Thursday, February 25, 2016

Palestinian Hunger Striker, Muhammad al-Qiq, On The Verge Of Death

Muhammad al-Qiq’s body has collapsed and his heart rate has slowed, lawyers report, as the 33-year-old Palestinian journalist and father of two enters day 92 of his hunger strike against his detention by Israel without charge or trial. Meanwhile, Israel is still refusing to allow al-Qiq’s wife Fayha Shalash and their two young children to be with him during what is feared may be his final hours
Rohith Vemula's mother and more than 100 students from Hyderabad Central University were detained by the Delhi Police while holding a candle light vigil at India Gate in memory of Rohith. Police even dragged Rohith Vemula's mother. While being detained in Tilak Marg and Parliament Street Police Station they held a candle light vigil inside the police station. Later, the agitators were released by the police. Arundhati B one of the participant in the vigil said in a facebook post "We had no weapons other than candles. They fear light. The call for the candle light vigil was given by the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice

VIDEO: Interview With Julian Assange
By Afshin Rattansi
Afshin Rattansi goes underground with the world's most wanted publisher - the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange. He has just co-authored a book - the WikiLeaks Files, and it paints a picture of systemic US torture and killing as well as the destruction of the lives and livelihoods of billions of people right around the world
The Rape Of East Timor: "Sounds Like Fun" 
By John Pilger
Secret documents found in the Australian National Archives provide a glimpse of how one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century was executed and covered up. They also help us understand how and for whom the world is run. The documents refer to East Timor, now known as Timor-Leste, and were written by diplomats in the Australian embassy in Jakarta
An Open Letter To The People Of West Papua 
By James Burrowes & Robert J. Burrowes
We have recently been discussing your ongoing courageous struggle to liberate yourselves from more than 100 years of occupation, first by the Netherlands, briefly and brutally by Japan during World War II, and now by Indonesia. In that regard, we would each like to share a brief message with you, our friends from West Papua
Why We Must Transcend The Clinton-Sanders Debate:
The Middle East In US Foreign Policy 
By Ramzy Baroud
Clinton might have come, saw and Gaddafi was brutally murdered, but the country has also descended into a ‘state of nature’ type of chaos, where extreme violence meted out by militant brutes and managed by western-backed politicians, have taken reign. Similar fates have been suffered by Iraq, Yemen and Syria - one sanctioned, invaded and occupied, another served as a war front for the US war on al-Qaeda, the third was groomed for intervention many years ago, in publicly available documents prepared by pro-Israel American neoconservative organizations. Thus, it is essential that we understand such historical contexts before, once more, delving into impractical political feuds that, ultimately, validate the very US political establishment which, whether led by Republicans or Democrats, have wrought unmitigated harm to the Middle East, instability and incalculable deaths
Hillary Clinton's Global-Burning Record 
By Eric Zuesse
On 17 July 2015, Paul Blumenthal and Kate Sheppard at Huffington Post bannered, “Hillary Clinton's Biggest Campaign Bundlers Are Fossil Fuel Lobbyists” and the sub-head was "Clinton's top campaign financiers are linked to Big Oil, natural gas and the Keystone pipeline.” This description of her fits for a politician who does the lobbyists' bidding
Why Shouldn’t We Discuss Afzal Guru? 
By Sreekumar Kodiyath
Our anti-terrorism laws and the arbitrary nature of many of their provisions deserve to be discussed and debated. Our system of awarding death penalty deserves to be discussed and debated. The way in which trial court functions deserves to be discussed and debated. The archaic policing system inherited from the colonial rulers deserves to be discussed and debated. The way in which we condone torture in custody deserves to be discussed and debated. And as long as a person has been hung under the shadows cast by the festering rots in our institutions, his case would forever remain a bloat in the landscape of justice and democracy. Mentioning it becomes necessary to ensure that we learn from our mistakes. Remembering it becomes necessary to prevent its repetition. Discussing it becomes necessary to affirm our commitment to free speech
Statement From Sri Lanka In Solidarity With Protesting Students Of India
By Concerned Citizens And Organisations From Sri Lanka
We, the undersigned organizations, civil society activists, academics and students from Sri Lanka vehemently condemn the institutional murder on 17th January 2015 of Dalit research scholar and activist Rohith Vemula of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), India and the violence meted out against those seeking justice for Rohith’s death. We stand in solidarity with protesting students and staff of the UoH, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi and other higher educational institutions around India
Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? 
By Mary Scully
In December 2012, the rape & murder of a women student in Delhi galvanized a protest movement & inspired five young Kashmiri women to investigate & write a book about the Kunan Poshpora mass rape. The women are Samreen Mushtaq, Essar Batool, Natasha Rather, Munaza Rashid, & Ifrah Butt. The book was published by The University of Chicago Press & distributed by Zubaan Books in Delhi, India. The book entitled, “Do you remember Kunan Poshpora?” is part of an eight-volume series on “Sexual Violence & Impunity in South Asia” & was officially released last month at the prestigious Jaipur Literature Festival
The Dogs And The Rabbits 
By Shah Alam Khan
This story is a work of fiction and any resemblance to a place, person or event is purely coincidental and unintentional. (I dare not!)
Siachen, The High-Altitude Madness! 
By M.Ashraf
There have been many attempts to sort out the dispute but so far these have failed. Manmohan Singh was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Siachen. He suggested peaceful resolution of the dispute. In fact, environmentalists have suggested that Siachen should be declared a Peace Park. The resolution of the dispute is stuck up. The Indian side wants Pakistanis to authenticate on a map the positions held by them at present. It may be worthwhile to ask the top Political and Army brass to hold the talks on the glacier itself so that they realize the actual ground conditions. Both sides may then agree to leave the area alone and bring an end to this high-altitude madness! The sooner it happens, the better for both the suffering soldiers and the fragile environment
Accessibility And Disabled People 
By Kapil Kumar
It is need of the hour that accessibility to disabled persons must be ensured at the earliest. And those (institutions and otherwise) who do not comply with the instructions of the government, must be punished. And this all can become possible only by creating awareness in the society and making it sensitive towards the needs of disabled people. It must be kept in mind here, that disability is not acquired only by birth, it can occur to any individual in/at any point of his or her life
24 February , 2016
Umar Khalid, one of the student leaders, who was also charged with draconian laws of criminal conspiracy and sedition, had to finally surrender on Tuesday night, in spite of the fact that there’s no evidence against him. What does it mean? Within ten days, his identity was reduced to being a Muslim, not a student who got offer from Yale University or a free citizen of the country who had Right of Free Speech and Expression. Instead his family was threatened, his 12-year-old sister cannot attend school where she is being treated as a pariah. In the latest attacks, his family was threatened that ‘if they want to have their son alive, he needs to leave India.’
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya who were accused of organizing an event on February 9 to mark the anniversary of the hanging of Afzal Guru, in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised surrendered at midnight before the Delhi Police. The two left the campus in a university vehicle escorted by guards around 11:45 p.m. and were take into custody by a police team waiting outside one of the exit gates of the varsity. They are accused of sedition. They are likely to be produced before a magistrate today
To Argue Is To Be Indian
By Mohd Osama
What is happening in recent times in general and in JNU’s case in particular, nothing real lies in those stupid arguments invoking nationalism. Questions should be asked, that students of JNU and of other universities were wrong when they raised questions regarding Afzal Guru’s hanging? Were they even near of being at the wrong side when they practiced their fundamental right to speech without inciting violence or hatred of any kind? Is the idea of India and its pristine democracy antithetical to questions raised on its theory and practice? Is being argumentative is at all so bad to leave it to hegemonical forces?
Modi Vs Rest In Perpetuity- JNU Is Mordor 
By Mousumi Roy
The bottom line is- BJP's commitment to follow the RSS dream of Hindu Rashtra got in the way of its commitment to fighting the congress in 1979 and again in 1989. The bottom line is congress resurfaced twice and both the times because of RSS's Agenda for establishing a Hindu Rashtra. It is just that now Modi has come out in open to consolidate the Hindu Nationalism. He is polarizing India. He is sowing seeds of hatred. He is letting fringe elements in the party play havoc with the plural character of India
UK Scholars Express Solidarity With JNU
By Concerned UK Scholars
We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the students, faculty and staff of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India in their ongoing struggle against the anti-democratic incursions of the Indian state. We appeal to the elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold the Indian constitution, cease the repression of democratic protest across university campuses in India, and withdraw the spurious charges of ‘sedition’ against JNU Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar
Dissent Is Not Sedition 
By Citizens Committee for the Defense of Democracy
The Citizens Committee for the Defense of Democracy strongly condemns the clampdown in Jawaharlal Nehru University. We deplore the targeting of students and teachers and condemn the culture of authoritarian menace that the Central Government has unleashed. We strongly believe that dissent is not sedition and invoking sedition laws against students, ordering the police to enter the campus and unlawfully arresting a student leader, issuing warrants against many others on charges of inciting violence, attacking students, teachers and arrested student in the court premises, are serious assault on the fundamental rights of the citizens of this country.
Open Letter By ILS Law College, Pune In Solidarity With JNU
And Condemning The Recent Happenings
By The Concerned Faculty, Alumni & Students of By ILS Law College, Pune
Kanhaiyya Kumar, JNUSU president, be discharged of all charges against him and freed immediately. Immediate disciplinary action be taken by the Bar Council against the lawyers responsible for the attack at the Patiala House Court. An investigation be conducted on the evident inaction of the police against the unruly behavior of the guilty lawyers and strong action be taken against those guardians of rule of law who stood there as mute spectators. The government repeals the law of sedition in the Indian Penal Code since free speech is a hallmark of a modern democratic state. The police presence at JNU must be withdrawn immediately and safety be ensured to Kanhaiyya Kumar and Umar Khalid who has also been framed as an offender. Stop the process of anti-intellectualism and the abandonment of reason from educational institutions
Kanhaiya Kumar Refuses To Be Rohith Vemula
By Daljit Ami
Isn't it an agression by intolerant brahminism and crony capitalism on openness and justices of educational institutes under the garb of development? It won’t be wrong to assert that Kanhiaya Kumar has really been arrested for not agreeing to become ‘reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind.'
Letter Of Solidarity For JNU From Members Of The IIT Madras Faculty
By Members Of The IIT Madras Faculty
We, a group of people serving as faculty at IIT Madras, write to affirm our solidarity with the faculty and students of JNU and issue this statement in serious concern over recent events at JNU and in the national capital over the past week
Requiem For Rohith 
By Cynthia Stephen
Blue was the flag on which you flew to reach the stars.
We look up, and see hope.
Can you see the candles burn and flicker in the twilight?
Make Monsanto Pay 
By Vandana Shiva
While the Government of India is suing Monsanto, the government of Maharashtra has signed an MoU with Monsanto to set up the biggest seed hub in the country in Buldana, announced at “Make in India Week”. How can a corporation breaking India, taking the lives of Indian farmers, destroying our agriculture and food security, and violating our laws be rewarded with the “Make in India” label?
Israel's Ethnic Cleansing Of Its Parliament 
By Jonathan Cook
Benjamin Netanyhu’s government is drafting legislation that ought to resolve in observers’ minds the question of whether Israel is the democracy it proudly claims to be. The bill empowers a three-quarters majority of the parliament to oust a sitting MP
100% Renewable Energy: What We Can Do In 10 Years 
By Richard Heinberg
The most important thing to understand about the energy transition is that it’s not optional. Delay would be fatal. It’s time to make a plan—however sketchy, however challenging—and run with it, revising it as we go
Gallup Poll Shows Americans Prefer Terrorist Nations Over Iran. Why? 
By Eric Zuesse
A February 17th Gallup Poll showed that Americans prefer the chief nation that sponsors international terrorism, when given a choice between that terrorist-sponsoring nation and Iran. The disapproval shown of Iran is 79%; the approval is 14%. Back in 2014, the disapproval/approval were 84%/12%. At that time, Saudi Arabia had figures of 57%/35%. Iran was seen by Americans as being even more hostile toward Americans than is Saudi Arabia
Germany’s Deutsche Bank In Crisis 
By Gustav Kemper
After a record loss of €6.8 billion in the 2015 business year, Deutsche Bank’s shares have plunged in value by 35 percent in the first weeks of 2016, reaching their lowest level since 2008. By comparison, even in the year of the 2008 financial crisis, the bank’s losses amounted to only €3.9 billion. The bank’s share price, which at one time was above €100, is currently moving between €13 and €16
Hillary Clinton, The Council On Foreign Relations And The Establishment 
By Matt Peppe
The American establishment that matters most is not limited to any one party, gender, or government organization. It is limited to people who are involved, directly or peripherally, in formulating and carrying out the plans of a tiny elite class - plans that ignore the 99 percent of the Americans in whose names they act, and the billions of people whose lives their decisions impact. There is no one whose social relationships and professional career typifies this more than Hillary Rodham Clinton
Massive Rally In Delhi : Government Set To Withdraw
Land (Amendment) Bill, 2015 In Budget Session
By National Alliance of People’s Movements
More than 5000 people from different social movements, workers unions, fishworkers, forest workers, farmer organizations, from across 15 different states of the country gathered at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi today under the banner of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan(BAA). The NDA government issued the Land Ordinance three times and each time they had to retreat. We consider this to be a victory that the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 will be withdrawn during this budget session. Agricultural Workers, adivasis, dalits and workers unions across India have spearheaded this struggle
23 February , 2016
Thousands of students marched through the streets of Delhi demanding justice for Rohith Vemula who committed suicide inside University of Hyderabad hostel room on January 17 after being targeted by the university and the right wing sangh parivar. Thousands of students, including those from the Jawaharlal Nehru University joined the protest march organised under the banner of Joint Action Committee for Social Justice of University of Hyderabad from Ambedkar Bhawan to Jantar Mantar
Soni Sori's Condition Stable
By Countercurrents.org
The condition of Soni Sori, Adivasi activist from Bastar, Chhatisgarh who was attacked with acid-like chemical Sunday night is stable says the doctors who treat her in Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo hospital
PUDR Writes To Chief Justice Of India On Attack On Soni Sori
And Other Rights Violations In Chhattisgarh
By People's Union For Democratic Rights
Open letter to the Chief Justice of India for immediate intervention into physical attacks and eviction drives against women activists by police and vigilante groups in Chhattisgarh
Need For Equity, Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives In Indian Higher Education
By Bharat Rathod
Currently, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’ initiatives are part of public and private higher education institutions in the U.S. These initiatives/programs are great support for underrepresented students and staff members. It focused on raising institutional awareness regarding issues of discrimination, setereotypes, social justice, inclusive pedagogy and campus climate, and enhancing diversity. The U.S. higher education admitted that students of color are being discriminated, whereas still we hesitate to acknowledge that lower caste students are being discriminated. Now, the point is that MHRD proactively wants to deal with caste-based discrimination in higher education or create a toothless reactionary policy that will maintain the status quo
Nationalism Vs. Rationale: Where Are We Heading? 
