30 June, 2012
Activists Who Spoke At The Rio+20
Peoples’ Summit Killed
By Front Line Defenders
On 24 and 25 June 2012 the bodies of human rights defenders Mr Almir Nogueira de Amorim and Mr João Luiz Telles Penetra were found following their disappearance on 23 June 2012
2 More Die, Yet Few Care For Mavallipura's People Dumped On By Bangalore's Waste
By Leo F. Saldanha, Bhargavi S. Rao & K. R.Mallesh
Muniraju (35) Narayanappa ( 55) are two people who died recently owing to pollution related illness caused by 40 acres solid waste landfill facility in Mavallipura, where Bangalore city's waste is dumped
EU Summit Averts Split With Deal To Bail Out Spanish, Italian Banks
By Stefan Steinberg & Barry Grey
The two-day European Union summit concluded Thursday with an agreement, reached after 14 hours of acrimonious talks, to provide short-term relief to besieged Spanish and Italian banks by allowing the EU bailout fund to directly aid euro zone banks
Finding Real Economic Leadership In The Wake Of Rio+20
By Brent Blackwelder
Change must begin with the structure of the economy because a nation’s economic policy is also its social and environmental policy. National economies all over the world are failing — failing to provide economic stability, failing to secure resources for future generations, failing to protect ecosystems and non-human species, and failing to achieve social justice
Netanyahu To Obama Regarding November’s Election:
When We Say “Jump” You Answer, “How High”!
By Franklin Lamb
Presidential candidate Barack Obama is being targeted by the US Israel lobby from A to Z, (Ackerman, Gary & Aipac to Zuckerman, Mort & the Zionist Organization of America) as no American President seeking re-election has been in the country’s 236 year history
Simulating An Iranian Attack On Israel – Why?
By Alan Hart
According to reports in Israeli newspapers, the U.S. and Israel are going to hold their largest ever joint military exercise in October, shortly before American voters decide whether to give Obama a second term in the White House or replace him with Mitt Romney. The exercise, involving thousands of soldiers and the most advanced anti-missile defense systems, will simulate simultaneous attacks from Iran and Syria
Former High U.S Defense Official Warns Against Attacking Iran
By Sherwood Ross
“A unilateral preventive attack” on Iran by the United States would be viewed by many countries “as a breach of international law,” a former high American Defense Department official has warned his country
Sanctions Portray West's Duplicity On Iran
By Kourosh Ziabari
As Iran refuses to bow down to the illegitimate demands of the United States, Israel and their European allies to abandon its peaceful nuclear program, the inhumane economic sanctions against Tehran are being intensified, putting an excessive and unjustifiable pressure on the ordinary Iranian citizens who are unquestionably the victims of the West's hostility and antagonism toward the Islamic Republic
29 June, 2012
Judge Orders Prosecution To Explain Stonewalling
In Bradley Manning Case
By Naomi Spencer
During a hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland Monday, a military judge ordered Army prosecutors to address accusations that they have withheld evidence from the defense team of accused whistleblower Bradley Manning
Beyond Rio’s Disappointment, Finding A Path To The Future
By Fred Pearce
The Rio+20 Summit produced a largely meaningless document that failed to address the daunting environmental challenges the world faces. But many at the conference looked to an alternative approach they called “green economics” — using market forces to help nations achieve sustainable development. Is this the salvation of the world, or a headlong rush into an unsustainable future under a green logo
Not Dark Yet: But I Have Seen The Footlong Hot Dog Of The Apocalypse
By Phil Rockstroh
When the world is on fire and a people refuse to take note…we're apt to find ourselves in a bit of a fix
Declaration Of Independence From A War Economy
By Mark Haim
The Permanent War Economy has enriched the few and impoverished the majority. It has contributed to the skewing of income and lead to a dangerous concentration of wealth, power and political influence in the hands of a few. We have seen not just war on other nations, but War on the Environment as well, with corporate powers plundering our seas, ravaging our coasts, destroying our environment and laying waste to the natural resources that belong to us all, and future generations
Hands off Syria! About The Syrian Meltdown
By Judy Bello
This week is "Hands off Syria" week, with the United National Antiwar Coalition, with a call out for groups across the nation to take a stand against western antagonism of Syria and Iran
Meat And Potatoes In The Coming Decades
By Peter Goodchild
Will we produce enough potatoes and meat in the coming decades?
Who Should Be The Next Indian President?
By Dr.K.Vidyasagar Reddy
At least the Bahujan Samaj that consists of SC,ST,OBC, Minority and women should come together and jointly recommend the name of P. A. Sangma for the post of President of India. A unanimous decision in this matter would be a positive step for the strengthening of the Indian democracy and would send a positive signal to the people of North East who have felt neglected for so long
Nitish-Modi Spat: Debating Secularism
By Ram Puniyani
How does one understand the difference between Hinduism and Hindutva? One has to take recourse to the example of the ‘father of the nation’ to avoid the heavy academic debates. Gandhi was a Hindu but not a follower of Hindutva. Godse, the killer of Gandhi, and the RSS tribe are the practitioners of ‘Hindutva politics’. For this politics a Hindu like Gandhi is unacceptable ideologically as he could reach the zenith of secular ethos while being the best of the Hindus! We do realize that while the statement by Nitish Kumar is a symbol of shadow boxing it also presents one of the aspects of the political reality being witnessed by the nation
Close Down The Illegal Detention Camp At Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu
By Concerned Citizens
The Tamil Nadu Q branch police are running an illegal detention camp in Chengalapattu. Currently 28 refugees ‘imprisoned’ in the camp and invariably all of them face the common charge of entering India without a passport
Asbestos Laden Japan Built Vessel MV TIRAN To Enter Indian Waters
By Toxics Watch Alliance
Asbestos laden Japan built vessel MV TIRAN (ex Sirorat Naree, Gulf Glory, Ocean Fortress is likely to reach Indian waters on June 30, 2012 under Panama flag
28 June, 2012
Rio+20 Climate Conference “An Epic Failure”
By Nicholas Russo
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which drew to a close in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last Friday, has been denounced by environmental advocates as a “hoax” and “an epic failure.” Despite already low expectations before the meeting, the summit testifies to the stagnation in global efforts to address the looming climate crisis
Arctic Sea Ice At Lowest June Level Ever
By Common Dreams Staff
Recent ice loss rates have been more than double the climatological rate, reports the NSIDC
US-Backed Gunmen Stage Massacre At Syrian TV Station
By Bill Van Auken
Gunmen stormed a pro-government television station in Syria Wednesday, slaughtering seven employees, wounding others and taking several people hostage. The attack came a day after President Bashar al-Assad declared Syria to be in “a real state of war.”
Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire Calls For ‘NO To War In Syria’
By Eileen Fleming
On 25 June 2012, Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire issued the call for ‘NO to War in Syria’ and for an all inclusive dialogue to solve the conflict
What’s Really Happened To America’s Soldiers
By Nan Levinson
Recognizing moral injury isn’t a panacea, but it opens up multiple possibilities. It offers veterans a way to understand themselves, not as mad or bad, but as justifiably sad, and it allows the rest of us a way to avoid reducing their wartime experiences to a sickness or a smiley face
Collapse Fatigue: Prevention And Treatment
By Carolyn Baker
Different aspects of collapse will leap to the foreground at different times. At the moment, climate change appears to be on the front burner, followed by economic demise and energy depletion. Each of these has a life of its own, each is happening simultaneously, and how much humans can do to alter what appears to be inevitable is uncertain
The Post-Apocalyptic House
By Peter Goodchild
The cities are increasingly overpopulated and impoverished. Don't expect politicians to help; democracy works only in small groups, and it's your own fault if you ignore that fact. Sooner or later, you'll need to get out of the city, but the choices for rural living are only two: a modern house and a more-primitive one
The Predicament Of Palestinian Refugees In Lebanon
By Ramzy Baroud
The predicament of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon must be handled with decidedness and urgency. It is a responsibility that ought to be shared between the Lebanese government, the Palestinian leadership, the Arab League and the United Nations. Any more neglect and the potential crisis could morph into a full-fledged conflict
The Role Of Journalists On Preventing Torture
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
Understanding the role of journalists on preventing torture and protection of human rights in suppressed society
MKO Terrorists Seeking To Harm Iran
By Kourosh Ziabari
MKO (Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization) is listed by the U.S. Department of State as a foreign terrorist group, but some Zionist-allied U.S. Senators are trying to convince the administration to remove the gang's name from the list of terrorist organizations so that it can further advance its anti-Iranian plots, including a regime change in Tehran
Big Chase Bank And Big CVS Pharmacy Threaten Local Businesses
By Shepherd Bliss
If the United States’ largest bank, Chase, and its 18th largest corporation, CVS Pharmacy, are permitted to anchor themselves at the center of Sebastopol, as they propose, it would hurt my farm and other local businesses. This would damage our town and our semi-rural county of nearly 500,000 people
Open Letter To CBI Director On The Illegal Movement Of US Ship Exxon Valdez In Indian waters
By Gopal Krishna
This vessel is moving to Bhavnagar in the name of inspection by the GMB and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB). Its movement must be halted to demonstrate that Indian law enforcement agencies are not subservient to US Ship Disposal Policy
27 June, 2012
Fighting Breaks Out In Syrian Capital As Turkey,
NATO Threaten War
By Joseph Kishore
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared Tuesday that the country was in a state of war as intense fighting erupted in the capital Damascus between the government and opposition forces that are backed by the US. There were also reports of British special operations forces entering the country from neighboring Turkey
Another World Is Possible: Build It And They Will Occupy
By Mickey Z.
Let's not waste resources putting out fires set by the 1%. Let's instead build our own structures so that those people yet to embrace their 99% status are better able to visualize an alternative to the way of life to which they fearfully cling
From MI5 To Islamabad, Safe In Our Hands: Death,
Destruction And Spymaster Saviours
By Colin Todhunter
Millions of ordinary decent folk are now living in chaos as a result of US and western interference in their countries. And the same could be in store for millions more. As part of exporting ‘freedom, democracy and stability’, the US is running covert operations, building bases (or massive embassy compounds) and is involved in training, arming, and funding local forces in 75 countries across the globe
Try Thinking For Yourself
By Timothy V. Gatto
For every right we lose in the United States, for every assault upon the Constitution and for every foreclosure or job lost overseas, the more we hear about “supporting our troops”. I don’t suppose that anyone has figured out how supporting our troops will help us to regain our rights or to get our homes back. The same goes for killing Muslims. How many should we kill in order to make things right at home?
