After enduring lawfare , jail, and persecution, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was once again elected president in Brazil. Former president Lula da Silva has clinched victory over his right-wing rival Jair Bolsonaro in a tightly contested second round of Brazilian election on Sunday. The country’s election authority announced Lula’s victory with 50.90% of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 49.10%. At 00:18 (local time) this[Read More…]
Herman Daly passed away on 28th October. He was an ecological economist who championed steady state economics. In 1996, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for “defining a path of ecological economics that integrates the key elements of ethics, quality of life, environment and community.” Daly’s death is a great loss to humanity and ecological economics. Countercurrents.org has published a[Read More…]
For a time, the confused and muddled approach from Australian football (soccer to some) did much of a side-step regarding the human rights imbroglio and Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup. There was ample cash and participation in one of the world’s biggest tournaments on the line. There was FIFA’s reluctance that footballing sides show any political streak; such[Read More…]
You are not a great poet The swan does not stir No flower bends No mouth opens for more breath The universe remains steadily in place All the clocks tick The crows cabal The evening doesn’t give a fig All masters are at ease You will not swim to any distant shore The red banner is not lifted And freedom[Read More…]
A rise in the number of homeless people has been reported from several countries. This is either being neglected, or at best is seen in terms of stepping up relief. However relief alone will not take us very far if the deeper, wider injustices of urban and housing policies is not corrected. In the USA there have been warnings against[Read More…]
On October 30th we commemorate the 17th death anniversary of late Shamsher Singh Sheri. Shamser Singh Sheri is arguably the most defining figure of the Communist Revolutionary of Naxalite movement in Punjab, torch-bearer of the Communist Revolutionary camp or mascot against revisionism. His name is still inscribed in letters of gold by revolutionary ranks. I hold Sheri in great esteem[Read More…]
Today’s presidential run-off in Brazil leaves voters a stark choice: continue the destructive nightmare of Bolsonaro’s presidency – or choose Lula to fight poverty and rebuild. Moisés Mendes, a Brazilian journalist, recently wrote that the dissemination of fake news by the Bolsonaro camp had reached a level such that voters will miss the ‘mamadeira de piroca’. The reference is to[Read More…]
The current time is unpredictable. Competitions and contradictions are reaching to boiling point. The metropolitan center in the world order is experiencing heightened tensions, and consequences, trickling down gradually, are pressing peoples in lands to unfathomable sufferings while the Empire is insisting on “rules-based” world order, an Empire-centric old order serving only the Empire and its retinue. But that time[Read More…]
(I have used an exclamation mark in the title of the article. But I have not used this punctuation sign anywhere thereafter. For the last three decades, the mainstream political and intellectual circles of the country have been working with the spirit of team-work in erecting a Corporate-India (nigam-bharat). Hence I have accorded it the befitting title of Team-India. It[Read More…]
Farmers under the banner of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) lifted their dharna after 21 days from near the local residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today, after the government assured them of fulfilling their demands. The farmers should be congratulated for demonstrating such resilience and BKU(Ugrahan) for organisational skill. The protest terminated after a meeting was held between the[Read More…]
Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled Prague’s central square, on Friday, to decry rampant inflation amid the Czech government’s support for anti-Russia sanctions and aid packages to Ukraine. Media reports said: The protesters called for direct gas talks with Moscow and the resignation of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his cabinet. Participants chanted “resign”, “resign” while waving Czechian national flags.[Read More…]
The possibility of the use of nuclear weapons, intentional or on the basis of misunderstandings which can result in a situation of high-tensions and escalating tensions continuing for a long time, has been repeatedly and increasingly held out in recent times. In this context various scenarios have been presented by several eminent experts almost all of which reveal a very[Read More…]
Kosovo (in fact, Kosovo-Metochia), a disputed territory claimed by Serbia and Kosovo Albanian separatists, which Serbs regard as central to their cultural identity (differently to the Albanians), is going to pose much more unexpected problems for the international community concerning its political status as it became obvious that Belgrade and Prishtina cannot find common language during 22 years of[Read More…]
A book announcement I would like to announce the publication of a new book, which may be downloaded and circulated free of charge from the following link: https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2022/10/Against-Nationalism-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf A dangerous anachronism Today, in an era of all-destroying nuclear weapons, instantaneous global communication and worldwide economic interdependence, nationalism has become a dangerous anachronism. History, as it is taught today, is centered[Read More…]
The recent statements of President Ranil Wickramasinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry expose and confirm the financial, political, and economic bankruptcy of Sri Lanka even admitted by the leaders and architects of these bankruptcies who nurtured and fed them for their political and personal prosperity partly encouraged by the numbed and sterile opposition coupled with the complacency of ordinary citizens.[Read More…]
To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, This refers to my last letter dated 16-9-2022, and the previous correspondence, as well as the recent report (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/lic-plans-changes-to-revive-battered-stock-report/articleshow/95146851.cms), on the persistent, contrived attempts by your Ministry to shift LIC’s focus from safeguarding millions of its small policyholders to enriching a few limited number of affluent, speculative stock market investors, to[Read More…]
Bhagat Singh – a symbol of aspiration of the chained people in this colonized sub-continent. That aspiration was of freedom, dignity, equity and equality. Bhagat Singh – a symbol of fearless life, undaunted life, a life to sacrifice on the altar of people’s struggle for mooktee, emancipation – emancipation from all forms of bondage. There were bondages of colonial rule,[Read More…]
A fresh approach to fixing climate change/global warming is outlined in a new book: Climate Restoration, which focuses on how the climate can be restored. Indeed, the book is full of fascinating details, meriting a closer look and critique (Peter Fiekowsky and Carole Douglis, Climate Restoration, Rivertowns Books, 2022). But first: The words climate change and global warming have become[Read More…]
Will COP-27 help to improve the climate agenda in significant ways, or will it carry on as before? This is an important question for humanity, keeping in view the increasing evidence of the extremely serious nature of climate disruption related threats, which just keeps on piling. At the same time, it has become increasingly clear that the existing response of[Read More…]
Sanctions can at best slow China from taking the global lead in chip manufacturing. At their worst, they will raise the chances of chip wars spilling into a physical or economic sphere. The United States has gambled big in its latest across-the-board sanctions on Chinese companies in the semiconductor industry, believing it can kneecap China and retain its global dominance. From the[Read More…]
On October 20, 2022, in Guinea, a protest organized by the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) took place. The protesters demanded the ruling military government (the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development, or CNRD) release political detainees and sought to establish a framework for a return to civilian rule. They were met with violent security forces, and in[Read More…]
The midterms are coming and this is a good time to think about the power of elections. Not as an expression of our power, because the wants of ordinary people have no influence over national policy, but of the power that elections hold over us. You would think that able citizenship starts and stops with voting. There is a war[Read More…]
Late Hrishikesh Mukherjee more popularly known as ‘Hrishi Da’ just celebrated his birth centenary last month. Hrishi Da ranks amongst India’s most progressive and innovative film makers, exhibiting mastery in craft of making socially relevant themes. Mukherjee knitted plots together with great visualisation, and sensitivity, be it in comedy, pathos, anger or romance, weaving every ingredient in proper proportion. Melodrama[Read More…]
by Ashish Kumar Singh & Akash Singh Every morning the municipality vehicle comes with a speaker phone playing songs on the themes of waste management and segregation. Interesting is the fact that despite their two rounds each morning, often people tend to throw garbage and food waste on the street while ensuring that their houses remain clean. Is it a[Read More…]
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” goes the old-age adage. But the producer of apple is in distress. And government looks as a mere spectator. Govt’s surprising apathy and callous approach towards the horticulture industry in Kashmir has brought this industry on the verge of collapse. The beginning of the harvest season brings everyone on their toes to[Read More…]
Three years ago, a tent had adorned my courtyard where a crowd had gathered. Someone was fighting off sleep, struggling to pay attention. Someone was wondering about the next cup of tea. Everyone was sitting in the tent’s light, smiling and chatting with each other, while I sat quietly in a dark corner of the terrace – away from everyone.[Read More…]
Peoples’ Republic of China, which has emerged as the second largest economic power in the world is now at the center stage of world affairs. Its views, ideas, attitude towards relations with foreign countries, the way it solves problems – will influence the overall global developments today. It is the Communist Party of China that leads in[Read More…]
by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies Biden and Jayapal at a negotiating table in October 2021 – Photo credit: The White House Ukraine has been wracked by shocking destruction and deadly violence since Russia invaded the country in February. Estimates of the death toll range from a confirmed minimum of 27,577 people, including 6,374 civilians, to over 150,000.[Read More…]
Energy prices in France will grow by 15% early next year, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned as European governments continue to search for ways to curb high inflation. “There will be a 15% increase in electricity and gas prices in the first months of 2023,” Macron said during an interview on TV channel France 2 on Wednesday, adding that,[Read More…]
Incidents are told in simple, straight style, but significant in meaning; and metaphors are there in the Lived Stories. Madhu Bhaduri tells her days as an Indian diplomat in Vienna, Hanoi, Mexico City, Hamburg, Minsk, Lisbon. These are about geopolitics and war, economy and history, culture, persons and people, and about undaunted spirit of humanity. As First Secretary to the[Read More…]
Nazi is as neo-Nazi does, and 51 countries by abstention (49) and No vote (2) refused to support the UNGA’s 2021 Anti-Nazi Resolution for “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”. All of these countries except Japan were European. Excepting Argentina and Israel, the members[Read More…]
Ours is an ever more unequal world, even if that subject is ever less attended to in this country. In his final book, Where Do We Go From Here?, Reverend Martin Luther King wrote tellingly, “The prescription for the cure rests with the accurate diagnosis of the disease. A people who began a national life inspired by a vision of a society of[Read More…]
Climate hazards threaten nearly 70% of population of a third of world cities, finds a new report by the CDP, a London-based non-profit which runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. The analysis in Protecting People and the Planet, (https://www.cdp.net/en/research/global-reports/protecting-people-and-the-planet) released on October 13, 2022, is based on responses of 998 cities from across the[Read More…]
Bogeyman politics tends to be flatly unimaginative. The image of the nuclear-mad Russian President, counting his diminishing options, has caught the imagination of press and propaganda outlets across the West. Will Mad Vlad go the distance and deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine? Certainly, his rhetoric suggests the possibility. Vladimir Putin has promised to “make use of all weapon systems[Read More…]
US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ was meant to represent a finality of sorts, an event reminiscent of Francis Fukuyama’s premature declaration of the ‘End of History’ and the uncontested supremacy of western capitalism. In effect, it was a declaration that ‘we’ – the US, Israel and a few allies – have won, and ‘you’, isolated and[Read More…]
In this interview, Nnimmo Bassey, a Nigerian architect and award-winning environmentalist, author, and poet, talks about the history of exploitation of the African continent, the failure of the international community to recognize the climate debt owed to the Global South, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will take place in Egypt in November 2022. Bassey has written (such[Read More…]
Having taking over United Kingdom’s government as its youngest Prime Minister in 200 years, the first Brown and Hindu to do so, Rishi Sunak is certainly not gifted with a magical wand or any other power to resolve the chaotic problems faced by his country and its citizens. The importance given in Indian circles to his religious identity and colour[Read More…]
India has reasons to celebrate after the first man of Indian origin has become the British Prime Minister. Considering how the British Empire once ruled the giant South Asian nation, and Indians had to fight to liberate their homeland from foreign occupation, this means a lot. That the Indians faced racial hatred as immigrants in the UK for years is[Read More…]
A public interest litigation is currently before India’s Supreme Court which challenges the drive to commercialise the growing of genetically modified (GM) mustard in India. On 26 October 2022, however, the country’s apex regulatory body – the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee – sanctioned commercialisation of the crop. The central government has in the past stated commercialisation will not go ahead[Read More…]
Recent times have witnessed constant constant lobbying by very powerful corporate interest lobbies for the introduction of GM (genetically modified) crops and technology in India. These corporate interests have been promoting GM technology and GE (genetic engineering) technology in food and farming which has been exposed by eminent experts to be extremely harmful for food, health and farmers and useful[Read More…]
The eleven volume report has submitted recently by the official language Committee headed by Home Minister to President Droupadi Murmu. The report has recommended to replace English with Hindi as India’s official national language. Union home minister Amit Shah has supported this recommendation by urging people from different state to communicate with each other in Hindi instead of English. This[Read More…]
