Israel has a long-standing interest in Lebanon. These interests have periodically manifested themselves in bloody attacks against the small Arab state. Two important sources on the Zionist plans for Lebanon are the diary of Moshe Sharett, who was the Prime Minster of Israel in 1954-1955 and who was considered a “soft Zionist”, and Livia Rokach’s “Israel’s Sacred Terrorism: A study based[Read More…]
Co-Written by Anandi Pandey, Lubna Sarwath and Sandeep Pandey A common question asked by upper caste people, who form the core support of Hindutva politics, when opposing the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 or the policy of reservation in educational institutions, government jobs or elected posts is why should they be held responsible for the atrocities committed[Read More…]
World War One brought in massive changes in the world and the Subcontinent too witnessed the shocks of such awful global disorder. After the war in its reactions, some movements like ‘Hijrat’ and ‘Khilafat’ were kicked off which become quiet after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s historic decision to make Turkey – a secular republic. Besides this, some black laws like the ‘Rowlatt Act’ were also passed to counter the civil rights[Read More…]
Blatant Human Rights violations and forcible takeover of land in Mikir Bamuni Grant village for a 15MW Solar Power Project of Azure Power. State officials, especially form local and district administration, facilitated the illegal and unjust takeover of the land. The Land and Forests of Assam belong to the indigenous and adivasi people of Assam and must be returned back[Read More…]
Nearly four years have passed, but Himachal Pradesh has still not recovered from the shock and agony felt at the time of a most terrible rape and murder of a 16 year girl, called Gudiya by the media, while she was returning from a school and had to also pass a small stretch of forest on her way to[Read More…]
The students and staff of Chetana College of Media and Performing Arts, Thrissur, have come up with an innovative way to extend their support to the # VaccineChallenge campaign, part of the CMDRF, Kerala Government. The campaign has two-fold focus: first of all, to create awareness among the public about the importance of getting vaccinated, all age groups, especially youngsters[Read More…]
Written by Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant, Sandeep Pandey Narendra Modi once said he is a Gujarati and understands business. As time passes his business model is getting exposed and he is becoming more shameless like any ordinary businessman. It is quite clear to the people that he is not withdrawing the three controversial farm laws because all the three laws[Read More…]
After neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville, North Carolina, and then President Donald Trump responded by saying there were “good people on both sides,” people who abhor white supremacism stood up, took notice, and condemned the marchers. Anti-racists would be wise to do the same about the far-right march that took place last week in Jerusalem. The situation in Jerusalem began with[Read More…]
Many Americans can see for their own eyes how people from low income areas speak, due to the overwhelming news coverage ( finally ) of police killings of unarmed blacks. When there are equally disturbing instances of murders within areas where low income whites and brown folks live, the public can get a view of how these folks speak. Unfortunately,[Read More…]
On 40th anniversary of police firing on tribals in Indravelli in Adilabad let us rekindle their spirit with the ascendancy of proto –fascism today. It was one of the blackest days in the history of the third world proving the utter farce of democracy in India which is morally resurrected in other forms today. All genuine democrats dip their blood[Read More…]
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan says the army has become a “land grabber group.” His remarks came Wednesday during the hearing of three petitions against the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Lahore. The Chief Justice directed DHA Administrator Brigadier Waheed Gul Satti to appear before the court along with the record of LHC’s 50-kanal land in possession of[Read More…]
The pain of man wrings stories of pain from my pen I cannot write of happiness as the world weeps, weeps on pyres and graves with smoke spiralling up the scape; as bodies in desecration lie in bags and cardboard boxes; as democracy asserts amidst the chaos of dead bodies and unsensitised souls that have lost their conscience[Read More…]
If a university privately funded by philanthropists can be forced to fall in line, even if due to implicit pressure from the ruling dispensation, it can be inferred that autonomy in institutions funded by businessmen is literally non-existent. The institutions run with direct government funding have had little autonomy. The publicly funded universities can offer greater protection to academics but[Read More…]
Here’s the strange thing in an ever-stranger world: I was born in July 1944 in the midst of a devastating world war. That war ended in August 1945 with the atomic obliteration of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by the most devastating bombs in history up to that moment, given the sweet code names “Little Boy” and “Fat Man.” I was[Read More…]
Comrade Madhu may be gone but his spirit is not dead and buried and should be resurrected like a lotus blooming to extinguish the poison of Neo-fascism. A crusader for liberation till his last breath. It is matter of great regret that member of the Central Commitee of the C.P.I.(M.L),Comrade Madhu ,has left us. I or members of streams of[Read More…]
There is a fast increasing trend in cattle breeding towards sex semen technology which will result in birth of only female calves. 90 per cent success in ensuring success (in terms of having only female calves) is claimed by promoters of this technology. Although the drift towards this shockingly reductionist technology was initially restricted in India to some extent by[Read More…]
Urgent call to three rich Asian country governments – Japan, South Korea and Singapore to stop opposing TRIPS waiver at WTO Press Release by people’s Vaccine Alliance, Asia Chapter The Peoples Vaccine Alliance (PVA) in Asia is calling on Japan, Singapore and South Korea to take action on the voices of citizens across Asia and the global South by[Read More…]
Though IIT Kharagpur teacher Seema Singh has apologised for her abusive remarks against the students of SC-ST-OBCs in an online class, the matter does not end here. When the video of her abusive class went viral, I thought whether she was a teacher at the prestigious institution or an old caste prejudiced head master in some nondescript part of the[Read More…]
And out again, I curve and flow To join the brimming river, For men may come, and men may go, But I go on forever. The famous lines of the poem, ‘The Brook’ remind us of the beautiful river with sparkling water reflecting the rays of the sun on the bright sunny day and of our innocent childhood when we[Read More…]
Corona attacks us again. This time intensity is much higher than last year. As a result of the previous sudden lockdown, millions of workers, porters, drivers of rickshaw auto taxi, etc., employees of shopping malls and restaurants – in a word, various sections of the toilers lost their jobs. The country’s economy had almost collapsed. This time the central[Read More…]
Amidst the worsening COVID situation in Assam, a massive earthquake hit Assam and its neigbouring areas on the 28th of April, at around 7.50 in the morning. With its epicenter at Sonitpur in Middle Assam, the magnitude of the tremors ranged from 6.2-6.7, as claimed by various sources. However from my apartment in the fourth storey of a relatively dilapidated[Read More…]
A new freely downloadable book I would like to announce the publication of a book, which discusses the relationships between water and life. The book may be freely downloaded and circulated from the following link: http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Water-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf The United Nations’ World Water Day On its home-page for World Water Day the United Nations points out the following facts: “Today, 1 in[Read More…]
At a recent virtual J Street Conference, US Senators, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren broke yet another political taboo when they expressed willingness to leverage US military aid as a way to pressure Israel to respect Palestinian human rights. Sanders believes that the US “must be willing to bring real pressure to bear, including restricting US aid, in response to[Read More…]
The Hindutva socio- psychopaths are neither nationalists nor patriotic people. These medieval reactionary forces don’t understand the idea of citizenship, justice, liberty, equality and humanism. Indian democracy is merely an electoral transaction for the Hindutva forces. Hindutva forces neither follow science nor understand the sufferings of fellow human beings. These core qualities are common among the Hindutva forces in India.[Read More…]
It is not enough that you have eyes and ears You must see and listen It is not enough that you see and listen You must think also It is not enough that you think You must act also It is not enough that you act You must sustain your actions also It is not enough that you sustain your[Read More…]
Normally this is the time of the year when markets and roads of Kasauli , an attractive hill station in the lower Himalayan region in Himachal Pradesh, are busy with receiving the first rush of tourists and preparing to receive the even bigger tourism flow in the coming weeks. It is not only the regular employees of hotels in the[Read More…]
On 9 April 2021, retired physician and health and environmental campaigner Dr Rosemary Mason wrote to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA). She wanted to draw the agency’s attention to the findings that indicate the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup causes high levels of mortality following contact exposure in bumblebees (glyphosate-formulated herbicides are the most widely used weedicides in agriculture across the[Read More…]
The Cold War Has Already Turned Hot — on the Internet America has a serious infrastructure problem. Maybe when I say that what comes to mind are all the potholes on your street. Or the dismal state of public transportation in your city. Or crumbling bridges all over the country. But that’s so twentieth century of you. America’s most urgent[Read More…]
Till mid-April an extended spell of dry weather was causing deep concern in Himachal Pradesh. The state government was making preparations to meet drought-like conditions in a big part of the state. At several places an unprecedented number of forest fires had been reported even before the onset of summer. Several villages and even urban settlements had already started suffering[Read More…]
On May 1st we celebrate the 70th birthday of one of the greatest batsman of all time. It is also thirty years since this cricketing colossus retired from the game with a fitting finale. On his day Gordon Greenidge took batting domination to magnitude rarely surpassed and looked the ultimate epitome of perfection. Possibly no batsman in his day hit[Read More…]
As the nation struggles hard to meet very difficult health situation as well as the accompanying, continuing disruption in economy and livelihoods, this may be just the right time to stop some of the most controversial and expensive projects which have been very widely opposed for a long time regarding their highly questionable benefits as well as many harmful impacts[Read More…]
CDRO strongly condemns the declaration of Civil Liberties Committee (CLC) and 15 other organisations by the Telangana state government as unlawful associations under Telangana Public security Act. The Telangana Government, recently through a G. O. Ms.73 dt. 30-3-2021, declared that the following organisations, 1) Telangana Praja Front (TPF), 2.Telangana Asanghatitha Karmika Samkhya (TAKS), 3.Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika (TW), 4.Democratic Students Organisation[Read More…]
For Dalits now and backward castes then, from Phule to Periyar, while the education provided by the ancient natural philosophies like Budhism, modern egalitarian religions like Christianity, exploitative but ‘progressive’ British government and the independent India’s democratic government has been one of the prime factors in promoting consciousness of Dalits on their degraded social position, on their exclusion from knowledge,[Read More…]
Currently (April 2021) India is passing through its worst period as Covid19 Phase II is at its peak, with high rate of infectivity and mortality. The shortage of beds, Oxygen, test facilities and medicines is the cause of concern all over. The victims and their families are feeling the massive tragedy as the nation watches the gross mismanagement and lack[Read More…]
Indians struggle to find place and time to bury their dead due to the devastating effects of the second wave of COVID 19 in India. The crematoriums in the capital cities are overflowing with dead bodies. People are dying without oxygen and basic medical support. The cities like Delhi and Mumbai are struggling to cope with the rising number of[Read More…]
I wish to clarify that I am a scientist, I have no affiliations except to science and welfare of the society. I had made a few representations to PMO on subjects of scientific interest and societal need. I feel it is necessary to clarify the point that industrial oxygen and medical oxygen come from the same bottle! https://countercurrents.org/2021/04/a-few-facts-about-industrial-and-medical-oxygen-and-our-callousness/ With reference[Read More…]
This is my list of best Hindi films portraying the struggle for a social cause in order of merit. Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyu Aata Hai (1980) A plot is superbly woven without any element of melodrama to reveal the life of the Bombay Industrial workers and the mechanism or machinations that revolved around their day to day lives. In[Read More…]
Suppliant to the Strong, but Formidable for the Feeble “Oh coward, you don’t have the burden of the world in your hands.” We, the Indians who worship heroes, are out to disprove this world-conquering sentence of Rabindranath Tagore. Otherwise, why should we feel safe by voting for a Mahaviru to power, who poses to be a hero? We are[Read More…]
Military spending around the world has increased to unprecedented level since 1988 despite economic suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the U.S. was ahead of all the countries again, finds Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2020, the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In 2020, nations were struggling to support their economies through the times[Read More…]
An alliance of international health agencies has warned that up to 228 million people, mostly children, are at risk from serious disease after the Covid pandemic derailed around 60 mass immunization campaigns in 50 countries. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Gavi vaccines alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO) released a joint statement on Monday warning that “with[Read More…]
Attributing names to the brutal acts humans are capable of inflicting upon each other is never without problems. There are gradations of terror, hierarchies of atrocity and cruelty. In these, the pedants reign. Disputes splutter and rage over whether a “massacre” can best be described as a crime against humanity or a counter-measure waged with heavy sorrow against a threatening[Read More…]
Left inset, JVP’s Executive Director Stefanie Fox/ Right: Professor Rabab Abdelhadi of AMED Studies, SFSU Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has come a long way since its liberal Zionist days, finally declaring its anti-Zionist position, and has since been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause. But apparently there are still limits. These limits surfaced in a recent meeting between JVP’s[Read More…]
It seems so long ago when ( in the 1970s) the new wave cinema was promising to shake up the film scene leading to wider possibilities of more durable improvements in the overall quality of cinema. Certainly the high expectations were not confined to just Hindi cinema, although predictably this was talked about more. I remember travelling a long distance[Read More…]
The big question is whether the US is relenting on the vaccine front with a view to cut a deal with India on Afghanistan. But if past experience is any guide, Washington has shown savviness to exploit India’s travails. However, Afghanistan is a ‘graveyard of empires.’ The calculus of fratricidal wars keeps changing and India is best advised to[Read More…]