Encounter With An Advanced Capitalist Economy
By Farooque Chowdhury
People in countries are searching for alternatives. There are innovations and initiatives. They are not waiting for a section of over-active student activists in some countries, who are having no time to question curriculum and syllabus being followed in class rooms as they are busy in organizing revolution
Fighting For The Soul Of The Carpenter's Union
By Shamus Cooke
All working people should pay attention to the egregious assault on union democracy happening in the Carpenters Union's Pacific North West Regional Council, which covers all the Carpenter's Locals in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and Montana
Book Review: “Bypass. The Story of A Road ” By Michael McGirr
Bypasses Australian Aboriginal Genocide
By Dr Gideon Polya
“Bypass” is a humane, enjoyable Australian non-fiction book that bypasses the horrendous, continuing Australian Aboriginal Genocide. “Bypass. The story of a road” by Michael McGirr is a very readable true account of a 40 year-old ex-Jesuit priest and his girl friend bicycling from Sydney (New South Wales) to Melbourne (Victoria) following the route of the old Hume Highway through the heart of South East Australia
Sex, Sleaze, And Abstentions: All That Fires Up Narendra Modi’s Prime Ministerial Ambitions
By Samar
Murderers can have a field day; history is abundant with such tales. But then, they end up meeting their nemesis, mostly in the form of a people’s collective. This ‘hero’ of murderous politics is placed far worse. He is in a party where his detractors outnumber his supporters by a huge margin. He is in a country that has its moments of shame like partition but has always sprung back to normalcy
American Hypocrisy On Iran's Nuclear Program Can't Be Clearer: Noah Gimbel
By Kourosh Ziabari
An interview with Noah Gimbel
Koodankulam: The Silent And Telling Emergency In India
By S. P. Udayakumar
Having exhausted all options to end opposition to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the Government of India now plans to take a peek into all our minds and remove any fears with the help of psychiatrists from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore. The government is getting sicker and sillier. Besides the prevailing ‘silent emergency,’ there is also a telling emergency in the country
26 June, 2012
Sardinia: Militarization, Contamination And Cancer In Paradise
By Helen Jaccard
The sound of bombs, missiles, and other explosions; massive attacks from the sea onto the beach; an epidemic of cancers and birth defects; soil, air, food and water contaminated with heavy metals, jet fuel and other poisons; and national and company secrets that prevent the residents from learning the truth: Is this a modern war zone? No – Sardinia is the victim of weapons manufacturers, polluting military activities and a political system that cares about power and money over the health of people and the environment
The End Is Near
By David Swanson
Our species is living beyond its means. If we continue down this path, the planet, our food supplies, our climate, and life as we know it will collapse. If we bring population growth, consumption, and pollution under control, the damage already set in motion will play out for centuries, but complete catastrophe will likely be averted
On Being A Radical
By Guy McPherson
It’s not merely 200 human babies this old civilization is killing every day. It’s 200 species. In other words, it’s genocide. The majority responds by wishing this omnicidal system will continue forever. A slim minority wish it will end, thereby leaving habitat for humans for another few years. Vanishingly few people are motivated to the type of action that might preserve life, including habitat for humans. How radical are you? Do you love life? Are you willing to fight for it?
Graduating The Class Of 2012 Onto Our Overheated Planet
By Tom Engelhardt
Whether or not you have the figures at your fingertips, whether or not you know the details, who doesn’t sense that this planet is on edge, too? I mean, here you are, the class of 2012, and like the classes of 2011, 2010, and so on, you are surely going to spend your first months out of college enduring one of history's top ten heat years
Human Rights: Carter Criticizes White House
By Farooque Chowdhury
Jimmy Carter, former US president, denounced the US administration for “clearly violating” 10 of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It’s unprecedented! It’s neither Fidel Castro nor Hugo Chavez, neither Moscow nor Beijing, but a former US president is accusing the US president of sanctioning the “widespread abuse of human rights”
The Evil Of Humanitarian Wars
By Jonathan Cook
Since 9/11, the United States and its allies in Europe have persuaded us that they are waging a series of “white hat” wars against “black hat” regimes in the Middle East. Each has been sold to us misleadingly as a “humanitarian intervention”. The cycle of such wars is still far from complete
Money, Power, And Politics
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer
When it is a question of the efficacy of money in politics and workers fail to put up a fight, money prevails. The moral is: money counts – but only if we let it
Using The TPP To Renegotiate And Expand NAFTA
By Dana Gabriel
Trade deals such as NAFTA and now the TPP are being used to smuggle through a new set of transnational corporate rights, trapping nations in a web of treaties that further trump their own laws. All too often, these agreements fail to deliver on the promise of prosperity and only serve to accelerate the path towards economic enslavement
Sinking Into Murky Water With Russia
By Raminder Kaur
Koodankulam has become a region of civil war fought on non-violent grounds led by the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy against a venal state that threatens with violence. It is the state that has initiated this sorry state of militarised affairs in what was formerly a beautiful and tranquil region of India , a policy that also terrorises people living in other zones earmarked for nuclear developments
Should A Hindutvadi Become The Prime Minister Of India?
By Shamsul Islam
An open letter to RSS Sarsanghchalak, Shri Mohan Bhagwat on why a Hindutvadi should not be the Prime Minister of India
Stop Funding Destructive Projects
By Himanshu Thakkar
Open letter to the World Bank India country director
Supreme Court Refuses Relief To Dead US Ship Exxon Valdez Again, Refers It To Original Bench
By Toxic Watch Alliance
Court’s order, International and Indian laws should not be made subservient to US Government’s Ship Disposal Policy. Environment Ministry's Affidavit in dead US ship case contrary to its order in another US ship Platinum II case paves way for more dead US ships like Delaware Trader
25 June, 2012
US Escalates War Threats Against Syria In ResponseTo Downed Plane
By Niall Green
The United States has sharply escalated its campaign against Syria over the weekend, in response to Syria’s shooting down of at Turkish fighter Friday.The Syrian government has said that the Turkish warplane had violated its airspace, with the SANA news agency releasing a chart of the plane’s fight path over Syrian waters and the coastal city of Latakia
Brilliant Young Brittany Puts Rio+20 To Shame
By Dr. Peter D. Carter
"Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?" This is how the 17-year-old from New Zealand, Brittany Trilford, ended a speech she called A Date with History, which opened the UN Rio+20 conference
Sandusky Child Abuser Sickness But Americans Murdering Children Collaterally Is A Life Style
By Jay Janson
The same majority of Americans that wish to see Sandusky locked up and the key thrown away, are insufficiently interested in the ongoing ten years of collateral murder of great numbers children in Afghanistan and never imagine those responsible should be arrested like Sandusky. Crimes should be prosecuted. How about the campaign to Prosecute US Crimes Against Humanity Now. As King Condemned US Wars Awareness calls for
New Year's Resolutions
By Peter Goodchild
Since this is the end of civilization anyway, why bother? Everything will get swept away by the wave of universal chaos. It would be nice to sit on a rock. It would be nice not to look at clocks or calendars
International Delegation To Attend Trial Of Ayse Berktay (Hacimirzaoglu) In Turkey
Press Releaase
Ayşe Berktay (Hacimirzaoglu), a respected translator, researcher and global peace and justice activist. Since her arrest in October 2011 during the “KCK operations,” she has been held in pre-trial detention in Bakirkoy Women’s Prison in Istanbul. Nine months after her initial incarceration, Ayşe Berktay’s trial, along with others, is scheduled to run from July 2nd to July 13th, 2012 in Silivri, near Istanbul
India: Data Mining Mafia Threatens National Security And Citizens Rights
By Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties
Mankind’s Biggest Identification Database will Create Permanent Emergency Architecture
24 June, 2012
Rio+20 Draft Text Is 283 Paragraphs Of Fluff
By George Monbiot
The draft and probably final declaration is 283 paragraphs of fluff. It suggests that the 190 governments due to approve it have, in effect, given up on multilateralism, given up on the world and given up on us. So what do we do now?
Rio+20: Vengeance Too Long Delayed
By Gwynne Dyer
There was no law against genocide in the early 1940s; it only became an internationally recognized crime after the worst genocide of modern history had actually happened. Similarly, there is no law against “ecocide” now. That will only come to pass when the damage to the environment has become so extreme that large numbers of people are dying from it even in rich and powerful countries
Good News: World Is Getting Into A Recession Again
By Devinder Sharma
In my understanding, there can be nothing more cheering than the news that world is sliding into a new recession. At a time when global warming is taking the world closer to the tripping point; when the oceans and air have been tremendously polluted, the groundwater ruthlessly mined and contaminated, and the natural land resources exploited to the hilt, the news of an impending economic recession couldn't have come at an more appropriate time
'Going Local Is The Best Solution To Food Insecurity'
Interview with Devinder Sharma
Irony runs its play every year in India as food grains rot in godowns while 23 crore people go hungry every day. GOI Monitor talks to food and trade policy analyst Devinder Sharma on the issues stalking agriculture and public distribution
Remembering Mamoun, Killed By An Israeli Missile As He Played Football
By Rami Almeghari
“After I have seen my son killed by an Israeli warplane in front of my eyes, I wonder what my only son did against Israel [for them to] kill him”
Passage To Ecuador: Chomsky, Assange, Sham Justice, Sham Democracies
By Colin Todhunter
If we truly had justice, instead of Assange, we would see the likes of Bush, Blair, Obama, Cheney, Rice and their profiteering arms dealing cronies and private ‘security’ contractors, to name but a select few, standing in the dock and being made to pay for the lakhs of deaths they have caused. But we won’t. We not only have sham democracies but sham justice too
Obama's Second Latin American Coup
By Shamus Cooke
The recent coup against Paraguay's democratically elected president is not only a blow to democracy, but an attack against the working and poor population that supported and elected President Fernando Lugo, whom they see as a bulwark against the wealthy elite who've dominated the country for decades
Micro Credit: Questions Haunt
By Tom Heinemann
Extracts of two articles by the Danish journalist Tom Heinemann and published on the Norwegian television website, NRK
The Paradox Of Rural Life
By Peter Goodchild
All of humanity is now involved in a global collapse, which is happening on two levels: the material (fossil fuels, metals, food, etc.) and the economic (unemployment, high price, debt crises, etc.). Basically it's the first causing the second, as in ancient Rome, but the causality is complicated, now as it was then. By the year 2020 or 2030, the only real solution will be to move away from the cities, because ultimately that is the only way to provide independence from the cataclysm
23 June, 2012
Israel Continues Deadly Attacks On Gaza
By AlJazeera
At least three Palestinians killed, including a six-year-old boy, and dozens wounded in latest raids. Palestinian officials said the latest attack brough the number of people killed so far in Israeli attacks on Saturday to three, and to 15 since this round of violence erupted on Monday
Rio+20: A Crisis Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
By Tina Gerhardt
Rio+20 agreement failed to demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies; critique nuclear energy
The Way Forward: Survival 2100
By William Rees
In a more rational world, political leaders might come together in a special forum to acknowledge the nature and severity of the crisis and to establish the institutional and procedural basis for a worldwide “Survival 2100” project
Who Do You Trust: Mother Nature or Mr. Wizard?
By Richard Heinberg
Just when you thought weird weather and dying oceans might get us all thinking about how to reduce human impact on this little planet we call home, along comes Breakthrough Institute to propose a “solution” worthy of the Army Corps of Engineers: “We screwed it up, so we should take charge of it.”