History is small fry to seasoned craftsmen like the RSS who can come up with dummies that look more authentic than the real. There is no better testimony to this statement than the mangled legacy of the greatest of all Mughals, Emperor Akbar, who is deservedly called Akbar the Great. A malicious campaign against the peerless monarch has been going[Read More…]
Over 5000 Farmers organised by the BKU Ekta(Ugrahan) relented to return to homes for Diwali and instead celebrated Diwali together at the protest site near the local residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Farmers had been sitting here on an indefinite protest since October 9. The protest organised by BKU Ugrahan, the largest farmers’ union in Punjab has been going[Read More…]
Letter to State Chief Ministers Respected Chief Minister, I have addressed you through a series of letters on the need for the States to form a “Federal Front” to persuade the Centre to respect the idea of cooperative federalism and ensure that the States’ autonomy as provided in the Constitution is fully safeguarded. My last letter on the subject may[Read More…]
In December 2021, a Divisional Bench of Calcutta High Court reinstated the in-principle clearance of the Turga Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (TPSHP) proposed over an area of 292 hectares in the Ajodhaya hills of West Bengal and the eastern most part of the Chhotanagpur plateau. The judgement comes after the West Bengal government appealed against the single bench Order of[Read More…]
When the history of the struggles of industrial workers against injustice in India is finally written, a detailed chapter will have to be devoted to the various injustices suffered by Maruti vehicle workers in Manesar (Haryana) following some unfortunate and regrettable violence in July 2012. More than a decade later this struggle is still continuing, as was visible in[Read More…]
The U.S. legislators group known as Congressional Progressive Caucus retracted a letter that was sent on Monday calling for U.S. President Biden to pursue a diplomatic end to Russia’s war on Ukraine, saying it was not properly vetted prior to its release. Thirty members of the roughly 100-member group of Democratic legislators signed it. Media reports said: “The letter was[Read More…]
In the recently held elections for the post of President of Indian National Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, a veteran Congress leader with vast experience in the political life was elected. He is third dalit to occupy this prestigious post. These elections have taken place in the party after nearly 24 years. It is interesting that in India barring the Communist parties,[Read More…]
On 22nd October farmers under the banner of Samuyukta Kisan Morcha as a part of the 11 day dharna against land takeover in Azamgarh for airport construction, held a peoples’ parliament in Hariram in Khiriya bag. Over a thousand persons participated. Organisations participating were Samyukta Kisan Morcha,Kisan Sangrami Parishad, ,Kisan Sangram Samiti,Jai Kisan Andolan,and Bhumia Bachao. Prominent speakers were Satyadev[Read More…]
Rishi Sunak has become the Prime Minister of UK and India’s ‘bhaktmandali’ is celebrating. Even the ‘liberals’ are celebrating it. Now for the record, people of Indian origins have become leaders in various countries such as Mauritius, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad etc and we never felt ‘proud of them’. Most of these Indians were basically related to the families of ‘indentured[Read More…]
The Southern Ocean is 10% of the world’s oceans. Yet, it is arguably the most significant ecosystem of the planet for marine sea life as well as regulation of CO2 and ocean heat, serving as a buffer to climate change and thereby benefiting the entire globe. It is the final frontier of life support for Earth. A new scientific research[Read More…]
In fact, there is nothing unexpected or new regarding the decisions taken in the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held during October 16-22, 2022, as almost all the deliberations in it are in tune with the planning and preparations taken by CPC led by Xi Jinping since the 19th Congress in 2017. In essence, the Congress[Read More…]
Had DIPAM conducted due diligence on bidders’ background, it would have avoided causing embarrassment to the government in Pawan Hans disinvestment To Smt Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister Dear Smt Sitharaman, Referring to disposal of scrap in different government departments, the Union Minister for Personnel, Shri Jitendra Singh had proudly announced on October, 25, 2022 that “Over Rs. 254[Read More…]
Ethics and Eric Schmidt are rare bedfellows. The former Google/Alphabet CEO/Chairman exudes a sense of predatory self-interest, always making the point that what he wants aligns with what is supposedly good for the United States. He has splashed money on numerous projects, including such artificial intelligence outfits as Rebellion Defense, all the time maintaining uncomfortably close ties to the government[Read More…]
As this century began, I was writing War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, my reflections on two decades as a war correspondent, 15 of them with the New York Times, in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, Bosnia, and Kosovo. I worked in a small, sparsely furnished studio apartment on First Avenue in New York City. The room had a desk,[Read More…]
Sometimes this happens also in personal life—someone who insists he is helping you keeps pushing you in the direction of harm and even ruin. Something similar seems to have unfortunately been the fate of Ukraine in recent times—those who kept insisting about helping Ukraine have actually kept pushing it towards ruin. It was certainly possible for Ukraine to have a[Read More…]
The recent statement of our finance minister regarding the dollar and the rupee gives some indication of the same. In this statement given in New York, she said that the value of the rupee has not decreased, the position of the dollar has strengthened. Depreciation of rupee or appreciation of dollar means the same thing. It is true that the[Read More…]
Saw Aaditya Thackeray, the young, embattled Shiv Sena leader at a public event last week. He was cheerful, showed no sign of stress. Seems to have taken the recent political setback in his stride. Things are clearly looking up for Shiv Sena and the Congress. He inaugurated a play area for physically and mentally challenged children in Joggers Park in[Read More…]
There is not much that I can do for Laura except to extend myself in a loving way to her. I learned of her through a mutual friend and decided that I wanted to do something supportive of her since she has suffered a great deal. Therein I want to soften her suffering and try to be a little bit[Read More…]
We are currently seeing rising food prices due to a combination of an engineered food crisis for geopolitical reasons, financial speculation by hedge funds, pension funds and investment banks and profiteering by global grain trade conglomerates like Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, ADM and Bunge. In addition, agri firms like Bayer, Syngenta (ChemChina) and Corteva cynically regard current circumstances as an opportunity[Read More…]
Glory to God in the Lowest – Journeys to An Unholy Land. Donald E. Wagner. Olive Branch Press (Interlink Publishing group, Inc.). Northampton, Massachusetts. 2022. In “Glory to God in the Lowest” Donald Wagner set out three themes for his memoirs: his transition from political apathy and social conservatism to activism in the civil rights and anti-war movements; a theological[Read More…]
Victims of occupational diseases suffer all too frequently from neglect, resulting in extremely distressing conditions for them. Hence a recent campaign involving activists, judiciary and some state governments, particularly Rajasthan government, has appeared like a rare ray of hope. This campaign shows how significant benefits can reach workers suffering from silicosis, one of the most serious and common occupational diseases,[Read More…]
A multifaceted response from Europe has so far prevented its energy woes from creating widespread social and economic destabilization. But with winter approaching, the crisis is far from over and risks are getting worse. While European energy prices have eased slightly in recent months, stress continues to build across a continent that has long been dependent on access to cheap Russian[Read More…]
The U.S. is Obsessed With Destroying Russia “To The Last Dead Ukrainian Soldier” FOREWORD The war in Ukraine continues to move ever closer to a nuclear confrontation between the United States and Russia as loggerhead tensions continue to mount between these two super powers with the U.S. resolutely declaring it will ultimately defeat Russia, while Russia resolutely declares it will[Read More…]
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This war has been horrendous, though it does not compare with the terrible destruction wrought by the U.S. bombardment of Iraq (“shock and awe”) in 2003. In the Gomel region of Belarus that borders Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats met on February 28 to begin negotiations toward a ceasefire. These talks fell apart. Then, in early March, the two[Read More…]
by Medea Benjamin and Marcy Winograd In a dramatic break with the Biden administration on the eve of the midterm elections, 30 House Democrats sent a letter to President Biden urging him to engage in direct talks with Russian President Vladmir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. In addition to bilateral talks, signatories to the letter, initiated by Progressive[Read More…]
On 17th October in Sidkuk Haridwar the workers of Raja Biscuit Company lodged an intense protest for having been denied wages for a period of 5 months .First they marched towards the labour office; giving a notice to the commisoner.Then they approached the district office, submitting a memorandum to the labour rights commissioner. For 15 years the workers toiled for[Read More…]
Russia’s defense chief warned Sunday: Ukraine was preparing a provocation involving a radioactive device. An AP report said: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the allegations in phone calls with his counterparts from the U.S., Britain, France and Turkey. Shoigu voiced concern about “possible Ukrainian provocations involving a ‘dirty bomb,’” a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It[Read More…]
What’s the U.S. military doing in Africa? It’s an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, straight-jacketed in secrecy, and hogtied by red tape. Or at least it would be if it were up to the Pentagon. Ten years ago, I embarked on a quest to answer that question at TomDispatch, chronicling a growing American military presence on that continent, a build-up of[Read More…]
Zero Waste Solution, Wareham, MA PHOTO: DAVID RATCLIFFE “I cling like a miser to the freedom that disappears as soon as there is an excess of things.” – Albert Camus, Lyrical and Critical Essays. Let me tell you a story about a haunted house and all the thoughts it evoked in me. Do we believe we can save ourselves by saving things? Or[Read More…]
A new, freely downloadable, book I would like to announce the publication of a new book, entitled “Lives of Some Great Film Directors”. The pdf file of the book may be downloaded and circulated free of charge from the following link: https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2022/10/Lives-of-Some-Great-Film-Directors-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf It is part of my series of books on cultural history. Human history as cultural history We need[Read More…]
A webinar will be held on Thursday 27th October 2022 at 12.00 PM (GMT) on the theme HUMANITY’S FUTURE. The webinar will examine critically the dangerous situation we are in today, as the human family confronts the possible danger of a full-scale global war with serious nuclear implications. The war in Ukraine and other flashpoints have brought us to this[Read More…]
Do you remember 10 March 2022? What happened that day? The results of the elections to the five state assemblies were declared wherein the BJP won in four of the five states, with the fifth, Punjab going to AAP. What happened then? Almost immediately, the Prime Minister flew to Gujarat which was the next state slated for elections, though still[Read More…]
In the human and nature conflict debate, conservationists argue for expansion of wilderness and wildlife and those advocating tribal rights advocate for increasing access of tribal rights over land, water and forests. Forest department is often in conflict with local communities who are often seen as encroachers, while for the tribal communities’ forests are a part of their life, culture[Read More…]
(1) The so-called ‘Western powers’ in a rash bid to turn the Ukraine offensive into a nightmare for Russia and shell-shock the comity of nations that desperately yearn for peace has prodded Ukraine to launch more and more provocative attacks on Russia. Naturally it has entrapped Russia into more and more ruthless reprisals,which might well escalate to a nuclear strike.Whereas[Read More…]
India today, is enveloped in darkness! As the nation embroils itself from one issue to another, the burden is felt by the ordinary citizen, as never before and in more ways than one. Fascism throttles the country; at this juncture, one cannot help, but reminded of that immortal epigram composed by Bertolt Brecht in 1939. Brecht, a playwright and poet,[Read More…]
Deepawali, the most awaited festival of lights in India, is celebrated by people in many ways but most prominently as a wish and worship for prosperity to them and their near and dear ones. While economic well-being should be wished to all people of the world, certainly our greatest concern should clearly be for the poorest sections. It is very[Read More…]
Allotment of Barra coal block in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh without local Gram Sabhas’ consent violates PESA and FRA E A S Sarma Former Secretary to Government of India To Shri Amitasbh Jain Chief Secretary Chhattisgarh State Govt Dear Shri Jain, I understand that the Union Ministry of Coal has allotted the Barra coal block in Kharsia Taluk in Raigad District[Read More…]
It’s that time of year again, with the annual UN climate meeting (the conference of the Parties) or COP, just a couple of weeks away. This year’s meeting, COP27, will take place from 6-18 November 2022 at the luxury resort of in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. This year, like so many before has once again shown in crystal clear terms why we[Read More…]
To Dr Suman Bery Vice-Chairman Niti Ayog Dear Dr Bery, In the public healthcare set up in the country, the hospitals run by the State governments at the district level play a pivotal role, providing a vast social security cover for the people, spanning the length and the breadth of the country. The medical and the para-medical[Read More…]
It was telling. Of the mainstream Australian press gallery, only David Crowe of the Sydney Morning Herald turned up to listen to Jennifer Robinson, lawyer extraordinaire who has spent years representing Julian Assange. Since 2019, that representation has taken an even more urgent note: to prevent the WikiLeaks founder from being extradited to the United States, where he faces 18[Read More…]
Courageous and forthright Indigenous Australian Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe is presently subject to hysterical bipartisan political lynching for her failure and the failure of others to report to her Leader her friendship with a fellow First Nations person who formerly led a motorbike club and has no criminal convictions. However there is massive failure to report gigantic government crimes in[Read More…]
