Dr. Prem Singh, a prolific and multidisciplinary writer and former President of the Socialist Party (India), was in Lucknow on personal work in the last week of November 2021. Incidentally, I called him up and asked him some questions about the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. The details of that long telephonic conversation with him are given below. (This is an English version of[Read More…]
It has taken my slow brain a long time to figure it out but finally, as 2021 comes to an end, I have found a sure shot way of bringing about a social and political revolution in India. A transformation that will sweep away Indian society’s deep caste and class inequalities, deepen democracy and end the venal politics of hatred[Read More…]
In 2021, a total of 45 journalists were killed in connection with their work, IPI research revealed on December 29, 2021. The sombre tally reflects the continued risks of doing journalism and reaffirms journalist safety as a global challenge. International Press Institute (IPI) calls on authorities to end impunity for these crimes and to ensure the protection of journalists, who[Read More…]
How is anyone responsible for being born where he/she has been and the identity attached to his/her personality primarily because of his/her birth? Whatever is any person’s identity, why is any bias being practiced towards him/her primarily because of this? But this is still happening at this very moment. Prospects of this inhumane trend coming to an end in near[Read More…]
The open call for genocide against Muslims by some self-styled Hindu leaders at the recent ‘Dharam Sansad’ (Religious Parliament) at Haridwar has stirred a hornet nest. It has evoked a sharp reaction against the government’s complicity to shield such perpetrators of hate crime and more its inability to punish those disturbing communal peace. However, at another level, it has[Read More…]
This was the Christmas my young daughter finally cornered me into admitting that Father Christmas doesn’t exist. I felt a small pang of regret that she had taken another step towards graduating into the less colourful world of adulthood, but also a larger sense of relief that I could now stop lying to her. What a few years ago seemed[Read More…]
Ecocide must be elevated into an international crime—on a par with genocide and war crimes—and fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The first United Nations Scientific Conference on the Environment, also known as the First Earth Summit, was held in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 6-15, 1972. Ιt established a Declaration of Principles and adopted an action plan with recommendations for[Read More…]
To keep acting as if there wasn’t war declared against the planet and humanity is to accept we are already defeated. Continuing to play their game can only guarantee collapse. It’s time to flip the table. This year we saw some of the consequences of the climate crisis devastating rich countries in the Northern Hemisphere. This didn’t lead to any political[Read More…]
India entered a new phase with the ascension of Narendra Modi to power as the Prime Minister in 2014. People were searching for an alternative to the Congress-led UPA government at the centre. Narendra Modi’s ‘Gujarat Model’ and his push of narratives aiming at Congress government’s ‘minority appeasement’ convinced the ‘majority’ that under the leadership of Modi, India will find[Read More…]
Do social and political movements in India have a future despite the challenges posed by the regime in power? This is a critical question often raised by scholars and political leaders amid concerns and anxieties over a range of issues—from authoritarianism to strategies of political exclusion and suppression of dissent/opposition. Yet, there really is a silver lining in political cloud[Read More…]
My heart is strong but not a stone. I have emotions that are hurt. I have feelings that can be shattered. If you are angry you can shout or say anything. If I do the same it’s blasphemy. Or even I’m not supposed to be angry! If I cry, it’s a drama. If I’m sad, it’s a show. You even[Read More…]
This term, Neo Hindus, is a very recent phenomenon, perhaps in the last twenty-five years or so. It was always sort of hanging around amongt us; like an optical illusion, lurking like a thief who is unable to make that final reach to grab the handbag, (so near; yet so far). It may have been about around 1990 or so,[Read More…]
On Friday, Mali’s transitional government has clarified that it is engaged with Russian military trainers even as French troops are drawing down. So, it is official that Russian security personnel are deployed to Mali. Mali, a landlocked country in the Sahel region in West Africa, is the latest theatre of the great contestation involving the big powers playing out in[Read More…]
We’re on a trajectory to crash the futures of most people on the planet and finalize the irreversible annihilation of a big chunk of the natural world because of a mix of predatory delay and terminal entitlement. Climate futurist Alex Steffen Climate wise it’s clear that as we limp from ‘21 to ‘22 those who want to protect the economy[Read More…]
The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation conducted a pan-India assessment of climate change vulnerability based on fourteen parameters encompassing socio-economic aspects, livelihood, institution and infrastructure and biophysical features. “Out of 100 most vulnerable districts in the country, 70% of them are in five states of Eastern India– Assam, Bihar,[Read More…]
It was the rarest of rare ‘Christmas gift’ that the Christians in India never bargained for. Several Churches and their institutions were vandalized across the country, especially in BJP-ruled States, reportedly by the Hindutva forces during the Christmas week. The hooligans went around wreaking havoc, damaging churches, razing statues, disrupting Christmas celebrations and thrashing Christians. They ran amok with a[Read More…]
Pakistan, ostensibly created to safeguard the interest of the Muslims of India, but in actual fact to save the Muslim landowners of West Pakistan from land reforms which were on the plank of Indian National Congress platform, had a large impact of the more reactionary of the Muslim clerics. Main-stream Maulanas, not recognizing nationalism as a driving force in Islam,[Read More…]
A qualitative protest of around 500 workers was staged at Rampura Phul today in front of the office of the State district magistrate. The agricultural workers vociferously raised slogan condemning the government betraying their promises. In the last few months through united activity they have waged a sustained struggle for their demands. The farm labourers left their work to[Read More…]
Almost an hour from the bustling railway station of Madhupur in Jharkhand, beyond the vast green landscape and kuccha and pucca roads, lies the small and beautiful Santhal village of Fatehpur in district Deogarh. As you descend towards the village you are greeted by the strong nocturnal fragrance of ‘Raat ki Raani’ and blooming red ‘Jaba’ flowers, next to a[Read More…]
Photo credit: peace-justice.org This year, 2021, began with a huge sense of relief as Trump left office. We hoped to emerge from the ravages of COVID, pass a hefty Build Back Better (BBB) bill, and make significant cuts to the Pentagon budget. But, alas, we faced a January 6 white nationalist insurrection, two new COVID mutations, a sliced-and-diced BBB bill[Read More…]
A must see, especially during these times, is John Frankenheimer’s 1964 film Seven Days in May. In the movie, with a screenplay by genius Rod Serling ( of Twilight Zone fame- his creation by the way) a right wing conspiracy by generals and Fat Cats plot to overthrow our government. As a parallel to this film the January 6th Commission[Read More…]
Golden names like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Desmond Tutu invariably surface on the mental canopy of world public when topics as human rights, liberation struggle, human freedom and the like, especially when those of the oppressed, suppressed, persecuted and downtrodden among coloured and black peoples go afloat. The last of the above noble souls left the[Read More…]
I am speaking with you. We are talking together, speaking of ordinary things, using ordinary words. It is good talk too. The everyday is as much at risk as the light of the sky and as angels, robed in feathers, of heaven. On that note, I wish to speak with you in soul-talk, to talk in my native tongue, to[Read More…]
Capitalism is a form of life riddled with social antagonisms. Every Marxist knows this well. Most have been using the effects these antagonisms produce to predict the fall of capitalism for the last century and a half. However, like the weebles wobble toys from the early 2000s, these contradictions have wobbled capitalism, but have yet (in the West at least),[Read More…]
In this series of interviews Covid Response Watch brings you the voices of doctors, health workers, social activists and others, working ats the grassroots, speaking about the multiple impacts of the Covid pandemic on the lives of ordinary Indian citizens. Some aspects of the Covid disaster are new and unprecedented but many of them are also a continuation of the[Read More…]
Irony of Historic National Freedom and Unspoken Tyranny of Imperialism Do nations and civilizations grow out of the moral mire of military conquests, killings of innocent people, political cruelty and subjugation by imperialism? For more than 800 years, India as a Moghul Empire was an economically well integrated and politically viable entity and west European had strong trade and political[Read More…]
Justice Krishna Iyer said that “the project Aadhaar should not be implemented for it amounts to an assault on privacy and basic rights of individuals and is suited only for fascist nations.” Famous Supreme Court Judge V R Krishna Iyer on November 3, 2011 released the first critique book titled “AADHAAR; How a Nation is Deceived,” authored by P B[Read More…]
Binu Mathew, the editor of Countercurrents.org and the editorial team have been working selflessly with minimal funds and accepting no advertisements. Besides CC abhors foreign institutional funding, corporate funding or government aid. It has been in existence for about two decades and standing on the side of the people and taking an anti-establishment stance. To that extent it is like[Read More…]
If you’re reading this, you’re probably no longer skeptical about the need for Humanity to change its ways hard and fast. I would dare to say that you are one from a rising tide of consciousness, for whom the depth and breadth of our impact on this Earth is starting to sink in. You feel that equally massive changes are[Read More…]
Photo Credit—Jan Swasthya Sahyog Recently when top Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan withdrew from surrogate advertising of smokeless tobacco (SLT), it was welcomed but with a caveat- some other popular film actors still continue to contribute to booming sales of a product that is the number one cause of a very serious oral cancer crisis in S.Asia. The Cigarettes and Other[Read More…]
I would like to announce the punlication of a new book which discusses the reasons for our human encroachment on the earth’s ecological systems, and the possible consequences if we do not take steps to correct the problem. The book may be downloaded and circulated free of charge from the following link: https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2021/12/Humanitys-Massive-Footprint-On-The-Face-Of-Nature-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf Here are some of the problems that[Read More…]
With its latest steps, America runs the risk of being branded as a nation genetically predisposed to harming the homeland of 165 million Bengalis, many of whom still vividly remember how President Richard Nixon aided their enemy, Pakistan, in pursuit of his secret ping pong diplomacy via Islamabad. The United States has stepped up efforts to push Bangladesh to join[Read More…]
This may sound either arrogant or forgetful, but I could not possibly remember the number of times I was in the same room or at the same protest as Desmond Tutu. And the main reason I know he was there is because I was there listening to him speak, often from a distance of not more than two meters or[Read More…]
There’s a sad irony at the heart of Janice Raymond’s new book on transgenderism and feminism. After decades of research and activism, she is uniquely qualified to contribute to the polarized debate over these issues. But because she has long been demonized by the transgender movement, her insights on sex and gender will be overlooked by many. Doublethink: A Feminist[Read More…]
York is a cathedral city in northern England, located at the junction of the Ouse and Foss rivers. It is home to two universities as well as a burgeoning ethnic population. In 2021, the city council adopted an anonymous motion expressing the City’s intention of being an anti-racist city. There is much to say about the motion’s process, procedure, and[Read More…]
“Oddly enough, it (potato) was introduced to the Himalayas by two Irishmen, captain Young of Dehra and Mussoorie and captain Kennedy of Simla, in the 1820s. The slopes of Young’s house, ‘Mullinger’, were known as his Potato Farm. Looking up old books, I was surprised to learn that the potato wasn’t known in India before the nineteenth century, and now[Read More…]
There has been some heated discussion in recent weeks in India about whether the term Hindutva is the same as Hinduism or not. For those supporting the ruling BJP regime and the Sangh Parivar– the network of organizations spawned by the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh – there is no doubt that these two are identical. For opponents of the Sangh Parivar[Read More…]
An era has ended with the passing away of an anti-apartheid hero on Sunday, December 26. Archbishop Desmond Tutu left us at the age of ninety. He was in the forefront of the struggle against brutal white minority rule in South Africa. A Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Tutu was famously known for his quotation; “If you are neutral in situations[Read More…]
“Forces profound and alarming are reshaping the upper reaches of the North Pacific and Arctic oceans, breaking the food chain that supports billions of creatures and one of the world’s most important fisheries.”(Source: Susanne Rust, Unprecedented Die-offs, Melting Ice: Climate Change is Wreaking Havoc in the Arctic and Beyond, Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2021) “Breaking the food chain that[Read More…]
by Walden Bello & Isabel Ortiz In recent years, the world has been shaken by protests. From the Arab Spring to the social uprisings in Chile and Latin America, the world has seen a dramatic rise in protests. In a polarized world, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accentuated feelings of outrage and discontent. New research brings evidence of this by analyzing nearly three[Read More…]