Land Grabs: A Global Epidemic
By Fred Pearce
It is a rerun of the enclosure of common lands in Europe centuries ago – but taking place at breakneck speed and with the fences being erected mostly by foreign investors. At the heart of it is an arc of land through the grasslands of Africa, a region the size of western Europe that geographers call the Guinea Savannah Zone and the World Bank has dubbed “the world’s last large reserve of underused land”
Making A Game Of Killing
By John Scales Avery
The mass media are an important part of our educational system. Perhaps it is time to look more closely at the values that they are transmitting. In particular, we should perhaps look at computer games designed for young boys. They often give the strongest imaginable support to a culture of violence
Are Palestinians Being Scapegoated Over Army Killings In Lebanon?
By Franklin Lamb
The killings of three Palestinian refugees this past week including Ahmad Qassim from Nahr al Bared ( ‘cold river’) camp near Tripoli and 15 year old Khaled al-Youssef from Ein el Helwe (‘ the beautiful eye’) 30 miles south of Beirut in Saida, and the wounding of more than a dozen others by the Lebanese army were not, as some Lebanese politicians are claiming, “ accidental security incidents”. They were avoidable negligent homicides as much so as Zionist occupation forces and settler/colonists in Palestine regularly commit
US, UK, Australia, Apartheid Israel And 20 Million Muslim Refugees
By Dr Gideon Polya
World Refugee Week is observed on 18-24 June in 2012. As another refugee boat carrying several hundred desperate refugees to Australia has foundered in the Indian Ocean with an estimated 90 asylum seekers perishing, it is timely to examine the global refugee disaster and in particular the role of pro-Zionist, pro-war, US lackey Australia in generating over 20 million Muslim refugees and its subsequent egregious maltreatment of refugees
Food Stamps: How The US Benefits The Corporations
By Devinder Sharma
So as to ensure that food reaches the needy and the hungry across the country, the government has launched a series of steps to streamline the public distribution system (PDS). Among several initiatives being planned, especially in the light of the National Food Security Act under preparation, a scheme to provide food coupons is being tested on a pilot basis in Delhi, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
22 June, 2012
CIA Directing Arms Shipments To Syria’s “Rebels”
By Bill Van Auken
CIA agents have been deployed to Turkey to organize the arming of the so-called rebels in Syria seeking the overthrow of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the New York Times reported Thursday
Julian Assange Speaks From Ecuadorian Embassy
By Richard Phillips
Interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National “Breakfast” show, Assange refuted Australian and US government denials that there was a Grand Jury indictment against him on espionage or other trumped-up charges. He bluntly rejected Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s claims that her government was providing him with “ongoing consular support”
The Political Persecution And Inhumane Punishment of Pfc. Bradley Manning
By Larry Everest
Interview with Kevin Gosztola , a civil liberties blogger at Firedoglake, who attended Manning's court-martial at Fort Meade , and is a co-author of Truth and Consequences: The U.S. vs. Bradley Manning
Occupy Is Not Dead, Occupy Continues To Work For Justice
By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese
The U.S. media has been writing an obituary for Occupy, but in fact Occupy is active all over the country and is just being ignored by the corporate media. This weekly installment of Occupy news highlights families occupying schools in Oakland to prevent their closure, Occupiers across the country working to prevent evictions and foreclosures, Occupiers confronting Jamie Dimon about JPMorgan Chase's foreclosure policies and Occupy SEC asking Dimon some tough questions
Talking To The Universe: Stories From The Occupation
By Mickey Z.
How lucky are we? We've been trusted with the most vital mission in the history of human struggle: survival. Let's talk to the universe so the universe can tell the 1% that the revolution has begun and we are the 99% and they should fuckin' expect us
Liberty, Freedom, And The Attack On The USS Liberty
By Rand Clifford
What happened to the USS Liberty seems an excellent metaphor for what is happening to the liberty of Americans. Though torpedoed by the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012), the Constitution still floats. Will it be sold as scrap, like the USS Liberty?
Oh Say, Maybe We Can't See: Another 4th of July
By David Swanson
What exactly are we thinking when we celebrate the Fourth of July?
An Impossible Dream
By Timothy Gatto
This time I'm going to take a different track. I'm not going to dwell on what's wrong. We all know what's wrong. No, this time I'm going to share a vision with all of you. It's a way out of this out-of-control train we are riding on
The Affordable Care Act, Supreme Court, And Health Care As A Human Right
By Mark Vorpahl
Any day the US Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA). Most at risk is this act’s "individual mandate" which requires everyone to buy health insurance from a private insurer or face a steep fine. If the "individual mandate" is ruled unconstitutional, it is possible that the Supreme Court justices will throw out the ACA in its entirety
Phasing-out of Inefficient Lighting, Can Culminate in Major Economic And Climate Benefits
By Marianne de Nazareth
Rio is not all negative, with positive national decisions being taken by countries, keeping the environment firmly in focus. Phasing out of inefficient lighting has been found to provide both major climatic benefits but also salient economic savings as well
US Government's Ship Disposal Policy Anti-India, Anti-Environment
By Toxics Watch Alliance
Barack Obama administration export of dead and toxic ships like Platinum –II, 'Exxon Valdez' and now 'Delaware Trader' to Indian waters poisons fragile Indian coastal environment, workers, fishermen, villagers
Love- Hate Relationship of India With Palestine And Israel
By Iman Tyagi
Indian unity and harmony is on the edge of devastation because of the alliance of Israel and extremist organizations. To save India from Israel is as essential as to save India from neighboring terrorist organization’s infiltration
Quota For Backwards: Struggle For Social Justice
By Ram Puniyani
These measures must be interim in nature, with a resolve to build the nation where religion and caste are not the factors retarding the growth of the community. The attempt of to polarize communities along religious lines, on these issues needs to be countered and the path of a just society laid down through social initiatives and administration support of the democratic Government
Yet Another Massacre of Dalit People In Andhra Pradesh
By Revolutionary Democratic Front
Four dalit people were hacked to death, and about 30 dalit men and women were critically injured in a well-orchestrated attack by Turpu Kapu backward caste brahmanical forces in Lakshimpeta village of Vangara block in Srikakulam District on 12 June 2012
21 June, 2012
International Talks On Iran’s Nuclear Program Fail
By Peter Symonds
The effective collapse of international talks in Moscow this week over Iran’s nuclear programs opens up a dangerous new chapter in the escalating US-led confrontation with the Iranian regime. Harsher sanctions are due to be imposed on Iran on July 1 amid menacing threats of military attacks by the US and Israel
Wikileaks' Assange Bid For Asylum From US-Threatened Ecuador
By Dr Gideon Polya
Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks and Australian and world hero for exposing US war crimes and US global subversion, has sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London under threat of transfer to Sweden and thence rendition to torture and possible death in the US . Julian Assange had failed in his bid to avoid extradition to Sweden to face interrogation over sex-related complaints that have not resulted in any charges so far
WikiLeaks’ Editor Julian Assange Threatened With Arrest
By Richard Phillips
WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange remains inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London after seeking asylum under the United Nations Human Rights Declaration on Tuesday. The 40-year-old Australian citizen, who has not been charged with a crime in any country, faces extradition to Sweden on June 28 for questioning about dubious sexual assault allegations
Is Barack Obama Morphing Into Dick Cheney?
By Michael T. Klare
Four Ways the President Is Pursuing Cheney’s Geopolitics of Global Energy
We’re Done
By Guy McPherson
We’re done, broiled beyond hope wishful thinking. It seems we’ve experienced a lethal combination of too much cheap oil and too little wisdom. Yet again, I’ve begun mourning. It’s no easier the second time
Stephen Harper Is A Monster
By Bill Henderson
Actually he's a pudgy, middle-aged leader of a minor, peripheral country. But no one person on the planet today is doing so much right now to endanger future generations and all we know and love
Respect The Righst of Future Generations And The Whole Of Humanity
Indigenous peoples insist on rights-based approaches and respect for traditional knowledge and practices in Rio+20 outcomes
Einstein's Prescience
By William T. Hathaway
Worldwide we are caught in the deadly fallout of the Holocaust. It traumatized the Zionists to the extent that they lost standards of justice and ethics that had been built up over centuries. Their efforts to turn Palestine into Israel have led to 60 years of fighting which is spreading to more and more countries. This battle is a major but unstated reason for US military aggression in the Muslim world, and the trillions of dollars wasted in that is a major but unstated reason for the global economic crisis
Internet Intrusion: Increased Repression In Ethiopia
By Graham Peebles
Although etched into the Ethiopian constitution, freedom in its various democratic manifestations remains a fantasy for the people, who are increasingly controlled, inhibited and impoverished. The Ethiopian government under the leadership of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is imposing ever more stringent and repressive measures of subjugation. If they could they would control and restrict the very air the people breath
Anniversary Of Gaza Blockade: A State of Siege, And Normalcy
By Ramzy Baroud
On June 14, fifty international organizations marked the fifth anniversary of the Israeli siege on Gaza by calling on Israel to end its blockade of the small, impoverished strip
Pakaha's Wait For Independent India's Constitution
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Story of how a dalit community in India ostracised
Value Education: The Non-Preachy Way
By Yoginder Sikand
Set up in 2003, the Kerala-based Vishwa Seva Education Trust (VSET) spearheads what it calls the "Living Values Movement" which seeks to enable students appreciate and internalise positive values using innovative methods of facilitation that steer clear of the authoritarian teaching methods used in most schools. VSET's slogan 'Together For a Joyful World' neatly sums up its mission
19 June, 2012
Egyptian Junta Proclaims A Military Dictatorship
By Johannes Stern
With the issuance of a constitutional decree Sunday night, the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) finalized the coup it staged last Thursday and proclaimed a military dictatorship
How To Complete Egypt's Revolution
By Shamus Cooke
The electoral process of Egypt has been proven a sham, and the working people will not so easily accept the same dictatorship with a slightly different face. Since the election failed to solve anything of substance, Tahrir Square will once again be the political venue of choice for working Egyptians seeking revolutionary political and economic change
The Earth Cannot Be Saved By Hope And Billionaires
By George Monbiot
World leaders at Earth summits seem more interested in protecting the interests of plutocratic elites than our environment
The Elephant In Rio: The Corporate-Driven "Green Economy"
By Janet Redman
The leaders heading to Rio are touting a mythical new "green economy" they say will solve all our climate challenges. While still ill defined, they're generally referring to a model of economic growth based on massive private investment in clean energy, climate-resistant agriculture, and ecosystem services — like the ability of a wetland to filter water. Under this new concept, Wall Street gets to reap profits from a whole new line of business, and governments get to spend less protecting the environment
Playing For Time On Iran
By Flynt Leverett & Hillary Mann Leverett
Since talks with Iran over its nuclear development started up again in April, U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that Tehran will not be allowed to “play for time” in the negotiations. In fact, it is the Obama administration that is playing for time
Iran: Terrorists Arrested, Hopes Renewed
By Kourosh Ziabari
The announcement by Iran's intelligence ministry that it has arrested 20 people associated with the terrorist operations in which two of the country's nuclear scientists were assassinated received the Western mainstream media's meaningful silence
Beware The Corporate Media: Indispensable Midwife To Imperial Assaults
By Patrice Greanville
The corporate media shamelessly sold us the Iraq war, Afghanistan, Libya, and is now busy selling us again Syria and soon enough Iran. The question before us is: how do we make them stop?