The statehood of Ukraine like Ukrainian ethnolinguistic identity is one of the most problematic research topics. Ukraine herself has, in addition, extremely artificial state borders from very historical and political points of view. Even the name of the country and nation is very unusual and even unnatural as the Slavonic term “Ukraine” means in English “borderland” while “Ukrainians” are simply[Read More…]
In what has turned out to be one of the deadliest years for residents in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2015, over 100 Palestinians and four Israel servicemen and police officers have been killed thus far this year. The Israeli army has been conducting operations with incursions into the West Bank on a nearly daily basis in what[Read More…]
High levels of workplace violence are becoming a cause for serious concern in many countries. According to the European Working Conditions Survey, 6 million workers in the European Union are exposed in one year to workplace violence. If verbal violence is included, then the number exposed to violence is likely to exceed 30 million. France, Denmark and Belgium are among[Read More…]
To Shri G C Murmu C&AG Dear Shri Murmu, I have just come across a news report (https://indianexpress.com/article/india/after-ec-now-cag-works-to-red-flag-freebies-state-largesse-8225594/) that your office would be “exploring how to devise parameters that will ‘red-flag’ the burden of subsidies, off-budget borrowings, discounts and write-offs which may pose challenges to the economy of States“. While the office of the C&AG has an obligation to audit[Read More…]
New Delhi: A report by Delhi-based think tank Lokniti-CSDS and Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Stiftung finds that 46 % of Hindus and Muslims who follow various media sources perceive news coverage of PM Modi as biased. They also believe that the Modi government is portrayed too favorably in the Indian news media. Only about one in five news consumers responded that[Read More…]
Time the ruling dispensation decides whether it is committed to rule of law and protection of rights of victims and survivors of heinous crimes or their perpetrators ? Truth has an uncanny ability of popping up suddenly when you are least aware of it. PM Modi and his closest confidant Amit Shah must be realising it of late. Thanks to[Read More…]
21st October marked the 38th death anniversary of Satyanarayan Singh (SNS). He was one of the pioneering leaders of the revolutionary party CPI (M-L), which was formed demarcating from the neo-revisionist CPI (M) after the historic Naxalbari uprising. SNS was Central Committee and Politbureau member of that party. Faced with grave losses and damages in CPI (ML) under the leadership[Read More…]
Imagine the impact of a United States white-glove clean power system with costs benefits to individual homeowners in a Virtual Power Plant network (VPP) extending coast-to-coast with every household, en mass, involved in electrical power generation for the entire nation. It’s coming. It’s a future where everybody benefits as greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2 dissipate as homeowner electric bills[Read More…]
Occupational diseases constitute a much more serious risk to the health and welfare of workers than is normally realized. The International Labor Organization and the World Health Organization got together jointly to estimate the number of deaths caused by occupational diseases and injuries at world level for 2016. The two international agencies found that as many as 1.90 million ([Read More…]
Right to Food Campaign flags the alarming situation of hunger in the country and the lack of adequate response by the government The Right to Food Campaign held a press conference in Delhi on October 21, 2022 highlighting the situation of hunger in India, the inadequate policy response of the government, the Global Hunger Index report, the status of compliance[Read More…]
It has been three years since Sayed Abdul Rahman Geelani known as SAR among his friends, at the age of 50, suddenly and much too soon, left us, on 24 October 2019. The shock of his untimely demise is a void very hard to fill. He played the role as a teacher, an educator and a tireless defender of human[Read More…]
It turns out that the Home Ministry actually gave permission for remission of sentence of 11 rape and murder convicts in the case of Bilkis Bano in Gujarat. It flies in the face of the argument that the convicts had completed 14 years of sentence, even though it is not settled in law that in every case of life term[Read More…]
Russian officials in Kherson, the port city at the mouth of the Dnieper River, announced plans Tuesday to evacuate civilians ahead of an expected Ukrainian offensive to recapture the city. Officials from Kherson, which Russia seized during its offensive earlier in the year, said the evacuations were “to avoid casualties among the civilian population.” Parts of the city are just[Read More…]
Last few decades have seen the rise of communal politics in India. Similar politics has been dominating Pakistan from a much longer time. This politics draws heavily from history; rather it uses History as the major tool for spreading hate against the ‘other’ community. The target community in Pakistan is Hindus and in India it is Muslims. In these narratives[Read More…]
“When are you going to govern? The only thing you have governed for the past year is your own survival.” Jess Phillips, Labour MP, October 20, 2022 British politics has revealed hidden depths, each one being sought as each prime minister succumbs. The announcement by Liz Truss that she would be resigning came after a mere 45 days in office. [Read More…]
The Japanese yen hit its weakest exchange rate against the U.S. dollar since 1990 on Thursday, dropping to 150 yen to the greenback. The Nikkei 225 stock index was also down, losing nearly 1% during morning trading to 27,006.96 points. The Topix index shed 0.51% to 1,895.41. A Yen previously slid in June, when it hit 132 against the dollar,[Read More…]
The Scream by Edvard Munch ‘History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce” Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte ‘Make the Economy Scream’ were President Nixon’s instructions to the Central Intelligence Agency, September 1970, as the first Socialist President of Chile, Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity Party swept to power amid Cold War headwinds.[i] According to then US[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (10-20) – With the Capitol as a backdrop today, activists held a “Jan 6 Justice: Our Freedom, Our Vote!” rally in support of democracy and in holding Trump and his MAGA Republican followers responsible for engaging in the violent criminal conspiracy they initiated to overturn an election they lost. Their willingness to engage in violence to see that they[Read More…]
The suffering of US women under the iron heel of abortion is intensifying, especially for women of color. This makes it imperative to closely examine possible paths forward. As a teenager during the 1960s I witnessed two political paths that remain imprinted on my mind. LBJ and 14 (b) Even before classes began in 1963, I had organized the first[Read More…]
There has been growing concern in recent years regarding the extent to which workers and employees are stressed in their work and have strong feelings of alienation. In this context the findings of one of the most extensive surveys on this subject are significant. These can be seen in Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report 2022. This is based[Read More…]
What can be said about speculations and questions being raised about democratic nature of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election as President of Congress Party? He won 7,897 votes against 1,072 secured by his rival Shashi Tharoor out of 8,969 votes. Of 9,385 votes 416 were declared invalid because of errors such as incorrect marking. Prior to results being officially declared, Kharge’s victory[Read More…]
On October 12-13th in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, an unwarranted attack was launched on the farmers land, led by the SDM, Teshildar,.Provincial armed Constabulary and the police, without declaring any notice in Jamua Hariram village .The purpose was to obtain land for the installation of a new International airport. The action was part and parcel of an overall strategy to[Read More…]
A recent poll finds: Many US citizens are not hopeful about the state of democracy in their land, the country that teaches “democracy” around the world. A new poll, results released on Wednesday, by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found: Many in the US are skeptical of the voting system in the US. They are also disheartened about[Read More…]
By 1995 it had become clear that the (Western) international community’s experiment with multilateralism was under serious threat and, in fact, it failed in many cases like Rwanda, ex-Yugoslavia, Cyprus, etc. Nevertheless, continuing problems in different parts of the globe have meant that the OUN has had to remain committed to alleviating some of the worst atrocities. Nonetheless, before the[Read More…]
Brazen call for financial embargo against Muslims, by BJP MP Parvesh Verma, demonstrates new churn in communalism in India. He was speaking at a protest march conducted by VHP and other right-wing organizations against the murder of Manish Kumar, who was killed by three men with ‘Muslim names’ in Sundar Nagri locality earlier this month. According to police reports Manish[Read More…]
The United Nations is expected to vote this week on sanctions against a powerful gang leader in Haiti who has blocked supplies of food, fuel and drinking water as the impoverished Caribbean country struggles with a cholera outbreak. The U.S. and Canada have sent “security equipment”, including tactical and armored vehicles, to Haiti to help the country tackle a political, economic and security crisis,[Read More…]
This headline in the Israeli newspaper, the Jerusalem Post, only tells part of the story: “The Lions’ Den, Other Palestinian Groups are Endless Headache for Israel, PA.” It is true that both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are equally worried about the prospect of a widespread armed revolt in the Occupied West Bank, and that the newly formed[Read More…]
In the present world order, when the countries worldwide are facing climate crisis as well as other forms of vulnerabilities including rising misogyny, increased emphasis on nationalism, populism and hate, unique challenges are emerging that need to be addressed. Persistent social, economic and political inequalities have further sharpened during COVID-19 crisis while the countries have rolled back policies that could[Read More…]
Jean Luc Goddard who left us at age of 91 on 13th September, ranks amongst the greatest film makers ever .Godard, was a filmmaker, critic, essayist, polemicist, philosopher, scientist, a preacher, educator, journalist, and artist rolled into one. The motion-picture medium was elevated to a new dimension by him, penetrating barriers untranscended in terms of creativity. Its hard to think[Read More…]
Accidents are a leading cause of human distress. However most discussion has been concentrated on road accidents while occupational accidents which affect mostly the working class have received comparatively much lesser attention. This should not lead to neglect of the very heavy price that workers have to pay in terms of serious injuries or even loss of life caused[Read More…]
Doctors for Assange, a group of more than 300 medical experts from around the world, issued an open letter on Monday to British Home Secretary Suella Braveman and US Attorney General Merrick Garland, insisting that they immediately halt the state persecution of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and free him unconditionally. The doctors’ organisation, which has campaigned in defence of Assange[Read More…]
French workers took part in a nationwide strike Tuesday to demand higher wages to keep pace with the soaring cost of living. The strikes, principally in schools and transport, are an extension of the industrial action that has disrupted France’s major refineries, causing severe fuel shortages. Half Of All Trains Cancelled Transport Minister Clement Beaune said today there were severe[Read More…]
Sports stars are often adored like dumb show animals, suitably pretty, happily disposed to the cause they are paid for. For the FIFA Men’s World Cup being held in Qatar next month, football can count on the face of former English star David Beckham as its prized animal. This month, the principle-free player signed a 10-year contract worth £150 million[Read More…]
Somalia’s Horrific Famine Due To US/NATO Overthrow of a Fine Conservative Islamic Courts Gov. and 16 Years of War In Somalia, already during the 1980s, the US backed a brutal dictatorship without regard to famine on a massive scale resulting in the deaths of more than 300,000 Somalis, mostly children. In 1992 US Marines and Rangers killed many Somalis before[Read More…]
On 15th October in Sangrur, the Association for Democratic Rights, Punjab staged a seminar on democratic Rights. It was attended by around 200 persons, but had qualitative significance. Main speakers were Charanjeet Patwari,Swaranjeet Singh,Himanshu Kumar and Vishwakant.Farmers,agricultural labourers ,workers and intellectuals attended the programme, Himanshu Kumar from Chattisgarh, dwelled on how state repression was intensifying in political, economic and social[Read More…]
Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) Strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s order to suspend the Acquittal of Saibaba and Others in Gadchiroli case pertaining to alleged ‘Maoist link’. “Our system is scared of those (people) who raise their voice against its injustice. It (system) is scared of the people’s voice. Students and activists, who expose failures of governments, are viewed as[Read More…]
The Defense Committee for the Release of Saibaba felt that the Bombay High Court Judgment finally did Justice to Saibaba and others who have been incarcerated for the last almost seven years. The reversal of Judgment in great hurry is a reflection on the Justice system in India. The observation of the court that he has a powerful mind is[Read More…]
At least 603 people have been killed by flooding in Nigeria, and all but three of the 36 states in the West African nation have been impacted. The floods have been caused by unusually strong rainfall. Citing the Nigerian humanitarian affairs ministry, media reports said on Sunday: The Nigerian national government also announced that more than 1.3 million people have been[Read More…]
SC Staying Acquittal of Prof. Saibaba and 5 others: A dangerous precedent which dilutes procedural safeguards and Compromises the right to personal liberty PUCL expresses its serious concern over the hurried manner by which the SC permitted the Government of Maharashtra to move an urgent appeal on Saturday 16th October, 2022 against the acquittal/discharge of Prof. Saibaba and 5 others[Read More…]
Dr. Ambedkar is considered as a symbol of resistance of Dalits against caste system and who stood for annihilation of caste. On 14th October 1956, he along with 6 lakhs of his followers converted to Buddhism at Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur. As chairperson of the drafting committee of the Indian constitution, his contributions to emergence of a liberal democracy and[Read More…]
To Shri Rajiv Kumar Chief Election Commissioner Shri A C Pandey Election Commissioner Dear S/Shri Rajiv Kumar and Pandey, I have come across a disturbing news report (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/gujarat-firms-sign-mou-with-election-commission-to-name-shame-workers-who-dont-vote-8214689/) that “for the first time, over 1,000 corporate houses in Gujarat have signed agreements with the Election Commission (EC), undertaking to monitor ‘electoral participation of their workforce’ and publish the names of[Read More…]
