Snowden fallout: India’s meow, Brazil’s roar

Contrasting reactions in India and Brazil to revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about the US government’s intrusive surveillance of communications in the two countries are a study in varying diplomatic style, substance and context.

Recent confirmation from journalists working with Snowden that India was a prime victim caught in the crosshairs of the NSA’s megalithic data-sweeping operations did not deter Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from visiting Washington and keeping his date with President Barack Obama on September 27. 

India’s phlegmatic take is the antithesis of the mass indignation in Brazil when it became known that the NSA had been snooping into emails and phone conversations of the commanding heights of its economic and political institutions. A nationalistic wave of disgust propelled President Dilma Rousseff to go to the extent of canceling her scheduled state visit to the US, demanding an unqualified apology from Obama, and lambasting the US for violation of human rights, privacy and international law in front of the UN General Assembly.

Rousseff called a spade a spade and snubbed Obama without mincing words. It was an act of international bravado and regional leadership that steeled the spine of Latin America, which has been seething against Washington’s imperious tampering of airspace permissions for Bolivian President Evo Morales and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Bolivians have condemned European“aggression” at the behest of America and are threatening to sue the US for “crimes against humanity,”while the Venezuelans have kept up a steady verbal barrage against Washington’s “crazy provocations.”

Ecuador has initiated discussions among the 12-member Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), which includes Brazil, to work on a new multilateral Internet defense system that would protect the entire Latin American region against US hacking and espionage. Collective regional action, which is advanced in South America despite plurality in ideology and regime type, has found its newest cohesive cause— halting the American ‘Snooperman’ juggernaut....

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Terrorist Attack in India

L’explosion à bord d’un sous-marin en ‪#‎Inde‬ aurait été organisée par des terroristes, a déclaré une source militaro-diplomatique.

Le sous-marin était dans un état parfait, selon cette source.

Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2013_08_14/Inde-le-sous-marin-aurait-ete-explose-par-les-terroristes-0117/

VIDEO: Crewmembers killed as Indian submarine explodes, sinks at naval dockyard (VIDEO)

India’s defense minister has said navy personnel died in a submarine explosion in Mumbai. Earlier reports stated that at least 18 people were believed to be on board when the submarine caught fire, exploded and partially sank at a naval dockyard.

The blast happened on the INS Sindhurakshak around midnight and was shortly followed by a massive fire. Many of the sailors on board the submarine reportedly managed to jump off to safety, but more than a dozen are feared trapped inside the hull. 

"There are some people who are trapped on board, we are in the process of trying to rescue them, we suspect it to be in the range of 18," navy spokesman PVS Satish told Reuters. 

FILE PHOTO: Indian Navy's Sindhurakshak submarine is seen in Visakhapatnam (Reuters)

The vessel partially submerged after the fire. "We will not give up until we get to them," Satish added.

Several people have reportedly been rushed to hospital following the incident.

Fire brigades have been battling the blaze for almost three hours to prevent spreading to other vessels docked nearby. The INS Sindhuratna, which was docked close to the Sindhurakshak, was pulled away to safety.

Emergency responders are doing their best to ascertain the safety of the personnel and salvage the submarine, navy spokesman Narendra Vispute said.

The Sindhurakshak is a 16-year-old Russian-made submarine which recently underwent an overhaul and upgrade. The Indian Navy spent some $80 million on the upgrade and expected the vessel to be operational for at least another 10 years.  

The submarine was involved in a previous incident in February 2010, when an explosion in the submarine’s battery compartment started a fire aboard, killing one sailor and injuring two others. 

Authorities say the Wednesday explosion was likely an accident. A source told India Today that the explosion was likely caused by a leak of hydrogen gas during battery recharging – the same reported cause of the 2010 incident.

The damage the submarine sustained three years ago prompted the 2 1/2 year refit in Russia.

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