NYC: Thousands March To End Stop-And-Frisk
By Li Onesto
June 17, thousands of people marched through the streets of New York City to demand an end to the NYPD's policy of stop-and-frisk. The crowd was very diverse, old and young, and different nationalities, from many different walks of life—reflecting a growing awareness of this issue and how important it is to take an active stand against stop-and-frisk
Miners Struggle In Spain While The Rich Spoil
By Farooque Chowdhury
Euro’s political respite in Greece may turn temporary as Spanish problem is still threatening bigger interests. Whatever the outcome the Spanish people’s suffering is increasing as is their discontent. There are signs of increasing political crisis in Spain
The New Medieval World
By Peter Goodchild
As the world's material resources go into permanent decline, are we moving from an age of love lyrics back to an age of monk music? And will we eventually find, after a few cloistered centuries, if not a new world of the body, then a new world of the mind?
Klepetromilitatorship
By David Swanson
Which came first, the oil business or the war machine that protects it? Who started this madness, the military that consumes so much of the oil or the corporations that distribute and profit from the filthy stuff? An answer of sorts can be found in Timothy Mitchell's book, "Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil."
I Don't Want To Conquer The World
By Timothy V. Gatto
There isn't a dimes worth of difference between the political parties. The Democrats represent fascism light while the GOP represents regular fascism. Here's what's going on
Resist The Silent Emergency! Call For Action On June 26th, 2012
By Fabricated.in Team
We appeal to all lovers of democracy and human rights to remember the trauma of this country through a declared Emergency during the 70s and express their strong protest against the emerging `Silent Emergency’ in India today
Converting Mythologies Into Historical Facts
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
As Buddha's path of peace become more attractive the chances of caste based Hindu Dharma as a legitimate voice of peace and nonviolence would become redundant and therefore it is resorting to those mythologies, rituals and superstition to bring back people to its fold. It is essential to expose Hindutva's hidden agenda which has potential to further jeopardize peace in Srilanka
18 June, 2012
Thousands Of Military Drones To Be Deployed Over US Mainland
By Tom Carter
A recent Department of Defense report to Congress as well as a number of media investigations have exposed government plans to deploy tens of thousands of drones over the US mainland in the coming years
Occupy Will Be Back
By Chris Hedges
Our job is to build pockets of resistance so that when the flash point arrives, people will have a place to go. Our job is to stand for transformation, shifting power from concentrated wealth to the people. As long as we keep annunciating and fighting for this, whether we are talking about health care, finance, empire, housing, we will succeed
Greece: What Can Be Done?
By James Petras
The Left must move from criticism to practical deeds; from theorizing to creating jobs! Greece with a new government can put an end to open-ended austerity and decay. It can and must change its place in the international economy. In the final analysis, it is Greece’s last best hope
Against The Dominant Culture Of Death And Destruction
By Carsten Heinrigs
The indigenous peoples have not forgotten that "the earth will take care of us, if we take care of it" (Corbin Harney). Those peoples, who see themselves as part of the earth and all living, whose lifeways have proven for millenia to be highly functional in "maintaining the earth life" (Tiokasin Ghosthorse), should be guiding us. We appreciate all help they provided and continue to offer us
It Couldn’t Happen Here, It Does Happen There
By Tom Engelhardt
Do you do this in the United States? There is police action every day in the United States... They don't call in airplanes to bomb the place
Saud And Susya
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Nayef Al-Saud died at age 78. Nayef was the Interior Minister known for his "efficient" crackdown on dissent and thus was praised by US administrators for dealing with "terrorism" (the same administrators who tortured and "rendered" subjects to be tortured). I will briefly write information that maybe new to some you about this ruling family
Ecuador: New Left or New Colonialism?
By Federico Fuentes
Criticism of Latin America’s radical governments has become common currency among much of the international left. While none have been exempt, Ecuador’s government of President Rafael Correa has been a key target. But a problem with much of the criticism directed against Correa is that it lacks any solid foundation and misdirects fire away from the real enemy
Imam Musa Sadr’s Remains Discovered in Libya;
Battle Over DNA Use; Sheikh Yaacoub Alive or Dead?
By Franklin Lamb
And what was the role of the Israeli Labor Party and Mossad, who believed that Imam Sadr and Sheik Yaaoub were capable of preventing Egypt from signing the Camp David Accords which was designed to remove 70 million Egyptians from the struggle to liberate Palestine? These and other questions are generating increased demands to solve the case of Sheik Mohammad Yaacoub and answers may be forthcoming soon
Refuting Bosnian Genocide Denial
By Francis A. Boyle
In paragraphs 293 and 294 of its 26 February 2007 Bosnian Judgment, the World Court found that you did not even need a million exterminated people in order to constitute genocide, let alone six million. Rather, even the seven thousand murdered Bosnian Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica were enough to constitute genocide. These victims constituted about one-fifth of the Srebrenica community
LEFT For DEAD By The SIDE Of The ROAD
By Mary Hamer
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how our modern global society intentionally inflicts pain & suffering on others & leaves critically injured humans, animals & ecosystems by the side of the road to die
Prolonged Solitary Confinement On Trial
By Angola 3 News
An interview With law professor Angela A. Allen-Bell
A Question Towards Problem Of Migration: Rohingys Muslim Community
By Ravi Nitesh
Recently, when the world was looking (and was happy) on the progress of democratic powers in Myanmar (a country that bridge south asia and southeastasia), New Delhi witnessed hundreds of people who gathered at one place and called themselves Rohingya. Some of the members of our organization along with other human rights activists and organizations visited them. We saw that how they were ready to stay in difficult condition at New Delhi only with a hope for a better and safe future
Sri Lanka: Political Rein
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
As long as the opposition parties engage in tickling politics that makes fun for them, the norm of freedom will never be born due to dissimilar power. But the people who are suffering most from this uncertain power would continue to manifest the tensions of life and the nudity of social control
17 June, 2012
Japan At A Crossroads Over Nuclear Revival Or Greener Path
By Andrew Dewit
In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Japan has idled all 50 of its nuclear reactors. While the central government and business leaders are warning a prolonged shutdown could spell economic doom, many Japanese and local officials see the opportunity for a renewable energy revolution
Rio+20: A Defining Choice
By David Korten
How can we create an economy that serves the health and well-being of both people and the planet? Follow the Earth’s lead
Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse: Fossil Fuel, Nuclear Fission,Central Banking, War
By Rand Clifford
Sense those hooves pounding around the world? Little surprise that these four bedfellows have in their reins the fate of humanity, even life on Earth. Profit and conquest are all that matter; there is no such thing as enough, only, more
Dude, That Is So Killer
By David Swanson
Are you aware, I asked a friend, that the guy you're registering new voters to vote for keeps a list of people he intends to kill? Oh well, he replied, you know. Do I, now? Weaponized drones should be banned, I tell a group of progressives. What? Oh no, drones are better than armies, because with drones nobody gets killed. Is that so? Just how far do progressives have left to progress exactly?
Review: “The Plight Of The Palestinians. A Long History Of Destruction”
By Dr Gideon Polya
The important book “The Plight of the Palestinians. A Long History of Destruction”, edited by Professor William A. Cook (Palgrave Macmillan, London , 2010) is a collection of articles about the ongoing Palestinian Genocide by about 3 dozen variously eminent humanitarian writers from around the world. There are 7 million Palestinian refugees and it is accordingly timely to re-visit this book in Refugee Week that in 2012 will be celebrated from Sunday 17 June to Saturday 23 June, to coincide with World Refugee Day (June 20)
Once Upon A Time, I Lived In Heaven
By Nahida the Exiled Palestinian
A pictorial poem
Kaushik Basu's Useless Suggestions To Prop Up The Indian Economy
By Devinder Sharma
The article: Let's not overreact by India's chief economic advisor Kaushik Basu in reality makes a fervent appeal to allow FDI in retail. To bolster the sagging economy, he has only two suggestions: 1) to open up for FDI in retail, and 2) to cut bureaucratic red tape. And both are useless suggestions
16 June, 2012
US Expands Covert Military Surveillance In Africa
By David Brown
The Obama administration is expanding its intelligence operations in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a lengthy report in the Washington Post. The increased surveillance is part of rapidly expanding military operations in Africa that are being carried out under the pretext of the “war on terror,” but are directed in large part at countering rising Chinese economic connections on the resource-rich continent
Manhunt: This Is Racism, Pure And Simple
By Uri Avnery
Our treatment of the African refugees and migrants has nothing to do with the old conflict with the Arabs. It cannot be justified with arguments that concern the war and national security. This is Racism, pure and simple
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Confirms: Houla Massacre Committed By Syrian “Rebels”
By Clara Weiss
On June 13 journalist Rainer Hermann confirmed his earlier report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung refuting the official version of the Houla massacre in Syria. The media have almost unanimously described the May 5 events in Houla as an atrocity committed by the Syrian government, relying almost exclusively on reports from the so-called rebels
Murdoch’s Iraq War
By Farooque Chowdhury
“Mysteries” of the Iraq War are getting exposed: Rupert Murdoch, the media Moghul, pressed Tony Blair, the British prime minister, to hasten joining the Iraq War. Murdoch did it on behalf of the US Republicans. And, the war took over 100,000 lives
Renewable Ignorance
By Herman Daly
We are all born pig-ignorant. Upon having accumulated a lifetime of knowledge we all promptly die. Ignorant babies replace learned elders. Knowledge is a depleting resource; ignorance is renewable. Yes, libraries and data banks grow, but knowledge finally has to exist in the minds of living people to be effective and evolve — unread books, unseen videos, and un-accessed hard drives are inert
Israel’s Attack On The USS Liberty – The Full Story
By Alan Hart
On Thursday 8 June 1967, Israeli air and naval forces attacked America’s most advanced spy ship, the U.S.S. Liberty, killing 34 of its crew and wounding 174. The lesson of this cold-blooded, murderous attack was that there is nothing the Zionist state might not do, to its friends as well as its enemies, in order to get its own way
Better NO Health Care, Housing or Jobs For Americans Continuing To Mass-Murder Overseas
By Jay Janson
Better health care, housing and jobs for soldiers of the great nation crucifying the poor overseas? continuing to destroy homes of non-Americans (with their children inside)? No, If Amers got zero health care, housing and jobs from their Wall Street investor rulers, they might stop participating in, paying for, and silently accepting Wall Street created illegal undeclared killing-field wars on majority humanity. King held himself and ordinary citizens responsible
What Is The Future For Bosnia And Herzegovina?
By Francis A. Boyle
We need an Arab Spring for Bosnia and Herzegovina starting in Sarajevo—if not Srebrenica! You have all heard of the Occupy Wall Street Movement that is now sweeping over the United States of America. Well I respectfully suggest that the Bosnians establish an Occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina Movement. The sooner, the better! OCCUPY BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA!
The Great Indian Gene Bazaar
By Devinder Sharma
Wall Street Journal recently published a report quoting the deputy director general (crops) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research who appears more than keen to sell off India's massive collection of plant resources to MNCs. "Mr Datta said collaborating with MNCs would be hugely profitable ... We really wouldn't mind taking a small share of profits. What would be more important is if we could use such collaborations to bring high-yielding seeds to our farmers at 50% of the cost."