Since the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, unrest in Iranian cities has continued. So far, more than 100 people have been killed in the riots, and many political activists, journalists, and college students have been arrested. On October 3, after over two weeks of silence, the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appeared at a police graduation ceremony and blamed[Read More…]
Thousands of people in U.S. cities have been left without access to clean water. Communities say institutional racism is to blame. The United Nations General Assembly recognized “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights” on July 28, 2010. Yet, 12 years later,[Read More…]
The Facts Search for Meanings People and nations once colonized by the European Empires remain colonized in thoughts, behavior and practices for ever. Pakistan is no exception in contemporary global affairs. Its systems of political governance, public institutions, legal systems and delivery of services if any to public are a replica of the British colonial systems. The concept of national[Read More…]
In November 2021, a French military convoy was making its way to Mali while passing through Burkina Faso and Niger. It did not get very far. It was stopped in Téra, Niger, and before that at several points in Burkina Faso (in Bobo-Dioulasso and Kaya as well as in Ouagadougou, the country’s capital). Two civilians were killed as a result of clashes[Read More…]
The moment that Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was ousted by his own former military colleague, Captain Ibrahim Traore, pro-coup crowds filled the streets. Some burned French flags, others carried Russian flags. This scene alone represents the current tussle underway throughout the African continent. A few years ago, the discussion regarding the geopolitical shifts in Africa was not exactly concerned with[Read More…]
When we talk about any museum, the first thing that comes to our mind is something that is, perhaps, old, past, historical, etc. But besides this, there are a few other prime things to which we won’t relate, and even can’t imagine that something important and meaningful like “research” and “education” can be associated with museums either. Museums’ jobs are[Read More…]
Revolutionary Rural Labour Union (Punjab) or Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union vowed to advance on the path of revolution, intensify the struggle, and further advance the land dispute in the second provincial assembly. In a most organized and determined manner it organised it’s provincial meeting on October 14-15th,, giving a boost to collective spirit. In recent times it has in a[Read More…]
On October 15, the Indian Women’s Cricket team won the 8th Asia cup in great style, turning the final match into a one-sided game which they won by 8 wickets in 8 overs. The Indian women played exceedingly well throughout the tournament, putting in an exceptional all-round performance. There was no dominance of one or two players, all team-mates contributed[Read More…]
A mysterious uptick in atmospheric methane (CH4) was first detected 15 years ago. Of major concern, CH4 is a potent greenhouse gas that’s ~80 times greater than CO2. It’s like a turbo-charged booster heating up the planet. It is a climate change event that keeps scientist up at night, sleepless bouts of tossing, turning, sitting up, screaming on occasion. “In[Read More…]
Victory Colony, 1950 by Bhaswati Ghosh is a harrowing tale of partition that brought death and displacement for millions of people. The novel is set in Kolkata. Though the novel is about partition, it’s more about the human lives that bear the brunt of the whimsy of the rulers. The novelist portrayed the wounds that her forefathers or my forefathers[Read More…]
The peace movement is extremely important for our increasingly troubled and violent world, particularly at a time when the world leadership is strangely getting less and less cautious about the world being led into the most dangerous situations. Those who contribute sincerely and honestly to the peace movement, standing for truth in difficult conditions, are among the most noble persons[Read More…]
UNHRC in its 51st session passed a Resolution against Sri Lanka with 20 countries supporting and 7 countries opposing while other 20 countries abstained from voting. This striking Resolution has vindicated and enhanced UNHRC’s reputation and its deep commitment to uphold human rights, accountability and justice to the victims of human right violations and genocidal crimes. It is to be noted[Read More…]
The key messages of Bharat Jodo Yatra are – “peace and nonviolence”, “against division and hatred” and the issue of “jobs and price rise”. These messages, strangely reminded me of Martin Luther King Jr and the March on Washington on 28 August 1963. The key slogans of that March were -“jobs and freedom”, “civil and economic rights” and an “end[Read More…]
Almost a lakh of farmers thronged in an indefinite action led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union(Ugrahan)for almost a week from October 9th-15th , near the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s local residence, at Sangrur. Similar to last year’s agitation at the Singhu and Tikri borders, they came prepared , parking their loaded tractors on the roadside, cooking food and establishing a[Read More…]
I had hailed the Bharat Jodo Yatra as soon as it set out as a potential game-changer.It could catapult Rahul Gandhi out of his accustomed comfort zone,enable him to have direct contact with the masses,and make over his image as an inept political amateur.Most of which it has begun to accomplish according to media reports.It has brought back cheer and[Read More…]
Article 21 which is Part III of the Indian Constitution secures both Right to life as well as the Right to personal liberty stating “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law”. These Rights, described by the Supreme Court as the heart of fundamental rights,are available to citizens and[Read More…]
Massive protests marched through the streets of Paris on Sunday to voice discontent over the rising cost of living. It comes as France’s largest trade union continues a refinery strike that has closed gas stations across the country. Organizers of the march claim that 140,000 people joined the march, French broadcaster BFMTV reported. According to Paris police, only 30,000 attended[Read More…]
A statement has been issued by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty – a global campaign to end inequalities and poverty on the International day for Eradication of Poverty Nearly three years have passed since COVID-19 first surfaced, upending communities and taking the lives of more than 6.5 million people. In the rich corners of the world, life has[Read More…]
Over the past decade, the Sri Lankan government has borrowed vast sums of money from foreign lenders to fund public services. Sri Lanka had to fall back on its foreign exchange reserves to pay off government debt, shrinking its reserves from $6.9 billion in 2018 to $2.2 billion this year. This impacted imports of fuel and other essentials, which sent[Read More…]
The Italian film festival which has opened in various cities of India from October 12, 2022, has brought with it a slew of interesting works by Italian directors which include Mario Martone, Michaelangelo Frammartino, Guieseppe Bonito and others. This is part of an effort to bring about a cultural communion between the two countries and to showcase new works in[Read More…]
If the world is indeed entering a new Cold War, it bears little resemblance to the final years of that global conflict with its frequent summits between smiling leaders and its arms agreements aimed at de-escalating nuclear tensions. Instead, the world today seems more like the perilous first decade of that old Cold War, marked by bloody regional conflicts, threats[Read More…]
The recent election win of neo-fascist Meloni in Italy has renewed the interest in the history and ideology of neo-fascism. The original ideology of Italian fascism dates back to Fasci Italiani di Combattimento – the Italian Fasces of Combat or Italian Fascist Fighting Platoons, and death squads. Melina’s new bundles of fighting brothers are no longer called Fasci Italiano di[Read More…]
“The Tory Party is like a knight dying in his armour.” Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday, Oct 16, 2022 Liz Truss is proving to be the architect of her own spectacular demise. She laid the mines in a fit of drunken ecstasy and decided to skip across them with an almost childish arrogance that has stunned her own party members. [Read More…]
It’s been a long time since the atomic bombings of August 1945, when people around the planet first realized that world civilization stood on the brink of doom. This apocalyptic ending to the Second World War revealed to all that, with the advent of nuclear weapons, violent conflict among nations had finally reached the stage where it could terminate life[Read More…]
Our country, which aspires to be a global leader, is currently suffering from hunger in such a way that even in the 2022 Global Hunger Index, it ranks worse than neighboring countries Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. In the report released on the ranking of 121 countries, India is at 107th position, while neighboring Pakistan is at 99th position.[Read More…]
Caption: The logo on my t-shirt on the left says, “Anti-Zionist Vibes Only”; on the right, the Arabic on top of the map of Palestine says, “Inch by Inch” In preparing for a trip to Dubai with my brothers earlier this month, I was full of apprehension. As Palestinians, we are furious about the now-open complicity of the government of Dubai[Read More…]
The 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference committed to ideally less than a plus 1.5 degree Centigrade (+1.5C) temperature rise, and to no more than a catastrophic +2C. The 2021 Glasgow Climate Change Conference committed to “net zero emissions by 2050”. However there is no decrease in our record greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution, gas, oil, and coal use, or cattle, cement,[Read More…]
World Food Program says that now needs are sky-high and resources are rock bottom Possibilities of not just increase of hunger but even of starvation deaths have been voiced by several international agencies during the greater part of this year. This is particularly true for the Horn of Africa region where the situation has been reported to be the most[Read More…]
Reversing the deadlly contributions of American society to the destruction of the Palestinian people is more than a moral imperative; it is the principle means for guaranteeing survival of the Palestine community. The Short Letter Dear President Barack Obama, You entered office with a call “for a new start to relations between the Muslim world and the West based on[Read More…]
This book “Naxalbari and the Chinese Press –A Select anthology”, compiled by Aloke Mukherjee is a classic set of articles published by the Chinese Press ,illuminating the Naxalbari Uprising. A most notable contribution in illustrating the solidarity of the Chinese Communist party with Naxalbari and the inter-relation. It delves on how a spark turned into a Prairie Fire which swept[Read More…]
On the 12th of June this year, on orders of the Uttar Pradesh state authorities, a bulldozer rolled into a house in an Allahabad neighborhood alleging that the 20-year-old structure was an illegal construction. Up until the 11th of June, that structure was housed by Student leader Afreen Fatima, her father Javed Ahmad, her mother, and her younger sister. It[Read More…]
I confess, for reasons I can’t fully explain, that when bad things are happening to animals I tend to look away in pain. When bad things are happening to people I try to face those things squarely and do what I can, but there’s something about wildlife—perhaps the way its become implicated in our strange human game without having the slightest[Read More…]
On October 11 over 100 leading peace organizations of the USA released a joint statement calling upon President Biden to “end the US role in escalating the extremely dangerous tensions with Russia over Ukraine.” This statement has stated very clearly, “It is greatly irresponsible for a President to participate in brinkmanship between two nations that possess 90% of the world’s[Read More…]
Anganwadi (childcare) workers and helpers in Delhi from October 10th-12th courageously continued to stage their protest by undertaking a hunger strike against the sacking of nearly 1,000 fellow workers who participated in a 39-day strike that ended on March 14. Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union members staged a two-day hunger protest outside the Women and Child Development Office[Read More…]
All this week during the annual fall meeting of the IMF and World Bank, climate activists have been attempting to stop “business as usual” at the two institutions. On Thursday, activists demonstrated in a “Drown them out!” across the street from the World Bank headquarters while a press conference was being held by the G-20 finance ministers to announce their[Read More…]
by Harleen Sandhu and Sandeep Pandey After Mahsa Amini, 22 years old woman, was held by morality police in Iran for violating the Islamic Hijab code and she died within a few hours in police custody, Iran, mostly young women, has erupted in revolt. They are not afraid of giving up their lives like Sarina Esmaeilzadeh and Nika Shakarami, both[Read More…]
We in India have evry reason for concern as despite contradictory reports our economy already seems to be under severe stress,and the fortunes of this war are likely to have incalculable impact on world economy and trade.It is most necessary to have a fair idea of the way this war is going.True we made windfalls gains like cheap Russian crude[Read More…]
by Marcy Winograd and Medea Benjamin In a moment of candor, President Biden told Democratic Party contributors the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is the highest since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, 90 miles from Florida. Referring to Russian President Putin’s veiled threats to use short-range nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the President[Read More…]
‘Why the country needs to back fracking and become energy independent – Charles McAllister With the right policy support from Government, Yorkshire, Lancashire and the East Midlands could become the UK’s energy powerhouse for decades.’ https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/why-the-country-needs-to-back-fracking-and-become-energy-independent-charles-mcallister-3871101 Charles McAllister is the director of policy, government and public affairs at United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG). Response from, Heather Stroud.[Read More…]
On the morning of October 12, 2022 veteran communist revolutionary leader from Punjab, Tara Singh Chalaki passed away at his home in Mohali. For a considerable period he was ailing, suffering from bad health. His death is a grave loss to the communist revolutionary camp of India to which he from his early days he played a monumental role in[Read More…]
Relying on the Cabinet’s decision and words of the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, pronounced on 29 December 2019, immediately after taking oath as the Chief Minister for the second time, to withdraw all the cases related to the “Pathalgadi” movement, became nightmare for the Pathalgadi warrior Paval Tuti. Khunti police arrested him once again and sent him to[Read More…]
The U.S. consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.4% last month after gaining 0.1% in August, the U.S. Labor Department said in its report. In the 12 months through September, the CPI increased 8.2% after rising 8.3% in August. The White House noted that inflation over the last three months has averaged 2%, at an annualized rate. That is down from[Read More…]
by Priti Gulati Cox and Stan Cox The Burden of Massive EV Batteries Will Be Borne by People and Ecosystems Much of the excitement over the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law this summer, focused on the boost it should give to the sales of electric vehicles. Sadly, though, manufacturing and driving tens of millions of individual electric passenger cars[Read More…]