A very significant polarisation has taken place between farmer’s organisations from the Samyukta Morcha on issue of stand in state elections in Punjab. A big chunk are towing the parliamentary path and contesting the polls. However a significant contingent is not participating in the polls or supporting parliamentary candidates The most progressive stand has been adopted by the Bharatiya Kisan[Read More…]
by Atif Moin Siddiqui and Aniketh Brian Madhok “Paschim Bangla te vote hoye na, vote korano jaye…” (In West Bengal Vote does not take place, Vote can be made to happen here) This phrase is from a YouTube Channel which speaks on the Political and State Affairs of Bengal and; now, the meaning of this sentence suddenly becomes clear after[Read More…]
Even as human vultures of a wide amalgam -train their guns, on Nehru’s 17 years as Prime Minister, and his role in India’s freedom struggle and the struggle of the Non-aligned movement, what stands out today- are many of Nehru’s thoughtful writings, his letters to Chief Ministers, his regular press conferences, and of course his thoughts on freedom of the[Read More…]
While the book publishing scene is increasingly dominated by big publishers, an important social role has been always filled by small publishers often functioning at the margins. Despite the modest scale of their work, these have made very important contributions from time to time. When I started working as a freelance journalist about 49 years back, I soon had a[Read More…]
By Shobha Shukla & Bobby Ramakant Covid pandemic is a grim reminder of what can go wrong when we do not work with an integrated “One Health” approach to human health, animal health, food system and climate. The critical link between these sectors, has only deepened over the years. But will our public health approach pass the litmus test of[Read More…]
It is a paradox—and a very worrying one too- that in the middle of overall high levels of prosperity the burden of mental health problems is very high in several rich countries and appears to be increasing in some important contexts. In the USA 1 in 4 adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to[Read More…]
Donald Trump still struts on the American political scene. It seems probable that he will stand again for president in 2024. Here I consider one important aspect of his popular appeal – his ‘blue-collar’ image. In 2018 a book appeared entitled Trump, The Blue-Collar President. The author, financier Anthony Scaramucci, who served as the White House Director of Communications[Read More…]
Natural rationalism, human engagement with natural reality, social institutions and production process are the only factors which have been playing important role in shaping the human way of way of life. But we convinced ourselves that it is religion that is prime factor. Even after agreeing that with living in the age of reason, we still believe that human life[Read More…]
Two important aspects of present-day world are increasingly clear. Firstly, while the need for closer unity of sincere social movements has always been there, but in the middle of increasing and to some extent unprecedented difficulties, the need for such unity has certainly increased further in recent times. Secondly, ironically, while this need for more unity has increased, at[Read More…]
This is a preliminary compilation of legal provisions which are on the statute books and give the lie to the argument that the proposed anti-conversion law in Karnataka is filling a much needed legal gap. A perusal of these provisions will indicate that there is no need for an anti-conversion law to cover the use of force and fraud and[Read More…]
Long banned, Christmas has finally, at least tacitly, arrived in Saudi Arabia; just don’t use the name in marketing or be ostentatious about your tree. Coffeeshops serving beverages in red cups with snowflakes on them are ok. So is the sale of soap bars named ‘Tis the Season and Vanilla Bean Noel. Christmas trees that sell at up to US$3,000[Read More…]
The 2021 presidential election in Chile has resulted in the victory of the Left candidate Gabriel Boric. With nearly 56% of the vote, he has won by a margin of more than 10 percentage points – most presidents had hitherto secured only four or five point leads. In absolute terms, this is a record majority, with some 4.6 million votes cast for[Read More…]
By Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young It is no longer uncommon to hear people saying, I love my work. Is this just the latest stage of capitalism getting us to work harder so that someone else benefits? Historically, it all started when former peasants were – at times, with brutal force – converted into workers. It was the time when capitalism quite literally was Making[Read More…]
India’s counter terrorism task force NIA (National Investigation Agency) has come into limelight recently – but for the wrong reasons. Neglecting their original task of pursuing serious crimes like terrorism, the NIA personnel have barked up the wrong tree. Incapable of nabbing the real terrorists, they are trying other methods to justify their perpetuation in the present system. They have [Read More…]
On 21 December, 2021 a majorNational Shudra/OBC conclave took place in Delhi Talkatora stadium with hundreds of Shudra/OBC activists, intellectuals and political leaders across the parties, different universities and civil societal organizations gathered. They put out the first ever Shudra/OBC declaration, which has a historical significance for the nation . After the historic farmers struggle, which essentially was a Shudra/OBC[Read More…]
Uttarakhand is in the news for all the wrong reasons at the moment. The video of a meeting of the so-called ‘dharmsansad’ in Hardwar have gone viral on social media where the speakers masquerading as leaders concerned for ‘Hindus’ have used absolutely filthy, gutter level, genocidal language against minorities particularly the Muslims. It is not that these people spoke such[Read More…]
After Suraj Pal Amu made derogatory and hate speech, he was made the spokesman for BJP state unit. After the murder of Akhlaq in the beef-cow issue, one of the murder accused died, one central minister (Mahesh Sharma) arrived to put tricolor on the body of the deceased. When 8 lynching accused got bail, Jayant Sinha another Central Minister garlanded[Read More…]
Comrade Raj Kishore left us at 2 in the morning on December 22nd in his village Champaran., battling illness since 2014.At time of death he was 89 years.He devoted his entire energy when alive into the liberation of the masses. Even a non Maoist or non Marxist liberal may admire his contribution towards serving the people. Tears literally flow in[Read More…]
Greetings from Anti- Jindal & Anti- POSCO Movement, Odisha, India! The state government run by Mr. Nabin Pattnaik is making brutal police action against our people in order to hand over the 2900 acres of fertile agricultural land to the ruthless Indian steel major Jindal Steel led by industrialist Sajjan Jindal. After POSCO India fiasco which ended by 2015-2016, JSW[Read More…]
Statement Released on December 24, 2021 at a press conference organized by Anhad. Dr Syeda Hameed, prof Ram Puniyani, Prashant Bhushan, Gauhar Raza, Anjali Bhardwaj, Dev Desai and Shabnam Hashmi addressed the press conference. From December 17 to 19, the ‘Dharma Sansad’ or ‘Religious Parliament’ was organized in Haridwar wherein several religious leaders and those associated with Hindutva extremist organisations[Read More…]
On Saturday, millions of people across the world will celebrate Christmas. Even with COVID-19 still plaguing the world, families will gather; bells will ring; music will be in the air. Each year, I use this column to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas has become a holiday, a time to exchange presents and cards, to see friends and[Read More…]
This is a different December. This December is far, far different from the Decembers of 1990 and 1991 and 1992. The difference is stark, as one goes through the statements and observations made by Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader. In a recent press meet Putin covered a lot of issues – from Ukraine to NATO to China. There’re messages in[Read More…]
This Christmas season, as always, CIA controlled mainstream media is filled with unctuous images of the hungry homeless in America being charitably served food by private citizens and institutions. It has long become an American tradition of kindness during the season celebrating the birth of all loving Jesus along with gift giving Santa Claus and this tradition often receives government[Read More…]
A Japanese former politician who campaigned to bring billions of dollars of investment from some of Japan’s top companies to Myanmar has urged Japan to endorse its military regime, saying the nation’s coup leader has “grown fantastically as a human being,” while praising his “democratization efforts.” A Reuters report said: The 87-year-old former cabinet minister, Hideo Watanabe, is also pursuing[Read More…]
Citing Nieznany, a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran, a Newsweek report said: Millions of fellow would-be insurrectionists will be there, too, says, “a ticking time-bomb” targeting the Capitol. “There are lots of fully armed people wondering what is happening to this country,” he says. “Are we going to let Biden keep destroying it? Or do we need to get rid of him?[Read More…]
The result of a vote, on December 14, in the US House of Representatives regarding the combating of Islamophobia, may, possibly, appear to be a positive sign of change, that Washington is finally confronting this socio-political evil. However, conclusions must not be too hasty. Disquietingly, Congress was nearly split on the vote. While 219 voted in favor of the resolution,[Read More…]
By Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young Cyberbullying and Internet hate speech continues unabated. If anything, it has gotten worse, perhaps turbo-charged by the Coronavirus pandemic forcing people to sit at home in social isolation. Recently, UK anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label has completed a study on hate speech which focuses on transphobia, racism, homophobia, sexism, misogyny, and violent threats against[Read More…]
We need to constantly remind ourselves about the US media. During the Cold War, there was the saying that the difference between the New York Times and the Soviet Pravda was that Pravda readers knew they were being lied to. Unfortunately, current coverage by the US media about the movement of Russian troops demonstrates the applicability of that saying today. Lies by Omission For example,[Read More…]
” HAPPINESS AND WELLBEING INDICES There is an ever-growing number of research reports from global economists that go far beyond the limited metric of GDP to gauge nations’ overall happiness and wellbeing. These studies use somewhat different measurements (whether the strength of social connections or obesity rates), so rankings can vary—but this research is giving us a clearer, more meaningful[Read More…]
With due deference to prominent social activists and shapers of public opinion Venkatesh Narayan and Sandeep Pandey, and their insistence on the urgency and immediacy of the issue of freedom of expression,I would still like to propose that the right to privacy is of not less importance.After all freedom is indivisible as I had urged about three years back in[Read More…]
Whether the pandemic that’s swept the world started from a bat or not, as 2021 ends, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all far battier than we were when it began. In my neighborhood at least, as this year draws to a close, that old Lone Ranger line, “Who was that masked man?,” again applies to just about anyone. In fact, as[Read More…]
Can those who advocate hitting the brakes on economic growth get their message across before it’s too late? Over the last three decades, a growing number of scientists and ecologists have argued that economic growth has long outstripped the capacity of the planetary ecosystem. They have developed numerous sophisticated models to demonstrate their point. They have boiled down the technical information—about[Read More…]
The Pacific Collective on Nuclear Issues, a group of civil society and student organizations, has categorically denied the veracity of a report released by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO), vowing to oppose Japan’s planned mass disposal of wastewater stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. The strong objection comes a day after TEPCO submitted a detailed plan to the[Read More…]
By Shobha Shukla & Bobby Ramakant Despite over 350 million people living with hepatitis B and C virus globally, and 3 persons dying every minute, much-needed efforts are yet to be on-track to end viral hepatitis in next 108 months (by 2030) as promised by heads of all countries in UN General Assembly (by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals). More[Read More…]
With Julian Assange now fighting the next stage of efforts to extradite him to the United States to face 18 charges, 17 of which are based on the brutal, archaic Espionage Act, some Australian politicians have found their voice. It might be said that a few have even found their conscience. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was sufficiently exercised[Read More…]
Haaretz’s investigative report – ‘Classified Docs Reveal Massacres of Palestinians in ’48 – and What Israeli Leaders Knew’ – is a must-read. It should be particularly read by any person who considers himself a ‘Zionist’ and also by people who, for whatever reason, support Israel, anywhere in the world. “In the village of Al-Dawayima (…), troops of the 8th Brigade[Read More…]
The U.S.’ Summit for Democracy has come and gone without too much fuss. It was a strange little show with the leader of the so called ‘free world’ – being those “democratic” countries that for whatever reason support U.S. dictates – attempting through rhetoric and probably a few winks and nods to maintain its establishment as the group’s leader. From[Read More…]
In the age of rising tide of neoliberal authoritarianism and populist reactionary religious politics, the electoral victory of left brings smiles to all progressive forces beyond Chile. The people of Chile defeated José Antonio Kast-a committed follower of the country’s former dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet who established neoliberal authoritarianism in Chile before it spread worldwide. The decisive victory of Mr[Read More…]
In a country where almost eighty percent of population live in rural India and at least sixty of India population is illiterate and uneducated, it is quite depressing to know that at least, ninety-five percent of Indian elite are deeply religious, ritualistic, god fearing and superstitious. It is against the logic of the co-relation between reason/rationality and economically, socially and[Read More…]
The current age is an age of absurdity. In the thesaurus, absurd is defined as “utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false” (“absurd”). Unfortunately, one need not rely on a dictionary to point out the tension between the way one desires the world to appear and the harsh[Read More…]