My best films portraying women as a liberator or crusader against injustice, selected in order of merit. Mirch Masala(1987) How relevant this movie is today is expressed with rapes taking place regularly in India in every nook and corner. Oppression of women has reached a crescendo in the era of globalisation, masking itself as development.Mirch Masala literally hits the nail[Read More…]
Chamoli April 23, 2021. Uttarakhand’s Chamoli District suffered flash flood yet again. [Ref.1] The previous one was on February 7, 2021. Both took sudden and huge toll of human and animal life and economic loss, including destroying infrastructure of dams and roads. Both occurred because of avalanches possibly triggered by glacier-dam burst. This writer argues that the avalanches were both[Read More…]
Members of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan have joined the Socialist Party of India and other civil society organizations in calling for the nationalization of all health infrastructure and all medical education services and infrastructure in the country, without any delay. In a press release, Socialist Party (India) said nationalization was necessitated by the “acute national emergency threatening public health and[Read More…]
Written by Bobby Ramakant and Sandeep Pandey As India runs a drive for vaccination against Covid the nature reminds us about our diminutiveness by an accompanying surge in Covid cases. In 2020, India had reported the highest number of 98,795 cases in 24 hours on 17 September 2020 but now the new unfortunate peak in April 2021 is past[Read More…]
For Urgent Attention Honorable Chief Minister, Punjab, Secretariate Chandigarh At the age of nearly 74 years, I need to get vaccinated for Covid19 as it is medically advisable, however I have certain concerns-personal and social, which as a citizen of Punjab (India) and as a world citizen, because of which I have not yet taken jab and I am[Read More…]
Human beings were bequeathed a bountiful and beautiful planet as their home and there is enough for all of us to lead a satisfying life, while also providing enough for other forms of life. But there is overwhelming scientific evidence now that this has been messed up badly, mainly by the more selfish and powerful members of humanity, with the[Read More…]
Standing at 597 feet And being declared the tallest statue I felt I could feel pride and watch the beautiful things around However, find it to be only a misfortune As I watch miles and miles away from me I can only see the suffering and pain around The pain created by those Who have only tried to build[Read More…]
America’s Ruinous Pursuit of Mission Impossible in Afghanistan On May 1st, the date Donald Trump signed onto for the withdrawal of the remaining 3,500 American troops from Afghanistan, the war there, already 19 years old, was still officially a teenager. Think of September 11, 2021 — the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the date Joe Biden has chosen for the same —[Read More…]
The mercurial temperament of the masses facing host of predicaments; convenient and subjective interpretation of history; flamboyant histrionics constituting the core of delivery meant to be made on chosen occasions before the millions charged with jingoism and in complete absence of anything creative and productive fed over a malodorous version of muscular nationalism – were a few easily discernible factors[Read More…]
Written by Hanuman Lal Bengani and Dr. M. Bapuji Illustration by DOMINIC XAVIER / Rediff.com I, Dr. M.Bapuji, received the following information through friends from Indian Inst of Petroleum, Dehradun on oxygen availability in india. The author is sri Hanuman Lal Bengani, former CEO of Linde india.in, his own words : ” Having spent my life time of 45 years[Read More…]
Various Covid vaccines have been developed in unprecedented record time due to the widely voiced urgency . The normal time for development of a vaccine before the advent of Covid was a decade. However in exceptional conditions various Covid vaccines have been made available in about a year’s time. Therefore several experts have been emphasizing the need for very careful[Read More…]
‘The system has collapsed’, is a general cry these days as event unfolding everyday bring more uncertainty and desperation. As an Indian, I can say, we were never so helpless as we are feeling it today. I mean, you can’t help any one, you can’t go to meet families of friends, you can’t meet relatives. Common man is just alarmed[Read More…]
Bare truth When the Prime Minister imposed a sudden lockdown in the country last year on the night of 24-25 March, the heart-wrenching scenes of the exodus of migrant laborers brought forth the naked truth that the corporate India, which was being constructed for three decades, is sustained on the back of the hard-working masses. This truth is kept under[Read More…]
Since November 26, 2020, lakhs of farmers and workers have been in their continuous sit-in protest at different points around Delhi Border. On April 26 it will complete 5 months. And the human-cost is enormous: 400+ deaths. But braving death, terrible cold, rain, storm and now around 40°+ at noon, threat of covid19, the farmers and workers are continuing; after[Read More…]
Dear Stan, It is rather unusual and certainly not normal to wish someone who is in prison “A Happy Birthday!” One’s birthday cannot be ‘happy’ in prison; however, in wishing you – we celebrate your life: your mission and your message and above all, those whom you have so closely identified with, all these years so “Birthday Greetings to[Read More…]
If you do not have A friend from another religion Oh, how wretched ! If you do not have A person from another political thought In your friend list Oh, how wretched ! If you are not willing For a dialogue with anyone But you and with yourself If you call someone with a different opinion As Sanghi, Kongi,[Read More…]
The very word is chilling, but has become normalised political currency in Denmark. Since 2010, the Danish government has resorted to generating “ghetto lists” marking out areas as socially problematic for the state. In 2018, the country’s parliament passed “ghetto” laws to further regulate the lives of individuals inhabiting various city areas focusing on their racial and ethnic origins. The[Read More…]
What is foreign policy worth if it stands disconnected from domestic realities? The limelight falls instead on the US’ point blank refusal to lift the ban on supply of ingredients for manufacture of vaccines… As for China, this isn’t quite the occasion to write about it, but truth be told. Suffice to say, the Indian narrative on Sino-Indian tensions is[Read More…]
At a time when the entire world is focused on COVID-19, it is important to recall some important lessons which emerged from the response to previous sudden outbreaks like Ebola infectious disease and other diseases in recent times. Of course no two diseases are the same but lessons can be learnt in terms of policy responses, the various factors and[Read More…]
A very serious emerging threat concerns the growing extension of superpower rivalry for dominance to outer space. This may relate to economic, technological and even military aspects. Ultimately this may lead not only to new kinds of pollution but in addition also to very big disasters. The extent to which private corporations are being given a big role in the[Read More…]
The contagious Covid-19 has stimulated an irremediable health crisis and has increased the burden of mental illness among students. The deadly virus has wreaked unprecedented havoc on millions of lives, pushing many of them to an untimely demise. As the country fights against the virus, the suicide has emerged as the second-leading cause of non-coronavirus deaths in India as revealed[Read More…]
“Our private sector has set an exemplary example of innovation and enterprise in developing COVID-19 vaccines,” said PM Modi: “We are lucky to have such a robust pharma sector that smoothly carries out production,” he said in his address to the country on 20 April 2021. A notice about the shortage of Covishield vaccine outside a Covid-19 vaccination centre[Read More…]
My wife and I have just got our second dose of Covid vaccine. It was a triumphant moment, because there seemed to be an acute vaccine shortage in the country causing fears of its non- availability, coupled with new mutants of Covid spreading the virus like never before. The fear of those who got the first dose not being able[Read More…]
‘Sparsh’ is the ultimate classic or best ever Hindi film portraying the blind and amongst the best Hindi films ever. Energy of the blind taken to mystical proportions with touches of genius ‘Sparsh’ made in 1980 is possibly the best ever Hindi film in my view championing the blind or of any handicapped person. It makes us understand that morally[Read More…]
A prominent , senior journalist in Delhi is seriously injured by a car allegedly driven by a senior defence organisation official, she dies later and the media does not even report this. What does this tell us of the state of our media ? She was injured on March 25 and succumbed to her injuries on April 22. . It[Read More…]
Do the vision and policies of the current political dispensation in India foster the most widely accepted principles of federalism and sustain an effective and healthy relationship between the centre and states in India? This has been a major question of debate in the country ever since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power in 2014. Many scholars[Read More…]
What an assembly election! Eight Phases! From the first voting date to the last voting date the election is spread over 40 days. And from the first official announcement date to the date of counting – it is a period of two months! This will be some three weeks longer due to the death of candidates of two seats due[Read More…]
During a House hearing held on April 21, 2021, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking grossly misrepresented the imperialist war in the country. He remarked: “With regard to the Republic of Yemen Government, President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi remains the legitimate leader of Yemen. He was chosen in the last election held before the war, and UN Security Council Resolution 2216 recognizes his legitimacy as[Read More…]
Corruption in the sense of civil and military servants and Public officials and politicians of Pakistan pocketing public funds or taking bribes is too well known and documented by in-country and international agencies, to be worthy of any unusual notice. After all, the country has had the dubious distinction of being on the top of the list of corrupt countries[Read More…]
By now, the world knows all about the decision by Japan to dump tritium-laced radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. According to Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, the treated and diluted water will be “safe to drink.” Furthermore, he claims the country should have started releasing it into the ocean earlier. (Source: China to Japan: If Treated Radioactive Water[Read More…]
Left forces have generally been a source of hope and justice , but at certain junctures of history and in certain places these have also been a source of despair and injustice. Human beings are at a critical stage of their history, and we need cooperation and help of all forces who can contribute to creating a better and safer[Read More…]
The need for introducing more issues of social relevance in school and college education has been often emphasized, as also the need for improving the ethical content of education. At the same time, the need for making education more interesting and participative for students at all levels is increasingly realized. All of these on objectives can be advanced by making[Read More…]
Barack Obama wore only blue and grey suits during his tenure in the White House, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs sport the same clothes day after day. When rational individuals aim at maximizing their utility, choices become imperative to maximize satisfaction and in turn to heighten ones happiness. Then, why these highly successful people restricted their choices in clothing? Not[Read More…]
Oh God of Science and Reason Protect us from these activists We are only performing our missionary role To promote scientific thinking Even if the entire world bans Endosulfan Our bishops and priests of science have said that it is necessary Even if the whole world goes back on nuclear energy Our bishops and priests of science have said that[Read More…]
Here are two lists of changes that can and should be made, restoring this Earth home more fully to a habitable, life-diversified, and evolving planet. Outward behaviors everyone can practice and contribute to: Reduce and eliminate uses of fossil fuels. Support and participate in clean energy alternatives. Reduce and eliminate non-biodegradable plastics. Support and participate in oceanic and fresh water[Read More…]
The battle for Marib is escalating. The city, which hosts over 2 million civilians – including an estimated 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) – is the last military stronghold of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government in northern Yemen. Uprooting the government from Marib would help Houthis access the governorate’s important oil and gas resources and position them for a push[Read More…]
Written by Danaka Katovich and Ariel Gold For human rights advocates who also enjoy the sport of car racing, a great opportunity awaits us. Lewis Hamilton, the only Black driver in the history of Formula 1 racing, has been bravely and consistently supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In the wake of the protests against the murders of George Floyd[Read More…]
Covid-19 is a national calamity and a country-wide problem… Fundamental right guaranteed vide Article 21: the right to life which in its broad sweep also includes right to good health…Health care should not only be accessible but also be conveniently affordable to all the citizens. The core obligation of the State in securing the right to life to all its[Read More…]
Written by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies President Biden took office promising a new era of American international leadership and diplomacy. But with a few exceptions, he has so far allowed self-serving foreign allies, hawkish U.S. interest groups and his own imperial delusions to undermine diplomacy and stoke the fires of war. Biden’s failure to quickly recommit to[Read More…]
Unfinished History-A truly great Masterpiece highlighting how even after fifty years of Naxalbari and Seven decades after Independence Neo-fascism has penetrated India at an unprecedented magnitude I recommend everyone to read this classic book titled “India-50 after Naxalbari” by Bernard D’Mellow that most analytically assesses metamorphosis in India in post-naxalbari era of Naxalbari, Maoist movement and emergence of fascism in[Read More…]
Why We Forget Epidemics and Why This One Must Be Remembered The second Moderna shot made me sick — as predicted. A 24-hour touch of what an alarmed immune system feels like left me all the more grateful for my good fortune in avoiding the real thing and for being alive at a time when science had devised a 95%[Read More…]
Opposition Unity and Politics Will be Greatly Helped By A Common Program Based on Justice, Equality, Communal Harmony, Democracy and Environment Protection India is passing through very difficult times. Partly this is a reflection of local factors and serious policy mistakes made in recent times, but partly this is reflection of overall difficult conditions at world level as well. While [Read More…]
According to recent official data of Himachal Pradesh government, its efforts to spread natural farming practices among farmers have led to 56 per cent reduction of costs of farmers and 27 per cent increase of income among farmers who adopted these practices. This happened under the natural farming prosperous farmers scheme ( prakrit kheti khushhal kisan yojana). According to leading[Read More…]
Lenin, the proletarian revolutionary, was born on this day – April 22, 1870. Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, led the Great October Revolution in 1917 in Russia that has changed the world forever. The epoch-making revolution by the exploited stood as unparallel among all revolutions as the revolution overthrew all the exploiting classes while all the past revolutions replaced one exploiting[Read More…]
The whole thrust of the RSS-BJP election campaign for 2021 state assembly elections in Bengal has been to save Bengal from the rule of Mamata Bannerjee who is not a ‘Hindu’. PM of India, Narendra Bhai Modi, a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist, as usual set the polarizing agenda. While addressing the first election rally, he called upon the electorate to overthrow[Read More…]
The pandemic in which the world is embroiled today, has gripped common people with confusion due to poor information causing fear and panic. In India, this week started with 113 deaths being recorded in just one district- Nagpur, making it the district with the highest mortality. Nagpur witnessed an increase of 28 deaths in 24 hours. The district recorded 6,364[Read More…]
