tactic, and have carried out more suicide bombings than Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and al-Qaeda combined.

Having announced the capture of Mullaitivu, the last of the Tamil Tigers' north-eastern strongholds, the Sri Lankan army says that it is very close to defeating the rebels after years of war. The Sri Lankan Civil War has rarely reached the intensity it has now, as the Sri Lankan army seeks to push the retreating Tamil Tigers to surrendering. Increased aggrestion by the LTTE started after the election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who blatantly ruled out Tamil independence in Sri Lanka. 70,000 people have been recored dead in the last couple days, as well as the displacement of thousands, as well as the holding back of the island's growth and economic development.

This issue is a fairly complicated one, as both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army have been accused of mass violations of human rights. The LTTE recruits child soldiers, and conducts ruthless torturing, as well as illegal trade. The Sri Lankan army has also been accused of delapidated prisons, as well as the brutish treatment and killing of hundreds of civilians.

The International Red Cross states that up to 150,000 people are trapped in war-torn areas of Sri Lanka, and improper humanitarian aid has lead to the starvation and death of many thousands...

So questions to ponder...

• Should there be peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, or should the LTTE be demolished, as they are a militant group?
• What can be done about humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka? What UN agencies should be involved?

Hi I'm Vissagan and I'll be blogging here. (BTW Jeff wrote this and yes, it's corny)