The outpouring of grief over the tragic death of General Bipin Rawat is manifesting itself in an ugly belligerent form, which was never witnessed in the past on similar occasions, like the passing away of army stalwarts – Sam Manekshaw, Arjan Singh and Sundarji. The present state-sponsored display of national mourning over Bipin Rawat’s death is fast degenerating into an [Read More…]
To, Shri Naveen Pattnaik Chief Minister of Odisha Dear Shri Pattnaik, We, the undersigned, are shocked and deeply concerned over the ongoing police repression on the peasants and betel growers of Dhinkia, Gobindpur and Nuagaon villages of Jagatsinghpur district in Odisha who for seventeen years have used the most democratic means to resist the forceful acquisition of land[Read More…]
Today the streets of Bangalore saw an outpour of citizens in large numbers to protest against the anti-people and unconstitutional ‘Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2021’. The rally began from Mysore Bank Circle and culminated at Freedom Park. A broad coalition of more than 40 organisations vociferously demanded that the Bill be withdrawn as the Government[Read More…]
Three retired U.S. army generals warned of an insurrection or even civil war if the results of the 2024 presidential election were not accepted by some in the military. Former Major Gen. Paul Eaton, former Major Gen. Antonio Taguba, and former Brig. Gen. Steven Anderson made the warnings in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Friday. They wrote that they were[Read More…]
On 15 January this year Dinesh Uike (40 years), an agricultural labourer, committed suicide by consuming poison in Dapori Khurd village of Amravati district in Maharashtra. He was in critical condition by the time he was brought to the Amravati District Hospital and died during the treatment itself. According to his relatives Dinesh took this extreme step due to being[Read More…]
We are deeply disturbed by reports from the experimental township of Auroville (a living UNESCO world heritage site), that unique forests, water catchment areas, community spaces are being bulldozed, and most importantly of all, community processes being ignored and bypassed. All this is being done in the name of “development” and a narrative that those who have been speaking for[Read More…]
To Shri A K Bhalla Union Home Secretary Dear Shri Bhalla, We are once again facing a steep surge of the Covid virus; this time it is the new mutant, Omicron looming large. This Covid variant is reported to be three times more infectious than its Delta predecessor, which wreaked havoc on the people during the second wave. In order[Read More…]
When Pavel Zavalny, the chairman of Russian parliamentary committee on energy, made the forecast last Friday that Nord Stream 2 pipeline could start shipping natural gas to Germany as early as next month, it was received with disbelief. But Zavalny was categorical, and was quoted by Reuters as saying, “I can say with a high degree of certainty that the[Read More…]
Men [and women]make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living. – Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. A few days ago, when[Read More…]
Although the farmers have returned home after the Modi government withdrew three agriculture laws, seriously considering the very foundation of India’s economic policy, the crisis is so deep that providing food from agriculture to the country’s growing population is not a new challenge. It is a great tragedy that after independence the country could not become self-sufficient in food. Today,[Read More…]
Professional sports is a cutthroat business. Succeed and the people running the show reap rich rewards. Fail to meet expectations and you get handed your walking papers. American-style war in the twenty-first century is quite a different matter. Of course, war is not a game. The stakes on the battlefield are infinitely higher than on the playing field. When wars[Read More…]
Origin: Unknown Crime record: Unknown Armed or unarmed: Unknown Capabilities: Unknown Motive: Unknown Category: Extremely dangerous! If that were a profile of a criminal suspect, the cop writing it would have been laughed out of his job long ago for coming to such a drastic conclusion based on zero evidence. That however is not a police report, but the current[Read More…]
Being neither a believer in gods or against believers, the existence of supernatural, gods and supernatural ultimately running the human affairs do not form part of my consciousness. Belief in supernatural also brings with it the division of this world and the other world. This world which is the human world is considered a ‘maya’ ‘an illusion’. Ultimate merging with[Read More…]
We pay homage to our ancestors, leaders and icons of the past, who sacrificed their lives and privileges to make resistance of the people a reality and who collectively built revolutionary movements of the people. We pay homage to our comrades and friends whom we lost to the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst of a total breakdown of the health[Read More…]
We publish here in full the speech with which Gabriel Boric Font thanks the people of Chile for the enormous vote received, which makes him the youngest President the country has ever had in its history. This act took place in Santiago, with the most massive concurrence that has ever taken place in the Alameda Bernardo O’Higgins, while in all[Read More…]
The 70th Miss Universe pageant was held recently in Eilat, Israel and there is a lot of celebratory chatter going on. After 21 years another Indian, Harnaaz Sandhu has won the crown. The celebration is for Chandigarh’s daughter having won the title. The last time an Indian won the said beauty pageant was 21 years ago — when Lara Dutta[Read More…]
The States are primarily responsible for the welfare of the residents in their limits. The 105th Constitution Amendment that has been notified on August 19, 2021 aims at giving States back their authority to specify socially and educationally backward classes (OBCs). The 102nd amendment gave constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Communities (NCBC) which became the primary institution[Read More…]
How did Islam reach the Subcontinent: through Socialization or Coercion; Trade or Invasion? It is a very important question which has a direct bearing on the social ecology in which people live their lives nowadays. It requires a fair and satisfactory answer to clear the doubts that have crept into the minds of many people owing to their not so[Read More…]
Since the end of the feudal era the world order has been largely structured by the nation-state system. Individuals have been willing to kill and die for their countries. The pursuit of individual and collective interests has occurred largely within a national framework. Nonetheless, social and political movements have often transgressed national boundaries and expressed solidarities that go beyond them. People[Read More…]
American politics took a dramatic turn on Sunday with the announcement by the West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin that he “cannot vote” for the Build Back Better Act, President Joe Biden’s signature $2.2 trillion bill to overhaul the country’s health care, education, climate, immigration and tax laws. This deals a potentially insurmountable political blow to the core of Biden’s economic agenda on[Read More…]
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young In Germany, conspiracy myths linked to the Coronavirus pandemic are spreading particularly well in the former East-Germany state of Saxony. Not by accident, Saxony remains a stronghold of Germany’s Neo-Nazi party, the Alternative for Germany or AfD. In 2021, believers in conspiracy myths are getting a lot more attention with their numbers decreasing compared[Read More…]
Akira Kurosawa (1910 – 1998), was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential film-makers in the history of cinema. Ikiru (‘To Live’) is a 1952 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo[Read More…]
by Venkatesh Narayanan and Sandeep Pandey The issue is not privacy – it has never been. Millenials of all stripes today willingly sign-off most of their personal life fully well knowing that Big Tech is openly hoovering up their messages and posts. Mining every word and search term for valuable insights into users’ behaviour leads to targeted advertising, ergo[Read More…]
Around 2pm on 20th Dec, 2021, the villagers of Dhinkia made a massive demonstration against the state and police repression at Mahala village border. Suddenly police forces entered Dhinkia village from back side and started thrashing and beating people. Some villagers sustained severe injuries. The police have arbitrarily arrested two persons Mr. Ajodhya Swain and Ms. Milirani Swain without any[Read More…]
On November 23 2021, in the context of serious malnutrition, the Government of Karnataka announced that eggs would be provided three days a week as part of the mid-day meal scheme, to students in seven districts, namely, Bidar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal, Ballari and Vijayapura. This move was welcomed by activists and nutritionists who also insisted that eggs be extended[Read More…]
The anti-conversion law in India is a double-edged sword: a step towards Hindu Rashtra perpetuating caste supremacy The Freedom of Religion Act known as anti-conversion law in India is a double edged sword. Its twin objectives are establishment of Hindu Rashtra and it perpetuates caste supremacy. The minorities, dalits and adivasis constitute nearly 40% of India’s population; of which Dalit[Read More…]
On December 13, 2021, Miss Universe crowned its 70th winner: Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, bringing the title home to India after 21 years, the last being by Lara Dutta in 2000. While there has been much celebratory tub-thumping among Indians, one can’t help but notice the dark riptides of systemic illnesses that flow beneath the glary surfaces. Beauty pageants have been[Read More…]
by Md Tabrez Alam & Md Afroz “Elders are not liabilities, they are asset. A Banyan tree not only survives but shelters many under it shadow to grow harmoniously” Introduction Ageing is a natural course of development and increasing longevity has wonderful human achievement. An active secure and healthy ageing population can present enormous contribution to the society. This demographic[Read More…]
Apruebo Dignidad candidate Gabriel Boric has won Chile’s presidential elections in a historic victory for the Left in Latin America. Left-wing former student leader Gabriel Boric has beat out far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast with nearly 100% of the votes tallied, according to figures published by Chile’s electoral authorities SERVEL. Gabriel Boric has become the nation’s youngest leader in modern times. Boric, 35,[Read More…]
The U.S. military drastically undercounted civilian deaths caused by airstrikes in the Middle East since 2014, according to a New York Times investigation published Saturday. The New York Times reviewed a hidden Pentagon archive comprised of the military’s confidential assessments of over 1,300 reports of civilian casualties in airstrikes, and found, “since 2014, the American air war has been plagued by deeply flawed intelligence,[Read More…]
Confession time: this year, I don’t want to buy my kids anything for Christmas. Big one, right? Okay, let me soften that just a bit. I have bought a few modest, useful things. But that’s it! No new games, no new toys, no new clothes (other than socks)… nothing. They already have too much. We have too much. Our nation is drowning[Read More…]
By Issac Thomas Joy & Supratim Barman Let me take you through to the annals of Indian history to something that lays forgotten in the lands of Sub-Continental India as it happened centuries ago which has laid the foundations of the Modern Era as to what we perceive of today and that tale will be explored today as I share[Read More…]
The Supreme Court in its historic judgment on the Pegasus scandal memorably castigated the government and formed a committee under its own watch to enquire into the alleged grave state violation of the precious right to privacy of citizens.The honourable court had also apparently prohibited any other agency from enquiring into it.Recently the commission led by Ret.Justice of SC Madan[Read More…]
When we wage war, we dehumanize – then kill – a specific segment of humanity. In the process, we “fray” our own humanity. War spews hell in all directions. Just ask the guys at Talon Anvil, a secret U.S. “strike cell” recently exposed by the New York Times as a unit with a reputation for ignoring the rules of engagement and killing[Read More…]
To Shri Ram Nath Kovind President of India Respected Rashtrapatiji, I refer to the reported meeting taken by an official of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on December 16, 2021 with the Election Commission of India (ECI), ostensibly to discuss certain matters relating to electoral reforms, already cleared by the Union Cabinet by then. For the executive, particularly the PMO, to[Read More…]
Tamils all over the world [85 million] appreciate and thank the US State Department for their sanctions on two Sri Lankan Military Officials. Those military personnel were: Chandana Hettiarachchi, a Sri Lankan naval intelligence officer, for his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely, the flagrant denial of the right to liberty of at least eight “Trincomalee 11” victims,[Read More…]
There are many discussions going on regarding pollution. But the one aspect that is being overlooked in all these debates is our development model. It has a major contribution in increasing pollution. It considers material development as the measure of human development. This model, which is about 150-200 years old, emphasizes maximising production, so that people’s income increases and they[Read More…]
Every morning as people around the globe sip their morning ‘cuppa’ tea, there must be only few who wonder how the workers who make their favorite brew possible are faring in the Covid era. The answer, as Covid Response Watch found out during a visit to the tea gardens of Darjeeling in north Bengal, was –not very well indeed. And[Read More…]
Recently (December 2021) town planning committee of Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation specifically mentioned that stalls selling non-vegetarian items will not be allowed along public roads and in the 100-meter radius of schools, colleges and religious places. On these lines decisions were also taken by Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot Municipal bodies. As the hawkers selling these non vegetarian items approached the[Read More…]
Hi! I’m Aniketh Brian Madhok, an 18-year-old boy with a smiley face, little mischevious, fun loving and always polite with others. Living in the metropolitan city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. I am currently studying in 12th Standard and am about to take my Term-1 ISC exams. It has been a year since I have not paid any heed[Read More…]