It was that time of the year last month, that Israelis rushed to the ballot lines to express their democratic right to vote for the Israeli parliament – the Knesset, for the third spring in a row. Israel takes pride in its “Jewish democracy” and claims that it does not discriminate non-Jews, while in fact it uses its engineered Jewish[Read More…]
File Photo: China and the US have rediscovered a common interest in battling climate change. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty Images China’s Xi Jinping to attend Joe Biden’s climate summit is a major, welcome news that comes amid continued anti- China stance of the Biden administration. Virtual summit on April 22 Thursday will be the first meeting between the two leaders[Read More…]
`Derek Chauvin found guilty on all three charges for killing George Floyd’ read the news item published on 21 April 2021. The verdict was pronounced eleven months after the video emerged that showed Chauvin kneeling on the neck and back of a 46-year-old black man named George Floyd, handcuffed and lying prone on the street, for 9 minutes 29 seconds[Read More…]
Recent Month-long strike of Quarry/Stone Crushers Motor workers of Anakapalli area in Visakhapatnam District exposes harsh realities about how workers’ democratic rights are denied in India, in particular in Andhra Pradesh, despite high-sounding claims about democracy. The sustained workers’ movement and the strike was by a small section of workers, but has exposed many features of India’s sham democracy,[Read More…]
The ‘New Deal’ part of the Green New Deal is mostly good and necessary. But the ‘Green’ part has a big hole at its center: the lack of a direct mechanism to rapidly reduce the use of fossil fuels in the economy; therefore, it cannot guarantee their elimination on a crash deadline. It relies instead on an erroneous assumption that[Read More…]
To care, Nurture and Cherish till Death do us part — A day to celebrate the Fecundity Fertility and the Rites of the passage of Time. Make the Earth Green again. In darkness bathed, Starlight speckles out a Welcome — to the distant Nebulae that stream across the skies Celebrating the dimming of electric lights. Today,[Read More…]
Written by Aoife Daly, Pernilla Leviner and Rebecca Thorburn Stern Even before Greta Thunberg launched her school strike for climate when she was 15-year-old, youth activists have been key players in public action on the climate crisis. Now they are breaking new ground in court. On November 30, 2020, six Portuguese children and young people brought a historic court case[Read More…]
COVID-19 cases in Palestine, especially in Gaza, have reached record highs, largely due to the arrival of a greatly contagious coronavirus variant which was first identified in Britain. Gaza has always been vulnerable to the deadly pandemic. Under a hermetic Israeli blockade since 2006, the densely populated Gaza Strip lacks basic services like clean water, electricity, or minimally-equipped hospitals. Therefore,[Read More…]
Suppose the U.S. built and operated a military base in Germany on property confiscated from Jews during the Holocaust. America, Jewish Americans, Germany, and Israel would have reached a principled resolution years ago. Now consider Incirlik (EEN-jeer-leek) Air Base in Turkey. American taxpayers and the Army Corps of Engineers built it 67 years ago. Its 3,320 acres are home to[Read More…]
During this time in which many of us are still mourning the recent passing of former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark it seems appropriate to reflect on Ramsey’s many warnings to humanity like, ‘The government of Americans will lie, deceive, kill, do whatever it must to dominate – investors in war who control it insanely insensitive to the beauty of[Read More…]
Written by Bhumkia Rajdev, Abdul Basith and Suhail K New Education Policy 2020 has replaced thirty-four-year-old National Policy on Education (1986). The 66-page document talks about vision of government for ECCE (Early childhood care education), School Education, Higher Education and Professional education. It aims for universalisation of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100% GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) in[Read More…]
Peri-urban areas have suffered much neglect and harm in recent years, but a change of policy and priorities can still bring to them very creative livelihoods based on valuable but neglected traditional skills which can be utilized in important endeavors of increasing greenery, water-conservation and agro-ecology. Peri-urban areas are semi-rural, semi-urban areas, or rural areas undergoing urbanization in the hinterland[Read More…]
The appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to observe the Kumbh related rituals in more of a symbolic way to avoid crowding and protect public health in times of an escalating pandemic had the desired impact on at least some groups of holy men and they agreed to leave the site of the great religious celebration at an early date.[Read More…]
A climate summit is going to begin. Ahead of the summit, the World Meteorological Organization released a report on April 19, 2021, which has warned: Time is fast running out. The report – State of the Global Climate 2020 – finds that concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) continued to climb in 2020, despite lockdowns imposed to slow the present pandemic.[Read More…]
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islamic practice. Every adult Muslim is required to perform hajj once in a lifetime if they can afford the journey. It is staged on the 8th to 13th days of Dhu’l Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The Saudi royal family – which calls itself the “Custodian of the Two[Read More…]
“Revolutionary Dreaming Tramp” (On the occasion of Charlie’s Birthday- 16th April 1889) “I consider myself a citizen of the world, an internationalist… I just happen to have been born in London, England. It could have been Burma or China or Timbuktu, I’d still be the way I am. I’d keep my first citizenship because, being an accident of birth,[Read More…]
The strange policy, pursued by the present occupant of the White House during the past few weeks is fairly surprising. Moreover, Joe Biden’s actions vis-à-vis Russia are downright contradictory, to say the least. Or maybe his strange initiatives are sending some ulterior message to the team around him and those who supported last fall’s very dirty elections? On the morning[Read More…]
“India is fundamentally a hierarchical, violent and inequalitarian society and its image is spreading like a stain when the Dalits and Muslims are being treated on par in terms of the value of their lives with a history of lynching and killing,” says noted historian Prof. Dilip M. Menon, Mellon Chair and Director, Centre for Indian Studies in Africa,[Read More…]
1,000 + activists, academics, concerned citizens from 20+ states in India and across the globe write to Chief Minister Chhattisgarh. Call for immediate release of Hidme Markam and end state excess on adivasis in Bastar Deeply outraged by the arbitrary incarceration of Hidme Markam, an adivasi human rights defender and environmental activist, for over 40 days, more than a thousand[Read More…]
Written by Saheli Chowdhury and Stephen Lalla “You cannot claim to protect human rights by violating human rights,” asserted Alena Douhan, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights, while detailing the human cost of the unilateral sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the United States and its allies. Prof. Douhan,[Read More…]
Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh Madam Shaikh Hasina, Honourable Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr Lotay Tshering, Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, We, the South Asian People’s Action on Climate Crisis (SAPACC), a rainbow coalition of climate, ecology and rights groups from across South Asia, welcome the fact that you will be participating in the “Virtual Summit[Read More…]
The second and more serious wave of covid 19 is in the air. While the society is in the grip of shortage of beds, shortage of Oxygen cylinders and the necessary medicines, the Covid warriors are doing a remarkable job of trying to fulfill the needs of the community to keep the impact of pandemic to the minimum. Many voluntary[Read More…]
Spending too much money on big-budget productions is not advisable when the film industry, by and large, sleeps as an after-effect of the present pandemic. As a result, micro-budget movies have been conceived, shot and released worldwide in different genres. That’s how the films like SEE YOU SOON, THE GREAT INDIAN KITCHEN, IRUL, WOLF etc came out in Malayalam through[Read More…]
“The symbolism is stunning”: China-France-Germany climate summit, Beijing, April 16, 2021. The three met without US…It is against the backdrop of the Biden administration’s containment strategy against China. The discussions spilled over from climate change to the entire spectrum of world politics. Considering the US media build-up as President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry set out for China, the 4-day visit turned[Read More…]
This article focuses on the performances of Tamil National Alliance [TNA] since its monopoly role in Tamils’ politics and issues from 2010 as endorsed by the late Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam supremo Velupillai Prabaharan. This article analyses the past performance of TNA and the present directionless, compliant, complacent and lack lustre leadership of Tamils who are now left in[Read More…]
The 21st century serves as an inflection point of acceleration of climate instability caused by human-generated greenhouse gases, as CO2 emissions increase well beyond the rate of the prior century. It’s also a defining timeline of an astonishing ice mass loss rate of 500% more than the last decade of the previous century. Throughout human history, this has never happened[Read More…]
Like his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden is committed to a distinctly anti-China global strategy and has sworn that China will not “become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world, and the most powerful country in the world… on my watch.” In the topsy-turvy universe created by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was, however, Jamie Dimon, the CEO and[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, We are passing through a debilitating second wave of COVID, with new mutants evolving rapidly and the country facing a severe shortage of healthcare infrastructure facilities, acute shortage of vaccines, even cremation facilities for the deceased, across the country. Many of us, senior citizens, are waiting for a second dose of[Read More…]
In 2020 the overall experience of extended and stringent lockdowns on the whole was quite negative, although the official view supported by some experts remains that these were necessary and useful in saving several precious human lives. Hence the entire issue of lockdowns is quite a divisive one, in India as well in several other countries. Now that in the[Read More…]
Hindi cinema is not exactly known for any consistent contribution to human rights. Nevertheless some outstanding films have been made from time to time which have proved to be of enduring value for advancing various aspects of human rights and civil liberties. In V. Shantaram’s Do Ankhen Barah Hath the cause of jail reform is so important for an idealist[Read More…]
Back in the 1880s, the mathematician and theologian Edwin Abbott tried to help us better understand our world by describing a very different one he called Flatland. Imagine a world that is not a sphere moving through space like our own planet, but more like a vast sheet of paper inhabited by conscious, flat geometric shapes. These shape-people can move[Read More…]
Last year, BJP and Congress quarrelled over who was responsible for establishing Asia’s largest Solar Plant at Pavagada Taluk in Tumkur district of Karnataka. BJP claimed the largest solar park was in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, which is now controlled by the party. Meanwhile, Congress said it was responsible for developing the largest solar park at Pavagada. D K Shivakumar, Karnataka[Read More…]
Days have passed into weeks and weeks into months , but the farmers’ dharna (protest sit-in) at important points on Delhi border has continued. Winter gave way to spring and spring has yielded space to summer. The winter (rabi) crop which the farmers planted before coming for the dharna has been already harvested in most villages. On April 24 farmers[Read More…]
Nation is currently reeling through a serious COVID pandemic. Daily reported cases are touching nearly 3.0 lakhs with mounting deaths in many states. Unless 30 crore population is vaccinated by beginning of August, it may not be possible to stock pile antibodies, break the disease chain and attain herd immunity. Till the third week of April despite the vaccine shortages[Read More…]
Suffocating the grassroots. Mocking the working class origins of the game. World football, and primarily European club football, has long done away with loyalties in favour of cash and contract. The professionalization of the game has seen a difficult relationship between fan, spectator and sporting management, none better exemplified than the price of tickets, the role of branding and sponsorship.[Read More…]
Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election were unprecedented in U.S. history. When his Big Lie about widespread voter fraud, more than 60 lawsuits, and pressure on state officials failed to change the results, he incited the January 6 attack on Congress which led to 5 deaths and about 140 injuries. The insurrection failed to stop the certification of[Read More…]
Waking up from sleep has usually been a refreshing exercise. Like, returning home after a hard day of work. But, not anymore. While we do not celebrate the little pleasures that life brings, it is only when bliss gives us a miss, that we begin to take note of how the quotidian is more than just routine. When the second[Read More…]
Defaced by a virus, the Earth stands all alone. Humanity — will it survive the crackling of the coronal core? Write, write of the masked men. Faces forgotten. Lipsticks abandoned. How long will it last? Few frightened haggard monied move towards an exodus to Mars. Waterlogged, virus-worn stands the home, the hearth. Frightening in desolation, abandoned. But what[Read More…]
In most parts of world spinning and weaving of cloth has become entirely mechanized. There are a few examples here and there of weaving being done on handlooms ( handloom cloth) for particular types of cloth but spinning and related work like ginning has been almost entirely mechanized. However in India during the freedom movement a special effort was made,[Read More…]
In Lucknow, the very popular old Toy-train also known as Bal Bhavan Loco or Bal Rail was started for the first time in Lucknow Zoological Garden on 14th November 1969. This Toy- train remained the main attraction for the visitors both old and the young alike for nearly four decades. The date 14th November which is also celebrated as Children’s[Read More…]
On Thursday, April 15, the New York Times posted an article headed, “How the U.S. Plans to Fight From Afar After Troops Exit Afghanistan,” just in case anyone misunderstood the previous day’s headline, “Biden, Setting Afghanistan Withdrawal, Says ‘It Is Time to End the Forever War’” as indicating the U.S. war in Afghanistan might actually come to an end on[Read More…]
Humanity’s transgression of ecological limits has caused widespread damage, including a climate emergency, catastrophic loss of biodiversity, and extensive degradation of soils around the world. Earth abuse is also at the root of the Covid-19 pandemic and the grim likelihood that new pathogens will continue to emerge from other animal species to infect humans. [image: “Human Miasma” by Priti Gulati[Read More…]
At a 2018 rally in Washington DC [Rima Najjar] In Israel, they are all about entrenching the Zionist regime in Palestine from the river to the sea; in the occupied territories, they are all about liberation and de-Zionization. Chances are, you are unaware that Palestinian elections are in the offing. But if you are following them, there is a lot to[Read More…]
Resurrect flame of martyrs in genocide of 21 landlesss labourers in Arwal massacre on 35th anniversary today on April 19th .It symbolized neo fascism in India at it’s helm and has been ressurected today in age of proto-fascism Today we mark the 35th anniversary of the police firing in Arwal in Bihar. Without doubt one of the landmark events in[Read More…]
