China now equals India in use of English

According to a report in the Financial Times today, reporting a study by the British Council (which I cannot actually find on the British Council website!), India is rapidly losing one of its clear economic advantages over China: the number of Chinese able to speak English is now equal to the number in India.

My guess is that the Chinese who do speak English, probably have the same range of proficiency in the language as do Indians.

As far as I can see from today's Indian newspapers, none of them has picked up the story. It is neither entertaining nor mood-lifting. Perhaps our newspapers may get around to the story tomorrow?

Apparent Maoist Attacks

Today's news that explosions have blown up a railway track, leading to the derailment of a passenger train in the eastern state of Jharkhand, have apparently been attributed to Maoists by the police.

It is probably the case that Maoists are capable of such attacks. However, other groups, such as extremist Hindu groups, and mafia-type gangs, are also capable of them - as we all know.

So it is not clear whether Maoists are in fact responsible.

Have Maoists claimed responsibility for the attacks?

When Maoists claim responsibility for the attacks, then we will have some grounds to think that that may well be the case.

We Indians have a tendency to rush to unfounded conclusions...and our police and other officials easily take to such "conclusions" in order to deflect attention from their own inefficiency in pursuing all such cases.