Ernest Hemingway learned in Cuba that the best way to get through a hurricane is to have your ears tuned to a battery-powered radio and keep your hands busy with a bottle of rum and a hammer to nail down doors and windows. The American writer appropriated the typical jargon of Cuban meteorologists and fishermen who speak of “the sea”[Read More…]
Discoveries in the fields of human origins, paleoanthropology, cognitive science, and behavioral biology have accelerated in the past few decades. We occasionally bump into news reports that new findings have revolutionary implications for how humanity lives today—but the information for the most part is still packed obscurely in the worlds of science and academia. Some experts have tried to make[Read More…]
In July, 2006, Israel bombed Lebanon. The news released fury and anguish in me that was beyond words. I visualized innocent, helpless babies swimming in their blood as bombs blasted away their lives. I struggled to grasp the needless, wanton destruction of lives, homes, futures, and dreams. Why? Why had the decision been made to do this? Who made it? [Read More…]
There has to be a heaven, if only by process of elimination. You see, if there is a hell then there has to be the antidote, heaven. To this writer, who has spent his adult life studying many facets of what many call metaphysics, this trip we are all on is nothing more than a dream. Perhaps we can substitute[Read More…]
A large section of the Hindu Right and the Hindu-not-so-right are ready to quarter, slice and cook film maker Leena Manimakalai on a hot oven for using a poster of her documentary film Kaali as a smoking and smiling Goddess stating that this is a violation of Hindutva that tends to vilify the Hindu image of Kali in public space.[Read More…]
The post-Cold War era is “definitively over,” the Biden administration declared in a new national security strategy, describing its intention to compete ferociously against China and Russia — while also collaborating with them on global threats like climate change. The long-awaited U.S. National Security Strategy, delayed by the invasion of Ukraine, serves as a reference point for Biden administration officials[Read More…]
Seven-year-old Amreen from the Char area in Barpeta, Assam, misses her best friend Amu who has migrated to Chandan Basti in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with her family. Amu doesn’t go to school and stays at home taking care of her household while everyone else in her family engages in door-to-door waste collection. Although she doesn’t engage in child labor outside[Read More…]
At a time of increasing economic inequalities and ecological ruin, the search for alternative development paradigms has increased and an important aspect of these efforts has been to learn more about indigenous and tribal cultures and world-views as a source of guidance. While these efforts can be seen more in a few countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, there have been[Read More…]
[Dedicated to the fiery, undying spirit of the phenomenal modernist author Virginia Woolf (January 25, 1882-March 28, 1941)] ‘They are hybrid creatures, neither gay like butterflies nor somber like their own species. Nevertheless the present specimen, with his narrow hay-colored wings, fringed with a tassel of the same color, seemed to be content with life.’ –The Death of the Moth[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (10-12) – This being October, the International Money Fund (IMF) and the World Bank will hold their annual meetings here in Washington deciding on monetary policy and how the institutions will fund the fossil fuel industries at the peril of the planet. Activists are also calling the groups’ attention as to how funding has ignored our fragile biodiversity so[Read More…]
Hurricane Ian lashed at western Cuba on September 27, 2022. I waited desperately for a phone call from my friends in Puerto Esperanza, a small fishing village on the northern coast of Pinar del Río. Over a crackling phone line, my friends told me that the hurricane had ripped off the roofs of their houses and had cut their electricity supply. But[Read More…]
Demographic angst is a terrifying thing, especially to leaders concerned about poor returns from horizontal folk dancing. Viktor Orbán of Hungary is particularly apprehensive that precious Hungarian blood is not being propagated, facing dilution, if not disappearance, from hordes of swarthy immigrants from the Middle East and Africa. In Italy, the country’s imminent first female prime minister is much of[Read More…]
Children of my Gaza refugee camp were rarely afraid of monsters but of Israeli soldiers. This is all that we talked about before going to bed. Unlike imaginary monsters in the closet or under the bed, Israeli soldiers are real, and they could show up any minute – at the door, on the roof or, as was often the case,[Read More…]
On October 1st in Chandauli in Sadpur in Uttar Pradesh, Mehntakash Mukti Morcha staged a conference .with the theme “Intensifying the struggles for liberating the toiling people”. The conference dealt with how the nation was en gripped by the tentacles of the neo-fascist BJP government, giving articulate accent to the poor peasantry, landless dalit labour and Adivasis.It projected how morally[Read More…]
When Rahul Gandhi walked side-by-side with Late Gauri Lankesh’s mother, Indira and her sister, in BJP-ruled Karnataka during the Bharath Jodo Yatra, he demonstrated his will to take on the fundamentalists who killed Gauri Lankesh and several others in what was a dim period in Indian history. Rahul Gandhi’s tweet said: “Gauri stood for Truth. Gauri stood for Courage. Gauri[Read More…]
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to speak to a very senior person in the Congress Party. The meeting was arranged with his office and he met me –on time, in a small conference room. With him were two associates. He was gracious and polite and heard me out. I made a few points, he listened attentively, asked some[Read More…]
Heatwaves will become so extreme in certain regions of the world within decades that human life there will be unsustainable, the United Nations and the Red Cross said in a report on Monday. Heatwaves are predicted to “exceed human physiological and social limits” in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and south and southwest Asia, with extreme events triggering “large-scale[Read More…]
Nikolai Alexandrovich Semashko was an outstanding scientist and was major architect in Soviet health care, the first People’s Commissar of Health of the RSFSR, Academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences and the RSFSR Academy of Sciences, Honoured Scientist of the RSFSR, Professor. Semashko’s entire life was a concrete example of selfless service to the service of humanity, with[Read More…]
Continuity of Ukraine-crisis may be viewed as harsh illustration of what display of extremism by leadership at certain levels can lead to. At the outset, refusal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to step back from continuing war-strikes against Ukraine stands out. It also marks failure of diplomatic strength of key powers as well as international organizations supposed to be keenly[Read More…]
Socialist thinker Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, whose death anniversary is today, often used to say that the life force of true democracy lies in the reversal of governments. He did not make any effort till his last breath for this reversal, which was considered ‘impossible’ in those days of Congress domination. His uneasiness towards these efforts was such that even[Read More…]
Indian pharma company’s contaminated cough syrups have caused death of children in Gambia- Action against the drug regulators called for To Shri Rajesh Bhushan Union Health Secretary Dear Shri Bhushan, The news about an Indian pharma company’s cough syrup products causing the death of 66 children in Gambia has brought discredit to the country’s pharma industry and discredit to pharma[Read More…]
by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies On March 11, 2022, President Biden reassured the American public and the world that the United States and its NATO allies were not at war with Russia. “We will not fight a war with Russia in Ukraine,” said Biden. “Direct conflict between NATO and Russia is World War III, something we must[Read More…]
Thanks to Vladimir Putin’s recent implicit threat to employ nuclear weapons if the U.S. and its NATO allies continue to arm Ukraine — “This is not a bluff,” he insisted on September 21st — the perils in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict once again hit the headlines. And it’s entirely possible, as ever more powerful U.S. weapons pour into Ukraine and Russian forces suffer yet more defeats,[Read More…]
The Teck Mining Co. open-pit Elk River Valley coal mines, located in southern British Columbia along the Alberta border. Drawn from a photograph by Garth Lenz. Teck Resources were fined $60 million for polluting the rivers in March 2021. Two high-profile events will coincide next month. One of them—the US midterm elections, which will conclude November 8—could provide the strongest indicator yet of[Read More…]
An inflationary tsunami is passing through the world economy, creating economic disorder—in some cases acute political crisis—in every country it touches. This is gathering momentum as the U.S., which is leading other Global North economies, attempts to control inflation by rapidly raising interest rates—forcing the Global North economies into recession. The Global South economies have been thereby struck by a quadruple whammy[Read More…]
Glass windows have existed since as long ago as 290 CE, if only in a limited supply of small sheets. It seems fair to say that window glass has enriched human aesthetic, cultural, physiological, and psychological well-being for at least 16 centuries. Even one small pane is enough to admit a bit of the sun’s light and warmth into an[Read More…]
The recent closure (mostly from October 1 onwards) of several industrial units in the National Capital Region (NCR) has led to the unemployment of a very large number of workers in several leading centers of industrial activity like Panipat, Faridabad and Gurugram. This is hardly the first time that pollution control curbs have led to the unemployment of workers on[Read More…]
Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar renounced Hinduism and embraced Buddhism on 14 October 1956 in Nagpur (Deekshabhoomi) along with five lakh followers. On the same day first he himself had received the initiation of Buddhism from the Buddhist monks and after that, he himself gave the initiation of Buddhism to the people present. As part of the initiation of Buddhism, he[Read More…]
The unfortunate and avoidable demise of jailed Kashmiri leader Altaf Ahmad Shah is really shocking, sad and speaks volumes about the continued insensitivity of the Indian Govt towards political prisoners. Despite an SC order to get him shifted from RML to AIIMS for renal cancer treatment, the Govt delayed this and killed the possibility of any effective treatment that could[Read More…]
Jailed under-trial leader Altaf Ahmad Shah (66) is dead. His death does not come as a surprise. By the time Mr Shah was diagnosed with advanced renal cancer on 30th September at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RMLA) and shifted to AIIMS on 5th evening, it was already too late. The doctors at AIIMS could not begin treatment because Mr. Shah[Read More…]
Exceptionally heavy continuous rain has been experienced in several parts of India in early October, at a time when the season of monsoon rain is normally considered to be over. Such abnormal weather is not rare in times of climate change, and we need to be very careful in several contexts to minimize harm. In particular we need to be[Read More…]
It has always been easy to critique Rahul Gandhi. By virtue of being the scion of the political dynasty that has given India three Prime Ministers, he has owed his prominence in Indian politics to the accident of birth rather than personal merit. His uneven, often ineffectual performance over the course of eighteen or so years in politics has not[Read More…]
On the latest slimed path Julian Assange has been made to trod, a few things have presented themselves. The rusty sword of Damocles may be suspended above him (he, we are informed, has contracted COVID-19), but there are those, in the meantime, willing to defend him with decent conviction against his dispatch to the United States, where he is certain[Read More…]
Fossil fuel stakeholders have been seeking new revenue in the petrochemical industry in general, and plastics in particular. As the private transportation sector shifts focus to batteries, biofuels, and green hydrogen, fossil fuel stakeholders have been seeking new avenues of revenue in the petrochemical industry in general, and in plastics in particular. That’s bad news for a world already swimming—literally—in plastic[Read More…]
If Lula wins reelection, he must not only rebuild the social investments that Bolsonaro destroyed, but also restore trust in a nation damaged by fascism’s sophisticated propaganda machine. Brazil’s first round of elections, held on October 2, yielded a major victory for the man who held the presidency from 2003 to 2010, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Winning 48 percent of[Read More…]
Displaying relentless courage Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners at an Israeli jail in the occupied West Bank are refusing their meals since Thursday in a show of solidarity with 30 fellow inmates who are waging a hunger strike. One of the most telling protests opposing the bloodthirsty fascist state of Israel. igniting spark of resistance. Some 900 Palestinians are undertaking a[Read More…]
by Kathy Kelly and Nick Mottern Awaiting discharge from a hospital in Cairo, Adel Al Manthari, a Yemeni civilian, faces months of physical therapy and mounting medical bills following three surgeries since 2018, when a U.S. weaponized drone killed four of his cousins and left him mangled, burnt and barely alive, bedridden to this day. On October 7th, President Biden[Read More…]
As with all things military, the Army has created an anachronism for correcting its negative impact on the environment and climate titled, the Army Climate Strategy (ACS), setting “targets” to address their massive negative contribution to climate change. The Army is the first service branch in the DOD to release such a climate strategy to meet both short term and[Read More…]
A massive protest of people marched through the center of the Paris on Saturday demanding that France radically change its stance on NATO and the EU. The march was organized by the right-wing Les Patriotes (The Patriots) party led by Florian Philippot, the former deputy head of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. Dubbed “the national meeting of resistance,” the march attracted[Read More…]
Kumar Shiralkar, activist, served the adivasis and other oppressed people for decades with great devotion and selflessness.. He in turn was so much loved by the adivasis that after his passing way on October 2 they buried his body. Kumar was born in a Brahmin family but he had completely given up his caste and class affiliation, totally identified with[Read More…]
Rajendra Pal Gautaum, a social welfare minister in the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) cabinet, was forced to resign by the BJP leaders on 10.10.2022. His fault was that he dared to organise a huge gathering at Ambedakr Bhawan, Karol Bagh, New Delhi, India on 5 October, 222 and motivated Dalits to take oath and embrace Buddhism. It is alarming that AAP Chief[Read More…]
“Udburu” village located in the Murhu police station area under Khunti district of Jharkhand was known as hub of the “Pathalgadi” Movement. One of the most prominent leaders of the movement, Yusuf Purti comes from the village so it had automatically become its headquarter, where the movement had established the “Bank of Gram Sabha” and opened the first “Adivasi school”[Read More…]