Urgent measures are needed for ensuring respect to election results and realization of the verdict of people in its true spirit. The anti-defection law was enacted in India was enacted in 1985 and amended in 2003 to check malpractices and corruption arising from elected representatives changing sides ( generally joining the main rival political party) in return for money or[Read More…]
The concept of swadeshi played an important role in the freedom movement in India in opposing colonial exploitation, but as was emphasized by Mahatma Gandhi even then, we should also look at this concept in terms of its continuing relevance even after the end of colonial rule. It is good to see that this concept is still mentioned and discussed[Read More…]
The US – with the help of Israel – has been repeatedly waging attacks on the high seas against oil tankers bound for Syria. In recent statements to parliament, Syria’s Prime Minister Hussein Arnous revealed that oil tankers loaded with crude allocated for Syria are being attacked or intercepted on the high seas. The goal is to aggravate the hydrocarbon crisis generated[Read More…]
Reports by media including AP and CNN said: In Portland, Oregon, about 70 demonstrators assembled outside Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct Saturday night. When the group pushed two dumpsters into the street at around 10:30 p.m., police declared an unlawful assembly and officers moved in. There were no arrests and no reported injuries. The police called the demonstrators a “hostile[Read More…]
Every year various magazines, online portals, newspapers bring out their ‘power’ list for our consumption. These are brought out on particular occasions and are ‘judged’ by a few ‘selected’ ‘knowledgeable’ people who go through the ‘work’ and ‘achievements’ of the people during the year and come to a conclusion. Obviously, these ‘power’ ‘people’ differ according to the magazines and many[Read More…]
April 14 is celebrated as Dr. Ambedkar’s Jayanti, that is, Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, not only in the country but also abroad. On this day, while he is officially paid tribute and he is praised by government representatives, his devotees also pay homage to him. All these events mostly take the form of a celebration and ritual. There are very[Read More…]
Close to the first anniversary of the arrest of a renowned Indian scholar, members of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) held a demonstration in Surrey on Sunday, April 18. Anand Teltumbde, a well-known author and columnist, was arrested last year on April 14 under trumped up charges for merely questioning the power and standing up for the poor and[Read More…]
There was a time when it seemed Papua New Guinea had managed to dodge a bullet. Instances of SARS-CoV-2 were minimal, along with its disease, COVID-19. Through 2020, the country of eight million people recorded a mere 900 cases. The World Health Organization praised the PNG government in a September 2020 news release in “taking the threat of the pandemic[Read More…]
(PHOTO: Pam Africa presents the first issue of The Jamal Journal outside of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office on March 12, 2021. Pam has repeatedly attempted to meet with DA Krasner but he has always refused to meet with her. Photo by Jamal Journal staff photographer Joe Piette) Ona Move! On Saturday April 17, Mumia called his wife Wadiya and[Read More…]
Written by Ben Freeman, Brian Steiner and Leila Riazi The Saudi Lobby Moves from K Street to Main Street Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American[Read More…]
Mortality data is very important for understanding trends relating to health problems and diseases and hence for overall health policy and planning. Unfortunately, however, in many countries there is need for improving reliability of mortality data. In addition there is another serious and wider problem. This relates to delays in availability of mortality data, even more in the context of[Read More…]
The occupation of Afghanistan became an end in itself, with war profiteering turning into a roaring business with money, women, drug trafficking, foreign bank accounts, contractors — all thrown into it…thus a limited punitive mission by two dozen special forces personnel morphed into a Sisyphean exercise that lasted nineteen years. *** One missing part in US President Joe Biden’s remarks[Read More…]
Reactions to the U.S. decision to withdraw troop from Afghanistan are mixed. A few are of disappointment. Media reports said: ‘Not what we’d hoped for’: UK military chief disappointed Britain’s military chief has expressed disappointment at president Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defense Staff, said it was “not[Read More…]
It is a matter of pride for the Indians that the United Nations including the University of British Columbia declared 14th April as “International Equality Day”. All over the world, Ambedkarites, and Buddhists are celebrating 130th birth celebration of Vishaw Guru Baba Sahib Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Ambedakrites & Buddhists, nationally and internationally, have organized function virtually as well as physically[Read More…]
“The higher education in India is poised for colossal changes with deleterious outcomes under the ‘surveillance capitalism,’” according to G. Arunima, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Director of Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR). She was delivering the Third “Scholars of Eminence Web-Lecture” (SEW-L) organised by the Inter University Centre for Social Science Research and Extension (IUCSSRE), Mahatma Gandhi[Read More…]
We are currently seeing an acceleration of the corporate consolidation of the entire global agrifood chain. The high-tech/data conglomerates, including Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Google, have joined traditional agribusiness giants, such as Corteva, Bayer, Cargill and Syngenta, in a quest to impose a certain type of agriculture and food production on the world. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is[Read More…]
The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 3 million people amid repeated setbacks in the worldwide vaccination campaign and a deepening crisis in countries like Brazil, India and France. World Health Organization (WHO) says pandemic is at a critical point. The number of deaths, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the population of metropolitan Lisbon, Portugal[Read More…]
When the fourth segment of the Rising Garden Film Festival, hosted by Sangat feminist network and the Kriti Film Club, as part of the One Billion Rising South Asia’s 2021 campaign, comes to an end on Monday, the filmmakers, organisers and viewers together say that the film fiesta became a global phenomenon, amidst pandemic. Gamze Ineceli, an active viewer of the festival[Read More…]
‘Sholay’ was a landmark film, directorial masterpiece and greatly entertaining movie but not a classic with a social theme Without doubt Sholay was the most impactful film ever made in the history of Bollywood.No film ever influenced or penetrated the Indian psyche as much as ‘Sholay’ .Few scenes of films ever flash memories ,with such degree of intensity like ‘Sholay.’It[Read More…]
As a development and environmental economist with interest in India and the Punjab, I have been writing and speaking on India’s three farming laws enacted in September 2020. As a part of enriching my research on the subject, I wrote to the British Prime Minister (who is from the Conservative Party), the two Members of Parliament from Oxford (Oxford West[Read More…]
As I view the new Frontline documentary American Insurrection I can see how terribly important ( in not a good sense ) the wearing of uniforms is. As a student of the Nazi Holocaust for much of my adult life I always remember how those brown SA uniforms ( Black for the SS ) were so vital. You take a[Read More…]
“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” Rita Mae Brown The words that we weave each day, with the flavour of our thoughts, become the defining factor of our individuality. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that language is the flagship of human civilization, an[Read More…]
One of the first ways in which a city gets judged is by its greenery. However it is well to remember that aspects of urban greenery at first glance can be quite deceptive. There may be big lawns with very colorful flowers on various sides. But a question worth asking is the extent to which these have involved heavy inputs[Read More…]
Tuberculosis has been one of the most damaging infectious diseases of India for several decades. COVID-19 has been the most feared disease In India for over a year now. From the beginning of 2020 to March 2021 , a period of about 15 months, about 150 thousand or 1.5 lakh deaths were caused by COVID-19 in India. The normal number[Read More…]
The second wave of Corona-virus has stuck hard in India particularly states such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar-Pradesh and Delhi have seen alarming rise in the cases and the governments have been caught by surprise. Was the Corona wave surprising or we allowed this to happen. Let us go to the latest figures. As per reports 14.5 millions cases[Read More…]
In early fall 2020, I took a break from intense work on textbook preparation to immerse myself in nature, in the form of a month on the Olympic Peninsula. I spent periods of good weather in the backcountry, and therefore didn’t bother carrying a tent along in my already-too-heavy backpack. Somehow sleep is more precious when there’s some chance of[Read More…]
Afghan-chessboard is difficult. Now, with the US president’s latest Afghan-move, the chessboard is going to be more difficult, and more complex. It’s now neither a Stunning Queen Sacrifice nor a Bishop Endgame. Is it a Desperado Sacrifice or a Rook and Pawn Endgame? It’s difficult to ascertain now. US President Joe Biden has officially announced that US troops will leave[Read More…]
Raul Castro, leader of the Communist Party of Cuba, has announced that he is stepping down and handing leadership to a younger generation “full of passion and anti-imperialist spirit.” Fidel Castro and Raul Castro have led the Communist Party of Cuba party since 1961. Ready to defend revolution “As I live I will be ready with my foot in the[Read More…]
SEW-L Inaugural Address Can historians avoid anachronism in their narratives of the past? This has been a major question in the debates of/in historiography, and noted historian Prof. Rajan Gurukkal addressed this question in the context of the project of ‘reinventing nation’ in historical writings in a fortnightly “Scholars of Eminence Web-Lectures” (SEW-L) organised by the Inter University Centre[Read More…]
Thrissur pooram is on the move. This festival attracts millions of people. People flock themselves in the heart of Thrissur without leaving an inch of space for another person. Forget one meter distance from each other as per COVID regulations. I was in Thrissur recently. There was a hoarding of Minister Sunil Kumar which said that Pooram would be conducted[Read More…]
Written by Medea Benjamin and Leonardo Flores A spoiled ballot in Ecuador’s elections. Photo by @AlinaDuarte_ Ecuador’s April 11 election that led to a 5-point victory by conservative banker Guillermo Lasso over progressive candidate Andrés Arauz was not what it appeared to be. On the surface, it was a surprisingly clean and professional election, as our CODEPINK official observer delegation[Read More…]
Summary: This critical essay deconstructs the political narrative surrounding the naturalization agreements that have occurred between some Arab countries and Israel formally known as the Abrahamic Accords or Jared Kushner’s plan for peace in the Middle East. It offers unique perspectives and analysis of these accords and their true geopolitical intentions. Primarily, it argues how the peace promised by these[Read More…]
Written by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J S Davies An Afghan taxi-driver in Vancouver told one of us a decade ago that this day would come. “We defeated the Persian Empire in the eighteenth century, the British in the nineteenth, the Soviets in the twentieth. Now, with NATO, we’re fighting twenty-eight countries, but we’ll defeat them, too,” said the taxi-driver,[Read More…]
A Taliban unit in Laghman, Afghanistan, Dec. 2020 (File photo) To be sure, the “forever war” in Afghanistan is ending on a sombre note. The US has barely managed to avoid a humiliating defeat. The final legacy will be that there are limits to American power. India will do well to bear this mind as it consorts with the Quad. [Read More…]
After imposing executive controls over the Over The Top (OTT) streaming media, the Centre has inflicted yet another blow on cinema medium… Either the producer must silently suffer or move to High Court and wait years for ‘justice’. This is a new kind of censorship of effective medium, a burden on producer and a blow to cinema. *** The BJP-led[Read More…]
Study warns of grave consequences for agriculture and economy, affecting over one billion people. If global warming continues unchecked, summer monsoon rainfall in India will become stronger and more erratic. This is the central finding of an analysis by a team of German researchers that compared more than 30 state-of-the-art climate models from all around the world. The study predicts[Read More…]
The social thriller movie can be a very effective and useful genre of cinema. Social thriller movies are those thriller films which make a more conscious and emphatic effort to raise some important issues of social concern or to convey a strong socially relevant message. These are an important means of taking socially relevant messages to film viewers. Unfortunately this[Read More…]
Social movements in the context of rural areas have generally been discussed at two levels. Both involve a plea for justice, or a reduction or removal of perceived injustices. Both are highly relevant. Firstly, there are movements which relate to perceived injustices of an external agency. The external agency may be the government or a private party, or a collusion[Read More…]
The Yemeni city of Marib is in the thick of fighting between Houthi rebels and loyalists of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government. Marib is the capital of Marib Governorate, lying roughly 100 miles northeast of the country’s capital in Sana’a. It was established after the 1984 discovery of oil deposits in the region and contains much of Yemen’s oil, gas, and[Read More…]
No batsman who played for India took elegance or grace to such divine proportions as Mohammad Azharuddin.He was the perfect manifestation of poetry in motion in Cricket.Azhar was not as technically sound as Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar ,as calculating as Virat Kohli or as destructive as Virendra Sehwag but for sheer artistry he surpassed them all. Few artists took[Read More…]
Vancouver City Councillor Jean Swanson was presented with the Radical Desi medal of courage by members of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) on Thursday, April 15. Swanson had recently brought a motion in support of the Indian farmers who have been camping outside New Delhi for the past several months. The agitating farmers are opposing the controversial laws passed[Read More…]
(A new Medical Professionals for Mumia petition co-written by Dr. Alvarez is reprinted at the bottom of this article. Read “A Christmas Cage,” Mumia Abu-Jamal’s personal account of what happened to him on the morning of Dec. 9, 1981) As this article goes to press today, April 15th, Mumia is now scheduled for open heart surgery tomorrow. We only know that he has severe blockages[Read More…]
It had to be symbolic, and was represented as such. Forces of the United States will be leaving Afghanistan on September 11 after two decades of violent occupation, though for a good deal of this stretch, US forces were, at best, failed democracy builders, at worst, violent tenants. In his April 14 speech, President Joe Biden made the point that[Read More…]
A woman embracing her husband after his return from a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. David Goldman/AP.More than 2,400 American service members were killed in Afghanistan and more than 20,000 were wounded. What exactly am I supposed to tell these mothers that their sons died for? What was it all for? It remains unclear if the more than 2,400 US[Read More…]
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones prepares to pull alongside aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (File photo) The “defining partnership of the 21st century” with India will not inhibit Washington from pursuit of American interests. The bottom line is that in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India should not punch above its weight… reflect sadly where all the heady[Read More…]
Dima Khalidi, founder and director of Palestine Legal (still from “Weaponizing anti-Semitism: IHRA and Ending the Palestine Exception.” For Palestinians, it takes a lot of courage to say, “Let’s talk about what Zionism means to Palestinians… We are not allowed to question the concept of Jewish self-determination in historic Palestine,” as Dima Khalidi, founder and director of Palestine Legal expresses[Read More…]