Popular resistance to development policies that make life on earth impossible and deny social justice continues in various parts of India. Medha Patkar, who has been a strong presence in this struggle for decades, is the inspiration of the people’s movement. Medha recently came to Kerala to take part in the struggle against the destructive Silver Line Project ( Semi-high[Read More…]
Narendra Modi, a senior swayamsevak (member) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, long back in 2013 when he occupied the office of chief minister of Gujarat, declared himself to be a ‘Hindu nationalist’.[i] As the PM of the largest democratic-secular polity in the world; India, he misses no opportunity to stress the favourite Hindutva binary of putting Hindus and Muslims as[Read More…]
The job of the electronic media should be to make people aware, but due to TRP, news channels nowadays prefer to present any news in a sensational way and this is a worrying situation. Looking at the news circulating in Indian newspapers and electronic channels, it is not difficult to understand that now the main concern for the information media[Read More…]
A fateful week is ending today for international security with the Russian Foreign Ministry releasing the two documents on security guarantees that Moscow had proposed to Washington as the basis for discussions to ease the tensions over NATO’s eastward expansion and to cease the alliance’s deployments close to Russia’s borders, including in Ukraine. Out of the two documents, one is a[Read More…]
The Thwaites “Doomsday Glacier” in West Antarctica is spooking scientists. Satellite images shown at a recent meeting December 13th of the American Geophysical Union showed numerous large, diagonal cracks extending across the Thwaites’ floating ice wedge. This is new information, and it’s a real shocker if only because it’s happening so quickly, much sooner than expectations. It could collapse. And,[Read More…]
On 15 December 2021, I continued my “HSS is RSS” tour by speaking in respectful rebuke at the Roseville, CA City Council meeting for their recent platforming and honoring of a local branch of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), the international wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This speech marked my fourth city council appearance in three states in two[Read More…]
The recent repeal of the farm laws by the central government sets an example which re-assures the power in people’s voices entrusted in democratic values, processes and practices. It is a win to celebrate and remember that such authoritarian governance and policies can be overthrown with people’s solidarity, vision, perseverance, and resilience. In India, the farmers and their families protested[Read More…]
To Shri Narendra Modi The Prime Minister of India Respected Prime Minister, The National Federation of Indian Women, NFIW, extends its greetings to you on the occasion of the 75th year of India’s independence. NFIW is one of the leading women’s organizations in the country, found in 1954 under the leadership of Aruna Asaf Ali, Pushpamoyee Bose, Hajra Begum, Ansuya[Read More…]
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping agreed in a video call on Wednesday: Russia and China should stand firm in rejecting Western interference and defending each other’s security interests. The two presidents’ conversation, eight days after Putin spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden in a similar format, underscored how U.S.-Europe hostility to Russia and China is bringing the two powerful[Read More…]
The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution condemning Nazism, neo-Nazism and all forms of racism, and the U.S. and Ukraine voted against it, while a few countries, mainly US allies, abstained. The resolution was co-sponsored by Russia. On December 16, the UN General Assembly passed its annual resolution on “Combating Glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling[Read More…]
In the bustling roadside market around the small, quaint and laid-back railway station of Jharkhand’s Madhupur, where locals, passenger and express trains crisscross the railway tracks towards Asansol and Burdwan to Howrah, or beyond to Patna and Delhi, no one wears masks. It’s a predictable and typical syndrome in small-town India, as if this global pandemic has never existed. With[Read More…]
It is also important to know the history of farmer suicide. And it would be logical to know that in the context of the state of Maharashtra. In 1990, The Hindu, an English language newspaper, published a report on rural affairs. Sainath regularly reported farmer suicides. Initially, the reports came from Maharashtra and soon after, news of suicides started coming[Read More…]
In a detailed report released today, 17th December, 2021, Arsenal Consulting, the Boston-based forensic investigation firm assisting the defense lawyers in the Bhima Koregaon (BK) case, and Amnesty Tech Security Lab, have confirmed that the iPhone of one of the key accused, Mr. Rona Wilson, was attacked multiple times by the Pegasus spyware. This has been simultaneously reported in the[Read More…]
To Shri Anil Kumar Jain Union Coal Secretary Dear Shri Jain, I find from your Ministry’s portal that the enclosed list of coal blocks are being put to auction shortly. Most of these coal blocks are located in States such as Jharkhand, MP, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, AP and Telangana and many among the blocks are located in the areas notified[Read More…]
Recently, I attended a book launch. The book is about China (I am withholding the name of the book). I did not read the book, but like most official book launches, a flyer capturing the core messages of the book was circulated at the Launch event. The core messages of the book are the following: internally, China is a dysfunctional[Read More…]
Settlers enjoyed a seeming free permission: to dispossess natives at will of all the best land, turn them out of traditional fishing locations, disrespect elders, women, children and religion, leave whole communities without political representation and punish men for breaking laws which they could have no means of knowing existed. It was inconceivable that all this change could happen overnight[Read More…]
According to an analysis by the United Nations World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization, 8.7 million people are nearing famine — putting Afghanistan on the brink of a mass starvation. And children are among the most vulnerable… the country is facing numerous humanitarian crises, including a critical food shortage that some aid groups say could kill a million[Read More…]
History of all sorts was created in Punjab on December 12th when the dalit agricultural labourer’s organisations for the first time conducted a rail blockade independently, without support of organisations of the landed peasantry. In total around 20000 labourers participated in 12 districts. Without doubt an event that embarrassed the ruling parties in their very belly. . Displaying death defying[Read More…]
While the Odisha State administration was continuously warning people to stay indoors to remain safe from the impending cyclonic storm, the Jagatsinghpur district police entered the village Dhinkia under Erasama Block to arrest some people around 4.30 a.m. on 4th December, 2021. People resisted the police attack and a bloody fight ensued. The media reported the incident next day. Notably,[Read More…]
by Vijay Prashad & Taroa Zúñiga Silva “If [Augusto] Pinochet were alive, he would vote for me,” said José Antonio Kast in 2017, during the Chilean presidential election when he ran as an independent candidate. This was an especially provocative statement made by him out of the many he has made over the years—he had also said that “Chileans need God,” during his campaign[Read More…]
When midnight strikes on New Year’s Day of 2050, there will be little cause for celebration. There will, of course, be the usual toasts with fine wines in the climate-controlled compounds of the wealthy few. But for most of humanity, it’ll just be another day of adversity bordering on misery — a desperate struggle to find food, water, shelter, and safety. In[Read More…]
By an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 88-11, the US Senate voted Wednesday to approve the largest military budget in history, nearly $770 billion, some $25 billion more than the Biden administration had requested. The legislation passed the House of Representatives last week by a similar bipartisan margin, 363-70, and it now goes to the White House for President Joe Biden’s[Read More…]
The Prime Minister’s holy dip in the Ganga is no longer a private affair,but a state event reported on the media with plenty of fanfare.Twelve Chief Ministers from states have been called in to follow his lead.Like an emperor commanding his satraps to demonstrate their loyalty to him by taking subsidiary parts in the sacred ablutions. This is in stark[Read More…]
The ‘jheli’ is a wooden rake, popular in both rural and urban areas of Rajasthan and its neighbouring states, for its multiple uses as well as low cost. Since early 2020 though, with the arrival of the Covid pandemic, the market for this handy instrument has shrunk drastically threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of villagers in parts of Rajasthan who[Read More…]
A message from Workers Peasants Unity 11.12.2021 (a rough translation of the Page 1 article of Ei Muhurte Kichhu Bhavna Dec21-Jan22) 381 days. More than 725 martyrs. So, what did we see in the year-long battle? “Modi-Shah-BJP-RSS are unbeatable. Whatever they say are final. Modi ne kiya hain toh kuch soch samajh ke hi kiya hoga (Modi has done it,[Read More…]
Human history as cultural history We need to reform our teaching of history so that the emphasis will be placed on the gradual growth of human culture and knowledge, a growth to which all nations and ethnic groups have contributed. A new freely downloadable book I would like to announce the publication of a book which presents many aspects of[Read More…]
The two Wall Street investment-banking titans dominating this year’s dealmaking frenzy are opening up their wallets to try to keep their bankers happy – and ratcheting up pressure on rivals to follow suit. Media reports including reports by Bloomberg said: U.S. investment bank JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are reportedly planning to award their investment bankers with major bonuses in[Read More…]
The frustration of those who lost hope of any retaliatory action against human rights violators in Bangladesh has finally been eased, at least partially, by the recent US Treasury Department’s action against a few law-enforcers in the country, well-known for gross human rights violations. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury has designated[Read More…]
How Nixon and Kissinger failed to respond to urgent need for course-correction from their own senior diplomats This year events relating to the liberation of Bangladesh have been recalled time and again as Bangladesh has completed 50 years as a nation. On March 26 Bangladesh celebrated its 50th freedom day as the first announcement of its freedom was made on[Read More…]
There is no dearth of promises and undertakings dished out by the successive Sri Lankan Governments and their opportunistic political leaders since 1948 whose sole intention and aim is to capture the political power at any cost to the interests of the nation and its people. Former President J.R. Jayawardene heralded this practice and habit with the slogan and[Read More…]
Some facts for some ‘secular protestors’ Bangladesh is so near and so far, and the border, though we hear it is very porous, is also very opaque or even illusive or hallucinating, thanks to the almighty media, especially the ‘social’ media like Meta-FB, WhatsApp-University, etc. If asked what happened there most will perhaps reply attack on Hindus, on Durga Puja[Read More…]
In October 2020, Pesticide Action Network India and PAN Asia Pacific released the report ‘State of Glyphosate Use in India’. It concluded that the use of the world’s most widely used herbicide is rampant. Despite this, it noted that its disturbing effects on the environment and the health of farmworkers and the public are not being addressed (see: State of Glyphosate[Read More…]
Within hours, Bangladesh will begin celebrating that hour of victory – December 16, 1971 – that marks one of the glorious moments in the Bangladesh people’s history of bravery, struggle, sacrifice, setbacks, torment and triumphs. Half a century has passed since that victory of defeating a neo-colonial state – Pakistan. On December 16, 1971, The Bangladesh people heroically compelled the[Read More…]
by Thomas Klikauer & Meg Young Under the motto, “a different world is possible, a different economy is needed” – a German language magazine called Lunapark was born in 2008. It is dedicated to providing a much needed critique of the global economy. Perhaps as a pre-reflection of Glasgow’s 2021 Blah-Blah-Blah-COP26 PR-pageant, Germany’s failed environmental record is on stage, Lunapark started with the political economy on global warming.[Read More…]
High temperature seems scorching the Arctic. The United Nations logged the hottest temperature in history in the Arctic, finding that the Russian town of Verkhoyansk hit 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the summer of 2020. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced the record heat in Verkhoyansk in a Tuesday press release, explaining that a meteorological station in the region completed the[Read More…]
It’s not the sort of thing you encounter regularly. A member of a government cabinet, responsible for arguably one of the country’s most important portfolios, found both wanting and culpable for their actions after leaving their post. But this is what former Danish immigration minister Inger Støjberg found when she was convicted for illegally separating asylum seeking couples arriving in[Read More…]
If anything, Washington’s neoconservatives have an unerring instinct for survival. Having brought about multiple disasters in the two decades since 9/11—from the Iraq War to the twin debacles in Libya and Syria—the neoconservatives seem to have perfected the art of failing up. Harvard University’s Stephen Walt once quipped that “Being a Neocon Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry.” And in this[Read More…]
The paradox of combating climate change is that the extent of the emergency extends far beyond the actions taken by individuals to mitigate the climate crisis, yet collective action is what is most required to address this issue. There are so many examples of this dilemma—from recycling to how power is being generated, to what people should consume. In each case, broad-based action is required[Read More…]