By Rutuja Deshmukh Wakankar
The greatest travesty has already happened when Kanhaiya Kumar the arrested JNUSU president, leaders and party workers of CPI (Marxist) and journalist were beaten up inside the court premise. Responsibility of this lynch-mob mentality lies with us, how long are we going to tolerate this or propagate it? The day is not far where you or me will be taken by this lynch mob for not dressing-up in tune with their nationalistic sentiments
Godse’s Children versus Midnight’s Children 
By Vaidyanath Nishant
January 30, 1948, as Bapu walked for his evening prayer, three bullets pierced him. Nathuram Vinayak Godse surrendered himself to the police. Ten months later, during the famous Red Fort Trial made a detailed statement before the Court regarding the prosecution case against him which lasted about a year. The text of his statement was banned till the year 1968. In his statement there are two things that really have significance in the political state the nation is in now. He had said, “If devotion to one’s own country amounts to a sin, I admit I have committed a sin. If it is meritorious, I humbly claim the merit thereof.” There is a very interesting similarity that I find between what Godse had said years ago and what the current goons which includes, lawyers, police, politicians and activists, are giving as an explanation for their violence against students, teachers and anyone else who doesn’t favour the BJP. Any of us need not shout slogans against the nation, but the very fact that we criticize the activities of this goon gifts me a label of being anti-national
Undermining Democracy: Stifling Academic Institutions 
By Ram Puniyani
On the back of the death of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University (HCU), one of the most prestigious University of the country Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been targeted by the ruling Modi Sarkar. The frightening things which happened in HCU were just the beginning of attack on autonomy of universities, on the free thinking in a democracy
Reclaiming Dissent
By Concerned Citizens
Letter of Solidarity with JNU students and faculty from professionals, academics, artists in West Bengal
Solidarity With India: The Struggle Is Global And Ongoing
By Suzanne Adely
We are community, student and legal activists in the United States fighting racialized and Islamaphobic state repression and the continuing assault of neoliberalism in our universities, workplaces and communities. As we watch India’s students and activists mobilize in mass for the right to dissent in the face of state sanctioned violence and relentless harassment we realize the many ways in which our struggles are interconnected. We send strong messages of solidarity to all students, workers, communities and human rights defenders throughout India struggling against an increasingly repressive right-wing nationalist and neoliberal regime
When Israel’s Bulldozers Escape Our Attention 
By Barbara Erickson
The assault on al-Hadidiya loomed large in the lives of the struggling villagers, but it was a routine affair in the occupied West Bank. The Civil Administration, an Israeli military body that oversees the management of the West Bank, frequently issues demolition orders — for construction work carried out without permits that are rarely tendered, or as punitive measures against those where family members have been deemed a security threat. And demolitions are carried out often seemingly at random
Book Review: "The Need For A New Economic System" By John Scales Avery
By Dorothy Guyot
The Need for a New Economic System by John Scales Avery is an important book for everyone concerned over the future of humanity. The urgent voice of the book stems from Dr. Avery's seeing the discontinuity between the loving care that people bestow on their children and their failure to reduce the harm to their children from a destructive economic system, climate change, resource depletion, and war. This book of advocacy demonstrates the need for solutions to problems created under the present economic system
The Age Of Authoritarianism: Government Of The Politicians,
By The Military, For The Corporations 
By John W. Whitehead
America is at a crossroads. History may show that from this point forward, we will have left behind any semblance of constitutional government and entered into a militaristic state where all citizens are suspects and security trumps freedom
Apple, Surveillance Technology And The Police State 
By Jon Kofas
The APPLE issue reveals very clearly that the more technology dependent a society becomes, the more it slips down the road of a police state at home because it is pursuing militarism abroad. This does not mean that technology in and of itself is a bad thing – no Luddite thesis here – but that the use of technology by corporations and the state makes it easier to have a police state
Hillary Clinton Is Backed By Major Republican Donors 
By Eric Zuesse
Hillary Clinton is a good investment for a billionaire — even for the 70% of them who are Republicans. And, based on those 2015 donation-figures, it seems that they would prefer a President Hillary Clinton, over a President Donald Trump. However, their three favorite candidates, in order, were: Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. But, in a Clinton-versus-Trump contest, Hillary Clinton would likely draw more money from Republican mega-donors than Trump would, and, of course, she would draw virtually all of the money from Democratic mega-donors. In such an instance, Hillary Clinton would probably draw a larger campaign-chest (especially considering super-pacs) than any candidate for any political office in U.S. (or global) history. Hillary Clinton would almost certainly be the most-heavily-marketed political product in history, if she becomes nominated and ends up running against Trump
Pro-GMO Activism In India: Journalism Gives Way To Spin, Smears And Falsehoods
By Colin Todhunter
In a recent piece for the magazine Swarajya (an online and print publication based in India​), its national affairs editor, Surajit Dasgupta, makes it clear that he has no time for any criticisms about the use of GMO technology in food and agriculture. He has even less time for those who voice such criticisms
Rally Of Farmers, Workers And Various Movements For Their Rights Tomorrow
By National Alliance of People’s Movements
On 24th February, 2016 a massive rally of farmers, workers and various movements is being organized at Jantar Mantar, where thousands of farmers, workers, fisher folks, adivasis and project affected people from ten states will be converging on Feb 24th to protest against these issues
22 February , 2016
The fourth and final phase of war between Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE of 2009 was marked by a systematic program from Sri Lankan Government’s side to make the affair a private one. One after the other, humanitarian agencies, international organisations, reporters and human rights activists were asked to leave or were expelled from the war zone. Activists and reporters who stubbornly remained either disappeared or were detained by the security forces. They called it, a “War without witnesses”. It is in this context that one has to analyse the developments in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Human rights activists and journalists are being forced out from the area. In the latest incident Adivasi leader Soni Sori was attacked near kodenar in bastar. About three men threw some some substance on her face causing intense burning and pain. She is now being treated in Delhi. Bastar is now more or less free of any limitations as far as the security forces are concerned. The stage is set and the time is ripe. It can begin the carnage without witnesses
"Our Integrity Lies In Tatters": Zee Journalist's Resignation Letter
By Vishwa Deepak
We succeeded in tarring Kanhaiya and many other JNU students as anti-national in the eyes of the people. If one of them is lynched tomorrow, who will be accountable for it? We have not just prepared the ground for somebody’s killing and the destruction of the lives of a few families; we have created conditions fertile for the spread of riots – even civil war. What kind of love for the country is this? What kind of journalism is this?
Looking Back, And Ahead: Dark Days Or Acche Din? 
By Admiral Ramdas
Far more than saluting a flag [which of course I continue to do with honour and respect] – it is the thoughts articulated by young idealists like a Rohit Vemula, a Kanhaiya Kumar, a Shehla Rashid and yes a Umed Khaled all of whom together with the many unnamed and unsung women and men across this country, embody the true spirit of nationalism and patriotism. We must collectively ensure that we not only protect those who have not yet been pushed to take the extreme steps like Rohith Vemula, but ensure that justice is promised and done to those presently in custody or forced into hiding, for fear of their lives
On February 22: Channeling Sophie Scholl 
By Romi Mahajan
It’s impossible for most of us to even contemplate what it might have been like to be a humane, decent, and courageous progressive under Nazism. More amazing still to speak out, to protest so openly and happily in the public sphere- in 1942/43 Munich. And yet we see students being beaten up, imprisoned, academics being blacklisted, even killed. In 2016 India. The Rohith Vemulas and Kanhaiya Kumars are our White Rose movement. One we lost, the other we must save. Let us all channel the courage of Sophie Scholl and in her honor, act now before it is too late
Modi's Internal Threat
Analysis by CPI(MR) News Service
When Narendra Modi accused 'foreign-funded NGOs' of destabilising his government it turns out he was referring to the RSS, the largest foreign-funded NGO in this country! Truth is - according to highly displaced sources - Modi's biggest enemies are from within the Sangh Parivar itself. Mostly the upper caste fellows in his cabinet who Modi made a veiled reference to as being 'unhappy about a chaiwallah's son becoming Prime Minister'
Deadline Passes In Negotiation To Save Palestinian Hunger Striker
As He Faces Imminent Death
By Charlotte Silver
Lawyers from the Palestinian Prisoners Club gave Israel a hard deadline on Sunday night to accept an offer from Muhammad al-Qiq to be transferred to al-Makassed hospital, a Palestinian medical facility in occupied East Jerusalem. Al-Qiq’s wife, Fahya Shalash, and lawyers believe the bolstered security outside his hospital means Israel is preparing for his imminent death
Hillary Clinton's Six Foreign-Policy Catastrophes 
By Eric Zuesse
Many commentators have mentioned (such as here and here and here and here) that Hillary Clinton left behind no major achievement as the U.S. Secretary of State; but, actually, she did. Unfortunately, all of her major achievements were bad, and some were catastrophic. Six countries were especially involved: Honduras, Haiti, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine. The harm she did to each country was not in the interest of the American people, and it was disastrous for the residents there
America's Opium War In Afghanistan
By Alfred W. McCoy
How a Pink Flower Defeated the World’s Sole Superpower
Increasing Tension Within German Society And Its Media Coverage: A Case Study
By Melanie Peters
The question remains how long the media and officials will be able to disregard these problems that are growing within German society, especially the increasing propensity towards violence on the political right. It has come close to killing people and I hope that officials will finally take stronger action against extremists, instead of playing down these tensions in the media
Man-Elephant Conflict: A Cause Of Concern In Udalguri Of Indian State Assam
By Shajid Khan
With over 22 people killed and several houses damaged during the last few years, the human-elephant conflict has taken a serious turn in Udalguri district of Assam along Indo-Bhutan border. As many as 22 people and eight wild elephants were killed during 2014 in Udalguri district while in 2015 under Harisinga Revenue circle of 33 Nonwi Serfang BTC constituency, 108 houses constructed by the government under Indira Awaas Yojana belonging to poverty ridden villagers were destroyed by wild jumbos. Out of which include 25 in Nonaikhuti, 23 in Bamunjuli, 8 in Khagunbahi, 16 in Tukhibasti, 23 in Rajagarh, 16 in Bhulatara and seven in Kali-Khola villages of Udalguri district
21 February , 2016
Adivasi Leader Soni Sori Brutally Attacked
By Countercurrents.org
Adivasi leader from Chhathisgarh, Soni Sori was attacked near kodenar in bastar. About three men threw some some substance on her face causing intense burning and pain. She was taken to the geedam hospital and is now being taken to the Jagdalpur hospital
Human Rights Defenders Under Police Attack In Chhattisgarh
By Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS)
Soni Sori, local adivasi leader and the Aam Aadmi Party coordinator for Bastar Division, was attacked by three goons on her way home on the 20th of February in Geedam at 11 pm. Soni Sori has communicated that the attackers threw a chemical substance on her face and threatened her saying "stop complaining against the IG, stop raising the issue of Mardum. If you don't behave yourself, we will do this to your daughter as well." She was also warned against attempting to file an FIR against the IG of police again
Contours Of A Citizen: The Nationalist, The Patriot, The Radical, And The Voiceless
By Srestha Banerjee
Though oppression by the power machineries is a way of life in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada region (and many more), but the recent attack on the JagLAG (Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group) and the attack on Soni Sori once again came out at a time when the National Capital is being rocked
JNU Episode: Comedy Of Errors Glares At India’s Kashmir Policy 
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
The new position on Kashmir now being held by the current government after sending police to arrest the dissenting students at JNU slapping sedition charges throw out the positions so far held by India on Kashmir since 1948. However, it raises the question where does the Indian hard-line nationalist policy on Kashmir will fall in line in the scheme of things of the League of Nations? Will the United Nations concur to India’s new position on Kashmir? The answer is very simple. India has to choose between International commitment and the nationalist position on Kashmir
Solidarity Statement Of Students From Northeast India, TISS, Mumbai
By Concerned Students
We, the undersigned, students and research students from various states of northeastern region of India studying in Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai would like to highlight on the unprecedented shrinkage of academic spaces across various universities in India. We condemn the politically motivated interferences of the state in Jawaharlal Nehru University and in Hyderabad Central University (HCU), and other universities. We also condemn the mob justice perpetrated by lawyers against students, journalist, activists etc in the Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, and media trial led by prominent journalists from New Delhi
It's Time To Call The Shale Gas Revolution As Well As "The Mighty Marcellus" A Bust 
By Nicholas C. Arguimbau
The entire US shale gas industry is being brought down by its largest play, the Marcellus, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Here's how things look on the ground. Restaurants that used to be packed are now virtually empty. Almost every drilling company has laid off workers and reduced its capital budget. Drilling rig counts, a surrogate for future new production, dropped by half, from 120 to 59, between 2013 and 2015, and dropped by half again, from 59 to 29, in the last nine months, leaving total production supported primarilly by pre-exiating, "legacy" wells which in shale gas plays typically lose about one third of their present production each year
Everything You Know About 'Sex Work' Is Wrong (Part 2) 
By Mickey Z.
I first spoke with Rachel Moran in September 2015 when her uncompromising, riveting memoir Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution was being released in the United States. Since that time, she’s traveled extensively, talking about her book and meeting with women and girls in need of help. I’ve used those five-plus months to continue my efforts in learning more about this and related issues. Now here we are, picking up our conversation as if we never stopped!
Dr. G.N Saibaba Denied Basic Medical Facilities In Jail
By Vasantha Kumari A S
Dr.G. Ramadevudu, brother of Dr. G.N Saibaba met him in Nagpur Central Prison recently. He was witness to the shocking details of the torturous conditions within the prison in which Saibaba is struggling for his life. His brother was appalled by the denial of basic medical facilities despite Court Orders as well as a country wide outrage against the inhuman treatment that is being meted out to Saibaba in the Prison. If his treatments are not revived at an emergency basis and if he is forced to stay in the hostile prison conditions Saibaba’s growing ailments will become life threatening
20 February , 2016
In this entire drama, one thing that one could observe is that the question of caste discrimination against Dalit and Adivasis is also slowly taking a backseat. While the earlier aggression was against Rohith, now the focus has turned to Kanhaiya. The government has slowed down its attack on Rohith and his identity; the current row of hostility is on JNU students, the faculties and others who support the movement. Police diktats surface every new day in a fresh incarnation while the Indian Central Ministers has been defending its outrageous violence spitting deadly venom against the agitating populace. Diluting the Dalit-Adivasi uprising is very much on the cards of the fascist government as they still observe them as decisive vote banks for mission 2019
An Open Letter To Neo-Patriots From A Seditious JNUite
By Samar
Tell me what do you think about Peoples’ Democratic Party, the one self-designated wholesaler of patriotism BJP allied with to grab power in Jammu & Kashmir government. What happens to your patriotism when they call Afzal Guru a martyr? Where does your bravery disappear when they demand his mortal remains to be brought back to Kashmir immediately after forming government with you? Why do you not feel like beating them, not so dear patriots, when BJP makes a separatist leader Sajjad Lone a minister from its quota despite the opposition of PDP?