15 June, 2012
Egyptian Junta Stages Coup Against Parliament
By Johannes Stern
The US-backed Egyptian military junta dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament yesterday in a military coup. This came only two days before the run-offs of in Egypt’s presidential elections—the first since the ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak amid mass working class protests last year
What Will Rio+20 Bring?
By Samuel Alexander
If our governments remain entrenched in the economics of growth, as they promise to be, there will be no other way forward but to build the new economies ourselves, from the grassroots up, in the manner of Transition Initiatives. That might be the real lesson of Rio+20
BBC World News Editor: Houla Massacre Coverage Based On Opposition Propaganda
By Chris Marsden
As quietly as possible, BBC world news editor Jon Williams has admitted that the coverage of last month’s Houla massacre in Syria by the world’s media and his own employers was a compendium of lies
British Court Rejects Julian Assange’s Final Extradition Appeal
By Mike Head
The United Kingdom Supreme Court, Britain’s highest court, yesterday abruptly ended WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange’s last legal line of defence in that country against his extradition to Sweden to be questioned over trumped-up sexual allegations
Go And Tell Your Kids The Story Of Peter Norman
By N. Jayaram
The unsung hero of the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Peter Norman, 'didn't raise his fist but did lend a hand'
Most Precious Gifts
By Nahida the Exiled Palestinian
A pictorial poem on Palestine
Terrorism In India: Between Facts And Fiction
By Imran Khan
More and more concerns are being expressed by human rights activists in India today on the question of fabricated and false charges on innocent people in the name of terrorism
Targeting Innocents: State And Human Rights Of Minorities
By Ram Puniyani
Apart from preventive legal steps we also need to work against the prevalent social biases against Muslims in particular. The myths against the community, which are historical and contemporary issues, which are related to the causes of acts of terrorism need to be countered by spread of truth about these myths
Government Imposing Koodankulam Plant On People
By Praful Bidwai
So monumentally arrogant is India’s nuclear establishment that it brazenly brands its critics insane and in need of psychiatric treatment. It has asked the state-run National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) to "counsel" the tens of thousands protesting against the Koodankulam nuclear power station in Tamil Nadu that it’s perfectly safe
Bangladesh: The Onus Is On The Poor
By Protik Bardhan
A study in the context of the proposed budget 2012-13
14 June, 2012
Global Crisis Deepens After Spanish Bailout
By Nick Beams
Rising interest rates in bond markets demonstrate that the €100 billion Spanish bailout last weekend has done nothing to resolve the euro zone crisis and may well have made it even worse. The rate on Spanish 10-year bonds climbed to the danger level of 6.8 percent Wednesday, while interest rates on Italian one-year government debt reached their highest levels since last December
Cancer Causing Diesel Fumes Needs Stringent Regulatory Action In India
By Marianne de Nazareth
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have published a press release which says the WHO says diesel exhaust can definitely cause cancer. Keeping this in mind the CSE says India must pay heed to the findings and stop state-sponsored homicidemby allowing use of diesel
The New Obama Doctrine, A Six-Point Plan For Global War
By Nick Turse
Special Ops, Drones, Spy Games, Civilian Soldiers, Proxy Fighters, and Cyber Warfare
A Dying Empire
By Jim Miles
This is an entirely sceptical and pessimistic outlook for the future - at least for those of us living in the first world on the riches and abuses of the Third World. For the billions of people subject to the imperial hegemony of the U.S in one form or another, it may be a blessing
Off The Agenda: The Unresolved Question Of Egypt's Economy
By Ramzy Baroud
A new Egypt demands a new constitution and president. Many pressing questions also need to be addressed, including the religious-secular divide, the value of Sharia in the making of law, citizenship, minority rights, the rule of civil society, foreign policy, and much more. One issue that requires urgent attention in the current discussion is that of Egypt's shattered economy
The "N" Word FromThe Champs Elysée To Avenue Of The Americas
By Cynthia McKinney
The latest Hollywood brouhaha over Gwyneth Paltrow’s decision to tweet the caption “ni**as in Paris for real” to accompany a picture of her with friends Jay-Z and Beyoncé while in Paris doesn’t compare to the new evidence of "fraud upon the Court" that has emerged in a largely unnoticed civil rights case that very well should be reopened after being unfairly dismissed six years ago
The Supreme Court Should Rule With The People
By Margaret Flowers, MD & Kevin Zeese
Six years after Massachusetts enacted the state version of Obama's health law, the people of Massachusetts are not happy. According to a June 11th poll in Massachusetts , 78% of patients say the cost of care in Massachusetts is a serious problem and 63% say it has gotten worse in the last five years
A New Socialist Left Emerges
By Billy Wharton
It has been the ballot box that has brought millions of people worldwide back into contact with left-wing parties previously viewed as remnants of the past
Billboard Beauty Queens And The Men Who Run The World
By Colin Todhunter
Trashy beauty queens adorn the billboards, whoring themselves in low cut tops to sell the trash heap materialistic dream. A bit of pout here, a lot of cleavage there and the latest car, jewellery or fashion accessory is sold to the highest bidder with the weakest will. And beneath the billboard, the rush hour traffic winds its way through the evening pollution. From New York to Delhi, what’s your poison – exhaust fumes or low cut, pouty-mouth seduction?
India - Pakistan Peace: A Long Way To Go
By Pritam K. Rohila
The civil society in both countries must realize that peace is not a spectator sport. They must abandon their attitude of benign indifference, and instead assume a proactive stance to do whatever is necessary to achieve these objectives
Open Letter To P Chidambaram
By Concerned Citizens
We are forced to gather outside your residence today. We have broken with our tradition and etiquette of protest, i.e., to demonstrate at public offices rather than private residences because a large section of our population no longer feels safe in their own homes. Disappearances and illegal detentions have become rampant in the name of fighting terrorism. It is as though a new wave of counter terrorism has been launched to terrorize the youth belonging to a community
Miscarriage Of Justice
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Human Rights Activists Seema Azad and her husband Vishvavijay have been awarded life imprisonment by a lower court in Allahabad on charges of sedition, waging war against nation under the provision of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The district judge Sunil Kumar Singh also slapped a fine of Rs 70,000 on the couple
13 June, 2012
Cyprus Prepares For Euro Bailout
By Markus Salzmann
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which takes over the presidency of the European Union on July 1 has been swept up in the vortex of the European debt crisis. It is expected that the island republic will be forced to apply for a loan from the euro bailout funds. This would mean that following on the heels of Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain, Cyprus would be the fifth of the 17 euro area countries to take money from the bailout fund
My Beloved Has Many Faces
By Nahida the exiled Palestinian
In Palestine, I saw the most beautiful... A pictorial poem
An Influential Global Voice Warns Of Runaway Emissions
By Fen Montaigne
Few international figures have been as consistent in warning about the threat posed by global warming as economist Fatih Birol, of the International Energy Agency. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Birol explains why the situation is worsening and what needs to be done to significantly slow emissions
More On Plan C: A Clear, Actionable Platform For Those Who Care About Earth’s Future
By Dave Pollard
The longer-term answer is to move towards a radically decentralized, steady-state economy. But I think it’s idealistic to think we’ll ever have the luxury of doing that. The storm ahead will be fierce, and we first have to stop the austerity and stimulus advocates from sinking the economic boat before it even begins to navigate the rocky and narrow strait between collapse through ruinous contraction and collapse through ruinous growth
Rejecting The Accolades Of Unjust War
By Larry Everest
Iraq , Afghan War Vets Throw Back Medals, March with Thousands Against U.S.-NATO Wars
Those Who Benefit From Failed Iran Talks
By Kourosh Ziabari
The best policy for P5+1, if they want a progress in the talks, is to dissociate themselves from the Israeli lobby and take into consideration the mutual benefit of Iran and themselves. Of course a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to Iran's nuclear program will be a win-win game while Israel, without any doubts, will be the only loser
What Happens When You Talk To The Public About Drones
By Nick Mottern
The purpose of the 2012 Know Drones Tour is to do sidewalk public education, working with other groups to help generate a citizens movement to stop US drone attacks and to stop further development and sale of killer drones and spy drones
Bombed And Bludgeoned Into 'Freedom': Patriotism And The Bewildered Herd
By Colin Todhunter
When all of the havoc brought about by the US abroad and at home is taken into account, it kind of puts passages read from the Bible and talk of ‘sacrifices at the altar of freedom’ into perspective, doesn’t it? Maybe not for most in the US, but it does for many of us outside who are tuned in to the wider picture
Film Personalities And Film Lovers Raise Alarm Against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant
By Concerned Citizens
During the recent 5th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, a forum organized support of over 100 film personalities including film makers,Jury members, activists film lovers and students who initiated a signature campaign against Kudankulam Nucear Power Plant
12 June, 2012
Scientists Issue Warning Of Biosphere Collapse
By Nicholas Russo
An international group of scientists—from the US, Spain, Finland, Chile, and Canada—published a review article in the June 7 issue of Nature, arguing that the human impact on the Earth's biosphere could lead to an ecological disaster in as little as a few generations. The article's release comes in the run-up to a United Nations summit on June 20
The Age Of Consequences
By Guy McPherson
What skills should we learn in anticipation of a contracting economy and therefore an enlarging world? What other services can we provide, within the constraints of a small piece of land and little money? And what about you? How are you preparing for a life of service in the Age of Consequences?
The Latest Generation Wages War On Terror
By Mickey Z.
There is an alternative to terrorism. It’s called justice. But to seek justice, we must first recognize injustice -- even if we play a direct or indirect role. To do that, we have to open our eyes and then take action
The Nightmare Called Seeman's Nationalism
By Tamil Podhigai
Social media websites have been abuzz with the release of the party document of Seeman's organisation, "Naam Tamilar", and it has come up for challenge from several quarters. The criticism has been wide-ranging, and we take up this space to articulate the reasons why we find this document problematic and worthy of condemnation
Israel Upside Down
By David Swanson
Miko Peled has written a perfect book for people, including Israelis, who have always heard that the Israeli government can do no wrong
Till Death Do Them Part: NATO, Imperialism And The Mainstream Media
By Colin Todhunter
There are lies, more lies and then there is the media. Take the BBC, for instance. As Britain’s national state broadcaster, it is duty bound to provide impartial news coverage - after all, it is the ordinary person who funds it. However, the question to be asked is why folk should pay for a ‘service’ that consistently misleads or lies in order to secure compliance for state-corporate policies?
Resisting Drones In Missouri
By Brian Terrell
Will justice flow like a river in the US District Courthouse there, or will the judge and prosecutor hold it festering as in a stagnant pool?