You are not just a name on the ballot. You are more than that. A flowing stream. A shady tree. A roaring ocean. A breeze of fresh air. The song of a hummingbird. The sound of the cricket in my backyard that gives me hope of a living earth. Your fight isn’t yours alone. You are an embodiment of a[Read More…]
The war in Ukraine provides us with yet another opportunity to consider what might be done about the wars that continue to ravage the world. The current Russian war of aggression is particularly horrific, featuring a massive military invasion of a smaller, weaker nation, threats of nuclear war, widespread war crimes, and imperial annexation. But, alas, this terrible war is[Read More…]
On Oct. 8, members of the Hazara and Afghan communities in Washington, DC held a rally in McPherson Square to protest the killing of 35 schoolgirls inside the Kaaj Educational Center in the Dasht-e-Barchi district of West Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept 30. Rallies were also held around the world in 64 countries and 92 cities as Hazara calling attention to[Read More…]
On October 8, as many as 12 passengers died and 43 were injured when a sleeper ‘luxury’ bus caught fire after hitting a truck in Nashik city ( Maharashtra). Recently several other serious accidents involving sleeper buses have been reported. In June this year a large number of passengers travelling from Gonda ( Eastern UP) to Delhi had a narrow[Read More…]
We commemorate the 13th death anniversary of K. Balagopal (1952-2009). Earlier this year we celebrated his 70th birthday. A mathematician, civil rights activist rolled into one and one of post-independent India’s most creative thinkers, who gave revolutionary humanism a new perspective. One of the great stalwarts of the civil Rights Movement, and till his death, one of the best sons[Read More…]
Tariq Ali’s novel The Stone Woman critically tells us the story of declining Ottoman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has plenty of lessons for the current day Turkey. As is well known, the Ottoman kingdom, based in Turkey, ruled a vast portion of the Middle East and Eastern Europe for over 600 years. Like any other[Read More…]
When I first went abroad to the US for my PhD, I, like most other Indians, was very surprised by many of the customs and ways of life that I encountered there on a daily basis. For example, once when I went to meet our Statistics teacher, right at the beginning of the term, and addressed him ‘Sir’, like we[Read More…]
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange held a massive transatlantic protest on Saturday to demand freedom for the incarcerated journalist. In London, thousands of people formed a giant human chain around Britain’s parliament and called for Assange’s immediate release from the nearby maximum-security Belmarsh prison, where he has suffered for years under conditions that experts have condemned as torture. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C.,[Read More…]
Many if not most readers will be familiar with the following saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” While this saying may hold true in most situations it’s most definitely mistaken in today’s Japan,[Read More…]
When it came to supplying medicines to developing or under-developed countries, India held solid ground by sending affordable generic drugs for decades. It was an economically safer option for African countries against those medicines sent by the U.S or European companies. Earning the name of ‘Pharmacy of the World,’ India was able to give a boost to its pharmaceutical industry.[Read More…]
The National Press Club hosted a talk by climate activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakate, 25, who addressed the question of reparation payments to developing countries in seeking climate justice to compensate them for their mounting losses and ongoing damages being caused by climate change. Nakate and others will be raising that issue at the upcoming United Nations Climate[Read More…]
The great 20th Century writer Sinclair Lewis put it best: “When Fascism comes to America it will be carrying a cross wrapped in a flag.” Well, this writer now adds ‘ And wearing a MAGA hat’ to the mix. Sometimes alarmism is needed , as it was with last week’s horrific Hurricane Ian. Alarmism was truly needed in Weimar Germany[Read More…]
“…The greatest revolution of our time is, therefore, a procedural revolution, removal of injustice through a mode of action characterized by justice. The question here is not so much the contents of justice as the mode to achieve it. Constitutional and orderly processes are often not enough. They are then transgressed by the use of weapons. In order that it[Read More…]
In the middle of the increasing proliferation of arms and weapons in most parts of the world, a small window of hope is still provided by the partial success of some campaigns to check the use of some of the most painful weapons. These efforts were led by a broad-based campaign to ban the use of landmines. Wounds caused by[Read More…]
Tania-Undercover for Che Guevara in Bolivia, Ulises Estrada, 1st ed. 2005, Ocean Press, Melbourne… pages 331, price Rupees 295/ Ulises Estrada, editor of Tricontinental, joined Cuban revolution from the very beginning as part of 26th July movement in 1953. He was part of Cuban liberation war 1957-59 and later worked with Che Guevara in many assignments including in Congo. He[Read More…]
This book documents the rebirth of an anarchist consciousness in India’s masses. “The workers have begun to think that if people are given the opportunity and power to manage things on their own, they can do so better than the government. A lot of the workers have begun to ask, do we actually need a government at all?” – Nodeep[Read More…]
On 6th October the memories of the firing at Moga from 5-7th October in 1972, on the 50th anniversary ,were resurrected in fitting style by the Punjab Students Union(Shaheed Randhawa).Even if not so large in numbers it gave a qualitative effect in resonating the message o the martyred students. I was privileged to be part of the gathering and[Read More…]
The United Nations has added its voice to the growing list of international organisations, including the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, warning that interest rate hikes imposed by the US Federal Reserve are creating the conditions for a financial crisis and global recession. In its annual report issued earlier this week, the United Nations Conference on Trade and[Read More…]
The New York Times reports that President Biden told a group of billionaires at a fundraising event Thursday night: “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.” Biden continued: “We are trying to figure out: What is Putin’s off ramp? Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself where he does[Read More…]
Decision of Congress stalwart Sonia Gandhi to join Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Yatra” for a day in Mysore is perhaps a symbolic but definite acknowledgement of the importance being given to this phase of march. It is possible, she may have stayed away if the yatra was not being applauded as a success. With Rahul earning laurels personally and politically,[Read More…]
When India closed its alcohol outlets during the recent pandemic-driven lockdown, many western countries such as Canada did not take a similar step on liquor sales. Alcohol was easily available in these countries just like any other grocery item in the market. Why did India’s state governments decide to stop the sale of liquor while it continued selling all other[Read More…]
Book review : Being Adivasis: Existence, Entitlements, Exclusion edited by Abhay Flavian Xaxa and G. N. Devy, New Delhi, Penguin, 2021, 208 pp., 699 (Hardcover), ISBN 9780670093007 Scholars on the study of Adivasi bring out new book under the title ‘Being[Read More…]
It is a stinker in terms of policy, and unconvincing in effect, but the wholesale, indiscriminate retention of telecommunications data continues to excite legislators and law enforcement. In the European Union, countries continue to debate and pursue such measures, despite legal challenges. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), passed in 2016, limits the ways personal data is collected in[Read More…]
While far from an alliance, the SCO is increasingly utilized for managing Eurasian affairs without traditional Western mechanisms and organizations. Held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 16, the 2022 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Council demonstrated that the SCO was continuing to evolve into a viable international political congregation independent from the West. Beginning[Read More…]
In an extremely tragic accident on October 5 in Faridabad (Haryana) four workers who had gone for cleaning sewer of a hospital died due to inhaling poisonous gas. Two of them were real brothers, young sons of a widow. The hospital used their services through a contract agency. So soon after the deaths allegation were being traded between them regarding[Read More…]
At this moment the the topic that has aroused most heat on social media and portals and some TV channels in my state has been the untimely death of a talented budding musician at a district hospital in Majuli,said to be the largest river island in the world.Fifteen year old Tejaswita Barua,who had won the hearts of audiences with the[Read More…]
by Ariel Gold and Medea Benjamin In what was described as a harsh rebuke of Russia, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, along with Belarusian human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski and the Russian human rights organization Memorial. While at first glance, the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties might sound[Read More…]
Annabhau Sathe, was an immensely admired dalit communist writer, performer who galvanised people’s struggles in Mumbai in the 1940s and 1950s. Seeing a revival of his play on Mumbai’s working people’s struggles against capitalist domination, written in the 1950s, makes one realise that he in way preceded eminent urban radical thinkers like David Harvey and Henri Lefebvre who have emphasised[Read More…]
Revoke amendments to Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDRA), especially with reference to entry of private companies in beach sand mining To Shri Rajiv Gauba Union Cabinet Secretar Dear Shri Gauba, I have time and again cautioned the government not to amend the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDRA), as proposed by the Ministry[Read More…]
There has been a significant decline in the quality of education during the last few decades. Additionally, the right-wing government has been working to modify the curriculum that stifles Indian students` ability to think critically. The majority of Indian students feel unprepared for the future in technologically advanced nations as a result of right-wing government endeavors. Most educational institutions are[Read More…]
The summer droughts that affected parts of the U.S., Europe, and China were made 20 times more likely by climate change, finds a new study by World Weather Attribution (WWA). China had its driest summer in 60 years, while drought conditions in Europe sparked brush fires and dried up rivers. The scientists with the WWA, an international organization comprised of[Read More…]
A few interesting and politically significant developments have taken place in the country in the last few weeks. One, for the first time in many years, it is the opposition which is setting the agenda, somewhat stunning the national ruling party, its IT cell and the Godi media which are struggling to respond and catch up. Such an equation hasn’t[Read More…]
Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) funded under article 282 of the Constitution not only pose a threat to federalism but also lead to misapplication of scarce public resources To Shri G C Murmu Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) Dear Shri Murmu, Earlier, vide my letter dated 20-9-2022, I had requested your office to conduct a special audit of a[Read More…]
The Bharat Jodo yatra launched by Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi is getting tremendous response. It is as if the people were waiting for such an event to reaffirm their trust and faith in the composite Indian Nationalism. This Indian Nationalism has been undermined during last few decades in general and last few years in particular.[Read More…]
Never underestimate the power of failure. As the Liz Truss Disaster Show demonstrates, the next pitfall is probably just around the corner. The UK Prime Minister has shown, along with her distinctly oblivious Chancellor of the Exchequer, how to balls up the economy in the shortest timeframe imaginable. Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s “mini-Budget” delivered on September 30, designed to evade the[Read More…]
Led by the royals, British colonialists committed every form of cruelty imaginable—those who suffered under the empire and fought it are angry over the homage paid to Elizabeth II. How should we remember Queen Elizabeth II and her 70 years on the British throne? It’s perhaps better to consider after the media parade about her funeral is in the rearview mirror. A[Read More…]
The Never-Ending Impact of a Forgotten Blitzkrieg Against the American Left Donald Trump has had the urge to crush many things, including the last election. So I must admit I found it eerily amusing that, when the FBI entered his estate at Mar-a-Lago recently, they did so under a warrant authorized by the Espionage Act of 1917. History certainly has a strange way of[Read More…]
Obscenely high prices for prescription medicine create billions of dollars of profit for giant pharmaceutical companies to the financial detriment for those whose health depend on their products. Reforming that system in lowering prescription drug prices has become an ongoing contest of money and influence prevailing over the lives and health of those who simply cannot afford the high costs.[Read More…]
American presidents have habitually kowtowed to Turkish demands. However, President Trump’s business investments in Turkey, Turkish-tainted associates, and baffling deference to President Erdogan spawned an exceptionally troubling record. That record could provide additional fodder for Trump’s Republican, Democratic, and Justice Department (DOJ) foes, especially as Turkey remains a rogue NATO member and supporter of international terrorism. Below is a mere[Read More…]
If the single most important feature of the present phase of human history is to be identified, then clearly it is that this phase is the most dangerous in human history. The year 2022 appears to be confirming this more than several previous ones. Several serious human-made environmental problems led by (but by no means confined to) climate change threaten[Read More…]
On the night of October 1 at least 125 people died in a football stadium in Malang, East Java (Indonesia) in an entirely avoidable mishap. When the home team lost there was a rush of frustrated spectators, a situation that could have been controlled. However when the police over-reacted with excessive use of tear gas shells and batons, a big[Read More…]
On October 4 a bus carrying a marriage party fell into a deep gorge near Simri in Pauri Garhwal district ( Uttarakhand ). Although local villages rushed for rescue effort followed by a government rescue team, as many as 33 members of the marriage party (coming from Haridwar district ) died while 19 were injured. While all accidents are tragic[Read More…]
A Market Watch report published on Oct. 5, 2022 (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-says-u-s-economy-has-failed-to-live-up-to-the-nations-promise-of-equal-opportunity-for-all-11664975349?siteid=yhoof2) said: The Biden administration announced a slew of new efforts to further racial economic equity during the annual Freedman’s Bank Forum in Washington, D.C. Tuesday. The forum, acknowledging the history of the former Freedman’s Savings Bank that maintained accounts for formerly enslaved people before its ultimate collapse in 1874, served as an opportunity[Read More…]