The Nationalist Certificate: The Idea Of Nation And Constitutional Morality 
By Asang Wankhede
The similarity of the core of the recent controversies is baffling, yet a well known and ignored one. Late Rohith Vemula was branded as an anti-nationalist, and Mr. Kanahiya Kumar now joins the league of human rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen, writer and activist Arundhati Roy, and cartoonist Assem Trivedi, among others. Another similarity is with the fact that these sedition charges failed the test of judicial scrutiny and hence the ‘anti-nationalist’ accuseds were acquitted
Tracing The Anti-National 
By Parijata Bhardwaj
The only difference between the actions in Delhi and the experiences of the marginalized is the fact that developments of Delhi having affected several of the indifferent sections of the society has managed to mobilize support on a much larger scale and it is this support which must be capitalized. We should ensure that this momentum continues and work and creating solidarities across the country to challenge this fascist regime every step of the way, for if we remain silent now, years down the line the future generation is going to ask the very same question I asked, how could we have remained silent?
Polymath Author And Teacher Umberto Eco Passes
By Gaither Stewart
The Italian writer, intellectual, philosopher, semiologist, sociologist, university professor, Umberto Eco, sometimes referred to as the man who knew everything, died the evening of February 19 in his home in Milan at age 84. I had the good luck of interviewing Umberto Eco in the year 2000, a text which however rings extremely current due to his long-range vision. His novel, The Name of the Rose of 1980 was the starting talking point, which however held little interest for him. “I hate it, my worst novel.” But since the book deals with medieval abbey libraries which he loves he warmed to that subject
Video Shows Execution Of Palestinian In Jerusalem
By Maureen Clare Murphy
The apparent execution of a Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem was caught on video by Al Jazeera on Friday. Israel says that the young man was carrying out a stabbing attack on Israeli Border Police officers when he was killed at the Damascus Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City. But video of the incident released by Al Jazeera indicates that the young man did not pose an immediate threat to anyone’s life when massive lethal force was used against him
Albert Woodfox, Last of Angola 3 Who Spent Decades In Solitary Released
By Andrea Germanos
Albert Woodfox, the last of the men known as the Angola 3, was released from a Louisiana prison on Friday. He had spent over four decades in solitary confinement at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary known as "Angola." His release, on his 69th birthday, comes after he pleaded no contest to charges of manslaughter and aggravated burglary in the 1972 death of a prison guard. Though his previous convictions of murder for the death were previously thrown out, the state had blocked his release. He had always maintained his innocence
Western Powers Move Closer To New Military Intervention In Libya
By Marianne Arens
Five years after the NATO war in Libya, a new war is being prepared against the North African country behind the backs of the world population. Like Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, East Ukraine and Syria, Libya will once again become the arena for war and destruction if the Western powers get their way
Syria’s President Assad Amnesties Syria’s Draft-Evaders
By Eric Zuesse
Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, issued on February 17th, a decree "granting a general amnesty for military deserters inside and outside the country and the crimes included in the Military Service Law committed before 17th February 2016.” This is being done in order to remove one reason why some Syrians are now refugees in foreign countries: their refusal (for whatever reason) to serve in the military
Broken Ukraine 
By Linh Dinh
The most laughter I heard in Ukraine was on the bus leaving it. The Milky Way expanded as soon as we entered Poland
Iran Has Critical Parliamentary Elections Ahead 
By Akbar E. Torbat
Iran’s parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections will be held on February 26, 2016. This is the tenth parliament (Majles) elections since the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the fifth round for the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses Iran’s future Supreme Leader. In these elections, the US and its allies wish the Islamic regime sways from the controlling hands of the more conservative clerics to the hands of the so-called “moderate” clerics who have more friendly relations with the West
The Radical Work Of Healing: Fania And Angela Davis
On A New Kind Of Civil Rights Activism
By Sarah van Gelder
I think that restorative justice is a really important dimension of the process of living the way we want to live in the future. Embodying it. We have to imagine the kind of society we want to inhabit. We can’t simply assume that somehow, magically, we’re going to create a new society in which there will be new human beings. No, we have to begin that process of creating the society we want to inhabit right now
Pope Francis Spoke Out Against Trump But While A Powerful Jesuit Was Silent
During Murder Of Thousands 
By Jay Janson
Those of us who know that Pope Francis, while he was the most influential Jesuit leader in Argentina, maintained a cooperative silence, even as millions of people throughout the world were aghast at the horrific news that thousands of Argentinians were being murdered or 'disappeared' during the brutal US supported dictatorship of General Videla, see the Pope's present outspokenness about anti-establishment presidential candidate Donald Trump as consistent with the Papacy having always been a tool of the business interests of the colonial, now neocolonial, capitalist elite in Europe and the United States. Was the Pope's intervention in the US electoral process of phony democratic appearances spontaneous, or was the Pope wheeled out as a big gun in the corporate establishment's ongoing media discrediting of upstart maverick candidate Trump? 
Why Is The State Trying To Evict JagLAG, Malini And Bela From Bastar?
By Parijata Bhardwaj
With the prolonged conflict between the Indian State and the Maoists, the anti-national script of the state has been perfected in the region. A person who blindly conforms to the diktats of the State is a national and one who dares to deviate even by a single inch becomes an anti-national or worse a Maoist. It is this very definition which is currently being applied by the local administration against the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group, group of lawyers Shalini Gera and Isha Khandelwal working to safeguard the constitutional rights of the socially and economically deprived sections of Bastar, journalist Malini Subramaniam and Bela Bhatia, to push them out of Bastar
Capital Punishment In Pakistan
By Ali Mohsin
In Pakistan the state has been carrying out executions at the rate of nearly one per day since the moratorium on the death penalty was lifted following the horrific attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014. As many as 345 people have been put to death since the resumption of executions, according to Reprieve, an international organization that opposes capital punishment. Earlier this month, Gallup Pakistan released the findings of survey it conducted which showed that 92 percent of Pakistanis support the use of the death penalty against terrorists
Countercurrents.org Fundraising Event In London On 27th February 
Press Release
THE PERFORMANCES: sculptural steel cello by Adrian Palka. Alchemical dance troupe - Pet’s People. Singer-song writers – Noamie Du Cimetiere, Honey Birch and Madeleine Smith. Egyptian dance by Petronella. Poetry & Spoken Word from Neil Oram, Denis Quilligan and Niall McDevitt. Scottish bagpipes by Dave Brooks. Electronic music by Vahkan Matossian. James Barralet plays works by Rabindranath Tagore and John Mayer on cello. Puppetry & music by Puppet Planet. Rock duo - Denis Quilligan & Mardi. Short films by Diana Mavroleon. Humming Orchestra with Sergio Lopez Figueroa. Performances from Simon Miles and Diana Mavroleon. DJ – Robinson
19 February , 2016
When the Hindutva goons beating up anyone who looks like a JNUite, and the Delhi police are acting like the paramilitary wing of these goons, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students in true Gandhian style marched in their thousands through the streets of Delhi with flowers in hand and handing it out those who malign the institution. When 'nationalists' in news rooms call them anti-nationalists, these students handed flower to these same journalists and asked them not to spread rumours about JNU. This was a moment when the violence unleashed by the BJP government, and their goons on the students stood powerless before the nonviolent resistance of these students. A Flower Power Revolution has bloomed in JNU!
How JNU Made Me ‘Anti National’.. 
By Parvin Sultana
JNU inspired me to stand up for what I believe, to never speak or write to appease. It gave me the courage to come back home to my border town Dhubri (a lesser developed small town with too many problems) and work for people out here. And it has sent me armed with a much required sensitivity to understand the position of the marginalized and the oppressed. It has given me the goal to inspire, encourage and teach my students to speak Truth to Power. I still believe firmly that we must wrench our freedom from poverty and social evils that are still pervasive. If that demand for azaadi and a better life for the have-nots is being anti-national then I guess JNU has rightly made me one
Do We Need A 270 Feet High National Flag Unfurling In Central Universities?
By Shubhda Chaudhary
All the 46 central universities in the country will fly the national flag on their campuses to signify a “strong India”, said a resolution adopted at a meeting of vice chancellors chaired by HRD Minister Smriti Irani. The very first campus, undoubtedly to initiate this trend would be Jawaharlal Nehru University. The question is, do we need to hoist the national flag atop a 207-feet pole in central university campuses? Does the government believe that this cursory trend of ‘nationalising’ Indian universities would immediately inculcate patriotism within students? Quite honestly, educational institutions should have the freedom of raising dissent, arguments, discussions, which forms a part of inner democracy. But this move, which would have consequences in the coming months, is debatable
TISS, Mumbai Faculty Express Solidarity With JNU & HCU
By Faculty - TISS, Mumbai
From Faculty of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. We, the undersigned, are deeply shocked and dismayed by the processes that led to the suicide of Rohith Vemula at HCU in January and the ongoing attacks on students and faculty of JNU
India: Prioritise Free Speech, Not Frivolous Sedition Charges 
By FORUM-ASIA
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the use of colonial-era sedition laws to stifle freedom of expression, including the arrests of the former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani and a student leader at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on sedition charges under section 124A of the Indian Penal Code
Letter of solidarity Wth JNU From Ashoka University
Students, Alumni, Staff And Faculty
We, the undersigned—who study and work at Ashoka University, as well as the alumni of the Young India Fellowship, in our private capacity—write to voice our solidarity with the students and faculty at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Recent events at JNU, including the arrest of the JNUSU President over the charge of sedition, as well as other disproportionate measures, amount to a deeply troubling attack on academic and cultural freedom. We strongly condemn the display of brute force by the police, who were given free entry to the campus, including hostels, to question, detain and arrest students and faculty members. We protest the lack of police protection to those students and faculty, and condemn the use of State force against democratic expressions of dissent.
Acche Din Ab Aa Gaye Hain
(Good Days Have Finally Come)
By Braj Ranjan Mani
These guys take Rohith Vemula to the valley of death
They thrash Kanhaiya Kumar in the Court camplex
And the sarkar and police dance to their tunes.
Modi’s good days have finally come
RSS guys rule the roost everywhere
Video: Palestinian Hunger Striker’s Wife Makes Urgent Plea
By Ali Abunimah
In this video, Fayha Shalash makes an urgent appeal on behalf of her husband, who is gravely ill and could die at any time after 86 days on hunger strike. Muhammad al-Qiq, a 33-year-old father of two, has refused food since 25 November to protest his detention without charge or trial by Israel. “Muhammad is fighting for his freedom,” Shalash says in the brief English-language video, “He is on hunger strike because he wants to be free.” The video also shows al-Qiq crying out in pain from his hospital bed
Europe Is Following Obama - Washing Its Hands Of Palestine And Why
By Alan Hart
To those who are clinging to the hope that Europe will take the lead in pressing Israel to be serious about peace on terms the Palestinians could accept I say - It won't happen
FBI Wins Court Order Forcing Apple To Install Backdoor In iPhone Security Systems 
By Thomas Gaist
The Obama administration secured a court order from a California-based federal judge on Tuesday to force tech giant Apple to develop special software designed to compromise encryption security features embedded in the iPhone’s iOS 9 operating system. The court decision, utilizing an obscure and antidemocratic law from the 18th century, is part of efforts to utilize last year’s attack in San Bernardino, California to intensify the assault on democratic rights and expand the police-state spying powers of the government
Gulf War Syndrome: Killing Our Own (Part 1) 
By Dr. Gary Null
Twenty-five years after the conclusion of the Gulf War conflict, there is no debating the fact that our troops suffered tremendously not only from chemical hazards on the battlefield but also from exposure to dangerous experimental drugs administered by the US military. Part 2 of this Gulf War syndrome investigation, will take a closer look at the disturbing decades-long legacy of ignorance and outright denial about this serious illness on the part of the US government
Government Of Chhattisgarh Ccancell Forest Rights Of Villages In Sarguja District
By Concerned Citizens
We the undersigned, are expressing our deep shock, anguish and concern about the recent move by the Government of Chhattisgarh, allegedly cancelling forest rights of locals of villages in Sarguja District (through an order passed on the 8th of January 2016 ) for asserting their legal rights under the FRA on the Parsa East and Kante Basan Coal Block of the Hasdeo Arand forests which have been handed over to Rajasthan Vidhyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd and Adani Minerals Private Ltd!
Condemn The Harassment Of People's Lawyers In Jagdalpur
By Indian Association of People’s Lawyers
A recent urgent appeal issued by the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group (JagLAG) dated 18th February 2016, mentions how the police administration at Jagdalpur has been pressurizing the landlord of the JagLAG office to evict the lawyers. A similar attempt of eviction is also being done on Malini Subramaniam a journalist
18 February , 2016
Three ABVP Leaders Resign Over JNU Action
By Countercurrents.org
Causing major embarassment to the ruling BJP government, three office-bearers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have resigned citing “difference of opinion” on the “current JNU incident” among other issues. Criticising the Centre for “unleashing oppression on the student community”, they said they cannot be the “mouthpiece of such a government”
Why JNU’s Vice Chancellor Has Maligned His Image?
By Shubhda Chaudhary
On 18th February, Mr. Jagadesh issued an appeal as the VC of JNU, asking the students to ‘reconsider their decision for undertaking a march outside the campus.’ Not only was it out-of-depth, it signaled that the VC did not believe in student’s protests, especially with the intensity that it eventually concluded. More than 15,000 students took part in the protest demonstration from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, shouting slogan of ‘I Stand with JNU’ and demanding the release of JNUSU President Kanhaiya, who would be in Tihar Jail till 2nd March
War On Constitution
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The events that unfolded in Patiala house yesterday brought back memories of Ayodhya 1992 when journalists reporting there were beaten up and abused. The shout of Jai Shree Ram became the test of nationalism. If you don’t think Ram as your ancestor or God then you are a Haramzaada, was the favorite quote during those hey days. Today, they have understood that one slogan will not work as due to their inability to carry masses with them they are using the media to whip up passion and change the political discourse
We Are Of This Country And Love The Soil Of India 
Full Text of Kanhaiya Kumar’s speech
Kanhaiya Kumar, Student's Union President of Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was arrested on sedition charges for making this speech on 12th February. He is now lodged in Tihar Jail
Public Humiliation Of India's Hard Won Dignity 
By Dr Vacy Vlazna
And today, ironically, it is India, not the British that persecutes Indian dissidents, such as Kanhaiya Kumar (and Rohith Vemula), who dare to denounce the racist nationalism and fascism creeping through the Indian government that is hailed by what Nehru contemptuously called 'governmentarians' - the sycophants of authority "who hover round the skirts of government and echo the views which they think will be approved by those whose favour they continually seek."
Where Do We Go From Here! 