On 4 December, 2021, six civilians, all coal miners, were killed by Indian Army in Mon district of Nagaland. Home Minister Amit Shah claimed in Parliament that the vehicle carrying the miners was asked to stop but instead it tried to flee. This version has been rejected by one of the two survivors. It was cold blooded murder. In the[Read More…]
A while back, a friend said to me, “What’s wrong with your friend, Gurpreet? Has he gone crazy? He keeps posting about Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor on Facebook.” I did not know about the posts, so I did not respond. I later heard that Gurpreet penned a book about Kareena Kapoor Khan, I thought to myself, “What does Gurpreet have[Read More…]
A report by PUCL Karnataka on the Hate Crimes on Christians in Karnataka, 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Criminalizing the Practice of Faith, A report by PUCL Karnataka on the Hate Crimes on Christians in Karnataka, 2021, traces the hate crimes perpetrated against Christians in Karnataka by Hindutva groups. The point this report seeks to make is that the myth of conversion[Read More…]
It has been happening with frightening regularity all over India and particularly, in states run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): the bashing of Christians! It is a well-orchestrated campaign to denigrate and demonise the Christians. Their design is devious: a method in their ‘madness’! The divisive agenda is clearly to polarise sections of the majority community against the Christians.[Read More…]
Half a mile south of what’s left of the old Gold Rush-era town of Greenville, California, Highway 89 climbs steeply in a series of S-turns as familiar to me as my own backyard. From the top of that grade, I’ve sometimes seen bald eagles soaring over the valley that stretches to the base of Keddie Peak, the northernmost mountain in[Read More…]
While the negative aspects of Mr Narendra Modi are obvious, it has to be conceded that he has a sense of theatre, spectacle, performance, visualization. He memorises key lines. He is a talented performer. This was clear from his speech and choreographed scenes during the performance at the big show he and the authorities mounted in Varanasi on December 13.[Read More…]
Russia President Vladimir Putin has lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago as the demise of what he called “historical Russia” and said the economic crisis that followed was so bad he was forced to moonlight as a taxi driver. A Reuters report from Moscow said: Putin’s comments, released by state TV on Sunday, are likely to[Read More…]
He exposed empire as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, its callous disregard for human life, its rampant corruption, and its innumerable war crimes. But, as history shows, empires kill those who inflict deep wounds. Let us name Julian Assange’s executioners. Joe Biden. Boris Johnson. Scott Morrison. Theresa May. Lenin Moreno. Donald Trump. Barack Obama. Mike Pompeo. Hillary Clinton.[Read More…]
Russia is reiterating its ‘red lines’ seeking long-term legal guarantees against NATO’s further advancement to the east and the deployment of weapons on Russia’s western borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on December 10 putting on record its expectation that long term legal guarantees must be given “within a specific timeframe and on the basis of the principle of comprehensive[Read More…]
The U.S. military is famous for being the single largest consumer of petroleum products in the world and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Its carbon emissions exceed those released by “more than 100 countries combined.” Now, with the Biden administration’s mandate to slash carbon emissions “at least in half by the end of the decade,” the Pentagon has committed to using all-electric vehicles and transitioning to biofuels[Read More…]
Here is another instance of a large corporate group bringing small farmers to ruin: Danone North America, owner of Horizon Organic, the North American counterpart of the French food products major, has left 89 organic dairy farm families high and dry, suddenly pulling the plug on the company’s operations in the northeast of the United States. Petitions with over[Read More…]
(Some impromptu personal thoughts) An interview of Gurmukh Singh, of Jamin Prapti Sanghash Samiti (जमीन प्राप्ति संघर्ष समिति) published in Forward Press recently has again brought a fresh fragrance in this ‘Kingdom of Denmark’ where so many things are rotting. The question of Dalits in this land, their right on this land was again brought to forefront. And why not.[Read More…]
Today the mass media are controlled by powerholders and corporate oligarchs. And therefore to obtain a true picture of what is going on in the world, readers must turn to the alternative media. Citizens need the knowledge they obtain from the alternative media because, without it, a true democracy cannot function. Among the alternative media, Countercurrents is one of the[Read More…]
Doctors have confirmed that Julian Assange suffered a “mini stroke” inside Belmarsh Prison during a High Court appeal in October, his fiancée Stella Moris revealed over the weekend. She made clear that a pseudo-legal conspiracy by the US and UK governments to secure Assange’s extradition is pushing the WikiLeaks publisher to breaking point. Moris spoke to the Daily Mail on Saturday, just[Read More…]
As indicated by the International Monetary fund, greenhouse gas emissions are funded world-wide by government subsidies totaling $5.9 trillion in 2020, about 6.8% global GDP, expected to rise to 7.4% of GDP in 2025, or $11million a minute. In the view of some scientists fuel subsidies are ‘adding fuel to the fire of the climate crisis’. Hollow words by dignitaries at COP-out-26 may have[Read More…]
Passage blames ‘feminist revolt’ for teenage indiscipline. Content of a reading comprehension passage in a CBSE’s Class 10 English examination, held on Friday: “What people were slow to observe was that the emancipation of the wife destroyed the parents authority over the children… In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of[Read More…]
A secret U.S. Air Force (USAF) drone strike unit was allowed to operate in Syria for five years even as it broke rules of engagement and civilian casualties mounted, it has been revealed in a report by New York Times that cited multiple current and former military and intelligence officials. The New York Times report (Civilian Deaths Mounted as Secret[Read More…]
Religious Liberty Commission of EFI records 39 incidents against Christians in Karnataka since January 2021. In the wake of the media reported attacks against Christians in North Karnataka, a fact-finding team from EFI’s Religious Liberty Commission visited the region, travelling to 8 towns and cities and meeting at least 12 pastors and Christian leaders who have experienced opposition and harassment[Read More…]
As children in Bangalore we always found dragonflies in the garden. Catching them by their papery wings we would cruelly tie strings to their tails. Seeing them sail about the garden with the strings trailing behind them, set us off into paroxysms of childish laughter. Those wonderful icons of our childhood which were found in abundance across the world are[Read More…]
Institutions of higher education in Punjab and Chandigarh have been through the situation of unrest when university and college teachers have resorted to a strike and ‘Education Bandh’, a weapon of ‘Conflict resolution’ not usually or willingly adopted by the teachers. The non- implementation of the recommendations of the UGC seventh pay commission and the voice against the regressive decision[Read More…]
The decision by several governments across the globe to institute travel bans on seven African countries, starting on November 27, due to the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was perceived to be hasty in the eyes of some and fully justifiable on medical grounds, in the view of others. However, the matter is hardly that of a difference of opinion. The[Read More…]
Common knowledge informs us that the surrender of Imperial Japan on August 15, 1945 brought an end to the Japanese empire and Japan’s occupation of all areas and countries that had been taken as a result of its military aggression. The Allied Cairo Declaration of 1943, for example, stated: “. . . all the territories Japan has stolen from the[Read More…]
Where are you going to get the money? That question haunts congressional proposals to help the poor, the unhoused, and those struggling to pay the mortgage or rent or medical bills, among so many other critical domestic matters. And yet — big surprise! — there’s always plenty of money for the Pentagon. In fiscal year 2022, in fact, Congress is being especially[Read More…]
While inaugurating the “Wall of Fame-1971 Indo-Pak war” at a Sunday’s event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The 1971 war tells us that the Partition of India on the basis of religion was a “historic mistake and Pakistan was born in the name of one religion but it could not remain one.” It was not only Muslim League that demanded[Read More…]
Fishermen on the Maharashtra’s Konkan coast are set to lose their earnings for a second consecutive year due to the global Covid pandemic. The repeated lockdowns since early 2020 have inflicted heavy losses on them due to lack of transport and plummeting prices for their catch. Despite relaxation in the lockdowns in recent months, the fishermen have not able to[Read More…]
A most qualitative gathering of around 1000 persons was organised by the BKU (Ugrahan) on human rights day at Tikri border on December 10th, portraying the neo-fascist penetration in the nation. The unity of democratic forces from civil liberties organisations was most positive, with the integration of several intellectuals and few activists of the Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi.[Read More…]
Image: From the booklet Ansar III, published by ROOTS and Friends of Palestinian prisoners Every now and then, Haaretz boosts the morale of liberal Zionists by exposing facts and new archived revelations about Zionism’s Nazi-like atrocities against the Palestinian people — but without mentioning the word “Zionism!” Such pieces give the impression that Israel’s atrocities have nothing to do with Zionism but[Read More…]
Chennai, December 12, 2021: Tamil Nadu’s celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer Zakir Hussain was insulted and abused inside the premises of Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam near Tiruchirappalli, by some self-styled custodian of Santan Dharma on Friday. Ranganatha Swamy temple is one of the important temples of the Vaishnavite tradition in Tamil Nadu and attracts devotees from across the country. Zakir[Read More…]
India is home to multiple religious beliefs and practices, including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Judaism. In the past, the country has been known for not only its diversity but also tolerance. It is widely believed that because of this tolerance, religions that originated in other countries/regions flourished in India. However, the use of religion in political[Read More…]
UP elections are forthcoming in few months. Many of those political analysts with their ears to the ground are of the opinion that the popularity of BJP, Modi-Yogi is on the downslide due to multiple hardships which average people had to face in recent times. The corona migration, the farmers movement, the peaking of unemployment, the rising prices, the abysmal[Read More…]
The framework of the economic thought that formed in the Western world during the Holocene Period, gained momentum during the Industrial Revolution and is now global has brought on a parasitic symbiotic discordance between our species and our host: Planet earth. It has become a threat to Homo sapiens continued existence on the planet. The hard fact is that if we continue this discordant relationship we face the possibility of extinction within the next[Read More…]
This writer came across a theory while searching the web that relates to weather patterns: Weather Patterns Reflect Emotional States “In your terms consciousness is wedded with matter, and any of its experiences are physically materialized through that interaction. You do not simply react to the weather. You help form it, even as you breathe the air and then send[Read More…]
Julian Assange, a standard-bearer of freedom, has effectively nullified the “freedom” imperialist media propagates round the clock. Today, the imperialist “freedom” is on the dock. Voices across continents are calling to defend the freedom Assange stands for – the freedom to information, the freedom to know facts related to thousands of innocent civilian lives in countries, the freedom to present[Read More…]
In the past one year, farmers of the country have demonstrated the force of popular determination against an arrogant and defiant government. The farmers’ movement has proved that the revolutionary spirit of the ‘peasant’ had not diminished with the arrival of new networks of capital. It has established that ‘peasant consciousness’ in the country remains intellectually sharp, socially sensitive and[Read More…]
“We are simply talking about the very life support system of this planet.” Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Germany’s former chief climate scientist (2009) “Burning all fossil fuels would create a very different planet than the one that humanity knows. The palaeoclimate record and ongoing climate change make it clear that the climate system would be pushed beyond tipping points, setting in[Read More…]
In common parlance, a “public good” refers to a commodity or service that becomes available to all members of a society with equal access, without discrimination. There are more rigorous definitions of this in economics. However, one simple way to describe a public good is to say that it is not possible to prevent individuals selectively from consuming it, unless[Read More…]
An Interview of Archbishop of Bangalore Rev. Peter Machado by K.P. Sasi Q: Sir, to begin with, I would like to know something about your background, where you were born, where all you ave studied? How did you become a priest ? What motivated you to become a Priest and how you have become a Bishop? And now you are[Read More…]
British justice is advertised by its proponents as upright, historically different to the savages upon which it sought to civilise, and apparently fair. Such outrages as the unjust convictions of the Guilford Four and Maguire Seven, both having served time in prison for terrorist offences they did not commit, are treated as blemishes. In recent memory, fewer blemishes can be[Read More…]
[An earlier version of this essay was presented to the National Conference on Racial and Social Justice on November 17, 2021.] We are at a tipping point in the racial history of the United States — perhaps the most important moment since the civil rights and more radical black/brown/indigenous movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Two dramatically different currents in American life[Read More…]