The Indian Himalayas stretch majestically for nearly 2500 km across 13 states and union territories. Nearly 50 million people live here, but the number of people whose life is closely influenced by the Himalayas is many times more, with a heavy concentration in the densely populated Gangetic plains. For all their outward grandeur, the Himalayas are geologically young and fragile[Read More…]
To Shri Rajesh Bhushan Union Health Secretary Dear Shri Bhushan, During the last few years, the use of spurious cough syrup in India has caused deaths of infants. Eleven children lost their lives due to this in J&K in 2020 (https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-children-deaths-poisonous-cough-syrup-recalled-udhampur-district-6286962/). There were several such instances in other States, as evident from the following news reports. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/himachal-pradesh-toxic-cough-syrup-maker-gave-misleading-quality-report-hc-informed-6562290/ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/pharmaceuticals/cough-syrup-had-nothing-to-do-with-children-deaths-digital-vision-owner/articleshow/74312160.cms?from=mdr Despite this, no tangible[Read More…]
With the Inflation Reduction Act, the federal government is illogically encouraging the increasing use of fossil fuels—in order to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) constitutes the boldest climate action so far by the American federal government. It offers tax rebates to buyers of electric cars, solar panels, heat pumps, and other renewable-energy and[Read More…]
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid threw a wrench into the works when he declared from the United Nations General Assembly podium: “An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children.” The statement took many by surprise, including the Palestinian leadership.[Read More…]
Leaders who could not Lead to Human Unity, Peace and Sustainable Future-Making The political adversaries against universal peace and brotherhood are propagating a new era of catastrophic fault lines for a Third World War. The ongoing eight months old disastrous conflict between Russia, Ukraine and the West is dissolving human relationships of reason, truth and honesty. The global leader’s mental[Read More…]
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. The slow and delayed actions by the UNHRC causes severe hardship to the victims affected by the state terrorism in Sri[Read More…]
The hasdeo aranya region in Chhattisgarh is considered as an environmentally very sensitive is again in controversy due to the protest which have has started against coal mining. In Hasdeo aranya region which is rich in biodiversity and ecologically sensitive, people from three villages and activists have again started protest against clearance given by Chhattisgarh’s forest department for the second[Read More…]
Altaf Ahmad Shah, a political undertrial prisoner lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2017, is currently battling for his life in Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML), Delhi. His cancer diagnosis, its metastasis and other organ related deterioration was done on September 30, in the same hospital. Since October 2, Mr Shah has been on a ventilator in RML. The hospital[Read More…]
The Iranian Human Rights Organization (IHRO) announced that the number of people killed in the on-going protests in Iran reached “at least 154 people”. Among this number of deaths 9 were probably “children” and 63 are citizens of Zahedan. Iranian officials report at least forty dead, while independent sources claim it is much higher. Iran’s state TV has reported the death toll[Read More…]
Despite decades of Tamil protests and unequivocal calls for international action to end impunity in Sri Lanka, the Human Rights Council has continued to heed Sri Lanka’s requests for “time and space” to address allegations of international crimes with a homegrown solution. Groups of families, spread across Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern districts that were the site of the nearly[Read More…]
by Vijay Prashad and Manolo De Los Santos On September 27, 2022, a tropical cyclone—Hurricane Ian—struck Cuba’s western province of Pinar del Río. Sustained winds of around 125 miles per hour lingered over Cuba for more than eight hours, bringing down trees and power lines, and causing damage not seen during previous tropical cyclones. The hurricane then lingered over the warm waters of[Read More…]
According to the Marine Stewardship Council, depletion of fish stocks is the most urgent threat to the world’s oceans. Ninety-three percent (93%) of the world’s major marine fish stocks are classified as fully exploited, overexploited, or significantly depleted. “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a pervasive, far-reaching security threat.” (Source: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, United States Coast Guard,[Read More…]
[The following is excerpted in shortened form from Chapter 9 of Notes on Resistance by Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian, published by Haymarket Books.] David Barsamian: What we are facing is often described as unprecedented — a pandemic, climate catastrophe and, always lurking off center stage, nuclear annihilation. Three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Noam Chomsky: I can add a fourth:[Read More…]
Civic participation in issues of public importance has been at the heart of many debates in our world history. Philosophers and theorists have attempted to determine how the ordinary citizen can grasp the external world with all its nuances and subtleties. Professor John Dewey believed in strengthening our citizenry through various means such as promoting logic & reason, scientific temperament,[Read More…]
In October-November this year the world observes the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 when the world had come closest to the exchange of nuclear weapons. Now in October 2022 we again have a situation where the risk of use of nuclear weapons is fast increasing. This risk is more widely discussed today than ever before in[Read More…]
Every year in India we celebrate 5th September as the National Teachers’ Day and just a month later the world observes 5th October as ‘World Teachers’ Day’. The theme this year is: “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”. It was UNESCO that established this day in 1994 to celebrate and recognize the immense contribute of all those in the[Read More…]
Commemorating the 1st anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre on October 3rd , farmers organizations which were constituents of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha congregated at Rajendra Pratap Singh Park in Azamgadh. At 11 a.m they planted the banner of the Samyukt Morcha .At first the police closed the gates of the park, to block the demonstration. However frightened with witnessing[Read More…]
A padyatra (foot march) was to be taken out between 26 September and 4 October, 2022 from Randhikpur village in Dahod district of Gujarat to Ahmedabad to apologise to Bilkis Bano. Randhikpur is Biliks Bano’s village. In 2002 Gujarat communal violence she was gang raped, her 3 years old daughter, another child in womb and a total of 14 family[Read More…]
Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth — more than ruin, more even than death. Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habits; thought is anarchic and lawless, indifferent to authority, careless of the well-tried wisdom of the ages. Thought looks into the pit of hell[Read More…]
In the first round of Brazil’s presidential elections, Lula triumphed. But the threat of a Bolsonaro victory to the world is clear – and must be passionately fought in the upcoming run-off. Brazil went to the polls yesterday under unusual political circumstances: Lula, the Workers’ Party (PT) candidate and champion of the poor, confronted an extreme right-winger, racist, misogynist, homophobic,[Read More…]
Over a year ago, we wrote about a protest movement going on in the village of Silger, in Sukma district in the south of Chhattisgarh, against the setting up of a police camp in their village.[1] (We will not repeat here the details given in that article.) As we write this, the movement has completed more tha16 months; and it is still continuing.[Read More…]
The Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraskha Sangathan, Odisha is extremely worried on the implications of the attack to the democratic setup and the constitutional rights of people of the country under the cover of “Operation Octopus”. A nation-wide raid and arrest of hundreds of leader from the Popular Front of India (PFI) and subsequent the organisation along with seven other under the[Read More…]
Recently a mass unemployment threat has arisen in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India, in densely populated cities and towns like Panipat, Sonipat , Bahadurgarh, Ballabhgarh and Faridabad. Several hundred thousand jobs may be lost. Thousands of industrial units temporarily suspended work on October 1. At a more obvious level, it is being said that this crisis situation has[Read More…]
Europe faces “unprecedented risks” to its natural gas supplies this winter after Russia cut off most pipeline shipments and could wind up competing with Asia for already scarce and expensive liquid gas that comes by ship, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. Media reports including an AP report said: The Paris-based IEA said in its quarterly gas report released Monday that European[Read More…]
Jeffrey Sachs and a former Pentagon Advisor expressed their opinions on the Nord Stream leaks. Economist Jeffrey Sachs speculated on Monday that the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines was the work of the U.S. and maybe Poland, to the chagrin of Bloomberg TV hosts who quickly tried to change the subject. Now a professor at Columbia University, Sachs became[Read More…]
It all caused a flutter amongst the ignorant and expectant on September 21. China, it was said, was in the grip of an intriguing internal crisis. Air traffic had dramatically altered, with some 9,583 flights cancelled. There were talking heads aflame with interest on the latest social media morsel, minute and yet profound. The issue of flight cancellations was then[Read More…]
This being the first Monday in October means the Supreme Court is now back in a new session along with its newest member and the first Black woman Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Among its many cases the first to be reviewed is Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, pitting landowners Michael and Chantell Sackett of Idaho against the Environmental Protection Agency’s[Read More…]
Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra concluded its 6th conference in Radrapur in Uttarakhand from 2-3rd October.It was a most eventful or colourful occasion with the red banner of working class resistance flying high. A qualitative event in context of confronting the opression of the working class from imperialist and capitalist opression. Over a considerable period of time this organization has made a[Read More…]
Majrooh Sultanpuri ( 1919-2000) was a highly talented lyricist of Hindi cinema who also received the highly coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement. What is less known is his involvement in the Progressive Writers Movement and his strong leftist views as reflected in some of his earliest poems. In fact due to this he was imprisoned in 1949, just[Read More…]
When the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, Indian cities witnessed the construction of an invisible border that gradually began to demarcate Muslim residential areas and markets. Every anti-Muslim riot heightened this sense of vulnerability, alienating Muslim communities even more. These limits are considerably more visible today, thirty years later. The Faizabad Road neighbourhood in Gonda, located 48 kilometers from[Read More…]
NOTE: For these 6 Finale videos, there is no accompanying written essay that matches each video. The videos are each presentations given extemporaneously with charts. This concludes the series of essays and videos on the application of the Paradigm for Peace model to the Russia/US conflict in Ukraine and beyond. While I had intended to walk through each part of[Read More…]
This is a new book by Ted Trainer. You can download it for free (170 pp.) at: https://thesimplerway.info/CAPITALISMBOOK.pdf This book provides a fairly short but sufficiently detailed critical discussion of the nature of our basically capitalist economic system, its faults, why it is not just unsatisfactory but is leading to global breakdown, the alternative we must work for, and how[Read More…]
10,000 Mumbaikars march on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October History is made as for the very first time, people marched on the streets to commemorate the 153rd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as the Jayanti of former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri. Cries of ‘Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahein’, ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri Amar Rahein’, ‘Nafrat Chhodo Bharat[Read More…]
Jahanara–The First Lady of a Great Empire Who Devoted Herself to Reducing Suffering and Distress In times when royalty was characterized by the craze for luxury and constant intrigues for power, Princess Jahanara (1614-81) is almost a unique character in the Mughal Dynasty who devoted most of her time, efforts and wealth to reducing the distress and suffering of others.[Read More…]
Sea level rise will flood huge swaths of the U.S. and submerge billions of dollars’ worth of land, according to a new report. The report – Sinking Tax Base Land & Property at Risk from Rising Seas – (9/8/2022, https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/2KKeTjnqbFelWrZalnPeRR/9a28719038f3a1dddbdd2e8b78b8455b/CC_Sinking_Tax_Base_20220908a.pdf ) by Climate Central delivers an assessment of sea level rise impact on the tax base of hundreds of coastal[Read More…]
The family of U.S. Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis has been rallying outside of the White House this past week seeking to bring attention to the unjust case in hopes of gaining his release from a Japanese prison. Posters and signs at the west gate entrance to the White House calling for his immediate release form a backdrop as his children[Read More…]
Note: Brian Terrell delivered this talk at the Oct. 1 peace witness sponsored by PeaceWorksKC, at Whiteman AFB, near Knob Noster, MO. Leading up to this protest there was discussion among organizers about the nature of drone operations here at Whiteman Air Force Base. Is this a training facility, or are Reaper drones engaged in lethal activities, are actual murders[Read More…]
One can only empathize with those poor souls on the SW Gulf Coast of Florida who were devastated by this hurricane. Imagine losing your residence, possessions and perhaps your life. Sad is the best word to use. This writer had his family’s own experience with such weather terror, when Hurricane Mathew hit us directly on October 6th, 2016. We had[Read More…]
Things are not getting better for Optus, a subsidiary of the Singapore-owned Singtel and Australia’s second largest telecommunications company. Responsible for one of Australia’s largest data breaches, the beleaguered company is facing burning accusations and questions on various fronts. It is also proving to be rather less than forthcoming about details as to what has been compromised in the leak.[Read More…]
The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly was, in many ways, similar to the 76th session and many other previous sessions: at best, a stage for rosy rhetoric that is rarely followed by tangible action or, at worse, a mere opportunity for some world leaders to score political points against their opponents. This should surprise no one. For[Read More…]