By Shah Alam Khan
A news anchor, the so-called harbinger of facts, thumps his chest so loud that the sound of truth gets drowned in the insanity of his primetime! He stands naked in inciting violence. Where do we go from here? Not long ago we made a tryst with destiny; today the shards of that broken dream wound the soul of our nation. Where can we run away from our dreams, how so ever broken they may be?
Do Lawyers Have The Right To Threaten And Punish In India? 
By Shubhda Chaudhary
In the case of Kanhaiya, “our black coats were meant to signify that we are an educated class, but some of the lawyers have tainted the image of the bar. What’s so civil about a war anyway?”
Resurgence Of Tagore’s India!
By M.Ashraf
The spark in JNU is the beginning of the end for the Golwalkar’s India!
JNU Has Brought Into Focus Several Issues 
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava
Every politician must appreciate the gravity of the issue and should make genuine, nationalist efforts to preserve everything which has been given by constitution and which are the part of Indian people’ existence. Minster Prasad’s statement therefore assumes importance JNU has emerged as a symbol of a highly polarized Indian society. It needs to be thought by all that right course of action is the right way of progress and survival, otherwise nation hood may come under danger, along with the human liberty and academic freedom and finally the country as a whole. This idea should not be allowed to proliferate at any cost
Why Are Tax-Payers Creating A Hullabaloo Amidst JNU’s Controversy?
By Shubhda Chaudhary
Amidst the JNU row, the Indian tax-payers have surfaced as ultra-nationalists and utterly self-righteous. According to them, beneficiaries of subsidies should not voice dissent, and if they do, they will be easily labeled as ‘parasites’, along with being ‘anti-nationals’. Yet, most tax-payers do not have any qualms with IITs and IIMs that massively contribute to India’s rising brain drain, but instead their products are considered as ‘idols’
From HCU To JNU: BJP’s Nationalism Is Dismantling Academic Pluralism 
By Kashif Mansoor
The unfolding of events in around the country especially at two premier institutions, Hyderabad Central University and Jawaharlal Nehru University, in the last three months has given an irrefutable testimony to the fact that nationalism is being misinterpreted and misused to orchestrate a vested interest. The idea of nationalism is not to promote unrest, jingoism, violence, ethnic/racial cleansing and nor even shutting down of any institutions of learning. Nor is it to be construed as of being racial supremacist. What is happening in India today is indicative of the same. BJP has taken to itself the bastion of defining who is national and who is anti-national
‘Dissent Is The Essence Of Democracy: AMU Student Gathering
Express Solidarity With Ongoing JNU Struggle 
By Mahfooz Alam
The students, teachers and non teaching employees of AMU demand unconditional release of Kanhaiya Kumar and his colleagues. We also demand a fair probe into the alleged anti-national activities at JNU Campus or anywhere else in India and strict action against those involved in anti-national activities, whosoever they are. We also demands strict action against lawyers, BJP MP and others involved in hooliganism at Patiala House Court in New Delhi with Journalists, Teachers, Students of JNU especially Kanhaiya Kumar and his colleagues
Exxon's Never-Ending Big Dig : Flooding The Earth With Fossil Fuels 
By Bill McKibben
Here's the story so far. We have the chief legal representatives of the eighth and 16th largest economies on Earth (California and New York) probing the biggest fossil fuel company on Earth (ExxonMobil), while both Democratic presidential candidates are demanding that the federal Department of Justice join the investigation of what may prove to be one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history. And that's just the beginning. As bad as Exxon has been in the past, what it's doing now -- entirely legally -- is helping push the planet over the edge and into the biggest crisis in the entire span of the human story
Western Propaganda And Two Parallel Realities 
By Andre Vltchek
I thought about writing this essay when I was working in Iraqi Kurdistan, not far from the city of Mosul, one of the areasoverrun by ISIS. Since my last visit at the end of 2014, the entire “Kurdistan Region” has been collapsing. Unemployment has been on the rise, unofficially reaching 50%, poverty is rampant, official numbers are massaged. Salaries have not been paid for months, and the influx of refugees arriving from Mosulareoften in near starvation, relying only on their relatives and friends for help. But the West has been singing the praises of this obedient part of Iraq
A Swollen River Of Refugees 
By David Smith-Ferri
Our friends Mohammad and his teenage son, Omar, come from a small farming village where they grow okra. Last autumn, like hundreds of thousands of others, they were part of the swollen river of refugees whose headwaters sprang from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where endless war has devastated society and local violence has left so many people at grave risk. The journey to Europe is not merely a long, exhausting trip. It is treacherous from the start
Lynching Journalists In Bangladesh: Mahfuz Anam Being The Latest Victim 
By Taj Hashmi
Ever since this silly debate cropped up – soon after the Daily Star (Bangladesh) editor Mahfuz Anam’s interview with a local TV channel on 3rd February – on the editor’s so-called “seditious” role during the Military-led Caretaker Government of 2007-2008, I thought it would end in a day or two; and it would be just an insignificant episode, yet another meaningless trivia for Bangladeshis at home and abroad. But I was simply wide of the mark! As of today (17th February), 55 Bangladeshis have filed lawsuits against Mahfuz Anam – 17 in one day – 12 of them for “sedition”, and 43 for “defamation”
Why Terrorists Aren't Hitting The U.S. Now 
By Eric Zuesse
Any jihadist group that would target the United States during this time, would lose its funding. The royals would cease donating. In order for the royal families to stay in power in the Arabic countries, they need the approval of their clerics; donations to approved jihadists are essential in order for that ‘holy' authorization of the royals to rule to continue; and so, the donations continue, and those clerics preach to the faithful that terrorism against the United States would be wrong at the present time, and they issue fatwas against Russia, and against Bashar al-Assad, etc., instead. Consequently, the jihadist groups are now focused against Russia and its allies. The jihadist groups are America's allies again, much as they had been when the U.S. armed the mujahideen to oust Russia's allies from Afghanistan
Statecraft vs. Politics As Usual 
By William John Cox
Elections should not be reality game shows played by dilettantes to amuse and entertain the electorate, and voters must plug their ears to the siren calls of demagogues. Instead, through the power of their vote, the People of the United States must demonstrate, once again, that they have the wisdom, ability, and resources to take matters into their own hands and to transform their government into one worthy of emulation. They stand at the tipping point, and the whole world is watching
India: Chhattisgarh Should Act Against Repeated Incidents Of
Intimidation And Harassment Of Journalists 
By Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
Authorities in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh should take immediate steps to stop the repeated incidents of intimidation and harassment of journalists who are working in very trying circumstances in a region torn by armed conflict, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) said today. Since July 2015, at least 3 journalists have either been arrested or physically intimidated by state and non-state actors on accusations of supporting armed Maoist insurgents who are active in the state. Journalists and human rights defenders working with Adivasi, or indigenous communities, and other marginalised groups in Chhattisgarh have been targeted by both state forces and the outlawed Maoist insurgents
17 February , 2016
In blatant violation Supreme Court order to ensure the security of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar when he is produced in Patiala House court, he was beaten up by lawyers in the court premises. The lawyers also beat up a journalist and a student. Despite the Supreme Court putting restrictions on who can enter the court during his appearance, a group of lawyers assembled inside the complex shouting slogans and beat up Kanhaiya Kumar when he was brought to the court by the police
Academics At The University Of Warwick Express Solidarity
With Student Struggle In JNU
By Concerned Academics of University of Warwick
We want to assure the students, staff and faculty of JNU that they are not alone in their struggle. We, at the University of Warwick, are part of a growing global movement that seeks to condemn and resist the vicious attack on democratic norms, academic freedom and political dissent at JNU and in other universities globally
Students Of Three US Universities Extend Solidarity To Striking JNU Students
By Concerned Students
We, the undersigned at Syracuse University, Colgate University, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, are in solidarity with our comrades at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India against the ongoing anti-democratic actions by the Indian state. We demand an immediate end to the police action against students on campus, and withdrawal of all charges against Kanhaiya Kumar, President of the JNU Students’ Union. We further demand that the Central Government put an immediate end to its prejudiced persecution of student activists on campuses across the country
Hands off JNU And Other Campuses
By Asian Human Rights Commission
The trouble fomenting in Indian varsities ever since the new government came to power has now reached one of the most prestigious universities of the country, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The stir ostensibly started after a group of students organized an event commemorating the death anniversary of Afzal Guru and called his hanging a judicial murder
RSS Thy Name Is Conspiracy! 
By Shamsul Islam
RSS like any other fascist organization thrives on intrigues and it is through conspiracies that it attempts to legitimize its nefarious agenda. The purpose is to turn victims into perpetrators. The recent case of state repression of the Jawaharlal Nehru University students including its student union president, Kanhaiyya Kumar who has been booked for sedition underlines this character of RSS once again
When Common Sense Took A Day Off! 
By Akash Arora
If irony was a cat, it would have died nine times yesterday when many 'lawyers' and 'unidentified suspects', decided to prove their superior nationalism and teach the seditionists a lesson by thrashing anyone who was or "looked like" a JNU student, because identification and fact-checking are inconvenient. What a spectacle it must have been. Proud lovers of our country, desecrating its constitution in full public view, right outside a court of justice and in presence of the police force. Who needed proof? What good a trial would do? Nothing can be as satisfying as having the power to deliver 'justice' with the fist
Dissent Is Not Sedition
By Rayees Rasool
The youth of India have realized the cost of dissent and providing space for different ideologies. They will stand against every injustice be it RohithVemula, Afzal Guru or illegal arrest of Kanya Kumar. They will speak and speak loudly. Having a say allowing people to debate on different political and social issues is not a crime. You may agree to disagree but you are not a criminal. Because Dissent is not Sedition
Dissent Is The Essence Of Democracy: AMU Students March In Solidarity With JNU
By AMU Students & AISA (AMU Unit)
We, the students of Aligarh Muslim University believe that a university is a place where various issues are to be discussed and debated in a free manner and everyone has a right to dissent in democratic system. But, under present NDA regime at centre, every other tone that is not affiliates or matched with RSS-BJP is being framed as anti national. This should be stop as this is not an essence of a healthy democracy and this creates an atmosphere of ‘undeclared emergency’ in the country
How Democracy ‘Uses’ A Colonial Law
By People's Union For Democratic Rights
People's Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR) has continually critiqued the existence of the colonial law of sedition and its unconstitutional application at the behest of those who hold state power, in cases that do not stand the test of law. The arrest of SAR Geelani, Professor at the University of Delhi, on charges of sedition on 16th February 2016, is yet again a case of the misuse of law as part of political vendetta
The first reactor of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP-1), a joint venture of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Rosatom of Russia tripped again at 18:35 hr on 16 February 2016. On 4th February, it tripped due to steam leak. The reactor was revived after 10 days on 14th February


A Marxist View Of Modi's Hindutva
Peter Taaffe speaks to Jagadish Chandra
This interview with Comrade Peter Taaffe of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) aims at analysing the present complex situation in India and bringing the collective experience of the CWI in understanding it from an internationalist perspective. We welcome discussion and debate on the issues raised and the analysis arrived at in this important interview which touches on the nature of the present Modi regime, the politics of the traditional left, the issue of Casteism and the approach that Socialists and Marxists should take towards these complex and important challenges
The Roots Of Religious Fundamentalism In Pakistan
By Ali Mohsin
The blasphemy laws are just one example of how the Pakistani state discriminates against religious minorities and violates their democratic rights. Non-Muslims are officially barred from the highest offices in the government. Furthermore, minorities must vote separately from the general population in communal electorates, thus making clear that they are to be viewed as apart from and inferior to Muslims. The vicious persecution of non-Muslims under the blasphemy laws, the numerous discriminatory practices of the state and the general climate of fear under which religious minorities go about their lives, all highlight the entrenched Muslim supremacism in Pakistan
The UN And The Invisible Palestinian Knives Of Allege-gate 
By Vacy Vlazna
In Palestine, you would be forgiven for thinking that there was no United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The SR, Christof Heyns, in the past 6 years, has never made a country on-site visit to Palestine to get first hand information on the hundreds of cases of zionist perpetration of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions of the people of Palestine. Not even the dozens of extrajudicial street executions of Palestinian children and youth carrying the invisible knives in Allege-gate since October 1, 2015 has impelled Heyns to rush to Palestine to ensure the zionist war criminals uphold Palestinian right to life
‘Good Labor – Bad Likud’: Dispelling The Myth Of ‘Democracy’
Within Israel’s Political Establishment
By Ramzy Baroud
The Israeli ‘Right’, as demonstrated by a scary coalition of rightwing nationalists, ultranationalists and religious zealots, deserves all the bad press it has garnered since its formation last May. But none of this should come as a shock, as the ‘Right’ in Israel has never been anything but a coalition of demagogues that catered to the lowest common denominator in society. As unlikable as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is, he is, in fact, a fair representation of the worst that Israel has to offer, which, over the years, has morphed to represent mainstream thinking
The People vs.The Police State: The Struggle for Justice In The US Supreme Court 
By John W. Whitehead
The untimely death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has predictably created a political firestorm over who gets to appoint the next U.S. Supreme Court justice, when, how, and where any judicial nominee will stand on the hot-button political issues of our day (same-sex marriage, Obamacare, immigration, the environment, and abortion). This is yet another spectacle, not unlike the carnival-like antics of the presidential candidates, to create division, dissension and discord and distract the populace from the nation’s steady march towards totalitarianism. Not to worry. This is a done deal. There are no surprises awaiting us
Puerto Ricans Suffer As Creditors Feast On Debt Colony 
By Matt Peppe
Few Americans are aware of the social and economic crisis consuming Puerto Rico, which is rarely covered by mainstream news organizations (other than some notable exceptions). But as expenses rise - for housing, health care, groceries, utilities - and economic opportunities disappear, families find themselves in a more and more precarious situation. A change in political status that would finally grant the Puerto Rican people a right to govern themselves in their own interest is the only hope to reverse the devastation 117 years as a debt colony has wrought
16 February , 2016
ABVP Attacks #RohithVemula Bus Yatra In Telengana
By Joint Action Committee for Social Justice (UoH)
Joint Action Committee for Social Justice (UoH) condemns in the strongest possible words, ABVP’s attack on members of Joint Action Committee in Bus Yatra in Telangana. When students for #JusticeforRohith organized a Public Meeting in Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, ABVP disrupted the meeting, attacked the students shouting slogans “Anti-nationals, Khabardar” against Rohith Vemula and the protesting students
What happened today at the Patiala House court where Jawaharlal Nehru Univerisity Students Union President (JNUSU) Kanhaiya Kumar who was arrested on sedition charges, was being produced is unprecedented. The lawyers who are supposed to uphold the constitutional values and people manhandled not just students of JNU but also media persons and teachers of the University
An Open Letter From An Ultra-Nationalist In India
By Shubhda Chaudhary
Our government is our God. And we can’t hear a word of debate. All hail the BJP!