by Ariel Gold and Medea Benjamin After a 5-month hiatus, indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran resumed last week in Vienna in an attempt to revise the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA). The outlook isn’t good. Less than a week into negotiations, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of [Read More…]
In spite of rain and cold weather, South Asian activists gathered outside the Indian Visa and Passport Application Center in Surrey on Friday, December 10 to raise their voices for political prisoners being incarcerated by the world’s so-called largest democracy. Organized by Radical Desi, the rally started with a moment of silence for 14 civilians killed by the Indian army[Read More…]
Since a US-backed coup toppled Mel Zelaya in 2009, Honduras has faced a clampdown on democracy and serious human rights abuses. But the election of socialist Xiomara Castro is a chance to break the cycle. What appeared impossible has been achieved: the people of Honduras have broken the perpetuation, through electoral fraud and thuggish violence, of a brutal, illegal, illegitimate,[Read More…]
Dr. G N Saibaba, former Professor of English at University of Delhi continues to languish in the Anda cell of Nagpur Central Jail, Maharashtra since more than four and a half years. Dr Saibaba was arrested under fabricated charges and sentenced to life imprisonment by Gadchiroli Session Court under UAPA. He campaigned for the rights of exploited and oppressed sections[Read More…]
A British court ruled Friday that WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange can be extradited to the United States to face charges of violating the Espionage Act, a decision that rights groups say poses a profound threat to global press freedoms. “This is an utterly shameful development that has alarming implications not only for Assange’s mental health, but also for[Read More…]
Today, December 10, is Human Rights Day. The slogan of The Human Rights Day 2021 is All Human, All Equal. The slogan, the message the slogan carries, the spirit the slogan upholds – all are lofty, noble, beautiful. This year’s Human Rights Day theme, according to a UN release (Human Rights Day 10 December, https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day), is related to “Equality” and Article 1[Read More…]
The farmer’s organisations of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha have decided to vacate from the Tikri border and temporarily withdraw the agitation. After a letter from the ruling party it undertook this step. All the leaders of the major farmer’s organisations left no stone unturned, in thanking all the families and persons who volunteered, including those of ruling class parties. The[Read More…]
A Caribbean-based prime minister, a scientist, a group of indigenous women, and an entrepreneur were announced on Tuesday as this year’s winners of the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth awards. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the all-female Champions were chosen for their impact and leadership in advancing bold action on behalf of people and the planet. “These Champions of[Read More…]
American Enterprise Institute fellow spins conspiracy theory about my criticism of Hindu nationalism When I woke on the morning of 7 December 2021 to discover that right-wing think-tank American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) Senior Fellow, Dr. Michael Rubin, had published a blistering attack on me, I was soon honored to learn that Rubin is a “neocon luminary” — that is, one of those[Read More…]
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day is 12 December Stopping antimicrobial resistance by promoting infection prevention, responsible and appropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in human health, livestock and food systems, is the bedrock for promoting universal health coverage. Failing this, the absence of efficacious antimicrobials will effectively return the world to the pre-antibiotic era before the 1920s when lives were lost[Read More…]
Presented during the webinar organised by the National Solidarity Forum on `Threat to Religious Freedom’ on December 9, 2021. This was Dr. Ram Puniyani’s introduction for the webinar. Other presentations will follow. Under the rising dominance of right wing politics many a Indian States have introduced Bills; ironically called “Freedom of Religion”, which essentially curb the freedom of religion. Most[Read More…]
by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies President Biden’s virtual Summit for Democracy on December 9-10 is part of a campaign to restore the United States’ standing in the world, which took such a beating under President Trump’s erratic foreign policies. Biden hopes to secure his place at the head of the “Free World” table by coming out as[Read More…]
As August ended, American troops completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan almost 20 years after they first arrived. On the formal date of withdrawal, however, President Biden insisted that “over-the-horizon capabilities” (airpower and Special Operations forces, for example) would remain available for use anytime. “[W]e can strike terrorists and targets without American boots on the ground, very few if needed,” he explained, dispensing immediately with[Read More…]
The World Inequality Report 2022, released by the global research initiative World Inequality Lab, found that the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the financial gap between the rich and poor to a degree not seen since the rosy days of world imperialism at the turn of the 20th century. The world’s billionaires enjoyed the steepest increase in their share of wealth[Read More…]
On 4th December 2021, the Indian armed forces ambushed and killed 13 daily wage labourers who work in the coal mines of Tiru, bordering the state of Assam. These coal miners from the Mon district were on their usual journey home from the coal mine to spend Sunday with their families before returning for duty on Monday. Besides these 13[Read More…]
It is good that Aditya Thackeray, Maharashtra’s young environment minister, found time during his visit for the recent Glasgow climate summit to study the working of London Transport organization. He noticed that London operates 9000 buses, 75 per cent of them double deckers. He made the point during a conference on infrastructure yesterday. He did no talk about the[Read More…]
Uncertainty continues for thousands of information technology sector employees in Bangalore over when they will be able to return to their offices. Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic early last year staff of major IT companies have been working from home, which has resulted in a whole host of problems particularly for younger, entry-level employees. The fluid situation has[Read More…]
The World Inequality Report (WIR) is widely regarded as a highly credible and comprehensive report on the extent of inequalities in world. The latest WIR for year 2022 has been released very recently and this presents a damning indictment of the very high level of inequalities in India. As presented in WIR, the levels of wealth and income inequalities in[Read More…]
The quantity of plastic used in agriculture, food industries, livestock, etc. industries the world over is millions of tones each year. Asia is the largest user of plastic in these industries. Plastic pollution is a threat to food security. Excess salt in soil also puts food security at risk. Recent reports from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)[Read More…]
Did Rishism grow up in medieval Kashmir parallel to Mawalism and Mullaism? Did it emerge as a challenge to these isms and their love for material progress through the route of religion? Was it really an antidote to their dissonant chorus of noises, pronouncements, brawling and vitriol? Or was it a silent spiritual intervention in their catholic, commanding demeanour, domineering[Read More…]
This must be a rare occasion when Russian President Vladimir Putin during his 18 years in the Kremlin came out second best in an encounter with an American president. And it had to be at the hands of President Joe Biden who has not yet completed one year in office. Yet, Putin has met with every sitting American president since[Read More…]
Making moral statements in the blood and gristle of international relations can often come across as feeble. In doing so, the maker serves the worst of all worlds: to reveal a false sense of assurance that something was done while serving no actual purpose other than to provoke. Anger, and impotence, follow. The Biden administration is proving to be particularly[Read More…]
Australia has formed the anti-China AUKUS (Australia, UK and US) and Quad (Australia, India, US and Japan) Alliances to contain a supposedly aggressive China. In reality a US lackey, nuclear terrorist, climate criminal, serial invader and subversive Australia violates ALL Indo-Pacific countries. A detailed and documented analysis of Australian violation of all 81 Indo-Pacific countries has been published here: Gideon[Read More…]
Incoming German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has tapped Green Party co-leader Annalena Baerbock as foreign minister. Baerbock, a 40-year-old diplomatic novice, has consistently espoused liberal interventionist views that one left-wing American news site has described as a combination of “aloof complacency, ignorance and aggressiveness.” To help understand the implications of this appointment, I interviewed Douglas Macgregor, a retired U.S. Army colonel[Read More…]
For whatever reason, some mistakenly perceive the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, as liberal, progressive and even ‘pro-Palestinian’. Of course, none of this is true. This misconstrued depiction of an essentially Zionist and anti-Palestinian newspaper tells of a much bigger story of how confusing Israeli politics is, and how equally confused many of us are in understanding the Israeli political discourse. On[Read More…]
Consider living under a set of laws decreed by a racist theocratic dictator calling for ethnic cleansing, slavery, and cultural genocide if not outright genocide. It would probably not be the humanitarian thing to do while alternatively promoting freedom, democracy, and the ‘rule of law’. Unfortunately at its base, this is where the people of the Anglo empire – Canada,[Read More…]
An Interview of Expatriate Scholar E. San Juan Jr., based in Washington DC, USA by Dr. Rainer Werning, Cologne, Germany E. San Juan, Jr. is an internationally recognized cultural critic and poet in Filipino. He is emeritus professor of English, Comparative Literature, and Ethnic Studies at several US universities, and lectured recently at the University of the Philippines and Polytechnic[Read More…]
16th Dec 2021 will mark two years since the historic Shaheen Bagh movement for equal citizenship and safeguarding the fundamental ethos of our constitution. In response to brutal state violence unleashed on protesting students of Jamia Milia Islamia in Delhi on the fateful night of 15th Dec’19, what emerged in Shaheen Bagh was a powerful, organic democratic struggle led by[Read More…]
In this series of interviews Covid Response Watch brings you the voices of doctors, health workers, social activists and others, working at the grassroots, speaking about the multiple impacts of the Covid pandemic on the lives of ordinary Indian citizens. In this episode we speak to Dr Anup Agarwal, a physician and academic in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, who has been[Read More…]
At a two-hour video conference call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden threatened Russia with “strong sanctions” and the repositioning of NATO troops in case of a war between Russia and Ukraine. It was the second meeting of both presidents this year following a summit in June, at which Biden appeared trying to ease tensions with Russia[Read More…]
The PUCL welcomes the short order of the Supreme Court yesterday, 07th December, 2021, dismissing the SLP filed by the NIA which challenged the grant of statutory bail to Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj, a committed activist lawyer and member of PUCL. The PUCL sees this important order and the order of the Bombay High Court which was under challenge, as a[Read More…]
The disparity in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between rich and poor countries, and between rich and poor people within countries is just as extreme as economic inequality, a new report finds. Overall, emissions are closely correlated with income, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Inequality Lab, a Paris-based research organization. “Wealthy individuals pollute much more than low-income[Read More…]
The world’s richest people got a whole lot richer during the COVID-19 crisis. In 2021, billionaires saw the steepest increase in their share of wealth on record, according to The World Inequality Lab’s annual World Inequality Report. The top 0.01% richest individuals — the 520,000 people who have at least $19 million — now hold 11% of the world’s wealth, up[Read More…]
There have now emerged quite unbelievable inside pictures of the colossal failure of the British government in rescuing its friends, allies, and ordinary Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Raphael Marshall, a diplomat formerly in the service of her royal highness, has claimed the British evacuation operation, during the fall of Kabul, to be “dysfunctional and chaotic”, in his[Read More…]
PUCL DEMANDS from the Government of India: Immediately Prosecute Military Officials for Murder! Publicly Declare: No Immunity from Prosecution u/s 6 of AFSPA, Repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA)!!! PUCL strongly condemns the tragic and brutal killing on Saturday, 4th December, 2021 of 6 unarmed civilians (belonging to the Konyak tribe), in a military ambush in an[Read More…]
On December 1, 2021, a bench of the Rajasthan High Court comprising Chief Justice Akil Qureshi and justice Sudesh Bansal ordered that notices be sent to the state government over rampant illegal mining of stone in the Thob village of Barmer district in Rajasthan. Over 20 letters have been written to local police, officials of the district administration and the[Read More…]
From time to time there are disturbing reports of environmental ruin in various green revolution belts of the country. The most prominent such belt is that of Punjab-Haryana-Western UP and Terai belt. Here from time to time we hear of very serious reports of water depletion and pollution, serious harm to soil health, burning of crop residues and other forms[Read More…]
I was getting anxious as the time of my departure from Mumbai was approaching. I vividly remember it was the last week of September 2016 and I wanted to spend my last week; eating, drinking, and visiting my favorite spots. I still remember every last day I spent in Mumbai except the day of my departure. Sadly, the thought of[Read More…]