Australia’s Labor Party’s recognition of Palestine as a State on March 30 is a welcomed position, though it comes with many caveats. Pro-Palestinian activists are justified to question the sincerity of the ALP’s stance and whether Australia’s Labor is genuinely prepared to fully adopt this position should they form a government following the 2022 elections. The language of the amendment[Read More…]
i have sought to love you unworthy that i am i have sat in the tall grass looking out over water watching a setting sun and i have sought to love you unworthy that i am i have walked poetic the meadow a red tailed hawk circled above i have traveled the narrow quiet path[Read More…]
A Military Spouse’s Perspective on the Pentagon’s Flawed Response to the Pandemic Herd immunity? Don’t count on it. Not if that “herd” is the U.S. military. According to news reports, at least a third of active-duty military personnel or those in the National Guard have opted out of getting the coronavirus vaccine. That figure, by the way, doesn’t even include American[Read More…]
Written by Ariel Gold and Medea Benjamin Just as talks between the United States and Iran were taking place last week in Vienna, a cyberattack was carried out on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. Reports are that the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, was behind the attack that blacked out the facility just one day after Tehran launched new advanced uranium enrichment[Read More…]
The procurement of wheat has started in several parts of the country. This should normally be a very happy time for farmers but at the same time there are several reports relating to procurement being held up at some places due to some reason or the other. It may be a hassle over moisture content in one place and it[Read More…]
“Inequality is the soul of Hinduism”. And that is why he finally came to conclusion that, “I was born a Hindu, but will not die a Hindu” (Dr. BR. Ambedkar) “Until 1990, Ambedkar was untouchable to all mainstream political parties’’ (Prof. Kancha Ilaiah) On the auspicious occasion of the 130th birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar (celebrated as the Ambedkar[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Dear Shri Rajiv Gauba, Enclosed are my two letters dated 12th & 13th April, 2021 addressed to the Union Home Secretary, on the responsibility for spreading COVID by permitting Kumbh Mela to take place at Haridwar in Uttarakhand. I had requested the Union Home Secretary to intervene in the matter urgently and stop the[Read More…]
The Modi Government is worried that if it is forced to withdraw the farm bills under pressure of the farmers’ movement, it may inspire people’s struggles against other elements of neoliberalism imposed on India by the World Bank – such as cut in education and health subsidies. It is now 47 days since the farmers began their epic struggle on[Read More…]
A new poll has found a majority of Americans is blaming mass shootings in the U.S. on easy access to guns and racism, but a significant portion also put networks like Fox News and CNN at fault. Asked “how much do you blame each of the following for mass shootings?” in the wide-ranging Politico/Morning Consult poll, 69% and 67% pointed[Read More…]
Denis Halliday is an exceptional figure in the world of diplomacy. In 1998, after a 34-year career with the United Nations—including as an Assistant Secretary-General and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq—he resigned when the UN Security Council refused to lift sanctions against Iraq. Halliday saw at first hand the devastating impact of this policy that had led to the[Read More…]
Wikipedia defines Kapos , which originated from the German concentration camps, as the following: Kapos were inmates of Nazi camps who were appointed as guards to oversee other prisoners in various tasks. There were three main types of Kapos : work supervisors, block elders, and camp administrators. Well, this American empire has its own Kapos. Since we are a Military[Read More…]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) at press conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar (R), Delhi, April 6, 2021 That is why today, any signalling that Modi has lost interest looks a cowardly behaviour and can be lethal to the India-Russia relationship… India has already given up its fascination for Russian energy and has settled for US shale oil;[Read More…]
A number of catchy slogans, melodramatic speeches in mask-less rallies of thousands, puerile arguments of insider- outsider, and of course the evergreen communal angles, Bengal is seeing it all. In the ongoing hullabaloo, it is imperative to talk elections in the context of real peoples’ real issues. The moral duties of an elected government to its people does not change[Read More…]
Many dacoit films have been made in Hindi cinema, against the background of Chambal region and also in other contexts. But most of these do not go beyond violence, revenge and romance. In fact some of these with the exaggerated importance these give to seeking revenge as well with long drawn-out violence sequences can have quite a negative impact on[Read More…]
An annual vigil was held on Tuesday evening at Surrey’s Holland Park in commemoration of those killed by the troops in British India 102 years ago. Close to 1,000 peaceful demonstrators died in the indiscriminate firing at Jallianwala Bagh, a public park in Amritsar, on April 13, 1919. The agitators had gathered to oppose draconian laws passed by the British[Read More…]
Communities across the U.S. marched and mourned for the third consecutive night Tuesday in memory of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a police officer after a traffic stop over the weekend. Meanwhile, the cities of Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis and St. Paul imposed 10 p.m. curfews. Wright’s death on Sunday has shaken a nation already[Read More…]
On the 9th of April 2021, Ramsey Clark passed away in the States. He was ninety four. The former US Attorney-General had spent decades in the struggle for human rights both when he was in government and after he ceased to be Attorney-General. He had been in the forefront of so many human rights causes that it will not be[Read More…]
Scientific pursuit, struggles in the arena of production, and class-war making language dynamic and rich is related to the issues of the world around – nature and processes in nature, dialectics, basis and super structures and relation between these, power and powerlessness, class and class struggle. Whatever individual contribution in the universe of language is made, it’s ultimately the product[Read More…]
The people of Navalewadi village in Pune district awoke to the panic-stricken roars of a leopard on Tuesday morning. A healthy two-year-old female leopard had been splashing around in a 25-feet-deep well, and seemed exhausted. The villagers alerted the forest department. A team of four, comprising forest staff joined by members of NGO Wildlife SOS was dispatched to the spot.[Read More…]
This is part-1 of an article, being published to mark the Birth Anniversary on April 14, of Dr. BR Ambedkar (1891-1956). Referring to “a great deal of controversy” regarding the origin of caste, “as to whether it is due to the conscious command of a Supreme Authority, or is an unconscious growth in the life of a human society[Read More…]
On every front or sphere Punjab continues to simmer spark of resistance or crystallisation of democratic forces at a boiling point .This gives the fulcrum to the historic farmer’s resistance on the Delhi border, providing the very fuel. Countless rallies and programmes are staged confronting the neo-fascist economic policies of Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party and the corporates it[Read More…]
By the time you read this piece, it will already be out of date. The reason’s simple enough. No matter what mayhem I describe, with so much all-American weaponry in this world of ours, there’s no way to keep up. Often, despite the headlines that go with mass killings here, there’s almost no way even to know. On this planet[Read More…]
The Israeli government’s position regarding an impending investigation by the International Criminal Court of alleged war crimes committed in occupied Palestine has been finally declared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It will be made clear that Israel is a country with rule of law that knows how to investigate itself,” Netanyahu said in a statement on April 8. Subsequently,[Read More…]
On April 12, 2021, a meeting was held in Germany between US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths. In a press statement following the meeting, Griffiths said: “The war in Yemen has lasted over six years. In these six years Yemenis have increasingly and appallingly, lacked access to[Read More…]
Unlike Hollywood movies where Americans have the lead in saving the world, the crisis of the corona virus pandemic has shown the opposite. The first major test showed that the American health care system was inferior to the Russian one, created during the Cold War. And while the Kremlin has managed to provide real assistance to a number of European[Read More…]
Whether people of the world will have to learn to live with the virus? As India and many parts of the world seem to be engulfed by the second or third wave of the Coronavirus epidemic – which is more dangerous and has appeared with new symptoms – this idea is being pushed from different quarters. Newspaper articles or surveys[Read More…]
At a time when the world is already in the middle of a serious survival crisis, it is a matter of deep concern that most responses to crisis situations are narrow responses which cannot go very far as, while trying to respond to a part of the crisis, they fail to look at the whole and at best can make[Read More…]
Ramadhan comes as the 9th month of the Islamic Calendar. It is known for the mercy of Almighty on humanity which is in the form of divine guidance, spiritual nourishment, compassion, and moral training. The Islamic calendar is purely lunar. The month begins when the new crescent moon is first visible in the night sky and ends with Eid al[Read More…]
In Feb this year, the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India issued guidelines for acquiring and producing geospatial data and geospatial data services including maps. It is said that through this, the government has significantly liberalised the erstwhile licensing policy to boost self-reliance on mapping technologies amid growing competence and in view of ‘Aatmnirbhar Bharat’. Under the[Read More…]
Contaminated wastewater at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant will be released into the ocean “in around two years,” the Japanese government has announced, despite calls from China and South Korea urging against the move. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the move in Tokyo, on Tuesday. He had previously called the release “unavoidable” given the amount of accumulated water over[Read More…]
Flash-bangs and teargas were used to disperse the crowd gathered outside the Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police department, in violation of the curfew declared to stop the riots over the death of Daunte Wright. An hour and 45 minutes after the 7 pm curfew went into effect, police issued a final “unlawful assembly” warning and deployed crowd control weapons. Some of[Read More…]
Fourteen years ago, when noted author and historian in the world of Hindi language Mr Subhash Chandra Kushwaha took an initiative to create an space for folk artists against the culture of indecency and vulgarity in the name of folk culture particularly in the Bhojpuri heartland, nobody ever assumed that the event would become hugely popular with the masses[Read More…]
Introduction Human trafficking is not only a modern day slavery but it is a gender-based violence which requires interventions from civil society, local community and law enforcement agency to address it. Trafficking is gender-based violence since it affects girls and women and it is also a human rights violation with major social and psychological impacts for trafficked survivors, their families[Read More…]
The passing away of Mr I A Rehman who was also fondly referred as Rehman Saheb, founder of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a truly people’s Commission on Human Rights is a big loss for the human rights movement in South Asia in general and Pakistan in particular. His was a voice that stood with its head high and with[Read More…]
The RSS-BJP rulers of India declare India to be a battle-ground between Hinduism and Islam. Muslims have been declared as ‘Internal Threat’ number ONE [RSS ideologue, MS Golwalkar’s Bunch of Thought chapter xvi]. Many of their leading cadres including those who hold high constitutional posts have been conspiring over-time to ignite a civil war between the two communities (they believe[Read More…]
The commons is a concept originally used in England during the Middle Ages to designate shared areas (mostly woods and pasture lands) that peasants collectively managed to access basic resources such as firewood, foraged food or grazing for their cattle. In a mostly rural society, peasants relied on the commons for survival. In fact, the appropriation and plunder of the[Read More…]
Over the weekend, Iran marked National Nuclear Technology Day. The stars of the show were going to be new advanced centrifuges at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant. Unfortunately, the stars did not shine and President Hassan Rouhani and his officials were left with a reminder of the previous time the centrifuges at Natanz crashed. In 2010, a joint US-Israeli operation[Read More…]
I wish to write a little on a couple of terms, one of which, Ground or Grounding Dimension, I learned from an essay by Larry Dossey, and the other, Floating World, came to me as a designation for America but which I now understand was formerly applied to the urban culture of Edo Japan. One of these terms implies connectedness,[Read More…]
COVID-19 pandemic as well as the lockdowns which followed in most countries have caused a lot of distress . However the wider bitter reality is that these times were also used to push the narrow interests of very powerful persons and forces. Inequalities have increased greatly. While tens of millions have suffered great distress and loss of income, the fortunes[Read More…]
As the summer advances, there are increasing reports of acute drinking water shortages from many villages. A recent report from Himachal Pradesh, for example, says that over 400 drinking water schemes of Shimla and over 220 schemes of Mandi have been hit by a spell of dry weather. This is the situation in early April and the situation is likely[Read More…]
Why I am not a Hindu woman: a personal story by Wandana Sonalkar, New Delhi: Women Unlimited, 2021, pp 169. Wandana Sonalkar is a self-proclaimed atheist and in this autobiographical account titled ‘Why I am not a Hindu Woman’, Sonalkar critically reflects on her position on why she has chosen to renounce her religion. This work adds to the[Read More…]
Today on April 12th we celebrate the 13th death anniversary of Comrade Anuradha Gandhy. Without doubt one of the greatest comrades in the annals of revolutionary history ever who till her last breath exuded spirit of revolution and was a crusader for liberation. None could illustrate better that to be a revolutionary one had to undergo inner or spiritual transformation.[Read More…]
There has been a proliferation of literature on women, including women’s history across the world. Yet, women remain mostly invisible or misrepresented in mainstream history. They are either not present at all, or they are portrayed as innately ‘inferior’ and ‘subordinate,’ as perpetual victims of male oppression. This has been a pattern across nations and continents for long. Consequently, the[Read More…]
“Suppose there are ten people in this room. Seven are starving, and one is winning medals, and two are doing OK. And I say, ‘Look at these seven people who are starving,’ and you say, ‘Oh, don’t be so negative, no, things are not so bad – look at the other three.’ Really?” Arundhati Roy. Globalization of the economic[Read More…]
The head of the Norwegian police, Ole Saeverud imposed a fine of $2,352 on Erna Solberg, the two-term Prime Minister of the country for violating the COVID rules in a private party held by her. While doing so, what Ole Saeverud said is significant . “Though the law is the same for all, all are not equal in front of[Read More…]
Extreme drought may be going to hit across the Western U.S. Some scientists saying the region is on the precipice of permanent drought. In 2000, the Western U.S. entered the beginning of what scientists call a megadrought — the second worst in 1,200 years — triggered by a combination of a natural dry cycle and human-caused climate change. The U.S.[Read More…]