The Truth About The Sedition Law 
By Parul Verma
Anti-Government is not equivalent to being an Anti-National
Three Boys Among 6 Palestinians Killed During Bloody Weekend
By Maureen Clare Murphy
Israeli forces shot and killed six Palestinians over the weekend, including three children and a woman, and critically injured a 14-year-old girl
Bernie Sanders’ Phantom Movement 
By Chris Hedges
Bernie Sanders, who has attracted numerous young, white, college-educated supporters in his bid for the presidency, says he is creating a movement and promises a political revolution. This rhetoric is an updated version of the “change” promised by the 2008 campaign of Barack Obama and by Jesse Jackson’s earlier National Rainbow Coalition. Such Democratic electoral campaigns, at best, raise political consciousness. But they do not become movements or engender revolutions. They exist as long as election campaigns endure and then they vanish. Sanders’ campaign will be no different
Misogyny In A Place Without Women 
By Mickey Z.
There can be no peace, no justice until we end the war on women… by any means necessary
Race And Class In America: A Synoptic Perspective 
By Jon Kofas
Neither Black Nationalism nor liberal bourgeois schemes intended to assuage the entire minority community by absorbing a small percentage into the institutional mainstream while providing a weak social safety net for the rest have succeeded in eliminating poverty and ending institutional racism. Grassroots organizing and class solidarity is the only hope blacks, Hispanics and all working people
Lord, Why Am I Banned from your Abode? Women’s Entry In Places Of Worship
By Ram Puniyani
One is witnessing strange incidents where the women from Muslim and Hindu community are facing similar obstacles. This relates to the issue of entry into places of worship. While the women from Bhumata Brigade are struggling to get entry into Shani Shingnapur temple (Ahmadnagar Mahrashtra), the Muslim women are fighting a legal battle to restore their access to mazar of Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai. In yet another incident the women are trying to get the right of worship in Sabrimala temple. The Hindu women in an act of brave initiative landed up in many buses to the Shani Shingnapur temple, where they were denied the entry while police had to resort to some force to prevent their entry
Reproductive Health Status Of Women In Uttarakhand
By Sadaf Nizam
Pregnant women in the less developed districts of Uttarakhand are facing acute shortness of good and hygienic reproductive health services provided by the government of the state, owing to the dismal of connectivity and sometimes ignorance to the health of gestating mother’s. Gestating mother’s are the one to be best taken care off, as a new life is germinating inside their womb, who needs physical, mental, emotional and medical care and support to develop in its fullest form. Her antenatal, safe delivery and post natal care should be given importance, since the egg fuses with the sperm and implants on the uterus walls of the ‘being to be mother’
Encroachment And Destruction Of Yamuna Floodplains
Open Letter By Concerned Citizens
A group of public intellectuals and social activists have written a letter Hon'ble President, Prime minister and concerned government representatives to stop the encroachment and destruction of Yamuna Floodplains. The 35th Anniversary of the 'Art of Living' Foundation, a private organisation formed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji is scheduled in March, 2016. The work is in progress, which is destabilising and destructing the ecosystem of river as floodplains are getting encroached and damaged largely, which used to play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and health of the river
Served By Birth, Service Bai Birth 
By Priti Gulati Cox
Of course, we should recycle and eat local and all that feel-good stuff, but the world demands a lot more change in our lifestyles, along with soul-searching, direct action, taking to the streets, and holding our policymakers and their corporate bedfellas accountable. Short baby steps just ain’t gonna do it, unfortunately
15 February , 2016
We must question the Headley narrative on many of the facts that have been brought to light since the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks and his role. The terror attack Mumbai 26/11, was directed at India, all of South Asia & this point must be understood by all those who are committed to the cause of South Asian peace and solidarity. Therefore let’s consider the most obvious 10 facts
The Afzal-JNU Row: Facts That Are Sacred 
By Mir Uzair Farooq
The Afzal-JNU row has rewound the storm which never settles or is never let to settle and keeps sweeping around between India and the valley of Kashmir. Going by a saying of Charles Scott that “comment is free, but facts are sacred”, one of the sides surely is conjecturing ‘commentaries’ and only one side is factual. With this as a pretext, why not revise some of the basic facts to filter out the truth?
Sedition Law And The Patriotism Of Those Who Have Never Been Patriotic
By Sukumaran C. V.
The British used this law to crush the patriotism of the people before independence. And after independence the law has been used for the same purpose! And the UPA government used this colonial law to send Dr. Binayak Sen, the renowned human-rights activist, to prison. Dr. Saibaba, another human-rights activist is also charged with this draconian law. Now the ‘patriotic’ government that rules the country uses the same law against the JNU. I am a former JNU student and I know that JNU inspires the students to go beyond the theoretical dogmas that bind us to the political, religious and social oppression in the name of democracy. A university like the JNU is the oxygen of democracy, especially when democracy metamorphoses into fascism as is happening today in India
An Open Letter To Fellow Indian Citizens 
By Rutuja Deshmukh Wakankar
Today I write to all of you and especially the Indian upper and middle class (emphasize mine), as one amongst you. We are at the brink of destruction; by we I mean us as a nation. I fully understand the implication of my statement, which is very serious in nature. But I am afraid we have reached here with solely our indignant efforts and misinformed perseverance. In the recent times we have made ourselves prey of mindless propaganda, development agendas without really understand the meaning of truly developed state and hyper-nationalism
Condemn The False Case Filed Against JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar 
By Democratic Teachers' Network
We condemn in the strongest terms the police raid upon student hostels in Jawaharlal Nehru University. JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, a charismatic voice of the democratic aspirations of students, was lifted by plain clothes police in what appeared to bystanders to be a vigilante attack rather than a police action. Male police have been breaking into and entering hostels including women’s hostels, in a blatant violation of the rule of law. The fact that a student leader was arrested on charges of sedition, a draconian colonial law intended to break the Indian National freedom struggle, demonstrates the anti-national character of the police and the fascist government directing them
Enslaving Intelligentsia 
By Ishaq Begh
Police raids in India’s prestigious institute Jawahar Lal Nehru University is nothing but terrorizing and a trap to enslave those intellectuals who always stand with the humanity. Some people even claim that the internal modus operandi of the varsity seems to be completely subverted and autonomy of this institution stands totally smashed. This is the ivory tower which has guaranteed India’s pride in all over the world and due to its stunning achievements in the past, social science essentials touched the heights with a stunning esteem
Arrest Of JNUSU President: Unite And Fight In Defence Of The Right To Conscience!
Statement of the Central Committee of Communist Ghadar Party of India
The Communist Ghadar Party of India strongly condemns the arrest of the President of the Students Union of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kanhaiya Kumar, in the evening of 12th February, 2016, on the charge of sedition. It is a blatant attack on the right to conscience of an elected student leader and against the right of all students to express their views freely on campus
How Do Revolutionaries Die? 
By Daljit Ami
To our immense grief, after Rohith Vemula, Navkaran has also committed suicide. This suicide is yet another in the long list of suicides but it also illustrates complex questions related to the spate of suicides in recent times. Navkaran was a full timea ctivist of a communist group Revolutionary Communist League of India (RCLI). He was 22 years old. His last post on Facebook was pictures of the demonstration by students of Panjab University, Chandigarh in solidarity with Rohith Vemula. It is ironical that when the people were discussing Rohith Vemula's last letter, Navkaran was composing his suicide note
Counterposing Saheed Bhagat Singh Against Valentine Day -
Is It Not An Insult To Founders Of Our Indian Nation?
By Dhirendra Panda
The motives and actions of Sangh Parivar in opposing Valentine Day is understood. But, it is difficult to understand why they want to insult to the memory of Saheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh. It is a well-established fact that he was martyred on 23rd March 1931, hundreds documents/references are available with the Government of India and with the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, they are propagating that Bhagat Singh was hanged on 14th February. Why are they creating confusion and controversy on the Saheed Dibas ?
End NATO Now 
By Eric Zuesse
The continuation of NATO, after its counterpart the Warsaw Pact ended in 1991, is an insanity that’s driving the world inexorably toward World War III
Lessons From The Holocaust For Our Times, A Personal Mythology -Part 2 
By Dianne Monroe
I wonder the same thing today, when I look at the potential for global climate catastrophe, knowing that, like everything else, it will be those who have the least who will feel the impact the most. I wonder that same thing when I see rising tides (in our country and Europe) of anti-immigrant hostility, xenophobia, Islamophobia. We won’t all do the same thing in the same way, just as those who resisted the Nazis did not all do the same thing. The important thing for each of us is finding the right thing(s) to do – and doing it. It may just save your life – your spirit and soul life, and possibly your physical life as well
Performance Appraisal - The United States of America 
By David Anderson
The American Thomas Jefferson form of Democracy and the English Parliamentary form of Democracy will not “cut the mustard.” What will be needed is a very large number of enlightened individuals throughout the world having authority to bring about change
Social Democracy 
By Gaither Stewart
In these days I was struck by Walter Benjamin’s words in his Thesis on the Philosophy of History that the “conformism which has been part and parcel of Social Democracy from the beginning attaches not only to its political tactics but to its economic views as well. It is one reason for its later breakdown. Nothing has corrupted the German working class as much as the notion that it was moving with the current.” Benjamin was writing in the spring of 1940 when Nazism had crushed the entire workers’ movement, from modest Social Democrats to Revolutionary Communists and threatened the very homeland of Communism in practice, the Soviet Union. The realities, the disillusionments and the betrayals shaking the very essence and survival of Socialism prompted me to review the history of the Socialist idea since the era of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Conditional PDP Vs Unconditional BJP: Kashmir’s Unending Political Impasse
By Dr Adfar Shah
Hardly anybody would have expected such a prolonged political impasse after CM Mufti Mohamamd Sayeed’s death on January 07.More than a month has passed since the sayeed’s death and still no signs of government formation in the state currently under governor’s rule. Though talks between the ideologically opposite parties are on, however the impasse still continues, confusing one and all in the sensitive state
Role Of Literature To Stir People's Conscience 
By KR Rao
From a culture of passivity and inaction To A Culture of Concern, and Becoming Part of Agents of Change for a Better Tomorrow. Literature should stir people’s conscience and herald a Cultural Revolution
Make In India Campaign: A PR Exercise 
By Qazi Shibli
The Vision of our visionary leader, Mr. Modi happens to be a copied idea from the neighbouring China. The answer to the above posed question is obvious of which companies from all over the world come to India and are given Indian labour on a platter. “Here take them and suck the blood out of them”
14 February , 2016
Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) headquarters in Delhi was attacked allegedly by Sangh Parivar goons. The CPI(M) said the attackers were RSS-BJP workers who also hurled stones. CPI(M) General Sitaram Yechury said “they tried to write slogans like Pakistan Zindabad at our office board. They were pursued by our comrades and one of them was caught and handed over to the police.” The youths also threw stones and shouted slogans like ‘CPI(M) Desh Chhodo’ (CPI-M quit the country)
13 February , 2016
BJP's student wing Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) attacked deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, in the JNU campus, when he visited the varsity along with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Indian National Congress' twitter handle tweeted "How could the leader of Opp be attacked by a razor sharp weapon which has caused him injury?"
The way Delhi police under the direct order of home minister Rajnath Singh on the issue of 'anti national' activities being allowed inside JNU Campus is shameful to say the least. The police arrested several students and president of JNUSU Kanhaiya Kumar has been charged under section 124A, the charges of sedition
Is India Truly Turning Into A Fascist Nation? 
By Shubhda Chaudhary
Is India truly turning into a fascist nation? If all those who disagree with RSS-ABVP, do not stand together in solidarity now as after Rohith Vemula’s killing, will they be picked up one by one and suppressed? Solidarity does not imply a common manifesto - it implies recognition of common concern for humanity and progressive ideas and recognition of fascism as a common enemy
The Nation's 'Educational Capital' Under Sedition Charges ! 
By Prof. K.M. Seethi
It is a fallacy that JNU is a breeding ground of extremists and anti-nationals. It has, like any other periods in its history, a democratic-intellectual tradition, a cultural mosaic with diverse morals and practices, and above all, remained a symbolic capital of the nation, which cannot be allowed to be trampled down with the ‘law and order’ practices. The Union Government, instead of treating it as a ‘law and order’ problem, must hold up with its commitment to ensuring academic freedom within the boundary set by institutions of higher learning
CPDR Condemns Arrests of JNUSU President And Delhi University Professor
Under Sedition Charges
By CPDR
CPDR condemns the arrests of Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNSU) and Prof SAR Gilani of Delhi University by the Delhi Police today (12 February 2016) at the behest of the Home Minister Rajnath Singh on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy for holding a protest demonstration on February 9th against the judicial hanging of Afzal Guru, three years ago
Arrest Of JNUSU President On Charges Of Sedition Highly Condemnable: NAPM
By National Alliance of People’s Movements
Actions in JNU an attempt at diverting the students anger over Rohith Vemula Suicide and continued discrimination. Withdraw Police from JNU Campus, let there be an impartial enquiry in the incidents of February 9th by University. Release Kanhaiya Kumar immediately and withdraw all charges
Homes Demolished In The South Hebron Hills
By Cassandra Dixon
After a breakdown in mediation between the State of Israel and the Palestinian villages of Massafer Yatta, Israeli authorities destroyed 24 homes in the South Hebron Hills. The homes lie within an area which Israel claims as Firing Zone 918, in which approximately 1000 Palestinian civilians live in 8 villages
Video: Israeli Bulldozers Raze Jordan Valley Homes
By The Electronic Intifada
On Wednesday, Israeli forces carried out a mass demolition in four areas of the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley — Jiftlik, Fasayil al-Wusta, Ein Kurzliya and al-Mkassar. Seven homes and six animal shelters were destroyed, leaving 71 people without a roof over their heads. For families in Fasayil al-Wusta and Ein Kurzliya, it was the fourth demolition in recent years. In al-Mkassar, Israeli forces demolished a tent provided to the family after their dwelling was demolished a week before
Notes From Tehran: Trump, The Iranian Elections And The End Of Sanctions
By Franklin Lamb
Iranians will vote in twin elections for the Iranian parliament and to elect a more powerful separate body known as the Assembly of Experts. And yes, The Donald is now a factor in both of those Iranian elections. Before Trump involved himself, the Iranian elections had already proven divisive. Many relatively moderate candidates were rejected by hard-liners during the vetting phase. Several of these blocked candidates support President Hassan Rouhani, a key architect of the Iran nuclear deal that they support
12 February , 2016
Kanhaiya Kumar, president of Jawaharlal Nehru University's students union (JNUSU) was arrested in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy. He was remanded to three-day police custody by a Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate
JNU Former Deans Shocked At The Sedition Charges Slapped On JNUSU President
By Former Deans of JNU
We the undersigned who have taught at the Jawaharlal Nehru University for long and have served as Deans of its various Schools at different times are shocked to hear that the President of the Students’ Union has been arrested on charges of sedition. As he belongs to the All India Students’ Federation, his views and political associations are well-known, and to accuse him of sedition is beyond the bounds of credibility. The only previous occasion when the President of the JNUSU had been arrested was during the Emergency of 1975-77, and the present situation on the campus brings back memories of the Emergency days. We urge the Union government to take immediate steps to prevent the intimidation of students and to ensure that the normal functioning of the University is not disrupted in any way
Former Students Of JNU Condemn The Arrest Of JNUSU President
By Former Students Of JNU
We condemn in the strongest possible words the high-handed police action in JNU. This is reminiscent of the dark days of the emergency when the state had swooped down on the campusand had arrested many on false and trumped up charges. While we hold no brief for those who raised objectionable slogans, the arrested students have been charged with anti-national activities, precisely the charges on which we were also arrested during the draconian emergency
JNUSU President's Arrest: Fascism In The Name Of Nationalism
By People's Union For Democratic Rights
People's Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR) strongly condemns the Delhi Police for arresting the JNU students’ union president, Kanhaiya Kumar today, 12th February, on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy for holding a protest demonstration on February 9th against the judicial hanging of Afzal Guru, three years ago
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will expand its military infrastructure in Eastern Europe and deploy thousands of additional troops to areas bordering the Russian Federation, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday just prior to NATO discussions in Brussels
Israel/Palestine: Is It Too Late For Peace?