Hype, False Hopes, And The U.S. Imperialist Agenda Behind Iran Nuclear Negotiations
By Larry Everest
The voice of resistance and opposition to all that's represented by the imperialism of the U.S. , Europe and Israel on one side and the reactionary religious fundamentalism of Iran 's Islamic Republic on the other must grow louder. The only political forces on the world stage cannot continue to be these clashing reactionary and outmoded forces. Most especially, the reckless lying predators who rule this country must be resisted—and stopped
Resolving The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
By Ara Papian
It is time that Azerbaijan cease its occupation of territories belonging to the Republic of Armenia a nd that the prevailing arbitration be implemented
Refugee Status And Citizenship: The Refuge Of Sri Lankan Tamils
In India (South India)/ Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India
By Athithan Jayapalan
On the 04 th of June 2012 , 151 Sri Lankan Tamils were detained in Kollam, Kerala, by Indian authorities while they were preparing to sail towards Australia. Among the detained, there were 19 women and 22 children. In The Hindu this was reported as an act of economic opportunism on the part of the Sri Lankan Tamils while the structural conditions they were escaping from and which forced them to risk such a hazardous migration is omitted
Child Prisoners In Australia
By Lisa Hiariej
The story behind the children accused as smugglers of boat people who were and are in adult gaols in Australia
Subversive Thrills
By William T. Hathaway & Paul Carline
A Review of Gaither Stewart's new novel, The Trojan Spy
Dangerous Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) Fraud At Koodankulam
By People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
The VVER reactor under commissioning at Koodankulam nuclear power project differs from the one featured in the inter-governmental agreement between Russia and India. According to documents published in 2006, there was no weld on the beltline (middle portion) of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). Now AERB says that there are two welds on the beltline of the RPV installed at KKNPP
Through The Looking Glass: ‘Look For The Small Print’
By Jessy Abraham
‘Look for the Small Print’, the debut short film by Jobin K Andrews takes down the viewer to the untold side of urban development in India. The film depicts the impact of globalisation on the personal lives of a cross section of population in metropolitan India
The Politics Of The ‘Greatest' Indian
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
It is a very questionable motive to start the online poll as who is the ‘greatest' Indian after Gandhi. Perhaps, they had feared it in advance that Ambedkar can easily over take Gandhi in these voting as with growing number of Dalit middle classes online users whose life was vastly influenced by Dr Ambedkar will never settle for anything less than the greatest.
11 June, 2012
Fighting Intensifies In Syria As US Pushes For
Expanded Intervention
By Patrick Martin
Fighting between Syrian government forces and the US-backed opposition escalated over the weekend, with press reports of the most intense combat in the capital city, Damascus, since the campaign against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad began 15 months ago
Syrian Rebels Responsible For Houla Massacre: Report
By John Rosenthal
But according to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad. For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups
Whether Ordinance On Self-Denial Of Nuclear Power Harmful To India?
By Buddhi Kota Subbarao
There is an enormous harm in store for India if India becomes a market place and a testing ground for the so called new generation nuclear reactors pursuant to Indo-US Nuclear Deal. If India like Germany decides to give up the pursuit of nuclear electricity and passes a resolution in both houses of Parliament to phase out completely the nuclear reactors in a planned time frame commencing with aged reactors, then there will be sufficient funds to invest in renewable sources of energy, like hydro, solar, wind, biofuels and in energy saving measures
Nuclear India: The World’s Largest Paper Demockery
By Raminder Kaur
A paper democracy only makes for a house of cards. If the issue is nuclear safety and disaster preparedness, it will one day come tumbling down like there is no tomorrow. Unless international safety standards are applied and appraised by independent experts, the Koodankulaum Nuclear Power Plant is little better than a legitimised crime against humanity
Masculine, Feminine, Collapse, And The Next Culture
By Carolyn Baker
The article offers a disturbing analysis of the current gender role situation within industrial civilization, how we got here, and what will be needed to transform those roles in the next culture. It also mentions and takes issue with James Howard Kunstler's assertion that gains made by women and minorities will be totally lost in the Long Emergency
On Recognising Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Peoples In The Australian Constitution -
A Belated Homage or Yet Another Swindle ? (PDF)
By George Venturini
Professor William E.H. Stanner collected the quip from an old tribesman: “You are very clever people, very hard people, plenty humbug.” Humbug can be both a verb and a noun. As a noun it describes a person who seeks to impose deceitfully upon others, to cheat, to trick, to swindle. The old man was right. ""
Getting Rolled In Wisconsin
By Andy Kroll
Why Electoral Politics Sold Out the Popular Uprising in the Badger State -- and Why It’s Not All Over
The U.S. Labor Movement At The Crossroads, In The Crosshairs
By Shamus Cooke
Labor cannot water down its demands if it is to survive. Nor can labor accept what is politically "practical" for Democrats. There are two roads available for labor at the moment: one is the status quo that will quickly end in self-destruction; the other is the path tread by prior generations of the labor movement, that relied on collective action and courage in the face of corporate adversity
Learning From Wisconsin
By Mark Vorpahl
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker not only defeated the recall, he did so easily taking 54 percent of the vote. This is a big defeat for the union leadership who threw as many resources as they could afford behind this effort. How is it possible that this could have happened after all that had gone on before?
How Not To Be A Union
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer
In the absence of such a concerted campaign, there should be little surprise that the building trades unions in New York chose to think only of themselves. But it is not too late for organized labor to execute a turn away from electing Democrats and reaffirm its roots with massive demonstrations in the streets
The Loss of American Democracy
By Timothy V. Gatto
Just like the nations that rose up during the Arab Spring, we Americans must rise up and stop this charade now. We have no other options if we want to save our representative democracy
When Bankers Become Thieves, The Economy Crumbles
By Devinder Sharma
What will happen if we allow the Spanish banks to collapse. Will Spain turn into a beggar? Or will the Spanish people flee to other countries? I don't think any such thing will happen. Instead, the bailout package should be used to create more jobs. And that in turn will boost the economy. The same prescription holds true for other major economies
More Take Than Give: Philanthropy In India
By Colin Todhunter
In this time of global financial crisis, when so many are suffering financial hardship, most countries have increased their number of dollar millionaires. The number of ‘High Net-Worth Individuals’ (HNWI), according to a report by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, has increased dramatically in India. In 2008-09, India had 84,000 HNWIs. In 2010; it had risen by 50 per cent (1,26,700), the biggest increase of all countries
Right To life: India Must Acknowledge That Even Killers Have It
By N. Jayaram
If those who feel satisfied over Brahmeshwar Singh’s killing had channelled more energy towards ensuring he was convicted and stayed in jail, it would have better served society’s purpose: apparently his militia had dwindled while he was away, whereas his killing unleashed a frenzy of rioting. A consistent attitude towards all extrajudicial killings, by state and non-state actors, by upper caste or lower caste militia and Maoists or Naxalites, is needed for the menace to end and the rule of law to prosper
The Continuing Harassment Of Bishop Rayappu Joseph
And His Roman Catholic Clergy In Mannar, Sri Lanka
By Brian Senewiratne
In an extensive article, now expanded into a booklet and sent to the Pope, and others, I drew attention to the threats to Bishop Rayappu Joseph, the (Tamil) Roman Catholic Bishop of Mannar, members of his clergy (Tamils), members of (Tamil) ‘Civil Society', and even Sinhalese human rights activists and journalists in the Sinhalese South, by the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and some of his very violent Ministers
The Siachen Imbroglio
By S.G.Vombatkere
Demilitarization of Siachen involves India losing both strategic and tactical advantage, while for Pakistan it is a strategic gain traded off against a small tactical loss. Indian strategists should not neglect this fact that Pakistan chooses to gloss over
In The Name Of My Father, Part Two: In the Shadow Of The Corporate State Madhouse
By Phil Rockstroh
I shuffle through memory; itself a dimension of imprisonment -- its confines circumscribed by fate and limited apprehension. I festoon the walls of my individual cell with fragments of imperfect remembrance. What was once flesh has been transmuted by time into shards and vapor
09 June, 2012
US Military Lobbies For War With SyriaBy Chris Marsden
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told reporters on Thursday that the Obama administration’s continued pursuing of diplomatic solutions in Syria has put military planners in the Pentagon in a strategic bind. Complaining of a “lack of focus,” he declared that with a clear instruction for regime change, “I can build you a plan, and I know how many divisions, I know how many air wings ... it takes.”
Expelling Diplomats: The Downside
By Franklin Lamb
The Houla massacre has whipped up a new wave of outrage at the claimed brutality of Syria’s government. Syrian envoys were kicked out of some Western capitals, more financial sanctions slapped on the regime in Damascus, and more furious demands are being made for a regime change toppling Bashar al-Assad and more calls for military intervention issued
The Commons Emerges As A Theme At The People’s Summit In Rio
By David Bollier
While the official Rio+20 environmental summit will surely be a bust, reaffirming the supposed power of markets to solve our planetary eco-crises, the alternative People’s Summit has made some progress toward positive outcomes. A wide variety of civil society groups from around the world has been meeting since November 2011 to try to hammer out a shared vision that addresses the theme, “Capitalist Crisis, Social and Environmental Justice.”
Four Futures
By John Scales Avery
Although the problems facing the world in the 21st century are both severe and difficult, nevertheless they have solutions. In the last analysis, it is ourselves, the people of the world, the 99%, who have the collective ability (and responsibility) to choose the future world that we want. We have the weight of numbers on our side, and we also have reason on our side
The Future Size Of World Population
By Peter Goodchild
The world's population has gone from 1.7 billion in 1900 to over 7 billion now. Conversely, as oil declines so must population. Based partly on the mathematics of the Hubbert curve, most estimates indicate that in the year 2050 oil production will be about 2 billion barrels. The same amount of oil production occurred in the year 1930, when there were 2 billion people. The same population figure as in 1930 may therefore be case for the year 2050: 2 billion people
Globe Threatening Spanish Crisis: Awarding Corrupt Bankers And Punishing People
By Farooque Chowdhury
It’s not a surreal background of bankers’ tale. It’s a real life background dominated by bankers in Spain; it’s a tale of capital and human suffering now threatening capital’s world while capital is hatching plots to put the burden on people, with taxpayers’ money, with austerity
Book Review: “The Finkler Question” By Howard Jacobson. Can Racism Be Funny?
By Dr Gideon Polya
“The Finkler Question” makes a joke from beginning to end at the expense of anti-racist Jews and hence implicitly of anti-racists in general who are moved to speak out against the appalling human rights abuses and genocidal crimes of racist Zionist-run Apartheid Israel
The Spread of Sacrifice Zones
By David Swanson
Chris Hedge's and Joe Sacco's new book, "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt," is a treasure. Hedges wrote the plain text. Sacco produced the text-heavy cartoon sections and other illustrations, which even I -- not a big fan of cartoon books -- found to enrich this book enormously
Why Anti-Israelism Is Not Anti-Semitism
By Kourosh Ziabari
Neither Iranians nor the people of other Muslim nations nor those Westerners who dare criticize the bloodthirsty officials of the Israeli regime for their frequent wrongdoings and crimes are anti-Jew or anti-Semite. They are simply anti-Israeli. Believe me: anti-Israelism is not anti-Semitism
“Buddy, Please Put Your Hood”
By Buddy Bell
Young university students speak from Afghanistan
Looking In The Mirror, Living In Denial: The Arundhati Roy Effect
By Colin Todhunter
What is it about Roy that elicits such bitter reactions, especially from within India and particularly in upper middle class circles? Such responses confuse personal prejudice, character assassination and sniping with critical analysis. Notwithstanding that no one can ever be right all of the time, it could well be that there is nevertheless a good deal of truth in what Roy says on various matters, and perhaps that’s the problem
Can Sita Be The Role Model For Contemporary Women?