Since March 2020, a struggle has been waged by Karbi and Adivasi farmers of Mikir Bamuni Grant village in Nagaon district of Assam against the forceful takeover of their lands for the purpose of constructing a solar power plant by Azure Power Forty Private Limited. In each formal statement Azure Power continues to parrot that they are not in violation[Read More…]
“I am not going to be talking about numbers today,” Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told Australia’s Radio National on April 12. This echoed suggestions from the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who had adopted the position that Australia best forget meeting any clear vaccination targets. Having left battling the pandemic to State governments, the Federal government has found[Read More…]
In a recent report, the United Nations Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, concluded that, on January 3, French warplanes had struck a crowd attending a wedding in the remote village of Bounti, killing 22 of the guests. According to the findings, based on a thorough investigation and interviews with hundreds of eyewitnesses, 19 of the guests were unarmed civilians[Read More…]
Protests in Belarus continue, and opposition leaders, mostly fled from the country, are busy calculating and looking for funds that the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko annually withdraws from the budget of his Republic. Meanwhile, information about the wealth of his family is almost on the surface, and the enrichment scheme of the Lukashenko clan has been worked out a long time[Read More…]
Over five centuries after he confronted the most powerful pillars of establishment with truth and courage, Sant Kabir reigns in the hearts of millions as an compromising social reformer and people’s poet with perhaps the widest reach in India. He is still arguably the most commonly quoted poet in the vast Hindi belt, with a following that extends much beyond[Read More…]
Apple orchards have been highly prioritized in the development path adopted by several Himalayan regions. So it is important to emphasize that the apple orchards t should opt for more sustainable paths, instead of going in for hurried ways which may prove to be costly later and cause ecological ruin as well. The creation of apple orchards over large areas[Read More…]
The quantity of information that we are exposed to every single day is astounding: we now in 2021 take in five times more information than we did in 1986. With our attention spans eroded to approximately eight seconds in our digital landscape, we have learned that to consume is to skim. Most of the text content is forced to be[Read More…]
Coronavirus infections in the South Asia has surpassed the grim milestone of 15 million on Saturday, a Reuters tally shows. The surge is led by India’s record daily infections and vaccine shortages. South Asia — India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka — accounts for 11% of global cases and almost 6% of deaths. The region accounts for[Read More…]
Red salutes to immortal Contribution of Sunder Navalkar to emancipation of the working class who passed away on April 9th Veteran comrade Sunder Navalkar is no more, perishing at 10.30 in the morning on April 9th.Without doubt she was one of the greatest persons ever to have treaded the path of Communist Revolution blazing the spirit of Liberation or Mao[Read More…]
As the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic intensifies in India, migrant workers are returning back to their villages. Imposition of new restrictions to contain the virus – like the announcement of a night curfew in Delhi – has instilled fears in workers that they will be rendered jobless and get stuck in the industrial centres where they are precariously[Read More…]
Butterflies are recognized the world over as the most beautify insects. Just watching them fly or sitting on a flower is such a source of joy. Children can spend a long time doing just this, or running after them. Just as I was writing this, I heard a few children call out. They were looking with undiluted joy at a[Read More…]
The more one thinks about it, the stronger appears the case for distribution of land based on equality, justice and actual need. Tolstoy, one of the greatest philosophers but by inheritance also a very big landlord, thought a lot about this issue and the more he thought, the more convinced he became that the most logical, in fact , the[Read More…]
Who is a teacher? In a loose sense a teacher would be anybody including Mahatma Gandhi who was not a teacher in any school or college and Ambedkar who was a teacher in a college for some time. On the other hand, only the school teachers are called the teachers in a strict sense and not the university teachers who[Read More…]
Written by Rahul Singh Rana and Sandeep Pandey The Farmers’ protests are into their fourth month now. These protests started with people from Punjab and Haryana breaking barricades and heading towards the Indian capital. As expected, these protesting farmers were met with force at several places. Undeterred by the challenging circumstances, the farmers were able to reach at the borders[Read More…]
Written by Prem Kumar Vijayan & Karen Gabriel It is widely acknowledged that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and more specifically, his political method of non-violent struggle, was one of the major reasons that the British were forced to leave India. However, it is also evident that these Gandhian methods have failed on many, many occasions, and are likely to continue to[Read More…]
“My book has no thesis, and any conclusions to be found in it were reached only during the writing, perhaps the most meaningful being that Hitler was far more complex and contradictory than I had imagined. ‘The greatest saints,’ observes one of Graham Greene’s characters, ‘Have been men with a more than normal capacity for evil, and the most vicious[Read More…]
Mein Kampf (1925; 1926) is a rambling political manifesto, disguised as autobiography. This book offers an insight into the long roots and broad appeal of extreme ideas – and, given the persistence of nationalism, racism, religious extremism, and conspiracy theories – should be required reading for every citizen of a contemporary democracy. *** Mein Kampf is a political manifesto disguised as[Read More…]
Written by Nizamuddin Ahmad Siddiqui & Abu Zar Ali The Supreme Court of India, by way of an order dated 8th April 2021, allowed the deportation of Rohingyas from the Indian territory. The Government of India had argued that these people were illegal migrants who had crossed the borders from the neighbouring state; and though they enjoyed the equal protection[Read More…]
The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic situation across the country is becoming alarming. With nearly 1.52 lakh new cases being reported daily (as on 10th April) and the mounting death toll a calamitous health situation is emerging. Amidst this, various states reported vaccine shortages and people are being sent home at the vacination centers. With spike in infections people started[Read More…]
The war in Yemen—the Arab world’s poorest country—has reached new heights of sickness and death by the spreading of the coronavirus pandemic in a vulnerable and fragile population. The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic could be greater than the combined toll of war, disease and hunger over the last five years, according to Lise Grande, the U.N.’s head of[Read More…]
“He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.” CHARLES PEGUY – French Author (1873-1914). Looking Beyond the Erroneous Logic of Contemporary Professional Intellect and Political Leaderships Are we living in an era of false truth, feigned piety and alternate transient facts of human affairs? To answer a rational[Read More…]
Gooch was arguably the best ever opening batsman against express pace bowling I have rarely seen a batsman as engrossed out in the middle as Former English opening batsman Graham Gooch in full flow, who could pierce the impenetrable gaps. He may have lacked the touch of a David Gower or solidity of Boycott but for sheer conviction no English[Read More…]
Once again we see US and Europe on the basis of false information and misleading campaigns have a destructive influence and lacks understanding of the peace process in The Horn of Africa. For 80 years, the UN and the international community disregarded Eritrea’s rights. The peace agreement in 2018 between Ethiopia and Eritrea was a welcome development in a region,[Read More…]
“It’s not normal for people to live like this,” says Iman Saleh, now on her twelfth day of a hunger strike demanding an end to war in Yemen. April 10, 2021: Since March 29th, in Washington, D.C., Iman Saleh, age 26, has been on a hunger strike to demand an end to the war in Yemen. She is joined by[Read More…]
This is an important year for climate change negotiations and climate change diplomacy is picking up fast, with an important virtual meeting called by US President of several world leaders scheduled for April 22. What is absolutely clear is that climate change mitigation and adaptation are among the most important challenges before humanity, and all countries, all people should try[Read More…]
A silent crisis that has been building up over recent decades may ultimately assume the form of one of the biggest risks to world food and farming system if allowed to proceed unchecked. An increasing number of scientists and conservationists are issuing warnings on the basis of urgency that if the many-sided risks for bees, butterflies, moths, humming birds, other[Read More…]
After four nightmarish years, the presidency of Donald Trump came to an end in January. Over 81 million people voted for Joe Biden over Trump, the largest vote total for any presidential candidate in the country’s history. Many of those votes for Biden were the result of the extraordinary efforts of grassroots organizers who rallied people to the importance of[Read More…]
Should not a medicine (Remdesivir) that has shown lifesaving effect in certain cases of Covid-19 be made available to all those who need it without delay? Even if Big Pharma has a patent, there are provisions in the global trade treaties that allow governments to issue compulsory licenses to such a lifesaving drug, and keep people over profit. This is[Read More…]
I am trying to wrap my brain around the abyss between pacifism and violence as to the proper means to bring about socio-political change. And as to how to overcome that divide. Though not violent as a person, my basic impulse, my instinct in this regard, is belligerent: ultimately, I believe, it will be necessary to unleash a lethal war[Read More…]
(The Press release is by way of a chronicle of the NIA Witch-hunt of Rights Defenders and documents the ongoing saga of the State’s Conspiracy to Silence Dissent) In an unprecedented manner, on 31st March & 1st April, 2021, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the homes of at least 33 human rights and civil liberties activists, members of women’s[Read More…]
A 2018 paper by Bar-On, Phillips, and Milo in PNAS contains a fascinating figure (Figure 1) that bears staring at for some time. It shows the dry carbon biomass distribution of various forms of life on Earth. Plants account for 450 Gt (giga-ton; 1012 kg) of mass, while the sum of all animals adds to 2.5 Gt. Humans comprise only 2.4% of animal mass[Read More…]
Today on April 9th we commemorate the 30th martyrdom anniversary of the 18 martyrs of Sewewala in Faridkot district in Punjab. They were all crusaders against the fascist Khalistani movement, striking every nail in the coffin to extinguish it. It also in no uncertain terms condemned the terrorism of the state. All the martyrs were part of the anti-repression and[Read More…]
Police in Belfast faced further disruption in Belfast on Thursday (April 8) night as crowds gathered again for the seventh night. Police blasted rioters with water cannon. Police officers were called in from other parts of Northern Ireland to help to deal with the rioting. More than 50 officers have been hurt in violence in several areas since the end[Read More…]
According to a recent report in a leading Hindi newspaper of Himachal Pradesh Amar Ujala (April 6), the Himachal government is seriously considering a proposal to start selling liquor at petrol pumps and gas stations. The government is reportedly in favor of taking forward the recommendations of a legislative committee to this effect. This has led to increasing concerns about[Read More…]
More than half of rural households in India are landless, or almost so. This deprives them of the most obvious asset needed for sustainable livelihoods and food security in villages–farmland. After agriculture the next most important source of rural livelihood in India is dairy farming but here too the household with farmland has free access to crop residues which is[Read More…]
The future isn’t what it used to be. As a teenager in the 1970s, I watched a lot of TV science fiction shows, notably Space: 1999 and UFO, that imagined a near future of major moon bases and alien attacks on Earth. Movies of that era like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey envisioned colossal spaceships and space stations featuring international crews on mind-blowing missions[Read More…]
Sir, Your article “Why Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath Remains the Most Memorable Saga of Displaced Farmers and Migrating Workers” that appeared in Countecurrents on April 8, 2021, presented us a scope to visualise the current distress of the farming communities, the peasants, workers, who are getting dispossessed, dislodged, against the backdrop of the novel John Steinbeck wrote. ‘The Grapes of[Read More…]
It is not up to the US to demand or dictate that Eritrea withdraw from Ethiopia — it is Ethiopia’s and only Ethiopia’s call to make. “The people of Eritrea and Ethiopia are challenging the US and EU’s fabrications, exaggeration and agendas with facts.” On February 22, 2021, the EU’s Council of Ministers held a conference in Brussels and addressed[Read More…]
(This is an exclusive long-form essay that aims to provide the most comprehensive and incisive understanding of West Bengal Assembly Election 2021: the ground-shifting and momentous battle in post-Independence Bengal. The first part can be read here; second part here. This is the third and the final part) Bengal 2021 and Thereafter In 2011 (Assembly Election), the BJP’s[Read More…]
Pakistan rights campaigners have accused the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan of “baffling ignorance” after the former cricketer linked how women dress to cause a rise in rape cases. In a weekend interview on live television, Oxford-educated Imran Khan said an increase in rapes indicated the “consequences in any society where vulgarity is on the rise.” “The incidents of rape[Read More…]
It’s more than two months since the Burmese military in a coup on 1 February refused to hand over the power to the National League for Democracy (NLD) after their victory in the November 2020 elections. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the army’s commander-in-chief and Myanmar’s de-facto ruler has justified the coup on grounds of large-scale election fraud, though the elections commission has denied[Read More…]
It is almost impossible to prove ‘bribery’ at the top level of governance, especially to punish a minister or a police officer or even a Chief Minister, because the criminal justice system demands evidence of very high standard, i.e. beyond reasonable doubt. The media gives a misleading headline whenever a charged public servant is acquitted in a corruption case that[Read More…]
As West Bengal Elections are on (April 2021), the heat of campaigning of the two major contenders, Trinmul and BJP has raised the political temperature in the state. BJP has put in all the power at is command for the campaign. Its affiliate organizations, the other groups which belong to its ideological cabal, are fully active at various levels. To[Read More…]
The important phase of the farmers’ movement in India starting with the dharna (sit-in) at Delhi borders in the last week of November has crossed over 130 days at the time of writing. There is as yet no immediate indication of a negotiated settlement, or of the movement withdrawing. So this is proving to be quite a prolonged movement which[Read More…]
Impacts of unjust systems manifest in many ways, but few are as poignant as independent , proud farmers being displaced from their farmland and forced to migrate to a distant and unknown place to seek work in uncertain conditions. We in India are all too familiar with this on-going , overwhelming reality of our times, our country and this is[Read More…]