By Alan Hart
If the occupied and oppressed Palestinians insisted on the dissolution of the PA and handing back to Israel full responsibility and complete accountability for occupation, the answer to my headline question might not be yes
Quality Of Components In Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant In India -
Case Study Of The Defective And Prematurely Aged Polar Cranes
By VT Padmanabhan
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) claimed that ‘unflinching commitment to quality and safety are the hallmarks of Indian nuclear power plants”. This case study of the polar cranes installed in KKNPP reactor buildings is a live testimony of the quality assurance programme of NPCIL and the role of AERB in ensuring this
The World Abets Thai Generals That Torture 
By Basil Fernando
A trio of human rights groups in Thailand has released an importantnew report on torture by military and paramilitarypersonnel in the south of Thailand. The 120-page report, by the Cross Cultural Foundation, Duayjai and Patani Human Rights Organisation, is the most thorough account of the use of torture in Thailand’s south of recent times. Drawing on careful documentation of 54 cases of torture, 32 within the last two years, it presents a grim picture of conditions in military custody
The People Make The Peace: Vietnam's Lessons For Today 
By Steve Thornton
Last year there were 3,343 events scheduled to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. In 2016 there are more to come. They are all funded by the Pentagon and its “partners.” Most are reunions and DAR banquets. But the “Vietnam War Commemoration,” authorized and funded by Congress back in 2008, is not really about honoring veterans. The Pentagon’s purpose is to rewrite the history of the War. That's why it is so important to read The People Make the Peace, recently published by Just World Books. It chronicles a 2013 trip to Vietnam by nine U.S. antiwar activists. Their first-hand accounts bring to a new generation some much needed clarity about our country’s criminal involvement in Southeast Asia
Dalit Struggles And Choice
By Cynthia Stephen
One of the queries raised by a senior retired government official from the Dalit community, who continues to engage with community issues well into his retirement, asked this question in the wake of the Rohith Vemula incident: "Should Dalit energy be wasted for causes like protesting against execution of Memon, favouring beef eating and needless confrontations with ABVP ???" I spent a lot of time mulling over this issue. Why did this valid question arise in the mind of our elder brother? I have not heard this question from anyone else in this entire very vexed debate. Most interlocutors seem to take for granted the fact of Rohith's involvement in larger issues as well as campus politics. Why then this question? I feel this is a valid question as it raises a number of issues of agency, voice, and representation
11 February , 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed a plan to encircle his entire country with a fence as protection against "wild beasts," referring to those in neighboring Arab states. He made the comments Tuesday while visiting an 18-mile stretch of fence already under construction on the Israel-Jordan border
Israel - A Zionist "Ghetto" Against "Wild Beasts" 
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal
Israel is walling itself in with fences (90 percent) and a Zionist Protective Wall in order to protect itself against "wild beasts" that apparently encircle Israel, as Premier Benyamin Netanyahu stated during a visit to a construction site on its Eastern border to Jordan. Large parts of this barricade were being built on Palestinian Occupied Territory, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague ruled on July 9, 2004 "contradicts International Law"
Gaza Patients Battle Cancer And Israeli Siege 
By Isra Saleh el-Namey
In January, dozens of female patients staged a protest to voice their anger over the draconian restrictions, which Israel threatens to tighten, on patient movement. One of the protesters, Rawan Lubad, has lived with breast cancer for 10 years. The 61-year-old is in constant pain. She has twice applied to get a permit for referral. She was twice denied. “I am dying here. I feel that I have been sentenced to death,” she said
Zionist And Nazi Moral Disengagement 
By Vacy Vlazna
Empathy is power. Empathy’s identification and connection with the Other evokes profound understanding of the interdependence of humanity which transforms moral concern into actions, like BDS, that, individually and communally, can defeat moral disengagement and the banality of evil
Death Sentence Is Tehran's Answer To Ahwazi Calls For Freedom
By Rahim Hamid
The human rights situation has been worsening quickly in Iran. More than 2,000 people have been hung during Hassan Rouhani’s tenure as President of the regime. This is the biggest scale of executions in the past 25 years. These mass executions will be added to the black pages of the Iranian regime's history of human rights violations since the Iranian revolution in 1979. The large-scale execution of political and ideological prisoners has resulted in Iran being named one of the top countries committing executions per capita during the past few years
Trojan Horse Arguments And The GMO Issue:
Indian Food And Agriculture Under Attack
By Colin Todhunter
Farmers have indeed 'bet' their farms and livelihoods on a crop – and have lost or are being taken for a ride. Where, therefore, is the logic in promoting GM varieties which produce less than existing improved varieties that are not genetically modified? Improving production should not be based on a supposed GM techno quick-fix, which the pro-GMO lobby would like us to believe in. The answer lies in adopting appropriate trade policies that favour indigenous production and local farmers and which, as Devinder Sharma notes, provides assured procurement and assured prices to farmers
'White Nights', A Path Breaking Venture In Malayalam Cinema
By P. Baburaj
Razi's film is inspired by the story WHITE NIGHTS written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1848. Dostoyevsky tells the story of the companionship of the two lonely people during the white nights in St. Petersburg in Russia. The film is dedicated to the great writer but Razi's story is placed in Attappady, the remote tribal area in Palakkad District in central Kerala. WHITE NIGHTS is divided into two sections. Five nights in the forest where two strangers meet and reminisce their past and five days elsewhere in Attappady where a deprived and oppressed tribal community grapple with their present

Ukraine, Masks Of The Revolution 
By Paul Moreira
In the new cold war that opposes Russia to the USA, Ukraine is a decisive pawn. A tactical pawn to contain Putin’s ambitions. “Ukraine, masks of the revolution” by Paul Moreira sheds light on this blind corner.
Assange’s UN Victory And Redemption Of The West
By Nozomi Hayase
It is not too late for the West to step onto the right side of history. We can all respond to this call to show the rest of the world how we can become nations that honor the enlightenment values and realize the promise the West once made to the world
Caste Is Everywhere 
By Akhileshwari Ramagoud
Caste is the blight that this country suffers from, and we should have the courage to admit it. Only then reform will be possible. Only fools live in denial
Kandhamal Survivors Extend Solidarity With Middle East Christians
By Kanakalata Nayak
We invite all the people of goodwill across the globe to join the efforts to protect and bring back the endangered fellow Christians and others who have become victims of violence. We call on the Nations and communities to respect and protect freedom of religion or belief as a fundamental human rights guaranteed by art of 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We appeal United Nations, Vatican and ecumenical, interreligious bodies and civil society groups to work towards for promotion of peace, harmony and religious tolerance in every state, especially in the Middle East, especially in Syria
People’s Movements And CSOs Write To PM On AIIB
By National Alliance of People’s Movements
In a letter to the Prime Minister sent today, people’s movements and other civil society organisations demanded a transparent process while making Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) operational. They said, “Banks with a focus on investing in infrastructure, need to ensure that the investments do not bring in displacement and deprivation to the poor and vulnerable communities.”
ABC’s Of The US Empire 
By Gary Corseri
“A” Is for “Asininity”. That’s a particular kind of stupidity. “B” Is for “Belligerence”. “C” is for “Cupidity”. Cupidity rhymes with “stupidity,” but like asininity, it’s special—a special kind of greed! “C” is also for Corporatism. “C” is also for all-embrasive Culture… and ours is sinking rapidly
American Muslim Community One Year After
The Murder Of Three NC Muslim Students
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
The Muslim American community observed Wednesday (Feb. 10) the first death anniversary of three North Carolina University Muslim students amid rising anti-Muslim bigotry and hate crimes. On February 10, 2015, Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were brutally murdered simply because they were Muslim. A neighbor, who had expressed anti-Muslim animus in the past, fatally shot each of them in the home that newlyweds Deah and Yusor shared
Global Terrorism Destroying The Humanity: How To Change The Future?
By Mahboob A Khawaja
The informed global community wishes to see meaningful dialogue, reconciliation and opportunities for peaceful settlement of the merging conflicts in the Arab world. Have the Two World Wars resolved any problems facing the humanity? What is the cure to raging indifference and cruelty to the interests of the whole of the mankind? The 21st century new-age complex political, economic, social and strategic challenges and the encompassing opportunities warrant new thinking, new leaders and new visions for change, conflict management and participatory peaceful future-making
Politicians On A Holiday! 
By Mohammad Ashraf
The dithering in government formation has forced the Governor to take charge in terms of the constitution. The Politicians should now be kept on a holiday till the rotten system gets overhauled!
10 February , 2016
Welcome To The United States Of Flint
By David Rosner & Gerald Markowitz
“I know if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself if my kids' health could be at risk,” said President Obama on a recent trip to Michigan. “Up there” was Flint, a rusting industrial city in the grip of a “water crisis” brought on by a government austerity scheme. To save a couple of million dollars, that city switched its source of water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, a long-time industrial dumping ground for the toxic industries. Now, the city is enveloped in a public health emergency, with elevated levels of lead in its water supply and in the blood of its children. The price tag for replacing the lead pipes that contaminated its drinking water, thanks to the corrosive toxins found in the Flint River, is nowestimated at up to $1.5 billion. No one knows where that money will come from or when it will arrive. In the meantime, the cost to the children of Flint has been and will be incalculable
The Flint River Lead Poisoning Catastrophe In Historical Perspective
By Tom Stephens
By now the main facts of the Flint River lead poisoning are pretty well known and essentially undisputed. A spectacular regulatory failure by all levels of government - enabled by Michigan Governor Snyder’s unprecedented “emergency management” policies for African-American majority cities. The big remaining question is why this disaster happened? The Snyder administration and investigators have focused on gross incompetence of many officials, especially state and federal environmental regulators. That is clearly part of what happened, but why?
Cities And Towns Across The US Suffer Lead Poisoning Rates Worse Than Flint
By Carlos Delgado
While the Flint water crisis has drawn international attention due to the magnitude of the disaster and the callous criminality of government officials involved, the high rates of lead poisoning in the Flint population are not unique. Countless cities and towns across the United States suffer from lead levels that are as high as what has been reported in Flint—and in many cases, far worse. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s 2014 figures, 18 Pennsylvania cities had a higher percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels than Flint
Farmers From Narmada Valley Occupy Collectorate
By National Alliance of People’s Movements
Hundreds of farmers today from tens of villages of Narmada Valley, Badwani and Dhar Districts, occupied the office of District Collector, Badwani and compelled him to stand upright in front of the agitating Adivasis and other farmers, farm labourers and fishers
Nazi Zombies Ate Gloria Steinem's Brain! (or Why US Politics
Turns Ordinary People Into Drooling Morons)
By Kieran Kelly
Be smart. Do not put your faith in elected leaders. Vote 3rd party, then continue to fight for democracy in other ways. The current electoral process is not real democracy, it is the dance of the dead – the Nazi Zombie Shuffle
Obama Intensifies Wars And Threats
By Jack A. Smith
The Obama Administration is expanding its military power and threats against Russia and China as well as increasing its war efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria while preparing to restart Washington's old war in Libya
Next Onslaught In Gaza: Why The Status Quo Is A Precursor For War 
By Ramzy Baroud
it is difficult to imagine that another war is not looming. Israel’s strategic, political and military tactics, as it stands today, will not allow Gaza to live with a minimal degree of dignity. On the other hand, the history of Gaza’s resistance makes it impossible to imagine a scenario in which the Strip raises a white flag and awaits its allotted punishment
Paz Colombia: The Latest US Attempt To Control Colombia? 
By Justin Podur
It is not accurate to say that the US is standing with Colombia in peace as it did in war. It might be more accurate to say that the US is trying to control the peace as it controlled the war. If the history of Plan Colombia is a guide, an independent path might yield a better peace
Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant In India: Virtual Grid Connection
On 30 January And Eventual Fall In February 2016
By VT Padmanabhan
The first reactor at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP-1), built jointly by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Russia’s Atomstroyexport (ASE) is the only operating Generation-III pressurized water reactor (VVER-1000) in the world. During the 840 days of its grid connection since 22 October 2013, the reactor worked for 372 days, tripped (forced outage) for 20 times and was off-grid for 468 days and its capacity factor has been less than 25%
The Privileges Of Being A Hindu, Upper Caste And Elite Class, Male In India
By Advocate Dr Shalu Nigam
In the present Indian society, these systematic structured unearned privileges of being a Hindu, a male, hailing from an upper caste and an elite class operate unjustifiably, invisibly and visibly, knowingly or unknowingly, where those privileged are neither taught to recognize the plight of `others’ nor the prerogatives conferred to them. These matrixes of privileges are inter-related, interconnected, intersecting, interlocked and operates together in a manner to reiterates, and strengthens the structures of oppression. Thus, patriarchy, religious hegemony, casteism and wealth inequalities, all operate together to reinforce the culture of domination in an unconscious and invisible manner though the Constitution of India as well as the legal system is premised on the principles of equality, substantive equality and social justice. This essay looks at these systemic oppressions or the set of privileges which are structural, inbuilt, institutional and often remain hidden or unnoticed and unrecognized in social, political or legal debates relating to marginalization of subaltern groups
An Instance Of Discrimination With Adivasi Scholars
By Concerned TISS Students
An appeal for seeking the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes’ intervention in enabling TISS students to avail of the National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Students
We Shall Fight, Comrade
By Majma
  

09 February , 2016
Recent polls reveal a collapse in support for the Ukrainian government of Petro Poroshenko, which was voted into office in the aftermath of a Western-backed coup in February 2014. The decline in popularity for Poroshenko, which extends to all the country’s political parties and institutions, explodes the myth that the right-wing Maidan “revolution” was a democratic transformation
The Physics Of Energy And The Economy 
By Gail Tverberg
If we think of the world economy relative to its critical point, the world economy has been near this point since 1981, but various things have pulled us out. Now we are fast approaching that critical point which may lead to a collapse. If the economy collapses, it will collapse down to a lower sustainable level. Much of the world’s infrastructure was built when oil could be extracted for $20 per barrel. That time is long gone. So, it looks like the world will need to collapse back to a level before fossil fuels–perhaps much before fossil fuels
Israel Sentences Israeli Arab Haneen Zoabi To Six Months In Prison
By Shubhda Chaudhary
Israel, which for long, has worn the disguise of being a so-called democratic state is intrinsically carrying out the political cleansing of Israeli Arabs within its boundaries. The state’s policies are never questioned as they suspend arrest or judge Israeli Arabs, snatching away their right of dignified life. In a recent case, Israeli court has sentenced the Arab-Israeli MK Haneen Zoabi to six months suspended sentence for three years, in addition to NIS3,000 ($800) fine
Eden Springs Water: Think Before You Drink
A report by BDSlist.org
With today’s colossal corporations that span the globe, it can be confusing to identify products that should be subject to BDS, the international campaign using Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions to compel Israel to abide by international law. One such product is Eden Springs Water
Book Review: Genesis - Truman, American Jews,
And The Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict
By Jim Miles
Every once in awhile a history book arrives that is remarkable in its presentation. Genesis is one of those remarkable works, presenting a narrative that goes well beyond dates, times, decisions, and a predetermined geopolitical reference. John Judis is able to present the personalities behind the decisions, the variety of factions within the Zionist camp, the variety of factions and interests within the U.S. political scene, and the main themes that drove these individuals towards their respective goals
The Post Iran Nuclear Deal Scenario 
By Chandra Muzaffar
Now that the Iran nuclear deal is being implemented, it is perhaps time to ask, what does it mean for Iran, for other nations in West Asia and North Africa (WANA), for Israel, for the United States of America, for Europe? What does it mean for the world as a whole?