By Ram Puniyani
While women’s movement has been asserting the longing for equality, this process has got several obstacles and these obstacles, when couched in the language of religion become much more difficult to overcome
Stop POSCO! Free India!
By POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
We appeal to groups and people's movements working on fisher people, dalits, women, children and indigenous people to organize solidarity actions on June 22 nd , since it is the lives of these very forces which are at stake. On this historical event, PPSS calls for the following actions all over India and abroad to initiate the following actions
NBA Confirms Monsanto/Mahyco And Others To Be Criminally Prosecuted
In B.t. Brinjal Biopiracy Case
By Environment Support Group
In its first official confirmation, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA, India's independent regulator on all matters pertaining to biodiversity protection, conservation and use) has stated that “it is proceeding with lodging of complaint against the alleged violators” of Biological Diversity Act on grounds of biopiracy in promoting B.t. Brinjal, India's first transgenic GMO food
08 June, 2012
Earth Facing Imminent Environmental Tipping Point
By Common Dreams Staff
Humankind is facing an imminent threat of extinction, according to new research released on Wednesday by the science journal Nature. The report Approaching a state shift in Earth’s biosphere reveals that our planet's biosphere is steadily approaching a 'tipping point', meaning all ecosystems are nearing sudden and irreversible change that will not be conducive to human life
Protecting Birds And Caribou From Drilling In The Arctic
By Alisa Opar
An unprecedented management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could help balance domestic oil production and conservation
Qateel Siddiqi Killed In Judicial Custody. Who Is Responsible?
By Concerned Citizens
Twenty-seven year old Qateel Siddiqi, arrested in November 2011 by the Special Cell for his alleged IM links, has been killed in Yerwada Central jail in Pune today. The murder has ostensibly been carried out fellow inmates for unknown reasons. Qateel had been shifted to Yerwada only a few days ago after the Maharashtra ATS had taken his custody for a test identification parade
Trade Your Job For An Occupation
By Mickey Z.
Several man-made hierarchies, constructs, and barriers have already been challenged and partially smashed. What OWS is modeling is a far more cooperative, creative, participatory, tolerant, and downsized way of living -- a way of life without the spirit-crushing hierarchies and all those "good jobs" we're trained to covet and worship
Poison, Eat, Inject: Coming To A Town Near You In India Soon
By Colin Todhunter
Severe anemia, permanent brain damage, Alzheimer’s, dementia, neurological disorders, reproductive problems, diminished intelligence, impaired immune system, behavioural disorders, cancers, hyperactivity and learning disability are just some of the diseases linked to our food. Of course, just like cigarettes and the tobacco industry before, trying to ‘prove’ the glaringly obvious link will take decades as deceit and lies are passed off as ‘science’ by the corporations involved in food production
AFL-CIO Declares Victory In Wisconsin In The Face Of Defeat
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer
In the wake of the Wisconsin elections and the failure to unseat Governor Walker, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has issued a victory statement of sorts, resorting to the most tortured and convoluted logic
Divide and Conquer In Wisconsin and Beyond
By Katherine M Acosta
The post mortems on the disastrous recall defeat in Wisconsin have begun and many of them rightly focus on factors such as the role of money, the failure of Democrats and labor unions to get their message out, and the flawed strategy of channeling activist energy solely into electoral politics. But I want to focus on a more fundamental problem, one that preceded Governor Scott Walker's first election and the historic protests, and that extends beyond Wisconsin
Mr Montek Ahluwalia And Public Toilets
By Vidyadhar Date
Some people have rushed to the rescue of Mr Montek Ahluwalia, deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission, saying he is being unfairly and personally targeted for the excessive expenditure on the new plush toilets in his office in New Delhi. All right. But then it gets worse if you see the expenditure in the context of the sanitation scenario in the country
Condemn The Arrest Of Anti-Dam Protestors In North East By Implicating Them In False Cases
People's Union For Democratic Rights
PUDR strongly condemn this disgraceful attempt of the government to use such an undemocratic and wicked logic to curb the voices of protest. PUDR strongly condemns the arrest of Mr. Barbora, and demands that he along with others in similar cases be released immediately. We also appeal all like-minded fellow citizens to join us in this condemnation
07 June, 2012
US Airstrike Kills 18 Afghan Civilians
By Bill Van Auken
At least 18 Afghan civilians, including seven children, were killed early Wednesday morning after US special operations troops called in an air strike on their homes. The strike reportedly hit the home of a village elder, Bashir Akhundzada, who was killed in the attack. The Associated Press quoted the head of the local village council as saying that a number of families had gathered at Akhundzada’s home Tuesday night for a wedding party
Time For Outrage On Behalf Of The Planet
By Bill McKibben
If we have an emergency, and we have the tools to fight it, the only question is why we’re not doing so. And the answer, I think, is clear: it’s in the interest of some of the most powerful players on earth to prolong the status quo
Collapse Now And Avoid The Rush
By John Michael Greer
Starting right away to practice the skills, assemble the resources, and follow the lifeways that will be the key to survival in a deindustrializing world offers the best hope of getting through the difficult years ahead with some degree of dignity and grace. Collapse now, in other words, and avoid the rush
The War On Palestinian Soccer: Free Mahmoud Sarsak
By Ramzy Baroud
On June 3, Palestinian national soccer team member Mahmoud Sarsak completed 80 days of a grueling hunger-strike. Sarsak was branded an 'illegal combatant' by Israel’s military judicial system, and was since imprisoned without any charges or trial. Sarsak is not alone in the continued hunger strike. Akram al-Rekhawi, a diabetic prisoner demanding proper medical care, has refused food for over 60 days
Optimism
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
Thoughts of optimism from Palestine
Bringing The Battlefield To The Border
By Todd Miller
The Wild World of Border Security and Boundary Building in Arizona
Reversing The Vietnam War Verdict
By Jack A. Smith
The Pentagon has just launched a multi-year national public relations campaign to justify, glorify and honor Washington's catastrophic, aggressive and losing war against Vietnam — America's most controversial and unpopular military conflict
India: Civil Laws versus Personal Laws
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Delhi High Court has held that a marriage of minor (Muslim) is valid even if she is under age but has attained puberty. A bench of Justice Ravindra Bhatt and Justice S.P.Garg said that ‘ according to Mohamadan Law, a girl can marry without the consent of her parents once she attains the age of puberty and she has the right to reside with her husband even if she is below the age of 18.' The girl in question was 15 years of age and had married to a person of her choice
The CPM Question : Why Is It Called So And Why Mamata Must Be Made To Answer It
By Siddharthya Swapan Roy
What we have in the case of Mamata Banerjee and her TMC is something on the lines of the Red Scare.They have embarked on a mission to render the Communists – her opposition – socially illegitimate. Rob them of their space and voice in the sphere of public debates
UK QEII Diamond Jubilee Celebrations Mask 700 Million Commonwealth Avoidable Deaths
By Dr Gideon Polya
Great Britain and the British Commonwealth are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne as Queen of Great Britain and various other countries and head of the British Commonwealth . However the enthusiastic celebrations for a much-admired and much-loved monarch should not hide the Awful Truth of the over 727 million avoidable deaths linked to British imperialism and neocolonialism over the last 60 years
Kashmir: Yearning For Two Yards Of Land For Burial
By Ashutosh Sharma
Many elderly people from (PoK) who visited this part of Jammu and Kashmir crossing LoC by newly launched bus service refuse to return, claiming this part of the state to be their origin. They wish to live, die and be buried in their birthplace, writes Ashutosh Sharma from Jammu and Kashmir
The True 'Creatives' - Let Them Eat Cake? Or, In India, Poor Quality Rice
By Colin Todhunter
You don’t have to dig too deep to ascertain where ‘modern’ India’s priorities lie. While the creamy layer of the service sector/’creative industries’ is paid well, it is the actual wealth creators, the farm labourers and many of the back street entrepreneurs who live in poverty or hover above it. As the self-congratulatory beneficiaries of modern capitalism across the world lie back and wallow in their stolen wealth, they seem to be saying about everyone else, “Let them eat cake” – or in India’s case, poor quality government provided rice
Divided By Parties, United In Massacres And Impunity
By Mahtab Alam
Forbesganj of Bihar, Hashimpura of Uttar Pradesh, Beemapalli of Kerala, Gopalgarh of Rajasthan, Rudrapur of Uttrakhand and many other parts of India might not have any geographical or political connection but there is something which connects all these places together: massacres and impunity
06 June, 2012
G7 Holds Emergency Meeting Amid Deepening European Banking Crisis
By Peter Schwarz
Finance ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries held emergency talks yesterday, amid signs of a renewed economic slump worldwide and an intensifying crisis in Europe—notably the Spanish banking crisis and fears of a Greek exit from the euro
Oil Prices: Where Are We Headed?
By Stuart Staniford
Once we are below $100 in Brent prices, there is considerable risk of upward surprises. A breakdown in the Iran talks, European authorities doing something relatively functional, Greek elections producing a pro-agreement coalition, hiccups of any kind in the global oil production system. In the long term, I think oil prices are certainly going to average over $100
Let US Conjoin Arctic And Niger When We Talk About Shell’s Drilling
By Subhankar Banerjee
What do Arctic drilling and drone killing have in common? They are both being decided by Barack Obama without public debate. Also oil is a common ground—drilling will produce it and drones will burn it—to kill people, animals, and habitats. Both issues must be debated publicly. You have read about drone killing, I’ll tell you about Arctic drilling
Beauty And The Beast
By Nahida the exiled Palestinian
A poem
Obama, Lord Of Drones
By Robert S. Becker
Talk about starting your military career at the top, with guns blazing. On point, Obama's leaked, instantly notorious drone war represents the next costly surge against stealthy insurgents, perhaps a few genuine terrorists. But thanks to his high moral intentions, confirmed by the NY Times, these still qualify as “devoutly non-ideological" strikes
After Petroleum: Twelve Theses
By Peter Goodchild
A peak into our post petroleum future
Unraveling Chris Hedges' Inconsistencies
By Shamus Cooke
If it wants to grow, the inevitable social movement in the United States will need to follow the Canadian example, itself a replica of the anti-austerity movements developing throughout Europe. Latin America's ongoing social movements were birthed along similar lines, and the Arab Spring movements will re-group according to the same principle. Hedges’ vast influence has been put to an overall good use
Next Stop Iran: Who Will Save Us?
By Colin Todhunter
It’s not a case of who will save us from Iran, but who will save us from the type of terror and instability we have seen instigated by US or US-backed forces in Pakistan, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. Who will save us from militarism and imperialism? Who will save us from the economic terror brought to Greece or any other number of countries, including the US itself, by the corporate cartels and the financial institutions who silt away profits in tax havens while expecting ordinary people to bear the brunt of their criminality?