Even in times of pandemic crises, some things never change. While Australia gurgles and bumbles slowly with its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, there are other priorities at stake. Threat inflators are receiving much interest in defence, and the media is feeding on it with a drunken enthusiasm. We live in a dangerous environment, and think-tankers, parliamentarians and commentators are starting to[Read More…]
If imprisoned Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, becomes the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the status quo will change substantially. For Israel, as well as for the current PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, such a scenario is more dangerous than another strong Hamas showing in the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections. The long-delayed elections, now scheduled for May 22 and July 31[Read More…]
Former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein has papered over a rare public dispute in the ruling Jordanian family in a move that is unlikely to resolve long-standing fissures in society and among the country’s elite and that echo multiple Middle Eastern fault lines. Differences over socio-economic policies, governance, and last year’s normalization of relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates[Read More…]
Grandiose plans to cool Earth, saving the planet from overheating by utilizing low-tech balloon flights sprinkling particles into the atmosphere to reflect solar radiation back into outer space have been delayed, nobody knows for sure when, or if, it’ll proceed. The planet-cooling scheme referred to as Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment aka: SCoPEx headed by Harvard professor Fran Keutsch hopes to[Read More…]
It was around noon and I was texting a friend about who-knows-what when I added, almost as an afterthought: “tho they seem to be invading the Capitol at the mo.” I wasn’t faintly as blasé as that may sound on January 6th, especially when it became ever clearer who “they” were and what they were doing. Five people would die[Read More…]
In February the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, made it a priority to phone Rui Figueiredo, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Minister of Cape Verde. They spoke about commerce and “security” (1). Why? Why is the tiny African nation of Cape Verde (population 550,000) a US priority? In short: because the US is behind China in the latest “scramble[Read More…]
When Yogesh Gandhi set up his medical store in Phaltan about 100 km from Pune in Satara district of Maharashtra, he invited his uncle, natural farmer Babulal Gandhi, to make an inauguration speech. “We should not be having medical stores in our cities – we should instead provide good food and a clean environment, one that fosters health and well-being.[Read More…]
Every time I had visited hill stations such as Ooty and Kodaikanal, I have greatly admired the breathtaking beauty of nature, though my admiration has found equal attention to the men’s world, who come in their cars and bikes, with cigarettes and beer tins in their hands, chatter and laugh heartily with their friends.The Indian society has no qualms with[Read More…]
Sunil Ambedkar analyses the implications of the recent violence in the Bihar Assembly In the history of the Indian democratic System, this is the first time that the ruling party used security personnel and force to shut down the voices of the opposition parties inside the Vidhan Sabha in the state of Bihar. That this historical event happened on the[Read More…]
The last year has been extremely difficult for school education. On the one hand there have been very prolonged school closures due to COVID related factors and on the other hand the new situation has been used to push commercialization trends which already existed but appear to have gained more strength in these exceptional times. There is a feeling of[Read More…]
During about 8 to 9 months of 1971, the Pakistani Army and its local collaborators killed nearly 2.5 million people , raped over 3 lakh women and uprooted nearly 10 million from their homes in Bangladesh ( then known to the world as East Pakistan) in a genocidal crackdown. This was not hidden from the world at all. There was[Read More…]
Members of the Telugu Church in Vancouver came together on Tuesday, April 6, to denounce the incarceration of the disabled Indian scholar G.N. Saibaba. A former Delhi University Professor, Saibaba continues to face inhuman conditions in an Indian jail after being convicted in 2017. First arrested on trumped-up charges in 2014, for merely speaking out against the repression of religious[Read More…]
Humanity has reached a critical decade A new report, published on 14 March, 2021 in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ journal Ambio, points out that humanity is hurtling towards destruction unless we have the collective wisdom to change course quickly. Here is a link to the article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-021-01544-8 The Ambio article was written as part of the preparation of[Read More…]
Marking The World Health Day, April 7, this is an extract from a book by PROF. B. M. HEGDE , HEALTHY INDIA 2020. Health is not the mere absence of physical illness. Health is the overall wellbeing of an individual that takes into account his/her physical, mental, spiritual, societal aspects of life into consideration. With this broad definition of[Read More…]
Valuing Water is the theme of the 29th World Water Day this year. Valuing Water and Enabling Change also happened to be the theme of the Annual Report of the World Economic Forum’s 2030 Water Resources Group (now hosted by the World Bank) last year. Clearly, no one who ever had to go without a glass of water for a few hours on a hot summer day needs to[Read More…]
The Committee for the Defence and Release of Dr G N Saibaba is deeply shocked and dismayed to learn that Dr Saibaba’s service as an Assistant Professor in Ram Lal Anand College, Delhi University, have been terminated by the said college, with effect from the 31stof March 2021. The Committee has learned that the College had been given a clear[Read More…]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone overboard in turning the political tide in his party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s favor in ongoing assembly elections in West Bengal. During his campaign, he has tried using Bengali language and has for months moved around donning image of the state’s Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). Exuding confidence about his party’s success, he recently[Read More…]
i The European race has received from heaven, or acquired by its own efforts, such an unquestionable superiority over all the other races composing the great human family, that the man placed in our country, by his vices and ignorance, on the last step of the social ladder, is still first among the savages. Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) Earlier this[Read More…]
This is Sixth and the last in the series on the flux in the global scene by the seasoned diplomat, an expert on Middle East, Eurasia, Central Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific… Part III: There is no timetable for an official launch Yuan as the clearing currency?A non-dollar payment mechanism, between China and Iran is under discussion. It remains[Read More…]
Engaging the World: The making of Hamas’s foreign policy. Daud Abdullah. Afro-Middle East Centre (AMEC), 2020. Hamas has been a strongly maligned actor within the western mainstream media. The concise and well written “Engaging the World” by Daud Abdullah presents a clear picture of Hamas’ attempts to act as an international state actor while at the same time continuing its[Read More…]
A bird came down to rest on a rocky perch. Turned his head this way — that way. It looks familiar, he thought. the cerulean skies the trees with foliage on tall, slim trunks the large red flowers in bloom. The river gushed white roaring its way down from its birthplace. Through rocky mountains and green hills it cascaded unstoppably.[Read More…]
This may not be news for those who have little connection with US domestic politics, but those who are closely watching the house of Uncle Sam it’s apparent that Hindutva forces are challenging the core US values in its home turf. This is an interesting development that needs to be closely watched as America’s melting pot culture is having[Read More…]
War films can easily degenerate into war propaganda and narrow nationalism. However there are other war films which vividly bring out the inherent pain and destructiveness of war in sensitive ways and hence, whatever their story content, also convey a message of peace. It is true that war films made in any country are often aimed at bringing out mainly[Read More…]
Even though so many mighty rivers flow in Himalyan region which take water to such vast plains , it is a fact that many Himalayan villages face increasing and acute water problems. While generally these become more acute in the summer season, this year water shortages started being reported from earlier days in Himachal Pradesh, reflecting a wider trend. A[Read More…]
Appeals to all parties to maintain calm and bring an end to all hostilities PUCL mourns and condemns the heavy loss of lives in the encounter between Maoists and security forces in Chhattisgarh. We are deeply distressed and completely disapprove the action of the Maoists which caused the loss of life of 22 security personnel in the encounter on April 3rd[Read More…]
India and the world has seen a lot in the recent past, and these poems from the past mirror the importance of resistance when the times are tough. The purpose behind translating these three different poets was a common underlying humanitarian theme of their work which believed in democratizing the political space. I personally feel that these three poems can[Read More…]
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and an assortment of high-profile figures and policy makers are pushing for unregulated gene-editing technologies, the rollout of bio-synthetic food created in laboratories, the expanded use of patented seeds and the roll back of subsidies and support for farmers in places like India. These neoliberal evangelists despise democracy and believe that state machinery and[Read More…]
“The name of the bait is ‘muslim”, the fishhook is ‘NRC’, and the fish is ‘indigent people’. Do you understand?”- Speaker? Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui. The phenomenal cleric, in a multitude of rallies tried to explain the dangers of citizenship law to the so-called marginalized people of Bengal in a lucid homely tone. However, Abbas’s meteoric rise has increased the discomfort[Read More…]
If a shameful act means an action which is criminal and nauseating; it would be an understatement to describe the attitude of the present RSS-BJP rulers of India towards the demolition of democracy and large scale killing of the people of Myanmar by the military [tatmadaw] junta which took power through a coup on February 1, 2021 after renegading the[Read More…]
The Pandemic has locked us in our homes for almost a year now. Most of us are bored, some have found one or the other vocations to spend at home. I resorted to my own- exploring Netflix to the point of exhaustion. There were plethora of movies and familiar sitcoms, until I came across a series, I thought I should[Read More…]
Bangledesh has completed 50 years of its liberation from the grip of West Pakistan, now Pakistan. It organized a grand program in which among others India’s Prime minster Narendra Modi was also invited. Modi claimed in his speech there that he had participated in the Satyagrah for Bangladesh’s freedom and was jailed for that. Many have pounced on him, as[Read More…]
Written by Neve Gordon and Mark LeVine Neve Gordon and Mark LeVine explain why the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism has been so successful. Was Albert Einstein an anti-Semite? Was Hannah Arendt? These questions may sound ludicrous. Yet, according to the definition of anti-Semitism that more than 30 countries — including the United States through the Biden Administration [Read More…]
Police used rubber bullets against rioters as the rioters hurled bottles and Molotov cocktails in the northeastern Swiss city of St. Gallen on Saturday. More than 30 people were temporarily banned from entering the city. The riot broke out after around 1,000 young people gathered at the Roter Platz square in the city center. The agitated crowd attacked police and[Read More…]
The brutal Naxal attack on the security forces in Chhattishgarh is a reminder of how they have amassed huge weapons to ‘protect’ their zones. It is a complete intelligence failure on part of both the Central and state government who allowed this massive operation. This was the same region where even earlier the Maoists had ambushed the security forces earlier[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Dear Shri Gauba, I write this letter in continuation of my earlier letter dated 30-3-2021 (copy forwarded) addressed to the Union Home Secretary on the potential danger of the huge election rallies being held in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam becoming super-spreaders of COVID. I had earlier requested the Union Home[Read More…]
Part II: China positions itself on the right side of history See Part I: China neutralises the US campaign on Muslim Uighur issue https://www.indianpunchline.com/the-china-iran-pact-is-a-game-changer-part-i/ In an exclusive interview with Al-Arabiya last week, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi outlined Beijing’s approach to the West Asian region with particular reference to the tensions in the Persian Gulf. Wang lamented[Read More…]
Fifty-four years ago, standing at the pulpit of Riverside Church in New York City, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his now-famous “Beyond Vietnam” sermon. For the first time in public, he expressed in vehement terms his opposition to the American war in Vietnam. He saw clearly that a foreign policy defined by aggression hurt the poor and dispossessed across the[Read More…]
What has gone wrong in America? Many throughout the world see a nation disjointed internally. A nation with radical extremists in control of large parts of its society. A nation with wide material inequality. A nation since the 9/11 blowing up of New York’s World Trade Center with none of its foreign interventions having achieved objectives. And now a nation[Read More…]
The most recent bastard child one of our presidents fathered was when Junior Bush, with whispers from his ‘ Handler’ Cheney, ordered the pre-emptive attack on Iraq on March 19th, 2003. The horrific overkill that trended into the terrible occupation still resonates with us. Of course, one year previous the same Cabal, always referenced through the war criminal Rumsfeld, orchestrated[Read More…]
Raj Kapoor is often called the greatest showman of Hindi cinema. This is of course meant to be a tribute, but this doesn’t quite do complete justice to the many-sided contributions of this great film-maker of exceptional talents. A very interesting aspect and important aspect of Hindi cinema is how within the constraints of commercialism, several film-makers could reach out[Read More…]
This year much higher incidence of forest fires has been reported from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Generally the risk becomes high only in the summer season but this year the risk started during winter and has already recorded very high damage at the time of writing on April 4. To get an idea of the extent of damage let us[Read More…]
“I don’t believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I will rise again in the Salvadorian people…” – Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyred, 24 March 1980 Whether we are aware of it or not, we live by stories. We live by others’ stories while we tell our lives by how we live. Our actions tell our stories. Then when we[Read More…]
Till the 1960’s, Neoliberalism had the same status in economics as Wahhabism (a supremacist, fundamentalist and intolerant version of Islam) had in Islam. (1). How it became the guiding principle of Western countries is an interesting question. Neoliberalism claims that human beings are best served by liberating the entrepreneurial class through strong private property rights, free market and free trade. State’s only role was to[Read More…]
What Joe Biden has done right We should praise Joe Biden for the good decisions that he had made during his first few months in office. He has filled positions in his cabinet with and administration with an ethnically diverse and gender balanced group of people. For example, we can think of his new Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland,[Read More…]
Police have arrested 26 people following clashes in London as thousands of demonstrators attended numerous marches against a controversial UK government crackdown on protests. Demonstrators on Saturday marched and gave speeches while holding signs with slogans such as ‘Kill the Bill,’ referring to the controversial proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The proposed legislation would give police more authority[Read More…]