This is not lifeless Saturn or Jupiter, the Moon, Venus, or Mars. Because a neighboring planet is named for a Roman goddess does not mean that women originate there as if from an unearthly temple of extraterrestrial love. Because another is named for a Roman god does not prove that men are hard wired and destined for war. [Read More…]
Groups extend offer to Biden to provide input to help make the summit a success WASHINGTON, DC (Dec. 7, 2021) – A consortium of 34 international multi-faith human rights NGOs have written a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expressing their deep concern that the president’s Summit for Democracy Dec. 9-10 will ignore the widespread violations[Read More…]
With the failure of the US backed TPLF Terrorist coup attempt against the democratically elected government of Ethiopia the USA is facing it’s greatest strategic blunder since losing Iran in 1979. The Ethiopian Army and its allied militias have in the last 10 days of fighting regained all the territory it lost in several months to the TPLF Terrorist coup[Read More…]
Fighting global warming is not just about providing a path to net-zero carbon emissions for all countries. It is also about figuring out how best to meet the energy needs of people across the world while working toward net-zero emissions. If fossil fuels have to be given up, which has now become an urgent need given the current environmental challenges,[Read More…]
On December 9 and 10, President Biden will host a virtual “Summit for Democracy.” The gathering will bring together leaders from 110 countries who work in government, civil society and the private sector, with the officially declared purpose of developing an agenda to renew democratic government and keep democracy’s ideals strong. (The guest list includes Pakistan, Ukraine and Brazil.) As authoritarianism grows[Read More…]
An advertisement of Bhartiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh proclaims, ‘Educated woman is our resolve, She is an alternative for golden future.’ However, an educated woman Shikha Pal is perched on top of an overhead water tank for more than hundred days at the height of about hundred feet aspiring to become a teacher in U.P. government run schools.[Read More…]
To Shri Sushil Chandra Chief Election Commissioner Election Commission of India (ECI) Shri Rajiv Kumar Election Commissioner Election Commission of India (ECI) Shri A.C.Pandey Election Commissioner Election Commission of India (ECI) Dear S/Shri Sushil Chandra, Rajiv Kumar and Pandey, In view of the imminent outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid, it is well recognised[Read More…]
“I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014, with respect to Ukraine is to continue in effect beyond March 6, 2021.The actions and policies of persons that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial[Read More…]
Nuclear waste is an interminable curse that eternally haunts the future of civilization for hundreds/thousands of years. “The challenge of making nuclear power safer doesn’t end after the power has been generated. Nuclear fuel remains dangerously radioactive for thousands of years after it is no longer useful in a commercial reactor.” (Source: Nuclear Waste, Union of Concerned Scientists, April 22,[Read More…]
Supreme Court Judge Justice D.Y.Chandrachud recently gave voice to the suppressed agony of millions of members of denotified tribes when he clearly stated that injustice and discrimination was still being suffered by them over 7 decades after independence. Speaking on the occasion of the 13th B.R.Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on ‘Conceptualizing Marginalisation’ organized by the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies[Read More…]
Residents in a city in U.S. turned victims of industrial hazard. A smell sickened Los Angeles County residents for months. Some 3,200 residents in Carson and surrounding cities were forced to temporarily relocate to hotel rooms. A report by Julian Mark in The Washington Post (A smell sickened L.A. County residents for months. Officials say a fire that torched wellness[Read More…]
by Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant #EndTobacco is an essential part of the bedrock for Universal Health Coverage Can we deliver on the promise of health for all unless we fix the gaping and widening punctures that are causing epidemic-proportion of preventable diseases and untimely deaths? No one needs to suffer from preventable illnesses or die from curable diseases. Tobacco[Read More…]
What’s changed in Venezuela and Cuba since Biden became President? Nothing. But as US foreign policy on those two great threats to America continues seamlessly on from the Trump presidency to the Biden presidency, there’s something the White House and the media don’t want you to know. Venezuela Though you’d barely know it from the media, Venezuela just had an[Read More…]
US President Biden dismisses Russia’s red lines on Ukraine What has unfolded in the past 24 hours in the US-Russia diplomatic tango can be seen as a foreplay of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden, which is slated for Tuesday evening. Russia has got what it has been keenly seeking — a meeting between Putin[Read More…]
Forget any notions of juicy carrots; the stick approach of savage punishment is in vogue with the Greek government in pushing vaccination rates. It is far from the only one. Across a number of countries in Europe, governments wishing to drive up levels of COVID-19 vaccination have decided to abandon suasion and the generous supply of medical information in favour[Read More…]
by Medea Benjamin & Nicolas J. S. Davies Despite a disagreement over some amendments in the Senate, the United States Congress is poised to pass a $778 billion military budget bill for 2022. As they have been doing year after year, our elected officials are preparing to hand the lion’s share – over 65% – of federal discretionary spending to[Read More…]
International Brigade Against Apartheid. Ed. Ronnie Kasrils. (With Muff Andersson and Oscar Marleyn). Jacana Media, Auckland Park, South Africa. 2021. When reviewing a book already given high testament by the likes of Richard Falk, Ilan Pappé, Omar Barghouti, and John Pilger, among many others, the easy recommendation is simply read this book: it is an important addition to the history[Read More…]
There’s a new group in town, or should I say throughout this nation. Splintering off from the gang of white supremacists who called themselves Vanguard America in 2017 (after one of them ran over an anti fascist protestor in Charlottesville, Virginia) we now have The Patriot Front. These Neo Nazis have already formed 42 chapters throughout America… or should I[Read More…]
The Indian elite is given to thinking of the Constitution as some sort of a sacred emblem, and believes that none will dare commit sacrilege against it.But the constitution,however noble a document,is made by people,and it has to be protected by people from damage and danger.When one reads that an MP of the governing party has proposed in parliament alteration[Read More…]
In March 2020, while activity of all kinds came to a standstill across the country due to the Covid lockdown, the impact was negligible on one industrial sector in Rajasthan – mining. After a 10 day shut down in April 2020 initially, the state government gave permission for mining, a sign of the enormous political and economic clout of[Read More…]
On Thursday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched an appeal to the major powers for a record $41 billion to help the 183 million people most in need of life-saving assistance. This was a large increase on the $35 billion requested for 2021 and double the amount sought just four years ago. It is[Read More…]
Part-1 of a two-part article Could there be a better occasion to remember Dr. B.R. Ambedkar than the 65th Anniversary of his NIRVANA? This “Memorial Article” entitled “Remembering Ambedkar and Revisiting his thoughts is designed in Two Parts ie. One Part, to revisit his Thoughts incorporated in the historic Address delivered by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, on 25th November 1949 to[Read More…]
“Cuba reaffirms its support and solidarity with the Nicaraguan people and government,” said a statement from Cuba’s ministry of foreign affairs. Cuba has applauded Nicaragua’s decision to renounce the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) and resign from this multinational organization controlled by the U.S. The Cuban foreign ministry’s statement said: “The OAS has remained silent on multiple[Read More…]
Before the colonial rule by the Portuguese, Dutch and British there were three sovereign regions in Sri Lanka [Ceylon] The Kingdom of Jaffna in the North [Tamil Kingdom] Kingdom of Kandy in the central highlands and Kotte in the Southwest [Sinhalese Kingdoms.] The Portuguese and Dutch ruled these regions as separate units, the British in 1833 for their easy administration[Read More…]
300 Dalits were murdered in Tamil Nadu between 2016 and 2020 This is a sad story on ‘Honour killings’ in Tamilnadu, the land of ‘self-respect movement,’ being published on December 6 to mark the death anniversary of BR Ambedkar. This is Part-1 of a two-part article. Honor killings, an euphemism for murder, is violence committed by a group of one[Read More…]
Dear Friends We are passing through difficult times. As sectarian nationalism is increasing its grip on the state and society intolerance is rising. The mainstream media has been taken over by the pro-state corporate sector. Its responsibility to audit the state policies has been replaced by media singing paeans to the rulers. It uncritically appreciates what the state is doing[Read More…]
Stick to the script: owe that duty of care to your population, so the legal experts in government tell you. Self-interest pays, if in small amounts. These rigid, formulaic assumptions have done wonders to harm and deter any spirit of cooperation regarding dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. History’s record of humanity’s response to plagues, pandemics and disease is one of[Read More…]
What alt-right guru Steve Bannon failed to create, German taxpayers have just stepped in to revive: a Nationalist International. Thanks to the German government, the far right is about to get its own well-heeled global think tank, complete with the sort of political academy that was so dear to Bannon’s plan for world domination. Germany’s gift to the far right is[Read More…]
In its Term 1 sociology test for Class 12 students – held on December 1, 2021 – the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) included a question asking which political party was in power when the “anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place”. This has caused a furore. Calling the question “inappropriate”, CBSE has promised to take “strict action”[Read More…]
The second phase of data collected by National Family Health Survey-5 (2019—21) was released on November 24, 2021. The survey was conducted in two phases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Family Health Survey — 5 was being conducted in March 2020, but had to be abruptly stopped due to COVID -19 Lockdown. Therefore, in its first phase, the[Read More…]
At one end of this road in the former textile mill dominated area in Mumbai is the office of the CPM, Communist party of India (Marxist) and the other is the comrade P.K. Kurne chowk square in Worli. But the area in between is being gentrified as no other in this former working class city. High rise luxury towers have[Read More…]
We commemorate the 29th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition on December 6th.No post-independence event so much transformed the psyche of the Indian people or escalated communal fervour at such a scale. The demolition took saffron communalism to magnitude unprecedented and Hindutva to a new height. It polarised fascism from bourgeois democracy, and exposed how in essence India was not secular.[Read More…]
Criticizing the PA and holding it accountable is not anti-Palestinian; it is patriotic and as much a tenet of the resistance movement as criticizing apartheid Israel is. After decades of repression, the resistance movement today gives the Palestinian national struggle for liberation a new direction. But such resistance has never come from the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose reason for existing[Read More…]
In the life of a nation, perhaps, the first fifty years ought to be regarded as marking the rites of passage through adolescence. India can congratulate itself for helping navigate Bangladesh through a difficult childhood. Parentage of a precocious child isn’t easy and Bangladesh can be opinionated, while figuring out its own pathway. India hasn’t always been an indulgent guardian,[Read More…]
Today December 5, is celebrated as the world soil day (WSD). The proposal for a global day to celebrate soil was first recommended in the year 2002 by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). Under the framework of the Global Soil Partnership, and the leadership of the King of Thailand, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) lent[Read More…]
As most readers know, whenever the US seeks to force a nation to accede to its wishes, a spokesperson will say, “All options are on the table,” meaning the use of military force is at least a possibility if not likely. Seldom, however, will one ever hear a US spokesperson say, “The use of military force has been taken off[Read More…]
Most wars are not justified. However 50 years ago, as India prepared for war during the greater part of 1971, these preparations were well justified, and were in fact necessary to prevent a higher loss of human lives. Pakistan under Yahya Khan had chosen to suppress the democratic aspiarations of the people of its eastern wing in a most cruel[Read More…]
In 2019, just a week after Cyclone Phani had hit Odisha, I had to go to Bhubaneshwar on work. Most of the usual hotels I stay in were not accepting bookings, they had still not been able to restore services to normalcy and were therefore not accepting customers. With some difficulty, I got a booking in an obscure hotel where[Read More…]
The history of humanitarian or policing missions is a history of taking sides, disruptive partiality and the forfeiture of the very object powers claim when intervening in another country. Things become particularly absurd when the individual or government pleading for such help to an outside force is struggling to survive yet making grand statements about democracy and the like. Take[Read More…]
Recently on November 18th a most inspiring talk was delivered at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus by Surkh Leeh editor and BKU(Ugrahan) coordinator Pavel Kussa.In recent months he has written many an article in punjabi newspapers exposing the neo fascist agenda and economic policies of the ruling party in most analytical fashion. I recommend every democrat to listen to his[Read More…]
The Trudeau government’s plan to buy 88 new fighter jets and 15 combat vessels will do little to protect Canadians from this country’s most serious threats. And some people are angry enough to take the streets to send this message to Ottawa. Two dozen rallies were held across the country last week to oppose a fighter jet purchase that will[Read More…]