The Houla Massacre And The Subversion Of The Peace Plan
By Chandra Muzaffar
While we hope the truth about Houla would be known soon, our most urgent challenge is to ensure that violence in Syria is brought to an end immediately
Israel Formulates Tripartite Plot To Destroy Syria
By Ismail Salami
A politically incorrect wave of labyrinthine madness is casting its heavy shadow over Syria as the country is being surrounded left and right by Zionist plots thickening beyond control
ASIA : Torture: Asian Perspectives to be launched on 26 June
By Asian Human Rights Commission
The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to announce the release of its new bi-monthly magazine, Torture: Asian Perspectives. The first issue will be released on 26 June, on the occasion of the International Day against Torture and Illtreatment
Babasaheb Ambedkar Cartoon: On Sensibilities, Lies And Half Truths
By Umakant
An attempt has been made here for an informed debate by giving an honest assessment by picking up issues which certainly deserve to be judged on their merit. There are certainly more issues involved than what meets the eye!
05 June, 2012
Of Birds, Rivers And Greed
By Farooque Chowdhury
Birds sustain a living ecology. Rivers flow to the same destination: sustain life. On World Environment Day, here is an Ode to our dying ecosystem
Disempowering Women Through The Green Economy
By Clarissa Militante
“The Future We Want,” the text being discussed by governments for Rio+20, promotes rhetoric of empowering women but in reality, it not only disempowers them further, it also gives more rights and access to corporations
Occupy For Sharks And Oceans And All Those Who Defend Them
By Mickey Z.
Occupy for sharks. Occupy for oceans. Occupy for Capt. Watson. Occupy for holistic justice
Israeli Attack On Gaza, June 3-4, 2012
By Rosa Schiano
On the night of June 3, 2012, Israel conducted a series of air raids hitting several areas in the Gaza Strip. At about 2:00 am. The following night, June 4, 2012, the Israeli Air Force struck again several areas in the Gaza Strip
The Lies About The 1967 War Are Still More Powerful Than The Truth
By Alan Hart
How and why did the 1967 war transform the relationship between the Jews of the world and Israel? The summary truth about that war is this
The Assassin-In-Chief
By Tom Engelhardt
Be assured of one thing: whichever candidate you choose at the polls in November, you aren’t just electing a president of the United States; you are also electing an assassin-in-chief
Al Qaeda And The USA
By Michael Robeson
If the U.S. is committed to destroying Al Qaeda, why hasn’t it providing assistance to the governments attacked by it - Libya and Syria? And, if the U.S. were actually at war against terrorism and Al Qaeda, why isn’t it, as Dr. Kissinger suggested, attacking elements of itself and NATO in order to destroy those responsible for the terrorist’s actions?
The Murder Of Trayvon Martin: The Crime And The Context
By Li Onesto
George Zimmerman shoots Trayvon Martin dead and then walks free. All over the country, tens of thousands take to the streets in protest. Finally, more than six weeks after this horrible crime, Zimmerman is charged with second degree murder. But the struggle for justice is far from over
Petrol, Politics And The People: A Discordant Note
By Samar
Subsiding petrol is not only bad economics but bad for democracy as well. Forget the petrol, even the subsidies on the diesel that runs the private cars is criminal wastage of the Indian taxpayers’ hard earned money and it should be stopped immediately
Koodankulan And Democracy: People Vs State
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The issue is whether Koodankulan’s peaceful stir against nuclear power plant pricked the conscience of the nation? It does not seem to have done so
Cool Britannia And India shining: Lies And More Lies
By Colin Todhunter
Cool Britannia? Forget it. You can forget India shining too, at least as far as the bulk of the populatioin is concerned. Because, in India, as in the UK, some are much more ‘in it’ than others
Corruption And Saudi Arabia
By Tariq A. Al-Maeena
It should be noted that corruption has been one of the elements that served as a springboard to the Arab Spring. And we have not been immune to it. Perhaps, the most public example was brought up following the Jeddah rains in 2009 which caused the deaths of over 130 people by the resulting floods. It was determined that bribery played a major part with city officials granting housing permits illegally on city land not zoned as residential areas
04 June, 2012
The Dangerous Plan Of Saudi-Bahrain Merger
By Kourosh Ziabari
The recently declared plan by the members of Persian Gulf Cooperation Council to annex the soil of Bahrain to Saudi Arabia and form a greater Arab union is fraught with danger
Climate-Change Deniers Are On the Ropes -- But So Is The Planet
By Bill McKibben
It’s a hard fight, up against a ton of money and a ton of inertia. Eventually, climate denial will “lose,” because physics and chemistry are not intimidated even by Lord Monckton. But timing is everything
Inflation, Land, And Tattoos
By Peter Goodchild
The students of today spend most of their time thinking about body piercing and tattoos. No matter how little cash it will take to get out of the death traps of concrete and asphalt, without a little effort they'll be plain out of luck
Why Bargains Are Bad
By Marq de Villiers
Thrift hasn’t disappeared; it just mutated into the endless search for cheaper stuff. This search has had many savagely negative effects: it has persuaded manufacturers to set price, rather than quality or service, as the single prime necessity. It no longer matters that something lasts, or does what it was supposed to for longer than it takes to unwrap it, as long as it was cheaper than the competition. This means that things can no longer be fixed, only thrown away, and the next cheap thing bought in its stead
Amartya Sen's Imagined India
By Braj Ranjan Mani
Intellectual compromise of the best gives rise to the worst. Amartya Sen's sanitised, caste-blind perspective on social unfairness, Hinduism and Indian culture, despite the show of reason, eclecticism and inclusive sensibility, is a gross distortion of historical reality, and a classic example of the limitation—and danger—of elitist liberalism
The Battle For The Corporate Control Of India
By Colin Todhunter
The fear is that the increased corporate control of agriculture in India will lead to the destruction of jobs and existing retail infrastructure, while placing decisions of what people eat and how it is produced into the hands of large foreign corporations. The fear is that surrendering control of India’s sovereignty and self determination by way of binding lop-sided international agreements is colonialism by any other name
‘Honor’ In killing
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Killings for the ‘honor’ have become regular now in India which is struggling to find its place among the comity of ‘civilised’ and ‘developed’ nations. Many of these stories are being put under petty criminal category thus ignoring the ugly reality of caste prejudices prevailing in our society
Anguish Of Kashmir And The Way Out
By Ram Puniyani
Recently, the recommendations of the group of interlocutors, Dileep Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and M.M.Ansari have been made public. Nearly two generations of Kashmiri youth have suffered at the hands of military and militants. US-Pakistan nexus have also been the major players in spoiling the broth. A healthy debate around the report can be a good starting point to restore peace in the region
02 June, 2012
CO2 Level Hits 400 PPM, Do We Have A Way Out?
By Stephen Leahy
The planet's climate recently reached a new milestone of 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the Arctic. The last time Earth saw similar levels of climate-heating carbon dioxide (CO2) was three million years ago during the Pliocene era, where Arctic temperatures were 10 to 14 degrees C higher and global temperatures four degrees C hotter
Mubarak Given Life Term For Protester Deaths
By Al Jazeera
Egypt's ex-president and his interior minister sentenced to life while his sons and six other officials are acquitted
Sustainable Living As Religious Observance
By Dmitry Orlov
Why should we fight battles that have already been won? Religious institutions have already succeeded in fighting political institutions down to a reasonable truce, which the politicians are rightly terrified to break. Let us not start from scratch; let us work with what we already have
What Comes Next?: Building On Occupy And The 99% Spring
By John Cavanagh & Robin Broad
Many movements, many similar messages. What could the increasing cooperation between protesters mean for the future of the ninety-nine percent?
Treaty Like It’s 1999: Connecting The Dots On Trade
By Raj Patel
From Japan, Raj Patel on the expansion of the Trans-Pacific trade agreement and the homegrown battle to stop it
Bathani Tola And The Cartoon Controversy
By Anand Teltumbde
Why has there been such a silence from dalit leaders over the Bathani Tola judgment acquitting all those accused of killing 21 dalits? At the same time, what explains their loud protests over the Ambedkar cartoons in the textbooks? Has the elevation of Ambedkar as an icon relegated the dalit leadership to a politics of empty symbolism? Is the issue of a lack of accountability in the judicial system towards dalits not more important than the hollow iconisation of Ambedkar?
Cartoon Controversy: Identity To The Fore
By Ram Puniyani
We need to strengthen the processes represented by the Constitution rather than misread the cartoon to rouse the emotions
India: Economic Growth or Abnormal Swelling?
By Colin Todhunter
With 8 per cent economic growth, India has apparently arrived. It's not too clear where 'destination India' happens to be, but it is one that includes nuclear weapons, a space programme, luxury townships . Eye-catching stuff. What more could a country want? How about policies that prioritise food sovereignty and water security for a burgeoning yet vulnerable population, delivered by a thriving agriculture sector?
01 June, 2012
The Ethiopian Land Giveaway
By Graham Peebles
The Ethiopian government, through the Agricultural Investment Support Directorate is at the forefront of this African Land Sale. The Oakland Institute research shows that at least 3,619,509ha of land (an area just smaller than Belgium) have been transferred to investors, although the actual number may be higher
Save Dafur’s Mi$$ing Million$: The Israeli Connection
By Thomas C. Mountain
The so called “Save Dafur Coalition” raised tens of millions of dollars, some say a hundred million or more to help the people of Dafur yet an investigation by this writer can find no evidence of any of this money reaching Dafur refugees on the ground in Sudan.
Imagining The Post-Occupy Social Movement
By Shamus Cooke
The movement that Occupy gives birth to will be born at a higher level, with unity of purpose and collective action. It will not simply protest corporate power but directly challenge this power and the political system tied to it by the combined power of working people
How The Democrats Exploit Occupy
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer
Some dogs can be vicious. But if kept on a short leash, they can be prevented from harming others. When they are off leash and cause harm, the owners are legally responsible, not the dog. Until Occupy starts focusing on the deeper causes of our problems and not just the symptoms, the problems will persist
Criminal Injustice System (part 2)
By Mickey Z.
Unity and trust among Occupiers can help serve as a bulwark against inevitable and extralegal law enforcement devices. Once we have reached that point, another world is truly possible
Living Without Your Name
By Neve Gordon
In Israel, if you are a Palestinian and want to rent a flat, at times, to misquote Arthur Miller, you have to live without your name
Without Growth, There’s Only One Ending For Euro Debt Crisis
By Jeff Rubin
How much more fiscal punishment can the eurozone endure before countries start throwing in the towel? Without economic growth, there can be only one ending to Europe’s debt crisis. Default. Judging by the newly elected socialist politicians in Greece and France that eventuality is a lot closer than financial markets might think
'Model Citizens' In An Age Of Passive Consumerism
By Colin Todhunter
As the debate rumbles on about India opening its doors further to powerful transnational companies, the question to be asked is just what is in fact there to discuss?
Neocon- And Zionist-Pressured UK New Statesman Censors Anti-Racist Jewish Opinion
By Dr Gideon Polya
Neocon American and Zionist (NAZI)-derived Mainstream media censorship enables the continuation of the Palestinian Genocide (2 million invasion-related deaths since 1936, 7 million refugees) and the Muslim Holocaust and Muslim Genocide (12 million war-related deaths since 1990; 20 million refugees ). It is possible to get through the Mainstream media's Wall of Silence - please tell everyone you can
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