Ahwazi Arab Cause, The World's Forgotten Struggle For Justice
By Rahim Hamid
For decades Ahwazis, Kurds, Turks, and even Persians have been sacrificing all that is near and dear to them in order to gain freedom and dignity. The international community's silence and the complete absence of condemnation have emboldened the Iranian regime as seen in the growing number of executions of Ahwazi and other ethnic prisoners such as Kurds and Baluchs. Their voices cry out for justice
What If I Told You The Lesser Of Two Evils Isn’t Lesser? 
By Mickey Z.
No presidential election year would be complete without denial, delusion, deception, and de-friendings. And we couldn’t possibly get through the every-four-years charade without those four magic words: “lesser of two evils.” Since we’re on the topic of useless, time-sucking rituals, please allow me to re-introduce one of my own: Asking liberals to define “lesser.”
India In Quest For Capitalism 
By Nijam Gara
Why the mad clamor in India for an unabashed capitalist economy? Why do the middle classes and the half-baked media intellectuals frown at the very idea of state-sponsored welfare schemes geared towards the millions of Indian poor people? What good is 'governance' if it does not have the heart to respond to the suffering of the sick and impoverished? Is the role of an Indian government (state or central) only to cater to the whims and fancies of the corporate 'investors'?
Misplaced Emphasis Misguided Policies 
By Kashif Mansoor
The value of education can’t be ignored ever. But Alas!! The present ruling government is unaware of its impact and long term spillover effects. Or more appropriately, it turns its bull’s eyes away from any sensible academic discussions on education in the frenzy garb of its political cow. The way the NDA-led BJP government is pursuing the educational policy is ghastly regressive, counterproductive, anti-nationalist and discriminatory as well
India-Pakistan: Need For UFA Implementation 
By Ravi Nitesh
With the recent case of 7th Feb of arrests of 12 Indian fishermen by Pakistan Maritime Agency and arrest of 11 Pakistani fishermen by Indian coast guards a day before, it seems that victimisation and sufferings of fishermen have not stopped despite several efforts of civil societies and promises by governments of India and Pakistan. One such important promise was done during Ufa meet, where issues of fishermen was one among the points discussed. There is need to review Ufa promise again and to build a permanent solution towards this issue
This Violation Of The Right To Conscience Must Be Stopped!
By Lok Raj Sangathan
What had Rohith Vemula done that so infuriated those in power that prompted them to drive him to suicide? His sin was toparticipate in an indefinite day and night dharna along with four other fellow students protesting against their savage persecution by the University authorities
08 February , 2016
Israeli doctors say that Palestinian hunger-striker Muhammad al-Qiq could die at any minute. The 33-year-old journalist remained on hunger strike in the HaEmek hospital in Afula, in the north of present-day Israel, for the 75th consecutive day on Saturday. Hiba Masalha, an attorney for the Palestinian Authority’s Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, visited al-Qiq on Friday evening in the hospital where he is being kept under an Israeli court order
The Urgent Need For Complete Abolition Of Nuclear Weapons 
By John Scales Avery
We know that war is madness. We know that it is responsible for much of the suffering that humans experience. We know that war pollutes our planet and that the almost unimaginable sums wasted on war prevent the happiness and prosperity of mankind. We know that nuclear weapons are insane, and that the precariously balanced deterrence system can break down at any time through human error or computer errors or through terrorist actions, and that it definitely will break down within our lifetimes unless we abolish it. We know that nuclear war threatens to destroy civilization and much of the biosphere. The logic is there. We must translate it into popular action. The peoples of the world must say very clearly that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil; that their possession does not increase anyone's security; that their continued existence is a threat to the life of every person on our planet; and that these genocidal and potentially omnicidal weapons have no place in a civilized society
Please Do Not Poison My Brain With The US Elections! 
By Andre Vltchek
It was done for ages, that paper insertion. The same thing, when slaves were being chained and shifted from Africa to that “New World”, when hundreds of millions were exterminated by Western colonialism, when the Chinese people were brought to North America for horrible labor, and treated like animals. It was done when the first and the second generation of Europeans were annihilating almost the entire native population of North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean
Lessons From The Holocaust For Our Times, Part 1 
By Dianne Monroe
My grandmother’s parents, (who raised Ulie as a child) did not escape. They were murdered in Hitler’s death camps, along with most of my extended family. Yet, had my great-grandparents not opened their home to this orphan child, my grandparents would not have had an early warning of the necessity to leave, nor the connections to help them do so – and I would not have been born. We truly cannot envision the ripple effects of our actions and the impact they can have on the future
My Unique Perspective Into The Russian-Turkish Crisis 
By Ramziya Zaripova
The crisis between Russia and Turkey has brought only harm to both countries. Both governments try their best to conceal the simple truth – the conflict will affect common people’s lives - and use all possible means to heat up hatred towards each other
Hungarian Lessons 
By Linh Dinh
I was surprised by how grimy and sooty Budapest was. So many of its buildings, once gorgeous, were in an advanced state of decay. This city looked better before World War II, for sure, and certainly a century ago. Since escaping Communism, Budapest is regaining its glories, though not at the same pace as Prague. There’s a peculiar local fad called ruin pubs, where hip types can drink and dance in these half wrecked buildings. Too creaky to boogie, I only glimpsed them from the outside, but they didn’t look half bad
Hindutva Politics And Islamist Politics Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin - Part III
By Shamsul Islam
Both stand for abrazenly sectarian, discriminatory and ruthlesstheocratic state
Organic Agriculture, Capitalism And The Parallel Reality Of The Pro-GM Evangelist
By ​Colin Todhunter
Consider that India had for generations sustained one of the highest densities of population on earth, without any chemical fertilisers, pesticides, exotic dwarf strains of grain or ‘bio-tech’ inputs. And it did it without degrading the soil. That is according to the evidence provided by Arun Shrivastava. What is truly impressive, however, is he then goes on to demonstrate that in the 18th and 19th centuries India achieved better productivity levels with organic methods than those of the 'green revolution'. For all these considerations, what we witness from powerful interest groups is an on-going campaign to denigrate and marginalise organic-based farming and systems based on it
Rohith Vemula’s Death: A Noose Around The BJP’s Neck
By Anand Teltumbde
Rohith’s death exposed the multilayered injustice of the saffron establishment. Entire student community, barring of course the ABVP, came out spontaneously condemning the hindutva hooliganism. It exposed the dalit leaders who failed even to speak out against their political patrons in the face of such monumental injustice. The dalits who were fooled by them into voting for the Hindutva forces have slowly woken up to see their folly
Of Rohith Vemula And Yashica Dutt : Dalit Identity Assertion
As An Instrument Of Resistance 
By Narendra Kumar Arya
Success matters, but it also matter, how you achieve it. Act of individual success and its social repercussions to the whole society, matter even more. Here lies the iconic symmetry between the Dalit movement and Rohith Vemula, and ends the relevance of Yashica Dutt’s individual story of success to Ambedkarite ideology. Ambedkarite movement does not value individual emancipation at the neglect of entire community left for suffering
Stand Up For Justice For Dalit And Marginalized Groups
By Indian Christian Women’s Movement
We call upon all right thinking citizens to stand up and oppose any kind of acts of violence and injustice meted out to Dalit and marginalized groups. We call upon all Indian citizens especially those who profess to represent us in parliament to take an oath to put an end to violence against Dalits and marginalized groups and ensure that they enjoy all the rights that are enshrined in the constitution of our country on an equal footing with others
Rewriting History of Partition: Narratives Of
Four Generations of Pakistanis And Indians 
By Yasir Bashir
The memories of partition are not just traumatic for its survivors, but are also still capable of reviving old biases and igniting violence. The fact is that those memories are not dead. They are handed down from one generation to another. The probing questions posed by Anam during the interviews might have helped these survivors of the partition to revisit their past and negotiate with their memories. Memories should never be suppressed. So it is necessary to remember the bloodbath of the partition- not to revive old religious prejudices and animosities, but to use it as a corrective catalyst to pre-empt its recurrence
India-Pakistan Peace: Breaking Kashmir Impasse 
By Arshad M Khan
On the subcontinent, where the old grammar of discourse on the central issue has become a dead-end alley, peace and a prosperous future require protean attitudes and an abandonment of ossified stances. "[W]e know what we are, but know not what we may be ...". The devolution model offers a non-violent prospect and its possibilities
Does Bangladesh Need Development Before Democracy? 
By Taj Hashmi
Liberal democracy isn’t an impediment to development, rather democracy is development; it’s the epitome of human achievement and development, it’s the “End of History”. Liberal democracy is the most powerful weapon against terrorism. Leading counterterrorism experts believe, denial of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and human dignity are the main factors behind the rise of terrorism, Islamofascism, and anarchy in the Muslim World. Turbulent Bangladesh no longer can afford to wait for the elusive “development”, before it becomes a fully-fledged liberal democracy
President Obama's Visit To Mosque And Presidential Race
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
The seven million strong American Muslim community has welcomed the visit of President Barrack Obama to Maryland mosque where the President called on Americans to embrace their common humanity and reject the inexcusable political rhetoric emanating from the presidential campaign trail
10 Signs That America Is the Most Corrupt Nation
By Gary Corseri
A poem based on an article by Juan Cole—at Truthdig
Is Egyptian Youth Scared Of Another Revolution?
By Shubhda Chaudhary
Scared or not scared, the frustrations of the Egyptian youth and piling up and only time will reveal if they have matured enough to have a thought leadership in their actions so that Arab Spring does not fail again in their country
06 February , 2016
Here is an open letter from political prisoner Aafia Siddiqui's mother to the President of the US. Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui and her mother Ismat live in their family home in Karachi with Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's children who were restored to them when she was brought to the United States for trial and incarceration. They have worked tirelessly for Aafia's release since she was abducted in 2003
Oil Price Fall Brings Significant Losses For Big Producers 
By Nick Beams
The downturn in oil prices is not only contributing to the lack of global demand—Apple pointed to the decline in demand from emerging markets as one reason for the expected first-ever decline in iPhone sales—it is working to create the conditions for a renewed financial crisis if oil-exporting countries default on their debts.Venezuela could be the first in line. Other oil-exporting countries are being caught in the price vortex
Climate Change: We Are All In This Together 
By Jeff Berg
It was about 70,000 years ago when humanity was reduced to a thousand or so breeding pairs in Africa. Is this really the circle we want to complete for our children? Only this time in Iceland? One thing is for certain. For the first time in a very long time. We are all in this together
U.S. Now Overtly At War Against Russia
By Eric Zuesse
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on February 2nd that he approves of U.S. ‘Defense' Secretary Ash Carter's proposal to quadruple U.S. armaments and troops in Europe, against ‘Russian aggression.'
The Marxist, The Psychoanalyst, The Literary Critic And The Lonely Storyteller
By Gaither Stewart
I like to imagine Sartre and Camus sitting at their table in Café de Flore on Paris’ Boulevard St. Germain exchanging experiences and thoughts. In my imagination Sartre might say something like: “The bourgeoisie’s support for liberals has always been and always will be a great mystification to confuse the revolutionary. That is the reason for our mistrust of bien-pensant liberals, yesterday as today. The more liberals turn to the Right, the happier the bourgeoisie and the greater its support for ‘liberal’ causes. And therefore the marriage of (bourgeois) liberal democracy and market capitalism.”
05 February , 2016
A UN legal panel has ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be allowed go free and be compensated for his "deprivation of liberty". The UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that Assange's detention "should be brought to an end, that his physical integrity and freedom of movement be respected". "Assange should be afforded the right to compensation," it added
Freeing Julian Assange: The Final Chapter 
By John Pilger
One of the epic miscarriages of justice of our time is unravelling. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention — — the international tribunal that adjudicates and decides whether governments comply with their human rights obligations — has ruled that Julian Assange has been detained unlawfully by Britain and Sweden
Social Control Is Emerging As ISIS (Da’ish) Motive
For Erasing Our Cultural Heritage In Syria
By Franklin Lamb
It is widely recognized that the damage done to our cultural heritage in Syria and to the heritage of those who will follow us, cannot be calculated. Untold quantities of archaeologically vital artifacts have been looted, sold, displaced and discarded through industry-like efforts
Israeli Court “Freezes” Dying Journalist’s Detention 
By Charlotte Silver
Israel’s high court froze the administrative detention of Muhammad al-Qiq on Thursday afternoon, citing his critical medical condition. The high court ordered al-Qiq to remain in the Israeli hospital for observation and treatment. In a separate ruling on Thursday, the high court ruled to allow al-Qiq’s shackles to be removed. But al-Qiq said he will continue his strike until “martyrdom or freedom.” Al-Qiq has refused all medical treatment and nourishment during his strike
Nearly five years after the U.S., Britain and France launched a bombing campaign against the Libyan government to bring about regime change, these same countries are contemplating a resumption of the war they thought was won when rebel forces they supported grotesquely tortured to death the country's leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi
Is Bernie Sanders A Socialist? 