Art from the Bengal School by Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose (This is an exclusive long-form essay that aims to provide the most comprehensive and incisive understanding of West Bengal Assembly Election 2021: the ground-shifting and momentous battle in post-Independence Bengal. The first part can be read here. This is the second part) Bengaltattva and Hindutva Bengaltattva – with[Read More…]
Nothing makes better sense to the political classes than small time demagoguery when matters turn sour. True, the United Kingdom might well be speeding ahead with vaccination numbers, and getting ever big-headed about it, but there is still good reason to distract the voters. Coronavirus continues to vex; the economy continues to suffer. In February, the Office of Statistics revealed[Read More…]
This is Fourth in the series on the flux in the global scene by the seasoned diplomat, an expert on Middle East, Eurasia, Central Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific… Fifth will follow. Part I : China neutralises the US campaign on Muslim Uighur issue Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L)[Read More…]
The deeply worrying crackdown in Myanmar is seen at present more commonly as an attack on basic democratic processes as the military junta seems intent on denying legitimate governance to those forces which have won very convincing victory in recent elections. However if early resolution of this confrontation does not emerge, and this appears unlikely in view of both the[Read More…]
Whenever it is recognized that foreign policy distortions of one or more superpowers have led to serious human rights violations and humanitarian crisis in developing countries, the focus has been on studying how the people in developing countries suffered. This is as it should be , as this is clearly the most important issue. However from the point of view[Read More…]
I am here selecting my top fifteen Hindi movies in terms of portrayal of social reality. My criteria is not entertainment or idealism but level of doing justice to realism. I must particularly complement the likes of Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil for championing so many roles portraying realism. 1.DO BIGHA ZAMEEN In a most artistic manner it reveals the[Read More…]
Over 40 people killed in Bihar during Holi but not much responses sought from the media neither from the government nor from a society as a whole. We romanticise these festivals so much and yet every year they take so many lives. Of course, Holi seems to be the best time for ‘avenging’ things’. The biggest of the story came[Read More…]
Bhubaneswar: The Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan (GASS) condemns the witch-hunting of the National Investigation Authority (NIA) officials against the human and democratic rights activists from Andra Pradesh and Telangana in the name of so-called “Maoist links “. It is reported in various National dailies that the NIA officials conducted raids at 31 residential places of the human rights activist and arrested[Read More…]
To me ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ is the best movie ever made in India and the most relevant even today. In a most artistic manner it reveals the oppression of feudalism or capitalism, brilliantly weaving a set of characters into a plot. The film contains no element of melodrama or fantasy but still hits the core of your soul. Enacting character[Read More…]
Written by Joan Martinez-Alier and Patrick Bond Now in retreat, Total talked “net zero” emissions while pursuing ultra-risky gas extraction On March 26, In a tropical site of great beauty and a centuries-old peasant lifestyle, scores of local residents and a few foreign workers died violently, as a major French oil company allied to a climate-unconscious African government gambled far[Read More…]
Are we losing the “in-built” measures of modernity in the religious minorities’ struggle for reclaiming equal and free space in India? The answer rests in the response of India’s religious minorities to the state of its shrinking democracy. Four Christian women including two nuns were travelling together in a group by Utkal Express from Delhi to Odisha on 19 March,[Read More…]
Note—The following document has been prepared in such a way that it can become at least a starting point for unity of opposition in India based on a program of strengthening justice, equality, environment protection, democracy, peace and inter-faith harmony. It is hoped that this may be of some help also in other countries placed in somewhat similar conditions. All[Read More…]
Brazil’s political atmosphere is unstable. On 30 March, 2021, the commanders of the Brazilian army, navy and air force – Gen Edson Leal Pujol, Adm Ilques Barbosa and Lt-Brig Antônio Carlos Bermudez – resigned from their posts in a historic move not seen since 1977 during the country’s military dictatorship. According to an official notice by Brazil’s Ministry of Defense, “The[Read More…]
Dr Siju Vijayan is passionate about his new film, Insha, which is a story that is true to this world that we live in. This is the reason why Insha is a trailblazer because stories about disabled people are not often told and are not often told with this much authenticity. Dr. Vijayan’s impetus of his debut film – Insha,[Read More…]
America is the richest nation in history, yet it has the highest poverty rate in the industrialized world with an unprecedented amount of Americans living in dire straits. Over 50 million citizens are living in poverty and need food stamps to eat, and 50 percent of U.S. children will use food stamps to eat at some point in their childhood. Approximately 20,000 people are added[Read More…]
KV Biju, national coordinator of the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh, one of groups under the umbrella of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha that has been leading the farmer protests on the borders of the national capital, was among two people thrashed late night on March 30, 2021, while out pasting posters urging voters in Kerala to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates[Read More…]
National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) condemns in the strongest possible terms the high-handed manner of ‘raids’ by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) at the homes of over 16 activists of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, acting on dubious FIRs registered a couple of months back. We express our solidarity with all these activists and advocates who are long standing members[Read More…]
The 27 $million to the family of George Floyd answering allegations that his civil rights were violated within a flourishing American culture of excessive force, racism and impunity by implication puts protective value on all lives in the USA. Remaining valueless are the millions of lives taken overseas by Americans, including by Black GIs who afterward return home to face[Read More…]
This is third in the series on the flux in the global scene by the seasoned diplomat, an expert on Middle East, Eurasia, Central Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific…Fourth will follow. “To be sure, Myanmar saga is far from a binary of democracy vs. autocracy….Beware of “colour revolution” that the Western intelligence , US and UK in lead role[Read More…]
Co-ordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO) is strongly condemning the raids of NIA(National Investigation Agency) on the houses of Rights Activists and activists belongs to various peoples organisations. NIA has raided the houses of nearly 16 Human Rights, Civil liberties, feminist activists and progressive writers in AP and Telangana. The raids began on 31st March evening and continued till the[Read More…]
It is generally observed that the RSS did not participate in the freedom movement. RSS does not answer the question or is not known to the people. There is answer to it if one fathoms deeper. The founder of the RSS, Hedgewar did participate in the freedom movement but that was the small stint. His association with Tilak and Savarkar[Read More…]
The Indian Sedition Law owes its origin to The British Sedition Act of 1661, an Act of Parliament of England which was passed as an Act for safety and Preservation of His Majesties Person and Government against Treasonable and Seditious practices and attempts. However Sedition was abolished in Great Britain through the Coroners and Justice Act of 2009. The Sedition Law in India was inserted into IPC[Read More…]
With the recent book “The Shudras : vision for a new path” (edited by Karthika Raja Karuppasamy and Kancha Ilaiah) and the Shudra farmers protesting on the capital borders, the issue of historically neglected Shudras came to the forefront. At a time when the right wing hindutva agenda is on its rise, the need to counter[Read More…]
It is good that recently initiatives have been taken by both India and Bangladesh to repair damage and prepare the ground for again strengthening close relationship. The geographical conditions of the two countries are such that the case for close cooperation and working and planning together is really very obvious and strong. These factors were strengthened by the unique and[Read More…]
In recent years the Matra Sadan Ashram in Hardwar has emerged as a hub of efforts of saints and activists for protection of Ganga river. So far three saints associated with Matra Sadan have died here fasting for protection of Ganga , while at the time of writing two other saints have been on fast for several weeks. One saint[Read More…]
Could the U.S. and China Face an Unintended Blowup in the Western Pacific in the Biden Years? The leaders of China and the United States certainly don’t seek a war with each another. Both the Biden administration and the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping view economic renewal and growth as their principal objectives. Both are aware that any conflict[Read More…]
Devika Rani is the name of that legendary figure who not only ruled Hindi cinema in the decades of 1930s and 1940s, but also gained fame as the first actress of Hindi cinema. She was not only a star or actress but the one who later became a filmmaker, gave legendary actors like Madhubala and Dalip Kumar to Hindi cinema.[Read More…]
Written by Sonja Scherndl and Adam Parsons Imagine what could be achieved if just a portion of the money spent on military expenditures were pooled into a global fund, and redirected towards ending hunger and massively investing in public health systems. **** If nations had a referendum, asking the public if they want their taxes to go to military weapons[Read More…]
Just as it is important for a journalist to report about problems, similarly it is important to report about achievements . While writing about agriculture for the greater part I have been reporting about problems because the overall strategy of farm development in India has been so problematic in terms of raising economic and environmental costs. But whenever I[Read More…]
Corporate morality can be a flexible thing. Some companies see tantalising dollar signs afloat in the spilt blood of civilians and dissidents. Military governments, however trigger crazed, offer ideal opportunities; potentially, corners can be cut, regulations relaxed. The Adani Group has shown itself to be particularly unscrupulous in this regard. In many ways, it is fitting. The group’s record in[Read More…]
A ‘major setback’ was the recurring term in many news headlines reporting on the outcome of Israel’s general elections of March 23. While this depiction specifically referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to secure a decisive victory in the country’s fourth elections in two years, this is only part of the narrative. Certainly, it was a setback for[Read More…]
The first stories of Chipko ( hug the trees to save them from felling) movement came from Chamoli district in Garhwal region where Gaura Devi and other hill women chased away workers who had come to fell trees. However by the late 1970s when as a young reporter I started writing on this movement, consciousness regarding this movement had spread[Read More…]
A welcome move for the United Nations, Security Council and International Community to uphold accountability and rein in Sri Lanka. At the 46th Session of UNHRC, the final Resolution on Sri Lanka was passed with 22 members voting for it with 11 opposing and 14 abstentions In this article some of the Resolutions’ vital recommendations can be analyzed in the[Read More…]
The youth must support the farmers’ movement! The fight against the farm bills is also a struggle to save several crore jobs!! The farmers agitation completed one month on December 26, 2020. Despite the biting cold, the resolve of the farmers shows no signs of weakening; on the contrary, their movement continues to strengthen as the days go by. More[Read More…]
Of late, a new importance is being accorded to “social media.” The so-called “social media” is allegedly playing an extremely negative role in spread of “socially-approved” abuses targeting weaker sections, particularly minorities and women. Now, is there really such a “social media” or this is just a hype? And aren’t we erring in according it a little too much importance?[Read More…]
This is second in the series on the flux in the global scene by the seasoned diplomat, an expert on Middle East, Eurasia, Central Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific…Third on Myanmar will follow. The “hidden agenda” of the war on terror in Afghanistan has been an open secret. The first inkling of its geopolitical character came when it transpired[Read More…]
Mhaswad village is a mere blip on India’s vast geographic radar but it shines brightly on the country’s development landscape. Women here are seeding a digital revolution that is enabling financial security and well-being for low-income women in remote villages Located in the rain shadow region of Satara district, Maharashtra’s sugar bowl, Mhaswad faces perennial drought and agrarian distress. However,[Read More…]
Global Leaders Plead for Peace in Ukraine at UN 
Ghosts of the Past: For Israel, War on UNESCO is an Existential Battle 
Keeping Cattle on Public Land Is Bad for People, Cows, Wildlife, and the Planet 
The United States in the World: Making Sense of the Past Forty Years (1981-2023) 
Canadian Youth At Risk and the Discrimination of Marginalized Demographics 
While Searching Worldwide for Terrorists, Uncle Sam Should Also Look in a Mirror 
American Abrams tanks roll into Ukraine 
An open letter to JNU VC – Your association with RSS defies humanism, anti-colonial struggle Indian democracy! 
From Education to Incarceration 
Tunakataa! Saying ‘No’ to Capitalism and Imperialism in Kenya 
Rising Islamophobia and Communal Discord: An Alarming Trend in BJP-Ruled States 
Speak Truth to Power and Pay the Price! 
USA’s Wars Took 12 Million Lives in The Last 25 Years 
US to send long-range ATACMS missile to Ukraine 
In Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan makes us an offer we can refuse 
Nijjar affair poses an existential dilemma 
On the Brink of Famine 
Appeal to withdraw the notification for the public hearing for the proposed Sijimali Bauxite Mining Project 
“Making a thriller from grain” 
Key Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) Likely To Collapse In 2025-2095 
Global Biofuel Alliance at G20: Land vs Water vs Food Security- Has the government addressed the trade-offs? 
The Nijjar Murder and Indian Government’s alleged “involvement”: Reactions and Reflections 
France Will Pull Out Its Diplomats And Military From Niger, Says Macron 
Imperial Footprints in Africa: The Dismal Role of AFRICOM 
Hunger in Africa has its roots in a History of Colonialism and Neo-colonialism 
The Climate March: Magnificent and Misdirected 
Imagining a Progressive Pentagon 
“Lost Voices of Fentanyl” Rally at the White House 
Indian Government Must First Evict Dalai Lama & his Followers before Admonishing Canada for Separatist Activities 
Peasant-rebels: lineages of insurgency 
Mission to Free Assange: Australian Parliamentarians in Washington 
Bayer-ICAR Collaboration Raises Serious Concerns Regarding Indian Farm Policy 
Place of Minorities as Allotted by Savarkar, Golwalkar and Upadhyaya 
What is in the name? Attempt to stop the usage of ‘India’ by the Government 
Poona Pact: A Reappraisal 
Hate Speech Inside Parliament: Reaching a New Low 
Criminal Justice And Freedom of Speech 
75,000 Climate Protesters Marched In New York With Demand To End Fossil Fuels 
On the Dark Side of the Moon.. 
Avoiding the War on Terror would have saved over 10 million lives at home and abroad 
My Amma (Malayalam word for Mother) passed away on August 22, 2023 at 3.10 AM. It is always difficult to deal with the passing of a parent, that too one’s mother. I thought the grief would go away. No it didn’t. All those bitter sweet memories won’t go away. At night I lie awake for hours. My friend, guide and[Read More…]