The terrible secret about Faustian deals is that they need a Mephistopheles to nurture them. That said, Goethe’s Mephisto is very different from the crude devil of medieval legend. Goethe sketches him as a cultivated, witty, and cynical exponent of materialism and nihilism who preaches a sophisticated doctrine of philosophical negation. There is no way the Abraham Accords would have[Read More…]
I was in PM Modi’s constituency witnessing some changes and listening to demands for changes- all for the better. I got a chance to attend a public dialogue on Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL). FOPL is similar to the warning labels in tobacco products informing the consumers what they are about to intake. Sub-optimal or poor nutrition is escalating diet related non[Read More…]
Trees are not re-growing in burned-out forests. This strange occurrence is becoming more frequent as global warming turns verdant flora into flammable tinder, causing more and bigger wild forests fires. This article will examine the science behind failure of trees to regrow in burned-out forests. Additionally, and as a collateral issue, this puts one more distorted face on the consequential[Read More…]
Recently president Ram Nath Kovind opined that the ‘judges-appointing- judges system’ needs reform. Currently the collegium system is justified on explicit as well as implicit grounds. We can analyse these better if we divide the whole issue into two separate questions -who will appoint the judges and how the judges will be appointed? Who will appoint the judges? There is[Read More…]
Salman Khurshid’s observation comparing Hindutva with jihadist Islam has quite predictably raised the hackles of the Sangh Parivar. To go back to the context in which he made this observation in his book, `Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times,’ he was referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. Describing the change that was taking place[Read More…]
Advocates for a Green New Deal are for a collection of admirable goals which it is usually taken for granted can be achieved within a capitalist economy and while the pursuit of economic growth continues. Here is an indication of the main reasons why these assumptions are totally mistaken. The fundamental assumption underlying these beliefs is that economic growth can[Read More…]
Death of migrants in the English Channel has hit headlines as “worst disaster on record” with France and United Kingdom’s “war of words” marking a “low point” in their ties, a “humanitarian crisis” and so forth. Who is to be blamed for this tragedy? Little importance has been given to the hard reality that increase in migrants being desperate for[Read More…]
Environment is human right, said and resolved a recent UN meet. It’s a reiteration of an already discussed issue – essential to all of the human society. It’s a much important issue to the peoples in countries facing forces ravaging environment; and, ravaging of environment is an act against people as the act denies people’s right to life and existence.[Read More…]
A predominant feature in recent months has been the escalation of the struggle of the Dalit agricultural labourers to win their basic rights and the unity of agricultural labour organisations to achieve them. A 3 day convention in early August in Patiala laid the breeding ground for it. All streams of the revolutionary camp are working in full throttle,[Read More…]
Epistemic Upheavals, Inquests and Voices of a Geographically Marginalized Researcher Social Science Research at the Crossroad As an ethnographic researcher, I am expected to take a reflexive role— that is observing, reflecting, building up a theory and going back to the field for testing— all of which demands dedicated focus, time and resources. However, the ongoing pandemic has significantly changed[Read More…]
During the inauguration ceremony of the recently elected mayors and governors, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro called on the new authorities to develop a system of government based on the principles of popular power. Beyond Bourgeois Democracy “We must govern to build the People’s new power from Venezuelan Socialism. I will insist on this a thousand times: we must build a new[Read More…]
The recent meeting of Tamil National Alliance {TNA] with the United States “{US] State Departments second rank officials provides a welcome relief and hopes kindling opening and as a light at the end of the tunnels of accountability, justice and reconciliation for the Tamil people. US, as a sponsor of the all important UNHRC Resolution of 30/1 and other Resolutions [Read More…]
It has been 37 years since the deadly killer gas, methyl isocyanate, spread from the Union Carbide factory like a suffocating blanket of death across the old city of Bhopal, killing thousands of people on that night, and, then, slowly, over a long period of time. The disaster shocked the country and the entire world. It was then called the[Read More…]
When the Department of Defense released its annual report on Chinese military strength in early November, one claim generated headlines around the world. By 2030, it suggested, China would probably have 1,000 nuclear warheads — three times more than at present and enough to pose a substantial threat to the United States. As a Washington Post headline put it, typically enough: “China accelerates nuclear weapons[Read More…]
Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean is at its highest point since 2000, after a 30 percent increase in the number of people suffering hunger from 2019 to 2020, says a new UN report. According to the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2021, in just one year, and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of[Read More…]
Another fault line has opened in the mining wars. In Serbia, resistance is gathering steam against various deals made between Belgrade and companies that risk environmental degradation and lingering spoliation. In this regard, the globe’s second largest metals and mining corporation, features prominently. Rio Tinto, bruised in reputation but determined in business, finds itself in a hunting mood in the[Read More…]
As Germany has just reached the 100,000 Corona death mark, the debate on mandatory vaccination is heating up in the country. As a matter of fact, Germany has had ample time to properly discuss or introduce such a Pflicht or duty. After all, it is home to philosopher Immanuel Kant. And even before Kant’s philosophical elaborations on a duty-based ethics[Read More…]
Ever since COVID-19 pandemic appeared, the year 2020 saw advocates of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) vending it as a preventive and later curative medicine for Coronavirus infection. The Indian Government ‘gifted’ HCQ to sixty odd countries. Subsequent research found the drug to be useless. Till date no curative medicine has been discovered. Whatever treatment is given in clinics/hospitals/ICUs qualifies only to be[Read More…]
I was told that a man by the name of John Doe passed through the offices of Argentine congressmen. He wasn’t carrying heavy bags of cash, but only had an American Express card on him. Doe was a well-groomed and well-dressed U.S. national who came on behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). He came bearing gifts for several[Read More…]
The UK government is considering boycotting China’s winter Olympic Games to be held in Beijing. The British foreign office cites “international efforts to hold China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang.” “It is the longstanding policy of the government that the determination of whether genocide has taken place should be made by a competent court with[Read More…]
The Belgian government’s decision on November 25 to label products made in illegal Israeli Jewish settlements is welcome, although it will ultimately prove ineffectual. Belgium has historically shown solidarity with Palestine if compared to other European countries, for example, Britain, Germany and France. From the cancellation of trade missions to Israel, to the effusive support by Belgian civil society, artists,[Read More…]
Ayodhya is an ancient city of India situated near Faizabad in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the religious scriptures, Ayodhya used to be the capital of the ancient Kosala Kingdom and the birthplace of Hindu god Rama. Ayodhya (Awadh) has been regarded as one of the seven most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus (Times of India, n.d.). The Ayodhya dispute arose as it is believed that a temple was[Read More…]
From the Bhopal disaster to a song in raaga Bhopali, through some photos and stories… Do you know Marshal? Aatank? Kavin? Aayudh? No? Just names of four out of so many pesticides, herbicides made of carbamate chemicals H2COO⁻ and carbamates are made from an intermediary chemical named Methyl Isocyanate, CH3NCO. And Methyl isocyanate was manufactured and stored factories like Union Carbide, Bhopal,[Read More…]
The corona virus has brought the entire humanity to a standstill. It has pushed the world to the domains of uncertainty and perplexity, making us question the inherent mystery of existence itself. While those who succumbed to the pandemic, their existence became statistics, but for the vast majority of our country, surviving the stifling grip of poverty and the pangs[Read More…]
Unknown is Afghanistan’s trajectory of developments. None of the players, external and internal, knows the highly-contested land’s flight path. All of the players are unsure of possible impact of each of the tactical moves being taken by each of them. So, there’re compromises or postures to compromise, and contest – cold and hot. Already an empire has experienced, as has[Read More…]
Letter to Prime Minister Privatisation of Central Electronics Lt. (CEL) and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) runs counter to the Prime Minister’s Atmanirbhar effort To Shri Narendra D Modi Prime Minister of India Dear Shri Modi, You have launched the Atma Nirbhar idea with the intention of building self-reliance in the different sectors of the economy. It is indeed a[Read More…]
Munawar Faruqui, a standup comic was to perform for a charity in Bangalore. The tickets were sold out. Then the organizers were informed that ‘show cannot go on’ and it had to be canceled. What was cited as the reason was that there may be law and order problem and that Faruqui is a controversial person. This cancellation was in[Read More…]
In September, I sat down in Khartoum with the mother of a medical student killed by security forces during Sudan’s 2018-2019 protests. “The reason why I wake up every day is that I have a little hope that I can find justice for my son,” she confided. “This will not be only for him, but to prevent other parents from[Read More…]
Security forces fired tear gas at anti-coup protesters in the Sudanese capital on Tuesday, as tens of thousands marched in the latest demonstrations against a military takeover that took place last month. Thousands of people protested near the presidential palace in central Khartoum, the capital city. Protesters took to the streets in Khartoum and other cities around the country to[Read More…]
Get the Marines ready. Store the supplies. Marshal the allies. The United States is getting ready for war (the preferable term in Washington is policing) in the Indo-Pacific region, and is hoping to do so with a range of expanded bases across client states, or what it prefers to call friends. On November 29, the Pentagon announced that US President[Read More…]
As the social life and businesses of people in Uttar Pradesh gradually recovers from the Covid-19 catastrophe a question on everyone’s minds is – will the pandemic influence the outcome of the oncoming assembly elections in March-April 2022. To probe this question, on behalf of the Covid Response Watch, we talked to a cross-section of people to get an idea[Read More…]
At least 40 immigrants dead in fire at US-Mexico border 
Contemporary Anti-Semitism – A Jewish View from Germany 
In memory of 40th Anniversary of Military Dictatorship in Argentina 
Poor work conditions, non-compliance with Constitutional provisions seriously impact adolescent girls in workforce 
Take action against K Surendran for insulting Women 
Calculated Exoneration: Command Responsibility and War Crimes in Afghanistan 
DOJ Called Upon to Investigate Environmental Activists Abuses 
The World’s Coffee Shops Have Emerged as Plant Milk’s Front Line 
Lara Sheehi’s ordeal, like Steven Salaita’s, is not quite over 
“Facing Clear Evidence of Peril” in a Country of Lies 
The case of Kashmir: A Gandhian Resolution 
Non-Availability of Badly Needed Funds for Dalit Students Increases Their Difficulties 
A bureaucrat-turned- minister in a mess 
Hundreds Of Thousands Of Workers’ 24-Hour Mega Transport Strike Halts Germany 
Oldest Interfaith Organization in America Calls for Children to Have More Rights Than Guns 
What’s the Best Way Out from the War in Ukraine? 
How Indigenous Land Management Practices Are a Blueprint for Climate-Resilient Agriculture 
In memory of Hugo Chavez on 10th death Anniversary 
Xi’s ‘Chilling’ Remarks: A Multipolar World Offers Challenges and Opportunities to the Middle East and Africa 
Ukraine War – US-China Relations And the Doomsday Clock 
Anti-Rahul Defamation Card Has Its Limitations! 
Questions We Should Ask to Understand Real Impact of Poverty Reduction and Welfare Schemes 
Punjab: Democracy Under Siege? 
Declaration excessive dividends by the Board of HZL may not be in compliance with Section 123 of the Companies Act 
Men, masculinities, and gender equality 
EU Warns After Russia Plans To Place Tactical Nuclear Weapon In Belarus 
A Hazardous Decision: Supplying Ukraine with Depleted Uranium Shells 
Media and the March to War 
The Basic Issue is not of Taking Sides in Superpower Rivalry, it is of Durable Peace to Save Earth’s Life 
The Pentagon’s Budget from Hell 
“…I want poetry to be detonated like a bomb!” -Nathalie Quintane 
Bundelkhand Must Choose its Priorities Carefully 
Citizenship: Beyond the Forked Vision 
Caste-wise census is necessary for balanced development 
Tribal woman murdered after rape in Rohtas and strong protest demanding punishment of culprits 
Why Avoiding Catastrophic War is the Biggest Priority Today 
Labor in market, and the mainstream economics 
Serbia Shall Never Forget NATO Aggression, Vows Serb President 
Kerala’s New Public Health Bill 2023: Subservient to Market Forces rather than Deliberative Democracy 
The Piracy of Development – The 3-Ds: Dispossession, Displacement, Destitution 
Our beloved K.P.Sasi is no more. Filmmaker, cartoonist, writer, mentor, friend and above all tireless activist championing the cause of every underdog, Sasi breathed his last, mid-afternoon this Christmas day – after battling a medical condition for months. I remember the last time I met him, almost exactly a month before he passed away, at the ayurvedic healing center in[Read More…]