By William Blum
“Self-described socialist” … How many times have we all read that term in regard to Vermont senator Bernie Sanders? But is he really a socialist? Or is he a “social democrat”, which is what he’d be called in Europe? Or is he a “democratic socialist”, which is the American party he has been a member of (DSA – Democratic Socialists of America)? And does it really matter which one he is? They’re all socialists, are they not?
Europe Is Built On Corpses And Plunder
By Andre Vltchek
Andre Vltchek's speech at the Italian Parliament, accusing Europe of being built on plunder, rape and murder
As Its Hometown Of Flint Remains Poisoned, GM Makes Record 2015 Profit
By Jerry White
General Motors announced yesterday that it made a record $11 billion in pre-tax profits in 2015. The Detroit-based auto giant, the third largest auto company in the world, made $6.3 billion in profits in the fourth quarter alone, beating Wall Street expectations.While the company is paying out billions to its richest investors, residents in Flint, Michigan—the birthplace of GM—have been poisoned by lead, largely due to decades of toxins the automaker dumped into the Flint River. While state and local officials ignored resident complaints about the taste, color and odor of the tainted water, in December 2014 GM quietly stopped using the river-supplied water at its local engine plant because of corrosion to its parts. The company’s employee drinking fountains and ice machines, however, continued to use the poisoned water
Syrian War Negotiations Collapse After Two Days 
By Thomas Gaist
A United Nations arbitrator suspended international negotiations over the war in Syria on Wednesday. New talks have been scheduled to begin in three weeks. According to UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, the cancellation of the talks was immediately prompted by the advance of Russian-backed Syrian government forces into key areas surrounding the city of Aleppo, breaking a three-year-old “rebel” siege of two Shia villages and cutting a supply line for the US-backed Islamist militias from Turkey
Loyal Customer Confronts Rude Laundry Owner.
You Won’t Believe What Happened Next
By Mickey Z.
As I dried my clothes, I felt melancholy. I felt sad for this lost man who scowled far more than he smiled. I felt sad for a world in which profit and greed have displaced community. I felt sad for having waited eight years to break down the walls between myself and the laundry owner
Book Review: Apartheid In Palestine
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal
Apartheid in Palestine" is a valuable guidance in the struggle for justice in Palestine. Ghada Ageel gathered activists, indigenous Palestinians and scholars, which do not represent the worn-out media views that the public is tired of hearing. The authors believe that peace to the region can only come if justice is done to Palestinians and if their rights, denied for decades by Israel and the international community, are met
A Tale Of Two Temples 
By B.F. Firos
In Utter Pradesh, Mohammed Akhlaq was killed following a call from a temple. Thousands of kilometers away, in a village in Kerala, a temple shut down for two days as a mark of respect over the death of a Muslim youth
04 February , 2016
Torching down of vehicle in Bangalore of a Tanzanian woman on Sunday, who was also paraded naked by a lynch mob, is just a reflection of how sickeningly racist Indian society is. A racist lot, a casteist lot - but even worse, violently a in-denial lot. This has happened way too many times now to invoke any shock
Fragmented Discourse Of A Fractured System 
By Srestha Banerjee
Just when Rohith Vemula's death was being dissected over caste controversy, the racist India could not afford to remain left behind. Thus the dignity of a Tanzanian student had to be stripped off
Atulya Bharat Or Bina Mulya Bharat 
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava
This is not Indian tradition that a person, that too a women, moreover from a foreign land be beaten, stripped in front of all those who claim to be inheritor of Great Indian Culture. Sad is to learn none except one came for her rescue and when she tried to board the bus, she was thrown back. The way the Tanzanian women was treated is reprehensible, unacceptable and unbearable
Assad's Forces Rout American-Backed Jihadists At Golan Heights  
By Eric Zuesse
A major U.S.-backed assault to win Syria's crucial Golan Heights, by jihadist rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syria's branch of Al-Qaeda), and Harakat Ahrar Ash-Sham (the largest rebel group in Syria, though it's ignored by Western news-media), was repelled on Saturday morning, January 30th, by the army of the non-sectarian Syrian government, the Syrian Arab Army, which are the forces of Syria's non-sectarian Shiite President Bashar al-Assad and his ideologically non-sectarian Ba'ath Party, the only political force in Syria that insists upon separation of church and state
The Logic Of Hunger Striking Palestinians: When Starvation Is A Weapon 
By Ramzy Baroud
By Friday, January 29, Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeq had spent 66-days on hunger strike in Israeli jails. Just before he fell into his third coma, a day earlier, he sent a public message through his lawyers, the gist of which was: freedom or death. Al-Qeq is 33-years of age, married and a father of two. Photos circulating of him online and on Palestinian streets show the face of a bespectacled, handsome man. The reality though is quite different. “He's in a very bad situation. He fell into his third coma in recent days, and his weight has dropped to 30 kilograms (66 pounds),” Ashraf Abu Sneina, one of al-Qeq's attorneys, told Al Jazeera. Al-Qeq was arrested under yet another notorious Israeli law called the ‘administrative detention’ law
The Day In 1937 When Casco Workers In Bridgeport Sat Down On The Job
By Andy Piascik
It was an event that lasted less than a day and involved only 50 people directly. It was organized, led and carried out by everyday workers and thus contradicted the mainstream narrative that only big people make history. Many of the participants were women so their actions were thus further dismissed, even ridiculed. Yet as the great historian Howard Zinn might have put it, mostly unknown and forgotten people occupied the Casco factory in Bridgeport in 1937 and struck a blow for themselves and workers in the city as a whole
"Lies, Lies And More Lies" - GMOs, Poisoned Agriculture And Toxic Rants
By Colin Todhunter
Have you ever read all of those pro-GMO scientists-cum-lobbyists professing their love of science? They are always talking about how science must prevail over ignorance and ideology then they play on the public’s ignorance by using ideology and sloganeering to try to get their points across. As as been well documented, it is the pro-GMO lobby/industry that distorts and censors science, captures regulatory bodies, attacks scientists whose findings are unpalatable to the industry and bypasses proper scientific and regulatory procedures altogether
The “Leaders” And The “People”: Who Failed Whom? 
By Mohammad Ashraf
The debate as to who has let down whoneeds to first consider the ground situationinKashmir and the actions of its two neighbours, overt as well as covert!
03 February , 2016
Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s announcement on January 29 that the Dutch cabinet had decided to begin bombing the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) in Syria marks a dramatic escalation of the Netherlands’ involvement in the US-led campaign. Six Dutch F-16 planes based in Jordan started bombing IS in Iraq in October 2014, although only four are currently engaged in bombing runs
Israel Spying And Harassing Human Rights Groups 
By Shubhda Chaudhary
In order to prevent further damage to the image of Israel, it is now harassing its human rights groups. A recent revelation by award-winning British author and journalist Jonathan Cook delves deeper into how Israel is silencing the voices of human rights groups
Once Unstoppable, Tar Sands Now Battered From All Sides
By Ed Struzik
In the summer of 2014, when oil was selling for $114 per barrel, Alberta’s tar sands industry was still confidently standing by earlier predictions that it would nearly triple production by 2035. Companies such as Suncor, Statoil, Syncrude, Royal Dutch Shell, and Imperial Oil Ltd. were investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new projects to mine the thick, highly polluting bitumen. What a difference 18 months makes. The tar sands now has no takers!
Food In A Not Too Distant Future 
By Wayne Roberts
The report identifies 16 benefits of reorganizing food production around self-reliant (as distinct from self-sufficient) and mutually-enriching (symbiotic) regions. My proposed addition of 17 more benefits reveals my excitement for what I’ll call “complementary regionalism” where needs of one group are matched by the strengths of another and vice versa, starting with the fact that a city population needs a lot of food and a nearby countryside produces a lot of food. Together, if I do say so myself, the two lists add up to a pretty impressive catalogue of 33 strong reasons for food advocates to endorse this “complementary foodshed” direction for a future that’s not-too-distant
Caste Is The Cruellest Exclusion 
By Gail Omvedt
Caste is a form of social exclusion that is firmly entrenched because it is justified by religious scriptures. Brahmanic theory gave religious sanction to an unequal society. This article traces both the history of caste and the history of opposition to it
Why I Support Gay Rights.. 
By Parvin Sultana
The sexual minorities continue to be a community pushed into the shadows, forced to live a double life which has affected many other lives as well when homosexual individuals are forced to enter heterosexual relationships. Right to a dignified life and right to love cannot be denied and decided on the basis of ideas of popular morality, culture, tradition and religious principles. An outdated law that does not take into account consent and agency of individuals, and apparently has nothing to do with protection of women, children and public health has long past its utility and is no more than a colonial legacy as well as baggage which a modern democracy should shed off
Government Should Listen To The Local People:
A Case Of Khandadhar Hills, Odisha 
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava
As the globalisation is on march and the marginalized people are at the receiving end. The impacts are uncountable and unbearable. The recent impacts are being born by the tribals of the Khandadhar area in the state of the Odisha where mining can be done by the big companies
Sri Lanka: A Suggested Overall Framework For Reconciliation Discourse 
By Basil Fernando
The author is sharing this writing, with a suggested over all frameworkfor reconcilation discourse in Sri Lanka. It is meant to provoke thought and discussion. Responsiblity for this view is the author’s alone
Rohith Vemula: Hindutva Politics And Dalit Question Today 
By Ram Puniyani
The death of Rohith Vemula has been projected as suicide by some and murder by others, depending on their political orientation. Rohith’s being dalit and his participation in Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) and active contribution to this politically vibrant dalit group is the major cause of his death. Apart from issues directly related to dalits, this association did raise the issues related to democratic rights which are relevant today, like beef eating, opposition to death penalty; as was given to Mumbai blast accuses Yakub Memon and went on to screen the film Muzzafarnagar Baki hai. This film on Muzzafarnangar violence (2013) exposes the role of communal forces
From Khairlanji To Hyderabad: What Post-Outrage? 
By Samar
Rohith Vemula’s suicide will not be just another suicide in the statistical records of the National Crime Records Bureau. It will not be so in the same way the 2006 massacre in Khairlanji was not. These two cases separated by almost a decade, are far more than a statistic of ordinary crime, such as that committed in a fit of rage or planned in cold blood; they are a comment on the very body politic of the republic. They expose the lies that the Republic has repeated so many times that it has started believing in them. They expose the myth that India has a functioning – even if inadequate – justice system, capable of delivering what it promises. They betray the fact that all Indians are not equal in front of the law, definitely not the ones condemned to live at the bottom rungs of the social hierarchy created by the caste system
02 February , 2016
An estimated 400,000 steelworkers in China will lose their jobs, in line with plans to slash crude steel production capacity by between 100 million and 150 million tons. The announcement was posted Sunday on government web sites, and reports a decision made by the State Council on January 22 to cut steel, coal and other basic industrial production in response to the global slump and declining growth in China
Seeing Flight As A Non-Violent Option: One Way To Change
The Discourse About The World’s 60 Million Refugees
By Erica Chenoweth & Hakim Young
Seeing flight as a non-violent option will better equip the informed public to contest exclusionary rhetoric and policies, elevate a new discourse that empowers more moderate politicians, and widen the range of policy options available to respond to the current crisis
WAAAHHHH…But We Don’t Wanna Get Arrested!! 
By Mike Ferner
As the macho, gun-toting, testosterone-addled cowboys who took over the wildlife refuge in Oregon call it quits, their pitiful whine can be heard all the way to Florida: “Waaahhh…but we don’t wanna get arrested…” So much for the rugged-individualists and badass proponents of personal responsibility. Let’s see what happens as their armed insurrection winds down. How will the system treat the militant bullyboys?
Politics On The Plate: Mob Wives, Seeds And Salt 
By Colin Todhunter
Protest and action against widespread oppression, violence and exploitation has to be focussed. As in Gandhi’s time, it is again food that is playing a central role in raising awareness and provoking resistance
Insane UN Claim: Bandung-Creative City 
By Andre Vltchek
Very often then, what is obviously black is redefined and propagated as white. Something dreadful is hailed as a great indisputable achievement. And some totally collapsed, failed country or city is suddenly singled out and showered with praises and rewards. This is exactly what took place in 2015, when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) put the Indonesian city of Bandung on its newly created list of “World Creative Cities”
Is Being Gay A Crime In India? 
By Shubhda Chaudhary
In order to fully protect transgender groups, nations must both overcome binary gender constraints and de-couple gender identity with sexual orientation. Society must imagine a plurality of genders and sexualities all with equal protections under the law. With this mindset, a new fundamental right emerges: the freedom to determine one’s own identity as inherently pluralistic. Indians accept the presence of the transgender community, but they are still kept away because of the ‘homosexuality’ connotation that transgenders carry with them
Women’s Reservation : The Road And The Blocks 
By Sanjeev Chandan
If the women leaders and agitators have not succeeded in getting women’s reservation implemented even after struggling for 20 long years, it may be because of their ambivalence on commitment to the basic principle of equality in a democratic set-up. These ifs and buts provide the proponents of male domination an escape route. That is why representation for women does not figure in the bills tabled in the Rajya Sabha and that is why the maledominated establishment keeps putting off its enactment by demonizing the supporters of “reservation within reservation”
Why Are Smart Cities Being Shoved In The Public's Throat? 
By Aayush Anand
The glitz and glimmer of Smart Cities is a marketing gimmick. What they are actually selling to us is a dark authoritarian landscape in which the definition of appropriate behavior will become so narrow that even the most finical violation of norms will be met with exclusion from the society. Everything shiny is not progress and Smart City is definitely not
Writers Gather In In Dandi In Gujarat To Oppose Communalism 
By Vidyadhar Date
It was a highly inspiring gathering on January 30 at Dandi, the site of Mahatma Gandhi’s famous salt satyagraha of 1930.. Hundreds of writers, artistes and activists from different parts of the country travelled at their own expense to support Gandhian values and oppose communal forces
Countercurrents Fundraiser On 27th February In London
There is a fund raising event for Countercurrents.org on 27th February, 2016 at The Hive Dalston, 260-264 Kingsland Rd, London, from 7 PM. The event will pay tribute to Rohith Vemula with music and poetry. Mark your date and be there!
01 February , 2016
In what was widely regarded as a shock move, the Japanese central bank yesterday cut its base interest rate to minus 0.1 percent. It was a response to continued deflation, amid a weakening domestic economy and fears of the impact of the continued slowdown in China. In its statement, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) said it would “cut the interest rate further into negative territory if judged necessary.”
The Settlers - A Documentary
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal
Shimon Dotan, an Israeli Award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer, presented his new documentary, "The Settlers", at Sundance Film Festival 2016. Currently, he teaches political cinema at NYU School of Journalism and at the New School University in New York City. The documentary reveals the history and consequences of Israeli settlement policy

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