Caption: Masked youth cadets from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, march in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis (Getty) Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, is being bombarded by urgent appeals, the most strongly-worded of which comes from the National and Islamic Forces in Gaza[Read More…]
A Pioneering Book That Brings Out the Love of School Children for Birds “Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” This is the illuminating quote from Douglas Coupland with which a remarkable new book ‘Familiar Birds of Sanawar’ has started. This book has been[Read More…]
A Muslim youth was beaten recently when he tried to witness the famous Garbha performance during the Hindu religious 9 days festival of Navratri in Gujarat. There was a time when Muslims could easily participate in Garbha events in an atmosphere of cordiality. Bilkis Bano was gang raped in 2002 Gujarat communal violence, her 3 years old daughter, the child[Read More…]
We are celebrating yet another Gandhi Jayanti. Given the significance that Mahatma Gandhi holds not only for Indians but globally, some introspection about the current state of affairs in India and Gandhi’s philosophy as a possible antidote to rapidly increasing hatred and violence is urgently required. Let me begin by using Dharma as an example. The contemporary fallacy of collapsing dharma into[Read More…]
An unsung hero Hassan Nasir is known to none in this present generation! A heroic people’s leader was sent to oblivion. Though Hassan Nasir is our Hyderabadi (Deccan), a great working class organizer, sacrificed his life in Pakistan, for the Communist Party . He was born on August 2nd, 1928 in Bank Street near Koti, Hyderabad and hacked down on[Read More…]
I begin at a tangent. Today,on the 2nd October ,I had left home in the morning to join a public assembly to pay homage to the Father of the Nation.People do not fully understand why he alone among all the tallest leaders of the Freedom Movement should be given that epithet,and that too by one of his most bitter critics[Read More…]
Thirty Palestinians held in Israeli custody embarked on a hunger strike from last Sunday to protest their indefinite detention. “The strike aims to fulfil the demands of the detainees” for ending their administrative detention in Ofer prison west of Ramallah, Qadura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoner Society NGO, told a press conference. All the detainees are cadres of[Read More…]
NOTE: For these 6 Finale videos, there is no accompanying written essay that matches each video, because the videos are each presentations given extemporaneously, with charts. The following text is an introduction to the video that does not include the bulk of the video’s material but that contains additional material not included in the video. While there seems to be[Read More…]
I’ve seen the faces of those who work for you Your money is made on the backs you broke Of their blood, sweat, and tears And cheap labour I have seen the agony on their faces Smelled the cheap liquor they are forced to imbibe to forget As their women struggle and their children grimace As they lay down for[Read More…]
Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO) strongly condemns the ban imposed by the Union Government on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and other organisations alleged to be working in close proximity with it, such as Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation (NCHRO), National Women’s Front,[Read More…]
The term `Concentration Camps’ was used to describe the notorious prisons run by the Nazis in the 1930-40 period in Dachau, Buchenwald, Auschwitz and other places in Germany, and occupied territories in Europe. The plight of the prisoners who were held there had been well documented by later researchers who delved into the records of those camps and interviewed the [Read More…]
An appeal for initiating action to set up a legal service authority to reach out to undertrials and secure access for them to legal assistance for enabling them to get justice To Smt Droupadi Murmu President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan Respected Rashtrapati Ji, I had earlier addressed you vide my letter dated 25-7-2022 (which can also be readily accessed at[Read More…]
It should now be quite clear to any reasonable person that the Biden administration is hell-bent on destroying Russia and will risk nuclear war in doing so. It has already started World War III with its use of Ukraine to light the final match. The problem is that reasonable people are in very short supply, and, as Ray McGovern recently[Read More…]
A profoundly inspiring and positive news conference was held today at the National Press Club addressing the ever-increasing street gang gun violence problem in America. No community in the country has suffered more than that of the African-American community that has seen during the COVID pandemic an ever-escalating increase in senseless shootings and killings. In addressing the pandemic of gun[Read More…]
On October 2 an increasingly divided and troubled world observes the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (MG). This is a good time to reflect on the essence of some of his enduring messages. Firstly, he said that economics should never be separated from ethics. In particular he gave a call for placing the poorer and weaker sections at the center[Read More…]
NOTE: For these 6 Finale videos, there is no accompanying written essay that matches each video, because the videos are each presentations given extemporaneously, with charts. The following text is an introduction to the video that does not include the bulk of the video’s material but that contains additional material not included in the video. Once you’ve laid out and[Read More…]
Italians thronged through Rome, Milan, Palermo and other cities Wednesday to defend right to abortion, which faces impending threat by a far-right party expected to form the next government after leading in parliamentary elections. A most significant development in light of ascendancy or consolidation of neo-fascism .which adheres to abolish right to abortion. striking to the very need of the[Read More…]
Right-winged party’s victory in Italy’s parliamentary elections has led to speculations being voiced about political importance being gained by “extremist” or far-right parties in recent years. Prior to Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy securing victory, Europe has witnessed right-winged parties taking over political command in Poland and Hungary. Should it be assumed that this phase of right-winged politics is here[Read More…]
80 years ago, on September 30, 1942, in the city of Krasnodon, Voroshilovgrad region, the Komsomol underground organization “Young Guard” was born with amalgamation of several anti-fascist youth groups. The headquarters included: Ulyana Gromova, Ivan Zemnukhov, Oleg Koshevoy (commissioner), Vasily Levashov, Viktor Tretyakevich, Ivan Turkenich (commander), Sergei Tyulenin, Lyubov Shevtsova. Their story is the most inspiring resistance ever in confronting[Read More…]
The news of extension of AFSPA, w.e.f, 1 October 2022, though not surprising is, nonetheless, befuddling. Reports state that AFSPA has been extended for a period of six months in three out of the 26 districts of Arunachal Pradesh, viz., Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts and areas under Namsai & Mahadevpur police stations in Namsai district. In the state of[Read More…]
Democracy in all its forms are products of working class struggles against feudalism, colonialism, imperialism and capitalism. These struggles are integral for the establishment of various forms of democracy across the globe. The working people have played a major role in the deepening of democracy, democratic institutions and civil societies. The ideals of equality, liberty, human-animal rights and justice are[Read More…]
The 12th Congress of CPI (ML) Red Star held at Shivaram-Sharmishta Hall (SK Pottekad Hall) from September 24 to 29 concluded with a call to resist and defeat RSS neo-fascism. The Congress attended by around 300 delegates and observers from 16 states, following intense discussion, adopted the updated Party Program and Path of Revolution along with amendments to Party Constitution,[Read More…]
Charlie Chaplin called this the most beautiful Italian film he had ever seen, but then this is also an extremely tragic film. Based on the life of a family in post-Second War Berlin, ‘Germany Year Zero’ (1948) is not a film you can forget easily. War is over, but its devastation lives on in the life of so many people.[Read More…]
We are happy in releasing to the public the first part of the study of how the Indian state has weaponised the UAPA law against anyone who dares to challenge the Indian state and assert their fundamental rights to information, association, dissent and democracy. As part of the Campaign to repeal the UAPA, we had undertaken to study the[Read More…]
This article addresses the most current research on sea level rise, as well as adaptation measures being taken around the world. Of special interest, brilliant adaptation measures are taking place in the face of higher seas. “Sea level has been fairly stable for 6,000 years, which is most of human civilization… but its risen eight (8) inches or twenty (20)[Read More…]
On Tuesday, September 27, Gazprom announced unprecedented damage to the company’s two gas pipelines that run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Germany – Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. Almost immediately, this information was confirmed by the Danes, in whose exclusive economic space near the island of Bornholm the accident occurred. Then the Swedish seismologists spoke about[Read More…]
While it would be expected for Western media to report fully on civilian life taken in the Ukraine by the military of US designated enemy Russia, and for CIA managed Western media[1] to avoid reporting civilian loss of life caused by US/NATO military throughout the Third World, people in Asia, Africa, MiddleEast and Latin America are surly noticing an element of racism[Read More…]
In the build-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the USA was on the one hand provoking Russia in numerous ways to attack and on the other hand saying to its European allies and other countries—Look how dangerous is Putin’s Russia—attacking its weaker neighbor so aggressively. Unfortunate as such conduct was, it could be understood by those who had followed[Read More…]
High inflation in Germany and Eurozone is making impact, with possibility of further impacting. Inflation in Germany saw year-on-year growth of 10.9% in September, up from 8.8% recorded in the previous month, official data released on Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) shows. The readings came in higher than the market expectation of 9.4%, and marked a record high[Read More…]
It turns out that many of today’s billionaires are selfish, lonely men fantasizing about how they will survive the end times they have played a part in creating. In mid-September, for just a few days, Indian industrialist Gautam Adani entered the ranks of the top three richest people on earth as per Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. It was the first time an Indian,[Read More…]
When the corrupters, swindlers, betrayers, deniers – the practitioners of ecocide and insanity – tell you, “Calm down.” Don’t calm down. Rise up! When they tell you, “Don’t be an alarmist.” Don’t! But sound the alarm clear, loud, and relentlessly. There are no “alternative facts.” There is reality. And there is no Planet B. When they tell you, “Don’t panic.”[Read More…]
linchpin_armenia_001.jpg (3507×2550) (indybay.org) Turkey’s imperial ambition of creating a Pan-Turkic empire, ruled from Ankara, is on display in today’s Caucasus and elsewhere. This racist ideology envisions an empire that would include any country or region speaking a Turkic-type language regardless of how distant that language is from the language spoken in Turkey and regardless of whether the people in those[Read More…]
Are you sad because a bout of Covid-19 disrupted your life with illness, bills, or even the death of a friend or family member? Are you anxious because your benefits have ceased and you can’t find a new job? Are you worried because the brain fog after Covid has persisted so long? Are you angry because you are being evicted[Read More…]
Without doubt Bhagat Singh was one of the greatest revolutionaries, who chalked out a genuine revolutionary anti-colonial programme and not the Indian National Congress. He pioneered the formation of an organisation charting out a programme opposing landlordism, capitalism and imperialism. Initially he supported the path of individual terrorism and was influenced by the Irish revolutionaries but later after studying Marx[Read More…]
I am tempted to write this after seeing a report in a vernacular newspaper today. It was about someone named V Bright Saigal who died recently in a rented room in Delhi as a lonely man with no significant social contacts. It was his landlord who brought him dead to Delhi’s Safdar Jung Hospital. Saigal originally belonged to Kakkanadu in[Read More…]
Stumbling Towards Old Age And Looking for Someone to Lean On 
Tolstoy’s Dilemma 
Ukraine Peace Activists Protest During Zelensky White House Visit 
“Our world is becoming unhinged”: Antonio Guterres 
How Chances of Direct War between the USA and Russia Are Increasing 
G20 Biofuel Alliance threatens Food security 
Thousands Of Auto Workers Strike In Three U.S. Plants, Face Financial Hardship 
Submission To Australian National Anti-Corruption Commission, NACC: Mainstream Media Lying 
In The Name of Decolonization 
Is This the End of French Neo-Colonialism in Africa? 
Tel Aviv’s Losing Brands: Israeli ‘Coup’ and the Death of False Democracy 
Tackling Global Emergencies – UN International Day of Peace 
The Futility of Feudalistic Democracy 
Bayer over-riding Bhartiya Krishi 
Pulwama Bombing 14th February 2019: Unanswered Questions 
Himalayan Apple Growers Worried Over Increasing Threat from Imports 
After protests in flood-hit Derna, Libyan officials order journalists to leave 
International Day of Peace: Fostering Harmony and Unity in a World of Diversity 
More Butterflies, Fewer Billionaires — Unrigging the Global Economy 
Veganic Farming: How My Tiny Plot Produced 5,000 Pounds of Food Without Using Manure 
Fighting the Diaspora: India’s Campaign Against Khalistan 
CAIR Files Lawsuit to End Islamophobic No Fly List 
N.D.Mahanor, The Poet Who Taught Us to See Culture in Agriculture 
Dark and light streaks in India-China relations 
Why the Central Government Should Rush Special Aid Package for Himachal Pradesh 
Special Session: Another Image-Boosting Move? 
Eddelu ( Wake up) Karnataka: The Great Citizen’s Wall Against BJP 
Urgency of Improving Dam Safety Re-Emphasized in Libya and Ukraine 
Climate Crisis Threatens Largest U.S. Cities 
Little Amal Entertains and Informs on Refugee Children’s Strife 
Google Trial Must Fuel the Global Movement Against Digital Capitalism 
Linking Aadhaar With NPR Records: Is it Based on Informed Consent? 
In the debates before 2024 Elections in India, Agenda for Justice, Peace, Democracy and Environment Most Needed 
US imperialist hypocrisy and the Libyan flood 
Some Remarks on Russia in Global Politics Today 
A climate of Insanity 
Brief for Murder: Pinochet’s Apologists Five Decades On ‘Epidemic’ or Revolution: The Other Side of the West Africa Upheaval 
White Nationalism and Donald Trump 
How Arab Leaders Betrayed Islam and Defied the Logic of Political Change, Peace and Security? 
My Amma (Malayalam word for Mother) passed away on August 22, 2023 at 3.10 AM. It is always difficult to deal with the passing of a parent, that too one’s mother. I thought the grief would go away. No it didn’t. All those bitter sweet memories won’t go away. At night I lie awake for hours. My friend, guide and[Read More…]
